No, they are not idiots and I'll start out my Happy New Year blog with a call for great quarterbacks everywhere to make sure they are teammates with a great kicker.

Andrew Luck had set his team up for a nice New Year's Day win when, oops, his kicker blew it. Georgia's kicker helped MSU finally win a bowl game for Mark Dantonio. And Virginia Tech's third-string kicker almost completed a heroic turnaround but then...he blew it, allowing U-of-M an 11-win season and a big-time bowl win.

And U-M is usually the team with the great QB but terrible kicker.

Which leads us to poor Jason Hanson, who is a great kicker and has long been a great kicker. He's teamed with a pretty good quarterback, Scott Mitchell, who flamed out quickly. Hanson played along side the great RB Barry Sanders but together, lacking a good defense and a consistent passing game, they could win no championship. Now, Hanson has Matthew Stafford, but it is late in Hanson's career. Hanson missed a should-have kick on Sunday in Green Bay. It may have changed game at end, but who knows.

This year is tough, but a championship is possible with a strong passing game, some defensive strong play and good luck. But they have to hurry, before Hanson ages too much more.