The Matt Barkley Sweepstakes: Week 3 Update

Is E. J. Manuel trying to crash Matt
Barkley's party?

Another week, another shaky outing for Matt Barkley. This Sweepstakes was never going to be as profitable or as stable as last year’s Andrew Luck Sweepstakes, but who could’ve guess it would this volatile? We’re just four short games into the college season and three into the NFL season, and already we’ve seen two near name changes to the Sweepstakes and three different frontrunners for the Grand Prize.

Despite the obvious volatility, though, the big picture is starting to come into focus. On the college side, there have been two QB’s specifically who’ve stepped forward and staked their claim in this contest, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if Barkley was unable to hold them off. And on the NFL side…well, OK, that’s still as confusing as ever. What else would you expect from the most random league in the entire world? That having been said, let’s take a look at where things stand after Week 3:

The Prizes (QB’s only)

Worth Mentioning:  Tyler Wilson (Arkansas), Tahj Boyd (Clemson), Aaron Murray (Georgia)

Honorable Mention:  Landry Jones, Oklahoma
Stats:  28-43, 298 YDS, TD, INT in 19-24 L to Kansas State
Season Stats:  772 YDS, 5 TD, 2 INT, 63.6%, 7.2 Y/A
Breakdown:  Jones was decisively unimpressive in Oklahoma’s loss to K-State. I actually watched the majority of this game (hard to watch) and believe me, Jones was even worse than the stats show. For as big a guy as he is, and with the type of weapons he has, why does he struggle so much to drive it downfield?

Fifth Prize:  Logan Thomas, Virginia Tech
Stats:  11-26, 144 YDS, 2 TD, 1 INT, 65 Rush YDS, TD in 37-0 W over Bowling Green
Season Stats:  851 YDS, 7 TD, 4 INT, 51.7%, 7.2 Y/A, 2 Rush TD
Breakdown:  11-26 against Bowling Green? Really? You do realize, Logan Thomas, that I beat teams like Bowling Green by 100 or more on my college football video game, right?

Fourth Prize:  Tyler Bray, Tennessee
Stats:  27-43, 401 YDS, 4 TD, 1 INT in 47-26 W over Akron
Season Stats:  1301 YDS, 12 TD, 3 INT, 63.5%, 8.8 Y/A
Breakdown:  Oh, Tyler Bray, I see you put the hurt on Akron. Great. Congratulations.  That’s a might accomplishment. Let me know when you play well against a real team. Like, say, at Georgia this Saturday.

Third Prize:  E.J. Manuel, Florida State
Stats:  27-35, 380 YDS, 2 TD, 102 Rush YDS
Season Stats:  905 YDS, 8 TD, 1 INT, 73.4%, 9.6 Y/A, 188 Rush YDS, TD
Breakdown:  Manuel was unbelievable against Clemson, accounting for nearly 500 yards of offense, converting goodness knows how many key third downs, and guiding the Seminoles to 35 second half points. And this wasn’t just another throwaway game against FCS Northeastern StateTechA&M College of Nowhere, either. This was a key conference game against the #10 team in the country…on national television! We’ll see how the rest of his season plays out, specifically how his health holds up, but it’s hard to imagine him not working his way into the first round. Manuel reminds me a lot of pre-injury Daunte Culpepper.

Second Prize:  Geno Smith, West Virginia
Stats:  30-43, 338 YDS, 3 TD in 31-21 W over Maryland
Season Stats:  1072 YDS, 12 TD, 0 INT, 81.4%, 9.1 Y/A
Breakdown:  Smith’s numbers are jaw-dropping, sure, but his level of competition is, well, not. Marshall, James Madison, and Maryland is not exactly like facing the NFC West, and so it’s hard to accurately gauge where Geno Smith’s stock should be. Baylor next week will be a slight step up, though the Bears defense is awful, but the real test will be two weeks from now when the Mountaineers go on the road to face Texas. So for now, despite Barkley’s struggles, the status quo remains. However, Smith has definitely put the football world on notice, and we are definitely paying attention.

Grand Prize:  Matt Barkley, USC
Stats:  22-34, 192 YDS, 2 TD, 2 INT in 27-9 W over California
Season Stats:  1005 YDS, 12 TD, 5 INT, 61.5%, 7.0 Y/A
Breakdown:  For the second straight game, the preseason darling of the Sweepstakes was wholly unimpressive. He’s struggling with accuracy, he’s struggling to drive the ball downfield, and he’s struggling with turnovers. Some of the blame must be shared with the offensive line, but that in no way takes Barkley off the hook. After all, a big component of success in the NFL is the ability to deliver in the face of pressure. If he’s going to wither any time a decent pass rush pops up, how is he going to make it as a franchise QB? On the back of these questions/concerns, there were lengthy discussions (with myself) about dropping Barkley to Second Prize status. However, given his track record and given the sub-par level of Geno Smith’s competition, I’m giving Barkley the benefit of the doubt, for now. For now.

Now, onto the NFL side of the race:

Dropping Out

Cincinnati Bengals
Record:  2-1
Last Game:  Won 38-31 at Washington Redskins
Current Starter:  Andy Dalton
Season Stats:

YDS	TD	INT	COMP%	Y/A	RATING
867	6	3	68.4	9.1	105.0

Breakdown:  Nobody thought the Bengals were a real Sweepstakes contender, but it felt wrong not to include them. Actually, Mike Brown personally called and requested I list them for a few weeks, saying, “I’ve worked two decades to ensure the Bengals are synonymous with this type of list, and I’ll be darned if an accidentally good draft class is going to ruin all that.” Whatever you say, Mike. By the way, Andy Dalton…good. Bengals defense…bad.

We’re not all that impressed with Barkley, so…

Minnesota Vikings
Record:  2-1
Last Game:  Won 24-13 vs. San Francisco 49ers
Current Starter:  Christian Ponder
Season Stats:

YDS	TD	INT	COMP%	Y/A	RATING
713	4	0	70.1	7.4	104.9

Breakdown:  Nobody will ever be able to explain to me how the Minnesota Vikings took down the 49ers. The Vikings, who barely beat Jacksonville and lost to Indianapolis, took down the league’s best team. That’s crazy talk. Anyways, Ponder is apparently not the biggest waste of a draft pick this side of BADGABMAX. Actually, he’s been really good through three weeks, and the Vikings aren’t far from being ruled out of this race.

New York Jets
Record:  2-1
Last Game:  Won 23-20 (OT) at Miami Dolphins
Current Starter:  Mark Sanchez
Season Stats:

YDS	TD	INT	COMP%	Y/A	RATING
710	5	3	50.5	7.2	78.3

Breakdown:  Three things…
 1.) New York needed OT and a healthy serving of good luck to beat the crappy Dolphins
2.)  Mark Sanchez is really, really pathetic
3.) Revis Island sunk into the ocean, and the Jets defense is probably sunk along with it

Stay tuned, more losing to come…

Washington Redskins
Record:  1-2
Last Game:  Lost 31-38 vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Current Starter:  Robert Griffin III
Season Stats:

YDS	TD	INT	COMP%	Y/A	RATING
747	4	1	67.4	8.4	103.5

Breakdown:  Griffin continues to impress, but the rest of the team is looking pretty darn Redskins-y these days…which is to say, bad. The injuries to Brian Orakpo and Adam Carriker have destroyed an already iffy defense and further injuries to Pierre Garcon and Trent Williams have weakened an already thin offense. I don’t doubt Griffin’s ability to carry them for stretches, but it seems like we all might have overreacted after that insane Week 1 showing. In retrospect, beating the Saints isn’t such a special thing after all.

Tennessee Titans
Record:  1-2
Last Game:  Won 44-41 (OT) vs. Detroit Lions
Current Starter:  Jake Locker
Season Stats:

YDS	TD	INT	COMP%	Y/A	RATING
781	4	2	64.4	7.5	91.9

Breakdown:  There’s winning a football game, and then there’s winning that insane Titans-Lions game! What a show! The Titans have had, arguably, the league’s toughest opening slate, so finishing off that win on Sunday was a huge deal. Even more important was the play of Jake Locker. He struggled in their first two games, but was lights out against the Lions. The schedule softens up significantly after this week, and if Locker continues to improve, the Titans won’t be long for this list.

Buffalo Bills
Record:  2-1
Last Game:  Won 24-14 at Cleveland Browns
Current Starter:  Ryan Fitzpatrick
Season Stats:

YDS	TD	INT	COMP%	Y/A	RATING
581	8	3	58.1	6.8	95.2

Breakdown:  Fine, you know what, if you want Ryan Fitzpatrick for the rest of your franchise’s miserable existence, then go for it. That’s about all I can deduce from the week’s most damaging win. This was, after all, the perfect opportunity for the Bills. You lose C.J. Spiller, you’re best player, and level the playing field by giving your main competitor a win. What’s not to like? Anyways, I hope Bills fans enjoy another 6 win season…followed by another 6 win season…followed by another 6 win season…followed by an…

We’re not sure what the plan is around here…

Carolina Panthers
Record:  1-2
Last Game:  Lost 7-36 vs. New York Giants
Current Starter:  Cam Newton
Season Stats:

YDS	TD	INT	COMP%	Y/A	RATING
798	2	5	63.9	9.6	78.3

Breakdown:  OK, so Thursday night didn’t go quite as expected. That’s OK, because the next game is easy…oh wait, no, it’s at Atlanta. But at least after that…no, wait, that’s against Seattle. Well, geez, I’m glad I’m not a Panthers fan.

Kansas City Chiefs
Record:  1-2
Last Game:  Won 27-24 (OT) at New Orleans Saints
Current Starter:  Matt Cassel
Season Stats:

YDS	TD	INT	COMP%	Y/A	RATING
807	3	4	58.8	6.8	73.8

Breakdown:  Let’s just tell it like it is; the Chiefs blew it Sunday. Big time. It’s almost as if they don’t realize they’d be able/allowed to draft a better QB than Matt Cassel with one of those high picks. If Scott Pioli is smart, he’d lather Jamaal Charles’ ACL in butter and tell Romeo Crennel it was early Thanksgiving.

The Dark Horses

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Record:  1-2
Last Game:  Lost 10-16 at Dallas Cowboys
Current Starter:  Josh Freeman
Season Stats:

YDS	TD	INT	COMP%	Y/A	RATING
491	4	3	51.3	6.1	71.4

Breakdown:  Uh-oh, ‘Bad Josh Freeman’ is back…GAME CHANGER!!! Not only that, but their best pass rusher, Adrian Clayborn, is out for the year! HERE COME THE BUCS!!!

St. Louis Rams
Record:  1-2
Last Game:  Lost 6-23 at Chicago Bears
Current Starter:  Sam Bradford
Season Stats:

YDS	TD	INT	COMP%	Y/A	RATING
660	4	3	64.2	6.9	85.4

Breakdown:  Protection problems resurfaced as Bradford was sacked 6 times on Sunday. With Scott Wells out for the season and Rodger Saffold shuffling in and out of the lineup, I just don’t know how the Rams are going to address that problem. With Seattle and Arizona being their next two games – not to mention Green Bay, New England, San Francisco, Arizona, San Francisco, Buffalo, and Seattle later on – there’s a solid chance Bradford goes back to David Carr mode. I hope not, because I genuinely like Bradford, but let’s face it, the Rams are pretty much cursed. They, along with the Bucs, are officially my two dark horse teams.

We had a different prize in mind, but while we’re down here…

New Orleans Saints
Record:  0-3
Last Game:  Lost 24-27 (OT) vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Current Starter:  Drew Brees
Season Stats:

YDS	TD	INT	COMP%	Y/A	RATING
904	7	5	54.7	6.6	77.0

Breakdown:  0-2 at home, winless in what is by far their easiest 3 game stretch, worst defense in the league – there are any number of reasons to list New Orleans amongst the “Favorites” here. So why am I refusing to do so? Stubbornness, mostly. Like many, I just can’t believe things are this bad. I can’t believe they’ll freefall all season. It’s too…weird. Let’s see what happens this week at Green Bay, then we’ll talk.

The (Outside) Favorites

Miami Dolphins
Record:  1-2
Last Game:  Lost 20-23 (OT) vs. New York Jets
Current Starter:  Ryan Tannehill
Season Stats:

YDS	TD	INT	COMP%	Y/A	RATING
615	1	4	52.9	6.0	58.2

Breakdown:  The Dolphins were this close to a devastating second early season win, a win that could have crippled their chances going forward. Are these wins/near-wins coming because Miami is better than we thought? No. Just no. The ‘Fins scored half their points in just over one quarter of play, a period of time that ironically coincided with a certain Island sitting on the Jets sidelines. Hence, coming within a missed FG of being 2-1. Not to worry though, Dolphins fans, because it seems like your team is fully committed to winning this year’s Sweepstakes. Not only did they instruct the normally reliable Dan Carpenter to miss two FG’s – including the game winner – they also sent a clear message to the team by purposefully injuring Reggie Bush. The message: Don’t you dare go all ‘Superstar’ on us and singlehandedly win a game. Message received. Also, Tannehill is terrible and the Dolphins are still starting him…so there’s that.

Oakland Raiders
Record:  1-2
Last Game:  Won 34-31 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Current Starter:  Carson Palmer
Season Stats:

YDS	TD	INT	COMP%	Y/A	RATING
879	5	2	62.5	6.9	89.3

Breakdown:  Well, what a surprise, Oakland screwed everything up again. Down 10 heading into the fourth quarter, all the Raiders needed to do was fold on defense (the usual), plant a bottle of scotch next to Janikowski’s helmet, and spread sideline rumors that the coaches didn’t think Palmer could fit the ball in tight downfield windows anymore. After that, just lose, baby! Instead, they went out and won the stupid game. If ever there was a time for McFadden to pull a hamstring…

Jacksonville Jaguars
Record:  1-2
Last Game:  Won 22-17 at Indianapolis Colts
Current Starter:  BADGABMAX
Season Stats:

YDS	TD	INT	COMP%	Y/A	RATING
468	4	0	50.6	5.9	85.8

Breakdown:  What a stupid win. BADGABMAX is such a pathetic piece of garbage, why would the Jaguars even want to win any games? Even Logan Thomas would be an upgrade at this point!

Indianapolis Colts
Record:  1-2
Last Game:  Lost 17-22 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Current Starter:  Andrew Luck
Season Stats:

YDS	TD	INT	COMP%	Y/A	RATING
846	5	4	53.3	6.9	75.4

Breakdown:  Colts fans aren’t going to agree with me on this, but I’m gonna say it anyways; this is a tremendous loss! No, seriously, it was. In fact, if I were a Colts fan, I would be ticked off that Vinatieri hadn’t choked away the game winner last week too. Indianapolis is a horrible football team, pretty much across the board, and the best thing they could have right now is the pile of picks that some QB-needy team would inevitably throw their way. Or hey, maybe you’d rather just take Jarvis Jones as this generation’s “Dwight Freeney” type. Or maybe Dee Milliner, or Star Lotulelei. Point is the Colts are a bad football team and they’re going to struggle to get more than 3 wins.

The Favorite

Cleveland Browns
Record:  0-3
Last Game:  Lost 14-24 vs. Buffalo Bills
Current Starter:  Brandon Weeden
Season Stats:

YDS	TD	INT	COMP%	Y/A	RATING
677	3	6	56.5	5.9	60.7

Breakdown:  Remember how well their young players played last week? Yeah, forget it. That was apparently a mirage. Weeden was back to his sucky self this week, Trent Richardson was back under 3.0 Y/A, and any hope that this team had a chance has now dissipated. Such is life in Cleveland. But while all that is bad news for those interested in winning actual football games, it’s great news for those interested in seeing Matt Barkley suit up in brown and orange. I mean, what’s not to like about their chances? They’ve got a QB to rival BADGABMAX and Tanne-suck, a defense to rival Indianapolis and Oakland, and a coach to rival the backup-backup coach of New Orleans. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a frontrunner!

Games Matt Barkley Might Want to Watch This Week

Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions – The Lions narrowly missed inclusion on this week’s list, while the Vikings narrowly missed being taken off the list. Call it a turning point type of game for both teams.

Washington Redskins at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Speaking of pivotal games, how about this one? The loser of this game will drop to 1-3, and if it’s the Buccaneers, things could quickly snowball into a monumental disaster.

Oakland Raiders at Denver Broncos – Look, I’m not saying they’d be a real candidate, but if Denver were to somehow lose this one, they’d be 1-3. Just sayin’.