What about Bob? Glauber's NFL Blog

Bills tight end Kevin Everett, temporarily paralyzed in a Week 1 collision on a kickoff return in the Bills-Broncos game, will be on hand for Super Bowl XLII. Great news.

Everett has confirmed to a Houston television station that he will sit with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

Everett has made a remarkable recovery from his injuries, and he is walking again after months of rehabilitation.

Caught a re-run of the Giants' win over the Bills in Super Bowl XXV last night on NFL Network, and thought back to this look-a-like that was all the rage when Levy was the Bills coach. If I'm not mistaken, Paulsen was part of the Rowan and Martin Laugh-in ensemble. I could be wrong on that, but I'm sure there's some baby boomer out there who will know.

(UPDATE: Emma informs us that it was the Smothers Brothers show that Paulsen was a part of ... yes, Hookside, the spelling is Paulsen, not Paulson.)

As expected, Neil Best has been a blogging machine here in Phoenix, laying it all on the line as he emerged from his basement for the first time in three years.

After yesterday's dizzying 30-post production, he is back at it this morning, letting his readers know that he has met WFAN's Craig Carton. And we quote:

"I wished Craig a happy 39th birthday and inquired about his recent tushy problems."

Carton recently underwent hemorrhoid surgery. Apparently, he offered his listeners some rather ... um ... disturbing details of his experience.

Please read Best's blog often today. It is the final day of the month, and he is in a pitched battle to be Newsday.com's best-read sports blog of the month.

Please return here often today, because if I beat Best's page views, I have promised to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.

In a Speedo.

With Carton by my side.

You have to love how Patriots quarterback Tom Brady responded to Plaxico Burress' prediction that the Giants would win, 23-17.

"We're only going to score 17 points?" Brady said. Then he chuckled.

"OK. Is Plax playing defense? I wish he had said 45-42 and gave us a little credit for scoring more points."

Perfect.

Laugh it off, just as Giants center Shaun O'Hara did after being accused of being a dirty player by Packers defensive end Aaron Kampman. O'Hara played along, saying he showered every day and even used conditioner every once in a while.

The moment has arrived.

Three days and counting to Giants-Patriots, and it is time to weigh in.

Giants or Patriots. Make your choice. BBiB! remains the official scorer.

We'll wait until a bit later in the day before making our prediction official, although you can probably find it somewhere in our voluminous wall-to-wall coverage of the game in today's special section in Newsday.

In the meantime, you can chew on our five-point plan to beat the Patriots.

Here are the current standings:

Blogger/ Wins/ Points differential

1. BG 5 7

2. Poppy 5 10

3. DC Jets Fan 5 34

4. bigfroe 4 21

5. Karl 4 43

6. tenn tom 3 1

7. Richie G 3 7

8. BNG 3 14

9. Chilkoot 3 22

10. NKR 3 53

11. BBiB! 2 1

12. Best 2 96

13. Chris Mascaro 2 111

14. Hookslide 1 53

Newsday Jets beat writer and video host extraordinaire Tom Rock and former Jerry Springer security guard Steve Wilkos, who now has his own talk show.

Thanks to Joe M. for this brilliant call.

Pats receiver Randy Moss was asked a few minutes ago at the Patriots' press conference in Scottsdale what he thought of the Giants' decision to dress in black suits on their way to Arizona.

The Giants insisted the black suits were their way of showing that they were on a business trip, but some press box wags suggested it looked as if they were dressing for the funeral. Of the Patriots' unbeaten season, perhaps?

Moss cracked: "We'll see who's wearing black on Monday."

Plaxico Burress all but guaranteed a Giants' win by predicting a 23-17 score on Sunday, and he didn't back off from his boast during Media Day yesterday.

We've already received a couple of e-mails from angry Giants fans questioning why we would dare write anything critical of Burress, or any other Giants players, for that matter. One reader suggested it sounded like we were writing for a Boston paper, and not one of the Giants' "hometown" papers

Whoa.

Last I checked, Sam Zell was signing my checks, not John Mara. So pardon the criticism.

Then again, Mr. Mara himself wasn't too happy with Burress "chirping" this week, so we'll see where it goes from here.

On the way to the Giants' presser in Chandler, Ariz., so we'll see how it's going there.

One of the best things about covering the Super Bowl is running into Los Angeles Times columnist T.J. Simers, whose irreverent sense of humor is one of the real treats of our business. Then again, some of the folks he rips with surgical precision and comedic wit might not feel that way, but we've always considered T.J.'s edgy columns a cut above.

Check out his take on Media Day through the eyes of his 2-year-old granddaughter, and you'll know what we're talking about. He even includes a riff from our impromptu 6:30 a.m. chat at Starbuck's yesterday in the column.

Again, the man is a born blogger, even if he'll never indulge in the craft.

Actually, the team's co-owner, Steve Tisch, has also predicted the Giants will beat the Patriots on Sunday in Super Bowl XLII.

Perhaps it doesn't carry quite as much weight as a player of Burress' stature calling for a 23-17 win, but when the boss is guaranteeing a win, maybe you can't blame the players.

You will not be seeing John Mara predicting the outcome, because he's been around too long and would never think of breaking his father's rules about this sort of thing. Wellington Mara said he'd always expect the worst, and hope for the best. Never, ever, ever would he guarantee the outcome of a game.

Again, these people can say what they want, and they can get the Giants as juiced up as they liked. But my preference has always been to show a little restraint before the game, show what you've got during the game, and then thump your chest afterward.

The Giants have become a very likeable team this year in large measure because they have said little and done much, living out Tom Coughlin's catchphrase he printed on t-shirts handed out during the preseason: "Talk is cheap. Play the game."

But all this chatter in the days leading up to the big game run counter to that mindset. Do they still have a chance to win the game? Sure. But why give the opposition something to rally around, especially the three-time Super Bowl winning Patriots, who seem to revel in such verbal salvos.

First, Plaxico Burress predicts to a reporter that the final score on Sunday will be 23-17, just before he and his teammates board a bus yesterday for Newark Airport and their trip to Phoenix.

Back page headline.

But earlier today, Burress only fanned the flames by backing up his prediction with more bold talk about how the Giants shouldn't back down from the Patriots. Not that they should back down, but there might be just a tad less explosive way to say so than to tell a horde of reporters at your podium on Media Day.

"We don't have to take a back seat to these guys," Burress said of the 18-0 Patriots. "We didn't get here by luck. Quiet confidence is one of the best characteristics to have."

But Burress wasn't being so quiet about his confidence.

"Why come here with a negative attitude?" he said. "The goal is to go out and be great. Like [Eli Manning] tells me, 'Let's go out and be great.' I pat him on the buttocks and say let's go out and play."

Burress also accused the Patriots of having "a quiet arrogance."

Asked why he picked 23-17 as the final score, he said, "That was the first thing that came to my mind."

Hmmm. Wonder what's gonna be posted on the Patriots' bulletin board this morning.

Lt. Col. Greg Gadson, the Iraq war veteran who has become a part of the Giants' inner circle this season, it was impossible not to react.
I know we're supposed to be objective and impartial observers when we go about our duties in the field of journalism, but while researching and interviewing people for my story in today's newspaper about

Listening to this man's brush with death on the streets of Baghdad, and the moving tributes from his friends, Giants players and coaches, it was difficult not to become emotional. Regardless of your opinion of the controversial war, the experiences of the people in it - especially the ones like Gadson, whose lives are forever altered because of what they go through - are intensely emotional and humanize the situation.

Gadson has had a profound effect on the Giants by sharing his experiences and attending games on the sidelines throughout the playoffs. He will be there again on Sunday in the greatest game of all.

I know we joke around on this blog an awful lot, but please take a moment and read this man's story. He truly is an inspiration.

It is one of the wackiest days on the pro sports calendar, and produces some nutty performances by both players and media members alike.

That's what happens when you turn 3,000 wretches like us loose on the two teams who earned the right to play in the Super Bowl.

It's generally a harmless exercise in collecting cliches and trying to scream out questions to players and coaches, but we'll try and fill you in on all the goings-on of Media Day.

Newsday's intrepid web writer extraordinaire, Jim Baumbach, attending his first Super Bowl and thus his first Media day, will bring along his video camera to show you all the action. Jim and I plan to give you a tour through the various attractions, so you'll be able to see the madness for yourself through the eyes of the blogger you trust to deliver your NFL information.

It's really the only big news of the week, as far as the Patriots are concerned. And it was a welcome sight to see their quarterback, who missed three practices last week, work out with the team earlier today.

According to pool reporter Dan Pompei, NFL columnist for the Chicago Tribune, Brady did limp slightly but participated in all portions of the practice session.

It is a cliche to say that sportswriters whine, because we are accused of doing it far too often.

Case in point: Newsday colleague Neil Best and New York Post columnist Mike Vaccaro are already whining about the fact that it was raining in Phoenix when they arrived yesterday.

As we speak, the sun is out, and it's a glorious day. But no, these two seasoned professionals, both of whom ought to know by now that NO ONE CARES IF WE ARE INCONVENIENCED, NOR SHOULD THEY.

Best is an accomplished journalist who was selected as Newsday's co-blogger of the year along with Mark La Monica. And Vaccaro is a terrific columnist who has worked all over the country. He also has this annoying habit of writing superb columns in the time it takes us to transcribe post-game quotes (sorry, I'm whining, but it really is annoying, especially because he's so good).

Anyway, memo to Best and Vaccaro: You are hereby barred from publicly complaining about any aspect of the Super Bowl for the rest of the week.

That's not what I'm saying. And that's probably not what NKR is saying.

But according to an e-mail I just received from a public relations guy representing the dating website OKCupid.com, Brady appears to be slipping in the eyes of singles (baby backlash perhaps? mounting animosity toward the Patriots? the oh-so-perfect supermodel girlfriend?).

In a recent survey of 1,900 singles conducted by OkCupid.com, Brady was ranked 7th among single quarterbacks when it came to attractivenes. Who won? Ravens quarterback Kyle Boller, who hasn't done much on the field but is at least good looking.

Some other highlights of the poll:

* In the battle between this year’s Super Bowl quarterbacks, Eli Manning edges out Tom Brady on the hotness scale, being ranked a 3.05 out of 5 compared to the New England Patriot star’s 2.74.

* Kurt Warner of the Arizona Cardinals was named the most attractive married quarterback overall in the NFL. He was closely followed by Joey Harrington of the Atlanta Falcons, who took the number 2 spot.

* According to singles, the least attractive married quarterback, Jeff Garcia of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is married to the best looking wife, Carmella DeCesare.

If I had an agent and were going into a contract year at Newsday, I'd have him let the bosses know that we are on quite a roll of back page pieces. With today's article about Tom Coughlin and Bill Belichick's roots back to the Bill Parcells era, that makes five straight weekday back pages dating back to last Tuesday.

That's the column we wrote while snowed in at the Milwaukee airport. It was about how the Giants had "it" and why "it" could be a huge factor in their chances against the Patriots this Sunday. We've scored every weekday back page ever since. And if we don't screw up our story for tomorrow, we might make it six in a row.

I generally despise people who draw attention to themselves in this fashion, and I'll understand completely if you feel the same way after this self-indulgent babble. But Neil Best, who has a scoop about nothing that is currently the lede story on our website, has told me that life is inherently unfair and that the only way to make it is to draw attention to yourself and thus get more page views. Thus, the more self-indulgent prattle you can produce, the greater your chances for career enhancement.

Another blog-is-life truism.

We'll try and blog as frequently as possible from out here, and it certainly helps that we've got the Internet air card to keep in touch even while in the strange places you invariably come across at Super Bowls.

Just getting started here and anticipate a week filled with plenty of hype, stupid questions and the general nonsense that goes on at these places where 3,000 media types descend.

Neil Best apparently made it into town, so we'll catch up to him later on as our blog wars continue. In the meantime, check back for updates.

Talk soon. For now, we've ordered an egg-white omlette - or omelet as NKR likes to spell it - and have an important story to write for tomorrow's newspaper.

Jim Fassel remains in the running to get the Redskins' head coaching job, and Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is on their radar, although the Redskins can't talk to him until after the Super Bowl.

Enter another name onto the rumor mill: former Lions and 49ers coach Steve Mariucci. He's now a commentator with the NFL Network.

Mariucci has some ties with Redskins vice president Vinny Cerrato from their days together in San Francisco, so the idea makes some sense.

After an NFL source sent us a tip about the possibility, I ran over to the Media Center tonight to catch up to Mariucci on the set of the NFL Network broadcast, and he seemed a touch uncomfortable when I brought up the subject.

"I'm working for the NFL Network now," he said.

I asked if he'd talked to the Redskins about the job, and he replied, "There's nothing to it. All I'm doing it working for the NFL Network."

Tom Brady is speaking to the assembled media in Arizona, and he said he plans to practice this week after missing the team's practices last week with an ankle injury. Brady confirmed he hurt the ankle in the third quarter of last week's win over the Chargers in the AFC Championship Game.

My wife saw Michael Strahan on television not long ago and wondered why a guy with all that money wouldn't have his front teeth fixed to remove the huge gap. I told her Strahan believes it's his trademark, and that he'd no longer be as distinctive without it.

I also told her I once wrote that the gap was so big you could drive a Chevrolet through it.

Strahan addressed the matter in his recently released autobiography, "Inside the Helmet: Life as Sunday Afternoon Warrior." Turns out he didn't like the gap either, but eventually has come to embrace it.

"People love to talk about the gap between my teeth and now I've got a secret to admit - I never wore a mouthpiece because I was secretly hoping I'd get a tooth knocked out so the dentist would have to fix the gap! ... I can't get it fixed now because it's become my physical trademark. But hey, if Orlando Pace knocked it out, well, gee, doc, I guess you better just fix it. Just make sure you leave the gap."

Strahan said the funniest ribbing he's ever gotten from the gap came during a preseason game in 2006 against the Jets.

"I don't know how they coordinated it, but a whole section [of Jets fans] started pelting me with chants of "orth-o-dontist, da da da-da-da! orth-o-dontist, da da da-da-da!" Jets fans are as bad as Eagles fans, but this chant was clever."

Sorry for the hysterical headline, but we're in a pitched battle to defeat Neil Best for January page views, so we've got to attract attention somehow. Besides having our head superimposed on David Hasselhoff's body, of course.

Anyway, Michael Strahan delivered one of the best quotes ever yesterday during his media session at Giants Stadium. Someone asked him how he'd feel if he'd retired and the Giants went to the Super Bowl the next year, as is the case with Tiki Barber.

"You don't know how many times I said if I quit and we went to the Super Bowl and won, I'm coming back here and hold somebody hostage until I get a ring," Strahan said. "I understand Tiki made his decision and I know he has no regrets. . . . If he says it doesn't bother him I'll take his word for it that it doesn't. But if I were at home it would bother the heck out of me. I'm telling you."

Credit the folks at Kentucky Fried Chicken for trying to drum up some publicity in advance of Super Bowl XLII.

Donna Goodison of the Boston Herald reports KFC said it would donate $260,000 to a charity if a player from the Giants or Patriots would do the wing-flapping dance for three seconds in the end zone during the Super Bowl to help with their national promotion.

Not so fast.

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said if a player does the dance, he may face a fine because KFC is not affiliated with the league.

Nice try.

Now, how about this idea: If KFC is offering that kind of dough for a silly dance in the endzone, what about donating the $260,000 to a worthy charity anyway.

ag on whether Osi Umenyiora was talking trash about Patriots offensive tackle Matt Light:
"I don't think that's necessarily trash talk, but why does it seem like players such as Light and Seymour are getting pointed out when the ones who are clearly dirty like Wilfork (ask Losman and Jacobs) and Vrabel (Mr. leg whip) aren't being called out. I've always thought the idea of "bulletin-board material" was overrated but the way our Giants have been exploiting the disrespect and "us against the world" angles have changed my mind!"

Luke on how an addicition to Glauber Nation blog posts and Conan O'Brien's resemblance to the woman president of Finland is greatly reducing his intellectual pursuits:
"When I had some downtime at work I used to read interesting articles about social issues and world affairs. Now I'm googling a woman who looks like Conan O'Brien and watching paparazzi footage of Tom Brady leaving his girlfriends house. What has become of me... I blame you Mr. Glauber."

(I apologize, Luke.)

Poppy on our Nan's definitions of "a lot" and "it":
"Your Nan was right...if you have a close-knit family, you'll always have "a lot" and you'll never be without "it."

You think I'm kidding?

I vowed in a previous blog post that I would walk across the Brooklyn Bridge in a speedo alongside WFAN morning talk show host Craig Carton if I beat Neil Best in this month's page views.

Best threw down the gauntlet after we relayed a look-a-like of him and Uncle Leo of Seinfeld fame, saying that the gloves are off and he's looking to crush me like a bug in the January page views.

Well, Best, my gloves are off, too, and I will do everything in my power to kick your ever-loving tush. Again, the world is your oyster when it comes to blog post material, so I cannot weigh in on such controversies as Imus or Roger Clemens or whatever the hot news of the day is.

I have football, and I dabble in look-a-likes, and that's about it. You want to gloat over beating an NFL guy in page views when you've got TV producers falling all over themselves to get you to write their tidbits in your blog? Fine. Go right ahead.

You may beat me in January yet again, Best, and if you do, I'm sure you'll try and humiliate me with some more blog smack talk.

But if I do somehow pull this off, Newsday will enjoy the greatest public relations stunt in the paper's glorious history, and you will be left to wallow in your own misery in the basement.

Bring it on.

NKR, BBiB! you are my official co-campaign managers. I will hold you personally responsible for making this thing work.

Steelers receiver Hines Ward was blindsided by comment made by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who reportedly approached the team about acquiring a tall wide receiver to help him in the red zone.

Huh?

Big Ben, who won a Super Bowl two years ago with the 6-foot Ward winning MVP honors, wants a Plaxico Burress type receiver, hoping the Steelers can find said receiver in the draft or in free agency.

Not surprisingly, Ward responded with shock about the comments, according to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

"I'm always going to ask for a tall receiver," Roethlisberger said in an interview with the Post-Gazette. "That's just me. Our receivers are unbelievable, but our tallest guy might be Hines. Or Santonio [Holmes]. Hines is going to say he's 6 foot, but he's 5-11."

Said Ward: "I don't hear Tom Brady or Peyton Manning asking for that. I don't know, whatever he says. I have no idea. To me, it's a rare combination of receivers out there who are good and tall. We won a Super Bowl, we didn't have a tall receiver then. I don't see Tom Brady caring about who's tall or not. He got Randy this year, but he did it before without him.''

More Ward: "To me, I have enough problems to worry about than what Ben wants -- I can't give him the contract. He wants a tall receiver? Why did we draft Santonio (Holmes)?"

Holmes, who stands 5-11, led the Steelers with eight touchdowns and 942 yards receiving last season, on 52 catches. His 18.1 yards per catch were higher than any of the top 50 receivers in the NFL. Ward led them with 71 receptions despite playing much of the season with a sprained knee and caught seven touchdown passes. Nate Washington, who stands 6-1, was third with 29 catches.

Giants receiver Amani Toomer is usually one of the most laid back guys in the locker room.

But in an unusually passionate plea to his teammates, he told them not to be satisfied just getting to the Super Bowl, but to make sure to go out and win it.

Sounds like an obvious thing to say, but Toomer believes in retrospect that the 2000 Giants were not emotionally prepared enough to compete with the Ravens. Toomer said it took a long, long time to get over that loss. Longer than you might think.

It seems our look-a-like of Neil Best and Uncle Leo from Seinfeld has gotten through to Best as no other insult we've ever hurled his way.

He even did a blog post on the whole thing, putting up a picture of Glauber look-a-like Tom Crean. We wholeheartedly agree that Crean and Glauber are a dead-on match, maybe the scariest look-a-likes on the planet.

In fact, we are getting closer and closer to a face-to-face meeting with Crean. When I was in Milwaukee for Giants-Packers, I found an Irish pub called "Mo's" for a late-night snack. I noticed a poster in the window of the bar, publicizing Crean's weekly radio show broadcast live from the place every Monday night.

(Crean coaches the men's basketball team at Marquette, which is in Milwaukee.)

I went up to one of the hosts of the bar and told him that I'm often compared to Crean, and he seemed a bit spooked by the resemblance. I told said host to tell Crean that an NFL writer from Newsday who looks just like him was asking for him.

I vow to meet Crean face-to-face at some point this college basketball season. I want to just walk up to him and have him look at me and act as if he's seen a ghost. Or else his long-lost twin brother he never knew he had.

(Editor's note: Best vows to crush me in the January page views, although we're 99.9 percent he will do just that. Our audience here is far more targeted than his, since he gets to post news on the entire world of sports, controversies and personalities, from Don Imus, to Mike Francesa, to Tiger Woods, to Roger Clemens. Nevertheless, we will continue our relentless quest to keep up with him, secure in the knowledge that we are now deep inside his oversized cranium that bears an incredible resemblance to Uncle Leo.)

(Additional editor's note: Best says if he doesn't crush me in the January page views, he's going to ask WFAN's Craig Carton to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge in a Speedo one more time. To which I said that I would walk across the bridge in a Speedo right next to him if I win the battle. So get to it, people. Hit this blog over and over and over again, and have your friends do the same thing. We'll get Newsday's official page views counter Mark La Monica to fudge the numbers, and we'll get the best publicity stunt Newsday has ever seen.)

Even Best has to get a chuckle out of this one of him and the quirky Seinfeld character. Then again, not sure if Mrs. Watchdog would agree. Thanks to Dave W. for this one.

Scroll down a bit and look to the right and you'll see Best talk about the Super Bowl.

The bosses sent us an e-mail just a little while ago telling us about a chance to win free airfare and tickets for 2 to the Super Bowl in Phoenix.

We are not eligible for the contest (then again, we're going anyway, so no worries there), nor are our families. But we've been told to tell all our friends. So with all the time we spend together on this little slice of the blogosphere, I think BBiB!, Black N Gold, Craig, NKR, JeffP, Luke and the rest of Glauber Nation qualify as friends.

Here are the details:

Next week, Newsday will give two lucky readers each a chance to join the NY Giants in Phoenix, with a NY Giants Official Travel Package that includes:

* Airfare for two to Phoenix,
* hotel accommodations,
* a rental car,
* Two tickets to attend the game in the Giants Nation section,
* transportation to the game,
* entry into pre-game parties and other goodies.

Though employees and immediate family members are not eligible to win, your friends are. So do your part: tell everyone you know about this contest and that they need to enter by 11 a.m. on Monday, January 28.

There are two ways to win this fabulous prize:

The Redskins have informed former Giants coach Jim Fassel that they've decided to wait up to several more days to name a head coach. The delay could last through the Super Bowl, which means there's a chance the Redskins will explore the possibility of hiring Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo or perhaps an assistant with the Patriots.

It's an interesting twist to an already intriguing coaching search, and there may not be a resolution in the immediate term.

The three leading candidates at this point are Fassel, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, and Colts defensive coordinator Ron Meeks.

The Redskins yesterday interviewed Seahawks quarterbacks coach Jim Zorn as offensive coordinator.

From look-a-likes newcomer Matt E. The Giants' kicker and the L.A. Confidential actor.

(btw, the guy with the shades in the background isn't Tony Parker. It's Star-Ledger Giants reporter Mike Garafolo. We've done the Parker-Garafolo look-a-like.)

Courtesy of our man Jeff P:

He's awfully close.

In an interview with Bob Costas on HBO's Inside the NFL, Umenyiora had some choice things to say about Patriots offensive tackle Matt Light and their one-on-one matchup in the regular season finale.

"It was a good match up the last time," Umenyiora said. "I mean, I think I got him a couple of times, he also got me a couple of times. It was a war out there and to be honest with you, I not quite sure that he thought that he was going to see me again because of some of the things he did and said during that game. But, you know, unfortunately he does have to see me again.”

Costas: "Trash talking is one thing, you seem to be implying that he made some dirty moves. Did something happen outside the pale?"

Osi: "He was doing a couple of things that you know he shouldn’t have been."

Costas: "Like what?"

Osi: "Hitting after the delay and trying to, I don’t know if he was trying to intimidate me, I don’t know what he was trying to do, but he did a couple of things that he shouldn’t have done and, you know, now we are really going to go at it this time."

Costas: “Were there angry words?”

Osi: “A couple.”

When asked if the Patriots were a dirty team, Umenyiora said: "I wouldn’t call them a dirty team, I wouldn’t say that. I haven’t really experienced them as a team to be dirty. They have certain individuals like I am sure we have certain individuals who are perceived to be dirty but people wouldn’t call them a dirty team."

INSIDE THE NFL airs tonight (Wednesday) at 10:00 p.m. and replays Thursday at 8:00 p.m., Friday at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday at 11:00 a.m. ET/PT on HBO.

With the Falcons poised to name Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Smith as their new head coach, former Jags defensive end was somewhat surprised at the news.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution beat reporter Steve Wyche quoted Wiley as saying this on this morning's ESPN First Take: "I was looking at this saying, 'Wow they went way down low on the totem pole for this,' I say this because when I was in Jacksonville, Jack Del Rio was the defensive coordinator. ... Mike Smith, I won't say he was a puppet figure, but at the same time, Mike Smith wasn't the guy guys in the locker room respected. He wasn't the one you looked at and said, 'OK, he's our leader.' ... We just knew he was standing in front of the room while Jack Del Rio called the shots."

Ouch.

Journalists generally cringe when asked to do fan stories, especially around the Super Bowl. These assignments don't really bother me all that much; if asked, I write them.

But Chris the Giants fan is a bit more unique than most.

I saw him at the gym this afternoon, during a short break in Newsday's relentless coverage of the G-men's advance to Super Bowl XLII.

Chris is one of the most phenomenal athletes at the gym. He's in his early 20's and has cerebral palsy. He rolls up to the workout area in a wheelchair, and parks it near the exercise equipment. He then gets down on his hands and knees, and crawls over to the exercise bike about 50 feet away.

He then climbs onto the bike, and pedals away. For close to an hour. With a perpetual smile on his face.

I was made aware of the fact a while back that Chris is a huge Giants' fan, as is his personal trai