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1. Time for Marty to Go.

We know that plenty of pundits and sock puppets believe that the Chargers should keep coach Marty Schottenheimer.

Don't count us among them.

We like Schottenheimer. But we think that he is becoming increasingly desperate with each trip to the postseason, because he knows that each playoff loss is more likely to be his last playoff loss as he attempts to shed his reputation for being a January choker.

And that's why we think it's in the Chargers' best interests to make a change. Now. At a time when offensive coordinator Cam Cameron can be elevated into the position, or when someone else with the ability to get the most out of the team's considerable talent (Jon Gruden?) can be lured to town.

The only problem, however, is that any coach good enough to catch the attention of ownership won't want to have to answer to G.M. A.J. Smith. So Smith would either have to give up some of his juice, or get on down the road. With that said, we wouldn't hesitate to do whatever is necessary to get someone else on board to take the team to the next level. Sure, Smith has gotten some talented players into town -- but there's also a growing throng of turds in the locker room, and Smith is as responsible for the crap as he is for the cream.

So while the team might have a better chance of getting back to the playoffs in 2007 with the continuity that Schottenheimer provides, the team has a better chance of advancing in the playoffs the next time they're there if someone other than Marty is driving the bus.

The factual support for our position? We could put together a full list, but the inability of Schottenheimer to demonstrate the abilities of the average 10-year-old playing Madden when it comes to using second-half time outs and replay challenges is enough for us to be convinced that, in the games that count the most, he simply can't deliver.

2. FOX Production Disappoints.

The big media news of the weekend was the inexplicable decision of the FOX folks to show a replay -- a replay, for crying out loud -- of a crowd reaction featuring a prime piece of FEMA trailer trash with poofed hair from the '80s, pierced navel from the '90s, and tacky T-shirt message from the '70s shouting "F--K DA EAGLES."

But while it was the most glaring gaffe from a long weekend on FOX, it wasn't the only one.

For starters, the Sunday FOX broadcast didn't return from commercial until after the zebras had decided that it would be wise to conduct a measurement after a key third-down play -- which resulted in a finding that Chicago had actually gained enough ground to move the chains.

And the camera angles during the Seahawks-Bears game were horrendous, with all sorts of swooping and swaying and unconventional shots that made us feel like we were watching an old XFL broadcast.

On Saturday night, the camera angles were better, but Dick Stockton and Moose Johnston left much to be desired in the whole providing of information department.

When the Eagles opted to punt on fourth and 15 late in the game after a conversion on fourth and 10 was wiped out by a pre-snap penalty (more on that later), neither Stockton nor Johnston uttered a peep about the inexplicable decision to not go for the win.

Also, Stockton and Johnston missed a bad spot for the Eagles late in the third quarter, which helped kill a drive deep in Saints' territory and forced Philly to settle for three instead of seven. We know that the sock puppets are processing plenty of information, but how do you not notice every single detail when a team is moving toward the end zone as a game is moving toward crunch time? (Phil Mushnick of the New York Post points out some other flaws with the quality of the product presented by the network owned by the same company that owns the Post.)

On the bright side, we think that Curt Manatee is making it much easier for FOX to decide to leave the pregame show in the studio next year, with him as the host. We also liked the move to bring info guy Jay Glazer to the studio, and we loved the reaction shots of Howie Long as Glazer was commenting on the blunders of the Raiders.

3. McNabb Is Safe.

Despite rumors and rumblings that the Eagles should make 36-year-old Jeff Garcia the full-time starter and trade or release the ever-injured Donovan McNabb, our take on coach Andy Reid's decision to punt on a late fourth-and-15 play tells us that he still doesn't have the same level of faith in Garcia that he has in McNabb.

Why? Because three years ago Reid had no hesitation about pulling the trigger on a fourth-and-26 play against the Packers, which McNabb was able to convert via a long pass to Freddie Mitchell.

Sure, there were 44 more seconds on the clock this time around, and the Eagles had all three of their time outs. But in a game that was anything but a defensive struggle, what made Reid think that his defense could hold the Saints long enough to get the ball back?

Besides, the Eagles secured their last shot on offense via a fluke. Reggie Bush committed an unlikely fumble of a pitch at a time that the Saints were methodically driving the ball down the Eagles' throat. When a team gets the ball back under those circumstances, it doesn't punt. Ever.

And, from a P.R. standpoint, no one ever would have questioned Reid's decision to go for it on fourth and 15 if the effort had failed; as it now stands, everyone is criticizing him.

We digress. Our point here is that Mama McNabb can exhale. Because if Reid were giving any serious thought to making Garcia the guy in 2007, Reid would have given him a chance to elevate himself to even higher levels by pulling out the win.

4. Joe Buck Is A Woman.

We know, we know. It's a little harsh. And we're not really saying that Buck is not in possession of male genitalia. (We're also not saying that he is.) But he simply doesn't exude the right level of testosterone necessary to engage a football-viewing audience.

He's a bit of a metro. Not that there's anything wrong with that. And he seems to prefer baseball. (There is something wrong with that.) And in his effort to come off as a regular guy by, for example, professing not to know the difference between a 1/2-inch cleat and a 5/8-inch cleat and a 3/4-inch cleat, the message he sends (as several readers pointed our during Sunday's Live Blog) is that he has never worked with any type of tool . . . in his entire life.

The core of the problem is that the average male football fan isn't svelte or urbane or smarmy, and thus they don't connect with Buck.

And whenever Buck tries that "I am stupid like the rest of you" routine, it comes off (in our view) as a thinly-veiled suggestion that "I am better than the rest of you but I am trying not to act like it so you won't think I'm a jerk."

Somehow, the powers-that-be at FOX love this guy. But we wonder how many of them are average male football fans.

5. Our Official Position On L.T.

We've sort of addressed this issue in the Rumor Mill, but we believe that it bears more comprehensive treatment here.

Regarding the reaction of LaDainian Tomlinson to the perceived disrespect of the Chargers perpetrated by a couple of members of the Patriots after New England stunned San Diego on Sunday, we primarily think that L.T. was caught in the throes of something he hasn't experienced in his college or pro career.

Apart from the Chargers' berth in the playoffs two years ago, when the team was regarded as an up-and-coming unit from which not much was expected in January, Tomlinson hasn't played much high-stakes poker at a high level of the sport. He starred at Texas Christian, which to our recollection wasn't in the mix for a National Championship at any time, well, ever.

So this stinging, deflating feeling of premature ejection from a season-ending tournament was a foreign concept to Tomlinson. He could have blamed plenty of his teammates for their roles in the loss. Or he could have aimed his ire at the coaching staff. But instead of being a bad teammate, he externalized his frustration.

And he went too far.

Every team at every level of the sport has a pocket of knuckleheads, including the Patriots. And a couple of those knuckleheads were mimicking the Shawne Merriman "Lights Out" dance after the game.

But Ellis Hobbs' behavior is no more a reflection of Bill Belichick than Joey Porter's incessant mouth-flapping was a reflection of Bill Cowher. In a locker room of 53 guys, one or two of them (at a minimum) will act like turds from time to time. It's unavoidable.

The irony in this case is that, despite the fact that L.T. exhibits a high level of class and character at all times, he plays for a team that has more than its fair share of low-class guys.

As we pointed out on Monday, a couple of members of the team (including defensive coordinator Wade Phillips) popped off when the Chargers beat the Patriots in 2005. It happens. It always will happen. It's not a reflection of the coach unless the coach is actively encouraging it, or unless the coach is rounding up such players with full knowledge of their propensities.

The practical result? L.T. has now set a bar that should apply at all times to him and his team. And the simple truth is that there always will be a few guys who won't be able to live up to the standard that Tomlinson has sought to impose on others.

6. Close Games Helps Bears?

Earlier this year, when it looked like the Bears were going to run away with the NFC, our concern was that the Monsters of the Midway wouldn't be ready to take on an AFC champion that survived the fires of a superlative postseason tournament.

Our thinking was that the Bears would suffer from steamrolling a couple of so-so squads at Soldier Field as they prepared to face the one AFC team that was able to find its way out of a mine field rimmed with razor wire and patrolled by dudes with really big rifles.

History supports us on this one. In 2005, the Steelers scratched and clawed their way to Detroit while the Seahawks coasted. Advantage, Pittsburgh.

In all, No. 1 seeds from either conference are 1-5 in the Super Bowl since 2000. Why? Perhaps because the team that gets a cakewalk in the playoffs isn't ready for a catfight in the big game.

It might be different this time around. After taking out the Seahawks in overtime on Sunday, the Bears are better equipped now than they were a week ago to take out the Colts or the Patriots. And if the Saints force the Bears into another close one, Chicago will be even more prepared to go to Miami and give the Colts or the Pats a run for their money.

7. Window Closing For Ravens?

We were surprised to see that the Ravens so quickly decided to bring back coach Brian Billick after a 13-3 regular season ended with a disappointing home loss to the Colts. We were shocked to learn that Billick has gotten an extension.

But coaching, it appears, is the least of the team's problems.

Left tackle Jonathan Ogden is banging the retirement gong, and all of the other key contributors will be a year older come September 2007.

Quarterback Steve McNair, the savior of 2006, turns 34 in less than a month. Linebacker Ray Lewis soon will be 32. Linebacker Adalius Thomas, if he doesn't leave via free agency, will be 30. Defensive end Trevor Pryce will be 32. Cornerback Samari Rolle will be 31. Cornerback Chris McAlister turns 30. Receiver Derrick Mason had his 33rd birthday this week.

By opening day, running back Jamal Lewis will be 28, which equates to late middle age for a tailback.

We're not suggesting that the Ravens won't be in the thick of things next season, but time is getting short, and the nucleus needs to go younger before the current core of the team qualifies for Social Security.

8. Casserly On The "K" Balls.

We didn't see Charley Casserly's Saturday segment from the CBS pregame show, and for a change we're sad we missed it.

(Actually, Casserly does a pretty good job. But that voice of his is as soothing as a broken jackhammer.)

Regarding the "K" ball controversy from the Cowboys-Seahawks Wild-Card game, Casserly noted that, once the 12 elliptical spheroids exclusively designed for the kicking game are opened by the officials, they have only 20 minutes to rub down the factory-sealed footballs. Obviously, the officials can't get all of them done in only 20 minutes.

And this revelation serves only to confirm the reality that there will be some "good" balls and some "bad" balls in the "K" sack. Under current rules, nothing stops the ball boy -- an employee of the home team -- from breaking one out that hasn't been rubbed down when the visiting team is preparing to kick at a key moment in the game.

Casserly's report gives the ball boys every reason to be fishing through the bag for the slickest of the balls.

9. Bad Call In Ravens Game.

While Colts president Bill Polian whines about downfield contact with two thirds of the Indy Holy Trinity, he surely won't acknowledge a horrendous call made by the officials in Saturday's game at Baltimore.

After intercepting a pass near the sideline, safety Ed Reed flipped the ball to a teammate while falling out of bounds. The zebras blew the play dead, and the play would have been a huge gainer for the Ravens if the official had properly realized that Reed got rid of the ball before he was out of bounds.

The good news, however, is that it was pretty much the only noticeably awful call through eight playoff games -- a far cry from last year's postseason, which was marred by multiple controversial officiating decisions.

10. Our Championship Picks.

We were 2-2 last week, two games better than we expected to be. So we'll try it again.

In the early game, we think it's a toss-up but we're leaning Bears. We have vivid memories of the manner in which the Ravens busted up the Saints during the season, and we can see Chicago being geared up to do some hard hitting.

Plus, we were surprised to see that the Saints aren't practicing out in the elements. And with the forecast calling for 31 and snow, we think it's a mistake not to get acclimated with the climate.

Our hunch? Bears 22, Saints 10.

But if the Saints pull off the upset, we'll be forever convinced that God really does care about the outcome of sporting events.

In the AFC, we're never picking against the Patriots again in the playoffs.

After this week.

With a defense that suddenly has found its way, an offense that is poised to explode, and a New England team that got every break possible on its way to a narrow win over the Chargers, it feels like it's finally time for the Tony Dungy and Peyton Manning and the Colts to bust through the glass ceiling, earning a berth in the Super Bowl.

With all that said, we hope we're wrong.

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