One question keeps rattling around in my head: how in the world is this team still one of three unbeatens in the NFL?

The Cardinals really had no business being in this football game. From the outset, the team in red looked a lot like a bunch who had read its press clippings. It's hard not to attract the attention of the national media after wins over the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles on back-to-back Sundays, so the Cardinals were quite the popular subject of discussion this past week.

Whether it was Kevin Kolb getting kudos for doing just enough to help his team win or defensive coordinator Ray Horton's impending status as a high-profile head coaching candidate in the coming offseason, a lot of people were talking.

And that talk was justified.

But as this game unfolded, and Miami built that 13-0 halftime lead, the social media naysayers reared their ugly heads in 140 characters or less. "The Cardinals are who we thought they were" one person posted on my timeline. Several others shared similar thoughts.

Arizona would fight back. Kevin Kolb (who had a roller coaster of a game if ever there was one) hit Larry Fitzgerald on a short touchdown pass to put Arizona on the board. Then with 9:45 to go in the ball game, Kolb threw a beautiful 46-yard scoring strike to Andre Roberts, and just like that, the Cards had the lead.

Miami came back. After a costly interception by Kolb in the end zone, Dolphins' rookie signal caller Ryan Tannehill hit Brian Hartline on an 80-yard touchdown pass. A two-point conversion put Miami up 21-14.

Undaunted, the Cards continued to plug away. Inside linebacker Daryl Washington channeled his inner-Charles Jefferson (look it up if you haven't seen Fast Times at Ridgemont High), flying over a blocker and sacking Tannehill and jarring the ball loose with just under three minutes to play. Vonnie Holliday recovered, and the Cardinals were in business.

Kolb would be sacked for the seventh and eighth times of the game on the first two plays of the next possession. Then Kolb hit Roberts on a 16-yard gain. Facing a fourth and two with the game on the line and only 1:50 to play, Kolb connected with Roberts on a 9-yard gain to keep the drive alive. That fourth down conversion was just foreshadowing.

Six plays later, facing a fourth down and ten from the Miami 15-yard line, Kolb threw a dart to Roberts, who got both feet down in the end zone. Jay Feely's extra point tied the game and sent it to overtime.

Battered and beaten for most of the day, the defense came up huge again in the extra period when linebacker Paris Lenon hit Tannehill as he threw, and Kerry Rhodes was right there for the pick.

Seven plays later, Feely booted the game-winner, lifting the Cardinals to a 4-0 record and once again giving the fans more than their money's worth.

And even about an hour after Feely's kick sailed through the uprights, I still sit here and wonder how this team is where they are.

The only answer I can come up with: this is a good football team, and good football teams find ways to win games they don't necessarily deserve to win.

God knows, Cardinals fans have sat through countless games where they were shaking their heads and muttering "how did we lose this?" See the Monday Night Football loss to the Chicago Bears in 2006 if you don't believe me.

Maybe the Cardinals themselves did read their press clippings going into this game. Maybe they did overlook their opponent just a tad, who knows?

But you know what? Those press clippings were right. The Arizona Cardinals are a good football team -- and pulling out a win like they did Sunday against Miami just reinforces it.

I went from being part of a popular FM morning show back to sports radio, where I had started eleven years earlier.

Shane Doan of the Phoenix Coyotes had been a frequent guest/friend of our FM morning show. He'd come on once a week and talk about everything from the one NHL player he didn't get along with to what he preferred to read on the toilet. He was a great sport, playing along with our morning antics. Heck, he even became a fan of the show.

Shortly after I switched jobs in February, I covered a Coyotes game against the Anaheim Ducks. The Coyotes were cruising, up 4-1 late in the second period. I figured I'd go down after the game, listen in on Coach Gretzky's press conference and then go say hello to Doan, who had just signed a new five-year contract worth $22.75 million, in the dressing room. After a win, everybody would be in a good mood. This was going to be great.

Uh, not so fast, Marotta.

Chris Pronger scored with :05 left in the second period to pull the Ducks to within two goals. Then in the third, during a 2:21 span, Dustin Penner and Pronger scored to tie things up at 4-4. The game headed to overtime, and 1:53 into the extra period, Teemu Selanne beat Curtis Joseph to lift Anaheim to a completely improbable 5-4 win. It was a crusher for the Coyotes, who had just lost their fourth straight game during a stretch where they dropped 19 of 24 games. In other words, the joyous dressing room that I thought I'd be visiting would more resemble a funeral, only with body odor.

As per usual, Doan stood in front of his locker and faced questions from the media about a soul-crushing loss. He did so with class and respect. After the hordes moved away from Doan's locker, I made my way over to say hello.

I shook his hand, said something to the effect of "man, that was a tough one tonight." We spoke for a few minutes, and I told him I'd let him get on with his evening. I turned and walked away, and after a few steps I heard, "Vince, by the way, congratulations on your new job."

I was floored. I joked that I should be congratulating him -- after all he was the one who had just signed a multi-million dollar deal while I took a pay cut to go work for Clear Channel.

That's how Shane Doan is. He's not one of the nicest athletes I've ever met -- he's one of the nicest people. Along with all that niceness comes a serious case of loyalty.

Last Friday, the Coyotes announced that Doan, who was highly-coveted in the free agent market, had spurned more lucrative offers to stay with a franchise with a still uncertain future. The Coyotes are going into their fourth season without a real owner. Doan is banking the rest of his hockey career on the hope that Greg Jamison will finally strike a deal to purchase the team from the National Hockey League. It is by no means a certainty.

"If I thought there was hope that this could work here, then I was going to come back here," Doan said at his press conference. "In the end, I think there's hope and that's really what this comes down to."

This basically makes Doan the most loyal athlete in the history of organized sports on this continent. Seriously, can you think of anyone whose career has faced a more defined crossroad? Doan could have been hockey royalty in a hotbed market like Vancouver, Detroit, New York or Philadelphia. He could have made a lot more money in Buffalo. But because there's a shred of optimism that Jamison will make the deal happen, he's still here.

Think of it this way...would you get married if your potential spouse informed you ahead of time that there's a real possibility they might just pick up and move a couple of years into it? Of course you wouldn't. And your friends and loved ones would steer you away from the situation if you were presented with it.

Phoenix sports fans, the same ones that went from worshiping Steve Nash to loathing him the moment he orchestrated a trade to play for the hated Lakers, would understand if Doan left town. He's been overly patient in this process, waiting three-and-a-half months to make his decision. And yet, he stayed. He stayed in a town that's a punchline among hockey pundits (and Canadians -- they're not necessarily the same thing) with a franchise that, forgive the pun, is skating on thin ice.

There's always discussions circulating among sports fans about who would be included on a city's Sports Mount Rushmore.

If you're in Phoenix, and you have one of these discussions without including the name Shane Doan, you're doing it wrong.

But the 54,128 that watched Arizona State take apart a decent Big Ten team in Illinois by a 45-14 margin probably exited Sun Devil Stadium thinking that this year's squad is a little different.

ASU flexed their muscles early and often against a good defensive Illinois team. The Devils looked like a well-oiled machine on their first possession, taking over at their own 31-yard line and methodically moving down to the Illinois four. On a first down play, senior running back Cameron Marshall coughed up the football and Illini safety Pat Nixon-Youman recovered.

ASU would force an Illinois punt, and undeterred, the offense picked up where they left off before the untimely turnover, marching 65 yards on eight plays, capped off by a five-yard touchdown pass from Taylor Kelly to Kevin Ozier.

The Sun Devils would score on four straight possessions in building a comfortable 28-7 halftime lead. Then, after safety Alden Darby intercepted Illinois quarterback Miles Osei on the second play of the second half, D.J. Foster carried it in from one-yard away and the rout was on.

Offensively, the Devils looked well ahead of the curve again, rolling up over 500 yards and 45 points against a defense that ranked seventh in the nation a year ago. Think that satisfied Graham? Nope.

"We've got a long way to go," he said following the game.

Meanwhile, there were times Saturday night where I was trying to remember an ASU offense that looked as crisp in my 30-plus years of watching, following and covering this program. I'll admit, I had trouble coming up with anything.

ASU has had 26 offensive possessions this season. They've scored touchdowns on 15 of them, punted seven times and turned it over thrice. That is amazing efficiency.

So if indeed the Devils' offense does have a long way to go, consider me absolutely giddy over what it'll look like when it gets there.

On the defensive side, amazingly, the Sun Devils played another full football game without committing a penalty. Think about that. Two straight games without a single defensive miscue. There were times over the previous three seasons that a certain linebacker who shall remain unnamed, but wore #7, would get two penalties on one snap.

The 2011 Sun Devils of now-departed head coach Dennis Erickson completely unraveled on one play, and the genesis of that collapse was the defense. In November, ASU was in the driver's seat for a Pac-12 South title, and then UCLA's Kevin Prince completed a 33-yard pass to Nelson Rosario on a third-and-29. The Bruins went on to score and win the game. Arizona State went into a shell defensively, lost their last five games, and gave up the most points in a five-game stretch in school history in the process.

So not only did Graham have to come in and lay the groundwork for a culture change - he had to "unteach" leftover players bad habits that were tolerated in the past. Two weeks in, the process is well under way.

Graham's Sun Devils look like one of the sharpest, most-disciplined teams in the nation while his former squad, the Pitt Panthers, are 0-2 and in complete disarray after getting blown out by Cincinnati on national television Thursday night.

He'd never say it flatly, but you can tell the native Texan is pleased, even somewhat surprised, how this team has performed in 2012.

So is Sun Devil Nation.

The Arizona Cardinals have a starting quarterback.

"At this point going forward, we feel that the quarterback that gives us the best chance to win right now is John Skelton," Ken Whisenhunt announced Friday.

And who amongst you feels good about this decision?

I don't mean to knock John Skelton. He performed admirably last season when pressed into duty after Kevin Kolb's series of injuries. He helped guide the Cardinals to six victories in their last eight games.

Notice I said 'helped'.

In none of those six victories did the Cardinals score more than 23 points. The defense rightly deserves the lion's share of the credit for that string of victories.

So Skelton was declared the winner of this competition...what did he do to warrant this decision?

Granted, I didn't see every practice that the Cardinals held in the preseason. From what I did witness, it certainly wasn't clear that Skelton was the better quarterback. Most observers who did see the majority of practice snaps agreed that Kolb was the better practice quarterback.

OK, how about the games? Skelton completed 14-of-25 passes for 131 yards. That's a QB rating of 50.6 -- against vanilla defensive schemes designed to let opposing coaches evaluate one-on-one performances.

But the fact is, Kolb wasn't any better against those same plain-Jane schemes. His QB rating was lower by nine-tenths of a point. He threw more interceptions. He was sacked more often. His pocket presence, or lack thereof, became a national story when Oakland defensive tackle Tommy Kelly labeled him 'scared'.

It's hard to know what is going through Kolb's head at this time. It looks to me that he's not the same quarterback after he suffered a season-ending concussion against San Francisco last fall. Is he scared? I don't think so. I think it's impossible for an NFL quarterback to accomplish anything if fear is present.

A more accurate way to describe Kolb's appearance on the field is uncomfortable.

And it was that discomfort, coupled with major question marks on the Cardinals' offensive line, that led to this decision.

The old adage in boxing is if you want to beat the champ, you better knock him out and take it out of the judges' control.

We saw how even these two quarterbacks are, so with everything else being equal, Kolb should have been "the champ" based solely on the fact that he's the guy with $21 million guaranteed on his contract.

Did John Skelton "knock out" Kevin Kolb to take his title away? No, he didn't. We just witnessed the very rare split decision that crowned a new champ.

2012 should be an interesting year in the Pac-12.

First, this year featured the launch of the national and regional Pac-12 Networks that will ensure every conference football game is televised.

Secondly, USC is off probation and Lane Kiffin's Trojans come limping into the campaign after the harsh NCAA penalties that crippled their program. Yes, that was dripping with sarcasm. USC is loaded offensively, has a favorable schedule that features three non-conference home games, and they get Oregon in L.A.

Thirdly, there are four new, high-profile (one high-octane) coaches in the conference that will certainly make things more interesting, especially on the offensive side of the ball.

This year, the conference features a powerhouse in each division (USC and Oregon), three good teams (Washington, Stanford, Utah) and a whole lot of uncertainty (the rest of the bunch).

So here's my look at what should shake out this season in the "Conference of Champions."

Projected Standings

Pac-12 South

1. USC Trojans (12-0, 9-0) - Off of probation, 19 starters back (including Matt Barkley) and they pick up Penn State's best player in Silas Redd? Lane Kiffin's team has the best chance of anyone to break the SEC stranglehold on the BCS title.

2. Utah Utes (10-2, 7-2) - QB Jordan Wynn returns from injury and workhorse RB John White is back. The schedule isn't too daunting either as the Utes miss Oregon and Stanford (for the second straight year) and get USC at home in SLC.

3. Arizona Wildcats (5-7, 4-5) - If Matt Scott is as good as people in Tucson seem to think he is, the 'Cats offense will be fun to watch. However, let's remember he's lost the starting job once before. If Scott doesn't live up to the hype, it'll be trouble for new coach Rich Rodriguez, because the QB cupboard is otherwise bare.

4. Arizona State Sun Devils (5-7, 4-5) - Look for the Devils to run and run a lot in Todd Graham's first season. Taylor Kelly won the QB battle in a surprise and doesn't inspire much confidence with his passing ability. ASU is loaded at RB and Graham's Pitt team ran 55% of the time last season.

5. UCLA Bruins (4-8, 2-7) - Can Brett Hundley hold off challenges from incumbents Kevin Prince and Richard Brehaut at QB? Can Jim Mora stop putting his foot in his mouth? It's not wise to make your cross-town rival angry, Jim. Just ask Rick Neuheisel.

6. Colorado Buffaloes (2-10, 0-9) - The good news is the Buffs will open the season 2-0 after wins over Colorado State and Fresno State. The bad news is they'll lose ten straight after that, including a brutal stretch of three games at USC, at Oregon and home against Stanford in late October to early November.

Pac-12 North

1. Oregon Ducks (11-1, 8-1) - Still have no idea why Darron Thomas left the Ducks to go to the NFL. He's not even in an NFL camp right now. If Thomas would have stayed, the Ducks may have won another Pac-12 championship. With Marcus Mariota (or Bryan Bennett) at the helm they'll still be very good, but won't knock off USC.

2. Stanford Cardinal (9-3, 7-2) - How do you fill the shoes of Andrew Luck? You don't. But don't feel too bad for head coach David Shaw. Stepfan Taylor is still around and will carry the ball a lot and take pressure on new QB Josh Nunes. Defensively, the Cardinal have six starters back and will also get LB Shayne Skov back from injury.

3. Washington Huskies (8-4, 6-3) - Keith Price was absolutely outstanding in his first year as the starting QB for head coach Steve Sarkisian. Despite the loss of a lot of firepower, the Huskies will still be formidable. And look for big-time defensive improvement with Justin Wilcox taking over for the overpaid Nick Holt as DC.

4. California Golden Bears (5-6, 3-6) - The Bears, and maybe Jeff Tedford's stint as head coach, will be derailed by a late-season five-game losing streak.

5. Oregon State (3-9, 2-7) - Last year at this time, I thought the Beavers were on the right track. Instead, they lost their season opener to Sacramento State and went in the tank. If Mike Riley's team loses its opener to Nicholls State this season, look out.

6. Washington State Cougars (4-8, 2-7) - I'm not sure I feel good about this pick. Mike Leach was one of the top coaching hires in the country, and the Cougs have a lot of offensive talent back, namely wide receiver Marquess Wilson. But it'll be tough to outscore everyone on their schedule.

Postseason

• USC will defeat Oregon in Pac-12 Championship Game.

Bowl tie-ins

• USC in BCS Championship Game

• Oregon in Rose Bowl

• Stanford in Alamo Bowl

• Utah in Holiday Bowl

• Washington in Sun Bowl

* According to above projections, the Pac-12 will fail to have enough bowl-eligible teams to fill slots in the MAACO Bowl Las Vegas, Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl and the New Mexico Bowl.

Awards

• Offensive Player of the Year - Matt Barkley, USC - Barkley is coming off a magical season and has possibly the two best receivers in the country to throw to.
Others to watch: De'Anthony Thomas (Oregon), Kenjon Barner (Oregon), Marqise Lee (USC), Robert Woods (USC), Stepfan Taylor (Stanford)

• Defensive Player of the Year - Chase Thomas, Stanford - The linebacker had 17.5 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks and forced 5 fumbles in 2011. Look for him to pick up where he left off a year ago.
Others to watch: Dion Jordan (Oregon), Scott Crichton (Oregon State), Star Lotulelei (Utah), T.J. McDonald (USC)

• Coach of the Year - Lane Kiffin, USC - Oh sure, he's unlikable, but Kiffin has built a team that is stacked with talent. He could be the national coach of the year as well.

• Toughest non-conference schedule - Washington - Look, nobody in the conference is playing truly a killer slate of games. In fact, only Arizona State, who plays Illinois and at Missouri, is taking on two BCS-conference foes. But the Huskies are traveling to Baton Rouge, easily the toughest single road game a Pac-12 team will face this season.

• Easiest non-conference schedule - Oregon - I've gone on record and said under the current BCS system, if I was a national championship contender I wouldn't schedule anyone tough in the non-con portion of my schedule that could derail the quest. Apparently Oregon has followed suit. The Ducks don't leave Autzen Stadium for the first month of the campaign, and will welcome Arkansas State, Fresno State and Tennessee Tech to Eugene.

• Toughest conference stretch - Colorado - In a three-week stretch in late October to early November, the Buffs play (get their heads kicked in by) USC, Oregon and Stanford, with two of those games on the road.

• Best uniforms - I've always had a soft spot for the unique nature of Washington's color combo (I can't think of anyone who wears metallic gold and purple), but I'll give the nod to USC. It's hard to argue with that tradition.

• Best helmet - Never been a fan of the Oregon superhero uniforms, but their green helmets are the nicest in college football -- if they still wear them, that is. I mean, who can keep track? Honorable mention: Arizona State's alternate black helmet.

Uh-oh.

The Cardinals lost in Nashville to the Tennessee Titans 32-27 Thursday night and a few questions arose.

How hard is it to play left tackle with a torn triceps?

It's amazing to me that the one of the most-maligned members Cardinals in years past will be the most-missed player this season. Left tackle Levi Brown went down with a season-ending triceps injury last week in a preseason win over Oakland.

Yeah, that's going to be a problem. Getting the first crack at replacing Brown at left tackle was D.J. Young, who went undrafted out of Michigan State in 2011 and spent most of last season on the practice squad. Young was woefully overmatched in his matchup with Tennessee defensive end Kamerion Wimbley, who got to the quarterback twice for sacks.

The truth is, Young won't be the starter at left tackle when the season opens September 9 -- or at least we should all hope he's not.

But whomever fills in for Brown will have their hands full this season. Just look at their schedule and the elite pass rushers the Cardinals will try to slow down this season. Arizona will face nine of the top 20 sack artists in the game, including Minnesota's Jared Allen, who led the league in sacks in 2011, and Philadelphia's Jason Babin, who ranked third.

And while we're on the topic of tackles, why have the Arizona Cardinals been so hesitant to invest high draft picks at that position. Left tackle is always talked about as being one of the most important positions on the football field, so why is it that Arizona has spent only one first round pick in the last eleven seasons on a tackle? Ironically enough, that pick was Levi Brown, who was chosen fifth overall in 2007.

Now, I'm not saying that simply picking a tackle in round one leads to stability at the position, but I will say this -- of the seven tackles who played in the Pro Bowl after last season, five of them (Joe Staley, Joe Thomas, D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Ryan Clady and Jake Long) were first round picks.

Right now, the Cardinals' four leading contenders for the tackle positions consist of two undrafted players who have been on the practice squad for at least a season, a sixth-round pick and a fourth-round pick.

C'mon, Levi. Rub some dirt on that tricep and get back in the game. Wishful thinking, I know.

What was he looking at?

For the most part, Kolb showed improvement Thursday night. But the two interceptions he threw were such poor throws/decisions, that they nearly erased all confidence anyone had in him to that point.

With their projected quarterback struggles, and the aforementioned offensive line issues, whomever runs this offense will have to take care of the football, first and foremost. Thursday night was not exactly a strong showing for Kolb in that area.

Is that the best you can do, ESPN?

Earlier this summer when ESPN announced that the Cardinals-Titans game would feature Chris Berman on play-by-play and Trent Dilfer on color commentary, my first reaction was "why?"

It was a warm-up for the duo, who will also broadcast the second half of the Monday Night Football debut between the San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders on September 10.

I'm not a Berman fan. Sure, I thought his player nicknames were funny. Then I turned 17. I'm not a fan of his breathless studio work complete with vocal sound effects, and honestly, I don't think he knows all that much about the sports or events he's covering.

But I went into the game with an open mind. I figured with months to prepare, he'd be okay. It didn't take long to prove me otherwise. John Skelton's first pass of the game was intercepted by Michael Griffin, who wears jersey #33 for the Titans. Berman announced that it was intercepted by William Gay, who wears #23 for the Cardinals. Sure, you could blame it on his spotter, but Berman, who has "covered" the NFL for 28 years, should probably know better.

By the way, I wasn't the only one who railed on Berman. First there was this blog that appeared in USA Today that pinpoints 15 reasons why the broadcast was painful. Then there were these:

A play-by-play man will paint a picture with his words.Thanks for this Chris Berman. twitter.com/CaptTouchback/…

— CaptainTouchback (@CaptTouchback) August 24, 2012

Can't wait for a Todd "Heap of Undocumented Arizona Workers" reference by Chris Berman.

— Ten Foot Midget (@Ten_Foot_Midget) August 24, 2012

There are few guarantees in life. But Twitter tonight when Chris Berman does play-by-play of Titans-Cardinals is one of them.

— Richard Deitsch (@richarddeitsch) August 23, 2012

Chris Berman is calling a football game. Allow me: "Back, back, back, GONE THROUGH THE WINDOW."-my television just now

— Adam Kramer (@KegsnEggs) August 24, 2012

Ouch.

And Trent Dilfer, you're not exempt either. I'm not sure why you kept calling the quarterbacks in the game by their proper given names, when neither John Skelton nor Matt Hasselbeck has ever gone by them. Why not Jacob Locker?

About two series into the game, I was really regretting not having a radio nearby. I mean, I could have been listening to Dave Pasch -- in my opinion, the most underrated play-by-play man in the business -- and Ron Wolfley -- who gives estute football analysis in a one-of-a-kind way. And most importantly -- THEY KNOW WHO THE PLAYERS ARE!

Shame on me. I've learned my lesson in time for the Monday Night game.

Uh-oh!

The NFL is a quarterback's league and the Cardinals' much-talked-about quarterback competition has been an exercise in futility through two exhibition contests.

Kevin Kolb, who held an edge (if only by default) heading into camp, has completed only 2-of-9 passes for 25 yards and an interception. His quarterback rating is a big, fat zero. His competition, John Skelton, hasn't been much better. The third-year pro from Fordham has completed 7-of-12 passes for 67 yards and an interception. His quarterback rating isn't much better -- 39.24.

For a competition that was supposed to be fierce in nature featuring two solid candidates who were supposed to push and bring out the best in each other, this sure has been a dud so far. Nothing discourages a fan base more than seeing a QB position be determined by default.

Back in May, Peter King of Sports Illustrated wrote that he thought Cardinals' sixth round pick Ryan Lindley out of San Diego State could be the starter for Arizona sometime this season. People thought he was nuts.

Maybe Mr. King knew what he was talking about. In fact, after seeing what I've seen so far this preseason, I agree. So I'm calling it -- Lindley will make his first start in Week 11 against the Falcons in Atlanta. The Cardinals will be coming off back-to-back games against San Francisco and Green Bay followed by a bye week. The timing could make sense to see what they've got in Lindley, and if he doesn't work out over the last seven games, they can address the need at the position in the offseason again.

I'll end by saying this: I hope I'm dead wrong.

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After news broke Saturday night that Dolphins receiver Chad Johnson had been arrested on a domestic violence charge, I put the following out on Twitter:

Please, please, please let the #Dolphins Ocho seis Chad Johnson.

— Vince Marotta (@Vincemarotta) August 12, 2012

You'd think that a diva receiver who had a completely forgettable season in New England and was seemingly forgotten about would get the hint and possibly concentrate on football.

Johnson signed with Miami for a chance at redemption and an opportunity to prove that he can still play this game. Instead, he proved that he has no clue, regardless of what his surname is these days.

The Dolphins are featured on HBO's Hard Knocks this season, and the first episode, at least to me, demonstrated that this guy still doesn't get it. Every second Johnson appeared on screen during the premiere -- from his expletive-littered press conference with local media, to his "hijacking" of a confidential coach's meeting because "his wife didn't want him to come home" -- wreaked of a petulant child who just wanted attention.

Is Johnson still serviceable? Probably. He's always taken good care of himself, and has been productive for most of his career. But one of the positives about him is now erased; for as much of a distraction the guy was, he never got in trouble with the law.

The Dolphins moved swiftly and severed ties with Johnson. Some think they moved too quickly and should have waited for all the facts to come out. I applaud them. It comes down to a personnel decision, and undoubtedly head coach Joe Philbin and company can find another serviceable receiver who doesn't have a domestic violence arrest on his record or the need for constant attention from everyone around him.

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For as critical as I've been over the years of former ASU linebacker Vontaze Burfict, I have to admit I smiled Friday night when I saw him intercept Jets quarterback Tim Tebow during the Cincinnati Bengals' 17-6 win over Rex Ryan's team.

Two things stood out to me on the play. First, Burfict made a hell of a play, breaking off his coverage after reading Tebow's eyes and laying out to make a tremendous catch (1:50 mark of the video). For a guy who had a tough childhood and a rough offseason, it was nice to see that Vontaze is applying himself in his first crack at being a professional.

My second thought was goodness gracious, what was Tebow looking at? Seriously, it's the worst throw I've ever seen, and I've seen Baba Booey throw out the first pitch at a Mets game at Citi Field.

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Arizona State basketball released their 2012-13 schedule Monday. While there is some excitement around the program since we'll finally get a chance to see prized point guard recruit Jahii Carson don the maroon and gold, there shouldn't be any about their schedule.

The Sun Devils' non-conference docket includes games against only two teams (Arkansas and either Wisconsin or Creighton) that had a winning record last season. In addition, ASU will play five teams that finished last in their conferences a year ago: Central Arkansas (Southland), Cal State Northridge (tied for last in Big West), DePaul (last in Big East), Dartmouth (last in Ivy League) and Texas Tech (last in Big 12).

Other opponents Florida A&M, Cornell, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Sacramento State, Hartford and Coppin State combined to go 66-117 (.361 winning percentage) last season.

And finally, seven of ASU's opponents had RPI rankings of 300 or lower in the 2011-12 campaign. There were 344 Division I basketball teams last season.

Arizona State's basketball program has been criticized for many years concerning the quality (or lack thereof) of non-conference opponents, but I never remember a list of teams this weak in my 30 or so years of following the program. A schedule like this could result in a lot of non-conference victories, but will do little in terms of helping Sendek's team prepare for life in an improving Pac-12 Conference.

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Congrats to the Arizona Rattlers for wrapping up their first ArenaBowl Championship since 1997 with a 72-54 dismantling of the Philadelphia Soul in New Orleans last Friday.

Let's remember that the Rattlers trailed the Utah Blaze by nine points with 67 seconds to play in the conference championship game before rallying to win. Let's also remember that the game was played in Phoenix at U.S. Airways Center, where yours truly is the P.A. announcer.

Now let's just say that the crowd was whipped into such a frenzy on the Rattlers' final defensive stand that ended in a Kevin McCullough interception that set up the game-winning touchdown pass from Nick Davila to Maurice Purify with nine seconds left.

One could certainly arrive at the conclusion that without the increased level in crowd noise, the Rattlers don't force the turnover, don't score the game-winning touchdown and don't advance to the ArenaBowl.

So I guess what I'm really getting at is...Ron Shurts, Joe Windham, Kevin Guy...can I have a championship ring?

Since the summer of 2011, when I was on the air doing a daily morning show at a Valley radio station, I've been on board with Kevin Kolb taking over the Arizona Cardinals' offense. Of course, the lockout basically turned our show into an every day smorgasbord of Kolb-to-Arizona rumors, and I followed them religiously, buying into the thought that the Eagles backup was the answer for the Cards.

How could I not feel that way? After going from Kurt Warner and 10 wins to Derek Anderson/Max Hall and five wins, the case for Kolb to be the solution for head coach Ken Whisenhunt was an easy one to make. Sure, the sample size was small -- only seven starts -- but in his first two starts in 2009, Kolb threw for 391 and 327 yards, becoming the first NFL quarterback ever to throw for 300- plus in his first two outings. Derek Anderson couldn't do that. Max Hall? No way!

I sat at Kolb's introductory press conference last summer and felt excitement that the Cardinals quarterback position was solidified. Did I have concerns that $63 million was a little too much to give a quarterback with limited starting experience? Yes, but those thoughts were quelled by confidence that Kolb's résumé was limited because of the presence of Donovan McNabb and Michael Vick in front of him on the Philadelphia depth chart. A new location would equal a fresh start and a chance to prove legitimacy, right?

The Kolb era got off to a good start in his first game as a Cardinal when he threw for 309 yards and two touchdowns in a 28-21 win over the Carolina Panthers. But the rest of Kolb's campaign was marred by injuries and inconsistency. Fans who weren't drinking the Kolb Kool- Aid were quick to point out the fact that the Cardinals were only 3-6 in games that he started.

Never mind that the defense vastly improved over the season's second half when Kolb was on the sidelines and John Skelton was becoming the Cardinals' version of Tim Tebow -- leading Arizona to wins despite less-than-stellar statistics. Never mind that the injuries -- turf toe and a concussion -- were legitimate injuries that would have kept every other NFL starter in street clothes.

The haters were going to hate. "The Cardinals wasted $63 million," they'd say. "Skelton is the man."

I heard the comments and chose to disagree with them. My thought process was simple: 2011 was a wash. Kolb's progress was derailed not only by injury, but by the lockout which prevented OTAs and mini-camp workouts, which are invaluable to a quarterback learning a new system. With a full season, Kolb would be fine.

Then Sunday night happened. Kolb got the start in the annual Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio and did absolutely nothing to grasp control of the much-talked- about quarterback competition. Kolb's first pass of the game was a tardy sideline floater intended for Andre Roberts that was intercepted by New Orleans safety Malcolm Jenkins. On his second possession Kolb was 0-for-2 and the Cardinals went three-and-out.

The third possession actually started with a completion to fullback Anthony Sherman for four yards, but Kolb was pressured by New Orleans defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis who landed on top of the Cardinals quarterback after the ball was thrown. A perfectly legal, seemingly innocuous hit knocked Kolb out of the game with a rib contusion.

And it was at that moment that I took off my Team Kolb jersey.

John Skelton needs to be the starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals in 2012. That's not to say that I believe Skelton is the long-term answer, either. But he has proven he can win football games at this level, he doesn't fade in tight, late-game situations and he's big, strong and durable.

I like Kevin Kolb and when you get right down to it, I feel he is a better quarterback than Skelton. But the difference between the two is so small right now, coach Whisenhunt needs to go with the guy he can rely on to stay on the field.

Skelton is clearly that guy. At least right now.

Interestingly enough, one commenter asked if I could write an article pinpointing how Kendall Marshall's rocky start in the Vegas Summer League is also not a big deal.

Actually, I am a little more concerned about that.

The Phoenix Suns' first round draft pick out of North Carolina struggled in his initial Summer League games, shooting just 20% (5-for-25) in his first three contests. The southpaw also missed his first eight three-point attempts and had a 16-to-10 turnover-to-assist ratio.

The big difference between the two youngsters' struggles? Bauer has shown he can dominate against lesser competition, going 11-1 in the minor leagues this season and 12-3 since signing his contract last summer. So to see him struggle in a 16.1 inning stretch against the best his sport has to offer isn't that alarming to me.

And while Marshall did improve in his fourth and final Vegas Summer League game with 15 points and 10 assists in a win against Memphis on Saturday, the truth is the rookie struggled against a lot of guys who are nothing more than camp bodies.

One of the knocks on Marshall coming into the draft is that he wasn't a strong outside shooter, and he didn't do much to dispel those rumors in Las Vegas.

Could it have been nerves? Sure, but I find it hard to believe that a guy who starred for one of the premier college hoops programs in the country could be rattled by going against a lot of players who will be earning paychecks outside of basketball come October.

Certainly it's not time for panic, but if I had to pick between the two, I'm more concerned about Marshall's future than Bauer's.

___

Years ago, I made a promise to myself that if advertising ever popped up on the uniforms of any team in the four major league team sports, I'd be done as a fan.

Hyperbolic? Sure.

Accurate? Not entirely.

But the NBA seems to be the first league that will implement the use of advertisements on jerseys, as commissioner David Stern and deputy commissioner Adam Silver discussed last week.

The ads themselves will be 2½ inches-by-2½ inches and are expected to generate over $100 million in revenue league- wide.

I'm not going to sit here and pretend that our lives are not greatly affected by advertising. They are. Whether it's traditional television, radio or print ads, dynamic internet ads or billboards, average citizens are exposed to over 5,000 ads per day.

So come 2013, fans will spill into an NBA arena with a corporate name attached to it, be exposed to hundreds of ads on video boards and arena banners and sit through sponsored timeout and halftime activities. And now, even while the game is going on, the historically sacred, uncluttered space on NBA uniforms will be adorned with another ad impression.

To me, this just opens the door for more ad-based revenue to take over the sport. Don't believe me? Just wait for the 2014 NBA Finals presented by Vizio featuring the AT&T Spurs against the American Airlines Heat of Miami sponsored by Coca-Cola.

I won't give up watching basketball because of it. Instead maybe it'll force me to change my way of watching. Anybody want to sponsor my fanhood?

___

And finally, was there a better free agent signing anywhere in baseball than Jason Kubel in the offseason following 2011?

Yahoo! Sports had Kubel listed as the 24th-best free agent in the game last November. That wasn't surprising, as Kubel was injured for a good portion of the 2011 season for a wretched Minnesota Twins team. Kubel hit just 12 homers and drove in 53 runs for the Twins last year, and the Diamondbacks, seemingly set in the outfield with Gerardo Parra, Justin Upton and Chris Young, gave the life-long American Leaguer a two-year, $15 million deal.

What a bargain.

Kubel is leading the National League in RBI with 71, and is on pace to drive in 121 runs -- which would be the second-most in team history.

Considering that Kubel is out-producing Angels' first baseman Albert Pujols and Tigers' slugger Prince Fielder and cost $453 million less than the values of their combined ridiculous contracts, I'll say it again.

What a bargain!

Kubel, along with first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, second baseman Aaron Hill and rookie left-hander Wade Miley, is one of four reasons that the Diamondbacks are still inexplicably within six games of division-leading San Francisco heading into Monday's action.

I get really frustrated sometimes when I watch Justin Upton play baseball.

Whether it's seeing him struggle with a ball in the corner or when he strikes out with runners in scoring position in key situations, there are varying levels of frustration reached.

Judging from the booing Upton has received in recent games at Chase Field, I'm not alone in this category. Hell, he's been labeled an "enigma" by the guy who signs the checks.

Considering Upton's immense talent, his 2012 season, to this point, has been a head-scratcher. As I write this, Upton is hitting a modest .273 with seven home runs and 36 runs batted in. Five Diamondbacks have homered more often through the season's first half. Four have driven in more runs.

Right now, Upton is tied for 63rd in the National League in home runs and 44th in RBI. On the heels of a very good 2011 campaign during which Upton helped the Diamondbacks win the National League West and finished fourth in the league's MVP voting, this year has been an unmitigated disappointment. There's no denying that.

Reports surfaced over the weekend that the Diamondbacks were (again) thinking of trading the two-time All-Star. Other reports indicated that the interest around the majors was "very high" and that Arizona GM Kevin Towers would consider pulling the trigger on a deal even though the team is only four games out of first place in the NL West at the break.

Upton's first half struggles make little sense. Trading him makes no sense.

Justin Upton is in his sixth big league season. He has played 660 games. He's 24 years of age.

Why would you give up on that when it is still so early in his career, when Upton (as far as we know) likes playing in Arizona, is affordable and has worlds of untapped potential that we've seen glimpses of since he came to the bigs as a 19-year-old in 2007?

To me, it's just not worth it.

What a difference a year makes. Last year at the All-Star break, Diamondbacks fans were defending Upton's honor. The Arizona outfielder wasn't picked by team captain Prince Fielder to represent the National League in the annual home run derby, and Fielder heard about it. The former Brewer was booed heartily throughout the All-Star festivities and his family even had water thrown on them in the name of "fandom" by D-backs supporters during an All-Star parade. Diamondbacks fans were willing to make fools of themselves in defending Upton a year ago.

Now, they're willing to make fools of themselves by booing a player who has played through injury and has endured an average first half of the season.

Maybe this is a motivational ploy by the D-backs' front office. Upton was reportedly shopped in the offseason prior to the 2011 season and responded with an MVP-caliber year.

In his last three games, Upton is hitting .385 (5-for-13) with five runs scored, two doubles, two triples and three runs batted in. Arizona won all three games. Oh, by the way, those numbers coincide with the trade rumors that trickled out into the public late Friday afternoon.

Coincidence? Maybe.

But at least for one weekend, we saw Justin Upton play baseball the way he's capable of over a three-game stretch. Going into the All-Star break, that's exactly what he and this team needed.

Sure, the above was a funny comedic intro bit to a Seinfeld episode in 1995, but man, is it prophetic in Phoenix right now.

Steve Nash, a man who won two league Most Valuable Player awards and led the Phoenix Suns to 405 regular season wins, three division titles and three Western Conference Finals appearances, was dealt in a sign-and-trade deal to the Los Angeles Lakers Wednesday.

The Suns' decision to push this deal through not only allowed Nash to make substantially more money from the Lakers than he would have received by simply signing a free agent contract, but also thrusts Los Angeles back into the driver's seat for Western Conference superiority right away.

Why, oh why, would the Suns do such a thing? They have to know that the most ardent members of their fan base might not root for the Lakers if they were playing Al Qaeda or cancer, right? Most Suns fans were reserved to the fact that the Nash/Phoenix marriage was over and that Nash would slink off to Toronto or New York, chase a ring, collect a paycheck and generally not be flaunted in the Valley's face.

But the Lakers? A team that Nash, just a little more than a week ago, said he'd find difficulty in representing?

And I'm supposed to find solace in the fact the Lakers are giving Phoenix a package of four draft picks (only two first rounders) -- none of which will likely make a real contribution to the Suns' roster?

The Suns must have a wide foot, because I'm pretty sure they got both of the boys with that swift kick, if you know what I mean.

Many would argue that it's never wise to do business with rivals. And, hold up right there, Lakers fan. Before you say that it's not a rivalry since your team is so superior, I'll refresh your memory with some of the comments your beloved Kobe Bryant made in January.

But a stroll through history shows that this isn't the first trade made between the Suns and Lakers.

Fan favorites Gail Goodrich, Connie Hawkins, Maurice Lucas and Cedric Ceballos were all traded by the Suns to Los Angeles over the years. Some of those deals worked out, some didn't. But there is precedence, even though the two teams have hooked up for trades only three times since 1976.

Anyway, back to Seinfeld. The bit Jerry performed 17 years ago popped into my head Wednesday while images of Steve Nash wearing that hideous combination of purple (c'mon L.A. fans, it's purple, not Forum blue) brought me to the point of fan nausea.

Since I found out I was moving to Phoenix in 1978, I've rooted for the home teams. I love the Phoenix Suns, which in turn means I despise the teams that stand in their way of success. What team has blocked the Suns' road to glory more often than the freaking Los Angeles Lakers over the last 44 years?

So if a player who has worn the Suns' colors for the last eight years, and just ten days ago commented on how playing for the Lakers would be difficult, can have an about-face and orchestrate a trade to the enemy, what should a fan think?

If a front office at the controls of a franchise competing every year with the Lakers can bend over backwards to accomodate a player they no longer find value in and practically drive him and his $24 million to the main entrance of Staples Center, what should Planet Orange dwellers feel?

I'm not speaking for anyone else here, but for me, it makes me question why I root for teams and organizations at all.

Doesn't it make more sense to support players? If I was a Steve Nash fan (and I was a much bigger one prior to Wednesday), I'd be ecstatic right now. A true professional who has done things the right way his entire career is going to the league's marquee franchise and is in a great position to win his first championship.

In a meeting in the office just this morning, a co-worker said "I hate Kobe Bryant, but if he came to the Suns, I'd be his biggest fan." How does this make sense?

Possibly we're all better off not supporting players or teams, and just observing the sports themselves. I have a friend who doesn't have team affiliations, but is a huge fan. I've known this about him for 13 years, and for the first time, that stance makes sense.

Being a fan is all about laundry.

And when you get hit over the head constantly with reminders about how sports is a business, like we all did Wednesday, that's just silly.

Man, was I naive.

This week, a presidential oversight committee approved a four-team playoff to determine a national champion. The new system will feature a field picked by a selection committee -- although we don't yet know what criteria they'll use to build the field.

We know that six existing bowl games will alternate as semifinal hosts in this new plan. Four are assumed to be the Rose, Orange, Sugar and Fiesta Bowls. Already a fifth bowl, the Chick-Fil-A Bowl in Atlanta, has come out and expressed interest in being included in the rotation of semifinal hosts. Expect others to follow and muddle the picture even more.

We also know that the championship game will go to the highest bidder. So, in other words, don't be surprised if whatever they call this thing ends up at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington under the watchful eye of Jerry Jones on at least a semi-permanent basis.

Of course, there's still that little matter of certain conferences being tied into traditional bowl games that causes a problem.

There is obviously still much to be worked out before this latest attempt at crawling toward the right way to determine a champ is unveiled. Yet, at first glance, (gulp) this doesn't appear to be much better than the BCS, which has been a lightning rod of controversy since its introduction in 1998.

Why does this have to be so hard?

The above question is naive too -- I acknowledge that. But it's just unfathomable to me that determining a champion in a sport is this difficult to do the right way.

I've always been in favor of a 16-team playoff. The formula for inclusion would be simple. All eleven regular season conference champs would get an automatic bid. Yes, my formula would include champs of Conference USA, Mid- American Conference, WAC, Mountain West and Sun Belt. My reasoning? If the LSUs and Alabamas of the world can fatten up their records against teams from these conferences from September to November, then they better have some representation in a championship tournament.

The naysayers argue against it, pointing out that teams like Northern Illinois, Arkansas State and Lousiana Tech don't belong in the hunt for a title. That's the beauty of such a system -- these conferences and schools get a representative but have no hope of actually navigating through a four-game trek to a title against far superior competition. Translation: thanks for playing, here's your participation trophy and parting gift. Now, shut up!

I'd even be willing to bend on the criteria for a 16-team playoff. Let's just say all six of the so-called BCS conference champs get in. Last season, that would have guaranteed invites to LSU, Oregon, Oklahoma State, Wisconsin, West Virginia and Clemson.

The next six spots could be teams from the power conferences that didn't win their league crown, but are still worthy. This would be determined by using the BCS formula (or a similar substitute). In 2011, that would have extended invitations to Alabama, Stanford, Arkansas, Kansas State, South Carolina and Virginia Tech.

That would leave four spots for teams from the non-power conferences and would have ensured participation from Boise State, TCU, Houston and Southern Mississippi last year.

If you used the BCS formula to determine seeding, you'd have the following matchups:

(1) LSU vs. (16) West Virginia
(8) Kansas State vs. (9) South Carolina
(5) Oregon vs. (12) Clemson
(4) Stanford vs. (13) TCU
(6) Arkansas vs. (11) Virginia Tech
(3) Oklahoma State vs. (14) Houston
(7) Boise State vs. (10) Wisconsin
(2) Alabama vs. (15) Southern Mississippi

That's a pretty good tournament field, and for all those who feel that opening up the tournament to 16 teams would water it down substantially and allow for mediocre squads to get in, just know that the only two teams with three losses going into the postseason would have been West Virginia and Clemson. Maybe not coincidentally, they were both rewarded with BCS bowl bids anyway.

Even an eight-team field would have been better. Four major bowl games serving as the semifinals leading up to a neutral-site championship game. That takes away the inevitable belly-aching by the powers-that-be in pastel- colored jackets that will occur under this new plan.

The consensus among college football experts is that the playoffs will eventually grow to eight teams anyway, so why are there baby steps being taken here?

Let's do it right the first time. That would be a refreshing change.

I was just 27 days away from my 21st birthday. But instead of looking forward to going out and getting schnockered like most soon-to-be 21-year-olds, I had a sadness in my heart.

The Phoenix Suns, tired of being a perennial 50-win team who bows out of the NBA Playoffs in the first or second round, engineered arguably the biggest trade in the history of Phoenix sports. The Suns sent my favorite player, Jeff Hornacek, along with forward Tim Perry and center Andrew Lang to the Philadelphia 76ers for All-Star forward Charles Barkley.

This also may have been the first trade in sports history that was on hold until one of the principals could be acquitted of assault charges. Barkley had been arrested in 1991 for throwing a man through a window at a Milwaukee bar. After he beat the rap, the trade went down.

So the Suns, who had just won 53 games and advanced to the Western Conference semis before being rudely eliminated by the Portland Trail Blazers, shipped off three-fifths of their starting lineup to Philly for a guy whose 76ers team had just missed the playoffs and had won only two postseason series in the five years he had been the centerpiece of the team.

Great!

I remember wearing a small name tag on my shirt at work that read "In Memory of Jeff Hornacek: 1986-1992" in protest of the Suns' maneuvering.

I was 20. I was naive. I had no idea what the Suns were getting. I had no idea the ride the city of Phoenix was in for.

The Suns were moving into their new palace in downtown Phoenix, America West Arena (now US Airways Center), after calling the Veterans Memorial Coliseum home for 24 seasons. For the first time in the team's history, they were getting a substantial uniform and branding change. There would have been an increased buzz even without a blockbuster trade.

But the Suns, to their credit, knew what they were doing. Yes, they were getting an outspoken player with a checkered past. But they were getting easily the most marketable athlete in the Valley's history. Quick, name another Phoenix athlete who had done a national television commercial for a major advertiser before 1992? Can't think of one, can you?

Forget the marketing; we'd never seen a player like Barkley, either. His first game in purple and orange was a harbinger of things to come. Sir Charles pumped in 37 points and grabbed 21 rebounds as the Suns christened their new arena with a win over the Los Angeles Clippers.

SunsMania was born.

The 1992-93 season was unlike any other in Phoenix sports history. The Suns won 62 games, overcame an 0-2 deficit to beat the Lakers in the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs and stormed all the way to the NBA Finals for the second time in franchise history. Barkley won the league's MVP award, becoming the first Suns player to do so.

People painted their cars purple and orange. Didn't have tickets to a game? Sorry, you weren't getting any. In fact, you were lucky to get a seat in a sports bar to watch a game. Every other dog in the Valley was named Majerle. You get the idea.

The storybook didn't have a happy ending; John Paxson nailed a three-pointer with 3.9 seconds left in Game 6, killing Phoenix's chances to play for their first championship on their home floor.

But Paxson's dagger didn't kill the spirit of the Suns fan. An estimated 250,000 people lined the streets of downtown Phoenix to give their favorite team one last salute on a day where the mercury crept close to 120 degrees. When the crowd dispersed that day, it was the end of the best single season in the annals of Phoenix sports.

We've never experienced anything quite like that season. Not when the Diamondbacks won the Series in '01 or when the Cardinals nearly shocked the entire sports world by coming up just short in Super Bowl XLIII.

Nope, 1992-93 was a season-long celebration; not a case of a team getting hot at the right time. The Suns were hot from November until June.

And it was all because of the trade that went down twenty years ago. The '92-'93 Suns would have been good with Hornacek, Perry and Lang -- no doubt a playoff team -- but not a serious contender for a championship.

So today I look back on my 20-year-old self and shake my head. How could I have been that upset about the Suns making the best trade in their history?

The Suns organization had existed for nearly a quarter- century before June 18, 1992. But it was that day that Phoenix earned a spot on the sports world's map -- and it was all because of Charles Barkley.

They're especially tough when they're coming to an end.

So what's the best way to tell Ryan Roberts of the Arizona Diamondbacks that we, the fan base, need to start seeing other third baseman?

We've tried to hang on. We occasionally get reminders of the glory days of the relationship -- like last Friday night when Roberts jacked a three-run walk-off homer against the Oakland A's.

But mostly, we just spend a lot of time thinking about what happened to the Ryan Roberts of 2011 -- how he used to routinely deliver clutch hits and make tough plays at the hot corner that helped the Diamondbacks win games. The walk-off only served as a painful reminder of happier, more consistently productive times.

Wednesday was the last straw. Wade Miley was slinging an absolute gem against the Texas Rangers -- one of the most potent lineups in baseball. The rookie had allowed two hits and was facing Texas nine-hole hitter Craig Gentry with a runner on second base and two outs in the 8th inning.

Gentry hit a sharp one-hopper to Roberts at third. Despite the hop being at belt-level, Roberts was unable to make the play. The ball bounced off his glove and into left field, allowing Mike Napoli to score from second base. Despite Miley's mastery of the Rangers lineup, Texas won the game 1-0.

The play was scored a hit, but this is a play a starting third baseman needs to make -- especially in a scoreless tie in the 8th inning. Ok, we would have settled for him just knocking the ball down and keeping it in the infield, which would have held Napoli at third base.

Incidentally, after the run scored and Miley was lifted in favor of reliever David Hernandez, Roberts made a tough play on a sharply hit ball off of Ian Kinsler's bat to end the inning. Too little, too late.

Look at Roberts' numbers -- they're down across the board. Batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, fielding percentage.

Roberts' transgressions haven't been egregious. Hell, they haven't really even been transgressions. He's just simply not the player he was a year ago, and we deserve better.

Ryan, we've had a good run and some great times. We'll remember them fondly. But this relationship just isn't progressing like it should and it's time to move on.

And we don't hate you -- don't even think that. In fact, if you want to still be our backup utility guy or go grab a beer sometime, we think that would be great.

So sorry it didn't work out.

No, I wasn't irked that the Diamondbacks bullpen fell apart during that ill-fated half inning. Those things are bound to happen now and then.

And I wasn't irked that the Arizona offense managed only one run on seven hits in 6.2 innings against Clayton Richard. The Diamondbacks offense has been prone to long droughts and in a pitcher's paradise like Petco Park, that's bound to happen as well.

I was irked at the behavior of the San Diego Padres, who (wait, let me check it again) have the worst record in all of baseball. Bud Black's team did a whole lot of celebrating during that 8th inning. In my opinion, excessive celebrating. In fact, I tweeted the following on Friday night while witnessing the incredulous show of emotion:

Padres celebrating having a 4-run lead over #Diamo ndbacks like they're about to wrap up the pennant. News flash- you still suck.

— Vince Marotta (@Vincemarotta) June 2, 2012

(Ed. note: This tweet was sent before the completion of the inning)

Of course, this celebration came on the heels of a very minor dust-up between Arizona's Chris Young and San Diego pitcher Andrew Cashner. Cashner threw a pitch high and tight to Young for ball four, and while Young made his way to first base, some words were exchanged. For whatever reason, San Diego and their crowd were newly energized.

Then the 6-run barrage followed and the Padres were in full-on party mode.

Maybe some would cut the Padres some slack because they had been absolutely manhandled in nine out of their last ten games (and they were outscored 55-20 in those nine losses.) Not me. If you're going to show up a division foe because you had one big inning, they're going to remember it. And because you're not very good, they'll likely kick your teeth in the next time they see you.

Guess what? The D-backs administered a glorious bounce-back beatdown over the next two days, outscoring the Padres 10-2 in the process. Paul Goldschmidt continued his torrid streak at the plate, clubbing a home run in each game while Daniel Hudson, J.J. Putz and Trevor Cahill baffled San Diego hitters.

After the smoke cleared, the Diamondbacks had won two out of three and returned home from their road trip not only eight games out of first place, but with their first glimpse of momentum in quite some time. And with games this week at Chase Field against two losing teams (Colorado and Oakland), the Diamondbacks have a chance to re-insert themselves into the National League West race.

And if any of their recent swagger is as a result of the Padres' evident glee Friday night, so be it. We'll take it.

You stay classy, San Diego.

The New Orleans Hornets own the first selection in the draft, which will be held June 28. And unless they get hit in the head by a blunt object between now and then, they'll take Kentucky's Anthony Davis.

The Phoenix Suns, to nobody's surprise, ended up where they were expected to -- with the 13th overall selection.

Unlucky number 13. You thought it was bad for the clueless teens who spent summers at Camp Crystal Lake? It's been just as bad for NBA franchises with the 13th pick in the draft.

OK, that's a stretch. Nobody picking in that slot ever got their head chopped off by a homicidal, goalie mask- wearing psychopath, but the Milwaukee Bucks probably would have preferred decapitation over watching the bust that was Marcus Haislip out of Tennessee, whom they selected in 2002.

Haislip lasted two seasons in Milwaukee, playing sparingly. He got into nine games with Indiana in 2004-05 and then went overseas, becoming the highest-paid foreign player in the history of the Lebanese Basketball League. I'm sure the Bucks didn't envision that career trajectory when they made the pick.

I know what you're thinking, all 13th picks can't be busts. You're right. Kobe Bryant was picked 13th by the Charlotte Hornets back in 1996 and after he whined his way to L.A., he's been an All-Star 14 times and has five championship rings in his collection.

He's been the outlier. Don't believe me? Guess where Terry Dehere, Keon Clark, Courtney Alexander, Haislip, Marcus Banks, Sean May and Julian Wright were all drafted.

Number 13.

In fact, since 1990, only two players picked in the cursed spot have been All-Stars: Bryant and former Pacers forward Dale Davis, who cracked that status once during his 14- year career.

In other words Suns fans, don't get too jazzed about the 13th name commissioner Stern will call out on draft night 28 days from now.

Phoenix will undoubtedly land a player that will make the roster and contribute as a rookie. After all, Markieff Morris was picked there by the Suns just a year ago, and he had a decent rookie campaign (as long as he wasn't in the starting lineup).

And I don't want this to come off as an indictment of the Suns' scouting department. It's not. It's more of an advertisement about how little NBA superstar talent comes into the league on a yearly basis.

History says the chances of the Suns finding their next superstar in their current draft position are next- to-nothing.

Enjoy the draft, everyone!

We in Phoenix have long been saddled with the label of being L.A.'s little brother, much to our dismay. And sure, you've given us wedgies, wet willies and played countless practical jokes on us over the years and we've had no choice but to take it.

But now, we're getting older. More established. More sophisticated. More able to rise up and beat you on any given night.

We've had our head-to-head moments in the sun. What you did to us on Tuesday night, however, was just downright cruel. In fact, we're telling Mom.

Dustin Penner's goal 17:42 into overtime lifted the Los Angeles Kings to a 4-3 victory and allowed L.A. to punch their ticket the Stanley Cup Finals for just the second time in their 44-year team history. And of course, it ended the Coyotes' longest postseason run ever.

As painful as it was to watch the Kings celebrate on the ice at Jobing.com Arena, it was inevitable. They were, after all, the better hockey team over the course of the five-game series. And they're unbeatable as the road team. Don't believe me? Just look at the big, fat zero in their road loss column during the postseason.

It was a fruitful run for the Coyotes. The team exorcised postseason demons that have haunted them since they called Manitoba home. They ignited a dormant fan base and continued to plant seeds for a long run of relevance should the team remain in Phoenix -- but that's a story for another day. Mike Smith launched himself into the category of Phoenix sports legend with his unbelievable play between the pipes and Mikkel Boedker raised the level of his game enough to make the rest of the league take notice.

While that was going on, about 30 minutes east of Glendale, the Arizona Diamondbacks were receiving an atomic wedgie from the Los Angeles Dodgers. You know, the kind that leave not only physical, but mental marks.

The D-backs led 6-1, but when Trevor Cahill was removed from the game after six effective innings, the wheels on the Sedona red bus fell off. Brad Ziegler relieved Cahill (and I use that term loosely) allowing two hits and three runs without recording an out. Craig Breslow followed and yielded three hits and two runs again without recording an out. Sure, his performance was marred by a throwing error courtesy of third baseman Josh Bell.

In all, the Dodgers scored five times, tying the game at 6-6. Ouch. It feels like the elastic is about to rip.

Unlikely hero Lyle Overbay, who had four hits on the night while raising his season batting average to .370, homered in the 8th to give the D-backs the lead back. It wouldn't last long, as Ivan DeJesus doubled in two runs in the top of the 9th off of J.J. Putz to give the Dodgers their first lead of the game. Arizona went down quietly in the 9th, losing 8-7.

That underwear is toast.

It's only May, but this was the kind of demoralizing, gut- wrenching, I-want-to-pull-my-hair-out kind of loss that has derailed many a baseball club over the last 132 years. And I fear that it will completely derail this Diamondbacks club. At the very least, the defeat further exposed the D-backs' massive bullpen issue and increased their deficit to 11.5 games -- a huge number to overcome at any point of the season.

So, thanks big brother Los Angeles. Thanks for ending one and possibly two of our teams' seasons within minutes.

And you owe us a new pair of boxer briefs, you jerk.

Currently 8.5 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West, the D-backs' lackluster 16-22 start has applied pressure early in the season to "get their act together". Overcoming a double-digit deficit in the standings is never easy, so Kirk Gibson's club finds itself in a tenuous position less than one-fourth of the way through the schedule.

There is hope on the horizon: center fielder Chris Young, shortstop Stephen Drew and starting pitcher Daniel Hudson are all getting closer to returning from injuries. Getting three main cogs back will undoubtedly give the Diamondbacks a boost.

But until then, the D-backs have been presented with another golden opportunity to try and exploit. Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp, the best player in baseball not named Josh Hamilton, is on the disabled list with a strained left hamstring for the next two weeks.

And quite simply, the Dodgers' offense stinks without Matt Kemp.

Don't believe me? In the three games Kemp has missed since being shelved, the Dodgers have scored a total of six runs, are batting .229 and are 1-for-14 as a team with runners in scoring position.

With Kemp in the middle of the lineup this season, the Dodgers averaged 4.5 runs per game and hit .272 with runners in scoring position.

It's admittedly a tiny sample size, but Kemp's absence has already been felt.

During an offensive struggle, teams will talk about keeping a positive attitude and approach and will look inward to cure their ills. The Diamondbacks are saying and doing those things, which is the right approach.

But the D-backs have also had a wide door opened up for them, and Kemp's injury and the Dodgers' offensive difficulties could make Arizona's climb out of the hole they've dug for themselves a little easier to get out of.

After all, the NBA Playoffs aren't exactly the most exclusive party -- more than half the league gets an invite.

Pressing your nose against the glass to snoop on what's happening inside that party for two years in a row is downright depressing.

That's the boat the Phoenix Suns find themselves in -- dressed-up (for them) with nowhere to go.

It's not as if the Suns are a social pariah that would never considered for an invitation to the party -- that role is reserved for the booger-eating Charlotte Bobcats. No, the Suns are right on the cusp of inclusion, and like a slightly awkward teenager, they just need to tweak their look a little bit.

The good news is, the Suns have money to spend at the mall to freshen up their appearance in hopes of catching the eye of the party's host. The bad news is, most of the stores they want to shop at have a very limited selection of clothing left on the racks. This year's crop of unrestricted free agents isn't exactly awe-inspiring.

The Suns organization is in a strange position. They've potentially got $28 million of cap space to use when free agency starts in early July. But, according to team president Lon Babby, they're also armed with a sense of responsibility to do the right thing.

I understand the sentiment. Phoenix doesn't want to spend money just to spend money. They've done that in the past, and that strategy has them on the hook for over $30 million to Josh Childress and Hakim Warrick.

But as a sports fan, when was the last time you bragged to a buddy about your team's fiscal responsibility?

"I know your team is having a parade today to celebrate their championship, but my team's got cap space, so suck it!"

Yeah, that's never happened.

Babby met with the media Wednesday and talked about the state of the Suns moving forward. He mentioned that the Suns will likely match any offer tendered to restricted free agent Robin Lopez. Babby talked about how he'd love to see Grant Hill back in Phoenix...again.

And of course there's the seemingly never-ending Steve Nash discussion. Will he be back or will he sign elsewhere and chase a championship in some other team's uniform in the twilight of his career?

Babby said if it's a win-win for both Nash and the Suns, it's something they'll pursue.

The bigger issue is, do any of the above re-signings make the Phoenix Suns a better basketball team closer to winning a championship? The resoundingly clear answer is 'no'.

Lopez is a backup center who plays spotty minutes, has a limited offensive game and has battled foul trouble his entire career.

Hill is pushing forty, and his remarkable run of health in Phoenix after an injury-ravaged six-season stint in Orlando showed signs of ending during the 2011-12 campaign.

And Nash is in his late-30s, and despite playing for an offensively-challenged team, put up almost two less shots per game this season than any year since 1999-2000. Coincidence? Maybe. But more likely, Nash is losing his ability to free himself for easy field goal attempts.

In other words, the Suns can't show up next school year wearing the same 9-dollar jeans and rocking the same nerdy hairstyle and expect to get an invite to the big bash.

As hard as it will be, it's time to empty the closet, throw all of those clothes into a big plastic bag and leave it by the curb.

Steve and Grant, thanks for the memories and thanks for being great representatives of Phoenix and ambassadors of the game.

The Suns are faced with a decision: have a pocket full of money and stay home on Friday night watching reruns of America's Funniest Home Videos or reinvention.

I say it's time to head to the mall and drop some coin on a new look. The party awaits.

We were headed over to watch Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals between the Phoenix Coyotes and the Nashville Predators.

Watching big sporting events in a large group has been going on for years in my family -- this, however, was the first time any configuration of the Marotta clan had ever gathered for a hockey game.

Anyway, as my son and I walked to the checkout stand -- he in his official Whiteout shirt and me in a Coyotes cap -- we were engaged by the clerk who started talking hockey with us.

"Are you guys going to the game tonight," he asked.

"No, we're just going to catch it on the tube," I answered.

"Man, I hope they win this one without having to go to overtime," he said.

"Yeah, hopefully," I answered. "But it wouldn't shock me."

Forgive my lack of salient analysis in this conversation. I was floored.

I've lived in the Valley since 1979 and became involved in this city's sports media in 1996 - the same year the Coyotes got to town - and this was the first time I can remember a perfect stranger engaging me in a conversation about the Phoenix Coyotes.

Ever.

It's starting to feel like Phoenix is becoming real hockey town.

Those in traditional hockey markets and rabid Canadian cities may scoff at the above proclamation, but hey, it's gotta start somewhere.

This has been a season of firsts for the Phoenix Coyotes' franchise. They won their first division title. They've moved on to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since they've been in the Valley. They've won three straight playoff games for the first time since 1999.

So why can't these be the first steps toward Phoenix becoming a "real" hockey market? This can be the case, as long as the Coyotes continue this run.

I hate to say it, but Phoenix is a front-runner town. We all know it. "SunsMania" was at an all-time high in 1993, when Barkley and the boys were marching toward the team's second-ever trip to the NBA Finals.

The Arizona Cardinals' unexpected journey to Super Bowl XLIII sparked a football fever in Phoenix that had not been seen before.

And of course, the peak of Arizona Diamondbacks' fandom was their dramatic win over the New York Yankees in the 2001 World Series.

The Coyotes could never share in the glow of capturing the market's attention. For most of their existence in Phoenix, sports fans treated the 'Yotes like that weird uncle -- the one you know a little bit and he's technically part of the family, but you're certainly not apt to drive across town to see him.

But suddenly, old Uncle Whatshisname is getting his act together.

For the first time, both rabid fans and casual latecomers are expecting big things instead of just hoping that the Coyotes get into the playoffs or win a series.

The way this team is playing right now could very well end in guys like Shane Doan, Mike Smith and Radim Vrbata hoisting Lord Stanley's Cup in June.

But even if that doesn't happen, eager Phoenix bandwagon jumpers have been given their first opportunity to taste Coyotes' success.

Now it's up to the Coyotes and the City of Glendale to keep them aboard.

The query had to do, of course, with Camp Tontozona and whether the new ASU head man would be willing to have his Sun Devil teams train in the cool pines east of Payson like so many coaches had before him -- that is, until Dennis Erickson put a halt to the tradition in 2008.

Graham's response was vague and safe.

"I have a great respect for traditions, and we'll work hard to maintain the traditions at Arizona State University," he said. "A lot of times, traditions are lost through coaching changes and things like that. So I'd be very open to listen to that."

I remember walking out of that press conference thinking that Graham said all the right things. I also remember thinking there's no way a return to Tontozona would seriously be considered. It's just another coach's version of campaign promises. Tell 'em what they want to hear.

I was wrong.

Thursday, Graham, along with ASU athletic director Steve Patterson and Payson mayor Kenny Evans, unveiled the "Return to Camp T Campaign", which outlined a plan for the Sun Devils to return to Tontozona -- in preparation for the upcoming season.

All necoaches talk about the importance of tradition. Most don't follow through.

Thursday's announcement is just another reason why ASU fans should be excited about Graham's tenure in Tempe. He's following through.

Tradition is important, and Camp Tontozona is a huge part of ASU football tradition. The greatest teams ever to wear the maroon and gold -- the undefeated 1975 squad of Frank Kush, the 1986 John Cooper-led Rose Bowl champs and the 1996 Pac-10 titlist team of Bruce Snyder -- all shed blood, sweat and tears at Camp T prior to those magical seasons.

There are some that believe the rustic facility had feelings of its own and cast a curse on Erickson's ASU teams following his decision to vacate the premises.

I'm not sure I'm buying that, but for a football program that has mostly floundered for the last 15 years, reliance on tradition becomes even more important for a success-starved fan base in an over- saturated sports market.

Graham and Patterson understand this. So much so that they're ready to commit to a project that requires a minimum of $150,000 of work to even get the facility operational.

It's only scheduled for five days in August, but I do believe there's value in coaches, players and support staff bonding among the tall pine trees with nothing -- and I mean nothing -- to concentrate on but football.

Will a return to Tontozona translate to more wins in 2012? I highly doubt that.

But this move isn't about this season. It's about the future.

Todd Graham and company have just appeased a huge portion of Sun Devil Nation while taking another huge step toward erasing a decade and a half of mediocrity for Arizona State football.

If I told you two weeks ago that the D-backs would go 7-3 in their first ten without getting an RBI from Justin Upton, you'd think I was mad.

But that's exactly what's happened.

Upton, picked by many to win this year's National League MVP Award, is in one of the worst run-producing slumps of his big league career. In June of 2008, during his first full year in the league, Upton endured a 14-game RBI-less stretch and had just two runs batted in for the entire month, while hitting .123.

Not surprisingly, the D-backs went 11-16 that month. That team wasn't equipped to deal with prolonged droughts from their key players. That's one of the reasons why they couldn't hold off Manny Ramirez and the hard-charging Dodgers to win the division crown. Of course, Upton's injury that sidelined him for much of July and August was a huge factor too.

The difference four years later is that the current D- backs squad can withstand stretches like this from key players and still win. Their starting pitching is better, as is their bullpen (2.23 ERA through 10 games). Their depth is the envy of most big league teams. If someone struggles, another picks up the slack and expects the same when a slump comes calling upon them.

Of course it doesn't hurt that Upton's outfield neighbor, Chris Young, is off to the best start by any baseball player not named Matt Kemp.

So imagine how scary this team will be when Upton does start producing, because it's only a matter of time. The 24-year-old right fielder has shown the propensity to get really hot for stretches where he's capable of carrying a team. Does anybody remember June/July of last season?

Justin Upton will be fine.

And when he's fine, the D-backs will be frightening.

For a second straight season, a slow-starting Suns team would rally furiously following the All-Star break, only to fall short of their goal of reaching the NBA Playoffs.

I mean, after all, the Suns were going to be without their best and most versatile defender for a good chunk of the remainder of the regular season. With ground to make up and teams to overtake, Hill's absence would certainly be the final nail in the Suns' playoff coffin.

I definitely felt that way.

But the rest of the players on the roster apparently didn't get that memo, and that includes Shannon Brown, who has done more than an admirable job in filling in for Hill in the Phoenix starting five.

I'll admit it - I've always found Shannon Brown to be a maddening NBA player dating back to his days with the Los Angeles Lakers. He undoubtedly possesses unbelievable athletic ability. He also lacks a filter that helps him determine what is a good shot and what is not.

Before signing in Phoenix, he was arguably best known for a spectacular missed dunk, which, in a way, summed up his career.

Early in the season, many a Suns fan was shaking their head about some of the on-court decisions made by Brown.

Those moments haven't stopped altogether since Brown stepped into the starting lineup eight games ago, but they've been drastically reduced.

With Brown as a starter, the Suns are 5-3 and find themselves just one game behind Dallas and Denver for the final Western Conference playoff spot with just nine games to play.

Individually, Brown is averaging 17.5 points per game as a starter on 45.3% shooting from the floor. These are not earth-shattering figures, but for a team that readily admits they don't have a go-to scorer, they're significant.

Not only has Brown thrived as the recipient of increased minutes, but the Suns' bench is arguably playing their best basketball of the season as each member has a more clearly-defined role.

The news is good on the Grant Hill front. The veteran co- captain could be back for the stretch run which includes tough games against Oklahoma City, the Clippers, Denver and San Antonio.

When Hill is ready to go, does Alvin Gentry just re-insert him back in the lineup and relegate Brown to the bench? That remains to be seen, as does whether or not the Suns re-sign Brown in the offseason. He has not hurt his stock around the league with his play in the last two weeks, and could be a commodity in this summer's free agent market.

One thing we do know is Hill is coming back and it'll be good to see #33 on the court when he gets back. But if the Suns do end up reaching their goal of making the playoffs, we'd be remiss in not properly crediting how important Shannon Brown has been during this second half run.

Man, I never thought I'd say that.

Answer: 40. Does that qualify me to play in the NFL?

Morris Claiborne is a terrific football player.

The 22-year-old cornerback from LSU was a consensus First Team All-America pick, was the SEC Defensive Player of the Year and won the Thorpe Award presented to the best college defensive back in the country. Over the last two seasons, he defended 12 passes and intercepted 11 more.

After excelling on the gridiron during his career in Baton Rouge, Claiborne performed admirably at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis as well, running a 4.5 40-yard dash, and recording a 34.5-inch vertical jump.

Claiborne remains the top defensive back prospect in this year's draft class and will likely be selected in the top five or six picks on April 26.

So why, pray tell, must we know if Claiborne correctly answered a question similar to the one at the beginning of this column? Does that affect his ability to play football? It certainly didn't at LSU.

Pat Dooley, a writer at the Gainesville Sun (interestingly, a newspaper in a rival SEC town) tweeted that Claiborne recorded a score of 4 out of 50 on the Wonderlic Test, which is given to prospects at the scouting combine. It's the lowest Wonderlic score ever recorded.

Now, by a simple reporting of fact, Claiborne will at least be dogged by the "dumb" label the rest of his career. The number four will be subconsciously pinned to his jersey like a sort of scarlet numeral.

Low scores have not acted as a deterrent for teams to draft certain players. University of Texas quarterback Vince Young famously scored a 6 in his first crack at the Wonderlic, and he was still selected third overall by Tennessee in the 2006 draft. Dan Marino got a 15 back in 1983, was still drafted in the first round by the Miami Dolphins and went on to have one of the most storied careers of any quarterback in league history.

And high scores haven't been an indicator of success in the league, either. In 1998, Ryan Leaf scored a 27, six points better than average. And he's proven, even well after his playing days, that he's one of the biggest boneheads ever to put on a helmet.

In other words, this test doesn't mean anything in terms of how a player is going to perform at the highest level of football. The point being, individual teams have been armed with the information on players' scores and have the final say on whether or not to draft them.

Early in my media career, I had the pleasure of working with Mike Golic, who's now of course half of the popular Mike & Mike Show on ESPN Radio. Golic also enjoyed a colorful 8-year career in the NFL and was part of one of the most feared defensive lines in history with the Philadelphia Eagles in the mid-90's.

He talked frequently about his father's advice to him when preparing for the NFL Scouting Combine. "Do they have a bench press at the 50-yard line on Sundays?" his father would ask. "Then, don't worry about it."

The same can be said for the Wonderlic. And maybe Morris Claiborne had that attitude when he took the test. Maybe he didn't prepare for it. Or maybe, he just botched it.

Whatever the reason, it's not fair to Claiborne or others to have their test results leaked or reported -- especially when they're not even football-related.

Football players play on Sundays. Intelligent quotient and problem- solving skills still aren't the deciding factors in whether or not a rush end can win a one-on-one matchup against a left tackle or be able to run stride-for-stride with an All-Pro wide receiver.

I'm not saying that teams shouldn't issue the test and have access to the results. It's their money, and they should be able to use as many methods as they can to determine whether or not to employ a player.

Why must these test scores leak out publicly? Do they even matter?

But there are certain things that the general public and the media don't need to know about when it comes NFL Draft prospects.

Their Wonderlic score is at the top of that list.

But did Manning make the right move?

Yes, he's got 96 million reasons to believe it's the right move, but take the money out of the equation for a second. Let's assume all five of the teams Manning seriously considered or visited with were offering near-equal compensation (because this was never about the money, right?)

So let's break it down based on ownership/front office, coaching staff, competitiveness, offensive line and offensive weapons, shall we? I'll rank each of the teams 1 to 5 in each category, and award 5 points for 1st, 4 for 2nd, etc.

Owner/Front Office

1 (5 points) - Denver Broncos - Pat Bowlen is a respected owner and executive VP of football operations John Elway is a legend and by all accounts, one of the biggest deciding factors in Manning's decision-making process. I'm not sure how Elway's presence helps now that the ink is dry on the contract, but it got him to don that hideous shade of orange.

2 (4 points) - San Francisco 49ers - Owner/CEO Jed York is only 31 years of age, but has done a nice job in rebuilding the 49ers franchise toward its one-time dominance. President Gideon Yu, while not from a football background, is a sharp cookie who served as the CFO for Facebook and GM Trent Baalke is the reigning NFL Executive of the Year.

3 (3 points) - Tennessee Titans - Bud Adams is an aggressive and outspoken owner, who despite his less than polite finger gestures from time to time, is respected around the league. Senior exec VP Mike Reinfeldt has a wealth of experience in the league as a player and exec, and Ruston Webster, while new on the GM job, also has been in league front offices for more than two decades.

4 (2 points) - Arizona Cardinals - Like it or not, the Cardinals still battle the national stigma of being the "same old Cardinals", even though we in Arizona know that isn't the case anymore. Michael Bidwill and GM Rod Graves have built a competitive franchise since the opening of University of Phoenix Stadium in 2006, but the longtime label on this franchise remains.

5 (1 point) - Miami Dolphins - What a mess. Stephen Ross is loaded, which is a good trait for a sports owner to possess. How loaded? Loaded enough to give $100 million to the University of Michigan School of Business, which now bears his name. So with all that money, and Ross' willingness to spend it, why isn't anybody signing with the Dolphins? Good question. GM Jeff Ireland has been roundly criticized and due to the Fins' lack of attracting top free agent talent, made media rounds in South Florida earlier this week to explain things. "I think he's a guy that's not trustworthy. He's a guy that doesn't really hold up to what a GM is supposed to be," former Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter said this week on NFL Network. Ouch.

Coaching Staff

1 (5 points) - San Francisco 49ers - I know Jim Harbaugh's only been on the job for a season. But considering what happened during that season, and what Harbaugh accomplished at what was a dead program at Stanford, he's the best head coach on this list. Offensive coordinator Greg Roman is solid, if unspectacular.

2 (4 points) - Denver Broncos - John Fox is a good, flexible head coach who has led his team to the playoffs four times in his ten years in Carolina and Denver. And, he's got a Super Bowl appearance to his credit. Mike McCoy, the former University of Utah quarterback, is entering his 4th year as an NFL offensive coordinator.

3 (3 points) - Arizona Cardinals - Ken Whisenhunt is on a similar career path as Fox, having guided the former laughingstock Cardinals to two playoff appearances and a conference championship in his five years on the job. Mike Miller, the offensive coordinator, is an up- and-comer heading into his 2nd season on the job.

4 (2 points) - Tennessee Titans - Hall of Famer Mike Munchak was 9-7 in his first year as an NFL head coach. He spurned reported offers from his alma mater, Penn State, in the offseason. Longtime NFL assistant Chris Palmer is heading into his 2nd year as the Titans' coordinator.

5 (1 point) - Miami Dolphins - The Dolphins have new head coach in former Green Bay coordinator Joe Philbin, who becomes Miami's 7th head coach in 9 years. This will be Philbin's first head coaching job at the college or pro ranks. Coordinator Mike Sherman takes over the reins of the offense after his ouster as Texas A&M's head coach.

Competitiveness

1 (5 points) - San Francisco 49ers - The Niners went 13-3 a year ago, and were maybe a botched punt return away from taking on the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. Oh, did I mention that San Francisco has one of the top defenses in the league?

2 (4 points) - Tennessee Titans - Under Munchak, the Titans were 9-7 a year ago, and seem to be a team on the upswing.

3 (3 points) - Arizona Cardinals - Yes, the Cardinals were only 8-8 a year ago, but they finished 7-2, and that included a hard-fought win over the 49ers in Glendale. Coordinator Ray Horton has his defensive unit headed in the right direction.

4 (2 points) - Denver Broncos - I know, I know Broncos fans...you were in the playoffs a year ago. Hell, you won a playoff game last season. That doesn't change the fact that the AFC West was a study of mediocrity that allowed Denver to back into that division title by losing their last three regular season games.

5 (1 point) - Miami Dolphins - Notice a trend here? The Dolphins were 6-10 last season, and missed the playoffs for the ninth time in the last ten seasons.

Offensive Line

1 (5 points) - Tennessee Titans - RT David Stewart graded out as the NFL's top right tackle last season, according to Pro Football Focus, while left tackle Michael Roos ranked 6th. In pass protection, the Titans allowed just 24 sacks in 584 pass attempts -- the 2nd lowest total in the league. However, the Titans ranked 2nd-to-last in the league in rushing despite having Chris Johnson locked up to a big money long-term deal.

2 (4 points) - San Francisco 49ers - LT Joe Staley, a 2011 Pro Bowler, anchors a good offensive line for the 49ers. San Francisco allowed 44 sacks in 457 pass attempts a year ago and the line helped pave the way for the 8th-ranked rushing attack in the league.

3 (3 points) - Miami Dolphins - LT Jake Long is the single-best offensive lineman for any of the teams Manning considered, and went to his fourth Pro Bowl last season. Long allowed just 5 sacks and drew only 5 penalty flags in 2011 for a line that allowed 52 sacks in 469 passing attempts.

4 (2 points) - Denver Broncos - While many have touted the Broncos line to be a huge selling point to Manning, their pass protection left a lot to be desired. Broncos quarterbacks were sacked 42 times - not a great number for a team that threw the ball less than any other NFL team. LT Ryan Clady is also often put on a pedestal as one of the top lineman in the league, but his Pro Football Focus ranking was 66th in the NFL among tackles. He also drew 12 penalty flags, 2nd-most in the league among tackles.

5 (1 point) - Arizona Cardinals - There's no other way to slice it, the Cardinals' line hasn't been very good. Much of the criticism is lobbed at LT Levi Brown, who did show some improvement during Arizona's resurgent second half of the 2011 season. But the scuttlebutt is that Brown will be moved to the right side, and there is a lot of uncertainty on the line, as starting guard Rex Hadnot was cut and right tackle Brandon Keith is a free agent not likely to be brought back.

Offensive Weapons

1 (5 points) - Arizona Cardinals - As John Elway was the a huge advantage in the front office category, Larry Fitzgerald should have been just as big an advantage in the weapons category. Fitzgerald has excelled in the Cardinals' offense no matter who's throwing him passes, and the thought of Manning throwing to #11 would have kept NFC defensive coordinators up at night. But the Cardinals boast more than Fitzgerald. Receiver Early Doucet was re- signed and Andre Roberts returns, giving the Cardinals three receivers who more than 50 catches last season. Tight end Rob Housler should develop into a stretch-the- field type and running back Beanie Wells returns as does Ryan Williams, who missed 2011 with a knee injury.

2 (4 points) - San Francisco 49ers - The Niners have beefed up their offensive weaponry this offseason, signing future Hall of Famer Randy Moss to go along with former Giants receiver Mario Manningham and Michael Crabtree, who caught 72 balls a year ago. Tight end Vernon Davis is a freak of nature who is a matchup nightmare and running back Frank Gore is a steady threat in the backfield.

3 (3 points) - Tennessee Titans - Chris Johnson ran for over 1,000 yards again in 2011, but his output has been cut in half since his 2,000-yard season in 2009. Nate Washington was Tennessee's top receiver in '11, but the Titans will welcome back the supremely talented and knuckleheaded Kenny Britt, who had his season cut short by injury. Tight end Jared Cook is one of the good, young, up-and-coming players at his position.

4 (2 points) - Denver Broncos - Denver has a young receiving corps headed up by Eric Decker and Demaryius Thomas, but they combined for only 76 catches in the run- heavy Broncos offense in 2011. Top tight end Daniel Fells bolted to New England via free agency. Running back Willis McGahee ran for over 1,000 yards at age 30, and Knowshon Moreno remains an injury-plagued enigma.

5 (1 point) - Miami Dolphins - Outside of Reggie Bush, there's not much to be excited about in South Florida after the trade of Brandon Marshall to Chicago. Anthony Fasano is a decent tight end who caught 32 passes and scored 5 touchdowns last year.

The Verdict

Considering the five categories, again assuming the money would be similar from all five teams, and knowing that Manning is hell-bent to get back to the Super Bowl, my rankings indicate that Peyton made the 3rd-best selection for his career.

Rankings

1. San Francisco 49ers (23 points)
2. Tennessee Titans (17 points)
3. Denver Broncos (15 points)
4. Arizona Cardinals (14 points)
5. Miami Dolphins (7 points)

Of course, if he's healthy, Manning just might be good enough to eliminate any disadvantage the Broncos may have had in this process.

Just look at what the Colts' record looked like with him in street clothes.