A. Messerschmidt/Getty Images

Tony Siragusa: What Does Siragusa's Sideline Reporting Job Entail?

Tony Siragusa played defensive tackle for the Baltimore Ravens during their Super Bowl wining season and played a total of 12 seasons in the NFL.

Recently, "The Goose" has become a reality television host and has spent time reporting on the sidelines.

In an interview with NPR host Peter Grosz, Siragusa shed some light on his job on the sidelines.

Grosz asked, "Now, you are an on-field analyst, which as far as I know, is that a new position in the broadcast world that you created or are you just the best one?"

Siragusa responded: "Yeah, you know, most teams have on-field reporters. You know, they go and like, when all of the sudden you'll see a person with their foot facing the wrong direction and they come on and they say, well this guy broke his ankle, he probably won't return."

He also added: "I'm really not the guy who does that. I really analyze what's going on on the field, sort of like the booth, but I'm down in the end zone with the people, smelling them, letting them know what smells, what doesn't smell."

What was one of his wildest moments as a sideline reporter?

"Yeah, I had a guy in Philadelphia throw a snowball. He was a little shocked when I climbed into the stands," said Siragusa. "And gave a little Jersey justice, you know what I mean."

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

John Carlson: Seattle Seahawks Tight End Carted Off Soldier Field

Going into today's NFC Divisional game, the Seattle Seahawks faced the daunting task of upending the Chicago Bears in Soldier Field.

That task became even more difficult when they lost starting tight end John Carlson.

On the Seahawks' second drive of the game, Matt Hasselbeck completed a 14-yard pass to Carlson, who then ran out of bound but had to jump in the sidelines to avoid a defender.

Carlson subsequently landed on his head and was ultimately lost for the remainder of the game.

The loss of Carlson forced the Seahawks to redraw their initial gameplan.  The big tight end was an important part of last week's upset win over the New Orleans Saints, when he caught a pair of touchdowns.

Seattle's receivers were clearly overmatched by the Bears secondary in today's game.  There were several dropped passes from their receivers.

Not until late in the game did the Seahawks find holes in the Chicago secondary. 

But it was a little too late.  The Bears won the game 35-24.

Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

NFC Championship Game 2011: Who Wins Between Bears and Packers?

For the first time in decades the Bears and the Packers will meet one another in the postseason.  Despite their long storied rivalry in the NFC, both teams has rarely seen the other in the playoffs.

It's been a long time coming and the Packers vs. Bears contest will surely bring a lot of excitement.

The Packers qualified for the postseason as a Wild Card team but have dispatched two NFC teams that were favored to go deep in the playoffs this year.

First, it was Michael Vick and the Eagles and then it was NFC's No. 1 team the Atlanta Falcons.

The big X-Factor in that NFC Title game will be Aaron Rodgers.  The young quarterback has been on fire and has been playing the best football of his career in the playoffs.

Chicago will need a strong performance from their secondary to match up against Rodgers next weekend.  And Jay Cutler will need to show poise in the pockets as Packers pass-rushers collapse in and give him pressure.

Prediction: Packers 28, Bears 24

Jim Rogash/Getty Images

Jets vs. Patriots: First Quarter Update, Patriots Take Early Lead

Before the start of today's game, many of us expected this to be a high scoring affair. 

However, after one quarter, the Patriots have the lead 3-0.

We headed into this game with a lot of trash talk from the Jets.  But the Patriots were ordered by Bill Belichick not to play the game.

Unfortunately, Wes Welker, just had to throw in some foot fetish related jabs towards Jets coach Rex Ryan.

That's exactly what the Pats wanted to avoid.  Welker was benched to start the game but is still expected to be a big factor in the offense.

The Patriots first offensive drive was stalled when a Tom Brady pass was intercepted by David Harris. 

But they kept on going, on their second offensive drive, they settled for a 34 yard field goal.

So far the Jets have been successful in holding back Brady and his host of offensive weapons.

Can they do it for another three quarters?

Jim Cornelison: Singer Rouses Bears Crown With Anthem In NFC Divisional Game

Jim Cornelison, a name known to Chicago Blackhawks fans for his crowd-rousing renditions of the "Star Spangle Banner" during hockey games, appeared at Soldier Field today to give the Chicago Bears an assist.

Cornelison has been viewed as somewhat of a good luck charm as his anthems started the Blackhawks off on a Stanley Cup winning season last year.

Today, he was asked to bring that luck with him so the Bears could advance to the AFC title game.

And guess what?  It worked.

Maybe it was Cornelison, maybe it was because Jay Cutler was on fire, maybe it was because Chicago's defense was completely locked in on the Seahawks.  Whatever the reason, you know the Bears are likely to repeat this weekend's recipe for success against the Green Bay Packers.

So next week, don't be surprised if you see Cornelison once again belting out the national anthem in front of a loud crowd of Chicago hopefuls.

Rick Stewart/Getty Images

Wes Welker: Welker Benched From AFC Divisional Game For Foot Fetish Remarks

Wes Welker, Tom Brady's primary receiver will have to pay for his foot fetish-related remarks during an interview with the media.  Welker will not get the start in today's AFC Divisional battle.

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has decided to bench his top receiving threat.

Does this mean, we should be concerned about the Patriots?  No.  Not at all.

Earlier this week, Bill Belichick asked his team not to play the trash-talk game with the New York Jets via the press and Welker clearly disobeyed his coach's wishes when he made foot fetish-related comments during an interview.

Welker shouldn't miss much time in this game for his remarks.  He may be absent from the game's first play or even the first Patriots drive but he'll surely find a way to make one way or another.

Although Welker was on punt return duty to start the game, he was absent from the Patriots opening offensive play.

Jeff Gross/Getty Images

Tom Cable: Latest Ex-Raiders Coach To Get Into Financial Dispute With Al Davis

Al Davis is up to cooky and crazy ways once again.  Apparently he has been fining former coach Tom Cable because he was unhappy that the Raiders missed two days of Organized Team Activities (OTAs) in June 2010, per ESPN.

According to ESPN: "As former Oakland Raiders coach Tom Cable was attempting to lead his team to the playoffs this season, owner Al Davis began deducting $20,000 from each of his head coach’s paychecks until he had withheld $120,000 in fines, according to team sources.

"In turn, Cable filed a grievance against his owner with the NFL, becoming the latest Raiders head coach to be embroiled in a financial dispute with his owner."

As you may know, this is the first time Al Davis and a former head coach of his became involved in a financial dispute. 

"[Lane] Kiffin filed a grievance against the Raiders after he was fired when he felt that Davis owed him money, but the arbitrator ruled in Oakland’s favor. Davis has a history of financial disputes with his head coaches dating back to Mike Shanahan. The NFL has had to help settle financial disputes with four of Davis’ last five head coaches, according to a source," wrote ESPN.

Jim Rogash/Getty Images

Wes Welker Foot Interview: Welker Gets Benched For Remarks, What's Next?

Wes Welker, Tom Brady's primary receiver will have to pay for his foot fetish-related remarks during an interview with the media.

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has decided to bench his top receiving threat.

Does this mean, we should be concerned about the Patriots?

No.  Not at all.

Bill Belichick asked his team not to play the trash-talk game with the New York Jets via the press and Welker clearly disobeyed his coach's wishes.

Welker shouldn't miss much time in this game for his remarks.  He may be absent from the game's first play or even the first Patriots drive but he'll surely find a way to make an impact sooner or later.

One thing is for sure.  We know we won't be seeing a deep Tom Brady pass to Wes Welker to start the game.

Jets vs. Patriots: NFL Cheerleader Showdown of the Week

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Seahawks vs. Bears: Bears Handle Seahawks, Heading To NFC Championships

The Seattle Seahawks were overmatched in today's NFC Divisional game against the Chicago Bears. 

The Bears' defense simply did not give the Seahawks much room to make any kind of noise on offense.

Jay Cutler simply picked apart the Seattle secondary and they had no answer for him.

The Seahawks lost tight end John Carlson to a head injury early in the football game and had to rework their gameplan upon his departure.

But Seattle's receivers suffered from plenty of dropped passes and tight coverage by the Bears secondary.

There was little they could do.

Now the Bears are heading into the NFC title game against their bitter rivals, the Green Bay Packers.

With Aaron Rodgers leading the Packers' charge, they could be a much tougher matchup for the Bears than the Seahawks were.

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Soldier Field: Second Half Starts With Another Seattle Seahawk Injury

The Seattle Seahawks are still trying to come from behind in Soldier Field against the Chicago Bears.  But their chances of making a dramatic comeback is becoming smaller and smaller.

Seattle lost another player to injury in third quarter as cornerback Marcus Trufant had to be carted off the field after suffering a head/neck injury while trying to make a tackle.

Early in the game, the Seahawks lost tight end John Carlson as he landed headfirst on the turf of Solider Field after hauling in a Matt Hasselbeck catch.

The play of the Seahawks secondary has been shaky all game, allowing Jay Cutler to pick them apart.  The loss of Trufant makes them even weaker.

Seattle's offense has continued to struggle.  While their running game has been stuffed by the Bears defense, their passing game has suffered many dropped passes.

It doesn't appear as though a comeback is likely.

Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

Seahawks vs. Bears: First Half Update, Can Seahawks Come Back?

The Seattle Seahawks are behind 21-0 to the Chicago Bears.  And it does not look good.

During halftime, Pete Carroll will try to rally his team to play with a purpose.  There have been many dropped passes from Seattle receivers in the first half and their secondary has been picked apart by Jay Cutler.

The passes from Cutler are being thrown up the middle and the guy that has flourished is tight end Greg Olsen.  Olsen has tallied 113 receiving yards and one touchdown.

If the Seahawks want to keep their playoff run alive, they'll need bigger plays from their receivers.  Tight end John Carlson was carted off the field early in the first quarter, now it's time for others to step in and make an impact.

Their pass rush needs to put more pressure on Cutler and their secondary can't be so tentative in coverage.

If their defense steps up then their offense will have a chance to come from behind in this game.

One big play can turn things around for Seattle.

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Seahawks vs. Bears: First Quarter Update, Seahawks Playing From Behind

The Seahawks find themselves down 14-0 to the Chicago Bears in Soldier Field.

Although Seattle produced some magic last weekend against the New Orleans Saints, it appears as though they're string of good fortune may be coming to an end.

In this game, the Seahawks offense has sputtered against the Bears defense.  While Jay Cutler has taken advantage of the Seahawks' weak secondary.

This game could turn into a blowout by halftime if Cutler keeps throwing to his heart's content.

Also, Seattle may have lost tight end John Carlson, who landed on his head after making a catch.

The loss of Carlson is a big blow to Seatte's offense.  The big tight end hauled in a pair of touchdown passes last week against the Saints.

Jets vs. Patriots: NFL Cheerleader Showdown of the Week

The 10 Worst Quarterback Performances in Super Bowl History

Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

Seahawks vs. Bears: Seahawks Deal With Carlson Injury Early Against Bears

The Seattle Seahawks find themselves playing from behind, 7-0, early in the NFC Divisional game against the Chicago Bears.

But that's not all, they could be without the services of starting tight end John Carlson for the rest of the match.

On the Seahawks' second drive of the game, Matt Hasselbeck threw a 14-yard completion to John Carlson.  However Carlson had to jump in order to avoid a defender and had a very bad landing.

Video replay showed Carlson hitting the ground first with his helmet.

The only backup to Carlson is second year tight end from Cal, Cameron Morrah.  Morrah has only seen limited action this season catching 9 passes for 117 yards.

Although Carlson didn't have a statistically impressive regular season, he was a big reason for the Seahawks' success against the Saints last weekend.

The big tight end hauled in 3 passes, two of them for touchdowns in the opening Wild Card round of the playoffs.

Ken Levine/Getty Images

Dennis Byrd, a former Jets defensive lineman, who was left initially paralyzed after a career-ending neck injury in 1992 gave the New York Jets a motivational speech on Saturday night, according to the New York Daily News.

Byrd eventually walked again after some intense physical therapy and is now making his rounds as a motivational speaker.

"I just heard the most inspirational message of my life from former jet Dennis Byrd, who suffered a career ending neck injury," Jets receiver Braylon Edwards tweeted @OfficialBraylon last night. "As God (is) my witness I have never been more ready to perform in my life. Dennis Byrd I respect, salute, and honor you."

From motivational speeches to trash talking, the Jets have been using words to get pumped up about today's matchup against the New England Patriots.

You can't blame the Jets for pulling out all the stops against the Tom Brady led Patriots.  They've had a poor record playing at Foxboro of late, including a 45-3 loss last month.

Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

Matt Hasselbeck: Does Hasselbeck Have Enough Magic Left To Beat Chicago Bears?

Matt Hasselbeck has had a forgettable season in what many expect could be his final year as a member of the Seattle Seahawks.

Last week, Hasselbeck showed that he wasn't going to down fighting.  The Seahawks qualified for the playoffs by winning the NFC West with a 7-9 record.

As a result, there was more doubt cast upon whether or not the Seahawks deserved to play in the posteason.

Well, they successful dispatched the New Orleans Saints in the Wild Card round and proved they should not be taken lightly.

Now the next thing people want to know is if the Seahawks can pull off another win at Soldier Field against the Bears?

“I couldn’t have dreamed of a better scenario for our team and for myself the last two weeks,” Hasselbeck told the New York Times. “It’s not how I would have planned it. But it was an awesome feeling.”

When you've got nothing to lose, that makes you dangerous.  And that's exactly what the Seahawks are.  Dangerous.

Hasselbeck was once a Pro Bowl passer, he is more than capable of reliving his elite quarterback days for another weekend.