NFL Picks and Predictions

With the NFL football season being so young only three weeks in, it is hard to really gauge where the young players are. This NFL season, however, we are fortunate to have two NFL draft pick rookies starting for NFL football teams right from the first gun of the season. Three games in, and both Mark Sanchez and Matthew Stafford have seen some success. Who has been the most impressive so far?

On the surface it would appear that Sanchez has been the best in a landslide, but much of that has to do with the players around him. Sanchez is 3-0 as a starter in his brief NFL career, but his defense has as much to do with that as anything that he has done. Do not get me wrong – Sanchez has looked fantastic so far. The thing about Sanchez that is shocking to me is how poised he has been. The guy never looks rattled, and that is a sign of a future NFL superstar at such a young age. He has a quarterback rating of just below 90 which is great and has only thrown 2 picks against 4 Touchdowns. Again, that is impressive.

Stafford has had his moments as well. The problem that Stafford faces is that he plays for the Lions. This guy is already being thrown into situations that create character or destroys young quarterbacks. Thus far, he has stood up quite well though the stats do not seem like it. He is 1-2 with a quarterback rating of 57.0. He has also thrown two touchdowns and 5 picks. This is partly because they have played from behind all season with the exception of that lone win against the Redskins.

All in all, the competition is pretty darn close. I do give the nod to Sanchez for one reason. He has shown an ability to throw the deep ball as he has three passes over 40 yds so far. While not mind boggling, this is certainly respectable for an NFL rookie quarterback that is only now getting their feet wet.

Who will be the better quarterback in the end is anybody’s guess, but I have a feeling they will both be around for a very long time. These are two great young talents. Hopefully they are not snake bitten by their respective teams. They are for real.

Every once in a while, some player that nobody expected goes bonkers and has a breakout season.  Sometimes it is an aging star, (see Kurt Warner) and sometimes it is the rookies.  More often than not it is those players that have been in the league a couple of seasons, and gotten their feet wet.  Maybe they are just finally getting their shot.  Whatever the case, NFL Sleepers are tough to guess.

Of course, that won’t stop me from trying….Here are five guys that I think will have better than expected years.

Dwayne Jarrett – This Carolina Panther has had a very uneventful first couple of years in the NFL.   The events he has had unfortunately have been fairly bad.  Still, he is the prototypical wide out in the NFL and he will have a great target opposite him in All World receiver Steve Smith.  Mushin Muhammed will be back as well to continue working with Jarrett. So why Jarrett?  Quite simply put, he made some huge catches in huge situations last season for the Panthers.  Delhomme is freshly signed, and he plays better when under contract.  And finally, Moose has great things to say about him.  Another key is the Panther running game is a beast so Jarrett should get a lot of balls slung to him in open spaces.  With his size, he could make some inroads.
Felix Jones -  Felix is kind of a given, and some might not call him a sleeper.  The reason I do is because he is sharing the backfield with two other guys that would likely start in other backfields.  Felix will be the man in Dallas this year, however.  He is going to be a huge star, and I am far from a Cowboy fan.  The kid is legit.  Watch the tapes.

Brady Quinn – Though Quinn has not got the starting job wrapped up by any means, he certainly is in control of his own destiny.  The kid is talented, and he has been brought along slowly.  That will not mean tons of Cleveland wins this season, but it will be enough to allow him to take possession of this team.  With his intangibles, the Browns star will be better than advertised.  That is saying alot considering he is heavily hyped.

Roy Williams – Sleeper?  After the dud he layed in Big D last season he most certainly is.  The guy is simply a huge talent that never quite fit in.  When you put that much talent in a wide out slot at number one, and then add a NFL quarterback that is no longer distracted by Jessica Simpson like Romo, good things have to start happening.  Roy will fill in nicely for Terrell Owens.

Phillip Rivers – Again, he is no typical sleeper.  The difference is that this year he has a healthy Gates to throw to.  This year, Rivers will step into the ranks of the mighty among the NFL quarterbacks.  He is already well respected and a proven winner, but his talent will get the respect it deserves this year.  He just might secure a Super Bowl.