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Sport Crack's College Football Preseason Top 10

What, too early?

While some may look quizzically at this ranking due to LSU’s current quarterback situation, I would respond by suggesting they take a look at the rest of the team. They won the national title last year with Matt Flynn at quarterback and not taking anything away from him, but he was no Joe Montana. Much of the championship team of last year is returning and if the current front runner at QB, Jarrett Lee, can learn to not lose ball games and play conservatively enough, the team will be a BCS contender once more.

With many new faces looking to shore up the offensive line, Clemson’s potentially potent offense could all depend on their play. Luckily for them, they play in a relatively weak ACC and although there’s some tough games on their schedule, the offensive line has a much better chance to get some in game experience against some cupcake teams than say, an SEC or Big 12 team would in a similar situation.

With Colt McCoy with two full seasons leading the Longhorn offense under his belt, the promising young QB looks to lead Texas to the glory land that Vince Young led them to once upon a time. Depending on how the new running back performs will have a lot to do with how much McCoy will have to carry the offense and thus, the Longhorns record this season.

After surprising many with last seasons impressive BCS run, the Tigers of Missouri look to have just a successful 2008 with Heisman hopeful Chase Daniel back under center. Guess who else is back? Daniel’s favorite target and yet another Heisman hopeful (although a bit less so than Daniel) Jeremy Maclin.

Speaking of Heisman hopefuls, Mountaineer quarterback Pat White doesn’t have Steve Slaton in the backfield anymore, but with his skills, he doesn’t need him. With the offense likely to be completely focused around the dual threat QB, all that the team will need in 2008 is a respectable showing from their defense and they should have the Big East on lockdown.

It seems that Oklahoma has a title contending team year in and year out… and with good reason, they had one of the top football programs of the last century. It appears there will be nothing new in 2008 with the Sooners, who despite being in a tough Big 12, should yet again be in the conversation for title teams at the end of the season.

Even though NFL U wasn’t in the BCS title game last year doesn’t mean their not going to be a potential contender this year. The Trojans had somewhat of an off year last year (if you could call it that) going 11-2 with both of their losses coming at the hands of conference rivals. Some have the Trojans ranked higher, but I at least want to wait and see which QB they choose and how he’ll handle the immediate pressure that will be thrust upon him.

Speaking of off seasons, the Gators had 4 losses in 2008 and were out of title contention by mid October. Tim Tebow didn’t let that slow him down though, winning the 2007 Heisman trophy and choosing to return this year to hopefully lead the Gators to their second title in three years. With a cream puff schedule, that very well could be the case.

With the Buckeyes being the unanimous number one in this season’s preseason rankings, I just couldn’t bring myself to rank them ahead of the Bulldogs. With one of the easiest schedules of any team in the country next year, the Buckeyes could very well cruise to an undefeated season and yet another championship title appearance.

Despite playing in the toughest conference in the country, I just couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t put the Bulldogs at number one. I am so extremely high on this team that I’m very close to putting a large sum of money on them to win the entire thing. Then again, this is college football we’re talking about -- where just one loss can effectively end your entire quest for playing the most important game of the year. Tough schedule aside, the Bulldogs have many familiar faces returning and look to do something they’ve threatened to do in each of the past few season: Win the BCS national title.

Sport Crack's UFC 84: Ill Will Preview

Keith “The Dean of Mean” Jardine (13-3-1) vs. Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva (31-8-1)

Wanderlei Silva’s last fight was his UFC debut at UFC 79: Nemesis versus Chuck Liddell. Liddell won by unanimous decision in what was a very exciting stand up striking match. On the other side of the Octagon is Keith Jardine, whose last fight was also against The Iceman. Unlike Silva, Jardine won the fight by split decision with the help from his superb kicking ability.

This fight is almost certain to be a standup brawl, similar to the Silva/Liddell fight. I also think that the fight most certainly will not go the full three rounds. As much respect as I have for Jardine as a striker, I think Silva will have something to prove after losing his UFC debut. Not to mention, he needs a win to even be considered for an eventual title shot.

Prediction: Silva wins by KO in the 1st round.

Tito “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Ortiz (15-5-1) vs. Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida (12-0-0)

Machida, who has won all four of his UFC fights thus far (not to mention all of his fights for his career) will be going against a highly motivated Tito Ortiz in what could be his final fight in the UFC. Ortiz, who hasn’t fought in nearly a year, fought to a draw with Rashad Evens at UFC 73: Stacked. While many people are predicting a Machida victory, I think the fact that Ortiz hasn’t fought in so long has numbed us to just how good he used to be.

While Machida may technically be the better pound for pound fighter, you should never underestimate a man’s pride. Ortiz doesn’t want his last fight in the UFC to be a loss and I’m sure he would love to stick it to Dana White with a victory to end his UFC career.

Prediction: Ortiz wins by split decision.

Sean “The Muscle Shark” Sherk (32-2-1) vs. BJ “The Prodigy” Penn (12-4-1)

These two cannot wait to get into the Octagon against each other in hopes of destroying the other. This is Sherk’s first fight since he was suspended for violating the UFC’s steroid policy. Sherk’s last loss was to Georges St. Pierre 3 years ago at UFC 56: Full Force. Meanwhile, the UFC Lightweight champion BJ Penn, is coming off two straight victories by rear naked choke, one of which won him the belt against Joe Stevenson at UFC 80: Rapid Fire at the beginning of this year.

Like the Ortiz/Machida match, the majority of people making predictions are going with Penn to defend his belt. However, this is a rivalry of sorts and anything can happen -- not too mention, I love taking the underdog. If Sherk can avoid being submitted and utilize his ground and pound skills, he should have an excellent shot at winning the match. The only problem is, Penn is going to make that very hard for him. If Sherk can take it into the later rounds, his superior conditioning will give him a better shot as well. As much as I’d like to take the underdog in Sherk, though, logical thinking prevails…

Prediction: Penn wins by submission in the 3rd round.

If you plan on watching, then enjoy! If not, I'll be posting a recap later on tonight or early tomorrow, so stay tuned.

MLB Powerless Rankings (5/20/08)

We all know and love (or possibly hate) the phenomenon known as Power Rankings. They provide just about anyone an opportunity to give their opinion on who the best teams are each week in any given league. But don’t we owe it to ourselves to know who the bad teams are as well? Sport Crack is proud to present a new weekly feature: The Powerless Rankings (Now with good teams at the end so you don‘t have such a bad taste in your mouth afterwards)!

This week's edition features a perennial powerhouse having trouble staying on top as well as many familiar faces (or logos, rather). On the opposite side of the fence, the Top 5 teams has one surprise that many uneducated fans are absolutely shocked about. Who is it? Well, do you really expect me to tell you here? Get reading...

26. New York Yankees (20-24, LW: NR)

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. I fully expect the Yankees to make a turn around, no doubt about it. But I couldn’t resist dropping them in after they dropped their third game in a row. They’re 1-5 in their last 6.

Prognosis: They're the Yankees for goodness sake! I’m a Sox fan and even I don’t even expect them to suck for much longer. Expect them to turn into the usual Yankees we all know and love (or hate) very soon.

Team LVP: Jason Giambi, batting a definitely unlucky .191. Perhaps he needs a new good luck charm?

27. Seattle Mariners (18-27, LW: 28)

Yes, the Mariners have won two straight -- but guess who they were against? That’s right, the San Diego Padres. But a win’s a win, It’s more than some other teams can say down here.

Prognosis: The offense really needs to get it together. They are in the bottom third of the league in nearly every conceivable offensive category. Poor Felix Hernandez has been pitching his tail off, but with no payoff -- he’s getting hardly any run support.

Team LVP: The entire Seattle Mariners offense.

28. Detroit Tigers (17-27, LW: NR)

Just when you thought they were turning it around and were actually going to play up to their potential, they go ahead and drop five of six games.

Prognosis: If their pitching doesn’t turn it around, I don’t care how potent their offensive lineup is. Not many offenses enjoy playing catch up all the time. Nor can they do so and win.

Team LVP: Justin Verlander, who is a surprising 1-7. Some point out the lack of run support, but I just point back to his 6.05 E.R.A.

29. San Diego Padres (16-30, LW: 30)

I thought long and hard (about 4 minutes) on whether or not I should have left the Padres in the #30 spot. But I just couldn’t get past the Giants losing ways, even though the Padres have the worst record in baseball and at times look like a AAA team.

Prognosis: We’ve come to expect the Padres down here in the basement and they’re looking pretty comfortable. Don’t expect them to leave anytime soon.

Team LVP: Catcher Josh Bard, who’s batting a malignant .202.

And the loser is...

30. San Francisco Giants (17-29, LW: 29)

Another week, another losing streak for the Giants. Surprise, surprise. They are 4-13 so far for the month of May. Welcome to the cellar, boys.

Prognosis: We’re starting to progress deeper in the season, so the Giants have no excuses for their play. Either they start playing better, or they’re going to be out of it before July.

Team LVP: Starting pitcher Barry Zito who is 0-8. Done and done.

Mediocre mentions: Washington Nationals, Colorado Rockies

Power Rankings

5. Tampa Bay Rays (26-19, LW: NR)

Who would have thunk it. The Rays are playing fantastic baseball which is a surprise to some, but not a surprise at all to those of us who had listened to our resident Professor Rays before the season. Forget them just starting off good, this team is for real.

Team MVP: Eric Hinske

4. St. Louis Cardinals (27-20, LW: NR)

The Cardinals were at #5 until taking 2 out of 3 from the red hot Rays. St. Louis continues to prove that they first two months are no fluke either, and they here to stay at the top of the league.

Team MVP: Albert Pujols

3. Arizona Diamondbacks (28-16, LW: 1)

They may technically have the best record in baseball, but a recent sweep by the Cubs drops the Diamondbacks to number three. Still not bad for a team that wasn’t supposed to compete this season, eh?

Team MVP: Justin Upton

2. Boston Red Sox (28-19, LW:3)

I will replace a usual statement about the Sox overall in lieu of an official congratulations to Jon Lester for his no hitter last night. Sorry Peter Greenberg, you missed out.

Team MVP: Jon Lester

And the winner is...

1. Chicago Cubs (28-17, LW: 5)

A sweep of the previous number one team in baseball? Unlike some of the other teams on this list, not many people have been taken by surprise by the Cubs play. But they are looking like that the 100th year anniversary of not winning a title may end then and there this season.

Team MVP: Derrek Lee

Honorable mentions: Los Angeles Angels, Houston Astros, Florida Marlins

Images copyrighted by the MLB, 2008.

Arma Drama: Possible QB Controversies for the 2008 season

Never in my years of watching football can I remember there being so many opportunities for a QB controversy. Nearly half of the teams in the league (12) have a potential QB controversy in the works -- and that’s by my estimations, you could probably up it to literally half if you tried hard enough.

By QB controversy, I mean that there is a realistic chance of the starter being replaced before the mid point of the season if he isn’t performing up to par. A team’s fans have a lot to do with this, mainly because if there are two quarterbacks of similar skill on the same team, they will always, always call for the other one should the starter falter. I like to equate it to a Madden franchise when you are in a similar situation. I can’t speak for everyone but the moment my starting QB throws more than one interception and I happen to be playing with a team with a decent backup QB, I’ll bench the starter in a heartbeat. Easy as pie.

It is interesting to note that the AFC South is the only division in the league without a brewing QB controversy. You could try and make a case for Sage Rosenfels as a threat to Matt Schaub but uh, you would probably fail miserably.

The AFC East comes in first with three teams harboring potential QB battles. The NFC North would have been tied with three, but I just couldn’t entertain the thought that Gus Frerotte could ever win anything, never mind a QB battle with an up and coming QB in Tarvaris Jackson. You’re the victor already in my book, T-Jax.

As a disclaimer, I am not an expert (although it‘s fun to pretend). Some of the following teams could ride their starting QB all the way to the Super Bowl for all I know -- so feel free to disagree vehemently in the comments, per usual.

The battle: Jake Delhomme vs. Matt Moore

If Delhomme can stay healthy, this shouldn’t really be an actual battle. But therein lies the problem. Delhomme just had Tommy John surgery and there is a 20-30% chance that he will re-injure his elbow, never mind the odds of him never being the Jake Delhomme that once led the Panthers to a Super Bowl. On the other side of the fence, Matt Moore’s 2007 season didn’t win any accolades , but he did appear to get into a groove in the final three games. It’s also worth noting it was his rookie season and very, very few QB’s have had fantastic rookie seasons. Even the elite ones (I‘m looking at you, Peyton).

Projected victor: Jake Delhomme

The battle: Brody Croyle vs. Damon Huard

The good news for Croyle is that he is still relatively young and will only get better as he learns to understand the game more through in game experience. The Chiefs also showed him a bit of confidence in not pulling a Packer and drafting a QB to watch over his shoulder for the entire season. On the Damon Huard front, he had a mediocre year at best last year, leading the team to a 4-6 record when he started. It would behoove the Chiefs to just run with Croyle who should prove this year whether or not he’s the real deal. They will not win anything with Huard at the helm.

Projected victor: Brody Croyle

The battle: J.P. Losman vs. Trent Edwards

Although the Bills don’t appear to want to give up on J.P. Losman as their franchise QB, they just might have to after Trent Edwards impressive performance last year. The team went 2-4 with Losman starting in 2007, with Losman throwing for 4 TD’s and 6 INT’s. Edwards steered the team to a 5-5 record, throwing for 7 TD’s and 8 INT’s. Edwards did all of the previous in his rookie year, whereas Losman disappointed yet again in his fourth year. Advantage: Edwards.

Projected victor: Trent Edwards

The battle: Jason Campbell vs. Todd Collins

After leading the Redskins to a 5-9 record, Jason Campbell suffered a season ending injury, allowing perennial backup Todd Collins to come in and lead the Redskins to four straight wins and a playoff bid. Even though this is one of the less likely situations to be a controversy since Jason Campbell is young and Todd Collins is… uh, not -- Collins still showed he could win last year. Whether or not it was a fluke or not remains to be seen, perhaps defenses didn’t have enough game tape on him -- he certainly didn’t take the Seahawks by surprise (the Seahawks romped them, 35-14). Barring a Campbell injury or a horrible, horrible span of games, Todd Collins looks to be a backup once more.

Projected victor: Jason Campbell

The battle: Matt Leinart vs. Kurt Warner

In the five games before breaking his collarbone, Matt Leinart failed to play anywhere near a franchise QB level. A 53.6 completion percentage with 2 TD’s and 4 INT’s just wasn’t what the front office (and the fans) expected of him. His five games were actually bogged down by him being replaced by Warner multiple times, who by all accounts gave them a better chance to win despite his age. While it’s anyone’s guess as to how Leinart would have done for the whole year had he not gotten injured, he likely wouldn’t have led the Cardinals to a winning record. Still, he’s only 25 and has the potential to lead the team to the promised land that is the NFL playoffs. Kurt Warner is 36.

Projected victor: Matt Leinart

The battle: Alex Smith vs. Shaun Hill

Granted Alex Smith battled an injury bug last year, but the games he did play in were anemic at best (and I should know, I had the misfortune of starting him on my fantasy team for the first 5 games). Through six, he “led” the team to a 2-4 record, throwing for 914 yards, 2 TD’s and 4 INT’s. His completion percentage was not great either, clocking in at 48.7% for the year. Meanwhile, Shaun Hill would throw for 501 yards, 5 TD’s, 1 INT and an impressive 68.4% completion percentage. Granted, the three games he played in were near the end of the year and they went 2-1 during his tenure, but he still showed he could play if given the chance. The 49ers may just have to come to terms with the fact that they struck out with their 2005 #1 draft pick. Smith was the number one pick overall, and if he hasn’t done anything by now, he’s not going to. End of story.

Projected victor: Shaun Hill

The battle: Rex Grossman vs. Kyle Orton

How the Bears brass was okay with these two players battling for the starting job for the upcoming season will never, ever make sense to me. Ever. Don’t bother trying to acquire a capable QB to run your offense, which was the sixth worst offense in the entire league. Why would you do that? While Grossman has had some success during his career, he is the quarterbacking equivalent of bipolar depression. He’s either going to throw for 2-3 TD’s and 250 yards, or he’s going to throw 4 picks and post a 38% completion percentage. I couldn’t deal with that from my quarterback if I were a coach… my head would explode. Kyle Orton on the other hand only played in 3 games last year but didn’t look much better. Although Orton did have a successful rookie year in 2005, he was demoted behind Brian Griese and Rex Grossman in 2006. The Bears apparently didn’t have too much faith in him. Out of the two, it would appear Orton is the lesser of two evils, although Grossman gives the offense a bigger upside. And hey, they still have him on the team so maybe they’re shooting for upside…

Projected victor: Rex Grossman

The battle: Josh McCown vs. John Beck vs. Chad Henne

It is worth noting that Josh McCown, who is listed as #1 on the Dolphins depth chart at the current moment, has never had a year in his six year career in which he threw more touchdowns than interceptions. That’s all you need to know about him. Highly touted rookie QB John Beck left much to be desired as well, putting up numbers that I will not go through the trouble to look up. He struggled, let’s just put it that way. Lastly, is rookie Chad Henne who when placed among the other two clearly stands out as the way to go. While the Dolphins may give Beck another chance, don’t expect McCown to start too much unless injuries demand it.

Projected victor: Chad Henne

The battle: Chad Pennington vs. Kellen Clemens

The new guard versus the old guard. Pennington, who had a resurgent year in 2006, regressed in 2007 due to injuries. At one point, Jets fans even cheered when he was injured and walking off the field because they were apparently ecstatic for the Kellen Clemens era to begin. At least that’s what I’m telling myself because it was such a classless thing to do. The team would go 3-4 under Clemens, who had some shining moments but generally looked like a first year quarterback should. The Jets can either go with Pennington, who likely gives them a better shot at the postseason, or thrust Pennington into the mentor role and throw Clemens back into the fire.

Projected victor: Chad Pennington

The battle: Aaron Rodgers vs. Brian Brohm

Rodgers, whose finally gotten his chance to start in the wake of Brett Favre’s retirement will be constantly checking his rear view mirror for Brohm. Although Rodgers is entering his fourth year in the league, he is still technically a rookie QB. This puts Brohm on a level playing field with him and depending on how things turn out, the Aaron Rodgers era in Green Bay might never begin. If Rodgers succeeds, the Packers situation would be eerily similar to the Browns. A capable starting QB who will always have a talented younger player waiting in the wings. Not too much fun for the starter, but for the team -- not a bad place to be.

Projected victor: Aaron Rodgers

The battle: Chris Redman vs. Joey Harrington vs. Matt Ryan

Joey Harrington has proven over the years that he is a career service QB. He can put up numbers but he cannot win and is best used in pinch situations or if you have no where else to turn. Chris Redman, whose career in Baltimore is best described as a learning experience, actually looked very good last year. In four complete games, although the Falcons went 1-3, he threw for 2,147 yards, 10 TD’s and 5 INT’s. Whether or not that performance will win him favor over rookie Matt Ryan remains to be seen. The Falcons best bet would be to throw Matt Ryan into the starting role and give him some on the job experience. I doubt they can go to the playoffs with Chris Redman or Joey Harrington at QB, so 2008 might as well be used as the year that Matt Ryan is forged into a professional QB.

Projected victor: Matt Ryan

The battle: Kyle Boller vs. Joe Flacco

Kyle Boller, like Joey Harrington, has proven he cannot be a starting QB for an entire year (or at least not a winning one). Joe Flacco, who was highly praised of during the draft looks to be the one for the job. As with the other rookie QB situations, it will all hinge upon how the Ravens organization wants to approach Flacco’s indoctrination into the NFL. They may start out with Boller to begin the season, but quickly switch to Flacco when it goes sour.

Projected victor: Joe Flacco

State of the Franchise: The Green Bay Packers

At the start of the 2007 season, many were claiming that Brett Favre had made a mistake choosing to come back and play one more year. There was no denying he was once a great player, one of the best QB’s to ever play the game -- but it was common belief that he didn’t have it in him anymore. He was throwing too many interceptions as evidenced by his 2005 and 2006 campaigns. In those two years he threw 38 touchdowns, versus 47 interceptions. His QB rating over that two year span was 71.8, the lowest two year span of his career, and it spawned speculation of his impending retirement.

Favre flirted with the idea, all the while hinting that he didn’t appreciate the Packers’ brass’ lack of enthusiasm for surrounding him with playmakers. Sure he had Ahman Green, but his starts were inconsistent due to injury. Donald Driver was always there, but no one would ever mistake him for a big time number one receiver. Javon Walker flashed some brilliance in 2004, but he then proceeded to miss the entire 2005 season with an ankle injury.

After attempting but failing to acquire Randy Moss and several other high profile players, Favre apparently felt that the Packers were at least trying to surround him with quality players so he tentatively returned for what would turn out to be his final NFL season.

Heading into the 2007, hopes were high in Green Bay because hey, it was Green Bay -- and anytime Brett Favre was your QB, no matter how past his prime he appeared to be, you still had a chance.

Packers fans would not be disappointed.

Many different factors went into why the Packers had such a successful year and the up and coming defense was arguably the most important one. Led by the veteran cornerback duo of Al Harris and Charles Woodson, ever improving young linebacker A.J. Hawk and Packer mainstay linebacker Nick Barnett, the Packers finished the season ranked 11th in total defense. The defensive line, anchored by Aaron Kampman was also a constant problem for opposing offenses. The defense would rank 6th in points given up per game with 18.2.

Another major reason for the Packer resurgence was rookie running back Ryan Grant’s emergence as a capable compliment to Favre’s rediscovered passing abilities. On just 188 attempts Grant would win his way into the hearts of Packers fans and fantasy waiver wire whores alike, rushing for 956 yards and 8 TD’s (averaging 5.1 yards per carry).

Oh, and Brett Favre didn’t have a bad season either. A strong case could be made that Favre’s 2007 season was the finest of his career -- with him passing for 4,155 yards and 28 TD’s (with just 15 interceptions). Even more impressive was his 66.5 percent completion percentage, the best that he has ever had to date. Favre looked youthful surrounded by the many youngsters on offense and more importantly, he looked like he was having fun playing football again. Such a thing is key for someone who went their whole career giving NFL Films A+ comedy material whenever he was miked up during a game.

The Packers would lose just 3 games during the 2007 season and seemed destined for a fairy tale showdown with the, until then, unbeaten New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. As with many things in life, things didn’t turn out how everyone wanted (well maybe they did in regards to the Patriots losing..) and the Packers would fall to the soon to be world champion New York Giants in a thrilling, chilly overtime NFC Championship game. Both the new, improved Favre and the old and graying Favre would show up for the Championship game, with the aging Favre being the victor in regards to his performance. He looked cold, sore and out of it at times during the game and the second of his two interceptions would clinch the Giants winning OT field goal. Exit stage left, Favre.

At the end of the season, after much speculation -- Brett Favre would retire from the game of football after 17 years of Hall of Fame performances and entertaining clips and highlights. All of Wisconsin (and to a lesser extent John Madden) was floored and distraught by the news. Many thought he would be back but up until the present day, it appears to be not so. It would appear we have seen the last of Brett Favre, sans Madden appearances.

With the exception of the Bubba Franks and Corey Williams departures and Brett Favre’s retirement the Packers team remains relatively the same. The bad thing is that they have an inexperienced quarterback set to try and fill in Favre’s shoes in Aaron Rodgers. He’s thrown less than 60 regular season passes and it’s really anyone’s guess how he’ll turn out. It’s not easy filling in Brett Favre’s shoes and the Packers didn’t make it any easier by drafting Brian Brohm, a very capable quarterback out of Louisville in the second round. Had Brohm entered the draft last year, it was likely he could have gone number one overall. However, even though he had his best year statistically his senior year, his team failed to compete. Add to that a poor combine performance and you have yourself the reason why he fell to the end of the second round, no matter how silly it may seem.

As if Rodgers life wasn’t hard enough preparing to take the reigns in the capital city of football and a skilled young rookie behind him on the depth chart, the Packers decided they needed yet another QB and took Matt Flynn in the seventh round. Talk about getting insurance. While Flynn isn’t really considered a threat for the starting job, it is a head-scratcher on why the Packers brass decided to completely shatter any confidence Rodgers may have kept in the wake of Favre’s retirement and reports of the Packers impending demise.

Poor decisions aside, there has been a Favre backup who has gone on to have a fantastic career: Matt Hasselbeck. While he didn’t take over the QB job in Green Bay, he did become a three time Pro Bowler for the Seattle Seahawks. Obviously, he’s accomplished most of this through hard work and skill but you have to wonder just how much Favre taught his young protégé in the two years he mentored him. Rodgers has had three years to tutor under Favre and to think he hasn’t learned a thing or two would probably make you incorrect.

Having sat on the Packers bench the past three years may have caused people to forget about Rodgers’ skills. I know he hasn’t started in a while, but the kid’s good! Unless he’s been doing absolutely nothing on the sideline the past three years (See: Jared Lorenzen), I think he should be a pretty good QB. I also don’t think Favre is the type who would let him slack off. Joke around and make fun of him? Yes. Sit by and watch him not study and work hard? Absolutely not.

Cue Rodgers’ college statistics!

Year	Team	Comp.	Att.	Comp. %	Yards	YPC	TD’s	INT’s
2003	Cal	215	349	61.6%	2,903	13.5	19	5
2004	Cal	209	316	66.1%	2,566	12.2	24	8
T o t a l s		424	665	63.8%	5,469	12.8	43	13

Not bad for someone who’s supposed to run the Packers into the ground. If Rodgers can keep his dignity after the draft fiasco the Packers had and focus on playing solid football, he has the talent around him to succeed. Veteran wide receiver Donald Driver is returning for his 31st season and 2007 breakout star Greg Jennings will be back as well. Rodgers will have the opportunity to start fresh with rookies Jordy Nelson and Jermichael Finley. Tight end Donald Lee looks ready to be the number one tight end after an impressive 2007 and rookie sensation Ryan Grant looks ready to continue making huge contributions via the running game.

The offensive line, which also remains relatively unchanged looks to protect Rodgers as they did Brett Favre last year, in which they surrendered a mere 15 sacks for the entire year. The good news is that Aaron Rodgers will be in an opportunity to succeed. The bad news is that every start, hell, every pass will be analyzed under a microscope both locally in Green Bay and nationally. If he can ignore these distractions and play to his skill level, he should be fine. If he plays QB like Aaron Rodgers rather than trying to play QB like Brett Favre, he’ll be fine.

As much as I disagree with the decision by the Packers front office to take two QB’s in the draft to back up one who has yet to play more than seven games, they did cover their ass quite well. Instead of pinning their hopes of a Brett Favre successor on one QB they decided to give themselves options. While this will work out should Aaron Rodgers falter, it’s going to be a slippery slope. It has QB controversy etched with a jagged knife all over it. The decision is either going to work out and one of the three young quarterbacks will grow and become the Packers new franchise QB or it will backfire in their faces and at least two will have started different games before Week 8. A media frenzy would then commence.

The best thing for the Packers to do is keep the job as Rodgers’ to lose. By the end of the pre-season, pick one of them and stick with it for better or worse until you know what you have. If they can stay away from the pitfalls of having too many intriguing options open at all times, they should be just fine. If not, you’re going to be hearing a lot of about the Packers starting quarterback ‘job’ this coming year.