Quarterback Carousel

The NFL season is still young, considering teams are only entering the third week of the season but yet a hand full of the teams are having quarterback issues. Recently, Andy Reid, head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, made the announcement that he has decided to go with Mike Vick as his starting quarterback. Not Kevin Kolb, the player who drove Reid and the Eagles to trade Donovan McNabb, the face of the franchise, within their own decision. So now Reid turns around and hands the reigns over to the electric yet risky Mike Vick. The reward could be huge but the risk is, I believe Reid may have just cost himself his job. 

Andy Reid is a great coach and has made some decisions that have left the media scratching their heads but over the off-season he enlisted his full trust in Kevin Kolb and made him the franchise quarterback of the Eagles. In Week 1, Kolb rolled out of the pocket and was tackled by the Packers linebacker Clay Matthews,  giving Kolb a concussion. That gave Vick the opportunity he has been waiting for, since being reinstated into the NFL. He made the most of it, looking good in relief of Kolb in the Packers game and then moving the Eagles offense up and down the field against a questionable Detroit Lions defense. So that left Reid wondering, who gives me the best chance of winning, Vick or Kolb?

Obviously, we know the decision that Reid came too. With Kolb healthy and cleared to play, all Reid had to do was say, "Kolb is my guy, he is the Eagles QB." But Reid flip-flopped and changed his mind. Honestly, at the moment Vick does give the Eagles the best chance at winning, but that is only because no one knows what Kolb can bring to the table. He was never given the chance to lead this team, he was injured and that’s all it took for Reid to succumb to temptation. Reid talked Kolb up all off-season, saying how special this kid can be one day. So now you're telling him he has to wait? He has to hold a clip-board for Vick, who was out of the league for two full seasons, and you expect him to be alright with this?

How can Kevin Kolb trust Andy Reid? Say Vick gets hurt, Reid turns to Kolb and tells him to go out there and lead the Eagles. Kolb will second guess himself on everything, knowing that Vick is now Reid's guy. Reid can say whatever he wants but when it comes down to it he chose Vick over Kolb. When the dust settles Reid could be out of a job and may have halted Kolb's career before it even got the chance to start. 

Braylon Edwards: Drops the Ball Again

After a late night of partying, Braylon Edwards and a few friends packed into his luxury SUV. The only problem is, there was no designated-driver. Now you figure with the salary that Edwards makes, picking up the tab for cab fare would be a simple way for the wide-receiver and his friends to get home. But that did not occur, instead Edwards decided to drive, and was pulled over for having tinted front windows on his car. He then proceeded to tell the officer that he had a couple of drinks, and then Edwards was arrested. Edwards was already on probation after pleading no contest to misdemeanor aggravated disorderly conduct. Edwards was accused of punching a friend of LeBron James outside a nightclub in Cleveland. Edwards is just another NFL player, that seems to always find trouble.

Did Edwards not learn anything from his friend Donte Stallworth? Stallworth, Baltimore Ravens wide-receiver, hit and killed a man while drunk driving. Edwards was partying with Stallworth that night, and it seemed to have no affect on him. Stallworth's life was forever changed after he made the biggest mistake of his life and yet Edwards can just climb into a car, without even thinking about what happened. What if Edwards did happen to hit someone, what if Edwards took their life? Athletes today are just too selfish, and are blinded to realize what they have. We've seen it before in football, basketball, and baseball.

Roger Goodell must come down on Braylon Edwards. I am not proposing the idea of suspending him for a full season but he should definitely sit out games. I think a 4-6 game suspension would be suffice to this kind of act. Edwards is lucky that nothing happened and he must realize what he has done. Hit him in his wallet, that is the only way that these athletes get the message. Goodell has a history of punishing his athletes and I believe he will do the same in this case. Edwards is in danger of facing jail time but a decision will most likely be made after the season. So Goodell can punish Edwards now or just sit and wait.

Hopefully Edwards gets the message and cleans up his act. He has a lot to lose and should appreciate everything he has. Drunk driving is not a joking matter and many people lose their lives because people get behind the wheel after drinking. Edwards should speak out against drunk driving and try to make up for what he has done.

Shoelace

Denard "Shoelace" Robinson. If you have not yet heard this name, get ready to hear it a lot. After just two weeks into the College Football season, many analysts have already handed this young man the coveted Heisman Trophy. All Shoelace has done is complete 43 of 62 passes for 430 yards and 2 TDs, and 57 rushes for 455 yards and 3 TDs. He has almost single handily helped carry the University of Michigan back into the Top 25 and bring them back to college football relevance. 

After watching Robinson's first game against the University of Connecticut, I was more than impressed with his showing. To call him fast would be understatement, the way this quarterback runs makes you flashback to Michael Vick in his Virginia Tech days. He takes his time, decides which hole he wants to hit, then he explodes through it. Defensives have to get a solid hit on Robinson or else he will just bounce off the contact and just continue to run. Not only is he dangerous with his legs, but many scouts say his most improved area of his game is his arm. He can make the passes that he has to and that keeps defenses honest, meaning they can not just stack the box and shut down the run. 


Overall, Denard "Shoelace" Robinson is a defensive coordinators worst nightmare. I watched him carve up my team, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, defense and I'm sure he will do it to many other teams. Robinson is on pace to break a number of records and he could be the type of athlete that only comes around ever so often. He leads the nation in rushing yards with 227.5 yards a game and he is averaging 442.5 total yards a game. Absolutely absurd. Although it may sound like I am jumping on Robinson's bandwagon, I am not. I am just impressed with what he has done so far, I mean who wouldn't be?


Realistically thinking, Robinson can not produce these numbers throughout a season, especially in the Big Ten where he will have to play bruising defenses such as Iowa, Penn State, Wisconsin, and Ohio State. Robinson is going to have to learn to either run out of bounds or to take the less-flashy quarterback "slide". Teams are going to key on him and the only way to stop an athlete like himself, is to get solid shots on his legs so he does not have the stamina at the end of the game.

Can Denard "Shoelace" Robinson win the Heisman? Yes. Will he? Only he can answer that question. If he keeps the Wolverines rolling and puts up the numbers that he can, anything is possible. One thing I know for certain, if I were Tate Forcier, I would already start searching for a school for next season because Denard Robinson is Michigan's quarterback.

Revis Island

Revis Island, a term coined by the New York Jets dynamic coach Rex Ryan, nearly had its next inhabitant, only this time it was not going to be an All-Pro wide receiver. The New York Jets were in danger of being grounded if their star corner back, Darrelle Revis decided to continue his hold out.

The two had been at odds for most of this summer when it came to Revis' new contract. Darelle Revis was hoping to receive a contract similar to the one Oakland Radier's corner back Nnamdi Asomugha signed in 2009. Asomugha signed a six year deal which guaranteed him $28.6 million over the first two years of his contract and Revis was looking for a similar deal. Even though Revis did not win Defensive Player of the Year last year, many people thought he deserved it more than winner Charles Woodson of the Green Bay Packers. The Jets hyped up Revis, as they rightfully should have considering just how great of a season he had. But then when Revis came knocking doing his best Jerry Maguire impression, "Show me the money!!", the Jets were left blind-sided. 

Revis' contract had not yet expired so the Jets thought they were safe but Revis wanted his money. The two went back and forth throughout the off-season and just could not agree on a deal. Reports were that Revis was asking for too much money and the Jets weren't willing to pay that amount. No exact contract offer was released so few people know what happened behind closed doors. Well after a long battle the two finally came to an agreement. On Monday, September 6th, Revis signed a four year deal worth approximately $46 million. Throughout this battle many people have been slamming Revis saying, "you signed a contract so why don't you just play it out." Well, there are two issues with that argument.

Unlike other sports, a football contract is not guaranteed so many players do not see the amount of money that they would like. In baseball and basketball, contracts are guaranteed, which means the players can receive the full amount of their deals but football is not like that. If their deal is voided or if they are cut, a football player will never see the full amount of their deals. So many football players are left wondering where/who their next contract  will come from. Another reason why Revis was right in searching for more money is what occurred with the Jets last year. 

Leon Washington

Leon Washington, currently a Seattle Seahawks running back, was with the Jets last year. He too was looking for a new contract with the Jets, but instead of signing one, the Jets and Washington made a deal. The Jets said if Washington went out and played, they would give him a new contract in the off-season. Well, Washington, like a good soldier, agreed to go out there and give it his all,  fractured his fibula in Week 7 of the season, and was sidelined for the rest of the year. When Washington was sitting in the Jets office with his cast on his leg what do you think the Jets said to him? It probably was something like "we really appreciated what you did for us but we're not going to give you that contract we promised." Fact is, as much as we all dislike it, sports are a business and the business will do what is best for them. The Jets were looking out for themselves so why would they give a running back, who is now damaged goods a new deal?

After seeing what happened to his fellow teammate, how could you blame Revis for seeking more guaranteed money? Football is a cut-throat sport and at anytime your career can be taken from you. So Revis listened to the Jets when they called him the "best defensive player in the league" and when they called him their "MVP", and he did what was best for him. Revis took a page out of the Jets book and did what was best for him and in the end he got his money.