Ten Things I Think I Think

1. I think these are my quick-hit thoughts on Wild Card Weekend:

a. I love Wild Card Weekend and the divisional weekend more than any in the playoffs. Four games each weekend, and you can give your full attention to each instead of having it divided among six or seven games. Plus, every game this weekend had its own drama. No bad ones out of the four.

b. Memo to the Ravens and Falcons: Did you watch the nightcap Sunday? See the Titans D play so well and hold the Chargers scoreless for the first 33 minutes of the game as a huge road 'dog at San Diego? The defensive coordinator, Jim Schwartz, needs to be on your coaching lists.

c. We all -- everyone of us -- underrated the Seattle Seahawks.

d. LenDale White's better than I thought he'd be.

e. Every time I watch the Titans, cornerback Cortland Finnegan makes two or three plays.

f. Very glad to welcome injured Washington guard Ross Tucker to the SI.com team. He joined our fine Web site this month to write regular columns about the NFL, and he'll lend an on-field presence that very few writers covering this game can lend, because he's been an NFL player since 2001. Check out this story from his column last week, an appreciation of what makes the Patriots so good:

"It would be foolish to talk about the Patriots' success without singling out Tom Brady. He is given a great deal of freedom to change plays and protections at the line of scrimmage. Their scheme allows him to re-identify the opposing Mike linebacker [the middle linebacker] in both run and pass plays to always put the Patriots in a more advantageous situation. This critical ingredient allows Brady to consistently audible into running plays in which his linemen have better angles and pass protections that pick up the blitz and allow him to throw deep against man coverage.

"Just as important is Brady's unique combination of magnetism and confidence that single him out as the team leader. Every player in that huddle believes they are going to win because of Brady's presence. During my time in New England I worked as a backup lineman and often had to snap to Brady while playing center. In spite of all of the other chaos that he had to sort through, he always found the time to look me squarely in the eye and say, 'C'mon Ross, me and you, let's get a great snap first.' I never wanted to snap a ball so well in my life.

"I was a veteran in my fifth and sixth years in the league while in New England and I had started over 20 games, but Brady's ability to single me out and make me feel important for the success of the play was unlike anything I had experienced. Imagine 52 other guys feeling that way every Sunday and you will begin to truly understand why Brady and the Patriots are redefining perfection.''

Pretty good stuff.

g. Interesting to see umpire Jim Quirk doing the Steelers-Jags game. It must mean Quirk had a heck of a good rating for the 2007 season, given the fact that he's the guy who got docked a paycheck for hog-tying Packer linebacker Nick Barnett a couple of weeks ago.

h. Ronde Barber says Eli Manning is "inconsistent,'' and he says Plaxico Burress is not as athletic as Randy Moss. STOP THE PRESSES! Two true statements, two non-inflammatory statements, and they create three days of headlines. I must live on the wrong planet.

Randy Moss is the best athlete to ever have played the position of wide receiver. And if you called Manning consistent, you'd be a liar. Here are six of his consecutive game completion percentages, starting in game six: 69, 58, 36, 68, 72, 43. As host Curt Menefee said on the Fox pregame show Sunday, before Giants-Bucs: "Will we see the bad Eli, who led the NFL in interceptions with 20, or will we see the good Eli, who went toe-to-toe with Tom Brady last week?'' Eli Manning in 2007 was the definition of inconsistent. These little controversies appeal to the Page Six crowd, but they have no real meaning whatsoever.

i. Jeff Fisher told me last Friday the idea that he and Tony Dungy conspired in some way, either before or during their Week 17 game, to make the conditions in the last minute of the game non-competitive is "absurd.'' A story surfaced last week that Fisher and Dungy agreed, in essence, to end the game in the last minute rather than to play the game out legitimately. I could tell by the tone in Fisher's voice that the story -- from Tennessee quarterback Kerry Collins -- shocked him.

j. For the 47th time this year, someone asked me the other day, "What are those green dots on the back of some players' helmets?'' Those signify the helmets that have communication ability with the sidelines. They're on the back of quarterback helmets.

k. Any question about the Giants playing their guys last week instead of resting them?

l. It's a good weekend, because the sergeant checks in.

2. I think you'll be happy to hear from U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Mike McGuire, who is preparing a platoon of men for his second tour of Iraq, where they will try to rid roads in an undisclosed place of IEDs -- Improvised Explosive Devices -- which can be hidden in a variety of nefarious ways. McGuire's sends some love Kurt Warner's way (as a St. Louis-area native, McGuire will be forever grateful to Warner for his play in their playoff run a few years back), and picks his Super Bowl teams in his e-mail. Here is part of it:

"Great to hear from you. We actually start shipping all our equipment this week. It's getting down to that time again. The men are ready and so am I. A lot of the young guys who were with me last time have since moved on (most got out of the Army), but they call on a regular basis. They are still and always will be my boys.

"I will be glad when this tour in Iraq is over because then I will be coming back to the States. Dying to see a football and baseball game. Don't have a warm and fuzzy feeling about where we are going. Can't tell you the name now, but will tell you after we are there and get in our routine. But we are not leaving until after the Super Bowl, so I get to watch it at home. I am picking Redskins vs. Jaguars. I know they are long shots, but who really wants to see the Patriots win again (except you, HA!).

"How about Kurt Warner! Good year ... could have been better if receivers were not hurt so much but he had a good year and proved that he deserves a shot at the starting position next year. I thought for a while there the Bills were going to get in. They played tough this year. Next year I am betting on them to be the upswing team. I love to watch them. Their coach (Jauron) is awesome. I wish the Rams had a coach like that. Did you see Missouri win the Cotton Bowl? Good day. But the game that was fun to watch was Michigan beat Florida. I tell you, I am up until 5 in the morning watching these Bowl games. Good to hear from you. Take care, Mike.''

3. I think the nicest gestures of the week belong to Dallas safety Roy Williams and the Redskins. Washington listed the late Sean Taylor as their starting safety for Saturday's playoff game. On the other hand, Williams, who was named to the Pro Bowl as a replacement for Taylor, said he will have something special for the Taylor family in Honolulu, and this is what it is: He'll switch from his uniform number, 31, and wear Taylor's number, 21, for the game. A brilliant idea and nice tribute to the memory of a man who's been an inspiration to players and people in and out of the Washington organization.

6 of 7