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      NFL Week 17 MVP power rankings

      January 8, 2011 /

      Well, I’m pretty sure the announcement for NFL MVP comes down this weekend, so let me begin by saying that I was not influenced by anything that I read when making these picks…..

      1. Tom Brady, New England Patriots—Brady, who is going to run away with this award, played about half a game last Sunday, and still threw for 199 yards with 2 TDs and 0 picks. He hasn’t thrown an interception since like early October.

      2. Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles—Vick did Brady a favor by not being in the lineup against Dallas in Week 17, but he and his coach know what’s more important, and that is for him and some nagging injuries, resting up for the Packers.

      3. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints—He wound up third in yards (4620) and tied for second in TDs (33) but uncharacteristically threw for 22 interceptions.

      4. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts—4700 yards, 33 TDs, 17 picks. But most impressive is the way Peyton led his team to the postseason when things looked bleak.

      5. Matt Cassel/Jamaal Charles/Dwayne Bowe, Kansas City Chiefs—Cassel had a dreadful game in Week 17, but we stand by the fact that this was a trio that helped a young KC team win their division and a 4-seed.

      6. Arian Foster, Houston Texans—Not only did he lead the league in rushing (1616 yards), but Foster added a whopping 66 receptions for 604 more yards—giving him 2220 yards from scrimmage and 18 TDs.

      7. Matt Ryan/Roddy White, Atlanta Falcons—Well, at 13-3, someone had to be good for them to get there, especially with all of those come from behind wins.

      8. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers—Finished with 3922/28/11 in 15 games, but what counts is leading his team to the postseason berth they deserve.

      9. Clay Matthews, Green Bay Packers—If they could do last year’s draft over again, do you think Matthews would still be picked at #26?

      10. Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers—You know, he led the NFL in passing yards (4710) and had 30 TDs with 13 interceptions. He didn’t have Antonio Gates for a while, and he had Vincent Jackson for maybe two games. That’s why we can’t discount Rivers’ numbers.

      11. Josh Freeman, Tampa Bay Bucs—We had to add one more. This kid is going to be a star. Oh wait, he already is. Freeman started every game and wound up with 3451 passing yards with 25 touchdown passes and just 6 interceptions. By comparison, Eli Manning had more than FOUR times as many picks.

      External Sports, NFL

      Did the Cubs overpay for Matt Garza?

      January 7, 2011 /

      When a club trades five prospects (including their minor league pitcher of the year) in exchange for a starter, they usually get an ace in return. But not the Cubs.

      On Friday, the Cubs traded top pitching prospect Chris Archer, outfielder Brandon Guyer, catcher Robinson Chirinos, shortstop Hak-Ju Lee and outfielder Sam Fuld to the Rays in exchange for Matt Garza and two minor league prospects. Garza, who is coming off a career year, immediately fills the No. 2 void in Chicago’s rotation.

      The key players for Tampa Bay were Archer and Lee. Archer went 15-3 during two different minor-league stints last season and won the Cubs’ 2010 minor league pitcher of the year award. Lee needs a couple of years in the minors to develop, but he’s regarded as a skilled defender with excellent speed and good range at shortstop.

      Considering Garza won’t be viewed as an ace in Chicago, it stands to reason that the Cubs overpaid. But GM Jim Hendry had to do something to improve his rotation and at 27, Garza is already in the prime of his career. He’s also coming off a season in which he compiled a 15-10 record with a solid 3.91 ERA and 1.25 WHIP. He averaged 6.6 strikeouts and 2.77 walks per nine innings and hitters batted just .248 against him last season.

      He’s switching from the AL to the NL, so one would think that his numbers will only improve (or at the very least, stay the same). That’s huge for the Cubs, who desperately needed a top-of-the-rotation arm to go along with Carlos Zambrano and Ryan Dempster. The NL Central isn’t considered a powerhouse division but the Cubs will face Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday, Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, Joey Votto and newcomer Jayson Werth on a consistent basis so they needed to beef up their starting five.

      Besides, what constitutes being an “ace” anyway? Cliff Lee wasn’t very ace-like in the World Series and Tim Lincecum had an atrocious August before rebounding to help the Giants win a championship Usually when you think of aces, they have overpowering stuff. Well consider that Rays’ pitching coach Jim Hickey once referred to Garza as having “the best stuff on the staff” and the fact that he can throw his curve, slider and change for strikes will only help the 27-year-old at the smallish Wrigley Field. He also no-hit the Tigers last year, so clearly Garza has what it takes to be the “ace” of the Cubs staff, even if he doesn’t take the mound on Opening Day.

      The bottom line, perhaps, is that the Cubs acquired a proven player for several unproven commodities. There’s always a risk in a deal like this that a club will get burned when a prospect they traded away turns into a star. But as of January 7, 2011, this looks like a deal that works for both sides.

      External Sports, MLB

      49er-Harbaugh marriage a perfect match on the surface

      January 7, 2011 /
      Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh (above) celebrates with players including quarterback Andrew Luck (R) after they defeated Virginia Tech in the 2011 Discover Orange Bowl NCAA football game in Miami, January 3, 2011. REUTERS/Hans Deryk (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      After Mike Singletary laid the blueprint on how not to manage quarterbacks during his short stint in San Francisco, the 49ers’ next head coach had to be someone who knew how to develop that position.

      As soon as they jettisoned Singletary in Week 16, they targeted Jim Harbaugh as their top choice. The work he did with Josh Johnson at the University of San Diego and likely future No. 1 overall pick Andrew Luck at Stanford was proof that he could effectively develop quarterbacks. The fact that Harbaugh didn’t have any experience as a NFL assistant didn’t matter because that wasn’t the Niners’ top priority. It would have helped, but it obviously wasn’t a deal breaker because the team agreed to terms with the former Stanford coach on a five-year, $25 million contract on Friday.

      Harbaugh takes over a team that is certainly not short on talent. The Niners already have a top-13 defense and with players like Frank Gore, Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree, the offense is in good shape, too.

      But the one position that has held the 49ers back over the years has been quarterback. Whether it’s Alex Smith, Troy Smith or Shaun Hill, the quarterback position in San Francisco has been a black hole. Part of the blame falls on Singletary because he was overmatched as a head coach from the start. The fact that the team could never settle on an offensive coordinator didn’t help either. But Alex Smith has been the model of inconsistency. At times he’s shown that he has what it takes to succeed but he’s never taken that next step to become a reliable starter.

      Now it’s up to Harbaugh to determine if he can work with Smith or if the team should go in another direction. At this point, it might be wise to clean house and start over, which I’m sure Harbaugh will consider. After all, why not try to win with your guy as opposed to someone elses?

      Either way, Harbaugh was the right choice for this team all along and San Francisco was the right fit for him. There’s no guarantee that he’ll succeed and if history is any indication, he won’t because he was a highly sought after college coach. And maybe in a couple of years we’ll look back and say that he should have stayed in the college ranks and coached at his alma mater Michigan.

      But at least right now, the deal works for all parties involved.

      College Football, External Sports, NFL

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