He is no Elvis when it comes to talent (most people say), but Tim Tebow is up there when it comes to celebrity.

Hence the NY Jets' third-string quarterback, Tim Tebow, was released today by the struggling franchise. Well, they struggled last year after two surprise playoff appearances and two road playoff wins, but in the NFL, it's what you are doing now, or most recently, and prior success matters little.

Tebow, famous for being sincere and religious, has even won a playoff game, beating the Steelers two years ago while in Denver, where the love-hate relationship with NFL fans was created. He was chased out by Payton Manning after leadership there ruled he would not be the team's future. But he never really played in NY and he was hated by many.

He ended the season as the third option and the team drafted a quarterback this weekend, and it's no surprised he was released. But when it happened, the Associated Press issued an APNewsAlert:

FLORHAM PARK, N.J (AP) — New York Jets say they have waived Tim Tebow.

It may seem an overreaction, but you cannot deny the power of fame and celebrity in our news media and in our sports coverage. And considering the exaggerated value placed on him and this story of NY's QB situation, the AP is obligated to make sure member paper's get the story, which is why within an hour they had a lengthy, 35-inch story read for use. I posted it.

They have Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson in Detroit, and their extra points will be easily converted.

The long leg and steady kick of longtime Lion Jason Hanson will be missed, I believe. He was my favorite Lion overall, because so many times, when the offense sputtered, he would at least get the three points, often keeping them in the game over the two-plus decades he played.

Two keys to his greatness. He made most of his kicks. And he could be counted on from a long ways off.

Good luck in your next career.

Well, to detractors, he's not a goat, but potentially a killer. Words like murder and coverup are used to describe Lewis' trip to watch the Super Bowl in Atlanta in 2000.

With the star linebacker's impending retirement and surprise return to the Super Bowl, the leader of the Baltimore Ravens is back in the headlines and columnists' scopes as he is lavished with praise for his on-field skills, his on-field leadership and his off-field charity work and positive lifestyle.

Not all are so impressed, bringing up the double murder charges (even if you don't stab someone, if you are there and part of an effort to conceal everyone's involvement, you are potentially vulnerable to top murder charges) as well as his marital status and offspring.

Lewis, in what was one of the biggest stories of that winter, saw his murder charges dismissed when he agreed to testify against two others. They were acquitted eventually, and he pleaded to a misdemeanor charge related to obstructing police. Many questions still are asked, especially about missing evidence (his clothes, which some insist were bloodied) and about the settled civil suit.

When he did win a Super Bowl, it wasn't Lewis going to Disney, his reputation still sullied. But now, with time passed and his staying with his team and being a positive leader (he doesn't whine about money, playing time, endorsements -- many of the things that sports fan are sick of athletes doing), it's his time to shine, maybe.

Maybe not, though, if enough complain publicly and enough bring up the past, such as USA Today.

I don't know what happened, but lying about an investigation, to me, indicates involvement. There are times to hope to stay hidden and there are times to step to the plate and be an adult and share what you know. A murder investigation is a time to be a man and responsible member of society. Likewise, many people believe 'snitching' is the greatest sin and that is deplorable behavior when lives are taken.


What I do know is that Lewis is a strange character, his emotionally charged behavior after games, almost like a traveling preacher being overtaken by the spirit. Very strange stuff. It makes good photos and good video, but that post-game interview was weird stuff.

Yes, it will be, if a football fan. Well, we'll know tomorrow night, but it's shaping up to be an epic Sunday if a true fan of the games.

And I mean games, English Premiere League and NFL. I get it, soccer is actually football, and the NFL is head concussing military-strategizing mayhem. You got to love both.

Early, we start with struggling Liverpool, perhaps the most storied team in English and thus football history. They go up against Manchester United, the most trophied team in recent decades. Many say Liverpool is the most storied team, but you can't ignore the widespread success of the Red Devils and its leader Sir Alex Ferguson. I'd say that ManU will roll with ease but team leader and superstar Wayne Rooney appears not able to play and ManU has had a tendency this campaign to give up early goals to lesser teams, making for interesting games...though frustrating the way Manchester United keeps coming back.

Next up, Arsenal, another powerhouse goes up against Manchester City, which topped ManU last season for its first title in decades. They trail United by something like seven points and need a win/loss combo to close the gap. If Arsenal wins and United wins, they may get Sir Alex another trophy months early.

THEN, of course, come the NFL playoffs from 1 to 7:30 or 8 p.m. Enough has been said about that except I hope Houston puts up a game and that Seattle does the same.

It could certainly be an epic Sunday, and with limited games, no flipping and no Red Zone back and forth.

Sunday's game in Washington, D.C. as the Redskins hosted the Seattle Seahawks, was the best game of the weekend.

It also had the most intrigue, as a pre-game report indicated that the home team's star quarterback — rookie Robert Griffin III, the second pick of the 2012 draft, who excited fans with highlights and provided promise by leading his team to the playoffs — had not been checked out before he returned to a game earlier this year when he injured his knee, according to a report in USA TODAY.

Griffin is the future of the team and he ended up missing at least a game or two. So just as they are kicking off on Sunday, this story is up and people are talking. Did he get rushed back? Did he ignore a problem in his leg? Is the team and the player risking their futures?

And sure enough, late on Sunday, Griffin was hurt. He wasn't even hit when he went down. It looked painful. And he missed the bad snap and couldn't reach it, leading to a fumble and turn over deep in their own territory when already down by one touchdown and time running out.


And sure enough, just like that, the game and season ended for the Redskins.

In one sense, say perhaps for public safety and common decency, selling vast amounts of alcohol to tens of thousands of passionate football fans is not a good thing.

But to football fans, eating fun foods and drinking loads of beer while riding the highs and lows of the NFL, or whatever sport you like, but especially the NFL, is a great thing. It is to live.

However, at this weekend's wild card playoff game, involving the Minnesota Vikings visiting their hated rivals, the Green Bay Packers, they will limit beer and other alcohol sales, ending them at halftime.

Officials site the propensity at night football games for people, fans really, to allow themselves to be over-served, let's say. I have seen in the news lately, these last few weeks of the season, a couple of stories from Deadspin about Vikings fans and their, let's again say, enthusiasm.

This Deadspin story has an interesting Lions angle as it reports the increased levels of violence when the Packers play the Vikings or the Bears, highlighting a man's arrest for punching out a Packer fan while he, the culprit, wore a giant purple sombrero. Violence is much, much lower when the Lions play in Green Bay, prompting Deadspin to note, "It's official, then — no one cares about the Lions."

I had to laugh at the idea of the fan trying to flee and hide but being easily caught due to his headgear. Football fans are traditionally easy to fill the role of idiot.

Here are a couple of Lions fans, though, proving that we can drink and act stupid and even violent, just like they do in Wisconsin and Minnesota. I particularly like the way the other fans ganged up on the gals, wanting them to and then singing "na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye" when the cops finally arrive. They blew great endzone seats.

The key name to remember when it comes to what happened outside of Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday is this one: Kasandra Perkins.

She joins thousands of other names of people who were killed during instances of domestic violence. Her child, who she had with linebacker Jovan Belcher, is the one to carry the scars of his father's actions, shooting Perkins to death before shooting himself in the head.

People are wondering why. Was it the gun available during moments of emotional instability? Yes, that made it easier, but plenty of people are killed with knives, blunt objects, hatchets, hands, poison, cement floors.

Was it the head injuries the NFL linebacker suffered? Perhaps, well, possibly and perhaps likely. Was it the drugs and alcohol that may have used as part of a lifestyle or part of a regiment to battle the injuries. Possibly a factor?

Who knows why he did what he did. No one will really know, but there are bound to be signs that were ignored. Could someone have saved her? Likely, yes, but many  times, warning signs are ignored by family, friends, coworkers, the legal system, and, many times too, by victims.

One part of this story that I hate, the calls for the NFL or the Chiefs to cancel or postpone the game. I agree with the NFL on few things, its many stupid rules (see Thanksgiving), its blackout policy, its regular punishment of fans, but I agree the only things that should stop a football game should be related to fan safety... weather, terrorism concerns, stadium damage.

Too many people are relying on the game to occur: fans who travel and make all-day plans after ponying up big bucks for the ticket(s), people who work the game and, yes, even TV people. They pay for the game. Oh, and the fans who watch on TV, who are actually the ones paying the TV people.

When will they replay the game? On Monday or Tuesday? Is that enough time to heal? A week later, or at the end of the season, when the playoffs are starting? No,  you can't cancel a game.

Plus, what then constitutes a tragedy? One player plus another person? One non-starter and two other people/ What if one is a child, does that count as two people? What if it's a former player, who was real, real popular? That's what pre- or during-game moments are for.

And I like how Kansas City executives handled it, from what I heard, honoring all victims of domestic violence, such as Steve McNair.

Well, the NFL has gone and jumped the shark.
It's admitting that its game is too violent and it is making a move to reduce injuries... and take away from the excitement and fun.
The kickoffs go back to the 35, as they always were when I was growing, and from where they were moved in 1994 when the NFL (smart) wanted to increase the excitement of the game. Moving to the 30 yard line meant more returns, which means more fumbles (good), touchdowns or long returns (good), penalties (bad) and injuries (very bad).
The owners, currently embroiled in a lockout with players as they push for more money for ownership, less for players, as well as a longer season, went and made this move with very little debate and very little public discussion.
But I'm not buying it. If it's to say to the players, see we love you and care about your brains, well, it's opening the door to saying, we need to eliminate all injuries.
HELLO, FLAG FOOTBALL.
SO LONG, HELMETS and tackles and sacks and running backs plowing straight ahead for the first down.
So this is the beginning of the end of football as we know it.
I'm glad I'm getting into the ENGLISH PREMIERE LEAGUE soccer, or emmm, football. It's exciting, even if it's the 1-nil variety. Those guys konk their heads, and they don't wear helmets. And games change on a dime and goalies sure can blow it. I LOVE IT.
But I still would like NFL, my favorite sport.
I've always hated the league, going back to how they treat their television customers, which really is most of their customer base as so much money comes from TV. BUT oh, my, don't let the suck-ass Lions be shown OR ANY OTHER GAME.....(I get so bitter, even now during the off-season, I'd just love to the oversized govt come and hold hearing and get its big toe into the league... JUST END IT.).
But really, I'd like the game I used to love to be on TV this fall, I suppose.
I support the 18-game season. Do away with the playoff bye for the two best teams. Then the league would rock on into another glorious decade before common sense dictated that it end.
However, I also support the players and their quest for guaranteed money and a bigger part of the financial pie.
They need better pensions for older retired players and they need to guarantee money for players.
Then let them beat their f-in brains out, please.