NFL - Random Opinions

Dan Quinn just might join Bill O'brien soon...

 

Agreed. I have them both, along with Gase, Nagy/Pace, Pederson, Patricia, Marrone and Lynn, as being the 'watch list' for possible firings in 2020.

The only shock here is that Gase is somehow still employed past the first firing of the season. lol

 

I'm going to sit down later today and knock out a bunch of rando thoughts to cover the first 4 game block of the season.

 

I'll do the same.

 

Most surprising stat:

It was announced during the week 4 MNF game (Patriots @ Chiefs) at almost the 2 minute warning in the 1st half, that the Chiefs Patriots committed their 1st offensive penalty of the season !!!

• Virtual off season.
• Covid limited training camp.
• No pre-season games

These guys went virtually 3 1/2 games without an offensive penalty.

{edited}

 

Was that the Chiefs or the Patriots?

I could have swore that the play was a handoff to the fullback in a 4th and 1 situation while Hoyer was still in at quarterback...

 

Since @Lyman was the first to fire up the idea of dropping his own thoughts, I'll start with his Browns.

So far, Stefanski and Berry have made a pretty strong effort to utilize what works with their talent over trying to force the team to play away from its strengths.

The offense flows through the running game and Mayfield is at his best when operating from play-action with some movement. Didn't matter that Chubb went down, the ground game remained the focal point and Baker simply had to play mistake free ball and guide the ship to shore. Utilizing a little bit of misdirection with one reverse for a run, and one for a wide receiver pass, Cleveland's offense had the opportunity to simply let skill guys be explosive. It's a good mixture that they can build off of and work towards a future where the team is competitive over multiple seasons.

I'm still not sold on Baker definitely being the answer at passer, but the GM/HC pairing looks solid enough to stop the hiring/firing cycle for more than just the duration of Mayfield's contract.

If Cleveland continues to build the trenches, stack talent and build up a defense that can smother, any transition that may have to be made at passer would not be as earth shattering as in the past.

As for the defense, overall I see a unit that has some tools to work with. It's one that is going to find which combination of players gives it the best chance to be competitive every week.

That second part is really the key towards extended growth on that side of the ball. Find the pieces that fit the puzzle best, recognize where you need improvement, then sign and draft to address those areas. The name on the back of the jersey is meaningless to a team that is still rebuilding while finding ways to win. Just utilize the best players for the scheme possible and make that the foundation. With that being said, here are my suggestions:

Get Takitaki off the field and go with Phillips. You can always bring Tak in as a fresh set of quick legs, but he's not as sound in space or as a part of the unit as Jacob appears to have the potential to be.

Utilize Malcolm Smith at ILB on occasion to see how well he and Goodson can bounce off of each other in situation football.

Start getting Ronnie Harrison some reps in Sendejo's spot from time to time. Joseph is going to become a decent enough weapon at SS to justify not addressing it this off-season unless a unique opportunity comes up, but finding that 3rd or 4th reliable safety should be on the table going into the draft.

Keep trying different solutions opposite of Garrett and go with the hot hand from week to week, but I would make it a high priority this off-season to get a monster opposite of Myles. It would immediately increase your return on the money you paid for Garrett and force offenses to dedicate additional resources to both edges, which frees up possibilities for the next layer. In a defense that is growing into what it can be, forcing an offense into a certain rhythm of being quick with the ball coming out aids coverage immensely.

 

My mistake. I was going off of memory and had it bassackwards. It was the Patriots. Still an amazing stat.

 

The AFCN is the best division right now.

 

Home field advantage is only an advantage when you have 60,000 plus fans in the stands.

 

The 2019 O-line was, by far, the biggest weakness of the Browns. Stefanski and Berry addressed that by adding Jack Conklin in free agency and drafting Jedricks Wills with their 1st round pick. Wyatt Teller has exceeded my expectations at RG. All things considered, they have done a remarkable job at upgrading the O-line. Although, IMHO, the biggest addition was the hiring of Bill Callahan as O-line coach. You can literally see improvement every time these guys step on the field.

I've never been a Baker Mayfield honk. If you recall, I thought (given the state of the Browns at that time) any of the top four QB's in that draft would have been an upgrade. But, Mayfield is the guy Dorsey drafted. He's now been surrounded by better than average talent at wide receiver, tight end, running back and (as referenced above) an NFL caliber O-line. If Stefanski and company can develop him between the ears, he has a chance. This is the year that will determine Mayfield's future.

Rome wasn't built in a day nor will the Cleveland Browns defense. The upside is it appears the Browns current front office tried to address the back half of the defence in the off season but, unfortunately, got derailed due to injuries. I was personally disappointed when they allowed Joe Schobert to walk (Kirksey - not so much). I pretty well agree with everything else you talked about.

 

I cant possibly pick this apart... well stated. The piece on getting someone opposite of Garret is spot on, in my opinion. 'Bookends' on defense can reek havoc on offenses - forcing the inside run, which would be a strong-suit for good defenses with strong linebackers. I see too many good runners burning up the edges on defense these days, kinda run where they aint', mentality... that would be addressed with strong line pursuit from the outside, which can also attack a QB who is forced from the pocket. I thought this was going to be the case in Minnesota, but Danielle's injury has thrown a wrench in that for now.

Baker has to be managed and the run game has been huge in allowing that. I like what I see from Stefanski and company.

 

Home field still has its advantages; Family, home cooking, sleeping in your own bed etc etc... WAY LESS TRAVEL.

 

Not enough of a difference to over come better talent

 

The AFC feels like it is going to come down to one of 3 teams early on, and I believe the championship game will be held in Kansas City.

That leaves the Ravens and Bills as the two teams to sort out which will be travelling to KC.

Right now, my money would be on the Ravens as I expect them to simply keep playing the same style of football all season. It's a simple plan of attack and defense that, when you have the right personnel, can be executed in a similar fashion week in/week out.

Buffalo is going to ride as high as Josh Allen does. If he continues to burn like a meteor all season then the Bills could end up being the team to face the Chiefs for the right to go to the Super bowl. However, there is also still a boom/bust quality within his game that makes me just a little less confident that he can continue to keep this kind of momentum all season. With that being said, there is no one in the NFL that is throwing the ball with more pop than Josh. He's roping passes all over the damn field, churning up plays with his legs and creating 'wow' type moments every weekend.

No matter how it shakes out we all win, because we get to see a trio of the best young arms in the league make a run towards a title this season.

The NFC has a bit different of a feel to it. It's more like the Wild West where anyone can come in, shoot up the scoreboard and run the town until the next sheriff claims the spot.

The Cowboys are simply too damn talented to continue this drop, but we've seen Mike McCarthy find ways to fuck things up for years in Green Bay so this had to be a little bit expected in his first season, right?

The Eagles are crashing and burning right before our eyes and I think Doug Pederson may be on a much hotter seat than what a lot of people think.

The Redskins are going to slowly improve all season under Rivera and a foundation will be laid for the future, but this season is going to be ugly for the Football Team.

And as a side note, I will never refer to Washington with any other name for the rest of my life. Mark me down as a huge fan of them sticking with that name permanently.

The Giants are hot garbage. Full stop.

The 49ers are going to be a good football team every week, but I don't see an NFC championship game in their 2020 future.

The Rams are too hit and miss. The magic that McVay had for one season continues to appear and disappear, sometimes in the same quarter.

Russell Wilson is an absolute stud, he has the receivers to make it work and the offense in Seattle needs to just open all the way up for the rest of the season. Can Pete find a way to hamstring his team this season or are they too talented for his nonsense to get in the way?

The Arizona Cardinals offense is some of the most interesting football to watch every Sunday, and Kyler Murray is going to be a top 5 quarterback in the NFL. However, there is still growing pains to be had with Kingsbury at the helm so this won't be the year for them to make a run.

The Packers look like a good bet for a deep playoff run, but how much confidence does everyone have in Rodgers keeping up this kind of play all season? It's been a minute since he was playing like this...

Minnesota has to be looked at as a rebound team, but I don't see a team that will make a deep playoff run.

Detroit is still Detroit.

Chicago is setting themselves up for a regime change this off-season. It should have happened last off-season, IMO.

Atlanta has some really talented players, and some really bad coaching.

The Saints are always a favorite to get things right and make a run, but Brees is showing the signs of a quarterback that may have hung in it for one season too long.

Carolina will be the best team in the NFC South... in 2024.

Can Brady and the Bucs find a way to be in the post-season? Right now, I wouldn't bet against it.

 

Completely agreed with that up until this year. Home teams have only won 46% of their games so far this year. Normally their around 55%. There's something different going on.

 

Josh Allen is channeling his inner Brett Favre every game. If you're a Bills fan then that's a very good thing. Allen is a gunslinger and the Bills are savvy enough to allow him to play his game. (The only thing that does NOT look Favresque through four games is that Allen does not complete passes to the other team.) While I am biased (being a fan, by definition, means one is biased for their team), but I am not surprised to see him achieve his current acclaim. I didn't expect THIS much success, but I expected him to continue to make big strides.

All of this, however, is moot if the Bills do not become a legitimate SB contender. I think the biggest hurdle they'll have to overcome is mental. Buffalo - and Allen - have always appeared awestruck and intimidated by NE; there's no doubt that Brady was in their head. So, I think Buffalo will continue to be doubted and challenged until after they have a signature win against the Pats.

Since the AFCE appears to be weaker than the AFCW, it is conceivable that the Bills could actually gain homefield advantage. Of course, this year that may not be a significant factor in the playoffs.

In the end, I cannot quibble with anything you wrote. I believe the Chiefs are dominant and deserve to be the presumptive favorite. And, Buffalo is the upstart that will not deserve great praise until after they've proven themselves.

But ... go Bills!

 

Home field advantage is a big deal for Buffalo in January, that weather even without the fans will still be brutal. Homefield for a dome team won’t matter much without the fans but those outdoor stadiums will extreme weather still gets an advantage.

 

Tim, the Steelers will have something to say about all that you said about the AFC.

 

Also your AV is too confusing Tim, because it reminds me of topdawg