Romeo. Oh, Romeo.

ROMEO: Telling it like it is.

Romeo Crennel -- defensive coordinator for the Pats Super Bowl teams -- has another shot at a head coaching job. He left the Pats after the '04 title and ran the Browns for four long seasons. He was let go after a four win 2008. Romeo just didn't catch too many breaks during those four years in Cleveland. Injuries. A tough division. Bad drafting. Angry fans in dog masks. Just not much luck.

Now he has the controls of the Chiefs for the final three games of the season to show what he can do. He starts this weekend against ... the undefeated Packers. His bad luck continues.

Romeo doesn't really seem to be cut out to be NFL head coaching material. He's just too nice. But he's a great defensive coordinator and his players seem to love him. But he's just too nice. And just too honest. Take his press conference today as a good example.

Romeo announced that he was benching Tyler Palko in favor of veteran Kyle Orton. Not exactly a shocker. Palko has been awful. But most coaches don't announce a QB change until the last second. You know, keep the opponent guessing. Keep the media clueless. It's the Belichick way. It's the NFL way. But it's not the Romeo way.

When asked why he decided to announce the QB change, Romeo answered honestly. Nicely.

"I thought about Green Bay not knowing but then I said, "Hey, they don't care who our quarterback is.' When they look at the quarterbacks on our roster, they don't care who plays. They look at Tyler and what he's done the past couple of weeks and they look at Orton and know he's got a finger injury (uh, they do now) and they look at a rookie (whatever his name is). I don't think they are shaking in their boots."

An NFL coach saying "All our QBs suck, so who cares who starts."

Love that Romeo.

Reading material

The firing squad for coaches usually begins lining up right after the New Year's Eve hangover begins to wear off. While the playoff teams start preparing for the tournament, the also-rans start "charting a new course," "heading in a new direction," "making a fresh start."

Seems they were anxious for a fresh start in Kansas City and Miami. The Chiefs axed head coach Todd Haley on Monday, followed a few hours later by the Dolphins saying see ya to Tony Sparano. (Not Soprano). It was pretty clear both coaches were not going to be around next season so I guess the teams decided why not beat the New Year's rush.

• In KC, the focus is now squarely on GM Scott Pioli. The former Patriot exec came to the Chiefs with three Super Bowl rings and a promise to return KC to its glory days. Things looked promising with a surprising division win last season but it's been more gory than glory in 2011. Now Pioli is looking for a new coach. Word is he's leaning towards another former Pat,  Josh McDaniels. Good luck with that.
• In Miami, the Phins looked like they might save their coach's job when they ran off four wins in five weeks but then they got pounded by Philly at home Sunday. Time to take Sparano for a ride. Sparano is a good guy and pretty good coach. But he had a lousy team. So he had to go. 
• That's the way it goes with coaching. Not just in the NFL but in all sports. As they say, you can't fire the players. So the coach has to go. As your teenager might say ... life's not fair.

Haley's and Sparano's firing makes three for the season so far. Jacksonville axed long-time coach Jack Del Rio a few weeks ago. That will probably be it till the season ends. Who will be next? Norv? Yes. Has to be Norv's time.

Reading material

I work Saturdays. I have Mondays off. It's ideal during football season. (Not so much in the summer). Between the many, many chores I accomplish each and every Monday, I take a little time to watch the NFL Network's day-long recap of all the Sunday games, catch the replay of ESPN's NFL Primetime, watch the Monday Night preview shows, and surf the tubes to check out what fans and columnists are saying about their teams in other towns. That last part is always entertaining. People say -- and write -- the darnedest things.

So as a public service, I'll link to a few stories every Wednesday for your reading pleasure.

• The Chiefs were supposed to become the Patriots West. Scott Pioli, second only to Belichick in importance in building a dynasty where one never even seemed imaginable, took over Kansas City with the goal of returning the franchise to the top of the NFL. It hasn't worked out so far.
• One of the main themes of the 2011 season has been back-up quarterbacks. From the Colts waking up Kerry Collins from his couch to replace Manning, to Houston losing Schaub and Leinert for the season in back-to-back weeks, the topic of quality back-up quarterbacks -- or the lack thereof -- has come up in town after town. One of the latest is in Chicago.
• Speaking of back-up QBS, Tim Tebow won again. Tebow also failed to complete ten passes -- again. Touchdown Jesus ("I just want to thank my Lord and Savior." Apparently God's not into passing) is the story of the NFL right now. The Broncos are surprisingly in the playoff race. Suddenly I can't wait till the Pats travel to Denver in a few weeks.
• The Jets beat the Bills in the battle for second place in the AFC East. It's yet another game the Jets could have/should have lost. To their credit, the Jets players were quoted after the win acknowledging they aren't playing nearly well enough. But it was the antics of Bills' wide receiver Steve Johnson that was the focus in Buffalo.
• Finally, there's the Philadelphia Eagles. Their nightmare season continued with the 38-20 beating at the hands of the Pats. Eagles fans were chanting for coach Andy Reid's job. If there's one city where losing takes on an extra level of disappointment, it's Philly.

Oh, and don't forget to check out the comment boards at the end of each story. Fan really is short for fanatic.

Returning home

WEEK 11
Patriots 34, Chiefs 3 (11/21/'11): My brother Jim and I rolled into Gillette a few minutes into the first quarter. We were a little late because I had to work -- not because Jim had returned home from Morocco less than 48 hours earlier.

The Patriots were also returning home after their huge win against the Jets. The Pats lost their last home game a few weeks ago to the other New York team, snapping their 20-game winning streak at Gillette. Last night, in the cold, it was time to start a new one. Since they were playing the Chiefs a victory seemed certain.

But as Jim and I settled into our seats and buttoned up our jackets, the zeros on the scoreboard made it clear the Pats were continuing their trend of slow starts. It's a trend that has to stop. But, for the second week in a row, it's a trend that did not prevent them from winning going away.

The Pats scored two quick touchdowns in the final five minutes of the second quarter to turn an ugly 3-0 deficit into an entertaining 14-3 halftime lead. The fun continued in the second half. The stars of the game were Gronk -- again -- on offense and Andre Carter -- again -- on defense. Brady, after a slow start, had a solid game and Julian Edelman (or Lt. Jim Dangle as we now call him at the tailgate) returned a punt for a touchdown. Kyle Arrington added another two picks to his league leading total of seven. All-in-all it was an entertaining night of football against an inferior team.

It's not a game worth spending too much time analyzing. Beating the Chiefs easily at home is just one of the things a team has to do if it wants to win its division. The win moves the Pats to 7-3, now two games ahead of both the Jets and Bills. It looks like the Pats' domination of the AFC East will continue. Sorry Rex.

Other positives were the running game (157 yards) and the D holding the Chiefs to just three points. That should help lower the all-important points-allowed-per-game stat. The defense has held the other team below 20 points the last two weeks. Granted, neither the Jets nor the Chiefs have much of an offense right now. But it's still a good trend, especially when considering how shorthanded the D has been during that time. Both the offense and special teams made big plays when needed. There was a lot to like.

The thing I liked the most about the night? It was the first game this year where it was cold enough to see your breath. It really is football season now.

Tourney time

It's the most wonderful time of the year. I'm not talking about that joyous week after all the stress and obligations and annoyances from the holidays have finally passed. I'm talking the NFL playoffs. The bye-week Patriots will be sitting comfortably on their couches along with the rest of us watching what should be some very entertaining and close battles.

I haven't done the research -- because that's not what I do here -- but this may be the first time in NFL history that all four road teams (the wild cards) either have the same or better record than the four division winners. How will that effect the results? Who knows. Here are my largely uneducated picks for Wild Card weekend:

AFC

NY Jets (11-5) at Indianapolis (10-6): I could go with my heart and say Colts 45, Jets 3. But my head says Mt. Ryan and the Jets are the slightly better team. Neither has looked that impressive down the stretch but the Jets have more healthy weapons on offense and -- despite the loss of safety Jim Leonard -- the defense should be strong in the playoffs. The Colts are saying they plan on trying to match the Jets run for run with a healthy Joe Addai. Right. Manning will be throwing the ball all over the place. The two teams met in the AFC title game last year and the Jets squandered a 17-7 lead. This time they hold on. Jets 26, Colts 23.

Baltimore (12-4) at Kansas City (10-6): This is the game I'm most interested in watching. I predicted the Chiefs would capture the AFC West crown and they did. But it would have been more impressive of they hadn't lost to the Raiders in the season finale. But they did. This is the classic matchup of the playoff veteran (Ravens) vs. the playoff rookie (Chiefs). The veteran almost always wins. But Arrowhead will be red and rockin'. It will be fun to watch. I think Matt Cassell and the Chiefs channel some Patriot magic and shut down -- and shut up -- Ray Lewis and the Ravens. Chiefs 20, Ravens 13.

NFC

New Orleans (11-5) at Seattle (7-9): You read that right. 7-9. The Seahawks are the first team to make the playoffs with a losing record. And they did it in style, dropping seven of their last 10 games. But Pete Carroll and his squad are P'd and J'd to be in the playoffs and are -- incredibly -- at home. Like KC, Seattle is a very tough place to play. But the defending champs know how to win on the road. And they should win easily. The Saints have looked shaky at times, but this is the playoffs. They are the champs. The only question should be is it a high or low scoring game? That will all depend on the weather. The forecast looks decent -- for the Northwest. Saints 45, Seahawks 27.


Green Bay (10-6) at Philadephia (10-6): Michael Vick and the Eagles were all the rage a few weeks ago when they made that improbably rally against the Giants. That was a couple of weeks ago. Since then Mad Dog Vick has looked mortal-ish. As have the Eagles. But a team with Vick, DeSean, and LeSean are a potent offensive force. The Eagles will need all three against a ferocious Packers' D. Aaron Rodgers brings his own passing attack. These two teams are about as evenly matched as you can get. Tie goes to the home team. Eagles 21, Packers 20.

Four score

The NFL has hit the quarter mark of the 16-game schedule. (What's a quarter of 18? Just another problem with the proposed "enhanced" season.) Only four of the 32 teams have yet to record a victory. And those teams (SF, Buf, Det, Car) have all come very close to at least one win. The 2010 season looks like it's going to be up for grabs the whole way. There don't appear to be too many contenders to finish 15-1 or 14-2. I wouldn't be surprised to see the best record end up at 12-4, or even 11-5. That hasn't happened since the 2002 season.

Who are the contenders for that 12-4 record? Here are the top 10 after four games:

1. New York Jets (3-1): There's no debating it. The Jets -- so far -- have backed up Rex Ryan's big talk. After their lame opener against the Ravens, the Green have responded with three straight division wins. They have done it without several key starters on defense. Sanchez -- who proved in the playoffs last year that he had the makeup to be a good NFL quarterback -- has not thrown a pick yet this year. Last year the Jets gave away several games they could have won. You get the feeling that won't happen as much this year.

2. New Orleans Saints (3-1): All three victories that the defending champs have were hanging in the balance till the last play. The Saints are somewhat fortunate to be 3-1. Brees has really yet to kick it into gear yet. -- I should know, he's my fantasy QB -- but he will. Probably soon. They have games against Arizona, Tampa, and Cleveland coming up. They'll be 6-1 and leading the NFC when those games are done.

3. Baltimore Ravens (3-1): There are 10 teams with three wins and another 14 with two. That's 24 out of 32 teams. And they are all pretty close. The Ravens have the potential when all is said and done to be the best among those teams. They went into Pittsburgh and handed the Steelers their first loss, winning on a touchdown pass with 30 seconds to play. A great pass by Flacco. Followed by a great interception by Ray Lewis to wrap the game up. The Ravens have solid leaders and solid coaching. It's gonna be a heck of a game at Gillette.

4. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1): Did they really win three games with Big Ben on suspension? No wonder I can't stand the Steelers. They lost a tough one at home to Baltimore, but were so close to being 4-0. While the offense survived without Roethlisberger, the defense thrived. The Steelers D is first against the run and first in points allowed. They are only 19th against the pass however. That could prove to be a fatal weakness.

5. Green Bay Packers (3-1): The Pack has one of the best offenses in the game even without running back Ryan Grant. Aaron Rodgers has as many weapons as Tom Brady and knows how to spread the ball around. And the Pack's D is better than the Pats -- at this moment.  But they lost a big game to the Bears and almost lost to Detroit. They have games coming up at Washington and home against Miami and Minnesota. That's a tough stretch.

6. New England Patriots (3-1):  Was there a team more due for a big road win? The 41-14 win in Miami showed the many strengths that the 2010 Pats have. An offense that is now quicker and tougher than it was last year. Brady, when he's in command of the game, is still the best. A coaching staff that seems to be more in sync with its players. Young, fast athletes that can make plays. Monday night all those strengths made up for the one, still glaring weakness. An inexperienced defense that has almost no pass rush.

7. Houston Texans (3-1): The other Texas team may be the real dark horse to win a Super Bowl this year. Houston opened its season by defeating division nemesis Indy. Running back Arian Foster has the Texans leading the league in rushing. That's significant for a team that already had a dangerous passing game. Mario Williams is becoming the pass rushing beast worthy of being the first player taken in the draft. Add to that a solid coach in Gary Kubiak and the Texans are going to be good for years to come.

8. Indianapolis Colts (2-2): The only two-win team to be considered in the top 10. Why? Peyton Manning of course. The Colts can't stop the run. They are starting to show some signs of age on the defense. Pierre Garcon has taken a big step back, although Austin Collie has taken a step forward. They are in a brutal division. But they have Manning.

9. Atlanta Falcons (3-1): Matt Ryan and the Falcons are the NFC's dark horse (now that my pick the Niners are 0-4). The Falcons have that punishing running/solid passing combo on offense that can beat you in many ways. The defense has stepped it up in the first month, allowing only 15 points per game. And they have already gone into New Orleans and knocked off the defending champs.

10. Kansas City Chiefs (3-0): They're the only unbeaten team left so they have to make the top 10. And I listed them as my AFC surprise team in my preseason rankings where I had them at #11. Have the boys in red looked dominant in their 3-0 start? Not at all. The other teams that are possible top 10 material are San Diego, Chicago, Cincy, Denver, and the entire NFC East. But the Chiefs get the nod because they haven't lost yet. They will soon.

Dishonorable mention: San Francisco 49ers. Also in my preseason rankings I raved about coach Mike Singletary and how he was going to lead the Niners back to the top of the NFC West and maybe as far as the conference title game. I knew he was still that linebacker with the crazed look in his eyes but I thought that would motivate and inspire his team. Mostly it just seems to scare them. Me too.