Top 50 Quarterbacks of the Past 25 Years: 30-26

30.

Chris Chandler- Falcons, Cardinals, Bears, Colts, Rams, Buccaneers and Titans

Chris Chandler was a third round pick of the Indianapolis Colts in the 1988 draft. Chandler started 13 games as a rookie and though his play was erratic he helped the Colts make the playoffs. Chandler would be benched just 3 games into the 1989 season and when the Colts took Jeff George in the 1990 draft, Chandler became expendable and was released. Chandler signed with the Bucs before the 1990 season and saw spot duty for them that year, not playing well at all. Chandler was traded at the deadline of the 1991 season to the Phoenix Cardinals. He would start the the Cardinals final two games that season and though he was unspectacular he was named the starter for the 1992 season. He would have his best year as a pro, to that point, throwing 15 TD’s in thirteen games. Still, the Cardinals would move away from Chandler the next year and release him following the 1993 season. From there Chandler would go to the Rams. Chandler played extremely well in his opportunity to start in the final six weeks of the season throwing 7 TD’s and 2 interceptions and a QB rating of 93. This made him a highly sought after free-agent before the 1995 season.

Chandler signed with the Oilers and was named the starter. He would remain that way for the next two seasons. Chandler threw 33 TD’s and 21 interceptions in his career as an Oiler, but Jeff Fisher decided Steve McNair was ready late in the 1996 season and once again Chandler was released. Chandler joined Dan Reeves’ Atlanta Falcons prior to the 1997 season. It was a good move for both sides. In his first season as the starter in Atlanta Chandler made the Pro Bowl. He threw 20 TD’s and just 7 interceptions that year. In 1998 he topped it by not only making the Pro Bowl but also taking the Falcons to their first ever Super Bowl. Though Jamal Anderson was the star of the team, Chandler threw 25 TD’s and only 12 picks that year and was a huge part of the Atlanta success. Chandler would start three more season for the Falcons and while very good at times, never saw the success of his first two years.

Chandler struggled through a couple of seasons as the QB of both the Bears and again the Rams, but would never re-find the form that made him a Pro-Bowler, NFC Player of the Year Candidate and Super Bowl Starter. While injuries took a toll on him throughout his career Chandler accomplished things that most QB’s never will.

29.

Kerry Collins- Giants, Titans, Raiders, Saints and Panthers

After a fantastic career at Penn State Kerry Collins was the fifty overall pick in the 1995 draft by the Carolina Panthers. He was the first player ever drafted by the team in the common draft. Collins stay with the Panthers was a roller coaster both on and off the field. He battled alcoholism off the field and too many interceptions on it. Things were not all bad in Carolina though as Collins made the Pro Bowl in 1996 and took his team to the NFC Championship Game in just their second year of existence. But off-field problems along with a terrible 1997 season convinced Carolina to let Collins go and they actually traded him to division rival New Orleans. Collins would start seven games for the Saints, but play poorly.

After the 1998 season Kerry Collins signed with the New York Giants and subsequently entered rehab for his alcohol problem. Collins was a spot starter for the Giants in 1999 but named the starter for the 2000 season. Collins would throw for 3600 yards and 22 TD’s that year and lead the Giants to the Super Bowl. Collins would start three more seasons for the Giants and take them to the playoffs once more. In his five years in New York Collins threw for almost 17,000 yards and 81 TD’s. In 2004 the Giants cut Collins after signing Kurt Warner and drafting Eli Manning. Collins would sign a three year contract with the Oakland Raiders.

Collins would become the starter in week 3 when Rich Gannon was hurt. In his 13 starts in 2004 Collins threw 21 TD’s but also 20 interceptions. In 2005 Collins would have the best season for a Raider QB in recent memory. He threw for nearly 3800 yards, had 20 TD’s and only 12 interceptions. So naturally the Raiders cut him after the season. Collins has spent the past 2+ seasons as a back-up/sometimes starter in Tennessee. He has been named the starter for the rest of the season and so far this year is 2-0 with the Titans.

Kerry Collins has twice come back from a place where nobody thought he could. He was considered a bust after his personal problems in Carolina and then took a team to the Super Bowl. He played in the Abyss where careers go to die and now he is back to being a starter on a playoff caliber team. Never count a Nittany Lion out.

28.

Brad Johnson- Vikings, Buccaneers, Redskins and Cowboys

Brad Johnson was a 9th round pick of the Minnesota Vikings in 1992. After a year in NFL Europe Johnson spent two years on the bench in Minnesota. After an injury to Warren Moon, Johnson became the starter halfway through the 1996 season. In just half a year Johnson threw for 2200 yards and 17 TD’s. He was named the starter prior to the 1997 season. He threw for over 3,000 yards for the first time and hit 20 TD’s. He suffered a neck injury in week 13 that would not only cost him the rest of that season, but convince the Vikings to sign Randall Cunningham who would replace Johnson as the starter the following year. Johnson would start the first two games of the 1998 season, but break his leg making way for Cunningham. Johnson was traded to the Washington Redskins following that season.

Johnson would lead the Redskins to a 10-6 record in 1999 and make his first Pro-Bowl. He threw for over 4,000 yards and 24 TD’s. Johnson would lead the Redskins over the Lions in the Wild Card round and lose by just a point in the divisional round to the Buccaneers. Johnson struggled for much of the 2000 season behind a bad 0-line and Washington would trade him to Tampa Bay to make room for Jeff George. A move the Redskins would soon regret.

Johnson would play well in 2001 leading the Bucs to a 9-7 record, but would really hit his stride in 2002. Not only did he pass for over 3,000 yards but he had 22 TD’s and only 6 interceptions. Of course, the real achievement that season was the Super Bowl win over the Raiders. Johnson would also lead the league that year in completion percentage and passer rating. Johnson’s stats were even better in 2003 as he threw for 3,800 yards and 26 TD’s, but the Bucs struggled. When they got off to an 0-4 start in 2004 Johnson was benched.

Johnson would spend the next two years as the starter in Minnesota. In his two seasons back in Minnesota Johnson threw 21 TD’s and 19 interceptions. Johnson finished his career as a back-up for the Cowboys in 2007. Not only did Brad Johnson win a Super Bowl and make the Pro-Bowl twice, he has the fourth best winning percentage on this list, He is the only QB to complete 60% of his passes 13 seasons in a row and he is the only QB in NFL History to throw a TD Pass to himself.

27.

Jeff Garcia- 49ers, Buccaneers, Lions, Browns and Eagles

Yep, that’s Jeff’s wife. Suck that Garcia Haters. Jeff Garcia is another quarterback to earn his keep in the CFL. He won a Grey Cup with the Calgary Stampeders and was the MVP of that game. In 1999 he signed with the San Francisco 49ers. After Steve Young suffered his career ending concussion in week 6 Jeff Garcia became the starter. The team really struggled but Garcia played okay throwing 11 each of TD’s and Int’s.

In 2000 we found out what Jeff Garcia was capable of. He threw for more yards in a season (4,278) than either Joe Montana or Steve Young ever had. He also 31 TD’s and only 10 picks. The Niners went 6-10 though. The next year it all started to come together. Not only did Garcia once again have great stats, 3,500/35/12, but the 49ers returned to the playoffs. They fell to the Packers in the wild-card round however. Garcia made the Pro Bowl in both 2000 and 2001 and then he did it again in 2002. Garcia’s stats dipped drastically that year 3,300/21/10, but the 49ers won a playoff game and in dramatic fashion over the Giants. After that season the relationship between Garcia and star receiver Terrell Owens became rocky and this played some part in Garcia struggling somewhat in 2003. T.O. went so far as to question Garcia’s sexuality in the media. Again T.O.:

Garcia would spend the next two years as the sometimes starter for the Browns and then the Lions, never finding any success. Garcia would look for one more shot as a back-up in Philadelphia. It would be the move that reinvented his career. After a Donovan McNabb injury, Garcia would become the starter in week 12. He would lead the Eagles to a 5-1 record in his starts with 10 TD’s and only 2 interceptions. He would also lead the Eagles to a playoff victory over division rival New York Giants. Garcia capitalized on this success by signing a contract to be the starter in Tampa Bay. After making the Pro-Bowl last year and taking the Bucs to the playoffs, Garcia surprisingly was benched after one week in 2008.

Whatever happens in the future, Garcia has achieved great successes including 4 pro-bowls, several playoff appearances and this:

26.

Marc Bulger- Rams

Marc Bulger was the Rams 3rd string QB for the 2001 season and most of 2002. After both Kurt Warner and Jamie Martin were hurt in 2002 Bulger got his chance to start. Bulger threw 14 TD’s and six picks in his seven games. The Rams went 6-0 in games Bulger started and finished and 1-9 in all other games. This made Bulger the obvious starter going into the 2003 season.

In his 5 seasons as the Rams starter Bulger led the team to the playoffs twice and made two Pro-Bowls, being named the MVP of the 2004 contest. He averaged nearly 4,000 yards a season, 22 TD’s and 15 interceptions. Bulger was recently benched by a desperate Scott Linehan and reports are he could be traded as early as this year as he has no interest in playing again for that coach. Bulger has neared 20,,000 yards and passed 100 TD’s and he’s only 31. If he ends up on a decent team he could top some pretty impressive plateaus in his career before it’s over.

Week 4 Preview

Atlanta Falcons (2-1) at Carolina Panthers (2-1)

Announcers: Ron Pitts and Tony Boselli

Storyline: Are either of these teams a contender? The Panthers have struggled the past couple of seasons at home, can they overcome that unusual problem? The Atlanta Falcons have looked great at home against bad teams, can they take the next step and win a road game where they are an underdog?

Key to the Game: Panthers Pass Rush. It’s been nearly non-existent for much of the season. It that trend continues and Matt Ryan is given time, he has shown the ability to throw the deep ball. If he can connect on a couple of those it will really open things up for Norwood and Turner.

Fantasy Star: Steve Smith. Yeah, I said it last week and while he played okay (70 yards) it was hardly an explosion. Look for him to be a bigger impact in a game against two young corners.

Prediction: Panthers . I think they get enough pressure to rattle the rookie on the road into making a few mistakes ala the Bucs game. The Panthers are much better against the run than Atlanta and that will be the deciding factor.

Cleveland Browns (0-3) at Cincinnati Bengals (0-3)

Announcers: Kevin Harlan and Rich Gannon

Storyline: The Battle of Ohio. Two teams with playoff aspirations possibly taking their last shot. Brady Quinn Watch.

Key to the Game: Bengals Offensive Line. The key reason for the dramatic slip in the Bengals offense. Last week they were flagged multiple times and allowed six sacks. Palmer comes into this game injured, if the line can’t play better this week he will leave that way early.

Fantasy Star: TJ Houshmanzadeh. He has a TD in four straight games against the Browns. He is the best receiver on the team and the offense certainly looked better last week than in the previous two.

Prediction: Bengals. The Bengals snapped out of it a little last week, albeit in a losing effort. There has been no light at the end of the tunnel thus far for the Browns. A turn to Quinn may be the right move soon as this team is in serious need of a spark.

Houston Texans (0-2) at Jacksonville Jaguars (1-2)

Announcers: Dick Enberg and Randy Cross

Storyline: The Texans thought they were on the way up, a loss here puts them dangerously close to being back in cellar territory. The Jaguars thought they were a Super Bowl Contender, a loss here has them questioning a lot of things.

Key to the Game: Jaguars Offensive Line. After struggling for the first two weeks of the season the Jags line, minus three starters, finally started to gel last week. They ran all over the Colts and for the first time this year did not allow a sack.

Fantasy Star: Fred Taylor. The Texans have the 27th ranked run defense and Taylor looked great last week.

Prediction: Jaguars. I think this is closer than a lot of people might. Houston needs a win desperately and may have found their running back last week in Steve Slaton. Matt Schaub continues to be unimpressive though and the Texans have not shown that they have the players to stop Drew and Taylor.

San Francisco 49errs (2-1) at New Orleans Saints (1-2)

Announcers: Sam Rosen and Tim Ryan

Storylines: With so many injuries can the Saints remain relevant in a suddenly rejuvenated NFC South? Are the 49ers suddenly not only a contender in the NFC West, but possibly a contender in the NFC?

Key to the Game: Saints on 3rd Down. No Shockey, No Colston and the 49ers are really good against the run. If the Saints are unable to maintain long drives, as they did last week in Denver, they will again get outscored by an equally powerful offense.

Fantasy Star: Frank Gore. He’s averaging 95 rushing yards and 42 receiving yards per game. This week he takes on the 29th ranked defense in the league.

Prediction: 49ers. Believe me I never planned on picking the 49ers the first four weeks of the season. The truth is they are playing terrific football. The Saints are injured and coming off a demoralizing loss. This week they face an offense, not quite as explosive as the Broncos, but still capable of putting up points and a better defense.

Arizona Cardinals (2-1) at New York Jets (1-2)

Announcers: Dick Stockton, Brian Baldinger and Brian Billick

Storyline: Two quarterbacks, both thought once to be done, face off in the MeadowLands. Both QB’s struggled at times last week and will look to bounce back in a big game.

Key to the Game: Edgerrin James. The Cardinals have to establish a running game. They can score from anywhere on the field through the air, but rarely sustain drives. They don’t want to get into a shoot-out with Brett Favre, because that’s how he likes it. Though they lost last week they did not struggle to score points.

Fantasy Star: Chansi Stuckey. Though Brett has yet to establish a strong chemistry with either Coles or Cotchery he certainly has one with Stuckey. He has hit the rookie with TD passes in each of the first three games.

Prediction: Jets. Not a strong feeling on this one. I just don’t think Favre has two disappointing games at home to start his Jet Career. The Cardinals offense has been good but inconsistent, they still haven’t proven they’re able to win consistently either.

Green Bay Packers (2-1) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1)

Announcers: Kenny Albert and Daryl Johnston

Storylines: The Green Bay Packers beat two struggling teams to start the year and then did not look good at all in their first game against a contender, who shows up this week? Will Jon Gruden give Brian Griese a rest and actually try to run the ball a little?

Key to the Game: Bucs Pass Rush. The Cowboys pressured Rodgers last week and were able to make him look very average. If Gaines Adams and Greg White can create the kind of pressure they have so far this year they may finally be able to force Rodgers to turn the ball over.

Fantasy Star: I’m going to take a flyer on Ryan Grant against all evidence. I think he is too good to suddenly be completely ineffective and Mike McCarthy is going to be smart enough to run the ball a lot here to protect against that very good Tampa d-line.

Prediction: Buccaneers. I think that pass rush ends up being too much. Rodgers was great in those first two games but the book is out there on him now. The Bucs defense is getting older but it’s still plenty good enough to exploit the weaknesses that were exposed by Dallas last week.

Minnesota Vikings (1-2) at Tennessee Titans (3-0)

Announcers: Chris Myers and JC Pearson

Storylines: Could two teams be more of a mirror image of each other? Well other than the fact that one is undefeated and the other is struggling to find their footing.

Key to the Game: The Veteran Quarterbacks. Gus Frerotte was much better in the second half last year and hopes to improve even further in his second start. Kerry Collins has been a game manager to this point, but against a stiff Viking Run defense, he will have to make some plays here.

Fantasy Star: Doesn’t look to be a lot of points here. We’ll go with LenDale White, who despite having his carries cut some has become quite a red zone threat.

Prediction: Titans. I said last week that I thought the Panthers lost more than the Vikings won. I still haven’t seen anything out of them that makes me think they can go on the road and beat a very good Titan team.

Denver Broncos (3-0) at Kansas City Chiefs (0-3

Announcers: Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf

Storylines: The Chiefs seem to be lost this season. They won’t commit to Larry Johnson or to any of their quarterbacks. Their defense has some good but very young talent and their offensive line does not seem much improved from last year. This week the league’s best offense comes to town.

Key to the Game: Brandon Marshall. It is very easy for the Chiefs, if they want to have a snowball’s chance to win this game, they have to shut down Marshall. No team has done it since Marshall became a starter last season, this week it will fall on either rookie Brandon Flowers or Patrick Surtain.

Fantasy Star: Pick a Bronco. I’ll give you another, Selvin Young. The Broncos will run the ball more this week than they have all season and Young ran for 265 yards against the Chiefs, in two games, last season.

Prediction: Broncos. Yes it’s a division game on the road so all bets are off. But this one would certainly seem to be a no-brainer. Denver is unlikely to suffer a let-down in this game for the very reason that it is a divisional road game. If the Broncos have an off game they will score 27 against the Chiefs. How can the Chiefs score 4 TD’s?

Buffalo Bills (3-0) at St. Louis Rams (0-3)

Announcers: Ian Eagle and Solomon Wilcots

Storylines: The desperate Rams turn to Trent Green to try to get them their first win of the season. Unfortunately it comes against a Bills team that is undefeated and seemingly improving by the week.

Key to the Game: Steven Jackson vs. Paul Posluszny. For the Rams to have a chance they need to be able to have balance on offense. That falls on the capable hands of Steven Jackson. He will be taking on one of the league’s best run defenses.

Fantasy Star: Buffalo Defense. There Will Be Blood and turnovers.

Prediction: Bills. Blowout. I liked Trent Green once, but his time has passed and he is clearly not the answer here. Plus the move has deflated many other Rams players.

Washington Redskins (2-1) at Dallas Cowboys (3-0)

Announcers: Joe Buck and Troy Aikman

Storylines: One of the great rivalries in football and possibly for first place in it’s toughest division.

Key to the Game: The Redskins Safeties. The Skins will have to slow down the potent Dallas offense. They can do that with their talented safeties by helping out over the top on TO and covering Jason Witten.

Fantasy Star: Marion Barber. The Redskins have been very good against the pass this year but have struggled against the run. Look for Barber to exploit that fact.

Prediction: Cowboys. I think this will be a close game but I like the Cowboys at home.

Philadelphia Eagles (2-1) at Chicago Bears (1-2)

Announcers: Al Michaels and John Madden

Storylines: The Eagles are an unhealthy team coming into Soldier Field to face a Bears team desperately in need of a win.

Key to the Game: Eagles Pass Rush. The Eagles have been as good as anybody at getting to the quarterback this year. If they get to Orton, who has been unproductive anyway, it will be a long night for Bears fans.

Fantasy Star: Matt Forte. I don’t think anybody has a huge game, but I do think the rookie has plenty of success in this game, particularly catching the ball out of the backfield.

Prediction: Bears. I guess this is my upset pick. With McNabb and Westbrook both hurting I’m not sure how many points they can score against a still pretty good Bears defense. The Bears need this win bad and are at home in prime time.

Baltimore Ravens (2-0) at Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1)

Announcers: Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski and Tony Kornheiser

Storylines: For first place in the AFC North. Can a rookie QB playing in his first road game win in Pittsburgh under the lights on a Monday?

Key to the Game: Pittsburgh O-Line. I could make them the key to every Steelers game. If they play as poorly here as they did in Philly, the Ravens have more than a shot.

Fantasy Star: Rashard Mendenhall. I think the rookie has a big game in his first start.

Predictions: Steelers. I really kind of wanna pick the Ravens here, but I don’t think they get it done under the circumstances.

Week 4: Make or Break Fantasy Time

Alright, so you had your draft and we are now 3 weeks into the season. Week 4 could be critical for you. If you started 0-3 or 1-2 these are almost impossible holes to climb out of if you lose in week 4. 0-4 and 1-3 are very rough because other teams in your league are pulling away. I always say you want to start fast in Fantasy. If you are 3-0 or 2-1 right now, you can afford to lose or maybe have an injury for a couple of weeks. If you have an injury on the other side of the spectrum you cannot handle this because of the slow starts. Here is my list of busts’ that may have caused you to have a slow Fantasy start and are making you sweat thinking about the playoffs.

Carson Palmer averaged being the 6^th QB taken in most Fantasy drafts. So far he hasn’t lived up to his billing. In 3 weeks he has had 1TD and 3INT’s and a QB rating of 63.8. Palmer did have some bad match-ups so far this year but a Top-10 QB should be able to overcome that. Take Palmer’s 6TD game away last year and his numbers weren’t great. These QB’s were taken after Palmer; Cutler, McNabb, Favre, Rivers, Kurt Warner, Aaron Rodgers and Jason Campbell.

Braylon Edwards through 3 games has been as far from a Top-5 receiver as you can get. He has 8 catches for 73 yards. Now normally, this could be blamed on bad QB play, which Anderson has not be been great. Edwards doesn’t seem himself so far this year though, he has 5 drops on the year so far and seems to lack his explosiveness from last year. Edwards averaged being taken in the 2^nd round and was expected to have a huge season be ranked in the Top-5 most pre-season rankings and averaged being picked 4^th. So far he has been a disappointment.

Chad Johnson hasn’t been much better. He has 8 catches for 88 yards through 3 games this season. He averaged being drafted in the 3^rd round and #11 overall for receivers. I wouldn’t have much faith in him if I were his owner. Hope he has a good week and use him as trade bait. These receivers were taken after him; Brandon Marshall, Santana Moss, Anquan Boldin, Greg Jennings and Calvin Johnson.

Larry Johnson averaged being taken 10^th overall for RB’s and the 14^th pick. He has 58 carries for 217 yards and 1 touchdown this year and a 3.7ypc average. If you take away the 48 yard run last week his numbers are downright pathetic. He also should be looked at as trade bait. He had a good week, if you can dump him, do it now!

Randy Moss isn’t a definite bust after all he did have a really nice week 1. That is about it though since Brady went down. Take away week 1’s 6 catches, 119 yards and a touchdown; he has 6 catches for 47 yards and 0 TD’s. I don’t think this is a product of Moss; it has more to do with losing Brady. If Moss and Cassel can get some kind of chemistry going he should be able to turn it around. If you own him you may want to think about a trade, but I say give him at least another week or 2.

Hopefully these players turn it around if you own them since you have a lot of stock in them. Remember it is only week 3 and hopefully these guys are just slow starters.

Hardcore

50 Greatest Quarterbacks of the Past 25 Years: 35-31

35.

Neil O’ Donnell- Steelers, Titans, Jets and Bengals

O’ Donnell was a third round pick of the Steelers out of University of Maryland. Injuries thrust him into the starting line-up halfway through the 1991 season. In his 8 games the Steelers went 2-6 but O’ Donnell played very well for a rookie and was named the starter going into the 1992 season. In his first full season as a starter, though he missed four games, O’ Donnell threw 13 TD’s and 9 interceptions and earned his only career pro-bowl appearance. O’ Donnell continued to play well in the ’93 and ’94 season both years leading his team to the playoffs. In 1995 O’ Donnell took the Steelers back to the Super Bowl for the first time in nearly 20 years. O’ Donnell threw 17 TD’s and 7 picks that season, but memorably struggled in the second half against the Cowboys.

O’ Donnell would capitalize on his Super Bowl Bid by signing a lucrative contract with the New York Jets. O’ Donnell would struggle initially in New York and be benched after 6 games. In 1997 when Bill Parcells came on he re-named O’ Donnell the starter. O’ Donnell played very well in 1997 again throwing 17 TD’s and 7 interceptions and fell just short of the playoffs. From there O’ Donnell went to Cincinnati, which was probably a bad move. Though O’ Donnell remained highly efficient (15-4 TD to INT), The team was awful and O’ Donnell’s stock fell around the league.

O’ Donnell would join the Tennessee Titans and remain their back-up for 5 years, going 6-2 as a spot starter. O’ Donnell would retire following the 2003 season. O’ Donnell to this day still has the lowest interception percentage in NFL History. He threw just 2 interceptions per 100 passes.

34.

Carson Palmer- Bengals

Carson Palmer was the first overall pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2003 draft. Palmer sat behind Jon Kitna for his rookie season. Palmer became the starter in week 4 of the 2004 season. There were growing pains, but Palmer was certainly productive throwing for 2900 yards and 18 TD’s. Perhaps the bigger effect of Palmer is that for the first time in over a decade fans in Cincinnati believed they could win. In 2005 Palmer proved he could win.

Palmer led the league in 2005 with nearly 69% completion percentage and 32 touchdowns. He made the Pro Bowl in his first full season as a starter. He also led the Cincinnati Bengals to the playoffs after not having a winning season in nearly 15 years. Many believed the Bengals could have gone even further had Palmer not torn both his ACL and MCL after throwing a 66 yard touchdown on his first career playoff pass.

Palmer continued to impress in 2006 throwing for over 4000 yards and 28 TD’s. In 2007 he threw 26 more TD’s. Though Palmer’s stats have slipped over the past couple of seasons there is no doubt he is one of the most threatening QB’s in the league. While some may believe this is too high for a guy just starting his 5th season, consider this he has already thrown more TD’s than Jim McMahon, Doug Williams or Doug Flutie. All of whom played more than ten years. He is on pace to throw more than 300 TD’s and for over 45,000 yards if he plays ten more years which there is no reason to believe he won’t.

33.

Bernie Kosar- Browns, Dolphins and Cowboys

Bernie Kosar was the number one pick in the 1985 Supplemental Draft. Kosar was supposed to be a backup in his rookie season, but injuries made him the starter in week 6. Kosar helped the Browns make the playoffs by controlling the ball and handing it off to their duo of running backs, Byner and Mack. In 1986, firmly installed as the starter, Kosar’s handcuffs were taken off and Marty Schottenheimer opened up the offense for his talented quarterback. Kosar threw for nearly 3900 yards and led the Browns all the way to the AFC Championship Game. They would come one DRIVE away from the Super Bowl that season. In 1987, despite a strike-shortened season, Kosar would have his most productive season, throwing 22 TD’s. Again the Browns went to the AFC Title Game. This time it was an Earnest Byner fumble that kept them out of the Super Bowl.

After an injury plagued ’88 season, Kosar returned in fine form in 1989. Kosar threw for over 3500 yards and 18 TD’s. Again Bernie Kosar took the Browns to the AFC Championship Game and again they fell short. This time there was no heartbreak as the Browns were simply over-matched by a very good Denver Bronco team. The Browns would miss the playoffs for the next three years behind Kosar. Though, in 1991 Kosar had a very good year, with a completion percentage of 62% and throwing 18 TD’s to only 9 interceptions.

In 1993 The Browns would trade Kosar to the Dallas Cowboys who were in need of a starter after Troy Aikman was injured. Kosar played in four regular season games for the Cowboys that year throwing 3 TD’s and no interceptions and helping the Cowboys make the playoffs. When Aikman was hurt again during the NFC Title Game against San Francisco, Kosar was brought in to relieve him. He went 5-9 for 85 yards and a TD. He also took the final snap of the Cowboys Super Bowl Win that year. His only ring.

Kosar would finish his career by backing up Dan Marino in Miami for three years. Bernie Kosar took the Browns to the AFC Title Game four times and played a major part in the Cowboys return to the Super Bowl. He holds the NFL Record for most consecutive completions without an interception. Though his pro-career did not match his career at University of Miami, Bernie Kosar was a very good NFL Quarterback.

32.

Trent Dilfer- Buccaneers, Seahawks, Ravens, Browns and 49ers

Trent Dilfer was the 6th overall pick in the 1994 draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After sitting for most of his rookie season, Dilfer became the starter in 1995 and struggled both that season and the next. Dilfer showed signs of promise at times but threw far too many interceptions. In 1997 Trent Dilfer was finally given help with the arrival of Warrick Dunn. The much improved run game opened things up greatly for Dilfer who went to the Pro Bowl that year. Dilfer threw 22 TD’s and led the Buccaneers to the playoffs for the first time in 15 years. He topped that by actually winning a playoff game when the beat the Lions. Dilfer would remain with the Bucs for two more years. He is the winningest quarterback in the history of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

After the 1999 season Trent Dilfer was released as the Bucs decided to go with Shaun King. Dilfer would sign a one-year contract with the Baltimore Ravens to back up Tony Banks. Banks would start the first half of the season and while the team was successful Banks was very unproductive. Brian Billick turned to Trent Dilfer. In half of a season starting for the Ravens Dilfer would throw for 1,500 yards and 12 TD’s. Dilfer would lead the team through the playoffs and to a win in Super Bowl XXXV where he threw for 153 yards and a touchdown. Despite the success and the fact that he had the second highest selling jersey in Baltimore, the Ravens cut Dilfer after the season, feeling they could get more productive at the QB position. If you double Dilfer’s stats from that year it adds to a season with 3,000 yards and 24 TD’s. If the Ravens had that kind of quarterback in the past 8 years they may have made another Super Bowl run.

Dilfer would spend 4 seasons as a backup in Seattle. In his spot start duty Dilfer went 8-4. Dilfer would get a starting opportunity in 2005 and again with the 49ers in 2007, but predictably given those teams, would find little success. Trent Dilfer is widely considered one of the best locker room guys in the game and while he may not have set any records in the league, he’s got a ring and that’s more than most guys on this list.

31.

Mark Rypien- Redskins, Rams and Browns

Mark Rypien was the 6th round pick of the Redskins the year after winning the Super Bowl. With Doug Williams on board, Rypien figured to see little action. An injury to Williams opened things up for Rypien. Mark threw 18 TD’s in only 6 starts and made an aging Williams expendable at the end of the season. Rypien started the next season and made the Pro Bowl that year. He threw for over 3500 yards and 22 TD’s. He would miss some of the ’89 season, but still managed to throw for over 2000 yards in 10 games. In 1991 Rypien would not only return to the Pro Bowl, but win the Super Bowl. Rypien threw for 3800 yards that year and 28 TD’s to just 11 interceptions. He was the MVP of Super Bowl XXVI throwing for 292 yards and 2 scores.

As the Redskins got older, the team began to struggle and Rypien along with them. Though they won a playoff game again the next year Rypien threw more interceptions than TD’s. 1993 was even worse as Rypien was injured for much of the season and threw 4 TD’s to 10 picks. Rypien would finish his career as a journeyman back-up. Rypien is said to have one of the best deep balls in the history of the game. He is a 2 time pro-bowler and a Super Bowl MVP. If not for injuries, not only to him but the Redskins around him, Rypien may have had a much more successful career.

Top 50 Quarterbacks of the Past 25 Years: 40-36

40.

Jeff George- Colts, Falcons, Raiders, Redskins and Vikings

In 1990 Jeff George was the first overall pick by the Indianapolis Colts. He proceeded to sign the largest rookie contract in NFL History. Things went down for a while from there. In his 4 years with the Colts they posted a 14-35 record. To be certain, this wasn’t all Jeff’s fault. But flipping off the fans, arguing with your head coach on the sidelines, holding out a year after signing that contract and eventually demanding a trade falls squarely on Jeff.

In 1994 Jeff George got his wish and was traded to the Atlanta Falcons. George was perfect for June Jones’ run and shoot offense. In 1994 George threw for 3700 yards and 23 TD’s. In 1995 he was an MVP candidate when he threw for 4100 yards, 24 TD’s and only 11 picks. On the field, the change of scenery seemed to be just what George needed. However, off the field George still had plenty of problems and they would of course spill over. After getting off to an 0-3 start in 1996 George was spotted on the sidelines once again berating his head coach. Jones suspended George for the rest of the season and began looking for a trade. But who would take a QB who was a locker room cancer and twice had been caught on TV belittling his coach?

The Oakland Raiders. As was often the case for George he was a perfect short term fit. George led the league with 3917 yards passing. He also was second with 29 TD passes and only 9 interceptions. The next year things would once again deteriorate. George got off to a so-so start and then went on a local radio show and told them that he had hurt his groin and would be out for the season. Only problem…nobody on the team knew that. George was once again given his walking papers.

George’s next stop was in Minnesota where Dennis Green brought him in to be an insurance policy for an oft injured Randall Cunningham. Instead Cunningham simply was benched after six games and Jeff George got yet another opportunity. Once again he made the most of it. In 10 games George went 8-2, threw for 2800 yards and 23 touchdowns. George also won his first playoff game throwing three touchdowns in a win over the Cowboys. George looked to be set up as the guy in Minnesota. But his history hurt him. The Vikings simply let him walk knowing that good things did not last long when it came to Jeff George. Jeff had to find another team willing to pay out huge money for a free agent with heavy baggage. But if not the Raiders, who?

The Washington Redskins. George would start only 7 games in 2 years in Washington with the Redskins going 1-6 in those games. George attempted several comebacks in the following years, but would never find the field again. Jeff George is a story of wasted talent. One of the finest passers of this era his attitude and unwillingness to be a man kept him from finding the heights he was capable of. But, at least his story didn’t end in prison.

39.

Michael Vick- Falcons

Michael Vick was the first African-American quarterback to be taken with the number one pick when the Falcons chose him in 2001. He would go on to set records for single-season rushing yards for a QB, single game rushing yards for a quarterback, most 100 yard rushing games for a QB, highest average per carry in a single season. In just six years he compiled the third highest rushing total for a career for a quarterback. He was the first quarterback to ever throw for 250 yards and rush for 100 yards in the same game. He is a three-time pro bowler.

In 2002 at the age of 22 Michael Vick became one of the biggest stars in the league. He threw for 2900 yards and ran for another 775. He would also become the first opposing quarterback to ever win a playoff game at Lambeau Field. In his six year career Michael Vick threw for over 11,000 yards and ran for nearly 4,000 more. Michael Vick was a bona fide superstar. Now he is serving 23 months in a federal prison. If Jeff George is a sad story, Michael Vick is a self-imposed tragedy. Michael Vick will attempt to return to the NFL next year. But what team would want a QB who missed two seasons to serve time in jail? What’s that Mr. Davis?

38.

Ken O’ Brien- Jets and Eagles

Ken O’ Brien was the 24th pick in the famous 1983 NFL Draft. 23 picks behind John Elway but three ahead of Dan Marino. O’ Brien did not become the starter for the Jets until late in the 1984 season. The Jets went 1-4 in his five games, but O’ Brien played well enough to be named the starter going into the 1985 season. The Jets did not regret it as O’ Brien, like Marino and Elway before him, took his team to the playoffs in his first season. He also made the Pro Bowl as he threw for almost 3900 yards and had 25 TD’s to only 8 interceptions. In 1986, O’ Brien had another great year, once again throwing 25 touchdown passes. O’ Brien would be the Jets starter for seven years, throwing for nearly 25,000 yards and 124 TD’s. In 1991 he made his second pro-bowl. It would be his last season as a Jet though.

In 1992 O’ Brien signed witht the Philadelphia Eagles and was their back-up for two years before retiring much earlier than his more successful ’83 Draft mates. It should be noted that of the five first round QB’s that year, O’Brien, Elway, Marino, Kelly and Eason…nobody won more games head to head with the other four than Ken O’ Brien.

37.

Bobby Hebert- Saints and Falcons

Hebert is another product of the USFL, where he apparently had a great career. Hebert signed with the Saints in 1985. He would see only spot duty until early in the 1987 season when he became New Orleans starting quarterback. He led the Saints to the playoffs that year, and the 2nd best offense in the league. Hebert threw for 2,100 yards and 15 TD’s in his twelve games. Hebert would be a Saint for 7 years and compiled an extremely impressive record of 49-26. In those seven years he threw 85 TD’s and helped the Saints make the playoffs 4 times.

In 1993 Hebert signed with the Falcons. He made the Pro Bowl that year passing for 24 TD’s. In the off-season though the Falcons made the controversial decision of trading for Jeff George and benching Hebert. Bobby was stuck in his contract and would have to spend the next two seasons as backup for George. After George was suspended in ’96 Hebert would take over as the starter, but the rust was evident. Still, he managed to throw 22 TD’s that year. If the Falcons hadn’t signed George, I think Hebert would be a much more highly regarded QB. He was very good in NO and was off to a great start in Atlanta. His story may be one more of bad luck than anything else.

You know what’s interesting. The quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons is Bobby Hebert. No “r” which I find fascinating. You know it’s Herbert h-e-r-b-e-r-t, Hebert h-e-b-e-r-t. “Hebert” it’s a fun name to pronounce. Try and say it Hebert.

                                                          Costanza

36.

Jim Everett- Rams, Saints and Chargers

Jim Everett was the third overall pick in the 1986 draft after a phenomenal career at Purdue. He became the Rams starting quarterback mid-way through the 1987 season and predictably struggled somewhat. In 1988 and 1989 though, Everett would not only take the Rams to the Playoffs but lead the league in TD passes with 31 and 29 respectively. In 1990 Everett would earn his only Pro-Bowl berth after throwing for 3900 yards and 23 TD’s. Everett should have been a pro-bowler in 88 and 89 as well, but the fans vote, which is why the Pro Bowl Sucks. Overall, in his 8 years with the Rams Everett would throw for nearly 24,000 yards and 142 TD’s.

In 1994 Everett signed with the Saints and continued to be very productive. Everett threw 22 TD passes in 94 and 26 in 1995. Everett struggled in 96 and was released at the end of the year. He would spend one season as the backup in San Diego before retiring. Everett threw 204 TD’s in his career which is 25th on the all-time list. He was the greatest QB in Los Angeles Rams History.

For Jim Rome Fans, I would be remiss to not include this straight from Wikipedia:

“Following the 1989 regular season, Everett was reportedly “shellshocked” from the multiple times he was sacked and hit in the NFC Championship game against the San Francisco 49ers (the 49ers won, 30-3). At one point in the game, Everett was so rattled that he collapsed to the ground in the pocket merely in anticipation of yet another sack, even though the 49ers’ defensive players actually had not yet reached him—a play now known as Everett’s “phantom sack”.^[1] From then on he was perceived to shy away from hits, and later acknowledged that his confidence was never fully restored.

This reputation led to Everett’s infamous 1994 confrontation with then Talk2 host Jim Rome. Rome had made a habit of repeatedly mocking Everett’s reputation for being averse to taking hits by referring to Everett as “Chris” Everett (a reference to female tennis star Chris Evert). Everett appeared as a guest on the show and Rome wasted no time, applying the insult twice within the first 10 seconds of introducing Everett. Everett warned Rome not to do it again, implying that physical consequences would ensue otherwise. Everett, visibly angry by this point, then went on to challenge Rome, predicting that now that the warning had been issued, Rome wouldn’t dare to repeat the insult again. Rome promptly applied the insult a third time and Everett responded by physically charging Rome, overturning a table and knocking down Rome live on air before leaving the set. This incident was later parodied on an episode of Cheap Seats with Randy and Jason Sklar portraying the two. There are some who think the whole incident with Rome was staged, because the camera cut to a wide shot of both Rome and Everett just before Everett overturned the table.”

Jon Stewart is a Hater

On the Daily Show tonight, Jon Stewart said and I quote “Your team, (the raiders), blows.” He said this in response to Aaron Eckhart, who is a Raider Fan, saying that Oakland doesn’t know anything about winning championships. Jon Stewart is a very Smart guy.

Top 50 Quarterbacks of the Past 25 Years: 45-41

45.

Steve DeBerg- 49ers, Broncos, Buccaneers, Chiefs and Falcons

DeBerg was the first quarterback to play in Bill Walsh’s true west coast offense. In 1979, his second year starting in the league, he set the NFL records for pass attempts and completions. But Walsh did not see DeBerg as the quarterback for the team and instead turned to Joe Montana. Showing why people call Bill Walsh a genius. Being replaced by quarterbacks who will rank higher than him on this list would become a trend during DeBerg’s career.

DeBerg left San Francisco and became the back-up quarterback for the Denver Broncos. He was brought in with the intent to be the starter down the line. He started the last five games in 1982 and the first five in ’83. He had the Broncos off to a 4-1 start but Dan Reeves decided it was time to turn to rookie QB John Elway. His success as a backup in Denver opened the door for him to seek a starting job in the league and he found one in Tampa Bay.

DeBerg’s two seasons in Tampa were up and down as both years he threw 19 TD’s and 18 Interceptions. He was once again replaced by a young phenom, this time in the person of Vinny Testeverde. DeBerg left Tampa and finally got his chance for a long term job in Kansas City where he was the starter for four seasons. DeBerg enjoyed his greatest success in 1990 when he threw 23 TD’s and only 4 interceptions. DeBerg’s career as a starting QB ended after the 1991 season when he was ironically once again replaced by Joe Montana. DeBerg spent a couple of more years as a backup in both Tampa and Miami, but never enjoyed more than spot starter status. In 1998 his former coach Dan Reeves brought him out of retirement to be the backup QB on the Atlanta Falcons. DeBerg became the oldest player ever to be on a Super Bowl roster at the end of that season.

DeBerg deserves his spot on this list for throwing for 35,000 yards and 196 TD’s in the NFL. He is so low because he had more interceptions than TD’s and was never a consistent winner in the NFL. Certainly DeBerg’s greatest claim to fame may be that he was the man who handed jobs over to both Joe Montana and John Elway.

44.

Jim Harbaugh- Bears, Colts, Ravens and Chargers

Highly touted coming out of Michigan Jim Harbaugh was the first round pick of the Chicago Bears and the chosen replacement for oft injured Jim McMahon. Harbaugh didn’t start a game in his rookie season and only played sparingly in the next two. In 1990 the Bears parted ways with McMahon and Harbaugh was named the starting quarterback. Harbaugh would remain the starter in Chicago for the next four seasons. In an offense completely centered around the run and with no true threat at wide receiver, Harbaugh never topped 15 TD passes or 3,200 yards as a Bear.

In 1994 Harbaugh signed with the Indianapolis Colts. After missing much of the ’94 season with injury Harbaugh bounced back big in 1995 having the best year of his career. Harbaugh had a passer rating of over 100 that year and was voted to the Pro Bowl. Harbaugh also won NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors and was the runner-up to the MVP. Perhaps more importantly Harbaugh led the Colts to the AFC Championship Game. Harbaugh had two more good years with the Colts and during his four years there averaged just one interception in every fifty passes thrown. In 1997 Harbaugh threw ten touchdowns and only four interceptions, but the team was horrible and that almost always comes back to the coach and the quarterback. Both were replaced. Harbaugh by number one pick Peyton Manning. Harbaugh was traded to the former home of the Colts Baltimore to play for the Ravens.

Harbaugh was okay in Baltimore but did not supply the consistency they were looking for in the quarterback position. Of course, they still  haven’t found that. Harbaugh went to San Diego in 1999 and improved the struggling Chargers to an 8-8 football team. Nevertheless, the Chargers decided to go with Ryan Leaf in the 2000 season, though Harbaugh far outplayed him in his limited starts. In 2001 Harbaugh would be on the rosters of both the Lions and Panthers, but saw no playing time.

Harbaugh makes the list based almost entirely on one season. But one great season is more than the guys behind him had. At this point, Harbaugh’s greatest claim to fame is probably leading Stanford to a win over USC last year. At one time though, he was one of the league’s most accurate trigger-men.

43.

Aaron Brooks- Saints and Raiders

Aaron Brooks was the fourth round pick of the Green Bay Packers in 1999. He was traded to the Saints in 2000. In week 11 of that season he came into the game to replace an injured Jeff Blake. Brooks played well enough over the next five games to win the starting job for the next 5 seasons. Brooks helped the Saints sew up a playoff appearance just one year after going 3-13. Not only that but in the wild card round he would throw four touchdowns en route to upsetting the defending Super Bowl Champion Rams.

In 2001 though the Saints struggled Aaron Brooks threw for 3800 yards and a franchise record, at the time, 26 TD’s. In 2002 he would top himself by throwing 27 TD’s. Despite his great play that season Saints fans would berate him late in the season and ask for him to be replaced. Another example of the woes of an entire team being placed on one man’s shoulders. In ’03 Brooks would have maybe his best season throwing 24 TD’s and only 8 interceptions. Again though, the Saints missed the playoffs and pressure was growing on Brooks. In his six years as a starter for the Saints only Tom Brady would lead more 4th quarter comebacks. Still, in 2005 Aaron Brooks was benched near the end of the season.

After one very poor year in the Abyss that is the Raiders, Aaron Brooks career would inexplicably come to an end. Despite five extremely productive years in New Orleans Aaron Brooks was not given another chance after his stint in Oakland. Despite workouts in Pittsburgh and Green Bay Aaron Brooks was never offered another job in the league. With the elevated number of sub-par QB’s in the league, Brooks who averaged over 3000 yards and 20 TD’s in his six years as a Saint was forced to retire due to lack of interest. I know it ended bad but we should try to remember how good Aaron Brooks really was.

42.

Steve Beuerlein- Panthers, Cardinals, Cowboys, Broncos, Raiders and Jaguars

Beuerlein was a fourth round pick of the Raiders in 1987 and would be their part time starter in both ’88 and ’89. During that time he posted a winning record, yet the Raiders would never turn to him to be their franchise Quarterback, instead letting him leave in 1991 to join the Dallas Cowboys. Beuerlein saw starting duty for an injured Troy Aikman in 1991 and was a perfect 4-0 during his starting stretch and played a major role in the Cowboys return to the playoffs. He also started against the Bears in the playoffs and threw his only career playoff TD pass en route to a win.

In 1993 Beuerlein wold leave Dallas to take a starting job in Phoenix. Beurlein would struggle in his first shot as a starter throwing more interceptions than TD’s during his two year stint with the Cards. In 1995 the Jacksonville Jaguars would take Beuerlein with their first pick in the expansion draft. Beuerlein was brought in only to groom Mark Brunell to be the long term starter and he did that, and then was released at the end of the season. He signed with the Carolina Panthers. After two years as a very productive back up for the Panthers Steve Beuerlein was named the starting quarterback prior to the 1998 season. Beuerlein played very well completing 63% of his passes. In 1999 at 34 years old, Beuerlein would have the best year of his career. He threw for almost 4500 yards and 36 TD’s. He would make his only Pro Bowl that year. His numbers dipped dramatically the next year and Beuerlein was released at the end of the season. Beuerlein finished his career as a back up for the Denver Broncos.

Beuerlein’s story is one of perseverance. It took him 10 years to become the guy, but when given that chance he made the most of it. He is still the record holder in most categories for the Panthers and had great back-up stints for the Cowboys and Raiders.

41.

Doug Flutie- Patriots, Bills and Chargers

After a stellar career at Boston College Doug Flutie won the Heisman Trophy. Still he was undrafted due to his 5’9″ height. Flutie seized an opportunity presented to him by Donald Trump and the USFL. He played two seasons for the New Jersey Generals. When the USFL folded in 1986 Flutie went to play for the Chicago Bears. Flutie would start just one  game for the Bears and was traded to the New England Patriots during the 1987 season. Flutie would win the starting job in New England, however injuries would mar the two years he spent there. With a lack of opportunities pending in the NFL Flutie went north of the border and began a career in the CFL.

During 8 years playing for the BC Lions and Toronto Argonauts Flutie threw for over 40,000 yards and 270 TD’s. He also won the Grey Cup on three occasions and was the league MVP three times. In 2006 Doug Flutie was named the greatest Canadian Football Player of all-time by TSN.

In 1998 Doug Flutie returned to the NFL and became the starting quarterback of the Buffalo Bills. Flutie led the Bills to the playoffs that year and was named to the Pro Bowl. Flutie would lead Buffalo back to the playoffs the final season, but owner Ralph Wilson insisted that young Rob Johnson replace Flutie for the playoff game. Which they lost. In 2000 Rob Johnson was given the starting job and went 4-7 as a starter. In contrast Flutie was 4-1 in relief of an injured Johnson late in the season. Still the franchise was determined to make things work with Johnson, so instead of having a QB controversy going in to the 2001 season, the Bills released Doug Flutie.

Flutie signed with a bad Chargers team after the ’01 season. He was very productive at times but struggled much of the season behind a really bad offensive line. The next year Doug Flutie became Drew Brees’ back-up. In 2003 he replaced a struggling Brees late in the season. He played well and was in fact named AFC player of the week after he ran for two TD’s. In 2004 Doug Flutie signed with the New England Patriots and ended his career as Tom Brady’s back-up.

Doug Flutie is not on this list because of any numbers. Rather he makes the list for defying the odds time and again and being one of the most popular players in the history of the league. It was hard not to like Flutie even if he was playing opposite your team. He was the purveyor of Flutie Magic, from the Hail Mary on.

Looking Back at Week 3

Atlanta Falcons 38     Kansas City Chiefs 14

Why the Falcons Won: Game Plan. The Falcons ran the ball twice as many times as they threw it. A good strategy when you’re a great running team and have a rookie QB. An even better strategy when the defense is giving up over 5 yards per carry this season. Matt Ryan has done a great job of taking advantage of his strong running game by throwing the deep ball when it’s open down field.

Why the Chiefs Lost: Unlike the Falcons the Chiefs did not protect their rookie QB. They threw the ball 36 times and ran it only 33. Despite conventional knowledge they actually ran it more after they were down by two scores. Herman Edwards continues to not be able to put his team, which is already lacking in talent, in a position to win.

Fantasy Note: Here’s one you may not be expecting. The Falcons Defense. They’ve actually played well this season. They’ve sacked the QB and forced turnovers. Even against the Bucs when the Falcon offense was unproductive, the defense played well.

What It All Means: The Chiefs are terrible. Herm said before the game that if Thigpen struggled he would go back to Huard. I’d love to hear his definition of struggling. They also continued to rein Larry Johnson in until it’s too late for him to matter. This team lacks an identity and it is getting worse. The Falcons meanwhile, are really not a bad team. They play decent defense and they run the ball extremely well. I don’t know if they’re a playoff contender, but they are a team that will compete each week.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27     Chicago Bears 24

Why the Bucs Won: Going against the grain. In a game that looked about as old fashioned as possible, the Bucs aired it out. Not only did Brian Griese throw the ball 67 times, he frequently threw in situations that looked like running downs. The Bears were unprepared for this type of offense and it showed especially in the fourth quarter.

Why the Bears Lost: Not for lack of effort. The Bears actually played well especially on the offensive side of the ball. If anything it was purely exhaustion in the fourth quarter and in overtime. It is a lot more tiring to defend the pass than the run and the Bucs exploited that.

Fantasy Note: Sign Antonio Bryant. Jon Gruden likes to throw the ball and feels good about having Griese do that. Bryant was obviously his favorite target on Sunday and figures to remain so. Remember, Griese practiced all summer with the second team along with Bryant, thus the good chemistry.

What it All Means: The Bears are still a playoff contender. Kyle Orton has played fairly well and they have a strong defense and running game, this one got away from them though and may have exposed some weaknesses. The Buccaneers have to feel like they made the right move in going to Griese. He has won both games and played well. Griese had a lot of success previously in the Gruden offense and stretches the field better than Garcia.

Minnesota Vikings 20     Carolina Panthers 10

Why the Vikings Won: The move to Frerotte was certainly part of it as he played really well in the second half and loosened up the box for the Viking run game. The bigger deal though was that Minnesota was finally able to apply pressure. We finally saw an impact from Jared Allen as the Vikings sacked Jake Delhomme 5 times.

Why the Panthers Lost: Crowd Noise. The Panthers had six false start penalties and a critical delay of game i the fourth quarter.

Fantasy Note: Probably most Vikings WR’s are available in your league. Grab Berrian or Sidney Rice as they are much more valuable now that Frerotte is the starter.

What It All Means: Everybody’s pumped up that the Vikings are now what they were supposed to be, but this may have been more a case of the Panthers doing what they always do. The Panthers beat the Chargers and Bears, two teams they were underdogs against. They lost when favored against the Vikings. This team has historically had big problems getting up for teams they’re supposed to beat.

Miami Dolphins 38     New England Patriots 13

Why the Dolphins Won: Creativity. It’s something that we lack in the copycat NFL. The Dolphins ran the single-wing back 8 times in this game and each time with success. The Patriots had no answer for it because they never expected to see it. The Patriots get a lot of credit for adjustments in game, but they made none in this one.

Why the Patriots Lost: Small Field. None of the Patriots backs have the ability to bounce a ball outside and be a home run threat. The passing game is all underneath and all in the middle of the field. Randy Moss had 4 catches for just 25 yards and on the bench started looking like he did in Oakland, sitting away from everybody else.

Fantasy Note: If you have Ronnie Brown or Ricky Williams on your bench you clearly have to feel better about each after this game. They work better with Brown starting and Williams coming in to abuse a softened defense.

What It All Means: I think this one is more about the Patriots than the Dolphins. The Dolphins certainly can come out of this one feeling like they have a good 1-2 punch at RB and the right coach as Sparano clearly outcoached Belicheat. The Patriots defense meanwhile was exposed as I’ve been saying it would be. They are very weak in the middle of the field and are old. Anybody who still thinks that the NE system can go on without Brady is crazy.

New York Giants 26     Cincinnati Bengals 23

Why the Giants Won: The Giants offensive line is quickly becoming acknowledged as the best in the league. Not only did they not give up a sack in this game but the Giants Running backs averaged over 6 yards per carry.

Why the Bengals Lost: Questionable clock Management. The Bengals had plenty of time to play for the winning touchdown in regulation, but as is almost always the case in the NFL when a team only needs a field goal, that’s what they play for.

Fantasy Note: Amani Toomer very rarely gets starts in fantasy leagues. I don’t really understand this as he is a very solid 2 or 3 on your team.

What It All Means: While everybody is quick to anoint  the Cowboys as the best team in the NFC, the Giants are the defending Super Bowl Champions and  have been very impressive this year.  They continue each week to dominate the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. The Bengals played their best game of the year and still fell short.  One has to believe that we are getting close to this team being broken down and rebuilt.

Tennessee Titans 31     Houston Texans 12

Why the Titans Won: Playing Titans Football. They have the best defense in the league and a running game that can beat you up with LenDale White or explode with Chris Johnson. Kerry Collins is the perfect quarterback for this team as he can make throws that Vince Young was never capable of and does not make the critical mistakes.

Why the Texans Lost: Because Matt Schaub has yet to earn the hype. He was 17 of 37 and threw three interceptions. How this guy became so coveted I never understood and he has never played like the quarterback the Texans thought they were getting.

Fantasy Note: If Steve Slaton can run for over 100 yards on this defense it is scary to think what he’ll do against some other teams.

What It All Means: The Titans are the best team in the AFC right now. They can’t score like Denver, but they don’t have to. They score enough to win and are dominant on defense. The Texans meanwhile are really having problems on offense and while it looks like they may have their running back, I’m not so sure about their quarterback.

Washington Redskins 24    Arizona Cardinals 17

Why the Redskins Won: Turnovers. The Redskins forced two turnovers and turned them into ten points. The Cardinals were not able to come up with any takeaways for the first time this season.

Why the Cardinals Lost: Lack of Rhythm. Kurt Warner has always been a quarterback who excelled when he could get into a tempo within the game. The Redskins took that away by forcing three-and-outs and applying just enough pressure to force Warner to move his feet more than he is comfortable with.

Fantasy Note: Jason Campbell is worth starting at this point. He has gotten better each week and has really gotten things going with Santana Moss.

What It All Means: I don’t usually like to buy into ESPN hyperbole but there is little question as to how tough the NFC East is. So the Redskins looked good the past couple of weeks, but are they even good enough to compete in this division. The Cardinals are better than they used to be, but still not as good as we thought they could be.

Buffalo Bills 24     Oakland Raiders 23

Why the Bills Won: Trent Edwards played poorly for 3 quarters, but found his mojo in the fourth quarter for the second straight week. He is quickly becoming the kind of quarterback that keeps Bills fans in their seats until the last snap no matter what.

Why the Raiders Lost: While the Raiders were able to come up with some big plays and played well on defense, they were extremely inconsistent on both sides of the ball. They had only 10 first downs in the game and threw only 3 passes in the second half, despite the fact that one of those passes was an 80+ yard TD. The defense played well, but couldn’t get stops when they needed them in the fourth quarter.

Fantasy Note: If you took Manning or Palmer early and got Edwards late, you may want to think about doing the unthinkable. Edwards has been consistent and gets more comfortable in the offense every week.

What It All Means: The Bills are in that conversation for best AFC team. They are good in all three aspects of the game. They still have not given Dick Jauron a contract extension beyond this season. The Raiders do not look to be giving Lane Kiffin an extension either, but rather his walking papers. Same Old Raiders.

San Francisco 49ers 31     Detroit Lions 13

Why the Niners Won: Aggressiveness. Certain 49er fans I know complained all last season about the Niners running draws on 3rd and 11 and never throwing down field. That does not seem to be an issue anymore. Mike Martz clearly held some animosity towards the Lions. On 4th and 1 with a two touchdown lead the Niners ran an End Around to Allen Rossum for a TD. Then with a 15 point lead and six minutes left in the game the 49ers recovered their own onside kick.

Why the Lions Lost: The Lions could not create any pressure in this game and were once again down by two touchdowns early in the game.

Fantasy Note: Rudi Johnson replaced Kevin Smith in the game and had 117 yards and a touchdown.

What It All Means: To me the 49ers are the favorite to win the NFC West. They have a very good defense and the offense is starting to come together. The Lions meanwhile are terrible and are showing no signs of improving.

Seattle Seahawks 37     St. Louis Rams 13

Why the Seahawks Won: They found their running game. Julius Jones ran for 140 yards and as a team they ran for 240. TJ Duckett added 2 TD’s and for at least a week they answered how they can win without their prolific pass game.

Why the Rams Lost: No offense. 65 rushing yards and another week with a subpar passing game. This team has steadily gone downhill since Scott Linehan got there and you have to wonder when he will join Kiffin on the scrap heap.

Fantasy Note: Julius Jones had his second straight really good week with 140 yards and a TD. He is proving that he was really under appreciated in  Dallas.

What It All Means: I don’t know how much it means. I think we knew we couldn’t completely count out Holmgren or the Hawks, but beating a dismal Ram team does not mean they are back. Is Chase Daniel the best QB playing in the state of Missouri?

Baltimore Ravens 28     Cleveland Browns 10

Why the Ravens Won: Ball Control. The Ravens held the ball for 15 minutes longer than the Browns. That’s a full quarter more of ball possession. The Browns meanwhile went three-and-out or turned the ball over on half of their drives.

Why the Browns Lost: Weren’t the Browns supposed to be good now? In truth they closed last season 1-2 and scored just 3 touchdowns in those games. This year they are 0-3 and have just 33 points. It’s time for a change in Cleveland.

Fantasy Note: If you haven’t already, bench your Browns. Derek Anderson’s days as a starter are short, Jamal Lewis needs a strong pass game to open lanes for him and sit Braylon Edwards until he convinces you otherwise. Brandon Marshall had more catches and yards in the first half last week than Braylon has all season.

What It All Means: Maybe the Dog Days aren’t over in Cleveland, but at least the old Browns look much better than expected. That’s gotta make Browns fans feel good right? Right?

Jacksonville Jaguars 23     Indianapolis Colts 21

Why the Jaguars Won: By being the team they were last year. Second half time of possession was 16 minutes for Jax and only 4 for the Colts. Yeah, the Colts made the most of their time with the ball, but it is hard to beat the Jaguars when they are able to control the clock.

Why the Colts Lost: An over-dependence on Bob Sanders. This team’s run defense is built around a safety. They are weak at DT and MLB, which is exposed any time Sanders is not in the lineup and this week was no different as the Jags ran for 220 yards on the Colts.

Fantasy Note: If you were getting nervous about the Jaguars running tandem, hopefully this game put you at ease. The Jaguars played the Titans and Bills in the first two weeks, most weeks will not be against defenses that strong.

What It All Means: I called for it in the pre-season but didn’t really believe it. I am really starting to think this current Colts team’s run is over. The defense does not look good and the offense just doesn’t have the same rhythm. The Jaguars are the 0-2 team that I thought was still a strong playoff contender and this game only makes me more confident of that fact.

Philadelphia Eagles 15     Pittsburgh Steelers 6

Why the Eagles Won: 4th Quarter Field Position. The Eagles didn’t do anything in the fourth quarter on offense and in fact had to punt three times in the quarter. But each of those punts pinned the Steelers inside the twenty and the Philadelphia front seven took over from there.

Why the Steelers Lost: Offensive Line Breakdown. It was the biggest concern about the Steelers coming into the season and for the second straight week the Pittsburgh O-Line was underwhelming. The Eagles recorded 8 sacks and the Steelers were unable to run the ball.

Fantasy Note: Not much fantasy news to come out of this kind of game. If Brian Westbrook is out, go ahead and pick up Buckhalter.

What It All Means: After a dominant week 1 performance over the Texans, everybody thought the Steelers might be the favorite in the AFC. After the past two weeks you have to start asking if they are the favorites in their division. They probably are, but do not look like a Super Bowl contender. The Eagles on the other hand are as they have proven they can compete in shoot-outs or this kind of hard-hitting affair.

Denver Broncos 34     New Orleans Saints 32

Why the Broncos Won: Believe it or not I’m going with the defense. I know they gave up way too many yards and points, but the truth is they came up big when they had to. Not only did they score points, but they got the goal line stand that provided a 5 point swing in the game and kept the Saints from getting into an easier field goal position at the end of the game.

Why the Saints Lost: To Be Or Not To Be Aggressive. Sean Payton was very aggressive at the end of the first half going for it on 4th and goal from the 1 and coming up short. Had he kicked the field goal this game may have already been tied when the Saints were driving late. Then with nearly two minutes left in the game and facing 3rd and 1 instead of trying anything creative or aggressive the Saints simply tried to run off-tackle which they had been unable to do all day. Not only did that keep them from getting closer to the field goal, it also kept the clock from running down. Even if Gramatica had hit the field goal, anybody want to bet against Cutler getting his team in field goal position with two minutes left?

Fantasy Note: Brandon Marshall is currently the best receiver in the game. I don’t care what the match-up is or who else you have on your team, start Marshall. I say this because on Yahoo! last week Marshall was only starting in 84% of the leagues. What the hell are the rest of you doing?

What It All Means: ESPN had every show asking if the Broncos were good or lucky. Last week was debatable, this week was certainly not. If you only watched SportsCenter highlights or listened to the analysts you may think the Broncos but if you watched the game you know they got more critical stops than the Saints and were clearly the better team on the field. If not for a questionable fumble call against Tony Scheffler The Saints aren’t even in the game at the end.

Dallas Cowboys 27         Green Bay Packers 16

Why the Cowboys Won: Ground Control. The Cowboys outrushed the Packers 217-84.

Why the Packers Lost: Lack of Balance. The Packers started to believe their own press about Rodgers. He’s played well but their is no reason for them to call 44 pass plays to only 16 rushes.

Fantasy Note: If you have a three back league or a weak backfield Felix Jones is worth starting, particularly if your league counts return yards.

San Diego Chargers 48         New York Jets 29

Why the Chargers Won: Offensive consistency. The Chargers had the ball 11 times, they punted only once. They scored TD’s in the red zone and were very good at converting on the few times they were actually taken to third down.

Why the Jets Lost: Offensive Inconsistency. The Jets came up with good plays early and late but disappeared in the middle of the game. A note I didn’t know but found on NFL.com, Brett Favre who is known as somewhat of a comeback guy has never won a game where his team trailed by 14 or more points.

Fantasy Note: If anybody is playing as well as Cutler right now it is, unfortunately, Philip Rivers. You should definitely be starting him. All the talk of LT be back is greatly exaggerated, yeah he had 2 TD’s which looked good on fantasy teams, but again averaged under 3 yards per carry.

What It All Means: The Chargers are still a contender and if Denver doesn’t cure their defensive woes then they could still win the west. The Jets meanwhile are still a work in progress. In their favor, in a couple of weeks their schedule gets easier and could enable them to get back into contention.

Top 50 Quarterbacks of the Last 25 Years: 50-46

Here’s a new feature we’re going to try. I’m going to do the top 50 of each skill position for the past 25 years. The players had to play the majority of their career in that era. We start with the money position at QB. The criteria I used was skill, stats, wins and impact on the game.

50.

Jim McMahon- Chicago Bears, San Diego Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, Arizona Cardinals, Green Bay Packers

McMahon may be better remembered for being a Maverick off the field than he is for anything he did on the field. The truth though is that early on in his career he was a very good quarterback. McMahon was a smart QB who did a wonderful job reading defenses. He was also the first great play-action passer in the league and a great passer outside the pocket. In 1982 he was named the NFC Offensive Rookie of the Year and in 1984, his third as a starter, he took the team to the NFC Title Game. In 1985 injuries began to plague McMahon, but when he played he was perfect going 11-0 and winning Super Bowl XX for the Bears, rushing for two TD’s in the process.

In ’86 the injuries began to pile up due to the reckless way McMahon played and he never started a full season in his career. Still when healthy McMahon was productive, between 1986-88 McMahon was 18-3 as a starter. From there McMahon became a journeyman QB playing for 5 more teams and only being named starter in 2 of his final 8 seasons. He did win a Super Bowl in 1996 as a member of the Green Bay Packers, though he only attempted four passes for the Pack that year.

McMahon often gets overlooked and written off as being a benefactor of the Bears terrific defense in 1985, but he was off to a great start in his career before his wild style caught up with him. McMahon can also get a lot of credit for turning quarterbacks into celebrities.

49.

Jeff Blake:  Bengals, Saints, Eagles, Cardinals, Bears and Ravens

Blake’s best years are largely forgotten as they came in the mid-90’s during the worst of years for Cincinnati. Never the less he was a one time Pro-Bowler while with the Bengals and had one of the best deep balls in the game. In his six years as a Bengal Jeff Blake threw 93 touchdowns and ran for 10 more. He was only capable of doing that due to his great mobility as he was playing behind a horrible offensive line.

In 1999 the Bengals let go of Blake to go with Akili Smith. Blake signed with the Saints but injuries, including a broken foot, slowed his career down. He began playing on a series of one year contracts and though he performed well at times, never earned the spot of franchise quarterback.

Blake had the unfortunate luck of playing his healthy career with a horrible team. Blake did start 100 games in his career though and threw for over 20,000 yards and 130 TD’s.

48. 

Jon Kitna: Seahawks, Bengals and Lions

Kitna took the long road to the NFL. He played at Central Washington where he won the NAIA Championship. From there it was on to NFL Europe where he was the MVP and led the Barcelona Dragons to a World Bowl Title. In 1997 Kitna signed a contract with the Seattle Seahawks and spent nearly two years studying under NFL Hall-of-Famer Warren Moon. In 1999 Jon Kitna finally got his shot as a starter in the NFL. He threw 23 TD passes and led the Seahawks to the AFC West Title.

Coach Mike Holmgren did not sign Kitna and never really bought into him as his starting QB. Therefore when Kitna struggled early in 2000 Holmgren took the opportunity to turn to “his guy” Brock Huard. Kitna started 12 games for the Hawks in 2000 after Huard got hurt but struggled for much of the season. He did beat the Raiders in the final minute of a particularly memorable late season game that year though.

In 2001 Kitna signed with the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals were then what the Raiders are now and the outlook was poor for Kitna. His 12 TD, 22 int. performance in his initial year as a starter there didn’t help matters. In 2002 the team got worse but Jon Kitna actually played pretty well. When Marvin Lewis came in 2003 he decided Jon Kitna would be the perfect guy to groom his number one pick Carson Palmer. Kitna did better than that, throwing 26 touchdowns, leading the Bengals to their first .500 record in over a decade and winning NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors. Kitna started the first three games of 2004 and despite having a winning record and playing well he was benched in favor of Palmer. This pretty much ended his Bengals career.

In 2006 Jon Kitna signed with the Detroit Lions and beat out Josh McCown for starting quarterback honors. In his two seasons with the Lions, his first in a wide open offense, Kitna has proved to be a prolific passer, throwing for over 4000 yards in each season. The problem is that each year he has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns.

Jon Kitna is an easy guy to root for. He is a born-again Christian who does as much charity work as anybody in the league. He has persevered through tough times both of his own doing and not. He won’t be remembered as a great QB but in his career he will pass 30,000 yards and has already passed 150 Touchdowns. In a league with a constantly revolving door at QB, Kitna has started 111 games, despite often playing on bad teams. The Lions will likely fall short of his 10 win hope again this year, but it will be hard to blame on Kitna.

47.

Brian Griese: Broncos, Dolphins, Bears and Buccaneers

It’s hard to be a young quarterback starting for the first time. It’s harder when you replace a legend. It’s harder still when you replace THE Legend in a town that lives and breathes football. If anybody could sympathize with Aaron Rodgers this year it is Brian Griese. In 1999, when Griese replaced John Elway, he also had the unfortunate circumstance of losing Terrell Davis to injury. Though he played well at times, the team lost 10 games that year and concerns were instantly raised that Griese was the wrong guy to fill Elway’s sizable shoes. He played three more seasons with the Broncos and in 2000 led the league in QB rating throwing 19 TD’s and only 4 picks. He was a Pro-Bowler that year. Griese never played a full season with the Broncos though.

When he became a free agent in 2003 Griese made the questionable decision of signing with the Miami Dolphins. Not only was Griese going somewhere where he wasn’t guaranteed a starting job, but he was putting added pressure on himself again by now going to the team his dad won a Super Bowl with. He started five games with the Dolphins and was largely underwhelming. He was released in 2004.

Griese went to Tampa Bay where he was able to resurrect his career. In 16 games as the Bucs starter Griese threw 27 touchdowns. He and the Bucs were off to a great start in 2005 when he tore his ACL. He was released for salary cap issues and again signed with a team where he couldn’t start in Chicago. Brian did not play particularly well as a Bear, but may have outperformed Rex Grossman, still Lovie Smith wanted things desperately to work out with Rex. This year Griese returned to Tampa and thus far is 2-0 as the starter.

Griese has completed 63% of his passes in his career and though he has never reached the elevations Mike Shanahan once expected of him Brian has had a very good NFL career. One has to wonder how things would have turned out had he been drafted to replace any other QB.

46.

Dave Krieg: Seahawks, Chiefs, Lions, Cardinals, Bears and Titans

Dave Krieg was undrafted coming out of now defunct Milton University. In 1980 he signed a free-agent contract with the Seattle Seahawks. Half way through the 1983 season Chuck Knox named Dave Krieg his new starter, surpassing current Redskin Coach Jim Zorn. Krieg threw 18 TD’s in just 8 starts that year. He led the Seahawks to the AFC Title Game that season, beating rookies John Elway and Dan Marino in the first two playoff games. Krieg would be the starter in seattle for 9 more years winning 70 games in that time. In his time in Seattle Krieg threw for over 26,000 yards and 195 TD’s. After Chuck Knox resigned in 1991, GM Tom Flores proved that stupidity was contagious when he made the Al Davis-like move of cutting Dave Krieg in order to go with unproved Dan McGwire at QB. It would take years for the Hawks to get over it.

In 1992 Krieg signed with the Chiefs and helped them go to the playoffs. In spite of that the Chiefs signed Joe Montana before the 1993 season. Dave Krieg did start 5 games for the injured Montana in 1993 and again helped the Chiefs make the playoffs.

At this point Dave Krieg transitioned to a back-up QB role for a number of teams. He did start for the Cardinals in 1995 but had his worst season as a pro. Though his career may not have ended on a high note, Dave Krieg ranks in the top 15 of almost every major passing category for his career. A lot of this is due to the air-oriented offenses Krieg played for but still, he did his job.

Week 3 Preview

Kansas City Chiefs (0-2) @ Atlanta Falcons (1-1)

Announcers: Gus Johnson and Steve Tasker

Storyline: The most interesting storyline in this game is probably the role of Larry Johnson. When it ends for a running back it ends quick and that has looked like the case so far this season for LJ. Last week he complained of being phased out and not expecting to be a Chief much longer. Herm says that neither is true, this week may give us further clues to this story. As for the Falcons, how does this young team and Matt Ryan in particular bounce back from a bad game.

Key to the Game: Defensive Lines. Both teams start young QB’s and will lean heavily on their running games. The line that is able to create pressure and collapse the middle will win this game.

Fantasy Star: Michael Turner. The Chiefs have the worst run defense in the early season and Turner will get plenty of opportunities to expose that weakness.

Prediction: Falcons. I don’t know how the Chiefs win a game this year. I know they will and it will probably be 2 or 3, but it won’t be soon and it won’t be on the road.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-1) @ Chicago Bears (1-1)

Announcers: Sam Rosen and Tim Ryan

Storyline: Brian Griese goes back into Chicago to face a team that dumped him despite the fact that he was the most proven QB on the roster.

Key to the Game: Balance. Both of these teams will want to establish the run early and not get into must pass situations. Somewhere they’ll each have to find points in the passing game. The team that is able to do that early will put the other team in a spot where they’re both uncomfortable. Playing from behind.

Fantasy Star: Greg Olsen. Yeah, he’s been pretty underwhelming to this point in his career, but with Derrick Brooks nursing a sore hamstring this is the perfect opportunity for them to get Olsen heavily involved in the passing game.

Prediction: Buccaneers. Unlike the Bears I’ll take Griese over Orton.

Carolina Panthers (2-0) @ Minnesota Vikings (0-2)

Announcers: Ron Pitts and Tony Boselli
Storyline: Two teams who have proven once again that there’s no such thing as an NFL “expert”. The Panthers are once again the Cardiac Cats and on top of the NFC South. The Vikings meanwhile have struggled to the point that they turn to veteran journeyman QB Gus Frerotte.

Key to the Game: Panthers Defensive Line. The Panthers are not pressuring the quarterback as much as they’d like. Julius Peppers hasn’t had a sack in 10 months. They have been very good against the run though. That will be key against Adrian Peterson and the potent Vikings run attack. Pressure would help too though against a mistake-prone Frerotte.

Fantasy Star: Steve Smith. We saw last week one wide receiver come off suspension and make an impact immediately. Though his numbers probably won’t be record threatening, Smith is Delhomme’s favorite target and will have success against the Vikings less than stellar secondary.

Prediction: Vikings. Mostly a gut choice. I don’t think the Panthers are a 3-0 team or that the Vikings are an 0-3 team. Frerotte will give them a spark at home and certainly offer more in the passing game than Tarvaris Jackson.

Miami Dolphins (0-2) @ New England Patriots (2-0)

Announcers: Ian Eagle and Solomon Wilcots
Storyline: Matt Cassel makes his home debut as the starting quarterback of the Patriots. Does Chad Pennington make his final start for the Dolphins?

Key to the Game: The Running Backs. Chad Pennington is not going to beat the Patriots. If he does not get significant production from Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown the Dolphins have no chance to win in New England. The same of course holds true for Cassel. He will need Maroney, Jordan and Morris to continue to run the clock in order to stay perfect for another year.

Fantasy Star: Wes Welker. He’s the easy check down for Cassel and gets a lot of screen plays called for him. He should be able to destroy the Dolphins linebackers and safeties in coverage.

Prediction: Patriots. New England is going to win this game big. Much like the Jets the Dolphins do not have the defensive weapons to exploit Cassel. Screens, short passes and the running game are all going to work against the fish.

Cincinnati Bengals (0-2) @ New York Giants (2-0)

Announcers: Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf
Storyline: Two number one picks going in opposite directions meet in the Meadowlands. Carson Palmer was thought of as a top five quarterback coming into this season but certainly has not looked that way to this point. Eli Manning was thought of as a minor bust but won a Super Bowl last year and has rode that wave of momentum to a very good start this year.

Key to the Game: Giants Cornerbacks. At some point Chad Johnson and TJ Houshmanzadeh are going to break out. The Giants will try to keep that from happening in this game. The G-Men have been very good against the pass so far.

Fantasy Star: Brandon Jacobs. He’s averaging nearly six yards a carry and the Bengals have not shown that they are drastically improved against the run.

Prediction: Giants. This is another one I think could get out of hand. The Giants have been unable to move the ball this year and will face their toughest offense to date this weekend.

Houston Texans (0-1) @ Tennessee Titans (2-0)

Announcers: Kevin Harlan and Rich Gannon

Storyline: The Houston Texans play for the first time following an impromptu bye. They will have to shake off rust, a bad loss in week 1 and the personal effects of Hurricane Ike.

Key to the Game: Decision Making. Both quarterbacks have a tendency towards mistakes. Collins showed good game management last week, while also producing points. Matt Schaub will have to start doing that sooner rather than later.

Fantasy Star: Justin Gage. You might still be able to get him in your league. He is a much more valuable commodity with Collins as his quarterback than he was a couple of weeks ago.

Prediction: Titans. Too much for the Texans to overcome, not the least of which is a more talented team.

Arizona Cardinals (2-0) @ Washington Redskins (1-1)

Announcers: Kenny Albert and Daryl Johnston

Storyline: Can the Cardinals start 3-0 for the first time since the early 70’s? Which Redskins offense will show up?

Key to the Game: Darnell Dockett vs. Clinton Portis. Both are Pro-Bowlers and both are coming off good games. If Dockett can stop Portis the Cardinals will be well on their way to their best start in three decades. If not, Portis could have a field day.

Fantasy Star: Kurt Warner. The Redskins are small at the cornerback position. That makes them a good match-up for Boldin and Fitzgerald. Warner will face very similar competition to what he had last week in Miami and had a great day.

Prediction: Cardinals. This is a perfect match-up for the Cardinals. The Redskin secondary is talented but will be overmatched by the Cardinals talented receiver duo.

Oakland Raiders (1-1) @ Buffalo Bills (2-0)

Announcers: Don Criqui and Dan Fouts

Storyline: Probably Lane Kiffin’s last game as the Raiders Coach. The Bills look to prove they’re a legitimate contender to the Patriots.

Key to the Game: Bills Defensive Line. We saw last week what the Raiders want to be. The Bills will have to hold their talented run game to under 120 in order to win.

Fantasy Star: Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson. If you’re in a three back league and have them both this is a perfect opportunity to take advantage of that. The Raiders are susceptible to screens and flat passes, so look for the Bills backs to get a lot of touches this week both on the ground and through the air.

Prediction: Bills. I think the Bills are a pretty good team and getting better with each win. The Raiders are a team in disarray and are not lucky enough to be playing a similar team this week.

Detroit Lions (0-2) @ San Francisco 49ers (1-1)

Announcers: Dick Stockton, Brian Baldinger and Brian Billick

Storyline: Two of the leagues most dismal franchises look to turn the page this year. Not such a good start for the Lions. The 49ers meanwhile got a huge win last week in Qwest Field.

Key to the Game: The First Quarter. The Lions have been outscored by 42 points in the first quarter this year. If the 49ers get their offense going early and are able to once again make the Lions one-dimensional it could be another long day for Rod Marinelli’s team.

Fantasy Star: Frank Gore. The Lions defense is atrocious and Mike Martz will be looking to prove a point here. Look for Gore to get a lot of touches and a lot of yards this week.

Prediction: 49ers. Mike Martz has been looking forward to this game since being hired by San Fran. Look for him to throw a few new tricks at one of the league’s worst defenses.

St. Louis Rams (0-2) @ Seattle Seahawks (0-2)

Announcers: Matt Vasgersian and JC Pearson

Storyline: Once an underrated rivalry two beleagured and winless teams lock up in one of the league’s best settings.

Key to the Game: The Offensive Lines. The Rams line is hurt and bad. If they can not protect Bulger better this week it will be another blow out. The Seahawks have only been a little better, if Chris Long and Adam Carriker are able to create pressure and throw off the rhythm passing of the west coast offense the Rams might have a chance.

Fantasy Star: Probably not a star, but Koren Robinson would be a good pick up this week. The Seahawks are going to pass the ball and though just added Robinson seems to be their best option.

Prediction: Seahawks. I went against the Seahawks at home last week and was right. I don’t think it can go that way again. I’m not going to bet on a Mike Holmgren team starting 0-3 with two losses at home. The Rams won’t be able to exploit the lack of depth in Seattle.

Cleveland Browns (0-2) @ Baltimore Ravens (1-0)

Announcers: Bill Macatee and Steve Beurlein

Storyline: Modell vs. Baltimore. Anderson vs. The Team that Cut Him. Jamal vs. The Ravens. Plenty of reason for the Browns to hate the Ravens. They probably need to worry about themselves this week though. They were one of the popular picks to contend for the playoffs in the preseason and thus far have looked like the same old Browns.

Key to the Game: Health. Will the Ravens have McGahee to produce in this game? Will the Browns have Jurevicius or Stallworth so we can finally see the high impact passing game we expected out of the Browns this season? How healthy is the Browns defense after the brutal game they played against the Steelers last week. Who plays and how much could decide this game.

Fantasy Star: Todd Heap. The Browns have been pretty good against the run so Flacco will have to throw some in this game. Heap is finally healthy and a perfect checkdown choice for the rookie. The Browns are also hurting in the linebacker position which could open up the middle of the field.

Prediction: Browns. The loss of Kelly Gregg should really open things up for Jamal Lewis to set the tone in this game. This is a good spot for Anderson and Edwards to bounce back.

Jacksonville Jaguars (0-2) @ Indianapolis Colts (1-1)

Announcers: Dick Enberg and Randy Cross

Storyline: The two favorites in the AFC South fight to maintain relevance. The team that loses could be out of contention early.

Key to the Game: The Offensive Lines. Both are a far cry from what they were expected to be. Injuries have forced each team to start three back-ups for the first two weeks and this week looks to be more of the same. Which team planned better for depth on the line should decide who wins this game.

Fantasy Star: Anthony Gonzales. He looks to be the new favorite target on short passes and third downs for Peyton, especially since Dallas Clark is out. The Colts should continue to struggle in the running game which means Gonzales will get a lot of looks.

Prediction: Jaguars. This is just the match-up the Jags need right now. After playing two really good run defenses in consecutive weeks they get to play a Bob Sanders-less Colts team. It was only one game but the new stadium the Colts play in did not seem to have the same atmosphere as the Dome.

Pittsburgh Steelers (2-0) @ Philadelphia Eagles (1-1)

Announcers: Jim Nantz and Phil Simms

Storyline: The second biggest battle for PA this fall. Also, given the way they’ve played in the first two weeks a possible Super Bowl Preview.

Key to the Game: The Safeties. Troy Polamolu will be asked to spy Westbrook for much of the game. That could be good in the run game but maybe not so much on screens as Troy is known to be overly aggressive at times. Also with Polamolu up the deep ball will be there for DeSean Jackson and Reggie Brown. Brian Dawkins could be a liability in coverage at this point as well and look for Big Ben to target deep center if his shoulder is 100 percent.

Fantasy Star: DeSean Jackson. For all of the reasons I listed above. The deep ball will be there for the Eagles. Reggie Brown is going to demand some coverage and the Steelers will be worried about Westbrook. That leaves things wide open for Jackson.

Prediction: Eagles. I think their offense is as good as it looked on Monday. I don’t think they score 37, but the home field advantage is a big one here and the Steelers defense is just too slow. This is USC vs. OSU.

New Orleans Saints (1-1) @ Denver Broncos (2-0)

Announcers: Joe Buck and Troy Aikman

Storyline: Two of the league’s most potentially explosive offenses meet a Mile High.

Key to the Game: The Broncos Linebackers. I don’t see any way the Saints can slow down the Broncos offense. That means their hope to win is a shoot-out. Their best chance is Reggie Bush in open space against the Broncos linebackers who were caught out of position on a number of plays last week.

Fantasy Star: Cutler and Marshall should be no brainers for you. Start Reggie Bush here also. He is an even better version of Darren Sproles when he has the ball in his hand in open space. He is the scare factor for the Broncos this week.

Prediction: Broncos. At the beginning of the year I had the Broncos 4-3 at their bye. I wonder if 6 or 7 wins isn’t very accomplishable now. This is one of the games that scared me at the beginning of the year. In a way it still does as this is just the kind of game we should win and have handed away in the past couple of years. I don’t think that will be the case on Sunday.

Dallas Cowboys (2-0) @ Green Bay Packers (2-0)

Announcers: Al Michaels and John Madden

Storyline: The two best teams in the NFC meet in PrimeTime.

Key to the Game: The secondaries. The Cowboys do not have Terrance Newman or Roy Williams. That will hurt them both against the pass and rush. Charles Woodson is hampered by a toe injury and that cold hurt his ability to guard TO.

Fantasy Star: Ryan Grant. I think this is Grant’s break out game this season. The Packers protected him last week to make sure he could be a big contributor this week.

Prediction: Packers. Both teams can put up points, but the Packers have been much better on defense. The Cowboys can win if the big stage gets to Aaron Rodgers, so far nothing else has.

New York Jets (1-1) @ San Diego Chargers (0-2)

Announcers: Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski and Tony Kornheiser

Storyline: Brett Favre on Monday Night. The Chargers have a habit of losing late, not a good trend when you’re going against the third best 4th quarter signal caller in the history of the NFL.

Key to the Game: Laverneus Coles. If Brett is comfortable enough at this point to get his best playmaker involved in the offense, Brandon Marshall showed what a good wide receiver can do to the Chargers secondary.

Fantasy Star: Darren Sproles. If you got him, start him. His production in three facets of the game make him a very dangerous fantasy weapon.

Prediction: Chargers. The Jets haven’t shown me much this year and though the Chargers haven’t won, they haven’t been soundly beaten either. Look for the Chargers to try and make a statement with this game.