It is almost my favorite time of year. Football and Fall is something I look forward to. College Football is just around the corner. More importantly, The University of Alabama’s first game this season is September 3 in Tuscaloosa against Kent State. Roll Tide Roll!
The football talk today is of course the agreements finally reached in the NFL. It has been 5 months and getting down to the wire before getting this settled. The lockout was lifted Monday and they predict this week to be a wild ride. One area that I wanted to touch on today is the free agent quarterbacks.
Peyton Manning is considered a done deal as resigning with the Indianapolis Colts. There has been some talk recently that the 4 time NFL MVP may be on the downward side of his career. All good things must come to an end, but I wouldn’t put Peyton too far on the downward scale just yet. Manning at 6ft.5 inches is 35 years old. His days at Tennessee are some I am still trying to block from my memory.
Matt Hasslebeck helped the Seattle Seahawks to a playoff run beating the New Orleans Saints with 4 touchdown passes. However, his season last year was not one of his best. He finished the year with 12 TDs and 17 pickoffs. The former player of Boston College is 35 years old.
Alex Smith of the San Francisco 49ers was at one time a number 1 overall pick. In the 2010 season he only played 11 games. In those eleven games he tossed 14 touchdowns. He is not the brightest shinning star out there, but his numbers have been on a steady climb. The 6ft.4inch Smith is 27 years old.
Billy Volek with the San Diego Chargers has been in the league for 12 years. The 35 year old is considered a great back-up guy. He didn’t play much last year as back up for Phillip Rivers.
Seneca Wallace did a great job covering for Matt Hassleback in 2008 while Hasslebeck was injured. He is now with the Cleveland Browns and is in the middle of Jake Delhomme and Colt McCoy. Not a good place to be.
The former Heisman Trophy winner, Troy Smith, had to fight for time with Alex Smith at the 49ers. He averaged 196 yards per game in six appearances. The 27 year old came to the NFL from Ohio State.
Marc Bulger is not doing so well. He at one time was a Pro Bowl quarterback. His career has not done him any favors in the area of asking price. In the past two seasons he has played 9 games. In those 9 games he threw 5 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. This 34 year-old Baltimore Raven played for West Virginia.
Luke McCown was a hit in 2007 when he threw more than 1,000 yards in 5 games for the Jaguars. Since then he has only been seen in 6 games. The is the eighth season for the 30 year who played for Louisiana Tech.
Da Bears Caleb Hanie is just a baby at 25 years old. He saw more play time in post season, where he went 13 for 20 in the NFC Championship game. He covered for Jay Cutler who was injured.
The Raiders Bruce Gradkowski spent more time on the sidelines with injuries than on the field. He threw 1,059 yards in 6 games in the 2010 season. If he sustains more injuries it most likely will affect his value.
Tarvaris Jackson who plays for the Vikings stepped in for 3 games to cover for the injured Brett Favre. Unfortunately for Tarvaris he fell short of helping the Vikings. 3 touchdowns and 4 interceptions weren’t pretty. Another problem was a turf toe injury. Ouch. *I just found out that Jackson has signed on with the Seattle Seahawks. This means Hasslebeck will be looking elsewhere.
Matt Leinart who wears a Texans uniform didn’t even take a snap last season. He hasn’t completed more than 60 passes since the beginning of his career in 2006 with the Cardinals. The main talk around Matt is he is not “battle tested”. Sports Illustrated quips he should at least be well rested.
There is a lot to talk about in football. I downloaded the summary of the official agreements that finally lifted the lockout. I will see if there are any good highlights after I give it a look. I just read that Heisman Trophy winner, Mark Ingram, of the University of Alabama, may see limited carries with his new team the Saints. I will be looking into that. Us Bama fans are eager to see him succeed in the NFL along with Julio Jones. 
There are also some interesting running backs that are now free agents that are worth looking at. And as always lots of things to talk about in college football.
So we will get ready for the 2011 season together. I am ready for some football!
Take care and stay safe,
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