–San Francisco 49ers interim head coach Mike Singletary reportedly pulled his pants down during a motivational halftime speech to his players last weekend to illustrate how embarrassing it is for a team to get their tails whipped.  That’s the kind of coach Singletary is: all business, no pants.

–New York Jets coach Eric Mangini wants Brett Favre to cut down on throwing so many interceptions, even though Brett Favre’s gunslinger style is what makes him one of the greatest ever to play the game.  Mangini said he’s “not trying to coach (Favre) out of being a good player,” but he’s going to try anyway.

–Former NFL quarterback Michael Vick wanted to enter a guilty plea for additional state charges of dog fighting in Surry, Virginia, via videoconference link from his federal prison in Leavenworth, Kansas.  A judge denied the request saying high public interest warranted an actual appearance, not realizing it’s going to take an awful lot of the public’s money to fly Vick to the courthouse; something the public has no interest in at all.

–A lot of people think it was a fluke that the weather intervened to suspend Game 5 of the World Series and drag it out over two days, but that’s a hoax.  The truth is commissioner Selig actually worked out a deal with Mother Nature in order to find a way to make baseball games last even longer.

–The Los Angeles Galaxy has worked out a deal to “loan” David Beckham to AC Milan in January.  If you’ve ever had a neighbor that borrowed your weed eater and never gave it back, then you know where this deal is headed.

–The new college basketball polls are out, and the North Carolina Tar Heels are ranked first, second, third, fourth and fifth.  They are also supposed to be a lock to win the National Championship, cure world hunger, bring world peace and mend the hole in the ozone layer.

–On the eve of the presidential election next Monday, ESPN’s Chris “The Swami” Berman has tentatively secured interviews with both John McCain and Barack Obama.  He’ll ask each of them if they “COULD . . . GO . . . ALL . . . THE . . . WAY!!!!”

–The very fragile and injury-plagued Portland Trail Blazers’ Greg Oden missed all of his rookie season due to injury, and will miss an additional 2-4 weeks this year after spraining his foot 13 minutes into the first quarter of last Tuesday’s game.  He also wears a football helmet to bed so he doesn’t give himself a concussion when lays his head on a pillow.

–Joey Alfino, RED Editorial Staff.

It is typically a season marked with fiery changes in summer’s green foliage, the first wafting smells of wood fires crackling in long dormant fireplaces and pimply faced teens slinging raw eggs at your freshly painted house or threading toilet paper deep within the recesses of your fern and bushes. It is that definitive point when the air stings your lungs with that first breath of a cold morning and recalls sweaters from their long summer storage. Ahhhh, Fall. The doormat to the great house of winter.

Aside from the pernicious activities of crazed teens and the heaps of dull brown leaves collecting in the corners of your untended yard, Fall is also a time of pumpkins and gourds, aromatic spices and pies, ciders and rich hot chocolates; each stamping some fond memory in the seasonal section of your brain.

It is the pumpkin, however, that living “clay” from which many a twisted jack-o-lantern is artfully carved, that wears the most hats during this season. From the fanciful, candle stuck greeter on porches and steps to supporting player in homey, cinnamon scented pies and ample host to heaps of sweet ice cream, this orange member of the squash family has come to symbolize the ambling arrival of the Fall season.

Not to be content as a player in baked treats that tease sweet smells from many an oven, the pumpkin also rears its orange gourd in a deep red beer that is anticipated by many beer aficionados with a fervor crouching just short of rabid.

Often sporting slightly higher alcohol content than other beers, thus making it the true life of any Fall party, pumpkin beer takes many styles. Sold in everything from growlers, small glass jugs, to the ubiquitous 6 and 12 packs, brewers utilize the spices of pumpkin pie, such as clove and nutmeg, to fortify this sometimes dark ale with flavors that range from a sublime hint of pumpkin to certain brews that are akin in flavor to a fire hose pumping a thick pumpkin puree down your gullet.

Yummy.

Others go so far as to have a touch of sweetness to them, a veritable dessert in a bottle. But after three or four of any of these styles the result is the same: a warm and fuzzy feeling just like Grandma’s house during the holidays after a fifth of Thunderbird . . . only more festive and socially acceptable.

The following are but a few of the fine examples of pumpkin beer that make the holidays just that much more bearable. Some are tap only and others are sold in bottles, making them a convenient beverage to haul along as you rip bags of candy from a small child’s tender grasp and sprint merrily away shouting “Happy Halloween” over your shoulder.

O’Fallon Pumpkin Ale: dark, with strong but not overwhelming pumpkin and spices

Michigan Brewing Screamin’ Pumpkin Spiced Ale: strong pumpkin, lighter on the spices, copper color

Pumpkinhead Ale: minor hint of pumpkin, lacking spice and body

Trailhead Brewery Pumpkin Ale: a Missouri crowd pleaser, sold in growlers. Deep pumpkin, good spice, excellent flavor overall

Tun Tavern Pumpkin Ale: an Atlantic City favorite-dark amber, balanced pumpkin and spice. Thin head and long finish. Great flavor.

COOK’S NOTES:
And to provide some form of nutrition while you body slam your liver with an impromptu pumpkin beer tasting in your parents dimly lit basement, here is another use of that nifty orange orb with the inclusion of a splash of your pumpkin inspired ale: healthy pumpkin bread.

WHOLE WHEAT PUMPKIN ALE BREAD

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
4 eggs
½ cup vegetable oil
1 stick of butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup pumpkin ale or water
2 cups white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and flour a loaf pan.

Mix pumpkin, eggs, oil, butter, water, vanilla and sugar in a large bowl until completely blended.

In another bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Gently blend the wet and dry ingredients together until blended. After pouring into loaf pan, bake for 45 to 55 minutes. Check for doneness by sticking a wooden skewer or toothpick in the center.  It should come out without crumbs.

–Tim Connors, RED Editorial Staff.

We all knew before their front office would admit it that the New York Knickerbockers needed to change the sheets.  And despite speculation that D’Antoni would hate New York (or vice versa), or that he’d bitten off more than he could chew by agreeing to captain such a rudderless ship, things are already better for the Knicks.

And they’re only one measly game into the season.

For one of basketball’s most storied franchises, the Knicks have struggled just to stay relevant for way too long.  They haven’t been over .500 since 2001, and any press they did manage to get over the past few years had very little to do with a basketball game and way too much to do with Isiah Thomas’ libido or the size of Stephon Marbury’s ego in comparison to the Garden itself.

The good news so far is that there isn’t any new bad news for the Knicks, but let’s face it, the Knicks would have to try really hard–and I mean really, REALLY hard–to be any worse than last year.

During his first full season as head coach in Phoenix (2004-05), D’Antoni shot out of the gate with a 10-2 record while his breakneck offense put up over 100 points in all ten of those games.

Of course, the 2004 Suns were a much better team than the Kicks are today, but what’s important to remember here is that putting points on the board fast is what he does best.

Now that he’s managed to not only get the Knicks to actually play basketball, but to get them to put up 120 points while Stephon Marbury and Eddy Curry did nothing more than watch it happen, well, that’s got to be a good sign that life in the Garden might actually bloom this year, right?

That’s the best sign of good things to come for New York.  It isn’t in D’Antoni’s offensive brand; it’s in his ability to produce offense without having to rely on Marbury or Curry to do it.

New York’s biggest problem last year was that Isiah Thomas was more of a doormat than a coach.  He didn’t have any control, and he commanded even less respect.  And keeping control over your players and their egos in check is half the battle when coaching in the NBA.

Remember some people’s initial concerns about a college coach being able to handle all those professional egos during Team USA’s gold medal run this summer?  Coach K did it, and that had a lot to do with Team USA’s success.

And really, that’s the most important thing D’Antoni brings to the table in New York.  He recognizes the Knicks will never have even a modest amount of success until they find modesty on the bench, and he sent Marbury and Curry looking for it first.

Expect D’Antoni to dig in for the long haul here and not pull his punches.  “We’re not that good,” admits D’Antoni.  Very true.

But even though the Knicks are only one game into the season, they don’t look that bad, either.

–Joey Alfino, RED Editorial Staff.

Let’s cut right to it: all this consolation, great season, what a run, blah, blah stuff? Just not enough if you are a Rays fan (and there are certainly a lot more of them than, oh, two weeks or two months or two seasons ago, both in TV-Internet land and, lookee there, at the Trop).

Here’s why. It’s keep-your-eyes-open-in-a-sandstorm hard to get back to the World Series. Ask the Atlanta Braves about that one, even when they won their division for what, two centuries? Ask the Cubs . . . 1945, ouch. Ask Baltimore: where have you gone Brooks Robinson? For that matter, ask any team in the AL East. That division has practically qualified its winner for a direct pass to the Series.

So J.P. Howell had the right idea Wednesday night sitting dejected in front of his locker after the game, head in hands, likely thinking about being tagged with the L in the Series clincher. He spoke baseball’s purest truth when he finally looked up and talked to reporters.

“This is the worst way to go out, man,” Howell said, as reported by MLB.com. “You have a shot to get a ring . . . now it makes it where we have to work hard and get back here again next year. So much hard work went into this season. And here we are. We came really close, which was really good for us, really good for anybody. But you know we need to remember this and go from there.”

Well, OK, Howell started out strong then fell for the “this was good for us” schtick. Understandable, the Rays had a remarkable year. They improved 31 games in the regular season and pretty much exorcised all Red Sox voodoo, especially in the playoffs. They pounded the Yankees. They fell one homer short of MLB’s all-time team record for most homers in the postseason.

But if the Rays are going to become an AL East superpower (and, early prediction here, they won’t repeat as champs but only because Toronto is going to be One Big Canadian Headache for all division teams), they better do just a bit more back-slapping, then get mad. Fuming, preferably.

That way, they will be just edgy enough to not believe they can win without even playing the games and just pushy enough to win the 2009 AL wild card and send both the Red Sox and Yanks packing for the course or hunting grounds.

Sure, enjoy the awards–that would include Evan Longoria for Rookie of the Year, Joe Maddon as Manager of the Year (and the first manager in baseball history to regularly talk about Rolling Stones music, how cool is that?)–then get to figuring how this lose-the-Series business is not enough. What happened, fix it.

Not nearly enough for a dream team who almost pulled off the dream season. Next year will be tougher, and next year should start soon.

– Bob Condor, Red editorial staff

History is on hold no more.

The baseball world was held hostage for almost two days courtesy of the inclement Philadelphia weather. But when the game resumed Wednesday night the fightin’ Phils sealed the Lidge on Tampa’s Rays of hope . . . phinally.

O.K. no more puns, the Phillies were just plain good. I mean, they came in and stopped a team that seemed on the verge of completing an historic turnaround from worst to first.

How? They hit. They threw. They caught. They pitched. To again quote the hapless manager of the fictional Durham Bulls, “It’s a simple game. You throw the ball, you hit the ball, you catch the ball. Got it?”

The Phillies broke the two-day, two-run tie in the bottom of the sixth inning on the lead-off double from Geoff Jenkins (his first post-season hit), followed by a sac-fly moving him to third then a dropped infield fly by Rays second baseman Akinori Iwamura off Jason Werth’s bat.

The lead didn’t last long though after Rocco Baldelli jacked a solo-shot over the left field wall off Ryan Madsen. The Rays continued to push with a Jason Bartlett single.

After a sacrifice bunt from reliever J.P. Howell, Iwamura climbed into the box looking for his shot at redemption and to break the three-run tie.

What happened instead might be looked at through history’s window as one of the greatest defensive plays in World Series history. Iwamura slapped a roller toward second baseman Chase Utley, who had no chance at Iwamura, faked a throw to first then fired home catching Bartlett at the plate by a mile–inning over.

The Phils broke the tie in the eighth after Pedro Feliz singled home pinch-runner Eric Bruntlett from third.

Enter perfection, Brad Lidge.

The Rays had to know it was over once Lidge made the long jog from the bullpen to the mound even with a scant one-run deficit . . . seriously.

And like grilled peppers and onions top Philly’s signature sandwich, Lidge’s strikeout of Eric Hinske topped the Phillies post-season run earning the city their first major sports title since the Sixers won the NBA finals in ‘83.

–Aaron Whitebread, RED Editorial Staff.

Hockey is a contact sport.  I just wanted to remind people of this fact as the shadow of yet another discussion over “head hits” and “hockey violence” is about to gain momentum.

The discussion follows after two of these “questionable” hits.  The first happened about two weeks ago when Montreal played Phoenix and Andrei Kostitsyn got his lights turned out by Kurt Sauer.  The second was a few days ago when Doug Weight of the New York Islanders nailed Brian Sutter of the Carolina Hurricanes.

Before we get into the whole discussion over whether or not these players were purposely hit in the head, or the fact that hockey equipment may be too big and hard, let’s take a quick look at what these guys were doing before they got hit.

In the Montreal and Phoenix game, Andrei Markov was carrying the puck along the boards with his head down.  Just before Andrei passed the puck, Kurt was waiting for him.  When it comes to Doug Weight’s hit on Sutter, Sutter was breaking into the defensive zone with his head down as well.

Coaches in the minors spend years teaching kids to play the game with their heads up.  Not only does playing with your head up improve your ability to read the game, you will also avoid a head-on check while carrying the puck.

While nobody ever wants to see anyone get injured, especially when it involves head injuries, we have to remember that the NHL has made some pretty significant strides in eliminating really dirty hits.  To legislate against clean hits on players who forget to apply one of the most basic skills in hockey . . . that borders on being overly protectionist.

The body check is just as important as any other skill involved with playing the game; such as wrist shots, slap shots, skating etc.  In fact, the rules are very clear as to what a legal and an illegal check are.  Both hits described earlier were clean, and I doubt that either Doug Weight or Kurt Sauer were trying to injure the players they cleanly hit.

I just have the feeling that the people raising the issue of these hits have either never played organized hockey, or they are fans looking for retribution for losing star players.

Hockey is a very fast game, and the time to stare at the puck or admire a pass should happen on the bench.  When you stop paying attention to what is going on around and in front of you by putting your head down or turning your head away from the play, you will find out that hockey is an unforgiving sport.

–Ryan Matwiy, RED Editorial Staff.

I’m a huge supporter of scientific research, even if occasional studies announce findings that we are already painfully aware of.  For instance, the Association for Psychological Science (APS) released a study earlier this month stating that kids who use drugs and alcohol before the age of 15 are likely to have poor health later in life . . . just in case you needed proof that a 14-year old kid who drinks his weight in whiskey might end up with a few problems down the road.  Glad they cleared that up.

Still, knowledge is knowledge and it’s always useful; even if the process feels like a waste of time.  This same sort of “Well, duh!” feeling has popped up again in a brand new study conducted by the APS stating that people who feel socially rejected have the uncanny ability to spot fake smiles.

The study was conducted by Michael J.Bernstein and few of his colleagues at Miami University to see “to what extent rejected individuals would be able to identify the authenticity of a facial expression,” according to the report published in APS.

Of course, the study yielded results that I’m sure the majority of us already knew.  People who feel rejected are really good at figuring out when they’re being lied to or when someone is just placating them to avoid an awkward moment, wherein a “cool” person is stuck in a conversation with a “loser.”

Man . . . I could have told you that.  I received thorough training in this department.  It was called “High School.”  If I had a dollar for every time I heard someone say, “Yeah, dude!  I’ll totally call you this weekend!” while flashing a huge smile to assure me it was a valid statement, I’d have enough money to personally bail out AIG three or four times over.

And while I greatly respect Miami University’s allegiance to the scientific process, they would have gotten the same results by watching a few episodes of Sex in the City and calling it a day.

But, as I mentioned earlier, knowledge is knowledge and it never hurts to have more of it, so I don’t want to make it seem like this study is wrong.  What I do think a little odd, though, are the conclusions the authors came to afterwards.

According to the article in APS, “The authors propose that socially rejected people have an increased motivation to be accepted, thus making them more sensitive to specific social cues indicating opportunities for inclusion.”

That’s a really positive spin on the situation.  I’ve met and seen plenty of people who are socially rejected in my life, and I can say with confidence that the majority of them are not “motivated” to look for anything.

That’s because very time they’ve gotten motivated to socialize, to get out there and meet new people, it never goes very well.  They end up getting rejected.

So I don’t think a rejected person’s ability to spot a faker is motivated by want of acceptance.  If a person is good at recognizing a fake smile, I’ll bet you anything it’s because they’ve been staring at them for years.  Of course, that’s just my two cents.  I don’t know if it’s true or not.

Somebody should do a study on it, eh?

–Joey Alfino, RED Editorial Staff.

Friends of mine challenged me to begin my interview with comedic actor Paul Rudd by calling him “Mr. Crap Bag.”  That ice breaker, while not necessarily approved by Miss Manners or Emily Post, would be appropriate for the 39 year old actor known best by some as Mike Hannigan, who married Phoebe Buffay in the last two seasons of Friends.  When discussing whether she should take her new husband’s name, Phoebe instead decided to change her name to Consuela Bananahammock.  Mike Hannigan (Rudd) then decided to change his name to Crap Bag.

However, after careful consideration, I decided to take a more mainstream approach to my interview with the Kansas City native who is starring in Universal Picture’s Role Models opposite of Sean William Scott, opening on November 7.  The two play energy drink salesmen, who, after crashing the company truck, must either do hard time in jail or enroll in a Big Brother mentorship program. Needless to say, neither of the men are ideal role models for young children.

So who was your role model growing up?

Oh my dad is certainly my role model and a great influence on who I am.  There are things in life that annoy him and he’s a great “letter-to-the-editor” writer.  He is very vocal and has strong opinions on those ridiculous little things that we all must endure in this world.  He absolutely hates the expression “24/7.”  It’s one of those things that just sets him off.

Professionally, who was your role model?

George Carlin was great.  He was a great thinker and I like the kind of anger that he expressed.  The stuff that annoyed George Carlin and the things he did bits about are the things that annoy my dad and are the things that annoy me.  I’m a great fan of really true crotchety old men and curmudgeons. When I get to play someone who is crotchety or a little foul, I find it very therapeutic.

You are the father of a four-year-old.  Are Carlin’s language and some of the characters you have played the type of role model you want for your son?

I just hope my son develops a sense of humor and a sense of himself.

In Role Models you had the opportunity serve as a writer.  What was that experience like for you?

As you can imagine, scripts go through several re-writes, so I was just one of about ten people, but it was fun and I hope to do more of it.  As a kid, I loved Monty Python and Fawlty Towers, and I think it was because of the clever writing.  I’m a big fan of clever writing, and I saw this as an opportunity to further develop my character and change him into a more annoying character.

One on-line reviewer of Role Models praised your performance and the script for allowing you to be “the sarcastic prick you really are.”

Oh really?  I haven’t seen that yet.  That’s great!  Yes, I consider myself a sarcastic prick.  As I said, I aspire to be a curmudgeon so that reviewer really gets where I’m trying to go.

One of your next projects to debut for the public is the animated feature Monsters vs Aliens by Dreamworks with Hugh Laurie, Seth Rogen, Stephen Colbert, Reese Witherspoon and Kiefer Sutherland. How much fun was that?

Actually, doing voice-over work is a very isolated experience.  My character, Derek, is engaged to Reese Witherspoon’s character, but we were only in a recording studio together once.  I never saw the others.  But I like doing voice-overs.  Subtly doesn’t work well in that medium, so you can really be bigger than life.  I was allowed to kind of go off script for a while and the animators will work around where I went.  I’m just a big doofus so it’s a great medium for me.

So if you’re just a big doofus from Kansas City who attended the University of Kansas, how is it you get to play opposite so many hot women:  Jennifer Anniston, Julia Roberts, Kathryn Heigl, Ashley Judd.

Hey, I can’t believe that I can find work, and then to work with these women, wow!  I can’t explain it.

You’ve called yourself a curmudgeon, a doofus and a sarcastic prick.  Then it shouldn’t offend you when I call you what my friends suggested I call you, Mr. Crap Bag.

(Roaring laughter)  Oh, don’t be so formal.  Call me Crap.

In addition to his work in Friends, Role Models and Monsters vs Aliens, Paul Rudd starred opposite Seth Rogen and Leslie Man in Knocked Up, which grossed more than $300 million worldwide and won the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Movie Comedy.

In March 2009, be watching for him in Paramount’s I Love You Man, where he plays a newly engaged guy in search of the perfect Best Man.
Other film credits include Forgetting Sarah Marshall,  The 40 Year Old Virgin, Anchorman, Night at the Museum, and Cider House Rules, among others.

–Interview by Diana Lambdin Meyer, RED Editorial Staff.
–Photos courtesy of NBC Universal.

This time of year, anyone’s basement, backyard or back alley can serve double duty as a haunted hang-out with the help of a full moon, some creepy music and cold spaghetti floating in a bowl of warm Jell-o.

But true Halloween haunts don’t pop up in the backyard over night.  True haunted houses take months of planning after years of truly deviant, misguided adventures in life by unrepentant masters of the night.

The world’s best haunted houses come from the minds of someone like Jim Kelly, or his equally odd partner, Larry Kirchner, owners of Halloween Productions in St. Louis.

College drop-outs whose creative careers were influenced by movies like “Aliens” and “The Exorcist,” Kirchner and Kelly have consulted for dozens of Hollywood productions and theme parks around the world.  They’re the folks who invented a new kind of intestines, suitable for human or animal mutilation scenes, and who regularly freak out customs officials by shipping bloody body parts to build haunted houses in places like Moscow and Beijing.

Today’s cool-kids-on-the-block, surely these guys were the nerds in high school who endured swirlies and wedgies, and were voted prom king to serve alongside Sissy Spacek in “Carrie.”

Kelly and Kirchner are owners of The Darkness, consistently rated number one or two of scariest haunted attractions in the United States, according to the readers of HauntWorld Magazine for the last ten years.  Theirs is a $2 million enterprise in Soulard, one of St. Louis’ oldest neighborhoods, where empty warehouses and 200 years of history provide plenty of opportunity for ghostly sightings.  Throw in 100 moving monsters, computer generated special effects and 50 live actors, and The Darkness comes allliiiiiive!

But depending on where your spirit moves you this coming haunted weekend, perhaps some of HauntWorld readers’ other top recommendation will satisfy the Freddy Kreuger living on your block:

Baton Rouge, LA – The 13th Gate
Atlanta, GA – Netherworld
Lee, NH – Haunted Overload
Pittsburgh, PA – Scarehouse
Austin, TX - House of Torment
Philadelphia, PA – The Bates Motel
Hudson Valley, NY – Headless Horseman * also voted Best Haunted Hayride
Columbus, OH – Dead Acres
High Point, NC – Spookywoods
New Orleans – House of Shock
Detroit, MI – Erebus
Dallas, TX – Cutting Edge

Best Charity Haunted Attraction:
Terror on the Fox in Green Bay, Wisconsin

–Diana Lambdin Meyer, RED Editorial Staff
–Photo by Bruce N. Meyer

After owning a Colts team last night that is clearly in the doldrums, the Tennessee Titans supplied the football world with two obvious facts. One, Tennessee is for real.  Two, a humble offense still wins football games.

Tennessee is such a lock to win their division and make the playoffs that the rest of the season is beginning to look like more of a formality than a challenge, so the question here isn’t, “How good is Tennessee?” but rather, “How bad are the Colts?”
Like most things, it depends on how you look at it.

Compared to their previous seasons dating back to, say, seven years ago, the Colts are in serious, serious trouble. Seven years is how long it’s been since the Colts had a losing record (6-10 in 2001), and before that you’d have to go back ten years (3-13 in 1998).

After last night’s heartbreak the Colts are sitting at 3-4 on a season that’s getting longer and longer with each passing weekend and each passing attempt–Peyton has a 61.1 completion percentage and, get this, 9 picks in seven games.  Those are Kansas City Chiefs numbers, not befitting of a Manning at all.

You also have to consider the Colts’ 3-4 record could very easily be an ugly 2-5 if they hadn’t scraped past Minnesota in Week 2.  Add in Steve Young’s suspicions that Peyton is playing injured and how the Colts are protecting that information like Belichick protects his diary, and the results are pretty obvious.

Compared to themselves, the Colts are doomed.

But the 2008 colts don’t have to beat the 2006 Colts to see the postseason since the rest of the AFC so overwhelmingly pedestrian that making the playoffs is a very real possibility.  Lucky, lucky Dungy.

Sure, the Colts are at 3-4, but so is Jacksonville and Houston.  That means the Colts, Jags and Texans are in a three-way tie for last place–oops, I mean second place–in the AFC South.

For the big picture in the AFC, you might as well take Cincinnati, Oakland and Kansas City out of the equation since they’re really only competing for a high draft pick at this point.

Miami is better this year but are still a ways from the playoffs, San Diego is looking doubtful and so are the Jets, Houston is on a hot streak but aren’t yet convincing, and Cleveland is iffy as well.  You can also take Pittsburgh and Tennessee out of the mix since they’re a lock for the playoffs already (yeah, I know it’s eight weeks in to the season, but come on.  You know I’m right.)

At the moment there are really only six teams vying for four slots in the post season.  Good news for Colts fans, right?  The Colts aren’t what they used to be, but they still have a chance to be the best of the rest in the AFC; and if not the best of the rest, at least among the best of the rest.  Still good enough for a Wildcard.

So, even though plenty of pundits were saying that last night’s game would determine how lost the Colts are, because of rampant mediocrity in the AFC, we still can’t dismiss them until after Week 10.

The Colts host New England this weekend and are at Pittsburgh the next, so the Colts are far from saved.  If they fall to 3-6, the Colts will be doomed for sure.

And it won’t matter how you look at it.

–Joey Alfino, RED Editorial Staff.