Welcome to the Week 6 version of the Four Down Journey, where we still don’t know if Gronk is available, where we know for sure Julio Jones & the Falcons are done, where Eli Manning & I are tied for NFL victories this season, where Andrew Luck plays in his 1st Monday night game, & whether or not this is the week my 49ers take back the division (or at least tie it with the Seagulls Seahawks). Lets start things off by getting into the hottest team in the league right now, the Jacksonville Jaguars!
First Down: Jacksonville. Smh
Has anyone been keeping watch on Maurice Jones-Drew? Seriously, because he can’t be of sound mind right now. I’m stunned that he hasn’t maimed or shanked anyone of his teammates yet. Before I bring up the debacle/train wreck that is this season (0-5 as of this post), let’s take a quick look at MJD since 2007, when the best QB’s he’s ever played with was when Byron Leftwich and David Gerrard were on the team.
2007: 11-5, lost in divisional playoff to New England 31-20
2008: 5-11, missed the playoffs
2009: 7-9, missed the playoffs
2010: 8-8, missed the playoffs
2011: 5-11, missed the playoffs
2012: 2-14, do I have to say it again?
Not exactly positive is it? He’s one of the best RB’s in the league (even winning the rushing title in 2011) playing with one of the worst teams on offense the league may ever see. They just traded their best O-Linemen, Eugene Munroe for basically nothing, then lost their top draft pick OL Luke Joeckel for the season. Then they have two QB’s in Blaine Gabbert and Chad Henne, neither of who strike fear into a BCS team, much less an NFL one. Fans don’t come to the games & the Jaguars’ management started trying “Semi-Pro” tactics to get fans to come and fill the seats; and they have played so reprehensibly that their own local TV station issued out an apology to its viewers for showing the game on TV. In my previous post, I thought there was no question in my mind that the Raiders would be the worst team the NFL would have, but I owe them an apology. This Jaguar team may not even win a game this season. Look at the remaining schedule:
Oct 13 vs Broncos (we’ll get to this one later)
Oct 20 vs Chargers
Oct 27 vs 49ers
Nov 3 Bye week
Nov 17 vs Cardinals
Nov 24 vs Texans
Dec 1 vs Browns
Dec 5 vs Texans
Dec 15 vs Bills
Dec 22 vs Titans
Dece 29 vs Colts
Outside of possibly the Chargers who always seem to choke and blow winnable games at the right time, I honestly don’t see a game these guys can win. I can’t see the addition of Justin Blackman, fresh off his 4-game suspension adding a win to this roster, except for his Fantasy Owners (#garbagetimepoints). The only way they’ll become more successful on offensive is through their QB play, which wasn’t happening for these three reasons:
- The O-line which wasn’t good to begin with, just got worse through trade and injury.
- The Starting QB, Gabbert, is horrendous. His stats this season, 42-86 for 481 yards, 1TD/7INT’s, Win-Loss ratio for his career (including this season)? 5-22. 5 AND 22. You’re telling me they couldn’t put in a bid to sign Josh Freeman???
- Their QB’s name is Blaine Gabbert. Does that name sound like a name that would win games for you? Can you see a fanbase take in a game with their team down by a touchdown saying, “Don’t worry, Gabbert will lead us!” Or “Aight man, Blaine’s got this one in the bag”? Don’t wanna come off as an asshole or anything, but let’s face it, his name sounds closer to someone who should be managing an Auto Parts warehouse or selling sorcery and wizard sticks at the Annual Comic Con convention, not winning playoff games and Super Bowls. No disrespect to the good people who do manage an Auto Parts warehouse and sell sorcery and wizard sticks at Comic Con Events. Okay, maybe a little disrespect to the sorcery guy.
Now if you were Jones Drew, would you sign back with this team, even with the threat that they may possibly move to his hometown of Los Angeles? I wouldn’t sign with Jacksonville, and I wouldn’t even want to know someone with the name “Jackson”, and/or “Ville” in it, and if I already do, I’d cut them off immediately.
Second Down: What About Schaub???
Man, has things flipped quickly for Matt Schaub. Just 10 months ago, he was leading a Super Bowl contender with an 11-2 record. Since then, he has gone 4-7. The last two games, he has clearly hit rock bottom. Week 4 vs. the Seahawks, he threw one of the worst INTs that we’ve seen in a long time, throwing a fadeaway fade route in triple coverage to Garrett Graham & with Richard Sherman waiting. By the time Sherman crossed the goal line (with one shoe on no less) Schaub had thrown his third Pick-6 in as many games, ending in a 23-20 loss. Then this past Sunday vs. the Niners, he follows it up by throwing another Pick-6 on his first pass on the game, setting an NFL record for most games in a row with an INT/TD. This team is built to win now & it can ill afford to take these losses that they’re taking if they’re trying to get to New York in February. Judging by the look on Schaub’s face, as well as the rest of the team since halfway through the 4th quarter of that Seahawks game (especially J.J. Watt) this team looks dejected. Schaub has a lot of work to do, & quickly if he wants to restore his teammates confidence in him.
Meanwhile, the team that they didn’t think would be competing with them, the Indianapolis Colts, are now 4-1 & are starting to run away with the division. The Coach-QB combo is rock solid for now & the future with Chuck Pagano and Andrew Luck, they got solid WR core led by Reggie Wayne & T.Y. Hilton, a good if not great running game led by Trent Richardson (although he may be slightly overrated but still), & a shockingly strong defense. Outside of Denver, I can easily see this team getting out of the conference, they are legit. Shit, they beat the 49ers & Seahawks in back-to-back weeks. If Houston comes back in this division and in the playoff hunt, they will have to go back to basics and lean heavily on Arian Foster & their defense, and make Schaub shift to full-time game manager mode. He’s gonna have to be coached up again, cuz at this stage, they’ve invested too much time & years into him. If they turn to T.J. Yates, they will lose Schaub I think mentally & psychologically for good. Gonna be an interesting few weeks in Houston.
Third Down: QB’s get paid
As discussed previously, with the situations regarding Greg Schiano, Josh Freeman, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as well as Matt Flynn, both of these troubled QB’s have one thing in common: they continue to get that money! After the news leaked about Freeman being in Stage One of the NFL Drug Program (Freeman had to clarify that HE voluntarily entered the program due to the medication he takes for Attention Deficit Disorder) not only did we know that this marriage was going to end horribly, but Tampa Bay for some foolish reason, tried to severely undercut his value. This is on top of not allowing Freeman to be on the sidelines during their 13-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, barring him from the team facilities & then alluding to his teammates that he decided not to show for practice the following week. (I’ll say it again, this is something a coach or organization does when you’re coaching college kids & not grown men. I’m starting to really believe Schiano won’t make it past Week 8, if they’re still winless by then.) How does that story end for Freeman & the Bucs? Instead of trying to get a late round draft pick or a player for him, they end up waiving Freeman, still having to pay him his $5.9M to sit on the waiver wire for four days before the Minnesota Vikings pick him up and signed him for $3M for 12 games of work. If you’re counting, he has translated that fiasco into $8.9M, and as hard as it is to believe, he might be in a better situation than the one he’s left. Meanwhile, the Raiders cut Matt Flynn after his disastrous performances vs. Washington’s football team during Week 4, when Terrell Pryor was out with a concussion. This was followed up by being demoted to the 3rd string QB spot last week vs. San Diego. So for leaving Green Bay two years ago, he started all of one game, was pushed to the side by two younger QB’s, & walked away $14M richer. I mean….wow. There is no one this year in football that has gotten paid more for doing less this season like these two dudes. Congratulations.
Fourth Down: Awards List
After Week 5, this is how my awards list is looking so far:
MVP: Peyton Manning
Offensive Player of the Year: Peyton Manning
Defensive Player of the Year: Joe Haden
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Giovanni Bernard
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Kiko Alonso
Coach of the Year: Peyton Manning Andy Ried
Most Surprising Team: Cleveland Browns
Most Disappointing Team: New York Giants
Game of the Week
Jacksonville Jaguars (0-5) vs. Denver Broncos (5-0)
Are there better games on schedule this week? Of course! But when do you normally get a chance to watch history? Look at this fact: The Jags have scored 4 TD’s all season. The Broncos have not scored less than 4 TD’s in each game. This may end up like one of those NCAA games where you Alabama plays Maine in Week One of the season and beats them like 55-3, & they end the game 5 minutes early. When will you see a predetermined blowout like this again in the NFL? Also, to all fantasy owners, start all your Broncos for this one! Including John Fox & John Elway.
Sideline Notes
There are three things in life that you can depend on: Death, taxes, and the Atlanta Braves losing in the 1st round of the playoffs. Outside of the success they have had since 1991, they only have one World Series ring to show for it. Aren’t they a little overrated at this stage now? For Braves fans, this is like having sex for 22 years straight & only having one orgasm….. Andrew Wiggins hasn’t played a minute yet in an NCAA game and he’s already on the cover of Sports Illustrated being passed the KU torch from the legacies of Wilt Chamberlain and Danny Manning. Man, I really hope this kid pans out….. I know it’s almost been a week, but Derrick Rose looks real good out there on the floor, even with the rust. In watching that pre-season game vs. Indiana, I really forgot how fast he is. On two consecutive fast breaks, he took the outlet pass & just outran everyone else down the floor for back-to-back layups. I don’t care how stacked Indiana is, Chicago will be the 2nd best team in the East for this simple fact: As good as Paul George is & his new $90M deal that pays him like a superstar, Derrick Rose IS a real superstar. Even in that preseason game, no one can match his skillset, mentality, & killer instinct on Indiana. You’ll see….. Hol’ up, hold my phone! Maw*****s never loved us (Dun know)! Remember???….. Sorry, where was I….. Ok MJ, we know you’re the best ever. Can you stop talking now & just settle on being an average owner please & thank you…. Kanye may think he’s a genius, and people may think he’s crazy, but no one should ever question his passion and drive for life, and that is what makes him great at his craft….. To all my Canadian peoples, have a safe & Happy Thanksgiving. Until the next post…..
Cal Cee // South Shore Ave
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