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!

ALL I NEED IS ONE STOP

I was tempted to do my quarterback ranking this week, but I decided to wait two more weeks for the Diva to finally decide if she really is going to play this season. Although the rest of the world is sick and tired of him (especially me), I must commend Brett Favre’s self-deprecating sense of humor. (Please see clip below.)




Instead, we will discuss my favorite side of the ball this week. THE DEFENSE!!!!

Eleven guys working together to cause destruction and bodily harm to the offense is the beauty that is defensive football. Everyone knows that I love the NFL, but what I like most about it is the defensive side of the football. The NFL is a marketing machine and they are very good at selling their product to the casual sports fan. They often make rules that will hurt defenses and allow offenses to run freely and score more points. For instance, you can’t touch a receiver more than five yards from the line of scrimmage. That was created to allow receivers to get a nearly free release and get downfield to make big plays. They have also made rules protecting quarterbacks to the point that they cannot be hit above the shoulders, below the knees, in the arm, from behind, while throwing, or while looking for a receiver. In today’s ultra-quarterback friendly NFL, the only way to get a sack is to untie the QB’s shoelaces and hope that he trips.

That being said, the great defenses are still able to bring the pain and wreak havoc all over the football field. They give opposing quarterbacks and coordinators fits and cause many sleepless nights. Can you imagine how whichever scrub starts in Cleveland is going to feel before playing the Steelers and Ravens twice this season? Trust me they will have at least four sleepless Saturday nights this season. A great defense dictates to the offense what they must do. The NFL has some great ones, but there are also some terrible ones. If you are curious to see who fits into each category, scroll down and check out STRAIGHT CASH HOMEY’s!!!! 2009 Defensive Rankings.

#1 Pittsburgh Steelers – Truthfully I have never been a Steelers fan, and for the life of me, I can’t tell you why. I have never held a personal grudge against any of their players (although I did think that Joey Porter was an idiot when he said that he didn’t like playing against Peyton Manning because he forced you think too much). I had a great deal of respect for Bill Cowher, and I am a huge supporter of Omar Epps, I mean Mike Tomlin on the sideline. Yet for some reason, I have never really liked this team. I am also a big fan of three of their current players. The first being the toughest receiver in NFL history, Hines Ward (he’s a favorite, but not a Hall of Famer). The other two play on the side of the ball that I am discussing in this entry. They would be Lawrence Timmons (I am a huge Florida State fan), and the other being none other than the second best safety in the NFL Troy Polamalu. That being said, they are entering the season as my top ranked defense. Casey Hampton leads a very good defensive line. Their linebackers, led by James Harrison are GREAT (as they always are in Steel town). As for the secondary, Ryan Clark & Troy Polamalu are the second best set of safeties in the league (behind Ed Reed and whoever they choose to put beside him in Baltimore), but their corners are far from shut down defenders. Their average corners (Deshea Townsend & William Gay) are the weakest link in this defense. That shouldn’t matter much when the front seven applies so much pressure and you have great safeties covering the back end. To top it all off, they also have a brilliant coach calling the shots. Dick LeBeau might just be the first ever assistant coach elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

#2 Baltimore Ravens – All REAL FOOTBALL FANS should circle November 29th and December 27th on their calendars. On those dates, my #1 & #2 ranked defenses will go head to head, and it will be a blood bath. The Ravens defense has been great for a historically long period of time. General Manager Ozzie Newsome has managed to keep a core group of guys together while sprinkling in the perfect mix of role players. They are led by THE BEST PLAYER IN THE NFL (Safety Ed Reed), Terrell Suggs, and future Hall of Famer Ray Lewis. They are truly the rock of a team that has never really had a consistent offense. I know they lost coordinator Rex Ryan, but I honestly don’t think that will matter one bit. On this team the players make the coach, not the other way around. If you don’t believe me, answer this one question. What do Marvin Lewis, Mike Nolan, Jack Del Rio, Mike Smith, Mike Singletary, and Rex Ryan all have in common? The answer is that they are/were all NFL Head Coaches, who at one time was a defensive coach for the Baltimore Ravens. So, does the coach make the players, or do the players make the coach? The only reason that I have them ranked #2 instead of #1 is because they lost Bart Scott and Jim Leonard. Truthfully they will be great without them, but they will still be missed in crunch time against the Steelers.

#3 Tennessee Titans – Again, not a big fan of the Titans but I must call a spade a spade. This defense is the truth. I know that they lost Albert Haynesworth, and that they don’t have a tackle on their roster nearly as good. But they still have a very good rotation of defensive ends (Jevon Kearse, Kyle Vanden Bosch, and Jacob Ford), and solid tackles. The linebackers are rock solid, but their secondary is filled with BALLERS!!!! Cortland Finnegan, Nick Harper, Chris Hope, and Michael Griffin will make life miserable for opposing quarterbacks and receivers.

#4 Minnesota Vikings – This is easily the best four-man defensive front in football. As a matter of fact, I would like to make a Public Service Announcement to the teams that will play them this season. YOU CAN’T RUN THE FOOTBALL AGAINST THEM, SO DON’T TRY! (They gave up less than 80 rushing yards per game last season.) Any defense that can completely take away one phase of the oppositions offense, will be successful. Also, it is a good idea to avoid third and long situations against them. In case you forgot, Jared Allen is a beast coming off of the edge. The sad thing is that if you slide the protection his way, someone else WILL beat you.

#5 San Diego Chargers – The players on this defense have absolutely jaw-dropping athletic ability. The two outside linebackers (Shawne Merriman & Shaun Phillips) look like they were built in some sort of lab or something. They also have the best 3-4 nose tackle in the game in Jamal Williams. They also have arguably the best athlete in the league at cornerback. I am referring to Antonio Cromartie. Last season Merriman was injured and Antonio Cromartie was a bit banged up both physically and mentally (he played with a broken hip and let’s just say that he was thinking about all of his kids, by all of those women, in all of those different states). They are both back to full strength, so the league had better watch out.

#6 New York Jets – Not only did Rex Ryan go to New York, but he brought two of his star pupils with him. That’s right, the Jets defense will be a force to be reckoned with this season. Kris Jenkins is holding down the middle of the line. They also have the best linebacker in the NFL that no one has heard of. That would be David Harris. If you didn’t recognize the name, I will say it a little slower for you. His name is D-A-V-I-D H-A-R-R-I-S. He is a true baller, and people will realize just how good he is this year. As for the secondary, they will be a lot of fun to watch this year. Darrelle Revis is one his way to becoming a shut-down corner, and he has Lito Sheppard playing opposite him. They also have a great pair of safeties behind them in Jim Leonhard and Kerry Rhodes (Ed Reed Jr.). They will produce a lot of turnovers.

#7 Arizona Cardinals – They have ballers all over the field. They have Darnell Dockett on the defensive line, Karlos Dansby at linebacker, and a secondary that consists of Adrian Wilson, Antrel Rolle, Bryant McFadden, and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

#8 New York Giants – Aaron Ross and Corey Webster are good corners and their linebackers are decent. But those characteristics don’t make a top ten defense. They are in the top ten because of the pass rushers they possess. It truly is an embarrassment of riches. Just imagine facing this foursome on third and long; Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora, Chris Canty, and Rocky Bernard. That is only if they are playing straight up. If they decide to blitz you better find blockers for Michael Boley and/or Mathias Kiwanuka. Remember this is the same team that made the Patriots offensive line look like the high school team that Brett Favre works out with. Scientific research has shown that quarterbacks hate pressure, and guess what, they bring a lot of it.

#9 Washington Redskins – This was the best unspectacular defense in the NFL last season. Believe it or not, they were the NFL’s 4th ranked defense last season. That was in spite of having only 13 interceptions and 24 sacks all season. They have added some playmakers to an already solid defense. The biggest addition (both literally and figuratively) is Albert Haynesworth. If he lives up to his contract, the rest of the league is in trouble. They also drafted Brian Orakpo with their first round pick. Trust me, he will be in the running for Rookie of The Year.

#10 Dallas Cowboys – Demarcus Ware = 20 sacks.

#11 Miami Dolphins – If you are calling an offensive play, how do you block both Jason Taylor and the most intellectual player in the NFL (Joey Porter)? Bill Parcells knows the 3-4 defense very well, and it shows by how he built this one so fast. They will have young corners, but the pass rush should help them out a great deal. They also have Gibril Wilson, who is one heck of a safety.

#12 Carolina Panthers – They will go as Julius Pepper goes. Look for him to have a heck of a year this season. He has $16.7 reasons to be a beast this year. On top of that, this is also a contract year. In other words, look for Peppers and the Panthers defense to be very good this season.

#13 Philadelphia Eagles – If this team has safeties that actually belonged in the NFL, they would be much higher on this list. I hope Asante and Sheldon Brown are ready because they will not get any help all season from the back end of the defense. (Please don’t say they will miss Brian Dawkins, because he was just as bad as those other clowns last season.) Too bad Michael Vick doesn’t play safety, because he would surely help.

#14 Indianapolis Colts – They have two great pass rushers, very good linebackers, and good corners. But none of that will mean a thing if Bob Sanders is not healthy. He is the key to everything they do, in defending against the pass as well as the run. So basically they are what Bob allows them to be. I sure hope he stays healthy. Without him, they can’t get to the AFC title game and lose to the Patriots.

#15 Cincinnati Bengals – SURPRISE! Are they higher than you expected? I think that Marvin Lewis & Mike Zimmer have finally gotten this defense right. They will be a fast and hard-hitting defense that will create a lot of turnovers. This team will be a lot better than people think this year, and the defense is a big reason why.

#16 New England Patriots – They have a good defensive scheme, but some of the components are old enough to have voted for Jimmy Carter. They have been getting younger and younger each year, but they aren’t done yet. As long as Teddy Bruschi and Shawne Springs are starters, I just can’t put them in the top ten. That being said they will still be good enough to make enough plays to ensure that the offense carries the team to the Super Bowl.

#17 Chicago Bears – How the mighty have fallen. It’s a good thing that they traded for quarterback Jay Cutler, because their days of controlling the ball on offense and having their defense win games are over. This defense was once great, but now they are average. Tommie Harris is without a doubt the key to this defense. When he is healthy (which is about as often as Steven Jackson is healthy), he absolutely dominates opposing offensive lines. Lance Briggs is still a great player also. Age and injury have caught up with Brian Urlacher, and the rest of the defense just isn’t as good as they once were. They used to be top five, but now they will hover around mediocrity all year. It will be Jay Cutler and Matt Forte that will win games for them, not the defense.

#18 Oakland Raiders – Last year MeAngelo Fall (aka DeAngelo Hall) got a chance to see what a real shutdown corner looks like. NNAMDI ASOMUGHA IS THE BEST CORNER IN THE NFL! If you don’t believe me, watch a Raiders game and watch the opposing quarterback avoid throwing his way the entire game. I haven’t seen respect like this since Champ Bailey was in his prime. Asomugha is so good that, offenses chose to focus on exposing MeAngelo last season. They were successful. MeAngelo was fired midway through the season. They also have two very good linebackers in Kirk Morrison and Thomas Howard. They will be decent this year, especially considering that they added Greg Ellis to play defensive end.

#19 Houston Texans – Is this the year the Texans finally make the playoffs? (I will tell you in a couple of weeks.) If so, their defense will have to play better. They have a superstar in DeMeco Ryans, and a stud at defensive end in Mario Williams (admit it, we were all wrong about him). Dunta Robinson is also a very good corner, but the rest of the defense leaves a lot to be desired. If Houston is going to finally make the playoffs this year, they will have to play above their talent level.

#20 Seattle Seahawks – They drafted Aaron Curry, but lost Julian Peterson, which put them right back where they started. They also lost Rocky Bernard, and you really can’t count on Patrick Kerney or Marcus Trufant to stay healthy all season. They still have some good players and should be competitive in most games. Personally, I hope that they don’t and that Jim Mora has a miserable season. I’m just not a fan.

#21 Green Bay Packers – This defense has too much talent to be as bad as they were a year ago. They were so bad that the team decided not only to switch defensive coordinators, but to also implement an entire new defensive philosophy. Coach Dom Capers has brought his version of the 3-4 of the defense to the land of the Cheeseheads. I hope that they can turn things around in a hurry, because the offense is very good. The back end of the defense will be fine with Charles Woodson, Al Harris, Nick Collins, and Atari Bigby. But the front seven has a lot of work to do.

#22 New Orleans Saints – If this defense could just be average, the Saints would be a Super Bowl contender. Unfortunately they are ranked #22, which means that they are six spots below average. New coordinator Gregg Williams will make a huge difference. They also have some very good players such as Jonathan Vilma, Tracey Porter, Randall Gay, Rod Coleman, and rookie Malcolm Jenkins. However, they still have the most talented, under-performing duo at defensive end in the entire NFL. Will Smith and Charles Grant should be much better than they are. They are also likely to miss four games, which makes matters even worse. While I do expect this defense to be better than they were last year, I still don’t think they will be good enough to be considered average. Believe it or not, it is entirely possible that this team could miss the playoffs again. All because of the defense.

#23 Atlanta Falcons – Are we ready to call Jamal Anderson a bust yet? Just imagine how good this defense would be if he was as good as a slightly below average player. Then offensive lines could focus on John Abraham. If Abraham had any help, he could easily be a twenty sack guy. I must say that I am extremely happy that Keith Brooking, the first down tackling machine, has left the city. He has been replaced by Mike Peterson, which is a definite upgrade. However, the Falcons will struggle because they failed to keep two budding defensive stars on the roster. Although Thomas Demitroff has done nothing that we should second guess up to this point, I often wonder why he allowed Michael Boley and Dominique Foxworth to leave via free agency. They did not exactly break the bank, and the Falcons could afford to match or even surpass both of those contracts. They will regret those decisions. Abraham is the only proven commodity on the defensive line, and let’s face it, he is due for an injury (not wishing it on him, just looking at history). The linebacker group is solid, although they would be great with Boley. There are a lot of questions in the secondary. Is Chris Houston a #1 corner? Is Brett Grimes (feisty as he may be) a #2 corner? Will the safeties be any good? Too many questions to have ranked any higher. Remember, they weren’t exactly the Ravens last year and they lost their second and third best defensive players (Boley & Foxworth). However, they will play hard and not get blown out of too many games.

#24 San Francisco 49ers – They have some good players, but not enough. Mike Singletary will do the best that he can with the talent that he has. Patrick Willis is a stud, but Nate Clements is over-paid and over-rated. Takeo Spikes is just old and not very good anymore.

#25 Buffalo Bills – Former Falcon Brian Scott has a chance to start at safety. Need I say more to explain why they are ranked this low. This one player negates all of the positive things that I planned to say about this defense.

#26 Jacksonville Jaguars – It is not going to be fun playing defense in Jacksonville this season. You have to face Peyton Manning, Andre Johnson, and Chris Johnson twice each. In addition to that you also have to deal with high powered offenses of the Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots. Oh, and one more thing, YOU’RE NOT THAT GOOD!!!! Good luck, you are going to need it. (Jack, it’s time to dust off the resume. Because you my friend, have a bad football team on your hands).

#27 Cleveland Browns – Shaun Rogers and Eric Wright are legitimate NFL players. Too bad they are the only two.

#28 Tampa Bay Buccaneers – This unit is either too old or too unproven at basically every position. It will be a long year in Tampa. They are in the wrong division to have a bad defense.

#29 St. Louis Rams – Can Steve Spagnuolo create the pressure he did with the Giants. The answer is NO, and THEY WILL STRUGGLE! On the bright-side, running backs will be stopped as soon as they cross the first-down marker this season. That is because they drafted THE NEXT KIETH BROOKING, in middle linebacker James Laurinaitis. Am I the only one that sees the similarities?

#30 Detroit Lions – Any success that they have this season will be the result of scheme and effort. They do have two talented players on defense in Ernie Simms and Julian Peterson, but the star of this defense will be new head coach Jim Schwartz. I’m sure that Lions fans are hoping their defense can one day be as good as the one in Nashville. Well they have the man that built the Titans on their sideline now, so we will see what he can do.

#31 Kansas City Chiefs – At least they aren’t last, but they are behind Detroit.

#32 Denver Broncos – Josh McDaniel was smart enough to run off a franchise quarterback, when he was inheriting the league’s worst defense. That was smart. Then you replaced him with a quarterback whose skill set says that you play it safe on offense and let your defense win the games. BUT YOUR DEFENSE SUCKS!!!! This guy is definitely not winning Coach Of The Year. Champ Bailey is still good, but past his prime. DJ Williams is also a good player, but the defensive line can’t get any pressure on the quarterback. This means that it will be a long year in Denver. They won’t be able to score on offense and they CERTAINLY WON’T BE ABLE TO STOP TEAMS FROM SCORING ON DEFENSE!!!! You must remember that this team had the #2 ranked offense in the league last season, and MISSED THE PLAYOFFS!!!! And guess what, they did not make any upgrades from that defensive unit.

AND NOW FOR MY BALLER & SCRUB OF THE WEEK!

BALLER: Usain Bolt (Jamaican Track Team) – Bolt not only won three gold medals at the Track & Field World Championships, he also set two new world records. This guy is amazing. He is easily the fastest human on earth. What is really scary is that none of his races are ever close. All I can say is WOW!

SCRUB: Josh McDaniel (Head Coach of the Denver Broncos) – That quarterback you replaced Jay Cutler with threw THREE INTERCEPTION IN HIS FIRST PRE-SEASON ACTION! That was a great trade. I know it is only pre-season, but it is Kyle Orton. Do you expect him to suddenly turn into Peyton Manning when the regular season starts? Don’t hold your breath! I know that you didn’t throw the picks, but I am still blaming you because you are the one that brought him here. If you didn’t make him a Denver Bronco, there is no way that he throws those picks for the Denver Broncos. I used to have a hard time deciding if Mike Tice or Marty Mornhinweg were the dumbest coaches in NFL history. But you have taken that title from both of them, WITHOUT COACHING ONE REGULAR SEASON GAME!!!! By the way, your best player (Brandon Marshall) also wants out. Have you ever heard the phrase, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”? Guess what, the offense in Denver was great before you arrived. Why didn’t you try to run off the defensive players instead? That would have been more productive. If you don’t win the Super Bowl this year (and trust me, you won’t), the people of Denver will do their best to run you out of town.

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.