By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

Attacking the free agency market for suitable quarterbacks was a hot pursuit by many teams. As soon as the lockout was declared over, it seemed as if teams knew what they were going to do. Front offices began strategizing long before, and teams on the other side of the fence seemed to be prepared to wheel and deal.

Adam Schefter was live on ESPN as frequent as the tv guide channel scrolling back around a minute later. Reporting on rumors is what he has been use to in the past. That wasn’t the case when the lockout was lifted. Deals were getting done immediately. We will discount Matt Hasselbeck. He was never that impressive in Seattle. Even though he got ahold of a decent contract, it won’t be too long before Jake Locker is handed the keys.

The same could be said for Donovan McNabb, but it’s all in his hands. McNabb could have a solid two to three years left to truly end his career on a good note. Will the clowning antics that were seen in the playoffs with the Eagles in 2009 pop up, or the carefree lackadaisical routine snaps in Washington? For watchers of McNabb, you’ve seen it his whole career. His demeanor is never too serious, but he gets the job done.

Being on his third team in three seasons, he knows that opportunities are closing for himself. Starting in the NFL takes a week to week approach. For some reason or other, Mike Shanahan did not see that in many Redskins, including McNabb. It was better to see them part ways, then for McNabb to waste another year in Washington.

Talent wise, McNabb will have much better tools on his side. Adrian Peterson in the backfield automatically bumps up McNabb’s fantasy stock and likelihood of staying healthy a full season. We hate to do comparisons, but we will in this case with McNabb and Brett Favre. Similar to McNabb, Favre’s hands were tied on a team he had been with his whole career. They didn’t want him to start for the Packers anymore, but the team still owned his rights.

The Packers shipped Favre to the New York Jets, where he had a few solid games but it ended poorly. A deep end of the season slide, that made many believe he was done. Free agency changed all of that, and he landed on the Vikings. A team he would likely have went to had he been a free agent a year earlier. McNabb got dealt last season to a Washington franchise that has been the model of incorrect front office management. The same tailspin to end the season happened for McNabb.

This is the same quarterback that just a few years ago, led a Philadelphia Eagles team with his arm alone, a drive away from the Super Bowl. Down three scores, he threw rocket bombs to DeSean Jackson. The deep ball is still there for McNabb, as was apparent last year when he was able to hit Anthony Armstrong frequently. Armstong had a whopping 19.8 yards per catch a year ago.

You’d think the Vikings will make one more move at wide receiver. If not, at least McNabb has one great threat in Percy Harvin and a cross target in tight end Visanthe Shiancoe.

With Moss announcing his retirement, it brings a perplexed icky feel to Vikings and NFL fans. Moss was back home halfway through last years season as a Viking. A coach that was on his way out, bumped Moss off the team without front office approval. If Moss would of finished the season as a Viking, you’d assume a deal would have been worked out with Moss after McNabb signed.

Doubting McNabb for one more push, don’t. He did it at Syracuse, and he did it numerous times as an Eagle for eleven seasons. We’d rank McNabb as a tier two quarterback at this point of his career. A tier two quarterback that could start six to seven fantasy games for you and put up top ten fantasy production for those weeks.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

Bouncing around as a veteran quarterback is common place. Endings seem premature in the athletes mind, and franchises are willing to take the gamble on declining skills. In the case of Donovan McNabb, no one really knows what he has left.

The Philadelphia Eagles basically traded him to move on and go with a younger talent in Kevin Kolb. Just like when he was drafted too booing Philadelphia fans, he exited as if he meant little to a franchise. It was just a few years before that he led the Eagles to their fourth NFC championship game under McNabb. They were a Kurt Warner drive away from going to another Super Bowl.

What happened last year as a Redskin was undeserving. McNabb gutted out many performances for a front office and coach that expressed their displeasure in McNabb. It was as if, Daniel Snyder was being over rode more and more as the season went on. No athlete is too tired to take a beating an entire game and not want to attempt a game winning drive. The fact that Rex Grossman took over the final few games for the Redskins was a true slap in the face move.

So McNabb is basically a free agent at this point with zero suitors because of the lockout. You have to believe that once the lockout is lifted, McNabb will be a highly sought after quarterback. Even though teams were able to stock pile youth with a high talent pool of quarterbacks in the draft, there are still many teams that need dire help.

Two teams that pop out at you are Minnesota and the Arizona Cardinals. Minnesota addressed their future quarterback hopes in Christian Ponder. Drafted as the number twelve pick, Ponder will be expected to jump in. How soon though? Do the Vikings want to try and recapture the same thing they did with Brett Favre? They’re talented enough to attempt to make a strong run with a veteran quarterback, and Adrian Peterson. It’s always tempting as a new head coach to perform now rather than later.

Arizona though could be the best option and most realistic. The Cardinals have discussed names of Marc Bulger and Kyle Orton more, but McNabb would seem to be the top selection amongst the three. Arizona’s year without Kurt last year was as bad as their pre-Jake Plummer quarterback shuffling days. Derek Anderson’s press conference rant, will join the ranks of Dennis Green’s in Cardinals fans YoutTube favorites.

Throwing out a lowly touted third day drafted quarterback in Jon Skelton, and also undrafted Max Hall last season, started to turn the career hard worker Larry Fitzgerald into a Randy Moss. You could see him giving up on routes and not into it, because he couldn’t trust the quarterback. He knew they couldn’t throw the tight throws or stick him deep with an accurate pass. Not going after a quarterback in the draft was one of the more puzzling moves of the NFL Draft.

If the Cardinals want to keep one of the best receivers in football they better go after a solid veteran quarterback. Who is currently throwing the ball to Fitzgerald in off-season workouts? Yes, that’d be Donovan McNabb. An athlete that has trained every off-season in Arizona and has developed a relationship with some of the Cardinals.

McNabb has loved Arizona since he came as a senior for the Syracuse Orangemen vs. Kansas State in the 1999 Fiesta Bowl. Everyone wants to say McNabb is too old, injury proned, and lacks the proper effort for a full football game. Quarterbacks are going to make mistakes. The success McNabb has had can’t be overlooked. Veteran quarterbacks such as Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are right up there in age with McNabb.

He has a solid two to three years left, and he will be seeking to land with a team that he can fully utilize those years. Arizona seems to be the best fit for that.. Their organization made the right move with a similar veteran quarterback that had been rode off, and spun it very close to a Super Bowl.

McNabb’s third uniform in three years should sport pure red and white, and occasional pure black.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

Here’s a look at our first updated quarterback rankings since the season has started. Thus far a few surprises have occurred that have vaulted up names such as Donovan McNabb, Jay Cutler, and Kyle Orton. Will their great starts to the season carry on to a fantasy title run for you?

The two major disappointments thus far have to be Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre. Rodgers has had decent numbers not anywhere near the top echelon of the league. His yardage totals aren’t close to what we’d expect. We’ll see how much Ryan Grant being out affects him. He may not re-enter the top five fantasy quarterbacks this season.

Owners that banked on Brett Favre turning on the time machine clock have seen he had a little trouble orbiting back to 2009. Can he give it the fonzi punch and give fantasy owners one last rendezvous? Based on Favre’s up and down career we’ll say he’ll give you a half dozen more solid outings.

1. Drew Brees- The Saints do keep on marching in. Brees just has that Manning knack of leading, driving, and managing a game with ease.

2. Peyton Manning- Dynasty league owners couldn’t be happier with what he has done from year to year. It’s funny how age was the biggest discussion of Donovan McNabb when he was traded. Guess what? Manning and McNabb are the same age.

3. Matt Schaub- Bank it. Unless an injury derails Schaub, he will be the league leader in yards again. He may even challenge the record books.

4. Philip Rivers- Rivers has no name receivers he has to throw the ball to just like Brett Favre. Rivers though is having no problems getting the job done.

5. Jay Cutler- Guess Mike Martz is a cure all offensive genius. It’s not like Cutler has not been an elite quarterback before. He just has too many ups and downs. When the bad games start to occur can he shake it off and move on?

6. Aaron Rodgers- Was hyped up more than any other quarterback in the off-season. After his prolific post season and stellar pre-season who wouldn’t of anticipated another crazy year from Rodgers. He can make up his lackluster start in a heartbeat.

7. Tom Brady- Brady’s precision is still there. He spreads the ball to his receivers like no other. Deep ball wise he is good to attempt more than any other starting quarterback per game. Problem is they aren’t working as well as in years past with Randy Moss. He’ll need to trust the intermediate route more with Aaron Hernandez and Brandon Tate.

8. Donovan McNabb- The statement game for McNabb is only a few games away. This after having a remarkable performance against the Texans, in which a bomb to Joey Galloway should have clinched a 2-0 start.

9. Tony Romo- Dallas is in a world of hurting as a team, but fantasy owners could care less. Romo has top tier talent to throw the football too, and an emerging rookie in Dez Bryant. Romo is a safe fantasy starter for this season and is right outside being a top tier fantasy quarterback.

10. Eli Manning- Manning should surpass all career highs he set last year. With the ground game looking like it’ll be near the bottom of the league all year, Manning will have to drop back a ton. Turnovers are a part of that increase. With a great crop of receivers to throw to, he’ll be a quarterback that can carry a fantasy playoff team.

Best of The Rest

11. Kyle Orton
12. Joe Flacco
13. Kevin Kolb
14. Chad Henne
15. Brett Favre
16. Matthew Stafford* injured
17. Carson Palmer
18. Ben Roethlisberger * suspension
19. Matt Ryan
20. Mike Vick
21. Vince Young
22. Sam Bradford
23. Shaun Hill
24. Matt Cassel
25. Matt Hasselbeck
26. Josh Freeman
27. Jake Delhomme
28. Derek Anderson
29. Mark Sanchez

30. Jason Campbell
31. Bruce Gradkowski
32. David Garrard
33. Alex Smith
34. Jimmy Clausen
35. Dennis Dixon
36. Ryan Fitzpatrick
37. Seneca Wallace
38. Matt Leinart
39. Trent Edwards
40. Kerry Collins
41. Tavaris Jackson
42. David Carr
43. Billy Volek
44. Matt Moore
45. Byron Leftwich

By Vidur Malik

With NFL passing games becoming more creative, and talent being so widespread around the league, passing statistics for quarterbacks are sky-high. Every year, it seems like at least a handful of quarterbacks eclipse the 4,000 yard passing mark, with the top-tier guys consistently reaching 4,400-4,500 yards. Last year, Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub led the league in passing with 4,770 yards, and guided the Texans to an 8-8 finish. That number was also good for sixth all-time for passing yards in a season. Only Drew Brees and Dan Marino have passed for over 5,000 yards in a season, but after Schaub’s prolific 2009 season, it’s worth wondering whether he can join Brees and Marino in the 5,000 yard club next year.

To get to the 4,000+ range, you’ve got to have an assortment of weapons who can all make significant contributions. There can be a number one guy, but every receiver needs to have a good amount of touches and yards to get their quarterback to the elite level. Schaub has more than enough targets to throw to, and in 2009, he made use of all of them. Wide receiver Andre Johnson is clearly the number one guy in Houston, and is widely considered the best receiver in the game. He’s recorded over 100 catches and 1,500 receiving yards the last two years, and judging by his recent big-money contract extension, he’ll be putting up those numbers for the Texans in a while. In addition to Johnson, Schaub’s got receivers Jacoby Jones and Kevin Walter to throw to. Jones only caught 27 passes last year, but had a 16.2 yards per catch average, and scored six touchdowns. Walter caught 53 balls for 611 yards and two scores last year. Aside from the wide outs, tight end Owen Daniels is becoming one of the league’s best at his spot. Last year, Daniels tore his ACL and only played in eight games, but still recorded 519 yards and five touchdowns, which would be solid numbers for a whole season for most tight ends. If Daniels is fully healed from his injury this year, he could provide a serious boost in Schaub’s numbers.

The Texan running backs should provide the offense with a pretty good running game, and if they can become good receivers out of the backfield, they might be able to help Schaub get to even higher passing numbers. Steve Slaton, Ben Tate, and Arian Foster will all see time at running back. Of the three, Slaton is the only proven receiving threat, with 417 receiving yards and three scores in 11 games last year. If Foster and Tate can be good runners and double as receiving options, Schaub can really stretch defenses, and take advantage of favorable matchups all across the field.

Houston’s defense is pretty good, but not great, which means he Texans will probably get victories by outscoring their opponents. They were ranked 13th overall in total defense last year, and gave up 20.8 points per game. If they are a middle-of-the-pack defense again this year, the Texans will still be a competitive team because of their offense, which bodes well for Schaub from a statistical standpoint. He has to produce in order to win, so he’ll put up huge numbers by necessity.

Throwing for 5,000 yards in a season requires a dangerous and spread-out attack, in which any receiver can have a big day. It requires a quarterback to average over 300 passing yards a game, while going against defenses who have prepared all week to stop the passing game. Matt Schaub is surrounded by players who can consistently deliver, and he’s got the skill to get find them and get them the ball. Brees and Marino are the only ones that have done it so far, and they’re both Hall of Fame quarterbacks. Whether or not Schaub will join them in Canton remains to be seen, but in today’s NFL, if anyone can get to 5,000 yards in a season, it’s him.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

Replacing starters is a weekly occurrence. Shifting from starters that had longevity though is not. There are a lot of teams gearing up their 2010 season with quarterbacks that have are inexperienced. Stats do not replace stats. Are there capable quarterbacks that can make a seamless transition from the old wily veteran to being a fantasy marginal option? Even a bye week filler. Lets see..

Old: Jamarcus Russell New: Jason Campbell

Campbell could step out week one and have a career day of three touchdowns and that would outdo a seasons worth from Russell. Oakland has finally made a wise move. Campbell has shown the skill set to be an NFL starter and a possible good one at that. He just needs to be set in a system where he can grow. That has not necessarily been the case in Oakland, but somehow an organization has to move forward. Oakland has some weapons offensively and Campbell should find a balance to keep the Raiders a dangerous team.

Old: Donovan McNabb New: Kevin Kolb

The spotlight will be the brightest on Mr. Kolb. Not only is he trying to show his value compared to McNabb, he also has to worry about Mike Vick who has one foot in bounds waiting for Andy Reid to tap him on the shoulder. Kolb may be more like Matt Schaub was when he left Atlanta. Looking great in a few spot starts but he is going to need a lot of on field action to develop into a pro starter. Expect a rough year in a city that is use to winning.

Old: Chad Pennington New: Chad Henne

Henne received some starts due to Pennington’s season ending injury last season. He showed that demeanor and attitude of a first string quarterback from day one. That was with Ted Ginn as his number one receiver, Davone Bess, and Greg Camarillo. Show us a tougher group of receivers for a rookie to break in the league with? When the wildcat had to be abandoned once Ronnie Brown was lost for the season, the Dolphins had to let their rookie Henne go. That’s when he began to get comfortable and had the type of outings that gave the appearance that Henne just needs more talent around him. Miami added Brandon Marshall which should be a great complement to Henne’s arm strength and accuracy for years to come.

Old: Jason Campbell New: Donovan McNabb

A new environment is not always the best. For McNabb becoming a Redskin was the last thing he wanted to do. Being an Eagle was what he had his hopes set out on. That obviously did not happen and now maybe McNabb will wake up and find that extra gear to finish out a season. He’ll build a winning attitude with Mike Shanahan from day one. Fizzling out and erratic play is what has notoriously plagued McNabb. Shanahan has loaded up on backs and will not be as pro pass as Reid has been in Philly. That will diminish McNabb’s numbers a bit and put into question if he is a fantasy starter.

Old: Kurt Warner New: Matt Leinart

This was flip flopped a few times but now is official with Warner being retired. All you can hope for Leinart’s sake is that he grasped and learned skills from Warner. Leinart is now 27 and it’s now or never. Arizona could have shipped him out or cut him to go in another direction. Now they’ll see if they can get a return on their first round investment. He allegedly has been working hard off the field. We’re hesitant to believe Leinart will be able to fill the shoes anywhere near the way Warner did. Arizona knows that and will find a way to cater to Leinart’s strengths. Quick passes and simplified decision making. Also expect the ground game not to abandon with ease as they would do almost on a weekly basis with Warner.

Old: Jake Delhomme New: Matt Moore

Delhomme never could recover from his catastrophic melt down performance against the Cardinals. It was similar to a pitcher getting lit up and not being able to get past it. Every time he dropped back he looked like a former NFL Europe player. Oh wait, he was. Matt Moore had semi decent success last year, as anyone should with a talented backfield as Carolina has. Likely the number one threat in the league. Moore is a hot sleeper that will stave off rookie Jimmy Clausen for a few years.

Old: Brady Quinn/Derek Anderson New: Jake Delhomme

Cleveland might be the only team to go from an awful quarterback situation to worse. We don’t know what’s going on in the front office at Cleveland, but we all know they love the back and forth musical quarterback game. What will be the games start split between Delhomme and Seneca Wallace? Will go with seven games for Delhomme and nine for Wallace.

Old: Kerry Collins New: Vince Young

Here’s another back and forth maneuver over the last few years. You’d think Tennessee would have ended all doubt for Young and cut Collins. Then you here of Young messing up off the field and think how smart of them. How Young keeps producing wins is almost as stupefying as how Jay Fiedler did it with the Dolphins. Young might make Jamarcus Russell type plays but he also has Chris Johnson alongside him. We don’t envision the Young project lasting several years, but will give it a few more. As far as being a fantasy performer, don’t even attempt to think about Young. Young’s games are going to be like a scatter plot. Games all over the place with no consistency.

Old: Marc Bulger New: Sam Bradford/AJ Feeley

Bradford is going to get introduced quickly on how to lose. Taking those licks and growing pains is something some young quarterbacks never get over. Ahem, David Carr. St. Louis has to be careful how they bring Bradford along. Starting Feeley out to get pummeled may be a smart idea here.

Old: Byron Leftwich New: Josh Freeman

Freeman was able to get the traditional type of rookie experience. Sit and learn from the sidelines the first half of the year and then on the job training the second half. Freeman did not show much too prove being an every week starter. Developing from year one to year two is usually where you can see if a guy has it or not completely. Freeman’s likely ranked near or dead last in every fantasy quarterback ranking so we won’t delve any further here.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

One agent that deserves strong praise is that of Michael Vick’s. Away from the game over a year he landed Vick a contract over a million last year, and an option of 5.2 million for the second year. Well the Eagles brought him back after almost everyone expected them to part ways. That salary will make Vick one of the highest paid backups in the NFL. Pressure is on the young first year starting quarterback Kevin Kolb.

He knows the team made a huge sacrifice and gutsy move by parting ways with one of the biggest Eagles franchise players since the 80’s in Donovan McNabb. Playing in Philadelphia comes with expected results. Wins. Kolb needs to go out and produce from week one onward. If not guess who is awaiting in the wings to get out there and showcase his redemption attempt as a starting quarterback? Mr. Vick.

Last year was sort of like a tune up for Vick. We all know his capabilities and what his old weaknesses were. Those likely will not change. After all his time off though he looked out of gear sort of like when Michael Jordan came back in 1995 after a huge layoff playing baseball. Now that Vick has familiarized himself and been active in football like drills daily, his sense of the game is going to reappear on a stronger level. The Eagles must of saw some flashes of Vick’s old self or the project of brining him back would have ended abruptly.

Right now the Eagles have no clue what direction they’re headed. They will know by mid to late October though. This franchise is either getting turned over to Kevin Kolb or Michael Vick. The game of toying with Vick as a decoy and specially utilized player ten times a game will not happen anymore. It caused more harm to the flow of the teams overall chemistry than Andy Reid would of liked in 2009. Plus Vick is no longer the third string quarterback. As a backup entering 2010 they need to protect their insurance in case Kolb lands out with an injury. They surely do not want to have to start Mike Kafka.

Showcasing what the Eagles have done from a front office stand point it leaves them with options. They’re believing Kevin Kolb can get the job done but are they? They extended his contract that was set to expire after this year only an extra season. The value is only 12.2 million for both those years. Not the top of the heap when it comes to starting quarterbacks money. Vick will be making nearly just as much this season. Call it more of an investment strategy where the Eagles spent a combined 11 million to figure things out.

Fantasy discussions of Vick are premature but he will be a factor this season. It’s hard to name a first year starter that has come out and lit afire from the gate. It just does not happen and won’t for Kevin Kolb. There’s just a lot more things they can go wrong instead of go his way. Donovan McNabb basically led the Eagles to the playoffs like clockwork every season.

Bordering at or below .500 will only raise the pressure on Kolb and reasons to see Vick in action. If Kolb gets the team rolling, how will the typical string of losses affect him as they happen? Some quarterbacks fight it off and others succumb and fold even further. It’ll be interesting to see what happens but Vick will be ready to go. Once he gets out there what type of quarterback will we see? We think Vick can flourish in the Eagles system and create havoc just like he did a few years ago. This is not a dream like turn of events story that we envision happening. This is business related. You can see where this is headed with a binocular view from general manager Tom Heckert’s press box.