On the Rise

These are wide outs coming off of breakout seasons or are stars on the rise close to establishing themselves as elite fantasy players.

Brandon Lloyd, Denver – Finally showed what all the hype was about when he came out of Illinois in 2003.  He led the league with 1,441 receiving yards and scored 11 Touchdowns.  Now the big question is can he do it again?

Mike Wallace, Pittsburgh – Wallace is coming off a breakout season in 2010 that saw him catch 60 balls for 1,257 yards and 10 touchdowns.  His elite speed means he does not need as many catches to make a major impact for the Steelers.

Dwayne Bowe, Kansas City – Bowe finally got his act together posting career highs of 1,162 yards and a league best 15 TDs.

Steve Johnson, Buffalo – Came out of nowhere to post 1,073 yards and 10 TDs.  With Lee Evans out of the way he will be the go-to-guy in Buffalo this season.

Hakeem Nicks, New York Giants – Posted his first 1,000 yard, 10 TD season in just his second year as a pro.  Now if he can just stay healthy enough to play 16 games.

Mike Williams, Tampa Bay – Williams was a nice surprise as a rookie for the Bucs catching 65 passes for 964 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Keep an Eye On

These are potential sleepers who could be poised for breakout years this season.

Chad Ochocinco, New England – Ocho should be the Pats top outside receiving threat and he is likely going to be playing like a guy with something to prove.

Steve Breaston, Kansas City – Breaston is going to be catching passes from a QB on the rise in Matt Cassel.

Jordan Shipley, Cincinnati – No T. O. and no Ocho means Shipley is the top returning receiver from last year’s team.

Mike Sims-Walker, St. Louis – With Sam Bradford throwing him the ball and Josh McDaniel coordinating the offense Sims-Walker could hit the 1,000 yard, 10 TD marks for the first time in his career.

Roy Williams, Chicago – Williams is reunited with Mike Martz whom he had his most productive season playing under in Detroit.  Williams is also a guy who comes into this year feeling like he has something to prove after being a huge disappointment in Dallas.

Buyer Beware

These are guys who have potential stumbling blocks in their way this summer.

Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis – Could his numbers dip if Manning is not in peak form to start the season?

Santana Moss, Washington – Moss bounced back to have a nice season last year, but does anyone believe he can do it again with John Beck and/or Rex Grossman under center?

DeSean Jackson, Philadelphia – Yes he is one of the most explosive players in the league.  Showed up to camp late because he wants a contract extension and has not gotten one yet.  He has shown a propensity in the past to sulk and have mental lapses on the field.  If he does not get a new deal prior to the season will it seep over into his play on the field?  If he does get an extension then he is worth targeting as he should be good for 1,000 yards and upwards of 10 TDs.

Miles Austin, Dallas – Austin’s numbers dipped last season.  Is this due to Romo’s injury or the fact that teams are keying on him as the go-to-guy now?  Still posted over 1,000 yards and 7 TDs though.

Brandon Marshall, Miami – Posted four year lows of 86 catches, 1,014 yards and 3 TDs after averaging 102/1237/8 the previous three years in Denver.  Marshall’s career may have already peaked and it may be tough to reach those numbers again if the Dolphins do not solve their issues at QB.

Jeremy Maclin, Philadelphia – Normally a 3rd year guy coming off a year that saw him post 964 yards and 10 TDs would be a player on the rise.  Maclin would be if not for the fact that he has yet to suit up for a practice this summer and nobody seems to know when he might be cleared to do so.

Johnny Knox, Chicago – Knox had a solid season last year, however with the addition of Roy Williams he is likely to see fewer balls thrown his way and there is already talk of him requesting a trade.

Michael Crabtree, San Francisco – Crabtree is having issues with his foot again and may or may not be ready for Week One.

Kenny Britt, Tennessee – Britt would be a player on the rise if not for his inability to avoid the cops during the off-season.  He could be facing a suspension early in the season.

Hines Ward, Pittsburgh – Ward saw his numbers dip significantly with the emergence of Mike Wallace and had thumb surgery this off-season.  The team also recently signed Jerricho Cotchery.  Could this be the beginning of the end of Ward’s tenure in Pittsburgh?

Rookies

There are two or three rookies worth keeping an eye on this summer that have a chance to crack the starting lineup.

A. J. Green, Cincinnati – With Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco out of the way Green is almost a mortal lock to be in the starting lineup when the Bengals kick off the season.  But with the situation at QB looking a bit dire right now it is hard to say what kind of numbers Green might post this season.  He is probably a good bet for at least 750 yards and five touchdowns though.

Julio Jones, Atlanta – The Falcons gave up the bulk of their draft to get this guy so one can expect him to be a key component of the offense.  Expect him to post a minimum of 800 yards and 8 TDs this season if not more.

Jonathan Baldwin, Kansas City – Reports out of camp have Baldwin struggling to learn the offense and he recently suffered an injury after getting into a fight with teammate Thomas Jones.  Don’t expect much from him this season.

Titus Young, Detroit – Nate Burleson was a bit of a disappointment last season and Young’s speed means he will see his share of playing time this year.  He could challenge Burleson for the #2 spot behind Calvin Johnson.

Torrey Smith, Baltimore – When the Ravens were willing to let Derek Mason go it seemed like the #2 receiver spot was Smith’s to lose.  With the recent acquisition of Lee Evans from Buffalo there are whispers that Smith has been a disappointment thus far.  His speed means he should get on the field when the Ravens run multiple receiver sets.

Greg Little, Cleveland – After Green and Jones Little is probably the third best bet to land a starting job this summer.  Many thought Little could have been a first round pick had he not gotten suspended last season.  The WR spots are wide open in Cleveland and he seems to be a good bet to land one of those jobs.

Randall Cobb, Green Bay – With Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, James Jones, and Jordy Nelson already entrenched on Green Bay’s roster it seems unlikely Cobb will see much action that does not involve returning punts or kick offs this season.

Austin Pettis, St. Louis – St. Louis is another team looking for significant upgrades at the receiver position this summer.  Sims-Walker will likely lock up one of those jobs, but after that it is pretty wide open and Pettis should compete for the #2 or #3 spots.

Leonard Hankerson, Washington – The expectation is that Hankerson will challenge for the #2 WR spot behind Santana Moss.

On the Rise

These are young backs coming off big seasons and are close to establishing themselves as one of the league’s best fantasy backs.

Arian Foster, Houston – Had a breakout season last year for the Texans leading the league in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns.  He also racked up over 600 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns catching the ball out of the backfield.  The only thing to be wary of is he had 393 touches last season.  Can he handle that many touches two years in a row?  He is also battling a hamstring injury this summer.

LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia – Showed why the Eagles were not that desperate to keep Brian Westbrook for another season.  In his first season as the full time starter he posted 1,672 yards of offense, caught 78 passes and scored 9 touchdowns.

Rashard Mendenhall, Pittsburgh – Has quieted a lot of the doubters over the last two seasons.  He has rushed for over 1,100 yards the last two seasons, but the one thing that makes him a player on the rise is his touchdowns rose from 8 to 13 last season.  The only downside is he gives fantasy owners little to nothing in the passing game.  He has caught just 48 passes over the last two years and has just one career touchdown reception.

Peyton Hillis, Cleveland – After Foster Hillis may have been the biggest surprise at running back last season.  Nobody had him putting up 1,600 yards of total offense and hitting paydirt 13 times at the start of last season.  Not only did he run for 1,177 yard, but he also caught 61 balls out of the backfield.  Should be interesting to see what he does now that he goes into camp knowing he is the number one back.

LeGarrette Blount, Tampa Bay – Blount took the league by storm down the stretch closing the season with 3 100-yard games over the last five weeks.  He managed to post 1,000 yards and score 6 times despite only playing in 13 games and seeing significant action in 11 of those.  With Cadillac Williams out of the picture in Tampa Blount is a sure bet to see 300 carries and could challenge the 1,500 yard mark.  He should also be a good bet to hit the 10 TD mark.  The major downside to Blount is he will not give fantasy owners anything in the passing game.

Darren McFadden, Oakland – Finally showed everyone why he was worthy of being the 4th pick of the draft in 2008.  Finally stayed healthy enough to post over 1,600 yards of offense and score 10 TDs.  The biggest issue with McFadden is he still missed 3 games last season and he is still going to split carries with Michael Bush.  Probably not a guy to target as your number one back but not a bad play as your #2 RB.

Keep an Eye On

Keep an eye on how these guys progress this summer, they could be candidates to be fantasy sleepers this season.

Felix Jones, Dallas – With Marion Barber being cut loose the job is now truly Jones’ to lose.  He should be the top back entering the season.  Question is can he stay healthy enough to carry the ball 300 times this season?

Knowshon Moreno, Denver – New coach John Fox likes to build his offense around a strong running game meaning Moreno should get upwards of 300 carries if he stays healthy this season.

Tim Hightower, Washington – Hightower appears to have established himself as the top back for the ‘Skins this summer.

Shonn Greene, New York Jets – I know a lot of people got burnt on Greene last season, but he could unseat LaDanian Tomlinson as the top back.  LT appeared to run out of gas down the stretch last season and the team could look to feature Greene more earlier in the season to save LT for the playoff run.

Willis McGahee, Denver – Fox is not adverse to running the ball 500 times in a season meaning McGahee could see significantly more than the 100 carries he got in Baltimore last season.  He could be a good play for a #2 back given his ability to find the end zone in the goal line situations.

Javon Ringer, Tennessee – With Chris Johnson continuing his hold out Ringer seems the most likely candidate to benefit as he should be elevated to the top of the depth chart while Johnson stays away.

Beanie Wells, Arizona – With Hightower out of the picture Wells has no real competition for carries from an established player.  This could be the first year he sees 275 to 300 carries if he can stay healthy.

Buyer Beware

These backs have some serious question marks or potential stumbling blocks in their way this summer.

Chris Johnson, Tennessee – There is no doubting the talent here, however, his numbers took a huge step back last season and then there is the fact he has yet to show up to training camp and it does not appear as though he will be showing up any time soon.  Stay away from him until he shows up to camp.

Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville – Still as good a rusher as there is in the league, however, his TD numbers tumbled from 16 in ’09 to 7 last season and he is coming off off-season knee surgery.

Steven Jackson, St. Louis – Should still be a good fantasy play this season, however, with the Rams adding both Jerious Norwood and Cadillac Williams via free agency he is bound to see a significant drop in the number of touches this season.  The Rams would probably like to keep him under 300 touches this year.

Cedric Benson, Cincinnati – There is a chance Benson could be facing a suspension after an arrest this summer.

Matt Forte, Chicago – Forte wants a new contract and the presence of both Chester Taylor and Marion Barber are going to limit the number of times Forte sees the ball this season.

Fred Jackson, Buffalo – One has to assume C. J. Spiller is going to get every chance to win the starting job, right?

Reggie Bush, Miami – Anyone who thinks Bush going to Miami could be just the thing to jump start his career is probably kidding themselves.  He will probably see a significant boost in the number of times he gets the ball, but he is never going to be a premiere back in the league.

Rookies

With what looks to be an underwhelming rookie class at the running back position which rookies could push the 1,000 yard mark this season?

Mark Ingram, New Orleans – Ingram seems to be the best bet to open the season as the Saints starting running back.  The question with Ingram will be whether Sean Peyton is willing to give him the ball 20 times a game every week.  He is a good bet to push the 1,000 yard mark if he stays healthy this season.  Ingram is also a good bet to push the 10 TD mark as well.  With Darren Sproles on the roster in New Orleans one can probably expect Ingram to not be on the field much in passing situations.

Ryan Williams, Arizona – With Hightower being shipped to Washington Beanie Wells is the de facto #1 back.  Given that Beanie has never notched more than 176 carries due to injury and inconsistent play Williams is a good bet to get 150+ carries this season.

Shane Vereen, New England – With BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead already ahead of him on the depth chart it seems unlikely Vereen is going to be a significant part of the Pats offense this season.

Mikel Leshoure, Detroit – Leshoure was expected to compete for the starting job this summer, however, he has already been lost for the year due to a ruptured Achilles tendon.

Daniel Thomas, Miami – With Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown leaving via free agency and Reggie Bush being the only real established vet on the roster Thomas has a good shot at winning the starting job in Miami this summer.

Demarco Murray, Dallas – Has great talent but could never seem to stay healthy in college.  He could challenge Tashard Choice for the number two spot in Dallas.

Stevan Ridley, New England – Like Vereen, Ridley is likely to get caught up in the numbers game in New England this summer.

Jacquizz Rodgers, Atlanta – The Falcons envision Rodgers being a Dexter McCluster, Darren Sproles, or Percy Harvin type of player who they look to give the ball to 8 to 10 times a game in hopes that he can break a big play with his speed.

On the Rise

These are quarterbacks whose stock is on the rise and and are coming off breakthrough years for them.

Josh Freeman, Tampa Bay – Freeman broke through a lot sooner than anyone expected him to.  In just his second season he saw his touchdown passes go from 10 to 25 and interceptions drop from 18 to 6.  He also threw for over 3,400 yards and ran for 364.  The only downside is he only really has two targets to throw to and if Kellen Winslow or Mike Williams get injured his numbers could suffer significantly as a result.

Matt Cassel, Kansas City – Cassel threw a career high of 27 TD passes and a career low 7 interceptions last season after throwing 37 touchdowns and 27 interceptions over the last two seasons combined.  The additions of former Arizona receiver Steve Breaston and rookie Johnathan Baldwin only serve to buoy expectations for Cassel this summer.

Matt Ryan, Atlanta – Bounced back after a “Sophomore Slump” to post career highs in yards (3,705) and touchdowns (28) and thew just 9 interceptions.

Keep an Eye On

Keep your eye on how these guys progress during the summer.  They could sneak up and surprise some people this season.

Jay Cutler, Chicago – While Roy Williams was a huge failure in Dallas he did have his best years in Detroit in Mike Martz’s offense.  Martz happens to be the Bears offensive coordinator.  If Williams re-focuses himself this season he is easily better than any other receiver on Chicago’s roster.

Matthew Stafford, Detroit – If Stafford can stay healthy for 16 games he could finally be his big breakout season.  The Lions have done a good job in giving him the weapons to succeed throwing the ball, however, the offensive line is still a big question mark.

Alex Smith, San Francisco – Will Jim Harbaugh be the guy to finally get Smith pointed in the right direction in the NFL?  A lot of the experts seem to think he will be.

Buyer Beware

These are guys who have some big question marks coming into the season.

Peyton Manning, Indianapolis – Manning has had two neck surgeries in the last year and began camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list.  He is expected to be ready to go for the season opener, but is he starting to show the wear and tear of starting every game of his career over the last 13 years?

Michael Vick, Philadelphia – Vick is always going to be one of the top fantasy scores in weeks he plays, the only problem is his style of play lends hm to taking big hits and he missed 4 games due to injury last year.  Fantasy owners who end up with Vick will want to make sure they have a capable backup on hand.

Kevin Kolb, Arizona – There are huge expectations for Kolb this season, however, the jury is still largely out on this guy.  Sure he has 3 300-yard games in just 7 career starts, but, he also has just 10 TDs against 9 INTs in those seven games and he has yet to show he can deliver against the better defense in the league.  The bulk of his numbers have come against teams who had suspect secondaries at the time.

David Garrard, Jacksonville – Garrard may lose his job as the starter in Jacksonville and if the Jags struggle early one can bet he will not end the season as the team’s starter.

Kyle Orton, Denver – Orton should win the starting job in Denver, however, like Garrard, if things go sideways quickly Tebow will close the season as the starter.  Another thing to keep in mind here is Orton had his two most productive seasons playing for Josh McDaniels who is no longer in Denver.

Eli Manning, New York Giants – Yes Manning threw for 4,000 yards and a career high 31 touchdowns last season, however, the offensive line is in flux right now and he threw a career high 25 interceptions.  The team also let Kevin Boss go and Steve Smith, who had established himself as one of Manning’s favorite targets prior to getting hurt last season, bolted for the Eagles.

Chad Henne, Miami – Henne did not progress as expected last season despite the addition of Pro Bowl wideout Brandon Marshall.  There is early speculation as to whether his job is up for grabs this summer and he could be on a short leash this season if he does not progress as expected.

Mark Sanchez, New York Jets – Sanchez showed improvement last season after the Jets spent money upgrading the receiving corps.  Some would argue his numbers were disappointing though.  The question now is whether he is going to be an elite passer or just a guy who wins ball games.

Matt Hasselbeck, Tennessee – Hasselbeck is expected to begin the season as the starter for the Titans, but if things go south quickly expect Jake Locker to see some significant playing time.

Donovan McNabb, Minnesota – Sure he is in a better situation in Minnesota, but who is he going to throw the ball to?  With Sidney Rice bolting to Seattle the Vikings are left with Percy Harvin, Visanthe Shiancoe, and a handful of #2 receivers.  Then again he was always fairly productive in Philly when all he had to throw to was a bunch of #2s.

Rookies

Which rookies are worth rolling the dice on this season?  Only one stands out as a sure fire bet to win a starting job this summer.

Cam Newton, Carolina – Newton has yet to be named the starting quarterback in Carolina, odds are he will be starting by the end of the year unless the Panthers manage to stay in playoff contention with Jimmy Clausen or Derek Anderson under center.  He is definitely worth grabbing for keeper leagues.

Jake Locker, Tennessee – Barring injury Locker will begin the year as a backup to Hasselbeck.  However he could see time under center if and when the Titans fall out of contention.  Definitely worth a look in keeper leagues.

Blaine Gabbert, Jacksonville – Started the Jags first preseason game and it was not a complete disaster.  If he continues to progress he could beat out Garrard, but it seems unlikely he is the starter for the opener.  Keep an eye on this though.

Christian Ponder, Minnesota – There is little to no shot he wins the starting job over Donovan McNabb this summer.  The Vikings signed McNabb to a one year deal with the hopes Ponder is ready to start in 2012.  Ponder could see some starts if the Vikes are not in contention come November or December.

Andy Dalton, Cincinnati – Dalton seems the most likely candidate of this year’s rookie class to start right away.  With Carson Palmer seemingly following through on his threat to retire and the likes of Bruce Gradkowski, Dan LeFevour, and Jordan Palmer competing with Dalton for the starting job it seems like it is Dalton’s to lose.  One should expect big numbers from this season however as the Bengals seem to be a franchise heading in the wrong direction.

Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco – Kaepernick could see playing time this year if Smith never gets it together, but he definitely will not open the season as the starter.

Ryan Mallett, New England – It seems highly unlikely Mallett will ever be the starter in New England.

LeBron James (SF, Cleveland) – It really is not even that much of a debate right now in terms of who means the most to the success of his team right now.  LeBron makes the Cavs a legit championship contender, heck, he is probably the reason they are even a playoff team.  James finished the year second in scoring, 6th in assists and 9th in steals.  Of the top 8 scorers in the league James is the only one to shoot above .500 for the year.  The only real knocks on James’ game is he is just an adequate three point and free throw shooter.  The only argument one can really make for Kobe being the better player right now is he has won a title and LeBron has not.

Dwight Howard (C, Orlando) – Howard is going to be his generation’s Tim Duncan in that he will be judged more on how much his team wins an not necessarily on his overall numbers.  He understands his role is to be the defensive stopper and rebound and block shots.  Howard really seemed to step up his game on the offensive end showcasing some new post moves.  Led the league in rebounds, blocked shots, and field goal percentage.  Howard is the best defensive player in the game and the thing that is so special about him is he can dominate a game without having to score 30 points.

Kevin Durant (SF, Oklahoma City) – Became the youngest player to lead the league in scoring while leading the Thunder to their first playoff appearance since relocating from Seattle.  He loses some points simply because I am not sure how much he actually elevates his team around him.  Howard and James probably make more out of lesser talent around them.

Kobe Bryant (SG, Los Angeles Lakers) -Kobe had a strong season but not quite as MVP-worthy as the aforementioned players.  His days as a truly elite player may be coming to an end and, at times, he looked like a guy whose body was starting to give up on him just a bit.  He also loses a few points in my book because he has the most talent around him whereas guys like LeBron and Howard do not have as much to work with at their disposal.

Carmelo Anthony (SF, Denver) – Arguably Anthony’s best season as a pro.  While it may not have been his best season statistically it is the other areas of his game that makes it one of his best.  He has become more of a leader in Denver and has finally started defending.  It used to be that Anthony only went through the motions on defense but now he actually steps up to provide key stops.  Anthony’s maturation on the court is a huge reason the Nuggets are the second seed in the West.

The initial reports on McGrady had him telling reporters he expected to be back on the floor for the Rockets earlier this week.  Then came statements from the Houston front office stating no firm return date had been established for McGrady.  Tracy says he is good to go and ready to play.  Head coach Rick Adelman and the Rockets say he simply is not ready to go and McGrady would risk re-injuring his knee again if he comes back too soon.

Both sides flat out deny the Yahoo! sports report claiming the situation culminated in Adelman and McGrady getting into a heated argument over him wanting to play earlier this week.  With these recent developments one begins to wonder if he writing has been on the wall in regards to McGrady’s future in Houston.

One has to wonder if T-Mac’s days in Houston were at an end once the Rockets advanced to the second round of the playoffs with him watching from the bench last spring.  The monkey on McGrady’s back his entire career has always been his inability to lead a team out of the first round of the playoffs.  The fact the Rockets did that without him on the floor last season leads one to realize they do not need him to get to the next level.

The second sign McGrady’s days were over came when the Rockets gave Trevor Ariza a long term contract over the summer.  Ariza is off to the best start of his career, is averaging more points per game than McGrady did last season, and is a better defender than T-Mac.  Also, the fact the Rockets are currently 6th in the West in terms of playoff seeding does nothing to help McGrady’s case.

Simply put McGrady is a free agent after this season and does not figure in the long term plans of the Rockets.  They are clearly building for the future around younger players like Ariza and Aaron Brooks and hoping Yao Ming makes a full recovery and gets back on the court next season.  Without Yao they now they do not have the horses to compete with the likes of the Lakers and Spurs come playoff time even if McGrady is out there.  They would rather see guys like Brooks, Ariza, and Kyle Lowry get the bulk of the minutes in the back court this season rather than lose minutes to T-Mac.

McGrady is scheduled to have a MRI on Monday to see how stable his bum knee is.  If it looks good do not be surprised to see the Rockets maneuver quickly to find a buyer for McGrady’s expiring contract.  They will slowly work him back into the rotation off the bench and then move him for the first reasonable offer they get for him, or, they may just buy him out to get him out of their hair.

Fair enough, I suppose, he wanted to see firsthand what he had in Quinn and Derek Anderson before making a decision.  I can dig that philosophy.  Well, the spring mini-camps came and went without Mangini naming a starter.  It was curious but it stands to reason he wanted to see how the two would perform in training camp with the full roster in camp.  Maybe he wanted to see how the team as a whole was going to respond to the quarterback competition.  Which one was going to have the most support in the locker room.  I get that.  Or, he possibly wanted to see them in preseason games, see how they were going to play in real time game situations and not just running non-contact passing drills in practice.  Understandable.

As preseason rolled on neither player did a lot to distinguish themselves from the other.  Neither one of them was particularly bad but neither was overwhelmingly great either.  They both played fairly well when called upon in the preseason.  Anderson completed 15 of 26 passes for 207 yards and two interceptions while Quinn was 21 of 31 for 227 yards a touchdown and an intercepti0n.

Quinn was eventually tabbed the starting quarterback just days before the Browns season opener against the Vikings.  One can only assume he was named the starter based on having slightly better numbers than Anderson did in the preseason.  Given that he was effectively benched half way into the third game of the season one kind of wonders who or what was behind Quinn being the named the starter after all.

Did it come from the front office that Quinn was going to start because they did not spend a first round draft pick and millions of dollars to sit the bench?  Look at it this way.  Anderson had earned the right to be the starting quarterback last season based on throwing 29 touchdowns and passing for 3,787 yards in the 2007 season.  But he did nothing during the 2008 season to warrant being the starter heading into camp, and, in Anderson’s defense Quinn had nothing to separate himself as the clear cut favorite given the couple of games he started before going down with a season-ending injury in his third career start.

Granted, Quinn was not setting the world ablaze the first few weeks of the season with his play, but was his benching truly warranted.  He completed 59% of his passes and had thrown one touchdown against two interceptions and  passed for 366 yards in the Browns first two games.  Not great numbers but not horrendous either.  Let us not overlook the fact that the first two games were against two pretty good defenses in Minnesota and Denver.  Let us also not forget that Cleveland’s talent at the skill positions is pretty lacking.

Jamal Lewis is a serviceable back but teams do not feel compelled to game plan around his presence.  Braylon Edwards is as good a talent as their is at wide receiver, but, let us face facts.  He was pulling a Man-Ram in Cleveland and dogging it there the past two years.  Aside from getting the big pay day he has been after he was never going to be happy playing for a going nowhere fast franchise like the Browns are these days.  After that the cupboard is pretty bare given they traded Kellen Winslow to the Bucs, Donte Stallworth got suspended for the year, and Joe Jurevicius may never play football again.  Mohamed Massaquoi and Brian Robiskie are promising talents but it is tough to expect an inexperienced quarterback to cut his teeth in the league and be successful without any real talent around him to throw the ball to.

Given how quickly Quinn was given the hook this season one wonders if Anderson was not Mangini’s favorite all along.  He could not very well name Anderson the starter outright without upsetting the fan base, or, potentially, upper management.  Remember they have a vested interest in seeing Quinn be successful out there.  Quinn was the fan favorite last spring and they wanted to see him get a shot as the starter.

Remember that Mangini comes from the Parcells/Belichick coaching family and Anderson is the kind of quarterback they tend to gravitate towards.  He is a late round pick who was a three year starter in college who threw for a ton of yards and touchdowns.  They love those kind of quarterbacks who have to fight and scrap for their spot on the team.  They tend to veer away from the over-hyped guys who every other team in the league falls in love with.  The mid-to-late round guys are more coach-able and eager to go the extra mile to be successful in the league.  They know they are not good enough to get by on their skills alone and need to be students of the game.

Quinn is the wunderkind out of Notre Dame that was being hyped as a top quarterback prospect.  That was the first strike against him, the second being he was the fan favorite.  Guys like Parcells, Mangini, Belichick, etc. do not like to be dictated to and told what to do with their teams.

One gets the sense that Mangini disdained the fact that he was forced to have Brett Favre as his quarterback last season and rode with him the entire year to prove a point.  If he had his druthers Kellen Clemens or Chad Pennington probably would have been the starter last season for the Jets, not Favre.

Mangini was a bit of a controversial hire in Cleveland given how he left New York and he was probably not looking to rock the boat too much when he first got there.  So, he played ball and went with Quinn, and when he benched him in favor of Anderson it was as though he was saying, “see this guy sucks, I never wanted him in the first place.”  What leads one to believe Anderson was always the first choice is how dreadfully he has played and how Mangini has yet to even consider pulling the plug on him.  It is as though he is saying I did it your way and we lost so now I am doing it my way.

First of all he was named the starter after completing just 11 of 19 passes for 92 yards in the second half of the Ravens game in week three.  He also threw three picks in that game.  Even though he did not do anything to make one believe he was going to have any more success than Quinn did he drew the starting assignment in week four versus the Bengals.  He played well enough in that game, completing 26 of 48 passes for 269 yards and a score, to warrant starting against Buffalo.

He was downright dreadful in the Bills game completing 2 of 17 passes for 23 yards and an interception.  The mere fact that they won the game and Anderson kept the starting job is nothing short of a minor miracle in and of itself.

Despite putting up one of the worst games in league history he drew the start this past week against the Steelers and while he was not as bad he was still awful.  He completed just 9 of 24 passes for 122 yards with a touchdown and an interception against Pittsburgh.  Anderson’s only saving grace as a starter this year is he holds the Browns only win.

After this past weekend’s games Anderson is currently the worst rated quarterback in the league.  Believe it or not his completion percentage and passer rating worse than that of Oakland’s JaMarcus Russell who has been roundly criticized as the worst quarterback in the league this year.  In three games as the starting quarterback Anderson has completed just 41.6% of his passes, is averaging a meager 138 passing yards, and has thrown two touchdowns against three interceptions.

The mere fact that Derek Anderson is still the starting quarterback after being the worst quarterback in the league to this point leads one to believe that Brady Quinn never stood a chance at starting all 16 games this year.  He needed to be absolutely perfect to hang onto the job.  The fact that Mangini has not even thought twice about keeping Anderson in the line up is mind boggling.

One wonders if he is trying to throw the season so he can get a better draft pick.  One thing that seems pretty evident at this stage of the season is that neither Quinn or Anderson will be the quarterback of the Cleveland Browns next season.  Who it ends up being remains to be seen, but I fully expect Brady Quinn to be in another team’s uniform come next spring.

While McNabb was rehabbing his rib injury the reins of the offense were given to Kevin Kolb who merely set a record by throwing for 718 yards in his first two career starts.  This set off speculation as to whether McNabb was going to lose his job to the younger Kolb who was throwing up mind-boggling numbers.  Reid squashed that speculation by putting McNabb back in the lineup against the Buccaneers this past weekend.

McNabb responded with a spectacular effort completing 16 of 21 passes for 264 yards and three touchdowns.  What became painfully obvious in that game is the Eagles need McNabb more than they realize, more so than McNabb needs them.  The Eagles cannot make a deep playoff run without a healthy Donovan McNabb.

That is not a knock on how Kolb played in place of McNabb but one thing that stood out to me in watching McNabb throw the ball on Sunday.  That is Kolb never would have completed those two touchdown passes to Jeremy Maclin.  Kolb excels, and may even be better than McNabb, at throwing the short quick hit passes.  He is extremely accurate when asked to hit receivers running slants over the middle or the quick outs to the sidelines.  He can make those throws with the best of them.  But, the one thing he does not excel at and needs a lot of work on is throwing the ball down the field.

If you do not think the ability to throw down field is that important in the modern NFL you are mistaken.  Granted the days of taking seven step drops and bombing the ball 30 yards down fiedl every other pass play are over, but, you do still need to be able to do it.  If you do not believe me just look at last night’s game with the Dolphins.  How much more dangerous are the Dolphins going to be now that Chad Henne showed to the world that he can hit Ted Ginn in stride 40+ yards down the field?  If Henne can do that on a consistent basis teams will not be able to stack the line the way they do now to stop the run.

McNabb, in fact, is so good at throwing the deep ball that Reid is willing to overlook it when McNabb chucks one of his patented worm burners on a short route.  Donovan made two perfect throws to Maclin that resulted in long touchdowns.  Kolb has never shown an ability to make that kind of throw and was able to rack up a lot of passing yards because DeSean Jackson is one of the 20 or 30 fastest guys in the league and when he gets in the open field nobody is going to catch him.

The major benefit to Kolb’s success for the Eagles is they know they have someone who is competent at handling their offense and it fuels the fire for McNabb. Even with guys like Jeff Garcia and A. J. Feeley on the roster he always knew his job was secure. Reid drafted McNabb and has always stood by him through thick and thin. Reid also drafted Kolb though and that has to have McNabb thinking a bit these days.

With Kolb playing as well as he did McNabb now knows that he needs to bring it every week. He will not be able to sleep walk through two or three rough games as he has in the past knowing Feeley was not a long term solution at quarterback for anyone. McNabb getting hurt may have been the best thing to happen to him and the Eagles this season.

My beef is first of all I have never liked the guy.  He is an amazing athlete but there has always been something about the way he carries himself that rubs me the wrong way.  Vick has always seemed like the guy who grew up doing what he pleased because he was the gifted athlete that was going places.  He was one of those guys who chose to surround himself with enablers and yes men.  He was the ring leader and did not surround himself with people who truly had an interest in his well-being beyond him being able to financially maintain the crew, or the entourage if you will.  Remember, they nailed Vick because the cops were able to flip a guy who had fallen out of favor with Vick and his crew.  He gave up the goods on Vick rather than go to jail for him.

Vick just has a long line of bad behavior and getting his name in the news for all the wrong reasons that it is hard to root for him or be in his corner.  In early 2004 two men were nabbed for distributing marijuana and the truck they happened to be driving at the time was registered to Vick.  While there was no evidence Vick had any direct involvement in this at the time, in retrospect, one has to wonder how much he did or did not know about it at the time.

In October of 2004, as Vick and his entourage are preparing to board a flight one of his associates were caught on tape taking a watch that did not belong to them as they passed through security.  When the Falcons found out about it they reportedly interfered with the investigation and the watch was eventually returned.  Again there is no evidence Vick had anything to do with it but one starts to see how he was not surrounding himself with people that had his best interests at heart.  They do not care that Vick appears to be guilty by association on matters like this.

This also the same guy who was sued for allegedly giving herpes to another woman, who flipped off the fans in Atlanta because they booed him, and who had a suspicious looking water bottle with a secret compartment in it confiscated at the airport.  Officials later dropped the case but it was widely speculated that the compartment was used to smuggle weed on to the plane and not attract suspicion.  Of course Vick claims it was to stash jewelry in while traveling.  Then he failed a drug test while out on bail and awaiting sentencing in the dog-fighting case.  He just has a history of seemingly taking the easy way out and making bad decisions.

This has translated onto the field as well.  For as many games he would win making an incredible play he would give just as many away with an untimely turnover.  He was notorious for throwing bad interceptions and was always near the top of the league in fumbles because of lax ball security.  He would typically try to force the action when it was not there and would try to make something happen rather than throw the ball away or step out of bounds.  There is something to be said for trying to make a play but there is also something to be said for taking care of the ball.  As the saying goes sometimes discretion is the better part of valor.

Another concern with Vick the football player as it pertains to Philadelphia is he never seemed to be able to grasp the West Coast offense and really seemed to regress rather than progress as a quarterback.  He took a lot of sacks and his completion percentage had dropped from a peak 56.4 in down to 52.6 in 2006.  One wonders if this is a product of him just not having the mental capacity to learn a pro offense or if his off-the-field activities were catching up with him and he was having to give as much attention to those as he was to football.  Is it a co-incidence that as his personal life started spinning out of control that his professional life did as well?

Most people will tell you that when faced with distractions away from the office that their quality of work on the job suffers as well.  It is tough to stay focused on one’s job when everything around them is a whirlwind.  Is Philly a good place for Vick?  Is he going to thrive on a team where he has a good friend in Donovan McNabb and a head coach who has no compunction over giving his players some tough love?  This could be the best place for him to go this season.  McNabb is the starter so there are no real expectations for him this season and anything he does give them is gravy.  They could potentially line him up in different positions and use his elite speed, assuming he still has it, to their advantage.

But, the proof is in the pudding with Michael Vick.  If he is going to be the same haphazard, undisciplined player he was in Atlanta then I am not interested, but, if he is willing to be coached up and has learned some discipline and ball security then I am intrigued by what he could bring to the table.  The main thing is Vick is actually going to have to work for it this time around.  He is going to have to put the time in that he was not willing to do in Atlanta in learning the offense.  The Falcons were perfectly willing to simply let him get by with his superior athletic ability and as long as the team was moving tickets and Vick swag they were perfectly fine with as long as they were competitive.

The bottom line is Vick was babied in Atlanta, will we ever forget the scene of owner Arthur Blank pushing him around the sidelines in a wheelchair?  One has to wonder whether the coaching staff was even willing to be tough with Vick in Atlanta.  It just always seemed like the team bent over backwards to accommodate Vick and his lifestyle and were quick to intervene if he got into a scrape.  They were always looking out for the millions of dollars they had invested in him and Vick knew it and took advantage of it.  They slapped his wrist when he flicked off the fans that time in Atlanta and that punishment came from the league the team did nothing at all.  They essentially made him promise not to do it again and let him have dessert anyway.

This will not happen in Philadelphia.  He is going to have to earn his playing time it will not be handed to him.  The stark reality is McNabb is the starting quarterback and have two quality running backs in Brian Westbrook and LeSean McCoy, and have the most depth they have ever had at receiver during the McNabb era.  In fact I cannot remember the last time the Eagles had this much talent at the skill positions on offense.  For the Eagles having an athlete like Vick is a luxury and not a necessity.  He will have to learn the playbook or he will not play.  The fans are not going to take it easy on him either, they will crucify him the instant he costs them a game or makes an untimely turnover.  His time in Philly is truly going to be one of that which does not kill me only makes me stronger.

Beyond what he is able to do this season remains the caveat of what happens next summer.  The Eagles have to make a decision on what to do with Kevin Kolb who has yet to show he can play at the NFL level.  Kolb recently injured his knee and it was not believed to be anything serious but one begins to wonder how injured he is and whether the Eagles are going to carry four quarterbacks this season, although, the consensus seems to be that Vick is going to be utilized more for his athletic ability and not necessarily his quarterbacking skills.  Does Vick’s presence spell the end of Kolb or A. J. Feeley in Philadelphia?

Will Reid gamble on Vick being able to do the job as a backup if McNabb goes down and will he cut Feeley loose?  The stark reality is that Feeley is a better pro quarterback than Kolb is right now and if push came to shove Feeley would likely get the nod over Kolb if McNabb had to miss more than a game or so.  Feeley knows the system and has shown in the past that he won’t lose games for you and put up solid numbers and Kolb has yet to do that.  At the very least I am interested in seeing how Reid integrates Vick into the offense but as I said if he is the same player he was with the Falcons then I am not interested.

Ultimately the question ends up being has prison changed his life for the good?  Did his 23 months in the joint teach him a lesson?  Obviously he now knows who he can trust and his real friends truly were, but will he show better judgment as a result of this?  He is saying all of the right things and time will tell, but, remember that this is the same guy who reportedly hit up the clubs with Allen Iverson his first day of freedom after his house arrest ended.  I will leave you with this final tidbit that ultimately has me a bit skeptical as to whether he is truly sorry for what he did or simply sorry he got caught.

I came across this little snippet the other on Sports Illustrated’s site that mentions Vick’s recent appearance at a summer basketball camp for kids hosted by Hampton University.  He told the kids to use him as an example for their dreams and that after accomplishing his dreams he, “allowed someone who didn’t have my best interests at heart to take all that away from me.”  I am not sure that sounds like someone who gets it or is even sorry for what he did.  It more or less implies that had he not kicked this guy out of his crew then he would still be an Atlanta Falcon to this day and still running his dog-fighting ring.  Vick is believed to be the one who bankrolled the operation.  It was his kennel that was breeding dogs specifically to participate in fights.  It is not as though he simply cut these guys a check to start the whole operation and he was simply taking a cut of the winnings for bankrolling the start up of this operation.  I suspect he was in on it from the start, but that comment makes it sound as though he was persuaded to do this and was duped by someone who did not have his best interests at heart.  That statement alone does not own up to it and does not take any responsibility for what he did.  Instead he almost portrays himself as a victim in it all for allowing someone else to screw him over.

For his sake I hope that he listens to guys like McNabb and his new mentor Tony Dungy and keeps the negative people and influences out of his life that brought him down in the first place.  Hopefully he starts coming around and owns up to running with the wrong people and letting himself be brought down.  It always amazes me how guys with everything to lose are willing to risk it all on such moronic activities like running drugs or dog-fighting.  Michael Vick had the world in the palm of his hands and he threw it all away on a dog-fighting operation that was worth peanuts in comparison to the kind of money he was getting from the Falcons, Nike, EA Sports, Coke, etc.  He managed to piss away an entire fortune and financial security for the rest of his life for him and his family.  All for the sake of getting your rocks off and making a few bucks on an illegal dog-fighting operation.

Vick’s life up until this point is the true definition of a tragedy.  He was destined for greatness only to be knocked off his perch.  For the sake of his kids let us hope that the remainder of his life becomes a comedy and he shows us that in the end some lives are worth redeeming.  Tony Dungy and the Philadelphia Eagles seem to think so.

The consensus going into the 2008 season was that the Vikings had the best running back in the game and a Super Bowl caliber defense and the only thing they were lacking was a capable signal caller to lead them to the promised land.  They started the season with Tarvaris Jackson under center only to have Head Coach Brad Childress bench him in favor of veteran journeyman Gus Frerotte after an 0-2 start that saw Jackson struggle to complete 50% of his passes and throw for 300 yards.

Frerotte managed to stabilize the offense leading the Vikings to seven wins over the next ten games until he went down with an injury forcing Jackson back into action.  To Jackson’s credit he overcame and conquered leading the Vikings to wins in three of their last four games and a NFC North divisional crown.  Then the wheels feel off the cart in the NFC Divisional Playoff round.

Philadelphia used a swarming defense to bottle up Adrian Peterson and force the Vikings to throw the ball to beat them and Jackson wilted under the pressure completing just 15 of 35 passes.  Jackson’s failure in the playoffs lead some to believe he is not the answer at quarterback for the Vikings completely disregarding how well he played leading up the playoffs throwing 8 touchdowns to one interception and completing over 64% of his passes in the last four games of the year.  It seems rather short-sighted to completely write Jackson off for failing to deliver in his first career playoff game against one of the best defenses in the league when it comes to confusing young quarterbacks.

The light seemed to go on for Jackson after his benching and he seeemed to really be grasping the offense and keeping up with the flow of the game.  He was throwing with more confidence, was not throwing the bad interceptions, and was not pulling the ball down and taking off as much as he had in the past.  He had the look of a young quarterback who was finally starting to turn the corner and at least deserved the chance to win the job in camp this summer.

Prior to all of the rumors and innuendo about Favre possibly coming to Minnesota the Vikings’ players all toed the line and said how they felt they could win with Jackson and as far as they were concerned Jackson was their starting quarterback.  This even continued when rumors first circulated that Favre was considering not retiring after all.  Team leaders like Jared Allen and Peterson still went to bat for Jackson saying he was their quarterback and they were not even thinking about Favre and whether he was coming to Minnesota or not.

Now come reports that those same players are being encouraged to reach out to Favre and have done so encouraging him to sign with the team.  With this being the case the Vikings may as well go ahead and trade or release Jackson now whether Favre comes to town or not.  The fact that team leaders are stepping out and trying to coax Favre into playing for them has to strain if not ruin any of the confidence and trust he had in his teammates, the same teammates that were backing him as their guy three months ago.  How does this make Jackson, whose confidence was probably tenuous at best, feel about being a Minnesota Viking?  He can’t be terribly thrilled about this.  Surely he was looking forward to taking the next step of progression in his career and becoming a good starting quarterback.  It is not as if Favre has a good track record when it comes to mentoring young quarterbacks either.  He barely spent any time working with Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay and he generally sees them as the enemy trying to take his job from him.  Which leads us to other potential locker room issues.

There were reports in New York towards the end of last season about how Favre’s presence divided the locker room a bit and how he was a diva of sorts.  He generally did not co-mingle with his team mates and had his own personal, private office where he spent most of his time.  There were some on the team who felt as though he was not interested in being a part of the team and Favre has admittedly said he has lost his taste for the ‘minutae’ of football meaning he does not feel compelled to have to show up to minicamps and team meetings.  He basically just wants to roll out of bed for practice and games.

Then there is the question as to whether he really has it any more.  His play last season was a bit up-and-down and he broke down towards the end of the season.  He did complete over 65% of his passes but saw his passing yards drop from 4155 to 3472 despite only throwing 13 fewer passes and he threw 22 interceptions.  Favre has the look of an aging fastball pitcher who thinks he can still throw by hitters when he wants to and it simply is not the case.  One really wonders if he still has the zip in his arm to be able to throw the ball down field.  His arm finally started giving out on him towards the end of last season.

When one considers that Vikings QBs threw for a higher ratio of touchdowns, a lower ratio of interceptions, and had a higher yards per attempt average than Favre did are they really getting a significant upgrade at the position?  Is Favre really giving them more than Frerotte and Jackson did?  Also consider that the Vikings allowed 43 sacks last season which does not bode well for an older quarterback playing on turf.  Granted the Vikings do have some better downfield threats than the Jets did but their talent at the position is arguably roughly on par with what the Jets had.  It can be argued that due of Lavernaues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery is better than that of Bobby Wade and Bernard Berrian.  The Vikings did go out and draft Percy Harvin who should provide something of a boost for the passing game but it remains to be seen how they intend on using him next season.

The final thing to consider after how Favre played last season is the fact that Brett Favre has been a rather mediocre performer in the playoffs the past ten years.  Consider that he is just 3-6 in playoff games dating back to 1999 throwing just 16 touchdowns against 18 interceptions.  Favre was once the guy everyone wanted under center in a big game but lately he has failed to deliver the goods in big games .

The Vikings have to ask themselves whether the notion of Favre still being a good to great quarterback who still has the goods to deliver a championship is fact or fiction, is it real or Memorex?  Is the notion of Favre riding in on a white horse to lift up a franchise that has floundered for several years believable or is it just a machination of the ESPN hype machine that refuses to believe Favre has little to nothing left in the tank?  Ultimately, they have to ask themselves is it worth it to make a deal with the devil to win a Super Bowl just this one year if it means potentially setting you back to square one once Favre rides off into the sunset yet again next winter?