Coaches like to see their players break major records. Don’t believe them when they deny it. If a coach has a player who has repeatedly gone to the mattresses for them, they enjoy seeing them earn accolades.

This is why I was shocked to see Kansas City Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil bench running back Priest Holmes early in the third quarter after his team had jumped out to a 42-0 lead over Arizona. I understand that Vermeil didn’t want to leave his starters in and risk injury or show up the Cardinals, but he may have single-handedly ruined Holmes’ chance at NFL immortality.

Holmes, who scored two touchdowns earlier in the game, has 22 touchdowns on the season. With four games left in the schedule, he needs five touchdowns to break St. Louis running back Marshall Faulk’s record for scores in a season. If Priest stays in the game, he could have scored one or two more touchdowns, giving him a much better chance to set the record. Now, he needs to score more than once in each of the final four games. At the rate he’s been going, that should be no big deal, but you never know.

Vermeil may have screwed over his own player.

My fantasy team

Lonesome Sundays completed one of the greatest turnarounds in fantasy football history in nailbiting fashion this week. With a mediocre 13-point lead heading into Monday night and no one left to play, I had to sit and watch as the Oakland defense crept the opposing team, Rusty Aries, closer and closer to my 192 points. As the game drew toward the final whistle, it looked as though I would get away with a six or seven point win, but the Raiders managed a sack and an interception in the final three plays of the game to cut the win to just 192-191.

So after starting out 2-5, my team finished the regular season 8-5 and in first place. Just one problem, I think my chances in the playoffs were hurt by the win, because the fourth place team that I have to square off with next week is playing much better than the third place team.

Hopefully this won’t spell another year of playoff doom for me. I don’t think I could handle it.

If this was college football…

Here is how my top 10 would look (there are only eight because if this was college football, the BCS’s eight teams are the only ones that would matter):

1. Oakland (8-4) – Fine, the Raiders can hold onto the top spot for this week. Hopefully I’m jinxing these guys. I’ve been making old timers jokes all season with these guys, but in honor of their placement here after beating the Jets, I’ll hold off for this week.

2. Tampa Bay (9-3) – A 23-20 loss to division rival New Orleans this week showed that the Bucs aren’t the best team in the league. Now they have to worry about winning their division, as the Falcons (8-3-1) and the Saints (8-4) are right on their heels. If they don’t bounce back and kick some you-know-what against the Falcons next week, they could quickly find themselves outside of the playoff hunt.

3. Philadelphia (9-3) – Philly knocked St. Louis out of the playoff hunt, which will always get you on my good side. But the fact that the Eagles did so with third-string QB A.J. Feeley (who really sounds like he should be a racecar driver) shows that this team is much more about defense and running the ball than I ever thought.

4. Atlanta (8-3-1) – Michael Vick is amazing. He ran the ball for roughly 6.7 million yards Sunday in an overtime win over the Vikings. Vick scored on a 46-yard jaunt in the extra frame to end the game. Next week’s game against the Bucs will help show who is in charge of the NFC.

5. Green Bay (9-3) – The Packers won without stud running back Ahman Green, who was knocked out with a knee injury after he produced over 120 yards of offense. Backup Tony Fisher replaced him with a 17-carry, 91-yard performance. Green Bay’s win over Chicago made them the first team to clinch its division.

6. San Diego (8-4) – The Chargers got a big 30-27 win over the Broncos Sunday behind a terrific 220-yard rushing performance by LaDainian Tomlinson. San Diego has struggled of late, winning just three of its last six (all in overtime), but Sunday’s victory will likely get the team straightened out. Hopefully, they’ll knock off No. 1 Oakland at home this weekend.

7. New Orleans (8-4) – The Saints ended a two-game skid with a big 23-20 win over Tampa, last week’s No. 1. Now they have just Baltimore, Minnesota, Cincinnati and Carolina left. Think they won’t win at least 11 games?

8. Pittsburgh (7-4-1) – If Tommy Maddox wasn’t coming back, I wouldn’t even put the Steelers on the list. But since he is returning this week, I think the Steelers are a lock to make the postseason. Much like the Saints, they have a very easy remaining schedule (Houston, Carolina, Tampa Bay, Baltimore) and should run away with their division.

Gimme pick of the week

Buffalo over New England – I don’t like making this pick, but maybe the awfulness of last week’s miss (St. Louis over Philly) will carry into this one. I just don’t see the Pats stopping a hot Buffalo offense, especially with their trouble stopping the run. Never mind that New England has been trying to give the last few games away. This time, they are going to run into an offense that can take advantage.

Take the Bills and the points.

The race for Byron Leftwich, Maurice Clarett, or whoever else…

It’s amazing what Cincinnati is doing right now to get the first overall pick. Up two games in the win column at 1-11, the Bungals held a 23-14 lead over one of the worst offenses in the NFL, the Baltimore Ravens. And, because of this team’s hard work and dedication, they managed to give up not one, but two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to lose 27-23.

At least they stopped a two-point conversion.

Jim Pignatiello is a Collegian Columnist. Pig’s Skinny runs every Wednesday.