Who would have thought that the AFC West would be the old NFC East and the NFC East would be the old AFC West. And its largely to do with head coaches. Nathaniel Hackett appears not to have a clue and is deferring on game mgt and 4th down calls to some fella up in the stands. If the analytics told Brandon Staley to jump off a bridge he would do it 10 times out of 10. The decision to go for it on 4th down on your own 40 with 1.10 left on the clock holding a precarious 2 points advantage and not punting is the most idiotic play call I can remember since Iāve started watching the game. Josh McDaniels is one of the best offensive gurus in NFL history but the Raiders look so anaemic and worse now than when they had an interim special teams coach installed as head coach.
The NFC East on the other hand is probably the division playing the hardest and toughest at the moment. I dont get all the Daniel Jones criticism but he has carried them to 4-1 while running for his life and with no offensive weapons other than Saquon Barkley. No other QB is under pressure more than Jones other than maybe Justin Fields and it looks like they will never be happy with Jones under centre. If ever a team resembled their headcoach Daboll it is the Giants. Cowboys have a Superbowl winning Defense. The Eagles match up will be game of the year so far. Do Cowboys stick with Cooper Rush or throw Dak back in? Hurts has played at an MVP level. The eagles will be hoping Jason Kelce can stay healthy though because he is irreplaceable. I wouldnāt be surprised to see 3 playoff teams from that division.
The talk of benching Dak is just ridiculous, the defence is winning them games, Dak is twice the QB that rush is , theyāll be a force in the postseason.
The Goants have a great home schedule, theyāll make the playoffs but are a long way from competing at that level
Have the eagles scored a TD in the second half of any game? Theyāre a bit like Baltimore, shoot out to a leadā¦ But unlike Baltimore they have the D to get it done.
They have a serious D. Youāre right. They make incredible starts but then teams begin to make adjustments the Eagles D comes to the rescue. Iād like to see how they react when a good team has a 10 point lead and Hurts has to make throws over the middle.
Hackett came from Green bay where he had Lafleur calling a lot of plays, arguably the greatest QB ever calling nearly all the rest. Listening to his pathetic pressers he is just way out of his depth. As is Elway clearly. I though he was trying to cynically protect his legacy but I think heās just incompetent. Cooper Rush was 10/16 for just 102 yards yesterday so heās minded but he keeps the ball safe. Itās a worrying match up for the eagles as Elliott will force tighter coverage than the soft approach yesterday and Dallas will do a job on Goedert. Danny Dimes is a serious QB, horrible city to get established in, heāll be happier elsewhere in time.
Yeah Hackett just comes across as a spoofer. Youād have to wonder with a strong personality like Rodgers just how much sway he held and thats before you even factor in Le Fleur. I agree 100% on Daniel Jones. He might not have the rocket arm of Josh Allen or the ability to amass rushing TDās like Jalen Hurts but he has a lot of those attributes that they bring. With media in New York you never get a fair crack of the whip. Even Eli Manning and 2 superbowl rings he was always looking over his shoulder. I think with a hard nosed guy like Brian Daboll he will be fine for the time being but would thrive in a less hostile environment. He is always just one loss away from being dragged through the coals again. I saw him in the Superdome last year and he threw for over 400 yards and rushed for another 50 and that was against a highly touted Saints defence. Anyway its early days yet but he looks the real deal.
He is averahing 4.5 yards per carry and that is playing against teams who are stacking the box because Mayfield isnt worth a shite. He is only 26. Saquon Barkley has had far worse injuries and looks revitalised with new coaching staff. McCaffrey would thrive with the Bills.
A day two and a couple of early day three picks Iād say. Would be close to a 50 million cap hit over three years for the bills.
Panthers probably happy to take the hit now and start cleaning their cap. Panthers have only four picks in 2023 and need to recoup day two and three picks wasted on baker and darnold