Something has recently occured that made me reevaluate my list of the top QBs of all-time (http://kevinssportsblog.blogspot.com/2007/05/51507-two-quick-notes-before-i-get-to.html). As you probably have heard, Donovan McNabb sparked a controversy with his recent remarks about how African-American QBs are scruitinized in an interview on HBO.

In light of this, I decided to look into his career numbers. I found that I had completely overlooked one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of the League when I made my list last May - even though he played right in my favorite team's division. Looking back, it should have been obvious. I knew McNabb was a great QB whose supporting cast never allowed him to look as good as he really was. I also knew that, in spite of his supporting cast, he managed to win the NFC East year after year. I even remember telling one of my friends one time, a few years back, that if any QB in the League was better than Manning, it was McNabb.

Well, McNabb isn't better than Manning, but he's pretty damn good.

McNabb's completion percentage is a very high, albeit just short of elite, 58.1. His YPC is lower than most of the tip-top QBs at 6.7, but that is still high enough to be among the best of the rest. But where McNabb really stands out is his TD:INT ratio - 2.10, higher than any other QB in NFL history save one - Steve Young, who topped my list. With a total score of 3.59, he falls right between Tom Brady and Dan Marino on my list, which now looks like this:

1. Steve Young
2. Peyton Manning
3. Joe Montana
4. Tom Brady
5. Donovan McNabb
6. Dan Marino
7. Otto Graham
8. Brett Favre
9. Jim Kelly
10. Roger Staubach
11. Sonny Jurgensen
12. Len Dawson
13. Warren Moon
14. Fran Tarkenton
15. Troy Aikman
16. John Elway
17. Bart Starr
18. Dan Fouts
19. Johnny Unitas
20. Bob Griese
21. Norm Van Brocklin
22. Y.A. Tittle
23. Terry Bradshaw
24. Joe Namath
25. Bobby Layne
26. Bob Waterfield
27. George Blanda

By the way, the fact that McNabb is not usually mentioned among the all-time elite QBs the way Manning and Brady are, in light of his stats, adds to the credibility of his arguement.

NFL Power Rankings, Post-week 2

Quite a few changes in the power rankings this week, starting with a change at the top and including a swapping out of half of the power 12 from last week. That said, it's early in the year, so this kind of thing should be expected. If I'm still going through 50% turnover later on in the season on a weekly basis, then you know something is terribly wrong. But for now, here is what I've got:

1. Patriots (AFC East, last week: 2) - Putting a stomping on the Jets is one thing. Doing the same to the San Diego Chargers, who figure to be in the Super Bowl picture this season, is something else. Week 3: vs. Bills.
2. Colts (AFC South, 1) - The Colts made the mistake of going into cruise control while Vince Young was playing on the other team. Fortunately for them, they held onto the win and all their blunder cost them was a spot in my power rankings. Week 3: @ Texans.
3. Steelers (AFC North, 5) - So, the competition hasn't exactly been stellar. Still, when you outscore your first two opponents 60-10, you must be doing something right. Week 3: vs. 49ers.
4. Chargers (AFC West, 3) - The Patriots have made a lot of really good teams look bad in Foxboro. But you have to be concerned with the level of Phillip Rivers' play so far. I know I am; he's killing my fantasy team. Week 3: @ Packers.
5. Ravens (AFC WC, 7) - When you can throw Kyle Boller out on the field and still get a realtively easy win, you have to feel good about yourself. Week 3: vs. Cardinals.
6. Redskins (NFC East, unranked) - It was either the Redskins or the Cowboys for this spot; tell me you honestly expected me to go the other way. Week 3: vs. Giants.
7. Cowboys (NFC WC, unranked) - That said, the Boys had to make an appearance on this list as well after two convincing wins. Week 3: @ Bears (SNF).
8. Packers (NFC North, unranked) - The more I see Rex Grossman play, the more I like someone new to win this division. Green Bay looks like the best candidate right now. Week 3: vs. Chargers.
9. Titans (AFC WC, unranked) - Ok, so they lost the same as the team they are replacing: the Bengals. The difference is, the Titans didn't give up 51 points to the freakin' Browns. Week 3: @ Saints (MNF).
10. 49ers (NFC West, unranked) - It hasn't been pretty, but the 9ers are finding ways to win early on. Week 3: @ Steelers.
11. Seahawks (NFC WC, 4) - Right after I go and tell you how good the Seahawks are, they go and lose to Arizona. Oh, well... Week 3: vs. Bengals.
12. Buccaneers (NFC South, unranked) - If the presence of the Buccs on this list doesn't tell you all you need to know about the sorry state of the NFC South right now, I don't know what I can do for you. Week 3: vs. Rams.

On to college, where there isn't nearly so much disruption.

BCS Championship - Louisiana State (SEC, #1, previous: 1) vs. Southern Cal (Pac 10, #2, 2) - USC looked outstanding in putting away Nebraska in a non-competitive game in front of the Big Red faithful. This week: LSU vs. South Carolina, USC vs. Washington State.

Sugar - Florida (at-large, #3, 4) - vs. Texas (at-large, #6, 6) - When that Florida offense goes up against LSU's defense later on this season (10/6), it will truly be a clash of the titans. This week: UF @ Ole Miss, Texas vs. Rice.

Fiesta - Oklahoma (Big 12, #4, 3) vs. Hawaii (at-large, #10, 10) - Hawaii sent a message by handling UNLV a lot easier than Wisconsin did. This week: OU - bye, Hawaii vs. Charleston Southern.

Rose - California (at-large, #5, 5) vs. Ohio State (Big 10, #8, 8) - Excellent job by the Buckeyes defeating a decent Washington squad soundly on their home turf. This week: Cal vs. Arizona, tOSU vs. Northwestern.

Orange - West Virginia (Big East, #7, 7) vs. Boston College (ACC, #9, unranked) - I could have put Clemson in the ACC slot, as well, but I decided to go with the team that knocked Tech off. Unfortuantely, the match-up between the two isn't until the 17th of November. This week: WVU vs. East Carolina, BC vs. Army.

NFL Power 12, post-week 1

This year I'm gonna change up my NFL power rankings. I'm gonna rate 12 teams - the best team in each division, and two "wild cards" for each conference. In other words, it'll be how the playoff picture would look now, if the playoffs started now and were based on what my opinion of the team's pecking order was. Here we go...

1. Colts (AFC South) - They're not here because the offense lit up the Saints' leaky D - we knew that was going to happen. What we didn't know was that the Colts defense would hold that offense to just 3 points (the Saints' 1 TD was a fumble recovery return). Add on the fact that Manning is finally playing with the monkey off his back, and well, this is still clearly the team to beat.
2. Patriots (AFC East) - However, they do have one apparent challenger. The Pats made the Jersey Jets look ridiculous - although, the Jersey Jets made themselves look ridiculous quite a bit as well. How do you rush three people when you know that Randy Moss is running around in your secondary? If Moss gets any time, he will get open, end of story. He may need a little more time than he used to, but it will happen, if you let it.
3. Chargers (AFC West) - I understand that the Bears have a great defense, but Indianapolis was much more in charge when they played the Bears last February. And that was in the rain, not sunny San Diego on a warm late summer afternoon. The gap between the Patriots and the Chargers is significantly larger than the gap between the Patriots and the Colts.
4. Seahawks (NFC West) - Am I serious, you ask? As long as Shaun Alexander stays healthy, yes I am.
5. Steelers (AFC North) - Ben Roethlisberger is playing like a great young quarterback who didn't get his face smashed in by a windshield last offseason.
6. Bears (NFC North) - I understand they lost while the rest of their division won, but look me square in the eyes and tell me you think this season's Vikings, Lions, or Packers teams would have gone to the Super Bowl last season.
7. Ravens (AFC Wild Card #1) - 5 legitimate turnovers in one game? Steve McNair is either a turnover machine or he is hurt, in which case QB will be manned by another turnover machine - Kyle Boller. Or, as they lovingly refer to him in Baltimore, "Boooooooooooo!"
8. Bengals (AFC Wild Card #2) - The scoreboard says they won, but my bullshit call detector tells me that we were robbed of an overtime finish on Monday Night.
9. Panthers (NFC South) - St. Louis on the road is a really good benchmark game for telling whether you are a contender in the NFC. A benchmark the Panthers passed easily.
10. Saints (NFC Wild Card #1) - Opening night jitters? They had better show a lot this weekend to make up for that.
11. Vikings (NFC Wild Card #2) - Ok, so I might be putting them on this list because I'm hoping that the Falcons aren't really that bad, but I happen to think that Tavaris Jackson can, can... Oh God, the Falcons really are that bad...
12. Eagles (NFC East) - We all knew that Brett Favre would look old in this game. But I don't think we were quite ready to see Donovan McNabb looking that way, too. The Eagles are the best team in the NFC East right now, but that will not be the case at the end of the season.

College Power 10, post-week 2

For College, I'll just do the 10 teams that would be going to the BCS Bowls - the best in each of the power conferences and 4 at large's.

BCS Championship - LSU (#1, SEC) vs. USC (#2, Pac 10) - Right now, the two best looking schools, with only Oklahoma really making a case to be there as well. LSU looked absolutely dominant against Virginia Tech on both defense, which the pundits widely forecasted, and on offense, which they did not. Easy for me to say now, of course, but I did not doubt for one second the ability of LSU to beat up on Va Tech. LSU has the fastest college team I have ever seen. Their speed is unbelievable. And, of course, USC looks plenty good themselves coming off their Rose Bowl domination of a Michigan team that, obviously, has yet to recover. Does anyone think it is a coincidence that Michigan and Notre Dame have both collapsed completely since being humiliated by these two schools last January? Me neither...

Fiesta Bowl - Oklahoma (#3, Big 12) vs. Hawaii (#10, At Large) - How much do you think Oklahoma would want to avoid another Fiesta Bowl against a WAC Mighty Mouse?

Sugar Bowl - Florida (#4, At Large) vs. Texas (#6, At Large) - The last two National Champions, but no Vince Young or Chris Leak in sight. Still, the two young QBs they have filling those shows look like a couple of blue-chippers.

Rose Bowl - California (#5, At Large) vs. Ohio State (#8, Big 10) - I've got Cal in this game because I think they have a real solid squad that is going to give USC a real run for their money this year. I've got Ohio State in this game because the Big 10 will look like a real big bunch of assholes if Michigan represents this conference in the Rose Bowl. Needless to say, I'm cheering for Michigan this year.

Orange Bowl - West Virginia (#7, Big East) vs. Georgia Tech (#9, ACC) - WVU has not one, but two candidates for the Heisman. The last team to feature that in their backfield played in the National Championship game, as some of you may recall. As for Georgia Tech - two games against easy opponents, two blow-out wins. You'd like to see them against tougher competition, but so far they've done what they were supposed to do. Unlike, say, everyone else in their confrence.

9/8/07

This weekend is a huge weekend for me, football-wise, and I am jacked. To borrow a joke from Conan O'Brien, I haven't been this excited since I ate that Viagra burrito.

College ball season started last week, and as usual the first week was full of games that appeared to be mismatches, as the big powerhouses use the first week or so to warm up for their big games later. Of course, one of those warm-up schools didn't get the memo and Michigan was handed possibly the most embarassing loss in school history (although last year's Rose Bowl was no slouch in that department, either) to 1-AA Appalachian State. But that game was only on "the Big Ten Network", whatever that is, so nobody got to actually watch the game, not even the final minutes. The only game which looked entertaining heading into last week was California vs. Tennessee, although that game did deliver the goods.

Speaking of that game, a lot of people want to know why, if the SEC is so great, did Cal win that game?

Let me make one thing clear: the SEC is not such a great league because all of the schools in the conference are another level higher than all of the schools in any other conference. The reason the SEC is so great is because of how deep the pool of quality teams goes. Tennessee, due to some significant losses to graduation, is probably the 5th best team in the league, behind LSU, Florida, Georgia, and Auburn. Cal is definately number 2 in the Pac 10. How do you think Cal would do against LSU or Florida, hmmmm?

I mean, Tennessee with their slow wide-outs put up 35 points on Cal's defense. What would LSU be held to? 56? And do you think Cal or anybody else is hanging 57 or more on LSU's defense? No way.

But enough about last week. Tomorrow afternoon the slate has quite a few tasty tidbits, before the big game in Primetime. Some of the best looking match-ups include:

- Miami/Oklahoma, 12:00 - Oklahoma is up at 5 after a dominating win last week. Miami looked real good against Marshall in week 1, but this will be new Canes coach Shannon's first real test. I'll be really interested in the outcome of this one.

- Nebraska/Wake Forest, 12:00 - In the past, this match-up would have been a joke. Buit Nebraska hasn't been able to restore its former glory for quite a few years and Wake Forest took the ACC crown last season. But Wake lost some key parts this offseason, and that was on full display as BC handled Wake last week. So this game has more to tell us about the Huskers, who won a cupcake in a rout last week, than it will about the Deacons.

- Boise State/Washington, 3:30 - We all remember what Boise State did last year in the Fiesta Bowl, and they could be on their way back to a BCS Bowl this season. This week's game against Washington will be their stiffest challenge on the schedule until they visit Hawaii on November 23.

- South Carolina/Georgia, 5:45 - Whenever Georgia and Steve Spurrier get together, a lot of pride is on the line. So far the big three in the SEC East have held off the Ol' Ball Coach since his return to the conference, but every year brings with it the danger that this might be the season S.O.S. has the mix he needs to run up scores all over the SEC again. Will this be the year?

- Texas Christian/Texas, 7:00 - TCU is one of the top mid-major programs in the country, along with Boise State and (this year) Hawaii. Texas is, however, the big dog in the Lone Star State, so you have to assume they'll probably have the best athletes on the field. However, smart football, along with a chip on their shoulders, could carry the Horned Frogs to an upset - especially if the Longhorns play like they did against Arkansas State.

- Virginia Tech/LSU, 9:15 - This is, of course, the game of the week in college, as two top 10 teams are matched up - a rarity in the non-conference portion of the schedule. Virginia Tech is, of course, coming off the worst off-season in school history, with first the sniper and then the Michael Vick dogfighting scandal piling on top of that. This kind of thing can either rally a team, or distract them. They looked distracted against an ECU team they should have demolished last week. If they show up looking like that against LSU, they'll be flattened. Of course, with the kind of talent LSU showed last Thursday in burying Mississippi State, it might not matter how the Hokies show up in Baton Rogue.

And, of course, on Sunday the NFL season kicks off in earnest. Of most importance to me, of course, is the Redskins game against Miami at 1:00 at FedEx. This season, like most, looks completely unclear right now. I wouldn't be suprised at any season the team could put together this year, from Super Bowl to 3-13. We'll get the first idea after this game.

My fantasy team is battling Mike Pieroint's this week. The line-ups:

Me
QB - Phillip Rivers
RB - Joseph Addai
RB - Clinton Portis
WR - Santana Moss
WR - Jerry Porter
WR - Braylon Edwards
W/R - Thomas Jones
TE - Chris Cooley
K - Josh Brown
D - Redskins

Him
QB - Donovan McNabb
RB - Frank Gore
RB - Mercedes Jones-Drew
WR - Santonia Holmes
WR - Calvin Johnson
WR - Darrell Jackson
W/R - Deuce McAllister
TE - Alge Crumpler
K - Matt Stover
D - Patriots

Each of us had one player in the Colts/Saints game last Thursday. Addai netted me 20.3 points, wile Deuce got Mike 4.5, so I have a good looking lead early.