Cup O' Joe - Week 10 Rumblings & Grumblings

Cup O' Joe, Week 10

Sammy Hoambrecker and Brian Barrett both hit the 1000-yard mark in their ninth game, putting them in position to hit for 1800 yards. Does anyone have a chance at 2000? The answer to that is yes, and it might be both, with Hoambrecker at a slight advantage. Let's look at each, starting with Barrett. He's second in the league with 209 carries, and averages almost 113 yards a game. But look at the team's he faces coming up after this week's contest with Seattle (with their rushing defense ranks in parenthesis): Arizona (22), Oakland (13), Philadelphia (19), Washington (12), Minnesota (26), and Denver (17). LA has common opponents in Washington, Denver, Arizona, and Philadelphia; but they also have Louisville (31), Cincinnati (24), and San Diego (25). So, we could see two players reach plateaus that will be tough to reach in the future.

Speaking of running backs, many are questioning why the Pride haven't benched Drew Anderson. While he may be a star in the making, he's certainly not doing much right now, averaging 3.7 YPG with just 2 TD. It is possible that Gary Johnson will see more action in their game against New Orleans. But many say Anderson needs more confidence. A game against the Knights may do just that. Also, more carries could boost his production. He's had two games within the last four weeks where he rushed fewer than ten times.

It was discussed in a recent column who Kansas City could take with the #1 pick in the AFL draft next year. Well, now we're going to look at division rival St. Louis, who could get the #2 pick overall...or slide as high as #7. Chances are, they'll take the best player on the board, as they have a lot of holes to fill. The only position we know they won't go after is safety, unless they can get a first for Rosey Smith and take SS Derrell Stanley, a bonafide blue-chip prospect, with a top-five pick. It is most likely that either a tackle, defensive end, or POSSIBLY quarterback Pat Banks will become a Pioneer by this time next year. The line is horrible, and there are two tackles good enough to take with a high pick, that being Gene Herron and Tony McMullen. We discussed both in our last column, so we'll slide past them for now. DE Kelly Sunde or CB Rosey Smith could go here, as a top secondary would give the Pioneers at least one question answered...but if Sunde is there, and shows enough at the combine, expect him to go at this pick. As far as Pat Banks is concerned...he's the top QB in the nation, but he may be a reach at this pick. Might. It will depend on his game with Florida State, currently ranked #2 in the nation and owner of the #1 pass defense in the nation. If Banks has a good game against THEM, he'll become a legit top-five pick. If he doesn't...well, we'll see.

From QBs of the future to QBs of the present...talk of who is the best QB in the league has fired up. Here is my top 10 (age and year of experience in parenthesis):

10. Michael Armstead, Philadelphia (28, 7th). Could be higher...has passed for 2399 yards and 16 touchdowns with a completion percentage of 64.4%. His rating is 96.4, good for seventh in the league. But his ability to put his team in the end zone consistently just pushes him a bit lower than he may be.

9. Herkie Martini, San Francisco (27, 5th). Stats aren't as good as Armstead: 2013 yards on 58.3% PCT, with 15 TD and 7 INT. But the guy wins, and he rarely makes mistakes. He's a tough competitor, and has won two games in which he was injured, including a game with a fractured rib.

8. Darrell Hickerson, Miami (31, 9th). Hickerson was considered the worst first-round pick in this league's initial draft. And yet, here he is, his team 7-2, 7-1 in the HFC. A big reason is Hickerson, who has been an absolute leader for the Blitz. He's also been pretty consistent, with only one really bad game (against Carolina).

7. Monte Meier, Seattle (23, R). He will probably move up this list. But he's just a rookie (and ye, there's two rookies higher, but Meier is justified in this spot). Meier is eighth in the league in QB rating, but is down among the league low in attempts from starters. He has been nicked up, but still gets the job done.

6. Billy Rolovich, Pittsburgh (27, 6th). This guy is pure guts. I mean, flat out guts. He may have more heart than anyone in the league. He's not a real skillful player...and yet, he makes this team succeed. He had LA on the ropes, and was named POTG in their instant classic OT loss (20-28, 263 yards, 3 TD, 121.6 RAT). The shocking thing about Rolovich is that he can improve quite a bit.

5. Leonard Smith, Cincinnati (31, 10th). Has the second-best QB rating in the league, on the strength of only three interceptions. He did sit two games with an injury, and has been injury prone for his entire career. But the Ohio native and Ohio State grad could run for Governor of the Buckeye State and get elected easily. He leads the Royals to success, and if they manage to get to the Washington Bowl, he could run for state senator with relative ease.

4. Ladell Suggs, San Diego (26, 5th). I'd say Suggs gets this spot because he's the most exciting QB in the league. He's fifth in the AFL in QB rating (103.9), second in TD (21), and fourth in completion percentage. But he also leads all QB in rushing yards, with 530 on just 47 carries. That's right...an average of 11.3 yards per carry. He has more yards than Pittsburgh's leading rusher, Drew Anderson. He's almost electric every time he escapes the pocket.

3. Sammy Baw, Los Angeles (22, R). He's equipped with the top running back in the league in Sammy Hoambrecker. But one can't help but think that Baw would be just fine if it were just him. He's passed for 2696 yards, which leads the league, and 17 TD. Can you believe this guy is a rookie? He's going to be the top QB in the league for years to come, unless someone has something to say about it. That someone, of course, is...

2. Dick Dinkins, Tampa (25, 3rd). Dinkins has the most TD passes in the league (24), and is second in passing yards, with 2,519. He uses his receivers very well, with two players--Gary Thompson and Jason McCall--in the top 10 in receptions. But he usually makes smart decisions, and will continue to just get better, giving the league a triumvirate of elite quarterbacks for the next decade.

1. Steve Banks, Houston (37, 15th). And as those three start their careers, the top QB on our list is wrapping his up. It's highly unlikely that Banks will return next season for his 16th season. But he's looking to set records for this league, specifically in QB Rating, that may never be broken. Right now, it's 135.8, on the strength of 74.3% completion and a 20-3 TD/INT ratio. He's been simply stunning, and has been the MVP up until this point.

That's all for now. Next week, we'll evaluate the running backs, and give our top ten at that position.