NFL - Random Opinions

I read this in Paul Heyman's voice

 

thank you ravens. i knew you would!

funniest thing is, he bashes me as an owner and gm and he hasn't made the playoffs the last 2 yrs. now it's 10 teams and only 4 make it but he puts me on blasts when his team is on the golf course in early december. i don't get it besides he's an idiot.

 

Been a minute since I blasted out a few random thoughts.

Here's what's on my mind today...

Sometimes the football gods give you a sign and owners, coaches and GMs are best to read it and comply. The plague of injuries and poor play from veterans should be lighting a path for some teams on how to approach the 2018 off-season.

With that in mind, the majority are sure to fuck it up.

 

The Giants need to recognize that the band-aids no longer work and this team needs to look at a quick rebuild now or suffer through a long rebuild later.

Going after a quarterback this off-season may be the best route, unless someone there has faith in Davis Webb.

No on here does.

When you have a bunch of running backs on the roster and no one is willing to step up and take the job, it's time to treat the position seriously and go out and get one. Darkwa is their best back. Again, Orleans Darkwa is their best back.

The offensive line is still a mess and having multiple years to recognize it has done nothing to expedite the process to fix it.

I see talent on a roster mixed in with monstrous voids at positions of value.

Eli Manning's career will end with a thud.

 

The Bengals are trying to do just enough to keep Marvin Lewis employed. Five more wins will probably achieve that goal.

 

J.J. Watt will likely be done for 2017. The Texans still achieved a level of success last year without him so can they be better this year than last with the same kind of situation?

Deshaun Watson says, "Yes".

 

I like watching Alex Smith play great football. It gives me fond memories of arguing with my cousin over who is/was the better quarterback - Alex Smith or Mark Sanchez.

In my best Jeopardy impersonation - "he'll take the butt-fumble for the loss, Alex"

Smith has thrown 11 touchdowns and 0 picks through 5 weeks (no jinx) and has done it with a combination of his usual game managing ways and a new found appreciation for pushing the ball down the field.

If Alex continues to play like this, the Chiefs are likely AFC Champions.

 

The Seahawks are going to win the NFC West and be in the playoffs, but what are their chances of making it to the NFC Championship game?

Actually, pretty good if Russell Wilson continues to play the way he has through 5 weeks of 2017. The stats are not eye popping, but Wilson continues to move his offense behind a putrid O-line.

I find myself asking the same question I did last year at this time - Just how good could Russell Wilson be behind a really good offensive line?

Seattle is on a mission to make sure that question is never answered.

I'm starting to take it personal.

 

The Colts are a bad football team.

Harsh? Maybe, but even if Andrew Luck would have been starting for the entire season I can't see a good reason to make them the favored team in the South.

The combination of Chuck Pagano and a roster of chess pieces that are stuck on a Chinese checkerboard make them a painful team to watch.

To be sure, there are some talented young players that make them an interesting team to speculate on.

But right now?

eh.... not so much...

 

Second week in a row Dallas scored 20+ in the first half.

Second week in a row Dallas held a double-digit at (or very near) the half.

Second week in a row Dallas was badly outscored in the second half (42-16 combined) to drop both games.

 

If Hue Jackson starts Kevin Hogan in Houston does it help or hurt his chances at staying the head coach in Cleveland?

This is a tough one...

If Hogan goes into Houston and steals a win it will set up the Browns to be favored at home against the Titans. That's when the move would actually have an impact on Hue. If he can get back to back wins out of the back-up it probably helps his case to stay.

But, if Hogan were to win in Houston then lose at home against the Titans, it does nothing to keep Hue's seat from heating up.

What if Hogan loses in Houston? It probably does nothing. It keeps the idea that Jackson might have been right about going with Kizer a possibility making it tough to draw a line on just where Hue screwed the pooch.

Now, let's say Hue sticks with DeShone and he flops in Houston, only to have Hogan come off the bench again and play just well enough to make Kizer look bad but not secure the win? That looks bad for Jackson all the way around.

I'm not seeing a really good out for Jackson no matter how it shakes out over the next few weeks, barring one of his options at signal caller managing to rack up at least 4 wins. Like I said after week 1, Jackson likely accelerated the clock on his tenure by hitching his cart to Kizer and as the season starts to unravel for the Browns it's safe to assume that the front office is already exploring options for a change at head coach in 2018.

 

It ain't easy being orange.

 

Did the Chargers win or lose on Sunday?

At 1-4 in a division that is being destroyed by the red hot Chiefs, it could be easily argued that every win is a step farther from the top spot in the draft.

"BUT YOU PLAY THE GAMES TO WIN!!! ONLY SUCKERS TANK!!!" - Yeah, I get it, and I'm not going to argue as an advocate to play to lose. But, if you're the Chargers and you're looking down the barrel at the end of Philip Rivers career, the ability to have the top pick in a draft that will have some quality passers in it is probably a good thing.

There's lots of season left, and there is undoubtedly more losing to be had, but it will be interesting to see how a week 5 win may impact the potential, for a team that has more building to do, of getting a high priced gun slinger.

 

I still think the Browns have done well in the draft and free agency.

I also think that the completion of the rebuild will not include Hue Jackson.

 

that's a big "IF!" he's still Alex Smith. I don't expect his stock to keep rising.

 

One could argue how well they (the Browns) have done in the draft - and - free agency. Ergo . . . 1-20.

 

The Bills ceiling will never get any higher than what it is right now while Tyrod Taylor is the starting quarterback.

Anticipation accuracy is something that you will hear me harp on every NFL off-season when we're discussing rookie passers. There's a reason for that. The quarterbacks that can put a team on their back, make receivers better and get wins where it looks like there should be an 'L' on the schedule all have it.

Tyrod does not.

The argument goes that the receivers need to help the quarterback and the quarterback needs to help the receivers. Right now, neither is happening with any consistency, but that consistency must start with the man who runs the huddle.

 

Can this year's version of the Carolina Panthers make it all the way back to the Super bowl?

They beat the tar out of a lousy 49ers team. They outscored the Patriots in New England and the Lions in Detroit. The played a defensive slug fest at home against a stingy Bills D and they got the win.

The one loss on the year is to a Saints team that smoked them for 34 points.

The Panthers have a certain semblance of balance on offense that has been aided in a drastic manner by rookie running back Christian McCaffrey. The defense is solid enough and under Rivera will keep the Panthers within striking distance of a win in most games.

It all comes back to Cam Newton and whether or not you have faith in him to get it done.

Right now, I think the Panthers would be a tough out in the post-season and a likely opponent in the NFC Championship game.

 

Its on Cam... he has to keep his head screwed on straight and stay healthy too. They have the weapons and the potential, they must just keep it together and execute. I'm not a big fan of Cam, but when he's on they will be tough to beat.

 

KC is really a fun team to watch play. I would like to think that the running of Hunt has helped Smith with his passing game. While defense key on the run game, Smith has taken full advantage of opening up on the passing game... a deadly combo right now.