I like Jim Nantz — about as professional an announcer as you’ll get. Seldom a bad call. Always has history on his mind.

Phil Simms, for my money, is about as good an analyst as there is out there. And I appreciate the fact that everytime I have talked to him or asked a question, he has given it his full though before answering. It really makes a difference.

And heck, Bill Cowher does what few other analysts do: break down the game in easy-to-comprehend, concise verbiage. He’s better at TV than I thought he’d be.

So these three guys, plus CBS News and Sports president Sean McManus, spoke with nearly 50 writers on the phone Tuesday about Colts-Patriots (which of course CBS is doing) and other league matters. Here are some of the highlights of the conference call:

Opening remarks on New England-Indianapolis game:

SEAN McMANUS, President, CBS News and Sports
“These are the kind of games that come along every once in a while during the regular season schedule that you just pray they are going to be on your network. We got a good break with the two teams being undefeated going in and I can’t remember anyone at CBS Sports whether it is the announcers or the pregame crew or the producers and directors being more pumped up for a regular season football game. I thought we were pretty excited about the Cowboys Patriots game, but this exceeds even that. So if Football Gods are willing and we get a good game, I think we are set for a pretty good Sunday afternoon.”

PHIL SIMMS
“What intrigues me, how both of these teams will view their opposition this week and how they will go about trying to win the game. History has showed us, and has showed me as an analyst, that they are both willing to do something different, especially the New England Patriots. So I can’t wait to find out and can’t wait to watch on Sunday.”

BILL COWHER
“Just watching these first eight weeks has been fun to watch. These two teams separate themselves from the rest of league and that is how they are playing right now. These two teams are playing at a higher level than any other team in the league is playing. That we can get a match-up like this halfway through the year is great for the fans.”

JIM NANTZ
“What we have here is the rivalry of its time — the rivalry of its era. It has been this way for a long time since New England had Indianapolis’ number and Peyton couldn’t beat them. Of course they have turned that around in the last three match-ups, coming off the AFC Championship game. We have Dungy and Belichick, Manning and Brady, two high-powered offenses, both undefeated — it is just spectacular.”

On similarities and differences between Indy Head Coach Tony Dungy and Pats Head Coach Bill Belichick and their teams:

COWHER
“These are two guys that have great respect for the game, a great knowledge of the game, and you can just tell by looking at them that the players respond to them. Tony is probably a guy that you will see a little bit more animated on the sideline than Bill. But again, I think these two teams are a little bit different from the standpoint of how the teams were built. Indianapolis built their team through the draft, and New England, a lot of their skill positions were filled through free agency. It is interesting the approach that these two coaches have taken and these two organizations have taken. Both coaches are very much viewed as the cream of the crop as far as the coaching profession in the NFL is concerned.”

SIMMS
“We go to the Colts practices and you never hear the coaches say anything in practice. The only person you really hear at an Indianapolis Colts practice is Peyton Manning because he is telling everyone what to do. His style (Tony Dungy) is so different from Bill Belichick’s. I asked Bill Belichick once before the Super Bowl in Houston, how would you describe your coaching style? And he responded, ‘I coach through fear. I tell people they better play better or I’ll bench them or it will cost them their job.’ That is how he learned. I don’t know if he still coaches exactly that way but he definitely has a different style than Tony Dungy. Their teams, the way the players act you see it all. That is why it has caught the attention of America over the years because even if you don’t follow football you can see the differences in the personalities of the coaches and the teams. You want to watch and see what is going happen.”

On the strength of New England’s offensive line:

COWHER
“When you look at New England and Indianapolis, but particularly New England, that has always been a strength of theirs. The thing that gives credence to that is when you look at both of these quarterbacks. The amount of verbiage they give, and certainly it is well documented with Peyton Manning’s calling plays, you cannot do that unless you have a veteran offensive line who understands it. Tom Brady does the same thing. He is always pointing out the connections and he was one of the toughest guys to get to blitz-wise because he did a very good job of orchestrating that line. You have to have a line that communicates and works with one another. That is something that both of these coaches understand and recognize. I don’t care if you run the ball or pass the ball, if you don’t have an offensive line you can’t do either. It starts right there with the offensive line. That is a big part of the success that both of these teams have had.”

On the Patriots allegedly running up the score:

COWHER
“This is a football team that plays with a tremendous sense of purpose and focus. I’m not so sure that when they’re out there they are even looking at the scoreboard. The fact that you have some of your premier players in the game with the margins being what they are is Bill’s (Belichick) prerogative. That is his decision. The risk that he’s taking is that one of those guys could get hurt in those situations. That is his decision as a coach and he has the right to do that. This is a team that is playing with a tremendous sense of purpose every time they step on the field and Bill has them playing that way right now.”

SIMMS
“I played for a coach in Bill Parcells and he always said to us, ‘I’ll coach my team. That’s all I can do and focus on. Let them worry about themselves.’ A lot of coaches believe you don’t worry about injuries, you play your guys and you can’t protect them. It is bringing up some controversy and I think that always feeds in to helping the New England Patriots. They love controversy…They look forward to the battle and they’re willing to battle from start to finish. You’ve got to prove as the opposition that you are willing to fight that long. All of this really feeds into what they love. They like the turmoil. They like the action. As my dad once said to me, ‘Be careful when you get into a fight with someone who doesn’t care about winning or losing, they just like the action. Be leery of those guys.’ The Patriots love the action. All of this stuff that you read about, everything that has gone on this year, I truly believe feeds into the atmosphere that they love.”

On “Spygate” controversy fueling New England this season:

NANTZ
“I don’t think that there is any question that what they are doing on the field is totally related to what happened at the end of Week 1. All of us in the media took that opportunity to go back and review and somehow attach what happened in the “Spygate” episode and try to take it so far as to say that this stained their three championships. How did they win? Oh, no wonder they won, because they cheated. So now they have had their championships, their integrity, called into question. Maybe it is not verbalized in the sacred setting of the locker room, where it is just the coach and staff and 53 players, maybe it is not something that has to be talked about, but I think they have all internalized it. I think they are inflicting that punishment on a weekly basis with that right at their very core.”

On Brady and Manning:

SIMMS
“When these two guys play each other it is awesome. Tom Brady said we need all week to get ready for this game because you want to cover all of your bases and make sure you’re ready.”

On keys to victory:

COWHER
“The quarterback comparison is an easy one to go to, but if you look at both teams’ defenses, the key is going to be what their approach is to stopping the other team’s offense. Because you have two of the most potent offenses in the National Football League, their defenses are going to have to match that and slow each team’s offense down to some extent.”

SIMMS
“What could be the difference, and I NEVER say, because I am not just one that is all about the quarterback, I just don’t fall into the trap, but it could come down to which quarterback is just in a groove that day. It could be that close. By in a groove, I mean throwing it into windows that are not big, the velocity, the accuracy, it’s all there…Quarterbacks are a lot like pitchers. They have days when they can’t get that rhythm or they’re just missing a little bit. Peyton Manning down in Carolina last week. Physically it took him a while and he had some throws that you just don’t see him make. Look at Tom Brady last year in the playoffs at times. In Indianapolis he didn’t throw the ball physically as well as he is capable of throwing it. There are so many great components to this game, that it just might come down to which one of them is having that great day.”

On whether the Patriots have become a team that people love to hate:

NANTZ
“If there is a good guy and a bad guy set up in this game, I really think the bad guy would be New England with the whole running up the score chatter that is out there today…They’ve gone from that team that was very likeable and the underdog to where now there is this awe factor. I know that all coaches and players are programmed not to look ahead, but sometimes I can’t help myself as a fan. And if you start thinking about New England, if it gets past this game, there are a couple of spots there that they are going to be tested, they’ve got Pittsburgh at Foxborough in December, but now would be the proper time to start thinking about this team in some sort of context. They have the chance to be the ultimate super team…How well though it sets up for Indianapolis? You win 12 games in row including beating New England in the AFC title game. You win the Super Bowl. You’re undefeated this year. The last two weeks you have been pressed to go on the road in a six day stretch, both against teams with winning records, and you blow them out on both occasions. Now you get to come home to your own building and you’re a 4.5-point underdog. You want somebody to give you a chip on the shoulder? Well, there it is.”

I say wear it proudly.

When you're Jared Allen and you get more than a sack every game, you can wear your hair just about any way you want -- especially when half the home crowd goes to the same stylist.

But according to the LA Times' Sam Farmer, it goes beyond that. Sam wrote a couple of days ago: "Allen is dyeing one stripe in the side of his mullet for each sack he makes this season. Already, he has eight -- a reminder he's tied for the NFL lead, despite being suspended for two games."

Watch this video. The best quote: (Pointing to the front) "Up here, this says 'success,'" Allen said, then pointing to the back. "Back here, this says 'party.'"

Mullet humor probably passed its expiration date about three years ago, but this is quality stuff. 

Just got off the phone with Panthers QB Jake Delhomme, who was sitting close to the ice machine after an intense rehab session on his surgically repaired elbow. He said he's feeling good and plans to make Charlotte his home -- sorry, Breaux Bridge, La. Crawfish Capitol of the World -- yearround until he is ready to throw.

The goal is to be back and ready to throw by training camp. Elbow ligament replacement typically is a 7-9-month injury.

"That's the ultimate goal, training camp, but I am not ruling out (being ready for our) our coaching sessions and things like that," Delhomme told me

Just thought you'd want to know that. 

So there's little else I can say for this one. Just a few last-minute thoughts on the game:

Mike Reiss reports that Benjamin Watson is getting loose a good two and a half hours before the game, but that should be a good sign for the Patriots. 

I don't have a link for it -- other than some handicapping website I don't trust -- but WEEI in Boston is reporting that Marvin Harrison will not play.

ADDENDUM at 3:09 p.m. EST: It appears that Colts OLT Tony Ugoh will not play either.

It appears that fans in every NFL city except Houston and Cleveland will be watching Colts-Patriots this afternoon. Predictably, the Raiders did not sell out.

You want a prediction? How about this -- Patriots 59, Colts 39. Do I really think the Patriots will score 59 points? Oh, it's very unlikely. But you know what? I think we'll have a very good football game for three quarters, back and forth, that turns ugly late. I think the Patriots have more explosiveness and will put the pedal down until the final whistle.

Feel free to remind me of this ridiculous prediction when the Colts win ...

I realized that the free world is watching Patriots-Colts, but the Raiders just called on Sebastian Janikowski to attempt a 64-yard field goal, which would have been the league record. Do note that there was 1:15 left on the lock before halftime and the Raiders were down 14-0.

Jano missed, smacking the crossbar halfway up -- it would have been good from 74 yards, I kid you not. And just to make the moment more pricelss, my buddy Gus Johnson had the call. I will be texting him after the game. Be sure to Youtube this badboy after Colts-Patriots. 

First, on my "prediction": Yes, I picked a 20-point Patriots win, but the 59 points were done slightly tongue in cheek. Sure, I put it in writing, and I must stand by it, but I thought more people would realize I was being a tad fatuous.

So in order to make myself look equally as bad as someone else, check this out. Charlie Casserly predicted a softly called game on interference, and given that two phantom PI calls were made, it looks like he was way off. (I feel bad doing this. Charlie has treated me quite well when I have talked to him. Sorry, man.)

For the record, here are his comments on CBS Sports’ NFL TODAY:

Casserly: [The officiating crew for the New England-Indianapolis game] have only four defensive pass interference penalties this year. What's that mean?  That favors the passing attacks from both teams. The next stat which is interesting is they’ve called three offensive pass interference calls this year. That's high amongst the league. It's above average. Where does that fit? Randy Moss.  What's one of his favorite techniques?  The Push off…I’d watch what happens with Moss today when he pushes off, whether they call it or not. The last stat, they (this crew) lead the league in calling roughing the passer. If I'm a defensive player, and I'm going to hit a quarterback today, I'd better be real careful.  If it's close I'm going to get called.

I don't want to minimize what they accomplished today, because they are an excellent football team clearly -- one that could end up winning the Super Bowl this season -- but I thought the Patriots were mostly outplayed today. The final nine minutes were a different story, yes, but no one is talking about how now the Patriots can go 16-0. That chatter probably will kick up when they face the Bills in two weeks (Pats are on bye next week).

But I just think this Colts team has a few more things to say before they're done. They are an excellent team, and although I have led their fan club this season, I think they even played better defensively in the first three quarters than I thought they were capable of.

Here are a few interesting Colts quotes from postgame:

QB-PEYTON MANNING (on if New England did anything the Colts did not expect) New England Patriots vs. Indianapolis Colts 11/04/07
“I don’t really want to get into the X’s and O’s.  They have excellent players, they made some good plays on defense and it’s always a challenge when we play against them.”

C-JEFF SATURDAY (On missed opportunities in the "red zone") New England Patriots vs. Indianapolis Colts 11/04/07
"You always look back on the red zone and those opportunities that are frustrating, and it was frustrating.  We felt like we should have gotten in the end zone, but we didn't do it."

LB-GARY BRACKETT (on there being more football down the road) New England Patriots vs. Indianapolis Colts 11/04/07
“Absolutely.  No moral victories.  It is what it is.  We lost.  We didn’t play 60 minutes, but next week we have to play for San Diego.  We will go grade the film, make the corrections and then you get better.”

DE-ROBERT MATHIS (On if this will cost them down the road) New England Patriots vs. Indianapolis Colts 11/04/07
"You don't want to get in trouble with position with New England.  We are now, so we've got to make the most of it and do the best we can."

DB-MARLIN JACKSON (thoughts on the game) New England Patriots vs. Indianapolis Colts 11/04/07
"We gave up some big plays at the end of the game and you can't do that against these guys, and they took advantage of it and that's what happened. We stuck with our game plan, we were doing a great job with everything we were doing in the first half and we made a couple mistakes in the second half that kind of cost us. We have to go out and get better every single week. This is the middle of the season.  We still got a lot of games left and maybe we'll see them again."

Managing editor Mike Holbrook and I are in accord here: We now are rooting for the Patriots -- or some team -- to go 16-0, journalistic integrity be damned. Soon, please.

The whole thing with Shula and his '72 Dolphins guys popping champagne when the last unbeaten team loses each season ... my gosh, it's played out. And to read Shula's comments about Spygate tarnishing a would-be unbeaten season, it wreaks of a whiny coach who is sad his record is about to come down.

I like Shula more than a lot of people in our business. He helped me out one time when Nick Buoniconti -- another '72er -- was elected to the Hall of Fame and blew me off for an interview we had scheduled. Shula called me later and told me a couple of great stories about his former linebacker. I was very gracious for the coach's help, and he spoke to me mere minutes before he was supposed to talk to a room full of CEOs, which made it all the more generous gesture.

But I am souring on his comments about Bill Belichick and the Patriots. What is Shula saying? The Patriots should be put below his Dolphins (even if they win two more games in a 16-game season) because the team was fined for breaking rules? That happened after Week One. Would they just put an asterisk after that one game?

Let's not get ahead of ourselves. The Patriots are 9-0. They are not even halfway to perfection if we include three playoff games. I highly suspect there's at least one loss along the way, maybe to the Colts in the postseason. But that's precisely why I am surprised at Shula's comments. He's coming out and saying this now, angry that the Patriots are the best team in a few years, and protecting himself in case they do win them all. It just seems so ... insecure.

What's sure to irk Shula and the '72 Dolphins and fans is this: There is at least one similarity between that teamand this year's Patriots. Let me remind folks that Shula's Dolphins ran the score up quite unmercifully on the New England Patriots that season by a score of 52-0. The Dolphins were up 38-0 in the fourth and continued to throw deep. Their last two scoring plays of the game were passes to Marlin Briscoe for 51 yards and to Jim Mandich for 39 yards.

Look, it has been 35 years. Most records these days last two, three years, tops. Yours is quite an achievement. Going unbeaten is the goal of every team, and few in any sport outside college football even get within a whiff of that. At some point, this season or in the next five years likely, that thing is going to go down. And hear me now: No one will forget you. No one has forgotten that Dan Marino was the best QB of his era and many other eras just because Brett Favre has broken, well, all his marks.

In the end, everyone just wants to be remembered, and I can appreciate that. But trust me, your legacy as a team only will suffer the more you come out and bitch about Spygate and the like. If anything, this tarnishes what you did and makes you look like you feel that no one else should be allowed to win all their games. It screams of whininess.

So stop the complaining, accept the fact that you are going to watch another team beat your mark, gladly accept the media phone calls that will come ringing in when it does go down. And if you get lonely and feel like no one remembers what you did, go call your former teammates and plan a reunion. I am sure you guys all have each other on speed dial. And I am sure there will be an extra bottle of champagne lying around to drink. 

Per radio wag and good friend Todd Wright, this might be nearly as bad as when the Patriots and Dolphins face off Week 16 in Foxboro:

http://www.fmft.net/archives/BBC_NEWS.htm

Classic stuff, Todd. Keep rolling. 

My question: Is the Cambodian Midget Fighting League now defunct? I would love to see the transaction page of the Phnom Penh sports section: Cambodian Midget Fighting League -- Dissolved due to death of 28 members. 

Now, that would make a killer t-shirt! Some indie rocker kid no doubt is on it as we speak ... 

There's fabric softener and then there's stance softener. That's what Don Shula is doing in regards to his slightly revised statements about the Patriots and "Spygate." But he certainly didn't back down from his comments.

Based on the strong response here, it's clear that this is a bigger story with more legs than I thought it was. Obviously, people are not sick of the Patriots -- everyone has an opinion of them, good or bad -- and every week there will be talk of whether they are the greatest ever, whether they deserve a title or whether (and this one I can't deny) they are getting treated unfairly by the zebras. 

The Patriots are the Topic Du Jour, but I am realizing that they are the Topic De La Semaine (week), Du Mois (month) and De L'année (year). Sorry for the eighth-grade French lesson.

Oh, speaking of French (such as long snapper L.P. LaDouceur and former TE David LaFleur) ... if you're a Cowboys fan who is thinking about going to the game, don't bother with the ticket booth. This is passed along from the Cowboys' PR department:

The Dallas Cowboys announced today that the club has sold out the 2008 season.  This is the first time in club history that the Cowboys have sold out the entire season in advance through season ticket sales.
 
The 2008 season will  be the Cowboys final year at Texas Stadium. During that campaign, the club will face traditional NFC East rivals the New York Giants, Philadelphia and Washington, along with San Francisco, Seattle, Baltimore, Cincinnati and a member of the NFC South based on the club’s standings in the division at the end of the season.