Happy Birthday Russell Wilson. Let’s Talk QB’s!
Russell Wilson #3 of the Denver Broncos looks to pass against the Cleveland Browns during the second half of the game at Empower Field At Mile High on November 26, 2023 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
Happy Birthday Russell Wilson. The Broncos quarterback turns 35 today. Wilson is one of the more unique quarterbacks in the NFL with his ability to run and throw his famous, accurate tear-drop bombs down field. He is also a Super Bowl winner from his days in Seattle. There were whispers that Russ had lost a step when the Seahawks shipped him to Denver. And, under Nathaniel Hackett’s system the whispers seemed to be true as his game dropped off significantly. However, after a slow start under new coach Sean Payton, Russell’s abilities are starting to shine again.
Happy birthday Russell Wilson!
But enough about Russ. On the occasion of his birthday we thought we’d talk about quarterbacks in general during our daily trivia segment with Craig Shemon and Company on ESPN Southwest Florida. Good Luck!
QUIZ TIME:
- Name the two universities Russell Wilson played for? NC State and Wisconsin
- Who is Russell Wilson’s wife? Ciara
- Name the two schools Jalen Hurts played for? Alabama and Oklahoma
- Where did Bailey Zappe go to school? Houston Baptist and Western Kentucky
- Who currently leads the NFL in TD passes? Josh Allen 24
- Two quarterbacks lead the league with 13 INT’s. Can you name one? Josh Allen, Sam Howell
- In 2014 what MLB team drafted Patrick Mahomes? Detroit Tigers
- Jared Goff once completed an NFL record 45 passes in a game.One other quarterback completed 45 passes in an NFL game. Who was it? (Hint: Washington State product). Drew Bledsoe
- Following Bryce Young and CJ Stroud, who was the 3rd QB taken in the 2023 NFL Draft? Anthony Richardson Colts.
- Where did Jags coach Doug Pederson play quarterback the majority of his 13-year career? Packers
How the Top-8 Teams Make the Playoffs
The penultimate College Football Playoff rankings are out. And it appears that there are 8 teams who have a shot at the Playoff. And I’ll explain how the top-8 teams make the playoffs. The four Power-5 undefeated teams take up the 1-4 spots. Georgia remains #1 while Michigan, Washington, and Florida State round out the top-4. That’s all well and good. However the placement of the next four is the more interesting discussion. Oregon remains at #5, followed by Ohio State falling to #6 with Texas and Alabama falling in the 7 and 8 spots. Michigan seems to be the closest team to a lock on this list. They’re somewhere around a three and a half touchdown favorite over the Iowa Hawkeyes. The first step for how the top-8 teams make the playoffs is to win your game this weekend (sorry Ohio State).
Oregon and Washington will start the playoff elimination series on Friday night in the PAC-12 Championship. This basically amounts to a CFP elimination game. Looking at what the committee did beyond the top-8 is just as interesting. I have long held the opinion that the committee stacks the deck to fit the narrative they want. Florida State fans should feel relieved that Louisville only fell 4 spots to 14. The SEC continues to get a ton of respect from the committee. Some would argue too much respect. Regardless the conference still has 5 of the top-11. Is this the committee stacking the deck so the conference champ gets in no matter what? Or stacking the deck so the loser has a shot? Here’s how the top-8 teams make the playoffs heading into Conference Championship weekend.
Craig Shemon has been hosting afternoons on ESPN Southwest Florida since 2017. Prior to that he was a nationally syndicated host in Los Angeles at FOX Sports Radio and in Houston at Yahoo! Sports Radio. Along the way Craig did play-by-play for the NFL on FOX, NFL Europe, Big Ten Network, and The Citadel Radio Network. Craig is a native Detroiter and Indiana University graduate. He has been known to proudly display his Detroit and IU fandom on the air. Craig likes to write about athletes, create quizzes, and covers big sports headlines.