Welcome to December, folks. December is a big month for sports geeks like you and I. This coming weekend kicks off the winter meetings in baseball. The NFL is heading down its home stretch and the playoff race is currently closer than ever. It’s also championship week in college football. And the NBA and NHL somehow steal ratings here and there in between!
Tag Archives: Tom Brady
The Sad Plight of Drew Brees
This past Monday Night Football pitted the New Orleans Saints against the Baltimore Ravens. What we saw was more of the same. The Saints horrendously hole-y defense couldn’t keep the other team from outscoring their potent offense. It was also yet another night that Drew Brees went off, as he tossed the pigskin for 420 yards and three touchdowns at an amazing 77-percent rate.
It was just another night for Drew Brees. Poor, poor Drew Brees. What amazes me most about Brees is how unheralded of a quarterback he seems to be. I know, I know, Brees is the savior of New Orleans, lifting them up to new heights in a time when they sorely needed it. And Brees is one of the most beloved and stand-up players in all of the NFL. He is also, however, very rarely brought up when the discussion arises about who is the Greatest QB of All Time?
Brees suffers from what I like to call the Michael Jordan Syndrome. Jordan was the King of the NBA for 13 seasons from the mid-80s to the late 90s. During that time, some of the greatest players to suit up were on the court lighting up box scores for decades. Names like Charles Barkley, Karl Malone and (as much as it pains me to say it) Patrick Ewing were playing second fiddle to His Airness. If you took Jordan out of the picture, these guys, amongst a bevy of others, all would have had more MVP Awards, probably a few more scoring titles and certainly more championships than the combined zero they accumulated during Jordan’s reign. That doesn’t make them any less part of the all-time NBA greats, but it clearly has removed them from any consideration for the G.O.A.T.
The same could be said for Brees. Throughout his entire career, he has seemed to be on the outside looking in amongst the league’s great quarterbacks. Brees’ career started off slowly with San Diego, but you wouldn’t even know he existed because the eyes of the NFL universe were watching Brett Favre break records and this young Peyton Manning kid come into his own. Then a certain Tom Brady stepped in for an injured Drew Bledsoe and the conversation of the best quarterback in football became a yearly battle between Brady and Manning. Then, Favre left Green Bay and this Aaron Rodgers kid blew up on the scene and Brees seemingly took yet another step back.
But why? Evaluate the numbers alone. There have been only 8, EIGHT, 5000-yard passing seasons in NFL history. Fifty percent of those belong to Brees, including the last three years in a row. He currently has 3,491 yards passing on the 2014 season. That’s an average of 317 yards per game and with five games left on the schedule, that puts him at 5,076 yards passing on the season. That’s four seasons in a row and over 20,000 yards passing in four years. That’s an entire career for a lot of quarterbacks! I know what you’re going to say: it’s a different NFL as it is now a passing league. That’s fine and all, but Brees has never fallen off and has clearly defined this passing age of football.
Brees is currently Top Five all-time in passes completed and attempted as well as passing yards and touchdowns. He has the seventh highest QB rating of all time as well. When you discuss statistical passing leaders, his name is in the same breath as Manning, Brady, Favre and Dan Marino, yet when the best QB conversation is mentioned, those four are usually brought up and Brees is not.
Again, I have to ask why? The knock against Marino was that he never won a championship, but he also did things through the air at a time when other quarterbacks stood by in awe. Well, Brees has one of those. By any chance, do you remember who he beat? True, you can make the argument that Brees doesn’t have any MVP Awards, but he does have a Super Bowl MVP Award. He also has a Comeback Player of the Year Award and TWO AP Offensive Player of the Year Awards. The 2009 season in which Brees led the Saints to the Super Bowl, he couldn’t even muster the MVP. Know why? Manning was wrapping up his fourth.
Brees, like Marino, has a lot of excuses that could be made due to circumstances out of their control. Since Brees has come to New Orleans, like Marino, he has never had a reliable running game. Like Marino, he never had Hall of Fame receivers. They have both had very good receivers that they have made great. Seriously, you think Marques Colston is a number one receiver on any other team in the NFL? Robert Meachem? Devery Henderson? Lance Moore? Hell, Lance Moore can’t even get on the field in Pittsburgh behind two rookies and Meachem failed so badly when he left New Orleans, San Diego sent him back! Brady, on the other hand, was a clutch, game-managing QB until he broke records throwing to Randy Moss, who is one of the greatest receivers ever. Montana had the luxury of throwing to Jerry Rice who made Rich “The Cannon” Gannon (Go Blue Hens!) an NFL MVP. Manning? He has thrown the ball to two sure-fire Hall of Famers and probably two or three more along the way (Dallas Clark, Wes Welker and Demaryius Thomas all present possibilities). Elway was 0-for-3 in Super Bowls until the best running back of the late-90s and possibly the greatest tight end of all time came along. That doesn’t take anything away from the greatness of those quarterbacks, but it certainly helps.
Most of the places you look, whether it is an NFL Films piece, a horribly executed ESPN Top Five or anywhere on the glorious internet, when it comes down to greatest QBs of all time, the argument usually revolves around Manning, Brady, Favre, Marino, John Elway, Joe Montana and Unitas. Most Top Ten lists don’t even mention Brees, throwing the likes of Fran Tarkenton, Warren Moon, Steve Young, Jim Kelly, Roger Staubach and Terry Bradshaw into the mix. I’m not taking anything away from any of those guys (well maybe Bradshaw. Go ahead look at his numbers, talk about being in the right place at the right time and taking all of the glory). I’m not saying that they aren’t deserving. All I am saying is that it is time to give serious consideration to Drew Brees as the G.O.A.T of NFL QBs.
WATT HAPPENED? NFL Week 12 Top Story Lines
Yes, I am a die hard Houston Texans fan. Yes, I am extremely biased. But YES, J.J. Watt is the best player in the NFL. Watt scored another touchdown on the offensive side of the ball in what continues to be an MVP season in his fourth year. He already has a Defensive Player of the Year Award in his trophy case, and he may very well bring home another. His play has the Texans, not even a full year removed from a 2-14 season that ended with FOURTEEN consecutive losses, at .500 and in second place in the AFC South by just one game.
There have been some interesting moves off the field before Week 12 has even started. Adrian Peterson was suspended for the remainder of the season for not even attempting to cooperate with the NFL in regards to the child abuse accusations earlier this season. LeGarrette Blount was released by the Steelers for basically being a little cry baby. Seriously, the dude gets pulled over with Le’Veon Bell for being high as hell and doesn’t get released, he should be happy he still had a job. Instead, he threw a temper tantrum and stormed off the field because he wasn’t given any touches while Bell was setting Pittsburgh Steelers’ records rushing for over 200 yards. Ben Tate was released by the Cleveland Browns. As a Texans’ fan, I knew this was a bad deal. Tate had one good season, and it came running behind an offensive line that sent THREE players to the Pro Bowl. Other than that one year, Tate couldn’t stay healthy and any Texans’ faithful could tell you he wasn’t made to be a featured back. Lastly, Jason Avant was actually released by the Panthers for questioning their play calling at the end of the Falcons game. No one on the Panthers clearly reads Wayniac Nation, because I have been questioning how Ron Rivera has a job for awhile.
The Wacky Week in Sports
Well, folks, baseball season is over. The end of the World Series will now bring endless amounts of rumors as to where each big free agent is going to go. College football had some big games and the playoff picture may have gotten a little bit clearer. That’s still weird to hear, huh? Playoff picture and college football in the same sentence? Russell Westbrook proved to be one of the most fragile “superstars” in the NBA and the Dallas Cowboys dropped their second straight loss. Pretty eventful week, huh?
Three Huge Story Lines for Week 7 of the NFL
This has to stop. These people telling us that the Dallas Cowboys are the best team in football must be silenced. They are a good team right now. They are extremely hot right now. That does not make them the best team in football. Just stop it.
Last week was a wild one in the NFL. The Denver Broncos had a mild scare in New York against the Jets, but at the end of the day they walked away with an easy victory. The Cleveland Browns showed that they are for real, winning their first game without having to come back from double digit deficits. My Texans proved they have improved leaps and bounds from last years catastrophic finish (and by finish I mean from Game 3 to the end of the season). They trailed the Colts in the first quarter 24-0, but J.J. Watt led a vicious comeback attack, and although they fell just short, they never gave up like Kubiak’s Kids would have. And yes, the Dallas Cowboys pulled off a very impressive victory in Seattle, dismantling the Seahawks in one of the hardest stadiums to play in, moving to 5-1. The Cowboys are rolling, but to anoint them the best team in football six games in with a proven choke artist at the helms is a bit premature. Not to mention, they are tied with the Philadelphia Eagles atop the NFC East.
The Eagles, along with the Suck-a-neers, have a bye this week. If so many people are jumping on the Cowboys bandwagon, why are the Eagles so quickly being overlooked. I think my friend and Philadelphia sports guru, The Law Dog, hit the nail on the head.
“5-1 is great. Black Sunday was a great game to go to. McCoy going off was fantastic (especially for two of my fantasy squads). I know this is a day to celebrate the Eagles, but I got to say…Foles is still not playing that great. 10 turnovers for a guy who in 2013 was praised as a protector of the football. It was the #1 rebuttle to Foles haters. Coming into this year, Foles’ biggest strength is now his #1 weakness. Eagles are -5 in turnover differential this year. There are 13 teams that don’t have a positive turnover differential this year. The other 12 teams are 17-49.”
Maybe the week off can get Nick Foles some rest. We here at Wayniac Nation don’t get a bye week. So, what is there to watch this weekend in the NFL? You know I have the answers to that!
Three Huge Stories For NFL Week 6
Well, folks, we learned quite a bit this past weekend. One thing is for certain: The Patriots and Tom Brady have plenty of life left in them. They’re also have classy cheerleaders, who donned Devon Still‘s jersey in support of his cancer-stricken four year old daughter, Leah. It brought tears to Still’s eye on the sideline and reminded us all to be #LeahStrong.
We also learned that Aaron Rodgers is back in the groove and up to his old mischief. He is simply unbelievable. How does someone in such a pass-happy NFL throw so many touchdowns and just ONE interception? Speaking of touchdowns, we learned that Peyton Manning is good at what he does. Manning threw his 500, 501, 502 and 503 touchdown this past Sunday, leaving him five shy of Brett Favre‘s record. Will he break it this week?
The Saints have a much needed bye this week. They had to fight back to beat the lowly Tampa Bay Suck-a-neers and Rob Ryan’s future has to be in question. The Kansas City Chiefs also have a rest week as they recover from a tough loss at San Francisco. That leaves 15 games on the menu. Which are the ones we should watch closest? That’s what I’m here for!
NFL Week 1 Hangover Cure: WEEK 2!!!
The NFL provided a hell of an opening weekend for football junkies out there. The Eagles, Dolphins and Falcons led inspired comebacks to claim victories, while the Bills rolled into Chicago and upset a team that many touted as a Super Bowl contender with an MVP candidate in Jay Cutler at the helms. The lowly Browns showed tremendous poise in a monstrous comeback that fell just short against the Steelers while the defending champs look like they have the moxie to be the first back-to-back Super Bowl winners since the Pats did it a decade ago.
Two of the biggest stories of the upcoming week have to do with off the field issues. I’ve already told you my thoughts on the Ray Rice issue (which you can see here if you missed it), so to see how this further unravels will be quite interesting. Elsewhere, the 32 player reps have yet again put off the vote about the hefty punishments from the league’s drug policy. Josh Gordon and Wes Welker anxiously await the results in hopes of returning to the field.
How do the boys of autumn follow up a weekend like that? It will be a tough act to follow, but there are some highly intriguing games on the slate for the coming week. The week kicks off Thursday night, when arch rivals square off as Ben Roethlisberger takes his Steelers to Baltimore in a match-up with Joe Flacco. It should set the tone for an action-packed weekend.
Why Peyton Needs to Win Super Bowl XLVIII
Happy Groundhog’s Day, folks! As my home base of Atlanta finally thaws out and returns to normalcy, that little fur ball Phil popped up and saw his shadow. On top of that, my SYRACUSE ORANGE BEAT DUKE AND ARE THE NUMBER ONE TEAM IN THE COUNTRY!!! If that all wasn’t enough, today, we get to watch the Super Bowl.
If you have followed my posts this week, you know my thoughts. But a quick recap wouldn’t hurt: Super Bowl in New York = bad idea and Broncos are your Super Bowl champs. This Super Bowl means so much to Peyton, and I think the heart of the warrior brings home the Lombardi Trophy to Denver.
Why does Peyton need to win this Super Bowl? It’s simple. In the NFL, more than any other sport, rings define greatness. Notice I used the plural form. You need multiple rings. In other sports, you can be considered elite without any rings. Take the NBA for example. Many consider that the top Power Forward to ever suit up is either Sir Charles or the Mailman. They have a combined 0 rings, but it’s forgivable because they played during the Jordan Era, and no one could win rings unless you joined the Bulls. Baseball is mostly about statistics. Cal Ripken has one ring and barely even made the playoffs during his career, but many consider him the greatest Short Stop ever. Tony Gwynn never won a ring at all and many baseball enthusiasts will argue he is the purest, most natural hitter of our lifetime. But in the NFL, it’s all about the bling.
Brett Favre will always be in the conversation for the best QB ever, but despite his records, despite his 3 MVPs, most people still think Brady and Montana surpass him. Why? One ring. Jim Kelly led his team to four straight Super Bowls, a feat that in this era of parity, we will never see again. But he didn’t win a single one and he has a hard time breaking a lot of people’s Top Ten. Poor Dan Marino would be the greatest QB ever if he could have just gotten a few Super Bowls. Drew Brees has some of the most insane numbers any QB has ever put up since he joined the Saints and he’s not even in the Top Ten conversation despite his statistics showing otherwise. Why? One ring. One ring is the same amount that Brad Johnson, Trent Dilfer, Jeff Hostetler, and Jim McMahon have. No offense to those guys, but they are not even in a top 50 conversation.
Two or more rings, though, and all these crazy conversations start. Is Eli Manning elite? Seriously? This guy has two good drives in his life and people start anointing him better than his brother. Come on, people. This is why Peyton Manning needs to win. If he holds up that trophy tonight, not only will one of my good friends, Jay Scott, be thrilled, but Peyton Manning will solidify himself as the Greatest Quarterback of All-Time. It can be supported by opinion, it can be supported by rings, and it can be supported by FACTS. Let’s look at the facts, folks, and stack him up against the other people in the Greatest QB ever argument.
Who is in the argument? Brett Favre, based on rings is eliminated. Dan Marino, who was deprived of any rings, is also out. Bart Starr is hands down a Top Ten QB based on his winning pedigree, but he doesn’t have the numbers to compete, so cross him off. So, for me, that leaves Johnny Unitas, Tom Brady, Joe Montana, and John Elway in the hunt with Peyton for the best ever. Well, last night, while Syracuse was beating Duke to become number one in the land, Peyton took home his fifth MVP. That’s two more than anyone else has ever had and four less than the others in this conversation had combined (Unitas has 3, Montana has 3, Brady has 2, and Elway has 1).
Montana and Brady are in the argument because of how they played in the post season and especially the big game. So despite the fact that if Peyton wins his second ring tonight they will still have one more ring, I still think Peyton will best them. Why? In my opinion, all you need are rings. It doesn’t matter if it’s 2 or 3. Want proof? Terry Bradshaw has four rings and even a drunken Steeler fan knows he’s not the GOAT. So after that, we look at statistics, and Peyton dwarfs them all.
Manning: 64,964 yards at a 65.5% rate, 491 TDs, 219 Ints, 97 QB Rating
Elway: 51,485 yards at a 56.9% rate, 300 TDs, 226 Ints, 79.9% QB Rating
Brady: 49,159 yards at a 63.4% rate, 359 TDs, 134 Ints, 95.7 QB Rating
Montana: 40,551 yards at 63.2% rate, 273 TDs, 139 Ints, 92.3 QB Rating
Unitas: 40,239 yards at 54.6% rate, 290 TDs, 253 Ints, 78.2 QB Rating
(Johnny U only has one Super Bowl ring, but he has two pre-Super Bowl NFL Championships so he is allowed in the conversation)
You can see it’s not even close. If you do happen to be a statistics guy and want to argue Favre, you have a good case… right now. If Peyton’s neck is ok and he gets clearance to return, he will break Favre’s records. The only reason there is even a Greatest QB of All-Time conversation is because of Manning’s post season record and lack of rings. Tonight he can change all of that. Tonight he can cement himself as the greatest of all time.
Well, folks, it’s that time for me to cool off. Enjoy your Super Bowl parties and to my people in the service industry stuck working, make that money. Let’s go Broncos, and remember: CUSE IS NUMBER ONE!!!
How Richard Sherman Became My Favorite Player in 30 Seconds
It’s unreal. You think you have an awesome blog in the works. You think, Nothing can make me angrier at sports than what I just witnessed. But then, as a sports blogger, you jump on Twitter and Facebook to see what the world is saying and BAM! I have a new topic. So, I am putting my post Brady/ Manning V rant on hold, because I feel it my duty to the sports world to talk about the NFLs newest bad boy.
As long as he isn’t playing my Texans, Richard Sherman is my favorite player in the NFL. In one night, this classless thug out of Compton made himself his own corporation. He was both blasted and praised on Twitter and Facebook, talked about on every sports network, and defended by sports bloggers across the nation in less than twelve hours. If you didn’t know who Richard Sherman was last night, you sure do now.
None of this is new for Sherman. He called Roddy White an easy matchup, told Revis to pick up his game, and labeled Harbaugh a bully. He tweets and texts opposing players, and whether you’re the back up wide receiver or Tom “The Golden Boy” Brady, he’s going to tell it how it is. He is the new Terrell Owens. Instead of OchoCinco, we now have DosCinco. And much like his predecessors, he has the walk to back all the talk. Love them or hate them, these are the players people remember. Ten years from now, more people will remember Randy Moss than James Lofton or Tim Brown because there is more entertaining sound bytes from Randy than those two ever had.
And there is nothing wrong with playing the game as the likes of Larry Fitzgerald and Andre Johnson do. They are two of the best at what they do and simply let their play do the talking. Tom Brady is from the Bellichek camp and never talks, but that isn’t what makes him better than Ryan Leaf. People want controversy, it makes them orgasm to have the opportunity to have a focal point of their rage. Richard Sherman gave everyone that last night.
If you don’t know by now, Richard Sherman is absolutely brilliant. He was salutatorian in high school, had a rumored 1400 score on his SATs, and earned a Communications degree from Stanford. On top of that, he was recruited by a one Pete Carroll, current mentor to The Legion of Boom, and while in high school, Sherman made Carroll, the coach of our nation’s best (and probably dirtiest) program amid a 34 game winning streak, wait over two hours to interview so he could finish an AP course. Yet because of his “antics”, because of his “trash talk”, he was labeled a classless thug.
Why? Because he is from Compton? Because he is a dumb jock who couldn’t possibly know what he was talking about? Because instead of saying the same watered down “I tip my cap to the Niners but this is just one game” garbage we always hear, he called out a guy he totally took to school and shut down possibly the most over rated QB in football?
Let me tell you what Richard Sherman is. He is an entertainer. He brought some life back into a game that the higher ups and union are trying to take away. He is a shut down, lights out defender who plays the game hard and extremely well. Oh yea, he also happened to save that game and put the Seahawks in the Super Bowl, which has been an after thought to his words. So, all of you people hating on him, stereotyping him, and trying to bring him down are just fueling the fire. And, folks, I can’t wait to see what he does next.
That being said, I totally think it’s Peyton Manning’s year and the Seahawks won’t win the Super Bowl, but man, are we in for a great two weeks.
Maybe it’s because my idols are Howard Stern and Frank Sinatra. Maybe it’s because, like those two, I don’t know how to keep me thoughts to myself. But I think Richard Sherman is an alright dude. I need to cool off. Till next time, maybe I will actually have the chance to tell you about my thoughts on Brady and Manning.
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