The playoff picture gets more interesting by the hour. Once considered super-human in the NFL, the unbeaten Patriots are at least starting to look beatable these last few weeks. They can’t get away with one like these last three against the likes of Indianapolis, Jacksonville, San Diego or Cleveland. Yes, Cleveland! Someone once said that one of the two most likely teams to go worst to first was Cleveland. Don’t look now, but…

And in the NFC, all of Dallas is holding their breath. Tony Romo thumb is more worrisome to Cowboys fans than his choice of girlfriends. But, someone in Dallas needs to teach Jessica Simpson that she shouldn’t cheer when he gets sacked. How about the Packers? There is still a chance for them to take that number one seed from the Cowboys, and with Tony Romo nursing a sore thumb, don’t bet against it. Tampa Bay, the other of those two teams someone said were most likely to go worst to first, accomplished the division title and now have a chance to move into that third seed if Seattle wobbles. Then there are the Giants of New York Met-like collapse potential and the Vikings of recent heroics who seem a likely candidate for early elimination to the Preacher but to no one else in the NFL universe.

How about the Dolphins? It took overtime to do it, but they beat a stout Baltimore Ravens team who has figured out how to lose eight of their last eight games. It was the feel good moment of the weekend - Cam Cameron and Cleo Lemon pointing to one another, running into each others arms like lovers in a romantic chick-flick; “Miami has the Dolphins, the greatest football team… and when you’re talking Dolphins, you’re talking Super Bowl!” playing over the public address system; Ricky Williams sparking up a bowl in his bong; Wayne Huizinga wondering if this might add a few dollars to the price tag when he unloads the Dolphins in the offseason - I’m getting teary. Their reward for victory: the Patriots. Welcome back to Kansas, Dorothy.

Five members of the Atlanta Falcons were fined a total of almost $50K for their various and assorted personal support statements for Michael Vick. Everything fromt he ‘MV7’ written on DeAngleo Hall’s cheek to Roddy White’s ‘Free Mike Vick’ t-shirt that he showed off after scoring a TD. No wonder Bobby Petrino ran for the bus terminal when the game was over.

Speaking of NFL discipline, the league appears to have done the Cowboys a favor this week by suspending Cowboys FS Roy Williams. To listen to sportscasters covering the Cowboys, and to watch the game films, though he still hits with a vengeance, Williams has become a liability in pass coverage and his bloated contract makes it hard for the ‘Boys to bench him. Cowboy fans say thanks, Commish! Any chance you can extend that suspension a few weeks?

In Carolina they’re loving rookie QB Matt Moore. Imagine that? The kid can play. In New York, Jets coach Eric Mangini is wondering who to start at QB. Kellon (the Answer) Clemens has roared out to the second worst passer rating in the NFL. Yes! Then there’s Chad Pennington. Next year, maybe Joey Harrington will be available. Or Damon Huard? Vinny Testaverse? Joe Namath?

This past weekend’s hero, goat and quote:

The Hero ~ Eagles RB Brian Westbrook for his selfless play (and for ticking off fantasy football fans everywhere). With just over two minutes to play, Westbrook broke into the clear to score which would have given his team a two score advantage on the Cowboys. Instead, heeding the advice of one of his offensive linemen, Westbrook gave himself up at the one - allowing his team to take a knee and run the clock out on Dallas without the Cowboy offense getting another chance with the ball. In what’s been a tough year in Philly, team play like that deserves to be recognized.

An honorable mention in the ‘Hero’ category this week: Joe Namath returned to the University of Alabama 42 years after he left school early for a Hall of Fame NFL career and completed his Bachelors Degree this past week. Congrats Joe. That is the stuff of real heroes. Stay in school, kids!

The Goat ~ Baltimore Ravens Coach Brian Billick for his decision to kick a field goal on fourth and goal, inches from the goal line, to force overtime against the Dolphins. I do understand that the standard logic is for a road team to go for the tie in regulation in these settings. But (and this is a very big but!), these are the Dolphins we’re talking about! And they hadn’t shown any inclination to slow Willis McGahee down all afternoon. My thinking, I give the ball to McGahee and let my team who had lost seven straight know that their coach still believes in them. It’s a good thing that the Ravens owner gave Billick the old ‘vote of confidence’ this past week - because he deserves a swift kick to the curb this week. Oh yes, lest we forget - Brian Billick has long been considered an offensive genius! Hey, Genius, one foot… Willis McGahee… Miami Dolphins…

The Quote ~ Cowboy fan and football expert Jessica Simpson - I read her lips while she was on camera cheering on her beau Tony Romo: “Yeah! That’s my man! Number 9! Right there at the bottom of the pile, honey! Did you see the way his head bounced off the ground? You go, big boy! Whew!”

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I am thrilled that I won’t have to listen to the obligatory “The Buccaneers have never had a kickoff return for a touchdown in their history” during Buccaneers broadcasts every again!  Thank you Michael Spurlock.  Is it too late to get him written into the Pro Bowl as a Special Teamer?  Hey, lest we forget, that TD return happened enroute to our winning the NFC South Division Title.  So, let’s see, wasn’t it about 10 weeks ago that we were fielding calls for Jon Gruden’s job?  How about some good, bad and ugly?

The good ~ No… the GREAT!  Michael Spurlock’s 90 yard TD return of a kickoff.  I, for one, have seen every game over the 31 year history and it was tremendously satisfying to see that return.  Good was the play of our O-Line.  These guys are getting better, and may just be a force in a playoff game or two.  Our entire Defense played well today.  We’ll have to watch the stats, but this performance might just have the Bucs climbing atop the league rankings.  Let me add one more: Jon Gruden and his staff’s job this season.  They were forced to play many second and third stringers and all they did was go from worst to first.  Oh, and you have to love the network coverage today that pointed out only Bill Belichick has more Division Titles than Gruden since 2001.  Hmmm.

The bad ~ Nothing bad today. 

The ugly ~ The fact that the Dolphins won today is ugly.  I really looked forward to losing ‘the most futile season in NFL history’ tag.  Oh well, we’ll keep our fingers crossed.  Maybe next year.

What did you see?

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Bucs fans take note: we’re on the verge of seeing a record of futility equalled.  Those 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers who are not ashamed to admit that they were part of the inaugural season, will likely have cause to lift a glass to toast the 2007 Miami Dolphins come Sunday afternoon.  A spotless 0-14 record for the books.  Cheers!  Here’s hoping the Dolphins can complete the deed and run the table (or should I say, be run over by the table?).

While I’m on the subject, whether you loved him or hated him, let me give a posthumous shout out to Coach John McKay.  He’s on my mind in the wake of Booby Petrino (no that isn’t a typo) leaving his team high and dry to head back to the relative comforts of college football.  Give this much to McKay - he didn’t quit on us!  He of the stellar reputation and winning tradition at USC brought along just enough of a sense of humor to persevere and make a franchise out of the mess that was expansion team beginnings before the league gave new teams a chance.

And on Booby - the more I think about it, the more disgusted I become.  He lied.  He lies.  He showed up and took a middle of the pack team to the back of the pack, and then tossed his players and fans in front of the bus he hopped for Arkansas.  Did you see that the wuss left a note on the locker room door for his players to read?  I’m no Falcon fan, but I do wish Emmitt Thomas well in his interim coaching experience, and here’s hoping the Falcons find the right man for the job this next time around.  Of course, I wish Emmitt Thomas well after this coming Sunday… you understand.

While I’m on the subject of our division foes, the Saints signed former Buccaneer cheerleader and Denver area cab driver Martin Gramatica to a contract today, to replace hobbled Olindo Mare who they shipped to I.R.  Easy Automatica!  Don’t pull a hammy celebrating extra points on Sunday.

The Jets and Patriots are set to tangle on Sunday.  Mangini versus Belichick.  The rivalry between those two seems to have settled into a dispute over video tapes, the news at the beginning of the season was the Patriots stealing tape of the Jets, and the news this week that the Jets stole tape on the Patriots.  Is this the NFL, or is it Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee?  The Pats figure to exact a pound of flesh from the Jets.  Vegas says 25 pounds.  I’m looking for the post-game love between the two coaches.  Get your cameras ready!

Now, football fanatics, this is the part of the season we wait for - going to four days a week of NFL action!  Thursday!  Saturday!  Sunday!  Monday!  Dog-gonnit! (No Michael Vick pun intended), if you call in sick a couple of days and watch NFL network, it really is an NFL world.  So, I better focus on getting these picks right - the games are coming fast and furious!

Here are my ‘watch-and-learn-the-art-of-pigskin-preaching’ picks for week 15: Broncos over Texans; Bengals over 49ers; Saints over Cards; Bucs over Falcons; Ravens over Dolphins (Salute!); Browns over Bills; Packers over Rams; Steelers over Jaguars; Patriots all over Jets; Seahawks over Panthers; Titans over Chiefs; Colts over Raiders; Chargers over Lions; Cowboys over Eagles; Giants over Redskins; Vikings over Bears.  And, one more for kicks and pulled hamstrings: Keyshawn over T.O. in their war of words, T.O. over Keyshawn in their pay-per-view mudwrestling match. 

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What next for the Atlanta Falcons? Consider that it was about a year ago that things started to unravel, then Coach Jim Mora Jr. joking about taking the head coaching job at his alma-mater over his position with the Falcons and the subsequent fallout. Interestingly, Louisville’s Bobby Petrino was thought to be more stable when he was signed to a five year contract on January 8th to replace Mora. No one seemed to notice at the time that Petrino had only six months earlier signed a ten year contract to remain at Louisville. No one seemed to notice that he had never stayed ANYWHERE in his coaching career more than three seasons and had a habit of signing and then walking away from contracts. He was, after all, the one coach in the football world who would finally make a prototype QB out of Michael Vick.

Then, before he had even unpacked his boxes, the Michael Vick experience turned into the Michael Vick nightmare, followed by assorted Michael Vick aftershocks. Before long the coach selected to make something of Mike was called upon to make something of Joey Harrington or Byron Leftwich. Within his first month on the field some of the multi-millionaire mouthpieces on the team decided to remind him that they would outlast his tenure as coach. He tried to flex his muscle by leveling some fines and sending a few dinosaurs packing.

I tell you, I am feeling bad for Arthur Blank. All this guy wants to do is field a successful program. On Monday Night Football, while his team was looking anything but successful on the field, he was in the booth with the guys telling them that the one thing he had was the right coach! Oops! 24 hours later and… does anyone have Marty Schottenheimer’s number? Bill Cowher?

But, it should get even more interesting. Don’t miss for a moment that there are a few big name coaches out there, and there is an undercover derby underway among a few NFL teams to talk to them first. Atlanta may have just been handed a favor by Bobby Petrino. They’re first in line. You have to wonder if this move will touch off some other conversations in other NFL cities to jockey for those coaches’ services.

So, immediately, an interim (likely D-Coordinator Mike Zimmer who is prominently pictured in the coaches section of the Falcons website right now) to lead the Falcons on these last three outings, including coming to Ray-Jay on Sunday. Then, back to the search process. I’ll tell you this - the next Falcons Head Coach won’t come from the college ranks… and won’t be fond of his alma-mater!

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What a weekend for the Preacher! With the exception of the Bucs stumbling in Houston and the Cardinals failing to come through with a big upset over the Seahawks that I went out on a limb to predict - I was perfect. And while I’m boasting, how about my calling the fact that three of the four NFC division champs would be crowned and my bonus prediction on the length Michael Vick’s prison sentence? Red hot! I wonder if the judge reads my blog. Hello, Your Honor!

Yes, dogs are safe in Atlanta for the next 18 to 24 months and the playoff picture is beginning to clear. What isn’t so clear is Santa’s list of who is being naughty and who is being nice! In the Chargers / Titans game, Chargers’ LB Shawne Merriman has alleged that Titans Coach Jeff Fisher encouraged his men to take cheap shots and put him out of the game. Naughty Coach! Fisher, for his part, hasn’t responded. Naughty (quiet) Coach! The highlight films look pretty innocent to me.

The same cannot be said for the film of Raiders DE Derrick Burgess and his low hits on Packer QB Brett Favre. They look pretty bad, especially the one where he has a clean shot on Favre and seems to choose the low trajectory. Packers Coach Mike McCarthy has put a call into Santa. He’s lobbying for Burgess on the naughty list.

Then there are those naughty New England Patriots. To a man they deserve coal from St. Nick. What are you thinking picking on poor Pittsburgh FS Anthony Smith? Isn’t it bad enough that he made his silly prediction and then you put a thumping on his team? Did you have to give him a cameo in every touchdown pass you threw? Did QB Tom Brady have to talk trash in his face? Did Bill Belichick have to continue the trashtalk in his post game presser? You better watch out!

Then there is the NFL’s naughtiest punter. Yes, Todd ‘the Grinch’ Sauerbrun, the Broncos ephedra eating specialist was involved Saturday night in an altercation with a Denver area taxi-cab driver that required police involvement. No word yet on the identity of the cabbie. Doesn’t Martin Grammatica drives a cab now? Naughty, naughty!

Even Buccaneers Head Coach Jon Gruden got in on the misbehavior, admitting this week that he has told white lies about QB Jeff Garcia’s injured back the past two weeks to keep his opponents guessing. He’s fessed up, however. Repentance goes a long way with the Lord. Santa, too, I figure. The jury is still out on which list Jon is on. But, he better clean up the expletives when he’s on the sideline. Santa can read lips. My parents always told me that was a quick ticket to a lump of coal in the stocking.

How about a hero, a goat and a quote from this past weekend?

The hero ~ Me! The Pigskin Preacher will take this week’s hero award with a 14-2 weekend plus two extra credit calls, pushing that season mark within a breath of 75% on the season.

The goat ~ Steelers FS Anthony Smith. Not only did you make the silly guarantee, you went out and got torched on every score. Just like they replay Broadway Joe’s famous guarantee over and over, the highlight reel that you produced Sunday will live on in infamy.

The quote ~ “We’ve played a lot better safeties than that.” Bill Belichick. I give you this as the quote of the week to make a point. You would never hear one of the great coaches in the NFL make a statement like that.

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This just in: Michael Vick was sentenced to 23 months in prison this morning.  That means he’s likely to be out of jail in October of 2009.  Missing all of the 2007 season and 2008 season, and coming in cold in November of the 2009 season - and that if Roger Goodell will let him come back after his prison term - my best guess is that his NFL career is over.  I can’t imagine him coming back as a QB in the NFL.  Perhaps as a kick returner or receiver.  If he beefs up a bit, maybe as a running back.  What a sad story. 
What are your thoughts? 
Does Roger Goodell let him back when his sentence is served? 
Does any NFL franchise take a chance on him? 
At QB or some other position?

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Before I get to my postgame observations of good, bad and ugly, just one overarching impression from today’s Buccaneer performance - we were suffering from a hangover.  It was clear to see that we were not prepared to play the Houston Texans today.  Perhaps it was the emotional way in which we had to battle our division rival (and last year’s division champs) Saints to pull out the win, but we hit the field flat today and our energy level seemed to go south as the game wore on.  Here’s how I saw things:

The good ~ That we got this out of our system now.  Yes, that’s a good thing.  It is inevitable that we’d have a bad week, and I say this is the best of those remaining for us to lay an egg.  Now let’s get back to our winning ways, ride into the playoffs with a ‘won seven of our last eight’ feel, and see what kind of damage we can do.  This one will serve as a wake-up call to the young guys - you can’t phone it in.  More good, the play of our D-Line for most of the game, and the play of Greg White in particular.  His discovery looks to be one of the key acquisitions we made last offseason.  What a year he is having!

The bad ~ Our two nemeses rear their ugly heads again: losing the time of possession battle and allowing our opponents to continue drives when they’re faced with third and longs.  We made the Texans look better than they are today on these two statistics.  It’s been clear all season long: when we stop our opponents on third downs, and when we control the clock - we win.  Look it up.  One more bad, our O-Line’s pass protection was pretty suspect today.  I don’t think we were beat as much as I think we lacked the energy and the motor that we’ve seen from these guys in weeks past.

The ugly ~ Nothing I’d call ugly today, just those little things that we need to do better and with more consistency.  The Bucs are okay, and on track - just had a hiccup today.  No more.

Oh, and Jeff Garcia is back next week.  His return alone will spark some enthusiasm.  It will be more fun to win the division title at home.  What did you see? 

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All four NFC Division leaders can clinch their division titles this week - among them, our Tampa Bay Buccaneers for whom one more win will complete another worst-to-first transformation.  Which of the four will be able to put those Division Champ caps on their heads after Sunday’s contests?  I’ll tell you in just a few paragraphs.

In Tampa, the return of Jeff Garcia to the practice field is a welcome sight.  Mark my words, Bucs fans, Luke McCown’s understudy performance this past week was admirable, but we’re in much better shape with Garcia under center for the long haul.  It has been interesting to watch dueling accounts of what has been ailing Garcia - Coach Jon Gruden angrily denying reports from ‘insiders’ that said there was a hairline fracture of the spine.  Somehow the words ‘fracture’ and ‘spine’ in the same sentence doesn’t sound good to me.  I much prefer ‘bruise’, as did Gruden… and Garcia’s doctors.  Hey, call it what you will, if Jeff is ready to play, I’ll call it a win and a Division title come Sunday.

The amazing streak of starts for Packer’s QB Brett Favre looked last week like it might be in jeopardy.  Word is that the durable one will be on the field for next week’s first snap.  The key for Packers fans, however, may rest on his ability to take all the snaps, as capable back-up and heir apparent Aaron Rogers has been ruled out with a hamstring injury, leaving Craig Nall as the only back-up should Brett’s dislocated throwing arm cause him trouble.  Let’s see, Favre with a dislocated arm or Nall with four pain free limbs… I’d take Favre too.

Philadelphia Eagles fans will have Donovan McNabb back on the field this week.  They’re not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.  Remember that I predicted a few weeks ago that the Reid/McNabb ride was coming to an end?  Well, McNabb’s play these next few weeks will be helpful in our knowing if he will be back in Philly next year. 

Broncos RB Travis Henry is rejoicing today at the news that his appeal of the NFL’s one year suspension has been successful.  Seems Henry got high and they showed up to ask him to fill a cup.  He made a case that he should have been able to have an expert of his choosing present when they analyzed his sample.  Ricky Williams was unavailable, I think.  So, they’ll give him a do-over.  I’ve never had to do a drug test.  Do you always get a phone-a-friend?

Miami-Dade police have arrested four men in connection with Redskin S Sean Taylor’s death.  Good work guys!  The 17 year old charged with his death is looking to make a deal.  I’ll bet he is!

And everyone in the NFL Universe is wondering if the Pittsburgh Steelers will have what it takes to upset the still perfect (by a couple questionable flags to save their red, white and blue butts) New England Patriots.  Steelers DB Anthony Smith guaranteed a win yesterday.  A case can be made, as the Steelers bring the league’s best defense in to face the league’s best offense in New England; and the Steelers were responsible for ending the Patriots 21 game winning streak a couple years ago.  More important than all of that, however, might be the return of OT Marvel Smith, WR Santonio Holmes and DB Troy Polamalu who have all missed the last two games for Pittsburgh.

Well, let me wade into prediction mode.  Another stellar week last weekend keeping my season long average at 74% (Try that in Vegas, baby!  No, actually don’t.  Gambling is a sin… just ask your Baptist friends.) Here are my ‘perfection-uninterrupted-and-only-three-of-the-NFC-four-become-champs’ picks for week number 14: Redskins over Bears; Jags over Panthers; Cowboys over Lions; Bills over Dolphins; Giants over Eagles; Packers over Raiders; Patriots over Steelers (if the game were in Pittsburgh, it would go the other way); Chargers over Titans; Bengals over Rams; Bucs over Texans; Cardinals over Seahawks; Vikings over 49ers; Browns over Jets; Broncos over Chiefs; Colts over Ravens; Saints over Falcons.  And one more overarching prediction for kicks and giggles: 18-24 months for Michael Vick at his sentencing next week.  Bye, Mike.  Hey!  Did you get your phone-a-friend? 

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What a heavy hearted weekend around the NFL. It seemed every game I tuned it to watch had a list of players with personal connections to Redskins S Sean Taylor, either on the collegiate or pro level. What a fraternity. I was moved to see Ray Lewis shed tears during the moment of silence prior to the Monday night contest. Yet, the game must (and did) go on. And some great contests were played.

I was thrilled to see an image circulating after the Bucs big win in New Orleans of Luke McCown kneeling at midfield giving thanks.  You know it pleases a preacher’s heart to see players who live (and play) in faith. Congrats Luke McCown on a fine game! This Bucs fan joins you in giving thanks! Bucs fans now wait to see if and when Jeff Garcia can return to action. Indeed, the Bucs next opponent are in the same boat. In Houston, the Texan faithful wait to see if it will be Matt Schaub or his back-up Sage Rosenfels under center against the Bucs.

How about those Dolphins, eh? Smells like bad fish. (Before all you marine experts comment, yes I realize that Dolphins aren’t fish… Well, actually, there is a fish called a Dolphin, but TBO pays me the big bucks to talk football, not marine biology. To Wikipedia with you.) At this rate the Fins perfect season of stench looks to be targetted squarely between the uprights.

And on the other end of the field, there are the Patriots, seemingly charmed to win them all. Oh, but for an ill-timed time-out last night, they survive. I’ve told you that they won’t have a perfect season. Four more chances… well three, because the Dolphins are among their remaining games.

Rumors surrounding Michael Vick’s sentencing hearing next week continue to track badly for Vick. There is considerable evidence that the judge - known for stiff sentencing - is hearing from a number of parties about Michael’s having been less than forthcoming with his confessions and agreements. That coupled with stiff sentences for Vick’s (lesser) co-defendants, leads you to think Michael’s playing days could be done. While this is likely good news to friends of canines everywhere, it doesn’t look good for Falcon fans.

Hero ~ My hero this week is the Washington Redskin organization for trying to play that game on Sunday amidst all the emotion of losing a teammate and friend. Lining up with ten on defense for the first play from scrimmage was an amazing display - one I won’t soon forget. Here’s hoping the game Thursday against the Bears goes better for them.

Goat ~ This week’s goat was a coach whose ill-times timeout call cost his team the game. No, not Joe Gibbs. I give him a pass for all the emotion they were dealing with. This week’s goat is Ravens Defensive Coordinator Rex Ryan who called a timeout as his Ravens defense stuffed the Patriots fourth and one attempt for a loss. Had the game iced. Oops.

Quote ~ Don Shula last night on MNF: “If the Patriots run the table, I’ll be the first one to call Coach Belichick and congratulate him.” Well, that’s much better than his earlier, ‘it will deserve an asterisk comment, but it actually shows that Don is still pretty sharp. Of course he’ll call Bill on the phone… because it’s not like Bill would meet him on the field and accept a congratulatory handshake! 

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Don’t celebrate just yet Buccaneers fans, but we are within a breath of winning our division and completing the ‘worst to first’ transformation we hoped for as the season began. A three game lead and holding tiebreakers over our division rivals puts us in the driver’s seat. How about those Buccaneers? I’ll admit it - when I saw that Jeff Garcia was a scratch, my heart skipped a beat. But, I’ll also give Luke McCown his kudos. He stepped up. So, a little good, bad and ugly:

The good ~ Earnest Graham and another 100 yard performance. All this guy has done is come in and give us his all, every game. Luke McCown played admirably in Jeff Garcia’s place. I know this, he cemented that number two QB spot the rest of the way. 466 total yards against the Saints defense sure looked good, as did the time of possession when we were running off those yards. And, our defense played a pretty good game, top to bottom. An honorable mention: Matt Lehr coming in on the last drive at Center… bravo!

The bad ~ I’m still bothered by the three drives where we stalled out and had to attempt field goals in the first half of this game. You just have a feeling like those long drives need to come away with seven points or it will come back to haunt you.

The ugly ~ Luke’s three bad plays. Two of them were clearly Luke’s inexperience - running out of bounds to take a five yard sack rather than winging the ball out of bounds in the first half; the miserable decision not to throw the ball in the cheap seats on the safety; and the interception. Now, in Luke’s defense, I watched today’s game with an old retired QB who told me it was likely Joey Galloway who missed the call on the pass route and that on the safety Luke probably saw green in front of him and thought he could scoot out for the first down, not realizing how fast the defender was closing. Still, I thought these three plays were enough to cause Jon Gruden to have a stroke on the sideline.

A little more good ~ As good as Luke played, Jeff Garcia should be back next week when we face the Houston Texans.

So, Bucs fans, what did you see? 

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Are you coming over, America?  I need to let the wife know.  I will be watching the clash of the NFC ten-and-ones tonight.  I love my DirecTv and the NFL Network.  What’s this that I hear?  They get the game in England, but not all across the USA?  I’d write my congressman if I were you.

How about tonight’s game?  My instincts tell me to go with the Cowboys, but the great storybook ending would have me to go with the Packers.  What to do?

Now those of you without the NFL Network, don’t fret.  This isn’t the only big game this weekend.  You’ll still have the Colts and the Jaguars with big AFC South implications on Sunday.  That will be a contest.  If it doesn’t appeal to you, how about the Jets and the Dolphins for AFC Stink supremacy?

Okay, Dolfans - if your team has one shot at notching a win, this week is it.  My heart says they go totally winless on the year.  My gut says… Honey, where’s the antacid?  Dolphins RB Ricky Williams won’t be a factor.  He was one-and-done.  Poor Ricky set down the pipe last week and picked up the pigskin.  A week later with a torn chest muscle, he can’t pick up so much as a bag of chips.  That will really suck when he gets the munchies. 

That’s got to be the question keeping John Fox awake at night in Carolina - What to do?  You’ve paid a truckload of money to bring David Carr in from Houston, and you found out that while you can take Carr away from the Texans, the Texan hasn’t left Carr.  Then there’s Vinny Testaverde, who is older than the Carolinas.  Then there is the rookie Matt Moore.  He got out of baby diapers about the time Vinny was ready for the adult kind.  Such a dilemma.  My guess: the crowd will be chanting for the rookie; Fox will go with the old man; and Carr will sport his Carol Brady hair-do on the pine.  That will line up a duel between former Buccaneers number one picks / once-thought-of-as-franchise-Messiahs Vinny Testaverde against Trent Dilfer.

Speaking of the Bucs and signal caller woes, Pewter Nation is holding its collective breath concerning the status of QB Jeff Garcia.  The big mystery Coach Jon Gruden is trying to generate is who will start of Garcia cannot go.  Mystery revealed: Luke McCown.  Me?  I’m praying for a miraculous healing! 

No progress in arresting a suspect the Sean Taylor murder investigation.  The NFL will wear the number 21 on their helmets this week in memory of the Redskin safety. 

Part of being a master prognosticator is having the guts to, every now and then, throw conventional wisdom to the wind and let the chips fall where they may.  Last week the Preacher-wannabees got a toe behind the curtain.  I’m going to give them an opportunity to get me again this week - because I’m feeling daring.  I’m going with a handful of dogs, but not the Dolphins… I said guts, not stupidity.  So, here come my ‘no-guts-no-glory-and-don’t-try-this-at-home’ picks for week thirteen: Packers over Cowboys; Rams over Falcons; Redskins over Bills; Vikings over Lions; Titans over Texans; Colts over Jaguars; Jets over Dolphins; Chargers over Chiefs; Eagles over Seahawks; Vinny over Trent; Bucs over Saints; Browns over Cardinals; Broncos over Raiders; Giants over Bears; Steelers over Bengals; Patriots over Ravens

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The NFL world is stunned this morning at the news of Redskins S Sean Taylor’s tragic death.  I was even more stunned to hear sports radio personalities this morning spinning this news into talk about Taylor’s checkered past and the sort of people he surrounded himself with coming out of the University of Miami.  Talk about classless!  Here’s what we know: An amazing young athlete is lost, his family, friends and teammates loved him deeply and they are devastated.  Stupidity shouldn’t be given a microphone.

On to less serious topics…

How about the dud in the mud last night?  The Dolphins may never again be so close to a victory in 2007.  For 59 minutes and 43 seconds it was theirs for the taking.  Hey, Ricky Williams was back.  I’m sort of impressed that he passed the pre-game urine test - I’m sure they must have administered one to him, don’t you think?  Here’s hoping they don’t ask him to pee in a cup today!  He sustained a shoulder injury during the game.  Ricky run left; Ricky run right; Ricky gets banged up; Ricky gets high… deja-vu?

In San Diego it looks as if QB Phillip Rivers is a graduate of the Ryan Leaf charm school.  He was caught on the sideline this past weekend telling fans to ‘Shut-up’.  When asked about it Rivers said that he loves Charger fans, he just wanted them to relax a little bit.  Let’s see, Phillip - their team slides from 14-2 to a breath above .500.  Sure.  Relax.

The entire NFL world is looking forward to Thursday’s contest between the Packers and the Cowboys for NFC supremecy.  Well, not all the NFL world.  Since this game is being broadcast on the NFL Network - and therefore couldn’t be chosen as one of the ‘Flex-Schedule’ contests moved to a prime slot in the Network Television schedules, fans won’t be able to see the game unless they have Direct TV.  So, America… come over to my house.  And, NFL - wake up.  You’re missing out on a great deal by not allowing this game to have been ‘flexed’ into more American homes.

Let me weigh in here on the hoopla surrounding the Bucs QB situation with Jeff Garcia nursing a bruised backside.  First, Jeff is a tough guy.  Second, the Saints game is huge in our run for the NFC South title.  Third, the Saints offer up one of the league’s worst pass defenses.  I say Jeff plays.  Upon further review, I pray that Jeff plays.  Who wants to see Bruce or Luke out there?

Hey, how about my friend across the pond?  He must be a praying man, himself.  It only took him 12 weeks but Mr. BUK Power finally got me this past weekend with his weekly picks.  Pipped to the post, I was.  God save the Queen!  Now, ole chap, let me see you do it over a 17 week season with 74% accuracy and then I’ll hop the pond and buy you a pint!

How about a Hero, Goat and Quote for the past week?

Hero ~ Former Buccaneer RB Warrick Dunn, who on Thanksgiving Day passed the 10,000 yard mark for his career.  He was reported to have met Colts Coach Tony Dungy at mid-field after the game and said, “You saw the first yard, and you saw the 10,000th.” So did I.  Congrats Warrick.  (Congrats also to LaDainian Tomlinson in SD who made it a two-fer weekend where the 10K club is concerned.)

Goat ~ Bengals WR Chad Johnson earns the goat for his TD celebration that earned his team a 15 yard penalty, resulted in the Titans starting at nearly midfield and giving up a field goal.  The NFL continues to warn the man with the golden tooth, and yet, he still insists on pushing the limit at the expense (and disrespect) of his teammates.  I bet you the Bengals defense doesn’t think it’s funny when they are having to defend a short field.  Hey Chad, you guys are suffering through a miserable season.  Get a clue.

Quote ~ This week’s quote doesn’t come from the field but from an analyst.  Former Bucs QB and current ESPN personality Shaun King was asked what he thought of Ricky Williams return to action in the NFL.  “You have to love America!  Only in America can a guy flunk 17,000 drug tests and get another chance to play in the NFL.” I couldn’t have said it better.

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Admit it, Bucs fans, you had flashbacks to 2006 didn’t you?  In the end, the defense stepped up to rescue the win.  The reality is that when Jeff Garcia goes down we become a one dimensional offense.  No defense in the NFL respects Bruce Gradkowski’s ability to pass the ball beyond 10 yards accurately.  When they stopped worrying about the pass, they could lean into every running play.  Hey, as the saying goes: “A win is a win” and we’ll take them in any way, shape or form that they’re offered to us.  Still, this win revealed some chinks in the armor.  I could take a very simple approach to good, bad and ugly today and say good = first half; bad = second half, but have no fear, there was more to my observation.

The good ~ Turnover ratio.  (And in this category, even Bruce Gradkowski should be complemented for not turning the ball over.) The running game in the first half, and the pressure we put on the Jason Campbell during the first half were also stellar.  Our punting game and our punt coverage unit were tremendous today.  Josh Bidwell deserves a game ball.  So does Maurice Stovall.

The bad ~ The two ‘goods’ that I mentioned, the first half running game and the first half pass rush, turned sour because of two ‘bads’.  The first I already mentioned: once the Redskins figured out it was Bruce at QB and not Jeff Garcia, they had seemingly no reason to take our passing game seriously.  That made for slim pickings in the running attack.  Were the three-and-outs of the second half not evidence enough?  And, the time of possession in the second half led to our pass rush slowing down.  Our D-Lineman were sucking wind, and that is the result of their being on the field for two-thirds of the second half. 

The ugly ~ It wasn’t ugly to the ugliest degree, because we lucked out with a win, but ugly will be taking turnovers like we did today from our opponents and only managing field goals.  It came very close to biting us today.  If it happens next week against Drew Brees, we might not be talking about an ugly win, but a painful loss.

What did you see?

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In this week’s edition of Norving up the Chargers, look for Norv Turner to follow up last week’s unraveling with a lackluster performance this week at home against the hungry Baltimore Ravens.  News this week that Norv might have norved up two NFL franchises.  The San Francisco 49ers hired Ted Tolner to come in and ‘help’ Offensive Coordinator Jim Hostler.  ‘Help’.  That’s another word for rescue.  Norv’s departure from San Fran has left what was a promising offense in ruins.  He arrived to San Diego and made one of the NFL’s best into a mediocre also-ran.  Wow.  Somewhere Marty Schottenheimer is playing golf.

Hey, here’s a bright side: Priest Holmes can soon join Marty on the links.  Chiefs RB Priest Holmes announced his retirement after re-injuring his neck.  Good call, Priest.  We all want to see you enjoy life after football.  Marty has a tee-time for Monday.  Thanks to Priest for some great football memories.  Amen.

The Titans signed WR Michael Williams to a contract this week.  The former number 10 overall draft pick in the 2005 draft has failed to live up to lofty expectations in Detroit and Oakland.  Here’s hoping the Titans see the luster.

Has anyone else notived how quiet ocho-cinco has been?  No rattling of the bling from Cincy?  Chad Johnson had those couple of celebratory moments early on; the Hall of Fame jacket in week one and the ill-advised leap into Cleveland’s Dog Pound in week two.  Since then?  Analysts have noted that Chad has faced almost constant double teaming and that T.J. Houshmandzadeh has benefitted, his stats among the league leaders.  Still, I say that Chad has faced double teams before.  Where is ocho-cinco?

Did you catch another 11-5 weekend from the Preacher last week, and this one with an overachieving BUK Power blogger nipping at my heels?  Well, take note, students.  It’s this time of year when we seperate the Preachers from the Pretenders.  Here are my ‘Priest-takes-a-bow-Preacher-takes-no-prisoners’ picks for week 12: Pakcers over Lions, Cowboys over Jets, Colts over Falcons (Note: I did fail to get these posted in time… blame it on tryptophan… but the truth is that everyone in America picked these three winners), Saints over Panthers, Jags over Bills, Bucs over Redskins, Seahawks over Rams, Giants over Vikings, Chiefs over Raiders, Titans over Bengals, Browns over Texans, Cardinals over 49ers, Chargers over Ravens, Bears over Broncos, Patriots over Eagles, Steelers over Dolphins

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Kudos to the Broncos!  This weekend saw Paul the BUK Power blogger appriach Preacher-like numbers with his picks.  The Broncos win saved me from having to officially tip my hat to the chap, and my ego sends heartfelt thanks to Mike Shanahan.

Speaking of Shanahan, we’ve wondered when his fancy field-goal/time-out move would come back to bite him.  It might have last night.  Nothing like handing the opponent a do-over.  “Uh, ref… you suppose we can cancel that time-out?”

You can’t talk about second chances this week, however, without mentioning the do-over the refs took in the Browns/Ravens game.  How about shaking your opponent’s hand in defeat only to find out that the game isn’t over and then you wind up shaking his hand again, this time as the victor?  Wow! 

For fun, can you imagine how tough that would have been for a warm and fuzzy, hand-shake loving guy like Bill Belichick?

Speaking of Belichick, what about his Patriots?  How about Tom Brady and Randy Moss?  I get the feeling that they watched the Cowboys/Redskins game at 4pm and then talked on the bus on the way to the stadium.  Tom: “Hey Randy.  You see Romo and Owens hooked up for four TDs?” Randy: “Yeah.” Tom: “Want to do that?” Randy: “Yeah.” Tom: “Okay, but let’s one up them.  We’ll connect for our four on the first four drives of the game, be done by half-time and go watch the Bills cheerleaders.” Randy: “Yeah.”

Hey, Ricky’s back.  No, I didn’t smell it in the air.  I’m a long way from Davie, FL.  But, the Dolphins have announced that Ricky Williams will be on the practice field with the team beginning Wednesday.  Residents who live near the Dolphins training facility should be warned about second hand smoke.  Dolphin sideline assistants should add a case of Doritos chips to their game-day checklist.

My hero, goat and quote of the week look like this:

Hero ~ Vikings RB Chester Taylor.  Everyone is so sure that Adrian Peterson is the greatest back to ever lace his shoes.  Taylor’s performance tells us that the Vikings O-Line might not be too bad, either.  Of course, when you have zero QBs on your roster, you better be good at running the ball.

Goat ~ Falcons Coach Bobby Petrino.  Joey Harrington has led you to two victories in a row.  What do you do?  You bench him for Radio… I mean, Byron Leftwich.  (Come on, the guy looks like Cuba Gooding Jr. in the movie Radio, doesn’t he?) The Falcs looked so bad, Michael Vick turned himself into jail officials.  He couldn’t stand to watch anymore.

Quote ~ Bucs LB Derrick Brooks, speaking of teammate Cato June’s arrest on DUI charges: “He’s going to learn from his mistake and move on.” Cato can be thankful that he has some good guys around him. 

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