I feel confident in writing that if the Cardinals are going to win Super Bowl XLIII it'll be because of Larry Fitzgerald. Nobody is expecting much from Arizona's running game, including, I'd imagine, Edgerrin James.
Arizona's best chance comes in the form of No. 11 who, in three postseason games, has racked up 23 receptions for 419 yards and five touchdowns. But during the Super Bowl edition of ESPN's NFL Matchup show, Sal Paolantonio brought up a point that -- at least to hear Sal explain it -- nobody all week has talked about:
TAMPA, Fla. -- The best Super Bowl pregame show on TV comes on at the ungodly hour of 6:30 AM ET on Super Bowl Sunday, but it's worth getting up early (or setting the DVR) to see ESPN's NFL Matchup, the show that goes beyond highlights and analyzes the game with the same tape that coaches use. Today I watched the taping of the Matchup show that will air Sunday, and it was an Xs and Os education.
You certainly know the story by now -- late in the game, trailing 9-6, the Steelers marched 87 yards, and on third-and-goal, Ben Roethlisberger found Santonio Holmesnear the end zone (his feet were definitely in; it wasn't initially clear if the ball broke the plane). The call on the field was fourth-and-millimeters. The play was reviewed and a few minutes later, Coleman announced that Holmes had scored a touchdown, 13-9, Steelers, thanks for coming.
This morning I mentioned that Coleman, after botching the on-field explanation, elaborated on the call after the game. And in his Monday Morning Quarterback column, Peter King spoke with NFL head of officiating, Mike Pereira for his take on the reversal:
Maybe Matt Jones should get arrested for cocaine possession more often. After cops found him in the back of a truck with the yeyo this summer, the Jaguars former first-round pick has suddenly become something more than an overrated wideout on a team once full of them.
"Matt has a much greater sense of urgency; much greater attention to detail in the classroom. Matt is acting like he cares and he's applying himself. ... We have to continue to find better ways to use Matt," Koetter said.
Jones leads the Jaguars with 16 receptions for 173 yards. He also leads the Jaguars in the big-play reception category with a 33-yarder, one of only two receptions by a Jaguars wide receiver that has gone for 20 or more yards. Jones also has the other one.
Wow. This spring Pro Football Weekly assured us that Jones "can all but kiss Jacksonville goodbye." Now, with Jerry Porter reviving the "huge upside, no production" empty promises he made famous in Oakland, and Troy Williamson battling injuries, Jones is the guy in Jacksonville.
FanHouse's Enrico Campitelli recently spoke with Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb in a wide-ranging interview, and one of the highlights has to be the in-depth discussion of how getting sacked by three Steelers was akin to Kareem kickin'-while-chillin' Bruce Lee in the chest.
I saw the play live, and the four or five subsequent replays and never once did Bruce Lee (or Kareem) enter my mind, although, after viewing the one-legged awesomeness in its entirety I sorta understand where Donovan's coming from.
In less karate-erific news, McNabb also talked about the criticism surrounding Vince Young, the Titans suddenly embattled quarterback. When asked if he could sympathize since, you know, McNabb's also dealt with the occasional critic, he offered this:
I can. I've communicated with him. It's something that everybody goes through. A lot of people may not be public with theirs. It's unfortunate the way his went about. I think he's handling it the right way. You want to continue to stay strong mentally, physically, and spiritually in the situation and stay positive and know everything is going to work out for the better.
In related news, Merril Hoge still thinks VY sucks, although he means it in the good, "soft baby" way.
It's been a tough start to the season for the Colts. First the news that Peyton Manning would miss the preseason recovering from knee surgery, and then virtually the entire offensive line lands in the infirmary for last week's squeaker against the Vikings.
Is Marvin Harrison done? Or at least reaching the point where he can see the finish line from his front porch? ...
... [T]he whispers are starting. And the longer Harrison goes without having that Marvin-like breakout game, the louder the whispers will become, ultimately turning into howls.
"I don't know how to say this, but it was almost sad to watch Marvin (against the Minnesota Vikings)," said former running back and current ESPN analyst Merril Hoge, speaking Wednesday on WFNI-1070 AM. "It's sad to watch him. It's like he's a shadow of himself. During the game, I've seen Peyton (Manning) throw that comeback to Marvin a hundred times, but this time, Marvin didn't have that explosiveness coming back to the ball and it got knocked down. And after that (play), he was never a factor in the game."
When he's not talking about Vince Young, ESPN analyst and former NFL fullback Merril Hoge spends a lot of his time talking about concussions, which drove him out of football in 1994.
I spoke with Hoge Thursday at ESPN's Super Bowl compound in Scottsdale, and he said that he still, 13 years after walking away from the game, has the telltale post-concussion symptoms of sensitivity to light and headaches, but that it's nowhere near as bad as it was when he left the game, and that overall he feels thankful that he's still mentally healthy at age 43.
Hoge said that he only suffered a handful of concussions as a player, but that the real problem isn't the total number of concussions, it's the severity, and it's players suffering second concussions before having time to heal from their first. And Hoge has taken an active role in the NFL's efforts to prevent concussions.
"Are we doing enough? Probably not. But we're getting there," Hoge said.
Former NFL fullback and current ESPN analyst Merril Hoge has been steadfast in his insistence that Tennessee quarterback Vince Young will never come close to living up to the promise the Titans thought he had when they chose him with the third pick in the 2006 draft.
Today I saw Hoge at ESPN's Super Bowl headquarters in Scottsdale, and I asked him whether he thinks Young could succeed in the offense that new coordinator Mike Heimerdinger will install in Tennessee.
"There's not an NFL offense that Vince Young can succeed in throwing the ball," Hoge said. "Maybe there's an offense where he can succeed running the ball, and maybe he can throw some bubble screens, but pretty soon any NFL defense is going to stop a running games and the bubble screens."
I asked Hoge whether he felt personally vindicated when Young followed up his Pro Bowl rookie season with a nine-touchdown, 17-interception second season.
"I really don't have an agenda when I evaluate a player," Hoge said. "I've spent almost 20 year studying tape as a player and an analyst and I see that he just doesn't do the things a quarterback has to do. He's still the same player he was coming out of college, a good athlete but not a good quarterback. You should see improvement by the time a guy has started 30 games, but I've seen none."
As for the firing of former Titans offensive coordinator Norm Chow, Hoge said, "That's what a draft bust does to your franchise."
Merril Hoge hasn't exactly been reserved in his criticism of Titans quarterback Vince Young. Basically, he thinks Tennessee drafted the wrong guy in 2006, and now the organization is having to deal with the repercussions.
Young had a solid rookie campaign, assuming the starting job midway through the season, and guiding the Titans to an 8-8 record. In 2007, though, Young tossed 17 picks and only nine touchdowns, and struggled with consistency when he wasn't battling injuries. And now that offensive coordinator Norm Chow has been canned, Hoge takes again takes aim at Young:
Merril Hoge had an eight-year NFL career that came to an end as a result of the multiple concussions he suffered on the field. He still has symptoms like headaches and sensitivity to bright lights.
So in his current role as an NFL analyst for ESPN, Hoge has some advice for Trent Green, the Dolphins quarterback who was carted off the field yesterday after his second serious concussion in as many years: Retire. Hoge said on ESPN today that he believes Green owes it to himself, his family and his long-term quality of life to stop playing football before he damages his brain any more than it's already been damaged.
Hoge also said that as he watched the play live, "I figured he was dead, especially when I saw his lifeless body."
Hoge said both Green and Texans lineman Travis Johnson were wrong on and immediately after the play in which Green got hurt: "It really shouldn't be done," Hoge said of Green diving into Johnson's knees. "The block itself, I do believe, was wrong."
But still, Hoge said what every sensible person has said about Johnson's reaction: "When there's a lifeless player on the field, there's no sense in running up to that player and motioning to that player."
I feel confident in writing that if the Cardinals are going to win Super Bowl XLIII it'll be because of Larry Fitzgerald. Nobody is expecting much from Arizona's running game, including, I'd imagine, Edgerrin James. 
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It's been a tough start to the season for the Colts. First the news that 
Notes on 
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Merril Hoge had an eight-year NFL career that came to an end as a result of the multiple concussions he suffered on the field. He still has symptoms like headaches and sensitivity to bright lights. 
