Orlando Scandrick Can’t Be Blamed

Former NFL player Orlando Scandrick ruffled some feathers when he went on FS1’s Undisputed and threw his former Philadelphia Eagles teammates under the bus. His interview was a behind the scenes look at the trouble the Eagles were having this season. Scandrick’s observations ranged from everything you can think of that can ruin a team, whether it was confirming rumors that players were being late to meetings or accusing the team of not dealing with the success of winning a championship 2 seasons ago. Scandrick was released last week in the wake of Philadelphia’s 37-10 beatdown at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys, so it appeared he could have come off as bitter. But there is also a whole different perspective to the information provided.

Scandrick’s stay in Philly wasn’t long enough to put him in their Ring of Honor, but his words on TV last Friday should hold some weight in that organization. Essentially, his short stay kind of garnered him the role of an auditor. For someone, who basically came off the street, to come in and say your team is having problems with how to approach adversity during the season should be very indicative of the troubles going on amongst your group; and it has been playing out in the headlines the last few weeks. The week before Scandrick got the axe, they cut a player for trash talking Kirk Cousins, who dropped over 300 yards on them. The story of the unnamed source, who has been confirmed not to be Alshon Jeffery, opened the jar of pointing fingers when they criticized Carson Wentz for not using checkdowns properly. Lane Johnson didn’t hesitate to bring up the fact that players were being late to meetings throughout the year. Scandrick has been in a few locker rooms these past couple of seasons, so he can probably gauge with how the environment is around a team.

In the wake of that interview, the Eagles were able to go on the road and get 31-13 win over the Buffalo Bills, who are5-2 on the year. This could be the start of a run that has brought this team together and put them back on the winning track, which is something that can quiet all critics and auditors, alike.

What is the Michael Jordan of the NFL?

Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson has quite a few quarterbacks he can be compared to; but coaches rather relegate his skillset to a basketball player. However, this basketball player isn’t just anybody; it’s Michael Jordan. After Sunday’s loss to the Texans, Oakland Raiders head coach gracious Michael Jordan for his athletic ability to escape near-sacks. When the term Jordan comes up, in general, you think about the athleticism, dominance an, of course the championships. When it comes to translating that in the NFL, there’s no one player you can pin all of that on.

When it comes to the NFL’s version of Jordan, there are a few QB’s who quickly come to mind. The obvious answer to throw in with this conversation is the Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes has thrown himself in this conversation with his affinity for passing the ball in the most creative ways possible. Whether it’s a tossing the pigskin from side of the to the other or dishing a no-look pass, it’s all helping Mahomes total up touchdowns and yards to make him a dangerous weapon. A more veteran choice would be Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers is an interesting choice because he shares both the dominating skillset and a “Jordan moment” of his own. Regarding the latter, his moment came in the season opener last year, when Rodgers was sacked by Chicago Bears linebacker Khalil Mack and carted off the field. The QB came back to win the game for his team, a moment which can be attributed to the infamous “Flu Game”, in which Jordan was suffering from flu-like symptoms in Game 5 of the 1998 NBA Finals, but proceeded to win in spite of his ailments. Of course, the 6 rings will always be the highlight of Jordan’s career. So it’s not far-fetched for people to say Patriots QB Tom Brady is the closest thing to Jordan, despite not having any of his athleticism.

As far as non-quarterbacks go, there are a couple who sort of fit that description. Former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown comes to mind off the rip. Just as MJ can shoot mid range, dunks or 3 pointers, Brown is able to catch the ball on short routes, intermediate/possession routes or take the top off the defense and go deep. Jordan was also known for his defense, so there are a few defensive players who come to mind on this aspect; particularly Texans defensive end J.J. Watt and Los Angeles Rams defensive end Aaron Donald. Both players draw double teams on a majority of their snaps and can wreck a gameplan when getting pressure on the opposing QB or stopping the running back at the line of scrimmage. Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly exhibits strong defensive capabilities, as he can get after the ball carrier, sack the quarterback or cover short routes when needed.

Michael Jordan is going to be a name heralded in sports for a long time. For Watson, it’s a very good sign on your future when the head coach you just beat cmpares you to one of the greatest athletes of our time. What makes this better is the fact that this is the 2^nd time someone referred to Watson as Michael Jordan. Watson’s former college coach, Clemson University football head coach Dabo Swinney, spoke on Watson ahead of his draft. He said passing on Watson would be the equivalent to passing  on Jordan. Ironically, Watson is in a similar conversation as analysts reflect and ponder on why the Chicago Bears passed on him with the number 2 overall pick that year. Every athlete wants to be like Mike, but they could soon want to be like Watson.

Trade Reviews

 Trade deadline has finally passed and it was somewhat of a tame compared to the previous weeks. Prior to Tuesday’s deadline, most of the deals had been completed. This week, it started off with the Miami Dolphins sending running back Kenyan Drake to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for  6^th round pick, which could become a 5^th round pick. The Cleveland Browns sent defensive end Genard Avery to the Philadelphia Eagles for a 2021 4^th round pick. The Los Angeles Rams snuck into the mix again, b trading another cornerback. This time it was Aqib Talib being sent to the Miami Dolphins, alongside a 5^th round pick, to the Miami Dolphins in a exchange for a future pick. The New York Jets kept busy all throughout the headlines at the trade deadline. Monday, they traded defensive end Lenard Williams to the New York Giants in exchange for a 3^rd and 5^th round pick. However, it was the moves they did not make, that made the most noise, just like a few other teams.

There were a couple of players that have been bubbling on the trade rumor market for a while, but all stayed put. The Washington Redskins could not find a deal for left tackle Trent Williams, who apparently does not intend to play the rest of this season. The Denver Broncos could not get anything settled for cornerback Chris Harris either. The Jets really took the cake for moves not being done. Their morning started with reports of running back Le’veon Bell and safety Jamal Adams being offered up on trades. The Chiefs and Texans were reportedly trying to get in on the Bell deal, while the Cowboys became frontrunners over the Baltimore Ravens to land Adams at the deadline. However, the Bell trade fell through and the Jets’ asking price reportedly became too high for Dallas, so that fell apart as well.

The 2019 trade deadline looked to be this monumental, marquee event but it just did not do that and could have some ramifications going into the offseason. Per Adams’ tweets, the Jets initiated this particular trade request; but according to NBC Boston’s Albert Breer, they were asking for assets similar to the Jalen Ramsey trade, which was at least 2 first rounders and a 4^th rounder. Perhaps this was a way to test his market, in the event that the Jets needed some draft picks in the near future, or they were unable to sign him to an extension if he holds out next season, which would be the final year of his rookie deal. If Adams tweets are true, then it seems like somebody just ratted the Jets out for doing their due diligence. However, a lot of teams that feel rebuilds are imminent are probably going to go the route of a “2 first round minimum”. Trades in recent years have been done with this criteria (i.e. the Khalil Mack to the Raiders deal).

Shoutouts/Shutouts

Shout out to Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson for his sniper vision. The main reason coach Gruden claimed Watson was Jordan came in the 4^th quarter, when Watson escaped 2 defenders and threw a touchdown to Texans tight end Darren Fells. It seems normal but there’s more. As Watson was escaping one defender, and about to shake off another, one of the defensive linemen who was falling, accidentally kicks Watson in his face, in which he’s hit in his eye. His eye swells up but he still was able to see enough to escape and throw the TD, which put the Texans up 27-24 for the victory.

Shut out to the Cincinnatti Bengals and bad timing. The Bengals benched quarterback Andy Dalton on his birthday Tuesday. Cincy is 0-8 and probably looking to dig around, to see what assets they have, but at least let the man get some cake first before he loses his job. For most of the league, the halfway point is here and it’s time for everybody to start positioning themselves for the playoff races. This weekend, a lot of the matchups are going to be between 5-win and 4-win teams. At this point of the season, it doesn’t matter if the game is within the conference or division, you do not want to start November off with a loss, especially if you’re within 1 or 2 games of the .500 mark. The biggest game of the week will be the New England Patriots visiting the Baltimore Ravens. Last week, I discussed how New England was coming up on a stretch of games in which they will have their toughest opponents of the year. They started with the Cleveland Browns, and handled them easily, but will have to contend with the mobility of Ravens QB Lamar Jackson. Jackson is know for his dangerous running and can be just as lethal throwing the ball. However, the Patriots defense loves to take away your strengths and take advantage of your mistakes. But until then…I’ll holla.