MMQB (cont.)

Ten Things I Think I Think

Quarterback David Sills, 13, has verbally committed to play college football at USC. AP

1. I think these are my quick-hit thoughts of Super Bowl week:

a. What kind of parents would allow their 13-year-old son, as happened with quarterback David Sills of Delaware -- to make a commitment to a college while the kid is halfway through his seventh-grade year? It is February 2010. His freshman fall term in college would begin in September 2015. Thus did David Sills commit to play for Lane Kiffin -- or whoever the coach for USC will be six seasons from now. It's depraved for an institute of higher education to guarantee a seventh grader a scholarship. It's irresponsible for parents to commit their son to such a major decision five-and-a-half years before he has to make it.

b. Very good job by Greg Garber on ESPN's "Outside the Lines'' show Sunday on the endlessly interesting concussion issue, particularly his interview with former Giants middle linebacker Harry Carson, who has had post-concussion syndrome and memory loss from a long career as an NFL run-stuffer. "They can call me a malcontent,'' Carson said, crying on camera. "No one's gonna shut me up.''

c. Kudos, too, to Chris Mortensen, for his terrific job with Dr. James Andrews on Drew Brees' revolutionary shoulder surgery in 2006. Mort, with Andrews, saw the MRI of Brees' ruined shoulder, and Andrews said the damage from the injury suffered in the last game of the 2005 season with San Diego was so severe that there was a 360-degree tear of the labrum -- basically, that it was torn from the bone -- and that the bone broke through the skin from underneath the shoulder. Gruesome, and very valuable to know how great the surgery was ... and how incredible it was that Brees even played football in 2006.

d. One final bit of props for a story I liked, by Alex Marvez, of FoxSports.com, on high school football players in Miami's Little Haiti neighborhood looking up to Pierre Garcon, and coping with real life. One of the things I liked about the story is the nugget about high school players who have to earn money to help support their families by babysitting -- and the coach who has to feed the little kids between practice breaks so the players won't have to drop off a struggling team.

e. I bet NFL Network folks wish they'd hired squeaky-clean John Lynch last year. Not a good weekend for Michael Irvin or Warren Sapp -- and not a good weekend for the NFL shield when two of their own network analysts, on consecutive days, are in the news on rape and domestic-abuse allegations.

f. The NFL could have knocked over team execs around the league with a feather when they announced nine-year NFL line judge Carl Johnson was succeeding Mike Pereira. "Who's Carl Johnson?'' one GM asked me the other day. Well, he's from Thibodaux, La., and an NFL release says he has experience "managing a large sales force for a major company in Louisiana.'' I tried to get an interview with Johnson during Super Bowl week, but was denied access. When I do talk to him, you'll hear from him. I'll miss Pereira, who will retire in April after nine years on the job. He's been a superb explanatory device for the league. I hope Johnson has a gift for patience as well as the ability to get the story right quickly.

g. Pereira to Johnson is not exactly Madden to Collinsworth, but the officials are in a crucible every Sunday. There is intense heat, and Pereira handled it superbly. I like people who admit mistakes, and Pereira admitted his share -- even it was his men, not him, who made them.

h. Now that was an awkward TV moment, Rich Eisen. Especially with Mike Irvin on the set.

i. Does someone have a translation of what Joey Porter uttered on NFL Network? I think it was something like, re Dwight Freeney: "Ankle? Ankle? You ain't sitting with no ankle. Set 'em up for the okedoke.'' Translation (dangerous, with Porter): I think Freeney's faking it.

j. It's fine to have the Super Bowl in south Florida, but it's the most disjointed Super Bowl I ever remember. Traffic makes sane travel between Miami and Fort Lauderdale impossible.

k. And I just heard the AFC team practice facility at TCU in Fort Worth will be 36 miles from the media hotel in Dallas next year. Yikes. These regional Super Bowls make me long for San Diego and New Orleans.

l. Actually, every year I long for Super Bowls in San Diego and New Orleans. Can I please help put the spade in the ground in Escondido or wherever out there, just to make the Chargers stay in San Diego and the Super Bowl is played in San Diego once every five years? Please?

m. Rey Maualuga checking into Betty Ford later this month, by the way, according to Adam Schefter. Good nugget.

n. Trivia question: Who are Dave Klein, Ed Pope, Jerry Izenberg and Jerry Green? Answer in 10i.

o. "I think I'll come back,'' Plaxico Burress said on the CBS pregame show, "and it'll be like I never left.'' Where, exactly? At age 34 on opening day 2011?

p. By the way, Chad Ochocinco, Bob Costas will remember your lie to him on national TV. Not a good idea to tell a fellow like Costas you're going to change your name if Darrelle Revis shuts you down, and then he does it twice in the next two weeks, and you say, in effect, Just kidding! Had my fingers crossed!

q. Apropos of nothing, I met John Ratzenberger last night. Cliff Clavin. Big Saints fan.

r. The New Orleans Times-Picayune is printing 193,000 extra copies of the paper today. Incredibly, I don't think that will be enough.

2. I think I like the fact that Gary Kubiak gets faith shown in him and a contract extension by owner Bob McNair, but it doesn't take away that the Texans haven't won a very big game in Kubiak's tenure. The Texans are a talented team, an on-the-cusp team, but we've been saying they're on the verge for three years now. So they're also an underachieving one. Though the Texans are in a division with two consistently strong franchises in Indy and Tennessee, if they're 8-8 next year, McNair may live to regret that extension.

3. I think LaDainian Tomlinson is doing the right thing. He needs to go elsewhere. Because if he stays in San Diego, he's never going to be happy sharing the running-back role with some young whippersnapper, or a young player and Darren Sproles. And the Chargers can't go into 2010 with Tomlinson playing any major part of the rushing game. When you've gone from 5-2 yards per carry in 2006 to 4.7 ('07) to 3.8 ('08) to 3.3 in 2009, that's not a dropoff. That's falling off a cliff. Tomlinson will be 31 this summer, and it's time he finds a team (Houston? Green Bay? Seattle?) where he can play a nice Fred Taylor role.

4. I think this might be the last MMQB column for a while you won't hear a peep about labor.

5. I think the most interesting writer's comment about our Hall of Fame election process Saturday came from a J.W. Nix, of something called Bleacher Report. He decried the process that resulted in former Chargers and Cardinals coach Don Coryell not being elected to the Hall on Saturday. Wrote Nix: "This is a despicable crime still perpetrated by the voters, as shown by the recent induction process. It also shows that Canton must change their induction system. [Retired players] are the ones who truly know who belong, especially considering there are countless voters not even knowing what positions many gridiron legends played ... [This year's voting] also shows the corrupt political process involved in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.'' America. What a country.

6. I think this is what I liked about Super Bowl 44:

a. Bill Cowher on the CBS pregame show, saying what needs to be said about the fifth quarter that needs to be fixed in this game: "Both teams need to touch the ball in overtime.''

b. Loved the choice of Brian Waters, the Kansas City guard, as the NFL Man of the Year. As one of the voters in the process, I've liked Waters for some time, and I'm glad to see him get recognized. He's contributed 82 college scholarships to underprivileged students, and given thousands of backpacks with school supplies to kids in the Kansas City area.

c. Saints came in wanting to play keepaway from Manning. Second-quarter time of possession: Colts: 2:34.

d. The onside kick. What a call by Sean Payton.

e. Brees' five-of-five first drive to start the third quarter. After missing three open receivers in the first half, his third quarter was gold, Jerry. Gold!

f. The spinning, weaving touchdown run by Joseph Addai, who did it all by himself. Beautiful run.

g. Dwight Freeney had the kind of sack they might replay if he gets into Canton someday.

h. Pierre Thomas is a much better player than he gets credit for. He's as instinctive a runner and pass-catcher as any back in the playoffs this year except Adrian Peterson. He just always knows where the pressure's coming from.

i. First pre-fourth-quarter onside kicked in 44 games. Loved it.

j. Nice game. The officials weren't intrusive. Good job by Scott Green and his crew.

k. Excellent playoff run by Jonathan Vilma.

7. I think this is what I didn't like about Super Bowl 44:

a. Jimmy Johnson male-enhancement drug endorsement. "Go long,'' he says in the libido ad. "I do.'' Someone get me disinfectant for the TV.

b. Usama Young's cover ability. You've got to be competitive, man. Young let Pierre Garcon deke him into next week at the line of scrimmage, and Manning could have made a terrible throw and it still would have been a touchdown.

c. Reggie Wayne: three quarters, one catch, five yards.

d. So much for my claim of David Thomas-as-impact-player: one catch, nine yards.

e. Colts had the ball for 29:49 and managed 17 points.

f. Strange day with two powerhouse offensive teams: no 80-yard rusher, no 90-yard receiver on either team.

8. I think Bill Polian won't say it, but I bet he'll think at some point this week: Are we destined to be Atlanta Braves? A team that wins divisions and pennants but only one world championship?

9. I think I'll be reminded most of today that my Player of the Decade is 9-9 in the playoffs.

10. I think these are my non-football thoughts of the week:

a. It's been an exhilarating season. Thanks for reading. I'll be writing weekly through mid-June. Looking forward to the Combine, a weird free-agency period, and the draft.

b. Looking forward to a few days away first.

c. I'm going to the World Cup in South Africa. That should be fun. Monday Morning Quarterback might be turning into Wednesday Afternoon Goalie for a couple of weeks. Who knows?

d. Will get away for a few days this week, and one of the things I'll do is go see the white-hot Los Angeles Kings at the Staples Center. I've never seen a hockey game in L.A. Does the ice work?

e. Coffeenerdness: Dom Bonvissuto, my SI.com NFL editor, now knows what I'm talking about. He tried the coffee at the Super Bowl last night, same as I did last week at the Pro Bowl in the same stadium, and it was similarly rancid. Tweeted as much. But Harvey Greene, the Dolphins media czar, is not going to take that. No siree. He's mad as heck and he's going to get good coffee in there next year, he says.

f. Thanks to all the south Floridians who made our lives easy (other than the traffic) in the past week. You've got a good group down here, a selfless bunch of people who tried to put on a show the community would be proud of.

g. The Who seems a little passé to me, and I like The Who. Time to modern-up the halftime. If I'm 52 and say meh to The Who, that's not good.

h. Really enjoying Mike Vaccaro's The First Fall Classic, about the 1912 World Series. I always love books that make you feel like you're there, which this one does.

i. Trivia answer: Klein, Green, Pope and Izenberg are the sportswriters who have covered every Super Bowl.

j. Had a good hour Tuesday with Jason Cole's journalism class from the University of Florida, and I informed the group that the cleverest Tweet or e-mail would make this column. Uh, Dave Gardner, you sent the only e-mail or Tweet -- and so you win. "My goal in life is to be mentioned in Monday Morning Quarterback. I've never told anyone that, but it's true.'' Inside joke (a good one), and Dave wins. Wrote Dave: "I figured if it worked for you with the New York Times, it might work with me too.'' Smart guy.