Mighty Men

Last night in Jail Ministry I gave a devo on David's Mighty Men from 2 Samuel 23. This is one of my favorite little sections in the Old Testament and it's one that gets skipped over a lot. The section just quickly summarizes the exploits of David's elite soldiers. Some of my favorites are Josheb-Basshebeth, who killed 800 men in one encounter with just a spear, Eleazar, who fought off Philistines till his hand froze to his sword, and Beniaiah, who armed with only a club took on a huge Egyptian who had a spear, and ended up killing the Egyptian with his own spear.


Basically I talked about how God was able to do mighty things through them and can also do amazing things through us (though hopefully less violent!). MIGHTY was the theme for last year's IMPACT and it's something that has stuck with me going into this year. Being a mighty man for God calls you to transcend the usual ho-hum and passive style of life and calls you into something greater. It was interesting, because after Jail Ministry, Coleman and I met Jimmy to hear out his plan for doing some cool service projects on Sundays. I was resistant at first because my Sundays are usually reserved for Church, food, football, napping, and more football. But doesn't following God call me to leave my usual comfortable way of living and call me into something greater?

There have been a lot of things causing me to challenge my normal way of living my daily life. Jimmy and Coleman have been challenging me a lot (especially my dream of living in a nice suburban house), Dr. Neller has challenged me to be a radical disciple in daily life, my sisters examples in China and Brazil have challenged me to truly live out your life in service to others, and the book I've been reading, Mere Discipleship by Lee Camp has challenged me go beyond my normal beliefs of Christianity and look at Jesus' call in a whole new way. All of these seem to be calling for me to leave my easy way of living and thinking into something greater.

Perhaps God is calling me, and all of us, into a relationship beyond the parameters of comfort and ease into a something that is perhaps.....MIGHTY?

I'm Getting Kind of Good At This School Thing

Due in about 6 hours is a monster assignment that I just got done. We had to read a 300 page detailed commentary on John and write a 3 page summary/critique of it. Going into today I had only read the first few chapters, so I knew I had to kick it into gear. But, I couldn't sleep last night, so I had to take a nap this afternoon. Then I had to watch the Red Sox complete their sweep of the Angels. Then I had to get some dinner. Then I had to watch the beginning of the Packers/Bears game before I went to Downtown's night service. After that I knew I had to start on this beast when Coleman texted me telling me to come over to Jimmy's. I figured I'd stop by, and we ended up talking about communal living, biblical theology, and movies till midnight. I got back and read what I could until about 1:00.

So there I sat, 1:00 in the morning with nothing written. But I was like Vince Young on this one and didn't flinch. I ate some Ramen noodles, had a Dr. Enuff, made a quick outline of what I was going to write (which actually helps out a whole lot) and went to work. An hour and a half later, not only did I have the 3 minimum pages......I had 5! And you know what? It's pretty darn good. I rocked out that paper! Of course, maybe I just think it's good because it's 3:00 in the morning. But, I really think I'm getting the hang of college. At least for now. We'll see when I start my seminar classes next year!

Anyways, I'm gonna take a 5 and half hour nap and then go print this thing off in the library at 8:30 before my 9:00 class. Hmmm......sounds like another nap is coming up tomorrow afternoon.

Minimalism

Lately, my friends and I have been talking about what it would look like to be a people not tied to earthly possessions. We've been talking about how we could be minimalists in the future and even now at college. My friend Coleman talks about being good stewards here. He's been making real changes, such as not buying Coke and other various things. I've been thinking about this a lot for my future and for right now.

Am I a minimalist? Not yet. I want to be, and I feel that there are ways that I try to live minimally. However, many of my minimalist ways are just forced on me because I'm a poor college student. If I had more funds, I would probably buy a lot more crap. So I started thinking, "If Jesus told me to sell all my possessions, what would I have trouble parting with?" I'll call these my big 6:

1. My Computer

2.My cell phone

3. My hats (My Red Sox hat is in my car, but I love it too)

4. My TV (not the XBOX 360, that's my roommate's)

5. My books/movies

6. The camera I took these pics with


There's probably some more that I can't think of. I should probably put my car down, but anyone who knows the history of me and my Nissan Altima, they probably wouldn't be surprised if I just sold it in a fit of rage.

Are these things bad in and of themselves? No. In fact, I use things such as my computer, cell phone, and car to coordinate ministry activities. I read Christian books. I wear my hats to identify with people (okay, that one's a stretch). Am I going to sell all these and give the money to the poor? Probably not (however, if Jesus actually told me to, then I hope that I would). Being a college student, there's not a lot that ties me down, and I'm really happy about that. My point is not that I'm hoping to get rid of ALL my worldly possessions. I guess really I just want to try not to add any more to that list (or at least maybe not much more). I know that as I get older and start to have more money, responsibilities, and possibly a family, the temptation and possibly the necessity to have more things are going to grow. So is very important that I start building a discipline for good stewardship now before those come. I still have a long way to go, and God may call more of me soon (he may even call me to give up some of the big 6 someday). But I know that God calls us to more than just having a good heart or attitude of detachment from our treasures in this world, he actually calls us to actually live that out. I hope that in the future and in the present I can do a better job of honoring God by what I "give" and "give up". It's time to really start pondering what it means to be one who places their treasures in heaven instead of in this world. May God give me wisdom and courage to find out!

Rocky Top Strikes Back!

After, two tough losses and pitiful displays from our defense all season, the Vols finally showed up this season. And boy did they show up! Eric Ainge was perfectly efficient, our receivers made plays, and Foster did fantastic. Most importantly, our defense finally showed their stuff and DOMINATED a strong Bulldog offense. UT completely obliterated the Bulldogs, taking a 28-0 lead into halftime and never looked back.

With Florida's losses to Auburn and LSU, the Vols actually control their own destiny in the SEC. If they can somehow win out, they can go all the way to the SEC Championship. Of course, in the the way are several tough opponents such as South Carolina, Arkansas, Alabama, and Kentucky, as well as teams that could possibly surprise us such as MSU and Vandy (how can anyone possibly think the PAC-10 is better than the SEC?). After our beating by Florida two weeks ago, I would have said that was next to impossible. But now, if we play the way we did today, anything's possible.

In 2001, UT won against Florida and were a game away from the National Championship, when they went to play LSU in the SEC Championship. Matt Mauck and the Tigers ended up upsetting us in a devastating game. My dream: sweet revenge as LSU could likely be in position to go to the National Championship, only we upset them in the SEC Championship. Haha! That would be perfect! Hey, a guy can dream, can't he?

2007 MLB Playoff Picks

I know I was supposed to do this before the playoffs started, but I didn't get a chance to. Anyways, I gotta go here soon, but I'll go through and throw out some picks.


Yankees vs Indians

This is a very intriguing match-up, and it's tough to pick. The Indians possibly have the best two pitchers in the playoffs this year. Sabathia and Carmona have been dominant this season. The Yankees meanwhile have Wang, a tired looking Pettite, Clemens (who hasn't pitched in 23 days), and some other terrible pitchers. The Yankees have a better offense, but the Indians have a spry underrated offense and they could possibly get a lot of runs across, especially against the Yanks starters.


However, this is the big x-factor. The Indians closer is Joe Borowski, who is horrible and has an ERA over 5. Do you really think he can handle the Yankees line-up in the pressure cooker situation of the playoffs? Meanwhile, the Yankees have the red hot Joba Chamberlain (which will be the single most annoying subplot of the playoffs as announcers ramble on and on about the Joba rules) and of course the Sandman, Mariano Rivera. I think the Yanks can steal one in Cleveland and then finish it out in New York.

My pick: Yanks in 4

Angels at Red Sox

A few weeks ago, as the Red Sox huge lead over the Yankees kept slipping away, I was more worried. Now, they're healthy, their pitchers seem to be getting back on form, Manny's back, J.D. Drew actually has a soul, and Big Papi is being Big Papi again. As Bill Simmons says in his playoff preview:

"In 2007, he stopped locking in. He looked tired. It looked like his knees were bothering him. Something wasn't right. Statistically, there wasn't a significant difference from 2004-06 except for the home run drop ... but something wasn't right. You could see it. Then he caught fire in mid-August, kept it going into September and morphed into the old Big Papi again. In the process, the Red Sox stopped resembling the team that broke out to a 36-16 start thanks to starting pitching, two great relievers and a solid offense; now they have decent starting pitching, one great reliever, three decent relievers and a much more dangerous offense. In other words, they look like the 2004 team, mostly because David Ortiz looks like the 2004 David Ortiz again. For the other seven playoff teams, this is a bad thing."

It seems like the Sox have been saving up the past few months to try and peak in the playoffs. I like they're starters, bullpen, lineup, and defense. As far as this series goes, the Sox have owned the Angels all year, and especially their ace John Lackey. The Angels have some spunk, and you never know what they are going to do. The Red Sox just look a lot better on paper though. However, in the playoffs, usually what's on paper is not what ends up happening. I mean, an awful looking Cardinals team came in and won the World Series last year. So, you never know what's going to happen.

My Pick: Red Sox in 4

Rockies vs. Phillies

The N.L is a lot harder to predict that the A.L. Part of this is because all the teams finished very strong, and partly because the players and teams are not nearly as well known. This is a really tough series to judge. Both teams came in really hot down the stretch, with the Rockies coming in really really hot , winning 14 out of 15. I think the Phils just have more talent on offense and better pitching in this one. Even though I just watched Colorado win Game 1, I think it may be a case of peaking too early. But who knows?

My Pick: Phillies in 5

Diamondbacks vs. Cubs

This could be a very weird series. Arizona is the first team since the 1906 White Sox to have to worst batting average and the best record in the league. I think their offense is pretty terrible. After Brandon Webb, their pitching is good, but not great.

On the other side, the Cubbies were only able to squeeze their way out of a terrible NL Central. They do have a pretty good offense (for NL standards) and good pitching. I don't know, I think this could come down to who wins the big game 1 pitching match-up of Zambrano and Webb. If Arizona can force it to a game 5, I might give them the edge, but I think I'm going to go with the Cubs.

My pick: Cubs in 4

ALCS

The Yankees scare the snot out of me against the Sox. They've owned us in August and September, winning 5 of the last 6. It almost seems like they've gotten back that edge over the Sox. Either way, it's going to be a gut-wrenchingly stressful series and Armageddon could happen because of this series. After the 2003/2004 series it's impossible to pick what's going to happen in these series, but since Big Papi is looking good again, I'll go ahead and say he makes a big hit in game 7 at Fenway to win the series.

My Pick: Sox in 7

NLCS

I think if the Cubs win a series and start gaining some steam, they could end up being really tough. With their crowd behind them, I think it will be very tough to win in Wrigley. The Red Sox and White Sox proved there's no such thing as curses anymore, so I'm going with the Cubs.

My pick: Cubs in 6

World Series

Cubs and Red Sox? Wait, how did that happen. But hey, no matter who's in the world series all the AL teams are a lot better than the NL teams (which I hate since I'm a big NL fan). Again, this was the case last year, and somehow the Cards got hot enough to fly through and win it all. However, this year I think the disparity is even bigger. I'm saying a big win for the Sox (come on, did you really think I would pick against my 2nd favorite team to win it all?)

My pick: Red Sox in 4

Thinking about the Future

With the sudden realization of "Oh snap! I'm going to be a real adult in 19 months!" suddenly coming upon me, I've been thinking about the future lately. In 19 months I'll be out in the real world and I'm going to have to get a real job, real housing, and start paying my real student loans. My little safe haven of Harding will be gone and I'll be out in the world beyond Searcy, Arkansas. Again I say to you, "Oh snap!"

Now, of course this is just an over-reaction. Obviously, I have plenty of time until May 2009. But this is the first time that this graduation date has come into the real foreseeable future. Of course, this is much too far away to make any sort of plans. It's too far away to even think what I want to be doing. A million things could come up between now and then and could change my direction entirely (not to mention the fact that Jesus could come back......I mean, literally anything could happen). I see in front of me hundreds of different opportunities that could possibly arise and hundreds of different directions that my life could take.

Still, with a combination of fun, excitement, and unbelievable fear, I still catch myself glimpsing about what could happen past that May 2009 date. Career wise, my options that seem the most viable to me as of now (key phrase: as of now) are either going to Grad school, getting a youth ministry job, or doing mission work. Other things could definitely pop up, but those are the ones I dream about the most. I would be happy with any of those options, though perhaps not really thrilled about the idea of Grad School so soon after under-grad.

Anyways, I bring this up to talk about a fun conversation my good friend Coleman and I had tonight. Coleman and I have been friends since early freshman year, and we've been ministry partners in various things, such as jail ministry, a Nicaragua mission trip, and our big plans for this year (that's for another blog). Anyways, we've always worked well together, and we kind of balance each other out. He's very realistic, pragmatic, and practical, while I can be idealistic, emotional, and unrealistically optimistic (sorry if there's too many "-ics" in there). Coleman has always dreamed of moving up north to a city like Seattle, be a history teacher, and starting a church plant. My dreams usually tended to be something like stay south around some place like Nashville, get a good youth ministry job, and shack up there. So, I guess we always figured our ministry partnership would be over after college. However, today we finally had the conversation of, "What if we could still work together in some way using some combination of those dreams?" We have no idea how this would take place and in what form it could take, but it was fun coming up with possible hypothetical situations of how we could minister to any number of cities (we came up with tons: Seattle, Portland, St. Paul, San Francisco). It's all just guesses and it's all totally hypothetical, but it's fun and exciting to think of what God could do through us. The chances of any of this happening is probably very low and it would probably be tough to find a situation where both of us could be in the same city. But hey, it's fun to dream, and you never know what God is going to do.
I sometimes get so frustrated when people tell me that "College is the best time of your life." I mean, I love college and I'm going to soak everything out of it and enjoy it as much as I can while I'm here. But, I'm also really excited about what God has planned for me next. I believe and I hope that there are many amazing things to come. It's scary, but bring it on. Future, let's see what you have in store.

QB Power Rankings

So, I've been wanting to write this specific blog for a while. I thought it would be fun to rank all 32 starting quarterbacks for this season. Now, this is difficult to do for several reasons. The first is that a lot of teams are already going through quarterback changes, so it's difficult to tell which starting qb to put down, so, I'll do my best.

The second is simply the question of how to best rank all the players. Do you look at this year, which is only 3 games into the season and doesn't give you a very good sampling or do you look at last year which is already outdated (for example, Ben Rothlesberger looked like he did a keg stand before every game last season, while this season he has been playing exactly the way he needs to in order to win the game). Also, which is more important: stats or wins? So, this is what went in my head in order to rank the quarterbacks from greatest to least.

1. If your life depended on one football game, who would you feel most/least confident about starting at QB (specifically how you would feel about that QB driving down the field in the last minute of the 4th quarter)?
2. How the QB lead his team in 2006
3. The direction the QB is taking the team in 2007
4. The QB's overall career
5. 2006 stats
6. 2007 stats

Notice that I don't focus too much on stats. For example, based on last year's statistics, Vince Young would be in the bottom 10 quarterbacks in the league while Marc Bulger would have been one of the top QB's. Anyways, enough setup. Here we go:

The "Call In the Backup" Division

32. Kelly Holcombe/Tavaris Jackson/Brooks Bollinger-Minnesota Vikings

Kelly Holcombe
2006-N/A
2007-50% Comp 0 TD/0 INT/165 Yds
Tavaris Jackson
2006-58% Comp 2 TD/4 INT/475 Yds
2007-53.6% Comp 1 TD/5 INT/329 Yds
Brooks Bollinger
2006-72.2% Comp o TD/1 INT/146 Yds
2007-75% Comp 0 TD/0 INT/26 Yds

I didn't really know who to even put for the Vikings' QB since all of them have played and all them are so bad. You know you're in trouble when the guy you touted as the future of your franchise in Tavaris Jackson is replaced by KELLY HOLCOMBE in the second game. All of these guys are terrible, and Minnesota's only chance is to hand it off to Adrian Peterson 40 times a game. I actually got drafted by Minnesota in Superstar Mode in Madden '08, and of course got immediately sent up to the top of the depth chart. Maybe if the Vikings can import my character into real life, then they can actually have a chance this year.

31. Joey Harrington-Atlanta Falcons

2006-57.5% Comp 12 TD/15 INT/2236 Yds
2007-68.8% Comp 2 TD/2 INT/ 760 Yds

I've been trying to give Joey Harrington the benefit of the doubt ever since he's been in the league. I would always say, "Come on, he's been playing for Detroit and Miami." Of course, he did come into an impossible situation this year after coming in last minute for PETA enemy #1, but eventually you just have to face facts and say that Joey Harrington is just not a good quarterback. Byron Leftwitch will probably replace him next week (if not in the 2nd half this week) and Joey will make the back-up circuit before making his way to NFL Europe. I think I know the secret of Harrington's demise, though. Can you really follow a guy into battle whose name is "Joey"? I still think that if he suddenly called a press conference to announce he's changing his name to "Joe Harrington" his stats would suddenly shoot up. But that would make too much sense.

30. Derek Anderson-Cleveland Browns

2006-56.4% 5 TD/8 INT/793 Yds
2007-52% 7 TD/4 INT/760 Yds

Despite his crazy game against Cincinnati in week 2, I still have no confidence in Derek. Maybe he'll prove me wrong, but I still think that Brady Quinn is going to be sent in about week 8. Of course, that probably won't help anything, because this is still the Cleveland Browns.

29. Rex Grossman/Brian Griese-Chicago Bears

2006- 54.6% 23 TD/20 INT/3193 Yds
2007-52.8% 1 TD/6 INT/ 500 yds

It's hard to believe that the guy who "led" his team to the Super Bowl is getting benched by week 4. But, that's what you get with the Rex Grossman. I actually don't think Rex is as bad as everyone thinks he is. Remember, this guy was the MVP favorite halfway through last year's season. But I think he just hasn't been able to stand up to the constant pressure and criticism that Jay Marrioti and the rest of the country throws on him. However, since he has clearly folded under that pressure, you have to look for options elsewhere. I don't think Griese is the answer though. This is the same guy who got chased out of Denver with burning torches and is described by his teammates in Chicago as "aloof" and "unfriendly." That just doesn't sound like the type of guy that you want to lead your team. My answer: go with Kyle Orton. His teammates love him, and he's lead this Bears team to the playoffs before. He won't be great, but he'll be good enough to win you some games, or at least not lose them. If that doesn't work, try to get Drew Bledsoe out of retirement.

28. Daunte Culpepper-Oakland Raiders

2006-60.4% 2 TD/3 INT/929 yds
2007-57.1% 0 TD/0 INT/118 yds

You know it's bad when you got benched for Joey Harrington last year. But, it looks like he'll be in for a few weeks until McNown gets healthy again. I put Daunte this high because everyone said during the pre-season that he hooked himself up to the rejuvination machine. Plus, 3 years ago this guy was one of the top 3 QB's in the NFL. There has to be something left in there, right? Well, maybe not, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him have a few good games.

The "We'll Settle For This Guy......For Now" Division

27. Damon Huard-Kansas City Chiefs

2006-60.7% 11 TD/1 INT/1878 yds
2007-67.8% 2 TD/3 INT/549 yds

Huard had a fantastic run coming in for an injured Trent Green last year. However, he has looked really flat this year. Plus, now that LJ is completely dead from his 420 carries last season, I don't think Huard can get it done with more pressure on the passing game. I'm looking at the Chiefs going 3-13 this year. Sorry, KC fans, I guess you'll just have to look forward to the Royals in the Spring. Wait, bad idea. Why don't you guys just take a break from the sports scene for a while.

26. Trent Green-Miami Dolphins

2006-61.1% 7 TD/9 INT/1342 yds
2007-61.4% 4 TD/5 INT/824 yds

I think if it wasn't for injuries, Trent Green would have been known as one of the better QB's of the last 10 years. He got injured playing for the Rams and some guy from the Arena league named Kurt Warner took over, and he played well in KC until getting injured last year. He's not playing well this year, but he's also playing with the Dolphins. So, I don't think he's as bad as people thinks he is.

25. Marc Bulger-St. Louis Rams

2006-62.9% 24 TD/8 INT/4301 yds
2007-57.8% 2 TD/3 INT/651 yds

Based solely on stats, Bulger was one of the best QB's in the league last year. But when you think about it, with the Receiving core, running game, and offensive line that the Rams had last year, I think Casey Clausen could go in and have a decent year with the Rams. Plus, Marc Bulger just doesn't win games. Period. He may put up a lot of yards, but when you need someone to come through in the clutch, there are a lot of quarterbacks (24 to be exact) that I'd feel better about leading my team. Throw in the fact that he's been stinking the joint this year in every aspect of the game and it's easy to see that Bulger is just not a good QB.

24. Jake Delhomme-Carolina Panthers
2006-61% 17 TD/11 INT/2805 yds
2007-64% 8 TD/1/INT/626 yds

Delhomme was actually having a good year until he got injured last week. I actually think that if he stayed completely healthy this year the Panthers could have a shot at the playoffs. But when you throw in perennial disappointment David Carr into the mix, it could be a long season. Let's hope for Panther fans that Delhomme gets healthy quick.

23. Matt Leinart-Arizona Cardinals
2006-56.8% 11 TD/12 INT/2547 yds
2007-54.1% 2 TD/3 INT/454 yds

I actually thought that Matty had a pretty decent rookie year considering the situation (the fact that he was playing for the Cardinals). But after a slow start this year, Ken Wisenhunt inexplicably pulled him in the second half of last week's game in favor of Kurt Warner. This move makes no sense to me. Wisenhunt claims that Warner gives them an advantage in certain schemes. Why not just teach Leinart to do those schemes better. How can you kill the confidence of the kid who's supposed to be the future of your franchise? Leinart is still learning and he needs time to develop, but I still think that he has the capacity to be one of the better QB's in the league, as long as his coach doesn't make anymore idiotic moves (Speaking of which, why are people so big on Wisenhunt? His resume is that he was an offensive coordinator for the Steelers, but when has Pittsburgh been known for their offense? During their run they got by with a staunch defense and an offense that did enough to get out with a win. Supposedly Wisenhunt was the mastermind of that team? I give the credit to Russ Grimm and Bill Cowher. From what Wisenhunt has done so far, I am not impressed.

The Mediocrity Division

22. Alex Smith-San Francisco 49'ers

2006-58.1% 16 TD/16 INT/2890 yds
2007-51.8% 1 TD/1 INT/ 461 yds

Um.....I have no idea about this guy. So far, I'm not impressed. He seems like the perfect example of mediocrity. I'm so perplexed by this guy that I'm just getting frustrated, so let's just move on.

21. David Garrard-Jacksonville Jaguars
2006-60.2% 10 TD/9 INT/1735 yds
2007-64% 3 TD/ 0 INT/ 630 yds

A lot of people would probably put Garrard higher on the list. He's decent, but the fact remains that the Jags have an incredible defense, a powerful running game, and yet were only 8-8 last year and looking just as mediocre this year. What's the problem in this equation? Garrard is good, but he will never do anything notable at QB. If the Jags want to take their team to the next level, then they need to find a new QB. Or maybe I'm just saying these things because the Titans have destroyed him their last two games.

20. J.P. Losman-Buffalo Bills
2006-62.5% 19 TD/14 INT/3051 yds
2007-63.8% 0 TD/1 INT/255 yds

Losman was actually pretty good last season and almost led a bad Bills team to the playoffs. He can be inconsistent but he has a lot of upside potential. Unfortuantely, he's injured for the next 4 weeks and the Bills are toast without him. Poor Bills fans, they have their first decent QB since Doug Flutie and he gets injured. Is Jim Kelly available?

19. Chad Pennington-New York Jets
2006-64.5% 17 TD/16 INT/3352 yds
2007-72.1% 4 TD/0 INT/ 291 yds

I gotta say that Chad has always been a cool player, and it's always fun to watch someone who looks like their 13 years old in the face play in the NFL (and with the arm strength of a 13 year old). I just don't know how long he's got. From this point on, every bad game he has, the Jets fans will start calling for Clemens to come in. That's a pretty difficult situation for someone who can't throw the ball 20 yards down the field.

18. Matt Shaub-Houston Texans
2006-66.7%/1 TD/2 INT/208 yds
2007-75.9%/4 TD/3 INT/688 yds

Shaub has gone in and completely rejuvenated the Texans. Well can you be rejuvenated if you've never been good before? We'll say he's um, juvenated the Texans. He's also gone in and single-handedly destroyed any excuses people used to make for David Carr. This guy looks legit, but I need to see a little more before I bump him up on the list anymore. I'll stay tuned.

17. Jay Cutler-Denver Broncos
2006- 59.1% 9 TD/5 INT/ 1001 yds
2007-65.3% 3 TD/4 INT/795 yds

Cutler had a pretty good rookie year, but he hasn't looked all that great so far this year. The Broncos are 2-1 so far, but they could very easily be 0-3. I think Cutler has all the tools to be successful, I'm just not sure if he has that it factor that the great QB's need. We'll see how it goes.

16. Jason Campbell-Washington Redskins
2006-53.1% 10TD/6 INT/1297 yds
2007-52.4% 2 TD/3 INT/621 yds

I'm not sure if Jason Campbell is actually as good as I think he is or if he just looks better compared to all the Redskins QB's of the past 10 years. His passing game isn't great, but he has the ability to run, and it seemed like he was able to do what it takes to win a couple of weeks against Philly. Although, I wouldn't be upset if he didn't turn out to be any good, because I hate the Redskins.

15. Jeff Garcia-Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2006-61.7% 10 TD/2 INT/1309 yds
2007-66.2% 2 TD/0 INT/595 yds

Garcia came for an injured Donavan McNabb in last year and played incredibly as he led the Eagles to another division title and into the playoffs. He's playing pretty well with the Bucs this year, and they now stand at 2-1. Can he keep it up? I think so.

14. Eli Manning-New York Giants
2006-57.7% 24 TD/18 INT/ 3244 yds
2007-61.3% 6 TD/4 INT/755 yds

Eli always gets a bad rap because he's constantly being compared to Peyton. People just have to get used to the fact that Eli is different from Peyton. Eli is more introverted, more of a recluse, and not the "natural leader" that Peyton is. But he's still a good QB. Not great, but good. I did think he was pretty hard core for coming back in week 2 when everyone was saying before that he'd be out at least 4 weeks. Not bad.

13. Jon Kitna-Detroit Lions
2006-62.4% 21 TD/22 INT/4208 yds
2007-68.4 % 6 TD/4 INT/980 yds

I've always thought Kitna was one of the more underrated players in the league. He had a good year last year and has been playing well this year. It helps to be under the Mike Martz system, but Kitna also has a certain hutzpah about him. When he came back in the second half a couple of weeks ago after having a concussion, some called it stupid. It may have been, but it was also gutsy. You know you have a pretty good QB when one of your players says, "Other teams can have their Brady's and Manning's, but we'll take Jon Kitna any day." That may be a bit much, but it still shows you something when your QB has that much respect from his teammates.

The Franchise QB's Division

12. Philip Rivers-San Diego Chargers
2006-61.7% 22 TD/ 9 INT/ 3388 yds
2007-70.1% 5 TD/4 INT/ 675 yds

Rivers had a very good year last year, which people forget was his first as a starter. He's played okay this year, but the Chargers are only 1-2. Although that's probably more the fault of Norv Turner that Rivers. Plus, not many people mention the fact that the Chargers have no wide receivers. They have LT and Antonio Gates to throw to, but the pickings get slim after that. Rivers is just good enough to make people forget about that fact.

11. Steve McNair-Baltimore Ravens
2006-63% 16 TD/12 INT/3050 yds
2007-65.6% 1 TD/1 INT/ 401 yds

Even though he didn't put up gaudy stats, McNair was one of the main reasons thed Ravens won their division last year. Next to Manning and Brady, there's no one else in the league I would rather have driving my team down the field in the 4th quarter with 2 minutes to go. I still miss him playing for the Titans and it's tough to watch him do well with the Ravens. However, I've got a bad feeling that McNair's oft-injured body is going to catch up with him this year (it already did in one game). I just don't see him making it through the season. I still love him, though and I hope that when he enters the Hall of Fame, he'll enter as a Titan.

10. Ben Rothlisberger-Pittsburgh Steelers
2006-59.7% 18 TD/23 INT/3513 yds
2007-59.7% 6 TD/1 INT/563 yds

Everyone in Pittsburgh, including Big Ben is looking into getting the Eternal Sunshine guys to remove the 2006 season from their minds. But, it looks like Benny is into his old form and is playing well. He doesn't have to win the game on his own, but when he's on form, he does enough to win the game. Just know that if you ever get a chance to talk to him in 20 years about his career he'll say something like this:

"Yeah it was great winning the Super Bowl and then.......(long pause) and then we came strong in 2007. Although I was always confused as to where Coach Cowher went."

9. Vince Young-Tennessee Titans
2006-51.5% 12 TD/13 INT/2199 yds
2007-62.7% 3 TD/2 INT/426

His passing stats may not look great, and a lot of people would not put him this high on their lists. I admit that I'm biased when it comes to VY (I love him!!!!!), but you also have to look at the facts. With his ability to run the ball, he is one of the most impossible players to defend. His passing game has improved a lot this year and there is a definite notable difference with the zip in which he throws the ball. He is always able to make the big play when it needs to be made. The Titans would be 3-0 if Brandon Jones hadn't dropped a pass on 3rd and 4 with 40 seconds to go against the Colts. Plus, whenever Vince goes back in the shotgun on 3rd down, I always think, 'There is no way that we're not getting this first down!' That's not something you can say about most QB's. In fact, I was shocked when Vince actually didn't complete the 4th quarter comeback against the Colts. You know you're in good shape when you're shocked your QB doesn't make a tough comeback against the defending Super Bowl champs.

8. Matt Hasselbeck-Seattle Sehawks
2006-56.6% 18 TD/15 INT/2442 yds
2007-64.9% 5 TD/2 INT/ 751 yds

Hasselbeck is one of the most underrated players in the league, and no one really pays attention to him as he is consistently one of the best QB's in the league. Part of this is due to the fact that he's way up in the far corner of the country and the fact that his city is populated by coffee drinking computer nerds and emo kids. Still, he always puts up great numbers and has a knack for getting his team the win. Plus, I'm still impressed from when he won the toss against the Packers in an overtime playoff game a few years ago and said, "We'll take the ball and we're gonna win it." They ended up losing, but it was still one of the coolest moves ever.

7. Brett Favre-Green Bay Packers
2006-56% 18TD/18 INT/3885 yds
2007-64% 6 TD/2 INT/861 yds

Favre has had a rough time the past couple of years, but he's really been back to the 90's version of Favre again. I feel like I'm caught in such a time warp that I keep expecting the Wallflowers to be popular again. What's even more impressive is that he's gotten the Packers to 3-0 when they have a TERRIBLE running game. I really hope he keeps it up and I'll be rooting for him all year. He's one of the greatest ever and it's fun to watch him on his game again.

6. Drew Brees-New Orleans Saints
2006-64.3% 26 TD/11 INT/4418 yds
2007-63.8% 1 TD/7 INT/677 yds

It's kind of a stretch to put Brees up this high considering how bad he has been this year (7 interceptions!). Let me defend myself. The Saints' defense has been so atrocious this year that Brees has been forced to take chances that he wouldn't normally take. I'm choosing to believe that the first 3 games this season have been an aberration. You have to take into account how incredible his season was last year. Although, if he plays as bad as he did against the Titans on Monday again, then I'll have to start moving him down my list.

5. Donovan McNabb-Philadelphia Eagles
2006-57% 18 TD/6 INT/2647 yds
2007-61% 5 TD/1 INT/ 805 yds

McNabb got off to a very slow start this season, but if last week is any indication, it looks like he's back on form. McNabb is one of the top quarterbacks of this decade and before he got injured last season he was single-handedly carrying the Eagles on his back. The numbers above for 2006 were acquired in only 10 games! If McNabb can stay healthy, watch out. Of course, based on the past few years, it's unlikely that he'll finish the season injury free.

4. Tony Romo-Dallas Cowboys
2006-65.3% 19 TD/13 INT/2903 yds
2007-58% 8 TD/2 INT/860 yds

Romo got off to a fantastic start last year, but finished it off with a mediocre final 4 games, culminated in the botched snap against Seattle in the playoffs. So this year, the big question was whether he could bounce back mentally. Clearly, he has definitely come back and is even better than he was during his golden-boy streak last year. I don't know if anyone has his ability to avoid pressure in the pocket. There were about 5 times in the Bears game that just made me go "Wow!" when he was able to dodge the blitz and make a play downfield. Plus it was amazing to see him convert approximately 743 third and long conversions. The Cowboys wouldn't have even sniffed the playoffs last year without him, and he's been playing this well so far without his #2 receiver, Terry Glenn. He's definitely fun to watch and he has a special confidence and charisma that is essential to be one of the top quarterbacks in the league. I know people will probably say that it's a homer pick for me to put him at #4, and they're probably right. But, at this point, there are few that I'd rather have going into a big game against a tough defense. And if he can bounce back from one of the most soul crushing moments in recent years then he can bounce back from anything. I really do think that when all is said and done, we're going to look at Romo as one of the best of this generation. Thank goodness that Bledsoe stunk it up last year or we'd never know about all this.

3. Carson Plamer-Cincinnati Bengals
2006-62.3% 28 TD/13 INT/4035 yds
2007-64% 9TD/4 INT/937 yds

Carson is definitely among the elite quarterbacks in the league right now. He puts up incredible stats and he is able to lead his team to victory. He also showed his ability to overcome adversity when he came back from injury to have a great year last year. He probably would have had more success on some other teams if he hadn't been signed to the Cincinnati Bail Bond Bengals. He has great arm-strength and great decision making abilities. We'll see if he's able to translate those abilities into championships in the next few years.

The Best of out Generation

1b. Tom Brady-New England Patriots
2006-61.8% 24 TD/12 INT/ 3529 yds
2007-79.5% 10TD/1 INT/887 yds

The fact is that Brady has never had very good receivers and yet he has always been able to put up great numbers and win games. This was especially seen last year when he had awful AWFUL receivers (you know it's bad when your best receiver is Reche Caldwell) and yet was still able to get to the AFC Championship. In fact, if Troy Brown hadn't run a wrong route on the last drive against the Colts, the Pats would have won and Brady would have destroyed the Bears to win his 4th Super Bowl, and Manning would still be known as the guy who couldn't win the big one. Now that the Pats picked up Donte Stallworth, Wes Welker, and a rejuvenated Randy Moss, we're finally seeing what Brady can do with quality receivers. Brady has been playing in-humanly this year and it looks like he's not even trying. With a destructive Brady at the helm, the Pats look like the 96 Bulls in their dominance. Brady is one of the best ever, and next to Joe Montana is possible the 2nd best clutch QB's ever. If you put a gun to my head then I say that Peyton is better, but if I have my choice then I say they're tied. If Brady can win his 4th Super Bowl in 7 years this season, then I'll have to give him back the sole #1 spot.

1a. Peyton Manning-Indianapolis Colts
2006-65% 31 TD/9 INT/4397 yds
2007-65.3% 5 TD/1 INT/873 yds

Peyton has put up the best numbers in the NFL for the past 6 seasons, but his critics had always said that he couldn't win the big game. It was a fair argument and was holding up until something happened in the Colts locker room at halftime in the AFC Championship. Peyton came out and mounted an amazing comeback, won the game, and went on to dismantle the Bears in the Super Bowl. Now I definitely have to put him up there with Brady. And since he's going to break all of Marino's and Favre's records in a 8 years, it's possible to say that Peyton could be known as THE greatest NFL quarterback ever. Right now, he's in a tight race with Brady for the best in the game right now. But if he can win the Super Bowl again with a Colts team that lost several key players over the off-season, then the Brady-Manning debate will be pretty much over. I'm excited to see how it all plays out.