It is easy to be thankful each and every day for many, many things living in America, but because this is a football website, let's count just a couple of QB blessings.
1. Thankful for football on Thanksgiving--even if it is the Lions.
2. Thankful that the Heisman race is all about the QB this year.
3. Thankful for offensive linemen (for without them, there would be no QB's).
God bless you and your families!
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Vick Pleads Guilty Again
Michael Vick was back in a courtroom Tuesday, pleading guilty to state dogfighting charges in hopes of getting out of jail faster and back on the football field as soon as possible. I'm no apologist for Michael Vick and his life of deception regarding illegal activities and the Joey Porter's of the world need to keep quiet trying to justify his actions, but Vick should not be treated more severely than his former NFL chums that ran afoul of the law. He has been suspended from the NFL since August of 2007--that's already two full football seasons. I'm not sure what team is going to jump in and take the public outrage over signing him, or the coaching staff that wants to change their team's offense to fit his style, but let's not hang him from a higher horse than the rest of us. Upon release he will have paid his debts as the state and federal government laid before him. He has taken responsibility and apologized to the public for his crimes and as long as Commissioner Roger Goodell doesn't try to go even further, he should be reinstated and given a second chance just like everyone else in the NFL, because that is "The American Way."
God bless you and your families this Thanksgiving.
God bless you and your families this Thanksgiving.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Oklahoma Unstoppable with Bradford
There is a nationally ranked high school team here in the Tampa area that is undefeated and looks to be unstoppable on their way to another state title. The Oklahoma Sooners looked like national champions against the overmatched Texas Tech Red Raiders Saturday night, but what bugged me was the similarity between the Tampa high school team and the Sooners.
Both teams come up to the line of scrimmage on offense and get ready to snap the ball, then everyone on offense stops, looks to the sideline, the QB backs away from center and calls another play and then they go. Unfortunately both of these teams are extremely successful right now, so what can you say other than more teams are going to start doing it and that is a terrible thing for the game of football at any level.
Players play and coaches coach, but when the coaches coach right up to the snap of every play, it is a bit much. It takes away the players' abilities to think for themselves and most coaches probably want that, but I hate how it stops the flow of each play. Call me a purist, but when the whole team looks to the sideline to be told what to do, its just not a game anymore. We all know the plays come in from the sideline and the NFL put headphones inside the helmets of its QB's to stop the sideline signs or the running in of plays, but even they cut off the signal with 15 seconds to go before the snap, so the coach can't talk all the way to the snap.
On Saturday night, Sam Bradford had a wonderful game, but there once was a rule that the QB could not put his hands under center and then take them back out or else it was a penalty. Don't know when that was taken out of the rule book, but he does it every play. I may be the only one right now that cares, but wait until a few more teams do it (and you know they will because of the copycat clause in sports) and you too will be pulling your hair out like me. Thank goodness I still have plenty to yank on!
Both teams come up to the line of scrimmage on offense and get ready to snap the ball, then everyone on offense stops, looks to the sideline, the QB backs away from center and calls another play and then they go. Unfortunately both of these teams are extremely successful right now, so what can you say other than more teams are going to start doing it and that is a terrible thing for the game of football at any level.
Players play and coaches coach, but when the coaches coach right up to the snap of every play, it is a bit much. It takes away the players' abilities to think for themselves and most coaches probably want that, but I hate how it stops the flow of each play. Call me a purist, but when the whole team looks to the sideline to be told what to do, its just not a game anymore. We all know the plays come in from the sideline and the NFL put headphones inside the helmets of its QB's to stop the sideline signs or the running in of plays, but even they cut off the signal with 15 seconds to go before the snap, so the coach can't talk all the way to the snap.
On Saturday night, Sam Bradford had a wonderful game, but there once was a rule that the QB could not put his hands under center and then take them back out or else it was a penalty. Don't know when that was taken out of the rule book, but he does it every play. I may be the only one right now that cares, but wait until a few more teams do it (and you know they will because of the copycat clause in sports) and you too will be pulling your hair out like me. Thank goodness I still have plenty to yank on!
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Grothe Taking Look at NFL Draft Status
I had to chuckle to myself this week when a story in The Tampa Tribune reported University of South Florida quarterback Matt Grothe saying he forgo his senior year if he was projected to be drafted in the NFL by the third or fourth round. He plans on exploring that option after the season.
I chuckled because not only is Grothe not close to being an NFL quarterback (yet), his team has greatly underachieved this year, is barely bowl eligible and he has been far from stellar. What does it say for an undersized, underarmed, running QB from a disappointing team to want to leave his school for the fourth round of the draft?
Head Coach Jim Leavitt must be scratching his head about his team's signal caller trying to get out early when he has no shot of success at the next level.
I chuckled because not only is Grothe not close to being an NFL quarterback (yet), his team has greatly underachieved this year, is barely bowl eligible and he has been far from stellar. What does it say for an undersized, underarmed, running QB from a disappointing team to want to leave his school for the fourth round of the draft?
Head Coach Jim Leavitt must be scratching his head about his team's signal caller trying to get out early when he has no shot of success at the next level.
McNabb Lost in OT
There haven't been many ties in the National Football League, in fact 17 in all, but there have been plenty of games get to "sudden death". First team to score wins, everyone knows that, but what only about half the league knows is that if no one scores in the extra 15 minute period, it is a tie.
I was completely blown away that Donovan McNabb didn't know what would happen after the extra period or that there was no discussion on the sideline with the coaches. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised as the Eagles are the same team that in the Super Bowl a few years ago, acted like they didn't know the object was to score more points than the other team. That performance prompted Terrell Owens to make derogatory comments about McNabb and got him to Dallas. The fact that long time veteran receiver Hines Ward agreed that he didn't know the rules either is also befuddling, since he played in the last game that ended in a tie! Ben Roethlisberger circled the wagons for Donovan as well, but it doesn't do much for the image of the league for some of its biggest stars to admit they don't have a clue about their rules that most couch potatoes do.
I was completely blown away that Donovan McNabb didn't know what would happen after the extra period or that there was no discussion on the sideline with the coaches. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised as the Eagles are the same team that in the Super Bowl a few years ago, acted like they didn't know the object was to score more points than the other team. That performance prompted Terrell Owens to make derogatory comments about McNabb and got him to Dallas. The fact that long time veteran receiver Hines Ward agreed that he didn't know the rules either is also befuddling, since he played in the last game that ended in a tie! Ben Roethlisberger circled the wagons for Donovan as well, but it doesn't do much for the image of the league for some of its biggest stars to admit they don't have a clue about their rules that most couch potatoes do.
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