Post by spiderfan on Sept 16, 2020 10:01:03 GMT -8
NFL Football has returned my friends! So without further introduction I'm Spiderfan, the official NFL Analyst for SCtoC and let us discuss Week 1!
Eliminate the NFL Preseason
Of the various things in the sports world that the Coronavirus affected, the NFL Preseason was one of the biggest, in that there was no NFL Preseason. After watching Week 1, I feel confident in saying that the NFL Preseason should not return. The quality of play and officiating was just as good as it always has been, and unlike in previous years where there is a month of poorly played and sometimes unwatchable football, instead we skip straight to the good stuff. I recognize that ultimately the NFL Preseason because coaches like the ability to get a full sense of who the backup center should be and owners like the extra 5 dollars that preseason games add to the billions of annual revenue that the real games make, but as far as I'm concerned those are the reasons it exists not "getting guys in shape" or "getting guys prepared" or "getting the refs ready". At least we'll get 17 regular season games and only 3 preseason games next year?
A Tale of Two Debuts
After much hype and anticipation both Tom Brady and Cam Newton made their debuts with their new teams. Tom Brady with the Buccaneers and Cam Newton with Brady's old team, the New England Patriots. The big CBS game of the day was Cam Newton's Patriots vs the Miami Dolphins led by Ryan Fitztragic and I have to say that despite the Fitztragedy, Cam Newton played great. I didn't think that the signing of Cam would turn out for the Patriots, and while it is just one game, Cam looked better than he has looked in a long time. Accurate passes, tough runs, and the overall playmaking ability that had been lacking the last couple years and ability that as previously stated I didn't think Cam had left. It is nice to see because Cam had become one of the faces of the NFL and it is nice to see him back in action making plays. I echo the thoughts of CBS's Tony Romo when I say the Patriots are going to be a formidable team this year.
Meanwhile, the big FOX game of the day was the Tommy Bay Buccaneers and the New Orleans Saints and I have to say that Brady's debut was... not great. Now there are 15 games left and 7 playoff spots in the NFC, so it is WAY too early to sink the Buccaneers hype ship (get it cause they are pirates? Yeah, it is a kinda lame pun but I'm sticking with it). For one thing the Saints started out near midfield on most of their drives because the Bucs turned over the ball frequently. Even with the turnovers, the Bucs managed to stay in the game for the most part and if they had gone against a team less talented than the Saints they might have actually won. The biggest takeaway from the game IMO is that Tom Brady needs to develop a chemistry with Mike Evans or get the ball to Gronk more if he can't develop one with Evans, because in the game against the Saints, Brady and Evans were having all sorts of problems and he wasn't get the ball to Gronk either. That needs to change if the Bucs want to where they want to go.
Other thoughts:
-The Chiefs are great and the Texans aren't. People should stop comparing them.
-How bout Josh Allen?
-Aaron Rodgers is still a top QB and Kirk Cousins isn't.
-As much as I hate to say it, maybe Jason Garrett wasn't as bad as people in DFW thought?
-I feel bad for Matt Stafford and feel great for Mitch Trubisky.
-Congrats to Ron Rivera on his first game coaching the Football Team!
-Congrats to the Jacksonville Jaguars fans for not only being able to attend their games but seeing their team win! I again apologize for ever doubting Gardner Minshew.
ROAD TO 0-16
16 teams are currently 0-1. I will keep doing this segment until every team has a win or a tie. Teams currently without a win or tie are:
New York Jets
Miami Dolphins
Denver Broncos
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts
New York Giants
Dallas Cowboys
Philadelphia Eagles
San Francisco 49ers
Minnesota Vikings
Detroit Lions
Carolina Panthers
Atlanta Falcons
Tommy Bay Buccaneers
I feel bad for Joe Burreaux. While his performance on Sunday wasn't anything to ride home about for the vast majority of the game the fact that the Bengals didn't win or tie on that last drive was shocking. Burreaux was throwing lasers and it appeared as though he finally got his footing and I would expect a better performance in the coming weeks for sure. The Bengals defense was also suprisingly good and that should help them win games going forward. The 49ers being on this list is weird and looking back on Week 1, are probably the most surprising loss. I wouldn't expect them to be on here much longer.
The teams most likely to 0-16 IMO are the Atlanta Falcons and the New York Jets.
ROAD TO 16-0
16 teams are currently 1-0. I will keep doing this segment until every team has a loss or a tie. Teams currently without a loss or tie are:
New England Patriots
Buffalo Bills
Kansas City Chiefs
Los Angeles Chargers
Las Vegas Raiders
Baltimore Ravens
Pittsburgh Steelers
Jacksonville Jaguars
Tennessee Titans
Washington Football Team
Arizona Cardinals
Seattle Seahawks
Los Angeles Rams
Chicago Bears
Green Bay Packers
New Orleans Saints
I have already congratulated the various teams on their upset wins, but how about talking about the Ravens for a second? Their performance on Sunday was kinda stunning because the belief was going into this year that the Browns would be a much improved football team. I think the Ravens crushed that dream and they'll be looking to crush more dreams throughout the season.
Teams most likely to 16-0 IMO are the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens
That is all for this week's edition of Web of Football. As always I hope ya enjoyed it and I will see you again next week! This is spiderfan out.