What Qualifies a Quarterback as Great?

Recently Mr. Scott (aka 80's Dork) and I had an interesting conversation about what make a quarterback great.  The question was whether or not a quarterback with great stats on a sucky team can still be consider great.  For instance Drew Brees is a great quarterback for fantasy football, but his team is the tank, on the flip side Peyton Manning had not had a great year stats wise, but is leading his team to the playoffs.  So can a quarterback be considered great even though he is on a bad team?  What really matter the individual or the team?  

I think the overall team is more important.  I think that what makes a quarterback great is overall team performance and leadership.  This is shown in how they win; what I mean is they find a way to win.  What do you think about this topic?  I would love to hear what Mr. Scott and IUFan77 (aka Axel) think about all of this.

Weird Picture of the Week!

Uh, it looks like Parcells is trying to make out with Belichick. And he ain't hav'in it. I think Belichick is probably a bad kisser anyway. He never fixes himself up anymore.

By the way, I haven't posted very much lately. I have been in school, but really I still reeling from the Cubs playoff lose. I am almost over it and will get back to regular post. Anyway, we should make this a regular post everyweek. What you guys think?

Why the NFL is so great.

The NFL continues not to disappoint hardcore football fans once again this season. The intriguing storylines (firings and injuries), upsets and complete surprises add to an already spectacular season. For example, the Buffalo Bills are leading the AFC East division at 5-1, the Arizona Cardinals are 2 games ahead of the Rams in the NFC West and the Tenessee Titans are 6-0 in the AFC South with the Colts 3 games back! It is shaping up to be an exciting stretch run for some teams, especially the NFC East with every team with at least a .500 record. There could very well be a repeat Super Bowl Champion not named Patriots or we could see a brand new champion be crowned. As a fan, it doesn't get much better than this.

Gotta' Love Jerry Jones

In lieu of Tony Romo's broken pinkie, and Adam "No-Longer-Pacman" Jones' indefinite suspension, Jerry Jones attempts to appease Cowboys fans with the trade for wide receiver Roy Williams from the Detroit Lions. This seems like a good move for the long term of the WR position for the 'Boys. Terrell Owens is only going to be on the team for another year or two (Jones probably doesn't like his attitude), and Roy Williams is a guy alot like Owens without the baggage. I know, I know, Williams has his problems, but he hasn't single handily destroyed two franchises (I use "destroyed" lightly). But back to Jerry Jones. Jones' attempt to appease Cowboys fans worked, in my book. I was down and pessimistic about the direction of Dallas since the loss to Arizona, Romo's injury, NL-Pacman's turmoil, and it is still scaring me the way Owens reacted after the Washington loss. But, now that Dallas gets some excellent talent opposite Owens (which he described as being "ecstatic" on hearing the news), when Romo gets back the only problem he's going to have is "who do I give the ball to?" So take your pick double TO, Williams, Witten, or Barber, but you certainly can't cover them all. So I am now optimistic the Cowboys can head into their week 10 bye going 2-1 without Romo, and with options when he gets back. Just what the doctor ordered.

Weekly Pick 'em (once again!)

Chicago @ Atlanta
Baltimore @ Indianapolis
Detroit @ Minnesota
Oakland @ New Orleans
Cincinnati @ New York Jets
Carolina @ Tampa Bay
St. Louis @ Washington
Miami @ Houston
Jacksonville @ Denver
Dallas @ Arizona
Philadelphia @ San Francisco
Green Bay @ Seattle
New England @ San Diego

Monday:
New York Giants @ Cleveland

Are the Rays for Real?

The Tampa Bay Rays advanced to their first ever ALCS after beating the ChiSox 3-1. The Rays' franchise is breath of fresh air for those fans of the fall classic who tire from the Yankees vs Red Sox story that has seemed to have dominated baseball. I enjoy seeing the preverbial underdog make a run for that October dream, while leaving their opponents with their huge payrolls and overrated stars watching from their respective clubhouses. Now that the Cubbies are eliminated from the postseason, it seems as though the American League should have an easy path to yet another World Championship. I think that the Rays may have beaten the second best team in the AL, as the Angels of Anaheim in Los Angeles(?) have yet to show up. All I can hope is that my beloved Reds will take a page from the Rays' book and follow suit next season. Good Luck Tampa Bay!

I Am Tellin' You, It's the Curses!

The cubs are officially under three curses. The curse of the goat, the black cat, and now Bartman. You know of the other two curses, but since the 2003 season the Cubs have not won a single game in the post-season. For two years they have been swept. I can understand last year because they had to play their way into the playoffs, but this year they were an amazing team. They played exceptional until about mid-august and then they skated into the playoffs. Then they played like a little league team. The Cubbies played terrible defense and had zero offense. So, I am blaming the curses. I know, it is just an excuse, but it helps me sleep at night. This offseason we need to figure out how to break these curses. One of my friends thinks the only way to is the blow up wrigley field and start anew. I love Wrigley and would never want to see it demolished, but I started to think this it he only way. The other option: Anyone know any good witch doctors?

Weekly Pick 'em (Has to get better right!?)

As my partner preceded, last weeks' pick 'em was embarrassing! Here's to a new week!

Sunday, October 5th

• Kansas City at Carolina
  
• Chicago at Detroit
  
• Atlanta at Green Bay
• San Diego at Miami
• Seattle at NY Giants
• Washington at Philadelphia
• Tennessee at Baltimore
• Indianapolis at Houston
• Tampa Bay at Denver
• Buffalo at Arizona
• New England at San Francisco
• Cincinnati at Dallas
• Pittsburgh at Jacksonville
  

Monday, October 6th
Minnesota at New Orleans

Cub's Fans Are Distraught

The picture says it all. The Cubs are struggling. Is it the dreaded curse or just a tense team? I wish they would have won last night to put them at ease, but they played like a little league team. They committed so many errors it wasn't even funny. However, with all that said I still think they can rally. They need to go back to playing the way they did to get to the post-season. They need to loosen up and have fun. They don't need to worry about any curse. There is still hope, they can win, but they are going to have let go of the last two losses.

And if they don't win, oh well what is one more year. Then we can say what we always say in Chicago, "There is always next year."

Bryan's Week 5 NFL Picks

After my embarrassing barely .500 picks last week I am hoping to make some better picks this week. We'll see. My picks are in Red.

Sunday, October 5th

• Kansas City at Carolina
  
• Chicago at Detroit (I know call me crazy, but I think Detroit wins)
  
• Atlanta at Green Bay
• San Diego at Miami
• Seattle at NY Giants
• Washington at Philadelphia
• Tennessee at Baltimore
• Indianapolis at Houston
• Tampa Bay at Denver
• Buffalo at Arizona
• New England at San Francisco
• Cincinnati at Dallas
• Pittsburgh at Jacksonville
  

Monday, October 6th

• Minnesota at New Orleans
  

Can Randy Moss Realize Fantasy Projections?

Is Randy Moss still a relevant fantasy football (FF) wide reciever option? I'm sure there are many owners out there that have him sitting on the trading block (I did in one league) or plopped on the bench behind the likes of Lance Moore & Bernard Berrian. Of course the logical thinking FF player did not think that Moss would have a consecutive 20 TD season, we were hopeful for around 10-12 TD's, however. Ever since Tom Brady went down Moss has taken the plummet along side him into fantasy irrelevance. It seems that Moss himself might as well be injured, he's produced less that 3 points per game since Brady's departure. All this leads to my uncanny feeling that Moss will turn it around, however. He is playing with a quarterback who hadn't seen any action since high school , in Matt Cassel, and has been a bit timid at first (considering the speed at which he would go to a check down receiver). But, I know you don't want to hear this, Bill Belichick is notorious for adjustments and preparation. Well, what dyou know? He has this bye week both to adjust his gameplans to fit the needs of both Moss and Cassel and two weeks to prepare them. I would look for Moss in more slot positions and run more 5-10 yard ins and drags, getting him in open field (much like a RB) against LB's in which he can exploit his speed and quickness. He could certainly end up with 8-10 TD's, really the lower end of preseason hopes. If he could obtain this, though, it is alot more production than what you could get out of a trade or off the waiver wire. Without Brady, Moss will become more of a second-tier receiver in most fantasy leagues, but hey after the output thats been put on the field second-tier is two steps up!

If Bobby Knight was president....

With the upcoming Presidential election looming, myself as well as many other Americans are probably unsure who of the two candidates are best suited to lead our country. Each candidate has some things to offer the American people, but neither one really has that aura of authority about them. We need a hard-nosed, take no crap President like Ronald Reagan or Teddy Roosevelt in order for us to take back our spot as el country numero uno. The wheels started to turn the other day and I came up with a solution to our political dilemma. I officially nominate Robert Montgomery Knight, aka The General, as a candidate for the President of the United States. Now I know there are those who disagree with Knight's antics as a coach, but I believe his track record speaks for itself. He is a reliable diplomat (Represented the US in the Pan Am games and the Olympics), he will vehemonantly argue for his point, he won't put up with those around him who don't pull their own weight (Wall Street and United Nations----chairs will be flying, folks), and our education system and libraries will improve to where we rank among the top in the world. The war in Iraq will come to an abrupt end after The General goes from a zone defense to man-to-man to whoop each member of Al-Quaida face to face (Zone almost never works). Basically, who is more qualified that Mr. Future Presidente, Robert M. Knight?? He has worked well with the media, so his State of the Union addresses will be informative and entertaining. More importantly, he is a straight-shooter. So if we want someone in the White House to be looking out for our best interests and being a champion to the Presidency, that man is Bobby Knight. Knight in '08!

IUfan77's NFL 2008 Predictions

Here are my predictions for the 2008 NFL season (4 weeks late)....

NFC East winner - Dallas Cowboys

A vast array of offensive weapons (Romo, Barber, T.O.. Witten) are at Jerry Jones and Wade Phillips disposal not to mention a tough defense that showcases some felons.

NFC North winner - Green Bay Packers

The Favre-less Pack will win a very weak division, but it will be a very close battle between Green Bay, Chicago and Minnesota. Aaron Rodgers doesn't disappoint.

NFC South winner - New Orleans Saints

That's right, the Big Easy will regain their status as tops in the NFC South. Brees will have to hope and pray his offense gets healthy and remain that way or this season will be a repeat of 2007. I would say that the Bucs would challenge for the division, but a ratio of 2 INT's to every 1 TD is not a very good stat. The Panther's Steve Smith can't play offense and defense, or can he?

NFC West winner - Anyone in the division, but possibly...the Arizona Cardinals?

Arizona has the most solid chance of any of these teams. I do like Seattle, but with the exception of Julius Jones and backache hampered Matt Hasselbeck, the 'Hawks depth at wide receiver is very poor due to some key injuries. The 49ers still don't impress me enough, even if JT O'Sullivan has played average football, to say the least. The Cardinals have an old veteran under center (Warner), a decent RB (James)and some very talented young WR (Boldin and Fitzgerald).

NFC Wildcards - NY Giants and Chicago Bears

AFC East winner - Buffalo Bills

The key is consistency and some lucky breaks, er tears, (sorry Tom B.). The Bills are the strongest all-around team on both sides of the ball. Their QB (Edwards) is average, their RB (Lynch) is pretty good and their WR (Evans, Reed, Hardy) are decent as well. Defensively they have shown they can produce takeaways. The Patriots still have an outside chance at the division or more likely a wildcard, with the Jets and Favre on the outside looking in.

AFC North winner - Pittsburgh Steelers

Pathetic division, only logical choice.

AFC South winner - Indianapolis Colts

After a tough 1-2 start, the Colts will fire back up after their bye week. The Titans won't be unbeaten for long with Kerry Collins as their QB, the Jags could pull off the divisional upset or at least a wildcard, regardless, Indy will be playing in the post season.

AFC West winner - San Diego Chargers

The Bolts have started to regain that look they had last regular season before it all fell apart. Not a fan of Norv Turner as a head coach, great Offensive Coordinator, not a great head coach, but Philip Rivers with enough time and LT in the backfield and a defense that can keep their opponents out of the endzone (not the Broncos) make for a sure pick to win the division.

AFC Wildcards - Denver Broncos and Jacksonville Jaguars

NFC Champion - Dallas Cowboys

AFC Champion - Indianapolis Colts

Super Bowl Champion - Dallas Cowboys

And that is all I have to say about that.

MLB Playoff Round 1 Picks

For tonight I am picking the Twins, they just seem to be hot. Also, I am a Cubbies fan so that automatically means I don't like the Chi-Sox.

It really doesn't matter because I am going to pick the Rays to win that matchup.

Red Soxs over the Angels

Phillies over the Brewers

Of course I am going to pick the Cubs over the Dodgers. Go Cubs!!!

Thank You Washington for Your Wonderful Gift!

As my partner in crime mentioned in an earlier post, this season is weird. Not that the NFC has a winning record against the AFC (the last time I checked). Not that the J-E-T-S Jets, Jets, Jets! hung fifty-six on an "improved" Arizona defense. Not even that the most impressive offense of this early season (Denver) failed to score even twenty points in route to a loss to the, Chiefs? No, it has to be the Dallas Cowboys' loss to rival Washington Redskins. I despise the Redskins, absolutely despise them, and their fans (not as general human beings but in the sports realm okay?). I'm not going to sit here and make excuses for why the Cowboys lost, they deserved to lose after the way they played. This is to the arrogant 'Skins fan: you won by TWO! I understand in the NFL a win is a win, but when a team plays as poorly as the Cowboys did on Sunday, you only won by TWO! In my opinion this only will fuel the Dallas fire, and show them that they are not going to be handed a Super Bowl, by making them work even harder than ever to make the playoffs. They now know that they are not indestructible, and will do what it takes to become indestuctible. So, thank you Redskins, by helping the 'Boys build more character and unity! See you on the other side!

Bryan's Week 4 NFL Picks

Before I make my picks I just wanted to comment on how crazy it is that there is already a bye this week. It seems like the season just started 5 minutes ago and already they are taking a week off. Crazy, anyway here are the picks.

Sunday, September 28
Cleveland @ Cincinnati- Close
Minnesota @ Tennessee - Close
Denver @ Kansas City - Blowout
San Francisco @ New Orleans - Close
Arizona @ NY Jets - Favre Redemption
Green Bay @ Tampa Bay - Closer than you think
Atlanta @ Carolina - Upset
Houston @ Jacksonville - Blowout
San Diego @ Oakland - Blowout
Buffalo @ St. Louis - Blowout
Washington @ Dallas - Closer than you think
Philadelphia @ Chicago - Close

Monday, September 29
Baltimore @ Pittsburgh - Upset

USC Bandwagon Crashed!

I think I called this one. Not that USC would lose because I think everyone in there right mind realized that they would lose at least one game, but I called the fact that first everyone is jumping off the USC bandwagon. People were already crowning them as national champs before they even played a game. Now everyone is talking about droping them out of the top 10.

Second, I called the fact that the USC homers would make excuses how this loss doesn't matter. A certain ESPN radio talk show host said that if he was offered USC vs. SEC as to who is going to win the national championship he would take USC. I thought that was crazy because you never take one over twelve and because the SEC is one of the toughest conferences out there, much tougher than the PAC-10. I listened to his show on Friday and all he did was make excuses for USC and how the loss doesn't matter, blah, blah, blah.

Really I don't care, I think this just shows the need for play-off system. The only way to fairly determine a true national champ is to have a play-off. It can't keep being the same teams playing ever year, how many chances is Ohio State going to get.

NL Wildcard!

I am watching the NL wildcard very closely. I predict that the Brewers will win the spot. I am a huge Cubs fan and would rather play the Brewers than the Mets. The reason is we play the Brewers a million times during the regular season and we know a lot about them. I am aware that this could also work to our disadvantage, but I want to take that chance. Go Brewers!

I also have been following the AL Central race which is equally exciting. I think the Twins will pull it out. Especially if they can win tonight, then they play the Royals for their last series. Tonight will be very exciting.

Week 4 Picks

My Week Four picks are below. I have put who I think will be the winner in red. If you have any disagreements feel free to voice your opinion.

Here we go:

Sunday, September 28

Cleveland @ Cincinnati
Minnesota @ Tennessee
Denver @ Kansas City
San Francisco @ New Orleans
Arizona @ NY Jets
Green Bay @ Tampa Bay
Atlanta @ Carolina
Houston @ Jacksonville
San Diego @ Oakland
Buffalo @ St. Louis (I know Miami was bad last year, but I think St. Louis could be worse!)
Washington @ Dallas
Philadelphia @ Chicago

Monday, September 29

Baltimore @ Pittsburgh

There you go. Have at 'em!

No Post-Season for Yanks

I am a Red Sox fan. Most of it comes from the Texas Rangers being terrible year in and year out, and when playoff time rolled around each year I found myself rooting against the Yankees. Often times those late season/post-season series were between the Sox and the Yanks, so I sort of hopped on the Bo-Sox bandwagon and began to follow them. However, On a night when the Sox clinched a playoff birth for the fifth time out of six years, the Yanks clinched a guaranteed NON-playoff spot. All this in the last year of Yankee Stadium. While I may genuinely despise the most overpaid-underachieving team maybe in baseball history it kind of saddens me to see them go out like this. I always enjoyed the past few seasons where they got knocked off in the playoffs, it was like a tradition for me. I love traditions new and old, and to see "The House that Ruth Built" go out without a playoff run seems like something isn't quite right.

Cubs Lose, NL Wildcard Implications

So the Cubs lost tonight, I think that means if the Brewers (who are tied with the Pirates as I write this in the 9th inning) win tonight then they will be only 1/2 game back from the Mets. The Mets started to look like they did last year and begain to choke, but they won tonight. What does that mean? I think it will be intersting to see the Brewers and the Mets fight it out over the next week. If I gambled my money would probably be on the Brewers, they just seem to want it really bad this year (even they have been in a slump the past month). Looks to be intersting week.

NFL Week 3 Observations

This season is starting off very different from last year. It is almost like bizarro world for the NFL. Of course Lucus' beloved Cowboys are undefeated (choke, choke, choke), but what about the Giants. Come on, did anyone really expect them to come out and make a strong showing this year. I sure didn't. And what about over in the AFC. The undefeated teams are the Bills, the Ravens (only 2-0 since there game against the Texans was postponed), and the Broncos. None of these teams were even thought about as being Superbowl contenders next to the mighty Patriots and my beloved Colts.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. I mean can you believe how the Dolphins destroyed the Patriots. Ronnie Brown was a stud. If you have him for your fantasy team you probably thought you would pick him up for a bye week or something, but now you look like a genius. The AFC is up from grabs this year. Which brings me to my own team, the Colts, whom I am very disappointed in. They looked really bad. The offensive line has to improve. I know they are young but they have to protect Peyton so he can do what he does best, win football games. At least they have are on a bye this week, I heard Peyton on Mike and Mike this morning and he said that they would be working hard for the next two weeks to improve there weak spots, I hope it works. I don't think I can handle it if the Cowboys go to the Superbowl and the Colts don't, oh what am I saying the Cowboys always choke in the post season.

New Sports Blog

This is a sports blog, but not just any sports blog. This is the best sports blog ever (self-proclaimed, of course). Okay, it may not be the best sports blog, but at least it will be entertaining. My BFF (can I use that as a guy or that reserved for 13 year old girls?) and I are always arguing about sports, we also always have an opinion about what is going on in the world of sports, and who is the best team (Colts). So we thought let's right some of this down for the entire world to see, maybe someone other than our mothers will read it. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it.