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The Christmas season annually brings one of the great gifts of the year -- two weeks of Saturday games. It's the one chance to shop in a store and catch glimpses of games in the electronics section.
While we put together our last-minute shopping lists together for Christmas, let's run down a few aisles and fast forward a few random thoughts as the regular season comes to a close:
If the Panthers came out of the season with anything positive, it's the recognition of how good their young front seven is. Defensive end Julius Peppers and defensive tackle Kris Jenkins were first alternates to the Pro Bowl. Middle linebacker Dan Morgan was a third alternate. If the Panthers win a few more games next year, watch for defensive end Mike Rucker to get votes. One player whom the Panthers felt was overlooked was linebacker Mark Fields. Those are good building blocks.
Cowboys reporters thought it was interesting that the usually accessible Jerry Jones went into media hibernations this week. That's another bad sign for the future of coach Dave Campo. Jones usually hangs around after practices to talk about the team. Guess he didn't want to be caught answering questions about Campo staying and that not happen. Dolphins offensive coordinator Norv Turner and Chiefs offensive coordinator Al Saunders will end up being two of the top replacement candidates.
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| George |
Don't think that Jeff George will fade away. He won't and he shouldn't. George, who signed with the Seahawks, almost had a chance to play last week against Atlanta, but Matt Hasselbeck's foot healed in time to play. Observers won't forget the Wednesday practice in which George put on a show. His throws were accurate and powerful. There might be some wanting George out of the league, but he won't mind giving it five more years to get a chance to start again.
Naturally, popularity works in Pro Bowl voting. Having a bad reputation works against you. Kyle Turley of the Saints and Jon Runyan of the Eagles are two of the more dominating tackles in the NFL. Turley finished fourth and Runyan fifth in the fan voting. Neither emerged in the final tallies for the Pro Bowl teams or were among the top three alternates.
Another player who felt he was unfairly treated was Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski, who was so far down the Pro Bowl voting list that he wasn't among the top three alternates. Janikowski said Thursday that he was passed over because there is a perception that he parties too much. He has a point. He leads the AFC with 118 points and made 25 of 32 field goals. His 25 field goals is tops in the conference. No, he didn't earn the Pro Bowl honor because Adam Vinatieri made 88 percent of his field goals this year. But maybe Janikowski should have gotten a few more votes.
At some point, the league has to make a determination on the true status of Mike Alstott, who earned his sixth trip to the Pro Bowl as a fullback. Allstott may at best play six or seven plays at that position. He's a big halfback who rushed for 478 yards and has a 3.7 yard average. He's now gone to the Pro Bowl as many times as LeeRoy Selmon, the Bucs all-time Pro Bowler. He also cost Fred Beasley of the 49ers -- a true fullback who is 12 for 13 converting short-yardages situations -- a deserving chance at the Pro Bowl. Selmon is a Hall of Famer. Alstott a good player who's found a free path to the Pro Bowl no matter what he does on the field.
The pressure to win not only affects the future of Raiders coach Bill Callahan, but it affects the feelings of Mr. Raider, Tim Brown. Brown has been patient watching his role change in the Raiders offense. For the sake of the team, Brown is running shorter possession routes and sometimes becoming the third or fourth option for quarterback Rich Gannon. He does it for the sake of winning. With 820 yards and only two games remaining, Brown could have a string of nine 1,000-yard seasons broken. If the Raiders don't make the playoffs, he won't be happy.
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| Price |
Two of the best free agents next year will be two players teams may regret letting go. The Bears can't afford to pay a third linebacker because they put their money into Brian Urlacher and Warrick Holdman, so Rosevelt Colvin will hit the streets. In a similar vein, the Bills won't want to give a second $40 million contract to a wide receiver after giving the big bucks to Eric Moulds. That means Peerless Price is probably out of Buffalo. His price will be high in free agency, but he earned it this season.
The Colts are one of the few teams that don't give Pro Bowl bonuses because of its highly speculative nature in the selection. That's not a problem because they put the money into salaries, performance incentives and occasional performance-based escalators. Plus, Pro Bowl caliber players such as Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison, Edgerrin James and Tarik Glenn are among the highest paid at their positions.
Texans guard DeMingo Graham faces an interesting dilemma. He was suspended four games for violating the league's substance policy for ephedrine found in a sports drink. That carries two games into next season. But by then, the league and the Players Association will come to some resolution to lessen the penalty for ephedrine. Graham is a free agent, and if he signs with a team, he'll be unavailable for his first two games. Should he be held to this year's or next year's standards. My guess is that he will be held to this year's standards, and it may cause him problems in finding work.
Don't be surprised if the Cowboys slap the franchise tag on left tackle Flozell Adams for a second consecutive year. The Cowboys offensive line has had a terrible year along the offensive line, so Jerry Jones may be reluctant to give Adams an $8 million signing bonus and a contract worth between $4 million and $5 million a year. Adams would get a 20 percent raise from this year's $4.92 million salary. He says he wouldn't mind that possibility.
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| Adams |
One of the things Browns coach Butch Davis needs to look into is getting a few more seasoned veterans around with Super Bowl experience. The Browns lost too many last-second games this season. They also lost too many games to teams that they should have beaten. Veterans such as Sam Adams and Bill Romanowski help teams in those situations. Davis has a good team building toward the playoffs. A couple of Super Bowl leaders would help.
If the Packers get the third seed in the NFC playoffs and have to play on Saturday, Jan. 4, the debate will be whether to have the early or late game. ABC will want the Packers in prime time because they have been involved in two of the highest rated games this season. Of course, that means Lambeau Field at night. What's a few frozen degrees when we are talking about improved ratings.
The weird part of the finale between the Dolphins and Patriots is that they might have to meet again in New England if the Patriots win the next week. The Dolphins could be the first or second seed if they win, but, as the Raiders found out last year, weird things can happen in Foxboro. The Colts should finish 11-5 as long as they win two home games, and the Titans should be able to pull out road victories against the Jaguars and Texans. That gives the Colts the fifth seed and top wild-card. The Dolphins would win most of the tie-breakers against the 10-win teams, but they may mean returning to New England to face the Patriots.
John Clayton is a senior writer for ESPN.com.
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