My friend Janet recently told me she stopped reading my blogs because they were "too sporty." I don't think it was meant as criticism or complaint, but I told her that I was sorry, and that I'd heard that complaint from a few people (girls) before, and that I'd make an effort to write more about non-sports topics so she'd have a reason to check the page often.

As you may have noticed, I haven't written much in the last few months, for obvious reasons. I've suddenly found myself trying not to write about sports or statistics or fantasy basketball or the utter uselessness of Suzy Kolber, and consequently, I haven't been inspired to write. Part of the reason for this is that, outside of sports, nothing new has happened in my life in the last few months that's been remotely exciting or worth sharing. I've been involved in no adventures or shenanigans or Page Six-worthy activities, and generally haven't acted my age in New York City. Not that this was ever the case in the previous three or four years of this blog’s existence -- at least not really -- but what I mean is, nothing has happened lately that's made me think, hey, this would be a cool thing to share with people I’ve never met in my life. I’ve damn near become a loner, and the only thing keeping me from acquiring loser-status is that I don’t throw like a girl. It's true.

Perhaps I should have just lied and revealed that I'm bulimic and addicted to cocaine, and then posed nude in Vanity Fair. That's five blogs right there -- at least -- and probably would have skyrocketed my stock like it did Lindsay Lohan's.

I'm just saying.

Anyways, I know how sad that must sound to some of you, that I'm 26 and have nothing interesting to discuss except sports. And you're right. It is sad. I think sports takes up maybe 60 percent of my daily thought process. I'm not even sure what the other 40 percent comprises; I said 60 because I figured you'd think I was exaggerating if I made the percentage higher. It's really more like 75, especially now, since I've become hermetic and hang out with other humanoids only once maybe every two weeks or so.

(A concerned soul asked me recently why that is, and I explained that it might be because I have almost no desire to go out anymore. The only thing I care about these days is my career and advancing in my field and maybe, just maybe, finding $20 million in a garbage can. She was polite and said that this was a good thing, a sign that I'm "driven," not that I'm a loser.

I like that perspective a lot. I'd be a loser if she was honest. Instead I'm driven, like Jennifer Lopez and Shakira.)

Anyways, today, I'd like to ask you non-sports fans to please empathize with my plight. Imagine that you've been asked not to talk about Sex and the City or Brad Pitt or Coach purses or. . . . . I don't know. Whatever. You get the point. Imagine depriving yourself of the one thing you like talking about most. It would suck.

Today I'd like to talk about sports. Just a little. A few paragraphs' worth, Janet. If you still read these.

Sweeeeet.

I understand this is already old news, but. . . .

I thought it was incredibly lame of Peyton Manning to call his offensive line out in the post-game press conference. Not only did it show a lack of class -- from the team's best player, no less -- it suggested he wasn't part of the problem, which in turn, suggested that Peyton Manning is in utter denial. While I agree that the line was pretty damn horrible and probably had its worst game of the year, I also feel pretty strongly that Peyton deserves at least a chunk of the blame for the loss.

Most of us know that the story of the game was the Pittsburgh blitz and how it manhandled the Indy offensive line all game long, and how Manning ran for his life more Saturday than he had in any other game this season. True, but it'd be unfair to neglect that Manning wasn't able to adjust to that blitz. At this point in his career, and especially this year, when the Colts were like the only story in the NFL, we should expect him to be able to do that. He's known for making adjustments on the fly, after all. (So well-known, in fact, that in the Madden video game, when you play against the computer, Manning calls out audibles on nearly every down. It's pretty freakin annoying.)

It looked as if he was doing some of that Saturday, making hand signals, pointing at linebackers, yelling and motioning things out to his receivers -- but to no avail, of course, since the Indy offense couldn't do anything for most of the game. Pin the blame on the line if you want, but this wasn't just a matter of Manning not having time to throw; it was also a matter of him not changing the plays so he could get rid of the ball sooner. Instead of calling something like a quick slant or curl, or dumping the ball off to the running back or fullback, he repeatedly looked to go deep, not realizing that he wouldn't have time to do that. I mean, what’s the point? By the second half, shouldn't it have become apparent to Manning that his line wasn't tip-top?

Not to compare the two, but this is one area where Tom Brady really excels. I think FOX or CBS pointed this out last weekend during the New England Denver game, something to effect that Brady likes when defenses blitz him, because he knows immediately how he's going to attack it. When I watch the Patriots play, I notice that right away. I didn't see it at all from Manning on Saturday.

And the thing is, Saturday obviously wasn't the first time the Colts have been blitzed up the ass. They've dealt with it before, as all NFL teams do through the course of a season, yet in their biggest game of the season, Manning wasn't able to adjust. Knowing this, I don't think it's too much of a stretch to say that Manning and the Colts choked. It's possible that Pittsburgh just executes the blitz better than most other teams -- I guess -- I'm just amazed that the Colts didn't have a plan B in the postseason.

Janet, are you still there?