Life Gone Crazy....

Sorry I've been away for a while.  My life has gotten a little crazy over the past 2+ weeks.  Somehow my desktop computer at home AND my work laptop both crashed.  My laptop motherboard fried so I had to get a new one.  Geek Squad is still trying to figure out what went wrong with my desktop, though they fear the Hard Drive or Motherboard is shot so that's just wonderful too.  As far as everything else goes, work has gotten crazy busy, thanks in part to a calculation error on some reports.  Been correcting and reissuing for about a week now with still plenty to do.  Gotta love it.  I also just found out I'll be heading back to Guam and Saipan in a couple weeks for some work.  Can't say I'm looking forward to the 23 hour flight (each way....groan), but the 87 degree sunny weather will be a welcome change from the frigid start to 2010.  Anyway just wanted to pop in with an update.  Hope to have some more for you soon.  Maybe I'll chime in on my thoughts on Tiger or the Olympics.  I've been trying to the former settle in my mind a little and the latter to play out a little further.  Plus the NFL Combine and Spring Training is firing up.  Looks like there will be plenty to talk about in the coming weeks.

My latest addiction....

I hate to pass up a good deal, when the opportunity to take advantage is there.

I know that's a little vague, but that's what blogs are about, right?

For those of you who don't know, I travel around the country (and sometimes beyond) studying soils and rock to help in the design of cell tower foundations.  This may seem irrelevant, but it's one of the main reasons I developed this addiction.  You see, with my job I have to travel to many remote locations, whether it be the deserts of Arizona, the snow covered plains of Wyoming, or the mountainous backwoods of West Virginia.  All of these locations have drawn me into different climates and locales that can cause a need for a specific type of gear, whether it be trail shoes, waterproof jackets, or maybe a backpack to help carry everything.  This draws me back to the point.  I've become addicted to "gear deals" and I've found some of the best sites to find them at.  With that in mind I felt the need to share with any of my fellow outdoorsmen or women who find yourself in dire need of a great deal on trail running shoes, downhill skis, mountain bikes, climbing rope, tents, pants, jackets, etc, etc, etc.

Enjoy!

http://www.steepandcheap.com/
http://www.tramdock.com/
http://www.bonktown.com/
http://www.whiskymilitia.com/
http://www.backcountryoutlet.com/
http://www.departmentofgoods.com/

Who's The Greatest Quarterback of All Time? - Part 3

Having reviewed stats, awards, and other significant markers along the careers of these quarterbacks I've finally decided on my Top 3 of All Time.  Here we go...

#3 - Johnny Unitas
His career stats are astounding for the time he played and are still impressive compared to QBs today.  He was clearly the best of his era as seen by his Pro Bowls and Titles.  The only reason I don't have him higher is because of how the QB position has evolved and how much more complicated defenses have become.

#2 - Joe Montana
This was where it really got tough for me.  I was hard pressed to put Montana second to anyone.  I'm not sure there is anyone in history who "knew how to win" better than Joe.  He played in an era of fantastic quarterbacks.  His 8 Pro Bowls and 4 Titles while playing against the likes of Elway, Marino, Kelly, and Moon shows how outstanding he truly was.  Montana could easily be #1 in this argument.  The only thing that held me back was the simple fact that he couldn't stay healthy.  Who knows what might have been if he could have avoided some of the injuries that nagged him over the latter part of his career.

#1 - Peyton Manning
What can I say, the guy is a machine.  I admit coming off the Super Bowl loss it's hard to say he's the best, but the fact is to win the Super Bowl one guy can't do it all himself.  It doesn't take a great QB to win a Super Bowl it takes a great team, which is what the Saints were on Sunday.  As far as Manning's legacy is concerned, he still has plenty of years left to get back and win another Super Bowl if you want to judge this argument on titles.  The fact is the guy is the most dominant, hard working, and all-around best player the position has ever seen.  No team wants to give him the ball with time left on the clock, because he has shown an innate ability to surgically dissect a defense without breaking a sweat.  Some will question his 9-9 postseason record and say he can't win the big game, but I point to his stats, his 131-61 regular season record, and the fact that his passer rating for a season hasn't dropped below 95.0 over the past 7 seasons and I ask you.....what more can the man do?

Who's The Greatest Quarterback of All Time? - Part 2

In Part 2 of this three part series I will discuss the "candidates" and provide additional qualifiers and dis-qualifiers for each one.  Based on the qualifying statistics and awards from Part 1 and the dis-qualifiers in Part 2, I will then compile my Top 3 list in Part 3.

What should qualify and disqualify each candidate from consideration?

90's-current

• Peyton Manning (1998-2010)
• 10 of 12 years with 4000+ yds
• Numerous single-season records
• On pace to set all significant career passing records
• Heady quarterback, but with limited physical abilities
  
• Brett Favre (1991-2010)
• 309 consecutive starts (including playoffs) which is 100 more than Peyton Manning (2nd all-time)
• Numerous career passing records 
• Most Pro Bowl appearances in a career
• 317 Ints
• Threw an Int on the last pass he threw with Packers, Jets, and Vikings.  With Packers and Vikings Ints leading to a loss in the NFC Championship both times.
• Kurt Warner (1998-2010)
• 12 seasons - played all 16 games 3 seasons
• 5 great seasons - 5 average seasons - 2 seasons of 2 games or less
• Tom Brady (2000-2010)
• 14-3 career playoff record
• 8 full seasons played - 7 average to above average seasons - 1 record breaking season
• Very good TD/Int ratio
• Some consider him a system QB (see Matt Cassel's success)
• Troy Aikman (1989-2000)
• Poor TD/Int ratio for his career 
• 12 seasons - played all 16 games 3 seasons
• 7 seasons with less than 3000 yds and 7 seasons with less than 15 TDs

80's-90's

• Joe Montana (1979-1994)
• Played his best in the biggest games
• 31 career 4th qtr comebacks
• Propensity for injury
• Steve Young (1985-1999)
• Career QB rating of 96.8 is best all-time
• 8-6 career postseason record
• 6 NFL passing crowns
• Small sample size with only 7.5 seasons as full time starter
• Elite running QB - averaged 5.9 yds/car for career
• Dan Marino (1983-1999)
• Couldn't win the big game
• 1 of 2 QBs to throw for 5000+yds in a season
• When he retired he held the majority of all the significant career passing records
• John Elway (1983-1998)
• Couldn't win the big game until he had the help of an elite running game
• Average Completion % 
• All Time leader in 4th quarter game winning or tying drives with 47
• 12 seasons of 3000+yds
• Warren Moon (1984-2000)
• Couldn't win the big game in the NFL
• Completion % and TD/Int ratio dropped from CFL to NFL 
• Combining his NFL and CFL stats, Moon's numbers are nearly unmatched in professional football history
• Jim Kelly (1986-1996)
• Couldn't win the big game
• Very bad numbers in Super Bowls
• Ran a no-huddle offense that was so successful that the NFL changed the rules to allow defenses time to change formations in a no-huddle situation.

70's-80's

• Roger Staubach (1969-1979)
• Average completion %
• Highest QB rating of all-time at time of retirement
• Reputation for making the big play
• "Creator" of the "Hail Mary" pass
• Small sample size with only 8 seasons as full-time starter
• Terry Bradshaw (1970-1983)
• Won 4 Super Bowls in 6 seasons
• TD to Int ratio nearly 1:1
• Strong, but erratic arm
• Played his best in the playoffs and in big games
• Ken Stabler (1970-1984)
• More Ints than TDs for his career
• Threw for more Ints than TDs in 5 seasons as full-time starter
• Uncanny ability to make the big play or lead the come from behind drive
• At the time was the quickest player to win 100 games, since surpassed by only Montana and Brady

60's-70's

• Fran Tarkenton (1961-1978)
• Good playoff QB, but couldn't win the big game
• Career passing yards leader at time of retirement (currently 6th)
• Elite running QB - averaged 5.4 yds/car for career
• Joe Namath (1965-1977)
• Threw nearly 50 more Ints than TDs for his career
• Threw more TDs than Ints in a season only twice in his career
• Average to Below Average Completion %
• Only QB to throw for 4000 yds in a 14 game season
• Credited with helping to evolve the NFL from a run oriented league to the open passing style league seen today

50's-60's

• Len Dawson (1957-1975)
• Career passer rating of 82.6 was the best all-time at time of retirement
•  7 above average to great seasons during 19 year career
• Excelled in the AFL, but struggled in the NFL
• Lead Chiefs to a surprise victory in Super Bowl IV
• Johnny Unitas (1956-1973)
• Held the record for most Pro Bowl appearances at time of retirement (since tied by Peyton Manning and passed by Brett Favre)
• At time of retirement his 118 wins was the standard and still remains 6th all-time
• Holds the NFL record for consecutive games with a TD pass at 47 games
• Career passing yards leader at time of retirment (currently 11th)
• Thrived under pressure, exceptional leader
• Bart Starr (1956-1971)
• Won 5 NFL Championships in 7 seasons
• Career record of 9-1 in playoffs, 2-0 in Super Bowl
• Career Completion % leader at time of retirement
• Did not play in a pass first offense, so statistical comparisons can be difficult
• May have been a "system quarterback" as his success came almost exclusively under Lombardi

40's-50's

• Otto Graham (1946-1955)
• Career record as starter an astounding 105-17-4
• Played 10 seasons of Pro Football and led his team to 10 Championship games, winning 7 of them
• Played QB out of the T-formation, which is obsolete in today's NFL making comparisons difficult
• Y.A. Tittle (1948-1964)
• Couldn't win the big game, losing 3 consecutive Championships
• The first and one of only 8 QBs to have consecutive 30+ TD passing seasons
• Threw more Ints than TDs in his career
• In 15 year career had only 4 great seasons

Pre-Modern Era

• Sammy Baugh (1937-1952)
• Turned the forward pass from something to be used with caution, into a primary offensive weapon
• One of the key influences to the offensive revolution
• Played Offense, Defense, and Special Teams throughout his career
• At the time of his retirement held the record for most career NFL passing titles, with 6
• More of a "Football Player" than a "Quarterback"
• Threw more Ints than TDs in his career

That is the conclusion of Part 2.  Based on the stats, awards, "qualifiers", and "dis-qualifiers" I will unveil my list of my Top 3 QBs of All-Time in my third and final installment.  I will post the third installment after the Super Bowl to see if Peyton Manning's performance can influence my opinion one way or another.

Who's the Greatest Quarterback of All Time? - Part 1

With the upcoming Super Bowl nearly here, one of the hot topics this week has involved the two QBs playing.  Many have started to wonder if a Super Bowl victory for Peyton Manning could catapult him into the #1 spot on the "All-Time Greatest Quarterback" list.  Obviously the list is fictional and opinionated based on many different influences, but I've decided to give it a shot and come up with my list.  This will be a tough one for me to tackle considering I'm only 28, so I've obviously missed out on the careers of many of these players, but I've been an avid football fan my entire life and with help, from everything from my dad to the NFL Network, I've managed to catch a glimpse into the players of yester-year.  Now without further ado lets start with the question:

Who deserves to be in consideration?

90's-current

• Peyton Manning (1998-2010)
• Career: 50,128 yds, 64.8%, 366 TDs, 181 Ints
• 10 Pro Bowls, 5 All-Pro Selections, 4 MVPs, 1 Super Bowl MVP, 3 AFC Championship appearances, 2 Super Bowl appearances, 1 Super Bowl Championship
• Brett Favre (1991-2010)
• Career: 69,329 yds, 62.0%, 497 TDs, 317 Ints
• 11 Pro Bowls, 3 All-Pro Selections, 3 MVPs, 5 NFC Championship appearances, 2 Super Bowl appearances, 1 Super Bowl Championship
• Kurt Warner (1998-2010)
• Career: 32,344 yds, 65.5%, 208 TDs, 128 Ints
• 5 Pro Bowls, 3 All-Pro Selections, 3 MVPs, 3 NFC Championship appearances, 3 Super Bowl appearances, 1 Super Bowl Championship
• Tom Brady (2000-2010)
• Career: 30,844 yds, 63.3%, 225 TDs, 99 Ints
• 5 Pro Bowls, 1 All-Pro Selections, 2 MVPs, 2 Super Bowl MVPs, 5 AFC Championship appearances, 4 Super Bowl appearances, 3 Super Bowl Championship
• Troy Aikman (1989-2000)
• Career: 32,942 yds, 61.5%, 165 TDs, 141 Ints
• 6 Pro Bowls, 1 All-Pro Selections, 1 Super Bowl MVP, 4 NFC Championship appearances, 3 Super Bowl appearances, 3 Super Bowl Championships

80's-90's

• Joe Montana (1979-1994)
• Career: 40,551 yds, 63.2%, 273 TDs, 139 Ints
• 8 Pro Bowls, 3 All-Pro Selections, 2 MVPs, 3 Super Bowl MVP, 6 NFC Championship appearances, 4 Super Bowl appearances, 4 Super Bowl Championships
• Steve Young (1985-1999)
• Career: 33,124 yds, 64.3%, 232 TDs, 107 Ints
• 7 Pro Bowls, 3 All-Pro Selections, 2 MVPs, 1 Super Bowl MVP, 4 NFC Championship appearances, 1 Super Bowl appearance, 1 Super Bowl Championship
• Dan Marino (1983-1999)
• Career: 61,361 yds, 59.4%, 420 TDs, 252 Ints
• 9 Pro Bowls, 3 All-Pro Selections, 1 MVP, 3 AFC Championship appearances, 1 Super Bowl appearance
• John Elway (1983-1998)
• Career: 51,475 yds, 56.9%, 300 TDs, 226 Ints
• 9 Pro Bowls, 1 All-Pro Selection, 1 MVP, 1 Super Bowl MVP, 6 AFC Championship appearances, 5 Super Bowl appearances, 2 Super Bowl Championships
• Warren Moon (1984-2000)
• Career: 49,325 yds, 58.4%, 291 TDs, 233 Ints
• 9 Pro Bowls, 3 All-Pro Selections
• 6 years in CFL: 21,228 yds, 57.5%, 144 TDs, 77Ints
• 5 Grey Cup Championships, 2 Grey Cup MVPs
• Jim Kelly (1986-1996)
• Career: 35,467 yds, 60.1%, 237 TDs, 175 Ints
• 4 Pro Bowls, 1 All-Pro Selection, 4 MVPs, 5 AFC Championship appearances, 4 Super Bowl appearances

70's-80's

• Roger Staubach (1969-1979)
• Career: 22,700 yds, 57.0%, 153 TDs, 109 Ints
• 6 Pro Bowls, 5 All-Pro Selections, 4 MVPs, 1 Super Bowl MVP, 3 AFC Championship appearances, 2 Super Bowl appearances, 2 Super Bowl Championships
• Terry Bradshaw (1970-1983)
• Career: 27,989 yds, 51.9%, 212 TDs, 210 Ints
• 3 Pro Bowls, 1 All-Pro Selection, 1 MVP, 2 Super Bowl MVP, 6 AFC Championship appearances, 4 Super Bowl appearances, 4 Super Bowl Championships
• Ken Stabler (1970-1984)
• Career: 27,938 yds, 59.8%, 194 TDs, 222 Ints
• 4 Pro Bowls, 2 All-Pro Selections, 1 MVP, 5 AFC Championship appearances, 1 Super Bowl appearance, 1 Super Bowl Championship

60's-70's

• Fran Tarkenton (1961-1978)
• Career: 47,003 yds, 57.0%, 342 TDs, 266 Ints
• 9 Pro Bowls, 2 All-Pro Selections, 1 MVP, 4 NFC Championship appearances, 3 Super Bowl appearances
• Joe Namath (1965-1977)
• Career: 27,663 yds, 50.1%, 173 TDs, 220 Ints
• 4 AFL All-Star Selections, 1 Pro Bowl, 3 All-AFL Selections, 1 All-Pro Selection, 2 AFL MVPs, 1 AFL Championship appearance, 1 AFL Championship, 1 Super Bowl appearance, 1 Super Bowl Championship

50's-60's

• Len Dawson (1957-1975)
• Career: 28,711 yds, 57.1%, 239 TDs, 183 Ints
• 6 AFL All-Star Selections, 1 Pro Bowl, 4 All-AFL Selections, 1 All-Pro Selection, 2 AFL MVPs, 1 Super Bowl MVP, 3 AFL Championship appearance, 3 AFL Championships, 1 Super Bowl appearance, 1 Super Bowl Championship
• Johnny Unitas (1956-1973)
• Career: 40,239 yds, 54.6%, 290 TDs, 253 Ints
• 10 Pro Bowl, 6 All-Pro Selection, 3 MVPs, 3 NFL Championship appearances, 3 NFL World Championships, 1 Super Bowl appearance, 1 Super Bowl Championship
• Bart Starr (1956-1971)
• Career: 24,718 yds, 57.4%, 152 TDs, 138 Ints
• 4 Pro Bowl, 2 All-Pro Selection, 1 MVP, 2 Super Bowl MVPs, 5 NFL Championship appearances, 5 NFL World Championships, 2 Super Bowl appearances, 2 Super Bowl Championships

40's-50's

• Otto Graham (1946-1955)
• Career: 23,584 yds, 55.8%, 174 TDs, 135 Ints
• 5 Pro Bowls, 9 All-Pro Selections, 3 MVPs, 4 AAFC Championship appearances, 4 AAFC Championships, 6 NFL Championship appearances, 3 NFL World Championships
• Y.A. Tittle (1948-1964)
• Career: 33,070 yds, 55.5%, 242 TDs, 248 Ints
• 7 Pro Bowls, 4 All-Pro Selections, 2 MVPs, 3 NFL Championship appearances

Pre-Modern Era

• Sammy Baugh (1937-1952)
• Career: 21,886 yds, 56.5%, 187 TDs, 203 Ints
• 5 All-Star Selections, 1 Pro Bowl, 7 All-Pro Selections, 2 NFL Player of the Year Awards, 4 NFL Championship appearances, 2 NFL Championships

This has been Part 1 of a three part discussion.  Part 2 will discuss the relevance of these acheivements in relation to the era these players played in as well as in relation to each other.  Part 2 will stand as the discussion for the elimination of the majority of the players listed, with Part 3 being an unveiling of my Top 3 Quarterbacks of All-Time as well as my reasons for those selections.

What to do about the Pro Bowl....

It seems that with the NFL moving the Pro Bowl, from Hawaii to Miami and from after the Super Bowl to the off week between the Championship games and the Super Bowl, the sports media world has been a buzz with talk about all the problems with the Pro Bowl with regards to the fans and players.  So I've decided to take an in depth look at the current Pro Bowl situation and provide a potential alternative solution.  Here we go:

Moving the Pro Bowl from Hawaii to Miami

The Pros:

• The game is held at the site of the Super Bowl during the off week, which will hopefully increase viewership and interest
• Potentially increase the profit for the NFL
• Provides a game that can fill the void created by the off week for fans who want to watch

The Cons:

• Players are less excited about the location, Miami is a less family oriented vacation spot
• Players on the Super Bowl teams can't play
• Players on the Super Bowl teams are required to show up for the Pro Bowl during a time when they likely would prefer to focus on the coming Super Bowl
• Players on Playoff teams have less time to rest prior to the game and therefore will likely dropout
• Dropouts this year are higher (or seem to be) than in prior years and therefor the Pro Bowl has significantly less meaning
• Potential for field damage on the Super Bowl field

In my opinion the Cons outweigh the Pros.  I'm sure there are some on both sides that I've missed, but as a fan these are the ones that stand out to me the most.

A possible solution

My idea is that the NFL should hold the Pro Bowl at an International Destination, whether it be the same location each year or a rotation of a few locations.  The NFL is clearly trying to increase their influence globally with the games being held in London.  I agree and disagree with this idea.  I agree that increasing the brand globally is a brilliant financial move, but I don't like the idea of a regular season game outside of North America (Mexico and Canada are fine because the time zones are the same).

Holding a regular season game in London takes a home game away from a team and throws off the weekly schedule of the teams involved for the week of the game and the following week.  Also jet lag may be somewhat overstated, but if the NFL plays an east coast team against a west coast team in London there is a distinct advantage for the east coast team.  You already hear people talk about the difficulty of traveling across country for a game, adding the Atlantic to the equation can only be more difficult.  I obviously don't have access to players to ask, but I can't imagine players enjoy the London games all that much.  Perhaps it is exciting on some level to play in a different venue with different fans, but the rest of the scenario has to wear on you.

A solution for the Pro Bowl game and the International branding could be obtained all in one decision.  Possible locations could be England (Wembley), Mexico (Estadio Azteca), Ireland (Croke Park), Australia (Melbourne Cricket Grounds), Spain (Camp Nou), France (Stade de France), or Italy (Stadio Olimpico).

Going International with the Pro Bowl

The Pros:

• An international destination provides a place that players can use as a family vacation, similar to Hawaii and not Miami
• Your Pro Bowl players from all 32 teams could play
• Players bodies have a few weeks to rest prior to the game
• If you are living in London or another international destination hoping to catch a game, would you rather watch the best of the best play each other or the Patriots beat the Bucs 35-7?
• Variety for players, fans, and the families involved
• Increased revenue as the NFL will likely sell out the game at any of these locations 
• Wembley (90,000 seats) 
• Estadio Azteca (105,000) 
• Croke Park (82,300)
• Melbourne Cricket Grounds (100,000)
• Camp Nou (98,700)
• Stade de France (81,300)
• Stadio Olimpico (72,700)
• Miami (45,500) or Hawaii (50,000)

The Cons:

• American viewership may go down, but few watch the game as it is, so why not take the increased international exposure
• Some locations may not have the exotic draw that Hawaii or Miami has
• Avg temp in February could be a concern in some locations
• England 45F 
• Mexico 73F 
• Ireland 46F 
• Australia 79F 
• Spain 57F
• France 45F
• Italy 56F
• Miami 69F or Hawaii 81F

Now in this alternative the Pros may not completely out weigh the Cons, but I think in the interest of the NFL, the players, and the fans who actually watch the Pro Bowl you could certainly make a case that they do.  I have no idea what logistics would be involved in setting up something like this, but since a few games in London have already been arranged this seems like a feasible solution.

Why I Could Have Gone Pro....

....In reality it was pretty unlikely, not many professional sports are ideal for 5'9" 160 lb white guys born in the early 80s, but that may have been a different story growing up in today's society.  The sporting world today is remarkably different than it was 25-30 years ago and even more so for the generation before that.  Growing up I had little league baseball, pee wee football, travel basketball, travel soccer, etc., etc. and it was great, but kids today grow up in a different world.  Kids today grow up with the opportunity to be involved with AAU travel basketball and the NFL involved with youth football.  Some may say those types of opportunities have been around for a while and they would be correct, but not on the scale they are available today, not even close.

Another thing you see today as early as middle school is weight training, conditioning, specialized dieting, the list goes on and on.  I hate to sound old, because I don't think I am, but growing up my weight training consisted of some dumbbells, my conditioning came from running around the neighborhood, and specialized dieting consisted of pasta the night before a game and oranges the day of.  Today weight training regiments can be found on hundreds of websites and magazines (see Men's Health) specialized down to the very sport you want to focus on.  Conditioning involves specialized shoes, compression clothing (see Nike and Under Armour), and speed coaches. As for specialized diets, forget it, you have hundreds of websites and hundreds of supplements (legal or not)(see GNC) that make kids today super-sized and almost super-human.

Maybe my opinion on the topic is skewed somewhat because I grew up in a small town in upstate NY, whereas now I live in the capital city of NC, surrounded by 3 major Universities and a slew of smaller ones.  I just don't know.  What I do know is that maybe if I had been born in this generation.....who knows.....maybe I Could Have Gone Pro.