Some Are Exposed in Week 17

You know it was an ugly week for the NFL when Jake Delhomme�s bare butt was the highlight of the weekend.

Congratulations to the Houston Texans. There was a team that set a goal and did whatever it took to accomplish that said goal. And the injury to David Carr didn't look fishy at all. It was as believable as Rodney Dangerfield�s arm injury in Caddy Shack. The only problem for San Francisco, was that Houston did not have Danny Noonan as a backup quarterback, but Tony Banks.

Reggie Bush was fitted for a Texans cap the second Banks took the field. Fittingly, Banks threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown faster than Houston fans could chant, �Re-ggie, Re-ggie.� You could not script it better for the Texans.

And speaking of scripts, how did Josh McCown not get into the end zone? It was as if the Colts had a ghost stopping the Cardinals quarterback at the line like Kadeem Hardison in the movie, The Sixth Man.

What, too soon?

Once that play went to review, you knew the Birds were cooked. There was no way the NFL was going to let the Birds beat the Colts in Indy. No way. So even though the replay was inconclusive, the referees overturned the call. Just the way the NFL wrote it out in their treatment.

While we are still on movies, what was the ESPN crew doing, pitching Weekend at Summerals? Wow. It is hard to find somebody that makes Al Davis look vibrant.

But the worst acting performance of the day was New England who pretty much conceded its game to the Dolphins. Having Doug Flutie execute a flawless drop-kick not only was a classy move for the retiring quarterback, but it also sent a pretty clear message to the Colts. The Patriots showed that the regular season doesn�t mean much and the defending champions are gunning for Peyton Manning. That match-up, however, will have to wait because the Steelers are going to win in Cincinnati this week.

And good God, Atlanta. Way to just quit on the season. Could you imagine paying money to see your team play like that? The Falcons looked like the final version of the Rams before the team folded in 1994. But you can almost tell that Jim Mora is one of those cool guys that would not put out a huge effort in a meaningless game. He looks like the kind of guy that would just want to sit there and pout instead of showing some integrity on the field. The Falcons, who started a pregame fight earlier this season, are starting to emerge as the new punks of the NFL.

UNEMPLOYMENT LINE IS GROWING

Dom Capers, who did such a masterful job of getting in position to draft Bush, will not get a chance to coach him. Capers came to Houston with a reputation of building expansion teams. But he will land another head coaching job when an owner wants to ensure the top pick in the draft.

Mike Tice's departure was inevitable. I don�t want to say that Tice's Vikings were out of control. But we will say that his honeymoon with new bride, Lyndie England should at least provide some interesting photo opportunities. It is not know if Tice had already been given his allotment of Super Bowl tickets, meaning we need a new hook-up.

Mike Sherman never stood a chance. Brett Favre has hinted that he would not return to the Packers if Sherman were fired. Not exactly a rining endorsement. Favre now knows how the Packers organization feels about him. Look for the Cardinals to hire Sherman as an offensive coordinator and Favre to join him in Arizona. That would sell tickets in the new stadium.

The Saints did Jim Haslett a favor. Matt Leinart, who could be the second pick in the NFL Draft, now has a chance.

Mike Martz was officially let go, inching him one step closer to Oakland. Of course, Norv Turner has avoided the firing squad so far, making it one of the most inexplicable moves of the season. But as we have advocated months ago, Martz to the Raiders is not only the best move possible, but it seems inevitable at this point.