2. New England Patriots: Discard the 6-3 start, now look at the numbers. Their overall statistics make it seem like their up there with New Orleans and Indianapolis being that they are 3rd in the league in points against and 3rd in the league in points for. Unfortunately NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has chosen that the points for : points against ratio is not the deciding factor of who gets into the playoffs, therefore the Patriots have no chance of achieving home-field advantage and little chance of achieving a 1st round bye.

3. New Orleans Saints: Through the past few years, the New Orleans Saints have underachieved due to their lack of talent on defence. Now, they are able to manipulate their air-it-out style offence starring Drew Brees, and the Saints defence is stepping up as well. The Saints aren’t exactly on fire though, in fact some could suggest that they are slumping despite their 9-0. They started the season off with a bang while scoring 46.5 per game setting records left, right, and centre, then they started to simmer down as their scoring difference begin to be closer and closer, at this point of season, they have fought through 4 straight close games, 3 of 4 were divisional games and sooner or later they won’t be as fortunate. I will look forward to their Week 12 Monday Night Football match-up against the Patriots.

4. Minnesota Vikings: Whether it is Brett Favre or Adrian Peterson, you are going to get beat. Some could suggest that the Vikings aren’t one of the elite teams is the league, tell that the their 9-1 record. Lately, the Vikes have been flying under the radar the past few weeks but the chances of Clinching the NFC home-field advantage is anything but decided with Minnesota breathing down the Saints neck. If only these two NFC powerhouses met at some point this season, which would probably decide who would be the more Superbowl-ready team.

5. Dallas Cowboys: I don’t know, one week they are playing as if they are the best team in the NFL, two weeks, their offence is completely disabled. Hype is killing these Cowboys and the last thing I think they are years from a Superbowl title. This isn’t their year, perhaps next year Tony Romo and the Cowboys will regain their consistency. On the other hand, the Cowboys are far from out with a 7-3 record mid-season with the NFC East Divisional title a few wins away but overall, they don’t have enough poise and consistency to win their first playoff game since 1995.

6. Arizona Cardinals: Maybe their fans put too much pressure on them, maybe the expectations of them playing at home are too high, maybe they feed off disappointment, maybe its just a coincidence . Who knows, but for some reason, they 5-0 on the road and 2-3 at home. Anquan Boldin is back and Warner and Fitzgerald are excited, with a fairly easy schedule ahead of them and a 6-1 record in their past 7 games , there is no reason to count them out of the Superbowl race.

7. San Diego Chargers: Throughout the years, this team came from an offence owned by the running game, leaned more and more towards the pass and presently Ladainian Tomlinson averages 3.3 yards per rush and the Chargers are last in the league rushing the ball, but don’t worry, Phillip Rivers has got it all under control leading his team to a 7-3 start the the season. Though San Diego’s passing success is not all due to Rivers, with the most underrated Wide Receiver in the game in Vincent Jackson and the best Tight End in the NFL in Antonio gates, its pretty hard not to be able to put up his numbers.

8. Cincinnati Bengals: Fans are getting mixed messages by the Bengals. First they go and push around two of the toughest teams in the league to push around by sweeping both the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers 2-0, then they go and lose the following game to the Oakland Raiders 20-17 scoring just 3 second-half points while fumbling 5 times. Carson Palmer thought he had the game won with a 14-0 coming into halftime but started to get sloppy in the second half and the Raiders rallied back to win the game, but Cincinnati should be able to take advantage of a weak schedule of play Oakland, then Cleveland, then Detroit.

9. Pittsburgh Steelers: Pittsburgh should have been able to capitalize on Cincinnati losing an almost automatic win but while that game was being played, Pittsburgh did the same, losing an easy one to Kansas City. Just like the Bengals, Ben Roethlisberger thought he had the game won with a 17-7 coming into halftime but started to get sloppy in the second half and the Chiefs rallied back to win the game in overtime. Neither team played well at all, but it was a worse loss for the Steelers because they are now in a spot where they likely won’t win the Divisional Title and they are now in a tight race with the Jaguars, the Broncos and many others for the 2  AFC wildcard spots.

10. Denver Broncos: Don’t count them out just because they are slumping, I believe that the climax of their slump is over. They will be up and running just like the early-season Broncos by the end of next week, which is when Kyle Orton will be fully recovered from his ankle injury 3 weeks ago. The last thing that the Broncos want is to have to start Chris Simms next Sunday when they need a win to have a chance to get into the playoffs.

From a bunch of reckless hooligans running into each other to questionably the most complex sport in the world. Over Decades of improving the game, the NFL timeline has not led the fans or players to a position where NFL football is at all simple to understand. In fact, the lack of simplicity involving rules and intelligent gameplay are leading some quarterbacks to confusion and utter frustration.

Each year, offences and defences find ways to remain one step above the competition using the psychological approach, confusion. Though there is always a way to counter it, playbooks are getting thicker, fans are inserting more pressure, and coaches have higher expectations leading for a bit too much to account for as a Quarterback. The Quarterback position isn’t just run and catch, which is why the some Quarterbacks are failing miserably.

Take Jamarcus Russell, one of the most athletic players in the game. He has the body of a linebackers, a cannon for an arm and a little bit of speed to top it off. Judging by his statistics at the NFL rookie combine, the Oakland Raiders chose him first overall in the 2006 Draft. To this day, JaMarcus Russell has been a major disappointment to the fans of Oakland, but he still remains the starting quarterback. With stats like this: Passer Rating- 48.3, PYPG- 125.0, TD-INT Ratio- 1:4.5, Completion%- 48.4., it is surprising that he is so magnificent physically. Well theres no surprise at all actually, it is because he lacks the understanding of the game, he lacks the ability to read defensive packages, he lack the confidence to lead his team to victory using his awareness of the game of Football, and few have those abilities, even fewer are able to manipulate those abilities.

These days, defences can apply so much pressure on a Quarterback that he does not have the talent measure up. That is why more and more Quarterbacks are failing in the NFL (e.g. Derek Anderson, Jake Delhomme, Josh Johnson, Marc Bulger, Trent Edwards, Kerry Collins).

Though both AFC East teams are hot, there isn’t much question on who will win this divisional game. The New England Patriots are 4-0 at home this year and have outscored their last two opponents 92-7. On the other hand, last week, Miami beat the Jets in New York while two Touchdowns were scored off of kickoff returns by Ted Ginn Jr. Overall, the New England Patriots should be able to run away with a win and a decisive divisional lead. I do predict a close matchup, being that New England is spotty against the Wildcat formation.

Prediction:

31-24 New England

Matchup Rating:

9/10

Washington Redskins @Atlanta Falcons

Washington is terrible and is 0-3 on the road, Atlanta is an upper-echelon team and is 3-0 at home. Doesn’t sound exactly like much of a tight game. Playoff-wise, Washington has no change being in last place in the most intimidating division in the league. Atlanta, on the other hand, probably won’t win their division since the New Orleans Saints are 1 of 2 undefeated teams in league, but they should be capable of making the playoffs by the Wildcard. Overall, this game is an easy one, perhaps a major blowout. Washington is used to those.

Prediction:

34-13 Atlanta

Matchup Rating:

2/10

Green Bay Packers @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The whole world has lost one hour due to daylight savings time, except for the people who are planning on watching this game, they will lose 4 hours. Tampa Bay, being 0-7, is half-way to matching the comparable 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-14). The Buccaneers are so hopeless that the starting Running back for the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League is claiming that his team can beat them. Obviously, thats a lie. The best players in the United Football League are all NFL alumni where their NFL careers didn’t live up to what they expected (e.g. J.P. Losman). Green Bay has just come off of a gutless loss to the Minnesota vikings and they are out for revenge. Overall, There aren’t too many likely outcomes where this game won’t be one-sided.

Prediction:

41-14 Green Bay

Matchup Rating:

3/10

Kansas City Chiefs @ Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars are a very unpredictable team. One week, they blowout the Titans 37-17, the following week, they got blown out by Matt Hasselbeck and the Seattle Seahawks 41-0, the next week, they beat the St. Louis Rams 23-20, and last week, the Jags lost 30-13 against the struggling Titans. Judging by their win-loss pattern, the Jaguars are in for a home-win vs. Kansas City. On the other side of the line-of-scrimmage, we have the Chiefs, who have lost by 11 or more 4 times this season. Overall, neither team is showing any signs of improvement lately and I don’t have a decisive opinion on who will win, but if I had to chose, I would say Jacksonville, being 2-1 at home.

Prediction:

27-23 Jacksonville

Matchup Rating:

3/10

Houston Texans @ Indianapolis Colts

Both AFC South teams are playing astoundingly and #1and #2 in the AFC South are in for an interesting matchup, being that in the Texans next three games will be against the Colts. Both teams have a ridiculous passing game in Matt Schaub and Peyton Manning, both teams have struggling rushing games, and both teams are in for playoff births. Overall, you can never doubt Peyton Manning, he has led his team to 16 straight regular-season victories and he will likely extend his streak to 17 this week.

Prediction:

31-24 Indianapolis

Matchup Rating:

7/10

Arizona Cardinals @ Chicago Bears

The monsters of the midway are eager to finally play in a matchup suitable for their caliber of play. They are struggling for a playoff spot, being 3rd in the competitive NFC North. Chicago cannot afford another lose anytime soon. If they are going to compete for a Wildcard spot, this is the type of game that you have to win, especially at home. Overall, Arizona is 3-0 on the road but Chicago is 3-0 at home, so both teams will be in their element this week, but Chicago has something to prove in this game. Chicago should pull this one off.

Prediction:

21-17 Chicago

Matchup Rating:

8/10

Baltimore Ravens @ Cincinnati Bengals

Baltimore is out for blood in this AFC North. Cincinnati is too. This game may be out of the Bengal’s reach, despite earlier this season, Cincinnati beat the Ravens in Baltimore, the Ravens have been playing at an incredibly high level lately. The Ravens are coming off of a confidence-boosting win over the 6-1 Broncos with ease (30-7). Overall, Baltimore in a team on a mission and that Week 7 lose to the Vikings is fuelling them for a possible Bengals-beatdown.

Prediction:

34-23 Baltimore

Matchup Rating:

9/10

Carolina Panthers @ New Orleans Saints

How ’bout them Saints? Right now, New Orleans seams virtually unbeatable. There are no signs of rust thought the team. When Drew Brees doesn’t beat you, Running backs Pierre Thomas, Reggie Bush, and Mike Bell will. When the rare occasion occurs of the Saints offence being ineffective, they will beat you with their defence, leading the league in defensive Touchdowns (8). Overall, the Carolina Panthers have limited weapons on offence and defence, the Saints will win with ease.

Prediction:

37-14 New Orleans

Matchup Rating:

3/10

Dallas Cowboys @ Philadelphia Eagles

Now that is Sunday Night Football at it’s finest, and it couldn’t be at a better time during the season. These teams are playing at their peak performance-wise. Dallas has won three-in-a-row while Donovan McNabb is back and better than ever with a 103.2 passer rating and a 9:1 Touchdown: interception ratio. Overall, Dallas has a lot of hype about them coming into this divisional game, but remember the last time these ow teams played in Philadelphia, 44-6 Cowboy-beat-down. Phillie has the advantage.

Prediction:

33-27 Philadelphia

Matchup Rating:

10/10

Tennessee Titans @ San Francisco 49ers

Being at home is an overrated advantage. So far this season, the home teams have only won 52% of their games, even though some idiots argue that the home team has a 51% chance of winning the coin-toss. Tennessee made their first win this season last week against the Jaguars and are looking like the 2008 Titans, perhaps their drought is over. Meanwhile, San Francisco came scarcely close to beating the undefeated Indianapolis Colts. Overall, the Titans are explosive with Vince Young, a little too explosive for San Francisco.

Prediction:

28-23 Tennessee

Matchup Rating:

4/10

Detroit Lions @ Seattle Seahawks

Please avoid this game, the final score in irrelevant. Nobody even cares. Detroit, other than beating Washington in Week 3, the Detroit Lions have not won a game since the 2007 season. Seattle, on the other hand, Seattle is equally bad, being outscored in the past 2 games 65-20, last may not look like much but when you divide that score by two, you will see what I mean. Overall, I don’t care, this matchup does not deserve my time or opinion.

Prediction:

27-17 Seattle

Matchup Rating:

1/10

San Diego Chargers @ New York Giants

San Diego is closer to the AFC West Divisional Title than you think. San Diego’s last 6 games of the season are easy, as 4 of the 6 teams that they play have all won 2 or less games this year. New York is farther from the NFC East Divisional Title than you think, they have to outplay Dallas and Philadelphia while on a three-game losing streak. Also, their next five are all difficult (San diego, Atlanta, Denver, Dallas, Philadelphia). Overall, New York is too talented to let up a 4-game losing streak.

Prediction:

37-31 New York

Matchup Rating:

7/10

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Denver Broncos

I don’t care who you are, when you play in Denver and have bad second-half statistics, you had better be ready for a beating. Denver Is heartbroken about the beating they took last week in Baltimore and should start to be a little worried about their divisional stance. Pittsburgh just came off a bye last week and are eager to get back to work. Overall, I have no doubt in the Broncos defence, they’ll pull this one off.

Prediction:

30-21 Denver

Matchup Rating:

6/10

Lock:

Over/Under: Jacksonville @ Tennessee Under 44.5: Again, Vince Young is the last quarterback to lead his team to half of 44.5 points. Both team will have to rely on their offence to win the game due to the lack of offensive explosiveness on sides off the ball. In 6 of 7 of their last games together, the score has been under 44.5.

2. Peyton Manning/Indianapolis Colts- The Hall-Of-Famer 34-year-old is looking vigorous as ever and age is not an aspect at all. Indy relies on Peyton like no other team in league but there is no reason to change their ways with a 116-48 record with Peyton Manning as the starting quarterback. But with a terrible running game and a struggling defence, that could be a load that even Peyton Manning will will struggle with. But until then, Peyton alone is an unstoppable offence.

3. Denver Broncos- The ultimate goal of sports is to win the game, and that is exactly what Kyle Orton is doing. When Orton starts to lose football games is when we should be judging his performance, until then, what more do you want from a Quarterback he has led you to 6-0. Though Denver’s amazing start is mainly due to their incredibly easy schedule so far and their stellar defence only letting in 11.5 points against per game. The Broncos schedule has been a walk in the park, but they are going to get whats coming to them sooner or later playing New England, then San Diego, then Baltimore, then Pittsburgh, then San Diego again, then the New York Giants, now there is no walk in the park.

4. New Orleans Saints- Their defence is holding up, their rushing offence 2nd in the NFL (170.7 yards/game) and Drew Brees has 9 passing TDs, but most importantly, they have a 4-0 start to the season and nothing seems to be slowing them down. When you slow down Drew Brees’ passing game, Pierre Thomas, Reggie Bush and Mike Bell rise to the occasion. It a pick-your-poison situation. 3 of 4 teams have chosen Brees.

5. Minnesota Vikings- Brett Favre has surprisingly earned himself a round of applause, which is exactly what Minneapolis has given him. Another pleasant surprise is that Adrian Peterson’s healthiness is at it’s highest of his NFL career. The most astonishing part of this winning streak is that Favre is playing rather conservatively. The stats don’t lie, 104.7 passer rating and an 8:1 TD to Interception ratio. Now that Favre has settled in, the Vikings are about to make their way into the top tier of the NFL.

4.    Make your own lines and then compare them to Vegas’ lines: Before you even look at Vegas’ lines for a certain game analyze the game in your mind.  A predicted score and any variables that may affect that score- like injuries or weather- then compare your line to the line that Vegas has set.  This gives you an indication of whether you’d like to bet on the game or not.  If your line is really close to theirs’ the game is basically a toss up and you should avoid it but if you get more than 3 points difference than there is potential for a win.

5.    Look for value: Don’t bet games that you can’t pick a winner.  If you’re undecided and you’re betting a game your leaving it completely to chance and you won’t win consistently by doing this.  Very few lines have any real value, and you should focus on the games that do.  Betting the ones that don’t usually results in losses.

6.    Realize the obvious pick is usually wrong: This is a concept that many bettors don’t understand or just refuse to acknowledge but the reality is that sports books don’t like to give away money.  About once every week there is a game that seems to have an obvious pick.  These are the games you want to AVOID because they are usually sucker bets.  They entice you with seemingly biased lines when really they know something you don’t- injuries that aren’t made public and really overrated teams seem to be the most common.  Don’t be the fool who gets sucked into betting these games because most of the time you’ll lose.  This can sometimes be shown by over 90% of the public being on one side of the bet.  Beware of these situations.

7.    Bet against the public consensus: The public has favorites, as do most people and sports books are aware of the public’s tendencies and biases.  Big tendencies include betting on the certain “public” teams, betting on the favorites, the over and putting too much emphasis on recent success.  These are some of the things that cause the biased lines which create opportunities for you.  Therefore you should generally bet against the public and take the opposite teams because Vegas accounts for these tendencies by putting more value on the opposite plays.  Still following?

8.    Don’t bet more than a few games each week: Some bettors seem to think that they have the best chance of winning if they bet on a lot of games.  They don’t seem to realize that by doing this you undermine your own knowledge and predictions by spreading out your bets.  Quality over quantity is crucial in betting.  Value picks will win, the rest are 50-50.  Don’t waste your time making picks on lines with little to no value.  Instead focus your time on finding good value in a few lines and bet those select few.

9.    Don’t bet with or against your heart: This is a tricky subject for some but it depends on your attitude as a bettor.  A casual bettor generally likes betting on their favorite team because it adds to the intensity of the game.  While this is good and fun for a casual bettor, you won’t win any money by doing this.  If you plan on winning you can’t worry about who you like or dislike- it just comes down to 53 guys that you think will beat another group of 53 guys on a particular day.  No allegiances can come in between you and your winnings.

10.    Look for trends: Many sites like covers.com provide lists of trends for each game.  The key is finding the most relevant and important trends and applying them.  If a team is “32-3-12 following a home loss on Sunday night games while playing on artificial turf” that usually means nothing, don’t let that sway your judgment.  It’s major ones like how a team is doing coming off a win or coming off a loss or playing against really good teams that matter.  Keep those in mind when you’re figuring out your lines for # 4 on this list.

11.    Shop around for the best line: Different sports books have different lines for each game.  Look for the best one for your chosen bet because that half a point that you gain could make all the difference.  In tip # 1 I told you that bookies take 2.5 % off the top, well this is your chance to eliminate that advantage.  By getting the best line each time you bet, you switch that all-important advantage over to your side.

12.    Bet on good coaches: This may seem like an odd one but in clutch situations, the better coach usually prevails.  If one coach is significantly better then the other than that gives one team a huge advantage that is usually overlooked by the general public.  Take coaches into account when making your predictions because they’re an important aspect of winning games.

13.    Beware of the parlay: Parlays are a big source of income for bookies.  They entice you with big payoffs but rarely payout.  In general, it’s best to avoid betting parlays because they shift the take of the book a lot higher. That’s really good but those games come up very rarely.  There are times when a parlay can be beneficial.  For example when a really good offense plays a really good defense, you can play the offense with the over or the defense with the under and one of those will usually pay out.

14.    Screw your instincts: They’re overrated.  Who you think is going to win is never correct just because your instincts told you so.  Some bettors claim to have success with “just betting what my instincts tell me” but that’s a load of crap.  Betting on instincts just won’t win consistently.  You may get lucky for a while but in the long run you can’t win.  Look for value plays instead of relying on uneducated, random guesses.

15.    Don’t get to emotionally invested: Often in betting, a hot streak will get you too high or a cold streak will do the reverse.  The key is to remove the extreme highs and lows and keep an even keel.

GRADE= B+

12. Denver Broncos- Ever since 2004 when the Broncos traded Running Back Clinton Portis to the ‘Skins, Denver has had the most difficulty in the NFL finding a 16-week, full-time RB. So Denver drafted Knowshon Moreno, former SEC Rookie Of The Year and teammate of Matt Stafford. Knowshon is a great back and can help compensate for the loss of Jay Cutler. They targeted their man, and got him and how can you fault them for that.

GRADE= B+

13. Washington Redskins- Was the top defensive lineman in the game in Albert Haynesworth enough for the Redskins? Apparently not. After signing Haynesworth, they used their 13th pick on DE from Texas, Brian Orakpo. Not that Brian isn’t a threat to the opposing QB because he can really get off the ball and pressure the QB but I would not have gone there. My choice would have been middle linebacker, Brian Cushing due to their aging linebacking core.

GRADE= B-

14. New Orleans Saints- The Saints chose Cornerback from Ohio State, Malcolm Jenkins. Michael won the state title in the 400-meter dash as a junior. With this addition the Saints are a lot closer to fixing the gaping hole in their defensive backfield from last season. Good pick for both value and position.

GRADE= A-

15. Houston Texans- The Texans drafted Brian Cushing, the first of 4 USC linebackers chosen in the first two rounds. Cushing did incredibly at the combine, showing his amazing balance between speed (40 yard dash= 4.64) and strength (bench press score= 30). Brian is one of the most athletic players drafted this year. Cushing also was named the Defensive MVP of the Rose Bowl Game. He helps an already solid Texans defense.

GRADE= A-

16. San Diego Chargers- The Chargers went with an unexpected choice in Outside Linebacker, Larry English who had 31.5 career sacks and won the Mid-American Conference MVP award, and fourth team All-American. San Diego’s first choice was Brian Cushing until Houston chose him one pick earlier. He will help rush the passer along with Shawn Merriman next season and into the future.

GRADE= C

17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Jeff Garcia isn’t getting any younger. And with an aging team, drafts are very important. The Bucs drafted Kansas State Quarterback Josh Freeman 17th overall as the third quarterback chosen. Josh is an amazing prospect and I believe that he will get his get his fair share of starts, but probably not immediately. After all, at 6’6, 250 and a career passer rating of 124.8, the sky is the limit. This is a heavy developmental pick though.

GRADE= B-

18. Denver Broncos- As the Bronco’s second pick in the 09’ draft, they selected the Tennessee defensive end and linebacker, Robert Ayers. Robert is solid in all aspects of his game with good speed, good strength, and good college body of work. Though a steady pick, may not have enormous upside of other similar players in his class like Orakpo and Maybin.

GRADE= B

19. Philadelphia Eagles- Coming out of College early, Jeremy Maclin is the perfect wideout for the Eagles. Maclin runs a 4.43 40yd dash and is 6’6. This provides the speed and the target the Eagles need opposite DeSean Jackson. I would much rather him than the comparable Percy Harvin. This was an incredible draft for them. Watch out NFC East.

GRADE= A+

20. Detroit Lions- This was a very productive draft for the Lions. They got a solid Quarterback in Stafford and Brandon Pettigrew, a Tight End to throw to. Brandon is an outstanding blocker too. Good value at 20 for a player with his ability and character.

GRADE= A-

Who is going to have the better pro career: Mark Sanchez or Matthew Stafford? I’m not sure if there has been a bigger debate about two quarterbacks since Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf were drafted No. 1 and 2 in 1998. We all know how that turned out.

Let’s look at several attributes.

1) Physical Makeup

Matthew Stafford - Height 6′2 1/4 Weight 225 Lbs

Mark Sanchez - Height 6′2 11/8 Weight 228 Lbs

Obviously they are very similar in height and weight. No particular advantage for either there. Stafford may a have little bit stronger arm of the two.

Neither Stafford or Sanchez will wow you with their mobility, though they are both mobile enough, and it won’t be an issue with them in the NFL.

Advantage - Draw: To Close to call here. Physically they are as close as two quarterbacks can be.

2) College Pedigree

Matthew Stafford played with the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens. The Dawgs were one of the top teams in the SEC during Stafford’s career. Stafford played in front of rabid fans, for and against him. He’s no stranger to high pressure games and went 27-7 as a starter at UGA.

Author Poll

Who will have the better NFL career?

* Marc Sanchez

* Mattew Stafford

vote to see results

Under Coach Marc Richt, the Dawgs have produced um well, exactly zero NFL starting quarterbacks. David Greene, drafted in 2005, is already out the of the NFL. DJ Shockley is in the Atlanta, but he’s not going to beat out Matt Ryan.

Mark Sanchez played with the USC Trojans, where they are producing NFL caliber quarterbacks at a rate not seen since the 1980s Miami Hurricanes.

Carson Palmer, Matt Leinhart, Matt Cassel have either started or are the starting quarterbacks on their respective teams.

No college team runs a more pure NFL offense than the USC Trojans and coach Pete Carroll and the USC Trojans are not only one of the best Pac-10 teams, they are among the best teams in the country every single year.

Advantage - Sanchez: If you can start at USC, it’s a good bet you can play the NFL. Heck you don’t even have to start at USC, just be there, ask Matt Cassel.

3) Team they will play for

Matt Stafford is headed to quarterback Sibera. Quick name a pro bowl quarterback from Detroit. You have to back to 1972, and Greg Landry to find one.

Stafford signed a six-year, $78 million deal that includes $41.7 million guaranteed. That’s the largest ever contract by NFL draft pick.

Going to a team that didn’t win a game last year, that’s an an awful lot of pressure on a young quarterback, because once Duante Culpepper is benched by game 4, Stafford will be look upon as a savior. At least he has Calvin Johnson to throw to.

Mark Sanchez is headed to the New York Jets. I think this is a super fit. Big Media Market? Sanchez came from Los Angeles. An aging Brett Farve led the Jets to the brink of the playoffs with a 9-7 record, and while the offense isn’t made up of superstars, there is solid talent there.

RB Thomas Jones, RB Leon Washington and Jerricho Crotchery are very capable NFL players. It’s hard to say at the moment whether Sanchez, Kellen Clemons, or somebody else starts on opening day, but given the rest of the Jets’ roster, Sanchez won’t have to do it alone.

Advantage - Sanchez: Sanchez will be under a media blitz in New York, but playing at USC and Los Angeles he’s equipped to handle to this. Stafford will have so much pressure on him to win in Detroit the next 2-3 years, it might be more than he can handle.

Overall - Sanchez: With the physical attributes virtually equal, Stafford is walking into a more difficult situation with Detroit. Sanchez’s collegiate background is a huge advantage as well.

This doesn’t mean Stafford can’t be a fine NFL QB, I just think Sanchez has been prepped better for the rigors of the NFL.

Who Will Have the Better NFL Career: Marc Sanchez or Matthew Stafford? | Bleacher Report.