NFL week 9: The Best Offense is a Good Quarterback

[trickster]

POTOMAC DRAINAGE BASIN INDIGENOUS PEOPLE WIN!

Whoa! Some people actually read TMQ :stunned:

[Manhole Eunuchsbane]

Whoa! Some people actually read TMQ :stunned:

Not me. That one has been floating around Fark since the start of the season.

[Howdyphillip]

That was an absolutely heartbreaking loss. I have been saying for years that Colt McCoy was a decent NFL QB that just has never been given much of a chance. He had a fantastic game tonight. Hats off to Haslett for calling the defensive game of the year against the Cowboys.

I am hoping beyond hope right now that the Dallas Defense hasn't just been exposed. Washington played an incredibly physical game against players that just weren't up to the task tonight.

[Tyrion Lannister]

Did anyone else see the guy shepherding McCoy away from the cameras shouting 'No means no!' ?

I did. I think my exact words were "what the fuck was that?"

[trickster]

Not me. That one has been floating around Fark since the start of the season.

TMQ has been calling them that for at least 6/7 years or more ( the last time I read his column).

[Jace, Extat]

I took a break yesterday after the safety in the game, and I'm glad that I did. I got a nice workout in at the gym, and checking the Gpad a couple times in between playing basketball let me keep up with what was happening during the late game. So after going to dinner and making use of my slave, I'm ready to work through what I saw this week. Inspired by my LoveRock's post:

Denver>San Diego

I don't know what the fuck I was talking about, Denver's the best team in the league and has the best defense in the AFC. This game was never particularly in doubt. San Diego kept Denver from running away early, but eventually they just got overwhelmed by E-Man. San Diego, on the other hand, is who I thought they were: fucking San Diego. I don't care if the HC is Norv Turner, the guy who held the pictures for Peyton Manning, or Santa Clause, this team is not a juggernaut. They're prone to multiple-game letdowns at any point in the season, and Phillip Rivers is only one man.

If Denver doesn't get Billed in Foxborough again, they're superbowl favorites in my eyes.

Detroit>Atlanta:

I don't care. Except that Bill Barnwell was completely right in his breakdown of this game, fuck Jim Caldwell, he's horrible.

Seattle>Caronlina

I don't know what made me more sick, Newton's putrid play, or Wilson's 'late game magic'. That Newton is talked up as a 'top-tier QB' is an insult to top-tier QB's. Meanwhile, someone in Seattle needs to get his fucking act together. Wilson is better than needing a last-minute drive to beat the shitty Panthers, and he needs to play like it.

Cincy>Baltimore

I said it before, and I'll say it again, I can't think of a better way for Baltimore to lose a game. Fuck Joe Flacco and his shitty contract that broke the QB salary balance, fuck Steve Smith and his little man attitude, fuck Terrell 'I'mma Gladiator' Suggs and fuck John 'the officials don't make every call go my way' Harbaugh (that last one might be a family thing).

This game might have been the only thing that kept me from breaking my boyfriend.

Miami>Jacksonville

Looks like the AFC South is secure for years to come. But... Ryan Tannehill matched the rookie on the tied-for-shittiest team in the league team in points generated. That's not particularly good. Tom Brady will win this division until he's fifty.

Kansas City>St. Louis

Am I crazy for liking Austin Davis? I didn't see this game, but he seems pretty good for the most part. I'm in favor of giving him the nod next year. Also, I don't have much to say about the 3rd best team in the AFC West, except I hope the supplant San Diego at #2.

Chicago<New England

No, Bears, how are you gonna play for real? What... What do you mean that was how you're really gonna play? Did you know that Rob Gronkowski is very big and strong and good at football? I know Brady isn't as good as he was 7 years ago, but... he's pretty damn good...

And sorry, Jay, I don't know how much longer I can defend you, bud.

Buffalo>Jets

Check out this Rich Eisen rant on the Jets, it's fucking fantastic, and he's right. I feel nothing but sympathy for Rex Ryan, he seems like one of the most genuine guys in the league and it's rough to see him brought so low. Micheal Vick is also pretty depressing to watch, maybe he'll at least look respectable with a week to work. Oh, and Geno Smith is never coming back.

Minnesota>Tampa

I don't fucking care.

Houston>Tennessee

I'm with Robert Mays on this one, J.J. Watt is a douchebag for ridiculing Mettenburger for taking selfies. Kid's about to start his first ever NFL game, that's selfie-worthy.

Philly<Arizona

Loved this one (what I saw of it), Bruce Arians is the coach of the year and Carson Palmer has been great. I loved Warner Cardinals, and I'm loving Palmer Cardinals too. Gritty team with a blitzy defense. 7 rushers on the last play of the game? LOVE IT!

Meanwhile, the Eagles... Nick Foles is the product of Chip Kelly's system, and that makes me both happy and afraid. Happy because it means Foles sucks, but afraid because Chip could find a good QB and ruin football forever with the best offense to ever exist. Then again, I think Chip's system is good enough that they'll scheme themselves out of draft position every year.

Cleveland>Oakland

If Oakland goes 0-16, I will do something crazy out of happiness. I'm not sure what yet, but it'll be good. And now we see how great Alex Mack was, the Colts could have had him!

Pit>Indy

Speaking of which, I don't want to speak of this.

Green Bay<Saints

I'm not sure when the last time I wanted the Saints to win a game was, but last night I'm glad they did. I hate Aaron Rodgers, and I hate all of the analysts who think he's the greatest thing since hot fire. Also, Kenny Stills won me a fantasy game.

I'll talk about the Colts anyways.

Kalbear, I'm not afraid to say that I acted the fool. I argued that the Colts were physically and mentally tough, and clearly they were not. You were right, I was wrong, please forgive me.

Rapeburger had a good game, no denying it. But he got about 150 yards for free. I cannot believe, 24 hours later, how open Heath Miller was on every crucial 3rd down. How do you not know to cover the guy who's been playing with Burger since like 2006? The guy who's so popular that THEY SCREAM HIS NAME WHEN HE CATCHES ANY PASS. How does that happen? I get that it's hard to cover these dudes, but he was doing yoga in the center of the field like 3 times while Rapeburger had enough time to sexually assault 3 women, clown around with his douchy cop buddies, and avoid charges before nonchalantly tossing the ball to him.

I can't even use Vontae Davis' injury as an excuse. There's no doubt it wouldn't have been quite as bad, but the Steelers were flying up and down the field well before he left the game, and everyone he wasn't covering would have caught every pass anyways. The pass rush was literally non-existent, and the 3rd down defense was (as already said) putrid.

On the offensive side of the ball, it was pretty good. Bradshaw looked to have running room before the game was just too far out of hand, and the receivers made a plethora of great plays on good throws from Luck. Speaking of Luck, he was dynamite outside of that horrible pick-six early. But it didn't matter, because even if he didn't take that safety, the Steelers would have scored again. (And they did)

This game made me feel like an abject fool, not just because I'd argued with Kalbear, but because I actually believed what I was saying. Fucking Colts... That was the most disgusting loss I've seen since the Saints obliteration of 2011, just no effort on defense. I want to think that we've got a good bounce-back game vs the Giants next week, but my confidence has been shaken. It's one thing to lose, it's another to have a mediocre offense jaunting through your defense all night like there's no one there.

[BLU-RAY]

Thank you, Trent Murphy, for giving me something to root for in this game.

[Manhole Eunuchsbane]

TMQ has been calling them that for at least 6/7 years or more ( the last time I read his column).

Ah, I didn't know that's where it originated. Saw it for the first time this season in a rename the Redskins thread on Fark.

[DanteGabriel]

I'm with Robert Mays on this one, J.J. Watt is a douchebag for ridiculing Mettenburger for taking selfies. Kid's about to start his first ever NFL game, that's selfie-worthy.

Yeah, JJ Watt -- you're a grown-ass man who decided you should wear a goddamn letterman jacket to a professional football game to tell the world you were ready to be considered an elite team, and your whole team got flattened and hasn't been taken seriously since. Get over yourself.

[Jaime L]

That was an absolutely heartbreaking loss. I have been saying for years that Colt McCoy was a decent NFL QB that just has never been given much of a chance. He had a fantastic game tonight. Hats off to Haslett for calling the defensive game of the year against the Cowboys.

I've long had a soft spot for Colt McCoy dating back to the 2010 draft. Russell Wilson became the guy I thought Colt McCoy would be. I think his arm is still too pop gun to be a starter in the NFL. His limitations are real.

But style of play-wise still think Russell Wilson is the right comparison. He's a poor man's Russell Wilson in every way - athleticism, arm, elusiveness, intangibles. If you could amp up all his abilities Breaking Madden style, then you'd really have something.

This has to be the most talent he's played with since Texas which is key because he's not gonna lift a a team without skill position talent Cam Newton Style. And he's always been accurate. Hell he was a 77% passer one year in college. And he's 36/42 passing since relieving Cousins. Mostly it's just death by 1,000 cuts*. Not like he's putting up a ton of points, but still, he was always overqualified to be a #3. Wouldn't mind seeing him win the backup job here which is really what this 2-3 game audition is all about.

*Better than Cousins' preferred seppuku

[Howdyphillip]

I've long had a soft spot for Colt McCoy dating back to the 2010 draft. Russell Wilson became the guy I thought Colt McCoy would be. I think his arm is still too pop gun to be a starter in the NFL. His limitations are real.

But style of play-wise still think Russell Wilson is the right comparison. He's a poor man's Russell Wilson in every way - athleticism, arm, elusiveness, intangibles. If you could amp up all his abilities Breaking Madden style, then you'd really have something.

This has to be the most talent he's played with since Texas which is key because he's not gonna lift a a team without skill position talent Cam Newton Style. And he's always been accurate. Hell he was a 77% passer one year in college. And he's 36/42 passing since relieving Cousins. Mostly it's just death by 1,000 cuts*. Not like he's putting up a ton of points, but still, he was always overqualified to be a #3. Wouldn't mind seeing him win the backup job here which is really what this 2-3 game audition is all about.

*Better than Cousins' preferred seppuku

The name I most closely associate Colt McCoy with is Chad Pennington who quietly had one of the best careers no one remembers. I think that if given the opportunity, Colt McCoy could do similar things. They both lacked arm strength, but make up for it by incredible accuracy.

[Rhom]

Yeah, JJ Watt -- you're a grown-ass man who decided you should wear a goddamn letterman jacket to a professional football game to tell the world you were ready to be considered an elite team, and your whole team got flattened and hasn't been taken seriously since. Get over yourself.

You know, I almost mentioned that very moment in time yesterday in reference to the complete derail of the Texans.

The only similar event I can point to is the 1997 VMA's when Jakob Dylan and the Wallflowers played One Headlight with Bruce Springsteen on lead vocals. The Boss rocked it so hard that Jakob Dylan was completely overshadowed on his own song and was never heard from again.

The Texans had that Wallflowers moment where they were peaking in their career and then they tried to step out for a big moment, and it knocked their entire trajectory off course.

[awesome possum]

So I've stepped back from the ledge - not really, but the rage and disappointment has turned to a dull sense of blech in the back of my head. There is something wrong with the Chicago Bears. Something ghastly wrong.

Yes, injuries hurt the defense but injuries affect every single team in the league every year. The Bears seem to be one of the only teams in the league that just collapse when faced with some injuries. Both this year and last the defense saw some injuries and took a turn towards worst in Bears history. Until last year if Cutler got hurt, it was time to count the losses until he got back.

And Jay Cutler. He's never going to get it. I'll continue to root for him because I'm not a dipshit like half of the Bears fanbase, I'll never boo my team or a player on my team, but Jay Cutler is just never going to get it. He has the talent to be elite but the mindset to be middle of the pack forever.

However, I don't think the problem is Jay Cutler. We've seen Jay Cutler at his most Don't Care. We've seen Jay Cutler at his second most Don't Care. Two different play callers, two Don't Give a Shit reactions from Jay Cutler. But on the field he still played his goddamned heart out. And now... now it just looks like he's there. Either getting paid made him complacent or Marc Trestman did.

Marc Trestman... his inability to adjust his playcalling when a defense plays simple Zone is not just head-scratching but mind-boggling. Did no one in the CFL or NFL play Zone Defense before? How does one guy with his "genius" offense get so absolutely flummoxed by something as simple as fucking Zone Defense?

I hate to think about firing Trestman after just two years but holy shit has this team taken a huge step back while fielding the most talented offense in Bears history. He'll get at least one more season - firing coaches after two years is how you get the Raiders and Browns - but the ship is already getting ready to sail for him.

[Maithanet]

McCoy wasn't even all that accurate for a lot of that game though. There were like 2-3 passes to Jackson and one to Niles Paul that if he threw better would have been touchdowns. Not that I'm trashing McCoy, he had a great game, but I thought the thing that really stood out was his poise and elusiveness, both of which were WAY better than I had expected.

For the game as a whole, that was a lot of fun. Our young CBs Breeland (2014 4th round pick) and Amerson (2013 2nd round pick) have looked better and better since DHall's injury. Most of the problems in the secondary have been that our safety play is still terrible, and after those two, the drop in talent at CB is dramatic. And speaking of the safeties, Merriweather had two sacks, two forced fumbles, and no personal fouls? That's like a minor miracle. Hasslett called a great game, and he was able to keep the Cowboys O off balance in spite of getting no pressure with a 4 man rush. I think that is the best game he's called for us.

If you'd told me that Romo would have no turns and Murray would have over 200 all purpose yards, I wouldn't have given us a ghost of a chance. But aside from Murray and Witten, the rest of the Cowboys offense just didn't show up. And that overtime series for Dallas was a Murray 8 yard run, then three incompletions. That reminds me of the 2013 Redskins - good/great running game, but for some reason coach keeps dialing up passing plays. I don't know if Garrett was getting pressure not to wear out Murray, but the guys behind him were noticeably less effective, and the passing game (aside from Witten) was never clicking. If that overtime series had been a long series of handoffs to Murray, I think we'd be talking about a gritty Cowboys win this morning.

[Jaxom 1974]

So I've stepped back from the ledge - not really, but the rage and disappointment has turned to a dull sense of blech in the back of my head. There is something wrong with the Chicago Bears. Something ghastly wrong.

Yes, injuries hurt the defense but injuries affect every single team in the league every year. The Bears seem to be one of the only teams in the league that just collapse when faced with some injuries. Both this year and last the defense saw some injuries and took a turn towards worst in Bears history. Until last year if Cutler got hurt, it was time to count the losses until he got back.

And Jay Cutler. He's never going to get it. I'll continue to root for him because I'm not a dipshit like half of the Bears fanbase, I'll never boo my team or a player on my team, but Jay Cutler is just never going to get it. He has the talent to be elite but the mindset to be middle of the pack forever.

However, I don't think the problem is Jay Cutler. We've seen Jay Cutler at his most Don't Care. We've seen Jay Cutler at his second most Don't Care. Two different play callers, two Don't Give a Shit reactions from Jay Cutler. But on the field he still played his goddamned heart out. And now... now it just looks like he's there. Either getting paid made him complacent or Marc Trestman did.

Marc Trestman... his inability to adjust his playcalling when a defense plays simple Zone is not just head-scratching but mind-boggling. Did no one in the CFL or NFL play Zone Defense before? How does one guy with his "genius" offense get so absolutely flummoxed by something as simple as fucking Zone Defense?

I hate to think about firing Trestman after just two years but holy shit has this team taken a huge step back while fielding the most talented offense in Bears history. He'll get at least one more season - firing coaches after two years is how you get the Raiders and Browns - but the ship is already getting ready to sail for him.

I'm on the fence. I agree about Cutler. Is he overpaid? Sure. What high profile position player in any sport isn't? Particularly in the Bears situation. They either over paid for a QB who has above average skills who can do very good things with talented skill played around him (most times) or they had nothing. They weren't in a position to pick up a top QB coming out in the last couple of seasons, and really, how well had that worked out around the league overall? And was there a better free agent QB choice out there at the time?

I'm on the fence about Trestman. I think he can coach. I think he can coach when he had the right tools. Canadian football isn't the NFL, I get that, but is it really that different? To be head coach? I think Trestman's abilities to be "the quarterback whisperer" comes from who he works with best: journeyman with nothing to lose, because aren't they more likely to be flexible to coaching? Who are some of his success stories? Gannon. McCown lay season. Guys like that. I'm NOT advocating that the Bears should have kept McCown as a starter, but if he'd gotten his hands on someone like another Gannon? Year 3 will be interesting for him because I think he could coach pretty well given the right tool set.

Which brings me to where I'm not on the fence. Phil Emory. Therein less the problem. He said he'd fix the offense. He did to am extent, but he made the same errors that Jerry Angelo kept making by robbing Peter to pay Paul. He had little success drafting. He's had marginal success with free agency at best. But because he doesn't know his identity and the identity of the team he's supposed to build, he's createda mess. I think you start with lopping him, though I realize that means the coach goes too.

[sperry]

Can the Bears get rid of Cutler, or is there too much guaranteed money that they're saddled with him? I'd love to see Sam Bradford in Trestman's system. Seeing the kalbear meltdown would just be icing on the cake.

[Kalbear]

Yeah, that would be pretty funny. Bradford would be horrible.

I think cutlers contract is similar to other ones recently where very little is guaranteed. I'll go check.

[Kalbear]

So cutler would be a 18m dead money hit in 2015 -but only a 3m dead money in 2016.

[Reny of Storms End]

This game made me feel like an abject fool, not just because I'd argued with Kalbear, but because I actually believed what I was saying. Fucking Colts... That was the most disgusting loss I've seen since the Saints obliteration of 2011, just no effort on defense. I want to think that we've got a good bounce-back game vs the Giants next week, but my confidence has been shaken. It's one thing to lose, it's another to have a mediocre offense jaunting through your defense all night like there's no one there.

I believe, even before Sunday's statfest, Pittsburgh was a top ten offense. Brown has been either the top WR or second, and Bell has been the third best RB in the league. So don't let your confidence be shaken too much. There have certainly been games where the offense has been mediocre this year, but far and away most of the Steelers troubles have been on defense.

[sperry]

So cutler would be a 18m dead money hit in 2015 -but only a 3m dead money in 2016.

So back next year and playing for his job?

In fairness to Cutler, he's a decent NFL starting quarterback, not great, but WAY above replacement level. And in a time where there are 32 teams, and only about 20 or so QBs you could describe as decent or better, you're going to have to pony up to get one.