Monday, September 30, 2013

5 Week 4 events which will drastically change the rest of the 2013 season:

1.) Vince Wilfork will undergo season ending surgery:

As if all the injuries on the Patriots offensive side of the ball was not enough to worry about, the anchor and face of their defense, nose tackle Vince Wilfork, will also be joining a long list of Patriots on the sideline for the rest of the season. Wilfork sustained a season ending torn Achilles tendon in the Partriots victory over the Atlanta Falcons this past Sunday night. The team is already without WR Danny Amendolia and TE Rob Grownkoski, which puts added pressure on the defense to perform each week. However, this is the New England Patriots and they are known as being able to turn the impossible into the possible, but will the injury to Wilfork be the straw that breaks the camels back? In my opinion, no. While Wilfork is a Pro-Bowl caliber type player, linebackers such as Jerod Mayo and other will step up in the loss of their defensive linemen while Coach Bill Belichik will be able to tweak the defensive to keep the team afloat.

2.) Sanchez agrees to have surgery; will not play this season:

While the Geno Smith era is off to a shaky start, the questions of a Sanchez return are now at zero percent. The former starting quarterback of the New York Jets once believed he would be able to return to the team after denying surgery regarding an injury he suffered in the preseason against the New York Giants. Believing he won the starting job in training camp, Sanchez attempted to rehab the injury without surgery in the hopes of a return. This news, puts pressure on Geno Smith and the Jets front office as to hat action to take if Geno still continues to underperform. Jet fans alike are possibly calling for now backup QB Matt Simms to possibly show what he can do, but for right now, as always, the Jets find themselves in QB controversy.

3.) The Tampa Bay Bucs start rookie QB Mike Glennon:
After signing Darelle Revis and Dashon Goldson to one of the worst passing defensives in the league, it was thought that Tampa Bay would be able to make a strong playoff push. Unfortunately for all those wishful dreamers, myself included, we forgot to mention the Bucs struggling offense, which all went downhill after the former starting QB Josh Freeman was benched in Week 4 to allow the rookie to step in. Though it was a different person receiving the snaps from the Buc's center, the outcome was not different from any other game the Bucs played in this season- they lost. While I believe it was too early to pull Freeman, expect this move to not improve the condition of the Bucs offensive as well as raise caution flags on possible trade which includes moving Josh Freeman. It will be interested to see where the Bucs go from here, but it is pretty safe to say the hopes of a playoff contention are slipping away.

4.) Tennessee Titan's QB Jake Locker out for 6-8 weeks with hip injury:
Many will wonder why this is on the list of 5 events which will change the rest of the NFL season, but I feel this event will have substantial affects on not only the Titans but the whole AFC. Being a Jets fan brought no happiness to your life as the Titans controlled the game from the minute it started, thanks to the great playing of QB Jake Locker. This was a make or break season for Locker who was starting to get rumored as a bust first rounder. He was playing at pretty high level and week four was no exception. Unfortunately it all came to an end after suffering a hip injury when getting tackled by Jets DE Muhammad Wilkerson. Locker is expected to be out for a little over a month but the true time table could take longer. Back up Ryan Fitzpatrick will take the start in the games to come which will drastically hinder the teams success. Fitzpatrick is a good back up but has proven a starting role is too much for his skill set. I believe this has an impact on the rest of the season due to the fact that the Titans were a wildcard caliber team with Locker and without him, I see the Titans missing the playoffs. Expect the open door to be filled quickly by many rising AFC teams


5.) Three of four NFC East Teams lose:
The NFC East, which was once believed to be the toughest division to win has now suddenly become the easiest. This past Sunday all but the Washington Redskins fell to their opponents leaving the door open for anyone who wishes to secure the division. Unfortunately, not one team has stepped up to fill the position. With the Giants offense in shambles and the Eagles secondary unable to cover wide receivers at a high school level, expect both teams to fall in coming games of the season. While RGIII still struggles, it seems as though each week he is slowly returning to the form of his rookie season. I believe he pulls out a couple close wins, but overall underperforms this season as well as missing at grabbing the divisional title. With all that being said, I feel the Cowboys will walk away with the division as they are the most well rounded team of the four. Although they suffered a tough loss at San Diego I feel the combination of Romo and Dez Bryant will be triumphant in game moving forward, especially games against divisional rivals. Expect to see Dallas in the playoffs as the number 4 seed coming from the NFC East.  

Monday, September 23, 2013

Nfl Week 3 Recap (1pm games)

For those of you who happened to miss the one clock games due to work or other factors, here are the final results with added insight into each 1pm game this past Sunday.

Houston Texans- 9
Baltimore Ravens- 30
Though it was considered to be a clash of AFC power houses, the Baltimore Ravens solidified a convincing win over the Houston Texans, as Ray Lewis watched with excitement on the sideline. Playing the entire game without their star running back, Ray Rice, the Ravens special teams and defense stepped up to fill the void. The Ravens defense has not allowed a TD in the last eight quarters of play.

New York Giants- 0
Carolina Panthers- 38
That is not a typo folks. The Giants were held scoreless in their trip to Carolina as the Giants offensive line and lack of running game proved to be their Achilles heel. The offense was out of rhythm and seemed that there was not one player who could provide a spark to get a consistent drive moving. Unless things get straighten out on offense expect more tally marks in the loss column for Big Blue.

Green Bay Packers- 30
Cincinnati Bengals- 34
This might of been the win the Bengals were looking for to prove to the NFL that they are in fact a playoff contending team. While the Packers defense is mediocre at best, Bengals QB, Andy Dalton, took full advantage by displaying nice numbers and leading his team to a home victory. The Packers offense was not as explosive as one is used to seeing, but you can never count out Aaron Rodgers. Expect a Packers rebound after loosing a close one on the road.

San Diego Chargers- 17
Tennessee Titans- 20
Though it was a close one, the Titans were able to pull an ace out of their sleeve and draw up a game-winning play. Titans QB, Jake Locker, threw up a hail mary which was successfully haled in by rookie WR, Justin Hunter giving the Titans a three point lead as the clock ticked down to zero. It seems as if San Diego cant help but to lose games in the final moments, which I imagine makes being a Chargers fan all the more difficult. However, expect Rivers to put up consistent numbers and have the Chargers be contenders in games to come.

St. Louis Rams- 7
Dallas- 31
Since no other team wants to take control of the NFC East, the Dallas Cowboys are happy to take the title atop the division with another home victory. First against the Giants and now the Rams, the Cowboys remain undefeated at home with the help of productive play from both Tony Romo and Dez Bryant. Demarco Murray also put up great stats as he rushed for over 150 yards along with a TD as well. Expect the Cowboys to continue winning as long as the stars continue to show up to play.

Cleveland Browns- 31
Minnesota Vikings- 27
This could not have been a game anyone expected the Browns to win. For starters, they are the Browns. They also traded away Trent Richardson, who many believed was their best player; they decided to start their 3rd string QB, Brian Hoyer; and even if all the above was not true, you are still playing against Adrian Peterson. However, the Browns defied the odds and showed us another reason to not bet on sports, as every game is unpredictable. Don't expect the good times to last in Cleveland as I believe they pulled out a lucky win on the road.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers- 3
New England Patriots- 23
Things keep going from bad to worse in Tampa. Starting the season 0-3, it seems that the management and players are on two different pages. Both offense and defense seemed flat for the Bucs, which led to an easy win for Tom Brady and the Patriots who have the opposite record of the Bucs at 3-0. Start getting Revis and the defense in harmony, while putting confidence back into a shaky Josh Freeman or the Bucs will have a very long 2013 season.

Arizona Cardinals- 7
New Orleans Saints- 31
Coming into this game, one would think the Saints would easily beat the Cardinals at home and those that had that thought process were absolutely right. After seeing the chemistry between Drew Brees and TE, Jimmy Graham, the Saints certainly look like a playoff caliber team. Graham hauled in 134 receiving yards along with 2 TDs. The Saints defense also did their job, under new coordinator Rob Ryan, producing 4 sacks and 2 interceptions.

Detroit Lions- 27
Washington Redskins- 20
 Not the most intriguing game of the one clock batch, but an exciting one nonetheless. The struggles of RGIII continue as the Redskins drop to 0-3 after a close home loss to the Lions. New record holder, Calvin Johnson put up 2012 numbers in this game, totaling up 7 catches for 115 yards and one score. With the score tied at 17 a piece, RGIII fumbled the ball which was recovered by the Lions who would take the lead and not give it back. Thankfully due to bad play in the whole NFC East the Redskins are not in too terrible of times, but unless Griffin starts protecting himself and the ball, the Redskins will remain at the bottom of the standings all season long.