Ranking of the Backup Quarterbacks

1. Kevin Kolb, Philadelphia - 300 yards in first 2 games starting.  Unlike Vick needs an offensive line to succeed.
2. Bruce Gradkowski, Oakland - Wins games he shouldn't. He's better than Jason Campbell. (UPDATE-HAS BEEN NAMED THE STARTER)
3. Sage Rosenfels, NY Giants - Starter worthy on a mediocre team.
4. Kerry Collins, Tennessee - Plays better than Vince Young at times.
5. Byron Leftwich, Pittsburgh - Former starter with not much talent but good intangibles.
6. Mark Brunnell, NY Jets - Looked much better than Sanchez in the preseason.
7. Jon Kitna, Dallas - Veteran starter in his twilight.

8. Marc Bulger - Played well under Mike Martz but not since.
9. Billy Volek, San Diego - Good for fantasy and adequate as a backup.
10. Luke McCown, Jacksonville - Veteran journeyman.
11. Tavaris Jackson, Minnesota - Don't pay attention to that high rating he had as a starter.
12. David Carr, San Francisco - Could see the field. After all it's Alex Smith in front of him.
13. Tyler Thigpen, Miami - Played well considering how bad the Chiefs were.
14. Shaun Hill, Detroit - Former starter of the 49ers without any talent to work with.
15. Brodie Croyle, Kansas City - Had his chance and blew it.
16. Chris Redman, Atlanta - Brief success as a starter.
17. Matt Moore, Carolina - Lost his job in only 2 games after looking promising last year.
18. Seneca Wallace, Cleveland - The ultimate backup QB.
19. AJ Feely, St Louis - Nice relief in Philly but awful as a starter in Miami.
20. Charlie Whitehurst, Seattle - Pete Carroll is the only one that believes in him.

21. Trent Edwards, Buffalo - Musical chairs with him and Ryan Fitzpatrick
22. Rex Grossman, Washington - Didn't lead the Bears to a Super Bowl but was the QB.
23. Chase Daniel, New Orleans - Crazy stats at Missouri but has not thrown a single pass in the NFL.
24. Tim Tebow, Denver - Young, raw and unpredictable.
25. Max Hall,  Arizona - The future of Arizona.  Should see the field with Derek Anderson's play.
26. Brian Hoyer, New England - Possible diamond in the rough. It's the Patriots.
27. Matt Flynn, Green Bay - Very few opportunities and hasn't looked good in them.
28. Dan Orlovsky, Houston - Didn't do much with the Lions but who can?
29. Josh Johnson, Tampa Bay - Had fumbling issues during his brief stint.
30. Caleb Hanie,  Chicago - Has only thrown 7 passes in his career, 1 was an INT.
31. Jordan Palmer,  Cincinnati - Not close to his brother.
32. Curtis Painter, Indianapolis - Big trouble if Manning goes down.

2010 Pro Football Spectacular

 An easy read 2010 football preview on all 32 teams.  My thoughts, musings and predictions for the upcoming season.  I struggled with my Super Bowl winner between Dallas, Green Bay and Baltimore.  I chose Dallas due to the Kardashian karma.  If Kim breaks up with Miles Austin I am changing my pick to Baltimore.  Teams are in order of their predicted finish for their division.

NFC WEST

San Francisco – Patrick Willis is going to lead a very stingy defense while Mike Singletary gets frustrated with Alex Smith again.  Frank Gore has his best season yet.  Vernon Davis earns his record deal for tight ends. 

Arizona – With Kurt Warner, a team that is capable of another Super Bowl run.  With Derek Anderson at the helm, they won’t even make the playoffs.  Larry Fitzgerald still has a big year with Anderson.  Max Hall could be the future QB.

Seattle – Can he bring that USC swagger to Seattle?  It won’t be this year but Matt Hasselbeck will be back.  Too many questions at running back this year.

St Louis – Sam Bradford is going to be very good but is going to miss games from hits this year.  He’ll have a solid rookie year but the Rams are still one of the worst teams.  Stephen Jackson is one of the great talents in the league.  Hopefully his prime isn’t wasted with this lowly team. 

NFC NORTH

Green Bay – Aaron Rodgers will win the MVP.  Green Bay will win the division this year with the 2^nd best offense in the NFC after New Orleans.  A Super Bowl berth is a strong possibility.  The only question is the pass defense of this championship caliber team.

Minnesota – Brett Favre’s final farewell.  A tougher schedule and will be beaten out by Green Bay for the division.  Sydney Rice missing the 1^st half of the season will be a huge blow.  Greg Camarillo will develop a nice rapport with Favre.  Adrian Peterson wants to prove he’s still the best running back in the NFL.  Now in his 3^rd year he’ll not only solve his fumbles issue, he’ll score at least 15 tds.  To take even more pressure off Favre look for him to have his highest carry total yet. 

Chicago – Mike Martz is just what Jay Cutler needs.  Cutler will still throw his picks but will throw for 30 TDs.  Chicago overpaid for on and off again Julius Peppers but they needed a pass rusher.  Devin Hester is back on returns and will bring some excitement back to Chi-Town. 

Detroit – Still the worst of the North.  Matthew Stafford is going to be the most improved player in the league.  Calvin Johnson will have a Pro-Bowl season and Jahvid Best will win rookie of the year.  Still not enough talent on defense yet but Suh will prove his worth as the #2 pick in the draft.

NFC SOUTH

New Orleans – Great offensive line, a solid defense and Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees will lead the Saints to the best record in the NFC.  Look for Drew Brees to have another Pro Bowl year but don’t expect another record breaking year.  A more balanced attack with Thomas and Bush will keep Brees fresh and healthy for the playoffs. 

Atlanta – Michael Turner is healthy and will be huge again.  The third year for Matt Ryan who along with Turner and Roddy White will lead the Falcons to the playoffs.  Their front four is still the weakness of the team.

Carolina – Matt Moore is a very underrated quarterback.  A solid but unspectacular QB who doesn’t make many mistakes is crucial for this run first offense.  A lame duck year for John Fox who will be highly sought after he gets canned.

Tampa Bay – Rookie Gerald McCoy is the best player on the team.  Josh Freeman is going to struggle again as there’s not enough talent around him.  Raheem Morris wasn’t ready to be a coach last year and this could be his last year if there’s no improvement. 

NFC EAST

Dallas – Another weapon for Tony Romo with Dez Bryant.  Physically the best WR on the team but comes with baggage.  Another time share for Barber and Jones.  Rookie kicker David Buehler is on a short lease as there are plenty of veteran kickers out there if he doesn’t work out.  Dallas is loaded with talent and will make the Super Bowl in their home field.

NY Giants – The Giants will shift to a running team in 2010.  Ahmad Bradshaw will be the 1000 yard back for the Giants.  One of the best young trios of WRs in the game.  They still have a solid pass rush.  However the linebackers and secondary have questions marks.

Philadelphia – Kevin Kolb’s chemistry with the young playmakers is better than McNabb's.  The whole offense backs Kolb as their leader as he was always closer to the young players.  However Kolb will be running for his life often behind this shaky offensive line.  There will be growing pains and boos from the restless Eagles fans.  LeSean McCoy is the lead back now that longtime Eagle Brian Westbrook is gone.  They’ll need a stronger defense to make the playoffs. 

Washington – New quarterback Donovan McNabb does not have any talent around him.  Mike Shannahan is going to have a long year as he deals with Albert Haynesworth.  Brian Orakpo and London Fletcher are the few bright spots on the defense. 

AFC EAST

New England – Tom Brady and Randy Moss will put up big numbers again but their defense is not good enough for a deep playoff run.  Randy Moss has been stripped of his Captain status.  Bill Bellicheck will finally draft a running back in next years draft due to a poor ground game.

NY Jets – The best defense in the AFC.  Marc Sanchez is still not good enough to win a game on his own.  Ryan will be disappointed that they don’t even make the playoffs.

Miami – An improved Chad Henne with a pro bowl receiver to throw too.  Ricky Williams is still sharp and Ronnie Brown is healthy so the Dolphins will again be a league leader in rushing yards.  An improved defense but not yet ready to compete with the Jets and Patriots.

Buffalo – The Bills are going to be bad.  Trent Edwards is not the answer and Buffalo will have plenty of choices in the upcoming season.  They will not win a division game and will compete for the first overall selection.

AFC WEST

San Diego – Clearly the best team in the division.  Phillip Rivers is head and shoulders above the rest of the quarterback in the West.  Ryan Matthews will prove his worth from the draft and rush for over 1000 yards and score 9 times.  Malcolm Floyd will step in nicely if Vincent Jackson sits out and while he’s suspended. 

Oakland – Finally a quarterback in Oakland.  Jason Campbell is average at best but will keep the Raiders in games and will improve the running game.  If Bush can stay healthy, you can book 1000 yards and 8 tds.  Darren McFadden’s last year to prove himself.

Denver – It’s going to be a long year.  The defense has lost Elvis Dumervill for the season.  Kyle Orton is an average quarterback but has no Brandon Marshall to look for.  They drafted wide receivers early but will be at least a year away before they are difference makers like Marshall.  Tebow should see the field in goal line situations.  Champ Bailey is still the leader of the defense.

Kansas City – A nice running attack with Jamal Charles and Thomas Jones.  The problem is Jones taking away carries from the best back in the division.  Charles averaged 5.8 yards a carry last year and should be the primary ball carrier.  It will be another uninspired season from Matt Cassell.  I look for the Chiefs to draft a replacement. 

AFC SOUTH

Indianapolis- 4 time MVP Peyton Manning will throw for 4500 yards and 35 tds.  Pierre Garcon steps in as the #2 WR and gains 1000 yards.  Dallas Clark goes back to #3.  Dwight Freeney leads an underrated defense as Manning gets all the headlines.

Houston – The Texans found a relatively unknown running back that will score 10 tds and rush for over 1000 yards, undrafted Arian Foster.  Owen Daniels looks to continue where he left off from 2009.  Still not enough talent on defense to overtake the Colts.

Tennessee –  Chris Johnson will gain 1900 yards and score at least 15 tds.  The Titans will compete for a wild card spot with the Texans.  Vince Young is now entrenched as the starter.  Not a great quarterback but knows how to win games. 

Jacksonville – Another dominant years for Maurice Jones Drew.  Although it might not last too much longer, with his running style.  There should have been a replacement drafted for Gerrard.  Drew will be again be counted on heavily for the offense. 

NFC NORTH

Baltimore – Great off season acquisitions.  The WRs core has been vastly improved with Anquan Boldin and recently TJ Houshmandzadeh.  Joe Flacco continues to improve and Ray Rice is given more touchdown opportunities this year.  Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and Terrell Suggs continue to lead the dominating defense.  They will go deep into the playoffs and into the Super Bowl. 

Pittsburgh – Dennis Dixon will run the offense for the first 4 games.  They’ll be 2-2 until Big Ben leads them to the playoffs.  A shaky offensive line will make Big Ben have to throw the ball often again.  Mike Wallace is the best young WR in the game.  The best safety in the game Troy Palomalu leads a resurgent Pittsburgh defense.

Cincinnati – Two divas on the same team with 85 and TO.  There will be some bickering for balls like what divas do.  Ced Benson and Bernard Scott lead a nice running game.  The Bengals have one of the best defenses as they should have with a Marvin Lewis led team.  Palmer is injury prone and they have no depth at quarterback.  A trendy Super Bowl pick but I'm not ready to go that far.

Cleveland – Jake Delhomme was the big offseason acquistion.  Jake Delhomme?!  Mike Holmgren should get them moving in the right direction but Jake Delhomme as your starting quarterback is not the answer.  Joe Haden and TJ Ward were nice picks to improve the secondary.  Jerome Harrison continues to be the lead RB after Montario Hardesty went down for the season.

AFC Playoffs

#1 Colts

#2 Chargers

#3 Ravens

#4 Patriots

Wild Card #1 Bengals

Wild Card # 2 Steelers

AFC Wild Card Weekend

Ravens over Steelers

Patriots over Bengals

AFC Divisional Weekend

Colts over Patriots

Ravens over Chargers

AFC Championship

Ravens over Colts

NFC Playoffs

#1 Saints

#2 Packers

#3 Cowboys

#4 49ers

Wild Card #1 Falcons

Wild Card #2 Vikings

NFC Wild Card

Cowboys over Vikings

Falcons over 49ers

NFC Divisional

Saints over Falcons

Cowboys over Packers

NFC Championship

Cowboys over Saints

Super Bowl XLV

Cowboys over Ravens

Offensive Rookie of The Year - Ryan Matthews
Defensive Rookie of The Year - Ndamukong Suh
Comeback Player of The Year - Matt Hasselbeck
Coach of The Year - John Harbaugh
Offensive Player of The Year - Chris Johnson
Defensive Player of The Year - Patrick Willis
MVP - Aaron Rodgers

Seinfeld Nine!

Created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, Seinfeld is quite simply the best show ever on television.  Even TV Guide agrees with me.  Excellent actors, except maybe Jerry, great guests and superb comedic writing make this show one that can be watched over and over.  Hilarious reoccurring actors like Frank and Estelle Costanza, Newman, George Steinbrenner, and many, many more contribute to the greatness of Seinfeld.  Plus it’s a show about nothing.  Normal every day activities that can happen to anyone make this a can’t miss show.  I have seen every episode and can say they were all funny except for the finale, which was a shame.  But in honor of the show lasting 9 seasons here are my 9 favorite episodes.

9.  The Switch – We learn the first name of Kramer.  More importantly Jerry is dating a non-laugher but is interested in her roommate who has a great laugh and personality.  George and Jerry scheme and come up with a ménage a trios plan which would disgust the non-laugher but get the roommate interested.  The plan according to George turns out better than expected, but not to Jerry who doesn’t want to become a silk robe wearing, cigars smoking type of guy. 

8. The Puffy Shirt –Jerry and Elaine go on a double date with Kramer and his low-talking date who is also a clothing designer. During the dinner Kramer leaves to the bathroom leaving Jerry and Elaine to try to understand what she is saying. Without realizing it, Jerry agrees to wear a puffy shirt on his appearance on the Today Show where he will be promoting Goodwill. Meanwhile, George has to move in with his parents, which are the funniest reoccurring characters on the show, and his life hits a new low.  However he catches a break as his hands get spotted at a restaurant by a specialty model talent head.  George gets a brief glimpse of fame until the low-talker ruins it.

7.  The Implant – The first episode I had ever seen and was instantly hooked.  I, like Jerry, wanted to know if they were real.  Jerry dumps Teri Hatcher after thinking she is fake with her implants.  Come to find out they save Elaine from her fall and she lets Jerry know that they were real and spectacular.  This is also the episode of double-dipping. 

6. The Marine Biologist – Jerry gets George into some shenanigans as a Marine Biologist to impress the “it girl” from school even though George had always wanting to be an architect.  George even saves a beached whale that is beached due to Kramer’s golf drives. 

5.  The Airport – George and Kramer attempt to make the perfect airport pickup of Jerry and Elaine.  Jerry gets to ride first class while Elaine is behind the curtain in coach.  George and Kramer get into much ballyhoo in the process including messing with Time’s Most Wanted Man and strong-arming a former roommate for past due share of the rent.

4.  The Phone Message – I don’t like leaving messages and George possibly leaves the worst message ever.  It’s long, obnoxious and mean enough to lose the girl he’s dating.  It’s even worse than Mikey’s in Swingers.  So Jerry and George come up with a plan to switch the tapes inside her apartments and thus, the craziness begins.  George is at his best here, neurotic as ever.

3. The Hot Tub – Elaine takes in a NYC marathon runner from Trinidad & Tobago.  After meeting with Houston Astros representatives George can’t stop calling everyone bastards and sons of bitches.  The runner picks up the foul language and calls Jerry’s neighbor, an illegitimate child, a bastard and the super, a son of a bitch. Then he gets kicked out of Elaine’s building the night before the race.  Jerry takes him to the hotel but pisses off the wake up guy call so Jerry brings him to his apartment.  The runner just wants to get some sleep but Kramer’s industrial hot tub causes the electricity to go out and the Tobagoan oversleeps.

2.  The Soup Nazi – Elaine gets banned from the café for 1 year but gets her revenge at the end.  Elaine’s armoire gets stolen from Puerto Rican street toughs that intimidate Kramer.  The funny part is the street toughs don’t look that tough, in fact they look like partners, and not partners in crime.  Later Jerry and Kramer try to confront them but the street toughs intimidate them and they run off.  Kramer tells the story to the Soup Nazi and he shows his soft misunderstood side and gives Kramer an armoire to give to his friend who happens to be Elaine.  Elaine finds the secret ingredients to the incredible soups in the armoire and goes to the Soup Nazi to put him out of business.

1.  The Outing – Not that there’s anything wrong with it, but George and Jerry pull a prank that they are gay to an eavesdropper.  However this eavesdropper is a writer and reveals Jerry’s sexual preference to the AP.  The article comes out that they are partners and the comedy ensues.  Even Kramer calls out Jerry with the gig being up, for being slim, neat and single into his 30s.  Jerry invites the writer over to his apartment to try to explain that he likes women.  In an attempt to dump his girlfriend George brings her to Jerry’s apartment so Jerry can confirm their gayness but Jerry won’t go along.   

Bad Decision

LeBron James is the most physically gifted athlete the NBA has ever had.  LeBron is Karl Malone but with point guard skills.  Talent he has, but drive, competitiveness and overall alpha male traits he does not.  The choice to leave his hometown of Cleveland and pursue rings with someone else’s team is not a characteristic you would have found in Jordan, Magic or Bird, who are considered the 3 most important players the NBA has ever had. Not even Kobe Bryant, the best in the game today would have done what LeBron did.

LeBron literally left his alpha dog status at home when he decided to chase rings along side Dwayne Wade, another top 5 NBA player of today and Chris Bosh, a Beijing Dream Teamer and play for Miami or better known as “Wade County.” 

Competitiveness and wanting to beat your opponent were Jordan’s greatest traits are ones that LeBron lacks.  He had a good situation at home where ownership did what they could to help surround LeBron with talent.  This team made the finals 3 years ago and had the best record this past season.  Michael Jordan said he would have never called Bird or Magic to join forces because he wanted to beat them. Bird said the same thing that he wanted to beat Magic and Magic vice-versa.

 

Plenty of stars stayed with the same team so they could create their own legacies and their own dynasty.  From 1999 to today, Tim Duncan has  won 4 championships as the focal point of the San Antonio Spurs.  Kobe Bryant won 5 championships: 3 with Shaq, and 2 on his own.  Kobe is such the alpha dog that he ran Shaq out of town so he could be the main man in LA.  People thought he was selfish but in reality it was the best move for him to grow.  People could no longer say that he won because he had Shaq on the team.  Today, Kobe is getting mentioned along the likes of the all-time greats for leading his team to multiple championships.  

Alex Rodriguez was in a similar situation in Texas.  Like LeBron, A-Rod is much more physically gifted than most baseball players. He is tall, muscular and can run. In a similar move to damage his legacy, he accepted a trade to the New York Yankees when it was already known that it was Derek Jeter’s team.  A-Rod would have been the greatest shortstop in the history of baseball. But gave up the chance of that prestigious title to chase a ring with the Yankees by stepping aside to Jeter and played 3rd base.  Moreover, nobody has talked about A-Rod being the best player in the game since he left Texas.

We haven’t heard from Kobe Bryant since “The Decision” was made.  We do know already the hardest training player in the game is training even harder so he could beat LeBron.  Just like Jordan, Bird and Magic would have done. 

Houston Cougars, BCS Bowl Bound?

Kevin Sumlin, the hottest coach in the nation right now has UH ready for their best run since Heisman winner Andre Ware led the Coogs. Sumlin is looking to lead the Coogs to a Conference USA title and a possible BCS bowl game. Case Keenum is 4,123 passing yards away from passing Timmy Chang as NCAA’s all time leading passer. Did I mention he is 1 of only 2 QBs to ever throw 5000 yards in a season twice? Not just the all-time yards record but Keenum is on pace to break the total offense record and completions. Keenum has been a terrific successor to Philadelphia Eagles starting QB, Kevin Kolb. And to those that think Keenum is just a system quarterback, Mel Kiper Jr. has Keenum as a top 5 QB going in the 2011 draft.

Houston had the #1 offense in the nation last year as well as one of the fastest skilled position sets. This track team of James Cleveland, Tyron Carrier, and Patrick Edwards each had 1000 yards receiving last year. 1st Team C-USA Kick Returner Tyron Carrier is 2 touchdowns from CJ Spiller’s record of 7 kickoff return touchdowns. Tyron Carrier qualified for the 200M NCAA Track Championships. Cleveland was named Pre-Season All-Conference 1st team along with Keenum and defensively LB Marcus McGraw and DB Jamal Robinson also were named. Junior Bryce Beall will be the lead tailback again after scoring 17 touchdowns in his Conference USA Freshman of the Year award winning season.

Houston’s defense struggled last year and was ranked as one of the nation’s worst. Brian Stewart has taken over as Defensive Coordinator and moved to a 3-4 so the Coogs blitzing schemes will be harder to read. Keenum has noticed the improved defense during practice. The offense is going to score, no question about it, the defense now just has to step it up.

Last year the Coogs beat Texas Tech at home and then ranked #5 Oklahoma State on the road. They went 3-0 against BCS teams last year and should do it again this year. This year they will play at Texas Tech and at UCLA and host Mississippi St. A BCS Bowl is a long shot, but with a favorable schedule, a more experienced team, an improved defense and Case Keenum leading the Cougars, 2010 could be the year.

Growing Up Consigliere

Born and raised in Northern California, with 3 brothers and son of a Chicagoan, sports has been a major part of my life.  I grew up playing baseball and football since I could remember.  In fact I played little league before I followed the Major Leagues.  The first little league team was the Dodgers so that became my favorite team. I grew up with Fernando Valenzuela, Steve Sax, Orel Hershiser as some of my favorite Dodgers.  My favorite year of baseball was 1988 when Hershiser and Kirk Gibson’s heroics beat the heavily favored Oakland A’s.  This could be the greatest upset in baseball history as the Dodgers had probably the weakest lineup in World Series history.

Although we lived in the Bay Area, my father, loyal to Chicago teams such as the Bears and Cubs didn’t push the local teams 49ers, Raiders, A’s and Giants.

My childhood summers were spent with my grandparents who lived in Colorado Springs.  Thus I began to follow the Denver Broncos. Being a Denver Broncos fan was painful.  No other quarterback was as fun to watch as John Elway.  He made plays when there wasn’t anything. He had more come from behind victories than any other QB.  He was the greatest one-man show the NFL ever had.  That was the fun of being a Denver Broncos fan.  The bad was that I can remember watching Denver make their first Super Bowl in my lifetime only to be outclassed by the Giants and then get run over by the Redskins.  Next was losing in the greatest route of Super Bowl history to 49ers.  I can still remember wearing my Denver jacket to school the day after since it was the only jacket I had and getting the business.

My parents moved us to Houston, Texas when I was a teenager and that is when I witnessed first hand the powerful sports culture in the South. Football is king in Texas.  In the Fall, High School auditoriums echo the cheers and music during an afternoon pep rally to support the local team.

I learned that Texans are born with football in mind.  High school varsity might be as far you go but it’s the greatest time of your life. High School football is only the beginning.  College football continues the passion.  In Texas you are either a Texas fan or an Aggie fan, a decision you make while entering junior high school. There is a passion about high school and college and even pro football that I didn’t experience while growing up California.

College athletes are stars in Texas.  Everyone knows and loves guys like Vince Young and Colt McCoy.  Where else do you see fans wearing I heart VY.  Aaron Rodgers and Carson Palmer were great college QBs but dads aren’t thinking I wish my daughter could meet them.  Not to mention that they wouldn’t draw a crowd in your local mall.   

I have not even mentioned America’s Team, the Dallas Cowboys.  Pastors, Priests and other clergymen and women know that service has to be done before noon and with time for their worshippers to get home.  Only in Houston will you find Texans that hate the Cowboys but there is not a shortage of fans.  Let’s hope your pro team didn’t lose on Sunday or your Monday workday will feel like the worst day.

Now I’m back in the Bay Area where I continue my love for the games I grew up watching. Today you'll find me catching a game, beating my opponent in fantasy sports, following pop culture(a guilty pleasure I'm sometimes ashamed to admit), singing along with a great band and never turning down a trip to Las Vegas.