The Great Debate: Part 2

With the draft over, it’s time to make the way-to-early predictions on who will be the standout quarterback in this class: Matthew Stafford or Mark Sanchez (Sorry Chase Daniel, you have to be drafted to be in this discussion…And be over six feet tall…You should also probably avoid doing this too.) When debating the merits of these two quarterbacks, it’s clear that Mark Sanchez will be the better pro.

First, let’s look at the pedigree of the two quarterbacks. Over the past few years, USC has sent Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, Matt Cassell, and John David Booty to the pros. Palmer has been to multiple pro bowls, Cassell had a spectacular season last year, Booty is still developing after being a rookie last year, and Matt Leinart…well at least he’s having fun. As for Georgia, let’s just say that David Greene and D.J. Shockley haven’t exactly been standouts. Also factor in that Mark Sanchez is better equipped to being in the spotlight. With no NFL team in Los Angeles, the Trojans are the main attraction. As a result, Sanchez knows what it’s like to be top dog in a huge market and has a greater maturity and understanding due to this.

An argument against Sanchez is that he only started one season in college. While he could have benefited from another year, he’ll still have the better career than Stafford. USC alum Matt Cassell started a grand total of 0 games in college, yet had a great year last year. While Stafford has started three years at Georgia, he hasn’t exactly been a dominant player. In his three years as a Bulldog, Stafford threw 33 interceptions. He’s simply way too inconsistent to be a top level NFL quarterback.

Even further, in his biggest game of this past year against the Florida Gators, Georgia got manhandled 49-10. In that game, Stafford threw 3 interceptions and 0 touchdowns. To add insult to injury, Georgia’s one touchdown came after Stafford left the game. Simply put, Stafford hasn’t come through in the clutch. On the other hand, Sanchez has excelled in the spotlight. In the Trojans three biggest games against Ohio State, rival UCLA, and Rose Bowl opponent Penn State, Sanchez threw 10 touchdowns, and only two interceptions.

One of the biggest variables in this equation (Sorry, had to throw in a Lost reference) is the NFL teams each player is headed to. Sanchez gets the win here in an absolute no-brainer, as he gets to play with an established franchise in the New York Jets. As for Stafford, he gets the pleasure of playing for the winless Detroit Lions. While they do have a stud receiver in Calvin Johnson, they’re lacking in about every other position. They have a horrible running game and one of the worst offensive lines in football. Detroit might as well line up a turnstile at offensive tackle, as it’ll produce the same results. With no help in the running game, Stafford will take a beating on a weekly basis, as teams will consistently put him on the ground. It’ll be as one-sided as Ivan Drago pummeling Apollo Creed. On the other side, the Jets have a much more established line, and a playmaker at running back in Thomas Jones. As a result, Sanchez won’t feel as much pressure as Stafford surely will experience.

Lastly, look at the motivation each player has. Stafford will get 48 MILLION DOLLARS guaranteed while he plays for the Lions. It doesn’t matter how bad he plays…the money is his. How much motivation is there for him to push himself when he doesn’t need to? For a guy with questionable intelligence, this might not be a great situation. On the other hand, Sanchez will have more of a chip on his shoulder, as he’ll have the motivation to prove he should have been the first pick in this year’s draft. Bottom line, when you look at all these factors, there’s no doubt that Sanchez will be the superior pro.

The Great Debate: Part 1

Let the debate begin. Matthew Stafford vs. Mark Sanchez. They will be linked together like Tim Couch/Donovan McNabb, Peyton Manning/Ryan Leaf, Eli Manning/Phillip Rivers; and Alex Smith/Aaron Rodgers. Sorry, I would have more historic references but I am only 22. Ask Guy #1 for those, he is our resident old man. Anyway, we are faced with the task of determining who will be the better pro quarterback, Matthew Stafford or Mark Sanchez. Some might say it is stupid to try to predict who is going to be better, between quarterbacks who have yet to take NFL snaps. However, we are Guys who like sports and don’t care who knows, and we do stupid things from time to time. For example, we chug whiskey and compare two rookie quarterbacks. You have to live sometimes.

To begin this argument we need to set the ground rules. We aren't trying to argue to see who is the better overall quarterback right now because as the Florida homers we are, we’d clearly take Sanchez over Stafford any day. This comparison is strictly to see who will have a better pro career when it’s all said and done. Rather than just taking into account draft grades, we will take into account current team situation, arm strength, media attention and pressure, technical skills and other metrics when determining who has the better pro career… actually I think we can throw that out the window because Stafford is going to be throwing to Calvin Johnson. Do I even need to continue this argument, the guy is nicknamed Megatron. For the next two years you’ll be watching your favorite team play and then JB or whatever low-life they have anchoring the Fox pregame show, come on and say, “We have a scoring update for you from Detroit.” It will be an amazing hookup between Matthew Stafford and Megatron to cut the lead to 38 (whoever the Lions are playing) to 17 (Lions).

Meanwhile, Mark Sanchez will be pounding the ball to Thomas Jones, throwing screen passes to Leon Washington and then trying to rely on Dustin Keller and Jericho Cotchery, as his go to guys. I don’t like where this is going. Although Sanchez might have a better offensive line to protect him and running game to depend on, he is going to be playing in an extremely hard division without a safety blanket at receiver to rely on. There will be multiple times this year where faced with defensive pressure, Stafford will just throw the ball up and Megatron will make the play for him. Sanchez just doesn't have this luxury.

Also, while Mark Sanchez was backing up Matt Leinart and John David Booty, Matthew Stafford was starting in the Georgia pro-style offense for those two years. Some might use this argument in Sanchez's favor, saying that he has the better pedigree coming from USC, which has produced Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, and John David Booty in recent years. However, Palmer, Leinart, and Booty all had the chance to start for more than one season while Sanchez only started for one. In addition, Sanchez's own coach thought it was a mistake for him to leave college this year.

If you aren't convinced yet that Stafford will have a better career than Mark Sanchez then look no further than who he will be backing up to start his career. From the University of Central Florida, weighing in at 282 pounds, Daunteeeee Cullllpepper. Ladies and Gentlemen, the debate is over, we have our winner.

NFL Draft Thoughts

With the 2009 draft behind us, I want to talk about a few things that have been on my mind.

First off, let's talk about Oakland. With Michael Crabtree available, the player ranked one overall by most draft experts, Oakland inexplicably drafted the player ranked 4th at the same position. Al Davis, what were you thinking?!? drafting Darrius Heyward-Bey with the 7th pick?!?! Mike Lombardi summed it up best in his column on the National Football Post: “It might be 2009 here in America, but in that room, it’s 1960.”

Honestly, I really liked Heyward-Bey going into the draft… as the 25th pick for the Dolphins; however he is a terrible value at seven overall. He may have tremendous upside potential, especially as a deep option to go with JaMarcus Russell, but it bothers me when teams reach and overvalue players who aren’t sure things this early in the draft. If you are that in love with a player, then trade down and get him later. I know he has 4.3 speed, but he has yet to develop into the everyday playmaker a top ten pick must be. This past season at Maryland, he had two games where he didn’t even register a catch.

He has already been labeled as such a potential bust, that it would be a surprise if he actually does well. It’s hard enough to be a rookie in the NFL, but now Heyward-Bey is in a tougher position because he will always be compared to Michael Crabtree. Unless he becomes a superstar, this is a can't win for everyone: the organization, the fans, and Heyward-Bey. To make matters worse, Oakland then took a player ranked by most as a 7th rounder or undrafted free agent in the second round. The two groups that I feel the worst for are Raiders fans and sea monsters. If I were a sea monster I would not want to be part of the same species as Al Davis.

The next thing I wanted to talk about was Percy Harvin going to the Vikings with the 22nd pick. I know a lot of readers have already accused us at Guys Who Like Sports of being complete Percy Harvin homers because we got to watch him for four years at Florida…and all I can say is that we are. If we were writing a blog just about Percy Harvin, the blog would be called, “Guys Who Have Extreme Heterosexual Man Crushes on Percy Harvin and Don’t Care Who Knows”. That being said, we are extremely excited about the prospects of Percy Harvin playing alongside Adrian Peterson. Having a versatile, explosive player like that alongside the best running back in the league will elevate both of their games. So much so that PERCY HARVIN WILL BE OFFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR. That’s right, I said it and here’s why.

The Vikings are the perfect team to utilize Percy because they already run the ball well. They can use Percy as a decoy to take one guy out of the box in order to open up space for Peterson, and they can also use Peterson as a decoy on reverses and end-arounds to open up space on the edge for Harvin. The common thought around the National Football League (we have to spell it out at least once a post like Jaws so we sound smarter) is that defenses are too fast to allow even speedsters like Percy to run East-West, they have to run North-South. However, with a great runner like Adrian Peterson having eight or nine guys in the box keying on him, the opportunities for Percy to get to the edge on quick outs, bubble screens, reverses, and end-arounds will be almost endless. I really can’t think of many players who will be able to tackle Percy Harvin in space.

On top of that, Percy gets to play 8 games a year on fast astro-turf, and their schedule isn’t stacked with great run defenses. They do have to play the Steelers and Ravens, but they get to play the weak NFC West, as well as two games against the Lions. There it is, Percy’s path to Rookie of the Year. Hopefully, Brad Childress doesn’t stifle him, and allows him to turn into the great player he should be.

Friday Night TV Guide

-Cavaliers @ Pistons (Game 3) 7:00, ESPN (Pistons better hope Lebron pulls an Artest if they want any shot)

-Magic @ Sixers (Game 3) 8:00, ESPN2 (Can Ron Jeremy pull it out again?)

-Trail Blazers @ Rockets (Game 3) 9:30, ESPN (Who’ll wag the finger at the Blazers now?)

-Rangers @ Capitals (Game 5) 7:00, Versus (I have no hockey jokes left)

-Prison Break, 8:00, Fox (Remember when they were actually in a prison?)

-Dollhouse, 9:00, Fox (The Joss Wheadon show no one's buzzing about!)

Don't Call it a Comeback!

With the NBA playoffs still relatively young, we’ve been fortunate to already witness several classic games. Derrick Rose led the Bulls to an overtime win against the Celtics in Game 1, and those willing to stay up late last night saw another thriller, as the Jazz came from eight down to knock off the Lakers. Much like the Bulls game, a young point guard stepped up when the pressure was on, as Deron Williams came through in the clutch. Williams hit the game winner with 2.2 seconds to go, as Utah held off first seeded L.A. to creep back into the series.

I joked yesterday about how John Stockton and Karl Malone weren’t walking through that door, but last night the Jazz clearly didn’t need them. Utah has their own 21st Century combo of Stockton/Malone in Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer.

Boozer came through in a monstrous way as he dominated the Lakers inside with 23 points and 22 rebounds. While Boozer has been a rock for the Jazz ever since he came over, Deron Williams has been the most fascinating to watch. While he only had 13 points last night, Williams made the most of them, as he shined with the pressure on. In the post-game news conference, he said the original play was to run a pick and roll with Boozer. However, when that fell apart, Williams took it upon himself and drained the fade away jumper for the win. Make no question about it, Utah was backed into a corner in this game. Down 2-0 at home, they needed a win if they wanted any shot in this series, and Williams delivered that slimmer of hope for Jazz fans.

Will Utah come back to win this series? Probably not, as the chances are slim that Kobe Bryant will be held under twenty points again. But to quote Kevin Garnett (and Lonely Island), with Williams and Boozer on the floor, anything is possible.

NFL Draft Countdown T-minus 1 day

Only one day until the NFL Draft, and I have to say I'm pretty excited. Between now and tomorrow, so many events will unravel that will make clear the questions we have today. Instead of going through a mock draft, or writing some pithy editorial comparing one of the players to Miles Straum or some other character from Lost, I am going to go through one thing about the draft I know, one thing I think will happen, and some things I am very curious to see play out.

First with what I know for certain.

The Lions will take Quarterback Matthew Stafford of Georgia...

or Baylor tackle Jason Smith...

or Wake Forest linebacker Aaron Curry.

I am 100% positive they take one of the three. My sources inside the organization are that good.

The funny thing about how the Lions are handling this pick is that it all depends on whether or not they can get the deal with Stafford done. For whatever the reason, Lions management is more concerned with signing the pick than getting the pick right in the first place. This makes no sense. Yes, Oakland had trouble signing Jamarcus Russell, and that may have hurt them. What would be worse for the Lions though, is to screw up this pick because the guy they want isn't signing right away.

I can see it now. Fast-forward to Saturday with the Lions on the clock. Negotiations with Stafford fall through. The Lions talk with Jason Smith, but he wants a bigger deal than Jake Long, and the Ford family won't give him the money. They try, but can't get a deal done with Aaron Curry as the clock begins to tick down. A flustered Matt Millen calls in the pick, and Commissioner Goodell walks to the podium. “With the first pick, Detroit selects wide receiver Michael Crabtree?”
What?!!!!!!!

But wait... this isn't a parallel universe. The Lions actually fired Millen. So, with the first pick of the NFL draft, they’ll take Stafford whether or not the deal is in place. (The chances of this not happening are about the same as Todd McShay not knowing something about a player).

Next, one thing I think will happen.

Braylon Edwards will get traded. I see Eric Mangini cleaning house, and don’t envision Edwards being apart of his future. with the loss of Plaxico Burress, the Giants would be stupid to pass up on a big, athletic, game changing receiver like Edwards, if he were available. They would be better off with a known entity like Edwards as opposed to a rookie like Hakeem Nicks, Darrius Heyward-Bey, or Kenny Britt. Although Edwards has become the unofficial spokesman for “Butterfingers” lately, he has the ability to separate from coverage, create mismatches for the running game, and make big plays in the passing game: skills that rookie receivers need time to develop.

Lastly, one thing I am definitely eager to see, yet have no clue on.

Where will Mark Sanchez fall? Does a team like the Denver Broncos trade up in the draft to snag him, or does he fall like Aaron Rodgers did in 2005 when he was thought of as a possible top 10 pick before he fell late to the Packers in the first round. There are a lot of stories waiting to unravel on Saturday and it’ll be exciting to see how they pan out.

Thursday Night TV Guide

-Celtics @ Bulls (Game 3) 8:00, TNT (Will Derrick Rose have Doc Rivers sweating profusely again?)

-Spurs @ Mavericks (Game 3) 8:30, NBA TV (Will Eva be in Dallas for Game 3?)

-Lakers @ Jazz (Game 3) 10:30, TNT (Jazz fans: John Stockton and Karl Malone are not walking though that door)

-Flyers @ Penguins (Game 5) 8:00/ Sharks @ Ducks (Game 4) 10:30, Versus (These hockey jokes doing anything for you?)

-The Office, 9:00, NBC (Another Michael Scott Paper Company episode. Should be big. That's what she said.)

-30 Rock, 9:30, NBC (More Salma Hayek is only a good thing)

-Bridget's Sexiest Beaches, 10:00, Travel Channel (If you're really bored.)