Post by spiderfan on Oct 10, 2018 12:35:38 GMT -8
Greetings ladies and gentlemen of SCtoC, it is me Spiderfan here! Being that Week 5 of the NFL season is over, it is time for me to delover my Random Thoughts and Stuff. Let me re-try that. Being that Week 5 of the NFL season is over, it is time for me to deliver my Random Thoughts & Stuff. Let us begin!
The Greatness of Drew Brees
To begin this week's column, I have to talk about New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees breaking the all time career passing yardage record on Monday Night Football against the Washington Redskins. It was a special moment for sure, and I'm glad that it happened in the Superdome in front of those fans in New Orleans.
When you think about where the Saints were pre-Brees and where they are now it really is something. The Saints didn't win a single playoff game from their creation in 1967 all the way until 2000. After that they didn't make the playoffs until 2006. This is what Saints fans were like prior to Brees
image from the New York Times, photo is circa 1999 when the Saints went 3-13
Post Brees showing up? The Saints have 7 playoff wins, oh and they also have a Super Bowl trophy and he brought the city of New Orleans positive energy after Hurricane Katrina. IMO Brees has to be considered one of the all time greats for doing those things, let alone all the Pro Bowls, All-Pros, and various other accomplishments he has.
Congratulations to Drew Brees and to the city of New Orleans, Louisiana!
Derek Carr is the NFL's most overpayed QB
A lot has been made of Raiders HC Jon Gruden to pass the ball on the 1 yard line against the Chargers, instead of running the ball with Marshawn Lynch. I'll actually defend the call, because being that it is 1st and Goal and you have Marshawn Lynch a play action pass to me does not seem to be a bad idea, because the defense is likely to fall for the run fake and leave someone wide open in the endzone.
Gruden himself said the pass should have been thrown away if nothing was open. If you notice in the corner of the endzone Raiders TE Jared Cook is actually in good position to make a TD catch. Instead Carr throws an ugly interception which pretty much ended the game.
That play from Sunday is a prime example of why IMO Derek Carr is the most overpayed QB in the NFL. He hasn't played up to his big contract. Statistically right now, he has a good number of passing yards and a high completion percentage. Here is the big problem he currently has 7 TDs and 8 INTs. That is bad and while the Raiders subpar record isn't all on Carr's fault, he certainly isn't helping make things better, which as a high dollar QB he should be doing.
The question has to be asked: Will the Raiders draft a QB with one of their 1st round picks? If Carr keeps playing like he has been playing or even plays worse, then the answer is yes. If Carr plays better, then no. This is a storyline to keep track of the rest of the season.
It is time for me to eat crow, more specifically falcon
In these columns I do a lot of patting myself on the back. Well, now it is time for me to admit I was wrong. In my preseason predictions, I said that the Falcons would win the NFC South and would be SB contenders. I got that WAY wrong.
The Atlanta Falcons are currently 1-4 and 4th place in the division behind the 2-2 Bucs, the 3-1 Panthers, and the 4-1 Saints. Barring a crazy winning streak and barring a crazy losing streak by either the Panthers or Saints, the Falcons won't even make the playoffs at all. Let me just say falcon tastes about as good as Atlanta Falcons. Not very good.
Now that I've eaten falcon, I can pat myself on the back
When the Dolphins lead the Bengals 17-0, I began to think "maybe I was wrong on the Dolphins" and then the Bengals roared back 27 unanswered points to win the game. My reaction:
How is your "culture change" working now Gase and Tannebaum? Not too good. If I was Ed Oliver I'd start looking at beach houses right about now.
About the Cowboys-Texans game
After much hype and anticipation the Governor's Cup was played on Sunday Night Football. It was a battle between 2 of the worst coaches in the NFL and as such both offensive coaching staffs made hilariously terrible decisions. Such as Bill O'Brien's insistence on passing in the redzone, regardless of down or distance and ultimately leaving all sorts of points on the board. Then of course there was Coach Ostrich's decision to not go for it on 4th and 1 inside Texans territory because it was a "long one yard". This adds extra irony to Papa Ostrich comparing the Ostriches to the Rams because when Rams HC Sean McVay was put in a more risky scenario than Coach Ostrich, his response was "we don't fear failure".
Despite the dumb decision by Coach Ostrich to not go for it, the reason the Texans won the game was that despite O'Brien's desire to either lose or tie the game DeAndre Hopkins wanted to win, and so like any superstar player put the team on his back and ultimately put them in position to win. Of course with back to back OT wins and the rest of the AFC South losing the Texans are still alive, meaning O'Brien is less likely to be fired, meaning more terrible playing calling and game management, meaning the Texans won't win in the postseason, meaning sadness.
Coach Ostrich on the other hand has reminded people just how terrible of a coach he is, and maybe back on the hot seat. There is only one problem: The NFC East is terrible with 3 teams under .500 and the Redskins being in first place despite being .500. Meaning that if the Ostriches manage to go 8-8 and win the division, Papa Ostrich and Little Ostrich will keep Coach Ostrich as they (unlike fans across the world) have no desire to fire him.
Papa Ostrich sticking his head in the sand, this time about Dez Bryant
"I'd love to have No. 1 receivers. You have to get those when the opportunities are there. Hopkins is tremendous. He made the plays out there that made a lot of difference," Jones said. via 105.3 The Fan
Shame ya cut your No. 1 WR.
"First of all, a true No. 1 you saw one the other night," Jones said. "You see [Atlanta's] Julio Jones, you see players like that. In my mind, every team doesn't have a true No. 1 receiver. When you put it in that class, those guys that just absolutely change the ball game with where they are. And that hasn't been our case for several years here that we've had a true No. 1, not a true No. 1." via Sportsday Dallas
So, wait even when you had a No. 1 WR in Dez Bryant, you still didn't have a No. 1 WR? That is a whole other level of sticking your head in the sand, Papa Ostrich. I can't say I'm not impressed by that.
Spanish Radio calls are the best
I wish calls in English were this good.
Other thoughts
-Congrats to Josh Allen for leading his first game winning drive as a pro
-Congrats to the Baker Mayfield for being the first Browns QB to win a Sunday game since Johnny Manziel
-Congrats to the Lions for being gifted a game by Mason Crosby.
-The Ravens would have beaten the Browns had Dez Bryant signed with them.
-The Chargers are actually pretty good.
-If I were the Eagles, I'd trade for Le'Veon Bell.
-Blake Bortles is garbage, and the Jags need to upgrade if they want to win the Super Bowl.
-The Road to 0-16 didn't last as long as I thought it would, proof that what the 2008 Lions and 2017 Browns did was special.
ROAD TO 16-0
2 teams currently do not have either a loss or tie. I will keep doing this segment until one or both teams have a loss or tie.
Teams that currently do not have a loss or tie on their record:
Los Angeles Rams
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs scored a big victory against a good Jaguars team. The Rams scored a good victory beating the Seahawks on the road. Both teams are the class of their respective conference and I cannot wait until these teams meet up in Mexico City later this year. I think the Rams would win, so I'll have them as the team that IMO is most likely to go 16-0.
Well, this edition of Random Thoughts & Stuff has been delivered so now it is time cook up next week's. As always I hope ya enjoyed, and this is spiderfan out.
The Greatness of Drew Brees
To begin this week's column, I have to talk about New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees breaking the all time career passing yardage record on Monday Night Football against the Washington Redskins. It was a special moment for sure, and I'm glad that it happened in the Superdome in front of those fans in New Orleans.
When you think about where the Saints were pre-Brees and where they are now it really is something. The Saints didn't win a single playoff game from their creation in 1967 all the way until 2000. After that they didn't make the playoffs until 2006. This is what Saints fans were like prior to Brees
image from the New York Times, photo is circa 1999 when the Saints went 3-13
Post Brees showing up? The Saints have 7 playoff wins, oh and they also have a Super Bowl trophy and he brought the city of New Orleans positive energy after Hurricane Katrina. IMO Brees has to be considered one of the all time greats for doing those things, let alone all the Pro Bowls, All-Pros, and various other accomplishments he has.
Congratulations to Drew Brees and to the city of New Orleans, Louisiana!
Derek Carr is the NFL's most overpayed QB
A lot has been made of Raiders HC Jon Gruden to pass the ball on the 1 yard line against the Chargers, instead of running the ball with Marshawn Lynch. I'll actually defend the call, because being that it is 1st and Goal and you have Marshawn Lynch a play action pass to me does not seem to be a bad idea, because the defense is likely to fall for the run fake and leave someone wide open in the endzone.
Gruden himself said the pass should have been thrown away if nothing was open. If you notice in the corner of the endzone Raiders TE Jared Cook is actually in good position to make a TD catch. Instead Carr throws an ugly interception which pretty much ended the game.
That play from Sunday is a prime example of why IMO Derek Carr is the most overpayed QB in the NFL. He hasn't played up to his big contract. Statistically right now, he has a good number of passing yards and a high completion percentage. Here is the big problem he currently has 7 TDs and 8 INTs. That is bad and while the Raiders subpar record isn't all on Carr's fault, he certainly isn't helping make things better, which as a high dollar QB he should be doing.
The question has to be asked: Will the Raiders draft a QB with one of their 1st round picks? If Carr keeps playing like he has been playing or even plays worse, then the answer is yes. If Carr plays better, then no. This is a storyline to keep track of the rest of the season.
It is time for me to eat crow, more specifically falcon
In these columns I do a lot of patting myself on the back. Well, now it is time for me to admit I was wrong. In my preseason predictions, I said that the Falcons would win the NFC South and would be SB contenders. I got that WAY wrong.
The Atlanta Falcons are currently 1-4 and 4th place in the division behind the 2-2 Bucs, the 3-1 Panthers, and the 4-1 Saints. Barring a crazy winning streak and barring a crazy losing streak by either the Panthers or Saints, the Falcons won't even make the playoffs at all. Let me just say falcon tastes about as good as Atlanta Falcons. Not very good.
Now that I've eaten falcon, I can pat myself on the back
When the Dolphins lead the Bengals 17-0, I began to think "maybe I was wrong on the Dolphins" and then the Bengals roared back 27 unanswered points to win the game. My reaction:
How is your "culture change" working now Gase and Tannebaum? Not too good. If I was Ed Oliver I'd start looking at beach houses right about now.
About the Cowboys-Texans game
After much hype and anticipation the Governor's Cup was played on Sunday Night Football. It was a battle between 2 of the worst coaches in the NFL and as such both offensive coaching staffs made hilariously terrible decisions. Such as Bill O'Brien's insistence on passing in the redzone, regardless of down or distance and ultimately leaving all sorts of points on the board. Then of course there was Coach Ostrich's decision to not go for it on 4th and 1 inside Texans territory because it was a "long one yard". This adds extra irony to Papa Ostrich comparing the Ostriches to the Rams because when Rams HC Sean McVay was put in a more risky scenario than Coach Ostrich, his response was "we don't fear failure".
Despite the dumb decision by Coach Ostrich to not go for it, the reason the Texans won the game was that despite O'Brien's desire to either lose or tie the game DeAndre Hopkins wanted to win, and so like any superstar player put the team on his back and ultimately put them in position to win. Of course with back to back OT wins and the rest of the AFC South losing the Texans are still alive, meaning O'Brien is less likely to be fired, meaning more terrible playing calling and game management, meaning the Texans won't win in the postseason, meaning sadness.
Coach Ostrich on the other hand has reminded people just how terrible of a coach he is, and maybe back on the hot seat. There is only one problem: The NFC East is terrible with 3 teams under .500 and the Redskins being in first place despite being .500. Meaning that if the Ostriches manage to go 8-8 and win the division, Papa Ostrich and Little Ostrich will keep Coach Ostrich as they (unlike fans across the world) have no desire to fire him.
Papa Ostrich sticking his head in the sand, this time about Dez Bryant
"I'd love to have No. 1 receivers. You have to get those when the opportunities are there. Hopkins is tremendous. He made the plays out there that made a lot of difference," Jones said. via 105.3 The Fan
Shame ya cut your No. 1 WR.
"First of all, a true No. 1 you saw one the other night," Jones said. "You see [Atlanta's] Julio Jones, you see players like that. In my mind, every team doesn't have a true No. 1 receiver. When you put it in that class, those guys that just absolutely change the ball game with where they are. And that hasn't been our case for several years here that we've had a true No. 1, not a true No. 1." via Sportsday Dallas
So, wait even when you had a No. 1 WR in Dez Bryant, you still didn't have a No. 1 WR? That is a whole other level of sticking your head in the sand, Papa Ostrich. I can't say I'm not impressed by that.
Spanish Radio calls are the best
I wish calls in English were this good.
Other thoughts
-Congrats to Josh Allen for leading his first game winning drive as a pro
-Congrats to the Baker Mayfield for being the first Browns QB to win a Sunday game since Johnny Manziel
-Congrats to the Lions for being gifted a game by Mason Crosby.
-The Ravens would have beaten the Browns had Dez Bryant signed with them.
-The Chargers are actually pretty good.
-If I were the Eagles, I'd trade for Le'Veon Bell.
-Blake Bortles is garbage, and the Jags need to upgrade if they want to win the Super Bowl.
-The Road to 0-16 didn't last as long as I thought it would, proof that what the 2008 Lions and 2017 Browns did was special.
ROAD TO 16-0
2 teams currently do not have either a loss or tie. I will keep doing this segment until one or both teams have a loss or tie.
Teams that currently do not have a loss or tie on their record:
Los Angeles Rams
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs scored a big victory against a good Jaguars team. The Rams scored a good victory beating the Seahawks on the road. Both teams are the class of their respective conference and I cannot wait until these teams meet up in Mexico City later this year. I think the Rams would win, so I'll have them as the team that IMO is most likely to go 16-0.
Well, this edition of Random Thoughts & Stuff has been delivered so now it is time cook up next week's. As always I hope ya enjoyed, and this is spiderfan out.
