Prise du jour: Reed Johnson goes all out vs. Nats

This is simply an appreciation of one of the finest catches I've seen. Reed Johnson, the scrappy center fielder for the Chicago Cubs, went all out in left-center to take extra bases away from the Nationals' Felipe Lopez in a tie game in the 5th inning on Friday.

Johnson is hardly known for his bat but earned a reputation as a throw-your-body-around type gamer with the Toronto Blue Jays. His catch against Washington was one of the finest you will see by an outfielder, between the distance he had to cover and the full out extension he had to make to reach the ball.

Here is the clip of that amazing catch, with broadcast calls courtesy of WGN Radio. Enjoy.

Chiefs come up big in Draft with Dorsey, Albert

The Kansas City Chiefs in my mind had one of, if not the, strongest drafts this past weekend. While losing Jared Allen hurts, they utilized the pick they acquired from the Minnesota Vikings and selected one of the best offensive lineman in the draft, this after they took a major step toward replacing Allen by selecting perhaps the best defensive lineman in the draft. Defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey and offensive guard Branden Albert will be plugged in immediately to the Chiefs lineup, as Kansas City has a major uphill climb after losing its last nine games in 2007.

For a team that has so many holes to fill, the Chiefs also added a top-notch cornerback in Virgina Tech's Brandon Flowers in the second round, then plucked Jamaal Charles, a running back from Texas, in the third round. After Ty Law was cut and Priest Holmes retired, depth at the cornerback and running back positions was extremely thin.

The Chiefs had 12 draft picks overall, and it would be no surprise if all of them were with the club come opening day. The Chiefs could have as many as eight new starters next year after a tumultuous end to last season.

Additionally, I will admit that often times you can't grade a draft class until after the ensuing season, but the Chiefs' success, or lack thereof, should be evident even sooner, considering the fact that many of these rookies could be asked to contribute right off the bat. My expectation is that like many young teams, the Chiefs will go through growing pains early and often, but the more experience their youngsters get, the stronger they will become as a team. If Dorsey, Albert, and Flowers can adjust quickly, the Chiefs rebuilding process should go smoothly. If not, there could be some lean years ahead in Kansas City.

Great teams draft for talent, not need

If you look at the track record of NFL teams that draft well over the recent years, it's because they don't simply draft for need, but rather the best available player out there. Sometimes that doesn't ring true, but why pass up a great player at one position just because you need a bigger upgrade at another position? As a Ravens fan, I got used to this. Ozzie Newsome has made his mark at doing just that, and with a plethora of Pro Bowl players his track record speaks for itself.

The Ravens aren't the only good example, but a good one nonetheless. They have always seemed to need offensive players, especially a quarterback, but still go for defensive talent because it's available and can help their team. They didn't necessarily need a tight end in 2001 because they still had Shannon Sharpe, but found a gem at the end of the first round in Todd Heap. They also didn't particularly need a safety when they were starting to rebuild in 2002, but they found a superstar in Ed Reed. Add defensive tackle Haloti Ngata to the list and it's no wonder they always seem to field a top-notch defense.

I will eschew discussing the Patriots because just about everything they do is shady. Instead another good example is as recent as last year's draft. The Minnesota Vikings had a 1,000-yard rusher in Chester Taylor and a lot of glaring weaknesses elsewhere on their offense and also with their pass defense. Yet Adrian Peterson was simply too good to pass up, and now Minnesota boasts one of the most dominant offensive players in football and a much more feared offense, even without a true quarterback.

Teams sometimes have needs that are simply too glaring to pass up, but more often there are players available that are simply too talented to pass up. Let's say you have a poor defense and a strong offense, especially on the offensive line. But by the luck of the draw one of the top offensive line prospects becomes available. What do you do, especially if you feel that the offensive lineman is more of a sure bet than the defensive player you covet? My opinion is you with the offensive lineman. A great player is a great player, no matter what you need.

Mild prediction: AFC champion will come out of South in '08

It would be a great injustice to one of the strongest divisions in recent memory in the NFL if it did not produce next season's AFC Super Bowl representative. Call it a prediction, or maybe just wishful thinking that the Patriots don't cheat their way to a fifth* big game appearance in eight years. Just consider that the last-place team, the Houston Texans, finished at 8-8 last year, something that has happened only a handful of times since realignment. The division produced the two AFC Wild Card teams, as three clubs, the division-winning Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Tennessee Titans, all reached double-figures in wins. The combined winning percentage of the four teams in the division was .656, the best-ever in the NFL history.

This offseason, the Colts, as in the norm with them, stood pat in free agency, mainly keeping intact a team that has won at least 12 games each of the past five seasons, a first in the NFL annals. The Jaguars addressed one of their weaknesses by upgrading the wide receiver position, while the Titans also made significant additions to an average offense. The Texans are like the forgotten step-child, a franchise that has never posted a winning season in its five-year existence but who made significant strides to reach .500 last season.

Like the NFC East, the AFC South has four playoff-caliber teams that will duke it out over the course of the season. The Colts have won the division five straight years, but the Jaguars are hot on their coattails, and the Titans don't figure to go quietly either. The biggest issue for the Jaguars and Titans will be first overcoming the Colts before they can think about overcoming some of the other top teams in the conference.

My semi-prediction, if you will, is that either the Colts or Jaguars will represent the AFC in Tampa Bay in next year's Super Bowl, but don't be surprised if the Titans make a run at it. The Texans are solid, but at least a year or two away.

Chad for Anquan: Why not?

Swapping disgruntled wide receivers Anquan Boldin for Chad Johnson could be so simple. At the same time it could fail to erase any headaches the Arizona Cardinals and Cincinnati Bengals are feeling right now. Boldin and Johnson are among the game's top wideouts, but both are unhappy with their current squads. Boldin has never come across as a super-selfish, me-first kind of player. He has quietly put up big numbers for a team that is often out of playoff contention by October. Johnson, on the other hand, is as showy and attention-getting as almost anyone in football. His numbers speak for themselves, but unfortunately so does Johnson, sometimes too much. He has clearly wore out his welcome in the Queen City.

So why not simply swap the two players? Okay, maybe it really isn't actually that simple. But what if it is? What if both players are just craving a change of scenery? Both are dynamic receivers, so it's not as if either team would be losing much. Both are going to be big salary cap hits anyway, so why not? Boldin has kept his name out of police blotter, always a good sign for karma when you're headed to play for the Bengals. Johnson has never gotten into legal trouble either, but he has clearly damaged team chemistry for a team in desperate need of it. In Arizona he could team with Larry Fitzgerald to give the NFL one of its most potent one-two punches at receiver in ages -- maybe even ever.

In today's NFL, nothing is really that cut and dry. A simple swap of two frustrated receivers can't simply occur at the snap of a finger. But it's worth considering. Both players want out, and their teams could use to rid themselves of the distraction.

Alexander's release sign of the times

It's amazing how fast things can change in the NFL. Just two years after being named the league's MVP with a then-record 28 touchdowns for the NFC champion Seattle Seahawks, Shaun Alexander is unemployed. He was released today after eight years with the club. He leaves as their all-time leading rusher.

It was somewhat apparent this would happen when the Seahawks signed a pair of free agent running backs this offseason in the Cowboys' Julius Jones and the Lions' T.J. Duckett. But for one of the faces of the franchise, it was hard to imagine this day would actually come. At least so soon, anyway.

The man who graced the cover of Madden '07 will now be waiting by the phone for an offer from another club. There's no doubt he will find work quickly. But the shock will still remain.

Loyalty no longer exists in the NFL, if it ever did at all. Alexander was not only one of the most successful players in franchise history, but also one of the most well-liked and well-respected. But injuries hampered him the past two years, as he failed to top 1,000 yards after doing so the previous five seasons. And just as Ricky Watters was bumped out the door by Alexander, Alexander is being bumped out by Jones and Duckett.

Number 37 will likely be number one on a lot of teams' priority list, at least ones who need a running back. Where ever he ends up he does not figure to be the presence he once was in Seattle, where he once sat among the league's elite backs. The soft-spoken and oft-smiling Alexander is yet another victim of a vicious cycle. But heck, if Jerry Rice can be cut by the 49ers and Zach Thomas by the Dolphins, Alexander can be just as abruptly sent packing by the Seahawks. While his salary cap number made it a somewhat logical decision, it is still unfortunate to see the former MVP depart the Pacific Northwest.

Brewers: Without Sheets, less Parra to ya

I've grown tired of picking the same team every year and watching them unravel the same way at the end each time. I used to pick the Kansas City Chiefs for the Super Bowl almost every year under Dick Vermeil, and despite a top-notch offense they never even won a playoff game. I've started a similar trend with the Milwaukee Brewers, who at least finally broke the .500 barrier last season in narrowly missing the postseason for about the 50th straight season (actually it's only been since 1982, which just feels like 50 years because the Brewers haven't made the playoffs in my lifetime).

The Brewers have at least one bonafide superstar in ace starting pitcher Ben Sheets, who has been absolutely lights-out thus far. Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun are certainly stars-in-the-making for a potent Brewers lineup, but Sheets is the key for Milwaukee if they are to have any shot at a rare NL Central title. Sheets has spent far too much time on the DL the last three seasons, crippling an otherwise-mediocre Brewers rotation. This year's current staff also includes 2006 NLCS MVP Jeff Suppan, David Bush, and youngsters Yovani Gallardo and Manny Parra. The return of Gallardo brings much hope, but once again it's all about the Benjamin.

The prospect of Sheets being a dominant ace in a playoff series for Milwaukee is enticing because the rest of the Brewers' rotation is certainly competent to hold up its end and make them a legitimate title contender. They have no problem scoring runs, although holding leads is a concern with a shaky bullpen. But if Sheets is on his game, none of that would even matter. When healthy and thriving, Big Ben might be the best pitcher in all of baseball. For a franchise that hasn't played October baseball in 25 years, not having him out there is basically a death sentence.

Drafting first overall not such a priviledge anymore

Tim Couch is out of football. David Carr might as well be. Drafting number one these days is not only a risk, it's also a headache. The amount of guaranteed money teams are forwarding to the top pick is ludicrous considering these players have never played a snap in the NFL.

There's no exact science to guarantee that the first pick will be a success in the league. Sometimes they are an instant success, sometimes it takes time. For players like Couch and Carr, it's somewhat unfair considering they were thrust under center for poor teams from the get-go. For players like defensive end Courtney Brown, they simply never have the impact at the pro level that they did in college. For players like running back Ki-jana Carter, they simply can't stay healthy enough to be a factor.

If you are the Miami Dolphins, you have some options at number one. But trading the pick will be tough because no one wants to take on the process of negotiating a fat contract for an unproven player. In a draft with no clear-cut top pick, Bill Parcells is in a tough spot.

Jake Long, Matt Ryan, Darren McFadden. There are some big-time prospects with big-time question marks. They will demand money, and almost certainly get it. If they don't, they simply will holdout, because it's what almost everyone does these days. Then when they do play, they have a mountain of expectations to live up to. Generally it takes a special type of player to live up to that hype. For a franchise like Miami, they are hoping to hit the jackpot.

It would making picking first well worth their while.

Sporting tip: Can't stand 'em? Bet 'em

I learned a valuable and profitable lesson that offered me some comfort last October. My undying hatred for the city of Boston and especially the Red Sox led me to do something rather unorthodox. Sensing they would win the World Series with the baseball gods on their side, I knew I had to do something to ease the pain. So it dawned on me that I could actually benefit from my own misery by putting money on them, figuring that hedging my bet would let me win either way.

I am not much of a gambler so I did not front that much money, but 50 bucks in your pocket is 50 bucks. When the Red Sox were celebrating on the field in Colorado, my TV had long been turned off, but my wallet was a little fatter. I knew the entire baseball season was a waste, but at least I was a tad richer for it.

I also experienced the other end of the spectrum with this past Super Bowl. I bet the Patriots assuming a perfect season was a lock for them, and assumed it'd be a few more easy dollars. But when Tom Brady's desperation heave fell incomplete on fourth-and-20, I was emotionally richer although financially poorer. Nevertheless, the joy of seeing the Patriots' run at perfection spoiled was well worth the small amount of money I put on them. Once again, I was set either way. In all honesty though, this was better than winning a little pocket cash.

If you like to make the stakes a little higher, then you can probably cope with your hated team winning even better. If you're like me, petty cash offers at least some solace. Just moments ago I happened to catch online the fact that the Red Sox rallied from five runs down to shock the pathetic Rangers, which for me was like watching the same movie for the hundredth time. But the other day I bet the Sox to both win the AL pennant and the World Series, so I figure this charmed existence they are living will at least throw a few dollars my way at season's end.

Bottom line here folks is, if you're as passionate about sports as I am, you have at least two or three teams you hate with every fiber of your being. I've never been a proponent of the "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em" cliche, but this may be the exception. Place a small (or large) bet on your most hated sports teams, and either way you'll come out richer. For me, I hope by the end of October I am emotionally richer and financially poorer. But money is money, right?

Restoring the good name of Adam Jones

If your name is Adam Jones and you are a professional athlete, chances are people do not have a good association with you. Maybe that's because the most well known Adam Jones, commonly referred to as "Pacman", is one of the biggest thugs in the NFL. He is currently suspended from the league for repeated violations of the league's personal conduct policy, including a possible involvement in a triple shooting in Las Vegas last year.

But if you are a 22-year-old outfielder for the Baltimore Orioles, you are doing your best to restore the integrity of that name. This Jones is one of the baseball's bright young prospects, the key component of the trade that sent former Orioles ace Erik Bedard to the Seattle Mariners.

While "Pacman" Jones tries to make his way back to football, Adam Jones has quietly had a solid start for the surprising Orioles, collecting 14 hits in his first 54 at-bats including a homerun. But how unknown is he? It's not often a professional baseball player takes a backseat to another professional athlete AND a musician when you Google his name. Yet despite the relative anonymity, Jones is one of the fresh faces of the future for the struggling Baltimore franchise.

On the other end of the spectrum, "Pacman" Jones (if you hadn't guessed by now, no relation) is the poster child for bad behavior in pro football. He has drawn recent interest from the Dallas Cowboys but has yet to be officially reinstated by the league. Whether or not he continues and ultimately resurrects his troubled career remains to be seen.

In the realm of professional sports there are hundreds of Joneses, from the Atlanta Braves' Chipper to the Seattle Seahawks' Julius to the Philadelphia Flyers' Randy. But there are only a pair of Adams, and they could not seemingly be more opposite. The baseball version is doing his part to make people forget the bad memories of the football version.

Two instant classics, courtesy of the Manning Bros.

Even a heavy sense of bias can't keep me from calling the Patriots' last two postseason losses two of the greatest games in NFL history. First it was the Colts rallying from 18 points down in the 2006 AFC Championship Game, the largest comeback in championship game history. Then just this past February it was Eli Manning's last-minute touchdown lob to Plaxico Burress to knock off the previously undefeated Patriots.

Part of the reason I believe these were two of the best games ever was my hatred for the New England Patriots. But realistically the scenarios under which the games were played made them that much more memorable. First it was Peyton Manning trying to shed the label of big-game choke artist, especially when it came to playing the Patriots. After throwing an interception returned for a touchdown that put his Colts in a 21-3 hole, Manning and the Colts embarked on a frantic comeback to tie the game at 21-21. The two teams then traded a touchdown and a field goal before New England regained a 34-31 lead. After a huge defensive stand got Manning the ball back, No. 18 drove the Colts almost the length of the field for a game-winning touchdown. A Brady comeback attempt was then thwarted by the Colts defense, which many believed had hindered Manning's ability to lead the Colts to a Super Bowl in years past.

This past Super Bowl was one of the best Super Bowls of all time. After all, how many Super Bowls come down to the final minute? I still think the Rams-Titans classic was the best in Super Bowl history, but this one was a close second. The Patriots were attempting to become just the second team in NFL history to go through an entire season undefeated. The Giants were huge underdogs with a quarterback who also was seen as a big-game choker, if not a draft bust. The vaunted Patriots offense was held to a meager 14 points after shattering the points record in the regular season. David Tyree's incredible catch may go down as the best in history given the circumstances. But the image that will always stand out to me was Tom Brady being lit up for a sack on the final drive by Giants' rookie Jay Alford that all but sealed the deal.

For a team that has caught seemingly every break in the 21st Century thus far, whether legitimately or not, the Patriots have been on the losing end of perhaps two of the best games in recent memory, at least in the playoffs. Mr. Perfect Tom Brady has been picked by the Colts and sacked by the Giants in the final minute, when he is supposedly invincible.

Surely, the NFL has had its share of memorable contests in recent years. Who can forget Dwayne Rudd of the Browns throwing his helmet on the final play to allow the Chiefs the chance to kick the winning field goal? Or the 49ers rallying from 24 points down to shock the Giants in the 2002 Wild Card playoffs? But the Manning brothers' greatest hours, respectively, have not only come at the hands of the Patriots, but have also been as breathtaking as anything we have seen in the NFL.

Buffalo Bills: Welcome to Toronto

Sorry Buffalo, but get used to this. The Bills haven't made the playoffs since 1999, and they don't appear headed there next year. One place they are headed, however, is north of the border. Toronto's Rogers Centre will be hosting the first regular-season NFL game played in Canada on December 7 when the Miami Dolphins visit the Bills. Tickets will be anywhere in the $200 range on average, something absurd for Bills fans. But Toronto is a top-notch city (I should know, I live there), and the high price is nothing to be shocked about. Worse yet for Bills fans, who should be used to heartbreak by now, is that the home game they are losing is against arguably their biggest divisional rival.

I think it's great that Ralph Wilson is trying to dip into the Canadian market; Toronto is only 90 miles from Buffalo and there are plenty of Bills fans in the area. I don't even need to mention that the Rogers Centre is a much nicer place to watch a game than Ralph Wilson Stadium, perhaps the biggest dump in all of football.

I am not insinuating that the Bills should move to Toronto permanently, but playing once a year in Toronto is a great idea. Bills fans should embrace the idea considering their luck here can't be much worse than it has been of late in Western New York.

Cleveland is the ultimate sports heartbreak city

The Drive. The Fumble. Jose Mesa. The fact that LeBron James is only one player and not five. Whatever the reason, Cleveland always seems to be suffering from bad karma when it comes to sports. The Indians choking away a 3-1 lead in last year's ALCS, combined with Ryan Garko's big mouth, got me thinking that it really is a bad case of the sports gods frowning on the Mistake on the Lake (aka Cleveland).

The Browns, perhaps the worst name for a professional sports franchise, have really been left in the cold when it comes to the Super Bowl. In addition to being one of six franchises never to reach the big game, they are the only one of those six to not at least host a Super Bowl in their city. John Elway did them in twice in the late 80's, and they have barely smelled the playoffs since then.

The Cavaliers had a nice run in knocking off Detroit in last year's conference finals, but LeBron James was no match for the Spurs, who have a complete team, not just one superstar. The Cavaliers have never won an NBA title, and last year was their first-ever appearance in the NBA Finals.

And then there's the Indians. They lost two World Series in the 90's, including a heartbreaking, 7-game marathon against the Marlins in 1997. Blowing a 3-1 lead to Boston last year extended Cleveland's World Series title drought to 59 years.

Alas, there is no justice for Cleveland fans (not even David Justice, who went on to win a World Series only after departing Cleveland) when it comes to sports and notably championships. Ohio State is a winning collegiate program in nearby Columbus, but the fans of the Dawg Pound would much rather see their Browns, who will be featured in five prime time games next season, bring home the hardware. The city is championship-starved despite having some talented teams, and it's just a shame. But hey, it could be worse. Any of those teams could be the Chicago Cubs.

Goodell's Spygate "punishment" a joke

First of all, way to go 49ers. Way to finish 5-11 knowing that your first round draft pick belongs to, who else, the Patriots. When that draft pick was crappy offensive tackle Joe Staley, not even Defensive Rookie of the Year Patrick Willis. Second of all, way to make an example, Roger Goodell. Goodell's "punishment" for the Patriots years and years of blatant cheating was the Patriots losing their first-round pick "if they reached the postseason". That is laughable. What's more laughable is that Goodell figured it would sound harsh but knew all along New England would get a higher pick because of San Francisco's ineptitude as an organization. Docking less than a million dollars from one of the league's richest owners was merely a slap on the wrist.

The 15-plus screen passes the Patriots called against the Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX, the Patriots' third* title in four years, should've sent up a red flag. Then again, no one seems to flag the Patriots. Least of all Goodell.

So while the new, stern commissioner is busy setting up ridiculous regular-season games in London and suspending players for going to too many strip clubs, the Patriots are continuing to ruin the integrity of the game. Maybe South Park put it best. In a recent episode chronicling Bill Beli-cheat, Cartman explains to a group of students, "If you cheat and win, you're a success... and when caught redhanded, say what all middle-aged white male cheaters say: 'I misinterpreted the rules'".

Belichick didn't misinterpret anything, except maybe Goodell. Even he couldn't have thought the commish would be so easy on him. Heck, Goodell even did the coach a favor by destroying all of the evidence.

Pete Rozelle must be spinning in his grave.

NFL schedule is out -- time to start planning

Because I am the consummate sports nut, especially an NFL nut, this is kind of a holy day for me. Maybe it is for others too. I'll play it safe and speak only for myself, though.

At 2 p.m. EST, the NFL Network and NFL.com simultaneously released the officially 2008 NFL schedule, and at about 2:01 p.m. my mind was racing with thoughts about which games I not only would look forward to watching, but also which games I might be attending. I enjoy checking out new stadiums, picking out intriguing matchups, preferably teams I have never seen live. Last year I had the pleasure of seeing Brett Favre play for the first time, combining that with my first trip to Arrowhead Stadium.

This year my top target destination is Dallas. After all, 2008 is the final year for Texas Stadium, where the Cowboys have called home since 1971. The Cowboys play in the NFC East, so right there that's three excellent home matchups. They also play Seattle on Thanksgiving and my hometown Ravens in the regular-season finale on a Saturday night in late December.

For most fans, the more casual ones, this is simply a day to peek ahead and seem who their teams play and when. Travel plans are still on hold for several months; rather, it's a day of speculation and anticipation. And in some cases, major questions.

My top question is, in a league that prides itself on parity, why do the Patriots have the league's easiest schedule? Why do the Chargers, who admittedly will be doing their fair share of traveling this year, have the second-easiest schedule? By New England's good graces, of which this decade they seem to have many, they get to face the pathetic NFC West and almost equally-inept AFC West. Their first four games are against teams that won a combined 13 games last year. Yikes.

At any rate, this April day represents the turning of the page from 2007 to 2008. The NFL Draft in two weeks will help culminate that process. But now that we know who plays who and when, it's time to start pondering -- and in my case, maybe even start planning.

Time for baseball to stop pretending everything is okay

Major League Baseball will probably never have a salary cap, which is tragic. As much as most baseball fans would like to cling to the fact that baseball has crowned seven different champions over the past eight years, it's now apparent that was just a faze, and a cover up for the real problems that the game still has. Parity really is non-existent.

This actually does not have to be another Red Sox/Yankees rant. As much as I would like to see a salary cap destroy the high the Red Sox are on, like the one the Yankees were on in the late 90's, it isn't just those two financial juggernauts ruining America's pasttime. The payrolls of the high-market clubs are skyrocketing. The Mets and Angels don't have the baseball gods smiling on them like the Red Sox and their horde of obnoxious bandwagoning fans do, but they are spending ad nauseum and will almost assuredly steal a playoff spot from a grittier and more deserving team that doesn't have the financial resources to hold up over a 162-game schedule.

It would be nice to enjoy the nice starts that teams like the Orioles, Athletics, or Marlins are having. But this isn't a 16-game season like the NFL. Eventually karma gets to the little guys and kicks them in the gut. Rest assured that on the flip side, the Red Sox will have a player overcome a heart attack or an awful bout with pneumonia in the midst of another title run, and ESPN will run twelve stories on them in a span of a week. A team like the Blue Jays, meanwhile, will stick around until August, suffer one or two key injuries, start losing, then blame it on that. We've all seen this movie before.

It's April, and the writing is already on the wall. It's time for baseball to start assessing the problem. Predictability is no fun in sports.

Devin Hester, You Are Ridiculous

By the time the 2008 NFL season rolls around, the Chicago Bears' Devin Hester may be considered the NFL's most versatile player. He is perhaps the game's most gifted athlete, on pace to shatter almost every kick and punt return record with an absurd 11 touchdowns in just two seasons. But in 2007, Hester was utilized as a wide receiver by head coach Lovie Smith, hauling in 20 passes for 299 yards and two touchdowns.

While the Bears slipped to 7-9 last season and are hardly considered a major contender heading into next year, Hester has proven that he alone is worth the price of admission. His flare for the dramatic, which includes the only opening kickoff returned for a touchdown in Super Bowl history, is almost uncanny. The Bears, who lost their top receiving threat in Bernard Berrian this offseason, have tried to utilize Hester in the passing game. But as the game's premier return man, Hester has simply set a new standard.

With Chicago's new #23 standing back returning kicks, the Bears are virtually guaranteed of favorable field position. For those foolish enough to kick to Hester, the risk is tremendous. For those who choose to kick away from him, they suffer the consequences of a short kick and thus, a short field for the opposing offense.

A victim of a team devoid of big playmakers on offense, Hester's increased role was thought to have taken a toll on him last season. Instead, he nearly duplicated his extraordinary rookie campaign with five more return touchdowns while also pitching in some big plays on offense for a team that had its fair share of quarterback issues.

While the 2008 Bears might be a far cry from the club that reached Super Bowl XLI just two seasons ago, Hester makes them an instant attraction. He may in fact be the only player in all of football to validate the old cliche "he's a threat to score any time he touches the ball". Which is why, of course, Lovie Smith has tried using him in every which way possible.

When the Montreal Canadiens draw my interest

I really don't like hockey, and I should because I now live in Toronto. The Leafs, I'm told, suck. They haven't won a title since 1967. But the Canadiens, apparently quite disliked in my new neck of the woods, are suddenly my rooting NHL interest. Why? If you've read this blog enough it should be obvious. They are playing the Boston Bruins. The Bruins, who play in the same town as the Red Sox, Patriots, and Celtics. The Bruins, who are trying to elevate their status with their fellow Boston franchises.

Last I heard the "Habs" were up 2-0 in the series, comforting news considering the Celtics could be on their way to an NBA championship themselves. The Red Sox are back at their recent winning ways already, and the Patriots have the 7th pick in the NFL Draft at month's end. If nothing else, a Canadiens' series win would provide a brief sigh of relief.

Pressure is on Rivers now

Once a New York Giant (for about a mere hour), Philip Rivers, one of three quarterbacks taken with the first 11 picks in the 2004 NFL Draft, has seen Ben Roethlisberger (taken 11th) and Eli Manning (first overall) win Super Bowls in their first four seasons. Rivers, who finally won a playoff game this past year (two, in fact), now needs to take the next step. But recovering from a torn ACL will only hinder that process, as the Chargers might be forced to start the 2008 season with Billy Volek under center.

The Chargers started 1-3 last season before rallying to win their third AFC West title in four years. Rivers showed incredible grit by playing with a torn ACL in the Bolts' AFC Championship game loss at New England. But once again San Diego came up short of its ultimate goal, and Rivers knows that, even with LaDainian Tomlinson in the backfield, the journey to Super Bowl XLIII falls squarely on his shoulders.

Calipari no longer feeling fried

It always seemed to be the worst of two worlds for Memphis head coach John Calipari. In the pro ranks, he simply couldn't win. A 72-112 overall record and no postseason wins marked two-plus failed years at the helm of the New Jersey Nets. In the collegiate ranks, Calipari was the coach who could always field strong teams yet never get them to the premier level. Despite entering this season with a career 373-134 overall coaching record in college, Calipari had only guided one team to the Final Four, his 1995-96 UMass squad. He has been a champion in the NCAA, but that was an NIT title with Memphis in 2002. His two previous best teams were his 2006 and 2007 Memphis clubs, which went a combined 66-8 in from 2005-07. Yet both of those teams were bounced in the Elite Eight, and one could only wonder if Calipari would ever deliver a championship.

But 2008 has arrived, and so have Calipari's Tigers. Finally.

Even entering the tournament at 33-1, many thought Memphis was the most vulnerable of the four number one seeds in this year's NCAA Tournament, especially with it's poor free-throw shooting. But with its rout of UCLA on Saturday, the Tigers are on the doorstep of destiny. As fate would have it, only another coach looking to shed the can't-win-the-big-one label, Bill Self, and the Kansas Jayhawks stand in the way.

Please, not the Celtics too

As if not enough obnoxious humans are walking the streets flaunting Red Sox caps and Patriots jerseys, just imagine another major pro sports team from Boston making a run at a title. I don't claim to know enough about basketball to say the Celtics can't develop their own players, but I seem to remember Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett starting their careers elsewhere. Garnett, an offseason purchase, is an attempt by a losing franchise to try and restore glory. Thanks to recent New England karma, the move has made the Celtics the top dog in the weak Eastern Conference.

The Spurs, Patriot-like in winning four of the last nine NBA titles, have somehow fallen back to the pack in many people's minds, and have taken a backseat in the media. ESPN, a Connecticut conglomerate, have used their status to implant the name "Boston Three Party" in people's minds, making the newfound Boston hatred that much easier to stir up.

So when it comes time for most of us to ignore the NBA Finals in favor of the baseball season starting to heat up in the early summer months, yours truly can only hope the Celtics do not follow in the footsteps of last year's Red Sox or the Patriots' three asterisk-marked titles from earlier this decade. Such a gruesome image it would be, the Irish parading all over Beantown pretending to care about the Celtics, when the reality is its just another excuse to be obnoxious, drink heavily in the streets, and rub it in that their once-pathetic sports tandem is riding high.

The Spurs, Lakers, Hornets, Pistons, and maybe a few surprise entries ultimately may have something to say about that. Let's hope so.

1 and not done

March wasn't full of madness after all.

When Davidson's Jason Richards misfired on a 3-pointer at the buzzer Sunday, the last of the Cinderellas fell as Kansas escaped with a Final Four berth, 59-57. That means that all four of the tournament's number 1 seeds will battle for the national championship. It is a far cry from two years ago, when a 2, 3, 4, and 11 seed advanced to the Final Four (No. 3 Florida won it all).

As I mentioned previously, the madness generally fizzles after the first two rounds anyway. Even with Davidson making an improbable run, just as improbable was the possibility of someone not seeded number 1 having a legitimate shot at the title.

The two matchups next Sunday certainly will be entertaining and enjoyable for the hardcore college basketball fan (you know, the one that actually follows the sport the entire year and not just during March Madness). North Carolina figures to battle UCLA for the national title, but Kansas and Memphis will have something to say about that.

So there will be no George Mason-like success story this year, not even a slightly-under-the-radar team like Florida two years ago getting hot at the right time. Instead it will be the four teams that are cut above the rest duking it out. Good basketball, certainly. Worth watching? Maybe.

Message to NFL coaches: No need to run up the score

It's odd to think that in the NFL a team leading 31-7 in the 4th quarter might have a dilemma on its hands. The outcome of the game is inevitable, but the issue then remains how to handle the remainder of the game. Rest your regulars? Run the ball almost exclusively? Play prevent defense?

The debate is many times a non-issue because of the competitive nature of today's game, but in 2007 was brought back into focus mostly by the New England Patriots. A number of early-season games were early routs, and Bill Belichick, as is his nature, was drawing the ire of his opponents by leaving his regulars in, passing the ball with enormous leads, and generally sticking it to his critics who said he was a low-down dirty cheater. The result was ugly, with Wes Welker spiking the ball with a 45-7 lead, Tom Brady being brought back off the bench to throw his sixth touchdown pass of a game, and Ben Watson catching a touchdown pass on fourth down with a 35-7 lead.

But put aside the Patriots for a second. This trend is generally reserved for college football because often times the disparity in talent leads to many a rout throughout the course of a season. Steve Spurrier was one of the head honchos in that department for many years with Florida. Though blowouts are less common in the NFL, gamesmanship can still get distorted in cases like the aforementioned ones.

Not to preach too much, but my thought process shouldn't be rocket science and should be followed by coaches. If you're team is leading by three or four touchdowns late in the game, there's no need to have your starters in. Why risk your top players getting injured when the win is already in the books? I don't think coaches have to run every single play -- the play-calling isn't so much the issue. But it's one thing to have Tom Brady airing it out with a 42-10 lead; it's another, less disrespectful thing to have Matt Cassel getting some throws in up 32 points. As for the fourth-down issue, this is perhaps the biggest gray area. Kicking a field goal is, in the opposition coach's opinion, adding three unnecessary points. Yet going for it is rubbing it in. Taking a knee is pure patronization. My opinion: run the ball. If you get it, more time to burn off the clock. If you don't, no extra salt-in-the-wound points, other team gets the ball back, other team's coach slightly less mad about his insurmountable deficit.

By in large, no fan wants to see an NFL game result in a blowout -- unless of course it's your team on the winning end. With parity the way it is, blowouts aren't as big a part of the game as they used to be. Remember some of the Super Bowls from the 80s and 90s? Only two Super Bowls in the last nine years have been decided by more than 12 points. That said, when a gruesome runaway does ensue, there is no need for coaches to massage their egos by adding insult to injury and pouring it on for the sake of personal records and perhaps personal vendettas (think Belichick for the latter). Tony Dungy won't have Peyton Manning under center with the game wrapped up, let alone throwing passes. The agenda for coaches when a game is that out of hand should not be the final margin of victory, but rather getting the game over with as quickly as possible with as few injuries as possible. After all, in today's NFL, no win is more important than the next one.

March Fad-ness: Tourney boring after first 2 rounds

I can't speak for everybody -- heck, I can barely speak for myself -- but put me in the sure-to-be-large grouping of those that simply loses interest in the NCAA Tournament after the first two rounds. Like most Americans (and I wouldn't dare discriminate against those elsewhere in the world who feign interest) I park myself in front of the television for most of the day on that Thursday and Friday when 32 teams advance and 32 teams go home. Saturday and Sunday are weekend days so I try and socialize somewhat, but the buzz is still there. That is, until the next work week rolls around and only 16 teams remain.

Perhaps the biggest buzzkill is simply the fact that viewers have to wait from Sunday until Thursday for the tournament to resume. A close second to that is that usually by the third round the clock has struck midnight for most, if not all, of the potential Cinderellas of the bracket.

Of course, I am not a basketball purist, nor do I claim to be one, and thus one can't deny that perhaps the best basketball games are the ones played in the later rounds featuring the nation's powerhouses. So it is not as if the Sweet 16, Elite 8, and Final Four are slouches. But by that time virtually all of your brackets are completely busted and thus you have no desire to see your friends or coworkers duke it out to see who takes home the prize in your tournament pool.

Maybe I'm just venting on the grounds of my own yearly bracket pitfalls. But be honest, tell me this doesn't at least describe you the reader at least partly.

Thought so.

Baseball is here: 2008 Predictions

Why spend time reading the predictions of so-called "baseball experts" when you can get equally unreliable ones right here on this site? Though it wasn't rocket science to pick Boston last season, most experts will swing and miss with at least a third of the league's teams' fates. That said, here are my undoubted whiffs at what the 2008 Major League Baseball season will hold.

Predicted American League Standings:

AL East
1) Boston
2) New York*
3) Toronto
4) Tampa Bay
5) Baltimore

AL Central
1) Detroit
2) Cleveland
3) Chicago
4) Kansas City
5) Minnesota

AL West
1) Seattle
2) Los Angeles
3) Texas
4) Oakland


Playoffs:
ALDS -- Seattle over Boston; Detroit over New York
ALCS -- Detroit over Seattle

Predicted National League Standings (*-Denotes Wild Card team)

NL East
1) New York
2) Philadelphia
3) Atlanta
4) Washington
5) Florida

NL Central
1) Milwaukee
2) Chicago*
3) Houston
4) St. Louis
5) Cincinnati
6) Pittsburgh

NL West
1) Arizona
2) Los Angeles
3) Colorado
4) San Diego
5) San Francisco

Playoffs:
NLDS -- New York over Chicago; Arizona over Milwaukee
NLCS -- Arizona over New York

World Series:
Detroit over Arizona, 4 games to 2

Green Bay now Mr. Rodgers' neighborhood

With Brett Favre's retirement Tuesday, the reins of the Green Bay Packers will, in all likelihood, be handed to a 24-year-old California kid who has never started an NFL game. Aaron Rodgers, a first-round selection out of Cal in the 2005 draft, has essentially had one significant NFL showing in three seasons as the backup to the NFL's Iron Man. Rodgers completed 18 of 26 passes for 201 yards and a touchdown in Green Bay's 37-27 loss to Dallas in Week 13 after Favre left the game due to injury. But now Rodgers will finally get his shot. So is he ready?

There is no reason to believe he isn't capable of leading the Packers back to the playoffs. He was highly touted coming out of college and didn't disappoint in his relief outing against the Cowboys last year. In a game with home-field advantage implications Rodgers stepped up and kept the Packers in the game the whole way through. But in becoming the first person other than Favre to start a game for Green Bay since 1992, Rodgers will face different sorts of hurdles. Like the media pressure of filling Favre's shoes. It was a similar situation faced by Brian Griese after John Elway's retirement. 10 years later, the Broncos have just one playoff win to show for it. Rodgers also will have a first-round pick status to live up to. But at least the very least, he appears a far better suitor than, say, the quarterback that was chosen first overall in '05, Alex Smith, who has struggled mightily in San Francisco.

Working in Rodgers' favor is an extremely talented wide receiving core and one of the league's better offensive lines. With weapons like Donald Driver and Greg Jennings to throw to, and Pro Bowl-caliber linemen like Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher protecting him, there won't be much room for excuses if Rodgers can't keep the Packers offense at a high level.

It would be hard to imagine anyone viewing Rodgers as a failure if he, at the least, keeps Green Bay in playoff contention next year. He naturally will always be comapred to Favre as his first successor, and because Rodgers has been a Packer for three seasons there shouldn't be much of a learning curve in 2008.

As No. 4 used to say it was "Super Bowl or bust" for the Packers. With No. 16 stepping in, that sentiment is probably far-fetched at best. But all eyes will be on Rodgers now as he attempts to lead the Packers back to the postseason.

Free agency not always precursor to success in today’s NFL

It’s easy to look back at what the New England Patriots did in the realm of free agency following the 2006 season and say that big spending in the free agent market is the key to success in today’s NFL. But it’s even easier to realize that three of the final four teams this past season, including the world champion New York Giants, were hardly factors in the free agent market prior to their tremendous 2007 campaigns.

The two conference finalists, the Green Bay Packers and San Diego Chargers, each essentially made one free agency move, and neither shook the earth off its axis. Green Bay’s only notable free agent signing was nickel defensive back Frank Walker from the Giants. Walker was hardly an impact player, recording just 17 tackles and no interceptions in 12 games. Meanwhile, the Chargers’ lone move was retaining guard Kris Dielman to keep their offensive line intact. Yet despite their lack of activity in the market, both the Packers and Chargers came within one game of the Super Bowl in large part because their core players, mostly all of whom they acquired through the draft or as undrafted free agents, produced on a consistent basis.

The Giants, they of perhaps the greatest upset in NFL history, made only one significant move in free agency in bringing in linebacker Kawika Mitchell from the Kansas City Chiefs. While Mitchell was a solid contributor, it was the growth of quarterback Eli Manning and the overachievement of their unheralded draft class that propelled the Giants’ incredible playoff run.

So what does this all mean? Does it mean that the Patriots didn’t need to purge their wallet to get back to the Super Bowl? Not necessarily. Players like Adalius Thomas and Donte Stallworth were important pieces, and receivers Randy Moss and Wes Welker (acquired through trades) were a large reason why the Patriots shattered all sorts of offensive records in 2007. But like the other successful teams in the league, the Patriots didn’t go 16-0 in the regular season without tremendous success from their own players. It’s not as if quarterback Tom Brady, a sixth-round pick in 2000, or Asante Samuel, a third-round selection in 2003, were big names coming out of college. Yet they are just two examples of excellent scouting and what being in the right system can do for young players.

If you need further proof that free agency isn’t what many people expect, just look at the previous two Super Bowl winning teams. The Indianapolis Colts’ lone free agent acquisition, albeit a big one, was a kicker. Adam Vinatieri was a huge part of their postseason success, but virtually all of their offensive and defensive starters came through either the draft or as castoffs from other organizations.

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ formula for success was almost identical for the 2005 championship team. Ben Roethlisberger was a first-round pick yet the third quarterback taken in the 2004 draft, while other key players like Troy Polamalu, Hines Ward, and Ike Taylor came through the draft. Running back Willie Parker, who broke a Super Bowl-record 75-yard touchdown run, was an undrafted free agent out of North Carolina who worked wonders assuming the starting role from Jerome Bettis. Bettis, while not originally drafted by Pittsburgh, had been with the team for 10 seasons and his leadership was just as important as his play on the field.

Free agency certainly is not as impactful as it is in baseball in large part because of the salary cap, but also because the draft is often where great teams are made. You don’t have to have a high pick, either, as many of today’s stars were late-round gems or even undrafted players. Scouting and player development is as critical now as it has ever been, and with the recent success of teams who have scored big with young players, that doesn’t figure to change any time soon.

A Giant Upset, A Giant Relief

The writing on the wall was as clear as day. 19-0. Perfection. History. Words alike scrawled out, paying homage to the conclusion of the New England Patriots' perfect season. Their fourth Super Bowl win in seven seasons, the one that bought them a share of property in Perfectville alongside the cherished 1972 Miami Dolphins. Not in a million years were the New York Giants going to stand in their way.
But apparently, Tom Coughlin, Eli Manning, and the rest of Big Blue didn't get the message. Instead, they traveled to Perfectville to deliver a gift card to Mercury Morris and his gang. "Enjoy it for one more year."
And indeed they will.
The Patriots' quest for perfection never came full circle. The Giants delivered one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history, knocking off the 18-0 Pats, 17-14, on the strength of an epic, 83-yard game-winning touchdown drive by the younger Manning. David Tyree, known mainly for his stellar work on special teams, made one of the greatest catches in recent memory to keep the drive alive. Four plays later, Manning lofted an on-target -- perfect, actually -- pass to outspoken wide receiver Plaxico Burress to cap the comeback. The unheralded Giants defense officially sealed the deal shortly after that, sacking Tom Brady and forcing three incompletions to bring the Lombardi Trophy home to the Big Apple.
And so, as Vegas oddsmakers lost approxmiately $2.6 million, most of the world got exactly what they wanted. The hated Patriots, attempting to bring Massachusetts its second championship in four months, not only lost a game, but perhaps got a dose of karma. Up until Super Sunday the Patriots and coach Bill Belichick made it known that they wanted to stomp every opponent, most likely to erase any doubts over the "Spygate" scandal that arose after a week 1 matchup with the Jets that created some doubt over their recent success. As if the Patriots hadn't terrorized the NFL enough this decade, the possibility of them going 19-0 was downright sickening to many, including yours truly. After coughing up an 18-point lead to Indianapolis last January in the AFC title game, the Patriots went on a spending spree that landed them star wide receiver Randy Moss and two stellar complements in Wes Welker and Donte Stallworth, as well as plucking linebacker Adalius Thomas from the Ravens. Through the season's first 18 games, it looked as if the "sign up for a ring" policy was going to come to fruition for the Patriots newest additions, as well as Junior Seau, the grisled veteran linebacker who has gone through his share of lean years in San Diego and Miami. But in the end, it was the likes of Michael Strahan, Amani Toomer and Shaun O'Hara, to name just a few of the Giants own grisled vets, who brought home the hardware.
Perhaps the whole thing was made even sweeter by two factors. The fact that New England achieved the first-ever 16-0 regular season and failed to win the title is quite satisfactory. Then add in yet another chapter of New York ousting Boston in a major sporting event, and the spoiled Beantown sports fans start to think back to the old days of Bill Buckner and the many Red Sox heartbreakers, as well as the old Foxborough Stadium days that hardly were filled with lore.
To look deeper at the Giants and their run to glory, it is hard to believe a 10-6 regular season team could turn it on and become such a force in the postseason, but Eli Manning proved why he was the first overall pick in the 2004 draft. His numbers were solid if not spectacular, and in the end he had the poise to do the unthinkable and knock off the seemingly-invincible Patriots.
Who says the Cowboys are America's Team? The Giants just made a pretty strong case.

Jaguars face unthinkable task

The Jaguars are one of six franchises never to participate in a Super Bowl, a fact that doesn’t appear likely to change next Saturday night. Not that the Jaguars lack the talent or moxie to make it to Arizona; it’s just that they have the unenviable task of trying to knock off the unbeaten Patriots in Foxboro in the Divisional round of the playoffs.

The unknown, gritty squad from the Sun Belt will assume the role of America’s team on Saturday as those outside of Boston (plus a few bandwagoners that we could all do without) will be pulling for Jack Del Rio’s club.

The Jaguars will have to pound Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew on the ground, which is a distinct possibility considering the one vulnerable spot on the Patriots defense appears to be their run defense. But ultimately it will come down to David Garrard, because Bill Belichick will try and take away what the Jags do best: run the ball. That said, Garrard’s legacy can grow in massive proportions if he can pull the upset of the year.

As much as I would love to see the Jags knock off the smarmy Pats, the prediction stands as follows: Patriots, 27-13.

It’s not that I don’t believe the Jags can’t win. But divine intervention won’t let the Patriots’ record-setting season take such an ugly turn. Maybe the Colts or Cowboys or Packers will knock them off down the road, which I (and would imagine most others) would be just fine with. But wouldn’t it be nice if Jacksonville took a step closer to removing itself from that dubious non-Super Bowl list?

Strong 'pens written with youthful exuberance

In this day and age in baseball, when the complete game is almost non-existent, the teams built to last are the ones with strong bullpens. Generally, that entails steady middle relief, complemented by a 1-2 punch of a setup man and closer to finish out games. A prime example for the 2007 season would be the Boston Red Sox, who knew they had a strength in their middle relief and in closer Jonathan Papelbon but truly hit the jackpot by lucking out on Japanese-import-turned-setup man Hideki Okajima. Okajima is 31 but technically a Major League rookie, while Papelbon is 26. In looking back at recent successful teams, the key seems to have been a strong yet young bullpen. Last year's World Series featured a pair of teams carried by tremendous bullpens. The Tigers were sparked by flame-throwing then-21-year-old Joel Zumaya, while the Cardinals found a gem in interim closer Adam Wainwright, 25. This year's Yankees seemed to have taken a similar path, promoting youngsters Joba Chamberlain (21) and Edwar Ramirez (26) to set up games for aging closer Mariano Rivera. Chamberlain has taken fans aback with his 98-mph heater and devastating slider, and the Yankees suddenly have a much stronger bullpen to help bolster their postseason hopes.
This is in no way to say that veteran relievers are out of style. But the last several years have been an indicator that it never hurts to have fresh young arms in your bullpen to take some of the heat off of the older guys during the stretch run. Francisco Rodriguez, a.k.a. "K-Rod" started something of a trend by taking the league by storm after a September call-up by the Angels in 2002. Rodriguez became Troy Percival's primary setup man as the Angels won their first ever World Series title. He has since emerged into one of the game's premier closers. Dating back even further, it is a similar path the Yankees went down with Rivera, who started out as a 26-year old setup man for John Wetteland during the Yankees' 1996 championship season. When Wettleland departed for Texas as a free agent in 1997, Rivera took over as the closer, and has evolved into a Hall Of Fame-caliber pitcher.
It may not be out with the old, but it's certainly in with the new.

Orioles improved, but not quite ready yet

Not to diminish an 11-9 start for a franchise that has endured 9 consecutive losing seasons, but if you watched the Orioles brief two-game set against perennial playoff contender Oakland, you probably were able to pick up a few things, things that lead you to believe that while the Orioles are much improved from a 70-92 2006 campaign, they are not quite at a playoff level just yet.
Start with Monday night's 6-5 loss. After falling behind 5-0 against A's ace Dan Haren, the O's battled back to within 5-4 after 8 innings, getting a huge lift from Aubrey Huff's 3-run homer. But the ninth inning was an indicator that they are not there yet. Nick Swisher hit a crucial homerun to give the A's a 2-run cushion in the top of the 9th before young closer Huston Street came on in the bottom half to close it out. Jay Payton's walk was followed by a Corey Patterson double to put runners at 2nd and 3rd with no outs. With a golden opportunity presenting itself, the Orioles crumbled when it mattered most. Chris Gomez took a called third strike for the first out. Then, Brian Roberts lined a single into center field that should've tied the game. Instead, Corey Patterson inexplicably broke back towards second base and failed to score the tying run. Still, the O's had runners at the corners with just one out trailing by just a run. Then, in an even more befuddling turn of events, Melvin Mora dropped a bunt down that failed to score Patterson, as Mora was retired and Roberts advanced to second. After an intentional walk to Nick Markakis, Miguel Tejada swung at the first pitch and hit a harmless grounder to second to end the game and thwart what was an almost improbable comeback against one of the league's best teams.
Sadly, more proof would follow in the following afternoon's game that the Orioles are still a cut below the top-tier teams in baseball.
The Orioles got a strong outing in the first career start for Jeremy Guthrie, yet trailed 2-1 after 5 innings against Dallas Braden, the A's starter also making his first start. In the top half of the 6th, John Parrish came on to relieve Guthrie, and promptly retired Eric Chavez to start the inning. But a hit and two walks later, the A's had loaded the bases with 2 outs for the pesky Jason Kendall. After getting ahead 0-2 on Kendall, Parrish induced what looked to be a harmless ground ball to second baseman Brian Roberts. But Roberts went for the force at second, only to have Miguel Tejada fail to cover the bag, allowing Mark Ellis to reach safely at second. Kendall reached on the fielder's choice, and a run scored to make it 3-1. Parrish then compounded matters by walking No. 9 hitter Danny Putnam, and when the inning finally ended it was a 4-1 game. The hole was too deep for the Orioles against a strong Athletics bullpen, and they suffered a 4-2 loss and a 2-game sweep to Oakland.
After winning 8 of 9, the Orioles have been brought back to reality somewhat, and now host the first-place Boston Red Sox for two games before heading to Cleveland. These two games will be yet another daunting task, as the Orioles get to face Curt Schilling and Josh Beckett. The A's series taught us something, and now it's up to the O's to dispel these notions against the Red Sox. We'll see.

Ring was nice, but it didn't validate Manning's career

Charles Barkley called it the S**t List. Call it what you want. You know, the list of professional sports greats never to win a championship. Barkley knows about it. So do Dan Marino and Alex Rodriguez. But Peyton Manning no longer has to worry. He’s off of it following the Colts’ 29-17 win over the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI.
Some out there may believe this is the game that finally elevates Manning to elite status, that it validated his Hall of Fame credentials. But that is a foolish notion. The man who has started all 157 games of his career (including postseason) already holds the NFL record for most seasons with 4,000-plus yards (7), consecutive seasons with 25-plus TD passes (9), and most TD passes in a single season (49, breaking Dan Marino’s coveted record of 48 set in 1984). Throw in a 92-52 record and five division titles, and Manning’s pedigree sans Super Bowl speaks for itself.
Granted, Manning already was a 99.9% sure bet for Canton and he is now a lock. But not even his six previous playoff failures were enough to have kept him from NFL immortality. Given that he likely has at least eight more years, his final numbers could be downright scary. But Manning will tell you all those records just became a lot more meaningful now that he has joined an even more elite club: Super Bowl champion quarterbacks. Number 18 is number 26 on that list, one that doesn’t include Marino, Frank Tarkenton, or Dan Fouts.
In making final reflections upon the 2006 season, Manning probably couldn’t have scripted it any better. Unlike in previous years, where expectations were high for the Colts, they entered the playoffs as one of the biggest question marks thanks in part to their 32-ranked rush defense and a No. 3 seed in the playoffs. And perhaps in the best scenario possible, Manning was able to orchestrate the biggest comeback in conference championship game history, leading his team back from a 21-3 deficit to beat his tormentors from years past, the New England Patriots. That was the game some labeled as the real Super Bowl, but the win over the Bears helped Manning accomplish something that even Tom Brady has yet to do, win four games in a single postseason.
Super Bowl or no Super Bowl, though, Manning is a Hall of Famer.

General comparison: baseball's economics are poor

Without getting too deep into legal jargon, most casual fans would find it hard to disagree that football is, and will continue to be, a more popular sport than baseball. There may be a million and one different reasons why, but perhaps the most prominent is the salary cap. In baseball's case, the lack thereof. Think about preseason football versus spring training for baseball. There are 32 NFL teams and 30 MLB teams. Each year, about 75% of NFL teams go into the season with legitimate hope of making the playoffs. Baseball? Try about half -- if that. Now I don't want to turn this piece into a complete Yankees/Red Sox-bashing, as fun as that might be. But with combined payrolls topping $300 million dollars, how can one not? Consider this disturbing fact -- four Yankees are currently making more than the ENTIRE Florida Marlins team. Need a double-check? This is not a misprint. It's cold, hard, sad fact. Then consider this: Alex Rodriguez, making roughly $25 million a year, could tear his ACL tomorrow and be lost for the season, yet continue to earn that money. Conversely, Peyton Manning does not earn paychecks for games that he misses (save for signing bonus money, the only guaranteed money in the NFL). There is always talk about the big market clubs versus the "small-market" clubs. In football, league officialls generally consider the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals, owned by Ralph Wilson and Mike Brown, respectively, to be the two lowest-revenue teams in football. But the difference in football is poor seasons result in a couple of things: high draft position and an "easier" schedule the next season. The former "Bungles", a one-time laughingstock, were 2-14 in 2002 and earned the first pick in the '03 draft. They used it on Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer. Two years later, they were back in the playoffs for the first time since 1990. The Bills, though scuffling of late, made four straight Super Bowl appearances in the early 1990's and have continued to field competitive teams over the years despite geographic anonymity and a crummy stadium.
Okay, I think you see where I'm going with this. But let me just pad this article with a few more keys that make football more competitively balanced that Bud Selig's MLB. 16 games versus 162. Hence, more significance in each game. More than half-full stadiums (try consistent sellouts), as opposed to MLB, where you'd be hard pressed to find any stadium (save for perhaps New York and Boston) more than two-thirds full. In many cities (i.e. Tampa, Kansas City), more than 2/3 of the stadium comes disguised as empty seats. And what, prietel, could that be attributed to? It couldn't be because those teams have no chance in you-know-what of competing on a yearly basis, could it? Hmm...
I'm going to hold off on telling you that in football, scheming, coaching, and gameplanning actually matter, as opposed to oversized, juiced players like Jason Giambi and Barry Bonds hovering over home plate scaring the Bejesus out of the pitchers, who in turn are too afraid to throw a strike. Did we mention baseball had a faulty drug-testing system? Oh, well, maybe another time. Anyways, that's all she wrote for now. Meanwhile, you baseball fans (sadly, I remain one of them) sit back and watch the Yankees and Red Sox square off for the 76th time in the ALCS, then the winner goes on to buy (excuse me, win) another championship. Or, just let these three-hour yawners tide you over until September 7, when the 2006 NFL season finally kicks off -- at long last.

Jags' Smith leaves game, mark on franchise

It wasn't always a smooth ride for Jimmy Smith, but the leading receiver in Jacksonville Jaguars history was a class act throughout. Smith, 37, announced his retirement Thursday following a 13-year career spent primarily in Jacksonville, where he made his mark as one of the game's all-time great receivers. Smith ends his tenure 7th on the all-time receptions list with 862 and 11th with 12,287 yards. But what Smith may be remembered for best was his quiet leadership on a team that garners very little fanfare.
Smith began his career in Dallas, where he played just seven games in three years, when the Cowboys won two Super Bowls. But in 1995, he caught on with the then-expansion Jaguars and began his legacy. In 1999, Smith led the NFL with 116 receptions for a career-high 1,636 yards while helping lead Jacksonville to its second AFC title game in four seasons. In 2001, Smith caught 112 balls for 1,373 yards and tied a career-best with 8 touchdowns while starting all 16 games for the sixth time in seven seasons. He was the only remaining member from the inaugral '95 team.
Smith, though, encountered his fair share of rough spots along the way. In November 2001, Smith was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving, when tests later reveal Smith had cocaine in his system. Smith denied ever using the drug. Then, Smith was suspended for the first four games of the 2003 season for violating the league's substance abuse policy, when he admitted that he had previously spent time in rehab for a drug addiction. And early in his career he was derailed by leg and stomach injuries, when it was thought he may not even play again. But Smith overcame the odds, and became of the all-time greats, all the while keeping a professional attitude.
(The Associated Press contributed to this article)

Titans should start '06 with Volek, not Young

Think back a few years to when the Bengals made Carson Palmer the first overall pick in the draft. The Bengals entered 2003 coming off the worst season in franchise history, not to mention 12 straight non-playoff seasons, and the assumption was that the Heisman Trophy winner would start right off the bat. But Marvin Lewis resisted the temptation to throw the rookie to the wolves, instead allowing veteran Jon Kitna to play the entire season. Kitna responded with a Pro Bowl year, but the Bengals failed yet again not he make the playoffs. Palmer finally earned the starting job in 2004 and struggled through the first half of the year before turning the corner, leading the Bengals to a second-straight 8-8 record. In 2005, the move paid dividends as Palmer led the Bengals to an 11-5 record and a division title while Cincinnati has finally re-established themselves as legitimate playoff contenders.
In 2006, the Tennessee Titans will be facing a similar dilemma. With Steve McNair likely on his way out, the Titans selected Texas quarterback Vince Young with the number 3 overall pick in this year's draft. Young is undoubtedly the most talented quarterback in the rookie class, but that talent is mostly raw at this point. The Titans, meanwhile, are coming off two seasons in which they have a combined record of 9-23. So the big question is, when does the Vince Young era officially begin the Music City?
The logical choice for the Titans would be to start the season not with young, but with sixth-year backup Billy Volek. Volek joined the Titans in 2001 as an undrafted free agent out of Fresno State, where he backed up current Houston Texans starter David Carr. Although he has only started 10 games in his NFL career, he has posted impressive numbers. In ten games, including eight starts, in 2004, Volek completed 61.1 percent of his passes for 2,486 yards and 18 touchdowns compared to 10 interceptions. That season included a two-game span in which Volek threw for a combined 918 yards, both Titans losses.
Volek may not be the future in Nashville despite his relatively young age (30), but he gives the Titans stability and veteran leadership while the Titans groom Young. Odds are that Vince-anity (sorry for the corny label) will begin some time around mid-season in Tennessee, barring injury to Volek of course. But don't be surprised if the Titans offense shines under Volek, as the team has brought in several reinforcements to an already solid offensive unit. The worse-case scenario for the Titans would in fact be a Volek injury, but if he is healthy, there is no need to throw Young into the ring of fire and salvage the 2006 season.

Browns already making a splash in free agency

Free agency for the upcoming 2006 NFL season is finally underway, and the Cleveland Browns are wasting no time trying to build on a disappointing-yet-progressive 6-10 season. The Browns entered free agency with approximately $27.1 million to spare under the salary cap, and immediately went to work, signing LeCharles Bentley, arguably the best offensive lineman on the market, right off the bat. They also added four others, including two with Super Bowl experience. WR Joe Jurevicius, who has participated in three of the past six Super Bowls, returns to his hometown, while the Browns also acquired mammoth DT Ted Washington, who was a member of the Patriots' second world championship team in 2003. Also in the mix are punter Dave Zastudil and offensive lineman Kevin Shaffer.
For the Browns, there should be a sense of renewed optimism heading into '06. In 2005, they found their quarterback of the future in Charlie Frye, and got their first 1,000-yard rusher since 1985 in Reuben Droughsns. Add in a pair of potent receivers in wideout Braylon Edwards and tight end Kellen Winslow, even though both have serious injury concerns, and the Browns may be able to make a move in a rock-solid AFC North that includes the Super Bowl-champion Steelers. It certainly is too early for predictions, but the beleaguered Browns now appear headed in the right direction -- finally. Credit Romeo Crennel, architect of the Patriots' fierce defense during their Super Bowl, with getting things turned around so quickly for an organization that has had more than their fair share of disappointment and heartbreak.

Super Bowl quick hits

Super Bowl XL is now only a day away, as the Seattle Seahawks and Pittsburgh Steelers get set to square off in Detroit. While some feel this game lacks the intrigue of games past, it figures to be a hard-hitting, physical affair. Some fast facts about this year's game: Both of these teams lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the regular season, meaning this year will mark the first time a team has lost to the Jaguars and gone on to win the Super Bowl. Only the Buccaneers, Panthers, Texans, and Ravens have yet to beat an eventual Super Bowl champion -- but the Ravens could come off that list if Pittsburgh wins tomorrow ... Ben Roethlisberger looks to become the youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl, supplanting nemesis Tom Brady, who did it in 2001 ... Despite success in recent years, Pittsburgh has only one player with previous Super Bowl experience: former Seahawks' CB Willie Williams, who went to the Super Bowl in 1995 in his first stint with Pittsburgh. The Seahawks have five active players with previous Super Bowl experience: WR Joe Jurevicius (2000 NYG, 2002 TB), DE Grant Wistrom (1999, 2001 STL), Chuck Darby (2002 TB), John Howell (2002 TB), and P Tom Rouen (1997, 1998 DEN). LB Jamie Sharper, who is on IR, won a ring in 2000 with Baltimore ... 2005 marked the ninth consecutive season that at least one of the two road teams has won on Championship Weekend ... Only six teams (Arizona, Cleveland, Detroit, Houston, Jacksonville, and New Orleans) have failed to reach a Super Bowl, but five of them (all except Cleveland) have at least hosted Super Bowls in their cities ... Opinion: the "dark week" needs to go. Having two weeks between the championship games and the Super Bowl is too much; the media overhypes the game, and I personally get antsy waiting an extra week for the season's premier game.

Emerging from under the radar, 'Hawks finally going Bowling

Mike Holmgren has done this before. It was just nine seasons ago that Holmgren and Brett Favre helped lead the Packers to a world championship. One year later, the Packers captured their second straight NFC title. But after a heartbreaking loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the 1998 NFC playoffs, Holmgren parted ways with Green Bay and headed to the pacific northwest to coach the Seattle Seahawks, 15 years removed from their last playoff win. But after a division title in his first year, the Seahawks went three straight years without a postseason berth, then suffered through two more disappointing playoff losses in 2003 and 2004. After a home playoff loss to the Rams last January, many people began to question whether Holmgren was still the man to lead Seattle. 12 months later, no one is questioning Holmgren or his coaching abilities. The Seahawks' 34-14 win over Carolina in Sunday's NFC championship game helped propel the 'Hawks to the first Super Bowl berth in franchise history. Yet despite a 13-3 season (including an 8-0 home mark) and sporting the league's MVP in running back Shaun Alexander, who set an NFL record with 28 touchdowns, the Seahawks have still toiled in relative anonymity playing in the state of Washington. While Alexander and quarterback Matt Hasselbeck have become household names, the Seahawks have also gotten major contributions from the likes of savvy veteran receiver joe Jurevicius, who has played in two Super Bowls in the past five six years with New York and Tampa Bay, defensive end Grant Wistrom (who also has been a part of two NFC title teams in St. Louis), and one of the most unheralded offensive lines in football. Prior to the 2004 season, the 'Hawks were the chic pick to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, only to go 9-7 and yet again fail to even with a playoff game. But heading into 2005, the expectations seemed to be somewhat mellowed, as many experts predicted Arizona to contend for the division crown. After a less-than-stellar 2-2 start, Seattle reeled off a franchise-record 11-game winning streak to secure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, then followed with two more playoff wins to finally reach the Big Game. Now, the Seahawks will finally get the attention that has been lacking for many years in the Pacific Northwest. And although they may not have quite the following that the Steelers do in terms of fanbase, the Seahawks have thrived at home in large part because of their own fans, something they will count on two weeks from now in Detroit.

Colts, like others prior, waste terrific season

It was a lock. Finally, at long last, Peyton Manning would take his Colts to the Super Bowl. After all, they established themselves as the NFL's most dominant team in 2005, winning a league-best 14 games. And with New England out of the picture, nothing would stop the Colts from finally reaching the Big Game. But apparently the Pittsburgh Steelers never got the message. Yes, the same Pittsburgh Steelers team that Indy thrashed, 26-7, on a Monday night in Week 12. But perhaps the Steelers can sympathize in one sense with the team they beat, 21-18, in Sunday's Divisional round game at the RCA Dome. Last season, the Steelers won an AFC-record 15 games, including 14 straight after a Week 2 loss. But when the smoke cleared after the AFC Championship Game, the Steelers were left scratching their heads as New England celebrated a 41-27 romp at Heinz Field. But both teams are classic examples of how it isn't always the best team that wins the Super Bowl, but rather the team that simply plays its best football down the stretch.
Just ask the 1998 Minnesota Vikings, who also went 15-1 in the regular season, not to mention scored a league-record 556 points. Like the '04 Steelers, the Vikings made it 16 wins with a victory in the Divisional round, only to fall short on their home field in the championship game. The heavily favored Vikings lost, 30-27, in overtime to the Atlanta Falcons, coming up one game short of Super Bowl XXXIII.
This year's Colts team looked like it was the real deal. After flirting with perfection through the first 13 games, Indianapolis had clinched home-field advantage was well-rested with the Steelers coming to town. Yet they were rusty, falling in a 21-3 hole that proved to be too much to overcome. And now, at 30 years old, the pressure is mounting on Manning to finally reach the Super Bowl after almost unparallel regular-season success over the past three years.

Bucs, Jags fly under radar in Sunshine State

If you talk AFC playoffs, it’s all about the Colts and they’re flirtation with history. Then it’s the Broncos and no-mistake-Jake and the always-resurgent run game. And of course the Chargers and Chiefs and their high-powered offenses, and the constant attraction that is the Patriots.
If you talk NFC playoffs, it’s all about the Seahawks and the "is this the year they finally get there" question. Then it’s the Bears and the talk about how this new group is as good as the history-making ‘85 Bears. And then it’s the Falcons and Michael Vick.
So where does this leave the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers? Jacksonville is 9-3 but yet finds themselves three games out of first in the AFC South because they are paired with the Colts. And the 8-4 Buccaneers have seemingly become an afterthought to chic-Super Bowl-pick Carolina and the popular Falcons. Yet both are in serious playoff contention despite their doubters.
The Jaguars have been counted out now that Byron Leftwich is done for the regular season with a broken ankle. Stepping in is fourth-year man out of East Carolina David Garrard. But it’s the defense that gets the job done for the Jaguars, who have quietly built a solid resume, beating Seattle, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh. The Jags face the Colts next Sunday with a chance to be the first team to hand Indy a loss (they lost 10-3 in their previous meeting at the RCA Dome).
The Buccaneers were 5-1 when they lost Brian Griese for the year to a torn ACL, leaving the team with third-year pro Chris Simms (exit Griese, enter Simms, how’s that for history?) After two ugly losses, the Bucs at 5-3 were officially done. The offense scored three touchdowns in losses to lowly San Francisco and division rival Carolina and were about to start a tailspin. But then came Simms’ late-game heroics against Washington, followed by a road win against Atlanta. Suddenly, the Bucs are 3-3 with the lefty at the helm and just a game behind Carolina for first place in the NFC North (they face Carolina in Charlotte next Sunday).
Jacksonville is relatively inexperienced when it comes to postseason play, seeing as how they have not been there since 1999. But lest we forget that Tampa Bay won it all in 2002 behind one of the greatest defenses of all time, and a good chunk of that defensive core is still donning pewter and black, while the offense has gotten a spark from rookie running back Carnell "Cadillac" Williams.
It is fair to say these teams from Florida are longshots to be playing in Detroit in February, but their success through 12 games in 2005 should not be overlooked. Both teams are have hard-nosed, physical defenses, competent quarterback play, and strong coaching. More importantly, both teams have a number of solid young players who will continue to flourish in years to come.

Monday Morning Musings -- Week 12 in the NFL

So how much more damage can Adrian Wilson inflict on opposing quarterbacks? The same guy who broke Donovan McNabb's ankle three years ago knocked Marc Bulger out last week and yesterday dealt Jacksonville's playoff hopes a major blow by essentially ending Byron Leftwich's season. To be fair, Wilson has emerged as one of the league's best safeties despite toiling in anonymity in the desert ... Consider Week 12 a reunion weekend of sorts. Three head coaches went up against former employers, and all three of them won. Jim Mora beat former 49ers boss Steve Mariucci, Marvin Lewis beat old friend Brian Billick, and Marty Schottenheimer won in his first visit to Washington since being fired by Daniel Synder following the 2001 season ... Why does it seem like the Giants are always done in by special teams? Forgetting their 2002 playoff debacle against the 49ers, two of their four losses this season have come as a result of faulty special teams. They allowed punt and kickoff returns for touchdowns in a loss to Minnesota in Week 10, then watched as Jay Feely missed three potential game-winning field goal attempts in yesterday's loss to Seattle ... The Colts are getting all the headlines, but perhaps the Chargers could be undefeated too. Just consider that they have held fourth-quarter leads in all four of their losses ... The Broncos' two losses were to the Dolphins and Giants, the same two teams they lost to in 1998 when the went 14-2 and won the Super Bowl. Furthermore, if Denver goes on to win the AFC championship, it will mark the seventh time in eight years that the eventual AFC champion has lost to Miami during the regular season, with all of those games taking place in Miami ... If you want to assess the jobs that 2005's three new head coaches are doing, just look at their records relative to last season. Neither San Francisco's Mike Nolan, Miami's Nick Saban, nor Cleveland's Romeo Crennel will be coaching in the playoffs this year, but through 12 weeks, all three have already won the same total number of games their predecesseors won in 2004. Albeit 2-9 this year, the 49ers were 2-14 last year, while the Dolphins and Browns, both 4-7 this year, finished 4-12 last year. It appears as if all three coaches have brought stability to organizations that so sorely lacked it last year ... Despite a 2-9 record of their own, the Packers have still managed outscore their opponents, 232-223, thanks in large part to a 52-3 hurting they put on the Saints in Week 5 ... So much for the Packers being well-received on the road. Seems like fans this year and making an extra effort to disrupt the Packers' rhythm -- literally. In a Week 8 visit to Cincinnati, a fan sprinted onto the field during a last-minute drive and took the ball away from Brett Favre. Then last week in Philadelphia, a fan ran onto the field to spread his mother's ashes before he, too, was taken into custody.

No QB controversy, but Johnson brings professionalism to Vikes

He doesn’t have Daunte Culpepper’s arm, his size, or his speed. At 37-years-old, he isn’t considered mobile. And he likely will not be putting up the numbers that Culpepper did in 2004, when he set a franchise record by throwing for 4,717 yards. But he’s 3-0 since replacing the injured Culpepper, and he still has one thing on his plate that #11 doesn’t – a Super Bowl ring. And in three games, he has delivered Minnesota two road wins (they had none in four tries under Culpepper) and also a professional attitude so sorely missed with Culpepper at the helm.
He is humble and smart. He makes sound decisions. And you will never see him involved in a sideline blowup with teammates. Not to say that Culpepper isn’t bright, but he seems to lack the other afore-mentioned qualities. While incredibly gifted physically, Culpepper has yet to fully mature to the point where he can keep his cool when things get rough. And his teammates seem to feed off this, which might help explain their 2-5 start, not to mention being outscored by at least 20 points in all of their first four road games.
Enter Brad Johnson. When Culpepper tore three knee ligaments against Carolina, Johnson came in for mop-up duty and it looked like the Vikings season was now officially over. Not so. Johnson, who battled critics throughout his tenures in Washington and Tampa Bay, led the Buccaneers to a world championship in 2002, yet was still given only enough respect to be benched by the season finale of 2003 and ultimately shown the door following the 2004 season. Now back to where he started his career, Johnson has found a home in Minnesota, as well as his old touch.
The difference between the two is that when Johnson throws an interception, he simply goes over to the sideline, looks at aerial photos, and makes the necessary adjustment for the next series while not changing his mind set or expression one bit. When Culpepper throws a pick, he visibly shows his frustration, either by yelling or stomping his feet in anger. He is easily rattled and he lets one mistake affect his play the rest of the game. When Culpepper does throw a touchdown, he starts rolling his arms (a la a referee calling a false start), then swings his fist in celebration. What does Johnson do? He pats his teammates on the helmet and heads over to the sideline and gears up for the next possession.
Sure, the offensive production has dropped off since Daunte went down. But the other players have stepped up, and Johnson has done his part just to keep his team in the ballgame. Result: the Vikings are back in the race at 5-5.

Talk about exciting -- 6-4 Chargers as good as it gets

Never before has it been seen, or at least in recent memory. A 6-4 team that has looked so gosh-darn good throughout their first 10 games, yet only with six wins to show for it. The Chargers very easily could be sitting atop the undefeated perch with the Colts after 10 games considering that they’ve held fourth-quarter leads in all four of their losses, which have come by a combined 12 points. A late goal-line stand by Dallas. Last-second field goals by Denver and Pittsburgh. A blocked field goal returned for a touchdown by Philadelphia. In their wins, they’ve looked downright awesome. They blew out the Giants and Patriots in consecutive weeks to the tune of 86-40, easily handled the Raiders, got three touchdowns by Antonio Gates against Kansas City, used a goal-line stand of their own against the Jets, then trashed Buffalo, 48-10. Whew. Certainly, with all the tough teams they’ve faced already, their schedule must get easier, right? Eh...not really. Their remaining road games send them to Washington, Indianapolis, and Kansas City. They also get a Week 17 visit from Denver. If San Diego can reach 10-6, it’d be nothing short of amazing.
We all know about the offense. It’s the defense that must stay poised. San Diego has been stout against the run this year, something they will need to continue against a fierce schedule. Meanwhile, come playoffs, assuming the Chargers are there, they are dangerous. New England? No problem. Chargers manhandled them 41-17. Denver? Tough. But the Chargers certainly outplayed them in their first meeting in Week 2, a 20-17 last-second Denver win. The Steelers? Also tough, and the Chargers took them to the wire in Week 5, only to fall, 24-22. The Colts? We’ll see. They meet in Week 15 at the RCA Dome. All in all, the Chargers mean business, something we haven’t really been able to say since the mid-90's. But Marty-ball is back, and so is a level excitement in Southern California for the Bolts.

Colts over Pats hump; can they retain perfection?

At long last. The nightmare is over. The Colts, who hadn’t won in Foxboro since Jim Harbaugh was their quarterback, finally got a monkey off their back. Make that a gorilla. Peyton Manning’s precision finally came full circle against the Patriots, and the Colts reborn defense made it stand up as the Colts walloped the Pats, 40-21, in front of a national television audience. For now, the media will ease up on Peyton and Co. The Colts have finally won in New England and have clearly established themselves as the class of the AFC this year. But now the press can put their sole focus on the Colts into their perfect 8-0 start, and whether it will reach 16-0. As of now, the ‘72 Dolphins aren’t sweating. But considering Indianapolis has five of its final eight games at home, maybe they should start loosening their collars.
The Colts face the AFC’s worst team, the Houston Texans, next week, at the RCA Dome. The Texans are 1-7 but they were actually tied with the Colts at halftime in their week 7 meeting before Indy eventually won, 38-20. But the Texans are extremely overmatched and do not figure to give the Colts a legitimate challenge.
The real challenge for the Colts will come in the two following games, when they take on the top two teams in the AFC North, the Cincinnati Bengals (7-2) and Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2). After the Houston game, the Colts travel to Cincinnati to take on a Bengals team in perhaps a familiar stop. Two years ago the Chiefs came to Paul Brown Stadium 9-0 only to have their perfect season ruined, 24-19. The Bengals, who will be coming off a bye, will try and make history repeat itself. Then the Colts return home and return to Monday Night Football, where they will face the Pittsburgh Steelers. Ben Roethlisberger figures to be healthy by then and if he defeats Baltimore, will enter the game with his perfect career road record intact.
If the Colts get past the Steelers game unscathed, the ‘72 Dolphins will need to start wiping down with a beach towel. The lowly and rebuilding Titans visit in Week 13, followed by a trip to Jacksonville, who did give the Colts a scare in week 2 but fell by a touchdown. The Jaguars and Colts have split their past four games, with the last four meetings being within a touchdown. After the Jaguars, the San Diego Chargers come to town. Last season, the Chargers came to Indianapolis riding an eight-game winning streak. They took a 31-16 lead before the Colts came back to win in overtime, 34-31. The Chargers figure to be the Colts defense’s toughest remaining challenge, although Cincinnati is no patsy.
Indianapolis finishes with two games against the NFC West, first a trip to Seattle and then a visit from Arizona. The Seahawks and Colts do not have much history against each other, and not many teams have been able to go up to the Pacific Northwest and win recently. But if somehow, someway, Manning can lead Indy to 15-0, they should have no problem sealing the deal against the Cardinals in the season finale.
So, can they do it? History (save for Miami) says no. Conventional wisdom says no. But the Colts seem to have what it would take to complete this unthinkable task: a dynamic-yet-consistent offense, a stingy defense, and the game’s best quarterback. They have a tremendous home-field advantage at the RCA Dome, where they have lost just once in their past 13 games (including playoffs). Yet the prediction here is still no. The Colts could very well go 15-1, but the mounting media pressure and the undoubted target on their backs will become a burden, and the Colts ultimately will fall. If I had to pick a game for them to do it, it would be against the Bengals.