FanHouse Seven Deadly Sins

The Debriefing is a column that runs every weekday at 9:00 a.m. here on FanHouse. It goes deep into one issue and then bounces around to a plethora of smaller ones ... and does it all in a way that will make you feel like the prettiest girl at the cotillion. Bookmark this page, and visit daily.



For the group or person who played with, gained, or displayed some dignity on Sunday ...

The Sinner: Norv Turner



You're 8 point underdogs, your quarterback has been shaky, and you're going on the road to play the defending Super Bowl champions in maybe the league's most hostile environment. In addition, your tight end and biggest receiving threat is severely hobbled, and you're going to lose the league's best running back and your starting quarterback for much of the second half.

Name a coach who's going to go in there and get that win. Name a coach with the pants prunes to go into that Lion's Den, and come out with the lion's still-beating, blood-dripping heart in his triumphant, fearless hand.

Who do you want? Lombardi? Noll? Belichick? Walsh?

You want Norv.

Morv Motherflipping Turner.

The Debriefing is a column that runs every weekday at 9:00 a.m. here on FanHouse. It goes deep into one issue and then bounces around to a plethora of smaller ones ... and does it all in a way that will make you feel like the prettiest girl at the cotillion. Bookmark this page, and visit daily.



For those who were left in a position to be jealous on Sunday ...



The Sinner: The Running Game

Here's a bit of advice for the teams remaining in the NFL playoffs: Take the half of your playbook that deals with running plays, tear it out, and give it to Matt Millen so he can color on it. It is of little consequence.

If we learned one thing through the four games of NFL Wildcard Weekend, it was that if you can throw the ball, you can win. Defensive lines -- particularly the ones for playoff teams, and that's no coincidence -- have gotten too big and too good. It's nice if you have an offense that can go through them, but it's not something you can bank on. The better and more reliable strategy is to go over the top of them.

In different ways, each game this weekend served to highlight the death of the "you have to run the ball in the playoffs" philosophy.

The Debriefing is a column that runs every weekday at 9:00 a.m. here on FanHouse. It goes deep into one issue and then bounces around to a plethora of smaller ones ... and does it all in a way that will make you feel like the prettiest girl at the cotillion. Bookmark this page, and visit daily.



For the group who played with, gained, or displayed some dignity on Sunday ...

The Sinner: The Washington Redskins



Four weeks ago, the Washington Redskins were 5-7. They still had road games at the Giants and Vikings, as well a home game against Dallas. They had players openly crying on the field when they looked over at the safety position and did not see #21. And they had a head coach who outright cost his team a game because he either didn't know or couldn't remember a rule.

I did not have them pegged as a safe playoff bet.

But here they are, ready to travel to Seattle for a playoff game on Saturday afternoon. It's not Minnesota and their power in the trenches, it's not New Orleans and their aerial assault, and it's not Philadelphia and their playoff pedigree ... it's the Redskins and their endless grief.

I credit two things for the Redskins turnaround: Todd Collins ... and that same endless grief.

The Debriefing is a column that runs every weekday at 9:00 a.m. here on FanHouse. It goes deep into one issue and then bounces around to a plethora of smaller ones ... and does it all in a way that will make you feel like the prettiest girl at the cotillion. Bookmark this page, and visit daily.



For the group who played with, gained, or displayed some dignity on Sunday ...

The Sinner: Jason Taylor and the Miami Dolphins



The Packers clinched a first round bye yesterday. So did the Colts. Tampa Bay and San Diego both clinched division titles. Cleveland got a huge win and pulled into a tie for the lead in the AFC North. Brett Favre broke the all-time record for passing yards. Bill Belichick beat the guy who ratted him out for cheating. Tony Romo went home with a smitten Jessica Simpson.

But I doubt that any of them -- even Romo -- are as happy as the Miami Dolphins this morning.

Because sometimes, a win is more desirable than doing the hibbity-dibbity with Jessica Simpson. Not always, mind you ... but sometimes. And my guess is that when you're 0-13, you'll take a win and a cheap prostitute over a loss and a night of unbridled passion with the star of Blonde Ambition.

The Debriefing is a column that runs every weekday at 9:00 a.m. here on FanHouse. It goes deep into one issue and then bounces around to a plethora of smaller ones ... and does it all in a way that will make you feel like the prettiest girl at the cotillion. Bookmark this page, and visit daily.



For those who were unable to overcome their own slovenly inertia ...

The Sinner: Steelers Safety Anthony Smith



I don't want to pile on Anthony Smith (Bill Belichick doesn't mind, though), but I don't suppose there's anywhere else to start this week. Smith is taking a beating from every single corner of the media, and while he brought it upon himself, I don't feel like adding to it. He knows what happened. He was there.

Truth be told, the Steelers did a lot of the things that conventional wisdom suggested they had to do against the Patriots. They gashed them with the running game ... 32 carries, 181 yards, and a very healthy 5.7 yards per carry. They controlled the clock, too, holding the ball for 34 minutes and 43 seconds of the game. That was the blueprint, right?

Unfortunately, they still left 25 minutes and 17 seconds for the Patriots to have possession. And for much of that 25 minutes and 17 seconds, Anthony Smith was on the field, and Anthony Smith helped the Steelers on the field on Sunday about as much as he helped them off it through the week.

But, you know, it's not all bad news for Smith ... at least everyone knows his name now. In a Freddie Mitchell kind of a way, maybe, but ... you've gotta start somewhere.

The Debriefing is a column that runs every weekday at 9:00 a.m. here on FanHouse. It goes deep into one issue and then bounces around to a plethora of smaller ones ... and does it all in a way that will make you feel like the prettiest girl at the cotillion. Bookmark this page, and visit daily.



For those who were unable to overcome their own slovenly inertia ...

The Sinner: Redskins Head Coach Joe Gibbs



When Bills kicker Rian Lindell lined up to attempt a potential game-winning 51-yard field goal in the closing seconds yesterday against the Redskins, I tried to envision a magical, storybook ending for the grieving 'Skins.

One of Sean Taylor's closest friends or his replacement elevating to block the kick ... an on-target kick being blown away by a sudden gust of wind from the heavens ... someone getting a hand on the kick, and the ball coming to rest at the 21-yard line ... perhaps holder Brian Moorman botching the snap, and once again being a part of a Sean Taylor highlight.

Not among the storybook endings that I envisioned: Joe Gibbs personally preventing the Redskins from experiencing any sliver of joy today by making a huge coaching mistake, handing the Bills the game and adding to the grim sense of darkness already hanging in the Redskins locker room.

There's not much "storybook" about that ... unless you read really, really, depressing books.

The Debriefing is a column that runs every weekday at 9:00 a.m. here on FanHouse. It goes deep into one issue and then bounces around to a plethora of smaller ones ... and does it all in a way that will make you feel like the prettiest girl at the cotillion. Bookmark this page, and visit daily.



For the group who played with, gained, or displayed some dignity on Sunday ...



The Sinner: The Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles went toe-to-toe with the Patriots last night, and played Chuck Wepner to the Pats' Muhammad Ali. The Patriots certainly looked vulnerable ... whether or not that's actually the case, I'm not sure.

There are two ways to look at it. The popular viewpoint seems to be, "Look, the Patriots are human, and can be beaten just like everyone else."

But I'm not sure that's the way to go, especially considering that, you know... they weren't beaten. The better way to look at it might be, "Look, the Patriots can have an off-day, the other team can pull out all the stops, and the Pats will still find a way to win."

The Debriefing is a column that runs every weekday at 9:00 a.m. here on FanHouse. It goes deep into one issue and then bounces around to a plethora of smaller ones ... and does it all in a way that will make you feel like the prettiest girl at the cotillion. Bookmark this page, and visit daily.



Sinning for Wrath this week is New England, but I refuse to recognize them for it, because that's getting old. We go instead with Tony Romo and Terrell Owens, who are nearly as deserving.

For Sloth, it's the Steelers, who appear to have a weakness on the road against bad teams, official Pete Morelli, in what will likely be his only appearance ever in the Seven Deadly Sins of Sunday, shares the Pride sin with Phil Dawson, and the Vikings offensive line is entitled to a little Envy.

That, and lots lots more ...

The Debriefing is a column that runs every weekday at 9:00 a.m. here on FanHouse. It goes deep into one issue and then bounces around to a plethora of smaller ones ... and does it all in a way that will make you feel like the prettiest girl at the cotillion. Bookmark this page, and visit daily.



This week, the Cowboys sin for their Wrath against the Giants, and the Colts sin for their Sloth against the Chargers, compelling us to ask ... are the Cowboys, at this very moment, one of the best two teams in the NFL?

Meanwhile, the San Diego defense displays some Pride, the Miami Dolphins are left in a position of Envy, and it's a day for the kick returners in Greed and Gluttony.

As for Lust ... the last picture in the photo gallery, the one of the Redskins lass, is a pretty good place to start.

All that, and lots more ...

The Debriefing is a column that runs every weekday at 9:00 a.m. here on FanHouse. It goes deep into one issue and then bounces around to a plethora of smaller ones ... and does it all in a way that will make you feel like the prettiest girl at the cotillion. Bookmark this page, and visit daily.



Not only was the title of "Best Team in the NFL" on the line in the Colts/Patriots game yesterday ... so was the title of the sinner for Wrath in Week 9's Seven Deadly Sins of Sunday. The Patriots earned it, but perhaps not as convincingly as they have in past weeks.

The Chargers sin for Sloth, the NFC has some Pride, Steve Smith can be Envious of people out there like ... oh, I don't know, Roddy White and Sidney Rice. Drew Brees gets Greedy, Shaun Alexander is becoming gluttonous in his pursuit of Gluttony, and much, much, more ...