A time machine to visit any year that Barry Sanders was playing. BUT I will settle for Adrian Peterson in this year’s draft.
Here are some highlights of the GREAT Barry Sanders.
Release dates for the NFL awards:Â
Jan. 3 — Defensive Rookie of the Year
Jan. 4 — Offensive Rookie of the Year &Â Comeback Player of the Year
Jan. 5 — Most Valuable Player & Defensive Player of the Year
Jan. 6 — Offensive Player of the Year
Jan. 7 — Coach of the Year.
Jan. 9 — All-Pro Team
Is it me or does something smell about the results of the NFC’s Pro Bowl squad? In particular, why were Michael Vick and T.O. left off? And replaced by Romo? Boldin? DRIVER? Yes. Donald Driver??? Is it just a mere coincidence that these two had some PR issues this year and lost their tickets to “less” deserving players? I’m going to try and state my case as to why I think some people need to tear up there invitations and “Do the Right Thing”.
Let me start with Michael Vick. Sure. Romo is 6-3 as a starter. The Cowboys are at the top of their division(at least before the voting was completed). He has a QB rating of 98%. And he may be dating Jessica Simpson. Yada, Yada, Yada. This doesn’t really impress me. Here are the stats:
Tony Romo:
CMP ATT YDS CMP% YPA LNG TD INT SACK RAT
183 276 2440 66.3 8.84 53 16 10 14 98.4
Michael Vick:
CMP ATT YDS CMP% YPA LNG TD INT SACK RAT
187 354 2284 52.8 6.45 55 19 11 39 77.9
Sure Vick doesn’t have the impressive QB rating. But he also doesn’t have the hands of T.O. and the very underrated Terry Glenn to catch his passes. Hell, Vick could even use Patrick Crayton. Lelie, Roddy White and Michael Jenkins. Doesn’t really give many DBs nightmares before game day. Have you watched an Atlanta game this year? I saw this one-armed orangutan at the fair that can probably catch better than them.
With that said, there numbers are very similar. TDs Romo(16), Vick(19). Yards Romo(2440), Vick(2284). Ints Romo(10), Vick(11). Compare their games which resulted in a 90+% QB rating. Romo(Tampa Bay, Washington, Arizona, Atlanta), Vick(Carolina, Pittsburgh, Cincy, Washington, Dallas). That’s 2 playoff caliber teams for Romo and 3 playoff caliber teams for Vick.
Here is a stat that no one mentions. Vick has been sacked 39 times compared to 24 for Romo. Given the common knowledge of Vick’s mobility, this speaks volumes of how poor Atlanta’s pass blocking has been this year. And certainly plays a role in some of Vick’s passing deficiencies.
Lastly, and most importantly, Vick is having a historical season. He broke a 34 year old record for rushing yards by a QB. And he will likely end up with 1000+ yards when the season is over. This accomplishment still makes headlines in College football even though it seems that someone does it every other season. Vick will have a 2500+ yard passing and 1000+ yard rushing season and that doesn’t warrant being in the Pro Bowl? Seriously? He is averaging 8.5 yards a carry. 8.5 yards!!! That is almost a first down!!! Romo can’t even dream of having those kind of stats.
CAR YDS AVG TD
116 990 8.5 2
Unless you have lived under a rock the past few weeks, you have heard a bazillion times about Ladanian Tomlinson’s TD record. While I am certainly impressed, I was equally impressed when it was set…LAST YEAR!! I mean, come on. This record has been broken 5 times in the past 11 years. ‘95(Emmitt Smith-25), ‘00(Marshall Faulk-26), ‘03(Priest Holmes-27), ‘05(Shaun Alexander-28) and ‘06(LT). Now, I am not saying Vick deserves the MVP, but he breaks a 34 year old record of this proportion and he can’t even get a ticket to Hawaii? I think he would be very deserving of a trip and I am sure that the guys in Canton will be calling for a pair of his shoes to commemorate such a remarkable, “Feet”.
Next time I will state my case for Terrell Owens. Donald Driver? You’ve got to be kidding me.
Cleveland_Browns_at_Baltimore_Ravens
- Charlie Frye doesn’t really have a shot at getting his job back. He came close to being the first QB to get two Offensive Coordinators fired during the same season.
Cincinnati_Bengals_at_Indianapolis_Colts
- Just when I was ready to anoint the Bengals as the AFC rep in the Super Bowl, they lay an egg.
- Cincy has some real issues along the O-line and cannot rely on Carson if the Defense gets even the slightest amount of pressure on him. Maybe he isn’t healed as much as people claim.
- Freeney still knows how to get to the QB.
Dallas_Cowboys_at_Atlanta_Falcons
- What happened to the D in Dallas? They are getting shreaded left and right, but still people pick them over the Bears.
Denver_Broncos_at_Arizona_Cardinals
- If Denver doesn’t make the playoffs, blame Shanahan. He should have left Plummer in AZ. Or at least gave Cutler a shot earlier in the season.
- Denny Green deserves another year. The wins aren’t there, yet, but he has actually put AZ on the NFL map. They have a lot of potential on Offense and he has proven that he can convince a free agent or two to sign with the Cards.
Detroit_Lions_at_Green_Bay_Packers
- Can the Lions look any worse? Just watch them flush this season down the drain by winning a game and “losing” the #1 pick in the draft.
- Favre needs to retire. Sure he can still sling the rock, but hell so can Jeff George, Bledsoe and Vinny.
Houston_Texans_at_New_England_Patriots
- Ron Dayne hasn’t looked this good since he was at Wisconsin. Maybe Kubiak can get him to play up to his college resume.
- The Patriots make the most out of what they have. A Super Bowl is not in the future, but they will be a tough matchup for any playoff team.
Jacksonville_Jaguars_at_Tennessee_Titans
- Jacksonville is the poster child for the state of the NFL. Just when you think they are solid, they spot a team 21 points.
- Jeff Fischer should get some consideration for Coach of the Year. I still cannot believe the Titans are 7-7.
Kansas_City_Chiefs_at_San_Diego_Chargers
- I really wanted Herm to lead the Chiefs into the playoffs his first year, but they do not look worthy.
- I thought Barry Sanders was the best RB ever, but LT is slowly making me put his name into the conversation. Lets see what he does for an encore next year.
- San Diego will be disappointed if they have to rely on Rivers to win them a playoff game.
New_York_Jets_at_Minnesota_Vikings
- Did it really take Childress this long to realize he needs a QB?
- Coles is one of the most underrated WRs in the league.
Philadelphia_Eagles_at_New_York_Giants
- Here is a snippet from a phone coversation between Eli and Archie:
- “Son” - Archie
- “Yes, Dad. Did you watch the game?” - Eli
- “Yes. Me and your mom were talking.”
- “About the game?”
- “Yes. And we had an idea that may help you out.”
- “Aw, shucks. What? I can use the advice.”
- “We think you should change your last name to Bledsoe or Batch.”
Pittsburgh_Steelers_at_Carolina_Panthers
- The Panthers suck.
- The Steelers didn’t get the memo. They thought the season started just 6 weeks ago.
St_Louis_Rams_at_Oakland_Raiders
- The Raiders Defense is actually pretty good. Surprising given that their “stars” are on Offense.
- Marshall will not be a Ram next year.
Tampa_Bay_Buccaneers_at_Chicago_Bears
- Gruden should be fired. His only success was with Dungy’s players and he waited til they secured a top 5 pick before putting Rattay in the lineup.
- Rex has enough to get Chicago to the Super Bowl. But the question is, Does the D have enough left to get to the Super Bowl?
Washington_Redskins_at_New_Orleans_Saints
- The Saints will not win in Soldier Field.
Welcome to my spot in the Blogosphere. This is my chance to express THE voice of reason in the world of football crosstalk. Hope you enjoy.
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