I have Restrained Myself Most of The Year Because Every Time You Mention Tony Romo or Peyton Manning In Anything Other Than Glowing Terms I get Lunatics who Rant on About Just How Wonderful Both Of These Guys Are....

Well I suppose this weekend should have put an end to that nonsense.  I sat at Gillette Stadium Saturday night and witnessed the most recent coronation of the greatest quarterback to ever play the position.  26 for 28 is just the statistical part of the picture, numbers aside, did anyone who is not a rabid Jags fan think that Tom Brady would allow the Patriots to lose that game?  He was, simply put, in complete control in the familiar setting of an all or nothing playoff game against what is probably one of the top three teams in the AFC.  Even still,  Brady would have been perfect had Wes Welker and Ben Watson not dropped balls which hit BOTH of them on the hands...and let's face the facts, the Jags had their way with the New England secondary especially in the first half. David Garrard looked for all the world like a diamond at Quarterback, he did everyting well enough to win that game...except for Brady he does win that game....

The tds, the yards, the clutch play, the arm, the perfect season....all of it compels one, and only one conclusion.  Tom Brady is finishing up the best season ever by a quarterback and when he is measured against a resume of 3 superbowl rings and the legendary play he has shown...he is the Best Ever before he does another thing like win a 4th or 5th ring.

Now what were you all (I suppose I should say "Y'all") saying all year long about Tony Romo?  He was the best since Staubach, he was going to make who forget about Troy Aikman?  There comes a time when you have to realistically assess a quarterback's play and in the case of Mr. Romo I suggest that the ONLY statistic that needs to be considered is this:  What has boy wonder done with the balll in his final possessions the past two seasons?  When Dallas was poised to win yesterday, you remember...when they got the ball back on their own 43 with about 7:00 minutes to play only down by 4, what did this supposed Great do?  I like the 14 yard sack, you know the one where he was standing outside of the pocket with time and DID NOT get rid of the football, or maybe his most shining moment came when he stood bolt upright with average pressure and launched the ball out of bounds....gee Tone...I think I read somewhere that that's a penalty and gee...I think it's a loss of down and 10 yards....yep...it sure was....But the poor play was evident throughout the 4th quarter, when the Giants D picked up the intensity Romo faded....with about 12:00 minutes to go on a 2nd and 8 at the Dallas 44 he was sacked for a 5 or 6 yard loss, then in a thrid and long he failed to convert....this is not the stuff of Staubach or Aikman....

In his last three games Mr. Romo has looked exceptionally average and one would think that at this time of year with a team with that talent you'd get a better effort.  Barber was a stud, hat's off to TO and Terry Glenn for playing in pain, Jason Whitten is in my opinion the best possession tight end in the game and he played well again....the line did let Romo get ####ed around a bit but so what, these were not the 75 Steelers you boys played....they were a team you handled easily TWICE this season whose Quarterback looked like he was on YOUR payroll the way he kept trying to give you the ball back.Your defense certainly played well enough to win the game, hell they were stopping the Giants when it counted and gave your offense the balll back TWICE in the final 7:00 minutes....Jeez Louise that was poor and 80% of the blame rests with that Dreamboat you have at Q....

The most vocal homers are the Indy fans who are, maybe were, convinced that Peyton Manning was so great that only a fool would argue the point.  It's a funny logic that they use....of course Peyton and the Colts are the best because they play in the BEST division in football and they win it year after year....HUH?  Then they say, well hey we beat New England last year so doesn't that prove that Peyton is better, he won one crucial head to head with Brady so that's it...Of course, that logic misses a few key points....name the premiere receiver on Brady's 06 team.....Jabbar Gafney or Reche Caldwell?  Name the four healthy starting D backs in the base defense?  Oh wait, they did not have 4, they were down to three and were using a wideout as the fourth.  What was going on in the Pat's defensive huddle last year...oooohhhh I know ...two of the linebackers were trying to keep their lunch down due to the flu that worked its way through the team....and even then...it took a mystery pass interference call to get you the win....and you saw it again yesterday, the officials did everything in their power to make sure that Peyton advanced...horrible calls.....all day long.   It has become so much the norm in Indianapolis that long incompletions ARE automatic interference calls that these guys complain on balls that were 5-6 yards underthrown....please for next year boys can we implement a NO MORE WHINING policy?  The Chargers beat you TWICE and the Patriots beat you in the Dome and let's face it, you got outclassed by the Chargers back ups and were going to take a bad beating next week even if you could have won yesterday...which, of course, you didn't.  To add insult to injury, name the tailback and Quarterback who put you away yesterday, c'mon boys, name then without looking at the box score...and enjoy this little statistic this long cold off season....Peyton the Conqueror was 9/19 in passing attempts in that CRUCIAL fourth quarter...10 incompletions...10 and you still had a chance to win...really just a shame.....Listen, there is no question about it, Peyton Manning is the second best Quarterback in the game and he is far better than the #3 guy....my point earlier in the year which has been proven beyond a shadow of doubt is simply that he is NOT Number 1...that guy plays for New England...he's still playing also.

Pardon me while I chuckle quietly for a minute or two.....

Next weekend should be interesting but it's going to really hurt if the Chargers and the G-Men lose....gee whiz..what would that mean?  Hey that would mean that maybe Dallas and Indy were really not that good after all....yuk yuk....hey Tony have fun in Cabo...Peyton we'll see plenty of your smiling, only a mother could love ya, mug on the 3000 commercials you've got going.....Maybe next time you should look AWAY from Clark in a crucial 4th down situation....we all saw the commercial that's why Norv had him covered.....

Well well well my little lemmings....

I apparently struck a nerve with my insightful recent post on the lack of quality QB play, so allow me the simple indulgence of smacking a few of you around a little bit....

First off, to the MIami fan who sprung to the defense of Dan Marino (who I am a huge fan of) let me remind you sir that you could not be more wrong...I have checked the facts and here they are:  Dan Marino was drafted in 1983 as the 27th pick behind the likes of Tony Eason,  Ken O'Brien and Todd Blackledge and while that draft also included greats like John Elway and Jim Kelly,  who among you honestly believe that you would take any of these guys over Marino? As a junior at Pitt, Marino had a very good year, as a senior he slipped badly and as a result was largely unheralded on draft day.  Give me a break, he dropped to the point where he was on the brink of not being drafted in the first round at all.  Marino was overlooked and the fact that he was the sixth quarterback taken that day in 1983 proves that you are an incredible ####.

Hey  speaking of morons,  how does it feel to be a Miami Dolphins fan?  Must be a lot of fun, I was wondering if there was any way that they could do more to screw that squad up...they really did a great job this past offseason huh? Too bad they cannot get guys like Wes Welker.... Man that Coach looks like a real chip off of the Schottenheimer block doesn't he? What an innovator, why just last night he showed some real Bill Walsh abilities, what creative play calling, what genius...I hope they don't actuallly pay that knucklehead...very animated press conferences...I haven't seen anything like that guy since Rod Rust was coaching.    Thank god they still have Chris Chambers and that they signed that wonderful accomplished quarterback in the offseason, Trent Green,...did you know that they pay him more than $6 MILLION DOLLARS per year?  How's he doing, what, he's got another of his 200 concussions and is again out for the year?  No way what a bad break!  whh...what?  They traded Chris Chambers for a draft pick?  Huh?  Well at least they finally got rid of that #### Ricky Williams so they can develop a runner under Coach Cameron's long tradition of building dynastic teams... Huh, nah you're kidding me they just re-signed Ricky and he played like two minutes and got hurt...you don't think Ricky will go out injured so that he can collect a check to repay the team the $8million they gave him the last time he was in town , you know before he quit the first time so he could go to Tibet to smoke weed with the Dalai Lama? What, you are nuts, Coach Cameron has never coached a professional team as a head coach?   Man, well at least they have Cleo Lemon a proven NFL caliber QB to back up Trent Green...I wouldn't worry they have a pretty easy schedule and I'm sure they can beat New England in New England on December 23....yeah it should be allright...Yuk yuk.  On a serious note, you have to be a real glutton for punishment to want to watch the Miami Dolphins who couldn't win it all WITH Dan Marino, the way things are going they may make us forget about how rotten the Oakland Raiders have been since Rich Gannon (another unheralded yet very good QB) was calling signals for them.  To quote my greatgrandmother...the Dolphins suck.

I also love that we are now pulling real hard for Matt Lienert I guess because we really really like him (he must be cute) because there is nothing about his physical abilities that suggest that he is anything other than a perrenial back up...so let me be clear, I will stand by my prediction that Lienert will be a bust but I am willing to afford him some more time I mean thekid is on IR and it would be really poor form to dismiss him while he's out...but you all do understand that big kids with soft arms and slow feet  tend to grow into very spectacular back ups in this league...but you win, I'll give Lienert a pass for now.  His 56% career completion rate is troubling as is the fact that he throws more picks than tds and is prone to holding the ball too long...but he is tall...slow and weak armed...but hey anything can happpen....

But as for the rest of you, I defy anyone to make the argument that my points were wrong, here are the last 16 QBs taken in the first or second round in the prior four drafts:

Jamarcus Russell,   Brady Quinn,   Kevin Kolb,   John Beck,   Vince Young,   Matt Lienert, Jay Cutler,   Kellen Clemons,    Alex Smith,   Aaron Rodgers,   Jason Campbell, Charlie Frye, Eli Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, Phillip Rivers, and JP Lossman. 

I will concede that Rivers may prove to be a very good quarterback but I will bet any of you that it won't be in San Diego.  I would also agree that Big Ben looks to be the real deal as well but after that I say no general manager would draft any of these guys as high as they went the first time.  Not one of them is considered a lock to even hold onto their positions much longer, if they have the positions in the first place (and I exclude Russell and Quinn from this discussion because they are so special they dont  even start).  Anyone catch JP Lossman the other day, yeah there's a guy with a real bright future...HOLDING A CLIPBOARD AND STANDING NEXT TO A COACH....Let's see, maybe Beck or Clemons will...ahh never mind they are both so poor they don't warrant discussion....and how many times do Giants fans have to watch as Peyton's little brother #### the bed....?

I can't help it, did somebody say that Brady Quinn was a steal at 22?  Yeah because this guy looked so good in big games at ND...he was pooor when it counted most....he's a figment of people's rampant imaginations, did he limit his combine workouts because he has mad skills or did he only want the #### GM's to buy something they didn't first get to see...Talk about being a product of the media (ESPN and SI) draft frenzy...I can still picture that egomaniac sitting there on draft day in what looked to be the poorest fitting suit I have ever seen as he valiantly pretended not to be bother by the fact that NOBODY was interested.  That was the very best part of the draft, watching a pampered athlete as his hopes were repeatedly smashed to bits as team after team after team gave the overrated Mr. Quinn the polite "It's not you, it's us" ....Loved it....I only hope he gets to play soon so we can put an end to the speculation that since his miserable LSU game that he has gotten better with age and lack of reps....

You can obviously take issue with a particular guy here or there but most of you have no clue what you are talking about (the dan Marino comment being first to come to mind) but the point remains valid, drafting NFL Quarterbacks is a guessing game, every GM in the game knows that but they are usually thrust into the role of seeking a savior because teams fall on hard times.  So you are a GM of a team with a high first round pick and your quarterback is Tommy Maddox or Trent Dilfer, your very job is on the line and so much attention is dedicated to "THE DRAFT" people like Mel Kiper make tons of money predicting and offering opinions, the local fan base gets all worked up, Nike signs these guys up, Sport's Illustrated does a cover piece and reports every detail of the guys workout, diet and family history, they cover the combine gavel to gavel, they do public interest pieces on just how hard the guy had it as a child, then you find out that the guy has the IQ of an eggplant on the eve of the draft but hey the guy won in college and can throw the football "70 yards in the air from his knees"... on draft day they get all dressed up for the event and then they are taken with great fanfare and signed to big contracts....and then the time comes for them to play and you know what, more often than not they do not make it...so what does all of this mean....THE GENERAL MANAGER LOOKS LIKE THE ####....Guys like Rick Mirer, Chad Pennington, Byron Leftwich, Tim Couch and Trent Dilfer are actually the success stories,,,,hell they at least made the teams that drafted them..they are all stiffs but they at least had significant playing time.....the numbers are crystal clear, about 1 in 15 of the first or second round guys start for more than 2 years...so please save all of the nonsense about Quarterback development...it is not accurate.

On the David Garrard matter I am not sure where anyone other than an #### homer wearing his nice new Homervision goggles would see much based upon what this guy has done....I agree that he shows signs of being very good at times, I agree that he is a pleasant surpise at this point in his career but I hope you re not too offended if I don't book my airline tickets for Canton so I can watch his induction ceremony just yet.... Mr. Garrard throws the ball an average of 12.4 times per game over the 36 game career he has had, at that rate he'd have to play for two centuries to touch any of Marino's records,  he is presently ranked 23rd in total passing yards at 1663 just below Damon Huard and Marc Bulger.  If he passes for 2500 yards this year (no chance this year) he'll need to play for 24.5 years to match Dan Marino.   He is ranked 18th in TD passes with 9, if he continues to average 13 per year he'll need to play thirty more years to match Favre's total touchdown passes, he is ranked 24th in passing attempts as he has attempted to throw about half as much as Favre, Brees, Hasselback, Manning and Brady, his yards per attempt numbers are good and zero picks are pretty good but when compared with the elites that number is very deceptive.  Brady has thrown the ball 183 more times, he has done so with a substantially higher completion percentage (72.4% to 65.1%) Brady has thrown for 1813 MORE yards than Garrard and THIRTY more Touchdowns, yes Brady has 4 picks but I guess I would put David Garrard's numbers on a par with Brady, Favre, Mannning (not the tool in New York) or Romo...if I were drunk I might do that!  But why worry, I'm certaiin that David will carry the Jags to the Superbowl soon...yuk yuk yuk.....well maybe not too soon.  Man you guys with the cool homervision glasses kill me...anybody else want to get smacked down....how about you Donovan McNabb fans?  Anybody?  Aww shucks you guys are so easy..... 

Here's a prediction, I think Garrard will be a starter for a while and I do think he will improve, I think this not because I get aroused when I think about my beloved Jags...no it is because Garrard looks competent, he has better than average skills and seems to play hard and well most of the time.

P.S. I would never intentionallly leave Roger Staubach off of any discussion of the all-time greats, we all understand that Staubach was an amazing talent and tough as nails...one of the absolutely best players of all time....

Where Have You Gone Joe Montana...?

Well as the NFL season has unfolded certain unmistakeable trends have emerged...yesterday was no exception.  The league that once prided itself on "parity" has somehow slipped from balanced excellence to balanced mediocrity. 

Let's be clear, the Philadelphia Eagles are a decent football team with good coaching and an inexplicable ability to cut its losses and dump Mr. McNabb.  I think last night's game was indicative of the larger problem facing the NFL....the Patriots are great not because they are great, but mainly because the rest of the league is simply not very good.  AJ Feeley played a hell o####ame but in the end he reverted to exactly what he is, a back up with good, not great skills.  Last year Jeff Garcia came onto this team and, here again, used his average skills to effectively lead these very same Eagles....so what is Mr. Lurie missing, his team plays like world beaters when a certain overpaid, oft injured, pretender with mega endorsements dealls is on the sidelines.  Mr. Lurie you would probably have a wild card berth if AJ Feeley finishes the year for you.    Had Feeley been playing right along the Eagles win that game last night...

How bad is the League right now?  Having watched every Superbowl game I can say that for the most part the single best indicator o####reat team is a staunch defense and an outstanding quarterback.  Sure there are notable exceptions in Tampa Bay's win, the Hostetler Giants, the Ravens and the '85 Bears (Jim McMahon was horrible), but throughout the Superbowl era we have been treated to the likes of Bradshaw, Montana, Elway, Starr, Aikman, Brady, Simms, Favre,  Manning and Griese.  In today's NFL there is a serious shortage of quality at the most important position.  You need look no further than the following names to understand that, Rex Grossman, JP Lossman, Chad Pennington, Vince Young, Jay Cutler, David Carr, Eli Manning, Donovan McNabb, Gus Frerotte, Joey Harrington and Cleo Lemon do not represent the evolution of the position, they are hangers on , guys who should be relegated to careers as snap and clipboard holders....but these guys are leading their teams and this is the main reason why there are currently 19 teams with sub .500 records. There are only 5 teams with 8 or more wins.  Yesterday the Jacksonville Jaguars did not sell out a game, they are a lock for at least a wild card berth and yet their fan base did not suppport them.  Why is that?  

The AFC East after the Patriots is a combined 7-25 in terms of wins and losses.  Who are the three stars leading these teams, Lossman (4 tds to 6 picks and a 76 QBR), Clemens (56.9 QBR) and Lemon (3 tds, 4 ints, QBR 69.4) Mr. Lemon was recently put out of his misery as will Mr. Lossman but these guys are actually being paid to play QB for well established franchises.  Too selective?  After Brady, Favre, Manning, Romo, Brees,  Roethlisberger and Palmer who is any good?  Jay Cutler?  He is young and sporting an 89.6 QBR which is at least 15 points above the league average which is exactly 74.7...that's right 74.7.  These numbers speak for themselves kids.  Despite the overwhelming evidence,  teams seem to be comfortable with the new brand of parity, sure we'll play .500 ball but hey if it gets us into the playoffs who cares seems to be the mantra....why else would the Titans stay with Vince Young? 

Look at his numbers, so far this season this Number 3 pick has:  5 touchdowns to 13 interceptions, he has 1663 passing yards and a QBR of 65.3.  His team is 6-5 and just got spanked 35-6 by the Bengals.  Yeah, yeah I know, he's a Michael Vick style QB so he has amazing rushing numbers right?  Wrong....he has 297 yards on 68 attempts and has fumbled 6 times.  So why do teams stick with these guys, by that standard Peyton Manning is a God and Drew Bledsoe was one of the greatest players of all time...If we take Young's numbers and compare them with Manning this guy would have to play twenty or more years just to match Mannings passing numbers in yardage, of course by then he'd have about 320 interceptions. 

The answer is simple, teams have done a poor job of picking these guys and then when they sign them, pay them big and spend the summer convincing everyone how good the guy is the GM cannot admit that he #### up and they don't make the change.  Usually the coaches go first...I mean the number of guys taken in the first round who are complete busts is staggering...do any of these names ring a bell?

Andre Ware, J#### George Dan McGwire, Todd Marinovich, David Klingler, Tommy Maddox, Rick Mirer, Heath Shuler, Jim Druckenmiller, Trent Dilfer, Ryan Leaf, Tim Couch, Cade McNown, Akili Smith, Patrick Ramsey, Eli Manning, Alex Smith, Matt Lienert, David Carr every one of these players were first round picks.... and on and on it goes, Brady, Montana and Marino were all largely overlooked and they became three of the greatest of all time.  Sure every once in a while guys like Mannng, Elway and Aikman come along but they are more the exception than the rule ...

I being the great and powerful Oz hereby propose that any General Manager or player personell person who takes or directs the taking of a Quarterback in the first round of a draft who ends up in two years not to have a winning percentagge greater than .500 be fired by application of the League's rules and then not to be rehireable unless to work in stadium parking or concessions...maybe...just maybe we could get some decent football to watch...yuk yuk yuk.....

As we enter the Holiday Season Let's Give Thanks...

I must admit that I was shocked that the NFL network has taken a shot a Peyton Manning in a recently released commercial spot where a bar patron (with a decidely Boston accent) points out that Manning is not really changing the play calls, I thinks he questions the guy's manhood a bit as well.  I say this signals the beginning of laughability quotient on Mr. Manning.  When you look like an all world QB there is great tolerance for oversaturation and let's be blunt, Mr. Manning would sell ice to Eskimos if he could.  The fun starts when you start to look like Steve McNair, that's when  the jokes will start to fly.  So it looks like it is really going to be fun because nobody likes to see the fall of a false idol like the American sports fan.  I was at Gillette Stadium when Boy Wonder coughed up a huge furballl, Ty Law picked him 2 or 3 times and it was just tremendous to hear 65,000 people chanting "cut that meat" as Manning litterrally fumed on the sidelines as he tried reconcile his professional life, stay tuned because if this guy keeps slipping they are going to eat him alive.....

This was an interesting week, the Colts continue to look like they closer to being an average football team than to an elite one.  They are led by a quarterback who for all the world looks like a twelve year old Pop Warner quarterback whose receivers are dropping balls.  "Gee whiz, goll dawg it, whay kaint thase guys jest cetch that danged ball Poppa?"....I mean this guy is going to be fun to watch as teams figure him out....I thoroughly enjoyed that effort yesterday.  I've got news for the Indy faithful, that offensive line just got whupped bad by a horrible team, I mean they barely won at HOME to K.C. after losing to a team that scored only one offensive touch a week prior.  The lack of Marvin Harrison is certainly hurting on offense but I guess we can now dispell the notion that Reggie Wayne is his heir apparent, does he just look like he's got bad hands and no heart or is he playing someone who does?....The good news is that Indy has a patty cake schedule the rest of the way starting this week with Atlanta...., and their other three home games down the stretch are against divisional opponents, the Jaguars, Texans and Titans. They should win at least the Houston game.  Their three road opponents are with the utterly inept Falcons, Ravens and Raiders. It is almost impossible for the Colts to go any lower than 12-4 as I see it, although who figured Manning would choke against the Chargers and then the Chiefs? So maybe the Oakland game will be worth watching.  The real problem that they have is that it is a big part of thier history that when they don't think they have the horses to beat New England they usually start wiping down the golf clubs...this year it may just be me but has anyone noticed a lack of any fire in the gifted one? 

Can somebody please make the call, make the damned call already...the New England Patriots are simply too good for the majority of this league.  Buffalo was the latest victim and it was like watching the high school varsity play the powder puff team.  There was no aspect of that game that was competitive. If you are Ralph Wilson, or the person who is tugging on his puppet strings, please tell me that you have some kind of a plan to improve.  Please tell me that Marv Levy is your GM because he's a blast at the office Christmas Party or because he's got something on you....but PLEASE don't tell me that what we saw last night IS your plan. The NFL needs a "contraction" policy where teams that become institutionally incapable of winning are sold to owners who aren't in it purely to sell hot dogs and soda. Say what you want about Jerry Jones, Bob Kraft, the Moras and Rooneys but these people are institutionally committed to winning because they know that you make more money and sell more hot dogs winning.  Let's consider this, who sells more merchandise, the Bills and the stellar corps of players or the Patriots, Colts, Packers or the Cowboys?  I'll bet anyone that outside of the immediate Buffalo area you can't find a bills hat or one of their shirts.  Last year I was in Tortola and the kid serving the Red Stripes on the beach was wearing a Cowboys hat, not a Bills or Chiefs hat.   The list of teams  eligible for contraction appears to be growing exponentially of late, some teams are money makers...they offer innovative menus, shopping malls, state of the art stadiums and they command ticket prices and television revenues that drive the league and then there are those teams that are not committed to winning, have no chance and keep deluding their fans into believing that they have found the next great star...  Miami is obviously hoping that there will be a minor league soon, as are the J.E.T.S. Jets, and the Oakland and Kansas City teams appear to also have lost the will to live. The NFL ought to have a competition committee and they should grade teams and then the five lowest ranked teams should take less in television and revenue sharing money.  Now you'll have a competitive game and parity in that league will not mean let's have 20 teams that are at or below .500 because that is exactly what you have now.  If the playoffs were to begin today, the brackets would include a divisional winner at .5-5 (San Diego)  and two more at 6-4 (Seattle and Tampa Bay) . The level of play is certainly slipping, owners have becoem like fatted calves and they are no longer trying in some instances...it is too bad and what makes it worse is when an elite team strolls into town they all whine about running up the scores and the focus will becoame how do we make the game more competitive by tweaking the rules instead of by forcing the weak teams to start running their teams better.

While it is clear that Tom Brady is the best player of his generation, he stands in and makes throws that are usually on the money, when he was flushed from the pocket twice last night he ran (Manning coughs up the ball in that situation-ask Rosevelt Colvin), he threw for 5 tds, was 31 for 39, had 373 passing yards and a quarterback rating of 146.1. NE put up more than 50 points for the second time this season, and now are ranked first or second in every offensive category.  But that is not the end of the story, they have scored more points and given up less points than the Colts.  Take out the 10 penalty for 145 bag job attempted by the refs and New England did a number on the Colts as well.  They are on a truly historical run and the saddest part of all is that the INDY IDIOTS are actually saying with straight mid-western faces that it's only because New England picked up Randy Moss. The overwhelming evidence is that ALL of Indy's success rests with one certain Marvin Harrison, he is the Colt's because when he is on the field he cannot be covered and when teams do double him Old Brick Hands, Reggie Wayne will occasionally catch the ball.  Without Marvin Harrison, peyton would be his brother, a tall guy who whines about where he's drafted, who he has to play with and the fact that defenders do occasionally hit people especiallly tall immobile quarterbacks.....The only reason Indy got a ring is because of a bag job on that mystery pass interference call last year otherwise NE would be closing in on ring 5 and not Ring 4.  The NFL apologized to New England and Ellis Hobbs because the officials in that game rooted for Indy just like they did again this year.

What we have here is a failure to communicate...."Hey you" out there in that fantasy land known to most of us as San Diego...I've been saying this for 11 weeks now...what in the name of all that is holy compelled you to hire Norv Turner?  Last year's best record in the AFC is a faint memory at 5-5 coming off of another loss yesterday 24-17 to the Jags. One has to wonder is there any point where the management in ChargerLALAland can utter these words...."We made a horrible mistake, please forgive us, Norv wants us to pass along that he has a nice ocean view condo for sale"....I mean cut the #### fellas.  You are a running team with one of the best young backs in the game and you are currently ranked 15th in rushing.  You canned a promising young quarterback in Drew Brees and now are led by a quarteback who looks to have all the talent in the world but who doesn't seem to know what the hell is going on. Philllip Rivers has 11 touches against 12 picks and a qb passer rating in the 70's.   You are currently ranked 23rd in passing yardage and 16th in passing touchdowns. You hired a guy with career coaching numbers that makke us wonder how the hell he ever became a head coach and despite the fact that his reson d'etre is offense he cannot seem to figure out how to score touchdowns.  Your Indy win was just a cruel trick played on your management by the football gods.  Sure you won, six picks from that phony Manning helped and now what to do,,,,what to do...How can we fire a guy who just beat the reigning Champs?  A true dillemma.  YOU WERE AN ELITE TEAM LESS THAN ONE YEAR AGO FIRE THAT COACH NOW!!!!  There,  was that so hard, trust your old professor, it is better to just rip that nasty old band aid off fast, doing it this way is just killing your loyal fans.

Green Bay is for real y'all. I readily admit that I was a skeptic early on. I believe that Brett Favre is one of the best of his time at qb but like most of you it seemed all but certain that his playing days were done and to be honest he looked old and uninspired in recent years.  I would always show him utmost respect though because he has literally done it all.  This year he looks like a young version of himself again.  Yesterdays 31-17 beat down of the Panthers is proof that this is not a scheduling fluke, that Pack are for real and the Cowboys better be very careful that they don't have to go through Green Bay in January because I don't think they can win that game as long as Brett stays healthy.  In Dallas I go with TO and the 'Boys but on the tundra I bet New England may see Brett and the Pack in the Superbowl.

I said earlier that Atlanta deserves a criticism free year after Mike "the Con" Vick went down.  But I mean come one, you cannot throw the ball we get it....but how in the name of the Ghosts of Mike's dead dogs could you put up 49 yards rushing?  I mean that is what you do.  Damned hard living up to promises with you guys.  Must tip the hat to the Bucs, they may have something to say before it's all said and done, I would NEVER bet against Jeff Garcia, even with modest numbers that cat just knows how to play hard....too bad Philly couldn't get a guy like that..yuk yuk yuk.....

Passing thoughts...the league is heading in a troubling direction, much like baseball in the past 12 years...if the individual owners are not concerned about being competitive don't change the rules....change the owners. 

Let's Go To The Tale Of The Tape On Peyton Manning....is he one for the ages or not?

Earlier in the week I put together what I thought was a balanced and well reasoned analysis of the Manning/Brady debate and  concluded that Manning is not very good unless he is surrounded by Uber Talent....the facts on that point are overwhelming...that debate is over and in time Brady will be seen as having been better than all of them.....But that leaves us with where does Peyton Manning belong in the eyes of history....

W#### comprises the talent pool at QB?  There are the current players and recent players such as....

Tony Romo, Donovan McNabb, Steve McNair, Brett Favre, Drew Brees, Phillip Rivers etc etc... Then there are the historical selections such as Fouts, Bradshaw, Gifford, Starr, Unitas, Young, Aikman, Jurgenson, Stabler, Plunkett, Simms, Staubach, Kelley, Marino, Elway, Namath, Tarkinton and Griese.  So where do we place Manning?  I say that we should look at this analytically.... If we look at rings I guess it is a simple equation:

Bradshaw (4 rings)

Montana (4 Rings)

Brady (3 rings)

Aikman (3 rings)

Starr (2 superbowl wins, 5 NFL -Pre Superbowl wins)

Unitas (2 NFL Crowns)

Staubach (2 Superbowl Wins)

Elway (2 Superbowl wins)

Griese (2 Superbowl Wins)

That leaves Peyton in a field with the likes of Jim Plunkett, Doug Williams, Phil Sims, Steve Young, Jim McMahon, Len Dawson, Joe Theisman, Jef Hostetler, Mark Rypien, Kurt Warner, Trent Dilfer, Brad Johnson and Ben Roethlisberger all of whom have won at least as many rings as Peyton and most of them did it far soooner and with far less talent than Manning has had.... So let's round up, Peyton is ranked somewhere between 10th and 22nd.  I like the guy and I would give him a solid 12th ranking....

Not happy with the ultimate measure of success?...let's go to passing yardage....the following players are the top ten:

1. Dan Marino - 61,361
2. Brett Favre - 57,500
3. John Elway - 51,475
4. Warren Moon - 49,325
5. Fran Tarkenton - 47,003
6. Vinny Testaverde - 45,271
7. Drew Bledsoe 44,611
8. Dan Fouts - 43,040
9. Joe Montana 40,551
10. Johnny Unitas 40,239

I mean when you see it in black and white I don't care how you cut it....the guy is after a decade still well behind Boomer Esiason and Dave Krieg and Warren Moon....in any event Manning is a solid 13th using that criterion and lets say he continues to play well he may rise to 5th or 6th assuming he doesn't continue to play like he has since Marvin showed he was mortal (ask Curt Warner how things went when Bruce and Holt slowed down).

Relax, there is always a way to manipulate the figures...let's go to the most widely recognized measure of passing greatness....yards per attempt...clearly Peyton must own this category right...I mean the guy is a yardage machine right?  Ummmmwelll...no.  Here again Peyton AFTER A TEN YEAR CAREER is ranked 14th all-time in YPA behind such greats as:

Otto Graham, Sid Luckman, Big Ben (ranked 3rd), Warner, Van Brocklin, Young, Ed Brown, Starr, Bob Berry, Unitas, Morrall, Marc Bulger and (brace yourself) Daunte Culpepper.  I think the key point here is that Manning is ranked 14th (I told you I was being generous when I ranked him 12th greatest). 

So I looked some more and wanted to tell you that Peyton has the second highest career passer rating and then it occurred to me that the statistic USUALLY predicts mediocre quartebacks...don't believe that?  Here are some of the names on the top 20 list of highest career ratings:

Chad Pennington (I'm not kidding)(NO SUPERBOWL WINS)

Curt Warner;(1 WIN)

Marc Bulger (0 WINS)

Daunte Culpepper (0 WINS)

Drew Brees (0 WINS)

Trent Green (0 WINS)

Rich Gannon (0 WINS)

Jeff Garcia (0 WINS)

Matt Hasselback (0 WINS)

Brian Griese (0 WINS)

Jake Dellhomme (0 WINS)

Eleven players and exactly 1 Superbowl win between them, so I ask you, how critical a statistic is passer rating?  It is an insignificant measure designed to keep idiots like us reading stat sheets.

W#### is not in the top 20...Unitas, Marino, Dawson, Tarkenton, Bart Starr, Bradshaw, Staubach, Aikman, Dan Fouts, John Elway, Joe Namath, Sonny Jurgenson, Phil Simms, Bob Griese...SO MAYBE...JUST MAYBE the real rating measure and the real gauge of greatness boils down to how many rings a guy gets....I also would say that Peyton is the product of league parity that has in many ways greatly improved the overall athleticism of players, they are bigger, stronger, faster and smarter than the guys who played before them in every position ecept 2...kicker and Quarterback.  Quick and be honest let's say that you are charged with building a dynasty who would you take....here's my top ten list as of today....

Joe Montana

Terry Bradshaw

Bart Starr

Tom Brady

John Elway

Troy Aikman

Roger Staubach

John Unitas

Brett Favre

Peyton Manning

I defy anyone to suggest that Mannning could EVER be ranked higher than 6 on this list unless you as a GM aren't concenred about your job and being known as the #### who let Joe Montana get away so you could get a tempermental so-called superstar who routinely lashes out at teammmates and blames everyone for his misgivings and who has not yet met the camere he wouldn't make love to for money...I know I dont really think Manning is that good, now tell me who on my list he is better than....

Debate and Case Closed...It's Not Even That Close.

Since 2001 Tom Brady has won three Superbowls and the best receiver he has ever had in a Superbowl game has been Deion Branch who promptly left the team for greener pastures in Seattle (Pats will have a draft pick next year because of that).  Nobody puts Branch in a category as an elite receiver, he is NEVER mentioned with the likes of Randy Moss, Terrell Owens or  Marvin Harrison. Brady has had Antwone Smith as a running back and then an extremely effective Corey Dillon, here again, neither back was an elite back when he played with New England.  If you were picking players you would not have picked either as your first string running back for the years they played in Foxborough.   Priest Holmes, Edgerin James, Jerome Bettis, Curtis Martin, Marshall Faulk, Shawn Alexander and  LT are just a few of the backs playing who were statiscally better.

 Last year the Patriots made it to the AFC Championship game and nearly won the game with Jabbar Gaffney and Reche Caldwell as his primary wideouts.  Brady has been sacked 192 times in 6 seasons (only five of which have been full)Manning has been sacked 180 times in 11 seasons, Brady has played behind dozens of Offensive line combinations and while he has had Kevin Faulk and excellent tight ends he has not had a very easy go of it...and despite the lack of any Draft Day or College pedigree he has nevertheless become the premiere Quarterback of his time and if he continues past 10 years he should be considered the greatest to have ever played the game ....and here's why.

The guy most often mentioned as the player to beat is Peyton Manning, he has the  endorsements, he now has a ring, he puts up gawdy numbers most of the time and the guy is one of the best of all time.  But this year we have a unique opportunity to watch Peyton Manning perform as he deals with a lack of talent from his wideouts now that Marvin Harrison has missed 4 games.  How has he done?  In his last four games Manning has thrown for 6 tds and 8 interceptions.  His higest completion rate over that spand has been 62.2% and you can call it whatever you want but he strugggled mightily against BOTH the Chargers and the Patriots in the past two weeks, on Sunday his QB Rating did not break 50 and against New England it was 83.1.   He has not topped a QB rating of 100 in his last four games.   There is no question that defenses can attack him more effectively  without the brillliance of Harrison on the field, but the point here is that Brady has labored for five years without elite receivers and he actually won three rings.  At the end of the Colts/Pats game last week did anyone in the country honestly argue that Manning was the best guy on that field?  I know, I know, the Homers will argue that their guy is better and we all know that they speak from emotion and fan blindness and not the facts but c'mon even the most die hard hossier homer has to acknowledge that Peyton is great but he's no Brady...Brady did it again scoring in 43 seconds and while Indy fans looked for all the world like they wanted to jump off the balconies...don't panic...Marvin will return and the good ship Manning will likely see New England later....but for the love of all that is football stop with this nonsense that Manning is better or that you'd take him if you were a General Manager and they were both available. I #### did do that it would probably mean that you were the GM in Oakland or Miami.....stop you're just making an #### out of yourself.

Here we go kids...it's time to see who has been right, who has been wrong and who is the best team of all time....hey wait....maybe it isn't...

This is a game that both the Colts and the Patriots want to win, but is hardly a "must win" game for either team at the midway point of the season.  It is a game though that may spring the winner to a second half (with both teams having easier schedules) with a real chance of challenging the Shula Dolphin's undefeated season.  But is this reallly the end all of either team's season....I say it isn't that crucial and here's why.

The Colts are an amazing team and every bit of a match for the Patriots at least offensively.  If there is a clear edge it is on defese where the Colts are not as good as New England.  

I say that the Colts have a major challenge this week in their ability to stop New England.  Despite the fact that Indy beat them in January, do not lose sight of the fact that the Patriots scored easily BEFORE the addition of Moss, Welker, Stallworth, a healthy Maroney and Morris.  Like last year the Indy weakness is its run defense,  the Colts "D" is presently ranked 13th in run defense and despite some early progress in the run stop they have slipped and should continue that trend this week. New England's tandem of Maroney and Morris with Faulk as the third down back have racked up more yards (1086) and do pose a problem against the back drop of New England's fairly lethal passing game. If Sanders comes up to stop the run Welker will have a field day because Brady is more like Peyton Manning than he is Jay Cutler.  If Sanders is kept in a cover 2 zone then the running backs should fatten up on Indy's undersized front 7.   The Colts have faced better running backs just not better running backs running for a team with  2430 passing yards through 8 games and 30 touches on passes. 

Indy can win this game and they may do so provided that they can put together a few well placed sustained drives.  It is important for Indy's defense to stay fresh so a longer drive now and again would be a major help.  The Colts will pass and almost at will against New England.  Peyton Manning should have a banner day....the game will probably come down to their ability to run the ball though.  I say this beacuse New England will wear out the Colts "D" the way that Indy did it to them in January.... 

Passing defense appears to pit strength against strength, Indy is ranked #1 against the pass but a quick look at their schedule and one would be hard pressed to find a team that throws on that schedule.  The Titans, Jags, Panthers, Texans and Broncos are hardly the 2001 Rams.   NE, on the other hand,  has more than 2400 passing yards (30 tds through game 8)  and is the #1 passing offense in the game this year averaging more than 41 points per game.   This will be a real test for the Indy secondary and this group is very good so things should be very interesting all day.  

The intangibles are a wash, I don't think Vinateri will be the difference nor do I expect a lot of turnovers or penalties.  The Coaching staffs of both of these teams are both very good but the big edge here goes to New England.

As far as the Patriots are concerned the numbers are a bit overwhelming but they are also deceptive because New England has not played a full game all year in the sense that they have put teams away by the start of the 4th quarter.  In my estimation New England is #1 defensively and the Colts are #2....Offensively these teams are all alone on top of the heap and despite New England's off the charts production I give a slight edge to the Colts....so it's Great Offense Against Great Defense....should be a lot of fun.

New England 38-34.