For starters, I couldn't be happier for both the Seahawks and Jaguars. Both teams sweated out pretty tough victories, but in the end it was pretty clear that the better teams won. In both games, the winners dominated throughout the first half and for most of the third quarter, faltered and actually relinquished their leads and then fought back and took back what looked to be theirs from the get-go. The Steelers put up more of a fight than the Skins and Collins(who showed why he has been a carreer backup), but they fell short to the much more physical and multi-dimensional Jags. It just looked like the Jags wanted it more. Regarding Collins, what yesterday's game showed is that while he can make a lot of the throws over the middle of the field, he does not have enough arm strength to get the ball out on sideline routs. On any timing based routes outside the hash-marks, his recievers were well into their breaks when he was just releasing the ball, allowing the Seahawks' DB's to get all over the receivers or pick off the ball. Bad sideline throws often turn into six points the other way, and that game was no exception. If he starts next year for the Skins, or any team for that matter, look for defenses to force him into sideline throws. He just doesn't have enough zip in his arm.

All that being said, the reason I wrote this blog is to praise two of my favorite coaches in the league, Mike Holmgren and Jack Del Rio. Del Rio took an enormous risk in the pre-season and instead of just swapping Gerrard and Leftwich on the depth chart, he cut Leftwich and put all of his eggs in the Gerrard basket, which any competitive player would love to have his coach do. Cutting Leftwich was the ultimate vote of confidendce by Del Rio and it has paid off tremendously. The way Del-Rio is able to get as much as he does out of such an underwhelming roster is very admirable and under appreciated. They do have stud RB's, but the coached have done a great job all year long in how they have gotten a decent quarterback to play like a Pro-Bowler, and the same could be said about the receivers. Reggie Williams, Matt Jones, Earnest Wilford, Dennis Northcut and Mercedis Lewis don't exactly scare anybody, but they are big, physical guys that have come up with big plays all year long. The defense, even with the attention it has garnered the last few years, is still underrated. The linebackers are seldom heard of and most fans couldn't name two of them, let alone one. Again, the job Del Rio and his staff has done with their units is exceptional and can not go unnoticed.

The other winning coach, Mike Holmgren,(contrary to public opinion, and the opinion of Jerome Bettis for that matter) told the world that he planned on abandoning the run and would throw all day, and nobody, not even the hottest team in the NFC, has been able to really shut down his offense, evgen on a day where his quarterback played a lot worse than he is capable of. Holmgren is one of the most candid and secure coaches in all of sports, and doesn't bother hiding his emotions or sugarcoating his opinions, among other things. He also does something that I and fellow Chicagoans have come to believe as impossible, hold open practices, as reported by ESPN 1000 Bears' reporter Jeff Dickerson, my favorite Bears' reporter in Chicago. Holmgren actually came on ESPN Radio about two weeks ago and said flat out that his offense is and will continue to be very pass-heavy and made no bones about it. After listening to Lovie Smith pontificate, waffle, flip flop and cliche his way through his weekly press conferences, listening to Holmgren kinda opened my eyes as to what a good, honest guy Mike Holmgren is. I can't help but love the big fella.

This is no way intended to slight the other coaches who have brought their teams to the playoffs. Jeff Fisher, Tony Dungy and obviously Bill Belichik are all tremendous coaches and have done great jobs with their respective teams. From the remaining coaches, I would have to say that I have been least impressed by the jobs done by Mike Tomlin, Tom Coughlin and Joe Gibbs. When you consider all three coaches' personel and what they have had at their disposal, their accomplishments have not been too impressive. The Chargers have regressed a bit, but I think Norv turner has them playing good football and I expect them to at least take at least one playoff game, perhaps even more. Mike McCarthy has also done a good job in Green Bay, but the real praise should be given to the management and scouts who have brought in all of those good, young receivers and linemen who have made what they do on offense possible. Wade Phillips has a tremendously talented roster and I need to see how he does in the playoffs before I really formulate an opinion on him.

The games today were great and hopeful tomorrow's will be even better, although i don't think they will be nearly as good. San Diego will beat up on the Titans and i expect the elder Kiffin to put together a good enough defensive gameplan to shut down Eli and force 2-3 INT's. It will be close until the fourth quarter, in which Eli decides he is too close to playing a decent, complete game and throws a pick six, and the game for that matter, into the waiting hands of Mr. Ronde Barber.

Some call it parity, i just call it bad. Regardless of where you stand on the NFC and the cluster of mediocrity that is every team outside of Dallas and Green Bay, it is impossible to deny that the Wild Card race is a very tight one. With only one division still up for grabs, that being the South, teams are aware that their only chance is to get the Wild Card, and while the heat is definitely on, there is a startling small number of huge matchups left between the Wild card candidates, which are the following: The New York Giants, Washington Redskins, Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions, Arizona Cardinals and the New Orleans Saints. Again, while the top spot in the South is still open for the Saints, the Bucs have games left against the lowly Falcons, Niners and Panthers. As long as they take at least two of those games, which they will, they division will be theirs. So now that I have established the LEGITIMATE wild card possibilities, here is a team by team analysis of their ability and chances of getting a wild card spot.

New York Giants: The Giants don't scare anybody and odds are they won't do any damage even if they reach the playoffs, but they do find themselves at 9-4, with games left against the Redskins, Bills and Patriots. The Patriots game will be a loss, book it. The Bills game could be tough, but as long the Giants beat the Redskins, who are now without Jason Campbell and Sean Taylor, they will get the top spot. No team outside of Minnesota can get to ten wins, so if they get that W in their upcoming game versus Washington, which will be played at the Meadowlands, they are guaranteed a playoff spot. Take it to the bank, the Giants are a lock. Verdict: IN

Washington Redskins: This Skins are only one game behind the Vikings, but they don't stand a chance. The death of Taylor hurt as much on the field as it does off, and the loss of Campbell sealed their fate. With games against the Giants, Vikings and Cowboys, in that order, the Redskins would be fortunate to finish .500. Just a question, is it possible to remove someone from the hall of fame? If it is, Joe Gibbs has wore out his welcome in Canton. Verdict: OUT

Minnesota Vikings: While this team has only started garnering attention in recent weeks, I have been a believer for quite a while. Personally, I think this team has a legitimate shot against either Green Bay or Dallas, and on a good day, even against some of the better teams in the AFC. Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor make up the best running back tandem, ever. Both would be above average starters, and with the weekly progression of Tarvaris Jackson and his improving receiving core, the holes will only get bigger for the two of them. Looking at their three remaining games, I don't think a valid case could be made as to how they would lose even one of them. They already smoked the Bears back in Soldier Field, and Peterson should once again make fools out of Adam Archuletta and Danieal Manning. The Skins are as full of holes as the Bears are, and Vikings will steamroll them in their second straight home game. Their season finale, against Denver, shouldn't be too tough either, given Denver's horrendous rush defense. This team will be the second Wild Card team. Verdict: IN

Detroit Lions: Jon Kitna's 10 win prediction and Roy Williams's trash talks have once again proved worthless. The Lions are done. They have the Chargers and Packers left on their schedule, and unless the Packers rest their starters, those will amount to two losses. Both games are also on the road, increasing the improbability of Detroit victories. Could they salvage a win against the Chiefs in week 16? Perhaps, but the Lions run of futility is still going strong. Verdict: OUT.

Arizona Cardinals: Given the fact that I have the Vikings winning at least two of their three remaining games, the Cardinals will have to win out to even have a chance. The good news is that with games left against the Falcons, Rams and Saints, their remaining schedule is among the easiest in the league. The bad news is that the Cardinals are simply not that good of a team. Their defense is dinged up and so are their receivers. I don't see them winning out, just because they are the Cardinals and the Cardinals simply don’t win out. That being said, they might end up at .500, not a bad start for Wisenhunt and his young Cardinals. Verdict: OUT

New Orleans Saints: Not to gloat, but I saw this coming before the season even started(same goes for the Niners, this year's version of the '06 Dolphins). As crazy as it sounds, I think that losing Bush for the season is not all that bad. If the Saints let their runners run and let their receivers receive, like they did last night, they have a better chance of winning than when they have Bush doing his hybrid thing. Hopefully Sean Payton will see that and do what I proposed a while ago, convert him into a wide receiver and bring in a real running back to split time with their other legit tailback, “the Deuce(Is there a better name in all of football, of course aside from Craphonso Thorpe).” Anyhow, the Saints are in a similar position as the Cardinals in terms of catching the Vikings. The Saints have three tough games left, a home game against the Cardinals, another home game against the Eagles and then a road date in Chicago, a matchup of the two most disappointing teams in all of football. Can they win out? If everything goes right, but we are talking about the Saints here. The Saints will end up 8-8, a game or two behind the Vikings.
Verdict: OUT

So there you go. The Wild Card teams will be the Giants and the Vikings.

Bonus Picks: The Giants, who will end up with the sixth seed, will get ousted in the first round by the Seahawks. The Vikings will squeak by the Bucs. The Vikings will lose to Dallas, but it will be a helluva game.

Its ok, give it to me. I have talked up the Bears over the last few months and they have done nothing thus far in the season. They, particularly the offense, have been absoluteley dreadful. Anybody that wants to gloat over the victory can and certainly should do so. What makes thing worse, is that Lovie Smith once again delcared that "Rex is our Quarterback" in the postgame press conference. Rex Grossman was brutal, the receivers were brutal, the running backs were brutal and the coaching was brutal. Even the defense fell apart in the second half.

Post week 3 analysis:

QB: The question is not whether Rex is the proper quarterback for the Bears. The question is whether there even is a viable option on the roster. Greise hasnt started in the NFL for almost three years now and Kyle Orton is as unprovern as any quarterback could be. Will Lovie Smith realize that Rex is not the man to take snaps for the Bears? Will Jerry Angelo #### his pride and admit that he messed up with drafting Rex, and therefore go get a different quarterback, at least for the short term?

RB: Another huge question mark here. Benson and Peterson have been fumbling machines. Benson picked up a touchdown, but he looks like he is running around looking for somewhere to fall down. Peterson has looked good when holding on to the ball, but he has also fumbled twice. I thought that Benson was the real deal and he still might be, but Thomas Jones is sorely missed right now by the Bears.

WR: There were drops all over the place tonight. The main culprit was Bernard Berrian, but Moose got in on the fun as well. The only recievers getting consistent seperation were Berrian, Desmond Clark and Greg Olsen. Muhammad looks like he is done, and i mean done. He is still tough and can throw blocks, but if he wasn't able to get seperation against the paltry Cowboys' defense, should he still be starting?

Offensive Line: It struggled again with run blocking and pass protection once again. The Cowboys were sending the house at Rex and the linemen really couldnt give Rex time. When he had time he was allright, but still, even if he gets time from his linemen, it feels like an interception is inevitable.

Defense

Defensive Line: The line did a good job stopping the run and pressuring Romo, but Romo gets all the credit in the world for eluding tacklers all night long. Mark Anderson was the only lineman to register a sack and both Wale' and Tommie Harris got nicked up.

Linebackers: Urlacher added two more sacks to his total, but the real story is that Briggs was injured. If his groin pull is serious, Jamar Williams will have the weight on the world on his shoulders when he gets his first start. Hunter Hillenmeyer, and all the linebackers for that matter, didnt play well in coverage, but any time receivers are given extra time(thanks to Romo's excellent scrambling) to get open, its almost impossible to prevent big plays.

Secondary: Like i said above, as long as the QB buys time for his receivers, the secondary is really helpless. As was the case the entire game, Owens, Crayton and Witten had tons of time to get open and the secondary isnt to blame. However, Adam Archuletta still played a terrible game. He missed a lot of tackles and was left in the dusk by the Cowboy Tight Ends all night long.

Special Teams: Although Devin Hester didnt have his usual theatrics, the Bears special teams played pretty well. They blocked yet another field goal and the coverage unit also had a good game.

Coaching Staff: The coaches get an F for the playcalling today. The big bonehead call was going for it on fourth down at the end of the first half. Wade Phillips was furious and deservedly so. Dallas could have knocked in an another field goal or gone for a long touchdown, but the referees just whistled the half over.

Overall Assesment: The offense was a trainwreck. The defense hung tough in the first half, but wilted in the second half, partialy due to a slew of injuries that they suffered. Nathan Vasher, Lance Briggs, Adewale Oguleye and Tommie Harris all left the field and the Bears defensed wasnt the same thereafter. There are no excuses for this blowout loss and the Bears should be embarassed.

After only two weeks of regular season football, it may appear, at least on the surface, too early for any fans to hit the panic button. But after looking into the numbers of the last two seasons, there certainly is a reason to panic if you are a fan of any of the 0-2 teams in the National Football League.

-The 2005 Season

At the end of week two, the standings looked as follows:
Seven teams stood at 2-0. Of the seven teams, all but one made the playoffs, that being Kansas City.
Eighteen at 1-1: Of those, one third made the playoffs.
The real thing to look at is the following. Seven teams found themselves at 0-2, and NONE of them ended up in the postseason.

-Lets take a look at how things worked out after two in 2006:
Eleven stood at 2-0: Seven of those teams reached the playoffs.
Ten stood at 1-1: Only four made the playoffs.
Eleven at 0-2: Just one made the playoffs.

Now here is what the totals, going in to week3, from both season combined looked like.
Thirteen out of the eighteen 2-0 squads reached. Thats a 72% chance for teams at 2-0.
Ten out of the twenty-eight 1-1's reached the playoffs. Thats a 36% chance.
Only one of the eighteen 0-2's reached the playoffs. Those teams reached at a measly 5.5% clip.

The numbers regarding the 2-0 and 1-1 teams aren't all that surprising. What i found interesting is the rediculously low clip at which 0-2 teams ended up reaching the playoffs in '05 and '06. I dont think these numbers are aberrations and i fully expect for only tiny percentage of the 0-2 teams thus far in the 2007 season.

A message to the Dolphins, Bills, Jets, Chiefs, Raiders, Giants, Eagles, Falcons, Saints and Rams: Maybe one, or perhaps two of you will reach the playoffs, let the battle begin.

Most ex-players will tell you that Week one in the NFL is a crapshoot. The play is sloppy, players are rusty and not much can be learned from any of the games. Week two, not much better an indicator than week1 but better nonetheless, is a decent measuring stick of a team's strength and weaknesses. So here we go.

Chicago Bears: Unless the Bears bring in a QB or Rex miraculously turns things around, the team will only go as far as the running game, defense and special teams can take it. The defense has been devastating, holding the game's two best runningbacks, LT and LJ, under 100 yards collectively. The special teams has already produced a TD and blocked two kicks and Cedric Benson has shed some light on the running game, producing a 100 yard game in just his third start.

Green Bay Packers: Coach McCarthy will force his defense to win games, and it has done so thus far. Brett Fave has been pretty good thus far and the Packers are off to a hot start at 2-0. Their running game however has been non-productive and will need to step it up if they wish to win inter-division games against Chicago and Minnesota, who have superb run defenses.

Detroit Lions: Jon Kitna's ten win prediction, so far so good. It looks like the Lions offense is for real. Still, the Lions have faced two very poor pass defenses so far and will also have to pick up their game in the running department. They will also have to step up on defense. The Raiders and Vikings should not combine for 38 points against anybody.

Minnesota Vikings: WIthout a doubt, the defense has been the rock for this team. After already producing three TD's, it looks like Minnesota's success will be dependant mainly on their defense. Adrian Peterson will be relied on heavily in just his rookie season and has been solid so far. If the defense holds up and Adrian Peterson continues producing, the Vikes will be a tough team to play.

Dallas Cowboys: Tony Romo looks like a real find for the Cowboys. Why the Boy's didnt turn to him earlier is anybody's guess. The two headed beast of Barber and Jones have continued where they left off, with Barber racking up the TD's and Jones doing the damage between the 20's. TO has been getting a healthy amount of passes thrown his way and the offense has rolled. The defense however, has been brutal. They have been carved up by two very mediocre offenses for over 50 points and will not have the luxury of doing so when they finally face a top defense, as they will have to do next Sunday against Chicago. Even when Newman returns, foot injuries are tough to overcome and opposing QB's will still tee off on Anthony Henry.

Philadelphia Eagles: Pending the outcome of Monday Nighter.

Washington Redskins: See Philly.

New York Giants: This team is pretty bad. ON the bright side, Eli Manning has finall started to look like a Manning. Still, the defense blows and they wont be able to do anything in the running game if Jacobs isnt healthy. Tiki anybody?

San Fransisco: Wins are wins. Style points dont count for #### in the NFL. Alex Smith and the offense hasnt looked good but Frank Gore and the defense has done just enough to scrape out two tight victories. I doubted the Niners in the pre-season and they havent lloked that good, but if they continue to scrape their way to victories they will get my respect.

Seattle: Even after losing to the Cards, they still are th team to beat in the West. Hasselback is the best QB in the West and the same could be said for the defense. Shaun Alexander looked good today but overall the play was kinda sloppy. The Seahawks gave away the game on the botched handoff and will need to cut down on stupid mistakes. With the next four games against the Bengals, Niners, Steelers and Saints, the Hawks could be in big trouble if they dont win at least two of those games.

Arizona: They have hung tight in their two division games thus far and have a split to show for it. The bright spots have been the defense, the running game and the offensive line, all weak spots last season. Ken Wisenhunt has been doing his thing on the sidelines and the Cardinals have been gritty and competitive so far, things which we havent seen from Arizona in recent years.

St. Louis: Entering only the third week of the season, the Rams are already in must-win mode going against the Buccaneers. The offensive line, fresh off the loss of Orlando Pace to the IR, gave up SIX sacks today and didnt give Bulger the protection that he needed to get the Rams a W. The fact is that the defense isnt that good and if the offensive line doesnt step it up, my choice for the surprise team in the NFC will be out of the NFC West race in a blink of an eye.

New Orleans: Who saw this coming? ME ME ME. Their recieving corpse is lackluster and so is their defense. When the Buccaneers are shredding up your secondary, you know you're in trouble. The truth is that the Saints are better than what they have shown and cant be counted out just yet. However, with some tough games coming up against the Titans, Panthers and Seahawks, the Saints could be in some serious trouble if they dont right the ship real soon. The good news is that their division looks to be the worst in the NFC, so they cant really be counted all season long.

Carolina: The Panthers are in the best situation of the four teams in the South. They face the Falcons, Bucs, Saints and Cardinals, in order, and will be able to take a firm grasp of the division if they take ate least three of those four, which they should be able to do. Steve Smith is still the best reciever in the world and their defense still is potentiall, key word potientally, a dominant unit.

Falcons: Not much to say for this team. Who's decision was it to get rid of Matt Schaub. Looks like they let the real deal get away. Anyhow, the team cant run, pass, defend the run or defend the pass. The Falcons are the worst team in the lague and looking at their schedule, dont have many games which can be called winnable.

Buccaneers: Even after a solid win against the division rival Saints, the Bucs are still a bottom feeder in the NFC. With three of the next four games against the Colts, Titans and Panthers, the Bucs will struggle to be any better than 1-4 by the time week six rolls around.

Biggest Surprise: We have a tie.
1) Coming into the season, the North was being thrown around as the worst division in the conference. With arguably the two best defenses, belonging to the Bears and Vikings(and the Packers have a pretty good one as well) residing in the North, the division may shape up to be the strongest.

2) What has happened to the Saints. Reggie Bush, Deuce and Drew Brees were supposed to bring back memories of the greatest show on turf. So far they have looked like the Saints of old and have taken a very big step back after coming close to winning the NFC Championship just last year.

Without going too in-depth in my analysis of each of the NFC's teams, here are my quick, consise thoughts on what each team will do in the upcoming 07 season. The order the teams are listed in have nothing to do with how i think each division will shape up.

NFC North
Chicago Bears- The defense is good enough to get a bye in the NFC on it's own. Even a decent offensive performance from last year's highest scoring team(NFC) should at least get them home field advantage.

Green Bay Packers- Brett Favre's last hoorah. From what i have heard from up north in Green Bay, the end of the Favre era couldnt get here any quicker. An imporoving defense and semi-decent offense will make them the tallest of the other three NFC North midgets.

Minnesota Vikings- A goop defensive team with no offense whatsoever. Chester Taylor and Adrian peterson are good, but even the best struggle when defenses consistently pack eight men in the box. Its up to Tarvaris Jackson, but he isnt up to the task.

Detroit Lions- Jon Kitna says a minimum of ten wins are in store for the Lions.... I say 7 or eight maximum. Last time a Lion ran his mouth(Roy Williams on the Bears) there was a massacre in Soldier Field. The offense will have it's highs, but the team overall will have many, many lows.

NFC West
Seattle Seahawks- A strong team. If Alexander comes back strong and Hasselback can make it through another season full of nagging injuries, this team will take the division, which from what i have heard, has already been handed to....

San Fransisco 49'ers- The new hot sh%$ in the NFC. Everybody is ready to annoint them, but if they go out and play like they did against the Bears in the only pre-season game that means anything, which i think they will, another 8-8 or 9-7 season is in store for San Fran. By the way, Nate Clements, their big-time signing this offseason, was destroyed by Bernard Berrian.

St. Louis- What an offense. Too bad the defense is among the worst in the league. The offense will thrill but the defense will thouroughly dissapoint. The offense will keep them in games, but i see some high scoring losses for the Rams. Still, a playoff birth is a reasonable expectation for this offensive beast.

Arizona Cardinals- New Coaching Staff, Revamped Offensive Line, same old story, at least for one more season. Leinart will perform well but the offensive line will hold the running game back. I expect the line to imporve a bit, but if it doesnt, Leinart will have a season to forget. The defense also has a long way to go.

NFC South
New Orleans Saints- I cant stand the Saints and am a bit biased, but i will admit that the Saints are a good team. Good, but not great, as many seem to think. They were thoroughly thumped in the NFC Championship game last season and the recievers as a whole are extremely young. The defense, the secondary in particular, will have to improve greatly if they want to get home field in the playoffs.

Carolina Panthers- This team will be a thorn in the Saints side all season long. They have an easier schedule than the Saints but have what i believe to be a more complete team. Oh yeah, that Steve Smith guy is pretty good too. I think there is a very good chance that the Panthers take the division crown back this year.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Quantity over Quality. That seems to be the theme when it comes to their group of QB's. Honestly, they have a bunch of trash at their position. Jeff Garcia had a good 1/2 season for the Eagles last year, but the Bucs are a different team. Cadillac, even with his immense talent, will have another poor season.Tteams will stack up against the run and force them to pass, and that will absolutely work.

Atlanta Falcons- Quite frankly, even a falcons team WITH Michael Vick doesnt scare me that much. What has been forgotten throughout this whole dogfighting mess is that he hasnt been too good as of late. Joey Harrington, one of the many failed draft picks of Matt Millen, will show all Atlantians why he wasnt even good enough to start in Detroit. Atlanta is perhaps the worst team in the NFC.

NFC East
Philadelphia Eagles- Look no further for the comeback player of the year. Donovan McNabb, when healthy, is the best QB in the NFC. I would rather have him than Bulger, Romo, Hasselback or even
Drew Brees. The Eagles will take back the East crown and McNabb will make a Pro Bowler out of Reggie Brown. The defense is also one of the most underrated year in and year out.

New York Giants- Not as bad as advertised. I expect a decent season from the Giants. Eli Manning, in his quest to make a (good)name for himself, will step up and improve on his not-so-bad numbers of last year. However, his supporting cast, i.e the defense and running game, will weigh down the Giants and keep them out of the Playoffs.

Dallas Cowboys- Tony Romo is perhaps one of the most undeservedly heralded quarterback in the league this side of Matt Schaub. He played well last year but rarely do undiscovered QB's emerge out of the shadows and light the world on fire. The Cowboys are a good team and will be competitive in each and every game, but they dont have enough firepower, on defense or offense, to beat the Eagles out for the top spot in the strongest division in the NFC.

Washington Redskins- Does any other team in the league have so many unheard of players? When i think of the Skins', the only big name players that come to mind are Portis, Taylor and Moss. Their offense is very old-school and somewhat out-dated. The defense doesnt exactly strike fear in an opponent either. Book it, another season at the cellar of the East.

With the recent hold-outs of star players like Lance Briggs, Asaunte Samuel, Larry Johnson, and mini-holdouts of Marc Bulger and Michael Strahan, i could not help but wonder if holding out is really so wrong with set of rules in place in the NFL. The NFL is unique in the sense that contracts are not guaranteed. Players are only assured of the guaranteed part of their contracts and can be cut at any time of their employment with any given team. THat in and of itself is strange. The NBA has a salary cap like football does, yet teams dont have a right to rip up contracts. They can cut a player but they still have to pay the remainder of the contract or they can buy out the remainder of the contract but they can not just cut a player like NFL teams do. If i am not mistaken, there are rarely cases of hold-outs in the NBA. Not only are superstars holding out in the NFL, even unproven rookies are!


One of the main contributing factors in these players' holdouts is the dreaded franchise tag. WIth free agency in place, managers were given the choice to hold onto one player for a season at a time at the average price of the five best players at a given position. At the surface this sounds like a fair trade off. Free agency for the franchise tag. But with the ability of general managers to cut the cord on a player whenever they deem fit, should players be subject to the wrath of the franchise tag?


In order for this nonsense to be stopped i think the NFL's general managers and the players' union need to agree to kiss the franchise tag goodbye in exchange for guaranteeing contracts. Owners may be against this because of the dangers of the NFL and the potential injury that can cut a player's career short, but i think that with the give and take that would take place with the removeal of the tag and guaranteeing of contracts, players would be more willing to sign medium length contracts(3-5 years) as opposed to signing longer contracts(5-8 years).

This list is strictly based on the success a city's collective teams(In Basketball, Football and Baseball) have had over the past few seasons and their outlook in the near future.

1) Boston- Life must be great for sports fans in Boston. THe Red Sox are just a few years removed from their first World Series title in almost a century and have a large lead over the Yankees that looks to be too large for the Yankees to overcome. They hav outshined the Yanks the past few years and look to be the better team for the next 3-4 years as well. They have a great pitchniog staff that, aside from Schilling, is not too old and a lineup with a good mix of youth and veteran leadership. Their football team is maybe the best run team in the NFL and it feels like no matter what players are on the field they will always be a very competitive team. They have gotten much, much better this offseason and are the favorite in the AFC in my eyes. Although the horrendous Celtics call Boston home, the prowess of the two aforementioned teams place Boston above all other cities.

2) Chicago- I am from Chicago and a huge Homer, but i truly believe Chicago is the 2nd best city to live in right now. THe Bulls, Bears and Cubs are all very much in Championship contention in 2007 and the White Sox, who admittedly are brutal this season, are just two years removed from a World Series victory. The Bulls look like the team with the best future in the East and just might be the favorites to represent in the Finals in 07-08. The Cubs have finally gotten things going and are the hottest team in all of basbeall at the time of this writing. Just 3 games out of the division lead and 1.5 out of the Wild Card, the Cubs look to be a major player in the second half. Then you come to the Bears, the NFC Champs in '06. THey toil in the worst division of the lesser league and are in great shape to repeat as NFC champs again in '07.

3) Texas- Placing Texas above New York may come as a surprise, but the absolute domination of ALL THREE of Texas's basketball teams is pretty unbelievable. The Spurs and the MAvs are almost unanimously consideres the two best teams in the NBA and the Rockets are no slouches either. The Spurs are easily the best team in all of sports thus far in this decade. Boring or not they get the job done. The Mavs are still one of the premier teams in the league. They were ousted in the first round this year but they will be back next year with a vengence. The Rockets seem like a team that is close to taking the next step and next year just might be their year. Texas also has America's team, the Dallas Cowboys. I personally dont think they are that good, but as long as Dallas is even semi-competitive, Dallas is the city to be in when Football season rolls around. THe Texans aren't any good, but hey, one of two aint that bad.
Texas's weak spot is baseball. The Rangers are a joke. I truly believe they will not make the playoffs once in the next ten seasons. The Astros are a decent team that always steps it up in the 2nd half but it looks like thy might already have run out of gas a bit past the halfway point this season. Anyhow, they made thw World Series just two years ago and they can easily contend next season in the underwhelming NL Central.

4) New York- Realistially, New York only has one team overall that is a viable contendor for a title in its' respecive sport. That one team is the Mets. Their other baseball team, is in pretty bad shape and if they let A-Rod go they will be in big trouble. It would take a miracle for the Yanks to sneak into the playoffs this year and it may take a miracle next year too if A-Rod leaces. The Yankees are getting old and being a fan of the pinstripes may be tough for the next 2-3 years. The Giants and Jets can only hope to be pests in the NFL. The Giants dont scare anybody and the Jets, who actually are a very solid team, toil in the AFC and will have trouble getting out of the first round. TYhe Bills are a'ight but honestly, has anybody actually met a Buffalo Bills fan? New York's Basketball situation is a mess, but they may actually have a decent product to watch in MSG in 07-08. A team with so many outcast-superstars cant be that bad.... or can it??

5) California- THere are so many teams to chose from that one cant go wrong on the West Coast. The Baseball teams all are either competitive or entertaining enough to draw huge crowds. The PAdres, Dodgers and Angels have all been very successful over the past few seasons and all three have bright futures as well. The Giants suck but the Barry Bonds story puts them on the map. There arent any really good Basketball teams but between being a Kings fan and attending Arco Arena, watching the Kobe show at the Staples Center or watching the suddenly exciting Warriors team you cant go wrong. With Ladanian Tomlinson coming off of a record-breaking season, it is possible that Califonia can claim it has the marquee player in all three of the major sports: Kobe Bryant, LT and Barry Bonds. The Chargers are a great team and while the Raiders are a no-good, pathetic team, the Niners are the new popular, pre-season choice as the sleeper in the NFC.

Cities on the outside looking in: Denver and Detroit.
Sorry if i did not put your city in the top five, but these are the five best sports Cities in my opinion.

How the hell does a freakin' bobble head look-alike like Tony Romo end up hooking up with a girl like Carrie Underwood? If he wasnt playing QB for the Cowboys he would be lucky to go out with Rosie O'donnell. What a joke!

Long before Tim Hardaway  this has bothered me. Why is everyone so caught up with being politically correct? Why is American Society so sensitive to what people have to say?

People on this site blog all the time about what this person did or what this person said, and it really bothers me. Someone recently wrote a blog titled "Tim Hardaway is a Racist." While i may take heat for saying this, I dont really think all that much of #### peope(see the need to be politicly correct and not flat out say I hate them.) People act like what Tim Hardaway said is a surprise. Would anybody really be shocked if a majority of people said they hated #### people. The point is that so what if he said what he said? Does it change how you think or act? If you now have a bone to pick with Timmy for saying he hates ####s i got news for you. Most peole that live around you and work with you probably have the same beliefs.

But aside from the recent tumult created by Tim Hardaway simply expressing his opinion(albeit in a stupid manner), there are so many examples of people being overly defensive and it is really unnecessary. For instance, over the past few years it seams like issues are constantly arising over a team's mascot or name. The latest case i can think of is the one in my home state of Illinois. So what if a mascot is an Indian. People will say that it is offensive to Native Americans, but they never bother to explain why. Nowadays anything can be taken offensively and it sad that it has come to that. Sports fans and Media members always want the players that they so closely follow to speak the truth publicly, but as soon as a player speaks his mind, he gets chastized and as a result goes back to sugarcoating all of his public statements.

It is a shame that America and more specifically sports has come to this. Nowadays, people are so hungry for controversy and creating problems among peers that they examine what people do or say too closely and create the media frenzy and chaos that they so desperately crave. A simple example is when Terrell Owens went to sleep during a meeting. When you really think about it, who are we to critisize Terrell owens for taking a nap? Before publicly crucifying the guy, did anybody look at themselves and ask if they put forth 100% effort while they are at their jobs? Have we ever surfed the web while on the clock? If the answer is yes(which in 99 of 100 cases it will be), then WE are just like Terrell Owens.

In any case, people should just think about the intense pressure that all past, present and future sports stars and celebrities are under each and every day. They can not  say whatever is on their mind like we can. They must think about everything before they say it, something most of us rarely have to do. 

Just remember what these players and icons go through before you are quick to judge. 

Bill Parcells has finally left the NFL for what looks like his last time. He says he left the Cowboys in good shape, which he did, but is his leaving the Cowboys that big a deal?With all the coverage about him leaving, you would think that he has taken the Cowboys to a few Super Bowls and the Cowboys are going to suffer in a big way without the Tuna.

At the end of the day, the Cowboys were just a 9-7 wild card team that could be world beaters one game, and be terrible the next week, as the game against Detroit displayed. No doubt he was a good coach, but that team needs a lot of improvement. Althought when Joe Buck and Troy Aikman covered Cowboys games they praised the Dallas offensive line a lot, in reality the line was terrible. Marc Colombo should not be a starter anywhere. We had him in Chicago and couldnt wait to get rid of him. The only reason he didnt give up many sacks is because Dallas alwaays had their tight ends or running backs helping him out. He is a liability and must be replaced. I dont know the rest of the names on their line but they do not do a good job at all. Tony Romo has proved to be a solid quarterback that doesnt get rattled easily, and if TO stops dropping the ball and the Running game plays well their offens is capable of doing damage.

But ojn the defensive side of the ball, their are problems everywhere. The only player sthat gets a pass is Terrence Newman and DeMarcus Ware. They are above average players that get the job done. Besides for Newman, their linebackers and secondary is very mediocre at best. Roy Williams does not deserve to go to the Pro Bwls and gets by on name recognition alone. He cant defend the pass and he just gets a few hard hits in once in a while. If you wanna see a real safety watch Mike Brown of the Bears. He is always breaking up plays and is near the ball on every play. He is a real impact player. On the line you cant help but feel for Ware. He has no help from any of the other lineman. He has to face double and triple teams and still gets the job done. Anthony Henry is terrible, and when push comes to shove, the Cowboys can get lit up by any team with a decent offensive attack.

The 'boys need to go after a defensive coach, maybe Ron Rivera from the Bears or the guy that the steelers dont chose.(is the word out on who the real choice is yet?) While the Bears defense is very good, it really isnt Rivera's scheme but just Rivera running the scheme that Lovie chose. Dont forget, Rivera played for the 85' Bears under Buddy Ryan and he know the system well. I think he would be a good fit for the Cowboys.

 

Plain and simply, i feel bad for Terrell Owens. The guy is not as bad as people make it out to be. With the public attention he garners, if he did anything wrong off the field, it would be front page news on any site or in any paper. But yet, off the field TO seems to be an angel. How could it be that a person that causes no problems off the field and really has had no one complain about his behavior outside of football become such a "cancer", as the experts like to say, once he steps onto the football field?

The answer is that TO is a good guy and a great football player, who is extremely competitive. If any of you play sports a lot, you always come across that one player who is always busting his #### that wants everyone else to do the same, and when people dont, he barks at them and says things that not always should be said. But with TO, everything he does is so scrutinized, that he cant get away with anything. Sometimes you need to yell at people on the sideline in order to shake them up and give them a sense of urgency. (I bet nobody heard about Mike Brown of the Bears screaming at teammates on the sideline this past sunday).

With the intense pressure that Owens has to be the perfect player and teammate, I am surprised he hasnt done worse things. In the end of the day, he is still the most complete wide reciever in football that is off to his worst start in a while, and by the way is still on pace for 1000 yards, and people just assume that it is because he already has brought  problems to the Cowboys and has alienated himself from his teammates. I predict that TO will still have a good season(12-13 hundred yards and 10-14 TD's) and will not get himself suspended from games like in Philly, and will lead the Cowboys to the Playoffs.