8 In A Row
They boast the best defense in the league this season, but they’ve had three different quarterbacks start a game for them this year. Usually that’s a bad sign, but not for the San Francisco 49ers. They are currently in the midst of an 8-game winning streak and with the Las Vegas Raiders and the Arizona Cardinals as their last two opponents it could be a 10-game winning streak. Their current quarterback Brock Purdy is passing every test opposing teams have thrown at him so far. There will be more no doubt as they approach the playoffs. For now just marvel at how this is being done and wonder why it doesn’t happen more often.
A Defensive Force Is Retiring
In the current state of the NFL, there are rarely individual players on defense that can single handedly change a game. One of those was DE J.J. Watt. A 5-time Pro-Bowler, a 5-time All-Pro and a 3-time Defensive Player of the Year. With two games left in the season he has decided this season will be his last. Currently he has 111.5 career sacks, but he had two 20.5 sack seasons on his resume and three other double digit sack seasons as well. More importantly what J.J. will be remembered for is the amazing man that he has shown to be. Raising millions of dollars for residents of Houston, Texas who were devastated by Hurricane Harvey. Showing his passion for fans;
I’ll remember everything about J.J. Watt’s hall of fame career both on and off the field.
Doomed From The Start
From the first game of the season former Denver Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett was destined for failure. That bone headed coaching decision with poor clock management was just the precursor. A few weeks later he hired an ‘in-game adviser’ to help him. Again, another bad sign of things to come. He eventually stopped calling plays and this once offensive genius (former Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator) was headed in a downward spiral. The worst was yet to come as on Christmas Day for the world to see as there were only three games that day. Denver was thoroughly destroyed by the equally disappointing Los Angeles Rams who looked like they were playing for something with their 4-10 saying otherwise. The Rams thumped them 51-14 for a national audience. The Denver Broncos new ownership had seen enough and said sayonara to Hackett. This will rival the disaster that was Bobby Petrino who quit on the Atlanta Falcons in 2007. Hackett didn’t quit on Denver, but the players certainly did with the way they played against the Rams. QB Russell Wilson was not their first choice as QB Aaron Rodgers was their preferred option in the offseason. But who really thought Wilson would be this bad? Injuries always play a role in these outcomes, but if you’ve been unfortunate enough to watch Wilson this season, he’s been really bad. Rather than taking the easy run for a first down he chucks the ball in the double coverage for an interception. That’s just one example of poor decision making this year. Hackett will certainly get another job as a coordinator or quarterback coach like he was before being hired by Denver. But after this experience I doubt he will ever get another shot to be a head coach in the NFL. Maybe an XFL team does when they return or the USFL takes a chance on him, but I wouldn’t after what I saw for 15 games.
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