2012: Year of the 600-point offense?

The 2011 regular season was dubbed "Year of the Quarterback" by analysts, football writers and experts everywhere.

Finishing the season with three 5,000 yard passers, bringing the all-time total from two (Dan Marino and Drew Brees) to five (Marino, Tom Brady, Matt Stafford and Drew Brees twice), the quarterbacks ruled the National Football League.

Add in the fact that the top two picks of the draft in April were premier college passers, including the "best QB prospect of all-time" (Indy's Andrew Luck) as stated by numerous scouts, and you have a recipe for another record-breaking offensive season.

Two seasons ago we witnessed the New England Patriots' offense top 500 points. Last season the Patriots topped 500 again, but so did the Saints (13-3 record w/ 547 points) and the league-leading Packers (15-1 record w/ 560 points).

No team has ever scored 600 points in a single-season, in fact the 2007 Patriots hold the record with 589. But I'm going out on a limb and making this statement: there will be a team to put up 600 in 16 games this season.

It's a bold statement, I know. But offenses are passing more than ever, and if we can see three 5,000 yard passers in a single-season, who says a team can't put up 600? The emergence of rookies Luck and Robert Griffin III, arguably two of the top quarterback prospects this game has seen, gives us an even better shot at witnessing a stunt such as this.

Luck and RGIII are not a sure-thing of course, despite the statements that say they are. But if they live up to expectations, we could see another incline in passing stats as a whole this season. Defenses are continuing to be a smaller factor, especially after the BountyGate investigations on the Saints' defense this season.

With the opposing defenses under an even larger microscope, I am expecting another offensive production increase.

The NFL is a copycat league, so there is bound to be a couple more two-tight end systems around the league. We all saw what the Pats did with Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez as Gronk put up the single most effective tight end season of all-time (90 catchers, 1,327 yards, 17 TDs).

A top five scoring offense came just a couple of points from a Super Bowl championship despite a 31st-ranked defense. Defense wins championships? Yeah, that may be true. But we're quickly making a transition from defensive domination to the idea that a pass-happy offense trumps any defense that lines up in front of you.

In total, teams averaged 229.7 yards through the air per game last season. In 2002, 12 years ago, we saw an average of 212.2 per game. Doesn't appear to be a large difference (17.5 yards), but it really is.

There's damning evidence that shows the offensive takeover throughout the last 10 seasons. In 2011 just five of the top 10 overall ranked defenses were playoff teams. In 2002? Seven. In 1992? Nine. With each passing season, passers appear to dominate just a tad more than the previous season.

The "trench warfare" of the '60s, '70s and '80s appears to be over and the 21st century of the League has been quite a change of pace in terms of offensive production. Apparently now it's possible to achieve greatness without a top rusher, as New England and New York both found themselves in the bottom half of rushing production–New York was actually 32nd in rushing yards.

If Brees is able to sign a new contract by the time July 16 rolls around, then we could see him pass for his third career 5,000 yard season. Hell, even if he doesn't and he's playing this season under his Franchise Tag salary (still a huge sum of money) he still shouldn't have much trouble surpassing 5,000. Brady and Stafford could repeat, and we may even see guys such as NFL Network's No. 1 player Aaron Rodgers, Denver's Peyton Manning and Dallas' Tony Romo come close to the mark.

The only three teams in the top 10 passing offense that failed to make the playoffs were Philadelphia, Dallas and San Diego. All three teams finished at 8-8, just missing the postseason.

San Francisco ranked 29th in passing offense yet came just shy of a Super Bowl appearance. They are the lone exception, however, because of the simple fact that they were a devastating defensive team (2nd in scoring defense) and saw a career-year from quarterback Alex Smith, who was previously dubbed a draft bust.

On offense San Fran turned the ball over the least (10 times, just five INTs), which is a huge factor in an effective offense. So they weren't flashy, but Smith did what he could to lead the Niners to victory with the help from a smash-mouth defense. Expect Smith to throw the ball another 450 times this season, especially given his new targets.

* * * * *

I don't expect Luck and RGIII to step in and be the savior that their respective franchise has been searching for...right away, at least. But wouldn't it be a great story if they each broke Cam Newton's rookie passing record of 4,051 yards. A record he just set this past season.

Moral of the story? A prolific scoring offense is almost a necessity for success in today's game, and it's a fact that we are now seeing more complex offensive systems. Defensive coordinators will need to find a way to effectively slow down the 2-TE system, because whether they like it or not, that sort of thing is totally in right now.

Stopping the run? Who cares. You will need a strong pass-rushing front seven and a shutdown corner in order to get your defense off the field in 2012.

Editor's Note: I do not own any of the above images. No copyright infringement intended

Patriot Killer?: Eli Does it Again

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning has done it again, beating the New England Patriots 21-17 in Super Bowl XLVI to capture his second Vince Lombardi trophy for his head coach Tom Coughlin. His performance (30/40, 296 yards, 1 TD; 88-yard GW scoring drive with a minute to play) earned him his second SB MVP award, which is one more than his older brother Peyton.

Even more impressive may be that he did so in his older brother's home stadium–Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN.

The result brings up a couple of questions surrounding both Eli and his G-Men, and quarterback Tom Brady and his Pats squad. Is Eli elite? Yes. He is now 8-3 in the postseason (4-0 this postseason) as he threw 9 TDs and just one interceptions over a five week span in January/February. He also defeated future Hall of Famer Brady in two separate Super Bowls. So, yes, I do believe Eli should be considered among the elite and his performance clearly demonstrates that. He out Brady-ed Brady in the fourth quarter, and did that on a consistent basis all season long.

Eli should, and will, be considered a more successful postseason quarterback than his brother, and he joins an elite class of signal callers with multiple championships and multiple MVP awards.

As for Brady? He is now 3/5 in his record-tying five Super Bowl appearances, with both losses coming to the Coughlin/Manning tandem. He did, however, set a Super Bowl record with 16 consecutive completions during the second and third quarters tonight and looked exceptional for the majority of the game. Two Justin Tuck sacks and multiple hits on NY's part may have rattled Brady a bit, throwing off his rhythm. But in all, both quarterbacks played exceptionally well tonight, as expected.

Despite Eli's great overall performance, especially in the fourth quarter, it was New York's running back tandem of Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw that essentially won the Giants the game. New York's front 7 put some pressure on Brady, and Eli's targets played well, but it was the 28 carries for 114 yards and a touchdown that allowed New York to control the clock.

They ran for seven first downs and kept Brady off the field for well over half the game, in fact they held the ball for nearly 40 minutes (37:05) and kept the Giants' defense well-rested. Pulling out ahead early allowed New York to focus a little more on the running attack, setting up Eli for some successful play action plays.

Head coach Bill Belichick's decision to allow Ahmad Bradshaw to run the ball in from six yards out with :57 to play will be questioned by fans and analysts for the next several months, I'm sure. But there's no doubt I would have done the exact same thing in that situation. If Bradshaw kneels the ball at the one, Eli could have run the clock all the way down to under :20 and sent Tynes in to kick the go-ahead chip-shot field goal.

Giving Brady the shot to drive New England down the field with a minute to play gave New England their best shot, and dropped passes by Deion Branch and Aaron Hernandez didn't help the cause too much. Although I loved the clutch 4th and 16 reception by Branch. Gronkowski came close to bringing in the hail mary on the final play, but New York was able to knock the ball down before he could get to it.

In all, I was thoroughly impressed by both quarterbacks, and if both have shown signs that they are not done. They both may find themselves in yet another Super Bowl in the coming years. If I was New England, I'd work on improving that defense though.

My pre-season prediction of New England winning the Super Bowl and Wes Welker being named the game's MVP didn't prove to be true, and I have fallen to 7-4 for the postseason (2-2 in WC, 4-0 in Divisional, 1-1 in conference and 0-1 in SB). But, I can't complain with the outcome of this season.

Great game, great season. One more note before I sign off for the evening: Mario Manningham's sideline catch in NY's game-winning drive will be replayed for years to come. Not quite as miraculous as David Tyree's "helmet catch" in Super Bowl XLII, but it was eye-popping nevertheless.

Another fun-filled season is in the books, now the countdown to the 2012 draft in April officially begins!

Photo credit
Mario Manningham: Win McNamee/Getty Images

Super Bowl Week: Media Day Tuesday

The Pro Bowl has been played: AFC won the All-Star game 59-41 Sunday evening in Honolulu. Miami wideout Brandon Marshall was named the game's MVP with 6 receptions for 176 yards and a Pro Bowl record 4 TD catches.

Both New England and New York have officially arrived in Indianapolis, IN over the last two days.

And finally, the media have set everything up for a full five days of coverage before Super Bowl XLVI gets underway in Lucas Oil Stadium. You know what Tuesday means, right? Media day.

I'd love to be able to attend, not only the Super Bowl, but the Media Day festivities as well. This year, according to sports writers and television personalities on their Twitter pages, it seems that there are more fans in attendance than media members.

It's true, fans were able to buy tickets for about $25 apiece and attend the day long festivities in Indianapolis. Also, there is apparently plenty of media interviewing media going on in addition to the player and coach interviews.

In other words, Media Day is dedicated to talking about, analyzing, re-analyzing and consuming anything and everything possible. Anything from score predictions to trash-talking can go down on the annual Media Day. Although, considering the conservative Bill Belichick is on one side of things...and the mouthy duo of Michael Strahan and Plaxico Burress are no longer on New York's roster, I doubt any of that will go on this go around.

This day (Tuesday before SB) four years ago Burress guaranteed that the Giants would defeat the undefeated Patriots. New England's Tom Brady simply smiled and laughed when a reporter told him the news, declining to say anything in response. We all know Burress proved right in the end, but that doesn't mean it didn't help stir the pot for New England.

To me Media Day usually seems pretty redundant, and I don't expect anything interesting or "bulletin board material" to come from today, but that doesn't mean we can't all sit back and enjoy a 3 1/2 minute long video of some of the great Media Day memories.

I found this video on Youtube and couldn't resist putting it up for all to enjoy! Obviously, I do not own the video or any of the clips from the video.

I think it's safe to say Denver's Shannon Sharpe wins the crown for Media Day King after his brush up with Atlanta's Ray Buchanan via the Media prior to Super Bowl XXXIII.

One thing everyone wants to know, and still wont know after Media Day is through, is will Rob Gronkowski play Sunday? Good news, however, for Pats fans: he wasn't wearing the walking boot that he was wearing when he walked off the plane upon arriving at Indy.

Gronk is tough, and despite missing yesterday's practice, I have no reason to believe he wont be on that field come Sunday evening.

The Great Debate: Joe Montana vs. Tom Brady

No matter what happens come February 5, 2012, I think it's safe to say that just by suiting up for the Super Bowl future Hall of Famer Tom Brady is further cement his legacy in the National Football League.

Anyone and everyone outside of the New England area seems to be a Tom Brady hater. I hear fans say it's because the league treats him very well, but I think it's simply because they wish they were him. That's usually why people hate another person: jealousy.

Brady has what every man in the United States is dying to have: good looks, hot wife, perfect life as the league's best quarterback, money. What more could you want? Now he is one win away from surpassing Joe Montana as the most decorated postseason quarterback in NFL history.

This will be his fifth appearance in the Super Bowl, which ties Denver's John Elway with most by a quarterback in the history of the league. With his 23-20 win over Baltimore on Sunday, despite his two almost-costly interceptions, Brady tied the legendary Montana with most-ever postseason victories at 16. Only difference between Brady and Elway, and Brady and Montana? Brady has more rings than Elway and Brady has a better winning percentage (regular season and postseason) than Montana.

I'm not a Patriots fan or a Brady lover, but you have to respect what he's done over the last 12 seasons. Elway played 16 years and captured two rings in his final two years in the league, and Montana played 15 years, won four Super Bowls and three SB MVPs spread throughout his career. In just 12 seasons in the league, Brady has won three Super Bowls and earned two Super Bowl MVP awards.

And you have to take in to consideration that he has only played nine complete seasons (didn't start in his rookie season, 14 starts in first SB season in 2001 and suffered season-ending injury in Week 1 game of 2008 season). His list of accomplishments seems endless:

• Two-time AP NFL MVP ('07, '10)
• Seven-time Pro Bowler
• Two-time First team All Pro, one-time Second team All Pro
• Three-time Super Bowl champion
• Two-time Super Bowl MVP
• Five-time AFC Champion
• SI Sportsman of the Year (2005)
• NFL Comeback Player of the Year (2009)

Some of his records include most passing touchdowns in a single-season (50), most consecutive passing attempts without an interception (358), most consecutive postseason wins (10), most TDs in one half in a postseason game (5) and fewest starts to achieve 100 career wins (131 starts).

He also became the only quarterback in history to win three Super Bowls before the age of 28. Of course he received help from his supporting cast, because there's no way one guy has the ability to make that much of an impact in a team sport such as football. But the idea that Brady managed to help keep the Pats as contenders each and every year since his second season is quite a feat in itself.

Now, it's time for the Brady/Montana comparisons (career in regular season):

Montana (164 starts in 15 seasons): 117-47 record, 63.2%, 40,551 yards, 273 TDs, 139 INT, 92.3 QBR, 26 fourth quarter comebacks, 28 game-winning drives

Brady (159 starts in 12 seasons): 124-35 record, 63.8%, 39,979 yards, 300 TDs, 115 INT, 96.4 QBR, 24 fourth quarter comebacks, 34 game-winning drives

If Brady's superior record, TD total and overall rating weren't enough to prove that Brady has accomplished more with less, then perhaps his postseason numbers will suffice:

Montana (23 starts): 16-7 record, 62.7%, 5,772 yards, 45 TDs, 21 INT, 95.6 QBR

Brady (21 starts): 16-5 record, 62.8%, 5,009 yards, 36 TDs, 19 INT, 87.6 QBR

The only number that truly matters, I believe, when comparing the two is number of rings. Montana currently sits atop with Pittsburgh's Terry Bradshaw with four Super Bowls.

However, if Brady is able to knock off Eli Manning and the Giants I think it's safe to say we have a new King of the Postseason. And he doesn't go by the name of Joe Montana.

Photo credit

Montana: found on makefive.com

Brady: found on nflpassers.com

Giants/Patriots: Super Bowl XLII Rematch

The National Football League's championship game has been set, and it will feature a heavyweight rematch between Bill Belichick/Tom Brady and Tom Coughlin/Eli Manning for the second time in the last five Super Bowls.

The two will face off in Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis on February 5, just four years after Manning led his underdog Giants to a 17-14 victory over the then-undefeated Brady-led New England Patriots.

Brady is looking to join legends Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw as the only quarterbacks to win four Super Bowls throughout their respective careers. Brady already tied Montana by winning his 16th career postseason game, and he now has a better postseason record than Montana did (16-5).

Eli, on the other hand, is vying for his second Super Bowl title, which would allow him to surpass his older brother Peyton when it comes to rings. I would already crown Eli with the title of better postseason quarterback, to be honest. Throughout Peyton's playoff career he has put up a 9-10 overall record, winning one Super Bowl and going one-and-done on seven different occasions.

Eli's G-men have been road warriors, going 2-0 on the road in the postseason this year (1-0 at home) and going 5-1 on the road under the Coughlin/Manning duo–overall postseason record for Manning is 7-3. He looks to have finally gotten over his inconsistencies on his way to a grand postseason performance this season–76/123, 62%, 307.6 passing yards/game, 8 TDs, 1 INT.

I ran across some interesting facts on Trey Wingo's twitter page about the postseason history that was made in yesterday's pair of championship games:

*The Giants are 5-0 in NFC Championship games.

*First time since NFL/AFL merger that both games were decided by three points or less.

*In the Brady era NE only has three game losing streaks to two teams, the Colts and Broncos. But the Giants, if they win in two weeks, would have won three straight against New England as well.

*Yesterday was only the third time in the last 17 years that two teams with at least 12 wins both lost in the Championship.

(Special thanks to the NFL Live host for providing me with some interesting content for today's article/recap).

AFC Championship: Patriots 23, Ravens 20

Baltimore's quarterback Joe Flacco (5-4 in postseason in four pro seasons), after being called out by teammate and free safety Ed Reed for inconsistent play against the Texans last weekend, stepped up his game and out-passed future Hall of Famer Tom Brady. Miraculously, enough.

And though Baltimore's highly-touted defense got little to no pressure on Tom Brady, sacking him just once, they were still able to force two Brady INT's. But miscues in a couple of different dimensions led to Baltimore's eventual downfall. They were given a couple of chances to stay in the game with a couple of forced turnovers on defense and a late three-and-out from NE's offense.

The final drive, however, featured a dropped pass in the end zone by veteran Lee Evans, which would have given Baltimore the lead with under a minute to play, and then a missed 32-yard field goal by the league's highest-paid kicker Billy Cundiff. The kick would have tied the game and likely sent it in to overtime, but instead he shanked it to the left and gave the ball back to Brady & Co.

Cundiff, one of the two scapegoats in the AFC Championship game, wasn't the only player who had a bad day (there's a guy in San Francisco who feels similarly). I, personally, feel really badly for him and Evans both. Both are solid players who happened to make mistakes on one of the biggest stages in football. The only thing that would have been worse is to have that happen in the Super Bowl.

The 23-20 New England victory was the second consecutive 23-20 victory over Baltimore, as they defeated them by that score (in overtime) in their Week 6 matchup last season on Sunday October 17, 2010. Belichick and Brady will be going to their fifth Super Bowl together as a team and hope to join Montana and Bradshaw atop the Super Bowl victory category by the end of the night.

NFC Championship: Giants 20, 49ers 17 (OT)

I got this pick wrong, dropping me to 1-1 on the round and 7-3 in the postseason. I thought to myself that I'd love to see Manning win yet another game on the road, but didn't think the Giants could stay hot for another game. I was wrong.

Both teams struggled early in the game on the offensive side of the ball, having trouble moving down the field. But New York was able to control the clock for nearly 40 minutes despite just 85 rushing yards on 26 carries (3.3 YPC avg.). Manning attempted a career-high 58 passes, completed over half of those attempts for 316 yards and two touchdowns. He had a couple of errant, inaccurate passes but played one of the best games of his postseason career in the wet conditions of Candlestick Park.

Those rainy conditions, of course, were supposed to dampen the passing games of both teams, but that did not stop head coach Tom Coughlin from putting the ball in Manning's hands and letting him do what he's done all season, on his way to his second career Pro Bowl selection. He wont play in the game, of course, because he'll be too busy preparing himself for the Patriots. But it's still nice to see him get the recognition he deserves.

The young Victor Cruz, who I saw play two preseasons ago and knew he would eventually break out in to a receiver to be reckoned with, had the game of his life despite his zero touchdown catches. He caught 10 passes for 142 yards and was Eli's go-to guy on third downs, coming up with big catch after big catch to keep New York alive.

Though it was San Francisco's second-year wideout Kyle Williams who was the cause of two San Francisco miscues–allowing a punt to hit him on the knee and bounce in to NY's hands, and then fumbling a punt deep inside SF territory to give New York the ball back in overtime–the Niners didn't have a game they would like to remember.

Quarterback Alex Smith threw for nearly 200 yards, two TDs and ran for 42 yards while Gore added 74 on the ground, but the offense went just 1 for 13 on third downs. That's not acceptable for a team that expects to contend for the Super Bowl.

Unfortunately the young Williams received a couple of death threats via twitter, but there's no way he should shoulder the blame for the San Francisco loss. If people, or "fans," are sending death threats to, not only players, but the players' families then they should not consider themselves fans. It's ridiculous what some fans do when their team loses a game, and it's making everyone else look terrible.

I sympathize with Williams, Cundiff and Evans and wish them the best in the rest of their professional careers.

But for now, it's on to the Super Bowl! In my preseason predictions I had the New England Patriots winning the Super Bowl (against the Eagles, so I only got part of my prediction correct so far). I feel pretty knowledgable in calling that, but with Manning going up against Brady again, anything can happen. Manning, by the way, is 2-1 in his career against the Patriots. He beat them earlier this season, in SBXLII, and the one loss came on December 29, 2007 (38-35) during the Patriots' 16-0 regular season.

Photo credit

Brady/Manning: Associated Press

Cundiff vs. Pats: Elsa/Getty Images

Kyle Williams: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

AFC Championship is Anyone's Game at this Point

The AFC North division champion Baltimore Ravens are heading to Foxboro, Mass. this Sunday to face the No. 1 seeded New England Patriots for a chance to play in the Super Bowl in Indianapolis in February.

Baltimore's stingy defense helped them overcome the Houston Texans' hard-hitting defense and its five sacks of quarterback Joe Flacco, who was also hit on six additional plays and had seven passes defensed against Houston's fourth-ranked overall defense.

Flacco has been a bit of a disappointment this season, as he has been very inconsistent throughout the season, sometimes not even bringing his A game against teams with losing records such as Jacksonville and Seattle. A pair of rookie Texans–DE J.J. Watt and LB Brooks Reed–each recorded 2.5 sacks and combined for 15 solo tackles, including four TFLs (tackles for a loss) against Baltimore's passing attack.

Like I had said in my Preview for this game, the Ravens would win but they would need Ray Rice to get plenty of touches in order for them to do so. Well, he did. He carried the ball 21 times for 60 yards and caught four passes for 20 yards. Clearly he received his fair share of touches, but he wasn't very effective with the ball in his hands (2.9 Y/A, 5.0 Y/R).

I ended up only being half right about the outcome of the game: I picked the winner, but Baltimore's 20-13 victory came because of a dominating defensive effort against rookie signal caller T.J. Yates.

Overall Yates looked closer to a veteran quarterback than a rookie at times. His three interceptions were devastating and led to either BAL points or, as his last one sailed into veteran safety Ed Reed's hands, sealed the victory. Baltimore dropped numerous other possible INT's, which were simple rookie mistakes on Yates' part. But T.J. made a couple of throws that only a handful of QBs are normally able to execute.

This brings me to my next point. If you watched the first AFC matchup of the weekend then I'm sure you noticed how on point Tom Brady was with all of his throws. He was on fire, going 26/34 for 363 yards and 6 TDs with one interception. His five first half TD passes set the postseason record for most in a single half, and his six total tied the postseason record for a single game.

Denver's pass rush struggled to even lay a hand on him (two QB hits, two PDs, 0 sacks) and Brady had no trouble finding tight end Rob Gronkowski in the end zone on three different occasions.

Baltimore's pass rush is far more dangerous than that of Denver, but that doesn't mean Brady is going to turn the ball over. Flacco got his chances at putting the ball in the end zone thanks to the four turnovers his defense forced on Houston. New England, however, doesn't turn the ball over. In fact, they did that just 17 times this entire season (third-least in the league).

Say what you want about New England's porous pass defense, but they have thrived all season on forcing turnovers, much like Baltimore's D, and Flacco's offense is far more vulnerable than New England when it comes to losing the football.

Here's how you know your team is in trouble: Ed Reed made an appearance on The Blitz on SiriusXM's NFL Radio and he made it clear that the Ravens needed to step up as a team this Sunday against the Patriots. He hinted towards the idea that Joe Flacco looked a little rattled by Houston's defense, and that the offense needed to make improvements if they expected to win against New England.


Before this weekend's slate of games I had New England over Denver, Baltimore over Houston, and then Baltimore defeating the Patriots in the Championship game for a trip to the Super Bowl. But after watching New England destroy the Broncos defense with 45 points Saturday night, I may have to re-think my pick.

That's why I will be waiting until the very end of the week to make my two picks. Not only is the AFC game tough to call, but both the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers lit up the scoreboards against their respective Divisional round opponents. With my 6-2 postseason record on the line, I will be taking every second I have to re-evaluate these two match-ups.

Who do you have representing each Conference in Super Bowl XLVI?

Photo credit
Joe Flacco: Rob Carr/Getty Images
Brandon Spikes: Al Bello/Getty Images

Why Tom Brady should grace the cover of Madden '12

Love him or hate him, Tom Brady is one of the most successful signal callers in NFL history.

With three Super Bowl rings, Brady is among the likes of Joe Montana (four rings), Terry Bradshaw (four rings), Troy Aikman (three rings), John Elway (two rings) and Roger Staubach (2 rings) in the category of most successful quarterbacks.

Brady currently holds numerous passing records--including most touchdown passes in a single season with 50--and has already been elected to six Pro Bowls and two first-team All Pro squads.

At age 33, Brady still has a couple of solid seasons ahead of him and is approximately 6,000 passing yards away from surpassing Montana in that category.

Brady just won his second career league MVP award this past season after putting up 36 passing touchdowns, 3,900 yards, just four interceptions, and a rating of 111.0. His Patriots were one-and-done in the postseason, but that doesn't diminish his regular season accomplishments one bit.

After all this I just have one question, why has he yet to appear on the cover of Madden?

When you take a look at the 32-player "Madden '12 cover bracket," big names such as Brady and Peyton Manning have been left off. Rather, some of the not-so-well known guys (such as Danny Woodhead and a few offensive lineman) are representing their respective teams in the process.

This has been explained a few different times, but basically EA Sports is trying to give the non-superstars a chance at the Madden cover, which I certainly support. But, I don't know if it's really the best idea if they are trying to rack up big bucks like usual. Maybe they aren't this year, who knows, but I do know that I highly doubt that the game will break the record for most money made on a video game.

In my opinion, I almost think they are trying to keep Brady and Manning away because they want to keep the NFL's 'prettyboys' away from this so-called Madden Curse. If so, they are greatly succeeding at doing so.

Either way, Brady wont be on the cover again this year and I really think he should be on the cover at some point in his career.

I'm not one of those guys who is in love with Tom Brady, first of all because I am not a Patriots fan, but I'm not a Brady-basher either. Too many people have been hating on Brady because he's just seen as one of those prettyboy quarterbacks, even though prettyboy quarterbacks of the past (Montana, Namath, Marino just to name a few) were absolutely loved by the fans.

It just doesn't seem right to me. Yes, Brady is very well-protected by his offensive line, and maybe the league officials throw a few more penalty flags on plays where he ends up on the ground. But the truth of the matter is, we are witnessing one of the purest passers in the history of the league.

Fans need to start appreciating that fact, because he very well could go down in history as the NFL's greatest quarterbacks of all-time by the end of his career.

I did my homework and looked up "Tom Brady and the Madden cover" just to see if he happened to pass up the opportunity to grace the cover in the past, and I didn't find a single thing. It looks as if EA Sports is trying to keep him away from the "curse."

If my name was Tom Brady, I know I wouldn't be scared of a silly curse.

Photo: no copyright infringement intended

Michael Vick Wins Comeback Player of the Year Award; Tom Brady Unanimously Voted as AP Most Valuable Player

Yesterday the league announced that Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback Michael Vick had won the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year award, and rightly so.

In his first full season back after serving jail time for his participation in dog fighting, Vick led the Eagles to a 10-6 record and an NFC East title. His Eagles were one and done in the playoffs after failing to come back against the Pack, who were eventual NFC Champions, in the opening round.

Before his jail term, Vick was a run-oriented quarterback and was always looking for a running lane rather than an open receiver. But this year, his throwing arm seemed remarkably stronger, and more accurate. Not only was he concentrated on passing the ball first, be he was also a more effective runner when he did tuck the ball away and take off down the field.

Vick wasn't even named the opening day starter, and only got the chance to start because of the concussion that Kevin Kolb suffered in the first week of the season against Green Bay. Vick ended the season with 3,018 passing yards and 21 touchdowns, both career-highs. He also set a career-high with nine rushing touchdowns (100 attempts, 676 yards). Even more impressive? He threw just six interceptions, and didn't throw his first until week 11.

If Tom Brady didn't have a near flawless regular season--not postseason, the award is given out according to regular season play--then Vick may have had a shot at winning the MVP as well. Instead, Brady became the first player in history to win unanimously win the league MVP award.

Brady led his Patriots to a league-best 14-2 record, and threw a league-high 36 touchdown passes. The NFL Offensive Player of the Year (handed out earlier this week) threw for just shy of 4,000 yards (3,900) and just four interceptions, which is the least amount he has thrown in one season discounting 2008 when he missed the entire season.

Other awards handed out this week: Sam Bradford and Ndamukong Suh won Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year respectively. And rightly so.

Photo credit

Michael Vick: Kirby Lee/NFL

Tom Brady: Kirby Lee/NFL

Jets Talk-the-Talk, and Show they can Walk-the-Walk with Playoff Victory over Pats

I have to admit it, Rex Ryan's Jets did it once again.

I was expecting Mr. Playoff himself, Tom Brady, to walk in their and send the Jets home with their tails between their legs. But the defense stepped it up and backed up all their trash talk earlier that week, and made Wes Welker look silly after his 11 foot references, direct towards coach Ryan, in a press conference earlier this week.

As much as I didn't like to see the loud and obnoxious Jets do exactly what they keep saying they were going to do, you gotta tip your hats to them. They showed the NFL world that Brady can, and will be, stopped. Much like the Baltimore Ravens did last year against the Pats.

I can't exactly remember who it was, but I noticed someone that I follow on twitter that the New England Patriots haven't won a big game since they were caught cheating in '07. Interesting piece of information, though I really don't believe that it's that big of a deal.

The Patriots have had a target on their back since the last time they won the Super Bowl, and it seems opposing coaches have done a very nice job coming up with a game plan to stop them over the last couple of seasons.

What the Patriots failed to do is get pressure on Mark Sanchez. The mistakes and turnovers come when he's being hit and rushed, but the Pats' pass rush couldn't get to him and bring him down all game. With no pressure, comes no turnovers for this young signal caller.

It surely was a struggle for both teams early on, as New York couldn't take advantage of Tom Brady's first interception since he threw two in the team's week five showdown with Baltimore. After just three plays following David Harris's 58-yard return of the INT, kicker Nick Folk missed a 30-yard field which went just inches to the left of the upright.

That was Brady's only mistake of the game as he threw for 299 yards and two TDs throughout the game. But after taking an early 3-0 lead, New England allowed the Jets to take its first lead of the day with a 7-yard run from running back Ladainian Tomlinson, who isn't much of a fan of the Pats after his Chargers fell to them in the 2006 AFC Divisional round and he watched the Patriots dance on the No. 1 seed's logo in the middle of the field.

After that game he called them out for having 'no class' in the press conference, and has hated them ever since. I actually tend to believe that that's one of the many reasons he signed with the Jets this offseason. Because of the rivalry with New England.

Mark Sanchez threw his first of a career playoff-high three TDs during the second quarter, just before the half, to wideout Braylon Edwards from 15 yards out. This allowed the Jets to carry the momentum in to the locker room at the half, leading 14-3.

It didn't seem as though anyone doubted that Tom Brady and Bill Belichick wouldn't come right back out with a few adjustments and get back in to this game early in the second half. But, no scoring took place until less than a minute remained in the third quarter, and it was Brady's first TD pass of the game to Alge Crumpler from two yards out. Sammy Morris scored his first points of the season after running the ball in for the successful two-point conversion try, making it a three-point game (14-11) at the end of three quarters.

Once again, Brady is dangerous in the fourth quarter. And once again New York proved to everyone that they can hang with their AFC East counterpart, scoring another Sanchez touchdown. This one was to Mr. Postseason himself, wideout Santonio Holmes, who now has caught four touchdown passes in his six postseason games. Just two minutes in to the final quarter of play and New York was back to a 10-point lead.

New England's 14-play drive after the NY touchdown, which elapsed nearly eight full minutes of action, ended when Deion Branch dropped a pass on fourth & 13. With five minutes to play after the dropped pass, it seemed the Pats chances had slipped away. New York failed to pick up a first down on their drive, though, and was forced to give the ball right back with a 10-point lead still.

New England got a Shayne Graham field goal with a minute and a half to play, but a failed onside kick attempt led to another New York touchdown, this one run in by running back Shonn Greene. Down 28-14, New England did witness another Brady touchdown to Branch, putting them within seven. But the Pats were finally put out of their misery after they failed on a second onside kick.

Rex Ryan was pumped, Bart Scott was pumped as he showed in a post-game interview (though the overrated linebacker only contributed two tackles on defense) and yes, Braylon Edwards was pumped as well, showing his enthusiasm with a cart-wheel followed by a backflip in the middle of the playing field. Some Patriots' players decided not to shake hands in the middle of the field afterwards because they felt as though some of the Jets weren't showing any class.

Deion Branch even called out some of those Jets players in the press room afterwards. It's a bit funny, in my opinion, because isn't that exactly what New England did to the Jets just six weeks ago when they routed New York by 42 points? I believe that's exactly what happened.

So of course New York is going to do this after defeating the favored Pats, in their own house.

If you can't take it, New England, please don't dish it out. You started this, New York's trash talk--and defeat of the Pats--just finished it for you.

(Note: I do not approve of the class-less Jets actions after the game, but at the same time I don't think it's fair for the Patriots to cry about it when that's exactly what they did to New York earlier in the season.)

Should be a great AFC Championship game next week in Pittsburgh! But I will likely be picking against the Jets for the second straight week. I wonder if they will prove me wrong again?

Photo credit

Ladainian Tomlinson: NFL/Kirby Lee

David Harris: AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

Rex, Cromartie Continue to Blast Brady and the Pats; When Will They Learn?

When are these Jets ever going to learn? I respect Rex Ryan and all for what he has done with these Jets despite an inconsistent and inexperienced Mark Sanchez at the helm of the offense. But when is this never-ending trash talk with the Pats going to end?

Antonio Cromartie, New York's cornerback, was the latest to sound off and "bash" Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. What I find rather funny in this particular situation is that Cromartie has played in seven career postseason games (3-4 record) and two of his four losses came against Brady and Belichick's Pats while he was playing in San Diego.

Anyways, of all teams, the Jets are in no position to trash Brady and the Patriots. This decade alone the Patriots have defeated the Jets 15 out of 23 games, including once in the playoffs (the score of that game was 37-16).

Now obviously we have entered a new era with head coach Rex Ryan coming in to the picture last season, and since he has taken over, the Jets and Patriots have each won two head-to-head games--a season series split last year and this year.

The most recent memory between New York and New England, though, was an embarrassing 45-3 beat down at Foxboro. New York's sixth overall defense couldn't force a single turnover then (at NE) and against the Colts this past week, so how do they expect to force any this week against the near-perfect Tom Brady, who threw just five interceptions this season (least amount in the league).

New England's second half offense put up 30 points or more in eight straight games, and over that stretch they played defenses such as Pittsburgh, Chicago and Green Bay. All three of those teams are in the top four in scoring defense.

Rex and his shenanigans started out just a fun little way of him having a good time and relieving some stress that builds up as an NFL head coach, but as of late he has crossed the line far too many times.

For the New York Jets to walk in to Foxboro Sunday afternoon and soundly defeat the New England Patriots on their home turf, a place where they are 11-2 all-time in the postseason, the entire squad will need to be 100% mistake-free. And, yes, I am pointing at you, Mark Sanchez!

Until this happens, I suggest you (Rex Ryan and Antonio Cromartie) to keep your mouths shut. Thank you very much.

Interesting Fact: Five teams in NFL history (including this year's Jets) have been beaten by a team by 37 or more points in the regular season and then played them again later that year in the postseason. Of the previous four teams (2009 Bengals vs. Jets, 1991 Lions vs. Redskins, 1991 Falcons vs. Redskins, 1969 Browns vs. Vikings) none of those teams have managed to redeem themselves and pull off a victory.

Personally, I can't wait until the two teams hit the field and Tom Brady shows the Jets how to play football...without all the unneeded trash-talking which the Jets like to do so much. Some people enjoy it, but it has gotten way too out-of-hand and this is why I respect Brady and Belichick so much. They don't let Rex get to them and they just go out every week and show the nation how it's done. Gotta respect that.

Rex later said he and the Jets' organization "respect Tom Brady and the Patriots," and the way he's talked about them in the past there's no way that's true. Sorry, Rex, but I may have to call BS on your comment.

And once again, after watching Sammy Morris, Alge Crumpler and Deion Branch answer questions in a press conference, they didn't take any shots against the Jets. But instead, they simply said they were gonna do all they can to protect Brady.

Photo credit

Mark Sanchez: AP Photo/Charles Krupa

BenJarvus Green Ellis: AP Photo/StephanSavola

Mr. Heck's Regular Season Awards

With a crazy 2010 regular season finally in the books, it's time for my annual "Regular Season Awards." I know what you're saying, and yes my title for these awards isn't very creative, but it will have to do until I can come up with a fancier name, sorry.

Most Valuable Player: Tom Brady

Everyone seems to wanna give this award to Michael Vick. But, the truth is Brady was far more consistent throughout the season than Vick. While Vick went his first seven games without an interception, he threw six in the last five games of the season. Brady through four all season and ended up playing the final 11 games without an interception. Twelve of Brady's 16 games he threw for multiple touchdowns and had a quarterback rating of 100 or better in 12 games. Vick was an all-around solid player this season, but Brady put up numbers reminiscent of New England's undefeated regular season in 2007.

Runner ups: Michael Vick, Phillip Rivers

Rookies of the Year: LeGarrette Blount (offense) and Ndamukong Suh (defense)

For Blount, the road to the NFL was a rocky one after his punching incident in week one of the college football season last year after his Oregon Ducks fell to the Boise State Broncos. He was suspended indefinitely and his chances at going pro were put in jeopardy. Tampa Bay, looking for a consistent runner who could play on first and second downs, claimed Blount off waivers (from the Titans) on September 6. It wasn't until week four against the Cardinals that Blount broke out and raised some eye brows with a 120 yard, two TD performance. He went on to break 1,000 yards rushing with four 100-yard games and a couple of highlight reel plays (jumped completely over two defenders on two separate occasions this season). Blount's Bucs just barely missed out on the playoffs this season, unfortunately.

Suh, a Heisman trophy finalist in 2009, made an immediate impact in the NFL this season. The 6'4'', 307 pounder was first among defensive tackles with 10 sacks as he started all 16 games this season. Suh's 66 total tackles was seventh-best among defensive lineman. The former Nebraska Cornhusker forced fear in to his opposition with a big hit he put on Cleveland Browns' quarterback Jake Delhomme in the preseason. Suh was fined $7,500 by commissioner Roger Goodell for the hit in which he slammed Delhomme down to the turf. Suh, unlike my offensive rookie of the year Blount, was awarded a Pro Bowl selection this season. This is the first of what should be many in the years to come for Ndamukong.

Runner ups: Sam Bradford (offense) and Eric Berry (defense)

Breakout Player: Arian Foster

Houston seemed to be lost for words as soon as they learned that their rookie running back Ben Tate would miss the rest of the season after suffering a leg injury in the very first preseason game. A couple weeks later they would discover a guy who would carry the workload for a majority of the season. Foster, who ran the ball just 54 times for 257 yards and three touchdowns in his rookie season last year, ran all over the Indianapolis Colts in week one (a franchise-record 331 to be exact). Foster put up seven 100-yard games and five multi-TD performances throughout the season, and ended the 16-game schedule with a league-high 1,616 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground. Foster is on the radar in 100 percent of fantasy leagues after this season.

Runner ups: Peyton Hillis, Cameron Wake, Brandon Lloyd

Comeback Player of the Year: Michael Vick

He didn't get my MVP vote, but the fact that he went from not playing in the league at all in 2007 and 2008, to just 13 pass attempts and 24 rush attempts in 2009, to a Pro Bowl selection and an MVP-type performance in 2010 warrants this award. Vick's career-high 3,018 yards and 21 touchdown passes showed the NFL world that Vick can--and will--throw the ball. His 676 rushing yards and nine TDs sure did help too. I look forward to seeing what he and the Eagles do in the playoffs.

Runner ups: Brian Urlacher, Braylon Edwards

Biggest Disappointment: Brett Favre

What can I say? After last season's career year, we probably should have been expecting a letdown in 2010, but yet we're still all disappointed that it had to end this way. His consecutive games played streak was ended and the last image we may have of Favre is of him being slammed in to the turf by a rookie defensive lineman, causing a concussion on a rock solid Soldier Field surface in a 40-14 loss. Favre's 19 interceptions and Minnesota's 6-10 record sure didn't help matters. There's still a chance he could come back in 2011, but I really do not expect it to happen. I think he has finally discovered that his body can't take the beating any longer.

Runner ups: Donovan McNabb

Coach of the Year: Lovie Smith (Chicago)

Green Bay and Minnesota made all the headlines and front pages this off-season, but it was in Chicago where all the hard work finally paid off during the 2010 season. Quarterback Jay Cutler put up over 3,000 yards and 20 touchdown passes for the fourth straight season and was able to protect the ball a little better than last year, going from 26 int's from '09 to 16 this season. He had to adjust to yet another offense as Mike Martz was brought in as the coordinator. But it was really Lovie's defense that was able to get the Bears' its first division title since the year they played Indy in the Super Bowl back in 2006. Good luck to Lovie and his Bears in the playoffs.

Runner ups: Todd Haley

If you have any other awards you would like to "hand out" feel free to inform me of them in the comment section.

Photo Credit
LeGarrette Blount: AP Photo/Bill Haber
Arian Foster: AP Photo/Dave Einsel
Brett Favre: AP Photo/Ann Heisenfelt

Tired of "Fans" Hating on Tom Brady

This is one of my pet peeves when it comes to all of these so-called NFL fans. Calling him offensive names is not going to change the fact that he will go down in history as one of the best quarterbacks in league history.

The 33-year old has three Super Bowl championships, two Super Bowl MVP awards, a league MVP award (2007), five Pro Bowl selections, etc., etc., etc.

Yes, ok, I agree he is a bit of a pretty boy. And, yes, at times it may seem that the league is overly protective. But, with his top-tier offensive line he is able to pick apart defenses like it's his job--oh wait, it is his job, isn't it? And he does his job better than anyone else out there. After watching him tear apart Pittsburgh's hard-hitting defense last night, putting up 39 against the league's leader in points allowed per game, I'm convinced that Brady isn't going away anytime soon.

Much like Indianapolis' three-time MVP quarterback Peyton Manning, I really don't think it matters who Brady's weapons are. In fact, just twice in Brady's 11 seasons have the Pats ranked in the top 10 in rushing. Could be the result of Belichick trusting Brady with the ball in his hands, and the team's pas-to-run ratio. But nonetheless, Brady turns decent receivers in to great receivers, and Belichick's calm coaching style complements Brady well.

Hate the pretty boy all you want, but if you're a fan of football, the passing game in particular, you should appreciate Brady's approach and his passion for the game of football. Stop hating just because he knows how to win games and doesn't buckle under pressure. Please and thank you.

Photo Credit
Tom Brady: Joe Robbins/NFL