"The Fantoo Girls - these are the girls you wish were sitting next to you at the sports bar on game day."

Oh Donté - will you be staying with the Eagles? And what of Dave Toub? Will he be bringing his Lovie-inspired stylings to the Birds' Special Teams? And will Jeff Garcia still be making local appearances in Philadelphia come April? How about the poster-boy Jeremy Bloom - will he play a diminutive role again next year? Will the Birds get a heavy defensive tackle to prevent the running game? Will they get a tandem threat at running back for Brian Westbrook so he doesn't disintegrate? So many questions and so few answers. But we shall find out what's what in the coming weeks and months. For now, I'd like to take a long, tall digression back to the week that was down in Miami.

My thesis focuses on the fans. From the looks of it, you would have thought that half of Chicago had migrated to Miami. There were Bears fans of every race, color and creed swarming Ocean Drive. Many sporting the same general look - 250 pounds of flesh hanging off a 5-10 frame. What would start as a table of two friends drinking mojitos and yelling 'Da Bears' at passerbys would slowly but surely turn into a boisterous crowd of about 20-30 strangers. Camera crews would be summoned. Chants and songs would be sung and the party would continue until who knows what hour. Carol and I begged off once the limbo stick came out.

My favorite was a Bears fan who had gotten off work by telling his employer that his grandmother died (please know that this guy himself was about 55 years old) and he had to go to Florida - where else? - for her funeral. Every time a camera crew came by their table, he threw his corn-fed self under the table with all the agility of a poached rhino.

Now for the Colts fans. They are a class act, like the team itself. I never saw a fan out of hand. There was a whole group having a civilized dinner behind us at Ocean's 10 with Patriots fans. PATRIOTS FANS!! I guess after you slay the dragon, you can break bread with them too. Still - that's not right, unless they are family or childhood friends.

With the fewest penalties and probably one of the most disciplined coaches in the league, the Colts are pretty tight in every sense of the word. No wonder that my most interesting sighting of a Colts faithful involved a little Dwight Freeney on a leash. I'm not talking about a canine. Rather, a safety-conscious Colts fan with her harnessed 3-year-old tethered on a 6-foot lead. But his little No. 93 jersey fit like a glove. And she was holding on for dear life, for there were plenty of distractions on South Beach and the commercially-fulfilling Motorola Mile for boys of every age. I snapped a picture just as her other son (Little Peyton Manning No. 18) prepared to test the parental perimeter without his leash. His mom, (Big Marvin Harrison No. 88), put the hammer down immediately.

Yes, there are differences in the fan base, just as the cities themselves differ - Democrat vs. Republican, tourist destination vs. well, not a tourist destination, Windy City vs. Circle City, Oprah vs. Letterman and so on ... But the defining factor for both sides is this: it's good to be in the Big Game. It's like no other time in your history as a fan. Total strangers become close, trusted friends. Drinks, food items and promises to meet in the future are given and received with gusto. And at the scene of the Super Bowl, fans from both teams have the bond of BEING THERE.

And as Carol and I were walking home from our wilding on Ocean Drive, we passed a sight that made us just plain reflective. We saw Brian Westbrook and Freddie Mitchell, among others, having a few drinks and laughs at the Clevelander. As much fun as he looked to be having, I can only imagine how much happier Westbrook would have been if he was cloistered at the Ft. Lauderdale Marriott reviewing film and getting ready to play on the biggest stage of all.

Robin McConaughy, Fantoo General Manager Carol and Robin are hosts of the podcast Fantoo Girls - Where the Girls Talk Sports, a national sports-talk podcast, which won the distinction of 'Best Sports Podcast' in the 2006 People's Choice Podcast Awards. They also host a show on Philadelphia's Sports Talk 950 AM from 8-10 AM on Saturdays.   Carol Doroba, Fantoo Head Coach The company they co-founded, Fantoo, Inc., was created as a lifestyle brand for the sports fan. In addition to web and radio broadcasting efforts Carol and Robin are creating TV and Broadband content for sports fans everywhere which focuses on education, entertainment and, of course, opinion.

After arriving back in the Arctic Circle - um - Philadelphia, I realized just how much pressure I was under while in Miami. That would be none, especially when compared to Peyton Manning and Rex Grossman. Now that's pressure. The kind you don't even feel because if you let it in you will crumble beneath its weight. The kind that makes grown men throw up before kick off. And during the game. The kind that wipes you out for a full week after all is said and done and you either have the ring or you don't. I honestly don't know if there is anything I will ever have to face that would carry with it that kind of pressure, and unless I am guaranteed to succeed in the face of whatever it is, I respectfully decline to accept that dance.

I stood two feet from Rex Grossman several times this past week while he fielded questions from a multitude of salivating members of the media. It was brutal and went something like this:

Reporter One: Rex, back here! Yea. So, how does it feel to be such a terrible quarterback and yet be here in Miami when someone like Drew Brees deserves it more?

Rex: Drew's a great quarterback. He's one of the best in the league. I am honored to be mentioned in the same sentence as Drew. Thank you.

You get the picture.

Day after day he fielded question after question that all in some way poked and prodded at that area of self-doubt we all have lurking beneath the epidermis. They got their fingers in there deep. Monday - he looked good, excited even. Tuesday - he was a bit more mellow but still thrilled to be on the big stage. Wednesday - he withered a touch. Thursday - he got peeved. Friday - he probably called Dr. Phil.

I, on the other hand, would have slung it right back. "Oh really? And who do you work for? The Sacramento Bee? Fabulous. You're at the pinnacle of your profession aren't you? Welcome to Miami, bonehead."

I wonder if it is possible to endure that type of passive/aggressive criticism and not let it eat at you, even sub-consciously. Self-doubt would have definitely moved into a bigger residence in my brain had I endured that type of cross-examination.

Peyton certainly was not off the hook, but he also has a leg up on Rex who had just completed his first full season in the NFL. I don't think Rex has even earned his first badge of courage yet, while Peyton has many stacked up on his sleeve. But not one of those badges protected him from the week before and the day after. We've all heard the "can't win the big one" routine before. To that I say, how many can? Does not having a Super Bowl ring mean you aren't a world class quarterback? Last I checked, the quarterback wasn't the only guy on the field and during some of the game he's not even on the field. Just ask Rex who spent nearly a full hour between snaps on Sunday. Still, I understand the scrutiny of the position.

So, there! Peyton won it! And now what do the critics say?

Hold onto your lunch people.

Peyton didn't show enough emotion when he won the Super Bowl.

I'll pause while you hurl.

Oh, that and he didn't really have that great a game. The running backs did most of the work. (Insert major eye roll here.)

I continue to learn that those whom we hold up on high will never be good enough in the eyes of some, even when they do win the big one. Good thing others have eyes too. Congratulations to the Colts and bring on mini-camp!

Random Thoughts From a Redhead

• Why do Peyton Manning's parents delight in trotting out the family film archives, which do nothing but paint Peyton as a total crybaby? I'd have to have a real sit down with them if I were him.

• It was great to see Donté Stallworth in Miami. Now I want to see him in Eagles green. Somebody make that happen.

• I vote for a permanent home for the Super Bowl in Las Vegas. The NFL builds a 120,000 seat stadium with all the trimmings, a nifty little NFL museum and every year they dress it up to honor the two teams that make the cut. The Super Bowl and Las Vegas - two great things that taste great together.

• The heyday of South Beach must have passed. She's looking a little rough around the edges. Although, apparently she looks much better after a few mojitos.