NFL 2018: Week 16

Remember the offensive explosion from earlier this year? Me neither. And neither do the Rams or the Saints. Zing!

I don't have much to say this week as the week before Christmas is always a terrible time at work for me. Too busy to watch highlights! Oh no!

*While wholly out of contention for anything but the top pick overall, I feel it's my duty to mention the massive issues with the Cardinals' OL. Not only have all their starters been injured this season, half of the linemen were new to the team in 2018. When you're playing mix and match every week of the season with mostly new guys you're going to have trouble. It's the exact issue the Rams had during Goff's rookie year (and, admittedly, why they're struggling along the interior now). As a fan of Rosen's passing skills, it's tough to see him get the David Carr treatment, but hopefully they manage to bring in some more OL talent and get enough reps in together as a unit to lift both Rosen and David Johnson back up.

*I'm gonna save all my Ding Dong the Witch is Dead-ing until the Patriots lose in the playoffs followed up by an actual losing season, but what in the world was Tom Brady doing playing like Sam Darnold? Okay, he was probably trying to throw the ball out of bounds, but it looked like a pass Sam Darnold would try. Brady's been off his game more this season than ever. It might be time.

*Khalil Mack is such a force of nature he sacked Rodgers with his butt. Butt sack? He said butt. And sack!

*Fire your OC? Run the ball more? Remember you have two great WRs? All these things add up to a big win for the Vikings. Dalvin Cook looks healthy, their D is still uber talented. Watch out. Unless people begin to put more pressure on Cousins again, then the Vikings may have to fire a second OC this season.

*Speaking of firing people, it's clear that Vance Joseph may have finally given Elway a real reason to fire him by settling for a FG instead of going for it on 4th and 1. Except it turns out they've been doing stupid sh*t like that all season. I'm surprising Joseph isn't gone already, but I'm not so sure Elway has any idea what he's doing at his job. In case you weren't aware, that's a lot of people's opinion of Elway.

Let's end this thing on the highest of high notes:

*It's Week 16 of the football season and the Browns have not been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. Granted, to make the final Wild Card slot the Colts and Titans have to tie in Week 17, but outside of that it's completely feasible!

Okay, one more:

Have a great pre-holidays week!

I kinda like this new mentality that punishes coaches for playing conservative. Until of course not doing that blows up then they should have played it conservatively.

I still think there will be an NFL Coach that never punts on 4th and 1 outside their own 35.

What if FOOTball...didn't have...kicks?

#Carusoshades

What the hell is this? It's TUESDAY

Go Ravens.

I need playoff Lamar

I just want to thank you guys for The Draw Play. I still don't understand a bunch of it without reading his commentary, but it's the first webcomic I've added to my bookmarks in a long time rather than removed.

Curious if Sunday was just a fluke for the Eagles or if they actually stand a chance at not being completely awful this season after all.

Only mildly awful.

garion333 wrote:

Okay, one more:

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/IcVFK3q.png)

ccesarano wrote:

Curious if Sunday was just a fluke for the Eagles or if they actually stand a chance at not being completely awful this season after all.

Only mildly awful.

Who the hell knows, honestly? Foles looked more like the Super Bowl MVP version (throw to Alshon Jeffrey) and not early season Foles. The defense followed the Detroit script for pressuring Goff all game long, which made the secondary look good again.

I would guess a return to your usual 2018 Eagles. Watson can make plays happen with his feet and arm and let’s face it no way do the ex grocery bagging guys in the secondary compete with Hopkins.

As well Houston defense is way better equipped to wreck havoc.

DeForest Buckner has 11.0 sacks. This ties the most Aaron Donald has ever had in a season prior to this year. (This season, of course, Donald has kicked it up another notch and has 16.5, but just to put into perspective how 11.0 sacks ranks for an interior lineman, it's 2017 Aaron Donald good.)

Apparently this was only good enough for Pro Bowl alternate. :/

garion333 wrote:

*Speaking of firing people, it's clear that Vance Joseph may have finally given Elway a real reason to fire him by settling for a FG instead of going for it on 4th and 1. Except it turns out they've been doing stupid sh*t like that all season. I'm surprising Joseph isn't gone already, but I'm not so sure Elway has any idea what he's doing at his job. In case you weren't aware, that's a lot of people's opinion of Elway.

Ah but you're missing the best part of this story. We found out this past week that John Elway wanted to fire Joseph and hire Mike Shanahan this past offseason, and he was prevented from doing so by team CEO Joe Ellis.

So now the question is, with keeping Vance Joseph slipping further off the table every week, is papa Shanny once again in play for the Broncos job? And does he then trade a nice high pick to his son to get Nick Mullens?

That last part is only partially a joke... at what point does Nick Mullens go from locking down the 49ers QB2 job to becoming someone a QB-needy team potentially offers a draft pick for? He's pretty firmly in the middle of the NFL starter pack in most rate-based statistics, and a step above the other first year players (not technically "rookie" since he was on the practice squad last year).

On the one hand, I think Mullens' success is highly driven by operating in the Shanahan system. He fits the scheme the same way Garoppolo does, with many of the same limitations downplayed by that system and their similar positive traits accentuated. I question his odds of success in other systems.

On the other hand, I would take Mullens over the Bortles/Kessler sh*tshow so fast that Tom Coughlin's hands would whoosh into the air.

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/l7hOUhq.gif)

And going back to the "joke" part, if it's the Shanahan system that Mullens can succeed in, and there is another Shanahan out there...

I didn't comment on the Shanny thing because it sounded too much like idle gossip. I don't know what value older Shanny has for teams at this point. He's, like, 87 or something.

Also, Mullens will stay in San Fran because he's too good not to and Jimmy G has flaws. If Jimmy G comes back from injury and shows he can better avoid interceptions then Mullens will be a trade after next season. Unless someone offers a sh*t ton of draft capital for him.

In other news, Gruden likes Nathan Peterman.

*Legion* wrote:

DeForest Buckner has 11.0 sacks. This ties the most Aaron Donald has ever had in a season prior to this year. (This season, of course, Donald has kicked it up another notch and has 16.5, but just to put into perspective how 11.0 sacks ranks for an interior lineman, it's 2017 Aaron Donald good.)

Apparently this was only good enough for Pro Bowl alternate. :/

I saw somewhere someone mentioned the Pro Bowl is the NFL's version of a participation trophy.

Buckner deserves his trophy!

garion333 wrote:

I didn't comment on the Shanny thing because it sounded too much like idle gossip. I don't know what value older Shanny has for teams at this point. He's, like, 87 or something.

Old, schmold, he's only 66, that's like not even prime Marv Levy years yet.

Also, Mullens will stay in San Fran because he's too good not to and Jimmy G has flaws.

FAKE NEWS

Wait, that's not a story about how Gruden liked him pre-draft? That's a story about him liking Peterman NOW?

Well, they gotta find a new QB after they trade Carr to Jacksonville.

Can you imagine being a Vegas fan, still feeling the sting of the PSL cost, watching their team lose a QB to injury and then it's Peterman time for the rest of the year?

*Legion* wrote:

Buckner deserves his trophy!

Shoot, Chris Jones has at least one sack in the past 10 games and 14 sacks on the season and a fat boy pick six highlight and he's also an alternate.

The fact his name is generic as hell is probably why. And that he's an ascending talent on a fairly bad defense.

Cue Peter Man jokes.

Signed to the practice squad, so nothing too exciting just yet.

Peterman has two accrued seasons (once this year ends), so he won't be practice squad eligible in 2019. This is basically giving him an early start on making the team in 2019.

Of course, to make the team, the Raiders either have to carry 3 QBs, or one of their existing guys, Carr and McCarron, will have to move. (Preferably Carr. To Jacksonville. Please.)

Carolina's done, and now so is Cam.

Word out of Charlotte is that Cam is more hurt, and has been hurt longer, than anyone has said publicly. It was painfully clear Monday night that he has Late Career Manning Arm.

Next up is Taylor Heinicke, who threw for about a million yards a game at (then I-AA) Old Dominion. The Panthers' spin is that he's better prepared than a lot of new QBs because (a) he has been in the league four years already and (b) he has been getting first-team reps on Wednesdays and Thursdays for much of the season (because Cam wasn't practicing and the WRs aren't going to throw the balls to themselves).

I feel pretty good about Sunday - Carolina plays ATL in Charlotte, and Carolina seems to have figured out how to play D again. (D was lights out against the Saints on Monday.) Week 17 at New Orleans could be bad. Carolina can't ever beat the Saints, especially in there place, and neither team will care, especially if NO has the top seed wrapped up.

I think it was painfully clear he was hurt for a number of weeks simply based on his performance. I'd say all of December he was hurt. Hell, right before halftime at the Cleveland game they let Heinicke throw the quasi-hail mary.

Not like the Patriots were going anywhere this year anyways but Gordon stepping away from football to focus on mental health. So the receivers are Edelman and .....

EvilDead wrote:

Not like the Patriots were going anywhere this year anyways but Gordon stepping away from football to focus on mental health.

Pfft that’s some Jedi mind crap. I won’t believe the Patriots are ever out of it until I see them lose in the playoffs.

TheGameguru wrote:
EvilDead wrote:

Not like the Patriots were going anywhere this year anyways but Gordon stepping away from football to focus on mental health.

Pfft that’s some Jedi mind crap. I won’t believe the Patriots are ever out of it until I see them lose in the playoffs.

Have you seen them on the road this season? I heard a stat on the radio that this is the first time they have had 3 or more games with 10 or less points since 1999. Pete Carroll was the coach of the patriots then!

Rumors are saying Gordon is about to be hit with a drug-related suspension. His career is likely over if that's the case.

EvilDead wrote:
TheGameguru wrote:
EvilDead wrote:

Not like the Patriots were going anywhere this year anyways but Gordon stepping away from football to focus on mental health.

Pfft that’s some Jedi mind crap. I won’t believe the Patriots are ever out of it until I see them lose in the playoffs.

Have you seen them on the road this season? I heard a stat on the radio that this is the first time they have had 3 or more games with 10 or less points since 1999. Pete Carroll was the coach of the patriots then!

I'm with GG on this one. The Patriots are always a threat (even though they are playing like crap by their standards this season).

Enix wrote:

Carolina's done, and now so is Cam.

Word out of Charlotte is that Cam is more hurt, and has been hurt longer, than anyone has said publicly.

It's funny how injuries are so hush-hush during the season, then when the guy gets shut down, it's, "yeah, Cam was pretty much a walking corpse out there all season. I think he was legally dead for 15 minutes back in November somewhere."

EvilDead wrote:
TheGameguru wrote:
EvilDead wrote:

Not like the Patriots were going anywhere this year anyways but Gordon stepping away from football to focus on mental health.

Pfft that’s some Jedi mind crap. I won’t believe the Patriots are ever out of it until I see them lose in the playoffs.

Have you seen them on the road this season? I heard a stat on the radio that this is the first time they have had 3 or more games with 10 or less points since 1999. Pete Carroll was the coach of the patriots then!

Football Outsiders has Brady as the highest rated QB since Week 12. That was coming off their bye tho, so I still am awaiting his final form...

as a decrepit old man cheater. Finish him!!!

Wait, what?

Makes sense. Their lease is up after the end of this season. The city of Oakland just filed suit against the team and the league over the move. Without the lease, the Raiders would need to work something out with the city to play at the Coliseum in 2019, which the city might not be inclined to do. Need to have a backup plan in place.

The good news is that there's football on the TV *right now.*

The bad news is that it's on a channel I don't have. Boo.

No, the bad news is (was) it is the Washington Team, led by someone called Josh Johnson, vs the Titans, led by everyone's favorite QB, Blaine Gabbart!

(It would be funnier if MMD was still around)

So my 5yo wants to listen to sports on the radio all the time now. Very awkward trying to explain who the Washington team is without teaching him a slur.

The NFL. It's faaaaantastic.