NFL

FMQB: Bye Bye Bye

Posted by fmquarterback on October 18, 2019
Posted in: NFL. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

FMQB: Bye Bye Bye

 

Quick Hits:

 

  • I think the Chiefs blueprint officially figured out, it’s time of possession. Whether you can sustain that the entire game (or score enough to beat them), the Pats did it last year, the Colts last week, and the Texans this week. The Colts ran the ball 45 times last week, and the Texans ran it 41.
  • I think Lions fans have a legit beef with the refereeing from Monday Night. If 1 of the 3 calls goes differently, the Lions win that game
  • You also don’t see the NFL come out and admit to bad calls (like the NBA does). They did on the 2nd hands to the face by the Lions.
  • Mason Crosby’s Lambeau Leap made me smile
  • I know it’s all about being in the right place at the right time, but I think after this year Josh Rosen is done ever competing for a starting job.
  • You could almost hear the NFL hold it’s collective breath when Patrick Mahomes went down.
  • How do the Chargers lose at home to the a 3rd string QB
  • Once again, the extra point rule makes the play exciting. Matt Bryant has to feel sick though.

 

Stat of the Week:

Teddy Bridgewater is 4-0 as a starter this year. Undrafted rookie Kyle Allen is 4-0.  Jimmy Garrapolo, despite the 5 straight INT’s in practice and the brutal preseason, is still 13-2 as a starting QB in this league!

 

Stat of the Week #2:

Both the Rams and Chargers have equaled their loss total from last year, it’s Week 6…

 

Stat of the Week #3:

Josh Rosen and Ryan Fitzpatrick are last and 2nd to last in QB Rating. Even Luke Falk beat them out, same with Baker Mayfield with his 11 INT’s.

 

Stat of the Week #4:

The NFL went 3 months without a player getting arrested, which was actually the longest streak in 20 years.

 

Stat of the Week #5:

The Jets went 3 weeks without throwing a passing TD, to Darnold tossing 2 in his return from mono. Safe to say he might be the answer. And how the hell do the Cowboys go from Super Bowl favorites to losing to the 0-4 Jets?

 

Stat of the Week #6:

NFC South QB’s:

The parity in the NFC South has always been interesting. For 5 straight years in the early 2000s, the team that was in last place in the division went on to win the division the next year. Interesting to note that QB’s from the division that have made the Super Bowl (Brees, Ryan and Newton) are 2-8 this season. Meanwhile backup quarterbacks are 8-0! Let’s just not talk about Jameis Winston…

 

Broken Record:

The NFL somehow went from dealing with this “when is a catch, a catch” debacle, and actually fixing it but at the same time burying themselves into a new “when is pass interference pass interference.”

 

I’d just like to point out that I called this during the preseason. Read this article about how maddening the Pass Interference rule has become.

https://sports.yahoo.com/the-catch-rule-defined-terrible-period-in-nfl-officiating-the-pass-interference-era-might-be-worse-192356916.html

 

Tank Bowl

The Dolphins are a dumpster fire this year, but you can’t accuse them of tanking anymore. The top pick was either going to be the Redskins or Dolphins, and they met on Sunday. The Dolphins had a chance to tie, but went for the win with a 2 point conversion. That is, unless you’re a conspiracy theorist and think they went for 2 to purposely fail.

 

Quote of the Week:

“Any other questions besides about Kirk Cousins?” Zach Brown of the Eagles, who called out Cousins earlier in the week. No dude!!! You had the guts to call someone out, you failed, now you can’t just pass the buck. Brown was cut a day later.

 

Celebration:

How this celebration hasn’t happened yet is beyond me, but well done Seattle! Bye Bye Bye

2pt Tracker:

 

Texans: +1

Redskins: +1

Jaguars: -1

Dolphins: -1 (Does that make their record minus 1 and 5?!?!)

 

 

Memes of the Week:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Advertisement

FMQB: Year 9, Knock on Wood if you’re With Me!!!

Posted by fmquarterback on August 30, 2019
Posted in: NFL. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

FMQB: Year 9, Knock on Wood if you’re With Me

Friday Morning Quarterback is back! Year 9!!!! It seems like forever since I’ve put out a post, and I have to say this is been one of the crazier offseasons for stories. Knock on wood if you’re with me!!!!!

 

It’s the NFL’s 100th season. Antonio Brown is getting weirder by the day, and is apparently being sued by a chef because he found his fish head in the freezer and thought it was a mob threat. Not to mention his helmet issues. The Packers played a preseason game on an 80 yard field and no kickoffs (do we think that was on accident)? The Giants were the laughing stock of the league when they drafted Daniel Jones, only to have him look like a veteran QB WAY ahead of Manning in the preseason. And are we really living in a world where the Cleveland Browns are the most hyped team going into the season? Don’t even get me going on the shockwave through the NFL of Andrew Luck retiring, likely leaving $100+ million and a hall of fame bust on the table.

 

This is my annual Prediction post. And I’ll have an abbreviated Week 1 recap next week. Finish the Dad joke and you’ll find out where I am currently honeymooning: “Did you know the first French fries weren’t made in France? No, they were fried in….”

 

2019 Predictions:

  • Rookie of the Year- NOT Kyler Murray
  • MVP- Patrick Mahomes again
  • Comeback player of the year- Cooper Kupp
  • The Daniel Jones Eli Manning narrative will dominate headlines. Manning will make it through the first 4 weeks going 1-3, and by Week 5 Daniel Jones is under center.
  • LeVeon Bell will underperform, starting all 16 games but not hitting 1000 yards, which will hurt the RB market for everyone else moving forward
  • Speaking of RB market, Zeke has a deal done by Week 3, but is outside the top 5 rushers. Gordon will hold out, into October. Gurley will play, but be affected by his knee, coming in outside the Top 10 but will be top 5 in TD’s.
  • Rosen is the starting QB for the Dolphins by Week 7, but will still struggle
  • Nick Foles won’t have the same success as in Philly, but will be a dramatic increase from Blake Bortles.
  • Odell Beckham will be mostly off the radar in terms of drama, but will light it up on the field. Antonio Brown however will continue adding to his weird saga, and will get extremely frustrated as him and Carr are on different wavelengths.

 

FMQB Ranting already:

I do want to step in and give my opinion of the new pass interference rule, and the fact it’s reviewable. My prediction is this is a one and done rule, and will be a disaster once games are won and lost due to it. (I get it Saints fans, you have a right to complain). But we’re going to have a scenario where a call is overturned in the end zone that is ticky tacky and decides the game. I guarantee this happens, and likely more than once. It’s almost a weekly occurrence that a 4th and Goal ends with a fade in the endzone, and now coaches are going to challenge every play. It’s going to be a situation where you look at the play and accept the call on the field, but under review there’s some minor hold that technically defines PI, and it’s going to change the outcome of the game. Just watch, that’s my prediction.

 

Take on Andrew Luck:

I was absolutely shocked to hear Luck was retiring. In fact, one way I know I’m old, is that I remember doing this blog the year leading up to Luck being drafted and now he’s retiring! Here’s my thing, yes the timing was absolutely terrible and essentially ruins the Colts’ season, but he had every right to do this. He’s a grown man and can make whatever decision is right for him. The fact Colts fans booed him off the field was also despicable. The organization was classy by letting him keep close to $25M, that’s a ton of money! But after seeing Calvin Johnson, Rob Gronkowski, and now Luck retire essentially in their prime, I think this is going to become a thing in the NFL. People are more cognizant of the toll it takes on their bodies, and enjoying life. I just wouldn’t be surprised to see some QB’s play well into their 40s, while other stars leaving at 29 is considered “normal.”

 

AFC North: I have the Browns and Ravens battling it out for the division. Should be fun to see the progression of both 2nd year QB’s. The Steelers will regress, and we’re nearing the end of this “regime.”

AFC East: Patriots have this in the bag as always, although I think the Jets are going to make a run at it and sneak in a wild card spot. Sam Darnold is going to be a force to be reckoned with in the upcoming years. Watch for the Dolphins to have a Top 3 pick.

AFC South: Such a weird division! You could almost argue for any team, but no team to be more than 10 or 11 wins. I had the Colts taking it until Saturday, now I think they’ll be in last place. The Texans will be solid, the Jags should improve with Foles, and the Titans would be playoff caliber if Mariotta stays healthy.

AFC West: The Chiefs should take this division handily as well. On the fence with Denver, if Flacco has some magic left they could be a team on the rise. Oakland also looks good on Hard Knocks, but that could be fancy camera work. Chargers should regress with Melvin Gordon and Keenan Allen missing time.

 

 

 

NFC North: Another weird division. I do think the Bears are the best team in the division, but their kicking woes could easily lose them 3 games. Packers should be better if Rodgers is healthy and a hungry coach. I think the Vikings have a 9-7 season and miss the playoffs again, and the Lions will pull a Lions and be obsolete by Week 5.

NFC East: Without Foles to fall back on, Wentz will have to stay healthy, but the Eagles have a chance to make a deep playoff run. The Cowboys will do what they always do under Jason Garrett, and go 8-8 after a playoff year. The Giants will be newsworthy, but not in the playoff hunt. And the Redskins will have QB woes that still aren’t addressed by January.

NFC South: The Saints are still a powerhouse, but their window is rapidly closing. They’ll take the #1 seed one last time though. The Bucs will have to move on from Winston after this year. Panthers will struggle with Newton staying healthy, and the Falcons will be in line for a Wild Card spot.

NFC West: The Rams are easily the best team in the division. The Seahawks will make a push, but they’ve lost too many players to make the playoffs. Jimmy G will lead the league in INT’s, so the 49ers aren’t in the picture. And Arizona will be a fun team to watch but Murray will have ups and downs.

 

Playoff Predictions

 

AFC:

Patriots

Texans

Chiefs

Browns

Ravens

Jets

 

 

NFC:

Eagles

Bears

Rams

Saints

Falcons

Packers

 

AFC Championship:

Chiefs vs. Texans

 

 

NFC Championship:

Saints vs. Eagles

 

Super Bowl:

Chiefs vs. Saints- Chiefs win it all

 

Quote of the Offseason:

“He drinks a gallon of milk every day. … I think it’s the milk that’s not pasteurized, either. I think it’s right out of the teat.”

Jay Gruden on Colt McCoy’s milk habits.

 

Best Quote of the Offseason:

“Knock on wood if you’re with me” Jon Gruden

 

Meme’s of the Offseason:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FMQB: Overtime Madness!

Posted by fmquarterback on January 25, 2019
Posted in: NFL, Super Bowl. Leave a comment

FMQB: Schadenfreude and Karma

Oh…My…God! We had 2 Overtime games for Championship weekend! Never before had there been 2 OT playoff games in the same day, in any round! But when it was all on the line, both games more than delivered!

 

I will try my best not to show my Rams bias here, but would like to point out how unbelievable this moment is for me. 2 seasons ago we had traded away the farm for a college QB with a losing record, and we finished 4-12 that year. Things were looking bleak, but 2 years later we’re in the freaking Super Bowl! As always, this week is the Divisional Round, next week is Super Bowl preview.

 

I went 0-2 last week, putting me 4-6 for the playoff run. Not good, so Go Patriots!!! Haha.

 

Rams vs. Saints:

Let’s not focus on the no-call…yet. First, credit to the Saints fans. The noise was insane, and clearly was messing with the Rams in the 1st quarter. But as McVay said, he knew the fans couldn’t keep that up the entire game (although the screaming after the game has lasted 5 days and counting…). The Rams only giving up 2 FG’s to start after strong Saints drives, and only giving up 13 points in the first half felt like a victory in itself, but they struggled to get the offense going. Once again, a fake punt seemed to change the tide for a team and kept the Rams in it.

 

The game was surprisingly close despite the Saints scoring and the Rams punting. I have to admit I was surprised McVay opted to kick a field goal to tie the game at 20 vs. going for it on 4th and inches. Seemed conservative, but it also would have been devastating to not convert.

 

It got exciting with the game tied and Brees with the ball with 5 minutes left. They drove down, and here is where I put play calling as the reason the Saints lost. It’s 1st down at the 13 at the 2 minute warning, Rams with 2 timeouts. At this point the Saints are guaranteed to score at least something to take the lead. Instead of working the clock, the Saints threw incomplete, ran, and then threw on 3rd and 10 where the odds of converting are very small. Granted, this is the controversial no-call, but they basically stopped the clock for the Rams twice AND let them have their final drive with a timeout remaining. Instead, at the 13 they could have run 3 times and kicked a FG, giving the Rams the ball with about 70 seconds left but no timeouts.

 

Anyway, after the no-call, that seemed to take the wind out of the Saints. The Rams drove down and kicked a very scary winding FG to take it into OT. After the INT in OT, I truly felt the Rams would win it. Even the 57 yard FG felt like it was destined to go in, and dang it looked like it would have been good from 70.

 

Patriots vs. Chiefs:

The first half seemed to fly by in about 50 actual minutes! Mainly because the Patriots dominated the time of possession and ran the ball like crazy. The Chiefs had 3 total yards of offense the first 23 minutes of game time, and ended the half with only 37 total yards. The 2nd half would improve dramatically, and despite the Patriots seeming like they were dominating, it was shocking to see the Chiefs go ahead. The last 8 minutes of the game was about the best you’ll see in the NFL, with 4 lead changes and a tie in that time frame. When the Patriots took a 3 point lead with 39 seconds left, even with Mahomes you had to think the Pats punched their ticket. But 2 plays and 48 yards later, the Chiefs were able to kick a tying field goal.

 

Overtime here was exciting yet anticlimactic. Reminded me a bunch of the Falcons Pats Super Bowl, where they simply drove down the field and scored so KC wouldn’t get the ball. They did convert 3 3rd downs though, and the interception turned defensive offsides was heartbreaking. IF Dee Ford literally lines up 4 inches back, the Chiefs are in the Super Bowl.

 

Stat of the Week:

The Patriots are only 3rd team to make 3 straight Super Bowls

 

Stat of the Week #2:

Todd Gurley had a career low 5 touches on Sunday. This is the same player that Jeff Fischer guarded like a QB in Hard Knocks saying “DO NOT TOUCH #30!” during training camp.

 

Stat of the Week #3:

Andy Reid is now 1-5 in Championship games

 

Stat of the Week #4:

The last 12 home teams had won Championship games, and home teams were undefeated since 2012. Ironically that year, both road teams won (49ers beat Falcons and Ravens beat Pats on the road).

 

Thought of the Week:

After a season of drama with LeVeon Bell and Antonio Brown, it was interesting to watch Todd Gurley. FOX did a good job showing Gurley and pointing out that he wasn’t mad or throwing tantrums, but letting his coach use him when needed. He will be fresh for the Super Bowl.

 

Missed call rant:

As a Rams fan, my first reaction even before anybody saw a replay was “oh no, that’s a flag.” So yes, I am also admitting a blown call. But you also can’t peg that play as the outcome of the game. The refs blatantly missed at least 6 other calls that would have tilted the game in the Rams favor. There were 3 awful delay of game misses where Brees essentially got 42 seconds, and a facemask on Goff’s run that makes it 1st and goal down by 3 in the 4th , ,  a facemask on Cooks’ run, and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles kick to the face (see meme below). The Saints also got the ball to start OT and had their chance to drive down again but couldn’t. So don’t tell me that one play makes or breaks it.

Why isn’t the uproar on the Brady roughing the passer? The guy literally nicked his facemask, and Brady flinched moreso because his hand was 4 inches from his face vs. the fact he barely got touched. That also extended a drive that, had the call not happened, would have decided the game in the Chiefs favor.

 

Tony Romo:

People always seem to bash and make fun of the announcers, and while I see some of it, I still think Chris Collinsworth and Tony Romo are the best the industry has seen. The AFC Championship game was made that much more exciting by Tony Romo’s insight. He was correctly picking plays again, telling the audience what the QB was thinking during audibles. “Tom is watching the safety, if he drops down watch for the throw to Gronk!” I found myself several times shifting my eye from the QB/Center to the Tight end, or the Safety, or even to see if the Left Tackle would pull and run to the right. It made the game more enjoyable, and he deserves the new CBS contract coming to him.

 

Rams fandom:

Feel free to tune out lol, but I have to talk about what it’s been like being a Rams fan. Since the 2001 Super Bowl Loss, it has been tough as a Rams fan and want to show the records I have dealt with.

7-9

12-4

8-8

6-10

8-8

3-13

2-14

1-15

7-9

2-14

7-8-1

7-9

6-10

7-9

4-12

11-5

13-3

 

That’s 3 winning seasons in 17 years, only 3 playoff appearances (only 1 in the 15 years prior), 6 last place finishes, and two #1 overall draft picks. 111-160-1 in that timeframe. I’m sure many St. Louisians felt the same way, but I considered bailing when they moved to LA. I love football and love being a fan, but I also started out in life a Vikings fan, and then a Panthers fan for about 4 years before getting onto the Kurt Warner train due to a personal relationship. I’ve been a Rams fan for 20 years now. And truthfully, I thought about jumping to Green Bay, but decided to stay. And this seriously makes it this much sweeter.

 

Speaking of Fandom and Karma:

What was up with the Saints whistle guy? I thought I heard a non-stop whistle during the game but they played on. Only later did I see that the annoying whistle was noticed by a ton of people. And as for the Chiefs, there were 2 fans who got into it. First, you had Snowball guy, and Andy Reid actually had to walk over and say something because the Chiefs would take a penalty if it happened again (wouldn’t that be a way to lose). And then days later there’s video of a green laser pointer hitting Tom Brady in the face.

 

Schadenfreude:

I find it utterly hilarious that the Vikings fanbase is backing the Rams and essentially saying the Saints deserve what happened to them because they can’t let go of 2009. This schadenfreude (getting pleasure by someone else’s misfortune) has shifted the focus of the Saints attacking the Refs, Rams, and Roger Goodell, to now Saints fans and Vikings fans are getting into fights on Twitter, I love it! I have never seen a fanbase come to the defense of another fanbase when they really have no business being in the discussion. The closest thing was when Bills fans were donating money to Andy Dalton, but they had a reason to be thankful for him, the Vikings have nothing to gain! Even Vikings LB Anthony Barr said “Take your L,” and he didn’t even play on that team! I feel this also justifies my hatred of the Patriots. I’ve literally been told that I need to “let 2001 go” but I just can’t. Now that the Pats are in it again against my Rams, it will either be sweet redemption or something that will turn into a lifelong issue for me haha.

 

This sign is in Minnesota, not LA

Coincidence?

Super Bowl is 18 years to the Day from when Tom Brady and Belichick beat the Rams back in 2001

 

OT Change:

There’s a lot of people saying Brady is 3-0 in OT in the playoffs, but all 3 times the Pats won the coin toss and he drove down and scored (thus the other team never had a chance to possess the ball). I think this is a shame and the NFL should truly adopt the college rule already.

 

Memes of the Week:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FMQB: You Vike That?!?!

Posted by fmquarterback on September 14, 2018
Posted in: NFL. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

FMQB: You Vike That?!?!

 

Rodgers Rarity:

The Sunday night game will be one that gets replayed for years and years, and I don’t think I’m exaggerating. The fact that Rodgers was terrible with his good knee, goes out and the Bears have a hay day on defense should have ended the game there. The magic when he walked back onto the field, single handedly breathing back life into the stadium that had been drawn out as he was carted off the field; it was just incredible. The entire stadium went from “oh no, not again!” to “down 20-0? No problem, we have Aaron.” Despite the Packers not doing anything offensively in the 1st half, Lambeau had hope. And while the comeback was exciting, it almost wasn’t surprising, it was expected. If anybody has seen The Natural with Robert Redford, this was like a 3 hour condensed version of that.

 

Quick Hits:

  • Weather delays are extremely rare in the NFL, and we had 2 (technically 3) happen this week
  • The Colts didn’t waste time with easing Andrew Luck back into things. They tested out his shoulder on a league leading 53 attempts!
  • The Steelers didn’t seem to be missing LeVeon Bell. James Connor is leading the league in rushing
  • Saquon Barkley’s TD run shows the talent and explosiveness the Giants were hoping for, just wow. And against the Jags
  • Other than the first play of the game, Sam Darnold looks like the real deal
  • The Vikings and Jags defense looks legit
  • I want whatever Aaron Rodgers was on during his postgame interview. Or maybe I don’t…

 

Stat of the Week:

Drew Brees is on pace for 7024 passing yards

 

Stat of the Week #2:

This was the Bears first 10 point lead against the Packers since 2007

 

Follow-up Stat of the Week #3:

Julio Jones lead the league in receiving with 169 yards, but that elusive TD has his team at 0-1. On his last 20 targets to Julio Jones in the endzone, Matt Ryan is 1-20.

 

Stat of the Week #4:

The Browns 0-0-1 start is their best start since 2004.

 

Stat of the Week #5:

In the Bucs vs. Saints game: 88 points is a new record for a season opener, and there were 1004 offensive yards in that game

 

Stat of the Week #6:

Aaron Rodgers had 13 yards on a good knee in the first half, and 273 yards on a bad knee in the 2nd half

 

Stat of the Week #7:

Nathan Peterman has started 3 games in his career. One of which was this weekend where he went 5/18 for 24 yards and a 0.0 QB rating. It was 40-0 35 minutes into the game. Another start had him at 6/14, 0 TD’s and 5 INTs. Looks like you got yourself a winner there!

 

Stat of the Week #8:

The Ravens scored 47 points, yet their leading rusher had 44 yards, and leading receiver had 49 yards.

 

Stat of the Week #9:

Adrian Peterson passed Jim Brown to become 10th on the all time rushing list. He could get up to 8th if he has a good season. Frank Gore, the ageless one, should get to #4 this week. These are the only 2 active rushers in the top 25, proof the position is dying.

 

Stat of the Week #10:

Tyreek Hill touched the ball twice in the 1st quarter. The first was a 91 yard punt return, and the second a 58 yard receiving TD

 

Stat of the Week #11:

The Dolphins Titans game was 7 hours and 8 minutes long due to two lighting delays. The old record? 5 hours and 16 minutes

 

Stat of the Week:

From out of nowhere, Ryan Fitzpatrick had 417 yds and 4 TD’s

 

Takeaways from Opening Night:

  • The Falcons have struggled in the red zone for literally years. It’s ugly head reared up again last year in the playoffs with 4 shots at the endzone. Can’t believe they lost the game the exact same way
  • Although it was a slight variation, the fact they ran the Philly Special again (and the Falcons fell for it) was hilarious!
  • Nick Foles just somehow wins, no matter how bad his performance
  • The football Gods were just taunting us Thursday night. We waited 7 months, and had to wait an extra hour for a weather delay!

 

 

For the Record:

  • Jimmy Garrapolo is no longer undefeated
  • Only 1 possession in the 1st half of the Bucs Saints game did not result in a score.
  • DeShone Kizer somehow looked worse than Brent Hundley.
  • I don’t think anybody can think Khalil Mack is overpaid after watching his performance on Sunday night; same goes for Aaron Rodgers
  • Looked like the Adrian Peterson of old. He even got the workload of carries with 26 while Chris Thompson only had 5. Ended with 96 yards and a TD.
  • Still not convinced, but I may have been wrong about Patrick Mahomes
  • Case Keenum picked up right where he left off
  • New head coaches were 0-7 in their debuts
  • Ties are still a terrible way to end an NFL game

 

The Browns didn’t Lose!!!

Technically, TECHNICALLY, the Browns ended a 17 game losing streak and a 13 game opening day losing streak on Sunday. Such a weird OT period! There were 5 possessions in the last 1:47! Pittsburgh with the chance at a FG but missed, Browns Punt, Pittsburgh Fumbles in their territory giving the Browns a shot, but their FG is blocked! I will reiterate that the 10 minute overtimes were terrible and will lead to more ties, but I’ve griped about that in the past. Until they switch to college football rules, you’re going to continue to see these as more common.

 

Quote of the Week:

“You Vike That?!?!” Kirk Cousins

 

Games of the Week:

Vikings at Packers: Will likely have playoff consequences and it’s only Week 2!

Chiefs at Steelers

Patriots at Jaguars: Rematch of the AFC Championship

 

Fantasy Football Woes:

 

Despite the meme, I do want to gripe for a second. The only league I paid to be in this year didn’t give me a notification when the draft started, so I had my first Autodraft in years. Thanks ESPN, they went WR, WR, WR, RB, TE (who is now out for the season), QB who was out Week 1. Garbage.

 

Meme of the Week:

 

 

Meme of the Week #2:

FMQB: The Only Person who should be benched is McAdoo’s Barber!

Posted by fmquarterback on December 1, 2017
Posted in: Football, NFL. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

FMQB: The Only Person who should be benched is McAdoo’s Barber!

I swear on everything Holy I wrote this on Monday!

“One really has to wonder if Eli Manning will be a Giant next year. QB’s like Josh McCown, Tyrod Taylor, Jameis Winston, Jacoby Brissett, and Ryan Fitzpatrick all have better passer ratings than Manning. He would be 37 going into next season, I think there’s a high likelihood he either retires, or sticks around to groom a top 3 pick in the draft.”

 

I promise you I wrote that on Monday before the news! He was officially benched on Tuesday. In my opinion, this is complete crap. First off, you’re not going to learn anything new or get reps for a QB you’ve never seen before (Geno has been a starter for multiple years). Second, it’s Week 13 and they’re officially out of the playoff race. Third, this is your franchise QB and one who has brought you two Lombardi trophies. You owe it to him and his 13 year career not to end his streak of starts. Just let him ride out the season, and have a closed door meeting with him saying that he’s not your franchise QB, and they can either trade or release him. This action alone makes McAdoo’s firing justified.

 

Quick Hits:

  • Rams have a tough schedule to end the year, but pretty surprised to see them knock off the 8 game win-streaking Saints.
  • Wow, the Chiefs have fallen on hard times.
  • I’m no doctor, but Aaron Rodgers sure seemed like he could throw the ball fine going into Sunday night.
  • In 3 plays, Garrapolo had the first TD for the 49ers after Beathard played the entire game. Just saying…
  • Two surprises of the week: Cardinals and Blaine Gabbert knocking off the Jaguars, and the Packers playing tough against the Steelers and barely losing.
  • You have Antonio Brown and Julio Jones on one level, and then there’s every other receiver in the league.

  Continue Reading

FMQB: The Tie that Binds

Posted by fmquarterback on November 4, 2016
Posted in: NFL. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

week-8

 

FMQB: The Tie that Binds

 

 

Brady’s first 4 weeks:

It’s hard for me to say it, but the best QB in the league is Tom Brady; which is amazing at 39 years old. I think he even gets put into the MVP race despite the fact that he’ll only play ¾ of the games any other QB plays. He has a whopping 133.9 passer rating, is still on pace for nearly 4000 yards (despite missing 4 games), 12 TD’s and 0 INT’s. Just insane numbers to start the season.

 

Tie

Ties are a rarity, so much in fact that many NFL players don’t know that games can end in a tie. From 1974 to 2008, there were only 17 ties; exactly 1 tie every 2 years. But there has been a bit of an influx recently, which could be equated to the new OT rules that each team possesses the ball (barring a TD). There have been 5 ties in the past 4 years. Believe it or not, with only 32 ties since 1974, this is the 2nd time in that span that ties have come in back to back weeks. While this is an improvement from 1920 when there were 17 ties, the NFL needs to figure out a way to find a winner. Hockey did it, and 3 on 3 OT and the Shootout are the most exciting parts of the game. My suggestion is to play their 15 minute overtime. If there’s no winner, trot the kickers out to the 35 yard line and have them kick. If they both make it, back it up to the 40…and so on until one misses. It’s going to come down to a kick anyway, so why not give it to the kickers. But now 4 teams are X-X-1, which is just stupid.

 

Ironically, all 4 teams (Ari, Sea, Cin, and Was) made the playoffs last year. But the ties actually hurt their records, with only 1 team (Seattle) actually sitting in a playoff spot right now.

 

For the Record:

I wonder why NFL ratings are dropping? A recent stretch of 4 nationally televised games consisted of a Tie, Brock Osweiler, Titans vs. Jaguars, and another Tie. That’s 2 ties in 4 NFL games!

Continue Reading

FMQB: “It’s Just Football”

Posted by fmquarterback on September 30, 2016
Posted in: NFL. Leave a comment

week-3

FMQB: “It’s Just Football”

Shorter post this week, a lot of quick hits and not much in depth analysis. Hope to be back in action next week.

 

Scary Thought:

The Patriots are guaranteed to be alone in 1st place when Tom Brady come backs. Talk about crazy! Amazing coaching job as well. I think had they gone 1-3 they could still win the division, and 2-2 would have been considered a success. Instead, 4-0 is very likely at this point.

 

Offenses Waking Up:

Rams scored 9 point in 2 games, 0 TD’s. All of a sudden racked up 4 TD’s on Sunday on the road

Seahawks had scored 1 TD all season (last minute in Week 1), but also racked up 4 on Sunday

 

Terrible Football:

For 0-3 teams, at least the Jaguars are entertaining to watch. The Bears on the otherhand are just terrible. And for some reason we get them in another slot of back-to-back primetime games later in the season. How do they get 4 primetime games?!?!

 

Stat of the Week:

Anybody have Marvin Jones and Stefon Diggs as the Top 2 receivers in the league?

 

Stat of the Week #2:

The entire AFC South has a negative point differential, while the entire AFC West are in the positive

 

Stat of the Week #3:

Ryan Fitzpatrick threw 6 INT’s on Sunday, more than every other QB has in the season so far. Somehow he was never sacked the entire game. Seems like an odd combo

 

Stat of the Week #4:

LeGarrett Blount is leading the league in rushing yards and rushing TD’s

 

Stat of the Week #5:

We keep looking at Carson Wentz and their offense, but Philly’s D is leading the league; giving up only 9 points per game.

 

Stat of the Week #6:

The Vikings, Ravens and Eagles all 3-0! Meanwhile the Bengals, Cardinals, Panthers, and Redskins have 4 wins combined

 

New Wave of QB’s:

With all the hullabaloo surrounding Dak Prescott and Carson Wentz, the overlooked QB right now is Trevor Siemian. John Elway ditching Brock Osweiler was a mistake in most people’s eyes, but keep in mind that the Patriots and Giants both do the same thing with high priced free agents. So Osweiler is taking up $18M of salary cap while Siemian is at $525K but still has his team at 3-0….wow. The whole Rookie QB phenomena this year is an awesome story, the only other time I remember this hype was when Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco were rookies, or back with Ben Roethlisberger went 15-1 his rookie year.

 

New Wave Stat:

Dak Prescott, Carson Wentz, Jimmy Garoppolo and Trevor Siemian are a combined 10-1. And have thrown 15 TD’s vs 3 INT’s

 

Surprises of the Week:

Philadelphia smacking Pittsburgh

Minnesota setting Carolina straight on the road

Arizona forgetting to show up against a high draft pick team

 

Poor 2nd Half:

If there were 5 quarters in football, the Packers would have lost by 17. Watching the Lions come back in the 2nd half was painful

 

Quote of the Week:

“It’s just football” Carson Wentz

 

Quote of the Week #2:

“He’ played like a freakin’ Hall of Famer” Steelers Cameron Hayward

 

Quote of the Week #3:

“The Browns can win out” Terrell Pryor (enter the Angel’s in the Outfield Dad saying “Yeah and the Angels will win the pennant”)

 

Quote of the Week #4:

“Do we have to watch the game tonight?” FFMQB. Said about the last 2 Thursday night matchups. You hear that schedule-makers?!?!

 

 

FMQB: Comebacks and Missed Kicks

Posted by fmquarterback on September 16, 2016
Posted in: NFL. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

week-1Photo credit: NFL.com

Last season seemed to be the season of comebacks, but it’s already looking like this season might be crazier! Record amount of 4th quarter comebacks in Week 1 already.

 

New Age Quarterbacks:

It’s rare that backup QB’s come in and do so well for teams. Perhaps why the stories of Tom Brady and Kurt Warner stay in people’s minds. It makes it almost more impossible that a new wave of young QB’s has seem to taken the field by storm. First time starters Trevor Siemien, Jimmy Garapolo, and Carson Wentz all won, and all looked solid! Even Brock Osweiler and Jameis Winston definitely showed up, who of course played last year but aren’t household names. Dak Prescott also had a decent first start with no real mistakes. It makes you wonder if gone are the days where you have your top 5 QB’s that everybody focuses on, and the rest are mediocre.

 

Going for Two:

Love, love, LOVE the call by Jack Del Rio to go for 2 at the end of the game! Coaches never want to take risks, because it’s their heads if the call is unsuccessful. So Kudos to the Raiders for taking a chance, it was the right call even if they failed. The situation was ripe for it. You’re in a shootout, so obviously your Defense wasn’t stopping the Saints (but the flipside is also true). They were on the road, so an additional period likely favors the Saints. OT is probably less than 50% chance you win the game, but a 2 pt call is right around 50-50. Don’t get me into the fact that the extra point is definitely not automatic anymore (as we saw 4 teams run into this week). The only thing I’m not a fan of is the play call itself; fade routes can be tough to execute. But either way the Raiders did it. Week 1 is never a “must win” scenario, but it could be season defining for Oakland where a precious win will pay dividends in their playoff push.

Continue Reading

FMQB- Year of the Backup QB

Posted by fmquarterback on November 8, 2013
Posted in: NFL. 2 Comments

KansasCityChiefsDefense

Absolutely crazy week in football, and it seems like none of it happened on the field. The Texans had a rollercoaster of a game having their head coach collapse at halftime, the Broncos coach also had major heart surgery, and the Miami locker room is in a heated battle. But more of that later, let’s start with football.

 

Let’s not Crown him quite yet…

Eagles QB Nick Foles had a day that most hall of fame QBs dream about. Granted he was playing the Raiders, but Foles tied an NFL record for 7 TD passes in one game. Very surprising that Chip Kelly still won’t name a starter once Vick is healthy, which leads me to believe that Vick is outperforming Foles in practice. The only other theory is that Kelly’s offense is so set on having a mobile QB, that Kelly can’t get over the fact that he has Vick. Will be interesting if Foles continues to succeed.

 

Seattle is the best team in the NFC that’s in Trouble:

I don’t think I can name a team in the NFC that can easily beat the Seahawks, other than themselves. For the second week in a row, Seattle found themselves down and in need of a comeback. This time to 0-8 Tampa Bay. Not sure if coaches took part of the week off, or what, but to go down 21-0 to the Bucs is pathetic. They managed to comeback, and are still an impressive 8-1, but they won’t be able to make that comeback against a playoff team in January.

Continue Reading

FMQB- Half Full or Half Empty

Posted by fmquarterback on November 1, 2013
Posted in: NFL. Tagged: , , , , , . 1 Comment

CalvinJohnson

We’re officially halfway through the season, wow time flies when you’re having fun! There is a much better idea of where teams stand than there was 2 months ago, and most fans know whether the outlook on their season is half full, or half empty. Still some major surprises, but it will be fun to see how the next 2 months play out.

 

Hail to the Chiefs (not in a racist way):

Last week FMQB swooned over the Kansas City Chiefs surprise rise to greatness. Well they made it to 8-0 this week, in a squeaker of a win over Cleveland and their 3rd string QB. Looking at their schedule, here is who the Chiefs have beaten: Jaguars, Cowboys, Eagles, Giants, Titans, Raiders, Texans, and Browns…none of which have a winning record. With 5 of their last 8 games against winning teams, it will be interesting to see whether their top defense and best record is because of they are legit, or because of their schedule.

 

Stat of the Week:

It took 2 weeks from Calvin Johnson to go from #42 in reception yards, to #1

Continue Reading