December 7th update

Don't like it? Well Suh me!

• Ndamukong Suh (pronounced 'sue' in case the cheesy header to this piece didn't make it clear) is an animal. Some people use this term to denote a player who is fierce competitor, improving his team through incredible plays made by that player's unique set of skills. Other use it to mean someone who a questionable human being, unable to act as a decent human being, instead choosing to act otherwise (or animalistic). I use this word because I submit that Suh fits both descriptions.
• Suh, a dominant Defensive Tackle who is extremely athletic for someone his size, probably should have won the Heisman Trophy award, which is supposed to go to the nation's best player, after the 2009 season (It might as well be called the QB or RB award because only 3 non-quarterbacks/running backs have won it since 1970) but lost to Mark Ingram and had to settle for being taken #2 in the NFL draft the following year by the Detroit Lions where he was expected to lead a resurgence for the team's awful defense.
• However, while he has put up incredible stats and the team has improved on the field, he's also come under fire for being a dirty player. In a preseason game his rookie year, he nearly ripped the head off of QB Jake Delhomme and he has been fined multiple times for his over-the-top hits.
• Then in the past couple weeks he was in a wreck and may have told women in the car with him to lie about their injuries and also repeatedly rammed an opponent's head into the turf and then stomped on the player's arm with his spikes (on Thanksgiving no less). He was suspended for two games for the stomp despite an explanation that seemed like something you'd see from a five year old who had been caught stealing cookies from the kitchen. If Suh can focus his anger and play aggressively while not behaving unacceptably, he stands a chance at becoming one of the greatest Defensive Tackles in NFL history. However, to this point, The Detroit Lion seems to think that wearing a helmet with an animal on it gives him the right to act like one.


Miami Marlins on spending spree

• The Baseball winter meetings kicked off in Dallas this week. This annual event generally signals the beginning off the offseason players moves, both in free agency and with trades. This year’s free agent class is headed by two of baseball's best players, Albert Pujols and Jose Reyes.
• The team who seems to be making the biggest splash so far is the newly minted Miami Marlins (formerly titled the Florida Marlins). The Marlins made the first free agent move of the offseason signing closer Heath Bell on a 3-year $27 million deal. They quickly trumped this deal by signing the aforementioned, Jose Reyes, a shortstop formerly of the New York Mets. Reyes, one of the jewels of the free agent market, signed a 6-year $106 million deal. The Reyes signing is interesting for the Marlins as their best player currently is Hanley Ramirez, who also plays shortstop
• Albert Pujols has also been made a long term offer by the Marlins. The 31-year old who has put up career numbers that put him in league with names such as Babe Ruth, Willie Mays and Ted Williams has been looking for a 10-year deal from his current team (The St Louis Cardinals) but they are reticent to give it to him. Such a deal would be risky as even a player of Pujols's caliber would be likely to deteriorate greatly from his current production by the time he reaches 41 years old (and even before then). However, the Marlins are rumored to have made a 10-year offer for Pujols and are expecting a response from him sometime soon.


Rookie Quarterbacks Leading the NFL

• This year’s crop of rookie quarterbacks has been remarkable in leading their teams to strong seasons, which is unusual because apart from Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco a couple years ago, rookie quarterbacks have almost categorically struggled in the NFL over the past handful of seasons.
• The Carolina Panthers' signal-caller Cam Newton has been a dual threat throwing for 13 touchdowns and running for a baker’s dozen as well. Through 12 games, the Panthers have already doubled their win total from last year, and are looking like they are on the upswing. This past weekend, Newton rushed for 3 touchdowns to break the NFL record for quarterbacks in a single season, and he’s' only played 75% of the season. Newton is on pace to shatter many other rookie quarterback records, but he may need to be more judicious with what he does with the footballs afterwards.
• Andy Dalton, the second round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals, is Newton’s biggest competition for Offensive Rookie of the Year. The Bengals are 7-5 and have a chance at making the playoffs under the leadership of Dalton. Dalton's statistics are not quite as impressive as Newton, but his team has won more and has a chance at the playoffs.
• The rest of the Rookie quarterbacks have simply enough, shown growing pains. Christian Ponder of the Minnesota Vikings has shown a lot of promise with the young Vikings but the team has only won two games. Blaine Gabbert, of the Jacksonville Jaguars has been very spotty and Jake Locker seems to be a bigger hit on YouTube (this is really funny if you have a couple minutes) than he is with the Titans.