NFL Preseason Power Poll Part 2

For Part 2 of my power rankings I’m going to be ranking teams that I consider to me mediocre.  These are teams that I don’t see contending for playoff spots but I don’t see having an awful season either.

1.       Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Last season everything that could go wrong for the Buccaneers did last season.  They fought of injuries, kept turning the ball over, had an extremely difficult schedule and quit on their coach.  This season however I see a dramatic change in a team that actually could end up contending for a playoff spot.  They have a brand new coach, they signed a boatload of valuable free agents, and I see a bounce back season from Josh Freeman.  Actually the only reason I don’t see them as a playoff contender is that last season I’m not sure if the team had any talent whatsoever.  While I see significant improvements coming for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers I don’t think that they will be quite enough to take the team into playoff contention.

2.       Oakland Raiders

Who knows maybe I am dead wrong about this Raiders team, to me they have the possibilities of being a top playoff seed or could even be a train wreck, really anything is possible with them.  To me everything comes down to two things, the health of Darren McFadden and the play of Carson Palmer.  When healthy Darren McFadden might be the most talented back in football who can take over games whenever he wants, but in 4 NFL season McFadden is yet to play a full season so I think banking on that happening is unlikely.  This then puts the bulk of the load on Carson Palmer’s right arm.  I think Palmer is going to be a strikingly mediocre quarterback this season who makes big plays but for every play he makes gives up 1 or 2.  This defense is awful though and with questions about McFadden’s health then Palmer will have to be a lot better than mediocre to contend for a playoff spot.

3.       Indianapolis Colts

I know I know the Colts were a team that last season almost went winless after losing Peyton Manning and this season they don’t have Peyton Manning.  Personally though I think that this is the wrong way to look at the Colts.  To me you have to look at the Colts as a team that was replacing a Pro Bowl quarterback in 2010 with in 2011 was probably the worst quarterback play in the league.  If Andrew Luck is as good as everyone believes him to be then considering the recent track record of rookie quarterbacks being successful right away then Luck this season will probably be closer to 2010 Peyton, who wasn’t at his best, then most people realize.  I still don’t believe Luck will match that level, and considering I think the talent on these past 3 teams is probably about equal the Colts could easily improve substantially next season. 

4.       Seattle Seahawks

I was so disappointed by the Seahawks decision to start Russell Wilson over Matt Flynn this season.  To me the Seahawks were a sleeper team that I thought was going to win the NFC West and shock everybody.  This is a team that last season while going 7-9 with its only weakness being average play from the quarterback position.  This team is above average at every other aspect of the game except for quarterback play now I believe.  Who knows maybe Russell Wilson will prove me wrong but I don’t think as a small rookie quarterback that Wilson will be successful right away. 

5.       Cincinnati Bengals

To me last year’s Bengals team was a team that utilized an easy schedule to sneak into the playoffs when they didn’t really belong there.  They are average at just about everything and went 9-7 last season, with a tougher schedule I see them as an above .500 team.  While Dalton might progress a little I don’t think it will be enough to offset their tougher schedule.  If there is any team destined to have a Buccaneers like fall, who dropped from 10-6 to 4-12 then I think it will be the Bengals.

6.       New York Jets

There is a good chance that I am mitigating the Jets too much do to the fact that I’m a Bills fan and don’t like the team that much.  On the other hand to me there are a lot of reasons to think that the Jets won’t be that good next season.  They have a coach and quarterback who seem to be wearing out their welcome, playing with the New York media surrounding you this is always dangerous.  They have a defense that isn’t getting any younger and declined last season.  The Jets also have a running game that while pretty good is not at the level that it used to be.  There is also the issue of the whole Tebowmania.  While I like Tebow and think that at some point he can be successful in this league I think this year it hurts the Jets and most notably Mark Sanchez as the season progresses. 

7.       Washington Redskins

For me I could easily see the Redskins season developing very similarly to Carolina’s from last season.  I think RGIII will probably have some success out of the gate as teams adjust to his playing style and his ability to run.  However as the season progresses he will probably slow down a bit and forced to make adjustments after the season.  This team was a 5 win team with John Beck and Sexy Rexy last year so I think that the team will probably be about that good if not better next season with RGIII at the helm.

8.       Tennessee Titans

Last year’s Titans were 1 game away from making the playoffs with Matt Haselbeck at the helm.  This season I don’t see them being as successful with Jake Locker at the helm.  The defense is good and the running game is good, but from everything I have heard Locker is not NFL ready.  He will struggle throughout the season and I don’t believe that Tennessee is a talented enough team outside of the quarterback position to recover.

9.       Carolina Panthers

To me this is a classic opportunity for a team to regress.  The team improved substantially from the season before with great strides in the quarterback position.  Cam Newton though I think is in for a bit of a sophomore slump.  He started the season unbelievably well, playing like a top 10 quarterback.  As the season progressed however teams became more and more effective at playing against Newton and he began to struggle.  While I like Newton and believe at some point he will be a star in this league I think he is going to be in for a tough 2^nd season.  Also the defense is very bad and I don’t see it improving over its efforts from last year.  

NFL Preaseason Powerpoll Part 1

My preview for the NFL season will consists of a 4 part power ranking of the 32 teams.  I’m dividing teams into categories and beginning with my prediction of the worst teams in the NFL, teams that I would guarantee will not be making the playoffs this season because quite frankly they aren’t that good.  Yes I do realize that in all likelihood one of these teams will be making the playoffs and making me look like an idiot, so without further ado here are the NFL’s bad teams:

1.       Cleveland Browns

Ah the Cleveland Browns , the perpetual loser, which I’m not sure as a Bills fan I can really say but guess what I’m sticking with it.  I know this about the team they took a running back in the 1^st round, a decision that almost never pans out, look at my Buffalo Bills, they have drafted 3 running backs in the 1^st round since 2003 and guess what… their best running back over that time frame is undrafted free agent Fred Jackson.  The team also took 28 year old Brandon Weeden in the 1^st round and look the track record of teams doing that isn’t horrible… mainly because it doesn’t exist only Chris Weinke and Roger Staubach have been that old when they made their NFL debut so I don’t know how to judge that.  Really though the Browns offense is just atrocious, they don’t have any playmakers, and I have no confidence in their quarterback play.  The defense was pretty good last season, but come on Dick Jauron is their defensive coordinator not a real way to inspire confidence. 

2.       Minnesota Vikings

This is the one team on this list that I think has the best chance of making me look stupid.  The team talent wise has a young potential breakout quarterback, a solid running game, and a talented defense.  The reason I think it will struggle though is that I think Christian Ponder is at least a year away from emerging in the league.  Adrian Peterson is coming back from a torn ACL and I don’t care how great an athlete you are it takes 2 years to fully recover from that injury.  Unless of course you are Mariano Rivera who I think is in fact a zombie so he doesn’t count.  Then the defense was really bad last season and is really old so I don’t see them emerging next season. 

3.       Miami Dolphins

If there is one team that talent wise should be higher on this list it should be the Dolphins.  This team last year had an expected record of 8.5-7.5 and was above average offensively and defensively.  In the last 9 games the team went 6-3 only losing to the Eagles, Patriots and Cowboys during that time.  The reason I see this team being so bad is that they replaced the extremely underrated Matt Moore with a quarterback who in the Big 12 was average last year in Ryan Tannehill.  That is such a downgrade in quarterback play I believe that it changes them from a fringe playoff contender to a bottom 5 team in the NFL. 

4.       St. Louis Rams

I actually might be overrating how good this year’s Rams will be.  It was a team that went 2-14 last year and I am not sure if they improved in any way.  They had the worst offense in football along with an atrocious defense last year with really no top of the line players on either side of the football.  The only justifiable reason I don’t have them lower is that I think Sam Bradford will take some strides forward next season and that honestly you can’t get much worse than last season for the Rams.

5.       Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs were a deceptively awful team last season and personally I don’t see any real reason they would be any better.  Last year’s 7 win team had an expected record of 4-12 so for one that is a huge red flag for regression.  Let’s put it this way, the Chiefs had a record 3 wins better than their actual record while Tim Tebow’s God Blessed Broncos had a record 2.2 wins better.  This means last year’s Chiefs were luckier than what is considered one of the luckiest teams most people have ever seen.  Looking at the team though they have an above average defense with an atrocious offense!  This offense has an average quarterback with a bad group of receivers and a bad offensive line.  The only real sign of hope is Jamaal Charles who is coming back from a torn ACL.  Also Romeo Crennel is there coach that never helps matters.

6.       Jacksonville Jaguars

Really the Jacksonville Jaguars have very little going their way as a franchise right now.  They have a horrible owner, low attendance, a bad quarterback and their star player is in a mess of a holdout.  They couldn’t even land Tim Tebow to come lead them to football wins with the help of Jesus Christ.  As a franchise right now I think their best case scenario is that they are the worst team in football and they land Matt Barkley.

7.       Arizona Cardinals

These guys to me are the lowest of the low among football teams.  They have a putrid offense, a putrid defense and really only one blue chip type player, the magnificent Larry Fitzgerald.  Really though what does Arizona have going for it right now.  They have gotten lucky with return touchdowns and turnovers their last 2 seasons defensively and only don’t have a great turnover differential because of how often they throw interceptions.  Their actual record was one game better than their expected record, and they didn’t win a game last season decided by more than 7 points, including going 4-0 in overtime games.  Also their quarterback will probably be John Skelton.  

More than just "The Game"

These past few weeks I've had the absolute pleasure of reading one of the greatest sports books ever written; The Game by Ken Dryden. For the most part sports books are immortalized for one of two reasons. Either they are incredibly well written masterpieces or they give a detailed, intimate view of the people we know only as athletes. This book combined the two in a way I never imagined. But what makes it most extraordinary is that it's written by one of the great athletes in North American sports history AND it's literary gold.

The Game takes place over the period of a week, late in Dryden's last regular season. Early in the book he reveals that he has decided to retire at the end of the season at the relatively young age of 31. He no longer feels young and knows he is no longer playing at the top of his game. But instead of playing out the string like most athletes, Dryden chooses to retire. He wishes to practice law once he retires (interestingly enough he does just that while also writing four more books on various subjects, becomes President of the Maple Leafs, wins a seat in Parliament, and did commentary for the Olympics among other events in his spare time).

Over the course of the next week, he details everything he encounters while breaking down nearly every aspect of what he sees. A game against the Red Wings turns into a 20 plus page examination on how good teams and bad teams prepare for eachother. He details what is said before every game and the personality of the men saying it. This allows the reader to get a feel for the comradery of the team and see and understand how delicate the emotional state of the team is. While discussing the Bruins, he discusses the difference between good teams and good opponents. He then gives a detailed explanation of what kind of team the Bruins are and how they became that way. He does the same for Toronto later.

By the end of the book the reader begins to realize that the entire game of hockey has been broken down and explained to them just through Dryden's thoughts that week. He discusses the origins of hockey, it's cyclical nature, it's history, rule changes, and greatest innovations. His view on trades and the 1972 Summit Series show the unique style of thinking that made him famous. He even spends a great deal of time discussing the importance of Soviet dominance on Canadian hockey. Many have taken notice to the changes that came with the Soviet's emergence but no one viewed it the way Dryden did.

Perhaps what endears the reader most to Dryden is his commentary on how different aspects of the game make him feel about himself. He discussed the vulnerability he feels with age and the strain of constant travel through a seemingly never ending winter. But he also describes how he attempts to use a relaxed attitude in net to get opposing teams to think he could never be rattled.

What sets The Game apart from all other sports books is the complete thoughtfulness with which Dryden approaches each topic he covers. He seems to have a complete understanding of hockey and everything that goes with it. He gets what others don't get and he sees what others would never think to look for. Ken Dryden is truly a remarkable person. The Game is not only his best work; it's the peak of combined athletic and intellectual prowess. The Game is a masterpiece.
Stay Hungry My Friends

FOOTBALL!: Ten Big Predictions for the 2012 Season

1. A two or three seed will represent the NFC in the Super Bowl:
I know what you're thinking....who cares? A two or three seed probably represents their conference in the Super Bowl all the time. Except the Giants and the Packers were both six seeds, the Saints were the top seed, the Warner-led miracle Cardinals were a four, the first version of the Giants were a five, the forgotten Bears and Seahawks were both one seeds, as were the T.O/McNabb Eagles.  The Carolina Panthers (2003) and Tampa Bay Bucs (2002) were the last three and two seeds respectively. So why has this trend occured? I'd chalk it up to playoff randomness. But all randomness must come to an end eventually and this will be that year.

2. Tom Brady will lose his 40th career game:
I know what you're thinking; Tom Brady? he's been around forever! there's no way he hasn't lost 40 games yet! If he hasn't, he must be so close that this isn't worth writing...right? Wrong, he's at 35 career losses and has only lost five regular season games in the last two seasons combined. Yes, this will be his eleventh season as a full time starter.Yes the Patriots have one of the best teams in the league and have the easiest schedule for seemingly the 10 season in a row. But teams don't win 12 or more so games in three straight seasons. Even the Mighty Patriots have never done it. Eventually injuries and luck will catch up with you and this is that year. This the year the Patriots go 11-5, Brady loses his 40th game, and they still win the AFC East.

3. The New York Giants will miss the playoffs:
Imagine a team goes 9-7 but has a negative point differential. Their quarterback, top receiver, and best defensive player just had their best seasons ever by far and seem like canidates for regression. They also lost their number two receiver and running back and have a decently tough schedule. Does that sound like a playoff team to you? Yeah me neither.

4. There will be a surprise division winner....and it will be the Chicago Bears:
Overshadowed by Caleb Hanie single handedly ruining the season for the Bears last year was the Bears 7-3 start and firm place atop the wild card. It now seems people are putting more emphasis on their finish rather than their start. They'll have a healthy Jay Cutler and Matt Forte this year and added contraversial receiver Brandon Marshall in the offseason. The same Marshall who had multiple 100 catch seasons while working with Cutler in Denver. He should add a whole new dimension to their offense as the Julius Peppers led defense should be as strong as usual. Meanwhile, the Packers will not win 15 games again. Just as the Bears are likely to improve, the Packers are likely to regress a bit. The NFC North will be the Bear's division in 2012.

5. You will re-learn to respect Josh Freeman by mid-season:
After a monster 2010 campaign (25 touchdowns, 6 ints), Freeman had somewhat of a rough 2011 (16td, 22ints). Much of this regression can be chalked up to worse luck, a tougher schedule, and possibly an injury. Make no mistake though, this will not continue into 2012. Freeman is a franchise quarterback and it will begin to show again this year. Freeman now has a new head coach (Greg Schiano) and a stud #1 receiver in Vincent Jackson. Look for some improvement by Freeman and all his Tampa teammates in 2012.

6. By season's end Larry Fitzgerald will have the 3rd most career yards for active receivers(at age 29):
For this prediction to become reality a few things need to happen. First off Hines Ward and Derrick Mason need to stay retired or at least unsigned. Secondly, Terrell Owens and Randy Moss both need to flop this season and be cut/retired after the season. Chad Johnson needs to remain unsigned while Tony Gonzalez will also need to retire(not a huge stretch for a 36 year old). Then Fitzgerald will have to amass 400 more yards than Donald Driver this season and 41 more than Andre Johnson. This will leave Reggie Wayne and Steve Smith as the only active receivers with more yards than Fitzgerald. Furthermore, a 1400 yard season(reasonable enough total) would put him 26th all time. By the time he's done he could  surpassed everyone not named Jerry Rice.
7. One "big time" acquisition won't pan out and it will be Brandon Lloyd:
Lloyd had a huge season two years ago in Denver and many are wondering if he might be able to top that in New England. The short answer: no. First of all the terrifying trio of Gronkowski, Hernandez, and Welker all attract too much attention inside for Brady to consistently look outside. Second we've seen this tried before (Galloway, Tate, Ochocinco) and the only reason Randy Moss worked was because he is truly a superhuman talent. I'm not saying Lloyd won't be servicable or that he'll be bad; i'm saying he won't be as much of a factor as people are making him out to be.

8. The Houston Texans will have their best season in franchise history:
The Texans started out hot at 7-3 last year before losing quarterback Matt Schaub to a season ending injury. Then, despite starting rookie 5th round pick TJ Yates, they nearly upset the Baltimore Ravens in the divisional round of the playoffs. This year Schaub is back, Wade Phillips is running the defense, Andre Johnson is healthy again, and they have the most dangerous running game in football (Foster and Tate). Yes, this year I'm predicting they go at least 11-5 and appear in their first AFC Championship game.
9: The Bengals will start off hot only to miss the playoffs:
This is basically what happened last year until the Jets and Titans decided they didn't really feel like going to the playoffs. But this year the NFL has frontloaded the Bengals schedule to almost a cruel degree. Early in the season they play Cleveland twice, Washington Jacksonville, and Miami. This all changes starting with week 7. They are then slated to play Pittsburgh, Denver, New York Giants, Kansas City, and Oakland. Not a killer stretch by any means but there's no cream puffs or easy wins either. Then december comes; they play San Diego, Dallas, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore. Yup, enjoy your January off Bengals.
10: A Quarterback not named Brady, Manning, or Roethlisberger will represent the AFC in the Super Bowl:
Last time this happened I was a 4th grader having his heart broken by a dismal Rich Gannon performance in the Super Bowl. Since then Manning, Brady, and Roethlisberger have taken turns at AFC Supremecy. They've even each taken turns losing the last three Super Bowls. This year will be different however. Manning is a huge question mark and Denver just isn't good enough to get to the Super Bowl. Roethlisberger and the Steelers showed their vulnerability last year and are one year older in 2012. That leaves Brady and the Patriots against the field. I'll take those odds.

Stay Hungry My Friends

MLB Weekly Recap: Perfection Redefined

There have been only 21 Modern Era perfect games in MLB history. This modern era stretches over the last 109 seasons and tens of thousands of games. Three of those perfect games have occured in 2012(14%of the total), six have taken place in the past 25 months(29%), and ten have take place in my short 19 years (48%). Contrast that with Don Larsen's perfect game which was the first one thrown in 34 years. Many adults had gone their entire lives without seeing a perfect game thrown; now they've become commonplace.

 But this does not take away from what King Felix did this week. I've never seen such command and domination that late in any game; much less a perfect game situation. He struck out the side in the 8th and then struck out two more in the ninth seemingly without breaking a sweat. Hernandez has been one of the best pitchers in baseball for a few years now and he's only 26 years old. This offseason might finally be the time for Seattle to trade Hernandez, who could get them a "King's" ransom in return. The Mariners haven't made the playoffs in eleven years and the amount of prospects/picks they would receive in return from Herdandez would be incredibly huge. That haul could go a long way in helping them play into October for the first time since Ichiro was a rookie.

The Herdandez perfect game would have been a great diversion from the unforetunate Melky Cabrera story if every single member of the media didn't mention what a great diversion it was from that story. Their constant mention of the attention diversion kind of defeated the purpose. As far as the actual story goes; I'll save any moral lecture on whether what he did was wrong or any should we have been surpised that a guy went from below replacement level player to MVP candidate in his late twenties. All that matters now is how this affects the Giant's chances in the wild card race. A team losing it's best hitter for the stretch run is always detrimental to their chances but especially so in this case. New acquisition Hunter Pence hasn't produced as expected yet and their line-up isn't exactly the '27 Yankees. Luckily, Pablo Sandoval and Buster Posey have been crushing the ball lately and this may be enough for the Giants to hold on to the NL West. Then, come October, anything could happen. No one knows this better than the Giants.

Hot Teams:
Tampa Bay: Aside from getting embarassed by King Felix on wednesday, the Rays have been playing and hitting as well as anyone lately. They've won eight of ten and it appears the bats have finally come to life in Tampa. Evan Longoria is now back in the line-up full time and others (Zobrist, Upton, Jennings) have started picking up their pace. Meanwhile the starting staff is humming along like the machine it was supposed to be. Price, Hellickson, Moore, and Shields is an imposing quartet for any AL team Tampa might run into in October. Yet no one is talking about them. They may be 2012's number one sleeper.

Atlanta: If I were to ask you who the 4th best team in the MLB is right now, would you say the Atlanta Braves? What if I said they had the same record as the Texas Rangers? Yes the Braves have won seven of ten and are sticking right with the MLB leading Nationals. They are doing this with a solid, consistent line-up, reliable starting pitching, and a stellar bullpen. If the Nationals slow down at all (which they will, especially if Strasburg is benched), the Braves could easily take the NL East. That is, of course, if they can avoid having a September like 2011.

Not so Hot Teams:
Los Angeles Angels: Over the last year the Angels have locked up one of the game's best pitchers, . signed another all star pitcher in the offseason, signed one of the best hitters in baseball history to a multi-year deal while still semi- in his prime, brought up one of the best rookies in MLB history, watched another young guy become one of the best sluggers in baseball, and traded for another one of the game's best pitchers. Yet they sit in third in the AL West, only three games over .500. Why? Well their pitching staff isn't doing near what it was expected to do. Greinke has struggled since coming to the American league while the four and five pitchers have been as overpaid a duo as there is in the league. Both Dan Haren (4.90 era) and Ervin Santana (5.59) have been huge disappointments thus far. To make matters worse, Weaver and Wilson aren't exactly hot right now either, just as phenom Mike Trout is slowing down. The Angels have the talent and the time to get back into playoff position; but they'd better start winning before it's too late.

Houston:Q: What happens when a bad team trades nearly everyone of value on their team? A: The 2012 Houston Astros! Let's take a look at some of the incredible feats the Astros have achieved this season.
After starting 22-23 they've gone 17-59, good enough for a .223 winning percentage.
They haven't won more than two games in a row since May 25th.
They've lost at least four games in a row seven times, at least eight in a row three times.
45 different player have taken an at bat so far, all before September call ups have even come into play, enough to fill out five line-up cards.
Their second best regular starter left on the roster has over a 5.00 e.r.a.
Ladies and Gentleman, your 2012 Houston Astros!
One quick thought before this ends; The Nationals were also the worst team in baseball in back to back years (2008, 2009). After a below average 2010 and a pedestrian 2011, the Nationals are the best team in baseball in mid August. Keep the faith alive Astro's fans. Things can change in an instant..
Stay Hungry My Friends.

Top 10: Sports Books

My list of books is not the 10 greatest sports books of all time, I haven’t read every sports book ever written and would be unable to write that list.  My list of books is the 10 greatest sports books I have written and an explanation on why they are and why you should read them, there will be books that I will read later that will be better and there will be books that are worse.  So without further ado my top 10 sports books are:

10.   Juiced by Jose Canseco

Under no circumstances can I defend putting this book on the list based on content or quality of writing.  The book reads like it was written by a 5^th grader and even that at times seems like a stretch.  Guess what though this is one of the most important books in the history of baseball and changed the sport forever.  Before Juiced everyone knew that there was a steroids problem in baseball but I don’t think anyone understood how deeply rooted the problem was and how heavily the sport relied on them.  The man is an idiot, a buffoon with a hysterical twitter account, a misplace sense of self-importance and unlike anyone else in the steroid era, completely honest.  Read this book, laugh at the writing style but understand one thing everything that happens in the book is completely true, the man isn’t smart enough to make anything up.  Remember this for all aspiring writers Jose Canseco wrote a groundbreaking and crushing book on a multiple billion dollar industry, anyone can do it. 

9.       The Extra 2% by Jonah Keri

Moneyball 2.0, current Grantland writer Jonah Keri takes you behind the scenes of the Tampa Bay Rays, and what might be the best front office in sports.  This book where Wall Street goes to baseball shows how teams have taken what the A’s used in Moneyball and how it has really evolved from there.  If you are using the concepts of Moneyball then you are behind then you are behind the 8 ball and are many steps behind the best organizations.  Keri makes you feel sympathetic towards the Tampa Bay Rays and how really the franchise has just been screwed over from day 1 and any chance of baseball or financial success was next to impossible.  Then it shows you the people that are making that possible, in the Rays front office of Wall Street executives and quirky but effective manager Joe Maddon. 

8.       The Dream Team by Jack McCallum

You can read most of my thoughts on the book here, but overall great book on a fascinating team.

7.       The Jordan Rules by Sam Smith

Want to know who the real Michael Jordan is? Well if so and go ahead and read The Jordan Rules.  This book doesn’t tell you about the Jordan who you see in commercials or in interviews, but what arguably the greatest athlete and greatest competitor in sports history was like on a day to day basis.  The book isn’t all nice and cheery about Jordan and what he gave to the team, but it wasn’t this scandalous book that Jordan saw it as that was just trying to destroy his reputation.  Personally I came out more impressed by Jordan than anything from it and even more impressed by Phil Jackson, the Zen Master, who took the greatest athlete in the sport and turned him into a champion.  The book isn’t the best written of the bunch but it was fascinating to read about the greatest player and the greatest coach of their generation and what they were like.

6.       Those Guys Have All the Fun by James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales

This book is not about a sports figure or a team, but a business, the thing is that this business has shaped the world of sports unlike any other, that is Those Guys Have All the Fun is the oral history of ESPN.  Hearing the story of how a small sports station that nobody thought would succeed turned into an extremely profitable and successful news source is fascinating.  Reading about the small quarrels between coworkers that we all know and how they made the decisions they did to turn into such a successful organization is extremely interesting.  The book though at times gets pretty dry for runs, and in a long book like it is, that is to be expected.   

5.       A Season on the Brink by John Feinstein

BOBBY KNIGHT! The man is one of a kind, like no other and a real son of bitch.  He is man of contradictions but extremely straight forward, and you get the full image of the real Bobby Knight saint and sinner in A Season on the Brink.  The book while centered around Indiana Basketball was really a book about one man and one man only, the enigma that is Bobby Knight.  Feinstein gives you a connection with Knight that is fascinating in that he makes you understand who the person is but by not being either to passionately on his side or against the man.  He tells you who the man is and what he does and leaves it up to you to come up with your thoughts.  Knight is a giant and one of sport’s ultimate legends, someone who despite his insane flaws having a Paterno like scandal would be more shocking, but wasn’t held on as high a level.  Anytime you can get a look into a fascinating figure like Bobby Knight then you have to read the book.

4.       Friday Night Lights by H. G. Bissinger

The most emotionally jarring and probably shocking book on this list is Friday Night Lights, inspiration of the hit television show and movie.  To anyone who has seen either I would say this they don’t at all exaggerate how seriously Texas takes high school football, if anything after reading this book I don’t know if they emphasize how important football was/is enough.  Reading this was literally insane as you get an in depth look at the dark side of football, fallen idols and what building your town around high school athletes can do.  It was uplifting and heart wrenching, but extremely thoroughly researched and you can notice Bissinger’s emotional connection with the team.  He truly cared about the players and the people of the town in this fascinating study into the heart of Texas, football. 

3.       The Book of Basketball by Bill Simmons

Without a question the most fun and entertaining read of any book on this list is The Book of Basketball by my favorite sportswriter Bill Simmons.  The book is way too long, makes way too many dated pop culture references and was way too personal, but I loved every second of it.  It was so entertaining to read that despite its length I was able to finish extremely quickly just trying to absorb everything I could along the way.  Simmons is just a fun, and interesting writer and I just couldn’t put the book down the entire time.  This is all without getting to the insanely thoroughly researched and well thought out nature of the book.  Be it his pyramid style player ranking system, his player comparisions, his history of the sports, “The Secret”, or really anything the book is extremely impressive.  If someone knew nothing about professional basketball and then decided to read this book they would become a basketball expert with a great understanding of the history of the game who could win any argument. 

2.       Moneyball by Michael Lewis

The book Moneyball very well could be the most important sports book of all time.  This book legitimized the sabermetric movement in baseball and brought analytics into the idea of the use of analytics in sports in general to the mainstream.  The reason though the book was so widely successful is that it was just a fascinating and extremely interesting book.  It was able to combine the use of anecdotes and statistics to inform the reader of what the entire movement in baseball represented and where it was coming from.  The book was fascinating and gives you a true appreciation for the statistical and unseen world of professional sports.  It changed me personally in how I look at sports and really how I look at life and my future.

1.       The Breaks of the Game by David Halberstam

When I began thinking of this list from the start there was no question what book was going to be number 1.  David Halberstam’s account of the 1979-1980 Portland Trailblazers and the NBA as a whole is by far the greatest sports book I have ever read and what might actually be the greatest book I have ever read.  I am a pretty quick reader who likes to get done with books as quickly as I can, but reading this book I found it impossible to accomplish that.  I was literally hanging on every word waiting on what he was going to write trying to understand exactly what was going on every second.  It completely engrossed me and is truly at a higher level than every other book on this list.  It takes the concept of following a team around for a season than writing a book about it to another level entirely.  You really get in depth understandings of different players on the team, different coaches, the NBA as a whole, and the direction the league was going in.  If you consider yourself a sports fan, or really a fan of literature in general than I wouldn’t recommend I would demand that you read this book.

Boeheim's Debate

The past week or so there has been a lot made of whether or not Lebron James at age 27 is a superior player to Michael Jordan was at the same age.  I am here to answer that question and settle the debate.  Let us begin by looking at the statistics of these two players at that age. 

Michael Jordan’s 1990-1991, 7^th season, 1^st championship season

Regular Season Numbers: 31.5 PPG, 6 RPG, 5.5 APG, 2.7 SPG, 1 BPG, .539/.312/.851 FG/3PT/FT, 22.4 FGA, 1.1 3PA, 8.2 FTA, 31.6 PER

Post Season Numbers: 31.1 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 8.4 APG, 2.4 SPG, 1.4 BPG, .524/.385/.845 FG/3PT/FT, 22.1 FGA, 1.5 3PA, 8.7 FTA, 32.0 PER

Lebron James’ 2011-2012, 9^th season, 1^st championship season

Regular Season Numbers: 27.1 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 6.2 APG, 1.9 SPG, .9 BPG, .531/.362/.771 FG/3PT/FT, 18.9 FGA, 2.4 3PA, 8.1 FTA, 30.7 PER

Post Season Numbers: 30.3 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 5.6 APG, 1.9 SPG, .7 BPG, .500/.259/.739 FG/3PT/FT, 21.8 FGA, 3.7 3PA, 10.2 FTA, 30.3 PER

So if you are looking at it from strictly a statistical perspective than Michael Jordan was a slightly superior ball player to Lebron James when both were 27 years of age.  Jordan had a slight statistical edge in the regular season.  Jordan would be the better and more efficient scorer and had superior defensive statistics, while Lebron was the better distributor and rebounder, but Jordan had the slight edge in PER so I am giving the advantage to him.  Then it the postseason, while Jordan slightly elevated his play, on the whole Lebron slightly lowered it, increasing Jordan’s gap on Lebron and providing a statistical advantage.  In Jordan’s postseason he remained almost exactly the same player except that he slightly increased his rebounding and he significantly increased his assists.  Lebron James on the other hand, because Chris Bosh missed time and Dwayne Wade was playing injured had to change his playing style.  He had to increase his scoring load, thus taking more shots, and had to play more time at the 4 which forced him to increase his rebounding.  Thus though on a combined regular season and postseason statistical model that

                There are other things to consider though besides who had a better statistical season Lebron or Jordan to determine who was a better player.  You have to factor in quality of play around the league, intangibles, and non-statistically measured basketball skills.  First let’s look at the quality of play around the league and who each player/team had to get through to win their first ring.  Jordan and the 1991 Bulls were able to get through a physically tough but not great Knicks team, a Charles Barkley led 76ers team, the Bad Boy Pistons, and a better than people realize Magic Johnson led Lakers with a 15-2 record.  The Heat defeated a talented but enigmatic Knicks team, a pretty good but starless Pacers team, an old and hurt Celtics team and a great young OKC team with a record of 16-7.  I think Jordan’s accomplishment is more impressive, because I believe the quality of the Lakers and OKC were approximately equal and I think Jordan’s cruise through the Eastern Conference was more impressive. 

                Then you must look at rules in place that affected the player.  Today’s rules more greatly favor perimeter players and allow them to get to the rim easier than they did when Jordan played.  To me this signifies that if Jordan played in today’s game than he would be even more successful than Lebron was in his day.  So I would say Jordan would shoot a higher percentage from the field and shoot more free throws than he did when he played.  The so called “Jordan Rules” would never be allowed in today’s game as players are never allowed to be as physical as the Jordan Rules dictated.  Basically the only method that worked in any way to limit Jordan’s effectiveness is outlawed now so now his game would be practically unstoppable.  Lebron would still have been an all-time great in Jordan’s day, he still would be a dominate player, but he probably wouldn’t be as dominate. 

                Defensively, while Lebron may have been a more versatile defender that could guard more positions, I would still give Jordan the slight edge there.  He is the better on ball defender and was better in the passing lanes and was surprisingly a better shot blocker.  While Lebron may be able to guard Kevin Garnett, something Jordan couldn’t do, I would still take Jordan overall as a defender.

                Then of course there are intangibles which I am sure almost everyone would give Michael Jordan the edge in.  He is the killer, the ultimate competitor and someone who would do anything to defeat his opponent.  Lebron is the kid afraid of the moment that shrank in last year’s Finals and needed to run to his friend Dwayne for help.  Personally I think Lebron answered all his intangible questions with this past season, he wasn’t afraid of the moment and came up big when it mattered most.  He put the team on his back and carried it to the Finals when many doubted him.  In Lebron’s favor is the fact that he seems like he would be more fun and much easier to play with than Jordan would.  However I would still give Jordan the intangible edge, no one would ever question his will, and while Lebron elevated his teammates through the way he played, Jordan did though fear that you had to live up to his standards. 

                In the end while Lebron is an absolutely amazing player and is playing at the highest level of any player post Jordan, he still isn’t the superior player to 27 year old Jordan.  Really this debate has to stop; it isn’t fair to either Jordan or Lebron.  He has transformed his career, into the greatest player since Jordan, and is an elite level player but don’t compare him to the man.  Michael Jordan was a unique player, who was the best offensive player in the league, the best defensive guard in the league, and the greatest competitor that elevated the play of his teammates don’t compare Lebron to Jordan just appreciate what Jordan did and what Lebron is doing now.  

MLB Weekly Recap: NL Playoff Picture

Last week we discussed the American League's divisional and wild card races. This week, we dissect the National League races.

NL East:
Favorite: Washington- The Nats have become the best team in baseball over the past month. They've won 18 of 23 and they now have an offense that can score with anyone to go with their impossibly good pitching staff. Bryce Harper is slumping? No matter, Ryan Zimmerman has improved greatly in the past two months, Adam LaRoche is now a bona fide slugger, and Jayson Werth has returned(albeit he's day to day with another injury now). Then of course you have their pitching staff. Edwin Jackson has a 3.74 e.r.a and a 1.21 WHIP.....and he's their worst starter. Even if Strasburg gets benched, this is the best pitching staff by far. But they still shouldn't bench him. This the WORLD SERIES we're talking about. I know it seems like they're going to have a lot of chances at it, but you never know. Either way, they're almost sure to win the NL East.

Challenger: Atlanta- There's a reason why it says almost in the above sentence. Despite the Nationals being the hottest team in baseball, the Braves have managed to stay within five games of them. Atlanta has the 2nd best offense in the NL with no stars, just a bunch of above average guys. Somehow Reed Johnson makes them even better. Still it's difficult to see the Braves catching Washington unless something drastically bad happens to the Nationals. Atlanta should have their eye on a wild card spot.

NL Central:
Favorite: Cincinnati- After one of the best streaks of the season (taking 22 of 25), the Reds have come back down to Earth and are even struggling a bit on offense. While they still have some of the best pitching in baseball, not grabbing a bat at the deadline may come back to haunt them. Joey Votto recently had a setback and will likely be out even longer. Despite missing over 30 games, he has double the wins above replacement of anyone else in the line-up. But they do have a five game division lead over the slumping Pirates and will likely play into October.

Challengers-Pittsburgh- The Pirates were the feel good story of the year. Now it appears they could be headed for a fate similar to 2011. They're 6-9 in their last 15 and ace James McDonald has really cooled down since the all star break. Luckily for them Cincy isn't exactly hot right now either. But they should be worried about who's lurking from behind.

St. Louis- So what team is this year's Cardinals? How about the Cardinals? They're still sitting tight in 3rd place in the NL Central, seven games behind the Reds. But they have the best offense in the NL and the 2nd best run differential. They're good enough to take off at any moment and they have all the talent to win the World Series. Watch out NL, these guys are dangerous.

NL West:
San Francisco: There's no real favorite in the West as the Giants and the Dodgers are tied and no team is really hotter than the other. But I like the Giants to win the West. The pitching is fairly even but San Franciso has a better line-up. Buster Posey is playing as well as anyone right now and is by far the best hitting catcher in baseball. The Giants have been there before and have the aces to win games down the stretch.

Los Angeles: LA overachieved for most of the season but they were very active at the deadline and now have a good enough line-up to make a playoff run. They now have seven legitimate hitters in their line-up and a pretty good staff. They do have all the potential to take the division, especially if Lincecum falls back into his early season form.

Arizona: If the St. Louis doesn't take off soon, the D-Backs could be this year's Cardinals. They're only 4.5 games out of first place right now and they have the talent to make a run. Paul Goldschmidt, Jason Kubel, Miguel Montero, Aaron Hill, and Justin Upton is as good as a middle of a line-up as there is in baseball. They also have four solid starters in Miley, Saunders, Cahill, and Kennedy. This Diamonbacks are as likely as anyone to make a run this fall.

Wild Card:
Favorites: Atlanta: If they don't have a major run to catch the Nats in them, the Braves should be favorites to grab a wild card spot. Remember though, they were also in position to do so last year. I doubt they would collapse like that again. They aren't the Mets after all.

Pittsburgh: Right now the Pirates are in position to win a wild card spot and make the playoffs for the first time in 20 years. They've slowed down a bit of late. Is there offense good enough to hold up over the next two months? Does Burnett have what it takes to be ace for a playoff team down the stretch? The Pirates will likely pull out all the stops in an effort to play into October this year and for that reason I think they'll grab this second wild card spot and face off against Atlanta in a one game playoff.

Challengers:
LA/San Fran: Whoever loses the race for the NL West will still be fighting for a wild card spot. It seems that this team will win about 88-90 games. This may be enough to sneak in if one of the other two teams falls off. But that all depends on the next two teams.

St. Louis: As I said above, the Cards are good enough to win the World Series if they make the playoffs. All it takes is to grab the second wild card spot. In fact, they barely made the playoffs as a wild card team last year.

Arizona: The D-Backs have been warm for the last few weeks but will need to keep winning consistently if they hope to play into October. Time is running out for the defending champs but they aren't all that far out of the race. Watch out for these two teams.

Stay Hungry My Friends.

NFL Quarterback Rankings Part Two: The Average, the Bad, and The Hanie

This is Part 2 of the Hungry Dog Blog's Quarterback Power Rankings. This time we'll focus on the average to below average quarterbacks and questionable guys. For Part one click here. http://hungrydogblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/2012-quarterback-power-rankings-part.html

Average Quarterbacks: These guys are solid starters right now. Guys on this list could lead a good team to the playoffs but likely wouldn't be good enough to get over the humps. This doesn't mean that they'll be average forever. There are a couple guys on here I could see becoming very good quarterbacks some day.

Joe Flacco: Joe catches a lot of Flacco (hehe) for not getting a star studded Ravens defense to a Super Bowl yet. He's often mentioned among some of the worst quarterbacks in the league. But he's also the only quarterback in NFL history to appear in the playoffs in each of his first four seasons and has won games in each of those playoffs. This is something anything less than an average quaterback wouldn't have been able to do. Yet he proved that he is nothing more than average either last season in puttin up the stat line of 312-542 57.6% 3610 yards, 20 tds 12 ints. He IS capable of leading the Ravens to a Super Bowl; he was a Lee Evans drop and a Billy Cundiff miss away from doing it last year. But it's going to have to be mostly due to the outstanding play of the Raven's D and Ray Rice. Joe Cool should really just change his nickname to Average Joe.

Andy Dalton: Dalton pulled off the now somewhat common feat of leading a team to the playoffs his rookie year in 2011. He did so in throwing 3300 yards, 20 touchdowns, and only13 interceptions; all around solid numbers for a rookie. But average numbers in today's NFL. Also it must be considered that the Bengals fell ass backwards into the playoffs at 9-7 after losing five of their last seven, not beating one winning team all season, and promptly got man-handled by the T.J Yates led Texans. The Bengals will have to do better than that in the coming years if Dalton is to prove that he is more than average. He can start by avoiding the all too common sophomore slump.

Carson Palmer: Ah Carson Palmer. The interception machine who the Raiders mortgaged their future to acquire. Palmer used to be really good....in 2006. Now he's just a guy who can win you some games but probably lose you more with his questionable decision making. I don't think he'll be terrible in 2012 but I also don't think he'll be worth the first and second round pick he was acquired for. Don't expect to see Mr. Palmer play into January this year.

Matt Cassel: Cassel is becoming somewhat of an enigma. He was very good in running an incredibly talented Patriots offense in 2008. He was so good, in fact, that the Chiefs traded for him in hopes that he would be the quarterback of the future. He rewarded their faith with an abysmal 2009 and a 69 passer rating. This all changed in 2010 when he threw for 27 touchdowns and only7 interceptions while leading the Chiefs to a division title. But he was again shaky in 2011 before suffering a season ending injury. It's a bit strange to put Cassel as average when he's never actually had an average season. But I think he's an average quarterback and it's only a matter of time until he proves that.

Ryan Fitzpatrick: Fitz has started red hot in each of the last two season only to eventually cool down in both. Last year he led the Bills to a 5-2 start before crashing and burning into a 1-8 finish. After the season news came out that Fitz had been playing with broken ribs for the entire nine game slide. People sort of nodded their heads and went "oh that's why he sucked, he'll be fine next year." These people forgot two important pieces of information. 1. His ribs weren't the only problem last year, he exhibited poor decision making skills. You're always going to be hurt in the NFL, you have to learn to adjust to it. 2. This is the second year in a row he's been hurt. He's undersized and scrambles a bit, he will get hurt again. This problem just doesn't disappear. On the flip side; when Fitz is on he's one of the best in the business. Him and coach Chan Gailey have a great realationship which is a must for an offensive minded coach. The Bills have high expectations this year. Like I said above, average quarterbacks can lead their teams to the playoffs AND not everyone on this list will be average forever. All it takes is one year for people's perception of you to change. Just ask the next guy on this list.

Alex Smith: Before 2011, Smith would have appeared on the "what the hell is he still doing in the NFL?" portion of this list. But the right coach and the right system can change everything. I would have ignored the fact that he was indeed an average quarterback in 2009 and 2010 and just brushed him off. But a year and an NFC Championship game appearance later, he has become impossible to just brush off. Smith was as careful with the ball as anyone last year as he threw only five picks the entire season. This is sure to change in 2012. He has a few new pieces to play with at receiver and Frank Gore's not getting any younger so I'd expect to see them air it out a little more. Expect to see Smith's touchdown and yards totals to rise in 2012 along with his interception total. You can't go 13-3 with five interceptions every year and you can't hide a quarterback's flaws forever. 2012 will tell us a lot about former Number One overall pick Alex Smith.

Tarvaris Jackson: No Jackson will likely not be a started at any point this year but he's impossible to ignore as an average quarterback. For years people viewed him as a terrible quarterback who was holding the Vikings back. People scoffed at the Seahawks acquiring him lasy offseason. Grantland.com made him their number one pick in the "bad quarterback league." 2011 changed all that. Tarvaris went out and proved all the haters wrong on the field by being completely average. It was like every one touchdown, 200 yard game he was puffing his chest and saying "look how average I am everyone!" He ensured no one will ever call him terrible again.

Question Marks: Guys appearing in this section are hard to rate for one of many reason. They may be a rookie or someone who hasn't recieved much playing time yet, they may have been an enigma thus far, or perhaps they're an all time great coming off a major injury.

Andrew Luck: He's a question mark for one reason and one reason only, being a rookie. Luck has a future as bright as anyone's on this list but I just can't properly place someone who's never played in the NFL.

Robert Griffin III: He's here for the same reasons as Luck and a few others. Griffin isn't Cam Newton. He doesn't have the running back like ability and he's noticeably smaller. Overall he has a lot of time to earn his way on to a better spot on this list and all the ability to do it.

Brandon Weeden: Weeden comes with all the question marks of a rookie quarterback and then some. What do you make of a quarterback who's 29 years old as a rookie? Is he going to be able to improve and adjust as much as a normal rookie? I guess it doesn't help where he was drafted. Cleveland isn't exactly a mecca for quarterbacks.

Peyton Manning: Last year or any year of his career I would have written some gushy column on how amazing Peyton was, how he was the best ever, and how lucky we are to see him play. I still feel that way, i'm just uncertain about 2012. He's had four surgeries in the last three years and doctors say this is about as serious of an injury as there is. I have faith that Peyton will return to his old form in 2012 but I see why most don't. He does have to prove himself all over again in the beginning of this season. Is he going to be Joe Montana with the Chiefs or nearly every other quarterback with a different team in the twilight of their career?

Josh Freeman: This time last year Freeman was coming off a 25 touchdown 6 interception season in which he nearly led the upstart Bucs to the playoffs. Then it all came crashing down in 2011.He three 22 interceptions as his passer rating dropped 21 points and the Bucs dropped to 4-12. Now no one knows what to make of Freeman. Was that just a minor slip up early after achieving sucess so soon? Was 2010 just a fluke and is Freeman just bad? What is there to expect in 2012? Joshy has a lot of answering to do on the field this year.

Matt Flynn: Let me give you a scenario and you tell me what you think. A star quarterback is unable to start one game for his (playoff caliber) team so they have to go with that back up just for one game. The backup shines as the team wins but never gets to showcase their talent again once the starter comes back. That offseason he becomes a free agent. Sooooo do you sign him? Yes? Interesting because what I just described was the Rob Johnson situation before the 1998 season. We all know how that turned out for the Bills ( if you don't, it was fucking terrible). I'm not saying that Matt Flynn is certainly going to flop in Seattle, I'm just saying he's no sure thing. 2012 will show us if it was a good investment or not.

Sam Bradford: After finishing 2010 with the rookie of the year award, Sam Bradford had a nightmarish season in 2011. He was either ineffective or injured nearly every week of the season and only threw as many touchdowns as the afforementioned one game starter Matt Flynn. But the Rams now have Jeff Fisher at the helm and things will likely be differnt for Bradford in 2012. We'll find out whether he's a draft bust or if 2011 was just a sophomore slump.

Jake Locker: It might be hard to remember now but at one point not too long ago, Locker figured to be the first overall pick in the NFL draft. He was still drafted in the first round, to Tennessee without much fanfare because they already had a starter. But you don't get taken in the first half of the first round without talent or for no reason. He will be a started for this team at some point, likely this year. 2012 will be the first glimpse of what we'll see from Locker as an NFL quarterback.

Matt Moore/David Garrard/Ryan Tannehill: It now appears that Garrard is hurt and likely won't play. The general consensus seems to be that Matt Moore will start the season and eventually Tannehill will take over. But what if Matt Moore keeps up his pace from last year and leads the Dolphins to early victories? How do they sit him then? What if they sneak into the playoffs? Then what was the point of taking Tannehill?

Mark Sanchez/Tim Tebow: Ah the moment you've all been waiting for. I bet you probably think I'm going to crap on both of these guys and talk about how the Jets are screwed. Nope. Sanchez did have a pretty rough year last year and really hasn't shown himself to be worthy of a top ten pick yet. A New York quarterback who had a rough first few years after being drafted high? Sound familiar? Yeah Eli Manning heard much of the same criticism before the 07 season. I'm not saying Sanchez will be that good, i'm saying give him one more year in a new system. Maybe a new offensive coordinator is all he needed. As for Tebow...he has a nose for the endzone in the red zone, he could be the rich man's Brad Smith. That is not a bad signing. The most important question for 2012 is how Sanchez handles all this madness. He could either go the way of Eli Manning or they way of dozens of others who have disappointed in the spotlight of New York.

Oooooh that's uh.....rough.: Yeah ....good luck with these guys.
Jon Skelton/Kevin Kolb: While both of these guys have looked awful, they have very different effects on the Cardinals. Although Skelton has worse numbers, the Cardinals just better respond to him for some reason. Therefore he should be the starter. Even if he appears to thwart their chances in every game he starts. Who knows? They could have the non-religious Tim Tebow on their hands.

Blaine Gabbert: Advice for NFL G.Ms: Gabbert is a cautionary tale of why you don't draft guys who weren't good in college just because Mel Kiper says so(listening Miami?). I don't know why guys who no one's ever heard of pop up a month before the draft and are suddenly talked into being a top pick. Gabbert flopped in his rookie year to the point where it barely looks like he knows how to play football. By the way congratulations on your new team Los Angeles.

Caleb Hanie: Why's he on this list, he's not going to start this year right? How could he after that horrible showing in Chicago last year? He single handedly destroyed any chance Chicago had at making the playoffs in 2011. Well at least he's not the most qualified back-up behind a 36 year starter who just had four neck surgeries. Oh wait....

Stay Hungry My Friends.

2012 Quarterback Power Rankings Part One: The Best of the Best

Not only has quarterback become the most important position in football, it's become the sexiest position in all of sports. Quarterbacks are the guys who get endorsement deals, the face of the franchise, the guy who gets the girl. Everyone wants to be the quarterback; everyone wants to know who the best quarterback is. Last year was an especially crazy year for quarterbacks. Three of them passed for over 5000 yards(It would have been 4 if Rodgers didn't sit week 17) while many embarassed themselves and ruined the season for their teams(Hanie, Palko, Beck). So where can you find a comprehensive list highlighting where all the prominent quarterbacks rank. Why right here at the Hungry Dog Blog of course!

I broke the guys up into five categories: Superstars, good quarterbacks, average quarterbacks, question marks, and ....the er....uh...not so good quarterbacks. I considered anyone who seems to have a chance at being an opening sunday starter.

This is Part one so we'll just focus on the Superstars and good quarterbacks. Part two will focus on the rest.

Superstars: These are THE guys in the league. They're celebrities, they're all stars, and they're surefire Hall of Famers.

Aaron Rodgers: This guy could be the face of the NFL for years to come. In his first four years as a starter he's won a Super Bowl, an MVP, and appeared in two Pro Bowls.. He's averaging over 4200 yards and 30 touchdowns a season and has the highest quarterback rating of all time (104.1). Last year he threw 45 touchdowns to only six interceptions with over 4600 yards in leading the Packers to a 15-1 record. If he keeps this pace up he could end up as one of the greatest of all time.

Drew Brees: Brees also had a pretty nice season for himself in 2011. In case you missed it he shattered Dan Marino's passing yards record and threw for nearly 5500 yards and a league leading 46 touchdowns. Brees is an all time great and he'll be a hall of famer five years after he retires. The only factor that's hurting him is the year long suspension of Sean Payton. But the other night showed that Brees might even be able to play through that.

Tom Brady: Brady planted himself in this section of the list in 2004 and hasn't fallen off yet. He also hasn't won a Super Bowl since then. Yes he's won two MVP's and had three absolutely incredibly seasons (2007, 2010, 2011) but there are few people that take winnng as seriously as Brady. I'd expect to see him to come in this year as prepared and focused as he ever has. The Patriots are looking for their sixth AFC Championship of the Brady era and are favorites for their third straight top seed in the AFC. Whether the people of Boston want to believe it or not, Brady is in the twilight of his career. But he isn't done yet; expect to see him appear in yet another pro bowl and lead the Patriots to the playoffs for the 10th time in his career.

Good-Very Good Quarterbacks: These are guys aren't quite superstars...yet. This is either because they haven't accomplished enough yet, haven't proven they aren't a flash in the pan type talent, or because they have shown that they are very good but not quite a superstar.

Eli Manning: Elisha is about as close to superstar level as you can be without being one. He finished 2011 with over 4900 yards, 29 touchdowns, and his second Super Bowl. People were even saying he was better than Peyton (don't even get me started). But what was lost in all the hoopla is that he really has never had two good seasons in a row. He's twice lead the league in interceptions but never come close to touchdowns. Eli's a good guy and all, and SNL was funny, but he needs to show he can be elite for more than a few weeks at a time before he earns a spot at the top of any list. Perhaps he'd also like more than one season with better than a 10-6 as well.

Matt Stafford: Last year Stafford would have been one of the biggest question marks on this list due to his chronic injury issues. This year I had to think long and hard about whether he was very good or elite. What caused such a major change? Oh just 41 touchdowns, 5000 yards, and most incredibly he led the Detroit Lions to the playoffs. But there's a reason he only had the 4th best numbers last year. The lockout had some kind of effect on how dangerous offenses were. You don't just have four guys crack the top six passing yards totals of all time with out that explanation. This year is key for Stafford; he could go the way of Drew Brees, Phillip Rivers, or any other quarterback who burst on the scene a little later than expected. But he could also go the way of Josh Freeman and completely regress. I don't think he will, I think a little regression is in store for Stafford but that was to be expected.

Cam Newton: Ah so what are we to think of a guy coming off possibly the greatest rookie season of all time who looks like he could become one of the most dangerous offensive weapons in NFL history? I think I want to see him improve. I want to see more consistency in his passing. This will come with experience. It's easy to forget that he only started 13 Division one games in college and had to make a bit of a system change coming into the NFL. Plus he's not playing with top notch offensive superstars in Carolina. 2012 looks like an obvious Sophomore slump year for Newton but the sky is the limit for this guy. He will be, worst case scenario, a superstar. Best case scenario? He wins multiple Super Bowls, MVP's, and changes the way offensive football is viewed forever. He's not Michael Vick 2.0. He could be Randall Cunningham 2.0, a cross between Peyton Manning and Steve McNair. Now if only Carolina could put a worthy group of skill players around him.

Ben Roethlisberger: Big Ben has had a rough couple of years since winning Super Bowl 43. He's been accused of assault, labeled a rapist, lost a Super Bowl, gor hurt, limped to an embarassing playoff loss against the Jesu-er Tebow led Broncos, and most suprisingly; he was forgotten as a top tier quarterback. Lost in all the wild quarterback play of 2011 was Roethlisberger having yet another solid season while leading the Steelers to a 12-4 record and yet another playoff appearance. He now has 165 touchdowns, 26,000 yards, 85+ wins, three AFC Championships, two Super Bowls, and oh yeah...he's only 30. Make no mistake people; Ben Roethlisberger is still an elite quarterback and the Steelers are still an elite team. Watch out.

Phillip Rivers: After three straight years of putting up MVP-type numbers, Rivers took a major step back last year and threw a career high 20 interceptions as the Chargers missed the playoffs for the second year in a row. After receiving a substantial downgrade at Number 1. receiver (V. Jax to Meachum) and losing a few others in free agency; the Chargers window could be closing. Rivers should be clammoring for Norv Turner to be fired as much as anyone, his prime is being wasted. As for his disappointing 2011 (a season in which he was voted to the pro bowl), I'd expect to see his numbers improve. Star quarterbacks have a way of bouncing back from poor seasons(See: Eli Manning 2010).

Tony Romo: Like Roethlisberger, Romo is rarely mentioned when discussing elite quarterbacks anymore. Perhaps this is because the Cowboys have missed the playoffs in each of the last two years and the national media became sick of the whole "Romo is a choker" storyline. The drop off in attention has nothing to do with a drop off in play. The 2011 season was one of Romo's best yet as he threw for 4184 yards, 31 touchdowns, and only 10 interceptions. Plus he wasn't really even the reason the Cowboys blew all their close games this year! Dallas is another team that appears to have a closing window as the team is aging and (cough, cough) not that good. However, the Giants showed last year that it's possible for any playoff team to win the Super Bowl as long as they get hot at the right time and have a quarterback that can get the job done. This is the final question surrounding Romo; can he get the job done in the big moment? At age 32 he better hope he gets the oppurtunity to prove he can very soon.

Jay Cutler: They say he's a whiner, they say he's soft, they say he's an asshole, they say he's erratic, they say he's inconsistent. But there's one thing people don't say about him nearly enough: he's a pretty good quarterback. After a disastrous 2009 , when he led the NFL in interceptions, Cutler has been more than solid as Chicago's starter in 2010 and 2011. In 25 games he's 17-8 with 36 touchdowns and 23 interceptions with over 5500 yards. These aren't the best numbers out there but a season ending injury in week 11 showed his importance to the Bears. They went from a wild card leading 7-3 team to an 8-8 also ran who struggled to score in the double digits. Granted, they had one of the worst quarterbacks of all time(we'll get to that later), but it became evident this team needs Cutler. Now that they have a true number one receiver in Marshall, maybe Cutler can get them over the hump and appear in his first Super Bowl. That is, if he can stay upright behind this less than capable offensive line.

Michael Vick: Vick may be the quarterback on this list whose stock is falling the fastest. As much as I love quarterbacks with a career 56 completion percentage, who rely on their athleticism even after they just turned 32, and have never proven themselves as a reliable pocket passer; I'm going to have to pass on Vick. He hasn't won a playoff game since 2004 and has only played one full season (2006) in his entire career. Vick takes too many open field hits as an undersized guy to play a full season. Eventually his athleticism will fail him and he'll have to rely on his skills as a pocket passer. This may not happen this year and that's why he's still listed under good quarterbacks. As long as he can run he's dangerous. Just as long as he's not showing up on the injury report.

Matt Schaub: Schaub had a long off-season after suffering a season ending injury in week 12 last year. You see, for the first time in his career, he had the oppurtunity to start a playoff game. In fact, it appeared as though Houston could have made a run at the Super Bowl if it weren't for Schaubs injury. 2012 is a crucial year for Schaub; it could make or break his career. Houston is again one of the best teams in the AFC and will likely appear in the playoffs. With good enough quarterback play, the Texans could appear in their first ever Super Bowl. They have the run game, they have a great line, the defense is more than solid. It's all on Schaub. How he plays this year will determine his legacy.

Matt Ryan: Ryan appears to be as solid and consistent as any quarterback in the league this year. In fact I know exactly what's he's going to do in 2012. Ryan will throw for about 3600-4000 yards, 28-30 toucdowns, and roughly 12 interceptions in leading the Falcons to a playoff spot. Then they'll get obliterated in the first round and will be forgotten in the next few weeks. So yeah....trade ten more picks to get the second best receiver in the draft again Atlanta, that's what you need.

Matt Hasselbeck: I might be a tad late in putting Hasselbeck here. Yeah he had a solid 2011 but can he repeat that in 2012 at the age of 36 with Jake Locker breathing down his neck? I'm not sure it's going to be a matter of whether Hasselbeck is good anymore or not, so much as they're going to want to give Locker a chance. With that being said, Hasselbeck had a good enough 2011 to justify being called a "good" quarterback.

Remember, If you disagree with any of these rankings or any columns in general feel free to leave a comment and we can discuss it. Look for the rest of the quarterbacks within the next few days. Stay Hungry My Friends.

Tragic Magic

I had high hopes for the Orlando front office, I really did.  They had a new young General Manager in Rob Hennigan who seemed destined to follow in the Spurs/Thunder model of building a basketball team that he came from and had an opportune moment to build the future of his team.  Instead they just agreed to an astronomically awful trade that improved 3 teams substantially without getting anything substantive in return.  Now a look at what this 4 team trade means to every team involved:

Denver Nuggets

Acquired: Andre Iguodala

Gave Up: Aaron Afflalo, Al Harrington, and a protected 1^st round pick, 2013 2^nd round pick

This trade illustrates the simple difference between a well-run franchise, like the Nuggets, and a poorly run franchise like the Orlando Magic.  The Nuggets were in a position where they were going to lose their best player, Carmelo Anthony, to free agency, who was an inferior player to Howard and had greater ability to dictate where he wanted to go, and came out a better team for it.  The Nuggets were able to get legitimate assets and contributors that could help build the team for the present and future.  Now the Nuggets in my opinion with this trade for Igoudala becomes the 4^th best team in the Western Conference and a team I think could actually win the title.  They gave up what will be a low first round pick, a decent aging player in Harrington and an overpaid shooting guard to get the best perimeter defender in the NBA.  This team is now offensively and defensively well suited to matchup with multiple teams and I really like the direction the franchise is going.

Philadelphia 76ers

Acquired: Andrew Bynum and Jason Richardson

Gave Up: Andre Iguodala, Nikola Vucevic, Moe Harkless and a 2015 protected first round pick

Look I think that this offseason as a whole the 76ers made a lot of mistakes, mainly decided to amnesty a quality player, Elton Brand, who while overpaid had a year left on his deal and use the cap space to sign KWAME BROWN! However this trade is a real steal for the 76ers and with a couple of good moves they could become real contenders in the West.  This is because they were able to acquire the one thing that the Heat can’t matchup with, a dominant center, which they acquired in Andrew Bynum.  The risk of course is that he leaves, but personally I find that unlikely he seems less enamored with where he is playing but how much he is making and how the team is built.

Los Angeles Lakers

Acquired: Dwight Howard, Earl Clark, Chris Duhon

Gave Up: Andrew Bynum, 2017 protected 1^st round pick

This trade was about as easy  can be for the Lakers, for them the trade basically works as a straight up Bynum for Howard deal with some extra salary thrown in.  This is an amazing trade for the Lakers that were able to turn getting the Chris Paul trade rejected and a horrible trade of Lamar Odom into having Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard on one team.  While the pieces might not fit together entirely this team stands as the favorite in the West ahead of San Antonio and Oklahoma City and possibly even co-title favorite with Miami.

Orlando Magic

Acquired: Aaron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Nikola Vucevic, Moe Harkless and 3 protected first round picks

Gave Up: Dwight Howard, Earl Clark, and Chris Duhon

I don’t understand any reasoning behind this trade from the Magic perspective.  You have the best center in the world on your books for a year and the best you can do is get Aaron Afflalo and some low first round picks… this has to be a joke.  Seriously this makes all of the Chris Paul trades that were discussed seems like fair deals where both sides were being compensated fairly equally.  Really if you believe this is the absolute best you can get for Dwight Howard then I’m not sure I do a deal at all.  Personally I think one year of Dwight Howard a player who can individually give the defending champions more trouble than any other player in the league is worth more than what they got.  Really I would try to win a title this year with Dwight and if he leaves after this year so be it, are you going to be in a better position then you are because of this trade I don’t think so.  What really doesn’t make sense to me is that if Bynum was available why not trade for him.  Look I think if Bynum ends up in Orlando then he signs there long-term and you have a star to replace Dwight Howard.  He was probably just acting like he wouldn’t because his ideal situation is to stay in Los Angeles and he wanted to make it hard for the Lakers to trade him.  Are you telling me that Houston with its array of young talent and draft picks really wasn’t making a better offer than this for Dwight Howard?!  They had built there team around Howard, and he had promised not to stay there long-term.  The Nets even with Brook Lopez to offer would look a little bit better.  The Clippers had Blake to offer in a deal, like really come on how was this the best offer out there for Dwight Howard.  I am just angry right now.  The trade just makes me angry as a basketball fan and a fan of sports in general.  If any trade should be rejected for “basketball reasons” it was this one and to me while he was only just begun his job agreeing to this trade is a fireable offense for Mr. Hennigan.  The lesson if you are Houston no matter what you do right you will get screwed and if you are the Lakers no matter what you do you will get the best Center in basketball.

Stay Hungry My Friends

Peyton Manning, Tim Tebow, and the ESPN Mega Story

(I originally wrote this in April for the St. Bonaventure website: http://theintrepid.org/  but it was never posted. With all the attention on Jet's training camp, I felt this would be a good time to break the story out again.)

“You can’t win without a franchise quarterback”. “The NFL is a what have you done for me lately type of league”. These are two of the most commonly heard sayings when discussing the NFL and no team takes them more seriously than the Denver Broncos. With the acquisition of Peyton Manning they now have their fourth “franchise” quarterback in three years. But more surprisingly, they have their third full blown ESPN mega story in that same time.

            Although it now seems like ancient history, the Jay Cutler trade fiasco was only 3 years ago. Kyle Orton never quite caught on in Denver despite his consistent play and thus their next major controversy was born: Tebowmania.

            It seems unlikely that anyone will ever forget the chaos that ensued during the 2011 National Football League season. While it’s true that the Giants were the first sub-ten win team to win the Super Bowl and the passing records book was basically re-written; nothing was bigger than Tebowmania this season. This was perhaps due to the major debate over whether he’s a good quarterback or not, his outspoken and intense Christianity, and the ridiculous ways in which the Broncos were winning games. By week 15 the Broncos had improved from 1-4 to 8-5 under Tebow, winning six of those games by less than a touchdown in what sometimes seemed like impossible fashion. It became the joke that Tebow couldn’t throw in the first three quarters and in the 4^th quarter God was helping them win. Tebow and the Broncos were the lead on every Sports based show nearly every day and eventually Saturday Night Live even did a sketch where Jesus comes into the Broncos locker room and tells them they need to start winning games on their own. The media attention surrounding the team peaked the week leading up to the game against the Patriots. The Broncos magic finally ran out and they were beaten handily 41-23. The final two weeks of the season the hoopla died down some as Tebow turn in awful performances against both the Bills(4 turnovers) and the Chiefs(3 points total) as Denver fell to 8-8 and barely snuck into the playoffs. Tebowmania briefly made a comeback when Denver upset the Steelers in the wild card round of the playoffs. However it was once again crushed when the Broncos were routed 45-10 by the Patriots the next week. After a few days of nostalgia and video montages on ESPN, attention turned to the Super Bowl and then to the offseason and impending free agency.

            This is where Peyton Manning comes into the picture. After 13 productive seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, Manning underwent neck surgery in the offseason and missed all of 2011 as the Colts were an NFL worst 2-14. The Colts wanted to rebuild and felt that Manning, at age 36 with multiple neck surgeries in the last 3 years, wasn’t going to be a part of future plans. After a tearful goodbye Manning became a free agent. Yet again an ESPN mega story was born as analysts pondered where he might land.  According to the experts, it seemed that he was leaning a different way every day whether it was Miami, Arizona, San Francisco, or Seattle. However coming late to the Manning frenzy was the Denver Broncos.

            It became clear in the offseason that Denver was as confounded by their success as everyone else. General Manager John Elway never seemed totally sold on Tebow and many thought he sounded insincere when he called Tebow the “Quarterback of the future.” Back up Brady Quinn hinted that Broncos had gotten lucky in winning some of those games and not many teammates openly defended Tebow. Despite their success under Tebow, he had one of the lowest completion percentages (47) and Quarterback Ratings (72.9) in the NFL. Yet he couldn’t simply be benched or cut, he was a cultural icon, there was song remixes in his name and Jimmy Fallon even did a spoof of David Bowie’s classic “Space Oddity.” Elway and the Broncos knew that if they weren’t 100% sold on Tebow there was only going to be a few ways to replace him. It seems as though signing someone who is considered by many as the greatest quarterback in NFL history could be one of those ways. So despite the fact that Manning is 36 and has had four neck surgeries in the last three years; the Broncos signed him to a five year, 95 million dollar contract last week and the former first round pick was shipped off to New York for 4th and 6^th round picks. And just as quick as it took off, Tebowmania died in Denver as the team goes forward with their latest high profile quarterback.

            So is this the future of sports media? Are we destined to be bombarded by one story from all angles for a short period of time only to watch that story die shortly thereafter? It seems doubtful that Denver is going to ride off into the sunset with Manning at quarterback for an extended period of time. Even the greatest of all time will need to be replaced eventually and when that time comes, Denver will be on a hunt for their next QB and we’ll be treated to the latest ESPN mega story.