Smashmouth Football League Articles

WHY MIKE GLENNON IS THE FUTURE OF THE SFL

Move over Drew Brees, there's a new sheriff in Big D!

by Anthony Fernandez, November 3rd, 2013

21-year old Rookie QB Mike Glennon tossed a sweaty towel into his locker as he sat down to discuss the season with the press huddled around the locker for #2. Glennon played ok - throwing for nearly 300 yards while also notching a TD pass and an INT. The stat line was among one of the better games for Glennon personally all year, but more importantly, was an exclamation point for the Dallas Cowboys for the SEASON. Following a much more turbulent, up-and-down season than I, GM Anthony Fernandez, am accustomed to, it was very important for the already-eliminated Cowboys to finish on a high note. It was also important for Glennon, for whom the team chased off QB Matt Stafford, to outplay rookie QB Ryan Nassib - who has had a better rookie year than Glennon on paper. And Glennon DID that. Nassib, who will finish the season with a higher QB Rating, was awful in this game. Nassib only completed 12 passes and barely broke 100 yards, en route to throwing 0 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. The Rams offense looked lost with Nassib under center, and while Glennon wasn't perfect, they looked like an offense that could one day compete at a very high level in SFL. Why then was Glennon so glum? When asked about how he felt after the game, Glennon replied, "Everyone in this locker room is pretty pissed off. Yea, beating the Rams 33-0 is nice, but they have already clinched the #1 seed in the SFL draft. That's an honor bestowed upon the worst team in the league. Now don't get me wrong - they've got some playmakers on that squad and we feel they are a formidable opponent - but we do not aim to be in the same conversation with teams competing for draft position. We just don't. (7-9) is the record this team got last year before the regime change, but we're out here trying to be BETTER than that version of this team, not the same."



Now it would be easy to say Glennon is overreacting, but the reality is that my first season in SFL is OVER. No playoffs. No Super Bowl. Not even an award or pro bowl or any fan fare to close out the year. Sure, the team finished the year by winning 5 of the last 6 games and were actually in contention for the NFC East with two weeks to go in the season... but ultimately it wasn't good enough. My Cowboys traded our 1st Round Draft pick last year, a move that I, GM Anthony Fernandez, have done regularly in his madden GM career, for the very reason that he rarely GMs a team that misses the playoffs. It's usually a safe trade! This year the Cowboys were sweating as a (2-8 ) team that had to look in the mirror and wonder if they had traded away the #1 pick in the upcoming draft. Thankfully, that wasn't the case, but it was as close to "in the discussion" as the playoffs were. It wasn't all bad news for the Cowboys, however. In the aforementioned 5-of-6 win streak that closed out the year, the Cowboys had huge wins over GMs Tom Collins, Romeo Mendez, Rodney Mendez and even decisively beat the 31st Panthers (with young QB Russell Wilson and 32nd ranked Rams (with rookie QB Ryan Nassib). That's three bitter rivals who surely had a bevy of insults ready to hurl in our direction and couldn't. And then of course to finish by facing two rebuilding bottom-of-the-SFL teams with QBs they hope are their future - it's nice to decisively state we are NOT as far back in our rebuild as they are and we HAVE our QB of the Future under center.

And that's where we're at now. As aging quarterbacks get ready to hang it up, we could be on the verge of a new Golden Age of quarterbacking in the SFL. And while there are lots of promising young guys who could be the next SFL legend, it's my belief that Mike Glennon IS in fact THE heir to the Iron Throne in the SFL. He has made huge strides this year, throwing for nearly 3000 yards. Without a mentor, his awareness still will have jumped almost 10 points, while also receiving boosts to his accuracy. The Cowboys coaching staff also has plans next year to devote some activity points working on Glennon's arm strength, as the team has observed a number of deep balls just coming up a tiny bit too short for speedsters like WR Adam Thielen. Glennon may still be another year or two away, but with the defense playing as good as they have been, we fully expect year 2 of 22 year old, 6'7" and 97 throw power Mike Glennon to be even better. Midway through the year, around the time Glennon really took a leap (and so did our team), we opted to trade two of our young WRs for 1st Round Draft picks and instead bring in a little more well developed targets. It remains to be seen if those specific guys will be the ones Glennon is throwing to in Year 2 (and beyond), but we know for sure we have learned our lesson that a rookie QB shouldn't have all rookie (or talented youngins) at WR. There MUST be some established hands in the secondary. And that he shall have. I'm sure Glennon has plenty of critics in the SFL, and surely there has been plenty of eye-rolling while I sit here and verbally build up my own QB (Kevin Mullendore is probably somewhere messaging new GMs on discord that AF is juicing Glennon-stock for an imminent trade).

However rather than continue carrying on about Glennon - who I assure you will be a Cowboy for as long as I'm in charge and will eventually set the SFL on fire - I wanted to mock up how the rest of the league stacks up at QB as we move forward.



TIER #5: THE RETIREMENT HOME
Tom Brady
Going on 37 years old? On the books for $17M next year? Throwing as many INT as you are TD? Yea, time to hang it up, grandpa goat. 3rd all-time in passing yards. 0 SFL Super Bowls, but one AFC Championship. Didn't shine as bright as his NFL counterpart. Should have came to Dallas.

Daunte Culpepper
Truly one of the best to ever do it in the SFL. 40,000+ career yards and 343 TDs is quite the legacy. 2nd most all time, only behind Peyton (the best Manning). Lost a Super Bowl to the Jets, so no Super Bowls to take with him. Future Hall of Famer.

Tim Couch
Can't believe Tim Couch is a thing here, but he had a very respectable career. Won a Super Bowl in Miami. Looks like he won another as a backup in Atlanta. All hail King Couch! But I doubt he plays his year 37 season. 36,000 career SFL passing yards and 251 SFL Passing TDs that will have to be replaced by some of this incoming young pups.

Drew Brees
Old Mr. Controversial trade himself! Drew, fresh off being a backup most of the season (and looking pretty bad in relief) is rumored to already have an offer for a 1st Round Pick. So perhaps that will ease the pitchforks following his trade last season! He'll have to elect to NOT hang them up (and he'll need a new contract), but he could still swing it around next year if needed. Realistically, it's probably a GM hoping he doesn't retire so they can obtain a mentor for a future stud in this league. I don't foresee Drew throwing too many more passes in this league, but his 33,600+ yards and 251 TDs is nothing to put your nose up at (but he is tiny, so he puts his nose up to everyone). Might be biased because he's Drew Brees.

David Carr
Not a lock that Elder Carr hangs it up, as he's only going to be 35 years old and he's putting up AMAZING stats. That said, his arm strength is going to be jello next year and his little brother Derek should be declaring for the 2014 SFL Draft. I bet GM Breck would love to draft Derek and continue the Carr legacy in Indy... but with David only on the books for a reasonable $8M next year, he could realistically stick around as a mentor for another year. David's numbers don't stand up against other SFL greats like Peyton Manning, but he's had a lasting impact in the SFL. Perhaps he wins the Super Bowl this year and goes out on top.



TIER #4.5: THE VETS
Byron Leftwich
Leftwich is pretty firmly in the "mentor" stage of his career, having had the last year of his ~90 arm strength career wasted. Expiring contract makes things interesting this offseason. It seems likely he's done as a starting QB (unless there is an injury), but he's probably got a year or two left before he retires and makes the jump to coaching where he'll be a shitty offensive coordinator that runs Leonard Fournette EVERY 1st down up the gut for 1 yard.

Michael Vick
Man, I have no idea how Vick has had such a successful career in the SFL. He's likely going to finish with 35,000+ pass yards, 250+ pass TDs, 2000+ rush yards, and 25ish rush TDs. That's insane. That said, he hasn't done much the last two years and looks like his greatest use for the last few years of his career is holding a clipboard mentoring your young QB. He's an expiring contract, but the Panthers swear they are bringing him back to make sure Drew Stanton never becomes a prominent figure in this league. Maybe biased because he's a Panther.

David Greene
Greene has all the tools but has had a very underwhelming career. Really no reason why he can't have a successful final 3 seasons here in SFL and establish himself as a legit memorable player in this league, but right now I just don't see it. Maybe biased because he's an 'Aint.

Charlie Whitehurst
Everyone loves a Charlie in It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia... but Whitehurst is a tough sell moving forward. He had a wonderful 2013 season for a last-place Eagles team, but he's on the wrong side of 30 and should join the under-90-THP club this offseason. His AWR has also dipped below mentor status, which further limits his value going forward (although with work could be reclaimed). Entering the final year of his contract, Charlie is a guy I'd expect to move this offseason.

Ben Roethlisbergr
We expect Big Ben to still be putting up good numbers at the ripe young age of 32. The dangerous part for Ben's long-term outlook is that he is locked up on a team for 5 years that WILL eventually want to hand it over to rookie QB Matt Barkley. Now Matt didn't look great this year, but with Big Ben on a very fair deal that will allow GM Mullendore to hang onto him and use him to mentor for as long as he pleases, I'd expect the move to Barkley to come in the next two years. Big Ben is probably the primary passer next year though, so he'll look to add on his career totals... likely passing 30,000 career yards and 200 career TDs.



TIER #4: THE STILL REALLY GOOD VETS
Philip Rivers
Eli Manning
Eli? Rivers? Forever linked by draft night. The QB1s for the GM1&2 brothers of the SFL. Romeo and Rodney, despite all my shit talking, both made the playoffs this year by sticking with their aging guys as more than mentors... as THE guy in the offense. While both guys remained beatable (evidenced by each losing to the lowly Cowboys the final few weeks of the season while each jockey'd for playoff positioning), the reality is that both are so good (still) that the overall ark of them playing a full season is still going to be very, very good. If you need proof, look at the record breaking season Eli Manning had. In retrospect, the offer of Riley Cooper and spare parts looks pretty silly for him (although I maintain the counter of my three most recent 1st round pick players was an "eff you" of equal proportion). Clearly Eli has more gas in the tank than was perceived by me at the time... a man who had exhausted all possible outlets trying to obtain a mentor (after he traded his own away). That's my bad, on both fronts. Both of these QBs are expiring this offseason, so the Mendez Bros will have to get creative to keep them, but I'm sure they'll figure it out, because they've peaked onto the other side of what it's like WITHOUT an established QB under center. Rivers has a little more gas in the tank, being one year younger, and could probably fetch a pretty sweet trade package if Romeo decided to pursue. The NFC LEast is also a much easier division to hang in without the stud QB than the AFC West, so Rodney will be pressed to keep Eli. Will the mid-80s THP Eli be as effective next year? Time will tell, but either way he should stick around the league a few more years in some capacity (probably mentoring).

Carson Palmer
A Super Bowl winner that will likely pass 40K yards and 300 TDs for his career next year. There is no reason to assume Palmer will hang it up at 33 years old next year (or the year after), but the new veteran rule will be stealing arm strength from him over that span. He should still have 2-3 more seasons playing at a very high level. Just barely made the cut for this tier, but could go either way. Maybe biased because he's a Deadskin.

Matt Schaub
Rex Grossman
Kyle Orton
These three guys are for-sure VETS, but holy smokes they can still play. Not exactly three names you'd expect to see in Halls of Fame (if you're simply going off NFL history), but you can certainly see how they had the right talents that if they landed in the right system, with the right GM, for the right amount of time... they could become an amazing veteran QB in the SFL. And here they are. Three guys that could win the Super Bowl any of the next few years until they hang it up, with enough arm strength to still put up stupid numbers. But Father Time is undefeated, so these guys need to be on WIN-NOW teams, for sure.

Alex Smith
Entering his Age 30 season, Alex certainly qualifies as a veteran, if for no other reason than the new vet rule is going to limit his career. Moving forward this will be the danger if you are developing a QB that has low THP, as the 30 age regression is going to cut years off of their career. Which is a shame, because Smith was truly fantastic this year, having the best year of his career. By age 32 though, an age the previous group of guys are either already at (or close to), Alex will be a shell of himself. Maybe he'll get an extended career as a mentor, but he could very well be done starting in two years. Usually don't see that for guys JUST hitting their prime.

Tyler Thigpen
Another little shorty, Thigpen has been about as good of a 6th Round Pick as you're going to get (not named Brady). The last 5 seasons Thigpen has been about as dominant as anyone in the league. Unfortunately, he will be 30 years old next year, and his THP is not regression proof. He should remain to play at a high level for the next couple years, but the window is closing.




TIER #3: THE IT'S YOUR TIME TO SHINE GUYS
JaMarcus Russell
Aaron Rodgers
JaMarcus has low THP and will be 29 years next year, but he has the tools to be a starting QB. But it's now or never. Aaron Rodgers will probably get traded off by Breck for more than he went for a year ago, but ultimately he's going to be on the wrong side of 30 and the wrong side of his THP very soon.

Russell Wilson
Drew Stanton
Drew makes 6.66M per year, and that very well could be because he's trapped in professional hell. Despite being a talented player who is approaching 30 year old regression, he has been largely sidelined as the QB of the Carolina Panthers. The organization seems more committed to Michael Vick and Russell Wilson. With only 92THP, Stanton could be a very mediocre QB by the time his current contract expires. Maybe someone will swoop in and save him, but for now it clearly looks like Russell Wilson time in Carolina. Let's ride. (P.S. if you have THREE QBs, there's a good chance you actually don't have ONE QB.)

Erik Ainge
Has been building, building, building. Broke 3,000 yards last year and almost did again this year. Has the tools to make the leap, but will be 28 years old next year, and Father Time is coming for that THP at 30. With it being 99, he's likely still got a healthy window to dominate, but next year the Bears need to take the leap of Ainge could become a wasted player.

Matt Ryan
Matt was on track for his best season of his career, but the injury bug may have derailed not only his season... but his career, if GM Gary Hickman actually is departing. Locked into a long term contract and only 28 years old next year, Ryan really needs to make the leap. His 92THP will cause some problems in a few years, so his window realistically is the next 5. Whoever takes over in Green Bay should make building a winner around Ryan a priority. 20 TDs and 7 INT next year was a nice leap... perhaps next year he continue to grow and finish with 28 TDs and 3 INT.

Jordan Palmer
Palmer is really, really good. He'll be 29 next year though, so regression is around the corner (and unlike some of the other guys on this list) he's not as regression proof with only 90THP. The Dolphins have a smart GM who will surely do what he's gotta do to extend this window, but it really is a shame they didn't win the Super Bowl last year against a GM-less team. Palmer was even better this year, but that window is going to slam shut soon.

Chad Henne
Henne hasn't really accomplished MUCH, but he's much more regression proof than some of the other guys on this list. Will be 28 next year, but still has 98THP. With only 9K yards and 60 TDs in his career, he clearly is not a future SFL Hall of Famer, but he IS a guy that could win a Super Bowl in the next 5 years if the right guys were in place around him.

John David Booty
JDB missed this year, and the Rams got the #1 pick. He's an early front runner for "Comeback Player of the Year" next year, if he can return to form from a year ago. While he's promising, he's undersized, will be 29 years old, and might be damaged goods following the injury. I don't know if anyone needs a bigger year next year MORE than he does.




TIER #2: THE FUTURE
Ryan Nassib
Josh Freeman
Nassib will probably win Offensive Rookie of the Year, even if he was a complete liability under center. He's got a long way to go to be successful, but he at least needs to be in the conversation. Freeman has all the tools, just needs a management office that believes in him.

Chandler Harnish
Chandler, a former Top 10 pick, has played pretty good in limited action across his first two seasons. He's very short, which might be a problem for my personal taste in QB, but his AWR and THP are spot on. I'd have loved to see what he could have done if he was healthy the full season... perhaps he'd have been in THE NOW category, and not THE FUTURE. Ultimately I think he's probably a couple years away.

Matt Barkley
This may be controversial, since Barkley was the higher draft pick. But I firmly believe Barkley lasted so long because GMs were FINE getting Glennon later, and didn't feel the need to take Barkley Top 10. That said, Barkley looks really good on paper. Glennon closed the gap for their rookie year, and is a year younger. As finished products, I still think Glennon will be better, but Kevin will make a stud out of Barkley.

Mike Glennon
Yes, this is how much I believe in Glennon. To be 22 years old, and 6'7", and the 97THP he'll have next year... his window to succeed in SFL is HUGE. This high of a ranking is obviously contingent on me being able to secure a mentor for him next year, but we've got the assets to make it happen. Next year we hope to make the jump to a winning record, from (7-9) this year, and by Year 3 of the Glennon era we are hopefully competitive in the NFC Playoffs. Hopefully by the time he's signing that 2nd SFL contract he's in that top tier and competing for Super Bowls.

Andre Woodson
Mullendore built a future stud at QB, but then I think got a little spooked out by the Age 30 regression. Woodson will be 28 next year, but his THP is good enough at 95 that he'll be solid for half a decade. In fact, I think he takes the leap next year and becomes the franchise the Bills were hoping for when they traded for him.

Kirk Cousins
Cousins, a former #11 overall pick, was really thrust right into the fire, starting as a rookie for the Buccaneers and representing himself very well. This year he's had mixed results, but he's still got the team in a competitive place. He checks all the boxes - good enough size, good enough THP, good enough accuracy, great year 2 awareness. He's everything you could dream for in his 2nd year starting. I expect him to take a HUGE leap next year, which is why he ALMOST made it into THE NOW instead of THE FUTURE.

Andrew Luck
Like Cousins, Luck is fantastic. Just an amazing year 2 QB. The bar has been set HIGH for Glennon, if this article will not eventually be used as a smear piece against my GMing, haha. Luck has struggled statistically, but if you're building a QB in a lab, he's what you want. He'll be 25 next year, so he MAY be a year away, but I expect him to take a big leap next year. GM Tim Miller has been active trying to improve his weapons, and this WR class should be amazing.




TIER #1: THE NOW
Mark Sanchez
A young pup caught in the whirlwind of a rebuild. Sanchez has regressed a bit the last two years, but he has everything you're looking for in a franchise QB. He's going to be 27 years old, but his 96THP extends his regression window. With all the draft picks in Tennessee, Apolo should be able to field a much more competitive team next year. Look for Sanchez to take the leap and live up to his Top 10 draft status.

Isaiah Stanback
Stanback could get his Super Bowl this year... and if he doesn't, you have to start wondering if he will. He's super talented - great awareness and accuracy. This throw power, however, will be exposed after next year at only 92. He's also an inch shorter than I typically like at the QB position. This was his best year at QB, however, and he should continue to rise for the next few years.

Brian Brohm
Brohm is a shorty, but it doesn't seem to be stopping him. He is a double-digit INT guy, but perhaps he cleans that up as he inches closer to 30 years old. He's still got two more years pre-regression, and his 95 THP will get him some years after that. He's got the Jags in a great position to compete for a Super Bowl. I vaguely remember him being an injury concern in previous Madden leagues. He's 77 INJ here, but doesn't look like he's missed much time. Might be interesting to track.

Brady Quinn
With that sick 99AWR, Brady Quinn is a little more "now" than Bradford, but Quinn does have the looming threat of only being 93THP and the Age 30 regression rule. He's got time, but his window is without a doubt shorter than a guy like Bradford. I feel a real loss that the Chargers didn't make the Super Bowl THIS year, as they were my pick to win it all. But they should win one of the next two.

Sam Bradford
For my money, Sam Bradford is THE guy in SFL. He's going on 26 years old and still has some work to do in the AWR department, but he's got everything you're looking for in a QB. He's seen early success in his career, and he should continue to. Signed to a 7-year contract in Detroit, he should win a Super Bowl in Detroit.

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