Patriots deal Matt Cassel to the Kansas City Chiefs

The New England Patriots dealt quarterback Matt Cassel to the Chiefs on Saturday. Though many mock drafts had Mark Sanchez penciled to land in Kansas City with the third overall pick, I never saw the possibility or sense in it. Matt Cassel increased his value last season, guiding the Patriots to 11 wins as a replacement for the injured Tom Brady. He was franchise tagged by New England, guaranteeing a litte more than $14 million to play in 2009.

When Scott Pioli took over the decision making in Kansas City, it became more apparent that the Chiefs would not draft a first round quarterback. In all his years in New England's front office, the Patriots quarterbacks were selected in later rounds, including Brady in the 6th and Cassel in the 7th. Last year, Matt Ryan was selected third overall by the Atlanta Falcons, and the quarterback banked more than $35 million in guarantees. Acquiring Cassel appears as a discount, while also gaining a proven quarterback, instead of paying more for an unproven prospect.

There are no current details of the deal, but the franchise tag demands that teams acquiring Matt Cassel give the Patriots 2 first-round picks in return.

Update: The Chiefs received New England's second-round pick in the upcoming draft

Matt Cassel is ‘pissed’…literally

Matt Cassel, the former Trojan bench warmer turned NFL superstar quarterback, had a right to be angry on Super Bowl weekend. No, it doesn’t have anything to do with the Steelers or Cardinals and any hopes he had for former USC teammates Matt Leinart and Deuce Lutui to earn a championship ring. It also doesn't stem from his Patriots going 11-5 without qualifying for the AFC playoffs or the Pro Bowl snub of a less recognized signal caller coming off an amazing season. His anger stretches far from the lines drawn on a football field, and originates in a line formed for a public bathroom.

The New York Daily News reports that an angry Matt Cassel took offense to a drunken man attempting to cut in line for a restroom. And though he may have won the argument, momentarily, with the 100-proof cutter retreating, the troublemaker quickly returned to the lavatory, where he drained his bladder on Cassel’s leg. Security escorted the drunk out of the building, but Matty, in urine soaked clothing, still had to make his way through a crowd of gatherers at the ESPN bash.

Don’t steam too long, Matt. The expected $14 million you’ll be earning in 2009 should easily erase the memory of Tampa Bay’s golden shower.

Big Payday in Cassel’s future

It wasn’t long ago that Matt Cassel appeared to be an unwanted man. In the final year of his contract, his future with the New England Patriots was in doubt. There were camp competitions and trade rumors, and Bean Town fans were disappointed that he overcame both to make the final roster cut. Then came the unthinkable, Tom Brady collapses on the turf and his season comes to an abrupt end. It was New England’s worst nightmare, as the hopes of their season suddenly weighed on a former USC replacement player that never started a single game.

Cassel is an example of how quickly things can change, and proof that patience is a virtue. Inheriting a situation where failure appeared imminent, and expectations were low, he excelled and succeeded. His timely ascent brings about a reversal of fortune, and the previously unwanted has created whispers and rumors of a possible Tom Brady trade. The Patriots have a future decision to make, and it will ultimately come with a price.

The Pats have choices. They can play for today and allow Matt Cassell to enter the open market at season’s end. That would rest their hopes on speculation that Brady would be healthy enough to start in ’09, and return as the Brady of old. Or they can go with security, slapping Cassel with the franchise tag and preserving him for another season. To franchise Matt Cassel is to give him $14 million next year, which is the total amount Brady will earn over the next two seasons.

Inevitably, it will come down to egos. If arrogance leads them to believe they can develop any quarterback in their system and make him an NFL star, this will be the last time we see Cassel in a Patriots uniform. If they look towards the future, seeing a 32 year old Brady, he may be locked into New England for many years. Either way, a big payday is heading Matt’s way. If not from his current employer, there are plenty of other franchises hungry for a young quarterback, and the unfortunate injury to Brady has unexpectedly increased Cassel’s value. In fact, here in 2008, he’s more valuable than Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart, the two Heisman winning quarterbacks that kept him on the Southern Cal bench. Crazy, isn't it?

Cassel leads Pats passing and rushing in OT loss to Jets

He may not be Tom Brady, but Matt Cassel may have a lot in common with the injured Patriots star. Neither were highly touted quarterbacks in their draft classes, though Brady did start at Michigan, while Cassel paced the sidelines at USC. New England selected Tom Brady in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL draft, and 5 years later, they took Cassel in the seventh. Chad Pennington was the first quarterback taken in 2000, selected by the New York Jets, and the only QB to go in the first round. Also consider that with Brady waiting, Giovanni Carmazzi and Chris Redman were third round choices. 2005 saw Jason Campbell and Aaron Rodgers plucked off the board in round one, but Alex Smith went No. 1 overall. The first Trojan off the board was Mike Williams, selected 10th by the Detroit Lions, and 220 spots later, New England chose Matt Cassel.

Tom Brady took the NFL by storm, after replacing the injured Drew Bledsoe. Matt Cassel took on an NFL full of doubt, as the unlikely starter wasn’t even probable for the 2008 Patriots roster. Cassel is in the final year of his rookie contract, and New England brought competition into the preseason camp, with many believing Matt Gutierrez would win the replacement job and Cassel would be cut or dealt to another franchise. He survived, and with each passing week he silences the doubters and ensures the Patriots management that they made the right choice.

On Thursday night, Matt Cassel didn’t command the New England offense, he single handedly became it. Against the Jets, he passed for a career high 400 yards, 3 touchdowns, and no interceptions. He added another 62 yards on the ground to lead his team in rushing. And in a display of growth, he rallied and led his teammates downfield, with less than 2 minutes remaining, for a tying score that sent the game into overtime. New York won the toss and eventually prevailed 34-31 on a game winning field goal, but the night belonged to the rising star from USC. Playing opposite the legendary Brett Favre, the Thursday night audience watched a quarterback of the future shine brighter.

Cassel may not have been worth much before the season began, but by season’s end, there will be a pot of gold waiting on the other end of the rainbow.

Fight On!

White Cassel: Not a burger story; or is it?

Lendale White is still physically larger than he needs to be, and his jersey still grips tightly around the burger patties in the middle, but the big guy can still rumble. USC’s all time leader in rushing touchdowns (52) has taken his end zone sniffing to the NFL. His Tennessee Titans are 6-0, and Lendale has 8 touchdowns in the six games played. 3 of those scores came on Sunday, including an 80 yard burst through the middle of Kansas City’s defense. He finished the game with 149 yards on 17 carries. As he was the thunder to Reggie Bush’s lightning as a Trojan, he maintains that role as a tandem with rookie running back Chris Johnson. White and Johnson combined for 317 rushing yards against the woeful Chiefs.

On Monday night, quarterback Matt Cassel passed for 3 touchdowns, as the Patriots rolled the Denver Broncos 41-7. Cassel was sacked 6 times in the game, an indication that he still holds the ball too long, trying to make something out of nothing. But if you’re keeping score, season stats and comparison look something like this:

Matt Cassel- 6 tds, 4 ints
Carson Palmer- 3 tds, 4 ints
Matt Leinart- 0 tds, 0 ints
J.D. Booty- 0 tds, 0 ints

Patience is a virtue.

Answering the ongoing Matt Cassel question

Since it was learned that New England’s Tom Brady was done for the season and Matt Cassel would be taking over the quarterbacking duties, I’ve been bombarded by an ongoing question, and I’ll try my best to answer it again.

WHY DIDN’T MATT CASSEL START AT USC?

When Matt Cassel arrived, USC was hardly the quarterback factory it is now. It was still a place known for hosting the nation’s top tailbacks, living up to the “tailback U” moniker. Though there were some former Trojan QBs that played at the next level, such as Pat Haden and Rodney Peete, the numbers were few and the program wasn’t inviting to top prospects of the position.

Cassel was a prep-100 all American quarterback in high school, and redshirted his first Trojan year in 2000. USC football was run by Paul Hackett and his staff, and it was their system he would learn. By 2001 Pete Carroll and Norm Chow took over, and Carson Palmer was chosen to lead the offense. Cassel was relegated to two years of clean up duty behind Palmer, and thought to be his eventual successor.

In 2003, despite having a field presence the year prior, Cassel was skipped over in the spring by the inexperienced Matt Leinart. Norm doesn’t choose the quarterback with the better physical package. He makes his choice based on which candidate learns the system the fastest. This is still evident as he coaches at UCLA, with Ben Olsen always being considered the starter in previous years, but Chow naming Patrick Cowen the starter this fall. Even at USC today, the reason Mark Sanchez received the nod over Mitch Mustain is because of his knowledge of the system. It’s that same grading scale that contributed to Mustain’s drop in rank that places him now in the third slot behind Aaron Corp. Can Mustain never start a game at USC and still get drafted? Of course he can.

New England’s coaches and scouts were so impressed with the upside of Cassel that they drafted him in the 7th round of the 2005 draft, rather than him becoming an undrafted free agent that could freely audition for several NFL teams. That same draft saw Oklahoma’s Heisman winning QB Jason White go undrafted. It’s role reversal. Cassel never started a game in his collegiate career, and the Heisman winning White never started or played a single game in the NFL.

The average fan will give too much focus on roster positions of amateurs. Position on a depth chart is sometimes a reflection of the talent on one team at a single position. USC currently has 5 running backs on their roster that can easily start for most teams in the nation. College football's home viewers probably couldn’t name more than 2 of them, but NFL scouts already know the physical dimensions of each. Besides, it’s not like Cassel is the first guy to play in the NFL without starting in college. Until Antonio Gates became a pass catching tight end for the San Diego Chargers, his last football game was in high school, opting not to play at all in college.

Is it Cassel or Rodgers under the most pressure?

I can’t think of any NFL quarterbacks that will be under more pressure than both Matt Cassel and Aaron Rodgers. Rookies may feel pressure, but coaches expect mistakes in the learning process and are often willing to sacrifice a season so lessons can be learned. Baltimore’s Joe Flacco and Atlanta’s Matt Ryan were brilliant in their openers, and perhaps felt they were playing under pressure. But when it comes to Cassel and Rodgers, two former Pac 10 hurlers, there is no denying that their situations have thrown them under the microscope, with pressure built to explode, before taking a starting snap in 2008.

Rodgers has the unlikely task of replacing an NFL legend. That pressure would have been somewhat lessened, if not for Brett Favre’s name appearing on the roster for the New York Jets. A retired Brett Favre would have closed a chapter on a local hero, giving Rodgers the opportunity to begin his own. But an active Brett Favre, wearing the green of another franchise, leaves the new Green Bay quarterback open to comparison and burdened with expectations.

As it stands today, the biggest victory in the career of Aaron Rodgers came on September 27, 2003, as he led his Cal Golden Bears to an unlikely upset over top ranked USC. Across the field on the opposing sideline, Matt Leinart had the worst game of his collegiate career. And watching it all happen from the bench, Matt Cassel sat waiting his turn.

Rewind 2 games before that September date, and Cassel thought he was going to lead the Trojans in 2003. He was passed over, and had limited playing time that came as clean up duty in Southern Cal blowouts, the same role he played in New England. He watched conference hurlers such as Derek Anderson, Trent Edwards, Kellen Clemens, and Andrew Walter flourish on their amateur fields, and then receive opportunities in the NFL. But for the undrafted Cassel, it remained a waiting game. With the Patriots losing Tom Brady for the remainder of this 2008 season, Cassel will be making his first start since Chatsworth High School. Add another headliner for the Southern California city....Charles Manson, The porn industry, Kevin Spacey, Val Kilmer, and MATT CASSEL.

Which of these two Pac 10 quarterbacks is in the greater pressure cooker? For me, the answer is pretty simple. It has to be Matt Cassel. The heat is turned up on both, but the expectations in Green Bay are less than New England. Cassel inherits a team riding a 20 game regular season win streak that was only seconds away from a perfect season and another Lombardi Trophy. They are Superbowl favorites again in 2008. Rodgers replaces a legend, but though he was effective, he was an old Brett Favre. Cassel replaces Tom Brady in his prime, arguably the league’s greatest passer over the past few years. Rodgers can lose a game and get a pass, but if Cassel loses one, Beantown goes into a panic. Losing in the regular season hasn’t occurred since 2006. No matter what factors lead to a negative showing on future scoreboards, the thinking will always be that "Brady would have won that game".

It’s a tough situation for both, but when you enter the league backing up Superstars, and they are lost to injury, retirement or trade, the immense heat of public opinion can bring sweat to the brow of the newest faces; before they take a single snap.

Matt Cassel to the Cowboys?

After spending his college career backing up Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart, and then thrust into a position to back up New England’s Tom Brady, Matt Cassel may possibly be on the move again. The situation in New England has changed. Matt Guitterez is impressive, a third-round pick was invested in rookie Kevin O’Connell, and Cassel is in the final year of his contract, which would allow him to walk in 2009.

According to Adam Shefter of the NFL Network, likely destinations for Cassel may be the Cowboys or Giants. New England may dangle the trade bait, looking to be compensated with a late round pick. Quarterbacks that may soon be on the market for back up roles may be Tampa’s Chris Simms and Miami’s John Beck, which would generate more interest than the seldom played Cassel. Schefter reports that the Dallas Cowboys have already offered a second-round pick for Beck, which is considerably high. They could probably pick up Cassel for a 6th or 7th rounder.

Cassel started no games as a Trojans quarterback, and spent some time playing tight end. He was developed under quarterback guru Norm Chow, and was believed to be the heir to Carson Palmer, until Matt Leinart made a push and won the job in 2003. Despite never starting under center, the New England Patriots drafted Cassel in the 7th round of the 2005 draft. He immediately secured the No. 2 spot, and held the role for 3 seasons.

Off Topic: Matt Walsh and the ‘Blair Snitch Project’

Matt Walsh disappoints me. He’s no different than the action packed horror movie trailers, where producers capture your desire to see their newest film. You patiently wait for opening day, you gather a good seat in front of the screen, and begin watching from beginning to end, thinking at some point everything will kick in and make it worth the wait. Unfortunately, you and your fellow movie goers leave the theater with a collective “huh”. That’s no different than the 10 month saga of “Spygate”, which I reference as the “Blair Snitch Project”.

In the Blair Witch movie, we sit for hours chasing ghosts, or have ghosts chasing us, depending on your perspective. Walsh had his box of tapes for the NFL to sift through, looking for that nightmarish demon that would haunt the league for years. And as a fan, I waited, prepared to see an image that makes me scream, “Aha!” Walsh gave me nothing. He gave me the same running scenes from the Blair Witch, minus the action shots of heavy breathing and his snot bubbled nose.

What did Walsh give you? Did he give you some hand signs and shots of personnel on the field? If that’s your climax, then damn, you’re easy. I want the beast that leaves Vegas quivering over Superbowl bets paid. I want the monster that places the league’s credibility at stake. I want something showing conclusive evidence that the Patriots used these tapes to win games, and not speculation over something that could have easily been duplicated by etching stick figures on a piece of paper (which would be a legal act in the NFL). Give me audio of Patriots management barking their photographic demands. Give me Belichick’s evil grin, as he scurries off to the film room with his team. Give me something, and anything. But what he gave me was the f*cking Jets? Get real! I asked for the most horrid specter ever to appear on screen, and this man delivers Casper.

The Jets are about as reveling as Geraldo’s coke bottle find in the Al Capone vaults. If we’re talking possible asterisks and beasts, give me tape of Superbowl opponents. If we’re going to talk about any possibility of stealing Rams defensive signals, give me 40 plus points on the scoreboard for the Pats, and not a low scoring, field goal edging victory over the greatest show on turf. As an offensive unit, alleged of stealing defensive signals, New England's scoring increased, AFTER the cameras were taken from them.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not defending the Patriots. They cheated, admitted to it, and were penalized for it. Give them their asterisk or not, because I don’t care. But it’s this amateur movie maker, with the silly smirk, that irks me. Months of smirking, and I got nothing. Even “Pam and Tommy Lee”, and “One Night In Paris” had entertainment value. Supposedly, Walsh had tapes, where he zoomed in on private areas of cheerleaders. Why isn't ESPN showing me those? That's more worthwhile than the other box of horse sh*t they've chosen to air for Spygate.

Again, I got nothing. I walked out of the theater, like everyone else, with that same question…..”huh?”

Trojan Dismount

The New England Patriots released Oscar Lua this week. After being picked in the seventh round of last year’s draft, Oscar’s hopes were to eventually fill needs for an aging Patriots linebacking corps. Winning a spot on the roster last summer, a knee injury restricted Lua from performing and making any additional impressions in any way.

Eagles’ Mike Patterson was arrested last week on possession charges. When police approached what they believed to be an abandoned vehicle, they found both Mike and his brother inside, along with marijuana and a joint still burning in the ashtray. Patterson’s brother also had numerous arrest warrants. We’ll have to wait for the disciplinary action to be handed down by the NFL, which is almost certain to come.

To Vacate Victories Is To Call Us Stupid

The NCAA Gods have many methods of punishing programs for rules violations. Some of the more sensible methods would include allowing fewer scholarships, postseason bans, probation, television bans, and in extreme cases, the death penalty. The death penalty would be a complete restriction of football activities for the required number of years, as given to Southern Methodist University from ’86 to 88, but I doubt we’d ever see this handed down to NCAA cash crop programs like USC, Alabama, Notre Dame, and some others.

In most cases, those punishments are understandable and can go without debate. But what I view as complete idiocy is the NCAA’s “vacating” of victories, as a form of punishment. This method of punishment isn’t exclusive to the NCAA, because I’ve seen in implemented at the high school level, for something as petty as a player living “outside” the district and being ineligible to participate. The penalty erases past victories, and will either reflect as losses or games never played. This means the opponents will either receive victories for games they lost or have a game completely scratched from the books, as if it were never occurred.


In recent developments, the University of Oklahoma will have 8 victories reinstated for the 2005 season. The NCAA actually got it right, but not on purpose. Their reasoning is an overturning of a ruling on infractions, but my reasoning is that you can’t suddenly tell me that OU didn’t play or lost those 8 games in 2005. You can scratch them from the books, but I’ll go to my grave knowing who they played and defeated.

It’s similar to a courtroom, where a witness may blurt something out that is factual, but because of improper judicial procedure, the judge orders the jury to “disregard the statement”. How do you disregard what was just heard, as if it was never said? When it comes down to deliberation, though the statement may not technically be used to form a conclusion of guilt or innocence, we’re all human, and it will be.


With the ongoing investigation into illegal benefits possibly received by Reggie Bush, and any knowledge of the action by USC, there is already talk of vacating Southern Cal victories and possibly the 2004 championship. The NCAA would not only be willing to wipe out an entire season of games on a schedule, but they would give the conference championship to Cal (who was beaten by USC), and Oklahoma would receive a National Championship after being soundly beaten by a score of 55-19.

Maybe it would make sense, 20 to 30 years from now, when people either open the books and don’t know or can’t remember. But anything before that is laughable, because people aren’t as stupid as the NCAA rules committee implies. It’s easy to strip a Heisman trophy, but suddenly there was no great game against Notre Dame, and no Bush push? It never happened, so don’t even talk about it, right? There was no near victory over Fresno State. There was no leap into the endzone over a UCLA Bruin. It never happened, so stop posting the photographs and rolling the tape. Or maybe the intention is for it to stick in memory, justifying the punishment with "USC didn't play those games, because Reggie Bush played in those games." Huh?


Now I’ve heard outraged fans calling for the New England Patriots’ victories to be vacated, for known spygate infractions and what we may come to know about past years. The professional levels are least likely to vacate anything, but instead add an asterisk in their books. Maybe the Pros view their fanbases as intelligent, where the amateurs see us as idiots. The NFL is likely to scratch victories from the Pats, as much as MLB is willing to reduce the homeruns and win counts from Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens. Can you imagine the Yankees vacating victories and championships for years Roger Clemens appeared on the roster? All hell would break loose!

Take the scholarships, postseason, monetary fines and what not. But don’t insult my intelligence by attempting remove something already completed, because barring mental illness, head trauma or marijuana smoke, my memory does not vacate.

The 2008 NFL Fashion Show

It’s time for that annual gathering of NFL stars in Hawaii again. As usual, it’s supposed to act as the climax to a long season. But as usual, it won’t. If you can find an all star game in any league that’s packed full of expectation and excitement, let me know, because maybe I’m missing out on something. The last time I found myself intrigued by any of those all star affairs, I still hadn’t sprouted a single pubic hair.

Baseball tried to give something to play for. The winning league receives home field advantage in the world series. And just as quickly as they added this new incentive, is a quickly as no one cared. It’s a popularity contest, and I don’t care which league it is, someone deserving always gets snubbed for someone less deserving with more national recognition.

The theme for this year’s fashion show is "South Western wear". You know the saying, “that everything is bigger in Texas”, and this includes the number of cowboys on the Pro Bowl roster. I can certainly say that many of the Boys are deserving, but can anyone tell me how Roy Williams got there? Besides for a recognizable face and name, what were his achievements of 2007? All I’ve managed to see him achieving is a lot of resentment by his own Dallas following, wondering why he’s on the field and who they can possibly trade for him in the offseason.

One Texas Star is noticeably missing, and he doesn’t play in Dallas. I guess it’s going to take a long time before the league and fans give Houston’s Mario Williams any respect. The Texans were criticized for drafting him first, and analysts were critical of his first year play. But in 2007, Mario emerged as everything he was expected to be. He leads the AFC in sacks, yet he’s not on the AFC pro bowl roster. He’s hit and hurried QBs all season, and plugged running backs for short yardage. In other words, he did his job to the point where he was demanding double teams. But doing your job, and being the best at it, isn’t enough. This Texan parades the fashion show in Winter wear, left out in the cold with a face hidden beneath a hood, still a virtual unknown in the football world.

And what about Wes Welker? You don’t have to like the Patriots, but how could you not make a case for Welker’s snub in Hawaii. Sure he plays opposite Randy Moss, which is supposed to add to his production, but T.J. Houshmandzadeh plays opposite Chad Johnson, and T.J’s going to Hawaii. Welker has more receiving yardage than T.J, and was detrimental to his team’s success. With each having 112 receptions, Houshmandzadeh and Welker tied for the league lead. Welker was also the leading receiver for the Pats in the postseason.

I know Pro Bowl selections are made before the playoffs begin, but substitutions can come at any time. Randy Moss pulled out, and the AFC had the perfect opportunity to display both receptions leaders on the Pro Bowl roster, but again skipped over Welker, choosing Braylon Edwards instead. Again it comes down to which is more fashionable for wearing, and which garment will most impress your friends. You have Edwards, the 3rd pick in the first round of the 2005 draft (first receiver taken overall), and you have Welker that you managed to pick up at a Miami Dolphins yard sale. Which of the two would you wear to an NFL formal gathering?

Is the Pro Bowl a display of the NFL’s best talents? No. It’s a fashion statement, and the recognition of the brand is more important than the quality of the fabric. Is there any wonder to why it’s slowly falling apart?

18 Wins....So What?

Let’s hear it for the underdogs!...What? You can’t find it in yourself to temporarily embrace an enemy in their moment of victory? You know, being a Chargers fan, I would probably feel the same way, if someone was trying to tell me to give the Raiders a hug. But this was more than just a game, and more than just a Superbowl. It resembled the biblical tale of David versus Goliath. It was the hard hat wearing man versus the greater powers in society. It was the bad news bears, little giants, mighty ducks, etc. It was the 12 point underdog in a championship game. Strip them of their enemy blues, and what do you have left? You have the most unlikely of champions and a feel good story.

The season ends, as if scripted by Hollywood. It ends with the identifiable message about life’s great obstacles, and how the underdog, with determination and set goals can overcome any and everything. Is there someone that cannot embrace that concept? We all can. I believe the majority of viewers tuned in not to see history made by an undefeated Patriots team, but to see the Giants, the Buster Douglas of the NFL, deliver a knock out punch that would shock the world.

And of course, let’s not forget the old saying, “cheaters never prosper”. Spygate has been one of the great storylines of the 2007 NFL season, and most believed the Patriots received a slap on the wrist, and were indeed prospering. A $500,000 fine for Billicheck and a loss of a draft pick was hardly punishing in most eyes, but the pain of losing the biggest game in franchise history and entering the record books in the wrong category is pretty damn severe.

18 wins? So what? Sound familiar? It’s equal to what echoed throughout Major League Baseball, when the Seattle Mariners finished their record 116 win season, just to be followed up by a “so what” in the postseason. That’s the lone achievement I remember from that Mariners season, and will probably be a lasting memory of the 2007 Patriots, and a topic of future discussions, when any team is in pursuit of perfection. After all, it’s not how many you win in the regular season, it’s all about going undefeated in the postseason. The Giants only needed 14 wins to get a parade.

So, What Happened?

The AFC playoff scouting report obviously stressed 2 things, take away Randy Moss, and pressure Tom Brady. Jacksonville couldn’t do it consistently for 60 minutes, and San Diego rode the report to pick off Brady 4 times, but couldn’t convert 6’s in the red zone.

Enter the New York Giants, a team that pressured NFL quarterbacks better than anyone, and followed the same report. 53 sacks on the season is no fluke, and the underdogs came out of the box woofing, nipping, and biting. The top scoring team in the NFL managed to find the end zone just twice. The greatest offense in the history of the NFL? Let that one fly out the same window as “perfection” and “greatest team ever”.

I’ve said so often that the key to New England’s success has been their overshadowed defensive unit, and they nearly secured the victory. While many were predicting high scoring affairs, both defenses gave a tremendous effort. Just as the Giants took away Moss, the Patriots eliminated Burress. The difference was a New York offensive line that managed to hold up, and a Patriots O-line that continually collapsed. The final drive of dinks and dunks was all that was needed to give the Lombardi trophy to New York, because the defensive pressure left them in striking distance.

First To The Finish Line

Besides for becoming the crowned champs of the NFL, the Giants also solidified their trade with San Diego to get Eli Manning. Though Philip Rivers gave a courageous performance against the Pats in the AFC Championship game, he was left on the Superbowl doorstep. Eli Manning had near perfection in his title run, and though there was nothing spectacular in the final drive, he got the job done. In fact, to show how perfect little Manning was, he threw just a single postseason interception, and it wasn’t his fault. The pass to Steve Smith should have been caught, but it was tipped in the air and intercepted instead.

What the fu$#? Did I just say that about Eli friggin Manning? No Worries. I’ll go back to bashing in August. It’s one of my NFL enjoyments.

Third Time Is a Charm

Speaking of Steve Smith, the NFL rookie has won his third team championship in the past 5 years. He won 2 national championships with Pete Carroll at USC, catching passes from Matt Leinart, and now he adds a Superbowl ring. Counting the loss to Texas in the Rose Bowl, Smith has appeared on 4 rosters with championship implications on the line.

As a Trojan homer, I have joy for Smith, but my heart is also filled with sorrow for Junior Seau. His career was filled with great accomplishments, but his fingers still lack a championship ring.

My Game MVP

This one is a no brainer, and it isn’t even someone that actually participated on the field. Giants’ defensive coordinator, Steve Spagnuolo, was the key to victory. Not only was he a key to the Superbowl win, but it was his scheming and game planning that got the Gmen through the entire playoffs. The defense played to near perfection, but it all starts with scouting, game film, and strategy.

I’ll also be man enough to take back every bad thing I’ve said about Coughlin. If my memory serves me right, I recall saying something along the line of “idiots”, when New York extended his contract. Now he’s a Superbowl champion coach. What the hell do I know? Stop listening to me!

Congratulations to the Superbowl Champion New York Giants.

Now let’s get back to work and rebuild our teams. If this dog can do it, why can’t we?