NFL Elects Rod Serling Before Week Seven

Tennessee ended a drought of eleven games against the Colts - and ended it emphatically - one of numerous games that made Week Six the most eye-popping NFL week in awhile


It was The Twilight Zone not just at Talladega the second weekend of October; Rod Serling was visiting NFL stadiums galore in Week Six.   Every year at least one week piles up bizarre finishes, eye-popping upsets, and other such weirdness.    Such was the case in Week Six as we look forward to Week Seven -

The call that will explode a lot of minds was The Whatfumble, the ruling that Austin Sefarian-Jenkins' bobble as he hit the pylon against the Patriots constituted a fumble and resultant touchback.   The league's definition of possession has long needed to be changed to give the receiver benefit of the doubt and this controversy shows anew why.


Chiefs over Raiders -   The Raiders are now in trouble as Derek Carr has been banged up and much-touted signee Marshawn Lynch is only 3.4 yards per carry for the Raiders offense.   Kansas City comes in smarting from yet another loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers while the Raiders have now lost four straight.

Panthers over Bears -  The Bears got a needed win against the mediocre Ravens while the Panthers are smarting from Cam Newton's multiple INTs against the Eagles.   The Bears, though, had to bust open the trick play book to help them against the Ravens and we doubt that will continue this week.

Titans over Browns -  Marcus Mariota's comeback from a hamstring issue happened with a comeback win over the Colts.  For the Browns the benching of DeShone Kizer screams that the Browns' season is already dead; this matchup, though, has been favorable to the Browns from 2001 onward.  

Saints over Packers - Aaron Rodgers broke his collarbone the last time the Packers' non-conference rotation swung through the AFC North, and it's happened again.   He'd pulled off the rarest of rarities in his career - he'd beaten Cincinnati and Dallas from down two-plus scores, putting him at six career such wins in thirty-eight chances - and it would seem karma struck again with his recent broken collarbone, to where he may be out for the season, this as a rejuvenated Saints squad comes to The House That Curly Lambeau Built off a 52-point eruption against the Lions.  

NY Jets over Dolphins -  The Falcons raced to a multi-touchdown lead over an AFC East opponent - and the result was something of a repeat of the worst defeat in Falcons history.   In fact the Falcons are 1-6 in their last seven meetings with AFC East teams.   This may not help the Dolphins as they host a Jets team that already beat them this year and is livid over the touchback call in their game against the Patriots, this with the AFC East still a four-team logjam.  

Rams over Cardinals, London - The Cardinals traded for Adrian Peterson and Peterson immediately elevated their running game.   They face a Rams team off a win at Jacksonville that has proven well ahead of last season's subpar outfit.   The most improved quarterback in the league may be Jared Goff, while one is still suspicious of an aging Carson Palmer.


Bills over Buccaneers - Jameis Winston was knocked out of the game at Arizona with a shoulder problem; it appears not to be long-lasting, but even with a healthy Winston the Bucs face a Bills defense that has picked off opponent quarterbacks eight times so far.   Buffalo's offensive struggles, though, haven't yet been solved - a paltry 5.4 net yards per pass and 3.4 yards per carry as they challenge a Bucs team 12th in scoring and averaging 8.25 yards per pass and 3.9 yards per carry.

Vikings over Ravens - The Vikings got a big boost of a win over the hated Packers and now get the radically inconsistent Ravens next off their bitter loss to the Bears.  Joe Flacco's deterioration as a quarterback has continued with eight INTs and a miserable 5.4 yards per pass attempt.   In contrast Case Keenum has begun to build something in Minnesota, boasting five touchdowns and just one pick in four starts.


Steelers over Bengals - Cincinnati has never done well against the Steelers in the Marvin Lewis era (just 8-23 in that span).  Andy Dalton has accounted for just three such wins and while the Bengals have shown improvement since changing coordinators nothing has worked in the past fifteen seasons, this even as the Steelers look like the same overrated gang they've been for years.


Colts over Jaguars - Rumor Control Central claimed the Giants would trade Eli Manning to Tom Coughlin in Jacksonville; we doubt that will happen now.   The Jaguars still have Blake Bortles but Bortles hasn't shown the improvement perceived of him at the start of the season, and the Colts are only one game out in an AFC South like the AFC East sitting as a four-way logjam.


Cowboys over 49ers -  The 49ers are fighting, that's clear especially with bitter losses to the Rams, Cardinals, Colts, and Redskins, but at 0-6 they need a win to spark some kind of consistency, and they get a Cowboys team that's in something of a must-win environment itself at just 2-3.


Chargers over Broncos - Suddenly the AFC West may be changing.   The Chiefs losing to the Steelers continued a trend (2-7 vs the Steelers since Dick Vermeil retired) while the Broncos got upended by the formerly-winless NY Giants and now look decidedly vulnerable with a defense that teams may no longer be scared of (the vaunted No Fly Zone has allowed nine touchdown passes) and a less-than-inspiring offense with eight touchdowns and six INTs by Trevor Siemian.   San Diego meanwhile has won its last two games after four losses, three of them bitterly close affairs, and the confluence of trends bodes well for the Chargers.


NY Giants over Seahawks  -  The Seahawks have lost seven road games with one tie in the last two seasons and come out of their bye going to face a rejuvenated Giants squad.   With injury knocking out all the diva receivers, the Giants have hit something unexpected - yet familiar with their 2007 season when loudmouthed Jeremy Shockey was unavailable for their stretch run and the team got better as a result.   With players who seem to be paying attention to Eli, the Giants suddenly look like a different team, while the Seahawks still look like the bubbling cauldron that can win at home but not on the road.

Patriots over Falcons - The comeback win in the Superbowl will be replayed all week before this game and it is doubly bitter for the Falcons after blowing a 17-0 gap to the Dolphins.   New England's defense has come under fire all season and even with victories where they didn't allow 20 points scored seemingly no one believes in the Patriots defense. The problem is the Patriots defense is anything but the paper tigers they're being portrayed as, and after the demolition of Denver's vaunted defense the criticism lacks a certain sting.   The Patriots offense is strong but the lack of production from Dwayne Allen remains disconcerting and Brandin Cooks has produced but the Patriots haven't yet gotten out of the Edelman Offense they want to run and Cooks is not that kind of receiver.   The return of Gronkowski is welcome for New England and there is need for Jacob Hollister and Philip Dorsett to be integrated more into the offense.  


Eagles over Redskins -  A battle for the lead in the NFC East, the Skins come to Lincoln Financial Field two games out of the lead and after a bruising win over the 49ers.    Carson Wentz so far has hit thirteen touchdowns and LeGarrette Blount is at 5.6 yards per carry; curiously veteran TE Brent Celek has been all but phased out of the offense with just two catches.   Defensively the Eagles are ninth in points allowed.   The Skins come in midpack on both sides of the ball but have cleaned up the turnover problem that plagued them in Week One and Kirk Cousins' 106.4 passer rating (to Wentz's 99.6) comes wrapped in nine scores to just two INTs.   We expect a closer affair than Week One's mini-blowout.



So we await lucky Seven.

NFL Playoffs Division And Conquer

The NFL's playoffs are off and running and already we've had two football diva moments -

First Odell Beckham Jr. is doing nothing but make the case that he is a liability to the NY Giants.   He came up small yet again in a big game - and one cannot remember one time where Beckham ever raised his game even marginally in any kind of big game.   Beckham's sideline and postgame tantrums are getting worse, notably with a reported blowup after his Giants got smoked by Aaron Rodgers and the Packers.   

Beckham's marketing endeavor has by now all but surpassed his on-field production and the conclusion one can only draw now is he is not a serious football player, he is a self-marketed brand name irrelevant to winning.
Even worse is Beckham was part of a party cruise several days before the Packers game with several teammates, a sign of a lack of discipline on the part of Giants coaching apart from the awfulness of the Giants' overall performance against the overrated Packers, where they had the Packers manhandled for much of the first half and couldn't score, and couldn't stop Aaron Rodgers from yet more desperation heaves that he keeps getting away with - his overall game more and more is becoming streetball - based on freelancing and overreliance on athleticism and arm strength to get out of situations - rather than the kind of smart quarterbacking that today is personified by Tom Brady.


*****


The second diva moment came when Steelers coaching assistant Joey Porter - a former linebacker with the Steelers - was arrested outside a bar following the game.   Porter's history as a player was one of instigating fights, so getting arrested would seem to be par for the course for a guy who's not worth a damn anymore than Odell Beckham Jr.  


*****


The Steelers' win over the Dolphins was one of several curious revenge bowl games that permeated Wildcard weekend, as the Steelers avenged their earlier slaughter at Miami, while the Houston Texans manhandled the punchless Oakland Raiders - as for the first time a Houston pro football team defeated the Raiders in the playoffs after losses by the Oilers in three such contests - and the Packers got a measure of revenge over the Giants after the two playoff losses (2007 and 2011).  

 

Divisional round weekend offers more such opportunity.


Falcons over Seahawks -  This is a rematch of 2012's playoff stunner at the Georgia Dome and one recalls this 2012 meeting remains Matt Ryan's only career playoff win.   In Seattle's victory over the Lions, former Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren served as the color analyst on Westwood One's radio call, and it is doubly fitting as the Seahawks enter this game having reverted to the distinguishing characteristic of Holmgren's time as Seahawks coach - poor performance in road games (3-4-1 on the road this year).   The Seahawks even at home against a Lions team that has once and for all shown no ability to beat a quality opponent didn't play all that strongly.     It's a key game for Ryan as he has never proven he can elevate his game when it matters.

In 2015 the Patriots faced JJ Watt - and Watt was invisible.


Patriots over Texans -  The Texans managed the win over the Raiders who didn't have a capable quarterback.   It the short history of the Texans they've won once against the Patriots and the losses to the Patriots have been almost invariably embarrassing.    The Patriots enter this game with the deepest receiving corps they've had in years and the top scoring defense in the league; Houston's defense has also been strong, but Houston's seven losses speaks to that defense not being as good as the numbers might suggest.  

Steelers over Chiefs -  A lot of people are awed by Antonio Brown of the Steelers and in yet another rematch from the regular season the Steelers get a Chiefs team they annihilated in Week Four.   The caveat here is the Chiefs have forced 23 turnovers since then (plus-six in turnover differential over the Steelers in that span) with ten wins in their last twelve games, plus the way the playoffs have gone the home team enters Divisional Round weekend unbeaten.   

Cowboys over Packers   - We mentioned Aaron Rodgers' style of play - streetball, just freelancing and relying on athleticism and arm strength instead of smart quarterbacking.   The Cowboys play smarter football and have already manhandled the Packers in their own building this season.    The match between these two that will get a lot of recall is the Dez Bryant catch in 2014 that was overruled.   Dakota Prescott has shown Russell Wilson-esque calm in tough situations and the result has been Dallas' 13-3 surge.



So we thus await Odell Beckham's next meltdown and Divisional Weekend.

The Latest Deflategate Scam

The latest fiasco in the NFL is that the NY Giants reported two footballs from their loss to the Steelers measured 11.4 and 11.8 PSI, yet the story has aroused ZERO interest from the NFL - indeed the league has gone out of its way - and in amateurish fashion - to downplay it.

The reason is obvious - nothing happened here and the fact nothing happened vindicates the New England Patriots.   And the fact the Patriots are proven - again - right is a fact Roger Goodell does not want to acknowledge, because to acknowledge he was wrong is to say to the world what the NFL needs to admit to itself - Goodell is a liar who never should have been elected commissioner.

Sally Jenkins provides the gory details and Dan Wetzel states what should be obvious - Goodell owes Brady an apology. Of course Goodell also owes the Patriots, the New Orleans Saints, the Tennessee Titans (fined because Goodell had a snit over their present ownership structure), and a hell of a lot of others an apology as well.

Rumor Control Central Jockeys For The Playoffs

The "newest" player in the NFL's 2016 season has arrived and it's Rumor Control Central as the playoff jockeying is here.

The 49ers failed yet again after a report circulated that GM Trent Baalke, under fire for the collapse of the team the last three years, will be fired; the sub-rumor is Mike Shanahan may come back into the league, this time with the Niners, where he'd been an assistant coach in the mid-1990s. For the NY Jets it was an important game for rookie Bryce Petty as he pulled off the win.

The other big pregame rumor is that Rex Ryan will be fired from the Bills, and before the end of the season; Mike Florio explains that the Bills want assistant coach Anthony Lynn to take over and don't want anyone else to have a shot at hiring him.   The sub-rumor is Tyrod Taylor is done and Cardale Jones will finish the season.

The AFC West race got curiouser, and so did the AFC South.  First the Chiefs finished a sweep of the Raiders - Andy Reid's seventh win in eight meetings as Chiefs coach - and the Titans pulled off the win over the Broncos, who are now 8-5..........

......and out of the AFC playoffs as Miami shot down the faltering Cardinals; it proved a costly win as Ryan Tannehill was injured.   

The Colts meanwhile hit uncharted territory as the Houston Texans beat them again - their first season sweep of the Colts since they started.   With the tiebreaker the Texans lead the Titans for the AFC South - in this, the 20th anniversary of the final season of the Houston Oilers as a Houston team.

The other big rumor is that Bill Polian, former GM of the Colts in the Peyton Manning era and the Bills in the K-Gun era, will be hired by the Bears.   Having been out of the game for awhile one wonders how effective it would be to sign him.  

The irrelevance of the Saints continues and the resurgence of the Buccaneers also continues. 

It was that kind of game for the Cowboys as they took the lead and did nothing the rest of the night.   One also has to ask - when was the last clutch play made by Dez Bryant?   Dakota Prescott and Zeke Elliott look vulnerable now; the Cowboys looked one-dimensional in this game with basically no one other than Elliott doing anything.

Only the Browns - they decided it was a good idea to start Robert Griffin III, and the result shows why they're 0 for the season.

The first coaching casualty has hit the league with Jeff Fisher fired a week after word came out he'd signed an extention; John Fassel will serve as interim coach.   Fisher's firing comes as Jared Goff, the quarterback the Rams drafted to be the future, is clearly history with five INTs and his own teammates seemingly turning against him as the incident shown here with Todd Gurley suggests. 


And so it goes with the Patriots and Ravens beckoning.

For Roger Goodell It's Here We Go Again

The No More ad campaign against domestic violence was launched by the same people responsible for the Law & Order Special Victims Unit version - and now a lot of people have egg on their face with the New York Giants involved in controversy over former punter Josh Brown.


Here we go again.   Controversy erupted days before the New York Giants flew to London to face the LA Rams because documents related to Josh Brown were published.   Brown was charged in allegation of some twenty incidents of domestic violence with his now ex-wife; the charges were eventually dropped, and the NFL slapped him with a one-game suspension for 2016, this after their self-congradulatory promise to impose a minimum six-game suspension for incidents after the controversy over Ray Rice.   Documents from that previous investigation have now surfaced, including admissions on Brown's part to acts of abuse.

It led to an interview by Mike Francesca of Giants co-owner John Mara, and Mara's at-times evasive answering intensified controversy over the NFL's handling of domestic violence.   It intensified further when John Urquhart, the sheriff of King's County, WA that investigated Brown when he was with the Seahawks, angrilly responded when the league passed the buck of blame toward him in claiming he covered up for Brown when the league tried to investigate the allegation.  

It is of course impossible to do anything but call Roger Goodell a liar, having proven himself a liar in serial fashion in his multiple failures to objectively lead the league; when presented opportunity to lead, he instead launched aggression against the New England Patriots and the New Orleans Saints as well as numerous players and coaches, all out of personal spite.   As lawyer Peter Ginsberg now famously put it during the disinformation campaign against Tom Brady, "it's very difficult to have a genuine, authentic disagreement with Roger."  

Goodell's competence as commissioner has long been exposed as nonexistent.   Backstabbing and ass-covering define Goodell's governing philosophy, and complete inability to handle the inner workings of the game has more and more become the dominating characteristic of Goodell.   The league's operations department - and general command of situations - has dumbed itself down with Troy Vincent now Goodell's second-in-command, and the league's approach to investigations by now reflect Goodell's fundamental character - perfunctory and utterly insincere.


*****


But the issue here goes beyond the manifest dishonesty of Goodell and the incompetence of Goodell and his underlings.   Even a competent commissioner would not be able to adequately handle the issue of domestic violence because there simply is no simple answer beyond dealing with individual incidents on their own individual basis based on what the law says about it.    What the law says about a situation can't be dismissed by the league - if the law says charges against Josh Brown are dropped, the league can't deny him employment.   And has anyone else noticed that Ray Rice has by all accounts been a legitimate law-abiding citizen despite being railroaded out of the league by Roger Goodell's ass-covering campaign?

As it is the government - not the most dependable of God's creatures, to coin a Spencer Tracy phrase - has multiple and conflicting definitions of sexual assault.   It of course is an old story - back in 1990 (October 12 specifically) the Christian Science Monitor claimed (through Marilyn Gardner) there were five million women assaulted per year with an assault averaging one every fifteen seconds; as Thomas Sowell noted in The Vision Of The Anointed the figure was grossly unreliable, first for not differentiating between unmarried sex partners and legally binded husbands, second for not differentiating actual violence from a minor push or shove (where the figure was roughly 500,000 - and as Mike Florio shows, the actual incident that got Josh Brown suspended was him grabbing his now-ex's wrist ) - and even the ratio was mathematically wrong, as it would in fact be one every 6.3 seconds.  

And unnoticed is the hypocrisy of the media's umbrage about Josh Brown as with the earlier jihad about Ray Rice, for the media once again has been in essence advocating double jeopardy - punishing the individual for the same incident again.   At what point do people figure out that double jeopardy doesn't work?   Or that it's an actual crime to re-punish someone for the same incident? 

There are no winners in this - Roger Goodell proves again he has zero competence to lead the league, the media proves again it is not capable of rational analysis.   And a lot of people have egg on their face as a result.

The Unofficial Official First NFL Prediction

And so the 2016 preseason concludes and the unofficial official first NFL prediction of the season is offered.

Panthers over Broncos - The Broncos looked somewhat like the 2013 Ravens in they come into defending their title with a massive overhaul, this one at the quarterback.   Mark Sanchez was signed as the Name quarterback and he promptly played his way to the bench (and subsequently got cut) behind Trevor Siemian while Paxton Lynch looks to redshirt this year.   The Panthers come in after an uneven preseason and a downright abysmal performance by Cam Newton in the third game, but that shouldn't be enough to stop a Panthers team that hasn't gone through the instability the Broncos have.


Ravens over Bills - 2015 was a dismal season for the Ravens and they face a Bills team that has shown sign of improvement. Past breakdown of discipline (which led to some public player complaints) remains a staple of Rex and Rob Ryan as they face Rex's old team.


Packers over Jaguars - The improvement of the Jaguars is legitimate, but it hasn't reached the point yet of being able to consistently hang with or stop a high-powered offense like the Packers. Aaron Rodgers gets Jordy Nelson back while Blake Bortles has two ace receivers.


Chiefs over Chargers - A decidedly lifeless preseason and the ugly contract fight with pass rushing rookie Joey Bosa permeated a Chargers team demanding a new stadium rather than actually rebuild Qualcomm, and Philip Rivers' empty 4,700 yards in 2015 atop a mediocre decade indicate he isn't the answer anymore. San Diego hits the ground against a Kansas City team that won eleven straight and broke through for their first playoff win since Joe Montana's 1993 season - and ironically against the same city (Houston) that Montana shot down all those years ago.


Buccaneers over Falcons - Matt Ryan continued to show nothing in the way of improvement in the preseason or the previous three seasons and they get an improving Bucs squad to open their last season at the Georgia Dome.


Texans over Bears -  The Bears at times looked very undisciplined this preseason and they are stuck with Jay Cutler, who will never amount to anything beyond a volume stats whore with nothing in the way of substantive achievement.   Brock Osweiler bolted the Broncos for Bill O'Brien and the Texans (and a fat contract), and as preseason went on began to show reason to have faith in him.  


Saints over Raiders -  The end of Oakland as home of the Raiders looks like a done deal with Las Vegas slated to build a new stadium (we think) and the Las Vegas Raiders name now trademarked.   The Raiders are an improving outfit with Derek Carr and they should show fight against a Saints team that was atrocious on defense last season and didn't put up enough offense to overcome it; the Saints have to overcome recent home field disadvantage as they've lost seven of their last sixteen home games. 


Bengals over NY Jets  - The Jets got Ryan Fitzpatrick back but his ceiling is lower than most other quarterbacks and the Jets get a Bengals team that has two quality quarterbacks at least as far as the regular season goes with Andy Dalton. The Jets under Todd Bowles are no pushovers, though, with a culture of discipline the Jets organization hasn't seen since the Parcells period.   


Eagles over Browns -   The Eagles are rebuilding after a surprising collapse of Chip Kelly's regime and have shown something under Doug Pederson; they get the perpetually-unachieving Browns first, debuting Redskins washout Robert Griffin III.

The Titans enter 2016 with some momentum

Titans over Vikings - The Titans enter 2016 with some momentum from preseason after a strong game against the Raiders and overall, and with Marcus Mariota looking to continue improvement, a potential draft steal of steals in receiver Tajae Sharpe to go with genuine receiver depth for the first time in a long time, and a much-improved running game with Derrick Henry and veteran DeMarco Murray looking like a real deal. Here though they get a more opportune opportunity with a Vikings team that not only lost quarterback Teddy Bridgewater for the season but whose reaction to his injury - cancelling practice and then seeing Mike Zimmer crying in the press conference - is indicative of a weak outfit; a strong team that lost its quarterback would see him leave in the ambulance and then the team would immediately resume practice - in Belichick-speak it's called Next Man Up. The shocking trade with the Eagles means Sam Bradford takes over a talented roster and if the Vikings can salvage anything out of this season Bradford has to step up his game - and stay healthy.


Seahawks over Dolphins - The Seahawks showed why they're still NFC West controllers with some eye-popping play by Russell Wilson in - of all things - preseason. Of course Wilson had already built a potential Hall Of Fame resume the previous four seasons so game-winning play is old hat for him. He gets a Dolphins team showing lifelessness with Ryan Tannehill playing his way out of the league.


Cowboys over NY Giants - Even without his back injury, Tony Romo looked like he was becoming rookie Rayne Dakota Prescott's backup for the Cowboys, but the back injury has merely accelerated the timeline of the Dak Prescott era. The Cowboys' overall roster has looked strong, especially the O-line, and Prescott's play in preseason has been encouraging overall; he gets his first chance to make something of it as he takes on perennial foe the New York Giants, who've looked strikingly sloppy on all sides of the ball during preseason.


Colts over Lions - Some oddly schizophrenic play by the Colts this preseason may raise a few doubts for 2016 after a subpar and injury-shot 2015. Andrew Luck has been spectacular yet he has also been woefully inconsistent, with roughly half his wins coming against division foes and his play against the AFC East in particular has been outright worthless. He opens 2016 against the Colts' former coach Jim Caldwell, who leads a Lions team that has looked weak in the preseason. Matthew Stafford also has a bad reputation - 3-40 - against quality opponents in his career and the last time he faced the AFC South the games themselves were super-competitive yet he ultimately failed to deliver the wins.


Patriots over Cardinals - The four-game Brady suspension starts and Jimmy Garoppolo takes over under center with some solid play in his first two preseason games and some struggle against the Panthers while not playing against the Giants; the overall offense has looked curiously raw with some poor O-line play, several key injuries, and an old problem resurfacing - inability to get quality play from well-regarded free agent pass catchers. Loudmouthed tight end Martellus Bennett was signed from the Bears but has been all but irrelevant in the preseason and a fumble against the Giants got him benched a la butterfingered ex-Patriot Stevan Ridley. The performance of Tom Brady in his two preseason games merely showed how behind his backups are and also illustrated his own rustiness as he needed the entire first half against the Giants to establish unit cohesion and rhythm.    The Patriots thus get a Cardinals team that is certainly very good but which people seem to overrate somewhat; it's still a Carson Palmer team and he has to face a far-improved Patriots defense with ex-Brown Barkevious Mingo arriving via latter-August trade suddenly exploding late in the preseason. 


Steelers over Redskins - The Steelers are not what they were in 2010 or in 2011 before falling in the famous 3:16 Game loss to the Broncos; in fact that loss began a striking slide into mediocrity for the Steelers (29 losses, two of them playoff losses, in the last four seasons) as their shaky win over the Bengals marked their first playoff win since 2010 yet merely made their subsequent loss to the overrated Broncos little in the way of any surprise. They hit the season against a Redskins outfit that showed real improvement but still has a reputation for collapsing when asked to handle success.


Rams over 49ers - Colin Kaepernick not only insulted the intelligence of the human race by refusing to stand for the national anthem and justifying it by claiming non-existent oppression of minorities (his own upbringing disproves his premise) but in doing so atop miserable play the previous two seasons and his trade demand when the Niners changed coaches he proved to other NFL clubs that he is not a leader or a reliable player - he is a spoiled petulant brat once heralded as potentially the greatest quarterback the league could see but whose game is just freelancing and relying on athleticism over intelligence. Blaine Gabbert showed the beginning of a career turnaround with some solid play taking over halfway through 2015 but he has a tough test against a Rams team getting more than deserving attention for moving to Los Angeles - the worst sports market in the country as shown by the failure of the Rams and Raiders there before atop the more-recent failure of California Speedway, the collapse of popularity for the Lakers, continuing mediocre fan support for any of its other pro teams, and some ugly fan set-tos during Rams preseason games at the long-outdated Memorial Coliseum. The Rams have been a mediocre team the last four seasons with just 27 wins, but some of them (such as over the Colts and Broncos) have been eye-openers. Jared Goff has shown struggle as a rookie and likely won't see action at least in the season's first half.


We thus await the 2016 season.

NFL 2016 Trending Now

The 2015 NFL season approaches the end of its regular-season component having seen some of the decade's most competitive games and also seeing encouraging signs of progress from some struggling teams and signs of decline from some established contenders.   A view of which teams seem to be trending where as 2016 approaches - we leave aside two obvious powers in the New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers, both of whom speak for themselves as contenders -


Trending Upward -

Tennessee Titans - It may not seem the Titans are trending upward having fired coach Ken Whisenhunt and with a defense that has given up 27 or more points game after game all season, and especially after atrocious performances on all sides of the ball against the New York Jets and in late December against the Houston Texans, yet despite being in the bottom five in scoring in the league, the Titans with rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota are showing he is the real deal. He is going through the typical rookie season of struggle - made worse by missing several games with injuries, reminiscent of the likes of Troy Aikman - while establishing himself as a legitimate player.  Mariota has had to play comeback football all season and has shown fight in most games; the victories over New Orleans and Jacksonville showed that and the close losses merely show how close he is already to becoming someone special.   The Titans need to shore up on the line, especially on defense, and they can use some reinforcement at receiver and tight end.   These issues are fixable and Mariota shows he can improve, which is what they need to become true contenders again.


Jacksonville Jaguars - It's clear now Blake Bortles has a positive future and the Jaguars likewise have a positive future.   Though his career completion percentage still has not reached 59% in his second year his touchdowns have skyrocketed while his interceptions have dropped.   The Jaguars in mid-December 2015 were ninth in scoring; the biggest need for improvement is defensively having allowed 28 or more points seven times.   As with fellow AFC South mate the Titans, the Jaguars' problems are fixable having seemingly nailed it with their quarterback.



Oakland Raiders - For the first time since back-to-back 8-8 seasons in 2010-11, the Raiders reached at least seven wins, and in Derek Carr they seem to have their quarterback of the future.   His touchdowns have increased and INTs dropped in his second year, and the negativity that surrounded the organization in this decade more and more is fading away.    With solid drafting and a capable program in place after a decade of scattershot incompetence from the late Al Davis, the Raiders have stopped being the punchline.



New York Jets - The Jets went from the undisciplined bluster of Rex Ryan to the greater professionalism of Todd Bowles and after the fiasco of a teammate breaking Geno Smith's jaw the Jets came out and have not only played well, they'd showcased far greater professionalism as an organization; gone is the bluster, the sloppy discipline, the endless and never-justified boasting.   While there have been some embarrassing moments for the Jets, they have been few and far between.  The biggest issue for the Jets is Ryan Fitzpatrick has played better than expected but is not the long-term answer.   Yet for the first time in a long time it's now possible to think of the Jets as a team that isn't going to falter, though they may not be strong enough to truly contend.




Minnesota Vikings - The Vikings reached ten wins for the first time in three seasons and in Teddy Bridgewater they have a quarterback who has improved in his two seasons so far.  The issue that stands out for the Vikings is their offense remains too Adrian Peterson-dependent.   They also have struggled against quality opponents; the gag job at the end of the Arizona game was cringe-worthy while the missed FGA in the playoffs against the Seahawks was the ultimate heartbreak after two spectacular wins to grab the NFC North.  Defensively  they've been solid; now they need to improve on offense and take that next step.


Washington Redskins - It's fun to call them the Deadskins but the reality is the Redskins made themselves less and less of a punchline by outright winning the NFC East.   They reached six wins for the first time since 2012, but unlike that hallucinational season with the inept Robert Griffin III this season looks more legitimate under Jay Gruden, the Arena League coaching legend.  Kirk Cousins' performances have improved markedly from the past and there is now something to build on in DC where before there wasn't.  The key remains that Daniel Snyder leave his football people alone.



Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Jameis Winston has gone through the typical rookie struggles and the Cam Newton 2011 analogy looks stronger than it might have earlier in the season.   Winston's completion percentage needs to improve, but his fight has been legitimate, while Tampa Bay's run game has gone under the radar to some extent with a 4.8 YPC average and within less than 190 yards of 2,000 entering mid-December.   Issues that are fixable can be addressed; the Bucs look to have gotten it right with Winston.



Seattle Seahawks - Forget about the 2-4 start and the distractions of contract controversies - the Seahawks behind Russell Wilson began surging in mid-October to where Wilson was scoring at least 29 points in five straight games after their bye week, surging all the way to the NFC Divisional playoffs.   The Marshawn Lynch era appears to be ending, but the Seahawks are becoming less a running team and more a passing team, and that bodes well down the road.



Arizona Cardinals - The only thing wrong with them as they exploded to thirteen wins and reached the NFC Championship Game is that an aging Carson Palmer has played well but something still seems to be missing from his game - the seven turnovers against Carolina illustrate this is hideous fashion.   The Cards have astonished everyone since Bruce Arians took over and it only looks to continue; upgrading the quarterback area is still a need, but not so desperate as with other teams.






Trending Downward -

Indianapolis Colts - Andrew Luck has played superbly in his first four seasons, but his growth as a quarterback has not shown itself to be that impressive.   His poor record outside of the AFC South and the lack of wins beyond 11 a year indicate a quarterback who may have plateaued.  The scuttlebutt earlier this year was that eyes were opened within the Colts organization as to the effectiveness of Matt Hasselback's West Coast style of offense versus the more reckless style of Luck.  Injury to Luck forced 40-year-old Hasselback to play a lot more than expected, and the team atmosphere seems more and more toxic with interference from owner Jim Irsay (not the most dependable of God's creatures to use a Spencer Tracy soundbite) and upheaval in the front office and coaching staff.  It all adds up to a Colts team that looks less like the wannabe-dynasty of 1999-2010 and more like the inept also-rans of 1978-98.


Atlanta Falcons - It's now  clear Matt Ryan is not the answer.   A new head coach came in and after a 5-0 start Ryan and as a result the Falcons disintegrated to irrelevance shown in most graphic form in the 38-0 shutout by the Panthers.  Ryan's inability to handle playoff football showed itself in his first five seasons and the last three have shown he plateaued in those years.   Now the Falcons need to start thinking about a replacement for Ryan.  


San Diego Chargers - Collapse is the only description for the underachieving Chargers.   A spectacular comeback win over the Detroit Lions was the highlight of a season that was lost almost before November arrived.   Spotty play by Philip Rivers, some terrible O-line play, and lack of clutch playmaking have made 2015 the return of the nightmare years of 1997-2003, and the Los Angeles rumor isn't going away as stupid as the concept remains.    A coaching change is desperately needed for the Chargers, a far more talented team than their abysmal record this year indicates.


New York Giants - That Tom Coughlin lasted as long as he did is astonishing given now four uninspiring seasons in a row to go with six other seasons where the Giants went nowhere.   Eli Manning's play has been at times spectacular but it hasn't made the Giants all that competitive, and the circus catches by Odell Beckham make the highlight reels but aren't winning them any games.   A promoted head coach has his work cut out for him.


Baltimore Ravens - Suddenly the Ravens have become irrelevant.   Despite competitive games and 2015's season sweep of the Steelers, Baltimore has persistently failed to seal any deal and the lack of answers brings question as to the true worth of Joe Flacco and John Harbaugh; we also have to start questioning Ozzie Newsome's team-building acumen of late.   






There are of course the going-nowhere teams like the Bills, the Dolphins, the Lions, the Bears, and the Browns.   We also have teams like the Chiefs and Packers where we're not truly sure if they're improving even as they made the playoffs - Aaron Rodgers despite his insane touchdown to beat the Lions has been exposed again as a frontrunning phony (the regular season slaughter by the Cardinals underscored this while the two Hail Marys in the playoff matchup were prayers in every sense of the term, and Carson Palmer answered in hilarious fashion in overtime) while Alex Smith has gotten the Chiefs farther than anyone could have expected - all the way to the first playoff win for the Chiefs since 1993 - yet we've long known he can never be what the Chiefs need.   With all that, we've seen some solid indications that the league in 2016 may see legitimate competitive change.

NFL Week 10 Looks To Go Herb Alpert On Us

The NFL last week went all Herb Alpert on us - when they said come flay with me the footballs did just that, and when teams needed their game to Rise, they went Beyond and the result was a plethora of amazingly taut games. So now we enter Week Ten and suddenly things are not what they seemed. My picks -


NY JETS over Bills - Both teams are .500 or better (the Jets are 5-3) entering this game; the Jets have the better overall team though I give Tyrod Taylor a slight edge over Ryan Fitzpatrick; the biggest edge lays in coaching as Todd Bowles has made the Jets professional in contrast to the chaotic freelancing of Rex Ryan in Buffalo.


Saints over REDSKINS - The Saints have all the edges - quarterback, coach, team culture, etc. - and are smarting over a bitter loss last week even though they're still in the wildcard hunt even at 4-5.


EAGLES over Dolphins - Philly's rough start appears to be behind them while Miami's momentum from the promotion of Dan Campbell now looks gone.


RAMS over Bears - Jay Cutler pulled off a preposterous win at San Diego, but the Rams are made of sterner stuff than that; coordinator Gregg Williams got called out by the Vikings and by Rodney Harrison, and it looks to be firing up the Rams.


TITANS over Panthers - The Titans have owned the Saints since Jeff Fisher took over the then-Houston Oilers and have averaged 27 points scored in the last six games; they have Marcus Mariota back, their defense looks to be playing substantially better of late, and the change in head coaches paid immediate dividends.   Now the Titans get the unbeaten Panthers, a team they've beaten three straight times and which has struggled to close out games of late while the Titans have played comeback football pretty much since the Bucs game.  


Jaguars over RAVENS - This rivalry used to be about streaks - the Jags won the first ten meetings dating to the final year of the original Cleveland Browns.  Now they've seesawed the last five meetings and the Ravens come off their bye still uncertain about what they are as the Jaguars have played better the last two games.


BUCS over Cowboys  - Neither team is a playoff contender, but the Bucs are starting to establish some legitimate muscle under improving quarterback Jameis Winston as the Cowboys flail away with six straight losses.


STEELERS over Browns - Suddenly the Steelers may not know who their quarterback will be with Roethlisberger's latest foot injury; it won't matter against a Browns team still with a quarterback controversy in Johnny Turnovers.


PACKERS over Lions - The Packers got exposed the last two games but the Lions look to be imploding and the guy they thought would be their quarterback of the future looks more and more like their quarterback of the past.


RAIDERS over Vikings - Both teams are far ahead of where they were, and the Raiders under Derek Carr and an improving roster are showing they're for real.   Expect something akin to the shootout in Pittsburgh here.


BRONCOS over Chiefs - The unbeaten season is now gone, so the Broncos get the Chiefs again, one of the teams Peyton Manning owns, bad arm or no bad arm.


Patriots over NY GIANTS - We know the recent history.   We know the bitterness of the three straight losses by the Patriots.   We also know the Giants remain the inconsistent team they've long been; they force turnovers except the Patriots generally don't give up turnovers; their defense has been speared (19th in points allowed) and Brady has elevated his game even as Eli Manning is now more comfortable in the offense installed last year.  


SEAHAWKS over Cardinals - The Seahawks started slow last year and then raced to the Superbowl.   The Cardinals remain a legitimate NFC contender, so this game should be a grinder to the end.


BENGALS over Texans - Cincinnati remains on a roll and Houston remains iffy on their quarterback and in general; their vaunted defense in particular is a joke now even at eighth in passing yards allowed per game.   Look for Andy Dalton and his arsenal of pass-catchers to have another feast.


One more note - the injury to Andrew Luck may not change much for the Colts going forward, since Matt Hasselback showed he can still win in a relief role and a schedule that takes a turn for the better with perhaps five eminently winnable games left.


So we await.