Report: Former NFL QB Steve McNair Found Dead

According to reports from NewsChannel5 in Nashville, former Tennessee NFL QB Steve McNair has been shot and killed.

Police said McNair suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head in an apartment as part of a double-homicide in downtown Nashville.

The reports say a female victim was also killed.

McNair was a first round pick of the Oilers in 1995 and played with the Houston/Tennessee franchise from 1995-2005 before being traded to Baltimore, where he spent two seasons.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the McNair family and to the family of the other victim.

UPDATE:  Titans owner Bud Adams released this statement regarding McNair: “He played with unquestioned heart and leadership and led us to places that we had never reached, including our only Super Bowl.”

CNN is reporting the female victim has been “tentatively identified” as McNair’s girlfriend (not his wife).

QB Controversy in Oakland?

Is JaMarcus Russell the best quarterback in Oakland? Should veteran Jeff Garcia get the starting job?  Is there possibly a quarterback controversy in Oakland?

The Raiders picked Russell with the first overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft with the full intentions of making him their franchise quarterback.  It was a classic Al Davis selection: Russell has a strong, cannon arm and is a very physically gifted quarterback.

However, the signing of veteran Jeff Garcia this offseason has created some controversy.  Actually, Garcia himself is really the source of the this controversy.

“I think there has to be some realization at some point as to putting the best players on the field that are going to give you the best chance to win,” Garcia said during a radio show in May. 

“Now, if JaMarcus is that guy, then he definitely deserves to be on the field and should be on the field. But, if for some reason with what I bring as a player, from a competitive nature, and just the intensity and emotion that I bring to the field, and the knowledge of the game that I have—if that gives us a better chance to win football games, then that decision is going to have to be left up to the coach and hopefully he can make the right decision for the team”

Russell has started 16 career games.  He’s completed 53.9 percent of his passes, for 2,796 yards, 15 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. 

The Raiders are 5-11 when Russell starts at quarterback.

In 116 career regular season starts, Garcia has a record of 58-58 over his 10 year career.  He’s 2-4 in six playoff games.

Garcia spent the 1999-2003 seasons with San Francisco, 2004 and 2005 with the Browns and Lions respectively, 2006 with the Eagles, and 2007-2008 with Tampa Bay.

Garcia is a four-time Pro-Bowler.  His career passing yardage total is 25,537 with 161 touchdowns, and 83 interceptions.

“It’s not an easy role to accept because of the competitive nature that is within me,” Garcia said.  “I understand that JaMarcus is the starting quarterback.  I do believe that I am a starting quarterback, as far as caliber is concerned.”

Despite speculation that Garcia could take the starting job from Russell, the Raiders have said otherwise.

“Our decision’s made. JaMarcus is our quarterback,” Head coach Tom Cable said. “There’s no issue there, no decisions to make there. What we have to do is get to camp and have that competition. This is a learning time. The competition will really get rolling when we get to Napa.”

Maybe it will be a good idea to start Garcia in 2009 and let Russell sit on the bench.  It’s been successful for many other teams recently.

Think about Jay Cutler (sat behind Jake Plummer), Aaron Rodgers (sat behind Brett Favre), Phillip Rivers (sat behind Drew Brees), Tom Brady (sat behind Drew Bledsoe), and several other quarterbacks who have had success recently as a starter.  They all had time to sit and watch a veteran play before they got their chance to run the offense.

Russell did sit out nearly his entire rookie season but was it long enough?  He’s still only 23 years old and has a ton to learn. 

We all know Al Davis loves Russell so the possibility of Garcia starting is pretty slim.  However, I know I’m not alone when I say it’s a pretty good idea to give the keys to Garcia for one season.

Willie McGinest Back To New England?

Tom Brady or 19-0—Which Would You Choose?

An interesting hypothetical situation has created a lot of discussion lately on Patriots.com and sports talk radio shows around New England.

If you could choose one of the following, which would it be?:

1. Patriots beat the Giants in Super Bowl XLII and finish 19-0, then Tom Brady retires after the game?

Or…

2. The 2007 season ended just as it did and Brady stays with the team for another eight to 10 years?

It’s a very interesting hypothetical to think about. In this article, I will discuss each side of the coin, then let you know my opinion on the topic.

 

Patriots End ’07 19-0, but Brady Retires Following the Game

19-0…the sound of that is pretty. 19-0…that is an honor.

If the Patriots had finished 19-0 in 2007, it would’ve given them their fourth Super Bowl of the decade, easily making them the team of the decade. 

Fans would have been able to look back many years from now, when Tom Brady and Randy Moss are sporting grey hair, and realize the 2007 Patriots were the greatest team of all time. Current young fans would be able to tell their grandchildren, “I got to watch the 2007 Patriots.”

That would be special.

 

The Giants Win Super Bowl XLII and Brady Remains a Patriot for Another 8-10 Years

If Tom Brady had retired after the game, the possibility of New England being competitive year in and year out would be significantly lower.

There’s no question Brady is a huge reason why the Patriots are in the playoffs and competing for a championship each and every season.

We saw even when Matt Cassel—who played outstanding last season—was at the helm, the team clearly wasn’t the same.

With Tom Brady around for another eight to ten years, the Patriots would clearly have an opportunity to compete for a championship and make the playoffs every season.  Who knows? We could see more Super Bowls with Brady throwing the rock.

 

My Take

This is where everyone stops reading, right? I’ll give you my opinion anyways.

I’m in favor of everything playing out the way it did, and Brady remaining a Patriot.

As a Patriots fan, it hurt and it still hurts to think about Super Bowl XLII. Sure, I’d love to see the Patriots go 19-0. That would be amazing, and to say I witnessed that would be really special.

However, I’d rather see Tom Brady at quarterback and the Patriots with a chance to win every single season. I don’t want to see those 5-11, 1-15 frustrating years again. I know eventually they’ll be back, but over the next decade, I want to see the Patriots compete.

That’s my take, let’s hear yours.

Discuss…

Veteran Receiver Dennis Northcutt Traded to the Lions

Veteran wide receiver Dennis Northcutt is now a member of the Detroit Lions. 

The 10-year veteran was traded Friday to Detroit after spending two seasons in Jacksonville in exchange for safety Gerald Alexander.

The 31-year-old Northcutt spent his first seven seasons with Cleveland before moving to Jacksonville in 2007.

Northcutt has a career catch total of 364 for 4,584 yards, and 17 touchdowns.

In 2008, he caught 44 passes for 545 yards and two touchdowns over 14 games.

Northcutt was expected to be on the field opposite newly signed receiver Torry Holt in 2009.  Jacksonville signed the veteran Holt in the off-season and also drafted three wideouts in April’s draft.

Alexander, 24, is heading into his third NFL season.  In 17 career starts, including 16 in 2007, he has 88 tackles, and 2 interceptions.

According to ESPN.com, the deal was completed between the teams Friday, however, it won’t be official until next week when it’s ratified by league officials.

NFL: The World’s Best League?

Clearly, the NFL is the world’s greatest sports league.  But for those of you that still can’t see that, I’m going to tell you why.

You’re reading this article because you’re a sports fan, right?  Everything we sports fans look for in a sport or league you can find in the NFL.  The NFL brings to the table sportsmanship, controlled violence, excitement, unpredictability from game to game and season to season, strategy, passion…I could go on for days.

The short 16-game season makes each week in the NFL very, very important.

For example, Major League Baseball’s 162-game season means teams are going to lose quite a few times no matter how good they are.  If you’re watching an MLB game in May and your team plays awful for that one game, you don’t go crazy and act like the world is coming to an end. 

It’s not that big of a deal is it? OK, you’re going to finish 99-63. OH NO! Really?

But in the NFL, each game means everything.  Losing one game can mean the difference between home field advantage, a division championship, or even making the playoffs at all.  Each game is so important; that’s why the fans are so passionate about each week.

This time we’ll use the NBA.  In basketball, often there are games in back-to-back days or every other day.  With your favorite team playing day after day, the anticipation for the next one can be diminished.

In the NFL, normally you have to wait a whole week for the next game.  That can kill a person!  (Make sure to see your doctor if you have this problem. He’ll probably prescribe a magical pill called NFL Network…it has worked great for me!) 

The anticipation is just so much greater, which keeps fans glued to their televisions each and every Sunday.

The NFL playoffs rule over every other system in sports. 

The NFL has four rounds of playoff games, but what makes the NFL far superior is that they use just one game each round.  With just one game, if your team loses you can’t say: “We’ll get ’em tomorrow!” 

If you lose in the NFL, it’s over—done. You have to wait another eight long months to see another game!

Finally, the salary cap gives the NFL its pure greatness.

Having a salary cap is why the NFL is so competitive, and why a team can go from worst to first in one season. 

Just go back and look at 2008.  The Miami Dolphins went from 1-15 to 11-5 and AFC East champs.  The Atlanta Falcons went from 4-12 to a playoff team.  The Ravens went from 5-11 to the AFC Championship Game in one season.

It’s these types of turnarounds that make the NFL so unpredictable and why each new season is so anticipated by fans.  We’ve all been making predictions for 2009 already…Heck, I made predictions myself. 

We just can’t help it!

With the salary cap, no NFL team can go Yankees on the league.  NFL teams cannot “buy a championship.”  But in baseball you see teams like the Yankees go out and spend ridiculous amounts of money that teams like the Pirates couldn’t even dream of having.

In the NFL, each team has the same limit of spending money.

I could continue all day, but I’ll stop here.  I think you get the point: 

The NFL is the best league on Earth!

Rodney Harrison: Brett Favre Is “Selfish”

Often voted NFL’s dirtiest player, the now retired Rodney Harrison is hitting hard in a new way.

Harrison sacked Brett Favre on The Dan Patrick Show Wednesday, calling the quarterback “selfish.”

“Each and every offseason bringing so much attention to himself. It’s just really a disappointment to hear that time and time again…If you’ve been in the league 13, 14, 15 years or so you know if you want to play. The circus shouldn’t have to go on for three to four years. It’s just a disappointment.”

Favre is expected to come out of retirement for the second straight season, this time to join the Minnesota Vikings. 

Last summer, the first time Favre came back, the “Favre saga” lasted for week after week. 

After 16 seasons in a Green Bay Packers uniform, Favre was traded to the New York Jets after deciding he wanted to come out of retirement. The Packers had already committed to young Aaron Rodgers and did not welcome Favre to come back and be the starter. Therefore, Green Bay was forced to trade the then-38-year-old to New York.

With the Jets in 2008, Favre threw for 3,472 yards with 22 touchdowns and 22 interceptions. He experienced shoulder soreness late in the year, but said it wasn’t affecting him. 

The Jets collapsed at the end of the season, missing the playoffs and Favre once again retired.

After the Jets released Favre from their roster, rumors swirled that he was considering returning. The only questions were: Do the Vikings want him? Will his shoulder be OK?

The first answer is yes. The second is still undecided.

Favre had shoulder surgery a few weeks ago, and has been throwing with minimal pain since.

Favre admitted on the HBO show, Joe Buck Live, that he was going to return if his shoulder was OK.

Reports lately say Favre and the Vikings have agreed to a deal in principle, so it’s only a matter of time now before it’s official.

Harrison is upset because he feels Favre is continuously putting attention on himself and it’s keeping attention away from other people who are doing good things.

“Then the media—they’re just so caught up and in love with Brett Favre…It’s ridiculous because a lot of guys are doing good, positive things in the National Football League and those keep things keep getting overlooked.”

The Favre circus continues another year. It can be annoying at times but it’s certainly entertaining!

Predictions: 2009-2010 NFL Playoff Teams

Wondering what the 2009-2010 NFL playoffs are going to look like? Get the answers right here. In this slideshow you’ll find the top six NFC and top six AFC teams to combine for the top 12 NFL playoff teams. There are some surprises!

You won’t even need to watch the NFL this upcoming season. Go on vacation, spend time outside, because I’ve got all your answers right here!

Just sit back, relax, and watch the 2009-2010 NFL season play out right in front of your eyes in just a matter of minutes!

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