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NFL talk has actually calmed down quite a bit. Typically it is an oversaturated area from the sports media even in the off-season. Qualms about possible draft picks and off-season player movement are endless debates.

One of the hot media topic teams continues to be the New York Jets. They’ve had an bevy of key personnel decisions made the last several years that have gone awry. The latest appears to be the signing of Mike Vick.

To the Jets credit, Vick was likely the top viable free agent quarterback for them to sign. With young prospect Geno Smith looking like a shaky starter, the Jets needed to bring in another candidate. But Mike Vick?

Some Jets fans would argue that they should have went through the NFL Draft for their new talent. Don’t rule it out yet Jets fans as the draft is just a few weeks away.

Is the team stunting it’s possible forward growth if Vick is named the starter? I believe so. Vick has had his opportunities in this league, and frankly does not have the durability to be a full time starter. As blessed as he is with freakish athletic ability, he does not have an edge in the health department.

The risks he takes scrambling and taking a beating by prolonging plays have caught up to him. He has had every imaginable physical ailment possible as a quarterback. Ranging from hamstring injuries, ribs, shoulders, and the whole nine.

He is a battered quarterback not only physically but mentally. Chip Kelly disregarded Vick the second Vick suffered yet another injury. Could have Vick been a better quarterback than Nick Foles for the duration of last season? It’s likely a 50/50 debate.

Where Chip Kelly gets the kudos as a first year coach, is the realization that it was time to move on from Vick. By keeping Foles as the starter, Kelly moved forward with the team’s future. It’s the same scenario you see coaches do with rookie quarterbacks replacing an unheralded starter.

The Jets just can’t seem to put their foot forward at the quarterback position. Without a shadow of a doubt they held on to Mark Sanchez far too long as a starting quarterback. The quick use of Geno Smith looks like a foreseeable mistake that will haunt the rest of his career.

Why can’t the Jets make the proper moves at quarterback to reclaim a reputable team?

You can’t platoon players at quarterback like the Vikings tried a year ago. Mike Vick is who he is. He may start the season with two to three solid games, but it’s going to fade quick. He is comparable to an old pitcher that starts the season strong but can’t keep hold up past a certain point.

Hopefully the Jets front office has a backup plan to the backup plan. Lets see what they do on draft day.

FREE NBA TOTALS AT A GLANCE FOR FRIDAY

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With twelve games in the NBA hitting a couple of totals should be on your radar. Mixing in totals with side plays is always a better recipe for a higher percentage evening over the long run. The frenetic pace of the NBA has been in rapid mode with several teams. The books have taken a bit of a loss with the way overs have hit over the last few weeks.

There are several factors to look at on why this occurred at such a high rate. One is that several key injuries have hit the NBA. Miami has been with and without Dwayne Wade, Phoenix-Eric Bledsoe, LA with their onslaught of injuries, the Clippers and Chris Paul, etc, etc. There are eight to twelve other teams I could list in detail here. Another high factor is the trades that have went through. Luol Deng was shipped to Cleveland, Rudy Gay to Sacramento, and a few other role players have shifted.

Not to mention that this year’s NBA rosters are counting on more first or second year players than ever. Defense has never been a customary skillset when it comes to a young athlete or the rigors of an NBA schedule. Several teams have just came off an expanded road trip or are about to embark on one.
Tonight ten out of the twelve games on the schedule are totals that hover over the 200 mark. That’s a spot that I will look to dig out two under totals as free plays for you.

The first under I would take (Check Your Lines At SportsBettingOnline.ag )is the Denver Nuggets and Cleveland Cavaliers. Both of these teams are coming off road battles on Wednesday night. Denver traveled to and won in Golden State, and the Cavaliers battled tough in Portland before stumbling in the late third and fourth quarter. 213 is just a high number in my mind from two teams that are still recouping their lineups. Denver’s is starting to get there and Cleveland’s is still in transformation having let Bynum depart and acquiring Luol Deng.

The second under that I will recommend comes between the Toronto Raptors and Minnesota Timberwolves. I always look to find a team that has played above their capabilities and is starting to come back down to Earth. Toronto would be that team currently. After a tremendous thirty days the Raptors finally succumbed in a bad loss on the road in Boston.

What has stood out in Toronto’s wins is their ability to defend. Offensively they have not impressed me. Poor shot selections and rushed attempts could of derailed a team, but their defense made up for it in spots. A young team that comes off a loss such as Toronto will have a rough time from the field in the next game. Their defense should stay strong but look for this game to sail under the total.

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Kirk Cousins- There is no surprise in the way Cousins handled himself in relief of RG3. He did a fine job a year ago and seems more than able to become a full time starter in this league. As many have said this time for Cousins is more of a mini audition as suitors will likely line up for a possible trade in the offseason.

Matt Asiata- It went from a possible start from AP to latching onto Toby Gerhart in case AP was out, all the way to Asiata getting the non anticipated bulk of the Vikings carries. Asiata will be the epitome of a playoff fantasy wonder, but utilize him if you can.

Marvin Jones- Cincinnati has never been a fantasy darling of a team, but they are a viable team to snatch a few fantasy upside players from. AJ Green has not had the stellar numbers he did to start the season, and Andy Dalton is finding others to spread the football around to. Jones was a fantasy haven a few months back that has waned a bit. Don’t be surprised to see a strong finish from him.

Trent Richardson- Yes there are some leagues that even Richardson was dropped in as owners impatience settled in. This is now two weeks in a row that Richardson has shown a bit of somewhat of an increase in the Colts offense. With Donald Brown a bit dinged up it appears that the Colts will have to lean on Richardson by default.

Brian Hartline- Hartline continues to be the Davone Bess type of possession receiver that the Dolphins can rely on. Probably no one in football gets as many quick slants as Hartline as the Dolphins seem to call the play frequently to get their quarterback settled in.

Others: Doug Baldwin, Jerrel Jernigan, and Rashard Mendenhall

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From here on out the waiver wire edition will primarily be to those in your fantasy football playoffs. That makes it even more vital to pay attention to matchups and seek advantages for one time use. Of course there is still opportunity in extended nfl.com and yahoo.com for folks when the real NFL playoffs start.

Here is a look at fantasy football players to pickup after week fourteen.

Da’Rick Rodgers-It has taken awhile for someone to emerge besides TY Hilton on the Colts roster. After Rodgers big game against the Bengals it appears that the Colts have found their guy. This is a short term buy that won’t have any long term value.

Marcel Reece- Either direction the Raiders head next year at quarterback, they have to be elated at what their backfield has been able to do this season. From Darren McFadden, Rashad Jennings, and now Marcel Reece they have all enjoyed solid success. Reece’s carries all depend on the status of injured backs Jennings and McFadden.

Rod Streater- Oakland is not going to have a quarterback that puts up gaudy stats with his arm on a week to week basis. What they do have is underrated fantasy football wideouts. One of them is Streater, who has had a great ratio of 100 yard games for the amount of passing yards his quarterbacks have had.

Julian Edelman- Depending on your league search for Edelman off waivers. If he is taken look to pickup the next best available Patriot wide receiver off of waivers. New England struggled to develop at tight end without Rob Gronkowski earlier in the year. To make up for it they used more packages at wide receiver. Expect the same throughout the rest of this season.

Daniel Thomas- Who would of thought that an underachieving running back would finally get his act together with an offensive line aching for bodies? Thomas has taken on the role of feature back well and it surmised in his first 100 yard effort in quite some time.

Charles Clay- Perhaps no team has dealt with injuries or suspensions better than the Dolphins. Their patched offensive line has held up well and without tight end Dustin Keller they’ve utilized Charles Clay out of the backfield. Quietly he is putting up solid tight end stats. His best effort came this past week against the Steelers.

Shonne Greene- Even in years past as a NY Jet this would be the time of year that Greene would start to warm up. He is a big physical cold weather back. If the Titans can keep scoring above 20 points a game, Greene has true playoff sleeper value.

Toby Gerhart- Chances are the Vikings will decide to rest Adrian Peterson for the remainder of the season following his minor foot sprain. There is no reason to risk further damage to a guy that has battled back from a devastating knee injury. Gerhart would then be one of the few sole feature backs in the NFL, making him one of the hottest waiver wire pickups of the week.

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I’m in the process of moving this week. That is the reason content has been back a bit this week. For starters/sit ems this week I had to scale back the content. It will be back to normal next week. But here are some options this week.

AUTOMATICS

CECIL SHORTS- THE TEXANS CONTINUE TO BE CARVED UP ON DEFENSE, ESPECIALLY WITH THEIR SECONDARY. SHORTS SHOULD HAVE A SOLID ALL AROUND GAME TONIGHT.

BENJARUS GREEN-ELLIS- INDIANAPOLIS WAS ABLE TO SIDESTEP A TEST AGAINST THE TITANS, THANKS IN LARGE PART TO THREE INTERCEPTIONS FROM RYAN FITZPATRICK. CINCINNATI IS A DIFFERENT BEAST AND SHOULD EXPLOIT THE COLTS POOR RUN DEFENSE.

ROD STREATER– THE PRAISE TO REX RYAN AND THE JETS DEFENSE HAS WANED CONSIDERABLY OVER THE LAST FOUR GAMES. ISSUES AT CORNERBACK AND SAFETY HAVE CHANGED THE GENO SMITH GAME MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES. AGAINST OAKLAND THINGS WILL BE NO DIFFERENT.

OTHERS: JORDAN CAMERON, MIKE WALLACE, DONNIE AVERY, MIKE TOLBERT, MARQUES COLSTON, AND CORDARELLE PATTERSON

DON’T DO ITS: RG3, CHRIS JOHNSON, RYAN FITZPATRICK, TAVON AUSTIN, CARSON PALMER, MARSHAWN LYNCH, STEVE SMITH, AND EJ MANUEL

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Brian Hartline- Mike Wallace may have started to surge lately, but clearly Hartline is still Tannehill’s main target. He caught nine passes for over 120 yards with a touchdown.

Lance Dunbar- Wow, Dallas actually ran the football for a change. Theyve done it a handful of games this year and have had success. Dunbar had a big impact on Thanksgiving and should continue to receive attention in the offense.

Ace Sanders- Sanders had his third consecutive game with 60 plus yards receiving. He is becoming the new Davone Bess type receiver for Chad Henne. Get Sanders if you’re in a PPR league.

Julian Edelman- The Patriots continue to feature Edelman over their rookie wide receivers and Danny Amendola. That may change when playoffs come and teams look to prevent the short pass. For now Edelman may be the extra boost you need for fantasy playoff success.

Michael Crabtree- Upon his return, Crabtree had a solid debut with 68 yards receiving. Adding him to the 49ers lineup has opened things up for Anquan Boldin and Colin Kapernick.

Andre Brown- Brown doesn’t have the flash of most tailbacks. In New York he will continue to get carries as the Giants play outdoors in low temperatures. Since coming back from injury Brown has added stability to the Giants offense.

Others: Andre Holmes, Ted Ginn Jr, Legarrette Blount, Montee Ball, and Doug Baldwin