Kluwe Tweets

If you consider punters football players, the Vikings' Chris Kluwe is one of the most unique players in the league. For one, he'd never be confused for one. He looks more like a computer programmer or an accountant. He prefers computer games and something called Warcraft to anything involving football. He knows little about the profession that pays him. He just happens to be great at kicking a football. He's in a band called Tripping Icarus. Despite attending UCLA, he's a very bright guy. Like many players, he's very active on Twitter. Unlike many players, his tweets are frequently hilarious.

Here's a few of his recent offerings:

"So apparently the Astros are changing their name because as a nation we fail at long term planning. This should embarrass people."

"My wife just said that Ron Paul looks like Gandalph's slightly stupider younger brother, Randy."

"How do you even describe the music video for Love Shack? You'd be institutionalized."

"Why on earth is Madonna in the canals of Venice with a lion? Seriously 80s, what was going on?"

"Honestly would living in the Matrix really be that bad? If robots could simulate a life like fantasy sci/fi MMO, I'd gladly be a battery."

"Saw a great quote from Newt. 'How can somebody run a campaign this dishonest and think he's going to have credibility running for Pres?'"

"Protip of the day-if you run 2.5 miles on the beach in the morning, doing Crossfit later may lead to severe hurtiness in the everywhere."

"Just had a wonderful Crossfit in sunny SoCal. My butt cheeks LITRALLY feel like a hobbit with a blowtorch is hiding inside them."

"Music videos from the 80s make my brain hurt."

Manning Mania

It looks like everyone has missed the Brett Favre drama. Many people are doing the same type of garbage with Peyton Manning. Everyone with a voice is reading between each line uttered by Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay and Manning. Will he remain with the Colts? No one seems to be able to wait until a decision is actually made by the team and/or player. A San Francisco Chronicle writer jumped into the swamp by listing the pros and cons of the 49ers signing Peyton Manning. The Boston Globe is likely in a lather over having Manning and Tom Brady throwing the ball for the Patriots. Its ridiculous. With the Super Bowl in a week I would think that there's more interesting, more important news, actual news to cover. The other Manning should be trending more. The Pro Bowl usually provides no significant news yet its more real than anything coming from the Peyton Manning excess.

I just don't understand the great need to manufacture drama. The media made everything worse with Favre. So much was made of his waffling. The media followed and drooled over every single waffle. They made the whole thing worse. Whether or not Peyton Manning is playing for the Colts in 2012 shouldn't even be a story right now. Maybe in a month but its not right now. Its actually tampering for any team to do what the media is doing. It should be tampering for the media too. All its doing now is wasting my time. I could be writing about the performances of Jared Allen and Chad Greenway in the Pro Bowl, the Vikings free agents, the NFL Draft, the Hall of Fame. Hell, even that game coming up next Sunday.

Pro Bowl

I'm not ashamed to admit that I like the Pro Bowl. Sometimes I think that I'm the only one. Few take the game seriously but they miss the point. Its not meant to be taken seriously. Its a postseason all-star game. Its supposed to be relaxed fun. Despite the relaxed fun I find the game entertaining. The NFL is clearly having trouble finding a time and place for the game, dealing with ratings and interest. It was after the Championship game/Super Bowl since the beginning in 1951. Its been in Hawaii since 1980. Two years ago the league took it away from Hawaii, placed it at the site of the Super Bowl and played it the week before the big game. All moves were ridiculous. They corrected one when they sent the game back to Hawaii. They still play it the week before the Super Bowl. The mistake of this genius move is that it keeps the Super Bowl players out of the Pro Bowl. The NFL believes that the general interest in football is greater before the Super Bowl than after. They're probably correct. I'd have interest in the game if it was played in March but that's just me.

Hawaii completes the Pro Bowl picture. Its the perfect setting and only adds to the relaxed atmosphere. The players often bring their families. Despite the occasional practices, its an end of the season vacation. It also creates the best setting for the players to get to know each other. The players love this game. All-Pro honors are more prestigious but players talk more of making the Pro Bowl. A trip to Hawaii. Get to know your peers. Play a football game with and against most of the best players. Its all good.

Most people that don't like the Pro Bowl are those that expect a serious football game. That's the problem. Its not a serious game. It was never meant to be taken seriously. It was always meant to be a fun celebration at the end of the season. Its a bigger event in Hawaii than it ever would be here. People of Hawaii enjoy their one chance to see live the stars of the NFL. People that travel to the game enjoy a vacation in Hawaii. I enjoy all of it because I love football. Plus, its the last time that I get to see Jared Allen and Chad Greenway play football this year.

Senior Bowl

Today's Senior Bowl is now seen more as the start of the NFL Draft process. The college all-star games were at one time a celebration of college football. Now these games are just part of the interview process for the NFL. Maybe its always been that way. It just wasn't so obvious. The Senior Bowl has long been the king of these games. It draws the most attention. Especially from the NFL people. It can be surprising that its not the game that brings the scouts, coaches and decision makers. Its the practices. In fact, most NFL people leave by Thursday. They've seen all they need and go home to talk about it. They already have game film on the players. They don't need an all-star game for that. The game has too many rules that cater to offense and safety to gain any real value anyway. The practices provide all the value. The decision makers want to see the players up close. See how they act. See how they respond to coaching. The Senior Bowl brings in professional coaches. Seeing how the players respond to professional coaching paints a better picture. This year the Minnesota Vikings and Washington Redskins coaching staffs accepted those gigs. It goes to teams that didn't fair too well the previous season. Coaching the players can be nice advantage. Hopefully the Vikings can take advantage of it.

The next step for the all-star games, the Senior Bowl in particular, would be to open it up to the players that are leaving school early. The NFL would love that. If its all about the draft and moving to the professional ranks, why not? Often the first round of the draft is littered with juniors. Most left school because they expect to get drafted early. The game organizers will probably have to change the name of the game if its filled with juniors.

On a sad note, former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Greg Cook passed away due to complications from pneumonia. Cook started as a rookie in 1969. He tore his rotator cuff in the third game but managed to finish the season. Remarkably, Cook still led the league in passing. Surgery for an injury such as this has come a long way since then. Cook never really came back. A couple coaches who knew football pretty well, Paul Brown and Bill Walsh, were with the Bengals then. Both considered Cook the most talented quarterback that they'd ever seen. RIP Greg Cook.

Coaching Tally

Six head coaching changes isn't bad in this era of disposable coaches. Here's what we've got so far:

Oakland:  In: Dennis Allen-former Broncos defensive coordinator
                Out: Hue Jackson
Denver's defense deserved at least as much credit as Tim Tebow for their surprising season. The defense made the comebacks possible and set the tone. My concern is that Detroit and New England exploded on Allen's defense.

St. Louis:  In: Jeff Fisher-relaxing
                Out: Steve Spagnuolo
It must feel strange for Fisher to be coaching the team that beat his team in the Super Bowl. Fisher's a terrific coach. I think that both the Rams and the Saints are happy about this coaching change.

Indianapolis:  In: Chuck Pagano-Ravens defensive coordinator
                     Out: Jim Caldwell
From the coaches on up this is no longer the team that Bill Polian and Tony Dungy built. No longer the team that dominated the past decade. I still see Peyton Manning coming back. That might be because I can't see him in any other jersey. Despite being a defensive coordinator for only one year, Pagano looks like a coach that's ready to be in charge. Mike Tomlin did the same thing.

Jacksonville:  In: Mike Mularkey-Falcons offensive coordinator
                     Out: Jack Del Rio
One former Vikings player replacing another. If Mularkey doesn't work out, Mike Tice is likely next. I've always liked Mularkey. He was a very creative play-caller in Pittsburgh. Fired quickly as Buffalo's head coach. Rebuilt his offensive reputation in Atlanta.

Miami:  In: Joe Philbin-Packers offensive coordinator
            Out: Tony Sparano
Philbin sounds like a solid coach working his way through the college and professional ranks. The Packers offense was certainly explosive. Having Aaron Rodgers throwing the ball is a boost. Ravens center Matt Birk played for him at Harvard and raves about his coaching and character. Dolphins owner Stephen Ross seems a little nutty. He goes so hard after the "hot" that anyone else seems like a distant fallback. He went after Jim Harbaugh last year while Sparano was still his coach.

Tampa Bay:  In: Greg Schiano-former Rutgers head coach
                    Out: Raheem Morris
I'll forever be puzzled as to what happened in Tampa Bay this past season. Something was just wrong. Schiano is an awesome hire by Tampa Bay. Bill Belichick has spoken very highly of him. Recommendations don't come much higher. Tampa Bay has some talent despite their pathetic performance. Jim Harbaugh showed that its possible to jump from college and succeed early.

Throwback Thursday: Dick Stanfel

To complete the profiles of the 2012 Senior Committee nominees for the Hall of Fame, I introduce former Detroit Lions and Washington Redskins lineman Dick Stanfel.

With Dick Stanfel's likely induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame he'll be joining former University of San Francisco teammates Gino Marchetti, Ollie Matson and Bob St. Clair in Canton. I can't even begin to describe how remarkable those USF Dons teams were. You might expect something like four Hall of Famers on one team from schools like Notre Dame and Oklahoma. USF? They don't even have a football team anymore. This team strikes particularly close to me as my father was a student at USF at that time. I grew up with stories of USF glory. Former NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle was also a student there. Incredible.

Dick Stanfel was selected by the Detroit Lions in the second round of the 1951 NFL Draft. His professional career nearly ended before it started when he was injured in the annual College All-Star Game. He wouldn't play for the Lions until 1952. He immediately established himself as a team leader on an excellent Lions team. With their recent performances in mind its difficult to imagine the Lions as a strong team. In the 1950s, they were dominant, winning back to back titles in '52 and '53. Stanfel was voted MVP by his teammates following the '53 season. That's remarkable for a lineman. Its even more remarkable on a team that included Hall of Famers Bobby Layne and Doak Walker. The Lions lost to the Cleveland Browns in the 1954 title game. After the 1955 season, Stanfel was traded to the Washington Redskins. There he was reunited with his college coach, Joe Kuharich. After only three years in Washington and at the top of his game, Stanfel retired to pursue a coaching career. Kuharich had moved on to Notre Dame and Stanfel joined him as an assistant coach. Eventually, he would return to the NFL as the interim head coach of the New Orleans Saints in 1980. From 1981-92, he coached the Chicago Bears offensive line.

Dick Stanfel earned first team All-Pro honors in five of his seven seasons including all three with the Redskins. He was voted to four Pro Bowls and was named to the All-Decade Team of the 1950s. Despite playing only three seasons in Washington, Stanfel was selected as one of the 70 Greatest Redskins.

2007 NFL Draft

In all the years that I've closely followed the drafts, the 1989 NFL Draft always stood out. Its hard to miss. Four Hall of Famers in the top five is an incredible concentration of talent. Dallas selected UCLA quarterback Troy Aikman #1. Barry Sanders went third followed by Derrick Thomas and Deion Sanders. The one that didn't fit was all time bust Tony Mandarich at #2. Prior to this draft many were already considering Aikman and both Sanders' as potential greats. They were right. Everyone was wrong about Mandarich.

The 2007 NFL Draft is chasing that 1989 class. Despite missing that super quarterback that seems to be needed to be considered great, I think that 2007 is catching 1989. Both have a big bust. Unfortunately for 2007 that bust is the missing quarterback and he was selected first. Jamarcus Russell hurt himself, the Raiders, the league and this class. It would be a mistake to write off 2007 because of the first choice. It got better, much better. Detroit selected Calvin Johnson at #2. Cleveland followed with tackle Joe Thomas. With the Minnesota Vikings selecting seventh things were getting tense on draft day. My personal favorite was Calvin Johnson but I knew there was no chance that he'd be there for the Vikings. I had shifted my attention to LSU safety LaRon Landry. Then the impossible happened when Oklahoma runningback Adrian Peterson was still there. Peterson's a Viking! With Johnson, Thomas and Peterson in the top seven there was some serious impact on the league. What brings 2007 into competition with 1989 is what happened after the top ten. San Francisco found an all time great in Mississippi linebacker Patrick Willis. Three picks later the New York Jets did the same with cornerback Darrelle Revis.

Five seasons is a bit early to induct players into Canton but its enough time to see who might be on their way. Calvin Johnson, Joe Thomas, Adrian Peterson, Patrick Willis and Darrelle Revis are among the best players in the league. If each continues as they have they will be in the conversation of the best of all time.

Goats

I hate it when someone gets labeled a goat. Especially in the lose and go home environment of playoff football. So often its players like San Francisco 49ers returner Kyle Williams. A young player that's put on the field because of an injury to another. His overtime fumble in the NFC Championship game happened when he was trying to get a big return. Make something happen for his team. He should have carried the ball tighter but an opponent made a great play. The fumble set the New York Giants up nicely for the winning field goal. Williams allowing a punt to glance off his knee in regulation was a greater mistake. Every returner should know to get away from a bouncing punt. Stupid mistakes are far worse than those made through effort. Everyone is pointing at Kyle Williams as the goat. Its so unfortunate that he'll always be remembered for those turnovers on returns. No matter what he does in his football career. The stage is too bright in the playoffs. Just ask Leon Lett. Personally, I consider 49ers receiver Michael Crabtree the bigger goat in the NFC Championship game. He was drafted to be a difference maker. He was. Just in a negative way. Crabtree did nothing to help his quarterback. He showed no effort getting open, giving his quarterback a target, getting a first down. Tight end Vernon Davis was the only downfield threat. Fortunately for the 49ers Davis was terrific. Williams may have made mistakes trying to make something happen for his team. Crabtree never seemed interested in making anything happen for his team. Crabtree was a goat.

The AFC Championship game provided the usual goat, a kicker. They only have one thing to do and they have to be perfect every time. Every other position has some room for error. A bad pass can still be completed with a great catch. Poor coverage can be rescued by a great pass rush. Some say that a cornerback is on an island. Kickers are truly on an island. Its either good or a miss. A win or a loss. On Sunday, Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff missed. Its a kick that he probably makes the next twenty times he tries. A goat.

Conference Championship Stuff

Rich Eisen's annual 40-yard run at the end of the Scouting Combine is a classic every year. Kind of sad, but classic. I didn't think it possible for him to look more athletically pathetic. I was wrong. On the Conference Championship pregame show the NFL Network clowns put up a dunk tank. It was all fine until Eisen tried to throw. Hopefully all his NFL friends will be around to teach his kids how to throw a football. Sad. Very sad.

Congratulations to the Walter Payton Man of the Year finalists:
Matt Birk 
Philip Rivers
Charles Tillman

So, they dance again. Patriots-Giants Super Bowl.

The Patriots-Ravens game was terrific. Its a damn shame that a game that terrific is decided by a missed gimme field goal. I guess that no field goal is a gimme in a Conference Championship game but I hate to see a great game decided that way.

Same can be said of the of the Giants-49ers game. It was a tough day for Kyle Williams.

The games were great. I'd just write cleaner endings.

Great play in the endzone by Patriots corner Sterling Moore to knock a likely winning touchdown from Ravens receiver Lee Evans. It went a long way to force the missed field goal.

New England Patriots runningback Benjarvus Green-Ellis ran tough, especially in the first half. His running kept the Ravens defense from concentrating solely on the pass. I loved his acknowledgement of Myra Kraft after his touchdown.

I sure do like Ravens runningback Ray Rice. He and Maurice Jones-Drew prove that backs come in all shapes and sizes. Great football players.

Both Tom Brady and Joe Flacco look like they running in mud. You can easily see why they aren't running often.

Just as I was thinking that this was the best that I've seen Flacco play, he throws the ball right to Brandon Spikes of the wrong team. Fortunately for Flacco, a super interception by Ravens corner Jimmy Smith got the ball right back. Flacco did play very well. He brought his team back and gave them a chance to win or tie.

Two terrific plays by Patriots big man Vince Wilfork ended a Ravens threat with about three minutes to go. The Ravens threatened again but we know how that ended.

Vernon Davis is now a tough football player to stop.

The unsportsmanlike penalty called against Davis after his 73-yard touchdown was ridiculous on the part of the officials. The unsportsmanlike penalty against Davis for jumping on the back of a Giants player was ridiculous on the part of Davis.

I like Giants defensive end Justin Tuck's facemask. It looks medieval.

Giants receiver Victor Cruz impresses me more each time I see him. Its clear that he doesn't care much for contact but he sure gets open and secures the ball.

49ers linebacker Aldon Smith and Giants defensive end Jason-Pierre Paul are two of the best young pass rushers in the league. At times they look like they are impossible to block.

I've seen the Minnesota Vikings defensive backs, especially the safeties, hack up coverages for far too long. Its amazing to watch the 49ers secondary work together. I sure hope that new Vikings defensive coordinator Alan Williams can get his new players on the same page. It'd be nice to see players other Antoine Winfield make plays back there.

Its not just the secondary with the 49ers defense. Although I envy that the most due to the Vikings issues there. The whole defense flies to the ball. Justin Smith and Patrick Willis are stars. Navarro Bowman and Carlos Rogers have joined them. Aldon Smith has star written all over him. This is a team that simply plays fantastic team defense.

If I'm the 49ers, I have to ask, "Where's Michael Crabtree?"

The 49ers need someone other than Vernon Davis to be a threat in the passing game. Crabtree was drafted to be that guy. I wasn't sure if he even played a down in the first half. In the second the 49ers tried to get him the ball but he couldn't get open. Alex Smith had to dump it in the dirt each time.

To quote ESPN's Adam Schefter. "One of the great Championship Sundays. (Thank you for ending the lockout.)"

Early prediction: Patriots take it this time.

Twitter exchange between sportswriting idiot Skip Bayless and Vikings punter Chris Kluwe following the Patriots-Ravens game:
Skip Bayless: Honestly, I felt sorry for Suggs/Ray/EReed. Fought guts out. lost b/c a non player missed an easy kick. WHY I HATE FG KICKING. Ban it!
Chris Kluwe: Hey *******. Let's not forget you haven't done a single athletic thing in your life. Go french kiss a flame thrower.

Interesting development in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coaching search: Chip Kelly. The University of Oregon coach might be wearing pewter by the time this goes to press. I was moaning about Cal's loss of their defensive line coach. This is a huge blow to the Ducks.

Conference Championship Game Day Bits

Some say that Championship Sunday is the most exciting day in football. I suppose those sentiments came about because until recently the Super Bowl was rarely competitive. In the last decade the Super Bowls have been super. Championship Sunday has always been an exciting day. Its a chance for the Super Bowl for four teams. I wouldn't go so far as to say that this day is more exciting than the Super Bowl but it sure is fun.

With a Super Bowl win and another serious run, I don't understand why Tom Coughlin's job is often in jeopardy.

Some of the finest players in the games are playing today. Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Vince Wilfork, Ray Rice, Anquan Boldin, Haloti Ngata, Terrell Suggs, Ed Reed, Ray Rice, Eli Manning, Justin Tuck, Jason-Pierre Paul, Osi Umenyiora, Patrick Willis, Justin Smith. You can expect a lot of talent with the final four teams and they don't disappoint.

Four great coaches too.

Ed Reed and Ray Lewis get all of the attention on the Ravens defense but Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata are fantastic.

I would love to see former Vikings and current Ravens center Matt Birk get a Super Bowl ring. He's had a great career. Not bad for a late round, Harvard guy.

I've never liked the playing of a regular season game in London. Its not fair to the season ticket holders of the team that gives up a home game. I can't understand why any team would volunteer for this game. The St. Louis Rams volunteered for the next three. Clearly the Rams are putting their fans in the back seat. Are they already on their way out of town?

The Oakland Raiders are looking to hire their eighth coach this century. Jon Gruden, Bill Calahan, Norv Turner, Art Shell, Lane Kiffin, Tom Cable and Hue Jackson preceded the poor soul that's next. I always thought that former Detroit Lions head coach Marty Mornhinweg would be perfect for the Raiders. Kind of a rebellious sort.

Word around the campfire is that Vikings runningback Adrian Peterson is considering swithing from his #28. New knee, new uniform number.

Surprisingly, I found an interesting football article on Yahoo. The web browser actually has a couple of very good football writers in Mike Silver and Jason Cole. Plus, Silver's a Cal guy. Anyway, Cole wrote about how the New England Patriots use of talented tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Anthony Hernandez isn't so novel. Its been done before and, of course, it involved Bill Belichick. In the mid '70s, Belichick was just starting his coaching career with the Detroit Lions. Lacking in overall talent the team was blessed with two incredibly talented tight ends. Charlie Sanders was heading to the end of his Hall of Fame career. David Hill was drafted as Sanders' eventual replacement. A mediocre Lions team decided it best to take advantage of the surplus of talent at the one position. They didn't have much else going for them so they got both players on the field at the same time. What we see the Patriots doing with Gronkowski and Hernandez now the Lions were doing with Sanders and Hill nearly 40 years ago.

It was fairly shocking to see former Minnesota Vikings coach Brad Childress coaching at the East-West Shrine Game. I hear he interviewed for the now open Indianapolis Colts head coach position. If I was a Colts fan, I'd be hoping that either Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael or Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer gets the job. Childress is terrific at putting a talented team on the field but he has some serious control issues.

Speaking of the Shrine Game, Tennessee-Chattanooga quarterback looked good. Threw and moved like he's ready for an NFL offense. He didn't look like one of those poor college quarterbacks that's saddled with the spread offense in college.

Fresno St. receiver Devon Wylie has crazy moves. He could nail down an NFL punt return job the first day of training camp. You can't teach moves like that.

Thanks to NFL Network's extensive coverage of the Senior Bowl some of the other college all-star games are forgotten.

My playoff predictions have been a mess so far. I won't let that stop me. The Flea Flicker says we're getting a Patriots-49ers Super Bowl.

Super Bowl Matchups

As the playoffs wind down I often ponder various Super Bowl matchups. My hope is always that I can factor the Minnesota Vikings into those matchups. Seeing as the Vikings haven't ventured into a Super Bowl in 35 years those hopes are usually dashed before they start. With my passion for football history and absent the Vikings my thoughts usually take on a spin from the past.

The matchup that immediately sparks some intrigue is Baltimore-San Francisco. Harbaugh Bowl! I can't even think of any other head coaching brothers. Let alone head coaching brothers that have made it this far. A Baltimore-San Francisco Super Bowl intrigues me more from an historical perspective. Despite what the NFL wants you to believe this Baltimore Ravens franchise is the old Cleveland Browns franchise. Despite holding the paper history and the name, the current Cleveland Browns are an expansion team. The Browns of Jim Brown and Otto Graham are the Ravens of Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. The Browns and 49ers are two of the three teams to join the NFL when the All-America Football Conference folded after the 1949 season. The third team to join the NFL was the Baltimore Colts. The current Colts that play their home games in Indianapolis just happen to be hosting the Super Bowl this year. The Colts used to play in Baltimore where the old Browns now play as the Ravens. Oh my, the historical connections just won't end.

The Giants have obvious Super Bowl ties to both New England and Baltimore. They were destroyed by the Ravens in Super Bowl XXXV. Going further back the Giants and the old Browns had a terrific rivalry from the late '50s to the early '60s. Giants linebacker Sam Huff and Browns runningback Jim Brown were the epitome of those violent games. The Giants upset the undefeated Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. An instant classic that I'm sure the Patriots remember well. Giants-Patriots is also intriguing because of Bill Belichick. His impact on both franchises is huge. Under Bill Parcells, Belichick was the architect of the great defenses that won two Super Bowls. He built the Patriots into the model franchise of this generation.

The one matchup that is exciting more for what may be than for what has been is the 49ers-Patriots. With Belichick and Jim Harbaugh coaching their respective teams, the Patriots and 49ers could become a classic Super Bowl rivalry much like the Steelers and Cowboys of the '70s. What Harbaugh has done in one year is remarkable. What Belichick has done his entire career is incredible. These two are probably the best coaches in the NFL today. The only historical link between these two teams that I can come up with are the transactions that moved Jim Plunkett and Russ Francis from the Patriots to the 49ers in the late '70s. That's pretty weak.

Fortunately the Super Bowl matchup isn't decided by my idle thoughts. Its decided on the field. I hope for excellent games tomorrow and a matchup in two weeks that's historical.

Coach Juggling

The Minnesota Vikings hired Alan Williams to be their defensive coordinator. He replaces Fred Pagac. Pagac replaces Mike Singletary as linebackers coach. Singletary will actually remain in some assistant coach capacity. In my opinion its a minor miracle that Singletary is still employed in football but that's just me. The only defensive coach from last season no longer with the Vikings is line coach Karl Dunbar. He was replaced by Brendan Daly. With all this juggling only secondary coach Joe Woods looks to be returning in the same role.

The most significant change is the addition of Alan Williams to lead the defense. He's been the secondary coach for the Indianapolis Colts for the last ten years. He got his NFL start with Tony Dungy in Tampa Bay. Dungy thought high enough of the young coach to bring him to Indianapolis with him. Vikings coach Leslie Frazier worked with Williams for a couple years with the Colts. Frazier should have a pretty good idea of Williams' coaching abilities. Of course, the never satisfied Vikings fan base wanted a much more splashy hire. Most just want to complain. I've been curious about Williams for a while. When Mike Tomlin left the Vikings after the 2006 season to be the coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers I thought that Brad Childress might target Williams. Young secondary coach that fell from the Tony Dungy cover-2 coaching tree. Sounded exactly like Tomlin. Turns out that I had the right team. I just had the wrong coach. Childress chose Leslie Frazier. Williams might not have been ready then to be in charge of a defense. He should be ready now. I think that this is an excellent hire. Nobody had success in Indianapolis last year. Prior to that the Colts were a decade long success story. Williams was a big part of that. From Bob Sanders to Antoine Bethea, he helped develop several excellent defensive backs. Perhaps his greatest effort was in getting rookie corners Jerraud Powers and Jacob Lacey to play at a high level immediately. I think that the Vikings got Williams at the right stage of his career. Far enough into it that he really knows NFL defenses and offenses and early enough that he has room to grow in the role. I just hope that he stays longer than Tomlin.

New defensive line coach Brendan Daly might be new to the position but he's not new to the team. Prior to his one year with the St. Louis Rams, Daly was the assistant line coach with the Vikings. So, Frazier is familiar with the two additions to his coaching staff. I was very glad to see Fred Pagac remain with the team. 2011 was a difficult season for the whole team. It wouldn't be right to highlight Pagac by firing him. He's been a fantastic position coach for the Vikings since 2006. Its great to see him stay.

The Minnesota Vikings coaching staff is now complete. Just in time for a road trip to Mobile, Alabama and a coaching gig at the Senior Bowl.

Throwback Thursday: Jack Butler

With the Hall of Fame class of 2012 set to be announced in a couple weeks I figured that it would be nice to profile the senior nominees. Each year two forgotten players are nominated by the Senior Committee. They typically slide right into the class with little debate. This year those nominees are cornerback Jack Butler and lineman Dick Stanfel. I'll start with Jack Butler this week.

Its gotten to the point where we expect the Pittsburgh Steelers to be contenders. We expect them to be great. Six Super Bowl wins will do that. That wasn't always the case. The team was formed in 1933 and they were horrible for pretty much the next 40 years. Their pathetic play might be the reason that Jack Butler has been ignored for so long. He was signed as a free agent in 1951 out of St. Bonaventure. He immediately made his mark on the Steelers and the NFL when he intercepted five passes as a rookie. He intercepted four passes in one game against the Washington Redskins in 1953. He was known as a great tackler but he was an intercepting machine. Despite recording 25 interceptions in his first four seasons Butler received no personal accolades. Perhaps due to the poor Steelers teams of that time. His first Pro Bowl came following the 1955 season. Surprisingly, it was the first season in which he had no interceptions. He made up for that in the Pro Bowl by intercepting two. In 1957, Butler intercepted a career high ten passes to share the league lead. An injury in 1959 against the Philadelphia Eagles forced his retirement. He went on to 46 years as a scout with the BLESTO Scouting Combine. 44 of those years were as the director.

Jack Butler was one of the finest cornerbacks of the 1950s. His 52 career interceptions was second in league history at the time of his retirement. He played in four Pro Bowls and received All-Pro recognition three times. He was selected to the All-Decade Team of the 1950s.

Quick Fix

The division of talent throughout the NFL is pretty even. It doesn't have to take long to bring a bottom feeder up to the level of the elite. Sometimes it just takes one coach, one player. Sometimes it just takes some confidence.

The San Francisco 49ers haven't played too well the past few years. Most of it was due to questionable coaching hires. After seeing Mike Singletary first hand as the Minnesota Vikings linebackers coach I can't see why any team would hire him as their head coach. The 49ers were a mess in the mid-70s. They hire Bill Walsh and they are Super Bowl Champions in only a couple years. Vince Lombardi, Bud Grant, Don Shula, Paul Brown all turned terrible teams into contenders quickly. The right coach is typically the quickest fix. The 49ers also made some questionable personnel moves. They threw way too much money and expected too much out of cornerback Nate Clements. Through it all they did manage to add some nice talent in Frank Gore, Vernon Davis, Mike Iupati, Joe Staley, Justin Smith, Navarro Bowman and my favorite Patrick Willis. If a potential coach took a look at the roster he'd see a decent team. Despite their recent performance the 49ers were a team filled with potential.

Jim Harbaugh was the perfect coach for the 49ers. He turned Stanford into a contender so quick it made me sick. He's the perfect coach for any football team. He just knows what it takes. He knows football and he knows how to motivate. Perhaps his greatest coaching move all year was showing confidence in quarterback Alex Smith. The pressure piled on Smith as the #1 pick in the draft and a revolving door of offensive coordinators and systems was ridiculous. He never had a chance until Harbaugh gave him one. The 49ers completed the team with wise offseason additions like David Akers, cornerback Carlos Rogers, linebacker Aldon Smith and safety Donte Whitner. An excellent mix of coaches and players came together and they started to believe. It often only takes a couple of wins to establish something great. The 49ers did.

Sad Day in Berkeley

It looks like Cal is losing one of their most promising young coaches to rival Washington. Defensive line coach Tosh Lupoi has been a Golden Bear since 2000. I hoped that he would be in Berkeley much longer. Lupoi came to Cal in 2000 out of powerhouse De La Salle High School. He was a solid defensive lineman until 2005 and moved straight to the coaching staff as a graduate assistant. In 2008 at the age 26, Lupoi became the youngest full-time coach in Cal history. As the defensive line coach, he helped develop Tyson Alualu and Cameron Jordan into first round selections in the NFL Draft. As promising as Lupoi has been as a coach he may have made an even greater impact as a recruiter. He connects with the high school athletes easily. Cal has seen some of their greatest recruiting classes while Lupoi has been on board. The class this year has been amazing and looked to get even better. Now, I'm not sure what will happen.

Washington coach Steve Sarkisian came out of the Pete Carroll USC program. So its near certain that some of that sleaze traveled north. I really don't like poaching of any kind within the Pac-12. It just doesn't seem right. Lupoi is making a parallel move to Washington. He's going there to be the Huskies defensive line coach. Washington likely can throw more cash at their assistant coaches. I'd imagine it flows a little more easily on that campus. The timing of the poaching is just wrong too. High school signing day is only two weeks away. This move could shatter the recruiting class that Cal has put together. Knowing Sarkisian's USC past I think that was his intention. He may even hope that Lupoi can bring some of his recruits with him.

This couldn't have been an easy decision for Tosh Lupoi. He bleeds blue and gold but he had to do what was best for his family and his career. Clearly he saw Washington as the better next step. I still don't like any of it.

Division Round Stuff

Wow. The New York Giants are heading to San Francisco. Best possible outcome for all those 49ers fans jumping around.

Congratulations to the Baltimore Ravens on earning a trip to Foxboro.

There were some amazing catches in the Ravens-Texans game. Receivers Anquan Boldin and Lee Evans of the Ravens scored some highlight time. Texans runningback Arian Foster did the same.

I really like the pocket presence of Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco. As a big guy he can brush off a decent amount of contact. He seems to be in nice control and calm when he throws. I don't understand why his play is so erratic.

Great goal line stand by the Texans. Great stand to get the ball back at the end of the game. It was good to see replay get the correct spot of the ball to make that lost one possible.

I love watching Ray Lewis and Ed Reed play football. Offenses should try to avoid both but its so hard to do so. They are everywhere.

I hope that Reed is fine to play against Tom Brady and the Patriots next week. Those two have one of best battles in football.
The Giants first touchdown likely wouldn't have been if Packers defensive back Charlie Peprah wraps up receiver Hakeem Nicks. I wish that defensive players would learn proper tackling technique. Ducking your head to blow up a ball carrier can get you a highlight but its an excellent way to miss the tackle. Which is more important? Blowing a tackle often gets you a higlight too.

I have absolutely no idea what official Bill Levy was looking at on replay when he ruled that Greg Jennings was down before he fumbled. It was a clear fumble no matter how you look at it. Unbelievable. Levy made the Packers second touchdown possible as well. His mystery blow to the head penalty on Osi Umenyiora allowed the Packers to keep the ball while failing on 4th down. Nothing touched Aaron Rodgers' head until it hit the ground.

The "hail mary" touchdown pass to Nicks to end the first half was huge. The play before it was even bigger. Ahmad Bradshaw runs for about twenty and gets out of bounds to stop the clock.

The Giants deserve all of the credit for taking out the defending champions. They were saddled with at least two horrible officiating calls. Its been a very long time since I've seen Rodgers rattled. His receivers dropped too many throws and he missed too many throws. The Packers looked like a team that hadn't played a significant game in a while.The Giants kept them off balance. Decent pressure on Rodgers the entire game and excellent coverage no matter how many receivers the Packers put on the field. Great all around game by the Giants.

I think that Justin Smith of the 49ers and JJ Watt of the Texans are the best 3-4 defensive ends in the league. Smith has been at that level for a few years now. Watt has become a defensive force in a hurry. Only a rookie, he has a very bright future.

It was great to see the winners of the Punt, Pass and Kick competition honored during the Ravens-Texans game. I took part in that in the '70s. I sucked. That's pretty much all I have to say about that.

The 49ers-Saints game sure was a keeper. Games like that are fun. Except for the quick 17-0 lead by the 49ers, it was close throughout. Then at the end there's a flurry of offense. Sometimes defenses try to press too much. They try to make big plays and it gives the offense an opening. Both teams took advantage and we got a classic.

Teams rarely spend a top-10 pick on a tight end in the NFL Draft. Vernon Davis is such a fantastic talent that few questioned when the 49ers drafted him that high. Perhaps for the first time in his career Davis showed why. He was awesome when the 49ers needed him most on Saturday. He might be the team's best downfield threat.

I think that its ridiculous when players mock another player's celebration moves. In this case Aaron Rodgers' championship belt gesture. The players do this as simple celebration. Sometimes its fun. Sometines its annoying. Who cares? Mocking it is simply taunting.

This offseason the NFL will be looking into hiring full-time officials. Finally! There's an obvious difference between considering and doing but its a step in the right direction. Finally! Bill Levy shouldn't be one of them.

Vikings draft thoughts: I'm pretty excited about the #3 spot. You should always see amazing talent when you draft that high. My top choice is still USC tackle Matt Kalil. Followed by LSU corner Morris Claiborne and Oklahoma St receiver Justin Blackmon. Claiborne just recently leaped over Blackmon as he's they type of cover corner that the team has lacked for a very long time. I'd be ecstatic over any of the three. Assuming the Colts use the top pick on Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, the Rams at #2 could draft any of the three that I like. At least two of the three will be available. Awesome. Of course things could change between now and late April. I really don't see anything that would move Kalil away from my top choice. Someone like Alabama corner Dre Kirkpatrick could enter the conversation if Kalil is off the board.

Both matchups in the Conference Championship games should be terrific. Could we see a Harbaugh Super Bowl?

More Divsion Round Bits

Excellent win by the San Francisco 49ers. Congratulations to all 49ers fans!

That quarterback sweep play call for Alex Smith was amazing.

Saints respond.

Smith throws a dart to Vernon Davis to set the same combo up for the winning touchdown. Beautiful game by Alex Smith. Clutch throws. Smith and Rodgers in the NFC Championship? Together again?

You sure can't tell the course of the game from watching 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh. He always looks upset.

49ers receiver Michael Crabtree sure made things difficult for his quarterback. An NFL receiver has to make those catches.

49ers safety Donte Whitner really needs to stop leading with his helmet on tackles. Its the best way to miss tackles and the main reason for all the penalties and fines. He's clearly spent too much time watching Denver Broncos safety Brian Dawkins. He made his career without ever seeing what he's trying to hit.

The 49ers defense was terrific. A couple breakdowns late allowed long touchdowns by Darren Sproles and Jimmy Graham but its rare that a defense can keep the Saints offense bottles up for a whole game.

It was great to see the 49ers offense turn potent at the end of the game. The Saints had big plays to take the lead. The 49ers responded with some of their own. It should give them confidence going forward.

Well, Tom Brady seems to be in playoff form.

The Tebow Broncos never had a chance.

There was probably a Colquitt punting in the 1920s. There's always one and they all went to Tennessee.

The New England Patriots lining up tight end Anthony Hernandez as a back and running him just looked odd. It worked for about 40 yards.

I love how the Patriots take advantage of the skills of their tight ends.

Not much chatter about the Houston Texans-Baltimore Ravens game. No game at this point should be ignored. I like this matchup. I think that Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is the key. He's been wildly inconsistent. Unless he just goes off this should be a great defensive battle.

The New York Giants defense has been outstanding lately. They have to continue playing at that level against Aaron Rodgers and friends. The Green Bay Packers defense will not be the defense we saw all year. I like this game.

Game Day Bits-Division Round Style

There's too much of a lovefest over the New England Patriots-Denver Broncos playoff game. So much so that they seem to have forgotten that Baltimore and Houston are still alive in the AFC. Personally, I prefer the NFC matchups. All four games are compelling.

There's something about the way the Green Bay Packers have played this season that makes me think that we haven't seen anywhere near their best. They might have been 15-1 but they just seemed to be cruising along. I think a lot of it comes from the steady confidence of quarterback Aaron Rodgers. I also think the defense is too talented to play as poorly as they have throughout the season. That defense has something to prove and they have some players that can prove it. Charles Woodson, Clay Matthews and B.J Raji in particular.

Speaking of those Packers. I feel bad for some of their fans that got one of those freshly minted stock certificates that read: Green Boy Packers, Inc.

Something is very wrong when Josh McDaniels can coach for the New England Patriots in the playoffs after coaching for the St. Louis Rams all season. Sounds like the NFL will be looking into changing that rule this offseason. Common sense would never have allowed the need.

It took Brett Favre nearly 15 years to garner the media love that Tim Tebow has in two years.

Its probably no real surprise that the Atlanta Falcons' two total points last week against the New York Giants was a first. No team in NFL playoff history has ever had only a little 2 next to its name after a game.

I sure like the runningbacks in the Baltimore Ravens-Houston Texans game. Ray Rice and Arian Foster are terrific backs. Both do a bit of everything very well.

Most of my 49ers pals don't think too highly of their team's chances of defeating the New Orleans Saints. Drew Brees is playing out of his mind but I like the 49ers defense at home. Rookie pass rusher Aldon Smith could make Brees uncomfortable all day. The 49ers offense has to score touchdowns rather than field goals.
Its a tall task but the 49ers can take this game.

For the first time ever four former Super Bowl MVPs are playing in the Divsional round of the playoffs. Tom Brady(2x), Eli Manning, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers.

The 49ers have made former head coach George Seifert the honorary captain for today's game. Nice gesture to an often forgotten, excellent football coach. Its difficult to follow Bill Walsh and Seifert made his own success.

While reading the biography of Steve Jobs I'm constantly reminded reminded of a particular football coach. Vince Lombardi. Icons in their chosen fields both brought the best out of their people with inconsistent behavior. One moment soothing. Scalding the next. Both apparently genuine. Lombardi and Jobs were hated and loved. Both got people to be greater than they ever thought they could be. Lombardi's Green Bay Packers won five championships in seven years. Jobs created two of the greatest companies and brand names of our generation in Apple and Pixar.

I sure hacked up my first round predictions. I picked only the Saints win over the Lions correctly. The Falcons even outscored me. For the divisional round I have the 49ers, Patriots, Texans and Packers.

End Game?

With the hot mess, otherwise known as the Minnesota Vikings quest for a new stadium, winding down, governor Mark Dayton requested that all sites submit proposals to him by yesterday. The Vikings have long preferred a site in Arden Hills, not far from the Twin Cities. Both the team and the city have worked together for quite some time. Minneapolis, figuring that they didn't have to do much, haven't done much. It wasn't until the recent crunch time that they've gotten off their collective asses and done something. Even now, they can't come up with one site. They have at least three. They prefer the current Metrodome site because its the least expensive. Fair enough. They seem to have ignored the fact that construction there leaves the Vikings without a home for three years. Other arrangements have to be made. That results in added costs that Minneapolis has failed to consider. Those costs likely land on the the Vikings so it likely doesn't concern Minneapolis. The Vikings had to send a letter to the mayor this week to remind him of this. There was a late entry in the stadium when the city of Shakopee threw their hat into the ring. The more, the merrier. The Minneapolis Star Tribune hasn't done anyone any favors. They are a player in this as they own property near the Metrodome that may be incorporated into parking or facilities for a stadium. As a result the newspaper prefers that site. Their reporting has an obvious slant. So much so that any stadium news in the paper is worthless. I always thought that papers should report the news rather than dictate it.

The most important result of this mess is the Minnesota Vikings remaining the Minnesota Vikings. Personally, I prefer the Arden Hills site. Every model and schematic that I've seen is remarkable. A large Vikings Village will grace the land. Everything about it sounds fantastic. Emphasis on "fan." The Vikings haven't had true tailgating since the Metropolitan Stadium days. Arden Hills is also the only site and community to have done anything before they had to. They've worked closely with the Vikings for months to create plans for something beautiful. Minneapolis has done nothing. Assuming everything. The best example of the lack of effort on the part of Minneapolis is in the proposals delivered to the governor. The Minneapolis proposal was on four whole pages. The Arden Hills proposal was 148 pages. Being a California Vikings fan many expect that I'd be ecstatic to see the team in Los Angeles. I wouldn't. I'm a Minnesota Vikings fan that that lives in California. I just want to see the stadium situation settled., finally. I expect that it will. I also expect that it will be built in Minneapolis. I'd have more respect for the political players if they'd been part of the solution a decade ago rather than the source of the problems. I'd have more respect for Minneapolis if they'd put in the effort like Arden Hills. If things proceed as I expect that they will, I feel bad for Arden Hills. Their work with the Vikings is probably the reason that a stadium will be built and they won't be remembered for it.

Throwback Thursday: The Wolf

Considered one of the finest general managers to build an NFL team. Ron Wolf has impacted the Oakland Raiders from the early '60s through the '80s. He returned to do it again this week. Raiders owner Mark Davis asked Wolf about potential candidates for the team's vacant general manager position. Wolf recommended Green Bay Packers director of football operations Reggie McKenzie. It looks like that recommendation has paid off.

Ron Wolf joined a faltering Oakland Raiders team in 1963. By the end of the decade he had helped build a dominant football team. Every year the Raiders were a factor. Super Bowl II and the playoffs every year. He brought in future Hall of Famers Art Shell and Gene Upshaw. On a team run by Al Davis, Wolf would never call all the shots. He wanted that chance.

In 1975, Wolf decided to call those shots with the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It was a frustrating time as the team started 0-26. The losses resulted in friction with owner Hugh Culverhouse. Wolf did put together a team that started to win. The Buccaneers would make it to the 1979 NFC Championship. While in Tampa, the Raiders team that Wolf helped build won Super Bowl XI.

In 1978, Wolf had enough. He returned to Oakland. He restocked a team that would power to two more championships in the early '80s. His drafts included two more Hall of Famers in Howie Long and Marcus Allen.

Despite all this time with the Raiders I find that Wolf gets more attention for his time with the Green Bay Packers. I'm not sure why that is as he did fantastic work in both places. Perhaps working in the shadow of Al Davis with the Raiders is the reason. Wolf's first move with the Packers was to fire head coach Lindy Infante and hire Mike Holmgren. Next, he got himself a quarterback. Wolf wanted Brett Favre in the draft. He didn't get him but that didn't stop Wolf. He traded a first round pick to the Atlanta Falcons for the backup quarterback. Favre wouldn't be a backup in Green Bay for very long. In 1993, Wolf then made perhaps the greatest free agent acquisition in history when he signed defensive end Reggie White. After that Green Bay became a destination for free agents. Wolf, Holmgren, Favre and White changed the atmosphere in Green Bay. As he did in Oakland, Wolf created a contender in Green Bay. Winning Super Bowl XXI.

Jim Finks is the only general manager to be inducted in the Professional Football Hall of Fame. Ron Wolf should follow. Finks built winners in Minnesota, Chicago and New Orleans. Wolf did the same in Oakland and Green Bay. Like Finks, Wolf not only built winners he built sustained winners. Ron Wolf didn't make the Hall of Fame cut this year but his time will come. In the Raiders hiring of Reggie McKenzie his time continues.

Defenses Need Love Too

"Worst BCS Title game ever." "Boring game." I really don't understand all the complaints over the national title game between Alabama and LSU. I would gladly take this game over the Baylor-Washington 67-56 fiasco. There wasn't a hint of defense played in that game. There were maybe three even slightly redeeming defensive plays made in the game. The offenses of each might as well have been playing against air. Alabama-LSU had some offense. More from Alabama obviously. The game just had a bunch of defense. At times amazing defense. The problem that the LSU defense had was they made their stops on the wrong side of the 50. They allowed field goals, five of them. They blocked another and Alabama missed a seventh attempt. The lone touchdown of the game was scored late when the game was pretty much decided. The problem that the LSU offense had was that they couldn't string successive productive plays together. They'd make one play and Alabama would put up a wall and allow no more. LSU didn't cross the 50 until the fourth quarter. Alabama's defense was phenomenal. LSU's defense was only great. Some have said that Oklahoma St. or Stanford would have provided an offensive spark to the big game. It would be awesome to see two excellent quarterbacks like Brandon Weeden and Andrew Luck throw at the defenses of Alabama and LSU. Those teams didn't earn the shot. The BCS clowns are supposed to put the two best teams on the field. They did.

People have to understand that a great football game doesn't have to only be a great offensive game. Defense is fun too.

College Championship

Congratulations Alabama.

There were two dynamite defenses on the field last night. Alabama was simply better. LSU didn't cross midfield until the fourth quarter.

The 21-0 final was a little deceptive. The lone touchdown was late when the outcome was no longer in doubt. The Tide had 8 scoring opportunites. LSU kept stopping any further advance holding Alabama to 5 field goals.

Everytime I've seen LSU this year the offense would take a while to get started. I kept expecting them to get started last night but Alabama's never allowed it. I can't recall a better college defense.

As long as college football is going to half-ass its way to a national championship they might as well grab the best two teams. No matter the conference. No matter whether the two teams had played earlier in the season. Alabama and LSU were the best two teams so its best that they play again. Despite the lack of touchdowns, their earlier game was terrific. LSU-Oklahoma St would have been fun just to see LSU corners Morris Claiborne and Tyrann Mathieu battle Oklahoma St receiver Justin Blackmon. The clowns aimlessly bouncing around the halls of the BCS ended up with the best matchup this year.

There were a bunch of players playing last night that will soon be in the NFL. Especially on defense. Corner Morris Claiborne of LSU. Corner Dre Kirkpatrick, safety Mark Barron and linebacker Dont'a Hightower of Alabama. I'd happily put all four on the Minnesota Vikings roster next year. Two of my favorites, Alabama tackle Barrett Jones and LSU corner Tyrann Mathieu, have another year before the NFL comes calling. Mathieu, aka Honey Badger, is particularly interesting. He reminds me of Green Bay's Charles Woodson. He lines up anywhere on the field. He makes plays all over the field. The offense has to find him before every play and account for him throughout the play. He's small but he's a tremendous football player.

Alabama sure didn't seem too interested in throwing at LSU's Morris Claiborne. They took their chances with the Honey Badger instead. Claiborne is in the conversation with Oklahmoa St. receiver Justin Blackmon and USC tackle Matt Kalil as my choice for the Vikings top choice.

I think that Cal will take the title next year. No doubt.

I was pleased to see that Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway was added to the NFC roster for the Pro Bowl. He's been deserving for a few years now. He didn't have as many big plays this year but he was a tackling machine. He led the team and was third in the league in tackles. Greenway plays the game with a child-like enthusiasm. Its clear that he simply loves the game. He's early to practice just to be on the field. He's catching punts, throwing the ball, running around the field. He's fun to watch. Greenway and his wife are extremely active in the community with various charitable functions. So active that he's the Vikings nomination for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award. The NFL needs more players like Chad Greenway. Its nice to see him being acknowledged for his contributions on and off the field.

Wildcard

On Friday the Minnesota Vikings interviewed recently axed Tampa Bay coach Raheem Morris for their likely vacant defensive coordinator position. Apparently the Vikings also intend to interview the recently axed St. Louis Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo, former Jacksonville Jaguars interim coach Mel Tucker and (gasp!) their own linebackers coach Mike Singletary. I dearly hope the latter is merely a courtesy interview as Leslie Frazier and Singletary are long time friends. As many San Francisco 49ers fans learned, I learned that the Hall of Fame linebacker is nuts. Word around the campfire is that Singletary did little this year and some of what he did was erratic at best. Fortunately for the Vikings and any team looking for defensive coaches most of those losing their jobs were defensive minded. I really like the possibilities of Spagnuolo, Morris and Tucker. My first choice is Spagnuolo as I believe that he brings the most creativity. As offenses get more creative defenses need to keep step. Now, I agree that the Vikings need to make changes on the defensive coaching staff. I'm not sure that I agree with their methods. Defensive coordinator Fred Pagac is currently employed as such while the team interviews for his position. They did the same thing last year with offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell while they interviewed for his position. I'm hoping that there is some sort of understanding between the team and Pagac. It just seems cold otherwise. My further hope is that Pagac remains on the staff as the linebackers coach. He was outstanding in that capacity prior to his promotion to coordinator last offseason. No matter what happens its super that the Vikings see the need for changes on defense.

Not for some actual football...

The New York Giants made their 31st postseason appearance. Most in NFL history.

For a while now the Atlanta Falcons offensive line has been accused of being dirty in their blocking. To support the Falcons, ESPN threw out the stat that their line has the fewest penalties of the playoff teams. First of all that's a diluted stat. Second of all the Falcons are considered dirty not for what they do illegally. They are considered dirty for what they do within the rules. That's why they are considered dirty.

Giants thumped the Falcons 24-2. Interesting score. My goodness, the Falcons took a nap. Trading a ton for receiver Julio Jones in the draft was supposed to provide some pop to the offense. Actually, I still think that was a great trade. Falcons fans might not think so when their team sits out much of the draft.

The Giants defense was terrific yesterday. If they can keep that level of play next week, the Packers offense will be challenged.

The Falcons have to figure out the playoffs. They are a talented team but they've looked far from talented in their last two appearances. Windows don't usually stay open very long in the NFL.

I wonder how the Falcons feel about signing defensive end Ray Edwards for a bunch of money last offseason. He had questionable motivation and inconsistent production his entire time in Minnesota. He was mostly invisible in Atlanta this season.

I really like the NFC matchups next week. I figure that the Packers and Saints will be the favorites to play on. I wouldn't be too surprised if the Giants and 49ers win instead. That would bring flashbacks of the '80s.

I hope that Denver Broncos receiver Eric Decker will be back healthy and whole. His knee injury didn't look good. I've been impressed with Decker since his University of Minnesota days. Cal couldn't do anything about him when the two schools played. His current teammate SydQuan Thompson was trying to cover him. I think that Steelers linebacker James Harrison only tackles to injure players. High? Low? Doesn't matter. He leads with his helmet and hits so that the player stays down for a while.

Its pretty funny that the first playoff game without sudden death ended with sudden death.

The best officiating crews through the season work the playoffs. Judging by the Wildcard round the best is really bad.

More Game Day Bits

The 2011 All Pro team was announced on Friday. Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen and Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson were both one vote shy of unanimous. I'm not sure how anyone could vote against Allen or Johnson. One person did. Its probably the same idiot that keeps voting against Cris Carter for the Hall of Fame.

Here's the All-Pros

QB Aaron Rodgers Packers
RB Maurice Jones-Drew Jaguars
      LeSean McCoy Eagles
FB Vonta Leach Ravens
WR Calvin Johnson Lions
      Wes Welker Patriots
TE  Rob Gronkowski Patriots
T    Joe Thomas Browns
      Jason Peters Eagles
G   Carl Nicks Saints
      Jahri Evans Saints
C   Maurkice Pouncey Steelers
K   David Akers 49ers
KR Patrick Peterson Cardinals

DE Jared Allen Vikings
DT Haloti Ngata Ravens
DT Justin Smith 49ers
DE Jason Pierre-Paul Giants
OLB DeMarcus Ware
        Terrell Suggs
ILB Patrick Willis 49ers
       Navarro Bowman 49ers
       Derrick Johnson Chiefs
 CB Darrelle Revis Jets
       Charles Woodson Packers
   S Troy Polamalu Steelers
       Eric Weddle Chargers
   P Andy Lee 49ers

I'm surprised by Weddle's presence on the team. He's a fine player. As a free agent prior to the season I was hoping that the Vikings could sign him. Its just that as long as the Ravens Ed Reed is still breathing he's my All-Pro safety. No one that I've ever seen has played the position better.

The 49ers led with five players. Very nice. Justin Smith nearly made the team at DE in addition to DT. The 49ers played him at both positions. As a result he got votes at both. He was third in voting for ends.

Patrick Peterson was the only rookie to make the team.

Its no surprise that the New Orleans Saints placed two players on the offensive team. Its a little surprising that both players are guards. Perhaps its an indication that no matter how much firepower you have on offense it all starts up front.

The Hall of Fame voters shaved the list to the 15 finalists. Former Vikings Cris Carter and Chris Doleman made the cut so the voters live to vote another day. They have to get Carter's proper respect right this year. Its getting ridiculous. I see a Hall of Fame class of Carter, Jerome Bettis, Dermontti Dawson, Tim Brown and either Kevin Greene or Doleman. Senior nominees Dick Stanfel and Jack Butler should make it as well. Congratulations to all Hall of Fame finalists.

"The 49ers can go into a football game and just make it ugly right away."
                        -CBS analyst Phil Simms
This doesn't sound like much of a compliment but it is. All season the 49ers have had an incredible ability to control games. On offense and defense the game is played at their speed. Their defense can take even the highest scoring teams out of their high scoring ways. They did it to Detroit. Can they do it to Green Bay, New Orleans and New England?

The U.S. Army All-American Bowl was a nice appetizer for the playoff games. This high school all star game is a lot of fun. Its no guarantee of college or professional success for the players but it sure is an introduction to the big time for them.

Cal had a fantastic day. They received commits from receiver Jordan Payton, safety Shaq Thompson and defensive tackle Ellis McCarthy. This 2012 recruiting class is incredible. Its easily the best that I've ever seen in Berkeley. One person that is mentioned by nearly every recruit is defensive line coach Tosh Lupoi. He's quickly become one of the best recruiters in the nation.

In addition to the incredible talent, this Cal recruiting class has become something of a legacy class. Receiver Bryce Treggs is the son of former Bears receiver Brian Treggs. Linebacker Hardy Nickerson is the son of former linebacker Hardy Nickerson. New commit Shaq Thompson is the brother of recent Cal and current Denver Broncos corner SydQuan Thompson.

Barry Sanders, son of Barry Sanders, played in the game. He looks and talks exactly like his father. Pretty nifty runner too. I'm not sure why a smart kid like Sanders would pick Stanford.

One player that really stood out to me is future Alabama runningback TJ Yeldon. He had a couple incredible runs. Twice hurdling would be tacklers. Even his short runs were impressive. He seems like a very deliberate runner. Waits for his blocks. Waits for his holes to open. There's runners in the NFL that don't do this. Once Yeldon sees a his hole, he's through it in a hurry. Very impressive back. I don't think that Tide fans will be missing Trent Richardson for long.

I've always enjoyed listening to former baketball player Charles Barkley talk football. He's been on Rich Eisen's podcast. He was on NBC's pregame and halftime show yesterday. He knows his football. More significantly, he understands sports. For whatever reason, Rodney Harrison kept hassling him. Just like he was on the football field, Harrison can be a jerk at times.

Houston Texans rookie defensive end JJ Watt keeps making plays. He had a big interception return for a touch down yesterday. The played tilted the game the Texans way. A couple plays later he had a sack to end the first half.

Texans cornerback Jonathan Joseph hit free agency in the considerable shadow of Nnambi Asomugha. Both are great players but Joseph had by far the better season. He's in the conversation with Darrelle Revis, Nnambi Asomugha and Charles Woodson for the best corner in the game.

I sure was wrong with my prediction of the Cincinnati Bengals beating the Houston Texans. Andy Dalton made the mistakes that I thought TJ Yates would make.

Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz often looks like a first-grader and someone stole his paste.

The Lions recovered two fumbles in the first half. They quickly punted. You always want to do something with turnovers but at least they stopped Saints' drives.

The Lions-Saints game was a good one until Matthew Stafford threw his first interception. The Lions couldn't stop the Saints in the second half.

Schwartz spent his post game press conference whining about pretty much everything. Nothing was fair. If the Lions had tackled better. If the Lions had covered receivers. If the Lions had taken advantage of the two turnovers in the first half. The Lions might have had a defensive score off one of the fumbles taken away by a bad call but they still had the fumble. They took the ball away. Do something with it. The Saints had the ball for nearly 40 minutes. That's controlling the ball and the game. You lost Jim! Deal with it. Its been a while since I've heard a coach whine like that.

Game Day Bits-Playoff Style

I sure miss seeing the Minnesota Vikings in the playoffs. Its hard to believe that their last appearance was the 2009 NFC Championship game against the New Orleans Saints. A game that the Vikings should have won. Oh, how they have fallen. The Vikings, not the Saints. At least the Vikings absence makes for more relaxed viewing of this years edition of the postseason.

"Its too cold for football"
-New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez prior to a 45-3 beatdown by the New England Patriots in 2010. This tells me all that I need to know about Sanchez.

Atlanta Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff is an anomaly in the NFL. He looks and talks a bit different for an NFL executive but its his vegetarian ways that truly sets him apart. The NFL is home to big, bloody food. Alabama is an offseason destination for all teams due to the Senior Bowl. Finding food fit for Dimitroff on road trips, especially in Alabama, is always a challenge. Luckily Falcons scout Les Snead is an Alabama native. He claims to know where every Whole Foods and natural-foods-friendly place is in the state. I'm slightly shocked that Alabama has any. Snead once found a "late-night hippie pizza joint with tofu subs" in the middle of Alabama.

Speaking of the Senior Bowl. There's a rumor that the Vikings are coaching one of the teams. That's always a nice advantage to sucking during the season. The team discovered all-pro defensive tackle Kevin Williams when they coached in 2003.

Speaking of Vikings coaches. The team is interviewed former Tampa Bay head coach Raheem Morris for, most likely, defensive coordinator. That would be a nice hire. I was hoping that Morris, Jack Del Rio and Steve Spagnuolo were on the Vikings radar.

I read that each of today's playoff games contain a first. The Cincinnati Bengals-Houston Texans game is the first to match two rookie quarterbacks. The Bengals' Andy Dalton and the Texans' TJ Yates. The second is more prolific and promising. The New Orleans Saints-Detroit Lions game is the first to ever match two quarterbacks that threw for over 5,000 yards on the season. Drew Brees and Matthew Stafford could put up some crazy fireworks.

Arizona Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald dropped only one pass of the 153 passes thrown his way. That one drop occurred against the Vikings. No surprise really. That was a game in which absolutely nothing went the Cardinals way.

Congratulations to Maurice Jones-Drew on winning the NFL rushing title. I've followed his career since his days at De La Salle High School in Concord, Ca. Except for some unfortunate years at UCLA (why there?) he's been an absolute joy to watch play football.

The Monday following the last regular season game is commonly called Black Monday. So called due to the often large number of coaches fired. This year only Tampa Bay's Raheem Morris and St. Louis' Steve Spagnuolo were shown the door.

I was a little surprised that long time decision maker Bill Polian and his son Chris were fired in Indianapolis. I think that it was more a move against Chris Polian eventually calling the shots solo than an indictment of his father.

I've warmed to the views of NFL Network's Michael Lombardi. Like Mike Mayock, I think that it's taken Lombardi a while to get used to being in front of the camera. As a long time team executive, he has great insight into the management side of the league. Having worked with Al Davis, Bill Walsh and Bill Belichick, he's learned and grown with some of the best.

"If you're winning ugly, you have to keep winning. Otherwise you're just ugly."
                     -legendary broadcaster Jim Brockmire

I'm currently reading the biography of Apple backbone Steve Jobs. Its striking how the most successful people are the ones that best learn from those around them. Too many people stumble through life thinking that they have all the answers. Former San Francisco 49ers coach Bill Walsh took a fairly long path to the top job of an NFL team. He learned from some of the best along the way. His passing offense was greatly influenced by his time with the Oakland Raiders and Al Davis who had learned from Sid Gillman. Walsh refined his offense and learned efficient team management from Paul Brown during his years with the Cinncinati Bengals. From his time at Cal with Marv Levy, Walsh certainly learned that Berkeley was a far better college and town than Stanford and Palo Alto. That's important too.

Two coaches that achieved incredible success at a frighteningly young age were John Madden and Mike Tomlin. Both had the advantage of taking over strong, established teams. Both the Oakland Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers were criticized for making such foolish hires. Tomlin won so quickly that it didn't seem possible. Its coaches like these, being at the right place at the right time, that likely drive coaches like Vince Lombardi, Bill Walsh and Bill Belichick nuts. Coaches that worked for decades before they were tapped for a top NFL job.

Last night Kansas St and Arkansas battled in the Cotton Bowl. There's still two more bowl games including the championship game. The way that the bowl games are drawn out is crazy. I'm so ready for the NFL postseason to start even if the Vikings are not a part of it.

The second season begins...

Football Royalty

Thanks to her role as Lisbeth Salander in The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo, actress Rooney Mara is a recognized name now. Hers is a very recognized name in football circles. Rooney and Mara are like royalty in the NFL. Only the name Halas has been present longer. Rooney Mara's great-grandfather Tim Mara brought the New York Giants to the league in 1925. Eight years later her great-grandfather Art Rooney introduced his Pittsburgh Steelers. Mara actually helped pave the way for Rooney.

Rooney Mara is the daughter of Timothy Mara, current vice president of player evaluation for the Giants, and Kathleen McNulty (ne Rooney). Rooney Mara grew up as a regular at Giants games and functions. Long time owner Wellington Mara was a constant in her life. Current owner John Mara is her uncle. She didn't much care for football as a kid but appreciates her unique connection to the game more now.

When I first noticed her name a few years ago, likely before her role in The Social Network, I thought that it was a real cool football name. I had no idea that her name was a real football name.

Throwback Thursday: Playoffs!

Playoffs. The second season. The win or go home reality of the playoffs creates a different kind of football. More tense. More memorable. The Super Bowl has clipped our postseason memories. Gone is the football history prior to 1966. There were championship games before the Super Bowl. There were playoff games too. Not as many as you might think but there were some.

The NFL started play in 1920 but there were no playoffs or championship games until 1932. That first championship game was never intended. It was only played to break a tie in the season standings. The game was such a hit that the league decision makers decided to play a championship game every year. Prior to 1932, the league crowned the champion based on the season standings. The NFL pretty much copied everything that college football did. College football couldn't figure out a playoff format so the NFL didn't either. Thankfully, the professionals were smart and decided that a championship game was best. The colleges still haven't figured out that simple matter. In 1933, the NFL split the league into two conferences. The Eastern and Western Conference champions would play for the NFL title. On several occasions a playoff game was needed to break ties in one or both conferences. This worked perfectly until the NFL and AFL merged to form the NFL that we know today. This merger started in 1966 with the playing of what would become the Super Bowl. The two leagues were still separate and then the respective champions would meet to decide it all. By 1970, they were fully merged into one league. The NFL formed two conferences (NFC and AFC) with three divisions each. Due to the AFL having fewer teams, long time NFL teams Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Baltimore moved over to the AFC. For the playoffs a wild card team was added to make for a total of four teams from each conference playing for a shot at the title. In 1978 a second wild card team was added. This remained the format until the NFL realigned in 2002. This resulted in four divisions of four teams in each conference. Four division winners and two wild cards created a twelve team tournament for a chance at immortality.

Here's hoping that the 2012 version of the NFL tournament is a great one.

What's in a Name?

Sometimes I think that the media wants NFL teams to have a designated General Manager so that they have someone to blame when things go wrong. The media has to able to point that finger. For the last six years the Minnesota Vikings have not had a general manager in name. As Vice President of Player Personnel Rick Spielman has often been the general manager in practice. He's shared decision making duties with the head coach. Initially that was Brad Childress. Now that is Leslie Frazier. The area media have been calling for a true general manager the entire time. They need a name to blame. This week the Vikings promoted Spielman to General Manager. He now has the name and the responsibilities that go with it. He has final say on all roster decisions. He has the authority to fire the head coach. As the head coach, Leslie Frazier will make all decisions regarding his staff. As any responsible NFL decision maker, Spielman will listen to his coaches and scouting departments on all decisions. Now, he just has that all important final say. The media now has that all important name.

I have long felt that the head coach should make all personnel decisions. After all, he's the one that has to coach the players. He's the one that best knows his system. He's the one that best understands the players that fit his system. I must admit that my opinions were mostly cultivated in the years prior to free agency. There's no offseason now. There's so much to do. Its asking a lot of a coach to coach the current players and pursue new ones. Install and tweak the offense and defense and scout college players. My football team management ideal kind of falls apart in an era of free agency and non-stop evaluation and scouting. I still think that the most successful teams have the most cooperative relationship between coach and general manager. Some coaches want all decision making responsibilites. Some even demand it. The New England Patriots have long been the front office ideal. Coach Bill Belichick has the final vote and loudest voice in the room. One of the few coaches that has that type of authority these days. To his and the team's credit Belichick has always been very open to the people around him. He has always surrounded himself with incredible football minds. His working relationship with Scott Pioli built championships. No matter the names on the office doors coaches, executives and scouts all should have a say in personnel decisions. What's the point of being around if no one listens. Smooth cooperation is always the hope. Cooperation in decisions has always been the source of success on the football field. I thought that the Vikings had that cooperation between Spielman and Childress. Rumor has it that Childress took more than he gave. They still worked together to built an incredibly talented team that peaked in 2009. It shortly crumbled for a variety of reasons but there's no denying the talent that they put together. The mistake made in signing Donovan McNabb prior to this past season may have been the catalyst of this weeks managerial change in Minnesota. Frazier pushed for the signing of McNabb. That one move doomed the Vikings 2011 season. The Wilf family decided that one person needs to be making roster decisions moving forward. They chose Rick Spielman. New title. Same objective.

The Flea Flicker Fearless Playoff Predictions

Wild Card Round

NFC
Saints over Lions
Falcons over Giants

AFC
Bengals over Texans
Steelers over Broncos

Divisional Round

NFC
Packers over Falcons
Saints over 49ers

AFC
Patriots over Bengals
Steelers over Ravens

Conference Championships

NFC
Packers over Saints

AFC
Patriots over Steelers

Super Bowl

Packers over Patriots

Of course these are not for gambling purposes.

Week 17

Jim Kleinsasser was the Minnesota Vikings lone captain. I wish that he could have experienced more wins in his final season of football.

Thank you, Jim Kleinsasser, for a very memorable Minnesota Vikings career.

Often you can tell the energy of a team through the effort of the special teams. The Vikings special teams were flying around the field. So was the defense. There was a lot of energy. Too bad the offense frequently didn't match it. Losing quarterback Christian Ponder early and runningback Toby Gerhart late didn't help. 17-13 Chicago. 3-13 on the season.

Usually I try to put records and milestones second to wins but I found myself wanting Chicago to have the ball. The more offensive plays for the Bears the more chances defensive end Jared Allen had to break Michael Strahan's season sack record of 22.5. Allen had 3.5 in the game to end the season at 22.

Jared Allen was a beast the entire season. His effort on every play was unreal. In a sad Vikings season Allen was a game after game highlight. His interception, in coverage, of Philip Rivers in week one was an incredibly athletic play. It was only a hint of what he would do the entire season.

Here's to Jared Allen on a Vikings record 22 sacks and an unbelievable season.

A catch and run by Percy Harvin on the Vikings' first offensive play lest them with a nice 2nd and 1. An early jump by Anthony Herrera turned that into 2nd and 6 and a punt two plays later. This sort of thing has happened way too often the season. Five yard penalties don't seem like a much but they can easily flip an edge to the offense right back to the defense.

I sure hate when TV comes back from commercials, shows the kickoff and goes right back to commercials. Always have. Always will.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers sure haven't put up much fight the last half of the season. I don't think today is going to be a fun day for head coach Raheem Morris.

Its amazing to see Baltimore Ravens nose tackle Haloti Ngata move. This is a 350lb man that moves like one about half his size.

The Cincinnati Bengals played like a team that wants to make the playoffs. I'm not sure that any of the contenders for the AFC West did the same.

The Tennessee Titans wanted it too.

Ndamukong Suh proved again that he's an idiot. When you poke fun at an opponent its best that you win the game. Suh really needs to let his play do the talking. Right now that level of play is nowhere near the level that he thinks it is.

Vikings receiver Percy Harvin is wasting no time. He's already calling for the team to get together for offseason workouts. He's a super football player. Now he's emerging as a team leader.
"We're going to grind this offseason."

Minnesota has the third pick in the 2012 Draft. Following Indianapolis and St. Louis. Right now, I like, in order of preference, USC tackle Matt Kalil, LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne and Oklahoma St. receiver Justin Blackmon. By draft time other players could filter into the conversation. With the Colts likely taking Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck at worst two of those three will be available for the Vikings. The Rams and Vikings picks could become very attractive to a team that's hot for Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III. The Vikings has to grab a left tackle in this draft. Those usually come in the first couple of rounds.

Vikings fullback Ryan D'Imperio has really improved this season. He played linebacker at Rutgers and his development at a new position has been one of the few highlights this season.

Cincinnati and Denver made the playoffs despite losing their final games. Its always annoyed when people refer to this as backing into the playoffs as if it was by some stroke of luck. Teams make the playoffs based on their wins. It doesn't matter when they come as long as they do.

New York Giants receiver Victor Cruz is a heck of a football player. The Giants need a play and Cruz makes it. I'm more impressed each time I see him play.

The Cowboys looked like they going to crawl back to Dallas without a fight. Instead they made it a game and then let it get away again.

I like the way Dallas linebacker Sean Lee plays football. He's a good one that's going to get a lot better.

Yesterday was the most animated that I've seen Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier on the sideline. This was a very difficult season but I love the way he kept the team together. The record certainly doesn't show it but they never quit fighting. That's difficult to do when nothing seems to go right. Of the thirteen losses they had a chance to win in all but three. Two of those were to arguably the best teams in the league in Green Bay and New Orleans. The other was to Chicago before they lost quarterback Jay Cutler. Frazier and his team will be better next year.

Congratulations to all 12 teams that are still playing.

Game Day Bits

Happy New Year, Everyone!

Last week in Washington, Adrian Peterson noticed a little kid, sporting his jersey, holding up a sign that said "Only thing I want for Christmas is for Adrian Peterson to sign my jersey." The Vikings runningback told the kid that he'd sign it after the game. On the first offensive play of the second half Peterson's knee was torn apart. With everything that had to be going through his head after that injury, Peterson remembered the promise he made to a little kid.

I'm really going to miss Jim Kleinsasser playing football for the Minnesota Vikings. If there was ever a player perfect for football in Minnesota it was Kleinsasser. From his North Dakota roots to his no nonsense game. He would have fit in nicely with those fierce Vikings teams of the late '60s. It was players like Kleinsasser that fellows like Walter Camp had in mind when they developed the game. Just brute, physical power over flash and dazzle.

Green Bay has more wins than all three Florida teams combined.

It was fun watching the fireworks ignited by Washington and Baylor in the Alamo Bowl. 67-56 Baylor. The defenses were pathetic. It's a debate as to whether any was actually played. Some people love games like that but I prefer something a little closer to that 9-6 overtime game between LSU and Alabama. Maybe add a couple of touchdowns. Great defense is fun too.

Rutgers has won five straight bowl games. Longest current streak in the nation.

Since the Vikings will be home for the playoffs quarterback Christian Ponder, center John Sullivan, guard Steve Hutchinson and the freshly retired Jim Kleinsasser will be ice fishing. They'll be in an ice house at Lake of the Woods. That's what 3 or 4 wins get you.

It was cool to see former Vikings runningback Robert Smith on ESPN's college halftime show. Adrian Peterson is, and will remain, fast. Michael Bennett was fast too. Robert Smith was something else. He would just glide. Just glide very fast. It never seemed like his feet ever touched the ground. His speed and big play ability fit perfectly with the explosive Vikings teams of the late '90s. Defenses couldn't concentrate solely on defending Cris Carter, Jake Reed and Randy Moss when Smith could take the ball a long ways at any time. I always wondered about the social interactions between Smith and Moss. Smith considered astrophysics a hobby. I can't imagine Moss caring much about science or politics. As Moss' presence in the Vikings locker room grew, it was time for Smith to leave it. As a football player Smith retired far too early. As a man with other things to do he retired at just the right time. Funny that he's back in football.

I see that Miami Dolphins runningback Reggie Bush gave Segways to his offensive linemen. Maybe its just me but I find 300+ lbs men motoring around on Segways fairly terrifying.

Reggie Bush did have a nice season. He looked more like that excellent USC back than he ever did in New Orleans.

Rex and Rob Ryan are terrific football coaches. Rob is very deserving of a head coaching gig. Rex is deserving of keeping his. That being said, the Ryan brothers really need to shut the hell up. They are doing their teams no favors with their wreckless predictions.

One super thing about the end to the Vikings disappointing 2011 season is the resulting end to the numbing debate as to where they will draft.

For 2012, Cris Carter's long, ridiculous wait for the Hall of Fame had better end in about a month.

Cheers to the teams that keep playing after today.