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The message from former NFL official Jim Tunney to the officiating crew for Monday night's Jets vs. Dolphins game: treat it like any other game. Chances are, though, that no other Week 6 game featured a player threatening to get himself kicked out by the second quarter of the game.

This past Thursday, Dolphins wide receiver Brandon Marshall told the media he planned on playing like a "maniac." With his stated goal to "get kicked out after the second quarter," Marshall vowed everything from punching Bart Scott and Antonio Cromartie to throwing the ball into the stands. For Tunney, it wasn't anything that would change his approach to the game or preparation.

yahoo_tunney_montana"Treat it like any other game, don't give it any heed. If you do and you focus in on it, then you're likely to miss other things — other calls you should be making," Tunney told Yahoo! Sports. "Something like that, it's just talk hopefully. Players will do that and it is mainly talk. If it's not, then you're going to see it anyway

vickWeek 6 is usually about the time when teams start to enter "must-win" territory. Some are already out of it — try as we might, we just don't see the Miami Dolphins making a run at it this year — and some teams are teetering on the brink. We look at three teams with legit playoff ambitions that must win this weekend or else they can begin looking to book the golf course circuit for the offseason.

1. Philadelphia Eagles — Does it need to be said? The Eagles declared themselves "The Dream Team" in August (well, actually backup quarterback Vince Young said that), but the 1-4 NFC East team is anything but a lock right now to even make the playoffs. The failure of the offense to be consistent and the poor personnel choices in implementing the wide-nine defense has led the Eagles to be the most colossal of disappointments in recent memory. Against the Washington Redskins on Sunday, the Eagles have to win to keep pace in the division. "I think we can turn it around," quarterback Michael Vick

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One day after the Philadelphia Eagles reportedly held a players-only meeting to help resurrect a 1-4 season, the once odds-on favorites for the Super Bowl are defending their chances to soar to the top of the NFC — or, at the very least, glide into the playoffs.

On Wednesday, the Eagles talked about how the team was coming together, just in time for Sunday's game against their divisional rivals in Washington. The time for finger-pointing is apparently over in Philadelphia, and there is nothing but brotherly love.

"I think we have enough guys in this locker room to be able to gauge that -- you can't personally blame anybody for the things that have happened," quarterback Michael Vick said. "We're a team, and we're going to go out slinging and keep believing and trying to make plays whenever we can."

The hope of a seasonal comeback marks a far cry from a team that had visions a month ago of running through the regular-season schedule en route to hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.

The Eagles

yahoo_derrick_masonFLORHAM PARK, N.J. — New York Jets wide receiver Plaxico Burress wasn't afraid to pull the trigger on Wednesday when talking about the trade that sent veteran wide receiver Derrick Mason from New York to Houston for a seventh-round pick. Mason had signed with the Jets this August after being cut by the Ravens, and the 15-year veteran had been critical at times of the team's stagnant passing offense -- which is in the bottom third of the league.

Burress called the move "a business decision" and said he understood the trade, but he still wanted Mason to be the team's third wide receiver, despite his comments about the offense's "foundation" being suspect.

"Everybody has different personalities, different characteristics. He wears what he thinks on his sleeve. You can't sit there and say that half the time he's wrong -- the guy has been playing for a long time," Burress said. "He wouldn't be around this league and playing for 15 years and having success if the guy didn't know what he was

brady1FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — It was the most rattled Tom Brady had looked all season.

As the Patriots quarterback stood at the podium on Wednesday morning for his weekly press conference, he inevitably had to answer a question about Antonio Cromartie's remarks last year in the playoffs when he called the Patriots quarterback a ... well, a not very nice word. Cromartie and the Jets then backed up their hatred for Brady in a 28-21 divisional round win at Gillette Stadium, a game in which Brady looked very ordinary. So when Brady was asked the question as to if he felt the remarks by Cromartie were justified, he pursed his lips and fidgeted uncomfortably.

"I really don't care what he says," Brady said. "Thanks guys."

Brady then walked off the stage, calling an abrupt end to his press conference, as you can see below.

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But down I-95 in New Jersey, Cromartie was on lockdown about his remarks from nine months earlier. There was no apology and no backing down from the cornerback, who refused to

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FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — It's not the kind of protection that can keep you from other kinds of trouble, but for New York Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie, it can let him play this Sunday night in Baltimore. Cromartie suffered an injury to his ribs last weekend in what was a disaster of a game for the cornerback.

He did not practice with the team on Wednesday but returned Thursday to the field, wearing a protective vest which would limit any impact on his ribs. Cromartie participated fully in practice, including returning punts.

"I feel good now; after the game, I felt like a fish out of water, couldn't really breathe. Right now, I'm feeling good, feeling 100 percent. A little soreness here or there, that's about it," Cromartie said.

"[I] felt good running around, didn't give me a problem catching the ball."

While Cromartie will wear the protective gear against the Ravens, he may have more work to do in healing mentally from the game than any physical damage done last weekend in Oakland.

yahoo_tunney_montanaFLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Former NFL referee Jim Tunney whistled down any notion that Michael Vick isn't being protected like Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. Tunney, who officiated in the league for 31 years and can claim three Super Bowl appearances, spoke to Yahoo! Sports on Wednesday about the Eagles quarterback's comments following a 29-16 loss to the Giants.

Vick was sacked six times in the Week 3 loss and expressed his frustration at not getting what he perceived to be any calls from the referees.

"Every time I throw the ball, in all my highlights and just watching film in general, every time I throw the ball, I'm on the ground, getting hit in the head and I don't know why I don't get the 15-yard flags like everyone else does," Vick said.

[Related: Vick sounds off on perceived officiating bias]

But in the eyes of Tunney, there is and should be no difference between Vick and the likes of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, who are more traditional pocket passers. His 676 yards rushing accounts

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The NFL had better take notice that there is a new bully on the block as the "Silver & Black" is a team that can now deliver some black and blues. Behind strong rushing performances such as Darren McFadden's 171 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-24 win over the Jets, there is plenty of reason for optimism about the 2-1 Raiders.

Suddenly, the Raiders have the look and feel of a team that can challenge for the AFC West behind a brand of physical football head coach Hue Jackson has termed "Building a bully."

There are concerns for sure — the defense is giving up an unhealthy 27 points per game and they remain the most penalized team in the league — but offensively, the Raiders have their swagger back. They've predicated their rise on the ground game, building on last year's rushing offense which was second best in the league, averaging 155.9 yards per game.

And that ground game is built around McFadden.

"You know, I just hit and run and use my speed to do what I have to do and they made