Comparing Survivor Legends to NFL Quarterbacks

As a fan of both the TV show "Survivor" and NFL Football, I thought it would be fun to compare some of the more famous faces of each show and who are the closest counterparts between each.  Some are a perfect match, while I'll admit some are a bit of a stretch.  I'll provide four reasons why they are each other's counterpart.

Boston Rob is Tom Brady
- New England ties (duh)
- Considered the GOAT
- Does whatever it takes to win
- Plays into his 40s and his game has shown a bit of a decline

Tony Vlachos is Patrick Mahomes
- Newer age player
- The "new" GOAT
- Crazy style of play that somehow works
- Others know they have to be stopped but they never can

Parvati Shallow is Aaron Rodgers
- Is considered one of the best all time, but not perhaps THE best
- Southern California, good-looking
- Perhaps plays better when upset
- Didn't make a big name for themselves right away, took a season or two

Sandra Diaz-Twine is Russell Wilson
- Perpetually underrated
- Proves that appearances can be deceiving
- PNW ties (Sandra once lived near Fort Lewis, WA)
- Doesn't always win pretty, but they win nonetheless

Cirie Fields is Drew Brees
- Universally loved, basically no haters
- Gotten screwed by late twists in games
- Family-oriented
- Persistent and seemingly will continue trying to win it all despite being up there in age

Ozzy Lusth is Michael Vick
- Athletic freak
- Never could win it all, but best chance was early in career
- At least a small amount of controversy
- People wonder what could have been with them

Natalie Anderson is Lamar Jackson
- As athletic as they come
- New school player who thrived despite the odds
- Still has doubters
- Succeeds in unique ways

Ben Driebergen is Carson Wentz
- New age player with interesting style
- Doesn't get a ton of credit for winning it all
- Good ol' American country boy from a small state
- Family-oriented

Russell Hantz is Jay Cutler
- Amazing potential and talented enough to win, but retired with wasted potential
- Never could win it all
- Other players have called them hard to work with
- Commentated about the game they played after retiring (Russell's YouTube channel, Jay was an analyst)

Coach Ben Wade is Ben Roethlisberger
- Cocky and arrogant
- Gotten far a few times
- Their fans love them, others despise them
- Both have had near-death experiences (Coach Wade stranded in jungle/Roethlisberger's motorcycle accident)

Rupert Boneham is Phillip Rivers
- Universally liked
- Competitive as they come, absolutely hates to lose and they show it
- Ties to Indianapolis (Rivers QB of Colts now)
- Family-oriented, known for being fatherly

John Cochran is Ryan Fitzpatrick
- Often called the smartest player
- Harvard Educated
- Lasted a long time
- Very personable

Michele Fitzgerald is Jimmy Garoppolo
- Gotten far twice, won once
- Not given a lot of credit for one win
- Still underrated despite getting far on their own accord
- Dark haired, good-looking

Joe Anglim is Deshaun Watson
- Relies on athleticism to get far 
- Can never get enough help to win it all
- Newer age player that most think will never win it all

- Large amount of controversy that has come up in the past year or two

Colby Donaldson is Peyton Manning
- Iconic player, if asked to name one player from their game most people would name them
- Southern ties (Colby-Texas, Peyton-Louisiana/Tennesssee)
- Very good in front of a camera, goes on to do other things also in front of a camera
- Extremely dominant early on in career, setting records that have since been tied or broken

Jerri Manthey is Eli Manning
- Linked to above player/have a rivalry
- Did just as well placement-wise as above player despite not being considered as good of a player
- Aloof and not the most personable player
- Went against the GOAT multiple times (1st player on this list)

Rob Cesternino is Tony Romo
- Came out of nowhere to become one of the game's best (when they played)
- Most known for talking about game now (RHAP, Tony being lead analyst for CBS)
- Made a mistake that people will never forget (Rob betraying Jenna and Heidi, Tony fumbling the snap on a field goal attempt)
- Never could win it all, but people will always consider them as good enough to do so (Just couldn't get the cards to fall right for them)

Jesse Lopez is Josh Allen
- All the talent in the world to win, but has come up short
- Had a friend that they worked with for a while until they no longer did (Cody, Diggs)
- Not given a ton of chances when they were younger, but they fought hard and finally got to a respectable place in life (Jesse graduating college and starting a family, Josh going to Wyoming of all places and getting drafted 1st round)
- Can get emotional in defeat and you feel nothing but sympathy for them.

Mike Gabler is Matthew Stafford
- Older guy that won it all despite the odds
- Laid low for a while (Alligabler, Stafford in Detroit) until their moment came
- Good under pressure (Gabler at fire, Stafford in playoffs with Rams)
- Likable winner, perhaps not surrounded by most likable players (Gabler on 43, Stafford on Rams)

Owen Knight is Joe Burrow
- Went on a run out of nowhere to get to the end, only to lose to the guy above
- Good-looking guy who's hard to dislike
- Didn't always get the best help but kept on going and surviving
- Worked with a young kid to help further their game (Sami, Jamarr Chase)

Charlie Davis is Brock Purdy
- Good looking guy with a goofy smile that's hard to hate
- Came so close to winning, but came up short, and a lot think they deserved to win over their competition.
- Indirect ties to Taylor Swift (Charlie a fan, Purdy went against her boyfriend in the Super Bowl)

- Surrounded by talented players

Kaleb Gebrewold is Dak Prescott
- Personable guy with leadership qualities
- Will likely never even get to the end to have a chance to win it all
- They are sometimes put in a terrible spot with little chance of success
- But sometimes they do something that makes your jaw drop (Kaleb's Shot in the Dark, Dak's throws).


That's all I have for now, if I think of any others, I'll add them here!  And I have indeed added some, they appear in red.  

NFL Quarterbacks Who Will Get New Homes in 2020

I love talking about NFL Quarterbacks, and I also like making predictions.  I like to see how right or wrong I am.  I decided I am going to go through all of the quarterbacks in the NFL that could change teams in 2020, and also go over the QB prospects will get drafted in 2020 as well.  I know I’ll be wrong on many accounts, but I bet I’ll get one of these right. 

Retired: Eli Manning, Josh McCown, Matt Schaub, Cam Newton
Manning, McCown, and Schaub are no surprises.  But Newton?!  After the Panthers either cut him or tell him he won’t be starting in 2020, Cam decides to retire.  He explains that all the hits and injuries have taken a toll. 

Teddy Bridgewater – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Bruce Arians and the Buccaneers decide they’ve had enough with Jameis’ turnover tendencies and they sign Teddy Bridgewater, a much more careful passer.  It would be interesting to see Bridgewater work with Arians and Leftwich. 

Andy Dalton – Dallas Cowboys
Dalton, a native Texan, decides he’s ok with settling for a backup role since it’s with the Dallas Cowboys.  They may even sign him before re-signing Dak Prescott.

Case Keenum – Cincinnati Bengals
Keenum goes to the Bengals to help mentor their young rookie QB.

Marcus Mariota – Chicago Bears
Mitch Trusbisky will remain the starter, but the Bears will sign Mariota to compete and push him.  Mariota fits well into Matt Nagy’s offensive scheme and could take over if Trubisky struggles.

Philip Rivers – Carolina Panthers
The Panthers are probably making a change, and Rivers could go there to compete for (and probably win) the starting job.  He’d be playing in the same state he went to college.  

Ryan Tannehill – Tennessee Titans
The Titans will re-sign Tannehill, but may also draft a QB after letting Mariota go. 

Josh Rosen – Los Angeles Chargers
Yep, his third team in his third year.  Rosen gets traded to the Bolts, where he competes with a rookie for the starting job.  He gets to play in his home state, too. 

Jameis Winston – Washington Redskins
Winston has more upside than Cam Newton, as he is a better pocket passer.  I see the new coach in Washington wanting to work with Jameis and see if he can get his interceptions down.  Jameis could be there with Haskins and “mentor” him, although he’s not much older than him.   Jameis would also be overpaid, as is the Redskins way.


Now, draft picks:
Joe Burrow – Cincinnati Bengals
He’s the strong favorite to be the #1 pick, and the Bengals have that pick.  It’s a no-brainer.

Justin Herbert – Los Angeles Chargers
After letting Rivers go, the Chargers trade for Rosen and draft Herbert, hoping one of them works out.

Tua Tagovailoa – Miami Dolphins
Tua gets drafted by the Fins and sits behind Fitzpatrick for a year.

Jake Fromm – New Orleans Saints
After losing Bridgewater and Brees being close to retirement, the Saints draft Jake Fromm out of Georgia.

Jacob Eason – Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers draft Eason to be Ben Roethlisberger’s heir apparent. 

Jamie Newman – Carolina Panthers
I don’t know much about Jamie Newman, but he would be learning from Philip Rivers in this scenario, and he’d be playing in the same state he went to college.

Khalil Tate – Tennessee Titans
After the Titans let Mariota go, they need to acquire a backup to Tannehill, and I think they’ll opt for someone with athleticism, and Tate fits that build.


That's all for now, I'll check in sometime after the draft to see how well I did!

Cam Newton, Grow Up!

The Denver Broncos defeated the Carolina Panthers 24-10 in Super Bowl 50, and in doing so Cam Newton was unable to be MVP and Super Bowl champ in the same season.  Cam Newton in his post-game interviews gave childish responses such as "What do you want me to say?"  He also stormed off in the most immature way possible.  Cam Newton is a man-child.  He's a kid in a man's body.  And for some NFL players, that's not a bad thing.  Many wide receivers and running backs embrace their immaturity.  But as the face of his team and now, one of the faces of the NFL, Cam Newton needs to grow the hell up.

One of the best pieces of advice a coach can give a player, really in any sport, is to not get too high when you win or too down when you lose.  When Cam wins, he gloats.  There's a difference between celebrating and gloating.  Cam gloats.  He rips down signs and flags from opposing teams and throws them to the ground.  He runs around his stadium like he's on cloud 9, just to make sure the opposing team can see him.  He gets too high when he wins.  So, when he loses, he gets too down and becomes sulky and to be frank, rude.  These are the characteristics of a child.  Children are given participation trophies nowadays so they don't get too down for losses... seems like Cam Newton needs one too. 

Cam, as an NFL MVP, you are now one of the faces of the entire sport.  Kids will look up to you and try to emulate you (that means to copy, man-child).  Sure, having a unique celebration like the Dab or the Superman pose is fun for children, but when you are immature off the field as well you send the message to your fellow youngsters that it's ok to whine and pout when you lose, and to gloat in the other team's face when you win. 

Cam, just take a look at your good friend and fellow black quarterback, Russell Wilson.  He's not even a year older than you, yet he acts four times the age that you act.  He's humble in victory and gracious in defeat.  You know how the media are constantly getting at you, Cam?  You know how you might think they're trying to make you out to be a bad guy?  It's not because you're black.  It's because you're an immature quarterback.  You're right, you are one of a kind.  Name me a quarterback you're more mature than.  Kinda hard, huh?  Be more of a good guy like Russell.  Otherwise not even the Carolina faithful will support your childish antics.