He's Tebowing on a Jet plane!

Wow as if the free agent frenzy wasn't chaotic enough, now Tim Tebow is heading to the Big Apple and will be a New York Jet. Denver was open to trading Tebow after they landed the big fish that is Peyton Manning but nobody really knew if teams would be seriously interested in the unconventional Quarterback considering the changes that Denver made to better suit Tebow’s strengths. Of course there was interest, especially with teams who have QB problems already but right when teams started surfacing they quickly retracted their interest as if they were embarrassed to admit it publicly.

But the Jets?! As if that team doesn’t have enough drama off the field with Mark Sanchez complaining about teammates, teammates complaining about Mark Sanchez, Rex Ryan crying Superbowl every year and always missing the big dance adding Tim Tebow will only make Mark’s whining worse. Now luckily, Tim is a peaceful, team player and will not cause any drama in the locker room, he might even be able to bring it down some but besides playing peacemaker, what is he going to do there and what does this mean for the Jets current QB?

First of all, I think bringing in Tebow will make matters worse before they get better for the Jets. Mark Sanchez isn’t one to take adding another QB lightly, especially one that brings so much attention to himself and his team. Whatever role Tebow plays, whether it be the wildcat QB or even the starter as Skip Bayless so emphatically declared he will be at the middle of the season, this puts the majority of the pressure on Sanchez to perform. Even though Sanchez has driven the Jets to two AFC Championship games, last season proved that he has weaknesses as a quarterback and as an individual that could prove detrimental to his starting job. He knows what “Tebowmania” caused in Denver and understands that the same will ring true if he fails to play at the highest level in the Meadowlands.

Secondly, Tim Tebow comes from a good place. Moving from Denver to New York was ultimately not his call and to be bashed for the trade is unfair and unprofessional on behalf of the Jets. He avoids controversy and honestly tries to answer the better side of a controversial question.

I’m unsure about what will happen to that locker room come the beginning of the season. I see Tim Tebow being the new kid in school that gets bullied by the big kids until it exhausts them because he isn’t going to breakdown. Now, I do not think Tebow is a starting quarterback in the NFL but I think Tebow is better under pressure than Sanchez is and could win the close football games that I guarantee Mark Sanchez would lose. 

If March wasn't already Mad enough

Today proved that March is President of the Asylum. With all of the insanity that has occurred in the 21 days that this month has been around, March 2012 will be in the record books as the Maddest March ever. Peyton Manning found a new home, TWO #2 seeds lost to #15 seeds in the same day in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, football players were getting record setting paychecks and now to add to the pot, Tim Tebow is a New York Jet and Sean Peyton has been suspended for the entire 2012-2013 season in light of the recent bounty scandal that has plagued the New Orleans Saints offseason. 

Let's start with the Saints. Sean Peyton’s suspension isn't the only penalty New Orleans is receiving for the bounty drama that has been filling the airwaves for the past few months. The laundry list is long and it stings. Mickey Loomis, the GM has been suspended for 8 games and is being fined $500,000. The New Orleans Saints as a franchise is being fined $500,000. Joe Vitt, the Saints Assistant Head Coach (and the person who was supposed to be the Interim Head Coach for the Saints this year) has been suspended for 6 games without pay and the franchise has lost their second round picks in the 2012 and 2013 Drafts. It's like Hurricane Katrina all over again but this time New Orleans can’t blame Mother Nature for the damage caused. 

Nope, the people of New Orleans have to blame the Saints for this one. Their team, their hero in the face of disaster, their Superbowl Champions, this one goes to them. What will get Saints fans the most upset is the severity of the punishment. Rodger Goodell has made a huge statement by coming down this hard. We all knew that New Orleans was going to be made an example out of for this but the end result changes the entire NFL in more ways than one.

First of all, the Saints are going to have a hard time maintaining their elite status in the league because of the losses they’ve sustained. Remember when Coach Peyton tore his ACL and MCL after that sideline hit and spent 3 games up in the booth. New Orleans looked lost and disjointed without their leader on the sideline and without him for a whole year it will be difficult to overcome the empty space he occupies. Sure Drew Brees can relieve some of the void because, after all he is the Captain but even Drew looks up to Sean for guidance and being unable to do so for the year will make the road to success very rough. I would be surprised if the Saints made it to the post-season this year.

Secondly, this makes it very hard for whoever takes over for Peyton. The Saints were one of the best teams in the NFL the past few years and have game plans for everything. They are a talented team both on the offensive and the defensive side of the ball. The bond between the players, the fans, management and the coaching staff is unlike any other and solidifies the fraternal bond the team has. He will have high expectations placed on him for maintaining the high caliber team that he will be entrusted with.    

Finally, no locker room will ever be the same now. Players in the NFL have said that they’ve always had bounties in their head on players and have huddled and talked about running players into the ground as motivation but now any conversation about big hits will be looked at as a bounty and will result in investigations and possible fines. Now I am not supporting what the Saints did by any means, in fact I deplore it but I do think the severity of the punishment will make the game soft and will take away the athletic ability of the players. Players have been injured on non-bounty hits since professional football was born yet I fear that any hit that looks suspicious will now be overanalyzed and the way the game is played will forever be different.

It’s unfortunate that the Saints are the team that has to endure the punishment of a bounty program that I bet has been in other locker rooms in years past and even maybe last year. They are a good team, had a decent chance of going to the Superbowl last season and have been a source of positivity and inspiration to a city that has needed it for so long. I’m neutral about the severity of the punishment, if I had more details I would probably swing one way or another but I do want to say, if Gregg Williams gets off easier than Sean Peyton does for the scandal, Rodger Goodell will have done nothing to set an example. I feel bad for the Saints because they are losing a whole lot now and it will seriously affect them this season. 

         If you want to hear my opinion about Tim Tebow see my next blog “He’s Tebowing on a Jet plane!”.

The Bulls are better than the Heat because...

Last night, Chicago beat Miami 106-102 WITHOUT Derrick Rose. Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless will lead you to believe that the Heat deserve a pass because they played an OT game in Orlando and then had to fly to Chicago and they were "tired and they didn't take Jon Lucas III seriously". Oh please let me grab my tissues because that was just a sad story and I feel so bad for Miami, they had it rough.

NOT, I'm calling bull on all the analysts that are hating on Chicago and their potential to beat Miami and win a Championship this year. Every team in the NBA whether it be Chicago, Miami, New Jersey or Charlotte have had to play back to back games in different cities this year with the condensed schedule but those teams didn't get passes when they lost. Okay New Jersey and Charlotte are terrible teams so they don't deserve consideration for the "free pass" title however, if it was Chicago that suffered back to back losses, nobody would have given them a break, they would have chalked up the losses to their lack of talent or some random excuse that goes back to the fact that the Bulls are not better than Miami.

So let's get to the bottom of this. The Bulls proved not only that they CAN beat Miami but they can do it as a team, something the Heat know nothing about. Chicago moved the ball around, played hardcore defense and showed how hungry they were to prove themselves. Skip and Stephen A say that the Heat didn't take Jon Lucas III seriously but if that were true, why move Lebron over to defend him? Miami intentionally put the biggest superstar in basketball against a 3rd string point guard for what purpose then? If anything Lebron defending Lucas gave JLIII more confidence because it shows how threatened the Heat were by him. James was ordered to defend Lucas to try and stop him from scoring (which James failed to do) so the Heat could have an easier time to try and come back to win the game. Deng and Korver had some great 3-pointers during the game to keep Miami at bay, Noah held his own in the middle and the guards made the plays that needed to be made to seal in the victory. More so, the Bulls proved last night that they don't need Derrick Rose for Chicago to beat Miami.

Going back to the concept of a team, Lebron and Dwayne Wade make up the majority of the points the Heat score in any game. Without them, they don't have a player they can rely on to make the big plays and score the big points. Sure scoring 30+ points a game is amazing but what is going to happen to Miami when they don't have those two scorers, we saw it last night, Chicago's bench out played Miami's bench by a drastic margin, no amount of travel excuses a bench player from being tired. I don't deny how talented the Miami Heat are but I do believe that their talent lies solely in two players whereas Chicago has talent across the board. Of course Chicago's talent isn't as visible as Miami's big two but Miami's 4 straight road losses proves that big talent isn't everything.

Bottom line, the Bulls have the depth in their bench, the talent in their starters and the hunger in their eyes to beat Miami. Don't let these "analysts" let you think otherwise. If Chicago can beat Miami without Derrick Rose, there is no excuse for it. Miami is supposed to be the most talented team, the team who is destined to win it all so we should just roll over and forgive them when they lose but when other teams lose 4 straight on the road, we have to tear them up to pieces and say they don't stand a chance.

What Acquiring Brandon Marshall Means

Wow! Brandon Marshall is now a Bear and Chicago couldn't be more thrilled. Reuniting with Jay Cutler has been a thought in many minds not just Marshall and Cutler and now that it is official, let's talk about what it means for the Chicago Bears in the foreseeable future.

With the questionable return of Johnny Knox, it adds a threat that has been missing in the Windy City for quite some time. Sure, Johnny might be 100% healthy by the start of the pre-season, but the back injury must be on his mind and his health might change the type of athlete he will be moving forward.  Assuming that Marshall adds another 1,000+ yard season to his resume next year, it will be the first 1,000+ yard receiver the Bears have had on their roster since Marty Booker in 2002! Brandon Marshall is also that offensive threat teams have to be aware of when they play Chicago. Doubling up on Marshall leaves one receiver free, namely Cutler's other BFF, Earl Bennett who proved last season that he can be just as much of a threat as the big name receivers such as his new peer.

When Cutler and Marshall played together in Denver, Marshall scored 23 touchdowns and totaled close to 4,000 yards in two years. Marshall averaged 6.7 catches per game and 80 yards per game with 2 Pro-Bowl appearances with Cutler as his Quarterback and Jeremy Bates as Cutler's coach.

Now Marshall has had his off the field problems but I firmly believe that if there was any person to keep them in check, it is Jay Cutler. The two have a bond like no other in the league and that is extremely important both for their professional relationship and Marshall's personal life.

All in all this move is one that has been long anticipated in Chicago, a receiver we can finally depend on and a quarterback that has the athletic ability to use that receiver. I wouldn't be surprised if the Bears went to New Orleans in 2013 and came home Champions.

Peyton Manning, enough said.

Like many football fans, I wasn't terribly surprised that Peyton was released by the Colts Wednesday. $28 million is a lot of money to gamble with no matter who the player is and no matter how much good he has done for your franchise. But there is a lot to be said about Peyton's future and the Colts business future now that the two have cut ties.

Let's start first with the business side of this situation. I'm glad that the Colts didn't give Manning his $28 million signing bonus. It was way too much money for a player who admitted that he is not 100% healthy yet. However, the Colts are taking an even bigger risk by completely rejecting the possibility of picking up Manning at a less expensive price and relying on Andrew Luck to be the rebuilding block of a team that has proven that #18 was the reason the Colts were so successful the past 14 seasons. From a business perspective, you are losing revenue by removing the iconic #18 jersey from your stores, you are taking a risk ordering jerseys that might not even sell if your draft pick blows his chance in the NFL and if your team does worse than the team that picks up Manning, you are losing a fan base that hoped YOU made the right decision. 

Now, Peyton's health is a concern for many on the business side of the sport. Yes the guy is 35 and has had 4 neck procedures, but if you're a team that had been successful without Peyton, then the only risk you're taking is a financial one because you can keep last season's QB as a backup, allowing him to learn from one of the best quarterbacks in the league and then have him step in if something does happen with Manning. Teams like the Cardinals,  Seahawks, Dolphins and Jets are a few of those teams that have somewhat reliable quarterbacks whom could benefit learning from Peyton Manning and then have the ability to step up to the plate in case of emergencies. I don't doubt those QB's would be a bit bitter about being demoted, however being able to watch and learn from an Elite quarterback, a Superbowl winning one at that would be a benefit that would, at least in my opinion, outweigh the downfall in the long term. 

Other teams such as the Rams, Bills and Browns don't have the luxury of picking up Manning because his health risk is too high. Since these teams do not have a reliable quarterback to start with, if Manning did end up injuring himself, they would not have anybody to fall back on.

I do want to add the level of professionalism Peyton has had throughout this difficult time in his career and the unprofessionalism Jim Irsay has had. The press conference was beyond despicable on Irsay's part, not showing appreciation to the one guy that has made your franchise what it is for so long. Peyton made two honest attempts to hug Irsay and Irsay blew him off holding water bottles and just giving him a pat on the back. Irsay not preparing a speech is also a sign that he doesn't really care about Peyton. There is simply no excuse for it. Manning prepared a speech and was visibly upset at the conference, showing his dedication to the team that he has held in high regard for 14 seasons.

Peyton's future as a NFL Quarterback isn't over. As risky as the procedures were, as "old" as he is, if we took out the neck issues there would be no reason for this blog and the only discussion ESPN would have is how smart it was for the Colts to give Manning his $28 million bonus on March 5th. He is an elite athlete for a reason. It will take time for everything to be back to normal, the same goes to any injury and any person. Before the neck, Peyton Manning was a superstar whose consistency led the Colts to post-seasons, Superbowl appearances and winning seasons. The same will be true once he is 100% healthy. His career life will not be as long but at least he will have a chance to boost a team that is on the brink of success to the next level.

I must say I do feel bad that Peyton isn't going to end his career as a Colt. He is that iconic player fans associate one team to. It will be weird to see him in a different jersey (if he gets a job), but as many neck procedures he's had at his age, Manning's career isn't over and he needs to go back out there and prove it. I doubt he will pull a Brett Favre horror movie and just keep coming back, when Peyton Manning is done, he'll know it and will be professional when he exits. 

Is the NFC North the best division in the NFL?

If it hasn't been realized yet, I am a huge Chicago Bears fan, I am also a huge fan of our division especially now that for the most part we are an extremely talented division. So I started thinking, is there another division in the NFL that is as talented as ours?

Everybody talks about the AFC North with the Steelers, Ravens and Bengals but how good is that division really? Sure the Steelers have been to the Superbowl recently and the Ravens are always a threat up until the post-season however, the Bengals are not consistently good and crawled into the Wildcard game then got blown right out of it. Pittsburgh is getting old and Big Ben did not have a stellar end to this season, Baltimore looked great this post-season but once they lose the likes of Ray Lewis, Ed Reid and Terrell Suggs, what do they have left to maintain their strength at defense not to mention all of the criticism Joe Flacco gets when it comes to being a QB in this league. So while I agree that this division is a scary one and has dominated this league before, its going over the hill instead of just reaching the top.

The NFC North is one of those divisions that has spent years climbing to the top of this hill and now that they are close to reaching the top, they are the division to be reckoned with for years to come. Let's start with the teams in the North.

Green Bay Packers: There isn't better evidence than a Superbowl ring. The Packers have the MVP of the league, young talent and an amazing coaching staff. It's no wonder that they are as good as they are right now. The defense could use some work but it didn't stop them going 15-1 on the season (granted the loss to the Giants in the post-season was pretty ugly) or Aaron Rodgers putting up some gaudy numbers offensively so once the defense gets tweaked around, they are going to be a tough team to beat.

Chicago Bears: This team last year would have made it to the post-season if it wasn't for some serious key injuries to Jay Cutler and Matt Forte late in the year. But now that it is all said and done the Bears have done some serious homework and have put 95% of the pieces in place for this team to make it to the Championship game. Firing Jerry Angelo and hiring Phil Emery was a smart move by the front office because Emery was responsible for drafting some big names in the league like Matt Ryan, Roddy White and Brian Urlacher to name a few. The recent acquisition of Jeremy Bates, Cutler's old QB coach from his Denver years was another genius move by the Bears and a sign that this team is serious about their desire to put a ring on it. The Bates/Cutler tandem was responsible for a Denver team that was second in the league in total yards in 2008 so by getting these two back together and mixing in some Matt Forte and Earl Bennett (hopefully they will draft a good WR this year to add to the pot) will make Chi-town's offense high octane.
Chicago's defense is also doing extremely well. Now while the key players on the defense are slightly on the older side, I don't see any signs of them slowing down. Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, Julius Peppers, Israel Idonije and Charles Tillman are not going anywhere any time soon, they look hungry to prove that they want to win and the young corners and safeties that the Bears have looked nothing short of spectacular last year once they worked out the kinks. If this team stays healthy, it's going to be a rough 60 minutes for whoever they play against.

Detroit Lions: This team has learned how to work on all cylinders and they are frightening when they put it all together. Matt Stafford proved this year that he can stay healthy, Calvin Johnson has earned the right to be called Megatron and this defense is intimidating. They do have some little things to work on such as their temper namely Ndamukong Suh's and the Lions also need to find a running back that can take a hit and not get hurt.
Detroit also has something that the two teams mentioned above don't and that is a renewed sense of pride. This team went from being 0-16 on the season to making a post-season appearance and it has revitalized the Lions fans, making Ford Field a deafening arena to play in. Fans are confident that this is the team that they have been waiting for and many experts agree. The amount of support that the fans have put into this team is helping the team itself play better because they want to be the team that Detroit is proud of. The love of football is back in this city and it's adding fuel to the fire.

Minnesota Vikings: Every division has a weak link and for the NFC North, the Vikings is that team but they are not as weak as many people think. Minnesota needs to let the young players get their feet wet and they are scared to do it for some reason. Starting Donovan McNabb was a horrible call and made it really hard for Christian Ponder to learn how to play the game. We all know Jared Allen is a phenomenal defensive player and he is the key to getting a strong team started. He is a motivator. Unfortunately for them, there is a depressing possibility that their superstar running back Adrian Peterson is done for not just the year but for his career. If he gets healthy, then they're fine but if not, Minnesota is going to have to open their wallets to find a veteran that can put up some numbers and teach the young ones how to be great at their position. The receiving corps is pretty good, and the coaching staff is green but definitely learned a lot this season. Minnesota lost some close games last year, went to the NFC Championship game 3 years ago and have potential to grow into something special if they allow the younger players to grow on the field.

There are good teams in every division in the NFL but this is the first time that somebody can talk about the majority of one division as legitimate post-season contenders. The teams in the NFC North are young, strong, smart and prepared. I wouldn't be surprised if the Lombardi trophy came to these cities frequently in the years to come.

Who else thinks it's 50-50 blame for Brady and Welker?

Let's face it, most of us spent our Monday after the Superbowl talking about Tom Brady, Wes Welker, Eli Manning, Mario Manningham, legacies, Hall of Fame worthiness, revenge and how much this game affected both teams coming into it but nobody thought Wes Welker should catch more heat than he's getting after missing his opportunity to seal in the game. We all thought he should be blamed but not as much as Brady should. Well I'm taking the opportunity to explain why Wes Welker and Tom Brady are EQUALLY responsible for the Patriots loss in the Superbowl.

First of all, the regular season "dynamic duo" regularly made this type of pass and catch before the Superbowl. It was all the rage to watch these two teammates tear the field apart. They were the bread to each others butter. However for some reason, Brady was criticized more for the throw in the Championship game than Welker was for having the ball in both his hands and then spitting it out. In fact, some even defended Welker's attempt at a back shoulder catch by explaining how difficult it is to spin in the air. Welker was wide open and he knew it, he had that ball in his hands and couldn't capitalize on it for whatever reason. Yes, Brady knew Welker was wide open too and that's why he should be blamed for not throwing it as well as he could have but he trusted Welker to make that catch similar to the times he had done before and Welker should get blamed for not making the grab.

Secondly, there have many of spectacular acrobatic catches this season. There have been one handed juggles, forward flips and finger tip grabs all of which were completed, raved about and then never heard of again with the exception of Jerome Simpson's end-zone flip which was ESPN's best of the best play for quite some time. This catch was none of those. Mario Manningham's catch was far more superior in execution and reception. Had Welker made that catch, it would have been the catch of the game even though it is expected for him to make such grabs on a regular basis. In fact, if it was any other game, it would have been a routine throw and catch between Brady and Welker. People talk about how reliable those two are and how dependable Welker is for Brady, what makes this catch any different? This is why he should be more responsible for the loss than he is.

Yea losing a Superbowl is rough enough and knowing that for the next week it is all people are going to talk about isn't making the wound any better . So why does it matter who gets blamed more? A loss is a loss in the Pats book. Forget that they said this game isn't being affected by the memories of SB 42 (which I argue is totally false) because whether or not they thought about the revenge factor, the Pats lost a game they could have easily sealed in with a catch that Tom Brady and Wes Welker made frequently before. Now while Tom Brady is the captain of the team, Welker is the most dependable player for Brady to throw to especially since the injured Rob Gronkowski was more productive on the bench than on the field. If Welker wants to be considered an elite receiver in this league he has to be able to step up and take some of the heat off Brady since it was his fault too that the Giants came back to beat the Patriots once again.