Best Football Talk

The New England Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel says he is just fine being back up to star Tom Brady. "This is Tom's team," said Cassel Thursday. "The Patriots have been Tom's team. He's built that franchise up with his own two hands. He's the guy, and he was the MVP the year before. I realize that. He's been such a mentor for me that I would say, 'No, there is no quarterback competition.' But I've learned so many things from Tom, and hopefully it'll help me in my career."

Cassel had not started since high school before getting drafted by the Patriots. When Brady went down this year for good, Cassell stepped in and stepped up. He completed 327 of 516 passes for 3,693 yards and 21 touchdowns passes against 11picks. He ended the year with a quarterback rating of 89.4 quarterback which was 10th among all NFL quarterbacks. Not to bad for someone who never started a game since high school.

Tony Romo said that he will be more of a different leader next year on the football field, just a few days after Dallas Cowboy great Troy Aikman was critical of him. Aikman said that Romo needs to understand what it takes to be a Cowboy quarterback. "I'm definitely going to take a more active approach with that as we move forward from last year to this season," he said, from a Dallas Morning News report. "I'll be very excited to get back out there and be with the guys and figure out a way to improve and get better and do the things we need to do to win. Period." 

His rating with Cowboy fans plummeted even further, after they received a royal but-kicking to end the season at the hands of Donavon McNabb and the Philadelphia Eagles. Romo has got to put the side-show with Jessica Simpson on hold until football is in its off-season. Dallas needs him too much, as they saw when he was injured and Brad Johnson took over.

Romo also said after that Eagle game, that the Cowboys' offense was "exposed" by the Eagles. Maybe this is a statement that could be seen as criticism of offensive coordinator Jason Garrett. But according to the report, Romo said he and Garrett have talked since then. Whatever the problem is, Dallas can not afford to blow another season with the hefty payroll and loads of talent they have on both sides of the ball. So if Romo is going to be a leader he needs to step up and be one.

Jim Brown is perhaps the greatest running back to ever rush with a football in his hands. Some NFL fans may or may not agree with me, but there is no doubt he will never be forgotten for his remarkable play on the gridiron. He ran over defenders with the force of a battering ram and didn`t stop until he reached the goal line. For 9 years he shoved his way into the NFL record books for the Cleveland Browns, and he was awarded for his play with his induction into the Hall of Fame in 1971.

He wasn`t a just a traditional running back like you see now a days, he caught passes, returned kickoffs, and even threw three touchdowns in his career. He received numerous awards such as rookie of the year in 1957, league MVP in 1957, 1958, 1963, and 1965, and played in 9 consecutive Pro Bowls. He retired unexpectedly in the summer of 1966 at age 30 and simply shocked the football world. The records that he set were unbelievable, but can you imagine what he could of done if he would have stayed? You are talking about one if not the best back ever period.

He never missed a game in his nine years and lead the league in rushing all of those years except one. As brutal as this beloved sport is, can you imagine a player today at his position, never missing a game their whole career? That will never happen again in this lifetime, bet on it. His 12,312 rushing yards and 15,459 combined net yards put him in a then-class by himself. Brown was a unanimous first-team all-NFL pick 8 times, 1957 through 1961, 1963-1965, and was first round draft pick for the Browns out of Syracuse.

The New York Jets choose the Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan as their next head Coach. As soon as an hour after their hard fought 23-14 AFC Championship Game was over, Ryan was contacted about the job. " It's been a dream of mine to become a head coach in the NFL," said Ryan. The official announcement should come Wednesday at a press conference in New York. The deal is believed to be worth over 11 million dollars at 4 years. He is the son of former New York Jet coach Buddy Ryan.

Ryan replaces the fired Eric Mangini(now with the Cleveland Browns) and takes over a team that started the season 8-3, but missed the playoffs with quarterback Brett Favre after losing 4 of its last 5 regular season games. The Jets are getting a coach whose defense with the Ravens, has been ranked in the top 6 as far as total yardage allowed the past 4 NFL seasons. This is his first head coaching job and he has certainly earned it. Baltimore is a perennial leader in defense every year in the NFL.

photo credit: RMTip21

Super Bowl Sunday is finally set with the Pittsburgh Steelers facing the Arizona Cardinals. The Steelers held the Baltimore Ravens at bay with a 23-14 win in the AFC championship game. Ben Roethlisberger and the Steeler defense made plays when their back was against the wall. "Big Ben" finished the game 16-33 for 255 yards passing and one touchdown. Troy Polamalu intercepted rookie Joe Flacco`s pass with 4:24 remaining and ran it to pay-dirt for 6 points securing the win.

Flacco, who is the first rookie in NFL history to win 2 playoff games, struggled against the NFL`s #1 ranked defense all day. He finished the game 13-30 for 141 yards passing, and 3 interceptions. Don`t feel sorry for Flacco, he had an amazing year and his future is very bright. He took this team further than was expected and almost pulled it off.

Meanwhile in Arizona, Donavon McNabb and the Philadelphia Eagles nearly made a remarkable comeback, scoring 19 unanswered points before Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald put a stop to their giant effort. The Cardinals hung on to beat the Eagles 32-25 in a thriller. This will be Arizona`s first ever Super Bowl appearance in franchise history. Fitzgerald finished the game with 9 catches for 152 yards and 3 touchdowns.

 Warner, who will now lead his second different team to a Super Bowl, finished the game 21-28 for 279 yards passing and 4 touchdowns. If that doesn`t get him in the Hall of Fame in Canton, than I don`t know what will. Fitzgerald set an NFL record for most yards ever receiving in a post season with 419 in just 3 games. The prior record was the great Jerry Rice with 409 yards. This team is scary on offense and their defense makes plays when it has to. This will hopefully be another great Super Bowl like last year was with New England and the New York Giants.

photo credit: theSuperStar

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers decided it was time for a coaching so they fired John Gruden and G.M. Bruce Allen. Tampa Bay got off to a  9-3 start and failed to make the postseason and with that being said, Gruden was let go. He brought the Bucaneers their first ever Super Bowl title in 2002 and became the youngest coach in NFL history to win a Super Bowl. Gruden went 60-57 in 7 NFL seasons as head coach of the Buccaneers, including the playoffs, and leaves as the winningest coach in franchise history.

Since going 15-4, including the Super Bowl, in his 1st season with Tampa Bay, he went 45-53 and made quick exits from the playoffs after winning division titles in 2005 and 2007. This season's collapse continued a trend of playing poorly late in the season. Since winning the Super Bowl in 2002, Tampa Bay has gone 9-17 in December. Buccaneers defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, who was recently promoted from defensive backs coach, is expected to be named the next Tampa Bay head coach.