We are just days into NFL free agency and the frenzy continues throughout the league. Within a matter of hours the NFL’s hottest free agent was signed, while other teams look to sit pat in something of a holding mode. It may only be March but a series of moves may have changed the balance of power between some NFL pretenders and contenders coming into what could be the last season before an NFL lock out.

I wanted to take a quick look today at some of the bigger, more intriguing, and in some cases shocking developments during the first week of NFL free agency. Keep in mind while I may criticize a team in its current state, there are plenty of viable free agents currently available, including a plethora of some impressive restricted names. That said, let’s take a look at some of the bigger moves and how they are likely to shape out according to this blogger.

Chicago Bears sign Julius Peppers, DE - Peppers was arguably the hottest unrestricted free agent in NFL history. Peppers’ new deal makes him the highest paid defensive linemen with a deal worth $84 million (so much poverty huh NFL owners?). The move immediately gave the Bears the Norris division according to some writers. I on the other hand am very dubious of the signing.

The upside with Peppers is that he has stayed relatively injury-free throughout his career and yes, he is a beast. But, the addition of Peppers could prove costly in money, wins, and team chemistry. Peppers has been accused of taking plays off. Peppers is also known to get frustrated when double-teamed and some say can be mentally taken out of a game. Peppers spoke highly of coach Lovie Smith and he being a main reason for the interest in Chicago. Lovie Smith is a lame duck coach, going into the final year of his contract. What if the Bears can’t turn it around next season? What if Lovie goes elsewhere either by his choice or the organization’s choice? Now a new coach is stuck with a guy that may not want to play for him. Peppers could get caught in the middle of a transitional period between coaches and d-coordinators. I just think the move is high risk and high reward for the Bears. As big as this signing could be, it could also throw the franchise back for years being stuck with a contract the size of Peppers.

Chicago Bears sign Chester Taylor, RB - In a move that could pay dividends on a few levels, the Bears signed RB Chester Taylor. In addition to bolstering their own backfield, the move took away one of their division rival’s biggest weapons. It will be very interesting to see what kind of year Adrian Peterson has when he doesn’t have to give up carries to someone like Taylor. The move also gives the Bears a great 1-2 punch with Matt Forte and Chester Taylor.

Yet again, this is another high risk and high reward situation for the Bears. Taylor has a ton of potential, especially in a Mike Martz offense. Taylor has great hands and is likely to get heavily involved in the passing game. However, Taylor is 31-years old. The positive here is that Thomas Jones has had two solid years and he is the same age as Taylor, and had about the same wear and tear when he came to the Jets. The downside here is that in an increased role, it is unknown how Taylor’s body will hold up. Also, if Matt Forte’s stinker season last year was a result of a bad offensive line which I think it was, than adding Taylor will turn out to be a big waste of time and money.

Baltimore Ravens acquire Anquan Boldin, WR – In my opinion, Boldin is fool’s gold. Boldin at one time was pegged by some to be the next Terrell Owens in the NFL. Instead, numerous injuries have kept Boldin on the sidelines in both regular and postseason games. Boldin will now ascend to the number one spot in the depth chart and team with a quarterback who struggled in a bit of a sophomore slump.

I know a lot of fans are upset that their teams didn’t trade for Boldin. Keep in mind that the Arizona Cardinals dramatically dropped their asking price for Boldin this season. There is a reason why a lot of teams didn’t step up. With an impending lockout, it is very risky for a team like Baltimore to commit all of that money to a guy who hasn’t played a full season in years. Boldin could be the missing piece here in one of the most prolific running offenses in the NFL. Boldin will also be jumping into arguably the most physical division in the NFL. Playing Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Cincinnati twice a year is a heck of a lot different than playing the Seahawks and Rams twice a season. Derrick Mason was Mr. Durability for the Ravens, and that is exactly what you need in a number 1 WR in this division. I don’t know if Anquan Boldin can be that guy.

The Arizona Cardinals acquire Kerry Rhodes, S - Talk about a bargain here for the Arizona Cardinals. Cardinals’ fans were up in arms when the Cards let Antrel Rolle leave and sign with the New York Giants. The Cards responded by trading a couple of draft picks for disgruntled New York Jets safety Kerry Rhodes. There is not a big drop off here at all between Rhodes and Rolle. Rhodes arguably played in a tougher division, so in the end his numbers may mean a bit more than Rolle’s. The Cards will also save themselves a ton of money in the difference between the two safeties. Rhodes’ character has been questioned by some in the New York media, but a change of scenery could be exactly what he needs in Arizona.

The Miami Dolphins sign Karlos Dansby, LB - A brilliant pickup by the Miami Dolphins. If there is anything you need in the AFC East, it is a hard hitting linebacker like Dansby. The position is a huge upgrade from Joey Porter, who couldn’t back up the checks his mouth kept writing. Dansby while a great pass rusher, is even better against the run. If you don’t think this move had everything to do with the New York Jets, I think you are sadly mistaken. Having Dansby and Channing Crowder should immediately pay dividends for a Dolphins defense who struggled down the way last season. The move also opens up the opportunity for the Dolphins to address offense with their first draft pick, maybe even take a shot at Dez Bryant.

These are just a few of the moves that grabbed the headlines in the first few days of free agency. There are still a ton of restricted free agents still available in addition to unrestricted veterans like LaDainian Tomlinson, Thomas Jones, Terrell Owens, Jake Delhomme, and Brian Westbrook. The name everyone is keeping their eyes on right now is WR Brandon Marshall. Marshall can be had for a number one draft pick, yet nobody is seriously biting right now. Marshall is the kind of a player that someone may actually give up their pick for in the right scenario.

Another curious name for me is Leon Washington. The New York Jets RB is a restricted free agent, yet the Jets surprisingly only placed a second round tender on Washington. This means in order to sign Washington, a team would only have to give up a second-round draft pick for him. If Ricky Williams is really retiring, I would love to see the Miami Dolphins make a run at Washington. Putting Washington into the Wildcat with Ronnie Brown could be downright scary for opposing defenses. Additionally, grabbing Washington would hurt the Jets. Bill Parcells loved players like Washington when he was a coach, so the fit almost seems natural here. Another possible suitor could be the Washington Redskins with their tumultuous backfield situation or even the Minnesota Vikings now that Chester Taylor has left.

There is no doubt that the impending lockout has really shutdown a normally frenzied spending spree among NFL owners at this time of the year. Usual suspects like the Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, and Dallas Cowboys have done virtually nothing at this point. I do suspect that as the draft grows closer, teams will start poking around some of these restricted free agents and may try and talk some of teams down off of their tends. Regardless, while a few moves won’t make a team, doing nothing certainly won’t improve your situation.

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Madden gamers woke up to an unexpected new EA Madden roster update this weekend. EA has been more diligent than ever this year in providing updated rosters and player attributes on a regular basis. While none of these Madden 10 updates are ever perfect, never in the history of Madden has this update sparked more controversy. The controversy revolves around the removal of Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner.

After being eliminated in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs, Kurt Warner announced his retirement. 12-year, three Super Bowl appearances, one Super Bowl win, and one Super Bowl MVP were enough. Over the last two years in particular, Kurt Warner and the Arizona Cardinals have turned into one of the most teams to play in Madden. Madden does a great job of transitioning high-powered offensive teams like the Cards and Saints into the game with relevant plays and player attributes. The Cards and Warner in particular have been one of the most popular teams to play online against opponents or just at home against the CPU. Well without warning, the party is over!

EA Sports released their final Madden update over the year this weekend. The final roster update is more or less a report card for the players in the game. For example, Ray Lewis’ overall play decreased from a 94 to a 94. L.T. decreased from an 89 to an 86, while DeSean Jackson and Sidney Rice saw increases. The idea of this is to represent the game and its players as real as possible to the NFL 2009-2010 season. Well EA may have gone a bit overboard this time because they have completely removed Kurt Warner from the game. Warner is now listed as retired and he is unusable with the new update. The move is shocking to longtime Madden gamers and came without Kurt Warning (couldn’t help it.)

I didn’t notice this until today. I try to stay on top of the updates, but I haven’t played Madden all week. I signed online this morning to play and was told of the new roster update. I downloaded it and was shocked when I didn’t see Warner. I started to do a little investigating online and thus I discovered he is completely removed. The roster move has the entire EA community and Madden fan base outraged and rightfully so. The move goes against anything that Madden has done in previous years and hurts the integrity of the game. The entire idea of behind these roster updates is to give Madden gamers rosters and a game that is as real to the 2009-2010 NFL season as possible. Kurt Warner not only played a full season, but also played in the post season. This is isn’t like taking a third-string offensive lineman who announces his retirement out of the game. The fact that one of the elite starting NFL quarterbacks was removed from the game in which a season he participated and without warning for loyal gamers is beyond preposterous!

The removal of Warner also discredits EA’s DLC they sold earlier in the year to Madden gamers. There are several DLC components you can purchase for Madden. These DLC add-ons give Madden gamers a little more flexibility with the game. Two of the DLC options sold allowed gamers to un-retire two players who retire during a franchise season. The idea behind this was to give gamers a chance to keep Brett Favre (who auto retires after every season) or someone like Warner who sometimes does or doesn’t. A lot of DLC were sold specifically for this feature. Now, if gamers were to start a new franchise mode with the new update than they won’t even have a shot at using this with Warner since he has been removed entirely from the game.

The move is stunning considering how liberal EA has been over the years when it comes to unavailable players. Even with Michael Vick’s troubles, he was still available in the out-of-box Madden 07 game (removed in roster updates since he didn’t play the season), Plaxico Burress was left in last year as a free agent even after he was suspended and likely wouldn’t play this year because the game was supposed to represent the 2008-09 season which saw him play and then cut. Even the year after Brett Favre retired with the Packers, Favre was featured on the cover of the game! Pulling Warner out of the season he just played after he retires for next season is one of the most unusual and unnecessary moves I have ever seen in a Madden roster update since EA began doing roster updates years ago.

Do you have to grab the roster update? No. But the problem is that this came all without warning. With warning, would could just go play online, use the Warner-less update, and continue their games with Warner. The downside there is that you get none of the other hundreds of roster updates included in the newest update which, once again include increases and decreases to hundreds to NFL players. Not too mention, gamers grab the roster update and save it to their hard drive without thinking twice about it. Now those games are wondering where the heck Kurt Warner went? Not only was removing Warner from a 2009-10 roster ridiculous, what is even more ridiculous is the lack of warning that came with the update. It’s not like we are talking about the removal of a third-string defensive back. We are talking about the removal of one of the most popular players of the game!

My gut tells me that with all of the outrage that EA will correct this. I will give them credit and they have done a fairly good job of satisfying their communities and fan base within reason. Obviously they aren’t going to go back in and make changes based on every fan who wants their favorite player to go from a 90-91 rating. However, something like this transcends fans of one particular team or player. I would think that a change like this would be something that can be simply done as EA was able to include Michael Vick and Brett Favre in their rosters just a few days after they came back this season. So the issue isn’t whether this is something that can be done, but it is something that should be done. If not that, offer the previous update with Warner which again hurts the other hundred players that were updated, but it is a quick fix. The bottom line here is that EA really pulled a fast one on their most loyal customers this weekend and should do the right thing and fix it as soon as possible.

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Kurt Warner, age 38, is calling it quits. In addition to being a lock for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH, he was also the rarest of rare things in this age of all encompassing media: Kurt was a guy who TRULY took a professional sports league by storm. Kurt didn’t play his high school ball on ESPN; he didn’t come to the league with a 100 million dollar endorsement deal in tow. Not only was Kurt not drafted but he wasn’t even invited to the combine!

Kurt Warner played his college ball at Northern Iowa where he was able to parlay his on field success into a prolific career as a grocery bagger. There were stints in arena football and NFL Europe but it was mostly “paper or plastic” until the St. Louis Rams took a flier on him in 1998 and made him a backup to a couple of Big Guns named Tony Banks and Steve Bono. In 1999 the Rams signed Trent Green to be their starting QB only to lose him for the year to injury during the third pre season game. Coach Dick Vermeil actually wept at the press conference. (To be fair Vermeil wept at everything, he was the NFL equivalent of Glenn Beck, but sincere… I can’t imagine watching the Notebook with those two?)

Kurt Warner stepped in the NFL, undrafted, uninvited, UNKNOWN. All he does his rookie year is throw 41 touchdown passes and lead a Rams team that managed 4 wins the previous season to their first Super Bowl Championship. Oh yeah, something about an MVP and a Super Bowl MVP as well. He would go on to win another MVP, make 4 Pro-Bowls, and become only the second QB to lead two different teams to the Super Bowl. In three Super Bowl appearances Kurt averaged 385 yards a game! If Tom Brady was the draft day steal of the century, then Kurt has got to be the undrafted equivalent.

I doubt if this will ever happen again because nowadays the “scouting services” are ranking every kid that moves so the odds of eluding their prying eyes are infinitesimal. Forget college. Forget high school. Draft experts are now eyeing pre-teens. I can just see it now “When we come back Mel Kiper will join us to take a look at the top 10 sonograms to watch in 2010!” Farewell to Captain Kurt, the closest thing to an overnight sensation we may ever have again. He played in 3 Super Bowls or, one more than some guy name “Fav-ruh.” Perhaps if Kurt un-retires and then retires and then un-retires and then retires and then throws a season ending interception three straight years he will get his due.

- How bad did Scott Boras piss off Brian Cashman by the way??? I’m sure by now you’ve heard that Boras’ client, Johnny “26 homer, great 2 hitter, single handed stealer of game 4 of the world series” Damon, who is also one of the best clubhouse guys EVER, got let go because the Yanks can’t afford him. The Yankees have a budget? Something tells me “budget” is Cashman for “Hey Boras, you douche, your lucky Hank Steinbrenner caved to you on the A-Rod extension or the two of you would be in Toronto for 18 million a year, demanding a trade right now.”

- I’m not sure how much longer I’m going to be writing this column because I’m almost certain I’m going to be the fifth starter for the METS this year. Who else do they have?

- So we’re getting another season out of Jersey Shore….I thought Obama said we were a country that doesn’t torture? By the way I love those people from Jersey that take pains to point out that most of the cast isn’t from Jersey, as if that’s their states ONLY problem. That other shore where the senior citizens get bussed in toting oxygen tanks and social security checks isn’t a blemish at all…Shoot, Lady Gaga canceled on Atlantic City and something tells me that little troll whore would play the Staten Island Ferry if the dough was right

- I had Chris Carlin from SNY and previously WFAN in my cab the other day, talked a little NFL, most notably about my Oakland Raiders, we came to the conclusion that the only way for them to be good again is for Al Davis to die…I’m just putting it out there for you guys before I post the ad on Craig’s List…Carlin, by the way, was one of those people who pointed out the Jersey Shore cast wasn’t from there!!!! Cool dude, though, one of those people whose voice could make him sound like a dick but is definitely a softie…He’d probably play Santa at the holiday party…

- Also saw Mike Huckabee outside Fox News on 6th avenue and he is eating like he’s going to the chair-and not the host’s chair either…

- I’m still stuck on the Kurt Warner thing for some reason. The way I see it, the only thing that could keep him out of the Hall on the first ballot is his wife’s hair. But just to be safe Warner fans let’s destroy every copy of the game tapes from the Giant years…

- One week until Colts/Saints and I’m yet to find ANYONE who thinks the Saints can do this…that alone is reason for me to think they can but stay tuned as the pick will be out on Friday. I have to remind everyone I went 2-0 (Colts -7′ / +Vikings 3’) last week because my man Bower made a point to tell all of North America that I ate it on the Cowboys the week before. I didn’t even eat it, I drank it, the Cowboys got put in a juicer, and I was never in it…

- So Tim Tebow looked bad running a pro-style offense for a day and that’s supposed to be the end of the guy? How did Peyton Manning and Troy Aikman, to name a few, look after a FULL SEASON of running a pro offense? Just asking….

- I saw Miss Virginia win Miss USA last night with Rush Limbaugh sitting in as a judge. She was the only black finalist. I’m sure under any other President she would’ve lost but under the “socialist, Marxist, wealth redistributing administration” we have right now it only makes sense that she won. Can’t wait for his show Monday when he proclaims that he hopes she fails!!! Listening to Rush, Levin, Hannity, Savage, BECK, ya start to wonder if they really hate this Obama fellow or if maybe, just maybe, juuuuuussssssttttt maaaaayyyyyybbeeeeeee….they have to oppose every word he says because it’s good business. Juuuuuuuuussssssssstttttttt maybe, these ENTERTAINERS, are doing what’s best for their show and it’s, I mean their, bottom lines…

- The other day I heard Rush bitch that Obama is handling 911 like it was a crime…last I checked killing a few thousand people WAS AGAINST THE LAW in just about every state I know of, and while I didn’t find any laws that said it was illegal to steal a plane and fly it into a building, I’m pretty sure it’s frowned upon in most circles…

Jimmy Failla can be reached at JIMFAILLA@yahoo.com or the Ann Service Taxi Dispatch on w’ 21st street because he’s making something of his life. Honest.

Jimmy Failla is a guest contributor “Wheelhouse Radio” program that airs every Sunday – Thursday @ 8pm ET/5pm PT at www.blogtalkradio.com/thewheelhouse and at www.errorfm.com @ 2am ET/11pm PT

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You can catch out Jimmy Failla at his official website at www.jimmyfailla.com you can also check out his blog at http://jimmyfailla.blogspot.com/

Wear a Kurt Warner Jersey: Reebok Red Replica #13 Arizona Cardinals Jersey.

Read First Things First: The Rules of Being a Warner.

Read Kurt’s story in All Things Possible: My Story of Faith, Football, and the First Miracle Season.

Watch the Greatest Show on Turf on the NFL: America’s Game: 1999 St. Louis Rams DVD.

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After 12 NFL seasons Kurt Warner retired today from playing Football. Kurt Warner the last 12 years has given us one of the best real life stories that we may ever see in the NFL. He came from the bottom of the gutter working in grocery store, to holding up the Vince Lombardi trophy. He’s been from hell and back multiple times leaving a lasting impression on the game of Football.

Kurt is riding off into the sunset with the question that most people are asking themselves today. Is Kurt Warner a Hall of Famer? This may be the last time we see Kurt Warner in the spotlight until his day in Canton, Ohio…if that day ever comes.

We all know the heartfelt story of Kurt Warner where he bounced around working in a grocery store, playing in the Arena Football league and playing over in the NFL Europe league. With him lining up at center he took two franchises that were in the same gutter that he himself once lay in and brought them to being part of the NFL elite. Despite the Super Bowl trophy, despite the two NFL MVP awards, I still feel like Kurt Warner maybe an underrated player.

Underrated in the sense that his play was always overshadowed by the flashier, more mainstream quarterbacks like a Brett Favre, Tom Brady or Peyton Manning; he wasn’t the draw the America media wanted to grab a hold of. For the most part Kurt Warner seemed fine with his role in the social ladder of the NFL as he was more in tune on what was taking part on the field and not off it. He was one of the “good guys” in the NFL and truly embarked that moniker.

Warner led one of the best offensive units in the last decade in football when he was the quarterback for the early 2000s version of the St. Louis Rams aka “The Greatest Show on turf.” In his first season as a starting quarterback thanks to an injury from Trent Green that put him out for the year, he took a team that was 4-12 in its previous season, led them to a 13-3 record and helped guide them to winning the Super Bowl. In his first season as starting quarterback in the NFL (1999), he was named NFL MVP.

Kurt Warner had continued success in St. Louis guiding them back to the Super Bowl in 2001 where they lost to the eventual champion New England Patriots. Poor play and injuries his final two years in St. Louis led him to being released. His release led critics start wondering if this was it for the former 2-time NFL MVP and if it was time to write the final chapter in this good heartwarming story.

Warner would get picked up by the New York Giants to serve as a mentor to new first round quarterback Eli Manning. The Kurt Warner mentorship in New York lasted only nine games before they handed the keys to the city to Eli Manning for good. Once again people were wondering if this was the curtain call for Kurt Warner.

Enter the Arizona Cardinals, a team very much similar to that of the St. Louis Rams where embarrassment and bottom feeder went hand in hand with the team. Warner in his time in Arizona continued to fight for a starting job with the younger highly touted left hander from USC, Matt Leinart. Warner displayed the same fight he showed his entire NFL career when he joined the Arizona Cardinals.

While the final chapter many felt was being written in the book of Warner, Kurt Warner continued to fight for more pages in that book. Getting opportunity after opportunity in Arizona to continue to show his craft as a quarterback to the world and finally in 2008 he would reach the top of the NFL pedestal again by leading the upstart Arizona Cardinals ballclub back to the Super Bowl where they would fall short to the Pittsburgh Steelers in a great game.

For everything Kurt Warner has been through to where he is today, he is one of the most respected players in the game by fellow players and their fans. The truly feel good story ended today Friday January 29th, 2010 opening up the question whether or not we will see #13 be displayed in Canton. Is Kurt a Hall of Famer?

My answer is yes. Will it be a first ballot? Probably not, but he is without a doubt a Hall of Famer. Putting numbers and credentials aside, he displays the mental & physical toughness that it takes to be a top player in the NFL. He is a description of what it means to be motivated. When people tell you can’t do it, he was the type of person that would question it and say “watch this.”

He is the embodiment of a hall of fame football player and person. One of the few real “good guys” that whether you wearing a Raiders jersey or Patriots jersey you can applaud for everything he has given to the game. He rose from the bottom to the top, was written off and rose from the ashes yet again to prove us all wrong. He is a true fighter.

Someday Kurt Warner will don the coat of the NFL Hall of Fame. It may not be in 5 years, in may not be in 10. But someday when I take my family and my children through the NFL Football Hall of Fame Kurt Warner’s name will be etched in stone, his jersey enshrined and his legacy on display.

Top 10 Kurt Warner Moments

Jeff Peck is the producer for the “Wheelhouse Radio” program that airs every Sunday – Thursday @ 8pm ET/5pm PT at www.blogtalkradio.com/thewheelhouse and at www.errorfm.com @ 2am ET/11pm PT

You can visit The Wheelhouse’s official website where you can download “high quality” shows and see all the latest happenings with the show at www.wheelhouseradio.com

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Wear a Kurt Warner Jersey: Reebok Red Replica #13 Arizona Cardinals Jersey.

Read First Things First: The Rules of Being a Warner.

Read Kurt’s story in  All Things Possible: My Story of Faith, Football, and the First Miracle Season.

Watch the Greatest Show on Turf on the NFL: America’s Game: 1999 St. Louis Rams DVD.

Order the Madden NFL 10: Official Strategy Game Guide by clicking here.

We are two rounds and eight games down in the NFL playoffs. Once again the NFL saved a weekend of lackluster games with a fantastic Sunday finale. Who would have thought that the San Diego Chargers and the New York Jets would provide the most intrigue on a weekend that featured the New Orleans Saints, Arizona Cardinals, Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings, and Indianapolis Colts?

Arizona Cardinals vs. New Orleans Saints - As an NFL fan, this game was a bit of a disappointment. Like many, I was fooled last week into believing that the Cardinals may be a team of destiny. After shredding arguably the best defense in the NFC, the Cardinals marched into New Orleans and were less competitive with the Saints than either the Detroit Lions or the Washington Redskins during the regular season.

The headline of this game was the coming out party for Reggie Bush. After a disappointing NFL career, Reggie Bush finally did what anyone that watched him at USC expected him to do in the NFL. Bush was a game-changer this weekend and became the nuclear weapon on a team full of weapons. Bush made life a lot easier for the Saints by returning an 83-yard punt for a touchdown as the Cardinals just watched him flash by them en route to the end zone.

Many skeptics were concerned about the way the Saints finished the season. After winning 13 games in a row, the Saints were losers of their last three. Taking a page out of the New England Patriots book, the Saints couldn’t have opened the game any worse. Tim Hightower broke off a 70-yard touchdown run on the Cardinals first offensive play. Unlike the Patriots, the Saints were able to rebound and counter the touchdown with 21 points of their own in the first quarter.

The game just kept getting uglier for the Cardinals. Kurt Warner was nailed and was taken out for a few series. Cardinals’ defensive players Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Antrel Rolle each left the game due to injuries. The Cardinals were inept on both sides of the ball. It was pure and total domination by the New Orleans Saints.

Drew Brees said something interesting after the game. When asked about coming into the game with three losses, he said it was part of their plan that nobody would understand who didn’t play on the team. That was a very interesting statement to me, which has been surprisingly ignored by most of the media. If that was truly the plan, that may be one of the biggest high risk-high reward plans in NFL history. Regardless, the Saints will host the Vikings next week and look better than ever returning to the NFC title game for the first time in several years.

Ironically most of the talk following this game centered on Kurt Warner. Warner will play the role of Brett Favre this season as the quarterback who may or may not retire. Warner has said that it will be a fast decision. Warner has one year left on his contract. I think this guy is the ultimate competitor. Remember, unlike a lot of NFL star quarterbacks Warner started his career late. So as wealthy as Warner is, one more year would mean a lot more to him financially than most quarterbacks. Warner also had years where he made backup QB money. I think between the finances and the way he went out in New Orleans, he comes back to finish out his contract with less drama than Favre.

Baltimore Ravens at Indianapolis Colts - Very rarely do all number one NFL seeds make it out of the divisional round with wins. I picked the Baltimore Ravens to be that team to pull off the upset. Boy was I wrong!

There isn’t a whole lot to say about this game. The Colts looked better than they have in months. The Colts were on fire and unstoppable on both sides of the ball. It is funny to me that every year around this time that the critics always say how terrible the Colts rushing defense is coming into the playoffs, yet most of the time they do just fine. The Colts held a team to three points that just scored 33 the week before. The Colts held one of the best rushing teams in the league to 87 rushing yards total. This is not the same turnstile rushing defense that Indy has taken with them into the postseason in past years.

The Ravens just had nothing on offense. I like the Ravens a lot. However, this is a team that is old on all sides of the ball. Some of these guys may play great during the regular season, but I don’t think they can sustain that level of play in weeks 18 and 19 in January. I hate to say it but I see a couple of transition years for the Ravens before they get back here. As great as Ray Rice is and will be, he can’t do it alone. Even the great Barry Sanders couldn’t do it himself.

Dallas Cowboys at Minnesota Vikings - If there was a main-event going into this weekend’s games, this was it. The Dallas Cowboys were the hottest team in the NFC and looked unstoppable. The Vikings have struggled off and on in recent weeks and looked like a team that would be taken apart by Romo and the Dallas offense. I wrote in my blog last week that as great as the Cowboys looked recently, most of their wins came against teams that were nowhere near as good as the Vikings. Well, I was right about something this week.

As much as I hate blowouts, I love seeing the Cowboys get blown out. If there is anything better than seeing the Cowboys get blown out, it is hearing them whine about it like a bunch of babies. Keith Brookings and Wade Phillips look like the biggest babies in football today after complaining about the Vikings running up the score. I guess they had no problems with the Cowboys scoring a touchdown last week in the third quarter when they were up 27-7 on the Philadelphia Eagles right?

All of the talk when Brett Favre signed with the Minnesota Vikings was whether he could last a full season. Not only has he lasted, he has gotten better as the season progressed. Favre threw four touchdowns yesterday. How big is that? Brett Favre had never thrown four touchdowns in a playoff game in his entire career. Favre is also the oldest NFL quarterback to win a playoff game. Keep in mind that unlike Drew Brees or Peyton Manning, Favre never sat in his final regular season game. Like him or not, what the guy has done this season is just simply remarkable.

Lost in all of the Favre talk was the terrible job by the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys actually had some shots in the first half of the game. However, the Vikings rushed and confused Tony Romo throughout the game thus containing the offense. Romo was never able to get comfortable and looked skiddish as the game moved on. The old postseason mistake-prone Tony Romo came to Minnesota as Romo coughed up the ball several times for a total for four turnovers between fumbles and an interception. I don’t think I have ever seen a defense get into the head of a quarterback like what the Vikings did to Romo.

Like the other NFC game, the story here is more about the losers than the winners. Once again head coach Wade Phillips will find himself on the hot seat. Better coaches have gotten fired for worse in the NFL. Phillips has a team option for next year that is in limbo right now. Jerry Jones has said all season that he would wait until the season was over to evaluate the coach. It will be very interesting to see if their rout at home last week will save his job.

Tony Romo will also enter the 2010-2011 NFL season with more criticism than ever. As much as people like to say he has gotten rid of the December-January jinx, he really hasn’t. Winning one post season game in five years against the Philadelphia Eagles at home while nice, is nothing that will get him into the Hall of Fame. I don’t think that the Cowboys make any kind of change next year. However, I think anything less than an appearance in the NFC title game next season will be enough to get Jerry thinking about the following season. Now that is a lot of pressure for a quarterback!

New York Jets vs. San Diego Chargers – I apologize to New York Jets fans. I called the Jets a fraudulent team a few weeks ago. In looking back, if it wasn’t for the Colts sitting their starters, the Jets would not have made the playoffs. At the same time, it doesn’t matter how you get there, it matters what you do when you get there. In retrospect, a team like that can sometimes be the most dangerous team in the playoffs.

I like Marvin Lewis a lot, but how do you not give Rex Ryan Coach of the Year? The guy has turned this team into a defensive juggernaut andshut down some of the most explosive offenses in the NFL this season. On top of that, as a rookie head coach he took a team with a rookie quarterback to the playoffs. This isn’t a team that had Bubby Brister quarterbacking last season. He took a team that had Brett Favre at quarterback further with a suspect rookie quarterback. On top of even that, he lost his x-factor Leon Washington and didn’t miss a beat. I loved his father and I have become a huge fan of Rex Ryan.

Oh to be a San Diego Chargers fan today. If the Cowboys were the hottest team in the NFC, the Chargers were the hottest team in all of football. The Chargers rolled into the playoffs winning eleven straight. Not only that, but the Chargers beat some good teams and came back from losing situations to do so. Philip Rivers looked to be playing the best ball of his career. Even the coaching brilliance of Norv Turner couldn’t stop this team…until yesterday.

It was as if I closed my eyes and woke up to see Andy Reid coaching the Chargers. The overall ranked fifth best offense in the NFL was shut down for most of the game yesterday. The Chargers had no answer for Darrelle Revis or the crazy blitzing scheme of the Jets. At one point Philip Rivers threw back to back interceptions in the game. The Jets kept it close all game long and wound up sealing the deal with a Shonn Greene 53-yard touchdown run.

I can’t talk about this game without mentioning the kicker. In one of the biggest shockers of the weekend, Mr. Automatic Nate Kaeding missed three field goals yesterday. While I wouldn’t get too crazy about missing a 57-yard attempt , he missed two easy chip shots. Obviously by looking at the final score, even just making one of those field goals would have made this a different game. However, in the end it is up to the team and the coach to pick things back up and compensate for his inability to make these shots. A team as explosive as the Chargers who were shut down to just 14 points can only put so much blame on their kicker.

There hasn’t been a team as hot for three straight weeks as the New York Jets. The book on beating the Jets is simple. Teams need to score and score big all game long. Rex Ryan loves to keep games close and wear teams down with the rushing attack. That is exactly what happened here. The Chargers had a hot second-quarter but only managed to put seven points on the board. That isn’t enough separation when you are playing the Jets. Blame the missed field goals all day long, but the running back and quarterback were just awful yesterday for the Chargers.

Like the Cowboys, Norv Turner entered the season on the hot seat. Reportedly, Turner had been assured a few weeks ago that he would get an extension. If you are a Chargers fan, you have to put this loss on the coach. Turner had no answers for Ryan’s defense and looked more confused as the game played out. Marty Schottenheimer was fired by the Chargers for losing to the Jets in almost the same scenario a few years back. Even more like Turner, Schottenheimer was first told he’d be back but wound up leaving the organization. San Diego has a very good team here, but their coach just hasn’t gotten it done.

There will also be talk about the future of LaDainian Tomlinson. L.T. is due a healthy roster bonus coming up. L.T. was held to just 24 yards on the ground yesterday. L.T. has gotten his touchdowns this season, but most of them have been short runs. L.T. is not going to be breaking off big runs anymore. I do think he will get a shot with another team, but I would be very surprised to see him back with the Chargers.

I couldn’t think of a worst scenario for the Colts. I will talk more about this game later in the week, but this is the kind of a game that can beat a team mentally. It is real simple. If the Colts wouldn’t have sat their starters, they would be playing someone else next week. Hey, if they beat the Jets than none of that matters. If they don’t, they will be second-guessing themselves for their rest of their lives. The NFL Gods will be rooting for the Jets next Sunday.

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After a thoroughly embarrassing Wild Card Weekend, its time for some redemption. (Or a chance at epic futility…either way you have to be on the edge of your seat, right?)

Arizona Cardinals at New Orleans Saints

I picked the Saints at the beginning of the season and I’m sticking with them. Yes, they played like crap the last 3 games of the season. Yes, the Cowboys whooped them in their own house on a national stage while they were going for perfection. But this team is too talented, has too many playmakers, and played too well the whole year to fall apart now. This game is much more about how the Saints play than the Cardinals and Kurt Warner. Sit back, get a frosty beverage and watch the points pile up. Pick: Saints

Baltimore Ravens at Indianapolis Colts

Doesn’t it just feel like the Colts season ended with Curtis Painter fumbling versus the Jets? The look on Peyton Manning’s face, the overall mood of the team, and the total outrage and disappointment by the entire fan base really makes it seem like the Colts season was over. They’re the number one seed, have the current no-doubt MVP, and have several playmakers. So why am I picking the Ravens? Because I watched what they did to the Patriots last week. And I don’t think the Colts can simply turn it back on again. Could I be sitting in this seat on Sunday night saying, “Oh yeah. I picked against Peyton on a Saturday night game and that made me 0-6 for the playoffs?” Sure I could. The Ravens won’t surprise the Colts with their physical play, and if they do, then that’s the first sign that Jim Caldwell is Barry Switzer to Tony Dungy’s Jimmy Johnson. Manning will spend a lot of time on his back and Colts fans will have to hope their season doesn’t really end with another Curtis Painter fumble. Pick: Ravens

Dallas Cowboys at Minnesota Vikings

When an embattled head coach gets a gift season from an aging veteran, its usually a movie. When that veteran thinks the head coach is an idiot and openly squabbles with him in the press, its Brett Farve. Who believes everything is hunky-dorie in the Land of 1,000 Lakes? Based on the way this team played down the stretch, they are relying on the 40-year-old Farve to keep the magic happening. Isn’t that a bit much to ask? (Apparently not for the Cardinals, but I digress…)Especially when the Vikings have one of the top 3 running backs in football. The Cowboys are playing their best football all year and have loads of talent everywhere on the field. (But I can’t help shake the thought of a gut-wrenching, epic failure play being the story of the weekend for Tony Romo…again.) This is a close one that will go back and forth and be decided on the final possession. Pick: Cowboys

New York Jets at San Diego Chargers

The Chargers have radios. They have the internet. (At least Shawne Merriman has Twitter. I know that.) They know that people are talking about the Jets coming in there and beating them. That the J-E-T-S have this lauded defense. That head coach Rex Ryan said they should be the favorites not to just win last week, but for the entire tournament. The Jets got a nice win over the weakest of the 12 teams in the playoffs. Congrats! But the Chargers are quite different. The Chargers are on a 11-game winning streak. The Chargers scored the most points in the AFC this year. And the Chargers play in one of he most beautiful places on Earth! How could they not be confident? Answer: they are coached by Norv Turner. But other than that, the Chargers are the better team. And the better team wins here. By a lot. Pick: Chargers

- “The Sweet Nasty” Chris Cause

Chris Cause is the co-host the “Wheelhouse Radio” program that airs every Sunday – Thursday @ 8pm ET/5pm PT at www.blogtalkradio.com/thewheelhouse and at www.errorfm.com @ 2am ET/11pm PT

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