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 Vidur Malik

 notjustagame23@gmail.com

Cam Newton – Getting picked at No. 1 overall by the Carolina Panthers wasn’t much of a surprise, and now Newton will have to learn how to capitalize on his athleticism without relying on it. He doesn’t have many weapons to throw to, making his task much more difficult, so it will be interesting to see how his career unfolds. Newton has the potential to be successful if he can become a Ben Roethlisberger-type quarterback who can pass in the pocket and also have the ability to move in the pocket and run if necessary.

Jake Locker – While Newton’s early selection in the draft didn’t shock anyone, the Tennessee Titans taking Locker and eighth overall is one of the most surprising picks of the draft. Though he went much earlier than anyone thought, Locker does have a chance to be a solid quarterback. The Titans have an elite running back in Chris Johnson and a great defense, giving Locker the luxury of not having to lead the team if he becomes the starter. Like Newton, Locker will need to quiet his many doubters and prove that he can play quarterback in the NFL.

Blaine Gabbert – The Jacksonville Jaguars are a team in need of some excitement, and Gabbert could give it to them. Gabbert seems to have more NFL readiness than Newton or Locker, so there aren’t as many questions surrounding his selection. With a versatile running back in Maurice Jones-Drew and an emerging star in tight ends Marcedes Lewis, Gabbert does have some targets to go to. Based on current projections, it seems like Gabbert will be the most prepared to have a successful pro career.

Christian Ponder – The Minnesota Vikings selecting Ponder at No. 12 was easily the most surprising pick of the first round and probably of the entire draft. The Vikings could definitely use some competition at quarterback, and Ponder should probably have a chance to compete for the starting job. There is no shortage of talent on Minnesota’s offense, with running back Adrian Peterson in the backfield and Sidney Rice, Percy Harvin and Visanthe Shiancoe giving Ponder several downfield threats to throw to.

Andy Dalton – With their quarterback situation in limbo, the Cincinnati Bengals selected Dalton early in the second round to take a shot at leading their offense. Dalton’s collegiate success at TCU should translate well to the NFL. He may not be as athletic as other rookies at his position, but he should be able to make the mental adjustment. With rookie receiver A.J. Green also coming to Cincinnati and joining Chad Ochocinco and running back Cedric Benson, Dalton should have a good nucleus of weapons to lead.

Colin Kaepernick – Another surprise quarterback pick, Kaepernick will go from leading Nevada’s pistol offense to trying to make it as a leader of a pro-style offense. At 6-foot-5 and 233 lbs., Kaepernick has the physical tools to make the transition, but having to learn a professional offense will be a daunting task for him. As part of a team that hasn’t had a consistent starting quarterback for almost a decade, Kaepernick might get the chance to prove himself soon.

Ryan Mallett – The New England Patriots made an intriguing selection by picking Mallet in the third round. The Patriots won’t be having a quarterback controversy anytime soon, but Mallett gives the team a chance to prepare for life after Tom Brady is no longer under center. Physically, he’s got everything he needs to be a good NFL quarterback, and there is enough young talent on the Patriots’ offense to help him find success whenever he gets his chance.

 By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

Defensive intensity has long left the NBA. The lack of effort is evident each night with teams scoring averages rising considerably. It’s a run and gun league that is guard oriented. Coaches get so desperate that they try to implement gimmick zone defenses for stretches.

 Come playoff time some teams can ultimately decide that they’re going to suddenly play defense, as the Lakers have done the past few seasons.

 We saw a crop of rookie guards last year storm the scene and make a relatively easy transition. This year Derrick Rose has went from an rising star to likely league MVP. The main reason for this is poor interior defense. Interior defense is supposed to be the area where the point guard has to make the decision. Not score at will.

The non threat inside the paint on the majority of NBA teams is causing a domino affect. Poor rotation is leaving legitimate shooters left wide open. JJ Redick has resurged from draft lottery bust, to finding minutes nailing open jumpers. There are a plethora of guys shooting in the high thirties or even above forty percent from three. Designing a play for offensive purposes has to be as easy as Charles Barkley uttering a sentence.

 In comes Derrick Rose. An athlete barely past the age of 21. There is no doubt what he makes his living off of. He is an attacker and slasher. A bigger sized athletic point guard. It’s hard for anyone to stay in front of him. Sure he has worked on his jump shot and at times has had explosive games with it. Check his nightly highlight reels and game action, and he is scoring at will in the paint. Burning the other teams point guard, and getting to the hole with defenders waving him to the bucket.

 Many think the Bulls can make a surprise run in the playoffs and why not. In the eastern conference there are no teams that scare the Bulls at all from the center position. The only team that does is Orlando with Dwight Howard. Howard gets his fair share of blocks, but the Magic lack the depth of big men to pose a seven game series threat. Everyone knows that Miami has struggled with the five position. They’re just trying to have the health to throw a 6’10 guy out there.

 Boston’s strength was supposed to be at the five, but they decided to build by letting Kendrick Perkins go. Now they’ll take their chances with age. Both O’Neals have missed extensive time. Kevin Garnett may be called upon even more than prior years for Boston. Garnett’s true position like Amare Stoudemire is power forward.

Pick a team in the NBA and the majority have a weakness at the center position. The lack of skilled big man is a huge void currently. There are plenty of raw young talents that just need some time to develop.

This next NBA Draft shows no signs of any centers emerging. Derrick Rose might be the first point guard in a long time to win MVP with a scorers mentality. How long will his success slashing to the hole continue? As long as the NBA’s weakness at the five is prevalent it could extend for the next eight to ten years of his career.

The Wizards are one of few teams with athletic big men. When the Bulls have faced the Wizards, Javele McGee, Trevor Booker, and Andray Blatche have done a decent job shutting down Rose. In four games vs. the Wizards this year, Rose hasn’t had a game where he shot near fifty percent. In McGee’s triple double where he had twelve blocks, six of them were on Rose.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

All the attention is focused on whose going to be the number one seeds in the NCAA tournament. Does it really matter? The parity in college basketball may be at an all time high. Like we’ve seen in the NFL, seeding really doesn’t matter. Especially when games are played on a neutral court. What matters is whose playing hot and matchups.

No conference has had as many teams beat up on each other as the Big East. Teams are vastly superior to other conferences top to bottom. The way St. Johns and Cincinnati are playing down the stretch, there could be eleven Big East teams in the tournament. Think about that for a minute. Eleven of Sixty Eight college teams. Absolutely unbelievable.

Texas is likely to leap to number one in next week’s polls. They’ve had three losses this year, but what was their record versus Big East foes? That’s right…..0-2.

Tourney time is literally a month away. Key in on the Big East tournament though, because if one of these teams profiled below gets hot watch out. Vegas better adjust their lines now, because having Texas, Duke and Kansas as heavy favorites may need proper changes.

Notre Dame– An experienced team that manages both ends of the floor in great fashion. Ben Hansbrough has jumped out as their clear leader, but the Irish have seniors at every position. Their players can knock down open jump shots, and you have to like the experience factor going into March Madness.

Pittsburgh- A Jamie Dixon squad is always going to be tough. One thing about Pittsburgh is their not necessarily explosive offensively. They tend to get things done defensively and have been fantastic at finishing games. Ashton Gibbs is their lone lethal threat on a consistent basis. What worries you about Pittsburgh is if they face a player that gets hot in a tournament game. Will they be able to stave off a flurry of points? That could be a problem to look out for.

St. Johns- Just a few weeks ago it looked like St. Johns was heading for the NIT, under first year head coach Steve Lavin. They had ugly early season losses to the likes of Fordham and St. Josephs. Practicing under Lavin seems to have worked. They know their strengths and as athletes at all positions they get out and run with ease. Dwight Hardy has been scoring at a high rate lately, and knocking down the outside shot. That is their overall weakness, perimeter shooting. Just like Notre Dame though they have a roster filled with seniors, eight in total.

Uconn- This is one of my favorite teams to make a big run in the NCAA tournament. They have had a tough schedule all season, but it’s been in two different phases. The first part of the year the team lived and died based on Kemba Walker. Then when he hit a rut, others began to help lessen the burden. Freshman guards, Jeremy Lamb and Shabazz Napier have been emerging slowly. Lately it’s been Jamaal Coombs-McDaniel who is coming off back to back 20 plus point games. When you have a scorer such as Kemba Walker it boosts your teams chances exponentially in March. Factor in Alex Oriakhi inside and Uconn is going to be a team to beat.

Syracuse- The length of the zone isn’t what it was a year ago, and the nucleus of players has completely changed. Rick Jackson has been a beast inside, and Jim Boeheim is going to put the bulk of the Cuse’s interior defense on him. Fab Melo won’t play anymore, and Baye Mousse Keita likely will play 15-20 minutes a game. That means the zone becomes smaller on the wings, but can still be deadly if the others play aggressively and get to their spots. Keep in mind, Scoop Jardine, Brandon Triche, and Kris Joseph either came off the bench or in Triche’s case played around 20 minutes a game last season. You can see them getting more and more comfortable with each other as the Big East games pass. They’ll all need to play together and well, and get some contributions from freshman CJ Fair and Dion Waiters. A third straight sweet sixteen appearance should be in Boeheim’s future, and could finally extend.

Villanova- Villanova is a hard team to figure out. They play well at times, but others just puzzle you. Just like a year ago, Villanova seems to be a team that can go down just to about anyone. They rely so much on their guard play, which is always a recipe for a disaster. Corey Fisher and Malik Wayns are smaller guards that just take a beating as the year goes on due to their style. A second round exit is my prediction, unless Corey Stokes and Antonio Pena return from being MIA.

Louisville- This team has got to the point they are at based on incredible play by Kyle Kuric, Preston Knowles, and Peyton Siva. It is also a team that has overachieved. They’re about a year away from being a legitimate threat. We see them fading down the stretch and in the Big East tournament. The rematch versus Uconn on Friday will be a truth teller. The plus to the Cardinals is they have great shooters. Like I stated though, I believe this team has peaked and will come back down to Earth.

Georgetown- The scariest team in the Big East and in the NCAA tournament from the Big East. Their Princeton style offense creates unorthodox sneaky backdoor cuts and layups for guards Chris Wright and Jason Clark. Austin Freeman is the most underrated pure scorer in the country that doesn’t get talked about. They get steady play from their big man Julian Vaughn, who will need to stay out of trouble. Depth is an issue for them, but if they stay out of foul trouble they don’t need to extend past seven players. Nate Lubick and Hollis Thompson play their roles well, and do the necessary dirty work for the Hoyas. Thompson is one of the leading three point shooters in the conference, knocking down 46%.

Favorites to have a big run: Uconn, Syracuse, and Georgetown

How many Sweet 16 Teams Will The Big East Have? Will say the three above for sure, and maybe four if Nova can get better play from their front line.

Head to Vegas now and put your money on the generous odds of Uconn 25-1, and Syracuse 30-1 to win the NCAA tournament.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

All the trash talking amongst your buddies and you’ve made it. Distinguished and separated yourself from the majority of your buddies to reach the playoffs. You don’t want the praise of yourself to end just there. If you win it all you can rant and rave until next August or September’s fantasy draft. Heck, if there is a lockout you could extend it over a year. Nobody wins a fantasy title the easy conventional way. You have to go outside the box and take risks. Who are some contrarian players you can utilize for the final stretch?

Quarterbacks

Chad Henne- It sounds insane to think about plugging in Henne, but a quarterback with his strengths figures it out that last month of December. You see it almost every year where a promising quarterback starts to produce without hiccups and gives their team hope going into the off-season. Currently, Miami is a .500 team because they’ve been inconsistent. That’s exactly what Henne’s problem has been. With Miami basically eliminated, look for Henne to play with free reign and perform better.

Shaun Hill/Drew Stanton- We’ve never been too high on the Detroit Lions but Jim Schwartz has things turning around up there. This team is fighting hard each week, and they’ve fared well with three different quarterbacks. Stanton doesn’t make poor decisions and being a former running back in high school, has the ability to scramble. The timetable for Hill’s return is in the air, but he is a better option with his arm. One plus to either or is Jahvid Best’s health. His role has still been diminished the past few weeks, but he is showing that early season explosion in the open field. That should open things up big time for the Lions to hit Megatron deep.

Ryan Fitzpatrick- Fitz had his poorest outing of the year this past weekend against Minnesota. It was a surprise considering how well he has done against top tier defenses, which the Vikings have not been. The problem in that game was critical turnovers, that just got the offense in a funk they couldn’t get out of. Other than that game though, Fitz has been reliable. He runs the Bills offense extremely well and is going to make a big play or two every game.

Running Backs

Knowshown Moreno- Virtually non existent due to injuries and poor offensive philosophy by the Broncos, Moreno broke out this past week. With the firing of Josh McDaniels you’d expect the play calling to shift to more of a balanced attack. Orton’s hot start has faded fast as teams are applying pressure and shutting off the quick dink and dump outlet throws. Players may want to plan their vacations now, but with an interim coach he’ll make these last four games feel like September.

James Starks- We profiled Starks with Legarrette Blount as our second half of the season sleeper running backs. Starks took a bit longer than Blount but got the bulk of the carries this past week. He wasn’t stellar but seems to be the new favorite back in Green Bay. With the potency of Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, Starks should be Rodgers-fed from a fantasy standpoint. Capitalizing off their quick drives and red zone possessions.

Rashad Jennings- Jacksonville’s starting to figure out they have a duel threat backfield. Jones-Drew and Jennings have been a combined tear as of late. If Jacksonville wants to hold off the rest of their divisional rivals then they’re going to need to continue to run the ball. Jennings is becoming a factor notching eleven fantasy points the past two weeks.

Wide Receivers

Davone Bess- At this point Miami doesn’t know if Brandon Marshall’s lingering injury will prevent him from stepping back onto the field. Even if he does, Marshall and Henne have not necessarily been the best of connections. Who has been is Davone Bess. Bess runs the short routes that Henne is comfortable in delivering. They seem to be on the same page every week. Bess is an extreme deep play but his upside comes in the department that you know he is going to catch six to eight passes as week.

Justin Gage- Tennessee can’t even get the ball to Randy Moss. Quietly that story has not surfaced as a headliner. Kerry Collins was rushed back due to how poor the rookie Rusty Smith performed. With Collins he has always been able to deliver the ball to Gage and Britt. Britt is out, so that makes Gage his top target. Hopefully Collins can get back in rhythm, as they face a Colts team that’s been giving up a ton of points.

Blair White- Peyton has had to deal with a plethora of mounting criticism since Sunday. How will he respond? We don’t doubt him, and we think he’ll deliver a fabulous finish to the season. Injuries have killed him but in the past he has found a go to guy to replace that area. White’s done it a few different weeks. As their third receiver, we think he’ll resurface as a monster December receiver for stats.

By Zack Cimini
notjustagame23@gmail.com

Cowboys fans were not going to sugar coat your team anymore. Everyone saw in front of a national Monday Night audience that there is no hope. Put your hopes in a basket with the San Francisco 49ers, cause the hopes now shift to landing a top draft pick. The NFL isn’t clearing up at all in the NFC, but the AFC is rounding into shape. Teams are continuing to win and create separation in their divisions. Will that last remains to be seen. Here is a look at our updated rankings.

1. Pittsburgh- Miami hurt themselves countless times by not capitalizing in the redzone. Pittsburgh did what they do best and that’s win close games.

2. New York Jets- No NY Jets got into trouble off the field during a bye week. Is Rex Ryan finally getting his team under control off the field?

3. New England- San Diego did what they typically do, and waited until the fourth quarter to decide to play. New England is winning now but needs to find a running game or a slip is inevitable.

4. Baltimore Ravens- The defense is going to need to play more disguised coverages with their weak cornerbacks. Fitzpatrick completely tore them apart and did it with total control. Joe Flacco needs to round back into form for the Ravens to be contenders playoff time.

5. Indianapolis Colts- Usually when teams have a bye week it allows players to recoup and rest from minor injuries. Too bad for the Colts they’ve been plagued and decimated by injuries that are season long.

6. NY Giants- Turning the ball over like a college football team and still winning decidedly. They’re becoming a lethal team more and more by the week.

7. Houston Texans- The almighty rematch against the Colts. On paper the Texans should be better. We’ll see what happens when they step onto the field Sunday.

8. Atlanta Falcons- Michael Turner and Roddy White are playing at a top five level in their respective positions. Squandering a three touchdown lead in less than a quarter was numbing. They did get the win though.

9. Tennessee Titans- The Titans were a handoff away from being down an insurmountable lead late in the third quarter. The turnover created by their defense sparked some energy into Kerry Collins and his arm. Once that happened the Kenny Britt show lasted for a quarter and a half. The air attack to setup Chris Johnson might be the new route to take.

10. Green Bay Packers- A gutsy performance and win on both sides of the ball. The team laid a lot on the field and you have to wonder how much in the tank is left. Two overtime losses and that game can take their toll. They still have two more games to play before their bye week.

11. New Orleans Saints- Like Eminem stated in his infamous song,. Saints fans are asking, “Can the real Drew Brees please stand up? It’s like he has been hit by the zapper in honey I shrunk the kids. We all knew he was a short quarterback. It just seems like more balls are being batted down, and that he is having a harder time recognizing disguised zone coverages.

12. Philadelphia Eagles- Time to switch quarterbacks again. Mike Vick was ready to go Sunday but Reid wanted to wait until after the bye week. He’ll make the announcement before this weekend on Vick. His deep ball and legs are too vital upsides over Kevin Kolb.

13. Kansas City Chiefs- Charles, Jones, and McCluster. It’s going to be rather difficult for teams to figure that tandem out. The defense did get roughed up a tad against the pass, especially in the first half against Jacksonville.

14. Oakland Raiders- Whew! Oakland’s back. As the Chargers and Broncos fade, it looks like the division will be in the hands of either Oakland or Kansas City.

15. Washington Redskins- Sunday’s display offensively by McNabb might have been one of his worst performances in some odd years. He needs to regroup and play to the talent around him. He may expect individuals to be able to do something he wants, but the talent just isn’t near what he had in Philadelphia. If they’re going to win it’s going to be from a ball control style of offense, and their defense holding teams in check.

Best of the Rest

16. Miami Dolphins
17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
18. Minnesota Vikings
19. Seattle Seahawks
20. Chicago Bears
21. San Diego Chargers
22. Dallas Cowboys
23. St. Louis Rams
24. Denver Broncos
25. Cincinnati Bengals
26. Jacksonville Jaguars
27. Cleveland Browns
28. Arizona Cardinals
29. Carolina Panthers
30. Detroit Lions
31. Buffalo Bills
32. San Francisco 49ers