The USA Today reports today that the NFL has returned money Darrent Williams paid in a fine back to his family. The fine ($15,000) was for arguing with officials in a game in week 11. Williams was killed in a drive-by shooting after an altercation in a nightclub which he reportedly was not involved in. The fine money had probably been long forgotten, but the NFL did the right thing in realizing that the family now needs the money more than them.

Popularity: 11% [?]

With the Packers out of the playoff race and 3 weeks left in the season is there anything for Packer fans to look forward to? Yes. Of course, when any team is out of playoff contention it is always popular to root for a high draft pick. You could turn your attention to dreaming about which favorite college player you’d like to see in the Green and Gold next year, but before you look ahead to next year there are still a few things left to enjoy this season.

First, Brett Favre is only seven touchdown passes away from breaking Dan Marino’s career touchdown passing record. It sure would be nice to see Brett break it before the end of the year so that no offseason craziness could prevent him from breaking it as a Packer.

The second thing to look forward to is the Packers last three games are against divisional foes. It’s always nice to beat a divisional opponent even when the game is meaningless for us. How nice would it be to see the Packers ruin the Bears season by beating them at Soldier Field? With some luck the Pack’s victory would prevent the Bears from securing home field advantage throughout the playoffs. It is always common to see Packer fans with a my favorite team is the Packers, my second favorite team is whoever plays the Bears t-shirt. With the Bears a legitimate Super Bowl contender this year rooting against them takes on added importance. Rooting against the Bears for the remainder of the season could provide ample enjoyment for the true Packer fan.

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Popularity: 14% [?]

With the Packers out of the playoff race and 3 weeks left in the season is there anything for Packer fans to look forward to? Yes. Of course, when any team is out of playoff contention it is always popular to root for a high draft pick. You could turn your attention to dreaming about which favorite college player you’d like to see in the Green and Gold next year, but before you look ahead to next year there are still a few things left to enjoy this season.

First, Brett Favre is only seven touchdown passes away from breaking Dan Marino’s career touchdown passing record. It sure would be nice to see Brett break it before the end of the year so that no offseason craziness could prevent him from breaking it as a Packer.

The second thing to look forward to is the Packers last three games are against divisional foes. It’s always nice to beat a divisional opponent even when the game is meaningless for us. How nice would it be to see the Packers ruin the Bears season by beating them at Soldier Field? With some luck the Pack’s victory would prevent the Bears from securing home field advantage throughout the playoffs. It is always common to see Packer fans with a my favorite team is the Packers, my second favorite team is whoever plays the Bears t-shirt. With the Bears a legitimate Super Bowl contender this year rooting against them takes on added importance. Rooting against the Bears for the remainder of the season could provide ample enjoyment for the true Packer fan.

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Popularity: 11% [?]

Last time I checked, a suit never won a championship. Vince Lombardi, Tom Landry and Mike Ditka never won games based on looks. Bill Parcells, the only coach to take four different teams to the playoffs, didn’t do that based off looks alone. These coaches won because they have learned amazing strategy, brilliant play calling and because they have some of the best players on their respective teams. Lombardi and Landry and any of the other great coaches would have won games with or without a suit. Make Vince Lombardi wear a visor and a Packers polo. Does his name change? Does his mastery of the game change? No. Continue Reading

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Picture Vince Lombardi or Tom Landry. You identify their hats and jackets as much as you do the men themselves. Now picture the modern day coaching genius Bill Belichick in his ratty hooded sweatshirt with the cutoff sleeves. His outfit gives him a completely different image, but Coach Belichick says he would prefer to dress in a more formal, distinguished way, like his predecessors. What’s stopping him? The NFL dress code. Continue Reading

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Before the season, the Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals were popular sleeper picks by the “experts” to be Super Bowl teams this season. They are a combined 3-13 through week nine. Pittsburgh, last year’s Super Bowl champion, is 2-6. Spontaneity is what makes sports exciting, and the NFL’s parity gives it an anything-can-happen atmosphere that has made it the most popular professional league in our country – but also wildly unpredictable. Just this past Sunday the one-win Miami Dolphins shocked the previously undefeated Chicago Bears. It seems like a better idea to bet the sky will be green tomorrow than to bet on any certain team winning the Vince Lombardi trophy. With that in mind, here are some teams to watch.So the Bears lost a game to a crappy team? They still have the best record in the NFC at 7-1. Well, before writing this off, take a closer look. Six of their games were against teams with losing records (we’re talking a combined 14-34). The other two were 4-4 Minnesota and 5-3 Seattle, and the Seahawks were playing without last year’s MVP Shaun Alexander. Rex Grossman needs to show he can win a big game, starting this Sunday.

The 6-2 New York Giants have big names at every skill position on offense, and a solid defense headlined by Pro-Bowlers Michael Strahan and LaVar Arrington. Tiki Barber, currently the NFL’s leading rusher, has already declared his intention to retire at the end of the season. We all saw what this did for the Steelers last year.

It may not even matter who wins the NFC. Glance quickly at the AFC standings and you will find five teams who are 6-2 or better (Indianapolis, Denver, New England, San Diego, Baltimore). With Jacksonville and Kansas City sitting at 5-3 and looking stronger in recent weeks, it’s tough to count them out as well. Yes, the Indianapolis Colts are undefeated again and coming off back-to-back thrilling victories over the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots. They still have to prove they can win in January, however. The San Diego Chargers have arguably the league’s best player in LaDainian Tomlinson and a strong defense. However, they still have to prove Marty Schottenheimer can win in January. The Baltimore Ravens have the top scoring defense in the league, and in this instance it does not mean just preventing other teams from scoring. This defense goes ahead and scores on its own and does so more reliably than some other teams’ offenses. The offense has not looked bad since Brian Billick took over the play-calling duties two weeks ago.

Before we go and hand the trophy to an AFC team, let’s not forget that everyone said an American league team would win the World Series. Remember how that turned out?

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Like the news, it is too easy to focus on the negative in the sports world. While thinking of a topic for this column, I kept coming back to the Miami-FIU brawl. Since the incident, I see a clip of it every time I turn on my TV. It is a shame that this story is getting so much attention when there are a lot of positive stories to focus on instead. Last year, Hurricane Katrina destroyed the Gulf Coast and forced the Saints on the road for their entire season. This year, the Saints have given their fans something to cheer about. Through some clever scheduling work and the Saints’ strong commitment to play their home games in the Superdome, the team is currently undefeated at home after three games and will play a full contingent of eight home games this year at the Superdome.

Just getting the Saints to play games in New Orleans might have been enough good news, but they have also been downright good. The Saints are 5-1, and coming off their bye week, they sit atop the NFC South, a division that is supposed to be one of the strongest in the NFL. Drew Brees has been amazing in his first year, leading an impressive offense that has made the Saints an exciting team even for the non-fan to cheer about.

Even though Reggie Bush has not been quite as much of a game breaker as he is on Madden 2007, he has been a perfect example of how NFL stars should act. After falling to the second overall pick back in April, it would have been easy for Bush to complain about going to New Orleans. Instead, after a brief contract holdout, Bush came to practice and has acted with the utmost respect for the Saints organization. He has not whined about having to split playing time with Deuce McAllister, or opened his mouth to the media to voice any petty complaints. Instead, he has made the best of the situation, allowing the team to utilize him as a decoy and a receiver. After week six of the NFL season, Bush had 38 receptions, tying him for the third most in the NFL. More importantly, Bush has made headlines and turned heads by pledging to donate 25 percent of his share from the sale of his jersey this year.

Bush has also teamed with Diet Pepsi to raise money to rebuild New Orleans. Diet Pepsi has pledged to donate money to Rebuilding Together for every yard Bush gains. Diet Pepsi and Bush have also combined to auction items on e-Bay to further aid rebuilding efforts in the Gulf Coast region. This effort is collectively called “Yard by Yard,” and donations can be made through their Web page, www.yardbyyard.com.

Saints games have also been exciting. (Many of us recall the Packers-Saints game that ended in dramatic fashion.) Five of the Saints’ six games have been determined by seven or fewer points. The Saints are 4-1 over that span with their only loss being against the Carolina Panthers, a potential Superbowl contender.

I bet it feels good to be a Saints fan these days; I cannot wait to try it out in week eight.

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So here we are in the third week, and your fantasy team is looking a lot less appealing than it did in those ecstasy-filled, early morning hours immediately following your draft. That is certainly not anything to be ashamed of; in fact, most of these fantasy squads can still salvage their season by out-working other teams and acquiring talent from the waiver wire or through trades. What follows are several tips that should be able to help your team improve and steal some games in the weeks to come.

First and foremost, fantasy GMs should be looking for long-term solutions. These are most easily found via trades. Let’s say your team has two top-12 quarterbacks. This is entirely possible if you were fortunate enough to grab some early overachievers like David Carr or Charlie Frye. Or you could try to deal a wide receiver like the Panther’s Keyshawn Johnson, who has performed admirably so far, but will likely be less stellar once Steve Smith returns. Other early achievers, likely to disappoint from this point forward include: Darrell Jackson (WR), Amani Toomer (WR), Rex Grossman (QB) and Frank Gore (RB). Try to package players like these to acquire an early underachiever with good potential to improve, like Santana Moss (WR) or Hines Ward (WR).

These trades may be tough to work out depending on the willingness of other owners in your league to make trades, so that means the waiver wire is your best option for a lot of franchises. There are two ways to utilize the waiver wire: targeting players with good upside who could become weekly contributors and the more difficult option of playing week-by-week match-ups.

For long-term waiver solutions, backup RBs can be a great play. If your RB stable is thin, you might want to take a chance on getting this year’s Larry Johnson. Stock up on backup RBs on good teams. Johnson pushed many teams deep into the playoffs last year, and a few backs have a better-than-average chance of doing so again this year.

Ladell Betts, the second RB on the Redskins’ roster, is likely to continue getting play time even after Clinton Portis is fully recovered. Washington’s offense also looks better, so Betts should be a good bet.

Maurice Morris of Seattle has been good in limited action the last few years, and could be a star when Shaun Alexander falls victim to the dreaded “Madden Curse.”

Mike Anderson could also get a chance to help you out in Minnesota given his abilities and Minnesota’s strong offensive line. If you are going to try to play the week-to-week match-ups, you will have to be willing to work pretty hard. This means monitoring injuries closely on a daily basis. A team’s passing game can be greatly improved in this way. What follows is a list of teams and their third wide receivers who could potentially put up big games against some atrocious passing defenses.

- Week 4 – I like the Patriots’ Chad Jackson against a depleted Bengals secondary. The Cowboys’ Patrick Crayton could have a great game against the Titans, who were the only team to allow over passing touchdowns a game last year on average.

-Week 5 – Any WR with a pulse for the Colts could have a huge week against the previously mentioned Titans’ defense. I also like Randle El against a Giants defense that has given up a lot of points so far this season.

-Week 6 – Randle El could be a two-week addition for some teams, as he faces the Titans this week. David Kircus could be used in an extreme pinch when he could join in on a Broncos route of the Raiders.

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The NFL had one of its more active off-seasons this year. Whether it was an exciting draft, the new commissioner or significant free agent movement like T.O. going to the Cowboys, a lot changed. Perhaps nothing changed more than the television lineup for this fall. “Monday Night Football,” the Mecca of television for true sports fans, moved from ABC to ESPN. NBC bought the rights to the primetime Sunday night late game, and the NFL Network got its hands on eight games.

These changes, of course, met mixed results. “MNF’s” move to ESPN has to be the most welcome development. The new “Monday Night” crew will be Mike Tirico, Joe Theismann and Tony Kornheiser. Although I am not a fan of Theismann – or even the concept of a three person booth – the addition of Kornheiser alone makes this a welcome change. Kornheiser co-hosts what might be considered the second half of the best hour of television out there. For those of you who spend less time watching ESPN than I do, he co-hosts “Pardon the Interruption” with Michael Wilbon following “Around the Horn.” If you are not sure what these programs are and who Kornheiser is after reading this, I beg you, in the name of all that is good in the world of sports, to watch “Pardon the Interruption.” It airs on ESPN at 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

Even though I think Kornheiser is the best thing to happen to the NFL since fantasy football, he is not without his critics. Some claim he will be a repeat of the Dennis Miller fiasco on “Monday Night Football.” As you may recall, Miller was a member of the “MNF” booth for two seasons, and it was a disaster. Some in the sports world equate Kornheiser to Miller because they are both known for being funny and entertaining, which is accurate. Even a cursory glance at their resumes, however, would dispel any notion along the lines that Miller and Kornheiser have anything in common. Miller was a stand-up comedian brought into the booth to provide a “regular Joe” view. Before his time with “MNF” Miller had no experience in the sports world. Kornheiser, on the other hand, has spent twenty-two years at the Washington Post writing about sports. Kornheiser has hosted a radio program since 1992 until he started on “Monday Night Football” this past year, and he hosts “PTI.” All of this means that Tony Kornheiser makes a living based on his knowledge and discussion of sports, and if he were not good at his job, ESPN would have cut him loose by now. Basically these guys have about as much in common with each other as I do with Dwayne Wade; after all we both attended Marquette.

If people really want to complain about an announcing crew, how about the NBC booth? John Madden and Al Michaels are moving from their old gig on ABC back one night to the Sunday night late game. However, Michaels can barely be considered a member of the booth at times as Madden insists on talking over him. To make matters worse Madden’s particular brand of color commentary might be the worst of anyone I have ever personally heard. Anyone who finds his commentary helpful or insightful must have not seen a football game before. His excessive circling and incoherent thoughts have made Frank Caliendo a celebrity among committed NFL fans. More than once this season I will wish NBC offered the option of going into gameplay settings during their broadcasts and turning off Maddenisms, like Madden NFL football used to do back in the day. I have to wonder if the reason that feature was eliminated was due its near-permanent use by many gamers.

Another thing people ought to focus on is Charter Communications. This year the NFL Network will carry eight regular season games, including some premiere games like a third Thanksgiving Day game between the Chiefs and Broncos. As of now, the NFL Network has pulled out of any agreement with Charter Communications because Charter Communications insist on including the NFL Network in their Digital Sports Tier, which at the time would have cost fans an additional charge. Charter’s Digital Sports Tier has since been included in their standard package, leaving many fans confused about Charter’s actions. This could get ugly for Charter in a hurry. Many NFL fans will want to watch every game they can, and will be disappointed when they miss games that are critical to playoff races and fantasy football teams!

So instead of making asinine comparisons between Kornheiser and Miller, NFL fans should focus on being angry about the stuff that will actually hinder their ability to enjoy the most exciting time of the year.

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