MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

Allow me to start with this - - - - - The Corona Virus is real. But, IMHO, the "scientific data" spewed forth by the MSM isn't.

I am a 73 year old male who has been diagnosed with (somewhat advanced) COPD. I more than likely contracted COPD as a result of (a) fifty plus years of smoking and/or (b) spending most of my adult life working in hazardous environmental conditions. As a result, when news of COVID first broke back in early 2020, I was considered a prime candidate to end up in an ICU (or worse). Not wanting my life to end, both I (and my wife) took every precaution we were told to take (self-quarantine, wearing a mask if and when we did need to venture out - and those ventures were few and far between), avoided having close friends or family in our home, and took our temperatures daily (mine never exceeded 97.6). To quantify just how much we avoided venturing out of the house - I bought myself a new (to me) truck just about when the pandemic began. In the 17 months I have owned that truck, I've put a whopping 387 miles on it. Neither of us exhibited a single COVID symptom during that entire time frame.

Then, in December of 2020, I needed to make a doctors appointment to address some COPD issues that were flaring up. When I arrived at the doctors office, I got tested for COVID in the parking lot. If you guessed I tested positive, you're right. She (my doctor) never did address the reason I was there in the first place. She just sent me home and I ended up getting a bill for $130.00 for the COVID test (plus the Office visit). Therein begins my skepticism.

Did anyone else notice that, in the beginning, the only "statistics" reported by the MSM were total cases reported? And, while they fed us the numbers, they appeared to be aghast because the cumulative numbers kept getting bigger. Of course it will get bigger as there's no mechanism to report a negative number! Then, they allegedly started to normalize the data by comparing daily cases to average cases over the past two weeks. IF the number of new cases includes false positives, then the past two weeks average includes false positives, as well. Before someone responds that this data would include false negatives - that's not how pharmaceutical testing works. These tests are always designed to (rightfully so) err on the side of caution. Never once have I seen a MSM report that presents cases as a percentage of the population. Not. Once.

So now I'm supposed to believe the very same people who told us "two weeks to flatten the curve" when they say the vaccine has no long term side effects?

 

There are variations in other countries right now that don’t get prevented or slowed down by the vaccines anymore. So should we still take the useless vaccine?

 

I'm sorry to hear you got Covid Lyman........you are right the Virus is REAL.

I hope your healing and feeling better and you will NOT become a "Long Hauler".....which is Brutal.

Good luck for your Browns this year.

 

Nothing to be sorry about VV, you must have missed the part that said, "neither of us exhibited a single COVID symptom during that entire time frame." My whole point was the Covid test is inaccurate yet government health departments and MSM kept using flawed data combined with invalid analysis to brow beat the public.

 

Rob Ninkovich: Mac Jones was helping Cam Newton learn the playbook



So how did Mac Jones beat out Cam Newton? A former Patriots mainstay claims that Mac Jones showed a much greater mastery of the offense.

Linebacker Rob Ninkovich recently claimed that the rookie knew the offense so well that he was helping Newton learn the playbook.

Jones was having fewer “mental errors,” per Ninkovich, along with a better understanding of the offense. Ninkovich also pointed out that Newton did not run the no-huddle offense or two-minute drill during the preseason.

Fewer than two weeks ago, however, Newton was the starter — according to coach Bill Belichick. Jones took charge after Newton missed five days due to a COVID “misunderstanding.” Maybe Jones would have supplanted Newton sooner or later. Newton’s absence surely helped it happen sooner.

PFT

 

Bears like what they’ve seen from Andy Dalton, but in six days the analysis changes



Chicago’s plan at quarterback continues to be that Andy Dalton will be the starter to start the season. How long that lasts remains to be seen.

Ultimately, it may not be up to Dalton. It may hinge on how the overall offense performs when he plays.

Coach Matt Nagy explained to Albert Breer of SI.com that, for the preseason, the Bears focused on Dalton’s performance and only Dalton’s performance, given that he didn’t have full access to all starters — and that he had limited reps.

“You see a lot of these teams where there’s a lot of players that aren’t playing at all, what we wanted to do was get him a few live reps, getting in there and understanding what it’s like with this offense,” Nagy told Breer. “And we knew going into it that some of it was not going to be with some of the starters. The variable I keep talking about in the preseason, of not having your starters in there with you, it’s hard.”

So what did Nagy study?

“We looked at decision-making, we looked at how he runs the huddle, the things he does at practice, does it transfer into the game?” Nagy said. “He didn’t have a lot of reps, but the reps he was in there, he did a great job. Now is when we really get going with Week One. This preseason was more about individual evaluation than it was about team production.”

This implies that, as of Sunday night against the Rams, the quarterback analysis becomes an issue of team production. If the Chicago offense produces, Dalton presumably stays. It if doesn’t, the door opens for Fields.

But what happens if it doesn’t produce with Fields? Once a young quarterback becomes the starter, it’s difficult to bench him and then un-bench him and then re-bench him. Once Fields gets the job, it needs to continue to be his job.

That’s a very real factor for the Bears to consider before making the switch.

And let’s not forget the reality that Nagy served as offensive coordinator in Kansas City when Alex Smith served as the full-season starter (but for a meaningless Week 17 game) and Patrick Mahomes sat. Although the situations have many very real differences, the best outcome for the Bears would be to see Dalton thrive and to keep Fields on ice for 2022.

That won’t be enough to placate Bears fans, unless the offense performs well with Dalton under center. Then comes the question of whether fans and media have one opinion as to Dalton and the coaching staff and front office have another.

Regardless, the Bears went to the playoffs in 2018 and 2020. They made a big move to secure a long-term answer at quarterback. Yes, the fans are impatient. But this isn’t about 2021. It’s about the decade following 2021. Bears fans need to remember that — and they also need to ask themselves whether playing Fields as a rookie will make a dramatic difference in the team’s prospects for the coming season.

If giving Fields a year to learn how to play works like it did for the Chiefs with Mahomes, Bears fans will be singing a much different tune, as soon as next year. And this year’s angst will be a distant memory.

PFT

 

NFL QB youth movement features 13 starters 25 or younger

There’s a quarterback youth movement that has hit the NFL.

With five QBs drafted in the first round for the second time in the past four seasons, the NFL has a staggering number of young quarterbacks led by the three projected rookie starters: Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville, Zach Wilson for the Jets and Mac Jones in New England.

This will be the second season since the merger when more than two rookie QBs start in Week 1, following the 2012 class that had Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Ryan Tannehill, Brandon Weeded and Russell Wilson all start the opener.

The youth movement has really hit the AFC East where all four Week 1 starters are age 25 or younger with Buffalo’s Josh Allen (25) and Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa (23) joining Wilson (22) and Jones (23).

The last time a division had four starting Week 1 QBs that young came in 1983 when the AFC East did it with Dan Marino, Ken O’Brien, Tony Eason and Art Schlichter. This will be the fourth time since the merger that two rookie QBs in the same division started the opener, with Dallas’ Dak Prescott and Philadelphia’s Carson Wentz doing it in 2016.

In all, the NFL is projected to have 13 quarterbacks age 25 or younger starting in Week 1, tied for the second-most ever to the 16 that did it in 2013.

On the other end of the spectrum, Tampa Bay’s Tom Brady will be the first 44-year-old quarterback to start a season opener after previously being the first to do it at age 42 and 43.

The only players older than Brady to appear in a Week 1 game are kickers George Blanda, Adam Vinatieri and John Carney.

Blanda will remain the oldest to throw a pass. He went 4 for 11 for 64 yards and a TD to Raymond Chester for the Raiders against the Steelers in a relief effort on his 45th birthday in 1972.

AP

 

Colts QB Carson Wentz to fully participate in practice Wednesday, play Week 1 vs. Seahawks

As bad as things looked for the Indianapolis Colts at the onset of training camp, they're looking much better as the club prepares for its season opener.

Quarterback Carson Wentz, once feared to potentially be lost for a large chunk of the season due to foot surgery, will be a full participant in Wednesday's practice, coach Frank Reich said. He's on track to play in Sunday's season opener against the visiting Seattle Seahawks, per NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.

Acquired from the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a 2021 third-round pick and a conditional 2022 second-rounder in February, Wentz got a much needed fresh start in Indianapolis. And the Colts, after Philip Rivers retired, pounced on the chance to give it to him.

After suffering a foot injury requiring surgery to begin camp, however, Wentz was initially given a window of 5-12 weeks for his recovery. The Colts got even more bad news on star guard Quenton Nelson, who was given the same time frame for a similar foot injury just a day later. Both returned from surgery on the front end of those projections, however.

Both Wentz and Nelson were named team captains by a vote of the players, a more notable accomplishment for Wentz, given that he is newly arrived.

Whether missing the preseason makes for a slow-starting Wentz in 2021 remains to be seen, but more importantly, the Colts' starting quarterback won't miss a game.

NFL.com

 

Ben Roethlisberger: Offense is going to have growing pains



The Steelers looked sharp offensively in Ben Roethlisberger‘s only work of the preseason, but the quarterback doesn’t believe that is a clear preview of what will happen once they hit the field against the Bills this Sunday.

Offensive coordinator Matt Canada installed a new system this offseason and the team overhauled its offensive line this offseason. Two rookies will be part of that line and two others are in prominent spots in the offense, which led Roethlisberger to say on Wednesday that the unit “may not be pretty early.”

“Like anything, there’s going to be growing pains,” Roethlisberger said, via Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “We’re all going to experience them. Even someone in his 18th season is going to experience growing pains. The key is, do we learn from those growing pains? How often do those pains come?”

Facing the Bills on the road is a stiff first test for the Steelers on both sides of the field, but, given the changes and the way last season ended, the offensive performance is likely to draw more scrutiny after Week One.

PFT

 

Maybe I'm reading this wrong but to me it reads the disinformation stems from the need to

I think it's easy and convenient to blame it on the media. Yes, they are complicit but it goes much deeper than that. There has been a concerted effort to erode the public's trust in all institutions, not just the media. And it's because as the world (this isn't just a U.S. problem) becomes more diverse and less white there is a movement that understands democracy (i.e. everyone getting a vote) is not good for their future.

Autocracy is the goal and the playbook has been used repeatedly in other countries like Venezuela, Turkey and Hungary. It starts with sowing distrust in the media. Flaming existing tension on racial / economical / cultural lines. Creating fear, anger and distrust and then telling everyone your opponent is the reason they are scared and angry. Breaking down institutional checks and balances, commandeering media outlets, corrupting state institutions that will help you maintain power, packing the judiciary, encouraging para-military groups. We are witnessing an attempt to destroy our democracy and it reminds me of the boiling frog analogy. If you put him in a boiling pot of water he will jump out. If you put him in cold water and slowly turn up the heat he will be cooked to death.

Probably not the best place for this. But we need to all wake up.

 

It's easy to blame the media because they continue to get caught peddling nonsense while trying to be the gatekeepers on what information is actually available.

IMO, there's no grand conspiracy or power struggle at play here.

The mainstream outlets are losing their monopoly on the cash cow that was controlled information. Now that people have various methods to get their news and the money has dried up from a lot of revenue streams that the larger industry models built their entire structure around we are witnessing the price they are willing to sell their ethics for. They are completely dependent on an advertising dollar that only cares about exposure. It's a parasitic relationship that was probably doomed from the beginning.

Mainstream media is going to get worse before it gets any better, and there is probably a safer cash gamble on betting that it never truly recovers.

Agreed, and anyone that wants to continue this conversation is welcome to take it into the 'News' category.

 

Carson Wentz will start on Sunday



There was some doubt about whether the Colts would have Carson Wentz at quarterback in Week One when he had foot surgery during training camp, but that doubt has been eliminated.

During a Friday press conference, Colts head coach Frank Reich officially named Wentz the starter for the opener agains the Seahawks.

Wentz, who also missed time this summer while on the COVID-19 reserve list, last started a regular season game for the Eagles in Week 13 last season. He was benched in favor of Jalen Hurts in that game and didn’t play another snap for Philadelphia before being traded to the Colts this offseason.

While Wentz will be in the lineup, the Colts have ruled out cornerback Xavier Rhodes (calf), left tackle Eric Fisher (Achilles), and defensive end Kemoko Turay (groin).

PFT

 

How many likes can I give this?

 

Packers pull Aaron Rodgers, Jordan Love makes his debut as Saints obliterate Packers



The Jordan Love era is underway.

Love, the Packers’ 2020 first-round draft pick and heir apparent to franchise quarterback Aaron Rodgers, saw his first regular-season game action in the fourth quarter today as Rodgers was pulled during a disastrous game against the Saints.

Rodgers had completed 15 of 28 passes for 133 yards, with no touchdowns and two interceptions, and the Packers trailed 38-3 when Love entered the game.

Given all the offseason drama in Green Bay, there will be plenty of questions about whether Rodgers is happy about getting taken out late in the blowout. He certainly can’t be happy about how he played today.

PFT

 

Initial diagnosis for Ryan Fitzpatrick is hip subluxation



Washington quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick appears to have a significant injury.

Coach Ron Rivera said postgame that the team would know more after an MRI on Monday. The initial diagnosis, though, is a hip subluxation, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports.

“The hope is nothing was broken,” Rapoport adds. “A serious injury, but they’ll learn how serious tomorrow.”

Fitzpatrick left Sunday’s game in the second quarter after taking a hit from Chargers pass rusher Uchenna Nwosu. He was originally called questionable to return before being downgraded to out for the second half.

Taylor Heinicke went 11-of-15 for 122 yards and a touchdown in relief of Fitzpatrick. He rallied the team to a 16-13 lead in the third quarter, but Mike Williams‘ fourth-quarter touchdown gave the visiting side the win.

PFT

 

Tyrod Taylor on blowout win over Jaguars: 'It means everything to me'

The Houston Texans might have a long season ahead of them, but they're embarking upon it with a 1-0 start thanks to a stellar performance by veteran quarterback Tyrod Taylor.

He was accurate, he was poised, and he was certainly productive in completing 21 of 33 passes for 291 yards and a pair of touchdowns, with no interceptions and another 40 yards rushing in a 37-21 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The distraction of having a troubled star quarterback inactive in Deshaun Watson was, for a change, not the story of the day.

"It means everything to me and I know it means a lot to the guys in the locker room," Taylor said, per KRIV-TV. "Since Day 1, [Texans head coach David Culley] has made it important that we not focus on just the outside perception or what the outsiders say. That was something the guys leaned on in the locker room -- just playing for one another."

Taylor added: "We did that today and we need to keep doing that throughout the year."

NFL.com

 

never thought I would ever see that how big is this guy ego

 

Ryan Fitzpatrick will be placed on IR after MRI confirms he suffered a hip subluxation



It’s going to be at least a few weeks before Washington quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick returns to the field.

Per NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, an MRI confirmed that Fitzpatrick suffered a hip subluxation during Sunday’s loss to the Chargers. Fitzpatrick will be placed on injured reserve, which means he’s out for at least three weeks.

 

Prepare for a slew of talking heads to start barking about Cam Newton needing to be signed by the Redskins, and at least one or two that involve Dan Snyder's name and a racial angle.

 

Shoulda traded for Minshew