MDJ's Yahoo blog (Shutdown Corner) rated the Colts helmet 3rd overall in the Coolest Helmet(s) in History. The Colts tied the Green Bay Packers for 3rd place. Both helments, accoridng to MDJ, are cooler than the Cowboys helmets. Damn right!

They're the kinds of helmets the fans of the respective teams will love, but non-fans might not regard particularly highly. You might look at the Packers helmet and say, "Ooooh, you've got a white 'G' in a green oval, how special. The only cool white 'G' I've ever heard of is Eminem" (note: you probably won't actually say that).

Similarly, if you don't like the Colts, you might look at their helmets and say, "Congratulations, you've got a horseshoe on your helmet. I guess this also qualifies Mr. Ed as a fashion plate."

And that's fine. You don't have to like either of these helmets. To be honest with you, I don't think either of them are great works of art, and it's highly unlikely that I'll ever be purchasing the giant helmet Fathead for either team.

But I do think you should respect the tradition behind these lids.

I actually disagree with MJD on the hi-lighted part. Clean, simple logos last for decades because (duh!) they are cool. I'm not buying a hat or shirt with a logo sporting some doofus wearing a Paul Revere costume, hiking a football between his legs. I mean, there's a reason New England dumbed that longtime logo. Meanwhile, the Colts and Packers have maintained their logos because their simplicity makes them artistic.

Over at Throwing Into Traffic, a blog I'm starting to enjoy, Zac thinks the NFC West will be the most competitive division in football in 2008. Zac defines what he means by competitive, because it does not necessarily mean the "best":

Ask anyone what the most competitive division in football is this year, and you’re likely to get the same quick response people have given for the last couple of years: the AFC South. Certainly, there’s little doubt that the AFC’s southern fried division packs the most bang for your buck of any of the divisions, with each team a legitimate playoff contender, and each putting out a unique and well executed game plan, generally making for stellar in division competition.

...

But here’s the thing: Until Peyton Manning says so, that’s his corner. Dwight Freeney’s coming back (forgot that the Colts did all that last year without him, didn’t you), and Marvin Harrison is scarier than ever and ready to destroy the number two corner on your favorite football team. The Colts have won the AFC South every year since 2003, and this year, with the talent they have returning and young players (Ugoh, Gonzalez) maturing, the script will remain the same: Indy jumps ahead early, SOMEBODY teases like they’re playing it close, and Indy curb stomps them in the divisional games. Wake me up when the credits roll, ok?

So the real answer to the question of which division is going to be the most competitive isn’t the AFC South, which is actually the most talented, but rather a division that has yet to find clear dominance; a division that had the kind of draft that evens out the terrain in a year; a division where everyone is willing to drag everybody else down to the mean, where each win feels like a pyrrhic victory. Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to the 2008 NFC West, where the motto is “Hey, somebody has to crawl out of this crab barrel eventually.”