Back on topic to the Indy game...

O'Brien clearly believes in his defense and knows that he has little to work with offensively. Attempting that 57-yard FG demonstrates that. He had an opportunity to pin the Colts deep and instead went for the hail mary field goal knowing (a) this offense couldn't even sniff the redzone and (b) the defense could be relied upon to keep the Colts in check.

Worst case scenario for the playoffs would be to draw the Steelers with a healthy Roethlisberger. No chance the Texans keep up with that imo regardless of Hoyer/Weeden/Daniels under center. But the way the D has played (outside of a couple bad series in Buffalo) gives them a good chance to win a home playoff.

So when a guy gets cut by us, he needs to consider our feelings when he goes looking for work, or you hold a grudge?

The guy cashed out as big as possible in what was his last payday, and that was after we dumped him. Anyone who holds that against him needs to get some perspective.

Exactly. He left a team that clearly did not want him. I at least can be the bigger man about this and continue to be a fan of the player.

Nonsense. There were 28 other teams he could have picked. Choosing a division rival was to get back at Smith/McNair, etc. You're allowed your warm fuzzies after he hangs them but, to me, he's exactly what his uniform says - A JOHNSON.

They cut him and he took tons of money to close out his career in Indy. It's not like he chose them on a veteran discount. He tried to go to a winner and get paid. I am not sure how either of those can be faulted.

But more importantly, you blame him for wanting to get back at Smith/McNair? Do you really rally behind those two? They've done more harm to this franchise than our best 10 players going to the Colts tomorrow.

There are 32 teams in the league. According to Bob 29 of them offered Andre a contract. I did not know that. I imagine all 29 of them also offered a contract to Frank Gore and had as head coach a prominent staff member from Andre's collegiate days.

Copycat league and all that I guess.

29 teams didn't offer Johnson a contract, I know that, but I'm sure there were other teams interested in Johnson besides the Colts. He didn't wait very long before signing. The Dolphins and Patriots were looking for WR help just to name two and the Hurricane community would have loved to see him back in the hood. Everyone has choices.

Hey, Favre went to the Vikings and a lot of Packer fans are still bitter about that. It was mentioned frequently when he returned to Lambeau this season.

If one day Watt is in the same situation and chooses the Colts or the Titans, I'm going to feel the same way. If they're traded, that's a different story.

And those Packers fans were idiots and you'd be an idiot to be angry at Watt.

Everything in the NFL favors the owners. Players have an extremely short window to get paid. If our team parts ways with a guy, he can go anywhere he wants to get paid. Especially when he has 1-2 remaining years of earning power and 40-50 remaining years of life. It's not like Andre is going to go get a TV job.

But again, if you look up and find yourself in Bob McNair and Rick Smith's corner, you need to examine your decision making process.

That's how it works with capitalism, and its the capital and entrepreneurial skills of past and present NFL owners that has made for the opportunities for these young guys to leverage their freakish athletic traits in a way that nothing else possibly could. And last I checked nothing compulsory about playing pro ball.

I never threw a pity party for the millionaires. I just said I didn't feel like the millionaires owed anything to the billionaires who fired them.

I'm starting to hear murmurs that the Titans are going to be 4.5 point favorites over the Texans. Man! He won't do it, but if I was OB, I'd put that up on the bulletin board in 128 pt font....

Idiots like Bob and nunu are perennial owner apologists. They spout bullshit like "its the capital and entrepreneurial skills of past and present NFL owners that has made for the opportunities for these young guys to leverage their freakish athletic traits in a way that nothing else possibly could," conveniently forgetting that corporate welfare typically gave these owners a clear path to their wealth not available to normal people, that the NFL enjoys insane anti-trust protection and that most of these repellent pricks had taxpayers build their stadiums for them. And, of course, it's the television contracts that get these players paid like they do.

These assholes are force-fed what they likely think of as conservative ideals. Actually, there is probably very little force feeding happening; they most likely happily take it in their oral orifice and elsewhere. Big government participates in stacking the deck for the billionaire owners with respect to their wealth accumulation, their anti-trust protection and the stadium building. Yet these idiots parade up and down bitching about taxes and government intrusion in their lives and so on but when it's rich white guys against uppity black guys, well, they stand in line to lick the taint. It's sad how typically hypocritical these clowns are. It's almost enough to make you want to leave the country to avoid them.

Oh, happy holidays to all you necks.

I read an interesting article a few weeks ago about the irony in the fact that the USA has completely socialist sports leagues (government support, tax subsidies, use of public land, revenue sharing, salary caps, draft systems that give the best players to the worst teams, etc...).

Meanwhile socialist Europe has completely capitalist sports systems (no salary caps, no drafts, no leveling systems, relegation).

It is foolish to call making money on owning a pro sports team a capitalist venture.

I like what the British do. The lowest-performing teams are kicked down to a lower league and replaced by the highest-performing teams at the level below them. If that were done here, the Astros would still be climbing out of A-ball.

Now I ask you, are you also concerned that the Chuckster has not yet been seized by the Christmas Spirit ? Well I'm going to remain hopeful because there's still a couple more days for him to find that spirit of peace and goodwill towards his fellow man.

I wished you happy holidays, dude. That's about as possessed with anything as I get. And I menat it, too. Happy and safe holidays, everyone.

Why should an athlete have loyalty to any team or owner? Most were not raised in the city they ultimately play for. Most were not fans of the team they ultimately play for. Why should they be loyal to the fans or owner who most of the time want to run the player out of town when they get older or underperform.

Careers are short for NFL players and the salaries are the lowest in sports. If I were AJ, or any other player for that matter, you're damn right I'll go to an 'enemy' team if they're offering me good money and security. And keep in mind, the Colts were pretty darn good last year and were ranked pretty high as favorites to make the SB. I'm sure AJ never expected to have the season they are having when he signed.

As for the owners, when the hell have they ever been loyal to a city or its fans? AJ went played for a franchise that moved. Houston's former team/owner moved. We have 3 team threatening to move to LA this next year. Yeah, right, loyalty... What a freaking joke!

You're certainly taking this rant way off base. I haven't said these things, nor do I believe them. The professional athlete makes a deal with the devil everytime they step on the field. They get paid extremely well. In return, they could be crippled now or crippled later. In a sense, no different than a soldier of fortune. Who they choose to represent or whether they continue playing at all is entirely up to them except for the limitations of the COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT negotiated between the league and the PLAYERS UNION - a factor you conveniently forget.

Do you not remember I grew up with Bud Adams and now suffer through Jim Crane?? I know about asshole owners and do NOT universally praise them or unconditionally support them. I'm no fan of holding a team hostage with threats to move them until the city coughs up a new stadium. But it happens and, at most, the only say I have in the matter is one vote.

I'm glad you found new soil to live on, Chuck, with a political system more to your liking. Too bad more America-haters didn't leave like you instead of ruining our federal government.

Feliz Navidad and say hi to Fidel and Raul the next time you do the secret handshake with them. From each according to their ability; to each according to their need. Death to the capitalist running dogs!! Viva Marx!

So anything short of blatant extortion and you are supportive? Since Bob McNair didn't threaten to move the team you stand firmly behind him and are offended that Andre Johnson may or may not have stuck it to him by going to Indy?

The CBA exists between the players' union and the owners. (I love how you say 'union' like it were some communicable disease.) The owners can and do elect to act in ways counter to the intention of the CBA. You may recall that the latest lock-out was the last straw for me. I gave up my season tickets (and forfeited the PSL money) then and there. While there were several here who were vocal in their support of the owners at that time, I do not specifically remember your being among them. I'm not interested in going back to check, so I'll carry forth as if you remained silent on the topic. It's unfair to ascribe to you words or thoughts that I can't document, even if it's merely due to apathy on my part. Plus, you've been recently spotted apologizing for the owners so that's good enough for me.

On a side note, I'm not sure what your issue with Crane may be. Other than the fact that he golfs with your President, I mean. I blame the league change on Drayton's cowardly actions, not on Crane. And I think the string of horrible losing seasons has been redeemed by their success last year and their bright future. But if you want to be mad at Crane, that's fine with me. I never suspected you'd get too worked up about EEOC violations or blatant war profiteering but I'm glad to welcome you to the fold on those counts.

In addition to being a legal permanent resident of several other countries I'm still a US citizen, by the way, and I still vote. And I certainly do not hate the United States. I do hate the vision deluded nutjobs like you have for the country, but I suspect this recent fad will run its course soon enough and the adults can resume making adult decisions without undue interference from the children's table. And if not, guess what? I'm happy to live in a place with universal access to healthcare and strict gun control. I can take my son to the park without worrying that some adderol addled freak is going to jump out of the bougainvillea and start picking kids off the jungle gym. Or, also important, that the police won't show up and do the same.

One last thing - capitalism is what allows me to hang out with my family all day (and annoy rednecks on the internet) rather than clock in for the second shift at the dirt factory. I don't know why you'd try to associate me with Raul or Maduro or Kirchner or Correa or any of the other clowns on the loose down here. I'm mature enough to see that the world is not monochrome. Maybe one day you might be, too.