The St. Louis Rams will win the NFC West

One: his willingness to not pursue a win on the grounds of semantics. Two: for putting forth a football argument, that carries definite weight. This is going to be fun. In this round, I will put forth rebuttals to my opponent’s (admittedly well argued) points. Since his contentions are merely rebuttals to my contentions, rebutting his “contentions” is virtually the same as upholding my own. If I have a sufficient number of characters after offering my rebuttals, I will put forth a small constructive argument at the end of my post. R1: Quarterbacks Bradford v. Jackson: My opponent states that: “While [Tavaris] Jackson may be a worse pocket passer than Sam Bradford, he is far superior in mobility. ” My initial response to this is that the primary responsibility for any quarterback is to THROW the football. In regards to this: Sam Bradford broke records previously set by the great Peyton Manning. [1] Now if Sam Bradford can put up numbers like that with (as my opponent so eloquently “termed [? ?? ] receivers… I will address this designation later…) imagine what he can do when he is not as wet behind the ears as a rookie. Especially under the direction of the pass-happy Josh McDaniels. Sources say the 2011 Rams team is eerily similar to the 1999 team that was deemed “The Greatest Show on Turf”. [2] My opponent also states the following: “[Tavaris] Jackson's deficiencies in passing are much more acceptable on a Seattle team that will live and die by the run. ” I contend that this will highlight Jackson’s deficiencies, because successful teams that “live and die by the run” have a phenomenal feature back. (e. g. 1999 Titans’ Eddie George) Something the Seahawks so desperately lack that they have to rely on the meager production of three running backs. Also, teams such as Seattle that would call themselves a run heavy team typically are forced to run virtually every play out of three formations that history has shown are not conducive to mobile quarterbacks. These are: The “I” formation (with two tight ends) The offset “I” (with two TE’s) or the single-back formation (with two tight ends). The to tight ends are crucial to a run heavy team because they allow the quarterback to play-action fake with regularity and consistency. Unfortunately for a play-action to be effective, the tight ends have to release from the offensive line late, so as to sell the fake effectively. When the tight ends release late and Tavaris Jackson attempts to roll to his right, he is immediately made vulnerable by a blitzing DE and a spying LB or vice versa. I could go on and on about the technical issues that the Seahawks offense could possibly present for a QB like Jackson. Whereas the offensive scheme that McDaniels prefers plays perfectly into the hands of Bradford and his plethora of underwhelming receivers (by stats only). McDaniels employs a run-and-Gun meets spread with a hint of West coast flair. While this seems rather jumbled I’m sure it’s exactly the same system that then Offensive Coordinator Mike Martz employed with the Greatest show on turf. It’s accomplished by using a lot of Shotgun as singleback sets with three wideouts (2 on the outside 1 in the slot) and a tight end on the opposite side of the slot either blocking on the inside against a pass-rush or acting as a twin slot receiver, the latter being used more often than not. Anticipating the Rams drafted a pass catching tight end Lance Kendricks. Bradford is on a team that is building around his strengths. Tavaris Jackson would best suited in a spread offense, unfortunately he finds himself in a very conservative system where he won’t be adequately protected when he bootlegs. Bradford v Kolb: Bradford and Kolb are the top two quarterbacks in the division without a doubt. I am sure my opponent agrees with this designation. My opponent presented stats that are indeed accurate, even if though the differences in production are in fact quite negligible. My opponent cites a difference in touchdowns per game between the two young gun QB’s at .3. Can anybody tell me what difference a third of a touchdown makes in football? None. If he follows the round up rule from elementary school he would be taking an enormous liberty so let’s all hope he doesn’t do that. He also cites a difference in yards per game production of 31 yards. I am not going to pretend that such a difference is negligible, that indeed amounts to about one big pass per game. I would like to submit that ESPN’s experts expect to see an increase in Bradford’s production; due to adopting McDaniels’ pass heavy offensive scheme. I will presume that my opponent is worth his salt (as I believe he is) and point out preemptively that they also predict an increase in Kolb’s production. I will attempt to curb any enthusiasm by saying that the severe concussion that Kolb suffered last year is (for the rest of his career) be more susceptible to even more severe concussions, because of the Cardinals shoddy offensive line [3]. Bradford v Smith: My opponents argument for this matchup is so weak that I’m lead to think that he does not believe what he types. I don’t blame him though; if I would have to defend a position where Smith is even an equal QB to Bradford, I would struggle to come up with a passable football argument. I’ll leave it to say that that Smith’s 2006 season is his best CAREER season and he was still less productive than Bradford and his faceless and beleaguered receiving corps last year. R2: Running backs Jackson v Gore Again it would not be to my advantage to flat out deny Gore’s productivity as a bruiser in the league. Unfortunately, (like Jackson I’ll admit) Gore is 28, and it’s an old 28, since Gore is one dimensional. My argument here is that Jackson’s running style makes it (more) likely that he’ll be able to last longer in this league. I’m afraid,(for Gore’s sake) that we are on pace to see him go down a similar path to destruction that caused Emmitt Smith to disappear into ambiguity in Arizona [4] [5]. Simply put Jackson’s ability to get to the outside will allow him to get to the outside will save his body from the turmoil that results from running between the tackles. Additionally, the acquisition of Harvey Dahl should add a pro-bowl capable veteran presence to the scrappy, young, Rams offensive line. Jackson v the Seattle three: To show you that Marshawn Lynch is comparable to Jackson, he showed you a video of the run that I myself deemed the highlight of Marshawn’s unimpressive collage of work. [6]. Jackson v Hightower & Wells: Again, I can’t argue with the statistics presented, but what I can provide you with is that the experts at ESPN don’t see either of them providing too much of a spark for the Cardinals, especially an impact similar to the one that Steven Jackson gives the Rams. [7] [8]. R3: (abbreviated due to character space) response to Rams receivers [? ?? ]’s. The Rams have signed Sims-Walker to provide an outside threat with the primary objective of running streak and fade routes. The Rams have a plethora of viable possession receivers (quick players with good hands) like Danny Amendola, Brandon Gibson etc. Note: If my opponent/audience has noticed a drop-off in quality towards the end of the list this is due to two things that are (relatively) beyond my control. I’ve come down with a rather tough bout of sickness, compounded with intense side pain. Also a lack of character space. I ask your indulgence in allowing me to post the actual sources tomorrow in the comments section. I assure my opponent that the quality of R3 will increase in the final round. I wish him the best of luck in the final round as we look to end this debate on a high note. Thank you.