So what was Gisele’s response to the chants of “Eli Rules” and “Eli owns your husband”?

“You have to catch the ball when you’re supposed to catch the ball.  My husband cannot f*&king throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time.  I can’t believe they dropped the ball so many times.”

It sounds like the Patriots receivers can forget about Gisele hooking them up with any of her supermodel friends for the time being.

While Eli’s clutch performances down the stretch this season and his impressive playoff performance during the 2007 NFL season – which concluded with a Super Bowl victory over the Patriots – is hard to overlook, Brady almost always has to get the nod in such a debate, given his three Super Bowl rings, two Super Bowl MVPs and numerous prestigious quarterback records.

So who did the people at NMA World decide to go with when picking the more “elite” quarterback?

Aaron Rodgers…What a cop-out!

At the moment, I’m having a tough time picking a winner for Sunday’s game.  Picking winner of this battle has proven to be equally difficult, but I believe I am going to give the edge to Brady, who somehow managed to include Eli’s brother, sister and mother during his freestyle diss.

Warning: NSFW language in the video below.

Hat Tip – [Sweater Punch]

I think it’s a pretty sound theory. So here it goes. I hope you can keep up with this cutting edge analysis.

While most people were busy trying to figure out how Billy Cundiff missed a 32-yard game-tying field-goal attempt with 15 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter of yesterday’s AFC Championship Game, I was still busy trying to figure out how Tom Brady didn’t break his back during his go-ahead touchdown leap on fourth-and-goal from just outside the Ravens’ end zone.

The excitement continued during the second week of the 2012 NFL playoffs, as those teams that advanced to the Divisional Round were left with a tough act to follow after Wild Card weekend.  And they didn’t disappoint, thanks in large part to an extraordinary finish in San Francisco, another exciting finish in Baltimore, and a big upset in Green Bay.  Each of those contests, along with the weekend’s other game, which featured a romp by the Patriots over the Broncos, treated us to plenty of great plays.

Below, we treat you to the five best from this weekend’s NFL playoff action.

5.  Lee Evans one-handed grab - There weren’t many spectacular plays in this game, largely due to the stellar play of both defensive units.  However, we were treated to one incredible play on offense, and it comes courtesy of the left hand of Ravens’ wide receiver Lee Evans, who made this grab late in the third quarter to give his team the first down and keep their drive alive.

4.  Alex Smith 28-yard Touchdown Run - Alex Smith was having a terrific day throwing the ball, but his best play of the day may have been the one he made with his feet late in the fourth quarter with his team trailing by one point.  This looked like it would be the game-winning touchdown, but little did we know that he would need one more thrilling moment in order to earn the victory for his team.  Needless to say, this won’t be the last you see of Alex Smith on this list.

3.  Deion Branch 61-yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady - With just over two minutes remaining in the first half and the New England Patriots leading by a score of 21-7, they looked to be in control, but Brady knew that there was still plenty of time for him to add more points on the board before heading into the locker room for halftime.  He wouldn’t take long to add those points, as he connected with Deion Branch down the sideline on the first play of the drive for the 61-yard touchdown.

2.  Hakeem Nicks 37-yard Hail Mary Touchdown Reception from Eli Manning - With only six seconds remaining in the first half and the ball on the Packers’ 37-yard line, many of the people inside Lambeau, including the Packers’ defense, probably figured the Giants would simply try to set up a long field-goal attempt.  They didn’t.  Instead, the Giants went for it all, as Eli aired one out to Nicks, who came down with the ball in the end zone and gave his team a 20-10 lead heading into the half.

1.  Vernon Davis Game-Winning Touchdown Pass From Alex Smith - During what may have been the most exciting final four minutes of any playoff game in NFL history, the San Francisco 49ers capped off their brilliant game-winning drive in the final minute with this touchdown pass from Alex Smith to Vernon Davis, which gave them the 36-32 victory while bringing back memories of Montana-to-Clark and Young-to-Owens in the process. Here is another look at the play, with calls from both the Saints’ and the 49ers’ radio stations.

Tom Brady

With the Pats leading by a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, Brady drove his offense all the way down to the Redskins’ four-yard line.  At that point, a touchdown or field-goal would have put New England up by two scores and all but solidified the road victory for them.  Instead, Brady did the worst thing he possible could have done in that situation; throw an interception.

After returning to the bench following his error, Brady had some words for wide receiver Tiquan Underwood, who was the intended receiver on the play.  Those words seemed to make an already angry O’Brien even more upset with his quarterback, leading to a heated argument between the two of them.

Luckily for Brady, Underwood, O’Brien and the rest of the Pats players, their defense was able to make one final stand, intercepting a Rex Grossman pass in the red zone during the final seconds to secure the victory.  And when it was all said and done, Brady and O’Brien were able to put aside their differences, hug it out, and enjoy the win.

Here is a look at the sideline altercation between Brady and O’Brien.

Nothing gets NFL fans riled up like a good old-fashioned quarterback controversy, especially when a high profile backup quarterback is in the mix. In this regard, the 2011 NFL season has been a real treat, since we’ve got not one but two big-name backups stealing playing time and headlines.


There is Vince Young in Philadelphia, a #3 draft pick and Heisman runner-up who’s getting extra playing time thanks to Michael Vick’s endless string of injuries. And of course there is also the incomparable Tim Tebow in Denver, who made Kyle Orton unemployed and has led his team to a 5-1 record despite pretty much every football analyst saying he sucks.

So with all the hype around these guys this year—both good and bad—I decided to do a little digging and make a list of the NFL’s all-time greatest backup quarterbacks. I’m pretty happy with my selections, but I’m definitely interesting in hearing what you think. So let me hear it.

9. Marc Bulger

Marc Bulger was #3 on the Rams’ depth chart for the 2000 and 2001 seasons. But in 2002 injuries struck the Rams hard, taking out both Kurt Warner and #2 QB Jamie “Who?” Martin. So finally Marc Bulger got his shot… and he nailed it, going 6-0 that season in games he started and finished.

The next season, with Kurt Warner starting out injured once again, Marc Bulger became the number one guy, and he led the Rams to a 12-4 record. Bulger then went on to make Pro Bowl appearances in both 2003 and 2006.

8. Doug Flutie

Doug Flutie has one of the most peculiar stories in the history of the NFL if you ask me. He won and Heisman trophy as the quarterback for Boston College, but was selected 285th in the 1985 draft—the lowest a Heisman winner has ever gone. When he did get a shot in the NFL with the Bears and Patriots in the late 1980s he didn’t do much. So he decided to head up to Canada and play in the CFL.

All he did there was break a bunch of records, win a bunch of championships, and earn himself another crack at the NFL. In 1998 the Buffalo Bills signed him to be their backup and, wouldn’t you know it, five games into the season Flutie gets to play when starter Rob Johnson goes down.

So how’d he do? Flutie went 8-3 as a starter in 1998, leading his team to a wildcard playoff birth. Then, as the starter in 1999, he went 10-5 in leading the Bills to a second consecutive playoff birth.

Not bad for a guy nobody wanted.

7. Jeff Hostetler

Jess Hostetler was a perennial backup for the New York Giants’ Phil Simms for his first 5 seasons in the NFL. Yeah, sure, he got a Super Bowl ring in 1986, but he got only two starts during that span and threw a paltry 107 total passes. So it wasn’t very fulfilling work.

But on December 15, 1990, Phil Simms broke his foot, which meant Hostetler would be making the Giants’ final two starts of the season. Butterflies? Nah. Jeff won those two games, then all of the Giants’ playoff games—including the Super Bowl, in which he went 20 for 32 with 22 yards, a touchdown, and 0 interceptions.

You gotta love it when a backup nabs you a Super Bowl victory.

6. George Blanda

George Blanda was a successful starter for the Houston Oilers in the AFL during the 1960s, but late in his career he was relegated to being just a backup for the Raiders. In 1970, the 43-year-old was cut in the preseason but later resigned after the Raiders got desperate as injuries began to mount. And it turned out the guy had a little juice left in the tank. Late in the season, Blanda came off the bench to relieve starter Daryle Lamonica in five different games, throwing seven late-game touchdowns.

Oh, and did I mention Blanda was also a kicker? So during that remarkable stretch in 1970, he also kicked crucial late-game field goals of 48 and 53 yards.

5. Jim Plunkett

Jim Plunkett is the only guy to win the Super Bowl twice as a backup quarterback…which is just kind of ridiculous when you think about it.

I mean, now here’s a guy (as John Madden would say) who won the Heisman trophy with Stanford, but couldn’t seem to cut in the NFL. But in 1980 he got another shot at glory with the Raiders when Dan Pastorini broke his leg. The 33-year-old Plunkett performed horribly off the bench in that game, but ended up going 9-2 down the stretch to lead the Raiders to the playoffs. Then he won three playoff games and the Super Bowl.

But by 1983 he had become the backup again. And again he had to come off the bench to fill in. And again the Raiders won the Super Bowl.

4. Steve Young

Steve Young was the backup for some guy named Joe Montana from 1987 to 1990. But when Montana went down with a tendon injury in his elbow during the 1991 preseason, Young got his shot. He did well for himself, but suffered an injury himself that gave an opportunity to another backup (Steve Bono) who almost took Young’s job as #1 backup.

Still, Young managed to keep the #1 backup job in 1992, and since Joe Montana was still injured, that meant he was actually the starter. All he did was lead the 49ers to a 14-2 record by throwing for 25 touchdowns on 3,456 yards and a 107.0 passer rating. Oh, and he was the NFL’s MVP.

IN 1993, the 49ers traded Joe Montana to the Chiefs, and Young became their official starting QB. So of course, Young responded by throwing for 4,023 yards and achieving a passer rating of 101.5.

And the next season he won the Super Bowl.

3. Tom Brady

Though Brady is a living football legend now, you have to remember that he was still Drew Bledsoe’s backup when the 2001 season began. He only took over as the starter in week 3 after Bledsoe was injured, and although it took him a few weeks to hit his stride, he ended up leading the Patriot’s to a huge upset win over the “Greatest Show on Turf” St. Louis Rams in the Super Bowl.

2. Earl Morrall

The 1972 Miami Dolphins are the most famous team in the history of pro football on account of the fact that they went undefeated and won the Super Bowl. This feat is even more amazing when you realize that 11 of their 17 games were started by their backup quarterback, Earl Morrall.

But that wasn’t the first time Morrall had come in as a backup to do incredible things. In 1968 he filled in for none other than Johnny Freaking Unitas to lead the Colts to a 13-1 record and a Super Bowl appearance. (We won’t say how that game went. And if you don’t know, you need to bone up on your NFL history.) Then he filled in for Unitas again two years later—this time winning Super Bowl V against the Cowboys.

Now that’s a backup.

1. Kurt Warner

After spending three seasons struggling to get by in the Arena Football League and NFL Europe, the undrafted Kurt Warner managed to become the third string quarterback for the putrid St. Louis Rams in 1998. Considering where he had been, that third string on an NFL team was pretty good.

But of course, it got better. In 1999, the Rams got Trent Green to be their starter and promoted Warner to second on the depth chart. When Green tore his ACL during the preseason, Warner became the starter. He threw for 4,353 yards, 41 touchdown passes, and won 13 games. Then he won the Super Bowl, throwing two touchdowns on a record 414 yards, attempting 45 passes without an interception.

So in just 12 months, Kurt Warner went from third string quarterback to Super Bowl MVP. He is definitely the greatest backup QB of all time.

The Patriots’ quarterback asked his fans to take part in the latter while talking to reporters yesterday.  And while his comments, which encourage fans to get drunk before the game, may not sit well with some, I am fairly certain that getting drunk and rowdy at Gillette Stadium on Sunday was already the plan for most Pats fans anyways.

Here is a look at Brady giving the Pats fans some sound advice for Sunday.

We’ve been previewing the 2011 NFL season for weeks now, it seems, and enough it enough. Now that the first full weekend NFL football is complete, it’s time to step back, take stock of everything that’s transpired, and figure out what these various outcomes portend for the remainder of the season. In other words, yes, it’s time for some predictions.

But in this observer’s opinion, there’s no point in playing it safe when it comes to forecasting what’s to come. I say if you’re going to make a prediction, be bold. So that’s what I did in compiling this list—I made 9 bold but perfectly logical predictions for the rest of the NFL season based on the first week’s outcomes. If I had a million dollars (I don’t), I’d divide it nine ways, head to Vegas, and place sizable bets on each one of these babies, because they’re all locks.

9. Pittsburgh will go 0-16

The Steelers were utterly embarrassed by the Ravens on Sunday, losing by a final score of 35-7. Pittsburgh turned the ball over an incredible 7 times, including 2 fumbles by sexual predator Ben Roethlisberger. Now, some may say this game was just a fluke, and the Steelers will regain their form and go on to contend for the Super Bowl like they do every year. I say no. It’s clear to me that this was an act of karma coming to bite Big Ben in the ass. Pittsburgh will go 0-16, losing games in preposterous ways no one ever thought possible (e.g. Roethlisberger’s pants falling down right as he’s about to throw to a wide-open receiver in the end zone on the last play of the game).

8. Tony Romo will quit football to focus on golf

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo proved over the weekend that the “Curse of the Bimbino” is real. You can’t just date Jessica Simpson for a season and expect everything to go back to normal. On Sunday, Romo was doing just fine for himself and the Boys through the 3rd quarter. Then the you-know-what hit the fan. In the 4th quarter, Romo completed only 5 of 12 passes and gave up 2 interceptions, including one when the game was tied in the final minute that led to the Jets’ winning field goal.

I think there will be two or three more weeks of this kind of nonsense before Tony finally gets fed up and quits football so he can focus on making the 2012 U.S. Open.

7. Buffalo will set the all-time record for points in a season

The sad-sack 2010 Buffalo Bills averaged 17.7 points per game in going 4-12. They lost to the AFC-West champion Kansas City Chiefs 13-10. This year, in the opening game, they beat those same Chiefs 41-7.

What can we take away from this result? Obviously, the Bills are dramatically improved and have become an elite offensive juggernaut. They will probably go 15-1, their only loss being a wild shootout to the Tom Brady-led Patriots in either week 3 or week 18. Along the way, the Bills will set the all-time record for points in a season with about 600. It’s a sure thing; call your bookie.

6. By week 18, St. Louis will loses 48 of 53 players to injury

In their week 1 shellacking at the hands of the morally impaired Michael Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles, the St. Louis Rams lost three key players to injury: sophomore QB Sam Bradford, Welkeresque receiver Danny Amendola, and stud running back Steven Jackson.

Unfortunately for the Rams, this is a trend that is likely to continue. By the final week of the season, St. Louis will have lost somewhere between 40 and 50 players to injury. As a result, by the end of the season they will have been forced to sign the entire roster of the Arena Football League’s Iowa Barnstormers. (But they’ll probably still beat the Cleveland Browns in week 10.)

5. Cam Newton will be the next governor of North Carolina

The impressive rookie debut of Cam Newton with the Panthers on Sunday (422 YDS, 2 TD, 1 INT) means he is probably already the 12th most popular man in North Carolina (after the starters on the UNC and Duke basketball teams, and Mike Krzyzewski). A couple more weeks like this and he’ll be the most beloved guy in Charlotte before you know it. I predict that the citizens of North Carolina (a “red state”) will get fed up with current governor Bev Perdue (D), run her out of office in a recall, and elect Cam Newton the new governor by mid-December. (Of course, Cam won’t last long before he’s impeached on three counts of bribery and misuse of office—though he’ll claim it was all his dad’s fault.)

4. The Detroit Lions will win the Super Bowl

Hey, the Lions finished last season on a hot streak, going 4-0 down the stretch, beating Green Bay, Tampa Bay, Miami, and Minnesota to finish the season 6-10. Then they came out and beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27-20 in the first game of the 2011 season. With five wins in a row, I’d say all signs point toward “team of destiny” status for this beleaguered franchise. So I’m gonna beat the rush by proclaiming right here and now that Detroit will win Super Bowl XLVI. When this prediction comes true—and it will—tell your friends you heard it here first.

3. Jay Cutler will become the most popular sportsman in Chicago

Jay Cutler (the football player, not the bodybuilder) was one of the most hated sports figures in Denver prior to 2009. Then he was traded from the Broncos to the Bears, and he became one of the most hated sports figures in Chicago. He is so hated, in fact, that even when he suffered a legitimate injury against the Packers in last year’s NFC Championship Game, people were calling him soft. However, Cutler is off to a tremendous start this season. Against the Falcons on Sunday, he was 22 for 32 with 312 yards, 2 TD and only 1 INT. Obviously, Cutler is in the zone, now, and will lead to Bears back to the playoffs this year. Unfortunately, he will lose in the NFC Championship Game again (this time to division rival Detroit). But Cuter will play through a broken leg, two severed fingers on his throwing hand, and a nasty case of pneumonia, endearing himself to Bears fans and making him a Chicago sports legend.

2. Tom Brady will shatter single-season QB records for TD, yards

The record for most touchdowns in a single season was set in 2007 by Tom Brady himself. His 50 beat Peyton Manning’s 49, which had previously beaten Dan Marino’s 48. However, the record for most passing yards gained in a season, 5,084, still belongs to Dan Marino—though Drew Brees’ 5,069 in 2008 gave Marino a pretty good run for his money.

But none of this will matter at the end of this season because, based on what we’ve seen this first week, Tom Brady will surely obliterate these amazing records. His 4 TDs against the Dolphins Monday night proves he will almost certainly have 64 TDs by the end of the season, which will beat his old record by 14. Meanwhile, his 517 passing yards clearly indicated that Brady will throw for somewhere between 7,000-8,000 yards for the season, which will beat Marino’s record by at least 2,000 yards (but probably more).

I know it sounds crazy, but I’ve done the math, and this is indisputable.

1. Indianapolis will bring a legendary QB out of retirement

It looks like the Colts may have to endure a big chunk of their season without all-time great QB Peyton Manning. After the dismal performance against Houston by their backup, poor Kerry Collins, the blogosphere is abuzz with talk of who Indy might go out and get to replace the injured Peyton. Of course, the first name that anyone brings up is everyone’s favorite pathological re-retirer, Brett Favre. But after that whole “took a picture of his dong and sent it to a reporter” incident last year, I think the Colts will be looking for someone with better character. That is why I think it’s pretty much a foregone conclusion that they will bring none other than Dan Marino out of retirement to fill in for the injured Manning. Yes, he’s 49-years-old, but he’s hungry for a ring, so it just might work.