My Wes Welker Blog

The addition of WR Randy Moss by the New England Patriots was without a doubt the biggest offseason transaction in the league. With the Patriots being underminned by a struggling passing game in 2006, the New England front office made it a point to go out into the free agent market and address this need. The signings of WR's Wes Welker, Donte' Stallworth, and Kelly Washington surely brought a smile to the face of QB Tom Brady. The trade for Randy Moss from Oakland probably caused Brady to jum up and down on couches(a la Tom Cruise). All in all, the New England Patriots now have an incredible amount of weapons at their disposal for the passing game and has made the team the favorite to be Super Bowl champions. For their QB, 2007 could turn out to be a huge year for Tom Brady.

As far as fantasy is concerned, Brady has always been a solid tier 2 passer who owners could depend on week in and week out to put up solid all around numbers. The fact that he has made every start since replacing Drew Bledsoe four seasons ago gives Brady even more value due to the fact you never have to worry about injuries at a very injury-prone position. Tell that to Donovan McNabb owners how valuable that is. Now with all of the additions to the passing game, look for Brady to have a monster season in the TD and yardage department. Usually hovering between the 24-28 TD mark, expect Tom to stand more than a good chance of having his first 30 TD season. A 4,000 yard passing total is a given.

So when drafting a quarterback in your 2007 draft, it is suggested here that you let other owners grab Peyton Manning, Carson Palmer, and Drew Brees, while you wait until the third round to draft Brady. He may not be the most flashiest QB in the league, but Brady will put up numbers to rival anyone throwing a football in the 2007 campaign.

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I know, I know. I must be crazy for even asking the question. How can a guy who is on pace to not only obliterate the single season mark for TD's but also possibly go undefeated not be the MVP? Only someone who has a personal grudge against the guy could think otherwise. Someone would have to be a die-hard Ohio State Buckeye fan, or hate QB's who appear in GQ magazines, or hate any player who plays for Darth Hoodie to even entertain the notion that Tom Brady does not deserve the MVP.

Well I stand here today (well, sit here really) as someone who is none of the above three. I happen to like the Wolverines and hold no grudges for the GQ club or anyone who plays for the despicable presence that is Bill Belichick. So now that we are on the same page, allow me to explain to you why Tom Brady is not the MVP of the NFL this season so far.

Yes, Tom Brady will statistically be the best player not only this season, but quite possibly ever. Yes, he will end the season at a minimum of 14-2, with the chance of perfection absolutely in sight. But do these two things mean he HAS to be the MVP. This type of debate arises every year in baseball. Does having the most insane stats imaginable mean you are the most VALUABLE player in all of your sport? A-Rod just won the American League MVP. Was it just because he put up Mantle and Ruth-like numbers? No. It was because he single handedly propelled the Yankees into the playoffs. Take A-Rod away, and the Yankees do not make the playoffs.

So this brings me back to my point. I will say it boldly. As of this moment in the NFL season, having just about completed week 12, Brett Favre is the NFL MVP. Just to endure some more ridicule, lets look at a brief side by side statistical comparison.

Touchdowns: Brady-39, Favre-22.

Yards: Brady-3,439, Favre-3,356.

Interceptions: Brady-4(are you kidding?), Favre- 8

Passer Rating: Brady-127.9, Favre-101.5

Why, after this near embarrassing statistical comparison, and knowing that Tom Brady is quite possibly going to be the quarterback who leads his team to a perfect season, do I think that old man river Brett Favre is the MVP? Thank you for asking. I'll tell you why. Lets look at some important factors that should not be overlooked. We'll start simple. Tom Brady actually has a team around him. Brett Favre has players around him. Brady has a team, and one hell of a team on that note. He has the most gifted receiver in the NFL, after the quietest steal in NFL history in terms of trades. His 2nd receiver could be the #1 on many teams. Wes Welker, the #3, could be #1 or #2 on many teams as well. The tandem of Maroney and Morris, although nothing amazing lately, has provided a sound running game. Add this to the fact that Brady is protected by the damn Great Wall of China with his offensive line, and you have all of the pieces for success. I'm not downgrading his success. He is an amazing quarterback. But keep in mind he is playing for an amazing team. He is a product of his own talent, but also of the incredible talent around him.

Brett Favre, on the other hand, is a product of nothing more than himself. Please name for me 4 starters on the Packers offense not named Brett Favre or Donald Driver. You can recite the Patriots wide receiver trio, their tight end, running backs, etc. Brett Favre is playing nearly by himself out there. He is creating a star in a kid named Greg Jennings and until the past few weeks had the equivalent of a high school running game behind him. Despite all of this, despite the lack of talent around him, despite the lack of running game around him until the recent emergence of Ryan Grant, you have an old quarterback doing absolutely incredible things.

And now onto the second reason why Brett Favre, and NOT Tom Brady is the MVP as of right now. Take the fact that the Patriots are the best team in the NFL and add onto that the fact that their schedule hasn't exactly been, let's say, daunting. Tell me if this line of opponents sounds scary to you. Buffalo Bills(twice), New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals. Anyone else still shaking? Didn't think so. The only real defense they have played this season was Indy, and MAYBE San Diego (although lately they can't seem to defend anybody). The Packers, on the other hand, have played these teams: Eagles, Giants, Chargers, Vikings(twice), Bears, @Denver, @Kansas City, and Carolina. I said it in a previous post of mine, but I don't believe anyone in the league has had a tougher schedule defensively than that so far. And yet Brett Favre has nearly single-handedly led his team to a 9-1 record.

Add all of these factors together, and it spells one thing; MVP. Most VALUABLE Player. Brett Favre, in terms of value to his team, is the best player in the National Football League right now. Let the hate emails and comments proceed.

My name is Justin Beegel. I am currently an MBA student at Binghamton University. Sports have always played a huge role in my life, and because of this have created a blog that I update daily to talk about everything going on in the NFL. This has been very fulfilling for me because it allows me to write about something I love to be immersed in. The website is http://www.TheOnlyFootballBlog.com

Great Sports Heroes and Great Growth Stocks, What they have in Common.

What do our greatest sports heroes and a high quality growth stock have in common? Our greatest sports heroes have statistical numbers that are always increasing; a high quality growth stock has fundamentals that are increasing. Our greatest sports heroes are leaders on their teams and at their positions. A high quality growth stock is a leader in its industry. Our greatest sports heroes are innovative and raise the standard of how their sport is played. A high quality growth stock usually has come up with some new product, new service, or new management that has become high in demand. In this article we are going to discuss how understanding your greatest sports heroes can make you a superstar of growth stock investing. To show you the similarities we will compare Tom Brady of the New England Patriots to Suntech Power Holdings.

Tom Brady is having the best year of his NFL career in the 2007-2008 season. Why is this? Three new products were brought in which has made his passing game high in demand. With the additions of Randy Moss, Wes Welker, and Donte' Stallworth, Tom Brady has an arsenal of new products to throw to.

With the addition of these three new products, Tom Brady is having a break out year. As of this writing the New England Patriots are 11-0. Let's look at Tom Brady's statistics over the first 6 years of his career since he became a full time starter from 2001-2006:

Passing 2001-06 6 Year Average 2007 Stats

Through 11 games

Quarterback Rating 88.48 127.9

Completion % 61.96 72.4

Interceptions 13.3 4

Touchdowns 24.5 39

The proof is in the statistics. In the year of 2007, Tom Brady had added three new products, wide receivers Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Donte' Stallworth. With these new products, Tom Brady's statistics have improved in every area, and he is currently the leader in the NFL at the quarterback position.

How does this all relate to a high quality growth stock? Well, just like Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, a high quality growth stock will have a new product or service that creates high demand. This in turn helps increase the stocks numbers or statistics, as the numbers and demand increase it shoots the company forward into a leading position among its industry.

So let us view Tom Brady's new product as Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Donte' Stallworth. Tom Brady's quarterback rating, completion%, and touchdowns are a growth stock companies earnings, sales, and profit margins. Tom Brady's quarterback position will represent a growth stock companies industry. Therefore to find a high quality growth stock, we need a company who has a new product or service that has become in demand. We need a company who shows a great increase in earnings, sales, and profit margin (statistics). And we need a company who is a leader in their industry. In our research we have come up with Suntech Power Holdings.

Suntech Power Holdings new product has become in high demand for 2 reasons 1. The growing Chinese economy and 2. The buzz about green energy. Specifically solar energy. You see Suntech Power designs, develops, and manufactures photovoltaic cells and modules. These cells are used in both on-grid and off-grid electricity generation such as; street lamps, telecommunication relay systems, and mobile phone networks. So Suntech Power can sell its products to solar distributors, engineering and design firms, energy product distributors, as well as to property developers and system integrators.

Now that we know Suntech Power has a product that is in high demand and it is focused in two areas that are booming right now; China and Solar energy, let's see if the numbers compare to Tom Brady's.

Annual Earnings Quarterly Earnings Quarterly Sales

2002 - -.01 Sep. 05 - .08 Sep. 05 - 56.6 Mil

2003 - .01 Dec.05 - .12 Dec.05 - 89 Mil

2004 - .13 Mar. 06 - .14 Mar. 06 - 89.9 Mil

2005 - .32 Jun.06 - .19 Jun.06 - 128.2 Mil

2006 - .77 Sep.06 - .21 Sep. 06 - 163 Mil

2007 - 1.02 est. Dec.06 - .23 Dec. 06 - 217.9 Mil

Mar. 07 - .20 Mar. 07 - 246.7 Mil

Jun. 07 - .29 Jun. 07 - 317.4 Mil

Suntech has Powerful products that are in demand, and now we can see that the numbers or statistics, or when looking at a stock, the fundamentals, are much like Tom Brady's. Every year and in every quarter we see solid improvements in Suntech Powers Annual earnings, quarterly earnings, and quarterly sales.

Now we have our new product or a product that is in high demand, we have fundamentals that are consistently increasing, but is Suntech Power an Industry leader? Yes, it is. If we look at the current leading industries for the Stock Market right now, on 12/04/07, according to the Investors Business Daily, Energy stocks are leading the way. Just as Tom Brady was leading in his Industry (quarterback), Suntech Power is leading in its Industry (Energy). When sports heroes and growth stocks show such superior numbers they become the envy of the league or stock market.

Tom Brady has shown his brilliance and has become the envy of the NFL. There is not a coach in the NFL that would not want Tom Brady playing Quarterback on their team. Alright, maybe a few would want that other superior growth stock named Peyton Manning. So now we must compare the NFL to the big institutional investors of the stock market. Just as every NFL team would want Tom Brady on their team because of his superior numbers and leadership, so would every big institutional investor want a growth stock like Suntech Power on their team. Why? Because of the superior numbers and leadership. What is nice about the stock market is we as investors can all share in Suntech Powers's great numbers and leadership. We can participate in owning part of Suntech Power as a company. Imagine if you owned 100 shares of Tom Brady or Peyton Manning or a new up and coming growth stock like Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings, you could easily begin building a nice nest egg for yourself.

Our greatest sports heroes have taught us how to persevere, how to be disciplined, how to lead, and how to have the heart of a champion, I just never new they could teach me how to invest. Understanding Tom Brady could very well help you become a growth stock investing superstar.

Steve Martin went from a tennis pro struggling to make ends meet, to a successful growth stock investor, and developed the F.I.T. Stock Investment System at http://www.fitstocks.com