New York Jets: 10 Most Notable Quarterbacks in Team History

(Left: Can you say Broadway Mark?)

In the wake of the Brett Favre retirement and possible un-retirement, Jets fans are left thinking what could be with their new savior, Mark Sanchez.

As for their old saviors-who the hell cares?

While Sanchez slightly resembles their original golden boy, Joe Namath, he breathes a whole new life into the organization.

The type of confidence and dreaminess that they couldn’t experience, not even when they first drafted Chad Pennington.

They couldn’t get it through trades or free agents, either. No, nothing in the past 50 years they’ve done at the position quite matches them trading up to nab Sanchez at the fifth spot.

But that doesn’t mean he’s going to be a great quarterback.

And that surely doesn’t mean the quarterbacks before him played for nothing.

In excitement for Sanchez’s career to start, here’s a look back at the top ten most productive, effective, and popular Jets quarterbacks to play in the Big Apple.

Giving Defense Some Respect: A Star for Each Team

(Left: It used to be Aaron Schobel for Buffalo. Who is it now?)

This is a look at each NFL team, starting with the AFC, and digging through the murky waters of mediocrity, while trying to establish each team’s best defender.

Each team begins the season with the hopes of stopping the run, getting to the quarterback, and forcing turnovers.

While it usually starts at the line, team’s true impact defenders can come from anywhere on the field. The best way to measure a team’s “best” defender is usually through forced turnovers, since a player with a ton of tackles doesn’t necessarily mean he’s a difference-maker.

This list will consist of players that spent 2008 on their present team, excluding any players who have been traded, including rookies from this year’s draft class.

This is not a ranking. This is a team-by-team view of each franchise’s best current defensive player.

NFL Rookie Report: Fantasy Breakout Candidates

(Left: Who will be the next Matt Ryan?)

Every year there is more and more speculation about the next great running back, the next franchise quarterback, or the next elite defender.

If a rookie isn’t making a splash in the return game or on special teams, he’s becoming the next Shawne Merriman or Matt Ryan.

Here’s a look at the skill-position players in the 2009 draft that could make an immediate impact.

The NFL All-Bad-Ass Team

We’ve seen the best collective groups of talent for the NFL, and we’ve seen just about every genre or category there is.

This isn’t about rookies. This isn’t about Hall of Famers.

This list is about guys who live and breathe “badass”. They scare you. They excite you. They punish the opposition, and they do it with style.

Well, most of the time.

They’re not the best players. Sometimes they aren’t even starters. But if you could have these guys on your team, you’d gladly accept them.

Because if you didn’t they’d beat you up.

(Players are all currently playing)

Packers Walking Into Stronger NFC North

Green Bay hasn’t just sat by and stood pat, well, at least not through the draft.

After watching the Bears trade for Jay Cutler, and other teams sign marquee free agents, the Packers made their splash in the draft.

The biggest move, though, was made months prior, and it didn’t have anything to do with acquiring new players.

It was all about philosophy and approach.

Ted Thompson brought in defense guru Dom Capers, which propelled the Packers to make the transition to a 3-4 defense.

Once beginning the installation, the Packers set out in the draft to get at least two players who could come in and have an immediate impact.

After grabbing B.J. Raji with the ninth overall pick, and trading up to grab Clay Matthews at 26, it appears the Packers are successfully moving forward with the switch.

While Green Bay has put forth the effort and concentration on improving their defense, they still have to watch out for Minnesota and Chicago.

Chicago already has a great defense, we knew that. However, it’s beginning to show it’s age, so Chicago GM, Jerry Angelo, pulled a last-dash effort by trading for Cutler.

Chicago followed with a good draft in which they got three new targets for their new quarterback, as well as solid defensive picks that add youth to the team.

However, despite both Green Bay and Chicago putting forth good drafts, Minnesota may end up pulling off the biggest move of all.

If they do in fact reel Favre in for one more season, they could potentially have the mental edge over the Packers, their schemes and several of their players.

If Favre comes into the equation, emotions are bound to unravel.

Regardless, Aaron Rodgers will be the only NFC North quarterback starting his second-straight season with the same team. He and his offensive weapons have grown together, and have established good chemistry.

If Favre decides not to come back, the iconic overhaul the Vikings would get isn’t there, leaving the door wide open for the new-look Packers.

Potentially, the new 3-4 will increase turnovers, effectively get to the quarterback and shut down teams at the end of games.

In the end, it likely hangs on the success of the ground game, as well as Aaron Rodgers’ not-so-great late game heroics. If Ryan Grant can get back to his 2007 form, this team has a real shot at the division.

 

 

Browns Inherit Gold Through Mike Furrey Signing

How does one go from 98 catches to 18 in just two seasons?

Just look at Mike Furrey’s career, and you’ll understand how.

Despite having good size for the position, great hands, and exceptional versatility, Furrey has been overlooked or knocked on his entire career.

Quite obviously, he went undrafted coming out of college. All hope was lost for Furrey, that is, until he ran into a wonderful piece of fortune in the shape of Mike Martz.

Martz gave Furrey his first real shot with the Rams, and eventually moved him to safety due to injuries, but even more-so due to his versatility.

Furrey responded with over 45 tackles and five interceptions, including a game-clincher, as well as another for a touchdown.

Instead of giving Furrey a chance at a future as a safety in the league, they cut their ties with him. Once again, Furrey was being overlooked, despite actually proving himself.

Once Martz landed a job in Detroit as offensive coordinator, however, Furrey saw his chance at stardom.

Martz pulled a few strings, landed Furrey, and put the guy most familiar with his offense, outside of teammate Shaun McDonald, in the starting lineup.

Furrey proved to be durable and reliable, as he and the Lions offense brought excitement to Detroit despite the Lions going 3-13.

The next season, Furrey was again rewarded for his accomplishments (over 1,000 yards, 98 catches, and six TD) with a demotion.

The Lions, who already had Roy Williams and had just found a tremendous talent in Furrey, put it all together and figured out that, for the third season in a row, a wide receiver would solve their problems.

While drafting Calvin Johnson ultimately paid off, one can only wonder what would have been if Furrey stayed as a starter and the Lions had drafted an impact player on defense.

Regardless, Furrey was cut this offseason after a controversial debate with management over his placement on the injured reserve list last season.

Furrey contested that he wouldn’t have to miss the rest of the season—that his injury wasn’t as severe as Detroit led people to believe. There is some beef to his argument, too, as quarterback Jon Kitna faced the same treatment and had the same allegations.

Fast forward to 2009, and the Cleveland Browns are taking a shot in the dark—albeit an accurate one.

What they’re probably hoping for is, at worst, a solid replacement for Joe Jurevicius, who is no longer with the team.

And whether we want to admit it or not, a corps of Braylon Edwards and Mike Furrey isn’t half-bad. One is the big-play threat with terrible hands, while the other is the refined route runner with reliable hands.

It seems like a good match, even if Furrey doesn’t rise back to stardom.

At least he’ll get that chance.

Lions Should Start Stafford, Embrace Bumps In The Road

Let’s face it, the Detroit Lions have already hit rock bottom.

You don’t go an entire 16-game season not winning a game without being at an all-time low.

Morale, chemistry, awareness, it was all gone before the last game.

Sure, they showed a little heart before eventually falling to Green Bay, 31-21, but what’s heart when you can’t win?

Needless to say, winning one game next season would be an accomplishment. Even the greatest lovers of debate can agree with that. So, why then, would the Lions even think of handing the keys to this 1977 beat-up Chevy to Daunte Culpepper?

If the bar is already as low as Lindsey Lohan’s self-esteem, then why try raising it with Culpepper? The worst-case scenario would play out; having Culpepper somehow magically lead the Lions to playoff contention, or close to a .500 record.

Lions fans probably wouldn’t mind, but there’s a strong case that doing so would stunt Matthew Stafford’s growth much more than throwing him into the fire.

Even Peyton Manning agrees. He suggested the Lions playing him from day one, saying: ” There’s no way I could have played as well as I did in my second year if I hadn’t played that first year.”

He has a point. After all, he’s won a Super Bowl, and is the closest guy behind Brett Favre in nearly every statistical passing category.

Manning also noted that while he threw a rookie-record 28 interceptions in his first season, he also threw 26 touchdowns. That experience helped Manning lead that 3-13 team to a 13-3 record and playoff appearance the next season.

So, does that mean we’re looking at the Lions in the Super Bowl in two years? No, of course not. But history could be on Stafford’s side.

Look at Jay Cutler, Ben Roethlisberger, and Eli Manning. At some point in time in their rookie campaigns, they were thrust into action, and all came away as either a Super Bowl champion, or a Prow-Bowl quarterback (or both).

The again, Stafford could take 12 steps back and be the next J.P. Losman, Alex Smith, or even Rick Mirer.

So many different extremes, and only two doors that can be opened.

The fact is, the Lions have Calvin Johnson, and they shouldn’t waste any time on introducing him to Stafford.

With Brett Favre and the Vikings Set To Meet, the Writing Is Already on the Wall

It’s all over ESPN. He’s all over ESPN.

Reports from both John Clayton and Chris Mortenson on Tuesday say that the Minnesota Vikings and Brett Favre have apparently scheduled a late meeting for sometime this week.

Normally, what the Minnesota Vikings do in the offseason has nothing to do with Green Bay, but considering the player that’s involved in the rumors, this one hits especially close to home.

Favre, who retired from the New York Jets, his second retirement in a year, appears to be seriously considering a marriage, if only for one season, with the Vikings. His strong connections with Darrell Bevell, as well as Brad Childress, suggest there is a very good chance a return is in the making.

However, there are several concerns flying around, and most of them are geared toward Favre’s late-season slump, in which he threw only two touchdowns against nine interceptions, as the Jets dropped four of five games and missed the playoffs.

Oh, and then there’s that whole “torn biceps” thing.

And even when the Vikings and Favre get past the money issue, the idea of Favre showing up for all of the off-season activities is as unlikely as him playing for the Packers again. Still, despite all of these questions, the un-retirement hype is buzzing, and it’s buzzing loudly.

ESPN has been extremely conservative with it’s Favre coverage this time around, afte devoting much of it’s time to the “Favre saga” over the course of the summer before last season.

The fact is, if Favre and anyone from Minnesota are headed for a meet-and-greet, you can be certain it will end in contract talks. If this meeting does in fact happen, you can put your money safely on a bet that number four will be wearing purple this fall.

Then again, we’re dealing with Favre here, and no words, or lack thereof, apparently, can be taken for granted.

Ever since asking the Jets for his release (twice, mind you), Favre and his agent, Bus Cook, have vehemently denied rumors about him coming back to the game for a third time. But that’s the kind of run-around information they fed us last time.

The truth is, this isn’t just “too good to be true.” This is perfect. Favre admitted after the 2008 season ended that he had returned at last half-way to “spite” Ted Thompson. And after the way everything unfolded, rightfully so.

After ending his New York debacle on sour terms and being deemed an all-around failure, the question remains, does Favre still want to play, and can he play well?

If you’re judging by the first 11 games of last season, the answer is a resounding “yes.”

If he shows up with a weak arm and is ill prepared, then the final five games could be strewn out across a 16-game schedule. That, or we’ll see the great Favre finally succumb to injury in mid-season, or worse, see his consecutive start streak ended by a benching.

Ultimately, the only thing that will matter is the concept of “need.” The Vikings need a quarterback, and Brett Favre needs redemption. If we’re being honest with ourselves, as football fans, as experts, and as fans, we want this. Hell, we need this.

Favre has a shot to take a very well-balanced team far into the playoffs, and he won’t even have to do it by himself. He has arguably the best running back in the league on his side, as well as a stout offensive line, a supporting defense, and two explosive receivers in Bernard Berrian and Percy Harvin.

That, and he gets to face the team that forced him into his first retirement, twice.

If you’re an NFL fan, this is either your worst nightmare, or a dream come true. However, as a Packers fan, somehow it’s a mixture of both.

Kevin Curtis: Let The Phasing-Out Begin

If the Eagles had won the Super Bowl, would this still be happening?

Would the Eagles still have felt the pressure from Donovan McNabb and the fans to draft an “elite” receiver?

Probably.

If Curtis would have caught that fourth-down pass on their final drive against the Arizona Cardinals, would this article have a point?

Oddly enough, that last statement might work against this article. But, I digress.

This has been happening to Kevin Curtis for his entire career.

He was drafted in the third round due to his small school and age, despite possessing elite speed, soft hands, and exceptional route-running.

He’s the Marvin Harrison of running crisp routes, the equivalent of a young Torry Holt in speed, and has the hands of a Wes Welker.

At least, usually he does. (Insert Curtis’ apology to team for dropping “a” pass here)

Still, after he showed progression and displayed his talent in St. Louis, they still held onto Isaac Bruce for as long as they could, only finally letting him go once Curtis jumped ship and headed for Philadelphia.

Then, from day one, experts and analysts everywhere had a knock on him for every minute there was in a day.

If he dropped a pass, again, “a” pass-you heard about it. A bad route? Yeah, he should have gotten cut.

Truth be told, though, the world was against Curtis. Fantasy and NFL experts viewed him as a number two option, at best, while most said he was “ideal” for a career in the slot.

That’s probably true. But you could say that for anyone. Any player with his speed and skills would be fantastic as a third option.

Anyone with any NFL knowledge, let alone any sense, would give an emphatic “duh” to that assumption.

Regardless, despite all the concerns or knocks, Curtis defied the minimal odds against him, catching over 70 passes for over 1,100 yards and six scores in his first season as a full-time starter.

What did he get for it?

Maybe a high-five or two from his teammates, but from the rest of the football world-almost nothing.

All you heard about was how 50 percent of his touchdowns came in one game, or how 51% of his yardage came in a combined three games.

Of course, these stats are only reserved for Curtis. It’d be a shame to actually shelve out this kind of information on every player. You know, with time restraints and all.

So, with Curtis being such a liability as a No. 1 option, the Eagles gave in to the demands last year, drafting DeSean Jackson out of California.

So far, so good. But wait, despite Jackson blowing everyone away with nearly 1,000 yards receiving in his rookie season, Donovan McNabb and the Philly fans still wanted, still needed, another play-maker.

Curtis and Jackson weren’t good enough. Or, as many would hate to admit, only Curtis wasn’t good enough.

Curtis, the same guy who fought to come back from surgery on a sports hernia, received constant scrutiny for his mediocre stats upon his return.

Oh, because you’re supposed to be able to play at an elite level immediately back from injury, right? And the chemistry with your quarterback-that’s automatically restored.

Either way, Andy Reid found it fitting to add his own mixture of deja-vu to this tale, in drafting Missouri’s Jeremy Maclin in the first round of the 2009 draft.

So, let’s do a recap. Two seasons of Curtis doing his best, yet somehow not living up to the expectations that Terrell Owens left behind when he left.

All the James Thrash’s, Todd Pinkston’s, and Freddie Mitchell’s (and let’s not forget Reggie Brown) from year’s past-they’re excused.

No, only when Curtis arrives in town, do we truly panic. Now that he isn’t getting it done (supposedly) as a number one receiver, this receiving corps suddenly needs help.

This position-not safety or defensive end-needs addressing, pronto.

I just would like to know, in the name of Mike Furrey, why is this happening?

Before we know it, Curtis will be demoted to the slot, eventually off the team, and inevitably out of the league.

But what the world needs to know, is that it will be for all the wrong reasons.

It won’t be because he’s not fast (he is), can’t catch (he can), or runs poor routes (he doesn’t).

The truth is, I have no idea why it will happen.

Madden 10 Cover Released: Exploring the Curse

With the cover shot released for the upcoming Madden 2010, fantasy football players all over the nation are cringing at the thought of what may follow.

While the cover is historical and exciting, this news brings the possibility that not just one, but two star athletes could face the repercussions of such glory, as have many before them.

It’s fine if you don’t believe in curses or jinxes (like the Sports Illustrated cover jinx), but facts are facts.

The following athletes have been on the cover to promote the game in the past eight years, and they have all faced some sort of injury, down season, or hardship during their “Madden” season.

Since players began sporting the cover in 2001, the following is what has happened. Also, to avoid confusion, since the game’s title display the official year after the season actually begins, the player’s stats and information is affected in the year listed prior.

In other words, Eddie George is on the 2001 cover, but his 2000 season was cursed, not his 2001. Actually, in his case, his whole career was cursed after being on the cover…

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