End Zone (Week 16)

1. Does Peyton Manning play for the Colts again?
KDC: Yep, because that's how the Colts do things. Even with the Rams determined to play it close in the Andrew Luck Sweepstakes but eventually lose out to the Colts (because they're the Rams), Peyton returns - probably with a renegotiated contract that benefits both sides. I personally see them using the Favre-Rodgers paradigm for a couple years assuming Peyton is healthy.
Momo: No because I think the Colts will move on. The new CBA provides them with an out an actually gives them a more stable future without Manning. Drafting Andrew Luck, if they are "lucky" enough to get the 1st pick is cheaper than having Manning. Luck provides them flexibility in their salary cap to rebuild a team that can be true contenders in a few years. Also think about this, the Colts with Luck for the next 10 years or three years with Peyton. Its sad to me but today's sports provides few legacy players with organizations. Peyton is definitely a legacy guy but I see the Colts choosing money and the known factor over the legacy of Manning.

2. Take your pick Giants or Jets?
KDC: Do I have to? Will either of these teams make any noise in the playoffs? Probably not. I see the Jets winning this only because ... I don't really know actually. Maybe because they've been less consistently bad? I do find it interesting how the media has played up the fact Giants QB Eli Manning is definitely an "elite" &/or "clutch" quarterback now because he beat the Patriots & played the Packers tough, but I still don't see it.
Momo: Neither really impress but I guess I'll take the Giants. My reason is they at least have sort of a running game and a more stable quarterback. I do trust Eli way more than Mark Sanchez. It is true that the media does play up these two teams and this year neither has been consistent or very good. At least all the talking will stop today.

3. The "Too Smart For His Own Good" Award goes to...
KDC: Josh McDaniels, Offensive Coordinator of the St Louis Rams. Although prescient on Tim Tebow, McDaniels alienated an entire football-crazy Denver in 2 years w/his demeanor. Now, given a reprieve with the Rams to strut his stuff, with a very limited cast but a perennial Pro Bowler in RB Stephen Jackson, he keeps calling pass plays with 3rd string QBs. Inside the Red Zone. Hello? If Kansas City is truly believing he is a candidate for their head coaching position, they will be sorely disappointed.
Momo: Mine goes to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The whole organization got too smart for their own good. First let's start with the owner who said Del Rio needed to make playoffs at the beginning of the year and he was not selling the team. Two days after that declaration was made the team cut David Garrard, their second best offensive player. Next, the installed a rookie, Blaine Gabbert, because they drafted him high, and Blaine was not ready to play. He needed a year or two to watch and learn because he is running for his life back in the pocket. After giving Del Rio a vote of confidence two weeks prior, Weaver not only fired Del Rio but also announced he was selling the team on the same day. All of this happened when the AFC South was up for grabs and the Jaguars could have made the playoffs with Garrard and the best running back in the league Maurice Jones-Drew. Just like Stephen Jackson, Jones-Drew talent is being wasted on a bad team. The Jaguars need good leadership from top to bottom.

Merry Christmas from your friends at the End Zone and Momo's Musings Sports!!!!

Momo's Munchies

1. Albert Pujlos really needs to get his wife to stop talking. Its bad enough that he left St. Louis for the Angels but for her to blame God for making them move is a little nutty.

2. Coaches should be punished for leaving schools high and dry. Example, not only did new Arizona St. coach Todd Graham defy his former bosses when they told him he could not speak to the Sun Devils. Graham texted his resignation into to the AD. No class whatsoever. Here's the story: Todd Graham

3. How fragile is the NFL season? The Bears and Eagles could miss out on the playoffs because of injuries to their starters and they were contenders just weeks ago.

4. Pretty sure the Packers don't think their loss to the Chiefs was a "Good" loss. No losses are good. Also I know having a near perfect season in their grasp has to be eating them up. If McCartney is smart, he will rest his starters once they wrap up homefield.

5. I think Brady took the matchup with Tebow personal. Tom dove in from the one yard line and scored a TD, something he never does.

6. Drew Brees is going to break Marino's passing record. To me it's a little diluted because defenses today are basically muzzled.

7. I understand why Mike Tomlin played Big Ben on Monday night. I just think he could have pulled him when he saw he wasn't as mobile and put in Charlie Batch so that the Steelers could have had more of an opportunity to win.

8. If I'm the Saints, I root hard for the Rams to knock off the Niners next week. San Francisco looks scary, especially at home.

9. I'm not enthused to watch any of these bowl games. And I love sports, especially football but none of the matchups intrigue me.

10. I'd be chocked if Peyton Manning plays for the Colts again. It's lining up that they will cut him and he could play elsewhere if he is healthy.

End Zone (Week 14)

Bold Prediction:
KDC: Jason Garrett WILL be the coach of the Cowboys next season. I'm not saying he deserves to be coach after the multiple debacles of freezing his own kicker 2 games ago & play-calling too conservatively early in the season, but Jerry Jones said he regretted letting go of Chan Gailey after 2 seasons because it wasn't enough time to develop his program. Garrett has looked horrible, but I think he'll get at least 2 more years. Sorry about that Cowboys fans.

Momo: Jason Garrett WILL NOT be the coach of the Cowboys next season if they don't make the playoffs. I’ve been sitting on this for a while but Garrett is not a good coach. It’s not just the icing your own kicker fiasco of last week, he cannot coach this team. Garrett is part of the problem of from last year and years past. When the Cowboys went 1-7 last year, who was the coach/OC? Jason Garrett. When he took over the team, the offense played better, but the defense just collapsed. Jerry Jones is not going to stand for this type of coaching and team mishaps, especially if they miss the playoffs two years in a row.. I can totally see him going after Jeff Fisher or Jon Gruden to try and revitalize this team and franchise. Some guys are just cutout to be coordinators, and Jason Garrett is proving that point every week.

I was wrong...
Momo: I was wrong about the Texans. They will be a tough out in the playoffs because of their running game and defense. Even with a rookie quarterback, Tyler Yates, the Texans can sustain drives with short passes and pounding the ball against the other teams defense. Also the Texans defense is relentless, even the loss of Mario Williams. Gary Kubiak and Wade Phillips deserve a lot of credit for keeping this team playing at a high level even without all their playmakers.

KDC: I was wrong about the Buccaneers. Yeah, I didn't make any rash predictions about their future greatness, but I did feel like they were the overlooked team as everyone got sucked in by the hype about Atlanta & Philadelphia & San Diego. I publicly figured they'd be a wild card instead of losing the tie-breakers in 2010. Oops! Turns out I was the only one who believed they'd play as intensely in 2011 as they did in 2010. Ah well.

I wouldn't be surprised...
KDC: ...if Mike McCarthy didn't win Coach of the Year. I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but has any 13-0 team ever gotten so overlooked as this year's Packers? It's been an extremely weird year, but Harbaugh's job in San Francisco deserves notice, & Fox's job with Denver is certainly worth votes, but honestly, every Super Bowl winner comes into every game with a target on their backs and no one has shrugged them off as this year's Packers. Yet, it's the kind of year that he could be runner-up and no one would think twice about it.

Momo: No disrespect to McCarthy but the coach of the year has to be Jim Harbaugh. Sure the Packers have won all their games and are coming off a Super Bowl but Harbaugh has revitalized this entire franchise. The Niners were not expected to contend for a championship. Harbaugh has brought confidence, discipline and leadership to team that sorely need it. Anyone that can make ultra-bust Alex Smith into a more than serviceable NFL quarterback deserves the award of Coach of the Year.

End Zone (Week 13)

1. More likely to make the playoffs, Lions or Bears?
KDC: Couldn’t I make a million dollars if I could guarantee one or the other? The pitiful Bears, w/out a QB in any direction, are more likely to make it than the imploding Lions. Early success did in the Lions, who thought they were of championship caliber but clearly aren’t. Give the Bears credit – at least they’re playing w/resolve & character as their aspirations are going down in flames. That said, they’re still a safer bet.
Momo: This is a tough one but I'm actually going to go with the Lions. The Lions are only missing a starter at running back. They still have their trigger man in Stafford and Calvin Johnson is a tough cover for anyone in the league. The problem is keeping Suh's head in the game. But with him being out a couple of weeks they survive and get strong for a playoff push. The Bears injuries on the offensive side, I believe have done them in. The advantage they have is they hold the tiebreaker over the Falcons who are nipping at their heels.

2. More likely to make the playoffs, Titans or Jets?
KDC: Jets, though I don’t anticipate them winning in the playoffs. Despite their coach’s brash predictions (that no team should have to live under every year), they still understand the urgency and what the playoffs require, and have greater depth than the Titans.
Momo: Ah, the Jets are in a familiar place. Late in the season back against the wall and needing to win out to make the playoffs. We have seen this script before and this I believe its a different ending. The Titans have finally got Chris Johnson going while the Texans have had injuries take away all their playmakers. With CJ2K running and Matt Hasselbeck throwing I think the Titans slip in past the Jets. The clock is ticking on Mark Sanchez.

3. More memorable season, Brees or Rodgers?
KDC: I’m a Cheesehead so I gotta say Rodgers. Ya gotta remember, even though they returned most of their Super Bowl team (except for DE Cullen Jenkins, who deserves his fate in Purgatory…I mean Philadelphia) no one predicted an unbeaten team with a(largely) unblemished QB. Yeah, people said Rodgers could be in the upper echelon, but many (most?) had him safely behind Manning & Brady & Brees. Nothing against those 3 at all, but Rodgers has exploded into a supernatural season that even his greatest admirers couldn’t imagine (& must make Bret Favre curse the football gods). At least in 2012 (& perhaps into the next 3-4 years),there’s unlikely to be a better QB in the NFL. And I sleep a little better knowing that.
Momo: What the Packers are doing is incredible. Not beaten and Rodgers playing out of his mind. But Drew Brees is going to break Marino's single season passing record and also win his division. Brees's number are off the chart and he does it a less stellar set of receivers and a head coach who is on crutches. Rodgers may win the MVP but people will remember the magical season Drew Brees had as well.

End Zone (Week 12)

Bold predictions:
Momo: Steve Spagnuolo will bot coach the Rams next season. This team is awful under his time in St. Louis and he looks overmatched and overwhelmed against other head coaches. The interesting part is what will happen with Sam Bradford. What stuns a young quarterbacks growth is the constant switching of offensive coordinators. I don't know if we will see the full potential of Bradford if they keep playing musical chairs at the OC position. But back to Spags, he will most likely become the new defensive coordinator in Philly. He has a connection with Reid, who will have to get rid of Juan Castillo or Andy will be fired himself. Also, another bold prediction is the Packers will cut Ryan Grant after this season. Their future at running backs will be James Starks and Brandon Zaine. Grant has lost his explosiveness and doesn't hit the holes with authority anymore.

KDC: I'm going to go out on a (short) limb & say the Packers will be the first team since the Dolphins to go undefeated & win the Super Bowl. They're not the Patriots, that live in their coach's shadow, & will burn out. This is a mature team that knows what it takes & realizes they can make history. Woodson & Rogers are openly contemplating this, which means they've discussed it behind the scenes. These guys love playing for each other & they're weighing (& wanting) the fight. Barring key injuries, I see these guys lofting the Lombardi trophy in February.