Whitlock's Weekly ESPN NFL Column

[FloridaMan88]

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2...hitlock/051229


By Jason Whitlock
Special to Page 2


Before we get to this week's 10 NFL Truths, let's take a quick check of the mailbag:


Jason,
It's been several weeks since you dropped my name in your column. If you're not careful, people are going to forget that we were high school teammates and that you're the greatest left tackle I ever played with.
Jeff
J-Dub,
What's up, dawg? No love for ya boy in your column in weeks. I threw a phat birthday party and you wasn't there. Drew said he's been trying to get at ya! I'm still doin' the damn thang even if no one notices.
T.O.

Boo,
Why didn't you answer the phone or your door on Christmas? I know you were in there with her. I talked with her publicist. I'm not mad. I just want to model the Xmas present I got you. It's from Victoria's.
Halle

Here are your 10 NFL Truths for the last week of the regular season:

10. Just so John Madden and all the other Brett Favre worshippers/broadcasters don't have to find another church, I present to you the solution to Favre's troubles: Trade Favre to Oakland.


Favre's QB rating of 70.5 entering the final game is the lowest of his career.
Seriously, Favre would look perfect in Silver and Black, winging the ball to Randy Moss while Al Davis looks on from the owner's suite wondering if he could somehow add Ricky Williams to the mix.

I've given this a lot of thought. Al wouldn't be able to add Sticky-ickee Ricky because the Dolphins are the other team that should enter the Favre sweepstakes, and Sticky-ickee Ricky would be the trade bait to lure Favre.

But if my dream were to come true, the Raiders would add another NFL bad boy as Favre's backup -- Jeff George. Yes, Jeff, 38, still wants to play.

Look, next year the Raiders have to be all about feeding the ball to Randy Moss. This year Randy has career lows in TD catches (six), catches of 40-plus yards (three) and first-down receptions (40). His career highs in those categories are 17, 14 and 76.

The Raiders are not getting their money's worth out of Moss because Kerry Collins is a mediocre quarterback.

Favre can still get it done, still has enthusiasm for the game, and he certainly would love to throw the ball to Moss. At age 36, Favre would need a backup who could keep Moss happy if Favre were to get injured. Enter George, arguably Moss' favorite quarterback.

The key to pulling this all together would be the right coach. Norv Turner ain't the guy. But it's safe to assume he's getting canned. Denny Green is the perfect coach, but he's stuck in Arizona.

Mike Martz?

I'm not joking. Moss plus Favre plus Martz plus George plus Al Davis would be the greatest reality TV show since "The Real World" San Francisco. That was the season when the show just threw away any pretense of being remotely realistic and let Puck terrorize an AIDS patient.

If the Raiders never won a game, you'd still want to see them on Sunday and "Monday Night Football" every week. You think a Favre Raiders jersey wouldn't be the hottest-selling piece of merchandise in the history of pro football?

What would Oakland have to give up to get Favre? Well, the Packers might ask for something stupid, such as receiver Jerry Porter. You don't give up Porter. Favre has thrown 28 interceptions this year. He's 36. The Packers have a quarterback of the future -- Aaron Rodgers -- sitting on their bench.

You give up a conditional 2007 draft pick, which could go as high as a No. 1 if the Raiders reach the playoffs in 2006 and Favre starts 12 regular-season games. Or maybe Favre is worth a No. 2 in the 2006 draft.

Hey, I'm not an NFL GM. I don't know what it will cost. It could get complicated if the Dolphins show interest and dangle Ricky Williams at the Packers.

9. Upon further review -- which means after watching Drew Brees throw away San Diego's playoff hopes in Kansas City -- the Chargers do indeed have a QB dilemma.


Was 2004 a career year for Brees? His average yards per attempt has dropped from 7.9 to 7.2.

As much as I'd like to blame San Diego's disappointing season all on Marty Schottenheimer, I can't do that. Brees deserves an equal share of the blame. He regressed this season. His QB rating has dropped 15 points from a year ago and his interceptions more than doubled (seven to 15).

The Chargers would be absolutely foolish not to give Philip Rivers a long look against the Denver Broncos. Rivers has thrown eight passes in two seasons. He has not thrown a pass in 2005.

If Rivers doesn't play three quarters against the Broncos, you can point a finger at Schottenheimer. The coach would be screwing over general manager A.J. Smith, who is not a fan of Schottenheimer's.

Just like in Kansas City -- where Schottenheimer justifiably warred with general manager Carl Peterson -- Marty doesn't get along with his boss and has hoodwinked the owner into believing that regular-season success is all that really matters in the NFL. Alex Spanos, just like Lamar Hunt, loves Marty's consistent ability to win nine regular-season games every year and sell tickets.

What Spanos will soon learn is that Marty has blown every QB decision he's had to make since leaving Bernie Kosar. Prosecution exhibit No. 1: Elvis Grbac over Rich Gannon.

I'd hate to be A.J. Smith and trade Rivers for a draft pick or help along the offensive line and then watch Brees continue to regress next season.

8. Of all the teams in the NFC, the Washington Redskins are the only team capable of winning the Super Bowl.

After being down on Joe Gibbs early in the season, I have to credit him for getting things together. If the Skins knock off the Eagles, they will enter the playoffs as the hottest team in the league -- hotter than the streaking Patriots, also winners of four straight.

Of course, we know the Redskins can play defense. What's been impressive is their offensive explosion the last two weeks -- 35 points in each victory, over the Cowboys and Giants.

The Skins have a good offensive line, three good running backs, a big-play receiver (Santana Moss), an effective tight end (Chris Cooley) and a QB who has thrown 22 touchdowns and just nine interceptions.

7. OK, while I'm on the subject, let me rank the NFC Super Bowl hopefuls.

1. Redskins: Outstanding defense and just enough offense to beat any team in the league.

2. Bears: Absolutely love the move to Rex Grossman. If Muhsin Muhammad holds on to the football, the Bears might score enough points to sneak into the Bowl.

3. Seahawks: Just feel like Matt Hasselbeck is going to do a couple of stupid things in Seattle's playoff opener and it's going to be curtains.

4. Buccaneers: Wouldn't be surprised if they were routed in their first playoff game. Wouldn't be surprised if they advanced to the NFC championship.

5. Panthers: You can rip Carolina's defense, but the problem with the Panthers is their running game. Lack of a consistent ground attack has exposed Jake Delhomme.

6. Giants: Eli Manning's happy feet and 52 percent completion rate will cost the Giants early.

7. Cowboys: You gotta make the playoffs to advance to the Super Bowl.

6. OK, while I'm on the subject, let me rank the AFC Super Bowl hopefuls.

1. Colts: The only thing that can stop Indy is the tragedy that struck the Dungy family.

2. Steelers: Crazy, isn't it? A couple of weeks ago, I was predicting a loss to the Bears and a playoff miss. Now the Steelers are the second-best team in the AFC.

3. Patriots: Hey, Tom Brady still takes the snaps. It could happen.

4. Jaguars: Jack Del Rio should bring Byron Leftwich in off the bench throughout the playoffs. He could be the spark that opponents can't prepare for.

5. Bengals: I actually like the Bengals, but the 37 points they surrendered at home to the Bills says a lot about what Marvin Lewis needs to do this offseason.

6. Broncos: Ranked this low solely because I think they match up the worst against the Colts. The Donkies can beat everybody else, but would lose by more than two TDs to Peyton.

7. Chiefs: You gotta make the playoffs to advance to the Super Bowl.

5. Memo to Michael Vick: If you want to be a legitimate NFL QB, get in the film room and prepare like a legitimate NFL QB.

When you watch Vick play, you can tell he's not a student of the game. The whole world fell in love with his athleticism and ability to improvise. Well, quarterbacks still win football games by out-preparing the opposition.

Vick rarely looks off safeties, rarely finds his second and third receivers and rarely responds well to criticism. Vick's groupie defenders are going to prevent him from taking full advantage of his gifts.

4. The Ravens should let go of Brian Billick. They won't make the playoffs next year.

If the Ravens win their finale, Billick's record the last four seasons will be .500. The Ravens are not making progress. They're at a standstill and you can't blame it all on injuries to Ray Lewis.

Billick, an offensive coach, has never fielded an explosive offensive team in Baltimore. It's ridiculous he's being retained.

3. Strangely, I believe the Vikings should retain Mike Tice.

Now, I don't believe Tice did some remarkable coaching job this year, getting the Vikes above .500 after the Love Boat fiasco, which was the most overblown media creation in the history of sports.

What's next? Will we be outraged to learn that movie stars have participated in orgies at the Playboy mansion?

Tice should be retained because he and the Vikings had a chance to mature this season, and the maturity wasn't a result of winning after the Smoot Dogg party. The maturity came from winning without Daunte Culpepper and Randy Moss.

Everyone acknowledged that Moss' ego hurt the Vikings' chemistry. Now everyone knows that Culpepper's ego was also in the way. Culpepper needed to be humbled, too. And nothing is more humbling than watching Brad Johnson outplay you at quarterback. The only thing more humbling would be 400-pound Ted Washington out-auditioning you for a starring role in an adult movie.

2. Have I mentioned how upset I am that the Pacers are going to trade Ron Artest?

Seriously, the only way this trade works is if Donnie Walsh can somehow bamboozle someone into taking Jamaal Tinsley with Artest. The Pacers have to accept they're not going to get anything close to equal value, so the only way the trade works is if you can unload Tinsley (or Stephen Jackson).

I hope Artest ends up in Minnesota with KG.

1. Dick Vermeil is upset about a report that he can't come back to the Chiefs next season even if he wants to.

Vermeil is praying that the Chiefs win on Sunday, so he can walk away saying he led the Chiefs to 10 victories and put them on a path to the Super Bowl. After getting run out of St. Louis to make room for Mike Martz, Vermeil is defensive about experiencing the same thing in Kansas City.