Jerseys Homes Blog

Through most of this decade, and certainly in their Super Bowl season in 2006, the Chicago Bears were defined by what's always defined the franchise -- defenses as tough as a dollar steak, and as ornery as Mike Ditka without a cigar. From 2004 through 2008, Chicago's defense never ranked lower than ninth in Football Outsiders' Defensive DVOA statistic, first overall in 2005, and first in Pass Defense DVOA in 2005 and 2006. As the team ran through a series of regrettable quarterback decisions, it was the defense and special teams that kept the team together. Not any more. Da ...

The Cincinnati Bengals, as they've so rarely been in the team's history, are very good right now. Naturally, this has people in Ohio excited.One eighth-grade lad named Dustin Reader was so excited, in fact, that the got his hair cut to resemble a Cincinnati Bengals helmet. And why not? That's the kind of thing that seems like a good idea when you're an eighth-grader or Ron Artest. As you can see, he's got the helmet stripes shaved in there, and the Bengals "B" logo carved into the back of his head. It's everything you could ever want from a Bengals ...

It's laminated and everything, so it must be official.That comes from Ocho himself, the irrepressible scamp that he is, on his Twitter account. In other Ocho news, he's also rambling about how he wants to fight UFC superstar Anderson Silva for charity. Let's hope that fight doesn't come together before the weekend, because it would be really nice if Chad could still walk on Sunday for the game against the Steelers. ...

SI.com's Hot Clicks breaks the news this morning that The Who will be performing during halftime of Super Bowl XLIV. There was some earlier talk of Bon Jovi playing the gig, but I guess that didn't work out.Opinions will vary, as they always do. Optimistically, I do believe that The Who has some songs that will make for a fun halftime show -- "Baba O'Riley", "Won't Get Fooled Again", "Who Are You", and "The Seeker", to throw out a few. I'm also assured by Jamie Mottram, who's seen them perform live recently, that The Who can "still bring it."Myself, I've ...

This week's guest is Saints expert, Fanhouse.com blogger and all-around affable gentleman, Tom Mantzouranis. As that might imply, it's a Saints-heavy edition of the podcast, as we talk about what's causing them to fall behind in games, Reggie Bush's role (or lack thereof), whether or not 16-0 is possible or even preferable and how the Saints stack up next to the Vikings and Colts.Also, this episode's Abusive E-mail of the Week, from a fellow named Jeremy Larson, goes way, way, way too far. The Picks Segment is kind of fun, too, as I get to review last week's 5-0 against-the-spread ...

I will probably never be a president of the Jared Allen(notes) fan club, but this is awesome, and our be-mulleted readers deserve to see it."If someone asks if you want extra mayonnaise, you have to say 'yes'. 'Cause that's part of it." I think that makes more sense than anything I've ever heard. From now on, I'm keeping a pair of scissors on me at all times, and if I ever heard a man with a mullet turn down extra mayonnaise, I'm cutting the neck blanket right off him. He doesn't deserve it. And if he doesn't like it, he ...

The Bears mudstomped the Patriots in Super Bowl XX, of course, and the Bears' Super Bowl Shuffle became one of the lasting legacies of the NFL in the '80s. Thank goodness it worked out that way, because if this video had become the lasting legacy from '85/'86 ... I don't know. The league might have folded a couple of years later.That is not okay, people of New England. ...

See last week's absurdly premature playoff picture here.AFC First-Round Byes:Indianapolis Colts Pittsburgh Steelers Other AFC Divisional Champions:Denver Broncos New England Patriots AFC Wild Cards:Cincinnati Bengals Houston Texans NFC First-Round Byes:New Orleans Saints Minnesota Vikings Other NFC Divisional Champions:Dallas Cowboys Arizona Cardinals NFC Wild Cards:Philadelphia Eagles Atlanta Falcons • We'll get to the brand-new, first-round bye team in a second, but I want to start with Indy. Obviously, with a two-game lead over everyone else in the conference and a three-game lead in their division, the Colts' chances for a first-round bye are strong to quite strong. Keep this in mind, ...

The Atlanta Falcons were once home to maybe the least animal-friendly player in NFL history, and now they might be home to the most animal-friendly player in NFL history. Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez and his wife October are appearing nude in an anti-fur ad for PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.Nope. Definitely no fur there. Tony, a committed vegan, definitely believes in the cause."We should be protecting animals, not sacrificing their lives for the sake of fashion or luxury," says Tony Gonzalez(notes). "October and I have changed many of our habits in light of the inhumane treatment ...

Denver(1-0) at Portland (1-0)This game should be pretty solid.The Nuggets clearly have their act together. The TrailBlazers are still figuring things out, but they do have all that talent anddepth to fall back on, and they're at home. The teams split the season serieslast year, both will be duking it out for the Northwest Division title thisseason.Love Greg Oden(notes), but can he stay on the court with thequicker Nene and Kenyon Martin(notes) running around? Love Anthony Carter(notes), but how canGeorge Karl start him over Aaron Afflalo with Brandon Roy(notes) on deck?Game's on at 10:30, EST, on TNT.The opening act will ...