Free agency and expansion have finally wrecked the NFL, and I hope that Pete Rozelle is happy. Parity is the word that defines a league where the “best offense” can turn the ball over seven times, score a pathetic three points and a former U.S. Marine can run for 251 yards and four touchdowns against one of the League’s “top-run defenses” in any given week.

Rozelle, former commissioner of the NFL, had a vision for his league that was called “Pete’s Parity” at the time. “Pete’s Parity” meant there was a league where any one team could beat any other, on any given Sunday. Well Mr. Rozelle, your dream has finally become reality.

Last week, St. Louis and Kurt Warner turned the ball over to Carolina seven consecutive times and their potent offense kicked a field goal.

Mike Anderson of the Denver Broncos, a rookie and former Marine, got behind his offensive line and ran for a rookie record 251 yards.

One may ask, what’s so bad about that?

Well, these type of performances speak volumes about a league where in the same day one of its premiere players can look like an amateur, and an amateur can look like one of its premiere players.

What’s going to happen next? Are you going to turn on your TV and see fans in purple cheering for a constant whiner who’s lifetime contribution to mankind is catching 1,000 passes. Oh wait, that’s already happened too.

Sadly, the NFL has become just like its three counterparts: the NBA, NHL and MLB, with its public relations commercials, highly overpaid and pampered players and wildcard playoffs where teams with barely better than .500 records can sneak into competing for a title.

In fact, the only thing the NFL may have going for it now is, indeed, its unmistakable parity. The commissioner’s office plans to expand the league once again in the near future to either San Antonio or Los Angeles (again), and my sentiment is that another expansion will only further dilute the talent pool of the NFL.

If the NFL wants to be just like the NHL and have a game where the headliners are, per se, Ryan Leaf of Columbus vs. Matt Hasselback of San Antonio, then so be it. These sort of match-ups give small-market teams a chance to win some ball games, while at the same time keep their small market fans happy. It is purely capitalism, commercialism and marketing at its finest.

But, I for one, won’t be tuning in to watch that one. I liked it much better when there was no Carolina and no Jacksonville. Without these teams, perhaps Mark Brunell might play for a good team, and I wouldn’t have to watch Steve Beurlein throw not one, but two consecutive interceptions in the redzone (a feat not even most high school quarterbacks could pull off).

Well, it’s on to the playoff races we go… where currently New Orleans is trying to edge St. Louis for the NFC West, Philadelphia is battling New York in the NFC East, Baltimore and Tennessee are duking it out in the AFC Central, and Denver and Oakland are neck and neck in the AFC West.

Parity indeed.