Is McNabb even worth a second rounder?

Here is a look at notable QBs who have been traded and the compensation received for them.  All of these trades occurred when the quarterback was already an established NFL player; thus, trades such as Elway to DEN, Favre to GB, Young to SF, and Manning/Rivers are not included.

First up is a comparison of QBs who were closest in age to McNabb (33) when they were traded:

 

Here are other notable QBs who were traded and the compensation received for them:

2009 NFL All-Rookie Team (Offense)

• Quarterback: Matt Stafford, DET

Even though Stafford only played 10 games for a 2-win team and Mark Sanchez has started every game except one for a potentially playoff bound team, Stafford gets the edge because he was asked to do more for his team than Sanchez was. The Jets have more talent at every position than the Lions do but can you recall any games this year that Sanchez won himself? I can’t but Stafford had his hand in both of the Lions wins: the victory over the Redskins that ended Detroit’s 19 game losing streak and the historic win over the Browns in which Stafford gutted out a serious shoulder injury. That Browns game is what people will most remember about Stafford’s rookie season whereas this video is what we will most remember about Sanzhez’s rookie season.

This why Darren Sharper is still unsigned

To say that the Saints got Darren Sharper at a bargain in 2009 would be an understatement.  Sharper was the 36th highest paid safety last season at about $1.7 million.  He made less than such guys as Sean Considine (JAX) and Will Allen (TB), two guys who didn't even start for their teams.  With Sharper getting 9 INTs and garnering an All-Pro selection, it's clear that he outplayed his contract that he signed with New Orleans.  So why is he still not signed as of March 23?  The charts below may provide some insight:

 

Interesting Stats from 3/19/10 NBA Games

• Amare Stoudemire scored 44 points on just 16 FGAs in the Suns win over the Jazz.  Since 1986, that is the second most points a player has scored in a game in which he had 16 or fewer FGAs.  Gilbert Arenas had 46 in a game in 2006 on 16 FGAs.
• LeBron James passed the 15,000 point plateau in route to scoring 29 in the Cavs' win over the Bulls.  James broke Kobe Bryant's records for being the youngest and quickest to 15,000 points.  He reached the mark at 25 while Bryant was 27 and James accomplished the feat in 117 fewer games.
• The Spurs scored 147 points against the Warriors which is the most they've scored in the Tim Duncan-era.  You would have to go back to a 1990 game vs. Denver to find the last time they scored more (161).
• Speaking of Duncan, two days after having the worst shooting game of his career vs. Orlando (1 for 10), Duncan had the best shooting game of his career vs. the Warriors by going 8 for 8 from the field.
• Corey Maggette scored 30 points against San Antonio on only 14 field goal attempts.  It's the fourth time this season he's gone for at least 30 on 14 or fewer FGAs.  Dwight Howard has done it twice but no other player in the league has done it more than once.
• Tracy McGrady went 0-7 in the Knicks win over the 76ers to give him the worst shooting game of his career.  McGrady went scoreless in 29 minutes of action which is also the most minutes he's played in a game without scoring.
• Marcus Camby pulled down 19 rebounds in the Trail Blazers win over the Wizards, but he scored just 2 points.  Since 2000 this is just the sixth time a player has had at least 19 rebounds but 2 or fewer points in a game.  Camby's now done it twice, Ben Wallace did it three times and Reggie Evans did it once.

Age Study: NFL Wide Receivers

Note: If a player's birthday occurred during the season, then that entire season would be counted under the age in which he turned.  Ex: Reggie Wayne turned 31 mid-season in November 2009 so his entire 2009 season is classified at the age of 31.

Interesting Stats from 3/12/10 NBA Games

• Chauncey Billups hit 2 three-pointers in the Nuggets win over the Hornets to give him 1560 for his career.  That moves him ahead of Glen Rice and into 6th place all time in three pointers made.
• Starting in place of Rodney Stuckey, Will Bynum recorded 20 assists in the Pistons win over the Wizards.  But Bynum scored just 5 points which is the second fewest a player has scored in a game in which they had at least 20 assists.  Steve Nash had 21 assists and 4 points in a game in 2007.
• Kevin Durant scored 32 points against the Nets and now has scored at least 25 points in 57 games this season.  To put that into perspective, the most times Kobe Bryant has scored at least 25 points in a season was back in 05-06 (68 times).  But apart from that season, Bryant has never scored at least 25 points as many times as Durant has already done this season.
• It's hard to win a game whenever you get outrebounded by 13, but it's even harder to win a game whenever just 4 players on the opposing team outrebound your entire team.  That was the case in New Orleans as the Hornets grabbed just 36 rebounds while Nene, Johan Petro, Carmelo, and Chris Anderson combined for 41 boards.
• Chalk this up to rust after missing 2 games: LeBron James went 3-10 on 3PAs and 6-12 on FTAs in the Cavs win over Philadelphia.  It was his lowest 3P% in a game with at least 10 3PAs and just the fourth time he's shot 50% or lower in FTs in a game with at least 12 FTAs.
• After committing 7 turnovers on March 5 and then 9 turnovers on March 12, Russell Westbrook now has more 7+ turnover games in the past 8 days than Muggsy Bogues had in 889 career games (1).
• You would think that simply playing with Steve Nash would help you become a better passer but apparently that's not the case for Robin Lopez.  Lopez has now played 852 minutes this season and only has 5 assists.  However, that's still 5 more assists than Portland's Jeff Pendergraph who has yet to record an assist in 360 minutes.

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Age Study: MLB Stolen Bases

The two biggest percentage drop-offs come at ages 33 and 36. At 33, there are 54% fewer occurrences of 30+ stolen bases seasons than at 32. At 36, there are 47% fewer occurrences of 30+ stolen bases than at 35. No other year-to-year drop-off has a percentage of over 40%. Why is there such a drop-off at these ages? I’ll leave that question to the mathematicians and instead, I will profile players who will be these ages in 2010 and point out their significant stats from ’09 that should help extrapolate their results for 2010. Let’s start with the old guys:

• Derek Jeter (turns 36 in June; 30 SB in 2009) How much of a difference did hitting first in the Yankees’ lineup affect Jeter’s stolen base opportunities? Jeter had 418 stolen base opportunities in 2009 after having 288 opportunities in 2008 when he hit second. That is a huge difference (just ask Johnny Damon) and let Jeter nearly triple his total of SB from 2008 (11). Those opportunities will still be there in 2010, but there is one stat that leads me to believe that Jeter’s legs won’t be as productive as last year and that is extra bases taken percentage (XBT%). Jeter’s career XBT% is 47% and the 2009 league average was 39%; but Jeter’s 2009 XBT% came in at just 38% which is the second lowest mark in his 14 year career. Need further proof that Jeter’s legs are not what they once were even with the 30 SB in 2009? In 2009 Jeter’s rate of grounding into a double play (GIDP %) was 17% which was 6% higher than the league average and the second highest percentage of his career. Prediction: 18-20 SB (hitting 1st), 14-17 SB (hitting 2nd).