Trash talking has always been a part of sports.

It’s hard to imagine an activity where people compete fiercely for the same goal and some foul words are not exchanged at some point.

But this postseason the NFL has experienced more off-the-field trash talking than I have ever witnessed before.

Before the AFC divisional games even started between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens and the New England Patriots and New York Jets, chaos broke out from all sides.

Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie started the week with a bold statement, “[Expletive] Brady,” in reference to the leader of the Patriots, quarterback Tom Brady. Cromartie went on to add that Brady was also an “ass,” without getting any reply from the two-time Super Bowl MVP.

When asked, Cromartie said he would not regret his comments because they were his true feelings.

Despite receiving any response from Brady, wide receiver Wes Welker threw in his own shot at the Jets during a press conference, making several indirect comments about Jets’ coach Rex Ryan and his alleged foot fetish. In less than five minutes, Welker made over 10 puns poking fun at the coach.

The Ravens and Steelers were not exempt from the bad mouthing either. Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs was seen proudly wearing a Ravens T-shirt with a Raven giving Pittsburgh the middle finger.

Despite the Jets’ intense trash talking, they backed it up when it came to game time, while the Ravens allowed the Steelers to come back and beat them in the second half. With all teams participating in the trash talking, it left people wondering, where do you draw the line?

For me, the answer is simple, football is a competitor’s game, and it’s about being the strongest, toughest and meanest. Roger Goodell, the commissioner of the NFL, believes that implementing guidelines for the 2011-2012 season will help regulate the problem.

However, as long as football is about hitting people, I’m not sure how far these guidelines will go.

The comments swapped between the four teams this postseason did little besides fuel the rivalries and cause more people to be interested in the playoffs. I do not believe that the comments were good for football and am not saying that the players involved were right, but there is a place for trash talking in football.

My hope is that the media does not choose to glorify the incidents or make it seem expected, and when it all is said and done, if you’re going to talk trash you better be ready to back it up at kickoff.