Yardbarker: Dontrelle Willis and the Raiders

Kicking it at Hooters (Tempe, AZ) last week with D-Train from the Tigers. We talked Niners, Raiders, Dolphins, Lions, and of course Super Bowl XLII. His game prediction was pretty close to straight money: 24-17, Giants. Dontrelle Willis is die-hard for the silver and black, and for what it's worth, he thinks JaMarcus Russell is the answer. I'll tell you what's not the answer: Al Davis and Lane Kiffin spatting like children. Al Davis needs to chill out, IMO. Dontrelle disagrees. C'est la vie.

Speaking of Dontrelle and the Tigers, about the only bad thing that happened to me last week in AZ was that someone stole my Detroit Tigers fitted, which I'd had for, gosh golly gee, about six years now. That thing fit so damn well. I'm sad to see it go. Damn thieves.

Anyway, after you watch this video, go visit Dontrelle in the Yard. He's great about responding to fan comments and questions. He'll even answer questions about the O's.

Putting Warren Moon on Mac Blast!

Shortly before Super Bowl XLII -- you know the one; that epic adventure where 80% of the country whooped it up in joy only to shortly thereafter realize that New Yorkers are now the new Bostonians, who themselves were once the new New Yorkers -- I had a chance to speak with Hall of Fame QB Warren Moon.

Growing up a Bills fan, I wanted badly to ask him about "The Comeback," the 1993 Oilers game during which the Bills came from 32 points behind in the second half to win the playoff game. But I figured first I should ask him about the Super Bowl, which was kicking off in about 90 minutes. You know, warm things up a bit before I started clowning on him for a game that happened 15 years ago.

I asked him whether or not the Pats deserved an asterisk if they were to win the game. He said no; I disagreed. Fortunately the football gods were on my side. In your face, Cheaters.

Anyway, I also asked Moon what makes Tom Brady such a great QB. Moon said that Brady never gets shaky. He never makes bad decisions. He always keeps a cool head. No matter how much pressure you put on him, no matter how many times you hit him, he is always going to perform well when the lights are bright.

Unfortunately Warren forgot to add, "Unless it's Super Bowl XLII."

Yardbarker: Donovan McNabb interview (SB XLII)

I interviewed Eagles QB Donovan McNabb a few days before Super Bowl XLII. His analysis ended up being mostly on the mark, but we both underestimated Eli Manning. For the record, though, one of us did predict a Giants victory. Hint: It wasn't D-Mac.

Tom Brady's gamesmanship?

Does anyone else think Tom Brady's foot injury is gamesmanship?

This is the same guy who hasn't missed a game in years, but has been listed as having a bum throwing shoulder on every injury report dating back nearly to the days when the Patriots logo looked like this.

Giants and Patriots and Ravens... oh my!

You already know who is facing off in Super Bowl XLII, but I'll tell you again so I can hear myself type: The New York Football Giants vs. Bill Belicheat and the New England Patriots!

The CHEATERS! label will follow this Patriots team forever, but all of us Pats haters need to face the truth: Belicheat's cheating didn't have any impact outside of week one. The Patriots have undeniably been the league's best team this year. I haven't double-checked the stats, but I think Tom Brady threw 111 TDs and only about a pair of INTs.

That doesn't mean there isn't an 800-pound gorilla in New England's past, though (and, no, I'm not talking about Rodney HGHarrison, who weighs in only at a cool 220 lbs). I'm talking about the past three Super Bowl victories for New England, each of which was won by a lone field goal. Three points. Considering how quickly NFL douchebag commissioner Roger Goodell destroyed evidence related to Belicheat's cheating, you can't help but think there's a conspiracy there with legs. If there was evidence that the Pats cheated in the Super Bowl(s), it may have been in the league's financial interest to cover it up.

Cheating easily can make a three-point difference in a game, and without the Patriots history of cheating, would they have been able to beat the teams that played them fairly in those three games, the same games in which they were (maybe, probably) cheating? Three Super Bowl victories by a total of nine points.

Side note: With that margin-of-victory pace, it would take them nine Super Bowl wins to reach +27, which is exactly how many points the Ravens beat the Giants by the last time the G-Men reached the big game: Ravens 34, Giants 7. And to think, Baltimore did it without cheating.

Keeping score at home?
"Cheat" appears in this post 10 times. Hopefully the Football Gods aren't a figment of my imagination, and hopefully they give the Cheatriots (11) exactly what they deserve in Super Bowl XLII.

Go Giants!

PS: For those of you who think this post is sour grapes, you're right. But after a 5-11 season, can you really blame me? Plus, my argument about the Goodell conspiracy makes sense. If you think it doesn't, you're crazy.

Last night's bad dream

Last night I had a dream that I slept until 10:15 a.m. and then woke up in a panic. I didn't really wake up in a panic; in my dream I panicked. Considering I wake up at 5:00 a.m. because my job entails caring about all you fools on the east coast, sleeping that late would have been quite a blunder.

But then when I really woke up, I realized things were worse than my dream had suggested: The Giants and Patriots are playing in the Super Bowl. Ugh.

Packers, Mexico or bust!

A week from now I'll be in a Winnebago en route to Arizona for Super Bowl XLII. Hopefully it'll be the Packers representing the NFC. Not that I'll actually be at the game itself. Tickets will cost about $40 billion now that the Patriots have cemented their chance at history. Even so, if my choices are cheering for the Giants or cheering for the Patriots, I'd rather skip Arizona and drive all the way to Mexico.

Patriots fans love ticket stubs on eBay

Who knew you could make so much money selling unused Patriots ticket stubs?

I'm selling my unused Patriots/Ravens ticket stubs on eBay. Right now those two little pieces of NFL history are at $122.50 and counting. The face value of the tickets was only $120 for the pair.

UPDATE: Tickets sold for $293.88. Absurd.

When I sold them originally -- the tickets are unused because they were delivered via email and then printed by the recipient -- I sold them for face value minus PayPal and email-delivery fees. I ended up getting less than they were worth, and less than it appears I will get for the unused tickets.

My tickets for the Steelers game today? I had to pay so somebody would take those. No one wants to go to the game because the Ravens are so bad this year. Remember that next time you pretend to be the most loyal fans in the league, Baltimore. No one would buy them so I paid the fee to email them to my buddy Ben. I live in California; otherwise, I'd be there myself. Have fun, Ben. Go Ravens.

And the fines continue...

The Ravens racked up $70,000 in fines during its loss to the New England, and now the NFL has fined Patriots strong safety Rodney Harrison $5,000 for taunting Brian Billick.

Billick responded to the taunts by blowing kisses at Rodney. "I hope he doesn't misinterpret my gestures," he said, "because he's not that good-looking a guy."

What's another $5,000 to Rodney? He already forfeited $470,588 this season during his four-game suspension for cheating.

HGH!

The NFL supports its zebras

The NFL today announced that it supports the refs in the wake of the controversial Ravens/Pats game. Honestly, I don't care whether or not any or all of the penalty flags in that game were warranted. If Brian Billick knew how to instill some discipline into his team, the Ravens wouldn't be 4-8, and a lot of those penalties would not have happened.

Discipline. I care a lot more about that.

I'm too lazy/busy/whatever to look up actual statistics, but I'd be willing to lay down some cash on the fact that the Ravens have one of the best yellow-flag collections in the league.

After the emotional Patriots loss, some of the Ravens -- OK, many of the Ravens -- complained about the men in stripes, which I think is fine. Personally, I don't like to complain about officiating. In any sport. Partly because I'm not playing in the game, but mostly because no one likes to hear fans complain.

Officiating mistakes and controversies are a dime a dozen. Sometimes your team gets screwed; sometimes they catch a break. Deal with it.

PS: Duke basketball fans are the worst complainers. Or maybe that's just my roommate.

Blogimore Ravens is back!

After more than six weeks without the use of my right hand, I'm healed to the point where I'm able to type with two hands again. So it's back to blogging.

It was a rough six weeks, more so for the Ravens than for me. After a week or so I managed to learn how to do most everything with just my left hand, but for the past six weeks Baltimore hasn't been able to figure out much of anything when it comes to football.

Six games, six losses. I was in San Diego to witness the loss to the Chargers. Terrible. San Diego, for what it's worth, though, has great fans. Awesome place for a road game.

The only bright spot, ironically, has been Monday's painfully frustrating loss to the New England Patriots. Kyle Boller looked great, with the exception of that one late-game interception thrown into what reportedly were 30 mph winds. I'm OK with that. For what it's worth, he outplayed Tom Brady.

Billick even called a good game. He ran McGahee early and often, and while arguably he should have given him the ball late in the game, the Patriots knew the Ravens wanted to run and therefore they had about 109 guys stacked in the box.

Sunday it's the Colts, and regardless of whether or not the Ravens win, it's time to start thinking NFL Draft, just like my boy J.C. over at The Ebony Bird.

NFL predictions: Is Malty a genius?

Apparently my buddy Malty can predict the future. From a pre-season email:

Patriots: "My honest feeling is that the Patriots are going to win 19 or 20 games (whatever a complete undefeated season through the Super Bowl would be). I just don't see them losing... And I wouldn't worry about Moss."

Bears: "I think last year the Bears just got lucky with other teams injuries and happened to squeak through."

Lions: "If the Lions have a defense, they'll be a playoff team."

Browns: "The Browns are f'ing stupid for drafting Brady Quinn without giving Derek Anderson a chance (speaking of which -- he has the potential to be the next Drew Brees)."

He also called the Ravens a "fukkin SOLID team," so maybe there's hope for Baltimore yet.

Stock photo of Malty

Even though the Ravens have been playing poorly...

...it still feels good to watch the Bengals lose.

New England 34, Cincinnati 13

[Insert joke about criminals here]

New England Cheaters (oops, Patriots)

It has been reported that the New England Patriots are being investigated by the NFL for using a video camera to steal signals from the New York Jets.

From the four-letter network: NFL security confiscated a video camera and its tape from a New England Patriots employee on the team's sideline during Sunday's game against the Jets in a suspected spying incident, sources said.

This same spy "employee" was removed from the Patriots/Green Bay Packers game last year after security officials suspected him of similarly shady video-camera behavior.

The Packers' president had this to say about last year's incident: "From what I can remember, he had quite a fit when we took him out. We had gotten word before the game that they [the Patriots] did this sort of thing, so we were looking for it."

I like Tom Brady. He's a great competitor, humble and clearly one of the best quarterbacks in the league, and arguably one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play in the NFL. But with regard to what I like about the Patriots, that's about it.

In what is pure schadenfreude, I hope the recent allegations are true.

Remember last season when Belichick refused to shake hands with New York Jets head coach Eric Mangini after Mangini's Jets beat the Patriots, 17-14?

Sour grapes.

Head coach Bill Belichick is smug, and the team's fans are more obnoxious than most, though in all fairness the latter may just be guilt by association with Red Sox fans.

New England Patriots: Rodney Harrison & HGH

New England Patriots S Rodney Harrison has been suspended by the NFL for four games after admitting that he used a banned substance, reportedly human-growth hormones.

Harrison: "I sent the wrong message with my actions. I have not made excuses, nor will I make excuses. I made a mistake and I am very sorry for that."

Before you get on your high horse, remember that someone on your favorite team is cheating, too, and if you don't think that's the case, climb out from under that rock and get some sun. I'd hate to see you get rickets.

New England Patriots: CB Asante Samuel threatens holdout

New England Patriots CB Asante Samuel wants a new contract. The Patriots, who tagged Samuel as their franchise player, tendered him a one-year offer worth nearly $8 million. But Asante wants more.

"I'm not coming to camp. I'm not showing up until the 10th week. I feel unappreciated. The way they're treating me is just wrong."

Apparently following the rules is wrong.

It's a business and Asante wants to get paid. Unfortunately, Asante, the franchise tag is part of this business. Report to camp or cry me a river. But don't expect a new contract. Not from the Patriots.

Former Browns and Patriots guard diagnosed with non-Hodgins lymphoma

Getting released by the Cleveland Browns was bad enough. Now former G Joe Andruzzi, who won three Super Bowls with the New England Patriots, has been diagnosed with a form of non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Fortunately it is treatable. "He's upbeat, he's optimistic, and he's looking forward to his recovery and to the future," his agent said.

There were teams reportedly interested in his services -- who doesn't need a veteran offensive lineman? -- but you've got to figure those plans are on hold. Andruzzi also played a couple of seasons for the Green Bay Packers and even one with the Scottish Claymores, now defunct.

NFL Power Rankings: the four best teams, in no particular order

Notice how all of the best teams are in the AFC: Baltimore Ravens, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, San Diego Chargers.

Baltimore will get a chance to not only play each of these three other teams next year, but they'll do it in back-to-back-to-back weeks. In week 12, Baltimore travels to San Diego and plays the Chargers. In week 13, they return home and play the Patriots on Monday night. Then in week 14, on Sunday night, the Colts return to Baltimore for a rematch of last year's divisional playoff game, which the Colts won 15-6 en route to its first Super Bowl victory since the Colts left Baltimore for Indianapolis. That is a brutal late-season three-game stretch.

Baltimore Ravens: These teams are in no particular order, but of course I'm going to start with Baltimore. The Ravens lost linebacker Adalius Thomas to the Patriots, which is tough, but Baltimore has a track record for getting quality linebacker play regardless of who's in the lineup. Love him or hate him, that's what happens with Ray Lewis.

Last season the Ravens shut down the predictably awesome Colts offense. No touchdowns, five field goals. With even a semblance of a running game, the Ravens win that game and maybe the Super Bowl. Of course, offense is a big maybe in Baltimore. That's why the Ravens signed RB Willis McGahee and shored up the offensive line in the draft (Auburn G Ben Grubbs; Iowa G/T Marshall Yanda).

They also got a fullback to replace Ovie Mughelli and picked up the fastest player in the draft to compete with return man B.J. Sams, whose late-season injury last year crippled the Ravens' chances to do damage in the field-position game.

Indianapolis Colts: The biggest concern will still be the defense. Superstar DE Dwight Freeney wants a new contract, and even though he isn't threatening a holdout the Colts should be careful not to upset him. Without Freeney this defense is significantly worse, which is something the team cannot afford. Yeah, the defense stepped up when it needed to last year in the playoffs, but I wouldn't bet the farm that they can do it again. I wouldn't even bet a few of the cows. The defense is bad, and it doesn't seem to be getting any better.

The offense will be great, of course. The Colts picked up a wide receiver and offensive guard in the first two rounds of the draft. Not that the offense really needed much improvement. Or any for that matter.

New England Patriots: The Patriots are the odds-on favorite to win next year's Super Bowl, mostly because of Randy Moss, or so the hype suggests. But I think their biggest pickup has been Adalius Thomas. Moss will make the offense better, but Tom Brady is good enough to fare well without him, and the Patriots haven't won three titles by relying on name-brand stars (except for Brady, of course).

Head coach Bill Belichick prefers guys who can contribute in more than one way, versatility on both sides of the ball. Adalius Thomas is that guy on defense, and I think New England is probably the only franchise where he could have as much success as he had in Baltimore. Yeah, I know he turns 30 this summer. Doesn't matter. Adalius Thomas should be just fine in New England.

Because the AFC East competition is weak, expect the Patriots to get a high seed in the playoffs again. And with Tom Brady's leadership? I don't think they're a sure thing, but they've got as good a chance to win the Super Bowl as any of these other three teams, if not better.

San Diego Chargers: The Chargers have LaDainian Tomlinson, which is enough to win a bunch of games right there. And they also have Shawne Merriman, one of the best defenders in the league. But there are concerns, at least two of them. Can Phillip Rivers win the Super Bowl? And will the Chargers regret firing head coach Marty Schottenheimer? I'm not sure about the first question. Why not, is my answer. Phillip Rivers doesn't need to win games; he needs only to not screw up. It worked for Trent Dilfer and Ben Roethlisberger.

I'm pretty sure they'll regret dumping Schottenheimer for Norv Turner, though. Schottenheimer might've kept too short of a leash on Phillip Rivers for too long last year, but he is one of the greatest football coaches ever: 200 career wins, which is very difficult in the NFL. I don't care if he plays Martyball. If you can control the clock and play defense, you can win the Super Bowl. I'm not sure Norv Turner can do that.

Around the league: New England Patriots; Ricky Williams; Michael Vick; Steve McNair

New England Patriots: I was in Vegas this past week, where the Pats are 3-1 favorites to win the Super Bowl. Before acquiring Randy Moss, the line was at least 10-1. So basically Vegas is saying that the Pats are at least three times more likely to win the Super Bowl thanks solely to Randy Moss (and, I guess, their draft). The Patriots are a good team. A very good team. But they're not (and never have been) as good as everyone thinks they are.

Sure they've won three Super Bowls, but they won each of them by a field goal, and with a gust of wind here and there they could easily be the modern-day Buffalo Bills. And let's not forget the Colts. It's not like they slacked off this offseason, either. In the first two rounds of the draft, they grabbed another receiver for Peyton Manning and shored up the offensive line, too. But the defense is suspect and Tom Brady will eat them alive in the playoffs. Maybe, but what happens if they face Baltimore instead, a team who last year in the playoffs put the brakes on the Colts' offense, which, let's face it, Randy or no Randy, is better than the Patriots offense. The Patriots will be very strong contenders to win the Super Bowl next year, but they shouldn't be the overwhelming favorite that everyone thinks they are. They do have the advantage of playing in the weak AFC East, though.

Ricky Williams: Ricky, Ricky, Ricky. Another failed drug test. And another round of choruses criticizing Williams for passing up the golden privilege that is playing in the NFL. But Williams may be doing himself a favor. He's spent the last few years studying restorative medicine and yoga. And of course violating the NFL's drug policy along the way. Does the latter guarantee that he'll never play in the NFL again? Probably. But it also increases the likelihood that he won't be forced into more serious drug addictions. Consider former Ravens star Michael McCrary, whose "knees ache with pain so intense he says he is unable to stand for more than a few minutes." McCrary's post-NFL career injuries, which are hardly an exception, are so intense that he's "been on Percocet, Percodan, Oxycontin, Oxycodeine, three different psychiatric medicines," he said. "I had a fentanyl patch; that's like heroin. I'm on methadone now." In this context, Ricky's choice might be the lesser of two evils.

So for those of who you think Ricky's throwing his life away, look at the bigger picture. Playing in the NFL is an extremely dangerous career choice (certainly more so than teaching yoga). Especially if you don't walk away early enough. It's why Tiki Barber walked away, and it was disgusting that so many criticized him for walking away in his prime despite never having won a Super Bowl ring. Without your health, you can't be happy, no matter how big the ring is.

Michael Vick: I think the criticism that Michael Vick is inaccurate and isn't a great franchise quarterback is silly. He may not have the best completion percentage, but his wideouts drop a ton of balls. Besides Alge Crumpler, he's got nothing. Michael Vick is a great quarterback, but he also is starting to show the signs of a downward spiral. If the allegations of illegal dogfighting are true, owner Arthur Blank should cut his losses and move on. If it turns out that it was Vick's relative, and not Vick directly, leave him alone. At that point, it's a moot issue. Buying a house for someone is not a crime. Regardless, I bet Blank is regretting trading backup QB Matt Schaub this offseason.

Steve McNair: So let me get this straight? Steve McNair was arrested for driving under the influence, despite the fact that he was neither driving nor under the influence? Makes sense to me. Should it be a crime to let an intoxicated person drive your car? Sure, it's a dangerous move and it puts others at risk. But at least take five minutes to come up with an accurate name for the crime. Because being sober and riding shotgun certainly does not qualify as driving under the influence. That's just ridiculous.

2007 NFL Draft: Randy Moss to the Patriots

Earlier this year I was in Vegas and was surprised to see that the Patriots were only 10-1 favorites to win the Super Bowl next year. And this was after they picked up former Ravens LB Adalius Thomas in free agency. Online, I heard the odds were 15-1. I thought they would be somewhere around 7-1, which is where they'll probably be now with Randy Moss on the team.

I don't care that he can be lazy. When he wants to play, he's awesome, and he'll want to play with Tom Brady, who is a big step-up from any quarterback with whom Moss has ever played. Even Culpepper back in his Minnesota prime. But I don't think they're the shoe-in favorite that today's hype is suggesting. There are still some great teams in the AFC. The Colts, Ravens and Chargers could all beat them. And Chicago is getting stronger in a weak NFC.