I’m not envious of the Dallas Cowboys. They are faced with a decision that could change the course of their franchise. Teams have done it before. The Giants let Phil Simms walk in favor of Jeff Hostetler. Kurt Warner became a Hall of Fame caliber quarterback at the expense of Trent Green. Twice, Drew Bledsoe has been “Wally Pipp-ed”, first by Tom Brady and then by Tony Romo.
So, is Tony Romo about to be Romo-ed?
I couldn’t answer the question alone. I called upon our own fantasy expert Saucy T to shine some light on one side of the arguement, while I take care of the other.
Finally! The moment we have all been waiting for is here. It’s the return of Wayniac Nation after a three week hiatus! Well, that and the NFL Playoffs are here, which I suppose is equally as exciting.
It was an unbelievable season in the NFL that came right down to the final play as heading into week 17 only the New England Patriots knew their fate. My poor, poor Texans barely missed out on the last playoff spot as Joe Flacco woke up in the fourth quarter and locked up the final playoff spot for the Ravens. While the Texans head home with a 9-7 record, I still think J.J. Watt should be the league’s Most Valuable Player and Bill O’Brien should get some votes for Coach of the Year, although Bruce Arians should walk away with the award.
So, what can we expect from the 2014 playoffs? As we have learned in the past by the performances of annoyingly, terrible teams (I’m looking at you Eli Manning and the New York Giants), it’s not always the best team that wins, but the hottest. This year, the best and the hottest may be the same team.
This has to stop. These people telling us that the Dallas Cowboys are the best team in football must be silenced. They are a good team right now. They are extremely hot right now. That does not make them the best team in football. Just stop it.
Last week was a wild one in the NFL. The Denver Broncos had a mild scare in New York against the Jets, but at the end of the day they walked away with an easy victory. The Cleveland Browns showed that they are for real, winning their first game without having to come back from double digit deficits. My Texans proved they have improved leaps and bounds from last years catastrophic finish (and by finish I mean from Game 3 to the end of the season). They trailed the Colts in the first quarter 24-0, but J.J. Watt led a vicious comeback attack, and although they fell just short, they never gave up like Kubiak’s Kids would have. And yes, the Dallas Cowboys pulled off a very impressive victory in Seattle, dismantling the Seahawks in one of the hardest stadiums to play in, moving to 5-1. The Cowboys are rolling, but to anoint them the best team in football six games in with a proven choke artist at the helms is a bit premature. Not to mention, they are tied with the Philadelphia Eagles atop the NFC East.
The Eagles, along with the Suck-a-neers, have a bye this week. If so many people are jumping on the Cowboys bandwagon, why are the Eagles so quickly being overlooked. I think my friend and Philadelphia sports guru, The Law Dog, hit the nail on the head.
“5-1 is great. Black Sunday was a great game to go to. McCoy going off was fantastic (especially for two of my fantasy squads). I know this is a day to celebrate the Eagles, but I got to say…Foles is still not playing that great. 10 turnovers for a guy who in 2013 was praised as a protector of the football. It was the #1 rebuttle to Foles haters. Coming into this year, Foles’ biggest strength is now his #1 weakness. Eagles are -5 in turnover differential this year. There are 13 teams that don’t have a positive turnover differential this year. The other 12 teams are 17-49.”
Maybe the week off can get Nick Foles some rest. We here at Wayniac Nation don’t get a bye week. So, what is there to watch this weekend in the NFL? You know I have the answers to that!
Well, folks, we learned quite a bit this past weekend. One thing is for certain: The Patriots and Tom Brady have plenty of life left in them. They’re also have classy cheerleaders, who donned Devon Still‘s jersey in support of his cancer-stricken four year old daughter, Leah. It brought tears to Still’s eye on the sideline and reminded us all to be #LeahStrong.
We also learned that Aaron Rodgers is back in the groove and up to his old mischief. He is simply unbelievable. How does someone in such a pass-happy NFL throw so many touchdowns and just ONE interception? Speaking of touchdowns, we learned that Peyton Manning is good at what he does. Manning threw his 500, 501, 502 and 503 touchdown this past Sunday, leaving him five shy of Brett Favre‘s record. Will he break it this week?
The Saints have a much needed bye this week. They had to fight back to beat the lowly Tampa Bay Suck-a-neers and Rob Ryan’s future has to be in question. The Kansas City Chiefs also have a rest week as they recover from a tough loss at San Francisco. That leaves 15 games on the menu. Which are the ones we should watch closest? That’s what I’m here for!
What a week, folks. There was a lot going on even without football and baseball. Saban grabbed 19 of ESPNs top 50 recruits to form yet again, the top freshman class in the nation. A-Rod came to his senses and dropped the lawsuit, although I still think he’s a jerk and there is something more behind it. Syracuse beat Notre Dame to stay #UNDEFEATACUSE and remain #1 in the land. Lastly, over in Sochi, the most bizarre Olympics to date kicked off with the US, of course, capturing the first gold.
Despite all that, I still rather write about football. With the 2013 NFL season all wrapped up, one thing I learned it’s that I suck at projecting the Super Bowl! All I can say is Wow, tip my cap, and congratulate the Seattle Seahawks. They went out there and totally thrashed the greatest offense of all time. It was the most anticlimactic end to an otherwise exciting season, even worse than the infamous fade to black Sopranos ending. Seriously, the Seahawks had the lead for 59 minutes and 48 seconds. It was total domination.
Enough about Super Bowl XLVIII. It’s in the books. Now we reflect on what was. My Houston Texans were the most overhyped team in years. They were projected to be in the Super Bowl by a lot of experts. I watched every game, folks, and they were literally two or three plays away from an 0-16 season. In the end, Kubiak and his entire regime paid the price. Despite having to endure the worst season I’ve had to sit through as a Texan fan – and that says a lot people – there were a few tidbits I was able to take away from the ’13 season.
WHAT WE LEARNED IN 2013
Look, Tommy, were going to take Edelman and make him a star, ok?
1. Bill Belicheck is a genius and the best coach in football.
If you believe that there is a correlation between Spygate and Belicheck’s ability to win a Super Bowl, I’ll have the Easter Bunny come pick you up and discuss how the Red Sox were held title-less for 86 years because of a fat, dead Babe Ruth. Look at his resume this millenium: 158 wins, double-digit wins 11 years in a row, 11 AFC East Titles, a 3-2 record over 5 Super Bowls, and an undefeated regular season campaign. It’s not even about the numbers with Belicheck, it’s how he has done it. In the early 2000s, before Brady was merely super human and not a football god, he ran a run first, defensive minded team. Then in 2007, he got new toys he never had before in Randy Moss and Wes Welker, and they went 16-0 as Brady unleashed himself through the air as one of the NFL’s most dominating QBs. This season, he lost his best WR in Welker. He lost the NFLs best TE to multiple injuries and his back-up TE to the penal system. Vereen was down for most of the year, and it seemed he lost a key defender each and every week. He still won 12 games and the AFC East, and he still was on the cusp of making it to the Super Bowl. Belicheck seems to get it done with any combination of players, any style of offense or defense, and as long as he has Brady, even as he begins to decline in talent, the Patriots are a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
2. Chip Kelly was better than advertised.
I assume many of you were like me. Entering 2013, I thought Kelly was another great college coach who thought he could change the NFL with his crazy schemes. Through 4 and a half games, the skeptics looked to be right. The Eagles started 1-3, but late in the 2nd quarter of game 5 against the Giants, Nick Foles replaced an injured Michael Vick and changed the Eagles season. They would go 9-3 with Foles at the helm and capture the NFC East title. Kelly helped make Foles the next big QB (2891 yards passing, 27 TD, 2 Int, and a league leading 119.2 QB rating over 10 and a half games). His offense helped return LeSean McCoy to stud-dom as he lead the league in both rushing (1607) and total yards (2146) with 11 combined TDs. The Eagles still have work to do, but Kelly has them going in the right direction.
Tony Romo and Jason Garrett walk into a bar…
3. The Dallas Cowboys are a joke.
I’m tired of hearing about these guys. Over the last 10 seasons, they are a mere 87-73 with 2 NFC East titles and a 1-3 playoff record. Compare that to the other team in Texas, the aforementioned under achieving Houston Texans. The Texans have the same amount of division titles and more playoff wins over the same amount of time, and until recently, they have mostly been an afterthought. It’s time the Cowboys are, too. Somehow, the Cowboys are always a “threat” for the NFC East even though they lose out on the last game of the season every year. Tony Romo is always on the verge of becoming and elite QB, but he simply is not. This team is good but needs changes from top to bottom.
4. Megatron… You have company.
Throughout Calvin Johnson’s tenure, there were many good WRs in the NFL. We have even watched quite a few future Hall of Famers like Andre Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald. None came close to the sheer talent that Calvin Johnson possesses… until now. Josh Gordon had a spectacular 2013 campaign. What is more remarkable? Was it that he led the league in receiving (1646 yards) in just his second season? Or was it that he did it despite missing the first two games of the season? No, it was that fact that he was the ONLY weapon on a terrible Cleveland Browns offense that provided Gordon with Brandon Weedon, Brian Hoyer, and Jason Campbell behind center. The debates have already begun in fantasy circles. Who is the best WR heading into 2014? It sure will be fun to find out.
You’re an All-Pro, and you’re an All-Pro, and you’re an All-Pro….
5. The Seattle Seahawks 2013 defense is one of the greatest of all time.
Halfway through the third quarter of SB48, Jay Holloway turned to me and asked If you blogged that the 2013 Broncos team was the best offense ever, doesn’t this make the Seahawks the best defense ever? Well, Jay, they certainly have earned the right to be in the conversation. Let’s compare them to what many consider the top defenses of the Super Bowl Era:
1985 Bears: 4,135 yards allowed, 198 points allowed, 61 turnovers, 64 sacks, and 5 TDs 2000 Ravens: 3,967 YA, 165 PA, 58 TOs, 35 sacks, and 1 TD 2002 Bucs: 4,044 YA, 196 PA, 47 TOs, 43 sacks, and 5 TD 1974 Steel Curatin: 3,074 YA, 189 PA, 60 TOs, and 3 TDs
(sacks were not yet an official stat) 2013 Seahawks: 4,378 YA, 231 PA, 57 TOs, 43 sacks, 4 TDs
Their numbers are very comparable. The yards allowed and points allowed are inflated because, let’s face it, it’s a different NFL where offenses rule and defenses can’t hit. You could argue that makes their defense all the more remarkable. What can’t be denied is that the 4 teams listed above won their Super Bowls defeating Tony Eason/ Steve Grogan (Bears), Kerry Collins (Ravens), Rich Gannon (Bucs), and Fran Tarkenton (Steelers). The 2013 Seahawks completely dismantled Peyton Manning, one of the Top 5 QBs of all-time who just completed the single greatest season of all-time. Are they the greatest? Maybe, maybe not, but they are clearly now part of the argument.
Well, there you have it. The 2013 NFL season is officially wrapped up. It’s time to turn our attention to the NBA, college hoops, and the Olympics for a few weeks until the NFL Combine and Spring Training is under way. Until next time, GO ORANGE!!!
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