36ISO

NFL--Week Eleven Picks

2009-11-22T12:10:00.002-05:00

Dallas over Washington
Detroit over Cleveland
San Francisco over Green Bay
Pittsburgh over Kansas City
Minnesota over Seattle
New York Giants over Atlanta
New Orleans over Tampa Bay
Jacksonville over Buffalo
Indianapolis over Baltimore
Arizona over St. Louis
San Diego over Denver
Cincinnati over Oakland
New England over New York Jets
Philadelphia over Chicago
MNF Tennessee over Houston

NFL--Week Nine Picks

2009-11-08T11:10:00.003-05:00

Unfortunately I have had other things to do. Actually better things to do than educate the masses on the finer points of American football. I feel the world has been sorely missing my vast canon of knowledge on this particular subject matter so I will enlighten you folks and you can thank me later. Love 'em or leave 'em, these are my picks.

Atlanta over Washington. Atlanta looked great last week against one of the best teams in football and the Skins still suck.
Chicago over Arizona. It's cold in ChiTown this time of year. Warner is old and the Bears look solid
Baltimore over Cincinnati. The Ravens are playing real football right now and Cincinnati may be posers although Benson and Palmer are monsters. They won't be against Bulletmore, Murderland.
New England over Miami. Sorry, the wildcat will be mellow kittens against the Pats today. Brady almost looks like 2007 right now.
Jacksonville over Kansas City. The chiefs are horrible which is why they are not capitalized.
Indianapolis over Houston. The Colts will lose this season. They will not lose today. Peyton, robot or not is a monster and is having an MVP season.
Green Bay over Tamba Bay. The Bucs have a horrific pass defense and Aaron Rodgers will dismantle these dudes with Driver and Jennings.
New Orleans over Carolina. I was unsure about this one because these cats can't just keep winning like that but I can't see them losing in the Superdome.
Seattle over Detroit. The Seahawks have looked good more recently than the Lions. For that reason alone, I pick the Seahawks. I also like Matt Hasselbeck.
San Francisco over Tennessee. I think the Niners are the truth. I don't like the QB but everything else kind of looks good to me.
New York Giants over San Diego. This may be a sentimental choice as I am writing this in my Ahmad Bradshaw jersey but I can't see the Jints dropping 4 straight.
Dallas over Philly. I hate the Cowboys, I hate the Eagles but it may be time for the Eagles to be inconsistent again and when the 'Boys are rising, it takes a bit for them to come down, usually in the playoffs, right Romo.
Pittsburgh over Denver. Pittsburgh will expose Kyle Orton and all of his badness. Despite the record, Orton is still a JV QB on a High School football team not even starting.

NFL--Week One Picks

2009-09-13T12:24:00.003-04:00

Atlanta over Miami

Matt Ryan, Michael Turner and Roddy White are too much too handle for Jason Taylor, Jerry Porter and Bill Parcells.

Baltimore over Kansas City

KC sucks and everyone knows it. Matt Cassel trade, good for him, bad for everyone else.

Carolina over Philadelphia

This is the game of the week I think but Carolina outclasses the team missing Brian Dawkins

Cincinnati over Denver

Cincy with a serious OchoCinco and a healthy Carson Palmer outweighs Denver and the defensive MVP Kyle Orton

Minnesota over Cleveland

This was a win before Brett Favre. Top 3 Defense in the league and AP.

Houston over New York Jets

The Texans look solid and Andre Johnson will make Slaton look good against the revamped defense. Rex Ryan will however make the defense top 10 this year.

Indianapolis over Jacksonville

Do I really need to give a reason here?

New Orleans over Detroit

Detroit will win this year... just not this week.

Dallas over Tampa Bay

I hate Dallas but Roy Williams is going against a CB in Ronde Barber that gave up 9 TD's last year. Toasty!!

Arizona over San Francisco

The Cards win but its not the gap you think.

New York Giants over Washington

The Giants receivers aren't that bad and Washington hasn't improved that much.

Seattle over St. Louis

Seattle may have the best LB corps. in football.

Green Bay over Chicago

Aaron Rodgers outplays Jay Cutler

New England over Buffalo

Really? TO makes no real impact and Brady doesn't miss a step.

San Diego over Oakland

Oakland is still bad but better if Heyward-Bey can catch and McFadden stays healthy.

NFL--Shawne Merriman Arrested For Choking Tila Tequila

2009-09-07T05:48:00.002-04:00

I am not going to report breaking news on this because it is already out there but there are a few issues that I wan to address early regarding the newest NFL criminal activity.

Shawne Merriman had a little issue in 2006 when he tested positive for steroid use but other than that, he hasn't really been much of a problem child. It will be interesting to see how the public and the media will look at this. Will they turn him into this horrible woman beater or will it be ignored. The right thing to do would be to let the justice system and the police department do their job and get to the bottom of accusations. The justice system will determine where to go with whatever evidence is found and his lawyers and Tila Tequila's lawyers will determine punishment. I hope that the NFL doesn't interfere with the legal process. Roger Goodell at times seems like that old ass lady that hangs out the window and doesn't mind their business.

Tila Tequila claims that she is a virgin and claims that she is allergic to alcohol, this may all be true but we are still waiting to hear what the San Diego County Sheriff's Department deem as the truth. Merriman says that she was drunk and he was trying to help her get home. Some people say that she is his girlfriend, he denies that. Some say this and some say that. She made a citizens arrest and that has to be honored by the police. The bottom line is, the NFL sould not move on this at all. Lights Out is 6 foot 4, 265lbs. Tila is 4 foot 11, 93lbs. She has not shown any visible signs of abuse but, I am not a forensic scientist so who am I to say that she wasn't assaulted.

Regardless of the outcome, as media and public, it is our job to not rush to judgement in either direction. We should not call her a drunk and a whore nor should we call him a woman beater and another problem athlete. Keep your picket signs at home jerkoffs and let the people with the right jobs do their jobs and you do your job stocking shelves at Wal-Mart when you are not the president of I was a loser in high school club and I hate cool people. Roger Goodell, I am sorry that you were stuffed in a locker in school but you should let the lawyers work this time and work on your golf game.

College Football – Bradford Goes Down, Heisman Shakeup

2009-09-05T22:49:00.004-04:00

I wish injuries on no one but the football gods have decided against Bradford winning a second Heisman. Bradford went down tonight in a tight game against a top 25 but little respected team. Bradford was driven to the turf and sprained his throwing shoulder. I have to say though, that Oklahoma didn't look very good before the injury anyway. The team had 93 yards in penalties and the 4 new starters on the line looked just that, new. He never looked like he was in that much of a rhythm. The Sooners didn't take full advantage of the other teams mistakes like years prior. After opening the season with a loss, the Sooners will no longer be in the national spotlight until the Red River Rivalry game against Texas on October 17th. So Bradford's Heisman campaign is over but there are a few that have put themselves on notice after the first week

Zac Robinson accounted for 3 TD's today for Oklahoma State and 2 of them went to Biletnikoff lock, Dez Bryant. Those guys will have to fight to see who will get the backing for their campaigns. Let's not forget that they had this great game against a pretty decent SEC team in the Georgia Bulldogs. There will be a couple of cream puffs on their schedule that are infinitely easier than Georgia which will allow Bryant and Robinson to put up some STOOPID numbers this year.

Jimmy Clausen threw for 4 TD's and we all know that if anything good is coming out of Notre Dame, all of the alumni will circle the wagons and make it seem light years bigger than it actually is. Clausen is, as of today, a Heisman candidate on a team and in a community dying for a hero and his 4 TD tosses today gave him a cape.

By the way boys and girls, one of the greatest college football players to ever live, Tim Tebow didn't even play the entire game. Even more of a reason for him to gain respect. All he wants to do is win. He threw a TD and ran a TD then had a soy mocha latte no whip chai whatever while he watched his backup run the score up.

College Football – Top Five Players That Should Have Won Heismans

2009-09-05T07:37:00.002-04:00

1) Vince Young – Great players do great things in big games. Vince Young led Texas to a BCS championship the year he was robbed of a Heisman by Reggie Bush. Texas snapped USC’s 34 games winning streak and outperformed the previous two Heisman winners (Bush and Matt Leinart). In the Rose Bowl, Vince Young put on one of the most dominating individual performances in college football history, accounting for 467 yards of total offense (200 rushing, 267 passing) and three rushing touchdowns (including a 9 yard TD scramble with 19 seconds left) to lead the Longhorns to a thrilling 41-38 victory. Young also happens to have been voted to the list of top 10 greatest players in the history of college football by ESPN. Young finished the season with 3,036 yards passing and 1,050 yards rushing earning him the Davey O'Brien Award.

2) Steve McNair – In the season this man was robbed, he was bypassed by two players. He obviously faced the stigma of being a Division I-AA player in the Heisman balloting. In his senior season, McNair gained nearly 6,000 yards rushing and passing, along with 53 touchdowns. In the process, he surpassed more than a dozen records and was named an All-American. In addition, McNair won the Walter Payton Award as the top I-AA player and finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting behind Rashaan Salaam and Ki-Jana Carter. McNair set career records for the Football Championship Series with 14,496 passing yards, as well as the division record for total offensive yards with 16,283 career yards. The records still stand.

3) Adrian Peterson – Peterson should have been the man to break the “sophomores don’t win Heismans” BS that Tim Tebow recently overcame. At Oklahoma, Peterson set the NCAA freshman rushing record with 1,925 yards as a true freshman. As a First-Team All-American, he also set a freshman record by finishing as the runner-up in the Heisman Trophy balloting. Peterson finished as the school's third all-time leading rusher. During his freshman season, Peterson broke many NCAA freshman rushing records, rushing for 1925 yards and leading the nation in carries with 339. He was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy; finishing second to USC quarterback Matt Leinart, which was the highest finish ever for a freshman.

4) Peyton Manning – Tee Martin, a year removed from Peyton’s graduation, won a National Championship with Tennessee. I’ve never been a Manning fan, especially with the “he can’t beat Florida” stigma. But his accomplishments and college statistics can’t be ignored. He became Tennessee's all-time leading passer with 11,201 yards and 89 touchdowns and won 39 of 45 games as a starter, breaking the Southeastern Conference (SEC) record for career wins. As a freshman, Manning was the third-string quarterback, but injuries to Todd Helton and Jerry Colquitt forced him to take and the Vols won all but one of their remaining games, finishing the season 8–4 with a 45–23 victory over Virginia Tech in the Gator Bowl. As a senior, Manning won numerous awards; he was a consensus First-team All-American, the Maxwell Award winner, the Davey O'Brien Award winner, the Johnny Unitas Award winner, and the Best College Player ESPY Award winner, among others; however, he did not win the Heisman, finishing runner-up to Charles Woodson.

5) Lawrence Taylor - The words phenom and greatest of all time are rarified air for most except for a select few. Lawrence Taylor was referred to as being the greatest linebacker ever while still in college. He was changing the game before his legend began in the NFL. The funny thing about this is that LT was never even a contender to win the Heisman which in itself is a travesty. With 16 sacks in his final year and a ridiculous amount of records, consensus all-americas and carnage left in his wake, he ended up overshadowed by George Rogers, a running back and Hugh Green, a player with 17 sacks that same season and the highest voted defensive player to date at the time. My problem with this is that LT is one of the greatest college PLAYERS of all time and regardless of the stats that year, he was the most unstoppable force in college SPORTS, period. He is the most offensive defensive player in history and I am certain he received the nod from every opposing fat tackle and wobbly kneed QB.

College Football – Top Five Heisman Candidates

2009-09-01T05:17:00.002-04:00

1) Tim Tebow – This man suffers from Pete Sampras and Barry Sanders disease. He’s already won a Heisman and he’s been a part of two National Championships. It almost seems like he would have to throw for 100 TD’s next season for anyone to pay attention to anything he does. He makes the amazing seem routine. He won the Heisman as a sophomore (never had been done before), was the first player in history with 20 rushing and 20 passing TD’s, and set an SEC record with the most TD’s in a season. The only reason Tebow didn’t win the Heisman last year could have been totally political. Only one man has ever won multiple Heismans. He already broke the “sophomores don’t win the Heisman” belief amongst Heisman voters. But Tebow outplayed Bradford in the National Championship game last year, so no one can question the outcome of a head-to-head match-up. Tebow is a one man wrecking crew on offense and it seems like he top three finalist from last year will be in a duel to the end again this year.

2) Colt McCoy – Not the one man wrecking crew that Tebow is, but he is more mobile than people realize. He also outplayed Bradford last year in a head to head match-up (what were Heisman voters smoking last year). Colt McCoy suffers from Derek Jeter disease (I like sports references)…he gets the job done. It’s not in dramatic fashion, but he’s in control at all times. Michael Crabtree’s TD in the closing seconds of a game that McCoy almost won by himself ended McCoy’s cake walk to a Heisman and a showdown with Tebow in the BCS Championship game. This year the Big 12 is poised to play even worse defense than it did last year, so the Heisman race will come down to which QB can will his team to more wins.

3) Sam Bradford – Oklahoma’s offense was a juggernaut last year except in the two games against the men Bradford eventually beat for the Heisman (see #1 and #2 of this list). He played the majority of the season playing in a spread offense was could be seen leaving games w/o as much as a blade of grass on his “right out of the box” clean jersey. With 4 of the 5 offensive lineman that protected him gone, we’ll see how good Bradford actually is. His gaudy statistics carried him to a Heisman last year. Tebow and Florida lost to Ole Miss…a must win for that team. Texas lost to Texas Tech…a must win for that team. Oklahoma lost to Texas and Florida; two teams ranked in the top 5, so I guess you can almost rationalize why he got more votes than anyone else last year.

4) Dez Bryant – Now we’re in darkhorse territory. Not since Desmond Howard struck the Heisman pose in the end zone against Notre Dame has a wide receiver walked away with the Heisman. The odds are stacked against Bryant as Michael Crabtree was the latest wideout to have an All-world season (two years in a row) and didn’t come close to winning the Heisman. Bryant is the heat-seeking missile of the Oklahoma State battleship. Last year’s stats: almost 1,500 yards receiving (17.0 YPC) and 19 TD’s. He’ll walk away with the Biletnikoff, but he should be in the Heisman race.

5) Taylor Mays – Defense wins championships, but not Heismans. This is our “he deserves to be mentioned” pick. First the intangibles…Mays is 6’2”, 230 lbs and runs a 4.25. Can you say it with me…he’s as big as Marion Barber, he’s just as fast as Calvin Johnson and he gets a head start when running at ball carriers. If Offensive linemen get their pancakes counted as a stat, then Mays should get all his KO’s counted as a stat. I’d be surprised if he doesn’t end someone’s career this season. USC’s pass defense was ranked #1 in the country last year. Don’t be surprised if it is again this year. Many “draft experts” are calling Mays a lock for top 5 in next year’s draft. If Ronnie Lott didn’t win a Heisman, then Mays probably won’t sniff one, but we can always dream.

Fantasy Football--Possible Sleepers

2009-08-25T07:37:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I was looking at the fantasy draft waivers and I picked up 1 or 2 players that in my opinion should not have been there. It's as if some of these cats don't really watch football. Here is a piece of advice for fantasy football. It is just like investing in stocks, you are the best person to get advice from because you have your best interests in mind. Now I won't compare the importance of money with Fantasy Football, as a matter of fact, it is something losers like my friends and I do because we can't play on Sundays or because some of us are degenerate gamblers and we hide behind fantasy like a crack head can do coke and not get high... right... or the nerds, that has the athleticism of a retarded gerbil with crossed eyes that got herbed in high school. In any event, there are a lot of media outlets and soap box standers that will shout from the mountain tops, draft this guy. Try not to listen to them, do your own homework and for God's sakes, watch football.

I mentioned to a friend this past weekend that although Leon Washington is no longer really a secret, he is the truth and he will only get better. With the likelihood of Mark Sanchez starting, it was more than evident from last nights performance that Leon Washington will be king checkdown this year. Look for him to do big things on a more consistent basis. I think that Thomas Jones' ineptitude will be exposed without Grandpa Gunslinger back there zinging the ball all over the place. Every rookie QB needs a security blanket, Leon Washington will be that guy for Sanchez. Watch out for Clowney, he has a really stupid name but good speed and a QB that will be desperate for a #1 receiver to bail him out.

I don't think that Stafford will take the starting job so quickly. Culpepper is having a nice steady camp and when he had Randy Moss in Minnesota, they were breaking records. He will have Calvin "Megatron" Johnson and he scored 12 TD's last year with OrlovWhatever playing QB. If Culpepper starts the season against New Orleans which was ranked 23rd last year against the pass he will find Megatron early and often and dig a hole in the bench for Stafford. Culpepper has lost weight and has gone over 30 TD's twice in his 10 year career, and he has 146 TD's in his career while the last 3 years he has only thrown for 11. That means he can sling the ball and with a beast like Johnson he can throw for another 25-30.

Beanie Wells was injured in college, he is injured now, I think he has injury problems, if you can get another back somewhere and bench this kid it may be a good move. He is a rookie on a team with 3 1,000 yard receivers and an incumbent back.

Edgerrin James just signed with the Seattle Seahawks. I smell a resurgence. If we all remember, last year when he got a chance on the Arizona Cardinals, he showed some flashes of old. The coaches didn't like him there and he was in a committee situation. He didn't get traded out of Indy because he sucked, he got traded because that is what they do. Remember Marshall Faulk? Julius Jones is there but he is just as useless as his brother. The best thing that Thomas Jones ever did was date Megan Good. Edge is much better than Jones and TJ Duckett is used on the goalline. Edge could easily go over 1,000 yards especially with Hasselbeck in full health. Remember 2 years ago he threw for 4,000 yards and now he has Carlson, Branch and TJ Whoseyourmama. Draft Edge Now.

Thats it for now. Do your own work.

NFL--NFL Will Reinstate Plaxico After Sentence

2009-08-24T05:17:00.002-04:00

Over the past couple of days I have been reading a lot and hearing a lot about the Plaxico Burress case and all of the other legal issues of the NFL. The most beautiful words that I have heard were that the NFL will reinstate Plax upon his completion of his sentence. I was really annoyed when Roger Goodell interfered with the legal process and decided to further suspend Mike Vick after spending 18 months in federal prison and another 5 months in home confinement after 2 years out of football. I felt he over stepped his bounds and Plax may be reaping the rewards of his out of bound stepping.

Now to some of the more annoying things that I have read and/or heard over the past couple of days. The NFL Players Association has publicly announced that they have a problem with the disciplinary system and fining of players. This is too little too late. This is another reactionary approach that turns so many entities into inept battleships that take a half an hour to make a turn that should be instantaneous. It is no secret that I have a problem with any type of union whether it is the NFLPA or the teamsters. In light of all of this talk about their issues with the NFL disciplinary system, there is a growing brushfire of talk about a lockout in 2011. This really pisses me off. Does the union care about the system because of their pending lockout in 2 years or is it because a unions only true function is to get more money and nothing more. Their function is to destroy American businesses just like GM. I would rather not hear the crap coming out of the offices of the NFLPA and I really wish that the new president would not use the late Gene Upshaw's name as leverage to find favor with players. He has no idea what GU would do or how he would react. He was an icon and had unparalleled success as the union president whether I agreed or not.

The other issue that I have had over the past couple days is the public outrage in reaction to Plaxico Buress' sentence of 2 years. Are you freaking kidding me? It was the public outrage that got Plaxico this sentence in the first place. If it weren't for the 20 term mayor in New York, Mike Bloomberg, this 2 year sentence and likely any jail time at all would not have happened. i personally felt that Plax should be punished for being one of the dumbest players in history and he was. I also feel that he should be left alone afterwards which he will but the problem now is that folks want to get a little bit pregnant. OJ Simpson serves no time for murder, nor did Ray Lewis, Donte Stallworth gets 30 days for killing a man, Mike Vick gets 23 months for killing dogs and Plax gets 2 years for shooting himself. You do the math. It's politics and good lawyers that determine your sentence. It's our justice system that we all conveniently side with when it works and are against when it doesn't. If Plaxico Burress is stupid enough to shoot himself like cheddar bob in Eight Mile and too stupid to not have a lawyer who has half a brain and can keep a millionaire athlete out of prison for something that hand to hand crack dealers in Brownsville, Brooklyn can beat than he deserves what he gets.

Football is football, the law is the law, Roger Goodell is a douche and the unions are greedy. This is my assessment, completely baseless and without evidence, but it is mine.

NFL--Plaxico Burress Pleads Guilty Gets Two Years

2009-08-20T10:37:00.002-04:00

As of today, I am satisfied with the results of Plaxico Burress' case. I felt that he needed to be punished and he will be. If you decide to carry a concealed weapon which is the first dumb thing and then shoot yourself which is the immensely stupid thing, you deserve to see the inside of a jail cell. I don't believe that there will be any protesters or blood thirsty whale hugging neohippies calling for his head. He will serve his time as the mayor wanted and as everyone called for.

The question now will be, what will Roger Goodell do after Plaxico serves his sentence. After he goes to state prison and has supervised release for 2 years will Goodell, NFL Commissioner try to chime in and suspend Plaxico as well to add insult to injury. Burress was immediately suspended by the New York Giants and then released by them not too long after. When he is done with his prison term he will be 33 years old barring release for good behavior. Most likely, if you do the math, he will not play football again. If you were the General Manager of an NFL team would you sign a 33 year old WR with a history of problems off the field, a laundry list of fineable offenses and jail time on his resume? Most likely no. Mike Vick is 29 years old and without the diva history that the Giants took a chance on. Yes, the Giants got a Super Bowl out of the guy but they expected to have him more than 4 years and they were left at the championship alter by Plaxico last season when their 12-4 record was more like kissing your sister than a successful season.

I hope in 2011 when Plaxico is about to be released that I will not have to be pissed off about the Commish playing judge, jury and executioner when this guy gets out of jail. I don't think he will be signed as he will be too old but the justice system of the United States of America has spoken.

NFL--Fantasy Football Draft

2009-08-20T05:34:00.002-04:00

Now that there has been a full week of preseason games, most of the rookies are signed and the off season fiascos appear to be done what changes will we all make to our fantasy draft boards going into draft day? Michael Vick joining the Eagles creates an automatic roster spot. Brett Favre returning to football again, again, again, again, causes all types of confusion near the top and for those drafts that were earlier in the summer, and the guys that thought they were drafting a beast in Michael Crabtree will regret their irrational exuberance.

The number 1 pick still has to be Adrian Peterson hands down. As a matter of fact, I believe he is a clearer number one now that Indecisive Favre has landed in Viking country. He is going to take the 8 men out of the box and open up lanes that were not there for the kid last year. If Favre being in Minnesota results in less tacklers in the box and not less carries, if Peterson stays healthy and he gets the necessary carries, the kid will become the 6th back ever to go over 2,000 yards in one season. Also, if he gets the goal line carries, he may break the TD record in a season held by LT since 2006. He is that good.

I ended up in an early draft like a loser so I am done but for those who have Favre in their draft will have some serious decisions to make. Although my number 1 QB in the draft was Tom Brady and my number 1 QB in the league is the same guy, for stat whores, Drew Brees may be a good choice for the top QB. Brees is all but guaranteed to turn in 4,500 yards or so. Every year since becoming a starter, he has increased his production. If he improves on last years performance by 16 yards, he will break Dan Marino's record. Anytime a player has record breaking potential, he needs to be drafted. Tom Brady looked like Tom Brady of old. The interception that he threw would not have happened in the regular season. People don't just get picks in front of Randy Moss. Brett Favre will be let loose to do whatever he wants which is throw 25 TD's or so with 15 picks. Favre is feast or famine but likely worth the risk. There are a lot of people on the Maurice Jones-Drew bandwagon. I am not one of them.

This kid Michael Goodson on the Panthers looked ridiculous the other night. Granted, he was running against 13th string defense for the Giants but he still looks like he could be a compliment to Williams and Stewart. Same guy different team. Ahmad Bradshaw, although not really a sleeper, looked even better this year. He ran against first team defense for the panthers and appeared that he will be a problem and much more than just a guy to spell the little guy Brandon Jacobs. If anything, he might have improved his draft position.

Speaking of the Giants. We all expected them to have a top 5 defense again this year but the defensive line is scary. These "joker" as Jon Gruden named them the other night look like the super friends. Umenyiora, Tuck, Kiwanuka, the rookie Sintim will all be getting after the QB and disrupting the running game. Coffield, Robbins and Alford will do what they have been doing and the addition of Canty and Bernard will create a defensive line that is never tired. I personally drafted the Giants Defense for my fantasy team and after their first preseason game I would rank them even higher. Minnesota had the best run defense in the league and since I am a strong believer in if you stop the run, you can stop the team, I would look at their defense pretty high and rounding out the top 5 is Bulletmore, Murderland, the Steelers and the Titans.

At some point Michael Vick will pop up on the board and folks will realize that they want this guy. He is not higher than round 4 I think because he is not a starter and he has been out of the game for 2 seasons but when he is back into football shape and looking like he did in 2006, he will create points in many different ways. Having him on your bench is probably the best back up you can get.

I am not a big sleepers guy but I would draft Ramses Barden and stay away Beanie Wells in Arizona. He was injured in college and he is already a bit injured. I think he may be injury prone. Barden, because of his size, and the lack of a clear number 1 in New York, may become a trusted weapon for Eli Manning. Kyle Orton looked horrible and I advise against having him on your draft team unless you can have a fantasy water boy. TO is already injured just like any other year where he doesn't want to practice. He will still score 10, give or take 2. Torry Holt looked younger and more fit than I thought he would. He may help Garrard's numbers as well as have a little resurgence of his own due to having a decent QB throwing to him. Watch out for both these guys if they are hanging around late.

NFL--Brett Favre Signs With The Vikings

2009-08-18T11:19:00.003-04:00

I am embarrassed to be a football fan. I have no idea what Brett Favre is doing with this off season waltz that he has been the lead since last season. This is so corny for lack of a better expression. I cheered Favre a few weeks ago with his decision to stay in the retirement home in Mississippi. Now, I will have to absolutely unleash a tirade and dispense my unfiltered lack of support for this future Hall of Shamer.

This is hands the down, the dumbest event in NFL history. Let's not debate the other stupid things that have gone on because this is unmatched. Brett Favre as of 0900 hours this morning as he boarded a plane from Hattiesburg to St. Paul single handedly made the idiot formerly known as Michael Crabtree look like Albert Einstein. He has announced his retirement about 4 times with no equivocation. He looked into the cameras with puppy dog eyes and sometimes cried saying that he is done. If I were a receiver on his team, or a running back, an offensive lineman, whatever position, how can you trust this guy? He lies publicly in front of millions of viewers listening to this BS and trusting his every word. When he gets into a huddle and he says, okay this play is on 2. I wouldn't trust him. He may go on 1 or 3. I wouldn't trust him in a foxhole because he is a Big Fat Liar.

It even appears that he lied to the Vikings so he would not have to go to training camp. I cannot believe what I have been hearing. So what happens? He will go into the Vikes, help them beat the Packers take them into the playoffs to lose to Carolina or New York. Then what? He retires next year... again with his eyes full of tears and a pout to rival a 5 year olds'. Cris Carter said it best. Brett Favre reminds him now of a spoiled little kid. Thank you Cris Carter, someone needed to say that publicly. NFL teams are like a freight train that it takes a lot to stop. He will now stop the train so he can get on and ride the coattails of a team that is already a contender even with the horrible Tavaris Jackson and the mediocre Sage Whatshisface. I truly hope if they win that he doesn't try and take credit for it. I hope the media doesn't call him a messiah of football.

The Vikings were in the playoffs last year. They have the best running back in the league. A great rookie in Percy Harvin, the top ranked run defense and a team that is already on the verge. Favre may actually be a disruption and not the help everyone is looking for. Adrian Peterson will get less carries because of this guy. I was using my scientific calculator and I could not figure out how it is a good thing to give AP the ball less.

Brett Favre is either jealous that Michael Vick has gotten all of the attention or his wife keeps telling him to get the hell out of the house and when he watches football on television he is like an armchair QB yelling at the screen saying that he can do better. I do it too and I am sure that all of my friends and all of the blog readers do the same thing. The difference is, he can get up off of the couch and disrupt a team while I realize that my playing days are over.

There is nothing about him that I like right now. I don't know if I will retract my emotions next year as I did a few weeks ago to praise his accomplishments over his career. There should be an asterisk next to his name to denote that yes he is one of the greatest of all time but he is also a lying dumb ass that is not to be trusted. Mrs Favre, trust me, he made wedding vows but be careful, he has a history of not telling the truth.

NFL--Preseason Assessment

2009-08-17T05:49:00.004-04:00

If I didn't give my opinion on the state of the NFL after the first week of football I just wouldn't be me. There hasn't been too many impressive performances and we must keep in mind that these players oftentimes are not playing against the first team offense/defense and the blitzes aren't coming and most of the very best players are on the bench before the end of the first quarter. Frankly, I have not felt like I needed to run to my laptop and throw out a post about someone who is just head and shoulders above the rest. Michael Crabtree had a great preseason game... oh wait, he is waiting for the 2010 draft, my bad folks.

Matthew Stafford didn't seem all that impressive. He got double the amount of time than Daunte Culpepper and I wasn't convinced that he should get the job. I know the world and especially the Lions organization wants him to have the job. Culpepper will not relinquish it so easily. In his mind, he is the starter. Sure Stafford threw a TD but, let's be real, was he really going to sit down without a TD. He still has more to do before putting Culpepper on the bench.

Mark Sanchez on the other hand who has been running even with Clemens in camp was clearly better in the game and is slated to start the next preseason game. I don't believe that he will not continue to start the rest of the preseason unless the Jets want to play games. No, he was not Peyton Manning, but, he has shown that if he is running even with a veteran there for 4 years, that guy needs to lose his job.

Now to defense a little bit. "The safest pick in the Draft" is what people were calling Aaron Curry at this years draft. It may be true. He will be starting for the Seattle Seahawks this season at strong side linebacker. He did nothing special except for his job. He had a couple tackles and he was back on the bench but trust me boys and girls he is going to be a good one.

Tom Brady threw 2 TD's and 1 pick. No one cares about the pick. He did what he was doing back in 2007. He looked a bit rusty but he looked rusty like his first preseason tosses not lucky like he has been injured and out for a year. Randy dropped 1 or 2 and it was clear that he didn't have his game face on but he was still found 3 times for 54 yards. Brady had no Wes Welker and he still looked hard to stop even with the rust.

August 27th will be very highly anticipated for the preseason as Michael Vick is allowed to play in that game against the Jaguars. He has been practicing as a QB and nothing for the stupid wildcat. Realistically though, do you think that Andy Reid will let anyone see anything substantial in practice to the media. They will use him as much as possible but his future is unsure. Is he a back up? Is he a wildcat or is this an experiment? We will never really know but trust me, everyone who watches football, love him or hate him, will be watching PRESEASON football on the 27th of August.

Jay Cutler threw an interception but who really cares? He is the best QB in Chicago since Jim McMahon. The best in like 20 years. He is the future of the franchise and that town needs to treat him accordingly before he skips town and leaves them with another horrible QB.

Chicago's old QB did what he did for the Bears, only worse. He threw 3 INT's and was shown up by Chris Simms throwing 2 TD's and 142 yds. and no picks. If Simms ends up starting I will laugh my ass off. I have always pulled for the kid as he is the son of Phil Simms, who is a legend in GiantLand.

Terrell Owens has looked typical this preseason obviously in short work and now with his annual injury to keep him out of preseason games and practices. He however did not look like he would be able to hold off Randy Moss on the all time TD list. TO has 139 TD's and Randy Moss has 135 TD's. I think Randy will have a minimum 18 this year and TO will put up his standard 10 or 11 which will put Moss 3 or 4 ahead of the Diva WR.

Vince Young is actually a better QB than Kerry Collins for the future of the franchise but he can't keep looking so feast or famine in the preseason. He also cannot keep making assonine statements as to his wanting to be the next black QB to win a Super Bowl. Just play the game and keep the suicidal tendencies to a minimum, okay sport.

Monday Night Football tonight with the New York Football Giants will be somewhat highly anticipated because it is the first preseason game in the post-Plax era. We will get a look at some of these receivers and see if they can do what Giants fans are hoping for. Hakeem Nicks and Ramses Barden will get a good taste of that NY media sports juggernaut. Plus, Osi Umenyiora is back after missing all of 2008. Of course, this is not as special as Tom Brady's return but trust me, for all of the Giants fans, they will be on the edge of their collective seats watching intently.

NFL--Michael Vick Signs With The Eagles

2009-08-13T21:08:00.006-04:00

The football player formerly known as the dog whisperer has finally signed with a team. Most details were not released but it's a 2 year deal for an undisclosed amount. I did not predict my mortal enemy the Philadelphia Eagles would sign Michael Vick but he is now there and we are left to ponder the possibilities of how they will use him.

Donovan McNabb was actually an option QB when he played for Syracuse years ago with Marvin Harrison as a WR. The possibilities are endless. The Eagles have the oft injured but very versatile back that has almost as many receiving TD's(28) as he does rushing(36). Westbrook also has 1 passing TD. I am annoyed that I didn't see this under my nose. The Eagles have 2 ridiculously fast receivers in Maclin and Jackson. The most effectively passing mobile QB in football today in McNabb and tons of other weapons that scream to be used.

No one at this juncture is exactly sure what Vick will be used for or how he will be used but, McNabb and Vick on the field at the same time is like picking teams in the playground and some idiot let the 2 best athletes play on the same team. McNabb has caught the ball a few times, he has over 3,000 yards rushing in his career with 5.8 average yards per carry. Vick has over 3,800 yards rushing with 7.3 YPC over his career. If you sprinkle in the fact that he was a full time QB that did his best on the run, you have a problem for the NY Giants, Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins.

There are 2 other reasons I love this signing. The Eagles have a solid organization that is not in turmoil and it is not an environment where the inmates run the asylum. He will go there and do his job and play football. Sure, he is in a major city in Philadelphia but this kid has Tony "The Reverend" Dungy breathing down his neck. He won't do really dumb things. The last reason is, he is going to a team that has a QB. The Eagles have their starting QB for 10 years and he will not have jealousy or self-esteem issues because another horse is in town. No one has told McNabb that his job is in jeopardy and Michael Vick knows that he is not going there to compete for a job. He is going there to help them win and score when he actually touches the field.

Good job Eagles. Why oh why did we let this happen Giants?

NFL--Top Five Defensive Players Not In The Hall of Fame

2009-08-13T12:08:00.004-04:00

When I read the numbers on some of this stuff, it is not only alarming, it is disturbing and it kind of make me sick to my stomach. I played defense for 90% of my insignificant football career so I obviously have a soft spot for the defensive side of the ball. Although because I played defense, THERE ARE NO SOFT SPOTS. There are 135 offensive players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and only 81 defensive players. Now, I am no genius but, the last time I checked, there were 2 sides of the ball and one side would find tremendous difficulty without the other side of the ball to do their part. I have also heard the saying, "defense wins championships" more times than I can count. So why would there not be close to an equal number of participants in the Hall of Fame?One could make the argument that the dominant players are already inducted. Yes, some of them are. My argument is we have defensive players in the Hall with some truly ridiculous numbers. For example, the 2009 class had Bruce Smith, all time terror and sack leader, Rod Woodson, third all time in picks and probably the second best defensive back ever and second best corner ever, Derrick Thomas, in my opinion, was an embarassment that he wait post mortem for 5 years to get in. Outside of Lawrence Taylor, there has not been a more dominant game changing force of nature than Derrick Thomas. All of the accolades and long ass speeches being given this past Sunday were actually a slap in the face to his family, his teammates and every QB that he drilled into the ground in his way too short career. So Pro Football, keep the long speeches and crocodile tears and do the right thing for the right people.

This will be my top 5 in no particular order:

Steve Atwater- I had the pleasure of watching this guy play. He didn't just play, he destroyed everything in a different colored jersey for 11 seasons. People will undoubtedly pull statistics out of their asses and say, wait a minute, he only had 24 interceptions in 11 seasons. This guy wasn't just your average run of the mill free safety. He played up on the line and had over 1,000 tackles in his career. He dominated and lead his team defensively as John Elway lead the team offensively. Steve Atwater is the second hardest hitting defensive back in history behind Ronnie Lott. No one struck fear into the heart of an offense like Atwater did in his day. He was not in a position to grab 9 picks in a season or be the ball hawk that grabbed everything out of the sky but he was around the ball on virtually every play. Before Atwater arrived on the Broncos, the team was ranked in the basement of the NFL. After his arrival, they were top ten. Some can look at the numbers and say, well he wasn't very dominant. My suggestion would be to stop looking at numbers and ask offensive NFL players that played against Steve Atwater if he was dominant or not. As a matter of fact, ask Christian Okoye after he is on his break at WalMart, if he thinks that the guy was dominant.
Richard Dent- Number 7 on the list for all time sacks with 137. At the time of retirement, he was number three behind Bruce Smith and Reggie White. He has, not only a Super Bowl ring but an MVP. Does anyone have any clue how difficult it is to get an MVP as a defensive player? Not to mention, he received this MVP on a team that is arguably one of the grestest defensive teams in history. As I was growing up, I had a tendency to watch NFC football more. I saw Richard Dent run through and around lineman to get to the QB as was virtually unstoppable. He played his career at the same time as the aforementioned sack masters so his pro bowls are skewed a bit. His notoriety is somewhat overshadowed because of the greats that played in his era. In my opinion, this should have no bearing. Larry Bird and Magic Johnson played their entire careers against each other. That never made one less great than the other. Muhammad Ali's career is great because of the fighters that were around when he was peaking. This does not seem to hold true in the NFL. Usually, if there is another dominant player around when there is a guy who is good enough for the hall of fame, that guy will be slighted. Richard Dent is being slighted. How could Dan "Danimal" Hampton and Mike Singletary make the Hall and not Richard Dent. Those guys are a package deal sportswriters of America. Do your due diligence!
Kevin Greene- This guy has 160 sacks in his career. In this instance, who cares that he has no ring. All Kevin Greene did was go to work and sack the QB. That's it. He was part of a dominant Steeler defense that went to the Super Bowl. I mean, let's cut to the chase. He is number 3 on one of the most revered lists in defensive football. Why is their a debate? Kevin Greene wasn't someone to be ignored. If a team tried to ignore him, he made them pay by forcing them to pull the grass and dirt out of their QB's face mask. Bruce Smith is a first ballot Hall of Famer, Reggie White was a first ballot Hall of Famer. Why has Greene been waiting for 5 eligible years? No one talks about Kevin Greene as this force of nature but no one could stop him. I can name 160 times that no one stopped him. He has the most sacks EVER, by a LB. EVER, is a word that should be an automatic enshrinement. I find it hard to believe that these so called experts aren't part dyslexic or illiterate. Lawrence Taylor is on that LB list. He has more sacks than LT. Anyone who has more anything than the greatest LB to play the game needs to be in the Hall of Fame. End of discussion.
Eric Allen- I love to see big hitting corners. This guy was a big hitting corner. Eric Allen went to 6 Pro Bowls and he is number twelve on the all time interceptions list. Defensive stats are sometimes hard to understand. Once you get to a point where you are known as a top defender, teams tend to avoid you. So his 54 picks can be a gift and a curse. It is obvious that in 13 years as a full time starter he was pretty good because in the NFL if you get toasted, you get benched. Most likely, teams weren't really to eager to throw his way. Deion Sanders, the greatest CB to ever play the game is not even in the top 20 of interceptors but we know no one was throwing the ball at the guy. One would need to watch film of Eric Allen to see why he should be in the Hall of Fame. He is a long time Eagle so I have very intimate knowledge of how and why he is one of the greatest football players of all time. Eric Allen has no rings to show, and his stats are pedestrian at best but how many CB's can you name that are better than him. Most likely the names that will come of your septic tank of a mouth will be Hall of Famers so... case closed.
Rickey Jackson- WHO? Where did he play? How did you even come up with that name? Because boys and girls, I watch football. If you watch football, you will remember that Pat Swilling, Sam Mills, Vaughn Johnson and Rickey Jackson were terrors for the New Orlean Saints. Of that tandem, Rickey Jackson was probably the best. I remember hearing Pat Swillings name a lot more but when you look at the body of work, Jackson gets the nod. He has 128 sacks which is good enough for 10th all time. 1 position ahead of Derrick Brooks and 2 positions behind Lawrence Taylor. Do the math please. He played on a team that routinely went to the playoffs and lost in the first round but he anchored a defense that turned out a Defensive Player of the Year in Pat Swilling and a defense that lead the league in sacks. Nothing pretty about this story, just the fact that we can't keep great players out of the Hall because they play defense.

NFL--Top Five Offensive Players Not In The Hall of Fame

2009-08-12T09:34:00.003-04:00

In the coming years, the list of first ballot Hall of Famers will include greats like Marshall Faulk, Jonathan Ogden, Deion Sanders, Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith (I had to save the Cowboy for last – GO GIANTS). So with inductions in Canton the news of the week in the NFL (no one gives a rat’s ass about Crabtree) we’re going to throw the names of the top 5 offensive players that are not in the Hall but damn well should be. The politics associated with the Hall of Fame is really irritating. It needs to be re-evaluated. For starters, they can take the 6 inductee at a time cap off each year (at least increase it to ten). Second, QBs and RBs aren’t the only players that should up for football games. Offensive lineman and defensive players are poorly represented. There are only 7 tight ends in the Hall…total. Just think of all the great tight ends that play today…Tony Gonzales, Antonio Gates, Jason Witten, Dallas Clark, Chris Cooley. Gonzo is already a lock, but Gates and Clark are also having Hall worthy careers…so far. Anyway, let’s get to the business.

1) Shannon Sharpe, TE, Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens

The first sign that Hall voters have no idea what they’re doing. Upon his retirement, Sharpe was the all time leader for tight ends in every category that matters: receptions, yardage and touchdowns. It reads something like this…. 815 career receptions for 10,060 receiving yards and 62 touchdowns. Sorry, did I forget to mention his THREE SUPER BOWL RINGS. He also played in 8 Pro Bowls and was named an All-Pro five times. He should have been a first ballot guy...yes he is loud and is probably best known for the hilarious rant on the sidelines in a game against the Patriots. If you haven’t heard it, here it goes… “Mr. President. We need the National Guard. We need as many men as you can spare because we are killing the Patriots. So call the dogs off. Send the National Guard, please. They need emergency help.” We can only assume that his outspoken nature is what caused the Hall voters to “teach him a lesson” (a la Michael Irvin) by keeping him off the first ballot.

2) Terrell Davis, RB, Denver Broncos

People should stop talking about the Dallas Cowboys bias and start talking about the Denver Broncos bias. You can’t tell me that after 5 trips to the Super Bowl the only guy worthy of the Hall is John Elway…seriously. The argument against Terrell is that his career wasn’t long enough. Okay, first the facts. In his seven year career, Davis rushed for 7,607 yards, averaged 4.6 yards per carry and scored 65 total touchdowns. But let’s be honest, he played from 1995 to 2001and the last three injury riddled years of his career he rushed for 1,194 yards. So the first four years of his career, he averaged 1,603 yards per season…how many backs in the Hall can say that (NOT A SINGLE ONE). In a span of four years, he rushed for 2,000 yards (only 5 backs have ever done that – O.J, Dickerson, Sanders, Lewis and Davis), won two Super Bowls, one regular season MVP, a Super Bowl MVP, went to 3 Pro Bowls and was a 4 time All-Pro. Man, his career really sucked. He most likely had the greatest run in the history of NFL in that four year span.

3) Cris Carter, WR, Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, Miami Dolphins

Can somebody look up Lynn Swann’s numbers and then tell me why Mr. Carter is not in the Hall. So he wasn’t the only one snorting crack. Cris Carter has been eligible for the Hall for the past two years and was not admitted either time. He has everything that the Hall has seemed to deem criteria for the Hall. He has the numbers (1,101 catches for 13,899 yard and 130 touchdowns) and he has the longevity (he played for 16 years). Marvin Harrison, Randy Moss, and Terrell Owens have eclipsed Carter on the all time receiving list in several categories, but AT THE TIME OF HIS RETIREMENT the only player better at the position was Jerry Rice (okay and maybe Don Hutson – know your history people). Was it playing in the shadow of Jerry Rice for all those years and never winning a championship? Please…there are more players in the Hall that have never won a championship or a Super Bowl. He never had a Hall of Fame QB slinging the ball to him, unlike Rice and Harrison. He wasn’t as big or as fast as Moss or Owens. But he still managed to go 8 Pro Bowls and was named a first team All-Pro twice. Sorry this one is a head scratcher. The only reason he’s third on this list is because there’s 5 Super Bowl rings between the guys ahead of him.

4) Randall Cunningham , QB, Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens

Go ahead. Lie and tell me you knew he won three MVPs (as many as Brett Favre and Peyton Manning). That you knew he is a four-time Pro Bowler, the NFL’s career rushing leader for quarterbacks (4,928 yards), passed for almost 30,000 yards and was considered the NFL’s ultimate weapon in the 90’s. Good because not many people do know. If you’ve been following football for a while, then you probably remember the SI cover with Randall and the title “Ultimate Weapon”. He was one of the fastest and most elusive runners at the quarterback position since the NFL had players that played 3 or 4 different positions and wore leather helmets. In a lot of ways he was a throwback and the league hadn’t ever seen anything like him (Fran Tarkenton was close). He almost led the Vikings to the Super Bowl in 1998 – lost in NFC Championship game to the Atlanta Falcons – and helped his team set a then NFL-record 556 points in one season. The record for points has since been broken by the Patriots, but that doesn’t change his accomplishments.

5) Herschel Walker, RB/KR, USFL NJ Generals, Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants

Before you even get it out, Warren Moon’s career statistics were used to validate his admittance into the Hall (he played in Canada). So don’t give me the, “Herschel Walker played three years in the USFL”. His time in the USFL was off the chains. It sounds something like this. He played in the USFL from 1983 to 1985 and in ’85 he gained over 4,000 yards in total offense. He holds the professional football record for single-season rushing yards with 2,411 yards in 1985, averaging 5.50 yards per carry in 18 games (in a 16 games season, that’s 2,143 yards so it would still be the record). In his USFL career, Walker had 5,562 yards rushing in 1,143 carries, averaging 4.87 yards per carry. In 12 NFL seasons, Walker gained 8,225 rushing yards, 4,859 receiving yards, and 5,084 kickoff-return yards. This gave him 18,168 total combined net yards, ranking him second among the NFL's all-time leaders in total yardage AT THE TIME OF HIS RETIREMENT. Ten years after his retirement, he’s still eighth. He scored 84 touchdowns: 61 rushing, 21 receiving and two kick-off returns for touchdowns. Walker is the only player to have over 10,000 yards from scrimmage and 5,000 return yards. He is the only player to gain 4,000 yards three different ways: rushing, receiving, and kickoff returns. He is one of six players to exceed 60 touchdowns rushing and 20 touchdowns receiving. Another NFL record he possesses is that he is the only player with a 90+ yard reception, 90+ yard run, and a 90+ yard kickoff return all in the same season (1994). He is also the only player to record an 84+ yard touchdown run and an 84+ yard touchdown reception, in the same game (December 14, 1986). That same day, he had 100 yards rushing and 100 yards receiving. Walker is currently eighth all time in all-purpose yards with 18,168, despite spending his first three seasons in the USFL.

Best of the Rest:

Oakland Raiders QB Jim Plunkett, Oakland Raiders QB Ken Stabler, SF 49ers RB Roger Craig, Giants QB Phil Simms, Green Bay Packers OG Jerry Kramer, Steelers center Dermontti Dawson, Redskins KR Brian Mitchell.

NFL--Top Ten Quarterbacks for 2009- Number 1

2009-08-11T06:02:00.002-04:00

[Entering his tenth season, Tom Brady has 26,446 yards passing with 2,301 completions(63%) and 197 TD's, 86 int's and a lifetime passer rating of 92.9]

Joe Montana has only thrown for 30 TD's or more once. Terry Bradshaw has never thrown for more than 30 TD's. Why is Montana routinely considered the greatest of all time? Both Montana and Bradshaw have an unbelievable 4 Super Bowl rings. These weren't guys that tagged along on the Super Bowl train and snagged a few down low championships. They were front and center. Quarterbacks who will receive the blame for the losses but the pat on the back for the wins. Winning 1 Super Bowl is hard enough, just ask Dan Marino. For those that have one, it is cherished and elusive and likely not repeated. Ladies and Gentleman, I bring to you... Tom Brady.

Mr. Brady, and I call him Mr. Brady because anyone who is a certified football stud, can get one model pregnant and then marry and get another one pregnant all while finishing the regular season 16-0 and breaking the single season passing TD record with 50 needs to be called Mister. In any event, Mr. Brady has 3 Super Bowl rings. 2 Super Bowl MVP's. He was also the starting QB while on a 21 game win streak in 2004 and a 18 game win streak in 2007. Mr. Brady is a winner and nothing more. It's amazing that I can say that. He does nothing special except will his team to win. This is a team where the parts are constantly changing. The part that generally remains the same is the QB.

I will stay away from leaning so heavily on the stats because the numbers will not make sense to some of the more brick headed readers. He does not have gaudy numbers with the exception of one year. He will not retire with the most anything in history except for maybe Super Bowl wins. He is not Peyton Manning. He will not put up those numbers that make you slam your fist on the table and say, look at these TD's, he has to go to the Hall of Fame. There is very little doubt in my mind that he will take an unprecedented assault on championships by the time he decides to retire. No one wants to see the Patriots in the playoffs. Every AFC team must go through New England to get to the Super Bowl. Last year, no one did. Mr. Brady was on the sidelines with a season ending injury. The year before last, he was in the Super Bowl losing to the unlikely eventual champion New York Football Giants. The year before that, Peyton Manning had to get the monkey off of his back and defeat the Pats. 2005 saw New England exit early from the playoffs but in general, every AFC team knows that in order to make it to the big game, you will likely need to beat Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.

Tom Brady has a fire inside that has been evident since his playing days in Michigan and I think that that fire will be omnipresent going into the 2009 season. He not only wants to play and win. He has something to prove and his last full game was a loss at the end of what otherwise was a perfect season. His injury last year will not even matter. He will come out gunning and with Fred Taylor in the backfield, Joey Galloway, Wes Welker and that other guy Randy Moss at wideout, he will have more "toys" to play with than he ever had before. He doesn't get sacked much nor does he throw many picks so you tell me how to stop this guy next year. To be completely honest, his numbers probably will not mirror his 2007 totals but they will be very hard to beat and he is already an MVP candidate.

Tom Brady will play another 5 to 7 years and win 2 or 3 more championships. He started his career as a starter after a little while so his body isn't that beaten up. One day he will wake up and ask himself, do I want to look at Randy Moss or Gisele Bundchen? I anticipate early retirement but I do see 2 more championships before that day arrives. Unfortunately, for the rest of the league, his fourth ring may come this year. All he knows how to do is win games on every level. He never lost a Bowl Game in college. He only has 2 post season losses in his NFL career. Those are the numbers that matter.

There is no doubt that Tom Brady goes to the Hall of Fame. There is very little doubt that he will be a first ballot HOFer. The doubt begins to bubble when I throw in to the debate that he is the greatest ever. If he wins one more ring, he will need to be in that debate. If he wins 2 more, he should dominate that debate. At this juncture, there is no QB better equipped to be the first to win 5 than Tom Brady. We are about to experience the greatest QB of all time do what he does. The numbers need to be ignored and what we should take notice of is the ability to not beat the guy.

NFL--Michael Crabtree Holding Out

2009-08-09T18:48:00.004-04:00

I wasn't going to write about this simply because I was so infuriated about the entire situation I couldn't really put the words together to describe how stupid, stupid, stupid Michael Crabtree is and all of the surrounding idiots that have appeared out of the clown car in which he calls his inner circle. It appears to me to be nothing more than a circle jerk with not much of anything productive coming out of it.

This past April, I publicly announced that Crabtree was probably the best player and athlete in this years draft. During the draft I wrote multiple posts urging the Giants to move up and get him. I said that Detroit should forget about Stafford, draft Crabtree and have the 1-2 punch of Calvin Johnson and Michael Crabtree and it doesn't matter who was throwing the ball. I thought that the Raiders were probably the single dumbest team in the pros drafting Darrius Heyward-Bey before this kid. I was the biggest Crabtree cheerleader despite his stock dropping because of not running at the combine or at his pro day.

My view on Crabtree has taken a 180 degree turn. I am not a huge fan of holdouts. I disagree with the reasoning behind it and generally, I believe players turn in horrible years after holding out (see Larry Johnson). But, I especially believe that rookies have no place to hold out as their value is a risky as buying a penny stock with a product that MAY be very good down the road. Would you give your money to a hedge fund manager that has only showed performance in his paper trading account? I think not. So a rookie saying that they are worth more than what is offered is ludicrous. The formula has been relatively simple for draft spot and player position for a number of years. Not to mention that their is no QB there that is guaranteed to start this season which in my opinion, makes it less economical to give this jackass more money.

There has also been the Bo Jackson, John Elway and Eli Manning argument. Bo Jackson was told by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that he had to choose between football and baseball. Not wanting to make a choice, he chose baseball, slipped to the 7th round where the Raiders took him at 183rd. John Elway refused to play for the Colts. He forced them to give away his rights or he would play baseball. He did this on draft day. Eli Manning refused to play for the Chargers and there was a deal in place for the Giants to give up draft picks and draft Rivers and then trade him to them. Crabtree has done none of this. He is just an asshole demanding more money because he think he is worth more.

He wants Heyward-Bey money. The reason he is getting that money is because he... drumroll please, went to the combine, ta da. If Michael Crabtree hadn't gotten injured painting his toenails or whatever it is his punk ass was doing he would have gone a lot higher. His immensely stupid cousin/advisor/dickhead is publicly saying that if he is not given a better deal then he will sit out this season and return for the 2010 draft. WHAT!! (imagine me doing an impersonation of David Chapelle doing an impersonation of Lil' Jon). With Tebow and Bradford and McCoy all coming out next year. Dez Bryant and tons of tackles and defensive studs, he would not be top ten. His stock dropped last year because he missed the combine. Imagine what will happen to his stock if he misses a full season of football. Imagine what will happen after he is inevitably tagged a problem child. This kid must have bumped his f***ing head if he thinks he will go higher next year and get more money.

Outside of injury, if this kid doesn't get 45 IQ into camp, I wish him the worst.

NFL--Top Ten Quarterbacks for 2009- Number 2

2009-08-09T17:28:00.002-04:00

[Entering his twelfth season, Peyton Manning has 45,628 yards on 5,960 attempts with a completion percentage of 64.4, 333 TD's and 165 int's with a lifetime passer rating of 94.7]

If you like 6, 5, 230 pound quarterbacks with laser rocket arms like Peyton Manning said in the Sprint commercial then you should know why he is number 2 on this list. Frankly, after giving his stats in the introduction line, I feel like there is nothing more for me to say. However, if you are regular readers of this blog, you would know that I always have something to say.

Last year was one of the worst for Peyton Manning in that 27 TD's was his lowest total since 2002, and so was his passer rating of 95. He didn't have Marvin Harrison who is arguably one of the best to ever do it, he had a rough start to the season not being in camp and dropping 4 out of the first 7 games of 2008. Many people were writing the guy off and saying that it was over for him. What a difference a week makes. Peyton Manning turned around and ripped off 9 wins in a row to finish 12-4 and snag his third MVP. How does one do that? How does one go from 3-4 to 12-4 and an MVP? Granted, anything less than a Super Bowl win at this point for Manning is a disappointment but regardless of what it is to him, getting an MVP in your 4th slowest year is unbelievable.

There was much talk about Peyton winning a championship. Many used to say that he didn't have the heart to do it. He couldn't close the deal is what journalists would scream on their blogs and on national television. Then...oops, he wins a ring and the MVP for that Super Bowl. I get it, its easy to knock Peyton Manning. It is very easy to not like him but in sports where wins and championships oftentimes define your career, we should put personal feelings aside. He was put on this Earth from day 1 to be a great QB. He has the genes with his NFL QB of a father. The height, the weight the arm. There is no doubt in my mind that Peyton Manning was throwing a football before he learned how to read. He shows little to no emotion and he performs robotic type hand gestures on the line which is so annoying. Regular guys like you and I, and regular gals like some of my readers do not like a knight in shining armor or a goodie two shoes respectively. Brett Favre is easy to like. He is the guy that lives next door and you call over to have a beer. Peyton Manning is football royalty. He is not going to our crap hole homes to drink our cheap beer. Outside of the great work he did in Katrina, he is not touching anyone so that our average germs can make him less than superhuman. We can all sense his nose in the air as he performs the river dance with his hands on the line of scrimmage, but no one has been very successful in keeping him out of 9 Pro Bowls, 9 4,000 yard passing seasons, 11, 25 TD seasons, or winning the Super Bowl.

Peyton Manning has numbers that guarantees him to be number 3 all time for passing TD's as he is only 9 away so by game 4 he will be there. He is 132 TD's away from Favre which means if he averages 25 TD's a season, which he has done every season since coming into the league, he will pass Brett in 5 and a half seasons. No doubt in my mind that he has that target in sight. Peyton Manning was bred to be the best to ever do it. He will not be, but, his numbers will be the best by the time his time is up. He is 20,000 yards away from the top spot in yardage and about 1,600 passes away for the most completions. There is no doubt in my mind that Peyton Manning does not step away without taking every significant passing record in the NFL and the AFC has been a 3 way battle between the Pats, the Steelers and the Colts for the past 10 years or so. 4 appearances by the Pats, 2 by the Steelers and 1 for the Colts in the Super Bowl proves my point. He will most likely win 1 more before retirement and then the debates will start. Where does ROBO-QB rank amongst the greats?

NFL--Top Ten Quarterbacks for 2009- Number 3

2009-08-07T08:54:00.002-04:00

[Entering his ninth season, Brees has thrown for 26,258 yards (63.9% comp), 168 touchdowns and 99 interceptions (89.4 rating)]

Vince Young should take a look at how Drew Brees responded to adversity and learn something. In the 2001 draft, Brees and LaDainian Tomlinson were both selected by the San Diego Chargers. Brees won the starting job from Doug Flutie (another man who knows how to overcome adversity) before the start of the 2002 season. But he was replaced by Flutie during the 2003 season.

In his rookie season, Brees played only one game and earned a passer rating of 94.8. In his second year, he passed for 3,284 yards and 17. The Chargers looked to turn Brees' second season into a successful one as they started 4–0. However, an up-and-down season ending with the Chargers losing their last four games placed the team at 8–8, while Brees earned a 76.9 passer rating for the season. Brees was named the starter for the 2003 season, passing for a career low 2,108 yards and earning a 67.5 rating. The Chargers went 4-12 under the leadership of both Brees and Flutie. San Diego earned the first overall pick with said record and drafted Philip Rivers. However, due to the long contract negotiations between Rivers and the Chargers, Brees started the following season and had a break out year. Brees held the third best rating in the NFL, at 104.8 and was named to the Pro Bowl. He was also named 2004 Comeback Player of the Year.

However, Brees became a free agent after the 2004 season and was not expected to return to San Diego, which had already committed a large sum of money to Rivers. The team eventually designated Brees as a franchise player, giving him a one-year contract that quadrupled his pay to $8 million for the 2005 season. Under the terms of the "franchise player" contract, Brees was eligible to be traded, but the Chargers would have had to receive two future first round draft choices in return. He was not traded and continued to start the remainder of the 2005 season. Drew continued his productive play in 2005, as he posted a career high in passing yards with 3,576. Brees also posted an 89.2 rating, which was the 10th best in the NFL. Additionally, during the 2005 season he led the Chargers to a win over the Patriots at New England, while posting a 137.5. In the last game of the 2005 season against the Denver Broncos, Brees injured his shoulder while trying to pick up a fumble.

Reports mention rotator cuff damage as well, making the injury much more serious than it was originally described. After the injury, San Diego Chargers General Manager told Brees that the team wanted him back to full strength and that they wanted him to lead them to a championship. Brees, eligible for free agency, saw the request as a sign that he would be back in a Chargers uniform. He stated in a local San Diego radio interview that he was willing to take less than "franchise-type" money to be with a Super Bowl contender. The team offered Brees a 5-year, $50 million contract that paid $2 million in base salary the first year and the rest heavily based on performance incentives, notably that he line up under center 75% of the season. Brees took the incentive-based offer as a sign of no confidence by the Chargers and promptly demanded the type of money a top 5 "franchise" quarterback would receive.

After the Chargers refused to increase their offer, Brees met with other teams. Brees then quickly signed a 6-year, $60 million deal with the New Orleans Saints. Brees had a productive year in 2006. He threw a league-leading 4,418 passing yards, finished third in the league with 26 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions and a 96.2 passer rating. Brees was named the first runner-up behind LT for league MVP. Brees led the Saints to the franchise's first NFC Championship game but lost against to the Bears.

In 2008, Brees finished 15 yards short of the NFL record for passing yards thrown in a single season set by Dan Marino in 1984. He finished the season with 5,069 yards and became only the second quarterback in NFL history to throw for over 5,000 yards in a season. He also passed for 300 yards ten times during the season.

Unfortunately for Brees, the Saints can score 100 points on offense but their defense will give up 102. He’s a great leader and his production last year despite missing his best receiver most of the year is a clear example. In a record setting year, don’t forget that Bush was having a monster year returning kicks until he got hurt, Marques Colston was out most of the year and Deuce McAllister wasn’t starting anymore. Drew made Lance Moore and Devery Henderson look like Randy Moss and Wes Welker. He actually could have broken Marino’s record but he the record meant nothing to him as long as the team wasn’t winning. On the final drive of their final game, the Saints needed a hail mary to win the game but Brees needed a 16 yard completion to break the record. He threw the ball downfield while he had several receivers open 20 yards down field. If you can’t respect that, what can you?

NFL--Top Ten Quarterbacks for 2009- Number 4

2009-08-06T08:07:00.003-04:00

[Entering his eleventh season, McNabb has thrown for 29,320 yards (58.9% comp), 194 touchdowns and 90 interceptions (80.1 rating)]

The cart has to come before the horse with this QB. We usually tell you a story and smack you up wioth stats, but the tidbits below need to stand alone. For me, he’ll go down as the most under-appreciated megastar of this era. You didn’t know this about McNabb did you:

· Least Intercepted Quarterback per Pass Attempt of All Time (4303 attempts-90 interceptions, 2.09%)

· Third Best Touchdown to Interception Ratio of All Time (194-90, 2.16) behind Steve Young (232-107, 2.17) and Tom Brady (197-86, 2.29)

· Currently the third highest winning percentage among active quarterbacks (82-45-1, .645) behind Peyton Manning (117-59-0, .665) and Tom Brady (87-24-0, .784)

You don’t have to lie and pretend you knew McNabb was that good b/c we didn’t either. He’s got Hall of Fame numbers now. But you wouldn’t have been able to tell he’d be this good if you let Eagle fans be the judge. McNabb was drafted second overall by the Eagles and was famously booed by Philadelphia fans who wanted their team to draft Ricky Williams. McNabb just let that roll of his shoulders and went right to work. He made his first career start at home against Washington in a 35-28 win. With the win, McNabb became the first Eagles rookie QB to win his first NFL start and the first Eagle QB to win his first start.

In his first full season as a NFL starter in 2000, McNabb finished second in the Associated Press MVP voting (24-11) to Marshall Faulk, who set the NFL record for most TDs scored in a season. McNabb led the Eagles to their first playoff appearance since 1996. He was selected as a first alternate to the NFC Pro Bowl squad in 2000 (how do you finish second in MVP voting and get picked as an alternate in the Pro Bowl?). McNabb was named 2000 NFL Player of the Year by CBS Radio and the Terry (Bradshaw) Awards on Fox Sports and was named to the All-Madden team.

In 2001, he became only the fourth QB in Eagles history to pass for 3,000 yards in consecutive seasons - Sonny Jurgensen (1961-62), Ron Jaworski (1980-81), and Randall Cunningham (1988–90) were the other QBs. McNabb's Eagles advanced to the NFC championship game for the first time since 1980.

In week 11 of the 2002 season, McNabb suffered a broken ankle during a sack. He fumbled the ball, fell to the ground, and held his right leg. He went to the locker room to have his ankle taped, but returned for the Eagles' second drive. His injury was reported to be a sprained ankle, but X-rays after the game revealed that it was a broken ankle. During the game, however, McNabb made an impressive show of toughness. In one of the best passing games of his career, he was 20 of 25 passing, with 255 yards and 4 touchdowns. McNabb was out for the last six weeks of the regular season, and returned for the playoffs, but he recovered slowly. The Eagles defeated the Falcons, but were beaten by the Buccaneers in the NFC championship game (noticing a trend here).

Despite a slow start in the 2003 season, McNabb again led his team to the NFC Championship game - yet the haters pointed out that in his five years in the NFL, McNabb had yet to complete 60 percent of his passes or average seven yards per attempt over the course of an entire season, two statistical thresholds widely accepted as benchmarks for a successful season. McNabb had the highest quarterback rating (97.5) in the NFL for the second half of the season and also completed over 62% of his passes for over eight yards per attempt (he never says a word – he just shuts people up). But his critics had the last laugh as he lost in a third consecutive conference championship game.

In 2004, he put up elite numbers. He averaged 8.26 yards per attempt, completed 64.0 percent of his passes, threw 31 touchdown passes (he also ran for three more), and only eight interceptions. His passer rating was 104.7. He was the first quarterback in league history to throw over 30 touchdowns and less than 10 interceptions in a single season. The arrival of T.O. that year helped his stats a bit, but McNabb had never had a conventional receiving corps and carried the Eagles to multiple conference games. In the playoffs, McNabb led the Eagles to their first Super Bowl in almost 25 years. McNabb finished the game with 30 completions for 357 yards, the third highest total for both categories in Super Bowl history, and 3 touchdowns. The Eagles lost 24–21.

In 2005, in spite of the T.O. debacle, McNabb threw for 964 yards, eight touchdowns and only two picks in three games, leading the Eagles to a 2-1 record. Because of a sports hernia McNabb before the tenth game of the season. McNabb was on pace to throw for 4,457 yards, which would have easily eclipsed his career high of 3,875, set in 2004. In 2006, McNabb tore the ACL in his right knee in week 11 and was replaced by Jeff Garcia.

Due to injuries and slow starts McNabb and the Eagles floundered in 2007 and miss the playoffs. Despite an up-and-down 2008 season, McNabb helped the Eagles reach the playoffs for the seventh time in his nine seasons as a starter. He also set a career-high with 3,916 yards passing and led the Eagles to a franchise-record 416 points. The Eagles defeated the Dallas Cowboys 44-6 in the final week of the season to clinch the final playoff berth. But in a common theme, the Eagles were defeated by the Arizona Cardinals 32 - 25 in the NFC Conference Championship, ending their season.

If you judge his career by successes, he’s had a Hall of Fame career. If you judge his career by statistics, he’s had a Hall of Fame career. He’s played in a SB (and loss) but that is a massive achievement given the mediocre weapons he has at his disposal year in and year out. He’s one of the best to ever do it folks.

NFL--Eli Manning, Highest Paid Player in the NFL

2009-08-06T00:38:00.003-04:00

Eli Manning signed a contract yesterday worth $97.5 million over 6 years with $35 million of that guaranteed money. Now this is old news as it was yesterday afternoon that it happened. I am not blogging about news that you already know. I am going to address the parade of haters that have been prancing up and down the media, the blogosphere and the land of Twitter.

I am hearing all of these half illiterate birth mistakes complain that Eli Manning is not worth the money. He is not the best palyer in the NFL, why is he getting the most money. Listen Numnuts, Michael Jordan was obviously the best in the game when he played and likely he is the best of all time. Jordan wasn't the highest paid player until after winning 4 championships. It's not always about finding who is the best, it is about timing and what you are worth to the team. The New York Giants had the funds and Eli is the undisputed leader and face of this franchise.

Although Eli Manning getting the nod as the highest paid player in the NFL was more of an economic thing, I am going to hit your punk asses with some hard stats. Four straight seasons throwing for more than 20 TD's. Four straight seasons as a starter taking the team to the playoffs. Super Bowl Champion, Super Bowl MVP. Annual increase of passer rating, annual decrease in interceptions. 64 straight starts. Against the 15-0 Patriots in the final regular season game in 2007, he was 22 for 32, 251 yards and 4 TD's with 1 pick. the kid is a baller and just because he is not screaming about how good he is or banging a super model doesn't mean he doesnt deserve the money he is getting paid. Does Albert Haynesworth deserve the cash? Does the formally highest paid player Nnamdi Asomugha deserve the cash? Did Patrick Ewing, in the nineties deserve to be the highest paid player in the NBA over Michael Jordan? I bet all of you wish you could be the highest paid douchebag at your job but I bet there is always a douchebag getting more than you.

The Giants paid Brandon Jacobs, and now they are paying Eli Manning. Back in 2005, they took care of Osi Umenyiora and last year they took care of Justin Tuck. The Giants are taking care of their house and making sure the parts that make the team are happy. The Giants also do it quietly which is why no one can see this stuff coming.

I am sure when Rivers' contract is up and Tom Brady that this number will pale in comparison. All the Giants did was give money that they had to the most important guy in their team which is typically the most important guy on every team. Now you tell me how it doesn't make sense to pay your Super Bowl MVP QB. Well I guess the Chargers will pay their Super Bowl MVP a lot of money... Oh, my bad, they don't have a Super Bowl MVP at QB, that pick was traded to the Giants... NIMRODS.

NFL--Top Ten Quarterbacks for 2009- Number 5

2009-08-05T12:20:00.002-04:00

[Entering into his fifth season, Aaron Rodgers has 4,367 yards (63.2%), 29 TD's and 14 Int's]

There isn't a lot of tape on this guy and his docket isn't very long so this will not be a longwinded explanation of why this kid is top ten. Okay boys and girls, I can't walk you through this one with pretty pictures and stats that have been piling up for years. We have one season of which I feel Aaron Rodgers has catapulted himself immediately into the league elite.

The Spring of 2008 started off with Brett Favre retiring. Yay, for Rodgers one would think. Favre turned that elation into a debacle for the Packers organization and for Rodgers when he decided to come out of retirement. The good news is, the Packers stood behind Aaron Rodgers as their QB. Despite all of the pressure of stepping into the shoes of a legend, and living in the biggest shadow since Steve Young lived in the all eclipsing shadow of a guy named Montana, Aaron Rodgers performed as if he had never been on the bench.

His career numbers mirror his 2008 number so it's useless to repeat but when you get a guy that has zero starts in the pros to put up numbers like he did in his first year as the leader, you have to take notice. With his receivers, Jennings and the wiley vet (I promised I would never use that phrase) Driver, he will have probably a top five tandem this season. Not much has changed offensively for the Packers and QB's generally aren't like RB's in that a break out season can be a flop the next year. Quarterbacks are typically who they are. Either they suck or they do not suck. Aaron Rodgers will likely repeat last years performance with around 30 TD's. I don't think that he was handcuffed very often so coaches confidence will not play a part in his numbers.

Aaron Rodgers will, like Steve Young have the monkey on his back until he wins a championship for Green Bay and he deserves that monkey. But, I do not believe that there are many better, or better equipped in the NFL to throw for 30 TD's year in and year out than Aaron Rodgers and the beautiful thing is, he is only 26 years old. A new era has been ushered into the Frozen Tundra and he is gunning.

NFL--Top Ten Quarterbacks for 2009- Number 6

2009-08-03T11:54:00.003-04:00

[Entering his twelfth season, Kurt Warner has 28,591 yards passing with 182 TD's and 114 interceptions.]

Being part of the All Geriatric Team is usually not a positive thing but it can be if your age becomes irrelevant. Kurt Warner only needs 3 parts of his aging body to work well. Each one os his 2 eyes and his right arm. We, and I say we spitefully, have been in aw of Mr. Warner for the 11 seasons that he has been in the league. Whether it was his years as the ring master of "The Greatest Show on Turf" or the reemergence last year with the Cardinals, Kurt Warner has amazed viewers with his methodical dismantling of most defenses.

Warner never had the traditional journey to the top as many others have had. Not too long ago, he was stocking shelves at a grocery store. He had to futz around in the Arena Football League and NFL Europe before signing with the St. Louis Rams and breaking multiple records. It is actually a great thing that he was released in 1994 from the Green Bay Packers because Brett Favre never missed a start. He would have toiled away in back up land for his entire career. When he arrived on the Rams, he was a backup and Trent Green went down ushering in an era that all Rams fans will never forget. When he took over the offense in 1999, he threw for 4,353 yards and 41 TD's. Kurt Warner lead this team, which was usually near the basement, to their first Super Bowl victory and 2 years later, he led them to their second Super Bowl appearance in history. Although they lost the game, he engineered a comeback that forced the Patriots to win on a field goal try.

His numbers for 11 years aren't that impressive but when you take into account of the 11 years that he has been in the league only 5 of those he was a full time starter, he averages about 30 TD's a year which would put him about 4 seasons away from passing Brett Favre on the all time list. Sure, the math I just used was a bit of wishful thinking but it gives you an idea of how the few seasons that he was able to lead his team, he did and he put up ridiculous numbers. Kurt Warner lead the Rams to a record 3 straight 500 point seasons, of the three, he lead them to 2 Super Bowls, and put 2 MVP trophies on his mantle. The Rams have only made the playoffs once since he left the team in 2003. Last year, he lead his team to the Super Bowl which is his third trip and the team did it in the air.

In his career, he has had the beauty of having WR's like Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce, then havin Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald. Some can argue if he has been a product of Hall of Fame wideouts. My question is, what came first, the chicken or the egg? Do they make him great? Does he make them great? Or is it a match made in Heaven? We will never know but, the fact that he is going into this season as the unchallenged starter and he has 2 WR's who are on my list of top ten WR's for 2009. All of these factors add up to another MVP like season. The other trick is, Kurt Warner throws to anyone that is open. He doesn't look for his favoite target. His favorite target is the guy that is open.

Most times I try to live and die by statistics but at times, they really bore me. Kurt Warner has the numbers but it doesn't define why he is on this list. Most games that he has played in became more a game of who has the ball last will determine who wins. Generally, no one is going to stop this guy if he has a couple of people that will catch the ball. No one finds he open receiver better and no one right now can get the team down the field faster then Grandpa under center. The best defense is to sack him quickly because if you give him 3 or 4 seconds he will convert.

Mark my words, if Kurt Warner is healthy, he will be in the top 3 of MVP voting for the 2009 season.

NFL--Top Ten Quarterbacks for 2009- Number 7

2009-08-03T11:20:00.002-04:00

[Entering his sixth season, Roethlisberger has thrown for 14,974 yards (62.4% comp), 101 touchdowns and 69 interceptions (87.2 rating)]

People feel the same way about Big Ben as they do about Philip Rivers. Go ahead and say it’s the defense, the running game, or the veteran receiver. Let’s concede that Bettis carried this team to its first Super Bowl and officials handed them the game (the Seahawks got shafted). That we will grant you, but he’s thrown for almost 5,000 more yards than Rivers and he’s thrown for over 2,000 in the playoffs.

In the 2004 season, Roethlisberger stepped in after game three due to Tommy Maddox’s ineffectiveness. As a rookie, he went 13–0 in the regular season (14-1 including playoffs) as a starting quarterback, helping the Steelers become the first AFC team to have 15 wins, surpassing the record for the best start by a rookie (6–0). Roethlisberger was unanimously selected as the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, the first quarterback in 34 years to be so honored. Roethlisberger faced off against the New York Giants and the No. 1 overall pick of the 2004 draft, Eli Manning. Roethlisberger outplayed him, posting his first career 300-yard passing game. He completed 18 of 28 passes for 316 yards and a TD. In the divisional playoffs, Roethlisberger led the Steelers down the field and put them in position for the game-winning field goal, a 33-

The following year, Roethlisberger led the Steelers on an improbable run, winning three straight playoff games on the road to put Pittsburgh in Super Bowl. What made the run remarkable was that the Steelers began the postseason as the sixth seed in the AFC. Since the NFL's current playoff format began, no sixth seed had even made it to a conference championship game, much less the Super Bowl. During the regular season, the Steelers were 9-3 with Roethlisberger at quarterback and 2-2 without him. He led the league in Yards per Attempt with an 8.90, and finished third in passer rating with a 98.6. With the Super Bowl victory, Roethlisberger, at 23 years old, became the youngest quarterback to win, a record previously held by Tom Brady.

Before the 2006 season began, he got into a motorcycle accident. He missed the preseason and several games. He had some good moments, but didn’t really recover from the injuries he suffered in the accident.

Due to his sub-par '06–'07 season, many questions surrounded Roethlisberger at the start of the season. In the first game of '07–'08 season, Roethlisberger reached a personal milestone: his first career four-touchdown game. He also has his third career 158.3 rating game this season, tying Peyton Manning for the most such regular-season games in NFL history. He also became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw two perfect games in a single regular season. To cap his comeback season, Roethlisberger was named to his first Pro Bowl. Roethlisberger's 32 touchdown passes ranked third in the NFL and his 104.1 passer rating was second only to Brady.

Big Ben had a great bounce back season and was ready to lead the Steelers to another Super Bowl after the 2008 season. Wanting to prove that he was not a liability in Super Bowl XL, Roethlisberger led the Steelers to one of the more dramatic victories in Super Bowl history. On the first two offensive drives, Roethlisberger passed for 122 yards on seven of eight passing attempts, which is one yard short of his total amount from his first Super Bowl start. Overall, Roethlisberger finished 21 of 30 for 256 yards, one TD, and one INT. He had a passer rating of 93.2.

The first Super Bowl could be (and was) a fluke, but the success he’s enjoyed during his career can’t be. He’s 8-2 in the playoffs and he doesn’t just ‘manage’ the offense. The QB position is the most important on the field.

NFL--Top Ten Quarterbacks For 2009- Number 8

2009-08-02T18:15:00.003-04:00

[Entering his sixth season, Rivers has thrown for 10,697 yards (62.3% comp), 78 touchdowns and 36 interceptions (92.9 rating)]

It’s not LT, it’s not Gates, it’s not the defense haters...Rivers is just that good. Trust me...even the cat that runs this site with me can’t stand Rivers. But as usual the dope slap of reality is coming straight at you.
We all know the story about the swap for the other Manning in the 2004 draft. The third QB selected, who is on his second Super Bowl, slipped to number 11th and was drafted by Pittsburgh (he’s higher on the list, so we’ll get to him later). For the record the trade ended up being very one sided...the Chargers used the late round picks the Giants gave up for the swap to draft Shawne Merriman and Nate Kaeding (the Giants Superbowl aside the Chargers won this by a landslide).
Due to protracted contract negotiation with the San Diego Chargers, Rivers reported to the team during the last week of training camp. With almost no training camp time under his belt, Rivers was unable to compete for the starting position with Drew Brees during the 2004 preseason. Unfortunately for Rivers, Brees had the best season of his career up to that point. By the end of the season, Drew Brees was named to the Pro Bowl and was the Comeback Player of the Year. Rivers received very limited playing time in the 2004 season, playing in only two games.
Rivers was unable to beat out Brees for the starting quarterback job in the Chargers' 2005 training camp and preseason and remained the backup QB. Luckily for Rivers, Brees dislocated his right shoulder during the final game of the season. After the 2005 season, Brees was not re-signed (partly due to his injury). Most people wrote the Chargers off and had no idea why they would let an MVP candidate sign elsewhere just to start Rivers. After just 5 NFL starts, Rivers was named the second best NFL quarterback under 25 years of age by SI and drew numerous comparisons to Dan Marino for his quick release and pocket presence. After his first game, Rivers led the NFL in QB rating with 133.9.
On November 12, 2006, Rivers had the best game of his career and led the San Diego Chargers to an improbable comeback against the Cincinnati Bengals. Down 28–7 at halftime, Rivers led the Chargers on six drives touchdown drives. Rivers threw for 337 yards and three touchdown passes. San Diego outscored Cincinnati 42–13 in the second half winning the game 49–41, matching the biggest comeback in 23 years for the Chargers. Rivers made the Pro Bowl and the Chargers made the playoffs, but lost to eventual SB champ New England.
In 2007, the Chargers also won their first two playoff games before losing again to the Patriots.
In 2008, Rivers had the highest quarterback rating in the NFL with a league leading 34 touchdown passes (team record), 105.5 Passer Rating, and a league best 8.4 yards per pass attempt. Despite having good stats in 2008 Rivers was only able to lead his team to an 8-8 record. Fortunately for Rivers the AFC West was very bad and they were able to win the division over Denver by a tie-breaker. They managed to lose to the eventual SB champs, Pittsburgh, again in the playoffs.
Rivers has proven that he can lead one of the most “talented” offenses in football. It’s only a matter of time before he takes them to the promise land. With Merriman back the defense should be able to contribute this time around. If Brady starts out rusty and Big Ben gets sidetracked by his legal issues, this could be the years the Chargers finish on top.

NFL--Top Ten Quarterbacks for 2009- Number 9

2009-08-01T08:25:00.001-04:00

[Entering his seventh season, Palmer has thrown for 15,630 yards (63.7% comp), 105 touchdowns and 67 interceptions (88.9 rating)]

The 80’s seemed to be the Golden Age of quarterbacks. There were few teams that didn’t have ‘the guy’ under center...Marino, Moon, Kelly, Esiason, Simms, Cunningham, Elway...check it out if you don’t believe me. It seems like every year teams are scrambling for the next Matt Ryan or Joe Flacco. The reality is that Palmer is in the top third of QBs, but when people start talking about current greats he often gets left out. Palmer deserves to be mentioned with Brees, McNabb, Rivers and Roethlisberger...he took the BENGALS to the playoffs for Christ sake.

Carson Palmer did not play at all in 2003 during his rookie season; he rode the pine as Jon Kitna took every snap. Carson Palmer started 13 games and led the Bengals to an 8-8 Record.

In 2005, Palmer led the league in touchdown passes and completion percentage (only his third season in the league). He took the ‘Bungles’ to their first winning season in 13years and the playoffs for the first time in 15 years. He was the first Cincinnati Bengals quarterback to finish with a rating over 100 and set the team record in that category, and he also tied Manning for most consecutive games with a triple-digit rating. Unfortunately, Palmer was tackled by Kimo von Oelhoffen on the first play of the game as he was releasing the ball and suffered to two ligaments to his left knee.

Carson Palmer returned in time for the 2006 preseason. Palmer ended up starting in all 16 of the Bengals regular season games, only missing one snap due to injury, which was determined as Palmer only getting the wind knocked out of him. Despite the knee injury, he passed the 4,000 yard mark for the first time in his career, finishing the season with a franchise record 4,035 passing yards and 28 touchdowns, only 13 interceptions and 93.9 rating. Palmer made and was named Most Outstanding Player at the Pro Bowl, leading the AFC down the field in the final two minutes for the win. He completed 8 of 17 passes for 190 yards and 2 touchdowns.

In the 2007 season opener on MNF (if you don’t know what these initials stand for you better ask somebody) against the Ravens, Palmer went 20 for 32 with 194 yards and two touchdowns. Palmer and the Bengals beat the Baltimore Ravens 27–20. However, by week 8, Palmer and the Bengals were struggling. His team had only a 2–5 record and he had thrown 9 interceptions, the most by any quarterback in the AFC. However, he remained statistically productive, ranking fourth in the NFL in passing yards and fifth in touchdowns with a passer rating of over 90. In the 2007 season, Palmer threw his 100th career touchdown pass, becoming the 5th fastest player ever to reach this milestone (59 games). Palmer finished the season with 376 completions for 4,131 yards and 26 touchdowns, with 20 interceptions. His 20 interceptions were a career high, but his 376 completions and 4,131 passing yards set new Bengals franchise records.

In 2008, the team started out 0-3. Carson appeared to be having issues with his throwing elbow. The cause of Carson Palmer's sore elbow was later diagnosed as a partially torn ligament and tendon and he was shelved for the remainder of the season.

Palmer is ready to make his return to the elite this year w/ a running game that showed signs of improving. He will be w/o Housh, so we’ll have to see if Chris Henry steps up. But when you have a QB like Palmer chunking the rock it shouldn’t be too hard.

NFL--Top Ten Quarterbacks for 2009- Number 10

2009-07-31T02:27:00.000-04:00

[Entering into his sixth season, Eli Manning has 14,623 yards and has thrown for 98 TD's]

Eli Manning, when it is all said and done may be recalled as the most under appreciated quarterbacks in history. He is not Hollywood. He is not a pretty boy who the media loves. Not the guy with the gawdy numbers who should obviously be a winner. There are critics out there that still say that Eli Manning sucks. Many detractors out there still call for him to be benched at times. I also cannot forget all of the Fantasy reports that have hime out of the top 15 QB's in the league.

People can say what they want but, Eli has a Super Bowl ring, a Super Bowl MVP and a team that is routinely mentioned as Super Bowl contenders. Regardless of what people say, Eli Manning is the battery in the back of the New York Football Giants. They cannot do what they do without him manning (no pun intended) the ship.

His numbers are very pedestrian but he plays on a team where generally, the QB will put you to sleep. The Giants organization is not designed for a fun and gun type of Joe Namathy sort of gun slinginf action. His job, is to not mess it up. Eli has never thrown for more than 24 TD's in a season and he will likely never really cross 30 TD's in a season. But, every year, his passer rating has gone up, and his interceptions has gone down. Manning plays ball in a virtual media gauntlet where if he doesn't put the seat back down after taking a leak, he will get crucified in the papers. Somehow, he manages to shruck his shoulders like the hillbilly he is and do his job every Sunday.

There is no doubt in my mind that the Giants are the team to beat this year in the NFC as they have been for the past 3 seasons, Eli has been there for 5. He is not what people would describe as the unstoppable force but somehow he rules this team and no one on the team is going to question who the leader is. We will never talk about Eli Manning's record breaking season where he passed for 6,000 yards and threw 75 TD's. Not going to happen. But his style of play, on the team that he is on can easily garner him, 2 more Super Bowl rings and most likely all of the New York Giants' passing records. Now with numbers like that, where would you rank him?

Eli Manning steadily improves every year and the hiccup that is 2008 was due to a certain non-aiming idiot shooting himself and getting kicked off of the team. That was 12 TD's gone. I hear dumb ass analysts say that without Plaxico Burress, Eli is not the same. He got better when Shockey left remember. By no stretch am I comparing Shockey and Plax but, Kevin Boss will score maybe 8 to 10, Steve Smith will have 3, Hixon probably 7 and one of the rookie wideouts, Barden or Nicks will break out and catch double digit scores. Eli will turn to someone else to catch the ball. He always does. Plaxico was gone most the year, only contributed 4 TD's and Eli still threw for 21. Not 24 and 23 like the 2 years prior but i think 3 TD's is not that drastic of a change.

NFL-- Top Ten Wide Receivers for 2009-Number One

2009-07-30T05:00:00.004-04:00

[Entering into his twelfth season, Randy Moss has 13,201 yards (15.7 YPC) and 135 receiving TD's]

This is the moment that I have been waiting for. My favorite receiver in football right now. A guy that I have been following since high school. Your favorite receiver's favorite receiver. Ladies and gentleman, Mr. Randy Moss. I will be completely honest and say that this is probably my favorite player in the NFL but I will justify with hard facts why he is the number receiver on this list. Actually, I don't really feel like I need to justify it. Read a paper.

I am going to go ahead and skip all of the negative news that folks love so much to associate with Randy Moss. For every one of the factors that we put out there as to what a receiver is and what a receiver should be is exactly what Moss is. Well first is size, right? He is 6 foot 4, 210 pounds. Well Mr. Blogger, what about speed? Randy Moss ran a 4.25 at Florida State where only Deion Sanders ran a faster 4.23. Now, this is when people say, sure, he's a prototype, but can he ball? Number 3 on the all time receiving TD list should answer that question. He owns the record for rookie TD receptions as well as single season TD receptions. Many will argue that he doesn't go hard on every play. Who does in Oakland?

When you need a receiver to go up and grab the ball over 3 defenders, call Randy. If you need a 3rd and 20 converted, call Randy. If you need an all out sprint down the field for a TD, call Mr Moss. People in the Patriot organization have said that he has the greatest hands that they have ever seen. When you get a guy that height, running that fast, with hands like that and enough run after the catch skills to be a kick returner, you have got to pay homage to the skills. Although he is a big play receiver, he has gone over 100 receptions twice and in 2oo7 he caught 98 passes. In 11 seasons, he has gone over 1,000 yards receiving in every season except for one season with the Raiders where he actually missed 3 games and 1 year with the Vikes where he again missed 3 games. He has gone double digit TD's for all but 3 seasons. The list and the evidence of greatness can go for longer than I have power on my laptop.

No one can stop Randy Moss. I would have loved to see the greatest cover corner of all time, Deion Sanders in his prime vs. Randy Moss. He is the only guy in history that could maybe cover this guy. I would have said versus Moss in his prime but I haven't seen him anything other than his prime. I have not seen many that is the quintessential WR as Randy Moss is. He is that big play guy that if the ball is thrown in the area, you had better take a breath and don't blink. In his career, he has played across from all time great Chris Carter. Except for 2007, he had his best days alongside Carter. This means that he finds a way to be great in the presence of greatness. People almost forgot that Carter was there. He goes into New England where the math of playing with Tom Brady is supposed to mean records broken. He broke records. The team went undefeated until the Super Bowl that year. He catches 23 TD's. Even last year without Brady, he found his way to the endzone 11 times and managed to have over 1,000 yards receiving.

It's like a fountain of statistics but, there is no way that he is not the best receiver in the league by multiple counts and from any angle. Randy Moss has an aloof type of personality so playing for another 6 years to break Jerry Rice's record will likely not happen but he is as of today, the second greatest receiver to lace them up. Stop him please, I dare you, stop him.

Top Ten Wide Receivers--Number Two

2009-07-30T00:14:00.005-04:00

[Entering his sixth season, Larry Fitzgerald has 5,975 receiving yards (14 YPC) and 46 receiving TD's]

Here at 36ISO we love numbers. How big are they? How fast are they? Sometimes, the numbers don't really tell the whole story. Larry Fitzgerald is a rare breed of wide receiver unlike many of the top position players coming into the NFL as of late, Fitzgerald did not get clocked twice because they didn't believe he was so fast. He ran 4.5 to 4.6 in the 40 yard dash. Oddly enough though, the Biletnikoff winner still was drafted number three overall in the 2004 draft. There is another great receiver that once ran a 4.6 40 yard dash time. That guy by the name of Jerry Rice had a pretty okay career, what do you think?

As I was doing a bit of research about Mr. Best Hands in the NFL, I was wondering about what makes someone like Fitz who he is. A player that can just do unbelievable things with his body and a player who can be number one on a defenses to do list and still scorch a team for 3 TD's as he did in the NFC Championship game against the Philadelphia Eagles. I learned from a Wall Street Journal article that Larry Fitzgerald, from the ripe old age of 6, was doing hand eye coordiantion drills, balance and body control drills. He did drills with his grandfather who is the founder of an optometry clinic. We have learned from the Tiger Woods story and stories about the Williams sisters learning a sport from a very young age then mastering it as an adult. Children are the same with instruments.

Back to the story, whether Larry Fitzgerald has an innate ability to focus on the ball while running full speed and then leaping with one hand to catch the ball over a corner that has him covered brilliantly or if the ability was taught from early childhood is beyond me but I do know that every Sunday afternoon, Larry Fitzgerald will make at least 1 circus catch, most likely in the endzone.

On the depth chart, Larry Fitzgerald is really a number 2 receiver behind another one of our top ten WR's but, everyone on that roster and most teams know that there really many people better than Larry Fitzgerald in football. In 3 of his 5 seasons, he has gone over 1,400 yards. In 2 of those seasons, he had over 100 catches. Last year, Fitz had 96 catches (same difference). Of the 5 years, he had his rookie season which he only caught 58 passes and an injury season where he missed 3 games. All of these numbers point to the fact that Larry Fitzgerald will have his production regardless of what is going on.

I had the pleasure of watching this kid since college and I have to say that there has not been much of a difference in production. At 6 foot 3, 217 pounds, he is that big target that teams and media love to talk about. What makes him and few receivers very special is the ability to do what the commentators mistakenly say othere receivers can do. He can catch the ball regardless of coverage. He plucks it out of the sky and he goes after every single ball like his life depended on it. There really is only one other receiver that can do that right now and few who can do it in history. Thi is why he can catch 100 balls every single year.

I am convince that if he hangs around long enough, he will begin a one man assoualt on the record books. Larry Fitzgerald is one of those cats that will have Jerry Rice waking up in cold sweats. He has a few rings to get. He has lots of records to break. He is young and there is still one better than him in the league now but there will be a lot of changes to every list once "Sticky Fingers" gets to around year 10. Trust me, I am a professional, I know what I am talking about.

NFL-- Top Ten Wide Receivers- Number Three

2009-07-29T17:06:00.004-04:00

[Entering his third season, Johnson has 2,087 receiving yards (16.6 YPC), 51 yards rushing (6.6 YPC) and 17 total touchdowns]

First Barry Sanders, now Calvin Johnson. The Detroit Lions are going to succeed (unless we stop them) in taking a once in a generation talent and depriving fans of their true potential for greatness. Let’s get a feel for the measurable…coming out of college Johnson clocked a remarkable 4.33 second 40-yard dash, 10.23 second 100-meter sprint, recorded an 11-foot standing broad jump, and had a vertical leap of 43 inches. Sounds pretty impressive doesn’t it…well here are two more impressive stats…he’s 6’5” and he weighs 240 lbs.

Coming out of college, Calvin Johnson was hyped to be one of the best college wide receivers of all time. Johnson surprised many when he weighed in at 239 pounds at the combine. Johnson was selected by the Detroit Lions as the 2nd pick overall in the 2007 NFL Draft. The Lions were expected to trade Johnson, most likely to Tampa Bay (you should have tried harder damn you), but the team announced that they were keeping him. Calvin Johnson signed a 6-year deal (what a waste) with the Detroit Lions after holding out for eight days, and passed his physical in time to be on the field for the start of that morning's practice. The contract is worth up to $64 million, with $27.2 million in guaranteed money, making Johnson the second highest-paid player in Lions history (behind Matthew Stafford) and the highest-paid receiver in the NFL (think of your legacy man…money isn’t everything).

Former teammate Roy Williams nicknamed Johnson "Megatron", due to his large hands being similar to that of the towering Decepticon (we just report the facts folks – we don’t make this mess up). Williams later changed the name to "Bolt" after Jamaican sprinting Usain Bolt, comparing the two athletes' similar height and running abilities. Johnson finished the 2007 season with 756 yards and 5 total touchdowns.

Johnson and the Lions faced the Falcons on the road on September 7 to begin the 2008 season. As the official starting wide receiver behind Roy Williams, Johnson had a good performance leading the team in receptions and yards, collecting 7 catches for 107 yards which included one 38-yard catch-and-run in the Lions' 34-21 loss. On October 14, before the week 6 trade deadline, Roy Williams was traded to the Dallas Cowboys for a 1st, 3rd and 7th-round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, making Johnson the Lions' starting wide receiver and the only big threat on the offense. In his first game without Roy Williams in the week 7 game against the Texans, Johnson had caught only 2 passes, however totaling 154 yards receiving; the first pass didn't come until Dan Orlovsky (who?) threw a pass up for grabs at the end of the 1st half which Johnson caught for 58 yards and the second pass came on a 96-yard touchdown catch-and-run. With Williams gone and starting quarterback Jon Kitna lost to injury for the season, the Texans defense had little to do to stop the Lions' offense but shut down Johnson, winning the game 28-21 (wow…now that’s a strategy). The Lions signed washed up chubby boy, Daunte Culpepper, to ease the pain at QB. The mediocrity (that’s actually a compliment) continued as the Lions continued to lose.
Johnson and the 2008 Detroit Lions finished the first ever 0-16 season in NFL history after a loss to Green Bay in week 17. In spite of Detroit’s season, Johnson finished with numbers that should have gotten him a Pro Bowl invite finishing 5th in receiving yards (1,331), 7th in receiving yards per game (83.2), and leading the league in receiving touchdowns (12). But when you play for a team that bad, you really can’t take the snub personally. He’s more than lived up to the hype and the Pro Bowls will come.

NFL--Brett Favre Retires

2009-07-28T19:03:00.002-04:00

Hallelujah!! Brett Favre has finally put down the crack pipe and pick up the social security check. I have been so pissed with the NFL and all media, Brett Favre, the Minnesota Vikings and everyone else involved in the idiocy that is Favre returning to football after embarassing himself last year.

There are many people that will say that his season on the Jets was not a failure. It wasn't if he were there for 5 years and planned to help grow the franchise. He got Chad Pennington pushed out, probably cost Eric Mangini his job and didn't get them to the playoffs in a year Tom Brady was out for the season. To me for a QB who has broken every significant passing record in professional american football, anything less than the playoffs is absolute, undeniable failure, BANGO.

But it appears that the brick that Brett Favre calls a brain has become somewhat permeable and he will go into retirement for good. This is a beautiful thing because now I can go back to being a huge fan of the guy. Brett Favre in my book is top 5 all time QB's but over the past 2 off seasons, he has made a fool of himself, made a tough transition for Aaron Rodgers that should have been a smooth passing of the torch, forced the Jets to draft a very unproven "Hollywood" QB, and caused a bit of turmoil in the Vikings organization I am sure.

I understand a little bit. Boxers never know when to quit. Brett Favre also had Adrian Peterson stroking his baby make for a few weeks telling the old guy that he still has it. Let's be honest, does anyone think clearly when they are getting stroked? I will chalk this one up as some half wit stroking the ego of an old man who wanted to ride off into the sunset on last time.

Now the beautiful part is, we can begin praising one of the greatest QB's of all time. WOO HOO!!!

NFL-- Top Ten Wide Receivers for 2009-Number 4

2009-07-28T12:37:00.004-04:00

[Entering his seventh season, Johnson has 6,379 yards receiving (13.1 YPC) and 33 receiving touchdowns]

Go ahead and admit that you didn’t know Andre Johnson has been in the league for six years. Unless you’re some fantasy head, it’s highly unlikely you’ve heard much about him. A superior talent stuck on a perennial loser. And no one is ever going to confuse any of his QB’s during his career with Peyton or Brady. Where are all these wide outs that look like power forwards coming from? Randy “The Freak” Moss, Plaxico “shotta” Burress, Calvin “Megatron” Johnson and Brandon “The Beast” Marshall are a few of this new breed of wide receiver with the size of LeBron and sprinter’s speed.

Johnson was the number three overall pick in the 2003 NFL draft by the perpetually pathetic Houston Texans (they look like they’re finally gotten it together going into this season). In Johnson's rookie season, he started and played in all 16 games, recording 66 receptions for 976 yards and 4 touchdowns. His breakout year came in 2004 when he combined with Texans QB David Carr (there are hookers that laid on their backs less than this guy) to record 79 catches for 1,142 yards and six touchdowns and be selected to his first Pro Bowl.

In the 2005 season, however, Johnson only played 13 games due to injury and had a lackluster 63 receptions with 688 yards and 2 touchdowns. Back from injury in 2006, Johnson led the NFL in receptions with 103 for 1,147 yards and 5 TDs, on his way to the Pro Bowl, once again.

In 2007, Johnson missed 7 games due to injury. He returned mid-season to finish with 851 receiving yards and a career-high 8 receiving touchdowns. He led the league in receiving yards per game in 2007 with 95.6. On December 14, 2008 Andre Johnson recorded his first 200 yard game with 207 yards and 1 touchdown in the Texans 13 to 12 win over the Titans. Johnson finished the 2008 season recording career highs in receptions and receiving yards totaling 115 receptions for 1575 yards (both of which lead the league) and tied his career-high in TD receptions with 8.

Andre Johnson is another anti-Ochocinco type wideout. The term diva had been dubbed by the media to describe a player that only cares about #1. Andre Johnson is an offensive captain for the Houston Texans. He never complains about how poorly the team plays and how few playoff appearances (ZERO) he has had the opportunity to play in. Whether the Texans tease us again and go 8-8 (they seem to do that every year), tune in to the exploits of Mr. Johnson. If the Texans can get into the playoffs, you probably still won’t hear a peep out of this guy.

NFL-- Top Ten WIde Receivers for 2009-Number 5

2009-07-28T10:28:00.002-04:00

(Entering his 14th season Terrell Owens has 14,122 yards receiving(14.8 YPC) and 139 receiving TD's)

Make no mistake boys and girls. I hate Terrell Owens. I really do. I searched and searched for ways to not put him in this list. People say that there are other receivers that may be better than TO but it makes me question if they are smoking crack or just plain stupid. Stevie Wonder can see what TO does on the field and frankly, if there were any reasons that I could find to not have him on this list, I would be using those reasons. He is a cry baby, an attention whore, a ball dropper, a wanna be model, the list can go on and on. Every tirade that he has had seemed to be unwarranted. He has received passes from a Hall of Famer in Steve Young, a future Hall of Famer in Donavan McNabb and still has found a way to alienate QB's and make a franchise uncomfortable with him in the locker room. All of these things are fantastic ways to describe TO, ways that I use constantly but the best way to describe this jack ass is... One of the greatest wide receivers to ever play the game.

I ,as I mention all of the time, have been a Giants fan all of my life so I have been watching TO closely since he came into the league. San Francisco used to be an arch rival of the Giants, Philly and Dallas are the same division so I have seen him play and destroy defenses more than I would like to admit. People just do not stop TO. He is 6 foot 3, 224 pounds of pure nasty and he will remind you of how nasty he is with the assonine celebrations he does in the endzone or like he did in Dallas a few years back when he celebrated in the middle of the field on top of the Cowboys star.

Statistics, okay we can talk numbers, how about he is second only to Jerry Rice in TD's all time with 139. Fifth all time in receiving yardage and receptions with 14,122 and 951 respectively. He will most likely retire at number 2 in virtually every important receiving category. Why do you idiots out there force my hand to defend this jerk off and yes, he is a first ballot hall of famer. He drops a good 2 passes a game and he is still dominant. He mows over these tiny corners, stiff arms safeties and embarass would be tackling linebackers, jeez I hate this guy, and he does iit every season, every game. He will score 10 this year a least and he will make folks in the AFC East wish that he had kept is punk ass in Dallas but, I have not once seen someone stop this dude.

The argument now is that he is getting old. He will be 36 in December and he looks like the 20 something Michael Crabtree physically, or better yet some 20 year old Olympic track star. I know this because this douche bag did sit ups in his driveway for the cameras a few years back, shirtless. As a matter of fact, I think he is getting faster. He works like Jerry Rice did. This dude is working out year round trying harder to crush more DB's and score more TD's. Trust me friends, he will let Trent Edwards know how much he has worked to get the ball. In his argument (kill me now) Trent Edwards should get him the ball as often as humanly possible. Throw to him 12 times. He will drop 3, get covered on 3, catch 4 first downs a TD and a short yardage ball.

I am glad that TO will no longer be in the NFC East to torture the Giants. I am the last person to say anything good about this guy but to say that he is not top ten for 2009 and not top ten in history, you must be stupid, ignorant or clinically insane.

Michael Vick Reinstated

2009-07-27T18:32:00.003-04:00

I never supported what Mike Vick did to go to prison and end up in federal custody for 23 months. I despise the killing of animals. To be honest however, I never really had much of an opinion about fighting animals. I didn't know enough about it to be pissed off or supportive but in any event, that is not the reason I am writing this post from the basement of my job while I should be working.

I disagree 100% with Michael Vick getting suspended at all after serving time for a crime that he committed. The suspension apparently seems that it will only last 4 games or so if he is signed. DUH, he will be signed. I really don't know why NFL commissioner Roger Goodell had to slam his cock on the table to prove that he had just as much power as any one else but he did. I will continue to state my opinion that Vick having to show contrition and be a "good boy" is unnecessary. Yes, he has to be a normal citizen that doesn't break the law like you and I but I show contrition for none of the things that I have done in the past nor do I have regrets and neither should the dog killer.

Now for the fun part. Where o where is Michael Vick going to go play football. First of all, the UFL can kiss their shot at Vick goodbye. Someone will sign this 4.2 running retard if they have to have him run back kicks. Athleticism like what he has doesn't come around every draft. There will be a team that will take a shot on him and will automatically be a better team. The Giants took a shot on Plaxico Burress and won the Super Bowl, the Patriots took a shot on Randy Moss, granted they were already champions but that 16-0 regular season is owed in great part to him.

There will be some team with a bankroll and an ego big enough to not really care what the media is thinking. It's like the stock market, there is risk and reward. If the risk of signing Vick is not as bad as the reward of marketing and winning, then a team will break out the check book and get him cheap because he is damaged goods and trust me there will be no holdouts or insane negotiations. We think that the Washington Redskins owner has the cojones to go ahead and sign Vick. Dan Snyder is like the Mark Cuban of football in that he has deep pockets and he doesn't care what he has to do to get what he perceives as winners on his team. Not to mention that Campbell is solid but he is no Vick. The days of starting for Mike Vick are over but he will be the best utility in the NFL. Imagine Clinton Portis, Chris Cooley and Santana Moss running all types of crazy ass plays with Vick throwing the ball or running behind Betts or whatever. I think he will get signed by the Skins by the end of the week. The Skins are a team based in DC where people are liberal and forgetful. Trust me, when Vick sprints into the endzone after faking a pitch to Clinton Portis, folks won't care if he killed their grandmothers and buried them in the backyard.

NFL-- Top Ten WIde Receivers for 2009-Number 6

2009-07-27T02:29:00.003-04:00

{Entering his ninth season, Steve Smith has 7,348 yards (14.4 YPC) and 45 total TD's}

You have got to like a guy that is 5 foot 9 inches and breaks teammates’ noses for a living. Okay, maybe he doesn’t do it for a living but his does is it consistently. As consistently as he has fights in practice, he is more consistent on the field. Steve Smith is not only one of the top ten wide receivers in the NFL for 2009, he is probably one of the top ten complete football players in the NFL.

In Steve Smith's rookie season he made the Pro-Bowl... as a special teams player. The fact that he made it A, as a rookie, and B, as a special teams player is impressive alone, but when you take into account that he only started one game in his rookie year, only had ten catches in 2001 and is only 5 foot 10 inches 185 pounds, its downright disgusting. Smith is the guy that you plan to stop, double cover and adjust schemes for but he still finds his way to the endzone. The guy runs like a running back after the catch but catches the ball like he is 6 foot 5 with a 54 inch vertical.

In 2005, Steve Smith became only the seventh player in history to achieve the receiving Triple Crown. He lead the league in catches with 103, yards with 1,563 and TD's with 12. The other 6 receivers in history are names like Berry, Rice, Sharpe, Hutson, so on and so forth. The Triple Crown in any sport is pretty tough to get because it shows complete dominance in a particular area.

This is all good but the question is, "what have you done for me lately", the answer to that is, in 2008 he had 1,421 yards receiving, 18.2 YPC and 6 TD's in only 14 games. I know 6 TD's is nothing to write your prison pen pal about but when you take into account the fact that he has Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams in the backfield, he had a Helluva season. Everyone knows that he is getting the ball and still cannot figure out a way to stop the kid. At this stage of the game, it is virtually impossible for him to put up a record breaking season because of the coverage he draws and the two headed running back in the back field, but when the game is on the line, everyone knows who gets the ball and who usually make it happen.

I anticipate Steve Smith tearing the secondaries that he faces to shreds, punching some teammate in the face and hopefully getting shutdown completely on December 27 when the Carolina Panthers play the New York Giants.

NFL-- Top Ten WIde Receivers for 2009-Number 7

2009-07-27T02:05:00.002-04:00

[Entering his seventh season, Boldin has 6,496 yards receiving (12.9 YPC) and 40 receiving touchdowns]

ANQUAN BOLDIN. He’s this generation’s Sterling Sharpe, but without all the hype...choo choo baby. How can a player this great fly so far under the radar? Folks please pay attention to this man. The Herculean efforts in last season’s playoffs of his teammate, Mr. Fitzgerald, are going to sink him into further obscurity. But if you love football, you have to love Boldin. And remember he’s Arizona’s number one receiver on their depth chart...we don’t make this stuff up.

Despite a poor showing at the NFL Combine, Boldin has broken several NFL records. In his rookie year, Boldin had 101 catches and was the only rookie selected to the 2004 Pro Bowl. Boldin also set an NFL record for most receiving yards by a rookie in his first game (217), and holds the NFL record for most receptions in the first 26 games of an NFL career (157) as well as the fastest to record 300 career receptions (47 games).

In 2005, Boldin was injured and missed part of the season but yet still caught more than 100 passes for over 1,400 yards. On top of that, the Cardinals wide receivers became only the third duo from the same team to each catch over 100 receptions. Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald also topped the 1,400-yard mark, only the third duo to achieve that in NFL history. In 2007, Boldin became the quickest player in NFL history to compile 400 receptions and was selected to play in the 2007 Pro Bowl. Boldin was named the offensive captain for the Cardinals for the 2007–2008 season. On August 19, 2008, Boldin asked the Cardinals to trade him due to a contract extension dispute, claiming the team had not recognized his hard work. After a start to a career like he’d had, how could they not reward him?

On September 28, 2008, Boldin was carted off the field after a violent helmet-to-helmet collision in the end. Boldin missed two games after sustaining a fractured sinus that required metal plates but returned after the bye to record one of his best performances in the season in the Cardinals' loss to the Panthers, catching nine passes with two touchdown receptions and sixty-three yards receiving. He continued his five game touchdown streak with six receptions with one touchdown reception and eighty-five yards receiving in the win against the St. Louis Rams. In a win against the St. Louis Rams, Boldin became the first player in Arizona Cardinal franchise history to gain 1,000 yards receiving in four consecutive seasons. The following week, he became the fastest player in NFL history to have 500 receptions.

Anquan Boldin is the anti-Ochocinco. He’s the anti-T.O. He’s everything we as fans always say we want our heroes to be. Boldin continues to plead for a trade or a pay raise this off-season, but got neither from the Cardinals. He’s a wide receiver in a fullback’s body...he’s the ultimate possession receiver. Mr. Fitzgerald will hog all the headlines this offseason, but Mr. Boldin will be the guy setting all the records again during the regular season.

NFL-- Top Ten WIde Receivers for 2009-Number 8

2009-07-26T15:07:00.002-04:00

[Entering his ninth season, Ochocinco has 8,906 yards receiving (14.2 YPC) and 53 receiving touchdowns]

Here at 36iso we try to be as unbiased and objective as possible. We’re not fans of buffoonery or self-centeredness, but we have to stick to the facts. So here we go...the next receiver on the list is Chad “formerly Johnson” Ochocinco. At some point in life, we expect this man to dance for chicken and watermelon in overalls. Make no mistake about it, this man epitomizes what we in the African American community call “stepin fetchit”. For all you people who have no idea what that means...google it.

Chad saw limited playing time as a rookie, catching 28 passes for 329 yards. In 2003, he set a Bengals franchise record by recording 1,355 receiving yards. In 2004, he caught 95 receptions for 9 touchdowns and 1,274 yards. In 2005, he broke his own franchise record with 1,432 yards. He has led the AFC in receiving yards for four consecutive seasons, and he has made the Pro Bowl 5 straight times from 2003-2007. We don’t make this stuff up. We just record the facts. So taking his dominance in the AFC over a period of 5 years, he’s owed his due respect as man who never fails to produce.

During the first half of the 2006 season, injuries slowed his production. It must have been the “frohawk”. One he shaved it, he had a breakout game in a losing effort against the San Diego Chargers. Johnson accumulated 260 receiving yards and scored two touchdowns, which broke the previous Bengals record for most receiving yards in a game. He went on to amass 190 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns in a 31-16 win over the Saints in the following week. This gave him an NFL record 450 receiving yards in back-to-back games. In the following week, he gained 129 yards receiving breaking the three game receiving record since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970 and coming within 40 yards of the all-time record. Johnson finished the 2006 season with 87 receptions for a league leading 1,369 yards and 7 touchdowns. He was the first Bengal ever to lead the NFL in receiving yards. He and Houshmandzadeh also became the first Bengals teammates to each amass over 1,000 receiving yards in the same season. You people contribute to his buffoonery by paying so much attention to it...PLEASE STOP!! In the fan voting for the 2006 Pro Bowl, he finished first in votes for wide receivers, and fourth overall with 987,650 total votes.

In the 2007 season in a game against the Browns, he gained 209 yards on 11 catches for 2 touchdowns in the 51-45 loss. This gave him a career total of 7,229 receiving yards, breaking the Bengals franchise record. In a game against the Bills, he dove for a pass and was sandwiched between Donte Whitner and Coy Wire. He was carted off on a stretcher, but he did not miss any games due to the injury (so much like Deion he talks the talk but then backs it up). His 1,440 yards set a new Bengals franchise record, breaking his own record of 1,432 in 2005. It was the third time that he had finished a season with a new Bengals record for receiving yards. He went to the Pro Bowl once again.

Chad was injured most of last season, so his statistics are an aberration of his usual production. This off season Chad has been unusually “silent” and has vowed that he is a new man. He has gone back to the basics and wants to be the old Chad. If someone could relay this to Mr. Ochocinco…”Change your name back and stay quiet for a whole season and then we’ll believe you.”

NFL-- Top Ten WIde Receivers for 2009-Number 9

2009-07-24T18:11:00.004-04:00

[Entering his fifth season, Roddy White has 3,536 yards receiving (15.4YPC) and 16 receiving touchdowns]

I will not venture so far to say that any player is the next blah blah blah, or that player B is the second coming of player A but, Roddy White reminds me of the style of play of Chris Carter.

People always said of Chris Carter, all he does is catch touchdowns. I can't compare the two in that regard but all Roddy White does is his job. The beginning of White's career he was held back in a sense because his QB had 1,000 yards rushing which means, to all of the short bus readers, Michael Vick ran more than he passed. Most are saying that he had a breakout year whan Matt Ryan came in and change the world. This is simply untrue. Roddy White broke out in 2007 when he had everbody's favorite scape goat as a QB Joey Harrington. Harrington threw for 2200 yards in 2007, 1200 of which was into the hands of Roddy White. He was the first 1,000 yard receiver since 1999 that year. Last year he went to the Pro Bowl and broke the Atlanta Falcons single season record for receiving yards. This is a team that once had Andre Rison, Terance Mathis.

Matt Ryan was a rookie last season, hence he was probably held back slightly, which I know is hard to believe because he was the first QB since Peyton Manning to pass for over 3,000 yards in his rookie campaign. He will have more liberty to throw the ball, will most likely throw for 4,000 yards which statistically 1,600 should end up in the hands of Roddy White. White will not make many headlines and he will not be in most discussions of the best receivers in the league. But he will quietly and methodically put up the necessary numbers to help his team win games, and at 6 feet 212 pounds he will be pushing around most corners trying to chug him.

The bottomline, Roddy White will be Matt Ryan's go to guy this year and Tony Gonzalez will relieve some of the pressure. If his name weren't Roddy he might have been ranked higher.

NFL -Top Ten Wide Receivers - No. 10

2009-07-23T21:45:00.002-04:00

[Entering his fourth season, Marshall has 2,899 yards receiving and 15 total touchdowns]

NFL clichés are passed down from sportswriter to sportswriter. And sometimes they even spout this junk enough to convince former players turned journalists that it makes sense. Brandon Marshall (and Calvin Johnson who is further down list) spits in the face of two of these tired premises: (1) players from small schools aren’t as talented as the players from “big” schools and (2) wide receivers struggle more than any other position in their transition into the pros.

First of all other NFL players have nicknamed him “The Beast”. You know what…we don’t have to prove it. The best cornerback in the NFL, Nnamdi Asomugha, said Marshall is “the toughest guy to bring down, one-on-one.” The Denver Broncos selected Marshall with the 119th overall selection in the fourth round of the 2006 draft. Before the regular season even began, Marshall suffered a slight tear to his PCL. The injury sidelined him for a couple of weeks and limited his productivity. Marshall had a total of 20 catches, 309 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns for his rookie year.

Before the 2007 season started, Marshall sustained a groin strain and pulled a quadriceps muscle. The injury sidelined him for most of the preseason. But he wasn’t going to have another sub-par season. In 2007, he became only the fifth wide receiver in NFL history (Lionel Taylor, Sterling Sharpe, Isaac Bruce and Larry Fitzgerald are the others) to have at least 90 receptions in their second season. In 2007, he also became only the third second-year player in NFL history to have at least 100 receptions in a season, joining Bruce and Fitzgerald.

On March 22, 2008, Marshall slipped on an empty McDonald's bag while wrestling with family members, and subsequently, fell through a television cutting his right forearm (He’s a great football player…no one said he was a member of Mensa). He was cleared in late-June to practice with the Broncos. He later revealed that his right hand was numb during the entire 2008 season (he’s not called the Beast for nothing). Due to off the field issues, he was suspended for the first game of the season. In Marshall's first game back from suspension, he caught 18 passes for 166 yards and a touchdown. The 18 receptions were a Broncos single-game record, and tied for the second most in NFL history, trailing only Terrell Owens. Marshall's 18 receptions gave him 55 total receptions over five games, which is an NFL record. He is the first receiver in NFL history to register at least 10 receptions in four out of five games. The 104 catches were a career-high for Marshall and also made him only the ninth player in NFL history (second Broncos player) to have at least 100 receptions in back-to-back seasons.

In spite of all the trouble he stays in, this guy has only played three seasons and already has two one hundred reception seasons. Marshall would have been higher on this list but his partner is crime (Jay Cutler) is no longer the man pulling the trigger in Denver. If Marshall can maintain his level of excellence w/o any help (ala Calvin “Megatron” Johnson) he’ll be higher on the list next year.

NFL--Top Ten Running Backs for 2009--Number One

2009-07-22T03:13:00.002-04:00

We all remember our high school days where students would vote for most likely to succeed or most likely to get smacked up. Whatever it was, people would look at these things as if they were prophecies. I have a little prophecy of my own. Adrian Peterson could be one of the greatest running backs to ever play the game. Peterson is most likely to break Eric Dickerson's 25 year old rushing record. Most likely to rush for 200 yards in a game. Most likely to average for a season, over 5 yards a carry. Adrian Peterson is simply the most likely to succeed. He is third only to Dickerson and Jim Brown for most yards after his first 2 seasons.

Adrian Peterson is strong, fast and big. He is also a person that has filled in the blanks for the what ifs on the rest of the list. Last season, he played in all 16 games. The result is a sophomore campaign that solidified his name into many conversations about great running backs in history. Every one of this kids' stats seem to equal or surpass all of the tope ten is history regarding their first 2 years. Watching him play is like a crap shoot. You never know if you are going to get Eric Dickerson, Earl Campbell or Marshall Faulk. That is the beauty of watching him play.

If someone, a mad scientist maybe, were to build the frankenstein of RB's and take pieces from each of the great ones, Adrian Peterson would be the result. Standing 6 foot 2 inches, weighing 217 pounds and running in the 4.3 to 4.4 range he is built for greatness.

Their were a couple of games last where he was held to less than 100 yards but this year with a few more offensive additions he may have his sights on Barry Sanders' record of 14 straight 100 yard games. The good part is, he plays on the number 1 rush defense in the league. He will play Chicago twice which is getting older and slower, Baltimore which just lost their defensive coordinator and a starting LB, The New York Giants and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The final 2 teams can cause a problem in regards to his rushing performance but the bulk of the teams he plays may not even stop him for rushing for 200 yards in a game. His rookie season, he averaged 5.6 yards per carry. On 363 carries, which is likely, he reaches that mark. He had multiple games last season where he carried the ball less than 20 times. This will not happen this year. He is the undisputed king of that Viking backfield and he will carry this team on his back.

NFL--Top Ten Running Backs for 2009--Number Two

2009-07-21T14:14:00.002-04:00

[Entering his 6^th season, Turner has 2,956 yards rushing (4.9 YPA), 112 yards receiving (6.6 YPC) and 26 total touchdowns]

Are you one of those people that believe Michael Turner was a one hit wonder? You’re not alone, but it’s only b/c you have a case of the Matt Cassel’s. Or maybe a case of the Cedric Benson’s. You wouldn’t think that if you just took a minute to digest the numbers. What do I believe? Is that everyone should have a rabbit’s foot as lucky as the one Turner must carry with him. Now it’s time to dope slap you with the facts.

Turner was drafted by the Chargers 154th overall in the fifth round of the 2004 NFL draft. Turner started the last game of the season (the Chargers win a lot in case you didn’t know and LT was taking a blow). Turner also spent most of 2005 on the bench until he came off the bench to run for 113 yards, including a game-clinching 83-yard touchdown against the then undefeated Colts. That run gained him the nickname “The Burner” (he runs a 4.4 folks). Turner’s production increased in 2006 as he rushed for 502 yards. The rushing number isn’t impressive, but the 5.7 yards per carry was the highest among any active players.

The Chargers flirted with trading Turner during the 2007 off-season, but decided to keep him for one more year. Deciding once again to loss a star for nothing (why were they so ready to drop Drew Brees) the Chargers let Turner sign a contract with the Falcons in 2008. In his Falcon debut, Turner broke the Atlanta Falcons single game rushing record, rushing for 220 yards on 22 carries with 2 touchdowns. His 220 yards against the Lions marked the second-highest opening day rushing total behind OJ Simpson (he was acquitted get over it – I’m going to use his name whenever it’s necessary). He was named NFC Offensive Player of the week for this performance. His seventeen rushing touchdowns during the 2008 season broke the Atlanta Falcons' single season and it was also the second-most in NFL history for a first season with a team behind only Eric Dickerson (know your history people – it’s good for you). He finished the year with 1,699 yards (4.5 YPA) and 17 rushing touchdowns, which set a team record for touchdowns in a season. To top it all off he finished the season in MVP voting behind that guy in Indianapolis (his name slips my mind b/c I’m a hater).

Turner left third winningest team in the league, the huge O-line, the Pro Bowl QB’s (Brees and Rivers), the vaunted defense, etc, etc. to go to a 3-13 team that just lost is QB in a scandal for the ages and seemed to be spiraling out of control. The Falcons had been a running team but with a rookie QB he’d regularly see 8, 9 or 10 men in the box. So that’s where the rabbit’s foot comes in (he must sleep with that thing). Matt Ryan happens to play better in his first season than he did in college and Roddy White becomes the best receiver in the NCF not named Fitzgerald. The moons and the stars didn’t align just right for one season. As long as Matty Ice doesn’t have a sophomore slump, Turner will break more records this year.

NFL--Michael Vick is out.

2009-07-20T15:53:00.002-04:00

I wasn't going to say anything. I really was not going to write about this but, my hand has been forced.

Generally, if you are doing 75mph in a 55mph speed zone and you get pulled over, you will get a speeding ticket and get points on your license. If you decide to rob an old lady and get caught, you will go to jail for a couple of years. If you fight dogs, if you kill dogs, then you will be punished accordingly.

Many people are talking about giving Michael Vick a second chance. This is not a second chance. This is his right to move on in life. Vick has served his time and the notion that Roger Goodell is pondering reinstating Mike Vick is an insult to our judicial system and is actually laughable. The QB spent 23 months in jail and on house arrest. I would think that after almost 2 years Goodell should have come to a conclusion. The problem I am having, rather the many problems that I am having is Roger Goodell is waiting for the public reaction. He is not trying to figure out this out on his own, which in my opinion, he should not be figuring out anything. Our government has been in place for 233 years or so, I would imagine that it functions at a high level. The NFL commissioner has a degree in economics, not law. What qualifies him to second guess our judicial system. Its almost treason like that he would hand out more punishment.

The next big problem that I have is the fact that most people are saying that Michael Vick needs to show contrition and be very apologetic. I worked in a jail for 2 years. I heard routinely from inmates that they didn't like to cut deals because when their time is up, they would not owe the state anything. What the hell would Micheal Vick be contrite about. He went to jail, he is now in debt more than $10 million. I think that he should be allowed to walk around with his middle fingers raised high. I do not agree with what he did to the dogs. I have have a pet, my family has dogs. I hated the fact that he killed so many creatures. I wanted him to serve his time and he did. Burress needs to serve his time and Pacman Jones should not be allowed to play football again but once you fulfill your legal obligations the public should stand down.

This is like a modern day lynching. It is easy to attack this guy and keep him at bay because he did a very stupid thing but enough is enough. It sounds to me like they are asking him to be a good negro and keep his head low. Don't rock the boat and kiss a lot of ass. Who decides how much shucking and jiving he will have to do to satisfy the overzealous PETA or the white americans who are pissed off that their horse has cost them money. How many y'assah bossah's will Michael Vick have to do before we can allow him to earn a living like any other American. Michael Milken robbed Americans and he went to jail, came out and is richer than he was when he first got arrested.

He has a family and should be allowed to earn a living at what he knows best. The end result could be ugly. If left to his own devices outside of football to make a living we could be looking at a tragic end to what could have been prevented.

The BOTTOM LINE, he has served his time, stop with the B***s***.

NFL - Top Ten Running Backs for 2009 - Number Three

2009-07-20T06:18:00.003-04:00

[Entering his ninth season; LaDainian Tomlinson has 11,760 yards rushing (4.4 YPA), 3,801 yards receiving (7.5 YPC) and 126 total touchdowns]

Jack of all trades, master of none. I heard this saying a long time ago in the restaurant business while in one week, I worked as a cook, a server, a bartender, a bouncer and a manager. The statement was slightly funny but mostly annoying. Having heard that I decided to just focus in on one thing and try to be the best at that one thing. Jack of all trades, is a phrase that can be used to describe Ladainian Tomlinson but, he is also a master of all that he is a jack.

I have seen LT rush for TD's, pass for them and catch them. He blocks well and he shoulders the burden of being a target week in and week out. Whatever he does on the football field he does well. This is however, not about how "well" he does things. LT is friggin' ridiculous. He has caught 100 passes in a single season. That is a mark that receivers use to measure how good or bad their season is. He has 126 TD's which puts him at number 2 all time behind Emmitt "pad your stats" Smith. The next closest active player is Shaun Alexander who is no longer active really and 26 TD's away, Edgerrin James who has 80 TD's but may not play this year and then with 70 TD's is Clinton Portis. He is number 2 all time with no active players in contention.

LT is quiet and just goes about what he does best. Destroy opposing defenses. I actually think that it was laughable when the San Diego Chargers were talking about letting him go and Darren Sproles the oompah loompah was going to lead their rushing attack. That kid is a great novelty but you don't get rid of a hall of famer who is only 30, has not missed a game due to injury and probably still runs about a 4.3 in the 40 yard dash. LT has averaged 15 TD's per game over his career which means that in 3 short years, he will surpass Emmitt for the all time lead in rushing TD's.

I am a die hard Giants fan and I think my lucky stars that Ladainian Tomlinson plays in the AFC. When his career is done, there should be arguments as to where he ranks amongst the greatest ever. He could easily be number 2 behind Barry Sanders when he is done. I could not make him number 1 for 2009 because he will not get the ball as much because of Sproles and as of today I believe their are 2 RB's that will have better seasons but, when it is all said and done, historically, there aren't many better.

NFL - Top Ten Running Backs for 2009 - Number Four

2009-07-20T05:36:00.002-04:00

[Entering his eighth season; Brian Westbrook has 5,721 yards rushing (4.6 YPA), 3,609 yards receiving (9.0 YPC) and 64 total touchdowns]

Brian Westbrook has developed a reputation for being an impact player year in and year out. What makes him so valuable is the variety of ways he can affect the outcome of a game. Initially, you wouldn’t think that about a running back that averages 820 yards a season…not until you notice he averages almost 520 yards receiving as well. Early on in his career when Duce Staley was the starter, he also returned kicks. He made his mark in the NFL in the 2003 season with a fourth quarter punt return for a touchdown to beat the Giants. The play managed to turn the Eagles' season around as they went to the NFC Championship game. Westbrook missed the playoffs that year after tearing his triceps muscle in the final game of the season. And that my friends is the rap sheet on Mr. Westbrook...he’s about as brittle as he is dynamic.

In 2004, he was the starter and rushed for a career high 812 yards, led all NFL running backs in receiving with 73 receptions for 703 yards, and scored nine touchdowns, creating numerous problems with opposing teams' defenses and helping to propel the Eagles to a 13-3 season. With over 1,200 yards rushing and receiving in 2005, it was announced that Westbrook would miss the rest of the season due to a mid-foot injury (noticing a trend here).

However, with a season-ending injury to McNabb in 2006, Westbrook stepped up and became the keystone of the Philadelphia offense. He became the first Eagle to rush for over 100 yards in three straight games. Westbrook set a career-high in rushing yards with 1,217, topping 1,000 yards for the first time in his career. He also led the team with 77 receptions for 699 receiving yards. In 2007, he had over 100 yards rushing and receiving combined in twelve of the fifteen games that he played. His 1,333 rushing yards were a new career high and his 2,104 yards from scrimmage led the NFL. Westbrook was named to his second Pro Bowl and first All-Pro team, after setting a new franchise record with 90 receptions. In 2008, he became only the seventh player in NFL history to rush for 30 and catch 25 touchdowns in his career.

The knocks on Brian Westbrook are deserved…he’s not a shot yardage or goal line back and he’s often injured. But great coaches find ways to put players in situations that match their talents and Westbrook doesn’t disappoint. At least not until he pulls a groin, strains a bicep or breaks a toe or something.

NFL - Top Ten Running Backs for 2009 - Number Five

2009-07-19T15:38:00.002-04:00

[Entering his fifth season, Brandon Jacobs has 2,620 yards rushing (4.7 YPA); he has 359 yards receiving (9 YPC) and 37 total touchdowns].

I am not the smartest guy in the world. I do not create elaborate ideas which will change the world. I have not had a stellar professional football career that would give me license to demand respect. In this instance, I will not be needing any of those things to do very simple math here. Brandon Jacobs is 6 foot 4 inches. 265 pounds and has been clocked between high 4.4's to mid 4.5's in the 40 yard dash. Oftentimes as I have mentioned before, these stats can mean absolutely nothing. As a matter of fact, it does mean nothing. But when you have this kid who wants nothing but to crush everything in his path and be a leaders of his team, it is a recipe for disaster.

Jacobs runs for the hole and he runs over anything trying to stop him from getting to the hole. The other part of this math equation is the fact that last year, he carried the ball 219 times for 1,089 yards in only 13 games while splitting time. He performed a similar feat in 2007 in 11 games with less carries. The point I am making is this, Brnadon Jacobs has averaged 5 yards per carry in the past 2 seasons while sharing the carries with Derrick Ward and nursing injuries. His 15 TD's in 2008 and the fact that 13% of his carries go for more than 10 yards shows that he is a complete back and has potential to break records. There is no indication that he will not hace to share carries with Ahmad Bradshaw and the draft pick Andre Brown but, this year, I anticipate the carries he shares will be more of spelling the little guy for a minute before he can go back to his soul crushing style of running.

In 2008 he averaged 1.15 TD's a game which if he had played all 16 games would equal about 18 TD's. If you realize that this guy is now a franchise player with a freshly minted contract, less carries to share and mostly young, untrusted receivers on the outside, health is the only thing really to stop "Tiny" from rushing for 1,800 yards and 22 TD's in 2009. When I see him getting the ball, there are times that he can amaze you like a third down back with some of the cut backs and off tackle sprintouts or the crushing decleating he hands out to all comers.

NFL - Top Ten Running Backs for 2009 - Number Six

2009-07-18T09:44:00.003-04:00

[Entering his eighth season, Clinton Portis has 9,202 yards rushing (4.5 YPA); he has 1,906 yards receiving (8.2 YPC) and 83 total touchdowns]

What do you call this guy? Clinton Portis? Dollah Bill? Sheriff Gonna Getcha? Coach Hanky Spanky? This guy has more alter egos than Dirk Niwitski’s knocked up boo. Since it’s a lot easier to respect stats than it is to judge what a man does in his spare time, we should just call him a future Hall of Famer.

If he has another typical season (averages 1,300 yards per), he’ll be part of the 10,000 yard club. He rushed for over 1,500 yards his first two seasons in Denver, averaging a gaudy 5.5 YPA (NFL record for first two seasons). His second season in the league he had a 5 rushing touchdown in a game against the Chiefs (when they were a playoff team – they suck now). No one has rushed for more than 4 TDs since (that was in 2003).

Mike Shanahan decided (in my opinion) that Portis’ numbers were a product of their offensive system and inexplicably traded Portis for Champ Bailey and a second round pick. They used the pick to draft Tatum Bell, who had the audacity to wear Portis’ number 26. The Redskins had a power running philosophy not the stretch runs and outside runs that Portis’ had become accustomed to (not to mention a lot of O-line injuries). He still managed 1,300 yards rushing and followed it up in 2005 with another 1,500 yard season (Redskins franchise record).

In 2008, Portis fell just short of what would have been his fourth 1500 yard rushing season in seven years, finishing with 1487 yards and an average of 4.3 yards per carry. His season was highlighted by a five week stretch in which Portis gained nearly 700 yards, ending in an October 26 victory over the Detroit Lions. During this span Clinton Portis joined O.J. Simpson as the only players in NFL history to rush for at least 120 yards in five consecutive games twice in a career (Portis first did it over two seasons with four games with Denver in 2003 and one game with Washington in 2004). Portis led the NFL in rushing as late as November 23 before nagging injuries and limited playing time slowed him down; he gained only 281 yards in his final five games as the Redskins lost four of five to miss the playoffs.

Nagging injuries and workhorse production seem to be starting to affect Portis’ success. Unless he wants to be the next Eddie George, the Redskins will have to find a way to cut his attempts back. Jason Campbell or whoever replaces him (he needs to go) is going to need to maximize Santana Moss’ and Chris Cooley’s potential. That should take some of the pressure of Portis whose rare combination of power and speed (he still runs a 4.26 folks) still make him stand out more than his weird alter egos.

NFL - Top Ten Running Backs for 2009 - Number Seven

2009-07-17T07:15:00.002-04:00

The rookie class of 2008 had several players that played like vets, some that shattered team records, and others that should have been MVP candidates…Matt Forte was all three.

Right out of the gate he beat several vets for the starting job in Chicago and had his first start on network television. His first start was on Monday Night Football against the Indianapolis Colts…Dwight Freeney, Bob Sanders and Co. All he did was set a franchise rookie debut record with 123 yards and a touchdown. He did it all for the Bears all year long and he was their most consistent player. Devin Hester, for some reason, wants to be a wide receiver. He didn’t help the team much and his prowess as a returner has suffered for it. No problem though…Forte stepped in and led all rookies in receptions. He also happened to finish third in yards from scrimmage as a rookie…not just for rookies, but in the entire league. Only Adrian Peterson and Michael Turner produced more last year.

When the season was over he had 1,715 total yards from scrimmage and it broke Hall of Famer Gale Sayers’ rookie team record. Forte led all rookie running backs in total yards and receptions, but only managed one vote for Rookie of the Year. He actually got fewer votes than Chris Johnson, who produced much less than Forte but played on a much better team. In this information age, how do guys like this fly so far under the radar? Had the Bears sniffed the playoffs he should have been an MVP candidate. The Bears have been known for their defense this decade, but how you miss a rookie carrying his team all year long is beyond me.

This year Forte has Jay Cutler handing the ball off to him. The media will be focused on Cutler all year long. Maybe this year Forte can set his sights on some of Walter Payton’s records. That should get some people’s attention.

NFL - Top Ten Running Backs for 2009 - Number Eight

2009-07-17T05:23:00.003-04:00

Six feet two, 231 pounds, an injured, 4.5 40 yard dash time. If you attach these numbers to any athlete, in any sport, in any country, the result would be the same. Sick athlete. These numbers belong to specimen formerly known as Steven Jackson.

Now let’s not jump the gun and say anyone with these stats will be a beast. We all have memories of Rashaan Salaam, Ki-Jana Carter, who I would never draft a guy named Ki-Jana to play football, Lawrence Phillips and Maurice Clarett. Those guys had the size and speed stats but truly failed as professionals. I have seen Steven Jackson play and he is as far from these guys as Tiger Woods is from whoever is reading this as they golf on a Friday afternoon.

Last year, missing 4 games, he rushed for 1,042 yards on 253 carries with an average of 4.1 YPC. We can all do the math, he averages about 100 yards a game when he starts. If he is healthy, I can't really be stopped. It appears that he is not that above average if you are to look only at the numbers. I would like to think that the readers of this blog are analytical and would like harder evidence, well, my dear Watson, here is something to chew on. Last season, the St. Louis Rams won only 2 games. In 7 games, the defense gave up over 30 points. The end result of that is, 4 games Jackson carried the ball less than 20 times. That means he would need to average over 5 YPC. Only 4 people in history has been able to do that. The bottom line is, the Rams were blown out a lot and probably had to get pass happy to try and stay in the game.

Steven Jacskon has been described as being built like a super hero. He is and he has the production to back it up. There is no guarantee that he will be healthy all season, there is no guarantee that his team will not get blasted by 30 points all season, but it is a guarantee that when he suits up and takes the field on Sunday, he will put his cleats in your chest when you are in front, jump over the anorexic DB's trying to ankle tackle, and laugh at the 4.4 running defenders that can't figure out how to catch him in the open field.

NFL - Top Ten Running Backs for 2009 - Number Nine

2009-07-16T10:09:00.003-04:00

[Entering his fifth season, Gore has rushed for 4,441 yards in 949 attempts (4.7 YPA) and has 1,425 yards receiving (8.3 YPC) and 26 total touchdowns]

How does this guy do it? The 49ers have been one of the bottom five teams in the league for years now. The offense has no playmakers on the outside (Crabtree hasn’t played a down yet…take it easy) and Vernon Davis still hasn’t figured out how to use his 4.3 speed to his advantage. Sorry Patrick Willis doesn’t play offense. Can you name a single starter on their offensive line? Don’t feel bad…I can’t either.

All Frank Gore has managed to do, in spite of his mediocre supporting cast, is break or set records for a franchise that has had its share of great running backs. He only started one game as a rookie in 2005, but he still managed nearly 750 yards from scrimmage including a 72-yard touchdown run in a game against the Redskins. His second season he became the starter and immediately became a star. He rushed for 1,695 yards and had 2,180 yards from scrimmage (breaking franchise records held by Garrison Hearst), became the first 49er back to lead the NFC in rushing, had a 212 yard game (breaking Charlie Garner franchise record), and had nine 100-yard games (passed Roger Craig’s record by three games). He was named the Pro Bowl NFC starter. The only other players to average at least 5.4 YPC in a season and have at least 300 carries are Barry Sanders, Erik Dickerson and O.J. Simpson. All three of those players are Hall of Famers. Since then, he’s become the only back in 49er history to have three consecutive thousand yard seasons.

As long as the Cardinals have Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin and the Seahawks keep Matt Hasselback healthy; this 49er team will never stand a chance for competing for anything but 3rd or 4th place in the division. But whenever you get a chance to watch the 49ers play, don’t change the channel. Watch #21…then ask yourself… how does this guy do it?

NFL--Top Ten Running Backs for 2009--Number Ten

2009-07-16T09:23:00.004-04:00

The good news about Steve Slaton is that he plays for the Houston Texans and a lot of people still doubt him or worse yet, do not plan for him. The bad news is Slaton will not sneak up on anyone this year. That being said, whether teams plan for him or not, he will be difficult to stop because of the fact that he is a rare combination of speed(4.3), size and the most important factor, talent.

I have been watching this kid since college and I have been in aw of his ability for 4 years now. He has the uncanny ability to make a defense plan for him like he is a wide receiver. Steve SLaton is a GAMEBREAKER. He is not the guy who is a blue collar, get 'ur done type of back that requires 400 carries in a season to pop his numbers. In my opinion, he has Barryesque abilities that can and will only be hindered if the Houston Texans decide that ineptitude will be there gameplan for 2009 and 2010.

His numbers in college were gaudy, breaking virtually every West Virginia rushing record in a backfield that was shared by one of the more prolific college QB's and a freshman at the time who would make you hold your breathe. Every team planned for him in college and still could not stop him. Last year he rushed for 1,282 yards rushing,9 TD's and averaged 4.8 yards a carry. I expect this number to increase as he will not be a rookie next year and he can be turned into more of a workhorse. Not to mention that as long as Andre Johnson is on the outside, Steve Slaton will continuously run against a defense that does not have 8 in the box.

Steve Slaton is number 10 only because I hate giving rookies such accolades and he is in very good company but, any running back that makes you hold your breath when he has the rock, and it is not because you think he is going to fumble, that is for you Tiki Barber (punk ass) needs to be watched and watched closely.

NFL--Top Ten Wide Receivers for 2009

2009-07-15T09:28:00.005-04:00

A list of true game breakers and game changers only.

Randy Moss
Larry Fitzgerald
Calvin Johnson
Andre Johnson
Terrell Owens
Steve Smith
Anquan Boldin
Chad Ochocinco( how stupid)
Roddy White
Brandon Marshall

As much as I hate T.O., this is football talk. He is still top ten.

NFL--Top Ten Running Backs for 2009

2009-07-15T09:23:00.002-04:00

Adrian Peterson
Michael Turner
Ladainian Tomlinson
Brian Westbrook
Brandon Jacobs
Clinton Portis
Matt Forte
Steven Jackson
Frank Gore
Steve Slaton

Keep your head up or get trucked. More to come.

NFL--Top Ten Quarterbacks for 2009

2009-07-15T09:16:00.003-04:00

Tom Brady
Peyton Manning
Drew Brees
Donavan McNabb
Aaron Rodgers
Kurt Warner
Ben Roethlisberger
Philip Rivers
Carson Palmer
Eli Manning

Explanations to follow... Relax.

NFL--Another reason for me to hate TO

2009-07-14T05:35:00.004-04:00

I wake up today and I get an email saying that Terrell Owens has posed nude. Wow what an attention whore. That was my first assessment of what he was doing, seeking attention. He has a reality show coming which in the past for football players has been disastrous. He is now in a small market up there in Buffalo. Small but very loyal. There is no reason for attention hunting or feeling lonely up there. Trust me Owens, if you score a touchdown in week one, those Buffalinos will start offering up there first born daughters ages 18 and up to you.

So upon further review of the situation, I realize that it is not the attention that this retard seeks. It i the hopeless grasping at straws of what remains of his career. I will be clear, I hate Terrell Owens and I think he is one of the dumbest players in the league but, his statistics over the past 13 years are among the best in history. At age 35 going on 36 this year, his time in football is short. Given his problems on each of his 3 teams, his backstabbing of one of the greatest linebackers to play the game, and the fact that now he is up there in Canada Minor with a QB whose resume is shorter than my 17 year old sister's, tells me that he is trying to bring attention to himself that he likely will not receive through his actions on the field.

I thought the book cover was cheesy but this reality TV show and the nude posing for it is Mac N Cheesy. I mean we fined Plaxico for shooting himself, jailed Vick for being Buffy the Pitbull Slayer, I think Terrell Owens should be publicly stoned for being a frigging DoucheBag.

Thank you T.O., with a slow clap of course, for giving me another reason to hate your effing guts, thank you.

NFL Analysis--NFC West-Some Surprises

2009-07-13T06:46:00.002-04:00

This is the last post for the NFL-Analysis series. With this , I am a bit confused. Last season I thought that the NFC West was one of the weaker divisions in football. It was but, what a difference a year makes. No, I do not think that anyone from the NFC West will be in the Super Bowl in 2009/2010 but if you really look at the last 10 years or so it is evident that anything can happen. Three of the last ten Super Bowls has featured teams from the NFC West. Granted, they only have 1 win but a trip nevertheless. There are some free agency and draft additions that I find a little intriguing as the season nears. WARNING, WARNING, WARNING. This is not a coronation nor is it a prediction of a changing of the guard in the NFL. It is simply an observation and a collection of data that I find to be "very interesting" as I twist up my Iron Sheik mustache. Buckle up B****es here we go.

The St. Louis Rams may be the most improved team this year. Maybe only in the division but possibly in the league. The Rams hired former Super Bowl winning, former Jim Johnson disciple, defensive coordinator in Steve Spagnuolo. He will make changes that we will see in the first game this year. I also believe that they drafted very well. Taking a left tackle to begin the Steve Spagnuolo era was a very smart move. Offensive lineman typically translate well to the pro game. He will protect Marc Bulger who in years past has been more than just a solid QB. He has 2 Pro Bowls and 1 Pro Bowl MVP. The problem is, I don't think he really has anyone to throw too, hence my confusion. Bulger was at one point, a certified stud but he had Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce and a whole lot of Orlando Pace. The coach, who just left the Giants should know that you need more than a decent running game and a defense to win. Defense does win championships but, his defense did not do to well last year being ranked 28 out of 32 teams. Sure, I think with drafting Laurinaitis in the second round was a steal. I ranked him as a first rounder. The problem is however not what the defense will or can do, the problem is the fact that the Rams did not draft nor did they pursue receiver in free agency. Steven Jackson is not human, unless he sprains his vagina muscles which seems likely if you know his history. So...I am confused.

I can't believe the fact that one of the offensive components that were missing in the unstoppable offense last year, a running game was added in the draft. The Arizona Cardinals drafted Beanie Wells, who if he can stay healthy, will be a problem for anyone this season. If the Cardinals can run the ball, Larry Fitzgerald will repeat his performance. Steve Breaston will get better as Larry is doubled and Anquan Boldin is healthy. Kurt Warner looked old in his first year but his arm is 24 years old. I know, the rest of his body should be collecting social security but they only need his arm, eyes and brain to function at high levels. Warner has three monsters that should be tested for some type of performance enhancing drug prior to every play because at times, they were that unstoppable. Defensively, they have Karlos Dansby who is a tackling machine but, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie had 6 interceptions and a touchdown. People were talking about this kid a lot. He did however have 7 touchdowns scored against him. That stat is scary knowing that he has the best receiver tandem in the league on his team and the rest of his division sucked big rhinoceros ass last year. Adrian Wilson is my hero but even Superman lost some battles. The Cardinals will score more points this year but, they may not stop their opponents from scoring more this year.

Seattle Seahawks in the post-Homlgren era will be known for defense. Drafting Aaron Curry was probably one of the best moves in recent Seattle history. I think he will be the face of the franchise like Derrick Brooks was, Ray Lewis is. Lofa Tatupu has always been sort of a favorite of mine. I think their linebacking core will be one of the best in football. They will be hard to pass on and they will be hard to run on. In a word, they may have top ten defense this season. Matt Hasselbeck, who was everybody's darling a couple of years ago, spent much of 2008 sunbathing in the middle of football games on his back. He will hopefully get some help this year in Max Unger, their second round pick. Hasselbeck also has a plethora...wait, yes, I used plethora on a football blog, of wide receivers to choose from. He doesn't have some big name game breaker but he doesn't need one. This is a QB that can and will spread it around to anyone who is open and will not drop the ball. TJ "whose your mama" Houshmanzadeh, Deion Branch, Koren Robinson and John Carlson will help the QB to spread the love. Julius Jones however, is baffling. I guess the philosophy will be pass first, second, third and then give the ball to TJ Duckett on the goal line and to Jones when you want to give the impression of not being one sided.

How many years can one of the greatest defensive players in history watch his team not do well defensively. That being said, the San Francisco 49er's had the best defense in the NFC West in 2008. Mike Singletary is the leader of a team in a division that has been relatively weak in recent years but has gotten better in the off season. Patrick Willis would tackle his mother if she had on a different color jersey and I can't imagine he will be slowing down anytime soon. Their defense actually ranked 13 out of 32 which is sort of enigmatic because I believe their division was so weak, it helped with their numbers. Prove me wrong coach Big Eyes, prove me wrong. Michael Crabtree as I said before will be the truth. The problem that many point out is the fact he doesn't really have that good of a QB to throw him the ball. It doesn't matter if Kim Kardashian is handling the balls, Crabtree will have a good rookie season. Now the missing part of the puzzle is Vernon Davis. If he would just stop wearing dresses in private, he can live up to the hype. Frank Gore is a very consistent, boring back but I will take him over 3/4 of the league.

I don't really know but here is my best guess.

Seattle Seahawks
Arizona Cardinals
St. Louis Rams
San Francisco 49ers

NFL-- The UFL is stupid.

2009-07-11T23:32:00.003-04:00

I am only going to touch on this topic one last time because I am sure that the league will not be around long enough for me to give another opinion as to how stupid this league is going to be. Ready, steady, go.

The UFL will fail boys and girls. It will fail like NFL Europe. It will fail like the XFL. By the way, I still can't say XFL without uncontrollable laughter. It will fail like the USFL. There are no good business reasons for starting a new football league. The NFL is gaining fans and increasing viewership. The NFL is growing its market share. There is nothing about this league that entices me to watch.

First of all, we are probably in the worst economic times in United States history. This does not bode well for an upstart league with stale coaches and no bankable stars. People will not spend extra money to go see JP Losman become All-UFL for the Las Vegas Black Jack Bangers or whatever assholic name that they will decide on as Jim Fassel tries to relive the glory days in the desert. Lets be realistic here. People in Vegas are there to gamble and bang whores legally. Why in the hell would anyone want to watch third tier football when you can go to the Moonlight Bunny Ranch and watch Air Force Amy rock your world for a weeks pay. So I have heard.

The USFL turned out legendary, Hall of Fame talent most notably in Jim Kelly and Steve Young. Have you heard of those guys? Even with the talent of Herschel Walker, who should be a Hall of Famer because of his accomplishments, couldn't save the league from failure. The USFL was aggressively signing big name talent and challenging the NFL head to head but it still didn't have enough time or money or intelligence to make it. The league overspent and underproduced.

There are anti-trust laws to prevent the NFL from monpolizing television which is why there are no Friday night games because of high school football. There is no NFL on Saturdays because of college football. There is NFL football on Sunday afternoons and nights. There is Monday Night Football, Thursday Night Football. When will the UFL air games? They can't put it on Tuesday because I am watching House. Wednesday I am watching Lie to Me and Thursday I am already recording Criminal Minds so I can watch the NFL live. Friday nights already belong to high school football in the cow tipping towns across the country. Friday nights in NY and LA most guys are out in bars trying to live like T-Pain and buying strippers drinks.

My last point is that the UFL plans to begin their season in October. The last time I checked, their is another little event that occurs in October. The MLB playoffs will not be challenged by the UnFortunateLeague(UFL). I would rather watch the World Series than watch Mike Doss not live up to expectations in yet another league. Even if these idiots were able to sign Michael Vick, he would be sick in between dog slayings, but he would not turn this into a viable league. I only watch Arena Football League outside of the NFL and college football. Guess what? The AFL has had to shutter their doors temporarily.

Read My Lips America "No New Football Leagues"

Steve "Air" McNair

2009-07-04T18:18:00.003-04:00

I don't have many details but, I am writing this to pay homage to a quarterback that I think was one of the greats.

Steve McNair was found dead in a residence today shot dead at the age of 36.

Before any details are released that may or may not compromise his terrific football career, I want to be one of the early praisers of his on the field talents. McNair was a legendary quarterback that would have won the Heisman Trophy over disappointment Rashaan Salaam and bigger disappointment Ki-Jana Carter if not for being a black quarterback from a Division II school. He was as dominant in college as any of the other storied QB's. In the 1995 NFL Draft, only Derrick Brooks, Warren Sapp and possibly Kerry Collins has had better careers in their respective histories.

Air McNair's NFL career was one that has only been statistically surpassed by a few dozen QB's in history. He played in 3 Pro-Bowls, he was Co-MVP once and he played in 1 Super Bowl which if anyone remembers, was lost on the 1 yard line in the last play of the game.

I just want people to remember that whatever will come out about Steve McNair, he was great for the league and he has stats to back it up.

Rest In Peace Air.

Brett Favre

2009-07-03T11:42:00.002-04:00

I have been hearing that Brett Favre jerseys have not really been selling. There is a simple reason for this. I believe that I am not the only person who feels that Brett Favre should stay retired. He had a great career and I really would like to celebrate his greatness but, he doesn't know about his own retirement party.

Brett, this isn't like working for some random company for twenty years and they give you a crappy gold watch. This isn't an opportunity for everyone to break out in song for a bad rendition of "For he's a jolly good fellow". Mr Favre, when you retire, you will be going to the NFL Hall of Fame. You are one of the top 5 quarterbacks of all time. You are my generation and I have watched you from day one. The only time that I have routed against you was when you played the Giants.

Instead of a gracious exit, I believe that Brett Favre is beginning to taint his legacy. He is not 100% healthy, he has played for 18 years and his most recent year was by all accounts, an embarrassment. I can't help but imagine Favre rolling out to warmups in one of those carts that old folks use in the supermarket, asking a rookie by saying " sonny, could you give me a hand". Gone are the days when he was a jovial vet carrying around receivers after winning a game. Last year, he blatantly told the New York Jets to look for another QB. This is not what a man not done would do. He is not in camp, he does not know his team nor does he know his offense.

Brett Favre is not the only idiot though. The Minnesota Vikings have tooled up their offense by adding Percy Harvin and his 10 pounds of weed. Adrian Peterson is only getting better in my opinion. The run defense is obnoxiously good. Why get a QB, the leader of any football team, for most likely one year.?The Vikes are not Super Bowl ready. They are not one player away. Why oh why would a team make such stupid decisions? Who would sign a QB for one year. It's like they are getting advice about doing the smart thing from Plaxico Burress and being consulted by Michael Vick.

Retire Brett Favre. If he does not, he runs the risk of hazing one of his grandchildren in rookie training camp.

NFL Analysis -AFC North-Kill Everybody, Defense Wins Championships

2009-07-01T12:41:00.002-04:00

The AFC North much like the AFC East has a Super Bowl contender (Steelers) and a formidable challenger (Ravens) to the division title. I hate clichés but defense wins championships. The Steelers and Ravens have two of the best in the business. So good actually that they make the occasional mediocre play of their offenses forgettable. The Steelers have the most underappreciated quarterback in the league. Roethlisberger has two Super Bowl rings...you can call the first one a fluke, but the second validates his ability. How many flukes does Dan Marino have? Oh yeah, none. The Steelers, Titans, Ravens, Giants, Patriots...you can’t copy this unless you have the right personnel…run, play defense and then run some more. By the way, 4 of the 5 teams I just listed have won Super Bowls this decade…also not a fluke. The Steelers never rest on their laurels during the off season – disgruntled players get sent packing (like Joey Porter ), they let guys that want to get paid walk (Nate Washington), they re-sign or extend the guys who deserve it (James Harrison) and they keep chugging along.

Baltimore seems to have the same plug and play philosophy with their team. Adalius Thomas…see ya. Bart Scott…don’t let the door hit you on the way out. Ngata, Reed and Ray Ray are the irreplaceable parts of this defense and they will be around for another season. They seem to have found a quarterback that can ‘manage’ the offense. If he can sustain some series and keep the defense rested, they’ll keep winning. Flacco was a rookie last year, so the dear in headlights look during the playoffs is to be expected. With a year under his belt, he’ll improve and learn how to win games with his arm (something he couldn’t do at all last year). Le’ron McClain showed that he could be the feature back last year, but McGahee has been named the starter. The receiving corps always responds when called upon, but hasn’t been called on enough (anyone seen Todd Heap lately – remember when he went to Pro Bowls). This team went down to the wire with the Super Bowl champs twice last year. If Flacco improves, they could steal one in the playoffs.

This division has two legitimate Super Bowl contenders and two that clearly are going in the wrong direction. The Bengals showed some promise a few years ago before Carson Palmer had his knee blown out in a playoff game, but it seems like they never recovered. Now Housh is gone and expectations are up in the air for this team. The one saving grace of this team is that the defense plays much better than expected. With the additions they’ve made during the draft and the return of Keith Rivers (gone all of last year with a broken jaw), this defense could surprise some people. Cedric Benson was their best player last year on offense…I think that says it all. Hope you weren’t expecting me to address OchoCinco’s playoff guarantee…can’t do it.

The Cleveland Browns have one of the most loyal following in all of sports. Too bad the team doesn’t seem to care much about that. This team has made some of the most inexplicable roster decisions this offseason – they could have moved one of their young quarterbacks for picks during the draft and didn’t, they traded away their best offensive weapon (Winslow Jr.), tried to trade Braylon Edwards (twice), really should show their most versatile player some more love (Cribbs) and have done close to nothing to address their defense. Remember when the Chargers drafted Philip Rivers and Drew Brees played out of his mind to prove he deserved to be the starter. Not so much with Anderson and Quinn. The decision makers for this team really need to get better at actually making decisions for this team to have a shot at winning. Teams like this should pay fans to watch them play.

Greatest Football Catches Playz N Hits

2009-06-30T15:26:00.001-04:00

Sick stuff.

Jay-Z D.O.A. (Death of Auto Tune) [Official Music Video] brought to you by www.simplecashcrusade.com

2009-06-29T21:31:00.001-04:00

This may not be football but I would have listened to this before games. If you don't like it, you might be too dumb for my blog.

Do You Care About This?

2009-06-29T20:09:00.002-04:00

I swear. If I hear one more thing or if I read one more news posting about Kendra Wilkinson marrying Hank “the reason the Eagles drafted Maclin” Baskett, I am going to scratch my own eyes out. Perhaps someone else’s eyes

I have alerts for all NFL news and the news that I have been receiving is this crap. Why would anyone want to talk about football? Duh.

I’m hearing news about Plaxico Burress not signing with the Bears, which I actually thought was a no-brainer. There is also stuff about Mike Vick playing somewhere in 2009 because of the support he is receiving from Tony Dungy and the Humane Society.

LaDainian Tomlinson being called old at 30 and Brett Favre hopefully being put out to pasture are all stories that I feel are just a little bit more important than the ex-girlfriend of a thousand year old man marrying a guy who never made it to an ESPN highlight.

Look, there are those out there who may enjoy watching Kendra and her new breasts bounce around, to be honest, I do too at times but, not when I am looking for NFL news. NFL beat writers really need to get a grip and leave the entertainment gossip crap to the idiots that write it.

NFL Analysis -AFC South-Vince Young Drinking the Pain Away

2009-06-29T11:59:00.003-04:00

The AFC South is the most competitive division in football and the hardest to proclaim a clear cut favorite. The Titans are the AFC’s version of the Giants…they pound you into submission with their defense; they would run on all three downs if they could and their quarterback is asked to ‘not lose games’. They parlayed that into one of the best records in football last year. Chris Johnson made the offense special last year. But without him they got exposed in the playoffs. Lendale White can’t carry this offense. For this team to improve, they have to get more explosive plays on offense. Can this team play the kind of defense they played last year without Haynesworth? Hell to the no. Haynesworth was the LeBron James of defense last year. This group will look totally different without him…Keith Bullock will get exposed and Vanden Bosch and Kearse will not get free runs at quarterbacks. This team will have to have some great defensive line play to overcome the loss of Haynesworth.

As long as Peyton Manning is alive people will say the Colts are the best in this division…the Colts are on the decline from a personnel and management standpoint. Dungy stepped down and two other coaches retired (Peyton cried and now their ‘consultants’). Freeney and Sanders are All-Pro type players that keep the defense respectable but they looked ordinary at times last year. Marvin Harrison is gone, Addai could lose his job as featured back and the offensive line is aging. The best years of Peyton’s greatness got wasted while the defense improved. They’ll be in the hunt this year, but the Texans were an inexplicable Rosenfels fourth quarter from killing them in Houston. And the Titans are clearly a better team at this point.

Say it one more time with feeling…for the fourth year in a row the Texans are the sleeper playoff team in the AFC. This team is so confusing it’s got to make your head spin. They have a top five offense and No. 1 picks across their defense, but they seem to find ways to lose every week. The previously mentioned game against the Colts where they had a three touchdown lead in the fourth quarter and still lost is a glaring example. Steve Slaton should have gone to the Pro Bowl last year (Matt Forte should have as well) but Chris Johnson got the nod instead. This year Slaton has the back field to himself, the best receiving corps in football (yup I said it – the Patriots don’t use their tight ends as receiving threats) and their starting quarterback healthy. This team’s defense is extremely talented but their inconsistency keeps them from being great. Mario ‘I told you I deserved to be No. 1’ Williams was a defensive player of the year candidate last year. Demeco Ryans will never get the respect or Pro Bowls he deserves because he plays in the same division as Ray Lewis and Shawn Merriman. If this team becomes consistent on both sides of the ball and ‘maximizes their potential’, there isn’t any reason they can’t win the division.

Didn’t the Jaguars beat the Steelers in a playoff game, in Pittsburgh, two seasons ago?? Talk about a fall from grace. Mind you this team’s offense line was injured from tackle to tackle all of last season (one of their lineman was shot in the leg and had to have it amputated). There aren’t enough rabbit feet in the world to help that kind of bad luck. Garrard took all the blame for their horrible season; they cut Fred Taylor loose (bad idea) and resigned Jones-Drew. The receiving corps got shipped off and they brought in Torry Holt. They were staring Michael Crabtree in the face and passed on him (still can’t believe that one since they released three of their wide outs). Jack Del Rio always seems to get this team to compete – especially on defense. Only time will tell if the offense will be good enough after the major overhaul.

I'm Mad As Hell And I'm Not Going To Take It Anymore!!

2009-06-23T12:02:00.002-04:00

I started blogging about football so I could voice what pisses me off about football. What I am pissed off about now is that there is nothing for me to be pissed off about. As a matter of fact, things are pretty boring right now. Being annoyed is cleansing to the soul. I am sure some really old guy wearing a toga said that. We have stupid ass Chad Johnson guaranteeing victories and the playoffs, Plaxico still looking for a job and Michael Vick applying for jobs as a construction worker. These are all really dumb things that should be anger inducing but, it is just boring and overdone. Maybe if Plaxico shoots Vick in the leg while being attacked by a dog and Ocho Cinco guaranteeing years in prison, all the bloggers and sportswriters of the world will have something to do. In the meantime, I will just wait for Brett Favre to start doing Rogaine and Viagra commercials.

NFL Analysis -AFC West- Weakest Division in Football

2009-06-22T20:30:00.006-04:00

The AFC West is hands down the least competitive division in football. Yes, I realize the Chargers are in this division but the other three teams could all easily go 6-10. The Chargers (the most TALENTED team in the NFL every year) seem to be poised to have another great season that ends in a playoff loss. If teams want to beat the Patriots, they have to improve. The Patriots are never content with the pieces they have…they’re always replacing people at key positions. The Chargers have to adopt this philosophy to get over the hurdle. Tomlinson, Gates, Rivers, Cromartie and Merriman are the core, but this team always seems to have a hole somewhere that it never addresses. For instance, in all the talk of LT’s demise no one ever brings up the fact that they cut Lorenzo Neal (why teams feel fullbacks are disposable I’ll never know) two years ago. Wherever this guy is backs are rushing for thousands of yards…it’s not a coincident. They have an impact player at every level of their defense – Williams, Merriman and Cromartie – but the secondary is always suspect, they are susceptible to runs on the outside and their linebackers are bad in zone coverage. At some point, this team has to address these issues.

The rest of the teams in this division are either dysfunctional or just plain bad, so don’t take the order I put them in to mean anything. In order to avoid confusion, I’ll just go alphabetical by team name. The Broncos are a team that is obviously in the dysfunctional category. First Cutler, now Marshall wants out. That’s like Brady and Moss wanting out of New England…this is serious stuff, but their new coach keeps trying to give the impression that he’s taking it all in stride. Really?! This isn’t your daddy’s Shanahan and Elway Broncos folks. This team is a joke and a sham on defense and will be on offense if they lose Marshall. The fans already know this team is going to struggle without Cutler…why all the drama too? Help your fans understand why they’d want to keep buying tickets. You have to wonder what a guy like Champ Bailey is thinking right now. My guess is he’ll be the next to ask for his release. I hate to see guys like him waste Hall of Fame caliber careers on bad teams.

The Chiefs have a new GM in Scott Pioli. We’ll get to see if it was he or Belichick who was the better evaluator of talent in New England. But for now, he stole Cassel and Vrabel away and this team should slowly improve. Right now this team is bad and needs t o be coached up. Remember two years ago when everyone was calling Glenn Dorsey the best PLAYER in the entire draft…not so much. Love or hate him, Larry Johnson is one of the best in the business. Running backs actually need people blocking for them. No back in the history of the league has ever gained yards playing 8-on-1 (Barry Sanders and Earl Campbell looked really good trying). Dwayne Bowe is a great young receiver. I feel sorry for the guy that has to replace Tony Gonzales (who trades the best player ever at their position while they’re still productive). This team is clearly in rebuilding mode on the offensive line (never a good thing for any team) and defense. They have some good ‘building blocks’ on defense in Derrick Johnson, Bernard Pollard and Tamba Hali (once again not Glenn Dorsey). With a good front office and Cassel in place, this team should show the most improvement this season.

The Raiders…do I have to go any further. This team is a cluster ____ (you fill in the blank – we don’t want the FCC to shut down our blog). This team was a Heyward-Bey aware from the skilled position player Trifecta for the last three drafts - JaMarcus Russell, Darren McFadden and Michael Crabtree. The last time something similar happened it was Aikman, Irvin, Smith…you guys remember them right? The only organization that can compare in impotence is the Clippers. Not because it’s dysfunctional but because so many wounds are self inflicted. This team has four starting running backs and could easily trade one. But that makes too much sense to actually happen. Michael Bush, formerly of Louisville, is going to get traded or released and have the kind of year Michael Turner had in Atlanta…if you didn’t get a chance to see him carry the ball last year, I feel sorry for you. Justin Fargas is a legitimate starter but he doesn’t have the fanfare that’s attached to McDaffen. Take a lesson from the Cardinals, who happened to play in the Super Bowl last year, let Garcia play and make Russell watch. I used to feel sorry for players like Nnamdi Asomugha, but why would you sign a long term deal to stay with this team???? Let them franchise tag you and then test free agency. On second thought, maybe Oakland is exactly where he belongs.

NFL Analysis - NFC South

2009-06-21T13:49:00.003-04:00

I am very excited to talk about what I feel is going to happen in the Dirty South of the National Football Conference. I think it will be the toughest conference this year and may be playoff surprises coming out of this conference. Most likely, NFC teams will not have these outstanding records of 13-3 that we are used to when crowning a team or a conference a contender for a championship. Every division game will be hard fought and sometimes you can just flip a coin to see who will come out on top.

The New Orleans Saints will probably repeat their offensive juggernaut ways in 2009. Drew Brees seems to be one of the more underrated QB's in the game right now. Granted, he has 3 Pro-Bowls under his belt and he has been part of multiple MVP votes but, there aren't many people that considers him great. Last season he threw for 5000 plus yards. He doesn't have a big name receiver or a dominant running game to ease the pressure. It's obvious that he is not under the radar but he has that team on his back. The Saints have also addressed their secondary problems by drafting Malcolm Jenkins and signing Darren Sharper which should help them defend a lot better. I never liked Reggie Bush and I think that he has never lived up to the hype but, the kid is still always one play away from taking it to the house. It is extremely difficult in the NFL to have back to back near record breaking seasons but the parts are still intact so there shouldn't be much of a difference at least in the ability to make it happen.

Every year it seems like someone is picking the Panthers to go all the way. For the most part, these predictions are justified. Jake Delhomme has at times been compared to another off the hook country half cajun by the name of Brett Favre but the only real similarity I see is the region in which they both grew up. Don't get me wrong, I think Delhomme is solid and can lead his team to championship but Favre he is not. What he does have that Brett Favre had in Sterling Sharpe is Steve Smith. Smith will always require double coverage and he will always bail out Delhomme if he is in trouble. The two headed running back of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart will return and dominate once again. JULIUS PEPPERS!!! One of the most ridiculously gifted athletes in pro sports could have easily been in the NBA as well. This kid along with Steve Smith makes them dangerously close to winning a ring every year.

The Truth. This could be the title I give Matt Ryan if he can improve on his rookie season. I generally do not like to give much credence to a break out season. In the NFL, if you can do it twice, you can do it for a long time. If Matt Ryan can improve on his 17 TD's, which I anticipate he will because the rookie handcuffs will be off, he has Tony Gonazalez (greatest Tight End of all time), he will begin to take this team to another place. It is rare but, lightning will strike twice for the Atlanta Falcons following the Michael Vick debacle. The rushing attack, untouched, will do the same thing again. Let's face it, we are talking about Michael Turner here. There are no surprises as to what the Falcons will do on the ground this year. No one could really stop it last year and no one will this year. Roddy White will improve on his 7 TD's but he is not the receiver to push them over the top. I find it a bit disturbing that the Falcons, who could have a QB on the verge of greatness, not expend a little energy on improving their receiving corps. The Falcons got rid of 2 LB 's and picked up no receivers in Free Agency. Their were plenty available in free agency and in the draft. They signed no receivers and drafted none in a year where I felt there were ample talented receivers. They drafted all defense except for a late round tackle. I guess Atlanta has plans and ideas that I can't really see. All the best Half-Wits.

Hopes, dreams and memories. These are the three things that the Tamba Bay Buccaneers are basing their preparation on. They hope that their first round draft pick Josh Freeman, their 32 year old rookie coach Raheem Morris will work out and their really bad move of getting rid of one of the greatest linebackers of all time Derrick Brooks will all pan out. They dream of the 6 foot 6, 248 pound rookie QB they drafted being another Big Ben Roethlisberger and tossing touchdowns to Antonio Bryant in the Super Bowl. The Bucs have memories of the defensive mastery of the Dungy years and the Super Bowl rings of the Gruden years. None of this translates necessarily to wins. The running game will be good with Cadillac Williams and Warrick Dunn. The passing game should be good as well. Historically, big quarterbacks do well in this league with good defenses. The jury is out however, as to if the defense is good enough to protect the rookie QB. Jeff Garcia gave Bryant a terrific season but that was Jeff Garcia, an underrated seasoned QB. Ronde Barber, unlike his idiot brother is great for his team, great for football and he contributes every year. Historically, playing the Bucs is never a walk through the park but, other than drafting Freeman, which is a gamble, what have the Tamba Bay Buccaneers done in the offseason to prove that they will be much better in 2009.

Carolina Panthers
New Orleans Saints
Atlanta Falcons
Tamba Bay Buccaneers

NFL Analysis - AFC East

2009-06-19T08:44:00.001-04:00

In spite of all the fodder going on back and forth between Rex Ryan and Channing Crowder, we’re going to anoint the Patriots as champions of this division once again. The Patriots are the mortal lock to win this division running away for the foreseeable future. The Patriots would never have traded Matt Cassel if Brady was having issues with his knee, so please stop wondering what his health is like. The Pats have replaced Donte “drinking and driving” Stallworth with Joey Galloway (some reports having him running in the 4.3’s). And they’ve replaced “Phoney” Laurence Maroney with Fred Taylor (some reports having him running in the 4.4’s). Veterans that have never won a championship always play harder…they realize they’re careers are about to end. I would use some more facts to back up what I’m saying, but this team was one David Tyree catch away from going 19-0 two years ago. Some people would say you never know until they play the games…I’m saying never right now.

The closest thing to competition in this division is the Miami Dolphins. If any team capitalized from a Tom Brady-less Pats team last year and a weak schedule, it was the Dolphins. Jerry Porter, see my comments about Fred Taylor and Joey Galloway wanting to win, also played like a man possessed last year to prove the Steelers were wrong for letting him go…he’ll cool off this year. Many people think the ‘Wildcat’ was a joke and the Dolphins won’t run it anymore b/c defensive coordinators will figure it out. In case you never watched Tom Osborne’s Nebraska teams of the 90’s, an offense like this with the right personnel is unstoppable (save the nonsense about defenders in the NFL being too fast). This offense is exactly what a guy like Vince Young needs…hint, hint Mr. Parcells. Or Michael Vick…if he gets caught in a Dolphin fighting ring, I’ll turn my back on him. This team has improved slightly, but not enough in their areas of greatest weakness, wide receiver and defensive line, to improve much on last season’s success.

The Jets are the wild card in this division. If Sanchez can play the way Flacco (Matt Ryan played four years in college and is light years past Sanchez and Flacco) did last season, this team can have a decent season. I’m not a big fan of throwing a rookie in because you ‘showed him the money’. You do that to the wrong guy, traumatize him and his career is over, see Joey Harrington and David Carr (Carr just got sacked again). With Rex Ryan running the defense and the acquisitions they’ve made over the past couple of years (Scott, Brown, Jenkins, etc), this team will have a much improved defense. Thomas Jones will realize that he lead the AFC in rushing because Brett Favre kept 8 men out of the box. Leon Washington will have to have starting back numbers (1,300 yards rushing, 500 receiving and 15 TDs) for this team to compete on offense. Brett Favre made a receiving corps with names like Clowney and Stuckey look serviceable last year. Clemens and Sanchez are not 3 time MVPs, so look for this team to struggle on offense.

Last but not least we get to the Bills. This team reminds me of the Jets of the 90’s (lots of things remind me of lots of things okay). They play to the level of their competition, lose games they should win and win games they should lose. This team is impossible to figure out. This is one of those teams that looks 11-5 on paper every year before the season starts, but then they go 8-8. TO will improve a receiving corps that was good before he showed up. But once again the level of talent you have at receiver is negated by bad quarterbacking. Marshawn Lynch is a Pro Bowl caliber back, but he like the rest of this team seems to lose steam towards the end of the season. This team is in the same mess as the Redskins, 49ers, Bears, Jaguars (and several other teams)…great back, above average defense, decent receiving corps, INCONSISTENT QB.

NFL Analysis--NFC North

2009-06-18T14:24:00.006-04:00

Formerly known as the NFC Norse or the black and blue division, the NFC North has lost its allure and intrigue. It has lost it's grit and undoubtedly lost it's champions. I am however, finding true difficulty in picking a first place team. In light of this issue, I am just going to praise and gripe as I see fit(how is that different from any toher time).

A few days ago I mentioned Plaxico Buress going to the Chicago Bears. This, as of today, seems less likely. I do still believe that the Bears will not let Brandon Marshall and Plax get away. Chicago will sign one of them. They still boast the number 5 rush defense in the league last year which generally translates into a very good total defense although their pass defense was third from the bottom in 2008. What does all of this mean? It means the defense looks identical but they have added to their offense with Jay Cutler, a solid looking rookie in Juaquin Iglesias and most likely a big time receiver should help them improve from their total offense ranking of 26 last year. The Brandon Marshall deal looks good to me because of the fact that Cutler and Marshall have history. The Bears are only 2 seasons removed from consistently being a top 5 defense. Granted, they did nothing to change their pass defense but I find it hard to believe that the Chicago Bears will repeat a season with only 28 sacks. They ranked third in interceptions and a bump in sacks should translate into more picks which translates into more Cutler opportunities.

The Minnesota Vikings are poised to have one of the most prolific offenses in 2009. Adrian Peterson returns after leading the league in rushing. I really feel like there is not much to say about this kid. He is sick. With the edition of Percy Harvin despite his Snoop Dogg-esque Mary Jane affiliation will have a terrific rookie season. He will likely be better than Reggie Bush doing exactly the same things. Bernard Berrian is the only quality receiver they have and Shiancoe is solid. Their biggest concern is who is throwing the ball. That concern should disappear as whichever half-wit QB they use realizes that all he has to do is throw 5-10 yard passes to Harvin and Visanthe Shiancoe, let Adrian Peterson run over whomever is in front of him and throw the ball deep to Berrian 4 or 5 times a game. The #1 rush defense is still pretty much intact and those sack numbers from last year should prop their total defense up this year.

Green Bay is just not the same without Brett Favre. I don't care what hype the media and the Packer organization put behind Aaron Rodgers, I am sure his children still have Brett Favre jersey's. I am pretty pleased with the draft pick of BJ Raji and Matthews. I felt the Packers really needed to address their bad run defense in the middle. The linebacking core is young and starting to become a unit. There will be no stand outs in that core but AJ Hawk is a tackiling machine and I imagine matthews will be as well. Charles Woodson is always solid year in and year out. Aaron Rodgers, although I said he is no Brett Favre, doesn't need to be. He had respectable numbers last year amid hyper media attention and a bit of uncertainty. He will improve on his 28 touchdowns. Here is a bit of a prediction. Donald Driver and Greg Jennings will be a top 5 receiver tandem this year. Ryan Grant will likely repeat a 1200 yard performance and the Green Bay Packers may sneak in and take first place if Minnesota is too pressured because of the weaponry and anticipation of being good.

The Detroit Lions will repeat as the bottom feeders in the NFC North but they will improve. How could they not? If they go 1-15 it is an improvement. The bottom line is, Calvin Johnson is the TRUTH. He is actually better than the media is letting on. Although I initially criticized Matthew Stafford, I guess the best move when you have a marquis receiver is to get a QB to match. At least a QB that you think matches. Other than that, I believe the Lions will eek out 5 wins this year which is a dramatic improvement and will set them up for another high draft pick in 2010. They will be in last place.

Defense in Madden 2010

2009-06-18T12:35:00.001-04:00

I can't believe this is a video game.

Plaxico Burress THE BEAST

2009-06-17T09:50:00.001-04:00

Just in case you forgot!!!

NFL--Plexiglass Burress

2009-06-17T08:38:00.005-04:00

Unfortunately, Plaxico Burress will not suck this season. Generally when a team that I like loses a key player I wish them all the worst. I don't believe that Plaxico Burress is done hurting teams deep. I don't think that he is finished embarrassing tiny corners in the endzone. To be completely frank, although packing heat and trying to channel the thug life of Tupac was really stupid, in comparison to other problem players, he is a bit more manageable.

He may end up with the Jets which is a good and bad thing for him. It's good because he doesn't have to uproot himself and he has essentially the same fans. The bad thing is, he may need to not be so close to the big city. The same temptations that drew him to his gun toting ways and places where he feels that he needs to gear up will still be there and likely make him more susceptible to having issues because now everyone may be looking for the tall receiver with the bad aim to shoot his penis off this time around.

Burress' demons will still be there but his skills will too. He hasn't slowed down one bit. If he can get into a camp soon and he is healthy, he will be a tremendous addition to whatever team decides to grab him. I saw a stat on ESPN yesterday saying that his numbers have declined every year since starting with the Giants. These numbers are however, a bit misleading. Yes, Burress' average yard per catch went down every year but his touchdowns went up. His best receiving year with the Giants was the year he never practiced because of injuries. This also happens to be the year the Giants won that little game in February.

In his career, he has taken plays off, missed practices and didn't take the big shots over the middle but, this has made him going into his tenth season in very good condition. He will be 32 at the start of the season and provided he steers clear of douche-like behavior, he can play another 5 years, 5 productive years.

Someone tell the ESPN guys to stop pulling up stats that fit a story. The story should fit the stat.

NFL Network "He Has All Kinds of Time"

2009-06-16T09:55:00.001-04:00

Basketball has ended. Get your game face on.

NFL Analysis--NFC East, No Bitchassness

2009-06-15T22:32:00.004-04:00

Yes, I am a Giants fan but the gloves are coming off in the NFC East.

In first place, I have The New York Football Giants. I am going to explain why but for those in disagreement before I give my analysis can just suck it. Eli Manning has gotten consistently better year after year. His first year he had 4 brilliant games. Manning's second year yielded 8 good games. His third year, blah, blah, blah. The bottom line is he is more than just a solid QB who because of his "aw shuckness" has survived the New York media and lead his team through diversity. Remember the Super Bowl, that was not an accident. Brandon Jacobs split time last year.He was injured and still rushed for 1089 yards and 15 TD's. Steve Smith came off of the bench and lead the team in catches and Kevin Boss(yes the tight end), lead the team in receiving touchdowns. This will not be repeated. The Giants didn't draft two receivers to score 3 touchdowns each. The offensive line is still intact 5 years running. Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck. What? Do I have to explain that? Kenny Phillips is getting better and Aaron Ross should be back to 2007 form or his gold medal fiance may shove a racing spike up his ass.

In second place, The Philadelphia Eagles. This team is perpetually a problem for any team in the league regardless of their record. The Eagles could be 1 and 15 and if allowed in the playoffs, could go the big game. The Eagles would lose of course because of their uncanny ability to choke. Donavan McNabb probably top 5 in the league is one of the more reliable and explosive QB's I know but, he is a flake and on any given Sunday he could kill or be killed. As long as the Eagles have Brian Westbrook and McNabb on the same team, they are dangerous. Specifically against the Giants. The addition of Jeremy Maclin coupled with DeSean Jackson will be hard to stop but losing the man who helped make Michael Strahan great, offensive tackle Jeff Runyon and Tra Thomas on the other end will make McNabb move more but that is when he is best. Ellis Hobbs will make fans not care as much about their "emotional" leader Brian Dawkins.

In third place, The Dallas Cowboys. How bout them 'Boys? Not very good this year Mr. Jones. The only bright spot is Felix Jones and the X-Man better known as DeMarcus Ware. The X-Man reference is to suggest that he is a mutant for all of the short bus readers out there. They did nothing to help themselves in free agency. The Cowboys didn't draft well and Tony Romo has been overrated since joining the team. As a matter of fact, they may drop both games to the Giants, and both games to the Eagles, likely split against the lowly Redskins and pick up a couple wins against Kansas City and Green Bay. The best case scenario for Romo, his clinically stupid girlfriend and the rest of the Cowboys are sold out seats in their new stadium and a 6 and 10 record.

Last and certainly least, The Washington Redskins. If not for The Oakland Raiders, Washington would have the worst franchise in football. Brian Orakpo was a great draft decision and now they will have Albert Haynesworth to make plays and bust heads, literally. But there is nothing else to say about this team that would not be negative. The owner spends money like the Yankees and gets results Bernie Madoff. Look that one up yourself or pick up a newspaper. On paper they should be formidable but in reality...THEY SUCK!!!

Tune in to the NFC Central thrashing Thursday.

Haynesworth stomps Andre Gurode

2009-06-14T18:07:00.001-04:00

One of the leagues biggest dummies.

NFL--Dumb Football Players

2009-06-14T17:57:00.004-04:00

Here are Ten of the dumbest players in the league. Not necessarily the worst players, just the ones that piss me off the most because of unsubstantiated trash talking, weed smoking, drug running, gun toting and dog slaying.

Plaxico Buress
Michael Vick
Adam “PacMan” Jones
Terry “Tank” Johnson
Ricky “How High” Williams
The Entire Oakland Raiders Franchise
Travis Henry
Marshawn Lynch
Chad “oh my bad Ocho Cinco” Johnson
Albert "HeadBanger" Haynesworth

I will give further explanation in following posts.

And T.O., I didn't forget you. You will be in the crying section punk.

NFL--Scratch My Eyes Out

2009-06-12T20:53:00.002-04:00

For lack of a better way to express how annoyed I am about the only real action going on in professional football these days, I will have to resort to using an acronym that in the past I have found to be stupid and an example of absence of a developed vocabulary. OMG!!! Is there really nothing else to talk about besides Brett Favre greasing up his joints for another run, Mark Sanchez signing a deal for about $50 million or so apparently for his one year college career or the Comcast television deal that dominated headlines for a week or so. Comcast sucks anyway, who cares?

There are so many more things that may possibly be interesting in the world of football. I am still intrigued by the Michael Vick saga. I also think that all of the talk about Plaxico Buress going to the Bears will inevitably create a bit of drama when the Bears play the Giants in Pre-Season August 22. Sure, it's only preseason but the drama will be there for at least one half of football if he becomes a Bear. If we really think about it, with Jay Cutler replacing the inept twins of Kyle Orton and Rex Grossman, the Chicago Bears may be a force to be reckoned with this year. Hester, newly drafted Iglesias, Booker and if they get Burress, Forte will have a better season and their defense is always solid. Why can't we talk about that?

Tom Brady is back, need I say more? The New York Giants have addressed there receiver problems which in my opinion, last season, with a 12 and 4 record was their key weakness. I don't even care if there is talk about the new video games coming out which are almost as realistic as the game itself. My problem is the headlines are dominated by very uninteresting news.

In the immortal words of Jay-Z, the greatest rapper of all time, "be more creative".

The HARDEST Football Hits You'll EVER See! (Part 1)

2009-06-12T04:29:00.001-04:00

Gotta love this stuff.

NFL – Three Things in Life Are Certain: Death, Taxes and The NFL Being the Only Game in Town

2009-06-03T13:47:00.000-04:00

The UFL is the fourth outdoor football league to wade into the NFL's market in the past 40 years. The others (the World League, the USFL and the XFL) were extinct within three years, and none faced an economic climate as difficult as this one. The recession has forced the UFL to scale back its plans. Instead of starting this summer and playing for three months with as many as six teams, the league will begin in early October and run through Thanksgiving in what it is calling a "showcase season."

In the immortal words of Forrest Gump, “I’m not a smart man, but I know what stupid is”. Okay, maybe he didn’t say that but I was close. The poor decision making involved in proceeding with this league doesn’t give me confidence that it will last long. One of the draws to the NFL that not many pundits ever mention is that most of the stars we see in the NFL we root for when they’re in college (some since high school). It almost feels like one long football season; you aren’t ever fazed by the transition between the two. We get enamored by the BCS championship series, the Heisman Trophy, Michigan v. Ohio State, etc. every year. Then we follow the stars to the NFL. Why would I want to pay good money to see the guys that sucked in college suck in a pseudo professional football league?

A fundamental rule of marketing is that you have to convince your potential client that you can provide a better product and service than your competition. How do you take fans away from the NFL w/o the best players? The CFL, Arena League and Arena League II get all the players the NFL doesn’t want. So how do you succeed w/o meeting the basic tenets of marketing? You don’t. This league has done a smart thing by offering names that people are familiar with: Green, Fassel and Hasslett. Unfortunately, I’ve never seen any of these guys throw a pass, run the ball or make a one handed grab in the end zone.

We’ll see people try and try again because this is America and everybody thinks they can succeed if they focus on their goals….pardon me I had to laugh at that. Most people are too busy trying to make ends meet so they don’t get foreclosed on. The NFL is having ticket sales issues themselves. This won’t be Microsoft vs. Apple; Apple has been able to provide an alternative that rivals its’ biggest competitor. This won’t be David vs. Goliath. The only way a league like this could succeed is if they signed McCoy, Stafford and Tebow out of college; convince Tom Brady, Randy Moss, Adrian Peterson, Larry Fitzgerald and Peyton Manning to switch leagues; get cable deals for their games and then get people to buy tickets to watch these games. Do you see all of that happening? No. Good because I don’t either.

NFL – Who Put These Steroids in my Geritol?

2009-06-02T10:41:00.000-04:00

At this time during the season, OTA’s are in full swing. The only thing on the minds of NFL fans is which one of their superstars is holding out or not attending camp. How are the high profile rookies looking in camp? How are veterans transitioning to a new defensive scheme? But this off season the stench of Metamucil and Bengay is in the air. Brett Favre is NOT making the fool of himself he did last off season. He sought a medical opinion, he met with the Vikings staff and we haven’t heard from him since. This year someone who is complaining about how tired he is of hearing about Brett is actually giving this story legs (if he wasn’t senile, he would realize what he was doing).

If you haven’t been paying attention, elderly former NFL QB, Fran Tarkenton, has been on a tirade that can only be described as disturbing. On a sophomoric note, the irony of a man named Fran calling out the resolve of a man named Brett is comical in itself. That’s like a man named Tiffany calling a man named Brock a pansy, but I digress. Someone should tell Fran that Brett has actually won a Super Bowl (Fran failed on several occasions) and three MVPs. He wants to see Favre fail…I guess misery loves company. Someone please change this man’s depends.
During an interview with an Atlanta radio station, Tarkenton described Favre's attitude as despicable. The geriatric rant is as follows:

"What he put the Packers through last year was not good," he said. "Here's an organization that was loyal to him for 17, 18 years, provided stability of organization, provided players. It just wasn't about Brett Favre. In this day and time, we have glorified the Brett Favres of the world so much, they think it's about them. He goes to New York and bombs. He's 39 years old ... [What if] I retire and go play for the Packers? I kind of hope it happens, so he can fail."

ESPN analyst, Marcellus Wiley, called Tarkenton a “grumpy old man” regarding the comments he made towards Favre. Wiley got a tongue lashing too…I hope he saw that coming. While bathing in Epsom salts, Tarkenton proclaimed the following regarding Wiley:

"Marcellus Wiley, who is trying to parlay a minimal football career into still making more money. This grumpy old man is 69 years old, I own six businesses, I’ve built 16 over the years. ... I’m paying my taxes, I’ve started two new businesses, we’re hiring more people, we’re not laying people off, we’re not cutting their salaries — we’re increasing their salaries, and (in) this society we are productive when so many people are not productive. I’m not playing croquet down at Orlando at the Villages, I’m not playing golf every day, I’m out there working and productive and a 69-year-old ... I’m creating and building businesses from the ground up. That’s this grumpy old man."

What his businesses have to do with the cost of tea in China is anyone’s guess. All that aggression at his age has him all fired up about any and everything, I guess. He better calm down before he breaks a hip. Where I come from, you don’t talk about another grown man like that unless you’re ready for pistols at dawn. Tarkenton needs Viagra for that to happen (yes, I went there). Only old people feel justified in disrespecting people in such a direct and insulting manner. I don’t know about you, but if I hear “you kids today don’t have a clue…in my day” I just might have to write a stern letter of disapproval to AARP.