For all the talk about QB’s and who belongs where… I think it’s pretty clear who’s who in the NFL.  Some are elite.  Some are on their way.  Others are simply overrated.  If you had your choice, all things considered, who do you want to be the QB of your team?  The theory is simple.  If you can’t justify taking a guy ahead of one of the names in the Tier above him… he doesn’t belong. 

I’ve got my list of Tiered QB’s.  Let’s see what you think:

*In no particluar order*

Tier 1 

Tom Brady
Peyton Manning
Drew Brees
Ben Roethlisberger

The above mentioned are the elite QB’s of the NFL. They’ve proven to be winners in the regular season and post season, all rock the hardware and have earned respect across the NFL. Can you really argue with anyone on this list? You may want to sneak another name on it…but you simply can’t offer a name that, at this moment, has the pedigree to compare. Let’s see what Aaron Rodgers does in two weeks and we might need to adjust.

 Tier 2

Aaron Rodgers
Philip Rivers
Mike Vick

These are the guys that everyone has their eyes on.  The guys that can put a game on their shoulders and virtually win it for their respective teams when called upon.  The only problem… championships.  Rivers hasn’t had much success in the post season, but few will argue that the guy is a hell of a QB.  Vick has transformed his game to a more complete package and if it isn’t a fluke, he has a real shot at a ring.  He’ll have an even better shot if he signs elsewhere!  Rodgers will quickly be vaulted to a Tier 1 with a win against the Steelers.

Tier 3

Matt Ryan
Eli Manning
Jay Cutler

This is a tough group to judge. I like Matt Ryan. He is a young, up-and-coming QB who could have some pretty nice years ahead of him. He typically makes the right decisions and puts in a solid effort week in and week out. I still don’t believe Manning is a great QB. He is good and it stops there. Yes, he has a Super Bowl ring, but so does Trent Dilfer and Brad Johnson. Don’t see me putting those guys on any top QB lists. Regardless, for as many stinkers as Manning puts up, he has a few games where he looks like he should be considered one of the better QB’s in the league. Jay Cutler has something about him that makes him special…at times. There is no denying his talent, but sometimes he looks terrible. This past weekend will also hurt his credibility and he’ll have to fight through that.

Tier 4

Sam Bradford
Matt Cassell
Matt Stafford
Josh Freeman

These are the guys that are young, relatively inexperienced and may make the biggest impact down the road. Matt Cassell has the most experience of the group and this season he quietly put up a very impressive season. It helps when you have the best rushing attack as a compliment, but let’s not take anything away from Cassell. He is a very solid QB who can be special. Same goes for the other three on this list. All three are young and uber talented. Josh Freeman and Sam Bradford have already shown that they not only belong in this league, but they will be the stars of it in 3-4 years. Stafford’s only knock is whether or not he can stay healthy. When he’s on the field, Detroit can win. He has show the ability to lead the team down the field and there is something that say’s winner about him.

Honorable Mentions:

Joe Flacco
Tony Romo
Matt Schaub
Mark Sanchez

It’s hard for me to include these guys in the top tiers of QBs. In all reality, look at the lists above. Would you take one of the honorable mentions over anyone I’ve listed? Personally, the only one I have in question is Eli Manning. I may take Sanchez over Manning, but I’m not sure if that is simply because of my pure dislike of Manning’s game. To me, Sanchez has “it”… whatever “it” is. He is another guy I simply see as a “winner” but not enough upside to put him in with Stafford, Bradford and Freeman.

Romo just doesn’t scream “top QB” to me. I know he has numbers and flash, but something doesn’t resonate with me when I compare him to the others. It’s really that simple to me.

Matt Schaub is a tough one, but again, I can’t put him ahead of anyone else on this list. Some games he looks like he can be a very legit QB and other games he disappears. If you can validate putting him ahead of the above listed, I’ll at least listen.

Finally, Joe Flacco. This one will probably receive the most puzzled looks. Flacco has been a very good quarterback in Baltimore, but I have yet to see him do anything special. He lacks a certain quality that I think every elite, or at least, very good QB has. When I watch him play, I see solid, not special. So again, I can’t put him ahead of the proven, those on the cusp, the ones with star qualities or even those who simply show the potential to be great. Sorry Joe.

Andrew Luck might want to think twice about returning to Stanford. His head coach, Jim Harbaugh, has opted not to return to the Cardinal. Instead, he will accept the head coaching job with the San Fancisco 49ers.

The deal is reportedly worth 25 million over five years and officially ends all the hoopla and speculation regarding Harbaugh’s future. Coincidentally, the 49ers, who are in need of a franchise QB, may be in position to trade up in this years NFL draft. Would that be enough to make Luck change his mind?

Let us not forget the stunt Eli Manning pulled in 2004 when he was drafted by the San Diego Chargers. After pouting with his thumb in his mouth, the Chargers eventually traded Manning for NC State’s Phillip Rivers.

Now I doubt Luck is the type of kid to hold out for an ideal situation, but just throwing it out there.

Things are getting pretty rough for the New York Giants. Their offensive line is all banged up, they’ve lost two in a row to NFC East rivals, and now their once-deep WR core is decimated. As if being without Steve Smith wasn’t bad enough, now they’ll miss Hakeem Nicks for about three weeks.

He was diagnosed with compartment syndrome in his lower right leg, which doesn’t sound like too much fun. Nicks underwent a “fasciotomy” on Monday, which we believe is aimed at preventing muscle or nerve damage.

Yikes.

So who will start opposite Mario Manningham? It looks like it will indeed be Derek Hagan. Yes, they guy they just signed off the street. That means you can also expect a healthier does of Duke Calhoun.

And you thought Eli was just worried about his offensive line? Christ.

What’s JA pissed off about this week? Let’s find out as Jason tosses out his Two Pennies:

-The NFL needs to take a hit of the grass, calm down, and take the hit on the field. Asante Samuel’s hit on Derek Hagan was clean. Say what you want, but it didn’t deserve a penalty, much less a possible fine. I’m just happy the guy decided to finally stick someone.

-Same goes for James Harrison. As Herm Edwards would say, “You freakin’ kiddin’ me?” I understand the player safety is a concern and we need to protect the players. This is simply going overboard. Somewhere, someone needs to realize that this is still football and it is a violent sport by nature. Note to the refs: Call it when it needs to be called…otherwise, grow a set, swallow the whistle and let the game be played.

-To Will Witherspoon: Don’t be a dumbass. How many times do you have to watch James Harrison get fined to realize that you can’t lead with your head? That was worthy of a flag and fine.

-Hey Brett Favre: You’re a douchebag. You went from being an iconic and legendary quarterback to an absolute joke. This has nothing to do with the struggles of the team or yourself. It has everything to do with the fact that you seem to think you’re bigger than the game and your team. The way you’ve handled the media and your teammates in the past is well documented. No need to rehash that. But the pompous display on the sidelines with offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell was just plain pathetic. Who the hell do you think you are? I know. You’re a washed up has-been that thinks your shit don’t stink. And now that the season has pretty much been lost, you’re going to “re-evaluate” the situation? I.E. going to think about quitting your team because now there’s nothing in it for you. Call me a hater…but I think I’m just calling it like I see it.

-Give the damn ball to Jamaal Charles! I’m not sure there is a guy who makes more out of his limited carries than Charles.

-Throw the damn ball to Chad Ochocinco! Look, we all know that Terrell Owens is having a good year and I won’t take that away from him. But at what cost has it come to the Bengals? Prior to this past weekend, Cedric Benson and the running game has disappeared. Ochocinco is barely recognized on the stat sheets let alone targeted. Palmer needs to stop kissing T.O.’s ass and start winning football games. Utilize your weapons!

-Speaking of weapons: Steve Johnson! I don’t know about your leagues, but why are people still questioning whether or not he is an every-week start? Who do you have on your roster that even makes it a question? His body tats make him a worthwhile start regardless!

-Rusty Smith might be 12-years old. Or at least he looks it. He would have trouble getting into a local bar much less surviving in the NFL. Besides, Rusty is the name of a Nascar driver…not an NFL quarterback.

-Say what you want, but Jacksonville is winning games. Early season struggles have given way to solid QB play, effective running game and ball security (minus this weekend). I can’t say I see them staying atop of the division, but give them a little credit…they’re the Jaguars.

-The Eagles need to STOP SETTLING FOR FIELD GOALS. Take a look at their last three games. Had they converted on early opportunities, they would have blown out the Colts from the jump. They executed vs Washington and set NFL records in the process. Had they done executed on 1/2 of their opportunities Sunday night, they would have sent 1/2 of the crowd home happy after the 3rd quarters. Settling for three is an easy way to lose an NFL football game.
P.S. Thank you, Eli Manning. You never cease to amaze me.

Just my two pennies. As always, two cents won’t get you much, but it still worth something!

The NFC East is routinely referred to as the best division in football. The truth is, it’s not true. The whole division ain’t that great and if the Dallas Cowboys are able to find a win tonight against the New York Giants, things could get messy in coming weeks.

I have a feeling the 1-4 Cowboys are due for a win tonight and this game could be absolutely perfect for NFL betting. The Cowboys are giving up three and I actually think they will win outright.

And as for fantasy football, is it weird that Eli Manning has actually been a decent QB this year? Tony Romo has been slightly better, but not by much. That’s not supposed to happen, right? This is the kind of stupid stuff I look at and think Dallas is primed to make a run. Romo can’t have a worse year than Eli. Can’t happen.

So, back to the division stuff. The Eagles lost yesterday and are now 4-3. The Redskins are also 4-3. A loss to the Giants puts the Giants at 4-3 and the Cowboys would then be 2-4. A that point, it’s anybody’s division to win.

We’ll see what happens. I’ll be watching tonight.

My job as an amateur non-journalist is to please NFL fans with bold predictions and game insight.  You may call 1-800 numbers for Joey Bambino’s ‘lock of the week,’ but what he tells you isn’t the same thing he tells the next guy.  It’s his job to get 50% of the money on one side and 50% on the other.  That means 50% of the money will be coming back the next week for another pick.  More money for Joey Bambino.

Here at OTR, we’re always 100% right (some of the time), but it’s FREE advice.  Advice that you can’t find anywhere else.  And this week, to the delight of our NFC East fans, we are diving into each and every NFC East match up for Week Three.  There’s lots to talk about, so let’s get this started.

New York Giants (-3) over Tennessee Titans

It should be quite cold in New York this weekend (possible snow) and nobody plays better in 30 degree weather than Eli Manning and his face.  At this point of his career, many NFC scouts are comparing Eli to an older version of himself.  One who is more mature, but starting to lose certain instincts.  Hopefully, not football instincts.  And that’s the key word for this game.  Instincts.  I’ll tackle that thought next week.  Tennessee quarterbacks have targeted Bo Scaife, Ahmard Hall, and Craig Stevens a total of 11 times and every single time a reception was made.  That’s almost 100%.  Look for a huge game from all three.  We have them ranked TE1, FB1, and TE1, respectively.  Look to start them in Tennessee Titans only leagues.  What was the deal with Brandon Jacobs throwing his football gear into the stands last Sunday?  That fan really wanted Brandon’s souvenir.  I haven’t seen a guy have a tighter grip on a helmet since Paul Reubens was arrested in Sarasota, Florida.  Giants win in their New Playhouse:  New York Giants 24, Tennessee Titans 17

Washington Redskins (-3.5) over St Louis Rams

Interesting tidbit here.  Sam Bradford’s mom almost named his son, Donovan, after…well…you guessed it, Donovan McNabb.  McNabb was only 11 when Bradford was born, but his mom, Martha Bradford, knows talent when she sees it.  Now, 23 years later, Martha’s son gets to face off against McNabb in one of the most important games of his career (not including every single college game he played in).  Last week, McNabb threw for 426 yards, completing 73.7% of his passes and took his team to the fourth quarter with a 10-point lead (they had a 17-point lead with 0:01 left in the third quarter).  However, Washington’s horrible late-game defense and stupid penalties by the offense led to a fourth quarter collapse and an overtime loss.  Sound familiar, McNabb?  It’s like you never were traded from Philly.  But there is a difference now that you are in Washington.  Angelo Cataldi and the 610 WIP morning crew don’t have a radio show in D. C., so the finger isn’t being pointed at you for not throwing for 500 yards and putting up 33 points.  I mean seriously, McNabb?  Didn’t Angelo teach you anything during your 11-year stint with the Eagles?  Anyway, the Rams still are not good.  Steven Jackson is a stud, but his productivity doesn’t equate to wins.  Look for DeAngelo Hall to shut down the Rams number one receiver…Mark Clayton I guess…like he said he’d f*cking do.  This is a game where I take the veteran quarterback over the rookie quarterback.  It’s actually a lock.  3.5 points?  C’mon.  Washington easily covers.  Washington Redskins 27, St Louis Rams 13

Philadelphia Eagles (-3) over Jacksonville Jaguars

Philadelphia Eagles fans don’t know how good they got it.  Well, compared to the Jacksonville Jaguars.  Jaguars quarterback David Garrard is coming off a horrendous four interception game in a 38-13 loss against the San Diego Chargers.  So, who can coach Jack Del Rio put in when Garrard is struggling (or if he gets concussed)?  How about that 11-year veteran out of St. Cloud State Todd Bouman?  You got it.  Imagine if Garrard has to miss time.  The Jags don’t have a Michael Vick waiting in the wings.  So, Eagles fans, get over it.  Some teams don’t have any quarterbacks and you’re complaining because your coach is dancing around two quality ones.  Speaking of St Cloud State, guess what other athletes came out of this Division II school?  Did any Phillies fans say Jim Eisenreich?  Back to the game.  Vick and the Eagles offense are going to be running all over EverBank Field.  The only problem is Maurice Jones-Drew will be doing the same against a soft Eagles defense (did you watch Jahvid Best last weekend?).  Maybe the return of Stewart Bradley (concussion) will help solidify the middle of the field.  But, what’s up with Eagles safety Quintin Consadine…sorry…I mean Quintin Mikell?  He hasn’t played a good game since Brian Dawkins was given the boot.  He’s starting to look a little Michael Lewisesque.  As bad as this Eagles defense is, they still seem to cause turnovers which is an area the Jaguars like to feed into.   I see Michael Vick leading the Eagles to another victory.  The guy just wins football games. 

PROP BET UDDA WEEK: How many times will Jason Peters go down with what looks like a career-ending injury (yet he’ll return several plays later)? The over-under is 1.5.

Philadelphia Eagles 34, Jacksonville Jaguars 24

Houston Texans (-3) over Dallas Cowboys

See the pattern here?  Whoever is favored by a FG, take them.  I live by that rule.  Nothing is more humorous in life than watching Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and quarterback Tony Romo fail at football.  Lucky for us, it happens all the time.  And lucky for us, America’s Team could be 0-3 after this weekend is through.  On the flip side, the Texans could be 3-0 and the new undisputed heavyweight champ in Texas.  Well, Kelly Clarkson is technically still from Texas…but…I’m talking football here.  Andre Johnson is a beast.  That fourth-and-10 catch in the endzone last Sunday against the Redskins was spectacular.  Even if DeAngelo Hall is covering him, he still makes the catch.  It’s easy for Hall to talk smack after the fact.  Especially, since he’ll probably never play against Andre again.  Maybe in four years if he’s still around (DeAngelo that is).  Sticking with Andre, what if he played for the Giants?  Andre The Giant?  I like it, but I doubt he’d ever turn heel like that.  What’s wrong with the Cowboys?  Well, they’re a mess.  The end of last season was a mirage.  They went on a little run and beat a weak Philadelphia Eagles team two times in a row.  They beat them handily which got everyone excited, but in reality, that Eagles defense was pitiful.  Shaun Hill could have torched them.  Wait, he did?  Then The Boys went to Minnesota and got buried.  No real significant offseason moves, a bad offensive line, no running game, a bad coach, a quarterback’s face that only Eli Manning could enjoy and this is what you have, your 2010 0-3 Dallas Cowboys.  Houston Texans 31, Dallas Cowboys 21

Odds based on Thursday’s NFL lines on Vegasinsider, MGM Mirage.

The guy that was Peyton Manning’s clipboard holder for more years than we can remember, will not get a chance to be Eli’s clipboard holder this season. The New York Giants have placed him on injured reserve with a bum shoulder.

This means that Rhett Bomar will be the replacement should something happen that would cause blood to flow vociferously (not sure that word is applicable here) from his head.

Sorgi was working hard to get back on the field, but the Giants knew he wouldn’t be ready for the season. Of course, none of this matters if Eli stays upright.

Did anyone happen to watch any Monday Night Football last night? The New York Giants traveled to play the New York Jets in what was supposed to be an epic battle.

Not really, it’s preseason and no one really cares. Just seeing Jets and Giants fans jawing in the stands last night was a riot. You can’t really take this stupid game seriously, can you? Apparently they can.

But this was something else. Eli Manning dropped back to pass and Brandon Jacobs (as per usual) didn’t get the memo that he wasn’t getting the ball. So he runs into Eli, who then gets destroyed by Calvin Pace and Jim Leonhard. A bloody mess ensues.

When the Colts arrived at Indianapolis International Airport on Monday, following their 31-17 loss to the Saints in Super Bowl XLIV, they were greeted by a grand total of 11 fans.  That’s impressive.

The group of fans huddled together in the snow outside the closed Express Mail sorting facility at the airport, where the planes arrived in the afternoon.

If the Colts had won the Super Bowl, airport security guards were expecting crowds of at least two times that amount.

Peyton’s younger brother Eli (one of the 11) was seen chucking snowballs at the team, but his throws were sailing over the players’ heads.  Apparently, Eli isn’t good at throwing anything in cold weather.

We think the Manning Face is hilarious and we decided to post some examples. But if you want true, full-on hilarity you have to go to ManningFace.com. Awesome stuff. These guys are annoying.

The New York Giants don’t have many answers for what happened yesterday at the Meadowlands. Chances are, when you lose 41-9, there simply aren’t many answers other than “we got our rear ends kicked.” So instead of answers, you get an apology.

“The one thing I want to say to our fans, and to a man also, is we’d like to apologize for yesterday,” coach Tom Coughlin said Monday. “For whatever reason, a team that had an awful lot to play for, that had opportunities there, that was playing Giants Stadium for the last regular season game of the Giants, didn’t play up to our capabilities. It’s a very frustrating thing.”

Coughlin wasn’t the only one handing out the “my bad’s.”

Photo Caption: Eli Manning walks off the field with pride after leading his team to a 41-9 loss.

“I apologize. I wish I had an answer,” quarterback Eli Manning said. “I wish we would have come out and played better football. I don’t have the answer to why it happened and why it’s happened throughout the season where we’ve been up and down in our play. We have to find a way to be more consistent. The good teams in this league, they are consistent week in and week out. You might not win every game, but you’re going to be in the fight every game.”

We are sure that when Manning said this he had a little bit of a slurry lisp and looked like he was kind of cracking a smile despite talking about an embarrassing loss.

Did you know that the NFL has the top-10 selling jerseys in all of sports? Did you know that the top five are QB’s? We were thinking offensive guards, but what do we know?

Yes, it’s that time again (that is, if they’ve ever done this before) where Forbes announces the top-selling jerseys over the past year. And like we said, this is not just an NFL list, this is out of every one of the four major sports. That includes hockey.

So, who holds the #1 spot? Surprisingly and not surprisingly, Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo, who has sold an estimated 3.1 million jerseys in the past year. Not bad for a guy that hasn’t won a playoff game. But hey, he’s the quarterback of America’s Team and dated one of the Olsen twins or something so he got a lot of mainstream recognition.

Photo Caption: Not on the list.

Here is the rest of the list:

#2-New York Giants QB Eli Manning. Really? Well, he does play in NY.
#3-Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger. Not a shocker. Two Super Bowls will do that for you.
#4-New York Jets QB Mark Sanchez. Again with the NY thing.
#5-Minnesota Vikings QB Brett Favre. Just go away! Stop buying his jerseys, people. You aren’t helping.
#6-New Orleans Saints RB Reggie Bush. Reason #428 why fans should not vote for All-Star games like the Pro Bowl. For god’s sake he doesn’t even start.
#7-Indianapolis Colts QB Peyton Manning. Thought he’d be much higher. Then again, he’s been a stud on the same team with the same number since 1998. How many do you need?
#8-Pittsburgh Steelers S Troy Polamalu. Really? I think this speaks volumes about either the number of Steelers fans there are nationally (come on, Pittsburgh is too small to single-handedly put someone on this list), or the number of bandwagon jumpers we have.
#9-Minnesota Vikings RB Adrian Peterson. Not a shock that he’s on this list.
#10-San Diego Chargers RB Ladainian Tomlinson. Ugh….why? This guy hasn’t been good for a couple of years now. He was a super elite back a few years ago, but c’mon, he’s toast. Get your Darren Sproles jerseys while they are cheap.

Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News says that it’s very likely that Eli Manning will start for the Giants today against the heavily favored Oakland Raiders.

“If all the positive signs weren’t enough for you, several sources say Eli very likely to start tomorrow barring a morning setback. #nyg,” he tweets.

What’s most impressive is Vacchiano’s use of the hash tag. He gets Twitter.

New York Giants QB Eli Manning took about half the reps with the first team in practice Friday afternoon and head coach Tom Coughlin thought he looked “fine.” Coughlin has been encouraged by Manning’s progress recovering from plantar fascia issues.

When asked if Manning reported any discomfort, Coughlin replied, “Not that I’m going to mention to you.”

“We’ll evaluate him every day,” Coughlin said. “If he gets to the point where the medical people think he can play and not be subject to injury, then chances are he will play. He’s not going to go against the medical people, (but) he wants to play in the worst way.”

Basically Eli will be a game-time decision and you can expect that the Giants will run the ball heavily against Oakland. How do we know? Well, if Eli plays, there is no use putting him in position to get hurt again. And if he doesn’t, that means David Carr is starting and you’ll most likely be better off running the ball.

According to Ralph Vacchiano of the NY Daily News, Eli Manning had “some swelling and soreness” in his heel this morning when he arrived at the team facility. Eli injured himself when he dropped back to pass yesterday against the Chiefs. No one hit him, but something definitely happened.

He is not scheduled to have an MRI (odd) and the team is calling it a “bruised heel.”

If you watch what happened, it looks a lot like what happened to Vinny Testaverde when he was with the Jets (we are thinking 1999). That injury? An Achilles tendon. That’s bad news. That’s out-for-the-year bad. Keep an eye on this one, it could be trouble for the Giants if David Carr has to lead the team.

New York Giants QB Eli Manning bruised his heel in the throttling of the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. He tweaked it without being hit, limped a little, but returned to chuck a 54-yard touchdown pass to rookie WR Hakeem Nicks.

“It was a non-contact. It just happened into the drop,” said Manning, who threw for 292 yards and three touchdowns. “It was the play before the touchdown, where I had Steve Smith deep and threw it a little short.”

David Carr, one of the best decisions a team has ever made with the top pick in the NFL draft, replaced Eli and it’s not known whether he’ll play next week against the Raiders.

“I always assume I’m going to play, that I’m going to be out there,” he said. “I’ve always been a pretty quick healer. I’ll be doing everything I can possibly do this week to get healthy and prepared to play Oakland. We’ll find out more tomorrow. I can walk around and move around, but there is some discomfort.”

If the heel injury spreads to both of his shoulders and he needs to have both of his arms removed, expect Eli to miss the season but be ready for training camp in 2010.

Sources tell Jay Glazer of FoxSports.com that the New York Giants and Eli Manning have agreed to a six-year contract extension worth a whopping $97.5 million with $35 million guaranteed. They are expected to finalize the deal today. Eli is entering the final year of his rookie deal that he signed back in 2004.

We just don’t think this is worth it. Stop with the “he won a Super Bowl” nonsense. He played well, but was not exceptional in the 2007 playoffs and he didn’t put the team on his shoulders. He was good, not great. That defensive line played great and deserves a lot of the credit for the championship. At OTR, we don’t believe QB’s win championships. Teams win championships. Will awful QB play win a championship? No. Will phenomenal QB play win if you have, say, a garbage defense? No. Ask Drew Brees.

We just think it’s hard to believe it’s a good idea to fork over that kind of cash to someone that has shown he’s not very good at home in the playoffs. When the wind hits the Meadowlands, Eli wilts. Remember that march to the Super Bowl was on the road. This is our biggest concern with Eli.

Photo Caption: Eli leads his team to victory in a 23-0 loss at home in the 2005 playoffs against Carolina Panthers.