Yes, there have been quite an amazing series of twists and turns and a lot of difficult moments for the Hofstra sports community to endure over just the past five months.

The myriad of problems began on December 3rd, when Hofstra dropped its 72-year-old football program, an institution that produced Marques Colston (the leading receiver of the Super Bowl XLIV winning New Orleans Saints); offensive tackle Willie Colon (who can’t shield Roethlisberger from further personal scrutiny, but who protected him from opposing pass rushers enough to win a Super Bowl ring the year before Colston won his); the terrific 11-year career of former New York Jets’ wide receiver Wayne Chrebet; and many others who have made their mark in the National Football League.

An expensive annual cost of $4.5 million and the ability to recoup far less in return due to a lack of fan support, were the basis of Hofstra’s controversial reasoning for cutting football, a decision for which the university still receives a fair amount of negative backlash.

As its second-most visible athletics program became extinct, Hofstra’s most recognizable program was on the verge of being entrenched in turmoil and some challenging times ahead.

The Hofstra men’s basketball team stumbled to a poor start to the 2009-10 season, but caught fire late, under former head coach Tom Pecora, who was in what turned out to be the final year of a 16-year run (seven as an assistant and nine as a head coach) at the school which gave the Queens, New York native his first Division I head coaching opportunity. Though it only managed a seventh-place finish in the Colonial Athletic Association, the Pride became the CAA’s hottest team, winning 10 of 11 games, nearly reaching the CAA tournament semifinals, barely losing to second-seeded Northeastern in overtime, in the quarterfinals.

What followed, was a whirlwind of events for Hofstra basketball.

After shunning the low-level, consolation College Basketball Insider postseason tournament the year before, Hofstra, widely accused of not fully supporting athletics after dropping football, tried to somewhat quell those doubts by spending reportedly about $60,000 to host a first-round CBI game against Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.

That turned out to be a miscalculation as only 952 fans attended Hofstra’s season-ending, 74-60 loss to IUPUI in Pecora’s final game at Hofstra on March 17th, as Pecora uncharacteristically looked on as a disinterested, emotionless coach headed for a new gig from the moment his old team started the game as flat as can be, with a 21-2 deficit.

A week later, Pecora, the second winningest coach all-time at Hofstra (155-126), left his former school scrambling for a new head coach when he joined laughing stock Fordham, which was 2-26 without an Atlantic-10 conference win last season.

Speculation quickly mounted that Hofstra, after citing costs to dispense with its football program, would hire an inexperienced coach on the cheap. But, the administration surprised most on March 31st, spending $3 million on a five-year contract to bring in Tim Welsh, a Massena, N.Y. native who took Iona College to a pair of NIT’s and one NCAA tournament in three years before reaching two NCAA tournaments and three NIT’s during a ten-year run at Providence College.

Hofstra even said it would increase its basketball budget under Welsh in order to expand the Pride’s recruiting footprint, including potentially stealing recruits of some of the CAA’s better teams, from their own backyards in the Virginia area. Welsh also planned to use his contacts from his last job as an ESPNU analyst to help Hofstra gain more of a national spotlight. Optimism was reigning and Pecora’s relative success at Hofstra (despite failing to reach the NCAA tournament as a head coach) was long forgotten.

However, that too, soon unraveled for Hofstra when Welsh, just one month on the job, was arrested for drunk driving after being found 3.5 miles east of the Hofstra campus (where he and his family were staying temporarily), at 1am on April 30th, asleep at a green light, with his 2006 Lexus still in drive, and his foot on the brake. Two hours later, Welsh was found to have a blood alcohol content of .18, barely the threshold for an Aggravated Driving While Intoxicated charge, and more than twice the New York State legal limit of .08.

Just when Hofstra thought it was back on track, Welsh’s arrest continued a further downward spiral for the Hofstra basketball program.

On April 16th, highly touted recruit Branden Frazier, a 6-foot-3 combo guard who was initially recruited by Pecora to play at Hofstra after starring at Brooklyn’s Bishop Loughlin high school, followed Pecora to Fordham after Van Macon, Pecora’s top assistant at Hofstra, did the same.

On Monday, Welsh was forced to resign from Hofstra. On Tuesday, disappointed mostly by Pecora’s departure, Hofstra’s leading rebounder and last season’s All-CAA rookie team selection, 6-foot-8 Staten Island forward Halil Kanacevic verbally committed to join Pecora’s new A-10 rival, St. Joseph’s.

And, although he’s still very much a member of the Pride, reports surfaced on the same day that another former Brooklyn star, point guard Chaz Williams, who played at Bishop Ford high school and who joined Kanacevic on the All-CAA rookie team last year, might follow Kanacevic in asking for his own release from Hofstra.

Circumstances looked very bleak amid great uncertainty and little hope for the immediate future and perhaps a few years down the road for Hofstra basketball.

However, then came Wednesday, when Hofstra finally put the brakes on an athletics program –- or at least, on a men’s basketball program –- that like Welsh’s dangerous and irresponsible, drunken jaunt, was seemingly traveling down a dark road to nowhere.

With a surprising and fairly bold move, Hofstra decided not to conduct a lengthy search, and instead, give it one more shot — or, one Mo shot — as in Mo Cassara, who was promoted to a multi-year head coaching deal (terms undisclosed, though it’s believed that Cassara will receive about half of what Welsh would have earned annually at Hofstra).

Cassara, whom Welsh tabbed to be his assistant at Hofstra, is widely considered to be one of college basketball’s rising young stars.

Still, the opportunity which Cassara has been thrust into must be a shock even to him, relative to a mere five weeks ago, since the 37-year-old Canton, N.Y. native wasn’t even considered as a head coaching candidate by Hofstra when the university lost Pecora.

However, there were two things key things that worked in Cassara’s favor this time around. One, is that he very quickly ingratiated himself to Hofstra President Stu Rabinowitz, Hofstra athletic director Jack Hayes, and many of the Pride players, with whom he’s already begun to develop solid relationships both on and off the court since his arrival at Hofstra. Additionally, Hayes didn’t want to continue the recent program upheaval and put an entire third new staff in place since the end of March. Thus, Cassara became the choice to head a staff including two other Welsh selections, Allen Griffin, and Hofstra’s newly named associate head coach Steve DeMeo, who worked with Welsh at Providence, and who seemed to be the favorite to get the head coaching job when Hofstra decided to look in-house for Welsh’s replacement.

Cassara though, brings a strong pedigree in his own right. He comes to Hofstra after tutoring for four years under well-respected, long-time head coach Al Skinner, at Boston College, where Cassara was responsible for recruiting, scouting, on-floor coaching, off-season workouts, and game scheduling while helping Skinner guide the Eagles to two NCAA tournament appearances and one NCAA tournament win before the two were dismissed from Boston College after Skinner interviewed for the St. John’s head coaching job on March 27th.

Prior to his work at Boston College, Cassara gained two years of head coaching experience at Division III Clark University in Massachusetts after spending one year as an assistant coach at Dayton University, where he helped the Flyers go 24-9, win an A-10 regular season title, and earn an NCAA tournament berth.

Earlier, Cassara guided prep school Worcester Academy (Massachusetts) to a 90-21 record from 1999-2003 after beginning his coaching career as an assistant, spending a year each at The Citadel and Washington & Lee University.

As with Welsh, Cassara’s hiring is as much about the future of Hofstra basketball as next year, but that doesn’t mean that Cassara doesn’t have some Pecora holdovers which he’ll try to make some noise with in the CAA next season. The loss of Kanacevic hurts up front, but as of now, Hofstra’s all-time leading shot blocker and last year’s All-CAA Defensive selection, Centereach, Long Island’s 6-foot-10 forward Greg Washington, is expected to return as a senior. And, if Williams stays, he’ll return in the backcourt alongside fifth-year senior and reigning CAA Player of the Year, powerful 6-foot-3, 220-pound shooting guard Charles Jenkins, a former Springfield Gardens (Queens) high school star who’s been impressed with Cassara since the two met.

In the recent volatile world of Hofstra athletics, it appears that the Pride once again has reason to be proud. Or, as Jenkins told Newsday, “I think things are going to calm down now. I don’t think anything else is going to happen. I’m glad they hired [Cassara].”

Indeed, a coaching hire which already appears to be worth one “Mo” shot.

With a stunning 31-17 upset victory over the Indianapolis Colts (16-3) in Super Bowl XLIV, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami on Sunday night, the New Orleans Saints (16-3) washed away at least a small amount of the suffering inflicted by the 2005 flood waters of Hurricane Katrina on the city for which the Saints played their collective hearts out.

Though New Orleans is still recovering from the worst natural disaster in U.S. history, the Saints provided a huge spiritual lift to a city in need, with the biggest win a football team can possibly have.

As a result, things will be different in New Orleans for a while.

The Big Easy? For at least several more days, it’ll be the Big Brees-y.

Fat Tuesday? Make that Phat Tuesday. Or even, Who Dat Tuesday.

And, from long-time Aints, to finally, Super Bowl-winning Saints.

Who Dat say they gonna beat dem Saints?

Well, only three teams could all season (only two when the Saints weren’t resting their starters), and much more importantly –- none were able to, for the first time in Saints’ history, when it mattered the most.

So, be gone, paper bags! Saints fans who used to wear them over their heads with embarrassment can now reveal their proud faces with the wide grins befitting loyal fans a Super Bowl champion.

Yes, the former NFL laughing stock has at long last reached the pinnacle of football success.

The franchise that began in 1967 and produced no winning seasons in its first 20 years of existence; the team that this year, enjoyed only its ninth winning season in its 43-year history; and, the club that had just two postseason victories over that time, not only won its third postseason game of the year on Sunday, but finally accomplished the ultimate feat that many Saints’ fans thought they’d never see.

In true New Orleans fashion, the Saints went marching into Miami and returned from the Super Bowl to the bowl of low-lying New Orleans, as conquering heroes, by pulling together in a team effort, with resiliency, guts, and a little bit of voodoo magic.

The Saints were led by their emotional leader, quarterback Drew Brees, whose supremely efficient 32-for-39, 288-yard, two-touchdown, no-interception performance earned him the Super Bowl XLIV Most Valuable Player award.

While many expected a shootout with big plays galore between Brees and Colts’ quarterback Peyton Manning (who entered the game with his four NFL MVP’s and one Super Bowl MVP), it was a precise, patient, and composed Brees (in his inaugural Super Bowl appearance) who led his team to their first NFL championship.

It wasn’t even that Brees tied the Super Bowl record for completions with 32, or that he posted the second most accurate passing game in Super Bowl history, completing 82.1 percent of his passes. It’s that in a game in which both secondaries blanketed receivers downfield all game long, Brees beat Manning at his own game.

Manning is well known as the master improviser, adjusting and readjusting to what he sees until he can make a defense pay. However, this time, it was Brees who was perfectly content to forego throwing the deep ball (which he does so well), and instead, pick apart the Colts’ defense underneath, with 21 completions for single digit yardage. Nine more completions went for gains between 10 and 19 yards, and only two others were over 20 yards, while none of Brees’ completions went for more than 27 yards.

In winning with the short game, Brees effectively spread the ball around to eight different receivers. Wide receivers Marques Colston (7 catches, 83 yards) and Devery Henderson (7 catches, 63 yards) led the way, but Brees also connected with wide receivers Lance Moore and Robert Meachem, tight ends Jeremy Shockey and David Thomas, and running backs Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush.

Rebounding from a sub-par 3-for-7 opening quarter, Brees finished a nearly flawless 29-of-32 over the final three quarters, with two of those last three incompletions being a dropped pass and a spike to stop the clock. He completed his final ten passes (tied for the second longest streak in Super Bowl history), including all seven in the fourth quarter.

After starting the game with two punts, Brees directed New Orleans to scores on the Saints’ final four possessions and on five of their final six, before taking a knee to end the game in jubilation.

It was the perfect ending to a postseason run that Brees finished with eight touchdowns, no interceptions, and 732 yards.

Furthering the New Orleans team effort was second-year kicker Garrett Hartley, who became the first kicker in Super Bowl history to make three field goals of over 40 yards (46, 44, and 47 yards), a defense that kept Manning and the Colts’ dangerous offense in check over the final three quarters, and some great moves by the Saints coaching staff.

Manning (31-for-45, 333 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception) was good, but the Saints’ defense, led by the confusing looks designed by defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, made sure that Manning wasn’t good enough to win.

The Saints opened the game in a 3-4 scheme as Manning guided the Colts to a 10-0 lead on their first

two possessions, including a 96-yard drive that matched the longest scoring drive in Super Bowl history. Williams then switched to a 4-3 alignment in a second quarter in which the Saints outscored the Colts 6-0 and possessed the ball for all but 2:27 and six of 32 plays.

“In the third quarter, we mixed it back and forth,” Williams said. “That was kind of our plan, to make sure that we didn’t show everything we had early in the game. We had a first half game plan, we had a third quarter game plan, and we had a fourth quarter game plan.”

The Saints also won the battle of Peyton vs. Payton, with New Orleans head coach Sean Payton’s bold move of taking away an extra possession from Manning, by opting for an onside kick to begin the second half. It was the first such kick in a Super Bowl prior to the fourth quarter, and it resulted in a Saints’ recovery and a march into the end zone for New Orleans’ first lead of the game.

Though Manning led the Colts back, to lead 17-13, in the third quarter, it was the Saints who had the big fourth-quarter, outscoring an Indianapolis team which set a record with seven fourth-quarter comebacks during the regular season.

Like Indianapolis, New Orleans had shown some of its own comeback ability this season, and the Saints dominated the Colts, 31-7, over the final three quarters, to make some of their own history.

New Orleans matched the largest deficit overcome (10-0) in a Super Bowl; they became the first team in NFL history to win three postseason games in the same season after trailing by at least seven points in each game; and, they overcame a double digit deficit for a league-leading fourth time this season. Ironically, on October 25th, on the same field, the Saints outscored the Dolphins, 22-0, in the fourth quarter to win, 46-34, to win their sixth straight game, en route to starting the season 13-0. This time, it was a 15-0 fourth quarter that won the game of all games for the Saints’ franchise.

Perhaps the most surprising moment came late in that fourth quarter, with nearly everyone expecting Manning to do what he usually does in a must-have drive. With the Saints desperately clinging to a 24-17 lead late in the fourth quarter, and Manning moving Indianapolis to the New Orleans 31 yard-line, the Saints’ defense came up with the big play, as it had all season. To that point, the Saints, who had lived off of takeaways all year, were unable to force any turnovers. That’s when second-year corner back Tracy Porter (who played with a Super Bowl trophy haircut) stepped right in front of Manning’s favorite target — Colts’ leading wide receiver, Reggie Wayne — before going untouched for a 74-yard pick-six that made the improbable dream finally seem real for long-suffering Saints’ fans. The score was the tenth interception return for a touchdown this season for the Saints’ usually opportunistic defense.

In the end, a disappointed Manning, who became the fifth Super Bowl-winning signal caller — and likely, at least the fourth future Hall of Fame quarterback — to lose to New Orleans this season (Eli Manning, Tom Brady, Kurt Warner, and Brett Favre were the others), said, “I give the Saints a lot of credit… they deserved to win.”

Of course, no football victory will ever give back the lives that were tragically lost, nor help return the thousands of still-displaced, former New Orleans residents to their hometown, nor solve many of the other serious problems that Hurricane Katrina left in her wake, which still affect New Orleans today.

But, the Saints capturing their first NFL title is hardly void of significance. It represents something for the entire city of New Orleans to rally around, and it can ultimately serve as inspiration to help restore New Orleans to the level it was in the past.

That feeling is reciprocal among the Saints. “We play for so much more than ourselves,” Brees said.

“We feel like we did this for them,” said Saints’ middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma, who played his college ball, fittingly at Miami.

“We played for our city,” Brees added. “We played for the entire Gulf Coast region. We played for the entire Who Dat nation that has been behind us every step of the way. It means everything. We’re here because of their strength and everything they fought through here the last few years. They’ve given us so much support, so we owe it all to our fans. Just to think of the road we’ve all traveled, the adversity we’ve all faced, it’s unbelievable. I mean, are you kidding me? Four years ago, whoever thought this would be happening? Eighty-five percent of the city was under water. Most people left not knowing if New Orleans would ever come back, or if the organization would ever come back.”

Similarly, Brees wasn’t sure if he’d come back to football, after a shoulder injury with San Diego earlier in his career. Ironically, Miami and New Orleans were the only two cities willing to take a chance on him. Miami passed, opening the door for Brees to come full circle and march the Saints into Miami and then back home, to adoring fans in New Orleans, as champions.

Also coincidental is what Brees chased last season, when he fell only 15 yards shy of the all-time single-season passing record of Dan Marino, who played for the Dolphins in yet another New Orleans-Miami connection. Now, Brees gladly trades second place in that race for the Super Bowl ring that Marino, one of the greatest ever, never won.

Even more coincidences make the Saints’ victory seem that perhaps this moment was indeed meant to happen for both Saints’ fans and for playing a role in helping to rebuild New Orleans, as much as for the Saints, themselves.

For one, there’s Manning being born and raised in New Orleans, just like his brother Eli (with the New York Giants), and their father Archie Manning, who was a Saints legend, a two-time pro-bowler, but who never enjoyed a winning season on a lot of those bad Saints teams between 1971 and 1982.

And, there’s even the Saints’ connection to the very trophy itself. Brees’ quarterback coach is 28 year-old Joe Lombardi, the grandson of the great Vince Lombardi, for whom the Super Bowl trophy is named. At least until the next champion is crowned, it might as well be temporarily renamed the Lombardi Gras trophy.

Even under the far more likely scenario that the trophy retains its original name of Joe Lombardi’s grandfather, it will certainly now be forever appreciated by the Saints and their fans, who despite facing serious, “real-life” issues, do seem buoyed through their identification with their Saints.

Brees said of the connection between the two, “We just all looked at one another and said, `We’re going to rebuild together. We are going to lean on each other.’ That’s what we’ve done the last four years and this is the culmination in that belief.”

After 43 years of waiting, the paper bags can be put away for good, because the franchise that used to be known as the Aints, finally bagged that ever-elusive NFL championship when its city needed it most.

It was a long time coming, through the years of the Aints, the paper bags, and now, the much more serious obstacle of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Yet, the city of New Orleans has always held steadfast in maintaining its close bond with its Saints, who have always meant a lot more than being a football team to the city they represent.

Saints fans believed that soon NOLA later, this moment was a dream which had to happen.

Now that it’s real, geaux crazy and celebrate on Bourbon Street, New Orleans. You deserve it!

And, when the party’s over, may the city of New Orleans soon follow the Saints along the same path to complete recovery.

We certainly are right in that mix, having predicted that the Indianapolis Colts would not only win their second championship in four years, but do so easily. Boy, were we wrong. Drew Brees (32 for 39, 288 yards, two touchdowns) led the New Orleans Saints to their first title and was named the game MVP in the 31-17 victory. When his team needed a strong drive, he delivered. Neither Brees nor Saints head coach Sean Payton panicked when they trailed 10-0 in the first quarter and they stayed with an agressive game plan.

They went for it on 4th-and-goal from the 2-yard line in the second quarter (one in which they dominated) and came up short, but that didn’t stop them from going for a little trickery and recovering an onside kick to start the third quarter. The ensuing drive led to a touchdown and put New Orleans ahead, 13-10.

“We talked about it at halftime and it’s really a credit to every one of these players here,” said Payton. “There’s not enough room on this stage for all of them, but they carried out this play and I’m just proud. I’m proud of this team.”

The Colts answered with a 76-yard drive that culminated in a 4-yard burst into the end zone by running back Joseph Addai. No one could have surmised at the time that the 17-13 lead they now held would have been their last of the night.

Garrett Hartley hit a 47-yard field goal to cut the deficit to one and then in the fourth quarter, Brees went 7-for-7 on the drive of the game. He hit tight end Jeremy Shockey for a 2-yard scoring pass and then made it 24-17 by completing another pass on the two-point conversion.

Manning (31 for 45, 333 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception) took over with 5:42 remaining in the contest and was taking the underneath routes that the Saints defense was giving him. When he tried to go downfield, he was picked off by Tracy Porter, who brought it back 74 yards and the exclamation point.

When the scoreboard showed a final score of 31-17, Bourbon Street exploded like 10 combined Mardi Gras parades. An unlikely turnover by arguably one of the best quarterbacks in the game sealed the deal, and pinpoint accuracy by his adversary led to that.

In the AFC Championship Game, the upstart New York Jets were able to contain the 2009 NFL MVP, albeit for one quarter. The league’s number one defense actually sacked Manning on consecutive offensive plays over two series and at one point in the second quarter, the Jets led 17-6. Answering a Jay Feeley field goal, Manning sliced through Gang Green’s secondary to cut into the deficit at the half to four points.

While Jets rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez (17 for 30, 257 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception) played extremely well, the offense could not get going and went scoreless in the second half. At the same time, the Colts controlled the pace and Manning had his way. He threw for 377 yards and three scores to three different receivers in Austin Collie, Pierre Garcon and Dallas Clark en route to the 30-17 victory.

The Superdome hosted the NFC Championship Game and what was expected to be a close shootout between two offensive juggernauts in the New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings did not disappoint. Brett Favre came out slinging as expected, as did Drew Brees. At half time, the score was even at 14 and although they had four turnovers, the Vikes were very much in the game and actually were in position to win the game in the waning seconds. But a penalty for too many men in the huddle set them back five yards, setting up a third down. Instead of calling a conservative run to set up a long field goal attempt, Minnesota elected to throw.

Favre rolled to his right out of the pocket and threw into double coverage across his body. On cue, the ball was picked off and we were headed into the extra stanza. For all the great things that Favre (28 for 46, 310 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions) has done in 19 NFL seasons, he has a tendency to make a terrible decision at the worst time. It happened in the playoffs before, against the Giants and Eagles.

The Saints won the coin toss and went on a drive that seemed to go on forever due to three booth reviews. Garrett Hartley nailed a 40-yard field goal and there was happiness in the bayou.

Super Bowl XLIV will be an interesting affair, one that will pit an old dog that has been there/done that in Manning and a bunch of wide-eyed Saints. Expect a lot of offense in this one, so take the over.

On Saturday, the New Orleans Saints rebounded after a lackluster end of the regular season with a convincing 45-14 knockout of the Arizona Cardinals. last season’s NFC representative in the Super Bowl. Reggie Bush scored two touchdowns as the Superdome rocked and rolled. Not much of a surprise there, as the Saints were expected to dispel of a team that may have still been showing the affects of an exhausting overtime win against Green Bay the week before.

That evening, the Baltimore Ravens were ousted by Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts, 20-3. They took a two-touchdown lead at half time and coasted the rest of the way. Three turnovers did the Ravens in, setting up Indy to play host next weekend one game away from Super Bowl XLIV. Although they played extremely well in taking out the Patriots in the Wild Card round, Baltimore was clearly outclassed versus a well-rested Colts squad.

On Sunday, Brett Favre turned back the clock and led his new team to the conference championship. The 40-year-old former Packer and Jet threw for four touchdowns (three to Sidney Rice) to lead the Minnesota Vikings to the 34-3 victory over Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys. Jerry Jones’ boys may have exorcised some December (and early January) demons by winning their division and then dispatching the Eagles, but were never even competitive in the dome.

Saving the best for last, the game of the weekend came in San Diego pitting the Chargers against the upstart New York Jets. Given no chance to move on, the Jets came out and played the 11-win Bolts tooth-and nail. They trailed by a mere seven points heading into the locker room and were clearly the team ‘hanging around’ against a formidable opponent.

Jay Feeley hit a 46-yard field goal to cut into the lead during the third quarter. Then the turning point in the game occurred towards the end of the quarter. The Jets downed a punt deep in the Chargers zone and a few plays later, Philip Rivers was intercepted by Jim Leonhard. A Chargers personal foul moved the ball inside the 10 at the start of the final stanza, which set up Mark Sanchez’s two-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dustin Keller and a 10-7 advantage.

Sanchez is not the only Jet rookie to be making a name for himself in the postseason, as running back Shonn Greene had another 100-yard performance and a long run for a score. He scampered 53 yards to give the Jets a 10-point lead with 7:26 left in the game. San Diego scored with 2:14 left when Rivers dove in from a yard out, but Kerry Rhodes recovered Nate Keading’s onside kick. The game wasn’t decided until Thomas Jones moved the chains on fourth and one with 1:09 left in the contest.

Keading, the AFC’s Pro Bowl representative, had a forgettable day with three missed field goals (36, 57 and 40 yards), which opened the door that the Jets kicked in on their way to Indianapolis for their first appearance in the AFC Championship Game since 1998.

Say what you want about the Jets and their outspoken rookie head coach, but Rex Ryan will have another week in the spotlight to psyche up his charges. The strategy has clearly worked and this team is going into Indy believing in themselves.

When the two teams met up in Week 16, Colts head coach Jim Caldwell pulled Manning in the third quarter with a 15-10 lead. The Jets rallied against back-up quarterback Lance Painter and that began their ascent towards where they are today. Once again, the Jets will be heavy underdogs and that is exactly the way they like it.

Speaking of the Saints (13-2), they have now lost two in a row in the dome after the hapless Tampa Bay Bucs (3-12) came back from a 17-0 hole to win 20-17 in overtime. Also in the NFC, the New York Giants – after coming out of the gate 5-0 – all but put their postseason hopes to rest with a putrid 41-9 pasting at the hands of the carolina Panthers. This occurred in their final game at Giants Stadium, with the grand opening of the still yet-unnamed new Meadowlands stadium opening up in 2010. The Panthers (7-8) have been out of the playoff picture for quite some time while the Giants dropped to 8-7 and left their rabid fanbase wondering what happened.

In Indianapolis, possible MVP candidate Peyton Manning was pulled from the game in the third quarter with the Colts nursing a five-point advantage. Back-up Curtis Painter was not effective and allowed the Jets to get right back into the game.

Not only did Gang Green do the unthinkable after dropping a heartbreaker last week to the Atlanta Falcons, but actually control their own destiny if they can defeat the Cincinnati Bengals (10-5) at home next Sunday night. The Jets (8-7) needed a lot of help heading onto the day and by the time they kicked off at 4:15, much had broke their way.

Miami (7-8) dropped a 27-20 decision at home to the Houston Texans (8-7) while the Steelers (8-7) took care of the Baltimore Ravens (8-7), 23-20, in the Steel City. All of this activity coupled with Jacksonville losing and falling to 7-8, the Jets slid up into one of the wild card spots in the AFC. Denver (8-7) lost by a late field goal in Philadelphia after a big comeback, but still can get in at 8-7 with tiebreakers.

Brees’ 2009 Avg. Yards Per Game:             286.57

Avg. Yards Needed To Pass Marino:            342.11

WEEK    DATE                    OPP/RESULT        COMP-ATT %   TD-INT    YARDS    REMAINING

1      Sun 9/13           vs DET   W, 45-27           26-34    76.5      6-1       358      4,727

2      Sun 9/20           at PHI   W, 48-22           25-34    73.5      3-1       311      4,416

3      Sun 9/27           at BUF   W, 27-7             16-29    55.2      0-0       172      4,244

4      Sun 10/4           vs NYJ   W, 24-10           20-32    62.5      0-0       190      4,054

5      Bye

6      Sun 10/18         vs NYG  W, 48-27           23-30    76.7     4-0        369      3,685

7      Sun 10/25         at MIA   W, 46-34          22-38    57.9     1-3        298      3,387

8      Mon 11/2          vs ATL   W, 35-27          25-33    75.8     2-1        308      3,079

9      Sun 11/8           vs CAR

10      Sun 11/15         at STL

11      Sun 11/22         at TB

12      Mon 11/30         vs NE

13      Sun 12/6           at WAS

14      Sun 12/13         at ATL

15      Sat 12/19          vs DAL

16      Sun 12/27         vs TB

17      Sun 1/3             at CAR

PF-PA        COMP-ATT     %      TD-INT   YDS

TOTALS;                                   273-154        157-230   68.3   16-6     2,006

Brees’ 2009 Avg. Yards Per Game:             283.00

Avg. Yards Needed To Pass Marino:            338.70

WEEK    DATE                    OPP/RESULT        COMP-ATT %   TD-INT    YARDS    REMAINING

1      Sun 9/13           vs DET   W, 45-27           26-34    76.5      6-1       358      4,727

2      Sun 9/20           at PHI   W, 48-22           25-34    73.5      3-1       311      4,416

3      Sun 9/27           at BUF   W, 27-7             16-29    55.2      0-0       172      4,244

4      Sun 10/4           vs NYJ   W, 24-10           20-32    62.5      0-0       190      4,054

5      Bye

6      Sun 10/18         vs NYG  W, 48-27           23-30    76.7     4-0        369      3,685

7      Sun 10/25         at MIA   W, 46-34          22-38    57.9     1-3        298      3,387

8      Mon 11/2          vs ATL

9      Sun 11/8           vs CAR

10      Sun 11/15         at STL

11      Sun 11/22         at TB

12      Mon 11/30         vs NE

13      Sun 12/6           at WAS

14      Sun 12/13         at ATL

15      Sat 12/19          vs DAL

16      Sun 12/27         vs TB

17      Sun 1/3             at CAR

PF-PA        COMP-ATT     %      TD-INT   YDS

TOTALS;                                   238-127        132-197   67.0   14-5     1,698

1.  A Lack of Commitment to the Running Game

Take Monday night’s debacle against the Broncos. While LT’s yards per carry average was not what it has been when he’s been at his peak performance, against a good defense he was consistently picking up positive yards and moving the chains. He looked fresher and quicker than I remember him in the last two-plus seasons. He had the quickness and explosion we’ve all gotten so used to from LT.

It felt like any play he was about to break the big one. He still had 70 yards, but on only 18 carries. Imagine if he was given carries on the goal-line early in the first quarter when the Chargers settled for another field goal. Say he gets to 25 carries. He gets very close to 100 yards, and I bet breaks a big one and gets well past that mark.

But more important is the effect the commitment to the run has on the Chargers both as a team and an offense. Norv Turner apparently felt he had to call all pass plays when only down by four points with about six minutes to go in the game. When Mike Nolan, the Broncos Defensive Coordinator, figured this out he just started blitzing an overmatched Chargers offensive line. Poor Philip Rivers had no chance to find men down field because blitzers were in his face as soon as he got back in his drop.

If Turner would’ve run the ball even once or twice on that drive, the Broncos would’ve had to respect that and played a little more conservatively, thereby giving Rivers at least a chance to find an open receiver.

As a New Orleans Saints fan I’ve seen how a pass-only offense ends up working out. You may put up great numbers and score a lot of points, but it is so hit or miss that you have as many three-and-outs as you do big plays. And the ball is in the air so much you’re bound to have a lot of turnovers.

Three-and-outs and turnovers kill your own defense because it puts them in horrible field position and makes them play far more downs than they are capable of handling before they break down. Complementary football, as Sean Payton calls it, is what wins football games. Run the football, keep your defense off the field, and give your offense a chance by being unpredictable.

2.  Poor Line Play on Both Sides of the Ball

Again this is hard for anyone to question, but still bears being repeated. It is understandable why Norv Turner shies away from the running game. For the most part, they (the O-Line) have done nothing to reward his confidence in them. Since it is a little bit easier to throw the ball without great blocking, passing becomes your best option.

Part of the O-Line’s issues goes back to Pro Bowl Center Nick Hardwick’s absence. He is responsible for getting the line into its’ proper protections and adjustments. He has done this very well for a good number of years now. Without him the line is somewhat lost. Other injuries to Louis Vazquez have forced the Chargers to start two less qualified players on their O-Line for part of this season.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Chargers are greatly missing the services of two men who are now in other buildings, Igor Olshansky, now with the Cowboys, and Wayne Nunnelly, the veteran D-Line Coach who had been with the Chargers for 14 years and is now doing a wonderful job with…you guessed it the Denver Broncos.

Of course, losing All Pro Nose Tackle Jamal Williams doesn’t help matters either. The Chargers D-Line has become an undersized, minimally talented unit that for the most part does not fit the scheme the team is trying to run. Many in Charger Land are now casting blame on GM A.J. Smith for his inability to find suitable backups in case of a Jamal Williams injury or dropoff in production because of his age.

I for one, believed two years ago Kentwan Balmer, a DT out of North Carolina, would have been the perfect man to eventually replace Williams at that nose spot. Smith instead chose CB Antoine Cason, who looks like he’ll be a good player, but seemed to be less of a need pick at the time. Now the Chargers are left trying to fill a couple D-Line positions with career journeymen. Is it any wonder they are struggling to stop the run?

3.  The Approach Has Become Stale

It is not uncommon for coaches to feel as if they are no longer reaching the players on their team after ten years or so with the same team. Well, it hasn’t been nearly that long for Norv Turner, but it is reaching that amount of time for GM A.J. Smith. And under Smith, the approach has been the same. Bring in young talent, sign your core players long-term, but don’t at any cost overpay them, and only sign second-tier free agents who will make your team as backups or role players.

To be completely honest, I generally love this model. It has worked for some of the best franchises in the league, such as Pittsburgh, New England, Indianapolis, and perhaps you could include Philadelphia. But guess what? They’ve all at least been to a Super Bowl. The Chargers have not.

Players will buy into anything if it leads them to their ultimate goal. But when their ultimate goal is not being met, uneasiness and questioning begins to take place. You might say success breeds success, just as losing leads to more losing. In my opinion this has happened to the San Diego Chargers. You could see it in the First Quarter when both Tomlinson and Antonio Gates (both team leaders and core players) showed their frustration after a third down call on the goal-line.

Most people realize San Diego’s real leader is not Norv Turner. He is much more of a puppet to A.J. Smith. Turner is basically just a glorified Offensive Coordinator. Smith chose him after firing Marty Schottenheimer to keep the current offense (which again was smart), but also so he could choose his own defensive coordinator. Most organizations allow their head coach to make such a decision.

A.J. Smith is a wonderful talent evaluator, but he has worn out his welcome with his bold moves, most notably allowing Drew Brees to leave via Free Agency, although in hindsight it worked out okay because Rivers has developed nicely.

The bigger point is that the players know Norv Turner has no power, and therefore they do not respect him. And they do not respect A.J. Smith because he is a pompous, overbearing boss who is doing more than his job description entails.

If the Chargers have any chance at salvaging their season, Turner must retake hold of this team and their psyche. He must recommit to running the football, and find a way to get some production out of his lines, despite their lack of talent and size.

It is a tall order to say the least. It is unfortunate that Turner is in this position because he actually has done an okay job given the situation he’s been given. He’s fighting an uphill battle, and one very few coaching candidates now would want to be a part of. Truthfully, despite San Diego’s talent level, I would say the Chargers Head Coaching job has become one of the least attractive in the league because you are faced with A.J. Smith.

It is no secret what I think the biggest problem is in San Diego.

Week 4

CONTENDERS:

#1  NEW ORLEANS SAINTS                   4-0              Wk 3:  #1                  Wk 4: Beat NY Jets, 24-10

The Saints remain at #1 for the third straight week, and they’re starting to become more of a complete team each week. We knew they could pass, but they’ve shown a strong running game and a great defense, too.

#2  NEW YORK GIANTS              4-0               Wk 3:  #2               Wk 4: Won at Kansas City, 27-16

Steve Smith has emerged as the go-to receiver the Giants were seeking. Hakeem Nicks showed why the Giants used a 2009 number one pick on him, burning the Chiefs for his first career touchdown on Sunday. And, the D has been strong.

#3  INDIANAPOLIS COLTS           4-0               Wk 3:  #5               Wk 4: Beat Seattle, 34-17

Like a fine wine, Peyton Manning is getting better with age. Four 300-yards games in four games, all Colts’ wins, 9 TD’s and only 3 picks. Very impressive, even by Manning’s standards. Indy can all but end the Titans’ season on Sunday.

#4  MINNESOTA VIKINGS            4-0               Wk 3:  #7               Wk 4: Beat Green Bay, 30-23

Speaking of getting better with age, in his final game in his 30’s, Brett Favre had a terrific game against the franchise that he’ll represent in the Hall Of Fame. As expected, Jared Allen has been a force with 18 tackles and 6½ sacks.

#5  DENVER BRONCOS               4-0               Wk 3:  #6               Wk 4: Beat Dallas, 17-10

Dallas may end up a .500 team this year, but by beating them, the Broncos eased some questions about the legitimacy of their staying power in the AFC, at least for now. And, their defense has allowed a league-low 26 points (6.5 ppg).

#6  NEW YORK JETS                  3-1               Wk 3:  #4               Wk 4: Lost at New Orleans, 24-10

After three impressive weeks, Mark Sanchez and the Jets were dealt a huge case of reality down in the Bayou, but they only fall two spots after losing to #1 on the road, and because the defense for the most part, remains solid.

#7  NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS     3-1               Wk 3:  #16             Wk 4: Beat Baltimore, 27-21

A big jump of 10 spots after beating last week’s #3 team. New England has righted the ship with a pair of solid home wins over Atlanta and Baltimore after raising a lot of early questions with poor showings against the Bills and Jets.

#8  BALTIMORE RAVENS            3-1               Wk 3:  #3               Wk 4: Lost at New England, 27-21

The Ravens have still been pretty good overall, and thus, they’re still in the top 8, but losing a competitive game at New England, Baltimore falls from one of the elite teams down to one notch below the Patriots, for now.

#9  SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS                  3-1               Wk 3:  #8               Wk 4: Beat  St. Louis

The Niners are still that one late Favre-to-Lewis Week 3 Minnesota Miracle pass from being a perfect 4-0. With everyone else in the NFC West under .500, San Francisco clearly looks like the best out west in the NFC.

#10  CHICAGO BEARS                            3-1               Wk 3:  #15             Wk 4: Beat Detroit, 48-24

The Bears have shown some mettle, rebounding from a tough season-opening loss in Green Bay, to win three straight. With 11 fewer first downs, 122 fewer yards, and 13 fewer minutes holding the ball, the Bears beat Detroit 48-24 (?!).

#11  ATLANTA FALCONS             2-1               Wk 3:  #12             Wk 4: Bye

Matt Ryan looked sharp in a couple of home wins against poor competition (Miami and Carolina) but a trip to New England exposed some Falcon flaws. Coming off a bye, Atlanta will be tested again going to San Francisco next.

#12 CINCINNATI BENGALS            3-1               Wk 3:  #10             Wk 4: Beat Cleveland, 23-20 (OT)

The Bengals are one of the league’s biggest enigmas thus far. The blow a game to Denver at home and struggle to beat the lowly Browns, yet they win at Green Bay and beat Pittsburgh. It all adds up to a good 3-1 start at the quarter mark.

#13  PITTSBURGH STEELERS                  2-2               Wk 3:  #17             Wk 4: Beat San Diego, 38-28

If the Steelers could maintain their focus for a full 60 minutes each week, they’d rank in the top five. But, that problem let two road games Pittsburgh should have won get away, and instead of a perfect 4-0, their only at .500

#14  PHILADELPHIA EAGLES                  2-1               Wk 3:  #13             Wk 4: Bye

The Eagles’ bye bought Donovan McNabb the final week of time he needed to recuperate and return to the lineup on Sunday. Games against three bad teams (Tampa Bay, Oakland, and Washington) ease McNabb back into things.

MIRED IN MEDIOCRITY:

#15  DALLAS COWBOYS               2-2               Wk 3:  #9               Wk 4: Lost at Denver, 17-10

At 2-2, Dallas looks to be on the path to 8-8. What they do well one week, they may not do the next, particularly with an inconsistent Tony Romo missing Terrell Owens. Dallas gets an easy one in Kansas City next, before the bye comes.  

#16  JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS      2-2               Wk 3:  #20             Wk 4: Beat Tennessee, 37-17

From 0-2 to 2-2. Is Jacksonville better than expected or did Tennessee already quit on the season after three tough losses? Maybe both. David Garrard has played well enough for the Jags to open it up more with the passing game.

#17  SAN DIEGO CHARGERS                   2-2               Wk 3:  #11             Wk 4: Lost at Indianapolis, 34-17

The Chargers reach the bye and will remain in this area of the rankings until they can raise their game to match that of better opponents. So far, wins over the bad Raiders and Dolphins, but missed chances against Baltimore and Pittsburgh.

#18  GREEN BAY PACKERS           2-2               Wk 3:  #14             Wk 4: Lost at Minnesota, 30-23

Sure, Favre won the big showdown, but bigger picture, Jarred Allen has 4½ sacks, and Cincinnati’s Antwan Odom had five sacks in Green Bay’s other loss. Until they can fix their offensive line woes, the Pack won’t challenge in the NFC.

#19  HOUSTON TEXANS               2-2               Wk 3:  #21             Wk 4: Beat Oakland, 29-6

The Texans have been inconsistent week to week, as shown by the L, W, L, W result. The Raiders at home were the perfect medicine for what was a very shaky defense that allowed a bunch of yardage over the first three weeks.

#20  ARIZONA CARDINALS            1-2              Wk 3:  #19             Wk 4: Bye

The Cards would have been wise to use the bye week to work on their defense after Peyton Manning torched them in the desert. Warner and Arizona were great in Jacksonville but they’ve yet to play well at home in two losses.

LOOKING TOWARD THE 2010 DRAFT:

#21 WASHINGTON REDSKINS                  2-2              Wk 3:  #25             Wk 4: Beat Tampa Bay, 16-13

With Redskin-of-the-teeth wins over awful St. Louis and Tampa Bay, and a loss in Detroit, Washington is about as unimpressive a 2-2 as a team can be. The defense has been okay, but the Skins are still waiting on Jason Campbell.

#22  MIAMI DOLPHINS                  1-3               Wk 3:  #27             Wk 4: Beat Buffalo, 38-10

Starting 0-3, looking pretty bad, and losing their starting quarterback to his latest season-ending injury, the Dolphins seemed to be going nowhere. Then, a 38-10 thrashing of Buffalo. That’s the unpredictability of the NFL at its best.

#23  BUFFALO BILLS                             1-3               Wk 3:  #18             Wk 4: Lost at Miami, 38-10

Now the flip side of that unpredictability. The Bills play well enough to win in New England, lose to the #1 Saints (understandable), and beat Tampa Bay easily. So, 0-3 Miami without Chad Pennington? Naturally, a 38-10 loss. Huh?!

#24  SEATTLE SEAHAWKS            1-3               Wk 3:  #22             Wk 4: Lost at Indianapolis, 34-17

Now that we’ve got the NFL’s unpredictability down, here lesson 2: how quickly fortunes can change. After crushing St. Louis, the Seahawks lose three straight and go from #3 on this list all the way down to #24.

#25  DETROIT LIONS                             1-3               Wk 3:  #24             Wk 4: Lost at Chicago, 48-24

Could it be? Two wins in a row after 19 straight losses? Trading touchdowns in a 21-21 half in Chicago, the Lions made that thought possible. But, then that pesky 27-3 second half came and Detroit became the Lions we’re used to seeing.

#26  TENNESSEE TITANS             0-4               Wk 3:  #23             Wk 4: Lost at Jacksonville, 37-17

What is going on down in Tennessee? From the only 13-3 team and a number one see a year ago, to an 0-4 start this season. So, no more Haynesworth, but way too much talent on the field and on the coaching staff to be winless.

#27  CAROLINA PANTHERS           0-3               Wk 3:  #29             Wk 4: Bye

Good news for Panthers fans! Jake Delhomme didn’t turn it over last week. Oh right, Carolina was off. Ever since last year’s regular season ended, Delhomme has not been the same quarterback. At 0-3, he’d better find it again soon.

#28  OAKLAND RAIDERS              1-3               Wk 3:  #26             Wk 4: Lost at Houston, 29-6

Jamarcus Russell has completed a shade under 40 percent of his passes and there’s talk of head coach Tom Cable being arrested for breaking the jaw of one of his assistants. The Raiders are a mess right now, but at least they have a win…

#29  TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS     0-4               Wk 3:  #31             Wk 4: Lost at Washington, 16-13

Which bring us to the winless bottom four, and we start with the Bucs, who early on, couldn’t stop anyone while moving the ball some. Now that the defense has improved a little, the offense has disappeared. Long season in Tampa.

#30  CLEVELAND BROWNS           0-4               Wk 3:  #32             Wk 4: Lost to Cincinnati, 23-20 OT

The Browns nearly got a… well, not a win, but almost a tie. Hey, gotta set you sights somewhere before you get better.

Cleveland did play Cincinnati tough after three bad games, so maybe there’s a some hope for a little improvement.

#31  KANSAS CITY CHIEFS            0-4               Wk 3:  #30             Wk 4: Lost to NY Giants, 27-16

All you need to know about the Chiefs so far this season, besides losing to three good teams each by double digits, is that when they statistically dominated the bad Raiders at home, they still managed to lose that one as well.

#32  ST.LOUS RAMS                    0-4               Wk 3:  #28             Wk 4: Lost at San Francisco, 35-0

And, bringing up the rear this week, falling four spots to get here after a horrid performance in Frisco, are the Rams. Two shutouts already? Just 24 points in four games? St. Louis is the NFL’s version of minor-league football right now.