Charlie Weis: Done

As if it weren't already inevitable, Charlie Weis' career as the head coach of Notre Dame likely ended today; and for good reason.

No hate towards UConn, but they were a 4-5 team entering the game, while the Irish were some people's preseason pick to go to the BCS, and maybe even the national championship. At this point, another Holiday Bowl bid seems like a good scenerio for the Irish. This time however, beating down on the Hawaii Warriors won't save Weis' job.

What's even worse is that Weis' career record is 35-26, with a .573 winning percentage; Lower than his predecessors Tyrone Willingham and Bob Davie. What also shines a light in Weis' face is that his two best seasons were with a lot of Willingham's recruits.

Jimmy Clausen will probably go pro. If he doesn't he's a bonehead. Weis has done a mediocre to below average job as the head coach of Notre Dame, and you can't blame the school's high academic standards for that, I mean, what about Stanford? They're having a better season than Notre Dame, and they have equal academic standards.

You can argue that Notre Dame has lost it's place as a top recruiting college, being replaced by the SEC, Texas, Penn State, Oklahoma, Miami, Ohio State, USC, and other big name schools, but how do you explain the schools recruitment of Jimmy Clausen, arguably the decades most sought after recruit? Clausen was from Southern California and opted away from USC, Tennessee (where his brother Casey played), and other schools with better professional resumes (post 1993) than Notre Dame.

On top of that, Notre Dame are currently ranked #11 on the Rivals.com Recruitment rankings, sandwiched in between USC and Miami. For 2009 the team finished #21, for 2008 the team finished #2, for 2007 the team finished #8, for 2006 the team finished #8, and for 2005 the team finished #40 despite late recruitment because of coaching change. So to make a long story short, Weis has had a perennial top 10 team in terms of recruit value, and has underperformed with it.

Let's be a little more honest. Weis has done horribly with it.

By comparison, Coach Phil Fulmer, a national championship winning coach for Tennessee who snagged Peyton Manning away from Ole Miss was fired after the 2008 season because he failed to reach a bowl game. The season before Fulmer's team was in the SEC Championship game against eventual national champion LSU, but that wasn't enough. Fulmer had a perennial top 10 recruiting team, but lost his job because he couldn't win a national championship with it.

Weis is not Phil Fulmer. The media, ESPN, and programs around the league have sucked any respectability out of Weis' name as a coach. How could a serious recruit choose Weis over Pete Carroll, Mack Brown Nick Saban, Les Miles, Urban Meyer, or Bob Stoops? Those are just some of the names that Weis has to compete with, and some of those names Notre Dame turned down to hire Weis.

So what now for Notre Dame? I've heard Jon Gruden, Phil Fulmer, Bob Stoops, and even Tony Dungy's names thrown around. Not going to happen. Stoops, maybe, but why? Oklahoma is a better program than Notre Dame, why leave to go to that mess?

Enough with that though. This article is about Charlie Weis, who like every other coach who left Bill Belichick, has failed miserably on his own. To their defense, even Belichick initially failed as a head coach when he strayed away from Bill Parcells after Super Bowl XXV. And that's where Weis will find his next home if he wants one. He'll have enough money to retire I'm sure, he could even transition to a studio somewhere, but if he wants to coach again, he'll have to find a job with Bill or Bill.

On this day, when Weis' firing seems absolute, there should be no Weis apologists. He was given the players, given the recruiting tools, and given the environment to succeed. Truth be told, Weis was always scared, thus, he never succeeded. He was a passionate guy, seemed like a good one too. He loved Notre Dame and was happy to be there. But that doesn't mean he was head coaching material.

He'll always be a champion coordinator though.

Buffalo Bills... Your Decade is Over

This season, whenever I believe a team is eliminated from the playoffs, thus making their season (and decade) over, I will write their obituary.

Today I present to you the Buffalo Bills of the 00's:

The Buffalo Bills ended the 1990's the same way the began the decade; with heartache. The team that went to more Super Bowls than any other team in the decade, but won zero, ended the decade in heartbreaking loss to the Tennessee Titans, a game that would later be known as "The Music City Miracle."

To adjust for 2000, the Bills and Wade Phillips listened to owner Ralph Wilson and named fragile, expensive, quarterback Rob Johnson the teams starter; over the undersized, but proven winner, Doug Flutie.

Despite Johnson's poor play, the Bills kicked 2000 off with a grudge win over Tennessee. The team would manage a 2-0 record, before a three game skid. During a week 7 contest with the San Diego Chargers, Rob Johnson yet again got hurt, and Flutie was able to lead the Bills to victory. Under Flutie, the Bills would manage to piece together a three game winning streak before Johnson would regain the starting job thanks to a minor injury to Flutie.

Entering week 13, the Bils were 7-4, and looked like an easy pick to make the playoffs. With a somewhat difficult schedule though, the Bills would lose four of their last five to finish 2000 with an 8-8 record. At the end of the season it was announced that 2001 would begin without Phillips or Flutie.

The 2001 Bills would hit the ground and immediately collapse. The team would start 1-10 before finishing 3-13. The team ranked #29 in turnover differential, #27 in offense, #29 in defense, and were beaten by a combined differential of 155 points, 30th of 31 teams in the league.

Because of his atrocious play in the 2001 season, leading to a 1-7 record as a starter, the Bills finally gave up on Rob Johnson, who they brought in from Jacksonville in 1998 with hopes of replacing Jim Kelly as the new face of the Bills. Johnson was never able to pan out as a solid professional QB with the Bills, and because they chose him over Doug Flutie, the Bills would enter 2002 looking for a new Quarterback.

The Bills and head coach Gregg Williams found their new quarterback right in their own division when the New England Patriots decided to let veteran QB Drew Bledsoe go (in favor of Tom Brady). Bledsoe's impact on the team would be immediate, as the Bills would transform from a 3-13 team to an 8-8 .500 team. Bledose, Eric Moulds, and second year running back Travis Henry would each make the Pro Bowl, and with a relatively young roster, the Bills saw a bright 2003 ahead.

Revenge came for the Buffalo Bills and their Quarterback Drew Bledsoe in week 1 of the 2003 season when the Bills dominated the New England Patriots 31-0. In that game Tom Brady would throw for only a 50% completion percentage, zero touchdowns, and four interceptions. For the day at least, Bledsoe had finally gain retribution.

The rest of the Buffalo Bills 2003 season was more of a downward slope. Despite a developing defense, the teams offense would fail to produce the results necessary to catapult the Bills to the playoffs. A week 17 rematch between the Bills and the Patriots saw two teams going in different directions. That day, the Patriots dominated the Bills 31-0, as Brady through for 4 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. The Patriots and Brady would also go on to win their second Super Bowl that season.

The loss to the Patriots in the final game of the 2003 regular season demanded changes be made in the Bills organization. The Patritos had now developed into a legitimate powerhouse team, and Ralph Wilson saw it necessary to fire Gregg Williams and start looking towards the future. Mike Mularkey was hired to replace Williams, and in the first round of the 2004 NFL draft, the team drafted WR Lee Evans, and QB J.P. Losman, a combo the team hoped would develop into Culpepper to Moss or Manning to Harrison status,

The Bills would enter 2004 with Bledsoe, Evans, veteran wide receiver Eric Moulds, and the running back duo of Willis McGahee and Travis Henry poised to transition the Bills offense into elite status. Unfortunately for the Bills, the blowout to New England at the end of 2003 still hung like a dark cloud over the franchise, and the team would stumble into 2004 with an 0-4 record. A 9-3 record from there on out, along with a 7th ranked offense, 8th ranked defense, and +10 turnover differential, wouldn't be enough to get the Bills back into the playoffs in 2004, and with a week 17 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers (ending a 6-0 for the team), the Bledsoe era ended in 2004.

The Bills had every reason to enter 2005 optimistically. Although their divisional opponent New England Patriots had won the past two Super Bowls, the tide in the division seemed to be turning as a slew of coaching departures, as well as an aging defense made the Patriots seem vulnerable entering 2005. The team also loved their second year quarterback, J.P Losman and projected him to be the starter for the next ten to fifteen years.

As has been the story of their decade, unfortunately that didn't work out for the Bills. After a week one win to the Houston Texans, Losman would struggle to even be "bad" the rest of the 2004 season. With a starting QB record of 1-7, and a completion percentage below 50%, it was without shock that the team went with veteran QB Kelly Holcomb for half of it's games that season. The bright spot of the Bills season was the development of Willis McGahee into a full time starter, but still the 2005 Buffalo Bills would limp to a 5-11 record. The Patriots would again win the AFC East.

The 2006 Buffalo Bills would transition their head coaching duties to Dick Jauron. Jauron's lone task; develop J.P. Losman into a starting QB in the NFL. The results? Pretty successful.

Losman to Evans may not have been Manning to Harrison, but Evans caught for close to 1,300 yards, while Losman raised his completion percentage to 62.5 and the Bills record to 7-9. 2006 wasn't a great year for the Buffalo Bills, but things certainly looked to be getting better.

In 2007, the Bills again got off to a brutal 0-3 start before falling to 1-4 at their bye week. The game before their bye week featured an unknown rookie out of Stanford named Trent Edwards making the start against a then undefeated Dallas Cowboys team. In the week before, filling in for an injured Losman, Edwards helped the Bills get their first win at the misery of the Jets. In the Monday night game with Dallas, the Bills and Edwards blew a 24-13 4th quarter lead, and it 1-4 the Bills 2009 looked hopless.

But in typical Bills fashion, with the help of Edwards 5-4 record as a starter, Buffalo was able to rise to mediocrity and a 7-9 record. Although a 1-4 to 7-9 seems respectable, it's worth noting that entering week 15, the Bills were 7-6. The teams inability to win down the final stretch prevented them from making their playoffs.

The 2008 season granted the Bills all the hype of bona-fide quarterback controversy, pitting Losman, the chosen one, with Edwards, the QB who won games for them in in 2007. The team also looked forward to Marshawn Lynch, their second year running back developing.

In the preseason, Edwards beat out Losman for the starting QB job, and the Bills got off to a 4-0 start, their best start of the decade. After a week 7 win against an above average San Diego Chargers team, the Bills raised their record to 5-1 and they looked like a shoe in for the playoffs. With a schedule that looked soft on paper at the team (Dolphins, Jets, Patriots, Browns), the Bills failed to win a game and at 5-5, stared mediocrity in the face yet again.

The 2008 Buffalo Bills would again finish 7-9. In a season where the Patriots were playing without Tom Brady and the Jets tried their hardest not to win the AFC East, it was the lowly Miami dolphins who went from 1-15 to 11-5 who capitalized on the opportunity to get the playoffs, not the Bills.

Still, somehow, Dick Jauron would keep his job entering 2009, and the Bills would do nothing to enhance their quarterback situation. J.P. Losman left in free agency, and unable to find a home, defected to the UFL where he tried to resurrect his career under Jim Fassel. The teams biggest offseason acquisition was bringing in veteran loudmouth, Terrell Owens, who amazingly did little to disrupt the locker room in the preseason.

Even with relative continuity, the Bills 2009 was hopeless from the get go. Without Marshawn Lynch, who was out serving suspension, the Bills blew a commanding opening day lead to New England Patriots, and the rest of the 2009 season has followed suit.

After a 3-6 start, the Bills fired Jauron and have yet to name a head coach. The team has also permanently benched Edwards in favor of veteran backup Ryan Fitzpatrick, and the team also picked QB prospect Brian Brohm up out of the Green Bay Packers trash can.

The 2000's of the Buffalo Bills will always be looked at as one of the most forgettable decades any franchise has ever had in NFL history. The team was never bad enough to be truly awful, yet were never good enough to make the playoffs. The team stood as far in the shadows of the New England Patriots as any franchise could, and were far more reactive to what the Patriots were doing, than proactive in swinging the tide of the AFC East.

But the 2010's do have a new positive outlook. All signs point the Bills bringing in a proven leader to take over football operations. Perhaps Brohm will develop into the QB that Losman, Johnson, and Edwards weren't.

One thing is for sure though, the Bills decade is over, and they'll be one of only two teams to participate in all ten seasons of the decade that didn't make it to the playoffs. That's bad.

MVP of the Decade: Aaron Schobel (73 sacks and counting this decade)

Throwback Jersey That Will Be Cool in 15 Years: 2002 Eric Moulds

Notable Players: Eric Moulds, Marshawn Lynch, Aaron Schobel, London Fletcher, Takeo Spikes, Ruben Brown. Ted Washington, Sam Cowart, Peerless Price, Nate Clements, Drew Bledsoe, Larry Centers, Trent Edwards, Lee Evans, Willis McGahee, Travis Henry, Rian Lindell, Lawyer Malloy, Terrence McGee, Brian Moorman, Chris Kelsay, Jason Peters

Other Decade Recaps: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kansas City Chiefs, Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Washington Redskins, St. Louis Rams, Carolina Panthers

Brian Brohm to Buffalo: This is the Right Move

Note: Forgive me for turning this blog into the Quarterback Club lately. There has just been a lot of interesting QB news lately.

Yesterday I made a post exploring the future of the Buffalo Bills quarterback position.

Today, the Buffalo Bills figured out for themselves what they'd like to do with the future of their Quarterback position when they signed Brian Brohm off of the Packers practice squad.

If you rewind to 2006, Brohm was the best quarterback in college football. At Louisville, Brohm broke all sorts of records, and made Louisville perennial contenders for both the Big East championship, and the National Championship.

A lot of scouts projected that Brohm would be the first quarterback selected in the 2007 draft, but Brohm decided to stay an extra season where he still performed exceptionally well. The 2007 season would see Matt Ryan supplant Brohm as the top QB prospect, yet Brohm was still looked at as top three. When DI-AA QB Joe Flacco entered the mix, Brohm fell to the third QB in the NFL draft, drafted in the second round by the Green Bay Packers, after Flacco, and before Chad Henne.

Brohm's pro career has thus far followed in fellow Louisville alum Dave Ragones footsteps, in other words, Brohm has yet to translate any of his college success into pro success. In the seventh round of the NFL draft in 2008, the Packers drafted LSU national champion QB Matt Flynn, who beat Brohm out for the second string job in Green Bay. Since then, Brohm has been relegated to third quarterback duties in Green Bay.

But the Bills are making the right move brining in Brohm now. It'll give Brohm time to learn the system before the 2010 season. Brohm should easily pick up the Bills offense, both now and when they bring in a new head coach; he was always considered one of the smartest QB's, and it also gives the Bills the opportunity to focus on other needs in the NFL draft this upcoming Spring.

Do I think that Brohm is more of sure thing than Jason Campbell? Absolutely not! Do I think that Brohm is a better option than Kellen Clemens or Brodie Croyle? Yes. Do I think that Brohm has potential to be much better than Jason Campbell? Definitely.

Entering the 2008 draft, I felt as though Brian Brohm should have been a first round pick to a team that needed a quarterback. Now, Buffalo get him at a great price. Though an AFC East title is probably a few years out of the Bills immediately plans, Brian Brohm gives the Bills their best quarterback prospect since 1983. That's right, better than Losman and Rob Johnson in my opinion.

So we'll see, maybe we'll read this article in a year and laugh, or maybe we'll read this article and shrug. Either way, I'm glad the Bills were proactive, it proves that they do care about winning.

Top 10 Quarterbacks in the NFL Right Now

Right now is a great moment for NFL Quarterbacks. After a beginning of the decade that saw powerhouse defenses shake passing offenses down, and running backs take the steam away from QB's, the Quarterback has once again taken over as the flashiest batch of players in the NFL.

There's no doubt that a large part of the success of the leagues passing game right now has to do with the rule changes that came in the middle of the decade, but whether we agree with those or not, there are still a lot of talented QB's in the league right now; there's a reason the 00's have produced more first round QB's than any decade in league history.

This is a list of the ten best QB's in the NFL right now. It's not a power ranking of who did the best last week, or who has been doing the best this season, it's a list of who the ten best quarterbacks in the NFL are.

This list discounts no one. It's not like the NBA where we write off KG and Tim Duncan because they're older and supplant them with Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul in the Top 5. Kurt Warner and Brett Favre remain on this list, in great stature, because at this point in time they still win, perform, and show up more than the bulk of quarterbacks in the league.

Obviously Peyton Manning is number one, and the rest of the list mathematically sorts itself out after that.

Before I bore you, let me present you with the list;

The Ten Best Quarterbacks in the NFL

10. Carson Palmer - When healthy, Carson Palmer is a quarterbacking machine, and the only Pac-10 quarterback to develop this decade (sorry Matt Leinart, Kyle Boeller, Ryan Leaf, and Cade McNown). Although the Bengals have only been to the playoffs once since they drafted Palmer, he has proven leadership in what has probably been the most tumultuous locker room in league history (all the arrests). This season Palmer has the Bengals poised for another playoff run, and if things continue to work this way for Palmer he'll only be moving closer and close to elite status in the NFL.

09. Donovan McNabb - Although Donovan is dropping down the list faster than anyone, I don't think anyone should worry too much. Like Warner, McNabb has tools that can translate to any team in the NFL, and he can make any team in the NFL better, and that's what has made him so great. This decade only he and Tom Brady have been to five AFC Championship games, and only he has finished all five games (though I wouldn't exactly attribute health as a McNabb strong point). Just last year McNabb took the Eagles on a great run back to the NFC championship game that almost ended in a comeback equal to that of the 2006 AFC Championship game. Because he's been so good for so long people question how much McNabb has left in his tank, but the answer is a lot; barring another serious injury to his legs, McNabb will be a great QB in the league well into the next decade.

08. Philip Rivers - Although he's entering his late twenties, Rivers is still judged as a young quarterback and rightfully so. Although he's infamously a member of the same draft class as Eli Manning and Ben Roethlisberger, he has been given time to grow while those two were asked to be champions immediately in their careers. Thus far, Rivers has been the most successful quarterback in Chargers history, and he could be on his way to supplanting Dan Fouts as the greatest Chargers QB of all time, but lets not get ahead of ourselves. At times he's displayed toughness, and he's shown the ability to go head to head with the top tier. The only issue with Rivers is that he may be too emotional. Whereas Eli and Roethlisberger always keep their heads on their shoulders, Rivers sometimes gets caught up in his own dilemma too much, sometimes leading to unnecessary fights and penalties. There is no doubt that Rivers has the tools to become a champion, it's just a matter of wrapping his head around the concept of adulthood in the NFL.

07. Eli Manning - Say what you want about Eli being a "one game wonder," but last I checked leading his team to the playoffs every year since 2005 would qualify Eli as a five year wonder. In that same time span only his brother Peyton Manning has lead his team to the playoffs each of those seasons (meaning Brady, Favre, Roethlisberger, and McNabb have not). Some would argue that Philip Rivers' numbers are better, or that McNabb has beaten Eli time and time again, but the difference between the three is that Eli is the one with a ring, and he got in a game in which not only did he orchestrate the greatest drive in NFL history (that's right Montana, Elway, and Peyton), but he also won the MVP of. It's easy to pick on Eli because he refused to be a Charger, he doesn't have the charisma of his older brother, and well, he's kind of the Owen Hart of the NFL; but at this point in his career, Eli is in elite company when it comes to 4th quarter aesthetic, and he currently sits just outside of being considered an elite QB in the league.

06. Brett Favre - You can't argue that Brett Favre is still a top 5 QB in the NFL, the proof is in the pudding here. Favre is about to bring his third different franchise to a winning record in three years (07 Packers, 08 Jets, 09 Vikings), a feat that no other QB in NFL history has ever done. What's even more impressive? Favre is doing it an age where Montana, Marino, Elway, Aikman, Young, and Kelly were already retired at. Some question as to whether or not he's stuck around so long to break all sorts of career records, but 2009 has proved that Favre has stuck around because he can still win. A Super Bowl win this year would shut up every member of the media that said he was washed up, and cement Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy's legacy's as goats.

05. Drew Brees - You have to wonder how much of his greatness stems from that chip on his shoulders? I mean, in San Diego he was good, a Pro Bowler even, but it wasn't until he came to New Orleans in 2006 that he became a 4,000 yards a season QB. In 2008 he even became a member of the ultra exclusive 5,000 yards a season club. The real issue with Brees, and it's not entirely his fault, is that in an eight year career he only has one playoff win, and only two playoff appearances. With all due respect that's pretty bad. If we're going to ridicule players like Eli Manning, Donovan McNabb, and Philip Rivers for getting to the playoffs and losing, at some point we need to start looking at Brees, too. All signs point to 2009 as the year that everything is finally coming together for Brees though, his team is in great shape to make a playoff run, and Brees is likely to go to yet another Pro Bowl. I'm sure the QB from Purdue is hoping he'll be starting in the other Bowl game taking place in Miami though.

04. Kurt Warner - In 2006 his career looked over and Kurt Warner was going to go down as nothing more than an NFL trivial pursuit question. Then in 2007 he began a career resurgence that has been nothing short of spectacular. In 2008 Warner reminded us all why he was a 2 time MVP and former Super Bowl MVP when he lead the Arizona Cardinals all the way to Super Bowl XLIII. What Warner has done in turning the losing culture around in Arizona is worthy of all time great status, and it's the second time Warner has turned a franchise around in his career. If you really dissect it, what Kurt Warner has done in his career is nothing short of remarkable, and the way he still plays every single Sunday is absolutely astonishing.Warner is nowhere near a mobile QB, and he has some nagging injuries that you can tell still bother him, but if you need a quarterback for just one game, it'd be hard not to have him on a short list. He's a proven winner, and his arm strength is still in the elite level.

03. Ben Roethlisberger - I think we're still waiting for this guy to come down to Earth. Roethlisberger started his career with a 15-1 record as a rookie, won the Super Bowl in his second season, won the AFC North for a second time in his fourth season, and in his fifth season won his second Super Bowl. If you don't think that's great, then it's time to digest the fact that Roethlisberger has developed into a legitimate passer as well. Roethlisberger is following in the footsteps of Tom Brady in developing from elite game manager, into elite quarterback. He hasn't reached his prime yet either.

02. Tom Brady - He started his NFL career better than any quarterback in NFL history (though Big Ben is rapidly approaching him), and has since continued to help his team win. After suffering a season ending knee injury in 2008, his backup Matt Cassell still took the Patriots to an 11-5 record and put up better numbers than Brady put up in his first seven seasons as a starter raising the question as to how good Tom Brady really is? That's a dumb question because Brady is still a great player, and he's not far from being the best in the game. His 2007 season is without question the best single season performance any quarterback has ever had, and likely ever will have. Like Roethlisberger he's had the benefit of having a very good defense to guide him to championships, when he you need 40 yards to get a game winning field goal, there's no better QB in the NFL than Tom Brady.

01. Peyton Manning - The best Quarterback in the league, and he has a chance to become the greatest of all time. It's scary to think that those years of 2003-2005 were nowhere near his prime. This half of the decade he's silenced his critics about winning the big one, picked up a Super Bowl MVP to go with his three MVP awards, and has earned a reputation as a great "clutch" performer as well. Love him or hate him, we treat Peyton Manning the same way we treat all the greats; Ali, Jordan, Kobe, Gretzky, Tiger, A-Rod: we dissect every single move he makes, and every game he plays is his make or break moment. When his team loses we blame him, when his team wins then they should have won by more... Because they have Peyton Manning. A scary thought is that if Manning wins another Super Bowl this season, he will have equaled John Elway's entire 16 year career in only 11 seasons (50,000 passing yards, 2 Super Bowl championships... Manning will likely have 4 MVPs after this season to Elway's one). Manning has also replaced Elway as the guy whose hands you place the ball in when you're down by six and need 90 (or 28) yards for a score.

So there you have. A majority of the list was easy to create. Initially I wanted to put Brees at #5 but after writing up what Kurt Warner has done since 2007, you can't put Brees ahead of him. Although it's amazing that Brees has turned the culture around in New Orleans, it's even more astonishing that Warner has turned the culture around in Arizona. Also, as mentioned, Brees has only one playoff win since 2006 (and in his career), while Warner helped take the Cardinals to the Super Bowl.

Rivers versus Eli is tough because Rivers has better numbers, but Eli has a Super Bowl. Eli's ring is enough to put him ahead of Rivers at this point in his career, especially since they've each been to the same amount of Pro Bowls, and Eli has yet to miss the playoffs as a full time starter.

Rivers over McNabb was the toughest decision, but this was a list of who is the best NOW, not this decade. There is no doubt in my mind that Donovan McNabb is one of the five or six best quarterbacks of the 00's, and if I had a vote I'd put McNabb in the Hall of Fame when he retires, but right now, one game, i'd take #17 over #5.

Missing the list were Matt Hasselbeck and Matt Ryan who I'd put at numbers 11 and 12. At this point Hasselbeck is on his way down while Ryan is on his way up. Tony Romo needs to make a good playoff run before he can get consideration, while Vince Young needs to get some numbers to along with his commendable winning percentage. Joe Flacco would round out my top 15. Personally, I'm not the biggest Jay Cutler or Aaron Rodgers fan, in part because neither has been to the playoffs, and in part because I consider them "fantasy football players," meaning they put up good numbers, but where are the wins? Both inherited teams that hosted Championship games before they took over, neither team has been back to the playoffs since.

I hope you enjoy the list and I'd love to hear your feedback.

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.

Exploring the Buffalo Bills Future QB Options

The Bills announced today that they're going to start former Harvard QB Ryan Fitzpatrick this week over former Stanford QB Trent Edwards this week. Though both of these athletes probably scored really well on their SAT's, neither have scored too well in the NFL and it's almost a guarantee that the Bills will have to move into 2010 with a new "face of the franchise."

Chances are that the Bills new head coach is going to want some say in who this quarterback is, especially if the Bills bring in Mike Shanahan who the team has reportedly already reached out to.

As I've already talked about countless times on this site, this upcoming draft is quarterback heavy in the first three rounds. The following QB's will likely declare draft eligible; Jimmy Clausen (Notre Dame), Sam Bradford (Oklahoma), Colt McCoy (Texas), Jake Locker (Washington), Tony Pike (Cincinnati), Tim Tebow (Florida), Dan LeFevour (Central Michigan), Ryan Mallett (Arkansas), and Jevan Snead (Ole Miss) giving the Bills a chance to choose which Quarterback fits them best moving forward.

Note: I know the Clausen isn't guaranteed to come out, and Snead is looking likely to play a senior season. I also know that Locker is a baseball prospect, but all signs point to him sticking with football professionally.

So what wills the Bills do? Owner Ralph Wilson is notoriously cheap, but the team has been in QB turmoil since Jim Kelly called it a career. Whether it was Rob Johnson or Doug Flutie or Drew Bledsoe or J.P Losman or Trent Edwards the team has been unable to make the right decision when it comes to choosing the teams QB of the future.

There's also the possibility that the Bills take the veteran route. QB Brooks Bollinger is likely to go from the UFL Championship game straight to an NFL roster; the Bills may be the first team to give him a call. He'd be cheap, and if he shows any hope the Bills could move forward with him.

Jason Campbell highlights a QB free agent list in 2010 that also includes Brodie Croyle, Kyle Boeller, Kellen Clemens, and Troy Smith. The only names on that list that jump out for the Bills are Campbell and Croyle. There is a chance they give Clemens a shot.

So what do the Bills do?

They'll probably have a top 15 pick, but if they land in the top 10 it will be after Clausen, Locker, and Bradford are off the board; especially with Cleveland, St. Louis, Washington, and Seattle looking for Quarterbacks. If the Bills can land ahead of two of those teams, they'll probably settle on one of those QB's.

I can't see the Bills settling on Tim Tebow, despite what he'd do for brand identity, and Colt McCoy just wouldn't fit in Buffalo, although he's probably the most likely QB to land in Buffalo if they draft in the first round. If the Bills draft after the first round look for them to give Tony Pike a good look, afterall he's a big guy, or potentially Dan LeFevour, the QB who has skyrocketed up draft boards.

Knowing the Buffalo Bills, they're more likely to go with a veteran than a rookie. The only success the team has had with QB's post Jim Kelly came from aged veterans Drew Bledsoe and Doug Flutie, who combined started on playoff game.

In the past, Wilson's team has caught the dead end of the stick in drafting Jim Kelly, who opted to play in the USFL for three seasons before finally coming to Buffalo, and when the team brought in Rob Johnson to a huge contract.

If Wilson opts with a veteran to take over his team, look for Jason Campbell to find a new home in Buffalo.

At least that's what I've rationalized. But when it comes to the Bills who knows?

Week 11 Picks

Last week I went 10-5. It's why they play the games.

Miami Dolphins @ Carolina Panthers - Who doesn't love this game? I mean, Thursday Night Football is an awful idea, but two scrappy teams that are underachieving in 2009 but aren't totally dead yet fighting for their little playoff lives. I'm going to have to go with the team that has done it more in the past.

I'm taking the Panthers at Home.

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Kansas City Chiefs - The Steelers won't lose back to back games, the Chiefs won't win back to back games.

I'm taking the Steelers on the Road.

Indianapolis Colts @ Baltimore Ravens - This game is on a lot of peoples radars because of the Colts win streak and the Ravens playoff hopes being on the line. The Ravens and their fan base hate the Indianapolis Colts, not only because they abandoned the city, but also because the Ravens haven't beaten the Colts since the Dungy era began in 2002. The Colts looked vulnerable against the Patriots, but this will be a great opportunity for them to rebound.

I'm taking the Colts on the Road.

San Francisco 49ers @ Green Bay Packers - Steve Young vs Brett Favre has transformed into Alex Smith vs Aaron Rodgers in a battle of the first two quarterbacks taken in the 2005 NFL Draft. Both teams kept their playoff hopes alive last week, and the winner of this one takes a huge step in the right direction. Take my word for it, neither team will be in the playoffs.

I'm taking the Packers at Home.

Seattle Seahawks @ Minnesota Vikings - The Seahawks are heartbroken this week. The Vikings are eyeing that one seed, and they know that it's the key to their Super Bowl dreams. There's no way AP and company lose this week.

I'm taking the Vikings at Home.

Washington Redskins @ Dallas Cowboys - Last week it was Denver's turn to get a nice rebound against the Redskins... we all know how that turned out. Dallas need to get Jim Zorn fired this week, unless there's a good chance Wade gets fired.

I'm taking the Cowboys at Home.

Buffalo Bills @ Jacksonville Jaguars - This is a trap game if I ever saw one. The Jaguars are flying high after a well played, well coached game against the Jets. Unfortunately they're running into a highly motivated team that just lost their head coach. Every player on the Bills is playing for their job, while the urgency in Jacksonville is beginning to quiet down.

I'm taking the Bills on the Road.

Atlanta Falcons @ New York Giants - This one is in my opinion the best game of the week. The winner of this one will likely be in the playoffs as the five or six seed (Giants can still easily win the three or four seed). Coming off of the bye week, at home, I think the Giants are going to be motivated to get their act together.

I'm taking the Giants at Home.

New Orleans Saints @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers - A trap game for the Saints against a team that has a spark lit under it. That spark is going to flame out this week though. Freeman will be good though.

I'm taking the Saints on the Road.

Cleveland Browns @ Detroit Lions - By far the worst game of the week, arguably the worst game of the season. On the line in this one is the number one overall pick in a fruitful 2010 draft; I think the Cleveland Browns are going to get it. Will they draft another Notre Dame quarterback?

I'm taking the Lions at Home.

Arizona Cardinals @ St. Louis Rams - The Cardinals are road warriors this season, we know that. Even though this is a division game there's no way the Cardinals pull a Saints and let the Rams hang around. This one will be over by the third quarter.

I'm taking the Cardinals on the Road.

New York Jets @ New England Patriots - After the Week 2 Super Bowl, the Jets were crowned the new kings of the AFC East. Since then the Jets and Patriots have gone separate ways; the Jets are now 4-5, while the Patriots are 6-3. The Jets are coming off of a (probable) season ending loss to the Jaguars while the Patriots are coming off of a heartbreaking loss to the Colts. This game will come down to who has more fire left in them, and that's the Patriots. Jets fans need to remember that this is a team in transition; the Jets were supposed to win six games at most this season with a rookie quarterback.

I'm taking the Patriots at Home.

San Diego Chargers @ Denver Broncos - This is probably the real game of the week. When these two team meet a month ago everyone in the world, including myself, were ready to write the Chargers off and crown the Denver Broncos. If the Chargers can win this week then the division is over. If the Broncos win this week it's still an uphill climb for them; the loss to Washington was crippling.

I'm taking the Chargers on the Road.

Cincinnati Bengals @ Oakland Raiders - This could be a potential trap game for the Bengals, but luckily for the Bengals the Raiders are absolutely awful. But the Bengals shouldn't be too cocky, we can't forget that the Eagles lost on the road in Oakland this season already. This Bengals team looks focused though, with or without Benson.

I'm taking the Bengals on the Road.

Philadelphia Eagles @ Chicago Bears - The Sunday Night game is a battle of another two teams competing for NFC playoff spots. The Bears are at home and on their last legs, no team buries the hopeless better than the Eagles.

I'm taking the Eagles on the Road.

Tennessee Titans @ Houston Texans - This is a Monday Night Football game worth watching; both teams have become extremely exciting to watch, and it'll be interesting to see how the Texans rebound off their bye week. The Titans are focused and win at Houston will put them at the top of the wild card chase.

I'm taking the Titans on the Road.