Player's Union Protects Arenas, Wizards Take the Fall

The NBA announced this week that Gilbert Arenas and teammate Javaris Crittenton would be suspended for the remainder of the season following the well known gun incident between the two. It looks as if Arenas' days as a Wizard are numbered, but the team cannot really bring closure to this situation because of the player's union. The team is unable to void Arenas' contract because teams are not allowed to punish players for an incident in which the league has already punished them for. Now in order to release him from the team, the Wizards will have to buy out his contract.

Thanks to the players union thugs and criminals get protected. This is ridiculous. Arenas brought out four guns in the locker room and has pled guilty to a felony. Now he is entitled to millions of dollars? The rule in itself is absurd. If a player does something serious enough to be suspended by the league, why can't a team void his contract, especially if that incident includes a felony conviction? I'm sure glad that there are players unions out there to protect these millionaires from missing out on their already obscene salaries.

I understand that players need a voice to protect their rights. I'm all for that. I also understand the need to protect players from having their contracts voided because of simple one game suspensions. But these rules end up helping people like Arenas. Let's be real. Professional athletes in most sports have a real discipline problem. You see football, baseball, and basketball players getting into legal trouble all the time. Most of these players grow up knowing they will be superstars. Nobody can deny them anything because they all want their talent for their teams. Then they are paid millions of dollars to stay in shape and play games. As a result some of these guys have a real problem with discipline. There is a laundry list of star players who get into legal trouble. Players unions, with their broad rules, end up protecting people who should have the book thrown at them. Arenas certainly needs a harsh wake up call. He truly believed that he hadn't done anything wrong and even pretended to shoot his teammates during a pregame pump up. I'm sure his lawyer had to sit him down and tell him, point blank "You committed a felony and if you don't plead guilty then you will go to jail." Luckily for him, it entitles him to a nice payday from the Wizards.

Let's take a look at who will be punished by this. Arenas may face jail time, but I imagine he pled guilty for a deal with little or no jail time. He is suspended for the rest of the season, but he is used to sitting out for significant periods of time. Not only that, Arenas will now miss the rest of an extremely frustrating season in which the team was going nowhere. He has also said he wants out of Washington. Now he has a free pass to sit out the rest of the season and force the Wizards to buy him out. The Wizards who have done nothing wrong will now lose millions of dollars and any hope of competing this season. Arenas' trade value has plummeted because of his little gun slinging episode and voiding his contract was the only real option for the Wizards. They can't do that because the league has punished him. Their only option now is to buy him out or void his contract anyway and face arbitration. The most likely scenario is that Arenas will be given a slap on the wrist by the DC courts maybe without even any jail time and will be paid millions by a team he wants to leave and freedom to explore opportunities with other teams. Lesson learned?

Hey Refs, Where is the Consistency?

The Washington Capitals extended their win streak to 9 games last night with a 4-1 win over the Florida Panthers. But the Caps walk away with a sour taste in their mouths because of a hit on Mike Green that sent the star defenseman sprawling.

In the second period while pursuing the puck, Green was hit hard by Dmitry Kulikov in a knee on knee collision. Green looked up just in time to see Kulikov coming and tried to avoid him. Kulikov then reflexively extend his knee in an attempt to catch Green. The result was a scary hit that looked exactly like those that got Alexander Ovechkin into trouble. Green dropped onto the ice and had to be helped off by his teammates. He did not return. He says the injury is not serious and that he wanted to return, but he was kept out by the trainers who decided to err on the side of caution. His status for Sunday's game against Tampa Bay remains uncertain.

Knee on knee hits are considered very serious by the NHL because they can easily lead to very serious injuries. Ovechkin threw two similar hits earlier in the season and was ejected from both games. He was then given a two game suspension. The message was clear. You're not a dirty player, but you need to tone it down a bit. Since then, it has not been an issue. So what happened to Kulikov? Nothing. No suspension, as of yet, no ejection, not even a penalty. The result of the play was a minor penalty against the Capitals for retaliating. This was not a dirty hit, but it was serious one that deserved serious consequences. The most important part of officiating is consistency. Officials must make consistent calls. This no call was absurd.

Who doesn't remember the sudden outcry against Ovechkin? People all over the league questioned whether Ovechkin was a dirty player. Much of the criticism was completely unwarranted. Now there's no outcry at all. There's nothing. One reason of course is the fact that Ovechkin is the best player in the world, and Kulikov is not a big name. That fact is made irrelevant by the seriousness of the crime. Knee on knee hits are serious. That is the most troubling part of this. Inconsistency on minor penalties is annoying, but players are not in physical danger when another team is allowed to hold or trip at will. When a player can collide into another player's knee, especially against a player as prominent as Green, and there is no penalty at all, that's serious. Neither Ovechkin's or Kulikov's hits were dirty, but they were serious none the less. While Green's injury does not appear to be serious, it easily could have been. Will lesser known players be allowed these kind of hits until someone gets hurt? I am outraged that someone like Ovechkin can be called dirty, while Green can be sent flying without a penalty. If that's the way the officials will call the Caps then Ted Leonsis should give the trainers a raise and furnish the penalty box. We are going to see a lot of injuries and a lot of retaliation penalties as the refs continue to turn a blind eye.

Desperate Pro Bowl Scheduling

For the first time the Pro Bowl will be played the week before the Super Bowl rather than afterwards. Having the Pro Bowl after the Super Bowl has proven anti-climactic and ratings have suffered. By moving it during the season, the NFL hopes that excitement for the Super Bowl will fuel ratings which have been bad for many years. This will be just another desperate attempt on the way to cancelling the Pro Bowl all together.

Ok cancelling it may seem dramatic, but I really don't see it ever really pulling good ratings. While I understand the rationale behind moving the Pro Bowl up this early, it is a dumb idea. A competition between the best players in the league will not include any of the players from the two best teams, Indianapolis and New Orleans. No team or player would risk playing a football game a week before the biggest game of their lives. That leaves 14 holes in the roster.

Putting it in between conference championships and the Super Bowl just highlights how unimportant and uninterested even the players are. Football is a game of emotion and no one has any in the Pro Bowl. No one wants to hit and when the big hitters try to hit, they are criticized. In the 2007 Pro Bowl, the AFC attempted a fake punt and Sean Taylor absolutely destroyed the punter. Everyone went nuts, including Taylor's victim who ran back onto the field to let him know what a great hit it was. Despite the fact that the punter had the ball, many people criticized Taylor for hitting the punter so hard. He's a punter and it's only the Pro Bowl. People watch football for the hits and the scoring. The NFL doesn't want people hitting in the Pro Bowl (even though it's football) and so they try to give you more scoring. There are all sorts of bizarre rules restricting the defense in an attempt to see more scoring. Certain coverages are not allowed, quarterbacks are closely watched, even jamming at the line is illegal. If you are a defenseman, why would you go to the Pro Bowl? You can't hit, which for some of these players is how they got a spot in the first place, the rules are stacked against you, and the league is hoping you will be embarrassed on national tv. You won't even get a trip to Hawaii this year as the game will be in Miami instead. There are a lot of reasons why defensive players wouldn't want to go.

Perhaps the biggest criticism comes over the fan voting. I hate fan voting no matter the sport. Fans are given far too much power in this process. They vote for their favorite players, not the most deserving. Players can lose money when they don't make the Pro Bowl. Many fans really don't know what they are talking about, but they are allowed to pick who's played the best this season? I guarantee you Jason Campbell received Pro Bowl votes this year and that alone discredits this system.

The new time for the Pro Bowl will ultimately be a failed experiment. The ratings may be a little better this year as the novelty of it could help, but the ratings will drop again next year and stay there. Having the Pro Bowl after the season is anti climactic, but having it during is stupid because a lot of great players won't go. Every new scenario takes away incentives for players. While a lot of contracts include incentive clauses tied to the Pro Bowl, this just isn't enough to save it. The NFL could announce an All-Pro Team and have no game and I think we will see this in the not-too-distant future. Announcing the team would probably provide just as much excitement as the Pro Bowl does now.

Caps Dominate First Match with Penguins, What Next?

Last Thursday the Capitals marched into Pittsburgh and dominated in every aspect winning 6-3. The Capitals were clearly in control from start to finish. Despite a fluke goal let in early by Jose Theodore, he outplayed former Capital Brent Johnson in net, Alex Ovechkin outscored rival Sidney Crosby 2-1, the Caps killed all four of Pittsburgh's power plays and scored on both of their own. It was a great all around effort.

This was a huge win for the Caps coming not just against the defending Stanley Cup champions in their own home, but also against their rivals. What does this game mean? Well, it depends. After the embarrassing game 7 loss in the playoffs last season, the Caps really needed to respond against the hated Penguins the first chance they got. It's great for the team's confidence not just in the regular season, but going forward. The Eastern conference may well come down to another Washington/Pittsburgh matchup and the Caps will need games like this to help them forget last season.

It is also important to keep this game in perspective. Most teams look at matchups against defending champions as a benchmark for their own chances, so let's analyze this game. The Penguins were without top netminder Marc Andre Fleury who has a broken finger. Johnson played admirably and the Caps have put up big numbers against Fleury, but you have to believe his return to the lineup would give Pittsburgh a boost. While all three of the Caps goaltenders have have played really well this season, a rotating trio isn't a good playoff setup. Pittsburgh will have an advantage in net if someone doesn't establish himself as the top (and healthy) netminder. More importantly, the Penguins are a proven playoff team. The Caps won 3 out of 4 games against the Penguins last season in much the same fashion. Yet, after game 3 in the playoffs the Caps really struggled to put their rivals away. Including the post season the Caps started 5-1 against Pittsburgh and finished the season 1-4. The Caps struggled in the first round as well going down 1-3 to a much weaker New York team before storming back to a game 7 win. Playoff experience counts for a lot. The Penguins have more of it and it shows in April and May.

What this all means is that we don't know what it means. The Caps have the talent and skill to beat any team in the league which they showed on Thursday and almost every night in the regular season. With growing experience and maturity this team is building itself up for a playoff run, but the Caps need big wins over their rivals in May as well as January.

Vikings, Favre Score a Classless Late TD Against the Cowboys

As a Redskins' fan, I love to see the Cowboys humiliated. When I saw the 34-3 score, I was thrilled. But wait, weren't the Vikings up 27-3 after the 2 minute warning? Yep. So what happened? With 1:55 left to go, the Vikings had the ball on Dallas' 11 yard line on fourth down with 3 yards to go. Rather than kick the easy field goal or even run in an attempt to drain more time off the clock, Favre dropped back and threw his fourth TD pass of the day. Dallas linebacker Keith Brooking took exception. "I think it was totally classless and disrespectful." Brooking told Vikings' head coach Brad Childress exactly what he thought of it on the sideline too. Both Childress and Favre, however, say they were merely staying aggressive to the end.

This season has shown many people another side of Favre. Rather than say he wanted to play for Minnesota in the offseason, Favre announced his retirement. As soon as training camp ended, Favre "changed his mind" and became a Viking. Tensions arose between Favre and Childress because Favre was changing the call too much at the line and because Favre refused to be pulled out of the game against the Panthers. Now, he's kicking a dog when it's down and running up the score. What happened to the old selfless Favre that we used to cheer for? That part of him seems to be the only part that has retired.

The reason I criticize Favre is because I would not be at all surprised if he changed that play at the line to a pass. Childress, the same coach that wanted to pull Favre in a game in which his team was winning 7-6, was ok with his (let's face it) old, fragile quarterback dropping back and throwing with less than 2 minutes to go and a 24 point lead? Seems doubtful and he would never admit it now with all the media scrutiny his team faced after the Carolina debacle. But regardless of who made the call, it was totally classless and definitely was running up the score.

Let's look at the alternatives. Fourth and 3 on the 11 yard line with less than 2 minutes left. The Cowboys just used all their timeouts to try and get the ball back, but the game is over. What most people would have done is kick the field goal. Some may still criticize the Vikings for running up the score, but it would tick a few seconds off and the Vikings would then be able to pin the Cowboys deep on the kick off. Favre wouldn't even be on the field. Second, you could try to run for the first down. If you get it, you can run the clock out and celebrate a well deserved playoff win. The Vikings wouldn't have been risking anything if they turned the ball over as the Cowboys would have gotten the ball at their own 11. They even could have taken a knee. The game was over.

Instead Favre dropped back and threw a TD. What do they risk here? A pissed off Dallas defense could have bull rushed Favre and injured him on the play. While Adrian Peterson is clearly the biggest weapon on this team, the Vikings are now emotionally tied to Favre and a loss that big would be devastating. What do you gain? Nothing. Pure and simple. The Vikings can say what they want about being aggressive, but the game was over. I'm not saying take a knee, but there was no need for this. Put the shoe on the other foot. Do you think the Vikings would have shrugged this off and say "it's our job to stop them"? Absolutely not. In fact, had the Cowboys put an exclamation point on what could be Favre's last NFL game, he would have been very upset and people would be outraged about rubbing it in Favre's face.

What this season has showed us is the utter selfishness of Brett Favre. Why do I think Favre called that play? Because he had never thrown 4 TD passes in a playoff game before and he had one last shot when no one was really expecting it. "This is what I came back for," said Favre afterwards. I'm sure glad sportsmanship didn't ruin his big day.

Jose Theodore, Semyon Varlamov, Michal Neuvirth...Who's the Odd Man Out?

The Washington Capitals are now finding themselves with a good problem to have, too many goalies. While none of them are of superstar status yet, two of them very well could be soon. Theodore and Varlamov split time to begin the season before Varlamov began to establish himself as the top goalie. A lingering knee injury for Varlamov, opened the door for Neuvirth to come and show off his goalie skills this season as well. So far he has impressed head coach Bruce Boudreau so much that he's taken over the goalie responsibilities starting 9 of the last 12 games. Many look at Neuvirth's play of late and claim he is even better than Varlamov. With three goalies ready to play, the question for this team going forward is what role each will have.

Varlamov really came to prominence last season as he took over in the playoffs for a struggling Theodore leading the Caps into the second round and finishing with a 7-6 record. His play was so impressive that it was clear his Hershey Bear days were over. He has continued to play well this season posting a 12-1-2 record with a 2.21 GAA, and .924 save percentage. His strength as a goalie is clearly his flexibility. If you can't beat him on the 5-hole, you can't beat him low, period. He can stretch his legs and cover the entire goal line. His large body and imposing frame allow him to play a butterfly style without leaving the top of the net open to shooters. Coming into the season, his major weakness was rebound control, especially with his glove, but he has improved dramatically over the course of the season. The other major problem that has truly revealed itself this season is that he may be injury prone. Varlamov suffers numerous groin and lower body injuries that force him out of the lineup due to his style of play. Still, for all the praise Neuvirth is getting this season, Varlamov still remains the goalie of the future. Say what you want about his weaknesses, he doesn't lose. Period. He has one regular season loss in his career. For every soft goal he gives up, he makes up for it with at least one spectacular save. If the Caps can keep him healthy, then he will become the franchise goalie.

Neuvirth's numbers so far this season aren't nearly as impressive. Right now he has a 5-4 record with a 3.27 GAA, and .892 save percentage, but you shouldn't let these stats take away from the great job he's done taking over for Varlamov. His major strength is his glove. The man should have played shortstop. Nothing would get by him. He still has a ways to go, however, before he can really be an NHL goalie. He lets in far too many soft goals. At times he plays too timid and won't challenge shooters at the top of the crease. He also seems to struggle with his 5-hole, allowing pucks to squeak through. These things, however, can easily be resolved as he continues to develop.

The veteran for this team is Theodore who came into the season as the number one goalie on paper at least, since many thought Varlamov would take over rather quickly. With his contract set to expire at the end of the year, Theodore has performed admirably knowing that he was performing for his job. Comparatively, he appears to be better than the young Neuvirth with 12-7-4 record, 2.88 GAA, and .902 save percentage. His playing time, however, is not a priority for the Capitals organization who want to establish their future superstars. Theodore saw the writing on the wall when it came to Varlamov, but taking the backseat to Neuvirth has clearly upset him. When Varlamov was placed on IR and Neuvirth was called up, Boudreau chose to give the backup significant playing time rather than sit him in favor for the established Theodore. He clearly does not like being backup to the backup.

Caught in this position, the Caps have to make a decision regarding their three goalies relatively quickly. What the team was hoping for was for both Varlamov and Neuvirth to develop by this season so that the team could look to unload Theodore at the trade deadline. With questions surrounding the durability of Varlamov and the play of Neuvirth, the Caps may want to hold onto Theodore for the playoffs and even resign him for a one or two year deal. Theodore seems unlikely to return, however, with two prospective goalies behind him.

The Caps also face another, more long term problem. My guess is that Varlamov will develop into a starting/superstar caliber goalie. He's that good. But if injuries remain a question for him, then the Caps need a backup able to handle the load. In steps Neuvirth, but it is unclear how good he can be. My guess for him is that he will be a perfect fit, a backup who is better than most backups, but not good enough to be a full time starter. This may be wishful thinking. The problem is if he develops into a better or worse goalie. If he is better than a backup, he won't like being a backup and earning backup money. If he isn't as good, then he won't be able to handle the load of an injured Varlamov.

A lot of questions remain for the Capitals surrounding their goalies. They need good, consistent play to make a deep run into the playoffs. They need to decide if they are better off with Theodore or with the value he will bring in through trade. They also need to decide what role Neuvirth will serve in the future. If the Caps do it right, their goalie questions will be over for many seasons to come.

Still a Long Road Ahead for the Redskins

Get a real GM...check
Get a good coach...check
Go 16-0 and win the Superbowl...

I wouldn't be surprised if this was Daniel Snyder's checklist regarding his football team. It seems to have been in the past. It may also be on the check list for many fans who start drooling when they see the three super bowls Mike Shanahan brings with him (two as head coach, one as offensive coordinator). It is important, however, for both Snyder and the fans to not let their soaring expectations ruin what might be the start of the Redskins' return to prominence.

After Marty Schottenheimer went 8-8, Snyder decided he could do better and took back control of the personnel. Things have gone down hill ever since. Snyder finally did the right thing in hiring Bruce Allen, a GM with a back bone, and Shanahan, essentially turning over all football decisions. Now, he's got to accept that they won't be able to turn things around overnight. I credit Snyder's desire to win, but can't head into this season with a one-and-done mentality.

Take a look at this team: the offensive line is awful. Rebuilding is going to take time and draft picks. They won't be able to fix it with free agents alone. The quarterback has proven repeatedly that he is terrible. Clinton Portis may be one of the best running backs in the league, but if he has no line to block for him and he can't stay healthy then he isn't much good. The Redskins' approach to their offensive problems in the past is similar to putting a band aid on a broken arm: draft receivers. If the Redskins pickup another wide receiver then everyone needs to go out and start buying Baltimore Ravens' merchandise because the Redskins have gone nowhere. When it comes to the defense, the Redskins are much better off. Only the safeties are terrible. I don't know if Chris Horton had a good play all season. Everyone marvels at his development this season, but just watch the Detroit game. It brings so many tears to your eyes that you'll think you're peeling an onion. Leron Landry also receives much acclaim. He has definite potential, but he gets beat deep all the time because he keeps playing the run. If you're a safety and you're late on the run, they gain 5 yards. If you're late on the pass, they score. This apparently is just too much for him to handle because it happens all the time. Otherwise, the defense isn't too bad. If you get Greg Blache and Albert Haynesworth on the same page, then we're in business.

There is a laundry list of holes on this Redskins team and they won't be fixed very quickly. Everyone needs to keep things in perspective. When Joe Gibbs took over (the second time), he received a team that was going nowhere and he went nowhere, finishing his first season 6-10. It took two seasons to get the Redskins into the playoffs and even that was remarkable. I don't think you'll see the Redskins make a lot of noise in 2010, but it won't be because of Allen or Shanahan, it will be the team they took over. If you give it time, I think you'll see great results.

Mark McGwire Admits to Steroid Use, Refuses to Admit Wrongdoing

Mark McGwire finally admitted this week to what we all knew, that he used steroids during his MLB career including during the 1998 season in which he broke the single season home run record. McGwire had been a long time member of the club of MLB stars, including Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, who was fooling nobody, but still denied every using steroids. He refuses to acknowledge, however, that either steroids or growth hormones (which he also admitted to using) gave him any advantage when it came to home runs. "I believe I was given this gift. The only reason I took steroids was for health purposes." McGwire claims that he was motivated only to avoid injuries and maintain his strength for the full 162 games of the season and that they had no affect on his home run hitting abilities.

This is the same asinine argument many dopers have taken when confronted with the reality of their fraudulent careers. Oh it didn't affect my ability to hit the ball, blah blah blah. Really the only reason McGwire came out was in an attempt to justify his career for the hall of fame voters. What these players have done to baseball is deplorable. Is steroids against the rules? Yes? Then it's cheating. Period. It doesn't matter if everyone does it, it doesn't matter if you don't think it helps, it's still cheating!! To knowingly break the rules in order to gain an advantage for yourself is cheating. Bud Selig hasn't helped either. Rather than crack down on the league in which all the best players of the last 10, perhaps even 20 years are known cheaters, he has tried to sweep this under the rug. As a result it keeps getting worse.

McGwire also subscribes to the belief that "There's not a pill or an injection that's going to give me, going to give any player the hand-eye coordination to hit a baseball." So while it didn't help him at all, he still did it and he's still sorry for it. What? Who does he think he's fooling? First, if it didn't help, then why are so many players doing it? If it offers no real advantage then why risk tarnishing your career? The simple answer is that it does help and they know it. What they are sorry about is getting caught. Even if the only thing it does was help keep him healthy for the full season, that's still an unfair advantage. Why? Because Hank Aaron, Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, all the old stars didn't have that advantage. I don't understand how McGwire can think he broke Roger Maris' record when he did it with performance enhancing drugs that are, by rule, illegal. Is that fair? How can baseball players delude themselves into thinking this is ok?

If Bud Selig refuses to fix this, the only people who can still help turn baseball around are the hall of fame voters. McGwire obviously really wants to get into the hall and if the last few years are anything to go on, he won't come close. Let's hope a similar fate awaits Clemens, Alex Rodriguez, Bonds, and all the other cheaters out there; all of whom supposedly either didn't know what they were doing, or didn't gain any advantage from it.

AFC Playoff Picture

Indianapolis Colts: The Colts came under scrutiny for resting players despite an undefeated record. Now many wonder how the Colts will go forward without that momentum. Despite this scrutiny, it was an entirely justified decision. Peyton Manning and Joseph Addai have both been listed on the injury report for several weeks. Both continue to play, but they clearly are a bit nicked up. What's important is winning a Super Bowl, not going undefeated. Many say that now you can't compare this team to the 1972 undefeated Dolphins, but last time I checked the '72 Dolphins aren't in the playoffs. Ask the New England Patriots if they would rather keep their 16-0 season or trade it for the 2008 Super Bowl and they'll all say the same thing, the lost the one game that mattered most. Despite the controversy surrounding the Colts, they still remain the team to beat (yes even over the Chargers).

San Diego Chargers: The Chargers head into the playoffs as the hottest team in the NFL, winning eleven straight. Philip Rivers has played well enough to gain some MVP attention and they have the ever dangerous Ladainian Tomlinson. Despite a history of great seasons and terrible post seasons, the Chargers head into the playoffs motivated to win it all. The question is whether LT can remain healthy enough to remain a serious threat. The Chargers have Darren Sproles as backup, but this team needs a healthy LT to really make a Super Bowl run. With LT injured at the beginning of the season, the Chargers could barely beat Oakland. A bye week is a huge asset for this team so they can get healthy for the playoffs.

Cincinnati Bengals: The Bengals surprised a lot of people this season, but it's little wonder now that they have a healthy Carson Palmer back. Cedric Benson has been one of the best players this entire season and of course, there's always Ochocinco who proved he doesn't need TJ Houshmanzadeh playing opposite in order to get open. They really stepped up when it came to divisional play, but they can't quite get it straight against other big opponents winning only one game against a team with a winning record outside of their division. I think you'll see them step up against the Jets, but I don't seem them going much farther than that.

New England Patriots: The Patriots seemed to have a lot of internal struggles despite having a 10-6 record. With Tom Brady back and Bill Bellichick at the helm, you can never count this team out (unless of course they go for it on 4th down). Losses against both the Colts and the Saints make me think they can't beat the real Super Bowl contenders and I doubt they will make it past the divisional round.

Baltimore Ravens: Any question about the Ravens' chances can be answered by watching the game against Pittsburgh in which they completely self-destructed in a game they desperately needed to win. Costly penalties, dropped balls, you name it. This team has no chance. Maybe an upset against the Patriots, but that's as much as they can hope for.

New York Jets: Not sure really what to expect from his team. Despite having a rookie quarterback and head coach the Jets managed a 9-7 record. They really don't have any big wins this season excluding the 37-0 win over the Bengals last week in which the Bengals had no reason to show their potential playoff opponents anything. I don't see any surprises from either wildcard team in the playoffs.

NFC Playoff Profile

New Orleans Saints: After a 13-0 start, the Saints lost three straight losing to Dallas, Tampa Bay, and Carolina. With Drew Brees at quarterback, however, it's definitely not time to panic. There was clearly an emotional let down in New Orleans after the big win against New England. They still had home-field advantage to play for, but it's hard to be as excited to play teams like the lowly Redskins and Buccaneers. The Saints won't have that trouble when it comes to the playoffs. The Saints still have a bye week despite a 3 game losing streak and will take that time to regroup.

Minnesota Vikings: Brad Childress was recently exposed as a tactical moron for his attempt to pull Brett Favre in the game against Carolina despite being ahead 7-6. Favre was exposed to be as big a pre-madonna in the locker room as he is in the offseason. Despite coming into the season told that he would not be able to start all 16 games, Favre refused to step aside. There is also tension between the two since Favre frequently changes the plays at the line. When Childress wants to run, Favre wants to pass. After spanking the suddenly terrible New York Giants, the Vikings have a bye week to get on the same page. What both need to realize is that neither of them are the most important guy in purple. That would be Adrian Peterson. If Brett lets him carry the ball once in a while, he'll carry the team deep into the post season.

Arizona Cardinals: The defending NFC champs once again won their terrible division. As one of the most inconsistent teams in the league this season, it's hard to know what to expect. Winning the conference last season was a surprise, but there were no teams as good as New Orleans or Minnesota waiting for them. No repeat for Cinderella.

Dallas Cowboys: After hearing from everyone that they are a bad team in December, the Cowboys went on to beat the undefeated Saints and destroy conference opponent Philadelphia to win the NFC East. This team clearly has the talent and ability to play with any team in the conference, but when expectations are high for this team, that seems to be when they play their absolute worst. Without TO, however, this may be a new Dallas team.

Green Bay Packers: The Packers quietly climbed the NFL standings to find themselves in the post season hunt, but they don't seem to offer much for other teams to worry about. They come in with a very good defense, but with no real offensive line allowing more sacks even than the Washington Redskins. How far the Packers go will be up to quarterback Aaron Rodgers. A wild-card match up against probably the worst playoff team in the NFC, Arizona, gives them a shot at the second round.

Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles collapsed at the end of the season with a terrible performance against Denver and a 24-0 shellacking by the Cowboys to lose the NFC division. But the Eagles could easily be a sleeper team. Everyone knows about their struggles to win the conference championship, but that's because they make it to so many. Andy Reid always has his team playing well come the playoffs. There will be no repeat of last week's game against Dallas. There's no guarantee that they beat the suddenly dangerous Cowboys, but they will be much better prepared for this week's game.

Goodbye Agent 0

At the beginning of the basketball season, many had high expectations for the Wizards after numerous offseason acquisitions. I wrote that if Arenas couldn't get it done this season, with new players around him, if he wasn't able to show some measure of improvement and hope, then he should be gone.

Where are the Wizards now?

Dead last in their division with a 10-21 record. Arenas' obscene salary means that this team needs to compete and they aren't doing that. And if the team's appalling performance wasn't enough, how bout some gun charges? After an argument over a card game, teammate Javaris Crittenton threatened to shoot Arenas in his knee. At practice two days later, Arenas laid out three guns with a note saying "pick one." Arenas claims it was a joke, but neither Crittenton or DC police thought it was very funny. Now the case will be reviewed by a grand jury.

Maybe instead of thinking up a gem of a joke like that, he should have been worried about how to turn his team around. Whether he accepts it or not, this was supposed to be his team, led by him. If they can't get it done, it falls on his shoulders. He's paid like a superstar, he needs to start performing like one. And while there have been plenty of dumb superstars, this latest incident can just be added to the list of reasons why Agent 0 needs to go.

Ridiculous Bowl Games

During the bowl season we really see how out of hand the commercialism has gotten in college. Was everybody excited for the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl? How about the Meineke Car Care Bowl? Or the PapaJohns.com Bowl? I'm not against advertisements in sports nor am I naive enough to think that Bowls should do away with these names all together. That's not going to happen. What I don't like about it is the fact that these names have taken away from the prestige and accomplishment of the players. How can a player say with pride that he played in AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl? The names have really cheapened these games.

The Peach Bowl used to be a pretty prestigious bowl. Pitting a top ACC team against an SEC team made it one to watch. Then it became the Chick-fil-A Peach bowl. Ok, I understand that. It might not have the same ring to it, but at least it doesn't have a ridiculous name like some of the others I mentioned. Now, it is simply the Chick-fil-A bowl. Why was that necessary? The message here is that the bowl is not as important as the sponsor. The actual bowl took away from their advertisement. Maybe they shouldn't even play the game, but just have a four hour slide show about chicken.

The bottom line is that you have a group of college kids leaving everything they've got on the field and we reward them with a trophy for the Capital One Bowl. When bowl names get thrown out completely and replaced by companies, they lose something. The BCS gets rich and then they wonder why people aren't as excited about bowl games as they used to be. This also completely undermines the NCAA. College players can't take a salary, can't make endorsements, can't hire agents, and then play in the Konica Minolta Gator Bowl. It's completely hypocritical. Why are people surprised when players leave early? The BCS has sent a message that money is the most important part of football. When officials collect on the EagleBank Bowl and then tell players that their scholarship is too high or it violates some obscure rule, why should they stay?

Well, players are asking themselves the same question. Think of all the superstars that walk away every year to collect that big pay check. Who can blame them? If players have nothing else to play for, they will play for money and the college game suffers because of it.