I took a moment to review and collect my thoughts on the Power Rankings that came out. We'll start off with the years usual last place: Beloved BMan.
32. The Seattle Seahawks.
The Seahawks are not a losing franchise, and were not a losing franchise for the latter part of Better League, that was, until BMan stepped up and filled in the role of head coach, left behind (and done brilliantly) by Connor, who has since moved to the Detroit Lions. And I commend him for somehow taking Detroit and placing them in the Top 5. Ever since Megatron retired, Matthew "Bum-Ass" Stafford hasn't been playing up to his ability, and probably wont. Bottom line: Competition is getting better, BMan can't keep up.
31. The Buffalo Bills.
How Shady McCoy can keep his spirits up knowing he has to run behind *shudders* Richie Incognito's racist self. In truth, though, racist or not, the guy can ball, but he can't ball for the other 4 lineman around him, leaving Shady bruised and battered after games, and despite the poor line, McCoy manages to place in the leading rushers charts of the league, perhaps if he had Dallas' offensive line he would be number one over rookie Fournette.
30. The New Orleans Saints.
Get used to hearing it, New Orleans, Drew Brees will NOT be around for another 5 seasons, he is clearly regressing in his ability as a pocket passer, only having 1100 yards so far, quite some time ago he would've been recognized at a pretty good QB, but his time is up, and New Orleans, your time is NOT now.
29. The Arizona Cardinals.
Mike Iupati goes down, A.Q Shipley goes down, you have not 1. not 2, but 3 mediocre quarterbacks on your roster, thus leaving David Johnson as your work horse, which still hasn't proven to work as much. Oh, and, Larry Fitzgerald, and Patrick Peterson are both washed up.
28. The Oakland Raiders.
Sooo.. You have Derek Carr, Beast Mode, Amari Cooper, right? You think you'd win tons of games, and even be playoff contenders..? Nope, not with Khalil Mack doing his own dirty work on defense, nice try, Oakland.
27. The Indianapolis Colts
Mediocre defense, even more laughable offense, Frank Gore is old, Andrew Luck isn't looking like a good QB, and oh, yeah, I dont know whats worse, the colts actually having a tie with the Cardinals, or the Cardinals having a tie with the Colts, I dont know, you be the judge of that.
26. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Their offense isn't as bad as it looks, Jameis Winston and Mike Evans are both still young studs. Not to mention PSU Alum Chris Godwin, and Alabama alum O.J. Howard still being young. I guarantee you they will be playoff contenders in due time. They have too many weapons right now.
25. The Cincinatti Bengals
Ohhhh boy, Cinci, what will you do. You have an offense full of young talent, and a defense full of thugs. From here on out, step one should be: Get rid of Vontaze Burfict, and beef up that secondary, step two: Profit???
24. The Houston Texans
Watt and Clowney do it all on defense, and there is virtually no one to do it on offense. Deshaun Watson isn't looking as good as he ever did in college, and it could be due to DeAndre Hopkins, and Will Fuller playing like they're in pop-warner games.
22. The Carolina Panthers / Dallas Cowboys.
The Panthers haven't been the same since Cam Newton faced a real defense, and getting Christian McCaffery probably wont help you either, but nice try. / As sad as it is to see the Cowboys this low.. they have huge talent offensively and defensively but the coaching staff might just not be there at the moment.
21. The New York Jets.
This is an interesting one.. The Jets arent good by any means. But with the right coaching they;ve managed to pick up more than a few wins and at the moment they're actually over .500. Its a bit refreshing to see Jimmy Groppolo playing there. About time the man gets some action.
20. The Washington Redskins
On paper they're a playoff calibre team but by watching them play you can be easily fooled. They're currently 2-2 and unsurprisingly enough both of their wins have been to teams that are fairly mediocre. The Rams aren't even top 15, and the Raiders are winless.. sooo...
19. The New York Giants.
It may appear that we are out of the slums now, but there are still mediocre teams to be had, including this one. No excuses can be made for all the offensive weapons possessed by head coach Trey187. Eli "Puzzles" Manning constantly throws picks like its his job. You aren't paid for that, Puzzles.
16. The Atlanta Falcons / Los Angeles Rams
First, the Atlanta Falcons, not a bad team at all, they're just a few mistakes off from getting 8 more wins in the latter part of their season. / The Rams? Jared Goff isn't quite ready to control an NFL offense just yet, but give him time, it'll click soon.
15. The Chicago Bears.
Mitch Trubisky thanfully isn't Jay Cutler, or Jake Brake, thats always a plus.. This team can be a huge threat later this season. AlexG is definitely a contender.
That concludes my thoughts so far, I would like to give teams opportunities to maybe rack some wins up and move either up or down in the power rankings this season. Thank you. Things can change drastically in this league.
A game that went to the very last moments of the 4th quarter ended with Evan Engram catching his 7th pass for the night, this last pass would bring him to 3 touchdowns, over 200 yards, and a big fat W for the Giants. Eli Manning threaded the pass right through the middle of the field on a seam route, and Evan Engram used his blazing speed to break away from the safety, and cap off a heartpounding game. At the last moments of the game, Eli really didnt have much to lose, he had thrown 3 interceptions already, surely a 4th one wouldnt phase him at that point. With the game 40-40, Evan Engram put the team on his back and is named MVP of the game for Offense.
The air was thin Sunday night in Dallas, as people anxiously awaited their beloved Cowboys return to football. Their opponent, the New York Giants, the only team to really trouble them last year. This time felt different for most fans. As Dak Prescott, with beloved friend and backfield partner-in-crime Ezekiel Elliot, took the field, all that could be heard were screams. NFL fans were finally about to watch some football.
The first half was a complete shutout. Fans were dead silent as their Cowboys had fallen to a shameful 28 point defeceit. The first half of the game was a shutout at its finest, and the Giants took the locker room whooping and hollering as they had proven they were a force to be reckoned with. Eli Manning had put on a show, going 17/24 in passing, with 216 yards accompanying it. Manning showed his prowess by utilizing many offensive weapons. Fan favorite Odell Bekcham Jr. had 2 receptions, for 37 yards, and 1 TD. Brandon Marshall proved that veterans can be just as deadly with 3 receptions, 44 YDs and 1 TD. Quite a display. Shane Vereens legs weren't quite doing the trick, as 20 carries for a mere 55 YDs and 1 TD wasn't much to be proud of. Some quick defensive work of Zeke and one fumble taken to the house later, it was about time for the game to be over.
Heaviness was bestowed upon the Cowboys locker room. There was no such thing as motivational speeches to be heard of, nobody was amped up, everyone bowed their heads and pretty much accepted that the Giants were just too gigantic for them to even beat. But every story has a hero, and out of the gloom rose Dak Prescott. He had a plan to ralley the troops and come back from a 28 point defeceit. That hadn't been done in franchise history, the odds were truly against them.
The Cowboys received the ball in the second half and didn't take long to get to work. Ezekiel Elliot churned his legs, and began to run all over the Giants. He would eventually rack up 142 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns. Literally carrying the Cowboys to a comeback victory over the Giants, very unlikely, and with the help of a red hot Prescott. Something that very closely resembled last years superbowl
Just 2 seasons after head coach Trey187 resigned, he is back. When he left the league, the Carolina Panthers were in shambles. He had previously led them to one of their most successful seasons in the era of Cam Newton. The season was led by a hot David Johnson - Cam Newton duo. Eventually they fell short in playoffs, a crushing blow to a great season.
"Im looking to route the giants to playoff contenders again, we have a great amount of talent on our roster and im excited to use every player to their full potential" said Trey when he was asked about his thoughts on his first season back in awhile.
The Panthers beat the Ravens to move to 5-1 on the season. An improvement from last year
Weeks 1 through 4 have been just about average for Panthers Mike Tolbert (Fullback). He would go to practice, block for Jonathan Stewart and CJ Anderson, and be on his merry way. That was the life of this fullback, whos passion for the game and love of laying people out keeps him going.
Little did he know, week 5, against the Tampa Bay Bucs, would change the course of this season for him and get him involved as a runner in rotation, even surpassing CJ Anderson at certain times. The Panthers beat the Bucs 42-17 Week 5 and Mike Tolbert absolutely dominated the run game. He had 10 rushes for 55 yards and a TD. Thats close to atleast 6 yards per attempt, a number that Coach Longnose was looking for.
"Hes definitely emerged as someone we are going to be giving the ball too. Since week 5 he has been lighting it up in the NFL" as said by Coach L. Giving praise to the veteran.
Last year Tolbert was given the ball only 7 times, and he finished with 34 yards and a TD. The last 3 weeks, Mike Tolbert has crushed his last season stats. With 32 attempts, 140 yards and 2 TDs.
"It feels good to run the ball and punish defenders." Mike Tolbert had to say in our interview. "Ive always loved carrying the ball, coaches just see me as more of a blocker."
Coach L. Has informed us that Tolbert, Anderson, and Stewart will all be roatating in at HB throughout the game, Tolbert will continue to stay at FB but this will ensure second string FB Sione Houma, who has been around for a year in the NFL will get his necessary game time, and it will get him some experience as a FB and maybe even a runner in the near future.
The beginning of the season high hopes for the Redskins soon turned to all time lows. They found themselves winning to rookie head coaches in their first games. At the beginning of the season, the smell of playoff hopes were in the air. Now all throughout Washington its smells of rebuild. The knots of the noose have been tied. The fans want Kirk Cousins dead, and Johnny Manziels head cut off.
The lack of a run game has them looking like the 2014 Denver Broncos.
The Panthers took down the jets with a marginal score of 37-14. Cam Newton had a perfect pass completion going 12-12 with 246 passing yards and 1 Rush TD and 1 Pass TD. He definitely showed his collectiveness in the pocket hitting no name up until now Keyarris Garret 3 times where he finished with 140 RAC yards and 1 TD, he's been making quite a name for himself. As usual, the deadly duo of Stewart-Tolbert showed the Jets defense what the Panthers run game can accomplish during games. Stewart going 12 for 78 yards and 2 TDs, his highlight play was breaking a 48 yard TD run. And Mike Tolbert going 10 for 45 yards and a TD himself.
Defensively Luke Kuechly went down early second quarter. He happened to tear his shoulder and the recoil time for him should be around 4 weeks. When going down he was reportedly sobbing on the field. Sean Lee really stepped up finishing with 4 tackles and one SCK. Kurt Coleman had one INT and so did Damien Marlowe. Prayers go out to Luke Kuechly on a speedy recovery. When we asked Coach L. About his thoughts on the injury he said: "He (Kuechly) is a tough guy, we know that. Him crying really showed his love for this team and this sport. We have guys prepared to step up in his place and take care of the ball defensively like we need to."
PRAISE PANTHERS
The Browns had major success as an organization last year. We've asked their head coach his thoughts on this season, this is what he had to say:
Q: So, your success last year obviously has not translated to this season, in your opinion, what do you think is the reason? What will you do to change that?
A: I think it's due to the fact that I've sanctioned the new policy of "no practice, ever, ever, it's pointless, lets never practice"
Q: Care to explain why you've adopted that policy?
A: Well when you're the Browns and you make it to the PLAYOFFS and then WIN A PLAYOFF GAME there's a lot to celebrate. Prior to kick off of our first game this season I told all of my players "This season, we party".
Q: Right, sounds fun. Do you feel as if Cody Kessler has adapted to your system well? His rookie season last year was quite impressive, he finished with over 5000 passing yards, very impressive for a rookie
A: Yeah well he doesn't need much practice. Kid's a natural. We've got great receivers too which make the job a lot easier. I think he's on track to have just as good or an event better season this year while having a lot more fun.
Q: Do you think a playoff run is in your guys future this year?
A: I think it's certainly possible. We're on our bye week right now and the powers that be are telling me to change my ways. I'm thinking about it..
Q: I'm sure some fans could agree. What about Duke Johnson? What do you think he could be doing to improve his performances?
A: Well we've never been great at running the ball. My motto on offense has generally been "f**k it, go deep"
Q: Is the "F**k it go deep" mentality what got you to the playoffs a year ago?
A: Honestly, I think what got me in the playoffs was pure luck. It was the "year of the bone", after all.
You've heard it first, folks.
We had a sit down with the Miami Dolphins head coach to see how he felt about this season and some of his players.
Q: So, you just came off a close win to the Pats, which leaves you still undefeated, what will you be doing to prepare for the right now 3-1 Bills? How will you handle LeSean McCoy?
A: As cliché as it is, it's gonna have to come down to gap integrity and fundamental tackling. We have to get multiple guys on him every time he has the ball. He's tough to bring down, especially in space. We've definitely got our work cut out for us going up against him.
Q: Right, a question a lot of fans are asking is: how do you feel about Jay Ajayi as a leader for your team? Has he established himself as a guy that others will look to for leadership in tough games? If not, who has?
A: Jay really progressed in the leadership department over the off-season. He was a quiet kid last season when he first won the starting job in camp, but he played well last season and really took control from a leadership standpoint. He's not a big rah-rah guy, but he does have his more outward moments. He's definitely done a good job leading by example. Kenneth Dixon was really brought in to be that short yardage power back, but he's learned a lot from Jay and we really look to lean on him for the next few weeks while Jay is out. Nonetheless, Jay was really good last week in practice with teaching Kenneth how to handle being the starter. I think all the guys can't wait to see Jay come back with a vengeance and ready for some big playoff action. That's speaks volumes to me about how much respect he has in the locker room.
Q: Right on. Currently defense has racked up a total of 16 INTs this year, and 6 Forced Fumbles. Is this something you work on weekly, or are these guys just a bunch of playmakers? Do you think that contributes to your record at the moment?
A: Turnovers are a big part of our defense. We work on tip drills and punching the ball out on an almost daily basis. The defense knows giving the ball back to our offense gives them the best opportunity to keep points off the board. Reshad Jones and Isa Abdul-Quddus are both exceptional ball-hawking safeties. Our defensive backs work on disguising their coverages a lot in practice. It's a lot easier to get a game changing pick when our DB's are confusing the quarterback. Cam Wake, Lamarr Houston, and Suh have forced a lot of those fumbles getting strip-sacks. When you have those 3 on the line nearly every play as well as Hegamin coming off the edge, you can really get into a guy's head.
Q: I see that, you guys definitely are punishing offenses. But, for your team offensively, what's a guy like Jarvis Landry doing for you? He's putting up spectacular numbers right now?
A: Juice is great in space. He's said God hasn't made a DB that can stop him. He's great at reading coverages from anywhere on the field and sitting in the open areas against zone. It's almost like having an extra quarterback on the outside. Where he really punishes guys is in one-on-one coverage. He really accelerates out of his breaks, and once he hits the open field he's tough to catch and bring down.
Q: Right, I can definitely see that. For Ryan Tannehill, do you feel that he's going to lead you to a playoff push this year? Do you think he can stay healthy?
A: I really believe in Ryan. I know he's had his doubters over the years, a lot of people questioning his ability to read defenses and feel the pocket. But, he picked up the offense quickly in camp last year and having been in it for a full year now he's really got a grasp on the whole thing at this point. He's definitely got the leadership skills in the locker room and he's carried the team on his back at times to get back into some games. The Patriots game a couple weeks ago comes to mind. We were down 20-12 and going on the field with a 2 minute drill planned out. Ryan really put the team on his back in that game. That's the kind of quality you want in a franchise quarterback. As far as injuries go I'd rather not jinx him, but he's one of the toughest guys I've ever had the benefit of coaching. It seems I can always rely on him to be healthy week in and week out.
Q: Ok sounds good, for my final question. What's your mindset during the week for practice? Do you think staying undefeated is possible?
A: Coming into every week our goal is to finish the week 1-0. Watch the film, look at what you can do to make yourself a better team, then forget about last week's game and try to go 1-0 this week. Everyone in that locker room hates to lose. They wanna go undefeated every year. I'd like to believe we can get through a 16 game schedule unscathed but this is the NFL and every team is competitive. The end goal is to win the Super Bowl, and these guys work toward that goal day in and day out to make sure we don't fall short. They tasted the playoffs last year and for a lot of them that was the first time, but the way we lost really put a bad taste in their mouth and I know they're going to do everything they can to not taste that again.
Greenbay is off to an impressive start in the NFL, so far they are undefeated, and by the looks of it, don't plan on slowing down! We got their head coach in a sit down, and asked his thoughts on this season.
Q: Ok so just to start. I noticed that Eddie Lacy is just passing his 400 yard mark on the season. Do you feel that his impact as a back is a key factor to your win percentage?
A: Yea definitely he's a direct factor to our wins. He helps keep the opposing defenses off of our passing attack. We have been trying to run a running back by committee approach but he's been shining.
Q: Definitely, as a team, what kind of mindset do you guys have every week right now since your undefeated? Do you expect to stay undefeated all season?
A: We are very confident right now. Dating back to last season we're currently on a 12 game win streak. So definitely we believe we can keep it going but know we still have strong opponents ahead of us. And the season will be a grind so as long as we stay healthy and keep playing this way, we expect to have a very strong season.
Q: Sounds great, for sure. I see that Clay Matthews has 12 tackles on the year, he's going on his 8th year as a starter for you, do you feel the peak of his career is over? He's a strong veteran right now for sure.
A: He's the heart, soul and a leader of the defense. We're hoping he can continue to play at a high rate for a few more years.
Q: Do you feel as if Ha Ha Clinton-Dix has established himself on your team? This is his 3rd year, do you feel he sets a good example for the safety position?
A: Ha Ha is a very good run support safety and he's done well in deep coverage but hasn't progressed the way we have expected just yet.
Q: Right, and for my last question, what are your thoughts after your 3 point win over Chicago? And what will you be doing to prepare your guys for the 0-5 Rams next week?
A: I have mixed feelings. We started that game up 17-0 and the bears completely shut us down the rest of the way. If it wasn't for a last minute int, we might not have walked away from our game undefeated. The bears have been our toughest opponent of the season and it was an ugly win but we'll take it. We're hoping to have a good week of practice to avoid a let down against the rams this week.
You've seen it first. The Packers hope to stay undefeated for the remainder of the year. A goal that is difficult but achievable by any standard. The Packers have a strong core of veteran leaders who have playoff experience all alike. It should be a good year if these guys stay healthy and play to their level of competition.
There are lots of questions that fans would like to ask the head coach of the Bears. Luckily I got an opportunity to sit with him and ask him his opinions on this year. He was a well mannered man, who gave me definite answers on what he truly wants for his players this year and what he wants to achieve as a whole team. Below I'll post the Q&A as a whole.
Q: So what do you feel your guys mindset is coming into practice everyday, after your playoff loss last year? Have any goals in mind?
A: My guys hate to lose. They come into practice everyday with only one thing in mind, winning. That playoff loss to the Falcons was a disappointing way to end last season but I see it as a building block. It was our first division title in quite a while and I hope we can win the North again. We only have one goal, Super Bowl.
Q: Trevor Siemian isn't exactly a veteran, but he's not a rookie either. Do you have confidence in his ability as a playoff caliber QB? Is he someone who's emerged as a leader for you? Or would you say that's someone else?
A: Absolutely. We don't make the playoffs if we don't have Trevor. When we saw he was available we made the trade for him in a heartbeat. Trevor is a great kid. He commanded the locker room the second he got here. Pernell McPhee is definitely THE leader of this team. I'd run through a brick wall for him.
Q: Interesting, do you feel as if Andrew Whitworth is coming to the end of his career here soon? He's a much older guy, been playing for about 11 years. Do you think he's at his peak? Or close to his end
A: Whitworth is still playing at an elite level, that's why we went after him. You'll have to ask Andrew if he thinks he's at the end of his career. The dude is still in great shape.
Q: Fair enough coach. Finally, your coming off a 3 point loss to Green Bay, in your opinion what went wrong? What could you have done better? What are you doing to prepare your guys for your match against the 3-2 Bucs?
A: Our offense got off to a terrible start with two 3-and-outs in a row. We got down 0-17 in a hurry but we managed to make a comeback. Our team needs to play all four quarters. The Bucs like to air it out. We're gonna work on containing Mike Evans.
The Bears head coach expects nothing less than victory for his guys. He shares similar values to Mike Ditka and we look forward to seeing if he can make playoffs and bring home a championship to Chicago
Along with the Panthers last win came some hot momentum with the team. The entire Panthers roster is on fire, and on a mighty high at the moment after picking up a much needed win against the 3-1 Bucs, who they lost to previously this year by a defecit of 4 points. Since game 1, Cam Newton has displayed the prowess of a franchise QB, passing for over 200 yards in all games. He notably has had two 300 + yard games as well.
Notably, Tre Boston and Michael Crabtree both went down with injuries that wont place them back in the starting lineup for weeks. Defensively without Boston, a second string safety in rookie LeVeon Bankston. He was a 4th rounder from WV. He had an impressive college career at the spot finishing with many tackles and 7 INTs his senior season. He had an impressive combine workout and when we asked coach Longnose of the Panthers, he had to say: "This week for him is about getting him ready to play at this skill level, he hasn't started all season and we need him to be prepared to keep his starting spot for around the rest of the year." This year alone Bankston has 2 INTs and 8 tackles to his name. With Boston out, he'll get a full game of playing time and he will surely bring more balls in on D.
Against Tampa Bay last night, Michael Crabtree went down on a screen play with a fractured elbow. This occurence allowed 1 year veteran Keyarris Garrett to emerge as a force. Prior to last night he had only played week 3 against the Packers, and finished with 1 REC for 8 YDs. Last night, he showed the kind of receiver he is capable of being, bringing in 5 passes for 80 YDs and one TD. Mid season injuries for the Panthers will show who's willing to do whatever it takes to bring wins back to the Carolinas. The NFC South is surely a tough division to win in. With last year champs in the Atlanta Falcons, and the new forceful Bucs.
The Panthers picked up an impressive victory over the Tampa Bay Bucs tonight. A what some would call stomp fest with a 42-17 lead at the end of the game.
Offensively, Jonathan Stewart and Mike Tolbert established themselves as a deadly pair of backs and they both emerged as key factors in the win. Both rushed for over 50 yards, Tolbert finished with one TD and Stewart finished with an impressive three.
We interviewed Mike Tolbert after the game and asked him what it was like to get involved in the run game tonight. He had to say: "yeah, well.. you know, coach never really incorporates me into the system as a runner, but tonight he kept feeding me and I kept going. I'll always block for my man Jon, but tonight was different, I got my touches, I'm happy, I proved myself as a ball runner for future games".
We asked Jonathan Stewart's opinion on his best performance of the year. He had to say: "Coach fed me the ball, my offensive line played like they're capable of, and we got the dub. I definitely give 100% credit to those guys for taking care of that D-Line tonight. The Bucs D-Line is atmost terrifying."
On D, the panthers took care of the ball intercepting Jameis Winston four times. We interviewed coach Longnose of the panthers to give us an outlook for the rest of the year. He simply replied "we saw what the Panthers are capable of, and we're not slowing down now. Everyone on offense is hot right now and defensively our guys are laying wood".
PRAISE PANTHERS!!!!!!