Revis Agrees To Terms: After months of posturing and holding out the Jets and All-Pro Corner Darrelle Revis have agreed to terms. It looks as though it is a 4 year deal for as much as 46 million, with over $30 million guaranteed. This move is huge for the Jets as the impact of Darrelle Revis can’t be understated. He is by far the best cornerback in the league, and the Jets have now locked up his services for the next 4 years (which is one year longer than they previously had him under their control). With the season starting and the Jets offense still a work in progress, the Jets need their defense in top form.

Leinart Signs With The Texans: While a lot of speculation surrounded the Chief or Seahawks as Leinart destinations, the Texans ended up with the former USC star. While barring an injury there is zero chance Leinart will see the field in Houston, getting some experience in a top flight offense could help Leinart earn his next job (it worked for Rex Grossman). Leinart has a long way to go to resurrect his career, but a change of scenery was necessary.

Redskins Emerge As A Top Suitor for Houshmandzadeh: It is a bit surprising one of the major contenders aren’t looking closer at Housh, but the Redskins make plenty of sense. Their receiving corps is really weak behind Santana Moss, and Houshmandzadeh would be a vast improvement. While the Raiders or some other team could still end up with him, it would be a major coup for the Redskins and McNabb to end up with Housh. The Redskins would go from having one of the worst receiving corps to a pretty respectable one.

It’s a “Hard Knock(s)” life in Jets camp, and I’m thinking the team might regret opening up their camp to the exposure of the HBO show, when their best player is not in camp. And lets be fully honest here, Revis is by far their best player. While they succeeded last year due to new coaching, defense, and an impressive running game, Revis’s play stood out. If there was one single player the Jets couldn’t have lived without last season it was Darrell Revis. While they have made great strides on offense and defense this season, their Super Bowl dreams are very dependent on Revis being there every week.

While usually I don’t really support holdouts I can see where Revis is coming from here and am more surprised that the Jets haven’t already addressed this issue. All offseason we knew that Revis was unhappy and wanted a new deal, but I can’t believe it has come to a holdout. Especially since the team has worked out a new deal with D’Brickshaw Ferguson and extensions to both the head coach and general manager. Ferguson is a very good player, but he isn’t on the ‘one of a kind’ level of Revis. I think the Jets have dropped the ball here, and need to pick it up again before any lasting damage is done.

Now I don’t think Revis will get the $17+ million a year that he wants just yet (except on the open market), but the Jets at the very least should try to increase his compensation for the remainder of his current contract (3 years) and possibly try to tack on a 4th year. That way Revis gets paid, and the Jets possibly get an extra year. Even if Revis isn’t amenable to the extra year, adding some money to keep your star player happy is a pretty good idea. If they don’t or agree to a 1 year fix, this problem will return and eventually Revis will leave via free agency.

I realize this is a rough year with contract extensions and re-working contracts, but both the Broncos and 49ers took care of their star players and the Titans found a 1-year fix with Chris Johnson. Things can get done if the Jets want them to, they just need to get creative.

Right now there isn’t a defensive player more valuable in the league than Darrell Revis. And I’d take it a step further and say that outside of Peyton Manning and Drew Brees, I don’t know if there is another player more valuable to his team than Revis. And the Jets can talk about leverage all they want, but with the HBO show filming and them opening a new stadium this year (If you are going to charge $20K seat license you should probably pay your best player) the Jets need to make this work. My guess is it will get done within the next week, but it is a PR battle I don’t think the Jets are ready to win, so the sooner it ends the better for New York.

AFC East:

Buffalo Bills:

I think the Bills did a lot of good things to help their defense. Both their 2nd round pick Torell Troup (NT) and 3rd round pick Alex Carrington (DE) should immeadiately help their front 3 as they transition to a 3-4 defense. The Bills added a couple of pass rushers in 6 round, and both Arthur Moats and Danny Batten have a chance to be effective starters. Troup might have been a bit of an overdraft, but nose tackle was a significant need. The real problem with the Bills draft is what they did on offense, or what they didn’t do. With the 9th overall pick the Bills selected C.J. Spiller, the dynamic running, receiving, returning back out of Clemson. Spiller does everything, except the two things the Bills need the most, throwing the ball and blocking for those who do. And after Fred Jackson’s performance last season, Spiller doesn’t figure to get a ton of carries/catches. The 9th overall selection was a lot to spend on a third down back/return man. While the Bills added O-linemen Ed Wang and Kyle Calloway later, and got decent value where they selected them, that isn’t enough to address one of the worst offensive lines in football. Grabbing QB Levi Brown late gives you a little upside, but the Bills consistently passed on high rated quarterback prospects, guys who do actually project to be starters. For me the Bills didn’t fill needs or get enough high upside players. Grade D+

Miami Dolphins:

The Dolphins didn’t have a sexy draft, with the exception of the trade for Brandon Marshall, who does very much weigh into this grade (well 50-60% of Marshall, since they gave up a pick next year). With Marshall in the fold, Miami was able to trade back in the 1st round, add some more picks, and still get the guy they wanted DE Jared Odrick. Odrick is a perfect fit for the 3-4 end position and should generate a decent pass rush from that slot. Miami then grabbed a couple of solid linebackers, in 2nd rounder OLB Koa Misi and 4th rounder A.J. Edds, both have starting upside and should help immediately on special teams. Misi, especially should develop into an excellent starter and pass rusher. In between the two LB’s the Dolphins selected their lone offensive player (not counting Marshall) in guard John Jerry. Jerry is a very solid prospect, who helps give the Dolphins one of the deepest offensive lines in the league. There is a ton of potential with this unit’s backups, which will go a long way in helping the offense move the ball. Miami did pick up Reshad Jones in the 5th round. He is a bit raw as a safety, but has the talent and athleticism to develop into a starter at either safety spot. Grade B+

New England Patriots:

The Patriots went up and down this draft at will, which of course surprised no one since they do it every year. What’s even better is they even were able to start setting the table for next season, by trading a 3rd round pick for a 2nd rounder next season. Even with giving up a 3rd rounder, the Patriots still ended up with 12 draft picks including 5 in the top 3 rounds. The Patriots bolstered their defense early by adding CB Devin McCourty in the 1st round, OLB Jermaine Cunningham and ILB Brandon Spikes in the 2nd round. All three players should find an immediate home in New England, and while none might be a full-time starter in year one, they will all contribute. On offense the Patriots did a great job finding weapons for Tom Brady, by adding a pair of pass catching tight ends (Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez) and a very promising receiver (Taylor Price). Late in the draft New England picked depth picks across the offensive and defensive lines, in addition to a backup quarterback Zac Robinson. Overall this was a very solid and deep draft for the Patriots, and the only complaint might be that they didn’t address the offensive or defensive lines earlier, since they are razor thin at both positions. Grade B+

New York Jets:

The Jets only ended up with 4 picks but they made the most out of them. It is even more impressive considering they were able to trade for Braylon Edwards and Santonio Holmes using draft picks, giving Mark Sanchez all the weapons he needs to be successful. CB Kyle Wilson was an absolute steal at the bottom of the first round, and gives New York the best corners in the league. With an improved pass rush, the Jets defense should go from dominate to unstoppable. Adding Vlad Ducasse and Joe McKnight, both should be solid players and Ducasse should be a full time starter from day one. The only thing I don’t like about the Jets draft is that Ducasse and McKnight both only replace holes that the Jets created over the weekend, and aren’t a huge upgrade. While they are younger and cheaper than the players they are replacing, I’m not sure if they will be better this next season, which is troubling since the Jets are built to win the Super Bowl. I was shocked with how little they got in return for Leon Washington, one of the better 3rd down backs in the league. Overall I liked the Jets draft and I think they got solid value, but I don’t love the corresponding moves New York made. Grade B

Check back throughout the day as the rest of the divisions are posted!

Santonio Holmes has been a 1st round pick, a 1,000 yard receiver and a Super Bowl MVP for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but because of his exploits off the field he will now be playing for the New York Jets. The Steelers shipped him off for a measly 5th round pick in the upcoming draft. Now I realize he’s been a head case off the field, and the rumor is Holmes could be suspended for the first 4 games next season, but the Jets got an absolute steal in Holmes. The Jets receivers were their biggest question mark coming into this off season, and were almost assuredly going to use either their first or second round pick on a receiver to fill that need. Now in one major move the Jets filled their biggest need, and the Steelers created a whole new one.

When this off season began, a starting caliber wide receiver wasn’t even a thought. They had Holmes and Hines Ward, with impressive rookie Mike Wallace waiting in the wings, giving them one of the best top three receiver groups in the league. The Steelers did need depth, since former second round pick Limas Sweed has yet to show he could be a quality receiver, so they went out an signed Antwaan Randle El and Arnaz Battle. Now the need for a receiver has come back in a big way and is near the top of the charts for the Steelers. Randle El and Battle could have covered for Holmes if he was going to be suspended, but you can’t rely on them for a full 16 games. The Steelers will need to find another quality receiver in the draft, meaning they will likely have to spend one of their top 3 picks on the position. Considering the needs the Steelers have along the offensive line and at corner back, not to mention the serious depth issues at safety and outside linebacker, Pittsburgh will have to ignore one of their primary concerns to add another receiver.

Now I realize that Holmes has had his fair share of issues these past few years, but we aren’t talking about Michael Vick issues here. I am a little dumbfounded that all the Steelers got in return was a 5th round draft pick. Holmes is a top 15 receiver in the league, and while he is entering the last year of his contract, he would be worth a first round pick on merit alone. Given some of his off the field issues and probable suspension that might move down to a third round pick, but a fifth round pick is a drastic drop off. It’s even more of a head scratcher considering the number of teams in need of a wide receiver and the complete lack of first round quality receivers.

Also it’s not like the other receivers available in free agency or trade are choir boys. Terrell Owens and Brandon Marshall have had just as bad if not worse issues during their career. While usually I trust the Steelers decision making, especially when it comes to the draft, I am really left questioning this deal. It’s doubtful they could find any receiver that can match Holmes’ production next season, when the Steelers should be a Super Bowl contender. And if they try to add a receiver to just pick up part of the slack, they will have to spend a higher draft pick then they should, creating a weakness on another area of the team.

The Jets on the other hand are going all in in 2010. Both of their starting receivers will be free agents following this season, but they are both very good players and now headline a pretty good receiving corps. Now New York can use their top draft picks to make the league’s best defense even more dominate. This move may definitively move the Jets to the top of the AFC, depending on how the draft plays out for them. Holmes gives them a great play maker, who is a perfect compliment to the taller Braylon Edwards. The two of which should cause significant match up issues for opposing defenses. Holmes also is a great safety net for rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez. Holmes was fantastic in Pittsburgh in coming back to the ball when the play broke down and Roethlisberger was on the run. He should quickly become the go-to-guy in New York (well after the suspension is up) and a favorite of Mark Sanchez.

I credit the Jets in putting Mark Sanchez in the best possible position to succeed (except of course for throwing him into the deep end last season, by starting him from day one). Now though with the additions of Edwards and Holmes, to go along with Cotchery and Keller and the leagues best running game and offensive line, Sanchez has all the tools to take the Jets to the Super Bowl. At this point though there are no more excuses for Mark Sanchez to be anything but a top notch quarterback. The Holmes move (as well as freeing up their draft picks) is the final move on paper to take the Jets to the next level. Even if they don’t end up winning the Super Bowl, this was a fantastic bold move for New York, and one that shows their dedication to winning.

Typically when the NFL Free Agency period begins (aka one of the top 5 days of the year), there is a mad dash for the top talent available, and at least one big name will have already inked their name on a new contract. This year was a bit different, in the opening hours of free agency we’ve seen only one noteable player change teams, WR Nate Burleson who is now heading to the Lions. Even still there have been some interesting developments that deserve a mention from the last 24 hours.

Lions Sign Burleson:  Burleson was one of the top unrestricted free agent wide receivers available, but that doesn’t exactly mean he is worth $25 million over 5 years. Burleson has had just one productive season in the last 5 (and one semi-productive season as well), and has dealt with some serious injuries. What’s even more interesting is Burleson was widely considered a free agent ‘bust’ in Seattle, yet somehow can still get $25 million out of the Lions. Sure Burleson is an ‘upgrade’ to the Lions receiving corps, but who isn’t? Burleson isn’t a true number 2 and now the Lions owe quite a bit of money to Dennis Northcutt, Bryant Johnson and Burleson to not take any pressure off number one wideout Calvin Johnson. The Lions probably could have spent half of that to sign someone like Chris Chambers or Antwan Randle El, either one would have offered just as much chance of being a ‘solid’ number 2 without the high price tag or the injury history.

Jets Trade for Cromartie:  Antonio Cromartie was considered one of the league’s top corners just two seasons ago. Since then there have been some issues about work ethic and teams have found some holes in his game. I would expect Cromartie to get back to elite status this season for a number of reasons. First off, AC couldn’t be in a better situation. Now he will play opposite from the best corner back in the league in Darrelle Revis, Cromartie will no longer be forced to shadow other teams’ top wide receivers. The Jets aggressive defense should also allow Cromartie to take advantage of a couple of mistakes this season, and if anyone can get Cromartie to play to his full potential it is Rex Ryan. In addition to being in a great situation, Cromartie will be a free agent after next season, giving him plenty of incentive to get back to All-Pro form. For the young and talented Cromartie, the Jets only had to give up a conditional 2011 3rd round pick. Now the pick can move up to a 2nd round pick based on benchmarks hit by Cromartie and the Jets, but if so that will mean its a late 2nd rounder. To get a player of Cromartie’s caliber for just a late future 2nd round pick is a huge steal for New York. If Mark Sanchez can begin to start playing up to his ‘franchise quarterback’ label, the Jets should be one of the AFC favorites next season.

Redskins Revamp Roster, Potentially Not Big Players In The Market:  The Washington Redskins cut ties with 10 players yesterday and resigned two as free agency began. Notable among the cuts we back-up quarterback Todd Collins, WR Antwan Randle El, OG Randy Thomas, RBs Rock Cartwright and Ladell Betts, CB Fred Smoot, and DT Cornelius Griffin. Outside of Griffin, none of those cuts could be considered much of a surprise. Thomas and Betts have been injured far to often, Smoot and Randle El were way too pricey for their production, and Cartwright and Collins were luxury items who weren’t gonna cut it in the new Redskins system under Shannahan. Griffin though has been a good player for the Skins, but given his age and the likely switch to the 3-4, he was expendable.

The Redskins did resign their top unrestricted free agent Center Casey Rabach to a three-year deal. Rabach is starting to show is age, but its not a blockbuster deal by any means. Also there wasn’t much of an upgrade in way of free agency this season, and not a particularly strong draft class for centers, leaving the Skins with few options. Washington also resigned “Mr. Do Everything” Lorenzo Alexander. Alexander, who has seen time on special teams, jumbo formations, at defensive end, and defensive tackle will now also work as a rush linebacker in the 3-4. His athleticism, work ethic and versatility make him a valuable player for the Redskins and a solid investment for 3 years.

Despite the flurry of moves yesterday the biggest news coming out of Redskins Park might be the rumor that the Redskins won’t be going after any of the top name free agents. This rumor flies in the face of not only what everyone expects in Washington, but what we have heard so far this offseason, with the Redskins attached to every big name free agent. Now I applaud some fiscal responsibility, the list of cuts and the 4-12 record show what happens when you don’t use your money wisely, but it also worries me. If it is true that would take them out of the running for the top two free agents, Julius Peppers (who I like but don’t love for the Skins) and Karlos Dansby (who I absolutely love and think is a tremendous player) and puts them in the market for 2nd tier free agents. Now you can find some excellent values in the 2nd tier of the market, but I’m worried about the first name the Skins are linked to.

Offensive tackle Chad Clifton will be visiting Redskins Park today, and likely could end up leaving wearing Burgundy and Gold. Clifton might be the top unrestricted tackle on the market, and the Redskins do have a serious need there. But there should be a number of red flags for Redskin fans (and of course the team themselves). The first being Clifton’s age, he will be 34 next season and the last couple early 30′s offensive linemen the Redskins have relied on have not turned out too well. John Jansen, Randy Thomas, and Chris Samuels all saw their career’s collapse quickly do to injury and age, going back into that well is not the solution to the Redskins offensive lineman woes. Clifton already has had some injury issues and it is hard to believe that he could be effective for any contract longer than 2 years. Also, should we really be outbidding the Packers for Chad Clifton? The Packers were one of the few teams that had an offensive line worse than the Redskins last season, and while Clifton might have been the only good player on that offensive line, doesn’t he mean more to them then he would to us? Can we really say that paying Clifton more than the Packers is fiscal responsibility? The Packers are a playoff caliber team, that has a greater need for a quality tackle to help them get back to the postseason. Also, unlike the Redskins, they pick in the mid 20′s in the draft and won’t be able to get one of the top offensive tackles to replace him. The biggest red flag for Redskins fans, is what this will mean for the rest of their offseason, particularly the draft.

The Redskins will now almost assuredly draft their ‘franchise’ quarterback with the 4th overall pick, ignoring the needs at offensive tackle or trading back for additional draft picks to fill multiple positions. Rookie quarterback (if they play at all) aren’t successful their first season with very few exceptions, and only a handful more become successes in year two. It really isn’t until the third or fourth year until you will know whether a quarterback will make it or not in this league, especially when we are talking about a rebuilding team like the Redskins. So basically the Redskins will ignore the chance to fill multiple holes with the value of their 4th overall pick, and draft a player who won’t help them succeed these next two seasons, which will be the only two years that you can feel confident in your blindside protection.

Just How Good is Peyton Manning?:  When the Colts were down by 11, I think the Jets and their fans thought they could be Super Bowl bound, but they forgot about Manning. He absolutely went off on the number 1 ranked defense yesterday. And it didn’t seem to bother him that Darrelle Revis took away half the field, because Manning dominated the other half. For all we hear about Manning’s weapons of Wayne and Clark (a pair of former 1st round picks), it was Pierre Garcon (6th round 2008, Mount Union) and Austin Collie (4th round 2009, BYU) that dominated the Jets defense. It was just an all-around incredible performance by Manning yesterday, and showed why he is the best quarterback in the league.

Future Looking Brighter for Sanchez:  Mark Sanchez has had a tough rookie year and has been the weakest quarterback in the playoffs so far. He had shown flashes of being a good quarterback, but that was mostly against weaker competition and had also cost the Jets a few games this season. Of late though he’d been fairly mistake free, not because of major improvement in his game, but rather because of a much simpler passing attack. Sanchez was pretty much regulated to ‘safe’ intermediate and short throws so far in the playoffs. Yesterday though Sanchez had his best game of the playoffs (and his young career), he showed much better decision making and poise in the pocket. He didn’t try to force the ball in to coverage, and really showed something against a big team in the biggest game of his career. Now Sanchez has some things to work on, accuracy being the primary concern, but in 2-3 years Sanchez could become a pretty good starting quarterback.

Saints Go Marching On:  Who would have thought it would have been the Saints defense and special teams that sent them to the Super Bowl? While their defense got torched with yards and penalties, they came up with enough big plays to win yesterday. And how huge was the Peterson fumble right before half after the Bush muffed punt? That Saints defense all season has just been relentless in getting takeaways, and showed it again last night. Gregg Williams and company deserve most of the credit for that victory, because Favre had a great game yesterday. Think of what he would have done if he actually had time in the pocket? The Saints pass rush completely dominated the Vikings offensive line and had Favre on the ground quite a bit. The Saints defense was the key to the game, and is why they will be making their first Super Bowl appearance.

Just How Tough is Brett Favre?:  Now I realize all the talk now is about that last interception, and on whether or not it was Favre’s last game (again). But really we need to acknowledge that yesterday’s loss was on two things:  the offensive line play, and lack of ball control. Not only did the Saints recover a fumble inside the Vikings 20 yard line, but Minnesota coughed it up twice when they were at the Saints 10 yard line! And the offensive line, which had begun to collapse at the end of the season, looked awful yesterday. They couldn’t handle the stunts and blitz packages New Orleans was throwing at them, and Favre paid the price. Not only was he getting hit hard (and sometimes illegally), but he was injured and in obvious pain. Favre played well enough to win that game by a couple of touchdowns, but his 0-line and the fumbles cost them dearly.

Colts Heading to the Big Game:

Mark Sanchez and the New York Jets have been the underdog team throughout this year’s postseason. Now their road to the Super Bowl goes through (ends) in the place where in many ways it started. After a tough Week 15 loss to the Falcons, the Jets playoff hopes were all but over. They had to win their next game, which just so happened to be at Indianapolis. At the time the Colts were 14-0, and seemed likely to keep up the intensity for at least one more week (at least that is what I believed building my fantasy roster that week). Instead with a 5-point lead in the 3rd quarter, the Colts pulled their starters, and the Jets responded, winning 29-15.

That victory propelled the Jets on their unbelievable playoff run (pretty sure the Bengals and Chargers have taken the Colts off their Christmas card list) that will now come full circle. The Jets have won with defense, running the ball, and a little bit of luck, and will need all three factors in place today if they hope to overcome their playoff benefactor. This time though the Jets will have to contain Peyton Manning and company for 60 minutes, and that is a task that no one has been able to accomplish this season.

The Jets defense is great and one of the best we’ve seen, but so is the Manning and the Colts offense. New York will get after Manning and try to disrupt his timing, but he is so smart back there I don’t think they have a chance. While Darrelle Revis will probably take away Reggie Wayne for most of the game, the Colts have too many other weapons. In fact the best defense against the Colts scoring attack is the Jets own offense.

As long as the Jets offense is on the field, Manning is not and their defense can stay rested. Time of possession usually is something that is unimportant to the Colts (they won a game earlier this season with having the ball less than 15 minutes), but against the Jets that could be an exception. The Jets defense is good enough to slow down Colts to the point where they will need all the possessions they can get. The problem with the Jets is their offense won’t be able to control the clock, with long time consuming drives. While they are an excellent running team, they lack the passing attack to be complete. So far they’ve relied on big break-away runs, which are nice and worth 6 points like any touchdown, but not the sustained drives that they need. Putting up points is always good, but taking minutes off the clock is just as important.

In the end Manning will be too much for the Jets defense to handle. And while the Jets’ ground game may find some success, their lack of a passing attack will end up being the key today. Colts win 21-10 and begin packing for Miami.

By Fanspeak Contributing Writer Geoff Nelowet:

The New Orleans Saints Will Earn their First Super Bowl Birth:

The Minnesota Vikings have not made it to the Super Bowl since 1976, and the New Orleans Saints have not sniffed the Super Bowl in their franchise’s history. In 2007 the Saints played in their first NFC Championship – a game in which the Chicago Bears handled them with ease by the score of 39-14. In short, both franchises are overdue for a Super Bowl appearance. Unfortunately, one team has to be sent home on Sunday.

The Saints have been the team to beat over the course of the regular season, and they are the top playoff seed. Drew Brees has led one of the most prolific offenses in football, and the fast-paced aerial attack will be a different animal for the Vikings’ defense. Brees has been connecting with an assortment of talented receivers this season, and Marques Colston, Devery Henderson and Robert Meachem have combined for nearly 3,000 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns. Along with their production, Reggie Bush has been a major spark on both offense and special teams, and last week against the Cardinals, Bush looked dominant with 217 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns. Bush is the quintessential X-factor for the Saints.

The Vikings are coming off a dominant win over the Dallas Cowboys. In their 34-3 win, they proved that not only can they beat a good team, but they can dominate a good team on both sides of the ball. Their defense shut down a stellar offense, and Brett Favre led the Vikings down the field with ease against what looked like the best defense in the playoffs. The Vikings stumbled down the stretch of the regular season, but they bounced back resoundingly.

The Saints and Vikings are clearly the two best teams in the NFC, and Sunday’s match-up will be a narrowly decided game. The key to Minnesota winning comes down to how much pressure they can get on Brees. Last week, Jared Allen led the defensive line with an unyielding amount of pressure on Tony Romo, and if he can replicate his performance against the Saints, the Vikings will win. The Saints, though, have a better offensive line, and Brees delivers the ball much quicker than Romo, so it will be exponentially more difficult for the Vikings to shut down the Saints’ offense. Furthermore, Reggie Bush looked dominant last week, and when he is healthy, he adds yet another dimension to the Saints’ attack. Minnesota will not find the same success on defense this week, and the Saints will win at home for their first Super Bowl birth. Final Score: New Orleans 33 Minnesota 28.

-Its true what they say ‘Defense wins championships’:  Not one time this season did the Chargers fail to score 20 points until yesterday. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a less meaningful 300 yards passing by San Diego. Sure they got that last touchdown by driving down through the air, but there was no consistency in the passing game. This was a passing attack that many thought was the best in the league, given their combination of weapons.

-Size doesn’t matter:  Usually when size is referenced regarding a game with the Chargers on the field, people are talking about Darren Sproles, but the true “Small Wonder” yesterday was Jim Leonhard. Leonhard at 5’8″ was covering guys 9 inches taller than him and making plays all over the field. He had one interception and a forced fumble that was ruled incomplete (not sure if I buy that call). Leonhard’s play epitomizes the Jets defense and their attitude, and is so fun to watch.

-Revis Recount: I realize that Player of the Year awards are based solely on regular season performance, but I think Darrelle Revis is the rightful winner of the Defensive Player of the Year award and not Charles Woodson. No disrespect to Woodson, but these playoffs have separated the two corner backs by a wide margin. Woodson could do nothing to stop one of the greatest playoff passing performances we’ve ever seen, including some big catches by his man (for most of the game) Larry Fitzgerald (and those were with some safety help as well). Revis shut down Chad Ochocinco in week 1, with his only real catches coming when the Jets went into prevent (Revis also had a big interception). Yesterday Revis was just as dominate, he didn’t shadow a single receiver but took away which ever player he was on. Despite giving up 6-7 inches he made a great play on that deep jump ball to Vincent Jackson, and had the wherewithal (plus a little luck) to intercept the ball and pick up a few return yards. Revis also made a great play on that screen to Tomlinson in the 1st quarter, stopping him for a four yard loss. And he was just one block away from returning that missed field goal for a touchdown before half, on a great heads-up play.

-Rookie leads the Jets to victory:  Nope not Mark Sanchez, their top pick and the guy that is so hyped in the media, 3rd round running back Shonn Greene is the real offensive hero (well him and the offensive line). Greene averaged 5.6 yards a carry for 128 yards, including that big 53 yard touchdown run in the 4th quarter. Greene has been huge down the stretch for the Jets and runs like a veteran, not some rookie.

-The ‘need’ of a Franchise Quarterback?:  Every April when the draft comes along we hear how teams NEED to draft a franchise quarterback to be successful. Well the Jets listened, but their success is IN SPITE of their ‘franchise’ quarterback, not because of it. He was just plain awful this season, and really can’t handle anything 15 yards plus down the field. He doesn’t do well with pressure, can’t scramble around, and can really only succeed with three types of throws: screen passes, sideline passes, and short to medium throws off play-action. Now I’m not trying to beat up on Sanchez. While I’ve never been a fan, I think there is a chance that he could develop into a very good QB down the road, but right now he is a well below average quarterback and the Jets are winning. Back-to-back weeks New York has gone into a ‘franchise’ quarterback’s home stadium and made them look silly.

Speaking of looking silly:  How big of an idiot is Phillip Rivers? How can he go up and yell at the Refs, who you know are actually watching the play and in position to see it. Rivers is 20 yards away and has about 19 bodies between him and the ball, yet somehow he thinks he knows what happened and can disrespect the officials. The worst part about it, is its not an isolated incident. Year in year out, week in week out, Rivers constantly yells and screams at the officials for any calls he doesn’t like or ones they don’t make. Funny I never see him scream at them when his players aren’t called for holding or offensive pass interference (I guess he only wants the refs to call a perfect game in his favor). Look from home we see that the refs aren’t perfect, they’ll miss calls, and they will blow some calls, but it does even out in the end (not to mention they were 100% right with this call). And if you have an issue with their calls, there is a system in place to deal with it. First there is this thing called instant replay, also after the fact a team can always appeal to the league if a call was really blown. Its one thing to voice your displeasure at a call, but quite another to yell and scream at them. If this was baseball, he would have been thrown out of the game, and if it was basketball he’d be called for a technical (and potentially thrown out of the game). Why does the NFL, (and media) allow Rivers to get away with this childish behavior? I hope next year they start issuing unsportsman like penalties on Rivers (I mean they do it on coaches and other players). And Phil as all your yelling and screaming EVER reversed a call? NO, why because officials aren’t going to let the players run the show. So grow up and leave your attitude back in preschool where it belongs, its time to be a man and a role model for all those out there watching.

Three blowouts and one great game if you like offense, that is all you need to know to summarize this weekend’s playoffs. Overall though I can’t complain, because every team I was rooting for won. A couple quick points I want to make about the games this weekend:

–For all the talk about this being a quarterback league and that you need a franchise quarterback to win the big games, defense and the run game were the difference in the first round. The four highest paid QB’s in the first round all are going home and of those matchups you can really only say that Romo was better than McNabb (and that is a pretty close comparison). Though Warner is a ‘franchise’ guy, and Flacco and Sanchez could one day be as well, none of them were the best quarterback on the field.

–Running game and defense were the difference in ALL the games.

While you wouldn’t think the Cards could play defense with the way they were torched by Rodgers, they made two big plays early, as well as the fumble return that won the game in overtime. They also put more consistent pressure on Rodgers than the Packers defense did on Warner. The Cards out gained the Packers on the ground 156-90. The Ravens defense absolutely dominated the Patriots from start to finish, they forced four turnovers and had Brady completely confused. They won with just 34 yards through the air (Flacco had a 10.0 QB rating!), because they controlled the running game 234-64.

As for the Saturday games: The Cowboys forced four turnovers, and also chipped in with four sacks. They out gained the Eagles 198-54 on the ground. The Jets game is the one exception as they didn’t out rush the Bengals, both teams finished with 171 yards, but the Jets defense controlled that game from start to finish, with 3 sacks and forcing two turnovers. For the Bengals, running the ball is the only way they could move it (not good when they spent most of the game trailing) as Darrelle Revis absolutely shutdown Chad Ochocinco.

–Another interesting thing was of the three repeat matchups from week 17, only the Cardinals changed their fortune: We heard all week how you should take the results from week 17 with a grain of salt, because the playoffs are different, or they ran vanilla offenses, or that the Bengals, Eagles and Cards were resting their players, or that they weren’t trying because they had nothing to play for (even though the Eagles definitely did have something to play for). Despite all the talk and rhetoric all week, the exact same result happened when the Bengals and the Eagles got on the field this weekend (and the Bengals were now at home).

–The thing I love the most, is the four teams that were considered the “sleepers” or “dark horses” are now out of it: All year we heard about the Patriots being back this year, now that Brady was healthy New England was going to pick up where they left off in 2007. And the talk didn’t die down when they lost to the Colts or the Saints, or a few other games a ‘dominate’ team should have won. Instead it turned to how they would be a different team in the postseason, and a team that could go to the Super Bowl. In reality they weren’t a great team and got blown out yesterday (how hard is it to figure out the Raven’s offense: run right, run right, run left, run center, run right?).

The Bengals all season we heard how they were a new team with a ground game and defense to go along with Palmer and Ochocinco. Well the running game worked, but Palmer was off all day on Saturday. And what happened to that defense, not only did the Jets run over them, but they couldn’t figure out the Jets simple passing attack or get any pressure on Sanchez (has anyone ever seen two more simplistic offenses than the Ravens and Jets be successful in the playoffs??).

In the NFC, for a long time the Eagles became a favorite third option for all the analysts who didn’t want to pick a front runner. And Philly looked like an even better pick once the Vikings and Saints started struggling down the stretch. They looked anything but a Super Bowl contender on Saturday. The Packers became another favorite pick down the stretch, despite the fact questions about their O-line, pass defense and running game hadn’t been answered. All the talk of how they were a new team after the Cowboys game and that if they faced the Vikings and Favre again the outcome would be different is all for naught.

Running to Victory:

The Jets and Bengals will meet up for the 2nd straight week, though this time the Bengals will the home team, and will hope for a different result. Last week they got absolutely demolished 37-0. Now the most ardent Bengals fan will tell you that they played a ‘vanilla’ game and they rested their starters in the 2nd half. What they forget to mention is that Carson Palmer has had some bad performances in recent weeks (even if you excuse Sunday night’s debacle) against the Browns, Vikings and Chiefs. Now you can understand Vikings game, they were on the road, and Minnesota is a pretty good team. But struggling against the Browns and Chiefs is a bit more problematic, those are the two worst teams in the AFC this season (they also lost to Oakland earlier this year). What’s more, is it wasn’t just Palmer who has struggled some, their running game has come to a halt of late, and their defense isn’t dominating like it did earlier in the year. The one saving grace for the Bengals is they face the New York Jets and rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez.

One dimensional doesn’t even describe the Jets offense right now, as all they truly do is run the football (the only positive is you know you can run some play-action passes against the Bengals today). While we’ve seen our fair share of run-oriented teams with a strong defense make the playoffs in recent years, and the Ravens, Steelers (in 2005), and Bears all went to the Super Bowl, none of them compare to the Jets this season. Mark Sanchez has a bright future, and may one day end up being a franchise quarterback. That day won’t be today, as the Jets know the more passes Sanchez attempts the lower the teams chances of winning are. And it wouldn’t shock me in the least if Wildcat quarterback Brad Smith dusted off the old arm and put the ball in the air a few times.

The fact is I don’t think the Jets will need to throw the ball too many times, as I see their running game having no problems carrying the load today against the Bengals. The Bengals defense has fallen off as the season has worn on, and the Jets have too many weapons running the ball with Thomas Jones, Shonn Greene, and Brad Smith all figuring to get their share of carries. The Jets also have one of the league’s best offensive lines, who have opened up big holes all season for Jets’ runners. With that kind of ground game, I think the Jets will call a couple play-action passes and a few screens to keep the defense somewhat honest. Outside of that I think New York will keep on running it until the Bengals show they can stop it.

It will be up to the Jets defense to keep the Bengals from scoring and give the offense some short fields to work with. I see their defense having no trouble either task. The Jets were first in the league in points allowed, total yards and passing yards (thank you Darrelle Revis). Their rush defense was 8th and quite a force as well. To see just how dominate the Jets passing defense was, one only needs to look at this stat: The New York Jets had the 31st ranked passing offense (in terms of yards) yet in 10 out of their 16 games had the top passer of the game (Sanchez 9 times, Clemens once). Of the 6 games where they didn’t have the top passer (solely in terms of yards, not interceptions) the QB’s that beat them were Brady twice, Brees, Henne, Garrard and Manning. That is pretty impressive considering only Brady threw for over 300 yards (in the 2nd game) and in the first game against Brady he had bad overall numbers just enough yards over Sanchez. I think the Jets defense puts up another great performance and shuts down the Bengals 24-13.

By Fanspeak Contributing Writer Geoff Nelowet:

Can Tony Romo Finally Win a Playoff Game?

Not only is this an NFC East divisional rivalry, but also this is a rematch of just last week’s meeting. Dallas trounced Philly 24-0 at home days ago, and it culminated in a season sweep over the Eagles. Last weekend’s contest determined the winner of the NFC East, and gave Dallas home field for the opening round of the playoffs.

The Cowboys have been up-and-down this season, and they have been a bit unpredictable, but they are a talented group that has come together at the right time. The Cowboys finished the season beating New Orleans, Washington and then Philly when many people had written them, as they had collapsed late in the season so many times before.

Unfortunately for the Cowboys, there is still plenty of time left to collapse, and Tony Romo is still working on his first playoff victory. Should the Cowboys lose, there will be a lot of talk of Romo’s inability to pull out wins in the playoffs, which may be unfair and results-oriented, but that is criticism that comes with being a quarterback.

With that in mind, this is arguably Romo’s biggest game as a pro. He is going up against a team that he has already taken down twice this season. He beat the Eagles only a few days ago, and this playoff game is essentially a replay. The only difference is that it is the first game of the playoff tournament, and anyone that thought Romo was incapable of carrying a team in the playoffs will now have much more ammunition if the Cowboys lose.

If it has not been made clear yet, the Cowboys losing to the Eagles is a definite possibility. The Eagles have one of the most talented offensive teams in the NFL, and when Donovan McNabb connects on his deep plays – mainly to DeSean Jackson – they are virtually unstoppable. The Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints, are waiting for the winner of this game, will most likely be rooting against the Eagles because they are team nobody wants to face – even the Cowboys.

The Eagles will avenge both losses earlier this season, and they will hand Dallas yet another devastating and frustrating playoff loss that will re-open the “Romo can’t win in the playoffs” talk. Final score: Philly 30 Dallas 21