2013 Oakland Raiders QB Situaiton

As of right now the report is that Matt Flynn has the starting job until further notice due to rookie Tyler Wilson's performance in practices.  This year it seems the Raiders are finally going to be heading in a good direction, they cleaned house and dropped expensive players or traded them to create cap space, which only means one thing: rebuilding.

The Raiders have been nothing but bad for a fair amount of time, but they need to turn things around and are in need of stability at the QB spot, to me it only makes sense to keep Matt Flynn as the starting quarterback of the Raiders.  He has game experience and sat behind Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay, and oh yeah learned some more last year from Pete Carroll when he was in Seattle, and Flynn has also said that when he lost out to Russell Wilson last year that he realized he needed to perform harder to take a team over.  His attitude while on the Raiders has seemed very high in the interviews I have seen him partake in which is a good sign for the Raiders.

Aside from his positive attitude he also has starting and in game experience in the NFL which for a team trying to start all over again is a must, he can start right away and teach Wilson who will needs a year to learn the game on the NFL level in my opinion.  There is no point in starting a rookie on a team that lacks talent on the offensive side, veteran quarterbacks also can ride the storm out, and while we have seen some rookies turn a franchise around I don't think one could turn the Raiders around.

I think the Raiders will keep Flynn as the starter and let Wilson learn behind him but if the Raiders start off bad and don't have anywhere to go I could see Wilson starting some games in the later half of the season to get some starting experience.

And as a side note the Raiders should use Terrell Pryor's skills to help this offense out in 2013, they could be woeful so any help is good at this point.

Will the Patriots Tightend Situation Harm their Offense in 2013?

Ever since Gronkowski had his back surgery and Hernandez's ongoing saga involving the police investigation in a murder less than a mile away from his home people have been asking questioning how effective the Patriots offense will be.  I believe there is not a need to panic at all, while some can disagree with that statement I think the Patriots will be fine, Tom Brady always knows how to work with what he has and will make the most with it.  The Patriots do have new addition Danny Amendola and returning receiver Julian Edelman, they also have Jake Ballard and Daniel Fells as back up tightends.  Sure these players are not Hernandez, Gronkowski or even Brandon Llyod (who played receiver for the Patriots last season) but they can produce.  The Patriots like players who can contribute to the team in any way, and if they don't the Pats will always find someone else, they have always made off well with what they have.

Last season the Patriots had one of the best offenses in the NFL, and we always heard how great Brady, Gronkowski, Hernandez, Wes Welker and the other pass catchers on the team were, but I feel the run game was overlooked.  The Patriots ranked 7th in the NFL last season in yards and ranked 1st in the NFL with 25 rushing touchdowns, so the Patriots do have a solid run game to lean on.  The Patriots have also added some new running backs to help with their rushing attack, they picked up Leon Washington and Legarrette Blount which will only help their offense.  

When you factor in a strong running game to any offense it will help, an example of this was the Vikings last season when Adrian Peterson ran the Vikings into the playoffs with Christian Ponder as the quarterback.  The Patriots have Tom Brady so that only helps the Patriots that much more, and with the Bills still trying to find their groove and the Jets completely rebuilding, leaving the Dolphins as the only team that could threat the Patriots.  

And the Patriots could get Gronkowski back in the first few games of the season which will of course be a huge help, and it should be noted that Brandon Lloyd is a free agent and could resign and help out as well.  The Patriots already have pieces in place but they can always add familiar faces to help.

2013 Minnesota Vikings QB Situation

The Minnesota Vikings have a big decision to make at their quarterback position, however with who they have at said spot is not exactly anything to write home about.  Christian Ponder was able to help lead his team to the playoffs last year, but to be honest he really rode the back of Adrian Peterson who ran the Vikings into the playoffs.  Ponder had an average year, his stats were 2,935 passing yards which ranked 25^th in the NFL (average of 183.4 yards a game), he passed for 18 touchdowns against 12 interceptions and had a completion percentage of 62.1.  Now for his competition, Matt Cassel, ranked 31^st in passing yards last year with 1,796 6 touchdowns to 12 interceptions and a completion percentage of 58.1, that is unacceptable. 

I really don’t think this will turn out to be much of a battle because Ponder was a first round pick and he did improve from his rookie year to his sophomore season as opposed to Cassel who has been erratic since leaving the Patriots via trade.  The Vikings are most likely to stick with Ponder and see how he does this year before they will decide on what they should do at the QB spot heading into the 2014 season, I think he will play decent, with the addition of Greg Jennings he could have an okay season.  Cassel was probably brought in to help push Ponder because Joe Webb is not much of a quarterback and there have been reports that he was actually drafted to be switched to a receiver.  Ponder was a first round pick (which to me was a HUGE reach) back in 2011, so it only makes sense to let him have one more shot.

If the decision was up to me I would start Ponder and keep Cassel and insurance and then go out and try to find another veteran QB to help, and I think Vince Young could be the man for this job.  He has been through adversity and could be a major help as a backup, and to be truthful he would push Ponder to keep his job harder than Cassel ever could.  I just think Cassel would play pitifully for the Vikings, he makes way to many mistakes and in a tough division such as the NFC North you simply cannot do that.

What the MLB Should do About the PED Scandal

The latest scandal in sports has been the talk of sports fans and non-sports fans, this being the performance enhancing drug scandal involving at least 20 baseball players and big names such as Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun who have been linked to the Biogenesis Lab. Major League Baseball is looking to suspend both A-Rod and Braun for what could be up to 100 games, this without any positive testing for HGH or any other PED, instead basing the suspensions off of testimony.  Some disagree with this and the MLB Players Association may try to block these suspensions as well, to me this is wrong of the MLB PA, both A-Rod and Braun and heck why not the other 18 plus players be suspended as well.  The issues of PED usage has been something that has been talked about in baseball for many years now, and as we know it now former big name players have been linked to usage as well but not from this lab.  When players are getting away with using PEDs and denying use (like Ryan Braun) and get caught with their name on a list they deserve to get suspended.  The players have way too much leeway in the league as far as I am concerned.  These players also deserve punishment because of lying and cheating that they have partaken in, if the MLB suspends these players it WILL send a message to the rest of the league that if you are even thinking of taking PEDs to be a better player that you will be punished if caught.  I think players will think twice as well, but the MLB PA MUST stand down and allow the MLB to punish those involved.

The issue I take with these players possibly being let off due to the MLB PA is that this cannot continue, how many excuses will be made up to defend these players?  The sport has been tainted for a long time, we can talk about the home run race between Mark McWire and Sammy Sosa in which both players have been linked to PED use, and also Roger Clemens as well.  These are big name players, but to me this is only the tip of the iceberg.  If 20 players were linked to just one lab that means numerous other players could be using other labs, this should not happen, but it does because of all these protections the players have.  Also if these players get away with this it could have a major impact on baseball in general because kids as young as 18 who are drafted out of high school can see that using PEDs is okay because nobody will get in trouble and that it will give them an edge over other players trying to work their way up to the majors.  That would be a devastating blow to the integrity of the game and it would only make the game look tainted beyond what it is right now, which is pretty high considering this news.  You also have to look to a stand point that this could affect youth sports because now even younger high school athletes might think it is okay to use PEDs when they see their idols and big name players using them and not getting in any trouble. 

Only time will tell in this matter but I pray that these players are suspended for 100 games EACH because a message must be sent to the players that anyone caught using or even viewed as a user will be punished if found.

 

2013 Eagles Quarterback Situation

The Philadelphia Eagles have a very interesting quarterback battle going on right now, it actually appears to be a four way competition.  New head coach Chip Kelly likes quarterbacks that can run which is why Michael Vick was brought back on a one year deal and also why Dennis Dixon who played under Kelly at Oregon was brought in.  Then you have second year quarterback Nick Foles who I think played well last year and fourth round pick from USC Matt Barkley, who are not the typical Chip Kelly kind of quarterback.  I think Foles will either be cut or traded because Barkley was probably brought in to either back Vick up for be the third QB on the depth chart behind Vick and Dixon. 

It is my belief that if Foles plays well in the preseason and has a strong training camp that he could land the starting job and Vick might be out the outs.  I say this because Vick is a turnover machine and is injury prone, and also Dixon’s familiarity with the offense would probably grant him a spot over Vick.  It is very hard to even know who will start in Philly because he of this four man group at the QB spot. 

Even though I think Foles could potentially take the job I think he should be traded, the Eagles could probably get second round value for him at most, but at the least third round value.  Suitors for him could be the Cardinals, Raiders, Browns or even the Vikings and the Eagles could use the picks to build a team.  The Eagles should keep Barkley on the bench his rookie year and he can learn the playbook because it is not what he is accustomed to.  Vick should start granted his issues over the last two seasons, but I think Kelly can really help him out and make him into a real threat on the field, Kelly will also help with the run game by getting LeSean McCoy involved and that will help.  I felt that Andy Reid failed to do that when he was in Philly, he let Vick try to hit the home run on passes or go for a long run which both led to turnovers and injury that plagued the team to a 4-12 finish last season.

Dixon to me is the perfect back up for this system, I have my doubts that he will ever be a quality starter in the NFL but he will understand the offense as well as be a teacher to Vick to help him understand the verbiage of the playbook as well as how to run it.

I am unsure as to when the team could be making its pick as to who they will start, I think it could be a week before the season starts when the starter is announced.  I am really interested in this competition because the numerous ways it could turn out are very intriguing.

2013 Jets Quarterback Situation

The Jets have been nothing short of a mess the past two seasons, and this year they decided to help right the ship by going out and taking Geno Smith in the 2^nd round of the 2013 NFL draft to help their struggling offense and not to mention help out that less than stellar quarterback spot.  The Jets claim to have a 4 way competition going between Mark Sanchez, Geno Smith, Greg McElroy and Matt Simms, but honestly it will go down to Sanchez and Smith.  The Jets are not sold on Sanchez anymore and you can tell by how Rex has been reacting to Sanchez’s poor play in practice.  Jets offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg has claimed Sanchez has had great accuracy, well sorry it is only June and he is in shorts… I don’t trust him in the game.

Now what I find hard about this situation is what the Jets will actually do, because I don’t think there is a definitive answer to what will be done.  Sanchez is on a short rope and Smith seems like he will only rise up to the top of the depth chart, the only reason Sanchez could possibly start is because he is a 4 year starter for the Jets.  However I think it is obvious he will struggle early and often, he is a horrible decision maker, he has 52 turnovers the past two seasons, that is 26 a year AND he introduced us to the butt fumble as well.  I think that is enough to keep him from being a starter in the NFL, but we all know the Jets, they are so stubborn it isn’t even funny.   I think this battle will go down to the end of the pre-season because I don’t think they should make a definitive decision until they play in a game, however if Sanchez or Smith struggles they should make a choice a little earlier.

What I think the Jets should do is start Smith, yes he will struggle but is expected as a rookie, he needs the experience and I think he could play well here and there but he won’t have a year like last year’s rookies did.  I like Smith, I think he would give the Jets a far better chance to win then Sanchez, and I think Sanchez needs to be cut.  Some don’t like that idea because he is owed a fair amount of money but he isn’t worth it anymore, I don’t think he should be on the roster because something tells me that if he stays and is put in games that will still be naïve to the fact that he isn’t a quality quarterback.  The next best thing would be to bring in a quality veteran free agent QB like a Vince Young because I think he can be a good mentor to Geno and has a lot to offer still in the event Geno is benched.

The Jets are a good distance away from being a playoff team again, and the best way to rebuild is with a young and hungry QB.

2013 Buffalo Bills Situation

The Buffalo Bills have been a mess at the quarterback position for a long time, they cut ties with a middle of the road QB in Ryan Fitzpatrick who has been nothing short of erratic when he was with the Bills.  This season they can truly turn things around, as of right now it seems that Tavaris Jackson, Kevin Kolb and EJ Manuel will be competing for the starting job, my thoughts are that this will actually go down to Kolb and Manuel with Jackson being the odd man out.

It is really hard to say who the Bills will start this season, but I would not be too surprised if the Bills start Kolb and let Manuel learn from the sidelines, this is not just because Kolb is a veteran it is also because Manuel has also been known to force some plays while he was in college.  I think Kolb has chances to succeed in Buffalo but that is to be seen, however with a strong run game and an offensive line I think he can stay upright and play better then in Arizona.

What I think the Bills should do is start EJ Manuel at some point in the season if not from the start, this may not be the popular thing to say but the Bills have been stating they want to run the ball more meaning that he will not have the ball in his hands most of the time.  He has athleticism and while he is the drop back type passer he can run if needed, and with the recent success of the pistol read option in the NFL I think this could be used in Buffalo.  He will have Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller in the backfield, both who are capable of having 1,000 yard and 10 plus touchdown seasons, using them along with Manuel to run a read option could pay dividends.

We will probably have to wait and see what the Bills will exactly do at the QB spot, but I really do think the starting spot will go down to Kolb and Manuel because Jackson isn’t a quality started in my mind, but I think his knowledge will be valuable to both Kolb and Manuel.