NFL's Most Underrated Player?

          

Casual fans don’t know who he is. Most football followers can’t even pronounce his name properly. Only football purists know his true value. Who exactly, am I talking about? I’m talk about none other then the BEST cornerback in the league, Nnamdi Asomugha.

            Darrelle Revis. Asante Samuel. Charles Woodson. These are the most common names mentioned when people are asked who the best CB in the NFL is. You will even hear some say Champ Bailey, or even Antonio Cromartie. (Excuse me while I puke) The fact of the matter is, while all of these CB’s are most certainly top ten, (Except Cromartie) not one of them compares Asomugha.

            How can that be you ask? How is it possible that the NFL’s most underrated player is also the best at his position? Surely if he was that good you would hear his name more often. Surely we would see him on the highlight packages coming up with a big interception or forced fumble. Surely if he was that good he would be a Fantasy Football stud.  Well, the answer to that is very simple. Asomugha is so good that the play never happens near him. Asomugha is so good at covering opposing Wide Receivers that Quarter Backs simply stopped throwing the ball in his direction. That’s why you never hear Asomugha’s name. That’s why you never see him in the SportsCentre highlight packages.

            I’m not trying to take anything away from CB’s like Revis and Woodson. Far from it. In my opinion, they are both top 5 at their position. All I’m saying is that neither is on the same level that Asomugha is. Ever hear that football expression “The CB is being left on an island”? That’s the case when it comes to the level of play between Asomugha and the rest of the CB’s in the NFL.

            Just to show you how dominant Asomugha is, take a look at some hidden stats that for some reason do not garner media attention, yet are a great indicator of how well a corner is playing.

In 2009, Nnamdi Asomugha was:

Thrown at 29 times. (1.8 per game)

Allowed 9 Receptions (0.56 per game)

Allowed 144 yards (9 yards per game)

Allowed 0 Touchdowns

            If those numbers don’t impress the hell out of you, then I don’t know what will. He did not allow a single touchdown to be scored on him the entire season!

The hidden stats continue. In 2008, only 2 players caught more then 1 pass against him. Those 2 players? Future Hall of Famer’s Randy Moss and Tony Gonzalez.

            Coaches  Mike Shanahan, Bill Belichick, Pete Carroll, Gary Kubiak and even Defensive Co-ordinator Rob Ryan have all gone on record saying that Asomugha is the best corner back in the league.

            So many times I hear football pundits say that the “shut down corner” is a thing of the past; that in this new pass happy league there can never be a shut down corner. Well I respectfully, yet strongly disagree. There is 1. Only 1. And that player is Nnamdi Asomugha.

So this is my personal shout out to Asomugha, the most underrated player, as well as best cornerback in the league. It’s about time people started giving him the credit he deserves. Will you?

The Best of the NFL; Mid Season Awards have arrived!

We are officially at the Half-Way point if the NFL season, and I think it's safe to say that this is easily one of the weirdest seasons in NFL history. Pre-Season Superbowl contenders are flopping, garbage teams from last year are excelling, Star players are being traded and waived in the same month... it's just crazy. But of course, there are the players who year in, year out never disappoint.

Now, without further delay, let's get to it!

MVP of the Year: Tom Brady, New England Patriots.

I hate giving this award to Mr. Gisele but I have no choice. He is currently the most important player on the First place team in the NFL. He lost his elite wideout this season but has still managed to win every game without him. Oh, and the starting tailback of the Pats offense? The all world Ben Jarvis Green Ellis. Runner up: Peyton Manning.

Defensive Player of the Year: Laron Landry, Washington Redskins.

This was a damn hard choice.In fact, I had a hard time choosing between 3 players. I have no doubt that many of you will look at this selection and think "What the hell is Ryan smoking?". Well hear me out. Laron plays on a terrible defense. They play in a 3-4 when they should be playing in a 4-3. However, This year he was moved back to his original position at SS and the results are off the charts. 76 Tackles, 1.0 Sacks, 1 Forced Fumble and 7 Passes Defensed. Runners up: James Harrison, Clay Matthews.

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Sam Bradford, St. Louis Rams.

No brainer. Sure there are other Rookies this year having a good season, but was Bradford has been able to do this season with the Rams is absolutely Incredible. After 8 games this season, Bradford has led the Rams to more wins (4) then they had over the last two seasons combined. (3 out of 32). If thats not worth some recognition, then I don't know what is. It is also worth mentioning that Bradford has 11 Touchdown passes, compared to 8 INT's. Damn impressive for a rookie. Runner up, Jahvid Best.

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Ndamukong Suh, Detroit Lions.

Like The other Defensive player award, this one was almost impossible to decide. Literally a coin flip. Suh, or Thomas? In the end, I had to go with Suh. What tipped the scale in his favor was the fact that he already has 6.5 sacks. While impressive for any player through the first half of the season, what makes this ULTRA impressive is that Suh is a interior lineman. He's not a defensive end or even a pass rushing OLB. Combine that with his 27 tackles, 1 interception and fumble recovery for a touchdown, and I just couldn't go against him. Runner up: Earl Thomas

Comeback Player of the Year: Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles.

This award may very well change by the end of the year as Polamalu is quietly having a great season. as a matter of fact, I would argue that no defender is more important to his teams defense then Troy. But thats neither here nor there. anyway, back to Vick. Yes vick has only played in 5 games and started only 4, but look at where Vick's career was just last year. he ended the season as the 3rd string QB and it appeared that Vick's days as a starter were over when he couldn't beat out Kolb in training camp. Well one ill timed Kolb concussion later, and we are here talking about how Vick looks like the Vick that amazed us 5 years ago. His stats line does not lie. 7 TD's. 0 INT's. 108% passer rating. Oh, and he's undefeated this season as a starter. Runner up, Troy Polamalu.

Coach of the Year:  Tie. Todd Haley, Chiefs & Raheem Morris, Buccaneers.

Ok so I'm cheating and not picking a clear winner. Well it's only the half season awards so sue me. Both coaches have done different things with their respective teams that merit this award. Morris was very seriously on the hot seat coming into this season. His QB Josh Freeman is still only a sophomore, and was not all that impressive in '09. the running game is powered by Cadillac Williams who is always injury prone and inconsistent. But what Morris has been able to do with LeGarette Blount has been absolutely remarkable. As for Haley, his team is the youngest in the league. He has more rookies starting then any other coach would want, X2. So the fact that he is able to get these rookies to buy into his system and play like seasoned vets is truly incredible. At the end of the day, both teams have their teams winning their division when they were expected to be basement dwellers. No Runners up.



And there you have it, my Mid Season player awards for the NFL. Let me know what you think. am I over rating someone? Not giving your favorite player enough credit. Let me know in the comments below!

Manning still King of the NFL Castle

           A fine wine. That’s the phrase I would use to describe Peyton Manning. He only gets better with age; and that’s a scary notion when you sit down and think about it. The first decade of the new millennium was dominated by the great #18 and by the looks of things; the next decade will also be dominated by him if he has anything to say about it.

           

            Personally, I think they may as well call the 2000’s the “Manning Decade”. Let’s have a quick look what Manning did in the 2000’s, by the numbers:

1 Superbowl Ring

1 Superbowl MVP

2 Superbowl Appearances

4 NFL MVP trophies

5 First Team ALL PRO selections

5 Offensive Player of the Year Awards

9 Pro Bowls

17 records set during the 2000’s

115 (Most wins as a starting QB in a decade)

314 (Most Touchdown Passes in a decade)

            I could do this all day but I’m pretty sure you get the point. Manning was also The Sporting News “Player of the decade”, the QB for Sports Illustrated “All-decade Team” as well as the QB for the NFL “All-decade team”. But I’m not here to talk about Manning during the 2000’s.

I’m here to talk about the 2010 Peyton Manning. The Manning who has dominated the first 3 weeks of the NFL Season. Through the first 3 weeks, Manning has already established himself as one of the, if not THE front runner to win this years MVP for a record 5^th time. First and foremost, consider the statistics. He ranks first in Passer Rating at 116.9%, first in TD’s with 9, 3^rd in yards with 1,013, 2^nd in completions with 87 and 4^th in completion percentage, completing 69% of his passes. All of this while not even throwing a single interception. For reference, the only other 2 starting QB’s who have yet to throw an interception are Mark Sanchez and Michael Vick. If these statistics after 3 games don’t blow you away then I don’t know what will. Manning has thrown for 300+ yards and 3 TD’s in all 3 games played.

Secondly, consider the surrounding cast around Peyton. His running game is the devastating duo of… oh wait, Joseph Addai and Donald Brown. Don’t get me wrong, both backs are serviceable, but neither are threats to take the ball all the way to the house on any given play. Sure he’s got Wayne and Clark, both of whom are all-world talents. But what happens when a team, such as the Broncos in game 3, decide that they are going to blanket both of them with double teams, tight bump and run man coverage and zone schemes with safety help? Simple. Manning loads up that right arm of his and connects with players such as Austin Collie and Blair White. Yes, Collie had his coming out party last year, but this is only his second season and would be ranked 4^th on the depth chart behind a healthy Wayne, Clark and Gonzalez. He is also a 4^th round draft pick. (Shameless shout out to a Canuck having success in the NFL, you go boy!)  5^th on the depth chart is Pierre Garcon, a 6^th round draft pick in his 3^rd season. Lastly, that leaves us with the aforementioned Blair White, the undrafted rookie, who was out there catching a TD pass.

I also won’t even mention the defense on the Colts. They can barely get off the field which leaves Manning even LESS time to put up the astronomical numbers he has been pumping out.

Some of you may get the impression that I’m saying Manning is a lock for the MVP this year. There are still 13 games to be played and anything could happen. But would you honestly bet against him? I sure won’t. After all, he’s still proving that he is the king of the NFL castle and he hasn’t been showing any signs of slowing down.

Does A.J. Smith really know what he's doing? (Vincent Jackson related)



            Most of you reading this Blog may not know who the hell this man above is. He is the current Chargers General Manager, A.J. Smith. Under Smith’s guidance, the Chargers have been one of the most successful regular season teams since 2004. But does he really know what he’s doing? Especially right now with Vincent Jackson?

First, let’s take a look the Chargers record under Smith. 68 wins with 30 losses. That’s a 69% win ratio. Not only is that absurdly impressive, it is a top 5 winning percentage in the league since he took over the GM position in 2004.

            I’m sure right about now you are thinking that I clearly have no idea what I’m talking about. The win-loss record proves that he is a fantastic GM. I got to agree, you are right, but only to a certain extent. Allow me to explain.

            For the sake of not wanting to bore anyone to death, I’m only going to discuss his 2 most recognized moves and then relate them to Vincent Jackson.

The first major move to happen under Smith was in 2004, his first year as GM. The Chargers had the first pick in the draft and everyone knew who was going 1^st overall. Eli Manning. The only problem was, Eli and especially his father, did not want Smith and the Chargers to draft him. Although it has never been confirmed, it is rumored that the main reason the Manning’s did not want the Chargers to draft Eli was because they hated A.J. Smith. Regardless, Smith went ahead and drafted Manning anyway. Shortly thereafter, Smith traded Eli to the Giants in return for the #4 overall selection, Phil Rivers, and 3 draft picks. 2 of the draft picks gained were used to draft Linebacker Shawne Merriman and Kicker Nate Kaeding.

After the first 3 years, it seemed like Smith had, unquestionably, FLEECED the Giants. And this was in spite of the fact that Eli had led the Giants to the playoffs in both years he was the full time starter. This is how the thought process was in 2006.

Chargers: 14-2 record, Phil Rivers (Pro Bowl), Shawne Merriman (Pro Bowl & former Rookie of the Year) Nate Kaeding (Pro Bowl)

Giants:  8-8 record, Eli Manning (No Pro Bowls)

Then, 2007 happened. We all remember it. Eli Manning, went into Superbowl XLII against Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the 18-0 New England Patriots. His team came out on top. He was also named Superbowl MVP. As it turns out, as of now, the Giants got the better end of the deal.

The next major move, and almost surely the most controversial move of his career was the handling of Drew Brees. It’s common knowledge that in 2004 Rivers was supposed to be the opening day starter as a rookie. Brees had his opportunity and he clearly failed. But Rivers wanted more money and held out of camp. This gave Brees 1 more chance and he ran with it. Brees ended up going to the pro bowl and was the 3^rd highest rated passer that season. Then at the end of the 2005 season Brees needed surgery on his throwing shoulder. A.J. Smith decided it was too risky to re-sign Brees and trade Rivers, instead opting to let Brees walk away. What resulted was Brees being named the 2008 Offensive Player of the year as well as being named Superbowl Champion and MVP. In the end, Smith got no compensation for Drew Brees.  

            The list of questionable moves goes on and on. Firing Marty Schottenheimer after a 14-2, letting Michael Turner walk away for no compensation, electing to use the Franchise tag on a 5’6” Running back named Darren Sproles (Thus paying him the league average of the top 5 players at his position, which ends up being 6.6 million). 6.6 million for a guy with 19 all purpose touchdowns in 5 years!

            This leads me to the whole Vincent Jackson debacle. It appears that Smith believes that Jackson is a rare NFL talent, probably top 5 at his position. That, obviously, is absurd. It’s rumored that Smith wants at least a 2^nd and 3^rd round pick in a trade for Jackson. If Smith truly believes that Jackson is worth that much then I have a bridge to sell him.

 Let’s use Brandon Marshall as an example. Marshall was traded this off season with 3 consecutives seasons of 1000 yards and 100 receptions while averaging 7 TD’s. He was traded to the Miami Dolphins for two 2^nd rounder’s, and he is considered by most people to be at worst, in the top 7 in the NFL at his position. So let’s be fair in our assessment. While Jackson is coming of back to back 1,000 yard seasons and his first pro bowl, he still has yet to crack the list of top 12 WR’s in the league.

There’s no way in hell that Smith will get what he wants. The Vikings, who are desperate to add a quality WR, offered a 2^nd round and a conditional draft pick to which Smith said no. Allegedly, there are multiple teams that have made multiple offers yet Smith is determined to get what he wants. As I said, he won’t get it.

So here’s the tricky part if you’re A.J. Smith: Jackson is not eligible to play until week 7 anyway because of his suspension for violating the substance abuse policy as well as being on the exempt list. Eventually, if Jackson is not traded by the October 19^th trade deadline, he will sign the tender offered to him and play out the remainder of the season as all Jackson needs to do to become an unrestricted free agent next year is be physically able to perform in 6 of them.

So the question is Mr. Smith, do you take the best offer you can get right now, or do you risk losing your Pro Bowl Wide Receiver for no compensation...again?

Should Michael Vick be the Eagles Starter?

Should Michael Vick be the Eagles starter after his performance in Week 1? That is the question that many, if not millions of people are asking. The answer is a decisive YES.

While it is true, that yes, Donovan McNabb was dumped during the off-season in favor of Kevin Kolb; it is indisputable that the circumstances after Week 1 now ask for a different QB to be under center for the remainder of the season.

 What are these circumstances you ask? Well, they are 3 fold.

Number 1: Leonard Weaver, the star Fullback is out for the season due to a torn ACL. That will seriously hinder the running game, leaving the less mobile QB Kolb vulnerable to defense’s who will not respect the running game.

 Number 2: Jamaal Jackson, the starting center of the offensive line is out due to torn biceps on his right arm. This only re-enforces the idea that defense’s will respect the passing game less. How many teams can afford to lose their starting fullback, the primary run blocker as well as their next best run blocker, the center? Considering the fact that it’s only Week 2, this is a HUGE blow to the Philadelphia Offense.

  Number 3, and lastly, the Eagles 1^st game of the season can essentially be broken down into 2 games. The first, being the first half with Kolb under center, and the second, with Vick under center.

During the first half with Kolb under center, the Eagles offense was non existent. After 30 minutes of play Kolb had a total of 24 passing yards. 24! He also led his team to a total of 3 points. A gigantic 3 points.  (Note that those 24 yards came within the last 2 minutes of the first half).

Then, in the second half came Michael Vick. Vick threw for 175 yards, ran for 103, led his team to 17 points and scored numerous first downs with his ability to scramble and get a first down when all signs pointed to him getting sacked. Vick is explosive. That’s undeniable. Every football fan knows that Vick has the rare ability that few people in the league have. That ability is to make something out of nothing. Only a select few have this quality.

Many pundits will cry foul over this and exclaim that “Well, the Packers were not prepared to face Vick, that’s why he did so well”. To answer that, I have two rebuttals. First being, how much tape could the Packers possibly of had on Kolb? He has 2 starts in his entire career. Second, this is not the first time that Vick has shredded a defense for 100+ rushing and 100+ passing yards. Vick was out on the field outrunning defensive backs. I repeat, outrunning defensive backs! DB’s are supposed to be the fastest players on defense. They need to have the speed to follow Wide Receivers without knowing the routes yet still deflect balls and grab INT’s. At some point people need to acknowledge that it’s not just coincidence. At some point people need to admit that the man has skill. And an incredible amount of it at that.

Yes, I understand that Andy Reid has committed to Kevin Kolb who is the “future” of the team, and that it may “kill” his confidence to bench him right now, but the NFL is a win now league. And given the circumstances, Michael Vick gives the Eagles the best chance to win RIGHT NOW. Especially when you’re starting fullback and starting center go down. When the situation is that critical, the team needs someone behind center who can avoid rushes when the protection breaks down. Kevin Kolb, the traditional stand in the pocket, stationary QB, is not that man.

 Also, let’s not forget that Vick is only 29 years old, which is still very young. Once you factor in that he spent 2 years removed from the brutal contact of the NFL, you realize that his body is not as beat up as the everyday 29 year old QB in this league. The fact is, Vick most likely has many, and I mean many, years left in him. So why can’t Vick be the “future” of the team?

Now, let’s look at Vick’s career win-loss record as a starter. 38-28-1. That’s 10 games over .500 in a 16 game season. Mighty impressive. How many quarterbacks in today’s league can say that they boast a career record of 10 games over .500 in only 67 career starts? Not many.

The fact is; Vick is a winner. Always has been. He was a winner at his alma mater, Virginia Tech, where he posted a 22-2 record as a starter.   

He was the first QB to go into Green Bay during the playoffs and win. Something no one else had done at the time.

He led the Atlanta Falcons to the Conference Final in 2004.  Something only 1 other Falcons QB had done.

            At the end of the day, the NFL is not about who has the better stats. It’s about wins.

 A perfect example would be the 2009 Tennessee Titans. The year previous, in 2008, a stationary QB in Kerry Collins led the team to a 13-3 record. Then, in 2009, he went 0-6. Finally, the coach Jeff Fisher decided that enough was enough and put in Vince Young, a QB who was cut from the same cloth as Michael Vick. What happened? The Titans went 8-2 the rest of the season. Vince Young had inferior passing stats compared to the rest of the QB’s in the league, but it didn’t matter. Vince Young won Football games. Just like Vick. Young, similar to Vick, has an outstanding college record. He even has a national title. Also like Vick, he is no where near being the best passer in the league. But on Sunday, do they win football games? Yes. They. Do.

 In the end, is that not what professional sports is all about?

Thanks for reading and feel free to comment below!

** Also, be sure to follow me on twitter for my at the moment feelings about current sports discussions **

Cheers,

             Ryan