Utah goes 13-0 - Should get votes for National Championship

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/100658-utah-beats-alabama-utes-should-be-no-1-in-the-country

The Utah Utes demolished the team that held the No. 1 ranking for five weeks, the Alabama Crimson Tide 31-17.

This team beat Alabama by more points than the Florida Gators did for the SEC Title.

Utah is the only undefeated team in the country at this level.

It is painfully obvious how over rated these so called powerful conferences are .

Texas Tech who had plenty of gripes about the rankings during the season, lost to Mississippi by a large margin also.

I think it time to realize that teams play to their competition much more than previously suspected, unless your name is Tiger or something.

At this point in the season, I think it would be more than equitable to rank Utah over every other team with one loss, considering how they played in front of a national audience on Friday night.

Sorry USC, you lost a game. Sorry, Florida and Oklahoma, oh and don't forget Texas. You all lost a game, while Utah did not.

Your conference is tougher? Hogwash, I say. Any team that can step up and play to the level of Utah, deserves recognition, not excuses about how they didn't t play anyone good.

That all changed last night in the Sugar Bowl.

Utah gets my vote for number one college team in the country.

When next season starts and they continue to win games, it will a be a crime if they drop any lower than No. 2 in the rankings.

Florida and Oklahoma are now playing for second!

U of L Loses to U of L - their coach shows his lack of class

http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=17&f=2755&t=3693794&p=1

Sir Charles Barkley arrested - I wonder will he blame whitey lol

Barkely blames the "white man" for almost everything else. It seems Sir Charles was sipping the ole' tub water last night...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081231/ap_on_sp_bk_ne/bkn_charles_barkley_arrest

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Charles Barkley was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol early Wednesday.

An officer with a law enforcement task force that targets drunken driving saw the former NBA star run a stop sign around 1:30 a.m., said Gilbert police Lt. Eric Shuhandler.

Barkley, 45, failed standard field sobriety tests after the officer smelled alcohol on him, and he was arrested. Barkley declined to submit to a breath test but was given a blood test. The results weren't immediately available.

After Barkley was processed, he was cited and released. His car was impounded and he left in a cab, Shuhandler said.

Shuhandler said Barkley was cooperative, and that it is customary to release people after they've been arrested on suspicion of DUI.

"There was nothing unusual about how he was taken into custody," Shuhandler said. "He was treated exactly like we treat anybody else."

Barkley was arrested in Scottsdale's Old Town area, one of the trendiest spots in the Phoenix metro area.

A television commentator for NBA games, the former Auburn player was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame last month.

He played 16 NBA seasons for the Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets, and played on the 1992 and 1996 Olympic teams. Barkley was an 11-time NBA All-Star and league MVP in 1993.

Selected one the NBA's 50 greatest players in 1996, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

Help Ashley Judd

Geez, she needs to cuddle with me lol.....

Two Time NBA MVP Steve Nash hurt

http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=nba/news/news.aspx?id=4200091

Oklahoma City, OK (Sports Network) - Shaquille O'Neal recorded 28 points and 12 rebounds, and the Phoenix Suns overcame an early exit from Steve Nash to best the lowly Oklahoma City Thunder, 110-102.

Nash experienced back spasms early in the first quarter and left after just nine minutes of action without recording a point and did not return.

Matt Barnes picked up the slack with 19 points for Phoenix, which snapped a four-game road losing streak. Amare Stoudemire scored 14 points and dished out five assists before fouling out late in the game.

Rookie Russell Westbrook tallied a career-high 31 points to go with five assists, while Jeff Green finished with 22 points and 11 boards for the Thunder, who have dropped five straight overall and fell to 3-29 this season.

Kevin Durant had 18 points and eight boards in the loss.

There was hardly any defense in a first quarter that ended in a 34-34 tie. A 14-2 spurt that ended the half -- aided by two three-pointers from Barnes -- had the visitors up 60-55 at the break.

The third frame was another offensive showcase as the Suns held a five-point lead, 92-87, leading up to the fourth quarter.

A Dee Brown three-ball and a Jared Dudley bucket pushed Phoenix's lead to 10 in the first minute of the final frame, and Oklahoma City went more than five minutes without scoring.

The difference was 104-89 before nine consecutive points brought the Thunder within striking distance. Stoudemire and O'Neal halted the rally with back-to- back baskets for a 10-point lead with two minutes to play and the hosts didn't have the fire power to mount a comeback.

Game Notes

The Suns had lost two of three coming into the game...Phoenix has won seven in a row versus the Seattle/Oklahoma City franchise...Grant Hill had 11 points for Phoenix, while Desmond Mason scored 12 for Oklahoma City.

Mike Shanahan fired

Two time Superbowl winner Mike Shanahan was fired yesterday -

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jm_GPt2jmT8wZDlX03VHkBlZYgkAD95DLHTG0

DENVER (AP) — Over the past few years, Mike Shanahan, the vice president of football operations, didn't do Mike Shanahan, the coach, any favors.

In the end, both got fired.

The Denver Broncos parted ways with Shanahan on Tuesday following a late-season fizzle that knocked the team out of the postseason for a third straight season.

The collapse was complete with a 52-21 debacle at San Diego, with the Chargers rallying for the AFC West crown as Denver became the first team since divisional play started in 1967 to blow a three-game lead with three games left.

A dreadful defense — one built by Shanahan, the personnel man — was mostly to blame.

"After giving this careful consideration, I have concluded that a change in our football operations is in the best interests of the Denver Broncos," said owner Pat Bowlen, whose team finished 8-8.

Shanahan had a good run in Denver, leading the Broncos to two Super Bowl victories behind the legs of Terrell Davis and the arm of John Elway.

But life without Elway wasn't all that rosy; the Broncos have won only one playoff game since No. 7 retired after the second championship.

Over the past 10 years, Shanahan burned through three quarterbacks, five defensive coordinators and untold millions of dollars trying to get the Broncos back to the top. It didn't work.

The latest, most serious problem was the defense. Coordinator Bob Slowik attempted a different scheme seemingly every week — 3-4, 4-3, blitzes, zones, etc. — but the lack of talent was something no coach or scheme could overcome. Denver finished 29th in overall defense and last, at minus-17, in turnover margin.

It was Shanahan, in charge of every aspect of the Broncos, who put together the defense. This year, in his latest attempt to fix things, he brought in Boss Bailey, Niko Koutouvides and Dewayne Robertson in the offseason. But Bailey got hurt, Koutouvides couldn't get on the field — even with injuries at linebacker — and Robertson wasn't much help on the defensive line.

The team also said goodbye to John Lynch in training camp but free agents Marquand Manuel and Marlon McCree weren't the solutions at safety. Cornerback Champ Bailey had his worst season ever, missing almost two months after tearing a groin at New England in October and never regaining his All-Pro form.

"I'm part of the defense that didn't play well," defensive lineman Ebenezer Ekuban said. "You feel a little like it's your fault for what happened."

The 2008 Broncos also had a slew of injuries in the backfield — seven were placed on injured reserve.

But churning out tailbacks has never been Shanahan's problem. Davis, Olandis Gary, Reuben Droughns and Tatum Bell were all unheralded. All ran for 1,000 yards for the Broncos, leading to the notion that anyone could gain yardage in Shanahan's system.

Given all the ailments, some of the Broncos figured he'd get a pass for this season.

Didn't happen.

Shanahan and Bowlen were scheduled to hold news conferences Wednesday. Shanahan had three years left on his contract, worth about $20 million.

"The Broncos have had so much success under his tenure, you felt like he had it until he wanted to stop," said Spencer Larsen, a rookie fullback and linebacker. "I thought he was tremendous. Great person. He was always true to his word. He had a very good handle on the whole organization."

Shanahan went 146-91 in 14 seasons with Denver, including the playoffs. However, he was a pedestrian 24-24 over the last three seasons.

The new coach coming in will have pieces to work with — the offense is fully loaded. With Pro Bowlers Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall, rookie wideout Eddie Royal and a young offensive line, the Broncos finished with the second-best offense in the league.

It's that defense that needs work. The Broncos gave up 448 points this season, third-worst in the NFL.

Defensive deficiencies aside, Ekuban thinks the team is on the right path.

"Whoever comes in is going to have a well-stocked team that should be ready to go," said Ekuban, a pending free agent who hopes to be back. "As any year, some things are going to change. But I wouldn't touch that offense ... They did a tremendous job. Wish we could've helped."

The ousting of Shanahan came as a shock in Denver.

Bowlen has remained fiercely loyal to Shanahan over the years, viewing him as a coach who constantly redefined his operation to keep up with the ever-evolving league.

So entrenched was Shanahan, he's building a 35,000-square-foot house in a posh part of Denver, the mansion complete with a bowling alley and racquetball court.

Now he's out of a job — at least temporarily.

Shanahan went on the air last summer to declare Denver would make the playoffs in 2008, a brash prediction from the calculating coach.

It backfired.

AP National Writer Eddie Pells in Denver contributed to this report.

Cowher says no to the Jets

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3799959

Bill Cowher will not be in the running for the New York Jets' head coach vacancy.


A high-ranking Jets official told ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen that the Jets reached out to Cowher on Tuesday about the job, but Cowher's agent called back to tell the Jets that his client had no interest in the opening.

"After reaching out to coach Cowher's representatives, we were informed tonight that he is not a candidate for the position," Jets spokesman Bruce Speight told The Associated Press on Tuesday night.

Initially, ESPN.com's John Clayton reported that Cowher told the Jets he was not interested because he wanted his own personnel director. The Jets official's response indicated the team was willing to let Cowher replace current general manager Mike Tannenbaum with his own candidate.

A Jets source also said Tannenbaum said he was willing to adjust his position to accommodate Cowher.

Cowher had not given the Jets the impression he must have total control of personnel, a person familiar with the search told AP. Still, Cowher took his name out of the running without a formal sit-down.

Whoever will coach the Jets, there also is the issue of quarterback Brett Favre. While team owner Woody Johnson and Tannenbaum have said they want Favre back next season, a source familiar with the organization's thinking told Newsday "while they're open to Favre returning, Woody Johnson and Mike Tannenbaum believe whomever we hire as the new coach should have significant input on that decision."

Sources told ESPN's Ed Werder that the 39-year-old Favre has been told by doctors that pain in his right shoulder this season is a result of a torn biceps tendon and some calcification in the area, but Favre would need nothing more than arthroscopic surgery to repair the injury.

The sources Tuesday also said Favre might be able to avoid an arthroscopic procedure altogether if he decides to play a 19th NFL season.

Cowher originally told friends the Jets' job interested him for several reasons. First, Cowher would love to coach in the New York market. Second, two of his daughters are either going to school or working in the New York-New Jersey area.

If Cowher doesn't take an open NFL head coaching job this offseason, he does plan to coach in 2010, sources told Clayton. In 2009, though, he is willing to return only if every situation is right for him. He wanted to have a two-year break from coaching to be with family and recharge.


Last weekend, Cowher met with Browns owner Randy Lerner, who asked him what it would take financially for him to be the Browns coach. Having a close relationship with the Rooney family in Pittsburgh and still wanting more time with family, Cowher didn't give Lerner a price, and said no.



Cowher, 51, was 161-99-1 in 15 seasons with Pittsburgh, including a Super Bowl win in 2006.

Cowher recently extended his contract with CBS for another season.


In addition to Cowher, the Jets are also lining up interviews with other candidates, including Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. The Giants have granted the Jets permission to speak with Spagnuolo regarding their opening, sources told ESPN's Rachel Nichols.

New York is also expected to interview a pair of in-house candidates: offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and offensive line coach Bill Callahan, who also served as assistant head coach under Eric Mangini, who was fired as head coach Monday. Mike Shanahan, fired by Denver on Tuesday night, could also be a potential candidate.

Spagnuolo has become a popular candidate given the Giants' success on defense the last two seasons under him. The 49-year-old defensive coordinator has been mentioned in connection with the vacant Detroit and Cleveland jobs, as well as the Jets.

He was hired by the Giants in January 2007 after working eight years under Jim Johnson with the Philadelphia Eagles' defense. Spagnuolo was considered for the Washington Redskins job after the Giants upset the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl last season, but he chose to remain with New York.



Chris Mortensen is a senior NFL analyst for ESPN. Information from ESPN.com's John Clayton, ESPN's Rachel Nichols and The Associated Press was used in this report.

Give Drew Brees the MVP

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/97604-why-is-no-one-talking-about-drew-brees-5000-yard-passing-season

Has the sports-news world gone mad or is it just me?

I must have been the only one who saw Drew Brees become only the second quarterback in NFL history to throw for over 5,000 yards in a single season.

I certainly didn't see much mention of it on nfl.com or sportsillustrated.com and the game has long been over.

This deserves to be a headline.

Breese's 5,069 passing yards fell only 15 yards short of the NFL record that Dan Marino set in 1984. Yet, where is the recognition this guy deserves?

First of all, I'm a Colts fan and I don't care much about the Saints as they have nothing to do with my team's future, but you have to put your personal convictions aside for a moment and realize the monumental significance of this event.

I personally feel that Brees should be the one and only person included in the debate of who will be winning the league MVP along side Peyton Manning.

And you know how much I love Manning.

But back to Drew Brees. His season totals are as follows...

5,069 yards, 34 touchdown passes, 17 interceptions, and a quarterback rating well above 96.0.


Yes, that is disappointing as a "team!"

That is the key word here people because the Saints as a "team" lost half of their games. Not Brees.

How many do you think they would have won without Brees?

Today's loss to Carolina was a perfect example. Despite throwing for 386 yards and four touchdowns (one of them coming on what looked to be a game-winning drive) the Saints still lost.

So I ask this question, if Brees played with the Steelers defense and he won the game 31-10, you'd be calling this man the league MVP wouldn't you?

So how on earth does the atrocious performance of the Saints defense and a pitiful running game where your leading rusher happens to be Pierre Thomas have anything to do with Brees?

People need to stop judging the greatness of players by what their "team" accomplishes. Yes, of course your winning record is vital but there are a lot of great players out there who play like champions despite being on horrible teams. If you placed these fantastic players on better teams, they'd be champions.

Furthermore, Brees has eclipsed the 5,000 yard passing mark without a single receiver producing beyond a pedestrian-level. No player on the team eclipsed even 1,000 yards receiving and their leading receiver is Lance Moore.

Lance Moore?

Unless your a hardcore Saints fan, these names probably seem as foreign to you as they do to me. Yet, Brees has still managed to do something that neither Joe Montana, John Elway, Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, or Tom Brady have never done.

I suggest that all of you Saints fans on bleacher report gather together and try to help bring some attention to this player that more than deserves it. Brees if nothing else is an MVP-candidate and the probable winner of the NFL Offensive Player of the Year award.

He deserves more respect than this.

Nobody wants Manny

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3798366

Apparently, the Dodgers aren't going to sit around all winter, waiting for Manny Ramirez to beg to come back. They now have Adam Dunn on their shopping list.



Dunn
The Dodgers contacted Dunn's agent, Greg Genske, over the holidays, according to an executive of a team interested in Dunn. And that creates an intriguing option for both parties.

Dunn has also drawn interest from the Cubs, Nationals, Mariners and Orioles. But adding the Dodgers to that mix gives him another contender to consider. The Cubs were believed to be his top choice before the Dodgers entered the mix.

The Dodgers, meanwhile, need to infuse power into a lineup that finished 14th in the National League in home runs last season. And with no certainty that they can re-sign Ramirez, they seem to have decided that Dunn represents their best alternative.

Dunn has hit exactly 40 home runs four years in a row -- which would be four more 40-homer seasons than all Dodgers hitters combined have had in those four seasons. No Dodger has reached 40 home runs since Adrian Beltre in 2004.

After batting just .215, with only two homers, at Dodger Stadium in his first six seasons, Dunn has had much better success over the past two years, batting .389 (7-for-18) in L.A., with two home runs and an .833 slugging percentage, in 2007-08.

Dunn also would require no draft-pick compensation because his former team, Arizona, didn't offer him arbitration.

Jayson Stark covers Major League Baseball for ESPN.com.

Lions go 0-16 - makes history lol

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/recap?gid=20081228009&prov=ap

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP)—Nobody will remember the Detroit Lions came close to winning their last game. All anyone will know—now and forever—is 0-16.

The worst record in NFL history, a dubious distinction that will permanently stain everyone involved.

The Lions lost to the Green Bay Packers 31-21 on Sunday, making them the first team to go winless through a 16-game season. The 1976 expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-14) were the last NFL team to complete a season without a victory.

“I’ve got to live with this,” center Dominic Raiola said. “I’ve been here eight years. This is on my resume.”

It’s also on the resume of Lions coach Rod Marinelli, who faces an uncertain future.

“No competitor wants to go through something like this,” Marinelli said. “This is not fun to go through, obviously. But there’s people going through a lot worse than this.”

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Asked what the next step might be if he does keep his job, Marinelli said, “Let me get through step one first.”

The Lions’ last loss didn’t come without a fight. After falling behind 24-14 midway through the fourth quarter, Kevin Smith’s 9-yard touchdown run put Detroit back within a field goal.

But Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers responded with a 71-yard touchdown pass to Donald Driver and the Lions’ Dan Orlovsky threw an interception on fourth-and-27 with 3 minutes left, dooming Detroit to futility of historic proportion.

“It’s just kind of numb,” veteran kicker Jason Hanson said. “It’s here. It’s been coming, though, a train rolling down the tracks for a while. We tried to stop it. We couldn’t.”

The Lions were building toward this for years and now have lost 23 of their last 24 games. The 0-16 record will be a lasting testimony to the Matt Millen era. With Millen as president of the team from 2001 until he was fired on Sept. 24, Detroit won only 31 games—none this year, of course.

It’s so bad that some Lions can’t remember the last time they won.

“I don’t ever want to be a part of this again,” Orlovsky said. “We haven’t won since, November of ‘07, maybe? I don’t even know the last time we won a game.”

The Lions haven’t won since Dec. 23, 2007, actually, when they beat Kansas City. Green Bay is where this woeful streak began at the end of last season. Since then, the Lions have lost 17 straight and have been outscored 551-281.

Marinelli has gone 10-38 in three seasons. His future has not been announced, but team owner William Clay Ford has decided the leaders of the front office, Martin Mayhew and Tom Lewand, will be back in some capacity.

“I am positive that every aspect of what we do as a football team has to be rethought and analyzed,” Hanson said.

Orlovsky was 22-of-42 for 225 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions for the Lions, whose bid to steer clear of the record book came undone in large part because of ill-advised penalties.

Rodgers was 21-of-31 for 308 yards and three touchdowns for the Packers (6-10), and Ryan Grant and DeShawn Wynn rushed for 106 yards each.


Green Bay Packers quarterback …

AP - Dec 28, 5:24 pm EST
After a disappointing season of their own, Rodgers said the Packers wanted a win to build momentum for next season. Left unsaid was that they didn’t want to be the only team to lose to the Lions this year.

“We didn’t want to lose, no, we didn’t,” Rodgers said. “But really it’s not on your mind once the game starts. I didn’t even think about it until the fans started chanting in the fourth quarter. They played hard, they really did.”

Packers coach Mike McCarthy didn’t want any part of the 0-16 discussion.

“I want to politely try to avoid the question here,” McCarthy said. “That’s tough. That’s a tough deal. But we were focused on winning the game.”

With the Lions trailing 14-7 early in the third quarter, safety Kalvin Pearson then put a hard hit on Grant to cause a fumble, and recovered the ball at the Packers 11.

Calvin Johnson caught a pass from Orlovsky and broke three tackling attempts to score a tying 14-yard touchdown with 10:20 left in the third quarter.

But the Packers drove for a 36-yard field goal by Mason Crosby early in the fourth quarter. After a three-and-out by Detroit’s offense, Lions linebacker Ernie Sims’ penalty for a late hit out of bounds on Grant played a key role on a drive that ended with a 5-yard pass from Rodgers to fullback John Kuhn.


Detroit Lions head coach Rod M…

AP - Dec 28, 5:13 pm EST
The Lions weren’t finished, as Orlovsky used two long completions to John Standeford to set up Smith’s touchdown with 8:34 left. After the ensuing kickoff, Rodgers reared back and threw deep to Driver, who blew past Lions cornerback Leigh Bodden and ran in for a touchdown.

Orlovsky led the Lions back into Packers territory, but a taunting penalty on Smith moved the Lions back near midfield and Orlovsky threw an interception to Nick Collins.

“It was a very bad, selfish decision,” Smith said. “I let my emotions get the best of me. It was tough, but it is no excuse.”

Perhaps more than anything, the penalties got Raiola riled up.

“Stupid,” Raiola said. “You know, just uncalled for. You’re in a game like that, you can’t do that. Just dumb.”

And very much like the Lions.

Notes: Green Bay’s Donald Driver and Greg Jennings each had 100 yards receiving Sunday. Combined with Grant and Wynn’s 100-yard rushing days, it is the first time in league history a team has had a pair of 100-yard rushers and 100-yard receivers in a single game, according to Elias. … Packers rookie TE Jermichael Finley caught his first career touchdown pass in the first quarter.

McNabb makes playoff - now the fans of Philly see him as Jesus lol

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs2008/columns/story?id=3798346

PHILADELPHIA -- Periodically, the critics have questioned his talent.

Repeatedly, they've questioned his leadership ability. Endlessly, they've questioned his ability to win the big game, to elevate the Philadelphia Eagles franchise to championship status, to speak up, speak out and ward off the palpable, alarming momentum that was calling for his ouster.

And all along, all Donovan McNabb kept saying was "I'll let my play do the talking."

Then he'd display his patented smile, of course, and invite his critics to kiss his you-know-what.

On Sunday afternoon, McNabb's play did his talking -- again -- in emphatic fashion in a 44-6 stomping the Eagles laid on the Dallas Cowboys in the regular-season finale. The Eagles, who seemed out of contention after McNabb was benched in a Week 12 loss at Baltimore that left them at 5-5-1, are going to the playoffs after all.

NFC East blog

ESPN.com's Matt Mosley writes about all things NFC East in his division blog.

• Blog network: NFL Nation

McNabb, presumably, will remain in Philadelphia after all. And all this whining about whether or not he should still be wearing Eagles' green once the 2009 season rolls around should evaporate just as quickly as any credibility Tony Romo supposedly had as a big-time quarterback.

Let the record show that McNabb is still a stud, something former Eagles' wideout-turned-McNabb's nemesis, Terrell Owens, wouldn't even try to deny at this point. McNabb certainly displayed the difference between a viable QB and a wannabe (Romo), despite Sunday's passing statistics (12-for-21, 175 yards and 2 TDs) that can be described as marginal, at best.

"It's not always about the numbers you put up," Eagles cornerback Lito Sheppard said after the game. "Especially with a lopsided game like this one. It's about the leadership a guy provides. Knowing he's the one you'll be able to turn to in the toughest of times. That somehow, some way, he'll come through in the end. When you talk about what motivates a locker room, especially after the way we almost ruined our playoff hopes by losing the Washington game last week, that's what you're looking for. It's what No. 5 gave us [Sunday]. It's what he's always given us."

I've been around McNabb for years, and when he alludes to how critics continuously motivate him, he isn't lying. He means it when he says, "I've been kind of revived, I guess. They've thrown me out. Ran over me. Spit on me. But I just continue to prevail. I continue to keep my chin high. Stay positive."

[+] EnlargeJames Lang/US Presswire

In November in Baltimore, Donovan McNabb's future with the Eagles seemed bleak after coach Andy Reid benched the star quarterback.


I've rarely been one to believe the last part from him. I fail to comprehend how even someone so strong-willed, so spiritual, can't be ultimately broken by the shrapnel of criticism McNabb faces -- especially when it seems so undeserved.


There is no doubt that McNabb has made his share of errors over the past 10 years. Indeed, he should have a career pass completion percentage better than 58.9 percent. His 60.4 percent accuracy this season is a little better, but still ranks just 18th-best in the league.

At 32 years of age, he is still one of the best in the game and has more than enough mileage left in the tank. So the fact that folks have called for the Eagles to trade him is beyond ridiculous -- particularly with the limited options swirling around the NFL.

Consider just a few of the other starting quarterbacks in the league this season: Tyler Thigpen, Dan Orlovsky, Ken Dorsey, Seneca Wallace, Tarvaris Jackson.

I mean, give me a break.



McNabb overcame the shock of being benched after the first half of the loss to the Baltimore Ravens to lead the Eagles to four victories in their final five games. Now 9-6-1, the Eagles head to Minnesota to play the Vikings in a wild-card playoff game Jan. 4.

That said, McNabb still is working without the threat of a reliable running game, something that coach/general manager Andy Reid has not provided, even with a star halfback in Brian Westbrook. And with the exception of Owens, McNabb's targets have not been star-quality. He's had Todd Pinkston one minute, Freddie Mitchell the next, followed by Greg Lewis and Reggie Brown and rookie DeSean Jackson, with a James Thrash thrown in in-between.

Essentially, nobody worth mentioning.

Yet over 10 seasons as an Eagle, McNabb has 29,320 career yards along with 194 touchdowns on his résumé. He's been to four NFC Championship Games and one Super Bowl. After Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, McNabb is on par with any of his quarterbacking peers.

The naysayers keep coming, holding McNabb accountable, acting like he's being coached by Bill Belichick. It's as if McNabb's presence was keeping the Eagles from developing one of The Matts (Matt Cassel or Matt Ryan instead of Kevin Kolb.

"I think it's easier [to deal with] now because I've been through these types of experiences for years," said McNabb, acknowledging how hard-core Philadelphians help him develop his alligator skin.

"When you go through [the criticism] for the first time, you don't know how to handle it. But with me being a part of something like that, with it happening over and over and over again, the way I continue to show that it never affects me is just going out and doing my job and having fun."