Week 12 Thoughts & Observations

[Tom Kessenich]

Here are some random thoughts and observations about Week 12 as I wonder who’s more upset this week – Alvin Kamara and Mike Thomas owners or Green Bay Packers fans.

Or both.

There are a large number of reasons why the Packers are where they are right now. Poor GM work by Ted Thompson and his successor, awful coaching by Mike McCarthy and execution issues galore by the players on the field. But all those absolving Aaron Rodgers of responsibility need to watch his truly awful miss on an easy Davante Adams touchdown last night.

Watch that miss and try to tell me Rodgers isn’t also culpable. A mediocre NFL quarterback should make that throw 90% of the time. A first ballot Hall of Famer? Slam dunk.

Instead.

Nope.

Ballgame.

It’s amazing how much better the Vikings’ offense looks when they use Dalvin Cook intelligently. It’s almost as if he’s really good and not using him is really stupid.

Crazy, huh?

Other than Julio Jones in the Red Zone and Odell Beckham … well everywhere really … is there a team in the league that does a worse job of scheming open their No. 1 WR than the Packers do with Adams? Seriously, it’s truly awful. No imagination at all. Guy runs wide open on the vast majority of his routes and they can’t figure out creative ways to really turn him loose.

Jaire Alexander looks like he’s gonna be a good pro and possibly a very good one. But sorry folks, nothing is gonna get me to back off my belief that the Packers screwed the pooch by not taking Derwin James in the last draft.

Alexander may be good and it looks like he will be. James is gonna be great. He’s a true elite talent. When someone gifts you a chance on a player like that, you don’t blow it. And you sure as hell don’t trade down and let another team take him on their way to a Super Bowl contending season.

These windows don’t stay open forever.

On our Sirius show last week my bold prediction was that Leonard Fournette would top 30 points and score three times. Imagine how giddy I was feeling when he scored his second TD and was sitting at 25 points with a whole lot of game left.

Then imagine my reaction when I saw him leave the bench and turn into a poor man’s Mike Tyson for some inexplicable reason during a melee with the Bills. Not only did Fournette blow his third TD which absolutely positively would’ve happened from the 1-yard line on the next play but he got tossed and soiled all over his chances for a truly monster day.

I get that football is a game of emotions and all that hoo ha but what were you thinking?

I mean …

WHAT IN THE F WERE YOU THINKING?

You thought leaving the bench and punching people in helmets was a good idea in a close game where your team clearly needed you and you were having your best game of the season? Who does that? I mean …

WHO IN THE F DOES THAT?

I’m at a loss for words other than …

WHAT IN THE F WERE YOU THINKING?

Well done Len. You cost your team the game. Instead of going up 21-14 after your third touchdown, the Jags didn’t convert without you, missed a field goal and let the Bills reclaim the momentum and go onto win.

Brilliant move.

Absolutely brilliant.

Every week but two, the Bills tend to look like a Division 3 reject. The two games they haven’t this season have come against Minnesota and Jacksonville, two of the top teams in the game a year ago.

I’m sure there’s an explanation for that somewhere.

So … remember when the Jags’ defense was … oh I don’t know … good?

I think the Baker Mayfield-Nick Chubb duo is gonna make Browns fans happy for a very long time.

And to think neither one was deemed good enough by the coaching staff to start Week 1.

Well done, Hue.

A.J. Green is hurt. Now Andy Dalton is too. So the rumors that Hue Jackson could be Cincinnati’s next head coach are just downright mean.

It’s not nice people so stop it.

Oh look, Gronk’s back.

In his last two games, James White has scored 7.6 points and 8.8. Oh well, the unexpected RB1 ride sure was fun while it lasted.

In the first half on Sunday, the Giants gave Saquon Barkley 15 touches and he totaled 131 total yards and two TDs. In the second half, they decided that was working so well they reduced his touches to five.

You’ll never guess what happened but the Giants went on to blow a 19-11 halftime lead and lose 25-22 to the Eagles.

Shocking.

Absolutely shocking.

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again – there isn’t a single compelling argument anyone can make that will lead me to say the Giants taking Barkley in last spring’s draft was a mistake. Are quarterbacks important? Absolutely. But you know what else is important? Superstars.
Barkley is a superstar.

End of story.

I’m just going to pretend I didn't pimp Nick Mullens hard in his absolutely positively slam dunk of a matchup against the hapless Tampa Bay defense this week. It never happened and my advice all week was to steer clear of that bum and whatever you do, do not under any circumstances use him in DFS.

Cam Brate sure is Jameis Winston’s Red Zone binky.

Remember when the Panthers were the team nobody wanted to play? Yeah that was fun.

Your weekly reminder that the Jaguars drafted a punter over Russ Wilson. #NeverForget.

One of this year’s best stories in my opinion has been the emergence of Tyler Lockett as a weekly fantasy starter. Double-digit points in every game but one and a TD machine. Lockett is finally realizing his potential and is locked in as a weekly WR3 with upside.

I was worried about Lamar Jackson going into Sunday’s game. I thought game flow would be a potential problem vs. Oakland and he looked so bad throwing the ball last week I wasn’t convinced he could consistently complete the forward pass. So what did he do? Only 178 passing yards but he got a TD to go with 71 rushing yards and another TD. Yup, he’s a QB1 as long as he is the starter.

I’ll just go to my room now.

That being said, after watching Jackson throw into a heavy … I mean HEAVY … coverage and get picked on Sunday, I do wonder just how much longer he’ll be the starter, though.

Doug Martin 16 points on benches everywhere.

The Raiders have pretty much nothing going their way but that was a pretty sweet TD grab by Jared Cook.

I still can’t believe Aaron Rodgers missed that easy TD to Davante Adams last night.

I

Just

Can’t

Believe

It

Phil Rivers threw 3 TDs on Sunday but he also threw one incompletion. Who’s the backup there? Time to get him ready.

Get well soon Mel Gordon. You’re way too good at football to not play again this season.

Remember last year when Dion Lewis vaulted into the RB1 discussion in the final month of the season and helped a whole lotta people win a whole lotta money? Sure feels like Austin Ekeler is gonna be this year’s Dion Lewis.

Juju Smith-Schuster is really good at 97-yard TDs.

As impressive as it was that Juju dropped another 97-yard score on a team, does he lose any style points for the Denver defense tackling each other instead of him? I mean watch that play and tell me how nobody tackled him. There were defenders everywhere near him.

If you’re a Juju owner, just accept the fact you got yourself a giant-size gift right there.

Ben Roethlisberger owners too.

Nine of Andy Luck’s last 12 TD passes have gone to tight ends. I’m no defensive coordinator but when the Colts get in scoring range, you might tell your defense to focus on the Indy tight ends.

Just a thought.

OK, it was cute when the Colts tried to throw a TD to Luck last week. But having him catch a pass this week so he could get drilled in the back?

Yeah, let’s just stop that now. Thanks.

In his last two games, T.Y. Hilton has put up 16-280-2. Best wide receiver in the game nobody talks about.

I’m sure there are going to be worse throws by veteran QBs than the one Matt Stafford made on his Pick 6 by Eddie Jackson. I just can’t seem to think of any at the moment.

Damn, that was truly awful.

OK, the Rodgers miss to Adams. Gee, that didn't take long at all.

And finally, if you’re a Chris Boswell owner just shut the hell up.

No seriously.

Shut the hell up.

[Frozen Tundra]

Watch that miss and try to tell me Rodgers isn’t also culpable. A mediocre NFL quarterback should make that throw 90% of the time. A first ballot Hall of Famer? Slam dunk.

Instead.

Nope.

Tom, great column. However, you really think Rodgers couldn't make that throw?

[Tom Kessenich]

Watch that miss and try to tell me Rodgers isn’t also culpable. A mediocre NFL quarterback should make that throw 90% of the time. A first ballot Hall of Famer? Slam dunk.

Instead.

Nope.

Tom, great column. However, you really think Rodgers couldn't make that throw?

He sure didn't. Definitely among the five easiest throws he had the entire game.