I BELIEVE (in Flacco)

I admin it, I was not a beleiver.

When I looked at the big, relatively uncoordinated QB, I couldn't get past him failing to win a starting job at Pitt against a guy who didn't even get a cup of coffee. I couldn't get past his INT numbers or his relatively pedestrian completion percentages.

Now, I am not saying that I didn't see the potential early, or recognize that he was a starting QB at the NFL level late....but a premier QB?

Yeah, I just didn't see it.

I was wrong.

Joe Flacco has a couple things that you cannot buy, and you should never undervalue.

First, he has phsyical abilities which allow him to differentiate himself from other QB's in the league. He he is a huge man, which an easy delivery that allows him to make every required throw and several that most teams don't even bother to leave in the playbook.

This is a guy who put the ball 31 yards down the field, on the money, on the run last night.

We hear all the time about the "spread" offenses.

Those offenses spread the field horizontally, Flacco allows the Ravens to spread the defense vertically. This is not a new concept, it's just one we don't hear about much anymore. He is perfectlt suited to it, physically, and good on the Ravens for recognizing that and having the patience to let him grown.

Second, he could not care less what we all think about him.

Aaron Rodgers says Peyton Manning should win MVP

This year’s Most Valuable Player is perhaps the least cut-and-dry decision in recent memory. There are at least two legitimate candidates worthy of the honor, and seemingly no clear consensus.

Last year’s MVP, Aaron Rodgers, has already cast his ballot.

“You’ve got to go with the quarterback,” Rodgers told USA Today.

That quarterback would be Peyton Manning, who’s led the Broncos to 11 straight wins, a division title, and home field advantage throughout the playoffs as the AFC’s top seed.

Statistically, Manning is on par with Rodgers’ 2011 campaign, in which he threw for 4,643 and 45 touchdowns. Peyton’s numbers: 4,659 yards and 37 touchdowns, one year removed from a quartet of career-threatening neck surgeries.

Adrian Peterson, however, might have something to say about that.

Locking Up Buster Posey: How Much Is Too Much For the San Francisco Giants?

Buster Posey's historic 2012 season earned him a box full of accolades, and with the Giants looking to spend money to lock up their respective free agents, this offseason may be the best time to lock up Posey as well.

How much do the Giants pay Posey? Probably the farm and then some -- but the years will be the most significant part of one of the biggest contracts offered in the MLB.


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Buster Posey fell to the San Francisco Giants in the 2008 MLB Draft.

Posey was coming off a 2008 junior season at Florida State where he hit .463 with 26 home runs and 93 RBI, winning the Collegiate Baseball Player of the Year Award, as well as the Dick Houser Trophy for best player in college and the Golden Spikes Award for the best amateur athlete in college. Yet with all those accolades, Posey fell to fifth in the MLB Draft that year, behind the Pirates’ Pedro Alvarez, the Orioles’ Brian Matusz, the Rays’ Tim Beckam and the Royals’ Eric Hosmer.

            

Baseball America’s scouting report of Posey pre-draft was spot on.

“…considered the top catching prospect, both defensively and offensively, in the country. His offensive numbers this season, including a .471 average, put him among the national leaders in several categories. His receiving, footwork and release are all advanced, and his athleticism is apparent. Posey's arm strength (he reaches 94 mph off the mound) and accuracy are pluses as well. At the plate, Posey has above-average bat speed and makes consistent contact. He has power to all fields but will probably be known more for his batting average than home runs. Drafted out of high school by the Angels in the 50th round in 2005, Posey is regarded as one of the safest picks in this year's draft. His projection as an offensive catcher with Gold Glove-caliber defense has boosted Posey's draft stock as much as anyone's over the weeks leading up to the draft.”