(Image via SportsGrid.com)

Sunday’s 2012 Pro Bowl started out pretty much as expected, with defensive players giving minimal effort at little things like rushing the passer, covering and tackling, setting the stage for the offensive shootout that ensued. The AFC ultimately out-gunned the NFC 59-41, with Dolphins WR Brandon Marshall reeling in a Pro Bowl record 4 TDs and earning the MVP trophy.

And while this laissez-faire defensive attitude elicited boos from the crowd and groans from television viewers everywhere, the game did end up providing a few noteworthy moments. To be honest, we didn’t actually watch the whole thing, but we got a pretty good feel for things via the stats and game highlights … and with 100 total points scored, you get the general idea: defense (and running backs) took the day off in Honolulu today. For their part, the NFC had three players – Tony Gonzalez, Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Smith - with more than 100 yards receiving, with Fitzgerald pulling in three scores of his own.

Marshall finished with 176 yards on six catches, but none of them were as memorable as this unbelievable (and wildly lucky) third quarter grab of a tipped Andy Dalton pass while laying on his back in the endzone:

VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP

BONUS GIF: The other worthwhile highlight came Drew Brees attempted the rarely-seen drop kick extra point late in the 4th quarter, only to miss it badly [VIDEO here]

(via mocksession.com)

Post-meltdown: Anderson remains Cardinals' starter. (Source: Kansas City.com)

Tuesday in the National Football League:

¶ Arizona Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt told reporters Tuesday that Derek Anderson will remain the starting quarterback, tantrum or no tantrum, according to Darren Urban, who reports for the team’s official website.

¶ Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison was fined $25,000 by the league on Tuesday for his hit on Buffalo Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. This is Harrison’s fourth fine this season, costing him a total of $125,000.

Harrison had this to say earlier in the week: “I’m not expecting a fine. It’s the exact thing as last week. It was the same exact hit. I hit him (Fitzpatrick) the same way I did the quarterback from Oakland and I got the same flag but I didn’t get a fine. … I’m expecting the same thing on this.”

He should be in a pleasant mood this evening.

BTW — Was Harrison fined for this hit?

¶ The Miami Dolphins wide receiver Brandon Marshall, bothered by a hamstring injury, stated that there is “a chance” he could be ready for the Cleveland Browns this Sunday, according to Ben Volin of The Palm Beach Post.

¶ We’ve always loved the NFL Game Map — take a look at what games will be shown in your area this Sunday — this was more relevant before people sat on their couches watching Sunday Ticket and Red Zone.

¶ ESPN reports that the MRI exam on Vikings running back Adrian Peterson‘s right ankle showed “only a sprain,” according to interim coach Leslie Frazier on Tuesday. “Now it’s just a matter of what he can or can’t do,” Frazier said. “We’ll know a little more (Wednesday) as he tries to put some weight on it and move around. We’re anxious to find out how he comes along.”

Expect Peterson to be a game-time decision this Sunday against Buffalo.

I immediately put out feelers for game tickets, and invited my parents to spend Thanksgiving at my new home in Colorado.  It seemed like a perfect holiday plan.  And up until Thursday night at about 6:20pm MT, it was.  It was at that point that my beloved Giants decided to crap all over our Thanksgiving celebration, by not even showing up for the game and putting on one of the more miserable displays I’ve ever had the misfortune of seeing in person. If you watched the game, you already know, and I’m not going to get into a breakdown of what went wrong (hint: everything. lowlights here).  For me, it was just brutal, while for the Broncos fans in the house, it was a full-on party.

But the holiday wasn’t a total loss, and I still have much to be thankful for. We were blessed with box seats and pre-game field passes by the Denver Post – clearly a signal of our growing influence in the sports blogosphere.  Or maybe my girlfriend got them for us.  Whatever.  In addition to free food and booze throughout the game, we were able to snap some decent photos from field level during warm-ups. Here are the best of those shots, with some commentary as to what you’re seeing. I hope you enjoy it more than I enjoyed the game.

All photos by ArtieFufkin.

Pre-game field passes = extra special surprise. Much thanks to the Denver Post team for taking such good care of us!

Aaron Ross fielding punts. Moments after this pic was taken, an errant punt bounced out of bounds and into my hands. As I handed it back to Aaron, I looked him square in the eye and said "Go get 'em Aaron!" He said nothing ... there was a general sense of lethargy from the Giants the entire night

Plenty of Giants fans in attendance for this game ... a short time later, they would all be miserable

And the Broncos take the field ... for warm-ups

CONTINUE AFTER THE JUMP FOR MORE PHOTOS FROM THE BRONCOS/GIANTS

The Broncos front 7 gets ready ... you could sense an intensity from this bunch even before the game.

This defense would have their way with the Giants O-line all night

The Giants were apparently talking about pie recipes pre-game

The Broncos DBs - including newest addition Ty Law - warmed up right in front of us

Champ Bailey getting ready to shut down Eli Manning and the Giants offense

Brian Dawkins seems to be reborn in Denver. I still hate him, though

Mixing it up in DB tackling drills

Undeniably, one of the best in the game

Miles Bronco (and mini-Bronco) take on a Steve Smith fan

Brandon Marshall talks smack for the cameras. His one-handed grab later in the game was simply incredible.

Kyle Orton to Eddie Royal

Orton to Brandon Stokley. These two hooked up for a TD later in the game.

Stokley & Royal prepare to run free in the Giants secondary

The Broncos run a few plays to get loose

... and it's game time!

From here, things start to get fuzzy ... must have been all the tryptophan

I'm pretty sure this one fell incomplete (side note: that IN-COM-PLETE chant they do at Mile High is probably the worst in sports. Just sayin')

Did anyone think the Broncos could possibly be 4-0 at this point?  It’s just crazy.

The NY Giants private jet is definitely on a runway. Somewhere. Could be Jersey for all we know. (Photo: fm1043thefan.com)

UPDATE: Mike Garofolo of the Newark Star-Ledger reports that the appearance of jet with a NY Giants logo on it on Wednesday had nothing to do with Brandon Marshall, and that the Giants have never used a team plane in personnel matters:

In talking with folks in the know Thursday, I’m told the plane was not there as part of a meeting between any team officials and Marshall. Plus, a team spokesman said the Giants do not own a private plane.

So, there you go.

____________________________________

OK, take this for what it’s worth, but Sportsradio 104.3 The Fan in Denver posted this cell phone photo of what they’re claiming to be the NY Giants private jet on the runway of Jefferson County Airport in Colorado on Wednesday.

The presumption here is that this means the Giants are talking with the Broncos about WR Brandon Marshall, and that a possible trade deal is imminent.  While Denver head coach Josh McDaniels remains adamant that they aren’t talking to anyone about trading Marshall, it’s clear that Marshall wants out, and the Broncos would do well to at least get something in return for their troublesome star.

Most recently, the rumors were that Denver was in talks with the Jets, and that they wanted LB David Harris as part of the deal.  Which begs the question, since the Jets and Giants share a stadium, do you think the Jets might also be borrowing the Giants plane for this trip?

Look, this is nothing more than an unsubstantiated rumor, and until there’s official news of a contract, there’s not really much to say here.  But if the Giants do have interest in Marshall, I would be very surprised.  It would go against everything Jerry Reese and the Maras believe in terms of the type of person they want for their ball club.  They didn’t just cut one headache (Burress) to replace him with another.

It seems like a bear would rather spend time in Colorado than Chicago--but that would make too much sense, of course.

Moreover, Denver has bigger fish to fry than Cutler. The “sense of entitlement” void left by Cutler was immediately filled (and then some) by Brandon Marshall, perhaps the most tedious player west of Ochocinco. Josh McDaniels, who has been bathed in drama since taking the job, took a stand in suspending the flagrantly lazy, diva-like Marshall–and it may have earned back his respect with the team.

If something doesn’t feel right in Denver–beyond the exodus of star power–it may be the fact that the team’s schedule includes the Patriots, Steelers, Colts, and the NFC East. Broncos Owner Pat Bowlen, however, is not dismayed, at least openly. He told the Denver Post’s Mike Klis, “I’m really optimistic about — not so much we’re going to win 12 games or anything like that — but optimistic that we’re going to be a good football team,” Bowlen said. “I like what I see. I’m really happy with my staff and the coaches. I’ve got to know most of them pretty well. I’ve watched how they interact — it’s a good buzz going around this upstairs floor.”

We wonder if the state’s rich supply of Coors could have something to do with that.

There’s an undercurrent of self-defeat in all of this.

After last season’s debacle, I promised to never to play fantasy again.

Reason #1: My teams have sucked horribly, painfully, year after year. Some of the worst fantasy teams ever assembled—last season ended with somebody named Chet Orley-Francine at quarterback and Aunt Jemima running the ball.

Reason #2: I just couldn’t get past the fact that I was a 35-year-old man who was regularly unsettled about my “team,” it’s riddled lineup, and inability to “win football games” on my computer.

As my contingent of oft-injured, mid-tier clowns tanked week after week, I felt my rich disdain for the entire operation bloom.

One thing about fantasy: it seems to me that if you get out of the gate slow, with a bunch of players unable to find themselves, you have about as much a chance at outshining your peers as Lauren Conrad at a Mensa convention.

"LC" and fantasy football contribute equally to this society.

My 2008 fantasy start was grizzly. I lost my opening three games by a combined four points–two of those games were lost by a fraction of a point. The scoring system was such where a runningback, for instance, could score 22.7 points in a game (suggesting–to me, at least–that this entire process took itself far too seriously). By Week Four, it was over: I lost by 70 points, the victim of my own poor administration (I was out of town for the weekend, and mistakenly started three bye players, a mid-malaise Chad Ochocinco, and Chelsea Clinton). Sitting at 0-4, looking up at a flock of 4-0 and 3-1 teams, my Matt Schaub-led band of hobby horses spiraled violently downward.

This Schaub guy (who I’m told, again, is a “sleeper”) drove me to drink. Week after week, he sabotaged my fake team: I’d play him and, in real life, he’d get the flu ten minutes before gametime, leaving the quarterback slot VOID. Thanks, Matt. So, I’d sit him, and he’d come in—randomly—and throw three touchdowns. I’d fall for it, play him the next week, and he’d burn up the field for 47 yards. By Week 8, I was floating.

I have a hard time imagining my grandfather, fresh out of World War II, deciding to spend his fall playing fantasy football. It certainly speaks to the complete ease most of us live in today. I’ll get flamed for suggesting that we’re in “languish” mode—yes, yes, I know: many adults who spend way too much time twiddling around with their fantasy football lineup also hold successfully hold down full-time jobs, engage in relationships as parents and spouses, and contribute to a local charity (or tavern). That said, I just can’t get past the absurdity of it all. Human beings were meant for more than this.

I simultaneously applaud and disdain the fantasy football “experts” who have somehow convinced magazines, television stations, websites, and, well, ANYONE, to pay them. Pay them to provide their BIG BOARD, their SLEEPERS and BUSTS — their “FANTASY HANDCUFFS” (please).

What is beyond utterly dumb is the quiet but solid vindication I feel when my Browns get shredded by the Steelers but, because I drafted the Pittsburgh defense, my false squad of pixels nets 28 points for the three interceptions and two touchdowns my Steeler D amassed off a dazed-and-confused Derek Anderson. And… while it sucks Jamal Lewis was held to 4 yards on 8 carries, I feel “smart” for benching him–just in time–to start Ray Rice, who scored twice on the Browns. Happy day.

As a Browns fan, cheering for Hines Ward on my fantasy team was the wakeup call: enough with the mixed loyalties, the explanations, the casual attitudes--this is dumb. No more drafting/rooting for Steelers/Ravens/Bengals players. Terrible!

Can I put this on my resume? Does this matter to anyone?

If Planet Nibiru is genuinely coursing toward earth, as you read this, and if we’re all going down the tubes in 2012, should I really spend another second “tweaking my starting lineup”?

That’s a big question to ponder, and I have more to say about it………….. right after I re-check my master list to make sure I’ve scrubbed Brandon Marshall out of my Top 100. Be right back.