The Myth of The Franchise Quarterback

According to Wikipedia, a franchise player is an athlete who is not simply the best player on their team, but a player that the team can build their "franchise" (team) around for the foreseeable future. The misunderstanding that a franchise player is only "the best player on a team" disregards the fact that an inordinately bad team will undoubtedly still employ a player with superior skills, relative to his team. However, such a player could be so bad in comparison to players at large that labeling such a player a franchise player would be inappropriate. It is an elite status, but it is not necessarily a singular position; a large team such as an American football team might have a few franchise players at different positions. The term may be used alongside a particular position name to describe a player, such as a "franchise quarterback".

There seems to be a lot of arguing about the impact of a franchise quarterback and their importance to the team along experts and analysts. Everyone seems to think that a franchise quarterback is necessary to win championships. I agree to a certain extent, but lets not get all caught up in this quarterback mystique. Let’s look at who people argue is the best quarterback in the game. Peyton Manning has been without a doubt the most consistent dynamic quarterback of his generation. Manning however only has won one super bowl in his career.

If you look across the league, the quarterback position is important, but good teams have two things in common; they run the ball and they play good defense. No disrespect to the quarterback position, but teams that have won the Super Bowl has all had very good running attacks in the big game. Look at the one Super Bowl that Manning won. It was a game dominated by Dominic Rhodes. Even when you look at some of the elite quarterbacks that won the championship,

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Who Is Better: Julio Jones or A.J. Green

Every year the question about who is the best comes up right before the NFL draft. When it comes to the wide receiver position there are only two names that come to the top. Before the combine workouts, everyone had AJ Green as the clear cut number one. One of the reasons is that Green comes from a passing offense that featured his skills and his skills alone. Julio Jones stepped his game up at the combine, basically outperforming Green in ever category. The only knock on Jones was supposed to be speed. Ironically he outran Green in the combine too.

When you watch these guys run routes, they are very similar. Jones is a more polished receiver in tight areas, where Green does appear to get better separation on the field. Jones is by far the better blocker as he had to be to allow guys like Mark Ingram to be dominant enough to win the Heisman.

The question remains, which will be the better pro. Make no mistake about it, both are worthy of being the first receiver taken. If you take a look at the board, the only team that may be looking for wide receiver help is early is the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals played with veteran wide receivers Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens this year as young guys like Quan Crosby, Andre Caldwell, and Jordan Shipley emerged as the heir apparent. Crosby is more of a special team’s guy but adds speed to the Bengals. Caldwell is dependable, and Shipley was arguably the best of the bunch last season.

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Sometimes Things Need To Be Said But Not By Terrell Owens

Terrell “Eldorado” Owens has been quiet for the majority of the season and I can understand why. He has been productive and he has played well on a particularly bad team. All of this silence came to an abrupt end last night.

Teammate Chad Ochocinco asked Owens during "The T.Ocho Show" on Versus cable network Tuesday night why he thinks the team is 2-11.

"I think there's underachieving from the top down," Owens said. "You start with the owner, you start with the coaches. And obviously we as players, we are a product of what the coaches are coaching us throughout the course of the week.

Of course, we have to go out there and play the game. But in order for us to do what we're allowed to do at the best of our abilities, the coaches have to put the players in the best position."

Owens has been diplomatic for most of the season, which quickly spiraled out of control. He had only one catch for 22 yards during a 23-7 defeat in Pittsburgh on Sunday that was Cincinnati's 10th straight, matching the franchise record for consecutive losses in a season.

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Like It Or Not: Terrell Owens Is Still A Force In This League

Like him or not, Terrell Owens made his point. He's nowhere near finished.

The 36-year-old receiver had trouble finding a team that would take him this off-season, something he took as a snub. The Cincinnati Bengals finally signed him, and now he's their leading receiver.

One of the league's best, too.

Owens has had a couple of very explosive games this year. Earlier this year Owens had 10 catches for 222 yards against Cleveland. In that game he also moved into second place on the career list for yards receiving, trailing only former 49ers teammate Jerry Rice. He became the oldest receiver in NFL history to have a 200-yard game, and the only one this season.

Owens performance has served as an eye-opener for a lot of people out there that have said a lot of negative things about him. I have heard everything about him from the fact that he has lost a step, or he just can't play.

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Why Winning the Heisman Does Not Equal Success in the NFL

Every year we watch college football with the excitement and intrigue of a 12 year old who is finding their way into adulthood. Year after year we watch player by player get decorated with awards that many feel they deserve. Funny thing is very few players live up to the hype when they reach the NFL. Let’s take the last few Heisman winners that have finished their college careers and see how successful they have been on the next level.

2007 Tim Tebow – Third String QB Verdict still out

2006 Troy Smith – Third String QB cut recently by Ravens

2005 Reggie Bush – Backup overpaid RB never will play to potential

2004 Matt Leinart – Career backup QB cut recently by Cardinals

2003 Jason White – Undrafted No Longer in NFL

2002 Carson Palmer – Has had a couple of good seasons but average career

2001 Eric Crouch – Moved to Safety No longer in NFL

2000 Chris Weinke – Backup QB No longer in NFL

1999 Ron Dayne – Backup RB No longer in NFL

This list says a lot. It is amazing that only one out of all these players have been successful. College football is a game that displays a certain amount of irony. The offenses that the college teams run are all flavorful and full of variety and there is coaching that allows individuals to do things that garner recognition. The Pro game is dictated more towards skill. The offenses are all pretty much the same since the game recycles coaches over and over but that is a topic for another day.

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