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As I've somewhat done in the past, this week's blog will be a mixture of thoughts and email responses.

Sunday, February 3rd                                                                                                                                                             Well, the game's over and I still can't believe what I just saw. Bill Belichick was out-coached. Tom Brady was out-played. The Patriots were beaten at their own game - relentless defense (at least what used to be their game) and simply not making mistakes. When Brady drove the Pats down the field for the score that gave them a 14-10 lead, I inwardly said to myself, "this is where we find out if Ernie Accorsi was right." Of course, it was Accorsi who made the draft day trade four years ago for Manning, in which most of us thought he was fleeced. Now, it appears as though he just might have known what he was doing.                                                                                                                                                                                        Why did the Patriots not adjust to the pass rush of the Giants? Rob - Hartford Ct.                                                          Personally, I don't think there was much they could have done except for put Brady in the shotgun. Think about it, this year the Patriots have burned any team that blitzed. Someone would pick it up and it would mean there's one less defender to match up against their talented corps of receivers. Brady would make the quick read, and it was over. In this case, the Giants were able to pressure, for the most part, with only their four down lineman. Then, they dropped seven into coverage and there were no open receivers.

Monday, February 4th                                                                                                                                                           You've been preaching the AFC's dominance over the NFC the entire year. On Sunday, that theory was proven to be total garbage. How does it feel to be wrong? Marc - Dallas, Tx.                                                                                                                        First of all, Marc, it's happened before and it will happen again. Secondly, and this may be viewed as a copout, but I think if that game were played 10 times, the Pats would win seven or eight of them. The Super Bowl proves that the winner was the best team on that day. Lastly, I said that the difference between the two conferences was at the top. And I'll stand by the fact that the intra-conference records between the top six (playoff) teams in each conference was a lopsided 6-2 record favoring the AFC.

Tuesday, February 5th                                                                                                                                                          Where is your coverage of the Senior Bowl? Ramon - San Antonio, Tx.                                                                                            I apologize for being so behind this year. I've moved recently and have had a hard time getting back in the groove. In addition, preparing and doing the radio show has taken much more time than I thought it would. I promise that I'll be back in the saddle before the combine, which includes my Senior Bowl notes, which should be posted early next week.

Thursday, February 7th                                                                                                                                                          What changes could the NFL institute to make the Pro Bowl a more interesting game (I hate the fact that the last game of the year is such a bad game)? Mike - Houston, Tx.                                                                                                                                  This question has been asked many times before, Mike, and I'm not sure I have any worthwhile answers. I think that All-Star games in every sport have declined in importance because of the money being made by these athletes. Think about it, if you were a multi-million dollar wide receiver, would you take that hit by a safety over the middle in an exhibition game? I don't think so, either.                                                                                                                                                                          I've heard the league is looking into moving it up and taking place on the Sunday in between the conference championships and Super Bowl. I don't like it for two reasons: 1. I don't think it's going to make it that much more interesting or competitive, and 2. What would the players in the Super Bowl do if they were elected? They certainly wouldn't be allowed to play in the game even if they wanted to.

Saturday, February 9th                                                                                                                                                          What do you think of the bizarre circumstance under which Jim Zorn was hired? Matt - Arlington, Va.                                             I think you hit the nail right on the head, Matt. Bizarre is the perfect word. I've never liked owners choosing a staff before a head coach. I think it undermines the guy the head man coming in. Of course, the two most recent occurrences were brought about by the two most egotistical and intrusive owners in the league - Jerry Jones and now, Dan Snyder. Both of them feel as though they have the acumen to be coaches and/or general manager, when in fact, they don't know a wheel route from a wheel barrow.                                                                                                                                                                     Anyway, I think that the appointment wreaks of desperation. Most good coaches wouldn't allow for the owner to tell them who their subordinates are, and the ones who would take it are retreads just trying to get the next job. Obviously, it's worked in Dallas, but that's because Wade Phillips just oversees the finished product, with most of the work being done by the coordinators. However, and I'm not saying Zorn is a bad coach, but at his age, he's going to want to be involved in everything and that could lead to some sticky situations.