A day in the life in the Redskins front office:

From Twitter @Adam_Schefter:

Former Browns DL Shaun Rogers is visiting the Redskins today. Rogers already has been contacted by multiple teams. #nicetobewanted

Mike Shanahan, Bruce Allen, and Dan Snyder sit around a table at Redskins HQ

Shanahan: We've got a lot of work to do, Bruce.
Allen: Yes, yes we do.
Shanahan: We need a new quarterback...
Snyder: But we have Donovan, he's a huge name.
Shanahan: Dan, I benched Donovan with 3 games to go last season. He's not the player he once was in Philly.
Snyder: But I signed him to that flashy extension. I love flashy contracts.
Allen: Yes, but that was a dummy contract. There was very little chance he was going to collect on most of it, and we can cut him this offseason with almost no monetary hit.
Snyder: Oh.
Shanahan: Then we have to find something to do with Albert...
Snyder: Wait a minute! Albert's contract was my best work. We won the 2009 offseason with that contract. We can't just dump him 2 seasons later.
Allen: Dan, did you see Albert play last year?
Snyder: No.
Shanahan: That's because he's been a malcontent since I took over, so I took away his playing time. Dan, he came to camp out of shape, defied me at every turn, didn't keep his weight where we asked him to, tried to run me over in the parking lot, and assumed that since he's the highest paid player on the team that I'd be forced to play him. He tried to take me on, and nobody, but nobody messes with Napo...
Allen: Mike, you're doing it again.
Shanahan:...leon Bo...
Allen: MIKE!
Shanahan: What? Oh, sorry, where were we?
Snyder: So you're saying that paying older players based on their careers or their potential isn't a good idea, and that doing it with ones who already have a questionable work ethic is a really, really bad idea?
Shanahan: YES!
Allen: YES!
Snyder: Okay, got it. See you guys. (leaves)
Allen: Mike, we also need to put some contingency plans in place in case the lockout runs into next fall.
Shanahan: True, we don't even know if free agency will happen.
(Snyder pokes his head back in)
Snyder: Hey guys, I just got off the phone with Shaun Rodgers' agent. He's coming in for a visit tomorrow. Do you guys think 5 years is flashy enough?
Shanahan: (facepalms)
Allen: ...

NFL News and Notes

- Yes, the Steelers are back in the Super Bowl. The most surprising part of this game? How easily Pittsburgh was able to run on the Jets defense. Rashard Mendenhall did not have a great day against the Ravens the week before, but in the first half he had over 100 yards against Rex and his boys.

The least surprising part? Watching Phil Simms embarass himself during the Heath Miller non-catch challenge. There was no question that was getting overturned. Perhaps this is why so many coaches are terrible at challenging: they have guys like Phil Simms in the booth advising them when to throw the flag. To be fair to Phil, he did redeem himself on the Sanchez fumble review. Jim Nantz played the sap on that one.

Finally, no one will talk about this because Ben converted the 3rd down, but if the Steelers had run the ball on 3rd down and gotten stopped, Rex would have cost himself about 30 seconds with the time out strategy he used. When Pittsburgh got their first first down of the drive, the clock read about 2:45 and the Jets still had 2 timeouts. Rex called timeout after this play (before 1st down) and the next one (before second down) and in between second and third down, the clock ran down to the 2:00 warning. All this meant that after a 3rd down play that didn't stop the clock, Pittsburgh would have punted around the 1:17 mark and the Jets would have gotten the ball back with about 1:10 to play.

What Rex should have done was let the clock run after the first down (since there was more than 2:40 left Pittsburgh had to run a play), which takes the clock down to the 2:00 warning. Then call timeout after second down and after thrid down. This scenario has Pittsburgh punting with about 1:51 left and the Jets getting the ball back with about 1:40 to play, worst case. Again, in the end this didn't matter as Ben came up with a big play yet again, but if I could see this at the time, someone on the Jets' staff should have too.

- Cutler WAS actually hurt, with an MCL strain (which means partial tear). After even a torn ACL a person can walk on it afterwards. The problem is there's no support in the knee. A strained MCL isn't as bad, but also lessens the support in the knee, possibly putting the ACL, among other things, in jeopardy. Could he have played? We've seen players play on broken legs and ankles, and who knows everything Brett Favre's actualy played with, but if Jay Cutler couldn't plant on his leg a) who knows how effective he could actually be and b) he'd be a sitting duck for the Packers defense to tee off on.

So why did so many current and former players jump at the chance to question Cutler's heart? It's one thing when loudmouths like Deion Sanders or Darnell Dockett call you out, but when leaders like Maurice Jones-Drew or Derrick Brooks do it, it does make one wonder if there actually is something there. Maybe this doesn't point to Cutler's heart, but instead merely the perception of him around the league. Much has been made of Cutler's behavior by his defenders that, he simply doesn't care about the press so of course they all rip on him. But if players around the league are saying this too (players who have to deal with the media as well and likely know not to treat their words as gospel), then its unlikely the media is making all of this up on some sort of witch-hunt. Is that important for a player? Arguable. It is important for a quarterback, someone who is supposed to lead a team? Probably.

- Wes Welker knuckles under to Bill Belichick, Patriots. Welker apologized for his clever press conference where he never directly called out anyone on the Jets, but instead indireactly needled Rex with constant references to feet. It wasn't good enough for Belichick to bench him for a series, wasn't good enough for the Ft. Knox-like with information Patriots to broadcast his benching and why, now they make him apologize for it? (Note: Welker didn't say he was told to apologize during the apology, but come on.) It's one thing to not want your team spouting off uncontrolled (like the Jets), but isn't going too far the other way something to be ridiculed as well? Especially when you come out flat and terrible against the team that's been verbally punking you all week? Is it realistic to take all of the emotion out of your team who you want, well, need, to run through brick walls for you? Belichick is deservedly looked at as a (if not the) top coach in the game, but he misfired on this issue badly.

Green Bay 21 Chicago 14

Green Bay's A game is much better than Chicago's. But Green Bay has thrown quite a few C games (and a D game or two) this season. That was Chicago's chance in this game, especially as Chicago's defense had forced a couple of sub-par efforts from the Green Bay offense during the season. Chicago's defense gave up a couple of early scores, but if you look at Rodgers' final line, they did their job. Green Bay could have put this game away multiple times, but every time, the Bears defense held, or made a play, to keep themselves in it.

Unfortunately for the Bears, Jay Cutler brought his F game. The sloppy field and cold, tough conditions that ended 51 of the 53 Seahawks players' will to live before kickoff the week before did the same thing to Jay Cutler today. Yes, Chicago couldn't run, but that had to be expected coming in. Cutler had to know that it was riding on his arm, and he came up small.

Then Cutler assumed the role of LaDanian Tomlinson circa January, 2008. That postseason the Chargers took on the Patriots in the AFC championship game, and Tomlinson, who had been injured the week prior, played 2 or 3 plays at the beginning of the game, then was confined to the bench for the rest of the game. The constant sideline shots of LDT with his helmet on (fully equipped with his usual tinted visor), looking sulky. Compare that performance to that of Phillip Rivers, who played the whole game on a torn ACL and MCL (also suffered the week prior), and people were climbing all over themselves to call out Tomlinson and question his heart. Players and coaches rushed to Tomlinson's defense, but I'm not sure everyone was ever fully convinced.

Cutler is about to face the same cavalcade of questions, fair or not. He will be compared with Tomlinson and against Rivers' performance in that 2008 game. Lovie Smith stated that the Bears' medical staff kept Cutler out, but I think this story is just beginning.

Perhaps a bigger indictment of Cutler, though, was his performance against a defense that allowed Caleb Hanie to drive down the field 3 times against them. Two of those drives ended in touchdowns, and the third ended in an interception on 4th and 5 with less than a minute remaining. If not for his pick-6 to the fattest man on the field (BJ Raji), Dom Capers and his defense might be facing a withering barrage of questions as to how Caleb Hanie was able to pick them apart so. As it is, I think those questions will turn back to Cutler as to why he couldn't lead even one scoring drive against the same defense in 2+ quarters.

I fully expect Green Bay's offense to get back to dominating in the warmer climate of Dallas in 2 weeks, the question is which Green Bay defense will show up.

The Rest of the Weekend

Packers throttle Falcons: Going in, I was pretty sure of 2 things. 1) The Packers' A game was better than anyone else's A-game in the NFL with the possible exception of the Patriots, certainly better than the Falcons'. 2) While the Packers can throw out anything from an A game to a C- game, the Falcons aren't going to deliver much less than a B game. I was half-right. The Packers hit their stride and were absolutely unstoppable. The Falcons wilted under the consistency of the Pack's offense and essentially lost the game by the end of the first drive of the second half.

Bears outmuscle Seahawks: As a Seahawks fan, I shouldn't be upset with a poor effort from a 7-9 team that already won their Super Bowl over the Saints the week prior. But as a fan I was incredibly disappointed that my team got psyched out by the bad weather and the cold. The Bears were efficient, and Seattle couldn't stop them, nor could they put 3 plays of offense together without (literally) dropping the ball. I have to believe the number of dropped passes reached double digits, as only 2 Seahawks bothered to show up before the end of the 3rd quarter: Matthew Hasselbeck and Brandon Stokely.

It reminded me of the 2004 Seahawks' wild card playoff loss at home to the Rams. In that game, Hasselbeck and DE Chike Okeafor were the only 2 players who showed up (even steady as a rock Bobby Engram dropped the game-tying TD pass from Hass on 4th down), capping off the most frustrating season in Seahawks fan history. I was not impressed with either the fight of the players or the preparedness of the coaching staff, but for year 1 of a desperately needed rebuild, it did exceed expectations.

Jets back up their talk I could not imagine a scenario where the Patriots wouldn't not only win, but cover the spread. The Jets were clearly talking up a storm to distract the pundits from the fact that they could not go toe-to-toe with the Patriots. And for one drive, that was the game playing out in front of us. Then Tom Brady threw that interception. After that the Patriots were a different team. A team lacking confidence. A team unsure of itself, and unsure of how to attack a Jets defense that featured 11 defensive backs on its 45-man roster. Time after time Brady would drop back, look at his first option, then his second, then his third, then his fourth, and maybe even a fifth before finally the rush got to him or he had to throw it away to avoid a sack.

It was also a very unBelichickian* performance by the coaching staff. BenJarvis Green-Ellis was gaining 5-7 yards a pop. But Danny Woodhead was logging the snaps. I have seen coaches who have their way of running a game and will not change it for anything or anyone (Mike Martz, Mike Holmgren). Belichick isn't like that. The Belichick I know would have kept pounding Green-Ellis against the occasional blitzes or usually nickel and dime defenses the Jets were putting out there to frustrate Brady. This Belichick kept throwing into them, or running the 6-inch Woodhead, who's smaller than most of the defensive backs anyway. Add in a fake punt just before halftime, and yikes. Yes Belichick will be aggressive, but it's usually when facing an offense he doesn't feel he can stop. Like a Peyton Manning-led one in his heyday. Not a Mark Sanchez-led one. And Belichick isn't Andy Reid. That almost-8-minute drive in the 4th quarter that got no points was mind-boggling in its lack of urgency.

And the defense...well, it just shows you the difference between the dynasty Pats teams and the more recent, title-less ones. When Brady was a little off, those teams got the stops they needed (with just one exception: the Carolina Super Bowl). It wasn't Tom Brady and the Patriot 52, it was the New England Patriots. The defense shut down Peyton Manning year after year until the Colts cried uncle and forced the league to adopt the illegal contact rules. Now, the young defense has lost its leaders and is still finding its way. But in its current state, they're not getting the stops they have to have. There is no way the 2001-2004 Pats would have allowed Sanchez to lead the Jets down the field for a touchdown after the offense finally got the lead down to 14-11. No way.

It was a lot like the Giants Super Bowl upset. Team from New York with an active defense smacks the favored Patriots in the mouth, and keeps the offense off-balance for the most of the game without doing much blitzing. The New York team keeps a small lead for the better part of the game, and the Pats defense can't get the stop they need after the offense begins to show signs of life. The Holmes catch wasn't as crazy as the Tyree helmet grab, but the parallels are there too.

So, was this season a disappointment for the Pats? Yes and no. No because this is such a young team that will keep getting better with a year under their belts. But that 8-game run to close out the regular season at 14-2 raised the expectations. No one came into the playoffs hotter than these Pats. The 2007 16-0 Pats didn't come into the playoffs as hot as the 2010 Pats. But their margin for error wasn't as large as it seemed, and when a team hit them in the mouth, they didn't react well, owing in large part I think to their youth.


*As an aside that I found funny, unBelichickian was flagged by spellchecker. The suggested replacement? chickenhearted

Steelers 31 Ravens 24

Maybe the most disgusting half of football one team has put forth whose quarterback was not named Jake Delhomme. I'd say it was unbelieveable, but this is exactly how the Ravens have operated under John Harbaugh: put themselves in position to make a run at the title, but not do enough things to actually make that run.

This started in the regular season. They were a very solid team, but when offered the chance to skip the wild card round they couldn't make the plays to do it. In the first half Pittsburgh gave them 2 turnovers, the Ravens converted them into 14 points, and had a 21-7 halftime lead.

Then the second half started. In this half, the Ravens proceded to...

Turn the ball over 3 times in 4 drives in the 3rd quarter. They accumulated -4 yards for the quarter.

After going down 24-21, returned a punt for a touchdown...only to have it called back from holding.

On the ensuing drive, prized WR acquisition Anquan Boldin dropped a touchdown pass, forcing the Ravens to settle for a field goal.

On the Steelers ensuing possession, on 3rd and 19, allowed a Steelers receiver to get behind everyone for a 58 yard pass play, giving the Steelers 1st and Goal. They would score a touchdown 4 plays later.

On 4th and 19, receiver TJ Houshmandzadeh dropped a 21 yard pass which would have kept the Ravens' hopes alive.

2 or 3 of those would have been considered a meltdown. This was Chernobyl. Add in Joe Flacco generally turtling when the Steelers started to come back (see the Heap INT, a couple of sacks taken because he held onto the ball too long facing a blitz, and running out of bounds for a loss of 9 when he could have tossed an easy INT), and this was a classic Raven performance in a big game.

Now the beat up Steelers hope like heck that the Jets upset the Pats. And the Ravens again try to put band-aids on their true problem: not being mentally tough enough to do enough of the little things (or big things on the big stage) to actually be the team they have the potential to be.