The NFL off-season is by far, the longest of the four major sports. So during the long downtime and before the start of free agency, I wanted to take a look at some of the players hitting the market and rank them accordingly.

In my first batch of rankings, I want to discuss the most important position on the field, quarterback. Relatively speaking, this is a pretty weak free agent class that most likely won’t have a huge impact (unless one of the players decides on retirement). So without further ado, here are my 2009 free agent QB rankings.

1. Kurt Warner (Arizona, UFA) – Although he is getting up there in age, Kurt Warner is the best QB heading into free agency. Chances are that by the time free agency starts, Warner will no longer be available. Arizona would be insane to pass him up and if he isn’t playing for Arizona next season, he will most likely be retired. If Warner still wants to play, Arizona is his best shot with all the offensive weapons they have. Assuming Warner comes back, I see a second consecutive division title for the Cardinals next season.

2. Kerry Collins (Tennessee, UFA) – Collins is a similar situation as Warner, minus the huge offensive numbers and conference title. Regardless, Tennessee would also be insane to let him walk. I realize they have Vince Young waiting on the bench, but that is an instant downgrade to the team as a whole if they let Collins walk and start Young. I think Collins knows this and that is the reason for his large salary demands in the early talks. If Collins decides to test the market, I could potentially see him getting the money, but the wins and success won’t be there like they are in Tennessee.

3. Jeff Garcia (Tampa Bay, UFA) – Jeff Garcia is definitely no spring chicken, but for a team on the cusp of the playoffs and contending for a Super Bowl, Garcia would be worth the risk for one or two years. Tampa Bay seems to have no desire for him, even though he is their best option, so somebody will give him another shot. Garcia’s play isn’t always pretty, but he knows how to win and that could prove beneficial.

4. Matt Cassel (New England, FRANCHISED) – Call me crazy, but I have the other three quarterbacks ahead of Cassel because I honestly think they are better options. I didn’t see every Patriots game this year, but I saw enough to not be fully convinced on Cassel. I think if the Patriots make a trade and score a number of draft picks, they will truly be swindling the team that made the trade. Cassel played extremely well for the Pats this year, but they also had a ton of weapons for him to make use of, and one of the best coaches around to guide him. If he goes to a team, say Detroit for example, they might as well rename the city Flop City, because that’s what it will be.

5. Chris Simms (Tennessee, UFA) – Assuming he is healthy, I think Chris Simms deserves another chance to start for an NFL team. In his brief time with Tampa Bay, he showed me more than enough to believe in him. Then after the injuries, he never really saw the field again and got that chance to prove himself. Like I said, assuming he is 100% healthy, he should be given another chance.

6. Byron Leftwich (Pittsburgh, UFA) – I’m not completely sold on Leftwich, but this is a pretty weak free agent class. Something tells me that if a guy lands on his third team in as many years, something is wrong with him. Leftwich did fine backing up Big Ben in Pittsburgh this year, but I’m not so sure he is starting material. I think he would make a fine back-up for another team (or Pittsburgh), but I wouldn’t want him starting for my team.

7. Charlie Batch (Pittsburgh, UFA) – If I’m both Pittsburgh and Charlie Batch, I want nothing to change. If it wasn’t for injury, he would’ve been the primary back-up to Ben this season. Since coming to Pittsburgh, Batch has excelled in his role and given the Steelers every opportunity to win when he has played. He is perfect for that role and if he is healthy again this season, he should want to be back and Pittsburgh should want him back.

8. Patrick Ramsey (Denver, UFA) – Ramsey isn’t starting material anymore, but he serves as a more than decent back-up. He has the experience and physical skills to get a team through a tough stretch if need be, but he shouldn’t be starting for any other reason than injury and he shouldn’t be starting for an extended amount of games (if you want your team to win).

9. Joey Harrington (New Orleans, UFA) – Let’s get one thing straight: Joey Harrington shouldn’t be starting in the NFL unless your QB is injured or it’s the pre-season. Harrington has been given so many chances to start and failed, that if he were a high school student he would be repeating the 10th grade until he was 30. But, and this is a big one, if he is the back-up on your team and sees limited game action, he serves his role well. If he has to come in for a half while your QB nurses a sore groin, he will probably be just fine.

10 (t). Kyle Boller (Baltimore, UFA) – After seeing Joe Flacco succeed in his rookie season, that officially ended the Boller era in Baltimore. Throughout his years, he never got better and did just enough to help the Ravens lose games. He may serve as a suitable back-up and should get another job in the NFL, but he shouldn’t be starting…EVER.

10 (t). J.P. Losman (Buffalo, UFA) – Losman and his time in Buffalo remind me exactly of Kyle Boller and his time in Baltimore. Losman just never improved and got the job done. He can officially be labeled a first round bust. I don’t care what anyone says about coaching, schemes, or chances, Losman is flat out not good enough to start in the NFL. Even this season when Trent Edwards went down with injury, Losman had a chance to showcase himself for this off-season and sucked so much that he should legally change his first name to Jenna.

10 (t). Rex Grossman (Chicago, UFA) – If I could sum up Rex Grossman with one word, it would be TERRIBLE. Rex Grossman is terrible. And for all the people that will start crying that he led Chicago to the Super Bowl..WRONG. Chicago went to the Super Bowl despite the QB play of Grossman. If they had a 45% more competent QB in that Super Bowl, the game would’ve been a lot closer. If I’m a Bears fan, I’m cracking open a cold one to celebrate the day this guy is officially playing for another team. Then I’m cracking open another 11 cold ones because I just realized Kyle Orton is still on the team.

13. J.T. O’Sullivan (San Francisco, UFA) – J.T. had his chance to shine in SF and was promptly benched in favor of Shaun Hill. Despite that, he should still find his way on to an NFL roster this spring. Now whether or not he makes it until September, that is another story all together.

I’m going to make things short and sweet for the final batch of QB’s. If I were to fall asleep until August and when I woke up, you told me that any of these QB’s are third string on an NFL roster, I wouldn’t be shocked. On the flip side, if you told me that they were bagging groceries at the local grocery store and making Whoppers on the weekend, I also wouldn’t be shocked.

14. Anthony Wright (NY Giants, UFA)
15. Ryan Fitzpatrick (Cincinnati, UFA)
16. Dan Orlovsky (Detroit, UFA)
17. Jamie Martin (San Francisco, UFA)
18. Marques Tuiasosopo (Oakland, UFA)
19. Charlie Frye (Seattle, UFA)
20. Drew Hensen (Detroit, RFA)
21. Brooks Bollinger (Dallas, UFA)
22. Brian St. Pierre (Arizona, UFA)
23. Gibran Hamdan (Buffalo, RFA)

The NFL season "officially" came to a close this past Sunday when the Pro Bowl was played in Honolulu. Next season the Super Bowl will be the conclusion to the season as the Pro Bowl will be played in the off week in between the big game. This is only fitting since every NFL fan knows that the Pro Bowl is a meaningless game. I was relieved more than anything after the game. Although my NFL season was finished sometime in November, I'm glad that the season done for everyone. This season has truly tested my patience and I need the break.

There are several story lines that we should be following throughout the off-season. I'm sure that ESPN will air them all today, starting with everything and anything related to the Dallas Cowboys, but I assure you that there is more going on in the league than that. Here are a few that I find the most intriguing.

- The Quarterback Carousel:

Several teams have some big issues at the QB position. Starting with the NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals, Kurt Warner will need to decide whether or not he will return for another year. If I'm working in the front office in Arizona, I'm doing everything in my power to bring him back. The Cardinals will be hurting without him next season and they need to realize that.

Kerry Collins is also hitting the market, which normally wouldn't be big news, but it is this year. The Titans have already mentioned that they want him back but I
think Collins might be playing a little too much hardball. He has publicly said he would want more than Warner, which to me sounds ridiculous. Collins didn't win any playoff games this year and didn't even come close to matching Warner's numbers. Both Collins and the Titans need each other and they sooner they realize that, the easier things will be. On a related note, if Collins comes back we also have to wonder what will happen with Vince Young. Will he sit on the bench for another season and demand a trade?

Just as I was writing that we're going to faced with another off-season of Favre, it appears as if he is going to retire. It's being reported on ESPN that he informed his agent that he is hanging it up this off-season. We can only pray that this is finally true and Favre will just go away. Honestly. I've never been more annoyed with a player in the past season than I have with Favre. I hope it was worth it for the Jets. Now they will go into this season not knowing what they have at QB because they wasted an entire season on Favre. Good luck with that.

The Browns are on this list as well, choosing between Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson. They appeared to have made the call last season, but with a new coaching staff, who knows. I think it will be Quinn, which also leads me to believe that Anderson will need to be traded somewhere else.

Several other teams also have to make some QB choices. The Chiefs will need to decide whether or not Tyler Thigpen in the answer. The Eagles will need to make another call on Donovan McNabb. The Bears will have another off-season to ponder the QB situation, most likely going outside the organization this time. The Lions will have to decide if they should use the first overall pick in the draft on a QB. The 49ers will also have to make the call on Shaun Hill.

- The Free Agent Market

There is a pretty good group of free agents hitting the market. The pack is led by Titans DT Albert Haynesworth. I have a pretty good feeling that Tennessee recognizes his worth and shows him the money, but if they don't get it done by the start of free agency, several other teams will be throwing wads of money at the guy.

Julius Peppers is hitting the market as well and has pretty much sealed the deal that he won't be back in Carolina. He spoke on the sidelines at the Pro Bowl and basically said as much. If I were a Carolina fan, this wouldn't make me very happy with the guy, but it's a business and he has to do what he wants to do. He has mentioned that he wants to play in a 3-4 defense and if he holds true to that, he narrows the list of potential teams. If you're bored during the off-season, just visit the message board of any team and read "legit" reasons why an elite player like Peppers would want to go to their team.

Baltimore also has to make the call on Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs. Head Coach John Harbaugh has slightly hinted that the team could only bring one of these players back and made it seem like it will be Suggs. I personally couldn't picture Ray Lewis playing for another team. His name is synonymous with the Baltimore Ravens and he should stay. There have been rumors of him jumping ship to Dallas, but I think that will be a mistake on both parts. Dallas really isn't that good of a team, no matter what the media wants you to believe and Dallas needs to focus on building a winning team, not getting big names and building a fantasy football team. I've also read about him playing for the Jets and his old defensive coordinator, Rex Ryan. Speaking as a fan who sees the Jets twice a year, no thank you.

- Off-Season Moves

Along with a few moves I've mentioned before, there are a few others that will be interesting to watch. Anquan Boldin is again wanting out of Arizona. He mentioned during the Pro Bowl that he loves playing with his team, but doesn't necessarily like the front office. That is all fine and dandy for him, but he needs to stay in Arizona. I don't think he realizes how good he has it lining up opposite of Larry Fitzgerald. I've seen this situation play out several times and it never ends well for the receiver who leaves town. Can you say, Peerless Price? Fitzgerald and the Cards will be hurt slightly if Boldin is shipped off, but they will recover and move on.

One destination I've read about was Boldin going to the Giants. This could be a possibility because the Giants were definitely a different team without Plax and who knows if he'll come back or when he'll come back. Boldin would be a decent fit with the Giants, but I still think his best career move would be to stay in Arizona. Speaking of Plax, he still has legal matters to address before he can think of playing again. I think the Giants miss him and want him back, but that relationship is all but finished. He displayed some pretty stupid and selfish behavior last season that most likely caused them to miss out on a second straight Super Bowl trip.

I hate mentioning the guy, but T.O. will be in the news plenty this off-season. I'm not even going to bring up his reality show since that is a joke, but whether or not he stays in Dallas is also being brought up. It took a few more years for the real T.O. to show up in Dallas, but he did last season and they suffered for it. The Cowboys got swindled in a trade for WR Roy Williams last season, and on the outside he could be the replacement for T.O., but I don't see that working out at all. I'd say this will be an interesting story to follow, but just about anything T.O. related gives me a migraine, so I'll let everyone else fill me in on the details.

The Pacman era is officially over in Dallas, as the Cowboys released the cornerback on Monday. Looking back, it wasn't a terrible move by Dallas. They barely gave up anything for the guy, so it was worth a shot (sorry, poor choice of words), but it didn't work out. Not that Pacman should be worried about this though; he has many more important things to worry about.

On a similar note, Michael Vick will be out of jail soon and Dallas..errr..I mean Oakland..err I mean some team might be willing to give him a chance to play. Truth be told, he is the perfect QB for the Wildcat, if some team wants to implement that gimmick offense. I don't agree with it, but he will get another chance in the NFL. Of course, this is all assuming that he has stayed in the shape during his prison term. I'm guessing he has and he'll see he way back on to an NFL roster soon enough.

For now these are some of the bigger issues heading into the NFL off-season. There will surely be more and I'm sure I missed a few. The Combine is coming up on February 18th – 24th which leads us to the draft. Be sure to check back with us between that time as we'll be joining that masses with our own mock draft before the big day.

It's a phenomenon in sports that seems to be only getting worse year after year. Overhyping and sensationalizing every event to death is apparently the media's new favorite game. The Super Bowl ended less than 24 hours ago and many are already calling it the greatest of all time, but I guess I didn't get that memo.

In all honesty, it turned out to be quite a game, certainly better than I would have expected, and a fairly thrilling finish to boot, but the best ever? I mean... really? I'm simply not buying it. How soon do we forget just last year? Super Bowl XLII had David vs. Goliath in larger terms than this year's version as the undefeated Patriots tried to finish out destiny and go 19-0. Instead, the Giants stopped them with 35 seconds left when they scored the go ahead touchdown, and just in case we forgot, that drive had an even more spectacular play than last night's game winner could manage as well.

For those of you that have watched more than just the 2 most recent Super Bowls, you might even remember a couple that actually came down to the last play of the game, such as Adam Vinatieri taking down the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI as time expired. Perhaps Mike Jones of the Rams tackling Tennessee's Kevin Dyson at the one yard line to prevent the potential tying score in Super Bowl XXXIV? Of course my fellow Buffalo fans can't forget a little Super Bowl known as XXV when Scott Norwood's 47 yard attempt went wide right and cost the Bills a 22-20 win as time ran out. All those games were great finished, and the games themselves were arguably better than the one we witnessed last night.

In reality, the first 29 minutes or so of Super Bowl XLIII were pretty mundane with the Steelers up 10-7 and not a lot of action to get us to that point. Of course, things picked up when James Harrison picked off Kurt Warner and rumbled 100 yards to end the half with a Pittsburgh touchdown, giving the Steelers a 17-7 lead. The Steelers pushed it to 20-7 in the third quarter as penalty after penalty aided their march down the field. At this point, it was starting to look like it would be the typical Pittsburgh pushes out to a sizable lead and sits on it win, which has become the norm for them lately. Larry Fitzgerald decided that wouldn't be so much fun though. He scored on two big plays sandwiched around a Pittsburgh safety and we were staring at a mostly unbelievable 23-20 lead for Arizona.

Ben Roethelisberger would quickly get to work on carving out his name in history however. Taking over at his own 22 with 2:37 left in the game, he carved apart the Arizona secondary, eventually finding Santonio Holmes in the corner of the end zone for the game winning score, with 35 seconds left on the clock, much like last year in fact. The 27-23 win gave Pittsburgh their 6th Super Bowl victory, more than any other team has managed, and there is a story there. There's a story in Big Ben making up for a poor performance despite winning Super Bowl XL. Larry Fitzgerald's incredible play throughout the playoffs and especially in the Super Bowl make another great story, as does Kurt Warner's endless ability to put up huge numbers in the biggest game of them all, despite maybe not managing to win them.

Endless great stories came out of last night's game, but to think the game itself was something so much more than all of them seems far too short sighted for me. As I already mentioned, the first half was forgettable right up until the end of it. Little has been discussed about the ridiculous number of penalties that marred the action throughout the game, not to mention the numerous replays and subsequent over turns needed to correct the original calls. The fact of the matter is that up until the middle of the 4th quarter, Super Bowl XLIII really just wasn't all that entertaining. By most accounts, even the commercials were pretty lacking throughout the night.

I'm not sure when the trend started, but somewhere along the line, the national media has decided that every year something has to be bigger, better, faster than that which came before it. Sooner or later, truly great games and moments are going to be forgotten amongst all the hype of our instant gratification world, and that's a sad thought to have. Hopefully you enjoyed last night's game and the highly entertaining ending it provided, just do me a favor and keep in mind that it's neither the first, nor last time you'll see something of it's type.

Random Side Notes from Super Bowl XLIII:
- I've heard multiple interviews from the MVP of the game, Santonio Holmes already. Most of them included statements similar to "I just have to thank God for letting me be so great". Let's hope God taught Santonio a little humbleness along the way too. He had a great game, it doesn't make him a great player just yet though.
- I'm sure I'm not alone, but two thoughts were running through my head while Joe Namath carried the Lombardi trophy towards the stage. First, I was kind of hoping he'd be so drunk that he'd fumble it half way there in the midst of all the Pittsburgh players. Second, I really wanted him to stop along the way and tell the trophy how bad he wanted to kiss it and just lay one on it... instead he opted to kiss Dick LeBeau.
- NBC had a good group amongst it's pregame folks including recent retirees in Mike Holmgren and Tony Dungy... but seriously? Matt Millen!??! What on Earth would that guy know about winning a Super Bowl anyways?
- Do you think we'll ever see a not so "safe" act at halftime again or are those days forever gone? Personally, I watched Wipeout on ABC instead of "The Boss". I couldn't take Stevie VanZandt's backup vocals for more than 3 seconds.
- I was dead tired all day today, but staying up to watch the hour long episode of The Office after the game proved well worth it. I couldn't stop cracking up at Dwight.

It still doesn’t sound quite right, but the Arizona Cardinals are taking on the Pittsburgh Steelers this Sunday in Super Bowl XLIII. The Cardinals came into the playoffs as the number four seed in the NFC by way of an easy division championship. Many fans and writers felt as if they didn’t even deserve to make the playoffs when they qualified. Few people gave them a chance in the Wild Card round against Atlanta, even less gave them a chance in the Divisional round at Carolina, and just about everyone (including me) picked the Eagles to knock them off in the NFC Championship. One thing is for sure heading into Sunday; the Cardinals deserve to be there and will put up a good fight against the Steelers.


Before the season even started, the Cardinals were in the news for their decision to go with Kurt Warner at QB instead of their first round draft pick from USC, Matt Leinart. It was a gutsy call by Coach Ken Wisenhunt, but one he felt he had to make in order to win more games. Looking back, it seems to have been the right decision. The Cardinals started out 2-0 with wins over San Francisco and Miami, and then lost the next two games on the East Coast to Washington and New York.

Arizona returned home to face the 4-0 Buffalo Bills. The Cardinals trashed the Bills 41-17 and essentially exposed them as frauds to the rest of the league, sending Buffalo into a tailspin that would last all season. They then got a big win at home against Dallas when they blocked a punt in overtime to win the game. Heading into the bye at 4-2, fans in Arizona were optimistic.

Coming out of the break, Arizona lost a tough game at Carolina, which moved their East Cost record to 0-3. Some would say it was a trend, but the Cardinals ended up proving that theory wrong when it counted the most. The Cards then won their next three games against division opponents which ran their record to 7-3 and 4-0 in the division. It was at this point that almost everybody could see the division was theirs to lose.



Arizona lost a very close game at home to the eventual NFC East Champion New York Giants, then had to travel East on a short week to face Philadelphia for a Thanksgiving Day match-up. They played terrible in that game, losing 48-20. They returned home the following week and overpowered another NFC West team, the Rams, to clinch the NFC West and ensure the fans of at least one home playoff game.

With the last three games essentially being meaningless, Arizona played like it in two of those games. They fell to Minnesota 35-14 and allowed Tarvaris Jackson to throw for a career high four touchdowns. Arizona then traveled east again and moved their East Coast record to 0-5 as they were completely overpowered by the New England Patriots. The Cardinals came home in the final week to beat Seattle, which allowed them to finish the regular season at 9-7 and a perfect 6-0 in the division.

Kurt Warner had an excellent season stat wise throwing for 4583 yards, 30 touchdowns, and finishing the regular season with a QB Rating of 96.9. Arizona didn’t run the ball nearly as much as they passed it, so Edgerrin James finished the season with only 514 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns. Rookie Tim Hightower took over the rushing duties mid-season and finished with 399 yards and 10 touchdowns. Wide Receiver Larry Fitzgerald cemented himself as one of the best in the league with 96 receptions, 1431 yards, and 12 touchdowns. Closely following him was teammate Anquan Boldin, who had 89 receptions, 1038 yards, and 11 touchdowns. Boldin’s numbers are even more impressive if you consider the fact that he missed time after being carted off the field against the Jets earlier in the season. As an overall unit, the Cardinals finished fourth in scoring (26.7), fourth in overall yards (365.8), and second in passing yards (292.1).


The defense has held their own and gained momentum during the post-season. They are led by Karlos Dansby, Antrel Rolle, Adrian Wilson, Bertrand Berry, Roderick Hood, and rookie Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. The defense combined had 31 sacks, 20 fumbles, 13 interceptions, and 2 touchdowns. Their league ranks aren’t quite as impressive as the offense or nearly as impressive as Pittsburgh’s defense. The Cards finished the season 28th in points (26.6), 19th in yards (331.5), 22nd in passing yard (221.2), and 16th in rushing yards (110.2).

Prediction: Pittsburgh 37, Arizona 17. I tried my hardest to not involve personal bias in my pick and I think the final score reflects that. It's pretty simple, I don't think Arizona is good enough to hang with Pittsburgh. I think the key to Kurt Warner's success is having time in the pocket and I don't think the Steelers defense will give him an ounce of that time. Combine that with a lack of running game, and I don't see this game even being close.