Just as there are always teams that surprise us in a positive manner, there are conversely some squads that disappoint on a year to year basis. The Tennessee Titans are a primary example of this after going 13-3 in 2008 and cruising into the playoffs, the Titans didn’t win their first game of the 2009 season until November 1st (week 8). After the 0-6 start, the team did steady itself and finish 8-8 on the year, but it was quite the disappointment considering the expectations from just one season prior. Sadly for one fan base, history is likely to repeat itself in 2010 and the trick is figuring out just which squad is most likely to underperform. More »

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The inevitable has finally turned into reality as the Oakland Raiders decided to officially cut ties with their former bust, errr 1st overall pick Jamarcus Russell on Thursday. Much of Russell’s pre-draft hype was a result of his phenomenal workout during which he threw a 60 yard pass from his knees and made the ball whistle through sound barriers. Raiders owner Al Davis has long been known as a sucker for the workout warriors and Russell won the heart of the old softee with his cannon arm and imposing physique.

Things really got off to a rocky start in Oakland for the number one overall selection as he held out for all of training camp and the opening weekend of the season after failing to reach a contract agreement with the team. His rookie campaign was brief considering he got little work with the team, but even years two and three were nothing to write home about as the strong armed signal caller has completed just 52.1 percent of his passes during his career. What has often been the most criticized aspect of the promising young player is his work ethic (or lack thereof) as Russell often arrived at camp out of shape and not at all ready to work on his craft.

There have been quarterbacks with difficult first chapters to their careers only to bounce back after a change of scenery and perhaps that can happen for Russell. At only 24 years of age, some team is going to take a chance on signing him to a league minimum deal and get him into camp for competition. One potential fit is with the Arizona Cardinals where the team is not sold on former 1st round selection Matt Leinart and the Derek Anderson signing certainly isn’t a long-term solution either. Many have also floated out the possibility of a landing with the Washington Redskins where there new head coach Mike Shanahan has done wonders with different quarterbacks in the past and could reinvigorate Russell’s work ethic learning behind Donovan McNabb for a year or two. Even the New England Patriots have been discussed as potential suitors where Bill Belichick is no stranger to reclamation projects and learning behind one of league’s best in Tom Brady could be a humbling experience for an athlete with tremendous potential.

All of there stops of possibilities, but none of them will be willing to bring Russell into the fold unless he shows some sense of understanding his past mistakes and willingness to correct those shortcomings. It will be a long road back to what was expected of him just three short years ago as the number one overall pick, but stranger things have happened. There is a ton of football left in Russell’s future if he chooses to rededicate himself and shows a selfless love for the game again as a competitor.

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To sum up Kurt Warner’s career in a word or two would be an injustice to the remarkable accomplishments that he accrued during his twelve year stint in the NFL. From an undrafted Northern Iowa alum who spent two years in the AFL with the Iowa Barnstormers as well as one year in NFL Europe with the Amsterdam Admirals to his meteoric rise to fame in 1999 when Trent Green went down for the year with an ACL tear and Warner was called upon to lead the historically pathetic St. Louis Rams that season. Parallel to his own Hollywood-esque rags-to-riches story, Warner led the once league-wide laughing stock Rams to the Super Bowl where he amassed what is still the greatest passing performance in Super Bowl history in their dramatic victory over the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV. More »

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During the Cardinals’ embarrassing performance against the Saints this past Saturday, Kurt Warner was beaten up pretty badly. Warner’s pain was so great that the veteran QB is considering retirement more seriously than ever. But the pain that has truly worn down Warner is not physical pain, but rather, it is mental pain. The full-season commitment, the backlash after a loss, and the expectation to always perform at the highest level are some things that Warner alluded to specifically. More »

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Well, the status of Kurt Warner was questionable heading into today’s game against the Tennessee Titans, but now it looks as though Warner will not get the start against the surging Titans. So you all know what that means. Matt Leinart is back in the saddle for the Cardinals…..at least for today’s game. And that also means that we’ll get Leinart vs. Young, in a showdown between two of the greatest college QB’s of all-time. More »

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