Rollout

Playoff scenarios for NFL teams that can clinch next week

While we'll certainly be providing throughout the week in different mediums all of the possibilities as they pertain to the Dolphins' playoff aspirations, I wanted to also take an opporuntity to catch everyone up on the other happenings around the NFL -- both in the AFC and the NFC.

These scenarios, as passed along to Rollout by the league, include clinching possibilities for teams that can punch their ticket to the playoffs if a number of factors work in their favor during next week's games. Enjoy:

AFC

CLINCHED:   Indianapolis – AFC South and homefield advantage throughout AFC playoffs
    San Diego – AFC West

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS

San Diego clinches first-round bye with:

1) SD win or tie OR

2) NE loss or tie

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

New England clinches AFC East division title with:

1) NE win or tie OR

2) MIA loss or tie

CINCINNATI BENGALS

Cincinnati clinches AFC North division title with:

3) CIN win OR

4) CIN tie + BAL loss or tie OR

   3)  BAL loss

Cincinnati clinches a playoff spot with:

3) CIN tie OR

4) JAC loss or tie + NYJ loss or tie + HOU/MIA game ends in a tie

BALTIMORE RAVENS

Baltimore clinches a playoff spot with:

1) BAL win + JAC loss or tie + NYJ loss or tie OR

2) BAL win + JAC loss or tie + DEN loss OR

3) BAL win + MIA loss or tie + NYJ loss or tie + DEN loss OR

4) BAL tie + NYJ loss + JAC loss + TEN loss or tie + HOU/MIA game ends in a tie

DENVER BRONCOS

Denver clinches a playoff spot with:

· DEN  win + JAC loss or tie + MIA loss or tie + NYJ loss or tie + PIT loss or tie

NFC

CLINCHED:   New Orleans – NFC South and a first-round bye
Minnesota – NFC North 
    Arizona – NFC West 
    Philadelphia – Playoff spot 

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

New Orleans clinches homefield advantage throughout NFC playoffs with:

1) NO win or tie OR

2)  MIN loss or tie

MINNESOTA VIKINGS

Minnesota clinches first-round bye with:

1) MIN win + PHI loss or tie OR

2) MIN tie + PHI loss
 
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

Philadelphia clinches NFC East division title with:

1) PHI win + DAL loss or tie OR

2) PHI tie + DAL loss

GREEN BAY PACKERS

Green Bay clinches a playoff spot with:

If New York Giants beat Washington tonight

1) GB win + NYG loss or tie OR

2) GB win + DAL loss OR

3) GB tie + NYG loss

If Washington beats New York Giants tonight

1) GB win or tie OR

2) NYG loss or tie

DALLAS COWBOYS

Dallas clinches a playoff spot with:

If New York Giants beat Washington tonight

1) DAL win + NYG loss or tie OR

2) DAL tie + NYG loss

If Washington beats New York Giants tonight

1) DAL win or tie OR

2) NYG loss or tie

Colts' late-game heroics Thursday proved perfection is the goal

The Saints might go undefeated. It wouldn't surprise me at all. After listening to the national analysts and former athletes talk about their own opinions over the past few days, it apparently wouldn't surprise many others, either.

This season, though, has amazingly now reached a point when we are no longer wondering whether one team will march into the Dolphins' neighborhood of perfection. It's a matter of whether two will.

In the wake of the Colts' latest win against the Jaguars, regardless of what anyone within the organization says, we now know Indianapolis has every intention of striving for that mark. On Saturday against the Cowboys, we’ll find out if the Saints have the same plans.

At this point – at this very moment -- the Colts already proved during a game that included nine lead changes that they will not be finishing the season quietly. Remember: That was an important game to Jacksonville, and yet the Colts were the ones clawing like they had a playoff berth on the line.

If Indianapolis, having already clinched a bye and home-field advantage at 13-0, was willing to fight like hell to win that game, what’s going to stop them in the final three weeks?

If quarterback Peyton Manning was pushing that hard in the fourth quarter of Week 15, what’s going to stop him from doing the same in Week 16 against the Jets or Week 17 against the Bills?

“Our head coach tells us what to do, and we follow his orders,” Manning said when asked by the NFL Network on the field after the game. “The idea is to keep working on things, so personally, I hope we play.”

Here’s what the Colts are working on: They’re practicing for the playoffs. And since there’s no letting up in the playoffs, I don’t expect there to be any letting up during the next two games, either.

Now, I’m interested to see Saturday night whether the Saints plan to do the same.

The latest Pro Bowl voting results with one week to go...

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Unlike other years, when the Pro Bowl is played on a day too late in a place too distant, we've finally got a reason to pay attention to who makes the game for each conference.

True, every year offers some intrigue from the standpoint of providing the season's individual superlatives – but this year, it’s also significant because the game will be played in Land Shark Stadium. As a result, I wanted to keep everyone informed of the details.

Here’s the deal: You’ve got one more week to vote here for the players you deem worthy (fan voting is worth a third of the final vote, while player votes make up a third and coach votes make up the other third).

Voting closes Dec. 21. Then, Dec. 29 is the day when the rosters will be announced on NFL Network. Then, on Jan. 31, the game will be played in South Florida one week before the Super Bowl. You can buy tickets here.

So who might you expect to see play if you choose to attend? On Tuesday, I received the usual e-mail from the NFL with some of the latest tabulations. Keep in mind, I don’t know how many votes guys like fullback Lousaka Polite have – I’m instead only provided the leaders at each position.

Without further ado, check out who's leading the fan vote with six days left, keeping in mind that fan voting doesn't always dictate the end result (People in Minnesota apparently have taken to Pro Bowl voting like it was the Presidential Election based on the Vikings contingent on NFC voting):

NFL Top-10 Vote-Getters

Pos. Name, Team    Votes
QB   Drew Brees, Saints  1,120,535
QB   Brett Favre, Vikings  1,120,174
QB   Peyton Manning, Colts 1,113,934
RB   Adrian Peterson, Vikings  1,079,993
WR  Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals 684,698
QB   Tom Brady, Patriots  622,916
TE   Dallas Clark, Colts 603,492
RB  Cedric Benson, Bengals 565,763
RB  Chris Johnson, Titans 560,479
WR  Andre Johnson, Texans 546,693

AFC Leading Vote-Getters

Pos.  Name, Team  Votes
QB    Peyton Manning, Colts    1,113,934
RB    Cedric Benson, Bengals  565,763
FB    Le'Ron McClain, Ravens  160,915
WR   Andre Johnson, Texans   546,693
TE Dallas Clark, Colts 603,492
T   Jake Long, Dolphins    214,924
G  Alan Faneca, Jets  232,097
C  Jeff Saturday, Colts 448,405
K  Adam Vinatieri, Colts 143,299
KR    Darren Sproles, Chargers   152,254
DE    Dwight Freeney, Colts     416,963
IL  Vince Wilfork, Patriots    221,195
OLB  James Harrison, Steelers   225,186
ILB    Ray Lewis, Ravens     308,999
CB    Champ Bailey, Broncos   344,646
SS    Troy Polamalu, Steelers 347,418
FS     Ed Reed, Ravens   298,069
P   Shane Lechler, Raiders  110,836
ST Joshua Cribbs, Browns  128,861

NFC Leading Vote-Getters

Pos.   Name, Team  Votes
QB  Drew Brees, Saints 1,120,535
RB  Adrian Peterson, Vikings    1,079,993
FB  Naufahu Tahi, Vikings  147,168
WR Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals  684,698
TE  Tony Gonzalez, Falcons  351,966
T    Bryant McKinnie, Vikings 301,445
G   Steve Hutchinson, Vikings   308,887
C    John Sullivan, Vikings  290,702
K    Ryan Longwell, Vikings    159,863
KR Percy Harvin, Vikings    298,208
DE Jared Allen, Vikings  446,824
IL   Pat Williams, Vikings    285,254
OLB  DeMarcus Ware, Cowboys   340,915
ILB    Patrick Willis, 49ers  236,923
CB    Asante Samuel, Eagles     258,751
SS    Adrian Wilson, Cardinals   237,469
FS Darren Sharper, Saints  377,297
P   Chris Kluwe, Vikings 108,556
ST Heath Farwell, Vikings   138,188

A reason to cheer for Jags QB David Garrard (*every other week but this one)

Should Jaguars quarterback David Garrard run or pass his way into the endzone Sunday against the Dolphins, he doesn't expect Miami's fans to cheer. He doesn't expect them to be pleased at all.

But maybe, just maybe, when he's playing against any other opponents, this will be enough of a reason to appreciate his success: It's for a great cause.

"I'm going out and working my butt off to get those touchdowns," Garrard said during a cell-phone conversation with him this week.

Here's why: the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America is using Garrard as their way to get their message out about the need for a cure to Crohn's disease. And for every time Garrard is responsible for a score, the foundation is donating $10,000 toward research and finding a cure for Crohn's disease.

It's part of a program called, "In the Zone for Crohn's," and it's very close to the quarterback's heart.

You might have recalled in years past hearing about Garrard's courageous fight with the painful disease. The Jaguars quarterback has fought a successful battle, requiring a surgery that removed nearly 12 inches of his small intestine and intense medication.

He's now symptom-free, but still needing a dose of Remicade medication every eight weeks that takes three hours to administer. That's far from the type of problems he faced previously, when his NFL playing career was placed in dire jeopardy.

"Right before I had surgery for it, I was in the hospital for about a week," said Garrard, who was diagnosed in the beginning of 2004. "I was basically vomiting everything I'd eat. They had to put a pick into my chest to feed me. That was the lowest point of the whole thing.

"I was 40 pounds lighter, continuing to have really bad stomach pains. It was like times ten the normal gas. It was very difficult for me and my family. But we were able to fight through it."

It is estimated that nearly 500,000 people in the United States suffer from the disease, which mainly affects a demographic between the ages of 15 and 35. Garrard said he still gets hundreds of letters from children battling with the disease, each one causing him to hope more and more that a cure will eventually be discovered.

That's where his current efforts come into play.

"I know they're working diligently on trying to find a cure," Garrard said. "It's never fast enough until they find it. I know there's hundreds of thousands of kids who are hoping we can find a cure right now.

"Hopefully, with more recognizable people having to deal with it, some more attention will come to it."

So Sunday, feel free to root against Garrard. But if he should roll into the end zone at the end of the game when the Dolphins are already up by 14 points, feel free to stand up and cheer for the cure.

Catching up with Junior Seau (His new TV series debuts tonight at 10 p.m.)

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Move over, Brett Favre. You're not the only 40-year-old NFL legend who can make the most of a pair of Wranglers.

In case you've lost track, NFL legend Junior Seau is currently still in the league, playing as a reserve linebacker for the Patriots these days. But before Seau re-joined Miami’s hated rival midway through this season, he first decided to tape a new television series.

For the show, called Sports Jobs with Junior Seau (it debuts tonight at 10 p.m. on Versus TV), the former Dolphins linebacker decided to get down and dirty by putting himself into the roles of people who have some interesting behind-the scenes, blue-collared jobs.

"We shot 10 shows," Seau said Wednesday. "I'm basically going into a sports venue and living the life that allows pros to be pros. That means the guys that work behind the scenes. I go and live with them for three days. I do their jobs."

Among the jobs, Seau works on the stadium construction crew at the new venue being built on the Meadowlands property for the Jets and the Giants. Other tasks include being an Indycar Pit Crew member, a bull fighter, a UFC cornerman and an NHL equipment manager.

Of course, my personal favorite? Seau learned how to be a sports writer, spending some time with my friend Andy Staples, who now covers college football and recruiting for Sports Illustrated.

"If I ever disrespected you when I was with Miami, I'm sorry," Seau said. "I know how hard it is."

No problem, Junior.

After his unnecessary apology (I always liked Seau, even though he never spent much time talking to reporters during his brief injury-plagued tenure with the Dolphins), the linebacker did make an unintentionally humorous back-handed compliment about why he now views sports writing as a difficult task.

"To chase an athlete that really doesn’t want to speak to you, when you finally get him, he gives you three words, and you have to write a story on that, it’s pretty tough," Seau said. "I have to hand it to you."

Anyway, beyond plugging Seau’s new show for him, the linebacker also had a few interesting things to say about his own place in the NFL, as well as the current season of the other old man in the league.

I asked Seau who he thought was the best 40-year-old player in the NFL.

"Oh, hands down...well, we'll see at the end of the rainbow," said the surfer who needs a new first name. "We’re going to hold onto that vote. But I'd say Brett Favre is doing a heck of a job."

No matter what you want to say about Favre -- about his poise and his excellence and the supernatural defiance of his age - if you threw the league’s two oldest Pro Bowlers into a cage and told them to throw down, I'm still taking Seau every time.

Still, Seau says he has a deep-rooted respect for the Vikings quarterback, mainly because Favre has a deep-rooted respect for the game.

"The one thing you look at, everyone knows about his passion," Seau said. "You need to have passion. He respects the game of football. There’s a lot to say about that. He loves the game with his heart and soul. He has a great spirit that helps others around him. That's a key factor in his quest of going out there and winning a championship."

Seau said his own reason for staying in the game is pretty similar: He's chasing a championship. When he decided to put away his surf board to make another run at a Super Bowl, it was only for that reason.

"But the fact is, if you still can play, you realize the door is eventually going to be closed," Seau said. "If you're able to play, stay in the game. Play until you can't. But you've got to have some kind of drive. And the drive for me is basically, winning a championship. I know by staying on that surfboard, I wouldn't have that opportunity."

Whether you care about Seau's football career or not, his entertaining personality should make for a few entertaining television episodes. Might be worth checking one or two out. There's a reason many players say Seau is one of the most interesting people they've ever met. Hopefully, he shows that side of his personality for everyone else to see, too.

Here's a run down of the schedule, provided by Versus as published on the New York Times' Fifth Down Blog:

GIANTS STADIUM CONSTRUCTION CREW/DODGERS BATBOY (December 2)
In the first episode of the night, Seau will be working as part of the construction crew helping to build the new football stadium. In the night’s second episode, Seau will wear Dodger blue and serve as the batboy/equipment manager during a Dodgers home stand against the Milwaukee Brewers.

NHL EQUIPMENT MANAGER (December 9, 11:30 p.m. ET)
The Washington Capitals travel with thousands of pounds of skates, pads, jerseys, sticks and pucks and being their equipment manager for the 2009/10 NHL season-opening road game at Boston is no small task.

ARENA CONVERSION TEAM (December 16)
In this episode Junior joins up with Bostons legendary “Bullgang” crew to convert the Boston Bruins ice into the Boston Celtics hardwood, and back again, in just 36 hours.

INDYCAR PIT CREW MEMBER (December 23)
The pressure is on as Junior learns how to jack up the car, fill it with gas, and change the tires - and do it all to have Scott Dixon’s car back on the track in seven seconds.

LPGA CADDIE (December 30)
Junior learns to read greens and minds, as he works a loop with LPGA and reality TV superstar Natalie Gulbis.

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED REPORTER (January 6)
From trying to land an exclusive interview to racing between the press box and the locker room, Junior tries to cover a game and make his deadline.

UFC CORNERMAN (January 13)
Junior joins UFC star Forrest Griffin’s camp as he trains to take on Anderson Silva at UFC 101: Declaration in Philadelphia.

HORSE TRAINER (January 20)
He'll feed, groom, shoe, clean and care for racehorses, and then do the dirtiest job he's done yet - castrate a live horse.

PBR BULL FIGHTER (January 27)
Junior finds out first hand that keeping the riders from getting trampled and gored by a massive bull is one of the most dangerous jobs in all of sports.

Rookie Kruger, who nearly died two years ago, saves the day for Ravens

Want a reason to cheer despite the Dolphins' depressing loss to the Bills? Want to hear about a player who makes a fight for the playoffs seem trivial, especially considering the fight for his life less than two years ago?

Check this out.

Before Sunday night, when he was called upon to start in place of an injured Terrell Suggs, Ravens defensive end Paul Kruger previously saw minimal action in only two other games. During overtime, a big night became even bigger.

Kruger, a rookie from Utah, vaulted onto the NFL scene with an interception during overtime that set up Baltimore for a huge win against the Steelers. Now, for the reason to cheer him on.

The story goes like this: In the January following a huge freshman season at Utah, Kruger was making a one-block walk toward his car, joined by his brother and sister, along with fellow Utah teammate Greg Newman.

Wrong place. Wrong time.

A car rolled past at a slow speed. The passengers, who are still unknown to this day but were believed to be members of a gang, began hurling random obscenities at the group. When Newman hurled a snowball at the car in response, things got ugly.

Newman never could have anticipated the response from the strangers. Another car rolled up, and all of the passengers exited. Kruger tried to keep the peace – until someone spit in the face of Newman.

By the time it was over, Kruger’s brother had been punched with brass knuckles; blood pouring from his face. Newman took a screwdiver in his side. And Kruger was stabbed in the ribs and the abdomen with a knife.

After a four-hour surgical procedure, doctors found a damaged artery and a collapsed lung, among other injuries. Kruger, who already had one of his kidneys and his spleen removed following an auto accident, was facing life-threatening injuries.

He’d have his stomach stapled shut. The recovery was long and grueling, causing the once-intimidating Kruger to lose 20 pounds of muscle. For the next eight months, he’d rehabilitate his body in an effort to try to get back onto the field.

Feel like fast forwarding? No problem. The following season, he’d have 7.5 sacks, seven pass breakups, two forced fumbles – and a season good enough to cause pro scouts to provide raving feedback.

Only 15 months after being stabbed in the stomach, Kruger was selected in the second round of the 2009 draft. Less than two years after that day, when a run-in with the wrong people nearly ended his football career and possibly his life, Kruger arrived on the NFL scene with a huge, game-changing interception.

Kruger, who attended Utah with Dolphins second-round draft pick Sean Smith and is represented by South Florida-based agent David Canter, surely has a reason to celebrate tonight.

The dude is alive. And doing well.

Big Ben's stupid comments show why action on concussions is necessary

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More than two years ago, on Sept. 23, 2007, I realized for the first time how serious concussions could be.

Not because I witnessed another hard hit on a football field. Not because I looked at a CT Scan. And not because I heard another expert speak once more about the impact a concussion can have on brain function.

Instead, in the confines of Giants Stadium, shortly after former Jets receiver Wayne Chrebet was honored during a halftime ceremony after 11 popular seasons with the organization, I had a conversation with Chrebet I won’t ever forget.

“Sometimes, you don’t want to get out of bed,” Chrebet said. “Some days are worse than others. You just hope for the good days.”

The hard-nosed, undersized pass catcher was lauded for his toughness throughout his career. Along the way, he said he suffered more concussions than he cares to remember – if he even could remember.

Chrebet, you see, talked about what it’s like to require a navigation system in his car not for the convenience of technology – but so he could find his way home after dropping off his kids at school.

''We all do whatever it takes to play,” Chrebet said. “But you have to step back from the situation. I think it's the doctors that need to decide and not give the player the choice to play. It's just a matter of not letting the player decide because everybody is going to decide the same thing: I want to play.”

This brings me to my point: On Thursday, while watching SportsCenter with my Pops, they flashed to a quick clip of Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger during a media gathering at his locker.

Roethlisberger said he expects to play Sunday, one week after suffering a “mild concussion” after taking a blow to the head in a loss to Kansas City. If the doctors cleared him, and it really was a “mild concussion,” then I’m not going to pretend to have enough insight to suggest it’s a bad decision.

But I will, however unfortunate, deliver the most ridiculously ignorant quote I’ve ever heard from a professional athlete.

“It’s a violent, physical contact sport, and there’s a chance you’re going to get hit,” Roethlisberger said Thursday. “You guys don’t talk about the bruises we have all over our body. If I showed you a bruise on my shoulder and a bruise on my shin, it wouldn’t get talked about as much. It’s a violent sport we play.”

Right, Ben. Brilliant.

I don’t even think I need to explain the stupidity of those comments to the rest of you, since, unlike Roethlisberger, you’re clearly gifted enough to realize the difference between a bruise on your shin and a bruise on your brain.

I’d also like to think most concussed athletes don’t believe the media – per usual – have managed to sensationalize a subject to the point where it is no longer important. Quite frankly, there’s no amount of ink (or, in this case, font) that could cause anyone to overanalyze the affects of head injuries.

And if you think otherwise, go talk to Chrebet.

“I don’t think there’s such thing as a slight concussion,” Chrebet said.

That’s because, after suffering plenty of those concussions himself, Chrebet says there are days when he doesn’t feel like living. If Chrebet’s sad story isn’t enough, go ahead and read this story from GQ on the same subject, particularly this excerpt that entails the premature death of Hall of Famer Mike Webster.

“Mike Webster bought himself a Taser gun, used that on himself to treat his back pain, would zap himself into unconsciousness just to get some sleep,” the article reads. “Mike Webster lost all his money, or maybe gave it away. He forgot. A lot of lawsuits. Mike Webster forgot how to eat, too. Soon Mike Webster was homeless, living in a truck, one of its windows replaced with a garbage bag and tape.”

I appreciate Roethlisberger’s passion and his desire to get on the football field by whatever means possible. But it’s moments like these when I’m also glad to see the NFL finally taking action on these matters.

I’m glad to read stories like this one in the New York Times, which says a recent hearing about concussions resulted in the league’s plans to “install independent experts to bring an uncompromised approach to handling players with concussions.”

For now, that’s a start. At least athletes like Roethlisberger won’t be able to diagnose himself, only to pay the price for their lack of expertise down the road.

In honor of Jim Mora's rant, a look at the AFC Playoff picture

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What's that? Playoffs? Don't talk about -- playoffs? You kidding me? Playoffs? I just hope we can win a game! Another game.
- Jim Mora, Nov. 25, 2001

Eight years ago today, former Colts coach Jim Mora's team just sank to 4-6, this time as a result of a loss to the San Francisco 49ers. He wasn't happy. Not at all.

That's when it happened: Mora delivered perhaps the most infamous rant in the history of the NFL, a high-pitched expression of honesty and frustration that would forever be mimicked by every coach, every fan and every player on the mere mention of one word:

Playoffs?!

Go ahead. Get it out. You know Mora’s voice just flowed through your mind. You know you can hear the escalation in his voice, from one mention of the word to the next: Playoffs?! Playoffs?!?

So in honor of Mora – and in honor of every premature mention of a team’s chances of making the playoffs – I figured there’d be no better way to remember that classic rant than to give you the latest breakdown of the AFC playoff race.

Even if it’s way too early to matter.

For those unfamiliar with the ways in which a team can make the postseason, I’ll break it down for you as simple as possible: Four teams from each conference can lock up their trip to the playoffs by winning their division. Then, two other teams can get their chance at the postseason by putting together the best two records outside of the division winners.

Now, for the Rollout's look at the current playoff picture in the AFC:

Division Leaders
Colts (AFC South)        10-0    Next opponent: Texans, 5-5
Chargers (AFC West)    7-3     Next opponent: Chiefs, 3-7
Bengals (AFC North)     7-3     Next opponent: Browns, 1-9
Patriots (AFC East)      7-3     Next opponent: Saints, 10-0

Wildcard Leaders
Broncos (AFC West)     6-4     Next opponent: Giants, 6-4
Steelers (AFC North)     6-4     Next opponent: Ravens, 5-5
Jaguars (AFC South)     6-4     Next opponent: 49ers, 4-6
Dolphins (AFC East)     5-5     Next opponent: Bills, 3-7
Ravens (AFC North)      5-5     Next opponent: Steelers, 6-4
Texans (AFC South)     5-5     Next opponent: Colts, 10-0
Jets (AFC East)           4-6     Next opponent: Panthers, 4-6
Titans (AFC South)       4-6     Next opponent: Cardinals, 7-3
Bills (AFC East)           3-7     Next opponent: Dolphins, 5-5
Raiders (AFC West)     3-7     Next opponent: Cowboys, 7-3
Chiefs  (AFC West)      3-7     Next opponent: Chargers, 7-3
Browns (AFC North)     1-9     Next opponent: Bengals, 7-3

So what does this mean? Essentially, it’s easy to see why the Dolphins, for example, have no reason to count themselves out of the current hunt for the playoffs. Actually, outside of the Titans (at 4-6, they aren’t going to win the division and aren’t likely to snag a Wildcard berth either), all teams with four wins or more are still alive.

No doubt, the end of the NFL season is destined to provide some crazy drama in the stretch. Three division leaders have records of 7-3, and no second-place teams have less than five wins. Only the Colts have a dominating advantage in their division, and the second-place Jaguars still have a legitimate shot at a Wildcard at 6-4.

And get ready, Dolphins fans. Because the AFC East has the potential to become one of the most interesting races down the stretch. If the undefeated Saints can beat the Patriots on Monday Night Football, and the Dolphins are able to knock off the Bills, it would set up another huge showdown between Miami and New England on Dec. 6.
 
Should that scenario play out, a win against the Patriots would cause a tie in the AFC East. And let me remind you: Because the Dolphins would have only one loss in the division (a split series to the Patriots), they would hold the tiebreaker over New England.

Beyond the division races, the Wildcard race also got very interesting as a result of this weekend’s games. Losses by Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Houston all caused the top of the standings to tighten.
 
So what should you be watching this weekend? There’s a few big games that could continue to shape the AFC’s Wildcard and divisional race. Specifically, if the Giants can defeat the struggling Broncos, it would drop Denver to 6-5.
 
The Chargers and Bengals both have seemingly simple games this week, against the Chiefs and Browns, respectively. But last weekend’s games (Pittsburgh lost to Kansas City and the Bengals lost to Oakland) proved nothing is guaranteed at this point in the season.

So as the NFL’s regular season kicks into the home stretch, watch very closely. Because even though Mora didn’t want to talk about his own playoff aspirations eight years ago today, it doesn’t mean we can’t.

Playoffs?!

Yes, Coach, Playoffs.

Pennington on Moss: "He won the 100-yard dash one time in sandals"

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Standing on a small makeshift stage at Shula's Steakhouse in Miami Lakes on Tuesday, former Dolphins tight end Jim Mandich had a question for the gathering at the team's weekly Touchdown Club meeting.

"Chad (Pennington) has an NCAA record," Mandich said. "He's the quarterback in college to throw more touchdown passes to one individual than anyone else in the history of college football. Who knows who that receiver was?"

Now, Mandich is partly right: Pennington, who was the featured guest at the luncheon, did once hold that record, but it has since been broken by another tandem. (Colt Brennan and Dolphins wide receiver Davone Bess during their time at Hawaii connected for 15 more touchdowns than Pennington and his favorite target at Marshall.)

But let’s not let technicalities get in the way of a good trivia question. So who was the guy Mandich was talking about? It was Patriots wide receiver Randy Moss, of course.

The topic reminded me about just how much of an athletic freak Moss has always been, something Pennington affirmed when he spoke about his former college teammate. Get this: In 26 college games, Pennington noted Moss scored 54 touchdowns!

“The funny thing is, when you watch his highlight tapes, the catches he’s making now on this level, he made those in college, he made those in high school,” Pennington said. “It didn’t matter what level he played on. I can tell you story after story of his athleticism.

“It’s really unbelievable.”

It also reminded me about what a bizarre career – on every level – Moss has had. A fight in high school caused Notre Dame to pull its scholarship offer, which led him to Florida State. But after red-shirting his first year, he tested positive for Marijuana and was dismissed from the school.

That’s when he ended up at Marshall with Pennington.

So just how athletic was Moss?

“In high school, he won the 100-yard dash one time in sandals,” said Pennington, drawing a roar of laughs from the attending crowd Tuesday.

Then, in college, Pennington added another story about a trip to the university’s pool.

“We were all messing around, jumping off the spring board,” Pennington said. “And Randy, at 6-5, 200 pounds, he gets up there and does a gainer off the thing like he’s 5-foot-8.”

A gainer, by the way, is essentially when you run forward and do a reverse flip off a diving board. Pretty acrobatic stuff for such a tall dude.

“It’s really unbelievable,” Pennington said. “He golfs really well, too. Everything comes natural to him.”

Pennington said, during their brief two-year stint together at Marshall, he was shocked how many teams would try to play Moss one-on-one.

“The last game of the year, we’re playing Ole Miss in the Motor City bowl,” Pennington said. “We’re like, ‘This is an SEC team. They’ve seen speed; they know what a good player looks like. There’s no way they’ll try Randy one on one.’ First play of the game, on the 20-yard line, I look out there and Randy is one on one with their worst corner.

“So we check to the go-route, hit it for 80 yards and they started double teaming us after that.”

Anyway, I know it’s often easy to hate on a player simply because he’s a division rival. But I figured you’d enjoy hearing about Moss from the perspective of a Dolphins player everyone has grown to love.

Pretty nasty stuff. With that, I’ll leave you with this freakish Randy Moss highlight video. Check out the connection between Pennington and Moss. Here’s what happens when Pennington’s accuracy and touch meets Moss’ athleticism.

If you don’t have time for the whole video, fast forward to the play that occurs at 1:30. Enjoy.

Does Belichick deserve the blame for Patriots' loss? You decide.

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One awkward exchange after another, Patriots coach Bill Belichick made it very clear why he decided to make one of the most controversial in-game coaching decisions I can recall during a regular-season game.

"I thought we could make that yard," said Belichick, referring to his team’s decision to shy away from punting on 4th and 2 from his own 28-yard line with 2:08 remaining and a 34-28 lead.

But as Sunday night’s news conference was coming to its close after an epic showdown that ended in a 35-34 win by the Colts, a reporter threw one last gutsy question toward the legendary coach: “Did you know it was actually 4th and 2?”

With an unusually cordial response (might Belichick actually have been humbled?), the coach delivered an anticipated answer, noting that he clearly knew it was 4th and 2 since the team had just spent a timeout discussing the situation after the previous play.

Fair enough. As quarterback Tom Brady pointed out, it was probably more like 1 ½ yards. So on that front, we’ll give the coach the benefit of the doubt. But this exchange still brings up a bigger point: For the first time, Belichick seemed in foreign territory.

During Sunday’s news conference, all of the questions about his decision to go for it were warranted. They were all legitimate and deserving. And they were mostly far from the “Monday morning quarterback” perspective that coaches hate.

By all means, this was a situation worth debating from every end. I’m not entirely sure there’s a perfect answer, either. So here’s where I turn the table: Belichick’s decision was obviously arrogant. But was it really that wrong?

I’ve already heard former Patriots safety Rodney Harrison say, “This was the worst coaching decision I have seen Bill Belichick make.” And I’ve also heard ESPN analyst Trent Dilfer talk about how this shows what little faith Belichick has in his defense.

Both are fair arguments. And I agree, by all means, objective reasoning suggests you punt in that situation all of the time – especially when the Patriots’ defense played well against the Colts all game long.

But Belichick’s mind also needs to remain on the most recent history, which was the fourth quarter. Not the first half. Not the third quarter. No, only the fourth quarter. And during that time span, Peyton Manning had already put together two touchdown drives.

One drive went 79 yards on five plays – and took just 2:04. The second went 79 yards on six plays -- and took just 1:49.

If the Patriots punt, they give the Colts the ball with nearly the same amount of time (the two-minute warning would have stopped the clock) and nearly the same distance.

Essentially, Belichick trusted his offense to get two yards more than he trusted his defense to stop Manning from getting nearly 80 yards.

I’m not suggesting I would have gone for it on 4th and 2. Actually, I’m not suggesting I know what I’d do as a coach in that situation. But I think this call is far more debatable than most people seem to think.

Was it an arrogant call? Yes. But was it a stupid one?

If you’re the coach, what do you do?

Oh, and one more thing: Miami won ugly. New England lost pretty. But I’m guessing the Dolphins won’t mind, since they are now two games out of the division lead. Just crazy.