J2: Jam Jam on His Way Back?

                The year is 2007 and the Oakland Raiders have the first overall draft pick in the first round and they draft “The Big One”, Jamarcus Russell, who was thought to have a great upside and possibly be a great quarterback, but to their dismay, Russell got paid his 52 million dollars in guaranteed money and just stopped trying.  In an NFL draft that had, Adrian Peterson, Joe Thomas, Patrick Willis, Calvin Johnson, and Marshawn Lynch, the Raiders drafted Jamarcus Russell, arguably the biggest draft bust in NFL history.  Six years later the year of the Rookie Quarterback has come with three rookies leading their respective teams to the playoffs, Peyton Manning has a new team, Eli has won two Super Bowls, Brett Favre has finally retired, the 49ers and the Ravens are in the Super Bowl, and the Raiders are still the Raiders. In a year filled with so many story lines, one is starting to catch headway; Jamarcus Russell is trying to make an NFL comeback after being out of the NFL for 4 years, after Al Davis cut him. My question is, Why Now? You had 4 years to make a comeback and you finally get the itch to play again. Do you need some cash, because the last time I heard anything about you was that you were broke. Does he still deserve a chance to play again? I would probably say yes. In a sports league were comebacks are regular and because I personally believe that everyone deserves a second chance. Resently a report surfaced that Jamarcus Russell started his comback by dropping from 320 to 308 pounds. Well I guess that's a start. A trainer can work with Jamarcus Russell on getting in shape again and improving his mechanics, but the one thing that he can't improve or change is his "want" or his desire to play because Jamarcus has to change that on his.
              
            "My first year out, I couldn't watch football but after a while, I couldn't keep the TV off. I got that itchy feeling but now I gotta watch it, gotta watch,” Russell told Yahoo! Sports.

                   Jamarcus Russel in 2010 was attempting a comeback, when the Dolphins reportedly were inviting him for a "tryout" after they lost Chad Pennington and Chad Henne on the same day, (talk about bad luck), but nothing really materialized, just like Jamarcus' career. If Jamarcus is serious about this comeback it looks like he is getting involved with the right people, he reportedly reached out to Jeff Garcia and Marshall Faulk. I would like to see Jamarcus Russell make the comeback because I am all about giving people a second chance and I think it'd be a great story; to think that maybe his career could rise from the ashes.

J1: What Defines The Clutch Quarterback?

Throughout NFL history, the most important position has evolved over time. For most of NFL history the most important position on the field was the running back because of the belief that you had to establish the run. That started to change in the 80’s when Joe Montana and the 49er’s emerged as an NFL superpower. Today the most important position on the field is the quarterback. Brad Johnson may have been the last NFL quarterback to take a back seat to the rest of the team. Today you cannot win without a quarterback. This is many reasons why teams like the Browns, Cardinals* (*excepting them from the years Kurt Warner was there), Chiefs, Jaguars, and Bills have all been real bottom feeders in the NFL for the past ten years. On the contrary teams like the Colts, Patriots Steelers, Ravens, Falcons, Packers, Texans, and Giants have all excelled due to upper echelon quarterbacks. The term clutch in the NFL refers to a player usually a quarterback who has excelled in crunch time. Throughout history QBS like Joe Montana, John Elway, Johnny Unitas, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Bart Starr, Dan Marino, Terry Bradshaw, Roger Staubach, and Troy Aikman have all defined themselves as being clutch in some way. To many those QBS are the greatest of all time, well that’s the point, the greatest QBs of all time are usually clutch. Joe “Cool” (Montana), never lost a Super Bowl and never through an INT in one either. Johnny Unitas invented the “two minute drill” in the “Greatest Game Ever Played”. John Elway for the longest time held the most 4^th quarter comebacks in NFL history, and had his signature game “The Drive”, where he led his team 98 yards for the tying score. Terry Bradshaw won four Super Bowls. Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach won a combined 5 Super Bowls, and their teams were never out of it. Tom Brady and Peyton Manning have been widely regarded as the two most clutch QBs in the game today. Tom Brady always keeps his team in the game and Peyton Manning can read a defense faster than he can a sentence.. One example of this is the Dallas Cowboys and Tony Romo, and how they have yet to really make a deep playoff run because of Romo. Recently one player has really stood out and it has been Joe Flacco. Flacco has helped take his team all the way to the Super Bowl and has beaten the likes of Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. I believe that quarterbacks must be at a certain level of  being clutch because how can you depend on the most important position in football if they haven’t ever been really clutch before.

January 8, 2000- 16 seconds are left and the Bills kick only needing to recover the kick to preserve an upset. What happened next will live in NFL history, Lorenzo Neal laterals the ball to tight end Frank Wycheck and the Titans would end up scoring on one of the most miraculous and controversial plays in NFL history.

Now let’s fast forward 13 years. The Bills have not played the playoffs since that day and have gone through 5 head coaches since that day, Gregg Williams, Mike Mularkey, Dick Jauron, Perry Fewell (interim), and Chan Gailey. To get back to the playoffs the Bills hired Syracuse Alum and Head Coach, Doug Marrone. Doug was the head coach for 4 years; racking up two Pinstripe Bowl victories. He helped fix a program that was in shambles and helped it return to respectability. Marone spent 7 years in the NFL, 4 as the offensive line coach for the New York Jets and 3 as the Offensive Coordinator for the New Orleans Saints. Marrone is from the Bronx and he knows the area pretty well. Marrone has already made an impact with the Buffalo Bills, hiring his Offensive Coordinator, Nathanial Hackett, who worked with him at Syracuse as their OC and Mike Pettine the Defensive Coordinator for the New York Jets.

            I have been listening to news recently, and also have been watching NFL Network and ESPN, and nothing, but good things have come up about Doug Marrone, from Jon Gruden to Brian Billick. Many fans have showed their support in this decision as well. Recently I caught up with some people in Alden,

            Leyton Miner- “I would have preferred if they would have chosen someone from the NFL, but anyone who can help is okay.”
            Alex Darrow- “I was skeptical at first, but now I am just waiting to see what he does, whether or not he will draft Nassib.”

Phil Zobrest- “I don’t know, I really don’t really pay attention to Syracuse football.”

Austin Zelasko- “I was skeptical of it at first, he didn’t have a winning record at Syracuse, and I think the Bills went with the cheapest option.”

Brian Stoldt- “I’m a huge fan.”

Raeanne Over- “I don’t know, but I guess it’s good.”

Jordan Meyer- “He’s a good head coach, and was successful with Syracuse.”

Mr. Foss- “I don’t know about it.”

Sam Mietlowski- “I think it’s a great hire. He knows how important this is to us.”

            My opinion, I was skeptical at first, but now I actually think it’s a pretty good hire. Hopefully he drafts Ryan Nassib, because Doug Marrone knows his strengths and weakness well. My anticipation is that he can help bring a certain discipline and toughness to this team that we have been missing for some years.

H3:Top Ten Quaterbacks of All Time (10-6)

10. Roger Staubach- Roger was the head piece to America’s team. He led them to 2 Super Bowl championships. He captivated the nation like no other quarterback could. He led a team to the Super Bowl 4 times in his NFL career. Roger Staubach came out of Army as a Heisman Trophy. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys and he joined the war effort, and didn’t return until he was 29.  When Staubach retired he was the highest rated quarterback. At a time when defense dominated the NFL landscape, Roger could take chuck the rock up and down field like no one else could. Technically when he retired he would have been considered the greatest quarterback of all time.+

9. Dan Marino- Dan Marino was one of the most pure passers of all time. He was not the most agile, but he had the fancy feet to side step in the pocket from defenders. Out of Pittsburgh, Dan Marino was projected to go in the top ten, but he quickly slid down the board. Miami snatched him up and he transformed Miami for the next 16 seasons. In only his second year he had one of the greatest passing seasons of all time; passing for 5081 yards and 48 touchdowns. The record for touchdowns fell in 2003 and it wasn’t until 2011 that his record for 5081 yards was broken by Tom Brady and Drew Brees. Even after all of his accomplishments many view his career as incomplete because he didn’t win a Super Bowl.

8. John Elway- John Elway was viewed as the finest NFL draft prospect in NFL history, until Andrew Luck in 2012. Elway came out of Stanford in ’83 in the same class. During the 1980s John Elway was remembered for the “The Drive”, a 98 yard drive against the Cleveland Browns, but he was remembered also for losing 3 Super Bowls, all in blowouts to NFC super powers; the Redskins, Giants and the 49ers. Some thought that Elway would never win a Super Bowl, but in 1997 and 1998, he defied his critics, and won two Super Bowls. One was against favored Packers, where Elway led a game winning drive that was defined by his helicopter spin to the end zone. The next year he won it again, against the Atlanta Falcons, where he won NFL MVP. Elway was also remembered being a clutch quarterback and having the most NFL comebacks of all time, until that was broke by Peyton Manning.  

7. Bart Starr- No player in NFL history has been more overlooked than Bart Starr. He was selected in the 17^th round by the Green Bay Packers; it turned out to be the right choice. Bart Starr was overlooked merely because he played on a very dominant team and because of their scheme. The Packer of the 60’s weren’t going to spread you out and pass it up and down the field; they were a ground and pound team, only passing out of necessity. The Packers had a legendary team, ranging from; John Taylor to Paul Horning to Ray Nitchske to Forest Gregg, Herb Adderley, Willie Wood, Jim Ringo, and maybe the greatest head coach of all time, Vince Lombardi. While Starr was at quarterback the Packers only lost one Playoff game in his 15 year career. Starr won six divisional, five NFL, and the first two Super Bowl championships. The most famous was the “Ice Bowl” in ’66 the coldest game in NFL history. Starr on the one yard line QB snuck it to win the game. Even after all of the accolades and achievements, Starr still remains synonymous with the terms, underrated and overlooked. For whatever reason we don’t know, but he deserves more recognition.

6. Otto Graham- Not enough can be said about Otto Graham. This man was considered by many as not only one of the greatest NFL players of all time, but also one of the greatest players of all time. In ten years he won ten league titles, a feat to this day that has not been surpassed. Graham was a dual threat, running and passing his way to all league 9 of the 10 years. Many thought that Otto Graham and the Browns would get shown up in the NFL when they joined, but both Graham and the Browns proved more than equal to the occasion. In the Browns' 30-28 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in the 1950 NFL Championship Game, Graham threw four touchdown passes. His finest title-game performance came four years later when he scored three touchdowns and threw for a trio of scores in a 56-10 beating of Detroit. Graham retired after that game but responded to Paul Brown's request to return in early in 1955. In the final game of his career, the NFL championship against the Los Angeles Rams, he ran for two touchdowns and passed for two more in a 38-14 victory.

            Tune in next time for quarterbacks 5-1 and see who tops my list as “Greatest Quarterback of all time.

H2: Who's In & Who's Out

Top Quarterbacks for Blog:

·         Tom Brady***Yes

·         Peyton Manning***Yes

·         Joe Montana***Yes

·         Steve Young**

·         Terry Bradshaw**

·         Roger Staubach**Yes

·         Otto Graham**Yes

·         Warren Moon*

·         Johnny Unitas***Yes

·         John Elway**Yes

·         Dan Marino**Yes

·         Brett Favre**Yes

·         Kurt Warner*

·         Ken Stabler*

·         Troy Aikman**

·         Fran Tarkenton*

·         Jim Kelly*

·         Joe Namath*

·         Bart Starr**Yes

·         Norm Van Brocklin**

·         Bob Waterfield*

***Automatics                        **Maybe                     *Honorable Mentions

H1:Marcus Allen-The Model Raider

Marcus Allen came out of USC with a lot of publicity. In 1981 he had won the Heisman with one of the greatest college performances of all time.  In his senior season, Allen rushed for 2342 yards and 22 touchdowns. He would eventually be drafted by the Los Angeles Raiders. In his rookies season Marcus Allen won the Rookie of the Year, rushing for 697 yards and 11 touchdowns, while catching 3 touchdown passes. Allan was truly a double threat at the halfback position. At one point Al Davis wanted him switched to a wide receiver because he had such good hands. Allen could also drop back; during his career he threw six touchdowns. In 1982 Allen helped the Raiders win a super both over the favored Washington Redskins. That year Washington seemed unbeatable, they had broke the record for points scored in a season, that season the Redskins were plus 42 in the turn over differential.  Let’s just say that the Raider’s won in spectacular fashion. Allen scored a 74 yard touchdown that put the game out of reach, and the Raiders went on to win 38-9. Allen had one of the greatest Super Bowl rushing performances of all time; rushing for 191 yards and 2 touchdowns. Allen would go on to win the MVP in  1985, as he led the league with 1,759 rushing yards on 380 carries for a 4.6 yards per carry average and 11 touchdowns. He also caught 67 passes for 555 yards and scored an additional three touchdowns. There was still some dissension on the team between owner Al Davis and Marcus Allen. Davis drafted Bo Jackson, one of the finest backs to ever come from college. Allen played fullback for Bo Jackson for four years before Bo Jackson blew out his knee and never played football again. Allen would take back seat to other running backs that would come in, from Roger Craig to Erik Dickerson. At one point Allen was 4^th on the depth chart. There was a period of 4 years when Allen rarely ever saw the field. Al Davis didn’t want Allen to play because Davis said that Allen thought he was bigger than the Raiders. Allen was awarded the “Commitment to Excellence Award”, which is voted on by teammates.  At the end of the 1992 season Allen was released by the Los Angeles Raiders and he signed with the Kansas City Chiefs, the Raider’s biggest rivals. Allen Played six season there before retiring 1997. He still had that greatness because he had not played a lot in the earlier seasons. Marcus Allen finished his NFL career with 121 rushing touchdowns most in NFL history at the time of his retirement. To this day Marcus Allen still doesn’t know why Al Davis began to hate him and Allen will probably never know. Marcus Allen may not have been the fastest person in NFL history, but on the field he looked so smooth and fluid.

G2:Luck for MVP? Why Not

As we approach the last part of the NFL Season, the decision on who wins the NFL MVP still looms at large. There are the usual’s who will be in the running for the award like Peyton Manning who is coming back from his 4^th neck surgery and Tom Brady who seems to get better every week. Adrian Peterson is also in the mix this year for the award because he is having one of his best season ever off a torn ACL and he seems to be super human because he is just picking up where he left off. This year I am throwing someone new into the mix, Andrew Luck. This man has basically turned the Colt’s fortunes this year. They have quadrupled their wins from last year, having already won 8 games before the season is over. If the season ended today the Colts would be in the 5^th seed. Last year without a quarterback of some talent they faltered and struggled only winning two games. The award MVP stands for Most Valuable Player, and Andrew Luck is the most valuable player to his team because he has helped become relevant again. Andrew Luck plays with really no run game, his main back Donald Brown can’t stay healthy. He has a very young receiving core consisting Dwayne Allen, T.Y. Hilton, and Coby Fleener who are all rookies. He also has a defense that is ranked 22^nd in the NFL. Andrew Luck does still manage to have the Colts as the 3^rd ranked offense in the NFL and luck is 4^th in passing yards as a rookie which is very stunning and proves his value. Not to mention that the offensive line is not the best in the NFL. There is no mystery that Luck is done more with less talent than his predecessor Peyton Manning. Tom Brady’s team and Peyton Manning’s team both are much more talented than Luck’s team. Peyton has a dominant pass rush, a good offensive line, and nice core of wide receivers. Tom Brady is playing with an embarrassment of riches on offense. I firmly believe that luck should win it because he is doing something that has never been done before with so much less talent.