Week 15 Thoughts and Observations
Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2014 9:58 am
Here are some random thoughts and observations about Week 15 as I wonder if Johnny Manziel's NFL career is over.
So about Manziel - that may have been the worst performance I've seen from an NFL starting quarterback in ... possibly forever. It was far worse than anything we saw from Tim Tebow. Tebow at least would threaten a defense with his mobility. At no point in Sunday's game were the Bengals ever threatened by Manziel other than maybe falling victim to laughing too hard at his complete and total incompetence.
The good news for the Browns? There's nowhere for Manziel to go but up.
The bad news? Since he's a first-round pick they're invested in him being their guy for at least the next 1-2 seasons. The problem with that is he looks so far removed from just being competent at the NFL level their franchise could be set back years trying to make him work.
Sorry Browns fans.
Speaking of embattled quarterbacks, RG3 got back on the field for Washington and did a lot of good things in my opinion. So imagine how pissed off Jay Gruden is right now. The absolute last thing he needs is for Griffin to look good because that will only further underscore how incompetent Gruden's handling of his quarterback situation has been.
Oh, I have absolutely no idea how RG3's touchdown run (which would've been his first since his rookie year) was overturned. Based on every replay I saw, the ball clearly crossed the goal line before any issues occurred. And yet, no touchdown.
People having no idea what a touchdown or reception is anymore is one of the game's biggest problems. So what is the NFL going to do about it? They're going to focus on pushing the goal posts in closer to make field goal attempts more difficult.
Yup, that's a huge area of concern in the game right now. So glad the league is getting to the bottom of that one.
Well done Rog.
Welcome back Dez Bryant. You've been missed.
Oh Jerry Jones, Dez has two words for you - Cha Ching.
Time for Nick Foles in Week 15?
Yeah I think so too.
In the last two weeks the Bills have faced Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers and did not allow a single touchdown pass. Show me a more impressive defensive achievement this season. Go ahead, I dare you.
I double dog dare you.
I can't recall the last time Rodgers and Jordy Nelson in particular played so poorly. Rodgers was out of sync with his receivers the whole game and Nelson flat-out stunk. No other word to describe it.
I think we did see a possible blueprint for success defending the Packers if you have a good defense on Sunday. Since Green Bay has no TE to speak of and their reserve WRs are suspect if you can take Nelson away (or have him take himself away like he did against Buffalo) you can disrupt the Packers' offense. Let Randall Cobb get his but make sure Nelson doesn't beat you too. A good defense with strong CB play could make that plan work.
So who has that type of defense you ask?
::coughSeattlecough::
If you would've told me before Sunday that Buffalo would beat Green Bay and Sammy Watkins would only catch one pass I would've taken that bet a million times over.
I have no idea what the Lions were doing offensively for most of the game against Minnesota but once again they found a way. In this era of big-time offenses, the ability to lean on a good defense comes along so infrequently we don't know how to respond when we see it. But we've certainly seen it this season with the Lions. Other than a beatdown administered by Tom Brady, Detroit's D has risen to nearly every challenge presented to them. That's very impressive. People can rip on Jim Caldwell all they want but he's been a gigantic upgrade over Jim Schwartz.
Speaking of good defenses, the Seahawks have allowed 27 points in their last four games. That's not too shabby.
Carolina is 5-8-1 and leading a division in the NFL. Two of their wins came with Derek Anderson at quarterback.
You gotta love the NFC South.
At this point I'm pretty sure I could start at quarterback for the Cardinals and Bruce Arians would figure out a way to make it work.
Andrew Luck is one helluva player but he's taken a beating lately behind a shaky offensive line. For a good team, the Colts have some glaring holes they need to fix, starting with fortifying the group who are being asked to protect an MVP-caliber talent.
Odell Beckham has caught 71 passes for 973 yards and nine touchdowns.
Oh, did I forget to mention he missed the first four games of the season?
Yeah, he's kinda good.
I said it last week and I'll say it again, the Vikings got something in Teddy Bridgewater. Yeah he threw a couple of bad picks against Detroit on Sunday but he plays calm in the pocket and knows how to lead an offense. Absolute joke that his Pro Day almost dropped him out of the first round. He should've been a Top 10 pick.
Doug Martin had a 64-yard run on Sunday.
No really, it happened. Honest. I saw it.
It did.
You just gotta believe me.
It's pretty obvious by now whatever magic Josh McCown had last season has long since gone away but I sure do admire that guy's heart. He doesn't leave anything on the field each week. No wonder he's so well respected by his peers.
I think the Bengals decision to go back to featuring Jeremy Hill was a good idea.
The metamorphosis of the Broncos from a high-powered passing attack to a power run team led by C.J. Anderson has been one of the season's most interesting developments. That shift could pay big dividends in the postseason if (and to me this is where Denver's fate has always resided) their defense can become more of a big-play unit than we've seen so far.
Tom Brady and Matt Ryan combined for two fewer rushing yards on Sunday than Le'Veon Bell. Just like everyone predicted.
Week 16's Thursday Night Game is between the Titans and Jaguars. Who's the scheduling genius who thought that game would be one to watch in Week 16?
And finally, if you started Aaron Rodgers, Jamaal Charles, LeSean McCoy, Calvin Johnson, T.Y. Hilton, A.J. Green and Julius Thomas you didn't do anything wrong and yet you still got punished. Unfortunately, that's the way this game can be sometimes. You can do everything right, make the smartest call possible and still get crushed. It's by far the worst part of this game and it feels like a body blow from Prime Mike Tyson. All I can say is that if you make the right call based on all the right factors and it still doesn't work out you just blame the football gods and walk away. You did everything right but sometimes in this crazy game we play doing the right thing doesn't always mean you're going to get the desired results.
So about Manziel - that may have been the worst performance I've seen from an NFL starting quarterback in ... possibly forever. It was far worse than anything we saw from Tim Tebow. Tebow at least would threaten a defense with his mobility. At no point in Sunday's game were the Bengals ever threatened by Manziel other than maybe falling victim to laughing too hard at his complete and total incompetence.
The good news for the Browns? There's nowhere for Manziel to go but up.
The bad news? Since he's a first-round pick they're invested in him being their guy for at least the next 1-2 seasons. The problem with that is he looks so far removed from just being competent at the NFL level their franchise could be set back years trying to make him work.
Sorry Browns fans.
Speaking of embattled quarterbacks, RG3 got back on the field for Washington and did a lot of good things in my opinion. So imagine how pissed off Jay Gruden is right now. The absolute last thing he needs is for Griffin to look good because that will only further underscore how incompetent Gruden's handling of his quarterback situation has been.
Oh, I have absolutely no idea how RG3's touchdown run (which would've been his first since his rookie year) was overturned. Based on every replay I saw, the ball clearly crossed the goal line before any issues occurred. And yet, no touchdown.
People having no idea what a touchdown or reception is anymore is one of the game's biggest problems. So what is the NFL going to do about it? They're going to focus on pushing the goal posts in closer to make field goal attempts more difficult.
Yup, that's a huge area of concern in the game right now. So glad the league is getting to the bottom of that one.
Well done Rog.
Welcome back Dez Bryant. You've been missed.
Oh Jerry Jones, Dez has two words for you - Cha Ching.
Time for Nick Foles in Week 15?
Yeah I think so too.
In the last two weeks the Bills have faced Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers and did not allow a single touchdown pass. Show me a more impressive defensive achievement this season. Go ahead, I dare you.
I double dog dare you.
I can't recall the last time Rodgers and Jordy Nelson in particular played so poorly. Rodgers was out of sync with his receivers the whole game and Nelson flat-out stunk. No other word to describe it.
I think we did see a possible blueprint for success defending the Packers if you have a good defense on Sunday. Since Green Bay has no TE to speak of and their reserve WRs are suspect if you can take Nelson away (or have him take himself away like he did against Buffalo) you can disrupt the Packers' offense. Let Randall Cobb get his but make sure Nelson doesn't beat you too. A good defense with strong CB play could make that plan work.
So who has that type of defense you ask?
::coughSeattlecough::
If you would've told me before Sunday that Buffalo would beat Green Bay and Sammy Watkins would only catch one pass I would've taken that bet a million times over.
I have no idea what the Lions were doing offensively for most of the game against Minnesota but once again they found a way. In this era of big-time offenses, the ability to lean on a good defense comes along so infrequently we don't know how to respond when we see it. But we've certainly seen it this season with the Lions. Other than a beatdown administered by Tom Brady, Detroit's D has risen to nearly every challenge presented to them. That's very impressive. People can rip on Jim Caldwell all they want but he's been a gigantic upgrade over Jim Schwartz.
Speaking of good defenses, the Seahawks have allowed 27 points in their last four games. That's not too shabby.
Carolina is 5-8-1 and leading a division in the NFL. Two of their wins came with Derek Anderson at quarterback.
You gotta love the NFC South.
At this point I'm pretty sure I could start at quarterback for the Cardinals and Bruce Arians would figure out a way to make it work.
Andrew Luck is one helluva player but he's taken a beating lately behind a shaky offensive line. For a good team, the Colts have some glaring holes they need to fix, starting with fortifying the group who are being asked to protect an MVP-caliber talent.
Odell Beckham has caught 71 passes for 973 yards and nine touchdowns.
Oh, did I forget to mention he missed the first four games of the season?
Yeah, he's kinda good.
I said it last week and I'll say it again, the Vikings got something in Teddy Bridgewater. Yeah he threw a couple of bad picks against Detroit on Sunday but he plays calm in the pocket and knows how to lead an offense. Absolute joke that his Pro Day almost dropped him out of the first round. He should've been a Top 10 pick.
Doug Martin had a 64-yard run on Sunday.
No really, it happened. Honest. I saw it.
It did.
You just gotta believe me.
It's pretty obvious by now whatever magic Josh McCown had last season has long since gone away but I sure do admire that guy's heart. He doesn't leave anything on the field each week. No wonder he's so well respected by his peers.
I think the Bengals decision to go back to featuring Jeremy Hill was a good idea.
The metamorphosis of the Broncos from a high-powered passing attack to a power run team led by C.J. Anderson has been one of the season's most interesting developments. That shift could pay big dividends in the postseason if (and to me this is where Denver's fate has always resided) their defense can become more of a big-play unit than we've seen so far.
Tom Brady and Matt Ryan combined for two fewer rushing yards on Sunday than Le'Veon Bell. Just like everyone predicted.
Week 16's Thursday Night Game is between the Titans and Jaguars. Who's the scheduling genius who thought that game would be one to watch in Week 16?
And finally, if you started Aaron Rodgers, Jamaal Charles, LeSean McCoy, Calvin Johnson, T.Y. Hilton, A.J. Green and Julius Thomas you didn't do anything wrong and yet you still got punished. Unfortunately, that's the way this game can be sometimes. You can do everything right, make the smartest call possible and still get crushed. It's by far the worst part of this game and it feels like a body blow from Prime Mike Tyson. All I can say is that if you make the right call based on all the right factors and it still doesn't work out you just blame the football gods and walk away. You did everything right but sometimes in this crazy game we play doing the right thing doesn't always mean you're going to get the desired results.