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Free agent frenzy starts in the NFL on March 13th, which is a welcome sight since last year we had to sit out a lockout and didn’t have free agency until August.

Today we start our position by position breakdown of free agents, and thanks to the good folks at Pro Football Weekly, they have a list of free agents by position, and today we start with the quarterback spot.

The number next to the players name represents the number of years they have been in the league.

Derek Anderson, Carolina 7
Richard Bartel, Arizona 2
Charlie Batch, Pittsburgh 14
Kyle Boller, Oakland 9
Tom Brandstater, St. Louis 2
Drew Brees, New Orleans 11
Mark Brunell, New York Jets 19
Jason Campbell, Oakland 7
David Carr, New York Giants 10
Kellen Clemens, St. Louis 6
Kerry Collins, Indianapolis 17 (retired)
Chase Daniel, New Orleans 3
Jake Delhomme, Houston 12
Dennis Dixon, Pittsburgh 4
A.J. Feeley, St. Louis 11
Matt Flynn, Green Bay 4
Jeff Garcia, Houston 10
Chris Greisen, Dallas 3
Rex Grossman, Washington 9
Max Hall, Arizona 2
Caleb Hanie, Chicago 4
Chad Henne, Miami 4
Shaun Hill, Detroit 10
Brian Hoyer, New England 3
Josh Johnson, Tampa Bay 4
Jon Kitna, Dallas 15 (retired)
Byron Leftwich, Pittsburgh 9
J.P. Losman, Miami 7
Josh McCown, Chicago 9
Luke McCown, Jacksonville 8
Kevin O’Connell, New York Jets 4
Dan Orlovsky, Indianapolis 7
Kyle Orton, Kansas City 7
Tyler Palko, Kansas City 2
Brady Quinn, Denver 5
Chris Redman, Atlanta 9
Sage Rosenfels, Minnesota 11
Alex Smith, San Francisco 7
Drew Stanton, Detroit 5
Charlie Whitehurst, Seattle 6
Vince Young, Philadelphia 6

Top Five QB Free Agents:

1. Drew Brees
2. Matt Flynn
3. Alex Smith
4. Kyle Orton
5. Chad Henne

Top Five QB Free Agent Question Marks:

1. Matt Flynn
2. Vince Young
3. Charlie Whitehurst
4. Caleb Hanie
5. Richard Bartel

Oldies but Goodies – QB’s that will get Jobs by Name Only:

1. Luke McCown
2. David Carr
3. Rex Grossman
4. A.J. Feeley
5. Jason Campbell

Breakdown – Not a bad class, but almost all focus will turn to Flynn after Brees gets his mega deal done with the Saints. There’s a lot of names on the list that make you scratch your head, like Young, Whitehurst, and even Hanie, who has shown some promise over the last year plus.

Flynn’s suitors appear to be the Dolphins, Redskins, and even the Browns have been mentioned. Look for him to get a huge deal, much like Scott Mitchell did from the Lions years ago. Whitehurst is another interesting name to look out for, as he never really panned out with the Seahawks.

I would expect Vince Young to get a deal, but likely as a backup, and he could wind up back in Philly as Michael Vicks’ backup.

Going to be an interesting class to watch.

NFL Gridiron Gab

In just reading the comments from Steelers franchise QB Ben Roethlisberger, it sounds like he’s not all that happy with the teams dismissal of his friend and offensive coordinator Bruce Arians.

Roethlisberger wants answers, and says he will look for and try to talk to team president Art Rooney II when he returns to Pittsburgh. Big Ben is currently in Hawaii getting ready for the Pro Bowl on Sunday.

“When I get back I’m going to go up to Mr. Rooney’s office and ask him what he wants from me, what he wants from this offense, because I think that’s a viable question for him,” Roethlisberger said Thursday in an exclusive interview with the Tribune-Review following a light Pro Bowl practice. “He’s our owner and our boss, so I really would like to know kind of what he wants and where he sees our offense going because I’d like to tell him where I see us going.”

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NFL Gridiron Gab

AFC DIVISIONAL ROUND: Houston Texans (11-6) @ Baltimore Ravens (12-4)

Sunday, January 15th, 1:00pm

Preview: Houston won their first playoff game in franchise history last Saturday, beating Cincinnati 31-10 with the help of RB Arian Foster who rushed for 153 yards and 2 touchdowns. The formula for the Texans has been to play tough defense (ranked 2nd overall) and on offense they dominate with the rushing attack in RB Arian Foster and Ben Tate.  Houston ranks 2nd in rushing yards (153.0 yards per game). The Texans suffered a myriad of injuries at the quarterback position. Now starting is rookie back-up T.J. Yates, who has been effective and is 3-3 as a starter. In week six in Baltimore, the Ravens faced Houston and won 29 -14.

CHALK-IT UP:

RB Arian Foster vs. Ravens D:  Key to the game for the Ravens defense is stop Arian Foster. In the regular season RB Arian Foster totaled 1224 yards, 4.4 rush average, and 10 TD’s. Foster is also an excellent receiver coming out of the backfield.  The Ravens defense finished the season ranked 2nd versus the run (92.6).

WR Andre Johnson vs. CB Ladarius Webb/FS Ed Reed:  Make no mistake the Texans will take their shots deep. Johnson has the size, speed and strength to beat coverage. Expect a lot of attention paid to the Texans deep threat.  Ed Reed has been playing with a compromised shoulder, still even limited, it will be risky go over the top with the ‘Ball-Hawk’ lurking. Last week in Houston QB Yates connected to Johnson 5 times for 90 yards and 1 TD.

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NFL Gridiron Gab

Online betting players have been treated to a thrilling World Series so far, complete with pitching duels, historic offensive performances and sloppy bullpen work. It’s going to come down to a seventh game, so MLB wagering fans should strap in for an exciting week of baseball as the season comes to a close in St. Louis with a Cardinals’ victory.

Game 5 – Monday, October 24th, 8:05 PM ET – The Ballpark, Arlington, TX

Chris Carpenter (3-0, 3.52) didn’t have his best stuff in Game 1’s 3-2 win at home, but he managed to get by, giving up a pair of runs on five hits over six innings of work. C.J. Wilson (0-3, 7.17) had trouble with his command, walking six and striking out four, but he only allowed three runs on four hits. It’s been an inconsistent postseason for the 30-year-old Wilson, and this is his first appearance at home since Game 1 of the ALCS against Detroit. You have to remember that this is only his second year as a starter and Wilson threw 223.1 innings in the regular season, along with 21.1 innings in the postseason, so fatigue is definitely a factor.

Carpenter is built for this and even when he doesn’t have his best stuff, he does enough to keep the Cardinals in the game, and even though he has a 6.99 ERA in five starts at the Ballpark, he has a 2-2 record. You also should count on the St. Louis bats to wake up after a disappointing 4-0 loss in Game 4, and as a +113 MLB betting underdog on Monday night, they would be a smart bet.

Betting Edge: St. Louis Cardinals

Game 6 – Wednesday, October 26th, 8:05 PM ET – Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO

Colby Lewis (1-1, 2.95) should be familiar with going out on the road as all three of his starts in the playoffs have been away from home, and he pitched 6.2 solid innings in Game 2’s 2-1 win for the Rangers, allowing a run on four hits with four strikeouts and a walk. Jaime Garcia (0-2, 3.97) was on the other side, tossing a three-hitter over seven scoreless innings with seven strikeouts and a walk, but he was let down by Jason Motte, who blew the save in the 9th inning. That was his second straight no-decision, even though he has settled down since getting off to a rough start in the postseason.

Strangely, something similar will happen in this game as well as the Rangers try to stave off elimination with a big performance. Look for the Texas bats to come alive late in the game and in particular, one of their big bats, like Nelson Cruz or Josh Hamilton, who is battling what he thinks is a sports hernia. The Cardinals will probably be favored, but Texas is the MLB betting play on Wednesday night.

Betting Edge: Texas Rangers

Game 7 – Thursday, October 27th, 8:05 PM ET – Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO (If necessary)

The Rangers’ Matt Harrison (1-1, 502) and the Cardinals’ Kyle Lohse (0-2, 7.82) have been penciled in as the starters for Game 7, and neither pitcher made it out of the fourth inning in a 16-7 win for St. Louis in Game 3, which was highlighted by Albert Pujols’ three-homer performance. Harrison gave up five runs (three earned) on six hits over 3.2 innings, while Lohse gave up three runs on five hits over three innings of work in a game for the offensive fans. It’s doubtful that the two will have that type of game again in Game 7, especially in St. Louis where the games have been relatively low-scoring due to a few factors, but most likely the weather. It has been cold and damp in St. Louis, which makes the ball heavier. In Texas, the ball is much easier to hit and the Ballpark has always been known as a “hitter’s park”.

This is going to be up in the air and again, the bullpens will probably come into play as Harrison doesn’t have much postseason experience and the Rangers are asking him to pitch a Game 7 in the World Series. Lohse, well, he isn’t a very good pitcher and definitely pitched above his weight during the regular season. But at home, in a Game 7 setting and a managerial edge with St. Louis’ Tony LaRussa, St. Louis is the sports betting pick to make here.

Betting Edge: St. Louis Cardinals

MLB baseball sports betting and news

With another Boston Red Sox loss to the lowly Baltimore Orioles, the American League Wild Card race remains the only interesting MLB betting spotlight to keep an eye on heading in to the final weekend of the regular season. The fact that the Tampa Bay Rays struggled against the New York Yankees left the gap at 2.5 games in the Wild Card race, but the hunters have the chance to close on the Red Sox this week as they return home for a favorable matchup.

Boston Red Sox @ New York Yankees

Saturday, 4:10 PM ET

After watching the Rays struggle as the Yankees locked up their division, the Red Sox now make the trip to New York hoping to avoid the same embarrassment handed to them by the lowly Orioles this past week. Boston lost three of a possible four games including a 6-4 loss on Wednesday night in a game that they led 4-1 at one point, and are very fortunate that the Yankees took care of Tampa Bay. New York has already locked up the AL East title but has not confirmed its playoff rotation, which makes this an important sports betting start for AJ Burnett at home against Boston’s Tim Wakefield.

MLB Betting Pick: New York Yankees

Seattle Mariners @ Texas Rangers

Saturday, 4:10 PM ET

The Rangers will not be able to close the gap between them and New York, but they should be able to lock up the AL West title as they host the Mariners this weekend. Texas faces a tough test against Felix Hernandez on Saturday, but with Alexei Ogando on the mound they should have a strong chance as long as they can punch in some runs.
MLB Betting Pick: Texas Rangers

Toronto Blue Jays @ Tampa Bay Rays

Saturday, 7:10 PM ET

The Rays fought hard to remain in contention despite such a relatively small payroll, and while they may not have enough left in the tank to clinch a Wild Card spot, they will throw everything that they have at Toronto to close that gap this week. Tampa Bay will turn to the hot hand in veteran Jeff Niemann on Saturday to counter the Blue Jays’ ace Ricky Romero, and if he can parlay his performance from consecutive wins the Rays should be able to take advantage.

MLB Betting Pick: Tampa Bay Rays

Oakland Athletics @ Los Angeles Angels

Saturday, 10:10 PM ET

Although they will continue to go bass fishing for that top spot in the AL West this weekend, it will come down to a case of too little, too late for the Angels, who send the undefeated Jerome Williams to the mound on Saturday against the Athletics’ Guillermo Moscoso. Los Angeles has gone just 5-5 over their past 10 games entering this series, but they should be able to salvage a couple of key best sportsbook promo home games to go out on a high note.

MLB Betting Pick: Los Angeles Angels

MLB baseball sports betting and news

Well, the NFL is still in lockout mode, but Tuesday night the league still went ahead and got fans excited with the annual release of the schedule. The Steelers are going to be in the prime-time spotlight quite a bit, as they will play five games at night, including three in four weeks starting with a game at the Chiefs on December 4th, and then ending at San Francisco on December 19th.

Here’s a quick rundown the schedule with some notes on the games as well.

Sunday, Sept. 11 at Baltimore – Need we say more to start the year? Always a huge game, and last year it came down to a last second play by Troy Polamalu to strip Joe Flacco and then Issac Redman’s third-down TD won the game. A blood bath that could set the tone for the AFC North early in the year. Started the 1998 season at Baltimore, winning 20-13 in a season that ended 7-9 under Bill Cowher.

Sunday, Sept. 18 SEATTLE – A Super Bowl XL rematch, and the second straight time the Hawks come to Heinz Field since the SB in Detroit back in February of 2006. The last time they played in Pittsburgh, the Steelers beat up the Hawks to the tune of 21-0 on October 7th 2007 in Mike Tomlin’s first season. Seattle won the NFC West a season ago, but won it with a mark of 7-9.

Sunday, Sept. 25 at Indianapolis – The Steelers first prime-time showdown of 2011, an 8:20 Sunday night game on NBC vs Peyton Manning and the Colts. They haven’t played since the Super Bowl season of 2008 when Manning outshined Ben Roethlisberger for a win at Heinz Field. They haven’t played in Indy since that fateful playoff game in 2006 when the Steelers upset them 21-18 enroute to Super Bowl XL. The Steelers have never played in new Lucas Oil Stadium.

Sunday, Oct. 2 at Houston – The Texans are a team that will be hailed as an up and coming squad in 2011, and the Steelers defense will be tested against Matt Schaub, Andre Johnson and Arian Foster. The Steelers opened the 2008 season vs Houston at home pounding them 38-17, and the last time they played in the Lone Star State was in week two of the 2005 season, and again it was all Steelers winning easily 27-7.

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NFL Gridiron Gab

Filed under: MLS, US Soccer

NEW YORK — Wednesday was a good day to be at Major League Soccer headquarters.

The league unveiled its 2011 playoff format, which will include 10 clubs rather than eight for the first time. It was an eagerly awaited announcement that, like a lot of what’s handed down from the midtown Manhattan office, generated plenty of conflicting opinions.

At the focal point of all those decisions and subsequent conversations is Don Garber (above, right), the 53-year-old New York City native now entering his 12th full season as MLS commissioner.

He came to soccer late in life, but one could argue that he’s had more influence on the fate of the global game in its final frontier than any other American. And as MLS continues to grow, with 18 teams planning to play this year and a 19th coming aboard in 2012, there are no signs his influence is on the wane.

On Wednesday afternoon, after 22 months covering soccer for FanHouse, I had the opportunity to spend about an hour in Garber’s office. We examined the day’s big news (and a favorite subject of ours), of course, but also looked back to the failed 2022 World Cup bid and discussed David Beckham, branding, ESPN, the challenges of creating a soccer nation and how much power the commissioner really has, among other things.

Thanks to MLS Executive VP Dan Courtemanche and Director of Communications Will Kuhns for setting up the interview, and thanks to our readers for supporting FanHouse’s soccer coverage over the past two years.

And now, the Q&A:

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Fanhouse Soccer

Filed under: Chicago Bears, Atlanta Falcons, Jets, Packers, Patriots, Ravens, Seahawks, Steelers, FanHouse Previews, NFL Analysis

The NFL Divisional round is here.

Who wins in New England, the man with the Super Bowl resume, or the man with the Super Mouth?

Can the Seahawks actually host the NFC Championship Game?

Will the Ravens-Steelers game be the most physical game of the NFL season?

FanHouse Live has all of the answers.

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Fanhouse NFL Blog

The definition of an NHL agitator is a varied one. Is it a player who can pester opponents while putting up points? Is it someone who tries to draw penalties by getting under the opposition’s skin? Is a true agitator willing to drop the gloves, or are they more likely to shy away from fighting to further infuriate their foe?

To paraphrase what Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart once said in a censorship ruling about a hard-core pornography: it’s hard to define, but I know it when I see it. So determining what an agitator does is subjective, but we know them when we see them. And this year, a lot of the league’s top trouble-makers seem to have lost their way. Here’s a look at who I consider (in alphabetical order) the top 10 agitators in the NHL, and the season’s they’re having.

Sean Avery, New York Rangers — Remember when Avery not only drove opponents crazy but also chipped in with double-digit goals? No more. A two-time 15-goal scorer, Avery has just one goal this season and is on pace for 252 penalty minutes. Avery twice broke the 250-minute penalty barrier when he was with the Kings, boosted by 14 and eight fights in those two seasons. When Avery was at his best with the Rangers, he was usually refusing to fight and drawing penalties. Just 40 games into the 2010-11 season, Avery has seven fights (his most since he had those eight back in 2005-06) and he hasn’t been anywhere near as effective. Grade: D

Dave Bolland, Chicago Blackhawks — Bolland doesn’t bug opponents with fights or constant body checks, but rather an active stick and mouth. Count the Sedin twins and Joe Thornton among those who have boiled over at Bolland’s antics. With the massive roster turnover in Chicago, Bolland was one of the players that many thought could boost his offensive numbers to pick up some of the scoring slack. While the 24-year-old’s numbers aren’t off what he did in an injury-riddled campaign last season, he is nowhere near the 19-goal, 47-point player he was in 2008-09. Grade: B-

Alexandre Burrows, Vancouver Canucks — Burrows became one of the NHL’s top talented pests over the past two seasons by scoring a combined 63 goals and amassing 271 penalty minutes. But a shoulder injury led to offseason surgery that cost him 10 games to start the year. In 28 games, Burrows’ scoring is down (eight goals, 11 assists) and he has just 11 penalty minutes. The Canucks are still winning, but Burrows is at his best when he’s producing and pestering. Grade: B

David Clarkson, New Jersey Devils — Clarkson has been an unheralded part of New Jersey’s success the past few seasons, but his 2010-11 mirrors that of the bottom-feeding Devils. After going nine games to start the season without a goal, Clarkson is now in a 17-game goalless drought. His minus-18 is among the league’s worst (along with several other Devils, to be fair) and anyone who thought Clarkson had 20-goal potential is now wondering if he can even get 10. Clarkson is still hitting (team-high 80) and fighting (seven), but his ability to both agitate and score is, for now, a distant memory. Grade: D

Matt Cooke, Pittsburgh Penguins — Some would say Cooke is not an agitator, just a dirty player. Perhaps, but every agitator gets the “dirty” moniker at some point. Cooke leads the Pens in hits (115), is tied for fifth in points (18) and continues to drive the opposition crazy. Sounds like successful agitation to me. Grade: A-

Steve Downie, Tampa Bay Lightning — Last year, Downie was the NHL’s only 20-20-200 player, finishing with 22 goals, 24 assists and 208 penalty minutes. The last time someone did it? Theo Fleury (24-39-216) in 2001-02. But the 2010-11 has been one injury after another for Downie. First he missed time with a back injury, then went to injured reserve because of a bad ankle. He has just three goals in 24 games this season. Grade: C-

Patrick Kaleta, Buffalo Sabres — Kaleta is a fourth-line agitator, getting limited minutes to ply his craft. He is unlikely to ever put up big points, but he again leads the Sabres in hits (89) and his pummeling of Derek Dorsett was one of the most one-sided fights of the year. Grade: B+

Maxim Lapierre, Anaheim Ducks — Lapierre regressed last season after scoring 15 goals in 2008-09, managing just seven for the Habs. Lapierre was rumored to have approached the Canadiens for a trade because he was disappointed with his role and ice time, and he was shipped to Anaheim Dec. 31. Lapierre, who led Montreal in PIMs before the trade, is expected to take on a bigger role in Anaheim, especially with Ryan Getzlaf on the shelf. Grade: C

Steve Ott, Dallas Stars — One of the more curious signings in the post-lockout NHL was Dallas adding Avery when they already had Ott. The 28-year-old has surpassed Avery as the game’s best-known disturber, keeping a 20-goal pace and still agitating like no other. As Eric Lindros once said about playing with Claude Lemieux and Brendan Shanahan on Team Canada, “Anyone I can’t stand to play against, I would like to play with.” The rest of the Stars are surely glad it’s Avery, not Ott, who is gone. Grade: A

Jarkko Ruutu, Ottawa Senators — Ruutu had his best statistical season with the Sens last year, posting career highs in goals (12) and points (26), but 2010-11 has been disappointing for the aging agitator. He has hit a low of late, spending the past two games as a healthy scratch after playing all 82 games last season. Trade speculation has started to swirl around Ruutu, who is in the final year of his contract. Grade: D

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