The move comes as the Packers look to switch to a 3-4 defense next year. Raji’s strength, size and speed could make him a vital piece of the puzzle going forward.

That’s the only local pick in the top 10 so far.

As expected, the Lions took Georgia QB Matthew Stafford #1. Another big pick is Darrius Heyward-Bey going to the Raiders at #7, adding a big time wide receiver to the corps of young offensive potential in Oakland.

Stick with http://blastmagazine.com for more sports coverage!

If T.O. couldn’t get along with Jeff Garcia, Donovan McNabb and Tony Romo, let’s see how he acts when Trent Edwards skips numerous passes to him and the losses mount up.

Bundchen and Brady, according to the celebrity magazine, got married Thursday in a Catholic wedding mass in Los Angeles.

The bride, 28, donned a form-fitting ivory lace strapless gown with a trumpet skirt, scalloped edges, long train and a floor-length veil with attached handmade satin roses and attached satin headband, all by Dolce & Gabbana. Her three dogs also wore matching Dolce & Gabbana floral lace collars.

Us said the ceremony began ad dusk and was “very small and intimate,” according to a source.

Immediate family was there but so were Tom’s ex-girlfriend Bridget Moynahan and their son.

Bundchen, 28, with Brady, 31 since 2006. She had previously been linked to Leonardo DiCaprio.

Bundchen is a Brazilian-born supermodel who grew to American fame for her Victoria’s Secret ads.

“We today have released Marvin Harrison because of salary cap considerations,” Polian said.

“Marvin let us know his preference was to be released. Both Jim Irsay and I felt very strongly that after Marvin’s long and dedicated service to the Colts, we would, in this painful circumstance, be guided by Marvin’s wishes.

“This is a sad day for the Colts. Marvin Harrison, in addition to being a certain Hall of Famer, has been a good friend, model professional and a loyal and dedicated teammate. His record-setting achievements brought about by immense talent, work ethic and dignified professional demeanor have thrilled Colts fans for a generation. Marvin today takes his place alongside Raymond Berry, forming the greatest receiving tandem in Colts history. He will, in due time, join Raymond in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and take his rightful place with the greatest players in the history of the game.

“On behalf of his legion of fans in Indianapolis and his many friends and admirers in the Colts organization, Jim Irsay and I sincerely thank Marvin for all he has done for us. We wish him every blessing and success in the future.”

“When Marvin’s playing career comes to an end, we look forward to bringing him “Home” to Indianapolis, installing him in the Ring of Honor and joining all his fans in thanking him and celebrating his remarkable career.

“Godspeed Marvin, we will miss you.”

Mandewille was diagnosed with an abnormal heart valve, which is not considered life-threatening, but the problem could become dangerous under the strenuous training regimens of the NFL.

“I told him his health and well-being is what’s important,” Northeastern coach Rocky Hager told the Boston Herald. “I don’t know if that means he’ll continue in a career in sports, but then everybody’s career in sports eventually comes to an end. But I think he’s so well grounded and his parents have done a great job raising him and he always has the right attitude.”

Mandeville caught 63 passes for 863 yards and seven touchdowns in 33 games, worthy of earning first-team All-New England honors. Northeastern’s I-AA football program went 2-10 last year and hasn’t had a winning season since 2003.

This would be huge news if he hadn’t already gone through his long, dramatic “retirement” last year. And even if he is serious this time, it seems as though the general public is ready for him to go away. At this point, the whole New York Jets experiment is nothing more than the answer to a trivia question. The Jets, however, seem to think it was worth it.

“I had a great conversation with Brett this morning,” owner Woody Johnson said in a statement. “Considering that he came from a totally different environment and joined our team during training camp, his performance last season was extraordinary. As I spoke with people throughout the organization, they all told me how much they enjoyed working with him. Brett Favre is a Hall-of-Fame player, but he is also a Hall-of-Fame person. Brett, Deanna and his family will always be a part of the Jets family.”

After spending some $140 million on free agents, the Jets ended the season poorly on their way to a 9-7 record, which was surely not good enough to make the playoffs in the ultra-competitive AFC. Favre contributed his fair share to the disappointing season as he led the NFL in interceptions (again) with 22. And his 79.3 passer rating over the second half of the season was a big reason that head coach Eric Mangini got fired.

Favre should have just done the right thing last season and stayed retired. Instead, he cost people their jobs in NY and divided a locker room. It’s time for Brett to go away. He is overrated. For all the talk of how he is a non-mortal, he only won one Super Bowl, which puts him in elite company along with Trent Dilfer, Brad Johnson and Mark Rypien.

Please, Brett, I hope you are serious this time. Stay retired and stop destroying teams and reputations.

If you remember back in August, 2008, Q (what his teammates like to call him and a letter worth 10 points in the board game Scrabble) had this to say to the NFL Network:

“At this point we have no relationship, and I don’t see that changing. It’s just gotten to a point where I think lines were crossed. If you ask me, coaches should be coaches, management should be management, and I don’t think those lines should be crossed. But when you cross those lines, you put yourself in position for things like this to happen.”

Even with obvious frustration and bitterness towards the Cardinals organization, Boldin finished with 89 catches for 1,038 yards, including a career-high 11 touchdowns. And after a devastating hit that required titanium plates and 40 titanium screws to help repair facial injuries, Q was back on the field after only missing two games. An organization should learn how to respect a player like this. Despite them making it to the Super Bowl this year, they still are the Arizona Cardinals.

After doing his best to not create any controversy during the regular season and playoffs, minus the altercation with his offensive coordinator during the Eagles game, Anquan is expressing his discontent again, this time to USA Today after Thursday’s NFC practice for the Pro Bowl:

“I don’t think the relationship can be repaired with the organization. It takes more than, ‘Well, we did you wrong and we’ll pay you this.’ It’s not about the money. It was always about the principle. Guys being true to their word. I guess I was expected to uphold my end of the bargain, and it wasn’t reciprocated…..We’ve been talking to them for two years, and they still haven’t made anything happen.”

Anquan has two years left on his contract that some people say he should honor, plus one more if Arizona decides to franchise him. If this played out, Boldin would be 31 years young old before he could negotiate a new deal and get himself out of the desert.

None of us know exactly what happened between Boldin and the coaches/management, but something did and he obviously is not happy about it. That, plus the almost-career-ending hit Boldin took during the Jets game gives him all the right in the world to do his best in getting paid now.

The NFL is a business. NFL teams don’t have to honor contracts, yet people feel the NFL players should. I’m not one of them. Anquan has been an amazing player during his six-year career. He’s shown tremendous work ethic, on and off the field. If the Arizona Cardinals don’t feel like paying him, I’m sure there are plenty of NFL teams that will.

I have no problem with Boldin expressing how he feels and saying the things he says. Ultimately, he has to look out for himself, like anyone else would in any other career. Hopefully, Anquan will get his wish and be able to put on a different uniform on at the start of the 2009 season.

If the Patriots choose to keep him, they will be charged $14.65 million, as the franchise tag grants a player the average of the top five salaries in the NFL at his position.

Depending on the rehab schedule of Tom Brady, the Pats could also opt to trade Cassel and not have some $29 million committed to one position on the team.

Cassel completed 63.4% of his passes and threw for 3,693 yards and 21 touchdowns with 11 picks while leading the team to 11 wins.

A source told the Daily News that “Matt told him to wait his turn and headed into the urinals.”

So then the guy barges in and proceeds to urinate all over Cassel’s leg. The drunk was tossed and Matt then returned to the party with pee on his leg.

Unreal.

Phenomenal, phenomenal game.

If you are trying to get a hold of Guilfoil, don’t bother. He just dialed 866-NFL-5959 to buy his eco-friendly Super Bowl hat and t-shirt. So he’ll be busy for a while.

Lynn Swann was the MVP of Super Bowl X, and Hines Ward took the award in 2005’s Super Bowl XL.

Mr. Holmes didn’t put up huge numbers during the season, but had a big day when it counted. Hence, Santonio Swann.

T.O.’s best friends and publicists, Monique Jackson and Kita Williams, will help Terrell try to get his crap together. They will act as “matchmakers and therapists” for him.

Would anyone want that job? Didn’t think so. And you can call this show stupid all you like, you know we’ll all be watching.

Well, this time, Pacman Jones is being sued by his former agent/attorney Manny Arora, who claims that Pacman owes him some $10,000 in lawyer’s fees. Apparently, the Altanta-based attorney represented Jones or his family in 18 separate cases, which makes you wonder how the fees are only in the $10k range.

The Cowboys recently released Pacman after ESPN drudged up an old story that was already discussed a long time ago because that’s the type of news agency they are.

The suit lists Deborah Jones, James Jones, Lewis Kueffor and Fleming Daniels as the defendants that Arora assisted. The charges range from speeding to kidnapping and simple battery. Oh, and that’s right, Daniels actually was charged with murder. And you thought Pacman was the big a-hole? Sounds like he’s the choir boy in his family.

Pacman has been arrested six times and has been involved in a dozen incidents with the cops since the Titans drafted him in 2005.

“McGahee was released from Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh early this morning and returned immediately to Baltimore,” said Kevin Byrne, the Ravens’ senior V.P. of public and community relations. “He is resting at his home today. It is expected that Willis will have a complete recovery from the head and neck injuries he suffered last night.”

It was reported last night that he had a concussion and would end up being fine. That seems to be the case.

With the emergence of LaRon McClain and Ray Rice, it’s unlikely that McGahee will be back with the Ravens next season.

The sources told Mort that he signed a four-year deal and that an announcement will come later on Monday. Ryan will be introduced at a press conference on Wednesday, according to the sources.

Apparently, Ryan’s deal is almost identical to the four-year $11.5 million deal that Steve Spagnuolo signed in St. Louis last week.

Ryan is the son of former Eagles and Cardinals head coach Buddy Ryan. He has a brother Rob who also coaches in the NFL.

That’s right, the Bucs have fired Gruden and Allen and will not look to rebuild their front office.

Gruden was 57-55 during his tenure with the Bucs, but he did win a Super Bowl. Granted, it was with Tony Dungy’s defense, but he won nonetheless.

Toomer, who turns 35 this year, has been with the Giants for 13 seasons. He began the season second on the Giants’ all-time list with 10,344 all-purpose yards.

He is also the Giants’ record holder for receptions, receiving yards, touchdown catches and 100+ yard receiving games.

His contract is up this year, and ESPN says that’s the end for Amani.

“I think it’s ridiculous to be talking about trade and me not being here, that’s just my personal opinion,” Tomlinson told Jim Trotter of SI.com. “I know every team has a right to make trades and all this stuff, but I just think it’s ridiculous to be talking about this, to have this stuff in the media when this could be handled behind closed doors and in a professional way. Now I have people calling me, talking about this all the time; this has become a big story and I don’t want this.”

Tomlinson is set to make $6.275 million next year and $24 million over the next three years. For an aging tailback that has been run into the ground since his rookie year in 2001? Yeah, I don’t think so. And it doesn’t seem that General Manager A.J. Smith thinks so either.

“L.T. will be discussed in great length on a number of issues by this organization based on [the three years he has remaining on his contract],” G.M. A.J. Smith told SI. “Now that may be shocking to you or it may be shocking to L.T. or anyone else out there, and if it is I don’t know what to tell you; but as the general manager of the football team, the recommendations I’m going to make to Dean Spanos, like I’ve done all these years, I think it’s valid to discuss a football player like L.T. and [what has happened] the last couple of years, looking ahead to a contract that has three years remaining on it.”

That doesn’t sound good.

“All of that may be stunning to people, but as the GM here — where I told you I would pass his name a few years ago — it will be discussed heavily,” he continued. “I think it’s valid; I don’t think it’s ridiculous. I think it’s important at this point in time, as unreasonable as that may sound to many people or to you, I think it’s a sound football decision.”

That sounds less good. He’s hardly speaking like a guy who can’t wait to have L.T. return to the fold.

But, what do the Chargers plan to do, cut him? It’s possible. Given the money that he is set to earn, who would give up anything worth a damn in a trade? He’s been plagued by injuries the past two years and when it’s a running backs time, it’s his time. It goes pretty quickly.

However, according to several GM’s, who spoke to SI on condition of anonymity, there would actually be some market for him, although none could imagine giving up a first-day pick.

“You could see from those final two games that he played in when he was healthy that he still has juice,” said one GM. “But running backs who have had as many touches as him tend to drop off quickly after 30, and he’s had problems with injuries.”

Regardless, it seems like L.T.’s time in San Diego is over.

-Giants QB Eli Manning (does he slur and lisp when he Tweets?)

-Snowboarder Shaun White

-NY Jets safety Kerry Rhodes

-Skateboarder Mike Vallely (who? Ok, if you say so)

-Phoenix Suns center Shaquille O’Neal

-Golfer Natalie Gulbis (mmmmmm…I’m not into celebs, but I’d follow her wherever. She’s got huuuge Tweets)

-Former 49er WR Jerry Rice

-Overexposed Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps

-Tennis player Andy Murray

-Bicyclist Lance Armstrong

Dungy is holding a 5 P.M. press conference today, where he is expected to make his official announcement.

Dungy finishes his head coaching career with a 92-33 record and a Super Bowl victory. He also made the playoffs in each of his seven seasons as coach of the Colts.

“It’s a great thing to be the first of anything, especially to be nominated for something like the Butkus Award,” said Ware, who was named to the NFL’s All-Pro team for the third straight year. “To be known as the most well-rounded linebacker, you have to able to drop into coverage, rush the passer but also to be able to stop the run when it comes at you.”

To win the Butkus Award, you have to be a complete player.

“The criteria is a three-down player who’s not taken out and not a specialty player, like a lot of them are,” Butkus said. “I’m very happy with the choice. He’s an impact player. He goes after it. That’s what I like.”

OFFENSE

Quarterback
Peyton Manning, Indianapolis, 28; Drew Brees, New Orleans, 10; Philip Rivers, San Diego, 9; Chad Pennington, Miami, 2; Kurt Warner, Arizona, 1.

y-Running Backs
Adrian Peterson, Minnesota, 45; Michael Turner, Atlanta, 40; DeAngelo Williams, Carolina, 13; Clinton Portis, Washington, 1.

Fullback
Le’Ron McClain, Baltimore, 38; Madison Hedgecock, NY Giants, 5; Mike Sellers, Washington, 4; Tony Richardson, NY Jets, 2; Ovie Mughelli, Atlanta, 1.

Tight End
Tony Gonzalez, Kansas City, 33; Jason Witten, Dallas, 14; Dallas Clark, Indianapolis, 2; Antonio Gates, San Diego, 1.

Wide Receivers
Andre Johnson, Houston, 45; Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona, 21; Steve Smith, Carolina, 16; Wes Welker, New England, 6; Anquan Boldin, Arizona, 5; Roddy White, Atlanta, 4; Brandon Marshall, Denver, 1; Randy Moss, New England, 1; Calvin Johnson, Detroit, 1.

Tackles
Jordan Gross, Carolina, 34; Michael Roos, Tennessee, 32; Ryan Clady, Denver, 14; David Stewart, Tennessee, 3; Walter Jones, Seattle, 3; Jason Peters, Buffalo, 3; David Diehl, NY Giants, 3; Joe Thomas, Cleveland, 3; Chris Samuels, Washington, 2; Jon Runyan, Philadelphia, 1; Levi Brown, Arizona, 1; Ryan Harris, Denver, 1.

Guards
Steve Hutchinson, Minnesota, 40; Chris Snee, NY Giants, 32; Kris Dielman, San Diego, 10; Alan Faneca, NY Jets, 7; Logan Mankins, New England, 4; Leonard Davis, Dallas, 2; Travelle Wharton, Carolina, 2; Harvey Dahl, Atlanta, 1; Ben Grubbs, Baltimore, 1; Justin Smiley, Miami, 1.

Center
Kevin Mawae, Tennessee, 25; Shaun O’Hara, NY Giants, 18; Nick Mangold, NY Jets, 3; Jeff Saturday, Indianapolis, 2; Casey Wiegmann, Denver, 1; Todd McClure, Atlanta, 1.

Placekicker
Stephen Gostkowski, New England, 28; John Carney, NY Giants, 13; Rob Bironas, Tennessee, 3; Jason Hanson, Detroit, 3; Phil Dawson, Cleveland, 2; Jason Elam, Atlanta, 1.

Kick Returner
Leon Washington, NY Jets, 19; Clifton Smith, Tampa Bay, 16; Leodis McKelvin, Buffalo, 4; Josh Cribbs, Cleveland, 4; Darren Sproles, San Diego, 2½; Johnnie Lee Higgins, Oakland, 1½; Roscoe Parrish, Buffalo, 1; Justin Miller, Oakland, 1; Reggie Bush, New Orleans, 1.

DEFENSE

Ends
Justin Tuck, NY Giants, 26; Jared Allen, Minnesota, 21; Julius Peppers, Carolina, 20; John Abraham, Atlanta, 17; Mario Williams, Houston, 8; Dwight Freeney, Indianapolis, 4; Aaron Smith, Pittsburgh, 2; DeMarcus Ware, Dallas, 1; Trent Cole, Philadelphia, 1.

Tackles
Albert Haynesworth, Tennessee, 49; Kevin Williams, Minnesota, 25; Kris Jenkins, NY Jets, 11; Haloti Ngata, Baltimore, 6; Jay Ratliff, Dallas, 3; Casey Hampton, Pittsburgh, 2; Shaun Rogers, Cleveland, 2; Pat Williams, Minnesota, 1; Fred Robbins, NY Giants, 1.

Outside Linebackers
DaMarcus Ware, Dallas, 45; James Harrison, Pittsburgh, 38; Joey Porter, Miami, 13; Terrell Suggs, Baltimore, 2; LaMarr Woodley, Pittsburgh 1; Derrick Brooks, Tampa Bay, 1.

y-Inside Linebacker
Ray Lewis, Baltimore, 39; Jon Beason, Carolina, 18; Patrick Willis, San Francisco, 17; James Farrior, Pittsburgh, 12; London Fletcher, Washington, 8; Barrett Ruud, Tampa Bay, 1; James Harrison, Pittsburgh, 1; Stewart Bradley, Philadelphia, 1; Bart Scott, Baltimore, 1; Jerod Mayo, New England, 1.

Cornerbacks
Nnamdi Asomugha, Oakland, 32; Cortland Finnegan, Tennessee, 31; Charles Woodson, Green Bay, 17; Antoine Winfield, Minnesota, 10; Asante Samuel, New England, 3; Darrelle Revis, NY Jets, 2; Champ Bailey, Denver, 1; Ronde Barber, Tampa Bay, 1; Corey Webster, NY Giants 1; Will Allen, Miami, 1; Terence Newman, Dallas, 1.

Safeties
Ed Reed, Baltimore, 50; Troy Polamalu, Pittsburgh, 46; Adrian Wilson, Arizona, 2; Quintin Mikell, Philadelphia, 1; Nick Collins, Green Bay, 1.

Punter
Shane Lechler, Oakland, 25; Donnie Jones, St. Louis, 10; Jeff Feagles, NY Giants, 6; Sam Koch, Baltimore, 5; Mike Scifres, San Diego, 3; Brad Maynard, Chicago, 1.

Richard Chambers, 45, plead guilty on Thursday to charges of misleading police and perjury, when he told investigators that the last person he saw with the doctor was a man that looked like then NFL QB Boomer Esiason.

The case is still unsolved, but Dr. Timothy Stryker was found liable in civil court in 2006 and ordered to pay $15 million to Goudey’s family.

Boomer Esiason can finally relax.

This was one of Guilfoil’s day job stories.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones even assigned him his own security guards to follow him around to make sure he didn’t get in any trouble. Didn’t happen. He still got into a fight with a security guard in a hotel bathroom and was suspended four games for the incident. Surely, Jones doesn’t believe he can keep his nose clean for an entire offseason and doesn’t want to deal with the headaches.

As it is now, Jones has enough headaches on the roster.

UPDATE: Well isn’t this something?

A team source told Ed Werder that Pacman was released after the team learned that Pacman was involved in a second shooting in 2007. In an upcoming “Outside the Lines” segment, three Atlanta men allege that Jones arranged for someone to shoot at them just three months after he was suspended for a year by the NFL.

“He was surprised, and I think he was obviously somewhat hurt,” said Worrick Robinson, Jones’ agent. “At the same time, he understands the business behind what is happening here.”

“Outside the Lines” was told by an informant that Jones ordered the shooting following a dispute with one of the men. Authorities say the case is open, but they are not actively investigating the matter. Whatever that means.

It’s tough to think at this point that Jones won’t get a lifetime ban from the NFL.

Mangini was shown the door in New York after his Jets stumbled from an 8-3 record to a 9-7 finish and missed the playoffs. It’s a stunning move considering Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum still has a job. It was Tannenbaum who traded for Brett Favre and spent all that money on Calvin Pace, Alan Faneca, Damien Woody and Kris Jenkins, while trading away Jonathan Vilma and Jon Abraham. Yeah, that’s Mangini’s fault.

B.C. warned Jagodzinski that if he interviewed for the head coaching vacancy of the N.Y. Jets that they would fire him. Apparently, they weren’t kidding.

“Jeff and I were really divided on the future of this program,” said B.C.’s athletic director Gene DeFilippo. “I just thought I hired a coach that I thought was going to be here a long time and I thought Jeff was that guy. I am looking for someone who can give a commitment of at least four or five years, for the length of the contract.”

He said that there will be an interim coach assigned until he can find a long-term replacement.

Harrison is a Philly native and owns several businesses in the area, including the car wash where the gun was eventually recovered. We should know on Tuesday afternoon the extent to which Harrison was involved. If he was involved in the shooting as he was in the Colts offense this year, he should be cleared of all wrong doing.

UPDATE: Abraham announced that there is not sufficient evidence to prosecute Harrison.

“I know it’s an individual award, but … truly, in my opinion, a team award,” said Manning, who won the award mainly because no one else was having a truly dominant season.

“It’s been the most rewarding regular season that I’ve been a part of in my 11 years, and I have to believe a lot of the other players and even coaches might feel the same way,” Manning continued.

Manning got off to a slow start to the 2008 season after having two offseason surgeries on a bursa sac in his left knee. His Colts started 3-4, but he’s had them rolling ever since, winning nine straight.

Despite the sluggish start, he still extended his NFL record of 4,000-yard seasons to nine and finished with 27 touchdown passes, 12 interceptions and a 95.0 passer rating.

“It’s just been different,” Manning said. “It’s been an entirely different season. I think the one thing that’s been inaccurate is that the seasons we were starting out 13-0, 8-0, 7-0, that it was easy. So all of a sudden this year we are 3-4 and now things are hard. Believe me, it’s never easy to win a game. I’ve never taken for granted winning a football game.”

Pennington revived a 1-15 Dolphins team and took them to the playoffs with an 11-5 record this season.

“I think in my experience over the last nine years is that when you’re winning, you feel appreciated; when you’re losing, it gets a little tough,” he said. “That’s just part of winning and losing, especially in this league because the stakes are high, a lot of eyes watching you, both individually and as a team.

“I don’t think the appreciation level ever changes, you just have to understand that there’s always going to be highs and lows. And it’s always to the extreme because the middle of the road doesn’t sail and it’s not exciting. The extremes, that’s what’s exciting, and that’s what everybody leans on.”

It’s not tough to imagine that no one was happier to see Pennington come to the Dolphins than first-year head coach Tony Sparano.

“He’s vital to this team, he really is,” Sparano said. “With Chad coming in here and doing what he’s done right now and bringing a bunch of people together, these young players, what he’s brought to them from a leadership standpoint.”

In the award’s 11 seasons, Pennington is the only player to win it twice.

“Jerod’s done a lot for us,” coach Bill Belichick said. “We’ve asked a lot of him and from Day 1 he’s really been a well-prepared, very mature player who can do a lot of things: play the running game, play in the passing game, blitz, helps us in the kicking game.

“He’s smart, makes a lot of defensive adjustments and calls for us there. He runs well. He’s tough. He’s a good all-around football player, very mature, very professional. For a rookie, he’s probably as professional as anybody I’ve coached.”

A starter all season, Mayo is the sixth-straight linebacker to win the award.

“Jerod’s taken his leadership up,” linebacker Mike Vrabel said. “I think he came in as a rookie and obviously learned the playbook and learned everything in and out and physically can go out there and make any play that we needed him to.”

I wonder if the Jets are still excited they got Vernon Gholston at #6.

Yes, Arizona has a horrific defense and they lost four out of their last six games. They look terrible and Kurt Warner is fifty-six years old. There’s probably ten teams in the NFC that are better than them. They only beat one other NFC team that was not in their division. Guess who? Yes, the Dallas Cowboys. Remember that blocked punt on October 12th? Of course, we all do. We all love watching Dallas implode. But this isn’t about Dallas. This is about Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons’ defense traveling to Arizona to play the Cardinals. This game is all about who can stop who and as horrific as the Cardinals defense is, Atlanta’s is not that much better. The Cardinals are in the middle of the pack at stopping the run and if they can keep Michael Turner in check, which is something many NFL teams have had a tough time doing, then they will win the game. I see this Arizona Cardinals offense running on all cylinders Saturday afternoon. Look for Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald to hook up many times, and not in a gay way, but in a watch-how-many-touchdowns-we-can-score kinda way. Final score Arizona 31 Atlanta 24 (for the record, they will get destroyed next round, completely destroyed).

Indianapolis Colts (-1) over San Diego Chargers

Revenge game. Peyton Manning is the MVP of the NFL. San Diego is not a good football team. They aren’t. They play in a horrible division and they aren’t ‘coming on strong.’ Look who they played in their last four games. The Oakland Raiders who suck. The Kansas City Chiefs who suck. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers who suck. And the Denver Broncos who suck. Their previous three games before that were against playoff teams (Steelers, Colts, and Falcons) and they lost all three of those games. I love the Colts in this game. I truly believe they are the best team in the NFL right now with the best player (Peyton Manning). I will be completely dumbfounded if the Chargers win this game. Final Score Indianapolis 30 San Diego 20

Baltimore Ravens (-3) over Miami Dolphins

I was up the street last night grabbing dinner when my buddy asked me ‘who plays quarterback for that purple team?’ I said, ‘Tarvaris Jackson?’ He said, ‘no.’ I said ‘Joe Flacco?’ and that turned out to be the correct answer. The fat guy with no chin sitting next to my buddy said, ‘he was my neighbor.’ For the sake of not butchering anymore punctuation I will continue this story without any ‘he said, she said’ crap. The fat guy with no chin (let’s just call him Fat No Chin, FNC for short) grew up with him during the summers in Ocean City, New Jersey. FNC told me he threw a wicked long ball on the beach. So right now I picture Joe Flacco tearing up the scene in Miami Beach throwing wicked long balls which will carryover till Sunday in a very nice rookie, playoff victory. Oh, and Ed Reed might have something to say about this game, too. Speaking of Ed Reed, would you rather have him or Troy Polamalu? Food for thought. Final Score Baltimore 20 Miami 17

Philadelphia Eagles (-3) over Minnesota Vikings

There’s around 15,000 seats still available for this game and it’s subject to blackout in the Minneapolis area. How pathetic is that? Do you know what else is pathetic? Tarvaris Jackson. This is me breaking down this game. What the Eagles really need to do is establish the run and…..the Vikings quarterback is Tarvaris Jackson. If the Eagles can stop the run…..the Vikings quarterback is Tarvaris Jackson. The Eagles need to win the battle of field position…..the Vikings quarterback is Tarvaris Jackson. In conclusion, if the Eagles defense can put pressure on Tarvaris Jackson…..the Vikings quarterback is Tarvaris Jackson. You get my point? Final Score Philadelphia 34 Minnesota 17

UPDATE: Adam Schefter of NFLN has confirmed the move.

“It’s pretty exciting,” Ryan said. “It’s a great honor and to tell you the truth, I’m pretty humbled by it.”

Ryan was drafted #3 overall out of Boston College this past April, but wasn’t expected to play so well so early.

“I’m very proud of Matt’s accomplishments, accelerated maturity and very evident leadership skills while at the helm in his first year as a professional quarterback,” Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said.

The Falcons travel to Arizona to face the Cardinals at 4:30 PM EDT on Saturday, January 3rd for Wild Card Weekend.

It’s not out of the realm of possibility that the Pro Bowl will return to Hawaii, although it’s doubtful that it will be on a regular basis as it has been since 1980.

Moving the Pro Bowl to the week before the Super Bowl is great for people who already feel that it’s taken too seriously. Many Pro Bowl players are “injured” the week after the Super Bowl and unable to play. As it is, many players love the honor, but hate playing in the actual game.

Playing the Pro Bowl a week prior to the big game will almost ensure that players who will be participating in the Super Bowl will play in a meaningless game. It’s one thing to play for that elusive championship trophy, it’s quite another to risk your entire career in a worthless game the week before. Who wouldn’t want to play in the Pro Bowl at that point?

Alise Smith is looking for $15,000 in lost wages, medical bills and damage to her car.

“Ms. Smith, who wearing a seatbelt, was rear-ended by Mr. Burress, who failed to maintain a safe braking distance, maintain a proper lookout or to exercise reasonable care,” said Gregory Dell, Smith’s attorney. “All of this was the cause of this accident and Ms. Smith’s resulting injuries.”

When compared with facing a mandatory three and a half years for possession of a concealed weapon, Ms. Smith’s lawsuit is the kind of legal trouble that Burress can live with.

Mr. Baugh had battled Alzheimer’s and dementia in his later years, as well as low blood pressure, kidney problems and double pneumonia.

“It wasn’t the same Sam we all knew,” his son told The Associated Press. “He just finally wore out.”

Mr. Baugh was ahead of his time. While playing for the Redskins from 1937-1952, he was a brilliant passer before passing was the rage in the NFL. And, he was not only a top-flight QB, but he also punted and played defense. In one game he tossed four TD passes, while intercepting four more. He twice threw six TD’s in a game and once bombed an 85-yard punt.

Mr. Baugh still has the Redskins records for career touchdown passes (187) and completion percentage in a season (70.3). He retired with 31 INT’s for his career and still has the NFL record for single-season punting average at 51.4 yards.

“I look at this as good news, we’re expected to have them both back for the playoffs,” Jeff Fisher said.

Uh huh. This is a serious blow for the Titans in their quest for home-field advantage (they’ve already clinched the division and a first-round bye).

Albert Haynesworth is arguably the best defensive player in football. In 2007, he missed three games due to injury. They lost all three games. You get the point.

The Titans have been amazing this year, but they haven’t been blowing people out. They grind it out and make you earn it. Without Haynesworth and Vanden Bosch, you can move the ball and score much easier. The big problem for Tennessee is that they aren’t built to come from behind. Their wide receivers are pretty much garbage and Kerry Collins’ shoulder aren’t the type you want to put a game on.

We’ll see what happens in the playoffs, but the entire NFL is absolutely wide open right now with the Titans and Giants suffering injuries and playing poorly. If I’m Pittsburgh or Indianapolis, I’m a pretty happy camper right now.

“On behalf of my family and the entire Kansas City Chiefs organization, I want to thank Carl for his two decades of service to the Chiefs,” owner Clark Hunt said. “Both Carl and I agreed that immediately initiating the search for the next Chiefs General Manager would be the best thing for the future of the organization, and he will be resigning following the 2008 season.”

During Peterson’s time with Kansas City, they had a 176-141-1 record, won the AFC West four times and reached the AFC Championship Game in 1993.

“I am proud of my association with the Kansas City Chiefs and our many accomplishments over the last 20 years,” Peterson said. “I thank the Hunt family for the opportunity to lead the Chiefs organization and sincerely appreciate all the coaches, players, administrators and Chiefs employees with whom I’ve had the pleasure of working in my time here. Most importantly, I want to thank Chiefs fans around the country for their passionate support through the years. Chiefs fans are the finest in all of professional football.”

Owens apparently feels that Romo and Witten have private meetings to work on plays that include Witten and exclude T.O.

That makes a ton of sense.

An unnamed Cowboys player told Werder that there is indeed an issue.

“He’s insecure about it,” the player said of Owens. “The thing that bothers me more than anything about this problem is that it’s always something with him — San Fran, Philly and here, always something. And he brings other people into it. You know, he talks to Sam Hurd and Roy Williams, who just got here and doesn’t really know these guys. T.O. talks to him and so now he probably thinks Witten politics with Tony for the ball.

“That’s so far from the truth. You think Tony is throwing to him because that’s his buddy? His best buddy is Bobby Carpenter, and that’s not helping him too much. It’s crazy to think that, and I hate that he acts that way.”

According to the sources, Owens cannot conceive how Witten has caught more balls this season than he has, considering that T.O. is one of the best WR’s of all time (and I hate to say it, but he is).

The good thing is that it doesn’t seem to affect the Cowboys’ QB too much. According to another teammate, Romo seems to just ignore T.O.’s nonsense.

“To be completely honest, I just think Tony is over it, not like, ‘Screw it.’ But I think Tony is over the mind games,” the player said. “It would help if Tony would stand up to him, but he would never do it. He does a great job of ignoring it and not letting it affect him, and that’s why it has worked as good as it has. It’s just hard. I think right now everybody is to the point where, ‘We’re going to need him, so let’s not piss him off.’”

Owens denied all of this of course.

“I’m not jealous of Witten,” he told Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News. “I’m not jealous of nobody. I can take the approach that I got paid so screw everything, but that’s not me. I just want to win. I’m not trying to create a war of words with anybody. I thought we had a productive meeting and I just talked to [offensive coordinator] Jason [Garrett] about Tony reading the whole play because other people are open besides Witten.”

Soooo…why didn’t you just talk to Romo about any issues you may or may not have?

“I seldom talk to Romo, unless it’s on the football field,” Owens said. “The things that happen in the past with the other quarterbacks that I’ve had made me go to Jason instead. I didn’t want to have any problems with Tony, so I went to Jason. I don’t want people to say if I go to Tony and tell him he’s not doing what he’s supposed to do, then people will say we have a problem. I don’t want to create that situation.”

Sounds like you do have a problem with him. Why else would you only talk to him on the football field? He implies that if he had spoken to Romo that there would have been a problem.

The bottom line is that something is brewing in Dallas. If the Cowboys beat the Giants on Sunday and continue to accrue wins and make the playoffs, then it’s a non-issue. Say what you want about Owens, but he’s pretty quiet when the wins are coming.

But, if the Cowboys lose to the Giants and Owens isn’t getting his numbers…look out.

“These are difficult and painful steps,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a staff memo, “but they are necessary in the current economic environment.”

“I would like to be able to report that we are immune to the troubles around us, but we are not,” Goodell added.

The cuts will come at the NFL’s New York City-based headquarters, at NFL Films, and at the production facilities in Los Angeles, where NFL.com and NFL Network are located.

My idea would be to apply a little socialism to the NFL and scale back the salaries of first-round busts like JaMarcus Russell, Alex Smith and Vince Young. Pay them what they are actually worth and use the millions upon millions of dollars they get from that and give it to the poor girl who just lost her job answering phones at NFL Films. Then it would be a Merry Christmas indeed.

Why? Let’s take a look:

-First and foremost, the fact that fans get to vote is an unmitigated joke. Football is #1 for me, that’s what I follow the closest. And I follow the NFL as close or closer than 99% of America. That said, am I really qualified to vote on what AFC guard is having the best season? And if I’m not fit to judge, is Joe Average Fan? Of course not. So what happens then? I’ll tell you what happens, people vote for the names they know and not who is having the best season. So making the Pro Bowl has more to do with what player had their stomach circled by John Madden while he talks about how much turkey they can eat at Thanksgiving, and less to do with who is doing the best job.

It’s one thing for a fan to be able to look and see that Atlanta Falcons WR Roddy White is leading the NFC in receiving yards, but it’s another to guess what right tackle has been the most dominant. You are either guessing or regurgitating what an NFL writer or talking head has stated.

And another note on fans: how many are going to just vote for the players on their favorite teams? Lots, that’s how many. I guarantee that Detroit Lions G Gosder Cherilus gets some votes from the hometown fans despite the fact that he’s been benched this year (then again, I doubt any Lions fans are paying attention at this point).

-They don’t put any stats next to the names. There aren’t any stats for offensive lineman as it is (unless they want to include sacks given up, but that doesn’t tell the whole story) so that part of the voting is even more of a farce. I had juuuust enough brain power to know that I should check NFL.com as a refresher to see who is doing what on the stat sheet (there are always some eye openers). Will the average fan? Probably not. There is no reason not to have some information next to someone’s name besides position and team. If you don’t think to check some stats and don’t live in the Bay Area, you don’t know how good Raiders LB Kirk Morrison is.

-Even if they did have stats, stats are misleading. When voting for a punter, it’s easy to go for who has the highest net. Does that take into account the fact that a team stinks and the punter always has his feet on his own 20-yard line and just goes bombs away? Nope. How about a punter like Jeff Feagles, who is on a phenomenal team? He’s regularly asked to pooch the ball in the “coffin corner,” which is going to hurt his net. Does the NFL care about this? Apparently not.

-The players you can vote for on kick returns is not accurate. I wanted to vote for Bills rookie Leodis McKelvin as the AFC’s kick returner. I said kick returner, not punt returner. NFL.com makes no distinction between the two. My only option was to vote for Roscoe Parrish, who I love, but is the Bills punt returner. McKelvin was not even an option to vote for. Guess who won’t be making the Pro Bowl this year despite being towards the top in number of returns and second in yards-per-return (Jericho Cotchery is first, but has only one return, which disqualifies him as far as I – and anyone else that has half a brain – am concerned)?

And it’s a good thing I didn’t want to vote for Eagles safety Quinton Demps as a Pro Bowl kick returner. I couldn’t have if I wanted to because they only list DeSean Jackson as a kick returner. Jackson doesn’t return kicks for the Eagles, he returns punts.

-Here is my conclusion: Take voting away from the fans and give it to people who are educated on the subject. You could have scouts, general managers or other NFL executives cast their votes. They know the deal. They are paid to know the deal (unless you work in Cincinnati). These people study film as part of their jobs.

Like I said, I follow the NFL intensely, but I still have not watched full game footage and breakdowns of Cleveland Browns tackle Joe Thomas. I haven’t done in-depth research on the game situations for San Diego Chargers P Mike Scifres. I, therefore, should not get a vote and help to decide who goes to the Pro Bowl and gets a nice bump in negotiations for their next contract.

Hopefully, the NFL will remove their heads from their rear ends and put the voting in the hands of those who are qualified to do so. Oh, and if you want to vote before Tuesday’s noon deadline, log on to NFL.com.