Top 4 QBs with Something to Prove in then 2012-2013 NFL Season

Here are my top 4 quarterbacks with the most to prove this upcoming season in the NFL:
1.)    Mark Sanchez

Why? 18 Interceptions and 8 fumbles lost, Tim Tebow is now on the team, and an 8 win season after back to back years of AFC championship game appearances, poor decision making last year, and a lack of leadership.  He had a pretty bad third year last season, and with the fans in New York unhappy with Sanchez’s play he has a lot to prove, especially why he was drafted so high, and also why he got a contract extension this past year.  The Jets fans that were at the NFL draft last month were chanting “We want Tebow”, another bad sign for Mark, and we all know how crazy the Tebow mania was in Denver, it will only be much worse in NY. 

What can he do to help himself?:

-Not turnover the ball so much

-Become a stronger leader

-Make game winning plays, if Tebow does, it is over for Mark

-Convert 3^rd downs, don’t let Tebow do it

2012 season prediction: Loses starting job to Tebow in 5^th of 6^th week of the season

2.)    Tony Romo

Why? He is a poor leader… My proof? Unnamed players are saying they have no leader to follow on the team, and a team like the Cowboys, you have to be that guy.  Romo was a choke artist up until really last year, Romo always seems to want to avoid the pressure, and this team is not getting any younger.  Romo played great last year; the team just collapsed at the end going 1-5 the last 6 games of the year, but his lack of leadership did not help this team in that stretch, and it was bad to watch.  If he did not make the boneheaded decisions we are accustomed to making him see against the Jets and Lions last year the Cowboys would have made the playoffs, none of that down to the wire stuff they had against the Giants last year in the last game of the regular season. 

What can he do to help himself?:

-Become the leader he HAS to be, he has no way around this

-Play the way he did last year, minimal mistakes

-Not just make the playoffs, but play well in them, no stupid passes

2012 season prediction: The Cowboys win the wildcard, and lose in the wildcard round

3.)    Michael Vick

Why?: Last year, the team is stacked with talent, and all they did was win 8 games, however after a 4-8 start they did rattle off 4 wins to close off the season 8-8.  Vick has to be better with the ball, and be a strong pocket passer, well stronger then he has been in years past, but he should also run when he can, but not a whole lot, or he will get banged up.  This team is loaded with talent on both sides of the ball, and Vick now has DeSean Jackson and Lesean McCoy signed to new deals meaning that he has those two to help him out until he leaves Philly.  Vick had a great year in the 2010-2011 season after being thrown into action after Kolb was hurt, but he took steps back last year.  Vick has already said he wants all the pressure on him, and it is only May, this is a good sign of things to come for this very talented team.

2012 season prediction: The Eagles win the division, and make it to the NFC championship team.

4.)    Kevin Kolb

Why?: He was not in anyways a solid starter last year, his back up John Skeleton had a better record as a starter last year then Kolb, and the team rallied around him to finish off the year 7-9 after a 1-6 start, so it is not like this team is not talented.  This team just got more talented when they drafted Michael Floyd, wide receiver out of Notre Dame.  Kolb was scared last year, I could see it in his eyes, he was making bad throws, and also threw the ball away a lot, at least in the games I saw.  Kolb was offered and signed a large contract after the trade, and the Cardinals gave up a pretty penny for him as well in the trade with Philadelphia.   The Cardinals also had strong interest in Peyton Manning once he was released, which came as a surprise to me even though I predicted the Cardinals would take a look at him.  The Cardinals clearly have lost some faith in Kolb…

What can he do to help himself?:

-Stand strong in the pocket, and make quicker and smarter decisions

-Lean on the running game, it will help keep the pressure off of him

-Not only beat out Skeleton, but wow his teammates, and his coaches

-Work out timing with his receivers

-Stay alert, and not throw away the ball so much

-Stay healthy

2012 season prediction: He ends up losing his job, in preseason, the head coach Ken Whisenhunt said this is an open competition, and Skeleton was better last year then Kolb, this is not a good situation for Kolb.  This team will be a 9-7 team but no playoffs for them.  Kolb will be traded.

What is Next for the Magic?

So now that the “Master of Panic”, I mean Stan Van Gundy has been fired from the Orlando Magic, there is a question, and that is: What is next for the Magic?

That is not that easy to answer, because their best player Dwight Howard is entering the last year of his contract, and frankly it is not looking like he will even be there the whole season at the rate the Magic are doing things.   They will have a new General Manager come the 2012-2013 season, and with Dwight being in his last year of his contract he could end up walking away at the end of the year.

My prediction is that he will be traded, and I think it will be to the Los Angeles Clippers, they are hungry to keep winning, especially after making the playoffs this year.  He will go to a team that already has Blake Griffin and Chris Paul, and I think this would be a perfect fit for him.  He will be on a team with talent in a big city, and we all know he loves the big lights.  While the Clippers will be tight on money if they get him, they will give up a fair amount of picks, my thoughts would be 2 first round picks, the 2013 and 2014 first round picks, and probably a few players, if not a second round pick in 2013. 

So if that does happen, the Magic will draft a lot of young talent, and I think that Dwight will be traded, his attitude does not sit well with the Magic.  The team is already shaking things up, firing the coach, and making an agreement with the GM that he will not be back, so I can only think that Dwight would be gone. 

All of this activity is a message, and that message in my mind is that the Magic are looking to clean house and start over new.

Top 2 QB Competitions to Watch this preseason

With a good amount of teams that could have a competition at QB this summer before the regular season starts, here are my top 2 competitions:

Arizona Cardinals: Kevin Kolb Vs. John Skeleton

Yes Kevin Kolb was signed to a large contract last year, but he went 3-6 as a starter, and he was nervous behind that offensive line, throwing balls away regularly, I saw this first hand watching him play on TV.  His TD count was 9 to his INT count, which was 8, that was all in 9 games.  John Skeleton had 11 TDs to 14 INTs in his 7 games, however his record starting was better, which was a 5-2, however the record for him is really 6-2 because he came in for an injured Kolb and won that game.  So in reality Kolb was 2-6, which is not something you want out of a guy that was traded for, and then signed to a big contract.  I know it is just one year, but this is an open competition, this is not just my opinion, but fact because the Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt said it was an open competition.

This competition really does not surprise me because when Peyton Manning was a free agent the Cardinals went after him, so that is a sign that the Cardinals have already gave up on Kolb.

 This will probably be resolved at the end of the preseason, because this team needs to start winning games now, they have a shot at this division, and at least they can make a wild card.

My prediction: Skeleton wins, and Kolb is traded

Tennessee Titans: Matt Hasselbeck vs. Jake Locker

I really love this competition!  I thought Hasselbeck started off strong last year, but towards the end, with a nice shot at making the playoffs, he fell apart, and the Titans missed the playoffs.  This team feels they are a playoff caliber team, and they are hungry to win, I think they have a great shot at winning the AFC South in 2012, especially with how the losses the Texans suffered in free agency this past offseason.  When I saw how Locker played last year in limited time I was very impressed, especially how he played against the Saints when he had to come in and play. 

I think If he starts he gives the Titans the best chance to win, and that division is not to strong, the Colts just had a changing of the guard at QB, the Jaguars are, well they are the Jaguars, and the Texans are probably going to struggle this year.  I know the Titans want to win now, and with Locker it could be an up and down year, but I say they have the best chance to win with him because I think he brings things to the table that Hasselbeck cannot, such as scrambling ability.

I think this could end up spilling into the regular season, Hasselbeck has had health issues over the past few years, but I think when the time comes Locker will take the job and run with it.

My prediction: Hasselbeck wins in camp and preseason, but an early season injury throws Locker into action, and Locker takes the job.

Is McNabb worth it?

Andy Reid spoke today on the NFL Networks “Total Access” Andy Reid, the Eagles head coach said he recommend Donovan McNabb to any team in the NFL.  That brings up the question: Is it worth it to pick up McNabb? 

That is a question that is tough to answer, and over his past two years in the NFL since being traded from Philly to Washington, to his departure to the Vikings I have been a big critic of him.  I felt that he was out of shape, his accuracy and arm strength went down, especially last year, he had some awful throws, some in the dirt, and some overthrown, which was strange.  This also made me question his work ethic because I felt he was not trying out there on the field, nor was he trying to prepare for the games.

In an interview with USA Today he said he has lost 15 to 20 pounds, which is good, it shows he wants to be on a team, compete, and hopefully play.  I think now that he is worth the risk, and I say risk because ever since his release he has complained that he is the most scrutinized QB that has ever played in the NFL.  While that may seem true, he should be quiet and go out and use that anger to get himself on a team and try to start again.  I think that if he has lost weight he is willing to put in hard work, and somebody of his credibility is worth taking a shot at.

In my opinion I would not be surprised to see a team such as the Panthers or Jaguars pick him up to help tutor their second year quarterbacks.  I think the Jaguars could use him more because Blaine Gabbert is scrambler as well, and he was terrified in the pocket last year, I think McNabb could go in and help him out, teach him how to sit calm in the pocket and use his abilities to help win games.  As for the Panthers, he could help Cam Newton work on his accuracy from the pocket, which is also something he could do for Gabbert.  Those two teams should really take a look at him.

Other teams that could use him could the Browns and the Colts, personally if I was a GM I would sign him and have him tutor my QB.

Should RGIII be Named the Starter Already?

Now that Robert Griffin the Third has been named the starting quarterback for the Washington Redskins the question that has been floating around is whether or not he should have been named the starter right away.  Some wonder if it was too soon to name him the starter, I am on the boat that it was not too early to name him the starting quarterback. 

He was the second overall pick in this year’s draft, and the Redskins have a ton of picks to trade up to land him, it is imperative that they get him out there to start right away to get him the playing time and to see what the teams needs are to build around him. 

Aside from that he is also on the same team as Rex Grossman, who is probably one of the worst quarterbacks in the league right now, and also Kirk Cousins, who was drafted after RGIII this year.  Rex was nothing short of horrendous last year, he had 16 touchdowns to 20 interceptions, and he fumbled 6 times.  So if the Redskins were to start Grossman over RGIII that would be atrocious, Rex is a turnover machine, even if RGIII has a year with a lot of turnovers it will be okay.  He is a rookie and has room to grow, Rex is a veteran with a noodle arm and he is awful decision maker.

RGIII will also be able to help the running game, the Redskins ranked 25^th in the league last year, I would have to make the assumption that this was because Rex and John Beck started for the Redskins, and honestly those guys will never help a run game.  They have no respect from any defense.  The Redskins are in the same division as the Eagles, Giants, and Cowboys, so they need a QB that can help them out, and that they can build around.

RGIII brings a new mindset to the Redskins, and someone who will prepare for games, he will most likely struggle his rookie year, like other rookies, but he will be on a team with a solid defense and a running game that is on the rise.  RGIII is the answer for the Redskins, and even head Coach Mike Shanahan said he is willing to curb the offense to RGIIIs liking and skills.