Last time I checked, the game was about character

Medical experts recently reported that there is a small window of opportunity for the certified-obese-at-the-very-least person to change behaviors or suffer the array of physical consequences that accompany the lifestyle of the physically unfit. In fact, the same study found that smokers were more easily rehabilitated when faced with health crises than a chronic overeater. And adding weirdness to that fascinating factoid is smokers who will rock rehab cold turkey if you pay them as little as $750. I’m stuck back at the small window - and obese - thinking, “Get a bigger window.”

LUST FOR CONTACT - The NFL combine is coming up in a couple of weeks, and for you Eagles fans I have just two words: “Mike Mamula.”

Dubbed “Workout Warrior,” Maluma was the seventh overall pick in the 1995 draft as the Eagles traded up to take the 4.6, 40-yard defensive end and Tampa Bay used its pick to choose Warren Sapp, who is not only a better dancer but was a bong-hit buccaneer long before Michael Phelps went goofy at a South Carolina fraternity party.

“These lane lines are freaking me out, dude!”

Those combine athletes don’t always make the best football players, because the last time I checked the game was about contact - which is about heart and connected to character. How do you think Kurt Warner would do at “the combine” if he were just some guy who walked in off the street? I know plenty of people who are strong and fast but that doesn’t mean they can catch a football in traffic.

RAY-RAY PAY DAY - Ray Lewis of the Baltimore Ravens, now 34, is a free agent and is often dubbed the “face of the franchise.” I get all the football stuff, yet I’m one who can’t get past his 1999 obstruction of an investigation of behavior at the 1999 Super Bowl in Atlanta.

A double homicide on the street of Buckhead, Ga. - outside the Cobalt Lounge on “Urban Night” – saw 300 witnesses and two dead bodies left on a sidewalk. The stretch Navigator containing Lewis and his Liberty City hometown posse was fired upon as it sped away. Witnesses assured no consensus. Lewis was arrested and took a plea, basically to tell the truth. Two of his friends stood trial and both were acquitted. Owner Art Modell testified about the character and leadership of Ray Lewis. A year later, he was MVP in the Super Bowl. And now this player, who owes his freedom to his celebrity and loyalty of the Ravens franchise, is threatening to leave Charm City if he doesn’t receive a long-term, top-dollar contract? I have two words for Lewis: “Bye bye.”

HOPING FOR A SHOWDOWN - The Caesar Rodney basketball team is still undefeated which slightly staggers my sense of what I see as the balance of power in the Henlopen Conference, a conference where the good teams take turns knocking each other off. The Riders of coach Freeman Williams, however, have withstood every shot to the body and head.

The Riders’ final game of the regular season is Tuesday, Feb. 24, at Cape Henlopen. The Riders still have to deal with Dover, Smyrna and Polytech before coming to Cape. I’m hoping they are undefeated and Cape responds like I know it will, digging in like a pesky hitter with two out in the ninth ready to break up a perfect game.

Running the table and closing it out with a win over Cape at the Little Big House? Defend and upend the dream season. What more motivation do you need?