Are You Ready For The Madness?

Welcome to the FFGP2 Active, Backup Quarterback December Madness! Nice ring, eh? This grueling tournament works in a similar fashion to the NCAA March Madness, except there are 56 "teams" instead of 65. And of course the reward of victory is much greater.

To qualify, you must be an active quarterback (who doesn't start right now) on an NFL team. If you started earlier in the season but now find yourself benched because of ineffectiveness, your team's starter came back from injury, or because Raheem Morris clearly doesn't know what he's doing with his quarterback-by-committee rotation, you will find yourself on this list. And yes, I understand Matt Moore starts right now, but the immortal Delhomme may return to practice this week, so Moore comes here. I have also left out strictly Wildcat quarterbacks who only play a few snaps a game, such as Pat White and Michael Vick, as well as players on injured reserve. (Sorry, Sorgi)

Let the madness begin.

SCOTT ZOLAK DIVISION - Colburn, Idaho

(1) JaMarcus Russell - OAK vs. (14) Brian St. Pierre - ARI

(2) Tavaris Jackson - MIN vs. (13) Caleb Hanie - CHI

(3) David Carr - NYG vs. (12) Mike Reilly - STL

(4) Kevin Kolb - PHI vs. (11) Stephen McGee - DAL

(5) Mark Brunell - NO vs. (10) Curtis Painter - IND

(6) Tyler Thigpen - MIA vs. (9) Brett Ratliff - CLE

(7) Josh Johnson - TB vs. (8) Kevin O'Connell - NYJ

Results: Russell massacres St. Pierre; Hanie hangs with Jackson, only for the mighty Tavaris to pull away in the final minutes; Carr soundly defeats Reilly; McGee upsets Kolb with a brilliant "slow-it-down" gameplan; Brunell uses veteran savviness to get by Painter; Thigpen trumps Ratliff; O'Connell squeaks by Johnson.

(1) Russell, (2) Jackson, (3) Carr, (5) Brunell, (6) Thigpen, (8) O'Connell, (11) McGee

DAVE KRIEG DIVISION - Gandeeville, West Virginia

(1) Derek Anderson - CLE vs. (14) John Parker Wilson - ATL

(2) Rex Grossman - HOU vs. (13) Matt Gutierrez - KC

(3) Kerry Collins - TEN vs. (12) Keith Null - STL

(4) Trent Edwards - BUF vs. (11) Brian Hoyer - NE

(5) Charlie Frye - OAK vs. (10) Jordan Palmer - CIN

(6) Chris Simms - DEN vs. (9) J.T. O'Sullivan - CIN

(7) Luke McCown - JAC vs. (8) Brodie Croyle - KC

Results: Anderson defeats the serial killer in a surprisingly hard-fought battle; Grossman shows Gutierrez the meaning of the word "pain"; Collins gleefully stomps Null; Edwards goes to OT to defeat young upstart Hoyer; Palmer whips a helpless Frye; O'Sullivan methodically carves up Simms; McCown is the last one standing in a particularly brutal matchup with Croyle.

(1) Anderson, (2) Grossman, (3) Collins, (4) Edwards, (7) McCown, (9) O'Sullivan, (10) Palmer

STEVE STENSTROM DIVISION - Dubbs, Mississippi

(1) Kyle Boller - STL vs. (14) Mike Teel - SEA

(2) Sage Rosenfels - MIN vs. (13) Tom Brandstater - DEN

(3) Jon Kitna - DAL vs. (12) Matt Flynn - GB

(4) A.J. Feeley - CAR vs. (11) John Beck - BAL

(5) Shaun Hill - SF vs. (10) Charlie Whitehurst - SD

(6) Chris Redman - ATL vs. (9) Brian Brohm - BUF

(7) Dennis Dixon - PIT vs. (8) Todd Collins - WAS

Results: Boller dissects Teel like a surgeon; down goes Rosenfels! Brandstater could not be contained!; Kitna handles Flynn; Feeley humiliates Beck; Hill devours Whitehurst; Brohm upends Redman; Dixon scrapes by Collins.

(1) Boller, (3) Kitna, (4) Feeley, (5) Hill, (7) Dixon, (9) Brohm, (13) Brandstater

STAN GELBAUGH DIVISION - Marengo, Wisconsin

(1) Dan Orlovsky - HOU vs. (14) Richard Bartel - WAS

(2) Daunte Culpepper - DET vs. (13) Rudy Carpenter - TB

(3) Billy Volek - SD vs. (12) Nate Davis - SF

(4) Seneca Wallace - SEA vs. (11) Erik Ainge - NYJ

(5) Matt Leinart - ARI vs. (10) Drew Stanton - DET

(6) Matt Moore - CAR vs. (9) Troy Smith - BAL

(7) Charlie Batch - PIT vs. (8) Kellen Clemens - NYJ

Results: Orlovsky dismantles Bartel; Carpenter retires mid-match against Culpepper; Volek defeats Davis in a shootout; Ainge beats Wallace at the buzzer; Stanton kept coming and coming until Leinart shriveled; Smith hands Moore a loss; Batch teaches Clemens a thing or two.

(1) Orlovsky, (2) Culpepper, (3) Volek, (7) Batch, (9) Smith, (10) Stanton, (11) Ainge


Coming tomorrow...

THE TITILLATING TWENTY-EIGHT