Welcome to the Around The League End Around, a weekly look back at the world of the NFL. Dan Hanzus serves as your guide.
It was a good week for ...
1. Tony Romo: Romo led the Cowboys to a pair of wins in four days, playing through flu-like conditions to beat the Raiders on Thanksgiving. The Cowboys are in first place entering December. Is this the year they finally hang on?
2. Mike Tomlin: Yes, Tomlin's Steelers lost on Thursday, but name one other coach who has a touchdown-saving tackle assist on his resume?
3. Greg Schiano: Is Schiano going to do the impossible? Can he actually save his job? After three consecutive wins, it's not an absurd thought.
It was a bad week for ...
1. Robert Griffin III: To borrow a phrase from Chris Traeger, the second-year quarterback literally cannot wait for 2013 to end.
3. Cheeseheads: Are you guys OK? Have you blinked since the events of Thanksgiving? Remember, Aaron Rodgers is going to throw four touchdowns next week. Hope is a good thing.
(Shameless plug: We pondered the Packers' playoff hopes in the latest "Around The League Podcast.")
What the What?
The NFL adopted its overtime format in 1974. The rules were modified in 2012. You would think there's enough time and history involved here for players to understand a game can end in a tie. And yet, here we are.
"I thought we was gonna go to another overtime," Packers wide receiver Andrew Quarless said. "I never knew."
I'm not trying to pick on Quarless, because he's far from alone. When Donovan McNabb became the poster boy for OT naivety in 2008, it was troubling -- McNabb was a quarterback, after all -- but it at least brought the rules of OT into the national spotlight.
It seems as if McNabb's gaffe has been forgotten. All players should be subjected to an offseason Scantron test focused on basic football rules. Like the conditioning test, you should not be permitted to practice until you pass.
Brady bros out
Is Tom Brady rubbing off on Gronk in terms of bro-itude? Or has Gronk learned everything he knows from No. 12? Watch this video and draw your own conclusions.
Tweet of the week
Just your weekly reminder that Jim Irsay is like no other owner in the NFL. Or in American professional sports. Or in the solar system.
Quote of the Week
* "They go after quarterbacks. Their entire defense takes cheap shots all the time. That's what they do. That's who they are. They're a bunch of dirtbags, or scumbags. I mean, that's how they play."*
Packers guard Josh Sitton, sharing his not-so-flattering opinion of the Detroit Lions. Sitton stood by his comments after the Lionshumiliated the Packers on Thanksgiving.
Hero of the Week: Bo Jackson
Former two-sport star and Tecmo Bowl legend Bo Jackson paid a surprise visit to medal-winning Paralympian Blake Leeper during an appearance on "The Arsenio Hall Show." Liked this vid for two reasons: 1) Leeper's legitimately thrilled reaction to meet a hero, and 2) Um, Arsenio is back on TV?
Villain of the Week: Poles outside sports bars
What is that parking sign doing there? Who does it serve? If two buddies want to imbibe at a bar while watching the Bears get blown out, they shouldn't have to live in fear of street-cleaning signage disrupting an impromptu footrace. I mean, this is just basic common sense.
Read Option(al)
"NFL Films tells Dr. Z's story in his own words" -- Chad Finn, The Boston Globe
A behind-the-scenes look at how NFL Films gave a voice to Paul Zimmerman, a.k.a. Dr. Z, the legendary NFL writer silenced by a stroke in 2008. The feature is well worth eight minutes of your time.
Until next time ...
We previewed every Week 13 game in the latest "Around The League Podcast."
