Patriots Feast On NFL Turkeys

What is the real threat to the future of the NFL? It isn't injury, it's a two-parter - Part One is the lack of intellectual growth among coaches. The New England Patriots are feasting on turkeys galore entering Thanksgiving weekend and there isn't a coach in the league who can compete with Bill Belichick. Week Eleven showcased how vast the qualitative gap exists between Belichick and everyone else - and it's not just in coaching, it's in roster construction as well..

New England's Speedy Gonzales show showed anew how bad other coaches are compared to the Patriots.   


Of course the bigger issue is Part Two - the lack of development of quarterbacks.     That some media are again lobbying for a team to sign the worthless Colin Kaepernick - he of fewer wins the last three seasons than Jacoby Brissett or Blaine Gabbert - is driven by disgust at the poor quality of quarterbacking.     The problem, though, is they're not being developed between the college game's refusal to play pro-style offenses - instead imposing the dumbed-down zone read offense - and the lack of a true developmental apparatus , i.e. a minor league.   The NFL's myopia about having a minor league and/or working with other football leagues to better develop players by now is clearly hurting the game - just what would not be beneficial from an alliance of the NFL with the CFL, arena football leagues, etc.?


So we hope quality of play improves somewhat this Thanksgiving weekend - 

2016 Thanksgiving


Lions over Vikings - The Lions have dominated this rivalry lately, winning the last three meetings, and have regained some momentum after winning three straight.   The NFC North has become strictly a two-team race between these two as the Vikings look to snap their slump, coming off a clutch win over a powerful Rams phalanx.


Chargers over Cowboys - Suddenly San Diego doesn't look like pantywaists anymore, though obliterating a collapsing Bills squadron is not exactly a clutch win.    The Chargers nonetheless have something they need - momentum - entering Jerry Jones World with the Cowboys now officially in freefall after their inability to function without Zeke Elliott showed in their ugliest loss in years.

Redskins over NY Giants - The Redskins blew it again at New Orleans while the NY Giants pulled off a stunner of a win over the Chiefs as Roger Lewis became this Giants generation's David Tyree.    The failure of the Giants' season won't be assuaged by one win, and being a divisional game the bad blood will boil, especially for a Redskins team that's not a playoff team but is better than 4-6, albeit only slightly.

The highest-scoring game in the Bengals-Browns rivalry's history came in 2004.............

.............until it was surpassed three years later


Bengals over Browns - The Broncos are collapsing, yet beating them in Denver counts for something for the struggling Bengals, and they get the winless Browns who look even worse than last year and are stuck with a quarterback who looks to have no future.

Titans over Colts -   Getting humiliated by the Steelers should motivate the Titans to redouble effort to clean up gaffes committed at Heinz Field.    They're looking for only the second season sweep of the Colts in their history and this Colts team continues to struggle.   Don't expect a runaway, though; that never seems to work when one expects it. 


Panthers over NY Jets -   Carolina more and more looks back in 2015 form as the Panthers travel to a Jets team that's lost four of its last five games.   The caveat to throw in is turnover differential - the Jets are plus-One to Carolina's minus-Seven - a yikes stat.

Chiefs over Bills -  Andy Reid's NFC East magic is gone and they get what looks to be a needed respite after losing three of the last four games.   The Bills no longer look like a playoff team - entering this week the Ravens have supplanted the Bills as the AFC's six seed - and are getting ripped for starting rookie Nathan Peterman and seeing five INTs in the first half at San Diego.  


Falcons over Buccaneers -  The Falcons despite struggling quite a bit are still in the playoff race despite only being the eighth seed in the NFC, and they get a slumping Bucs squad, one of the big underachievers of the season.


Eagles over Bears -  The Eagles just keep pillaging opponents and they get a bad Bears team this week.    Mitchell Trubisky is a rookie and his struggles will continue.

2016's Michael Floyd game


Patriots over Dolphins -  Forget it - the machine of the league vs. an inept division foe stuck with a quarterback who doesn't care and doesn't try.


Saints over Rams -  The Rams got exposed by the Vikings and the Saints look more and more like a Superbowl team.    Remember when they were 0-2?  They don't, either. 


Seahawks over 49ers - The Niners got their first win of the season and the Seahawks are losing starters more and more, but the Seahawks have too much firepower for the Niners.


Raiders over Broncos -  Which team is worse?   We think the Broncos, and so does John Elway after he ripped them for softness before they proved him right in their loss to the Bengals.  Neither team is going anywhere.


Jaguars over Cardinals -   Blaine Gabbert is an upgrade for Arizona's quarterbacking issue of late, but they get a Jaguars team racing headlong into the playoffs.  


Steelers over Packers - The collapse of the Packers is hilarious given how overrated they always are; they'd be better with Aaron Rodgers but it's impossible to think they'd be all that much better. Pittsburgh continues to surge.


Texans over Ravens -  The Texans suddenly have some momentum after finally breaking through with Tom Savage and they travel to Baltimore after the Ravens looked like 2000 all over again.


Happy Thanksgiving