Post by spiderfan on Nov 15, 2021 19:49:11 GMT -8
Salutations SCtoC, Spiderfan here. With me being the official NFL analyst of this great forum and Week 10 of the National Football League season being concluded, it is time for Web of Football. We have a lot to discuss, so without further ado, let us begin!
It's Not Unusual
As it turns out the reports of the demise of the Kansas City Chiefs were greatly exaggerated. Now, to be fair I did make the observation a while back that the rest of the AFC West could collapse and if the Chiefs started winning games they would back in the thick of things. Well, despite having ugly losses, the Chiefs unimpressive (at least by their standards) wins combined with the Broncos not actually being all that good, the Raiders being a complete mess off the field, and the Chargers hype being a a product of LA national sports media homerism, got them into a position to be in first place in the AFC West. They had to beat the Las Vegas Raiders on SNF to get there and they did that a BIG way. The final score was 41-14 and it probably should have been worse as there were some offensive and defensive errors by the Chiefs that will no doubt become a focus in the film room and on the practice field this week.
Patrick Mahomes showed why he is the GORN (Greatest of Right Now), Travis Kelce showed why he is one the league's best TEs, and the Chiefs defensive actually played pretty solid. Meanwhile, the Raiders have continued the annual tradition of having a good record, looking promising, and getting to play the Chiefs in a big nationally televised game, only to fall flat. Whether they can avoid a full on collapse like they have had in previous years, has yet to be seen. From what I have seen, I think the Chiefs are back and I'm not sure the rest of the NFL is ready for it.
Abolish all ties!
The ROAD TO 0-17 is now over because the Detroit Lions tied the Pittsburgh Steelers. Here is a totally related (and also unrelated) fact. Did you know of the 4 major North American professional sports leagues the NFL is the only to have ties? Because it is. It should not be. Ties are something that is reserved for little league sports because the parents want to go home, not for the very highest levels of professional athletics. I propose that the NFL officially adopt college football OT rules.
Both teams get the ball at the 25 yard line and depending on what happens, the game ends or continues into a 2 OT where if a team scores a TD, they must go for 2 points. If the game is still going after 2 OTs, then the game goes into a 2 point conversion shootout, where whoever makes a 2 point conversion and keeps the other team from making one wins. If college football can do it, why not the NFL? The NFL should be embarrassed that college football has a better OT system than they do. The game should ALWAYS continue until someone wins.
BAH GAWD THAT'S CAM NEWTON'S MUSIC
As I have told you all season Sam Darnold is a scrub who can't play. He was playing some of the worst football a QB can play and while injuries are always unfortunate, Darnold's shoulder injury opened the door for a new QB to come in and hopefully be better. The backup was former Houston Roughnecks XFL Legend PJ Walker who had shown some signs over the last couple seasons that he could be good as the QB of the Panthers. But, the Panthers made the decision they didn't want Walker to likely play the rest of the season. They needed someone better. They needed a familiar face. They needed someone who has led successful late season runs before. They needed someone who would give the fans hope.
After being a shell of his former self with the New England Patriots and not making the final roster cuts, Cam Newton was a free agent. There had been rumors, talk, and speculation of where he might or might not go. He ended up right back where he started, the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers tried to replace him, but neither of his replacements (Teddy Bridgewater or Sam Darnold) worked out, nor could they complete a trade for Deshaun Watson, so the Panthers ended up right back where they started.
Frankly, I'm super (no pun intended) hyped by this move. Yes, Cam was a shell of his former self last year, but two things to keep in mind. 1.) Even empty shell Cam Newton is better than Sam Darnold IMO and 2.) It is just great to see Cam back in those Panthers colors. He belongs with the Panthers. He is the greatest player in Panthers franchise history and he deserves a shot to end his time in the NFL with a bang and not a whimper. The NFL is more fun with Cam Newton playing quality football on the Carolina Panthers plain and simple. And with the Panthers being the #7 seed in the NFC playoff as of today, in my opinion the rest of their season will be one of the top storylines in the entire league.
Other thoughts:
-The fact that the NFL doubled down on the Cassius Marsh looking at the sideline taunting penalty as a legitimate penalty makes me sad. The game of football does NOT need another "What is a catch?" or "What is Pass Interference?" fiasco.
-Speaking of which, I recommend everyone reading this read this piece from PFT about NFL officiating. I agree with it wholeheartedly. profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2021/11/15/to-solve-officiating-crisis-the-nfl-needs-full-time-officials/
-All I have to say about OBJ to Rams is two words. Dream team.
-The 1972 Dolphins are the greatest team of all time. The second greatest team of all time? The late season Miami Dolphins over the last 20 years. They always find to win against great teams.
-Never forget the importance of extra points, because if you miss one or two than can really come back to haunt ya. The Saints 23-21 loss to the Titans proved that in spades.
-So much for all the Mike White hype, huh?
-I will admit if I'm wrong later, so here goes: The Indianapolis Colts will not make the playoffs. Carson Wentz has gotten away with some stuff the last couple games due to the opponents being inferior to the Georgia Bulldogs, but once the Colts go up against good teams they are going to fold like Borders.
-Apparently, the Tommy Bay Buccaneers kryptonite is the Taylor Heinicke led Artists formerly known as Redskins. Keep the NFL weird!
-The Patriots are hot right now, but they still have to play the Titans, the Bills twice, and the late season Miami Dolphins. If they do make the playoffs, they'll have earned it.
-Whew, the Cowboys were really fired up after that Broncos loss.
-The next couple games are going to determine the future of the Seahawks going forward. Depending on how things go, I'll have more detailed thoughts.
-Y'know that Jalen Hurts guy is pretty good.
With all of that said, Week 10 is now in the record books. As always I hope ya enjoyed and I hope to see ya back again next week. This is spiderfan out