Coach Tony Dungy of the Indianapolis Colts is the last guy one would expect to find in the middle of a controversy.   A devoutly Christian, highly respected man, Dungy has given abundantly to his team and the Indianapolis community.  But here we are a week after the Colts' miserable flop in the playoffs against the Chargers, and the local talk shows are abuzz with opinions about Dungy's pending decision on whether to come back for another season.

 Surprisingly, the opinions seem about evenly divided on whether Dungy should stay.  Six months ago, support for Dungy would have been in the 80-90% range.  Despite the controversial suggestions by the instigating Jayson Whitlock, Colts fans have become a pretty knowledgeable bunch.   9 seasons watching Peyton Manning's cerebral and extraordinarily competent generalship of the Lighting Offense, coupled with the evolution of the Tampa 2 defense that has been Dungy's trademark have forced Colts fans to develop a keen understanding of  the game in order to follow the complicated action.

 These knowledgeable locals truly recognize the treasure we have in Peyton Manning.  Regardless of who holds the coaching reins,  as long as Manning stays healthy, this team will remain in the thick of things for at least the next 6-8 seasons and probably longer.  A look around the league makes it obvious that NFL franchises flounder without a highly capable quarterback.  Manning is a huge difference maker, matched only by Brady and Favre among active QB's and his work ethic and "laser-rocket arm" will carry the Colts to the playoffs year in and year out, even in the toughest division in football. And no matter who is doing the coaching.

  We also recognize the genius of Bill Polian.  Polian created a mini-dynasty in Buffalo, and the qualifier "mini" is only used because the Bills couldn't convert one of their 4 consecutive Super Bowl appearances into a victory.  Polian is a master assessor of talent and character and understands the salary cap restrictions like no one else in the league except for pehaps New England's Scott Pioli.  Polian continues to improve the level of talent on the Colts'  squad, year in and year out.

 Which brings us back to the man in the middle of the two pillars of Indianapolis Colts football:  The Head Coach.  Tony Dungy has been showered with adulation and favorable press here since his arrival in 2002.  It can quite fairly be said that Dungy has been given the benefit of the doubt, especially after the Colts were pummeled by the Jets, 41-0 in the 2002 playoffs and bounced in 2003 and 2004 by the Patriots.  During the regular season, the Colts have been a juggernaut, winning 12 games in each of the last 5 seasons, an accomplishment unmatched in NFL history.

  But nobody really cares about the regular season when your team packs it in before the Super Bowl.  Dan Marino's fingerprints are all over the record books, but with that giant hole in the middle of his portfolio where the Super Bowl victories should go, it leaves him on the outside looking in when talk begins about the greatness of quarterbacks. 

  And so it is with coaches.  When the greatest coaches in NFL history are brought to mind, Vince Lombardi, Tom Landry, Bill Walsh and Chuck Noll immediately come to come: all multiple Super Bowl victors.  Joe Gibbs,  Vermeil and even Jimmy Johnson may deserve mention in this hallowed group, but Tony Dungy?  Not hardly.

  If he retires now, Dungy will be remembered as a nice man who rode Peyton Mannings' coat-tails to a single Super Bowl victory.   The fact is, he was out-coached by Bill Belichick in each of their post season appearances, only to be saved by a super-human performance by Peyton in last year's AFC championship. 

 This season's post season debacle was entirely inexcuseable.  Dungy actually became a distraction to the team during their critical run-up to the Chargers match-up, with the press incessantly speculating about Dungy's possible retirement.  While it's certain that the coach would have done things differently if given a do-over, the reported fact that his wife and kids moved back to Tampa prior to the season finale speaks volumes about his attention to detail.  Did he think the media would keep  the fact that his kids had enrolled in Tampa schools a secret?  It seems Mrs. Dungy has already made his decision for him.  In his best seller, "Quiet Strength," Dungy speaks glowingly of the Tampa weather and his wife's reluctance to leave in 2001.  Now its just a matter of time.

  Owner Jim Irsay has already announced that Jim Caldwell, with a 26-63 lifetime college coaching record, will take over when Dungy moves on.  Caldwell has been Assistant Head Coach since 2005 and Quarterbacks Coach prior to that.  I am sure he has taught Peyton Manning quite a lot. This team and this town deserve better than Dungy-lite.  There are guys like Bill Cowher and Jason Garrett available out there now: one would think a coach of this caliber would be the missing piece of the puzzle to assure pure Colts dominance for several years.

  Arguably the most vociferous fans in the league, the Colts fans filled the stadium to something like 107% of capacity this season, best in the league.  We have supported the financing and building of Lucas Oil Stadium, to help the team with revenues from luxury box amenities.   We need more than just another nice man to coach these potential champions.  We can't afford to come out flat against another post-season opponent as we have repeatedly including the 2002 shellacking by the Jets, the 2003 and 2004 bungles against the Pats and 2005's home loss to the Steelers.  Last week's flat-liner against the Chargers was just another in a series of coaching failures, very likely to be repeated by a Dungy clone.  It's sad to think we deserve less of the same.

  Before I provide my fearless prognostications for this weekend's NFL playoff match-ups, let's take a look at how  last season's match-ups developed.  The Patriots had a bye in the first round and the Colts knocked off Kansas City.  In the 2nd round, Indy travelled to Baltimore and knocked off the once powerful Ravens.   Hard to believe the disparity between last season's Raven juggernaut and their pitiful 2007 squad!  But I digress...

  The Chargers looked like the best team in the league, going 14-2, but they were matched with the Patriots, always a stalwart playoff opponent and battle-tested and ready.    Thanks to a couple of dunderheaded Schottenheimer moves and some odd ovoid bounces New England prevailed, which brought the AFC championship back to Indy.

   We are now at a similar point in the season, with 3 of last season's participants remaining.  This week,  San Diego travels to Indy and the fresh face in the semi-finals belongs to the Jacksonville Jaguars, who now confront the unbeaten Patriots in Foxborough.

  The Colts season has been remarkable, although a bit star-struck, remaining in the shadows of New England's unbeaten regular season.  The number of injuries the Colts have suffered should have seen them in the middle of the pack in the AFC South, demonstrably the best division in the NFL.  They lost nose-tackle Booger MacFarlane to injury before the regular season began.  Their 10 time All Pro offensive tackle, Tarik Glenn, surprised the team by retiring before the season began as well. They have played without Hall of Fame lock Marvin Harrison for the last 10 weeks and without Dwight Freeney, arguably the best pass rusher in the business, for the last  8.  They played several games with zero regular starters on the defensive front four.  The Colts reached down and drudged up the unfortunately named Craphonso Thorpe and Houston's taxi -squad reject Devin Aromashodu to bolster a receiving corps forced to play without Dallas Clark, rookie Anthony Gonzales and both tight ends,  Ben Utecht and Brian Fletcher. The O-line has been similary ####ed up but rookies and journeyman have ably replaced veterans forced to sit out.  All of these injuries were compounded by the fact that the Colts lost both starting safeties and an outstanding linebacker, Cato June, to free agency.

 One would think that  the Indianapolis Colts are due for a few good breaks.  But the breaks shouldn't  matter, because this team just keeps on winning, regardless of how deep they reach into their reserves.  Subtract one big play by the Patriots and Adam Vinateri's missed field goal at the close of the Chargers game, and it would have been the Colts who were playing in week 17 against the Tennessee Titans to clinch an unbeaten season.

 And now the picks:

Even if most of the breaks work against them, the Colts will be moving on to the AFC Championship Game again this season.  While last season's San Diego Chargers squad was awe-inspiring and truly a physical, imposing team, this year's group seems lackluster and unfocused, struggling through a weak schedule to the number 3 seed.   Sure they have a 7 game winning streak, but during this streak they have beaten exactly one team with a winning record, the Tennesse Titans.  As I have contended all season, the Titans are essentially playing without a quarterback.  NFL teams are supposed to be able to beat a wishbone offense.  While the Bolts beat the Colts 23-21 in week 10 in San Diego, this was a Dr. Strangelove/Dr. Seuss kind of game:  in the rain, Colts in pain, Peyton's brain somewhere else.  Serious handicappers recognize the need to throw out the anomolies when making their picks and that match-up was not an accurate reflection of either team's ability or modus operandi.

  Philip Rivers looks uneven on his best days, and the Titans demonstrated that the once-feared LT is eminently stoppable.   While the Chargers defense should be rested after facing the underwhelming Titans O, the Colts Lightning Offense will have them back on their heels and huffing and puffing early.  Reggie Wayne has been unstoppable of late and Dallas Clark remains as dangerous as any receiver in the league. There are even suggestions of a Marvin Harrison sighting.  Peyton,quick to the line of scrimmage and highly cognizant of the other coach's manuevers,  won't let the Titans make defensive substitutions and Joseph Addai should improve on the minor gashing the Titans Pillsbury Doughboy, Lendale White, was able to inflict on the Bolts.  If all else fails everyone knows the Colts will have the heat turned up in the Hoosier Dome and their patented, piped-in crowd noise will reduce Rivers to a whimpering, puddle of fumbles, miscues and sacks.  Colts 35, Bolts 14.

  Now, about that game up in Foxborough:

  The weatherman is calling for clear skies, a boon to the Brady bunch, although the temperatures hovering in the 40 degree range might make pitching and catching just slightly more difficult.  Of course, the Pats are used to the New England cold, so we can't say the weather will be a factor.   What the Pats aren't used to is trying to tackle a speeding anvil lathered in grease.   Maurice Jones-Drew, the Pocket Hercules, is as elusive as the legendary Barry Sanders but even more powerful.  His extremely low center of gravity combined with his speed and cutting ability, make Jones-Drew tough to tackle both in the open field and in the heart of the battle as well.   Mixing up the carries with Fred Jones should keep the aging Patriots defenders from adjusting to either back's pace and movement.    Now I know that Adalius Thomas is on the back end of his prime, but Junior Seau is 37, Vrabel and Brushci and Izzo all have 12 seasons in the league and have shown signs of slowing in the 2nd half of the season.   Rodney Harris is 35 and probably off the steroids he used that got him suspended for 4 games early in the season.   Since he says he took them to help him recuperate from injuries ("rather than to get a competitive edge."), he ought to be a little nicked up this late in the season.   An aging defense with relatively little speed will begin to get shown up after a couple quarters of getting pounded by the Jags relentless running attack.  Garrard is a very capable runner as well, but unlike Vince Young, Garrard has pocket presence and makes very few mistakes with the ball.   With a quarterback rating of 102.2 and only 3 interceptions, Garrard seems the ideal quarterback to help Del Rio's team keep the Brady and Moss bunch glaring on the sidelines.

 Yes, I know the evil hoodie genius will provide a defensive scheme with more wrinkles than a shar-pei,  but Garrard protected the ball better than every other quarterback in the NFL this season, and Jack Del Rio's game plan will emphasize the need for absoluting minimizing turnovers.   It doesn't seem likely that the threat of Lawrence Maroney running the ball will be able to keep the Jag defenders honest: they should be teeing off on Brady and might even muss his carefullly coifed locks a time or two.  I suspect Brady will give up 2 or 3 picks-certainly more than Garrard.  Jacksonville's biggest obstacle will be to keep from collecting chippy penalties:  the Colts have succeeded in luring the Jags into several roughing and unsportsmanlike penalties in their 2 victories over the Jags this season.  Del Rio must have his team nearly penalty free if they expect to knock off  ESPN's Team of the Century. 

  The Patriots are feeling a lot more pressure in this game than the Jaguars.  Throughout a remarkable regular season New England has been able to back up the trash talking and bragadoccio, most of it coming from their chowderhead fans.  There is a new bully in the neighborhood this week though, and they have only one game to win or lose.  The Patriots have the burden of playing for the Ages and this might just take things out of focus.  The Devil is in the details and the final score will be:

Jacksonville 27 New England 20.

Jacksonville will play Indianapolis for the 3rd time this season for the AFC Championship in Indianapolis.

What a relief to escape the heavy breathing over the Patriots for a week!    I truly believe we went almost a week without the media's incessant braying about the "Greatest Team in the History of the Universe."  Tom Brady will have to go back to asking his mirror:  "Whose ####'s are finest of them all?"   Two more wins and Brady will be nominated for beatification and Randy Moss will have to give up his street cred....

After the Jaguars pound the Patriots into submission this week Maurice Jones-Drew and John Henderson will have to go into the witness-protection program.

Is it just a co-incidence that Martina Hingis and Roger Clemens have both opted for retirement?  Martina's agent says she doesn't use cocaine, she just likes the way it smells. True sports fans all across America should beg the Steroid Rocket to come back just one more time.  It would be a joy to watch him serve up that 37 mph fastball he's sporting without his cheating boosters.  Retiring is the ultimate admission of guilt for Clemens-there is no way he retires if he could still compete.  Obviously, without the juice, he can't.

Got to give credit where credit is due:  The perfomance by Seattle's punter,  Ryan Plackemeier,  may have been the greatest performance in post-season history by a punter.  Every kick was executed to perfection with the Redskins getting 0 yards in returns.  Not one punt was returned a single yard and all of them were inside the 10 yard line!  How do you get any better than that?

Note to Titan's coach Jeff Fisher:  Nice defense and solid offensive line play.  Now wake up and trade Vince Young while you he still has signficant trade value.  Young will never be a top level NFL quarterback.  Take that wishbone, wishful thinking to the trading table and draft a pocket passer.  Young's instinct is to run at the first sign of trouble.  With a bit of pocket presence the Titan's could have stolen that game from the woefully underacheiving Chargers offense.

Speaking of woefull under-achievers, how 'bout that Redskins offense?  I didn't think it was possible to make the Smells-Like-Team-Spirit Seahawks look good.   Here's a line for Hasselbeck vs the Packers:  We're taking the collar and we're going to choke!

Is there any doubt that the AFC South is hands-down the best division in football?  The post-season was an Albert Haynesworth tantrum away from having 3 of the 4 teams in the division finals from the South.  And Gary Kubiak's Texans ain't no patsies, either!

And what about that wacky Hanynesworth? It's bad enough to jump offsides at a critical moment, Albert.  Dusting Philip Rivers probably cost your team the game.  You read it here first:  this head-stomping, Pacman-taunting fuming mountain of blubber will come to a bad end.  And soon.  I'm sure his file is sitting on the corner of Roger Goodell's desk.  Can anyone be that filled with rage on their own natural body chemistry?

Did you know that Peyton Manning had a little brother?  At least the guy that showed up in Tampa looked like a Manning.  Nice work Eli.  Your team looks a lot more like a winner now that that back-stabbing poser named after a patio torch is getting paid to mouth off.  I believe there will be a come-to-Jesus meeting down in Dallas this weekend and Tony Romo had better have been saying his nevers.  Right now Eli looks like the better quarterback.

Props offered to Bob Sanders, All-World safety for the Indianapolis Colts, announced as Defensive Player of the Year for the NFL, and justly so.  We know that 2/3rds of the earth is covered by water and the rest is covered by Bob Sanders.  Do you know how you can tell which wide receivers dared to run slant routes in front of Bob Sanders?  Dental records.

 And I will close this week's early rant with my Worst Coach of the Year award.  Sure its easy to pick the top coaches, but who really played the biggest role in sucking the mojo out of his team?  Topping the list, you gotta love Bobby Petrino.  Talk about kicking someone when they are down, this dirt-eating slug high-tailed it the moment he got the chance.   Probably unable and absolutely unwilling to make the sacrifice necessary to help his team.  They never recovered from the wrenchingly miserable conclusion to a bad draft pick that no one ever imagined could have gone so horribly wrong.  There's some powerful bad karma down in Atlanta.   Petrino may think he escaped it, but he probably just dragged his part down to Fayetteville.  Pigs get fat and hogs get slaughtered!

If you thought the American Sports scene was goofy in 2007, get a load of what's in store for 2008:

  Sadly, the Shaquille O'Neal era in the NBA comes to a close, as the Shaq-Daddy has gotten so large his teammates can no longer escape his gravitational pull.   This has been  particularly rough on the Heat's fast break.

  Pressured to respond to the torrent of allegations regarding the use of performance-enhancing drugs by its members, the Major League Baseball Players Association continues to resist co-operation with drug testing for the league.  Instead, the union has agreed to provide funds for each team to employ a team Apologist. 

  Scottie Pippen discovers his true calling and enters the Democratic Presidential race.   Feeling he had set his sights too low, Scottie reminded our reporter that he was a better player than Michael Jordan and that the Chicago Bulls missed their chance to hire him as head coach after the firing of Scott Skiles.   Sayeth Scottie: "Everybody knows I am smarter than Hillary Clinton and a better lawyer than John Edwards.  Oh, and Oprah likes me better than Barrack Obama too."

    Sports Medicine clinics all over the world  scramble for the services of the Indianapolis Colts' orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Robert Oz, on the heals of Marvin Harrison's remarkable performance in Super Bowl XLII.  Likening Marvin's surgery to the Tommy John elbow surgery which revolutionized treatment for MLB pitchers, a spokesman for the Colts elaborated:  "Sorry we had to keep this under wraps all season.   But Marvin's bionic knee has got him running 3.8 40's. His double-back flip over the cross bar after scoring his first Super Bowl touchdown had us all thinking Flubber."  Oz claims to be working on a personality for Terrell Owens, a heart for Bill Belichick and a brain for Pacman Jones.

 While allegations from Jose Canseco's latest narc-out of fellow players over steriod use continue to rock MLB, pundits continue to ask: How can a guy who can't read, write books?

   NBA Commisisoner, David Stern takes a leave of abscence from pro basketball to serve his country as Press Secretary for President-elect, Mitt Romney.  Responding to questions about what many see as a curious choice, a spokeman for Romney responded:  "This guy was in charge of a league that saw the most heinous threat to its integrity any sport has ever seen.  Baseball's Black Sox scandal pales in comparison to the Tim Donaghy gambling fiasco.  Here you have a league completely compromised by the revelation that at least one of its referees has been actively betting on games.  Not just any games, these were games that Donaghy  was officiating,  including playoff and championship games.  And he was providing information about those games to bookies and other gamblers and apparently other referees.  In the face of all this damning information, Stern has effectively kept this investigation and the story surrounding it out of the main stream media.  If Mitt Romney had an overdue book from his grade school library it becomes front page news for the MSN, but the fact that the results of most NBA games dating back to 2005 are completely bogus doesn't  warrant a story in the press?   We told Mr. Stern he could name his price to become our Press Secretary.  The price was high, but there isn't anyone in the world outside the Mossad who could have kept the rot at the core of the NBA out of the press.  He is one gi-normous leak-stopper."

  In an unprecendented move, the WNBA has taken on a league sponsor.  While stadiums and bowl games have long been given adverting monikers, like "The Tostitos Fiesta Bowl," it will take some time to get used to referring to the league by its new name: The Birkenstocks WNBA.

  LPGA phenom, Michelle Wie, following a disappointing 2007 season, has decided to change her focus for the 2008 season.  Rather than competing in actual LPGA events where she might have to actually play a solid round of golf every once in a while, Michelle will alternate qualifying attempts on the men's tour with appearances on American Gladiator and America's Next Top Model.

  Another tumultuous season at Notre Dame brings back memories of the torturous years under Coach Gerry Faust.  The "Oust Faust" campaign finally brought the school to fire Faust and a similar campaign mounted by angry Irish alumni this season  has Charlie Weis packing his bags.  The "Schmeis Weis" bandwagon finally got the big guy his pink slip.  Sporting his trade-mark turtle neck pants, Charlie announced he was electing to have his gastric by-pass surgery reversed so that he can join  Rosie O'Donnnell, Jamarcus Russell and the now-zaftig Olson Twins on "Celebrity Competitive Eating," the latest reality TV show.

  Bill Parcells steps right up with the Miami Dolphins top pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, selecting Hawaii's gunslinger, Colt Brennan.  The Big Tuna then packages the Dolphins 2nd pick with the rights to Jason Allen, sending them to the Dallas Cowboys for Terrell Owens.  Parcells then announces that T.O. was placed on Injured Reserve for the remainder of the 2008 season, mumbling something about "brain damage."

   And remember you saw it here first, the complete AFC playoff projection for January 2008. 

San Diego smokes Tennessee, with or without the pitiful efforts of Vince Young.  Jacksonville jacks Pittsburgh once again.   Colts rip San Diego and Norv Turner goes home jobless once again.  Jags beat the Patriots senseless, both on the score board and the field of play and they wander back to Indianapolis to get smacked down for the 3rd time this season.  You can take this to the bank!

  As for the NFC-who cares?  Whoever it is loses by 3 touchdowns in the Super Bowl as the Colts repeat.

 It looks like Terrell Owens is finally starting to show his true colors.  Now he is chastising the Cowboys coaches for not making sure he gets his requisite number of drops per game.  And today he started calling Jessica Simpson out for bringing bad luck to America's team.  When's the last time he checked his own ju-ju?  If there is such a thing as karma, Texas stadium will be full of coal by Christmas.

  Bob Costas in his weekly radio rant lamented the fact the Baseball Hall of Fame electors failed to enshrine Major League Baseball Player's Union architect, Marvin Miller.  We think its just a matter of time:  Miller's bust will be going up in Cooperstown just as Satan drops the puck for the first NHL game in Hell. 

  Hope Santa has a tanker truck full of Geritol for that pitiful looking Baltimore Ravens squad.  Is it really possible to watch a team age right before your eyes?  Nobody in the NFL has been worse over the last 7 weeks and the Ravens are 0-Fer including bowing to the lowly Dolphins.

  Has anybody seen or heard from the Colts' Marvin Harrison over the last 10 weeks?  I know the superstar wide-out likes to lay low and keep to himself, but has their even been a Marvin sighting?  No better present for Tony Dungy and Peyton Manning than a healed up, rested Marvelous Marvin for the playoffs....

  And How 'bout those 5 crazy Falcons sporting their "Free Michael Vick" t-shirts and putting on a mini-demonstration on the sidelines during Sunday's game with the Saints?   Is it really possible to be that far out of touch with reality and the public sentiment?  Maybe this was Santa's gift to PETA....

   The Indiana Pacers have now decided that they will keep Jamal Tinsley out of jail or an early grave by  providing him with his own personal security guard to accompany him on his late night search for meaning and ####'s.  There is just no way this could go wrong.....

   In his column, the controversial and entertaining Jason Whitlock came to the defense of Donovan McNabb, proclaiming that Donovan was one of the top 5 quarterbacks in the league.  Hmmm, let's see now, there's Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Tony Romo, Brett Favre, Drew Brees, David Garrard, Ben Rothlisberger, Carson Palmer,  Eli Manning.. please stop me when you get to the guy you would give up in exchange for McNabb.  Maybe Santa could get Jason signed as the new Patriots GM.  It would certainly be a gift for the rest of the league!

   The Big Tuna, Bill Parcells has been nosing around the vacated coaching job in Atlanta and its being suggested that he may coach the Dolphins.  What  could possibly be a better match up for the Fish?  And make no mistake about it,  Wade Phillips got his Christmas gift last fall when he was hired to coach that Cowboy team put together by Parcells.

  And how about Senator Mitchell's gift to all of us old time baseball fans?  What could be more satisfying than watching a bunch of cheating, spoiled millionaires squirm and twist in the media wind?  Looks like Roger Clemens would have been just another aging lard-bag without some Androl and Human Growth Hormone.   If he really thinks he is being slandered he can file that lawsuit.  What a pious, bullying fraud!

  Here's wishing the whitest of Christmases for the New England Patriots:  A densely packed stadium full of snow may well test that ground game that is so sorely out of practice.  All I want from Santa is for the Colts to play in New England in the AFC Championshp game, bringing the Pats season to an inglorious 17-1.  What could be sweeter?

    Felice Navidad!