It was real, and it was good. But it wasn't real good.

If you thought the BCS Championship game would be the last time you saw Tim Tebow flapping his arms to pump up a Gator crowd this season, you were unfortunately mistaken. As expected, Superman announced he will be returning for his senior season, setting up a possible third national title and second Heisman trophy.

Tebow cited his close relationship with Urban Meyer, his loyalty to his school, and his desire for another title as his reasons for coming back. Obviously, this is troubling news for Georgia fans, as a Florida team with a senior Tebow should be frighteningly good.

Besides sending chills down any Georgia fan's spine, Tebow's announcement sets up an interesting dichotomy between his decision and the decisions of a couple of well-known footballers that used to play in Athens.

Of course, I'm talking about Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno, who announced with much less fanfare that they're taking off for the NFL.

Neither star's decision was unexpected. Stafford is a possible No. 1 pick and Moreno is projected to be one of the first running backs taken. Conventional wisdom holds that running backs only have so many carries in them, so Moreno needs to make his money while he can.

As is well-known by anyone who knows me, I will never have the opportunity to make a mult-million dollar athletic decision. No one wants me to leave school early and enter any drafts. So obviously, it's a lot different for me to talk about this than someone who actually sees those dollar signs up close and personal.

I'm not angry at either of them. I'm just disappointed.

Except for No. 34, Moreno is in my opinion, the most talented running back in Georgia history. He's the only Georgia tailback other than Hershel to post back-to-back 1,000 yard rushing seasons. He was simply electrifying and played with a passion that was infectious.

Meanwhile, Stafford was the one of the most highly-recruited prospects in program history. The laser-armed quarterback was thought by many to be a messiah for a championship-starved Bulldog Nation. He had all the tools: a strong arm, size, touch, and football knowledge. Upon arriving in Athens, Stafford was tabbed by ESPN's NFL draft guru Mel Kiper as a future No. 1 pick. This was before he had ever thrown a pass for the Bulldogs.

Now, Kiper's prediction is turning into a prophecy.

Despite the superlatives and accolades that have been bestowed on this duo, they were failures in one very large aspect; they never won a championship. Of any kind.

Two of the most celebrated athletes in Georgia history couldn't do what David Greene and Musa Smith did. Or D.J. Shockley and Thomas Brown.

Now, I'm not saying this is their fault by any means. But the purpose of this post isn't to decide why the Bulldogs have come up empty recently when it comes to SEC titles and BCS titles.

This season in particular, there are plenty of other things to point to. The expectations. The injuries. Plain old lack of talent.

But here's my question. Don't these stars, who stand to make millions thanks to the opportunity the University of Georgia gave them, owe their teammates and their school another shot?

Shouldn't there be some measure of pride and a "sense of duty" for them to accomplish something as a team? I would argue yes.

A portion of my money goes to pay for their scholarships. We chant their names and buy their jerseys. What we have is a Chic-Fil-A Bowl win, a spanking of BCS stepchild Hawaii, and a lackluster win over a mediocre Michigan State team to show for it.

Neither player has ever even played for an SEC title. Again, I don't blame them. But shouldn't they want to do better? For Stafford, the NFL would certainly be waiting next year, again as a potential No. 1 pick. Moreno would be an early first-rounder next year, barring injury. Why not come back and "finish the drill?"

For one, Moreno hails from an extremely distant corner of the Bulldog Nation: Belford, New Jersey. Likewise, Stafford comes from Dallas, the heart of Big 12 country. In essence, neither one has emotional ties to Georgia.

Greene grew up in Gwinnett County, while Shockley is from Atlanta. Georgia was in their blood. For Moreno and Stafford, Georgia has simply been a farm team for the NFL.

Now, let's look at the situation in Gainesville. Saint Tebow grew up in Jacksonville worshipping the Gators. He called playing for Florida a lifelong dream. He considers Urban Meyer a father figure.

For him, winning another title is more appealing than getting NFL money a year early.

I won't accuse Stafford and Moreno of "using" Georgia. The school got plenty out of the duo. They never got in trouble with the law. They represented the school with class.

But their legacy at this school will forever be that of unfulfilled potential. I can't say I would turn down the millions they are likely to receive. But I would like to think I would have a sense of unfinished business.

So while Stafford goes off to become a human pinata for the Lions or Chiefs, the Dawgs will move on. Moreno should enjoy a solid career. Honestly, I don't foresee greatness.

Call it sour grapes. Call it "jilted lover" syndrome. I just think these two owe Georgia and their teammates something.

For what it's worth, I think Joe Cox will bring much-needed passion to the quarterback position. He was a highly-touted recruit and will "fill in" just fine.

So farewell Matthew and Knowshon. We wish you well. Just know, you won't be remembered anywhere near as fondly as Shockley and Thomas Brown. You're not in the same time zone as having a legacy like Tebow's. Enjoy the NFL.

The Worst Week Ever.

I've alluded to the fact before, but it takes a lot to disappoint most Atlanta fans.  This is partially due to the fact that most Atlanta fans are apathetic to sports, and partially to the fact that we've spent the last decade with our football and basketball franchises devolving into Clipper territory, this year notwithstanding.

This week was certainly a lot.  As I type this, the Georgia Men's Basketball team just squandered away a 4 point lead over Tennessee, turning it into a double digit loss over a span of about five minutes.  This by itself is not terribly frustrating, as I don't really expect the mens basketball team to win a conference game, much less over the SEC's elite team.  However, for someone who was looking for just the slightest ray of hope that the Sports Gods do not hate Atlanta, it was just another punch to the stomach.

The starting point for the Worst Week Ever was the Falcons loss on Sunday.  After rallying to obtain a halftime lead, Kurt Warner decided to take the Gabe Kapler approach.  He was inaccurate with his passing, but every completion he made seemed to be in excess of 50 yards.  While Atlanta regained hope behind an impressive touchdown march by Matt Ryan and an incredible tackle by John Abraham resulting in a 3rd and 17 situation; linebacker Keith Brooking inexplicably took the low route in coverage leading to the final nail in the Falcons comeback season.  

While there was plenty of grumbling after the game (and I'm still irate about the "in the grass" safety call that negated a completion and added 2 points to the deficit), the Falcons were significantly better than anyone could have predicted, and Atlanta fans now have a reason to "wait until next year."

The next blow came Wednesday afternoon, when Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno both declared for the draft.  While we all knew that it was coming (especially after they announced a press conference), the little ball of hope inside of me was much more convincing than any sort of logic.  I've also heard from other respected sources that their "little balls of hope" have a lot of faith in Joe Cox.  Citing the Colorado game from three years ago, the sole touchdown drive against Florida, and the fact that he never lost a game in High School, they make a convincing case.  

To Cox's credit, he has the passion for Georgia Football that kept him from transferring to another school, and while he may not have the ridiculous arm strength that catapulted Matthew Stafford to the top of the draft charts, Mark Richt has traditionally taken slightly above-average quarterbacks and led them to prestige, be it Weinke, Ward, or Greene.  Regardless, it's disheartening to see what was possibly the most talented Georgia team ever leave without accomplishing their potential.  

We had still only hit the point of "mildly upset" until the news broke on Thursday afternoon that John Smoltz was going to sign with the Red Sox.  I know Lav gave his opinion on this yesterday.  To his credit, it was well-reasoned and logical. However, he is absolutely wrong.  It is one thing if Smoltz was acting as a mercenary, demanding the Braves outbid every other team.  However, despite the PR spin that Terry McGuirk and the Braves front office have attempted to put out, Smoltz was never officially offered a contract.  

There was speculation about "an offer," but even this conceptual deal was insulting to the man who was not only the legacy of the franchise, but has been one of the most charitable figures for the metro Atlanta area.  To give him incentives for reaching 200 innings is insulting, because it was already known that he wouldn't be able to pitch until almost June, from which 200 innings would involve Atlanta going on a 3.5 man rotation (which ironically seems to be what they'll be able to staff this year).

I would personally be in favor of paying John Smoltz 12 million just to sit on the bench and wear the uniform, because the man has earned it.  I know that's bad business, and quite frankly don't care.  And apparently, I'm not alone.  For those of you who are local, have you EVER seen Atlanta fans this angry?  We're a city whose standard deviation of fans ranges from apathetic to nonexistent, and there is actually a public outcry for Frank Wren's head.  

While I've defended nearly every move that the man has made thus far, he has undone all of it with this.  For a team that came into the offseason with 35 million dollars to play with and no play-mates, a matter of 4 million should not be the difference in letting the city's most beloved athlete leave.  Especially to Boston.  Because while I wish John Smoltz the best next year, I will NEVER cheer for Boston to win a game, much less a championship.

Finally, my Hawks entered this weekend with a chance to cut the Magic's division lead in half.  I'm not even going to acknowledge the final scores of those games, because my spirit was already broke when I received the message from Adam while I was at work reading "Hawks are down 71-33 at the half.  Not a typo."

I'm a notorious optimist.  I think my players are better than they other team's players, they just need to hit their potential.  I defend most personnel moves because I can blindly see prospect stats and cite the future.  I have nothing positive to say about this week, except that it's over.  And the first time I see John Smoltz in a Red Sox jersey, I'm going to have to take a couple sick days from work.  I'll be preoccupied huddled in a fetal position in my bed, hoping to wake up from this horrible nightmare.

Move On and Let Rehabbing Smoltz Walk

The Braves' offseason of maddening miscalculations reached a boiling point late Wednesday night, when ESPN first reported that iconic pitcher John Smoltz was on the verge of signing a $5.5 million, one-year, incentive-laden deal with the Red Sox, ending one of the most fruitful and symbiotic relationships in baseball, if not sports.

And now for the latest up-to-date scoreboard: MLB 4, Braves 0.

Here's a short recap of perhaps the most inglorious three months in team history:

• There were the failed Jake Peavy negotiations, which involved Padres general manager Kevin Towers outmuscling Braves (and Cubs) officials in what became a six-week soap opera that, as we know, ended without resolution.
• There were the failed A.J. Burnett negotiations, which, note the trend, ended with Yankees officials outbiding GM Frank Wren and leaving the penny-pinching Braves desperate and grasping for the next-best free-agent starter.
• There were the misleading negotiations with free-agent shortstop Rafael Furcal, the phantom term sheet, the moratorium on all Paul Kinzer-related clients and the public faceplant the Braves endured.

Those are enough front-office gaffes for half a decade, let alone a single offseason.

And then came Wednesday, and public backlash from the -- you guessed it! -- failed negotiations with John Smoltz.

Four weeks ago it was written in this space that the Braves needed to make a refined and definite splash in the remaining weeks before pitchers and catchers report, or another third-place finish in the NL East was imminent.

Make that a fourth-place finish.

The departure of Smoltz and the, ahem, smoldering residue in the Braves clubhouse, has left obvious questions regarding the direction of the team. Now thrust into Face of the Franchise status, Jones, speaking of his recent conversation with intriguing free-agent Derek Lowe, kicked off his tenure with this barb directed toward team officials, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "He (Lowe) is definitely interested, but this carnage that just happened is not very appealing."

Initial reaction to Smoltz's departure: Slap in the face.

Two days later, after much thought and deliberation: The Braves are better off.

The free-spending Red Sox threw $5.5 million at the rehabbing Smoltz, whom they aren't expecting to contribute until June as he recovers from what was once thought as career-threatening shoulder surgery. If he triggers the incentives clause in his contract, which are reportedly very attainable, that figure can be bumped up to $10 million.

The Braves offered $2.5 million in guaranteed money -- appropriate for a 41-year-old pitcher with five separate right-arm surgeries -- with incentives exceeding $12 million. Because they just got burned for $10 million last season, when Smoltz missed a month with a sore rotator cuff and made just one bullpen appearance in June before announcing he would undergo season-ending surgery, why waste more?

Wren mentioned to reporters Thursday that negotiations with aging players are always considered the most precarious, given the need to respect their past work while still moving the franchise ahead. This is no different.

They have significantly compensated the guy for his labor for the past 21 years, and when the bearded veteran was convinced he was being disrespected, he bolted. So much for mutual respect.

Tom Glavine left in 2003 when the Mets made a more lucrative offer, and he promptly struggled and slunk back to Atlanta with a greater appreciation for the Braves franchise. Here's solace: If Smoltz miraculously stays healthy and wins 10-plus games in 2009, you can bet the Braves will make a hard charge at him during the offseason.

Right now the Braves have to move forward, and as currently constituted, the 2009 squad will finish no better than fourth.

If the Braves acquire Lowe -- and the belief here is they will, regardless of cost -- the starting rotation will be: Lowe, Jurrjens, Vazquez, Glavine and Campillo/Morton/Reyes. Don't forget about uber-prospect Tommy Hanson, who could be recalled from the minors as early as May.

Sure, the Braves lost their most iconic figure, their most respected leader in the clubhouse. But Tim Hudson, who will be out until at least August recovering from Tommy John surgery, can pick up the slack in that department. He was already a mentor to Jurrjens, the 22-year-old phenom who often threw bullpens with Hudson and went over pitching charts before each outing.

Acquire Lowe, the most durable and successful free-agent pitcher still on the market, and this public relations fiasco will eventually be swept under the rug, like it was with Glavine six years ago.

Don't acquire Lowe, and you best find another team to watch in 2009. This product could be ugly.


<3 187

Wonderful World of Bowls

Hopefully, our faithful readers have recovered from their initial round of Falcon-related disappointment and have come to terms with the disappointing loss in Arizona. It's a small miracle the Falcons won five games this year. Be happy. Next year looks good.

While the NFL playoffs are in full force right now, I want to focus on my beloved college version of pigskin. Except for the BCS Title Game and Monday's Fiesta Bowl, bowl season is essentially over. While it wasn't the most memorable bowl season in recent years, it had its share of storylines and great games.

With that in mind, here are the first annual OTR Bowl Season Awards, as voted on by me.

The Jeff Francoeur Award for Offensive Futility

Could this award possibly go to anyone other than Oregon State and Pitt in the Brut Sun Bowl? The game ended 3-0. When Mike Bibby can take one shot and equal the score of an entire football game, people are undoubtedly going to be asleep in the stands. Oregon State, who "won" the game, finished with a respectable 273 yards of total offense. Luckily, the turned the ball over three times to prevent any unnecessary scoring. After all, scoring any more than three is just rubbing it in.

The Lawerence Taylor Award for Best Way to Finish a Career

Pardon me Joe Theismann fans, but I couldn't think of a good name for an award for the best-career ending performance. Not career-ending as in Taylor shattering Theismann's leg, but career-ending as in the final performance of a player's career. It was a stretch, I know.

Pat White gets the nod in this one, playing one of the best games of his fantastic West Virginia career against North Carolina in a surprisingly entertaining Meineke Car Care Bowl. Shouldering the doubts of about every football expert in the country relating to his viability as an NFL quarterback, White proceeded to compelte 26 of 32 passes for 332 yards and three touchdowns while running for 55 more yards.

The Mountaineers beat the Tar Heels 31-30, making White the only college quarterback to ever start and win four bowl games. Now, White awaits his professional fate. After a final dominant performance, many people are clamoring for White to be given a shot as an NFL quarterback. Another popular idea relates to him being a "wildcat" quarterback in the league. With the popularity of the wildcat formation exploding in the NFL, White would fit the mold perfectly of a situation-specific dual-threat guy. Whatever the case, the guy was a Hell of a college player.

The Nigel Gruff Award for Outstanding Special Teams

Named after the strong-legged Welsh kicker in The Replacements, this awards shines some light onto the otherwise unknown triumphs of obscure special teamers.

Florida State punter/kicker earned Game MVP honors in a game that the Seminoles won 42-13. Allow that to jiggle around in your brain for a second. Here's a guy who won the Lou Groza award for best placekicker in the country, yet he absolutely dominates the Champs Sports Bowl as a punter.

Granted, it's hard to dominate a game as a punter. Usually, you are an afterthought. But what Gano did, especially early in the game, was remarkable. Gano punted five times, averaging 48 yards per punt. He had three downed inside the 5-yard line when the game was still tight early.

Punters probably get the least credit out of anyone on the field, including kickers. Gano triumphantly strikes a victory for unknown punters everywhere.

The Larry Johnson Award for "I'd Rather be Anywhere but here."

You just finished the regular season undefeated, losing only in the SEC title game to No. 1 Florida. You get to finish off your sesaon by pounding a non-BCS sacrifice in the Sugar Bowl a-la Georgia last year. Life is good right?

It turns out that Bama fans might still be at Tropical Isle downing Hand Grenades after the beatdown in the Superdome. Except, the beatdown was given to the Tide, not by them. Alabama was rolled 31-17 by Utah in a game that they never had a chance of winning.

At the end of the regular season, a reporter asked Nick Saban how it felt to be one of two undefeated teams left in the country. Saban responded along the lines of, "we're the only undefeated team that plays in a real conference." Classy, Nick. Well, Utah's conference might not be real but the drubbing they delivered to your boys sure was.

You lost left tackle and future top-five pick Andre Smith before the game because he was talking to agents. Sorry, but losing a left tackle shouldn't be the difference between you and Utah. You had no desire to play Utah in that game and it showed. John Parker Wilson played the way everyone thought he would all year. Make no mistake, Saban has the Tide on a very quick rise to prominence. But they aren't the indestrutable empire everyone thought they were.

The Ricky Williams Award for Showing up to a Game Way Too High

I'm sure you've heard by now, but after Georgia Tech eeked by Georgia for the first time in seven years, the players chose to commemorate the event with a ring. They didn't win their division, their conference or a national title, but they decided they needed rings. This is about the same as getting those participation trophies when your little league team has a party at Stevie B's to end the season.

How do you explain that ring? When someone sees a ring like that, the know it's from sports. So they ask you: "Hey, what's that ring for?"

Then, you, as a Tech player, would answer: "Well, we hadn't beaten our biggest rival in seven years. In fact, they had actually been pretty dominant in baseball and pretty competitive in basketball too. But finally, we beat them by three points so we got this ring made."

The Jackets also gave head coach Paul Johnson a 53 percent pay increase after what was seemingly the biggest win in Tech history.

To top off their magical season, Tech would get to play a bowl game in their backyard (ensuring people would actually come), against another "overrated SEC team" on national TV. LSU was 7-5 and 3-5 in the SEC. They barely beat Troy. Their defense was a seive. Time for the perfect option to feast.

Well...no. Tech was still high out of their minds after the Georgia win. The problem with putting so much stock into beating one team is that even if you beat them, there's still more football to be played. As far as the mustard nation was concerned, the pinnacle of football greatness had been achieved. They had beaten the Mutts.

The problem was, the defending national champs were still coming to town with their legions of purple and gold faithful. And the Tech program was drunk with Georgia victory joy. Final score: 38-3 Tigers. Put that on your ring.

The Chinese Food Award for Least-Satisfying Impressive Performance

I love Chinese food. It's delicious. In fact, it's one of my favorites. But as common wisdom holds, you're always hungry an hour later after you eat it. It's just not that satisfying, no matter how good it is.

Such is the nature of Georgia's victory over Michigan State in the Capital One Bowl. The Sports Illustrated cover featuring Georgia as the number one team in the country hung on my living room wall as I watched this one on TV. It mocked me. Here I was sweating out the first half of the Capital One Bowl against the Spartans, while the cover asked, "Who will challenge the Dawgs?"

Well, several teams challenged the Dawgs this year. It was a season of well-documented epic disappointments. The defense was terrible all season. The offense was dynamic but sometimes prone to fatal errors.

So I smiled just a little as the Georgia defense recorded five sacks and erased Javon Ringer from relevancy in the game. I cringed with each Matt Stafford completion, moving him ever closer to NFL riches. And I wasn't overly excited when Knowshon Moreno posed in the end zone after his brilliant, game-sealing touchdown catch. It's unlikely we'll ever see him in the end zone again as a Bulldog.

Georgia played one of its most impressive overall games of the season. It ensured yet another 10-win campaign and a top-15 finish in the polls. Not a bad year by any standards. But it has to be the most diasppointing "good" year in football in the last 10 years.

It's the offseason now, which means there's great hope for next year. I can't wait to see the Dawgs tee it up in Stillwater in September.

Live, from Orlando, it's apathetic bowl showing!

Hello again faithful readers, and thank you for continuing to peruse this blog after a lackluster holiday season where we accomplished no more than a quarter of our usual monthly allotment of sporting pieces.    Fear not though, for as the new year cometh, we have vowed to bring you bigger and better things as reimbursement for continuously hitting that F5 button anxiously awaiting the new update that seemingly would never come.

As the one member of the OTR staff who desired to come out to Orlando (a fact that I am still needlessly bitter about), my initial impression:  This year's class of students at Georgia is extraordinarily weak-spirited.  While I will never cease to be amused by the same scalpers who gouged the price of such high-demand tickets as Georgia Southern to be over $100 now frantically attempting to sell off their $80 bowl ticket for $15 "OBO," I grew somewhat disenchanted with the formerly ravenous fan-base suddenly turning apathetic.  However, on the car-shuttle/plane ride down here, I met a number of alumni, many of which were only subway alumni, who were not only excited about the game but were unable to understand why anybody would not be.  So credit to all of you out there who made the trip to Orlando, or at least would have if you had the opportunity.

The most pressing matter for the Georgia football team right now (aside from such trivial matters as getting the victory) is going to be the status of the NFL Draft.  Sadly, as the bowl game nears, I see an increasing number of articles focused not on the team game plan and anecdotal stories about Vince Vance in Disneyworld, but instead geared towards the depressing matter of draft talk.  

Matthew Stafford's stock seemingly took a dip with Sam Bradford's Heisman Ceremony, but as time passes the margin between the two quarterbacks is fluctuating back to it's normal degree.  The only question for him is whether or not it is worth abandoning his reverence and the obscene amount of college tail for an abundance of "Welcome to the NFL" moments courtesy of the offensive lines of either Detroit or Kansas City.  Oddly enough, I think Stafford would prefer to play for the "worse" of the those two teams, as playing for Detroit would enable him to play with two offensively gifted players in Calvin Johnson and Kevin Smith, whereas a trip to the midwest would force the rookie quarterback to be in a locker room with the perpetually embittered Larry Johnson and the increasingly-creaky, increasingly-cranky veteran Tony Gonzalez. 

Aside from Seattle, Kansas City may be one of the worst situations for Stafford, which may be enough for him to stay, now that the rookie salary cap is no longer a factor.  Fortunately for the Bulldogs, Quarterback is the one position I never worry about for the team.  Despite four unspectacular games from Joe Tereshinski III two years ago, Mark Richt is the man who developed college football players like Ward, Weinke, Greene, and Shockley, all of whom had little difficulty with the NCAA game despite not having the raw talent for the NFL.  With a plethora of options to choose from (incumbent backup Joe Cox, punt returner Logan Gray, or the Richt-preferred method of rookie quarterback in Aaron Murray or Zach Mettenberger), Georgia should worry about quarterback being a detriment to the team next year, Stafford or no.

Moreno's draft stock is somewhat less clear.  Whereas Stafford is a consensus top-3 pick right now, the explosive running back has been projected to go anywhere from the Browns at #7 to the Patriots (Please God No) at #24.  Personally, I forsee him going to the Broncos at #21, now that Mike Shanahan is no longer there to run his crazy running-back schemes. 

Moreno is more likely to leave given the shelf life of running backs, which spells bad news for the Dawgs.  While Georgia certainly has the talent to replace him with highly-touted freshmen Caleb King and Richard Samuel, neither of the two proved that they were capable of shouldering the full load this season, with Samuel showing explosiveness but fumble-happiness, and King appearing apathetic to his blocking assignment leading to a share of hard hits for Stafford.

I do believe both players when they say that they haven't given too much thought to declaring early, though not because I think the decision to stay in school is pressing to them.  Rather, I think each of them knows that if the other declares without them, their stock will likely take a fall next year.  If one or both of them has a strong enough game to boost their stock significantly, both are gone.  Likewise, if one of them performs poorly enough that their stock takes a hit, both will return.  While the shame of never winning any sort of championship has probably been on both players minds, it is certainly not going to be the deciding factor when millions of dollars are on the table.

Neither of their decisions are truly the most pressing matter for Georgia, however.  Both players were at their finest for the last few games of the season, and Georgia looked increasingly beatable.  This will also likely weigh heavily on their decision for next year, as both players performing near their peak was not enough for Georgia to beat Tech this year, so why would next year be any different?  It's going to take a very strong showing from Willie Martinez's defensive unit against the very talented Javon Ringer to convince anybody that this team is worth giving anything up for.

For now, however, the draft is almost five months away.  To all of you out there, I implore you to have a good time tonight, and be safe.  Tomorrows a fresh new year for everyone, whether it be you or me or Willie Martinez, and there's no better way to start off a new year the a decisive victory by Georgia.  I'm going to refrain from predicting a score here, as my Big-10 bias is going to sway the spread significantly, but I'm fairly confident that Georgia will at least cover the spread, for what seems to be the first time this season.  It will certainly be the first time of the year.

Until next time...

Lowdown on the NFL Showdowns

CANANDAIGUA, NY -- While attending to a golf ball-sized blister on the bottom of my right foot, your trusty OTR Sports correspondent got to thinking about the NFL playoffs. And in particular, what teams are limping into this weekend’s Wild Card matchups.

That’s easy: The Cardinals, who conveniently host the hometown Falcons on Saturday afternoon.

Despite beating the hapless Seahawks, 34-21, on Sunday, the Cardinals have dropped four of their last six games, and all four losses came against eventual playoff teams.

They are looking for some consistency offensively, outside bona fide MVP candidate Kurt Warner, who has made everyone except your noteworthy scribe forget about wunderkind Matt Leinart, who could be shotguning beers and making sweet love to Kristin from Laguna Beach and it wouldn’t even draw a look from coach Ken Whisenhunt.

Anyway, the Cardinals were a chic pick for the Super Bowl two months ago, when their fancy forward pass was all the rage with those hip college kids. It’s still impressive, but they also lead the playoff teams in two dubious categories: Greatest disparity in offensive playcalling and most points allowed.

The Cardinals’ leading rusher was Edgerrin James -- yes, he’s still alive -- with 514 yards. Michael Turner, who leads the Falcons in rushing, has 1,699, more than three times James’ total.

Edge went over 100 yards Sunday for just the second time this season. In seven games prior, the Cardinals’ rushing yards read like this: 22, 40, 21, 10, 32, 23, 19.

Those are yards. Not points.

The Falcons haven’t exactly been stylish in winning their past three games, but there’s some cliché about not awarding style points that you can insert here.

Since passing for a career-high 315 yards on Dec. 7 against the Saints, freshly-minted AP offensive rookie of the year Matt Ryan’s numbers in his last three games have been modest: 400 yards, two TDs, four INTs.

But if Ryan needs to pass 40 times on Saturday -- and he shouldn’t -- the Falcons will lose.

Turner needs 150 yards. Ryan needs 200 against one of the most porous defenses in the NFL. Jason Elam, why couldn’t you lead Bauer Football to the Fantasy Football Promise Land??

You know we’ve all entered an alternate universe when the Falcons, predicted by The Sporting News to finish 1-15, are favored by 2.5 to win in Glendale. And it should be noted that your interested observer predicted the Falcons to finish with six or seven wins when he boldly stated as much Oct. 18 on the now-defunct 2 Guys, 1 Blog. Sure do miss that template.

Final score: Falcons 24, Cardinals 20.

Pick to win the NFC: Eagles. Just watch. Colts will win the AFC.


More Grumblings from around the NFL:

-- After getting thoroughly embarrassed in a 44-6 loss in Philadelphia, Cowboys coach Wade Phillips -- he retains that title for now -- vowed to get tougher with his players. Sounds eerily familiar to four weeks before he was canned in Buffalo for lacking intensity on the sidelines.

He’s a great defensive coordinator -- note his work with the Bills and Chargers -- but he just doesn’t have the demeanor to galvanize a locker room -- particularly a locker room with the most egos in sports.


-- Say what you will about the despised Hoodie, but this was Bill Belichick’s most impressive coaching job of his career. It far surpasses the 16-0 regular season or any of the three Super Bowls he won with a bevy of talent.

When prized QB Tom Brady went down Week 1, Belichick was forced to mold a talent, Matt Cassell, who hadn’t thrown a pass since high school. Eleven wins and one uplifting Miami victory later, the Pats are, alas, left out of this year’s playoffs.

If not for rousing coaching debuts by first-year coaches Mike Smith, John Harbaugh and Tony Sparano, Belichick would be my humble pick for Coach of the Year.


-- According to published reports late Tuesday afternoon, the Bills will retain embattled coach Dick Jauron for another season. As has been reported all fall, Jauron signed a contract extension earlier this season through 2011, though it is highly unlikely he’ll make it that far.

The question now is whether 90-year-old owner Ralph Wilson will keep his coach, who has infuriated the fan base with his error-prone playcalling and nonexistent second-half adjustments. Should Jauron have been fired? Eh, probably. The Bills are the perennial underachievers, settling for a 7-9 season -- again.

Jauron now has the shortest leash in the NFL, and if he were to be fired, it’s a rather appealing position. The Bills have a solid run game with Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson, who came on strong the last three weeks of the season while Lynch was injured. And they have a progressing quarterback in Trent Edwards, who is still a few years away from reaching his full potential.

The biggest need for the Bills, however, is acquiring an offensive lineman and a playmaking outside linebacker to compliment Kamika Mitchell.


-- Detroit’s perfectly imperfect season may have impacted one impressionable observer: Matthew Stafford.

Stafford, projected as a top-3 pick by several draft gurus if he decides to forgo his senior season, could be selected first by the Lions if they aren’t swayed by Heisman winner and Oklahoma sophomore Sam Bradford’s dizzying passing numbers.

Would you want to play for the Lions, who on Sunday became the first NFL team to go 0-16 in a season?

Well, yes and no.

Yes: You’d get an opportunity to play right away, knowing the champion from the Punt, Pass and Kick competition could likely beat out incumbent Dan Orklovsky for the starting job. You have two dynamic playmakers on offense, WR Calvin Johnson and RB Kevin Smith. Everyone will be starting fresh under a new coach, after Rod Marinelli was fired on Black Monday. And you get to play your home games inside, a quarterback’s dream.

No: You get an opportunity to play right away. With a team that just finished 0-16, the rookie season could be filled with several Welcome to the NFL Moments. Never good for the psyche. Either is losing 11 games, which the Lions will do unless they significantly shore up the most defenseless defense in the league. And you may be playing under the most dysfunctional front office in sports.


-- Said it around this time last year, and this year we’ll say it even more vehemently: Brett Favre needs to retire.

An MRI on Favre’s ailing right arm showed a torn biceps tendon, which may have been the result of too many curls with the Big Guy. Nonetheless, the injury won’t require “major” surgery, meaning Favre should ready for training camp, which is a must for a 38-year-old quarterback who was downright horrible during the latter stages of the season, surely the main contributor to the Jets’ implosion.


<3 187

They can have whatever they like

From a young age, we are taught that the Holiday season is kinder to some than others. While many children run down the stairs and see a mountain of presents under the tree, others are treated to a rusty bike and an alcoholic uncle. You get the idea.

Undoubtedly, the New York Yankees are the rich kids with the pile of video games while the Atlanta Braves got nothing but a Festivus beatdown from drunk Uncle Randall.

I don't mean to be a Scrooge. The Yankees are well within their rights to pay their players more than the GDP of several countries. There is no salary cap in baseball. This is well known. The Steinbrenner clan has more money than they know what to do with, aparently.

Well, they found something to do with it. They showered C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira with gigantic contracts to try to once again buy a championship.

If this sounds like sour grapes, I assure you that it isn't. The Braves' lack of recent success has nothing to do with payroll. Atlanta ranked a respectable 10th in the league in payroll last season. Tampa won the AL East and the American League pennant with a payroll that ranked 29th in the league. The only team that paid their players less was their Sunshine State neighbors the Florida Marlins.

Within the world of baseball, the Yankees are the equivalent Pacman Jones walking into the strip club, making it rain, and making all the dancers forget that you have 20 bucks worth of singles in the corner trying to get a dance. It's perfectly legal, but something just doesn't sit right.

First off, the Yankees better win the World Series this year. No excuses. They have spent money at such a mind-boggling rate, that there is no possible justification for ending the year without a title. Unless, of course, there are catastrophic injuries.

Last year's Rays won 97 ballgames with a payroll just over $43 million per year. That comes out to about $448,000 paid per win. The Yankees' payroll in 2009 figures to be at least $210 million. In order for the Yankees to get the kind of value per win that the Rays got, they would have to win 469 games in 2009. I think you see my point.

Now of course, not every team will get the bank for their buck that the Rays got. It's very rare for a team like the Rays to succeed. But the Yankees have outspent everyone by miles.

Despite the on-field issues of expectations due to such a payroll, here's what really gets my blood boiling about the Yankees spending spree. The Yankees demanded that the city of New York pitch in substantially for the construction of the new Yankee Stadium. With an economy on life support and millions without jobs, the Yankees thought that Mark Teixeira and A.J. Burnett were worth more than the money of their fans.

Not only that, but "ticket license" packages at Yankee Stadium start at $350 per seat...per game. Not a typo. Read it again.

I'm not asking the Yankees to become a charity. I'm not asking them to stop being the biggest spenders in all of sports. But for goodness sakes close the gap a little bit. Bring some perspective back to the game. Does a guy like Teixeira, who has never finished in the top 6 of an MVP vote, really need a $180 million contract?

Don't you think you would be better served to, I don't know, develop a pitcher or two instead of blindly gobbling up whatever big name is on the market?

We all know how bad the Ian Kennedy debacle was but don't give up yet. I'm not a Yankee fan. I don't know what it's like to be a Yankee fan. But I do know that a big part of my enjoyment of the Braves' success during their 14-year run was the fact that Atlanta developed those players themselves.

Glavine, Smoltz, Chipper, Andruw, Furcal and Justice were all homegrown. Every once in a while we got a huge free agent or trade like Maddux and McGriff. But we didn't live and die buy it.

Personally, I'm not convinced the Yanks will be any better equipped to take on the Rays this year than the Red Sox were last year. No doubt, the Yankees have talent. But at what cost?

If you have the money to spend almost half a BILLION dollars on three contracts in one offseason, you should probably build your own damn stadium. I'm sure the city of New York has plenty of use for that money.

I won't get into the supposed sweetheart deals between Mayor Bloomberg's office and the Yankees for luxury box rights. Although it does reek of scandal.

If the Yanks win the title this year, they will most certainly have earned it with their wallets. Call me old fashioned, but I prefer a franchise that earns in with shrewd management and talent development.

But what do I know? I'm just a Braves fan. At least we re-signed Greg Norton!