Last week, we took some shots at our favorite punching bang from SI (Peter King) for his laughable notes on the 2008 MVP race. This week, it seems Peter King has had a bit of a revelation. Maybe he read something here and it sparked a thought in that coffee-stimulated brain of his. Or, maybe someone just dropped a rock on his head just to shake out the cobwebs. Whatever happened, Peter King is finally starting to make some sense:

I think Kurt Warner is rapidly playing himself out of all those nice things -- like a third MVP, like a winning January -- he'd played himself into through the first 10 games of the year. At some point, an MVP has to win a game he shouldn't win. Warner hasn't had one of those yet this year, and though he's played very well overall in engineering the Cards' 7-5 record, he's been downright bad in big games on the road, including throwing interceptions to end the first two drives at Philadelphia Thursday night.

Welcome to the world of the living, Peter! We've been saying for weeks how the Warner for MVP bandwagon was a silly mockery of what the MVP is all about. MVPs come up big in big games against tough teams, especially on the road. Last year's MVP, Tom Brady, won a tough games on the road in Indy and NY. Warner, meanwhile, has nearly made the turnover look like an art form when he plays quality opponents on the road. Again, Warner's resurrgence is a great story, and Arizona fans have every right to root for him. But after Thursday's meltdown, Warner is now officially gone from the MVP radar. Like Washington's Clinton Portis (who was the mid-season favorite before his team started to suck), Warner just hasn't done enough to prove he is the best player in the NFL.

The same is true for Saints QB Drew Brees. Brees was another reason why the Warner for MVP talk was silly. Brees is clearly a better QB than Warner. Yet, with their loss to the Bucs yesterday, Bress knocked himself out of the MVP discussion. His team, likely, will not make the playoffs and no legit MVP-candidate sits home in January. This doesn't take anything away from Brees and what he has accomplished in New Orleans. Without a defense and the continued suckiness of non-running back Reggie Bush, Brees has managed to will New Orleans to respectability seemingly by himself. Brees is a helluva player; a top 5 QB now. He doesn't need an MVP to prove that.

So, with Warner, Brees, and Portis now out of the picture, the MVP race is pretty much a one man race now. Boring, I know. But it is accurate. Hell, it is so obvious, even Peter King gets it now:

MVP Race

1. Peyton Manning, QB, Indianapolis. OK. You give me an MVP after the debacle weekend of so many candidates. Manning ascends to the top by default, despite engineering zero touchdown drives for only the fifth time in a 10-year NFL career. This is a seasonal award, obviously, because of the Colts being 8-4 and Manning being most responsible.

As we have said for some time, Peyton Manning is the 2008 MVP. No debate. No argument. If you disagree you are wrong and you can go sit in the corner, facing the wall. When known blockheads like Bill Simmons and Peter King finally get it, you know it is so obvious it might as well have flames and sparklers shooting from it.

Now, in typical WTF! fashion, Peter King lists Falcons rookie QB Matt Ryan as the #2 MVP candidate. Look, Matt Ryan is a very good rookie QB, but if he is a legit MVP candidate, I'm no longer watching NFL football and dedicating my blogging Sundays to the PBA Tour. Why not throw Joe Flacco in there as well, Peter! His team is 8-4 and, like Ryan's Falcons, Flacco's Ravens are currently in the playoff picture as the #6 seed. Personally, I feel Jets QB Brett Favre is the #2 MVP candidate. Yes, his team lost to the Broncos at home yesterday. Yes, he played poorly. So what. People have bad games, and the Jets had just finished beating the Pats and Titans in previous weeks. Favre will likely bounce back next week.

The other real, legit MVP candidates are Titans QB Kerry Collins and Giants QB Eli Manning. My arguments for these candidates are simple: Without Collins, Vince Young continues to stink it up in Nashville and the Titans are .500 right now, not 11-1; Without Eli Manning, the Giants have David Carr throwing the football ('nuff said). The fact that niether of these men are on King's MVP radar suggests Peter's two feet are not quite firmly planted in the realm of the totally conscious, but for now we are just happy that he has seen the light regarding Peyton Manning. Baby steps for everything else. Baby steps.

So, why all this MVP talk?

Well, for one, it is cool to talk and write about MVP races. They are fun. Yes, admit it. They are. Remember, football is supposed to be fun, and if you do not see the fun in talking about MVP races, get a pulse. Do they mean anything in terms of who wins it all? No, of course not. Last year's MVP choked big time in the Super Bowl, and was outplayed by a guy who was booed in his home stadium just one month prior. In terms of the ultimate prize, the Super Bowl is way cooler than any regular season MVP award. However, this year the MVP award has an extra layer of drama added to the fun. It was starting to look as if writers were going to give Kurt Warner, a man who will never sniff the NFL Hall of Fame, his third NFL MVP. Only one other player has won three MVPs: Brett Favre. Favre will obviously be a first ballot HoFer, and if he wins his fourth MVP, he will further cement his legacy as one of the greatest ever to play.

Better than Elway. Better than Montana. Better than Starr. Better than Graham. Maybe better than Unitas.

So, knowing the stakes, giving the MVP to Warner would be kind of a slap in the face to previous award winners. How can a guy who will never get a HoF vote (nor should he) win three friggin' league MVPs? Fortunately, Warner has been re-exposed as the turnover monster he always was, and the person who will likely join Favre as the only other three-time NFL MVP is Peyton Manning. This is the way it should be. Yes, it is boring. We know Peyton is great. Why give him yet another award?

Answer: Because the great ones should always win the awards until someone better comes along. Deviation from that cheapens the award, and Peyton Manning is clearly the best player in this league right now. Once again, Peter King shows us he has a little life after all:

Let me tell you a story. My Sirius NFL Radio partner, Randy Cross, was on a Frontier Airlines flight from Denver to Atlanta eight nights ago after doing Oakland-Denver for CBS. Frontier has satellite TV at every seat and Cross and his seat neighbor were watching the waning moments of the Indy-San Diego Sunday-nighter. The Chargers kicked a field goal to tie the game at 20 with a minute and a half left. The ensuing conversation:

Seat neighbor: "Overtime.''

Cross, pointing to the time remaining: "The Chargers are toast.''

Seat neighbor: "Why?''

Cross, pointing to Peyton Manning on the screen: "Because of him.''

Eighty-seven seconds later , after another game-winning drive by the master of them, the Colts were walking off the field with a 23-20 win.

Thanks for the story, Peter. Now, do us a favor and hide those power rankings. You do not help your cause by ranking the Steelers and the Cowboys ahead of the Colts. The Colts beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh, and the Cowboys... well, they just suck in general. Beating up on the Lions doesn't magically make them a legit contender again. But whatever. Peter has seen the light regarding Peyton Manning for MVP.

Baby steps with everything else.

We are all in a pretty good mood after yesterday's 33-27 win over the Texans.  The offense finally showed their true self, and we are back atop the wild card standings.  Tonight, a 5-4 Buffalo team will host the 3-6 Browns, in a game we should all be rooting for the team employing my 2nd favorite quarterback, Brady Quinn. 

We all know how obnoxious ESPN is, especially on MNF.  I, along with Brian G. over at Buffalo Rumblings, expect them to be especially so tonight, as Quinn will be the focal point of their broadcast.  I thought I'd come up with a game for all of you to play, based on what topics or names come up.  I'll categorize them from Multiple Times to Very Obscure, along with the requisite drinks of sweet nectar that go along with it.  Here goes:

Take one drink for each time they say the following, as they'll happen multiple times:

• Derek Anderson
• Notre Dame
• Charlie Weis
• "Hometown QB"
  

Take two drinks for each time they say the following, as they may happen multiple times, but at least once:

• 2007 Draft
  
• Lack of Arm Strength
• Showing Derek Anderson spinning a ball on the sidelines
• Quinn's record against Trent Edwards in college (3-0)
  

Take three drinks for each time they say the following, as these are starting to get obscure, but they (ESPN) will be obnoxious

• Tyrone Willingham
• A.J. Hawk
  
• Actual video of the 2007 draft, complete with his reaction when the Dolphins selected the Ginn Family.
• Tom Brady speaking to him on the phone while in college

Take four drinks for each time they say the following, as these have nothing to do with the game, but ESPN doesn't care:

• Jeff Samardzija
  
• Jimmy Clausen
  
• Notre Dame's bowl record over the past 15 years
  
• John McCain

Take an entire bottle of Irish Whiskey, and chug the whole thing:

• Show any of the pictures found in this collage (courtesy of Deadspin).  Especially the last one, as it is the most famous.  

I'm going to keep track of all of these things, and hope everything gets said at least once, other than the last thing, as I don't think my liver could take that much obnoxiousness.  Here's to enjoying the game a little more, and Lee Evans/Braylon Edwards combining for less than 9 fantasy points.  Go Browns!

Last Sunday marked Peyton Manning's 31st fourth quarter comeback in his illustrious career. I guess we can now fondly look back and chuckle at all the inbred, ignorant dweebs (Bill Simmons) who openly questioned Peyton Manning's clutchness and ability to perform well under pressure. To put it in perspective folks, the supposed most "clutch player of all-time" was Joe Montana. I personally think Montana was over-rated. Not that he was bad. He was a truly great QB, but he simply wasn't as good as Dan Marino or John Elway. Montana played with Jerry Rice, Roger Craig, Brent Jones, Charles Haley, and Ronnie Lott. Elway and Marino had the likes of Mark Duper, Mark Jackson, and Ronald Humphrey for most of their careers. Take Marino or Elway, give them that talent and coaching, and they have 4 or maybe 5 rings.

But, per usual, I'm getting off topic.

Anyway, Montana, in his Hall of Fame career, had 31 4th quarter comebacks. He retired at age 38. Peyton Manning is 32, and already has 31 fourth quarter comebacks. Peyton does not play in the short, timing offense Montana played in. He plays in a down-the-field passing attack. And he calls his own plays, again, unlike Montana.

Can you tell that when someone says "Joe Montana was the best QB who ever lived," I want to rip their face off with a nail filler?

The other great clutch QB, Tom Brady, has 26 for his career. Again, morons lke Simmons have always shouted from the mountains that Brady is "more clutch" than Peyton. It was laughable then, and it is laughable now. Don't get me wrong. 26 comebacks is an amazing stat, and we here at Stampede Blue have always cheered Tom Brady's abilities (except when he plays the Colts, of course). But the fact is Brady is not "more clutch" than Peyton. Joe Montana is not more "clutch" than Peyton.

Peyton stands alone. He is money. Anyone who says otherwise can get their face introduced to the nail filler.

Justin Snow has the same expression we all did last night via d.yimg.com

It's been a while since I've felt like this after a Colts game.  Come to think of it, I would have felt this way had I watched one of our 5 preseason games, because that is what last night felt like.  Everyone was getting their bearings, trying things out, etc.  Unfortunately for the Colts, and us, the Bears did all of this in their Preseason games, and they knocked us around.  I guess this is the feeling almost every other team has felt sometime in the past 3 seasons.

I've read through most of the comments this morning from everyone, and I mostly agree with everything.  The one thing I haven't seen is a good explanation of why the Bears moved the ball very effectively on offense, even without major weapons, and I think the answer is a simple one:

They took what our defense gave them, and did not get impatient one time in the game.  They were very content to gain 4 yards on every play, and keep moving the chains.  Very few teams (read: coaches) have the discipline to not go for more than what the Tampa 2 gives you.  It will give you 4 yards a play, even when the defense is playing decent.  The Tampa 2 takes advantage when an offense starts to take risks down the field, or they need more than 8+ yards on one play.  The Bears, consistently, had 3rd and shorts, which is why they were 10-16 on 3rd downs.  Having 16 3rd down plays also shows how they kept taking 4 yards and moving on.

Other than the one big run by Forte, I don't think the defense played bad.  As BBS said below, taking that run out they only managed 3.4/carry.  Unfortunately, 3.4 x 3 > 10 yards, so they kept making first downs.  Plus they had some really good play-action calls and completions on 3rd downs as well.

As far as the offense goes, numerous things were going against us.  One, the Bears, and Urlacher confirmed after the game, wanted to stop the run on every play.  There were times they had 8 guys on the line of scrimmage, with 5 of them lined up over the middle of our line, which had a combined 12 starts (all by Johnson, at another position).  While I think we should have tried to run a little more, they never stopped daring Manning to throw the ball.  I liked the running of the slants, as they are quick passes that are great against a blitz.  But where were the variation plays off of them?  Why no slant-pump fake-go route, especially when there was no safety help?  The corners obviously knew they were blitzing, so they started to jump the slants.  Why not more screen passes, or draw plays?  I'm wondering if the inexperienced middle of the line played a part in that.

Every season, the biggest improvement comes from Game 1 to Game 2, especially with a lot of young guys.  It's still too early to start panicking about Peterson next week.  He still hasn't played a down yet this season.  I feel confident that the coaches know they've screwed up, and will right the ship.  I just wish they would have done this in the preseason, rather than on National TV, opening up a brand new stadium.

While this game was a kick in the nuts, it's still a better feeling than what they must be feeling in New England.  We all know how we'd feel if Manning was done for the year.  I really hope Brady can come back from this injury, as the entire NFL will suffer without him playing this season.  It really is the Bizarro NFL already, and we aren't even a week in.

One could not script a more devastating Kickoff Weekend for the NFL and their marketing folks. Look at this laundry list of disasters from yesterday’s games:

• Tom Brady. Torn ACL. Season over. Patriots season in jeopardy.
  
• Vince Young. Strained MCL. Out 4-6 weeks. I know the story says 2-4, but Jeff Saturday has a similar injury. It will be 4-6 weeks. Oh, and Vince continued his sidelining putting and general douchebaggery.
  
• Chargers lay an egg against the Panthers.
  
• Colts lay an egg against the Bears during the opening of their new stadium. Peyton Manning clearly not ready to play.
  
• Seattle, a team expected by many to win their division, gets mauled by Buffalo.
• Jacksonville, the anointed favorite among ESPN, gets beaten up by the Titans.

Much of what the NFL markets itself around (big name QBs and marquee teams) looked like utter garbage on Sunday. Thankfully, it is only Week One, and for many of the teams and players on this list there is hope for a rebound. On the flip side, maybe this is exactly what the NFL is all about: Unpredictability. Media people hate that because they get proven wrong a lot and it makes them look like the idiots they usually are. But for fans, it is gold. The motto of pro football is anyone can beat anyone, anywhere. And that’s what makes it great.

As I wrote in my quick recap, this was as bad a job Dungy has ever done as a coach in Indy. Of course, I agree with shake n bake. The sky isn't falling. The season isn't "over." It is only Week One. But from July to now, the Colts management has done a piss poor job of getting this team ready to play real NFL football. It started with the botched decision for late-July knee surgery on Manning to the bad job coaching in pre-season and culminated in a disastrous opening to Lucas Oil Stadium last night.

First thing Dungy should do in his Monday meeting with the press is apologize to the fans.

I've calmed down and re-played his game management in my head, and I still cannot account for some of the idiotic decisions he made in game. Forget the cotton candy game plan for a moment. Just focus on the one, key job the head coach is primarily responsible for. Was the team ready to play? Answer: No.

That is totally and utterly inexcusable, especially after 5 pre-season games.

I don't want to turn this into a laundry list of who screwed up. This post would be 50,000 words if I did that. Instead, I'll just go back to my keys for the game. Did the Colts run the ball? No. Did they even try to run the ball? Tom Moore did a pathetic, Martz-like job trying to establish a ground game, which is so crucial to beating a team like the Bears. The Colts ran Joseph Addai only 15 times. In 3 trips to the red zone, the Colts reverted to their pass happy days rather than running the ball down Chicago's throat. Penalties, poor game management, and bad execution did the rest. Peyton Manning, who is not 100%, attempted 49 passes.

49!

You are not going to win many games in this league when your run-to-pass ratio is 20-80.

The one bright spot for the Colts is the one area that has consistently played poorly for many seasons: Special teams. They played outstanding. Devin Hester acted like a cocky punk, and his antics at the beginning of the second half got Indianapolis back in the game. Coverage units controlled Hester all night, and if not for some silly penalties, Courtney Roby was returning his kicks quite well. All that momentum shifted again when Marvin Harrison fumbled in Indy's side of the field, and Lance Briggs scooped it up and returned it for a TD. That was the ball game.

You really have to credit Chicago for having a solid game plan and showing up ready. You'd think the Colts would have done the same, especially considering that they were opening their brand new stadium paid for by the fans. But there were times last night were this team looked lost, confused, and (in some cases) like they didn't know how to play football.

The blame for last night's embarrasment falls squarely on the coaches and management. Botching the timing of Manning's knee surgery cost Indy this game. Dungy poorly game planning and preparing the team allowed Chicago to Shanghai a night that should have belonged to the fans. All in all, this was one of the worst Colts games I have ever seen, and it better get straighted up quick.

Obviously, much of these problems are correctable. But as a fan, I feel Colts management cheated us fans out of a win. There are no gimmes in football, but the Colts are better than the Bears. Even Bears fans know that. And if that's the case, and the Colts played like that, than this opening day loss is on Dungy, Polian, and the Colts medical staff. They better get this team ready and get a good game plan in order, because next week it gets harder.

Thanks to all who posted hundreds of comments in the open threads. Hope you are enjoying some of the new features SB Nation has to offer with our new sites. As always, thanks to Windy City Gridiron for cross-blogging leading up to this game.

Seriously, can you think of a more disastrous opening weekend for the NFL? Tom Brady is out for 2008 with torn ligaments. Vince Young might be out for 2008 as well. The Colts, Chargers, and Seahawks laid eggs against teams that didn't make the playoffs last year, and Cleveland's new defense looks as horrible as it did last season. Week One = total mess.

An utterly pathetic effort to run the ball last night. Photo: Andy Lyons, Getty Images

Tom Brady and Vince Young got hurt and left their games, but both their teams won anyway. Brett Favre helped his new team, the Jets, win, and Philly plastered the Rams. Even Reggie Bush decided to show up.

Here is your open thread for the late games. Still no news on Brady, whose knee injury looked bad. I'm watching the Browns and Cowboys.

Hopefully, Shawne Merriman's season is NOT over.

Again, it's important to have some perspective in this whole Peyton Manning-bursa-sac-knee-swelling-maybe-kinda-don't-know drama. Based in small part by the reaction at this and other sites, Mike Lombardi posted this over at his National Football Post blog:

We here at the National Football Post are not interested in spreading stories just to get our name out there or to make a splash in the internet world.  We have no interest in that type of reporting.  Each of us has personal experience working in the NFL and we understand how unbridled rumor can become a nuisance for teams.  We have no desire to involve ourselves in the rumor business.  We are in "the fact business" and hope to tell you what is going to occur before it actually happens.  The Manning story is not a rumor, it is based on what I heard directly from someone who has intimate knowledge about the details.  In fact, I received several calls yesterday from other journalists who had the same or similar story, but were unable to get the type of confirmation I received.  So, the Colts can dismiss the story as a blog report if they want — if I were in their PR department, that’s what I would do — but notice that they never actually denied the story.  Moreover, since when were the Colts the ones with the pure intentions?  Didn’t they hide the severity of Marvin Harrison’s injury in 2007?  Let me be clear here: I don’t begrudge them for doing so.  Running an NFL team is a business, and like Apple or Ford you want to guard your secrets as closely as possible.  Why do you think Manning was rehabbing from home?  It is important to the Colts, like it is with many other teams, not to let anyone know their business.  As Vito Corleone told Sonny Corleone in the movie The Godfather, "Never tell anyone outside the family what you are thinking."  That is the creed to which most NFL teams adhere.  So, wrapping up my morning comments on this matter, when we report something here at The National Football Post, it will be based on fact, not hearsay or speculation.  That’s not how we roll here.

Again, I'll give Lombardi props for being straight up and addressing allegations that the story is made up. His up front attitude about it is one of the reasons why I haven't dismissed his story outright, unlike Deshawn Zombie at 18 to 88. He also provides a good reason as to why the Colts would lie to the media and fans about Manning's knee. Is it an excuse? No, of course not. Lying to your fans, who just paid $720 million for your new stadium, would be pretty damn cowardly. Again, not saying the Colts have done this, but if they did Lombardi provides believable reasons why they would.

It's also important to note that the Colts are not the only team dealing with injuries. Tom Brady has had a bad foot injury since the AFC Championship game last year. It lingered all throughout the off-season, and it has prevented him from playing in pre-season. He's also had limited practice. Meanwhile, the Chargers may have been dealt a season-killing blow today learning that defensive ace Shawn Merriman has a torn ligament in his knee. He might be done before 2008 even starts. San Diego's QB Philip Rivers is recovering from his own torn ligament, which he sustained against the Colts in the playoffs last year. Rivers had horrible mobility and pocket nimbleness before the injury. Will a torn ligament make him even less mobile?

Photo: NY Daily News

As you can see, for the other great teams in the AFC, they too are dealing with significant injuries.

One more thing on this: Yesterday we had some people come in here and actually cheer that Manning's knee may still be hurt. Of course, those comments were deleted because I have zero tolerance for @ssholes at Stampede Blue. It's important to stress that it is never, ever acceptable here, or anywhere else in the SB Nation football universe, to cheer when a player is hurt. I personally dislike Shawn Merriman because he's a blowhard idiot and an known cheater. That said, I am not happy he is hurt and I hope his knee issue is not as serious as reported. I hope he is able to play in 2008 at a high level and pain-free.

Same for Philip Rivers, who stinks as a QB in my opinion. I think he talks more than he plays, and the only reason he played well against Indy in the playoffs was because Dwight Freeney wasn't killing him. When Rivers played against Indy early in the 2007, he was terrible. Dwight played much of that game. That said, I hope Rivers is 100% healthy for 2008.

No matter how much I dislike someone, I never wish serious injury (or any injury) on anyone. To do so is just acting petty and pathetic. It has no place here. I know many of you share this sentiment with me. So, I'm pretty much preaching to the choir, but it helps to emphasize certain universal things from time to time.

via cache.daylife.com

Game #1 takes us back to January 21, 2007, where the Colts battled to New England Patriots for the right to go to Super Bowl XLI.  Since you've all read Manning's Greatest Game #3, and you know it is Super Bowl XLI, I think you have an idea who wins this game.  Manning and the Colts had come off Battle of Field Goals win in Baltimore, and the Patriots beat the 14-2 and #1 seed Chargers.  Coming into the Playoffs, I had the exact same thoughts as BBS, in that the Colts would be hosting the Patriots for the AFC Title, and that was the Colts best shot at getting to the Super Bowl.  A round of applause is unnecessary.  Here's what BBS said:

The Colts will beat the Chiefs, and then they will play their next playoff game in Baltimore for the first time since the Baltimore fans abandoned the Colts, thus prompting them for Indy. The Colts will then beat the Ravens, and then square off in the AFC Championship game against... the Patriots. Yes folks. The Patriots will beat the heavily favored San Diego Chargers, and they will face the Colts in the AFC Championship Game in Indianapolis. The Colts will beat New England (again), and thus make the Super Bowl. A road through the AFC like this is storybook: Beleaguered run defense against Larry Johnson; Colts in Baltimore for the playoffs; Colts against Patriots in AFC Championship Game. In one swoop, all playoff demons get exorcized.

I thought that instead of explaining the details of a game everyone has seen multiple times probably, I thought I'd make this a video blog.  I've pulled clips from the game (well, almost exclusively from the second half), and I'll let the actual tape tell the story for me.  I'll interject with my thoughts at the time, as I'm sure they were very similar to yours.

The game started out very slow for the Colts, getting down 14-3 with about 10 minutes to go in the second quarter.  Then the unthinkable happened:  An Asante Samuel INT returned for a TD, putting the Patriots up 21-3, looking like they were on their way to another blowout victory of the Colts in the playoffs.  It got even worse for the Colts, as Manning was sacked on the first two plays of the next drive, and the Colts punted from their own end zone, giving the Patriots the ball near midfield.  The Patriots looked like they were going to put the game away with about 5 minutes to go in the half, but they decided to run an illegal pick play on a 3rd down, then got called for an illegal shift, then Brady got sacked, putting them back at mid field.  This was key for the defense, and gave the offense the ball back with about 3 minutes to go in the half.

The first two plays did absolutely nothing, and CBS was already starting to show that the Colts had no shot, as you can see for yourself in this video.  Personally, I think this is the biggest play in the game.  It was a catalyst for this drive, and gave the Colts a new life:

 

Continue reading this post »

Forgotten in all the silliness surrounding Peyton Manning's knee surgery is he has had a similar procedure before... in college. This is also the same knee then-Vikings rookie Chris Hovan rammed his helmet into during the 2001 pre-season. Manning has worn a brace on that knee for years, and despite what some people think, he's a pretty mobile QB. If there is one element of Manning's game that has dramatically improved from 2005 to now it is his ability to throw accurately on the run. This procedure shouldn't change that, no matter how much AFC South rivals secretly hope. Here are the links:

• 18 to 88 utterly destroys the closet Patriots fans site known as Cold Hard Football Facts and their Brady is Better than Peyton argument. I've crossed paths with CHFF many times, and I'll say now what I said then: They mostly live and work in Massachusetts favor the Patriots with their biased evaluations. They also insult and make a mockery of stat-based opinion columns with their hack pieces which use selective facts. These guys are frauds, and 18 to 88 exposes their opinions as such. Rather than use stats to form an opinion, CHFF forms an opinion and then fudges certain stats (and ignores others) to validate the opinion. For a community site to do that is unforgivable. If I wanted hackery of that kind, I'd watch ESPN. From 18 to 88: 

  The arguments by CHFF simply don’t hold up to scrutiny. In fairness, they were written before all the facts were in, thus illustrating the folly of trying to prove that one of these two brilliant players is better than the other at this stage. The original CHFF piece was biased and distorted the facts and statistics. They cited context when it suited them (to praise Brady for his heroics in the snow), but ignored it when it would serve to vindicate Manning. The original piece was deeply flawed and is essentially of no value. It was not incorrect in all it asserted, but even when it got something right (Brady has had less offensive talent around him for certain stretches of his career) the importance and degree of the claims was over-stated. In fairness to them, they have already eaten a lot of crow over the assumptions they made. This article serves as a way of showing exactly how unnecessary those mistakes were.

  Bravo to 18 to 88 for smacking these guys down with a giant-sized 2x4!
• NFL.com has an article up written by the man himself: Bill Polian. Rather than talk about the prognosticators and the pundits or take shots at the New England PAY-TREE-OTS, the best personnel man in the NFL reflects on training camps of years past. One memory is especially funny:

  At our current training site in Terre Haute, Ind., there's a lake, a little swimming and fishing pond, right outside the student union, where we eat our meals and where the offices are. The players don't have golf carts, because Tony and I learned our lessons from previous stops, but all the staff do. And, as part of our camp tradition, we have a phantom golf cart thief, who somehow absconds with a golf cart -- usually belonging to a senior administrator, sometimes a coach -- and puts it on a raft in the middle of the lake. So when you come out of your dorm in the morning, you'll find your golf cart is gone and it can usually be found on the raft in the middle of the lake.

  The thief is a player. I have my suspicions of who it is, but I haven't been able to prove it. I'm sure he has accomplices, but I think I know who the mastermind is. I have to catch him in the act, but he's far too smart for that.

  Of course, we all know who it is he's talking about.
• Pro Football Weekly talks Colts defense:

  However, word out of Indy is that the coaches are optimistic about the overall depth of the LB corps. Although more adept at operating in space on the weak side, second-year man Clint Session is the type of athletic gem that the coaches are eager to get a closer look at. Additionally, rookie MLB Philip Wheeler is believed to have enough versatility to play the strong side proficiently. Regardless of the positive long-term prognosis of the injured defensive players, with Hagler, Freeney and Sanders all doubtful to serve much of a role in training camp — all three are likely to start training camp on the physically unable to perform list — it's certain that many young defenders will be under the microscope in Terre Haute.

• I tell Texans fans their team will win 10-11 games... and I mean it.
• Colts.com does a profile on starting CB Marlin Jackson (seemingly the only good player to come out of the first round in the 2005 draft).
• The more I look at shake n bake's evaluation of Pro Football Prospectus 2008, the more the 2007 season makes sense.
• The NFL is cracking down on players making "gang signs." Good. About damn time. And no, Joseph Addai's "WW" gesture after his TDs is not considered a gang sign. He's referencing his hometown, Westwood, and his friend LaJuan Moore, who is from there and is paralyzed. TheSportsGuru's articles shows a picture of a world champion potentially illustrating a gang sign.
• Indy Star is showing tours of "The Lube." Tip to Matic for the Fan Post. The construction workers are also fixing all the recent flood damage.
• If someone ever tries to sell you these seat in Lucas Oil Stadium, punch them in the face:

via cmsimg.indystar.com