The Contenders

1. Steelers - Undefeated without Big Ben. Sky the limit when he returns
2. Saints - Damn kickers
3. Jets - Sanchez is improving
4. Colts - Manning the great continues his reign.
5. Ravens - Finally some offense
6. Bears - 3-0 with two quality wins.
7. Packers - See last week's rankings. Same thoughts.
8. Texans - Just when you think they've turned the corner, they have a no-show game
9. Falcons - Damn kickers
10. Chiefs - It won't last but undefeated is undefeated.

On the clock

5. The 49ers are a mess. There is no way they should be 0-3. Singletary means well but there is a reason coaches normally work their way up the ranks. His lack of experience is killing the 9ers.

4. Lions - Stafford starts throwing this week so there's hope. Even though they are a poor team, they have improved.

3. Panthers - Time to blow it up and start over.

2. Browns - When will Colt be ready?

1. Bills - Did they have to release Edwards? This team lacks direction which is sad since they were once a model franchise.

Gone, Nellie gone

So Don Nelson is gone; ran off by the new owners in Oakland. Nelson has always been an interesting figure. Never cared too much about defense. Always preferred odd line-ups. His team always ran and ran. The scoreboards always lit up. Nelson also always seemed to be in a feud with someone. Chris Webber. Monta Ellis. Mark Cuban. Steven Jackson. The entire New York Knicks organization. Above all, Nelson won basketball games and was entertaining. For all his idiosyncrasies, the pro game was just better when he was involved. More interesting. So if this is Nellie last run, I'm gonna miss the big fella. Those Sportscenter highlights with the 150-148 scores were a lot of fun. Those random Tuesday highlights in the winter just won't be the same.

More attention, more scrutiny....

When you think of sports and New York, what's the first thing that comes to mind? Most likely, its the Yankees. Maybe its basketball and all the legendary point guards. There's also the New York Football Giants. The Miracle Mets maybe? Perhaps the Knicks and their ineptitude. Now ask yourself, how far down the list have the JETS always been? The have always been an afterthought. The have always been THE other football team in a city that loves baseball and basketball first and foremost.

All that has seemed to change in the last year. The Jets are front page news. Every move they make is watched and debated. There is no bigger proof of this than Braylon Edwards and his DUI. Have you seen the articles? Have you seen the analysts all clamoring for a suspension? They only care because now the Jets are relevant. No one would care if they were not. What Edwards did is wrong and I am not here to defend him. And as I've previously stated my wife thinks he is a douche. However, no one was calling for Ronnie Brown to be suspended when he got a DUI this year. What about Joey Porter? He got a DUI too. Will Allen and the team president of the Lions got DUIs as well. None of the these players were suspended, they all played week one as the Lions president was there watching the Lions lose again. The only difference is that the Jets are relevant. No one cares what a Dolphin does. We could care less about a Cardinal. Some teams just aren't relevant. So when a Dolphin gets a DUI, it's bad but we move on. But the Jet's have a player get one with their brash coach, bold GM and Johnson & Johnson heir owner and woooooooooooo, the sky is falling.  This type of scrutiny is normally reserved the Cowboys or the Steelers not the lowly second rate Jets. Now they have moved up in status. The Jets are an A-list team now.  Let's see how they handle the added attention.

Driving while stupid

Let us examine a program the NFL implemented to prevent players from ever driving under the influence. The program includes the following:

• A driver will pick you up, any time, from any location
• The drivers arrive in luxury SUVs
• The drivers are prohibited from asking any questions
• There is no fee
• The drivers are prohibited from accepting tips
• The contract is with off-duty officers and other personnel who are licensed to carry firearms so that they can protect the players
• The contracts call for there to videos, video games and snacks in the back for players.
• This program is outlined in a memo distributed to all NFL players

So even if you are just too cheap to call a cab or rent a car service, all you have to do is dial the number and a car will a appear to take you anywhere you want to go. Any NFL player that gets a DUI is some word far worse than stupid but that word currently escapes my mind. Any thoughts on what that word should be?  Perhaps Braylon just misplaced his memo.



P.S. - My wife already thought of Braylon as a douche for his lack of fantasy production last year.....

Sometimes you never know.

I am saddened to hear about the suicide of Denver Broncos wide receiver Kenny McKinley. By all accounts, no one saw this coming. To a man, all his teammates and coaches say he was his same fun-loving self the last time they each saw him. No one knows what personal demons people cope with internally. One of my college teammates, a fellow defensive lineman, killed himself while in college. I roomed with him on roadtrips and we visisted each others parent's house in the off season. And with all this time we spent together, I would have never imagined that he would take his own life. You just never know. My thoughts are with McKinley's family and friends. May he rest in peace.

He excites you, you know he does.....

So I guess Andy Reid DID see the same things we saw. I guess he did see Michael Vick racing down the sideline, still the fastest man in the NFL. I guess he saw how effortless that throwing motion is. Perhaps he did indeed see the imrpovement in reading coverages. And most importantly, perhaps he took a gander at the scoreboard and noticed the points Vick put up. It was beginning to look like Reid didn't actually watch the same games we watched. If he had, then it was no doubt who the starter should be. This is no disrespect to Kevin Kolb. He's a fine talent and still has a future in this league. Plus, there's something to be said about a player not losing his job because of injury. It's a decent enough policy in theory. However it runs contrary to the most important principle in team sports - THE BEST PLAYER WINS THE JOB. Athletes thrive on competition. They know the deal. Get better or get off the field. While Andy Reid wanted to stand behind his hand picked QB, the film does not lie. We must remember that the Eagles players voted Vick the receiptent of the team's most courageous player award last season. Obviously, the team respects Vick. Reid could not look his players in the eye and say that Kolb is the starter when all the evidence points to Vick being the better player. Every coach makes it clear that the best player will win the job regardless of whatever non-football factors exist. When you start the lesser player it undermines your credibility with the team. Players know if it could happen to one player, it could happen to any of them and there goes the locker room.

Kudos for having the guts to make the tough decision Andy. But that is kinda why they pay you the big bucks. Furthermore, I would like to personally thank you for making the change. I watched the second half of the Eagles-Packers game in a bar. It was a sparse crowd so I got to hear everyone's reaction to the sideline run. In that one moment, the entire crowd forgot about the Bad Newz Kennels and remembered how marvelous an athlete Vick truly is. That run and the near comeback was breathe-taking. Ask yourself, who is the most exciting player in the NFL today?  Chris Johnson? Perhaps. Randy Moss? Maybe when he shows up to play. Desean Jackson? He's ok, but I say its Vick. If its not him, then he's second. The most exciting athlete in the league can not just waste away on the bench. I don't care for what he did off the field, but I damn sure am gonna watch him play come Sunday!