In The Spotlight

The No. 1 pick of the 2010 NFL Draft, Sam Bradford has gotten the St. Louis Rams off to their best start in four years thanks to his precise passing and heady leadership. “Each week I feel more comfortable,” he says. “I expect for this team to compete for the division.” Learn more about Bradford by clicking here.

In The Spotlight

Rex Ryan is a sportswriter’s dream come true. This exceptionally candid head coach seldom holds back in his press conferences as he gleefully expounds on topics ranging from the New York Jets to his own supersized posterior. “I'm the biggest trash talker there is,” he says. “[But] I don't disrespect anybody else. I just have confidence in our football team." The Jets will need both his brains and his bravado this year if they hope to improve upon last season’s successful 9-7 campaign. Learn more about Ryan by clicking here.

In The Spotlight

I'm delighted to announce that my celebrity profile of Argentinian striker Sergio Aguero is now online. Learn more about Maradona's fleet-footed heir apparent by clicking here.

Question of the Week

Kevin, Collinsville, IL
Subj: What’s in a name?
There’s something that’s always perplexed me: why are quarterbacks called quarterbacks?

The term harkens back to the sport’s early days and relates to the distance that the team’s signal caller stood behind his offensive line. According to the rigid structure of the time, the offensive line represented one extreme and the fullback represented the other, therefore the player playing half way between the two was the halfback and the player between the offensive line and the halfback was, quite literally, the quarterback. Who knew that football involved so much math?

Question of the Week

Maurice, Bakersfield, CA
Subj: The men behind the mic
In your opinion, who’s the worst NFL broadcaster of all time?

That honor belongs to former Monday Night Football commentator Joe Theismann. Although “The Squirmin’ German” may have been a great quarterback, his career as a broadcaster has been somewhat more dubious. In describing the tenacity of an NFL draft pick, Theismann once said, "He'll take your head off at the blink of a hat." On another occasion he tried to show off his mental acumen by claiming “Nobody in the game of football should be called a genius. A genius is somebody like Norman Einstein.” Let that be a lesson to all of you to remember to put on your helmet before taking to the field.