The Altered States News
Joseph Munley
1/24/2012

“Who… Who told you that? What the hell are you talking about? I didn’t black anybody’s eyes… Besides… You can’t prove it…”

Those were the words uttered to me in the early morning hours when I called George W. Bush at his Ranch in Texas. It was clear from the gravel in his voice that I’d woken him up, and I figured I might as well keep him on the line for a bit longer since he was already up.

“Aren’t you curious? Don’t you want to know who you’re being accused of assaulting?” I asked.

“Well… Yeah… Sure. Who is it?”

“John Kerry.”

“John KERRY?! That guy who married the ketchup girl? That John Kerry?” Dubya asked, sounding a tad more convincing now that he was shaking out some of the cobwebs.

“Yes, that John Kerry. He also ran for President against you in 2004. Do you remember that?”

At that, he chortled – a sound that came out half pervert, half hooligan. He stifled it at the last second, but it was too late. I’d heard it.

“Dub – er, Mr. President… Why did you just laugh like… Like a goon?”

At this point, there was a great deal of rustling and it was clear that the former President was climbing out of bed. He whispered to whom I can only assume was his wife to ‘go back to sleep, Laura’ and then to me, ‘Give me a second, asshole’. Finally, after some more rustling and clanging around, Dubya addressed me again.

“You recording this?”

“No, sir.”

“You sure?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good. This is off the record… Got that?!”

“Absolutely.”

With that, the former president choked out his pervert/hooligan chortle again… “I hit that goofy bastard right in the nose with a training wheel!”

“A training wheel? Like from a bike?”

“What other kind of training wheel you know of, jackass?”

“Mr. President, why would you hit John Kerry in the face with a -”

At that very second, the former First Lady hollered for George, “Where are you, muffin?!”

Muffin?!

Dubya whispered into the phone… “Just look it up, jackass… It’ll all make sense… And I better not ever read a goddamn thing about that ‘Muffin’ business. That’s between me and my wife. Hear me?!”

“Yes, sir.”

“You sure?!”

“Yes, sir.”

Click.

And with that, he was gone. I was left alone in my dark office in the middle of the night with the mental image of former President George W. Bush whacking a U.S. Senator in the face with a bicycle training wheel while the sing-song voice of the former First Lady played in my head on a loop… “Muffin? Muffin? Muffin?…”

I did what any self-respecting 21st century writer would do… I Googled ‘John Kerry Training Wheel’ and THIS is what I found:

When he ran for president in 2004, Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) rarely missed an opportunity to crack a few jokes about President Bush.
One of his better lines came after being told by reporters that Bush had taken a tumble during a bike ride. “Did the training wheels fall off?” Kerry quipped.

It finally made sense. Well, not really, but it made a little bit of sense. I had a hard time convincing myself that Bush would hold a grudge for close to 8 years over a lame campaign trail joke. Then I realized that Bush had fallen off his bike in Texas all those years ago. That was Kerry’s big mistake, folks. He cracked wise about something that had happened in Texas, and we all know that you don’t dare mess with Texas.

I was off. I boarded the first plane to Washington D.C., made all of the appropriate calls while en route, and was granted a 30 second face-to-face with Senator Kerry just before he appeared with President Obama to honor the Boston Bruins and their 2011 Stanley Cup Championship.

“John, I know you didn’t get hit in the face with a hockey stick.”

“Sure, it was an accident during a good, clean game of hockey and -”

“Two words: Training Wheel.”

The Senator looked at me in disbelief. He must have thought I was some kind of mystic to know what had happened to him.

“How did you -”

“Is it true?”

He gave himself a good three seconds to try to think of another spin he could put on the story, but he finally relented. The picture below was snapped as he confirmed that he had, in fact, been the victim of a training wheel ambush…

"That crazy bastard hit me right here... With a TRAINING WHEEL!"

The official story coming out of Washington at this hour is that Kerry was injured in “a hockey game with friends” where he supposedly took a shot to the face with a hockey stick. Likely story, Senator.

Likely story.

- JM

Related articles

• John Kerry Breaks Nose Playing Hockey (boston.cbslocal.com)
• Commitment: Sen. John Kerry Shows Up At Hockey Event With Black Eyes And Broken Nose (mediaite.com)
• Former John Kerry staffer John Kiriakou arrested for blowing CIA agents’ cover. (kajunman.wordpress.com)
• John Kerry’s Broken Nose Honors Boston Bruins (inquisitr.com)

by David Fitzsimmons, The Arizona Star

- JM

Related articles

• Goodbye Gabby Giffords (bilerico.com)
• WATCH Rep. Gabrielle Giffords emotional video on her retirement from Congress! Lets get Mark Kelly to take her place! (economy4abc.blogspot.com)
• Gabrielle Giffords to Resign From Congress (kaystreet.wordpress.com)

On the AFC side…

Baltimore Ravens @ New England Ravens
Winner: Patriots 23 – 20

69.6% of you had this game pegged in favor of the Pats. I thought the Patriots were going to win this one by at least 10 points, and they would have if Tom Brady had played one of his typical games. As it was, Joe Flacco completely outplayed Brady and gave his team an outstanding shot to steal the game late. Had the Ravens not squandered the opportunities they were given, especially the Lee Evans drop-strip-catch in the end zone, Ray Lewis & Co. would finally be headed back to play in the big one.

The Lee Evans miscue in the end zone was bad enough, but then out trotted Billy Cundiff. Thanks to yet another long drive orchestrated by Flacco against a Patriots defense that came to play, the kicker was set up with a 32 yard field goal that would have tied the game. He shanked it.

For me, the difference in this game was the Pats defense. Vince Wilfork seemed to be in on every big play, Sterling Moore saved New England’s season with his two plays at the end of regulation, and the defense as a whole shut down Ray Rice. As good as Flacco was, it wasn’t good enough with his number one weapon rendered a sidenote in this game.

MVP(s) – Patriots Defense (with shiny gold stars going to Vince Wilfork & Sterling Moore)

Goats – Lee Evans, Billy Cundiff, Joe Flacco’s mustache

On the NFC side of things…

New York Giants @ San Francisco 49ers
Winner: Giants 20 – 17

55.2% of you correctly picked the Giants to win this one. Well, I was correct on two points in regards to this game: 1) It was affected by the weather, and 2) It was a close one. Where I was wrong was in my prediction that Eli and his receivers would have a rough day because of the aforementioned weather. Once again, Eli was dealing. He took hit after hit from a hungry Niners defense only to get up and make throw after throw. Why are they still leading segments on ESPN with the all-important question of whether or not the Little Brother is elite? Of course he is. Move on, ESPN… Move on.

Now, as good as Eli was, this game was still the Niners’ to win. Super Goat Kyle Williams made sure that didn’t happen. With 11:06 left to go in regulation, Williams appeared to get out of the way of a punt. However, the Giants challenged that the ball bounced off of Williams’ knee. The replays proved that this was the case, and Eli tossed the go-ahead TD pass to Manningham three minutes later.

In overtime, Williams received a punt, took off up field… And had the ball stripped from his clutches by Jacquain Williams. Devin Thomas recovered the fumble, and minutes later the Giants punched their Super Bowl ticket with a 31 yard field goal by Lawrence Tynes.

MVP – Eli Manning… 316 yards & 2 TDs

Goat – Kyle Williams

Rough day at the office for Mr. Williams

- JM

Related articles

• Patriots and Giants Prevail: Lessons From A Classic NFL Championship Sunday (newsfeed.time.com)
• Have Your People Call My People …. Let’s Make A Deal …………. (tophatal.wordpress.com)
• Patriots Beat Ravens 23-20 In AFC Championship (dfw.cbslocal.com)
• Bob Haynie: The Ravens Exit…Wide Left (baltimore.cbslocal.com)

The SOPA / PIPA blackout is over for now, but I strongly urge you to visit AmericanCensorship.org in order to research the effect that these bills will have on the internet as you know it if they’re passed.

Now, let’s get down to some proper NFL business.

AFC

Sunday, January 22nd
Baltimore Ravens @ New England Patriots

The Patriots host the Ravens, and they are healthy 9 point favorites in this one. The Patriots will win this game, but I’m having a hard time determining the margin of victory.

Rob Gronkowski is going to be a matchup problem for Baltimore, and they will have to double-up on him in order to stop him. Period. That will leave either Wes Welker, Deion Branch, or Aaron Hernandez with single coverage. Each of those guys is more than capable of beating man coverage, and Tom Brady will find the open receiver every time.

Yes, the Ravens D is likely to give the Patriots a tougher time than Denver did, but the fact is that the San Diego Chargers are the only team the Ravens have played this year with the kind of offensive firepower that the Pats boast…. And the Chargers put down the Ravens 34 – 14 in that Week 15 matchup. I don’t like to use regular season victories or losses as predictors, but besides the trouble they had with Philip Rivers and the Chargers, the Ravens also struggled against Seneca Wallace and Andy Dalton to close out the season. Neither of them is anywhere close to the caliber of Tom Brady.

To me, the only question is whether or not the Ravens will give Ray Rice enough touches to keep this one close. If not, it’s a blowout. Either way it’s a loss. I see New England winning by 10.

Winner: New England Patriots

Sunday, January 22nd
New York Giants @ San Francisco 49ers

The Giants travel to San Francisco as 3 point underdogs. The spread seems right as this one has the feeling of a classic, tight, grind-it-out playoff game. The Niners D is stout against the run so you can expect the Giants ground game to be slowed up this week after enjoying a month-long resurgence. Eli will have to carry the offense in the same way that he carried them throughout the first 13 games of the regular season. He’s capable – he’s more than proven that – but there are other things at play here that may spell doom for the Giants…

The next four days will be filled with rain showers in San Francisco. The field will not be in optimum condition at kickoff by any means, and receivers on both teams will have a difficult time in the finesse game. This game will be decided on the ground. Advantage San Francisco… By 3.

Winner: San Francisco 49ers

- JM

Related articles

• 5 Rookies in the Brightest Spotlight of NFL’s Conference Championships (bleacherreport.com)
• Super Bowl Predictions 2012: Why New England Patriots Should Be Worried (bleacherreport.com)
• Football Relativity: Conference Championships (footballrelativity.wordpress.com)

Let’s start with the AFC this time…

Denver Broncos @ New England Patriots
Winner: Patriots 45 – 10

As a new wrinkle, I put up a fan poll after each of my predictions last week and 66.7% of you were correct in picking the Patriots in this matchup.

In my prediction post I said that I expected “Brady to punish Tim Tebow and the Broncos for stealing his headlines”. Well, it appears that Tom Brady was a bit more pissed off about that than I thought. I mean, my goodness, Tom Brady put on a Matt Flynn-esque performance with 363 yards & 6 TDs.

By comparison, Tim Tebow threw for 136 yards with 0 TDs. Fine, Brady… Take your headlines! Give credit to the Patriots defense. Much maligned entering the playoffs, this unit showed up and absolutely dominated the Broncos. They had the trenches on lock-down, swarmed Tebow, and took away the downfield options that No 15 lived off of last week against the Steelers. It was an absolute show of force.

I admit that I was wrong about the spread. I predicted that the Broncos would keep it respectable, and that the Patriots wouldn’t cover the 14 point spread. Oops.

As a personal aside… What the hell was this Denver Broncos fan thinking?

Houston Texans @ Baltimore Ravens
Winner: Ravens 20 – 13

A whopping 82.3% of you were correct in choosing the Ravens in this contest.

I was correct in my questioning of the 9 point favorite status given to the Ravens in this one. They won by 7 which is where I thought the spread should have been set at initially. I know the line had fallen to 7.5 in Vegas by kickoff.

I admit that Arian Foster had a much, much bigger game than I thought was possible against the Baltimore D. He busted loose for 132 yards and a TD on the ground, and he added 22 receiving yards for good measure. The guy is a stud. Period. I think the important number in that line is 22… By containing Foster in the passing game, the Ravens took away a weapon that had been a go-to option for Houston for much of the season. Andre Johnson got loose for 111 yards receiving, but he was kept out the endzone.

The game hinged on the two players that I thought it would hinge on… Flacco and Yates. Neither QB had a breakout game. In fact, both threw for less than 200 yards and looked less than impressive to say the least. However, Flacco threw for 2 TDs and 0 INTs while Yates threw for 0 TDs and 3 INTs. There’s the difference, folks.

Now, let’s move on over to the NFC side of things…

New York Giants @ Green Bay Packers
Winner: Giants 37 – 20

Only 40% of you were correct in picking the Giants to upset the Packers. We are… The 40%… Nevermind.

Eli Manning was dealing in this one. The pass-to-run ratio throughout was pretty much even, which opened up the middle of the field for much of the game, and Eli took every yard he could. He and Hakeem Nicks alone connected for 165 yards and 2TDs.

The NYG defense harrassed Aaron Rodgers and controlled the tempo for much of the game. Nothing the Pack did seemed to click. Now, I will say that Rodgers missed a few throws that he doesn’t usually miss. Rust could have been an issue, but you can’t blame the whole game on rust. They looked just as bad late in the game as they did early on, and there is no excuse for that from a 15-1 team. They got outplayed. Period.

New Orleans Saints @ San Francisco 49ers
Winner: 49ers 36 – 32

Only 38.9% of you were correct in picking the Niners’ upset of the Saints. Congrats. I was wrong about this one.

The Saints’ offense came out and proved that they could play outdoors. Drew Brees threw for 462 yards and 4 TDs. Sproles was hell in the receiving game as he piled up 119 yards and a TD. Colston and Graham both hauled in more than 100 receiving yards, and combined for 3 TDs. What the hell happened?

Well, the San Fran D forced 3 fumbles and recovered all of them, intercepted Brees twice, they harrassed poor Drew in the pocket all game long, and they absolutely shut down the New Orleans running game. The Saints were good for just 37 yards on the ground.

This time, though, the D wasn’t the only story. This game turned into a shoot out late, and Alex Smith proved to be up for the challenge. Remember Drew’s two INTs? Alex Smith had 0 to go along with his 3 TD passes. He and Vernon Davis teamed up for 180 yards and 2 TDs through the air.

On that note I’d like to point out that the emotion that poured out of Vernon Davis as he was heading for the sidelines after making what would be the game winning catch reminded me of WHY I love sports. The moment was pure, it was heartfelt, and it was fitting. He deserved to be the hero. I chose the Saints to win the game, but after seeing the Vernon Davis and Coach Harbaugh embrace on the sideline… I’ve never been happier to be wrong.

- JM

Related articles

• Tom Brady regains playoff form in blowout of Broncos (aol.sportingnews.com)
• Broncos Get Abused In New England Like A Playboy Magazine At Boys Town (thedaleygator.wordpress.com)
• NFL Divisional Round 49ers-Saints Patriots-Broncos (faniq.com)

Photo by Peter Yang

American Hero Senator Bernie Sanders asks:

“Where Do We Go From Here?”

It is no secret that the people of our country are angry and frustrated with Washington and their government.  They correctly perceive that we face enormous problems: a collapsing middle class, increased poverty and a growing gap between the very rich and everyone else; sky-high unemployment; 50 million Americans without health insurance; a deteriorating infrastructure;  the continued loss of our manufacturing capabilities; the ongoing mortgage and student loan crises, and the planetary challenge of global warming.  And on top of all of that, we have a $15 trillion dollar national debt.

The American people want action.  They want their government to start representing the 99 percent, not just the top 1 percent.  With that goal in mind, let me say a few words about some of the issues that I will be working on when Congress reconvenes in January.

With more than 23.7 million Americans unemployed or underemployed, 15 percent of our workforce, we must be aggressive about creating the millions of new jobs we desperately need.  It is simply not acceptable that high school or college graduates are not able to find work as they try to begin their careers.  It is horrific that millions of older workers, who were looking forward to secure retirements, find themselves unemployed and facing the possibility that they may never again have a job… CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

- JM

Related articles

• Overturn Citizens United (usnews.com)
• Few options available to help pay off private student loans (usatoday.com)
• US Social Crisis: 25 Million Unemployed and Underemployed (skillsinfo.wordpress.com)

Wildcard Weekend – even though it came at the expense of my fandom – proved why the NFL is the most exciting professional sports league in existence. Tim Tebow and the Broncos are moving on after bouncing my boys in Black & Yellow. It’s going to take me a while to get over that one completely, but the NFL Playoffs are moving right along… So, I will too. Here are my predictions:

AFC

Saturday, January 14th
Denver Broncos @ New England Patriots

Last week’s stunning upset aside, Denver enters Foxborough as 14 point underdogs. That’s a lot of points. Against the spread, I’d take the Broncos, but I certainly understand the Vegas insiders’ logic in setting this spread….

Exhibit A – The Broncos traveled to New England in Week 15 – riding high after pushing their season-high win streak to 6 games - and received nothing more than a 41-23 beat-down for their troubles.

Exhibit B – Tom Brady seems to take everything personally. Everything. Forget what he says to the media about what a great season Tebow’s had… In reality, Brady feels as though the ink used in printing the headlines Tebow has been getting should be used to print his own name instead. That’s not a knock on Brady, that’s how a lot of the great ones are. They’re competitive to the point of being excessive compulsive, and they hate to see anybody else mentioned before them. I expect Brady to punish Tim Tebow and the Broncos for stealing his headlines. I just don’t expect the Pats to cover that high of a spread… The Broncos will make it closer than they did in Week 15.

Winner: New England Patriots

Sunday, January 15th
Houston Texans @ Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens are favored by 9 points here. I can usually see a spread and immediately understand why it was set the way it was. This one confuses me a bit. I haven’t seen enough out of the Ravens lately to justify making them a 9 point favorite over a very good Houston defense. Maybe I’m wrong.

With these two teams and their stout run defenses, the players to watch right off the bat will be Arian Foster and Ray Rice. Can Foster take enough pressure off of rookie QB T.J. Yates? Can Ray Rice build on his 190+ yard performance against the Bengals in the final week of the season? Better yet, will the Ravens actually give Rice enough touches? These two backs will supply the juicy questions & over-analysis leading up to the game, but I think the game will hinge on two other players.

I think both defenses will do a good job of containing the running game. The game will  hinge on who has a better day in the face of a stalled running attack: Joe Flacco or T.J. Yates? Even though I think he regressed this season, the edge here has to go to Flacco. If worse comes to worse, Flacco can always dump the ball off to Rice and let him run loose in that way. T.J. Yates is a rookie, and the Ravens handled this Houston team easily in Week 6… and that was with Matt Schaub behind center. I don’t see Yates handling the Baltimore D better than Schaub did. The run comes to an end for Houston this weekend. Ravens win, but they don’t cover the spread.

Winner: Baltimore Ravens

NFC

Saturday, January 14th
 New Orleans Saints @ San Francisco 49ers

It is no surprise to me that the Saints are 4 point favorites here as they have been dominant for the better part of nine weeks now. I understand that the main ”yeah, buts” with this game will be: 1) The Saints aren’t as dominant outdoors, and 2) The San Fran defense will neutralize the Saints’ potent offense.

The first “yeah, but” is valid. The Saints averaged better than 41 points per game at home & under the dome this season while averaging under 24 points per during their final four games of the season played outdoors: Tennessee, Carolina, Jacksonville & Tampa Bay. My counter to that is this: If the Saints manage “only” 24 points against the Niners… They’ll still win. Personally, I don’t see Brees & Co. being held to fewer than 24 points.

The second “yeah, but” is an understandable instant reaction. The Niners’ D is stout and they will be on a mission to get to Brees early in an attempt to knock him out of his comfort zone. Here’s the rub, though: While the Niners’ run defense is stifling, their secondary is suspect as they gave up an average of better than 230 passing yards per game this season. If their secondary cannot maintain coverage long enough for Brees to come under pressure in the pocket, it will be a long day for San Fran. Here’s another kicker: Even if the secondary does maintain coverage downfield, Brees will dump the ball off to Sproles all day. He is - one more time, folks - the NFL MVP. I see the Saints winning & covering the spread.

Winner: New Orleans Saints

Sunday, January 15th
New York Giants @ Green Bay Packers

Eli Manning and Co. arrive in Mr. Rodgers’ neighborhood as 9 point dogs. I understand the respect being shown to Rodgers and his 15-1 Packers squad. What I don’t understand here is the lack of respect for Eli and the Football Giants.

I have to look back at the Week 13 matchup between these two teams. The Pack emerged victorious in that one, 38-35. The thing to keep in mind here is that the Giants emerged from that contest as the only team in the NFL to legitimately hang with the Packers & have a chance to win right there at the end. Note that I said “legitimately”… I do not count the Packers’ aberration of a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Since that meeting, the Giants have gotten even stronger while the Packers have been exposed a bit. Much like last week, the key to the Giants taking this game will be the running game. Bradshaw and Jacobs will be called on to carry the ball a lot, and Eli will enjoy some soft coverage because of this. If Bradshaw and Jacobs are as effective as they were last week, and they effectively keep Rodgers & Co. on the sideline… The Packers can be in trouble.

Two more players to watch… Jason Pierre Paul and Justin Tuck. JPP in particular has been on a tear, as has the entire Giants D. I’m taking the Giants to win.

Winner: New York Giants

- JM

Related articles

• NFL Playoff Predictions: Who Will Boom and Who Will Bust in Divisional Round? (bleacherreport.com)
• NFL Divisional Playoff Fantasy Madness: Rankings and Analysis for Every QB (bleacherreport.com)
• NFL wild-card checkdown: Saints best bet to continue march (aol.sportingnews.com)
• NFL Playoff Predictions: 5 Superstars Who Will Own Divisional Round (bleacherreport.com)

However, I was kept entertained as Kevin Paul from “The Wife Hates Sports” asked me to take part in a Twitter feed during the game. I had a blast, and I’m sure some of the folks on Twitter following #GOC2 (Game of the Century 2 – wink, wink) got some laughs as well. Here are some of my favorite tweets of the night:

Finally, as all of Twitter – and indeed the nation – was wondering WHY Les Miles was staying with Jefferson at QB instead of bringing in Lee, G-Money @gmm71 offered this gem:

Great stuff. I had a blast doing it, and I hope we do something like that again.

- JM

Related articles

• BCS championship game, SEC rematch ratings tank (vdgsports.com)
• BCS Championship: 5 Players Who Boosted Their Draft Stock in Title Game (bleacherreport.com)
• Alabama Fans Lined Up Immediately After The Game To Buy BCS Championship Gear (businessinsider.com)

Let’s start with the NFC picks shall we?

Detroit Lions @ New Orleans Saints
Winner: Saints 45 - 28

I’m proud of my foresight on this one… I predicted that Stafford and Johnson would keep the game close, but that Brees & his weapons would be too much for them in the end. I didn’t think the Saints would have a problem covering the 11 points, and they certainly made me look good.

While Brees didn’t throw for 950 yards, he did put on yet another air show in leading the Saints to a 45 – 28 win. As I posted on Twitter during the game, I believe Darren Sproles is the NFL MVP – Most Valuable Pickup. He and Brees will hook-up on quite a few more big plays before the post-season is over.

With that being said, all is not lost for the Lions. The future is very bright for them. Stafford and Johnson will be putting up some gaudy numbers in the coming years, and the defense is poised to become scary good. As Suh grows up & Fairley continues to develop, there isn’t a QB in the league that will feel safe against the Lions. Keep your head up Detroit.

Atlanta Falcons @ New York Giants
Winner: Giants 24 – 2

Well, I have to tell you… I was right on this front as well as I said:

“I’m giving the edge to New York. They’re playing at home, and Bradshaw and Jacobs will both be suiting up. When those two guys are a go they create a multitude of problems for the opposing D. I think the double-headed running attack will open up the field for Eli to convert on some big plays.”

Brandon Jacobs carried the ball 14 times for 92 yards, Bradshaw had 63 yards on 14 carries, and Eli threw for 277 yards and 3 touchdowns. Don’t look now but the Giants are clicking at the right time. Eli has carried this team all season long, and now that the defense is on a roll the G-Men may be ready to make another run at the Super Bowl.

Okay, now for the AFC side of things. This is where the crystal ball really let me down. Ugh…

Cincinnati Bengals @ Houston Texans
Winner: Texans 31 – 10

I was dead wrong about the Texans. While I still believe that they’re too patched together to make a deep run in the playoffs, the Texans had more than enough to get by the Bengals. However, much like the Lions above, I see a bright future for Dalton and Green in Cincy. At any rate, I thought the Bengals were a smart play as 3 point dogs… I was wrong.

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Denver Broncos
Winner: Broncos 29 – 23

Wow. First, yes the Steelers missed Clark. Second, yes the rash of injuries in the opening quarter alone killed them. Third, yes a healthy Big Ben would have made a world of difference…. BUT, if there is any team in the NFL that could have overcome all of that it is the Steelers. After all, they’ve done it before. Right?

With that being said, I’ll never understand why the Steelers didn’t focus on making things much more difficult for Tebow in the passing game instead of devoting every player on the field to stopping the run. The boys up front can stop the run all day. Period. They should have taken a page out of the Chief’s playbook and forced Tebow to work his way through his progressions. It’s a rare day when you see Dick LeBeau get out-coached, but that’s exactly what happened on Sunday. Credit Tebow for taking what the Steelers so graciously gave him… Open receivers all day long.

The loss to the Broncos hurt, but what really killed me was what I saw when the network threw the coverage back to the studio… What did I see? Coach Bill Cowher was “Tebowing”. I almost went through my television. Yes, the loss hurt, but the image below scorched my soul. Cowher is circled in red…

- JM

Related articles

• NFL Playoffs Predictions: Wildcard Weekend (asofm.wordpress.com)
• 2011 Wildcard Weekend Recap (snarkinthenfl.blogspot.com)
• Tim Tebow Got a $250,000 Bonus for Beating the Steelers (celebritynetworth.com)