Standing Tall

As I’ve stated many times, the NFL has become a passing league. The New England Patriots are proof of that. Tom Brady used that to his advantage against the New York Jets on Sunday;355 yards and two touchdown passes for Brady while throwing the ball 54 times. He completed 34 of those throws and the only consequence for the Patriots was that they didn’t have the ball for most of the game. New York had the ball almost seven more minutes than New England. Does all this really matter? Probably not if the Patriots are going to wait and use a bruiser like LeGarrette Blount until the playoffs start. Better to keep him fresh until you really need him I suppose. The final score was 30-23 in favor of the Patriots and they were in charge for the entire fourth quarter. That’s what they really look at. Can the close out a game if they keep it close. They did and it really doesn’t appear anyone has a handle on stopping them.

Dallas, We Have A Problem

Aside from the fact that they don’t have their best quarterback, their best wide receiver or a reliable running back, they also have a head case in Greg Hardy causing problems on and off the field. Quite the conundrum in Dallas. Now Tony Romo isn’t expected for at least another two weeks at best. Dez Bryant could be back next week and Dallas could be losing Joseph Randle to a suspension and that will leave them with Darren McFadden as the only viable option at running back. They’ve lost their last four games and they are hosting Seattle and Philadelphia in their next two games. They could conceivably lose six straight after those two games. The PR spin will be that injuries have decimated the Cowboys morale and that is true, but having to defend a guy like Greg Hardy as a “leader” on your football team is something quite different. He’s only there to get sacks on opposing quarterbacks, not to be a leader for your team. Be honest Jerry (Jones) and Jason (Garrett). Maybe if you change your tune in house about Hardy, the rest of the team will respond and actually try to win the next two games.

The Next Big Thing

I like Todd Gurley. I really like him. Watching him play at Georgia was something to see. The comparison to Eddie George is a little misleading only because the Rams head coach Jeff Fisher was Eddie George’s coach for the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans. Gurley isn’t in the mold of George. George wasn’t as good a pass catcher as Gurley, but Gurley isn’t utilized in the passing game yet. However, seeing Gurley making cuts after initial contact is very similar to Eddie George. That’s the only similarity for me. After that the speed is almost unmatched. Steven Jackson was a bigger running back, but Gurley is in that kind of mold where he brings size and blazing speed to the position. Lots of folks were shocked to see him get picked so high, but I really wasn’t. Picking him before Melvin Gordon, who went to the San Diego Chargers later in the first round was the right move. Gurley is going to be a special back. Bring the Rams back to Los Angeles, where they belong, to see him flourish.