The real games are over.  The fashion show is over.  Must be time for the off-season.  You know what that means?

It’s time for another Patriots DB to think he’s going to get a billion dollars.  Oh wait, it’s Asante Samuel.  Didn’t he learn his lesson last year?  Apparently not.  He spoke up this week: “Show me the money!” I suspect the Patriots will show him… his replacement, Randall Gay, followed by the door.  Another off-season means more weirdness from Al Davis.  The man wrote a resignation letter for his coach Lane Kiffin.  Kiffin refused to sign it, and then told Davis where he could file it.  It must be hard to be a Raiders fan in the off-season.  The stories never change.  Of course, there are always rumors surrounding big name players.  This off-season it is none other than Ocho Cinco.  Bengals Coach Marvin Lewis is on record saying he has no intention of trading Chad Johnson.  He didn’t, however, rule out trying to trade himself to another organization. 

The Sheriff, meanwhile, appears to be poised to spend a significant part of his off-season in Washington DC.  Congress wants to know why Roger Goodell ordered the video tapes seized from the Patriots’ spygate investigation destroyed.  Why?  Come on.  They were destroyed before they ended up on YouTube!  Isn’t there a war or something they could focus the attention on?  Isn’t gas like $3 a gallon?  Foreclosures at an alarming rate?  Bin Laden out there hiding under a rock?  Do we really need a Congressional Investigation into Belichick’s video collection?

Then there’s Pacman Jones.  I think he’s wising up.  Word this week is that his lawyer will now also represent him as his sports agent.  Good move.  Best decision Pacman can make is to have legal counsel with him 24/7.  Now, about that wrestling career…

The Redskins have ‘their man’.  Has it dawned on anyone else that Jim Zorn was their fifth choice?  I don’t mean he was the fifth one they interviewed - I mean he was the fifth one to whom they made out a check!  Has it dawned on Jim Zorn?  His check came with a few less ‘zeros’ than the one they handed to Pete Carrol.  A few less than the one they handed to Steve Spagnuolo.  Jim was hired to be an assistant, and promoted when no one else in organized football wanted the job.

And what of Spagnuolo’s refusing the offer?  Seems the new trend in the NFL is retaining a coaching succession.  Jim Caldwell in Indy; Jim Mora Jr. in Seattle; Jason Garrett in Dallas; and Steve Spagnuolo in New York.  Stop and think about Spagnuolo’s motivation: he knows that if the Giants - the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants - stumble out to an 0-2 start again next season, Coughlin will probably be fired.  They love the man in the City.

And in Tampa the rumor mill has Chris Simms being traded to New York for a disgruntled TE.  Wow!  Deja-vu.  Wasn’t that last off-season’s storyline?  How about some new rumors?  Jake Plummer sightings?  Oh, that was last year too.  Derrick Brooks losing a step?  Doh!