A bit of a shorter post this week, but let’s face it, there’s nothing to talk about other than the catch of a lifetime! Odell Beckham Jr (a rookie nonetheless) was being absolutely mauled by the Cowboys defender (which almost makes it better). I’m talking jersey tugging, arm grabbing, so bad that the refs got the flag out a full second before the ball even arrived. Odell managed to get free at the last second, and did pretty much a high jump move to arch his back and get his hand over the pylon where the ball was. With one hand, the ball literally stuck to his fingers as he fell into the endzone for a touchdown. By the way, NBC looked like an absolute genius by showing the footage of Odell practicing one handed catches about 20 minutes before the actual catch.
Comparison Catches:
People are quick to say this is the greatest catch of all time. While it’s easy for people to freak out right after a situation like this, when I think back at NFL history, it’s tough to make any sort of comparison. You have “The Catch.” Which sure it was a good catch, but it was moreso the situation of it, and the fact that Joe Montana looked like he was throwing it away until Dwight Clark came into the frame at the last second to grab it. But the catch itself was just a good catch. What about “The Catch II?” Terrell Owens against the Packers made a spectacular play, but it was as a football player and not a wide receiver. He caught the ball with his body and got sandwiched between 3 defenders at the goal line. Great football play, not great catch. “Immaculate Reception?” It was a fluke, and something we don’t actually have the full footage of. Santonio Holmes in the Super Bowl? Once again it was the situation that made it great, but Jeremy Maclin had the exact same catch this year, albeit not for a TD.
There are only 2 other catches that compare in my mind. 1) The Alabama Tyrone Prothro catch where he literally hugged the defender to catch the ball, rolled onto the ground into the endzone, and didn’t lose control. I’m counting this one even though it was College…2) is David Tyree’s catch in the Super Bowlagainst the Patriots. This was very situational but still an amazing catch (3rd down, 1 minute left, 50 yards to go, against an undefeated team, and Eli Manning having to scramble out of a sack before heaving it up, and the Super Bowl). The fact he pinned the ball against his helmet with a Hall of Fame safety’s arm in there was incredible. Overall, I think it’s very safe to say that Beckham’s catch will go down in the NFL lores as a top 3 catch of all time, probably for years to come.
Does Anybody Want It?
To say the NFC South is dismal, is about the understatement of the year. The Falcons currently lead the division at 4-7 via tiebreaker, the Saints at 4-7, Panthers at 3-7-1, and Buccaneers at 2-9. There are 13 wins among these 4 teams and we’re entering Week 13! 6 of these 13 wins are almost by default, since they were division wins and somebody had to win the game. What this breaks down to is this: With 4 teams, playing 44 games total, only 7 wins have been from teams from outside of the division. As crappy as they are, this will be a fun division to play out, as with 5 games left we have NO vs both ATL and CAR, CAR vs both ATL and NO, and ATL vs both CAR and NO.
Does Anybody Want It #2:
As a microcosm of the NFC South, the Falcons and Browns game was another one that nobody seemed willing to take. Despite leading the Browns to a comeback victory, Brian Hoyer threw 2 interceptions in the final 5 minutes. Yet the Falcons kept the Browns in the game with a horrible clock management piece trying to run out the time. Either way it was a big win for the Browns to sneak away with. On a side note, Josh Gordon came back with a vengeance, with 8 receptions for 120 yards.
Future of RGIII:
As a Rams fan, I have secretly rooted against RGIII for his entire career. Mainly because I didn’t want the Rams to have traded away the next Joe Montana. But as of today, it looks like the 2012 Draft is eerily similar to 1998. #1 Overall pick by the Colts becoming a great QB, and the #2 overall pick also a QB who turns out to be a bust (Ryan Leaf). RGIII was benched on Wednesday after going 1-4 in games he started, and having a QBR of 26. According to reports, he has regressed so much that Jay Gruden whipped out an “absolute basic offense” on Sunday. RGIII has 12 wins in 33 starts. Now he’s benched for a QB who’s 2-0 in his only games played in for his 4th NFL team. In the trade for RGIII, the Rams have received 8 total picks. 4 of which have turned into offensive starters, and the #2 overall pick in 2012 yielded the #2 overall pick in 2014. That’s what I call a steal!
Increasing Stat of the Week:
DeMarco Murray is now 400 yards ahead of the RB in 2nd place
Missed Stat of last Week:
The Rams held the Broncos to 7 points, the fewest put up by a Manning-led Bronco team
Stat of the Week #3:
Atlanta is 4-0 against teams in their division, and 0-7 against teams outside
Stat of the Week #4:
Tampa Bay, who is dead last in the entire NFC at 2-9, is only 2 games out of first place in the NFC South
Playoff Stat of the Week #5:
It is entirely conceivable that a 5-11 team makes the playoffs this year and would host a 12-4 team in the playoffs
Playoff Stat of the Week #6:
Despite the strength and media attention of the AFC North, if the playoffs were to start today, 3 teams from the AFC West (Broncos, Chiefs and Chargers) would be in instead.
Bad Karma:
There’s nothing worse than being down by 3, going for the win on the final drive, and leaving without even getting the chance to tie the game. In Week 9, the Rams were on the good end of this, when the defense held the 49ers on a final play with a chance to win it. On Sunday, they were fortunate enough to get the ball already in field goal range with 1:27 left. Three plays later they had it at the 6 yard line with over a minute left. All of a sudden you need to worry about scoring too soon, and perhaps thinking about it too much, the Rams threw an interception and never even had a shot at overtime.
Thanksgiving Games:
13 weeks into the season can be tough for schedule-makers to get right. But wow, are the Thanksgiving games going to be a show this year! Sure it helps that for once the Lions aren’t bad, but Lions vs Bears should actually be a decent show. Then Eagles vs Cowboys will face off in a battle for the NFC East, with the winner breaking the current tie. Finally we get to see the 49ers and Seahawks face off for the first time since Richard Sherman tried to shake Crabtree’s hand after leading his team to the Super Bowl. It helps that they are 3 division rivalry games, something that has been lacking recently (ex. Lions vs Texans from last year).
Games of the Week:
Browns vs Bills: In the first time that has been mentioned in the history of the NFL…
Broncos vs Chiefs: Division battle for a virtual tie if the Chiefs win
Packers vs Patriots: This is my Super Bowl pick at the moment. Could be a preview of things to come
Quota Met:
Turducken…there, I said it. It wasn’t in the title, but I had to meet my yearly quota. Until next year.
FMQB 