What was the inspiration behind making a comprehensive book like this?

Sports Illustrated has legendary photography and great writers who have covered the game and know the sport as well as anyone. There has been interest in these projects for a long time, so the time was right to put the groups together. Don’t forget the list includes two writers who vote for the Hall of Fame and another (Tim Layden) who is easily among America’s greatest writers.

 
Were there any intense arguments over the rankings of certain players?

There is always discussion, but respect takes over. It wasn’t that hard to reach a consensus for most. Great players and great moments rise to the top.

 
Do you feel there were any snubs on your Top 10 list?

I think all the lists were very balanced. They are reflective of their era. The running backs list has very few current or recently retired guys because the game used to be more running oriented. Now we have have more receivers because the game is dictated by the pass. Some of the surprises were who got on the lists, like Cris Carter. He is obviously a guy who the writers have great respect for.

 
Are there any other books like this in the works?

“Steelers Pride” was a book that we also did recently just about the organization and it was very well received. You will probably see some others like that over time, and this type of book would work well in other sports. They take a great amount of time, at least a year, to plan and execute properly.

 
Do you see any current rookie making it in the Top 10 by careers end?

Way too hard to predict not just rookies, but any current player, so we shall see. These are very exclusive lists and they are a bit arbitrary, so it is hard to predict greatness.

 
Since GMenHQ is primarily a Giants website, Is there a possibility any current Giants player can sneak into the Top 10 in the future?

The transient nature of the NFL these days, and the salary cap, makes that difficult to predict. Would LT in the current system have spent is whole career in New York? You hope so, but you never know. Eli is certainly making a case, but there is a long way to go, even for Peyton Manning. That is what makes the lists so strong. Its not just about today, its about all-time. Who knows where even someone like Coach Coughlin will end up on an all-time list down the road.

I noticed that the book is also available in e-book format. Can we expect to see this for every book and was the conversion process difficult considering the beautiful images throughout the book?

That is really a tech question and there is no one better than the folks at SI to solve that. You see what is being done in the digital space with the magazine and multimedia and it is the same with books. It is where people will consume media down the line.

I would like to thank Bill Syken, Jerry Milani, and the fine folks at Sports Illustrated for taking the time to answer some questions for us here at GMenHQ. For more news, updates, and analysis…Follow me on Twitter https://twitter.com/ERobertsNY (@ERobertsNY)

At the start of the game, Phillip Rivers looked sharp. In the first half, he threw for 131 yards and 2 touchdowns to tight end Antonio Gates.

Peyton Manning, on the other hand, had a rough start to the game. He didn’t throw any touchdowns in the first half and was picked for six by cornerback Quentin Jammer.

The Broncos were down 24-0 at the end of the second half. What looked like an easy win for the Chargers turned into the greatest comeback in Monday Night Football history.

In the second half, Manning completely went off.  He went 13-14 with 167 yard and 3 touchdowns. He had much help from his defense who held the Chargers to 0 points and 5 turnovers in the second half.

Rivers was the complete opposite of Manning in the second half. He went 14-24 with 111 yards and no touchdowns. He fumbled the ball twice and one was even returned for a touchdown. On top of that, he threw 3 interceptions including one that was picked for six with two minutes to go that helped the Broncos seal the deal and complete the comeback.

Peyton and the Broncos completed the 2^nd largest halftime comeback in the Super Bowl era. They are the 4^th team to overcome a 24+ point deficit at half. The Broncos are the first team in NFL history to win by double digits after trailing by at least 24 points.

Eli Manning must be proud of his big brother’s performance last night. Meanwhile, Phillip Rivers is proving to the world that he is the AFC’s version of Tony Romo.

1. The Top name free agents: These players like Mario Williams and Peyton Manning this year are courted by a multitude of teams, and command big bucks.  They also seem to sign pretty quickly after the start of free agency.

2. The Middle of the road guy: These are guys that flirt with a few teams and look for someone to overpay them because of how they fill a void on that team.  Think of guys like Brandon Carr who signed a 50 million dollar deal to play CB for the Dallas Cowboys, or Cortland Finnegan who got the same thing to move from the Titans to the Rams.

3. The guys who overestimated their worth:  Generally about this time players start to re-sign with their old team when they realize the demand just isn’t there.  Tedd Ginn, Anthony Collins, and even players like Mario Manningham who don’t quite get what the thought they were worth.  I think Brandon Jacobs will fit into this category as time passes.  You will start to see more players re-sign when they realize their own team can replace them and isn’t chasing, and the interest wanes as the draft approaches.

Nov 8, 2009; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (left) and San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers talk prior to game at Giants Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim O

Take a look at this brief off-season quarterback carousel just so that you can understand where I’m coming from:

• The Indianapolis Colts cut Peyton Manning so they can draft Andrew Luck.
• Peyton Manning signs with the Denver Broncos after putting the NFL on a three year waiting list. Wait, what? It wasn’t three years? Sure seemed like it.
• The St. Louis Rams got a fortune in return from the Washington Redskins so they can take RG3 right after the Colts select Luck.
• Matt Flynn signs with the Seattle Seahawks after being Aaron Rodgers’ backup.
• Jason Campbell leaves Oakland after having his starting job taken away and signs with the Chicago Bears to become Jay Cutler’s backup.
• Kyle Orton does the same thing and goes to backup Tony Romo in Dallas after starting for two teams last year: the Kansas City Chiefs and the Denver Broncos.
• Denver Broncos’ third string QB Brady Quinn moves to Kansas City to become that team’s newest backup QB.
• Chad Henne left the Dolphins to challenge for the starting QB job with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
• The New York Jets brought in Drew Stanton to be Mark Sanchez’s new body double.
• David Garrard comes back to the league after a one year absence to join the Miami Dolphins.

We have backups becoming starters, starters becoming backups, rookies being drafted presumably to start from day, guys out of the league for a year and one of the greatest QBs to ever play in the NFL cut for a player to have never played a down of professional football before. Confused yet? That’s because it is confusing to keep track of which quarterback is on which team now in the new quarterback driven NFL.

With the signing of Manning to the Broncos there is now another starting quarterback that could be had for the right price: Tim Tebow for a 5th round pick, presumably. The two teams with a most glaring need at a QB, if the 49ers don’t bring back Alex Smith, that is, are the Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins. You have to include Miami because a Matt Moore/David Garrard combo doesn’t scare anyone.

The Browns were never in the hunt for Manning but aren’t enamored with incumbent QB Colt McCoy and lost out on the RG3 sweepstakes. The Dolphins went all in on Manning but came back empty handed; then their second choice Flynn spurned them for the Seahawks. That leaves the potential of either one of those two teams signing Alex Smith, he of the 49ers, who has no idea of his job status thanks to the Peyton Derby, and the aforementioned Tebow.

Plus there are other potential first round quarterbacks besides Luck and RG3 that could be taken by the Browns or Dolphins like Ryan Tannehill or Brandon Weeden, both of whom, if you ask me aren’t worthy of being selected in the top ten of the draft but might be taken that early because the Dolphins (picking 8^th overall) and the Browns (picking 4^th overall) won’t have any choice other than dangling a future first round draft pick in order to trade back into the latter part of the upcoming 2012 NFL Draft.

By my calculations we might have a total of 11 teams with a new starting QB/quarterback question marks entering next season:

-Redskins – RG3, Vikings – Ponder/Webb?, Jaguars – Gabbert/Henne? Or maybe even Tebow?, San Fran – Smith/Kaepernick/Josh Johnson?, Arizona – Kolb/Skelton? Cleveland – McCoy?, Seattle – Flynn/T-Jax? Titans – Locker/Hasselbeck?, Indy – Luck, Miami – Moore/Garrard? and Denver – Peyton Manning.

11! That is a ridiculous amount of turnover at the most important position in football.

Now you can see why I’m pretty happy that the Giants have Eli Manning and we didn’t have to put up with the Peyton circus and the revolving game of quarterback musical chairs that teams like the Redskins and Dolphins plus players like Tebow and Smith have had to put up with this offseason. Heck, the Giants are even keeping their back-up QB David Carr.

While most people were totally enthralled by where Peyton would land, we here in Giants land didn’t really take notice until the 49ers supposedly got into the mix.  I think this was just a ploy to have the other two teams, Tennessee, and Denver, sweeten the pot a bit.  The 9ers now must repair their relationship with their starting free agent QB Alex Smith.  Peyton Manning may have just made him a rich man too….and they both have the same agent….sounds fishy to me!

So, the AFC has Peyton back, in a city the NFL needs to be good.  Win win all around.  Tim Tebow will probably now be on the trading block, and that will spur a new news cycle of craziness until he lands somewhere else.

Now, no one is going to mistake any Harbaugh for Josh McDaniel, Peyton Manning is more established and proven than Matt Cassell, and Alex Smith is no Jay Cutler, but the chances of losing all of them is a possibility.  Harbaugh and Alex Smith were said to have a special relationship, one built on trust and belief in each other.  It was said that that was all Alex needed was someone to believe in him, trust him, and give him his opportunity to prove himself.  Harbaugh did all of  the above and the 9ers won 13 games during the regular season and hosted the NFC Championship game last season. Now it seems like Harbaugh is willing to gamble that all away.  Alex Smith has visited the Miami Dolphins and is headed to Seattle for a visit.  Peyton Manning, it has been reported, wants to stay in the AFC for a variety of reasons, including not having to face the Giants and Eli in the playoffs.  I would suggest that San Francisco would be the place to go if you wanted to Guarantee a playoff match-up with Eli, not avoid one.  So, Here are the 49ers, 13-3 last season, with a home playoff win against the Saints, and a very well played overtime loss to the Super Bowl Champions, without a QB on their roster.

Peyton may very well choose Denver or Tennessee….Alex Smith might be so put off that he signs with Miami or Seattle, or Denver.  Matt Flynn could go to the team Smith doesn’t choose, and the 9ers could be left standing when the music stops.  I understand this might be worth the risk, but the result might be disaster for San Francisco and coach Harbaugh.  Even if Alex Smith stays the relationship will always be damaged and may break the team apart.

We will know more Monday or Tuesday as Peyton makes his decision.

Mario will add a dimension to the offense in the bay area, except he seems to fill the same role as Moss, a speed guy that stretches the defense.  Moss of course has better hands, and if healthy will be the bigger threat, which will help Mario and Davis. The problem right now in SF is who will the QB be?  Alex Smith seems a bit upset at the courting of Peyton Manning, and is exploring other options.

We wish Mario the best as we do all that leave our beloved Giants to explore other options. San Francisco seems like its on a good path to success, if the front office and head coach don’t get in the way. Congrats Mario and we will see you soon!

Mario Williams is the most coveted of these free agents this season.  The pass rushing linebacker/defensive end who was once the number one pick in the 2006 draft.  Williams will want to explore every option and even give Houston a chance to participate, so I don’t see him going too quickly.  The WR class is very deep and someone will need to accept a deal quickly to set the market.  I expect to see a defensive back be the first signing. Of course Peyton Manning and his decision will effect some teams, and it remains to be seen who he will choose.  This will be a very good few weeks for the NFL, as it stays in the limelight through March and April leading to the Draft.

The salary cap was set this morning at 120.6 million.  This is the most important number to keep in mind when wishing and hoping your team signs a big free agent….Sometimes it’s just not possible.

So, Here it is….Free Agency…..the chance to improve your team, and what every player dreams of in this modern era of sports.  The chance to win the lottery.

No one is sure where he may land; however, below I have listed the five NFL teams that his name has been associated with the most. Of course, these are all rumors but it is a starting point for us. The teams are not listed in any certain order My assumption is that Manning will be signing with a new team BEFORE the NFL draft:

• Miami Dolphins
• Washington Redskins
• San Francisco 49ers
• Seattle Seahawks
• Denver Broncos

While the playoff race has begun in the MLB, football season has only just begun. This week we embark on the 2nd quarter of the 2011 NFL season. We’re beginning to see who’s hot and who’s…well…pretty damn awful. Those of you who tune into GmenHQ.com religiously have extra insight into each upcoming week of football before they happen.

Not only do we tap into the prize picking panel at ESPN to see who they favor each week, but the higher ups at Fansided.com have a unique extraction method that involves electrodes, Justin Bieber music and a plumbing snake, which is what brings you, our readers, my weekly predictions right here at GmenHQ.com. So, let’s take a look at how ESPN did last week, how I did and our collective predictions for Week 5. Quickly, I can’t take much more of this!
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Week 4 – the NFL lockout is slowly becoming a distant memory and the playoff race is taking shape…well not quite. But we are one quarter of that way done with a football season that almost didn’t happen. Tie flies when you’re having fun!

Keeping with tradition, we gaze into the crystal balls of the necromancers of the NFL over at ESPN. We’ll look into their picks from last week, this week and see how I rank among them. Who am I picking this week? What’s my record thus far? Read on for my breakdown and analysis of each game.
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After a long, grueling offseason, the NFL kicked off its season opener…and what an opener it was. We witnessed the impossible, the improbable and the impartible. Yes, football season is upon us folks. That means that the guys over at ESPN are knee deep in their predictions once again. That also means that, so am I.

How did I match up against the pigskin parliamentarians last week? Was my Magic 8 Ball working as good or better than the big guys’? I bet you’ll be surprised at the results. Click the link below to find out the W/L ratios, my predictions for this coming week and the analysis of each game.
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He said of the move:

“The past several months have brought much introspection, and I have decided that while my desire to compete on Sundays is still and always will be there, my willingness to commit to the preparation necessary to play another season has waned to a level that I feel is no longer adequate to meet the demands of the position.”

 

Translation — I suck at Golf and the couch wasn’t too comfy after all.

Odds are he can be a starting QB in a much better franchise with the Colts… especially if Peyton has complications with his head/neck/back.  He’s as competent of a backup QB there is right now, and he says he hasn’t lost his love of the game.  We’ll see if he lost his edge though…

Just in case you haven’t heard, the NFL is currently closed for business and doing battle with the guys who fill the stadiums aka football players. This shutdown is threatening the livelihoods of countless individuals who work for the teams, stadiums and surrounding areas that host football games. These people have no stake in the 9 billon dollar split that the owners and players are currently trying to bisect. They are just trying to put food on their tables; make their car and mortgage payments.

There have been some rather vocal activists on both sides of the CBA issue. Peyton Manning and Drew Brees have championed the cause of the players. John Mara, owner of the New York Giants, has been one of the workhorses working to bridge the gap between the two parties in order to salvage a season headed for disaster. Steve Tisch, VP and co-owner of the New York Giants…not so much.
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On Wednesday, April 20, 2011 at 1pm ET, TXN Sports and Big Lead Sports organized a conference call with NFL Analysts, Chris Collinsworth, Howie Long and Boomer Esiason. A select group of reporters were invited to join, myself included, to discuss the upcoming NFL Draft that will take place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City from April 28-30 2011.

The call was also organized to promote TXN, a newly formed website (txnsports.com) that will launch this coming Tuesday. TXN, “The Experts Network” will introduce a new way to interact with analysts such as the panel above and the launch of their site is highly anticipated. It was a round robin type of discussion with no shortage of Q & A from the media and experts alike. Click below for transcription of the key topics that we discussed.
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The glory of the Lombardi Trophy is a mere two wins away. Men put their life and limb on the line just for an opportunity to hold it in their hand. The road is long for some, longer still for others. Four teams will have to endure 60 minutes of regulated football time and the elements of a cold, hard winter. The Super Bowl is upon us and the ESPN panel of fortune tellers verdicts are in.

I should note that last week, after my prediction article was published, Ron Jaworski and Chris Mortensen changed two of their picks. Both had originally picked the Jets to win over the New England Patriots. I am sure the trash talk of the New York Jets had something to do with it. Changing their picks was a mistake on their part nonetheless. Only one expert went 4-0 last week and you are reading his article right now. Thank you very much. Who am I picking this weekend and why? Read on for my breakdown and analysis!
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The regular season may be over, who knows better than us New York Giants fans, but football is still in FULL swing! This weekend marks the first round of the NFL playoffs and it’s going to get wild! Yes, folks, it’s time for all of those scrappers who were holding on for dear life to prove if they have the sand to move on to the next round. It’s Wildcard Weekend in the NFL! As the title indicates, the gurus over at ESPN have chosen the Green Bay Packers to win by a majority decision.

This week I am throwing my two cents into the playoff race along with the rest of the ESPN team. Last week was another week full of upset victories and shocking defeats. There were 9 unanimous ESPN picks. I went against the tide on a number of them. How did I fare against this panel of prophetic pundits? Who am I going with for this Wildcard Weekend? There’s only one way to find out. Click on the link below to check it out.
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But Manning’s final stats are deceiving, anyone who watched this game can see past the numbers and admit that Peyton, in large part, had plenty of time in the pocket to find open receivers (he was not sacked once all game and he was hit only 3 times), but often and uncharacteristically either checked down to Joseph Addai (arguably, Addai should have had even more touches (7 passing and 13 rushing) than he did) or settled on short and intermediate routes or he missed throws he usually makes (reggie wayne on the sideline in the third quarter).

The Colts had no vertical passing game and Manning got away with a few throws that could have/should have been picked by Saints defenders prior to the horrible interception to Porter in the 4th quarter, which crushed the Colts hopes. Peyton Manning was out played by Drew Brees, who deserves the MVP award after a record 32 completions and 2 touchdown passes. Coach Payton should be applauded for the opening half call of an on-side kick, and the Saints ultimately showed the heart of champions in not folding when down 10-0.

But, a better performance from Peyton Manning wins this game for the Colts, and I think he would agree. The Saints showed themselves to be true champions and they should be celebrated for a history-making season. As Peyton Manning begins the 2010 season, at age 34, and a lockout in 2011 remains a possibility, I wonder how many more chances he gets to play on the biggest stage of sports and compete for a championship?