I'm sure most of you have heard the news that Brett Favre retired again. If this is finally the end it will mark the retirement of one of the greatest athletes in the the history of the NFL.

I have been going back and forth about whether I would do an article looking back at his legacy. I typed it about three weeks ago and it is ready to go. I think all the comments would be arguing about the retirement drama and would have little to do with what he did on the field. I don't want that to be the main discussion of an article reflecting on his legendary career. Therefore I am going to publish it in September at the beginning of next season when it is obvious that he is not coming back and when the drama surrounding his retirement is no longer the front and center of the story.

I also don't think this story is necessarily done yet. In Ed Werder's ESPN report he wrote the following, "While Favre did not directly broach the subject of the team simply releasing him so that he might have the option of signing with another team such as the Minnesota Vikings, a source said that Cook informally discussed the option with the Jets. The Jets respectfully declined that option, the source said."

That doesn't sound like a guy that wants to retire. That sounds like a guy that wants a change of scenery. We'll see how concerned Favre is about protecting his legacy when July rolls around this year. There is no way the Jets can trade Favre to the Vikings. It would cost them three first round picks. If he is going to play for the Vikings he is going to have to create a circus where the Jets have no option but to release him to make the story go awy. They aren't going to voluntarily do that.

If he goes into the sunset quietly he is at a point where in a couple years the 2008 season will be forgotten. His playing for the Jets will be a footnote in a Hall of Fame career. If he wants to do the same thing he did last year and tries to force his way back to the Jets to get his release he is going to have to create a mess to do that. That's not going to help his legacy.

I maintain that once a legend always a legend, unless you kill someone, allegedly. OJ lost his legend card in 1994. Favre isn't going to lose his legend status because he hangs around the NFL for a year or two longer than he should. The problem if he pushes this Viking deal is that he is also going to be remembered for things that weren't indicative of his legendary career. If he pursues forcing his way to the Vikings it is not going to be about playing anymore. His only motivation would be revenge on the Packers. It's going to be about going into Lambeau to show them they made a mistake. Is that how he wants to be remembered? His last years playing to get back at the Packers, not for the love of the game.

He doesn't need that on his legendary resume. There's a small part of me that wants to see that, but you could only understand that if you were a Packer fan whose favorite player was Favre that also lived in Minnesota for three years. If the scenario plays out I'll tell you why there is a small part of me that would enjoy seeing Favre in a Viking uniform.

Furthermore, Packer fans that rooted for Favre this year with the non-threatening Jets will not find it as easy to buy a purple uniform. If you thought the segment of the Packer Nation that didn't like him were vocal this year; watch the reaction if he is wearing a Vikings uniform. There are going to be some people that will never get back on the Favre train.

I hope this is it. His arm gave out down the stretch. Three of the last four years that has been the case. You could see he didn't have a lot of mobility last year. It's time. While he was still able to finish in the top 10 in completions, attempts, and passing touchdowns there were too many interceptions. Chalk it up to an injured arm, age, and learning a new system. But the big thing is age. He is going to be 40 years old and he isn't going to get healthier and stronger over the course of the NFL season.

I could watch Favre play for the rest of my life. He was the most exciting player to ever play the quarterback position. He had a great personality. He was fun. He was spontaneous. Most of all he was one of the best. Last year that wasn't the case. He wasn't having fun at the end of the season. He wasn't one of the best at the end of the season. I don't want to see Willie Mays with the Mets. I don't want to see Jordan with the Bullets. If he comes back next year he is risking his streak coming to an end by benching. Nobody wants to see that streak end anyway other than retirement. While watching Favre in his first 264 starts was a good as it got, I could do without the last five starts. I don't ever need to see that again.

I think this is it. But we'll see. If we are going to look at history for an answer history says this story isn't over it's just getting started.

For those of you that follow my blog reguarly I still plan on taking a couple weeks off.  I told you if something big broke I would comment on it and I think this qualifies.  If Warner retires before March I'll also have something on that.  Otherwise I'll answer comments on this article for the rest of the week and then see you in March.

I present to you my final newsletter of the 2008-09 season.  I will not only look at the Super Bowl, but I'll talk about some stories emerging from the franchises that either didn't make the playoffs or are no longer in the playoffs.  I appreciate feedback of things that I failed to mention, but please don't get upset if I don't list something about your favorite player or team. I could do a newsletter for just one team. Trying to mention every team or player in one newsletter would be impossibility. I hereby present to you a recap of Super Bowl Sunday.

Standings: Click Here to View the NFL Standings

MVP of the Super Bowl:  In a 27-23 game that goes down to the final seconds there are usually a lot of important plays.  The voters could have gone a lot of different directions. Santonio Holmes was a very deserving choice.  He had nine catches for 131 yards and one touchdown catch.  The Steelers had two other deserving candidates.  Big Ben, who was 21 for 30 with 256 yards passing, one touchdown, and one pick.  His poise in the fourth quarter was a big key.  Finally, James Harrison deserved consideration.  He owns the longest play in Super Bowl history with a 100-yard return for a touchdown to close the second quarter.

For the Cardinals Larry Fitzgerald completed the finest postseason ever for a wide receiver.  He had one catch for 12 yards heading into the fourth quarter.  In the fourth quarter he added six catches for 115 yards and two touchdowns, including the 64-yard run and catch that gave the Cardinals their first lead in the fourth quarter.  Fitzgerald had 30 receptions for 546 yards receiving and seven touchdowns in four postseason games.  All three are NFL records.  His postseason established himself as the best receiver in the NFL.  Kurt Warner was also very solid going 31 for 43 with 377 yards passing, three touchdowns, and one pick.   224 of those passing yards came in the fourth quarter.  Minus the pick he played an amazing game.     

Loser of the Week: About the only negative thing I can say about the game are all the penalties.  Arizona had 11 penalties for 106 yards and Pittsburgh added seven penalties for 56 yards.  One Pittsburgh offensive holding call in the end zone resulted in a safety.  There were so many personal foul penalties for grabbing face mask, roughing the kicker, and unnecessary roughness.  You hope to see fewer penalties on the biggest stage.  Aside from that everyone gave a great effort.

Overall Impressions the Super Bowl:

1) Pittsburgh Steelers - In all honesty the Steelers needed to win this game.  Arizona isn't getting a lot of flack right now.  They are being praised for getting back in the game.  Had they lost people would not be as kind to the Steelers.  Instead, they would be talking about them blowing a 13-point fourth quarter lead, which would have been the biggest fourth quarter lead blown in Super Bowl history.  A lot of people's reputations would have taken a hit.  In particular a quarterback that is supposed to be a big game player and a defense that is supposed to be among the best in NFL history.  

Big Ben had a lot to lose in this game.  People also would have talked about him not coming up big in the Super Bowl, again.  In the first three quarters he was 15 for 21 for 162 yards, zero passing touchdowns, one rushing touchdown, one pick, and a QB rating of 73.9.  Once the lead was blown, even though it wasn't entirely his fault, he was going to take some heat for a pretty average performance.  Instead, he cemented his Super Bowl legacy by going six for nine for 94 yards, one touchdown, zero picks, and a 138.2 QB rating.  That was probably the biggest quarter of his young professional career.

Prior to the fourth quarter I thought the Steelers had played very well.  But I was thinking here we go again.  The Steelers are going to win and people will be singing the praises of Big Ben.  But what has he really done.  James Harrison was the MVP of the Super Bowl at that point with his 100-yard interception return.  The defense had held Larry Fitzgerald to one catch for 12 yards.  The defense had surrendered only seven points.  He's a good quarterback playing in a great situation with a defense that dominates like very few are able to do in today's game.   Had the media hyped him at that point, I wouldn't have agreed with the attention he was receiving.  

There are plenty of quarterbacks that have played three quarters of football like he did and found himself trailing 20-7 going into the final period.  There are quarterbacks that have put up better numbers and lost.  Look at Big Ben's opponent.  Kurt Warner has the top three yardage totals in Super Bowl history and came out a loser for the second time.  Warner joins Rodger Staubach and Brett Favre as quarterbacks that lost Super Bowls with three touchdown passes.  It's hard enough to win that game playing great.  Big Ben is fortunate that he plays on a team that has such a great defensive unit that gave up only seven points through the first three quarters when he wasn't on top of his game.   Had they not played so well in the first three quarters he wouldn't have been in a very good position.

That said the defense was more fortunate that Big Ben was there quarterback on Sunday than the other way around.  The offensive line failed the team by holding in the end zone on a third down completion that resulted in a first down.  Instead the play resulted in the first Super Bowl safety since Bruce Smith in 1990.  The next series the defense gave up what looked like the biggest play of the season.  Larry Fitzgerald scored a 64-yard touchdown to give the Cardinals a three-point lead.  In the snap of a finger three great quarters of football were undone and the Steelers trailed 23-20.  The Steelers defense is designed to prevent that very thing from occurring.  That defense doesn't normally give up a lead like that.

At that moment things looked pretty bleak.  The Steelers had just given up a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter.  Their defense, which I believe had not allowed a 300-yard passer all season had given up the bulk of Warner's 224 fourth quarter yards passing in one quarter.  Then after the Steelers took over at the Arizona 22-yard line another holding penalty took the ball back to the 12-yard line for a first and 20 yards to go.  If the Cardinals didn't look like Super Bowl champions at that moment, let's just say that fat lady that everyone talks about had her voice warmed up and was headed out of the tunnel to start singing.  

You need a big time quarterback to settle things down and get the ball rolling again.  Big Ben never lost his focus.  He never lost faith.  He calmly moved the ball 88 yards down the field.  Santonio Holmes had four receptions for 73 yards and one incredible sideline catch on that final drive.  He had the big 14-yard catch that got them out of the holding penalty.  He had the big 13-yard catch that converted a third and six for a first down.  He had the big 40-yard line that put them at the doorstep of the title.  Then he had one of the best catches you will ever see on the sideline that scored the winning touchdown.

You have to give both those guys a lot of credit on that final drive.  For Big Ben that was a legacy defining moment.   He joins Joe Montana and Tom Brady with a legendary final drive in the Super Bowl.  He becomes a two-time Super Bowl champion.  Unlike his first Super Bowl win where the Steelers basically won in spite of his 22.6 QB rating, he was instrumental in winning this game.  Holmes was a very deserving choice for MVP, but they could have just as easily given it to Big Ben.   That was as gutsy of a performance as you will see in the fourth quarter.

Both players are two young to be considered Hall of Fame players at this point, especially Santonio Holmes.  Holmes has just completed his third NFL season and has never had a 1,000-yard season or a 10-touchdown catch season.  Heading into this game he had a very disappointing third season with just 54 catches for 821 yards and five receiving touchdowns.  

But he came up huge time and time again in the playoffs.  In the Super Bowl he took that to another level.  We'll see if he can build on this or basically become another Deion Branch; a guy that has been a good NFL player, but has never realized the potential that people thought he had after being named a Super Bowl MVP.  If Holmes does go on to have a Pro Bowl filled career this game is going to be considered the turning point in his career and the birth of a great player.

Big Ben also has some work to do.  This win cements him as one of the top five quarterbacks in the NFL today.  That is what a fourth quarter like that does for your legacy.  To me the top five quarterbacks in the game right now are in alphabetical order 1) Tom Brady, 2) Drew Brees, 3) Peyton Manning, 4) Phillip Rivers, and 5) Ben Roethlisberger.  Eli Manning is on the cusp and no one would be silly for putting him in the discussion. Brett Favre is also in the discussion.  The guy is still a legend as he is only one year removed from finishing runner up in the MVP race and was very solid this year until his arm gave out the last five games.  Cutler, Romo, Rodgers, and Ryan could make a run if they continue to put up good numbers and start having some success in the playoffs.  But those five have to be considered the best quarterbacks in the game right now if you are going to look at a combination of regular season statistics and postseason success over the last three to five years.

Big Ben still has more work to do to get to the Hall of Fame.  He isn't at the point where he can just retire and get in.  He isn't the greatest quarterback ever.  He needs to have better seasons than the 3,301 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 15 picks.  He needs some more years in the NFL to put up bigger career numbers.  But at just 26 years old he has already won two Super Bowls and has a 7-2 playoff record.  His only two losses were the New England Championship Game his rookie year and the loss to Jacksonville last year.  He has a legacy defining game and a drive that will be talked about for all time.  At 26 years old he doesn't have to win another playoff game to make the Hall of Fame.  At this point it is being able to stay in the NFL for another eight to ten years to put up the necessary numbers to warrant induction.  There aren't many 26 year olds that can say they don't need to win another postseason game to get into the Hall of Fame.     

Finally, it is a well-deserved honor for the Pittsburgh Steelers as a whole.  With that win Mike Tomlin becomes the youngest head coach to win a Super Bowl and the second black head coach to win the Super Bowl.  The nice thing is that unlike when Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith were in the Super Bowl, that wasn't the biggest story of the week.  It's a good thing that we are getting to a point where the color of a quarterback or head coach's skin doesn't dominate the headlines and we can just talk about the quality of the individuals participating in the game.  Mike Tomlin has made quite a name for himself in just two years as a Head Coach.  That guy has the potential to go down as an all-time great. I love his intensity, winning attitude, and knowledge for the game at such a young age.  It's early for him to, but that was a big notch in his belt.  

It's funny that we talk about the Steelers and success in the same sentence.  To people my age (I'm 30) it seems so natural.  To our grandparents the Steelers were the lovable NFL losers.  From 1933 to 1972 the Steelers never won a playoff game.  During that time a winning season was a major accomplishment.  Their first playoff win in franchise history came in the form of an Immaculate Reception 40 years into the team's existence.  Legendary owner Art Rooney Sr. didn't even see the play, because he was heading down to the locker room to congratulate the team on the best season in franchise history and a job well done.

This team's fortunes changed in 1969 when they hired Chuck Noll.  They have had only two other head coaches since. Since 1974 the Steelers have the most Super Bowl appearances in the NFL with seven.  Only Dallas has more overall with eight.  They lead the NFL in Super Bowl titles with six.  The only teams to compete with them in regards to titles won since 1974 are the Los Angeles Lakers, who have eight NBA titles, the New York Yankees, who have six MLB titles, and the Montreal Canadians, who have six Stanley Cups.  This win gives the Steelers a 6-1 record in the Big Game.  If you had told someone that the Steelers were headed for this type of greatness in 1969 they would have looked at you the same way as if I told you the Cubs were going to win four World Series titles in the next ten years.

While this franchise had humble beginnings it stands among the most proud franchises in professional sports. The Steelers have become a symbol of excellence in the Super Bowl era.  What a great honor for a very deserving city and fan base.  

2) Arizona Cardinals - Usually when a team loses a Super Bowl the natural reaction is to start looking to blame people.  The Arizona Cardinals are no different in that regard.  While they played well enough to win they made enough mistakes to have regrets.  The penalties are a big place to start.  They had over 100-yards in penalties.  That is one of the highest in Super Bowl history.

The play that everyone is going to wonder about is the play at the end of the second quarter.  Trailing 10-7 with less than 30 seconds left and no timeouts Warner dropped back and threw a pick to James Harrison.  Not only did Harrison keep at least three points off the board, but he returned the ball a NFL record 100-yards for a touchdown.  Instead of the score being 14-10 Arizona, 10-10, or 10-7 Pittsburgh with Arizona having the ball to start the second half it was 17-7 Pittsburgh.  It doesn't take a NFL expert to identify that as a changing moment in the game.  If you are an Arizona fan you are left to wonder what might have been had that play not happened.  

Speaking as a fan of a team (Green Bay) and a player (Favre) that has suffered some of the most heartbreaking losses in NFL history, I know how the Arizona Cardinals feel.  I wasn't alive when the Packers won their trophies in the 1960s.  I have memories of Lindy Infante and Mike Holmgren.  To me they were the team that kept losing to America's Team every season.  

After they got over the mountaintop in 1996 I watched some of the most frustrating playoff losses in NFL history.  Green Bay losing to Denver in the Super Bowl.  The Catch II.  4th and 26.  Last year's OT loss to the Giants.  As fun as 1996 was those games are still special in a different way.  It makes you appreciate how hard it is to win the Super Bowl and how many things have to go your way.  Having a good team or a great quarterback isn't enough.

I'll never tell anyone, "Don't worry there is always next year."  Tell that to a Dan Marino fan.   Tell that to the Buffalo Bills.  In 1996 I thought the Packers had the talent in place to win at least two or three more Super Bowls.  They appeared in one more and none since 1997.  When you have a 9-7 regular season, a Cinderella run, and a 38 year old quarterback whose carriage could turn into a pumpkin any year as the foundation of your team it's easy to see that the window might not stay open that long.  That was Arizona's best chance.  They could easily return next year, but it is far from a sure thing.

People can criticize a lot of things from that game.  The pick returned 100-yards.  The personal foul penalties.  Seven points scored in the first three quarters.  But in the fourth quarter you saw what Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, and that team was about.  This team has a different attitude than Cardinals teams from years past.  Not only did Warner pass for 224 yards in that fourth quarter, but he also they did it against a team that usually allows only 156 yards of passing per game.  They scored 16 points in the fourth quarter against a team that allows 13.9 points per game in the regular season.  Larry Fitzgerald turned in a quarter for the ages with six catches for 115 yards and two touchdowns after being shutout for the first three quarters.  That was as good of an offensive quarter as you will ever see by a team on that stage against that type of opponent.

The Cardinals made mistakes.  As a result they didn't get a ring.  They didn't get to hoist the trophy.  But that team showed a championship spirit in the fourth quarter.  They battled against all odds and took the lead in a game they had no business leading in.  They were on the brink of winning the Super Bowl.  While the final result was disappointing they have nothing to hang their head about.  They left it all out on the field and at the end of the day that just wasn't enough.  There is an old saying that we didn't lose, we just ran out of time.  If that was ever true it was true in Super Bowl XLIII.

I think too often we get caught up in just counting rings and tallying up legacies without stopping to appreciate the game and enjoy the art of competition.  There can be only one champion and if you were ever going to give out two Lombardi Trophies that would have been the game to do it.  It seems like a shame that the 1989 Broncos who lost 55-10 in the Super Bowl have the same thing to show for their effort as the 2008 Arizona Cardinals; a whole lot of nothing.   

Arizona didn't deserve to lose that game anymore than Pittsburgh deserved to win that game.  You play that terrible for twelve minutes in the fourth quarter you deserve to lose.  Pittsburgh was one great drive away from finding themselves in that predicament.  But if you play bad for the first three quarters, you don't really deserve to win either.  

In the end there is no formula for determining who is going to win and who is going to lose.  It's impossible to tell who deserves it more.  You play the game for sixty minutes and whoever has the lead wins the game.   Pittsburgh played more good minutes than Arizona and they played more-good clutch minutes than Arizona did.  They deserved to win in that respect.  But anyone that doesn't appreciate the effort Arizona put in has no business watching organized sports. No one wants there season to end that way.

Even though they came out on the losing end I have more respect for Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, and that entire team than I ever had for them five weeks ago.  They treated us to a wonderful postseason and they deserve a lot of credit for it.  They made the Arizona Cardinals relevant, something no one thought was possible.

When the Steelers had their wonderful 1972 season hey needed an Immaculate Reception to beat the Oakland Raiders.  That win reenergized a city and helped created the Steelers, as we now know them.  They lost to Miami in the next playoff game and didn't bring home the trophy in 1972.  They would have to wait until 1974.  From that point on their fortunes changed forever.  Maybe this was Arizona's Immaculate Reception postseason that reenergizes what was thought to be a dead franchise.  Only time will tell.  

3) The Greatest Super Bowl Ever - Some people will be quick to proclaim this the greatest Super Bowl ever.  You can't just name every Super Bowl decided by less than seven points the greatest Super Bowl ever.  To me great Super Bowls not only have to be exciting, but historically significant to be called great.  A situation where a few plays going differently might have altered the course of NFL History. 

The five greatest Super Bowls to me in chronological order are as follows:

a) Super Bowl XIII - Pittsburgh 35 vs. Dallas 31 - Not only did it decide the team of the 1970's, but it featured Hall of Fame Head Coaches, Quarterbacks, and Running Backs for each team.  A total of 17 Hall of Famers participated in the game.   It was a great game the whole way.  Dallas is still the only team to score 30 or more points in a Super Bowl and still lose.

b) Super Bowl XXIII - San Francisco 20 vs. Cincinnati 16 - This gave Montana his third Super Bowl ring and cemented his legacy as one of the greatest postseason quarterbacks of all time.  His 90-yard drive in the final minutes brought the 49ers from down three to World Champions and the team of the 1980s.  It also established Super Bowl MVP Jerry Rice as a prime time playoff performer.  Everyone knew he was good before that postseason.  This is when he ceased to be good and became great.  

c) Super Bowl XXV - New York Giants 20 vs. Buffalo 19 - It was a close game down to the wire.  It gave Parcells and the original LT their second Lombardi Trophy.  It was the start of Buffalo losing four straight Super Bowls.  This was the only one they were competitive in.  Norwood's missed 47-yard field goal is one of the most famous endings in Super Bowl history and the symbol of frustration for the Buffalo Bills.

d) Super Bowl XXXII - Devner 31 vs. Green Bay 24 - Two Hall of Fame quarterbacks in John Elway and Brett Favre.  John Elway going for his first Super Bowl title after going 0-3 in his first three Super Bowls.  Favre the three-time MVP of the NFL looking to repeat as Super Bowl Champion.  At stake would ultimately be the team of the second half of the 1990s.  Denver would go on to win in 1998 to win back-to-back titles.  Had Green Bay won this game they would have held that honor.  Don't discount the head-coaching match up.  When you rank Holmgren vs. Shanahan this game puts Shanahan over the top.  Had the result been different, Holmgren is probably looked at in the same light as Shanahan. Finally, it ended a run of thirteen consecutive championships for the NFC.  This game marked the switch in power back to the AFC after years of blowouts and frustration.

e) Super Bowl XLII - New York 17 vs. New England 14 - Not only was this game exciting, but immediately significant.  It stopped the New England Patriots from completing the first 19-0 season and the first undefeated season since the 1972 Miami Dolphins.  It stopped Brady from joining Bradshaw and Montana at 4-0 in the Super Bowl.  It stopped The Hood from joining Noll as the only head coach with four Super Bowls.  That's enough immediate history to know it's a big game with historical significance.  On the Giants side Michael Strahan retired a champion, Eli Manning joined his brother as a Super Bowl winner and MVP, and David Tyree's catch will go down as one of the top five plays in the history of the Super Bowl.  

Even though I don't have it in my top five I'd also be pretty ignorant not to mention Super Bowl XXXVI, which was the birth of Tom Brady and the Patriots dynasty over a potential one in the St Louis Rams.  The more exciting games the NFL plays the harder it will become to have a top five.  

But the danger in naming Super Bowls as great to quickly is that they can't hold the label as easily as the years pass.  The Titans and Rams played in Super Bowl XXXIV.  It's still considered a great game.  The Rams stopped the Titans from sending the game to OT on the last play of the game.  But Steve McNair and Eddie George never established themselves as Hall of Famers.  The Rams never won another Super Bowl.  Other than the game itself and the Hall of Fame Rams players earning their rings there isn't a lot of history making there.    

At this moment this game has none of the things those other great Super Bowls I mentioned.  It shouldn't, it was just played on Sunday. That's why you have to let things play out, unless it's like last years Super Bowl where it's so obvious it hits you in the face.  

We know the game was exciting.  There's no doubt about that.  What we don't know is if it was historically significant.  If Arizona has another fifty years like the previous fifty it doesn't mean much on their end.  On the other hand, if Big Ben and Kurt Warner both make the Hall of Fame it will add to the importance of the game.  The more of their teammates that join them in Canton the better it becomes.  Tomlin and Whisenhunt are also young coaches.  This may be the first of many trips for these two coaches.  It could determine who has the better legacy.  This may be the beginning of the next great NFL rivalry, similar to what the Cowboys and Steelers had in the 1970s.

It has the excitement factor and will always be remembered for that.  Time will tell if it can reach the importance those other games had.  In that regard, it has a very large standard to live up to.

Here are three other stories not related to the playoffs that made some news this week.    

4) Hall of Fame Results - There isn't too much to complain about with the results.  Two of my Top Ten Snubs (click here to read the article) made it in G Randall McDaniel and LB Derrick Thomas.  They were my number two and number three snubs.  

Bruce Smith and Rod Woodson were eligible for the Hall for the first time this year.  Both were easily first ballot Hall of Famers.  I'm very happy Ralph Wilson made the Hall of Fame.  Ralph Wilson deserved to be there a long time ago and is 90-years old.  While he is in great health it would be unfortunate if they kept putting off his induction and he were to pass away before he received this long overdue and well deserved honor.  

There are two players I'm struggling with.  What did Chris Carter do to piss off the Hall of Fame Voters?  When he retired I assumed he would be a first ballot Hall of Famer.  For him to be passed over twice is a complete shock to me.  

Chris Carter is an eight-time Pro Bowl selection.  They were all made consecutively from 1993-2000.  He is a two-time All Pro first team selection.  He is a member of the 1990s All Decade team, an honor voted on by the Hall of Fame voters.  

Chris Carter was as durable as they come.  He started 16 games ten times from 1991 to 2001.  In that span he missed four games back in 1992.  He led the NFL in touchdown receptions three times.  He had back-to-back 122 reception seasons in 1994 and 1995.  He had eight consecutive 1,000-yard seasons from 1993 to 2000.  What more do you want?

Carter ranks third in career receptions with 1,101.  The only other players with over 1,000 catches are Jerry Rice, Marvin Harrison, Tim Brown, and Isaac Bruce.  He is seventh in receiving yards with 13,899.  The only players ahead of him are the players I already mentioned, as well as Terrell Owens and James Lofton.  Finally, he ranks fourth in touchdown receptions.  The only players ahead of him are Jerry Rice, Terrell Owens, and Randy Moss.  Carter's 130 receiving touchdowns are more than Jim Brown scored in his career.  

Lost in all that is the fact that Carter played with a different starting quarterback almost every season, which is a main reason he struggled to carry his team to a Super Bowl.  Carter played for Wade Wilson, Rich Gannon, Sean Salisbury, Jim McMahon, Warren Moon, Brad Johnson, Randall Cunningham, Jeff George, and Daunte Culpepper.  The only one of those players is in or will make the Hall of Fame is Warren Moon, who came to the Vikings at age 38.  He started for two seasons.  

I believe that Chris Carter could have been even more dominant if he had been able to play with Joe Montana and Steve Young for most of his career, similar to what Jerry Rice did.  The fact that this guy can't get into the Hall of Fame is ridiculous.  He is a first Ballot talent and one of the best receivers to ever play the game.  He's a top ten receiver in my mind.  When you read that coming from someone that is a born and raised Packer fan that despised the Vikings and Chris Carter, it should tell you something.   I have as much respect for what Carter did on the field as just about any of the division opponents the Packers played during his era.  On offense the only other NFC North players I feared more in his era were Barry Sanders and Randy Moss.  

The other player I struggled with was Bob Hayes.  This has nothing to do with him getting in and Chris Carter not getting in.  They are separate arguments.  I understand he has been gaining some momentum in recent years and almost made it in 2004.  It is very unfortunate that he passed away in 2002 and is not around to see this most esteemed honor.  

Bob Hayes was a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro.  All of those honors came from 1965 to 1969.  He is one of the best deep threats to ever play the game.  He won gold medals in track and field at the 1964 Olympics.  He is the only player in NFL history to own both a Super Bowl ring and an Olympic Gold Medal.  

Hayes is a guy whose case looks better on video that the stat sheet.  He used that speed to blow by defenders.  He averaged 20.0 yards per catch for his career.  He's one of only twelve men to have that high of an average.  The 26.1 yards per catch he averaged in 1970 is the fifth highest single season total.  Most years 18.0 to 19.0 yards per catch leads the NFL, especially in today's game.  He was also a fantastic return man.  When he came into the NFL the league had seen nothing like him.  Think Willie Gault when he came to the Bears back in 1983, but a much more polished receiver.  For the younger readers think a shorter version of Randy Moss when he came to the Vikings.  Unstoppable speed and athleticism.

Here is what I find interesting about Hayes's selection.  45 of his 71 touchdown catches came in his first four years in the league.  59 of his 71 touchdowns came in the first six years of his career.  From the age of 29 to 33 (when he retired) he averaged 17 catches for 327 yards and 2.4 touchdown catches.  That's not very good in any era.  He scored four touchdowns in his last four seasons in the NFL.  That's also not very good.  

When you have selections like this you have to wonder what the criteria is for selection.  The arguments that people use against Kurt Warner, Terrell Davis, Sterling Sharpe and other similar candidates is that they only were able to put together four of five good seasons.  The problem is that if Bob Hayes is now a Hall of Famer, why should that matter?  Those players should also be considered, should they not?  Davis and Sharpe were dominant for four or five years and did some amazing things in their injury-shortened careers.  Kurt Warner has been amazing from 1999-2001 in St Louis and 2007-2008 in Arizona.  Yet I hear from some people that he has more work to do.

I realize that Bob Hayes came up through the Veteran Committee; so to act like he's getting a gift is far fetched.  Carter has only waited two years, so they aren't even in the same class with regards to the waiting game.  Hayes is gaining induction over 30 years after he retired.  This isn't a first ballot guy that is being held up as a Legend of Legends.  He's a borderline guy that is finally getting his due.  Some voters feel that Chris Carter is a Hall of Famer, but just not in his first couple years of induction eligibility.  They feel that honor is reserved for only the best of the very best.

I don't necessarily agree with that.  I think if you are a Hall of Famer you are a Hall of Famer.  But I understand where people come from when they make that argument.   What I don't get is the criteria.  I hear being a Hall of Famer is about having a great career.  Dominating for an extended period of time.  Playing well in the postseason.  Not being able to write the history of the NFL without devoting a Chapter to their career.

Then you get Bob Hayes.  The bulk of his numbers crammed into a four-year period.  Two catches for 23 yards in the only Super Bowl his team won.  One catch for 41 yards in the Super Bowl his team lost.  Two postseason games out of 12 with over 50 yards receiving from the 1967 playoffs to the 1973 playoffs.  Two touchdowns in that span with one of them coming in a 52-14 win over Cleveland in the 1967 Divisional round.

Tell me why Terrell Davis is a Hall of Famer.  Four 1,000-yard rushing seasons.  Three seasons over 10 rushing touchdowns.  Super Bowl XXXII MVP.  1998 NFL League MVP.  2,000 yards rushing in a season.  21 rushing touchdowns in a season.  Three time Pro Bowler and three time All-Pro.  All 1990's Team Selection.

Yet many tell me that he's not a Hall of Famer, because he didn't do it long enough?   But if he waits for 30 years and can get nominated by the "Veteran's Committee." Are his numbers suddenly going to improve to the point where he is Hall of Fame worthy?  Hayes isn't anymore worthy now than he was ten years ago or twenty years ago.  Does making players wait thirty years to show they were Hall of Fame Worthy, but not Super Hall of Fame worthy really make sense to anybody?  Does it make sense to use one set of criteria for people in their first ten years of eligibility and than switch to an easier standard thereafter?  If it does I would love that to be explained to me; in particular how you can't write the history of the NFL without talking about Bob Hayes, but you can write it without talking about Terrell Davis.  

I'm not trying to start an anti Bob Hayes campaign.  I'm more upset about the people that aren't getting in than the people that are.  Bob Hayes isn't some name that came out of left field that shouldn't have been talked about.  He's the most recent example and I'm using him to illustrate a point and for that reason only.  I am saddened that he isn't here to enjoy the wonderful honor and I am happy for his family that they will get to enjoy this moment.

But my understanding is that there is this scientific process that goes into picking these players, yet there are contradicting standards that seem to be all over the place.  Guys that seem obvious to me like Chris Carter can't get in.  Guys like Bob Hayes have to wait 30 years to get it, but when they are finally selected they don't have numbers or contributions that are any different than guys that I'm told aren't good enough to even be considered.  The only difference is that they played a long time ago and are being nominated by the Veterans Committee.

I respect the job the voters do.  There have been NFL teams since 1921.  There aren't even 300 guys in the Hall.  I'm not about to pretend their job is easy.  I'm not going to pretend that I could pick guys in a manner that every person with a blog couldn't shoot down as being inconsistent.  The alternative is going to a baseball method of picking Hall of Famers where the debate is primarily statistic driven.  We all know that doesn't create any controversy, right?  In a sport like the NFL that isn't going to help anything; in fact it would just make it worse.

Where I believe the NFL Hall of Fame voters are going wrong is that they are so intent on making sure that certain players not get voted in to quickly, because they didn't have a first ballot career that they aren't getting around to getting them in the Hall in later years.  Guys like Art Monk should not have to wait ten years for induction.  A guy like Chris Carter shouldn't have to wait two years.  If they can just do a better job of getting the obvious guys it would give them a lot more credibility when they pick someone that is more questionable like Bob Hayes.  When Chris Carter is left off two years in a row it leaves the whole process open to speculation.     

5) Coaching Update - There have been a couple hires that I never got to address since my last newsletter that I wanted to touch on.  Rex Ryan was a great hire by the New York Jets.  He has a lot of experience as a coordinator.  When Brian Billick was fired after the 2007 season, Coach Harbaugh thought enough of Ryan to keep him on the staff.  He is going to bring a great blitzing scheme to the Jets, a team that is already built for the 3-4 defense.  It's a very solid hire.

A lot was made of Favre's meltdown the last five games, but at the end of the day the Jets scored the ninth most points in the NFL this season.   Their 405 points scored was the third most in franchise history.  Their defense ranked 18th and could not stop the pass, ranking 28th in that category.  This team needs to improve on defense more than it needs to improve on offense.  Ryan should help improve those areas.

I thought it was interesting that Ryan retained offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.  I was curious to see if Ryan was going to hire someone that runs a more traditional West Coast Offense like Brett Favre is used to running.  I think this move indicates that while the Jets may want Brett Favre back, they aren't going to seek his input on the direction of the offense in 2009.  If he's going to comeback to the Jets he is going to have to fit in with what they are doing, not vice versa.  That probably isn't the worst decision, seeing Favre isn't a guarantee to comeback and if he does it will probably be for only one more year.  Furthermore, the Viking rumors are beginning to swirl.  That is a topic for another day.

The other move since I last wrote an article was the Chiefs hiring GM Scott Pioli, who cut ties with Herm Edwards.   This also makes sense to me.  Herm Edwards paid for a lot of the sins that Dick Vermiel made.  Edwards walked into a team that had only one year left in their window.  The offensive line was old and the defense was a disaster.  Almost any coach that went there was headed for a rebuilding effort.  He's not the main reason for the talent deficiencies this team is suffering from in 2009.    

The problem is that he isn't part of the solution either.  There are a lot of experienced coaches on the market, as well as some solid coordinator candidates.  Herm Edwards is not going to lead this team to the Super Bowl.  Edwards is a great motivator, but is a terrible offensive mind.  His best job is as defensive coordinator.  That necessitated the change.

Edwards loves to give his backs the football.  In 2006 Larry Johnson set a NFL record with 416 carries.  Curtis Martin had 371 carries in 2004, which ranks 26th all time.  The problem is that it becomes predictable.  His running backs either break down from all the work or they get stuff by good teams in the playoffs that know what is coming.  His 23-8 loss to the 2006 Indianapolis Colts was one of the worst called playoff games I ever witnessed.

Herm Edwards has never coached a 3,500-yard passer.  The most touchdown passes a quarterback has ever thrown in his offense was 22 by Chad Pennington in 2002.  You can't win in today's NFL with a coach who is so deficient on the offensive side of the ball.   One year is not having personnel.  Eight years is a philosophy issue.

In 2002 the Jets looked like an up in coming power and Edwards looked like the next big Head Coach.  That has never materialized in the six seasons since.

It will be interesting to see if the Chiefs are able to land not only a former division rival, but also a Hall of Fame coach in Mike Shanahan.  That talk has died down in the last week.  Arizona Offensive Coordinator Todd Haley is the hot name of the moment.  The Chiefs need to find a more offensively minded head coach that can utilize Bowe and Gonzalez.  There is talent on this roster, but there is a lot of work to do.

A Look Ahead:  There are obviously no games to look ahead to, but there are a few things I want to run by my readers that making writing this newsletter so much fun.  As bad as my postseason picks went, I picked the Super Bowl right with Pittsburgh winning 27-17.  That's not too bad.  

Thank you for all the comments everyone posted through out the season.  2008 was another great season and your insight really helps make my newsletters the success that they have become.  I can't thank you enough.

As in past years, I will answer comments on this article and then need a break from writing after the season ends.  I'm probably going to take off from writing for about three weeks.  When the free agency signing period starts I'll resume writing by talking about the big winners and losers in the first part of free agency.  

If something big happens in the meantime I'm going to post an article.  The one item I can foresee writing about is a Hall of Fame caliber player retiring, i.e. Favre, Warner, etc.  Even with Favre, I'm skeptical about writing an article, because he could change his mind in two weeks.  I need to see him retired at this point to believe him.

I do want your feedback on my 2009 divisional preview schedule.  I think there have been some successes with those and some failures the last two seasons.  When I first did those to preview the 2007 season we had great momentum.  My AFC West article drew an estimated 150 responses with my comments included.  Momentum died when I left for my summer trip for two weeks and they didn't seem to recover when I got back.  I also think the Michael Vick story played into that too, but that is another story all together.

To prevent that vacation from disrupting the previews, I decided to start those last year at the beginning of May so that I could have everything wrapped up before I went on vacation.  In retrospect, I think that was too early and there wasn't as much interest in discussing the previews as there was when I started them in June the year before.

What I would like your feedback on is when do you think I should start doing those.  They can't start before May otherwise the NFL draft will not have completed.  They need to be wrapped up by the end of August.  

The three options that seem the most viable to me are as follows:

 i) Go with last year's format.  Start them in May so they are concluded before I go on my trip in July,

ii) Start them after I get back from my trip in the middle of July.  That basically would be one division per week through training camp and the preseason games, or

iii) Start the NFC in June and conclude it before I leave.  Then start the AFC after I get back.  That would conclude my previews before the start of the preseason games, which I also think is desirable.  I usually start writing newsletters when the preseason games get under way and that's going to be a lot of writing per week if I'm doing a newsletter and a division preview.  

I'm leaning toward Option iii with my vacation acting as a split for the NFC and the AFC.  Please let me know if you like either of those options or if you have a better idea.  Your comments are what make writing those previews fun and I want to do those in the way that will draw the most discussion and excitement.

That's all for this week.  I look forward to reading your comments this week.  Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Steelers on a wonderful season and a well deserved Super Bowl Trophy.

The Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers offer a lot of compelling match ups with just a week away.  You have Ken Whisenhunt and Russ Grimm going against the team they built their reputations with as assistants in Pittsburgh.  Kurt Warner vs. Big Ben is an interesting storyline at the quarterback spot.  Larry Fitzgerald trying to cap off the best postseason by a receiver in NFL history will create some interest. 

But one storyline that isn't going to draw a lot of interest is a match up between two dominant regular season teams.  The Pittsburgh Steelers were very dominant going 12-4 and earning the second seed in the AFC playoff bracket.  But the Arizona Cardinals were hardly dominant in the regular season.  They become only the second 9-7 team to qualify for the Super Bowl, joining the 1979 Los Angeles Rams. 

You have to understand the history of the NFL to understand the significance of this trend.  The last few seasons have seen some bizarre teams qualify for the Super Bowl.  Here are a couple things to consider. 

1) From 1990 to 2006 the Number One seed in the NFC was a perfect 17-0 in Divisional Round Games.  The last two seasons the Number One seed in 0-2, with both teams losing to teams that were vastly inferior to them in the regular season.  The 13-3 Cowboys swept the 10-6 Giants in the regular season, but lost in the 2007 Divisional Round.  The 12-4 Giants split with the 9-6-1 Eagles in the regular season, but lost in the 2008 Divisional Round.

2) From 1990 to 2006 the Number Two seed in the NFC was 14-3 in Divisional Round Games.   In 1995 the #3 seeded 11-5 Packers beat the 11-5 49ers in San Francisco.  In 2001 the #3 seeded 11-5 Eagles beat the 13-3 Chicago Bears in Chicago.  In 2005 the #5 seeded 11-5 Panthers beat the 11-5 Bears.  The last two seasons the #2 seed is 2-1 in the Divisional Round, but 13-3 Green Bay fell victim to the 10-6 Giants in the NFC Championship Game.

3) From 1966 to 1990 there were only four wild cards that qualified for the Super Bowl.  The 11-3 1969 Chiefs won Super Bowl IV. The 10-4 1975 Cowboys lost Super Bowl X.  The 11-5 1980 Oakland Raiders won Super Bowl XV.  The 11-5 1985 New England Patriots lost Super Bowl XX. 

From 1990 to 2008 the 12-4 1997 Denver Broncos, 13-3 1999 Tennessee Titans, 12-4 2000 Baltimore Ravens,  11-5 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers, and 2007 New York Giants all represented their conference in the Super Bowl as wildcard teams.  All but the 1999 Titans won the Super Bowl.

Also consider that the only Number One seeds to win the Super Bowl since 1990 are the 1991 Washington Redskins, 1993 Dallas Cowboys, 1994 San Francisco 49ers, 1995 Dallas Cowboys, 1996 Packers, 1998 Denver Broncos, 1999 St Louis Rams, and 2003 New England Patriots.  That's only 42% of the number one seeds winning the Super Bowl with only one coming this decade. 

4) Prior to the 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers no team had ever won four road playoff games to claim the Super Bowl.  The New York Giants duplicated the feat just two years later. 

5) The only Super Bowls since 1990 where neither playoff team had to win a road playoff game to qualify for the Super Bowl were Super Bowl XXXI (New England vs. Green Bay), Super Bowl XXX (Pittsburgh vs. Dallas), Super Bowl XXVIII (Buffalo vs. Dallas), and  Super Bowl XXVI (Buffalo vs. Washington).

In the 1970s and 1980s it was pretty predictable which teams were going to go to the Super Bowl.  If a team only lost two games in the regular season they were going to get to the Super Bowl most years.  Rarely was a team going to go into Pittsburgh or into Miami and win a playoff game.  In the last 10 years the better bet is to go with one of the lower seeded teams. 

The question becomes why the change?  Why is it suddenly easier for teams with average regular seasons to suddenly turn it on at the end of the season and win the Super Bowl.  Here were some reasons I thought of. 

1) The 6-team per conference playoff format - Prior to 1990 the odds were very much against the Wildcard.  The Wildcard started in 1969 when the AFL had their top two teams in each division square off in a Divisional Round.  From 1970 to 1977 there were three division winners and one wild card.  The wild card had to play the team with the best record in the first playoff game.  From 1978 to 1990 two wild card winners had to play an opening round game with the winner playing the #1 seeded team. 

I don't think it is simply a coincidence that the #1 and #2 seeds haven't been doing as well in the playoffs since they changed the divisions in 2002 to have four division winners from divisions with four teams each.  That's when we really saw the shift start.

Today the wild cards get to play an opening round game against the two weakest division winners and then advances to the next round.  With the wildcard teams not playing each other it is possible for two wildcard teams to advance.  With more teams and more wild cards able to advance the sheer rules of probability dictate that a wild card has a better chance to advance deep in the playoffs if there are more of them around in the later rounds.  

2) Free Agency / Salary Cap- Free agency has done away with the teams where 40 of their 50 players have playoff experience with that franchise over the last five seasons.  Teams are consistently changing personnel.   When you combine that with a salary cap that prevents teams from being dominant at every position it has evened the playing field both in terms of continuity and overall talent. 

3) Lack of dominant NFL quarterbacks - You can get to a Super Bowl with a good quarterback.  But if you want to go to multiple Super Bowls you usually need a Hall of Fame quarterback.  Quarterbacks are able to influence a game more than any other position. 

There used to be a lot of Hall of Fame quarterbacks in the playoffs.  In 1993 there were 12 teams in the playoffs.  Steve Young, Troy Aikman, and Brett Favre represented the NFC.  They are all first ballot Hall of Fame quarterbacks.  Phil Simms also represented the Giants.  He's a borderline Hall of Fame player.  In the AFC Joe Montana, Warren Moon, Jim Kelly, and John Elway represented the AFC.   With the exception of Favre in the NFC we pretty much knew all those guys were destined for Canton when the playoffs began.

If you go back to the 1970s the Super Bowl was nothing but Hall of Fame quarterbacks facing Hall of Fame quarterbacks.  Staubach vs. Griese.  Staubach vs. Bradshaw.  Bradshaw vs. Tarkenton.  Tarkenton vs. Griese.  Even Tarkenton vs. Stabler was a pretty compelling match up. 

This year Peyton Manning is the only certain  Hall of Fame QB that made the playoffs.  Warner is on the fence right now.  Last year Manning, Brady, and Favre were the only certain Hall of Fame players that made the playoffs.  Will Philip Rivers, Eli Manning, and Big Ben make the Hall of Fame?  Maybe.    But there just isn't the dominant play at the quarterback position that there was 10 years ago.   Donovan McNabb would have been a low end playoff quarterback in the mid 90s.  In today's NFL he is in the upper echelon of playoff quarterback talent. 

The last really compelling Hall of Fame match up in the Super Bowl was Elway vs.Favre in Super Bowl XXXII.  The other one that is close was Brady vs. Warner is Super Bowl XXXVI.  Since then we have had a lot of Brad Johnson vs. Rich Gannon or Trent Dilfer vs. Kerry Collins.  When we got Peyton Manning in there he went against Rex Grossman.

With lower level of quarterback play comes more mistakes on offense.  Turnovers are the one thing you can rarely predict in a playoff game.  With so many teams having to rely on defenses and running backs to advance to the next round of the playoffs there isn't that one guy that can put his team on his back in the playoffs week in and week out.   Teams can be dominant one week and flat the next, depending on the ability of their quarterback to protect the ball and make plays. 

The question is whether we are going to see this continuing trend of unlikely Super Bowl champions.  If you don't think the 2005 Steelers, 2006 Colts, and 2007 Giants were unlikely champions you really haven't been following the Super Bowl much.  The Steelers were the first team to win four road playoff games.  The Colts were the first team to win a Super Bowl win a scoring defense ranked 23rd in the NFL.  The previous low was 83 Raiders ranked 13th.  The 2007 NY Giants were the first champion to finish outside the top 10 in both scoring offense and defense, had to win four road playoff games, and were only the second champion to win only 10 regular season games since the league went to a 16 game schedule in 1978.  If the Cardinals win it this year it will be the fourth straight year that we have been shocked by the eventual Super Bowl Champion.

I don't think we are ever going to get back to the dominant dynasties of the 1970s and 1980s, because of the six team playoff format and free agency.  We'll still see the repeats or the three titles in four years.  That's possible.  But we aren't going to see the same five franchises in the Super Bowl every year.  We aren't going to see five franchises (Steelers, Dolphins, Raiders, Cowboys, and Vikings) dominate an entire decade like those teams dominated the 1970s.  We aren't going to see the Number One and Number Two seeds dominate the NFC like we saw from 1990 to 2005. 

But we've seen this trend happen before.  After the Steel Curtain won it's last title in 1979 the face of the NFL was changing.  The Steelers would fall off the map until Cowher emerged.  The Dolphins were no longer the dominant team they were in the 1970s.  The Raiders would win the 1980 Super Bowl as a wild card, but that team had a different look with Plunkett at quarterback instead of Stabler.  The Cowboys would be good, but not Staubach good.  The Vikings never regained their Tarkenton glory. 

From 1980 to 1987 the NFL was wide open.  The 80 Raiders and 85 Patriots qualified for the Super Bowl as wildcards.  The Raiders, 49ers, Redskins, Raiders, 49ers, Bears, Giants, and Redskins won the Super Bowl.  Their quarterbacks were Plunkett, Montana, Theismann, Plunkett, Montana, McMahon, Simms, and Williams.  Only Montana is in the Hall of fame.  Only the Raiders and 49ers won more than one Super Bowl.  There were no repeats. 

As the class of 1983 developed into a Hall of Fame class the dynamics of the NFL changes.  From 1984 to 1998 Elway, Kelly, and Marino accounted for 10 Super Bowl appearances.  The 49ers cemented themselves as a dynasty with Super Bowl wins in 1988 and 1989 with Montana and in 1994 with Steve Young.  The Cowboys reemerged behind the dominance of Troy Aikman.  Brett Favre reenergized a sleeping Packer team and took them to the Super Bowl twice.

If you look at the history of league when you have hiccup at the quarterback position where Hall of Fame talent is scarce you don't have a lot of dynasty activity and there are some unlikely teams that emerge as champions.  That's where we are at right now.  That is why people still want guys like Warner, Favre, and Garcia to continue their careers.  There just aren't that many young guys that people are excited about.   They feel with a veteran fix the field is open enough to steal a Super Bowl trophy.

The NFL is sitting on a goldmine of young quarterbacks.  The prime years for winning Super Bowls is 26 to 34.  About 80% of the quarterbacks that have participated in the Super Bowl have quarterbacks between that age.  That hasn't changed since 1990.  Elway in 1997 and 1998, Warner in 2008, and Gannon in 2002 are the exception, not the rule. 

Peyton Manning and Drew Brees still have a few years left.  Tom Brady and Carson Palmer do too if their injuries can heal.  Philip Rivers, Big Ben, Eli Manning, Jay Cutler, Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco, Tony Romo, Matt Cassel,  and Aaron Rodgers are all young stars that are just entering that 26-34 year old bracket.  We know all of them won't make it.  Some of them may have been one or two year wonders.  But even if half of the unproven guys are for real there are several teams that are sitting on gold mines.  If they can find running backs and defenses to compliment those guys there are some teams that could dominate the NFL for the next five to ten years.  If you get two or three teams in each conference that have a franchise quarterback, a great running game, and a top ten defense they are going to be impossible to knock out of the playoffs.  That could lead to some more normalcy in the NFL playoff system where the top seeds are the ones playing for the prize; similar to what the NFL had in the 1990s. 

What are your thoughts/  Why do you think we have had so many playoff upsets and so many unlikely Super Bowl participants in recent years?  Do you see that trend continuing or do you think that is life in today's NFL?  Let me know your thoughts.

 

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