On March 4th 2008, an NFL warrior called a press conference, and made his retirement known. QB Brett Favre spent 16 years with the Green Bay Packers winning 1 Super Bowl title, received 3 MVP Awards, was selected to the Pro-Bowl nine times, and has broken all types of NFL records during his long career, but to some this announcement of sudden retirement was a surprise to many from teammates, coaches and media. One reason why is because Brett had never mentioned he truly wanted to retire. In the past two years he always said he was on the fence, but he loved the game so much, and that was what always brought him back. This past season, just before the Seattle Seahawks playoff game the question was posed to Brett again, and the answer was directed more towards him returning, and that he had his daughters also wanting him to return next season. So why the change of heart? Why the sudden change of interest from a man some would say symbolizes the "Iron Man" of the NFL?

I'd like to answer that, without taking anything away from his past accomplishments, and say that this decision (along with certain others) to retire may have something to do with another aging player who remained in the game, and turned his later career into success, and that player would be Roger Clemens. Right now MLB pitcher Roger Clemens is fighting for his "life" against the Feds, and all that he's accomplished may be flushed down the toilet if he ends up going to jail for perjury in his scandal with the use of HGH and steroids. So how does Brett figure into this?

Brett is 38 years old, and last season he had one of his best, putting up better performances than some of his younger counterparts. Some would say it's due to his veteran status, but the fact of the matter is that Brett remained in the game as a QB well past the league's QB career expectancy, and was able to run with the young boys, and why? In my opinion I would have to say HGH.

So what is HGH, and why would guys like Brett Favre, or Rodney Harrison take something like this? HGH stands for Human Growth Hormone, and is used to help older players by boosting their immune systems (less likely to get sick), strengthens bones with calcium retention (lessens the a chance to have a bone broken & quickens bone healing),  and increases muscle mass. One of the things it has been known to help older players cope with is dealing with the rigors of the season. In any sport, the body goes through a gauntlet of wear and tear, and for the older guys it's harder for them to get back on track after game day, and HGH helped some of these guys through this.

At this time the NFL tests for steroids (since 1995), but they don't have a test for HGH, but after the February meetings this off-season NFLPA's Union Head Gene Upshaw announced that HGH testing was coming in the form of a urine test, and it wasn't known if it was going to be implemented by next season. Regardless of the fact when; the buzz was created, and older players who were using or tried even once are probably looking in the mirror, and this is where I think Brett may have made his decision, because it's a smart move on his part, and I'm sure he's a business minded person watching what Roger Clemens is going through. At this time Roger Clemens' career is tainted, his Hall of Fame chances are at risk, he could be headed to jail, and he's losing millions of dollars in possible ad/endorsement money. Brett is involved in a lot of charity/social projects, a shoe-in for the NFL Hall of Fame, and as a retired player he is due to land tons of endorsements, and advertising money; something that would be of risk if he continued to stay in the game, and take his chances with HGH testing on the horizon.

Before I get into what most of you came here for, I want to touch base on all of this hatred going on against Boston outside of the New England area against our sports teams. To be honest, I haven't felt this much hatred since my school bus was stoned in the 70s during the busing era, or when the tuck rule fiasco keeps being brought up year after year by Oakland Raiders' fans when their team has yet to be above .500 in recent years.

Boston is marked city, and we have people speaking out against us week after week. Is it our fault that the Red Sox won the World Series in a sweep after coming from three down in the ALCS against a team that couldn't hit above .300 until it was way too late? Is it our fault the Pats went out and signed what possibly may be the best trifecta of starting wide receivers in the history of the NFL? One that is giving defensive coordinators sleepless nights on figuring out a way to stop this offense? Is it our fault the Celtics have finally done something right by possibly giving this generation their version of the Big Three?

After their annihilation of the Denver Nuggets, the hate against Boston was so bad, that people outside of Boston, and media, were now complaining about the Celtics running up the score.

Give me an effin' break, it's professional sports people... Get over it, and enjoy what we've got.  

Alrighty mighty...

It's that time of the season again where I assault you with my annual top 10 list of things to do during the bye week. For those who are unfamiliar with this annual event, this is something I started writing many years ago during the Patriots bye week. Some of the things are personal to me, some are not, some on the list are new, while some of them move up, and some move down, or completely off the list. So without further ado, sit back, pull up a chair, and warm up your funny bone...

10) Carmen and Camille's Video Shoot: Did I ever tell you about these two Canadian rockers who are twin sisters, blonde and extremely hot? Well, some people may get lucky enough to be in their video shoot for DVD/MTV concert footage/video this past weekend, and some of those people may have been yours truly. If you want to see these ladies and hear their music during the bye week check out their website at Carmen & Camille.com, and make sure to vote for them in MTV's Battle of the Bands.

9) Seek out and Find Religion: Head to church, and confess all of those sins, and impure thoughts you've committed while attending and/or watching football games over the past 13 weeks (bye weeks count).

PS: Don't forget to confess the things you did after looking over Kim Kardashian's Playboy pictorial... You know who you are.

8) Get in Touch With Your Sensitive Side: Spend time with your wifey/girlfriend/significant other doing the things they like... renting movies, watching Lifetime or the Oxygen network. For bonus points, take a trip to the Christmas Tree Shops or Bed and Bath.

7) TIVO, TIVO, TIVO: Between the two Tivo's in my house I have run up over 70-plus hours of hard drive space like bad credit. Thanks to the recent writers' strike I will be able to clear some of my shows off.

6) Change of Scenery: Betting against the Detroit Lions this season has put you so deep in the red with the local bookies, you decide to turn rat and enlist the entire family into the Federal Witness Protection Program.

5) Be a Parent(s) to Your Child/Children: Reintroduce yourself to the kid(s) as the parent(s) they knew before week one. This way they can forget all about the terrorizing lunatic who has been screaming obscenities at the TV for the past nine weekends.

4) Git 'R Done: Run out, grab a Nextel phone, some chewin' tobacca', Coors beer, a Confederate flag, and practice your best south of the border southern drawl so you can spend the weekend as a NASCAR fan watching drivers make four left turns. Remember... It's "Chase for the Cup" time, so try not to disrespect anyone by rooting for someone who is out of the standings. If you're from Boston make sure to root for driver Carl Edwards who is ranked fifth and driving for the Roush Fenway team. A few DNF's to the top four over the next few weeks could bring a Cup Championship home to Beantown. (Well, not really. There's only one more race in the season, but still it's fun to watch once in a while.)

3) Tailgate at Home: Go to you kid(s) pee wee championship game in grease paint, armed with air horns and noisemakers. Break out the grill, cook hamburgers and hot dogs while getting a massive sugar high drinking gallons of Teenie Weenie juices, and talking about the upcoming new Spongebob TV movie "Atlantis Squarepantis".

2.5) Cash in Your Frequent Flyer Mileage: Turn in your rewards and spend time with your illegitimate children from East to West. (Note: This one may pertain to some pro football players.)

2) Cash in Your Frequent Flyer Mileage: Actress or Supermodel? Supermodel or Actress? My guess... Go back; read number 2.5 again, and do what that says.

1) Kick ASSterik: Go to Shula's 347 Grill in RI, and protest the weight of his "Shula Cut Steaks" by putting an * in every menu with a bright red Sharpie.

Shameless Self Plug: If none of the above catches your attention, then you can always go listen to the podcasts of "On the Mark Show" and/or "Krashing into the Bigfield". featuring yours truly...

"I'm such a whore."

The date was January 21, and the event was the AFC Championship game in the RCA Dome home of the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts were taking on their conference rivals the New England Patriots, a team that had been a thorn in Manning's side over the past years when it came to playoff match ups in Foxboro. On this day the Colts backed by 57,000 home fans came from 18 down to beat a gassed Patriots squad who had to endure late injuries and illness to defensive starters which the Colts quickly exposed. But the key to this day was the tale of two QB's. In their win QB Peyton Manning threw for 349 yds while throwing to guys like TE Dallas Clark, and WR's Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison. QB Tom Brady had to dominate on the ground whole Brady's air attack was in the hands of guys like WR's Reche Caldwell and Jabar Gaffney who combined for 7 receptions over 83 yds. After their victory the Colts advanced to win the Super Bowl, and since that time they have been undefeated, but most importantly they have been undefeated since their 27-24 victory over the Dolphins on December 31 2006. This puts them at 11 consecutive wins putting them within 7 games of the team that holds the title of 18 consecutive wins, and that would be the New England Patriots, an opponent that is much different than the one they played back in January.

How different you ask? As we head into week 8 all eyes are on the Patriots (7-0) even though the Colts (6-0) are also undefeated The reason why? The Colts have two games this season that they could have very well lost while the Pats have just been laying teams to waste by scoring more than 30 week after week, and winning by margins of more than 20 week after week. The Patriots are also keeping the historical staticians busy as QB Tom Brady, WR Randy Moss and the rest of the team continues to break league, team and individual records. Just this past Sunday the Pats win in Miami was so comical that even the announcers were stunned by their performance, and so weren't the Pats fans who seemed to be the only ones left after the Dolphins fans seemed to evaporate in the 80 plus degree weather after halftime. They have been that damn good, and yet they still have room for improvement where they seem to have trouble sometimes stopping the run up the middle, but that is pretty much it. Offensively, Brady has a much better receiving corps than last year with WR's Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Donte Stallworth combining for 1623 yds and 18 TD's as they head into their match up with the Redskins this weekend, and what makes matters worse is the fact their has yet to be a secondary or defensive co-coordinator who has been able to figure out a way to stop this offense. What makes matters worse to them is when they see highlights from these games, and you have to watch game film of WRs Randy Moss scoring TD's while being double and sometimes triple covered, Wes Welker tearing up the middle of the field and becoming this generations' Wayne Cherbet, Donte Stallworth costing secondaries extra tackling drills during practice because he continues to add YAC stats while QB Tom Brady might as well add "baker" to his NFL resume as he sits in the pocket with enough time to mix a batch of brownies for his o-line before getting rid of the ball. This is a title that has helped lead the league this season with 2125 total passing yards, 27 TD's and 169 completions while only throwing 2 interceptions... A mind boggling low statistic at this time of year, and as defenses scramble to try and cover the passing attack new stars emerge as Brady is hitting wide-open TE's like Benjamin Watson and Kyle Brady who have combined for 7 TD's this season, and with these stats the Pats have yet had to rely on a running game that has been off kilter due to the injuries of RBs Laurence Maroney and Sammy Morris. Morris went out with a chest injury during the Dallas game while Maroney returned for the Dolphins game sharing time with Kevin Faulk.

The Colts are ranked third in the NFL just above the Patriots in total defense, but they are still the same team as last year. The Colts are ranked first in the league against the pass, but ranked 14th in the league against the run. The last time these two matched up in the regular season the Pats dominated with the run, but Belichick got anxious, and went away from his game plan costing them the game and crucial home field advantage for the playoffs. This time around the Pats will have a legitimate air attack, taking their biggest threat out of the game, and that would be SS Bob Sanders, a great player when it comes to defending the pass, but an even better on the blitz and stopping the outside run. This is the guy that I'm personally dying to see how Dungy (Colts head coach) plays this guy. Do you bring him up, and let him threaten Brady and the run? That would mean putting the trust in your corners to shut down Moss and Stallworth meaning Sanders would still have to keep an eye on FS Antoine Bethea who may have his hands full covering Wes Welker or Ben Watson as they come across the middle.

At no disrespect to the Redskins (this week's opponent), here are my true thoughts on a game that is two weeks away? The Patriots will be heading back to the scene of the crime. The crime committed by the Colts as they stole victory from the Pats that day, in front of their home crowd. The Patriots remember that day, and they remember how close they were to that victory until it all came crashing down. The Pats are a much different team with a lot more depth, and a lot more threat . Look for the usual on defense (with or without Seymour) as they will try to confuse Manning, and get him to make bad decisions on the fly, hopefully making Asante's day that much better. Look for the Pats to test the secondary early to see how they play Sanders, and then make adjustments from there. If Dwight Feeney is kept contained by this stellar o-line look for Brady to have a long day, but with their run defense ranking the this could be the first game the Pats may win on the ground with help from the pass. If the Pats win this would eventually set up a AFC championship game in New England, and at the rate this team and the rest of the AFC East is doing this Patriots team could be AFCE champs within the next few weeks. The Pats will also be looking to keep the Colts from breaking their streak of 18 games, something they will probably play up to the press that it 's no big deal, but we all know that is for the cameras, and when they take the field in the RCA Dome that night they will be more on the line than that undefeated record.

And speaking of undefeated...

Earlier this year when I wrote my predictions, I officially chose the Pats to go 11-5 looking to extend my streak of perfect season predictions, but at this point I think my streak may come to an end. Barring any major injuries, this team may just run the table while smashing all types of offensive records in their path, they are just that good and it's a joy to continue to watch this team play on Sunday. If I could officially change my prediction I would do so, but I have never done so over the years and don't plan on doing it now.

Last week I wrote about how the Pats lost a game that they should have won, and went through my explanation on what they have to do to turn things around to win, but I wasn't expecting such a quick turn around since everybody and I other than my son Tyrique, and two Kevin's I know were the only people I had talked to who had the Pats winning this game. I feel like I need to send a card of apology to the team, since I had wrote this game off from the day the schedule was announced, after yesterday I took the wet noodle lashes from my girlfriend, and packed the crow I must eat till next weekend.

So what happened on top of  the Bengals being sore losers? The Pats repaired their issues, and exploited the Bengals in which I will take my quotes from last week and show you the differences this team made in their win.

"On Sunday night, Brady threw 31 of 55 for 320 yards with no interceptions, which to most sounds impressive, but I was there with the masses and Tom Brady was 'shook'."

Last night Brady was 15 of 26 for 188 yards with 2 TD passes and one pick that was off a tipped pass. The big difference here was the fact that Brady looked cool in the pocket, took his time reading the open man, made smart decisions with his passes and logged off a 22 yd rush when the opportunity presented itself. Brady was on point despite getting a much needed rest with threat of a tandem running game making a big return to the Pats arsenal.

"Which now brings me to the running game... A game that had been a monster the last two weeks came to an end when RB Corey Dillon (5 for 16) left the game with an arm injury, forcing Laurence Maroney (12 for 18) to take the bulk of the carries looking like a rookie because at times he seemed hesitant to hit the holes. I must give him credit whereas he was more of a threat when receiving (5 for 61)."

I don't think there was any injury that was going to keep Corey Dillon down for this matchup, and from what happened on his 1 yd TD run the team was also well aware of it. Dillon returned to the place that bad mouthed him to death by racking up 67 yds on 17 carries, a 15 yd penalty for his end zone dance with TE Ben Watson, and a $5000 fine for throwing the ball into the stands. A ball that was abruptly thrown back into the field of play by the Bengals fans who booed his TD with much hatred. Now this is something I don't understand. When Corey was there he voiced his opinion about how the Bengals organization wasn't committed to winning a Super Bowl, and was labeled as a trouble maker, and selfish. Corey came to New England has his share of Super Bowl rings, and has never once had any bad press about him in his time here. Shortly after Dillon winning his Super Bowls here it seemed someone in the Bengals front office felt his opinion of the team was true, and have now built the team into what they are today. So shouldn't those fans who threw the ball back be thanking Corey?

Laurence Maroney was a monster and exploited the fact that the Bengals have a horrible run defense amassing 125 yds on 15 carries and two TD's proving that this dual running attack is something opposing teams will have to be up for.

"And please hold the applause for WR Doug Gabriel (6 for 65) who seemed to be a savior for a receiving corps. By the time he made an impact the Broncos were well ahead, and very much in control of the game, with a secondary that was playing off the receiver to let the clock tick away knowing the Pats needed two possessions to win the game."

WR Doug Gabriel led the team's receiving corps pulling down 4 receptions over 57 yds and a TD. Doug Gabriel seems hungry, and if WR's Chad Jackson (2 for 9) and Reche Caldwell (2 for 20) can become consistent our financial savings will be a plus. As for the TE corps, Watson had 1 reception while Daniel Graham shined with a TD and 4 receptions over 30 yards.

"The defense played a tough game, and you have to expect the fact that they can't always make plays on days when the offense isn't putting the ball in the end zone. However, you can't let the defense entirely off the hook. This Pats defense can lay teams out, but they have some flaws, and that is giving up the big plays on third down week after week, not forcing as many turnovers (despite Saturday's refs), and not pressuring the QB again. I don't think Jake Plummer's back saw the grass once."

The defense set the tone early by holding the Bengals to two field goals, but the key to the defensive gain was getting pressure on QB Carson Palmer which was something noticed as the game progressed. The Pats DL was getting in on Palmer after the half, and when that begins to happen it signals a breakdown of your o-line and not before long the floodgates open and things like the fourth quarter happen where guys like DE Jarvis Green nails three sacks and forces a fumble that he also recovers while LB Tedy Bruschi and DE Ty Warren combine for sack causing a fumble which Warren recovers. There was also a sure six pick that was dropped by LB Rosie Colvin after hitting him in the numbers. The Pats D shut out the receiving corps and allowed only 71 yds on the ground.

"As for the weak link in this chain... Special teams! Two weeks in a row, the special teams allowed their opposition to block a crucial FG attempts. This is something that needs to be addressed."

Special teams also changed their ways somewhat providing the blocks that allowed RB Kevin Faulk to average 18.3 yds on punt returns including a 43 yarder. On kick returns Tully Banta Cain racked up a 16 yd gain while Faulk had 3 returns averaging 20.7 yds and a 22 yard return. K Stephen Gostowski missed a 48 yarder, that kept the game close until the defensive onslaught, but nailed a 24 yarder when it mattered.

So what about those Bengals? What do they have to say about the win?

Well DB Kevin Kaesviharn had nothing to say despite getting flagged after laying WR Reche Caldwell out with a vicious helmet to helmet hit, but I was wondering after seeing this guy on the sidelines without a helmet if Vulcans really do exist... Has anyone seen this guy's ears? Even his name sounds Vulcan!  Instead of shaking hands at the end of the game I was expecting him to hold his hand up and say, "Live long and prosper."

And too prove my point further...

QB Carson Palmer was vocal though...

"It's tough to say after a loss like this, but hopefully well be able to look back in a month or two and say we needed this," Palmer said. "I don't know if we were too cocky or too confident, but I know this is a team that we should've beat. Hopefully, well get another shot at them. I know if we play our best football, we can beat them."

He's right, but he's forgetting about the fact that this team only exploited what the Steelers did last week with their run defense, and if it doesn't get addressed Palmer will be in a lot of these woulda, coulda, shoulda games.

As for WR TJ Houshmandzadeh...

"They knew they couldn't stop us, but you need the team as a whole to succeed, there aren't any (defensive backs) on that team that can cover us. That's why they played the coverages they did. They did a good job of mixing it up."

He's also forgetting it's hard for QB to complete passes when he's spending too much time on his back or running from defenders. I'm sure the Pats game plan was to get in and test his mobility, and it may have worked because most of the time Palmer ran backwards to try and elude defenders. I didn't see him roll or sidestep which may also be a sign.

Next Week the Dolphins come to town, and the masses will be pumped before heading in to the bye week... And speaking of bye weeks that means my yearly bye week article is on it's way!

The 2006 Football Season is upon us and it's time for me to make my season predictions for the New England Patriots.

The Pats are coming off a 10-6 season where early injuries to key players and poor play in Denver during the playoffs cost them a trip to the Super Bowl. This year the Pats have been blessed with a schedule where they could once again write their own destiny to return to the Promised Land.

Week 1 & 7 Buffalo Bills: It was just a few years ago they opened the season to the Bills who had acquired Lawyer Milloy in a surprising move, and got spanked in the Buffalo home opener. At the end of the year the Pats returned the favor. This time the Bills are opening their season here, and they are coming with a new coaching staff, and an inconsistent QB in J.P. Losman. If the Pats can keep DL Aaron Schobel and LB Takeo Spikes honest with a 1-2-3 running attack and harass Losman the Pats should sweep the Bills this year. [2-0]

Week 2 & 9 New York Jets: By week nine the Pats will have played 4 divisional games and 7 conference games. Belichick and the fans know how much of a dog fight the AFC East is and to knock off the Jets early will sweeten the playoff chances for the Pats. I'll look for Belichick to dish out some "tough love" to Mangini who will be lucky to have a .500 season without a running game and a lackluster defense. Another divisional sweep [4-0]

Week 3 Denver Broncos: "Revenge is a Dish... Best Served Cold" is the Klingon proverb uttered by Kahn in Star Trek 2, and that will be the theme of this prime time match up on Sunday night. This will be the most hostile night for an opponent this season since everyone in this area still holds a bad taste in their mouth about the playoff loss last year. The Patriots also know despite the bad calls they pretty much gift wrapped that game for the Broncos. Look for fan hostility and much better play from an amped up squad that now has Harrison, Seau, Bruschi and 12th an player Tully Banta Cain.  I look for the Pats to take this game hands down. [5-0]

Week 4 Cincinnati Bengals: When the schedule was released early this year this game sent chills up my spine. I'm expecting this game to be a QB shootout, but unfortunately the team with the most painful playoff loss will come out on top. Look for this game to be the Patriots first loss. [5-1]

Week 5 & 14 Miami Dolphins: Every year these teams seem to split the season with help from the weather, but with QB Daunte Culpepper at the helm and a schedule that favors the Fins they will be looking to come in here and take the Pats out early so they can benefit from the nice weather when they match up at home later in the year. I'm looking for the Pats to realize the importance of the early home win to put the pressure on the Dolphins. Expect them to split the season as usual [6-2]

Week 6 Bye Week

Week 8 Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings are hurting and everyone knows it I'm looking for this game to be the Pats biggest win on the road. [7-2]

Week 9 Indianapolis Colts: Manning and his band of merry men return to Foxboro where they laid a whipping on the Pats last year on MNF. The odds of Belichick losing to a team back to back are very slim even with newly acquired K Adam Vinatieri. Look for the Pats and the second most hostile game of the year from the fans to give the Pats the push they need. [8-2]

Week 11 Green Bay Packers: November at Lambeau Field would usually send chills through most teams, but the Pats are used to cold weather, and they should be ready for the Packers' secondary defensive attack. This game will have to feature a great performance from Dillon and Maroney. Pats will win a squeaker [9-2]

Week 12 Chicago Bears: The Bears have a chip on their shoulders, and they will be coming here to prove they are a playoff contending team. Solid D from the Bears will steal the win from the Pats in this match up. [9-3]

Week 13 Detroit Lions: For some reason the Lions upper management still doesn't seem like they are committed to winning in my book. Look for the Lions to enter Gillette and be tamed yet again. [10-3]

Week 15 Houston Texans: Last time it came down to a Vinatieri kick in a game that was supposed to be a cake walk. QB David Carr is due to have a breakout year and the loss of RB Domanick Davis puts the pressure on his shoulders. This could be the trap game that the Patriots don't want to drop, I'm looking for the weather to play a factor in this win. [11-3]

Week 16 Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jags are on a mission and they will have the home crowd behind them to deliver the Pats their worst road loss of the season. [11-4]

Week 17 Tennessee Titans: if there is one thing Belichick does is in coaching and that is eat rookie QB's for breakfast by making sure he hits them with things they've never seen before. By the time this match up comes around QB Billy Volek will be out and Vince Young should be starting. Look for this final game on the road to be the secondary's most dominant as the Patriots defensive corps will contain Young forcing him to throw the ball. [12-4]

Barring any major injuries to any of the teams involved this is my prediction laid out for the 2006 season.