The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has received a great deal of heat from the press in recent weeks after he claimed he no longer feels safe while in the pocket and isn't having fun anymore. Well, I'm here to say Newton, like all other dual-threat quarterbacks, has a point. While I agree with many of these same critics that the NFL has gotten too protective of quarterbacks overall, dual-threat quarterbacks like Newton tend to be treated differently than traditional drop-back passers by officiating crews, and that's not right. I think this is largely due to many people, officials included, seeing quarterbacks like Newton as running backs behind center as opposed to actual quarterbacks. This shouldn't be the case, though. When a quarterback's behind the line-of-scrimmage, regardless if he has the speed of Michael Vick or Tom Brady, if he's hit in a manner which violates a league rule, the defense should be penalized. Newton might be bigger and quicker than m...

I'm slightly bothered by this whole Johnny Manziel situation, but not like most ESPN commentators it seems. While Manziel was in rehab over the summer and appears to have a history of alcohol problems, the guy is 22-years-old, fresh out of college, so it's not too terribly crazy to think such an individual would like to enjoy his weekend off partying. Yet after this occurred, he was demoted to 3rd string by Cleveland Browns head coach Mike Pettine. Where was the outcry and demotion after he allegedly hit his girlfriend? Am I necessarily criticizing the Browns for demoting Manziel? No. But why in the world did this not occur after the alleged domestic violence incident and instead occurred after TMZ showcased videos of Manziel partying? It boggles my mind to think the NFL and Cleveland Browns would come down harder on this 22-year-old kid (kid in my mind) for drinking alcohol during the team's bye week than of hitting his girlfriend. I do hope the young Browns quarterback ge...

Over the past couple of years, I've often times found myself disagreeing with ESPN writers and analysts regarding large contract extensions for young NFL quarterbacks. While quarterbacks tend to be the "face" of the franchise, a lot more goes into running a successful program and making a Super Bowl run than just a good quarterback. Like in baseball where the best pitching staffs often find themselves in the playoffs, the same is true in football with the top defenses. This is also true with regard to the top offensive lines in the league. A great offensive line can make average quarterbacks and tailbacks look like Pro Bowlers, and on the other end of things, a bad offensive line can make Pro Bowl-worthy quarterbacks and running backs appear average. Over the past couple of years, the following three quarterbacks received big contract extensions, and while 95% of ESPN felt these were good moves, I pulled a Lee Corso and said, "Not so fast my friend!": Joe Flac...

Is anyone else getting a little tired of ESPN obsessing about their made-up QBR statistic? While the passer rating is/was definitely flawed and most people had no idea how to calculate it, it's nowhere near as flawed as the QBR. The passer rating combined: Completion percentage, yards per attempt, touchdown percentage, and interception percentage, to form an imperfect yet somewhat effective formula to showcase how effective a quarterback was at passing the football. In other words, the final result of the formula was based on objective numbers. However, that's not fully the case with the QBR formula. According to the QBR statistic, each quarterback is graded on a scale of 0 to 100 to display how much they contribute to a win, with 50 being "average." The formula takes into account things such as: Overthrows, underthrows, yards after the catch, and clutch plays, among others. The underlying problem with many of these categories is a certain level of subjectivity. Thi...

I saw this coming right when the New York Jets signed veteran quarterback Michael Vick. After the Jets' 13-10 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday night in their first preseason game, where Vick was the only quarterback to lead the team to a touchdown, sports commentators are already asking the question, "Who will start for the New York Jets at the start of the season? Will Vick win the job?" As I said before, right when the Jets signed Vick, I thought it had quarterback controversy written all over it. First off, Geno Smith struggled mightily last year as a rookie. He completed 55.8% of his passes, averaged 6.9 yards per attempt, threw just 12 touchdowns passes in comparison to 21 interceptions, was sacked 43 times, and had a quarterback rating of 66.5. He also ran 72 times for 366 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 3 fumbles. Next, the Jets offense has struggled in recent years - so much so, that the team has failed to make the playoffs the past couple of season. Not...

It's much too early in the guy's career to label Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles the next great NFL QB. However, for as unbelievable as the second-year player's stats have been to this point in the season, they could be even better. For the year, Foles has completed 124 of 196 pass attempts for 1,791 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions, for a quarterback rating of 125.1 Keep in mind that a perfect quarterback rating is 158.3. Many seem to forget that Foles had one awful start against the Dallas Cowboys a few weeks back, where he completed just 11 of 29 pass attempts for a mere 80 yards and no interceptions. If we were to exclude that seeming aberration in an otherwise great string of games, Foles' numbers would look like this: 113 completions in 167 pass attempts for 1,711 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions, for a quarterback rating of 139.0. While Michael Vick's 86.5 rating this year is very respectable, as he'd find himself right arou...

I don't care how poor a team is playing or how disappointing they are to fans, no player should have to hear an applause by hometown fans when he gets injured. To me, "fans" whom do that don't qualify as genuine fans. Unfortunately, Houston Texans starting quarterback Matt Schaub had to experience this very thing during his team's 38-13 loss to the St. Louis Rams on Sunday. Schaub went down with an apparent ankle injury and many of the hometown fans applauded the event. This was a classless move by the fans whom partook in this act. Secondly, it makes them appear fairly ignorant as well. Matt Schaub has led the Texans to two consecutive playoff berths and while he's struggled this season, especially when it comes to turnovers, he was turning in a very efficient performance before going down with the injury on Sunday. He completed 15 of 21 pass attempts for 186 yards (8.6 per), for a quarterback rating of 98.5. How did the despicable "fans'" her...

While I've poked fun at Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub's knack for throwing the pick-six this season and have been critical of him in the past for having trouble winning big games, the guy deserves better than the treatment he's received from sports-writers and fans alike. ESPN just reported that a Houston Texans fan went to Schaub's home and "told him off." Another "fan" took pictures of Schaub's family and posted them on Facebook. Security is now looking into the matters. While I can understand fans wanting their teams to win, no player deserves for he and his family to feel threatened. As far as I'm concerned, no true fan would do such a thing, and I sincerely hope security sorts out matters so Schaub and his family don't have to go through any other such disturbances. Let's get something else straight - Schaub isn't the Houston Texans only problem. The guy has been an efficient quarterback for the team for the si...

So, Tim Tebow got cut by the New England Patriots over the holiday weekend. Do I care? No, not really. However, it was one of the top stories around the sports world - especially over at ESPN, whom seem to have a permanent hard-on for Mr. Tebow. Here are some of the recent headlines concerning Tebow: "Robert Kraft 'very much wanted' Tim Tebow to make Patriots" - Okay, good for him... "Kraft, Brady discuss Tebow's exit" - Really? There's nothing more to talk about? Like the fact the season will be starting this week? "Could Tebow rejoin Pats this season?" - Sure, as a 3rd-string quarterback, a backup tight end, or a motivational speaker if the team starts the season at 3-7. "Could Tim Tebow return to Patriots? Belichick won't say no" - Just like when a crush tries to politely turn a guy down by not telling him no and just ignoring him all together. Yeah, that's sweet... "The Bills have multiple r...

I was just about to celebrate Tim Tebow not playing in the NFL this upcoming season, so I didn't have to hear ESPN talk about him each and every day. However, I'm sad to report that the New England Patriots have apparently signed the former New York Jets' back-up quarterback, so count on ESPN to be talking about nothing but Tebow over the next day or so. ESPN's own Ashley Fox has kicked things off very nicely on that front with an article she released today, entitled, "Tim Tebow is the ultimate challenge - If Belichick makes this work, it will be among his greatest success stories." Here are some gems from that article: - "If Belichick makes Tebow into something of a quarterback, if he takes a player with flawed mechanics and faulty footwork and an awkward throwing motion, and actually teaches him the nuances of the passing offense, it will go down as perhaps Belichick's most impressive accomplishment." - "And this could actually work....

I read an article today which likely resulted as being a potential finalist for the least-sexy-facial-expression of the year. It was written by one Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com and entitled, "Should the Eagles release Michael Vick?" My short answer to that is no. If someone had asked me before the Eagles re-signed the veteran quarterback, I probably wouldn't have provided a definite answer. However, after re-signing Vick to a 1-year, $7 million+ contract, how in the world would it make sense to release him? Mr. Shorr-Parks, what's your take on this? "It wasn't exactly a 'play me or else' proclamation, but listening to Michael Vick talk after Eagles practice on Thursday, it wasn't hard to see where this could be going." Oh, so a guy who was signed for another year and up to $10 million if everything goes well should be released because of what Mr. Shorr-Parks sees happening in the future through his crystal ball? That's a good enoug...

Former Washington Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann had some interesting words for Fox Sports Florida and the NFL Network over the past few days, where he said the following about Miami Heat superstar LeBron James becoming an NFL quarterback: "I would love to work him out and also serve as his agent. I'll go wherever he wants this summer. He could play another four years in the NBA before seriously trying the NFL. There are not a lot of 38- or 39-year old basketball players, but there are 38- and 39-year old quarterbacks, so there's always time for him." He added this: "Who wouldn't want to coach LeBron James? He's the most physical specimen we have in professional sports. He could do, I think, anything he wanted." and "He's as mentally as tough a guy you're going to find, which I think is the No. 1 prerequisite to play the position." Theismann also wrote: "He has perfect hair, kind eyes, a world-class smile, and...

While I know some will disagree with me, I think it would be a mistake for the Philadelphia Eagles to draft a quarterback in the first round of the coming NFL draft. I think this for two reasons: 1) The team has far greater needs than that at the quarterback position and 2) There isn't a standout quarterback in this year's draft. The Eagles were pretty awful in all three phases of the game last year. I've seen mimes and deaf people click better than the Eagles offense did at times last year. The defense exerted less pressure on opposing quarterbacks than The Dude feels when smoking a doobie. The special teams coverage unit tackled much like a newborn going after a sumo wrestler. After former Oregon head coach Chip Kelly got signed by the team, the club made the following signings: Defensive end/linebacker Chris McCoy, quarterback Dennis Dixon, cornerback Bradley Fletcher, tight end James Casey, safety Patrick Chung, linebacker Jason Phillips, defensive lineman Isaac Sop...

Philadelphia Eagles' starting quarterback Michael Vick has gotten some heat in recent days due to his new book - an autobiography entitled Finally Free . He has at least temporarily cancelled a book-signing tour due to death threats. Now ESPN's LZ Granderson is criticizing the Pro-Bowl quarterback for the title of his book - Finally Free . From reading the article, it appears clear that Granderson has yet to read the book, as he focuses all his attention on the title of the book and not the content inside of it. He says: "So giving the book that title -- even in the context of serving 18 months in federal prison -- was a colossal miscue because it gives the impression that Vick's punishment was an unjustified obstacle that had to be overcome. The title gives the impression that it was something thrust upon him, something he's not responsible for. And based upon the testimony  from the trial, nothing could be further from the truth (and I'm not even a dog pe...

Following Mark Sanchez's dreadful 10 for 27 performance in the New York Jets 27-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers yesterday, I was just awaiting those magical words "Put in Tebow!" For the game, Tim Tebow was a perfect 0 for 0 throwing the ball just as he was in week one. He also ran the ball one time for 22 yards after carrying the ball five times for 22 yards in the Jets' opening week win against Buffalo. If things continue at this rate, this will be Tebow's best year passing the football, as he will have complete just as many passes as he's thrown incomplete. We done, Timmy! I'm amazed that in a 17-point loss by his team, ESPN still showcases the single play Tim Tebow was a part of on the offensive side of the ball. I'm really hoping Jets' head coach Rex Ryan sits Tebow for an entire game and seeing if ESPN provides a Tebow highlight from the game - perhaps of him chewing gum, sleeping or mooning the crowd with the words "I love Jesus...

So, word just got released that Tim Tebow will be the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos, taking over for Kyle Orton. I see only two possible reasons for this - 1. The Broncos are 1-4 and want to see what potential Tebow has for future clubs and 2. Due to the Broncos poor record and low expectations, starting Tebow could help attract fans to the games. There have been a number of Broncos fans clamoring for Tebow to start. Outside of the two before-mentioned reasons, I personally see no reason to start Tebow. He seems like a nice guy and all the power to him to get involved in the community and put his fame and money to good use. However, I highly doubt he'll ever be a good NFL quarterback. While, as I mentioned recently, I have not bought into the hype surrounding rookie quarterback Cam Newton, I'm very skeptical of the idea that Tebow can become a quality professional quarterback. Newton is quicker, has a stronger throwing arm and has better passing mechanics than...