Windycitygridiron
10 Thoughts on the NFL: Trades abound, Saquon Barkley’s an alien, and more
C.Thompson36 min ago
Khari wil some thoughts about the National Football League. Khari Thompson has been working for media outlets since 2016, covering the Bears for WCG since 2023, and he's also a podcast host with 2nd City Gridiron.
- I swear to God, if the NFL doesn't stop willingly giving Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas Chiefs offensive upgrades like DeAndre Hopkins, I'm going to send Howlers to all 31 other teams and the league office. Stop helping them win! You know what else? The NFL allowing Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry to team up is equally foolish. Jackson just passed — checks notes — Peyton Manning, Kurt Warner, Tom Brady, and Ben Roethlisberger for the most perfect passer-rating (158.3) games in NFL history (four) while Henry became the fourth player ever to score 10 rushing touchdowns in seven career season, joining LaDainian Tomlinson (nine seasons), Emmitt Smith (eight), and Adrian Peterson (eight). We've seen people pull off insane one-handed catches. We've seen the brick house that is Larry Allen chase down a linebacker he outweighed by 100 pounds to prevent a pick-six. We watch ball-carriers hurdle defenders every week. But I don't think we'll ever see someone athletic or mentally unstable enough to attempt — let alone pull off — what Saquon Barkley did on Sunday night . We may never witness a more athletic move on a football field for a long time. That's "Ultra Instinct Goku" stuff. Only Matt Eberflus and the Chicago Bears could take the fun out of watching Caleb Williams play football. The fact that Jayden Daniels looks like the runaway Rookie of the Year and Drake Maye keeps willing the awful Patriots to stay in football games isn't about them being good while Williams is a bust. It's about an organization that loves getting in its own way more than anything in the world. While Ben Johnson probably would make this better immediately, the cynic in me wonders how long the good vibes would last. (They still need to make that move, though.) Speaking of which: Sunday's contest between the Bears and the 2-7 Patriots shouldn't be close on paper. But Maye is playing some inspired football in his first five starts, becoming the first rookie since the 1970 merger to have five or more passing touchdowns and better than 200 rushing in his first five games. He's already at a level where he can elevate a subpar supporting cast and make the impossible happen as he did at the end of regulation against the Titans on Sunday. He probably wouldn't be doing much better than Williams in the latter's current situation, but make no mistake: he's the real deal. Sunday could be fun. Things fall apart fast in the NFL. The Saints started the season 2-0, and Derek Carr looked like a new man for a few games. Fast-forward to now, and they're currently 2-7 and just fired head coach Dennis Allen after losing to an incredibad Carolina Panthers squad led by Bryce Young. Yeah ... the one who got benched for Andy Dalton. Yeah, there's no surviving that one. Oh, right, remember when the Colts decided to bench Anthony Richardson for Joe Flacco, and some of us thought it was just a temporary thing because of him tapping out of a game until Indy clarified the move was valid going forward? How'd that work out for them? Flacco got owned by the Vikings' buzzsaw of a defense, throwing for just 179 yards, a pick, and no TDs as the Colts slipped to 4-5 on the year. Would Richardson have done much better? No. He probably would've been worse. But if you're going to be mid or bad, then be mid or bad with the guy who gives you a chance at explosive plays, not the old guy no one wants starting for them anymore. The fact that we can't even celebrate Jordan Love finessing the Packers out of a monster contract only to tie for the league lead in INTs (10) in two fewer games than most other starters because the Bears are so bad hurts me. Plus, you just know he's going to throw three TDs against Chicago. It's just a "must" for him. Aaron Rodgers being on The Pat McAfee Show right as Mike Williams got traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers feels like getting the Joker's live reaction to blowing up Rachel Dawes and Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight. As long as he ends up in Arkham Asylum at the end of it, we'll manage. Jason Kelce was right to apologize to the public for grabbing a phone out of a Penn State heckler's hand and breaking it on the ground this weekend. Holding yourself accountable for losing your cool is the responsible thing to do. But he also was correct not to apologize to the idiot himself. Because screw that guy. Cowardly fans who come after athletes in public because they expect no retribution in return should learn some accountability themselves.
Read the full article:https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2024/11/5/24288984/10-thoughts-nfl-trades-eagles-chicago-bears-patriots-jets-panthers-colts-chiefs-mahones-caleb-ravens
0 Comments
0
