With a couple of big football events coming up over the next two weekends, the NFL season is rapidly approaching its climax.

Here are some football-related ramblings…

 - Mark Sanchez got some very valuable experience this season.  Playing with a Jets team that was in, then out, then snuck back into the playoff picture, he went through a couple of seasons worth of emotions in just one campaign. 

 - I did not expect the Vikings to totally dominate their playoff games the way that they did.  The manhandled the Cowboys on both ends of the field, and the Saints were heavily outgained (from a yards perspective) by Minnesota.  As much as it pains me to say it, Brett Favre should be in the Super Bowl.

Cleveland Browns coach Eric Mangini can only wish that he had a quarterback of Favre's caliber on his team.

 - Speaking of Favre, he’s already starting his “I thinking playing next year - oh no I’m not – yes I am…” stuff.  Can he please let us enjoy the last two games of the season before he begins holding the media hostage?  Note to the Vikings: Draft a young quarterback that you can develop (a la Aaron Rodgers)…and do it fast.  Your team is too good to be molded by Favre’s intentions… 

-   I don’t agree with this Pro Bowl before the Super Bowl thing, but I can understand why it was repositioned.  Ratings…viewers – and that’s the bottom line.  It’s not going to add any excitement to Super Bowl week.  Super Bowl is its own entity, and if you aren’t interested in it prior to watching the Pro Bowl, you won’t be any more interested in it after watching the Pro Bowl.

- Besides, if I’m the coach of one of the teams in the Super Bowl, I’m not necessarily happy about my players participating in the Pro Bowl.  After all, the important game is only a week away.  And in theory that’s just wrong, because they’ve earned the right to be there and should be able to enjoy it as much as everyone else.

- The Saints and the Colts are definitely the teams that people want to see battling it out.  They were the best in the regular season, and it’s always good when the teams that performed the best throughout the season square off against one another.