NFL thoughts

+ Phil Simms said Indy has bigger second halves because they figure out what the other team is doing. Indy figured out that they couldn't beat Champ Bailey to get to Marvin Harrison, so they threw the whole second half to Reggie Wayne and he delivered.

The Colts gouged the vaunted Denver D. The Colts' D wasn't so hot either (though they've had some injuries on that side of the ball, unlike the offense).

Dude says there was no D in that game. Not exactly true. Champ had some.

So, once again, we have a season where Manning looks unstoppable. But that hasn't proved true in the playoffs, and the onus is on him to perform differently.

Kudos to the Colts for plugging in a rookie and a backup RB and making the ground game go just fine. What a terrible, stupid move by Edgerrin James. If Vinatieti elects to go to Indy for more money, at least they're a contender. But Arizona?!

+ Shawne Merriman (probably) did something very stupid.

+ I thought that the Panthers would come back at home and beat the lame Cowboys. I stayed up too late watching the third quarter, anyway, so I went to bed. I was surprised when I woke up and read that the Cowboys has pulled it out, in Charlotte, with a new QB. Bad sign for Carolina.

Romo looked pretty good. His delivery is funny-looking, sound and fury, short-arm even. But he can move a little, and he got the job done last night. He kinda' reminds me in looks and demeanor and situation of Marc Bulger a couple of years ago.

+ I want to reiterate that, though I didn't have a top 3 pick, LaDainian Tomlinson was ranked number 1 for my draft and anyone who picked LJ, or, worse, SA, is hatin' it. No, I fell to picking Rudy Johnson, but he's sputtering. Note to self: pay more attention to O lines in draft next year...

+Michael Vick looked awesome against Cinci. I'm no expert but, though the Bengals aren't the Bears, I didn't think they were slouches on defense.

You have to wonder, though, if he can keep it up. The headlong style has landed him on the IR every years so far by about this time.

+ That crying sound you hear is poor Eric V, after the Steelers lost to the lowly Raiders. Ben's hot and cold this year. Too many distractions/injuries?

+ Chicago shellacked SF and Philly lost again. The Bills didn't lose. ;-) Big game tonight between the Patriots and my Vikings, and me without cable. :-( Wonder if the Vikes can pull it out...

+ Best teams in the NFL?

• Indy, but they have to prove themselves in the playoffs. They're guilty until proven innocent.
• Baltimore, on a good day, might have enough offense to make a run, if McNair stays healthy.
• New England, provisionally. They get the benefit of the doubt, but let's see if they can handle the Vikes tonight. If they're championship material, they should be able to.
• Denver, but unreliable offense (unless playing Indy cured them), and a defense that was shown to be beatable.
• San Diego, but has a green QB and their main man on defense facing suspension. And can Marty S take a team all the way?
• Chicago's the only team that looks good and consistent in the NFC (minus one (anomalous?) outing at Arizona).

What do you think? (You know, aside from 'Dude has too much time on his hands!' ;-)