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Just a few short years ago, Logan Thomas, was a projected top quarterback to be taken in the NFL draft. He has the physical tools and was leading a strong Hokies team as a young prospect. Then, Thomas’s stock plummeted during his final years at Virginia Tech. He looked to be out of shape and disconnected with the Hokies. He tipped the scales at right under 250 for the NFL combine. Likely he weighed near 260 while at Virginia Tech.

Maybe film on Thomas helped the ACC bottle him up along with the Hokies offense. But that part of Thomas’s career is done. He is lucky to have the opportunity he does as the Cardinals obviously see a salvageable quarterback. Thomas fall is eerily similar to that of USC’s Matt Barkley. It just goes to show that talent does peak in college, as college coordinators have stepped up their preparation for conference foes.

The drafting of Thomas should not come as a surprise to Arizona Cardinals fans. They have been the type of team that drafts or signs rookies to their needs. These needs are to procure a savings at the position and to seek out a blue chip quarterback. The Cardinals have had a plethora of names over the last few years, such as John Skelton, Ryan Lindley, Max Hall, and others. All have seen the field as starters at one point or another.

That’s a good sign for Thomas as the Cardinals look to their future with Carson Palmer aging. Bruce Arians is a mastermind at developing quarterbacks and has stated that Palmer and the offense are much further along than this time a year ago. That’s what happens when a coaching staff, offense, and nucleus of players get time together.

The bad news for Thomas is none of the aforementioned rookie quarterbacks made it beyond their initial stint with the Cardinals. I wouldn’t compare Thomas’s talent to the others, as the Cardinals invested a higher pick on Thomas. Still, the odds are against Thomas unless he has the burning desire to improve.

I’m not a Mel Kiper or a Todd McShay, but you would of expected Thomas to reemerge last year. After his dismal season the year before, that was Thomas’s chance to turn heads. Instead, the Hokies remained a lethargic offense that settled on field position and reliance of their defense. Maybe that was more of a factor of their head coach, but Thomas just didn’t make the key decisive plays you would expect.

With a fourth round pick invested on Thomas, he’ll likely get two full seasons as a Cardinal to prove his worth. As brittle as Carson Palmer has been don’t be shocked to see Thomas be another backup to see the field as a starter.

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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.

Potential Fourth Quarter Killers for Week Eleven

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TY Hilton
The past two weeks Hilton has had second half statistical surges as the Colts have trailed. Against Tennessee the Colts shouldn’t get behind, or be behind by insurmountable points. At the same token I do not expect the Colts to adjust their offense at any point in this game. After the performance Andrew Luck had against the Rams the Colts are going to want Luck to regain all confidence. They’ll have him firing from quarter one until a kneel down occurs.

Tiquan Underwood
Mark Glennon’s first outing where he didn’t look like a third string quarterback was against the Atlanta Falcons about a month ago. In that game he hit Vincent Jackson on a couple of deep balls and nearly led a comeback in Atlanta. Tampa finally got their first win of the season against the Dolphins and should be able to be competitive against a reeling Falcons team. Atlanta should be giving extra attention to Jackson after what happened last game, leaving Underwood available for some big plays.

Rashard Jennings
Quietly Oakland is in the top five in the NFL rushing the football. It isn’t happening with a premier back carving up defenses each week. It’s happening with a duel threat quarterback in Terrelle Pryor. Houston is at the point where the team is going to start looking worse as the weeks go on. Case Keenum has dazzled with some touchdown passes to Andre Johnson, but the team has still lost both games he has played in. Teams that come into the season with high expectations that whittle away are always team to capitalize on. Jennings will get over 100 yards rushing on the road in Houston.

Rob Gronkowski
An area the strong Carolina Panthers defense still is vulnerable in is pass defense. The Panthers caught a break against the 49ers last week when Vernon Davis exited early with an injury. The backup tight end had a chance to haul in a throw late in that game that could of led to a touchdown. The prior week the Panthers struggled with Tony Gonzalez and I expect the Patriots to be able to attack the Panthers with Gronk the entire game.

Reggie Bush
I’m not buying the Steelers first impressive defensive performance against the Buffalo Bills. EJ Manuel was just returning from an injury and did not look comfortable the entire day. This is the same Steelers defense that has aged and has big time issues with speed. Detroit possesses that with its receivers and the all-important Reggie Bush. This game could possibly be Bush’s best game of the season.

Others: DeMaryius Thomas, Keenan Allen, Eddie Lacy, Pierre Thomas, and Pierre Garcon