It’s good to be Kevin Kolb

• First, Kevin Kolb had the opportunity to come in the NFL and apprentice under Donovan McNabb making decent money.
• Then, while unproven, the Philadelphia Eagles handed Kevin Kolb the starting quarterback job and around 14 million dollars.
• When giving the opportunity, Kevin Kolb was unable to grab the Eagles’ starting quarterback job as he lost it to Michael Vick.
• As a starter, Kevin Kolb compiled a record of 3-4 for the Philadelphia Eagles.
• Despite a very thin resume, the Arizona Cardinals just traded a starting cornerback and a second round pick for Kevin Kolb.
• And the Arizona Cardinals have signed Kevin Kolb to a 5 year, $63.5 million dollar deal with $21 million guaranteed.

Do the Oakland Raiders have a quarterback?

• The NFL has been playing musical chairs with quarterbacks with teams like the Titans, Vikings, and others making moves.
• Yet, you never hear any rumors about the Oakland Raiders acquiring a quarterback via free agency or trade.
• Also, the Raiders did not draft a quarterback.
• Right now, Jason Campbell is their quarterback.
• Jason Campbell has had a mediocre career as a starter for both the Washington Redskins and the Oakland Raiders.
• Even Bruce Gradkowski, who just signed with the Bengals, has looked better than Jason Campbell for the Oakland Raiders.
• If the Oakland Raiders do not make a move for a better quarterback, then the Raiders will be lucky to duplicate their 8-8 season in 2010.

Do NFL teams lose on purpose?

• Sometimes it feels that way.
• The Seattle Seahwaks declined to re-sign Matt Hasselback, a proven winner in the NFL.  Instead, they are going with Charlie Whitehurst, an unproven back-up, Tarvaris Jackson, a proven bust, and potentially Matt Leinart, another bust.
• The San Francisco 49ers re-signed Alex Smith, a quarterback who has been given every opportunity in the world, yet has not succeeded.
• Reports are that the Minnesota Vikings are going to trade for Donovan McNabb.  Philadelphia thought so little of McNabb that they traded him to a divisional rival and then McNabb proved the Eagles right with a horrible year for the Washington Redskins.
• Carson Palmer is refusing to play for the Cincinnati Bengals and the owner of the team, Mike Brown, is refusing to trade him.
• The Tennessee Titans are going to release Vince Young even though he is a proven winner in the NFL.
• All of these teams would appear to have better options to win than the options that they are choosing.

Where is the love for Vince Young?

• Vince Young has a record of 30-17 as a starting quarterback in the NFL.
• Vince Young led his college team to a NCAA Championship.
• Vince Young is only 28 years old and a tremendous athlete.
• Yet, everyone expects the Tennessee Titans to release Vince Young.
• There are many teams that need a quarterback.
• Kevin Kolb, who has a starting record of 3-4, is the hot quarterback on the market.
• There are many veteran quarterbacks who are available who are all rumored to be more desirable than Vince Young.
• In fact, Vince Young has been rumored to be a back-up quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles.
• While Vince Young may have some maturity issues, he is a proven winner.
• If I was a team that was going to make a move for a veteran starting quarterback, Vince Young would be the one I’d target.

Who will be the Philadelphia Eagles back-up quarterback?

• Everyone is expecting that the Philadelphia Eagles to trade Kevin Kolb.
• That would leave Mike Kalfa as the only quarterback behind Michael Vick on the Philadelphia Eagles’ roster.
• Michael Vick’s style leaves him open to injury and Kalfa is too inexperienced to be the Eagles primary back-up option.
• So who will be the Eagles back-up quarterback?
• There are reports that Brett Favre would consider being the back-up for the Eagles.  However, this seems very unlikely since Favre will probably either stay retired or go to place where he can be the starting quarterback.
• Other have suggested Vince Young as the Philadelphia Eagles back-up quarterback.  However, he has a winning record as a starting NFL quarterback and therefore someone should give him a starting quarterback job.
• Donovan McNabb would appear to be the Eagles best option as Philadelphia’s back-up.  Based on his last couple of seasons, I’m not sure that any team would want McNabb as their starting quarterback.   And obviously, McNabb know the Eagles offense.

Did the NFL owners mess-up the new collective bargaining agreement?

• 31 of the 32 NFL owners ratified a new collective bargaining agreement.
• The players had not yet signed the agreement; however, the NFL commissioner announced the signing and plans to start the season.
• NFL owners were being interviewed and sounding a bit too happy.
• Generally, when there is a good agreement, no one is happy.
• The NFL players complained that they did not get the NFL owners’ version in time to review and sign.
• Some of the players complained that the agreement contained details that were not agreed upon by the players.
• If the NFL players feel that the NFL owners are trying to pull a fast one on them, they may refuse sign.

Should the Philadelphia Eagles trade Kevin Kolb?

• There are reports that the Philadelphia Eagles are going to trade Kevin Kolb to the Arizona Cardinals.
• The proposed deal is that the Philadelphia Eagles would receive a starting cornerback, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, and a draft pick.
• The argument against a trade is that Michael Vick can get hurt and then the Eagles will not have a sufficient back-up.
• The reality is that the Philadelphia Eagles are not going to win a Super Bowl without Michael Vick leading the way.
• While he has had a couple of moments, Kevin Kolb has not really demonstrated that he is a quality NFL starting quarterback.
• The Eagles have many holes on defense and trading Kolb for a starting cornerback will help plug one of those holes.
• Further, the Eagles could then focus their free agency money on other positions on defense to help plug other holes.
• I’m sure that the Eagles can go out and get a proven back-up quarterback who could start for a game or two if Vick gets hurt.
• If Kolb sits on the Eagles bench the whole year, he is not helping the Eagles win a Super Bowl.
• If Kolb is getting significant playing time, that means that Vick is hurt or not playing well and therefore the Eagles are not going to win the Super Bowl.
• While the Philadelphia Eagles can get value, they should trade Kolb for something that can help them win this year.

Should Yao Ming make the Basketball Hall of Fame?

• Yao Ming has announced his retirement from the NBA due to injuries.
• Yao Ming is an 8 time all-star.
• He was on the All-Rookie Team.
• He was 2nd or 3rd team All-NBA five times.
• He also never finished in the top ten for the MVP voting.
• He missed many games due to injury.
• Yao Ming only advanced to the second round of the NBA playoffs one time.
• His career averages are under 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game.
• As a player, Yao Ming was a very good player who was prevented from being a great player due to injuries.  Based on basketball alone, Yao Ming was not a Hall of Famer.
• However, when you consider that he was a pioneer who greatly expanded interest in the NBA in China, Yao Ming should make the Hall of Fame.

Should Dwight Howard play in China?

• There is a report that Dwight Howard is considering playing in China if the NBA lock-out impacts the NBA season.
• The report indicates that he is the second most popular player in China behind Kobe Bryant.
• With a billion people, China is potentially a lucrative marketing opportunity for Dwight Howard and other NBA stars.
• However, Dwight Howard is schedule to make nearly $18 million dollars next year.
• When he signs his next NBA contract, regardless of the next CBA, Dwight Howard is going to be making millions and milions of dollars.
• If Dwight Howard were to get hurt in China, have his current NBA contract voided, and not be able to sign a subsequent lucrative contract, he will never earn the money he has lost by marketing opportunities in China.
• If he continues in the NBA, he will still have plenty of opportunities for marketing in China.
• The bottom line is that by playing in China, he is risking a lot more than he could ever gain by increasing his exposure in China by playing there.

Where does Jim Thome rank in Major League Baseball history as a home run hitter?

• Jim Thome is currently 8th on baseball’s all-time list.
• Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodriguez, and Sammy Sosa are ahead of him.
• Bonds, Rodriguez, and Sosa are all performance enhanced drug users.
• There is no evidence that Thome has used performance enhancing drugs.  He also played against pitchers who used performance enhancing drugs.
• Therefore, Jim Thome should be considered number 5 on the all-time list.
• Further, he is about 35 home runs shy of Ken Griffey Jr, and therefore has a shot of moving up to number 4 if he can stick around long enough.
• Jim Thome should be a first ballot hall of famer.