Tuesday Morning QB is weekly feature on The Full Court Press, reacting to the past week’s happenings in NFL Football.
Cheers!
The NFL completed another game in London on Sunday, a 31-17 Dallas Cowboys victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars (and a free coffee at Dunkin Donuts!). At a press conference earlier in the week, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones didn't hesitate to give his blessing on the idea of London having an NFL team someday. There was concern over Tony Romo (and other starters) playing midway through the 4th quarter with a multiple touchdown lead. Talking heads have speculated that this was Jerry's way of getting the Cowboys brand maximum exposure on the international stage. It might be working, look at these "Cow"-boy fans at the game on Sunday:
Jekyll & Hyde
The Steelers won 3 games in a row. Roethlisberger threw 6 TD's in back-to-back games. The 1-8 Jets were next on the schedule. I had a bad feeling about this...
I took a friendly gentleman's bet with a co-worker who happens to be a Jets fan: With the spread being Steelers by 4, I gave him and extra point, so if the Jets either won or just lost by 5 or less, I would have to wear a Mark Sanchez jersey Monday morning in the office. If the Steelers won by more than 5, he had to wear a Steelers jersey (player TBD). Just so we're clear, I was betting not just on the Steelers winning, but winning by more than 5 points. They lost by 7. If you're looking for an explanation as to why the Steelers have been 8-8 the last two years, just look at the last 2 weeks. Behold my shame:
Impish or Admirable?
This is a recap of teams that are either looking good, or need help. This is not a playoff projection. I call it impish or admirable.
Impish - Pittsburgh Steelers. See above picture.
Impish - New York Giants. What a sad, depressing mess. I feel like Eli's adjustment to the new offensive scheme has kinda been like a yo-yo: down, then it looks like he's just about got it, then back down, repeat. Injuries have plagued them offensively, and the defense is a mere shell of what it used to be.
Admirable - Kansas City Chiefs. Remember when Kansas City opened the year 0-2? Yeah, neither do the Chiefs. This team has quietly asserted itself atop the AFC, and they're doing it the old-fashioned way: defense and a solid ground game. Fun fact: through the first 10 weeks of the season, no Kansas City wide receiver has a touchdown reception! But with Jamaal Charles healthy and running like his
all-pro self, and Knile Davis as a dynamic compliment (ignore Sunday's numbers!), Alex Smith doesn't have to be anything more than a game-manager.
Admirable - Philadelphia Eagles. I know they both won this weekend, but I think Philadelphia supplanted Dallas as the team to beat in the NFC East. The scary thing is that even with Nick Foles out, Mark Sanchez looked really comfortable running Chip Kelly's offense. While they didn't have a ton of rushing yards on Monday (they didn't need to) LeSean McCoy overall seems to have found his groove again, and Darren Sproles is still lingering as change of pace back. The X-factor for this team has been special teams and big plays on defense - with last night's punt return and pick 6, the Eagles defense and special teams now have 16 total forced turnovers, 3 blocked kicks, and 6 touchdowns.
Fantasy Watch
A look at players worth having on your fantasy football roster, who needs to be cut, and who has deceptive stats.
Like - Denard Robinson, Jacksonville Jaguars RB. Confession: I'm on the "Shoelace" Kool-Aid. In each of the first three weeks after he was inserted in Jacksonville's starting line-up, I added him to one of my teams. Now he's starting on all of my teams, and putting up double-digit points every time! Even though he was a QB in college, this isn't terribly surprising as he really made a name for himself with his legs. I like his upside for 3 reasons: 1.) He'll get the bulk of the carries for the foreseeable future; 2.) Most of what he's been doing has been based off raw talent. As he learns the playbook and becomes more comfortable with his offensive line, he'll start to see holes before they develop; 3.) Much like a OF/1B, SS/3B, etc. player in fantasy baseball, he has the WR/RB status which is much more rare in football. This past week, I had one too many receivers on a bye-week, but Robinson's WR label saved me from having to raid the waiver wire!
Dislike - DeAngelo Williams/Jonathan Stewart, Carolina Panthers RB. Hard to believe this is STILL the running back combo in Carolina. With the exception of the 2009 season in which they each had 1,000 yards rushing, they've spent the better part of the last 6 years taking turns being hurt and ineffective. It seems like every time I read a weekly preview for a Carolina game, there's always the obligatory "The Panthers are hoping DeAngelo Williams/Jonathan Stewart can get healthy for this week's game, otherwise DeAngelo Williams/Jonathan Stewart will have to step up their game." Stop it! Neither of them are getting healthy, and neither of them will step up their game. Here's a 2015 Carolina draft preview for you: "The Panthers need to draft a running back!" If you drafted either one for your fantasy team, I'm guessing you were desperate. If you're a Williams/Stewart owner and are waiting for this imminent "breakout" from one of these backs, just don't hold your breath.
Pyrite - CJ Anderson, Denver Broncos RB. It might be tempting to go after the 2nd-year back from Cal after 150 total yards and a TD this past Sunday, but consider 3 things: 1.) He's green. He had more total yards on Sunday than he had in his entire career beforehand; 2.) This is a pass-first offense that spreads the ball around; 3.) The running game has been very "flavor of the week," so what happens when Montee Ball comes back from injury next week and Ronnie Hillman in about 2-3 weeks?
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Admirable - Oakland Raiders. Just an admirable this week. Oakland finally won a game! They did everything they could to lose it, but they somehow found a way to win! I'll give this franchise some credit - ever since my week 4 "impish" label, this team has played with a lot of heart in some close losses. It may still be a few years until they're relevant again, but their decision to implode in order to rebuild (maybe in Los Angeles), is probably for the best.
