First off, I hope everyone had a great holiday (or will, depending on your worship, time zone, etc). We made our usual trip down to the Island to celebrate Christmas with my mom's family. I didn't ask for much and didn't get much, although I did get a new cell phone (Voyager). I got it more for the QWERTY keyboard than anything else since I can't be bothered will all the other crap it comes with, until of course I actually play around with it. My life doesn't revolve around my phone, but it's still nice to get a new one after a few years. Other than that just a new winter jacket, some Giants paraphernalia, and clothes. I had a good time down there. Now I get to look forward to summer....

Anyway, the NFL regular season is over. So that means today is Black Monday--the day on which coaches around the league are shown the door after poor performances if their team's ownership deems such action necessary. Three coaches were fired today, and I wasn't surprised with any of them. Not even Mangini being canned by the Jets.

I know it isn't Mangini's fault entirely, but he made several questionable decisions throughout the season. A lot of people will point to Favre's decline in the last five games (2 TDs and 9 INTs) as the key reason why the Jets floundered. And I'm right there with those people. Favre even said himself that his shoulder has been ailing him for a few weeks. So what is the logical thing to do during the game? I'll give you a hint: the Jets had the AFC's leading rusher in their backfield, plus another back who provided numerous big plays whenever he got his hands on the ball. That, to me, is the biggest reason why I felt Mangini failed this season and deserved to go. When you ask a 39-year-old QB who has struggled with a sore shoulder the last month to throw 40 times in a game when you are never down by more than a touchdown all game long, tell me why you deserve to keep your job as a head coach. When you hand the ball off to Thomas Jones only 10 times all game against the Dolphins, tell me why you deserve to keep your job as a head coach. When your defense (the aspect of the game in which you specialize) falls apart down the stretch with big names like Kris Jenkins, Calvin Pace, Ty Law, etc., tell me why you deserve to keep your job as a head coach. I don't care that the guy had two winning seasons in three years with the Jets. His overall record was a losing one, and this season ended with the feeling of failure. Tannenbaum deserves some heat as well for kicking Pennington to the curb like a rusty tin can, not even stopping to think who might pick him up (just maybe the guy who drafted him in the first place, the guy who's running the football operations for a division rival team, the guy who's well-known for bringing in his own former players and coaches to bring success to that team). Well C-H-A-D, Chad, Chad, Chad got the last laugh on those fools. And now how are they going to be able to move forward after spending all that money last year on veteran players who are nearing the end of their peak? I saw this coming, and I remember Al saying it to; the Jets won't make the playoffs, even with Favre under center. I refuse to believe that any team that goes out and tries to buy their way into contention will go very far. Not only that, but I can't root for teams like that. It would make rooting for the Giants very hard for me if they reverted to that kind of management. All that does is raise expectations to unecessary levels. Look at the Yankees. If they don't win the World Series this year, I guarantee either Joe Girardi or Brian Cashman (or both) will be fired. Cashman probably more deservingly, Girardi maybe not so much. But when you buy that much talent, you damn well better win it all. Instead of wasting money to continue to mire yourself in failure after failure, why not try the old farm system/draft? That's how almost every champion team has been built. Look at the Patriots. Much as I hate them, they have done a Hell of a job personnel-wise. They don't make flashy free agent moves or spend huge amounts of money on players just because they have big names. They draft very well and concentrate on their depth. They worked hard for their dynasty and didn't become the envy of the NFL over night. The Giants have taken on a similar approach and have found great success with it thus far. I don't know what it's going to take to get through to owners and GMs that building your own team with your own young talent is the foundation for success, not buying the biggest names in the sport and throwing them together without a care in the world for team chemistry. It's great for fantasy sports, but they're fantasy for a reason.

Somehow I started talking about Mangini and ended up ranting about franchises trying to buy championships. About the other two coaches who got fired, I think everyone who followed the NFL at all knew Crennel was as good as gone in Cleveland and that Marinelli would never keep his job after failing to win a game all season long. I'm sure more are to come. In the AFC East, I wouldn't be surprise to see Dick Jauron of the Bills go. He's had, what, four consecutive 7-9 seasons as a head coach? That shows absolutely no improvement by his team, and Ralph Wilson would truly have to be a senile old man to keep Jauron around. In the AFC North, one would think Marvin Lewis in Cincinnati should be let go, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him stay. Carson Palmer was out for all but four games I think, and the Bengals' defense was supposedly making strides towards the end of the year. In the AFC South, Jack Del Rio down in Jacksonville surely had a miserable season after huge expectations mounted for the Jaguars after their success last year. He's probably safe, but on a short leash. In the AFC West, I can still see Norv Turner losing his job in San Diego if the Chargers are one-and-done. Someone pointed out that the longer Turner stays as a head coach for teams, the worse they have been. Remember, San Diego still finished the season 8-8. Herm Edwards is probably gone in Kansas City, where a new GM will have to take over, and new GMs like to bring in their own coaches most of the time. Tom Cable might have an outside chance of keeping his job in Oakland, as the Raiders showed they had a heartbeat later in the season. But Al Davis is unpredictable and insane, so you never know. Over in the NFC East, you'd think Wade Phillips in Dallas would be out, but Jerry Jones continues his tradition of refusing to admit his own mistakes and insists he intends to keep Phillips as his head coach. I think it's more because the man who was supposed to succeed Phillips, offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, seems to have lost his magic touch this season. The Cowboys look like a team that has no discipline whatsoever. They regularly have about 10+ penalties in a game, their offense turns the ball over as if it doesn't matter, Tony Romo sent the punting unit off the field Sunday against the Eagles and all Phillips could do was stand there with a dumb look on his face, and players like Owens, Crayton, Williams, Pacman, etc. carry themselves as if they're kings of the mountain and never take responsibility for themselves. I don't think Dallas will change until Jerry Jones takes his hands of the steering wheel and gives the keys to someone who's sober enough to drive this runaway vehicle (and those chances came and went with Jimmy Johnson and Bill Parcells). Andy Reid in Philadelphia will probably stay, and I think a victory at Minnesota next week would seal that. Jim Zorn in Washington sounds like he's safe, but that team crashed hard in the second half of the season and Jason Campbell looks as clueless as ever. In the NFC North, Brad Childress may in fact be out if Minnesota goes one-and-done, but I wouldn't bet money on it. In the NFC West, Jim Haslett appears to almost certainly be out in St. Louis, and Mike Holmgren in Seattle has already said for about a year that he will take a sabbatical next season.

I figure while I'm at it, I'll go ahead and try to call the games this weekend. The 2009 NFL playoffs kick off with Atlanta @ Arizona on Saturday at 4:30 ET. A lot of people think Atlanta will come away with a win here, but Arizona is tough at home. The Cardinals are going to throw the ball and score points--that much you can't really stop. The Falcons need to get pressure on Warner from the front seven. On offense, Atlanta can't get away from running the ball with Michael Turner. I know Matt Ryan has done very well this season, but you can't expect him to keep up with Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, and Anquan Boldin. If the Falcons offense is efficient and keeps the ball out of Warner's hands, then they have a great chance. Atlanta has the momentum, and there's something special about this team. SCORE: ATL 27, ARI 20

The second game on Saturday is Indianapolis @ San Diego at 8:30 ET. This is a game between arguably the two hottest teams in the league right now, and certainly in the AFC. Peyton Manning will almost certainly get the MVP award this season and the Colts have won 9 in a row to finish 12-4. But San Diego has been Peyton Manning's bane in the playoffs (and regular season lately), so it could be interesting. I expect this game to be a shootout since both teams have high-powered offenses and inconsistent defenses. But the Colts are finding ways to win in any game and are rolling. The Chargers are too, but I feel like this is where they meet their end. After all, no 8-8 team should ever win the division while a team goes 11-5 in another and misses the playoffs. SCORE: IND 31, SD 21

The game on Sunday at 1:00 ET features Baltimore @ Miami. I think Miami is a remarkable story. What they've been able to do this year is tremendous and no one could have expected this. Chad Pennington has given the team life and Parcells has instilled a winning culture in Miami. But the Ravens in my mind are a better team. Their defense is very physical and hard to decipher. Plus, the Ravens have already been here this season and proved why they can win this game. Baltimore is a more established team. SCORE: BAL 17, MIA 14

Finally, the 4:30 ET game will be Philadelphia @ Minnesota. Philly is coming off a ridiculous blowout of the Cowboys, and that has given this team all the momentum they need. But I know the Eagles (from playing them twice a year), and I can almost guarantee they won't play another game like that. Remember, this team went 9-6-1 and lost (and tied) some pretty bad games. I know they've been on a roll lately and have come back from 5-5-1, but they've been inconsistent on the road this season. I think Minnesota's run defense shuts down Westbrook and forces McNabb to air it out. However, I also expect Tarvaris Jackson to be rattled. This chess match between student and master (Childress v. Reid) will be a low-scoring close game, but the Vikings at home prevail. SCORE: MIN 10, PHI 6

Well I think I've filled enough blogspace for tonight. Happy New Year everyone. See ya around.