However, that’s not why I’m here to talk about.  Obviously the Madden Curse is something to be aware of, especially if you are Larry Fitzgerald who is the second person in the tandem that is on the cover.  Instead, I’m here to reveal to you a possibly new curse that many have not taken notice, but I have with my keen eyes.  I’ll dub it the EAS Myoplex Curse.

Granted those folks at EAS probably do not intend for such an even to happen, but nonetheless some odd occurrences have been observed.  Please take a look of the data for yourself thus far:

1. Brady Quinn:  First spokesman I noticed on these commercials.  It is reported in rumorville that he was more interested in becoming a male model over playing quarterback.  I do not know if it is true, but the commercials seem to validate that conjecture.  Couple that to his latest failures in running the Cleveland Browns offense, this might be the case.  Or is it the Myoplex curse?
2. Matt Hasselbeck:  Overall, a talented quarterback who runs the Seattle Seahawk offense to perfection.  Recently, Matt went down with an injury to his ribs against the 49ers which knocked him out a couple games.  That hurt the team as they fell to 2-3, but they should rebound with Matt back (not at full strength however).  Normal football injury or the result of promoting Myoplex?
3. Larry Fitzgerald:  Currently, Larry is doing just fine.  He’s the new guy on board to the EAS advertising gig.  So it is either the curse has yet to affect him or all this is a sham.  Maybe he should take out some insurance, especially considering its a double whammy for him:  being EAS spokesman and gracing the Madden cover.

So far, we have two known incidents of decline in football “playability.”  More data is needed, but even if Larry has a drop-off, we can not ascertain the true reason for his theorized failings.  That is because he’s on the Madden cover too, confounding our results.  Unless there are other spokespersons for EAS we can gather data from, we shall never know the true nature of this purported curse.

Extra note:  This curse applies to only football spokespersons because the careers of Jen Perez and Chase Utley seem to be unaffected by their duties as spokespersons.

Kobe, Artest, Odom, Gasol and Bynum

The only weak point might be Bynum, but with more experience and “practice” (a la Allen Iverson), we should be and are the favorite to raise another banner in 2010 in Staples Center.

On top of those good feelings, the Dodgers are experience a momentous revival in the postseason with Joe Torre at the helm.  Up 2-0 on the St. Louis Cardinals, the Blue Crew should be set up to meet in the NLCS.

As if that was not good enough news, the Angels of Anaheim (of also Los Angeles; all I can say is que?) are on off on the right foot in the postseason with a dominating performance against those hated Boston Red Sox.  Hopefully, this trend continues and we shall also be in the next round, the ALCS.

My hope is that the World Series this year will be one known as the Freeway Series.  Let’s make it happen guys! Go Dodgers and Angels!

Its definitely going well in these parts.  I’m rooting for my hometown teams, including the USC Trojans, UCLA Bruins and UCI Anteaters!  Go LA (and the OC)!

And so we begin:

The Michael Vick Experience at the outset was touted as a revolutionary change at the quarterback position.  Not only could Vick pass, but he could run like a speedy running back when called upon, making it tough on the defense to keep track off.  All was well as long as the Atlanta Falcons won games and made the playoffs.  Times were good not only for the team, but for Vick himself, earning him millions of dollars in terms of his playing contract and endorsement deals.

Well you know what they say about money:  More money, more problems!  And boy did Vick conjure up some problems. It started with spats and verbal jabs at fans.  The team soon began to lose games they were expected to win as favorites.  Then it escalated to the infamous dogfighting ring he ran.  Amazingly, if that were his only problem, he’d be relatively okay however we soon found out that he blew all his money.  On top of that he lied to the commissioner Roger Godell about his crime, became suspended indefinitely byGodell, and for awhile we thought his career was over.

Surprise, surpise!

The Michael Vick experience is rebooted onto Version 2.0.  He did his time and now is “supposedly” reformed.  Godell gave him a second chance.  I do not know for sure if he is truly reformed (and we may never know), but he seems sincere about it.   I believe in giving people second chances based on that act alone (but that’s me).  If Tony Dungy, a highly respected coach says so then you got to give the guy the chance. It can’t hurt that Dungy is mentoring him either.

That doesn’t mean however that he will necessarily play quarterback or quarterback on the par that he was before.  Since he left, the league became introduced to the Wildcat offense (through the Miami Dolphins) and many believe that he will perform well in that type of scheme, but not as a full-time quarterback.  He claims that he wants to be known only as a QB and nothing else.  I might give him the chance, but for this year he is going to be a decoy.

Yes, you heard me say it, decoy!

Being away from the game for that long and wanting to play a such a critically skilled position requires a lot of training and in Vick’s case, “re-training.” Remember this guy just came out of jail and has lost a lot of football time, especially when you consider the ever increasing athletic ability of today’s players, even in a two-year time span.  He might be able to play next year as QB. At the very least his troubles of yesteryear are in the past (or so we hope).  He gets to go back to the job that many of us wouldn’t have been able to do if convicted of similar crimes . (The luxury of celebrity-hood).  I consider that lucky in itself  and he should cherish that moment this time around.

The road to redemption is not an easy one, but if one toils and works at it, the reward will be bountiful.   It may not be what is expected, but it is better than before:  A changed person working toward the good of society.  We see that today as he is advising kids to stay out of trouble.  To that I say bravo.

The new Michael Vick Experience ensues.  I wish him luck and much success.  There are those who may disagree with me, but to them I say, you can’t put him in the doghouse forever now can you?  That would be cruel treatment, even to a real dog.

This reminds me of a song that supports such a change from a fellow Atlanta native who is going through similar circumstances.  Boy is the world is full of coincidences or what?

Please do enjoy:

Prime example:  Bobby Cox.

He always gets the best out of players and is a model of consistency.

Evidence:  The Braves under his tutelage made the MLB playoffs consecutively 1991-2005 and won the 1995 World Series.

Though he only won one championship, his players loved playing for him.  He was a fixture out in Turner Field.  Well, that is until 2011 as he has  announced that he will be retiring after the 2010 season.  It is with great respect and honor that I announce this on this blog.  He’s a total class act and we need more people like him.  Persistence and good character still count for something in this world.

Unfortunately with how the politics and business of sports today, a Bobby Cox probably will not happen for awhile, just as there is only one Bill Cowher and Tony Dungy (oops did I get into the NFL again, my bad).  I hope he rides into the sunset enjoying those days outside the grind of managing.

Don’t get it mixed up though.  He’s still going to be in Atlanta as a consultant for the Braves making his presence felt.  Just not on the field.

Heck, he’s going to have an everlasting presence felt there!  Good riddance Bobby!

Courtesy of mcmilkd through Webshots.com

If Drew Brees was still the Charger quarterback, I wonder what might have been accomplished, especially with LT at his prime and Antonio Gates blowing up?  Ah might a Super Bowl or two been in our midst?  We can only speculate now.  I know the Chargers and A.J. Smith were concerned with taking a risk after Brees injured his shoulder at the end of 2005-2006 season, but its the type of risk, I’m calling it the Tom Brady risk, that makes a champion.  Now I will have to wallow in mystery and hope the rascal from NC state (who ain’t bad but no Drew Brees), Philip Rivers, and a gimpy LT can pull out even a chance at making the Super Bowl.  I’m aiming low and not even thinking about a trophy at this moment.

But I shall try to keep it positive.

With that said, it is not an understatement when I say the quarterback is the critical central figure of a football team and often this is the reason why teams win championships (unless you were the 2000-2001 Ravens who did it almost exclusively on defense and a right moment right time quarterback aka ESPN analyst Trent Dilfer).  Without a solid quarterback, your team’s season is going to be a long, excruciating painful one.  Though I hate to say it, Philip Rivers actually give me hope .  Too bad I can’t say the same to the Ragin’ Cajun Jake Delhomme.

Everybody has an opinion on where their favorite quarterbacks rank in comparison to others, but is that opinion based on any solid evidence?  Of course CBS Sportsline and ESPN rankings are right?  Yeah right! Not by a mile.  That’s why I’m here, to give you my view after two weeks of football, based on a ranking system decided by performance.  They may not agree with other rankings, but at the very least, its factually based.

My rankings are based on my fantasy football league’s stat performance on Yahoo Fantasy Football.   (I know, a bit corny but I’m not going to pay tons of money for stats when I can get decent ones through Yahoo).  Not to get too much into the technical information, but points are allocated based on yardage and TDs and adversely affected by interceptions, sacks and fumbles.  The total amount of points is a summation and the person with the most points is the best player.  By each rank, I will give a little blurb or explanation why they rank the way they rank (with my Quackster style of analysis).  I hope you will enjoy it as much as I like discussing them.

Now without further adieu, the rankings for quarterbacks:

1. Drew Brees – My oh my, who would’ve known?  Just kidding, this is obvious as Brees is launching dive bombs left and right like nobody’s business.  Lucky for me, I’m his fantasy handler and obviously he’s a must start every week.
2. Peyton Manning – The man is more cerebral then even some PhDs out there!  Did you see that winning drive where he pulled an audible out of thin air after taking stock of the Miami defense?  This is the stuff of legends.
3. Joe Flacco – Joe cool is moving up in this league.  The surprise for the Ravens this year is having an formidable offensive to go along with that stout defense headed by evergreen Ray Lewis.
4. Tony Romo – I know he’s a bit high considering his “fail” moment at JerryWorld’s grand opening.  Better shore up kid, or Jerry’s going to ship you out.  Don’t worry, he’ll do that to the Pillsbury Dough Boy Wade Phillips first.
5. Eli Manning – I know he dissed Chargers in the draft way back when, but you’ve got to hand it to him for his solid play, especially taking out JerryWorld and his large LED screen.  He’s my backup in fantasy.  Trades anyone?
6. Matt Ryan – He’s continuing to take flight and now that he’s developed a go to guy mentality with Tony Gonzalez and continues to throw those long bombs comfortably to Roddy White, the sky’s the limit.
7. Byron Leftwich – Really?  I have to follow where the data leads me and this is very unlikely.  All I can say is he’s managing the game and doing somewhat a decent job.  Too bad managing doesn’t always lead to wins.
8. Matt Schaub – Always under the radar, but he’s ready to take the next step into stardom with the help of Andre Johnson.  Only problem, we’ve been saying that these last couple years.  A little defense could help.
9. Philip Rivers – May the force be with you young Anakin.  Just make sure you don’t get all crazy darkside on me.  Hold yourself together long enough for a Super Bowl ride.  Please don’t pull a Ryan Leaf on me.
10. Trent Edwards – Underrated for sure, but the stats don’t lie.  He’s a top ten quarterback.  A smart guy that won’t turn the ball over.  Does going to Stanford have anything to do with that?
11. Tom Brady – Wow, not even in the top ten?  Okay, its only been two weeks, but he’s struggling out there.  If he doesn’t get it together, does that mean the dynasty is over?  For me I hope so and I’m sure the rest of you agree with me.
12. Ben Roethlisberger – Big Ben, so aptly named, can take a tidal wave of sacks.  However, he can only take so much and without a decent running game, he’ll topple soon enough.  Timber?
13. Kurt Warner – I thought the hip surgery messed things up and then he went schizo on me.  Completing 24 out of 26 passes last week means all is probably well in the desert.  The thermometer is just heating up.
14. Kyle Orton – Sometimes, all you need is luck and this guy seems to have tons of it up his sleeve.  Is he Irish by the way?  The softy AFC West schedule should provide inflation of grades for sure.
15. Jay Cutler – After a disaster at Lambeau, he’s beginning to get his act together.  It helps when you have decent receivers such as Johnny Knox to help.  Funny how party boy Orton is ranked  higher than Cutler at this point.  Must be Coors Light.
16. Kerry Collins – He’s doing his part.  How bout the rest of the team, especially that once vaunted defense.  Oh yeah, I guess Albert Haynesworth really made a difference ey?  Should’ve paid him the money!
17. Carson Palmer – I wonder if he is thinking of moving closer to Carson, CA right now?  Those winters can be so long out in Ohio, especially with a double-covered Chad Ochocino and a slow poke Laveraneus Coles dropping passes.
18. Aaron Rodgers – The heir apparent is apparently a work in progress .  The first week was spectacular.  Now the defense needs to catch up, Rodger that?
19. Jason Campbell – Though he won last week, the critics continue to build as he’s totaled only 1 TD thus far.  I like the guy, but he’s got to perform.  Interpretation:  his career as a starter is in jeopardy.
20. Mark Sanchez – Who is this guy?  Is this the same Mark that started at USC?  He has great accuracybut where did that arm strength come from?  Is that why Pete Carroll went all mad crazy last year when Sanchez announced he was leaving?  Betcha he still is after that pitiful loss to Washington.
21. Matt Hasselback – I thought those protein drinks are supposed help buddy.  I guess not as he goes down again this year now with a back injury.  Is it time to hang up the jersey yet?  I guess it depends if the wifeyis still on the View or not.
22. David Garrard – Even a bottleneck on the 405 freeway looks faster than the Jags offense.  The season looks bleak at this point in time.  Are the TV blackouts signaling an omen?
23. Kevin Kolb – He is filling in just nicely even with Jeff Garcia looking over his back.  Good experience for him as he might be able to parlay a starting role either in Phili or elsewhere if he can put out a solid game next week.
24. Brett Farve – Can you believe he has only thrown 265 yards after two games.  Not like old times for sure, but that’s not why the old man is playing for the Vikings.  A sleeper pick for the Super Bowl for sure!  Nothing to loose when AP is running for you.
25. Matthew Stafford – Welcome to the NFL.  No wins so far, but gutsy performances make for a brighter future.
26. Shaun Hill  – He doesn’t produce the gaudy numbers we expect out of our tradiational 49er quarterbacks, but he’s not your typical 49er quarterback is he?  Its all about the W and simply, the W is what he’s producing. 9 wins out of 12 to be exact.  Enough said.
27. Marc Bulger – Oh how the mighty have fallen.  This team needs wide receivers man!  Maybe I should try out for the team.  The Greatest Show on Turf has turned into The Gangly Show of Smurfs.
28. Donovan McNabb – This is not fair I know, but if you’re not on the field, you do your team no good.  Eagles hope he comes back soon.  I’m predicting that Phili will trade him if all does not go well this season.  To run for a TD or not, that is the question.
29. JaMarcus Russell – He’s got the right arm strength for Al Davis’ vertical passing game.  Too bad he can’t throw for crap, even if his life depended on it.  JaMarcus makes Shaq’s free throws look good and I’m not talking about the ones he makes either.  Its the ones he clanks off the rim.  Russell isn’t even close.
30. Brodie Croyle – Croyle has stated his case that he’s the quarterback for the future on somebody’s team.  His first week stats are better than Matt Cassel, the appointed one.
31. Matt Cassel – Would he rather have Todd Haley or Belicheck running the show?  This speaks volumes for the Evil Back East as I would like to refer to him.
32. Jake Delhomme – Is the game past him already?  How do you underthrow Steve Smith man?!  Week two is much improved but the INT at the end of the game was costly.  One more outing like that and it might be time to join Trent Dilfer on the sports desk.
33. Brady Quinn – Does this guy really want to play quarterback or does he want to be a male model ?  So far he hasn’t proved anything and the clock is still ticking nevertheless.
34. Chad Pennington – Did you see how he threw yesterday?  Especially at the end of the game?  I didn’t know Chad had arm strength!  Too bad he doesn’t do that for the whole game. Well then again, maybe there’s a reason for the Wildcat.
35. Seneca Wallace – I didn’t know you were still backing up Hasselback.  Poor guy always playing second fiddle.
36. Julian Edelman – I thought you were a WR.  Oh wait you are!  Hey you’re a QB too?  I wonder if he is going to pull a Brady on Tom Brady, if you know what I mean.

There you have it.  It is my quacky rankings.  Let’s havea look later in the season and see how this QBs have progressed. Until next time, let’s hope for a Charger victory!  Am I biased.  You can bet your socks on it!

For those who are like me, average Joe’s, this also signals the season of fantasy football.  Sure, there is fantasy NHL, MLB, NBA, etc, but fantasy sports was essentially made for football.  Why?  It does not require too much attention like those other sports which play schedules that vary between 82-162 games.  The successes of one’s fantasy team (as well as its downfalls) are magnified by the 17 weeks of football.  It creates an excitement that sometimes rivals the actual football game itself.  Want proof?  Drew Brees did not have to throw 6 TDs last weekend and could have sat down for the game after 3 or 4 TDs, but for those owners (your truly) who were playing an opponent (like I did) who happened to have Adrian Peterson (and his monster 180 yards and 3 TDs) on their team, that was the equalizer as well as the icing on the cake that helps one (like myself) win the game.

So much is involved in fantasy football nowadays since its inception.  They now have fantasy football insurance.  If your player such as Tom Brady like last year gets knocked out of the season, you get to recoup your investment.  Obviously for a person like me who does not spend more than a friendly $20 wager with buddies, this insurance deal is wack.  However there are fantasy leagues now that have $100,000 buy-ins.  That’s ludicrous!  I suppose for an investment like that, insurance is a must.  Let’s just hope fantasy owners don’t get out of hand with the actual players themselves such as the unfortunate event of vandalism at Buffalo Bills CB Leodis McKelvin’s property yesterday.

Its an alternate, virtual reality for fantasy owners.  Fantasy football is a chance to escape the perceived boredom at the office (luckily I love what I do which is what I’m doing right now, writing).  Companies are definitely locking on to this trend and we have not only the regular sports analysis such as ESPN and CBSSportsline, but the companies are hiring fantasy football analyst or gurus.  One can make a living predicting and partaking in the analysis of an imaginary concoction.  That is only part of the story too. You  can also  buy trophies to display like real athletic trophies as a testament to your imaginary managerial prowess where in real life you could just be a paper pusher.

All I can say is what will they think of next?  If the following movies are any indication, we might be in not for only a change in sport but life as it is.  Please do enjoy:

The importance of all of this  is that Djokovic and McEnroe are giving the fans a “show” in appreciation of their devotion to tennis.  Truly, it is the fans that help these players make the millions of dollars and without them in the stands, they would not be where they are today.  Both Djokovic and the oldtimer, “Johnny Mac” recognize this.  If we only had more professional athletes follow in their footsteps, the world of sports might be just a tad bit better don’t you think?

Without futher adieu, I present you the events that unraveled Monday night, September 7th, 2009:

Why such interest?

I think the answer is quite simple.  Its the same reason gadget plays (made famous by Ken Whisenhunt) work.  The answer is leverage.  If the defense does not know what the offense is going to do, the advantage defaults automatically to the offense which helps them score more points.  Unlike gadget plays which are used once or twice in a game, teams are using the wildcat more regularly.

Isn’t the wildcat a college play?

Sure, the wildcat is used more often in college and high school, because not every school has a capable quarterback that can throw the long ball. (Some NFL teams such as the 49ers or Lions should look into this).  With that said, the obvious question would be since this offense has been around for so long, wouldn’t coaches have a defensive scheme for it?  Yes and no.  The college game is different from the pros where defensive coordinators already have it on the books.  It was inconceivable that a college play such as the wildcat would have succeeded in the NFL that it was assumed unnecessary for defenses to plan for it.  However we know now how that turned out.  Some assumptions need to be tested and this passed with flying colors.

Significance of the wildcat

So what is the importance of this discussion anyhow?  The NFL has relied on the same number of plays over the years and the wildcat represents possibly a new revolution in scheming in the NFL.  New plays and formations may change the game, making it more exciting.  (Aside:  Dang, Roger Godell should hire me for my type of analysis!).  What if we line up with two quarterbacks or what if we only line up with 3 running backs?  Wouldn’t that be intersting?

This begs the following question:

Can the spread offense work in the NFL?

Courtesy of sofiak111 from WebShots.com

I really hate this time of year when basketball and football isn’t in season. Sorry baseball fans, but I just can’t watch a whole game unless I am there in person.

Well, what I really hate is the free agent period. It flat out sucks. Its all about money. Agents only have their interests in mind and advise players poorly. Players get caught in the media frenzy about how much they should make or where they should go, instead of making their own educated decisions.

Case and point:  Lamar Odom. Lamar is in his basketball prime and he has a good offer from the Lakers to stay with his championship team. I know it isn’t as high as his asking price but who has 10 plus million to offer Lamar? I can’t think of a team willing to pay him more than the mid-level exception since everyone is cutting costs and saving money for next year’s free agent class. This mean the Lakers are willingly to pay him about 3 million more than any other team, but he scoffs at the idea. His agent should be jumping for joy and telling him to sign, even maybe asking for more incentives; instead he decides to advise Lamar to wait. Well this is sad and poor advice.

What is to stop Jerry Buss from taking the offer off the table? Nothing! Jerry is known not to take crap from players that offer little in return. I am not saying Lamar isn’t a good player but if you think about it, Jerry will be spending 16 million a year to keep Lamar under league salary cap rules.

Quite frankly he isn’t worth that much!

Lamar has a habit of not playing every game and every Laker fan knows this. I really do like the guy and feel he is important in our quest to repeat.  Lamar, if you are reading this, please consider the Laker offer and quit listening to your agent. I know it isn’t as much money as you would like but look at it from an overall perspective. Jerry is willing to pay 16 million total to keep you and you have another chance to win a title. This is a whole lot better than a few extra bucks that you probably can pick up through extra incentives.

Artest brings proven defensive skill, rebounding and added offense.  Some claim that he’s Kobe’s Rodman as Dennis was to Jordan.  Like Rodman, in addition to his basketall skills, he brings other intangebles.  If you don’t know what I mean, you should check out several videos below:

Viewer discretion advised for his rapping skills: