Some random bye week thoughts

[Rob0729]

Some things that I thought about this weekend:

• Is it me or is this one of the worst seasons for football in a long while? Where are the good teams? I think there are two elite teams (Pats and Packers), a handful of second tier teams, and the rest of the league sucks. I can't believe how many bad teams there are out there. There are several divisions that are bad from top to bottom (AFC South and NFC East).
• What happened to the field goal kicking? How many missed chip shots were missed this past week (some in domes)? Is moving the extra point back really screwing with the kickers' head that much? There was at least three games that were lost because of missed easy field goals (Pittsburg losing to Baltimore, Jags losing to Indy, and Vikes losing to Denver). The Saints could have lost because of a missed easy field goal too.
• What happened to the Texans? I never thought they would be a legitimate contender, but thought they would give Indy a run for the division. And as bad as Indy is right now, I still don't see the Texans contending for the division. The most surprising thing is their defense absolutely sucks.
• I still am not sold on the Jets or Broncos or that their defenses are as good as they look right now. I think the Jets might be the second best team in the AFC East, but they are still a 7-8 win team. I think both of their defense and the Broncos defense have benefitted from facing miserable offenses. Neither defense has faced a decent QB (at least by this year's standards). I think the Broncos will still most likely win the West because their division sucks, but I don't think their defense can carry them in the playoffs. And I think the fast pace of the Phillips' defense will end up wearing some of their key players out like Ware and Talib who have long histories of falling apart as the season goes along.
• Speaking of the Broncos, their offense is miserable. I am convinced the only reason Manning came back is because he had the total yardage record in sight (it was something like 2,000 yards away at the start of the season which may take him the entire season to get). He is a shell of himself and it is still early October. Their running game sucks too.
• I am convinced that Rex Ryan took the Bills' job because he is obsessed with Belichick and the Pats. His goal is to beat the Pats for the division as much as it is to win the Super Bowl. He is just a bad fit for the Bills because unlike for the Jets, he doesn't have enough veteran leadership to help channel his do whatever you want style into solid production rather than stupid, costly penalties. Of course he and the fans blame the refs and their biases. I wonder if the head ref for yesterday's game works for the company that helped to build MET Life stadium.
• There are next to no young great QBs in this league. In five years, we are likely to be back in the 90s where there is mostly mediocre QB play. Manning is done. Brady only has a handful of years left. Same with Brees and Roethlisberger. Who are going to replace them? Bridgewater? Bortles? Other than Luck (who is overrated) there hasn't been a great QB drafted in 5-8 years.
• I saw the Dolphins collapse coming. Everyone gushed over the Suh signing and ignored that they gutted this team. They lost most of their receiving corp and some solid starters on defense. And people were just focusing on how Suh would change their entire defense and how Tannehill will keep on getting better and better forever. I never saw it. I didn't think they would be this bad, but I thought they would be worse than last year.

 

[patsinthesnow]

Texans:

Media: "Watt-Wilfork-Clowney!"

Vince isn't good.
Clowney still with 0 career sacks.
BOB is a tool swapping QBs every game.


Also, atleast this season has proved that Mallett is awful and was drafted purely on arm strength.

 

[FourierSeries]

Bridgewater had some success passing on Denver. I can't wait to see how Brady will shred them.

 

[Robdude]

While I agree that many teams look bad so far this season, one other team has been very good. The Bengals are a serious contender in the AFC. They have quietly built a solid team that imho is the second best in the AFC. I think the front office of Cinci did a great job staying the course and letting the program take the time it needed to build.

The defense for Denver is scary. I hope you are right about them and they will look less dominant against better offenses.

 

[Mike the Brit]

I think back to Week 4 of last season. Until the O line solidified, it was hard to see the Patriots as having much chance of success. What certainly seems true is that it's taking longer for teams to get into mid-season form.

 

[JMC00]

The most surprising thing is their defense absolutely sucks.

RAC needs to switch to a 4-3. Wilfork isn't a 3-4 NT anymore, hasn't been for a while he's a 4-3 DT and Clownely isn't a 3-4 OLB.

 

[JMC00]

While I agree that many teams look bad so far this season, one other team has been very good. The Bengals are a serious contender in the AFC. They have quietly built a solid team that imho is the second best in the AFC. I think the front office of Cinci did a great job staying the course and letting the program take the time it needed to build.

The defense for Denver is scary. I hope you are right about them and they will look less dominant against better offenses.

Until the Bengals win a playoff game they will always be a pretender, what they've done so far shouldn't really impress anyone

Beat Oakland, Beat SD in a close game, had to come back and beat Baltimore. who has looked terrible this year and would be 0-4 if it wasn't for a kicker or terrible play calling by the Steelers and then just beat KC, who outside of beating the Texans, as looked awful themselves.

Denver, meh. Seems like their defense has been pumped up at the beginning of every season for the past 3 years and it always fades and now with Wade Phillips it will probably fade even quicker. If Bridgewater got the ball out quicker Vikings probably win. Could be 2-2 right now if teams didn't shoot themselves in the foot.

 

[PatriotsPimp136]

I still feel the donkeys will be our main competition in the afc. We have to play them in denver.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

Some things that I thought about this weekend:

• I saw the Dolphins collapse coming. Everyone gushed over the Suh signing and ignored that they gutted this team. They lost most of their receiving corp and some solid starters on defense. And people were just focusing on how Suh would change their entire defense and how Tannehill will keep on getting better and better forever. I never saw it. I didn't think they would be this bad, but I thought they would be worse than last year.

The funny thing is Suh's cap hit this year was only 6.1M. Over the next few years it is going to average over $20M. This was supposed to be the Dolphins year where they got Suh on a huge bargain. It's all downhill from here, if it can get any lower. My guess is that it can get lower and will.

 

[FourierSeries]

I still feel the donkeys will be our main competition in the afc. We have to play them in denver.

If Indy was able to beat them last year in the playoffs (when Denver had a better team) and Baltimore and Minnesota (who are 1-3 and 2-2 respectively) were able to hang with them in Denver, we shouldn't have a problem so long as we are healthy.

 

[ALP]

I agree, I see an NFL that sucks, and no up and coming Qb In the Bree's-Brady-manning level

 

[Oswlek]

Is it me or is this one of the worst seasons for football in a long while?

This week was pretty ugly. Back in 03/04 I recall my wife, who was a total football novice, remarking at how much smarter the Patriots player than every other team. That edge lessened a little over time, but it seems like it is back full force this year.

I still am not sold on the Jets or Broncos or that their defenses are as good as they look right now.

The Broncos will embarrass any team without a competent OL, but Minny had free runners in the secondary all day. That kind of defense against the Pats would lead to another 43-21 curb stomping. I suspect Green Bay is going to steamroll them as well.

Speaking of the Broncos, their offense is miserable.

It could just be Manning's arm influencing my judgement, but it seems like Denver's offense is really gimmicky. Other than throws where the WR rips the ball out of the hands of a DB, it seems like they need to surprise the defense to consistently beat them.

BTW, nice call on Atlanta.

 

[Mack Herron]

Enjoying early observations with emphasis on "early". Very much a game of attrition and any team's status/projection can drop precipitously in a heartbeat. That said, this year I think BB has done even better than his usual outstanding job in creating depth. Excited to see the continued development of all the young guys, the new guys Bostic, Hicks, Thornton and Martin, and also the return of Flowers, LaFell, Jones, Stork and Wendell. You can't have everything though, and CB, RB still concern me. I expect he isn't done tinkering.

 

[sambam94]

it amazes me how many bad teams with bad QBs have their guy drop back 7 feet and stand there and pat the ball while all the receivers run 20+ yard routes. Don't any of these guys see how the Pats and Brady utilize the short game? I guess, it's just to complex for most..that's the only conclusion that makes sense I guess.

 

[mosi]

I agree 100% about the QB situation. Rodgers and Brady are all that is left. In 5 years, they will have to change the rules to make it even easier on the offense. Just wait and see.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

Never really thought about the young quarterback thing, but the OP is spot on. I guess it makes sense. Just looking at the most hyped players coming out of college. Luck's career has been a mixed bag; mostly positive but not close to where he was supposed to be at this point. RGIII blew out his knee and was never the same. Sam Bradford...not going to be a star. Matthew Stafford...come on. It's not good when Luck and Cam Newton are the best young QBs in football, outside of Russell Wilson, who is probably the only really good one.

 

[tasmlab]

The whole listing of games played on Sunday 10/5 seemed to have at least one bad team in each game, sometimes two.

 

[neuronet]

Wilson .mariota I see as future greats. Wilson is really good....

 

[neuronet]

The whole listing of games played on Sunday 10/5 seemed to have at least one bad team in each game, sometimes two.

It was awful...truly awful

 

[oldrover]

Nitpicker alert: Sunday was 10/4... good buddy.