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I generally avoid everything Uncle Ruckus Jason Whitlock writes, but every now and then I’ll hear about his articles from a third party source (Pro Football Talk in this case). The article is based around Vince Young’s latest troubles and his opinion that the best quarterbacks need to come from a two parent household.

“It’s not about color. It’s about fitting the profile of someone who can handle all that goes along with being an NFL quarterback. If I’m an owner, I spend my quarterback dollars on young men who were raised by strong fathers. It wouldn’t be an infallible system, but on average I bet I’d hit more winners than if I turned over the leadership of my team to a kid who isn’t used to having a strong male authority figure.”

I don’t have a HUGE problem with this statement, I wouldn’t say it’s ironclad, but it could very well be true in most cases… who knows. I did have a problem with the following however…

“The position requires thick skin and genuine self-confidence. If you need four or five male groupies with you at all times, a half million dollars of jewelry around your neck and wrists and a dozen tattoos to feel confident, then maybe you should play wide receiver or start rapping.”

100% bullshit.

Not only does it make sweeping generalizations about young black males who participate in hip hop culture, it reinforces stereotypes that black athletes aren’t smart enough to play quarterback.

Most quarterbacks that come into the league are going to fail PERIOD. You don’t hear these types of questions about failed quarterbacks like Alex Smith, Matt Leinart, and David Carr. I’m not saying these three guys didn’t face criticism, I’m saying they don’t receive the same questions that a Vince Young or Michael Vick have gotten.

1. This Brett Favre vs. Aaron Rodgers thing is going to get tired QUICK.
One thing that annoyed me last night, is the constant comparison of their performances. The commentators never once mentioned the fact that Brett Favre has only had 4 weeks to learn a playbook and build chemistry with a new team. Are his performances really fit for comparison at this rate?

2. The Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots will not be AFC powerhouse teams this year.
When Peyton Manning injured his knee in the preseason, I wasn’t worried…but when Jeff Saturday went down I knew it was big trouble. Dallas Clark hurt his knee in Sunday’s game..and it’s just a matter of time before Bob Sanders is injured too (it happens every single year).

3. The Minnesota Vikings are going NOWHERE with Tavaris Jackson as QB.
Maybe the Vikings should have tried just a little bit harder to acquire Brett Favre in the offseason. He’s skittish in the pocket and secondaries don’t fear him.

4. Adrian Peterson will not rush for 2,000 yards like he said he would
You want a reason? See number 3.

5. Every NFL team made a mistake by passing over DeSean Jackson in the first round
He was a heisman trophy candidate wide receiver in college, he was projected as a top 15 pick in the draft…he ran a 4.3 40 yard dash at the combine….he was personally trained by Jerry Rice. However, every team was scared to draft him because he’s only 5′9 and 165 pounds…ignoring the fact that he can play football. He tore it up during week 1 for the Eagles and McNabb has a new toy. If Devin Hester was slightly less good at returning kicks, and could actually run routes and play wide receiver… his name would be DeSean Jackson.

6. The Dallas Cowboys aint playin with y’all no more….
All this team has to do is make it through the regular season without any injuries, and they’re practically guaranteed the super bowl. This team is DEEP. They got squad.

7. The Dolphins will be a drastic improvement over last year’s team
I know Brett Favre’s long bomb throws got all of the press, but Miami actually almost won the game. Even though they lost, the team looks much better than they did last year, Parcells knows how to crack the whip on his players better than anyone.

8. Vince Young and/or Reggie Bush HAVE to have great years
Both of these guys had fantastic rookie seasons followed by sophomore slumps of varying degrees and the media is out for blood now. I don’t think the pressure on Bush is necessarily fair, and Vince Young will face these “mental toughness” questions all season…. I hope they respond well.

9. The Washington Redskins will not make the playoffs this year
Did you see how these guys played against the Giants on Thursday? They weren’t “Raiders bad”, but they were pretty damned bad. The west coast offense Jim Zorn installed may take a little longer than we expected to catch on with everyone, but in a division THAT tough with Philly, Dallas, and NY, it’s going to be an uphill battle.

10. Matt Shaub ain’t all that….
202 yards passing, 2 INTs, sacked 5 times. This is the exact kind of performance that would have gotten Michael Vick KILLED by the media 3 years ago when Shaub was his backup. You could visit almost any internet forum and see all kinds of people calling for Shaub to replace Vick. I flat out don’t believe he’s that good, and this year will prove that.

This picture from the premiere party for Madden 2009 features ex-cover boys for the popular video game (minus Michael Vick, because he’s sorta busy right now).

Daunte Culpepper is freaking HUGE.

Look how big Daunte is compared to Ray Lewis, who will go down as one of the most fearsome linebackers to ever play the game. Daunte looks like he ties Ray’s shoes before he leaves the house every morning. Quarterbacks just arent’ supposed to be that damned big, it’s amazing he doesn’t have a job (yeah yeah I know, quarterbacking isn’t about how big you are).

Maybe Jacksonville will give him a job.