Tim Tebow a below average quarterback with a way above average following.

Tim Tebow a below average quarterback with a way above average following.
( Why?!! )

Sense when is being below average something to be celebrated? As a person Tim Tebow appears to be a well above average man. However as a NFL quarterback Tebow has shown nothing but very below average ability to play QB in this league. The question to ponder here is how in a league where you are judged by performance can a quarterback who completes under 40% of his passes be so highly celebrated? And before you say he win let's remember he lost 3 of his last 4 games and looked horrible in the losses. Heck he looked pretty bad in his team's wins too.

The Denver Broncos took the AFC west with a 8&8 record, losing their last three game to back into the division title. This is not to say Tebow didn't have something to do with Denver winning their division, but how much is up for debate. And debated is has been all season. You are either a hater or lover there's is no in between on the subject of Tim Tebow. Most experts see Tebow as a great competitor and a born leader, however bad throwing form and happy feet add up to a slim chance at becoming a franchise quarterback. Other see him as a over hyped QB with little or no upside to become an franchise quarterback. How would you like to be sitting in John Elway or John Fox seat? Tebow backers see him as an unappreciated talent who just deserve a chance to play, forget the fact he can't throw a football consistently or the fact the broncos had to dumb down their offense to fit his ability to play quarterback.

I fall on the over hyped side of the debate. Tebow has shown very little in his starts that leads me to believe he has the ability to improve enough to become an NFL ready let along a franchise quarterback in this league. There is no doubt that Tim Tebow is a competitor and and fighter and will take a big hit for his team. But as we've seen in this season of passing quarterbacks, if you can't consistently hit open receivers you become a liability to your team's offense.I know there are backers of Tebow who thinks all he needs is time to improve and that his leadership will get him by until the improvement comes. I think we've seen enough to know this is as good as it gets with this young QB, so time is not the answer however a position change might prolong his career in the NFL.

Brought to by: AJ Jones from Cambridge
"Let's Talk Football" Visit- www.ajstakeontheNFL.blogspot.com

No Pass Rush, No Pass D

No Pass Rush, No Pass D

Well two of the best offensive team's in the NFL are now watching the playoffs from home, and the one thing they have in common is they couldn't stop a pass when needed. No pass rush means the pass D. With all the offensive fire power the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers have it came down to the inafectiveness of their defense to stop the pass that sent them home early. And most of their problem started up front with the defensive line play.

Even the casual fan know if you can't get a quarterback to move off his spot and he has what seem to be all day to look for an open Receiver it doesn't matter who your DB's are they are toast. It boil down to this " No Pass Rush, No Pass D " as great as the Saints and Packers were on offense they were just as bad on defense. Offense gets you to the dance, defense keeps you in it.

It will be very interesting to see how theses two teams with high power offensives will handle what is sure to be a very long off season tying to answer the many questions marks they have on the defensive's side of the ball.

Brought to by: AJ Jones from Cambridge
"Let's Talk Football" Visit- www.ajstakeontheNFL.blogspot.com

The Right Winning Chemistry

The Right Winning Chemistry
( check your ego at the locker room door )

The defending super bowl champion Green Bay Packers are well on their way to making a run at back to back super bowls ( 9 & 0 ) and the one thing that stand out more than anything is team chemistry. The Packers look to be the odds on favorite to not only get to, but also win super bowl 46. While team chemistry is a key component to winning in the NFL. The Packers under the leadership of coach Mike McCarthy have found to leave their ego's at the locker room door before every games this season so far. To a man the only thing we've heard from this team from the beginning of the season is a united attitude of winning as a team.

Even with the local media trying their best to throw a fly in the ointment ( with their talk after only one game of how quarterback Aaron Rodgers would be able to keep all of his receivers happy ) the superstar QB and his star studded receiving core just shrug it off as outsider trying to stir the pot. Now I'm not saying for one minute there are not a ton of ego's on this team, however this team has taken a single mindset to check their ego's at the door for the the sake of playing team winning football. It's easy to see this Packer's team has the focus it take's to repeat, and the talent on both sides of the ball to reach that goal.

Brought to by: AJ Jones from Cambridge
"Let's Talk Football" Visit- www.ajstakeontheNFL.blogspot.com

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo " is who we think he is "

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo " is who we think he is "
( not a great leader )

For the first four weeks of this NFL season the Tony Romo bandwagon has been jumped on and off more than a kids jungle gym. The Cowboy's QB has come under more scrutiny than any quarterback in the NFL in some time. Being the starting quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys is about winning super bowls, not just competing for a division title. Tony Romo has shown signs that might lead you to believe he has what it takes to get the Cowboys to the only game that matter to owner Jerry Jones and the fans of this story franchise. ( The Super Bowl )

There has been much debate on if the fought lies with Romo or head coach Jason Garrett, and while Garrett get's some of the blame, most of the blame go's to Romo. Your quarterback has to be the smartest player on the field and Tony has shown little or no smartness at key stages of Cowboys losses over the years. Romo has a strong arm and can make all the throws it takes to be an super bowl winning quarterback. However the one thing missing with Romo's game seem to be between the ears, the ability to manage a game and the time clock.

Now I wasn't there on the side line with Jason Garrett or Tony Romo, but I know Garrett had to be talking with Romo on where he was in the game and what it was going to take to make a 24 point lead stand up in the Lion's game. I think the time has come if I can borrow a quote from former coach Dennis Green ( " Romo is who we think he is " ) a quarterback with a ton of physical ability but no mental toughness to lead a team to the big game.

If your looking to win a Fantasy football league title Romo might be your guy, however if the super bowl is your goal you may have to look for another quarterback.

Brought to by: AJ Jones from Cambridge
"Let's Talk Football" Visit- www.ajstakeontheNFL.blogspot.com

Has there's ever been a better time to play quarterback in the NFL?

Has there's ever been a better time to play quarterback in the NFL?
( is the game to one-sided? )

With NFL quarterbacks putting up passing numbers at a record pace this season, one has to wonder why on earth anyone on the offensive side of the ball would have anything to say about QB protection. There has been much debate this season on if the quarterbacks in the NFL are being over protected by the league and my answer is an inflated YES!!!

After Michael Vick's post game rant of a need for more protection by ref's against late hits, the debate heated up between media members as well as fans. In my opinion, there's is no better position to play at this time than NFL quarterback. With all the rule changes lately in the NFL siding toward the offensive side of the ball, there is no wonder why even average QB 's in the league are lighting up defenses with record numbers.

Not even can you not hit a quarterback legally, DB's can't put big hits on Receivers to separate them from the ball anymore. Talk about making the game one sided. Defenses in the NFL are clearly behind the eight ball this season trying to defend offenses without the ability of actually playing defense. Football is all about hitting and intimidation, so without hitting there is no intimidating which is not football.

So let me know what you think. Is NFL football becoming to offensive? Great Time To Be A Quarterback!!

Brought to by: AJ Jones from Cambridge
"Let's Talk Football" Visit- www.ajstakeontheNFL.blogspot.com

The NFL needs to remember quarterback are football players too!!

The NFL needs to remember quarterbacks are football players too!!

The National Football League has taken the rough and tough game of football to something just short of flag football. When did the NFL quarterback position become not a part of football? How can any and all football players in the NFL except the quarterback be expected to play tackle football. The power to be in the NFL seem as if their trying to turn quarterbacks into pansy's who after taking legal hit by defenders turn to the refs to see if a flag might be thrown in their favor.

I know the quarterback is one of the most important player on the team, however the guy is still suppose to be a football player. I believe the NFL is over protecting the QB's around the league and making it harder and harder for a defender to know what a legal hit really is. How can you tell a player on the defensive side of the ball who has been taught to react to the ball, that he now has to think in that spit second before he reaches the quarterback on how he must now ease him down gently not to incur a penalty flag or a fine from the home office.

It's hard as a fan to watch what seem to be two difference set of rules being played on the same football field. There a set of rules that says you need to protect the quarterback at all cost no matter how bad the call looks. ( the guys are football players ) Than there's that other sets of rules that says you can hit running backs and receivers as hard as you want as long as you don't lead helmet to helmet. The time has come for the NFL to take a step back and rethink the protection rules for NFL quarterback and realize theses guys are also a part of the national football league.

Brought to by: AJ Jones from Cambridge
"Let's Talk Football" Visit- www.ajstakeontheNFL.blogspot.com

Freak Of Nature

Freak Of Nature

Cam Newton is not the norm in the world of NFL football, he is a freak of nature. This rookie QB has come in and taken the football league by storm and there is no football expert who saw this coming. How could anyone have predicted over 800 yards of passing in his first two starts as a NFL quarterback. Yes I know he was the first player taken in this year's NFL draft, but he's still a rookie who had a lot of questions coming into this season. And let us not forget no offseason time with his coaches so how could anyone see this kind of play coming.

One can see this young quarterback didn't just sit back during the lockout taking pats on the back for being the number overall draft pick in this year's draft, thinking look at me I made it. He spent all that off time working on the things people saw as shortcoming in his game. It's only been two games but Cam Newton has proven his na-sayer wrong about his ability to play quarterback in the NFL. There is no doubt this rookie QB will have his peaks and valley this season, however one thing that can't be question at this time is the Carolina Panthers decision to take Newton as their guy to lead their team.

Brought to by: AJ Jones from Cambridge
"Let's Talk Football" Visit- www.ajstakeontheNFL.blogspot.com

Can the NFC west really be this bad?

Can the NFC west really be this bad?
( yes it can )

With the NFC west already eliminated from super bowl contention, the only question that need's to be answer is which team will be the sacrificial lamb in this year's playoff. As hard as I find it to believe the NFL west division may be worst than is was last season. The only thing NFC west fans can be assured of is that by NFL rules one of their teams has to go to the playoff. Last season's preseason favorite San Francisco 49ers has a new coach ( Jim Harbaugh, ) no quarterback and no chance at all winning this bad division.

The Seattle Seahawks last season division winner with a 7&9 record, ( first time in NFL history that a team made the playoff with a losing record ) let their leader of ten seasons quarterback Matt Hasselback go to the Tennessee Titans to help tutor Titans first round draft pick Jake Locker. Than to make matters worst the Seahawks acquire Tarvaris Jackson of the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings through so much of this quarterback that they sent three players to kil Mississippi to talk Brett Favre off his tractor out of retirement with a bad ankle. The Seahawks will need a lot of luck to win three games.

The Arizona Cardinals made a big move in the division by signing Kevin Kolb the displaced quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles to a free agent contract. But with only a hand full of starts on his resume, the Cardinals are taking a huge leap of faith that all this hype of Kolb is real and not just fool goal. The Cardinals will be better than they were last season, however they won't see a 500 record or the playoff.

That leave's the ST Louis Rams the best team in a pretty bad division. With second year quarterback Sam Bradford looking to take another step forward after a very good rookies season. The Rams clearly have the best team in the NFC west, however they may be the next team in the west to win the division with a sub 500 record. The Rams have a nice young team, with a young quarterback you can built around, but the key word is young. The Rams will need to feed on their own division to have any chance of reaching 8&8 this season.

If there's a silver lining the NFC west can look forward to, is the fact of knowing the sweepstakes winner for Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck will be coming out of it's division.

Brought to by: AJ Jones from Cambridge
"Let's Talk Football" Visit- www.ajstakeontheNFL.blogspot.com

Five young NFL quarterback with everything to prove in 2011.

Five young NFL quarterback with everything to prove in 2011.

Jay Cutler-Chicago Bears
Matthew Stafford-Detroit Lions
Matt Rayn-Atlanta Falcons
Josh Freeman-Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Joe Flacco-Baltimore Ravens

With the 2011 NFL season a week away I have five NFL quarterbacks who need to take their games and team's to the next level. All theses QB's but one has in some way shown they have what it take to get their team to the ultimate goal of winning a super bowl. Often injured Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford With all the ability in the World in get the job done, has yet to show he can physically stand up to a 16 game season. If Stafford can find a way to stay on the football field for a whole season, he just might be the guy that can take his team to that next level.

Tampa Bay's Josh Freeman has taken the NFL by storm with his ability to make plays, and his strong leadership skills has Buccaneer's fans believing there could be a super bowl in their future. Going into his third season as a starter Freeman must now prove he's ready to take that next step toward greatness. The Bear's Jay Cutler has the most to prove in this group of five. Regardless of what Bear's management, coaches and players, or Bear fans say, what happen in the NFC championship will be hard to overcome. That one game could be the defining moment in Cutler's career. The 2011 NFL season is a make or break season for Cutler, he's needs to prove that he is not only a physically tough quarterback but is also mentally tough enough to lead his team to the next level. In my opinion the the Bears won the NFC central despite Cutler not because of Cutler.

Matt Ryan of the Falcons is number two on this list of young QB's with the most to prove this coming season. Given the nickname matty- ice by the football media and leading his team to home field advantage in the NFC playoffs with a13&3 regular season record; Ryan looked very uncomfortable being in the spotlight in the biggest game's of his young career. The time is now for Ryan to take his game up to the level of his hype up nickname.

Joe Flacco of the Baltimore Ravens has the best resume of all theses young QB's,three years as a starter, three playoff appearance, 4 playoff win. But he also has the biggest mountain to climb. He has to over-take not one, not two, but three hall of fame quarterbacks ( Tom Brady, Payton Manning, and Big Ben Roethlisberger ) playing at a very high level at the same time. And if you add Philip River of the Chargers and Mark Sanchez of the Jets to the list, you might see how Flacco could be the right guy playing at the wrong time for the Ravens. Flacco has proven he's a winner, however taking that step to the next level Flacco will need to go inside himself and find a way to climb that mountain.

With the NFL being a quarterback driven league, the time is now for one if not all of theses young QB's to take their turn at the wheel and lead their team to the next level.

Brought to by: AJ Jones from Cambridge
"Let's Talk Football" Visit- www.ajstakeontheNFL.blogspot.com

Green Bay need's to run to a championship.

Green Bay need's to run to a championship.

The Super Bowl champ's Green Bay Packers go into the 2011 season with the same questions as 2010. Can the offensive line keep super bowl MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers from getting killed and can they mount a good enough running attack to stop that happening.So far this preseason that does not look to be the case. Everyone in the NFL know's they have the best passing attack in football, however without some kind of balance on the ground game side of the ball Rodgers could spend more time on the ground than his running-backs.

The biggest problem the Packers have is knowing the have 6 games this season going against division rivals who know how to get after the quarterback. With only one preseason game left and knowing starters will not play more the one or two series in the game; coach Mike McCarthy and his staff need's to find answers to a problem that could derail they're chances of repeating in 2011. A running game can go a long way in helping to solve theses problems.

Brought to by: AJ Jones from Cambridge
"Let's Talk Football" Visit- www.ajstakeontheNFL.blogspot.com

Elway should do the humane thing and move Tebow

Elway should do the humane thing and move Tebow

Now that the cat is out of the bag and we finally see Tim Tebow may never be an NFL ready quarterback John Elway should do his team a huge favor and move Tebow. It's always hard to say I made a mistake, however GM John Elway and Coach John Fox can take solace in knowing it wasn't their mistake. It's hard to believe that less than five weeks ago there was so much love for Tebow that starting quarterback Kyle Orton was on the trading block. This may go down as the best trade never made in this team's history.

There's a lot of talk that Tebow is being single out because of his religious believes, that's hogwash Reggie White one of the best D-linemen to ever play NFL football was a very religious man and no one cared, The plain fact is Tim Tebow is not a very good quarterback at this time no matter how much Denver fans might want him to be. The Denver Broncos have a two time super bowl winning hall of frame quarterback as their GM. If John Elway thought for a minuet that Tebow had that ( it factor ) knowing he would get a pass from Bronco fans for a season or two while coach John Fox develop this young quarterback in my opinion it's a no brainer.

Tim Tebow is not the first great college football player who's game did not translate to the NFL. ( Ron Dyane, Wisconsin, Matt Lienart, USC, ) both great college players who could not take their game's to the next level. Nobody saying Tebow is not a great guy, a very hard worker, or a great teammate, however that mean nothing if you are not able to perform on the field. John Elway and Bronco's coach John Fox have a chance to not compound a problem they had nothing to do with by just finding a way to part-ways with Tim Tebow.

Brought to by: AJ Jones from Cambridge
"Let's Talk Football" Visit- www.ajstakeontheNFL.blogspot.com

Has Andy Reid tied his-self to the right guy?

Has Andy Reid tied his-self to the right guy?
( Is Mike Vick a Super Bowl QB? )

The Minnesota Vikings did it, the Washington Redskins did it, and now Andy Reid and the Philadelphia Eagles are doing it. It cost Brad Childress his job, it cost Mike Shanahan a ton of respect, and now it has put Eagle's coach Andy Reid in the unenvious position of having a very big part of his coaching legacy tied to a quarterback choice. Brad Childress tied his-self to two time Super Bowl quarterback Brett Favre. The Vikings got one year of production out of Brett ( just missed going to a Super Bowl ) then went to the well one to many times with Brett and Childress go's down with his quarterback.

You might think Mike Shanahan would get a pass ( because of his two Super Bowl wins with John Elway ) but I say not so fast. Shanahan was in a prime position to veto a trade for Donavan Mcnabb, but signed off on the trade and tied his-self to Mcnabb. The 2010 season turn out to be a total nightmare for not only the Redskins, but maybe one of the most embarrassing moments in Mcnabb's great football career. His coach not only called him lazy, but also dumb. One would think before this trade would be made coach and his quarterback should have sat down and talk about the offense his new QB was going to run. And if this was all Owner Dan Syner's idea to bring in Mcnabb, than Mike Shanahan is not as smart as people think he is.

Now in my opinion Eagles coach Andy Reid has the biggest and brightest spotlight on him in this coach-quarterback situation, because of the way it came to be. I mention the Redskins in this blog because it was Andy Reid who traded Mcnabb to Washington to make room for his quarterback of the future Kevin Kolb. After trading Mcnabb coach Reid came out and all but gave the starting quarterback job to Klob knowing he had Mike Vick on his roster. There was no talk of a battle at the QB position to see who the starting quarterback would be. Andy Reid tied his-self to Kevin Klob though-out the hold off season and training camp and even the preseason football games. Now bad things happen to good guys, for Kevin Klobit was the Green Bay Packers. One hit by Packer's pro bowl linebacker Clay Matthew turn a dream of being a starting QB in the NFL for Klob, into a season of you've got to be kidding me for the young QB.

I want to state Mike Vick did nothing wrong, he was the right guy in the right place. He work his tail off to get back into the NFL and with the help of former Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy show Rodger Goodell and the Eagles he indeed had reformed himself and deserved another opportunity to play in the NFL. Mike Vick had a great season in 2010 ( made the pro bowl ) but this is about a coach tiring his-self to the right quarterback for his team. I'm not in Andy Reid head, but you have to wonder how a guy go's from being his QB of the future to trade bait that a minimum of 5 teams in the league wants as their guy. I can't figure out how a team can invest a second round draft pick for a pretty highly touted college QB, groom him for three years give him the keys to the car and than take them away after one game.

Coach Andy Reid has put his-self in a tough position, this quarterback-coach situation has to have a happy ending. Because with the immanence departure of Kevin Klob and his tie-ing his-self to Mike Vick this has to work. If Kevin Klob take his new team to the NFC playoffs or may I say to many playoff games over the next few seasons; the Reid-Vick combination needs to have at least one or two real shots at going to the Super Bowl in order to keep Eagles fans who already think Reid been there to long happy. Or Andy Reid will go down with a long list of coaches who tried theirselves to the wrong guy.

Brought to by: AJ Jones from Cambridge
"Let's Talk Football" Visit- www.ajstakeontheNFL.blogspot.com

Who's going to be # 2 in the NFC north next season?

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Who's going to be # 2 in the NFC north next season?

I know there's going to be a lot of Bear's fans upset with me, but what the heck. With the Green Bay Packers clearly looking as if they are going to be favor to win another Super Bowl, the real question in the NFC north is who will be the second best team in the division? After having just won the NFC north last season one might think the Bears will be the team to challenge Green Bay for the division crown. But after last season's NFC championship game leadership meltdown and Jay Cutler not only having to prove to Bear fans but also to his own teammates that what we saw in his last game was just one of Jerry Angelo's so called bumps in the road and he is the right guy to lead them to a Super Bowl. Let's not forget Chicago won a lot of ugly games last season without a consistent offense. It could be a long year for the Bears if they can find a way to keep Jay Cutler on his feet and get better production out of their receiving core.

- The Detroit Lions took huge strides last season without their franchise quarterback. A 6&10 record doesn't sound like much, however they are only a few seasons removed from not having won a single game. The holes Lions needed to fill on their roster at the end of last season were not in my opinion address in this year's draft. So without as of now the ability to try and sure up their holes thought free agency or knowing how Matthew Stafford will be able to hold up after two injury shorten season, Detroit could be looking at another 6&10 season.

The Minnesota Vikings where do I start, no quarterback, no offensive line, bad secondary, aging D-line, and an average draft class at best. This has the look of a very ugly 2011 season for the Vikings, it's hard to believe this is the same team who only two season's ago were one bad pass away from maybe going to the Super Bowl. The Vikings are a prime example of why winning now at all cost can and will in most cases come back to bite you in the butt. The Brett Favre experience may have set the Vikings back 4 or 5 years. While they were trying to chase a Super Bowl with an aging Favre, their three counterparts in the NFC north let nature take it's course with young QB's.

The NFC north has the look of a division in transition from bottom to the top. The Detroit Lions have a ton of momentum going into next season and if, and that a big if Matthew Stafford can give them a full season than they in my opinion are the second best team in the NFC north. The Chicago Bears have some very important questions that need to be answer and the main one can only be answer by Jay Cutler. No matter how much of a united front they put on for their fans, there has to be a lingering affect going into next season. The Vikings may still make a move on one of the free agent quarterbacks out there after the lockout ends, but there is no Hall Of Famers out there this time around. I firmly believe the time has come for the Viking to stand pact and take their lumps for a season or two with the veteran QB's they have, and let their
Young first round draft pick ( Christian Ponder ) grow into the quarterback they hope he can be. Last suck's, but if there's a plan in place, even the most die hard of fans will get behind it.

Brought to by: AJ Jones from Cambridge
"Let's Talk Football" Visit- www.ajstakeontheNFL.blogspot.com

The Detroit Lions may have gotten the steal of day one.

The Detroit Lions may have gotten the steal of day one.

Being that I'm a huge Green Bay Packers fan watching the Detroit Lions pick Nick Fairley with the 13th pick in round one kind of gave me chills. With an already potent defensive line that passed out a lot of pain to NFL quarterbacks last season, ( 44 sacks ) the drafting of Fairley clearly put the teams in the NFC north on notice that their doormat days might be over. Detroit biggest needs Going into this year's draft were on the offensive line, cornerback, and linebacker. However seeing Fairley who was though to be a top 3 pick not to long ago still on the board, had to be very hard to pass on.

The Lions just might be the best place this young man could have landed, with a lot of character issue following him after the combine Fairley had a lot of NFL personnel people questioning his work ethic. But I feel being pair with Detroit's top pick of last year's draft Ndamukong Suh, already one of the best D-linemen in football with great work ethic will Help show him the way. Fairley proved in Auburn's run to the national championship that he can be a tough force to deal with. I don't know what he did or said to bring his stock down in some NFL personnel people minds, but this guy passes the eye test on the field. If Nick Fairley come in to the NFL with the same hunger he showed in helping Auburn win the national championship, the Detroit Lions may have gotten the steal of the draft.

Brought to by: AJ Jones from Cambridge
"Let's Talk Football" Visit- www.ajstakeontheNFL.blogspot.com

Destined For Greatness

Destined For Greatness

( Will Aaron Rodgers take that next step to NFL greatness? )

There is no such thing as a sure bet in pro football, however Aaron Rodgers just may be the closes thing to fast money as you can get. After three seasons as the starting Quarterback of the Green Bay Packers; Rodgers has gone from the guy who replace a Packer's living legend in Brett Favre, to possibly the most dangerous Quarterback in the NFL. With a strong pinpoint laser arm and feet nimble enough to someday get him an invite to appear on dancing with the stars, Rodgers has put the whole national football league on notice that he will be a force to deal with for years to come. After setting a NFL record by recording 4000 yards seasons in his first two years as a starting Quarterback and missing a third by less than a hundred yards. Rodgers did something his predecessor had not accomplished is his Hall Of Fame career ( win a Super Bowl MVP ) with his near perfect performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV.

One could see how it might easy for Rodgers to get caught up in all the hype that's been coming his way, after having just reach the pentacle of any young Quarterbacks's dreams. No only playing in and winning a Super Bowl Championship, but also taking home an MVP award to boot. However as most of us who tune in and witnessed on draft day 2005, Rodgers had that look and let it be known that he would not let any of the 20 teams who passed on him in the first round ever for get they under valued his talent. So after having in my opinion a Pro Bowl coming out season in 2008, Rodgers even had Chicago Bears fans who were counting the days until # 4 Retired; believing lighting was about to strike twice in Green Bay WI.

Rodgers not only proved to all cheesehead nation but also to a lot of NFL expert na- Sayers that Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy were right to give him the keys to the car. So after what has to now look to him like a small bump in the road on draft day, and after handling a Quarterback controversy that could have turn into an all out turf war with nothing but class. Aaron Rodgers who now has one championship belt around his waist, has put his self in a position to give the fans of Green Bay something they haven't seen in the team's story history, Back to Back Hall of Fame Quarterbacks.

Brought to by: AJ Jones from Cambridge
"Let's Talk Football" Visit- www.ajstakeontheNFL.blogspot.com

Can an " Elite Quarterback " be develop or is he just " that guy "

Can an " Elite Quarterback " be develop or is he just " that guy "

With the game of NFL football at the height of it's popularity and no ceiling in sight, the Quarterback position has become the most debated in football. In my opinion the NFL Quarterback position has to be the hardest to play in all of sports. In a sport that is totally Quarterback driven, you might be hard press to come up with a list of ten QB's ( out of 32 teams )who will hit anyone's Elite list. With such a high premium put on the Quarterback position to carry a team, you have to ask yourself, why there are so few team's in the NFL with the capability to develop a championship caliber QB. The first thing you might hear is players don't work as hard at the game the way they use to. I don't believe that to be true, professional football player probably train harder at their sport than any other. People might say it's all the money players make, it give them no incentive to work at their craft. While I think there might be a case to be made with some players, I think the number is very small. You don't play this game without some love and passion for it.

Where as I don't think money is the reason Quarterbacks fell to make the impact we as fans feel they should. I do feel money is the main reason their development is hinder. NFL Owners and General Managers feel they can't let that kind of money sit on the side line and learn the game at a more gradual pace. The Quarterback position is the one position on any team where a longer learning period is needed. There have been very few exceptions of Quarterback who have started their rookie year and became Elite QB's. ( Troy Aikman, Payton Manning, Dan Marino to name a few ) Theses three guys had that " it factor " the first day they step on the field. Troy and Payton took a pounding their first few years, just tying to stay alive while learning on the job. Dan Marino looked like a polish veteran right from the beginning, one in a million, you may never see this kind of Quarterback again.

Without the time that is needed to sit behind and watch a veteran Quarterback go though the day to day riggers of being an NFL Quarterback, these young QB's are eaten alive. I believe it take a minimum of three years to develop an NFL ready Quarterback, a guy who learn's the position inside and out.This mind you is not an Elite Quarterback, this is a QB who might not lose his team a lot of games. We have seen this type of QB win Super Bowls ( Trent Dilfer, Rob Johnson, Doug William, Mark Ripen ) the one thing these Quarterback have in common, they learn the game from the bench. These were veteran QB's who had the opportunity to develop their skills to the point where they could lead a team to and win the Super Bowl.

The term Elite Quarterback is used to loosely for my taste. The real question is what make's a Quarterback Elite? I know it can't be winning a Super Bowl, Dan Marino was one of the most Elite Quarterback's in NFL history ( no SB ring ) Ben Roethlisberger on the other hand has been to three Super Bowls and won two and there's a lot of so call experts who don't think he's Elite ( I'm not one of them ). My definition of an Elite Quarterback is every time he go's on the field the opposing team know's he can win, Big Ben fits that definition. There are only a few QB's in the NFL today that give me that feeling.They are ( Payton Manning, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger ) these are the only QB's I feel have that " it factor " in the NFL.

Aaron Rodgers is the only QB on my list who got the chance to sit and watch the game being played by a veteran for a extended period of time. And if not for Brett's on again off again retirement talk he might still be sitting. I believe sitting helped Rodgers become the Elite Quarterback he is. Time.... Time..... Time is what it take's to develop an NFL ready Quarterback! The approach a majority of Owners and GM's take with the most important part of their team's blow me away. It put to much pressure on coaches, their team's, and most importantly the young Quarterbacks they bring in to lead their team's.

If money is the underline reason for the under development of an NFL Quarterbacks, than money should be the main reason team's take a more diligent approach to this position. Most of the team's in the NFL go though QB after QB tying to find that guy, a ton of money spend hoping there's a diamond in the rough coming out of college football. I read a very amazing take on this subject on the ESPN Webb sight the other day.( and by amazing I don't mean good ) John Clayton had a Q&A on his blog sight, a fan of the New England patriots ask John if the Pats should draft a Quarterback to develop as Tom Brady's successor? John said no because it might upset Tom ( wow! John miss the whole football field on this answer ) if there's a right time to draft a young Quarterback and develop for future it's now for New England. They have a great QB and the time to let a young man sit and watch how it's done.

As we have witness with this lockout, NFL football is a business, so any Quarterback who gets upset about a smart business move has no loyalty to his team. ( he can't play forever ) I believe if more time is taken with the development of young Quarterbacks, we might see 15 to 20 team's with a real shot to win a Super Bowl instead of the 4 to 5 we can count on each year.

Brought to by: AJ Jones from Cambridge
"Let's Talk Football" Visit- www.ajstakeontheNFL.blogspot.com

How will Jay Cutler and the Chicago Bears recover from their

How will Jay Cutler and the Chicago Bears recover from their
mental breakdown?

For anyone who tuned in and watched the NFC championship game between the Green Bay Packers & Chicago Bears, it had to have you wondering, who would take the bigger hit, Jay Cutler who seemed as if he was never into the game at all, or the Chicago Bears ( Coach Lovie Smith, the team Doctor, or the team's Trainer who made it look as if they had no clue how to handle an injury to their franchise Quarterback.

Right from the start you could see Jay was not mentally on his game,( missed on a few open passes, had bad body language, seem to be calling out receivers for running the wrong routes ) Did not look as if he was very comfortable on the big stage. Now being nervous and shaky is understandable, knowing this is his first time in a game of this magnitude. But looking disinterested and almost totally unemotionally invested in the game is something to be concern about.

Anyone who watched the Bears play last season, can't question Jay Cutler's physical toughness as a quarterback ( over 50 sacks ) but the mental toughness can and should be called into play here. It's not the fact that Jay got hurt in the second quarter of the championship game, and had to be pulled. It was how easy he let him self be taken off the field in this!! Game.You are playing for a chance to go to the Super Bowl, yes I think you need to show your fans, you will have to be carry off the field, and that you are physically unable to finish the game!

You could see Jay had a limp, and was having a hard time throwing the football, but there was never any indication given it was that bad. The only information fans were given was Jay hurt his knee and was provable for the second half. So when he plays one set of down and is taken out of the game, what is a fan suppose to think? That's where Bear's management comes in, they did nothing to tell or show fans how hurt their quarterback really was ( no ice, no brace, no crouches, and no trainers around him to show us he may be hurt bad ).

The tweet's came fast&furious, lot's of Players taking their shots at Jay, the guys calling the game not knowing what to think or say. Fans burning his jersey, what were people suppose to think without the proper lines of communication in place. Now with that being said, Jay has to responsibility for his lack of mental toughness and team leadership skills. He needs to take ownership of his team, you saw none of that in the game. You could not tell one way or another that he cared he was not in a game that could put his team in the Super Bowl.

I'm not a Doctor and will never claim to be one, but you don't need a PHD to see that Jay Cutler mentally gave up on his team. His coaches and teammate all stood up for him, and all said the right things, but there is no way he can easily recover mentally from what took place in that game. While I don't think Jay Cutler deserve the criterium of not being a physically tough quarterback, I do think his mental make up is weak. The Bears management on the other hand had a total mental breakdown in that game, and to a man should be held accountable for hanging Jay Cutler out to dry.

Ajjones

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