By Guest Blogger John Manuel:

The Winter Classic is now just days away and finally the Caps are showing some life.  Winning three out of four with only the shootout loss against the rival Pens.  Saturdays upcoming game will be interesting if the weather does produce rain.  I don’t have a hockey playing background so I am not sure how this will effect the game.  Feel free to comment.  This game is huge but we all know what it will come down to is the playoffs.  Winning the Southeast Division is nice but it seems to not matter.  Visiting teams can win in the playoffs.  Its all about getting in and playing your best for those couple months.

I still think the Caps will make a major move before the trade deadline.  They have some cap room and General Manager George McPhee and Coach Bruce Boudreau could be under fire if the Caps do not produce in the playoffs.  Players like Martin Brodeur or Jerome Iginla could be available.  Most of all they will need their big guns to produce come this Spring.  Mike Green hasn’t shown up in the past two playoffs and Alex Semin had a tough past playoff run. Green is key and changes the whole team but him and his sweet scooter will be under a lot of pressure.  You have to wonder if this why he was left off Team Canada for not being a big game player.

The Caps have a few months to see if Mattheiu Perrault and Marcus Johansson are going to be immediate impact players for the playoffs.  Perrault is fun to watch and looks to be getting more confident although the Tim Gleason hit may set him back a short time.  But what we have seen from the 24/7 show is that hockey players are crazy tough and have the scars to show.  Thank you HBO for the facial closeups on the interview.  The show is great and I won’t even make comments on cursing.  It was great to see a vet like Mike Knuble step up.  This what makes the show great.  Could you imagine if they had done 24/7 or Hard Knocks on the Skins this season?

On the Wizards front, the Rashard Lewis is off and running to more road losses.   Lewis has made it to the starting lineup but more talk is about his contract.  There is doubt that someone will take on his current deal so we are probably stuck with hoping he can bridge the gap until the Wizards are real players.  The trade was simple, get rid of Gilbert no matter what they could get.  Good to see Nick Young get major minutes.  I think he can still be a viable option at shooting guard for the future.  And watch out for JaVale and Andray at the bars now.  It seems like these two find themselves into Flip Saunders doghouse way too much.  Could see them both gone at some point.  McGee has a lot of potential to be something but we said the same about Brendan Haywood and he was a marginal NBA center we kept waiting to take the next step.  He kinda did and then we traded him.

The recent loss to the Heat was brutal.  Had the game in hand until the final minutes and blew it.  Its going to be a tough season but just hang on until they open the lottery cards in Seacacus.  Winning again is not out of the realm of possibilities.  Adding a Perry Jones, Harrison Barnes and hopefully Jared Sullinger to run with Wall is a start.  I have watched more Wizards basketball this season than I would have expected even with Wall missing games with injuries.  They have come to play against good teams many nights and have energy.  Then again I haven’t been racing down 95 to get to the Verizon Center either.

I wanted to add that it was great to see the Yankees miss out on Cliff Lee.  Finally someone turned down their money.  My favorite part was when Sportscenter played some Yankee radio callers after the news broke crying about Lee’s decision to return to Philly.  Still think the Yankees will make something happen before the season since the Red Sox made major additions.  I hope both teams blow next season but that probably won’t happen.

And finally thanks to the San Diego Chargers loss to two win Cincy, my 40-1 bet on them winning the Super Bowl is done.  Didn’t count on it but thought they would at least make the playoffs.  The Chiefs deserve to go and San Diego has to endure another season of Norv Turner.

New Orleans Proves The Falcons Can Lose At Home: The Falcons had been perfect in the Georgia Dome this season and 19-3 over the past three seasons. In fact it was only the 2nd loss ever for Matt Ryan at home. None of those records matted when the New Orleans Saints and Drew Brees came into town. Brees didn’t have his best game and even threw a pick six early in the 4th quarter to give the Falcons the lead, but he came through when it counted. Brees led the Saints on a 90 yard scoring drive, capped by a 6 yard touchdown pass with 3:30 remaining. While it was a great defensive game on both sides, it was the Saints defense that really won this game. The Falcons came up with some big plays against Brees and Co. but they still allowed the Saints to move the ball more effectively. The Saints defense on the other hand only allowed 7 points and and really held the Falcons offensive stars in check all game. While the Falcons still hold the top spot in the NFC, it showed that they are a bit more vulnerable.

Pitt Knocks Off UConn: In an early Big East battle the Pitt Panthers knocked off the UConn Huskies in a statement win for Pitt. The Panthers should move up in the rankings with this win, and they proved once again how tough they are to beat at home. The Huskies Kemba Walker was the high scorer for the night with 31 points, but his output could only keep UConn within 15 points as the Panthers won 78-63. The Panthers never trailed in this game and played shutdown defense, holding the Huskies to 32% shooting. The Panthers were paced by Aston Gibbs with 21 points, but had 3 other players in double figures. Although it is a long Big East season, it was key to get a big win like that early. The Panthers are a good balance of veteran and young players, and really should challenge for the Big East title this season (and possibly more).

Chargers Announce That Norv Turner’s Job Is Safe: After an embarrassing loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, that eliminated the Chargers from the playoff hunt a lot of speculation arose that Turner might be on the hot seat. Chargers president and owner Alex Spanos dispelled any notion of that by saying that both Turner and G.M. A.J. Smith would return next season. It was a very candid approach and the right move by the Chargers to dispel any rumors before they maybe hurt the Chargers locker room. Considering how good the Chargers have been of late I don’t think you can fire Turner after one average (albeit disappointing) season. Considering the massive injuries this team faced, in addition to an offseason filled with a number of holdouts (including two that lasted well into the regular season) I think Turner did a fairly good job. In fact if anyone deserves to go it probably should be A.J. Smith, who’s tough negotiating policies led to the holdouts and trade rumors swirling around this team. Smith also had one of his weaker draft classes this past season, that really set the Chargers back. Overall though it is a good move bringing both Turner and Smith back and giving them a shot to redeem themselves, in what is still a fairly weak AFC West.

Red Sox Sign Bobby Jenks: Boston signed former White Sox closer Bobby Jenks to a two-year deal yesterday worth a total of $12 million. Overall it isn’t a bad deal for the Red Sox, considering most relievers are signing for 3 years this offseason. While $6 million is pretty pricey, it helps make Jon Papelbon expendable in a trade. Jenks provides another good, quailty back of the pen arm, who at times has flashed dominance. I like this deal for the Red Sox and I think they will be greatly rewarded for picking up Jenks.

Chargers Crush the 49ers: This was a big game for San Diego as they moved to within half a game of the Kansas City Chiefs for the AFC West Division. Considering that the Wild Cards both have a game and a half lead on San Diego, the Chargers will need to win the West to go to the playoffs. San Diego showed just how dangerous a team they can be in the post season as they beat the 49ers last night 34-7. The Chargers controlled this game from start to finish, as the 49ers defense didn’t have an answer for them. San Diego once again showed that they are basically unbeatable in December, and they look to be the Division champs when the season is over.

Tim Tebow Taking Snaps In Practice, Could Start This Week: The long awaited Tim Tebow era could begin this week in Denver as starting quarterback Kyle Orton is a bit banged up. Tebow took snaps with the first team offense yesterday, and should play a bigger role this week against the Oakland Raiders. Tebow has played in some special packages this season, but has yet to see the field for any significant game action. While Broncos fans have been clamoring for Tebow for sometime, I’d be a bit careful for what you wish for. While Orton’s number have dropped this season, quarterback play is not why this team is in last place. The Broncos offensive line woes and lack of a running game are a much bigger reason for their struggles. To say nothing of their porous defense that really hasn’t stopped anyone. Personally I doubt Tebow is ready, as I think he still needs developmental time to learn how to be a top quarterback. Broncos fans should be patient with Tebow and let him develop at his own pace.

A Guest Blog By Fanspeak contributing Writer John Manuel

Back from a trip to Vegas and ready to drop some knowledge on the current world of sports. When I last commented on the NFL the Cowboys were a relevant team. Not anymore, coach is gone, the celebrity QB can take a long trip to Mexico and not get criticized and Jerry Jones is faced with having to bring a top of the line coach in and give up some say on the direction of the team. Trust me I am not sad they suck. I enjoyed my Sunday a couple weeks back of watching David Garrard look like Joe Montana. Although I wouldn’t have predicted them to win the Super Bowl I am shocked how bad the defense has played recently. This week could get ugly against the rolling NY Giants. Dallas would struggle with the Little Giants based upon the past few weeks.

I did just return from my second Vegas trip in a month. Unfortunately it was for work both times but I spent a few minutes in the sports book. Last spring I was able to grab the Ravens winning the Super Bowl at 18-1 a week after trading for Anquan Boldin. That is very much in play but this time I went another route. I couldn’t resist dropping a small amount of cash on the 40-1 San Diego Chargers. At 3-5 when I made the bet I knew it was a long shot but you never know. They always play horrible the first two months, then run off like eight in a row and win the division. Winning the division means at least one home playoff game. And with the tough AFC teams beating on one another, who knows, maybe the year the Chargers aren’t supposed to go, they do. This scenario happened with the Colts the year they beat the Bears. Phillip Rivers is a beast. Just look who he is throwing to. Robin Williams’ character from the “Best of Times” caught 6 for 98 last week from Rivers I think. Vincent Jackson will be back for the stretch also don’t forget.

Side note. I actually have a friend who thinks Derrick Brooks had a better career and is a better player than Ray Lewis. I thought I would add this in because it makes me laugh every time.

On a second side note, there is nothing worse than getting an awful fantasy football trade offer. The excitement of an email saying you have a trade offer and then the disappointment of being offered Seattle Seahawks defense for Ladanian Tomlinson. Then it gets better when the person tries to fool you by adding, “LT is going to have no legs by Week 13.” Or when someone just thinks because I am a Redskin fan I would give up Andre Johnson for Santana Moss. In my league, we call these offers “Matzies” after one of the league owners.

When the Yankees officially sign Cliff Lee I think I am done with Major League Baseball. This is getting old just like the Yankees are. I hope he gets some crazy amount of money, as does Jeter and in 5 years maybe I will come back to being fan when they have to deal with a bunch of guys in their late 30s or 40s making ridiculous contracts. Although I did say the same thing a couple years ago when New York said they weren’t players on Mark Teixeira giving National and Orioles fans hope. Then at the last second crushed theirs and the Red Sox and Angels offers. Thank you again Texas Rangers for beating them.

When Manny Pacquiao steps into the ring Saturday with Antonio Margarito I think of another boxer first, Miguel Cotto. Not that he lost to Pacman but because how he probably was screwed over in his loss to Margarito. They should have thrown out that loss once it was found Margarito had illegal substances in his gloves when he lost to Shane Mosley. And Margarito shouldn’t have the chance to fight in the US after I watched that HBO special where “Irish” Billy Collins back in the 80s life went downhill after suffering a similar loss by cheating. To get cleared to fight in the US Margarito should have had to go first through the gauntlet of Cain Velasquez, Alton from the Real World/ Road Rules Challenges, The Great Khali, Clubber Lang, and Charlie Sheen at his craziest.

And how good is John Wall? A triple double in his fifth career game. Thank god the Wiz won the lottery because this would be maybe the worst team to watch in recent history of any sports. Even worse than Norv’s first Skins team of John Friesz, Ethan Horton and well I am trying to forget those teams. Wall leads the NBA in turnovers but who really cares? Watching him go baseline to baseline after a defensive rebound is sick. Gilbert Arenas even has to be impressed if he has time watch in between dropping number twos in Andray Blache’s shoes.

And finally there will be a Memorial Service for my friend Josh Matz’s Fantasy Football Team after this weekends play you can check it out at:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/event.php?eid=105850812817526

I really don’t even know what to say anymore as it appears each week is crazier than the last:

-While it isn’t too shocking that the Colts beat the Chiefs yesterday (though maybe a bit surprising that Indy had trouble scoring), what it meant was pretty surprising. Not only did the Colts hand the Chiefs their first loss, and knock off the final unbeaten team, but they ensured that no team started the year 4-0 or better. It is the first time since the 70′s that at least one team hasn’t been able to win at least their first 4 games. And considering that last year the Saints and Colts went pretty deep into the season before they got their first loss, it is even more shocking.

-The Redskins once again had the game decided on the final play of the game. In 4 of their 5 games this season the Redskins fate has been decided on the final play of the game. Now some of that makes sense since in overtime the game is sudden death so any score is the final play, but the Redskins have already had two overtime games which is a bit much. This Redskins version of the “Kardiac Kids” are 3-1 in those final play games so luck is on their side, but for their fan’s sake it would be nice to see them take a knee in one game.

-The Cowboys fall to 1-3 after getting beat bad by the Titans at home. The Cowboys were easily good enough to win that game, but their penchant for penalties (which has plagued them all year) has lost them another game. Dallas is now two games back in the division that they were supposed to win this year. And for all the hype of them having a chance to have a ‘home’ Super Bowl, not only is the idea of them making it unlikely at this point, but would they even want to? The Cowboys are now 0-2 at home this year, and have looked completely lost.

-The Chargers fall to the Raiders for the first time in 13 games. San Diego can’t seem to put two good week’s together this season. One week after dominating the Cardinals, the Raiders come out and just flat out beat the Chargers. San Diego might not be out of the division, but this does not look like a team that could go far in the postseason.

-The Bengals lose another game. After losing to the Browns last week, this week the Bengals lose to the Buccaneers. This was considered a Super Bowl contender after they added T.O., Jermaine Gresham and a few other options to Carson Palmer’s arsenal. The problem apparently isn’t Palmer’s weapons but Palmer himself. He threw three interceptions yesterday. One of which was returned for a touchdown, while the other two set up both the game tying and game winning drives (pretty short fields on both) in the final 3 minutes of the game. The Bengals gave this game away and now have serious question marks at QB going forward.

-Undrafted Hall and the Cards knock off the Super Bowl Champs. Now who ever saw this coming? I liked Max Hall coming out of college and thought he would be a solid backup in the league, but he showed a lot of moxie and poise in yesterday’s win. Now Hall didn’t ‘lead them’ to victory in the traditional sense, but he played solid football. And most importantly he kept them in a position to win. The Saints didn’t give up a single rushing or passing touchdown, but their 4 turnovers (two of which were returned for scores) sealed their fate. They also weren’t able to rattle the rookie quarterback too much, as the Cardinals held the ball for half the game. Saints are another Super Bowl contender who right now 5 weeks into the season look like anything but. It’s a long way to go but it is pretty troubling start so far.

With yesterday’s decision to reduce Vincent Jackson’s suspension it was inevitable that the Redskins would be linked to the talented but troubled receiver. Washington’s receiving corps is among the weakest in the league, as well as being one of the smallest groups of players in the NFL. Jackson would help in both fronts, he is a 6’5″ frontline receiver that is tough to cover one-on-one. In addition, at just 27 he is in the prime of his career, and younger than the Redskins top 4 receivers (everyone but Thomas and Banks). So why is it a bad idea for the Redskins to get interested? Because they will further hurt their long term success by trading for him.

Washington has already given up their 3rd and 4th round picks for next year (they will get a 5th-7th round pick back from the Saints depending how the McNabb and Brown deals work out), after giving up their 2nd and 3rd rounders this year (for McNabb and Jarmon — who almost didn’t make the team), and 2 years after giving up their 2nd rounder for Jason Taylor (the Skins gave up a 6th rounder as well). So in summary the Redskins have given up 5 good picks over the last three drafts (including the one coming up) and have Taylor, McNabb, Brown and Jarmon to show for it. Now most people might look at that and say the Redskins did pretty well, but I look at that list and think they got throughly fleeced.

Now I will say I did support the Jarmon supplemental round draft pick at the time, though the transition to a 3-4 made that a bad pick in hindsight. I will also say that I’m a fan of the Brown deal. While he is only signed for one year and coming off an injury, he is signed for a good price for this season, $3.6 million, and is still relatively young. So a 5-year extension after this season wouldn’t be a bad deal. I also like the deal, because there was no net loss of a draft pick* (now if he plays in 90% of the offensive snaps or goes to the Pro Bowl there would be a loss of a 6th round pick). Outside of the conditional pick though the Saints will receive which ever pick (3rd or 4th round) that the Eagles don’t get (will explain in a bit). If the Saints get the 3rd round pick then they give back a 5th round pick and if they receive the 4th rounder than they give back a 6th or 7th round pick* (not sure of the condition here I’m presuming it is based off of whether it is early in the round or not). Either way the Redskins don’t ‘lose a pick’ rather they just trade back and get Brown as the compensation. While there is a value jump between the 3rd and 5th rounds or 4th and 6th or 7th, it is very preferable not to lose a draft pick.

Compare the Brown deal to the McNabb one and that is a huge win for the Redskins. In the McNabb deal the Redskins gave up their 2nd round pick (37th overall, so with the depth of that draft basically 1st round value) and either a 3rd or 4th round pick in 2011. The pick is a 3rd rounder if McNabb makes the Pro Bowl, the Redskins make the playoffs, or win at least 9 games, and will be a 4th round pick otherwise. Either way that is quite a bit of value to give up for a 33 year old quarterback, in the final year of his deal making $12 million this year. While barring an injury or something else unforeseen the Redskins will likely workout an extension with McNabb, the problem is they will likely overpay him and extend him to the point where he is no longer effective. Given his injury history I don’t see him being successful into his late 30′s, but he will obviously want a sizable commitment. While fans of McNabb will point out his immediate impact and position make him more valuable than most 2nd round picks and even many 2nd and 3rd round picks, they ignore that it is for only one season. They didn’t ‘trade’ for any extension, it wasn’t part of the deal. Meaning they gave up an awful lot for 1 season of McNabb. Especially considering this was a 4-12 team last year. Even with ‘extending him’, there is a fair probability that those two draft picks will out perform McNabb over the next 5 years (and at a much cheaper price).

What does all of that have to do with a potential Vincent Jackson deal? Well it’s simple the Redskins have already mortgaged a chunk of their future, and the last thing they should do is keep adding to that debt. Overpaying for McNabb hurt this team’s long term success probability, and doing the same for Vincent Jackson could be catastrophic. For one thing the Redskins already have to dole out extensions to McNabb and Brown after this season, so giving big money to a receiver during the year will increase their prices. And while this year there was no salary cap, that likely won’t be the case going forward. There might not be the cap room to sign all of these players (not to mention other free agents like Carlos Rodgers or Rocky McIntosh), and if you ‘find’ the room, you are likely hurting your cap in future years (aka what got the Skins in this mess in the first place).   In addition, the Redskins simply can’t afford the loss of another premium pick, as I’m guessing Washington’s 2nd rounder this year (plus more) would need to be involved. 2011 is shaping up to be even a better draft class than 2010 (which was probably the best in 6 years) and the Redskins are already lacking  two top 130 picks.

In addition to already giving up draft picks, Jackson is a very risky pick up. For one thing he was suspended by the league for a reason. If he has any more incidents with the law, he could be looking at a 6 game or more suspension next time. And while Jackson might not have the worst attitude in the league, he isn’t exactly the best team player as well, and frequently would make stupid penalties. So even when he does finally see the field this year, the Redskins will have a risk going forward.

The other part of this potential deal I don’t like is that you have to make the deal now (by next Wed. or he sits out longer), but he can’t suit up until Week 5. Given the Redskins upcoming schedule (Texans, Rams, and Eagles), it will be tough for them to be 2-2 by the time Jackson can suit up. And when he is ready to play, the Redskins face off against the Packers and the Colts back-to-back. While some might see this as a plus, for me it is a negative, since as we have seen in the past with receivers traded midyear (Braylon Edwards, Roy Williams) that they need some time to adjust to the offense. Jackson’s impact against the Packers and Colts (and for the next couple of weeks) will be negligible at best. The Redskins 2-2 start could easily end up being a 3-5 record heading into the bye week. Sure it’s possible that their record is better heading into their bye, but I really wouldn’t bet the farm on it, and I don’t see Jackson as the answer.

While the Redskins receiving corps needs to improve long term, trading for Jackson won’t really help solve the problem this year. So for your troubles the Redskins will give up at least one premium pick as well as a contract that will pay him $8-10 million a year for at least 5 years. That for me isn’t worth the cost in terms of both money and picks, and the potential headaches that Jackson could bring. For me Jackson might make sense if you start out 4-0 and have an easier schedule, but the Skins got a tough schedule and have to make a decision by early next week (sooner if they want to make sure they get him). Washington needs to stop acting like a Super Bowl contender and build a lasting success, to do that they need to start saying no to guys like Vincent Jackson and focus on the future.

AFC:

AFC EAST:

1. New York Jets

2. New England Patriots

3. Miami Dolphins

4. Buffalo Bills

The Jets are the team to beat in the AFC East and their chances got progressively better with the return of Darrelle Revis from his holdout. Once again the Jets will have a championship caliber defense that can beat any team in the NFL. The real question mark is the development of Mark Sanchez. While a lot of hype surrounds him, he hasn’t really shown himself to be a capable starter, much less a “Franchise Quarterback”. It could have just been rookie jitters but those excuses won’t fly this year, with an improved offense and a whole offseason of working with two top flight wide receivers, (Edwards and Holmes). The Patriots offense could be championship caliber, but I think this could be a let down season in New England. Their passing attack is superb, but their running game seems to get weaker each season. The holdout of Logan Mankins weakens that offensive line and really hurts their depth. While the Pats offense is high powered their defense has been slacking off in recent years. The Dolphins could be an up-and-coming team, but really are a stretch as a contender. This is a big year for Chad Henne, but I am not sure if he is the right answer. The Bills unfortunately aren’t going to be much of a threat in the East as their quarterback and offensive line play leave a lot to be desired.

AFC NORTH:

1. Baltimore Ravens

2. Pittsburgh Steelers

3. Cincinnati Bengals

4. Cleveland Browns

The North will be a battle to the end, but I think the Ravens will come out on top. With Joe Flacco, Ray Rice and Derrick Mason already in place the Ravens went out and added a pair of rookie tight ends and a pair of veteran receivers. Combined with a quality offensive line (albeit one who is dealing with injuries), the Ravens now might have the best all-around offense in the AFC. The Ravens defense is still one of the best in the league and is good enough to carry this team far into the postseason. The Steelers are a bit of a surprise pick here considering they will be without their quarterback for the first 4 games, but they have the talent to go far this season. Even after trading Holmes, they have one of the better offensive units. The Steelers defense still has the makings of a great unit and I’d expect a big rebound year for them. The Bengals are a quality team and will in the playoff hunt all year. But I’m not sure if Palmer is as good as everyone believes. That defense has some game though and should keep them in the race until the end. The Browns should be improved some and could have the pieces for a nice future, but it will be another year or so before they are competitive.

AFC SOUTH:

1. Indianapolis Colts

2. Houston Texans

3. Tennesse Titans

4. Jacksonville Jaguars

The Colts should be the best team in the AFC this season. As long as they have Peyton Manning they are a Super Bowl contender. Their defense and O-line need some work, but Manning is too good to ignore. The Texans could make a serious run this season and I’d expect them to make their first postseason. The Titans are an intriguing team with Vince Young and Chris Johnson on offense, but they lack the receivers to be a serious offensive force. The Jags are a team that I think could be a huge disappointment this season and think they could end up with a top 5 pick in next April’s draft.

AFC WEST:

1. San Diego Chargers

2. Oakland Raiders

3. Denver Broncos

4. Kansas City Chiefs

The Chargers should be the only playoff team out of the West this year, and that is despite not having Vincent Jackson. They still have a top offensive unit and an impressive defense. They are far superior to any other West team, and should runaway with this division. The Raiders I think will be a very improved team this year and could even end up with a .500 record. Their offensive line will hold them back, but the Raiders could be returning as a relevant team in the West. The Broncos have some talent, but injuries have already depleted this team and could haunt them this entire season. I really see the Chiefs as another disappointing team as I’m not a big believer in Matt Cassel.

Playoffs:

1. Colts

2. Jets

3. Ravens

4. Chargers

5. Steelers

6. Texans

Colts over the Steelers in the AFC Championship game.

Albert Haynesworth Starts Plays Whole Preseason Game: On a day where all the starters and even a few key backups didn’t even dress, Big Al played in every quarter. Now while that didn’t probably sit too well with Haynesworth, hopefully it means that the Redskins are ready to start him next week in the season opener. And it should fully refute the asinine report from earlier in the week that said the Redskins might consider making Haynesworth inactive for week one. Now I don’t think his game last night was as impressive, but throughout the preseason no Redskins defensive lineman had more penetration and was more of a force than Haynesworth. And that was true whether he was playing against a starting offensive line or the 3rd string. It might not be easy for Redskins fans and coaches to admit, but Haynesworth is by far their most impact defender. Even if he isn’t getting sacks or tackles for a loss, he is collapsing pockets, occupying blockers, and forcing a few penalties. If the Redskins have any hope of upsetting the Dallas Cowboys next weekend, they will need Haynesworth to play. With any luck, last night’s game ‘worked’ him into the football shape the team is looking for.

Steelers Lose Another Quarterback: Pittsburgh will already be without Ben Roethlisberger for the first four weeks (at least), now may be without his replacement for an extended period of time. Byron Leftwich sprained his left knee yesterday and could miss a couple of weeks. The injury was serious enough that the team took him to the hospital for an MRI. While the extent of the injury is unknown, the quarterback job now falls on 3rd year pro Dennis Dixon, with veteran Charlie Batch as his backup. Dixon has had an up and down preseason, but has shown a good bit of promise these past two years. He came out of a spread offense at Oregon, and is equally capable of beating a team with his legs as well as his arm. He still needs to work on his decision making, but he has the upside. It might not be the most ideal situation for the Steelers, but with the right coaching and a little luck, they should be able to survive the suspension of Roethlisberger.

Vincent Jackson Could Be Dealt This Weekend: The Chargers seem like they will try to make a big push this weekend to trade their All-Pro Receiver Vincent Jackson. If they don’t deal him by Saturday, Jackson won’t be able to ‘report’ on time and will need to sit out the first 6 weeks (he has a 3 game league mandated suspension, and then would have the failure to report suspension). Jackson’s value will significantly decrease after this Saturday, so it is in the Chargers best interest to find a workable deal in the next two days. Seattle and the Vikings have shown some interest, and the Redskins and Rams have weak receiving corps, but I wouldn’t be surprised if a there is another team under the radar looking to make a move. The real issue for the Chargers is Jackson won’t bring back the kind of return they are looking for, and I think they would be lucky to get more than a 3rd round pick at this time. It will remain to be seen if the Chargers can work out an agreeable deal, but I have to think this gets done.

Pats Franchise DT Vince Wilfork:  Despite Wilfork not wanting the tag, the Patriots didn’t really have a choice here. Wilfork would have been one of the top players on the open market, and likely signed elsewhere if allowed. New England had to keep Wilfork, easily their best defensive player. The Pats defense might not be on the level it was during their Super Bowl runs, but its still pretty good and Wilfork is the key piece of the unit.

The Patriots did use the ‘nonexclusive’ franchise tag, meaning another team could sign Wilfork and give up two first round picks. Given the excessive price tag it should be safe to say Wilfork will be with New England next season. Now the question is will the Patriots be able to keep Wilfork beyond next season. Wilfork has made it very clear that he either wants to be in New England long term or move on to another team. The Patriots can’t ignore this situation, because the last thing New England needs is for their star defensive player to be unhappy and wanting to play elsewhere.

Chargers Release LT:  Monday the San Diego Chargers released their all-time leader in rushing yards, LaDainian Tomlinson, in a cost cutting move. It was not too long ago that Tomlinson was considered the best running back in the league. In just 9 seasons he already ranks 8th on the all-time rushing list with just under 12,500 yards. Tomlinson led the NFL in rushing in both 2006 and 2007, winning MVP honors in ’06. Tomlinson has fallen on hard times since then, and managed just 730 yards on a 3.3 yards per carry average.

This doesn’t mean the door is fully closed on LT’s career. He might have lost a step, and will no longer be a top running back, but he’s not done yet. The good news for Tomlinson is his game wasn’t completely predicated on speed. Tomlinson was always known for his vision and powerful legs, that should help him continue his career. If he can find the right situation and can stay fully healthy, then there is no reason he can’t be an effective ball carrier for a few more seasons.

As for the Chargers, they were in a tough spot here. They didn’t want to see Tomlinson go, but they couldn’t justify paying him millions of dollars for the production he was giving them. Now San Diego will not only have to watch one of their icons leave, a player who as much as anyone is responsible for the success they’ve had over the last 6 seasons. But now they have to find a new feature running back. Its not a great free agent market for running backs, so unless they can find a back in a trade, San Diego will likely draft Tomlinson’s replacement in April.

-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.