Quaterbacks

The NFL regular season is almost here and with that comes Fantasy Football. So here is my list of the best Quarterbacks in order, but rather than just giving you a list like most other magazines I figured it would be more fun to rank and compare them to famous musicians:

1. Tom Brady-Lil Wayne

Hate both of them yet dominate in what they do

2. Tony Romo-Jessica Simpson

Up and coming stars plus the paparazzi loves them {and maybe cause they are going out}

3. Peyton Manning-Garth Brooks

Country boys who are extremely popular and hard to dislike

4. Drew Brees-Jimmy Buffett

Both just make you feel good

5. Carson Palmer-Sublime

Will never truly hit full potential

6. Derek Anderson-Spice Girls

Great supporting cast

7. Ben Roethlisberger-Bruce Springsteen

Nope your mom’s wrong, neither one is Jewish

8. Donovan McNabb-50 Cent

As tough as they come {injuries, Rush Limbaugh, shot 9 times}

9. Matt Hasselbeck-Phil Collins

Never gets enough credit yet they are really good

10. Brett Favre-Cher

Don’t know when to retire {Sorry I stole this one from Rick Reilly of ESPN}

11. Eli Manning-Janet Jackson

Successful but will never compare to that other sibling

12. Jake Delhomme- Elton John

Nobody wants to admit to it, but let’s face it you like both of them

13. David Garrard-John Legend

Smooth professionals whose personalities are both calm and cool

14. Marc Bulger-Third Eye Blind

Used to be really good but where have they been lately?

15. Jay Cutler-John Mayer

Both have potential to truly be spectacular

16. Kurt Warner-Tony Bennet

Somehow still playing?

17. Jon Kitna-Britney Spears

Anyone associated with the Lions or Kevin Federline can go under the category “complete mess”

18. Philip Rivers-The Jonas Brothers

One word: Overrated

19. Matt Schaub-Gavin DeGraw

Young with mild talent

20. Jason Campbell-Gnarles Barkley

Having 3different offensive coordinators in now his fourth season must make him feel “crazy”

21. Aaron Rodgers-New Kids on the Block

Literally! {and he looks a little like Joey McIntyre without the facial hair}

22. JaMarcus Russell-The Notorious B.I.G.

One has mammoth arm strength while the other was just a mammoth

23. Jeff Garcia-Def Leppard

Old and washed-up

24. Chad Pennington-Nickelback

Solid but nothing special

25. Vince Young-Blue Man Group

Entertaining, fun to watch but hardly the greatest

26. J.T. O’Sullivan-Hanson

Quick name 2 Hanson songs? At best he is a one hit wonder under Mike Martz

27. Kyle Orton-Daniel Powter

Hey Chicago fans, get ready to have a “bad day”

28. Tarvaris Jackson-Lanz {Shout out to Edison}

Both have potential but don’t count on it

29. Matt Ryan- Daughtry

Both of their futures seem bright

30. Trent Edwards- Bo Bice

Their futures on the other hand…not so much

31. Ravens Qb’s- Panic! At The Disco

More like panic behind center, which one of the three will it be?

32. Brodie Croyle-Bjork

They both suck or as Charles Barkley would say “They’re terrrrrible”

Fantastic "4"

He’s a Superhero! Well at least Jet fans would agree. Besides just being a living legend and a guarantee first ballot Hall of Famer, he is a top ten quarterback in NFL history looking to recapture the magic he had for 16 seasons in Green Bay. Brett a Jet! It just sounds compelling and brings true excitement to this team for the first time in quite awhile. Brett Favre’s jersey sales as a NY Jet skyrocketed with the most purchases in a single day. Their offseason was already productive, but #4 puts the icing on the cake making this team as promised earlier, worth writing about.

Of course there will be skeptics and disbelievers about Favre and the Jets marriage being simply a spectacle with no results in the end. Yes Favre is on the cover of Madden, and his gun slinging mentality might not necessarily fit Coach Mangini’s mantra of playing ultra conservative; however, the Jets are still a playoff bound team. Brett Favre will still have enough time in camp to become successful with his new receivers who are scarily similar to his old ones. Laveranues Coles is 5-11 who had 55 receptions last year. Greg Jennings also 5-11 had 53 receptions last season. Still do not believe me? Jerricho Cotchery who stands at 6 feet caught 82 passes for 1,130 yards with 2 Touch Downs. Donald Driver also a 6 foot receiver had 82 catches of his own for 1,048 yards with 2 Touch Downs. Besides the Coles-Cotchery connection, Favre has other strong options including the first round selection Dustin Keller and an old friend of his from Green Bay in Bubba Franks. Add Thomas Jones to the back-field with newly acquired seven time pro bowler Alan Faneca protecting center and this offensive may now be as productive as say one was in Green Bay a year ago!

Besides having a more than respectable offense then years past, this defense made significant upgrades as well. Adding productive veterans in Calvin Pace and Kris Jenkins will help solidify their defense. They further increased their line backing core, through the draft, by selecting Veron Gholston. Getting versatile players who not only fill a specific void in last year’s team but players that can rush the opposing quarterback and stop the run, will pay vast dividends for a team that runs a 3-4 defensive scheme.

While it is hard to argue that the Jets can win the AFC East with the New England Patriots standing in their way, history may support me on this one. The Patriots may be dealing with a super bowl hangover after falling one quarter shy of the perfect season. Seven of the last ten super bowl losing teams did not even make the playoffs the following season! On top of that, the Jets have an easier schedule then last year. Rather than playing the NFC East teams which delivered 3 playoff teams including the Super bowl Champion Giants, the Jets face the NFC West. Other then the Seattle Seahawks, the St. Louis Rams, Arizona Cardinals, and San Francisco 49ners are as pathetic as the news of Clay Aiken artificially inseminating someone so he can become a father! With Oakland, Kansas City and the one win Dolphins of last year on their schedule twice, it seems fair to argue their win total of four will increase dramatically.

Last but not least, this trade for Favre is a low risk high reward type deal. Giving up a fourth rounder with the potential of it becoming a first rounder is worth it. If the Jets make it all the way to the Super bowl, fans will not care or remember they lost a first round pick in the process. The deal is simple, who would you rather have leading your team, the best quarterback in their history other than Joe Namath with Brett Favre or sticking it out with Chad Pennington whose arm strength is as powerful as my grandmother. I actually liked Pennington {though most New Yorkers could not be happier to see him leave}, but no person in their right mind can make a legit argument he is better than Brett Favre. Even years seem to be in the Jets favor as 2002, 2004, and 2006 were all playoff seasons. Now as 2008, approaches the playoffs seem more realistic than ever before and once you make it there anything is possible even if it is indeed a wild card spot. Just look at the other team from New York!

Summer's Slow While October Quickly Approaches

The NBA and NFL are in their off seasons, and I refuse to write about the overblown Brett Favre soap opera unless he ends up in a Jet Uniform. {If this happens a potential article could be in the works}A preview of the USA Olympic basketball team could have been expected, but there is nothing new and captivating to report. USA is expected to and should win gold. Anything less is failure. The players know it and so do the fans. The Nadal vs. Federer Wimbledon final was compelling to watch, but did you really expect a tennis article from me. Sorry to disappoint, though it was an amazing match to watch, especially when John McEnroe calls it the greatest tennis match he has ever seen. Tiger Woods is injured so there goes the relevance of watching golf. ESPN has tried to make things interesting by having their own Title Town Tournament which focused on choosing the best sport cities in all of America. You will never guess what won the best sports town in the entire country… Valdosta. Huh? Does anyone even know if this place exists or better yet what state it is in? {Here is my famous fun fact of the day- Valdosta is in Georgia} Well at least one thing is reliant for fans during the hot summer days, The MLB season also known as a marathon is still trotting along.

The AL East has by far been the most compelling division in baseball with drama at its premium. The Rays are young and talented and this whole notion of inexperience I am not buying. All teams with a core consisting of young talented players will eventually climb over that hurdle of being labeled inexperienced, similar to the 2003 Champion Marlins, 2005 White Sox, or last year’s Colorado Rockies. This season's Rays team is still in first place in their division as August approaches, and does not look close to letting this lead slip away. The Bronx Bombers will squeak into the wild-card spot thanks to surprisingly good starting pitching from Mike Mussina, Andy Pettitte, and Joba Chamberlain. The Yanks lineup is just too deep and with the additions of Xavier Nady and Pudge Rodriguez to the everyday lineup, they are just that much more dangerous for opposing pitchers. Being a part of Red Sox Nation, it also must be hard to justify that they are a better team after losing Manny plus two prospects. Jason Bay is a fine player, but how can he replace a future Hall of Famer in left field after “Manny being Manny” helped deliver them 2 World Series. With the loss of production and slight struggles in the bull pen they seem to have the greatest chance of falling just shy of the post season.

Many people are suddenly joining the Angels bandwagon and rightfully so. They have the best record in baseball and acquired the 2^nd biggest name during the trade deadline {behind Manny} in Mark Teixeira. He is a perfect fit for a team that has lacked incredible power and RBI numbers. With great starting and relief pitching, plus now a more formidable lineup, look for them to be representing the American League in the World Series.

As good as the Angles are, my pick to win it all might come as a surprise, but the Chicago Cubs after 100 years of disappointment will finally come through. The reason is simple; starting pitching. The formula for winning come October, revolves around quality pitching. The Cubs are deep with two legitimate CY Young Candidates in Carlos Zambrano {12-4} with a 2.80 ERA and Ryan Dempster {12-4} with a 2.90 ERA. The newly acquired Rich Harden is not half bad either with 39 strikeouts in his first four starts for the Cubs, and Ted Lilly also provides quality depth to their rotation. Besides their excellent pitching, they are the most complete team in baseball with more all-star selected players than any other team in the majors. They have star power throughout their lineup led by Alfonso Soriano at the top followed by Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Kosuke Fukudome, and Geovany Soto. They have a proven winner in Lou Piniella managing the team and the confidence to finally come over distractions if a Bartman incident were to occur. The Cubs just faced their biggest test of the season and responded by posting a four game sweep over their division rival Brewers in Milwaukee. These Cub players are ready to break the curse of not winning a championship similar to the Red Sox and White Sox. It has been a 100 years! Theodore Roosevelt was the president for crying out loud since they last held up a World Series banner. Once October rolls around, look for the cursed Cubs to finally turn their luck around in the form of a World Series Championship.