I seem to recall a controversy in the New York Football Giants camp over the draconian discipline imposed by that ogre of a coach, Tom Coughlin.   Reportedly a stern taskmaster, "Colonel Coughlin" had a near mutiny on his hands in 2006 when the team was still saddled with the salt and pepper narcissists, Jeremy Shockey and Tiki Barber.  Well, lo and behold, the Giants subracted two pukes and ended up with a Superbowl Trophy.   So why does purported tough-guy Coughlin put up with the childish antics of Plaxico Burress?  I'm sure there is clause in his contract about "conduct unbecoming" and you can't get more unbecoming than the arrogant, lazy, selfish Burress.   I don't mean to sugar-coat it, but the team seems to be doing just fine without Mr. Family Man.   The guy has the work ethic of Allen Iverson, the grating personality of Rosie O'Donnell and the IQ of a field marker.  Trade him to Dallas, the new graveyard of the malcontents since Al Davis has turned Oakland into Bizarro World.  Man up, Coughlin!  This drama-queen is going to upset your applecart and there is no upside left in Plaxicoland.

Big Sunday night game in San Diego, with the Bradyless Bunch pitted against San Diego's marvelous Norvelettes.  How do you root for anybody in this one?  Belichik's passive-agressive arrogance is exceeded only by LT's lack of heart and Phillip Rivers' punk whining.  The noise should be excrutiating as two bandwagons full of frontrunning wannabes clash in the devolution of all of their hopes and dreams.  We can certainly all rejoice in the fact that somebody's gotta lose.  Just hope they beat each other up in the process.

Sage Rosenfels has filed the necessary paperwork to have his name changed to "Parsley."  Or was it "Rosemary?"  Was there a bigger bonehead play last week than Rosenfels failure to slide for the first down with less than 5 minutes to play and a 17 point lead on Indy's Colts?  Instead, Sage went airborne, got helicoptered and stripped with Gary Brackett steamrolling 68 yards for a Colts TD.  Of course, the Colts got two more turnovers and scores in less than 2 minutes and are at least back in the hunt.  If by some miracle the Colts make it to the Superbowl, they should vote Rosenfels a share of their loot.

I don't know about you, but I am tired of hearing Howie Long and the Fox boys #### all over the NFC "Beast from the East."   This division is certainly over-hyped and completely over-rated.  Philly has lost their way as Donovan McNabb teams generally do.  The Giants look terrific but they have that Plaxicorian cancer to remove.  And Dallas?  Despite the hysterical enthusiasm of Romo's ####, this is a team destined for the trash bin once the wheels come the rest of the way off.  Jerry Jones is still trying to get Pacman Jones fitted for a leash as his penchant for strip clubs hasn't waned and his body keeps rejecting  the ginko biloba brainfeed patch the team trainer prescribed.  T.O. is just getting wound up on his "All About Me" tear, insisting that he is being under-utilized.   That leaves us with Washington, who Jimmy Johnson insisted was a joke early this season, impugning the selection of Jim Zorn as head coach.  They might as well have a bye this week, hosting the hapless Rams, but like the rest of the NFC East, there will only be heartbreak come season's end, for everyone but the G'ints.

When its all said and done this season, the AFC South will produce the AFC Champion.  The Titans continue to look rock solid, especially considering the fact that they now apparently have a referee on their team.   When you are playing solid defense and can get the ref to hand your team a bogus roughing the passer penalty when you really need it, things begin to seem pretty bright.  Even with a retrograde QB replacing a wishbone QB.  It appears the Titans will probably lose to the Jags in their rematch, and to the Colts at least once and possibly twice.  The Steelers and the Bears seem like possible losses as well.  12-5 looks doable and that should get the number 1 seed in the AFC.   Houston's gift-victory to Indianapolis should give them the momentum they need to settle down and roll.  To succeed Indy needs to start fast and force the other team to throw the ball.  With Manning rusty from zero pre-season practice and a dinged-up rookie OL, the Colts have limped their way to 2-2.  They should at least split with the Titans, and will probably split their much tougher schedule with the Chargers/Patriots/Steelers and Ravens.  11-6 looks likely for the Colts, despite their wobbly start, and  I would look for the Titans and Colts in the AFC championship if the splits fall right.

That all Manning Superbowl remains a distinct possibility, but not without Bob Sanders healing up and Plaxico shuffled off to the drama/diva boneyard. 

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!