ESPN.com’s John Clayton has written a detailed analysis of the prognosis of all 32 NFL teams, including their cap room, potential free agency losses, and areas of concern.  It’s a great read for anyone who pays attention to the NFL offeason as meticulously as I do – or who tries and fails miserably to predict each team’s record before the season begins, as I have done the last two years with hilariously bad results.

Congratulations to the Indianapolis Colts, and in particular, Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison, and Tony Dungy. Although the entire team deserves recognition, I single out these three because they are consummate class acts, and as such it would be particularly disappointing for their great careers to be marred by the lack of a championship (although Dungy has won the big one as a player).

But with all due respect, Super Bowl XLI wasn’t only about the success of the Colts – the failures of the Chicago Bears deserves discussion as well.

Chicago’s defensive playcalling was abysmal. I simply could not understand why the Bears continued to keep the safeties deep and then drop the linebackers into deep coverage, even after Manning made it clear he was more than willing to pick apart the Chicago defense by dumping the ball off to Joseph Addai (10 catches, 66 yards) and Dallas Clark (4 catches, 36 yards). By the start of the fourth quarter, the damage was done: the Colts had run 69 offensive plays to the Bears’ 28, and the Chicago defense was as worn out as the worst sports cliche. After Rex Grossman threw an ill-advised pass that was intercepted and returned for the game-breaking score, Manning only threw once more as the Colts shoved the ball right down the Bears’ tired throats.

The Bears’ front four was consistently blown off the line of scrimmage by the Indianapolis offensive line. So much for Chicago’s supposedly dominant defense. Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes are certainly capable backs, but most figured that Peyton would have to beat the Chicago defense with his arm. Instead, Addai and Rhodes combined for 190 yards on the ground, another reason for Chicago’s late-game exhaustion.

And Rex Grossman must be thanking his lucky stars for Chad Morton and Tony Eason, or else we might be talking about the worst-ever Super Bowl performance by a quarterback. His stat line wasn’t horrible – 20 for 28, 165 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions – but blunders at critical times doomed his team. Down 16-14 late in the first half and with a chance to take the lead before halftime after an Indy fumble, Grossman gave it right back to the Colts by whiffing on a center-QB exchange. Down 19-14 in the third quarter, Grossman turned a 2nd-and-1 into a 4th-and-23 after two consecutive bumbling 11-yard losses, the second one due to another fumbled snap. Then, down 22-14 in the fourth quarter (still within one score!), Grossman threw two picked-off rainbows that would make the Lucky Charms leprechaun jealous, one of which was returned for the aforementioned game-breaking touchdown. If the MVP is the player who has the most profound impact on the outcome, Grossman deserves consideration, although not in the way he’d like. Bears fans have to wonder how much longer they will have to suffer through the Grossman experiment.

On the more positive side: Joseph Addai proved himself to be an up-and-coming star on the world’s biggest stage against a defense some consider to be the best in the league. Manning was the sentimental MVP choice and likely won the award based on his flawless game management, but Addai certainly deserved consideration as well. There were times in the second quarter when I felt Addai was taking over the game by himself – if he wasn’t gashing the Bears’ defense up the middle, he was catching dumpoffs in the flat and turning them into first downs. It likely would have been difficult to justify Addai’s MVP candidacy in the face of Rhodes’ higher rushing total, I suppose.

On a different note, it was refreshing to watch a Super Bowl played in inclement weather. I have long been a supporter of football played in the elements – it’s an outdoor game, and so weather should be a factor. It’s amusing to see that the weather didn’t cooperate this year, despite the league’s shunning of outdoor cold-weather venues in favor of domes and the tropics. And how ironic is it that the dome team seemed to be least affected by the sloppy conditions?

And finally, a note on the ads. Some were good, some were bad, some were puzzling in a “You just spent $2.6 million and that’s the best you can do?” sort of way. At least they’re starting to improve, with some of this year’s crop actually being laugh-out-loud funny like the Bud Light rock-paper-scissors ad. I’ve felt that after a few years of media hoopla about how millions watch solely for the commercials, the pressure has gotten to the advertising companies and they’ve responded with a bunch of duds. It’s nice to know that thanks to Budweiser and Coca-Cola, the Super Bowl is the one event where I’m sure to miss a pair of consecutive turnovers, a 52-yard run, AND a good commercial when the wife makes me let the dog out.

If this is true, then I have to question Falcons GM Rich McKay’s sanity and intelligence for not being willing to trade Michael Vick. He may be an exceptional athlete, but at some point the Falcons are going to have to accept that Michael Vick will never be a great quarterback. In fact, he might be the most overrated player the NFL has ever seen.

The first pick in the draft alone is worth trading Vick for, let alone including Moss and Porter in the deal.

The Oakland Raiders are preparing to make a run at Falcons QB Michael Vick, according to NFL sources. The Raiders package would include receivers Randy Moss and Jerry Porter plus the No.1 overall pick in the 2007 draft for Vick and the Falcons first round pick (10th overall).

Update: Charles Robinson does a good job of explaining why I’m completely wrong. Most profound is the following:

Financially, the trade would be ruinous. Atlanta would be forced to take Vick’s adjusted cap hit of over $16.25 million, plus an additional pair of players who account for $10.75 million in base salary next season. So in one trade, Atlanta would be tying up $27 million in 2007 cap space – nearly 25-percent of what is expected to be a $109 million cap ceiling. As one prominent agent pointed out, the Falcons would have to cut several players just to make it work. And even if Atlanta dealt Vick after June 1 and split the cap hit over two years, bringing Moss and Porter aboard would still amount to over $18 million in cap space in 2007, and another $14 million-plus in dead money in 2008.

First the usually mild-mannered LaDainian Tomlinson goes ballistic after Patriots players classlessly celebrated last on the Chargers’ midfield logo, and now the Patriots are blaming yesterday’s loss to the Colts on officiating and illness, as well as being uncourteous with the media. My respect for the Patriots is diminishing by the minute.

Cornerback Ellis Hobbs was incensed at a pass interference penalty in the end zone that preceded the Colts’ tying touchdown in the third quarter, while Tully Banta-Cain [stats] didn’t even realize he’d been flagged for roughing the passer on the winning drive in the fourth quarter. Start with Hobbs, who was called for face-guarding Reggie Wayne. “I’ll say it publicly – that wasn’t pass interference,” Hobbs said. “I didn’t touch the guy. The ball hit me in the back of the arm. He put his hands up and I’m just trying to play through his hands. I didn’t look back, but I didn’t touch him. You make the call. Watch that replay, and tell me if it’s pass interference.” As for Banta-Cain, the linebacker hit Peyton Manning around the head after a 14-yard completion to Wayne. The 12-yard penalty put the Colts in business at the Patriots 11. “They called that? Really? I didn’t even know that,” Banta-Cain said. “I didn’t even notice that. It’s so loud, I didn’t hear it or see the flag. It’s one of those things where they try to protect the quarterback, especially one like Peyton Manning.”

…

Asked what coach Bill Belichick said to the team following the loss, Tom Brady wasn’t forthcoming.
“I don’t remember,” he said. “I was just trying to take my crap off.”

…

Bruschi and linebacker Rosevelt Colvin suggested the flu that ran through the team took its toll. A number of players cramped up during the game, the result of dehydration associated with the illness.
“A lot of us had some type of thing going on this week,” Bruschi said. “I skipped a couple of press conferences, but you get over it and come out here today.”

I’m sure we all feel a great deal of sympathy for Mr. Owens, who needs another surgery on his damaged ring finger.  Let’s hope for his sake that the surgeon doesn’t drop the scalpel or stop the surgery halfway through to complain about his contract.

Oh really?

Nick Saban, I’d have a lot more respect for you if you had just said “No comment” for the last five weeks. Now, in addition to being yet another college coach who couldn’t hack it in the NFL, you’re also a liar and you have no
class.

I’m not the only one who thinks so, either.

I hate the Dolphins, but I certainly sympathize with their fans who are most certainly fuming right now.

UPDATE: Even Don Shula, a man who deserves much respect, has spoken out. Favorite Saban quote from this piece: “The best way to disrespect somebody is to just walk away from them.” Yep, you hit the nail right on the head there, buddy.

UPDATE 2: Here’s another one, even more scathing.