team that suffered losses to teams from weaker conferences early in the second half. ...

The SEC is perceived as the benchmark in college football. The league has won eight of the past 10 national championships. Its produced 47 first-round picks over the last five years, nearly twice as many as any other conference. And yet, when it comes to quarterbacks, the SEC has fallen behind the curve.Of those 47 first-round picks, guess how many were quarterbacks? One. Johnny Manziel was the lone SEC signal caller to be taken in the first round since 2011. In that same time period, the Big 12 and Pac-12 each have had three chosen in the first round.Cam Newton, last years NFL MVP, is an obvious success story. And Matthew Stafford has carved out a solid career. But for every Newton and Stafford, there seem to be more who havent translated to the next level.Why hasnt the SEC produced more elite quarterbacks?Im not sure, Florida coach Jim McElwain said. I know those two you mentioned [Newton and Stafford] - theyre pretty damn good.But that doesnt really answer the question. And this year, outside of a couple spots, there is more uncertainty at the position than ever.When ESPN ranked the top 100 players in the country earlier this month, only two SEC quarterbacks -- Chad Kelly and Joshua Dobbs -- made the cut. And neither Kelly nor Dobbs made Mel Kiper Jr.s most recent Big Board or Todd McShays Way-too-early 2017 NFL Mock Draft.It was also telling that there were only three quarterbacks - Kelly, Dobbs and Texas A&Ms Trevor Knight - at this years SEC media days. Compare that to 2013 when nine quarterbacks attended the leagues media days.Again, where are the elite quarterbacks in the SEC?Thats a great question, Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. Im really not for sure.Good is good enoughDo SEC teams really need elite quarterbacks to succeed? Alabama has won four of the last seven national championships, and not of one those title teams had a quarterback that was taken in the first three rounds of the NFL draft.Nick Saban has found a way to win without a star under center.The quarterback is not the centerpiece of the offense, former Alabama signal caller Greg McElroy said. The quarterback is a facilitator. And thats not to water down what the quarterbacks job is. The quarterbacks job is to make every other one of the 10 guys on the field with him better. That is the job of the Alabama quarterback.A lot of people say, They dont put up numbers. Anybody can play there. Thats not really true because some people dont maximize the talent of the people around them.The other key stat that stands out about all three of Alabamas championship-winning quarterbacks is the amount of interceptions they threw. McElroy threw only four in 2009. A.J. McCarron threw five in 2011 and just three the next year in 2012. Jake Coker threw eight last year, but he only threw one in the teams final seven games.SEC quarterbacks might not always have the perfect builds or the strongest arms. But on almost every one of the leagues best teams over the years, there was a Connor Shaw or an Aaron Murray or a James Franklin who knew how to take care of the football.If every drive ends in a kick then you have a real chance in winning the game, McElroy said. Whether that be a punt, an extra point or a field goal, as long as the other team has to go the length of the field, then you have a chance.The game is changingIs Nick Marshall an elite quarterback? In terms of NFL ability, he wasnt even close. He went undrafted, and eventually made the Jacksonville Jaguars as a cornerback.But ask any SEC coach, and hell sing a different tune. Thats because most of those coaches were shredded by Marshall and the Auburn offense. He could beat you with his arm. He could beat with you his legs. And when the play broke down and you thought you had him, thats when he was at his best.Sometimes, thats exactly what SEC teams need at the quarterback position.I know that week in and week out in this league, youre going to play against the best defenses, the best defensive lines, Malzahn said. In this league, things break down probably more than other leagues, maybe more than all [other leagues] combined. And youve got to have a guy that can make plays on his own when things break down and protect the football.Look around the SEC. How many true pocket-passers are there? Every team is looking for more of a dual-threat quarterback. Kelly and Dobbs, the leagues top two players at the position, can both make plays with their feet. Brandon Harris has that ability at LSU. And so do all three of the quarterbacks competing at Auburn. Even Alabama is giving a hard look at true freshman Jalen HurtsThe only problem is that dual-threat quarterbacks dont always translate to the NFL level, at least not yet. Jared Goff and Carson Wentz werent taken No. 1 and No. 2 in Aprils NFL draft because of their ability to run. They were taken because theyre 6-foot-4 or taller and they can make just about every throw on the field.Regional differencesWhere do the SEC quarterbacks from? Kelly hails from New York. Jacob Eason, the freshman phenom who is competing for the starting job at Georgia, arrived in January from the state of Washington. And the three quarterbacks in the mix at Alabama - Hurts, Cooper Bateman and Blake Barnett - come from Texas, Utah and California, respectively.Now thats not true of every school in the conference, but more times than not, teams have to go outside their region to grab a quarterback.Just look at the numbers. Since ESPN expanded its recruiting rankings to 300, there have been 120 quarterbacks ranked in the ESPN 300. Of those 120, only 38 played high school football in the Southeast.Of the 38 from the Southeast ranked in the ESPN 300, 20 were pocket-passers. California alone has had 18 pocket-passers ranked in the ESPN 300 since 2013.Some of that goes back to style of play. In the Southeast, more so than anywhere else, high school coaches tend to take the best athlete on the team and make him the quarterback. Its why ESPN scouts had to create the athlete position when it came to evaluating recruits. But in almost every case, these quarterbacks end up playing a different position at the college level.So while the Southeast might have the best overall athletes of any region, other states like California and Texas typically produce the best quarterbacks.What does the future hold?At first glance, it doesnt look good. The QB play across the SEC has been trending in the wrong direction for a couple years now, and this years crop of quarterback doesnt elicit much confidence that its going to be any different in 2016.It also doesnt help that a handful of the SECs promising young quarterbacks transferred out of the league this offseason. Texas A&M alone lost two former ESPN 300 signal callers in Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray. And Florida (Will Grier), Kentucky (Patrick Towles) and South Carolina (Connor Mitch) all saw former four-star recruits leave the school as well.But lets not forget that Alabama won a national championship just last year with a transfer (Coker) at quarterback. Plus, both Knight at Texas A&M and recently-named Florida starter Luke Del Rio transferred in from other schools.Incoming transfers arent going to change the narrative, though. If anything, it highlights that SEC havent been able to develop elite quarterbacks.The conferences best hope might be in the form of two freshmen - Eason at Georgia and Shea Patterson at Ole Miss. Both were highly sought after coming out of high school, and both have shown abilities that could translate to the NFL. Its still way too early to say for sure, but theres potential there. And maybe that means theres potential for the SEC. jerseys nfl wholesale . Ashley Youngs cross was inadvertently headed by Chester into his own net in the 66th minute, allowing United to claim a third straight league win. "We had to dig deep with our fighting spirit and weve done that," United striker Wayne Rooney said. wholesale jerseys cheap . -- Yogi Ferrell orchestrates pretty much everything in Indianas offence. http://www.chinajerseysnflcheapwholesale.com/ .C. -- Kemba Walker and the Charlotte Bobcats got off to a fast start, and the Sacramento Kings were never quite able to catch up. nfl jerseys cheap .S District Court against Major League Baseball, the Office of the Commissioner and his own union, the MLBPA. cheap mlb jerseys . -- Ryan Getzlaf grabbed the three pucks wrapped in tape and held them up to his chest in the Anaheim Ducks dressing room for a celebration nine seasons in the making. INDIANAPOLIS -- As Simon Pagenaud collected a $1 million champions check Tuesday night, he was already contemplating what the 2017 IndyCar season might actually look like.Hes already been involved in meetings about improving of the No. 22 car. He plans to test next week at Elkhart Lake. He wants to win the series marquee race, the Indianapolis 500. And soon, Pagenaud could be welcoming a new teammate to Team Penskes stable in North Carolina.Things couldnt get much better for the 32-year-old French driver, who won a series-high five races and seven poles this season to attain his lifelong dream by winning the series title.Im so proud of what happened, so happy because it really has been my dream and it hasnt been easy to get here, he said. I really mean it, this has been my dream since I was a little kid.Pagenauds victory added another chapter to Roger Penskes incredible resume as a team owner, this time in his milestone 50th season as a team owner.Penske didnt make it this far by sitting still, savoring victories or getting complacent. So why start now -- after Pagenaud, 2014 series champ Will Power and three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves swept the top three points places in 2016?Instead, Penske always keeps chasing more, which is why he wants to add the best young American driver in the series, Josef Newgarden, to his four-car garage. Had Newgarden been on the team last season, Penske would have swept the top four spots.And now it looks like the worst kept secret in IndyCars is on the verge of being confirmed.Were here tonight to celebrate 2016, Penske said, brushing aside questions about the expected announcement. I think well decide what the future will be soon, I hope.Ed Carpenter Racing announced last week that Newgarden had decided not to return to that team next season.And Newgarden tried to keep his future plans under wraps Tuesday night, explaining he didnt even consider moving on until he flew to Hawaii following the Sept. 18 race at Sonoma. In the two-plus weeks since the season finale, what started as a rumor has quickly become the conventional wisdom.Newgarden diidnt help his case when he arrived on the red carpet after Castroneves, after Power, after Penske and even after Pagenaud.dddddddddddd A slightly embarrassed Newgarden downplayed the order of appearance, acknowledging that never was the plan, but it still raised more questions about whats next for the rising star.Yes, Im currently unemployed, hopefully not for long, the 25-year-old Tennessee native said. When I had that conversation with Ed, it was very difficult. I think we could have continued for as long as we wanted, but a lot goes into a decision and sometimes when youre young, you just want to try something different.Penske and his drivers didnt drop any hints of what may be coming.I know Josef pretty well, Pagenaud said. I actually dont know whats going on, Ive just been reading what youve been writing about Josef and Juan (Pablo Montoya). I thought it worked pretty well last year, and thats not to say if Josef comes on board that it wouldnt work. It probably would.But before Pagenaud welcomes a new teammate and begins the daunting task of defending a title, he has a few more stops on his agenda.Hed like to take a vacation, switch off his cellphone and spend some time reflecting the biggest achievement of his life.I just want to take some time to enjoy all this, he said. I havent really had time to do that yet.Game notes The late Bryan Clauson was selected as the series most popular driver by fans. The 27-year-old Clauson died in August from injuries sustained in a crash during a midget-car crash. ... Pagenaud also earned the P1 Award for scoring the most points among pole winners. ... Billy Vincent, who worked with Pagenaud, was named the series chief mechanic of the year, and Jon Bouslog, of Team Penske, was named team manager of the year. ... Indy 500 winner Alexander Rossi was named the series rookie of the year, Conor Daly earned the Dont Crack Under Pressure Award, and Charlie Kimball earned the Drive to the Finish Award for completing the most laps. ' ' '