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Pro football is headed into the great unknown. Barring a quick — and totally unexpected — agreement with the players’ union on a new contract, 2010 will have no salary cap. After that, perhaps a work stoppage, something NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith puts at “14″ on a scale of 1 to 10.

Stallworth

As expected, the Cleveland Browns terminated the contract of veteran receiver Donte’ Stallworth Monday. He was reinstated following the Super Bowl by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.



Stallworth served a one-year suspension following a DUI manslaughter case in Florida that resulted in the death of 59-year-old Mario Reyes. Stallworth also served 24 days in jail this past summer.



The Browns signed Stallworth to a $35 million contract in 2008. That year he recorded 17 receptions for 170 yards in 11 games. The release officially makes Stallworth an unrestricted free agent.

Eagles running back Brian Westbrook broke his postseason silence during an appearance on WGFX radio in Nashville, Tenn., with his former teammate Blaine Bishop. Westbrook opened up about his two concussions last season and talked about quarterback Donovan McNabb. Thanks to Jimmy Shapiro of sportsradiointerviews.com for giving us a heads up on Westbrook’s interview. Bishop asked Westbrook whether he thinks McNabb will be on the Eagles’ roster in 2010.

“I think there is no question in my mind if Donovan will be back,” said Westbrook. “After what he was able to do last year, which he had a very good year of course. Everybody measures, a lot of fans measure by Super Bowls. Did you win the Super Bowl and you know? Realistically, there is only going to be one team out of 32 to win the Super Bowl every year and it is hard to do that. I don’t think that you can measure whether a quarterback can be successful or not whether he won a Super Bowl or not. If you look at this football team with Donovan and without Donovan I think you would be hard-pressed to say that there was a better quarterback in the league than Donovan McNabb for the Philadelphia Eagles.”

It’s important to note that Westbrook and McNabb haven’t always been the closest of pals. It wasn’t long ago that Westbrook was the best player on offense and he gave the Eagles the best chance to win because of his rare combination of receiving and rushing talents. The two men have completely different personalities. Westbrook is sort of a brooding guy who doesn’t let many people into his inner circle. McNabb’s a lot more outgoing and he’s made a lot of friends across the league. But I do think there’s a mutual respect between the two Eagles, and Westbrook would hate to see the McNabb era end.

“Donovan, he brings that added layer, added attractiveness to the game that he could take a play that is not doing nothing and turning it into something,” said Westbrook. “As a player, you are always ready for that and you are always willing to want a quarterback that can do that because it changes everything. It changes your whole game plan. It changes everything around. It changes defenses that you actually face. As a teammate of his and a player that has seen him doing so many great things on the football field, it would be hard-pressed for me to find somebody better than Donovan McNabb to play quarterback for us.”

Of course, now we need to figure out if Westbrook’s going to be on the Eagles’ roster in 2010. He’s been one of the best players in franchise history, but there’s no guarantee that he’s able to return to his Pro Bowl form after numerous injuries, the most significant being the concussions. You’ll recall that WIP radio’s Howard Eskin reported recently that Westbrook’s career is likely over because he wouldn’t be able to pass a physical for another team.



I guess we’ll find out soon enough.

MIAMI — A couple of Super Bowl notes with a hint of AFC East flavor.



Or is that cumin?



Anyway, for Indianapolis Colts fans convinced their team will make another compelling run at the title next season, keep in mind the Super Bowl loser hasn’t returned to the big game since the 1993 Buffalo Bills. Of course, the Bills returned after a defeat three straight seasons — and lost again each time.



Even more historically adverse for the Colts is the fact only three Super Bowl losers in the past decade have managed to return to the playoffs the next year. Not even the 18-1 New England Patriots could get back.



A major reason the New Orleans Saints won the championship was because they committed one turnover throughout the postseason, tying an NFL record for teams that played at least three games.



ESPN Stats & Information found six previous teams committed a single giveaway (in three or more postseason games), and all of them won the Super Bowl.



The Patriots did it twice, in 2001 and 2004. The others were the 1998 Denver Broncos, 1995 Dallas Cowboys, 1990 New York Giants and 1976 Oakland Raiders.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — As a veteran of nine Super Bowls, I’ve seen a variety of host committee welcoming booths. I seem to recall the South Florida contingent featuring a woman in a bikini a few years back, which seemed to resonate with reporters from across the world.



But the North Texas Super Bowl committee outdid itself this past week by transforming one corner of a drab convention center into a replica of Cowboys Stadium, scoreboard and all. The folks from the 2012 Indianapolis committee appeared a little embarrassed as they put out a couple of chairs and distributed candy bars.



The North Texas group swung into town with a swagger and you never knew who might drop by next. Hall of Famers Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman serve on the committee and they’ve been quite generous with their time. Aikman even co-hosted several reporters on a dinner cruise Thursday evening aboard a 91-foot yacht. I prepared for motion sickness based on a bad English Channel experience in sixth grade, but our coastal route was pretty tame.



Until last week, Super Bowl XLV still seemed like a distant date on the calendar. But now the Texas contingent is officially on the clock. On Friday, I spotted the mayors of Dallas, Irving, Fort Worth and Arlington making their rounds along radio row. The mayors and dozens of staffers flew into town for a briefing with south Florida organizers on everything from aviation to partying.



Much like last week’s buildup in Fort Lauderdale and Miami, the Super Bowl XLV festivities will be spread out across a 40- to 50-mile radius. For those of you who didn’t grow up in Kaufman County like Jamie Foxx and I did, Dallas and Fort Worth are about 40 miles apart. But they might as well be in different states because the two cities have carved out two distinct personalities.



Fort Worth features one of the most underrated downtown entertainment districts in the country with Sundance Square. And you’ll certainly have to make the short drive from Sundance to the Stock Yards before heading over for some Tex-Mex at Joe T. Garcia’s. The AFC champions will stay in Fort Worth and the NFC champs will be in Irving, where Texas Stadium stands until it’s demolished this spring.



The media center will be in downtown Dallas at the Sheraton and the NFL Experience will be housed at the convention center a few blocks away. I’ve looked at where a lot of the events are taking place and you should be prepared to do quite a bit of driving.



Cowboys Stadium is located about halfway between Dallas and Fort Worth in Arlington. If you look hard enough, you can find some good restaurants in Arlington (Olenjack’s shrimp and grits in Lincoln Square). I think one of the biggest challenges will be game-day traffic. The Cowboys have had 100,000 fans show up for a home game, but most of them sort of had a general idea of where they were going. The Super Bowl brings in fans from across the world and getting in and out of Cowboys Stadium can be an adventure.



Arlington happens to be one of the largest cities in the nation without mass transit, but officials plan to have a light rail train in operation for Super Bowl Sunday. Members of the Texas committee were encouraged to hear about an increase in parties last week in South Florida. They expect that trend to continue despite the fact that we don’t have any beaches to offer.



The weather is as unpredictable as you’ll find anywhere in the nation. The average high for Feb. 6 is 58 and the average low is 37. I think it’s 42 outside right now. But trust me, it could be 72 degrees during Super Bowl week. In fact, Staubach is working on that as we speak.

MIAMI — In many ways the Saints beat the Colts at their own game Sunday in Super Bowl XLIV. Here’s some of ESPN Stats & Information’s great breakdown:



Under 10: Drew Brees masterfully took what Indianapolis gave him. On passes of 10 yards in the air or fewer, he hit on 28 of 32 attempts for 219 yards, both of his touchdowns and a 116 passer rating. And that included one drop and one spike.



Battle of the checkdowns: On passes of 5 yards or fewer, Brees beat Peyton Manning. Brees was 22-of-25, 6.9 per attempt, two TDs, no INTs and a 122.2 passer rating; Manning was 18-of-24, 5.2, zero TDs, one pick and a 68.8 passer rating.



Nickel after half: The Saints played five or more defensive backs for 13 plays in the first half and yielded 90 yards (6.9 a play). They were in nickel or dime for all 37 plays in the second half and gave up 188 (5.1 a play).



Disconnected: Manning and Reggie Wayne had a great postseason run. Manning completed 68.8 percent of his passes to Wayne, with a touchdown and a 110.9 passer rating. But that success ended against New Orleans. Manning hit on just 45.5 percent of his throws to Wayne, with 4.2 yards per attempt, an interception, a drop and a 19.5 rating. To everyone else he was 76.5 percent, 8.4 yards per attempt, one TD and no picks, one drop and a 110.8 rating.



Bad against the blitz: Two weeks after Manning did well to figure out the Jets’ blitzes before halftime, he struggled against New Orleans’ additional pressure. Against five or more rushers, he was 9-of-16 for 69 yards with an interception and a 40.9 rating.



Two bad elements united: Entering the Super Bowl, Manning had thrown only one interception in the fourth quarter this season (124 pass attempts). Manning also attempted 164 passes on third down entering Sunday and turned the ball over just twice. The pick-six came on a third-down attempt in the fourth quarter.



Well, you broke them up for good: New Orleans broke up six of Manning’s pass attempts Sunday. That was the second-most pass breakups against Manning this season (Texans, Week 9).



Freeney’s limitations: The Colts attempted to limit Dwight Freeney’s participation to passing situations. He was on the field for 27 of the 39 Saints’ pass plays (69.2 percent), but only eight of 18 Saints rush plays (44.4 percent).



He missed the Saints’ touchdown drive after the onside kick to open the second half, as he was getting his ankle re-taped, expecting the Colts to be on offense.



The Saints were a bit less effective passing when Freeney was in the game — averaging 0.6 fewer yards per attempt and completing 6.5 percent fewer passes.



Up the middle, before and after The Who: In the first half, the Colts got 59 yards on seven carries up the middle. That fell to just 8 yards on three carries in the second half. Joseph Addai was noticeably absent in runs up the middle in the second half. In the first half, Addai had three rushes for 47 yards up the middle. Addai had just one carry for minus-2 yards up the middle in the second half.



Stop running: The Saints and Colts tied the Super Bowl record for fewest combined rushes. The Steelers and Cardinals also combined for 37 carries last year. How’s that for evidence of what a passing league it’s become?

Getty ImagesColts quarterback Peyton Manning, with a loss in Super Bowl XLIV, is now 9-9 in the postseason while his New England counterpart, Tom Brady, is 14-4.

MIAMI — The way Tom Brady‘s season ended was catastrophic. The New England Patriots‘ season turned to cinders with an ugly, first-round playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens, and Brady could be blamed for much of it. He looked no better than Hugh Millen.



Peyton Manning, meanwhile, evolved this season into the prototypical virtuoso, the symbol of great quarterbacking. Because the Indianapolis Colts removed him from both losses, it could be argued he didn’t lose a game all year.



Manning was so sensational and Brady shaky enough at the start (while getting used to his rebuilt knee) and at the end (looking lost without Wes Welker and throwing three interceptions), the debate over the greatest quarterback of this generation — perhaps of all-time — had swung decisively in Manning’s favor. He was better than Brady.



Until Sunday night.



Manning’s legacy was tarnished in Super Bowl XLIV.



Late in the fourth quarter, he threw an interception New Orleans Saints cornerback Tracy Porter returned 74 yards for a backbreaking touchdown, the type of costly mistake Brady has avoided on the big stage. Manning also panicked in the final moments when the Colts had a shot to score and at least try an onside kick.



Manning’s postseason record is 9-9, with 28 touchdowns and 19 interceptions. He is 1-1 in Super Bowls.



Brady’s postseason record is 14-4, with 28 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. He has three Super Bowl rings.



Of course, the Patriots also lost a Super Bowl in which they were favored, failing to achieve perfection in 2007. But it wasn’t Brady’s fault. The New York Giants pulled off one of the great upsets in NFL history with Brady on the sidelines. He conducted a touchdown drive to give the Patriots a fourth-quarter lead then helplessly watched it disappear.



In the Super Bowl, Brady always rose to the occasion.



Manning failed to deliver Sunday night. The memory of Porter prancing into the end zone will last a long time.



“He had an opportunity to be in a Super Bowl; he doesn’t win it,” ESPN analyst and former NFL quarterback Tim Hasselbeck said. “Now, he looks human. He’s not going to be able to go undefeated in Super Bowls, and certainly when you compare him to some of the all-time greats he doesn’t have as many rings.



“No matter how many records he has or what the stats say or however he plays in the regular season, when you match up his postseason accomplishments against quarterbacks like Tom Brady, Joe Montana, it doesn’t stack up.”

MIAMI — On the very first question of his Monday news conference, not even 12 hours after his team had won Super Bowl XLIV, Sean Payton suddenly had to face the future.



He was asked about how the Saints would respond to the challenge of following up a championship season, a challenge that’s been difficult for most recent winners. Payton would have been well within his rights to say something like, “Please, let us enjoy this for at least a day.’’



But he didn’t. He made mention of the fact the Saints have a young team and a steady Drew Brees, who now officially has joined, if not surpassed, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady on the list of the game’s elite quarterbacks. That’s a good start right there, but history hasn’t always been kind to teams that finish at the top of the NFL when they come back for the next season.



Especially teams that finish at the top of the NFC South. Prior to the Saints, the NFC South has had two Super Bowl teams. The 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers won it and the 2003 Carolina Panthers lost it. Neither came close to even getting to the game the next season.



Repeat champions are rare in NFL history. They’re non-existent in the NFC South. Since the division came into existence in 2002, no team has been able to win it in back-to-back seasons. In fact, the general trend is for the last place team to win it the next season and fall off greatly the season after that.



Keep in mind, the Saints finished fourth in the NFC South last season. Should the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who went 3-13 this season, be waiting for the crown? Probably not. But anything can happen in the NFC South.



The Saints are very good, maybe great. Payton’s right when he points to Brees as the first reason this team can be good for the long haul. Then you look at other young core players like Jonathan Vilma, Tracy Porter, Sedrick Ellis, Marques Colston, Robert Meachem and Jahri Evans.



It’s hard to picture the Saints just crumbling next season. But it’s not all that hard to picture them being challenged in the NFC South. The Saints are going to carry the target that comes with winning a Super Bowl and that means they’ll get the best from opponents every week.



And it’s not like the rest of the NFC South is weak. The Falcons and Panthers both slipped a bit this season after making the playoffs last season. But you can look at Atlanta and Carolina and see strong cores that can be something special if injuries don’t get in the way again.



Carolina’s got the best running back tandem in the league in Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams, a monster of a receiver in Steve Smith and a defense led by Jon Beason. If coach John Fox can just find a quarterback, the Panthers could be a big factor.



The Falcons have a quarterback in Matt Ryan and big-time targets in Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez. They remind me a bit of the 2008 Saints — all offense and not enough defense. You can bet that the Falcons are going to work to improve that defense in 2010. If the Falcons can improve half as much on defense as this season’s Saints, anything becomes possible.



Then there are the Buccaneers. Yeah, they look horrible on paper. But they seem to have found something good in rookie quarterback Josh Freeman. They’ve got 10 draft picks to help improve Freeman’s supporting cast. Even in their current state, the Buccaneers don’t look as bad as the Falcons did after the 2007 season and the Falcons went to the playoffs in 2008.



Anything can — and does — happen in the NFC South. Let’s let the Saints enjoy their championship for a bit. But even the Saints have to realize they can’t sit still for long.



They were great this season. But if they don’t work really hard to protect that, there are three other NFC South teams waiting to try to take their place.