Here are some interesting NFL reports via Rotoworld:

GM calls Ryan Mallett the “Charlie Sheen of the NFL draft
According to FOX Sports.com, at least one NFL GM doesn’t buy into how Mallett is being billed as Tom Brady’s eventual successor in New England. “Just knowing Bill, I can’t see him truly believing Mallett is their future,” the annaoymous GM said. “I can see them getting him right off the field, showcasing him in the preseason for a couple of years and then getting some trade value for him and stock-pile more picks.” Because of Mallett’s alleged drug and alcohol issues, another GM went as far as to say: “We thought he was the Charlie Sheen of this draft.” Ouch.

Reid denies that there’s an offer for Kolb
Andy Reid is denying reports that the Eagles have an offer on the table for quarterback Kevin Kolb. This comes a day after SI.com’s Peter King said the exact opposite and wrote that an “unnamed team” has offered a first round pick in exchange for the QB. The Cardinals, Dolphins and Seahawks still remain possibilities for Kolb once the lock ends (and assuming the Eagles and Reid are willing to part with Kolb).

Vikings want to bring in veteran to compete with Ponder
Even though head coach Leslie Frazier told the media following the draft that Christian Ponder will have the opportunity to start as a rookie, he also confirmed on Tuesday that he’s looking to add a veteran to come in and compete with the first round pick. “If we went that route, we’d probably want a guy that could compete to start,” Frazier said. “I don’t know if I’d want a ‘coach-type’ guy.” There’s still a possibility that Donovan McNabb could wind up in Minnesota for a year or two while Ponder learns Bill Musgrave’s offense.

L.T. concedes starting RB job to Shonn Greene
LaDainian Tomlinson conceded that Shonn Greene is ready to take over as the Jets’ feature back. L.T. noted that he’s been the best running back in the league and now wants to be the best third-down back in the NFL. He still figures to have a predominant role in the Jets’ offense.

It’s the playoffs, where team matters more than individual players. But there are several key players that hold their team’s hopes in their hands this weekend and we’ve listed eight of them (one for each team) below.

In no particular order…

1. Terrell Suggs, Ravens
The Ravens have been waiting for this guy to return to form and he finally has. Suggs looks hungry, motivated and determined to get the Ravens to a Super Bowl. If Baltimore’s front seven is able to take away Rashard Mendenhall and force the Steelers to be one-dimensional this Saturday, then Suggs needs to get after Ben Roethlisberger. Mike Wallace is a true homerun threat and can score from anywhere on the field, so Suggs and Co. can’t give Big Ben time to throw. Getting pressure on the quarterback is always vital in football, especially in the postseason where one or two plays can decide the outcome of a game.

2. Troy Polamalu, Steelers
I realize this is an obvious one but I don’t care: Polamalu is the key to whether or not the Steelers will be playing in the Super Bowl in a couple of weeks. He’s vital to their defense because when he’s not on the field, it’s a completely different unit. When the Steelers and Ravens met in Pittsburgh late in the season, it was his forced fumble of Joe Flacco that set up Pittsburgh’s offense to score the eventual game-winning touchdown. He’s a playmaker in every sense of the word but he’s also been battling an Achilles/ankle injury so he’s not 100 percent. If he’s able to fly around the field and create havoc like he normally does, then Baltimore will have a tough time moving the ball this weekend.

3. James Starks (Packers)
The football world is now enamored with this young man – and for good reason. The past two games, Starks has given Green Bay something it’s been searching for all year: balance. The Packers have already proven that they can win when Aaron Rodgers has to throw the ball but it’s much tougher on a defense when they can’t sit back in coverage on most downs. In the first meeting between the Packers and Falcons, Atlanta didn’t have to respect the run. But after Starks rushed for 123 yards on 23 carries last weekend against the Eagles, the Falcons may not have the luxury of dropping extra defenders into coverage.

4. Michael Turner (Falcons)
While many people concentrate on the Matt Ryan vs. Aaron Rodgers matchup, the real key to the Falcons’ success this weekend is Turner. The Saints game proved that if Turner can’t get rolling, the Falcons’ offense is vulnerable. If Atlanta can’t put together a few long drives where it grinds out yards, chews up the clock and keeps Rodgers on the sidelines, they could be in trouble. The last thing the Falcons want is a shootout.

5. Raheem Brock, Seahawks
Brock continues to be one of the more underrated defensive linemen in the game. Last week against the Saints, he had four solo tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss and one QB hit. The key to slowing Mike Martz’s offense is to rattle Jay Cutler. As everyone knows, when he’s constantly under duress he will make mistakes. He may take a sack or two at first, but it’s his nature to want to make a play by throwing the ball. A couple of turnovers could be the difference in whether or not the Hawks can pull off another upset. Brock and Chris Clemons need to be active all day and they must get to Cutler to disrupt his rhythm.

6. Brian Urlacher (Bears)
Urlacher is the key to Chicago’s success on most Sundays but he’ll especially be vital this Sunday against a veteran in Matt Hasselbeck who understands what it takes to beat the Tampa 2. Urlacher is by far the most important piece of the Tampa 2 scheme because of the position he plays. The middle linebacker is responsible not only for stopping the run, but for also dropping back into coverage and allowing his safeties to spread out in deep halves, and the outside linebackers to cover underneath. In the Bears’ first meeting with the Seahawks, Hasselbeck threw for 242 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. If he has that kind of success again, Seattle could pull off its second straight upset. He knows how to attack Chicago’s weaknesses, which is why Urlacher needs to play a perfect game so that those around him can be where they need to be and not give Hasselbeck easy passing windows.

7. LaDainian Tomlinson & Shonn Greene (Jets)
The Jets and Falcons have the same mission this weekend: run the ball and keep the opposing offense off the field. For the Jets, that’s where Tomlinson and Greene come in. The pair combined to rush for 152 yards on 35 carries last weekend against the Colts. They wore down Indy’s smallish front seven in the second half and frustrated Peyton Manning by leaving him on the sidelines. The Jets want to limit the times that Tom Brady can burn them and the only way they can do that is by keeping him off the field. They must grind the tempo of the game down and as usual, win an ugly game.

8. Danny Woodhead, Patriots
Woodhead is the ultimate weapon in New England’s offense because he’s so shifty that he often gets lost in the chaos. Then all of a sudden he’s running past you for a five or seven yard gain. Perhaps his biggest attribute is that he can be utilized as a runner or receiver. If the Jets account for him as a running back, then Tom Brady can motion him outside and then he becomes yet another receiving target to beat New York’s 3-4 outside linebacker coverage. If the Jets account for him as a receiver, then Brady can slide him into the backfield and force New York to make adjustments quickly. It’s no wonder why Rex Ryan is kicking himself for letting this lighting rod get away.

Matchup: Jets (11-5) @ Patriots (14-2)
Kickoff: 4:30PM ET, Sunday

1. Can the combination of Sanchez and Schottenheimer top Belichick?
Earlier this week, Jets’ coach Rex Ryan essentially told the media that this game will come down to whether or not he can raise his level of coaching to match that of Bill Belichick. I understand what he was saying, but I disagree with him. This game won’t come down to Ryan – it’ll come down to whether or not Brian Schottenheimer can raise his game. While Ryan certainly has his hands full trying to figure out a way to slow the Patriots’ offense, Schottenheimer must design a game plan that will top Belichick’s defense. Outside of a couple of throws, Mark Sanchez did not play well last weekend in Indianapolis. It was the Jets’ running game and defense that propelled them to victory. So first off, can Sanchez play better? If he can, will his offensive coordinator put together an intelligent game plan so that he can exploit the very few weaknesses that the Patriots have?

2. Will the Pats overlook the Jets?
There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that the Patriots are the better football team in this matchup. They have a tremendous coaching staff, they’re always prepared and they have the best quarterback in the league in Tom Brady. But in Week 9, the Pats were beaten by the Browns because they started reading their own press clippings. They did it again in Week 15 after rattling off five in a row and were set to face an Aaron Rodgers-less Packers team at home. Matt Flynn nearly beat them that night, as New England’s defense looked flummoxed in a narrow 31-27 victory. With all the trash talk the Jets have been doing this week, it’s highly unlikely that the Patriots will overlook their most hated rivals. But they also beat this team 45-3 just over a month ago and it’s human nature to think that things will play out the same way. Belichick needs to remind his team that the Jets have already beaten them once this season and they’re not going to be caught unprepared like in the last meeting.

3. Can the Jets get their running game going again?
The Jets beat the Colts last week because they were able to run the football in the second half and leave Peyton Manning on the sidelines. They have to do that again if they’re going to pull off another upset. It’s a pipedream to think Sanchez will out-duel Brady, so the Jets need their defense and running game to be as good, if not better than they were against the Colts. A couple of costly turnovers by Sanchez hurt the Jets in their 45-3 loss to the Patriots in December. He must protect the football so the Jets don’t fall behind early and are forced to throw in order to get back into the game. New England has given up 108.0 yards per game this year and an average of 104.0 YPG over the past three weeks. LaDainian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene won’t be able to run all over the Pats this weekend, but they might be able to control the tempo again like last Saturday.

4. How will Woody’s injury affect the Jets?
Damien Woody was arguably the Jets’ best run-blocker, so losing him for the season could be catastrophic. New York needs to be able to run the ball on Sunday if it’s going to pull off an upset and without Woody that could be difficult. Plus, you have to figure that Belichick will figure out a way to exploit the injury and cause some havoc for Sanchez. There’s no other way to put it: Wayne Hunter (Woody’s replacement) must step up this weekend.

5. Can the Pats stop Keller again?
I the Jets’ 28-14 victory over the Patriots in Week 2, Dustin Keller caught seven passes for 115 yards and two touchdowns. In the teams’ second meeting, he caught just three passes for 27 yards and was only targeted four times. You can probably bet that Sanchez will look his tight end’s way more this weekend in effort to spread the ball around and keep New England’s defense guessing. Keller has long been a hidden weapon in the Jets’ passing game and he’s killed teams over the middle this season. New England can’t fall asleep on this guy because he can hurt defenses.

Every week we have different candidates here, because the 2010 NFL season has been wacky. And that’s okay, as it makes ranking MVP, Coach of the Year and Rookie of the Year candidates more fun. Anyway, here we go….

MVP Power Rankings

1. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts—Okay, so Philip Rivers and Kyle Orton have more yards per game, but they play for 2-4 teams. Manning’s Colts are 4-2, and check out these numbers through six games—1916 yards, 67.3 completion percentage, 319.3 yards per game, 13 touchdowns (leads NFL) and just 2 interceptions, for a QB rating of 103.4. As usual, Manning sort of defines what the term MVP is all about.

2. Clay Matthews, Green Bay Packers—I heard someone on NFL Network the other day call Matthews the “best defensive player in the NFL.” Not bad for a linebacker in his second year, who was selected after 25 other players in the 2009 draft. Anyway, Matthews has 9 sacks to lead the NFL, and 21 tackles through five games…and the Packers sorely missed him last Sunday in a loss to Miami when Matthews sat out with a hamstring injury.

3. Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers—We’re leaving Antonio on here this week because he left the game against the Rams last Sunday with an ankle injury, leaving Philip Rivers without his favorite target. And then the Chargers lost the game. To the Rams. Gates only had 2 catches for 12 yards in that one, but on the season he still has 31 receptions for 490 yards and 7 TDs (which leads all tight ends and receivers).

Honorable mention: Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles (thanks to Kevin Kolb’s performance last Sunday, Vick got bumped off the list); LaDainian Tomlinson, New York Jets; Brandon Lloyd, Denver Broncos; Kyle Orton, Denver Broncos; Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers; Osi Umenyiora, New York Giants; Arian Foster, Houston Texans

Coach of the Year Power Rankings

1. Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers—If you start the season without your star quarterback for four games, and have the likes of Charlie Batch, Dennis Dixon, and Byron Leftwich at the helm, coming out of that 2-2 would be a huge moral victory. Well, Tomlin came out of that stretch 3-1 and it could have been 4-0 if not for that last-gasp drive by Joe Flacco and the Ravens a few weeks ago. Of course, the D led by a healthy Troy Polamalu and hard-hitting-to-a-fault James Harrison, has helped, but let’s give Tomlin some huge and well-deserved props here.

2. Steve Spagnuolo, St. Louis Rams—Has anyone noticed that the Rams are 3-3, having already equaled their win total from 2008 and 2009 combined. And they’re giving up less than 19 points per game after allowing 27 per game last year—something that has much to do with the Rams’ defensive whiz of a coach.

3. Tom Coughlin, New York Giants—How do you go from the scorching hot hot seat to a coach of the year nomination? Ask Tom Coughlin, who the New York media had being replaced by Bill Cowher a few weeks ago when they lost badly to the Colts, and then beat themselves badly in a loss the Titans at home. The Giants rallied around Coughlin and squashed the previously unbeaten Bears, then crushed the upstart Texans in Houston 34-10, before not allowing the dreaded trap game against Detroit ruin his team’s winning streak. So from 1-2 to 4-2, and tied with the Eagles for the division lead. That’s why Tom Coughlin is on here.

Honorable mention: Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks; Raheem Morris, Tampa Bay Bucs; Todd Haley, Kansas City Chiefs; Rex Ryan, New York Jets; Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles

Rookie of the Year Power Rankings

1. Ndamukong Suh, Detroit Lions—Suh leads all NFL defensive tackles with 5 sacks, and he also has 21 tackles through six games, plus an interception—a pretty rare feat for a DT. Is there any doubt that this young big man is the real deal?

2. Jahvid Best, Detroit Lions—Injury may have slowed Best down, but how about the fact that to go along with 249 rushing yards, Best has 31 catches for a league-high 285 receiving yards among running backs. That’s 534 all-purpose yards through six games.

3. Sam Bradford, St. Louis Rams—He’s way down the list of quarterbacks stat-wise, but Bradford is averaging 226 yards per game and has 7 TD passes. We’ll let the 8 picks slide for now, because let’s face it—the kid is helping to lead the Rams to respectability.

Honorable mention: Max Hall, Arizona Cardinals; Rolando McClain, Oakland Raiders; Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys; Jermaine Gresham, Cincinnati Bengals

You think it’s hard to predict the games and standings from week to week? Try picking MVP candidates. There are five or six different candidates emerging every week. We’ll do this as one post again today and start separating them out next week. And I’m sure by this time Tuesday everything will be turned upside down again. Enjoy the games today everyone!

MVP Power Rankings

1. Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles—He didn’t play last week and yet the Eagles still won, but barely, on the road in San Fran. Against a team that still hasn’t won a game yet. And hence my case is made again. And when Kolb and the Eagles lose at home to the Falcons today, fans in Philly will be chanting Vick’s name, which will have made my case again.

2. Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers—AJ Smith took away the guy’s favorite receiver, but he keeps finding other guys open and reminding Bolts’ fans of Dan Fouts. Rivers leads the NFL with 1759 passing yards, with 11 TDs and 4 picks…but here is the stat that’s a bit mind-blowing—9.6 yards per attempt. In those who have played 5 games, Kyle Orton is second at 8.1 YPA. Wow. You fantasy geeks have got to love Rivers, and he might even get Vincent Jackson back around Week 10 or 11.

3. Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers—Seriously, you wanna hear some sick numbers? 29 catches for 478 yards and 7 touchdowns. That projects to 93 catches for 1529 yards and 22 TDs….as a TIGHT END. Those numbers would rival Randy Moss’ 2007 season, but as a TIGHT END. Are you kidding me?

Honorable mention: Clay Matthews, Green Bay Packers; LaDainian Tomlinson, New York Jets; Brandon Lloyd, Denver Broncos; Kyle Orton, Denver Broncos

COY Power Rankings

1. Mike Smith, Atlanta Falcons—The Falcons are like the Boise State of the NFC. They get no respect. Everyone picks the defending champion Saints to win the division, and picks teams like Minnesota, the Giants, Philly and even the Bears to contend for the wild card. Meanwhile, Smith has his Falcons at 4-1 and if they beat the Eagles in Philly today, everyone’s eyes will be officially open. And well they should be—this team plays hard every week and are a reflection of their fiery coach.

2. Raheem Morris, Tampa Bay Bucs—How many of you picked the Bucs to win 3 games this season, let alone 3 games in the first four? But here are the Bucs at 3-1 and battling Atlanta for the division lead. Sure, they first beat Cleveland and Carolina before getting whooped by the Steelers. But then they found a way to beat the defending AFC North champion Bengals in Cincy. You have to give Raheem props, so we’re doing that right now.

3. Tom Coughlin, New York Giants—Remember a few weeks ago, when all the Bill-Cowher-to-the-Giants rumors were hot? That was after Coughlin’s bumbling Giants fumbled and goofed their way to a 29-10 loss to the Titans despite dominating the game in stats; and a week after getting thrashed by the Colts in Indy 38-14. Then a funny thing happened…the Giants rallied around their beleaguered coach, with several of them sticking up for Coughlin along the way. They found their defense again, and last week found their offense as well in beating the Bears (3-0 before that game) and Texans (3-1 before that game) by a combined 38 points. And now Cowher is being rumored in Dallas. What a difference a few weeks makes.

Honorable mention: Lovie Smith, Chicago Bears; Rex Ryan, New York Jets; John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens; Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers

ROY Power Rankings

1. Ndamakong Suh, Detroit Lions—No sacks last week, but 3 more tackles and a 44-6 win for his team over the Rams.

2. Sam Bradford, St. Louis Rams—Two interceptions and no scores, and see #1. But we’ll keep him on here at least another week until we see if the Lions’ game was an aberration.

3. Jahvid Best, Detroit Lions—No TDs last week, but over 100 all-purpose yards wearing down the Rams’ previously stingy defense.

Honorable mention: Max Hall, Arizona Cardinals; Rolando McClain, Oakland Raiders

LaDainian Tomlinson was deemed washed up well before the Chargers finally dumped him in late February of this year. Despite his claims that he still had a lot to offer on the field, the Bolts wanted to move on – get younger.

The Jets are glad they did.

In New York’s 38-14 rout of the Bills on Sunday, Tomlinson rushed for 133 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries. He also had three catches for 22 yards and is now on pace to rack up 1,692 total yards this season.

There’s a good chance that he’ll wear down at some point and never reach that yardage number, but then again he’s already made the Jets’ brass look wise for taking a flier on him this spring. There were reports that he looked “old” and “slow” in training camp, but nobody is saying that now.

But while Tomlinson displayed outstanding vision, balance and quickness today in Buffalo, his rejuvenation is due in large part to the play of the Jets’ offensive line. One thing many of L.T.’s critics tend to overlook is the fact that San Diego’s offensive line was a poor run blocking unit. That’s not a problem for Tomlinson now, as the Jets’ O-line absolutely dominated an overmatched, undermanned Buffalo front seven on Sunday.

It’s a long season and at some point, the Jets will need second-year back Shonn Greene to do exactly what he did today (22 carries, 117 yards) on a regular basis. But as of right now, they can continue to reap the rewards of their offseason investment and Tomlinson can continue repaying them for believing that he hadn’t lost a step.

Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers and tight end Antonio Gates made some interesting comments to the San Diego Union-Tribune yesterday about former teammate LaDainian Tomlinson.

If you read between the lines, it would appear as though the Chargers are relieved LT is making his home in the Big Apple now instead of San Diego.

“I don’t know how everyone feels or if they felt it,” said Rivers, who answers questions about Tomlinson the way someone walks through a minefield. “Maybe it was a little bit of a relief. Maybe it’s a feeling of, ‘I can do a little more without wondering what he thinks.’ ”

“Sometimes you would get the sense that people felt bigger than the team,” Gates said. “Not to say it was an issue, but we know it’s not an issue for sure now.”

“Me and LT had a wonderful relationship too. But sometimes you got the sense of stardom status and you can only take it so far. With Philip, I never feel that.”

Some may read Rivers and Gates’ comments and think that they’re glad to be rid of LT or are even unappreciative of what Tomlinson did for the San Diego organization. But it’s important to keep what they said in context and remember that players don’t often get together to sing Kumbaya in a circle in the middle of their locker rooms. A football team is comprised of 50-plus players from all walks of life. Race, age, personality and financial status separate each player, so not everyone is going to have a great relationship.

Tomlinson is among the best players to have ever wore a lightning bolt on the side of his helmet and will always be known for being an intense player. It appears as though he may have created some tension between he and his teammates with his intensity, but that’s to have been expected given the circumstances. It wouldn’t have been easy for any competitive athlete to have been the superstar for almost a decade and then be relegated to backup duties once the team didn’t think they had what it took anymore.

When asked to give his response to what Rivers and Gates said, this is what LT had to say:

“It doesn’t hurt me, but nothing surprises me because guys want to speak their opinion on things. Junior Seau went through the same thing with guys when he was the big star and he left the team and guys said how they felt about him. It’s the same situation. Good luck to those guys,” Tomlinson told the Post.

I wouldn’t have blamed LT if he vented his frustrations about what was said about him, but the fact that he took the high road showed his class.

It appears as though all parities have moved on.