With nothing but other teams to watch on Sunday, about 5 stories per week have been ripped out of my hands.  Game previews, Q&A's with other blogs, recaps... all gave me obvious and clear things to write.  Now I actually have to, like, come up with stuff, K?

Seriously, there's a plethora of stuff out there and I'll begin by taking a crack at what Kraft and Co. should do at each position.  The most obvious one to start with is quarterbacks.  I'll try to give a brief profile where necessary, as well as contract and salary information.  Pointers to Patriots and NFL profiles will be provided, too.  On to the show.

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Yes, it's true.  Not only am I dejected about my Patriots lack of a playoff berth, but Indy managed to almost end my interest in the playoff goings on.  How so, you ask?  In an odd and twisted sort of way, I was rooting for Indy.  Sure, I still can't stand your team in more ways than is healthy for me to mention, but that doesn't mean I don't respect The Horse.  And besides, we're all getting along so famously of late.

Seriously, after 9 straight wins, it sucks to see it come to an end.  However, I am grateful we're spared the potential of a Manning vs. Manning SB.  Watching Archie try to figure out which sideline to stand on would be a hoot, but I'd be sick with all the double stuff Oreo commercials.  In fact, I'd most likely have to eat an entire package of Oreo cookies per quarter, only to purge at the end of said quarter in order to "chase away the demons".

Anyways, I have plenty to worry about in the off-season.  We have a fair number of FAs and UFAs, not to mention using the "F" word with Cassel as well as much speculation about Tom Terrific's knee (most of it BS), and let's not forget trying to find a serviceable corner (should've paid Asante Samuel).  Lots to chat about...

Hopefully, Tony Dungy doesn't retire in '09.  It'd be a hoot to see another AFCCG between our teams.  Well, with a different result mind you.

No, not THAT "F" word.  Get your mind out of the gutter!  But the "F" word they may use is just as bad: FRANCHISE.  There are many options when players reach the end of their contracts:

• Unrestricted Free Agent - the club they're with doesn't move to renew the contract.  They are free to entertain offers from other clubs.
• Restricted Free Agent - before a player can sign with a new club, their current club has a chance to match the offer.
• Franchise Tag - the definitions are fairly wordy, so I'll cut/paste from wikipedia.org:

An "exclusive" franchise player must be offered a one-year contract for an amount no less than the average of the top five salaries at the player's position as of a date in April of the current year in which the tag will apply, or 120 percent of the player's previous year's salary, whichever is greater. Exclusive franchise players cannot negotiate with other teams.

A "non-exclusive" franchise player must be offered a one-year contract for an amount no less than the average of the top five salaries at the player's position in the previous year, or 120 percent of the player's previous year's salary, whichever is greater. A non-exclusive franchise player may negotiate with other NFL teams, but if he signs an offer sheet from another team, the original team has a right to match the terms of that offer, or if it does not match the offer and thus loses the player, is entitled to receive two first-round draft picks as compensation.

It is the team's choice whether it uses an exclusive or a non-exclusive franchise tag. While it may seem that a team would always choose the exclusive option, there are two reasons a team might prefer the non-exclusive option instead. The first is that the salary is based on the top 5 salaries of the previous year instead of the current year, which could be a significant difference. The second reason is that a team may want the opportunity for the two first-round draft picks they would receive if they lost their player.

The average of the top 5 players at that position nets MC a salary ranging from roughly 12M to 14M.  Cap space for NFL teams will be raised from 116M to 123M in 2009, but the combination of Brady and a franchised Cassel will cost the team 29M.  According to reliable sources, the franchise tag seems a forgone conclusion and we talked about this as early as November 25th.  Yup, we're that smart and ahead of the curve.

With an injury as severe as Brady's, there's no telling how long it will take for Wonder Boy to heal -gulp- if at all.  The stories swirling around the recovery of Tom Brady's knee are getting ridiculous.  NBC Sport's Tom Curran plays the "reading into statements by the Boston Globe" game in an effort to justify his existence.  Basing a story and opinion on the "tone" of another story is spin doctoring, not journalism.  Facts are facts and the only fact that matters is whether or not Brady attends training camp, participates in the pre-season games, and starts during the regular season.  Until then, any conjecture about his status by the media is a friggin' lie.  The Patriots organization isn't going to say jack and neither is Tom.  If any stupid, low level trainer opens his mouth, he should be paraded around Foxborough Center in a diaper and face paint.

This is the only option, albeit an expensive one.  With 3 years carrying a clipboard and 1 year leading the team to a hair's breadth of the AFC East Championship, MC has a Duck Boat load of experience in the Patriots system.  The last 3 or 4 games, he developed a relationship with Moss and all the receivers, he's mobile, he makes good decisions, and he's being talked about by other franchises.  I think that's enough to convince the team and the fanbase.  Besides, what's the other option?  Bring on a veteran for a year or 2 until Brady's ready?

I hear Brett Favre is available...

Ravens and Dolphins at 1:00PM EST and Eagles and Vikings at 4:30 EST.

Frankly, it sucks that an 8-8 Chargers is in the playoffs while our 11-5 New England Patriots are packing their lockers, but that's life.  The Bolts did what they needed to and played well in December, chocking up 4 of their 8 wins in month 12.  Apparently, a little karma was involved as the game that got them into the playoffs was a 52-21 trouncing of the Denver Broncos, payback for ref Ed Hochuli's bad call.  The result of that loss?  Denver HC Mike Shannahan was later fired after failing to capture the magic of the John Elway era Broncos.

But that's neither here nor there.  At 8:00 PM EST, the WC1 Indianapolis Colts hope to end the AFC West Champion San Diego Charger's winning streak in the first game of the AFC Wild Card Round.  This may be obvious, but I do favor -gulp- Indy.  I mean, I still hate the Colts and feel proud we came within an Adam V. field goal of an OT situation, but that's beside the point - they're in the playoffs and we're not.  And, after 9 straight wins, they belong there.  Everybody's 0-0, but Indy stands a MUCH better chance, IMO.

Except for Gary Brackett, most of Indy's key starters are ready to go.  Indy is ranked 6th in pass defense and 11th overall; Philip Rivers will have a tough time airing the ball against them.  The weak spot could be Indy's 24 ranked rushing defense which may prove to be the opening The Bolts and LT needs, even if SD is ranked 20th in rushing offense.  On the offensive side, the Colts are 15th in overall offense, 5th in passing, and 31st in rushing.

Stats mean little; W's mean everything and NFL MVP Peyton Manning finds ways to win.  No, I'm not slipping into Peyton love; I still can't wait to see the depressed, pouty Manning face on Mr. Potato Head, but ya can't argue with the win/loss column.

If LT has a breakout game, the Colts could be in trouble.  San Diego will be in deep doodoo if they can't get their 31 ranked pass defense in gear; Manning will continuously connect with Wayne, Harrison, Dallas Clark, and Anthony Gonzalez which could make for a long day at Qualcomm Stadium for the hometown Chargers.

What exactly is a vice president of player personnel?  We're so used to focusing our attention on Head Coach Bill Belichick and the players; we often forget about the folks toiling away in offices and cubicles, keeping the machine, known as the New England Patriots, running.  It's a business (technically, a franchise of the National Football League, but that's for another story) and every business needs a staffing department, someone who can understand the needs of the organization and keep the pipeline of talent flowing.  That's what a VP of player personnel does and we have one of the best in Scott Pioli.

Pioli came to the Patriots organization with Belichick and has been responsible for assisting the coach in building a team that has acquired a lot of hardware since 2000.  One only needs to read Scott Pioli's biography to get a sense of what the man has helped accomplish.  From a speedbump on the way of a rival team's playoff ambitions to a "holy crap, we're playing the Patriots" threat, us fans should be thankful of this behind-the-scenes guy.  He is responsible, in large part, for the number of Super Bowl t-shirts I own.

And he may be leaving.

Ambitious people have a number of qualities, but one that comes to mind is the drive and desire to "do it again", to prove current success isn't a fluke.  To that end, Scott Pioli is interviewing for the General Manager job in Cleveland.  Current GM Phil Savage was fired on December 29th, along with former Belichick student HC Romeo Crennel, after a dismal 24-40 record during their tenure.  In a fanpost on this site (props to Marima) Pioli seems to have made such high demands that many think he really doesn't want the job, that maybe he's using it as a bargaining chip and he really doesn't want to leave the Patriots.  Only Pioli knows.

You'll never see this in the papers, but my perception is there's a power shift in the Patriots' organization.  Owner Robert Kraft is getting older and needs to groom his successor.  To that end, he's put his son, Jonathan, in place as President.  My belief is Pioli is making a play to wrest more control out of the old man's hands before the son takes over; he wants to cement his place in the organization.  Successful people are ambitious and there's no reason to think Pioli would or should settle for status quo.

Family and business are strange bedfellows.  Have a falling out in the family and the business can end up in the crapper, and often does.  Or worse, letting your family ties blind you to the abilities of a child.  Putting your son in charge can be good or bad.  On the one hand, it keeps control in the family.  On the other, if Jonathan doesn't have the skills to run a successful football franchise, the crapper awaits.  If Pioli is truly trying to carve out a bigger role for himself, he's playing a dangerous game, albeit the right game.  I have no knowledge of Jonathan's skills, but I DO know about Pioli's chops and his success is hard to dispute.

Mr. Kraft?  Forget about family for a moment and think about what's best for this organization.  Keep the dynamic duo of Belichick and Pioli together.  All you have to do is look at the banners hanging from your stadium.  Isn't that enough proof?