QUARTER FOR YOUR THOUGHTS

NFL quarterbacks and the yards they've thrown after 4 weeks:

1. Peyton Manning - 1112
2. Rex Grossman - 1061 yards
2. Donovan McNabb - 1248 yards
3. Chad Pennington - 1015
5. Drew Brees - 1063
That's the top quarterbacks in the league, according to my brother. I will now dissect each one and tell you why they are not all that. Let's start with Peyton Williams Manning. Yes, his football pedigree is second-to-none and he's from the N.O., but is he all that? Being from Louisiana, I'm partial to the kid, but let's look at the facts. Manning's numbers are down this year compared to the first 4 games of last year. His competition (the Giants, Pittsburgh, Jacksonville and Jets) all have losses. Last year this time he'd already thrown for double the amount of touchdowns (Of course, he also set the record for most TDs in a season, so I'll give me a pass here). Now, he's only got 6 TDs and is on pace to get 24. That's down right mediocre for him! Pretender.


And Rex Grossman is not the real deal either. I can't front on his statistics, but his defense is making him look good (think Trent Dilfer and the SuperBowl-winning Ravens). I mean, the Chicago defense leads the league in stopping opponents on 3rd down (a wicked 21%). They also lead the league in fumble recoveries (7) and are tied for third in generating turnovers. I think it's safe to say that with a defense like that, yeah, you're gonna get some short fields and easy points (first defense to shut out Brett Favre). But how will he respond in December? He's had the best games of his short career the last 2 weeks, but can he continue? Pretender or Contender? Pretender.

Donovan Jamal McNabb is the bomb, and he can downright throw one, too. Dude is the sickest QB out there right now. He leads the League in yards and touchdowns (9) and is on pace to throw 36 touchdowns. All his wins have been blowouts except the collapse against the Giants in Week 2. If I can think of anything negative about him, it's that he can be taken out of games if you get into his head. Terrell Owens proved that last season, as the Eagles limped along the rest of the year after T.O. took shots at McNabb. But overall, dudes a Contender.


James Chadwick Pennington has had 2 surgeries for a bad shoulder, including a severly torn rotator cuff. After a stellar beginning in 2003, the last 2 seasons have seen his star fade in New Jersey. Yeah, he's posted two back-to-back 300 yard-passing games, but the competition was suspect (Tennessee, anyone?). He's off to a decent start with 6 Tds and 2 interceptions, but he's been sacked 10 times already (on pace for 40), and his team has been outrushed 200 yards by opponents. Pretender.



Last but not least, Drew Christopher Brees. This quarterback is like having Latoya Luckett on your arm, at a Destiny's Child concert: Not the best at the party, but a pretty date and a smile. Brees, battling major shoulder surgery in the offseason, is trying to prove himself. Fortunately, so is New Orleans right about now. And for a franchise that needs some good things to happen, he's doing a good job. He only has 4 touchdowns in 4 games (including one desperation pass to Marques Colston in the final minute last week against Carolina). His team's lack of a running game threatens to expose him if Duece McAllister and Reggie Bush don't have a breakout run pretty soon. Brees is showing that he can carve up a defense and has unexpectedly been unsackable except for the 4 downers he got at Green Bay (they almost downed McNabb 5 times on Monday night) but Brees' red zone mechanics are suspect. I'll say .... Contender

THE NFL LEADERS:

1. Peyton Manning - 1112 yards / 140 attempts
2. Drew Bledsoe - 662 / 91 attempts
3. Carson Palmer - 917 yards / 120 attempts
4. Donovan McNabb - 1248 yards / 143 attempts
5. Mark Brunell - 950 yards/118 attempts

SAINTS DUDE: Marques Colston is one of only 10 recievers with 3 touchdown receptions,(joining the ranks of Tory Holt and Santana Moss to name a few).