Get Shocked!!

The New Orleans Saints parted ways with tight-end Jeremy Shockey, ending a 3 year stint that included a trip to the Super Bowl.  Shockey had career lows in receptions (41) and yards (408) last season.  Jimmy Graham, also from The U, came on strong toward the end of last season and the Saints will move forward with him instead.

Shockey was part the 2001 National Championship team.

In a span of 10 seasons (including his final year at Miami), Shockey has won it all; a national championship and two Super Bowls (even though he was sidelined during Super Bowl XLII).  Not really bad from guy from Ada, OK had to go through the Juco route (Northeastern Oklahoma A&M located in Miami, which is pronounced Miama, and don't ask me why) before landing in South Beach (quite a long ways to travel if you ask me).

He was part of arguably one of the greatest college football teams in modern history.  There's no denying that the 2001 Miami squad would give a lot of these college championship teams a run for their money.  They brought back the swag, something that hadn't been seen around South Beach since the late 1980's through early 90's.

Shockey was a 4 time pro bowler as a Giant

Shockey spent his first 6 years with the New York Giants, the team that drafted him in the first round of the 2002 draft.  In his first NFL appearance, a Hall of Fame Game that also doubled as the pre-season opener, he caught a pass, then proceeded to run over Houston Texans' defender Kevin Williams like he didn't exist.  Suddenly, comparisons to former Giant great Mark Bavaro began flowing in.

He would run over a few more defenders in a rookie season that was combination of flash (his size, speed and toughness) and brash (could you really expect any less from a player from The U?).  Sometimes he could be clutch; making a crucial touchdown catch against Philadelphia in the regular season finale, a game the Giants had to win if they wanted to make the playoffs.

At other times, well, you just didn't know what expect.  Case in point; during the wildcard game against San Francisco, with the Giants were moving the ball at will, Shockey dropped a touchdown pass that would have surely won the game.  They settled for a field goal instead, and the next thing you know, the 49ers rallied to win in what was one of the biggest comebacks in recent NFL Playoff history.

He remained an important part of the Giants offense, but the injuries eventually started to take their toll.  When Kevin Boss not only replaced him, but played well enough in the Giants run to the Super Bowl, it was widely accepted that the team could do without him after all.  He was traded to the Saints before the start of the 2008 season.

For all I know, he was a model citizen in New Orleans.  Despite his injuries, he still played a big role during the Saints Super Bowl winning season.  He is still one of the better tight ends around and will be a key addition to a playoff contender in search of a proven player at his position.  There's no doubting that the man can play ball, but can he stay healthy?

If the answer is "yes", then good times definitely lay ahead, but if the answer is "no", then it seems that at least for now, the party is over.

Fight On!! Sanchez making his mark.

The Pete Carroll era at USC lasted from 2001 through 2009, during which the program enjoyed a period of dominance that it had not experienced since the 70's.  From 2002-2008, USC posted an 82-9 overall record (6-1 in bowl games) which included 2 national championships, 2 Orange Bowls, 4 Rose Bowls and a "Top 5" final ranking in all seven seasons.  The Men of Troy were on the map and from the look of things, they would be staying for a while (well, things changed when NCAA sanctions hit, Carroll fled to the NFL; but let's save that for another day).

The starting quarterbacks during this period were Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, John David Booty and Mark Sanchez.  Palmer, Leinart and Sanchez were all drafted in the first round of their respective drafts; Palmer being drafted 1st overall in 2003.  With Sanchez just having completed his second NFL season, would it be fair to ask whether he's the best quarterback out of USC in the Pete Carroll era?

Sanchez was 14-2 as a starter & 2009 Rose Bowl MVP

Unlike Palmer and Leinart, who both starred in multiple seasons, Sanchez only started one season during which he led USC to a 12-1 finish and a Rose Bowl win over Penn State.  A Thursday night loss to Oregon State in Corvallis, OR, derailed any hopes the Trojans had of playing for a national title that year.

In the days following the 2009 Rose Bowl, Sanchez declared for the NFL draft; a move that wasn't exactly welcomed by Pete Carroll, who publicly criticized Sanchez for the decision.  I think Carroll must have known that without Sanchez, USC was headed for a rebuilding year.  They finished the season 9-4, so Carroll was onto something after all.

Sanchez was drafted 5th overall by the New York Jets, and started all but one game in his rookie season.  He led the Jets to the playoffs for the first time since 2006 and their first playoff win (Against the Palmer-led Bengals) since the 2004 season.  The Jets played in their first AFC title game since the 1998 season.  In his second season, he led the Jets back to the AFC title game, only to fall short against Pittsburgh.  All in all, Sanchez has played in (6) and won more playoff games (4) than Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart combined.

Palmer & Leinart were both Heisman Trophy winners at USC

Carson Palmer led Cincinatti to two AFC North division titles in 2005 and 2009, but the Bengals came up empty in the ensuing wildcard games.  In the 2005 playoff game against the eventual Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh, he suffered a late hit to his knee, and his absence derailed any momentum the Bengals had picked up, costing them the game.  In his most recent playoff game, the Bengals lost to the Jets, leaving Palmer's playoff record at 0-2.

Leinart, who could gone 1st overall in the 2005 NFL draft, opted to stay in school and almost led USC to their third consecutive national title.  He was drafted 10th overall in 2006 by the Arizona Cardinals and saw plenty of action during his first two seasons.  However, following an injury during his second season, he never regained his starting job; having to make do as Kurt Warner's backup during Arizona's run to the Super Bowl in 2008, as well as the 2009 playoffs.

Palmer might not even be at Cincinatti next season, and who knows if Matt Leinart will ever get another start, let alone make another roster.  Their futures are uncertain, but we do know that Mark Sanchez is only getting better.  Slowly but surely, he is being tasked with more than just "managing the game".  He has led the Jets to wins against tough teams, both in the regular season and in the playoffs.

So having seen the evidence that has been presented, I think it might be safe to say (albeit prematurely) that Mark Sanchez is indeed the best quarterback out of USC during the Pete Carroll era.

6, is the loneliest number.

I decided to do a little remix to the Harry Nilsson classic "One", after the Conference title game concluded on Sunday.  I would have typed the entire song on here, but this is not a karaoke blog.

Jay Cutler couldn't have picked another day to have a bad game.  If the Bears were to advance to the Super Bowl, he was going to have to play above and beyond his best.  While Aaron Rodgers is just as important to his team, the Bears usually suffer more when Cutler plays poorly. 

Cutler who never even got off the blocks left in the 3rd quarter because he sprained his left knee.  Looking at his body language on the sideline, he seemed like he was more suited for a spot on the "Wanna Get Away!!" Southwest Airline promos.  Now you've got people questioning his toughness, and whether or not he bailed on his team.  I'm not going to even get into that because apparently, it's easier to kick a person when they're down.  If he wasn't able to continue, why would he want to set his team back any further than they already were?

Mark Sanchez looked like a "deer in the headlights" during the first half.  This was clearly not the same the guy who led the Jets to win over the Steelers last December.  He rebounded in the second half and had the Jets won, they would have overcome the largest deficit in a conference title game.  However, their second half effort while good, wasn't enough to get it done.  The Steelers now head off to their record-tying 8th Super Bowl.

While both Sanchez and Cutler failed to lead their teams to Jerry's World, to be fair, it really wasn't all on them.  Both Green Bay and Pittsburgh made big plays early in the game to get ahead, and late in the game to seal their wins.  I would have really loved to see a Jets-Bears rematch in the Super Bowl, after the Bears won 38-34 in what was a very entertaining game.

Hopefully, both Chicago and New York still have enough talent to make it back to the playoffs next year.  Until then, they'll be watching the Super Bowl like the rest of us; at home!!