Top 5 NFL Quarterbacks of 2020

          Today, the Dallas Cowboys announced that they will be going with Matt Cassel at starting quarterback for next week's game (Matt Cassel to start).  This announcement brought up a few emotions for me.  First, as a Philadelphia Eagles fan, it made me a bit sad because the Cowboys have a better shot at winning with Cassel than they did with Brandon Weeden.  The announcement also got me nostalgic for the time when Cassel looked like he could be a top quarterback in the NFL (back when Tom Brady went down for the year and Cassel took them to the playoffs).  In light of the constantly changing dynamics in the NFL, where a player can be great one year and awful the next, I just wanted to take a look at what I consider the top 10 quarterbacks in the NFL.  However, because right now is extremely fickle, I will instead look at the top 10 quarterbacks for 5 years from now.  Of course, this does not include any incoming rookies, so it likely will not be super accurate.  Just enjoy it for what it is.  Also, while I recognize 5 does not go especially deep, we're talking relative "elite" status here.  Also, I'm sure my top 5 will anger enough people it and of itself.  Approximate ages at the start of the 2020 season will be in ().  I'll go from position 5 to position 1.

5.  Blake Bortles (28)

 

Photo Credit: http://www.playerprofiler.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/blake-bortles-jaguars.png

           Yes, I believe the current Jacksonville Jaguars signal-caller could be the 5th best quarterback in the league in 5 years.  What could possibly lead me to believe this?  Well, he was drafted 3rd overall last year.  That sort of thing tends to be a pretty good indicator of talent.  Also, he is finally starting to show some of his immense potential with the Jaguars this season (63.7 QBR).  And, the Jaguars really have nowhere to go but up.  Bortles prototypical size, along with a true will to compete, leads me to believe he can be something special.  Also, on the will to compete comment, Bortles has been dealing with a pretty iffy offensive line in Jacksonville, along with fairly pedestrian talent around him since he was drafted.  Taking those shots time and time really shows guts.

4.  Teddy Bridgewater (27)

 

Photo Credit: http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/headshots/nfl/players/full/16728.png&w=350&h=254

 

          Another member of the 2014 NFL Draft, Bridgewater was snagged at the very end of the 1st round, 32nd overall.  The Vikings actually traded into this pick, and it is looking like a great decision so far.  The Vikings made a semi-push for the playoffs just last season, and have a solid shot this year, albeit in the NFC North with the Green Bay Packers.  Bridgewater brings a little more mobility to the QB position, and overall he just makes the smart plays.  If he keeps up his development, and the Vikings continue to surround him with weapons, Bridgewater could ascend faster than originally intended.

3.  Andy Dalton (32)

 

Photo Credit:  http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/headshots/nfl/players/full/14012.png&w=350&h=254

          

          Alright, if my rankings hadn't been frustrating you so far, they probably are now.  However, why can't Dalton be the 3rd best quarterback in the NFL 5 years from now?  This year he is looking far better than in the past, and even just in the past he has taken the Cincinnati Bengals to the playoffs his first 4 years in the league.  For all the knocks on Dalton for losing playoff games, people may be lining up for the bandwagon if he can finally get the Bengals over the hump this year.  5 years from now, he'll be at an age for the prime of his career, and definitely should still be in the elite conversation.

2.  Aaron Rodgers (36)

 

Photo Credit:  http://a3.files.biography.com/image/upload/c_fit,cs_srgb,dpr_1.0,h_1200,q_80,w_1200/MTE5NDg0MDU1MzMxNzY3ODIz.jpg

          The talent level...it's honestly not fair.  There is not really much to say for Rodgers.  He's a 2-time league MVP, and he could get his 3rd this season.  I highly doubt he won't still be among the elites in 5 years, especially seeing as his NFL starting career was a bit delayed to begin with by some guy named Brett Favre.

1.  Andrew Luck (31)

 

Photo Credit:  http://sports.cbsimg.net/images/blogs/andrew-luck-beard-01132014.jpg

          Andrew Luck is the prodigal son, the chosen one, the one to take over for the great Peyton Manning.  This year has been a bit rough for him (he's currently last in the NFL for QBR among qualifiers) but that really should not undo all of the things he has shown already.  Give him time; he's going to be historically great.

Honorable mentions: Russell Wilson, Derek Carr, Cam Newton, Marcus Mariota, Nick Foles

          Do you have any comments regarding this list?  Anybody I missed?  Do you believe all of these players are going to plummet away from elite status?  Let me know what you think in the comments section below!  As always, constructive comments/critiques are welcomed.  

          Also, if you have an idea for what I should blog about next, let me know!

Sources: http://espn.go.com/nfl/qbr

Dirty Plays in MLB?

            On October 10, 2015, Los Angeles Dodgers 2B Chase Utley preformed what can at the very least be called a very questionable slide on New York Mets SS Ruben Tejada.  Take a look for yourself below.

            Since the slide, many pundits and fans have come out and discussed it, with the general consensus being that Utley did in fact preform a dirty slide.  Many called for his suspension, and at this point he is appealing a 2-game suspension handed down by MLB.  The suspension aside, this slide got me thinking.  I recall hearing about such players as Ty Cobb and Pete Rose, true legends in the sport, doing some questionable things on the field.

Photo Credit: https://mlblogspittpeas.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/fosse.jpg?w=555

Yeah, Rose didn’t really have any qualms about running directly into people if the situation called for it.  Anyhow, I just wanted to take a little bit of time and look back on some of the more questionable plays of baseball, with some examples coming straight from MLB.  This may be a bit limited, because YouTube does not have baseball going back too terribly far, but I will do my best on examples.

1.      Breaking Up the Double Play

In the above video, Utley was trying to break up a double play.  However, there is a multitude of other examples of players going through some extraordinary efforts to prevent their teammates from being doubled up.  Now, back when I played youth baseball, I asked my coach at the time why people didn’t just run straight up toward 2^nd base on grounders.  After all, wouldn’t obstructing the view of the player turning the double play be ideal?  My coach, who apparently was a 2^nd baseman in the Twins Minor League system at some point, informed me that when players tried doing that sort of thing against him, he would just fire the ball as hard as he could right into their chest.  I haven’t seen that actually happen (and much less wanted to feel it happen), but in MLB there have been some instances of players just straight-up running to 2^nd in double play situations.  Here’s the result of one such time:

Yeah, I’d have to say that was pretty dirty.  Running straight into a player, if they are in fact in the baseline, is legal.  A forearm shiver, though?  That’s dirty.

If you are interested in seeing more slides breaking up double plays, a simple YouTube search should bring up plenty.

2.      Cleating

Cleating is the act of raising one’s cleats to dig into an opponent on a slide.  It is done at 2^nd base on occasion to break up double plays, but it can also be done at any of the other bases, particularly home plate.  Ty Cobb, one of the greatest baseball players of all time, was known for cleating in his day (Ty Cobb Short Documentary ).  Of course, he definitely was not the only one to cleat in games, and sometimes it is actually intentional.  Cleating still is a rather easy way to injure an opponent (Mercer Hurt By Cleating).

3.      Throwing At Players

I’m sure you’ve seen this before.  Honestly, sometimes I have no problem with this one.  There are some unwritten rules of baseball, and that fact gets called into question every once in awhile.  Regardless, if a team bunts with an 8-run lead, I don’t really have much issue with plunking one of their players on the butt (so long as you are careful about where on the butt).  Sometimes it isn’t a plunking per-say, as pitchers and position players have from time to time thrown at opposing baserunners.  It’s fairly rare, but here’s one example: .

           

           So how do we get rid of these potentially dirty plays?  Honestly, you can’t really.  Just play the game the right way, and hope others do the same.

 

            How do you feel about these examples?  Do you have a favorite example of a dirty play in MLB?  Do you feel like any of the above weren’t dirty?  Talk about it in the comments section below!

            As always, constructive comments/critiques are welcomed.

Around the World with the NFL

It has come to my attention recently that the NFL is looking to expand games into other countries (besides the London games over the years).  Mexico City is seen as an especially attractive destination for a game series, and a few owners/coaches have already sounded off on that particular option (Art Rooney II's comments, Ron Rivera's comments).  Mind you, these particular comments are from an owner, and a coach that actually has Mexican heritage.  So there’s a bit of a vested interest there. 

This vested interest from team higher-ups does not necessarily mean players will be on board, nor that they should be.  The NFL has taken a lot of flack, especially in recent history, over player safety.  International games and extra travel do complicate the claim of concern for the players.  However, let’s just let that sit for now because honestly a blog detailing the NFL’s record with player safety….yeah, that’d take awhile.  I don’t have a day to write that.  Anyhow, if the NFL wants to go to Mexico City, Germany, etc., I can give them some more ideas that would be great for growing the brand that has seemingly already taken over America!  Here are my top 5 suggestions for where the NFL should go next, with just a little bit of reasoning behind each one.

 

5.  London

Photo Credit: http://cdn.londonandpartners.com/assets/73295-640x360-london-skyline-ns.jpg

            Ok, so the NFL already has games going on in London each year.  There have been 12 regular season games in London since 2007, and there will be 2 more this year (Bills-Jaguars and Lions-Chiefs).  So, why would I say London?  Well, the Patriots have actually played in a couple of the games over the years, but those were against the Rams and Buccaneers.  What we really need is two teams with extremely patriotic names to go at it in London.  New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles?  Or New England Patriots vs. Dallas Cowboys?  I mean, really, would the crowd really get what was going on in those examples?  The mere fact that the Patriots have played in London with nothing weird about it is amazing to me.  Let’s up the ante a bit.

4.  China

Photo Credit: http://www.rtkl.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/china-part-2-image-3.jpg

            I recognize that saying China does not really narrow this down much, seeing as the country is massive.  However, playing a game or a few in China would increase NFL exposure over there, especially when the NFL still sort of needs to compete with the NBA and MLB.  I honestly couldn’t find any players in the NFL that are directly of Chinese descent, so finding 2 teams for this game would likely be a bit random.  Still, the exposure level would be high.

3.  Spain

Photo Credit: http://www.galenfrysinger.com/Photos/spain39.jpg

            My reasoning is pretty basic on this one.  I just really want to hear the comments about how it is “Hand-Egg” and not “Football.” 

2.  Alaska

Photo Credit: http://cdn.alaska.org/assets/content/cache/made/assets/content/sliders/Home%20Page/977_408_s_c1/Alaska-Vacations-2.jpg

            Technically, this is part of the United States.  However, Alaska is pretty limited in its ability to get football, in part because of population/isolation concerns.  If an NFL team did end up in Alaska though, the populace would likely swarm to it.  There is not a ton of other professional sport competition.  Also, as far as weather goes, would it really be worse than an East Coast Winter?  Well, yes, it would, but that’s just part of the fun.  The league would need to be all over the situation from a legal/safety standpoint though.

1.      Canada

Photo Credit: http://iliketowastemytime.com/sites/default/files/vancouver-at-dusk-british-columbia-canada_1680x1050_74072.jpg

I’m actually pretty surprised we still don’t have an NFL team in Canada.  It is the “National Football League” after all.  Anyhow, this would give the NFL a chance to take Canada from hockey.  Because really, if there was a really a challenge to Goodell’s supreme authority as a commissioner, it was being compared to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.  Somehow, Goodell could make himself more hated in Canada than Bettman, and that’s a true accomplishment.

If you want a little bit of amusement, check this out (Why Canada should hate Bettman?).

 

            Are there any other particular countries you want to see the NFL expand to?  Give the country and your reasoning down below! 

            As always, constructive comments/suggestions are welcome.  Anything in particular you want me to discuss next?  Let me know!

The Curious Case of Josh Smith

          Josh Smith is a forward for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball League.  You probably knew that already.  Josh Smith also has had a tendency to take really inefficient long midrange shots throughout his career.  You might have known that too.  However, throughout his career, Smith has been seen as a talent with incredible potential, but he just hasn't been able to put it all together.

Credit: http://cbssports.com/images/visual/whatshot/USATSI_8710469.jpg

              Smith will be entering his 13th NBA season after originally being drafted 17th overall by Atlanta in 2004.  He was drafted right out of high school, right before J.R. Smith was taken by the (at the time) New Orleans Hornets.  Almost immediately after being drafted, Josh Smith was a starter, and even an NBA Slam Dunk Champion his second season, 2005.  He also was the fastest player to 500 and 1,000 blocks (age-wise).  In spite of these successes, Smith has never been an all-star.
              In spite of never quite reaching superstar levels, Smith has still had a very successful career and earned a lot of money playing basketball.  In reality though, what has been stopping him from reaching the superstar level?
              The inclination to shoot deep midrange shots is well known.  Smith is great at taking the ball to the rack, as evidenced by his slam dunk championship and generally high percentage inside the paint.  However, beyond the iffy shot selection, two things work against Smith that aren't always looked at.
               First, Smith is a downright poor free-throw shooter.  He has a career ft% of 63.3%, which is only 6% above the notoriously bad free-throw-shooting Dwight Howard (Dwight Howard stats).  Mind you, that is still a decent amount, but Howard also makes a 12.4% higher fg% than Smith.  More bluntly, Smith is not all that much better than Dwight Howard at free throws, while having a low field goal percentage.  If you are going to be a rough shooter (45.5% fg%, 28.5% 3fg% career), you need to at least make free throws.  Smith's inability to make the freebies contributes to about a point less per game.  That point per game may not sound like much, but every little bit adds up.  It would be more than a point if he got to the line more, but again that circles back to taking deep midrange shots vs. driving inside.  Driving inside would be a more efficient shot and lead to more free throw attempts, which would in turn require better free throw shooting.  Smith's shot selection tends to be one big circle.
                Next, Smith tends to disappear in the playoffs.  He still scores, but it is a lot harder for him.  Mind you, on one level that makes sense; the playoffs imply tougher opponents, and in turn tougher defenses.  One would hope, however, that Smith would still be able to put together even borderline efficiency.  Instead, for his career Smith actually has averaged more shot attempts per game in the playoffs than in the regular season (13.3 playoffs vs. 13.0 regular season) with less makes (5.7 playoffs vs. 5.9 regular season).  His 3-point shot in particular gets even worse, going from a career regular season rate of 28.5% to 26.6% in the playoffs.  Smith's block rate also goes down a bit, which is very important because he really does make a living on the defensive end with iffy shooting rates.
               Now, I don't want it to seem like I'm saying Smith is a bad player.  In fact, he is a very good defensive player, especially in his early career when his athleticism allowed him to average over 2 blocks per game.  However, his potential rise to superstardom has been stunted by the well-known poor shot selection, as well as poor free-throw shooting and playoff shortcomings.  The prime of his career may be over, but it is not too late for Smith to turn it around.  He turns 30 in December, and has a great opportunity to get some minutes off the bench for the Clippers this season.  If he can carry over his defensive abilities, take better shots, and continue the streaky 3-point shooting from last year's playoffs with the Rockets, Smith very well could crack the starting lineup.  For a career that seemed to be only going upward, it may be his last chance to remain a rotation-caliber player.  We'll see how it shakes out.

             Do you believe Josh Smith will start for the Clippers this season?  Where do you think his career is heading now?  Please leave a comment down below answering either of these questions, or about something else entirely.  Do you think I did a good or bad job with this blog?  Let me know below!  See you next time!


Sources:
http://www.nba.com/history/all-star-weekend-slam-dunk-contest/
http://www.mynbadraft.com/2004
http://espn.go.com/nba/player/stats/_/id/2411/josh-smith

Athletes In The Court Of Public Opinion

            Athletes must be especially careful how they conduct themselves in this day of technology.  The court of public opinion can come crashing down an athlete at any moment, and minor mistakes can end up being career-threatening.  Now, while cheating generally is not a minor mistake, it does bring the same ramifications from the public.  The same can be said for just engaging in immoral activity.  What I find most interesting, however, is how some athletes are able to generally skirt public opinion (David Ortiz, Ben Roethlisberger, etc.) while others are punished severely for their actions (Lance Armstrong, Alex Rodriguez, etc.).  What makes the cases so different?

            Several factors come into play when analyzing how the public will respond to a public relations disaster from an athlete.  They are: popularity of the athlete, image of the athlete, reaction(s) of the athlete, and legal standing of the athlete.

           

            Popularity of the athlete is a tricky situation.  In this context, I’m meaning how popular is an athlete in the general population, particularly in America—it is cherry-picking, but that’s where I’m at so I’m going to go with it.  A bit counter-intuitively, I would suggest that popularity actually has a negative impact on public opinion.  The bigger they are, the harder they fall.  Think about it.  Approximately 13 players (depending on if you count minor leaguers) were suspended by Major League Baseball in the aftermath of the Biogenesis scandal.  You likely knew of Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun getting suspended.  You maybe knew of Nelson Cruz and Jhonny Peralta.  But the point remains: did the latter 2 receive anywhere near the same public backlash as the former 2?  Of course, there were some extenuating circumstances—we’ll discuss A-Rod more later, and Braun basically tried to scapegoat a UPS worker—but Cruz and Peralta were nonetheless aided by not having the sort of attention on them as the others.  About a season later, both got massive deals in free agency.  Popularity can bring the spotlight to players, and by extension bring the public on them stronger by pointing out their mere existence.  The court of public opinion cannot smash someone if it doesn’t know he/she is there.

             

            Next comes the image of the athlete.  More bluntly, is the athlete viewed in a positive or negative light (or somewhere in between).  The poster child of this point for me is Big Papi himself, David Ortiz.  Now, Big Papi has always been big.  I mean, this was he as a rookie:

He was not as big as he is now, but still a fairly large human being.  Years ago, Ortiz was mentioned in the Mitchell Report, an anonymous survey performed by Major League Baseball in 2003 to check for steroid use.  Ortiz has adamantly denied ever knowingly taking steroids (Big Papi denies steroid use).   However, some still view the legitimacy of his numbers, particularly his home run totals, as a little iffier.  In fact, his supposed mention on the Report could harm his Hall of Fame chances.  And yet, in spite of these hits to his image, Big Papi is still an incredibly popular player and personality.  Why?  He has not always been the cuddly player or teammate. 

People seem to be drawn to Papi's raw emotion, his approach to the game that he so clearly loves.  When they see Papi, they see that emotion.  When they see A-Rod?  It's a bit different there.  Athlete image prior to the event(s) happening is huge.

Image after the event(s) is also huge.  In fact, utterly catastrophic situations can occur, and an athlete can still walk away relatively unscathed, or at least significantly less than they would have otherwise.  Take Michael Vick for example.  He was convicted of dog-fighting and sentenced to up to 23 months in jail.  Following his jail time, Vick was eventually able to return to the National Football League with the Philadelphia Eagles and he currently plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers.  Of course, public opinion certainly was not kind to Vick (nor should it have been) but he did at least do the smart thing and strongly apologize for what he did.  Vick also has done much charity work regarding dog shelters.  Reacting after the event saved Vick from just being thrown away to the abyss; instead, he is still a professional quarterback and actually will be starting this coming Sunday. 

Finally, legal standing comes into play.  Kobe Bryant was accused of rape about a decade ago, but the charges were eventually dropped.  Because of those dropped charges, Kobe has managed to at least partially sweep the situation under the metaphorical rug.  Barry Bonds was convicted of perjury, and then the conviction was eventually overturned.  Said overturning has positively impacted Bonds' public image.  Of course, many people still wholeheartedly believe he did steroids and rigged the game, but any positive impact for him at this point is a huge win.  Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was accused of sexual assault several years ago, and by settling out of court, managed to avoid a great deal of public backlash.  Being convicted, and just being stuck with the conviction, has a strong negative impact on public opinion.

There are so many examples to go off of for this topic and only so much room, so some individuals were unfortunately left out.  I highly recommend checking out Lance Armstrong, Rafael Palmeiro, Sammy Sosa, and many others.  Just look at their stories, the details regarding their situations, and how public opinion affected each of them.

Questions and comments are certainly welcomed.  Did you disagree with something I said?  Do you believe David Ortiz will make the Hall of Fame in spite of the Mitchell Report attached to him?  Do you believe Barry Bonds' overturned conviction will lead to him making the Hall someday?  Let me know in the comments below, and thank you very much for reading my post.  See you next time!

Sources:

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/steelers/story/2012-01-20/ben-roethlisberger-settles-lawsuit/52702798/1

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3148549

http://www.homeruncards.com/rookiecards/david-ortiz-rookie-card.shtml

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/alex-rodriguez--12-other-players-suspended-by-mlb-for-biogenesis-ties-190349300.html#

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGfKfMmR-xU