FMQB: Tebow, Tramposos, and Turducken!

Posted by fmquarterback on October 14, 2011
Posted in: Uncategorized. 4 Comments

“Does Anybody Know what Time it is? Tebow Time!”

As most friends of FMQB know, one of the three teams I hate are the Denver Broncos. Normally a 1-4 team wouldn’t have much to cheer about, but the fans would go nuts, chanting “Tebow, Tebow” everytime Kyle Orton played poorly. Fans bought expensive billboard advertisement space to call upon bringing in Tebow. It’s fun to see a fanbase rally around a bad team, heck, it’s the only thing they had to cheer about. John Fox tantalized fans by bringing in Tebow as a WR on a few plays, and handing off in another game. Well Broncos fans, you finally have your wish! I was pumped for the Jets Patriots game, but the second I heard that Tebow was playing, even I immediately switched to watch this lopsided game. Tim Tebow came in during the second half of Sunday’s game, and rallied the team to an exciting finish. Scoring 14 points in the 4th quarter, Tebow also drove the Broncos 51 yards in 23 seconds for a Hail Mary chance to win the game. And what an exciting play! Tebow ran left, then right, then did a complete 360, then ran left again, loaded up and threw to his receiver in the endzone. Have to admit, I was out of my seat for that play. Tebow is one of those Quarterbacks who will never have amazing stats, but will somehow put his team in position to win the game. On a side note, anybody remember FMQB’s prediction regarding Tim Tebow? Number 3 QB on the roster opening day, Starter by week 7 (I predicted Week 12)…Bonus points if you answered “Tool Time” to the headline question.

Turnover Differential; the most relevant statistic in Sports:

Buffalo is getting a lot of credit for their explosive offense. Even with Lee Evans leaving, Buffalo is scoring 32 points per game, Fred Jackson is 3rd in the league in rushing, and Ryan Fitzpatrick is doing more than managing the game; he’s excelling with a 96.4 passer rating! But it’s my argument that defense, specifically takeaways, are leading to wins. Buffalo’s defense isn’t stellar, they are 30th in the league in yds allowed, and middle of the pack for points allowed; BUT they have a league leading 12 INT’s in 5 games. One of the most relevant statistics in predicting a win is the turnover battle, it seems that teams who win that battle nearly always win the game! To put this in perspective, in 2010 the top 5 AFC teams in turnover differential ar made the playoffs, and 4 of the top 6 in the NFC. All had more takeaways than giveaways. Even with a less than impressive defense, the Bills lead the lead the league in turnover differential at +11.

Where is Nirvana and the Super Nintendo, because this looks like 1991!

The last time both the Bills and 49ers were this good, I was still sleeping with a Teddy Bear every night (anybody who says “Wasn’t that 2 years ago?” ha ha). I am utterly shocked with the 49ers this year. Brand new coach, same old crappy QB, no major changes over the offseason, and yet they are an OT field goal away from being 5-0! Sunday’s 48-3 blowout over the playoff-caliber Buccaneers was actually their largest point win since the Joe Montana era! Alex Smith had a near perfect QBR for Week 5 (this is ESPN’s cool new QB rating, I will discuss it at a later date). I am personally a fan of both Harbaugh coaches, they seem to be “player coaches” who bring a spark to the morale of teams. I am honestly impressed with what first time NFL coach John Harbaugh has been able to do with the team so far. It’s still hard for me to see them as being legit after years of mediocrity, but an 11-5 record would impress me.

The Dream that is a Nightmare:

Do you ever find yourself in a dream that seems good at the time, only to have it turn on you in an instant to become just horrible? Well I’m assuming that Michael Vick, Andy Reid, and company can all attest to that happening to them. The once so called “Dream Team” and Super Bowl favorite has turned into a Nightmare season. From here on out, until the Eagles get over .500, yours truly will only refer to them as “The Nightmares.” Other than winning their opener against the Rams, the Nightmares have lost 4 in a row for a pathetic 1-4 start. Only five teams in NFL history have started 1-4 and still made the playoffs. Vick threw 4 INT’s on Sunday, and Fred Jackson had nearly 200 yards of total offense against the Nightmares.

Turducken Special:

If Green Bay and Detroit win their next 5 games in a row, their Thanksgiving matchup would be a matchup between two 10-0 teams! Looking at the schedule, there is a VERY good chance this could happen. Other Thanksgiving matchup I’m looking forward to is Harbaugh vs Harbaugh (49ers vs Ravens). I’m daring enough to say it, Super Bowl preview????

FMQB proclaimed “Keep it in your Pants!”

After watching Monday night’s game between the Bears and Lions, I was getting so sick of seeing the little yellow “Flag” graphic come up on every single play! Commentator Mike Tirico called the play “sloppy” at least 4 times. The two teams combined for 26 penalties for 198 yards! After one sequence with four penalties in a row, FMQB was begging the refs to “Keep it in your Pants!”

Weekly Cam Update:

Despite being 1-4, Carolina is a mere -16 in point differential. The Panthers are in extremely close games every game this year, they have lost by 7, 7, 5, and 3 points in each of their losses. It’s like they are begging to get over the hump. Here is my prediction, watch out for the Panthers next year. Remember the Lions of last year? They played well in several games but just couldn’t seem to come away with the win. They lost close games, ended the season on a 4-0 run and haven’t looked back. Watch for the Panthers to start to learn how to finish games once they get used to playing with God’s Gift to Man Cam.

If the Playoffs were to Start Today:

The two #1 seeds would be Detroit and Buffalo!!! San Francisco and San Diego would be #2.

“And the Football Gods got their Revenge”

As I mentioned a few weeks back, when Los Tramposos faked injuries to slow the Rams, the Football Gods proclaimed that they would smite the Giants. On Sunday, Los Tramposos lost to a team that had gone winless their last ten 1pm games on the east coast, and a team that was 1-3 who’s starting QB got injured during the game.

Stat of the Week #1:

The top two individual scorers in the league both play for Detroit. Calvin Johnson leads the league with 54 points, K Jason Hanson has 51.

Stat of the Week #2:

Minnesota has a +5 point differential, but are still 1-4. Tampa Bay has a -38 point differential, yet have a winning record.

Stat of the Week #3:

Of last year’s playoff teams, the Eagles, Colts, Bears, Falcons, Jets, and Chiefs are a combined 9-21. Last year’s teams watching the playoffs; Lions, 49ers, Bills, Texans, Redskins, and Giants are a combined 22-7! Isn’t that proof of an upside-down year!

Stat of the Week #4:

Tom Brady has thrown more INT’s than Sam Bradford, Alex Smith, Aaron Rodgers, and Donovan McNabb combined!

Stat of the Week #5:

Michael Vick has 13 turnovers in 5 games with the Nightmares.

Why Week 5 was Successful:

For the first time since Week 16 of last year, the Rams didn’t lose! It was also their Bye week, ugh. (So much for my boycott of any Rams talk until they get a win). The Rams go on the road against the Packers in Week 6, oh boy, talk about leading the sheep to the slaughter! Or leading the Ram to the slaughter…

Records were meant to be broken:

What a crazy year this has been! An amazing 6 QB’s (including Cam Newton) are on pace to beat Dan Marino’s single season passing yardage mark. Calvin Johnson is on pace to beat Randy Moss’ TD mark by a WR. Wes Welker is on pace to beat Marvin Harrison’s reception mark on the season. And Jared Allen is on pace to crush Michael Strahan’s sack record. Of course players usually start strong, injuries ruin the “on pace” argument, weather turns cold and stats decline, but those are a lot of players poised to break a lot of records! If I had to take a guess, I bet Brady beats Marino’s record by 100 yards, and Calvin Johnson gets 24 TD’s.

TD records put into perspective:

With an explosion in offense the past two decades, our generation has picked an amazing time to start witnessing records getting crushed. The most TD’s in a season, held by LaDanian Tomlinson, was set in 2006 with 31 total TD’s. In 2007, Randy Moss set the record for most reception TD’s with 23. Manning set the record for most TD passes in a year with 49, which was one-upped by Tom Brady in 2007. This year Calvin Johnson has been putting on a clinic, becoming the first WR with 9 TD’s in his first 5 games. He is on pace for 29 TD’s, crushing Moss’ record, but still shy of Tomlinson’s. I remember Tomlinson’s run, but dang, how many do you have to score a game to reach that! To put Tom Brady’s numbers in perspective, Rodgers and Brady (go figure) currently lead the league with 14 TD’s a piece. At that pace they would still fall 5 short of Brady’s 2007 record! Within a span of 5 years, we are all witnessing records being toppled one after another in a league that’s been around for 91 years.

Game of Week 6:

San Francisco (4-1) vs. Detroit (5-0)

Fact that may only interest me:

Turducken is a chicken, stuffed inside of a duck, stuffed inside of a turkey. Spellcheck on this week’s column brought up Tebow, Tramposos, and Turducken! Where’s John Madden when you need him! Also the word “Spellcheck” came up, which I found funny.

 

FMQB Feedback:

So we’re 7 weeks into FMQB, and I am finding out how fun it is to share my passion of NFL football with my readers (all 4 of them lol). But the one thing I enjoy even more than writing it, is sparking international discussions on what I write, and even keeping those not normally NFL inclined in the loop of what’s happening in the world of sports. So here it’s your turn! What would you like FMQB to add? These are a few of my ideas, so vote, or comment with something else I should do. (Make sure to comment if you think I should do more than 1).

 

FMQB: One Giant Support Group and the Best Fair Catch Ever!

Posted by fmquarterback on October 7, 2011
Posted in: Uncategorized. Tagged: , , . Leave a comment

 As many of my readers know, FMQB is a diehard St. Louis Rams fan. This past week I had the pleasure of roadtripping down to St. Louis to see the Rams live and in person. As a result, I only was able to watch the SNF game as well. So this column will be moreso observations on the week from online knowledge.

 Serious Problem in St. Louis:

Being able to watch the game in person, I realized that not only should I not have had my hopes up for this season, but there is a serious problem in St. Louis. There were three 3rd down’s, and two TD plays (one in the endzone) where there were perfect balls thrown by Bradford only to have the receiver drop the ball. Penalties were also prevalent. There was a false start our first trip into the redzone, a false start by the receiver (you’re 40 feet from the ball, no way you can hear Bradford, watch the DAMN ball!), and a false start on 3rd down of our final drive to attempt to tie the game. Believe it or not, all of these mistakes were overshadowed by the sacks. The Redskins got to Bradford 7 times in this game! After our Interception was returned to the 20yd line being down 17-10, Bradford took 2 sacks in the series and got out of field goal range because of it. Plays would breakdown after 3 seconds, and Bradford just seemed to tuck over and cradle the ball waiting to be hit. At one point, the usually cool and collected Bradford was over at the O-line bench barking at all of them to protect better. I could see this really well because of our seats 10 rows back on the Rams sideline :). But our team is in disarray, we literally should have won that game 27-17, but stupid mistakes are the reason we are 0-4.

 Being a Rams Fan:

As a Rams fan of the past decade, I have come into seasons expecting the worst, and riding the team through 1-15 seasons, #1 and #2 overall draft picks, several head coaches, and the almost weekly reminder of how far the “Greatest Show on Turf” has fallen. People ask me what my favorite team is, and I tell them “The Rams” only to get laughed at. But I’ll tell you what, going into the Edward Jones Dome and having 40,000 of my compadres around me, depressed with me; I think I can get through this. It was like one giant support group. I wasn’t the only one who cared about the stupid mistakes that make the Rams lose games, the entire stadium was with me on it.

 Play and Quote of the Week:

Situation: Redskins punting, Rams punt returner is a rookie. First punt, high kick, no fair catch, returner gets nailed as the ball gets to him, fumble but Redskins penalty (Catch interference). The Very Next Punt! High kick, no fair catch, returner gets Klobbered as the ball gets to him, fumble but Redskins penalty (Un-necessary roughness on a defenseless receiver). With the rookie lying in a heap for 10 seconds with no movement, everybody was wondering why you wouldn’t call a fair catch in either situation? And what the hell Redskins special teams, you can’t do that! Next punt, Rams put in a different punt returner. This time the booming kick warrants an immediate fair catch signal (Play of the Week), and the returner catches the ball without incident. Oh boy did the Rams fans whoop and holler! Leading to the quote of the week when FFMQB exclaimed “That fair catch got the biggest cheer of the day!”

 And the Mood was Somber in St. Louis:

I couldn’t help noticing how quiet the Edward Jones Dome was during the first 3 quarters of the game. As we kept piling up penalties, dropped TD passes, stupid mistakes, and sacks to get us out of FG range, one could literally whisper and be heard by the person next to you. Other than the Fair Catch, the loudest the stadium got was the fans booing their home team at halftime. After the loss, nobody really spoke much about their 0-4 team. The night before the excitement of the St. Louis Cardinals last second playoff berth was also thwarted by a quick Game 1 loss, which could lead to them losing the series and their season being over. Made me realize that I am SO HAPPY I do not live a city where the football team is 0-4 and the baseball team can’t win in the clutch….oh wait.

 Offense vs. Defense:

Every spring, college football teams have an Offense vs. Defense game to please fans and run a full scrimmage. They often make up ways for the defense to score (4 points for an Interception, 2 points for a punt) in a way to make it an entertaining game. Rarely does the Defense win even with these points, but it’s a fun concept. But wow, look at Sunday night’s Jets vs. Ravens game. Believe it or not, had they played Offense vs. Defense, with no goofy point system, the Defense (and Special Teams) would have won 35-16! There were 5 defensive or return TD’s, vs. only 1 Offensive TD and 3 FGs!

 Make up your Mind Romo:

Are you a Choker or a Hero? I seriously just want an answer. Because you’re either fumbling chip-shot field goals in the playoffs, or blowing big 4th Quarter leads to the Jets or Lions by throwing back to back pick 6s. OR you’re putting on gritty performances in the clutch with broken ribs and punctured lungs. I just want an answer Tony. You’re being as wishy-washy as the Steelers this year.

 FMQB cried “Run the no huddle quick snap more often!”:

As I mentioned  a few weeks back, the Rams ran the no huddle quick snap offense extremely effectively against Los Tramposos, driving up and down the field. Even though we couldn’t punch it into the endzone, we were effectively driving and getting scoring opportunities. The Rams stopped running it, Los Tramposos pulled away and the game was over.

 This week, the Rams had done nothing the first 3 quarters. Multiple times, FMQB cried “Run the no huddle quick snap” but even with our great seats, Coach McDaniels couldn’t hear me. Or at least chose not to listen until the 4th quarter (we were already down 17-0). And what would you think happens when they start running the no huddle quick snap? Rams drive down for their first score, a FG. Next drive, no huddle quick snap, Rams drive for their only TD of the game. If Bradford can run the offense that well, and these quick short throws are beating defenses, why not run it more often?

 Stat of the Week #1:

Joe Flacco’s Passer Rating was 37.4, and he had the higher rating among the 2 QB’s

 Stat of the Week #2:

The Jets vs Ravens game showed 51 points on the board, and only 1 TD was from the offense.

Stat of the Week #3:

The San Diego Chargers are 3-1, but the teams they have defeated are a combined 1-11. The only winless team the Chargers haven’t played is the Rams. The Football Gods were smiling upon the Chargers when making their schedule.

 Stat of the Week #4:

There have been 4 comeback victories of being down 20+ points at halftime. This ties the record for most in the season (and we’re only through Week 4!). 2 of these victories have come from the Lions, 1 is from the Bills, and 1 is from the 49ers.

 Stat of the Week #5:

An amazing 15 quarterbacks are on pace for a 4000yd season this year. 6 of those are on pace for 5000.

 Stat of the Week #6:

Sam Bradford has been sacked a league leading 18 times this year. The 2 teams with the fewest allowed sacks? A couple of FMQB’s favorites, Raiders and Bills, who have only allowed 2 sacks a piece to their starting QB’s.

 Weekly Cam Update:

God’s Gift to Man Cam Newton put on another impressive showing against the Bears. Guess who the Top 5 passers in the league are right now? Brady, Brees, Newton, Rodgers, and Rivers. That is impressive company he is in. 3 of those top 4 have won Super Bowls. However, other than Cam, they are a combined 13-3 while Cam is 1-3. All 3 losses the Panthers have been in it in the end, but they need to start closing out games in order to get over the hump.

 Andrew Luck, Hope you Like Miami!

Miami is 0-4, and the only semi-decent player on the roster, who happens to lead the team at QB, is potentially out for the season. Looking at the Dolphins schedule, there are literally 3 games that are potentially winnable. On top of that, they still have 5 games against the toughest division in football (Patriots, Jets, Bills). Don’t be surprised to see them go 0-16. But hey, for Andrew Luck? It might be worth it! Dolphins are FMQB’s prediction of the Andrew Luck Sweepstakes winner!

 Best Draft Strategy:

Ok, I know it’s only Week 4, but while we’re on the subject, let’s talk 2012 NFL Draft. There are two draft strategies that teams live by. 1) Draft the best available player on the board and 2) Draft the best player in the position you need the most. This is complicated, let’s say you need an offensive line upgrade BAD. The best O-lineman is still on the board, but the second best could drop another 20 picks since the position isn’t deep that year. But what if there’s a Wide Receiver who is highly touted and it’s your pick. Your team already has 2 good WRs, but could groom one for the future. Also, by the time you have the next pick in Round 2, it’s expected that the top 5 WR’s will already be gone (it’s a good class). What do you do? Strategy #1, you take the Wide Receiver, he’s the best player on the board and can provide your team with a spark, however it’s not fulfilling your need. Strategy #2, you take the O-lineman, fulfills your need, but probably not the best value of your pick. NFL teams vary on each strategy, what do you do? You have no QB or RB, and Vince Young and Reggie Bush are on the board and you take a Defensive End…tough decision but successful pick. You have Brett Favre and Marshall Faulk, two hall of fame players with a good 3-4 years left in them. Yet you draft Aaron Rodgers and Steven Jackson. Definitely NOT a need, but they’re the best players on the board. Once again, tough decision but successful pick.

 Why am I getting at this? Andrew Luck is arguably the best QB prospect since Peyton Manning in 1998. He would have hands down been the #1 overall pick after his Junior year, yet he chose to stay and is tearing it up again. What happens if the Colts or Rams get the #1 overall pick this year? Do you dump Peyton Manning, the eternal face of your franchise? Do you dump your Heisman Trophy winning 2nd year QB who you are grooming to be the same? This is a tough decision, but right now there is a very good chance that this could happen. If it does, it will be a decision that will be questioned for many years to come. What would you do?

Next Week:

Back to a full recap around the league, and boycotting any mention of the Rams until we get a win…

FMQB- Los Tramposos and the QB Conspiracy

Posted by fmquarterback on September 29, 2011
Posted in: Football, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , . Leave a comment

For one week only, FMQB will now become ThMQB (Thursday Morning QB) since FMQB is road tripping to St. Louis to watch the Rams game live and in person! In all actuality, I work on writing my column every Monday, and tweak it after the MNF game. I’m already regretting dubbing myself the FMQB because I get so excited waiting for it to be Friday to publish it!

Contenders or Pretenders:

This has been one of the more bizarre years in recent football memory and it’s only Week 3! I am literally having trouble making sense of why the good teams can look bad, yet some have winning records. How bottom of the barrel teams and teams that should be having another tough year are somehow taking out the powerhouses.

We have the Steelers (2-1) looking horrible in Week 1, fantastic in Week 2, and barely beating the Colts in Week 3. This is the AFC Champion Steelers we’re talking about, I’m not convinced until I see some consistency (remember FMQB predicted they’d miss the playoffs). Pretender

Same with the Giants (2-1), Los Tramposos (Spanish for “cheaters”). They looked horrible against the Redskins and 3 quarters against the Rams, how do the they come in and defeat their rival dream-team Eagles, IN Philly! Pretender

Speaking of which, I was caught up in the hype about the Eagles (1-2) this year as well. I agreed with Vince Young that they were a “Dream Team” and couldn’t believe the big name players on the roster! Yet Philly is 1-2 and in last place in the division. Even the Rams beat up Michael Vick quite a bit, although not enough to slow down the offense. Still a Contender

Oakland (2-1) has proved they are definitely for real this year. They were 3 points away from knocking off the Bills and being 3-0, but this week’s win against the Jets was very impressive. Contender

Buffalo (3-0) is also real. Defeating the Chiefs and Raiders, the Bills were still up in the air in my book. But knocking off the Patriots, who have had their number for the past 15 games, proves that Buffalo will be a force to be reckoned with late in the season. Contender

Second bandwagon team I’ve jumped on, the Lions (3-0) also proved they are for real. In any other year, being down 20-0 at halftime the Lions would have expected to lose. They seem very confident this season, and coming back to win shows heart. They have beaten Tampa Bay on the road, a major offensive performance at home against KC, and a monster comeback on the road. Contender

Matt Hasselbeck and the Titans are a team that shouldn’t be 2-1. All signs pointed to a rebuilding year, with Kenny Britt out for the season, and Chris Johnson not performing, one wonders how they managed to lose to Jacksonville at home but beat Baltimore on the road. Could throw a twist into the AFC South with the Colts out of it, but they are still a Pretender.

The Falcons are a team that shouldn’t be 1-2. They have started off slow, but have lost to good Chicago and Tampa Bay teams. At 1-2 and defeating the Eagles, Atlanta is still a Contender.

San Francisco (2-1) has a winning record and was an overtime FG away from being 3-0! Whoah where did this come from? The NFC West that’s where! They crushed a struggling Seahawks team, barely beat the lowly Bengals, and only by internal organ damage were they able to take the Cowboys to the brink. It’s Week 3 and the 49ers WILL win the division and make it to the playoffs, however expect an early and embarrassing exit, which means that when it comes to the title, they are a Pretender.

Redskins have looked impressive up until Monday night. But their Quarterback is still Baby Face Rex Grossman, and that’s the only reason why they are a Pretender.

Once again the Chargers (2-1) are a confusing team to me. You can literally break down 3 plays which lead to them either being 3-0 or 0-3. One of my preseason favorites, they have barely eeked out wins against the Vikings and Chiefs, and yet nearly toppled the Patriots. Is this part of their annual slow start, or is it something worse? Time will tell, but I will not tell if they are a pretender or contender.

The Bears are another team that shouldn’t be 1-2, and yet Jay Cutler continues to be hit (14 sacks in 3 games). As soon as the Bears look good in one department, they look horrible in another. If they can fix their consistency issues, I feel the Bears are still a Contender.

At the beginning of the season, FMQB said that the division was Houston’s for the taking. I am sticking with my guns on this one. The Texans (2-1) are very close to being 3-0, and their only loss was in a shootout with the powerhouse Saints. Interested to see how they do with the upcoming Steelers, Raiders, and Ravens. But they are still Contenders.

Time to give Kubiak some props:

Speaking of Houston, in the 2006 NFL Draft, the Texans personnel decisions were radically questioned by just about everybody in the league. In that year, with the #1 pick they chose Mario Williams while giving up the chance to own the speedy Reggie Bush or fresh champion Vince Young to be the face of their franchise. Analysts and fans alike were shocked, and thought it was downright insane to miss out on those 2 explosive players. Here we are 5 years later. Reggie Bush is a backup RB for a team that is 0-3. Vince Young is a backup QB for a team that is 1-2. Neither one are still with the teams that drafted them. Meanwhile Mario Williams has 50 sacks in 5 years, believe it or not that’s more sacks than Ray Lewis has in 15 years! He has also only missed 3 games in his career due to injury, while Young and Bush’s explosive play has led to lingering injury problems. (Bush has missed 20 games due to injury, Young has missed 29 games due to injury or being benched). Gotta hand it to you Texans, that was a bold franchise decision that worked wonders!

“And That’s Why They Play The Game!”

Last week FMQB made a plea for Flex-scheduling to be able to avoid having to watch the Steelers kill the Manning-less Colts. Boy was I wrong, not only was this an exciting game, the Steelers actually had to come back to win the game! Freeney and Mathis absolutely wrecked havoc on Big Ben. And Polamalu was flying into the backfield on several plays, one of which I swore he was going to take the handoff instead of Joseph Addai! It was an exciting game nonetheless, much like Green Bay vs. Carolina the week before. I may not write off bad games on paper anymore (although not too excited for Tampa Bay vs Indy next Monday).

Stat of the Week #1:

The Bears rushed for a measly 13 yards on Sunday. Jay Cutler had 11 of them.

Stat of the Week #2:

The Bills, Lions, and Browns are a combined 8-1! Last season they went a combined 15-33.

Stat of the Week #3:

Alex Smith’s TD to INT ratio is the same as the 49ers record, 2-1.

Stat of the Week #4:

Kansas City’s leading rusher is a Wide Receiver. He is also leading the league in yds/attempt and is 26th in the league for rushing yards! Who is in 2nd place for yds/attempt? Michael Vick, a quarterback (who is also in 20th place in the league for rushing yards).

Stat of the Week #5:

Four of the top 8 leaders in receptions aren’t Wide Receivers or Tight Ends. It is 3 RB’s and a FB.

Stat of the Week #6:

There have been 3 kickoff returns for TD’s this season, they all came in Week 1.

Stat of the Week #7:

Tom Brady was intercepted 4 times all of last season (960 minutes of game time). In a span of 22 minutes in Sunday’s game, Brady was intercepted 4 times by the Bills.

Stat of the Week #8:

The Eagles have what I will argue as 3 of the top 6 cornerbacks in the league right now (Asomugha, Samuel, Rodgers-Cromartie). In nickel packages, this means that a top 6 corner is covering the offense’s #3 receiver. Yet the Eagles have given up 8 TD passes, which is dead last in the league for pass TD’s allowed.

Quote of the Week:

Proof that Vikings fans now have no faith in their team, FMQB and FFMQB (Female Friday Morning QB) were driving during the second quarter of the game on Sunday. After going into halftime up 20-0, FFMQB asked “What are the odds they blow this one too?” I proceeded to have faith in the Vikings, after all they were up by 20, but FFMQB wasn’t having it. Sure enough, we get in the car later to hear that the Vikings blew their 3rd lead in a row. In their first three games, the Vikings have gone into halftime leading by 10, 17, and 20 points. They are 0-3. What are the odds that Ponder is brought in by Week 6? I have been saying it ALL YEAR, but watching them play has only been fueling my prediction.

What if the Vikings ARE Good!

Look at the teams the Vikings have blown leads to: Chargers, Buccaneers, Lions. These are all playoff caliber teams with a combined record of 7-2. What if the Vikings had hung onto 1 or 2 of those games, they might be in the discussion of Contenders. Perhaps they turn it around against the Chiefs and Cardinals.

Horrible quote of the decade:

Remember when Kellen Winslow Jr. was with the Browns, and he freaked out at reporters and ranted “We are Soldiers!” Well Tony Romo got as close to being a soldier on Monday. He wore a Kevlar bullet-proof vest to protect his broken rib and battered lung. This also came in handy with the rumor that Carrie Underwood and Jessica Simpson were seen at the stadium. Does anybody actually believe that “Before He Cheats” wasn’t written about Tony Romo? How about “Cowboy Casanova” when Romo happens to play for the…Cowboys.

Who’s Undefeated?!?!

There are 3 teams that are undefeated this year, 2 of them are the Lions and Bills.

Vick gets hurt Again!:

After coming back from a concussion the week before, Vick ended up badly bruising his hand (initially thought to be a break) against Los Tramposos. Time and time again FMQB has talked about how banged up Vick is getting. The preseason was awful for him, even the Rams were knocking him around. It’s week 3 and he has already left the game twice for what could have been major injuries. I had an Over/Under 4 games missed due to injury at the beginning of the year, that prediction is looking pretty good as well.

On a side note, mouthguards are supposed to dramatically reduce the risk of concussions due to the jaws not slamming in on each other. QB’s typically don’t wear mouthguards as it is tough to understand the play that’s being called. But after a QB’s first concussion, most will return with a mouthguard. Vick doesn’t wear a mouthguard, and the blood he was spitting out was due to biting his tongue. When he returned Week 3, it was once again without a mouthguard.

Colt’s QB Competition is now a QB Conspiracy:

Before knowing anything for sure, I hate to say that Kerry Collins’ concussion wasn’t legit, but did you see the play that it supposedly happened? Not only was his head not hit (or hit the ground), he didn’t look phased at all as he immediately started jarring with the ref. But afterwards they showed Collins on the bench, with no trainers around him, sitting there looking frustrated with Curtis Painter warming up. It took nearly a half hour in real time to show trainers escorting Collins to the locker room. This all just seems fishy to me if the NFL is cracking down on concussion safety. Collins is completing 49% of his passes and has 481 yards in 3 games. He’s 29th in passing yards, 30th in passer rating, it’s obvious he isn’t getting the Colts offense. So they needed a spark. It’s hard to justify benching your free agent QB signing, but it’s my contention that Collins isn’t actually hurt and it’s an excuse to get Painter in. Painter had the best drive of the season for the Colts on one series. Just saying…(cue Twighlight Zone music).

Oh how the Immortal have fallen:

This week, God’s Gift to Man Cam only had 158 yds passing. Granted, this is 4X as many yards as McNabb had in Week 1, but after the 400 yard performances this looks pretty weak! What’s the only difference in this game? The Panthers actually won! On a side note, Cam’s immortal status has apparently angered the Football Gods, as they cast down a torrential monsoon for this game. Quote from one analyst watching the game “It sounds like they’re broadcasting in the shower!” 

Obscure Scores of the Week:

At one point in the game, the Panthers led the Jaguars 5-3.

At one point in the game, the Redskins were winning 16-15. Only after the 9th field goal of the game did the Cowboys win 18-16.

The 49ers won their game 13-8.

Games of the Week:

Redskins at Rams (Why? Because I’m there!)

Lions at Cowboys (Could be a test for the Lions, but an exciting game is sure to happen)Over/Under Field Goals by the Cowboys vs. Calvin Johnson catches!

 

Steelers at Texans (Which team sinks to .500, which team is legit)

Patriots at Oakland (Oakland might have what it takes to take down Tom Brady)

Jets at Ravens (Rex Ryan vs. his old team)

 

Next Week: A detailed description of the Rams home game!!!

FMQB- “Monkeys, Mascots, and Vomit”

Posted by fmquarterback on September 23, 2011
Posted in: Uncategorized. Leave a comment

Proof there’s Parity in the NFL:

Get a load of this! The following teams have the lead or a share of the lead in their respective divisions. Redskins, Lions, 49ers, Cardinals, Bills, Bengals, Browns, Texans, Raiders, and Broncos. 9 of these teams had the top 13 picks in the NFL draft (meaning they were the worst of the worst last year). I understand there’s parity, but seriously it’s like the whole bottom of the barrel has flipped this year!

If the playoffs were to start today:

Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Chicago, San Diego and Indianapolis would be out. Detroit and Washington would be the #1 and #2 seeds in the NFC. AFC is even crazier, Patriots and Jets are a given, but the rest of the lineup would be Bengals, Texans, Raiders, and Bills!

NFL Players are tough guys:

Last week I made fun of Tony Romo, saying he is a habitual choker, a chain choker, has a choking habit (insert other “smoking” quips here). On the third play of the game he broke a rib and punctured a lung and was forced to leave. After being questionable to come back (an in-game questionable status basically means we’ll see you next week), he came back into the game, took hits, and threw for over 300 yards after breaking his rib and puncturing a lung! You can’t cast, splint, or bandage ribs, you have to let them heal on their own. I’ll give you props Romo, that was a very tough performance. Supposedly Candlestick was so loud that his teammates couldn’t hear him in the huddle. When asked to speak up, he simply said “I can’t.” You, Mr. Romo, are gutsy, and get my “Tough Guy” of the week award.

I just heard this story from Week 1, but it’s worth mentioning it here. Let me set the scene, Saints vs. Packers, need to drive 80 yards in 66 seconds for the win, remember? On the third play of this drive, Brees connects with Marques Colston down the middle for 21 yards. On this play, Colston breaks his collarbone. Remember, time is of the essence here. Colston lays for a second but realizes that if they need to cart him off, there will be a 10 second runoff for an injury (with no timeouts), basically closing out the game. Colston gets up and hobbles back to the line cradling his arm to avoid any movement. Instead of spiking the ball, Brees throws another quick pass down the middle, Colston even runs a route! He gathers himself again, back to the line of scrimmage for the spike. Afterwards trainers meet him on the field to help keep his arms motionless. Talk about courage and guts to get up after a broken collarbone, and then run 2 plays after that! He gets my “Tough Guy” of the week award for that performance.

NFL Players are tough guys with concussions:

I have brought this point up many times in sports conversations, but it needs to be out there for everybody to hear. Although I am not a doctor (I know, hard to believe), I will never understand the differences in concussions among sports. Mainly, football concussions vs. Justin Morneau vs. Sidney Crosby. The 1st baseman for the Twins was kneed in the head while sliding into 2nd base in July of 2010, he was out for nearly a year with recurring concussion symptoms. This past January, Sidney Crosby suffered a concussion after being checked into the boards. He was out the rest of the season and entire postseason, unable to come back even with 3 months of time off. This summer he started skating again only to start having headaches, and by September he still isn’t cleared for contact. What’s the NFL equivalent? The NFL was forced to make a rule that any player who experienced a suspected concussion could not return the same GAME! (No Allen Iverson, we’re not talking about practice, we’re talkin bout the game). The SAME GAME! We’re not talking about months of rehab, or even a week off, NFL players try to return to the same game! There was the time that Brett Favre had a concussion and wanted to go back in for one more play, And ended up throwing a TD on that play! Legend has it he went to the sidelines and told the coaches he didn’t remember what happened, they told him he just threw a touchdown. I also remember watching that game, the way I remember it was that before letting him back in, Mike Sherman asked Favre how many fingers he was holding up, Favre replied “Four” but Sherman only had two up. But once again, that just may be the legend of Brett Favre J.

Some NFL players are pansies:

I was utterly appalled when watching MNF this week to see not one, but TWO Giants players fake injuries after the same play in order to get substitutions in on defense. Sam Bradford was running the Rams offense like a machine using a no huddle and quick snap. Literally every play, the Giants weren’t ready on defense. Players were caught halfway to the sideline trying to substitute, one play even had 3 guys with their back to the ball. The Rams get down to the 7 yard line, after the ball is set, suddenly 2 Giants players fall down and are motionless (that is, until one of them realized their teammate had the same idea and miraculously recovered). I normally don’t call players out, they’re doing their best to play the game, but I’m not afraid to say that you guys are cheaters. Another wise columnist uses these words, but I’m not afraid to steal it here. Oh ye mortals, trifle not with the Football Gods. Watch the Gods smite the Giants and miss the playoffs again, just because these two angered the Gods.

Stat of the Week #1:

People say the preseason doesn’t matter while I contend it does. Detroit has the highest scoring offense in the league with 75 points in 2 games. Detroit also had the highest scoring offense in the preseason.

Stat of the Week #2:

Counting the preseason, Detroit is on an 10 game winning streak! Didn’t they just go 0-16 three years ago?

Stat of the Week #3:

Detroit has the #2 Defense in the league regarding points allowed, who is number 1? Houston!

Stat of the Week #4:

Seattle and Kansas City were 2 playoff teams a year ago. Seattle has scored 17 points in 2 games, while the Chiefs have scored 10. If they COMBINED their scoring, they’d still be 30th in the league for offensive points. Every other team in the league has scored at least 17 points in one game (except the Rams).

Stat of the Week #5:

Carolina is #2 in total offensive yards, #7 in total defensive yards allowed, and is still 0-2.

Stat of the Week #6:

The players in 18th, 19th, and 20th place in the league for scoring is Gronkowski, Gostkowski, and Janikowski.

Stat of the Week #7:

The NFL set records for the most amount of passing yards in a week (Week 1) and the 9th highest scoring week in NFL history in Week 2 (no thanks to the Jaguars, Seahawks, or Chiefs). So much for the lockout causing rust.

Quote of the Week:

While at a Sports bar watching the games, I overheard somebody say “I think Jay Cutler may actually die behind that offensive line.” What was the answer from last week’s Over/Under? Times Cutler was sacked vs. Brees TD’s, 6 sacks vs. 3 TD’s. Cutler has already been sacked 11 times this season. I may agree with you sir. The record for being sacked in one season is held by David Carr (76 times). Cutler is on pace for 88 sacks! This was also against Atlanta and New Orleans, teams not known for their defenses. Obscure Playmakers reference, but I can’t help think about McConnell’s quote that said “for every sack, it erases a month off your life.” I doubt that’s a true statement, but it makes you think.

Houston Running Backs:

It is my contention that the Texans of today are the Broncos of 10 years ago. Remember when Denver could plug in any no-name RB into their system, and hands down they’d gain 1000 yards? (Mike Anderson, Tatum Bell, Olandis Gary, etc.). How does Arian Foster come in last year and lead the league in rushing, now that he’s hurt the ball goes to Ben Tate. Ben Tate is 10 yards away from leading the league in rushing. Before last year I had never heard of Arian Foster, before this year I had never heard of Ben Tate. Head Coach Gary Kubiak doesn’t get the props he deserves, but he was the Offensive Coordinator for Denver during those years, and head coach for Houston.

Cam Newton sighting:

I am taking this with a grain of salt, but Newton looked very impressive again this week. I actually had the pleasure of watching this game in its entirety. The only caveat, his 3 INT’s and the fact that he apparently can’t win a game in the redzone (he’s botched his last 3 shots at it, Packers, Cardinals, and National Championship game, Auburn had to kick a FG to seal the deal also). Otherwise Newton made crisp throws, and for the most part good decisions. His receivers ran simple routes that somehow had them wide open in GB’s secondary (which I will touch on in a bit). Newton was relied on heavily again, throwing 48 times and rushing 10, he still managed to complete 61% of his passes. Newton has 854 yards passing in his first 2 games, but has also been asked to throw it 83 times. That is a lot for a rookie QB! And yet the Panthers are 0-2. The only reason for that many yards is that fact that the Panthers are scrambling to score at the end of games, being down by only a TD. But let me throw this out there, with as impressive Newton is, he also leads the league in INT’s right now. So before anybody crowns him the next Warren Moon, make sure to take his success with a grain of salt and heed the advice of Michael Vick to “look at the scoreboard.”

Not sold on the Packers secondary:

Green Bay is in dead last in the league when it comes to passing defensive yards allowed. Sure they’ve played against Drew Brees and God’s gift to man Cam, but they’ve let up a whopping 800 yards in 2 games! Analysts proclaim that the Packers have a killer D, and that Charles Woodson and Nick Collins rule the secondary. Well Collins is out for the year now, but they haven’t looked that great with him anyway. If the Packers had let up 808 yards instead of 800, we’re scratching our heads that the Champs are 0-2. They’ve barely won their two games. Cam Newton put on a clinic this last weekend, besides the interceptions, nearly every completion was for 15 yards and the WR had his man beat by 2 steps. Watch for this to be a problem for them in the future.

And Huskers fans screamed “NNOOOOOO!!!”:

For nearly a year and a half, Broncos fans everywhere have been begging for a chance to see Tim Tebow play. So this week John Fox gave them their wish as Tebow came in to play….Wide Receiver?!?! Granted, it was only three plays, and it was only to block for two runs and be a decoy on a pass. But please, and I will admit I am begging you, PLEASE, don’t make this a habit with Tebow. As FMQB mentioned 2 weeks ago, Huskers fans remember their Heisman winning QB Eric Crouch get drafted by the Rams as a WR, only to play for a year and a half into obscurity (once again, I sincerely apologize). What ever happened to Marcus Vick? Signed by the Dolphins as a WR, now isn’t in the league. There are two position switches that have worked in the NFL the last decade, Mike Furrey from Safety to WR (he was top 2 in the league regarding receptions for a couple years), and Devin Hester from Cornerback to Wide Receiver. Otherwise, nada. And no, I don’t mean LB Mike Vrabel catching 10 TD’s, RB LaDainian Tomlinson throwing 7 TD’s, or QB Drew Brees’ 6 Receptions for 38 yards and a TD! Nor do I mean the weekly carousel of Jim Kleinsasser changing from a fullback to a tight end. I mean full on position changes, they just don’t work. Don’t make the same mistake Denver! That goes for you too Oakland, keep Pryor a QB or you just wasted a draft pick.

Which Heisman was better?:

My only thoughts after watching Cam Newton continue to throw the ball to Charles Woodson, was that this Heisman vs. Heisman matchup was awesome. Which Heisman would win? Was this the first time that one Heisman winner was throwing to another (even if on accident)? Only two WR’s have won the Heisman, it legitimately could be the first time! Cam Newton was impressive, somehow putting up even more yards than his Week 1 breakout. But so was Charles Woodson. The beginning of the game, I watched him get burned for 3 straight plays. Woodson looked frustrated trying to chase down Steve Smith, and it looked like Woodson had lost a step. But oh how fast those thoughts faded after watching him pick off 2 passes, and recover a fumble. Surprised at how a 13 year difference in age (Woodson won his Heisman in 1997, Newton in 2010) could still produce that battle!

Week 3 Games to Watch:

Redskins at Cowboys

Packers at Bears

Patriots at Bills

Houston at New Orleans

A Plea for Flex Scheduling:

Indianapolis is scheduled for 5 primetime games this year. The Lions have 1, and the Bills have zero. With Manning out and other teams having surprising seasons, there needs to be more flex scheduling besides just the last 7 weeks of Sunday Night Football. I’m just saying that Pittsburgh vs Indy next week is going to be over after the 1st quarter, and New England vs Indy in Week 13 won’t be pretty either.

I’m jumping on the Wagon the Bills are Circling:

When it comes to the NFL, I definitely have a sense of schadenfreude in regards to some teams. To me it’s amusing to see Bill Belichick clam up and give 2 word responses under his breath to reporters after suffering a playoff loss. It was funny to see the Lions go 0-16, even though afterwards I felt bad. Seeing the Seahawks blame the refs for losing Super Bowl XL was amusing. But I can’t help but feel bad for Bills fans. They have the only distinction of the only team to make it to 4 Super Bowls in a row. That’s is very impressive, and yet the only thing they’ll be remembered for is the fact they lost them all! I remember laughing when I was 5 years old when my dad told me that B-I-L-L-S stood for “Boy I Love Losing Superbowls.” I can’t help but root for the Bills this year. Now I heard one analyst say that Ryan Fitzpatrick would be rewarded with a monster contract, let’s not get too carried away people, it’s only week 2. I saw Fitzpatrick in person in 2005. He was supposed to be the savior for the Rams when Marc Bulger got injured, yet we were still in playoff contention. Fitzy had 1 good game against the Texans, and then went on to lose the rest of the season. He reportedly has the unique distinction of scoring the highest EVER on the Wonderlic test though (the NFL’s version of an IQ test), and he is also the only player from Harvard in the league right now. Maybe he can use those smarts to negotiate a new deal. Otherwise let’s not crown him until he takes the Bills to the playoffs for the first time since the Clinton administration.

Sour Note of the Week #1:

Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles tore his ACL and is out for the season after being tackled into the Lions mascot. This brings up shades of memories of when the Titans mascot ran over Adrian McPherson’s foot on a golf cart and ended his NFL career. There are 3 things in life that are inherently funny regardless of the situation: Monkeys, Mascots, and Vomit. I had trouble writing this post without snickering. On a related note, I may prove that you can literally die laughing if I ever experience the trifecta of watching the Phoenix Suns Gorilla throw up.

Sour Note of the Week #2:

I am recanting my theory that the Instant Replay of all TD’s was a good idea. The reason? It isn’t working. While watching the Saints game, Darren Sproles clearly stepped out of bounds at the 2 yd line. It was not challenged because apparently the buzzer to the refs weren’t working. Bears D vs. Saints who couldn’t get into the endzone in Week 1 could have very well changed the outcome of this game. The Bills game was flat out ridiculous. Mike Carey came onto the field 10 MINUTES after the game was over to announce that the call stood. Had they reversed the call there, the NFL would have looked like a pretty bad goat.

Ouch Factor of the Week:

The NFL is known for providing a few gruesome injuries that are not for the faint of heart. There was Theismann’s career ending knee injury with LT immediately motioning towards the sidelines for trainers. Don Beebe for the Bills literally bouncing off his head. Anquan Boldin getting into a helmet sandwich with two Jets a few years ago, which fractured his sinus cavity and almost made a bewildered Kurt Warner to retire after seeing him laying motionless with his T-Rex arms. Obscure sure, but there was Steve Beuerline’s injury with the Broncos (the Moss behind the head lateral for a score at the end of the half game) where he was awkwardly tackled on his hand and came up with his pinky pointed at a 90 degree angle. But Sunday night made me cringe the most. Matt Ryan got rid of the ball but was taken down in traffic. Replay’s show him doing what I can only describe as a combination between a 1st base stretch, a goalie butterfly save, and a cheerleader doing the splits. My first instinct was to laugh when I saw his beat red face, teeth clenched, and grabbing his groin. But after viewing the replays of being tackled into the splits, I have to say that’s right up there with the worst of the worst!

If the NFL was like the WWE:

If I could choose the outcomes of games like professional wrestling does, I would totally influence the season so we saw a Bills vs. Lions Super Bowl. The story behind that would be awesome!

 

Next week, I will discuss why the most scrutinized #1 overall draft pick has turned out to be a fantastic decision.

Friday Morning Quarterback is now blogging!

Posted by fmquarterback on September 20, 2011
Posted in: Uncategorized. Leave a comment

Instead of Facebook notes, I have formed a blog on WordPress called fmquarterback. I will continue to post the links every Friday morning, but it will be easiest to read them here.

As a thanks to my loyal readers, I will give a sneak peak to this week’s theme.

“There are 3 things in this world that are inherently funny; Monkeys, vomiting, and mascots.”

You’ll have to wait until Friday to figure out the context of that one lol, but you can at least agree with me that I’m right, right?

FMQB- Week 1 Wrap-Up

Posted by fmquarterback on September 20, 2011
Posted in: Uncategorized. Leave a comment

Week 1 Surprises:

 

Ravens: Pure dominance of the Ravens over the Steelers. These 2 teams are known for having extremely evenly matched games, where one mistake or field position battle can yield the difference. Something like the last 7 games played by these teams have had a difference of 4 points or less. Not this week, the Ravens crushed the Steelers 35-7. Not to take away from Flacco’s 3 TD’s, but what’s even more impressive is how they ran the ball. The Steelers perennially have one of the best Run defenses in the league. On Sunday the Ravens attacked them by running it 31 times, and got 170 yards on the ground.

 

Bills: Nobody circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills! Somehow Ryan Fitzpatrick is leading the league in TD passes right now, and the lowly Bills (which FMQB predicted to get last in the league) are 2nd in the league in scoring (behind only the Super Bowl champs). What’s even better is they went into a stadium that’s notoriously hard to win at (Chiefs were 7-1 at home last year), and romped a team who was in the playoffs last year.

 

Colts: I’m surprised they even scored 7 points! Way to go without Manning. I know it’s only Week 1, but props to the Texans, you just won the AFC South.

 

Cam Newton: As any weekly readers know, I am not a fan of Cam Newton. I don’t know if it’s the fact that has horrible accuracy (and performance in the preseason), that he cheated in college (allegedly…twice), or the fact that with his good looks and talent he feels he’s God’s gift to man, but whatever the reason I just don’t like him. But after Sunday, all I can say is “wow.” The NFL has had a slew of Rookie QB’s do very well recently, which makes it hard for any other rookies to impress. Most people are used to Elway, Aikman, and Manning struggle in their first year only to become Hall of Fame caliber superstars later. But now we are running into the Roethlisbergers, Ryans, and Flaccos of the the world who have success right out of the gate. But to see Cam Newton complete 65% of his passes and tie the Rookie record for most passing yards (422) all during his first start with a team that won 2 games last year?!?! Once again, all I can say is “wow.” They should have won that game, let’s just see if he can keep it up the rest of the year.

 

Predictions already going awry:

Kickoff rule hasn’t been effective. Believe it or not, the NFL just tied the record for the amount of kick returns for TD’s in the opening weekend (with 3). Perhaps they are getting more exciting, it adds an “all or bust” mentality to the play. You either get tackled at the 10 yard line and look horrible, or you run it back for a score. Dare I say, looking at it this way makes the play more exciting! It’s like the 2-point conversion or going for it on 4th down; teams will have to take risks to make big plays.

 

Alright I said it, Packers will miss the playoffs. Already pointed it out last week, but right now they are my favorites to repeat as champions. They looked solid in all aspects of the game.

 

Predictions already looking good:

Early FMQB predicted that the Steelers wouldn’t make the playoffs. The Ravens now control the division and Pittsburgh looked horrible in their loss to them Sunday.

 

FMQB predicted that Manning would miss his first start, and the Colts would miss the playoffs. Other than a garbage time TD, the Colts couldn’t even score on offense all day.

 

McNabb will be benched for Ponder by Week 6: McNabb had 39 yards passing on Sunday…Yes I said 39 yards. Granted the Vikings never had the ball on Sunday, but he was only given the ability to throw the ball 15 times. Until a late completion, McNabb was actually very close to rushing for more yards than he passed for.

 

Jay Cutler was sacked 5 times on Sunday, Julio Jones caught 5 balls. So my question from last week is actually a PUSH.

 

Stat of the Week #1:

Michael Vick is tied for 7th place with Adrian Peterson for rushing yards.

 

Stat of the Week #2:

The Steelers had as many turnovers as points!

 

Give Romo the Heimlich, he’s choking:

This is the second year in a row that the Cowboys have blown an opportunity to win their opening game (on a Sunday night) due to bad mistakes. Cowboys had a chance to go up by 21 in the 4th quarter, but their next three possessions ended like this. Romo fumbles in redzone, Jets score TD. Cowboys go 3 and out and punt, Jets block punt and return for TD. Romo has less than a minute to try and win or go to OT, throws INT at 40 yard line, Jets K Nick Folk (who the Cowboys cut!) nails the winning FG. With one Hail Mary attempt left, Romo isn’t ready for the snap and fumbles on the last play of the game. Hate to say it, but the Cowboys would have probably won if Romo had taken a knee with 8 minutes left in the game.

 

Proof it’s a Pass-Happy League:

I was utterly amazed at the passing numbers put up on opening weekend (and no Donovan, not your measly 39 yards). Four players had over 400 yards passing, and 14 players were above the 300 mark. Tom Brady had an astronomical 517 yards on opening night! He is literally on pace for a 4000 yard season by week 12. We are setting up for a year with astronomical statistics. For the Chinese calendar, 2011 is the Year of the Rabbit. I hereby proclaim 2011 the Year of the Pass for the NFL.

 

Stat of the Week #3:

2 of the 4 players with 400+ yards were Cam Newton and Chad Henne.

 

Stat of the Week #4:

Ryan Fitzpatrick is leading the league in passer rating.

 

Week 2 Excitement:

Bears at Saints

Two playoff teams from last year, both teams have a great shot at winning their division, great defense vs. great offense. Which one holds out?

 

Let’s try this again. Over/Under Amount of times Cutler is sacked vs. TD passes by Drew Brees?

 

Chargers at Patriots

I remember the rivalry these teams had 3-4 years ago when they met in the playoffs every year. Remember the calm and collected LaDainian Tomlinson getting livid at the Patriots dancing on the field during the 2008 AFC Championship game. Once again these teams are looking good (SD usually starts off slow, I know they barely won against the Vikings, but they’re off to their best start in years).

 

Philadelphia at Atlanta

Vick returns to Atlanta and will actually play this time, enough said. Over/Under amount of dogfighting protesters (get over it already) vs. Vick rushing yards?

 

Proof of Parity in the NFL:

Teams that could easily be 2-0, Lions, Raiders/Bills, Redskins, and Texans

Teams that could easily be 0-2, Falcons, Saints, Giants (gotta throw that in there against my Rams, but they do have a legitimate shot!)

 

NFC South:

In my opinion, the NFC South right now is the toughest division in Football. Kudos to Patriots/Jets, Ravens/Steelers, and Bears/Packers, but having the Falcons and Saints make the playoffs last year, while the Buccaneers miss out even though going 10-6 shows the dominance of the division. There is a VERY good chance that after this week, every team in the division will be 0-2. How the tide changes from year to year.

FMQB- Week 1 Excitement

Posted by fmquarterback on September 20, 2011
Posted in: Uncategorized. Leave a comment

Friday Morning Quarterback, Week 1

by Matt Janes on Friday, September 9, 2011 at 10:35am

FMQB Excitement for Week 1:

 

Pittsburgh at Baltimore has been a great rivalry the past few years. And we’re opening it up on Week 1! Should be a pretty gritty game, prediction Steelers 9, Baltimore 6. If any TD’s are scored, it will be by Troy Polamalu or Ed Reed.

 

Indianapolis at Houston: We get to see the up and coming Texans take on the Manning-less Colts. It’s time to see whether the Colts can hang on without him. Take an early loss to the Texans though, and Houston controls the division.

 

Seattle at San Francisco: This sounds like a stupid game to be excited for, but for the lowly NFC West, this game is huge! The Rams don’t play anybody in the division until after week 8, so the division will start to take place early with this game.

 

Carolina at Arizona: I have little doubt that the Cardinals will pull this one off. I am more curious to see if Cam Newton can actually perform in the regular season. I was less than impressed with his preseason performance. Also curious to see how the new tandem of Kolb to Fitzgerald goes, they could have a huge game against Carolina.

 

Atlanta at Chicago: The #1 and #2 NFC seeds from last year face off in Week 1. Who wins this battle, # of catches by Julio Jones vs. times Jay Cutler is sacked?

 

Kickoff Rule Implications:

In 8 games last year at Lambeau, there were only 2 touchbacks. In one game this year at Lambeau, there were 8! Four times as many touchbacks in one game as the entire 2010 season. There should have been 9, if the Packers rookie had listened to his conscience and not ran the ball out from 8 yards deep in his endzone. Good thing he did though, that kickoff return was one of the more exciting ones I’ve ever seen!

 

On the other hand, did you see how frustrated Darren Sproles was getting with the new kickoff rule? Everytime Crosby would bang it 8 yards deep into the endzone, Sproles’ special teams buddy would tell him to kneel. Sproles was visibly upset at not being able to take it out (and with good merit, his talent later allowed him to return a punt for a TD). I have a feeling that the WR divas mantra of “give me the damn ball” will soon be replaced by the kick returners clamoring to “just let me run it out!”

 

Preseason Prediction gone right:

2 weeks ago before any announcement was made, I predicted that Peyton Manning’s consecutive streak would come to an end, and that the Colts would miss the playoffs. This past week, Manning was listed as Doubtful and just had neck surgery again, meaning he won’t be back in the near future. This past week all of the analysts are calling the Colts a sub .500 team without Manning. Time will tell if they miss the playoffs for the first time in 10 years.

 

Preseason Prediction gone awry:

2 weeks ago I also predicted the Packers would miss the playoffs. After watching them play last night, I have a gut feeling that I could be WAY off the mark. The Packers looked incredibly sharp, scoring TD’s on their first 3 offensive drives.  In all honesty, they should be favorites to repeat as champions! They have gained a speedy WR on offense, who turned out to be an outstanding returner as well. They also have Ryan Grant and Jermichael Finley back from injury, when both were out most of last season. All in the meantime not losing anybody (besides Cullen Jenkins) in the marathon free agency that was the offseason. Somehow the Super Bowl champs have gotten better this year.

 

New TD Review rule:

There is a new rule saying that all TD’s with any question will be automatically reviewed upstairs. One concern is that this will slowdown the game after every score. Last night Devery Henderson caught a ball, and was extremely close to stepping out of bounds. Al Michaels had about as much time to look at 2 close replays of it before the Saints were already kicking the extra point. Way to go NFL!

 

FMQB Fantasy Update:

I am in a Pick-em league where you pick teams to win, but only get 4 picks, so I need to pick the teams that will FOR SURE win so I can stay in from week to week. This week I picked the Chiefs, Browns, and Texans for 3 of my picks. AAAHHHH! Those names scare me immensely until you see who they are playing, (Bills, Bengals, and a Manning-less Colts team). Guarantee those are the only times I pick those teams this season.

 

In one league I am playing my boss, let’s hope he doesn’t get too competitive because I am favored to win by a lot!

 

In another league, we only have 4 players. I thought it’d be cool to have a team of superstars, but instead it’s almost impossible to choose who to start! I currently have Brees and Brady, Peterson and Chris Johnson, Greg Jennings and Larry Fitzgerald, while Wes Welker and DeSean Jackson are riding my bench. Wow!

 

Record in perspective:

Last night Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees had monster nights, each throwing 3 TD passes. If they averaged that for every game for the rest of the season, they would still fall 2 short of Tom Brady’s record season in 2008, when he threw 50! Many people know that I am not a Tom Brady fan, but wow that is impressive. Brady had weapons that season, but still to have 16 outstanding performances in the NFL today is ridiculously remarkable. On a side note, Brees had 419 yards passing, on pace for a whopping 6700 in one season! Prediction? I bet Brees breaks the yardage record this year, and becomes the MVP.

Impressive Drive, Questionable Ending:

I was laying in bed last night, deciding whether I should watch the last 4 minutes of the game. The Saints were down by 15, but I figured it was the first game of the season, why not. The Saints scored a quick TD to pull within 8. After failing an onside kick with 2:15 left, they forced a Packers punt and got the ball back with 1:06 left in the game, no timeouts. With 80 yards to go and 66 seconds left, I wasn’t expecting much. Instead, Brees had 2 quick connections for 21 yds in under 11 seconds. The Packers obviously were guarding the sidelines, so Brees went to the middle, and had 2 more huge connections for 41 yds. They got down to the 9 yd line with time enough for one play, that is unheard of for 66 seconds to go 80 yards without some huge play in there. Even if the Saints didn’t win the game, their clock management was supreme. But here’s my question for Sean Payton. You have a top 3 QB in the league who’s thrown for 419 yards, wide receivers up the ying yang, and you just marched 80 yards relying on them. Why do you go to a rookie RB for the decisive play of the game? Hindsight is 20-20, but I was questioning it as they lined up for the play which screamed “We’re running it” to the Packers.

Bold Predictions by Friday Morning Quarterback (FMQB)

Posted by fmquarterback on September 19, 2011
Posted in: Uncategorized. Leave a comment

In this edition, I will be making my Bold 2011 NFL Season Predictions! Whether they are right (or educated) is yet to be seen, but here are a few of my ideas of what could happen this season. Also a few side comments based on my thoughts of the preseason.

Bold Predictions:

Browns and Lions will be 9-7 (I never thought I’d say that in my lifetime).

Colts will miss the playoffs for the first time in 10 years. (I never thought I’d say that this decade)

Texans will make the playoffs for the first time in their history.

McNabb will start 6 games before being benched for Ponder.

Peyton Manning will end his consecutive streak of games.

Tim Tebow will start the season as the #3 QB, and will be the starter by week 12.

Rams start off the season 2-5, then make a run to finish 10-6.

Nobody circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills! And…you’re on the clock with the first pick of the 2012 NFL Draft

There will be a QB controversy in Philly at somepoint in the season (once Vick gets injured). Vince Young will be able to hold the team together and get wins despite horrible stats. Andy Reid will eventually decide to put Vick back in there, and Young will be traded to a team (to be a starter in 2012) for another impact player. The Eagles will then draft 7 QB’s in the 2012 Draft, just so they can groom them and trade them for stars.

There will be a team with 6 INT in a game, by a team not named the Jets or Eagles.

We will find out that Rex Ryan has a foot fetish…oh wait.

The Patriots will absolutely dominate the regular season, only to be taken out by the Jets or Ravens in the playoffs.

We will see Bill Belichick smile (ok I’ll admit that even this one is a stretch).

Ochocinco will be dancing in the endzone by November. And be a recurring deckhand on “The Deadliest Catch” by March

We will know which team will be in LA by April 2012 (my prediction is Jacksonville, no need to worry Vikings or Chargers fans).

The 49ers will inexplicably keep looking at Alex Smith to be their QB (we’re on year 7 already, what part of “bust” don’t you understand?).

John Fox will take the Broncos back to the playoffs by 2012.

Carson Palmer will be living in the bay area very soon, as he will be leading either the 49ers or Raiders in the 2012 season.

The 4 teams with QB controversies this year. Carolina, 49ers, Denver, Washington. Each team will have their starter benched (not injured), and brought back to start later in the season.

The Chargers will start off the season slow, only to make a late push for the playoffs (oh wait, that happens every year).

Both Super Bowl teams from last year will miss the playoffs.

Kevin Kolb will be Larry Fitzgerald’s new best friend, bringing his TD total from 6 (in 2010) to 13. The Cardinals defense will ruin their season however, by appearing about as often as a Bigfoot sighting.

Despite his knee injury and age questions, Terrell Owens will be signed by a team by Week 4, and still have 7 TD’s. He will be off said team at the end of the season. At that stadium, popcorn sales will quadruple.

Channing Crowder and Randy Moss’ retirement will last until October. However Chad Pennington and Tiki Barber’s comeback hopes will fall short until they either compare the Refs to Anne Frank or blow up at the team caterer.

Terrell Prior will be switched to WR, and turn into a bust at that position like Eric Crouch. Not afraid to admit that the Rams screwed that up, I personally apologize Huskers fans.

There will be more stories on Brett Favre returning midway through the season for the next 5 years. You know what, screw the whole “I don’t like training camp” bit, why doesn’t he just say the same thing about the Regular season and postseason? If I were Brett, I’d start contacting teams once they win the conference Championship. Come in for 1 game and you can get your Super Bowl ring! Just make sure not to come in too early, or they might make you practice in the off week (you can still skip the Pro Bowl though).

 

Playoff Predictions by Seeds:

NFC

1. Eagles

2. Falcons

3. Bears

4. Rams

5. Saints

6. Giants

AFC

1. Patriots

2. Ravens

3. Chargers

4. Texans

5. Jets

6. Raiders

Super Bowl Prediction:

Jets over Eagles

Bonus Super Bowl Prediction:

Patriots over Falcons

Generic Super Bowl Prediction:

AFC East team over a team with a Bird name (that’s right Bills and Cardinals fans, you’ve got a shot in this too!)

Preseason Observation #1:

Is it just me, or has Mike Vick really been struggling this preseason, and taking some nasty hits. He had 3 INT’s in his first game of action, and was getting clobbered by Cleveland of all teams last night. Over/Under 4 games missed this season due to injury.

Preseason Observation #2:

Is it just me, or is the preseason gaining a lot more buzz than it ever has before? Highlights are everywhere on ESPN, taking precedent over the MLB playoff hunt. Columnists are all over it too! Even as a huge football fan, I typically watch 2 full quarters of preseason (spread out between 5 games, so like 15 minutes per game). For the second week in a row, I’ve found myself watching the ENTIRE game with teams I could care less about, and being COMPLETELY enthralled in them like it is the playoffs. With the threat of no football looming for over 100 days, I just feel completely happy to see these guys in pads instead of courtrooms. I feel more excited for the regular season than I have felt in a good 8 years too. Maybe this was the part of the owners plan, to squeeze even more money out of the fans. Need to see a sellout in Jacksonville before I believe it though…

Preseason Observation #3:

I thought it was hilarious how Andy Reid got penalized for throwing the challenge flag on Thursday night! The new rule is that all Touchdown plays will be challenged by the booth, so the refs don’t screw up a game changing play if the coach is out of challenges. Last night on a TD, Andy Reid threw the challenge flag at the refs, and the refs threw the yellow flag at him! Revenge is sweet for the refs for this one time, better not happen in the regular season though.

Preseason Observation #4:

Did you see the Patriots Week 1 Preseason win over the Jaguars, 47-12! This is impressive for 2 reasons. First off, with a shortened offseason, no workouts, no study time, and no player/coach interaction, I’m surprised any team scored over 14 points that first week. But the most impressive tidbit? Tom Brady and nearly his ENTIRE cast of 1st string weapons didn’t play a single down! Which means that most of the game was played by the 3rd string. Are the Patriots really that superior with their developing of players that guys who will never see the field in 2011 can still romp a team that was .500 last year? On top of that, their Defense held the Jaguars to 4 field goals.

Kickoff Rant:

My first impression of the Kickoff rule was that it was completely bogus. Moving the ball up to the 35yd line instead of the 30 is taking away the most exciting play in football. No more Devin Hester or Josh Cribbs, but at the same time hopefully no more Kevin Everett plays either. This is apparently the reasoning for it, player safety. In the preseason, the touchback percentage has already gone up from 17% to over 30%, and coaches want to see different return guys take the ball out anyway, so that number should be higher. Next step for the NFL will be to get rid of the Kickoff entirely and just place the ball on the 20 yd line, but boo to you if you do!

My new take on the rule is that the “reasoning” is bogus. I noticed one kickoff tactic used by the Redskins last night which I feel will dispute the whole “player safety” aspect of the rule. On one play, Kicker Graham Gano kicked the ball very high and short, landing it at about the 10 yard line. At first it looked like a horrible kick, until I saw the Redskins special teamers clobber the return man at the 15 yard line, effectively turning Gano into a punter. What I noticed about the play was that Redkins Special Teams was running at full speed 15 yards away from the catch, and the Ravens had only began to start their acceleration. Without their momentum, Ravens special teams got bowled over by the full speed Redskins, and left no hope for the ball carrier. I think more teams are going to use this tactic of punting (I mean kicking) it high and let the tacklers do the work, instead of pulling Billy Cundiff (Ravens K) and booming it through the uprights everytime. Punters are taught to go for hangtime and not distance, because “outkicking your coverage” leads to return chances. Essentially every kickoff before 2011 involved outkicking your coverage. But now players have 5 fewer yards to run, and kickers can aim for hangtime too. This means that the kicking team can be much closer to the returner by the time he gets the ball. My argument is the kicking team will have even more violent collisions with the return team waiting for their man to catch the ball. My solution? Every returner should boycott the rule and call a fair catch until the NFL reverses it. With tacklers getting downfield quicker and the ball in the air longer, wouldn’t be surprised if we actually see some fair catches on kickoffs. Oye

Introducing Friday Morning Quarterback

Posted by fmquarterback on September 19, 2011
Posted in: Uncategorized. Leave a comment

It is time for the first installment of a column by the Friday Morning Quarterback! Since Peter King at SI.com has dubbed himself the Monday Morning Quarterback (reflecting on the games from the previous Sunday) and Gregg Easterbrook is the Tuesday Morning Quarterback (waiting until after the Monday Night Football game for his column), I have decided to take their lead and become the Friday Morning Quarterback (After Thursday Night Football). My column will provide in depth analysis of each week’s football games, all while adding the humor that ensues with the crazy world of professional football. So enjoy!