It is so sad and so hard to write it again, but it’s true: Peyton Manning is done in Indianapolis.

After listening to Manning Monday night, after listening to owner Jim Irsay characterize Manning Thursday as “a politician” who should keep his concerns “in house,” there’s no other conclusion to be reached by a sane, sober human being: Manning’s days in Indianapolis are over, and they have been over for quite some time. On a day when the introduction of Chuck Pagano as the Colts new head coach should have been the story, Irsay stole the headlines.

The NFL is a cut-throat industry where the all-American, clean living, do-everything-right poster boy for your organization and the League is tossed out in the street so a mediocre team like the Colts can hope to get Luck-y by throwing the dick of their future on the craps table of the next Draft?  Say it ain’t so!

My heart aches for the state of Indiana.  For about two seconds.  Any way.

If anyone in earshot can communicate this to Manning:  Come home to Tennessee.

Quit designing video games and do it for real.  The University of Tennessee is in such a state of disrepair that they’re having to layoff police officers because the team isn’t even worth arresting anymore.  That burglary is going unsolved.

Take this game to another level.  Use UT to be a flagship student-athlete program where you recruit the talent and bring them up through the ranks to create a next NFL generation with a little more humility and a little less pitbull fighting.

Be the anti-Spurrier.

Just don’t call it a war and it’s not a war.

/Because of Teh Optics! ™

And speaking of Teh Optics, Preznint My Pet Goat can dispatch those rumors about not being able to walk and chew gum at the same time.  He can start Not-A-War and play with kids’ balls at the same time.

I assure you – we are in the very best of hands, er, feet.

And watch out kids, remember – Obama’s a pedal-phile after all.

If we can just keep Jim Brown from slapping a skullcap on Afro-Leinart for another year or two, I can retire off that sweet, sweet E-bay lucre.

Sorry, Nigel.

NEW ORLEANS – A student at a Maurepas school was sent home by the principal for refusing to take off an Indianapolis Colts jersey, according to a statement from the American Civil Liberties Union.

“(T)he Principal of Maurepas High School, which had declared that students could wear jerseys in support of the New Orleans Saints, punished a student for wearing a jersey in support of the Indianapolis Colts,” said ACLU Executive Director Margie Esman in an e-mail.

“The student, who had lived most of his life in Indianapolis and has an outstanding academic record, was called out of class and told that he was not allowed to wear that shirt. When he refused to change his shirt, the principal sent him home.”

We’re just talking about one out-of-control, tinpot fascist here – right?  A rogue principal whose school spirit borders on North Korean nationalism.  But then you delve into the comments section and see how far some people are willing to go to support his actions.  Running the gamut from calling for permanent expulsion of the student, to veiled personal threats of the student because “they know who he is”, to calling for arresting his parents with a few “whodats” peppered inbetween.   Rules are rules!

Maurepas High Valedictorian, Lootie: Just following the rules!

It’s easy to think some people are engaging in a bit of pre-Super Bowl hyperbole but since most Saints fans can’t spell “hyperbole” I dismissed that out of hand.  They’ve expelled one of the brighter students at their school for engaging in a harmless bit of free expression because he didn’t read the DRESS CODE.  This criticism coming from people who couldn’t watch a weather forecast for an entire week warning them to get out of the way of a CAT-5 hurricane the size of Germany.

Dumbasses don’t follow rules.

Rule #1:  Big Hurricane = Move.

But seriously, folks – Go Colts!

And if by some miracle of animal sacrifice and voodoo magic New Orleans is able to win then the police will need to be on standby.

To prevent Houston from being burned to the ground.

The Obama administration is considering several steps that would review the legality of the controversial Bowl Championship Series, the Justice Department said in a letter Friday to a senator who had asked for an antitrust review.

…

“The administration shares your belief that the current lack of a college football national championship playoff with respect to the highest division of college football … raises important questions affecting millions of fans, colleges and universities, players and other interested parties,” Weich wrote.

Take your Ritalin, guys.  In a battle between the BCS and the ADHD, I’m betting on the BCS.

Nobody’s solved healthcare.  Nobody’s solved crap.  You don’t want to prosecute the New Black Panthers in Philadelphia but you’re ready to roro-rooter the BCS Series?

“Interested parties” means congressmen and senators who would like free tickets to ogle college poon and prick while they “investigate”.

Jobs are our #1 priority.  Sure.  But they’ll never get above #6 until they schedule a few more Big-12 and SEC games during election season.

Class act, ya’ll.  With poise, you remained silent after the nationally televised, open-air colonoscopy Philip Rivers performed on the Titans’ secondary.  Thanks to the camera mounted on the tip of his foot, we have identified several polyps in need of removal during the suddenly present offseason.

Admittedly, my prediction would have been was 3-4 interceptions for Young but my fortune-telling abilities had been damaged during a freak turkey & dressing accident earlier in the day.  Little did I know that the biggest turkey was yet to come  as Young had only two interceptions and a forehead slapping fumble.  For the passes where he did sling on target, my dog’s veterinarian hasn’t seen that many balls dropped.  Instead of VY, we’ve got KY.  And every time he’s in use we’re gonna get screwed.

His accuracy as a passing QB makes me long to see Marty Feldman suit up.

Coach Jeff “Cold” Fisher can’t even muster a cheese spread knife of outrage as mistake after mistake compounded to 21 unanswered points topped off with a roughing the passer penalty against Rivers and a foul from the Titans bench after the play was over – all on the same play!

With the exception of a couple of our team members, the rest should serve as towelboys through the Chargers playoff run as they gratefully did not ramp up the score on them again like New England did.  So thanks again for not rubbing it in, guys.

Three freshman Vols arrested, two charged with armed robbery.

Well, CLK, now’s your chance to make an example of these thugs. Your predecessor, the Great Pumpkin, would find some reason to keep these three on the team – at least, that is, if they were going to contribute. Kick these pieces of trash of the team and off campus and set the right tone for this program going forward.

Jackson was going to be the next Eric Berry, what a stupid asshole. What a trio of stupid assholes.

UPDATE:

If you want a peek into the intellectual firepower of this trio, check out Edwards’ Twitter page. Warning: Not Safe for Brain Cells. via Tony B

And some psychiatric help wouldn’t hurt either.

Aside from firing everything that touched the University of Texas on the team, the alternative is firing everything in coach’s gear on the sideline – starting at the top.  Jeff “Joe Cool” has no passion for this game anymore.  He’ll sleepwalk through the recap tomorrow before the Monday Night game and stoically “take the blame” for another humiliating bowel movement on all 100 yards of LP field – televised nationally to raise awareness for Colorectal Cancer Month.

His sideline demeanor raises awareness of Anger Management because no matter what seems to happen he never gets angry,throws down a clipboard, grabs a player’s face mask or decks an Offensive Coordinator for calling a run up the middle 3rd and long.  Of course, this could turn into a masochistic endeavor if we include the coach who turns down a penalty against the opposing team giving you 3rd &  8 and another chance to gets  a 1st down versus taking 4 & 2 and kicking a field goal.

You’re not really here to win anymore are you, Coach? Or is run left, run up the middle, incomplete pass to the left, punt some brilliant new strategy whose time just hasn’t come yet?

You will be mine.

Paychecks need to be withheld because outside of the defense, the product that is being put on the field does not qualify as a football team.  Not that we’ll find that out from local sports talk radio who are so completely in the bag and starstruck that they are void of making any meaningful criticism.  You’re still doing my sitdown interview and we’re going to go play golf, right?

Nashville is such a polite city.  Nothing like the Chicagos or Philadelphias.

As our pampered, prideless, heartless multimillionaires can’t seem to catch the ball or run with it without dropping it, it’s time to up the stakes.

If Jeff Fisher cannot keep this almost all returning 13 & 3 team from last year from going 0-6 this year, he should be forced to shave his mustache on The Jeff Fisher Show next week.

We will keep his mustache in a fireproof safe, occasionally poke it with a stick and keep a bottle’s worth of Grecian Formula just out of reach to taunt it.

You are missing a heavyweight bout. *ding, ding*

Two teams, in their prime, and playing playoff caliber football in the first game of the season for your entertainment.

0-0 halfway through the 2nd Qtr.

Last 2 minutes of the game, Santonio Holmes catches a TD after Chris Hope breaks his coverage and the Steelers go up 7-0.
Polamalu is injured and leaves the field with 1:21 left in the 2nd.

Collins goes to Britt three times in a row knowing that he can break it without Polamalu and he gets down inside the 20 with 50-something left. Collins TD to Gage on the next play with :48 left.

Game of the Season.

:21 Seconds and Roethlisberger’s driving. After a penalty he goes for the Hail Mary with :01 on the clock. The defending Superbowl champs are here to play a tough divisional rival.

Finnegan intercepts in the end zone and runs it back almost 70 yards. The Titans, it appears, are here to play as well.

************
Drama. 10-10 with a minute and a half left in the 4th. If Bulluck can rally this defense to hold. He’ll get payday.

In what appears to be an easy go-ahead touchdown, Roethlisberger connects with Hines Ward who is making his way to the 5 and – fumble!

Titans recover with under a minute around their own 5.

Heart attack city!

Collins takes a knee on his own 2 and you guessed it – Overtime.

****
OT -UGH. The Titans had no answer for Roethlisberger’s passes or how to get passed the offensive line. Steelers win on a Reed kick 13-10, 5 minutes into overtime.

The Titans have nothing to be ashamed of in this loss. Use it. Like Fisher and Collins made Britt stand up to Polamalu all first quarter. Once he got his shots, he capitalized. The Titans have over a dozen chances to avenge tonight and emerge a stronger club.

Both teams left it all on the field. Now pick it up and use it on another field another day.