What have we learned after 6 weeks of NFL football?
The Vikings are my favorite team this year. I wasn't a fan of sending a 1st round pick to the Eagles for a fragile, 1st round bust in Bradford. I also wasn't a fan of Bridgewater in the first place... to be honest. I think former 1st round pick Paterson has been a huge disappointment and Rudolph is very overrated at TE. I also haven't been a huge fan of offensive coordinator Norv Turner throughout his career.
That's a lot of things I don't like. Ya' know what I do like? Heart. Accountability. No excuses. Team first. And most importantly... bone crunching hits. No team in the NFL personifies everything I just mentioned better than the 2016 Minnesota Vikings. This defense is starting to remind me of the 99' Ravens squad. Franchise QB on IR a week before opening day... no problem. One of the most effective offensive weapons in all of football goes down... no Peterson, no problem. I am rooting for a Raiders vs.Vikings Super Bowl... I'd be a happy NFL fan.
As for the Raiders. I wrote about this squad back in early June: Raiders 2016 preview
I said that the time is NOW for the silver and black. Well, apparently they got the memo. Their coach and players leave it all out on the field every week. Crabtree has emerged as a true clutch player, and he and his teammate Cooper have the most combined yards of any duo in the league. The one thing that has been concerning is that their defense is very inconsistent. Hopefully the free agents like Sean Smith and Bruce Irvin will start to gel as we approach the second half of the season.
Odell Beckham Jr. is a ticking time bomb. There's been a bit too much hype around his latest meltdown 2 weeks ago when he exchanged punches with a practice kicking net on the sideline. And there's been a bit to much made of his huge 200+ yard performance this past week. The Giants are desperately trying to pretend that one good game has cured everything, and the public should just sweep his disturbing behavior during games under the rug. I've been a football fan for over 30 years. I can say with 100% confidence that the combination of this kids talent, ego, volatile personality and the NY media are very toxic. This story won't end well for OBJ in NYC. Trust me.
The Browns are the worst organization in pro sports. And I'm saying that as a lifelong Jets fan. Passing on Carson Wentz and trading out of the #2 pick may actually outshine all of their other horrendous drafting/ QB moves. I rated Wentz as the best QB in this years draft during the offseason and I had him as the 5th best overall player in the draft. That being said, I am not as enamored with his solid start to the season as some others. He has a lot of growing to do to be a real threat, but he has already proven he's NFL ready.
Another rookie who has shown he is NFL ready is Dak Prescott. I'm so frustrated because Connor Cook was my pick as the real sleeper QB in this years draft. He went to Oakland and is obviously a back up. If he ever gets his shot I believe he can be the real deal. I didn't say much about Prescott in this draft because his 2015 season wasn't much to write home about. However, I first noticed him in 2014 and I was impressed. I wish I hadn't lost interest because I saw some great things in him.
The big question in Cowboys Nation is: should Romo get his job back? This situation is so similar to the Bledsoe/ Brady ordeal of 2001. And Belichick laid out a clear blueprint on how to handle the situation. Jerry Jones is the exact opposite of 'the hoodie', so I am sure he will botch this. Nonetheless, Dak and Zek are the type of draft picks that can change the direction of an organization. Kudos to these two young guys for showing that the stage of pro football isn't too big for them.
I am not wavering from my declaration that the Cardinals are an elite team. I said 13-3 back in August, that's looking unlikely, but they will be a playoff team. The reason that they have struggled is simply because Carson Palmer has obviously hit the wall. He is looking weary, and he has already missed a game with a concussion. Combine that with my analysis of Palmer as a post season choke artist, and sadly one of the most talented rosters in the league will probably be a footnote once the 2016 season is done.
The Bills also were a team spiraling out of control after the first 2 weeks of the season. I can't say enough about how impressive it is that Rex has stopped the bleeding, and finally has this group playing up to their talent. They look like a completely different team in the past 4 weeks compared to what we all saw through the first 18 games of the Rex era. Good for him. I have been a real Rex hater for many years. With his back against the wall he has set a fire under his teams ass, and they are responding. They are the only real threat to Brady and Belichick as the season moves forward. Not just in their division but in the whole AFC.
A few more quick hits:
- I am not a believer in the Falcons. They are certainly moving in the right direction as a team, but I think they are a year away from being a true contender.
- The Panthers really dropped the ball by letting Josh Norman walk. Their defense is a mess. I think they will be lucky to finish with a winning record. Huge disappointment as a team.
- The Browns, Bears and 49ers are obviously the whipping boys of the league. I am sure they will all be drafting in the top 5, and all of them need a fresh start at QB. I wonder if there will be any QB worthy of a top 5 pick in the 2017 draft.
- I am not in anyway surprised that the Redskins have turned it around. They are far from a top team, but they are showing that they can win ugly when they need to. Gruden was on the hot seat after a 0-2 start, but he's back in the saddle after 4 straight wins.
- I'd keep an eye on the LA Rams. Keenum is starting to play pretty good football. What do they do if he somehow leads them to the playoffs and continues to progress? There's no way you can bench the #1 overall pick in the draft in year 2. It's too soon to speculate but I'd pay attention as this saga unfolds.
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