In his weekly “Official Review” segment on NFL Network’s Total Access, NFL V.P. of officiating Mike Pereira didn’t address either of the two controversial calls in Sunday’s 28-27 game between the Packers and the Vikings.

Instead, Pereira talked about the reversal of the illegal forward pass penalty imposed on the Giants after replay showed that a portion of quarterback Eli Manning’s body had not crossed the line of scrimmage.  Pereira also explained the manner in which the officials handled the closing moments of the 49ers-Cardinals game.

So since neither the “illegal forward pass” penalty that gave the Vikings two points nor the failure to flag Adrian Peterson for taking off his helmet after the go-ahead touchdown with two minutes and change to play, we’ll take about the first one one more time, in a PFTV segment.

A year ago, the Patriots were 8-0.  And the first question everyone in the media was asking was this:  “How big of a butthole is Bill Belichick?”

The second question was this:  “Can the Patriots go undefeated?”

This year, the Titans are 8-0.  And no one is asking whether the Titans can go undefeated.  (But there are still plenty of media types curious as to how big of a butthole Bill Belichick is.)

And so PFTV provides an answer.  (Not to the Belichick question, the other one.)

Sean Jensen of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports that the NFL has fined Vikings defensive end Jared Allen for the low hit that has knocked Texans quarterback Matt Schaub out of action for several weeks.  But Allen isn’t talking about the amount of the fine.

“Yeah, I did,” Allen said when asked if he was fined.  “But I’m going to avoid all questions on that right now until after my appeal.  We’ll see how it works out.”

In an arguable bit of karma, Allen likely will miss Sunday’s showdown against the Packers due to a shoulder injury that he suffered against the Texans.  He is listed as doubtful.

Another guy who might end up getting a fine is Texans tackle Eric Winston, who in a recent radio appearance on Sports Radio 610 in Houston questioned the decision of the officials not to penalize Allen for roughing the passer.

“The worst part is the fact it wasn’t even flagged,” Winston said, calling the decision not to penalize Allen “ridiculous.”

Winston also said that, if he and his teammates had realized that Allen had hit Schaub low, there would have been retaliation.

“If we would’ve known what we know now, some of us probably would have taken a fine or ejection to get back at him,” Winston said.

We think Allen got off easy.  If the league’s goal is to ensure that a 32-team league with less than 32 good quarterbacks can provide entertaining football games each week, Allen’s dive at Schaub’s leg should have resulted in a one-week suspension.

For more on that topic, we give you a PFTV segment.

As we hear it, several teams are actively pursuing cornerback DeAngelo Hall, now that he has cleared waivers and become an unrestricted free agent.

We’re told that Hall is talking to several teams, including high-level folks with more than one franchise.  One source characterized it as a “frenzy” of activity.

Adam Schefter reports that the Giants, Redskins, Steelers, and Patriots are interested.

As we hear it, the Giants are out, but the Saints are in.

Hall is looking for the “best situation” for him.  The factors that will drive this determination aren’t known.

Our guess is that it will be hard for him to get much more than the prorated league minimum salary, but if he can spark a bidding war, he might be able to squeeze out something better than that.

UPDATE:  Here’s a PFTV segment on the situation, which fits here about as well as it would fit anywhere else.

On Wednesday, Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter implied (sort of) that Broncos receiver Brandon Marshall is gay.

On Thursday, the latest target of Porter’s mouth (receiver Matt Jones of the Jaguars), returned fire.

“I don’t know why [Porter] is even thinking about me,” Jones said.  “I mean, maybe he likes other men and sits up and thinks about stuff, so I don’t know.”

Gee, we wonder why Esera Tuaolo never came out of the closet during his playing career.

Meanwhile, here’s a PFTV segment addressing the crux of Peezy’s complaint about the fact that Jones has yet to be suspended in the wake of his arrest for cocaine possession.  As usual, Porter is misinformed.

In a week full of great matchups, this one stands out above all others.

5-2 Steelers at 6-2 Redskins, on Monday night.

We could say a lot more about it, but we’ll stand aside for some PFTV.

As it becomes more and more clear that quarterback Daunte Culpepper will join the Lions on Monday, we wonder whether that’s the right move.

The two-year deal will be meaningless in 2009, unless coach Rod Marinelli keeps his job beyond 2008, which seems unlikely at this point.  And if ownership makes the right call and cleans out the front office, it will be even harder for Culpepper to find a spot in the new regime.

His motivation seems to be to find the place where he can play sooner rather than later.  But is that the right way to resurrect his career?  The PFTV guys address that issue.

We realize that, from time to time (but generally very rarely), we venture off-topic and make a comment or two that deal with politics. 

And, every time we do it, we end up regretting it.

So the issue for present consideration is whether folks involved with football (or other sports or entertainment) should strive to keep politics out of the process.

The most recent development is that the halftime festivities for Monday night’s ESPN game will feature interviews by Chris Berman of John McCain (from Navy) and Barack “You Say Obamo I Say” Obama.

Plenty of our readers don’t like it.  But as Mike D pointed out in the comments, “SWEET!!  I can drop that duece at halftime and feel safe in knowing I’m not missing anything important.”

For more on whether politics and football mix, here’s a little mix between PFT and TV.

As we reach the end of another week, we dump out the PFTV hopper provide you with various different forms of entertainment for the one day per week when you’re most likely to be able to turn on the speakers while at work.

Here’s a look at the current status of the possible NFC playoff field.

Enjoy.

As the NFL prepares for the final nine weeks of the 2008 regular season, PFTV takes a look at the teams that might (or might not) make it to the postseason.

The only thing clear at this point is that the prospects are as unclear as they’ve ever been. 

The AFC field is as wide open as it ever has been, with only the Bengals, Chiefs, and perhaps the Raiders clearly (though not mathematically) out of contention.

The question that headlines this item doesn’t really matter, since the NFL is going to continue to play regular-season games (and possibly someday a Super Bowl) in England and other countries other than the U.S. of Freakin’ A.

Still, plenty of NFL fans (including the 70,000 or so who would have filled the Superdome on Sunday afternoon) don’t like it.

And so we’ll talk about it some more in a PFTV segment, and you can insert your comments below.  If you want.

Steelers owner Dan Rooney said on Tuesday that he wants the league to take a look at whether the arrangement between the Rams and interim coach Jim Haslett undermines the rule that bears Rooney’s name.

Rooney’s comments come in response to reports that Haslett has a clause in his contract that guarantees him the head-coaching job in 2009 if he wins six games. 

The Rooney Rule requires all teams with a coaching vacancy to interview at least one minority candidate.  It does not apply to interim hires.

“I think they should be looked at,” Rooney said of the Rams’ situation with Haslett. “There’s no violation because there’s no fast rule.  When you start putting things in there like if a coach wins six games he keeps the job, that starts skirting the rule, to me.  If you make a [coaching] change during the season, it makes sense that you have to look within your organization.  But then when you get to the end of the season, I think there should be an open search.”

Actually, Haslett’s contract guarantees him either the job or a seven-figure payment.  So the contract doesn’t violate the Rooney Rule on its face.  The Rooney Rule will be violated only if the Rams fail to interview a minority candidate after the season and before hiring a “permanent” coach.

The challenge the Rams could face in this regard is finding anyone (black, white, red, brown, purple, or yellow) who’ll interview for the job when it likely will be a no-brainer that the Rams will want Haslett to stay.

Then again, Haslett is emerging with each passing week as one of the hottest potential commodities on the head-coaching market.  Does anyone think that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones will have forgotten how well Haslett prepared his team to beat Dallas if (when) Jones is digging through the rubble of another failed season and asking himself whether presumptive golden boy Jason Garrett truly has the chops to lead the locker room? 

And so it might be easy for the Rams to find other candidates for the job, but only because Haslett might be a candidate for several others.

Still, the bigger question is whether the time has come to get rid of the Rooney Rule.  At some point, the answer will be “yes.”  At this moment, it seems fair to at least ask the question.

For more on this point, we give you a little PFTV.  Feel free to add your comments.

Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that the appeal of Kellen Winslow’s one-game suspension will be expedited, with a decision coming by Sunday.

This means that, if the suspension is overturned, then Winslow will be paid for the Week Eight game against the Jaguars.

Whether Winslow will play is a different issue, since he’ll be held out of practice this week.

For more on the situation — including some realities regarding the process that could increase Winslow’s chances for success — consider our latest from PFTV.

Last Sunday was crazy, with various upsets and wacky outcomes.

This week, could the upsets continue?

PFTV explores.

The Indianapolis Colts are finally on the right side of .500 after last week’s shredding of the Ravens.  Peyton Manning seems to be playing like, well, Peyton Manning.

But are they really back?  And can they keep winning?

PFTV explores the issue.

Last weekend convinced us of one thing about the NFC — it’s impossible to be convinced about anything in the NFC.

The best teams lost and several middle-of-the-pack teams won, creating a much tighter group of contender after six weeks of action.

PFTV looks at the situation.  Since it’s Saturday and you’re not at work and otherwise not doing much of anything right now, check it out.

Many of the Vikings fans who reside from time to time on PFT Planet have a bad feeling about their favorite team, even though it’s currently caught in a three-way tie for first place in the NFC North.

So what’s the problem?  PFTV takes a stab at it.

We welcome you to add your own thoughts in the comments.  But only if you agree with our theory.

The AFC finalists from a year ago get together on Sunday night for a game that, while not as big as it might have been, could have key consequences for the ultimate playoff positioning in the AFC.

It’s Patriots at Chargers, and the PFTV guys have a little something to say about it.

Since it’s the weekend and you don’t have to worry about Dwight Scrute reporting you for stealing company time, turn up the speakers and click the play button.  (Urinating in a soda bottle while you watch the segment is optional.)

In an interview on Thursday’s Dan Patrick Show, Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner explained away recent reports of his possible retirement by describing the matter as something he discussed with his wife, which then took on a life of its own.

Warner also indicated that he’s still haunted by that loss to the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVI, during which Warner thinks his Rams were the better team. 

Warner’s appearance on the show, which will be available at Dan’s web site for listening at your leisure (and at no charge), is part of an impressive lineup for the day, which includes Al Michaels and Ray Lewis.  (We did our best in the 9:00 a.m. EDT hour to drag down the Q-factor-per-guest average to levels resembling Reggie Bush’s average yards per carry.  And, yeah, Dan gave us an opening, intentionally or otherwise, to continue to take shots at the guy who was supposed to be the next Gale Sayers.)

But we need to keep this blurb about Warner, or we’ll lose our opportunity to unload another PFTV segment for the week, in which we question the reasoning for going public with the retirement thought process.  Though Warner seems to blame it all on his own personal Yoko, there’s still something about the whole thing that bothers us. 

With two coaches already fired, we think that eight or more could potentially be in trouble, depending on how the rest of the season goes.

PFTV looks at the issue, and names names.

Feel free to agree or disagree in the comments section.  (Preferably, agree.)

As we prepare to make the trek up to Morgantown to watch a declining WVU football team take on an evaporating Rutgers squad, we’ll leave you with something that will likely prompt some debate among fans of the teams who have had a solid showing to start the year.

PFTV looks at the best teams through the first month of the 2008 NFL season.

Here goes.  Feel free to add your comments.

There’s been plenty of debate this week regarding one of the most devastating hits we’ve seen.  By way of background, here’s what we’re talking about.

The guy who delivered the hit, Jets safety Eric Smith, was suspended. 

Since it’s Saturday and most of you aren’t at work and thus able to turn on the speakers without fear of having to use the bathroom with the foot of your boss in the crack of your bung, we’ll present our own debate on this one in the form of a PFTV segment.

Eagles running back Brian Westbrook, who missed Sunday night’s game with an ankle injury, practiced for the second straight day, and could play on Sunday against the Redskins.

“He looked better,” offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said, per the AP.  “He went through the walk through this morning and looked better.  He’s day to day, and we’ll see.”

With the exception of guard Shawn Andrews, all Eagles practiced on Thursday, including defensive end Victor Abiamiri, who has missed the first four games of the season with a wrist injuty.  Andrews is still out of action with a back injury.

The Eagles will need all the help they can get on Sunday against the 3-1 ‘Skins.  For more on the game, we offer up a little PFTV.

I’ve had a couple of days to reflect on our reaction to the Tuesday press conference given by Raiders owner Al Davis.  I’ve considered the input of readers to our show of support and respect for Davis, who has collected three Vince Lombardi trophies (three more than 15 of 32 NFL franchises combined), and I took to heart the comments of Jason Whitlock of FOXSports.com, whom I hold in very high regard.

Wrote Whitlock:  “I’d like to mention that my favorite blogger, Mike Florio at profootballtalk.com, is mysteriously in the tank for Shallow Al and the way he fired Kiffin.  I can’t figure out what Florio’s angle is on this one.  Are Florio and Shallow Al exchanging e-mails?  I can’t believe my man Florio would play favorites when his reputation is built on blasting agents and reporters who play favorites.”

Here’s my angle, for the benefit of Big Sexy and anyone else who gives a crap (all three of them).  

I don’t have many pet peeves, but for some reason it drives me bonkos that former Raiders exec Mike Lombardi has been using his new voice in the media as a way to take shots at Al Davis without providing the audience full disclosure regarding the basis for Lombardi’s bias. 

As I’ve previously mentioned, Lombardi was one of multiple Raiders employees who work without a contract.  But, when he was fired, he filed a grievance with the Commissioner’s office in search of a contract buyout. 

What’s that, you say?  How can a guy who had no contract get a contract buyout?  He can’t.

The league agreed with the Raiders.

So Lombardi’s opinions about the Raiders should be regarded no differently than those of any disgruntled former employee who filed a frivolous claim against his employer and was thrown out of court.  Those facts infect everything he says and writes about the Raiders, whether he realizes it or not.  Indeed, Lombardi claims (presumably with a straight face) to be unburdened by agendas or pettiness.  Thus, his chronic failure to come clean about the circumstances surrounding his departure from the Raiders hurts his credibility whenever he comments on that franchise.

The issue reached a critical mass for me on Tuesday, when after I pulled up NFL.com to watch the Davis press conference, I was greeted by images of Lombardi, again talking about his experiences with the Raiders without disclosing the nature of his potential bias.  I suspected that, no matter what Davis said or how he said it, Lombardi was going to knock Davis.  So, when the press conference began, I was looking for reasons to prop Davis up. 

I expected a train wreck.  Once Davis started talking, I was blown away.  I expected the 79-year-old owner to talk like every other 79-year-old person I’ve ever known.  Davis was the opposite.  He made clear arguments, and he also came off as truly believing what he was saying.  

In my ever-shrinking day job, I assess the credibility of witnesses while testifying.  And 17 years of experience told me that Davis was being truthful. 

But was it appropriate for Davis to disrupt his team’s 2008 football season by attempting to conjure a basis for stiffing Kiffin out of the balance of his contract?  Hell no.  And I’ve said that, as recently as Monday on SportingNews.com regarding the game of buyout roulette that Davis and Kiffin have been playing:  “Both should be ashamed for allowing the issue to supersede the importance of winning games.  None of this stuff will help the Raiders win a single game; it very well might cause them to lose a few.  It needs to end.  The Raiders should either declare publicly that Kiffin will hold the job the rest of the season, or Kiffin needs to be fired now.”

I lost sight of that bigger picture on Tuesday because I wanted to disagree with Lombardi, whom I suspected would disagree with anything Davis said or did.  Those same feelings prompted me to take a shot at Lombardi (and not at any of the publications for which he works) on Wednesday morning, based on a post-press conference comment Davis made about Lombardi’s role in the trade that sent receiver Randy Moss to New England.  In hindsight, I should have at least considered the possibility that Lombardi wasn’t giving Bill Belichick inside information about Moss in the hopes of helping the Patriots, but that Lombardi was puffing in order to get the Pats to offer up the best possible package for Moss — which ended up being a fourth-round pick for a guy who then caught 23 touchdown passes.

I raise this tonight in large part because Lombardi has opted to take a shot back at me, and because a couple of readers have mentioned it to me.  But I can take the heat.  And I prefer that, if Lombardi or anyone else has a problem with me, the matter be handled out in the open. 

One major benefit of Lombardi’s criticism has been that it’s allowed me to recognize that my own bias regarding Lombardi’s bias regarding Davis influenced my take on the Tuesday press conference.  It shouldn’t have, but it did.

Hopefully, Lombardi will recognize his own bias at some point, too.

Meanwhile, here’s a PFTV segment about the Davis press conference, which we need to wedge in right here because we’ve got nowhere else to put it.  Enjoy.

With a rash of injuries and a schedule that will get no easier, the Pittsburgh Steelers could be in for a serious correction.

We know, we know.  We said the same thing before the season.  But after the Steelers trounced the Texans to start the season, we got plenty of e-mails from people rubbing our faces into the 38-17 season.

So even though the Steelers are 3-1, the rest of the way will be a challenge.  For more on the matter, we give you a PFTV segment.

Week Four of the 2008 season features an intriguing matchup between two teams that are very similar.

Strong defense?  Check.

Dynamic running game?  Check.

Mediocre receivers?  Check.

Starting quarterbacks older than Moses?  Check.

It’s the 1-2 Vikings at the 3-0 Titans.  And given that the combined record of the Titans’ three opponents is 1-7, Tennessee could be due to fall.

On Wednesday, we posted a PFTV thing regarding the best team in the NFL after the first three weeks of the regular season.

Now, we’ll look candidates for the label of the worst team.

Here it is.  Feel free to comment.  Not that we’ll pay any attention if you disagree with us.  But maybe it will make you feel better.

So after three weeks of NFL action, who are the best teams in the NFL?

PFTV asks that question. 

And then tries to answer it.

We usually devote one of the weekly PFTV segments to the perceived Game of the Week.

This week, there are two of them.

First up, it’s the Battle for the Commonwealth.  Cheesesteaks versus Sandwiches with Fries on Them.  Steelers at Eagles.

One of the most enduring images from a prime-time game featuring plenty of them was the goal-line ball-drop by Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson.

Though Jackson was saved by officials who pulled a Hochuli (they ruled it was a touchdown and blew the whistle, preventing the Cowboys from recovering the fumble), and by a teammate who scored on the next play, the move hasn’t been — and won’t soon be — forgotten.

Coach Andy Reid apparently would like to put it behind him.  On Wednesday, he declined to talk about the situation. 

Asked whether he spoke with Jackson after the game, Reid said, “I’m not going to get into all that.”

Fine, but others have.  And others will. 

Like us, for example.  We devoted an entire SportingNews.com column to it.  (And, in a move that only Dennis Miller could fully appreciate, we compare Jackson to Chester Nimitz.)

We also have a PFTV segment on the topic.  Here it is.

Although referee Ed Hochuli continues to receive plenty of criticism for his outcome-altering error during Sunday’s game between the Chargers and the Broncos, his mistake is no different than the blunder made on Monday night by the officials who determined that Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson had crossed the goal line with the ball in his possession when he hadn’t.

And we’re not really surprised by news that Hochuli will be “downgraded” for his error.  That’s simply the way it works.  Each week, officials are graded based on their performances.  The best get plum postseason assignments.  The worst get fired.

In Hochuli’s case, he’d be relegated to one of the various non-referee officiating roles before he’d be fired.  Neither is likely to occur.  NFL officiating czar Mike Pereira made clear during Tuesday’s Dan Patrick Show that Hochuli is safe.

For more on the situation, here’s a PFTV segment regarding the Hochuli call:

When we do these PFTV things, we have to come up with five topics.  Sometimes it’s a pain in the butt to think of five topics.

It’s easier during the season, because we devote one of the topics to our perceived game of the week.

This week, we talk about the Monday night game between the Ravens and Texans Eagles and Cowboys.

Earlier today, we posted a thing about surprise performances from Week One. 

We’ll now flip it around and talking about the biggest disappointments.

Excluding, of course, the following PFTV segment.

So Week One has come and gone, but since there’s no new football to talk about for four more days, we’ll keep talking about Week One.

PFTV looks at the biggest surprises of Week One.

Please surprise us by watching it.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick, addressing on Tuesday a quarterback situation that has been thrown into turmoil after the torn ACL of Tom Brady, engaging in classic coach-style “talk but say nothing” regarding whether the team is in the market for another pass-thrower.

“We will look at what our options are across the board in every area of our team,” Belichick said in quotes distributed by the team. “We will look at whatever those options are and do what we feel is best for the team. I’m not going to say what we would or wouldn’t do. I will just say that we will try to evaluate everything. We will look at our options and try to make the decisions, when and if we feel like they are advantageous to help our football team.”

Belichick acknowledged that the team visited with Chris Simms and Tim Rattay, but Belichick said that the free agents weren’t given physicals and didn’t work out. Adam Schefter of NFL Network reported earlier in the day that the Pats had planned to get together with Simms and Rattay before Brady was injured.

In a new PFTV segment, we discuss the situation and we float an intriguing trade option.  We’d tell you who it is, but then you wouldn’t watch the PFTV segment, would you?