Pigskin and Pine Tar

There is blurred line that seperates the very good from the very best. Elite is not a title you can honor someone with from stats, or from the regular season. It’s something you have or you don’t. There are players who are steady, there are players who are spectacular, and there are players who are steadily spectacular: Those are the Elite. Those are the ones that make it look easy, the ones who don’t look like they are having and incredible game because those numbers are common. But as I said, there is more to the story of an elite quarterback. Take for example, the careers of Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan. Both were drafted in the first round in 2008, and they have often been compared. They had very good rookie seasons. In 2009, Ryan struggled while Flacco excelled. The next year, Ryan bounced back and ended up a Pro Bowler, and Flacco was coming up strong, just a whisper from one of the best quarterbacks in the game. Ravens fans were hopeful that behind Flacco, Ray Rice, and Anquan Boldin, the Ravens would finally have a great offense to complement and take pressure off their defensive dynasty. In 2011, they traveled down unexpected roads. Matt Ryan had a very good year and netted the Falcons a postseason berth, behind his 4,000 yards passing and 29 TD’s. But Flacco regressed. He went from playmaker to game manager. The Ravens were winning, but the offense no longer relied on him. He was ineffective and suffered terrible passing statistics for part of the year. Yet one could argue that he has it, he has what other QB‘s don’t, with his brilliant 4th quarter comeback against the Steelers. Ryan, on the other hand, puts up the numbers and continues to improve, yet he has yet to win a playoff game in 3 tries. Some players just don’t have it, no matter how high they are drafted, because College isn’t the NFL. Some have the physical gifts but have trouble dealing with the new game, and don’t work hard. JaMarcus Russel had a cannon. His accuracy struggled, but that’s something you can work on. However, he took his ridiculous contract and proceeded to slack off, get out of shape, and get himself released. Others, work hard, don’t give up, and just don’t have it. Jim Harbaugh has helped Alex Smith so much, but that long bomb accuracy isn’t there, and I don’t think it ever will be. However, he can definitely be an effectibe NFL quarterback. Eli Manning. Inconsistent for most of his career, except for when it mattered most, in the playoffs. This year, he said he was in Tom Brady‘s class. The media ate him up. They could have absolutely wrecked him. But no, he went out and put his money where his mouth was. That seems to make most people pipe down. Eli’s finally got some consistency to go with his great talent, and look what he turned in: A season, that in any other season than this one, where Tom Brady and Drew Brees smoked Dan Marino’s record for passing yards, might have won him an MVP. There are no questions about his playoff performance. He won the Superbowl with his arm, that play to David Tyree and the touchdown to Buress. So, what makes an elite quarterback?
Consistency.
Stats.
The Ability to carry their team.
Playoff Performance.
The true test of and elite quarterback is what their team would be like without them. The Colts? It goes with out saying that Peyton’s in that class. He is maybe the greatest quarterback ever. Brady’s Patriots would sunk without him, the Saints would stink without Brees,a nd although the Packers might survive without Rodgers, he is an unquestioned member of that class and I predict he will be an even better Packers quarterback than Brett Favre.
Here’s my list:
Peyton Manning
Eli Manning
Drew Brees
Aaron Rodgers
Tom Brady
Who do you think should be on that list?

Week 17 of 2011 ended a season of surprises and disappointments. The Colts and the Eagles flopped, and the Bengals and Broncos surprised. I have some predictions for 2012.
The surprise Team: Jacksonville Jaguars. Maurice Jones-Drew is the best combination of power and speed in the NFL, and I’m curious to see what Blaine Gabbert can do with a quality receiver. They should draft Justin Blackmon out of OSU. If they don’t, there’s no hope for this franchise in the near future.

The Flop: The Cowboys. Tony Romo has repeatedly fell short in the clutch, and he might not even be there next year. The team is short on talent. DeMarco Murray was a 3rd round steal, but aside from him, the inconsistent and mouthy Dez Bryant, and DeMarcus Ware, they have little else. The secondary is old. The O-line is unimpressive. America’s Team might not be that for much longer.

My Superbowl Pick: Houston Texans. The Texans got their first playoff berth in their short history this year-with a 3rd string, 5th- round pick, rookie quarterback. They lost their best player on defense, Mario Williams, in the middle of the season. Top wide receiver Andre Johnson, one of the best in the league, missed significant time with 2 hamstring pulls. The team is still young, and have a superb running back tandem of Arian Foster and Ben Tate. Brian Cushing is becoming one of the NFL’s best middle linebackers, only a short way behind the likes of Ray Lewis and Patrick Willis. They are loaded with talent and depth on both sides of the ball. How can they go wrong? Of course, that’s what people said about the Eagles. Just make sure their backup quarterback keeps his mouth shut about some “Dream Team” and they’ll be fine.

The Rebounders: Colts and Eagles. Once they have Peyton Manning back, the Colts will become one of the NFL’s better teams again. I mean, c’mon, he’s Peyton Manning. If he never fully recovers, they have Andrew Luck. This season really exposed how thin on talent and one-dimensional the Colts are. Of course, you can afford to be one-dimensional when your quarterback is so good he can put the ball exactly here he wants and is a Hall of Famer. That doesn’t work with Kerry Collins or Curtis Painter. Anyway, the Colts are Peyton. They weren’t themselves without him. The Eagles were very disappointing, but still have Micheal Vick, Jeremy Maclin, Jason Babin, and that terrific secondary Even without DeSean Jackson. If they change their system to better fit their player’s needs, maybe they finally will live up to all the hype.

2012 Breakout Player: 49ers QB Alex Smith. Under offensive-minded Jim Harbaugh, Smith finally passed for over 3,000 yards. He could have a lot more, but the Niners relied on the ground game more than the air attack. Also, Smith really struggled with his accuracy on long bombs deep downfield. If he can fix that, and with a little confidence,who knows what he could do?

I’ve been reading some things on mock drafts, and there are several big names I’m not seeing, as well as some players that are good and no where to be seen. Here are some potential draft steals.

10. Isi Sofele. Huh? Almost no one has heard of the running back from Cal, but he went well over 1,000 yards rushing, and has good speed and vision. He is small, but Tiki Barber proved you can still suceed in the NFL as small guy if you avoid the big hits. However, Sofele is really small:5’7”.

9. Chase Thomas. Stanfords linebacker has impressed many with his smarts, strength, and speed, but he has recieved little national attention.

8. Denard Robinson. Okay, so Michigan’s Quarterback doesn’t throw the ball that well. Where have we seen that before? Alright, Tebow’s guts and cool head are a rare thing in 4th quarter repeatably, Robinson can fly, has a strong arm, and is raw enough to groom to have good mechanics down the road. Huge potential, Micheal Vick mold.

7. Doug Martin. Boise State’s running game takes a backseat to Kellen Moore and the pass-happy offense, but he breaks tackles well and has the speed to go for 6 on the second level.

6. Keenan Allen. I was actually really suprised that I didn’t see him on any of the lists. He is a polished receiver that has great hands. Zach Maynard’s inaccuracy certainly gave him a lot of chances to come down with spectacular catches. He is a big, tall, reciever who can drag defenders. He runs routes well and shakes defenders, but does not posses world-class speed. I’m not saying he’s slow, just not lightning.

5. Marcus Lattimore. He was considered a Heisman Trophy canidate at the begging of the season, but injuries derailed those hopes. Still, his great vision and other running back skills make him a great prospect.

4. LaMicheal James. Many people think his draft value will fall because of his elbow injury. Unless you are going to run the half-back pass, when will this affect his play? James’ speed is crazy, and I am certain he can be a sucessful NFL running back.

3. Keith Price. Washington stunk, even with Jake Locker. Hopes were low entering htis season, but Price beat out Nick Montana (Joe’s son) to win the starting quarterback job, and has had great sucess, propelling them to bowl bid against Baylor and RG3 with his touchdowns.

2. Colby Fleener. Not many tight ends are initially regarded as 1st or 2nd round picks, but Fleener is big body with soft hands. He got most of Andrew Luck’s targets, as Stanford’s wide receiving corps is actually really bad, and lived up to the task.

1. Kellen Moore. I have him as my #4 Pro-Ready Quarterback, but not many people seem to be agreeing with me. Concerns about his height (6′) and therefore lack of arm strength seemed to scare people away. What every scout wants to see, though, is good mechanics, and Moore has that. He is consistent and always gives his team a chance to win.

1. Andrew Luck. Well, that was a given. Although he didn’t win the Heisman Trophy, that was most likely because Stanford’s conservative offense didn’t allow him to put up monster numbers. His recieving corps was bad, but in the end, as Trent Dilfer said, “He has no flaws.” Luck has valuable leadership skills, knows how to run a pro offense thanks to the Stanford playbook, and has a cannon that fires pinpoint lasers and accurate deep bombs. He can also make or extend plays with his feet. He will be the No.1 overall pick, and for good reason.

2. Matt Barkley. Luck has no flaws, and the same can be said for Barkley. He can play well in times of adversity, with all the craziness going on at USC, and if he ends up on a bad team, he still plays like he has something to play for, as he still played great this year as his 10-2  team was ineliglible to be ranked and for a bowl game. Complete Prospect.

3. Robert Griffin the III. RG3 is a different type of player than Luck or Barkley. Yes, Luck won’t be hindered by a lack of speed, he he doesn’t have the Open-Field elusiveness of RG3. He can also throw it a little bit, as evidenced by the very fine trophy he brought home from New York last week. The flashy big plays are always enticing. There is no word yet on whether or not he is officially entering the draft. There are some concerns about whether or not his slim build and 6’2” frame can take the punishment dished out by the NFL’s best.

4. Kellen Moore. Moore has had 5 years as the Quarterback at Boise State, so he is the rare college QB that is experieinced. He plays well in crunch time and has an accurate arm. All the Intangibles are there, as well as some good accuracy and arm strength. He stands just 6′, which is tall for most people but short for an NFL QB.

5. Landry Jones. Andrew Luck has a strong arm, but it was limited with Stanford’s style of play. Jones had no such problem, as his incredible arm was on full display this season as he racked up amazing passing statistics, such as 505 yards in 1 game! His team was a huge disappointment,though. These huge amounts of passing yards came from many passing attempts per game, which makes him vulnerable to a lot of interceptions.

6. Aaron Murry. Not a lot of people know about him, but behind his school record for touchdown passes, Georigia has cruised to the 13 spot. When I said school record, keep in mind, Matthew Stafford, a former #1 overall pick, also went to Georgia. Good mechanics and a good football player. He’s not a big name but he has 1st Round Talent.

7.Brandon Weeden. I dropped him to Number 7 because he is a 28 year old seinor and that will drop his value in the draft.  He doesn’t have anything paticulary special, but led OSU, which has been a non-factor in recent memory, into the 3rd best team in the country and almost got into the championship game.

8. Case Keenum. He’s a big name, but the Cougars didn’t play anyone decent this year until their last game. Keenum can certainly get the ball into the end zone, but Houston’s soft schedule leaves question marks about his ability to beat good teams.

9.Russel Wilson. He has a terrific sidekick at Wisconsin in Montee Ball, a Heisman Trophy finalist, and has been a productive starter. Was considered a Dark Horse Heisman canidate, but was simply not good enough to be in their. He could sneak into the 1st round with a good combine, but he’s most likely an early second-round pick.

10. Darron Thomas. Oregon’s whole gameplan is built on speed, and the Autosave quit and then I got timed out, ending what I had written, and I don’t feel like typing it all over again.