Rough and tough game between the two toughest teams in the league in the roughest weather either team has ever played in. But the Patriots used whatever homefield advantage there was in 3 degree weather with a wind chill factor of -12 to beat the Tennessee Titans 17-14.

Both teams came out swinging. The Patriots scored on their first drive when Tom Brady (21-41 for 201 yards and 1 TD) found Bethal Johnson on third and six for a 41-yard touchdown pass. But the Titans would answer back with their own scoring drive. This time a handoff from Steve McNair to Chris Brown notched up points for the score board.

But the Patriots would fire back and in the early ticks of the second quarter, and Antowain Smith found the endzone to put the Patriots up 14-7.

The battle on the ground was won by New England. Yes, this New England team. Eddie George was held to 48 yards on 16 attempts, where Smith rushed for 69 yards on 16 carries and one touchdown. The Titans were able to tie it up in the third quarter, but Adam Vinatieri came through again, this time a 46-yard field goal in the fourth to get the Patriots ahead for good. After that, Tennessee beat themselves with sloppy offensive penalties and missed opportunities.

"It was everything we expected of this game," Head Coach Bill Belichick said. "All their key players played well. We were fortunate to make more plays than Tennessee did."

Safety Rodney Harrison summed up the game perfectly: "It was one of the more intense games I've played in."

And the Patriots will host the AFC Championship game next week, the second in three years, third inside ten years and first time at the Razor. They'll have their hands full with Manning and the Colts, but I think they - and Patriots Nation can handle it.

Panthers (13-5) 29, RAMS (12-5) 23 - FINAL 2/OT: Double overtime! Mike Martz blows a big one with thirty seconds left in regulation to tie and not go for the win! Missed field goals in a dome! And the Panthers will play in the NFC Championship game for the first time since 1997! I don't know what Marc Bulger (27-46 for 332 yards, 3 TDs) was seeing when he threw some of those passes, but no one was around most of the time.

PATRIOTS (15-2) 17, Titans (13-5) 14 - FINAL: One of the toughest match ups and games this season, sub-zero temperatures, toughest teams in the league. Steve McNair made just too many mistakes and Titans offense committed too many penalties that ended up hurting them.

Colts 38 (14-4), CHIEFS (13-4) 31 - FINAL: All offense, not defense, but Peyton and Co. are on a roll. KC finally gets man-handled when they face a winning team. Next stop for the Colts is Foxboro.

EAGLES (12-4) 20, Packers (11-6) 17 - FINAL/OT: The Eagles took advantage of Green Bay's lack of defensive measures, got the score tied for overtime and won this thing outright. What was the Pack thinking? There was no reason to keep the Eagles offense on the field that long. No reason. They even had Donovan McNabb on fourth and 26!

AFC Championship Game
Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, MA

NFC Championship Game
Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia

No one saw this one coming.

Hall of Fame, three-time Super Bowl winning coach Joe Gibbs is back with the Redskins. After five years of going through head coach after head coach, owner Dan Snyder has lured Joe Gibbs away from NASCAR and back to the NFL after being away for 11 years.

"Joe Gibbs helped define what the Washington Redskins stand for-integrity, hard work, determination, winning and championships," Snyder said. "Who better to set our strategy and lead the Redskins back to championship glory."

Gibbs coached Washington from 1981 to 1992 before retiring. In that time, Gibbs won Super Bowls XVII, XXII, and XXVI, lost Super Bowl XVIII, went 124-60 in the regular season, 16-5 in the post season, was named Coach of the Year in 1982 and 1983.

"The Redskins are very dear to me and my family," Gibbs said. "We're very excited about this opportunity to return to where we have so many friends and loyalties."

Gibbs has owned a successful NASCAR Racing team, currently run by his son, Joe Gibbs, Jr. and employs such drivers as Bobby Labonte and Tony Stewart, both of whom have won Winston Cup championships. He was inducted at Canton in 1996, and owns a minority portion of the Atlanta Falcons.

Gibbs and the Redskins agreed to a five-year, $25 million contract (sound familiar?) and was given the title of team president as well as head

football coach. Gibbs has also hired former Buffalo head coach Gregg Williams as defensive coordinator and Joe Bugel as offensive line coach. Bugel served that position with Gibbs in the past.

The Giants still kept it in the family.

Coughlin was offered the head job by the Giants in 1993, but wanted to stay at Boston College to finish rebuilding that program. He was hired by

Jacksonville in 1995 as their first head coach in franchise history before being fired after last season. Coughlin posted a 68-60 regular season record and was 4-4 in the post season with the Jags. He also took them to two AFC championship games, losing one to a Bill Parcells-led Patriots team in 1997 and another to the Ravens in 2000.

Coughlin sat out last season after failing to get another job (he interviewed only with Cincinnati, which went to Marvin Lewis) and watched

games on Sundays at his home in Jacksonville. He spent the next two days breaking down tape and analyzing stats.

"I'm a football coach. I had an opportunity, and I'd like another one," he said.

Denny Green will be wearing red next year, Cardinal red as he has accepted the head coaching position for Arizona with a $10 million deal that will last at least four years with a club option for a fifth.

"They need to have a winning team because they need to sell tickets," Green's agent Gary Hagan told the Associated Press. "Dennis is a proven winner and that's what the Cardinals need."

Green left Minnesota before the end of the season in 2001 after a 5-10 losing season, leaving defensive coordinator Mike Tice to take the last

game, and ultimately the team the following season. For the past two seasons, Green has been an analyst for ESPN.

Green was 97-62 in ten seasons with Minnesota, and 4-8 in eight playoff seasons.

Head coaching!

Yes, the defensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers Jim Mora, Jr. has been hired by the Atlanta Falcons to be their next head coach. Mora has been a head coaching candidate in the media and via interviews for the past few seasons. This is make the 12th head coach in Atlanta's history. Dan Reeves was fired before the end of the season and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips resumed duties for the last three games of the season.

This is Mora's first head coaching job in the NFL.

Former Raiders are headed out of dodge. Former head coach Bill Callahan has reportedly been hired by Nebraska to head up their football program...Another former Raider, Special Assistant Bruce Allen has been hired by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as their General Manager to work along side former Raider head coach Jon Gruden...Fins Get Marino Back. Hall of Fame-to-be quarterback and Dolphin legend Dan Marino has been hired by Miami as their Senior VP of Football Operations.

Going out to the deserved and inflated

Biggest Surprise - The 2003 Buffalo Bills
Nicest Surprise - The 2003 Cincinnati Bengals
Event that wasn't that much of a surprise - Demise of the Oakland Raiders
Best Coach - Bill Belichick of New England
Best Coach, Rookie - Marvin Lewis
Worst Coach - Steve Spurrier of Washington
Best First Year Installation, Coach or Executive - Marvin Lewis of Cincinnati
Best NFL Executive - Scott Pioli, New England
Worst NFL Executive - Mike Millen, Detroit
Best First Year Player - Stephen Davis' first year in Carolina
Best Commentator/Electronic Media (TV/Radio) - Boomer Esiason
Best NFL Writer (Beat or Columnist besides me) - Don Banks of Sports Illustrated and SI.com
Most Creative Endzone Celebration - "The Cellphone" by Joe Horn, New Orleans
Worst Endzone Celebration - "The Cellphone by Joe Horn" by Steve McKinney and David Carr, Houston
Worst Uniforms - tie Miami's Orange Jerseys and Jacksonville's All-Black Attack look
Most Useless Third Uniform Color Idea - New England's Silver Jerseys
Team Most in Need of New Colors - Cleveland Browns
Best Rookie - The 2003 Draft Class for the New England Patriots (over 70% played regularly)
Worst Rookie - Willis MaGahee, Buffalo (0% playing time)

1. That was one helluva a tough game in Foxboro on Saturday night. And once again, it was Mr Clutch, Adam Vinatieri who came up with the game winner.

2. Great job by Peyton and Co. against Kansas City on the road. Big time playoff win!

3. Didn't everyone say that KC wouldn't get past the first round? The Chiefs were just blessed with an easy schedule and could get out of the rain when the thunder came in.

4. Green Bay blew it in Philadelphia. The defense should have got McNabb and the Eagles off the field, let Favre run the clock down and there would have been no overtime, no last minute field goal and they'd be playing next week instead of going home. Pathetic.

5. Bravo to Carolina. It took two overtimes, but you were able to get a win on the road in St. Louis, and send the Rams packing.

6. What's with all these old coaches getting back into the game? I mean, there isn't a shortage of coaches, with all the Steve Spurriers in the college ranks waiting to bring some idiotic college fun n gun to the pros, but it is like old home day in the NFL.

7 . And speaking of coaching, how about the line up in the NFC East. Andy Reid in Philly, Bill Parcells in Dallas, Tom Coughlin in New Jersey and Joe Gibbs back in Washington. I would have thought to see these four playing bridge in an NFL Alumni cruise then going up against one another every Sunday.

8. Antowain Smith - say what you want - but this guy is running hard this late season. He's making holes and breaking tackles, and that's just what Indy will have a hard time stopping on Sunday.

9. Bravo to all the Pats fans who braved the cold on Saturday night. I could hear you screaming from my house not ten miles away!

10. Mike Martz called a really non-confident play to tie with 30 seconds left than go for the win. I would have gone for the win. Bill Belichick would have gone for the win. Remember Mike? Super Bowl XXXVI? They went for the win and "Adam Vinatieri booms a 48-yard field goal. And the game is over. And the Patriots are Super Bowl champions! The Patriots...."

ejh