CINCINNATI – When it was all over, the message in the New York Jets locker room had a distinct, synchronized harmony. Cornerback Darrelle Revis(notes) was preaching in one corner. Safety Kerry Rhodes(notes) was lecturing in another. Somewhere in the middle, linebacker Bart Scott(notes) was practically holding a state of the union address.

But all talking points intersected at one stop: After Saturday's 24-14 road win over Cincinnati, the Jets are finished trying to make a point to the rest of the league. Which is ironic, considering rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez(notes) may have just made his most compelling statement of the season. Not only did Sanchez become the fourth rookie quarterback to win a playoff game, he did it while simultaneously dispelling the myth that he had to be a manager – and not a trigger – of the Jets offense.

''One of these days,'' said beaming Jets coach Rex Ryan, ''he's gonna be the biggest thing we've got on this football team – the best thing we've got. Hey,

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The Las Vegas photo of Miles Austin(notes) showcases his teeth but doesn't really capture a smile. And if you have spent any time around him, you know that's not really his style. His expression seems slightly shocked, and you can almost sense the thought bubbles bursting inside his head: "Tony Romo(notes). Playoffs. Cabo."

The Dallas Cowboys had just blown out the Oakland Raiders on Thanksgiving Day, a game in which Austin had another prolific performance en route to solidifying himself as one of Romo's go-to guys. Now Austin and Romo had taken a day trip to Vegas for a charity function, and then gone to a nightclub to relax. Then he noticed the cameras. It wouldn't have been a big deal, but Austin was no fool. He was in the locker room in 2008. He watched from across the room as reporters descended onto Romo like locusts, following the quarterback's playoff bye-week trip to Mexico with then-girlfriend Jessica Simpson. He

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GREEN BAY, Wis. – Charles Woodson(notes) sat alone in his car. He looked out the window, and two strangers were clamoring for his attention.

It was 2006. The Green Bay Packers were in the midst of a losing streak. His knee was hurting and his shoulder was in a harness. In the physical sense, he was all there – the prickly Wisconsin weather left little doubt about that. But mentally, he was alternating between pissed off defiance and wondering, "How the hell did I get here?" And now there were two people – true Wisconsin folks – sitting in another car, smiling at him. The look on Woodson's face must have spoken volumes.

"We don't want anything from you," a man behind the wheel said after rolling down his window. "We just want you to know that we really respect the way you play."

With that, the window rolled back up, and the car pulled away.

There are a lot of moments that have delivered Woodson to where he is now – in Green

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One year later, you have to wonder if the situation is actually a little worse.

The Denver Broncos gave us the same dispirited backslide, falling out of the postseason at the most desperate hour. Four straight losses to finish the season – including a pair to the Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs – surely was as disappointing as the three-game bomb Mike Shanahan delivered at the end of 2008. But when you step away and look at the Broncos in the bigger picture, how is this team not worse than a year ago?

Broncos QB Kyle Orton had three interceptions and was sacked twice in the 44-24 loss to the Chiefs.
(AP Photo)

Star receiver Brandon Marshall(notes), who has always been mercurial in the best of times, has once again gone into the tank mentally. Their pass receiving tight end, Tony Scheffler(notes), can't get off the roster quickly enough. Vital parts of the secondary look old. And the quarterback, Kyle Orton(notes),

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Looking back, it wasn't just the year of Brett Favre(notes) redemption and Michael Vick's(notes) return. It wasn't just about Chris Johnson chasing 2,000-yard excellence, or the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts losing perfection in vastly different ways. Indeed, 2009 was a rougher year for the NFL than we will remember.

Three players (Corey Smith(notes), Marquis Cooper(notes) and Chris Henry) lost their lives. The frightening impact of concussions became far more apparent. Stadium issues lingered. And the potential for labor strife inched closer with each passing month. But with 2010 upon us, the NFL once again has its eye trained forward, poised for another pivotal offseason of decision.

With that in mind, we offer a set of New Year's resolutions for the league – changes which could impact the NFL in 2010 and beyond. Starting with …

Resolving to think radically with concussions
The league has already begun to

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A little more than seven years ago, I sat in a press box and watched then-Detroit Lions coach Marty Mornhinweg win an overtime coin toss and inexplicably take the wind rather than the football. The Lions lost, Mornhinweg was eventually fired, and I always believed I would never see a more defining in-game coaching mistake.

But after days of watching the Indianapolis Colts attempt to beat back the flames of fan discontent, I believe I have seen something worse. Now I'm starting to think the Colts' decision to bench key starters against the New York Jets – giving away a five-point lead and a shot at NFL immortality during an eventual 29-15 loss – might become a more defining, enduring low point.

It seems absurd to say that about a 14-1 team and a franchise that has been nothing less than stellar over the past decade. But by turning its back on potential history, it feels like Indianapolis is standing at a roulette wheel with

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Even in slightly hushed tones, you could hear the pain in Steven Jackson's voice. It wasn't so much the aching back, which had kept him out of Sunday's 31-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals and held him out of practice for the last three weeks. It was more the reminder of a conversation he had only four months ago, in which he expressed optimism that the St. Louis Rams were on the verge of stepping out of the abyss.

Now he thinks about it and his voice goes a little quiet – maybe the only thing about Jackson that has been stifled this season.

"I thought we'd definitely have more than one win," Jackson said, before taking a long pause to measure his words. "I knew it was going to be a trying year. I didn't think we were going to go out and go undefeated or anything. But I am a little disappointed just having one win on this year. But I feel like I've grown and matured so much more as a person and a player from the season."

He

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In the end, perfection didn't matter. But how the Indianapolis Colts lost perfection always will.

This one won't be looked back upon fondly. Particularly if this team doesn't accomplish its all-encompassing goal of winning the Super Bowl. Whatever happens from here on out, the Colts' 29-15 loss to the New York Jets will always feel a little cheap. And why wouldn't it? Indianapolis didn't suffer its first loss fighting – at least not at full strength. It didn't lose to a superior opponent, or even by a fluky play. Instead, it lost because it chose to give history away. It lost out of fear and unproven calculation.

Peyton Manning talks with backup QB Curtis Painter in the fourth quarter. Painter had one interception and one lost fumble.
(Michael Conroy/AP Photo)

For the first time I can remember, Peyton Manning(notes) had something left to play for, and his team retreated in spite of it.

Not that I blame Manning, who toed