Fleece & Flog's Week 16 NFL Top Five

It's celebration week here at Fleece & Flog. With 2006 about to be viewed from the rear-view mirror, we thought we'd celebrate a few of the interesting achievements and special players from this NFL season --maybe an MVP or ROY vote, maybe the player most likely to be caught in a compromising position with a lemming. We hope you enjoy 2006's last installment of the Top Five and the junk that usually precedes it.

The Rookies -- who knew?: Jay Cutler has been good, Matt Leinert better and Vince Young best; Reggie Bush has been a gift for New Orleans, and that big TE class, well, they've been less than stellar. But the true greatness has been the unknowns. Maurice Jones-Drew, Marques Colston (from Hofstra!) , DeMeco Ryans, Mark Anderson, Nick Mangold and Devin Hester head an unheralded group making a name for themselves in their first NFL seasons.

All Fellatio, All the Time: Two guys earn this title. 1) The ubiquitous Peyton Manning -- the man most annoying by being on T.V. even when there isn't a game, and 2) Brett Favre -- with the slimmest of an outside shot at making the playoffs in the final game of the season, the NFL allowed NBC to move the Sunday Bears/ Packers game to prime time. Yep, New Years Eve. There are gonna be a lot of pissed of women in Chicago and Wisconsin this Sunday night.

Just Shut Up and Play: Who else? Terrell Owens

Athletes Taking Pictures of Athletes: Using a mirror, Steelers kicker (yes, the kicker) Jeff Reed decided to show off his, umm, manhood to impress some chicks he met that night. This is why camera phones are a bad thing.

Biggest Overachieving Teams in 2006: Tennessee Titans (started 0-5 before inserting VY into the lineup, since then they're 8-2), New York Jets (no Curtis Martin, a lame Chad Pennington, and a team picked to be just above the Raiders can clinch a playoff spot with a win), and the hands down surprise team of 2006, the New Orleans Saints.

Biggest Underachieving Teams in 2006: Pittsburgh Steelers (don't even make the playoffs), Miami Dolphins (many a dark-horse choice for the Super Bowl) and the Carolina Panthers (maybe that underreported steroid scandal did take a toll ,or maybe karma's a bitch.)

Coincidental Play of the Year: Devin Hester of the Bears returns a missed field goal by the NY Giants 108 yards to tie an NFL record for longest return for a TD. The previous record was set a year prior, almost to the day, by the Bears Nathan Vasher against the SF 49ers.

My MVP: Landanian Tomlinson. Marty-ball is alive and well in San Diego, and unlike Shawn Alexander, Priest Holmes and Marshall Faulk in ten years when we are talking greatest RB's ever, LDT will be included.

Onto the Top Five------------------------

1. San Diego Chargers (13-2): With one arm tied behind their backs, San Diego ho-hummed its way to victory over a charged up Seattle team that needed a win for momentum.
2. Da Bears (13-2): Let the Grossman vs. Griese talk die. There is no controversy. There is no discord. The Griese playing time was planned. Maybe some should focus on the suddenly shoddy defense.
3. Baltimore Ravens (12-3): I can't wait to see these guys square off with the Chargers in the AFC championship game. It's gonna happen. It happened earlier in the season. The outcome? One of SD's 2 losses.
4. New England Patriots (11-4): Do you think Bill Belichick gives dating advice to Tom Brady? the two are breaking hearts all over New England and beyond.
5. New Orleans Saints (10-5): Screw the Colts. The feel-good team of the year is led by a guy from Purdue with a mole the size of Rhode Island on his face. Ugly, like the state the city itself was in after Katrina.

Coming next week, Fleece & Flog's playoff predictions with what I can only foresee as heavily slanted in favor of Da Bears.