NFL Playoff Thoughts ...

It appears you need to be a self-promoting jerk like Randy Moss or Terrell Owens to be considered an elite wide receiver -- otherwise Hines Ward would be mentioned in the same breath with those guys ... Ben Roethlisberger had a great season but he's still a rookie -- and he finally looked like one against the Jets and the Patriots ... Michael Vick is an absolutely incredible athlete but has a long way to go before he can be considered a great quarterback ... Peyton Manning is to Dan Marino and Dan Fouts as Tom Brady is to Bart Starr and Troy Aikman -- the former had great stats and no rings; the latter, great coaching and lots of championships ... The Jets find themselves in an awkward position -- Herm Edwards does a good enough job in the regular season to keep his job but the team will NEVER win a Super Bowl with him as the head coach. He's a good rah-rah coach Monday through Saturday but is among the worst game coaches in recent memory -- wouldn't most head coaches be embarrassed (or insulted, take your pick) by needing an assistant in charge of clock management? ... Marty Schottenheimer and Herm Edwards subscribe to the same coaching philosophy – don’t play to win, but rather not to lose. A somewhat subtle distinction, but one which explains why the two never have and never will win a Super Bowl. It’s no coincidence that both the Chargers and the Jets had their respective seasons end on long, missed field goals. Both Schottenheimer and Edwards immediately stopped trying to advance the football as soon as they reached the outer limit of the their placekicker’s range. Both were content – almost eager – to transfer all the responsibility and pressure (AND the potential for post-game criticism) to their kicker, rather than playing to win. Of course, playing to win requires the coach to make some difficult decisions and take some risks and – when those risks don’t pan out – to face the inevitable second-guessing by the fans and the media. Neither Schottenheimer nor Edwards was willing to make those difficult decisions and take those risks ... and, once again, both have the extra vacation time to show for it.

Derek Jeter: Overrated?

Before Yankee fans start jumping all over this heretical proposition, let me state - in the spirit of full disclosure - that I am both a Yankee fan and a Derek Jeter fan. Now, that being said, my assertion is that Jeter's reputation for being one of the best - if not THE best - clutch, big-game player in baseball today is not entirely warranted. A clutch player should - by definition - elevate his level of play in the "big" games or, at the very least, maintain his standard level of performance when the pressure is really on. While the perception is that Derek Jeter is one of these players, the fact is that the statistics don't back it up. In 1,366 regular season games, Jeter has put up the following numbers:

Batting Average: .315
On-Base Percentage: .385
Slugging Percentage: .463

In 110 post-season games (an amazing number for a 30-year-old), Jeter has posted the following:

Batting Average: .306
On-Base Percentage: .380
Slugging Percentage: .456

Undoubtedly very impressive post-season numbers ... but also striking similar to - and ever so slightly lower than - his regular season stats. Again, this is not intended as Jeter-bashing -- far from it. It simply illustrates that Jeter basically MAINTAINS his outstanding level of play from the regular-season into the post-season (when the pitching is admittedly superior). And isn't that what really makes him - and the few other like him - a superstar? Jeter doesn't just turn it on for the big games ... he plays EVERY game like it's a big game.