Andrew Luck

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

Posted by fmquarterback on August 30, 2019
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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: Kermit the Frog Strikes again

Posted by fmquarterback on October 5, 2018
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FMQB: Kermit the Frog Strikes again

Week 5 is also suspension week, where some players will start their season. Julian Edelman will help a .500 Patriots team immensely and now sees him lining up with Josh Gordon and Gronk, look out…Mark Ingraham is also back to help the Saints, and he should be able to plow in some TD’s rather than relying on Brees to do the heavy rushing work haha.

 

Overtime Madness!

Titans Eagles was a bit of a shocker. The Eagles went up by a FG in OT, and the Titans converted 3 4th down conversions on the final drive (including a 4th and 15) to win the game. On one 4th down, it was super bold for Mike Vrabel to take the FG team off the field and go for it. Keep in mind we call him bold, but the next coach an idiot…

 

In Texans vs. Colts, the Colts went for it on 4th and 4 on their own 43 with 27 seconds left. I absolutely hated the call when I saw it, even before the failed 4th down happened. Because I knew the Texans needed 1 play to get into FG range. I still wasn’t a fan of it until I read an interesting point. A punt ensures a tie, the Colts are not a playoff team this year, but they had a hot QB and a hall of fame kicker, and a rookie coach who wanted to show his team that he had faith in them. I have changed my mind and like the call in that situation.

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FMQB: You Vike That?!?!

Posted by fmquarterback on September 14, 2018
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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: Black Friday Special (Free this Week ONLY)

Posted by fmquarterback on November 27, 2015
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Week 11

Photo Credit: NFL.com

 

Coincidence:

Cam Newton and Jameis Winston both had career days last Sunday. But their stat-lines were pretty interesting to look at. Both QB’s have very similar playing styles including bruising runs, and rocket arms from the pocket. On Sunday, Winston’s stat line was 246 yards, 5 TD’s and 0 INTs. Newton’s stat line was 246 yards, 5 TD’s, and 0 INTs. Each TD for both QB’s went to 5 different receivers. Both QB’s play in the NFC South, and they both demolished a team from the NFC East. (Cue Twilight Zone music)

 

Controversy in Denver:

After one of the worst statistical games of all time, Manning missed a rare game to get healthy and Brock Osweiler got the first start of his career. He had a solid game, granted I saw him as a game manger more than anything else. Either way, he was efficient, didn’t make any mistakes, and threw 2 TD’s in their road win. Rumors are saying that Manning wants to play in 2016 no matter what, and for any team. There are rumblings that the Denver organization is wishing that Manning will kind of fade off into the sunset so they can move on without causing too much pain (remember the flack they got when they got rid of Tebow). It could lead to an interesting offseason.

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FMQB:

Posted by fmquarterback on November 13, 2015
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IMG_1823

Hard to believe, but we’re already to the halfway point of the NFL season (each team has played 8 games, some 9). We’ll look at some 2nd half predictions of course, but it has been quite the crazy season so far!

 

Rams at Vikings:

I had this one pegged as the matchup of the week, because the winner of the game would be put into the #6 seed of the playoffs. Also, I had the good fortune of being at the game, my 3rd NFL game of the season!!! The offenses were sluggish, but the game offered a ton of storylines and ended up being pretty intense. The Vikes took a quick 10-0 lead, but then the Rams scored a TD. Being against the wind, the Rams opted to go for 2 and missed (points and wind would definitely come into play later). We then saw Greg the Leg hit his career long 61 yard field goal with the wind at his back, which looked like it could have been good from 70. The Rams were actually up at halftime, but the Vikes came back and took the lead. Then it was the Rams turn, they missed a long FG 1:45 left, but used their timeouts to get the ball back. They drove down and kicked a 53 yard FG to take it into OT. Once again the wind came into play, and Mike Zimmer made a gutsy call to defer to take the wind. As a Rams fan, I thought this was circa Marty Morningwheg who deferred and had the other team march down and kick a game winning FG. It was especially confusing since Shaun Hill was now in, and hadn’t hardly moved the ball at all in the 4th quarter. But the Rams went 3 and out, and the Vikes were able to kick the game winning FG. Super exciting game to be at!

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FMQB: The Refs Giveth, and they Taketh Away

Posted by fmquarterback on January 16, 2015
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CamChancellor

So the NFL made up for their ho-hum Wild Card weekend with an amazing slate of football games! We had comebacks, crazy calls, and de-throning. With so much to talk about, let’s just take it in order.

 

Ravens at Patriots:

Very crazy back and forth contest. Baltimore took the wind out of the stadium with a quick 14 points, but the Patriots stormed back to tie it up. The Ravens then jumped to another 14 point lead only to see it squandered away again! It’s 28-28 going into the 4th and it’s clear we have a shootout on our hands. The Ravens constantly had the Patriots on their heels, and the only way they won was with trickeration. The first one was sweet, a fake reverse to Julian Edelman who then threw it 51 yards to a wide open Danny Amendola. The second one was smart, but a bit cheap. The Pats lined up only 4 offensive lineman, and Shane Vereen went wide and declared himself “ineligible.” Being smart, the Ravens should have blitzed the hell out of Brady, with essentially one of his lineman 25 yards away from him. But instead they tried to cover the ineligible player. It was technically a legal formation, but they didn’t get much time to figure it out. This drive led to another TD for the Pats, and eventually a close win. The final drive for the Ravens had me screaming at the TV. Flacco had 1:46 and a timeout left to go only 36 yards. They should have drove down the field and they would have easily had 4 shots to get in within the 10 yard line. Instead Flacco heaves a prayer that gets picked off. Even if that succeeds, you don’t want to give Brady the ball back with 1:40 and only a FG needed to tie.

 

Broadcast Alert:

I’m not particularly a fan of Chris Collinsworth, but don’t dislike him either. But for the second straight week, he has contributed a lot to the game in my opinion. He almost creates a storyline with his insight which makes the viewer pay more attention to that note. Last week it was the Le’Veon Bell analysis, how the Steelers essentially stopped the run on their own. This week Collinsworth made a comment when the Ravens kicked their field goal at the beginning of the 4th quarter. He said that settling for a field goal after having First and Goal and not getting a TD could be the deciding factor of the game. It doesn’t seem that profound, but keep in mind that Baltimore takes the lead with this play, had just held Brady to a 3 and out, and there are easily 2 more possessions for Baltimore in the game. Lo and behold, that FG became the deciding factor of the game. It’s a good thing that Collinsworth is broadcasting the Super Bowl this year.

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FMQB: Don’t Feed the Trolls

Posted by fmquarterback on December 13, 2014
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JustinForsett

Better Lucky than Good:

I’ve talked about it year after year, but getting Andrew Luck the ball with less than 3 minutes left is almost starting to be a guaranteed win. On Sunday he was facing a defense that had already caused 2 turnovers for TD’s and had rattled Luck all day. Sure enough he drove them down for the game winning TD. Ironically enough when you watch the Hilton score, they were trying to run a pick play with Reggie Wayne, but Hilton and Wayne ran into each other instead. Despite the broken play, Luck connected and continued to cement himself as the QB of this generation.

 

MVP…Most Valuable Punter

The Patriots Chargers game turned out to be a pretty decent matchup. To me the turning point of the game was when Mike Scifres went out with an injury. Who? Yes, the San Diego punter. Soon after their kicker was in and punting 30 yards each time. Field position is important in any NFL game, but especially this one. It was surprising to see how big an impact a punter could have on the game.

 

Stolen Stat of the Week:

Rob Gronkowski became the first TE ever with 10+ TDs in 3 straight seasons.

 

Stolen Stat of the Week #2:

The 49ers “Away” game in Oakland was actually closer to San Francisco than their home games

 

Stat of the Week #3:

The Running Back leading the league in yards per carry this year…Justin Forsett, Ray Rice’s replacement

 

Stat of the Week #4:

Steven Jackson hasn’t fumbled the ball in over 800 carries (roughly 3 full seasons)

 

Stat of the Week #5:

The Rams have gone nearly 14 quarters without giving up a Touchdown on defense

 

Headline of the Week:

RGIII hits rock bottom. Spends 40 minutes punting a football to himself after practice

 

Innapropriate Comment of the Week:

Another Cam Newton drive that ended in a turnover

 

Troll:

Troll- “To purposely make statements with the intent of starting an argument; typically used on the internet.“ There have been 3 awesome instances of trolling this year, which is a passive aggressive way to make somebody extremely uncomfortable while not necessarily doing/saying anything offensive.

 

#1 Troll of the Year: When the Rams played the Redskins on Sunday, they had “honorary captains” go out for the cointoss. Jeff Fisher sent out all 6 players the Rams received in exchange for the #2 overall draft pick used on Robert Griffin III. Five of which are now starters for the team while Griffin isn’t starting and is likely to be considered a bust. Way to rub it in their faces!

 

#2 Troll of the Year: Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis was in a bit of hot water this week when he made a comment regarding how they would prepare for Cleveland. Lewis essentially said that “you scheme for an offense, not a particular player, especially when that player is a midget.” Ironically, the next day he apologized to Johnny Manziel instead of the insensitive comment he made (who doesn’t watch “Little People, Big World” seriously). Apparently he didn’t know they denounced the word “Midget” as being offensive years ago, but I digress. Love, love, LOVE the fact that a Cleveland news station sent in a little person to interview Lewis the following day and ask him 2 questions about the game! I wish the guy would have stood up for that part, but either way I’m sure Lewis was feeling pretty sheepish after that one.

 

#3 Troll of the Year: A few weeks back when Aaron Rodgers came into Minnesota and won a few weeks ago, he brought in a can of “Purple Crush” and took a sip before answering questions. Rodgers has the honorary #4 Troll of the year as well, when on his radio show he explained that he did his Discount Double-Check dance after a TD pass to show people that you can celebrate without getting injured.

 

For the Record (Busted by Thursday Night):

As people may know, I write most of FMQB during the week and maybe a tweak or here there on Friday morning. The only downside is that the Thursday night game has seemingly busted a thought of mine most weeks this year. Here was mine before last night, granted I am now disappointed: If the Rams win out, and the Cowboys, Lions and Seahawks lose out, they’re in the playoffs!!! The last time they still had a shot in week 15 was 2009, but more likely 2004.

 

How the South Was Won:

In the seemingly never-ending saga on which team doesn’t want to win the NFC South, every team lost except the 3rd place team, and they somebody HAD to win that game. The Falcons seem to be in the lead by default, even after having a 5 game losing streak earlier on. I had to watch the game on Monday night due to fantasy football reasons, but I’m glad I did. The Falcons put up a hell of a fight on Monday, against arguably the best team in the league in their home stadium. After watching that game, the Falcons deserve to win the South, but as of now a .500 or worse team will win the division. Welcome on all the playoff seeding arguments.

 

Gently, Don’t Forsett

Quick props to Justin Forsett, I’m happy to see a good guy get some success. Since being drafted in 2008, he’s played for 6 different teams always as a backup. He finally got a shot this year after the Ray Rice incident, and has shown that not only could he handle the job, but he could beat almost every other running back in the league! May be a little too late (he’s 29), but good for you.

 

Johnny Football Time!

It’s something the media has been waiting for for nearly 2 years, but Johnny Manziel is finally starting in the NFL! The Browns seem out of it, but not according to ESPN’s Playoff Machine! If the Browns win out, they actually have a legitimate shot at winning their division, let alone a WildCard spot. The rest of the division has very loseable games. I would say I’m somewhat surprised in the move to start Johnny Manziel, but agree with the switch unlike I did last week. Hoyer has been playing dreadfully bad, losing 3 of 4 and throwing 1 TD in his last 5 games (vs 8 INTs). That’s a big enough sample size make a change in my opinion.

 

Games of the Week:

Bengals vs Browns: Obviously a division decider, and the Browns won handily in Cincy. But will be fun to see Manziel’s first start

Cowboys vs Eagles: Both 9-4, this game is for the division. The other team will be on the outside looking in after Sunday

Dolphins vs Patriots and Texans vs Colts: I feel obligated to list these since they are division deciders, but I don’t particularly think either one will be close

 

 

FMQB: “Wild” Card Weekend

Posted by fmquarterback on January 10, 2014
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AndrewLuckBeard

They playoffs are upon us, and Wow, did they start off with a bang! We saw the 2nd largest comeback in playoff history in a 99 point game, 3 road team underdogs win, and the Ice Bowl part 2. We had teams win by 1 point, 2 points, and 3 points. Absolutely thrilling weekend in the NFL!

For the Record…

Last week I picked the Colts, Eagles, Bengals, and 49ers. So I went 2 for 4.

Chiefs at Colts:

The Chiefs were a fun team this year, the epitome of the saying “there is parity in the NFL, next year any team can make it.” They had the #1 overall pick last year with the worst record. Yet this year were the last undefeated team and a playoff surprise. If I hadn’t have put money on the Colts, I may have rooted for the Chiefs. Even being decimated by injuries to pro bowl stars, the Chiefs got out to an incredibly fast start, leading 38-10 in the 3rd Quarter. We then witnessed the 2nd greatest comeback in playoff history (I highly doubt we’ll ever see another Bills comeback with a backup QB). The Colts put on the gas and scored a TD on every drive except for one INT in the middle. The Chiefs could only manage to kick 2 FG’s in the closing 28 minutes, which led to their demise as well. There are some playoff games that I remember vividly (2003 Giants vs 49ers comes to mind), and I think this one just got added to the list.

How the Colts Cameback:

Let’s pause for just a moment here, so we can dissect how the Colts actually came back. Sure the comeback was highly improbable, but FFMQB can attest to the fact that I was saying “The game isn’t over yet” several times in the 2nd half, and explaining how the Colts could pull it off. Within minutes of the 3rd, they were down by 28. The Colts needed to attack the score like any business goal is attacked. Split it up into time frames and chip away at it. You can’t score 28 points in one play, so the Colts needed to say “alright, we need to make up 14 points in the 3rd quarter and go from there” (thus halving their deficit to 14 by the start of the 4th). Well they exceeded their goal, and were down by 10 going into the 4th. Because they took care of business 1 play at a time and had short term goals, they ultimately won the game.

Saints at Eagles

I gave the Eagles 3 ways to win the game last week (rushing, getting to Drew Brees, and being the home team). The only thing Philadelphia accomplished was being the home team…Backup RB’s for the Saints outrushed the NFL’s leading rusher by 100 yards, and Drew Brees was only sacked twice. In fact, the Saints rushing was so good, they got the ball back with 5 minutes in the game and slowly marched their way down the field and didnt’ even give the ball back to Philly. This was a strong, gritty game that kept going back and forth. This to me is what playoff football is all about, even if the Colts game was more exciting.

Bengals at Chargers

The one stinker of the bunch. Andy Dalton became the 5th QB to take a team to the playoffs his first 3 years, and is subsequently 0-3 in those games. Once they got down, Dalton seemed to be throwing for the stars, just long bombs trying to knock the lead away in 1 play (not chipping away at it like the Colts did). Dalton did not have a solid game, and the Chargers proved me wrong, keeping the Bengals scoreless the entire 2nd half.

49ers at Packers

Ice Bowl Part 2! Ok, it wasn’t as cold as they initially thought as it ended up staying over 0 (windchill was -10). Couldn’t believe that Kaepernick and most Packers were playing sleeveless! Another back and forth game in the freezing cold, with 4 lead changes. Rodgers played mediocre, not necessarily good or bad, but he went the entire 1st quarter without a completion (first time in his career). Kaepernick also leaned on Michael Crabtree very heavily (13 targets), and it seems like their team is turning around with that pair back together. Like the Saints, the 49ers got the ball with over 5 minutes, and drained the clock before kicking a game winning FG without giving the Packers the ball. Kaepernick won this game with his legs, connecting on a couple key 3rd downs on the drive. If that is back in his repertoire, that could make the 49ers a more dangerous team.

Stat of the Week #1:

This is only the 4th time since 1990 that both #6 seeds won

Stolen Stat #2:

Indianapolis possession results in the second half: interception, touchdown, touchdown, interception, touchdown, touchdown, touchdown, kneels to end game.

Stolen Stat #3:

New Orleans won its first-ever road playoff game.

Stolen Stat #4:

Kansas City has not won a playoff game in 20 years.

Stolen Stat #5:

Cincinnati has not won a playoff game in 23 years.

Stat of the Week #6:

In the last 19 seasons, only once (2009, New Orleans and Indy) have the two top seeds entering the playoffs advanced to the Super Bowl. Not great news for the Broncos and Seahawks matchup potential.

Stat of the Week #7:

The Colts had just 14 turnovers in 16 games this season. They had 4 turnovers on Saturday.

Stat of the Week #8:

Peyton Manning has gone 1 and Done 8 times in his playoff career

Quote of the Week:

“Beating the Chiefs, so easy a caveman could do it” Regarding Andrew Luck and his beard

Quote of the Year:

“Yeah, but Sean Payton can’t make it rain” Reporter (Payton is making the Saints practice as realistic as possible with the Seahawks logo, wet ball drills, deafening music).

“No, but I can…” Saints lineman  Classic answer to that question!

Division Round Predictions:

I know that most Wild Card weekend are unpredictable, but the Divisional round tends to even out a bit. But I’m sensing another surprising weekend.

Saints at Seahawks

Seattle has been a popular Super Bowl pick since about Week 2, and they trounced the Saints 34-7 earlier this season. But I think Sean Payton is a genius when it comes to creative ways to attack adversity. Last week it was different colored gatorade and heavier workout uniforms. This week he has painted the Seahawks logo on the Saints practice field to make it seem as real as possible. Call me crazy, but I’m going to pick the upset, with the #6 Saints beating the #1 Seahawks 20-17.

Colts at Patriots

I will start by admitting that I am changing my pick on Friday morning. I went all week knowing that I was going to pick the Patriots in this slot, but I have a feeling that the Colts magic from last week will carry over. The ONE thing they can’t do is get down early. Even if down 14-0, the Colts will lose. But if they come out strong, I think that their D-line will give Brady fits and force mistakes. Will be an interesting game. There’s one team that you can’t count out if they’re down by 28, against another team that you can’t count out if they’re down by 7 with a minute left in the game. So basically no lead is safe in this game. My prediction is that Brady will have the ball with a chance to drive down the field, and fail. 24-20 Colts win.

49ers at Panthers

Another rematch from the season. In this close and defensive battle, the Panthers beat the 49ers 10-9. I’ve been down on the Panthers all year, and have truly been shocked watching them beat the Saints and Patriots earlier this year. I’m still struggling to pop on the bandwagon. I think their surprise playoff run will be as short lived as Kansas City’s. San Francisco is the hottest team coming into the playoffs, they’ve won their last 7 and seem to be finally hitting their groove. Colin Kaepernick found his legs again last week, and think that he will stay on that pace this week. San Francisco has also had it’s fair share of playoff games the last 3 years, while Cam Newton struggled to win games in the regular season. I’m going for the 2nd upset in the NFC with the 49ers taking the Panthers easily, 24-10.

Chargers at Broncos

A rematch isn’t enough for this matchup, this will be the 3rd time these 2 teams play this year. Both teams split the season series, with the Chargers winning in Denver (and vice versa). Even the Broncos win was by a less than convincing 8 points. I love when teams meet for a 3rd time. You already know their tendencies and it’s always a division rivalry game. I remember the Jets a few years ago getting revenge on the Patriots after going 0-2 against them in the regular season. This should be a hard fought game. Remember that Chargers coach Mike McCoy was Denver’s O-coordinator last year. I think Manning comes out knowing he can’t lose, and the Broncos handle business in convincing fashion. Denver 35, San Diego 17

Danger for Denver:

The Broncos lost to 3 teams all season (Colts, Patriots, and Chargers). All 3 teams are left, and they’ll have to beat 2 of them to even make the Super Bowl. To be fair, the Broncos kept it close, losing by 3 to the Pats, 6 to the Colts, and 7 to the Chargers.

Bonus “For the Record”:

Yes, I am living dangerously this week and picking 3 upsets. But as Bond would say, “There’s no point in living if you can’t feel alive”

Reader: Non NFL-Thought of the Week:

Tim Tebow made his ESPN debut last night – picked Fla St. to win 35-31. He was wrong. Fla st. won 34-31…plenty of room for improvement.

FMQB- Playoff Time!

Posted by fmquarterback on January 4, 2014
Posted in: Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

IceBowl

For the second straight week, FMQB has turned into Saturday Morning Quarterback. Sorry for that, but had another weird holiday week. To make it up to readers, I have decided to “live tweet” (if you will, but not on Twitter) during both NFC matchups! Like me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/fmquarterback to see my thoughts live in action. I talk a big talk, here’s your chance to see if my strategies and predictions are actually true!

We’ve made it to the home stretch. 11 games remain before we find the ultimate champion. But before we talk about the beauty of the NFL playoffs, let’s take a look at an amazing Week 17 and how we got to where we are.

A Surprising Fight

Before Sunday, yours truly was wondering if NBC was regretting throwing in the Dallas vs Philly game before finding out that Tony Romo was out for the year. But I was pleasantly surprised at the fight the Cowboys put up. It was a back and forth affair, with Dallas scoring in the 4th and missing a 2 point conversion. But they got the ball back with time left, and I really thought Kyle Orton was going to pull it off. Of course he threw an interception on the first play which makes you feel bad for the guy, but very exciting game in the end. Cowboys need to figure out a way to make it over the hump, it’s been 3 straight years with a “Win and In” game the final game of the year, and they are 0-3 in those games. Continue Reading

FMQB: Injury Conspiracy

Posted by fmquarterback on October 25, 2013
Posted in: NFL. Tagged: , , , , , , , . 3 Comments

Andrew Luck

A Tale of Two Primetimes:

The first primetime game was easily one of the better ones of the season between Denver and Indianapolis. Not only was Peyton Manning returning to Indy for the first time, but it was 2 strong teams and 1 undefeated record. First off, loved seeing the tribute to Manning before the game. It looked like Peyton truly stopped to enjoy the moment, the fans were great to him, and it almost made you want to cry. And then the most hyped regular season game that you can remember started. Overall great game. Surprised that Indy was able to play very strong defense against Manning for the 2 middle quarters, which led them to a 19 point lead going into the 4th. Even with Manning struggling, you felt that the crowd was nervous, because only Manning could pull off this comeback. And he almost did! Denver pulled within 6 points with 7 minutes left. Even with an interception, and then a long drive with no points because of a fumble, Denver still had a chance. If that’s what it seriously takes to beat Denver, then the rest of the league is in trouble.

The second primetime game had to average out the excitement created from the night before, because this was by far the worst game I have ever seen (except maybe that hurricane game in Miami where I think the Steelers won 3-0?). The Giants looked completely inept, dropping 3 sure TD’s in the endzone. The revived Peyton Hillis was by far the best player on the field, and that’s truly saying something since he averaged 2.0 yards per carry! I’ll discuss Freeman soon, but that was the worst performance I’ve ever seen from a QB, hands down. The Vikings failed to score on offense, in fact only getting past the 50 yard line twice. All the Giants had to do was put 10 guys in the box to stop Peterson, because there was no way that Freeman was going to beat them with his arm.

Continue Reading