Who Won Favre Circus?

This offseason for the NFL was a wild one, all because of one man. First he retired. Then he was thinking about coming back. Then he wasn't wanted back. Then he was, but not as a starter. Then he wasn't going to come back. And then he did. And then Brett Favre, an NFL icon and Green Bay hero, got traded to the New York Jets.

This started a string of things around the league.

First, the trade of Favre put Aaron Rodgers into the driver seat for the first time in his career. Rodgers, who slid all the way from a projected number 2 selection to the Packers at number 24, was drafted 3 years ago to eventually take over for Favre. Despite webpages and marches held in Green Bay to keep Brett Favre, the Packers decided it was time to pass the tourch to Rodgers.

The question then was, who to trade Favre to? The Buccaneers and Jets were interested, and Farve eventually ended up being a New York Jet. Now all of the sudden the Jets, who had Chad Pennington and Kelly Clemens on their roster, had a first ballot hall of famer under center for them.

This led to the release of Chad Pennington, who had spent his whole career as a quarterback in New York. On the free marker for the first time, Pennington decided to sign with the Miami Dolphins, who promised him an open competion with second year quarterback John Beck, who general manager Bill Parcells was not pleased with.

So after all was said and done, this left three teams with new quarterbacks. The Packers with Aaron Rodgers, the Jets with Brett Favre and the Dolphins with Chad Pennington. So the question is, after 10 weeks, who got the best deal of the quarterback swaping?

Aaron Rodgers has played well for the Packers in his first year on the job. He has thrown for 2,124 yards, 13 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. Despite a shoulder injury that led to a slump for a couple of weeks, Rodgers has come back strong in his last 3 games. He has led the Packers to a 4-5 marks, which is dissapointing after their success last season.

Brett Favre, in his first season ever with a team other then the Packers, has been typical Favre, with alot of good and alot of bad. He has thrown 18 touchdowns and led the Jets to the top of the AFC East. But those numbers, and the teams standings, are a bit jaded. He also has thrown 12 interceptions. 1/4 of those touchdowns game in one game. And the only reason the Jets are winning the AFC East is because Tom Brady is out for the year. But still, Favre has led them to the top in his first season there.

Chad Pennington, considered the worst of the 3 at the beginning of the season, has been the surprise of the bunch. He has helped the Miami Dolphins to a surprising 5-4 record. He has season stats of 2,200 yards, 8 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. But unlike Rodgers and Farve, he is not asked to win the game for the Dolphins. In fact, you could argue that the Dolphins have had their most sucess with running back Ronnie Brown under center.

So who got the best of the deal? You could make a case for all three. The Jets have the best record of the three, and look like the most likely to make the playoffs. The Packers sucessfully transitioned to the post Favre era, which has been looming over their franchise for the last few years. The Dolphins, who no one expected anything out of , are a surprising 5-4 and will compete for a playoff berth.

Now the cases agaisnt them. The Packers could have been the top team in the NFC this year with Favre under the helm. They were close last year, and their only competion would have been the New York Giants this year. But with Rodgers, they are below .500 and will struggle to even get in the playoffs. The Jets morgaged there future for one, maybe two years of Brett Favre. Their is really no case agaisnt the Dolphins, other then that at his age, Pennington is probaly not the answer at quaterback for the future.

So the winner? I have to go with the Jets. The Packers took a major PR hit by the way they handled the situation. The Jets on the other hand, commited to winning now, and got lucky that Brady went down, leaving the door wide open for them. Without Favre, they would be last in their division. Now they are first. And in the NFL, the Not For Long league, you need to win when you can. The Jets made that commitment, while the Packers took last seasons success and delayed it, instead of build upon it. The Dolphins would come in second place, because they gave up nothing and had Pennington dropped in their lap.

But the Jets get the edge because they went out and made the move, showing their dedication to winning.

NFL Week 11 Picks

Here are my picks for Week 11:

Record Picking: 8-5

Broncos at Falcons: Maybe it is time we take the Falcons seriously. They are unstoppable at home, and on the turf, I don't see the Broncos defense doing enough to keep them in the game. It will be high scoring, but in the end, Matt Ryan gets it done. Pick: Falcons

Bears at Packers: Coming off a crushing lost last week, the Packers look to rebound agaisnt their divion rival. Kyle Orton could play, but won't be at 100 percent. The Bears played well last week vs the Titans, but home field advantage will be the decider in this one. Pick: Packers

Texans at Colts: In his NFL preview, Bill Simmons wrote that the Colts would start out slow, be unimpressive, and then by the end be the "team no one wants to play" come playoff time. Theres a reason hes my favorite writer. Pick: Colts

Saints at Chiefs: The Chiefs lost a close one last week, opting to go for 2 on the game tying touchdown, but missed it. They have played better as the season has gone on. My gut wants to take the Chiefs. But after getting burned by the Lions last week, I'll go with the Saints. Pick: Saints

Raiders at Miami: Miami eeked out a close one last week agaisnt the struggling Seattle Seahawks, but good teams win games agaisnt bad ones when they don't play well. And after 10 weeks, like the Falcons, it's time to give the Dolphins there due. Pick: Miami

Ravens at Giants: After steam rolling the Eagles last week with an unstoppable run game, the Giants look to keep it going agaisnt the Ravens. But the Ravens allow only 65 yards per game on the ground, and have the second overall defense in the league. They also have the best rushing offense, which is key to winning on the road. Without the running game, Eli Manning will have to beat the Ravens. This is my upset pick of the week. Pick: Ravens

Chargers at Steelers: The Chargers have been dissapointing this season, and have lost two in a row to drop there record to 4-5. This is not the week to be desperate for a win. The Steelers will be ready to play after losing a nail biter to the Colts last weekend. Pick: Steelers

Rams at 49ers: Its safe to say this game will not be one of the most watched this weekend. The 49ers almost stole one in Arizona on Monday night. The Rams meanwhile, are fading after an impressive two game winning streak. Mike Singletary has the 49ers playing hard, and I think they will win easy this week. Pick: 49ers

Cardinals at Seahawks: Matt Hasselback returns this week for the Seahawks as they look to knock off the division leading Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals have struggled on the road, and struggled last week agaisnt a much weaker 49ers team. All signs point to a Seattle win. But I think the Cardinals have made the next step, and are now able to win a game like this.
Pick: Cardinals

Vikings at Bucs: Huge win for the Vikings last week. They knocked off the Packers to pull 1 game above .500, and now face a Bucs team who had a bye week. The Vikings rely on the ground game and Adrian Peterson, but the Bucs have had a full week to prepare. Pick: Bucs

Cowboys at Redskins: Everybody is excited for the return of Tony Romo, thinking he will save the sinking Cowboys. But the Redskins beat the Cowboys in Week 4 when they were playing their best football of the season. And that game was in Dallas. Clinton Portis might not play, and that will hurt the Redkins. But I still think the Redskins pull this one out. Pick: Redskins

Lions at Carolina: I got on the Lions bandwagon last week, thinking that Daunte Culpepper could have a big game. But after being burned by him and the Lions, I can't pick them again. The Panthers win this one easily. Pick: Panthers

Titans at Jacksonville: The Jags crushed the Lions last week, while the Titans won a tough one in Jacksonville. Im torn on this one. Part of me thinks the Titans will lose, because it is a back to back road game that is coming off a tough physical game in Chicago. But the Titans have answered every challenge so far this season. Pick: Titans

Browns at Bills: My how the Bills have fallen. They are now last in the their division, after being ontop of it for most of the season. The Browns gave one away last week, as their defense could not stop the high powered Broncos offense. The Bills are no Broncos on offense, but their also no Broncos on defense. Pick: Bills

Around the NBA

Last nights NBA Schedule featured some great games as well as some stand out outings from some of the NBA's best. 

Celtics 103, Hawks 102: The surprising Hawks were undefeated going into last nights playoff rematch with the Boston Celtics, who were 7-1. Just like last years surprising 4-3 playoff win by the Celtics, the Hawks gave the Celtics all they could handle last night. Joe Johnson carried the Hawks, netting 28 points, including key buckets down the stretch. Marvin Williams hit a 3 pointer wit 7 seconds left to put the Hawks up 102-101. But Paul Pierce, NBA Finals MVP last season, nailed the game winning jumper with Al Horford all over him as the clock expired. Pierce finished with 34 points, and Kevin Garnett tailed 25 points and 12 rebounds.

The Hawks, after years of top 3 lottery picks, are finally putting all of that young talent together. The steady hand of veteran point guard Mike Bibby, averaging 15 points and 6 assists, has the Hawks thinking about more then just a playoff apperance this season. 

Lakers 93, Hornets 86: In a possible Western Conference Finals preview, the Lakers visited the Hornets last night, putting their undefeated record on the line. For a while, it looked like the Lakers would run the Hornets out of the gym, at one point leading by 23 points. 

But Chris Paul brought the Hornets back, behind his 30 point, 13 assist, 7 rebound night. The Hornets managed to bring the score to 83-80, but in the end, Kobe Bryant was to much for the Hornets to handle. Bryant nailed a 3 on the trip down the floor, finishing with 20 points and 6 assists. 

Dwight Howard Gets First Triple Double: Dwight Howard recorded his first career triple double, finishing with 30 points, 19 rebounds, and 10 blocks. Howard is having a monster year, averaging 24 points and 15 rebounds. If he continues to be such a dominate inside presence, the Magic will be a hard out come playoff time. 

Sixers Get Revenege vs Raptors

Led by Andre Iguodala, the Philadelphia Seventy Sixers got a much needed win last night. It was their first win in the last 4 games, and also their first road win on the season, beating the Toronto Raptors last night 106-96. 

Iguodala finished one rebound shy of a triple double, recording 18 points, 10 assists, and 9 rebounds. Iguodala has gotten off to a rough start to the season, but has been able to turn it around recently by contributing by more then just scoring. He has had at least 5 rebounds and 5 assists in the last 4 games, while scoring in double digits in each of them. 

Iguodala, who last season was the Sixers number one option, has had to adjust to the new role of second fiddle to Elton Brand. A lot of people feel that his game is more suited to this role, with his ability to do more then just score. As the season has gone on, he has become more of an all around player, contributing in all areas of them game. He holds season averages of 12 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. 

Elton Brand, who has gone through a rough spell over the last few games, broke through last night with 25 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 blocks. Marreese Speights, the Sixers first round pick this off season, contributed 12 points and 7 rebounds off the bench. 

The Sixers next game is Friday when they visit the Indiana Pacers, and surprising break out player Danny Granger. 

Eagles vs Giants

Even though this game has been talked about alot already, here are some of the things I liked and some of the things I didn't like about the Eagles 36-31 loss to the Giants this past weekend. 

What I Liked: 

1) DeSean Jackson: This kid is a playmaker. Give Andy Reid credit for skipping the middle man, and just direct snaping it to Jackson on the goal line. Jackson delivered with a 10 yard touchdown run. He did a great job of ducking that diving Giant linebacker to reach to pylon. He continues to be one of the only playmakers on the offense. 

2) Donovan McNabb: He did start and slow and throw an interception (and another one that should have been called back). But without him, the Eagles are not even in the game. They put up 31 points on one of the best defenses in the league, and the sole reason was McNabb. The run game didn't do anything. At the end of the season, McNabb is going to get unfairly blamed and probaly traded if they don't make the playoffs. But when Kolb is in, everyone will realize how nice McNabb was. 

3)The Giants- Ill give credit where credit was due. And as much as I hate the Giants, they are the best team in the league. Last year might have been a fluke, but this year definitly isn't. Brandon Jacobs is a man child. Running game is the key to winning in the NFL, and they do it as good as you can.

4) The Wide Receivers: All of the talk in Philly is allways how we need more wide receivers. But with Kevin Curtis, DeSean Jackson, Kevin Curtis, Hank Basket and Jason Avant, the Eagles have a nice group of players there. Basket does a nice job running the fade route. Avant can make the tough catch over the middle, and Curtis is one of the fastest players in the league. They have been not the reason the Eagles have lost this season. 

5) Matt Patterson and Stewart Bradley: The Eagles have two good, young players at very key positions. Patterson had two huge take aways, which both led to Eagles touchdowns. He gave the Eagles momentum to start the game with his interception, and then gave it back to them again when he recovered the fumble. Stewart, meanwhile, had a team high 14 tackles, and was everywhere during this game. 

What I Didn't Like:

1) Andy Reid: See below

2) The Defense: For all the talk about how good they are agaisnt the run, they sure don't play like it when it matters. The Giants got 5 or more yards on 22 rushes. That leaves a lot of 2nd and 5, 2nd and 4 plays. That is the ideal position to be in as an offense. They allowed 17 points in the first quarter, and drives of 8 and 9 minutes. Thats way to long to be on the field. They need to get off the field and get the offense back on it. 

3) Jim Johnson: I wanted to to put Brian Dawkins, but when I thought about it, its not Dawkins fault that he was lined up with Plaxico Burress one on one on the goal line. Dawkins has had a great career, but at this point, he can't cover people one on one. Why isn't Asante Samuel on him? Or Lito Sheppard? Or any corner back at all. The touchdown tied the game at 7-7, and killed the early momentum that the Eagles had. 

4) Play Calling: I know I talked about it earlier, but you can't talk about this game without talking about how stupid it was for them to run the SAME play twice in a run on the most important two plays of the season. Why not have McNabb drop back, look once, and just run for it if nothing is there? Or on 4th and 1, have Correll Buckhalter just run and dive over the top. Or just call more running plays through out the game, so you have a running game established when you really need it. 

NBA Power Rankings v1

2 weeks into the season, its time to debut our NBA Power Rankings. Through out the season, Philly Stand Up with rank each team in the NBA, 1-32, according to who we think is the best. Enjoy.

1. Los Angeles Lakers (6-0)

2. New Orleans Hornets (6-0)

3. Boston Celtics (7-1)

4. Cleveland Cavialiers (6-2)

5. Atlanta Hawks (6-0)

6. Utah Jazz (6-1)

7. Detriot Pistons (5-2)

8. Phoenix Suns (6-2)

9. Toronto Raptors (4-3)

10. Miami Heat (4-3)

11. Houston Rockets (4-3)

12. Portland Trailblazers (4-3)

13. Orlando Magic (4-3)

14. Denver Nuggets (4-3)

15. Philadelphia 76ers (2-5)

16. Memphis Grizzlies (3-5)

17. Chicago Bulls (3-5)

18. Indiana Pacers (3-3)

19. Dallas Mavericks (2-5)

20. New York Knicks (4-3)

21. Milwaukee Bucks (3-5)

22. Golden State Warriors (3-5)

23. Sacramento Kings (3-5)

24. San Antonio Spurs (1-6)

25. New Jersey Nets (2-4)

26. Charlotte Bobcats (2-5)

27. Oklahoma City Thunder (1-6)

28. Minnesota Timberwolves (1-6)

29. Los Angeles Clippers (1-6)

30. Washington Wizards (0-5)

Jazz Give Sixers the Blues

And the slide continues.

Hoping a return home would cure the Sixers of their losing streak, it was the the answer. The Sixers lost again last night to the Jazz, 93-80. The Sixers trailed for most of the game, but did take a 4 point advantage going into the 4th quarter. But when you trail for so much of the game, usually all of your energy is wasted trying just to get back into it. That was the case, as they lost the final quarter by 17 points.

Top free agent Elton Brand had a sup bar game, contributing only 13 points and 5 rebounds. Andre Iguodala continued to fill up the box score, with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists. How Iguodala managed to out rebound Brand is beyond me. Andre Miller had a great game, with 25 points and 6 assists. But if he continues to be the Sixers leading man, they are in for a ong season.

The Jazz got strong games out of Carlos Boozer (19 points and 16 rebounds) and the return of young point guard Deron Williams ( 7 points and 9 assists) helped them leave Philadelphia winners.

The lose dropped the Sixers to 2-5, with their only wins coming agaisnt the Knicks and Kings, which is nothing to write home about. While a loss to the Jazz is not unexpected, as they are a Western Conference power house, the Sixers are in desperate need of a win.

Elton Brand started out the season strong, but has averaged only 8 points and 8 rebounds over the last two games. He better step up tonight, as the Sixers face a rematch with the Toronto Raptors, who beat them in the season opener. The Raptors have been led by All Star Power Forward Chris Bosh, who has averaged 25 points and 10 rebounds. They also have gotten strong play out of Spanish born point guard Jose Calderon, with averages of 9 assists, 14 points and 4 rebounds.