Before I get to the Best of the Year, I have a few people I’d like to thank. This blog required a team effort from start to finish. In October of 2008, my initial entry for the Top Blogger Contest was accepted along with nine other finalists. At that point, I needed all of my friends and family to show their support during the online vote. No one sent more people to the WEEI.com site during that contest than my sister, Erin, and my best friend, Pat Reen. Thank you to everyone who voted and pushed others to vote, particularly Erin and Pat.

I’d like to thank my wife for her patience with this endeavor. She has shown nothing but support from the beginning. We got married in August, so this wasn’t exactly the ideal year for me to take on a time-consuming second job, but she encouraged me every step of the way. My wife has spent a lot of late nights listening to the sound of the keyboard. Thank you, Lilly.

My brother, B.J., has been a key contributor to this blog on a daily basis. He has pitched jokes, brainstormed ideas and delivered feedback literally every single day. If you enjoyed the blog, it is, in part, because you enjoyed my brother’s sense of humor. B.J., I wouldn’t have been able to do this five days a week for an entire year without your help. I can’t thank you enough.

Finally, thank you to everyone who took the time to read the blog. Some people ventured to this site every day, regardless of the subject matter. I wish I could come up with something better to say than thank you. You made the process extremely enjoyable.

I’m hoping I’ll be able to return to the WEEI.com site at a later date. For now, I’ll be taking a month off. Before I say goodbye, let’s rehash the year that was.

Worst Idea: Before the blog even started in January, one of WEEI.com’s designers asked me to submit an idea for a header for my blog. If you don’t know what a header is, it’s the section at the top of this page, where I’m posing on a baseball field with about eight other 1940s reporters. I know what you’re thinking: “That header was a bad idea.” No, it gets worse. My original idea was to have a picture of me looking back at Boston as lightning struck the city. I even went into the WEEI offices for a photo shoot. The final photo made me look like a vampire with face paint. No one at WEEI was excited about that idea. We moved on. But for your benefit, I saved the creepy photo. It’s posted here.

Would you read this blog? (WEEI)

Worst Blog Post: In the opening weeks of the blog, I felt like I needed to hit a home run every day. I’d brainstorm for hours, trying to think of an interesting column that no one else would write. During Super Bowl week, I wrote a parody column about Media Day. I guarantee that if you read that column again, you won’t laugh once. The lone comment is from someone who told me there’s nothing worse than someone who has to explain his bad jokes. Welcome to the blogosphere.

Best (and Only) Link to Deadspin: On Jan. 30, I ran a Best of the Week column that linked to a story about Edgerrin James’ purchase of a white Lamborghini. James had the car shipped to Tampa so that he could show it off during the week of the Super Bowl. Somehow, my column was linked on Deadspin.com as the source for the breaking story. At that point, I thought I’d have a long, link-sharing relationship with the folks at Deadspin. As it turned out, that was my only column that appeared on their site.

Best Column Parody: On a few separate instances, I wrote parody columns in the voices of famous columnists or sports figures. I started with a Dan Shaugnessy parody in February, continued with a mock love letter from Bill Belichick to Tom Brady on Valentine’s Day and went to the well again with a mock Bill Simmons mailbag in March. Following Ted Kennedy’s passing in August, I put myself in Curt Schilling’s shoes and declared my candidacy for the United States Senate. Finally, following my family’s annual Labor Day Wiffle Ball game, I delivered my best Peter King impression, writing about the affair with the same intensity that King reserves for a Montclair High field hockey contest.

Best Celebrity Interviews: When I think back on the year of blogging, my fondest memory will be the daily interaction with the most dedicated readers in the comments section. A close second will be the opportunity to interview some of my heroes in the sports world. I had a chance to interview The Boston Globe’s Bob Ryan, Celtics great Tommy Heinsohn, Boston Marathon race director Dave McGillivray, Celtics great Bob Cousy, Lowell boxing legend Micky Ward, long-time WBZ-TV anchor Bob Lobel and Boston Globe and Sports Illustrated columnist Leigh Montville.

Worst Professional Slight: It’s no secret that WEEI.com has grown almost exponentially in the last year. The page views have increased each month for as long as I’ve been included on the internal e-mail chain. Back in March, before the website was stocked with talented beat writers, I was assigned the task of providing insight on the NCAA basketball tournament. To say I follow college basketball from a distance would be generous. I attempted to throw my hat in the ring by drafting a College Wish List of Sweet 16 Teams. Admittedly, it wasn’t my most informed column. Boston sports media critic David Scott took issue with the piece in his review of the overhauled site, linking to my column with the description, “not yet ready for prime-time.” I’ll place that day as one of the low points of the Thanks For Playing blog.

Best Perks of the Job: I was able to play the role of professional journalist on a few different occasions. I secured a media pass for both nights (Sweet 16 and Elite Eight) of last year’s NCAA basketball tournament in Boston. I also went to Cooperstown, N.Y., for Jim Rice’s induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. My favorite moment came after the Elite Eight game between Villanova and Pittsburgh when I finally dropped the “professional” from professional journalist and asked Villanova point guard Corey Fisher to compare his game to that of Los Angeles Lakers point guard Derek Fisher (no relation).

Worst Jump-to-Conclusions Moment: My advice for all future bloggers: Don’t attempt to write a column within six hours of attending a Red Sox game as a fan. I made this mistake on April 27 after the Sox finished off a three-game sweep of the Yankees. The column is the definition of “overstated.” I argued that the one Sox game I had attended at that point in the season marked a turning point in the Sox-Yanks rivalry, and the Sox would forever be the Yankees’ superior. That one hasn’t withstood the test of time.

Best Comment-Inspired Idea: One of my goals this year was to generate enough comments/e-mail responses to run a mailbag without having to make up any questions under false aliases. I achieved that feat for the first time when 15-20 Orlando Magic fans responded to a pro-Celtics column on May 6. Needless to say, they were angry. All the better for my inaugural mailbag!

Best Commenter Battle: Following a Joke Book on May 19, a former participant in the Top Blogger Contest, Moonlight Graham, came forward with a critique of my blog. Before all was said and done, at the end of the 23-comment foray, The Gravy and Moonlight Graham were pinned against each other in a commenter faceoff, which included a proposed Wiffle Ball game and an exchange of photos of each commenter’s respective girlfriend.

She's reading my blog. (AP)

Best Birth of a Commenter: On June 28, I posted a tongue-in-cheek “Favre should give us a heroic comback” column. This spawned the birth of FavreSuperfan! who has spent the last six months worshipping all things Favre, including Wrangler jeans, the aw-shucks attitude and his generally fun demeanor.

Best Turning Point: Just like anything else, blogging is an acquired skill. The more you do it, the better you’ll be. I’d say it took about six months for me to develop my blogging legs. My break-through column was posted July 13, when I authored an Eckersley Glossary, poking fun at the vocabulary of NESN replacement Red Sox analyst Dennis Eckersley. The first version drew 29 comments. That inspired me to author a revised Eckersley Glossary on July 21.

Worst Fallout From the Trip to the Hall: On July 24, I announced I’d be serving as the WEEI.com representative in Cooperstown for Jim Rice’s induction to the Baseball Hall of Fame. The fans of another WEEI.com blogger took issue with my assignment, and the result was one of the nastiest days of commenting in Thanks For Playing history.

Best Break From the Blog: Today’s blog is the 255th posting on Thanks For Playing. There have been 1,002 comments (and counting). Over the 52 weeks, I took a grand total of two weeks of vacation — following my wedding on Aug. 1. My brother continued his best-man duties beyond the wedding, posting five blogs in my absence. My personal favorite: The Ode to Commenters.

Worst NFL Picks Column: In September, I entered the NFL season full of confidence in my handicapping abilities. I kicked off the season with my preseason Super Bowl predictions and vowed to make weekly picks (against the spread) for the entire NFL season. In a bit of foreshadowing, I picked the Steelers to beat the Falcons in the upcoming Super Bowl. I encourage anyone to try to pick games incorrectly for an entire season. I bet you wouldn’t post a record as bad as mine. I thought about moving on without sharing my overall season record. But I’ve always been forthcoming with you. So here’s the overall record: I posted a 5-11 record in Week 16 to finish the season at 106-130-4. I assume you’re not looking for my Week 17 picks? OK, then.

Best Twitter Correspondence: After I ripped Eagles offensive guard Shawn Andrews in a September version of my Most Wanted List, I decided to spark up a conversation with the “injured” headcase on Twitter, a site I had yet to figure out. Andrews gave me permission to post our Twitter conversation on my blog. My highlight: I attempted to befriend the self-proclaimed “Da Big Kid” by relating to his love for sleeping: “Is there a better feeling than waking up with your face caked to your pillow in drool? I say no. Da Big KID!!!!!”

Best Ill-Advised Day Off: When I first started the blog, I was under the impression that page views are solely related to the quality of each particular post. Later in the year, I realized that posting a quality column is the bare minimum. Timing is also important. If I posted a strong column on a national holiday, no one would read it. If I posted a strong column at 11 p.m., fewer people would read it than if I saved the same column for 6 a.m. the next day. Taking that into consideration, I decided to take a trip to Vermont on Columbus Day weekend. I gave myself Columbus Day off because I didn’t want to waste a blog when I figured no one would be reading. Well … on the Sunday before Columbus Day, the Red Sox’ season ended and the Patriots lost to the Broncos. It was probably one of the five biggest days of the year in Boston sports. I posted nothing and spent Columbus Day in Vermont — without cell phone service — as Rob Bradford, my parents, my brother and a few friends attempted to check on me to see if I was still alive.

Trouble on the Home Front: They say you should never bite the hand that feeds you, and I did the opposite when I drafted a Men’s Guide to Thanksgiving. The column shared some old-school 1950s family values, which included scenes that involve all of the women slaving away in the kitchen while the men drink beer and watch football. Some people (men) liked it, others (women) didn’t. In an attempt to make it all better, I went to the opposite extreme in the Men’s Guide to Christmas.

Best Misuse of a Headline: During the NFL season, the Monday blog post can be a grind. I either had to post on Sunday night, which can be tricky after a day of “indulgence,” or I had to set my alarm for early Monday morning, so that I could post a column before 9 a.m. On Monday morning, Dec. 14, I posted a follow-up column after Randy Moss’ tough game against the Panthers. I basically said that Moss mailed it in, but I made the point that the Patriots needed Moss moving forward. I encouraged Belichick and Co. to massage Moss’ psyche. After 90 minutes of writing, I started to wonder if anyone would even read the column, since it was going to be posted at 9 a.m. on the day after a Patriots game. I started to get frustrated that all of my hard work would be a waste. So I threw a headline on the column, “It’s time for Moss to go.” Then I went back to sleep. I awoke to 19 comments, many of which were surprisingly negative.

Let’s get a drum roll for the big finish!

Story of the Year: It has to be the Tiger Woods story, and I wrote plenty about it. First, I posted a breakdown of all of Tiger’s post-Thanksgiving news up through Dec. 2. To my knowledge, that was the first story I ever wrote that reached No. 1 on WEEI.com’s list of most popular stories of the day. I followed it up by repeating the feat the next day with my Tiger Mailbag.

Quote of the Year: On Oct. 11, Tiger Woods posted the following message on his Facebook page. The message has since been removed from the page.

“I’m asked why people don’t often see me and Elin in gossip magazines or tabloids,” Tiger wrote. “I think we’ve avoided a lot of media attention because we’re kind of boring …”

E-mail of the Year: I’ve been sitting on this e-mail from my brother since Week 1 of the NFL season, waiting for the perfect time to break it out. Unfortunately, my brother had to move out of his previous apartment before he would give me permission to run it. Here it is.

“This story should go right at the top of the list of people who ‘let Week 1 get away from them.’ So I have two cop roommates — a guy and a girl who are dating. Yesterday, the guy goes to the bar for a marathon 12-8 session. He gets home and decides he needs to get himself set for work tomorrow. So he decides to clean his gun after his girlfriend (my other roommate) told him not to. So he tells her to mind her own business. He then goes downstairs and while attempting to disassemble the gun, he fires a loaded weapon. So he shot a gun in the house, through a couch, then through the floor. At that point, neighbors call police and there are five officers in the house, discussing the issue. So if anyone thinks they had trouble drinking on Sunday, you have nothing on my man.

“Anyway, my roommates aren’t speaking at all and I’d say they have a 60 percent chance of breaking up. So now no one is comfortable in the house. That, for some reason, makes me more comfortable. I’m doping around the kitchen freely last night, controlling the TV.

“Greatest subplot of that gun-toting story that anyone who has seen me sleep is enjoying: I didn’t wake up for even a second. A gun was fired, a woman screamed, an argument followed, five cops entered the house, they made the bullet a crime scene, and I was off to work Monday morning none the wiser.”

Commenter of the Year: I said yesterday this came down to three commenters: TheGravy, FavreSuperfan! and KD. Each had his own style. KD took a light, humorous approach, using each of his posts as an opportunity to diffuse a building conflict. He commented for the first time on Feb. 25 and most recently yesterday. KD takes third place.

Post for post, FavreSuperfan! might be the best commenter on this site. I’ve had people send me e-mails specifically to relay their appreciation for FavreSuperfan! I’ve also had people tell me they hate FavreSuperfan! If people are commenting about your commenting, you’re doing something right. FavreSuperfan’s aw-shucks approach and consistent, top-notch humor earns him second place. He was hurt by the fact that he didn’t enter the discussion until late June.

The award goes to TheGravy. No commenter has provoked more scorn and feedback from fellow commenters. At different times throughout the year, TheGravy played the role of Wiffle Ball guru, ombudsman, book peddler, prognosticator, vocabulary wiz, comedian and level-headed observer. He commented on the first post, and I’m sure he’ll comment on the last. He may even make himself a trophy.

Tip of the Year: If you haven’t had enough of me after 255 columns, follow me here on Twitter. Or friend me on Facebook. If you don’t have either of those tools, send me a message through the “tips and feedback” section on the right-hand portion of the page, and I’ll get back to you. Or just post a comment, and only I will be able to see your e-mail address. I’ll keep you all posted when I get back to work.

Video of the Year: Here’s a video of a normal-looking guy making some of the most difficult, trick basketball shots you’ll ever see.

Thank you again to everyone who took the time to read the blog. I sincerely appreciate it. Thank you, Tim Murphy and Rob Bradford, for putting together this opportunity and encouraging me every step of the way. It’s been a quality experience from start to finish. I learned more than I ever imagined I would.

Until next time … thanks for playing.

It’s time to roll out the final mailbag for the 2009 edition of Thanks For Playing. Yesterday, I issued a call for all mailbag questions. It’s time to provide answers. My apologies to those who didn’t make the final version. I sincerely appreciate all of the feedback.

Dan … sorry to hear you will be done this week. I didn’t miss one of your posts and enjoyed almost every one. I hope you get a gig somewhere local so we can continue to follow your very entertaining work. Thanks for a great, fun year.

– Cape Cod Scott

I have to admit, after a year of blogging, I kept waiting for the zinger at the end of that e-mail. Thanks, Scott. I really appreciate your readership. I’m sure you’re one of about … well … maybe two people who followed it from start to finish. Some days were better than others, so thanks for sticking with me.

All good things must end. (AP)

Yes, I have a question. When did you turn into a nutbar (copyright Wayne’s World 2, 1993)?

– Garth Algar

Well met, Garth. Now I have a question for you. Okay, two trains are coming at each other at 60 miles an hour, one from Chicago, one from Los Angeles …

Great job, I’ve really enjoyed your blog this year! Questions: 1. What big plans do you have for next year after being tied to the blog for a year? 2. Any offers from other websites? 3. You remind me of Bill Simmons before he lost touch with Boston and reality. How do you keep from losing your fresh perspective? Don’t become successful?

– Bruce from Derry, NH

See, that’s the zinger I’m always looking for at the end. Bruce, I appreciate the kind words. I know you didn’t mean to imply I’m an unsuccessful person. Or maybe you did. In which case, it should come as no surprise to you that I have nothing in terms of blogging lined up in my immediate future. The idea is that I’ll take some time off, recharge the batteries, and, hopefully, return to the WEEI.com site in the future.

You gave the Toeing the Rubber blogger the high, hard one, didn’t you? Work-place chemistry, high-pressure environment, similar interests … Yeah, you did, you dog, Guttenplan.

– TheGravy

Congratulations to TheGravy. I said yesterday I’d answer any and all questions, and he came up with a question that I’ll have to dodge.

I’m going to miss the blog. What do you think about the Eagles’ chances this year? I’d describe my thoughts as cautiously optimistic. We can clearly beat anybody as long as we don’t let up or make stupid mistakes. Is there a chance that we could end up playing Dallas two weeks in a row? That would be interesting.

– Jonathan Gandolfo

Thanks for the kind words, Jonathan. I agree — the Eagles have been exciting lately. It’s been kind of a weird year for Eagles fans because it’s been somewhat similar to any other year in the Andy Reid-Donovan McNabb Era, but it’s also been extremely different. On one hand, they started slow, dropped an awful game to an inferior opponent (Raiders), reeled off a six-game winning streak in November and December, and now they’re looking like a safe bet to return to the NFC Championship Game for the sixth time in nine years. On the other hand, it’s a completely different cast of players. For the first time in McNabb’s career, he has a Pro-Bowl caliber supporting cast, and it’s all young studs. DeSean Jackson is a game-changing receiver. Jeremy Maclin makes plays every game. Brent Celek is one of the better tight ends in the league. LeSean McCoy has more than filled in for Brian Westbrook. And these guys don’t choke with the game on the line. So “cautiously optimistic” is a great way to describe Eagles fans right now. We’ve been here before. We’re not letting our collective guard down. But we’re also willing to admit that we may have been wrong about Reid and McNabb if we can win out. And to answer your question about the Eagles-Cowboys potential, Jonathan, the Eagles could secure a first-round bye and a second seed with a win over Dallas this weekend.

Questions for Dan on your way out:

Who is the second toughest human of all-time?
Who is the second most fun person to be around, even if only for a second?
Who is the second most committed husband and father since God himself?
Who is the second most handsome guy ever once they reached the age of 40?
Who is the second greatest all-around person to have ever lived?

And most importantly, if you combined all these second-place guys, what is the distance that Favre would separate himself from this other superhuman?

– Favre Superfan!

Good questions, Favre Superfan! The second-toughest human of all-time would have to be Mr. T. The second-funnest person alive would have to be Zach Galifianakis. Phil Mickelson is getting a lot of love right now as the second-best husband and father. As far as second-best looking, I’d go with Nicolas Cage, 41, over Brad Pitt, 41, and Tom Cruise, 42. The second-best person to have ever lived would have to be a tie between Brett Favre’s father and mother for delivering the living legend to us. And the distance Favre separates himself from the pack can be measured by one of his tight spirals that occasionally floats into the defensive team’s secondary when he’s really having fun.

I don’t know if Superfan! caught Favre’s post-game presser; the man was dressed like an X Games competitor – more Dickies than Wrangler.

I should also mention, Gravy, the high holy of Wiffleball holies, went 5-0 on the year and solidified himself as the Grand Wizard of the perforated white round one.

My name has been on that commenter trophy since October. Next category.

– TheGravy

Look, we have 36 hours to decide on a new forum for TheGravy to share his wiffleball exploits. I’m sad that this blog is coming to an end, if for no other reason than that TheGravy’s self-promotion will only be read in e-mail format for the foreseeable future. Can someone throw out a link to a new blog so that we can all continue to read TheGravy’s ramblings?

Once I reveal my true identity as “TheGravy” and “Superfan!”, there’s no way I can lose the commenter award. KD likes to pick a few characters, give them odd personalities, and have fake arguments on random blog sites with each one.

If I don’t win, I would like to nominate one of the automatic commenters that show up in red text (Caryn Weckman is my favorite). They always have a great, generic responses to Dan’s blog. They “get it.”

Alright, folks. It’s on to the final blog. Just so everyone knows, the commenters KD, Favre Superfan! and TheGravy have three different e-mail and IP addresses. And they are the finalists for Commenter of the Year. Weigh in with your thoughts and opinions. I’ll be back tomorrow for a lengthy, year-end roundup.

It's almost time to wave goodbye. (AP)

I apologize for the short entry today, but I am busy preparing my final two posts as WEEI.com’s Top Blogger Contest winner. Here’s the plan: Tomorrow I will be taking any and all questions for one final mailbag. Send me questions through the “Tips and Feedback” tool on the right-hand portion of this page, and I’ll answer anything and everything. Do you have questions about a year of blogging for WEEI.com? I’ll answer them. Are you in need of one final breakdown of the Tiger Woods situation? I’ll provide it.

Finally, Thursday will be my final blog for a little while, and I’m planning to make it the best of the year. It will be an extended version of the normal Friday column — only this will be a Best of the Year. I’ll dish out awards like “Best Comment,” “Best Commenter,” etc. If you think you are in the running, you have two days to leave a final impression.

Thanks for hanging in there. Stay tuned for the last two days.

We have plenty of time to debate whether the Patriots (10-5) would be better served earning the No. 3 or No. 4 seed in the AFC. For now, it’s too early to argue that the Pats should angle themselves to play a second-round game at Indy instead of San Diego since we have no idea which teams will be waiting for the Pats in the wild card round. We do know that five teams with 8-7 records are vying for the two wild card berths. So let’s take a moment to assess each team and evaluate which one the Patriots would most prefer to play.

Laurence Maroney has no idea who he'd like to play. (AP)

I’ve ranked the teams, starting with the teams the Patriots most want to see in Round 1.

1. Denver (8-7): The Broncos have lost seven of their last nine games after starting 6-0. On top of that, the Patriots would be additionally motivated by the revenge factor, because they lost to the Broncos, 20-17, in Week 5. Since then, Kyle Orton’s season has gone completely in the tank. It’s gotten so bad that yesterday, during the Broncos’ loss to the Eagles, my dad watched Orton throw an interception and responded with, “Jay Cutler stinks.” If this game happens, I imagine that instead of posting an inspirational quote on the bulletin board in the Patriots locker room, Bill Belichick will just run an endless reel of Josh McDaniels running up the sidelines in celebration following his team’s Week 5 upset.

2. Houston Texans (8-7): On paper, the Texans look like a playoff team. Heck, I even predicted they’d make the playoffs in the preseason. While you’re scanning over that list of preseason predictions, you should also note that I predicted Atlanta, Chicago and Washington would earn the top three seeds in the NFC. Well, the Texans fell as flat as my predictions. They beat the bad teams and lost to the good teams. The Pats should even consider laying down against Houston this week while the Texans are fighting for their playoff lives. Then, Belichick and his staff will have all the tape they need while Gary Kubiak and Co. will have video of Brian Hoyer and BenJarvus Green-Ellis.

3. Baltimore Ravens (8-7): The Ravens obviously will be confident coming into Foxboro. That goes without saying for a team that consistently loses close games and blames the refs. The Patriots beat the Ravens, 27-21, in Week 4, but, of course, the Ravens had a variety of excuses following that loss. For one, Tom Brady supposedly lobbied for roughing-the-passer calls every time he was touched. For another, Mark Clayton dropped a fourth-down pass in the closing minute, inside the Patriots’ 10-yard line, which would have set up the Ravens, first-and-goal in the closing minute. Of course, the Ravens and their fans chalked up a dropped pass at the opposing team’s 9-yard line as a touchdown and extra point.

4. New York Jets (8-7): The Jets provide a bad matchup for the Pats, as they evidenced in their season split. Each team had its day — the Jets pulled off the 16-9 upset in the Meadowlands in Week 2, and the Patriots abused Mark Sanchez during a 31-14 victory in Week 11. The Jets could be a tough out for the following reasons: 1. Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis has proven that he can take Randy Moss out of the game. 2. The Jets have the top-ranked overall defense and passing defense in the league. 3. The Jets have the NFL’s top rushing offense, which bodes well for a January game in Foxboro. 4. The Jets no longer have the threat of Brett Favre in January.

5. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-7): This is just a bad matchup for any team. The Ravens had a chance to put the defending champs out of commission yesterday, and they failed. Now it appears as if the champs have snapped out of their late-season funk. They’ve won two in a row against potential playoff teams (Packers, Ravens), the first of which snapped a five-game losing streak. They should return safety Troy Polamalu for the playoffs. The Steelers are undefeated (4-0) when Polamalu starts and finishes a game. Pittsburgh won the Super Bowl as a No. 6 seed in 2006. Every team in the NFL will be rooting for the Dolphins to beat the Steelers on Sunday.

It’s time to put together a quick-hits version of the weekly NFL picks column. Since most of you will be released from work before 2 p.m., I’ll rip right through this so that I don’t take up too much of your day. Let’s start by glossing over my picks record.

Last week’s record: 3-11-2

Overall record: 101-119-4

Home teams in caps.

San Diego (+3) over TENNESSEE (Christmas night)

Question: Can we still consider Norv Turner an incompetent coach?

No. The Chargers have won nine straight games, and they have become every contrarian’s pick to win the Super Bowl. I’m not going to go that far, taking into account Indianapolis’ 14-game winning streak, but I will say this: Norv Turner is a quarterback-maker. He was the offensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys when Troy Aikman was winning Super Bowls. Now, he’s dialing up the same offense (vertical passing game, efficient running scheme) in San Diego. Let’s hold off on any anti-Norv talk until he blows a playoff game.

GREEN BAY (-14) over Seattle

Question: Are the Packers a threat to make a deep postseason run?

Not at all. One angle no one is exploring right now is the fact that the NFL has the opposite of parity going on this year. Two teams took undefeated records into Week 15. There are about six really good teams in the NFL (Colts, Saints, Chargers, Vikings, Eagles, Bengals), seven pretty good teams (Patriots, Giants, Cowboys, Ravens, Steelers, Cardinals, Titans), and everybody else stinks. The Packers are not in the top 13, but they’re better than every other team. They don’t beat good teams. Still, they’ll cruise into the playoffs by beating up on teams like Seattle.

Oakland (+3.5) over CLEVELAND

Question: Did JaMarcus Russell really lead a fourth-quarter comeback victory last week?

Yes, and I can’t believe I missed that in my Monday blog. If the Raiders weren’t 5-9, I’d say they were a team that no one wants to see in the first round of the playoffs. The Raiders have posted wins against the Broncos, Bengals, Eagles and Steelers. Don’t sleep on JaMarcus Russell … even if he’s sleeping through a team meeting as we speak.

CINCINNATI (-13.5) over Kansas City

Question: Who had the weirdest take on Chad Ochocinco’s tribute to Chris Henry last week?

It has to be Jim Rome. I was watching Rome Is Burning earlier this week, and he had the following take (paraphrased).

“A lot of people are ripping Chad Ochocinco this week for what they felt was a selfish tribute to a fallen teammate. These people say that Chad, once again, found a perfect opportunity to make it all about himself, and he took advantage. Look, I couldn’t disagree more.”

Rome had me for a minute. I was thinking, “My God, who would possibly criticize someone for honoring a deceased teammate?” But then it came to me. No one made that argument. Rome just came up with a crazy argument, and ripped it apart on national TV. That’s genius. On Monday, I’m going to take all of the people to task who have said that Tom Brady secretly wants Julian Edelman to replace Randy Moss.

Buffalo (+9) over ATLANTA

Question: What’s going on with Matt Ryan?

Typical Boston College graduate. His first professional experience will be a disaster as he waits for his father to find him a better job.

MIAMI (-3) over Houston

Question: Will the Patriots shut it down next week against Houston?

I would. The Pats have already clinched the AFC East. They’re not getting a first-round bye. They’ll either get the No. 3 seed behind Indy and San Diego or the No. 4 seed behind Cincinnati. Brady is currently nursing three different injuries (shoulder, ribs, throwing hand). Why not just treat the Houston game like a bye week? They’ll host a first-round game, and if they advance, they’ll play at Indy rather than at San Diego. Then they can hope Norv Turner chokes so they can play at Cincy for a chance to go to the Super Bowl. I’m not saying the Pats look like a Super Bowl team, but with a week of rest and a favorable playoff schedule, you never know. Remember — they had the Colts beat in Indy before the fourth-and-1 disaster.

GIANTS (-7) over Carolina

Question: Is the NFC East the toughest division in the league?

It has to be. The Eagles (10-4), Dallas (9-5) and Giants (8-6) can all be considered Super Bowl contenders. The Eagles will likely finish 12-4. The Cowboys beat the Saints last week. And the Giants have scored 114 points in their last three games.

NEW ORLEANS (-14) over Tampa Bay

Question: Have the Saints been exposed?

Not really. The Cowboys solved the formula for beating the Saints. Here’s how it’s done.

1. The opposing team needs an explosive offense led by a veteran quarterback, and on that particular day, it needs to score touchdowns rather than kick field goals.
2. The defense needs to be able to stop the run with its defensive front.
3. The defense needs to have a deep secondary with several players who can match up against top receivers one-on-one.
4. The special teams unit needs to play perfectly.
5. The opposing coach needs to stay out of the way.

The Saints will be playing deep into January.

NEW ENGLAND (-7.5) over Jacksonville

Question: What should we make of the NESN report that Bill Belichick apologized to the four players he kicked out of practice two weeks ago?

Don’t believe it. It never happened. First of all, Belichick offered his version of a denial on Monday, when he asked Glenn Ordway to check his sources on that rumor. Second, if Belichick felt bad about kicking the tardy foursome out of practice, then why did he bench Adalius Thomas against the Panthers? If you think the Panthers offered a bad matchup for Thomas, you’re wrong. The big lumbering linebacker is best-suited for run defense and aggressive pass-rushing schemes. Carolina has two great backs (DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart) and one awful quarterback (Matt Moore). That’s a perfect matchup for Thomas. Instead, he brought back Thomas back last week against Buffalo — a team that specializes on screens and check-downs, plays that are better defended by faster, more agile linebackers. Coach Bill didn’t feel bad about kicking Thomas and Co. out of practice, and he didn’t apologize. Strike that report from the record.

Baltimore (+2.5) over PITTSBURGH

Question: Was Mike Tomlin’s call worse than Belichick’s?

That’s debatable. Last week, Tomlin’s Steelers were up 30-28 against the Packers with 3:58 left following a Jeff Reed field goal. After watching his shaky defense for 56 minutes, Tomlin decided to go for the win by attempting an onside kick. The Packers recovered, quickly scored a touchdown, and then Tomlin’s Steelers drove the length of the field for a 37-36 win. In a way, his decision worked out. But here’s why I think Tomlin’s decision was even crazier than Belichick’s fourth-and-1 call against the Colts. When he chose to onside kick, he was effectively placing the Packers in field-goal range if his team failed to recover the kick. And he only had a two-point lead at the time. If the Packers were smart, they would have run out the clock and kicked a field goal. Also, even if the Steelers recovered with four minutes left, they might have been forced to punt with plenty of time on the clock. Why not kick it off and play defense?

Since Tomlin can’t trust his own defense, I can’t either.

PHILADELPHIA (-7) over Denver

Question: What are the Eagles missing this season?

Ironically, the Eagles are missing someone in their secondary who can cover up mistakes. That’s something they had for the previous 10-12 seasons when Brian Dawkins was playing at a Pro Bowl level in the secondary. He consistently turned potential 15-yard gains into 7-yard pickups. He was one of the surest tacklers I’ve ever seen. Now the Eagles are loaded with Asante Samuel types in the secondary, and Dawkins is playing in Denver. Not that Asante is a bad player, but you can’t have an entire secondary packed with people who jump routes rather than sticking their nose in to make a clutch tackle. That’s the downside.

On the plus side, the Eagles have everything else. They can score whenever they need to on offense. They can pick up a yard on third-and-1. They can score from the opposing team’s side of the field. They can rush the passer, stop the run and create turnovers. They just can’t tackle in the secondary. Hopefully, Dawkins can remind the Birds how it’s done this weekend.

St. Louis (+14) over ARIZONA

Question: What are my final thoughts on Kurt Warner?

I needed a week or two to process my thoughts on the fantasy football season before I made any drastic evaluations. Sometimes, it takes a week or two to decide which guys I’ll draft again and which guys I’ll move to the “do not draft under any circumstance” list. I’ve had time to think it over, and I’ll never draft Kurt Warner again. Not an enjoyable experience. You can’t win with guys like that. Get lost, Kurt.

Detroit (+12) over SAN FRANCISCO

Question: What advice do I have for people playing in a fantasy football championship game this weekend?

Never, never, never agree to split the pot before the final weekend. You’ll regret it. You’ve played all year to take home the big prize. You’ve made all the right moves to get to this point. You’ve trusted your team each and every week. Now you’re going to throw in the towel on your guys and go halfsies on a $1,000 pot? I’m not saying this is happening to anyone I know … particularly not in my league … I’m just saying it’s the wrong move.

INDIANAPOLIS (-5.5) over JETS

Question: Are the starters playing the whole game for the Colts?

It doesn’t even matter at this point. I almost think it’s better if the Colts pull their starters early in the game. It becomes so difficult to remain undefeated at this time of year because all of the opposing teams are giving their best effort to make history. I think the Colts can combat that by bringing in some new blood off of the bench. Does the backup defensive end want to be the guy responsible for blowing the undefeated season? Of course not. He’ll play out of his mind. They’re all professionals. All of these guys dominated in college. Unleash the fresh legs, Jim Caldwell.

Dallas (-7) over WASHINGTON

Question: How do you feel about the Eagles-Cowboys matchup in Week 17?

Not great. The Cowboys seem to be shaking the December slump. It was in their heads, and now it seems to be passing. That being said, I like the Eagles’ chances if they have a first-round bye at stake. A first-round bye? Sure. And that will be made possible by …

CHICAGO (+7) over Minnesota

Question: What’s going on with Brett Favre and Brad Childress?

It would be really easy to say Favre’s being selfish, and this entire feud is all his fault. But we already knew Favre was selfish. Of course a guy who retires 15 times, leaves the entire world hanging in suspense every summer and then barges back into our hearts and lives can be considered an “egomaniac.” How is Childress surprised by this? What? Favre wants to run his own plays? Of course he does. The bottom line is the Vikings were 11-2 last week, and they were leading Carolina 7-6 when Childress tried to bench Favre. Ride it out, Brad. You don’t need to get involved in this story. You flew out to Mississippi 15 times to beg Brett to be on your team. You reap what you sew. Sit back and let the Gunslinger do his thing. If you can’t have as much fun watching Favre as the rest of us, maybe it’s time for you to turn in your Wrangler jeans.

Alright, folks, I’m done until Monday. Happy holidays. Enjoy the weekend. I’ll be back next week to wrap up the year.

About a month ago, I made a mistake on this blog. Two days before Turkey Day, I provided a Men’s Guide to Thanksgiving. I really hammed it up with advice such as:

1. Men should never cross the picket line into the kitchen.
2. Nap so as to avoid doing any dishes.

That worked well for the purposes of the blog, but it didn’t work out for me personally. I shared Thanksgiving with the in-laws, and you better believe I spent plenty of time in the kitchen while logging an entire day without a nap. Obviously, the in-laws caught wind of the blog. One of my wife’s cousins even disguised her name in the comments section, calling me a fool and predicting everyone would laugh at me at the Thanksgiving table. Fortunately, she entered her legitimate e-mail address, so I was able to determine that my new cousin is not a fan of tongue-in-cheek, misogynistic humor. You live and you learn! Now it’s time to roll out a Men’s Guide to Christmas. Needless to say, I’ll be proceeding with caution so as to set myself up for a family-friendly Christmas.

Schwarzenegger knows how to react to a Christmas tree. (AP)

Christmas morning, 6 a.m.

The first thing you need to process as you roll out of bed is that this is a day to honor the women in our lives. Women (the light of our worlds) REALLY deserve to relax on this day. Ask your significant other if there are any additional presents that need to be wrapped. If you are blind-sided with the news that you may even have some last-minute shopping to do, take the news in stride. Tell your wife/girlfriend you’ll take care of it. And then deliver breakfast in bed.

Christmas morning, 7 a.m.

It’s crunch-time on the gift-giving front. If you are short a few gifts, this is the time to be creative with the I-owe-yous. Be careful what you commit yourself to. NEVER write a woman a card that includes something like, “I’ll cook you the dinner of your choice one night in 2010.” Gentlemen, cooking dinner should not be a once-a-year proposition. This is a split responsibility. (Wait, let me check with the wife on that.) Yes, it’s a SHARED responsibility. To review, offering to vacuum the house on a random Sunday in January is not a good gift. On the other hand, vowing to discontinue the practice of wiping your hands on the couch is a good start.

Christmas morning, 8 a.m.

If you’re the first to rise on Christmas morning, don’t stand over your loved one waiting for her to join you on the walk downstairs. It’s not important that you venture down to the living room together. Remember, this is her day. Find your way downstairs on your own. Put on some Christmas music. Expect that everyone will sleep until 11 a.m. so that you’re pleasantly surprised when the room fills by 9 a.m.

Christmas morning, 9 a.m.

Gentlemen, compliment the tree. An hour later, compliment the tree again. Your multiple compliments will be received with greater appreciation than if you complimented the host’s appearance twice. This tip remains in play even if the tree is synthetic or fake. Compliment that thing. “What? It’s a fake tree? So you went green this year? Good for you — less headache. You still made it look sharp.” Come back to the tree an hour later. “Are you sure this tree is fake? I’m blown away.”

Christmas morning, 9:30 a.m.

The gift-opening process can be stressful if you’re anticipating your best Christmas haul ever. If you’re old enough to read this blog, I assure you this will not be your best Christmas haul ever. You’re going to get winter socks, underwear and a few nice sweaters. Prepare yourself. Open each gift as if you’re expecting a parking citation. Then when you discover you’ve received gray, wool socks, you’ll light up. “Oh, this is perfect. I haven’t been able to find comfortable socks on my own. Thank you!”

Christmas morning, 10 a.m.

Get in the kitchen and make something happen. Serve your go-to breakfast dish. If that happens to be microwavable chicken nuggets, go with it. It’s the effort that counts. This reminds me, I spent last weekend visiting some family in Vermont. This couple takes cooking to a whole new level. Everything that comes out of their kitchen looks and tastes delicious. At some point during the weekend, we got to talking about our favorite cooking tools. Everyone shared their favorite. I heard something about a Cuisinart, a food processor and a Kitchen-Aid. Someone asked my favorite. I froze up and said, “Ummm … I’m really good with the toaster oven.” Nice one, Dan. All class.

Christmas, noon

Don’t watch the Senior Bowl. My grandfather used to come over to my parents’ house and make an annual tradition of watching this game. I presume this game meant something to folks who were born in the early 1900s because, back then, it was the perfect opportunity to see future talent. At this point, all of the best college players leave school early, and the Senior Bowl is a representation of the best players who couldn’t lead their teams to one of the 34 bowl games. So if you’re watching this game, you’re just watching sports to watch sports. And that’s not what this day is all about. Get back in the kitchen!

Christmas, afternoon

At some point on Christmas Day, you’re going to be exposed to Christmas tunes. You might go to church. You might open the front door to a slew of Christmas carols. You’ve heard so many Christmas carols over the last month, you might feel the urge to pelt one of these people with a snowball. That would be the wrong move. My wife recently shared with me that her brother is the loudest, most baritone singer whenever it comes to caroling. That’s genius. He plays it perfectly. If you are encountered by Christmas carolers, join them by singing in your loudest, proudest Christmas voice. Watch their faces drop. You’ll be met with looks of frustration and confusion. Forge ahead.

Christmas, 5 p.m.

Yes, the Cavaliers and Lakers are slated to face off on Christmas Day. Yes, it’s one of the biggest games of the NBA season to date. But you know this day isn’t about sports. So pick your spots. You can watch this game for three hours and hear every man over the age of 40 rip the players for disrespecting the game. “They don’t play the game the way they used to.” Be smart about this. Hold off on flipping by the game until the start of the fourth quarter and say something like, “Is LeBron playing today? Oh, wow. I’ve heard a lot about him. Let’s check him out.” Why suffer through four quarters when enjoying the final one is an option?

Christmas, 7:30 p.m.

You just watched the fourth quarter of the Lakers-Cavs game, and you got away with it. Quit while you’re ahead. Your choices for the remainder of the night are simple: You can watch “White Christmas,” “Christmas in Connecticut,” “The Family Stone,” “Love Actually,” “Miracle on 34th Street” or “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Don’t even venture into comedies such as “A Christmas Story.” Trust me. I’ve played this wrong in the past. I won’t play it wrong again. Now, how ’bout that Christmas tree!?

There are only three days of shopping remaining before Christmas. Just in case you’re struggling to find something for the sports fan in your life, I went ahead and sifted through eBay to find the perfect gifts.

1. The January issue of Golf Digest. This is a phenomenal stocking stuffer. The January issue of Golf Digest has Tiger Woods and Barack Obama on the cover. Obama is lining up a putt as Tiger stands behind him with a focused look on his face. The tease to the cover story reads, “10 Tips Obama Can Take From Tiger.” Buy it, frame it, gift it.

Here's your ideal stocking stuffer. (AP)

2. Rasheed Wallace Portland Trail Blazers jersey: Rasheed Wallace is racking up technical fouls at a solid clip. He leads the league with nine, which is all the more impressive when you consider the Celtics haven’t had much to complain about en route to posting an Eastern Conference-best 21-5 record. The anti-Sheed camp is growing in Boston. If you know a Sheed supporter, force him to take a stand by wearing a jersey that says, “I’m not a Celtics fan, I’m a Sheed fan. And I loved him when he was at his craziest.”

3. 1993 Cleveland Browns Media Guide: If you know someone who takes great pride in professing the philosophy, “In Bill We Trust,” go ahead and order this coffee table book. Whenever you’re watching a Pats game with the Belichick lover in your life, leaf through this media guide after every shaky fourth-and-1 call.

4. Adalius Thomas action photo: In New England, we know that any photo of Adalius Thomas in action quickly has become a collector’s item. Purchase this for a friend, and hang it next to a picture of a lunar eclipse.

5. Eric Gagne Red Sox jersey: Remember one of the finest postseason players in Red Sox history by pitching to contact in this clean, white replica.

6. Julio Lugo autographed baseball: Present this ball as a gift by fumbling it onto the ground, retrieving it and throwing it six feet over the intended recipient’s head!

7. Allen Iverson Memphis Grizzlies jersey: Commemorate Iverson’s three-game stint with the Grizzlies by scoring one of the lone jerseys that was purchased before a mass shipment went overseas following his “retirement.” Watch out for shipping costs, though, because some of the folks in foreign lands might be looking to send them back.

8. Official NBA Celtics shorts. The gift itself isn’t funny, but the months that follow are always hilarious. Every guy will get a Christmas gift that doesn’t really fit the season, like NBA shorts. He’ll drive himself crazy waiting four months for the first nice day. So you can count on your friend bringing these shorts into circulation way too soon. He might invite you to a Super Bowl party at his house, set the thermostat to 75 degrees and show off his new Christmas gift. Or he might jump the gun on the first 50-degree day in April. He’ll be jogging in place while you and your friends are waiting in line for Red Sox tickets. Either way, he’ll play this all wrong.

9. A homemade 2010 world champions T-shirt: If you know a fan of the Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans Saints, Los Angeles Lakers or Pittsburgh Penguins, go ahead and jinx your buddy’s team by prematurely making a world champions T-shirt. I’d recommend one of those goofy ones with all of the players’ faces on it. Homemade gifts are better than anything you can buy, right?

10. The Randy Moss staple: Straight cash, homey.