Life and Stuff

Yes, I know it's Friday, and this is the latest I have ever written a column, but can you blame me? For the past week I have been attending family parties, being whisked away to shopping malls, and enjoying my Christmas presents. Needless to say, because of the relaxed atmosphere that almost everyone experiences this time of year, I felt there was no pressing need to write this column early in the week. Some people may feel that what I'm about to write is stale and outdated by Friday, even if it is Christmas week. To those people, I can only say I'm sorry, and I promise that next week's column will be done no later than Wednesday, once I throw away the noisemakers and flush the booze out of my system.

Last Sunday was an odd day in the NFL, The Bengals victory over the Browns left me with egg on my face because I virtually guaranteed a playoff berth for the Cleveland crew while writing off the Tennessee Titans in the process. Now, with one game to play a Titan victory means they're in, and the Browns go home, regardless of what the Browns do. It could also lead to the firing of Romeo Crennell, a man who deserves better and who at least in part, wishes he was still calling defensive plays for Captain Belichick and his band of Patriots. The Dawg Pound should take solace in the fact that the Titans are playing the Colts this weekend. However, Tony Dungy has said that his regulars will see limited action in that game. With two playoff births unclaimed, it should be a fun final. weekend. Join me won't you, as we now take a look back at the week that was in the National Football League.

• You can't blame Tony Romo for having a bad game against the Eagles and barely sneaking by the lowly Panthers. If Jessica Simpson was my girlfriend, by attention would be diverted from the football field too

• Wow the Lions finally broke their six game losing streak, of course it came at the expense of the Kansas City Chefs, I mean Chiefs. Although if you put a bunch of rugged chefs out there instead you'd probably get the same result.

• A quarterback matchup between Peyton Manning and Sage Rosenfels is like a conducting a taste test between Coke and the generic supermarket brand cola. You just know which one is going to win, and its no surprise that Archie's eldest son came out on top.

• In the twelve lifetime meetings against the Colts, the Texans have lost 11. I guess they still haven't shed the expansion label yet.

• Be Honest, was it more painful to watch or play in the drubbing at Jacksonville from the Raiders perspective? Evidently Warren Sapp wanted an early flight home and was more than happy to get ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct. Reports say he wanted to be at his family Christmas tree farm for the last minute holiday rush. Oh yes, there is a lot of Sapp in the trees in case you were wondering.
  

• The windy city was not kind to the Pack last Sunday, as the Bears gave the 2nd best team in the NFC a thumping. Brett Favre said after the game that those were the worst conditions he has ever played in. Apparently Favre has grown numb to the brutal frozen tundra of Lambeau Field.

• The all time record for rookie Heisman Trophy winning quarterbacks is now 5-29, and Troy Smith became the latest person to suffer that indignity Sunday at Seattle.
  

• In the third quarter of a game they desperately needed to have in order to have any hope of a playoff berth, the Saints called three straight running plays from the Eagles 1 yard line and failed to score. That's why they're out of the playoff picture and that's why they have won the morons of the week award.

• The Browns had just too big of a whole to climb out of on Sunday, and with the Steelers easy victory against the Rams, the good people of Cleveland must pray for a win and a Titan loss to go to the postseason. Otherwise, this loss will be remembered for a long time.

• Not even the emotional return of Kevin Everett could put a damper on the Giants playoff hopes as they overcame a 14-0 deficit and the wicked Buffalo weather to earn a wild card berth.

• The 49er's got an early Christmas gift when Bucs QB Jeff Garcia was rested in the second quarter. The defense then feasted on replacement Luke McCown and the Bay Area Bashers were able to eke out a victory.

• The Patriots have now scored the most touchdowns in a season, tied their own record for consecutive wins, and are now one win away from becoming the first team to go 16-0 in a regulation NFL season. It doesn't get any better than that.

• Happy new year, and see you next week!