Tuesday, February 28, 2012

What Should Peyton Do?

Joe Montana did it. Johnny U. did too. Namath tried it as well and I don't think it helped any of them or their legacies. Quarterback icons that leave the teams that made them icons hasn't worked out all that well in the past and I don't think it will be very good for Peyton Manning either.
The teams that will be interested in Manning's future greatness probably aren't nearly what was predicted earlier this year. Even though Manning isn't over the hill when healthy, his current health status makes him older than his real age and puts him closer to retirement than the single year that he lost this past season. Nerves are funny things and they either take a long time to regenerate or don't regenerate and the teams that will be in the bidding for his services are taking a real and risky gamble on what he will be able to do and for how long he will be able to do it.
I for one would like to see him work things out in Indianapolis or simply rest on his incredible laurels and ride off into the broadcast booth with his head held high and his Super Bowl ring shiny.
Brett Favre was the ultimate tough guy and although he still played at a high level and the Vikings wouldn't have competed into the NFC Championship without him, he should have finished with class, instead of something far less. The teams that were interested in Favre are the same kinds of teams that will be interested in Manning. A small few that think they are one year and one formerly great arm and mind away from the Big Game. Those would be this year's wildcard teams or one win out of the playoffs and ones without young superstar QB's. It isn't a big list and the history of that working well isn't super, so let's hope that Irsay and Manning can stay classy and get it done for everyone's sake.

Monday, February 27, 2012

R G III Better Than Vick?


Michael Vick has an MVP trophy and took the Atlanta Falcons to the NFC Championship game early in his career and even got himself back to the top of the league after taking some time off in solitary, but Robert Griffin III, the most recent super-fast QB to hit the NFL, who is just as fast as Vick, a little bit bigger and a more polished QB at this point in his career. Hit potential is off the charts!
Sub 4.4 40's at the combine get scouts and everyone else drooling when the player is a wide receiver or a defensive back, but when it is a QB, it unchartered territory, sans Michael Vick. With Cam Newton's phenonemenal rookie year, offensive coordinators are letting their minds run wild with the options available with that kind of passing and running ability. Newton's Carolina Panthers did not win many games last year, but they are arguably one of the most exciting tickets for next season. RG III could make a lackluster team at the top of the draft, an extremely exciting ticket for next year as well.
Vick, Newton, RG III and Tim Tebow (if Tebow can improve his passing skills and reduce his abusive running style) really are the new breed prototype for the future of the league. I don't ever see the NFL not interested in great pocket passers and I'm not sure Andrew Luck's 4.59 40 make him simply a pure pocket passer or not, but great passers with great athletic ability are certainly the future as well as the NOW!

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

LUCK WITH LUCK


Andrew Luck has been the consensus #1 overall pick in the NFL draft for more than a year now. Last year he decided to do the college thing one more time and Cam Newton took the top spot and the millions that go with it. With the NFL's new CBA following the long lockout, Newton's millions were far less than the previous number one's for quite a few years, so Luck didn't miss out on nearly as much as usual.
He didn't disappoint in the college ranks and continues to be way out in the lead as the front-runner for the Indianapolis Colts come April.
With Newton's success, the mania surrounding Tim Tebow's ascension in Denver and Robert Griffin's Heisman Trophy win, some wonder about changes to the long-held model of the prototype NFL quarterback. While there may be a subtle shift to more athletic QB's at the game's highest level, passers will remain the most coveted, especially as less and less pro style QB's are being developed from Pee Wee to college.
Next to the Manning brothers, Andrew Luck looks to be the most well prepared player to successfully transition to the NFL. Cam Newton may be the most exciting player to watch over the next decade and very well may make the Carolina Panthers a very successful team on the way, but Luck's demeanor and understanding of the game should make him a super solid performer and probably less likely to get injured during the same time frame.