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Bye Weeks: N/A
No words.
Grab a Helmet
Odell
Beckham Jr. @ JAX: Eli Manning has now facilitated the
two most amazing grabs in NFL history – David Tyree’s helmet catch
in SB XLII and Beckham’s one-handed gymnastics routine on Sunday
night – but that probably says more about his chronic inaccuracy
than anything else. After all, the best receptions in history almost
presuppose errant tosses, don’t they? Tyree faded to oblivion after
his mind-boggling, championship-spurring snare, but Beckham’s in
no danger of following suit. He’s scored five times in seven professional
games and looks un-guardable most of the time. Yup, I said SEVEN
professional games. He’s not even half an NFL season into his career
and he already looks like a top 10 shoo-in. Cris Collinsworth put
it succinctly and very literally on Sunday night, when he said (I’m
paraphrasing) Beckham starts and stops faster than any DB possibly
can. Yup, that’s what I see too. Good luck with that, Jaguars.
Mohamed
Sanu @ TB: I watch tons of football, as you’ve probably
gathered, but it’s time to come clean on Sanu. I’d never really
watched him play for an extended period of time until last Sunday.
It wasn’t a sports bar day for us and that meant watching the “local”
CBS game from the couch. That happened to be Bengals v. Texans,
for some unknown reason, and I was OK with that since I own Andy
Dalton, Giovani Bernard, and DeAndre Hopkins in various leagues.
None of those guys really impressed (bummer), but Sanu certainly
did. Though his stats were modest, he looked freakishly athletic
and made the most important catch of the day – aside from his early
touchdown grab – a sprawling, chain-moving snag on 3rd and 9 that
extended an important Cincy drive late in the ballgame. A.J. Green
is the man, but this guy’s a great second fiddle.
Jarvis
Landry @ NYJ (Monday): LSU’s Tigers fielded just the
36th most productive college offense on a yards-per-play basis in
2013 and finished the season ranked 14th overall in the AP Poll
at 10-3. That’s solid but not necessarily up to LSU standards. Now,
for the bad part. That offense featured SIX players who started
NFL games this past Sunday (Beckham, Landry, Zach Mettenberger,
Alfred Blue, Trai Turner, and Jeremy Hill). OK, so Hill didn’t technically
start, but he was still Cincy’s most productive back and…you get
the point. If you’re a big Les Miles fan, you might wanna ponder
how he managed to get so little out of so much. Landry’s owners
probably couldn’t care less so long as Joe Philbin and Co. continue
to get the most out of him. He’s scored four times in four games
and could wreck a disastrous Jets’ secondary this coming Monday
night.
Grab Some Wood
Anquan
Boldin v. SEA (Thursday): Before Justin Forsett’s ruinous
Monday night, Boldin was the guy who’d put the biggest dent in
my championship hopes. A virtual contemporary (43’s the new 34,
right?), the ageless 49’er destroyed Washington’s secondary, both
literally and figuratively, and even found time to exchange pleasantries
with that group’s architect, Jim Haslett, after a sideline scuffle
late in the fourth quarter. When the smoke had cleared and cooler
heads had prevailed, he could boast of a sterling nine receptions,
137 yards, a receiving TD, and a hard-fought Niners victory. Lucky
for me, Boldin’s next opponent won’t be so inclined to let him
truck through the defensive backfield like a runaway semi. The
Legion of Boom is back to playing scary good football and I doubt
Boldin’s Week 12 exploits went unnoticed during Seattle film study.
Get that post-dinner nap in early because this one’s definitely
must-see TV.
DeSean
Jackson @ IND: The game’s best shot callers (Belichick,
Reid, Kelly, and Fox) always cater their philosophies/schemes
to the talent on hand, not the other way around. Less successful
head men, on the other hand, persistently and stubbornly shove
round pegs into square holes, a la the way Jay Gruden and team
have handled Robert Griffin III. We get it: Griffin’s not a great
fit for Gruden’s offense and displays sloppy mechanics/poor leadership
much of the time. He’s a phenomenal talent, however, and his coach’s
refusal to implement some basic zone-read concepts or to custom-fit
his West Coast scheme to Griffin’s unique talents displays a shocking
lack of creativity. Simply put, the jury’s still out on Chucky’s
baby bro. Washington now turns to Colt McCoy again, a below-average
game manager who’s doing nothing more than plugging a hole until
2015. That’s bad news for the field-stretching Jackson. Steer
clear.
Dwayne
Bowe v. DEN: We’re [insert number] weeks through
the 2014 season and the KC wideouts have STILL failed to produce
a single receiving touchdown. I’m starting to sound like
a broken record here, aren’t I? I’m aware, people,
but this is just an astonishing run of ineptitude and I can’t
let it go. I mean, how is it even possible a team could be sitting
at 7-4 (after facing a brutally tough schedule), in the thick
of playoff contention, and still not have managed even ONE six-point,
QB-to-WR connection? I told you Andy Reid is one of the league’s
best and most adaptable football minds, but this is a getting
a little ridiculous. Until Alex Smith looks like anything other
than a slightly bigger/better version of Colt McCoy or Dwayne
Bowe recaptures some of that 2010 magic, you’d best stay
far away from anything Chiefs-related at the WR position.
Good luck, folks, and happy Thanksgiving to you!
Quarterbacks 
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