THERE’S ALWAYS SPORTS RADIO

After my customary break to focus on finishing up the semester strongly (I got two A’s this semester and I am only five classes away from my MBA), I AM BACK!!!! So sit back and enjoy, because I want to discuss a topic that at one point or another has entered the minds of all football fans (NFL and NCAA). That topic is the future of myth and legend that is known as Tim Tebow.

Florida fans and the television powers that be (primarily ESPN & CBS) have had a huge football love affair with this kid since the day he stepped on campus. As a freshman, he was nothing more than a backup fullback (wearing a quarterback’s number) who attempted all of 33 passes that season. Yet for some inexplicable reason, he received more attention than Chris Leak who was Florida’s senior starting quarterback. You may remember him; he was the guy that actually led Florida to the national championship that season. Yet, when mentioning Tebow everyone always says that he won two national championships. I find that to be a bit disingenuous. While Tebow definitely won the National Championship in 2008, saying that he won it 2006 is like saying that Drew Bledsoe won the 2002 Super Bowl for New England, or that Byron Leftwich won the Super Bowl last season. Chris Leak did a lot for that program, and I just hope that when they celebrate the 10-year anniversary of that championship, that they at least invite him to be a part of the festivities.

I also found it quite nauseating that CBS interviewed him on the field immediately after Florida’s SEC Championship Game loss to Alabama. Now, I have watched a lot of college sports in my day, and I can’t recall any other instance where a losing player was interviewed on the field after a game. That usually happens outside of a somber locker room, or in the pressroom, but never on the field. That was Alabama’s moment, and CBS should not have let their obvious love affair with Tebow cast any shadow over Alabama’s celebration. As a matter of fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if CBS tries to pressure AFC teams into drafting him so that they can cover his sure to be brief NFL career.

Although I have been absolutely annoyed by the media coverage that Tebow receives, and equally annoyed by his carefully crafted image (more on that later), I will admit one thing: THIS KID WAS A GREAT COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYER! While it is true, that he has had the great fortune of playing on some phenomenal teams at Florida (a school that doesn’t have to recruit, they simply pick who they want), he has made his share of big plays to lead them to victories. His skill set is perfectly suited for the college football game, but not the NFL. He has proven that he can complete passes to receivers who are open by five yards. This happens a lot at Florida because their receivers are simply better than most secondary’s that they line up against. However, in the NFL if a receiver is consistently open by five yards, a defensive back will lose his job. Open in the NFL is basically having your inside shoulder inside of the defender’s inside shoulder. Tebow doesn’t have the arm or accuracy to consistently complete that pass. In college, he also proved to be a tough runner who can simply run through most defenders. If he tries to do that in the NFL, he will quickly be given Google Map directions to a place called injured reserve. Simply put, try that in the NFL and Ray Lewis will break you in half. Trying to run by NFL defenders is also not an option, unless you have the speed of Michael Vick or Vince Young (which Tebow does not). He will quickly learn that the majority of NFL defensive ends are much bigger, faster, and stronger than him. The bottom line is that Tebow is a quarterback with an average arm (can throw far with a lot of air under the ball, but can’t really throw the ball on a rope), who does not possess the skills to be a pocket passer in the NFL. He also isn’t fast enough to be a run/pass threat like Michael Vick, Steve Young, Vince Young, or Randall Cunningham.

I think that I have made it pretty clear that I don’t think that Tim Tebow can play quarterback in the NFL. However, I do feel that there is a place for him in the league. I think he could play an H-back position (sort of a fullback/tight end hybrid), and maybe hold for kicks. Now that I think of it he could possibly excel at being the personal protector for the punter on the punt coverage unit. But quarterback? NOT A CHANCE!

To me, Tim Tebow comes across as a carefully crafted political figure. I just get the vibe that his handlers are already preparing him for a career in politics. He acts like he grew up next door to the Cleavers and is the most wide-eyed and innocent person in college football. There have even been stories of him spending his spring break in third-world countries performing surgical procedures on children. He even writes bible verse, which some people can alter or interpret to be game results (please see picture below).

Is there not a more perfectly crafted image of a wholesome, All-American boy? I’m not buying it. It all seems fake and phony to me. My only advice to him is if you are going to say one thing and portray one thing, you had better live it. There have been several high-profile instances of the exact opposite happening. You don’t want to become one of them.

The bottom line is this. If NFL teams are smart, he will not be drafted before the third round. At that point, the financial commitment will not be devastating if he doesn't pan out. The team that drafts him should immediately make him their H-back. He should have a decent career there. But we all know that's not going to happen. Some team will be stupid enough draft him in the first or second round to play quarterback (it has happened before with less accomplished college quarterbacks). Their thinking is that it will do wonders for their image. They will then learn the hard way that Tim Tebow does not have the ability to play quarterback in the NFL. He will certainly work hard and give it the old “college” try, but after three seasons of sitting on the bench or failing miserably on the field (depending on how stupid the coach is), Tim Tebow will begin his second career which is indeed his true calling. He will be a sports-radio host in Gainesville Florida, where he will always be considered a god. Hey, it worked for Buck Belue.

AND NOW FOR MY BALLER & SCRUB OF THE WEEK:

BALLER: John Wall (PG University of Kentucky) – He is simply the best player in college basketball. Over the past week, he has led Kentucky to victories over North Carolina, Connecticut, and Indiana. This kid is amazing. If you haven’t seen him play yet, make some time and check him out. He is definitely worth it. However, if you want to see him in college you had better hurry up because he will only be there one season. I hope his one season in Lexington leads to a National Championship.

BALLER: Mark Ingram (RB University of Alabama) – Although I am not an Alabama fan, Mark Ingram is by far my favorite college football player. He plays the game the way it should be played. He is a hard runner that can run by defenders, but would much rather run through them. I also have never seen him run out of bounds to avoid contact. He’s so tough that he makes you forget that Shaun Alexander (softest NFL RB in recent history) once played for Bama. Ingram definitely deserved to win the Heisman. Congratulations!

SCRUB: Tiger Woods (Professional Golfer) – I know that he isn’t the first person or high-profile athlete to cheat on his wife, but he is the latest to learn that eventually the mistresses will come out and say something. While I am disappointed in him for his “transgressions” as he likes to call them, I am not surprised. I mean, he was a filthy rich man who married a trophy wife. Did anyone really think that there was real love and respect there? Unfortunately, this type of thing happens all the time. He is a famous and wealthy guy who thinks that all of these women want him for his looks and charisma. I find that funny because to me he simply seems to be a corny dude who happens to be great at golf (which has made him extremely wealthy). He is waaayyyy to lame to think that he could pull off this lifestyle long-term. He had to know that eventually he would get caught. If not, shame on him.

SCRUB: Tim Tebow (QB University of Florida) – After your team got slaughtered by Alabama, you were on the sidelines crying like a little girl that didn’t get the bike she wanted for Christmas. I just want to know if you were crying because you lost the game, or because you realized that your athletic career would be all down-hill from there? Either way it goes, save it for the locker room. The man, the myth, and the legend that is Tim Tebow should not be seen crying after losing a game.

WHAT? HE MISSED!

Kickers, Kickers, Kickers. There is one thing that I have always noticed about kickers on a football team. From the outside looking in, it really doesn’t appear that they are actually a part of the team. This is at all levels of football. The kickers, punters, and the long snapper (if he doesn’t also play another position) usually camp out during the game in their own little world that usually exists at the back of the sideline near the 30 or 35 yard line. Why is it that way? I really don’t know. Do the other players on the team not respect them? Do the other players on the team simply dislike them? Is there some rule in the football rulebook that specifies where kickers must stand on the sideline and how far they must be from the nearest teammate? Are players scared that if they stand too close to a kicker that their kids will grow up and become kickers? Someone please answer this question for me.

I am a daily listener to NFL radio (I was actually on air last Saturday, which was AWESOME!!!! because it is so hard to get through). One of the things that I like about NFL radio is that players and coaches tend to be very candid during interviews. I guess they let their guard down and say what is really on their mind because there are no cameras in their face. Usually television interviews with athletes go as Andre 3000 describes a bad rap battle in TWO DOPE BOYS IN A CADILLAC, they simply “spit (or in this case talk) and stumble of clichés” without really saying anything. However, on the radio they tend to be more likely to talk as if they are hanging out with friends at a bar while shooting pool and enjoying the beverage of their choice. It is very rare that any player interviewed on the radio speaks glowingly of their kicker (with the rare exception being Colts clutch kicker Adam Vinatieri). As a matter of fact when anything relating to a kicker comes up, I have hear many players simply laugh and say that they don’t pay the kicker any attention and that he should just stay out of everyone else’s way. A lot of them won’t even comment on anything kicker related.

Without a doubt, kickers have the most and least job security of any position in the NFL. A great kicker can kick FOREVER!!!! Five of the seven oldest players in NFL history were kickers (this includes George Blanda who was also a quarterback, but was a kicker for the final nine years of his 26 year career). For a less than spectacular kicker, your job is basically week-to-week. There have been several instances where a kicker has been cut following a bad game or they show up at practice Wednesday and there is a new guy there that you must compete with to keep your job.

Over my 28 years on this earth, I have seen more football than you can ever imagine. I have witnessed my fair share of blowouts as well as close games. Most of the close games that I have witnessed have come in the NFL, where the average margin of victory is less than a touchdown. The outcome of these close games sometimes rest on the mismatched shoe foot of a kicker. This fact makes me wonder, “Can a kicker lose a football game?”

I have heard several answers to this question. There is the school of thought that says that you can’t place the blame solely on a kicker for losing a football game, when the rest of the team could have done better during the rest of the game. Some NFL players take this perspective after a kicker has missed a potentially game winning kick. They try to deflect the blame from the player whose name they probably don’t even know, and place it on the entire team. I feel that is the admirable thing to do, because the last thing that you want is a kicker with confidence issues. I have also heard people say that kickers can’t lose a football game because they feel as though no kick is automatic. These people feel like it is up to the other players on the football team to play well enough to win the game, and that anything the kicker does (besides extra points) are a bonus. I even had one person tell me that not only can kickers lose the game, but he went so far as to wonder how the game of football would be without kickers altogether. While that may appear to be a ridiculous thought on the surface, after further discussion, I realized that he might be on to something (more on that thought to come in a later entry).

As most of you know I watch a great deal of NFL, NBA, and College Basketball games. I also watch some college football, but Saturday afternoons are usually reserved for homework and around the house activities. I say this because watching each of these sports has helped me to realize one of the biggest differences between the college and professional versions of basketball and football. College basketball is full of bad free throw shooting. I know that there are some terrible free throw shooters in the NBA (mostly power forwards & centers), but as a whole the free throw shooting is pretty good. In college basketball on the other hand, most players are pretty bad, especially in clutch situations. As far as college football goes, the field goal kicking leaves a lot to be desired. Except for the one or two kickers a year that eventually make the NFL, any field goal of 35 yards is an adventure. I am not surprised because there are close to 120 Division I (or whatever they call division 1 nowadays) football teams, plus countless others at other levels. With that many teams, you can’t expect all of them to have great kickers.

The NFL on the other hand is different. There are only 32 teams. While most teams carry 3 quarterbacks, 5 running backs/fullbacks, 6 wide receivers, and countless others at each position, THEY ONLY CARRY ONE PLACE KICKER! I specifically said “place kicker” because many place kickers in the NFL only have one job. That job is to kick field goals. A great deal of them, DON’T EVEN KICK OFF! They have a “kickoff specialist” to handle that. This means that there are only 32 people on the entire planet who are employed by NFL teams to kick field goals. Since this is such a small number, you would think that these are without a doubt the best in the world at this craft. With that being said, I feel as though A KICKER CAN MOST DEFINITELY LOSE A FOOTBALL GAME!

For an NFL kicker there are some kicks that should simply be automatic if there is a good snap, the ball is cleanly placed down with the laces turned out, and the offensive line does not let anyone through. While I acknowledge that some things are simply out of the kickers control, if the aforementioned events go without a hitch, ALL NFL KICKERS SHOULD MAKE EVERY EXTRA POINT THEY ATTEMPT! If the game is being played outdoors where mother nature can cause other variables to come into play, an NFL kicker SHOULD MAKE EVERY FIELD GOAL INSIDE OF FORTY YARDS! This means that if the offense gets the ball to the 22 yard line, there is no excuse for a missed kick (for those that don’t know, the actual distance of a field goal is 17 yards longer than the spot from which the ball is snapped, because the ball is kicked seven yards from where it is snapped and the goalposts are located 10 yards past the goal line). Inside of a dome where it never rains, the field is never muddy, there is no wind, the sun never causes any type of glare or shadows, and it is always a comfortable 72 degrees, an NFL kicker SHOULD MAKE ALL KICKS INSIDE OF 50 YARDS! This means that the offense is responsible for getting the ball to the opponent’s 32 yard line (which would be a 49 yard field goal for all of you non-math majors). While I know that no one is perfect and that every kicker will miss some kicks in their careers, they must be held responsible if the snap, hold, and blocking is good and they miss any extra point, or any kick inside of 40 yards outdoors or inside of 50 yards outdoors. While many NFL kickers can make 50+ yard field goals, no team should reasonably expect their kickers to make kicks from this distance. If a kicker happens to make a 50+ yard kick, the team should be elated and consider those points as a nice bonus, because it is totally unrealistic to expect your kicker to regularly make a kick from that distance.

I have absolutely no tolerance for kickers who let their team down by missing what should be makeable field goals. Most of them have one job on the football team and get paid a minimum of $310,000 per season, with some earning several million dollars per season. While it isn’t quarterback money, but it is certainly a nice living to DO ONE THING! In fact, I wonder if kickers even get a playbook like the rest of the team, or do they simply get a 3x5 index card that says, “Kick the ball between the uprights”? Really, they don’t have any plays. There is the occasional fake field goal, but even on that play the kicker simply goes through his normal kicking motion making it look as realistic as possible.

The only thing that place kickers ever do is kick the football. They do regular conditioning, weight training (at least on their lower body), and stretching. Other than that, they simply kick. Every NFL team has a special teams segment in practice where all of their special teams units practice their blocking and kick coverage. This is also when kickers get a chance to work on their kicking. Not only can they practice during the special teams segment of practice, but I don’t see why they can’t continue practicing their kicking during the nine-on-seven (run game practice) and seven-on-seven (pass game practice) segments of practice because most, if not all NFL teams have multiple fields at their practice facilities. They obviously aren’t needed during these segments, so they could get more reps on a separate field. They also have their very own kicking net on the sidelines that they can use to ensure that their steps are correct and that they make good contact with the ball. NFL teams certainly have enough resources to enable kickers to work on their craft as much as they would like to.

In no way, shape, or form am I diminishing the skill that it takes to be an NFL kicker. It is an extremely difficult job that only 32 people in the entire world have. But what I am doing is not letting them off the hook for missing field goals that professionals should make. Just like quarterbacks get blamed for missing wide open receivers (or in the case of Jason Campbell, refusing to throw to wide open receivers that are more than 15 yards away from you), and running backs get blamed for loosing fumbles, and Keith Brooking gets blamed for missing tackle opportunities in front of the first down marker, kickers should be blamed when they mess up as well.

I have arrived at several NFL games early enough to see the kickers warm up (which usually happens before the rest of the team warms up). These kickers can routinely make 70+ yard field goals in warm-ups, which show just how strong and accurate their legs are. Yes, I know that warm-up conditions are totally pressure free unlike the real games. But at least we know what they are capable of. To be a good NFL kicker, you must have nerves of steel (especially on the road) and be able to concentrate on the task at hand. While this is pressure, it is no different than what a quarterback must do when throwing a pass with 250 – 300 pound defenders diving at you to take your head off. It is also no different from what wide receivers must deal with while going over the middle to catch a pass that was thrown a tad bit high. It is also no different than the pressure that any Green Bay Packer tackle was under when facing Jared Allen this season (can you believe he had 7.5 sacks against the Packers in two games this season). Bottom line is that everyone on the football field is under intense pressure during the game (except for maybe the kickoff specialist, which is by the way the best job in all of sports). The ability to not only handle, but also thrive under that pressure is why they are in the NFL. Whether or not these players thrive under the pressure or succumb to it will ultimately decide the fate of their team, and KICKERS OR NO DIFFERENT!


ON A TOTALLY UNRELATED NOTE: I have had the misfortune of seeing the Washington Redskins play a few times this year. Am I the only one that notices that Jason Campbell looks as if he is expecting to get sacked each time he drops back to pass? Pay attention to him the next time you see the Redskins play or highlights of him getting sacked on SportScenter. It looks as though he takes the snap; looks for his first read (who is either covered or too far for him to get the ball to him) and then immediately balls up into the tornado drill position that you had to do in elementary school and waits to get hit. I’m not making this up. Check it out.

AND NOW FOR MY BALLER AND SCRUB OF THE WEEK:

BALLER: Jamal Crawford (Atlanta Hawks) – My Atlanta Hawks are off to a 5 – 2 start. It has definitely been a total team effort. Josh Smith and Al Horford are playing out of their minds. Joe Johnson is being the regular season Joe Johnson that we all know and love (the post-season Joe Johnson is an entirely different issue). Marvin Williams is still making me wonder why we drafted him over Chris Paul and Deron Williams (my therapist is helping me to get over my hang up on that issue). But the engine that is currently making the Hawks go is sixth-man extraordinaire, Jamal Crawford. He is averaging 18 points per game off the bench and is given the Hawks the secondary scorer that they thought they drafted in Marvin Williams (sorry, I am really working on this). If he keeps up this pace, my Hawks will be hard to beat and will certainly get a crack at Boston in the Eastern Conference Finals.

This week I couldn’t decide between two candidates for Scrub of the Week, so I decided to honor them both.

SCRUB: The NFL’s Southeast Division (better known as the SEC) Officials – Although I don’t watch nearly as much college football as I do NFL football, I do occasionally enjoy a good college football game. One game that I am definitely looking forward to is the SEC Championship Game. I would love to see a rematch of last year’s game and see Alabama play Florida. Obviously the SEC feels the same way that I do, because their officials have made terrible calls or no-calls for both Florida and Alabama this season. Just yesterday, they disallowed an interception of Alabama by LSU by saying that the LSU player never got his foot down inbounds after catching the ball. While watching the game live, I definitely saw that he indeed did get the required one foot down in bounds. Then CBS showed countless replays from several angles, that all showed that his foot was down. The most daunting evidence that was ignored by the officials was the divot left in the grass by the LSU player when HIS FOOT CAME DOWN INBOUNDS! In the same game, the officials missed an obvious facemask (hands to the face penalty) by an Alabama defensive lineman that grabbed a LSU offensive lineman’s facemask and used it to drive him back so that he could get to the quarterback. I don’t know how they missed that one, the kid’s head snapped back. I’m not saying that the outcome of the game would have been any different had the correct call been made in these situations, but it would have been nice to let the players and coaches on the field decide. The officials in this game definitely had a HUGE affect on the outcome. It really shouldn’t be that way.

We all know that Tim Tebow (I can’t wait until he gets exposed in the NFL) is the chosen one and that his ticket to Atlanta for the SEC Championship game was punched when Spring Practice started, but now the SEC is even hand picking his opponent. This is ridiculous. The NCAA has to take a look at the poor quality of SEC officiating and their obvious biases, and step in and do something. The SEC obviously has an agenda and has empowered their officials with the ability to ensure that their agenda comes to fruition.

SCRUB: Elizabeth Lambert (New Mexico Women’s Soccer Team) – I know the last names are slightly different, but I wonder if she is related to Bill Laimbeer.

Check out the video.

KEEP YOUR WORD COACH

**Remember that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month (thus the pink blog). Please do whatever you can to contribute to finding a cure for this terrible disease that affects so many.**

The one skill that separates good college football coaches from great college football coaches is their ability to recruit. Great players can make average coaches look much better than they actually are (i.e. Larry Coker during his Miami run), and average players can make great coaches look average (i.e. Steve Spurrier at South Carolina). College coaches are willing to do any and everything to get these great players to play for them. For instance, I am yet to figure out how Ron Zook can consistently get great players to play for him. Some coaches bend the rules to get recruits on campus, while other coaches flat out break the rules to get recruits on campus. There are even those who play by the rules. No matter what approach they take, success in big-time college recruiting comes down to one skill. The ability to make an 18 year old kid feel like he is an athletic god, and convincing his parents that you will take care of him as if he was your own son, make sure he gets a great education, and do your best to help him get to the next level in life, whether he intends to play in the NFL or be one of the remaining 94,328 (whatever that commercial says) players that will go pro in something else. I am not going to sit here and call all college coaches liars, but I am sure that they some interesting things to players, parents, and high school coaches to convince them that their university is the right place for them.

In Saturday's game against the Texas Longhorns, Oklahoma quarterback (and reigning Heisman Trophy winner) Sam Bradford was knocked out of the game for the second time this season with an injury to his throwing shoulder. The first shoulder injury caused Bradford to miss three games, and it is thought that this injury is similar to the first one. For those of you who don’t fully understand the significance of an injury to a quarterback’s throwing shoulder, I will try my best to explain. I want to make it clear that I am not a medical doctor nor am I a football coach, but I think I can explain this one. The quarterback is the player on the football team who is responsible for throwing the ball. You throw the ball with you arm, and the shoulder is the second most important part of the arm (behind the elbow) when it comes to throwing a ball. To make a long story short, Bradford is one serious shoulder injury away from throwing like Chad Pennington. No disrespect to Pennington, who gets more out of a dollar store water pistol arm than any quarterback in NFL history, but being compared to Chad Pennington will definitely have an adverse affect on Bradford’s draft prospects. In my very knowledgeable opinion, he is on track to become the next quarterback of the St. Louis Rams. (That’s my fancy way of saying that he will be the first pick in the 2010 NFL draft.) While most players would dread being drafted by a franchise in such disarray, the $40+ million in guaranteed money that the first pick will receive, should do a lot to make St. Louis look like a wonderful place to play football.

With so much at stake for Bradford, It is now time for Bob Stoops to put the player’s physical and financial health ahead of his desire to win games this season. I am sure that Bob Stoops made the same empty promises to Bradford’s parents that he has to every other star player that he has recruited. But now, it is time for Stoops to be a man of his word, and SHUT DOWN BRADFORD FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE SEASON!!!!

Oklahoma is currently 3-3 on the season and 1-1 in the conference, with that loss coming to Texas (who would own the tie-breaker if they finished with the same conference record). Therefore, it is safe to say that they will not be playing for the national championship this season, and their chances of playing for the conference championship are essentially dead as well. That being said, it is clear that they really don’t have anything to play for, except pride, which is a responsibility that your backup quarterback should be able to handle. Truth be told, if they were undefeated and ranked 1st in the nation, I would still feel as though it would be irresponsible for Stoops to allow Bradford back on the field.

Bradford is twenty-two years old, and is obviously going to want to get back on the field as soon as possible. If he comes out and says that he wants to shut it down for the season to protect his draft status, college football fans and the college football media are going to bash him repeatedly for being “selfish” and for “thinking about himself more than the program.” Which is why, he should continue to rehab as hard as possible and say all of the “right” things about wanting to get back on the field with his teammates and win games for Oklahoma (blah, blah, blah). Bob Stoops on the other had should be the responsible adult who protects the kid from himself by making sure that he never plays another down as a college football player. It is the job of Stoops to make sure that everyone sees the big picture, and realize that he must do what is best for Sam Bradford the person, and not the Oklahoma football program that will still be there long after Bradford is gone.

Truthfully, I don’t believe that college football programs or the NCAA really cares about what is in the best interest of their student athletes. The only thing that they really care about is money. With Bradford on the field, Oklahoma would definitely get more media exposure (which would help recruiting). They would also win more games, and play in a third tier bowl game, instead of a fourth tier bowl game (more money for the school). Bob Stoops would also get to increase his career wins. Basically, everyone EXCEPT BRADFORD has something to gain from him risking a career altering or ending injury, and continuing to play.

Now is the time for Bob Stoops to step up and show future recruits that he really does have their best interest in mind and will always do what is best for them long-term, even if it hurts the short-term future of his program. Whether he is man enough to do it remains to be seen. All I know is that Sam Bradford is one shoulder injury away from becoming Chad Pennington, and it would be a shame if he suffers that hit on a college football field before he ever gets to cash in on all of his talent and potential. Stoops, DO THE RIGHT THING & SIT THE KID!!!! The future of the Rams is in your hands.

AND NOW FOR MY BALLER AND SCRUB OF THE WEEK!

BALLER: Mark Ingram (Running Back - University of Alabama) - Although I despise Nick Saban, I absolutely love to watch the University of Alabama football team. Simply put, THEY PLAY THE GAME THE WAY IT SHOULD BE PLAYED! They play clean, hard, and with BAD INTENTIONS!!!! The ring leader on their offense is running back Mark Ingram. Ingram earns Baller Status for his 24 carry 246 yard performance against South Carolina. For those of you who aren't very good at math, that's a whopping 10.3 YARDS PER CARRY! He also had a touchdown. HE IS A BAD MAN!!!!

SCRUB: Rush Limbaugh (REJECTED Owner of the St. Louis Rams) - Rush, you being my Scrub of the Week has nothing to do with your political beliefs. This is America, and you have the right to be either Democrat, Republican, Independent, Any Combination of Them, or Neither. That is your business. However, the reason that you are my Scrub of the Week is because you actually tried to become a part owner of a team in a league that is nearly 70% African-American after you have made numerous racial and prejudice statements about African-Americans and black NFL players over the years. Are you serious? This isn't a politcal blog, so I won't get into Limbaugh's infamous quotes. Let's just say he isn't the type of person who needs to own a team that is mostly made up of African-Americans. Nothing good can come from that situation.

IT IS TIME FOR BOBBY TO GRACEFULLY BOW OUT

I am going to change up the format of this week’s blog. Instead of ending with the Baller & Scrub of the Week, I am going to start with my Baller of the Week and then end with my Scrub of the Week.

BALLER OF THE WEEK: THE NFL – While watching the NFL last Sunday, you may have noticed that a lot of coaches were wearing baseball caps with pink bills. Officials are also wearing pink wristbands. The goal posts are protected by pink padding, and commentators & game analysts have been wearing their best pink shirts and ties. Most notably, the players have been wearing pink wristbands, gloves, and thanks to a brilliant idea by DeAngelo Williams of the Carolina Panthers, pink cleats. For those that don’t know, October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast Cancer affects roughly 1 in every 8 American women and countless other worldwide. The purpose of Breast Cancer Awareness Month is to raise awareness of the disease and to also raise money to continue to improve treatment and ultimately find a cure. The NFL, which is the most popular sports league in America, is definitely doing its part to raise awareness through its high-visibility support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Many of the pink items that are being worn by players and coaches can be purchased from nflshop.com with a portion of the proceeds going to breast cancer research.

All over America, a variety of fundraisers are taking place to raise money to fight breast cancer. Walks are one of the most popular types of fundraisers. My wife will be participating in American Cancer Society’s “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk.” If you would like to sponsor her by making a donation to the American Cancer Society’s efforts to fight breast cancer, please click on the link below.
http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/MakingStridesAgainstBreastCancer/MSABCFY10SouthAtlantic?px=13127018&pg=personal&fr_id=19944&fl=en_US&et=5ytmJfK6d1OE2FiXxAR-xw..&s_tafId=360975

You may have noticed that this week’s entry appears to be written in pink font. Don’t adjust the color settings on your monitor. This is my way of contributing to the fight against breast cancer. Therefore all entries written this month will be done in pink (with a dark background so that it can easily be read).

Now for this week’s entry:

This is by far the most difficult blog entry that I have had to write since I started STRAIGHT CASH HOMEY!!!! For those of you who know me or read this blog regularly, it is obvious that I am a huge sports fan. Although, I enjoy watching many different sports, players, and teams there are four entities that I am especially loyal to. I am obviously a HUGE NFL FAN! I enjoy the entire league, I don’t have one particular team that I am a fan or, I am simply a fan of NFL football. I watch and follow every team in the league. I am also the Self-appointed President of the unofficial Atlanta Hawks fan club. I have been a Hawks fan forever, and have been serving in my current capacity of self-appointed President since 2004. I am also a big fan of the University of Kentucky Wildcats basketball program, and the Florida State University football program. The fact that I have been a Florida State football fan since my childhood is what makes this such a difficult entry to write. I regretfully say that IT IS NOW TIME FOR BOBBY BOWDEN TO GRACEFULLY BOW OUT!!!!

Since 1976 (before I was born) Bobby Bowden has been a stalwart on the sidelines at Florida State University. During his illustrious tenure with the Seminoles, Bowden has won 12 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships (FSU didn’t join the conference until 1991) and 2 National Championships. His career record as a head coach (including stints at Samford University & West Virginia) is 384-127-4. His 384 career wins are second all-time behind only Joe Paterno of Penn State (388 wins). Of Bowden’s 384 wins, 311 of them came at Florida State. Needless to say, he is a legendary coach and figure in college football. He has also coached many future NFL stars such as Warrick Dunn, Deion Sanders, Derrick Brooks, Peter Boulware, Darnell Dockett, and Leon Washington just to name a few. I could name more but it really would take up too much space. However, I would be remised if I didn’t mention Charlie Ward, who never played in the NFL for reasons that are an entirely different blog topic.

In the 73 years of football at FSU before Bowden’s arrival Florida State had a combined record of 157-136-14. This includes a 19-37 record in the in the last four seasons before Bowden took over. This basically shows that the Florida State University Football Program was built by Bobby Bowden. Unfortunately, today it seems as though it is being destroyed by Bobby Bowden.

There are those that say, “Bowden built that program from nothing, so he should be able to coach as long as he wants to.” I used to be amongst that crowd until I stood back and took an objective look at the program that I have loved since childhood. The truth is that since the end of the 2000 season, FSU has a record of 69-40. Now I know that some of you are wondering what all the fuss is about, because that is a respectable record that a lot of schools would love to have. That is true for most schools, but not for an elite program, the caliber of which Florida State used to be. Prior to 2001, FSU had an unprecedented streak of finishing the season ranked in the top five for 14 CONSECUTIVE YEARS!!!! Do you really think a program that had grown accustomed to that type of success can deal with living in the land of the mediocre programs? We are talking about a team that had grown accustomed to annually playing in the few bowl games that should actually exist. Their last three bowl appearances have been in the Emerald Bowl, Music City Bowl, and the Champs Sports Bowl. Now, I am not putting down other programs that would be celebrating such bowl appearances, but at Florida State this is flat out embarrassing.

There are also those that say that, “It may be time for Bowden to step down, but FSU has to handle this situation better than they have.” To those people I ask, “How can Florida State handle the situation any better than they have?” Not only does everyone know that this should be Bowden’s last season as head coach, they also know that his last season should have been about four years ago. The Florida State University administration has been tremendously patient with Bowden. They have endured countless scandals, the recent losing, and in my opinion, six years of the worst offensive play-calling in the history of college football. The six years I am referring to are 2001-2006 when Bobby’s son, Jeff served as offensive coordinator. With Jeff Bowden calling the plays, you could be certain of one thing. You were going to see a plethora of screen passes each Saturday afternoon. Down and distance didn’t matter, he was going to be sure that he got at least 30 screen passes into every game plan. Whether they up by 20 or down by 20, you can be sure that a screen pass was coming at some point on each drive.

I must commend FSU for being proactive and going ahead a hiring their next head coach. I feel as though Jimbo Fisher will do an excellent job to restore Florida State back to their rightful place among college football’s elite programs. He is an innovative offensive mind who has a track record of success. Many people say, “Bobby doesn’t coach now, so why bother forcing him out as head coach?” I agree that at this point Bobby Bowden is no more than a figurehead. His primary role at this point consists of mostly shaking hands and kissing babies to raise money for the program. However, there is one problem with him staying on in his current figurehead capacity. He still has the title of head coach, therefore giving him complete control over the coaching staff. Bobby is an extremely loyal person, which is why his assistant coaches enjoy great job security. There needs to be some staff-wide changes that won’t take place until Jimbo is officially made head coach. Mickey Andrews is certainly not the defensive genius that he once was and Bobby even welcomed back fired NC State coach Chuck Amato (who was originally on Bobby’s staff from 1981 to 1999). The bottom line is that it is time for sweeping changes at FSU and they won’t take place until the Jimbo Fisher era officially begins.

You may have noticed that I have not mentioned Bowden’s age one time in this entry (he will be 80 years old in November), because that honestly doesn’t matter to me. Truthfully, if FSU were still winning and competing year in and year out for Conference and (more importantly) National Championships, I would not be writing this blog. I feel as though, as Tony Kornheiser likes to say, “THIS IS A GOTS TO GO SITUATION!”

I know that everything is cyclical, but at no point in the cycle should Florida State be the fourth best college football team in the state of Florida (behind Florida, Miami, and South Florida with Central Florida and Florida Atlantic fast approaching at this pace). The arrow on this program is clearly pointing down, and I honestly don’t think it will ever point up again under Bowden’s leadership.

By no means am I saying that FSU should kick Bowden out like yesterday’s trash, I mean he did build the program. He should be given a football related role within the athletic department and he should be paid his entire coaching salary (over $2 million annuallly) for the rest of his life. However, he should no longer be the football coach. The 2010 season should start a new era of Florida State football.

SCRUB OF THE WEEK: Florida State University Football Team – You are currently 2-4 overall with a 0-3 conference record. That’s why you are my Scrub of the Week. That’s all I’m going to say about that.

JUST MY THOUGHTS, JUST WHAT I WAS FEELING AT THE TIME, RIGHT OR WRONG

I know, I know, I have been away for a while. School and work have kept me pretty busy over the last few weeks, BUT I AM BACK NOW!!!! Since I haven’t written anything since the NFL season officially started, I decided that I would simply give you my thoughts on the things that have happened up to this point (5 pm on Sunday, September 27th). Today’s early games are done, so I will have some thoughts on those as well.

First of all, the DETROIT LIONS came through for me. I picked them as one of my upsets of the week, and THEY TOOK DOWN THE PATHETIC DEANGELO HALL LED WASHINGTON REDSKINS!!!!

After watching Jason Campbell play so far this season, I now totally understand why the Redskins tried so hard to replace him this off-season. Initially, I felt bad for him, but now I understand why they don’t want him anymore. YOU ARE THE FIRST QUARTERBACK TO LOSE TO THE LIONS SINCE DECEMBER 23, 2007. THAT WAS DURING THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION!!!! I hate to say this, but Jason Campbell days as an NFL starter are numbered.

To date, my top three running backs which all happen to be named Adrian Peterson currently have 357 rushing yards through three games. Peterson is 1,748 yards behind Eric Dickerson’s single season rushing record. He has to average 134 yards per game for the rest of the season to break the record. Stay tuned, I will be tracking his progress throughout the season. If I were a betting man, which I am not, I would bet that he is going to break the record this year.

Speaking of the Vikings, shout out to the Diva that I love to hate. For those of you who haven’t been paying attention, I am referring to Brett Favre. The game winning touchdown pass against the 49ers was amazing. As amazing as that play was, I would be remised if I didn’t warn Viking fans to temper their excitement. This is what Brett Favre does; he makes amazing plays to win big games. But he also throws lots of picks to lose big games. So enjoy this week, because he could very easily throw you out of the game next week.

Please raise your hand if you thought the Tennessee Titans would be 0 – 3 after three games. I certainly didn’t. Now to be perfectly honest, I picked them to finish third in their division (behind the Colts & Texans), but I never imagined that they would be 0 – 3 (especially with Future Hall of Famer Vince Young still on the sidelines).

Mike Singletary has proven to be a much better head coach than any of us could have expected. The fact that the 49ers are 2 – 1 with wins over the Cardinals & Seahawks and a last second loss to the Vikings, shows that he definitely has them on the right track.

Speaking of the 49ers. Where’s Waldo? I mean Crabtree. I don’t know if he realizes it or not, but they don’t exactly miss you right now. It will probably be in your best interest to take the $20 million and join the party, because you are losing leverage with every Shaun Hill touchdown pass. Sorry, bad analogy. I mean to say with every victory because they are hardly throwing the ball.

Speaking of touchdown passes, when did Joe Flacco morph into Dan Marino? He has already thrown for 839 yards and 6 touchdowns. He has already had 2 – 300 yard passing games. Last season, he had the exact same number of 300 yard passing games as I did.

Did anyone reading this ever think that they would see the day when the Pittsburgh Steelers were among the worst rushing teams in the NFL? Their ground game is pathetic. Look for Willie Parker to be removed from the starting lineup soon, simply because they are going to have to try something else. Also remember, they did use a first-round pick on his backup.

Why haven’t the fans in Carolina voted to impeach Jake Delhomme? Why didn’t the Carolina coaching staff and front office bring in a competent backup when they lost Josh McCown for the season? How many picks will Jake throw this season? How many picks does Jake have to throw before Steve Smith punches him in the face (you know he loves doing that to teammates)?

RAY LEWIS IS STILL AWESOME! Check out his game winning tackle below.



Why did Leodis (that is really his name) McKelvin bring that kickoff out of the end zone? Not only should he have known better, but his coaches should have told him to take a knee in that situation if the kick goes into the end zone. Furthermore, he should have fell down on first contact instead of fighting (and exposing the ball) for two extra yards.

How awesome is Peyton Manning? Last week the Dolphins outgained the Colts on the ground 239 yards to 61 yards. The Dolphins also ran 87 offensive plays to the Colts 35. The Dolphins also had the ball for 45:07 of the 60 minute game. And guess what, the Colts still won 27 - 23, because Manning simply scored virtually every time they got the ball (with no threat of a running game). He was also playing with two new recievers. That's all that I have to say about that.

How cold hearted is Bill Belichick? Not only did he trade Richard Seymour, but he sent him to Oakland. Can you imagine how it must feel to be a Patriot one day and then a Raider the next? That’s like winning your first Video Music Award only to have Kanye West deliver your speech. You went from being happy to wondering what in the world happened. To make matters worse, Belichick wasn’t even man enough to tell Seymour (a player that helped him win three Super Bowls) face to face that he had been traded. He told him over the phone. WHAT A SPINELESS BUSTER! I have no respect for that guy. That was a MAJOR MAN-LAW VIOLATION! If I were Tom Brady, I would watch my back when dealing with that guy. Look at how he has treated such players as Lawyer Milloy, Ty Law, Mike Vrabel, Drew Bledsoe, Willie McGinist, and most recently Seymour. If your knee doesn’t return to form very quickly, you will be the Rams starting quarterback next season.

Last but not least, who will win a game first the Buccaneers or the Rams? They don’t play each other this year, so I am really beginning to wonder if one or both of these teams can follow in the Lions footsteps. There aren’t simply two teams who haven’t won a game yet, THESE ARE TWO TERRIBLY PATHETIC TEAMS!!!! I hate to say this, but the Cleveland Browns (with Anderson at QB) would handle both of them. Now that tells you how bad they are.

These are just my thoughts on the NFL season thus far. Feel free to respond to any of these thoughts, or chime in with some thoughts or observations of your own.


AND NOW FOR MY BALLER AND SCRUB OF THE WEEK!

BALLER: Brett Favre (Minnesota Vikings) - I am fair. I will beat you up for throwing picks and acting like a DIVA, but I will also give you props for one of the best game winning plays that I have ever seen in my life. GREAT JOB! But don't get it twisted, when you throw four picks, with one of them being the one that seals a loss for your team (you know its comming), you will be the SCRUB OF THE WEEK. However, this week you saved the day. So you are the Baller of the Week. Congrats!

SCRUB: Atlanta Falcons Defensive Line - I just wanted to chime in and let you all know that in football, IT IS OK TO RUSH THE PASSER! YOU CAN EVEN HIT OF SACK HIM IF YOU GET THERE IN TIME! You guys were terrible against the Patriots. Last I checked the Patriots did not exactly have a stellar offensive line. If you don't believe me, ask the Giants, Jets, and Bills. In case you haven't noticed, the secondary isn't exactly filled with Hall of Famer's who can cover for 8 seconds (which is about how much time Brady had in the pocket). He could have finished reading War & Peace during each play, with the amount of time you were giving him. YOU GUYS HAVE GOT TO DO BETTER THAN THAT!

A FRANCHISE QUARTERBACK IS HARD TO FIND

Without question, the most difficult position to play in all of sports is Quarterback in the NFL. That’s why the good ones are hardly ever traded in the prime of their careers (apparently Josh McDaniels believes that franchise quarterbacks grow on trees). They face more pressure than any athlete in any other sport. Their team success or failure is often dictated by their play. Quarterbacks are the highest paid players in the NFL, and with good reason. They are the leaders or the engines that make the team go. The quarterback handles the ball on virtually every offensive play and has more influence on the outcome of the game than any other player on the field. For these reasons, the fate of the head coach is often directly tied to the success of the quarterback. Therefore, the primary goal of each and every NFL team is to have a good player under center. Who is the best quarterback in the league? Who is the worst quarterback in the league? Where do the rest of them rank?

For answers to those questions, scroll down and check out STRAIGHT CASH HOMEY’s!!!! 2009 QUARTERBACK RANKINGS. These rankings are for the 2009 season only and are subject to change next year. The players were ranked based on one simple criteria. I simply asked myself, “If I was running an NFL team and could have any quarterback in the league, who would I choose?”

#1 Peyton Manning (Indianapolis Colts) – This is an easy choice for #1. He is arguably the smartest football player in the league today. He call his own plays, has a rocket arm, works harder on preparation that any player I have ever seen, and will end his career (if he stays healthy) owning all of Brett Favre and Dan Marino’s passing records. He has one Super Bowl ring and three MVP’s (so far). To put in perspective how good this guy is, he was the league’s MVP last year after arguably his worst season since his rookie year. Love him or hate him, he is the best in the game today, and definitely in the discussion of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game.

#2 Tom Brady (New England Patriots) – This guy is living the life that all men dream of. He plays quarterback and gets to throw the ball to Randy Moss for a living, is filthy rich (although he is underpaid, but that will change this year), and married to a super model. He is also one of the best in the league today. There are some that would even place him above Manning. Although I disagree, I couldn’t really fault anyone for feeling that way. Personally, I think Manning is better because he calls his own game, has a much better arm, and has never been caught cheating. True, Brady has more championships, but we all know that a special assist to those titles go to the Patriots video staff. That being said, he is still great, and deserves to be ranked this high. On a serious note, there are some questions about Brady going into this season. He is returning from the first major injury of his career, and he is also playing behind an offensive line that has not been quite right since the Giants took their manhood in the Super Bowl a couple of years back. I truly hope he can stay upright this year, because no quarterback (not even the great Tom Brady can get the ball to Randy Moss from his back).
Honestly, the first two were easy. No one who knows anything about football can really debate them. Some people may want to swap them, and I won’t argue with that. However, neither player can be placed below #2.

Now the real fun begins, because the players ranked #3 thru #7 can all have an argument made in their case for them to be #3. Here’s how I see it.

#3 Phillip Rivers (San Diego Chargers) – I know some people will disagree with this, but I truly feel that Rivers is the best quarterback in the NFL not named Manning (Peyton) or Brady. Simply put, there isn’t a throw on the field that he can’t make. He has a strong enough arm to get the ball into tight spots when needed, yet can still throw it with touch when the situation calls for it. Rivers also throws a great deep ball. He has developed into a good enough passer to make the Charger’s receivers appear to be much better than they actually are. He also makes great decisions with the football and throws very few interceptions. On top of all of that, he is also Built Ford Tough. It is well chronicled how he played in the AFC title game with a torn ACL and then was ready for the start of the next season. I don’t know any other quarterback who could’ve done that. I am also picking Rivers to finish second to Adrian Peterson, if he tops 2,000 yards rushing, in the league MVP voting this season. If Peterson does not top 2,000 yards, Rivers will be the MVP.

#4 Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints) – What would have ever happened to him if the Chargers had never drafted Phillip Rivers? Up until that point, he was simply an average quarterback. Now, he is far from average. He has the quickest release in the NFL, which also means that he very rarely gets sacked. This makes him an offensive linemen’s dream. He also makes very good decisions with the football. It has been a long time since I have seen a quarterback use all of his receivers the way that Brees does. He makes is seem as though the Saints don’t have a go to receiver (and maybe they don’t) because he does such a great job of getting the ball to whoever is open on any given play. Sean Payton loves to throw the football all over the place, and Brees is a player that can be depended upon to make sure that it reaches its intended target. His numbers are inflated because Payton has an allergic reaction to run plays, but he is still among the best.

#5 Donovan McNabb (Philadelphia Eagles) – In my opinion he has the toughest job in the entire NFL. He is quarterback in a town that loves to hate its star athletes. The fans in Philly were disappointed when they drafted him (they preferred Ricky Williams, how’d that turn out?) and they are still complaining ten years later. The knock on Donovan is that he hasn’t won the big game. That is true, but how many times has he really had a team good enough to win it all? If you look at the NFL playoffs as a gunfight, Donovan has basically arrived with a slingshot every year, except for the 2004-2005 season when they reached the Super Bowl. They lost that game to the Patriots’ video staff. We all saw what he can do when he has a legit wide receiver. Aside from that year, he has virtually single handedly taken them to the NFC title game on a regular basis. Name the quarterbacks who can say that they have gone deep into the playoffs more often than McNabb. That being said, he is ranked this high because he is an extremely accurate passer with a very strong arm. Great pocket presence, and enough speed to take off and get the first down and occasionally break a long run when needed. To all of the McNabb haters, I simply say, you will miss him when he’s gone. (P.S. to all of the Philly fans that were counting on Vick to replace McNabb this season, you had better enjoy watching McNabb this year. I’m guessing that Vick didn’t play on the prison football team, because he has quite a bit of rust to knock off. I still think that he will be fine in the long run, but he is seeing first hand, just how difficult it is to play at the NFL level after a two year layoff.)

#6 Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh Steelers) – I’m guessing that he never heard the phrase, “The bigger they are, the harder they fall.” Because he takes waaayyy to many hits. Most quarterbacks have an internal clock in their head that let’s them know when to get rid of the ball before being hit. HIS IS BROKEN! He should really spend some time with Drew Brees discussing ways to avoid sacks. I really don’t know how much longer his body is going to hold up. He gets hit an awful lot on the football field (I have seen him completely laid out more than a couple of times), and he has also survived a horrific motorcycle accident in which he broke his face. I sure hope he figures it out and can stay upright, because when he does, he is a great football player. This guy is the definition of CLUTCH. If I was down four, with two minutes left and needed a touchdown to win the game, I would want him at quarterback. Not Manning, Brady, Rivers, Brees, or McNabb. I WOULD WANT BEN ROETHLISBERGER LEADING MY TEAM ON THE FINAL DRIVE! Nothing rattles him. If he hasn’t been knocked out of the game already, this is the guy that you would want in crunch time. He may not be as good of a quarterback or as polished as the previous five players on this list, but he is definitely the most clutch.

#7 Carson Palmer (Cincinnati Bengals) – This is the prototype. If you were making training videos for drop-back passing, he would be the star. His footwork is perfect, his accuracy is amazing, and he has a cannon for an arm. Not only can he make every throw on the field, he can throw it in such a way to allow the receiver to catch it in stride and continue to run. The Bengals are going to surprise a lot of people this season, and #9 will be the primary reason why. He is going to have a huge season.

#8 Jay Cutler (Chicago Bears) – Without question, JAY CUTLER HAS THE BEST ARM IN THE NFL! There are those who would argue that Manning (Peyton), Palmer, Russell, or even Favre may have the strongest arm in the league. To them I say, If Jay Cutler had one of their arms, he would kill himself. His arm strength is reminiscent of Favre or Marino in their primes. That arm strength will come in handy playing in the windy city. Chicago finally has a quarterback, and trust me, they will love watching this guy play. He is one of my favorite quarterbacks to watch, because he throws the ball so effortlessly. Fans of the Denver Broncos are going to take one look at Kyle Orton this season and immediately realize that franchise quarterbacks don’t grow on trees. They had one, and now Chicago has one. This guy makes me wish that the NFL still had the quarterback challenge, because it would be fun to watch just how impressive his arm is in comparison to his colleagues. I would not be surprised if Cutler is #1 in the 2012 quarterback rankings. He is that good now and he still has quite a bit of room to get better. The sky is truly the limit for this guy.

#9 Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers) – No Favre, No problem. That is what Packer players and fans have been saying ever since Aaron Rodgers became the team’s starting quarterback. While he may not have Favre’s arm or his Wrangler jeans collection, Rodgers is quickly making the league realize why the Packers quickly closed the door behind Favre when he first retired. They thought Rodgers was ready, and they were correct. The only problem that I have with Rodgers is the fact that he is the anti-Roethlisberger when the game is on the line. If I’m not mistaken, last season Rodgers threw interceptions in four different games on potentially game-winning drives. If he keeps that up, he really does have a chance to be the next Brett Favre. All jokes aside, if he begins to play big in the fourth quarter of games, Rodgers can cement his status as a top ten quarterback in the NFL.

#10 Kurt Warner (Arizona Cardinals) – The ageless wonder is still getting it done. It doesn’t hurt that he has the best group of receivers in the league. Warner is the best quarterback in the league against the blitz. Whenever there is a blitz, he always finds the hot receiver before they can get to him. Now that he has corrected his fumble problems, Warner is once again one of the best in the league. I hope that Matt Leinart is taking notes, because Warner is a great player to learn from.

#11 Tony Romo (Dallas Cowboys) – This guy has to be the most careless quarterback with the ball in his hands in the NFL. He has all the talent in the world. If he gets serious and takes care of the ball he will definitely be a top five quarterback in the league for a very long time. Will he be committed to taking care of the football? I guess we will see. By the way, he will have a much better season this year without T.O. This will definitely be a case of addition by subtraction.

#12 Eli Manning (New York Giants) – Eli Manning has greatly improved since his rookie year in the league. As a matter of fact, it can honestly be said that he has improved each year that he has been in the league. This year we will see what he is really made of, because he will be playing without the most accurate marksman in New York City. Eli will definitely miss his security blanket. While Manning was never the most accurate passer in the league and will never be mistaken for his big brother, Plaxico was able to turn most of those wild throws into complete passes. Will he be able to put the ball on the money to his new group of young and less-talented receivers? This season will answer those questions. I do now one thing for sure. He will be better this year than he was last year, because he has a strong work ethic and seems to improve every year.

#13 Matt Ryan (Atlanta Falcons) – This guy does not get rattled. The thing that I like most about Ryan is the fact that he does not have an ego on the field. What I mean is that he knows that Michael Turner and the Falcons running game is their bread and butter, and he is smart enough to rely on it and allow the run to set up the pass. You will never see him checking out of perfectly good run plays into bad pass plays. He also makes good decisions and doesn’t throw balls that should not be thrown. He has set the bar for future rookie quarterbacks. He also has a better than average arm.

#14 Matt Schaub (Houston Texans) – Great player. WHEN HE ACUTALLY PLAYS! The Texans always go as his health goes. I love his skill set, but I hate the job that his personal trainer is doing. If he stays healthy, the Texans will make the playoffs this year. If he stays healthy for the next few years, he will definitely be considered a top ten NFL quarterback.

#15 David Garrard (Jacksonville Jaguars) – What happened? I thought he would be a good quarterback for a long time. Was I wrong? Was he a one-year wonder? There are a lot of questions surrounding Garrard. He is a very talented player that is very smart with the football. However, he is yet to take that step to elite status and quite frankly, I don’t know if he ever will. Has he maximized his potential? I don’t think we will get any answers this year because Jacksonville will be a very bad football team (I still can’t figure out why Torry Holt signed there). This will probably be Jack Del Rio’s last season as the head coach, which means that the new coach could want to bring in a new quarterback. This year could indirectly be a make or break one for Garrard. If he isn’t great, he can begin the next phase of his career. As a backup quarterback (which would actually be going back to where he started).

#16 Chad Pennington (Miami Dolphins) – This guy gets more from his ability than any player in the NFL. He has no arm strength, yet is always able to get the ball where it’s supposed to be. He can quickly grasp offenses and does an excellent job of reading defenses. If he had an arm, he would easily be in the top ten. Last season, the Jets discarded him like yesterday’s trash for the next player on this list. I bet they regret that decision.

#17 Brett Favre (Minnesota Vikings) – Since Favre has come back (we think), I keep hearing people say that the Vikings only need him to manage the game. THAT MAKES ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE TO ME! Why on earth would they pay a player $12 million to simply manage the game? Has Brett Favre ever been a game manager? Brett Favre is a player who is going to either win games for you or lose games for you. This is who you signed. Favre is going to make some great plays and he will probably lead the league in interceptions again. He is what he is. At this point in his career, I can’t justify ranking him any higher than #17 and I definitely can’t rank him above Pennington who clearly outplayed him last season. For Brad Childress’ sake, I hope your $12 million game manager is what you thought he would be. If not, you will certainly face the same fate that Eric Mangini had to face last season.

#18 Jason Campbell (Washington Redskins) – Very talented player, but plays as if he is afraid to make mistakes. Can you really blame him? He plays for an organization that has tried to replace them every chance they get. He rarely throws interceptions, but he also rarely makes big plays. For the first time since high school, Campbell will be in the same offensive system for two consecutive years. I hope that will lead to consistent play from Campbell. I really feel bad for Campbell because the Redskins will definitely be on a mission to replace him again next season if they don’t win the Super Bowl (and they definitely won’t). In this tough housing market, I hope that you are renting and didn’t buy.

#19 Matt Hasselbeck (Seattle Seahawks) – When healthy, he is a good player. Nothing more, just a good player. There really isn’t anything special about him. He gets hurt about as much as Matt Schaub, and is simply a good player on the rare occasions that he is healthy.

#20 Trent Edwards (Buffalo Bills) – Solid player who will be the next victim of T.Ozilla. Edwards is a smart player with good size and a strong arm, but he tends to become very inconsistent as the season wears on. I like his skill set, but he is not a strong player for an entire season. Maybe this will be the year that it all comes together. On second thought, no it won’t.

#21 Joe Flacco (Baltimore Ravens) – I really didn’t understand all the fuss about Flacco last season. He was decent and nothing more. The Ravens won because of their defense and running game. He did very little to contribute. True, he was good for one deep ball (which he throws very well) every two games, but that was about it. I found the comparisons between him and Matt Ryan laughable, because Matt Ryan is so much better than him that it isn’t even funny. The defense really covered up all of the holes in his game. He has a lot of work to do, but he does have all of the tools and is off to a good start.

#22 Kerry Collins (Tennessee Titans) – Dependable veteran who does not lose games for you. He may not lead you to victory, but he keeps the team close enough to allow the defense and running game to lead you to victory. He is also good enough to keep Future Hall of Famer, Vince Young on the bench. Which says a lot about both Kerry and Vince.

#23 Matt Cassell (Kansas City Chiefs) – One year wonder? Who knows. Last year he stepped into the perfect situation and played quite well. But now he is in Kansas City and he doesn't have Randy Moss. How good is Cassell? No one knows. The Chiefs either know or hope that he is special, considering the fact that they signed him to a $63 million contract this off-season.

#24 Jake Delhomme (Carolina Panthers) – At this point Jake is simply keeping the seat warm for the next quarterback. If Michael Vick returns to form, look for him to land here. Jake is done. He must have some pictures of coach John Fox in some compromising situations. That is the only way that I can explain him not only keeping his job, but also getting a contract extension.

#25 Shaun Hill (San Francisco 49er’s) – There is nothing pretty about his game. His delivery isn’t great and he throws a bad ball, but he GIVES THE 49ER’s A BETTER CHANCE TO WIN THAN ALEX SMITH! That being said, I don’t know if beating out Smith says very much.

#26 JaMarcus Russell (Oakland Raiders) – Strong arm, but wrong organization. I truly don’t know if the Raiders have the correct coaching staff or organizational infrastructure to bring along a young quarterback. If he ever reaches his potential, the rest of the league had better watch out. The problem is that at this point it has proven to be nothing more than potential.

#27 Matthew Stafford (Detroit Lions) – The first time I watched him play as a freshman at Georgia, I turned to my wife and said, “He is going to be the first pick in the draft in three years.” As it turned out, I was right. He is a big guy with a tremendous arm. He is the closest thing to Jay Cutler in the league right now (as far as raw ability). That being said, he is still a rookie. Although he played his college ball in the NFL Southeast division, he will soon find out that there are no creampuffs on the NFL schedule. You won’t get to play Central Michigan and Georgia Southern the week before a big game. As a matter of fact, the Lions are Central Michigan by NFL standards. Stafford will quickly find out that the one game on the NFL schedule each year that you have the best chance to win in the one against “BYE.” Every other game will be a dogfight. If you don’t believe me, just ask your teammates. Trust me, THEY KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO WIN IN THE NFL. Stafford has all of the tools to be a good one, and with good coaching and experience he will one day be an elite NFL quarterback.

#28 Mark Sanchez (New York Jets) – Sanchez could very well be this year’s Joe Flacco. That’s because the Jets should have a dominant defense this year and simply ask him not to throw the games away. If he manages not to lose many games, the media will treat him like the best rookie since Matt Ryan. However, looking at him as a player, he does have some flaws and shows great potential as well. It was hard to gauge his talent in college because he played on a team with All-Americans at basically every position, so all he had to do was distribute the football and stay out of the way. His arm is average by NFL standards and he will get caught up in the moment and try to make a big play when nothing is there. This year, I expect him to be a game manager and take on more responsibility as he grows with the offense. Long term, I see him being a better than average NFL quarterback. Nothing special, but good enough to keep the Jets from drafting a quarterback for the next 5 – 6 years. He is definitely an upgrade over the scrub they have backing him up.

#29 Marc Bulger (St. Louis Rams) – It really was the system. Mike Martz really made Bulger appear to be better than he really was. Come to think of it, he has been pretty bad since Martz was fired. There was a time when Bulger appeared to be on the cusp of becoming an elite quarterback. Fortunately his agent was smart enough to capitalize on the hype. He did get paid, but the return on that investment has been basically non-existent for the Rams. The Rams will in all likelihood be drafting either Sam Bradford or Colt McCoy with the first overall pick of the 2010 NFL draft. He will probably be released this upcoming off-season, or he will start the season next year to ease the transition for the rookie. Long story short, this guy is done.

#30 Byron Leftwich (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) – Leftwich has gone from first round pick with promise to journeyman in a matter of three short seasons (and he isn't even 30 years old). Health has basically been his problem. It’s almost like he is made of glass, because he completely shatters every time he gets hit. The fact that he has the longest windup in NFL history does not help his case at all. It’s almost like watching Hideo Nomo pitch. He takes so long to get the ball out of his hands once he decides to throw it that it is ridiculous. He does however have a great arm, which is put on display about five seconds after he decides to throw the ball. This is his last shot as a starter. If he isn’t successful, he will begin the second half of his career as the next Charlie Batch (permanent backup).

#31 Kyle Orton (Denver Broncos) – The innocent bystander in the Jay Cutler v/s Josh McDaniel feud will be unfairly linked to Cutler for the rest of his career. Simply put, he isn’t a very talented player. If McDaniel is the offensive genius that he thinks that he is, he may turn Orton into an average quarterback. He is really going to hate being compared to Cutler who is on the cusp of elite status for the rest of his career.

And now, the worst starting quarterback in the NFL today is….

#32 Brady Quinn (Cleveland Browns) – Quinn is probably the most over-hyped quarterback to come out of college in years. He is entering his third NFL season and is yet to become the unquestioned quarterback of the Cleveland Browns. He has not dominated the competitions between himself, Derrick Anderson, or even Charlie Frye. People assumed that he would be a good pro based on the fact that he played for Charlie Weiss at Notre Dame. But let’s look at that for what it was. He never won a big game or a game that Notre Dame wasn’t favored in during his college career. Also as it turned out, Weiss really wasn’t an offensive genius. He simply used his NetFlix account more than anyone else during his time in New England. Quinn simply isn’t that good, and obviously new coach Eric Mangini agrees because he hasn’t named a starter in Cleveland (at the time this blog was written) and we are six days away from the opener. If Quinn was really any good, he would be the unquestioned starter because he is a first round pick that they had to make a draft day trade to get.

AND NOW FOR MY BALLER AND SCRUB OF THE WEEK:

BALLER: University of Geogia, Oklahoma State University, University of Alabama, and Virginia Tech Football Teams – I would like to commend all of you for opening the college football seasons against REAL OPPONENTS! I get sick and tired of seeing these lopsided college games on opening weekend. Seeing Florida and USC open up against glorified high school teams is a waste of television airtime. All four of you play in tough conferences, yet are not afraid to open the season against a tough non-conference team. Kudos to you. I wish more schools would follow your lead.

SCRUB: LeGarrette Blount (University of Oregon) & Byron Hout (Boise State University) – Both of you are scrubs this week for very different reasons. First of all, I would like to give Mr. Hout a little bit of advice. There is no reason to talk trash AFTER A FOOTBALL GAME IN WHICH YOUR TEAM WON! There is enough trash talking and hitting going on during the game to make it totally unnecessary to seek out a player to taunt him after he played a terrible game. But in the event that you decide to anyway, KEEP YOUR HELMET ON!!!! Any football player that talks trash with his helmet in his hand deserves to get knocked out. Here is where I would usually quote Smokey (Chris Tucker) from the movie Friday, but remember this is a family blog. Also, you should be given some sort of suspension as well, and the conference still has the option of handing down one. I guess the coach didn't suspend you because he figured that getting knocked out on national television was punishment enough. Trust me that clip will live forever (on STRAIGHT CASH HOMEY!!!!)

As for LeGarrette Blount, you have got to learn that there are simply some things that you can’t do. You cannot throw a punch on the opening night of the college football season on national television and not expect to be severely punished. I know that Hout was wrong for seeking you out to talk trash, but young man you are going to deal with much worse than that as you go through life. That one punch (although it was beautiful) cost you a boatload of money. You have gone from a sure fire second round draft pick with first round potential, to an undrafted free-agent if you are lucky. Truthfully, I don’t have a problem with you being suspended for the entire season, because an example had to be set to prevent this type of behavior from becoming the norm. Also, this is the only way that I believe that you would learn that THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS THAT YOU JUST CAN’T DO! To those of you who think that his punishment was too severe, just think about what would happen if you knocked out a co-worker for saying something to you when you were upset. You will be fired, no questions asked. I rather him learn this lesson as a college student, than in the real world.

If for some reason, Blount is not picked up by an NFL team next year, he should really consider a career in boxing, because that punch was on the money and dropped a 300 plus pound football player in full padding (minus the helmet). That is indeed impressive. (Please see video clip below.)

CHARLES ROGERS DID NOT FACTOR INTO THESE RANKINGS

We’ve all heard the clichés, “Defense Wins Championships” and “To win you have to be able to run the ball.” While both of those clichés still hold true, in today’s NFL you have got to be able to move the ball through the air if you want to be successful. Other than the 2000 Baltimore Ravens (which is an exception because they had the greatest defense in NFL history), no team has been able to get to the Super Bowl without having at least an average passing attack. Take last season for example. The Pittsburgh Steelers offense relied on their quarterback, wide receivers, and tight end to get to and eventually win the Super Bowl (they finished 23rd in rushing). The Cardinals on the other hand, finished the regular season 9-7, but got hot in the playoffs thanks to the performances turned in by Kurt Warner and their all-world receivers (ranked 32nd in rushing).

Throughout history, there have been many wide receivers that have made their quarterbacks seem to be much better than they were. What would we think of Daunte Culpepper if he never played with Randy Moss or Cris Carter? Imagine Joe Montana and Steve Young without Jerry Rice. Also, would Troy Aikman be in the Hall of Fame without Michael Irvin? Just food for thought. A lot of people view receivers as attention seeking, self-centered Diva’s (much like another player I won’t mention). Which is true in a lot of cases, but you just can’t win without them.

Which NFL team has the best set of receiver and tight ends? To find out, scroll down and check out STRAIGHT CASH HOMEY’S!!!! 2009 RECEIVER RANKINGS.

#1 Arizona Cardinals – Larry Fitzgerald is the second best receiver in the NFL, so needless to say, he IS A LEGIT #1 RECEIVER. Opposite him is Anquan Bolden, who would be the #1 receiver on any team in the league other than the Patriots, Texans, Lions, and Colts. Their third receiver is Steve Breaston, who is good enough to be the #1 target on a bad football team. If you don’t believe me, just imagine him on the Rams or 49ers. He would definitely be the go to guy. Ben Patrick is also a very good tight end. Long story short, this set of receivers is a quarterback’s dream. I can’t name one NFL team that has three shut down corners. Because of that, this group is unstoppable. By the way, all three receivers topped 1,000 receiving yards last season. You can’t defend all of them straight up, and if you decide to focus on one person, the other three will kill you. GOOD LUCK TO THE DEFENSES THAT HAVE TO FACE THEM THIS SEASON!!!!

#2 New England Patriots – RANDY MOSS IS THE BEST RECEIVER IN NFL HISTORY!!!! That is a fact, and it is not debatable. He can do things on a football field that have never been done before, and will never be done again. Alongside him is Wes Welker, the luckiest receiver in NFL history. Because Moss faces two and sometimes three defenders on every play, Welker gets to run around in the slot against linebackers and backup defensive backs. Without Moss, Welker would be nothing but a glorified punt returner that can occasionally get open in the slot (think Tim Dwight). That being said, Welker is great at what he does and takes full advantage of his opportunities. He has great hands and is very dependable. His only flaw is that he cannot consistently get open against front line defensive backs, but thanks to Moss he doesn’t have to. The only reason that this group is ranked #2 instead of #1 is that Joey Galloway is no more than a name at this point in his career. Age and injuries has caught up with him. He is no Steve Breaston. However, the tight end duo of Ben Watson and Chris Baker will also be highly effective.

#3 Indianapolis Colts – No Marvin Harrison, no problem. They have been training Anthony Gonzalez to replace Harrison when the time came, and now is that time. Don’t get me wrong, Harrison is a Hall of Famer, and Gonzalez will not come close to his career accomplishments. However, I do think that Gonzo will be able to replace Harrison’s recent production. Truthfully, there won’t be any pressure on Gonzalez because he will be the team’s third option on pass routes. Reggie Wayne is a beast to cover and Dallas Clark is a top five tight end. This group has been consistently doing it for so long. They don’t really do anything fancy. They line up in virtually the same place every play and they rarely, if ever, send a man in motion. They simply out execute their opponents every week. No gimmicks, just execution.

#4 Green Bay Packers – I bet the Diva would love to play with this group. Although there isn’t a superstar among the bunch, they are all excellent players. Greg Jennings and Donald Driver are great, and James Jones is an excellent third option. They are also two deep at tight end with absolute studs. Donald Lee has already shown the world what he can do. But keep an eye out for second year pro Jermichael Finley. He will be a beast this year. Aaron Rodgers is one lucky man. He may have had to put up with the Favre headache for several years, but it looks like good things do indeed come to those who wait.

#5 Buffalo Bills – This will be a terrible football team this season, but their receivers are awesome. As much as I hate T.O. off the field, on the field he is going to give opposing defensive coaches headaches this year. That’s because you just can’t focus on him. Lee Evans is as much a threat to beat you deep as he is. They also have Josh Reed and Roscoe Parrish who are also very capable receivers. It’s too bad that the defense won’t be able to stop anyone, the quarterback is average at best, and they play in a division with the Patriots and Dolphins. If those things weren’t the case, we would expect big things out of the Bills this year. Honestly I don’t think that Trent Edwards will be able to consistently get the ball to these playmakers, so their stats won’t reflect their talent. But they are indeed among the most talented group in the league.

#6 Cincinnatti Bengals – When Chad OchoCinco is focused, he is among the best wide receivers in the league. And guess what, HE IS FOCUSED!!!! Opposite Chad will be Laveraneus Coles, who is the definition of dependable professional. I know plenty of you reading this will doubt Chad, but be careful what you say because he will have you eating those words at the end of the season (if Carson Palmer stays healthy). When he’s focused he sleeps at the facility and works out and practices like a maniac. So beware, BECAUSE HE IS FOCUSED!!!! Also, keep an eye on rookie tight end Chase Coffman. He is legit.

#7 Pittsburgh Steelers – Truthfully, this team does not have a legit #1 receiver. However they do have two playmakers who always make the play when it is absolutely needed. When they need to get open, they find a way. Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes are both clutch and are also good enough to keep defenses honest. While they control the outside, Heath Miller roams the middle of the field and is also always open when needed. This may not be the most talented group in the NFL, but they are arguably the most dependable.

#8 Houston Texans – You are familiar with Andre Johnson, right? He is the third best receiver in the league (some people may even say second). Frankly, this would be a top ten group if Freddie Mitchell and Mike Williams were playing with him. Instead he has the solid Andre Davis opposite him, and a very good tight end in Owen Daniels.

#9 Philadelphia Eagles – I never thought I would ever say this, but Donavan McNabb actually has some legit receivers in Philadelphia. Truthfully adding a player the caliber of Anquan Boldin would have made this offense unstoppable, but they still have enough weapons to be very good this year. Although Desean Jackson has a mental lapse every now and then, he is a legit threat. Kevin Curtis and Hank Baskett may not be anything special, but they are dependable targets. What will make this group go will be the speed of rookie Jeremy Macklin. If you thought Jackson was good, wait until you see this guy in action. Jason Avante will also be a big contributor this season. They still have the ever-disappointing and underachieving Reggie Brown on the roster, but they have enough talent to overcome his lack of production. This team will make a run for the Super Bowl this season, and the receivers will help lead the way.

#10 Dallas Cowboys – No T.O., no problem. Will they miss T.O.’s production? Probably. Do they have enough on the roster to make that up? Yes they do. If Dallas is smart, they will be primarily a running team that makes a lot of passes to the tight end off of play action. I mention the tight ends because Jason Whitten is among the best in the league, and Martellus Bennett is very good and would be the unquestioned starter on more than half of the teams in the league. Although Roy Williams is not T.O., he is still better than most #1 options in the league today. Patrick Crayton and Miles Austin will also be good enough. The receivers are very good and the tight ends are great. That makes them #10.

#11 Carolina Panthers – Steve Smith has been one of the best receivers in league since 2003, and I don’t expect that to change this season. You really can’t double him because the Panther running game is so darn good. Needless to say, he eats single coverage alive. I am yet to see the corner that can shut him down one on one. Muhsin Muhammad is amazingly still reliable opposite him, and if they get anything out of Dwyane Jarrett, the league had better watch out. All this group needs is a quarterback, but we will talk about that next week.

#12 Atlanta Falcons – I can honestly say that I saw this beginning to happen two years ago. RODDY WHITE IS A LEGIT #1 NFL RECEIVER. Even more amazing, Michael Jenkins has developed into a slightly below average #2 receiver. Which one is the biggest surprise? All jokes aside, White will demand special attention from defenses all season. However, they can’t focus too much on him, because the best pass catching tight end in NFL history has just joined the Falcons. Tony Gonzalez was the missing piece to making this offense a force to be reckoned with. The fact that defenses first priority when facing the Falcons will and should be stopping the run, this group will run wild and make a lot of big plays. Just think, if Michael Jenkins steps his game up and becomes an average #2 receiver, they could be in the top ten next year.

#13 Minnesota Vikings – While it may be true that this group is nowhere near as good as the Packers receivers (9 spots worst to be exact), it is also true that the Packers don’t have a guy as fast as Percy Harvin. Bernard Berrian and Sidney Rice don’t scare anyone. There isn’t a defensive coordinator in the league that has ever lost sleep trying to figure out how to defend those two. Harvin on the other hand will cause headaches. I bet we find out what the official headache medicine of the NFL is this season. Tight end Visanthe Shiancoe is also a very good player. He is in a great situation to explode this year because he has Harvin to his outside and Adrian Peterson behind him (it should be illegal to have that much speed on the field at one time). Look for him to make the Pro Bowl this year.

#14 San Diego Chargers – Antonio Gates is the unquestioned #1 receiver on this team. This used to be a really good thing because the actual receivers were terrible. Now, Gates is the #1 receiver because he is THAT GOOD and not because the receivers are horrible. Chris Chambers, Vincent Jackson, and Eric Parker have all proven to be reliable targets for the newly rich Phillip Rivers. Rivers will throw for over 4,000 yards this season, and fortunately Gates won’t have to have 3,549 receiving yards.

#15 Seattle Seahawks – Talent wise, this group should be ranked higher. But based on actual production, this is about right. Nate Burleson and Deion Branch have both failed to duplicate the success they had with their former teams. TJ Houshmandzadeh will be a welcome addition and John Carlson is a solid tight end, but this group as a whole doesn’t get me too excited.

#16 Detroit Lions – Calvin Johnson is the only reason they are in the top twenty. Bryant Johnson is nothing more than a journeyman and Brandon Pettigrew is an unproven rookie tight end (albeit with a lot of potential).

#17 Washington Redskins – Yes, Santana Moss is very good. But he is no Calvin Johnson, which is why they ranked below the Lions. Chris Cooley is also a heck of a player at tight end. As for the rest of the receivers, Antwaan Randle El is what he is, and the two second year players had very forgettable rookie seasons. I hope Clinton Portis has his big boy shoulder pads on, because it will all be all on him this season.

#18 New Orleans Saints – It’s amazing that Drew Brees threw for so many yards last season, because his receivers are nothing special. They don’t have a legit number one, and don’t really scare anyone. I guess this means that Drew Brees is so accurate that you can’t drop the ball.

#19 New York Giants – Now this team is hard to place. There are those who say that they have a lot of depth at receiver. That is not how I view the situation. To me, it looks as though they have a lot of bodies but no one has proven anything. Steve Smith played very well last year opposite the idiot that shot himself, but can he do that when the coverage is actually rolled to him? I don’t know. They also have Mario Manningham, Domenik Hixon, Sinorice Moss, and rookie Hakeem Nicks. That is a lot of names, but can any of them step up and be the go to guy without Burress on the field. We will see, but until then, they will remain at #19.

#20 Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Antonio Bryant is finally playing up to all of the promise that he showed in college at Pitt. Kellen Winslow is also a heck of a football player, a head-case for sure, but also a great football player. Everyone else is pretty bad. It won’t matter much because this is going to be a REALLY BAD FOOTBALL TEAM THIS SEASON.

#21 Chicago Bears – Greg Olsen is legit a tight end, but can any of the receivers actually play receiver? Devin Hester may be the world’s richest freeze tag player, but can he really run a shallow cross and actually catch the ball? Can he drive the cornerback off of him and then run a comeback route? I don’t know, you don’t know, and Jay Cutler doesn’t know. We will all find out together. What we do know is that Hester is fast, but we don’t know if he will have the ball in hand while running.

#22 Denver Broncos – This group would undoubtedly be ranked higher if Brandon Marshall (more on him later in the blog) actually wanted to play for the team this season. He doesn’t, so they are ranked 22nd. Eddie Royal and Tony Scheffler are nice players but Marshall is the engine that makes this offense go. Jay Cutler really wanted out of Denver and he got his way. But he will really miss playing with Brandon Marshall. Or will he? Might they be reunited?

#23 Baltimore Ravens – I am beginning to think that this team is allergic to wide receivers. Derrick Mason is old, Mark Clayton is decent at best, and Todd Heap and LJ Smith are injured more than Tracy McGrady and Grant Hill. Although the defense is great and the running game very good, the Ravens are going to have to make some plays through the air at some point if they plan on being contenders. Truthfully, I’m not sure if these guys can do it.

#24 Tennessee Titans – This is another team that is allergic to wide receivers. Their tight ends are really the stars of their passing game. Bo Scaife is a nice player and Fat Albert (Has anyone see Alge Crumpler lately? He looks like Grady Jackson’s mini-me.) They did add Nate Washington from Pittsburgh and drafted Kenny Britt from Rutgers. That being said, I still think that Chris Johnson will face 8 and 9 man fronts all season long.

#25 Miami Dolphins – Ted Ginn Jr. may turn out to be a NFL receiver after all. Davone Bess and Greg Camarillo really turned some heads last season. Was it a fluke or are they legit? I will have to see before I rank them any higher.

#26 Jacksonville Jaguars – Torry Holt is pretty much it. I don’t know why he signed there because this is not a good football team. Former first-round bust Troy Williamson is also trying to revive his career.

#27 New York Jets – None of these guys scare me. Jerricho Cotchery is decent and Dustin Keller is an average tight end, but everyone else might as well be blocking dummies. I’m assuming that David Clowney is historically great in the pre-season because I heard an announcer call him “Mr. August” after scoring a pre-season touchdown. That must be true because he has a grand total of one regular season reception during his two year career.

#28 Cleveland Browns – Watching Braylon Edwards play football is like watching Lamar Odom play basketball. You can’t help but wonder how good he could be if he actually tried. He has all of the talent in the world, but just isn’t committed to becoming great. Who knows how he will play this season. Mike Furrey and David Patton don’t scare anyone. Hopefully rookies Mohamed Massaquoi and Brian Robiskie will be able to contribute early (which is doubtful).

#29 Kansas City Chiefs – New coach Todd Haley was the offensive coordinator for the Cardinals last season. Now he is the head coach of the Chiefs. Do you think he sees a difference in the receivers? Todd, you can click you heels together all you want but Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin are not walking through that door.

#30 St. Louis Rams – Donnie Avery, Ronald Curry, Laurent Robinson, and Randy McMichael. Anyone scared? I didn’t think so. All I have to say is that Steven Jackson had better get ready to face 12 men in the box every play. Yes, I said 12. I am also counting the back judge because there will be no deep passes for him to officiate. Therefore he can get in the way, close to the line of scrimmage as well.

#31 San Francisco 49ers – Michael Crabtree has not signed yet, and it really doesn’t matter. Because this team will run the ball 65 times a game this season. If you had a bad quarterback, bad receivers, and a bad tight end, what would you do?

#32 Oakland Raiders – Is anyone really surprised? If Darrius Heyward-Bey is the answer, I would love for someone to tell me what the question was.

AND NOW FOR MY BALLER AND SCRUB OF THE WEEK!

BALLER: Brandon Marshall (Denver Broncos) – Do you think that Josh McDaniels regret ever agreeing to become the Head Coach of the Denver Broncos. It has been a nightmare from day one (most of which was his own doing). First he runs Jay Cutler (check in next week to see where he ranks among NFL quarterbacks) out of town, and now he is in a bitter feud with star receiver Brandon Marshall. Marshall obviously wants out of Denver. If McDaniels didn’t know that before, he found out when Marshall showed up to practice in his pajama pants, shoulder pads, jersey, helmet, and cleats. I know that this should not make him the Baller of the Week and I usually don’t condone this type of behavior, but he wins the award because the entire situation was simply HILARIOUS!!!! He has also been simply knocking the ball down instead of catching it during passing drills. Needless to say, he was later suspended for conduct detrimental to the team.

SCRUB: Michael Crabtree (San Francisco 49ers?) – Michael Crabtree (10th overall pick in the draft) has yet to sign with the San Francisco 49ers. In the NFL, the order in which you were drafted usually determines how the value of your contract will compare with the other draft picks. Basically, the higher you are drafted, the more money you make. It is basically a slotting system, which means that the #6 pick will be paid somewhere between the #5 and #7 picks. Crabtree was drafted 10th and is reportedly looking for a contract that is higher than the #7 pick (Darrius Heyward-Bey) because he feels as though he is a better player. He is in fact a better player than Heyward-Bey, but Heyward-Bey was drafted three spots ahead of him. The 49ers are reportedly offering him a deal that is worth somewhere between what the #9 and #11 picks got.

Don’t get me wrong, I am usually always in support of players getting more money. But in this case, Crabtree is being an idiot. You were drafted where you were drafted. Sign the contract and play football. You haven’t proven one thing in the NFL, and you play a position that has a high bust rate. Although we all think that you will be a good if not great player, no one really knows. Also, unless you grew up ridiculously wealthy making somewhere between $25 million and $28.5 million over the next five years should make you pretty happy. Also, do you really think that people want to see another spoiled athlete hold out because he feels entitled to receive more money, while people are losing their jobs left and right? Sign the contract and play. If you don’t, what are you going to do all year? Be a brain surgeon?

One more thing to think about since you've got a lot of time on your hands. THE NFL SEASON WILL GO ON WITH OR WITHOUT YOU!