Brothers Battle Over the League’s Best Back!

Okay, I was prepared to write a short blurb describing my feelings on Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy being the best back in the league – until I got into a very real, but not overly heated – disagreement with my brother Keith Branch.

What an educated argument it was too, with both of us sounding like former Rhodes Scholar recipients.

Me: LeSean McCoy’s the best back in the league.

Keith: No, he’s not.

Me: Yes he is.

Keith: No, E, he’s not! His weakness is running up the middle.

Me: They said the same thing about Reggie Bush and didn’t he just bust one up the gut this weekend?

 

Okay, okay … after I conceded that Adrian Peterson or Matt Forte could be ‘better’ than McCoy, off we went again with the back and forth surrounding Philly’s elusive touchdown-maker.

Just to back up my argument, McCoy is ranked second in the league and is tied for the highest average yards per carry mark in the league for a back with at least 200 carries (4.9 yards).

Okay, I’ll admit that my brother’s argument also has its merits, no doubt, with McCoy ironically being tied with Chicago’s Forte and the Chargers’ Ryan Matthews.

Oh – and Reggie Bush has topped them all by averaging 5.0 yards per carry on 194 attempts.

So, maybe my brother and I are both wrong – and to be honest – it wouldn’t be a first – even if neither of us readily admits it!

NFC North is Mr. Rodgers' Neighborhood!

NFC North Okay, I’m a lifelong Miami Dolphins fan that revels in the fact that the ’72 Fins are the only team in league history to finish an entire season undefeated, but I gotta’ admit that this year’s version of the Green Bay Packers looks like it really has the ability to pull off the coveted undefeated season! By the way … if you don’t know, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is now the best signal-caller in all of football.

You know, I was really high on Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Hanie following his fine performance in last season NFC Title game, so I’m going to give the young man the benefit of the doubt for his pitiful performance on Sunday. Still, I can see the Bears’ season slip-sliding away!

Detroit Lions No. 2 overall draft pick Ndamukong Suh is ridin’ dirty NFL fans. The athletically gifted defensive lineman is undoubtedly a special player, but he could be in the process of alienating himself with officials around the league – and we all know that once you get a reputation, whether deserved or not, it’s hard to shake.

The Minnesota Vikings may be going through a rough stretch this season, but I think the team could find its way back to respectability at some point in the very near future. While I’ve been impressed with rookie quarterback Christian Ponder and absolutely love gifted running back Adrian Peterson, I’ve got to admit that I’m very disappointed in Leslie Frazier in his first full season as a head coach after the longtime defensive coordinator waited for years to get his chance.