Makes perfect since to me. NFL fans, by and large, don’t care about this game. I know I don’t. The players care even less, and that is clear from the body language and the effort on the field. Here’s a story about potentially canceling the Pro Bowl and a portion of the article:

The league and union agreed that the quality of last year’s game, which saw the NFC claim a 55-41 win over the AFC, was unacceptable at a meeting between the sides earlier this month.

The sides, though, were understood to have discussed ways to improve the fixture rather than wipe it from the schedule.

The game still is listed on the NFL’s calendar the week before New Orleans hosts Super Bowl XLVII on Feb. 3, though the location remains unknown.

Of course, if NFL officials wanted to go ahead and destroy any lingering interest in the Pro Bowl, they all ready did so by scheduling the game before the Super Bowl. Some of the best players in the league aren’t even going to play because of the injury risk. That was the most boneheaded move officials could have made. I realize that interest in the NFL season wanes after the Super Bowl, but at least you will have the best players involved in the game, including those who actually played in the Super Bowl.

If officials are going to leave it hopelessly wedged between the final playoff game and the big dance, I say do us all a favor and just shoot the lame duck before it becomes more of a joke than it already is.

NFL, players union consider canceling Pro Bowl game – NFL News | FOX Sports on MSN.

Time will tell if the notorious “Madden curse” will befall Johnson.

Calvin Johnson wins Madden cover | Yardbarker.com.

NFL.com writer Adam Rank makes the case that WWE’s John Cena and now-New York Jets backup quarterback Tim Tebow are one in the same. I can’t think of a way to prove him wrong.

By the way, I never thought I would have Cena and Tebow showing up on the same website, much less in the same post!

I realize this is a dramatic change in topic from what I usually post, but I thought since the WWE Wrestlemania XXVIII card this year was rather stacked with at least three potentially explosive matches, I would chime in.

And yes, I’m a college graduate, progressive, non-believer who happens to like wrestling. It happens. Without further adieu:

***

Kelly Kelly & Maria Menounos vs. Divas Champion Beth Phoenix & Eve

There was some kind of altercation on TV between Maria Menounos and Beth Phoenix on “Extra,” in which Beth claimed Maria Menounos didn’t respect the Divas champion. I wasn’t really paying attention. In any case, this is just a filler match to get some star power on the show and get the Divas on the card. One would have thought that since this is WWE’s grandest stage, that they would have booked a title match but not so. Just because the celeb is in Kelly’s corner, I’ll go with them.

Winner:  Kelly Kelly & Maria Menounos

***

Randy Orton vs. Kane

As Aaron Rift over at NoDQ.com has noted, the WWE just kind of threw this match together at the last minute, and the build up was less than stellar.

Last month, the WWE was giving Kane this big push as a possible contender against John Cena, but Cena pretty well destroyed Kane in an ambulance match, so that took the air out of any potential threat from Kane. Kane said that Cena would eventually “embrace the hate,” but Cena never did, and the storyline fizzled and went nowhere after Kane’s thrashing. Kind of a silly ordeal.

If the WWE wasn’t going to give Kane a win against John Cena, I don’t see any reason for Kane to defeat Randy Orton unless the WWE just wants to pull a swerve, which is possible, but I would bet against it.

Winner: Orton

***

Team Teddy vs. Team Johnny

This 12-man is for control of the general managership on both Smackdown and RAW. This match will be a zoo. Teddy Long’s team is the clear underdog, while Team Johnny’s team consists of four WWE or World champions. The late edition of Booker T to Team Teddy was a nice twist, but every time Booker has gotten into the ring as of late, it’s only ended with a pinfall and that signature confused look. I could smell a potential upset here too, for no other reason than to screw with fans who think Team Johnny is a shoe-in, but I don’t see it happening. That said, I hope that if Team Johnny wins, they continue to use Teddy in some capacity. He’s too entertaining to take off the air, and well, Johnny is the opposite of entertaining.

Winner: Team Johnny

***

Cody Rhodes vs. Big Show for the Intercontinental Championship

Not much to say here. WWE just wanted another big draw on the card, and that would be Big Show. These two were just kind of thrown together as well. The lead up to the match has been OK, and Cody’s presentation highlighting Big Show’s continual slip-ups at Wrestlemania were entertaining. Nonetheless, I don’t see what giving the Big Show the IC title would accomplish, since he’s already been a tag champ, world champ and WWE champ. I don’t believe he’s ever held the IC in the WWE, so that could just add to his accomplishments, I guess, but I’m not convinced that will happen.

Winner: Cody Rhodes

***

Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus for the World Heavyweight Championship

Sheamus is a rising star in WWE to say the least, and he has had a huge year. That said, Bryan’s character in recent months has been a hoot to watch with the “Yes! Yes! World Heavyweight Champ!” over and over. Still, I think this weekend might be Sheamus’ big Wrestlemania moment.

Winner: Sheamus

***

CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho for the WWE Championship

My hope is that this match will be the show stopper. Punk and Jericho have the potential to have the greatest match since Punk and Cena in Chicago from this past summer. By the way, in my opinion, WWE hasn’t had a better match since then. I have a hunch that, after Punk’s fairly long reign as champ (by WWE standards) that Jericho may win the belt, leading to more future matches between Punk and Jericho.

Winner: Chris Jericho

 ***

Undertaker vs. Triple H Hell in a Cell w/ special referee Shawn Michaels

I would be very surprised if HHH won this one. Triple H has lost to Undertaker in two previous Wrestlemanias, but Undertaker is nearing the end of his career, and barring some huge swerve from Vince McMahon, I see Undertaker winning this one again. Granted, I would like to see Triple H win just because I’ve really grown bored of the whole Undertaker shtick, but I don’t see an end to the streak. This also may be one of the few times in the modern WWE era that we may see blood in a match.

 Winner: Undertaker

***

The Rock vs. John Cena

This, and the Triple H/Undertaker match, are damn near worth the price of the PPV itself. A year in the making, this match pits Rise Above Hate vs. Boots to Asses. You know, a couple years ago, I never really expected to see The Rock involved in the WWE to the capacity that he is right now. Sure, his primary focus is still on movies, etc., but he’s been on RAW for the past month building up to this match, and that has been unprecedented in about seven years. While I personally would like to see The Rock win (I have never cared much for Cena), my hunch is that Cena is going to win because if The Rock wins, it just makes Cena look like an afterthought or a blip in The Rock’s illustrious career. But if Cena wins, The Rock can always come back at some point and try to get his revenge.

Winner: John Cena

I am apparently not alone in the weariness over Tim Tebow’s Jesus talk in every single interview following a win on the football field. News flash: if Jesus existed, he probably doesn’t care about football or any person’s success in their careers.

Jake Plummer had this to say on XTRA Sports 910 on Monday in Phoenix:

Tebow, regardless of whether I wish he’d just shut up after a game and go hug his teammates, I think he’s a winner, and I respect that about him. …

I think that when he accepts the fact that we know that he loves Jesus Christ then I think I’ll like him a little better. …

I don’t hate him because of that. I just would rather not have to hear that every single time he takes a good snap or makes a good handoff.

Touche.

Here is Tebow’s response:

If you’re married, and you have a wife, and you really love your wife, is it good enough to only say to your wife ‘I love her’ the day you get married? Or should you tell her every single day when you wake up and every opportunity?

And that’s how I feel about my relationship with Jesus Christ is that it is the most important thing in my life. So any time I get an opportunity to tell him that I love him or given an opportunity to shout him out on national TV, I’m gonna take that opportunity. And so I look at it as a relationship that I have with him that I want to give him the honor and glory anytime I have the opportunity. And then right after I give him the honor and glory, I always try to give my teammates the honor and glory.

And that’s how it works because Christ comes first in my life, and then my family, and then my teammates. I respect Jake’s opinion, and I really appreciate his compliment of calling me a winner. But I feel like anytime I get the opportunity to give the Lord some praise, he is due for it.

Yes, he’s married to Christ. We get it. But other athletes don’t tend to thank their wives and kids during postgame interviews. In fact, I have rarely, if ever, heard a player thank their wives for helping them win games. The other players on the team help a person win a game, not Christ or anyone else real or imagery who is not on the field. If it weren’t for the wins the Broncos have had recently (and as a Denver fan, I’m certainly pleased), I would be a little resentful as one of his teammates to hear him thanking Christ first and foremost, when the score would have been 75-0 (or worse) without his teammates. I dare say if the rest of his teammates sucked the whole game, Christ would have still been a no-show.

Credit: nfl.com

The Arizona Cardinals and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald recently agreed to a new eight-year deal that would guarantee Fitzgerald close to $50 million as part of the total $120 million contract.

Now, I’m a Fitzgerald fan. He’s a beast on the field, entertaining to watch, and I think he’s a decent person as far as rich football players go. But $120 million?!? That is egregious to say the least, and it makes the recent lockout between the players union and the owners even more contemptible. This issue of professional sports salaries chaffs me about as much as the excessive bonuses banks paid out to executives during the recession and afterward. Hopefully, he’ll continue to put up at least some of that $50 million guaranteed money to help someone less fortunate than himself.

Here’s a link about some of his work off the field.

I happened upon an editorial piece this week by ESPN.com writer Rick Reilly, formerly a columnist with Sports Illustrated, in which Reilly criticizes Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler for his mostly aloof and flippant demeanor in press conferences and in other public appearances off the football field.

In the column, Reilly had this to say about the former Denver Broncos QB (Being a Broncos and, to a lesser degree, a Bears fan, piqued my interest in the piece):

Jay Cutler: Dennis Wierzbicki/US Presswire

Cutler could own Chicago if he wanted. In a city that has had as many good quarterbacks as Omaha has had good surfers, Cutler could have his name on half the billboards and all the jerseys. My God, the kid grew up a Bears fan! But he doesn’t even try. He has zero endorsements and doesn’t want any. If there is such a thing as a Jay Cutler Fan Club, Cutler is having a membership drive — to drive them out.

Example from Wednesday’s 15-minute news conference, the only time he speaks publicly the entire workweek:

Reporter #1: So, did you enjoy the week off?

Cutler: Yeah, it’s nice to kick back and watch the games.

Reporter #2: Wait. Last week, you said you never watch the games.

Cutler (disgusted): I said you could watch the games. I didn’t say I watched the games. You’ve got to listen.

Cutler also doesn’t make public announcements of his trips to hospitals visiting fellow Type I diabetes patients, nor does he publicize Christmas present donations he makes to sick kids.

I happen to agree with Bob LeGere of the Chicago Daily Herald, who, in response to Reilly, had this to say:

According to ESPN.com’s Rick Reilly, quarterback Jay Cutler is some kind of creep because he didn’t idolize any NFL quarterbacks as a kid.

Maybe he had other, more worthy role models like his parents or a teacher.

Reilly rips Cutler because he doesn’t have any endorsements and doesn’t want any. Brilliant. Better he should be a money-grubbing shill, willing to endorse anything for a buck. What kind of a jerk focuses on doing his job at the expense of making easy money? How dare he?

Actually, I kind of admire a guy like Cutler. Rather than clamber for attention like some other NFL stars (Chad Ochocinco comes to mind) or put up a veneer of pretended cheerfulness, Cutler seems like more a real guy to me, and he seems to treat press conference like most people treat their jobs: they would rather be somewhere else, but they come to work anyway and aren’t always outwardly happy about it. Nor do I think it’s fair to judge Cutler on his performance before the press. As the field leader of an NFL football team, he’s obligated, contractually I’m sure, to face the media and answer questions, but that’s not his main job description. His main job description is to throw touchdowns and win football games. That he’s not forthcoming at press conferences or seems to openly hold reporters in contempt shouldn’t lead to character assassination.

Cutler strikes me as the type of fellow who gets the big picture. While most coaches and players have a treasure chest of media-isms to crack open the minute they are pulled aside by reporters, Cutler doesn’t. He plays the game on the field, but doesn’t play the hype game. And while that might drive certain media folks nuts (As it probably would me if I were a reporter for a Chicago newspaper), it’s laudable on some levels.

Reilly once more:

Cutler’s teammates will defend him, when asked. “It’s funny to me how people form an opinion of a guy who’ve never even met him,” says Bears tight end Greg Olsen, a close friend.

So what’s the truth?

“He is what he is,” Olsen says.

LeGere also got it right when speaking about Cutler’s refusing to make a big deal out of his various charitable endeavors.

As a side note, I once announced in a newspaper column that I wanted anyone who was planning to buy Christmas presents for me that year, to please just donate whatever money they might have spent to the Make-A-Wish foundation. I made that statement near the end of a column about American consumerism and poverty, indicating that we should strive to get less and give more. To drive my point home, then, I felt duty bound to put action behind my words. I wrote it purely out of obligation and with no thought of myself. I truly hope it came across that way, and I only regret having written it when I think that some might have taken it a different way, that I was publicly patting myself on the back for requesting a donation be made.

Still, I think the best kind of giver is an anonymous one. The worst kind of giver is the one who donates time or money or resources and then wants to be acknowledged for it (Thus, I chafe to think that the aforementioned column might have been misunderstood). Regardless, why should Cutler announce when he’s planning to make an appearance at a hospital or donate presents to kids. Why should he seek out endorsements? He doesn’t care what people think about him, and I don’t know why that fact bothers Reilly and this guy so much. At least Cutler’s a real guy and not some self-promoting, cliché-machine Manning clone.

Like ESPN’s Rick Reilly, I’m not sure what Michael Vick critics want the man to do at this point. Some surely chaff over the knowledge that a convicted felon is now back from prison and making millions in the NFL, is on track to potentially earn MVP honors and has already become the first quarterback in history to be named as the NFC Offensive Player of the Week two weeks in a row (Nov. 9 and Nov. 16). And, the Pro Football Hall of Fame requested his jersey from the Nov. 15 game in which Vick lit up the field upon becoming the first player in history to pass for 300 yards, run for 50, throw four touchdown passes and run for two more. And, after just eight games, he’s also on track to shatter his passing yardage from 2006, the last year he played a complete season with the Falcons. For animal lovers or anyone else who may think that getting to walk around in civil society is too much of a privilege even for someone who has served their debt to society in prison, these facts may cut to the quick.

Michael Vick: flying high in his Eagles uniform/Credit: Howard Smith/US Presswire

Here’s Reilly:

As if 18 months in Leavenworth, and six more in a halfway house, aren’t punishment enough.

“Michael Vick should give half of his … salary to animal rights groups,” Liz McGowin wrote on PETA.org.

As if losing $100 million and three years in the prime of his career wasn’t steep enough.

“Michael Vick is a Sociopathic Dog-Torturing, Dog-Maiming, Dog-Drowning, Dog-Electrocuting Pile of S—,” somebody posted on Vick’s Twitter page Thursday. Vick’s Twitter page was running about half against him this week — until it was frozen for “suspicious activity.”

As if being judged and humiliated in front of the world isn’t shame enough.

As if …

But for the rest of us, the Vick story is one of redemption. Some may say it’s all a ruse. Some may say that Vick is saying all the right things because he knows what to say and plays the role well. Some may say he’s actually unrepentant and is only doing and saying those right things because he doesn’t want to lose his career and his millions. But I think any honest look at the man’s attitude, demeanor and, yes, his words, will show that he’s “contrite,” “humble” and “chastened,” as Reilly put it.

Here are a few of his recent posts on Twitter that, I think, give a glimpse into where the man’s heart and mind are at this point:

• Well I’m about to go spend more time with my family. Thanks for all the well wishes on this day. I’ll be back in a few !
• Thank you God for watching over me another night and giving me the chance to see another day … Good morning twitter !
• I truly appreciate all the love i cant answer everybody but im going to figure out a way to start following a few of you !
• God Can Turn Mistakes Into Miracles ……….. Good Morning Twitter Family !
• Thank you God for watching over me another night and letting me see another day !
• I was just informed i’ll be this weeks NFC Offensive Player of the Week. Couldn’t have done it without my team !
• GOD IS GREAT !

Now, while we know that talking about how great God is isn’t necessary an automatic sign of someone’s character (Indeed, the opposite is the case a lot of the time. The very words Allahu Akbar, or, “God is great,” were, via Saddam Hussein’s order, placed in the center of the Iraqi flag in 1991), the humbleness to Vick’s fans and his teammates seems to come through in his various postings.

So to his remaining critics, I would say this: Is the American correctional system truly about corrections or not? Either the goal should be rehabilitation to some degree in all prisoners in which that might be possible, or we should throw away the keys on all sentences and wipe our hands of those folks. If I were to royally mess up at any point in my life, I would certainly hope society, family and friends would give me a second chance.

Reilly concludes:

In the federal corrections world, they call it “re-entry.” For most freed felons, re-entry into society is fraught with trouble. Some guys get out and can’t even get a driver’s license, much less a job. The adjustment to life outside can give a guy the bends. Quite often, the road leads them right back inside.

But Michael Vick? He has made the kind of re-entry usually reserved for Apollo astronauts. The man reinvented himself into a wonder, both in his uniform and out. He has seen how wrong he was. He’s sorry. He’s making amends.

“I don’t have to think about going back down the path I’ve traveled because it’s not going to happen,” Vick said Wednesday. “I can live my life with a clear mind every day, knowing that I’m moving forward.”

Why can’t everybody else?

Why not, indeed.

Don’t get me wrong. I would be happy as a penguin in a freezer full of cod if the Dallas Cowboys never win another game … ever. At least not until the next century. But what is up with Bob Costas tonight calling the Cowboys unprofessional in their lifeless and uninspired effort last week and for most of this season?

Credit: Getty Images

Have any commentators thought this? Maybe Phillips just wasn’t a very good head coach. Let’s review his record as the head guy.

• Came in as the Saints’ head coach in 1985. Record: 1-3.
• Spent seven years as the defensive coordinator for the Eagles and Broncos.
• Named head coach of the Broncos, replacing Dan Reeves. Went 9-7 in first year and 7-9 in second year. Fired because of claims from Broncos officials that he didn’t have control of the team. Sounds familiar.
• Enjoyed some success with the Bills with seasons of 10-6 and 11-5 in ’98 and 99, but followed with an 8-8 season in 2000.
• Again replaced Reeves in 2003 for the last three games and went 2-1 to round out that season.
• Signed with the Cowboys in 2007 and loss to the Giants in a divisional playoff game to cap his best season at 13-3. Had a mediocre 2008 season, and then went 11-5 to again fall in the divisional playoff game.
• Fired after leading (or not) the Cowboys to a 1-7 record midway through this season.

In this article, Phillips said recently that:

… he watched nearly two years’ worth of games on tape and discovered fundamentals were lacking. Phillips said it was time for the team to return to the basics, but those basics were severely lacking in Sunday night’s loss to the Packers, as the Cowboys were plagued by missed tackles, a muffed punt and poor blocking techniques which resulted in four sacks and a fumble on a kick return.

“I thought we played poorly,” Phillips said after the Packers game. “I thought we played poorly as a team and we looked like a bad football team. That’s the way we played. Bad coaching.”

OK sure, the play on the field hasn’t been good. But, in the 45-7 blow out at Green Bay, the play was uninspired and, as I said, lifeless. And whose job is it to inspire and motivate the team? As Jason Garrett well knows, it’s the head coach. And he proved that this week with the Cowboys (surprising?) win at Giants Stadium. The play-by-play and color guys prior to the game even said Garrett gave an inspiring speech prior to the game that served to rejuvenate the team’s spirit. That’s something that Phillips has never seemed to have a) grasped, or b) been able to cultivate. In short, a “really special guy,” as Garrett recently lauded Phillips, doesn’t equal “good head coach.” I was also amused to find a Fire Wade Phillips blog as well. I, of course, am not a Wade Phillips hater. That would be ridiculous. I don’t enjoy it when people fail. But I’m simply making the case that, while he may been a decent defensive coordinator, head coaching was probably not his bag, as it were.

I tweeted (or whatever) about this earlier, and while I rarely mention sports, especially regional sports, on this site, I felt this topic deserves a brief airing.

Of course, I realize that every football fan has his or her own notions about how such and such a game should be called from the sidelines. The coach either ran too much or not enough. The coach should have gone for that fourth-and-two play. The coach should have kicked the field goal. And on and on. And while preliminary rebuttals may come that coaches know more about what’s going on down on the field than someone listening to a game on the radio or television, but what I’m about to mention seems to me basic and impenetrable logic.

My alma mater, Clemson University, has been either mediocre or just above average in football since 1991 when it then had a national championship and six ACC titles under its belt. The current coach, Willaim “Yaba Dabo” Swinney, took control of the team midway through the 2008 season when Clemson ousted Tommy Bowden, who, at least in coaching, seems to be a shell of his father. Swinney and Bowden followed prior coaches Tommy West and Ken Hatfield.

At least since Bowden, and perhaps prior, the coaching and play calling has been, by and large, predictable and uninspired. The team’s 16-10 loss today at Boston College seems to be a case in point. Granted, Clemson quarterback Kyle Parker had a bad day in the air going 21-39 for 176 yards, but what I saw was way too many predictable calls and a lack of urgency in the face of looming defeat.

The very first drive makes the case: a run on first down for no gain, a run for 5 yards, an incomplete pass and a punt. When, as a team, you are on the road in a hostile environment, it seems to me the last thing you want to do is to come out with such a conservative, sluggish and unimpressive start, such that, it seems Clemson set itself up for a fall from the start. Throughout the game, as it turns out, Clemson, as Boston knew it would, tried to establish the run with Andre Ellington and Jamie Harper. Clemson mostly failed, however, tallying only 86 total yards on the ground against the best rushing defense in the ACC. Even in the second half down 16-10 and having scored only a defensive touchdown, the conservative play continued. Not counting the final two drives late in the fourth quarter when Clemson pretty much had to throw the ball, the Tigers only threw three times on first down versus nine rushes on the same down in the second half. Granted, one series of rushes resulted in a field goal in the first half, but that was it for the offense. And when the Tigers did choose to throw the ball, they lined up in the shotgun, which, again, is predictable coaching. The only schemes that I saw that even halfway attempted to mask calls was a few play actions passes behind center.

Of course, now at 2-3 in the ACC and 4-4 overall and with three conference games left, the Tigers still have a tough road to hoe going forward, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Clemson gets another mediocre and mostly meaningless bowl bid come December, if any. Woeful games such as the one Saturday leave a fan wondering just what the heck the Tigers, or any other team who seemed so ill-prepared for the next game, was doing the entire week prior to game day. Maybe one of my journalism cohorts in the Clemson area can help me with that one!