Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady: The Big Picture



       The rivalry between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, has already been established in National Football League history as one of the greatest ever between two quarterbacks. Since the first meeting between the two September 30, 2001, the duo has played against each other fourteen times including the playoffs, with Sunday, January 19, 2014, being the fifteenth time.

        When the two have played each other it has been relatively a wash from a statistical stand point, Manning has thrown for more touchdowns 29, versus 26 for Brady, Manning has thrown more interceptions, 20 while Brady has thrown 12. Completion percentage is 67 percent for Brady and 61.8 percent for Manning. Brady holds the edge in the statistic that matters the most with 10 wins compared to 4, for Manning.

       When referring specially to the Manning versus Brady head to head rivalry there is a legitimate argument as to who has been the better starting quarterback between the two. All too many times the question is brought up in regards to who has had the better career and that isn't a contest, Manning virtually owns every single season QB record there is. In 2004 Peyton Manning broke the NFL record for passing touchdowns in a single season with 49, three years later Tom Brady broke Manning's record, throwing for 50 touchdowns during the 2007 season, fast forward to the 2013 NFL season when Manning at age 37 reclaimed his record throwing for 55 touchdowns. Food for thought: When Brady broke Manning's record during the 2007 season he threw 81 more passes and passed for 249 more yards than Manning had during the 2004 season, but Manning had a higher passer rating at 121.1 in 2004 compared to 117.2 for Brady in 2007.

      Manning and Brady have both missed entire seasons for all intents and purposes. Manning missed the entire 2011 season due to neck surgery, the Indianapolis Colts had a 2-14 record which consequently led to the firing of head coach Jim Cadwell, who the previous season reached the Super Bowl in his first season as the Colts head coach. Tom Brady missed the entire 2008 season aside from the first quarter of the first game of the year, in addition to Brady the Patriots lost Rodney Harrison, Adalius Thomas and Laurence Maroney to injury, all of whom were key contributors to that team. With Matt Cassel starting quarterback, the Patriots finished the 2008 season with a 11-5 record. The Colts were doomed without Manning while the Patriots carried on with business as usual with Cassel at the helm.

      Peyton Manning will attempt to etch his name in the record books once again with a win versus Brady and the Patriots, attempting to becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to reach the Super Bowl with two different franchises and three different head coaches. With all due respect to Tony Dungy, Jim Cadwell and John Fox, none of them are probably on the same level as future hall of fame coach Bill Belichick.

      Manning had the fortune to play with all-pros such as Robert Mathis, Dwight Freeney and former NFL Defensive Player of Year Bob Sanders, whenever Sanders was healthy. The Indianapolis Colts defenses that Manning played with for 14 seasons were rarely filled with an abundance of dominate playmakers and game changers. Some of the defensive players from the Belichick-Brady era, include Asante Samuel, Lawyer Milloy, Willie McGinest, Richard Seymour, Mike Vrable, Vince Wilfork, Rodney Harrison, Ty Law and Teddy Bruschi just to name a few. Brady has had the advantage of having more "complete" teams throughout his career. Food for thought: During the 2001 playoffs which ended with the Patriots winning the first of their three Super Bowl titles, Tom Brady threw one TD pass in three playoff games.

      Tom Brady is an amazing quarterback and one of the best players the game of football has ever seen, his composure in the pocket, the way he handles the media, the kind of leader he is, the fact that he has been coachable throughout his career and his willingness to adjust his game to whatever his teams needs are only some of the things that make him a future NFL Hall of Famer. When comparing Manning and Brady you have to look at the big picture, this rivalry isn't just Manning vs. Brady, it is Peyton Manning vs. The New England Patriots.

Lawren Hightower can be reached at

hightower611@gmail.com

 

Grading the Top Receiver Prospects in the 2014 NFL Draft

Grading the Top Receiver Prospects in the 2014 NFL Draft

     When initially looking at the receivers entering the 2014 NFL draft there is no shortage of potential among them. However there is a Big 3 that sets themselves apart from the rest.
     Sammy Watkins, the Clemson University Junior who is forgoing his senior year of eligibility to test the waters of the NFL. The sure handed Watkins looks like the most NFL ready receiver in this years draft class, Watkins has good size at 6'1 205, attacks the ball at its highest point, and runs a 4.47 in the 40 yard dash. Watkins had his best season in 2013 with 101 receptions for 1,464 and 12 touchdowns. In the last game of his NCAA career Watkins caught 16 passes for 221 yards and 2 touchdowns.
      Mike Evans, Texas A&M University. At 6'5 225, Evans is one of the biggest receivers in this years draft. The redshirt sophomore Evans has chose to forgo his Junior and Senior seasons at A&M after compiling 151 receptions, 2,499 yards and 17 touchdowns in two seasons. Evans has a basketball background which assist in his ability to out jump defenders to make spectacular catches, although being 6'5 doesn't hurt either, and the ability to stretch the field vertically running a 4.5 40 yard dash. Evans stepped up to play his most productive games against the best competition this season accumulating 18 catches for 566 yards and 5 touchdowns combined against Auburn and Alabama. Evans has also received praise for being a good blocker from his receiver position during his two years at A&M.
       Marqise Lee, junior from the University of Southern California is 6'0 195. As a sophomore in 2012, Lee took the nation by storm accumulating 118 catches, 1,721 and 14 touchdowns playing alongside future NFL player Robert Woods. As a junior in 2013 Lee saw his numbers decline in a season marred by injuries, a mid season coaching change and rotating quarterbacks to began the season. With the speed Lee possesses, 4.37 40 yard dash, he has potential game breaker ability at the NFL level. Lee has the ability to go up and catch the ball over the defender, but his biggest asset is the ability to score whenever he touches the ball. A natural athlete Lee is a former NCAA long jump champion.
       When grading these receivers there isn't much that separates them from one another. Evans is the big receiver who will be a mismatch for NFL defensive backs because of his size. Watkins is the most complete receiver of the bunch, he has the ability to come in right away and contribute to an NFL team in need of a play maker at wide receiver. Lee will keep the defense on its toes whenever he is on the field, he has two career receptions of 80 yards or longer, a testimony to his big play ability.
     With teams at the top of the draft such as the St. Louis Rams, Detroit Lions, Oakland Raiders, Buffalo Bills, Minnesota Vikings, Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets needing receivers, I don't see any of these players making it out of the first round without hearing their names called.

Faculty meeting Friday April19, 2013

As the meeting started President Kopp sat at a table with a full glass of water in front of him, Kopp was calmly but frequently sipping from his glass. We are in this together is a phrase President Kopp repeated more than once during the faculty meeting Friday at the Newman Center on the Marshall University campus. The Marshall University president wanted everyone to know that he was willing to try his hardest to make right of a situation that many have said he put himself and the university in.

 President Kopp was allowed ten minutes to speak as the meeting began and one of the first statements he made was “we need to come together and decide how we are going to manage our affairs.” This statement stood out since their will be a vote of ‘no confidence’ no later than May 1 and if 70 percent of faculty vote ‘no confidence’ Kopp will no longer be the president of the University. President Kopp didn’t look like a man who was close to losing his job, he took his time with his answers and didn’t panic.

The meeting lasted for 3 hours with faculty members asking questions to president Kopp up until the very end of the meeting. Faculty members showed no fear of Kopp and didn’t back down when asking him questions. Whether or not president Kopp will be voted out or remain Marshall University president remains to be seen, but both sides had their chance to voice their opinions and state facts with neither side willing to budge or give up ground.

It was 1:56pm as the meeting concluded, president Kopp sat with the same glass that was once full of water in front of him except now the glass was empty. Kopp had an opportunity to refill his glass from a nearby water bottle but instead he drank until it was empty, never once attempting to replenish what he had used.

Reaction to the 2013 State of The Union

The State of The Union 2013, the fourth given by President Barack Obama informed citizens of the agenda and methods to be used by the President during his second term. My predictions of what topics President Barack Obama would address the State of The Union was somewhat accurate.

The President began the night giving a summary of what topics were to be covered in his speech. President Obama briefly spoke about bringing troops home, an improving economy and job creation.

President Obamas first topic of the night was about the government working for the people. Obama said a smarter government and not a bigger government is what the people need

President Obama said “The American people don’t expect the government to solve every issue. They don’t expect those of us in this chamber to agree on every issue but they do expect us to put the nation’s interest before party.”

President Obama then turned his focus to the economy and reducing the deficit. I predicted the president to talk about the economy, one of the most important topics concerning the country. Tax cuts were talked about as I predicted they would be discussed. President Obama offered solutions and plans to reduce spending as well as ways to help progress the nation. Obama said nothing he would propose tonight as solutions would increase the deficit by a single dime.

Health care was a topic I did not predict President Obama would address.

President Obama said “We must accept the need of modest reform.”

Health care is still a big issue in our country, President Obama early on in his speech addressed a need for the wealthiest of Americans along with the middle class to work together to support the nation. Reforms from either party were given as alternate solutions as long as they didn’t violate the guarantee of a secure retirement.

President Obama talked about job creation, a topic I predicted he would discuss. Apple making products in the United States and companies investing in broad based growth were ways Obama discussed that things would be different.

President Obama discussed climate change and events that have occurred around the world and told congress that these events probably were not a coincidence. Climate change was a topic that piggy backed into a discussion about a clean energy movement and how us as a nation, should take advantage of the opportunities presented by the use of clean energy. I predicted Obama would speak about clean energy since it has been one of those most talked about issues since the presidential debates.

President Obama said “America’s energy sector is just one part of an aging infrastructure badly in need of repair.”

President Obama touched on a lot of topics during the inauguration some of which I predicted correctly and some I did not touch on. One thing I believe remains consistent about Obama throughout his presidency is a willingness to work and compromise. Change was the slogan of Obama’s campaign 4 years ago and change along with compromise on behalf of both parties is the only way for the nation to succeed.

 

 

 

Preview of The 2013 State of the Union

The state of the union is a speech given annually by the President to inform citizens about the agenda to be set forth by his cabinet.  President Barack Obama will give his fourth State of the Union (SOTU) address Tuesday, Feb 12. The speech will take place at the House Chamber to a joint session of the 113th Congress.

During the SOTU, President Obama will lay out the plan of his office for the upcoming fiscal year. Obama hinted at what topics he might address at the Presidential Inauguration. A big issue will be gun control, expect the President to reiterate the policies he recently supported such as improving background checks for those attempting to obtain a gun and a ban on military-style assault weapons.

 Job creation has been a big topic of debate since Obama took office, expect the President to discuss his plan for creating more jobs and lowering the unemployment rate.  During the inauguration and Presidential debates, Obama discussed having a better infrastructure in regards to creating more jobs, expect a plan on how this will be accomplished. The President spoke about how important schools and teachers were to the nation and how this would help with the creation of jobs not only in the immediate future but also years down the road.

“We can’t have an energy strategy for the last century that traps us in the past. We need an energy strategy for the future – an all-of-the-above strategy for the 21st century that develops every source of American-made energy.” - President Barack Obama, March 15, 2012

Piggy backing off of the creation of jobs, the President Obama will reiterate his policies on clean energy and explain how his stance will help to create jobs within filed of work. Obama supports clean energy and has said before it would help stimulate the economy and help job growth.

 Tax cuts is still a big issue and among the people. Obama wants to make sure he continues to protect the middle class, President Obama will touch on the fiscal cliff bill set in motion that has already saved middle class families from potential tax hikes.

The economy remains a big issue within our country , Obama said  "the state of our economy is a concern that rises above all others," the State of the Union will take place two weeks before congress is set to meet and discuss the next set of economic deadlines.  Obama will lay out a plan of how the country will move forward in regards to improving the economy. Addressing the debt ceiling and cutting the spending budget will be hot topics for President Obama as well.

"It will reflect our shared interests in the following areas: advancing a comprehensive nuclear agenda to strengthen the nonproliferation regime, reduce global stockpiles and secure nuclear materials," Vice President Joe Biden said, when asked about the State of the Union.

With a period of war ending the President Obama will explain ways the U.S. will improve on its relationship with other countries around the world. Obama said that ending a decade of war and the amount of nuclear weapons around the world will make this a safer planet for everyone.

Predictions about the Feburary 2013 State of the Union

To: Editor

From: Lawren Hightower

Date: 1-28-13

Subject: Predictions about what President Barak Obama will say in the state of the union address February 12, 2013

Scope: Compare and contrast previous state of the unions by President Obama and other presidents and discuss which ways I believe that President Obama will handle the state of the union speech that will be given on February 12, 2013.

Need: It is a significant event because it will be the first state of the union for President Obama during his second term as President of the United State of America and just his fourth overall as the president.

Methods/Sources: I will watch and record the State of the Union on CNN, after I watch it once I will watch it again to gauge crowd reactions and get a better understanding. I will use the databases provided at CNN.com and ABC news.com to provide additional analysis. I expect the president to address the financial state of the nation early on and throughout the speech. The state of the union will be just 2 weeks before congress is set to address the next set of economic deadlines. The financial state of our country has been a touchy issue since the president initially took office four years ago, so addressing the issue and providing the people with a plan as to how we will forward in the handling of this crisis will be important. Expect the president to address equal rights, one of president Obamas strongest qualities since being elected president is tackling these tough issues regarding same sex marriages and equal women’s rights, by addressing these issues the president will make sure to keep some of his biggest supporters happy. President Obama will no doubt defend his position and continue to defend his decisions to tax the wealthy more than the middle class, a decision that isn’t the most popular among the people.

Presentation: An op-ed column of about 800 words discussing the event. Sources will be sited. First paragraph would be about the topics he touched upon and in which order. The second paragraph will be if these are the issues that the president was expected to touch upon. The third paragraph will be about reactions and what the plan for the country is moving forward.

Follow up: A follow up could be if the President has followed through on his word, whether or not there has been circumstances that may have occurred that has altered the original plan of the president. Comparing and contrasting the Presidents first term through the first couple months to the Presidents first couple of months of his second term.

MLK shares his day with Barack Obama.

Martin Luther King Jr was the face of the civil rights movement, his energy and devotion for everyone in this nation to have equal rights was matched by very few. MLK day 2013 showed how much this country has come since the days of protesting and boycotting throughout the 1960's. Our 44th president of the United States of America, Barack Hussein Obama was inaugurated in Washington D.C. the same Washington D.C. that King gave his famous "I have a dream" speech in the summer of 1963.


Obama and King both share similar qualities, King fought for the rights of African Americans while Obama fights for the rights of women, and same sex couples. King and Obama have both won the Nobel peace prize. Obama and King both have "the gift of gab" which in layman's terms is an outstanding the ability to speak, both have used this gift to educate, convince and lead. King and Obama had to overcome odds, King dealt segregation and racism in the 60's while Obama defied odds to become the first President in U.S. history of African American decent, both men overcame these odds to sit in the positions of power that they each have respectively held.


CNN reported that a more than a million people attended the inauguration despite the fidget temperatures. The reported attendance for the 2009 presidential inauguration was a estimated 1.8 million people.Every elected president in United States history has an presidential inauguration, the first taking place on the balcony of Federal Hall in New York City, New York.  http://dc.about.com/od/specialevents/a/Inauguration.htm?r=twitter

We are watching history," Anderson Cooper, CNN correspondent said.

Respect is not earned its given, Obama and King used their talents and abilities to earn the respect of many people while helping to shape to our country. This is not a matter of opinion, its a fact that both men's legacy will forever be entrenched in the history books of our nation. Could it be that Obama is the face of a modern day civil rights movement with his support of equal rights for women and same sex marriages, the same position that King held during the civil rights movements of the 60's.

"King and Obama shared an important trait that allowed them to flourish: Both knew how to reach out and become acceptable to key elements of the white community so they could build multiracial coalitions to effect change. They also had to appeal to black constituencies while not offending whites," said  William Douglas and David Lightman:

MLK and Obama: a day of similarities | Nation | News from Fort Worth, Dallas, Arlington,...

The bible used at the inauguration to swear in President Obama is one that was once used by King, as well as one used by former President Abraham Lincoln. Who knows, one day maybe we will be celebrating BHO day, that's short for Barack Hussein Obama day.

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/01/20/4561812/mlk-and-obama-a-day-of-similarities.html#storylink=cpy