Joe Floater is just and Average Joe

The word "elite" has become more overused by the football media in discussing quarterbacks this season than the word "like" in an intellectual conversation between the Kardashian sisters. All season long the theme to any discussion has been who the elite quarterbacks are in the NFL and which traits an elite QB must have. In the wake of the Super Bowl the overbearing and unmatched opinion of the entire media who can't make up their mind or agree on the status of Philip Rivers, have unanimously agreed that Joe Flacco is "elite". What am I missing here? Sure, he's a good quarterback who played well in the post season, but to put him in the same category as Brady, Rodgers or Roethlisberger is absurd. An elite qb is one that can take an offense on their back and make plays that would be unreasonable to expect from 80℅ of quarterbacks. Let’s go back and watch the games instead of the shear results to realize that Flacco has done no such thing. Ray Rice is an elite RB and Anquan Boldin is an elite receiver, but to call the guy who puts the ball in place for them to do the things that would be unreasonable to expect from 80℅ of their counterparts is a misuse of the word. It’s a quarterback’s league and we like to believe that a team is as good as its qb and it often is, but this Ravens offense that features 3 wide receivers who make great plays on poorly thrown balls is simply better than their qb. In the spirit of using the word "elite" I will mention that the game did feature a qb on the verge of breaking into that elite class, but contrary to the recent articles that I read that QB plays for the Niners. At the risk of overselling him, Colin Kaepernick has something that I have never seen in a quarterback - 0 weaknesses. He can read the defense, stand in the pocket, make smart decisions, thread the needle to hit receivers in tight coverage and place the ball perfectly down field to hit a receiver in stride. He can roll out, run the option and most impressive of all, he can pick up substantial yards on the ground with the presence of mind to avoid subjecting himself to open field hits, something that Steve Young, Steve McNair and RG3 have never demonstrated. The greatest thing that I take out of these playoffs was the opportunity to watch him play 3 full games and I look forward to watching him light up defenses for many years to come.

AND THAT'S THE BRUTAL TRUTH

Live Strong Lance

I do not know what is worse, testicular cancer or 2 hours with Oprah, (I hope I never have to endure either one) but either way it’s fair to say that Lance Armstrong has been through a lot in his life. In any event, it is absolutely mind boggling to me how a man who has provided support to and inspired thousands (if not millions) of cancer patients over the years can suddenly be villainized by America.  I have never advocated doping in pro sports for the simple reason that it creates an unfair and unsafe barrier to entry for amateur athletes who rely on shear talent and tireless preparation to make it. At long last, professional sports are catching up to the Olympics to protect the integrity of their leagues and make sure that these barriers do not continue to exist so that only the absolute best can reach the highest level of their given sport. However, in my stance against doping and support for all anti-doping measures, I am also a realist who cannot ignore the norms of the past. While I do not have any form of proof it is fairly safe to say that 95% of Tour de France competitors between 1995 and 2005 were using some form of artificial substance to allow them to train harder to conquer the inhumane conditions of the Tour, yet only one of these many riders won 7 titles. Only one rider in the history of the sport became a household name throughout America, and only one used that celebrity status to create a better world for cancer victims and their families. Furthermore, in a twist of irony and despite the testimony of many Tour riders, Lance Armstrong in his recent admissions will ultimately and single-handedly rid the sport of the heavy doping that was present long before he got there. In many ways, Lance Armstrong is much more a victim of doping than a perpetrator, as the greatest cyclist of all time he may have been able to compete and dominate as he did in another era without the use of banned substances, but coming into the sport in the 90’s doping was the norm and not doing so would have given the other riders an unfair advantage over him. Not doping for Lance would have been like Roger Federer going through his entire tennis career using a wooden tennis racquet when all other (less talented) players were using titanium. Lance is clearly a classy gentleman who has nothing to be defensive or ashamed of which may explain why he allowed Oprah her chance to once again point her nose down at an interviewee, but as she continued to point out how he used artificial substances to do his job better, it would have been appropriate on some level for him to ask her if she ever took a diet pill or underwent cosmetic surgery to keep her ratings and marketability as high as possible.

AND THAT'S THE BRUTAL TRUTH!