By Liam Madigan-Fried
Okay, what the hell is wrong with the NFL right now? The Buffalo Bills are at the top of the AFC East and so far, Ryan Fitzpatrick has proven to be a better fantasy prospect in the first two weeks than both Tom Brady and Drew Brees. In fact, one of the few things I see that has any degree of normalcy to it, is the fact that Robert Griffin III has gotten himself injured...again. Whatever, the rest of the NFL isn’t my problem, but these four guys are:
Derek Carr: Let us get started as we normally do, with the rookie out in Oakland. For the second straight week, Carr demonstrated that he has all the tools and potential to become a first-rate quarterback. Even with his relatively strong performance thus far, people are still questioning whether or not he’s the right fit for Oakland. When you go ahead and look back at the numbers for Sunday, you’ll realize he pretty much had to carry his team through the game versus the Houston Texans. He threw for 263 yards as well as a fourth quarter touchdown, the glory of which was unfortunately marred by two interceptions. Carr also led the team in rushing on the day with 57 yards on just five carries. It seems to me that right now, Carr is the true definition of a workhorse quarterback. Unfortunately for Carr, he's surrounded by a team full of washed-up veterans. I have yet to see any of these guys contribute anything more than a few fluke good plays (mostly thanks to Carr) and some ill-timed lost fumbles. The Raiders management is really grasping at straws now for play-makers on offense, having just signed former San Diego Chargers wide receiver Vincent Brown-whose racked up a lengthy injury history in his three years in the league (boy, just what this team needs!) Brown's addition comes as a result of the Raiders needing to make a move at wideout, after Rod Streater went down with hip-flexor injury last Sunday. So naturally, the Raiders bring in an injury prone free agent who got waived by the team that drafted him this offseason due to a calf issue. Honestly, just what the hell are they smoking in Oakland? The Raiders' season is already heading for a long and turbulent road and it won't get any easier when they face the New England Patriots on the road this Sunday. Despite how poorly the Raiders have played to-date, hopefully they'll keep Carr in at quarterback so that he may be better suited to lead this team more successfully in the future.
Johnny Manziel: All I can say is good for Brian Hoyer. His performance on Sunday (throwing 24/40 with one TD), especially in the second half, impressed me among many others. It wasn’t perfect, but it was definitely a step in the right direction for the sixth-year quarterback. Realistically, there must be at least a few people up in The Browns front office now wondering whether their 22nd overall pick may have been better suited for the deep receiving class presented in 2014, rather than the ball-slinging cowboy out of Texas A&M. With all due respect to Johnny Manziel, the kid has definitely got talent, but like I said last week, if things keep going well for Hoyer this year and possibly next, I could definitely see them pacing him on the trade block. Teams looking for a new possible franchise option such as the Rams -who currently find themselves at a crossroads with Sam Bradford, who suffered a torn ACL for a second straight season- could look at Manziel as an option moving forward. Manziel did make onto the field for a whopping three plays last Sunday against the Saints as the "special" offensive package for Manziel made its long-awaited debut. Two of those snaps came as handoffs to Isaiah Crowell, while the third one was an incomplete pass intended for fullback Ray Agnew. I’ll give it to Manziel, the pass was on target and would have been a completion had Agnew just been able to hold onto it, but on the other hand, he could definitely have made the throw a few seconds sooner without getting so far outside of the pocket. In the fast-paced style of game play in the NFL, those few seconds really count. We definitely haven’t seen the last of Manziel on the field for the Browns, but fans definitely should get more used to seeing Hoyer out there on Sunday. As much as Johnny Football enthusiasts would love to see him take the field, Hoyer gives The Browns' best chance at winning right now.
Teddy Bridgewater: Okay, so maybe I spoke too soon about the whole “Matt Cassel is finally playing like a franchise quarterback” thing. In fairness, Cassel did look the part in the Week 1. Week 2, on the other hand, not so much... His completion percentage was average (throwing 19/36), but what really nailed the coffin shut for Cassel on Sunday was the four interceptions on the afternoon. Cassel's four INT's played a big part in allowing the Patriots to keep possession as long as they did, thus controlling the overall tempo of the game. After he got intercepted for the third time by Logan Ryan the crowd began chanting very audibly “TEDDY...TEDDY”; sending a clear message to the Minnesota sideline “We want to see what this kid can do”. When Cassel's on, can be a very talented pocket passer. But, Bridgewater is somebody who can give them more versatility thanks to his ability to make plays with his legs as well as his arm. The fans obviously want their team to try something different, so don’t be surprised to see Bridgewater make his debut this Sunday versus the New Orleans Saints. Also don’t be surprised to see Christian Ponder starting once again at benchwarmer.
Blake Bortles: I was ready to write how Chad Henne needs to get the boot and make way for the rookie until I read an interview recently with Cecil Shorts III, calling for people to get a better understanding of what it means to be an NFL quarterback and why Henne isn’t the problem down in Jacksonville. This interview made me stop and think how true that is on a lot of levels. After all, Jacksonville’s offensive line could hardly protect the pocket last Sunday against the Redskins- allowing Henne to get sacked a total of 10 times in the game. Can we really expect a quarterback to play up to capacity when he hardly has time to look up field? We also can’t expect a corps of talented young receivers to spread their wings when their quarterback doesn’t even have the opportunity to target them. Henne’s performance overall wasn’t dreadful, but it definitely wasn’t good, as he was 14/28 with a touchdown and an interception on the day. Henne also led the anemic Jaguars rushing attack with 17 yards on a mere three carries. I stand by my prediction that Blake Bortles will end 2014 as the starter for the Jags, but I’m willing to admit that me along with many others may have been a bit too quick to place the blame on Henne. The Jaguars are an absolute mess on both sides of the ball, so it's really unfair to say that the play of the quarterback is the only thing holding them back. My prediction for the foreseeable future, is we might see Bortles take a few snaps to get his feet wet-much like what Mike Pettine did with Manziel in Cleveland- but he most likely won’t get a shot at a start until week six (assuming the Jaguars bad luck continues the way it has).
Okay, what the hell is wrong with the NFL right now? The Buffalo Bills are at the top of the AFC East and so far, Ryan Fitzpatrick has proven to be a better fantasy prospect in the first two weeks than both Tom Brady and Drew Brees. In fact, one of the few things I see that has any degree of normalcy to it, is the fact that Robert Griffin III has gotten himself injured...again. Whatever, the rest of the NFL isn’t my problem, but these four guys are:
Derek Carr: Let us get started as we normally do, with the rookie out in Oakland. For the second straight week, Carr demonstrated that he has all the tools and potential to become a first-rate quarterback. Even with his relatively strong performance thus far, people are still questioning whether or not he’s the right fit for Oakland. When you go ahead and look back at the numbers for Sunday, you’ll realize he pretty much had to carry his team through the game versus the Houston Texans. He threw for 263 yards as well as a fourth quarter touchdown, the glory of which was unfortunately marred by two interceptions. Carr also led the team in rushing on the day with 57 yards on just five carries. It seems to me that right now, Carr is the true definition of a workhorse quarterback. Unfortunately for Carr, he's surrounded by a team full of washed-up veterans. I have yet to see any of these guys contribute anything more than a few fluke good plays (mostly thanks to Carr) and some ill-timed lost fumbles. The Raiders management is really grasping at straws now for play-makers on offense, having just signed former San Diego Chargers wide receiver Vincent Brown-whose racked up a lengthy injury history in his three years in the league (boy, just what this team needs!) Brown's addition comes as a result of the Raiders needing to make a move at wideout, after Rod Streater went down with hip-flexor injury last Sunday. So naturally, the Raiders bring in an injury prone free agent who got waived by the team that drafted him this offseason due to a calf issue. Honestly, just what the hell are they smoking in Oakland? The Raiders' season is already heading for a long and turbulent road and it won't get any easier when they face the New England Patriots on the road this Sunday. Despite how poorly the Raiders have played to-date, hopefully they'll keep Carr in at quarterback so that he may be better suited to lead this team more successfully in the future.
Johnny Manziel: All I can say is good for Brian Hoyer. His performance on Sunday (throwing 24/40 with one TD), especially in the second half, impressed me among many others. It wasn’t perfect, but it was definitely a step in the right direction for the sixth-year quarterback. Realistically, there must be at least a few people up in The Browns front office now wondering whether their 22nd overall pick may have been better suited for the deep receiving class presented in 2014, rather than the ball-slinging cowboy out of Texas A&M. With all due respect to Johnny Manziel, the kid has definitely got talent, but like I said last week, if things keep going well for Hoyer this year and possibly next, I could definitely see them pacing him on the trade block. Teams looking for a new possible franchise option such as the Rams -who currently find themselves at a crossroads with Sam Bradford, who suffered a torn ACL for a second straight season- could look at Manziel as an option moving forward. Manziel did make onto the field for a whopping three plays last Sunday against the Saints as the "special" offensive package for Manziel made its long-awaited debut. Two of those snaps came as handoffs to Isaiah Crowell, while the third one was an incomplete pass intended for fullback Ray Agnew. I’ll give it to Manziel, the pass was on target and would have been a completion had Agnew just been able to hold onto it, but on the other hand, he could definitely have made the throw a few seconds sooner without getting so far outside of the pocket. In the fast-paced style of game play in the NFL, those few seconds really count. We definitely haven’t seen the last of Manziel on the field for the Browns, but fans definitely should get more used to seeing Hoyer out there on Sunday. As much as Johnny Football enthusiasts would love to see him take the field, Hoyer gives The Browns' best chance at winning right now.
Teddy Bridgewater: Okay, so maybe I spoke too soon about the whole “Matt Cassel is finally playing like a franchise quarterback” thing. In fairness, Cassel did look the part in the Week 1. Week 2, on the other hand, not so much... His completion percentage was average (throwing 19/36), but what really nailed the coffin shut for Cassel on Sunday was the four interceptions on the afternoon. Cassel's four INT's played a big part in allowing the Patriots to keep possession as long as they did, thus controlling the overall tempo of the game. After he got intercepted for the third time by Logan Ryan the crowd began chanting very audibly “TEDDY...TEDDY”; sending a clear message to the Minnesota sideline “We want to see what this kid can do”. When Cassel's on, can be a very talented pocket passer. But, Bridgewater is somebody who can give them more versatility thanks to his ability to make plays with his legs as well as his arm. The fans obviously want their team to try something different, so don’t be surprised to see Bridgewater make his debut this Sunday versus the New Orleans Saints. Also don’t be surprised to see Christian Ponder starting once again at benchwarmer.
Blake Bortles: I was ready to write how Chad Henne needs to get the boot and make way for the rookie until I read an interview recently with Cecil Shorts III, calling for people to get a better understanding of what it means to be an NFL quarterback and why Henne isn’t the problem down in Jacksonville. This interview made me stop and think how true that is on a lot of levels. After all, Jacksonville’s offensive line could hardly protect the pocket last Sunday against the Redskins- allowing Henne to get sacked a total of 10 times in the game. Can we really expect a quarterback to play up to capacity when he hardly has time to look up field? We also can’t expect a corps of talented young receivers to spread their wings when their quarterback doesn’t even have the opportunity to target them. Henne’s performance overall wasn’t dreadful, but it definitely wasn’t good, as he was 14/28 with a touchdown and an interception on the day. Henne also led the anemic Jaguars rushing attack with 17 yards on a mere three carries. I stand by my prediction that Blake Bortles will end 2014 as the starter for the Jags, but I’m willing to admit that me along with many others may have been a bit too quick to place the blame on Henne. The Jaguars are an absolute mess on both sides of the ball, so it's really unfair to say that the play of the quarterback is the only thing holding them back. My prediction for the foreseeable future, is we might see Bortles take a few snaps to get his feet wet-much like what Mike Pettine did with Manziel in Cleveland- but he most likely won’t get a shot at a start until week six (assuming the Jaguars bad luck continues the way it has).
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