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Well it is finally here, after 20 weeks of grueling football actions, two teams are about to meet to see which one is deserving of the NFL’s biggest prize. Usually, the week or two leading up to the Superbowl provide some of the biggest storylines of the year, and without a doubt this year is no exception. From Ray Lewis’ retirement, the PED controversy, President Obama (and Ed Reed)’s concerns over player safety, Joe Flacco’s status as an elite quarterback, how many yards Colin Kapernick goes for and of course, the brother v. Brother anticipation not seen since Cain and Abel, this year’s game definitely has some Super-sized headlines.

However, leaving the hype aside for a moment, there is actually a very interesting matchup that has been set up between these two particular teams. These two teams demonstrate that aside from a couple offensive blips in recent years (New Orleans and Green Bay perhaps the most notable), that defense still paramount in winning championships as both teams pride themselves on their defense, and more specifically their front seven.

Even if these two teams encompass the defensive traits that are present in most championship squads, the question still remains, who will win the big game? While most experts are projecting the 49ers to add to their already impressive collection of Super Bowl trophies, after looking at both of these squads from every perspective imaginable, I maintain that taking the Ravens is the smarter play. Not only do I think the Ravens probably win this game outright, to go against the points in what breaks down on paper to a pick ‘em game would really be a suspect move.

The case for the 49ers is easy, they are a great defensive team, with a great run game, explosive receivers, a great head coach and they were one game away from making the Superbowl last year. Well you know what is funny? The exact same is true of the Baltimore Ravens and in this context alone I do not know how the 49ers can be giving 4 points on a neutral field.

Some try to explain the disparity, by citing the Ravens injury issues and their inconsistency during the regular season as reasons. However, these two points are essentially one in the same in that the losses of Ledarrius Webb, Terrell Suggs and Ray Lewis are the reasons this defensive team faltered as they were missing 3 of their 4 best defensive players (Ed Reed being the only one to play a full season). Furthermore, not only is Ray Lewis, their leader on and off the field, back, but he has summoned the very best out of everyone around him and if you have watch Baltimore during their post season run (3 games on the road), they actually seem to be getting better.

Therefore, while there are certainly other reasons to pick Baltimore-having the quarterback with more playoff experience, the more seasoned NFL coach, better playmakers by position (save for maybe TE), having ever girl in North America who has watched the Blindside pulling for Michael Oher- the Ray Lewis factor is enough of a reason to tip the game in Baltimore’s favour. Again if this were truly a pick ‘em game by Vegas standards, I would take Baltimore. However, because the Vegas bigwigs have seen fit to give Baltimore 4 points, take the gift, take the safe play, and take the Ravens.

PICK: Ravens (+4) OVER 49ers  

BONUS PICK: Will Ed Reed Have an Interception? Yes!-Ed Reed has been incredibly quiet this postseason and is set to be a free agent next season. In 10 playoff games he has 8 picks. DO IT!

GOOD LUCK AND PLEASE GAMBLE RESPONSIBLY!!

Although I have been swamped with work and trip planning (holler Jamaica), it occurred to me that I had not given a recap for the NFC and AFC title games. Since it has been some time since the games, I will try and be brief…

Atlanta loses another home playoff game (YES AGAIN!!)- In a surprise that came to no one outside of the state of Georgia, the Falcons lost yet another home playoff game. Coming into this game the Falcons could not have been more disrespected as the Falcons, the NFC top seed, were actually the underdog despite playing at home (the spread was about 4.5 points). So it was all there for the Falcons, a home game in one of the most loud Dome’s in all of football, playing a lower seed and coming off a shocking, but nonetheless big, playoff win against the Seahawks and in a game where Matty (no)Ice was a chance to really stick it to his detractors by winning the big game. Well, based on that storyline alone given the Falcons history you should be able to predict the result. However, to the Falcons credit they actually had all of the momentum and a big lead early in this one, and every player, even Matty (no) Ice looked good in this one early.

Unfortunately, the worst of things happened to the Falcons and it is what is known in football as the Second Half. After a few defensive adjustments by the 49ers, the Tony Romo Matt Ryan promptly exploded like the Hindenburg and all of Atlanta was left to bare witness to the wreckage, also known as the biggest collapse in NFL playoff history.  It will be some time before the Falcons as a franchise feel this low again (probably not until next year’s divisional matchups), but it is time for some hard soul searching and for all of Atlanta to demand responsibility from the Falcons for this latest fiasco. Some possible changes that immediately help the Falcons include; convincing Tony Gonzalez to stick around for one more season, getting rid of Michael Turner who is far too one-dimensional (and a couple games past washed up), using  the draft as an opportunity to revamp the defense including getting some linebackers that can tackle and giving coach Mike Smith only another year and another debacle before firing him (I am still picking my jaw up off the floor after learning that he was named coach of the year by the Sporting News. Really Sporting News was every other coach in the NFL get disqualified for supplying Lance Armstrong with PEDs or something? Did they collectively beat a bag full of bunnies with belts and dumbbells?? I WANT TO KNOW@@@!!).

On the bright side Atlanta, you’ll always have Matlock…well not really.

Another NFL Golden Boy Bites the Dust- Only a week after the NFL’s overrated and regular season only Crown Jewel bite the dust, the NFL’s other Golden Boy (who is actually aptly rated), got his heart ripped out for the second year in a row (well really every year since 2005). I was lamenting a couple of weeks ago how tiresome I was growing of Ray Lewis’ all about me antics, but Ray, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. In fact if anything, Ray Lewis has somehow gotten a team that was mediocre only a month ago, into a position where they are only one more win of the Superbowl title. For two weeks in a row, the Ravens hung in there with the NFL’s top two teams not named the 49ers (Sorry Houston and Atlanta, but I guess my perennial disbelief of your squads was all the more justified again after your runs this year). The final test has come for the Ravens, can Ray Lewis rev his team up just enough to win more game and proved to the World what your team can accomplish if provided the right inspiration? Win or lose, the Ravens’ performance over the last couple of weeks is nothing short of amazing and in way it goes much beyond of football. What this team is proving to all haters the world over, is that hope and inspiration are powerful things. Channelled the wrong way you are nothing, maybe mediocre. But channelled the right way, and the most amazing of things can be accomplished. Nothing is impossible. What a great example the Ravens have set and if they win it all, it will go down in history as one of the most inspirational…and again, it goes way beyond football.

My apologies for not posting my recap sooner but it has been a hectic week. In any event, after going 3-0 with my picks I’m hoping you will cut me some slack. Ok enough with self-praise, onto the recap…

HIGHLIGHTS:

The Patriots Deliver: As expected by everyone outside the Houston area, the Patriots throttled the Texans at home and only allowed the score to get respectable once the game was out of reach. Despite Arian Foster pleas for mercy all week, the Patriots trampled the Texans up and down the field on Sunday night at Gillette and seemed to score at will. I don’t think I will ever forget the image of Bill Belichek looking up after the Brady-Vereen score late and barely batting an eyelash, but it goes to show you that the Patriots are still fuming from their loss last year to the Giants in the Superbowl and are in statement game mode the rest of the way. Although the loss of Gronkowski is big, the Patriots seem to play better when players are simply out instead of playing injured. With the Patriots machine rolling like this and Hernandez now at 100%, I doubt they will miss him much.

The Ravens Big Win: Although I expected the Ravens to cover the spread, I had no idea they would shock the world by beating the press-loved Broncos on the road. Although I have pointed out several times this season that the Broncos have not beaten anyone of tremendous significance and/or any team not ravaged by injuries and that Manning was a huge risk given his situation (said this all offseason), it became clear on Saturday that the Broncos didn’t have it. Not only were the Broncos having trouble keeping up with the now-semi healthy Ravens team with Ray Lewis Back, Manning was forced to play with a glove on his hand because they cold was affecting the nerves in his hand due to his medical history (neck injuries and 4 surgeries). Manning has never played well in the playoffs save for the one title won when the Colts were a tremendous underdog and the pressure was off (a career record of 9-11), but this home loss as the number one seed to a depleted Ravens squad has to be one of his top two all time worst playoff outcomes. I am not a professional athlete but if I ever were to become one, I would absolutely want to hire Manning’s “Team”, it would be the first thing I did. This team has managed to get Manning max money, max attention, max media love, max exposure, max EVERYTHING despite the fact that Manning is a loser when it comes to the playoffs and when legends are made (My new rule is that if you are sub .500 in the playoffs you are a loser). His team are able to play GMs, fans, the media and sponsors for fools year in and year out, hell if I ever get famous for anything I want the Manning team to represent me. PERIOD…or whoever represents Channing Tatum or Sam Worthington.

LOWLIGHTS:

Green Bay’s Big Bust- Unlike many in the Sports media like Grantland’s Bill Barnwell (how this guy is paid to go 1-3 I have no idea), I knew Green Bay had next to no shot in this one. The spread was a little freaky, but just to pick, how could you pick against the 49ers right now? Not only that but the 49ers smoked the Packers already once this season, and nothing has fundamentally changed about the Packers all season. No run game, suspect defence, sub-par special teams (including their freightful kicker who has played his last game in Green Bay)…I mean all they have is Rodgers. They are the definition of one dimensional and I am shocked they even managed it this far into the season with their style of ball. In any event, Rodgers as fantastic as Rodgers is he needs a ton of help. Green Bay has basically thrown him to the wolves last two season, so in the offseason they had best make some solid changes and if there draft class isn’t running back, running back, offensive lineman, defensive end, kicker, running back, running back I’ll be pissed, and so should Rogers.

Seahawks Grounded- Although it was a fantastic game too watch, if you have any affiliation to the Seattle Seahwaks, be it fan, player, front office, coach, or other, you have to feel sick to your stomach about the way this game was given away. To give Matty No-Ice a win in a game, in which the Falcons were exploding worse than Both Death Stars combined, how could you not feel sick. I’m sick and I don’t even like the Seahawks.

Anyway, the blunders which accounted for Seattle’s loss are numerous and should be accounted.

First, how in the World does Seattle not take the field goal when they are in Atlanta territory and down only 13-0 in the first half. I know the media heads are thumping their chests and want to let Seattle off the hook by saying that’s what they would do, but that is why they are perennially wrong media heads and not coaches. No way Bill Bellichek, Bill Parcells or Tom Coughlin go for it in that situation. To go for it and make it is great, but it still does not assure you 7 points, if anything it assures you another stupid decision to go for it on 4^th down again on the same drive. However, if you go for it and miss it is a terrible momentum swing in a game you are still in. The latter is of course what happened, and the Falcons promptly capitalize by marching the length of the field and scoring a touchdown. Moronic!

Second, even more moronic (and this is something I actually agree with the talking heads on), is if you are going to go for it, how can you not give it to Marshawn Lynch on one of the two tries on third or fourth down!@ It is absolutely inexcusable!!# Lynch is one of the best backs in the game and has carried your run game all season!! Give him the damn ball!!@@##

Third, although Russell Wilson made enough good plays this season to excuse himself even if this game was a blow out, for him to take that sack at the end of the first half was brutal. The sequence of him getting sacked, and the Seahawks not lining up quick enough to get a play off to try for a field goal or touchdown cost them at least 3 points. In a game decided by 2 points there’s your ball game.

Fourth, after it appears that the Seahawks had found the Falcons ventilation duct and the chain reaction to Matty Ice going 0-4 was inevitable, the Seahawks somehow allowed the Falcons to march down the field with less than a minute and allow them a scoring play. The sequence I am referring to is of course, when Marswhan Lynch scored his suspect and seemingly game winning touchdown (ironically it might have been better if the score did not stand) with less than minute to go. After the score, it looked as though Matt Ryan had been iced, but alas he had been left enough time on the clock to march down the field and put his team in a position to win the game. There are certainly some props that must be given to Matty on this one, but for Seattle’s defense which includes two of the best defensive backs in the game to give up the plays it did down the stretch is inexcusable.

Fifth, that decision to call timeout and try and ice the kicker was brutal. It was almost as brutal as his pathetic rouse to pretend he did not call timeout to ice the kicker. But the decision itself was still pretty brutal. I know there has been no conclusive evidence to say that icing the kicker works or it doesn’t and there are camps for both schools of thought, I however believe I have the solution.

The decision to ice the kicker should be used with great caution and only after a through assessment of the circumstances. If the kicker is rushed onto the field and it is a relatively long field goal, NO ICE should be attempted. If however, the kicker has had plenty of time to assess the situation and the distance is not that long then perhaps an ICE attempt should be warranted. BOOM! Debate over. Like most things in life this boils down to common sense. I don’t know how coaches and talking heads can’t get this right.

In sum, the aforementioned are only 5 of the reasons that contributed to why Seahawks pissed away this game. Any one of them could have blown this game against Matty Ice and his shaky confidence and the Seahawks must now spend all off season thinking “what if”. What if indeed.

PICKS

HOME TEAM IN CAPS

BRONZE PICK

Ravens (+9.5 to +8) OVER PATRIOTS- This pick does not fill me with confidence, but the Ravens have played the Patriots well in their last two meetings and are made up very similarly to the Giants. The last point is especially relevant of course because the Giants are the only team two break the Patriots hearts in the playoffs in their biggest games. With Ray Lewis back anything can happen for the Ravens. I would be scared to give the points AND take the Patriots in this one.

SILVER PICK

PATRIOTS (MONEYLINE) OVER Ravens- Although every girl in North America is going for Michael Oher and the Patriots in this one, the Ravens above everyone know how tough it is to beat the Patriots. The Patriots are in full-on assassin mode, and with a defense that is still beat up it will be tough to overcome. If they had Ladarius Webb and Ed Reed hadn’t looked so bad last week I probably would not be advocating this pick, but it is so tough to go against the Patriots right now even with Ray Lewis playing the way he had and brought the best out of the Ravens. Its tough, but I think the Patriots take this one.

GOLD PICK

San Fran (MONEYLINE) OVER FALCONS- It is hard to think back to the last time a higher seed with a better was an underdog at home, but such is the public’s faith in Matty Ice. Not only that but after the way Kapernick played last week you would be hard pressed to find someone who didn’t think the Falcons were cooked. That being said however,  there is something I don’t trust about the magnitude of the 49ers margin of victory. San Fran has not been a great redzone offense and their defense is surely to have problems containing both Julio Jones and Roddy White. I see a 49ers victory but I am not confident enough to take -3.5 in a road game. As such, I would put a solid amount on the 49ers Moneyline had be happy to win a quarter of my money.

GOOD LUCK THIS WEEK AND PLEASE GAMBLE RESPONSIBLY

My apologies for my sub .500 picks last week, I had no idea Andy Dalton would play worse then the spawn of Mark Sanchez and Brandon Weedon in a playoff game but such is life. As I mentioned in my weekly recap, even though Dalton was doing all he could to lose this game the Bengals were still in it late and had he actually be able to complete a pass 99% of decent QBs make on the reg. via that toss to AJ Green late, this game is likely a W for the Bengals. Alas, due to his incompetant boobery I was dropped to .333 instead of the respectable .667, but lets see if I can make up for it here…

HOME TEAM IN CAPS…

BRONZE PICK

Seahawks (+3) OVER FALCONS- Even with the loss of thier star Defensive Lineman Chris Clemons to a torn ACL, this game is too big for the Seahawks to lose. Although they are known as a “home-team” Seattle has played solid ball away from home of late and at various points throughout the season they have looked like the leagues best team. With no running game the Falcons are going to have to throw, and unfortunately for them are going up against the league’s best secondary. With the Clemons loss the game is prolly a pick ‘em even though I have no faith in the Falcons, but getting points the money must be on the Seahawks.

SILVER PICK

Ravens (+9.5) OVER BRONCOS- If Ray Lewis wasn’t playing I would probably stay away from this one, but with him in (and his obnoxious overkill aside) I must take the points and go with the Ravens. Look, I am not saying the Broncos won’t win this game, but there should be no reason that the Broncos who have not beaten anyone of consequence all season should be getting 9.5 points against a Baltimore team who are better then the Broncos on Special Teams and with Lewis in, on par with them on Defense.

SPICY ACTION BONUS #1: If you are looking to give yourself a heart attack, I would recommend taking Baltimore with the points, but then hedging that bet with a Money line pick of the Broncos. If you put 25 on the Ravens points and 40 on the Broncos moneyline you are covering yourself against every possibility and if the Broncos don’t blow the Ravens out you are sitting pretty. Sure you could be out 15 bucks if the Broncos pull off the upset, but its 15 bucks live a litte.

GOLD PICK

Patriots (MONEYLINE) OVER HOUSTON- You might be asking yourself where the genius in this pick is because New England is at home, for the most part they are finally back to health and they beat down the Texans the last time these two squads met. WELL THAT’S THE POINT, Gold Picks are supposed to be picks you are likely to win. If you put down 150 on the moneyline here you are set to make anywhere from 30-42 bucks. This is the last no brainer game for the Patriots all season (knock wood) and aside from betting against the Dallas Cowboys in a must win game, its probably the safest bet in sports.

SPICY ACTION BONUS #2: PATRIOTS (+9.5) OVER Texans. I am never a huge fan of giving points like this, but this is a statement game for them. They want to win this game as much as possible so that they initidate their likely opponent the Broncos should they have to travel to thier house to play them. If you were to put down 25 on the Patriots spread you are looking at a pay day of about 67 bucks (also playing the Moneyline) should they blow out the Texans. The Texans do have some motivation in this game, but even if they can cover you still make money if the Patriots get the W.

GOOD LUCK AND PLEASE GAMBLE RESPONSIBLY

HIGHLIGHTS

The Packers Big Bounce Back- A week after getting beat by the Vikings, it looked like the Packers wanted no part of Adrian Peterson and the Vikings. Although they won the first game of this eventual rubber match, after watching Adrian tear them up for two games in a row I doubt anyone in Packerland wanted to play this team (especially after the loss in the last week of the regular season). But then what happened in the playoffs is something you hope happens to any serious contender, they got it done. Although their season has been rockier then most playoff teams in recent memory, the Rodgers-led Packers played lights out football when it mattered most, and actually beat the Vikings much worse than the final score indicated. Yes, having Christian Ponder out had some effect I’m sure on the outcome of this game, but I think his absence was over emphasized. The Vikings offense has faced teams lining up 7-8 in the box to try and stop Peterson all season, and as such, I doubt having a quarterback you know can’t throw replace a quarterback you know can’t throw made little difference.

Hats off to the Packers, for not only getting back to executing on offense, but having their defense step up and do what most teams couldn’t all season, stop manage Adrian Peterson. Lastly, there is something very similar about this Packers team to the one that won the title two years ago. If Charles Woodson can stay healthy and help vaunt the notoriously lackluster Packers defense at least to one level higher, this could be very dangerous team down the strecth.

The Texans Texas-Size Win- Although it shouldn’t be surprising when a number 3 seed knocks off a 6 seed at home in the playoffs, but for a while there it did not look good for the Texans. Over the course of the game it looked like the Bengals were doing everything they could to hand the W to the Texans but for much of the game the end result was still in doubt. In fact, if Andy Dalton could have hit AJ Green in stride on that endzone pass late in the 4^th, this tight contest might have had a completely different result. But alas, the Bengals are the Bengals and Andy Dalton looked especially awful in this game so it is only fitting that he missed that throw. With the win the Texans beat the Bengals for the second year in a row and managed to escape (for at least a week) much of the criticism they have faced of late. This week, they themselves go on the road to face the Patriots in Foxboro, so sufficed to say they are facing a much tougher task. While those in the Houston area are hoping for something special on Sunday, I think the Texans have done all they are going to do this season and losing to New England seems deserved for the way they gave away the NFL’s best record over the last few weeks of the season.

LOWLIGHTS

Those Ridiculous Redskins- Well it finally happened, RG3 came crashing down to Earth and that loud thud you heard was everyone jumping off the bandwagon. Look, while I have been a notorious RG3 skeptic from the beginning, mainly because I do not trust mobile quarterbacks in the NFL due to their propensity for injury, he did impress me at various points throughout the season. However, even I could plainly see that with the way the Redskins brass was using and over-using him this season, that whatever NFL career he was going to have would be drastically shortened. If you thought it was moronic for the Redskins to put him back in the lineup after his concussion issues  (including the absolutely deranged decision to line him up as a WR during this period), the Redskins’ stupidity was that much more pronounced when they trotted their quarterback out into games late in the season after he got hurt. I don’t care if its the playoffs, this guy is your franchise, if he has to sit four games now then so be it. If his tenure at the helm of your team is hoped to be at least 10 years what sense does it make to put him out there on one leg? Not only is he not going to perform the way you expect, but the chances of injury are sky-high. Who doesn’t know this?

To no one’s surprise RG3 of course got hurt and it is believed that he tore both his LCL and ACL in the process. For a franchise quarterback, couple these injuries with the devastating injuries he already suffered in college and it probably won’t be long before its back to the drawing board for these same old Redskins.

Ray Lewis’ Goodbye Party- What do you mean this was Ray Lewis’ last home game and how come nobody told me? The previous sentence was of course spoken by no one as any analysis or legitimate coverage of this game was forgone the second Ray Lewis announced his “retirement” last week. If this truly was Ray Lewis’ last game at home than I guess it was bearable to watch Ray Lewis monopolize every ounce of this game including the way he managed to get back on the field during the final kneel down and repeat his tired dance one more time. However, if Ray Lewis pulls a Brett Favre and were to somehow un-retire and  we have to go through these shenanigans again there must be some sort of reprisal. Fans cannot take much more of this nonsense. Banning players from fake retirements and the shameless self promotion it creates can and should without a doubt be the next item on the agenda for the commissioners of all major sports.

My apologies for not having posted any picks since my successful mid-season run, but I am back. And hopefully with a vengence. Ok, now that I have sufficiently jinxed myself here are my picks….

As always home team in Caps..

BRONZE PICK

Bengals (+4.5) OVER TEXANS- I know Houston is the tougher team on paper, but ever since they got stomped by the Patriots they have not looked right. Add that to the fact that they always let down in big games (especially in the playoffs) and you have a recipe for a huge Cincy win on the road.

SILVER PICK

Colts (+7) OVER RAVENS- While I am aware that Ray Lewis will be making his “return” in this contest I am not afraid, and nethier should you. Ray Lewis even if he returns is likely to be a a shell of his former self and the Ravens have been a mess for about 7 weeks now. Add to this the fact that Andrew Luck (my MVP) is playing out of his mind and the whole Chuck Strong movement and there is no way the Ravens should be getting 7 points even if they are at home. Be smart and take the points and Indy.

GOLD PICK

SEAHAWKS (MONEYLINE) OVER Redskins- I know the media has been falling all over itself to pat RG3 on the back but I am not sold. Yes, the Redskins are coming in hot, but RG3 is banged up and barely escaped with a win last week against my beloved Cowboys who were just dying to give that game away. Seattle might not traditionally be a good road team, but they are red hot right now, have played hard in every game this year and did travel across the country (two countries in fact) and stomped the east coast Bills in Toronto just a couple weeks ago. I would take the spread, but something about this game is screaming taking the safe play and only taking the money line.

GOOD LUCK THIS WEEK AND PLEASE GAMBLE RESPONSIBLY

HIGHLIGHTS

My Mile High Salute- Although I consider myself to be right far more often than I am wrong, I am still man enough to admit when the latter occurs. As such, to Peyton Manning, John Elway and the entire Broncos organization you have my sincerest apologies for stating at the beginning of the season that the Manning signing would be something regretted. While I still do not believe that the Broncos will win the title, Manning has played some of the most amazing ball played by anyone this season, especially given his set of circumstances. I do not think he’s the MVP mainly because his team made it to the playoffs last year (and won their first game), he plays in an incredibly easy division and the Broncos have yet to beat anyone significant, but to win 11 games straight to close out the season and come back at such an advanced age the way Manning has is simply amazing.

Those Indy Colts- Do they ever give up? Even in games against superior opponents this year, they have found ways to win in impressive fashion. I know it seems that every week I praise the Colts and state emphatically how Andrew Luck is not only my Rookie of the Year and MVP, but at this point what else am I to say? At this point what can anyone say? Again I know all the hype is around RG3, Manning and Peterson, but Luck is doing things the best NFL players of all time could not do. Not only has he shattered the rookie record for wins in a season, but he has single handedly turned around a 2-14 franchise, taken his team into the playoffs and unlike Manning, is actually beating quality opponents. This past week he disintegrated the number one team in the league in Houston (now fallen to 3 in their own conference) and a few weeks ago beat the reigning MVP in Aaron Rodgers who many consider to be leading one of the two best teams in the NFC. Forget what you know, Luck is the MVP, he was weeks ago, he is even more-so now.

They be Riding that Vikings’ Back- If you looked up workhorse in the dictionary, as of Monday the picture featured and the named underlined would be that of Adrian Peterson. I have been somewhat of an AP cynic over the years, but what he has done over the last year coming off that ACL tear is simply amazing. To bare witness to the feats that Manning and Peterson are performing really is a testament to the state of medical science today. What is going on really does bare some serious questions. Are there even such things as serious injuries anymore? Will any player not named Greg Oden ever have to fear getting hurt again? How many great careers could have been saved if this science was around when so many hall of famers went down prematurely in their primes? Anyway, these are all valid questions but back to Peterson. The man is simply a freak, medical science or not because even if doctors can fix his leg without issue in this day and age, he should not also be able to get back on the field after so little time off and crush it the way he has all season. I still do not know if having Christian Ponder as your quarterback help AP (he gets the ball all the time) or not (they stack 8  box to stop him), but if the pros and cons cancel each other out, then you are left with a running back who was 9 yards away from one of the most sought after records in NFL history. Congrats Peterson, now lets get you a quarterback.

LOWLIGHTS

Those Crashing Jets- If I got the Manning situation in Denver wrong, than I certainly will pat myself on the back for calling the Jets acquisition of Tebow and the ensuing implosion of the team spot on. Now of course I cannot pat myself on the back too hard, but unlike some who though this would be a minor negative, I knew this would be a massive Hindenburg-esk disaster. Even looking back now I do not know what the Jets were thinking. Their “franchise” quarterback Sanchez although he went has taken his team to two AFC championship games, is utterly terrible, at least using any modern day statistical QB metric. His numbers stink, his mechanics stink, his leadership stinks, his resolve stinks, so what exactly did the Jets brass think was going to happen when they brought in an equally flawed sideshow to only burn the media spotlight that much brighter on their franchise guy. Maybe they thought they could engineer one decent quarterbacks out of two half-ones, but as the old edict goes, when you have two quarterbacks, you really have none.

Anyway since the Jets were on a collision course all year there really isn’t anything left to say other than, at least their terrible GM has been fired, Tebow and Sanchez both seem to be out the door and maybe now Jets have something to look forward too.

Why No One is Scarred of Houston- On Sunday, the Houston Texans (or the AFC version of the Atlanta Falcons as I like to call them) proved exactly why no one fears playing them (or the Atlanta Falcons). The reason? Well if you watch any big game they (or the Falcons) play, they will almost always blow it. They are like a more successful version of the Dallas Cowboys (please wait, that break down is coming). In this latest example, the Texans sporting one of the best records in the league and with a chance to wrap up the number one seed and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs, found a way to blow another statement game they needed to have. The result? The Texans are now a 3 seed that has lost 3 straight and instead of having the week off must play a seemingly rejuvenated and hot Bengals team. Do the Bengals think they can win? Of course they do!! Only the mainstream media tends to give credence to anything done by phony team like the Texans (and Falcons). The real sports fan of course knows different.

Dallas Chokes Again- If ever you want to know if its cold outside you need not bother going outside to check or pulling up the Weather Channel, all you need to do is see if the Cowboys are losing another do or die game and you will know it is December. I was sort of joking last week when I advised my readers to put everything they had against the Cowboys in their Sunday win or go home game against the Redskins for the divisional title and a home game in the playoffs, but really I wasn’t. I put a bunch of money down myself, and if my emotions were not so invested in the Cowboys being my favorite team I probably would have bet hundreds (if not thousands) more. Hell, I could have bet my house. Why? Well the reason is simple, the Cowboys have for the better part of two decades now stunk and/or not been able to win a critical game when they have had too!! I do know what is wrong with the water in Dallas, but they never seem to have the look of a team that wants and/or is prepared to be there. I cannot put it always on Tony Romo because sometimes the safeties stink (like this Sunday), or  sometimes the corners stink (like this Sunday), or sometimes the offensive line can’t block for shit (they were ok this Sunday), or sometimes the mostly decent defense just can stop anyone on the run (LIKE THIS SUNDAY), but more often than not Romo is deserving of a significant amount of blame (LIKEEE THIS SUNDAYYYYY!!!!!!!?!!!!!).

In this latest Cowboys debacle, despite their best efforts to give the game away, the Cowboys were still in it. Despite the fact that they were blitzing non-stop on defense, on offense it seemed like the Redskins were refusing to go for the kill shot and were content to just run up and down on the Cowboys. Even late in the fourth, if it were not for the Romo’s brutal 3^rd pick or Jason Hatchers moronic personal foul on third down deep in their own end, the Cowboys had a real shot at winning this game. But of course, this is Dallas in December and of course there was no way they were winning this game.

This will be a long offseason for Cowboys fans, because once again on paper the Cowboys looked good enough to take on anybody. But like I said last week, there is a real difference between on paper and what works in reality. As such while I do not have all the answers to fix the Cowboys, having watched almost every Cowboys game over the last 15 years I can state the following with confidence;

-Dallas needs a new coach- Jason Garrett is not a head coach, and he is at the very least the head coach for the Dallas Cowboys. He cannot handle the pressure, and seems to bumble when it matters the most. If he is to coach let him go to the Browns or the Panthers. For Dallas to win they need a coach with a winning pedigree (i.e. Bill Parcells, John Gruden, Bill Cowher etc.)

-Miles Austin must go- Dallas is paying way too much for this injury prone and not number one receiver. With the emergence of Dez Bryant, Dallas can afford to cut this guy and put his money to better use.

-Tony Romo must also go- Look I have been through the dark days, also known as the post Troy Aikman days, when it seemed like a different guy off the street was quarterbacking my beloved Cowboys. However, Romo is getting paid FAR too much money for not getting his team into the playoffs. Not only that, for whatever reason, Romo seems to be a living contradiction in that he is a great comeback quarterback but can never do it in real do or die situations. As such, if I can find a suitable replacement or at least a decent quarterback who may not be as talent but at least is consistent, I would cut or trade Romo immediately and put that Romo money into the needs of the team. If I cannot find the replacement guy right away, I would wait the year scout someone and then let Romo walk when his deal is up next year unless he can do something major like a deep playoff run.

-Beef up the Offensive line- Back in the hayday of the Cowboys dynasty one of the most notable things about the Cowboys was the strength of their offensive line. For years it was the best in the NFL and was one of the prime reasons Dallas won although titles in the 90s. Now, because of the money tied up in underperforming skill positions the line has suffered and so have the prospects for the Cowboys. As such  I would immediately put some of that Miles Austin and Tony Romo money into the line and do all that I could to make some noise in the draft with the goal of getting that line back close to where it should be.

-Get some safeties who can play- I know I have ripped the Cowboys secondary for years, but at least this year I can say that Dallas  moved in the right direction and signed some playmakers in Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne to play the corner positions. Now it is time for Dallas to take the next step and find at least one guy who can play safety. Every season I see a ton of big plays go against safeties who can’t cover and who can’t tackle. Enough is enough. It is time for the Cowboys to use whatever money is left from beefing up the O-line, and put that into the safety slots and then draft as needed to fill any vacancies.