The recent news of Jay Cutler’s injury, which will likely sideline him for the rest of the regular season, has hella bummed me out. I do my best not to take athletics too seriously because in the grand scheme of things the winner or loser of a game isn’t that big of a deal when one considers the other maladies of society. But alas Cutler’s injury, and the diminishing hopes of the Bears’ playoff chances got me down.

Cutler has pulled off the possible during his brief tenure in Chicago: he has made the Bears a legit passing threat for the first time since Sid Luckman was taking snaps during the Franklin Roosevelt administration.

I am a Jay Cutler fan. As a matter of fact I was wearing his jersey today while I was traveling from Arizona to Santa Rosa, CA. I didn’t get a lot of compliments for the jersey but the guy that served me my lunch at Wendy’s offered his condolences for the Bears loss of their starting quarterback.

Cutler is polarizing, not as much as Tim Tebow, for somewhat vague reasons. I assume that the disdain towards Cutler is that he comes across as aloof and many folks think that he is the new millennium’s Jeff George.

…in ESPN The Magazine’s 2009 NFL preview mentioned the uncanny comparisons between Cutler and George: two can’t-miss, Hoosier-born QBs with golden arms and rotten ‘tudes. Then, in December, former Ravens coach Brian Billick mentioned that Cutler, who led the league in picks, was starting to feel a little “Jeff George-ish.” Pretty soon everyone was wondering if Jay Cutler was indeed the reincarnation of Jeff George, the No. 1 pick overall in 1990 whose attitude and leadership led him to three winning seasons in 12 years with five different teams. – David Fleming of ESPN.com, 10/28/2010

DavidPatrickCastro.net is a Pro-Jeff George website.  As of 11/23/2011 I have nine Jeff George based postings on this blog. To put that in perspective my favorite band is Oasis, I have been a fan since 1995 and I own approximately 30 of their CD’s, and the lads from Manchester only have five postings dedicated to their former glory.

I am a devoted fan of Jeff George and even though he is in his 40′s I still hold onto hope that he will resurrect his NFL career. Last season I wanted the AZ Cardinals to take a chance on Jeff George because their QB carousel had less talent the former first pick of the 1990 NFL Draft.  This season the Bears unfortunately find themselves in a similar quagmire as the aforementioned Cardinals during  their 2010 campaign: Both teams are QB challenged and George could be the savior of a floundering offense.

Yes, I realize that Jeff George will be 44 next month but he is a savvy veteran with something to prove and a recent workout film shows that he can still make all the throws.

But maybe I am delusional and my admiration is too strong because I have based my being a fan of the former University Illinois QB on his domination in Madden. In Madden franchise mode my offense is loosely based on the Oakland Raiders’ Vertical Stretch and with the vertical game you need a strong armed QB and Jeff George fulfilled that requirement. That and he was always cheap and great for the salary cap. So like Bo Jackson in Tecmo Bowl my view of Jeff George is somewhat askew because he dominated a video game.

But having Jeff George replace the injured Cutler would of course be quite ironic. Like I mentioned before, with the aid of David Fleming, Cutler has been compared to George on numerous occasions and these comparisons are in a negative manner.  I believe that both signal callers are extremely talented and blessed with skills that most of their peers lack. Unfortunately both QB’s are have stigmas that have tainted their respective careers and give them the persona that they are gifted malcontents that will never fulfill their prodigious wares.

But like I mentioned ad nauseum I am fan of both QBs and I believe that Jeff George is a viable replacement in the interim  for the Bears as they wait for Cutler’s triumphant return. Of course George resurrecting his career in Chicago is a pipe dream and I know that the Bears are calling in Caleb Hanie to fill in while Cutler heals.  Sadly George has a bad reputation to many pundits and coaches alike but one has to admire a guy who put together a video to showcase his talents, despite his age and lack of prior interest in NFL circles. Simply put I would like to see a team, preferably Chicago, take a chance on George. Yes, I realize that he was once thought of as a malcontent and that he was quoted as saying, “That leadership stuff is overrated.” But I think he has matured as a player and we need to put that sideline argument in 1996, with head coach June Jones, behind us. It’s been over a decade and unfortunately that is how George is perceived. As a fan of George I hope he gets one more shot, whether it’s with Chicago or even with a UFL franchise. It’s time to forgive George for past mistakes and realize that he wants to play. Now he just needs an opportunity from a squad that needs a QB, like my beloved Chicago Bears.

That leadership stuff is overrated. – Jeff George

I’m going to break down and buy Madden 11 for the PS3. I realize that Madden 12 will be out in August but I am cheap and behind the times so the soon to be antiquated version will suit my needs. Like I mentioned before, I am stuck in the past and during franchise mode I like to create classic players that are long retired and no longer in the game. Madden 2003 had classic players that could be put on rosters through Madden Cards. I blew up my salary cap to get Night Train Lane and he was worth every dime, even if he didn’t do the Night Train Neck Tie.

When I get the game I will immediately go to Franchise Mode, set up my roster properly, and then create some of my favorite players that are out of the league due to retirement or lack of talent. It is bit difficult to develop ratings for past greats without being hyperbolic. Because I have a Man Crush on certain players there is a tendency to make them better than they were (read: Jackson, Bo) but in the interest of maintaining correct rating factors in Madden 11 I am using track & field times and similar rating from other Madden players to develop my own rating scale for retired players.

· Bo Jackson: Speed 99 – Acceleration 99 – Strength 85 – Agility 90 *Jackson ran a 6.18 55-meters at Auburn, which is faster than Devin Hester’s best time while at The U

· Bob Hayes: Speed 99 – Acceleration 99 – Agility 99 – Catch 85 * Hayes set a world record in the 100-meters at the 1964 Olympics with a time of 10.06 seconds

· Deion Sanders: Speed 99 – Acceleration 99 – Agility 95 *Sanders ran a 6.33 60-meters at Florida State which is faster than current speed burner Jacoby Ford’s best time of 6.51

· Earl Campbell: Speed 90 – Acceleration 90 – Strength 90 – *There is no current running back like Campbell but I know he is quick for his size, 5’11” 232 lbs, so I made him a tougher, faster Cedric Benson with heart.

· Walter Payton: Speed 92 – Acceleration 94 – Strength 85 – Agility 95 – Catching 90 * In an effort to maintain full disclosure, Payton is my favorite player so his attributes maybe a bit spiked up.

· Jim Brown: Speed 94 – Acceleration 95 – Strength – 95 – Agility 95

· Rocket Ismail: Speed 99 – Acceleration 99 – Agility 97 *Rocket ran a 6.07 second 55-meters at Notre Dame which is faster than Bo Jackson and Darius Heyward-Bey

· Colt Brennan: Throwing Power 87 – Throwing Accuracy 82 – Awareness 56 *I found this rating somewhere online and it seemed accurate. Brennan doesn’t have a cannon arm. While at Hawaii he relied on accuracy. His lack of playing time explains the low Awareness rating.

· Jeff George: Throwing Power 97 – Throwing Accuracy 90 – Awareness 85 *Jeff George is a personal favorite and this may explain the high rating

Courtesy of RotoWorld.com:

One NFC executive describes Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett as being like “Jeff George as a passer, Jim Everett as a person.”The exec also called Mallett, “The best pure passer in the draft, hands down.”

If I was Ryan Mallett I would definitely take that as a compliment. The Jeff George comparison, not the Jim Everett one.

DPC Madden All Stars All Time Team (Offense)

• QB: Jeff George, Darrell Hackney, Byron Leftwich

• RB: Reggie Bush, Darren McFadden, Michael Bennett

• FB: LenDale White

• WR: Randy Moss, Matt Jones, Andre Johnson, Devin Hester, Drew Carter
• TE: Greg Olson, Tyrone Calico and David Boston (switched their position from WR to TE)
• Offensive Line: Larry Allen, Steve Hutchinson, Olin Kreutz, Orlando Pace, Joe Thomas
• KR: Devin Hester
• PR: Devin Hester

Due to retirements of Jeff George and Darrell Hackney my QB depth chart is a bit thin. In more modern pursuits, in Madden Franchise Mode, I have used JaMarcus Russell and Vince Young. Russell was to be the second coming of The Mad Bomber, Daryl Lamonica but he lost the plot. Young’s mobility helped my receivers run their routes to the fullest and helped attain the outer reaches of The Vertical Stretch

Matt Jones and Drew Carter are also gone. In their place I foresee Darrius Heyward-Bey, Jacoby Ford and Mike Williams, not the Tampa Bay version but the former USC standout, filling out my receiving corp.

As a GM I am an Al Davis knockoff and as a play caller I rely on the wisdom of Mike Martz. Because Madden is loosely based on reality my All Star squad would dominate the dojo in a digital world. In reality they would be the absolute inverse of The Greatest Show On Turf.

I took an IQ test this morning and scored a very pedestrian 117. According to Wiki.answers I am an above average kind of guy.

Even though I was technically a statistician, I crunched numbers for the University of Nevada athletic department website and updated the baseball stats while I was an intern, I am not always sold on the numbers from an NFL game. A QB may throw up big numbers because his team is perpetually playing from behind. Players can be kept in games to bolster their respective numbers. Pass haappy offensive coordinators can augment their offensive stats in lsoing causes.

The game has changed and evolved in such a manner that it easier to move the ball through the air then in prior generations. Rules favor the QB and the wide receiver to the point where any contact after 5-yards is punishable by a felony. No one would dare say that Jeff George is a better QB than Johnny Unitas, Terry Bradshaw or Otto Graham but based on the QB Rating he is.
· Jeff George 80.4
· Johnny Unitas 78.2
· Terry Bradshaw 70.9
· Otto Graham 78.2

How to Calculate a QB Rating:

1. Divide a quarterback’s completed passes by pass attempts.
2. Subtract 0.3.
3. Divide by 0.2 and record the total. The sum cannot be greater than 2.375 or less than zero.
4. Divide passing yards by pass attempts.
5. Subtract 3.
6. Divide by 4 and record the total. The sum cannot be greater than 2.375 or less than zero.
7. Divide touchdown passes by pass attempts.
8. Divide by 0.05 and record the total. The sum cannot be greater than 2.375 or less than zero.
9. Divide interceptions by pass attempts.
10. Subtract that number from 0.095.
11. Divide that product by 0.04 and record the total. The sum cannot be greater than 2.375 or less than zero.
12. Add the four totals you recorded.
13. Multiply that total by 100.
14. Divide by 6.
    The final number is your quarterback rating.

It take 14-steps to realize that the formula to tabulate a QB Rating is convulauted and misguided. I understand that its creator was trying to demonstrate a means to determine the best QB but what he got is an equation that favors a pass happy era (read: Now!). Life In The DPC is a Jeff George fan but it is also realistic and realizes that while George is great in our realm he is not greater than Unitas, Graham or Bradshaw. Those men transcend mathematical equations and hollow calculations. They’re champions and did whatever it took to win, even if that meant forgoing the passing game.

Simply put the Arizona Cardinals have quarterback issues. Derek Anderson, signed away from the Cleveland Browns in the off-season to be the heir apparent of Kurt Warner, is having a less than stellar showing with more interceptions (8) than touchdowns (6) and a 68.1 QB rating. His QB rating has him ranked 32nd out of 34 passers that qualify for the rating. He beat out the Carolina Panthers dynamic duo of Jimmy Clausen and Matt Moore.

Max Hall was a good story. An undrafted free agent from BYU with a ton of moxie and self confidence. Unfortunately his performance hasn’t matched his machismo. In limited action Hall has five-interceptions, one-touchdown pass and an overall QB Rating of 41.0. He is a great story but he hasn’t produced.

The Cardinals are 3-6 and in a free fall after losing their last four-games. In the wide open NFC West they are still contenders despite the poor showing. As of this writing they are two-games behind the division leading Seattle Seahawks. There is still time to make a run towards a third-straight division title but the Cardinals need help at the helm of the sputtering ship and they have a pair ideological strategies that they can work with: Find a young QB in the free agent pool or find a veteran signal call to man the ship.

For young, unsigned talent I recommend former University of Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan. Brennan was a training camp casualty of the Oakland Raiders and is readily available to plug into the Cardinals once high-powered offense. At Hawaii Brennan ran the Run and Shoot under the tutelage of Coach June Jones and set 30-NCAA passing records and unlike Anderson he is accurate.

Accuracy, Jones said, “is God-given. You can improve a quarterback’s technique, his fundamentals, all that kind of stuff. but when you get under pressure, you revert … to kind of what comes naturally to you as a quarterback and either you can hit the guy or you can’t. He is a very, very gifted player.”

Brennan was originally drafted by Washington but relegated to the lower reaches of the depth chart. He was dominate in one preseason showdown but never took a regular season snap. He was subsequently released after the 2009 season. The talent is there but he has never had the opportunity to shine in the NFL. If he was to be picked up by the Cardinals he would be a viable option to start in Arizona.

“He’s (Brennan) a combination of all of them(Jim Kelly, Jeff George and Warren Moon) and he might be the best,” said former Warriors coach June Jones. “He has tremendous competitiveness once the game starts and his accuracy … only Moon and George are in that category. I’ve never seen a guy put the ball on the money consistently as he does.”

If the Cardinals are apprehensive about going with another unproven commodity at quarterback then there is always Jeff George. George has been unemployed by the NFL since 2004, when he was a Chicago Bear backup that never took a snap. It is safe to say that George’s cannon arm is well rested since he hasn’t thrown a pass in a regular season contest since 2001.

Earlier this season George made it known that he was a viable option for the Minnesota Vikings if they were unable to sign Brett Favre.

“There has to be a fallback (if Favre didn’t comeback with the Vikings) plan,” George said. “And I’m your guy…I’m not saying I’m a savior. I’m just saying I can still do what I need to do.”

As proven by this training tape George is staying in game shape for a possible return to the NFL. Throughout the forthcoming YouTube clip he displays the cannon arm that he is known for and it looks like he has a few throws left in him.

Both quarterbacks are viable and cheap options for the struggling Arizona Cardinals. In one player you have the bountiful youth and limitless possibilities from a NCAA record setting, Heisman finalist. If you need a veteran then George can b brought aboard and plugged into an offense that he is likely familiar with because of his 14-seasons of NFL experience.

It does seem far fetched that either gunslinger will be brought to Arizona but the season is dwindling away and there is no time like the present to shore up the toughest position in football. Either quarterback would give the Cardinals a better chance to succeed in the putrid NFC West, where eight-wins may take the the division title.

On my old website, DavidPatrickCastro.com, I had a post that described my offensive theories and personnel decisions in Madden football. In many ways I ran my team like Al Davis, with speed and big armed quarterbacks dominating my roster. As a results of running my teams like Mr. Davis I became enamored with many players that were either reclamation projects or ran the 40 in 4.3 seconds or less. With each subsequent chapter of Madden I would have the same players filling out my rosters and as a result the DPC All Stars was born.

Sadly though many of my favorite players, known as DPC All Stars, have had less than stellar careers or ran into trouble with the law and find themselves on the outs with the NFL. I have never had an eye for NFL talent. This is painfully obvious when one realizes that I thought David Klingler would dominate the NFL after his transcendent career at the University of Houston.

But Madden is a different reality. Digital Reggie Bush is unstoppable but in reality he has had a very pedestrian career with the Saints. Ted Ginn Jr. has already been dumped by the Dolphins but his Madden doppelganger can not be covered.

The original DPC All Stars are scattered far and wide. Some are still in the NFL while others are on the outside looking in to a world they were supposed to dominate.

Matt Jones: The 6′ 6″ wide receiver with 4.37 speed ran afoul with the Jacksonville Jaguars and was recently cut by the Cincinnati Bengals.

Drew Carter: In four-years in the NFL the perpetually injured wide receiver totaled 71-receptions and 977-receiving yards. Currently retired.

Jeff George: The original DPC All Star and my prototype QB. I am still waiting for his triumphant return to the NFL.

JaMarcus Russell: My new Jeff George and currently unemployed after his debacle in Oakland.

Byron Leftwich: In my perpetual search for the next Jeff George I came across the cannon-armed Marshall University Buffalo. The Bears had a chance to draft Leftwich but traded down and grabbed Rex Grossman. That was seven-years ago and I am still bitter.

Darrell Hackney: Like a shorter version of JaMarcus Russell, without the Purple Drank.

David Boston: This will be the second consecutive entry on Life In The DPC that mentions David Boston. The former Arizona Cardinals wide receiver hasn’t had a reception since 2005 but makes headlines at this blog.

Michael Bennett: Fulfilling all stereotypes the Oakland Raiders have retained the services of the speedy running back.

Pacman Jones: Pacman was left out of Madden 2009 due to being suspended by the NFL. I created a version of him that was likely more talented than the original. Great cover DB and stellar return man.

Mike Williams and Tyrone Calico: A pair of large wide receivers that were busts in reality but I converted them to tight ends in Madden and had them reach their true potential.

Matt Leinart: Because I emulate Mr. Davis I run the Vertical Stretch and as a result I always have QB’s with at least 95 in throwing power. In Madden 11 Leinart has an 86 in throwing power and is ill equipped to replace Daryl Lamonica as the Mad Bomber. But alas Leinart garners DPC All Star status by being crafty. Also, his less than stellar throwing power can be augmented by off season training challenges.

Former 1st Pick of the NFL Draft and longtime idol to this scribe, Jeff George, announced on a KFAN radio interview that he could be the solution for the Minnesota Vikings if Brett Favre stays retired.

“There has to be a fallback plan,” George said. “And I’m your guy.”

The number one overall pick of the 1990 NFL Draft has not taken a snap since 2001 when he was at the helm for the Washington Redskins for two games. In my mind the NFL should make room for George. Yes, he was arrogant jerk in his younger days, in particular we are all reminded of his heated exchange with former Falcons head coach June Jones during his time in Atlanta. But George has mellowed with age and the man can still throw, as proven by the workout video at the end of this post, and deserves one last opportunity to drop bombs. No, he won’t be the savior for the Vikings because Favre’s retirement won’t last but he could be a better option coming off the bench than Sage Rosenfels.

“I’m not saying I’m a savior,” George said. “I’m just saying I can still do what I need to do.”