Will common sense prevail in CBA talks?

Four Downs while hoping, but doubting, that millionaire players and billionaire owners will use common sense at any point as they barrel toward the March 4 expiration of the current collective bargaining agreement ...

FIRST DOWN:

From the "Duh" department, we bring you players' union executive committee member Brian Dawkins saying there's a sense of urgency to avoid a lockout because it would really tick off the average schlub that supports the NFL like a bad habit.

"I would think common sense would say at the end of the day, after all the fighting and after all the words are said, we understand who butters our bread," the veteran Broncos safety said Tuesday. "That's where the urgency comes in at."

As we all know, one of the major hurdles is the so-called "enhanced" 18-game regular-season schedule.

The players don't like it at all.

"I don't think with good conscience we could say, 'Guys, this is all we could get for you for 18 games. Go out there and strap it up and hope you make it through,'" said Mike Vrabel, another NFLPA executive committee member and a veteran linebacker for the Chiefs.

Personally, my beef with the longer season doesn't concern shorter careers. Or the long-term health of the players. While I wish all of them long and healthy lives, they're grown men making the decision to play a violent game that could have long-lasting ramifications.

My beef with the longer season is the fact it will hurt the quality of play late in the season and into the playoffs. And hurting the quality of play at that point is a zillion times worse than having four boring preseason games.

SECOND DOWN:

Geez, I hope there's no snow expected in Philly tonight. I'd hate to see this game postponed until June. And on a serious note, let's hope this doesn't become a standard practice every time there's a blizzard in the forecast.

For what it's worth, I'm looking at about a 38-3 Iggles victory. Hopefully, the Vikings can keep it that close.

THIRD DOWN:

It's hard to fathom Drew Brees having thrown 21 interceptions. But he's having to carry the Saints a little more than he did last season. I think New Orleans could run the ball more than they do, but Sean Payton loves to put the game in Brees' hands. And who can blame him.

Brees looked like Bad Brett on at least one pass last night -- the shovel pass he flipped blindly into the DE's arms for a pick-six -- but in the end, Brees showed that the Saints very well could be right back in the Super Bowl this season. That 14-play, 90-yard game-winning drive at Atlanta, where the Falcons were 19-1 during Matt Ryan's career, showed that Brees will be able to win anywhere he ends up in the post-season.

Speaking of the Falcons, did anyone else think Mike Smith was completely nuts for punting the ball with 2:52 left, trailing by three and facing a fourth-and-six near midfield?

Did anyone honestly expect Brees to give the ball back to Atlanta? Not me. And the game ended with the Saints up 17-13 and Atlanta still on defense.

FOURTH DOWN:

When is the NFL going to wake up and re-seed its playoff teams based on records and not division championships?

The answer could be next week if Seattle wins the NFC West with a 7-9 record. That would be the first losing team to participate in the playoffs. And it would get a home game, probably against the Saints. That's not right.

Seattle (6-9) plays at St. Louis (7-8) in a winner-take-all game Sunday night. Neither team deserves to be seeded higher than either one of the wild-card teams. Especially Seattle, which has lost games by scores of 41-7, 34-19, 31-14, 20-3, 33-3, 42-24, 40-21, 34-18 and 38-15.