Another interesting week and a lot to cover so let's get started.
Trent Richardson: Love the trade for both sides. Trent and the Colts are the more immediate winners in this situation as the former Alabama star goes to a better run organization than his former team and the Colts continue to build a team for eventual AFC dominance. This isn't a close to a loss for the Browns as they stockpile picks aggressively execute their vision for the team. This trade has the potential to turn into a colossal bust for Cleveland if they don't draft well, but I like the fact that they're putting themselves in position to acquire their biggest need, a franchise QB.
Colts vs. 49ers: This was a surprise. Not so much that Luck and company played well, but that the 49ers played so poorly. It's clear that the 49ers' receiving corps is extremely limited. They simply cannot get open consistently. Moreover, it seems through the first few weeks that defenses have figured out a way to slow down the read-option. What bothers me most about this game is that for the second straight week the 49ers don't seem to be making effective adjustments on offense to counter how teams are playing them. I'm not sure why Frank Gore, who averaged 7.3 yards a carry, ended up with only 11 carries in the game. The rushing attack was effective in the first quarter and then the 9ers seemed to abandon it. We know this team, the 49ers, has the ability to play better so it seems their problems are more psychological than physical. It will be interesting to see how this team responds to the self inflicted wounds and offensive limitations.
Aldon Smith: Youth, money, and fame ruin many a career. It's encouraging, giving all the turmoil Smith has caused this season that he's taking steps to get himself better. One of the things I really appreciate about Ray Lewis as commentator is his perspective on how mental health is so important and such a neglected topic for professional athletes. We don't talk or do enough as a society to ensure young people have good mental health and health coping mechanisms and Smith is just another manifestation of that failure.
Von Miller: Colin Cowherd is fond of saying "Own your baggage". Von Miller didn't take this advice and instead took the Brian Braun approach and denied his wrong doing. I'm a bit shocked by how poorly he's reported to have handled his league violations and wonder if his career can recover. As a GM I'd be incredibly reluctant to resign Miller to another contract simply because I can't trust him to stay clean or own up to his faults. This is such a tough situation because Miller is so talented that letting him go can't be a decision you take lightly.
Dolphins vs Falcons: This game highlights the limitations the Falcons have as a Super Bowl contender, but we learned something fundamentally new from this game; the Dolphins can really compete. More than that we're beginning to see Ryan Tannehill grow into a franchise QB. I'm late to the Tannehill party, but now I'm pretty convinced the Dolphins won't have to worry about the QB position for the next few years, they've found their guy. Right now the Dolphins are a potential threat. The next five games are really tough and will tell us a lot about how good this team can be. Keep your eye on October 27th when the Fins go to New England to take on Brady. A win there would be quite huge.
Geno Smith: I was wrong about Smith, sort of. I did not expect him to play this well ever, and I admittedly don't care for his demeanor in the same way I don't care for Jay Cutler's demeanor. I still think he's a limited QB, but he can clearly play the game. The Jets are managing their new QB well by giving him plenty of run support and challenging him to throw down field. The Jets are far more interesting than I thought they'd be, which, if I'm honest with myself, pisses me off a bit.
Packers vs. Bengals: Let's not get too carried away about this win for Cincy. If Johnathan Franklin holds onto the football then the Pack almost certainly win this game. It's clear that the Packers, in order to be successful, need a dependable running game. Starks seems to be too injury prone to be the guy and the two rookies are going to have their growing pains. The Packers will likely turn things around and be just fine. As for the Bengals, once again Dalton's 300+ yard passing drought continues. This team can play with anybody, but because of their QB they're not to win every game they're in. If a team limits their mistakes and challenges Dalton to throw to win the game they'll be just fine.
Washington vs. Detroit: It should be clear by now that Washington simply isn't as talented a roster as last year's record suggest they were. Alfred Morris is a good not great running back, the receiving corps is not particularly dynamic, and the defense is a bit old and undisciplined. On the positive side RGIII is showing that he can through the ball from the pocket relatively effectively (300+ yards per game at 63%). What we're seeing from him is more of what I expected from him last year. Washington's hopes for a playoff run are in jeopardy, but that's okay because like RGIII's knee injury this setback will force the organization to address their fundamental flaws. The Lions are what they are. They should have won this game more comfortably, but they didn't. They'll get exposed against the better teams in the NFC.
Bears vs. Steelers: Tresmann is clearly moving this team in the right direction, particularly offensively. The biggest difference is Cutler's development and ability to make quick throws. This team is almost as scary as the Broncos when it comes to their pass catchers and if Cutler can continue to stay upright then the Bears are going to cause teams some problems. The defense is playing well and though they're not as dominant as they used to be they're making plays and are far from a liability. The Steelers are in trouble. I think making a coaching change would be a mistake, but I think their 0-3 start won't help the strained relationship between some of the offensive players and the OC Todd Halely. This season may be out of reach, but the Steelers still have a good roster that can be much improved if they make their usual smart personnel moves in the offseason.
Texans vs. Ravens: Say it out loud, "The Texans were only able to score 9 points against a Ravens defense missing the majority of their starters from last year including two HOFers, one of which is now on Texan gave up 30 points to a Ravens offense missing the majority of their offensive skill players". It's hard to watch true pros like Andre Johnson suffer from the incompetence of upper management. Hopefully others will learn from his experience and become more active in the decisions they make on who they're employed by. Boy the Ravens reload well!
Panthers vs. Giants: The Panthers have finally hit on their winning formula. Let Cam's passing develop from an effective running game. This gives the talented defense time to rest and gives the opposing defense another wrinkle to be concerned with. The Giants are an advance case of the Niners and Steelers. They've got obvious personnel limitations and seem to be suffering from some mental challenges as a team. If any team can turn things around it's this one, but this loss was about as ugly as it gets. If the players bail on the coaching staff it'll be a long and painful season.
Seahawks: Every team in the NFC should root against Seattle because if they get home field it's all over. The Seahawks continue to just steamroll opponents at home and while their road record is not stellar no other squad has looked this dominant thus far. The next five games include four on the road so we'll see how things progress. If Seattle is 6-2 or better through 8 they'll likely finish no worse than 11-5.
Broncos vs. Raiders: Duh!
I'll be back with more news and thoughts before Thursday's games!
Trent Richardson: Love the trade for both sides. Trent and the Colts are the more immediate winners in this situation as the former Alabama star goes to a better run organization than his former team and the Colts continue to build a team for eventual AFC dominance. This isn't a close to a loss for the Browns as they stockpile picks aggressively execute their vision for the team. This trade has the potential to turn into a colossal bust for Cleveland if they don't draft well, but I like the fact that they're putting themselves in position to acquire their biggest need, a franchise QB.
Colts vs. 49ers: This was a surprise. Not so much that Luck and company played well, but that the 49ers played so poorly. It's clear that the 49ers' receiving corps is extremely limited. They simply cannot get open consistently. Moreover, it seems through the first few weeks that defenses have figured out a way to slow down the read-option. What bothers me most about this game is that for the second straight week the 49ers don't seem to be making effective adjustments on offense to counter how teams are playing them. I'm not sure why Frank Gore, who averaged 7.3 yards a carry, ended up with only 11 carries in the game. The rushing attack was effective in the first quarter and then the 9ers seemed to abandon it. We know this team, the 49ers, has the ability to play better so it seems their problems are more psychological than physical. It will be interesting to see how this team responds to the self inflicted wounds and offensive limitations.
Aldon Smith: Youth, money, and fame ruin many a career. It's encouraging, giving all the turmoil Smith has caused this season that he's taking steps to get himself better. One of the things I really appreciate about Ray Lewis as commentator is his perspective on how mental health is so important and such a neglected topic for professional athletes. We don't talk or do enough as a society to ensure young people have good mental health and health coping mechanisms and Smith is just another manifestation of that failure.
Von Miller: Colin Cowherd is fond of saying "Own your baggage". Von Miller didn't take this advice and instead took the Brian Braun approach and denied his wrong doing. I'm a bit shocked by how poorly he's reported to have handled his league violations and wonder if his career can recover. As a GM I'd be incredibly reluctant to resign Miller to another contract simply because I can't trust him to stay clean or own up to his faults. This is such a tough situation because Miller is so talented that letting him go can't be a decision you take lightly.
Dolphins vs Falcons: This game highlights the limitations the Falcons have as a Super Bowl contender, but we learned something fundamentally new from this game; the Dolphins can really compete. More than that we're beginning to see Ryan Tannehill grow into a franchise QB. I'm late to the Tannehill party, but now I'm pretty convinced the Dolphins won't have to worry about the QB position for the next few years, they've found their guy. Right now the Dolphins are a potential threat. The next five games are really tough and will tell us a lot about how good this team can be. Keep your eye on October 27th when the Fins go to New England to take on Brady. A win there would be quite huge.
Geno Smith: I was wrong about Smith, sort of. I did not expect him to play this well ever, and I admittedly don't care for his demeanor in the same way I don't care for Jay Cutler's demeanor. I still think he's a limited QB, but he can clearly play the game. The Jets are managing their new QB well by giving him plenty of run support and challenging him to throw down field. The Jets are far more interesting than I thought they'd be, which, if I'm honest with myself, pisses me off a bit.
Packers vs. Bengals: Let's not get too carried away about this win for Cincy. If Johnathan Franklin holds onto the football then the Pack almost certainly win this game. It's clear that the Packers, in order to be successful, need a dependable running game. Starks seems to be too injury prone to be the guy and the two rookies are going to have their growing pains. The Packers will likely turn things around and be just fine. As for the Bengals, once again Dalton's 300+ yard passing drought continues. This team can play with anybody, but because of their QB they're not to win every game they're in. If a team limits their mistakes and challenges Dalton to throw to win the game they'll be just fine.
Washington vs. Detroit: It should be clear by now that Washington simply isn't as talented a roster as last year's record suggest they were. Alfred Morris is a good not great running back, the receiving corps is not particularly dynamic, and the defense is a bit old and undisciplined. On the positive side RGIII is showing that he can through the ball from the pocket relatively effectively (300+ yards per game at 63%). What we're seeing from him is more of what I expected from him last year. Washington's hopes for a playoff run are in jeopardy, but that's okay because like RGIII's knee injury this setback will force the organization to address their fundamental flaws. The Lions are what they are. They should have won this game more comfortably, but they didn't. They'll get exposed against the better teams in the NFC.
Bears vs. Steelers: Tresmann is clearly moving this team in the right direction, particularly offensively. The biggest difference is Cutler's development and ability to make quick throws. This team is almost as scary as the Broncos when it comes to their pass catchers and if Cutler can continue to stay upright then the Bears are going to cause teams some problems. The defense is playing well and though they're not as dominant as they used to be they're making plays and are far from a liability. The Steelers are in trouble. I think making a coaching change would be a mistake, but I think their 0-3 start won't help the strained relationship between some of the offensive players and the OC Todd Halely. This season may be out of reach, but the Steelers still have a good roster that can be much improved if they make their usual smart personnel moves in the offseason.
Texans vs. Ravens: Say it out loud, "The Texans were only able to score 9 points against a Ravens defense missing the majority of their starters from last year including two HOFers, one of which is now on Texan gave up 30 points to a Ravens offense missing the majority of their offensive skill players". It's hard to watch true pros like Andre Johnson suffer from the incompetence of upper management. Hopefully others will learn from his experience and become more active in the decisions they make on who they're employed by. Boy the Ravens reload well!
Panthers vs. Giants: The Panthers have finally hit on their winning formula. Let Cam's passing develop from an effective running game. This gives the talented defense time to rest and gives the opposing defense another wrinkle to be concerned with. The Giants are an advance case of the Niners and Steelers. They've got obvious personnel limitations and seem to be suffering from some mental challenges as a team. If any team can turn things around it's this one, but this loss was about as ugly as it gets. If the players bail on the coaching staff it'll be a long and painful season.
Seahawks: Every team in the NFC should root against Seattle because if they get home field it's all over. The Seahawks continue to just steamroll opponents at home and while their road record is not stellar no other squad has looked this dominant thus far. The next five games include four on the road so we'll see how things progress. If Seattle is 6-2 or better through 8 they'll likely finish no worse than 11-5.
Broncos vs. Raiders: Duh!
I'll be back with more news and thoughts before Thursday's games!
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