GIVE ME THE ROCK & LET ME DO MY THING

As you all know the 2009 football season is around the corner (25 days to be exact), which can only mean one thing. It’s time for STRAIGHT CASH HOMEY’s ANNUAL POSITIONAL RANKINGS! This is a lot of fun for me, because these rankings are not based on last year’s numbers or any other statistical criteria. They are simply based on my opinion of what the player will do in the upcoming season. I simply ask myself, “If I was starting a team today, who would I want in this position?” Over the next couple of weeks, I will be ranking all 32 teams according to their Defenses, Receivers (including Tight Ends), and the all important Quarterback. However, those rankings will have to wait. Because this week, IT IS ALL ABOUT THE RUNNING BACKS! These are the guys who simply tell their coaches to, “Give me the rock & let me do my thing!”

Feel free to use these as well as the forthcoming rankings for your fantasy football draft, FREE OF CHARGE! When you win your league, just be sure to (as rapper Drake titled his upcoming classic album), THANK ME LATER!

Now for the rankings:

#1 Adrian Peterson (Minnesota Vikings) – Was there any doubt? If you don’t think that Peterson is the best running back in the game right now, you should just stop watching football, because YOU OBVIOUSLY DON’T UNDERSTAND THE GAME! He is the total package. He has the speed of Devin Hester, the power of Earl Campbell, and the shiftiness of Marshall Faulk. THIS GUY IS SPECIAL! He is a once every ten years type talent. If he stays healthy all season, HE WILL GAIN OVER 2,000 YARDS RUSHING THIS SEASON!!!! This season really has a chance to be special for Peterson, because the Vikings actually have another weapon on offense. Defenses also have to keep an eye on the equally fast Percy Harvin, who will line up all over the place and be a threat to go the distance every time he touches the ball. That being said, Peterson has an outside shot of topping Eric Dickerson single-season rushing yards record of 2,105. He is so much better than everyone else, that I had a hard time deciding who I would put at #2. After much though, I finally decided….

#2 Adrian Peterson (Minnesota Vikings) – Putting anyone else at #2 just didn’t seem fair. He is just too good to say that anyone is the second best running back.

#3 Adrian Peterson (Minnesota Vikings) – This is not a typo. He is actually this good.

#4 Brian Westbrook (Philadelphia Eagles) – It’s amazing that one back can do as much for his team as the Eagles ask of Westbrook. He is simply the engine that makes them go. He can easily rush for 2,000 yards AND have another 500 – 800 receiving yards. He is the most complete back the league has seen since Future Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk. The Saints should really study Westbrook, because he is the model for what Reggie Bush should be.

#5 Michael Turner (Atlanta Falcons) – People thought that I was out of my mind ranking him so high last year (I had him ranked 12th going into last season) considering that he had a grand total of 1,257 rushing yards in his four seasons as LaDanian Tomlinson’s back up in San Diego. But obviously I was on to something. He is a beast. He is a power back with very good speed. He should put up big numbers this year considering that the Falcons have a passing game that must be respected. The mere presence of Tony Gonzalez will help Turner immensely.

#6 DeAngelo Williams (Carolina Panthers) – Up until last season, Williams had been having a slightly better than average NFL career. He was considered a reliable back, but nothing special. Then the Carolina Panthers drafted Jonathan Stewart, DeAngelo Williams WOKE UP! He showed that he is definitely a player that teams must fear and game plan for. He also has the advantage of splitting carries with another top-notch running back in Stewart. This keeps him fresh, which allowed him to absolutely explode during the latter portion of the seasons. He reminds me a lot of Turner; only his is a little bit faster, but not quite as powerful.

#7 Marion Barber (Dallas Cowboys) – Looking at the Cowboys roster, it is obvious what their offensive strategy will be this season. THEY WILL RUN THE BALL!!!! The Diva that cries when he doesn’t get the ball is someone else’s headache now, which will allow the offense to focus on what they do best. Run the football and throw it off play-action to the tight end. They have three very good and very different running backs. The best of the bunch (and also my personal favorite) is Marion “The Barbarian” Barber. He is a beast. He actually tackles defenders. He runs with reckless abandon, and never avoids contact. He will be the heartbeat of this team this season, and cause the hearts of the defenders responsible for tackling him to skip a beat.

#8 Chris Johnson (Tennessee Titans) – His speed is absolutely sick. He took the league by storm last year, by seemingly coming out of nowhere. This year that will not be the case, because stopping him will be priority #1 for every defense that the Titans face this season. Unfortunately for the defenses, it won’t matter. You can prepare for him all you want, but you still won’t be able to catch him. He is simply too fast.

#9 Darren McFadden (Oakland Raiders) – I am expecting the Raiders to win 8 games this year, and McFadden is the main reason why. Just watch him this season; he is going to have a breakout year. Not only is he a great runner, he also has great hands and will catch a good number of passes this year. He will also throw a touchdown pass or two. All of those things only complement the fact that he will be a GREAT running back in this league for many years to come.

#10 Clinton Portis (Washington Redskins) – This is my guy. He is simply an excellent football player. He always picks the right hole and rarely gets tackled for a loss. He is also excellent at picking up blitzes, and is tough as nails (I guess they raise them that way at THE U). The thing I like most about Portis is that you know what you are going to get from him year in and year out. That is 1,500 yards. He is a great all-around football player.

#11 LaDainian Tomlinson (San Diego Chargers) – Was once the unquestioned best back in the league. Then age and injury began to trip him up. I still think that he has a lot left in the tank, and I also think that he will have a vintage LT season this year. Granted, he won’t have another season like 2006, but he will still be good for about 1,300 yards and around 15 touchdowns. He may no longer be THE BEST back in the league, but he is certainly still ONE OF THE BEST backs in the NFL.

#12 Matt Forte (Chicago Bears) – This guy is a machine. Just give him the rock and let him work. He is an interesting back because he doesn’t do anything special, and he doesn’t have jaw-dropping physical ability or blazing speed. But somehow he always manages to have solid numbers when the game is over. This year should be big for him because he is playing with a REAL QUARTERBACK in Jay Cutler, that defenses must respect. He won’t see a lot of eight man fronts, which means that he should run wild. Look for big things from Mr. Forte.

#13 Steven Jackson (St. Louis Rams) – It is really unfortunate for Jackson that his team has a less than average quarterback and worst receivers than a good high school team. This means that he will face 8 to 9 man fronts all season. He is their only weapon, and trust me, if I can see that fact so can defensive coordinators around the league. That being said, Jackson is a freight train. The power and speed combination that he possesses is second only to Adrian Peterson. He also has great hands, which is really surprising for a back his size. Although the Ram’s will be terrible this season, he will at least make them watchable and mildly competitive.

#14 Knowshon Moreno (Denver Broncos) – Although he is playing for the dumbest coach in NFL history (that even includes Mike Tice), I expect big things from the rookie. He is a bundle of energy that seemed to never wear down at Georgia. He has great moves in the hole, very good speed, and he is MUCH STRONGER than he looks. He will undoubtedly get the undivided attention of defenses because his quarterback is a dumb downed version of Trent Dilfer, who is jealous of Chad Pennington’s arm. Thanks to Head Coach Josh McDaniels, HIS NAME ISN’T CUTLER. That being said, I still fully expect this rookie to take the league by storm.

#15 Joseph Addia (Indianapolis Colts) – Addia is a very smart and talented player that has proven not to be very durable. Along with a high football IQ, Addia is also a great receiver out of the backfield and picks up blitzes very well. The good news for him is that he is never the first priority for defenses because he plays with Peyton Manning. The bad news for him is that your team took another running back in the first round of the draft. We will really see what Addia is made of this year, because there will be a talented rookie in Donald Brown pushing him all season.

#16 Steve Slaton (Houston Texans) – I have been singing his praises since he entered the league, even when other people thought I was stupid for doing so. Look s like I got that one right. This is a very good running back. He is a real speedster that simply knows how to run the ball.

#17 Brandon Jacobs (New York Giants) – The second coming of Jamal Lewis in his prime (but not quite as good). He is the definition of a power back. The Giants running game suffered immensely last season after that genius that plays wide receiver shot himself. Jacobs will probably miss Plax more than any other Giant simply because defenses can now make him the focal point of their game plan.

#18 Laurence Maroney (New England Patriots) – Man is he glad that Brady is back. Maroney is a very good back that will have a great season, simply because no one will be paying him any attention with Moss and Brady on the field. The only thing that will hurt Maroney this year is the fact that he has to split carries with two other solid backs in Fred Taylor and Kevin Faulk.

#19 Maurice Jones-Drew (Jacksonville Jaguars) – People think of him as a small running back. THEY ARE WRONG! He is short, but NOT SMALL! He is built like a tank, and is fearless. He is an excellent inside runner and has the speed to break long ones. Don’t sleep on Jones-Drew, because he is an absolute beast. Coming out of college, he compared himself to Reggie Bush. So far, it looks like he sold himself short.

#20 Ray Rice (Baltimore Ravens) – I want everyone reading this to pay attention to Ray Rice this season. It will become obvious why he will be forcing Willis McGahee to the bench.

#21 Frank Gore (San Francisco 49er’s) – I said it last year, and I will say it again. I just don’t understand all the love for this guy. To me he is a good NFL running back, BUT NOTHING SPECIAL. I think that I am a pretty good judge of talent, and I honestly am missing something when it comes to this guy.

#22 Marshawn Lynch (Buffalo Bills) – Once he returns from his three game suspension he will have a significant impact on the Bills’ season. In my opinion, he has all the tools to be great, but he hasn’t managed to reach his full potential as of yet. I hope he does.

#23 Rashard Mendenhall (Pittsburgh Steelers) – He is on this list because he WILL TAKE THE STARTING JOB FROM WILLIE PARKER THIS SEASON. Also, he will be much higher on this list next season. He will be great, and this year he will start to prove it. He is huge and ridiculously fast. Last time I checked that was a great combination for a running back. I really think that he is focused on what it takes to be great after being humbled by Ray Lewis last season.

#24 Thomas Jones (New York Jets) – Jones is a good, hard-running, dependable veteran. There are no frills with this guy. He is simply a solid running back. Don’t be surprised if his carries are cut in half this year, because Leon Washington has proven that he is indeed ready for prime time. They should pretty much split carries evenly. This should also be his last year with the Jets.

#25 Ronnie Brown (Miami Dolphins) – Last year many of my readers said that I was too harsh in my assessment of Brown. All I said was that he was a bust considering that he was drafted #2 OVERALL! Although I must give him credit for having a decent season last year, I AM STANDING BY MY STATEMENT THAT HE IS NOT A GOOD FOOTBALL PLAYER!!!! The Wildcat Offense was his saving grace last season, and he really thrived in it. For that I commend him. But we all know that gimmicks in the NFL don’t last very long. By the end of last season, teams had figured out the Wildcat, and Brown REALLY STRUGGLED! (This year Pat White will handle those plays, thus taking away most of Brown’s best opportunities.) I am not a fan of his, and I have him ranked right where he belongs. I still can’t believe that he was drafted second overall, when his talent says that he should have been a late second round pick.

#26 Kevin Smith (Detroit Lions) – He is the definition of nothing special (and he plays for the Lions, how fitting). He isn’t really fast, nor is he a power back. He is simply a workhorse back that isn’t easy to bring down. He is dependable and takes pretty good care of the ball. He isn’t a game breaker, but he isn’t a game blower either. Simply put, he is solid.

#27 Jamal Lewis (Cleveland Browns) – His best days are clearly behind him. On a good team he would be a great short-yardage and goal-line back. But he is on a bad team, and thus the starter. He is a solid power back, but nothing more at this stage in his career.

#28 Larry Johnson (Kansas City Chiefs) – He carried the ball waaaayyyyy too much early in his career. All of those carries have caught up to him like years of drinking catches up to alcoholics. He had good speed and power a few years back. What he is today? No one knows.

#29 Cedric Benson (Cincinnati Bengals) – He is also a charter member of the “Ronnie Brown – I Got Drafted Way Too High” club. He is a slightly bigger bust than Brown, which makes sense because he was drafted two spots after him in 2005. In Chicago he was an under-achieving head-case. We will see what he will be with the Bengals.

#30 Ryan Grant (Green Bay Packers) – One year wonder, who got paid and made the Packers wonder why they paid him. This year he must prove that he is worth the money that he got or he will definitely be cut.

#31 Pierre Thomas (New Orleans Saints) – He will replace Deuce McAllister as the Saints primary running back, which will free Reggie Bush up to do his thing. He is a capable back that won’t get much attention playing in that pass happy system.

#32 Chris Wells (Arizona Cardinals) – He is widely viewed as a power back. Personally I think he has more Shaun Alexander than Jamal Lewis. Although he has good speed for a back his size, HE IS SOFT! He won’t be very good in the NFL, especially this season.

#33 Earnest Graham (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) – Nothing personal, he just isn’t anything special. He is a good player, but then again everyone in the NFL is a good player (except for former Falcon safety Brian Scott, who is now playing in Buffalo).

#34 Julius Jones (Seattle Seahawks) – CONGRATULATIONS, YOU ARE STRAIGHT CASH HOMEY's 2009 MR. IRRELEVANT!!!! Someone had to be last, and it is Thomas' little brother. He is simply the worst starting running back in the NFL. That is all I have to say about him.

There will be no Baller and Scrub of the Week this week because I have chosen to use that space to say MICHAEL VICK IS BACK!!!!

The fact that he signed with the Philadelphia Eagle was a surprise to everyone. However, it was a wise move by both parties. The Eagles are a team that has an established starter in Donovan McNabb. They also have a strong offensive coaching staff. This will allow Vick an opportunity to really work on the fundamentals and learn from one of the best quarterbacks and coaching staffs in the game today.

By signing Vick, the Eagles gave themselves the best backup quarterback in the NFL for this season, and a great trade commodity for next off-season. This is truly a match made in football heaven. The best-case scenario for the 2009 Eagles is as follows:

• They get off to a great start, maybe 7 – 1 after eight games.
• McNabb tweaks an ankle and has to miss 3 weeks
• Vick starts those three games and plays great (Shows the rest of the league that he is indeed ready for prime time)
• McNabb returns and leads the Eagles to the Super Bowl (where they lose to the Patriots again.
• Vick is traded this off-season for a first and a third round draft pick to a team looking to upgrade their quarterback (my guess is either Carolina or Washington).

This could really happen because Vick signed a one-year contract with a team option for a second year. The second year salary is slightly more than $5 million, which is cheap for a Pro Bowl Quarterback. Every team in the league would trade for a Pro Bowl Quarterback with a $5 million salary. That is a great bargain.

As you all know, I am a huge Vick fan. I really hope that he takes this opportunity to study the game (become a Peyton Manning like football nerd) and make the most of his second chance in the league. During the first portion of his career, he was playing on raw talent and athletic ability. Just imagine what he would have been if he studied and understood the game.
Hopefully we won’t have to imagine long, because we will get a chance to see.

THEY DESERVE BETTER

Each week around Tuesday or so, I begin to think about potential blog topics for the week. This week was no different. I was tossing around potential topics with my wife (my primary sounding board). Some were pretty good, and there were some that didn’t make much sense at all. Then I had a stroke of brilliance (at least I thought so). I said to her, maybe I should write about Matt Millen. She then asked, “What would you say about him?” I responded by explaining how terrible he is as an NFL executive and laid out a laundry list of the stupid decisions that he has made during his tenure with the Lions. She thought about it for a minute and then said that she thought that would be a good topic. Then on Wednesday the Detroit Lions completely stole my thunder and FIRED MATT MILLEN. Don’t get me wrong, I never want to see a person lose their job, especially in today’s economy. However, I simply planned to point out the fact that he was grossly under-qualified for such a position and ill-equipped to be successful. Also, I don’t feel too bad about him being removed from his position because he did a terrible job (the case could be made that he was the worst executive in the NFL) in leading the Lions to a stellar 31 – 84 record (that is a .270 winning percentage for those scoring at home) and is walking away with reportedly $50 million of the Lions money. You gotta love America. The place where doing a good job is appreciated but incompetence gets rewarded. That being said, is anyone still wondering why our economy is in shambles?

Believe it or not, I would rank the fans of the Detroit Lions as the fifth most faithful, loyal, dedicated, and devoted fan base in the NFL. In my opinion they trail only the fans of the Cowboys, Steelers, Chiefs, and Browns. You may not believe me, but trust me on that. You have to have a great fan base to consistently draw over 60,000 fans a game, even when your team probably wouldn’t crack the college football Top 25 in most years. Further proof lies in the fact that I have Sirius Satellite Radio (the best radio on radio) and trust me the Lions fans are out there in full force. They love their team. I don’t know why and I do question their sanity. I know one thing for sure, I wouldn’t want to get into a fist-fight with a Lions fan. You could never win because they have such a high tolerance for pain (after watching this team for so many years) that your punches wouldn’t hurt them one bit.

Now the genius that is Matt Millen has left the building (he was escorted out kicking and screaming). Lions fans everywhere are rejoicing and dreaming about better days to come. Truth be told, if history is any indicator the chances of them becoming a top-tier or even a consistently mediocre franchise are slim to none. However, those slim chances did increase when Millen left the building. I am sure that some of you reading this don’t follow the Detroit Lions very closely and don’t know much about Millen. Don’t worry, you have come to the right place. I will give you a short summary of Millen’s tenure in Detroit. HE ABSOLUTELY SUCKED!!!! Was that short enough?

Actually Millen has been a disaster as a CEO and defacto General Manager since the day the Lions hired him out of the TV booth. Prior to being a color commentator for television and radio broadcasts of NFL games, Matt was an NFL linebacker. During his playing career, he played for 3 teams (Raiders, 49er’s, and Redskins) and won 4 Super Bowls. He even played in a Pro Bowl (1988). Guess what, playing and commentating talent doesn’t always translate to the front office. As a matter of fact it rarely does.

Following the 2000 season in which the Lions finished with a 9 – 7 record and missed the playoffs by only one game, Matt Millen was hired as the team’s President and CEO of football operations. Although Millen had no previous experience in anything that remotely resembled this position, fans were optimistic because he was a “football guy” who had proven through his previous work that he knew and understood the game. That optimism quickly went away once Millen made a litany of stupid decisions that set the already eternally doomed franchise back even further than they were. Some of Millen’s brilliant (or at least he thought so) decisions were:

Drafting Joey Harrington with the third overall pick in the 2002 NFL Draft (Passed on such players as Ed Reed, Dwight Freeney, Clinton Portis, and Brian Westbrook. If they really wanted a quarterback, David Garrard was available until the 108th pick.)

Drafted four 1st round picks at the same position (The position was wide receiver. He did find two studs in Calvin Johnson and Roy Williams, but missed big time on Charles Rogers and Mike Williams.)

Did not draft suitable offensive line help or defensive players that could actually play. The Lions scouting and player development staff has to be among the worse in the league.

Hired Mary Mornhinweg as the Head Coach (All I’m going to say about this idiot is that he won a coin-toss in sudden-death overtime and DECIDED TO KICK!!!! HE ACTUALLY GAVE THE OTHER TEAM THE BALL FIRST IN SUDDEN-DEATH OVER TIME. Guess What, to his surprise the other team scored first and they lost the game. Yes, Millen did think that someone with that thought process was the right man to lead the Lions.)

Oh, let’s not excuse the latest coach that Millen hired, Rod Marinelli. He is the former Defensive Line and Assistant Head Coach in Tampa Bay and is well-respected throughout the league. However he cannot be absolved from blame for their current 0 – 3 start (which include losses to Atlanta and San Francisco). He is steadfast in his belief that they must run the ball, although their roster and talent says throw it early and often and make every game a shootout. HELLO, THEY DO HAVE CALVIN JOHNSON AND ROY WILLIAMS. I mean New England could throw the ball 40 or 50 times a game with Troy Brown and Reche Caldwell as their primary receivers and Philly has done it year in and year out with the get-along-gang they have at receiver. I know that Jon Kitna isn’t Brady or McNabb, but he is good enough to get the ball to the two Pro Bowlers if the game plan is schemed correctly.

Built a joke of a defense. The defense has three decent players, linebacker Ernie Simms, cornerback Leigh Bodden, and cornerback Brian Kelly (who is as old as Julio Franco). After them, everyone else should be playing in Canada. The defense has been a joke throughout Millen’s tenure. This is unacceptable considering that they have drafted 18th or higher (six times they have drafted in the top ten and three times they had a top five pick) each year that Millen has been there. It’s funny because four of those picks were spent on one offensive position (Wide Receiver) and only ONE WAS SPENT ON DEFENSE (Linebacker Ernie Simms). GO FIGURE!!!!

Even the most optimistic person in the world would have to admit that Matt Millen was an absolute failure no matter what criteria you measure him by. He is now gone, which means that the Lions will continue the rebuilding process that has been going on since 1993 (the year of their last division title) under new leadership.

I truly feel sorry for Lions fans because they know going into each season that they don’t have a chance at being any good, yet they still support their team. I’m all for being loyal to your team, but I also believe that loyalty goes both ways. If your team refuses to do everything in their power to be competitive then they don’t deserve your loyalty. I knew the Lions weren’t trying when team owner William Clay Ford Sr. gave Millen a five year contract extension after the 2005 season in which the Lions were 5 – 11. It took 25 more losses for Mr. Ford to see the errors in his ways. Note to Mr. Ford, you know your GM is bad when fans at NBA, NHL, and college football and basketball games are chanting “Fire Millen.” Rasheed Wallace even joined in the chant during a timeout of a Pistons game. There were even protests and parades around the city, all in an effort to make you open your eyes and see the terrible leadership that led your miserable team.

Now the questions is, “Who’s Next?” Honestly, I don’t know. This is a bad job that will not be able to attract people who have other options. The best they can hope for is to find a bright young Assistant GM or Scouting Director who is looking for their opportunity to sit in the big chair. Much like the Atlanta Falcons did with Thomas DImitroff. On the other hand, it might be a good job because no matter what, you will be considered the King of Detroit because you will be an improvement from Millen by simply sitting on the plane to Detroit. You also know that ownership is patient to a fault and pays very well whether you succeed or fail.

GOOD LUCK LIONS FANS, I AM PULLING FOR YOU BECAUSE YOU DESERVE BETTER!!!!


****COUNTDOWN TO ELECTION DAY****
WE ARE NOW 37 DAYS AWAY FROM ELECTING THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. I HOPE THAT EVERYONE READING THIS HAS ALREADY REGISTERED TO VOTE. IF NOT, PLEASE DO SO SOON. BE SURE TO LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD!!!!

I KNOW IT’S EARLY, BUT….

Football season is now in full swing. The “kiddies” have been playing for about four weeks and we are in Week 3 of the NFL season. MAN, I AM LOVING LIFE RIGHT NOW!!!! After watching a lot of football over the past month, I have made several observations and have some interesting opinions about what I have seen thus far. Below you will find my opinions and observations (in no particular order) about the college and NFL football seasons thus far. This list was put together as ideas and thoughts popped into my head, so the college and NFL comments are mixed together. Feel free to chime in on any of them and let me know if you agree, disagree, or have other opinions and comments of your own.

DeSean Jackson is the biggest idiot in sports right now. Don't believe me? Here's proof!



Apparently he didn’t just become an idiot, he was also one in High School. You still need proof? Alright, here you go!



DeSean Jackson cost everyone who started Donovan McNabb a lot of fantasy points, but gave those who started Brian Westbrook a freebie.

No disrespect to Jerry Rice, Chris Carter, Art Monk , Steve Largent, or even such greats as Andre Rison, Freddie Mitchell, or Peerless Price, but the BEST TWO RECEIVERS TO EVER PLAY IN THE NFL ARE RANDY MOSS AND TERRELL OWENS!!!!

I really enjoy every agonizing Notre Dame loss (Shout Out to Ty Willingham).

Last week’s Monday Night Football game was the best football game that I have ever seen (and just think it was regular season Week 2 game). I LOVE THE NFL!!!!

Watching Adrian Peterson’s running style reminds me of Eric Dickerson, minus the “Jheri Curl” and “Rec Specs.”

Knowshon Moreno is the best running back in college football.

Sunday’s game between the Atlanta Falcons and the Kansas City Chiefs might serve as the tie-breaker for the #1 overall draft pick. That is unless the Rams have something to say about that.

LSU’s defense is better than at least six NFL defenses right now.

Ohio State should stop playing non-conference games against teams from other BCS conferences. It’s starting to get embarrassing.

Georgia’s Matthew Stafford should be the first quarterback selected in the 2009 NFL Draft if he decides to leave school a year early.

I am still waiting on my consulting fee from Georgia Tech for the Paul Johnson hire.

Ron Jaworski & Pat Kirwin are the most brilliant football minds in America.

Every NFL fan should have Sirius NFL radio (The Best Radio on Radio).

The Saints (everyone’s pre-season favorite to win their division) better watch out for the Panthers & Buccaneers in the NFC South.

DeAngelo Hall is not an elite corner. His mother doesn’t even think so anymore.

Jay Cutler is the truth.

Vince Young will be out of the league soon.

At this point in their careers, I would take Aaron Rogers over Brett “Diva” Favre (Looks like the Packers made the right decision).

The Dallas Cowboys are the most impressive team in the NFL entering Week 3.

The Minnesota Vikings shouldn’t have benched Tavarris Jackson. They are making him the scapegoat. Although he hasn’t played great, he isn’t the sole reason they are 0 – 2.

Matt Cassel won’t finish the season as the Patriots’ starting quarterback.

Hey Minnesota, If Gus Frerotte’s the answer, I would love to know what the question is.

Note to Daunte Culpepper: You can’t retire from a league that you are not a part of.

This is a bad week to play the Chargers (Good Luck Mr. Favre).

Chase Daniel (University of Missouri quarterback) is a great “college quarterback”. I hope they pay well in Canada.

The Washington Redskins (I hate that nickname, it’s really offensive) are a really good football team. They will make the playoffs as long as their coach stays out of the way.

The New York Giants aren’t as good as everyone thinks.

Cleveland, Jacksonville, and San Diego are the three most disappointing teams in the NFL right now.

The Kansas City Chiefs started their third different quarterback of the season in Week 3. That’s never a good sign.

After predicting that it would happen for 5 straight years, it finally looks like the Arizona Cardinals have a shot at winning the NFC West.

These are just MY early observations and opinions about this football season. Chime in and let me know what you think. Also, feel free to add any of your own observations and opinions.


****COUNTDOWN TO ELECTION DAY****
WE ARE NOW 44 DAYS AWAY FROM ELECTING THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. I HOPE THAT EVERYONE READING THIS HAS ALREADY REGISTERED TO VOTE. IF NOT, PLEASE DO SO SOON. BE SURE TO LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD!!!!

YOU WILL MISS HIM WHEN HE’S GONE

How would you feel if you were a Hall of Fame caliber NFL quarterback and your organization gave you Ren & Stimpy or Beavis & Butt-head as your starting wide receivers? To make matters worse, your fans and local talk-radio hosts are constantly trying to run you out of town because you haven’t won a Super Bowl. Well boys and girls, welcome to the world of Donovan McNabb.

The Hate-Hate relationship between Donovan McNabb and the city of Philadelphia got off to a stellar start on Draft Day 1999. The Eagles selected McNabb with the #2 overall pick and he was immediately greeted by tremendously loud BOOOOOOSSSSSS!!!! by the Philly fans (Fans of the Miami Dolphins didn’t complain one bit when they drafted Ronnie Brown 2nd overall in 2005, Go Figure). That was a ridiculous reaction to have for a fan base whose current quarterbacks were Bobby Hoying and Koy Detmer. Well, no one has ever said that Eagles fans were the most knowledgeable fans in the NFL. The truth of the matter was that the fans wanted the team to draft Ricky Williams. Do you think the team made the right decision? Although the very passionate fan base wanted Williams, Andy Reid & company realized that the running backs on the roster were serviceable (Duce Staley & Charlie Garner) and that they really needed a quarterback. Since this was a stellar year for first-round quarterbacks (tongue-in-cheek) they decided that they should pick one with their first round pick. The only thing left was for them to decide between McNabb, Akili Smith, Cade McNown, and Daunte Culpepper. These were their choices only because the great Tim Couch was selected #1 overall and was therefore off the board. So, do you think they made the right pick?

****COMMERCIAL BREAK****

Be sure to check out regular STRAIGHT CASH HOMEY!!!! reader and commenter Anthony “Pharaoh” Goolsby on BET’s Somebodies. He will be appearing in the episode that will be airing Tuesday, September 30th at 10:30 pm.

****NOW BACK TO OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED PROGRAM****

I applaud the Eagles organization for realizing the special talent that Donovan McNabb was during his time at Syracuse and using the #2 overall pick in the draft to acquire him. However, I don’t understand how you draft a quarterback to build your team around and refuse to give him the needed weapons to be successful. Let’s take a moment and reflect. During McNabb’s tenure in Philadelphia he has thrown passes to James Trash (sorry, I meant to say Thrash), Freddie Mitchell, Torrance Small, Charles Johnson, Chad Lewis, and Todd Pinkston (or should I say Stinkston). Oh, and let’s not forget his current cast of Pro Bowlers. He now has Hank Baskett, Reggie Brown, Greg Lewis, Kevin Curtis, Jason Avant, and DeSean Jackson. I am sure that this group strikes fear in the hearts of defensive coordinators all over the NFL. I’m sorry, there was one glaring omission from his list of receivers. That would be the one-man team killer himself, Mr. Terrell (I LOVE ME SOME ME) Owens. As much as I hate Owens (almost as much as I hate Kobe Bryant), he is an absolute beast as a wide receiver. He is a legit number one receiver and he is one of the three best receivers in the NFL today. Does anyone remember what happened when Donovan got a chance to play with a legitimate NFL receiver? That’s right, he led the Eagles to the Super Bowl. Unfortunately for the McNabb and the Eagles the Terrell Owens experiment was only successful for one season. By his second season in Philly, the one-man team killer earned his nickname, and single-handedly killed the team. It is really a shame because they were great together. It’s also a shame that the Eagles haven’t given McNabb a competent receiver since.

Even with the talentless group of receivers that he has been forced to play with, McNabb has managed to lead the Eagles to six playoff appearances, four NFC Championship Games, and 1 Super Bowl. This apparently isn’t good enough for Eagles fans. They are constantly trying to run this guy out of town, for not being a winner. There were actually some that were saying this off-season that the team would be better off starting Kevin Kolb instead of McNabb. Are you serious? If you are reading this and you are one of those fans, please SLAP YOURSELF!!!! If you think that Kevin Kolb gives you a better chance to win than Donovan McNabb, you really need to have your medications adjusted. I just have one thing to say to Philly fans. You can hate him all you want, but YOU WILL MISS HIM WHEN HE’S GONE.

While exchanging text messages with Anthony “Pharaoh” Goolsby earlier this week, we both realized that Donovan McNabb simply does not get the credit and respect that he deserves from NFL fans (especially Eagles fans). I then decided to put his greatness in perspective and let people know that we are fortunate to be witnessing greatness before our eyes. Peyton Manning, Brett Favre (the Diva), and Tom Brady (for a minute, it looked like they were going to cancel the season when Brady got injured) are held in such high regard in NFL circles. Truthfully, I view McNabb as their equal. Every NFL player is always one play away from having his season, or even worse, his career end. Before it is over for McNabb, do yourself a favor and enjoy his greatness. He is arguably the most complete quarterback in the game today and is the best run/pass threat the league has ever seen. He should definitely be celebrated as such, and I am willing to start the party.

****PROOF THAT LIFE ISN’T FAIR****
Journeyman Quarterback Jon Kitna has had the great fortune of playing with such receivers as Chad Johnson & TJ Houshmandzadeh in Cincinnatti and now he has Calvin Johnson & Roy Williams in Detroit. Future Hall of Famer Donovan McNabb on the other hand has been playing with “insert scrub here” basically his entire career.

****COUNTDOWN TO ELECTION DAY****
WE ARE NOW 51 DAYS AWAY FROM ELECTING THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. I HOPE THAT EVERYONE READING THIS HAS ALREADY REGISTERED TO VOTE. IF NOT, PLEASE DO SO SOON. BE SURE TO LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD!!!!