(Stephen Dunn/Getty)

Indianapolis Star writer Phillip B. Wilson didn't like Colts vice chairman Bill Polian and isn't afraid to say it.

In a blistering blog post that appeared Tuesday on the newspaper's website, Wilson rips Polian's intimidating management attitude and brusque relationship with the media and suggests that these traits played a role in his termination by Colts owner Jim Irsay. He says Polian ruled by fear.

Wilson has an axe to grind and isn't apologetic about it. By the time he's done, he wears the thing down to a nub. Whether you agree or disagree, it makes for a compelling read.

Here's one of Wilson's stories about the former Colts:

I was reminded recently about how a former Colts player was in a hallway, talking to a then-current player, when Polian walked up. The boss didn't care for the former player, and refused to acknowledge the man's presence. A short time later, a nearby phone rang. The current player explained the former player had to leave.

I was tempted to call a friend

Alec Baldwin tosses the pigskinBecause the world can never have enough awards shows, the NFL is bringing you its very own. "NFL Honors" will be a live, two-hour NFL Network special on Feb. 4, the night before the Super Bowl. Alec Baldwin will be the host.

Forgive my lack of enthusiasm, but I'm not big on awards shows. I find them to be slow, contrived, corny, sentimental and self-important. I love movies but loathe the Oscars. I like music but loathe the Grammys. They're unwatchable, just like the Emmys, Grammys, VMAs, Tonys, BET Awards, Slammys and Country Music Awards. That's just me.

What I find particularly interesting here is that the NFL will be relying on the players to provide an entertaining show, while every other Sunday, they do everything in their power to quell any trace of player personality. A league that doesn't allow celebrations is having an awards show.

The show will see some significant awards presented, though. The AP's MVP award will be announced that night, as well as Coach of the Year, Rookie

MikePattersonMike Patterson endured a frightening experience at training camp. The Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle had a seizure in preseason due to an AVM, which is a type of tangling of blood vessels. Medicine helped him return to health, and he played throughout the season without a problem.

With the season over, Patterson will have brain surgery to alleviate the problem. The Courier Times reports that Patterson is considering procedures that will require one to six months of recovery.

"I still have one more doctor to check out, but I'm going to get something done," said Patterson. "We'll see. I'm not nervous at all about it. I felt like, for me personally, it's not as big a deal as it seems to be to other people. It's a quick procedure and I'll be back.[...]

"I have nothing to worry about, as long as I get it taken care of so I can come back out and play," he said.

Patterson will have plenty of time to recover because the Eagles failed to make the playoffs. He had 35 tackles and 2.5 sacks

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2011 was proclaimed "The Year of the Quarterback" by the alleged Worldwide Leader in Sports, but it might just as well be the year of the incredibly average quarterback. It seems that at no time in the history of the NFL have more high-profile quarterbacks been so decidedly middle-of-the-road and still achieving success.

In an era of fantasy football, the perception of these quarterbacks can be skewed when they don't help a rotisserie owner win games; it doesn't help matters when the likes of Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers put up gaudy numbers and win Super Bowls. But the next tier of quarterbacks like Joe Flacco and Mark Sanchez -- and this year, Tim Tebow -- are very much the faces of their respective franchises. Still, their numbers are rather plebian in the NFL.

Over the past three years, neither Flacco nor Sanchez has posted a losing record, but each completed less than 60 percent of their passes this season. Yet Flacco led his team to the playoffs for what is now three

Norv is returning.Despite having missed the playoffs for two consecutive seasons, the San Diego Chargers are bringing back both head coach Norv Turner and general manager A.J. Smith for another year.

I'm going to type that again, because my therapist says it's healthy to face the things that bring you pain. The San Diego Chargers are bringing back both head coach Norv Turner and general manager A.J. Smith for another year.

Here's a portion of the statement released by Chargers president Dean Spanos, via Chargers.com:

"Bottom line, I believe these two men give us the best chance to get back to the playoffs," Spanos said. "A.J. Smith is the best man to improve our roster, and Norv Turner is the best man to lead that roster on the field.

"As we've seen throughout Norv's tenure and particularly this past season, the players believe in him, respect him and play hard for him. When we went through that tough stretch, no one quit. The team kept playing hard, and that's a tribute to Norv's leadership and the

Mike Martz is out in ChicagoJust hours after the Chicago Bears fired general manager Jerry Angelo and announced that head coach Lovie Smith would be staying put, the Bears are parting ways with offensive coordinator Mike Martz. According to Dan Pompei of the Chicago Tribune, Martz is resigning over "philosophical differences."

Something was going to have to change in Chicago, and the departure of Martz probably doesn't shock too many people. The Chicago offense struggled under Martz and became downright sad when Jay Cutler and Matt Forte were injured. Martz and Lovie Smith also never seemed to be totally simpatico with their views on the best way to run an offense, either.

As for the "philosophical differences," that could refer to anything. Martz always wants to throw the football, while Lovie Smith wants to run it. Maybe Martz wanted capable, productive wide receivers, while the Bears organization wanted Roy Williams. Maybe the Bears wanted a functional offensive line, while Martz dreamed of a day where

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The Baltimore Ravens have a playoff bye this week. Don't think that means Terrell Suggs' mouth will be taking it easy.

The linebacker took a mostly unprovoked shot at Tim Tebow during a Tuesday appearance on ESPN's "First Take."

"With all due respect we don't need God on our sidelines," Suggs said. "Once again God had to save Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos. He couldn't even give them two drives? Seven to three? [Referring to the score Denver lost by on Sunday.]"

Technically, it was the San Diego Chargers that saved Tebow and the Broncos. Without the Bolts' win over Oakland, Tebow would be sitting in a pew Sunday instead of the locker room. Is Suggs trying to say that Norv Turner is some sort of deity?

[Related: Broncos coach John Fox's brilliance lost in Tebow mania]

Never mind that. For now, let's point out that ripping on Tebow is the equivalent of shooting a dead fish in a small barrel. Pick a better target, T-Sizzle.

It also bears noting that while Baltimore and Denver could

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Let's give you the stats for two NFL quarterbacks over the final four regular-season games of 2011:

Quarterback A: 119 completions in 161 attempts for 1,445 yards, 16 touchdowns and three interceptions

Quarterback B: 114 completions in 176 attempts for 1,511 yards, 14 touchdowns, and two interceptions

These are stats for the two quarterbacks who started when the New Orleans Saints defeated the Detroit Lions, 31-17, on Dec. 4 at the Superdome. Believe it or not, Quarterback B — Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford — is perhaps the one NFL quarterback with better stats than Drew Brees over the last month. Brees outdueled Stafford in that last game, but it's also important to remember that defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was serving his two-game suspension and replacement Nick Fairley was injured in the first quarter of the game. The Saints got out to a 17-0 advantage, but the Lions outscored the Saints, 10-7, in the second half.

There's little doubt that Sean Payton and Drew Brees know