Okay, I believe the word is OVERKILL. Everywhere you look it's someone praising or bashing Whitlock's take on Sean Taylor.  So for a little something different:

Shhhhhhhhh.  You have to be able to keep a secret now.  I find myself rooting for the evil ones.  Belicheck and his group of bullies.  Why would I do this?

1. I have Tom Brady on my fantasy football team as well as the Patriots defense and special teams.  Times are good.  VERY GOOD.  I found myself rooting for not just Brady and the D/ST, but for the Patriots team.

2.  I root for all the guys who went to Michigan to have success.  Never in anyone's wildest dreams did they have Tom Brady having this much success in the NFL, but it's fun to watch Brady just prove people wrong time after time.

3. I find myself rooting for success lately.  Don't know what it is, but I'm not rooting against teams I would normally despise.  Maybe it's an appreciation that Tom Brady could throw 50 touchdowns this season.  It's admiring the fact the Patriots could go 19-0.

I was on the "Belicheat" bandwagon like everyone else earlier this year.  Then I asked myslef, " Why are you watching the Patriots play if you're not enjoying the game?"  It is just a game, someone wins, someone loses. It's not the end of the world if the Pats shred the NFL apart, it's actually a little fun knowing they can kick #### and take names. Who wouldn't want their team to be able to do that? It takes a lot of misguided energy to ridicule the success of a football team.  And a lot of jealousy also.

Which brings me to another point- Why can't anyone appreciate greatness?  Why is it we all have to bash the coach, rip on the owner, or wish injuries on players?  What have they ever done to us?  IT'S JUST A GAME!!!!!!!!! 

So if the Pats beat  my boy Peyton and the Colts in the playoffs, there will be no rooting against them.  I want to see history.  I want to see the Pats run the table.  I want to see Brady and Belicheck win their 4th Super Bowl ring, further cementing their legacies.  Sure, there will be numerous posts praising the Patriots, but as they say, "To the victors go the spoils".

They were right!  The NFL does favor the New England Patriots! How unfair!

"The only reason New England beat San Diego is because the NFL loves golden boy Tom Brady." "Bill Belicheck cheats"  "The Patriot fans and players shouldn't have celebrated and mocked the Chargers"  Stupid, stupid stupid.  Why don't people look up past history when discussing favoritism towards a certain team or player? 

Looking at my sports calender today, I noticed tomorrow is an anniversary of sorts in the NFL.  January 19, 2002.  What happened that day?  Don't cheat, try to remember.  Really, keep thinking.  Give up yet?

Patriots 16, Raiders 13 Overtime  AFC Divisional Playoffs.  Why is that significant?  You don't know NFL Rule 3, Section 21, Article 2, Note 2 by heart?  And you call yourself an NFL fan? 

Now you remember!  The tuck rule.  Introduced in 1999 it states that if the quarterback moved his hand forward, in any sort of throwing motion and dropped the ball, it was not a fumble.

So Tom Brady drops back to pass, and gets rocked when Charles Woodson hits him from his blindside.  The Raiders recover the ball with a 3 point lead with less than 2 minutes to go in the game.  HOWEVER, referee Walt Coleman said that the tuck rule applied in this situation.  Coleman goes on to say because Brady had started to move his arm forward and had not tucked the ball under his arm like a running back, that the tuck rule would be enforced. 

I don't know about you, but I hated that rule then, and I hate it now.  The defense makes a play, but we all know the NFL wants points scored.  This rule is just one example of the NFL wanting to promote offense, not defense. 

Happy anniversary New England!  Sorry Raider fans, the NFL hates you.  OK the NFL hates Al Davis, not you. 

I don't believe in conspiracy theories or favoritism.  This was just another avenue for disgruntled fans and Patriot haters to say "we told you so".  Sorry for the aftermath this may create.  PS GO COLTS!!!!!

What an interesting final four teams left in the NFL playoffs.  Normally this time of year, I clearly have one team I don't want to win it all still left to root against.  This year I have my favorites, but for me at least, I'm not going to be upset in anyway if any of the remaining four teams wins it all.  I know everyone has favorites and other teams they can't stand.  I'll give you some reasons to root for every team, you tell me why you can't root for that certain  team.

#1 Indianapolis Colts  - You have to root for Peyton Manning and Tony Dungy.  Well, at least I do.  It would be great to see Peyton finally win a big game and win the Super Bowl.  Tony Dungy came so close when he was with the Bucs, and the year after he gets fired, they win the Super Bowl.  The Colts have been to the AFC Championship game twice before and lost.   To put it mildly, Indianapolis schools and businesses aren't exactly focused right now.  Colts this, Colts that.  It's everywhere.  The city won't be able to hold it all in until Sunday. The Indianapolis Colts have never been to the Super Bowl.  So how do you root against the Colts?

#2 New Orleans Saints-  I am a Lions fan #1.  (Save the jokes)  I have a soft spot for a team like the Saints.  They have always been a punchline around the NFL. They never have had sustained success in the NFL. They never have even reached the Super Bowl.  Plus everything that the city and franchise has gone through, makes them a feel good story.  Don't you have fun watching Drew, Reggie, Deuce and all the other guys bring joy to those fans? So how do you root against the Saints?

#3 New England Patriots- Isn't everybody else sick of the "me" concept in sports?  Well, here is the alternative to that.  The team concept.  Aren't you still amazed this team could win it's fourth Super Bowl in six years?  They aren't flashy, they don't bicker and complain, they just win.  No matter how many players they lose, they just keep on winning.  Great front office and coaches to keep that team focusd year in and year out. Sure everyone might get sick of the same team winning championships all the time.  What other reasons can you give to root against the Patriots.

#4 Chicago Bears- Da Bears. One thing people in that city unite around is the Bears.  Cubs fans and White Sox fans who wouldn't be caught seen together,  can come together to cheer on the Bears.  There is just something right about the Bears playing football in January in Chicago.  Makes you think of "the good old days".  This is one of the longest tenured franchises in the NFL with loyal and dependable fans.  Who wouldn't want to see much maligned Rex Grossman win a Super Bowl?  He could prove everyone wrong.  So unless you're a Packer fan, how do you root against the Bears?

So who are you rooting against?