What about Bob?

Mantz sends along this pic of the Jets' star cornerback and the potentially outgoing Ms. Sterger.

I got this story from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer (which is now only online, by the way) via Bob's Blitz.

I agree with Mr. Mantz in wondering why commissioner Roger Goodell is in favor of a 17- or 18-game regular season knowing that the average NFL player loses 2 or 3 years off his life for every season played due to the intense toll the game takes on a body. (Of course, this also has to do with players, especially lineman, being morbidly obese.)

Goodell's proposal won't necessarily add games (any addition to the regular season would take away from the preseason), but the players who endure the bulk of the grueling regular season only play a series, a quarter, or a half (tops), during the preseason, which is far less demanding than a full contest that counts.

From the Seattle P-I story:

53-59
Average life expectancy for an NFL retiree, depending on playing position, according to cardiologist Jeffrey Boone.

75
Average life expectancy for U.S. men overall, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.

-Chris Mascaro

Mantz tries his hand at the look-a-likes game that we've perfected over the years, but he comes up small with this one: Lomas Brown and Ottis Anderson.

There is a Lomas look-a-like, but it's not Anderson. It's actor John Amos of "Roots" fame. Brown himself has confirmed to me that he gets the Amos look-a-like regularly. If I had more time, I'd put up the picture. But if I don't get cracking on Sunday stuff, Chicago Norm is gonna kill me.

Fine.

He's 8-2 in his playoff picks, and he has told the world about 80 times of this stat. He just did it again today.
Only one question now that he picks the Cardinals to cover the spread: Who the hell wins the game?

Actually, we can't be too mad at Mantz. The guy did get us a Mantz/Deadspin shoutout on our Eric Mangini ripping down the Browns history item. And if we behave, maybe he'll do something on our item that indicates Mangini did much the same when he got to the Jets.

Ok, there are a bunch of posts about me and Best on the Bob Mantz Blitz Blog - which should probably be renamed the Bob Glauber/Neil Best Blog Blog. Please check out for your viewing pleasure, because if Mantz goes 3 hours without a ref on this blog, he starts to get tremors.

Anyway, a few points:

1. Mantz is obsessed with a column we had several weeks ago in which we said that the Giants were "a much better team" without Plaxico Burress. What I should have written at the time was that the Giants were "much better off" without Burress, which is what I meant. I did not at that time mean to suggest that football-wise, the Giants were better off without Burress. I suggested that they could get by without him.

2. Mantz went 4-0 against the spread in the divisional round, bringing his record to 7-1 for the playoffs. I am 2-6. Whoop-de-damn-do. The only good news in this is that the New Jersey SPCA will be getting a donation.

3. Mantz is obsessed with the obsession shown by the New York media regarding Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo for various head coaching jobs. (I stand by my contention that he will be a good head coach.) ... Mantz's tweaking of the media over Spagnuolo might be slightly more compelling if he actually spelled his name correctly. Like many others who write about the man, Mantz spells the last name "Spagnola." (There was a tight end named John Spagnola back in the day. There is a writer in Dallas named Mickey Spagnola in Dallas who I know quite well. (I'm sure Mantz will chalk this up to a mantzism).

... then I wouldn't have to send him this message in my blog and waste the time of my readers.

But Mantz called us out and accused us of going Neil Best - i.e. cheating on football picks - because we changed two of our picks from earlier in the week. We announced this openly and honestly - unlike Best, who tried to sneak off into the corner so no one would see him - yet Mantz still took valuable time out of his day to write about it.

Memo to Mantz: Dude, I am not gonna change my picks with the flimsy excuse of trying to catch up to you in a contest. Maybe Best would, but not me.

As I've admitted before, I generally suck at picking NFL games. I completely, positively suck. I wish it were not that way. Then again, if you pick games consistently well, people's reaction is, "Good. You should pick 'em right. You're paid to cover the sport." If you suck and embarrass yourself as I have done, it is far more entertaining and far more worthy of attention and abuse.

And thus, of increased page views.

We were left speechless by this one offered up on the increasingly famous Bob's Blitz blog, written by Bob Mantz.

This one is even weirder than the holiday wishes offered up by your loyal football bloggers and honorary sidekick Neil Best.

This whole Mantz fascination started when we questioned whether he was taking hallucinogens before making his weekly power rankings. As the weeks go by, we're more convinced than ever that he does.

Evidently, The Blitz needs to get a few things off his chest. Like ... a few million things.

Mantz offers a long list of things he hates about sports, including athletes and coaches.

Mantz is out with his weekly NFL Power Rankings, which continue to amaze and amuse. And make us wonder whether he should be included in the "Mushroom Society."

Here are The Blitz rankings, which are "based on a unique formula that looks at results, upcoming schedule, and injury." (And perhaps the ingestion of certain hallucinogenic substances by the author???)

Well, at least he includes the Titans in this week's version. And at least he put the Giants at No. 2 instead of No. 6, where they had been. Eagles at No. 3? Wow. Jets at No. 4? He is clearly thinking Gang Green will spank the Pats.

1. Titans
2. NY Giants
3. Eagles
4. Jets
5. Panthers
6. Ravens
7. Steelers
8. Cardinals
9. Bucs
10. Bears
11. Falcons
12. Packers
13. Patriots
14. Redskins
15. Chargers
16. Dolphins
17. Jags
18. Bills
19. Saints
20. Cowboys
21. Vikings
22. Colts
23. Browns
24. Broncos
25. Texans
26. Seahawks
27. 49ers
28. Chiefs
29. Bengals
30. Raiders
31. Lions
32. Rams

Blogger Bob Mantz, whose misguided ... I mean, ingenious Power Poll caught our attention a couple weeks ago, has decided to actually start picking games again, despite his preference not to.

Of course, we pick every single game of every single season - often to no avail, but we do it - so at least Mantz is showing some guts by picking a handful of games this week. He picked 8 games last week and smoked us (we had our worst week of the season in an upset-filled Week 9).

He has a few more picks today.

We'll be out with our Five For Friday segment tomorrow, in which we'll highlight five must-see games and provide picks (straight up and against the spread) for all the other games.