By Zack Cimini

Of all the celebrations and antics Terrell Owens has done in his career, nothing compares to his Super Bowl performance. There is no doubt that he was in serious pain and discomfort, but did he show it? I can?t remember a play on the field where he noticeably limped. If he did he was doing it after the play or on his way to the sideline. He played the majority of the game, and at his weakened state still outdid mouth chattering Freddie Mitchell (1 catch). The Eagles may have lost, but count on them being back with a new look next season. It wouldn?t be shocking to see a repeat matchup.

At first it looked as if Owens was going to be limited on his runs after the catch. The reason why was because New England was pressing up on him, and that led to a couple of short catches. Then Romeo Crennel switched his game plan up and decided to let his corners play on an island by themselves. That meant the corners would have to give room at the line of scrimmage or risk being burnt deep. That?s when Terrell Owens started flourishing by making a ten to fifteen yard catch into a couple of great thirty yarders.

Even when it looked dim on the Eagles, Owens made a phenomenal third down catch towards the sideline. The Eagles may have underused Owens because of his injury, and should have got him the ball even more. McNabb did have over 300 passing yards but a lot of them came on big plays. When those plays weren?t there, mistakes or a grounded running game was going on.

After the Super Bowl was over, you know Terrell Owens was hurting deep inside as were all of the Eagles. Yet, he was able to suck in his pride and talk to the media like it was another game. Even McNabb had the same demeanor, and it reflects the Eagles image perfectly. It?s not like they haven?t fallen short before, but each time it happens they are learning. They know that they could be the talk of dynasty right now, as they?ve been on the footsteps every year the Patriots have. This team will have the same nucleus of players next season, and will be a team that threatens the Dolphins undefeated record deep into the season.

It?s too bad for Terrell Owens that his team lost, because his efforts will be an after thought in years ahead or a rekindling story. What makes this story raise your eyebrows, is that here was a superstar athlete that pushed himself to comeback with his own will. Not even a low-based salary athlete would have done what Terrell Owens did. What we saw on the field Sunday was a finished product of what Terrell Owens worked seven hard weeks for. The real treat though would?ve been to see his workouts and strength conditioning to get himself damn near 100 percent in a mind boggling time frame. As far as I?m concerned there hasn?t been a daring and great outcome like his in a long time. My hats off to Terrell Owens as I?ll never underestimate or knock anything he chooses to do on the field. He has earned every bit of respect that an athlete could or want.

By Zack Cimini

Whatever happened to an athlete being ecstatic with the merit of being an all-star athlete? Five to ten years ago when an athlete earned an All Star or Pro Bowl spot, it was looked at highly upon the rest of the league and its professionals. Lately though, athletes will forgo the past standard, and shake it off by declining the invitation.

Being injured is an excellent reason to sit out the Pro Bowl game. The overwhelming amount of treatment an athlete needs just to perform weekly, requires a considerable part of an athletes daily routine. If an athlete can go through the rigorous regimen a whole season, than why can?t they do it for one more game? The whole purpose for an all-star event is to keep the sports fan based interested and entertained. Besides a sports championship and playoffs, there isn?t as much devoted media attention to a sporting event than the yearly all-star game.

It?s mind boggling how a player can accept an all-star spot and pull out just a few weeks before the game. All of these athletes know a good month or two ahead of time that they are selected. If they don?t want to play, they should save themselves the embarrassment of making up a lame injury excuse. Don?t get me wrong, there are plenty of deserving all stars that get their chance when someone drops out, and it?s great to see them get their first of many trips.

This year, Patrick Surtain was given a Pro Bowl spot after Chris McCallister dropped out with an injury. Only a few days later, Surtain also withdrew his name due to a groin injury. Let?s not question either?s decision, because a cornerback needs a true balance of recovery to not deter their progress. Nate Clements of the Buffalo Bills, was then next in line for the standout achievement. Clements did an outstanding job this season, and is set to takeover Surtain and McCallister anyways.

This is a prime example of what is happening in the NFL. Are the athletes getting bored with the annual trip to Hawaii? There is no possible way, that if Surtain or McAllister were going to their first Pro Bowl that they would?ve declined because of injury. Once the athlete has molded themselves into the league, they look at everything at a different perspective. Who wouldn?t, maybe the athlete just wants some down time to spend with his family, before another rigorous hectic off-season of training.

In the NBA, countless star athletes opt to not perform for the USA Dream Team. The downfall of talent on the court, was witnessed on a global level last summer, and will continue to until the right players decide to represent their country. No one is going to force that athlete to go out of their way to diminishing their free time. Hopefully though, those athletes will see what has happened and make a decision solely on representing their country. The 1990 Dream Team symbolizes the meaning of the word dream. This was a team before money was an issue, yet it was filled with laid back and now classic icons.

If money was in the NBA in 1990, would that team have been assembled?

By Zack Cimini

Why do athletes push themselves to extinction level before they finally retire? If I were making millions of dollars every year, I?d pull a Robert Smith in my early thirties. Are these athletes not putting their money away or what? They act as if they need a reassured insurance of security. This isn?t supposed to be a lifetime career, but certain players timeline?s are fifteen years plus. Heck, nowadays any athlete can find a job as an analyst and make a reputable salary.

It?s getting to the point that old star athletes are going overboard with the mentality that they can still play. This day and age it?s improbable for a 40-year-old quarterback or running back to have the physical skills to match a fresh 20 some odd year old athlete. Forget the bonuses of an athlete knowing the mental phases of the game, because that?s a hoax believement in itself. Talent is talent and Ben Roethlisberger is a prime example of that.

Four or five years ago, Buffalo was ridiculed for not keeping the core of their glory day players in Thurman Thomas, Bruce Smith, and Andre Reed. Thurman Thomas went on to Miami where he did nothing, and Andre Reed to Denver with the same results. Bruce Smith did a decent job in Washington before retiring, but it proves the point that organizations are having to end their relationships with athletes because it?s the logical move.

Down in Dallas, there is 41-year-old Vinny Testaverde. He has had a great career, and one of the best in recent time for aged quarterbacks. This year though he lapsed and just couldn?t do what he wanted his body to do. His throws were either too short or missing the zip on locking in on his receivers. That in turn led to his throws being off target, and he hurt his team more than he should have this year. Out of all players that know they need to retire, Testaverde should have the easiest conclusion to make.

Doug Flutie popped up on San Diego?s radar in week seventeen, and to his credit had a nice final outing. But scrambling around at 40 is asking for a stretcher. Plus San Diego has no room for Flutie anymore, and there probably isn?t a team that?d be reluctant to take a 40 year old as a backup. That means he can only figure in as a third string, and that?s degrading for a former star athlete. He didn?t go out like he?d like, but at least he got his opportunity in Buffalo to shine in the NFL.

Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith have tore up the NFL, and now own many records for their positions. Maybe watching Peyton Manning rip up Dan Marino?s records has them worried about the security of theirs. Undoubtedly, both have absolutely no other reason to still be playing, as they?ve won multiple Super Bowls earlier in their careers. Rice is adamant about continuing in Seattle, and Smith seems like he wants to still play. It?s baffling that two future hall of famers would settle for reduced backup roles just to endure another year. They must have Michael Jordan syndrome where they can?t do without the game.

By Zack Cimini

Take a look around the NFL and one division stands out. It is not because of great play either, it’s because of how embarrassing and degrading the division looks to represent the NFL. Two years ago when the NFL’s new realignment kicked in, this division arguably looked like one of the best from top to bottom. To make things worse the division winner could end up being 8-8.

The NFC West features the Seattle Seahawks, St. Louis Rams, Arizona Cardinals, and San Francisco 49ers. Scratch off the 49ers due to poor decisions by the front office. There downfall was coming anyways, as they’ve had their fair share of years as a dominant franchise. So that leaves the Seahawks at 6-5, Rams at 5-6, and Cardinals at 4-7 to try and snag the division.

You would think the division winner would end up one round and out in the playoffs, but then again we’re talking about the NFC this year. Philadelphia and Atlanta have all but secured home field, but Atlanta could be vulnerable to an upset. A team like Seattle or St. Louis would be an awfully scary match up for the Falcons, even though they’ve played well all season.

With five games left, let’s break down the three hopeful division winners.

Seattle is the front runner right now at 6-5, and should be three to four games ahead of anyone in their division. But they’ve struggled defensively, and the offense hasn’t been as powerful as it was earlier in the year. That’s not because of Shaun Alexander either, as he continues to have a quiet monster year. Matt Hasselbeck just hasn’t had enough sometimes to give them the win. The good thing for Seattle is a lot of their losses have been close. The bad news for Seattle is that they have the toughest remaining schedule out of their division counterparts. They face Dallas on MNF, Minnesota, the Jets, Cardinals, and Falcons. With the way they’ve been playing they will be lucky to win two to three games. But they could snap out of their funk starting this week, and play the football that they’re capable of. Basically for Seattle it comes down to if they really want it. We will soon find out starting on national television Monday night.

A change is definitely needed in St. Louis, and it is bound to happen at the end of this season. The Rams are 5-6, and must win their next three games to even have a murmur of chance. They play San Francisco, Carolina, and Arizona in those three games, and a playoff team should win those easily. If they can’t win those, then their record percentage will falter even more in the last two weeks against the Eagles and Jets.

Down in Arizona we’ll have to see how John Navarre plays this weekend. If he plays well, then Arizona has the best shot out of the three teams. The odds on that happening though are as slim as the Panthers getting a shot at returning to the Super Bowl. Navarre is a rookie seventh round draft pick, that’s debut should be seven times as bad as Eli Manning’s. When the Cardinals end up finishing with six or seven wins, Dennis Green can blame no one except himself. He is the one that praised Josh McCown, and decided not to go out and pick up a solid veteran quarterback. Their defense has played well enough this year, to have a few extra wins under their belt. Out of their four wins, two of them have come from Seattle and St. Louis. In their remaining five games, they’ll have to play both of them again. The Cardinals are just too inexperienced right now to take on the Rams or Seahawks. With a few right moves in the off-season though, they should come in as the front-runner.

In the end you’d have to think the Seahawks have the best opportunity. In September they were Super Bowl favorites with the way they were playing. They still have that same talent, and will have the best running back in the NFC once the playoffs come. That’s always a key in succeeding because you can control the clock, and get your team into that playoff rhythm.

By Zack Cimini
Notjustagame.com

It wasn?t a pretty week for a lot of NFL teams, here are the new rankings after week 1.

1. Tampa Bay
A lot of people expected them to lose. They proved everyone wrong, and made a statement that they won?t give up their title easily.

2. Buffalo
Notjustagame.com told you that Buffalo was the best team in the AFC. Their defense won?t play this well every week, but anything is an upgrade from last year. Buffalo looks light years ahead of their fellow AFC East teams.

3. Tennessee
The Titans never win their games pretty, but they always win.

4. Kansas City
It?s the same thing for Kansas City as it is for Buffalo. Last year the Chiefs defense lost them games, not their offense.

5. Minnesota
If Daunte Culpepper can limit his turnovers, this team will stay in the top ten all season long.

6. Seattle
Shaun Alexander has to be very thankful for that offensive line.

7. Indianapolis
It looks like Tony Dungy has done another reversal. All of the sudden the Colts turned into a defensive team. Yeah right, expect Manning and Harrison to get back to their usual routine.

8. Denver
Like usual, Jake Plummer looked awful. Good thing that the Broncos have Clinton Portis.

9. Philadelphia
They still have major concerns at running back and wide receiver. Donovan McNabb has always carried this team anyways.

10. Pittsburgh
It was a great win for the Steelers, we?ll see if they can stay consistent.

11. Oakland
It was a tough week one matchup for the Raiders.

12. New York Giants
The Giants have plenty of talent to put up a fight against the Buccaneers

13. San Francisco
What?s wrong with Jeff Garcia?s back?

14. Atlanta
All Doug Johnson has to do is hang in there for four more games.

15. St. Louis
After playing that bad, can you believe they only lost by ten points? Don?t expect a repeat of last year?s bad start.

16. Washington
Their win wasn?t impressive, but it was a win.

17. Miami
The Dolphin fell the most of any team, and should be number 31. Maybe a slow start, will reverse the way they finish a season.

18. Carolina
Carolina is a very dangerous team. Stephen Davis is a top ten running back, along with a solid group of receivers, and a new solid quarterback in Jake Delhomme. They also have that defense that keeps them in every game.

19. Detroit
This will probably be the highest the Lions get all year long.

20. Houston Texans
Give them another year or two, and they could be a serious threat to challenge for a playoff spot.

21. Cleveland
Kelly Holcomb had a very rough start, but the Browns should be okay.

22. Baltimore
What happened to the Ravens great defense?

23. Jacksonville
Brunell showed that he still can play at a high level.

24. Dallas
Quincy Carter is the most erratic quarterback in the league. One moment he looks great, and the next looks like an NFL Europe quarterback.

25. New England
If you read the ?Quarterback Article?, you would have saw that we had Tom Brady as our bust quarterback of the year. He should bounce back, but like we said don?t expect big numbers from him.

26. Green Bay
Favre definitely doesn?t want to finish his last season with a horrible year.

27. New York Jets
Both the Dolphins and Jets played horrible, and one of them is going to have to continue that streak this week.

28. Arizona
Their offense looked great, and will do even better if Emmitt Smith gets more carries. Their defense is the big problem though.

29. San Diego
They also have tons of talent, but are going to have a tough time winning games.

30. Cincinnati
They?ll be on the bottom all season.

31. New Orleans
They were horrible down the stretch last season, and haven?t changed one bit. They have too much talent to be playing like this.

32. Chicago
They are by far the worst team in football.