NFL Hot Reads....

The ARIZONA REPUBLIC's Dan Bickley wrote under the header, "NFL Is King, But 5 Issues Continue To Dog It." The league has "serious kinks in the armor, from no franchise in the country's second-largest market to an inconsistent disciplinary policy."

The Newark STAR-LEDGER's Conor Orr profiles Giants President & CEO John Mara, who "stands on the verge of his next master plan" as he closes out "arguably the best decade in franchise history." Mara "is a man informed by history and motivated by a healthy fear of failure."

The L.A. TIMES' Sam Farmer writes some NFLers, including Broncos QB Peyton Manning, are "not happy about the league's policy of wiring offensive linemen with microphones to pick up audio at the line of scrimmage to enhance TV broadcasts."

Elsewhere:

• SI media reporter Richard Deitsch shares his '14 NFL viewing guide.
• An increasing number of women are "head over heels" for fantasy football.
• Former cheerleaders' lawsuits "have emerged as an embarrassment" for the NFL.
• It "doesn't appear" that Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome "will be retiring" anytime soon.
• Andrew Siciliano is the "caffeine-fueled moderator" of DirecTV's Red Zone Channel.