Hello all. There is no serious analysis here or anything particularly insightful, but I had a pretty awesome day yesterday. After watching the Knicks win a playoff game (OMG) over the hated South Beach Heat, I went to see the Avengers in IMAX 3D. I don't know if you guys have seen it but...it's pretty cool. Like awesome. Given that the Knicks game was still on my mind, I began to draw parallels. The Avengers were thrown together despite being perhaps not the best complements for each other's skills and had to find a way to overcome egos and personal differences in order to beat the bad guys (sound familiar?)

With that, I began to think of the Avengers as various Knicks and their enemies as well...you'll see.

Iron Man/Tony Stark- Carmelo Anthony. Iron Man is blessed with prodigious skill. He's a genius who has developed a suit that gives him the ability to fly, fire blasts, and pretty much be an all-around badass. However, his prima donna attitude and frequent conflict with authority often polarizes him from the public and his teammates. In the end, though, he does the right thing and selflessly attempts to sacrifice his own life for the good of the team.

Similarly, Melo is the superstar. He wants to be the showstopper, he wants the glory. But he also wants it for his team.

The Incredible Hulk/Bruce Banner- Amar'e Stoudemire. Bruce Banner is an extremely intelligent but reserved guy. When he transforms into the Hulk, however, he loses all control and creates mass mayhem. Characterized by super strength, the Hulk inflicts massive damage on his enemies, but also his friends and himself (I'm sure he's punched a couple of fire extinguishers).

Thor- Tyson Chandler. The god among men, Thor is a fair but powerful giant who rules with an iron hammer. Both Chandler and Thor lead with their passion and energy and will sacrifice for the benefit of others, though anger and emotion can cloud their emotions at times.

Captain America/Steve Rogers- Jeremy Lin. Before volunteering for a government physical enhancement experiment, Captain America was a passionate, patriotic man who was rejected from the US Army due to his physical limitations, similar to the rejection our beloved Lin faced from division 1 schools and (later) NBA teams. Rogers represents old-fashioned American ideals like hard work, grit, and determination, similar to the clean-cut Lin. In addition, he is embedded in ice and revived, much as we hope Lin will be revived from his injury in time to save the day.

Hawkeye- JR Smith. Hawkeye spends the first part of the movie under mind control of the evil Loki. Therefore, despite being one of the good guys, he spends the first half the movie attacking his teammates and causing harm to his team. But then, after he is brought back under his own control, he is unleashed on the enemy, and makes it rain with his pinpoint archery. This is pretty much what JR Smith does every game. He plays the first half as if he is possessed by Pat Riley, but rebounds with clutch shots when it matters.

Nick Fury- Mike Woodson. Fury is a tough, no-nonsense leader who gets guys to follow him to the death. He may not always make the best x's and o's decision, but he is firm in his convictions and this trickles down. An expert (and times manipulative) motivator, Fury is the coach of the Avengers.

Agent Coleson- Mike D'Antoni. A firm believer in the Avengers, Coleson sacrifices his life (as D'Antoni sacrificed his job) fighting the good fight.

Loki- Lebron. The bad guy, Loki has an inferority complex and wants to be recognized as a god, but he doesn't have the heart or conviction to finish.

Those are my Avengers/Knicks links. Please let me know what you guys think

After the euphoria of last night, I wanted to take stock of where the Knicks are, how much work they have left to do, and where they could possibly end up.

First, because I don't want to jinx the Knicks by taking anything for granted, let's see what they have to do to at least ensure a playoff spot.

Knicks' (32-29) remaining schedule:

04/18 @NJ

04/20 @Cleveland (feels wrong playing on this date without Renaldo Balkman)

04/22 @Atlanta

04/25 LAC

04/26 @Charlotte

My take: At this point, losing to NJ, Cleveland, or Charlotte is simply inexcusable. This is not a knock on those teams, and I know in the NBA anything can happen on any given night, but New York is simply too talented to allow these games to slip away. Every game is a playoff game now.

Winning in Atlanta will be a tough proposition. They gave the Knicks problems in the last game, and their ability to create mismatches on the perimeter with whoever Landry Fields/Baron Davis have to guard was very problematic.

However, on three days' rest I am optimistic about the Knicks coming back home to face the Clippers. I want to see how Shumpert does against the best point guard in the NBA, and I think Melo can cause problems for Blake Griffin at the 4 on the other end.

Philadelphia (31-30) Remaining Schedule:

04/18 @Cleveland

04/21 @Indiana

04/23 @NJ

04/25 Milwaukee (This will most likely be a huge game)

04/26 @Detroit

Philadelphia has been playing really awful lately, but I can see them going 4-1 (losing in Indiana) to close out the season. They have the perimeter defenders to slow down Milwaukee and Doug Collins will not let them lose winnable games at this point. Remember, they are effectively 1.5 games behind the Knicks because of the tie-breaker.

Milwaukee (29-31) Remaning Schedule:

04/18 @Washington

04/19 @Indiana

04/21 NJ

04/23 Toronto

04/25 Philadelphia

04/26 @Boston

The first four look like 3 wins and a loss to Indiana to me. The last two are intriguing. Obviously, the game against Philly will be monumental, but in Boston? It is likely that Doc Rivers will bench his veterans to give them rest for the playoffs. Let's call it a Milwaukee win.

If things play out this way, Philadelphia would finish 35-31 (Knicks own tiebreaker by virtue of taking the season series) and Milwaukee would finish 33-33. The tiebreaker between Milwaukee and New York is conference record, with New York currently holding the edge at 25-19 to 22-20.

Here's the bottom line: The Knicks have 3 games they HAVE NO EXCUSE for losing (Cleveland, NJ, Charlotte). Winning all three gets them to 35 wins (the most Milwaukee can possibly win) and a 28-20 conference record, which is the best Milwaukee can do. If Milwaukee does win out, the next tiebreaker is w-l record against Eastern Conference playoff teams. I haven't looked this up, but I would expect the Knicks to win that tiebreaker.

Now, we can look at where the Knicks could end up. They are 3.5 games behind Boston and 4 games behind Orlando and Atlanta.

Boston (36-26) remaining schedule:

Orlando 04/18

@Atlanta 04/20

Miami 04/24

Milwaukee 04/26

Nothing easy for Boston. It's tough to gauge how well they will play because Doc's priority will be to rest his veterans.

Orlando (36-25) remaining schedule:

@Boston 04/18

@Utah 04/21

@Denver 04/22

Charlotte 04/25

@Memphis 04/26

There is one guaranteed win here. I could easily see them losing all four games. The question now becomes, who do the Knicks root for tonight? Boston or Orlando?

Atlanta (36-25)

Detroit 04/18

Boston 04/20

NY 04/22

LAC 04/24

Dallas 04/26

Again, besides Detroit, Atlanta could lose all of these games.

How can the Knicks catch any of these teams? Well, if they win out, it would include a win against Atlanta. If Atlanta beats Detroit and loses the rest of their games (not out of the realm of possibility) that would put them at 37-29 and tied with the Knicks, with the Knicks owning the season series (it's 1-1 now but in this scenario the Knicks would have beaten Atlanta). If Atlanta beats the Knicks then the Knicks cannot finish above Atlanta period.

Boston is an interesting case.

• If New York wins out and Boston wins one game, the two would be tied with 37 wins apiece. They split the season series, but in this scenario Boston would be 30-18 in conference and New York would be just 29-19. Thus, Boston wins the division
• If New York goes 4-1 and Boston goes 0-4, the teams would be tied with 36 wins apiece. However, Boston would be 29-19 in conference, and in that case it would depend who the Knicks loss came against. If the Knicks' sole loss is to LAC (in the last 5 games), then they would finish 29-19 in conference as well. The next tiebreaker would be record against Eastern Conference playoff teams, and I don't know what the teams' records are but I'd assume Boston has the edge.
  

Basically, New York has to win out and hope Boston loses out.

Orlando has one guaranteed win over Charlotte. I don't like to say guaranteed win when the Knicks play poor teams, but with Orlando we have to assume the worst. But the other 4 games are against .500 or better teams on the road. If Orlando goes 1-4 and the Knicks win out, both would have 37 wins. However, the Knicks own the season series. So in this scenario the Knicks would end up with the better seed.

That's pretty much it. To me, it seems like the Knicks' best chance to avoid the Bulls-Heat is for a dysfunctional Orlando team to implode with tough road games. Atlanta has a tough schedule as well, but most of their remaining games are at home. And Boston owns all the tiebreakers with us.

So root for Boston tonight? What do you guys think?

I had this thought, then just felt like I must be a homer. Sure, they went 9-7 and lost to the Redskins (twice, with grossman) and the Eagles (with Vince Young), but are they really awful?

Then I looked at the stats.

Total defense rank: 27th.

3-3 record in the worst division in football.

Losses to Vince Young and Rex Grossman (twice.

Point differential of NEGATIVE 6 for the season (Eagles were +68).

Two DOUBLE-DIGIT losses to the skins

Humiliating loss to the Saints

Miraculous fluke wins over Miami, Buffalo, New England, Dallas.

Double-digit loss to Seattle (I know, but still).

Worst playoff team ever? Maybe not. But I'm beyond certain that not only is the rest of the NFC thanking their lucky stars that the giants got in over the Eagles, but that these giants are epically disgraceful on a historical level.

http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/dave-spadaro/article-1/Vick-Headlines-Strong-QB-Picture/49529c94-41f6-4262-ab8d-b27e8d341f9b

Anyone know why this is happening?  I know Harris was shaky against Baltimore, but do you guys really think having Dunlap try to keep Lamarr Woodley from destroying Vick for an entire half is good for our Super Bowl chances? 

I don't think I will be able to breathe easy any time Vick, Dunlap, and the Steelers' defense is on the field

Hi everyone.  I've never been on here, as my pro team is the Eagles (who you might remember as the team that your defense absolutely destroyed, forcing a qb change and a 108-yard Ed Reed pick six two years ago). 

But today I'm asking about Greg Mattison as a Michigan fan.  What does everyone in Baltimore think of him as a DC?  I know he has had two top 10 defenses in Baltimore, but Baltimore has had awesome defenses for as long as I can remember.  I can't help but think that it can't be that hard to have a good defense when you have Reed, Ray Lewis, Ngata, etc. 

So what does everyone here think?

Perhaps the most important hire Hoke will make is defensive coordinator.  This is an area of critical need.

Personally, I think even if Denard leaves (which would suck), the offense will be okay.  Gardner is a talented player who could become a terror if used properly, and I think Borges offense suits him well.  I'd like to incorporate his running a bit more into that since he's faster than Jason Campbell, but Gardner is a good downfield passer.  Mix in some power running and the offense should be fine.

On defense, however, the right coordinator will make all the difference.  We also need very strong position coaches.

Possibilities

Randy Shannon- quite simply, the best candidate out there.  Has fielded top-10 defenses every year but one at Miami as DC and Head Coach.  Good recruiter, very good man (though not the best HC), and a minority candidate, and it sucks I have to say this these days but that will reflect well on the university.  He's my pick.

Chuck Heater- a close second.  Heater has coached very talented DB's at Florida (Joe Haden, Janoris Jenkins) and has turned them into high-first round talents.  He's been coaching for 34 years (and yet is still only 55) and is an amazing recruiter.  Co- DC at Florida this year, which had an extremely good season.  And Heater was a tailback at Michigan, so if the AD insists on "Michigan Men", he'd be a very good pick.

Mike Trgovac: Played under Bo Schembechler, also worked at Michigan as a graduate assistant.  Currently the defensive line coach for the Packers (and it's hard not to be impressed with how he has developed BJ Raji), before that was DC for the Carolina Panthers from 2003until 2008.  Remember, the Panthers always had a very good defense, and he was also their defensive line coach in 2002 (the same year they drafted Julius Peppers).  Michigan man?  Check.  Strong track record of success?  Check.  Ability to coach up players?  Check.  Imagine Mike Martin coming to him to discuss entry into the NFL draft.  Trgovac can simply say "A year with me and you will be first round material.  Look at Raji and Peppers."

What do you guys think?  Any other suggestions?

Why couldn't SF hire someone, ANYONE else?  Gruden?  Cowher? 

No.  You took Michigan's only hope to ever be good again.  Now we get stuck with Brady friggin' Hoke. 

In all seriousness, Harbaugh is going to do great things for you guys.  But man oh man does it suck to be a Michigan fan.  Also, the Niners should look at Jake Locker or Ryan Mallett instead of Newton.  Newton's ceiling is limitless, but it will take him two or three years to develop, whereas the Niners' roster is closer to winning now.  Locker would be a better fit right now. 

But seriously, thanks again, for ensuring that Michigan becomes the Detroit Lions of college football.

It looks like we got Hoke (sigh) and he will bring coordinator Al Borges with him.  Borges runs the gulf coast offense.  What does this mean?  I saw an old article from an Auburn blog which talks a bit about it:

l Borges had his work cut out for him as did the Tiger offense. I think we can all agree that this is an understatement. But what I want to shed a little light o­n is what I think of the fit between the Auburn Tigers and the Gulf Coast offense.

My first step is to identify what the Gulf Coast offense is. Although Borges comes to the plains from Indiana, he had a few stops in California spending six years in and offensive coordinator/QB coach role at both UCLA and Cal. The Gulf Coast offense is based o­n the West Coast offense (sorry for stating the obvious, but someone who reads this may go "ohh, I get it"). If you are this person, you’re welcome.

Bill Walsh, the daddy of the West Coast offense coached for the 49ers in the 80s. Although he was the lone horse running the WCO through most of his career, in the early 90’s many teams started using the scheme with much success.

Let’s go through some of the basic premises of the West Coast offense and see how this will work for our Tigers.

Quick, controlled passes – I’m all for it. Although Borges said he likes to air it out o­n occasions, I like the idea of quick and controlled passes. With explosive receivers like Courtney Taylor and Ben Obomanu, I think this will work well.

Give the QB and receivers the ability to make reads o­n the fly – I am a little skeptical about this. After picking up Petrino’s offensive scheme in 2002 and a bastardized version of the same offense in 2003, Jason Campbell and company have got to be good at picking up new offenses. However, the ability to effectively make reads o­n the fly comes from study and repetition. A great deal of the time these guys have put in since Al came o­n board has been inside the playbook. With LA Monroe and Miss. State, I think we’ll be able to get some of the repetition we need to be effective against a tougher opponent.

* I bet that you will see the starters in the game a little longer than you would expect in the opener. Don’t think we’re tying to run up the score, we’re learning. Points are like A’s.

Many different formations in order to create a mismatch between an offensive player and a defender – Formation changes can be a great thing as long as the offense stays less confused than the defense. Again, back to the studying aspect of a new offense. I think that the guys will be prepared. I also think that we will see a good deal of formations in the opener this weekend. But know that we’ll be saving some surprises for LSU.

Equal amount of passing and running is used although the passing is thought to set up the run in some cases – I see two main reasons Tubberville brought Borges to the plains. O­ne, to implement a top-notch offense that can take us back to a championship level. Two, get Cadillac and Ronnie Brown in the game at the same time. The little boy in me is reminded of watching Little Train James and Bo Jackson blocking for each other in 83. If it works out that way, that’s great. Either way, with the top running back duo in the country, I think that the Gulf coast offense will use the run to set up the pass.

Utilizes the running back as receivers – Cadillac and Ronnie combined for 13 catches and 100 yards last season. I think they have the hands, but simply weren’t given the opportunity last year. Jake Slaughter has been practicing his catching in the off season. I think that we will see a lot of play action routes that will open these guys up to really eat up some yards.

Count o­n yardage gained after the catch – Check and Check. Our guys are quick and evasive. I think this will be key.

Accurate and mobile QB that can read and react – I have always said Jason Campbell is a rollout passer. In his freshman year when the offense was devised around Daniel Cobb, and in his two years under the Petrino scheme, Campbell was in put into a drop back passer role. I think that given the opportunity Jason will be a great mobile QB.

Tight ends who can catch better than they can block – Cooper Wallace caught 16 passes for over 200 yards and a touchdown last season. He stepped up in big games catching 4 passes against LSU and 5 against Georgia. I think he will be perfect in this role.

Overall, I think the Gulf Coast offense is going see it’s share of bumps and bruises early o­n. I’m hoping we steal the "Bend, Don’t break" motto from Penn State’s defense in the first half of the season and go into the Arkansas game at 5 and 1. O­nce the guys have a few games in the new offense under their belts, I think we’ll see something really special o­n the plains.

I said these guys had their work cut out for them. The question is, did they do their homework? We'll see o­n Saturday!

War Damn Eagle

Can we tailor this to Denard?  Will there be a huge transition?  Is this what SDSU's offense looks like?  If anyone can shed light, that would be great.

I'm done with all of this. Having grown up a Syracuse fan, I was extremely excited for Melo to become a Knick.  But this is getting ridiculous.

This is getting the Knicks negative publicity.  The Knicks are painted as a desperate team, and Donnie Walsh's strong moves (aside from that Jeffries trade) are getting patronized in the media.

Meanwhile, I am absolutely sick and tired of opposing fans.  People call Gallinari and Randolph downright scrubs and I get to listen to all my friends who are Bulls fans (I go to school in the midwest) tell me how my franchise is a joke and the Bulls were a bad call from the 1994 finals (seriously I wanted to punch a kid when he said that).  Most of all, I hate these fucking "I live in Connecticuct/NY/Long Island but the Knicks are down so I'm gonna jump on Kobe's dick" fair-weather douchebags.  

I want to win but I want to win with what we have too.  I want the Knicks to show that they are back in a way that these fools and scrubs could never have imagined.  I want to see Stoudemire prove that he is a star, with or without Nash, and just beast on anyone.  I want to see Anthony Randolph become a terror and block a Chris Bosh dunk so hard that the pussy dislocates his shoulder.  I want to see Gallinari become a matchup nightmare, posting up smaller guys and draining open threes all day.

Maybe we already have a big three. I don't know.  But the time is long overdue for the shoe to be on the other foot.

So if we get Melo, fine.  But it's us against the world and while we may not win the fight, we can punch that big, fat piece of shit bully that is the rest of the league dead in the mouth.  We have enough guns to go to war with or without Melo and we need to show the rest of the league that.  

Hi guys,

I was gone all summer in India where I had fleeting internet access, so I  have been absent from BGN for a while.  Anyway, I'm back (sorry Joe_D).  

My college team is Michigan, and I couldn't help but notice many similarities between Michigan and the Eagles.  Here are a few:

1.  Both are (currently) starting super-fast, super-athletic quarterbacks who are making progress as passers.  In Michigan's case, this is Denard Robinson, who many have called the most dynamic qb since Michael Vick at the college level.  

2.  Both qb's replaced players who were athletically less gifted but much more accurate passers (Michigan's Kevin Kolb is Tate Forcier).  

3.  Both teams had solid offensive performances last week, but gave up way too many points to poor teams (Philadelphia gave up 32 to the Division 1-AA Detroit Lions, Michigan gave up 37 to the Division 1-AA UMass Minutemen.)  

4.  Both teams have young defenses that are anchored by one solid veteran (Eagles have Trent Cole, Michigan has defensive tackle Mike Martin, whose role as the one-man savior of the defense was ironically played by B-Graham last year).  

5.  Both teams have star 5'9" receivers with blazing speed (Michigan- Martavious Odoms, Philadelphia-Jason Avant).

6.  Just kidding with that Avant line.  Making sure you were paying attention.  

7.  Both team prefer to use 3-receiver sets. Both have question marks on the o-line.

8.  Michigan has lost 7 in a row to that shitty school in columbus.  THe Eagles have lost 3 in a row to the cowgirls.  

I don't know what value this really adds, but I thought there were many interesting similarities between the two teams, which are also linked by current Eagles Marlin Jackson, Avant and Graham (and previously Jon Runyan).  

I'm gonna assume there's a lot of Knicks, Sixers, and Nets fans here.  Who is everybody pulling for in the NBA Playoffs?  Is there anyway it cannot be Carmelo Anthony?

Personally, I've been sick of the Kobe-Lebron hype for a long-time.  I'm a Knicks fan, but Carmelo has always been my favorite player and I really hope he gets a title this year.  He has grown so much as a player and a person and he is a top-5 player at this point (the other 4 being Kobe, Lebron, Wade, Durant). 

If your team is not in the playoffs and you're a Cuse fan, you kinda have to root for Carmelo.  What do you guys think?

Don't know if you guys heard, but Donovan McNabb got traded.  Definitely the best qb I ever saw play for the Eagles and Syracuse (I was a baby during the McPherson era).  What do you guys think?  Glad he finally got away from "the fanbase that never appreciated him" (not my words, this is just a viewpoint many non-Philly fans have).  Think he has a better shot at winning in Washington (Santana Moss is no Desean Jackson, but Mike Shanahan is an offensive genius)? 

As an Eagles fan, I'll just go ahead and say that this completes a couple of really depressing weeks in sports.

Hey guys.  It's that time of year again.  Aside from the NFL playoffs, these are the most exciting weeks of sports.  Two Philly teams look quite strong this year in Temple and Villanova. 

I'm sure most of you guys are doing office or family pools.  Why not do one with your internet family here on BGN?  We can play w/ or w/o stakes.  Personally, I think we should play for THE FINAL WORD on all McNabb/Kolb matters (you're going down Joe_D!).  lol

In all seriousness, I think it would be fun.  I can create something on yahoo if there is enough interest

There have been times where I've seen thumbnail photos of Turner and thought it was Mook.  I was wondering if anyone else noticed this?  Maybe if Mookie got some minutes (kind of a moot point now but still) he could play like Turner, too! Also, Nova sucks a fat one.  Andy Rautins owns Scottie Reynolds. 

Anyway, look at the pictures.  There have been times where I confused Turner for Jones.  I was like, "Why is Mookie Jones on the front page of Yahoo! Sports?" lol

 

via www.suathletics.com

via i.cdn.turner.com

Check out Casual Hoya.  Hire Escherick has posted a poem about Gerry McNamara as per the terms of his bet with Hoya Suxa. Here it is.  I've also provided the link:

http://www.casualhoya.com/2010/2/19/1317741/an-ode-to-gerry-mcnamara

Gerry McNamara

You weren't much to look at, Somehow listed at 6'2''. After one glance I knew that, I take shits bigger than you.
You couldn't dribble or drive, Leap high or get back on D. How you got to this level, Is beyond the life of me.
Were it not for your only skill, Your shooting ability. You'd be working for Wonka at the Chocolate Factory.
But alas, I regress, For fear of being a dunce. During your tenure at Cuse, I never beat you once.
Time and time again,  As much as it hurts to say. You hit clutch shots and caused,  me much pain and dismay.
That shot at Verizon, The one in 2004. It actually made me cry, I couldn't hate you more.
Since so much time has passed, It is nice to look back at things. I have nothing to show, And you, a championship ring.
It's funny how things worked out, I wish I wasn't such a snob. As I am now sitting at home, While you have a coaching job.

Yeah I know.  The Super Bowl is going to suck.  It sucks every year it's played without midnight green. 

But we're all going to watch it.  Let's face it.  So who should we root for? Two reasons to root for New Orleans:

via postgame.files.wordpress.com

The hope here is that every time the Saints score a touchdown they show Kim jumping up and down. 

In addition, Eli Manning will be rooting for the Colts.  Nothing that makes Eli Manning happy can be good.  Plus, the Saints have not won a Super Bowl.  Ever

 

 

1.  Our misses open receivers all the time!  I don't care if they say he completes 3 out of 5 passes for 8 yards an attempt.  HE SUCKS AND NEVER MAKES ANY PLAYS EVER OMFG!

2. HE'S ALWAYS INJURED!

3. He was only good when he was younger because he was mobile.  Now he has aged, can't run for fear of injury, and his other flaws are more noticeable. 

4.  I know he doesn't throw many picks, but that's because his passes are so inaccurate even the opposition cannot catch them (my personal favorite)!

5.  We've gotten as close as we're ever going to get with this guy and he just doesn't have what it takes to get us there.

6.  Anyone could have been successful the way our defense has been. 

7.  He is not a good leader.  He doesn't take the fans' criticism well and has a poor attitude.

8.  BTW, this is not a McNabb post.  This is a throwback to Randall Cunningham 1996.  For those keeping score at home, Cunningham would take a year off after being benched, then return to Minnesota in 1997 where he only won 15 games and came within a botched field goal of the Super Bowl.  The Eagles entered the Rodney Peete/Bobby Hoying golden age.

Pat Forde lists Syracuse as one of the teams he thinks can win it all.  Hmm thanks are in order, right?  WRONG

Forde lists Syracuse at 7, below Purdue, East Lansing Community College, and Texas.  How?  And we are only one spot above Georgetown despite wiping the Carrier Dome floor with them. 

His reasoning for Purdue is hilarious: "Given Michigan State's intense drive to reach the Final Four in their home state last year, one may think that Purdue could do the same in Indianapolis."  Screw him

That should have gotten your attention.  Rivers' performance yesterday was not awful, but he definitely choked in the big game, throwing a horrible interception that led to the Jets' gamewinning touchdown. 

This begs the question, is Phillip Rivers on the trading block?  After so many playoff disappointments, one would think that the Chargers are getting tired of Rivers failing to win the big game.  Rivers also had a fumble, but his team recovered it.

One has to question, why did one of the NFL's most prolific offenses choke in the playoff game?  Sure, they were playing a great defense, but if you are even a halfway decent quarterback, you have to win in the playoffs, right? 

The Chargers have a lot of great young weapons.  Perhaps they should trade Phillip Rivers and give someone else a chance to create some chemistry with these young guys.  Some might even suggest drafting Tim Tebow.  "I mean he's not an NFL quarterback, but man those leadership qualities are AWESOME!"  Rivers clearly does not possess any leadership abilities, as he was unable to win a playoff game at home this year.