Recapping the First Quarter of the 2014 NFL Season

The first quarter of the 2014 season came to an end after the Chiefs rolled over the Patriots 41-14 on Monday night in Kansas City.  There has been some great action and there have been some changes since the start of the season, here is a recap of the first quarter.

Biggest Surprise
The 1-3 Saints, they have not looked great on the road including a loss to the Cleveland Browns and their defense has not been great either.  With a roster as great as theirs this is certainly a big surprise.

The Least Surprising
The Raiders firing of Dennis Allen, the Raiders looked awful under Allen this season and with a record of 8-28 as a head coach it was sure that the time would come that he was no longer in Oakland.

Biggest Upset
The Tampa Buccaneers went on the road to Atlanta in week 3 and got clobbered and beaten in every aspect of the game and lost 56-14.  They looked down and out but in week 4 they went into Pittsburgh and beat the Steelers when quarterback Mike Glennon found Vincent Jackson in the end zone for the game winning touchdown making the final score 27-24.

Game of the Quarter
Denver Broncos at the Seattle Seahawks in week 3 was quite the game, it seemed that the Broncos did not have a chance in the game in the second half until the 4th quarter when things got interesting.  Peyton Manning marched the Broncos down the field to tie the game up with very little time left on the clock in Seattle which is hard to do.  However in overtime the Seahawks got the ball first and won on a Marshawn Lynch touchdown.

First Quarter Offensive MVP
Andrew Luck, he has played behind an offensive line that is suspect and is still putting up great numbers, he has thrown a league high 13 touchdowns and ran in another score.  He will continue his magic this season and help the Colts improve from their 2-2 record, I think he will be in the MVP talk at the seasons end.

First Quarter Defensive MVP
Kyle Fuller, yes a rookie is my pick for the first quarter defensive MVP, he is tied for the league lead with three interceptions and has been a bright spot in that Bears secondary and whole defense overall.  He picked Colin Kaepernick twice on the road and Geno Smith on the road, along with his three picks he has two forced fumbles.

Team with the Most Questions
Well it seems that the New England Patriots have been the team with the most questions following the loss to the Chiefs on Monday Night Football in week 4.  They have only scored two second half touchdowns all season long, they have struggled to score and their offensive line has been leaky and turned into a revolving door on Monday night.  Many are questioning if Brady is on the decline, I do not think so but this team needs to address many needs and fix that offensive line and get that passing game back on track.

Questionable Change
When I heard the Bills made the change from EJ Manuel to Kyle Orton at quarterback I was surprised, I think Manuel should not have been benched for Orton.  I undertand Manuel has not played well but he is still learning, he did not have a full season under his belt his rookie year and he needs more playing time.  While Orton has had a lot of playing time in his career I feel this was the wrong move.

Quarterback Questions
The Jets and Titans have questions at quarterback, the Jets do because Geno Smith has not played well this season and the fan base was chanting "we want Vick" during the Jets home loss to the Lions on Sunday.  There will be a lot of questions with the Jets until either Geno turns his play around or Vick enters.
As for the Titans I say this because Jake Locker has once again been injured and he has not played a full season which should be a cause for concern within the organization.  This could be Locker's last season in a Titan uniform.

Biggest Turnaround from 2013
The Houston Texans are surprising me this year, I felt they were going to struggle with Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback who is making mistakes this season and has a history of making mistakes and having turnovers.  Right now I am wrong, they are 3-1 and have a great defense, JJ Watt has been awesome this season and even caught a touchdown!  Right now the Houston Texans have the biggest turnaround from last season.

Record Breaker
During the Falcons blowout win over the Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football their wide receiver and kick return extraordinaire Devin Hester made history when he took a punt back for a touchdown.  On that return he broke the record of 19 kick return touchdowns that he had shared with Deion Sanders and is now in first place in NFL history with 20, and I think we will see more of that before he retires.

*ALL STATISTICS TAKEN FROM WWW.NFL.COM*

2014 NFL Season Monday Night Football Predictions Week 4

New England Patriots at the Kansas City Chiefs

8:30 PM ESPN

The New England Patriots improved to 2-1 on the season against the Oakland Raiders by the score of 16-9, the downfall of the Patriots this season has been their offensive line and their ability or rather lack there of to score points in the second half of games which is only 12 in three games this season so far.  They are ranked 1st in pass yards allowed on defense and 12th in rush yards allowed which is a good sign considering that their offensive ranks are not that great.

The Chiefs won their first game of the season against the Miami Dolphins on the road and were able to run the ball very well despite not having Jamaal Charles.  Their offensive rankings are better than New England's this season in regards to total yards and rushing.  As of right now Jamaal Charles is expected to play Monday Night against New England which is a plus for the Chiefs.  If he can go not only can he hurt any team on the ground but also in the passing attack as well.

Prediction:

The Patriots squeak out a close one 21-17 on the road by running the ball early and shutting down Alex Smith and the Chiefs pass game.
*all stats from www.nfl.com*

New York Jets Quarterback Question: Geno Smith or Michael Vick?

Following the Jets loss last night on Monday Night Football I started seeing a lot of Geno Smith and Michael Vick talk as it pertains to who should be the Jets starting quarterback.

Geno Smith threw two interceptions one a pick 6 and the other was an interception in the end zone and the Jets lost by 8 as Geno Smith's last pass attempt was caught out of bounds in the back of the end zone which would have helped the Jets get closer to tying the game up.  

So the questions of whether or not Geno had regressed started right after as well as if Vick is the better option as the starting quarterback.  I say Geno Smith should still be the starting quarterback for the New York Jets.

When you look at how Michael Vick's career two things jump out at me: lack of durability throughout his career and turnovers within the recent years when he was in Philadelphia.  So why would the Jets want to turn to someone who cannot stay on the field?  Sure he can run well, but he is also turnover prone just like Geno Smith, so it is better to stick with the second year guy.

Vick is at the end of his career and at this point in his career is a "stopgap" quarterback, unless Geno goes down or is playing poorly in a blowout there really is no reason to see Vick go in and play.  This whole notion that Rex Ryan needs to keep his job and should start the best guy is rather ridiculous as well. 

Geno Smith has tossed four interceptions this season and has lost one fumble, not a great start to a 2-12 season but let Geno Smith finish the season and if the Jets feel that he is not worthy of being the future of the franchise then it would be best if they looked elsewhere for another quarterback.

New England Patriots Offense: Cause for Concern?

The New England Patriots were less then stellar on offense against the Oakland Raiders on Sunday, their second half struggles continued again as well, in three games this year the Patriots have scored a total of 12 points, 6 each in the past two games and none in their first game.

Their defense has shown up the past two games as well, which is huge, because their offense is not doing to well.  Should there be a cause for concern?  I do not think there should be that great a concern, the Patriots had a slow start their first three games last season as well.

Should there be a cause for concern? No, look at their stats from their first three games last year and this year (from the Patriots official website):

First three games of 2013:
19.6 points per game
232.6 pass yards by Brady per game
5 Touchdowns to 2 interceptions
122.6 yards rushing per game
No rushing touchdowns
4 total turnovers
12 second half points

First three games of 2014:
22 points per game
210.6 yards per game
3 passing touchdowns and no interceptions
105 rush yards per game
3 total turnovers
12 Second half points

The Patriots do need to improve, but even after last season's slow start the Patriots were able to make it all the way to the AFC title game.  The Patriots did add Brandon LaFell to help the passing game this season, he has not done much but I think he will be a nice addition for them them as the season goes along.  Their secondary has improved which is big and they should be a big factor in the Patriots success the last 13 games of the year.

The Patriots need to continue to run the ball which will help open up the passing game, I feel that if the Patriots can do this then Danny Amendola can have a larger role in this offense as well as second year receivers Aaron Dobson and Kenbrell Thompkins.  It will also help Rob Gronkowski, there is no reason to panic, however if the offense continues to struggle the Patriots should be concerned.

As of right now Julian Edelman and Shane Vereen continue to be factors in the passing game and Stevan Ridley has not fumbled this season which will make him a a key factor on the ground

The Patriots know how to get things done and they will turn their offense around.

2014 NFL Season Monday Night Football Predictions Week 3

Chicago Bears at the New York Jets
8:30 PM ESPN

The Chicago Bears are coming off a comeback victory against the 49ers on the road and there is no reason to believe they cannot win on the road against the Jets.  Jay Cutler had 4 touchdown passes to no picks against the 49ers, 3 of those touchdowns went to receiver Brandon Marshall.  The Bears offense has many weapons outside of Marshall including Alshon Jeffery, Santonio Holmes, Martellus Bennett and Matt Forte.

The New York Jets are coming off a road loss in Green Bay which included blowing a 21-3 lead, this loss also had a controversy surrounding it as well, a timeout was called negating a game tying touchdown by Geno Smith.  The Jets played good defense at home in week 1 against the Raiders, they could make things interesting if they can force Jay Cutler into throwing interceptions.

Prediction: Bears win 24-13, Cutler has two touchdown passes and they pull away in the 4th quarter.

The NFL "Personal Conduct" Policy, How it Should Be

In light of the recent domestic violence and child abuse issues in the NFL here is what I think should be done in the “Personal Conduct” area as in punishments for the listed offenses above and other offenses as well in this piece.

*All suspensions that are not life time bans will have game checks forfeited during the suspensions entirety*

-Sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse should lead to a lifetime ban from the National Football League, this is just not for players but it should be for anyone who is employed by the league.  People around the world lose their jobs for these offenses, the NFL must follow the same pattern and be strict as well.

-Positive drug tests for marijuana, this should not be a suspension of more than two games for the first offense, second offense should be four games and counseling, anything beyond that is six games or more.

-Positive drug tests for non-steroid drugs that are not marijuana a four game suspension with mandatory counseling, second offense is six games and rehabilitation for said drug(s), third offense is a whole season.

-Steroid positive tests is a mandatory life time ban, there should be no second chance to those that use steroids or HGH.

-DUI, public intoxication arrests a two game suspension that is immediate, a second time offense is six games and a third time is a season long suspension.  Beyond a third time offense is a ban from the NFL.

-Taking the life of another person such as intoxication manslaughter is an automatic lifetime ban.

-Felony Charges such as burglary and assault an automatic ban as well.

Breaking Down the Washington Redskins Quarterback Situation

Robert Griffin III went down in Sundays match up against the Jaguars in our nations capitol and his backup Kirk Cousins came in and helped lead the Redskins to 41 points.  Debate has started since on who should be the starting quarterback in Washington.  There have been reports that head coach Jay Gruden favors Cousins, and that he would be a better fit under Gruden's West Coast Offense.  While he may be a good fit, remember this: The Jaguars could not get after the quarterback on Sunday and their secondary was pretty bad.

Cousins shredded a defense that could not do much, however I still think he is worthy of being a starter in the NFL, no knocks on him, but please remember what he was up against Sunday.  RGIII looked good on his three throws.  One was incomplete, but that was a deep ball that DeSean Jackson dropped.  I also feel that he played better than it probably looked against the Texans despite no touchdown passes in the 17-6 loss on the road, also remember the Texans blocked a Redskin punt which was returned for a touchdown.

RGIIIs stats from the game in Houstong (from: www.nfl.com):
29-37 (78.3 completion percentage)  passing for 267 yards
Ran three times for just 2 yards and had two fumbles, lost one

However I like his completion percentage in the game and nobody should give up on RGIII this season.  He needs to comeback healthy this season and continue to improve under Gruden's system, and I feel he can do just that.

Here is how Washington should handle the situation: Continue to start Cousins until RGIII is healthy and put RGIII back in, even if Cousins is playing well.  Griffin is the pick that Washington spent a lot of picks on to acquire back in 2012.  If Cousins plays well then Washington could trade him after the conclusion of this season before he becomes a free agent after the 2015 season, it would be wise for them to get some picks for Cousins if shows he has a lot of potential while Griffin heals.

This whole idea that Griffin is not good enough for Gruden's system makes me laugh, give him some time and he will show why he was picked right after Andew Luck.

2014 NFL Season Monday Night Football Predictions Week 2

Philadelphia Eagles at the Indianapolis Colts 8:30 P.M. ESPN

The Eagles are coming off a home win over the Jaguars after falling behind 17-0 and rallying in the second half to win 34-17 by racking up 34 unanswered points.  They ran for just over 140 yards against the Jaguars and Nick Foles had a pair of touchdown passes, their offense looked much better in the second half.  Darren Sproles had an impact as did Jeremy Maclin who is coming off missing an entire season due to injury.  The offense was clicking on all cylinders, and once it really gets going, the Eagles will be able to put up a good chunk of points.

The Colts fell short against the Broncos on the road in their comeback attempt on Sunday evening, I felt they came alive later in the game.  Andrew Luck had two interceptions on the evening but was able to turn things around and almost brought the Colts back to tie the game up.  It should be noted that he did this all behind an offensive line that could been seen as stitched together, but he got it done.  Andrew Luck proved once again along with the Colts that they will not be counted out until the clock strikes zero on the clock. 

Prediction: The Eagles offense is a both talented and quick, the Eagles will take this one on the road 34-24

Ray Rice: My Reaction to the Decisions Made by the Ravens and the NFL

Today a video was posted on TMZ of the incident involving Ray Rice and his now wife (then fiance) in a hotel elevator.

The video was pretty awful to say the least, and not long after that video appeared online the Ravens decided to terminate the contract of Ray Rice and cut him, and after that the NFL made the decision to indefinitely suspend Ray Rice.  This was the best thing to have happened, the NFL really did drop the ball on his pathetic excuse of a punishment of just 2 games, and sadly it took this video for this punishment to be handed out by both the Ravens and the NFL.

Sure it is great he is no longer on an NFL roster and he is suspended indefinitely but it does not right the wrong at all.  In no way should it have taken this long for this to happen, in an older blog I said that he should have been suspended 4 games and docked 6 games worth of pay.  I feel now that was not even harsh enough, but I was not happy about how he just got 2 games and not 4 like players who test positive for smoking marijuana.

This indefinite suspension was brought upon by the video, and should have been brought upon originally but what actually happened, that and the release should have happened or at the very least a lengthy team suspension, which did not happen.

Both the Ravens and the NFL messed up this entire situation, and the truth is domestic violence is a disturbing topic that had minor consequences until now.

I liked the NFL's new policy until recently, now I think the policy should be a zero tolerance policy, a one strike and you are out policy if you will.  Once a player is involved in domestic violence and charges are brought they should be banned from the NFL.  There is no excuse for hitting a woman no matter how angry you may get, no man or woman is lesser than the other, this is fact.

There also needs to be an investigation of Roger Goodell and the Ravens organization to see if they are being honest about not having seen the video until today.  If it shows that both the NFL and the Ravens were aware of this video prior to its release all over the internet and national TV today there needs to be harsh punishment.

This incident is only getting uglier because of the new evidence, and I truly hope that the NFL and the Ravens did not know about this tape, because if they did things will just get worse.

Oh and I think it is time for Roger Goodell to take a bow and no longer be league commissioner, he has made a fair amount of mistakes in is tenure.

Domestic violence is ugly, and that video showed just how bad it is....

2014 NFL Season Monday Night Football Predictions Week 1

New York Giants at the Detroit Lions
7:10 P.M. ESPN

Both the Giants and Lions are coming off disappointing seasons and are looking to turn things around in 2014.  They both drafted quality players and went out in free agency to land more talent as well, and both drafted within the top 15 picks as well.

The Giants are looking to get back into the playoffs this season and the Lions are as well.  The Lions offense has more spark to it now with the addition of Golden Tate in free agency and Tight End Eric Ebron in the draft.

The Giants signed Mario Manningham, they drafted receiver Odell Beckham, signed running back Rashad Jennings and landed two quality cornerbacks in Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Walter Thurmond.

Prediction: 
The Lions offense will be to much for the Giants to handle on the road.  Lions win 31-16


San Diego Chargers at the Arizona Cardinals
10:20 P.M. ESPN

The Chargers made the playoffs last season and are looking to go beyond the divisional round of the AFC playoffs.  They added cornerback Brandon Flowers in free agency which is huge to help them against teams will great quarterbacks such as one team in their own division: The Denver Broncos.  The Chargers will be a team to watch this season for sure.  Their quarterback Philip Rivers also made strides last season and turned things around for himself as well getting back into his older form instead of being so mistake prone.  I feel he will continue to get better in 2014.

The Cardinals are looking to make the playoffs for the first time since 2009, the last season Kurt Warner played in the desert.  In 2013 they fell just short of the playoffs despite their 10-6 record, they are looking to build on that this season.  They signed cornerback Antonio Cromartie who will now pair with Patrick Peterson to form a pretty unique duo in Arizona.  Carson Palmer could have another 4,000 yard season, and if he can keep the mistakes down this team could be a playoff team.

Prediction: 
The Cardinals and Chargers will both play tough and it will be close, but the Cardinals will come out on top.  Cardinals win 24-20.

2014 NFL Division Winners and Wildcard Team Predictions

AFC

East- New England Patriots
The Patriots added help on both sides of the ball in the offseason. Lafell will be a solid target for Brady and they should be able to run the ball well too.  Expect them to put up points
On the defensive side of the ball you acquired Brandon Browner and Darrelle Revis. This helps big time, if they have to go into Denver  in the playoffs they can compete with Manning and his arsenal surrounding him.

South- Indianapolis Colts
The Colts are in a rather easy division to win. The Texans are not strong at QB, however I feel Mallett could be good for them with time if he can develop there. The Jaguars are rebuilding again and the Titans won't be much trouble.
Andrew Luck is also looking to build and with the addition of Hakeem Nicks to add to his receiving corp he can make even more noise. I think he will be a top 5 QB at the seasons end.

North- Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals are hungry once again.  I almost put the Ravens here but I think the Bengals have more then enough talent on both sides of the ball.
AJ Green is a monster on offense, and they added some talent via the draft on both sides of the ball. They look strong in depth at the running back spot, which is huge, in the AFC North being able pound the ball is a must.

West- Denver Broncos
I think this is a no brainier, the Broncos signed some quality players during the offseason which is going to be big for them, sure they lost Decker but they got Emmanuel Sanders.  They also signed Aqib Talib and  Demarcus Ware to help on defense.  

Wildcard Teams

1.) Baltimore Ravens- They will make the playoffs this year, I feel Flacco can bounce back and they will be fine without running back Ray Rice for the first few games.  The Ravens have a lot to be excited about, oh and they signed Steve Smith to help create more depth at the receiver spot!

2.) Kansas CIty Chiefs- The Chiefs had a great year last season, and there is no reason in my mind why they cannot do the same.  Alex Smith is growing more and more in Andy Reid's offense every day and they have a lot of talented players on both sides of the ball.  The Chiefs will just beat out the Chargers for this Wildcard Spot.

NFC

East- Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles are far above the rest of their division on offense, and they will be an offense that will put up points in 2014.  I do not feel the loss of DeSean Jackson will actually be that big.  The Have Jeremy Maclin back so I feel he can step in and do some damage.  I also like the addition of Darren Sproles to the backfield, he can do it all both running and catching.

South- New Orleans Saints
The Saints drafted well and picked up a great free agent in Jairus Byrd who is a top safety in this league.  They will only get better in 2014, the Saints are looking to come back this season even hungrier then last season. 

North- Green Bay Packers
The Packers will get back a fully healthy Aaron Rodgers and they can run the ball as well to help keep him from dropping back and taking a beating.  They also added Julius Peppers on the defensive side of the ball in free agency and to me got a steal in the draft when Ha Ha Clinton-Dix fell to them in the first round.  

West- Seattle Seahawks

I know they lost some defensive players, but they can definitely make up for that with all the talent they have.  Russell Wilson continues to improve as well as the offense, this team could be the first since the New England Patriots to win back to back titles.

Wildcard Teams:

1.) San Francisco 49ers

They have a ton of talent in their receiving corps, but Frank Gore is not getting younger and I feel that will hurt the team some on offense.  Not a whole lot, but enough to perhaps see them struggle a little to start the season.  They also lost Donte Whitner and Carlos Rogers on the defensive side hurting their secondary.

2.) Chicago Bears

The Bears are so loaded on offense they can keep up in scoring with opposing offenses if their defense falls short again this season.  I think Jay Cutler will have a career year and the Bears could make a deep run in the playoffs if he can keep the turnovers down and the defense plays well.