The Sunday Spotlight

Examining the biggest game of the week. Colts-Patriots highlights Week 11. 

The NFL’s best rivalry over the last decade resumes Sunday at Gillette Stadium, as the Colts take on the Patriots in a key AFC contest.

Tom Brady and the Pats are coming off of perhaps their most impressive victory in two years, defeating the Steelers 39-26 in Pittsburgh. At 7-2, the Patriots are tied for first in the AFC East with the Jets, and along with the Falcons have the best record in the NFL.

Plagued by injuries on both sides of the ball the last few weeks, the Colts have struggled, but are still finding ways to win. And as long as No.18 is under center, it’s hard to bet against the Colts in the regular season.

A 6-3 record has them on top of the AFC South and one game back of the Patriots and Jets for the best record in the AFC.

Much like last week’s Patriots-Steelers game, this week’s contest could go a long way towards determining home-field advantage in the conference.

Despite a blowout loss at the hands of the Browns in Week 9, the Patriots have at times looked like the best team in the NFL. Brady is playing at an MVP level, and the young defense is improving under the guidance of Bill Belichick. The real test comes this week, even though Manning doesn’t have all of his weapons to work with.

Indy has won the last two regular season meetings in this series, but they have a couple of things working against them in this one.

First, the Indy defense plays much better at home. Pass rushers Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis take advantage of the crowd noise at Lucas Oil Stadium, giving them a big edge against opposing offensive lines. But when they play on the road and the crowd is quiet when the home team is on offense, Freeney and Mathis aren’t nearly as effective.

Moreover, Indy’s defense is awful against the run – 29^th in the league – and the Patriots have an effective run game with BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead.

Second, the injuries on offense will be too difficult to overcome in a big game like this one. Both the running backs and the receivers have been hit hard this season. Joseph Addai, Donald Brown and Mike Hart are all injured. The good news for the Colts is that Addai practiced on Thursday and reportedly could be a game-time decision on Sunday. Reggie Wayne, Austin Collie and Blair White all fully participated in practice on Thursday, but Collie’s status is still in doubt.

Manning’s numbers have taken a big hit over the last few weeks, and he didn’t throw a touchdown last week against the Bengals. Tight end Jacob Tamme has become his go-to receiver, making the offense far less explosive.

Lastly, Brady rarely loses at home. He has won 24 straight home games in which he has started, one short of Brett Favre’s record of 25 straight wins in Green Bay.

The Patriots surely will be out for revenge after last year’s gut-wrenching loss in Indianapolis, when Belichick went for it on fourth-and-two, giving Manning and Reggie Wayne a short field. The Colts won the game, 35-34.

This one shouldn’t produce that high of a score, but make no mistake; points will be put on the board.

Brady and the Patriots will be too much for Manning and the Colts, and the Patriots win 28-17.

OVERTIME

>> Much has been made of the rivalry between Brady and Manning.

This debate will never be settled, because it really depends on what fans value more: stats or rings?

Barring injury, Manning will end his career as the all-time leader in every significant statistical category for a quarterback. But Brady has three Super Bowl rings, while Manning has just one.

Manning has won four regular season MVP awards, appeared in two Super Bowls and won one Super Bowl MVP. Brady has won one regular season MVP, appeared in four Super Bowls, winning three and taking home two Super Bowl MVPs.

When it has mattered most, Brady has come through. Manning is a different story, and interceptions at key times have plagued him in the playoffs. In Super Bowl XLIV, Manning threw an interception when his team was driving down the field with a chance to tie the game. The interception was returned for a touchdown for the Saints, putting the game out of reach.

In the one Super Bowl that Brady lost, he drove his team down for the game-tying touchdown. If not for a dropped interception by the Patriots’ Asante Samuel and a miraculous catch by the Giants’ David Tyree, Brady would four-for-four in Super Bowl appearances.

Manning’s numbers look great, and he will likely be on top of the record books for quite some time.

But Brady has the true hardware – the kind of hardware that makes players legendary: rings.

Week 4 Primer

Game of the Week – Ravens (2-1) vs. Steelers (3-0):

The Ravens and Steelers renew their bloody rivalry at Heinz Field on Sunday with a lot on the line.

Though it’s early in the season, every division game in the AFC North is crucial. Baltimore already has a loss within the division to Cincinnati, and losing this week would all but assure that their only hope for a playoff berth would be to win the wild card.

For Pittsburgh, it’s the final game of Ben Roethlisberger’s suspension, and the team is still out to prove that they can win without their two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback.

Charlie Batch will get the start at quarterback after an impressive performance against Tampa Bay in Dennis Dixon’s absence.

Baltimore has only one major injury concern, and that is the status of running back Ray Rice. Rice suffered a knee contusion against the Browns last week and is listed as questionable. Coach John Harbaugh sounds confident Rice will play, however.

That’s enough talk about offense. As always, this game will come down to defense. The Steelers defense is back to the tough, hard-nosed style that helped get defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau into the Hall of Fame.

Much of Pittsburgh’s success can be attributed to the return of free safety Troy Polamalu, who started just three games last year due to injury. Polamalu is proving once again that he is the most valuable defensive player in the league. Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco will have to keep his eyes on No.43 at all times, or he’ll pay the price.

Talk of Baltimore’s defense starts and ends with middle linebacker Ray Lewis. The 15-year veteran is better than ever, and he seems to be playing with a big chip on his shoulder this season. When he plays well, it’s tough to score on the Ravens.

The game kicks off at 1 p.m. EST and will be televised by CBS. Jim Nantz and Phil Simms are on the call.

Upset alert – Broncos (1-2) vs. Titans (2-1):

Denver quarterback Kyle Orton has quietly had a fantastic start to the season, compiling the second-most passing yards (1,078) of anyone in the league.

Orton is working with a highly underrated receiving corps, and the Broncos as a whole are much better than their record suggests.

Broncos’ running back Knowshon Moreno will miss his second straight game with a hamstring injury. Correll Buckhalter and Laurence Maroney will share the carries in his absence.

The Titans are coming off an impressive 29-10 win over the Giants and may be feeling a little too comfortable heading into this home contest with Denver.

Defenses have been stuffing the box against Tennessee running back Chris Johnson, meaning it will be up to Vince Young and the passing game to lead the Titans to a victory.

And speaking of defenses, the Titans gave up 471 total yards against the Giants last week.

The game can be seen at 1 p.m. on CBS. Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots are on the call.

Blowout potential – Panthers (0-3) vs. Saints (3-0):

The Stains have to be fuming after losing at home to division-rival Atlanta in overtime last week. Moreover, New Orleans offense has yet to explode like it did a year ago, which must be frustrating coach Sean Payton and quarterback Drew Brees.

There’s no better way to take out your frustrations than to face Carolina, which managed to make Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman look like a Pro Bowler in Week 2.

The Panthers are a complete mess, and coach John Fox can’t do anything about it. Rookie Jimmy Clausen is the team’s starting quarterback, and he struggled mightily against the Bengals last week.

While Brees does have a minor knee injury, it isn’t even significant enough to land him on the injury report.

FOX will air the game at 1 p.m. Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa will be on the call.

Quick Slants –

Redskins (1-2) vs. Eagles (2-1):

Donovan McNabb makes his return to Philadelphia in one of the most intriguing games of the season. How Eagles fans respond to McNabb will certainly generate a lot of headlines.

On the other side, Eagles quarterback Michael Vick is arguably playing the best football of his career. He could have a big day against Washington’s weak secondary.

The game kicks off at 4:15 p.m. on FOX. On the call are Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Pam Oliver.

Jets (2-1) vs. Bills (0-3):

Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez has been on fire of late, throwing six touchdowns and no interceptions in the last weeks.

Buffalo has many weaknesses, but rookie running back C.J. Spiller isn’t one of them. He had two touchdowns (one receiving, one kick return) against the Patriots last week.

The game airs at 1 p.m. on CBS with Greg Gumbel and Dan Diedorf on the call.

Coughlin is on the Hot Seat

Tom Coughlin led the New York Giants to a Super Bowl win just three years ago. Fans of Big Blue don’t want to hear that.

Coughlin, now in eighth season as head coach of the Giants, finds himself on the hot seat for a number of reasons. Chief among them, the Giants haven’t been quite the same since that memorable 2007 season, which ended with the Giants pulling off a remarkable victory over the New England Patriots in February, 2008.

It’s not as if the Giants have been terrible the last three seasons, but it has appeared at times that Coughlin has lost control of his team.

Take last year, for instance. The Giants got off to a 6-0 start and looked poised to make another deep run in the playoffs. But the team completely fell of the wagon, ending the season with a record of 8-8 and no trip to the postseason. Giants’ co-owner John Mara was not pleased, and reportedly blew a gasket after the season. While the fall wasn’t enough to get Coughlin fired, it did count as a strike against him.

Assuming there was already a strike against him considering some of the struggles his team suffered before winning the Super Bowl; Coughlin is down to his last strike. 

What’s taking place now is the final act of Coughlin’s tenure. 

The Giants are sitting at 1-2 after the first three weeks, a disappointing record considering the expectations heading into the season. And the two losses haven’t been pretty. Losing to Indianapolis 38-14 in Manning Bowl II wasn’t terribly surprising, but it would have been nice if the Giants had at least showed up for the contest. The Colts destroyed the Giants in every phase, and the game was virtually over after the first quarter.

Then there was last Sunday’s debacle against the Tennessee Titans. There have been many awful and embarrassing performances from the Giants during Coughlin’s tenure, but this one had to be one of the worst. It wouldn’t appear that way when looking at the box score.

Big Blue dominated in virtually every statistical category, gaining 471 yards to Tennessee’s 271, racking up 26 first downs to Tennessee’s 17, and winning the time of possession battle 31:38-28:22. And yet the Titans won the game 29-10. That’s because the Giants turned the ball over three times, one of which came on Manning’s horrific left-handed toss in the end zone, and committed 11 penalties. And of those 11 penalties, five were personal fouls.

Smart, disciplined football teams don’t commit five personal foul penalties in one game. Coughlin has always prided his teams on being the opposite of what the Giants were on Sunday.  

Now, it’s not all Coughlin’s fault. Part of the reason stupid penalties are being committed is due to the fact that the Giants don’t have a single player willing to step up and become the true leader of this team.

Everyone has always assumed Justin Tuck was the one, but he isn’t the vocal presence that the Giants have needed the last two seasons. And that goes back to the downfall this team has experienced since winning the Super Bowl. Michael Strahan was leading the way in 2007, and it’s laughable to think that he would have let everything that’s happened take place when he was around.

This team is in desperate need of someone to step up and say, “We’re not going to do this anymore.” Instead, the Giants are stuck with players who don’t have the leadership skills to say anything useful. It would be nice if Eli decided to say something, but he’s never been a vocal presence and probably never will be.

The Giants look like a team with no direction, and Coughlin looks like a coach who doesn’t have a clue what to say to his team.

With Bill Cowher stating that he would be willing to come back to coaching if he found the “right situation” and Jerome Bettis saying Cowher “covets” the Giants job, Coughlin isn’t going to last much longer if things stay the same.

Maybe a change would be good for all parties. Anything would be better for the Giants at this point. 

Pay the man

Chris Johnson is the best running back in the NFL. He's one of the best offensive players in the game, and he's certainly one of the best players in all of football. And yet, he is due to make to just $550,000 in 2010. Does that seem fair to you? 


Johnson, the 24th pick in the 2008 draft by the Tennessee Titans, signed a 5-year, $12 million contract when he entered the league. He burst onto the scene with a 1,228 yard season on the ground, sharing carries with LenDale White in the process. Last season, he became just the sixth player in league history to rush for 2,000 or more yards in a season -- he finished with 2,006 -- and he broke Marshall Faulk's single-season yards from scrimmage record as well. Without him, the Titans wouldn't have won many games in 2009. They will have a hard time winning games going forward as well. Which is why Johnson deserves to be paid, immediately. 


The elusive running back is holding out of voluntary practices and is threatening to hold out of training camp as well. And it's hard to blame him. Running backs have a short shelf-life in the NFL, especially when they are getting as many carries as Johnson has gotten and likely will continue to receive. Most running backs begin their fall from grace around the age of 30. Signing a third contract is anything but a guarantee, which is why that second contract is so important to get. It's just as important to get it now, when Johnson, 25, is at his best. 


Unfortunately for Johnson, there are a few things that make it difficult for the Titans to give him a raise. The biggest obstacle is getting around the 30 percent rule, which does not allow a player's salary to increase by more than 30 percent during an uncapped year. A 30 percent increase in Johnson's 2010 salary would be roughly $1.6 million, which is not close to what he deserves. Despite the 30 percent rule, the San Francisco 49ers were able to give star linebacker Patrick Willis a new contract. That contract contains multiple signing bonuses, which is the only real way to get around the rule. For the Titans, paying Johnson $50 million in signing bonus money would be a large financial commitment that could strap them in signing other players down the road. 


The Titans are a smart franchise. Owner Bud Adams, general manager Mike Reinfeldt and head coach Jeff Fisher know what it takes to win in the NFL. They should realize that Johnson is a rare talent, and should be paid as such. A player like Johnson doesn't come around every day. He has remarkable speed, feet, vision, toughness -- everything that makes a great running back. Should the Titans get into playoff contention this season, which is a good bet, Johnson will become a key factor. Teams can throw the ball all they want, but the running game is what really wins late in the season and in the playoffs. Johnson has the ability to steal the show in December and January, and the Adams certainly wants to see him wearing while a Titans uniform while doing so.  


Financial consequences be damned, Chris Johnson must be given a contract worthy of his talents. 


It's time for the Titans to pay the man. 

Addai on the way out in Indy?

In an informative question-and-answer column for the Indianapolis Star, Colts beat writer Mike Chappell raises an interesting point following a question about the status of running back Joseph Addai going forward. 


"Addai has been a very good back for the Colts and I expect him to have a solid season in 2010," Chappell writes. "But after that, it should be time to turn to Donald Brown and find someone to work as his backup. That's life in the NFL.


Zone Coverage must agree with Chappell here. Addai was an excellent back early in his career, and it looked as if he was going to be good enough to stay with the Colts for years to come -- a good replacement for Edgerrin James. He rushed for 1,081 yards and seven touchdowns his rookie season, when the Colts marched all the way to a Super Bowl title. Addai had over 100 yards in that championship game against the Bears, and he arguably could have been named the game's MVP. 


The problem has been that Addai hasn't shown any improvement, and his numbers have mostly been in decline since his rookie year. He's not a great running back, and is therefore expendable.  The Colts are anything but a run-heavy team, so it's not as if the position is of great concern. Donald Brown looks like he's going to be a good player should he stay healthy, and Mike Hart has also flashed some potential. 


Addai's contract runs through the 2010 season. Currently 27 years old, he should have no trouble finding a job in the 2011 offseason. 

J.P. Losman headed to Seattle

Former first-round draft pick J.P. Losman is the newest member of the Seattle Seahawks, his agent announced last night. In an e-mail to the Associated Press, Gary Wichard let it be known that Losman agreed to a one-year, $630,000 contract. He signed on the dotted line Wednesday. 

Losman, 29, was a first round pick of the Buffalo Bills in 2004. He spent five years with the team, never living up to the hype of his draft status. Derailed by injuries and poor performances, Losman was nothing short of a disappointment. He showed some promise in 2006, when he passed 3,501 yards and 19 touchdowns. He also threw 14 interceptions that season, and it was the only time he played all 16 games in a season. 

Matt Hasselbeck and Charlie Whitehurst are already on the roster, so Losman likely will have no chance to move up on the depth chart. 

Marshall had surgery on other hip

The football-following world was well aware that Miami Dolphins receiver Brandon Marshall has been dealing with a hip issue from some time now, and had it surgically repaired last year. What we did not know is that Marshall has an issue with the other hip, and thus was forced to undergo a procedure on it, according to Jeff Darlington of the Miami Herald. 


Though the Dolphins don't seem too worried about the development -- head coach Tony Sparano called it "routine" it has to be of some concern that Marshall has needed surgery on both hips within the course of two years. The good news for Dolphins fans is that Marshall's play hasn't declined, so it would appear that the team didn't get coaxed into giving an injured player a large contract.


Marshall, as noted by Darlington, won't be able to return to the field until training camp.

Report: Roth wants a trade

Apparently, Matt Roth loves controversy. Less than a year after forcing his way out of Miami, the Cleveland Browns linebacker wants a trade.


Via Adam Schefter comes word that Roth is unhappy with current contract talks, and the situation won't be easily resolved.


Roth is a restricted free agent, and he believes that he should receive a big contract, something Cleveland is by all appearances unwilling to give him. In this case, the Browns are right to stand pat here. Roth recorded just four sacks last season, which isn't anything special. Why should the Browns shell out the big bucks for him when they could simply wait and see how he plays next season, and then make a decision?


The problem for Roth is that Cleveland has all the leverage here. If Roth refuses to sign his tender, which Schefter reports is likely to happen, the Browns can reduce the offer -- forcing him to play for less money in 2010.


Another question: Who gave Roth this sense of entitlement? Roth has registered a total of 16-and-a-half sacks in his career. After he forced his way out of Miami, he joined the Browns in Week 12. The Browns would be absolutely crazy to hand him a new contract after seeing him play just six games. And by continually creating problems for the teams he plays for, he's beginning to look less appealing to other franchises.


A word of advice for Roth. Shut up, sign the tender, and play at a higher level. Then the Browns will give you the money you are looking for.

Crayton M.I.A. from Cowboys OTA's

Disgruntled Dallas Cowboys receiver Patrick Crayton will not be present this week as the team opens up its organized team activities.


Crayton was recently given permission to seek a trade, though nothing appears imminent. A talented player, Crayton's $2 million base salary for 2010 likely is holding back any team's that would like to acquire him. 


Last season, Crayton had 37 receptions for 622 yards and five touchdowns. Mostly playing in the slot, he was a valuable target for quarterback Tony Romo. With the addition of rookie Dez Bryant via April's draft, Crayton realizes that there probably won't be enough balls to go around, and he is mostly likely to get the shaft. 


Though his agent, Fred Lyles, claims that isn't trying to send the Cowboys a message, it's clear that Crayton is anything but happy with the way the offseason has played out in Dallas. 


Should the Cowboys eventually release him, expect him to find multiple suitors on the open market. Crayton has value as a receiver and in the return game, and more than a few teams will jump at the chance to grab him for a lower salary. 

Andre Johnson deserves a new contract

Normally when a player is demanding a new contract with five years still remaining on his current deal, I refuse to take it seriously. But in the case of Houston Texans receiver Andre Johnson, things are different. 


Johnson, who signed a eight-year, $60 million contract in 2007, is skipping organized team activities in the hopes of getting a new deal from the Texans. And he deserves it. 


Casual football fans don't know much about Johnson, mainly due to the fact that -- unlike the Chad Ochocinco's of the world -- he's a quiet guy who simply does his job. Moreover, the Texans rarely get the national television treatment (they had one Monday Night Football appearance in 2009). As a result, people are not aware of the incredible talent that Johnson is. 


For my money, he's the best receiver in football.  At 6-3, 225 pounds, Johnson has the perfect size for the position. He has fantastic hands, good speed and will run any route that is asked of him. In an interview with NFL Network, Jets All-Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis described Johnson as a "beast," which is about as accurate a statement as anyone could give.


Johnson led the league in receiving yards last season with 1,569, and he also had nine touchdowns. 


The Texans typically wouldn't even consider giving a player in Johnson's boat a new contract, but the team should break policy for a player as special as Johnson.