Tuesday Morning QB, Week 14

Tuesday Morning QB is weekly feature on The Full Court Press, reacting to the past week’s happenings in NFL Football.

Bandwagon Family

I know this isn't exactly news, as the "Vikings, Bengals, Eagles, Steelers, Cowboys Family"
commercial for NFL Shop.com has been airing for a few months now, but with Christmas approaching, we're seeing it a lot more on Sundays, and I'm getting more and more irritated.  Take a look.

This is the most irrational line of thinking I've ever witnessed.  And the sad part of this is, there are actually people who use this model for picking teams.  It's one thing to move somewhere, go to a game for the local team and enjoy it for what it is... as long as they're not playing your team.  If you have kids, and they go off to different colleges, then yes, you can spread your allegiances around on Saturday afternoons... just remember your Alma Mater.

But these aren't college teams, and this fictional family changes like the wind for the stupidest things.  I went to school in Philadelphia, and I was not charmed into being an Eagles fan.  The opposite happened - after being around the most obnoxious fans in football for four years, I loathed the Eagles by the time I  graduated.   I was there when they reached the Super Bowl, and unlike some of my peers at the time, I was not cheering for a Philly win just so I could "experience a championship parade." On the contrary, one of the most satisfying moments of my life was getting on the subway after the game and seeing full-grown men covered in green, drunk, depressed and quiet.

The commercial said one of the daughters met Emmitt Smith and became a Cowboys fan.  I moved to the Dallas area 5 years ago, I've seen Michael Irvin and Barry Switzer in person, and I hate the Cowboys even more.  Being a fan is not something that should automatically change with your circumstance or surroundings.  Fanhood is something internal, a part of you.  If you're a Raiders fan, then cheer for the Raiders.  If you grew up a Buffalo fan but move to Green Bay, then you still cheer for the Bills.  Please, I'm begging you, let's cut back on this, "I live in Detroit, so I like the Lions, but I had a layover at Reagan airport one time, so I cheer for the Redskins (oops, I mean Washington football team), but I like the beach, so I want Miami to win, but I have Angry Birds on my phone, and the red one reminds me of the Arizona Cardinals logo, so I cheer for them too...."

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 - San Francisco 49ers.  If you ever wanted an example of mailing it in, look no further than the Bay area.  Any time there are rumors of your coach getting traded, that's a bad thing... nobody trades coaches anymore, especially to the cross-town rival!  The offense simply can't do anything right - Frank Gore is a perennial 1,000 yard back, and they don't run the ball.  Vernon Davis is ghost.  That's not a metaphor, I actually believe he's a ghost that floats and can slip through walls like Casper.  And the league has finally caught up to Colin Kaepernick.  He's completely useless now.  On paper, there is still a very realistic chance this team can make the playoffs... but they won't.

Admirable - Pittsburgh Steelers.  The opening piece about the NFL Shop commercial really inspired me, and after 2 "impish" labels already this season, I don't know how many opportunities I'll have left.  Sunday is an example of why I can't give up on the Steelers just yet.  Roethlisberger is as sharp as he's ever been.  Le'Veon Bell is arguably the best dual-threat running back in the game.  Antonio Brown is the best receiver in the league not named Calvin Johnson.  Even the much-maligned O-line has significantly improved.  It's just been a very long and gradual improvement, so whenever they give up a sack, everyone immediately over-reacts.  But they're better.  The defense is a big play liability, but when healthy, they can keep the team in a game. They're apparently vulnerable to sub-.500 teams, but if they can make the playoffs, that shouldn't be an issue (unless they play the NFC South champ in the Super Bowl).

Fantasy Watch

A look at players worth having on your fantasy football roster, who needs to be cut, and who has deceptive stats.

Like - Jordy Nelson, Green Bay Packers WR.  Based on Monday night's game, the only reason this doesn't go to Julio Jones is because of his hip injury.  But Jordy Nelson has put up yet another 20-plus point performance, giving him 5 for the season.  This isn't earth-shattering news, or even news for that matter.  I didn't realize Nelson has never played in the Pro Bowl, and that will change this season (unless Green Bay punches their ticket to Arizona), so this is just a matter of giving props where props are due.  

Dislike - Any Kansas City Chiefs WR.  Alex Smith threw a touchdown pass on Sunday.  It was caught by Jamaal Charles, a running back, but it's nothing new for running backs to double as a useful pass-catching option.  What's interesting here is who didn't catch it - any of the Chiefs wide receivers.  The Chiefs are the only team in the league without a TD pass caught by a wide receiver.  That's right, all of Smith's TD passes have been to tight ends, running backs, or water boys.  My sincerest apologies if you drafted Dwayne Bowe early in your draft.

Pyrite - Johnny Manziel, Cleveland Browns QB.  Named the starter for this week's match-up against the Bengals, Johnny Football fever will only rise exponentially by week's end.  But he's never started a game in this league, his tools are very flawed, and Cleveland is throwing him in the midst of a playoff race against a division foe looking for revenge.  With fantasy playoffs underway, if your team is still alive, then you must have got there with a more reliable QB.  Now is not the time to experiment.

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