1. RGIII is LEGIT
One of the worst things about living in Maryland during the football season was having to see the Redskins play every Sunday. During the past two years I've seen some ugly football, including the benching of Donovan McNabb for Rex Grossman. Yes, you read correctly. Rex Grossman. It looks like there is finally something to be excited about if you're a Redskins fan, and although I'm not a fan, I look forward to watching Robert Griffin III play for years to come. Now, please bear with me for a moment. I understand that his historic performance came against a short-handed Saints defense that isn't even very good when at full strength. However, the reason I'm sold on RGIII is not because of his extraordinary stat line, but because of the confidence and poise I saw from him on each and every snap. There were plenty of times that he found himself under pressure, and rather than just tucking the ball and running for a few yards, he kept his eyes down the field looking for a receiver to get open. This proves that his college dominance wasn't simply because of his insane athletic ability, and that his skill set does indeed transfer to the NFL. I have been high on this guy for a while now and it's not because of his otherworldly athleticism, nor his cannon arm, but rather because he is an extremely smart man. Just look at his academic record in college and it is quite apparent that he is not only smart, but an extremely hard worker, both on and off the field. When you couple that with the pure athletic talent that RGIII possesses, you get a star in the making. Will he put up numbers like this every week? No, and anyone who thinks so is most likely just an overly optimistic Skins fan. There are sure to be plenty of bumps along the way, but it won't be too long until we are talking about Robert Grifffin III as a top Quarterback in the NFL.
2. Adrian Peterson is a Freak of Nature
A torn ACL is one of the most devastating injuries a running back can experience. Most never get back to full strength. Or at least that's what history has told us. Apparently no one told that to Adrian Peterson. Less than 9 months ago AP tore his ACL in a game against the Redskins. You wouldn't know that by watching him play on Sunday. He carried the ball 17 times for 84 yards and 2 touchdowns. More important than his stats was the strength his knee exhibited while making his usual strong cut backs and leaps. This performance defies everything we knew about ACL tears. Normally it takes about a full year to recover enough to play the running back position due to the abnormal beating they receive. Needless to say, Peterson is ahead of schedule. To put it in context, Jamaal Charles (Kansas City running back) suffered the same injury over three months before Peterson did, yet they are both at the same point in the recovery process. My hypothesis is that he is an alien sent here to dominate the NFL. Or he's just a fast healer. But either way, he is a freak of nature and looks to be back to his old self, which is something football fans should be thrilled about.
3. Starting Rookie Quarterbacks Isn't Always the Right Move
There used to be a time when the general practice in the NFL was to draft QBs and then let them learn for a few years before throwing them into the starting lineup. That is no longer the case, thanks in large part to the rookie success of players such as Matt Ryan, Cam Newton, Joe Flacco, and Andy Dalton. This year saw a record five rookies starting at quarterback in Week 1: Robert Griffin III, Andrew Luck, Ryan Tannehill (above), Russell Wilson, and Brandon Weeden. Between the five of them, they threw a total of 11 interceptions, and that includes the zero interceptions that RGIII threw. Now I'm not going to jump all over Luck. He was the first overall pick for a reason and I still believe he'll be a good quarterback. However three interceptions is not a good start even though he was going up against a very tough Bears defense. I also won't jump ship on the biggest surprise of the preseason, Russell Wilson. He wasn't outstanding, but he didn't play very poorly either, finishing with only one interception and almost getting the win. Tannehill and Weeden are a completely different story. They threw 3 and 4 interceptions respectively and looked completely overwhelmed in their NFL debuts. I have been scratching my head ever since the Dolphins decided to take the former wide receiver with the 8th overall pick to be their QB of the future. He is very athletic for a quarterback, and has good arm strength, but obviously struggles with accuracy and decision making. Weeden is another player that just honestly wasn't ready to start. While I understand the Browns are desperate, it would have been smarter to stick with Colt McCoy just a little longer while Weeden became more comfortable with the offense. The moral of this story? While there are certainly some QBs that are ready to start as rookies (RGIII for example), there are plenty that would really benefit from time to learn as a backup for a veteran QB.
4. Andy Reid Should Be Relieved of His Duties
Let me preface this by saying that this isn't some diatribe by an angry Eagles fan. For the record, I am a Steelers fan and Dolphins fan. But living outside of Philly for most of my life I have spent a lot of time watching the Eagles play and have been continuously frustrated with Andy Reid's single minded approach to the game of football. His philosophy is pass, pass, pass, and then pass some more, despite being blessed with some great running backs over the years (Brian Westbrook, LeSean McCoy). While I acknowledge that he has certainly had a fair amount of success in his career, making it to multiple NFC Championship games and one Super Bowl, he has always come up short due to his refusal to adjust his philosophy and this past weekend was the perfect example of that. Last season the Browns had the 2nd ranked pass defense in the league to go along with the 30th ranked rushing defense. If I were to tell this to a 10 year old, and then ask what you should do against the Browns, he would say run the football. It's pretty much common sense, especially when you add to the equation the fact that the Eagles have a top five running back on their team in LeSean McCoy. So what does Andy Reid do? He has Mike Vick throw the football 56 times....56! Compared to only 20 rushes for McCoy. The result? Vick threw four interceptions and the Eagles barely squeaked away with a one point win over the Cleveland Browns. Yes, a popular pick to win the Super Bowl almost lost to the Cleveland Browns. It is very true that a lot of the blame goes to Vick as well, but as a coach it is your job to put your players in the best position to win. Vick is at his best when he can do play action and bootlegs, which won't work if you never run the football. It is also worth noting that on those 20 carries, McCoy got 110 yards...yeah I don't get it either. I understand that this is a pass happy league now, but Reid's refusal to adjust his game plan for specific opponents has always been his downfall, and if the Eagles really want to win a Super Bowl, Reid needs to go.
4. Andy Reid Should Be Relieved of His Duties
Let me preface this by saying that this isn't some diatribe by an angry Eagles fan. For the record, I am a Steelers fan and Dolphins fan. But living outside of Philly for most of my life I have spent a lot of time watching the Eagles play and have been continuously frustrated with Andy Reid's single minded approach to the game of football. His philosophy is pass, pass, pass, and then pass some more, despite being blessed with some great running backs over the years (Brian Westbrook, LeSean McCoy). While I acknowledge that he has certainly had a fair amount of success in his career, making it to multiple NFC Championship games and one Super Bowl, he has always come up short due to his refusal to adjust his philosophy and this past weekend was the perfect example of that. Last season the Browns had the 2nd ranked pass defense in the league to go along with the 30th ranked rushing defense. If I were to tell this to a 10 year old, and then ask what you should do against the Browns, he would say run the football. It's pretty much common sense, especially when you add to the equation the fact that the Eagles have a top five running back on their team in LeSean McCoy. So what does Andy Reid do? He has Mike Vick throw the football 56 times....56! Compared to only 20 rushes for McCoy. The result? Vick threw four interceptions and the Eagles barely squeaked away with a one point win over the Cleveland Browns. Yes, a popular pick to win the Super Bowl almost lost to the Cleveland Browns. It is very true that a lot of the blame goes to Vick as well, but as a coach it is your job to put your players in the best position to win. Vick is at his best when he can do play action and bootlegs, which won't work if you never run the football. It is also worth noting that on those 20 carries, McCoy got 110 yards...yeah I don't get it either. I understand that this is a pass happy league now, but Reid's refusal to adjust his game plan for specific opponents has always been his downfall, and if the Eagles really want to win a Super Bowl, Reid needs to go.
