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NFL Quarterback Salaries

February 15, 2011 By 1 Comment

The top 5 quarterbacks in the NFL make an average of $20 million dollars a year. The Eagles franchised Michael Vick today guaranteeing him a salary of at least $20 million dollars for the NFL season. The Colts have just franchise tagged Peyton Manning and have plans on making him the highest paid quarterback in the NFL. Let’s take a look at the highest paid quarterbacks.

Player                               2011 Salary

Peyton Manning            $23 million dollars * estimated salary

Michael Vick  Approx. $20 million dollars *estimated salary

Mark Sanchez                    $14.75 million dollars

Ben Roethlisberger       $14.75 million dollars

Carson Palmer                $14 million dollars

Tom Brady                     $13 million dollars

Matt Stafford                  $12 million dollars

Matt Ryan                          $11.25 million dollars

Philip Rivers                 $11.2 million dollars

Tony Romo                    $11 million dollars

Eli Manning                  $10 million dollars

Jay Cutler                       $9 million dollars

Aaron Rodgers            $8.25 million dollars

Drew Brees                    $7.3 million dollars

Matt Schaub                $6.8 million dollars

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The Pittsburgh Steelers Were Exposed

February 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Super Bowl XLV was more than just one loss for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The game exposed a weakness that the Pittsburgh Steelers have been able to mask for seasons. The game against the Packers gave every NFL team a blueprint as to how to attack the Steelers. When the Patriots beat the Steelers with a four wide receiver formation in the regular season, NFL teams that it was just something that the Patriots could do. They are known for their ability to devise complex schemes to beat opponents. But when the Packers beat them with the same format on the world’s biggest stage that changed things.

I expect that more teams will just to spread the Steelers out next season to take advantage of their corners. It is virtually impossible to run on the Steelers so teams should follow the Packers plan and abandon the run. Conventional wisdom was that teams like the Ravens and Bengals had to stick to their running game because the best way to beat the Steelers is with a balanced attack.

That logic has never been true. The teams that have had the most success against the Steelers over the past few years are teams that spread them out. If the Ravens and Bengals want to have any shot at beating the Steelers in the playoffs, they have to become  less conservative and take some chances. The Ravens had a team with Anquan Boldin, Derrick Mason, TJ Houshmanzadeh, and Dante Stallworth and still played conservative football against Pittsburgh. The Bengals had Terrell Owens, Chad Johnson(changed it back), Andre Caldwell, Jordan Shipley and tried to turn into a running attack.

Teams need to realize that you can’t beat the Steelers at their own game. So, abandon conventional wisdom and play it wide open.

Filed Under: Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers Missed Santonio Holmes

February 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Sunday was the first game all season where it became obvious that the Steelers missed their best wide receiver. No, I am not talking about Mike Wallace, who has surpassed Hines Ward as the Steelers number one receiving threat. I am talking about Santonio Holmes of the New York Jets. The Steelers traded him for a low round draft pick in the offseason because of a drug arrest.

Super Bowl Sunday was only the second game all season in which the Steelers defense could not stop an opponent. They needed to outscore the Packers Sunday and just did not have enough firepower to do so. The other game where their defense was dominated was against the Patriots earlier in the season. Holmes wasn’t going to be able to help in that debacle.

He could have helped Sunday. The Steelers lacked the ability to go vertical Sunday. Their only big play threat was speedster Mike Wallace. You could see the inexperience of the Steelers receivers in their two minute offense. They weren’t sure where to line up in their hurry up offense. If Holmes had been there, I have no doubt that Big Ben would have led the Steelers down the field for a game winning touchdown.

The problem with the Steelers Sunday was they need more big play players. Hines Ward is no threat to anyone except as a blocker. When Charles Woodson was in the game, you never even heard his name called except for one short reception to start the game off. Emmanuel Sanders is still too young and Heath Miller is a bust. He was nonexistent Sunday just as he has been much of his career.

I think that the decision to trade Santonio Holmes in the offseason cost the Steelers their 7th Super Bowl Championship. They should have been patient with Holmes as they were with Big Ben and they would have bee hoisting that Lombardi trophy on Sunday once again.

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The Pursuit Of Coaching Greatness

February 4, 2011 By 1 Comment

What distinguishes being a good coach from a great one?  Is it the ability to win games? Or is it the ability to win the big game? I would say neither.  It’s the ability to establish a system, staff and players that makes winning as common place as apple pie in the south on a Sunday afternoon.  It’s having the passion and drive to pursue greatness and the necessary tools to harness it once you’ve caught it.

It requires the precision of a master watch designer, the determination of a triathlon, and the words of a self help guru or maybe just a poet.  Suffice it to say that few coaches possess the recipe to properly combine the mixture.  And then there is Mike Krzyzewski, after a short run of thirty seasons with Duke he’s managed to become the NCAA’s most winning active coach and the second most winning NCAA coach of all time.

He has coached the Blue Devils to 27 NCAA tournament births in his 30 year tenure, positioning him as the most winning coach in NCAA Tournament play with a record of 77-22.  His Blue Devils’ have won 12 ACC Championships, and have made 11 final four appearances.  Of those 11 appearances, remarkably they have walked away with four NCAA National Championship Titles.

He has amassed sufficient awards and honors to construct his very own shrine as a coaching god, including an Olympic gold medal for coaching the “Redeem Team” in the 2005 Beijing Olympics.  As if all of the above mentioned is not enough, what is it that makes coach K as he has come to be called different from the rest?

If you have ever watched Duke play, then you know that they aren’t the most talented team to play the game, nor are they the most physically impressive.  If you take an inventory of the players that he’s coached that have gone on to play at the next level, they generally aren’t NBA All Stars.  What they are however is something all together different. They are all role players.  The strength of a Duke team coached under Coach K can not be found in the dominance of one or two outstanding players.

Rather, it’s strategically located in their abilities to play together as a unit like Spartan warriors.  They play the game like a well oiled machine designed and engineered for that purpose.  Each member yielding his gifts and talents for the strength of the whole: honor, loyalty, duty, personal sacrifice. And that my friend is what greatness is made of.  After all, coach K should know. He’s a graduate of The United States Military Academy at West Point class of 69.  Hoo-ha!

Be sure to visit Sportsfeens for all of your fantasy football info. Coming soon: A fantasy football cheat sheet

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