Capt America ………Or In As In Today’s Modern Day Sport’s Hero …. The NFL Quarterback ……….

Capt America ………Or In As In Today’s Modern Day Sport’s Hero …. The NFL Quarterback ……….

By tophatal …..

Well here we are , and it’s the championship games this Sunday within the NFL as the New England Patriots play host to the Baltimore Ravens for the AFC title . Whereas, the New York Giants are the guests of the San Francisco Giants at Candlestick Park , in San Francisco , California .

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Slide show for your perusal .

To my mind as there’s no need to make prognostications over these games as in the end we know that there will be a result that will culminate with the AFC and NFC representatives for the upcoming Superbowl to be staged Lucas Oil Stadium , in Indianapolis , Indiana. The quartet of quarterbacks on stage this Sunday have been the most efficient of the players we have seen over the course of the postseason . Tom Brady , Joe Flacco , Alex Smith and Eli Manning are simply the quintessential players one would come to expect at this stage of the NFL season.

Now all the plaudits has been simply about the exploits of Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees during the regular season but unfortunately during the postseason the players’ teams simply failed to live up to expectations . Now the great players , specifically quarterbacks tend to be held to another standard than that of their peers on the field of play. In today’s NFL the position of the quarterback is glorified even more than ever before. Consider this , what tends to be the water cooler topic once a game has ended apart from the discussion of the result ? It is usually the play of the quarterback and whether or not their play was up to par . Drew Brees had his record-breaking season having surpassed Dan Marino’s mark for passing yards in a year . But all of that simply doesn’t matter when your postseason aspirations simply blows up in smoke because the New Orleans Saints couldn’t get over the hump in their game against the San Francisco 49ers .

Far be it for me to suggest that the game should simply evolve around the quarterback but the perceived hyperbole being what it is there’s simply no other way to avoid hoopla that surround the players of the position within the NFL. Simply look at the preconceived excitement that surrounded the Denver Broncos’ … Tim Tebow this season ? Granted, the player led the team into their first divisional title in 7 years , while the fans were in awe of team’s regular and postseason heroics led by the Broncos’ quarterback. Now let’s get ahead of ourselves concerning the merits Tebow as an NFL quarterback . His game is certainly flawed .

And while the player has many supporters across the nation as well as his detractors from an evangelical , social , performance standpoint it has to be said the player himself has admitted that his game needs to improve . To my mind, if Tim Tebow is to have a long and successful tenure in the NFL then he cannot continue to make poor decisions on the field that places him in danger and thereby curtailing any success that he and the team can have . Certainly the Broncos’ front office led by John Elway and GM Brian Xanders have to be aware that if they’re pinning the franchise’s future on Tim Tebow then the coaching staff led by John Fox will have to implore their quarterback to in part change the way he applies himself in terms of his game decisions . The team’s quarterback’s coach Adam Gase to my mind simply hasn’t been earning his money , in spite of the players’ . heroics ! A win , is a win but what would we now be discussing had Tebow’s recent run prior to the 45-10 loss to the New England Patriots ended earlier ? Praise is one thing but in reality , are we also as quick to question a player’s performance when it is truly poor ? That certainly wasn’t always the case based on the rationale of many as it related to the Broncos’ quarterback as many sought to make use of his faith rather than simply look at the player’s body work and critique him on that !

In the aftermath of the firing of Bill and Chris Polian , Indianapolis Colts’ owner Jim Irsay has been quick to apportion blame elsewhere rather than placing it firmly where it belongs and that just happens to be firmly upon the shoulders of the front office and owner. Subsequent to the abrupt firing of the Polians the team owner under the new GM Keith Grigson has seen fit also to fire Jim Caldwell after the team’s 2-14 …. season within the NFL . If nothing else we saw that in the case of the Colts … one man doesn’t represent a “ team ” but clearly for the franchise Peyton Manning meant a great deal more . And clearly the player’s record in a Colts’ uniform regular and postseason bears out what a valuable asset to the organization he has been . Never mind the player’s own personal records as borne out approaching the all-time leaders for players playing the position in the NFL [ ( career passing yards , career touchdowns , career passing attempts )] marks.

The loss of Peyton Manning due to a recurrence of an injury and the subsequent multiple operations now casts doubt upon the future of the Indianapolis Colts’ quarterback . Bear in mind also that the player is due a roster bonus of $28 million due in early March that is predicated upon his return to fitness. And with the clock now ticking as to what the front office will do with regard to the upcoming NFL Draft if is clear that they have a number of decisions to make that will have far-reaching ramifications not just for the franchise but also with regard to the player’s own immediate future . The consensus appears to be that Grigson will take Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck as the number one pick overall . If Manning is retained on the roster along with the signing of Luck to the cursory rookie contract normally expected , the financial outlay to the two players could far exceed $50 million . On the face of it , that might not appear to be a great deal of money but even with today’s tightening economy teams are not looking to be gregarious in their spending habits especially when it comes to team salaries . Manning remains the Colts’ highest paid player by far given the fact that he signed a 5 year contract extension (worth $96 million) in 2010 .

Andrew Luck might rightfully be viewed as the best available college quarterback in this upcoming draft ahead of Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III and Landry Jones . However, with so much being expected quarterbacks taken as a high draft pick tends to take a toll upon the teams and in particular the general managers of the franchises in question. Never mind the fact that with on air NFL analysts such as Todd McShay and Mel Kiper Jr hyping up the merits of players that more often than not have failed to live up to expectations. Ryan Leaf , JaMarcus Russell , Vince Young , Matt Leinart , Tim Couch , Heath Shuler and Eric Crouch to name but a few have entered the NFL as a highly praised quarterback , only to have failed with great ignominy .

In today’s NFL , the quarterbacks are asked to do a great deal more than play the game efficiently as well as showing leadership qualities . But with such a propensity for failure for these players to succeed I would really like to know why it is that so many of these analysts are buying into the so-called skill-set of player before they’ve played a down in the NFL . Potential means so many things nowadays but herein lies the edict of the league and specifically the analysts who cover the game. I understand that they offer their own opinions but it appears that their only thought has to be to make themselves heard , rather than actually offering up anything tangible for an NFL as real insight . Consider this , Kiper is known to consult with the players’ agents in private merely to curry favor . On the face of it one might not see anything at all wrong with those meetings but how can anyone then believe that anything he may well then proffer up as a keen observation and analysis that can have any veracity at all ? Mel Kiper claims to be an impartial observer who provides something in the market place but who if anything has never owned up for the many blunders that he has made over the years concerning the NFL Draft !

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Picture gallery for your perusal .

What thoughts do you have concerning the performances of the modern-day quarterback in the NFL ? And do you as such feel that the on air personalities/ analysts actually provide a service that is beneficial to the NFL fan ? Simply chime in with a comment as you see fit .

Picture and slide show details below .

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(1) SAN FRANCISCO, CA – JANUARY 22: Alex Smith (11) of the San Francisco 49ers looks to pass against the New York Giants during the NFC Championship Game at Candlestick Park on January 22, 2012 in San Francisco, California. Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images …

(2) Eli Manning (10) of the New York Giants is interviewed in the locker room by Terry Bradshaw as he celebrates in the locker room with the George Halas Trophy NFC Championship trophy after the Giants won 20-17 in overtime against the San Francisco 49ers during the NFC Championship Game at Candlestick Park on January 22, 2012 in San Francisco, California. Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images ……..

(3) Lawrence Tynes (9) of the New York Giants kicks a successful 31-yard field goal in overtime against the San Francisco 49ers during the NFC Championship Game at Candlestick Park on January 22, 2012 in San Francisco, California. Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images ….

(4) Ahmad Brooks (55) of the San Francisco 49ers pressures Eli Manning (10) of the New York Giants during the NFC Championship Game at Candlestick Park on January 22, 2012 in San Francisco, California. Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images …

(5) Tom Brady (12) of the New England Patriots celebrates with his teammates after scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens during their AFC Championship Game at Gillette Stadium on January 22, 2012 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images ……..

(6) The New England Patriots celebrate after Billy Cundiff (7) of the Baltimore Ravens missed a game tying field goal late in the fourth quarter during their AFC Championship Game at Gillette Stadium on January 22, 2012 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images ……….

(7) Joe Flacco (5) of the Baltimore Ravens walks off the field after losing to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game at Gillette Stadium on January 22, 2012 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. The New England Patriots defeated the Baltimore Ravens 20-23 . Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images ….

(8) Tim Tebow (15) of the Denver Broncos is sacked by Shaun Ellis (94) of the New England Patriots during their AFC Divisional Playoff Game at Gillette Stadium on January 14, 2012 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. Photo by Elsa/Getty Images …

(9) Gone and so easily forgotten ! Former Washington Redskins’ quarterback Heath Shuler whose career in the NFL can be best described as being somewhat nondescript and filled with a litany of woes . Having retired from the NFL they player went on to serve in the US Congress as a House Democratic representative . AP Photo …………. …..

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Do you get the feeling that Diora Baird knows how to use that cue stick to the best of her abilities in more ways than one ?

Which would you now prefer a “hole in one ” or a “mulligan” concerning Diora ?