Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 1360 of 1503)

Sure, he writes the occasional fluff piece trying to play to the hearts of readers, but there might not be a better NFL analyst than SI.com’s Peter King. In one of his recent columns, King waxed poetically that safety Bob Sanders is the best Colt not named Peyton Manning.

In two games, the Colts have allowed 23 offensive points — three to New Orleans, 20 to Tennessee — and looked reborn with a fast, aggressive defense. It’s no coincidence Sanders has been healthy for both of them. Sanders, the fourth-year strong safety from Iowa, has played like the Tasmanian Devil, particularly in the run game, and his stats after two games are Defensive MVP-esque: 20 tackles, 2.5 sacks, six quarterback pressures.

I’ve often stated on this blog that safeties are quickly becoming the key for teams to have defensive success, and Sanders is absolutely one of the best. It’s amazing that safeties continue to be undervalued and underpaid in this league, when they’re often the most multi-dimensional players on the field. It’s nice to see Sanders get his due and it’s no surprise that it comes from King.

In a recent interview for HBO’s Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel, Donovan McNabb said that black quarterbacks are criticized more than their white counterparts.

“Let me start by saying I love those guys (Peyton Manning and Carson Palmer),” McNabb said. “But they don’t get criticized as much as we do. They don’t. I pass for 300 yards. Our teams wins by seven. [They say,] ‘He could have made this throw. They would have scored if he did this.’

McNabb said black quarterbacks “have to do a little bit extra” because there are relatively few of them, adding “people didn’t want us to play this position.”

I think McNabb is a class act in general, but he’s being shortsighted. Every quarterback gets thoroughly criticized – it comes with playing the position. Before Manning won a Super Bowl last year, he was referred to as one of the biggest choke artists in sports. His brother Eli is often criticized for not being a leader. Chad Pennington doesn’t have an NFL-caliber arm. Joey Harrington isn’t tough enough. Brett Favre is inconsiderate to the Packers for being indecisive about retirement. J.P. Losman is an underachiever. Drew Brees is too small. Hell, Rex Grossman can’t even get up in the morning without being criticized for how he rolled out of bed.

I think due to the importance of the position, how much money they make and often their lofty draft status, quarterbacks are under the microscope more in general. I don’t think the mass majority criticizes quarterbacks by their race, but then again I haven’t walked in McNabb’s shoes.

In an effort to try and salvage the season, the Falcons signed former Jaguars quarterback Byron Leftwich on Tuesday. In reaction to the signing, ESPN columnist Christopher Harris noted that the Falcons have other issues besides the quarterback play.

You can change offenses in an offseason. You can have your megastar starting quarterback thrown into jail in an offseason, and then hire a journeyman with more hate mail than Larry Bird still coming in from Detroit. You can have your starting rusher undergo relatively major surgery. You can sign a washed-up 35-year-old wide receiver to be your top guy catching passes. But I wouldn’t recommend you do all these things at once. The offensive line in Atlanta is actually pretty okay, and honestly, Harrington hasn’t played terribly. But the rushers have been uninspired, the play-calling has been conservative, and for the umpteenth season in a row, there’s really nobody other than Crumpler who can, like, catch.

Harris is right – the Falcons were doomed from the start, although I think he misses the point in that the Falcons “hired” Harrington as a back up, not a starter. Regardless, signing Leftwich probably won’t make a difference, but at least the Falcons front office is trying to show that winning is still the main objective. Harrington isn’t the guy and Leftwich was the best quarterback available, so the decision was easy.

Here’s a weekly look at the top and bottom five teams in the NFL:

1. New England Patriots (2-0)
Previous Rank: 2
The way the Patriots handled the Chargers last Sunday was almost like Bill Belichick wanted everyone to know, “Hey, I can do it with or without knowing the other team’s defensive signals, so suck it.”

2. Indianapolis Colts (2-0)
Previous Rank: 1
The Titans always seem to give the Colts trouble, so last Sunday’s close contest wasn’t a total surprise. The main thing is that the run defense looks great and Joseph Addai plays the role of an every down back quite well.

3. Dallas Cowboys (2-0)
Previous Rank: 5
Wade Phillips still scares me in the long run, but man the ‘Boys look good. One question though: Why is Julius Jones still getting 15 carries a game when Marion Barber is consistently running like a freight train?

4. San Diego Chargers (1-1)
Previous Rank: 3
Defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell had zero idea how to stop the Patriots. His players looked confused, lost and downright dumbfounded every time the Patriots lined up.

5. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-0)
Previous Rank: N/A
Bears fans are going to be upset about this ranking, but the Steelers look locked in under Mike Tomlin. They’ll get their first real test this week against the Niners.

28. Kansas City Chiefs (0-2)
Previous Rank: N/A
Will the Brodie Croyle era start this week in Kansas City? After a terrible preseason, Croyle completed all four of his passes for 55 yards against the Bears.

29. Miami Dolphins (0-2)
Previous Rank: N/A
It appears Dolphins fans are going to have to suffer through another year of lousy quarterback play. The Cowboys picked off Trent Green four times last Sunday. Ouch.

30. Buffalo Bills (0-2)
Previous Rank: 28
After putting up a fight against Denver in Week 1, the Bills came out last Sunday and played dead against the Steelers. Does Lee Evans even play for Buffalo anymore?

31. New York Giants (0-2)
Previous Rank: N/A
Eli Manning deserves props for gutting it out last week and playing through injury. Maybe Tiki Barber will man up and complement the kid for once.

32. Atlanta Falcons (0-2)
Previous Rank: 29
Joey Harrington has a maximum of four weeks to prove himself, or else the recently signed Byron Leftwich is going to take his job as fast as Joey takes sacks.