The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

Baltimore Ravens' Super Bowl-winning quarterback Joe Flacco is currently a free agent and some members of the media are claiming he should be the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL. While I think Baltimore would be wise to hang on to Flacco, especially given his great run in the playoffs this past season, I don't think the guy should be one of the top-paid quarterbacks in the league. Throughout his career to this point, Flacco has been fairly average as far as completion percentage goes and a little above average as far as quarterback rating is concerned. He has shown himself to be a capable starter, but has been aided a great deal by the talent around him: Tailback Ray Rice, fullback Vonta Leach, receivers Anquan Boldin, Jacoby Jones, and Torrey Smith, along with a top-notch defense. He's also been blessed with having a great coach in John Harbaugh. Following his great run through the playoffs and earning the Super Bowl MVP honor, Flacco deserves to receive a nice contrac...

The short answer? No. Yes, that's contrary to popular opinion, but like all the other major conferences it seems, the SEC is down this year. Yes, the SEC is currently home of the top 3 teams in the country, in LSU, Alabama and Arkansas, but outside of those three teams, the SEC is fairly average this year. Georgia has bounced back nicely following their 0-2 start. South Carolina is currently 9-2, but not as good as their record indicates I don't believe. I don't believe Auburn is as good as their 7-4 showcases. Heck, if I want to go there (and I do), I honestly don't believe Arkansas is as good as their 10-1 record and #3 ranking would suggest. Florida is a disappointing 6-5 (3-5 in conference). Tennessee has had another disappointing season, at 5-6 (1-6 in conference). Kentucky's 4-7 (1-6 in SEC play), Ole Miss has collapsed under Houston Nutt this season, going 2-9 (0-7 in the SEC) and Mississippi State is a disappointing 5-6 as well (1-6 in conference play). Clos...

Following the comeback win by Eli Manning and the New York Giants this past Sunday against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, there has been lots of chatter asking if Eli can be considered and elite quarterback and if he's now in the same class as Brady. As a starting quarterback, Manning has a record of 66-45 (.595). He's completed 58.4% of his passes for 25,023 yards (6.9 y/a), 171 touchdowns and 119 interceptions (1.44 : 1). He has a lifetime quarterback rating of 81.6 and has one Super Bowl ring to his credit. Tom Brady's record as a starting quarterback is 116-35 (.768). He's completed 63.8% of his passes for 37,447 yards (7.4 y/a), 281 touchdowns and 113 interceptions (2.49 : 1). He has a lifetime quarterback rating of 95.5 to go with three Super Bowl rings. So, while yes, Eli led a nice comeback in the Giants' 24-20 win over the Patriots on Sunday, but does that place him in the same class as Tom Brady? Not hardly. Does it even qualify him as an ...