Football! (the real kind, not the European variety)

[Sasquatch]

I'm just contesting the assertion that "touch the face => automatic penalty".

Yes and no. Touching of the FACE is illegal, as it's "hands to the face". Touching the FACEMASK, however, is not. As you pointed out -- again -- the "inadvertent facemask" penalty -- the five-yarder -- is no longer illegal. So if a player grabs the facemask and twists or pulls it, or uses it to bring the opposing player down, that's a personal foul -- if a player has his hand on the facemask, even if he grabs the facemask but does nothing else with it, it's not a foul, and there is not a penalty. Case closed.

I just love how some people think, "I've seen a few dozen, maybe even a hundred or two NFL games, I know more about what's illegal and what's not than those damn referees that have only been through a little training on it and only ref'd at least once a week during preseason, regular, and postseason for the last twenty years!"

I see it all the time at bars on Sundays. There are ALWAYS situations that "should have been penalties" -- especially when it comes to drunken Packer fans. I'm surprised more fights didn't break out when they played the Vikings.

Of course, there ARE some plays that should have been penalties, and there ARE some plays that were called penalties that should not have been. But to speculate that any refereeing is "biased" is just ridiculous. People lose their lives over that stuff -- and no, I don't mean they're killed (in America, anyway), I mean that that a referee who displays bias would lose their career and be sued, not to mention whatever the fans try to do. Hell, Steve Bartman was just a (baseball) fan who caught a foul ball, and he got death threats for years.

I also have to laugh at any accusations that support Al Harris and Charles Woodson, who are excused a few times every game for pass interference and illegal contact because "that's just their playing style". It's like like Mike Tyson getting away with biting because "that's just his boxing style".

I also have to laugh at the terms "we", "us", and "our". You're not part of the team. (Not calling out anybody specific, just in general.)

ANYWAY ... Looks like my picks are still holding up. I don't follow AFC too much, but NFC, of course. (In the AFC, I kinda like the Dolphins, and I can't stand the Patriots and Raiders -- that's about all I care about them.) I don't know if the Cowboys are good enough to keep it together, but they've really buckled down in the last month or so. The Vikings, I expect to choke, just like they've always done in the past. The Saints have the potential in their speed, but I don't think they can keep up the pressure. And the Cardinals just aren't consistent enough -- it'll depend on which Cardinals team actually shows up. I mean hell, last week, the Offense showed up but the Defense didn't.

As for AFC ... the Jets have an awesome defense, and I really liked the fact that I didn't hear any trash-talk from Revis after he prettymuch shut down Ochocinco two weeks in a row -- of course, Ochocinco had diarrhea of the mouth, but that's to be expected of him. Plus, I'm a fan of Thomas Jones since he played (well) for the Bears. (Cedric Benson played for the Bears too, but it seemed like once he got the starting spot, he kinda crapped out -- glad to see he's got his act together with the Bengals, though, he'll probably be a good franchise HB.) I'd like to see the Jets go far, even though they are rivals of the Dolphins. And they're playing the Chargers, which'll be a tough game for 'em. I'd venture a guess now that the Jets can beat Baltimore, but not Indy (especially in Indianapolis) -- of course, they've got to get past the Chargers first.

Sidenote: If you smoke, and you want to piss off a Vikings fan, here's what you do. You know that thin plastic wrapped around cigarette packs, where the bottom 2/3 or so are still there after you open it? Slide that down the rest of the pack, then set it on the bar/table/etc. open-side down. "You know what that is? That's a Minnesota Vikings trophy case."

Sidenote #2: I also think it's safe to say that the NFC North will be a damn tough division next year. Once Cutler gets settled in with the Bears and they make a few changes (well, a lot of changes with their staff), the Packers will still be good, and so will the Vikings. I can easily see three of the six NFC playoff teams next year coming from the NFC North.