Kurt Warner Retires: The Time Has Come For Leinart

Today the 12 year career of Kurt Warner came to an end. I can't say I'm surprised, but I will say a few things about Warner.

First things first, any debate over whether or not Warner is a Hall of Famer is irrational. Though Warner only had (being generous) six good seasons, five of those seasons resulted in a playoff berth, four of those seasons ended with a Pro Bowl, three of those seasons ended with a Super Bowl berth, two included MVP awards, and one ended with a Super Bowl victory and game MVP award. In other words, when Warner was good he was great.

For his career, his numbers compare well to Troy Aikman's, Jim Kelly's, and Terry Bradshaw's; all Hall of Famers.

To sum things up for Warner, before 2007 he wasn't going to be a Hall of Famer. After 2008 he looked like he was going to be one. Now after 2009, Kurt Warner is definitely a Hall of Famer, and he's one of the rare instances where a players talent may not have been astonishing, but his will and positive attitude helped him achieve the highest level of success there is to achieve in professional football.

I will make one last comment about Warner, and it is a thought to chew on in your head. How much did having Orlando Pace, Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce, Marshall Faulk, Larry Fitzgerald, and Anquan Boldin help Warner get to the Hall of Fame? All were All Pro talents without Warner. Warner was never an All Pro talent without them. I'm not saying Warner doesn't belong in the Hall of Fame, because he does. I'm just wondering if Kerry Collins, Drew Bledsoe, or Vinny Testaverde could have put up the same numbers in the same systems with the same results.

Anyway, the real story in Warner's retirement now becomes Matt Leinart. This past season Leinart had to fill in for Warner a few times and looked "alright," but for the most part his career has been a disaster. And while his draft day partners Vince Young, Reggie Bush, and Jay Cutler haven't exactly been excellent, compared to Leinart they've been Hall of Famers.

Part of the problem for Leinart is that the Cardinals quarterback job has never been "his." In 2006, Leinart's rookie year, he started on the bench but performed well in some instances. Leinart entered 2007 looking to take the next step, but lost his job midway through the season never to regain it. From 2007 to 2009 Kurt Warner revitalized a Cardinals franchise that had been dead for decades, leading the franchise to it's first Super Bowl, and in turn keeping Leinart on the bench.

Now Leinart enters 2010 as the probable candidate to take over the Cardinals quarterback job, and in all reality the franchise has no choice. The Cardinals have invested too much money over the past four seasons in Leinart to not find out if they already have their future quarterback. If the Cardinals can satisfy Boldin's needs, Leinart will inherit the most explosive offense in the NFL in a division that doesn't look to be more difficult in 2010 than it was in 2009.

In other words things are looking good for Matt Leinart.

2010 is actually a big year for all of those 2006 to 2007 quarterbacks. Vince Young and Jay Cutler need to prove themselves in Tennessee and Chicago, a failure in 2010 could lead to a new team in 2011 for either. Brady Quinn and JaMarcus Russell of the 2007 draft need to prove themselves in 2010 or both will be unemployed come 2011. But nobody has the pressure that Leinart has entering 2010, after all, Leinart is inheriting the undeniable best team of the bunch.

Anything short of a division title next year and Matt Leinart's tenure as the QB in Arizona becomes unsuccessful. The pressure is on for Leinart, the Cardinals coaching staff, and the Cardinals franchise in general to get back to the elite level of the NFC next year.

And that, at the end of the day, is why Kurt Warner was a Hall of Fame quarterback.

JaMarcus Russell Benched in Favor of Bruce Gradkowski: What This Means For Oakland

So the Raiders have (finally?) made the decision to bench JaMarcus Russell.

Now, many of us saw this coming when the Raiders signed Jeff Garcia, but after Garcia's departure, it's hard to believe that the Raiders are actually making this decision, and mark my words; it is the wrong one.

I hate it when hopeless teams bench developing players in favor of players with no chance at ever developing. I know that Russell has been bad, really bad. But why start Gradkowski? Why not give Russell the job for the rest of the year and let the guy actually start and finish a season for the first time in his three year career? Why start a QB with a career rating of 58.7 instead of the player your drafted #1 overall in 2007?

A lot of people think that the 2009 Raiders are a mess, but to be honest they're really not. This is a team that is talented enough to make a run at the playoffs in 2010. They just need a quarterback. Gradkowski won't be that guy, JaMarcus could have been that guy, but now he probably won't be, not as a Raider.

So what now for Oakland? Draft a QB in 2010? Great, now you're set back another year as a franchise.

This is why the Raiders have been a mess since 2002, not because of a lack of talent, but because of a constant turnover in identity. I understand benching Russell in week three if you think this team has a shot to go to the playoffs and make a run, but week 11?

Russell's numbers for 2009 include a 2 to 9 TD to INT ratio and 47.7 QB rating, but honestly can you blame him? In his short three year career he's had a different coach every season. That's a recipe for QB development disaster.

And a disaster is what JaMarcus Russell's career has been thus far, and that career with the Raiders looks to be over.

Congratulations Raider fans, your team is going to be bad well into the 2010's now.

What Does Oakland Need to Do to Be Good?

Antonio Pierce recently wrote the latest page in the ongoing chapter of Oakland Raider futility. The chapter that began with Super Bowl XXXVII and has only gotten worse since.

Pierce said playing the Raiders had the feeling of a "scrimmage," and unfortunately the Raiders things won't get much easier as the team hosts the Philadelphia Eagles in what most people will consider the "lock of the week."

But instead of jumping on the "Raiders-Suck" bandwagon and flinging around absurd comments like the team would lose to the Florida Gators; let's be constructive and attempt to answer the question, "what do the Oakland Raiders need to do to turn this ship around?"

The offense in Oakland is obviously the problem. The team is currently 1-4, yet through five games they've scored only 49 points;By comparison this past week the Giants put up 44 on the Raiders with a gimpy Eli Manning.

The root of the offensive problem lies within the play of their quarterback, JaMarcus Russell. I know in the past I've defended Russell, but this season he hasn't done much to justify my pleas for patience. He's currently 51 for 121, with 606 yards, 1 touchdown, and 4 interceptions. In case you're wondering that's a 42.1% completion percentage, and a 5.0 YPA. And if you need to know he's been sacked 15 times, on pace to break David Carr's single season record of 76.

I'd love to say that JaMarcus isn't the root of the problem and that the offense has so many other issues that it's hard for Russell to develop in this system, but I can't. Carson Palmer, Matthew Stafford, and Matt Ryan were all drafted into equally toxic situations, neither has ever looked this bad. Ryan actually helped eliminate the toxicity that surrounded the Atlanta franchise, something Matthew Stafford is trying to do right now in Detroit, while Carson Palmer has established himself as a leader in Cincinnati, where he spoke out against his teammates off the field legal issues. All JaMarcus seems to do is waffle around, never showing the passion that Palmer, Ryan, and Stafford have shown.

Is JaMarcus Russell hopeless? Even if he finishes this season with the 1 to 4 TD to INT ratio he has now, the same completion percentage, and breaks Carr's sack record, I'd still give him a shot heading in to 2010. Russell has a great arm, and the franchise has a lot invested in him. Hiring Jim Fassel probably would have been the right move for the Raiders in retrospect, as Russell probably needs a head coach with an eye for developing lazy, out of shape, underachieving, big armed QB's (yes, I'm referring to Kerry Collins.)

The next thing the Raiders need to do is keep this defense in tact. It looks really bad right now, but that's likely because the offense can't stay on the field. Against San Diego in week 1 this until looked great. There are some bright spots in Kirk Morrison, Tvon Branch, Thomas Howard, and Michael Huff, none of whom will be turning 30 anytime soon. The defense also has two built in leaders in Richard Seymour and Nnamdi Asomugha. Give this until a real chance and I think they have potential to be elite in 2010.

As for the offensive line? It probably needs to be entirely retooled. The way it sits now the group is a pasted together bunch of players comprised of no "big time" talent, rather it's mostly journeymen or late round draft picks. Ever think that missing on a first round draft pick doesn't set a franchise back? In 2004 the Raiders drafted T Robert Gallery over Larry Fitzgerald, Philip Rivers, Ben Roethlisberger, Jonathan Vilma, Steven Jackson, and the late Sean Taylor. All of the above players developed into Pro Bowl talent, Robert Gallery developed into a bust. Gallery never developed into the offensive line anchor he was supposed to, and the Raiders running game is paying for.

Darren McFadden, Michael Bush, and Justin Fargas combine to be the offensive bright spot for the Raiders. If the team can ever scare defenses with a passing game, these guys will explode. Until that happens though, they'll continue to struggle, line up against eight men in the box, and get hurt in the process.

The Oakland Raiders were once one of the marquee franchises in the NFL. They still have a large fan base and sell a ton of merchandise. Whether Raider haters want to admit it or not, when the Raiders are good, the NFL is better. In order to get there they need to revamp the offense, starting with the offensive line.

In the offseason a lot of QB's will hit the free agent market. Jason Campbell, Kellen Clemens, and David Carr, Brodie Croyle and Tavaris Jackson will give the Raiders something to think about in finding someone young to compete with Russell as the long term answer. More important for the Raiders future is to sign at least two of the following offensive linemen: Jahri Evans, Marcus McNeil, Mike Gandy, Daryn Colledge, and Jared Gaither.

It all starts up front, and that's where it will begin for the Oakland Raiders.

Weekly Top 10: Top 10 #1 Picks of the Decade

Anyone who knows me knows that I love Top 10's, Top 5's, Top anything countdowns. I love ranking things. My girlfriend thinks it's a sign of a rare but serious brain condition.

I think it's because I have too much free time.

Either way, every Saturday I'm going to present a new weekly countdown. This week I'm going to be breaking down the top #1 overall picks in the NFL draft from 00-09. Now I know time hasn't given us enough time to project how good the #1 overall picks from 06-09, or even 05, are going to be, but I think we can kinda tell.

And either way, this is an easy countdown to break into for everyone.

10. 2005 Alex Smith, Quarterback Utah - San Francisco 49ers: Drafted in 2005 to a lot of speculation, Smith has done nothing but live up to every ounce of that speculation. Given every chance to take the starting Quarterback job, Smith has never capitalized; never failing to fail. Though it's still early in Smith's career, at this point he's without a doubt the worst #1 overall draft pick of the decade based on the lone fact that his career has thus far amounted to nothing. On the bright side the '9ers landed Running back Frank Gore in the 3rd round.

09. 2000 Courtney Brown, Defensive End Penn State - Cleveland Browns: Brown had a productive rookie campaign, but injuries slowed him down after that. He was a solid defensive end in the NFL when healthy, helping the Browns in their most successful season (2002), and the Denver Broncos in their best season of the decade (2005). He retired from the NFL in 2006 to absolutely no fanfare, and is likely to be remembered as nothing more than an NFL Draft Trivial Pursuit question.

08. 2002 David Carr, Quarterback Fresno State - Houston Texans: I can hear your sighs. Of all ten players on this list, I feel like this was the guy most people wanted to see succeed. He was fun to watch, had a nice arm, decent mobility, and reminded us of the great Quarterbacks of the 1990's, something that the NFL was desperate for in 2002. An awful offensive line, a franchise with seemingly no direction at the time, and a division that featured three solid pass rushes lead to Carr becoming the most sacked QB in the league, and left him permanently scarred. A failed one year stint in Carolina where he was eventually replaced by a 43 year old Vinny Testaverde (1987's #1 overall pick), lead to Carr backing up Eli Manning (2004's #1 overall pick) in New York, where he still resides. Whether or not Carr will ever get or earn another shot to start in the NFL remains to be seen, but he'll always have a soft spot in hearts, because we know in a better situation he would've been good. Had the Texans entered the league the year before Carr would've been drafted by the Panthers who at the time were proud to have Chris Weinke on their roster. In 2003 a no named QB known as Jake Delhomme lead the Panthers to the Super Bowl... Oh what could have been.

07. 2007 JaMarcus Russell, Quarterback LSU - Oakland Raiders: In a couple of years Russell can easily be sitting at #10, but for now I still think he's got a chance. Sure his work ethic has been called abysmal, his weight is a top tier joke amongst fans, teammates, and peers, and so far this season he's made about one good play. But let's give Russell a break, he got drafted by the Raiders. This is the same offense that made Randy Moss look like Craphonso Thorpe the year before Russell was drafted. We've seen signs of Russell being good; not great, but good. He's still young, and the Raiders have some pieces in tact. We'll know more about where he is in two years.

06. 2009 Matthew Stafford, Quarterback Georgia - Detroit Lions: I guess this is going out on a limb a little bit, but heck, in his rookie year he already looks better than half the QB's in the league. Perhaps his even greater achievement is getting the Lions their first win since 2007. If he can stay healthy, Stafford will be a legitimate NFL quarterback, and he'll help the Lions contend year in and year out. In a division that is shaping up to have some adequate quarterbacking for the next four to five years, Stafford will be the flagship signal caller. Maybe he'll be another Joey Harrington, but I think he'll fall more along the lines of a much cooler Jay Cutler.

05. 2003 Carson Palmer, Quarterback USC - Cincinnati Bengals: In 2005 I would have said Palmer was going to be the #1 of the decade. Things were looking great for Carson. He was leading the Bengals to a division title, he had a solid offense around him, a seemingly brilliant head coach, and for the first time since Boomer Esiason (stint one) the Bengals had a quarterback whose name wasn't immediately followed by laughter (sorry Jeff Blake... I always drafted you in Quarterback Club 1998 for N64). Unfortunately for Palmer that 2005 season ended in the operating table for Palmer and a knee injury was later fallowed by good numbers but few wins in 06, and 07, and an elbow injury in 08. 09 has been a sweeter year for Palmer, and he has top level QB talent. This is the seventh year of his career though and he's yet to get past the first round of the playoffs. Though it may not be his fault entirely, it's time for Palmer to start making dents outside of Fantasy Football.

04. 2001 Michael Vick, Quarterback Virginia Tech - Atlanta Falcons: Before he went to prison in 2007, Vick's career was already under scrutiny and was seemingly on the decline. That being said, outside of Eli Manning, Vick went deeper in the playoffs than all of the other QB's taken in the first round this decade, and won more playoff games than all of them combined (then again so has every Quarterback who's ever won a playoff game). In 04 Vick came a win away from the Super Bowl, and holds the record for most yards rushing in a single season for a QB. Overall Vick's career in Atlanta has to be considered above average, and given the 07 and 08 seasons to develop, it's not absurd to suggest that Vick may have developed even further as a QB. At this point in time though, it's hard to see Vick ever returning to the explosive player he was from 2002 to 2006, but NFL history will one day write that there was a time period where Michael Vick was the most feared player in the NFL.

03. 2008 Jake Long, Offensive Tackle Michigan - Miami Dolphins: It's been barely over a season but Long has already made his impact. He's a solid Left Tackle, and in 08 he helped the Dolphins establish a solid running game, and helped Chad Pennington finish as runner up in MVP balloting. A lot of GM's will say that the left tackle is the most important position in football (right tackle if your QB is a lefty) and one season into his career, Long has already established himself as a top shelf left tackle, making the Pro Bowl in his rookie year. If he stays healthy, Long will likely find himself in a lot of Pro Bowls, as he follows in the footsteps of Orlando Pace as OT's taken #1 overall.

02. 2006 Mario Williams, Defensive End NC State - Houston Texans: When the Texans announced before the draft that they were going to take DE Mario Williams #1 overall in a draft that included Vince Young, Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart, and A.J Hawk, the average football fan let out a resounding "do the Texans ever want to get good?" As the season started the drafting of Williams looked even worse as Dominick Davis got hurt before the season started, David Carr... well he is the #8 player on this list so I guess that's all I need to say, and the Williams started the season slow, never really picking up his pace. That same season Reggie Bush helped the Saints to the NFC Championship game, Vince Young won Rookie of the Year, and Matt Leinart showed signs of brilliance. Since then, Bush, Young, Leinart, and Hawk have played average to below average football at the pro level, while Williams has picked up 26 sacks, 6 forced fumbles, and over 100 tackles. He's been a Pro Bowler, a first team All-Pro, and has helped the Texans defense develop into one of the most respectable defensive units in the league.

01. 2004 Eli Manning, Quarterback Ole Miss - San Diego Chargers: Where do we begin? We all know about the trade to the Giants. We all know about the Super Bowl MVP where he outperformed Tom Brady; We know about "the Catch pt 2" We know about "the touchdown." But anyone who has watched the NFL since 2005 knows there is a lot more to Eli than those two plays. It seems like week in and week out, Eli does what he has to do just win games. He's become the unsung king of the two minute drill, and without a doubt he's evolved from punchline to elite QB. In 2004 it looked like the Chargers were going to get the better end of the deal... at least until Nate Kaeding played the Jets, but in 2005 when the Chargers drafted Shawne Merriman with a pick from the Giants, and in 2006 when Merriman and Philip Rivers who the Chargers got in the Eli trade, lead the Chargers to a 14-2 record, it looked like a "lights out" trade for the Chargers (awful pun... I hope you cringed). Since Ellis Hobbs and company did lights out in the 2006 AFC Division playoffs in San Diego, the trade has turned face. Merriman has thus far fallen off, Nate Kaeding, though good, is still just a kicker, and it's hard to argue Rivers case versus Eli (sounds like a great post to come).

Needless to say, Eli has handled the pressure of New York better than anyone ever has. Eli has kept a cool head, never missed the playoffs, and has yet to miss a start since taking over from Kurt Warner in 04. All things considered it's hard to imagine Philip Rivers keeping as cool of a head as Eli in the city that has made a living hell out of the lives of Alex Rodriguez, Brett Favre, Wayne Gretzky, and Patrick Ewing.

So there you have it. 10 years of number one picks, and Eli Manning pans out (thus far) as the best. How many of these guys will be enshrined in Canton? Will any of them? Usually it's between two to three players, which seems about right for this decade.