misc

O'Hara: This team knows how to step it up when it is time to do so. Get something out of the rest, practice in pads next week to get faster to be ready for the game. Key to spags is that he is not afraid to blitz, and his players love that because it means that he trusts them, and they want to reward that trust.

Fassel: Definitely interested in HC job. Ravens will win, bad matchup for dolphins. Nothing good to say about tarvaris jackson. Peyton manning very special, sd could have played ind in conf championship if brackets broke differently, that is how good these 2 teams can be.

simms: AZ, SD, MINN

Giants had 13 turnovers, a record low for 16 games. 1 was from Jacobs (the hurdle at PHL) and 12 were from Manning (10 INTs and 2 lost fumbles). Amazing stat. If the Giants can somehow keep protecting the ball the way they have, it may be exactly what is necessary to put them over the top.

Latest Spags is Denver, Lions, Browns and Jets. No one will know anything significant until some/other teams start dropping out of the picture by announcing they are hiring someone else. Word is that Spags is #1 on the Jets list. And word is also that Shanahan is not preferred either. Shanahan has gone on vacation for 2 weeks to get some perspective before he sets out to determine what he wants to do. Richard Neer (WFAN) makes a good point.. why is WOODY JOHNSON out of the country? We should be reminded that the Maras and Tisches were certainly involved in the Giant's coaching selection, interviewing candidates etc.

BEWARE OF CONSENSUS. The consensus geniuses like the Colts, Ravens and Eagles. If all of them (and the world) were right, Las Vegas would be dead. To quote a local who lives off the Strip, "this town wasn't built on winners." Take the Chargers, Dolphins and Vikings. You will be correct on a minimum of two out of three. Why? Because betting is not this easy. And the easy thing to do is take the Colts, Ravens and Eagles. Nothing in life is free. You can argue that there is a point spread too, but in one of the games there isn't and the other two they would take them anyway, FG or no FG. Bottomline is there is such strong consensus that it should wake us up to the fact that the other team is 'live.'