By Jeff Risdon/RealGM

$.01--For the second week in a row, the cold reality of real life has struck the NFL. Another active player has taken the life of another person in an egoistic act of mindlessness and selfish thoughtlessness.

Last week it was Jovan Belcher brutally murdering the mother of his 3-month old child--in front of his own mother--before shooting himself in front of Chiefs personnel.

This week, Dallas Cowboys nose tackle Josh Brent killed teammate and roommate Jerry Brown when Brent flipped his car in suburban Dallas while driving intoxicated at a high rate of speed.

Brent sits in a jail on charges of DUI Manslaughter, a second degree felony. He faces two to twenty years in jail for taking the life of his college teammate and close friend. Sadly, this was not Brent’s first DUI offense, as he was convicted in 2009 of DUI and driving without a license while at Illinois, where Brown also played at the time. Nobody was hurt in that incident. Brent’s luck ran out on Saturday.

Just as Jovan Belcher made a stupid, careless decision that forever altered the lives of far too many people, Brent did the same. His weapon of choice was his automobile, fueled by excessive speed and alcohol. Brent, by all accounts, is devastated by what happened, being responsible for the death of his friend. Good. He should be devastated. I hope it torments him every day for the rest of his life.

There is absolutely no excuse for NFL players to drive after drinking. Both the NFL and the NFLPA offer car services to players, but few take advantage. Players don’t trust that their usage is confidential; they strongly believe their coaches and teams will find out about it. This is an unfortunate byproduct of the vigilance with which Roger Goodell has wielded his sword of discipline. Players are paranoid, perhaps rightfully so. There is also the worry that the drivers will rat them out to beat reporters or internet scribes looking to make a quick buck or a bigger name.

I asked an agent friend of mine about this and he told me he has actually advised his clients to avoid both services for that reason. He doesn’t trust the anonymity of ether service. But he was very quick to point out that he has repeatedly told all of his clients that if they need a car to call his lead assistant and they will arrange everything, including picking up the tab for a limo if that’s what it takes. The agent told me he’s had several instances where his players have done this, including one just last weekend. It’s worth pointing out that while I don’t know his full roster of clients, I have never seen one featured in the police blotter section of the NFL newswire.

Something has to be done. NFL players continue to drink and drive despite all the warnings and all the chances to avoid it. Some players don’t know their limit. Some feel it’s not worth the hassle to wait. Others feel like nothing bad can happen to them. Josh Brent’s sad story is a terrible example that bad things can and will happen if you drive drunk. Let’s hope NFL players get the message. Let’s also hope that more agents take care of their clients like my friend does, and that the NFL and NFLPA car services truly are confidential and anonymous. Also, that if the team does get word that a player used the service, how about rewarding him for using his head instead of punishing him for being a real person.

And for communities around the country, how about changing the laws so that if someone drives to a bar or restaurant and decides to get a ride home instead of driving drunk, their car doesn’t get ticketed and towed? I can tell you firsthand that has made me drive when I shouldn’t have. When I know that getting a cab home after three beers is going to cost me a $125 parking ticket, a $80 tow bill, and a $250 impound fee, you bet your bottom dollar I’m driving home. How about you advocate for that, M.A.D.D., instead of trying to make me drive 55 or not drink until I’m a college graduate…

$.02--While playing in the shadow of tragedy, the Cowboys saved their playoff lives with a dramatic comeback victory in Cincinnati. Dallas trailed 19-10 with a little under seven minutes to go, playing on the road against a solid defense. They had no run game at all, and the offensive line struggled to keep Tony Romo off the Jungle turf. Given their heavy hearts and propensity for late-game disappointment, it sure looked bleak for the Dallas Cowboys.

You have to give the Cowboys a great deal of credit, Tony Romo in particular. Romo was very good when his team needed him the most and when his numerous critics claim he’s at his worst. On the touchdown drive that closed the gap to 19-17, Romo threw several strikes under duress, buying time and showing the sort of clutch and grit that makes everyone fawn over Andrew Luck. On the ensuing Bengals drive another oft-criticized Cowboy, Anthony Spencer, came up huge with a third down sack that forced a quick change of possession. That set the stage for more Romo heroics. Three third down conversions and a heavy dose of DeMarco Murray later, Dan Bailey trotted on the field for the game-winning 40 yard field goal.

The feeling of relief was eminently tangible as the Cowboys gathered on the field and in their postgame interviews. Just as Romeo Crennel and Brady Quinn so deftly handled a tragic situation a week earlier, Jason Garrett and Romo were pitch-perfect in their postgame comments. The moment that will stay with me and hopefully stays entrenched in Cowboys lore was the shot of Jason Hatcher holding up the #53 jersey of their fallen teammate Jerry Brown. Only time will tell if the emotion can carry them onward and upward or cause a crash; the Chiefs looked flat and got bombarded 30-7 by the Browns after scoring an upset last week and getting a touchdown on their first play Sunday. But even if the Dallas season winds up ultimately being a disappointment, Cowboys fans can look upon this game, this fateful day, as a bright spot.

$.03--We can finally put a nail in the coffin of the New Orleans Saints season after the Giants torched them 52-27. It was a complete team victory for the Giants and the culmination of a complete collapse for the Saints, who were the decidedly inferior team on offense, defense, and special teams.

The loss comes at an interesting time for the Saints. Former Commissioner Paul Tagliabue is ruling on the Bountygate suspensions this Tuesday. Even though the only Saints player impacted is the shell of Jonathan Vilma that can’t make a tackle without help anymore, this cloud has been more than just hanging over their collective heads all season. They are drowning in the flood, flailing wildly instead of calmly finding their bearings and swimming to shore. The players involved are so adamant in their denial, and the team so unified around them, that it often seems like the Saints were playing the NFL just as much as the opponent. With Sean Payton also banished and a rotating cast of coaches in place, it’s easy to see why the team lacked focus.

On the field, the Saints sure look like a team on the wrong side of the mountain. Drew Brees has looked somewhere between ineffective and awful the last three weeks, throwing ridiculous interceptions and appearing to have lost the pinpoint part of his accuracy. His red zone issues are stunning given his recent history, and the gaudy yardage numbers belie another substandard day. Speaking of substandard days, the Saints defense says hello. But the worst part of the game was special teams, surrendering over 300 total return yards, including David Wilson’s game-changing 97-yarder after Elbert Mack had put the Saints ahead with an early pick six.

The 52 points represent the most the Giants have scored since clouds from Chernobyl still threatened the world. Rookie David Wilson set a franchise record with 327 total yards, and Stevie Brown claimed the record for most INT return yards in a season with yet another big play. When the Saints needed to turn it up most, their gas tank ran dry. When the Giants needed a big win like this, they found the nitro button.

$.04--The Broncos doubled up the Raiders 26-13 on Thursday night. It was an eminently predictable victory, but the game was closer and sloppier than it should have been for Denver. Broncos CB Champ Bailey and others noticed, and their demeanor in postgame interviews reflected an acute self-awareness that their effort that night was not good enough to compete in the playoffs. They harped on mistakes and missed opportunities, bringing up the positives from game almost as an afterthought.

I agree 100% with everything Bailey and others said. After the first drive, an efficient 10-play, 68-yard TD effort, the offense really slogged along. Red zone sacks on consecutive drives, both of which came when a Raiders defender got at Manning without being touched, forced field goals instead of touchdowns. Manning threw a couple of balls low and behind his receivers on third downs that prevented yards after the catch. Poor recognition and a slow response by safety Rahim Moore let Raiders wideout Rod Streater get behind the defense for a huge gain. Manning underthrew his man for a diving INT by Philip Adams in the shade of the end zone. Even though Knowshon Moreno racked up 119 rushing yards, his runs were very hit and miss; several of his runs could have been longer had he read his blocks better or cut more decisively.

The red zone issues are the primary concern heading forward. Three times in this game the Broncos had drives of 10+ plays, and those drives netted six points. That’s good enough to beat the erratic, self-immolating Raiders, but against the Baltimores, Houstons, and New Englands of the world, those drives need to wind up in the end zone. And beating those good teams has proven problematic for the Broncos. Their three losses are to New England, Houston, and Atlanta, all of which have clinched playoff berths as well. Denver draws the Ravens next week, a Ravens team that appears to be trending in the wrong direction and highly vulnerable. If the Broncos stumble in that one, consider this long victory streak a paper tiger and their playoff chances decidedly weaker.

$.05--Minnesota made the NFC playoff race a lot more interesting and wide open with their hard-fought win over the Bears. All of the sudden a Vikings team that was in free-fall from a 5-2 start is within striking distance of the free-falling Bears, losers of four of their last five.

The Bears also lost Jay Cutler in this game, victimized by yet another crushing hit that sent him to the sidelines with a neck injury. They’re already playing without Brian Urlacher, the leader of the defensive pack. Excellent kicker Robbie Gould hurt himself in warmups and only kicked extra points. Their injury report is so lengthy it requires you to scroll down on your PC. Cutler will almost certainly play next week (hosting the Packers), but you can see their sails are flat in the doldrums of another late-season collapse. It was not his best day, throwing a bad INT on Chicago’s first drive and forcing a throw which Harrison Smith picked off and took to the house for the deciding touchdown. He got little help from his offensive line. Cutler was only sacked twice but hit at least 12 other times and consistently forced to move off his spot in the pocket. Devin Hester dropped an easy catch that almost certainly would have been a touchdown. Brandon Marshall caught 10 passes (on 19 targets) but missed one at the worst possible time late.

For the Vikings, it was Adrian Peterson to the rescue. Once again young QB Christian Ponder earned the boos raining down on him from the Metrodome faithful. He second-guesses his eyes too often and doesn’t trust his arm on deeper throws, negatives that were eminently evident during his Florida State days. He has not improved in his nearly two years in the NFL. In this game, it didn’t matter thanks to Adrian Peterson.

Peterson handled the first drive almost all by himself. He took the first offensive snap 51 yards and capped it off with his 69th yard of the drive in the end zone. AD was just getting started. He finished with 31 carries for 154 yards and the two early touchdowns. Even with eight in the box at times, Peterson found ways to be effective. This was Adrian Peterson making his case for MVP consideration. At minimum he inched ahead of Peyton Manning in the Comeback Player of the Year award in a battle of the two strongest candidates ever for that honor. I don’t think it will happen, but I’ll say this: if the Vikings make the playoffs, Adrian Peterson will earn my MVP.

$.06--There has never been a better illustration of teams with different colors than a few minutes in time in the first half of the early games. In the Jets/Jaguars game, Mark Sanchez threw a ball to Jeremy Kerley, who caught the ball but fumbled upon contact. Instead of trying to recover the ball, Kerley laid prone, wallowing in his own misery as the play continued. Dwight Lowery of the Jaguars picked the ball up and ran it back for a touchdown, though the booth review (correctly) overruled the touchdown. The Jets defense got a stop after one first down. New York would eventually hold on to win the game, making them the most improbable 6-7 team in NFL history.

A couple of minutes in real time later, Redskins rookie RB Alfred Morris fumbled the ball. Paul Kruger of the Ravens recovered the ball, and three plays later the Ravens cashed it in for a touchdown on a nice throw from Joe Flacco to Dennis Pitta. It took some late-game heroics by Kirk Cousins in relief of an injured RG3 to force overtime for the Redskins. Washington ultimately won the game on a Kai Forbath FG, making them one of the more improbable 7-6 teams in a crazy season. 

The difference was in how the players and teams reacted on the sidelines. Kerley and Morris both hit their respective benches with a forlorn, dejected demeanor. Not a single Jets player came to talk to Kerley, though a teammate did sit next to him. But Kerley was alone on the bench for a good minute before an assistant coach came over to talk with him. There was no visible encouragement from any teammates. Even after the game came back from commercial, Kerley was alone in his thoughts. He wound up catching two passes for nine yards on four targets following his gaffe, though the Jets running game sizzled and made the passing game largely gravy.

On the Redskins sideline, several players crowded around Morris. Santana Moss knelt in front of him and gave him some tough love, departing with a fist bump which showed his compassion. London Fletcher offered a quick word of encouragement before heading onto the field for defense. RG3 took a few minutes to have some words and offer encouragement. A couple of coaches were there as well, but the players handled the lesson themselves. He responded with several effective runs, including a key 10-yarder that set up a field goal in the third. 

It was a perfect demonstration of why the Jets are such a chaotic disappointment while the Redskins are a shining surprise. Leadership. The Jets quite clearly have none other than the bombastic, erratic Rex Ryan, who has a lot of pots to finger during a game. The Redskins have veteran leadership in spades on both sides of the ball, and it shows in how they handle adversity. Mike Shanahan places a high value on veteran character on his teams, and because of that his young running back came back strong and contributed to an unlikely win that surges them towards a playoff berth. The Jets don’t really seem to value anything but chasing headlines, and it shows in their repeated implosions and disconnected locker room. They lucked out that the Jaguars were Sunday’s opponent and barely held on for the ugly win.

$.07--Awards:

Offense: Cam Newton. The Panthers quarterback reminded us why he’s the reigning offensive rookie of the year in Carolina’s surprising upset of the Falcons. Newton threw for 287 yards and two touchdowns, the bulk of it early to put the Panthers way out in front, and ran for 116 yards and a touchdown. His twisting, churning 14-yard run on 3rd & 11 early in the second quarter echoed of Jim Brown, and the backflip to cap his long TD run echoes of Madden 13. Nick Foles, Eli Manning and Adrian Peterson were in the running as well.

Defense: Richard Sherman. The Seahawks corner played only because his Adderall suspension is being appealed, but the big man picked off two passes and recovered a fumble. He returned one of the INTs for a TD. It’s rare that the defensive player of the week only registers one tackle, but when the opponent can’t run or throw, Sherman made the most of his limited opportunities.

Special Teams: David Wilson. After the Saints scored on a pick six early on in the New Orleans/New York game and silenced the crowd, Wilson took the ensuing kickoff 97 yards for a game-altering touchdown that propelled the Giants to a romp. He wasn’t done, however; he tacked on another 130 on his other three returns, as well as running for over 100 yards. Way to go, rookie!

Assistant Coach: Todd Bowles. Yeah, that guy. The Eagles Defensive Coordinator reversed weeks of ineptitude by going with a youth movement and mixing up schemes, befuddling Tampa Bay QB Josh Freeman and getting a couple of key stops. They weren’t the best D of the day, probably not even a top-5 D for the day, but they were good enough for the first time in a long time.

$.08-- Five NFL Quickies

1. Kudos to James Brown for a surprisingly hard-hitting interview with Anthony Hargrove and Hargrove’s agent on NFL Today. JB came at Hargrove and didn’t back down to the large man seated within spitting distance. I thought Brown’s clear skepticism of Hargrove’s denial that he said what was captured on video was pitch perfect. For his end, Hargrove stayed composed and professional despite getting hammered with tough questions.

2. The scoreboard says the Rams beat the Bills 15-12, but I’m not sure the game actually happened. I didn’t see any Tweets about it during the game, and I must have missed it on the highlight shows. The game wasn’t on the DirecTV game mix, and it was blacked out on my Sunday Ticket as well. The bigger question is, does anyone really care? 

3. Arizona netted nine first downs and turned the ball over eight times in Seattle’s 58-0 laugher of a victory. It reminded me of my days at Columbus Northland High School in the late 80s, when our football team was woefully overmatched even against other doormats. We lost 76-6 to the Cincinnati Academy of Physical Education one year and I think that game was more competitive and entertaining than this abomination.

4. The Browns and Rams both have three game winning streaks, snapping the two longest droughts without such a streak. For Cleveland it’s the first since 2009. For the Rams it’s the first since 2005. Now that inglorious streak belongs to the Panthers at 45 games. Carolina beat Atlanta on Sunday and draws San Diego and Oakland next, so their streak might very well end soon as well.

5. Andrew Luck once again set himself up for late-game heroics with awful play early, and he amazingly delivered once again in rallying the Colts from a deficit he was largely responsible for creating as Indianapolis all but sewed up a playoff berth by beating the mistake-prone Titans 27-23. Luck’s QB rating for the day was lower than Ryan Lindley and he continues to seriously struggle with throws less than 10 yards. But he’s been awesome late in games, and he just might already throw with the best downfield accuracy of anyone. I’m so thrilled for the fans in Indy for the quick turnaround.

$.09--Five College/Draft Quickies

1. Johnny Manziel won the Heisman Trophy on Saturday in a fairly close but firm voting result over Notre Dame LB Manti Teo, with Kansas State QB Collin Klein finishing third. As you’ve no doubt been beaten over the head with, Manziel becomes the first freshman ever to win the award. I find that a little disingenuous, however; Johnny Football is a redshirt freshman who tutored under a top 10 overall NFL draft pick in Ryan Tannehill in his “real” freshman year. I’m not saying Manziel didn’t deserve his Heisman, but let’s not overplay the whole “first freshman” phenomenon. Adrian Peterson was a true freshman when he finished second in 2004, and that impresses me more than Manziel winning it in his second year of college life.

2. After being rebuffed by a cadre of more prominent candidates, Tennessee finally found someone willing to take their open coaching position. Butch Jones left Cincinnati, where he has been moderately successful after succeeding Brian Kelly, to take over for Derek Dooley. Vols fans were aghast in shock that no bigger names wanted the job. Here’s a reality check: the program isn’t even second tier in the SEC anymore, and Florida, South Carolina, and Georgia are all WAY ahead in the SEC, the weaker of the two divisions. The fans hold such unrealistic expectations; nothing short of a national title within four years is failure. Why would anyone want that? Another reality check: Butch Jones is a darn good football coach who should get them to seven wins next year, assuming Tyler Bray et al are coming back.

3. To fill the void left by Jones’ departure, the Bearcats lured Tommy Tuberville from Texas Tech. This move raised lots of eyebrows, as Cincinnati is mired in the rapidly disintegrating Big East while the Red Raiders are above-average in the solid Big 12. To this I say, have you ever been to both Lubbock and Cincinnati? Trust me, it pains this Clevelander to speak nicely of the capital of Northern Kentucky, but I’d spend a year in Cincy before a day in Lubbock, and I’m not alone in that line of thinking.

4. I took some time this week to evaluate Mant’i Teo more thoroughly as a NFL prospect. The more I watched, the less enthused I am. That’s not saying that Teo isn’t going to be a good NFL player, because I think his instincts, quick reactions, leadership, and brute power are going to allow him to start for a very long time in the NFL. But I’m not sure I see an impact player on the lines of Ray Lewis, Junior Seau, or Brian Urlacher. More like a slightly nastier Demeco Ryans or Curtis Lofton. Those are good players, but there’s a difference between them and the top tier, and you don’t draft that next tier in the top 15 unless you’re desperate.

5. The rosters for the draft season bowls are starting to take shape. Stay tuned later this week for a draft feature on who I am looking forward to seeing up close and personal at the Shrine Game in St. Petersburg and the Senior Bowl in Mobile in the middle of January.

$.10--Normally I like to use this tenth cent as a chance to break from all of the above, be it covering some other sport or something I find interesting that may or may not be related to sports. But this week I am captivated by the events of the past two Saturdays, and of the larger picture it paints of the NFL. And that picture is not pretty. 

NFL players are real people, but they’re also different from real people. The NFL locker room is an insular cocoon populated by men who have by and large been treated as exceptional beings for their athletic prowess from an early age. The vast majority of these players had obstacles in their roads of life paved over by their ability to play football and all that brought to them and those around them.

Every high school student struggles with a test, but for gifted athletes who bring positive attention to the school those struggles are often mitigated, if not conveniently eliminated, with actions that the normal students can only dream of and envy. A dust-up at a pizza parlor gets accomplices arrested, not the athlete with the bright future and the chance to escape the two-bit town or inner city.

As a personal example, when my car broke down in my senior year of high school, I had to pay serious cash to get it fixed, money that nobody in my hometown has. But when a future NFL running back in the neighboring city had car trouble, he magically got not only his car fixed but his best friend’s car as well without spending a dime. 

Let that serve as a backdrop for what has happened with so many NFL players lately. For way too many, their acumen at playing a game has afforded them privileges beyond what regular people could possibly expect. It’s never their weed, or their fist that breaks a jaw, or their gun that shoots out a car window.

By the time they reach the NFL, many players are so detached from the reality of the normal person that they feel invincible. Someone will always take the fall for them or clean up their messes for them. It’s not just Josh Brent, or Nick Fairley, Justin Blackmon, Braylon Edwards, or Alameda Ta’Amu and all their multiple DUIs. Personal responsibility is something that has been taken out of their hands in far too many cases. They’ve been enabled by too many, including the larger American culture which celebrates and venerates athletic prowess. 

If we want incidents like what Jovan Belcher did or Josh Brent did to really stop, we all need to change. Tighter gun laws and stricter DUI punishments are not the answer; that’s treating the symptom, not the problem. The problem is that we as a society are too willing to coddle, to cover for, to idolize, to enable these young men simply because they’re good at football. I applaud the dissenting high school teachers who stand firm in giving the star linebacker the F he earned, only to have boosters wipe it away so he can play on Friday Night Lights. I strongly support the campus police who choose to make an example of a star QB busted for pushing his girlfriend down some steps while he’s underage, drunk, and carrying an illegal firearm.

We need to teach young star athletes that they are in fact real people, that they cannot get away with miscreant behavior simply because they can run real fast or tackle real hard. When more communities start forcing the mantle of responsibility on these impressionable, entitled young men, only then will we stop hearing stories like we have the last two Saturdays. 

I’m not excusing what either Belcher or Brent did. Both men took lives of others thanks to their own selfish, careless behavior and deserve the eternal hell to which they’ve condemned themselves. But because our culture lifts them so high and takes away so much responsibility from them at an early age, it’s easier to see why they did what they did. Even though both Belcher and Brent had nothing handed to them in the NFL, there is still a different mindset. Not all players suffer from it. From my personal interactions with NFL players, I would argue most are pretty grounded in reality. But enough do that the NFL will continue to have unfortunate issues like this.