Hooray for the New York Jets. Tim Tebow is in town. And now, so is the f’ing circus.

The Jets made a move to get the holy-rolling guy who just finds ways to win games and now the media bonanza has begun. Tebowmania is now in mid-town Manhattan, but not everyone is thrilled about that.

Former NY Jets guard and ESPN Analyst Damien Woody thinks the fanfare for Tebow is a bit ridiculous.

“How many times has a backup quarterback had a press conference?” Woody said. “How many times have there been helicopters to meet a backup quarterback at the airport? The organization is saying he’s the backup quarterback. Well, then why do you feel like you have to have a press conference? Why not just do a conference call and call it a day?

“It’s a marketing ploy.”

Tough to argue with him. And according to the New York Post, many current Jets aren’t happy about this whole Tebowmania crap either. However, none of them would attach their names to their displeasure.

“Several current Jets, who spoke with The Post Saturday, asked not to be quoted but expressed disbelief at the team bringing Tebow in,” the story says. “The idea of a backup quarterback having a press conference is something they can’t wrap their heads around, and they know it’s just the beginning.”

Please, oh, please. If there really is a god and he’s just, then he will facilitate a contract for the Jets and the 2012 version of HBO’s “Hard Knocks.”

I don’t know for sure whether or not this move will sting the Jacksonville Jaguars, but it should. The Denver Broncos have traded Tim Tebow and a seventh-round pick to the New York Jets in exchange for fourth- and sixth-round picks.

Sure, there will be plenty of time to pontificate about what the Jets will do with Tebow. Will they give him a change to start and completely change the offesne around to suit him (because let’s be honest, that’s what you have to do for him to be successful)? Will he be a gadget guy? Will he push Sanchez? Who cares?

Right now, I just see the Jaguars as the big losers here. They had a chance to energize a wilted fan base and sell some tickets. Hell, and sell some jerseys and merch! This guy is a hometown hero and you let him slip through your fingers. If Shad Khan isn’t pissed, he should be. This is ridiculous.

The Jets got a good deal one what can only be considered an upside flyer. Even if he’s just used as a gadget guy on goal-line and short-yardage situations, that’s fine. You didn’t give up much for him.

And who knows why the Jets decided to make this move. Even if it’s just to get some local attention and stay relevant with the Giants (who just won their fourth Super Bowl), it’s probably worth it.

File this under “We Don’t Get It.” The New York Jets have signed quarterback Mark Sanchez to a three-year contract extension. Read that again. Seriously.

Before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s remember that he got paid big bucks as a top pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. He has two years left on that deal, so this “extension” could end up being more of a restructuring.

Sanchez helped the Jets to the AFC Championship game in his first two seasons. That’s pretty great. His detractors will say that he had nothing to do with it, but if he was that awful, they wouldn’t have sniffed the conference championship game.

The Jets held a conference call to discuss the extension, but would not discuss the details.

The Jets were in the news as a team that was kicking Peyton Manning’s tires, but they said a Sanchez extension has been discussed for weeks. Yeah f’ing right! Maybe in an “if we don’t get Peyton should we restructure Sanchez’ contract and make it look like we’re committed to him” manner.

Again, we don’t know the particulars of this deal, no one does right now. But we just can’t imagine them rewarding him after the season he had. Sure, he had a career-high 26 TD’s, but he also threw 18 picks and the Jets didn’t make the playoffs.

Last year at this time, New York Jets WR Plaxico Burress didn’t have the choice of when he was able to eat or go outside. But, since being released from prison, he has choices now. Like, whether or not he wants to play with the New York Jets and Mark Sanchez (not totally his choice, the Jets would have to want him and they most likely don’t, but just play along).

And if he doesn’t want to play with the Jets and Sanchez and doesn’t want anyone to know that, he needs to tell New York Giants RB and good friend Brandon Jacobs to shut his pie hole.

Jacobs is telling everyone at the Super Bowl that Plaxico doesn’t want to play with the Jets and that he would have preferred the Giants in the first place.

“Oh, no question, I know he did. I know he wanted to come to the Giants,” Jacobs popped off. “We just didn’t think it was going to be able to be done financially. But he may be (back) next year, who knows?”

Jacobs continued with the “Plax is done with the Jets” rhetoric.

“I don’t see him back with the Jets next year at all,” said Jacobs. “I don’t know what he’s thinking, but I don’t see that. They’ve got a lot of things going on over there, and I don’t know if he wants to be part of that.”

Jacobs was of course referring to the turmoil in the locker room. As a side note, when you’ve got Plaxico Burress thinking he doesn’t want any part of the tumult inside your building, you know you’ve got problems.

A source close to Burress told ESPN that the receiver also has serious doubts about the abilities of Sanchez. Jacobs didn’t deny that.

“I don’t see him there due to (the limited) success he had last year, and I don’t think it had anything to do with him,” Jacobs said. “And I’ll leave it at that.”

But, Jacobs wasn’t done.

“How many receiving yards did he have last year? How many catches did he have? He’s a starting wide receiver — (45) catches,” he said. “We got three guys, four guys on our team that have that. He’s a much better wide receiver than (45) catches, I tell you that.”

So basically Burress thinks Sanchez blows and he’d like to be with a better QB.

We already know about the issues the New York Jets are having with Mark Sanchez and their possible desire to go after Peyton Manning. But, we couldn’t possibly think that they would be the only team interested in one of the best QB’s in NFL history should be become available.

And ESPN‘s Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen are reporting that you can add the Arizona Cardinals and Miami Dolphins to that list. The Dolphins are hardly surprising given that no amount of second-round picks or free-agency signings have filled the QB void since Dan Marino left. And no, Chad Pennington and Jay Fiedler don’t count.

But the Cardinals? The Cardinals just gave up a second-round pick and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie to the Philadelphia Eagles for Kevin Kolb. And then they gave him a big contract. So…you are admitting that you made a major screw up and Kolb isn’t remotely who you thought he was?

On one hand, that’s a big mistake to admit that quickly. On the other hand, I give them credit for moving on before the error is compounded by more losing.

In the first two years of the Mark Sanchez/Rex Ryan regime in New York, the Jets made it all the way to the AFC Championship game. No matter how it happened nor how ugly it may have been, they got within a sniff of the Super Bowl in their first two tries. Tough to argue with that.

Unless it’s a year later and you missed the playoffs this season. That has seemed to change a lot of people’s tunes, especially when it comes to the ability of Sanchez and how the organization handles him.

“They don’t want to be truthful with him,” one prominent player told Manish Mehta of the NY Daily News. “They treat him like a baby instead of a man. He goes in a hole when someone tells him the truth.”

A team source also told the News that mounting criticism during the season caused Sanchez to un-follow every member of the New York media. You f’ing serious?

“So that should tell you everything,” the source said. “He just doesn’t have the mental toughness to be great… especially in New York.”

Others told the News that players in the locker room are getting pretty frustrated with the way the team treats him.

“They see the organization babying him,” said a Jets source. “They see him with a sense of entitlement. He’s been given all this and hasn’t done anything. They call him ‘San-chise.’ They make him the face of the organization. They gave him the captain tag. He’s not a captain. He should have never been a captain.”

The News says that none of the Jets players that they spoke to about this story agreed with Ryan’s decision to make Sanchez a captain. Wow.

Members of the team also said that they would love to bring in Peyton Manning next year, but someone inside the building says that that’s not going to happen.

“I don’t think that he’ll come here,” a member of the Jets organization said. “We have to change the perception of our organization. We’re not the organization that players said they wanted to play for a year or two ago. We’re starting to come across a little flaky. We talk the talk. We don’t back it up. We’re out of control. There’s no discipline. It’s a mess right now.”

Regardless, it sounds like the Jets need to fix a ton of stuff inside the facility there. Something’s broken big time.

The New York Giants and the New York Jets are squaring off this weekend in a showdown that’s imperative to both teams’ playoff hopes. They only play once every four years, but because they have to share the New York (and New Jersey. And parts of Connecticut.) spotlight, there is a built-in rivalry there.

The other day, Giants WR Victor “I haven’t even been good for a full year yet” Cruz popped off about the Jets elite cornerback duo of Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie.

“Teams aren’t really scared [of Revis] anymore,” Cruz said. “He’s got to earn his money this year. Teams aren’t really backing down. I feel like we’re going to do the same thing. We’re going to go out. Until he physically stops us we’re going to throw the ball on him.”

When Hakeem Nicks was asked about how good Revis is, Nicks replied, “he’s decent.”

Not usually the adjective associated with Revis, but okay. Well today, Revis and Cromartie have returned the fire, which makes us happy because we like this sort of thing.

Revis was asked about Cruz’s comments about people being scared of him.

“I’m not a monster,” Revis said. “So why would anyone be scared?”

Overall, Revis just didn’t even seem to care what they thought, which is an indication that he knows he’s a much more talented player than either of them.

“These guys can say whatever they want,” Revis said. “You just laugh at it…We’ll see.”

Cromartie was predictably a little nastier.

“You got guys that are not even Pro Bowl material,” he said. “Who really cares what they have to say?“

Better yet were Cromartie’s comments about Mario Manningham. “He let a guy named Victor Cruz come in and take his job.”

That’s great. Let’s hope this continues until the 2012 preseason when they play again.

If you drafted Antonio Gates in your NFL fantasy draft this season, you’re probably regretting it. Sure, you knew he had the foot issues when you took him, but he kept saying he would play through the pain so you decided it was fine.

Well, it hasn’t been fine. He’s been sitting out for weeks while you started bums like Kevin Boss and Jeremy Shockey, hoping for a few lucky TD grabs.

We’ve got good news. Despite being held out of practice on Thursday, Gates practiced on Friday and is expected to start on Sunday.

He’s supposedly going to be utilized in red-zone packages, which is still a very good thing. Maybe he doesn’t rack up the yardage that he otherwise would, but if he grabs a touchdown or two, we won’t yell at him.

The return of Santurdio? For the most part, Santonio Holmes has been a good soldier since being traded to the New York Jets. But, you may recall that he recently popped off to Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com and blamed the offensive line for the offense’s struggles.

“I may be criticized again for saying it, but it starts up front,” Holmes said Thursday. “The big guys know it. If they give Mark enough time to sit in the pocket and complete passes, I think everything changes.”

Yeah, that’s pretty stupid. Throwing teammates under the bus? When is that ever a good idea?

Well, guard Brandon Moore didn’t appreciate it being chucked under the bus like that, so he decided to fire back at him through the media.

“It’s disrespectful,” Moore said. “Guys work hard. To put your teammates out to dry, guys you work with every day so on Sundays you can have productive day, that’s not really being a leader. That’s not being a captain.”

Moore said that he already tried to talk to Santurdio privately the last time he went off publicly about the offensive line, but that didn’t work (obviously) because he keeps doing it. So, he’s taking to the media so that the whole world can see what a copacetic locker room the Jets have.

“I talked to him after the last time he did it the week after the Baltimore game and he didn’t see anything wrong with it,” Moore said. “I don’t know what he thinks about me; I don’t deal with him, and I probably won’t deal with him after this.”

Moore then said that he thinks someone told him that it’s fine to run your mouth in the media. We doubt it, but apparently Moore thinks that’s the case.

“But apparently he’s allowed to say whatever he wants to around here now,” Moore said. “Apparently someone around here told him that it’s OK to do that because he keeps doing it.”

He has a point. What does Santonio hope to gain from all this? Does he think calling them out will make them try harder? Losing football games will always make someone’s true colors come through. Maybe he never stopped being Santurdio after all.

By now we are sure that you’ve heard about Tiki Barber’s attempt to come back to the NFL, despite not having played since 2006. Based on what we’ve seen in the news and the people we’ve spoken to, he needs to come back so he can earn a paycheck. Divorces are a bitch apparently.

While not one of the 32 NFL teams wants to take a chance on him for a variety of reasons (He’s 36, hasn’t played in five years, is a team cancer and a-hole, etc.), one former teammate with a great reputation and a lot of NFL clout thinks he can still play.

“It’s crazy,” New York Jets WR Plaxico Burress said through a translator. “He’s better than half the backs in the league.”

And Burress would know. He’s been out of the NFL for two years locked up in the isolation of prison and hasn’t played with Tiki since back in 2006. So, if anyone would know better than the rest of the NFL teams that worked Tiki out this offseason, it’s Burress.

“You’d think with the lockout teams would be looking for a veteran guy since the young guys couldn’t go through minicamps,” Burress said. “I’m very surprised he’s not on somebody’s roster. But it’s just Week 4. Maybe somebody will call him.”

There are currently many NFL teams with scouts and coaches that like to see production on the field. Or at the very least, proof in an actual workout that some dickhead can actually still run and look like he might have some chance to contribute something at some point. But that’s wrong. They should instead be listening to guys who have been out of the league for a few years and who remember how good of a player someone was years ago. Has to be the same player he was five years ago, right?

“I believe he can still play and have an impact,” Burress said.

There you have it. Someone sign this guy now. What more proof do you need? Plaxico thinks he can still play!

In related news, Tony Hill was overheard telling Peter King at a Starbucks in Latrobe, PA that he thinks someone should sign Tony Dorsett because he thinks he can still play. He remembered how great of a player he was and thinks he’s still better than 25% of the running backs in the league.

This is great, thanks to OTR’s brother Chad for sending this along. Especially on a day where there weren’t nearly enough incidents of poor drunken behavior to keep us occupied.

John Schmitt, the center for the New York Jets when they beat the Baltimore Colts in 1967, lost his Super Bowl ring just years after their championship while taking surfing lessons in Hawaii. He realized when he got out of the water that he’d lost his ring.

“I got a snorkel and some flippers and I went out and I dove until I was blue,” Schmitt tells Hawaii News Now. “I’m not kidding you. It must have been three hours I was out there looking. I couldn’t find it anywhere. I was just exhausted. I virtually could not swim or flip my legs anymore and I just went in broken hearted.”

Now, years ago, John Ernstberg, a Waikiki lifegaurd, found some ring in the water and didn’t think much of it. He just put it in a small box and forget about it. Ernstberg died in 1991 and his wife passed in 1995. Their belongs were left to their great niece Cindy Saffrey, who decided to eventually have the ring appraised.

Turns out? It’s a legit Super Bowl ring that a jeweler estimated could be worth $10,000. But, they didn’t sell it, they instead contacted the Jets front office.

“It’s a legacy,” Samuel Saffery explained. “This is not something that you just can buy off the street. This is something that you earn, so for Mr. Schmitt he earned this ring so by right it’ll make me feel good to put it personally back into his hand.”

And it couldn’t happen to a better guy either. We’re happy for Schmitt, maybe almost as happy as he is? Okay, probably not quite.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Schmitt told Hawaii News Now. “I mean I honestly couldn’t believe it. I mean 40 years, that that ring was found is a bloody miracle. It really is a miracle, you know.”

Just to give you an idea of the kind of guy Schmitt is, we had the opportunity to work with him on the committee for Joe Namath’s annual Long Island golf tournament for the March of Dimes. People pay all this money for a huge day of golf and fun (and it is worth every penny if you’re a sports-loving golfer), and you get a celebrity as part of your golf group. Schmitt always refused to be any group’s celebrity because he felt he wasn’t one. So if you played with Schmitt, you actually got two celebrities at his insistence. Such a humble, selfless guy who was always a pleasure to be around.

Congrats, Johns!

By now you’ve surely heard about the Dallas Cowboys fan Sunday night at the New York Jets game. Yeah, the a-hole who brought a taser into the stadium and used it on three different people. But…why on Earth did he have to pull that out?

Well, it seems that the fans around him wouldn’t let him get up to leave the for the bathroom. But…why would they do that? Were they being pricks because he had a Cowboys jersey on? That’s probably what it was. They were probably razzing him because his team was winn…wait, what?

Nope, they got their noses out of joint because he was more than a little disrespectful to his country on the 10th anniversary of 9/11. And we don’t mean that he didn’t re-watch MSNBC’s re-airing of their 9/11 coverage from that fateful day or said he agreed with Ann Coulter’s position on the families of 9/11 victims.

No, this thorough jagoff decided not to stand for the National Anthem. Maybe not the worst thing in the world, but okay. But, how about talking on his cell phone while there was a moment of silence for the 9/11 victims. That will do it! At a New York football game?! Are you out of your damn mind? You realize that puts you in the 0.000004% of Americans, don’t you? I think Osama bin Laden would have had enough respect to zip during that time period. Yeah, you’re that bad.

Larry’s son is Power 105.1′s Charlamagne Tha God, a local DJ or radio host or both or whatever. He tells the NY Daily News that his father is a Jehovah’s Witness and that it’s against his religion to stand for the National Anthem. Ohhhhh, is that so? This awesome religion won’t let you stand up to honor your country, but has no qualms with you bringing a nasty weapon into a football game. Where do we sign up?!

This awesome religion also seems to be okay with you running your god damned mouth during a moment of silence for innocent people who died in the most heinous attack in United States history. Oh, in the actual place where it occurred. That’s a hell of a religion! I wonder if it also condones its followers knocking on people’s doors randomly and annoying the shit out of them? Probably not, no way they’d be okay with that.

“Don’t make be out to be a criminal. I was just doing what I had to do to protect myself,” McKelvey said regarding his use of the taser.

No, no one would do that. By all accounts you seem like a great guy.

Seriously, screw you in the ass with a broken hockey stick.

Fantasy owners who started Dallas Cowboys WR Dez Bryant this week were very, very encouraged by the dominance the second-year player showed early on. He was proving to be the man-amongst-boys that the Cowboys thought he was when they drafted him in the first round last year.

But he got banged up on a first-quarter punt return and hobbled around for the rest of the game. He clearly was not right. We were originally told it was cramping, but Rob Phillips of DallasCowboys.com says it’s more than just that.

“Dez apparently bruised his quad on that early punt return. Said it was a little tight but treatment will help. Also cramping during game,” he tweets.

It’s not expected to keep him out of Week 2, but it should be monitored. Injuries are probably the single biggest issue facing Dez right now. When healthy, he just destroys people.

The best WR on the market is no longer on the market. The New York Jets have locked up Santonio Holmes with a five-year deal, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

“Filed to ESPN: WR Santonio Holmes reaches agreement with Jets on a five year deal,” he tweets.

Mark Sanchez can rejoice. If they lost Holmes, the WR cupboard would have been quite bare since Braylon Edwards is most likely moving on in all likelihood. And he’s an okay receiver to begin with.

We still don’t have word on how much Santonio got, but we’re sure he did okay.

So where does Santonio go on fantasy draft day? Oh do tell!

It’s been known for some time that the New York Jets really want to keep WR Santonio Holmes. He’s a free agent right now so the Jets will have to pay him a few bucks to keep him.

Especially since sources are telling the NY Daily News that the Washington Redskins have also made Santonio their No. 1 priority.

Uh oh, Jets.

Dan Snyder gets a little loosy goosey with the wallet when he wants someone. Albert Haynesworth got $41 million guaranteed for god’s sake!

The truth is, the Redskins need him way more than the Jets. The Jets can find a way to keep Braylon Edwards and they’ll still be okay. The Redskins? They have an aging Santana Moss and guys like Anthony Armstrong. Oh, they had Devin Thomas until they realized he was a waste of space. And they spent another second-round pick on Malcolm Kelly, who can’t get on the field. He’s either hurt or can’t get separation. Same difference.

So expect Snyder to open up the pocket book if he indeed really wants Santonio. The Jets could just be SOL for having to battle with Danny Moneybags.

On Friday, New York Jets free agent WR (that doesn’t make a ton of sense, does it? If he’s a free agent, he’s not a Jet) pleaded guilty to a DWI charge. He said he was just hoping to put it all behind him. Well now, he may be looking to put his jail time behind him so that he can move on with his life.

Braylon was on probation in Cleveland at the time of his Sept. 21st arrest in Manhattan. He was arrested in 2009 for an incident outside of a nightclub and pleaded no contest. He was given a 180-day suspended jail sentence, which he wouldn’t serve if he completed his probation without another arrest.

Didn’t happen and now Braylon is due back in Cleveland to have a little tete-a-tete with a judge.

If the judge gets a little cranky, he could have to serve that jail sentence. The judge could also just give him a lesser punishment like a fine. But, OTR has learned that the judge could bypass the fine and the jail time and simply sentence him to return to the Cleveland Browns for a full season. However, the civil rights outcry regarding cruel and unusual punishment would be palpable, and the judge might not want to deal with the drama.

Braylon’s lawyer, Peter Frankel, says that he doesn’t think a judge will put him in jail considering all of his charitable exploits recently. He just gave $1 million to some Cleveland students for college.

“If he’s called to Cleveland he’s going to go, and he’s going to deal with whatever may come with that,” Frankel said. “But with everything he’s done over the past 18 months, the tremendous charitable contributions he’s made … I think that he’s ready to put this behind him and move forward.”

We know for a fact that Braylon does a good job with charitable work, based on the fact that we joined him in his Project ACT work with our “Drops for Tots” program. So yeah, don’t send Braylon to jail. Coordination Camp? Yes (a la Jake Reed). Jail? No.

There has been a ton of speculation about ex-New York Giant Plaxico Burress and where he might land now that he’s out of jail and the lockout looks to be coming to an end. Most think either the Eagles or the Jets will be all over him.

But will they be bidding against themselves? Matt Bowen of the National Football Post says that the market for Plax might not be nearly as strong as many think.

Photo Caption: Was this that play where he wasn’t touched down yet?

“However, I started to ask around recently to people in the league, both coaches and scouts,” Bowen writes. “And there isn’t an overwhelming amount of desire from what I am hearing to run out and bring this guy in once the lockout is lifted. If anything, more questions than answers on what Plax can provide to your roster in 2011.”

One NFC coach told Bowen that Burress would be “close to average” after seeing what he did with the Giants. That coach thought that Burress was a poor route runner and more of a product of the Giants’ offensive system more than anything.

What are the odds that that “NFC coach” is from the Eagles and is just putting that info out there to drive down his market, knowing the Eagles want him? I’m not saying it’s true, but it’s certainly possible.

Remember 2007? Remember when San Diego Chargers CB Antonio Cromartie was a one-man wrecking crew in the defensive backfield? Kind of a long time ago.

Last year, Cromartie played for the New York Jets and was actually pretty good. Especially when you consider teams like to avoid Darrelle Revis and pound it on the other guy.

However, now Cromartie is hitting free agency in 2011. And there has been much talk about what the Jets plan to do with the over-sized corner. They also have guys like David Harris, Santonio Holmes and Braylon Edwards to get back in the fold.

And according to Mike Lombardi of NFL Network, Cromartie won’t be one of the guys that the Jets are able to bring back. GM Mike Tannenbaum already said that he didn’t care for Cromartie’s comments about Tom Brady, the NFLPA, the NFL and the labor situation in general (we actually agree with Cro).

It’s not a huge deal for Cromartie, he’ll find a home. The Oakland Raiders will be in the market for a cornerback after they watch the door hit Nnamdi Asomugha’s ass (ironically, Asomugha could be a fit in New York. Could you imagine him and Revis?). The Philadelphia Eagles will be in the market for a corner after they saw some absolute hamster vomit opposite Asante Samuel this year. Plus, dealing with Hakeem Nicks, Miles Austin and Dez Bryant twice a year means they could use a big corner.

Cromartie’s biggest problem in getting signed to any one of the 32 NFL teams will be the CBA or lack thereof.

Ok, first of all, you’re a pervert.  Half of you only clicked on this because of the sexy little number to my left… not that I’m blaming you, but just sayin’.  Boy, what I would give to find myself at the bottom of that pile!  Ok… wet dream over, now it’s down to business…

Not that you would know it, but the Super Bowl is set to be played this weekend between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers.  For all we know, we’re merely watching a glorified weather channel celebration based out of Arlington, Texas. 

Photo Caption:  Maybe cold weather with these two would have it’s advantages after all..

Every other minute is a mention of the weather and how it is affecting the team’s preparation.  Granted it’s Texas and you would expect it to be much warmer than it is, but the overwhelming reality is that leading up to game day all the attention has been placed on the climate conditions and not the two teams playing. 

The NFL has an “out” in this case because Cowboy Stadium has a retractable roof that will nullify the elements and put the focus back on Pittsburgh and Green Bay.  But what happens in 2014?

In case you forgot, New York won the bid to host the 2014 Super Bowl…in February.  Take a look outside your window and tell me you want a Super Bowl played in this weather.  I have always been a proponent of warm weather Super Bowls because it allows two teams to do what they do best and whoever does it better…wins.  Moving it outdoors will completely sway the 2014 Super Bowl based on style of offense and nothing more.

For example, let’s say this game was to be played right now in New York.  With all the talk about how Rodgers will have to have a nice game in order to win, do any of us really think he would be able to pass for 300 yards in snow and ice?  It nullifies what they are great at… spreading the defense and allowing Rodgers and his weapons to pass his way down the field.

To give it more perspective, let’s say during the snow storm hell freezes over and the Eagles make it to the big dance in 2014.  Mike Vick leads an explosive passing attack that racks up yards and points in the air.  Their opponent is the run first New York Jets who lead the league in rushing and are built on physical, run-first offensive line play.  It is set to be a showdown of two completely different offenses and whoever executes their game plan will hoist the Lombardi Trophy. 

Now factor in the two feet of snow in New York and the freezing rain leading up to game day.  Think that will dramatically affect the game plan, style and outcome of the game?  You bet.  The Super Bowl is about execution of the best talent on the field for one day and one game, not whether it snows or not and how cold it is. 

Granted, teams have to contend with the weather during the playoffs, but that is why home field advantage becomes a factor.  Handle your business during the regular season and teams will have to come to your house, deal with your elements and beat you at it.  But this is the Super Bowl where there is no home field advantage.  Let’s not create an inherent one.

With all the attention leading up to this year’s Super Bowl, you would hope it would open some people’s eyes to the reality of it all.  Sure, it sounds nice to get a Super Bowl in the largest media market, but not when it detracts from the validity of the game itself.  Let this week be your warning of things to come.

While the media and fans have to sit and listen to the endless posturing of both sides of the NFL labor dispute, nothing continues to get done. There is no new CBA, and the NFLPA and NFL don’t seem to be in any hurry to strike a deal.

That will mean that everyone loses. Players, owners, executives, coaches, stadium workers, fans. Everyone. So, we don’t blame New York Jets CB Antonio Cromartie for being a little pissy about the whole mess. After all, he’s got seven kids to feed, dammit!

“You got our head union rep acting like an a-hole,” Cromartie told the New York Daily News. “They got their guys acting like a-holes. So they just need to get their sh– together and just get it done.”

Photo Caption: Cromartie will make a play on the ball and then tell you why he has disdain for your business practices.

Cromartie probably realized at that point, that many of his fellow players may not appreciate him calling out NFLPA leadership. They are supposed to be all in this together.

“Honestly, I don’t give a damn if they get mad at me or not,” Cromartie continued. “But it’s getting to the point where it’s getting ridiculous when everything is always dealing with money. You’re basically dealing with people’s livelihoods.

“You’re dealing with hundreds of thousands of other people in this workplace from the venues to everyone else. To me, you need to stop bitching about it. If you want to say that you want to get into a room and meet. Then, do it. Don’t just talk about it.”

While Cromartie has come off like a chowderhead in previous interviews, we have to agree with him here. He’s exactly right, and more people should call out these people who have everyone’s future in their hands. The CBA issues didn’t just crop up last night. This has been looming for a while and everyone thinks it’s okay to sit down in a room every 3-4 months or so.

Lock yourself in a Denny’s bathroom and don’t come out until you have a new CBA. You’re f’ing with all of us. Just ask Antonio.

How ironic. At the beginning of the year, Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger was suspended for four games because the NFL didn’t appreciate it when he forced himself on young coeds.

And to finish up the year and their run to the Super Bowl, it looks like Rashard Mendenhall is giving Big Ben the same treatment.

Or maybe that’s his new celebration dance that’s in honor of his quarterback’s past. Kind of like a tribute celebration. Maybe it’s called “Rape it like it’s hot” or something. Or maybe not.

The Philadelphia Eagles are set to interview Saints defensive backs coach, Dennis Allen, for the vacant defensive coordinator position.  I’m not buying it.  Correct me if I’m wrong, but the whole premise behind firing Sean McDermott, aside from his inability to get the job done, was the intent to bring in more experience to the position.

Photo Caption:  “Yeah, I know I’m only the secondary coach… but when I cover this with my hand it makes me feel like I’m saying something important!”

McDermott is only 36-years old and was thrust into the position following the death of Jim Johnson.  Granted, following Johnson and his legacy of one of the finest defensive coordinators in the league is no easy task… especially with the personnel offered to McDermott.  That said, he appeared in a little over his head at times. 

So, to then shift attention to the 38-year old Dennis Allen who has no NFL or college experience as a coordinator simply makes no sense to me.  Adding Jim Washburn is a very overlooked move.  The 4-3 defense is predicated on line pressure which Washburn has simply been a pro at creating.  So why nullify that with a defensive coordinator with no experience?

The only thing that can explain the interview is perhaps the Eagles are waiting on Dick Jauron to take over the defensive coordinator position and then offer the secondary coaching to Allen.  The problem?  It’s a lateral move.  Where is the sense in that for Allen or the Saints (who will need to first approve of it).  Perhaps this is all simply posturing for a coach that is still making noise in the playoffs?  Say, Jet’s DC, Mike Pettine? 

Pettine grew up in Doylestown, PA and coached at North Penn.  His defense is often overshadowed by the presence of Rex Ryan.  Could he be interested in returning home?  According to him, he’s staying put.  But don’t they all say that?

I should preface this with the fact that I don’t really hate the New England Patriots. Yes, it’s annoying that their fans can be so mouthy and they act like they are still sports victims when it comes to championships.

The Celtics just won it all a couple years ago. The Red Sox won in 2004 and 2007. The Patriots won it all in 2001, 2003, 2004 and made it to the Super Bowl again in 2007. Please, fans in other cities would smoke a homeless guy’s pole in return for that amount of championships over the course of a decade (or any amount of time for that matter).

So when I read a bunch of Boston fans pissing and moaning about their loss to the New York Jets on Sunday, it irritated me. You think you are supposed to win championships every year? What is this sense of entitlement in Boston where their fans think that it’s always all about them? Knock it off and enjoy the fact that you have one of the best – if not the best – head coach/QB combinations of all time.

Photo Caption: “Oh my gawd! 16! And! Oh! We’ll nevah lose anothah game again! Evahhhh! I love ow-ah team! Thank gawd we ont Jets fans! They ah losah had ons!”

I live in Philadelphia. We have ONE championship since the Sixers won it in 1983, so don’t tell us or anyone else about your misery. It’s like listening to rich people bitch about how expensive an $8 sandwich is. Shut the fuck up! You have plenty of money. You’ll live without that $8. No one wants to hear it.

So here is the answer to the question: Who is going to the Super Bowl this year?

Any time someone dies, it’s a bad thing. Well….in general. If I could slice the throat of Osama bin Laden, I think that would be okay with most people. But, you know what I mean.

I just struggle to see the death of 46-year old New York Jets fan Raymond Larsen as a real tragedy. A tragedy is when a child gets brain cancer. Or if someone is driving home from work and they get destroyed by a drunk driver who ran a red light. You weren’t doing anything wrong and something shitty happened.

I just can’t get too worked up that this Staten Island guy got all excited after the Jets win over the New England Patriots, and decided to sled down his steep driveway in a Mark Sanchez jersey. The ride sent him into the street and oncoming traffic. Not surprisingly, he was run over by a 61-year old woman and killed. I don’t know whether he was drunk or not, but I know when I get drunk I don’t get the desire to sled down into moving traffic.

I feel badly for his family and those that will miss him. But…seriously? At what point did you think this was a good idea? It’s like when Siegfried or Roy or whichever one it was, got mauled by a tiger. Yeah? Really? You were playing with tigers! You aren’t supposed to play with tigers for a reason!

Just like you aren’t supposed to – at the grown age of 46 – slide down a steep incline into moving traffic. Maybe I’m being callous, but that’s flat-out stupid.

You can say whatever you want about the New York Jets, but they aren’t boring. Rex Ryan made a reference to Tom Brady’s finger pointing after touchdowns (he likes to point to the other team’s sideline. At least the Jets anyway) earlier this week saying it was just “Brady being Brady.”

Well, cornerback Antonio Cromartie took it to a different level. He clearly does not have a Tom Brady Fathead on his bedroom wall.

“We see that a lot. He does it a lot,” Cromartie said, when asked about the finger pointing. “That’s the kind of guy he is. We really don’t give a damn, to tell you the truth.”

And just what kind of person would Tom Brady be exactly?

“An asshole,” he said. “Fuck him.”

Sweet! This almost guarantees that Cromartie will get lit up by a mediocre Patriots receiver this week.

I’m not a New York Jets fan. Sure, I love their confidence, but you have to back it up on the field… something they have rarely done when it counts. That kind of speaks for the majority of athletes in sports today. So many athletes talk a big game, on and off the field, but few actually deliver.

In particular, I think this is more apparent off the field. So many celebrities and athletes talk of giving back to the community, how important the fans are and how much of a privilege it is to get paid to play a game. However, when an opportunity arrives to give back or show appreciation… very few actually come through without the urging of the PR Director or a mandatory team PR stunt.

Mark Sanchez has officially set himself apart from that class and it’s a story worth repeating.

Aiden Binkley, 11, was suffering from a rare form of cancer, and he had only two wishes — he wanted his two brothers to stay healthy and he wanted to meet Sanchez. Sounds like a common story from the Make-A-Wish Foundation, right? The only difference is that after the visit and wish was granted, Sanchez continued the relationship.

Surprise visits to his home while he was sleeping… only to watch his eyes light up when he awoke. A call to Aiden following a big win in Pittsburgh. Sanchez then took the game ball from that win and sent it to Aiden to lift his spirits. Sanchez would often send text messages to Aiden, but not the typical “how ya feeling” messages. He always posed a question, trying to initiate a conversation.

We’re talking about a star New York athlete making a difference in an 11-year old’s life. The little things. Suffering in a way that many of us will never know, Sanchez gave this little boy something to look forward to every single day.

“All I hear from someone is, ‘There’s a youngster who’s terminally ill with cancer and all he wants to do is meet you,’” Sanchez said. “It changes your whole world. It stops everything. You get a chance to step back. It’s really close to my heart… He’s the best. I love him.”

Atlas Foundation board member, Keith Sullivan, was struck by Sanchez’s sincerity. In that initial meeting, Sanchez and Aiden exchanged cell phone numbers, with Sanchez telling the boy, “I’ll shoot you a text later. We’ll talk.” And Sullivan hoped it wasn’t just lip service, a millionaire athlete trying to appease a starstruck kid.

“Aiden had a smile on his face for the last three weeks of his life,” Sullivan said.

Yes, the last three weeks of his life. Little Aiden Binkley lost his battle with cancer last Thursday.

“He brought me so much inspiration. … It’s hard to talk about him,” Sanchez said. “He meant the world to me. I felt like I’ve known him forever. … I saw his personality. I saw his competitive spirit. I saw him fighting every day.
“I’m complaining about a shoulder. Are you kidding me? … I think he was 11 years old, and he has cancer eating away at his body,” Sanchez continued. “This kid is fighting every day.

He’s smiling every time I talk to him. I visited him at his home. I mean, he has to get carried up the stairs because he’s so weak and all he wants to talk about is LT (LaDanian Tomlinson) and Darrelle Revis and Rex Ryan and me. It kills you, just thinking about it. I love him to death.”

It’s rare that you get to hear of a tragic story that still provides the “feel-good” aspect. For as much as fans and media like to rip athletes and celebrities… Mark Sanchez paved his own path and deserves as much praise for this as he would if he brought a Super Bowl trophy to the Jets. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. But I urge you to think twice before ripping this guy, booing him or heckling him when he misses a target, throws a pick or coughs up the ball. It’s bigger than football. Sanchez gets it.

I thought the most-likely retirement and the $50,000 paid to Jenn Sterger was it.  I thought Brett Favre was starting to slip out of our lives.  Guess what?  He’s back.  Two former New York Jets massage therapists filed a lawsuit against Favre, the New York Jets, and Lisa Ripi (she hired the massage therapists for the Jets).

It’s blatantly obvious these two women, Christina Scavo and Shannon O’Toole, are only thinking of themselves.  How many people tonight and tomorrow are going to find out about these allegations and say, “What the f*#@, I thought we were done hearing about this guy.”  Nope.  It seems Favre has signed a one-year extension to our sports lives.

PHOTO CAPTION:  People don’t realize that Brett Favre won an Emmy for his work on There’s Something About Mary

First, let me admit that I appreciated Jenn Sterger coming back into our lives.  I loved her lead role as the Florida State cheerleader-in-the-stands.  She was the pack leader of a fine group of ladies.  Her school spirit and Playboy appearance swept through the college football country, intriguing other belly-shirted, short jean-cut-off wearing sorority girls to do the same.  As a football fan, she touched my heart.  And I thank Brett for that.

Do Scavo and O’Toole think they can come in and steal Jenn Sterger’s thunder?  And at the same time keep Brett Favre on the front page when football fans across the country thought the end was near?  There’s only one word for this.  Selfish.

If you haven’t heard, the suit alleges that Favre sent text messages to Scavo, O’Toole and another unidentified massage therapist which were inappropriate.  ABCnews.com is reporting these texts said the following:

“Brett here, you and Chrissy want to get together, I’m all alone.”

“Kinda lonely tonight, I guess I have bad intentions.”

“I can’t get my Wrangler jeans off.  They’re too tight.  But the zipper works.”

One of those I made up.

Furthermore, in late December or January with time running out in the game, one of Favre’s texts was intercepted by Scavo’s husband, Joseph Scavo.  Joseph demanded an apology for the treatment towards his wife, but Favre declined politely.  This paragraph was just a joke, just like these allegations.

PHOTO CAPTION:  Jenn Sterger has no clue what Jimmy Clausen is doing

The suit also alleges that the Jet’s locker room and training camp are “a hot bed of sexual harassment, sexism and inappropriate behavior.”  This is absolutely shocking news.  Who would think a locker room of football players would behave in such a way?  I guess boys will be boys?  Maybe someone should tell the women?

In conclusion, next time Favre is almost out of the picture ladies, keep your mouth shut.  Find how to make money another way.

Minnesota Vikings QB Brett Favre saw his string of consecutive games played snapped at 297 regular season games on Monday. But, that doesn’t mean his streaks are over.

Nope, this Monday night, his Vikings will take on the Chicago Bears and he isn’t going to play. That means that he’ll now be at two consecutive games not played. He probably won’t play the rest of the season, meaning he’ll head into retirement with four consecutive games not played.

This is big news.

It looks like by the time he is 60 or so, he’ll be able to match his streak of 297 consecutive games played with his new streak of not playing. He’ll then have the largest back-to-back streaks of playing and not playing in NFL history.

But, in order to pull this off, he’ll have the resist the temptation of stepping back onto an NFL field somewhere in his early 50′s.

We’re with you, Brett. OTR knows you can pull this off. Godspeed!

Remember everyone’s favorite red-headed step child from HBO’s Hard Knocks series this preseason? Running back Joe McKnight was constantly discussed and it was never good.

Well, now he might be getting some playing time, even if it’s not what he had in mind. Head coach Rex Ryan says that due to injuries at cornerback, McKnight could see some time on defense this weekend against the Houston Texans.

Photo Caption: McKnight has been on “Hard Knocks,” as well as Donald Trump’s “The Apprentice.”

“He’s been working that way,” Ryan said. “It probably won’t be very multiple with him out there in coverage, but we caught him a couple zone and I think we even taught him some man coverage. Hell be alright, he’s been out there.”

McKnight thinks he’d be fine out there.

“I probably won’t be familiar with the coverages,” McKnight said, “but I’ll be comfortable with everything else like playing defense, man-to-man, I can do that.”

McKnight could see increased playing time regardless of injuries. Ryan thinks he’s finally righted the ship and is heading in the right direction.

“I’m telling you guys, he’s getting ready to explode,” Ryan said. “He earned our non-trust, I guess you’d say it, but fumbling, but the way he’s practiced, he’s earned our trust back. I think it’s just a matter of time. Expect to see him out there because he’s been playing. Running back, receiver, corner. He’s going to play some for us.”

Ex-New York Jets sideline reporter Jenn Sterger met with the NFL today to discuss Brett Favre’s inappropriate voicemails and text messages that she received, the New York Post has learned. This meeting would be needed if the NFL were to discipline Favre in any way.

We still aren’t sure that there will be any discipline for Favre from anyone other than his wife Deanna. Remember that one of Sterger’s friends came out and said that the two saw the inappropriate text messages and had a good laugh over them. It doesn’t seem that any harrassment was taking place.

Sterger met today with NFL security chief Milt Ahlerich with her attorney Joseph Conway, and her manager, Phil Reese.

“We can confirm that a meeting took place with the NFL today and we cooperated fully by providing them with substantial materials in our possession,” Reese told The Post.

“We now await the NFL’s decision.”

We’ll see what happens, but we still think Deanna is the one Favre should be worried about. Here’s a question: Would a suspension for sexual harassment break his consecutive starts record?