Only the NFL can conjure up a meaningless controversy.  Well, they’re probably not the only ones, but it seems to get blown way out of proportion far too often.  Tampa Bay Buccaneers new head coach Greg Schiano (pictured left) did something apparently no other coach had done before.  He had his guys play until the end of the game.  Apparently New Giants head coach Tom Coughlin (picture right) took issue with the Bucs defensive players bull rushing the Giants offensive line during the kneel down to end the game.  Now I understand both sides.  Normally in this day and age when a team takes a knee, both teams know it’s over and shake hands and move on.  You might see the occasional rogue player decide to get in one more extra push before heading to the locker room.  But nothing further.  It wasn’t the most egregious act I’ve seen on a football field, but it sure is entertaining to see two coaches talk tough to each other after a game.  Just ask Jim Harbaugh and Jim Schwartz.  To call it classless though is a bit much.  It wasn’t needed.  Tampa Bay blew a 20 point lead on the defending champion Giants and wanted to let off some steam. They probably should have done it for the entire 4th quarter and not during the final play.  

I don’t want to talk about this anymore than you do.  But the more we do, the more it helps us feel better.  Hall of Fame QB Steve Young, who is now an analyst for ESPN made a great point after the Monday Night game between Denver and Atlanta.  The only way the NFL is going to act on getting the regular referees back is if the fans stop watching.  Simple, but absolutely true.  You hurt the wallet, you cause a reaction.  Now I’m still going to watch because that’s what I do.  But even I’m getting tired.  After the first two weeks of the season you already have the defenders of the NFL saying that penalties aren’t rising, they’re actually staying on the same pace from last year.  My beef isn’t with the amount of penalties being called.  It’s how the game is being managed.  When you have players dog piling more often and fights breaking out with greater ferocity.  There is a lack of respect out there and these refs aren’t able to control that.  How could you?  It’s like putting a chihuahua in a dog fight with a pitbull.  It isn’t going to end well. It even bothers me that the coaches are trying to take advantage of these guys.  Penalties is one thing, but the integrity of this game is falling fast.  As long as the regular refs are kept away.  The worse this is going to get.  Make no mistake, it will. 

Pretty amazing isn’t it.  He was pelted with different offenses under former head coaches Mike Nolan and Mike Singletary.  Injuries were a problem for him as well.  Pretty much the entire fan base wanted him out of town.  And yet, he decided to stay after the 49ers hired Jim Harbaugh.  Looking at his comfort level in yet another new offense last year showed me that he can be a good quarterback, but needed a steady system in place.  Change was his weakness.  All he needed was stability.  Now watching him at the beginning of this season he has proven that he was worthy of that number one overall selection in 2005.  No one knew what would happen with Aaron Rodgers if he had been taken in that spot instead.  Things could have ended very badly for Aaron just as they could have for Alex Smith.  In the end both of them have found comfortable spots for their respective teams.  His amazing playoff performance against the New Orleans Saints was on display again against the Detroit Lions on Sunday Night.  It wasn’t as exciting, but it showed that he could put a game away in the 4th quarter when need be.  The 49ers have a quarterback.