Nick Foles Falls into Another QB Controversy
“Should Nick Foles be the starting quarterback?” has to be a trend that dies before we hit 2020. When the Jacksonville Jaguars signed Foles, he was leavin a situation with the Philadelphia Eagles, where they were deciding if they should stick with Foles or go with the guy drafted to be their franchise QB, Carson Wentz. Fast Forward to Week 1 of this season, Foles injures his clavicle and is placed on injured reserve, which made way for rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew to take over. Since Minshew has been in the lineup, the Jaguars gave gone 4-4 and Minshew Mania has been a staple in Duval county. The Jaguars are not only coming up on their bye week, but named Foles the as he is expected to be ready to hit the field again for Week 11. So welcome to the 2019 version of “Should Nick Foles be the starting quarterback.”
Foles is no stranger to QB purgatory. In his first stint with the Eagles, he was in a battle for the starting position with Michael Vick, and took the job when Vick got hurt in 2013. 2015 he was traded to the St. Louis Rams where he held the starting job but lost it due to turnovers. After the Rams drafted Jared Goff to be their quarterback, Foles was granted a release and signed with the Kansas City Chiefs. The team did re-sign him and he became a free agent the following season, in which he joined the Eagles again. This stint was different, as he was expected to be the backup, but ended up winning the Super Bowl his first year there, after replacing an injured Wentz. He replaced Wentz due to injury the following year, but financial, and philosophical reasons led to Foles being traded to the Jaguars.
When you think about how can Foles still have a career at this point, you must look at the journey he has been through. Most of the success of his career has been dependent on if he can beat the next guy up. It’s not an ideal situation for any QB, but it surely builds toughness for someone who is expected to lead a team in a sport built on such attributes. At one point, Foles was contemplating retiring from football but now has a chance to finish his career in a stable manner. Minshew has done well for the Jaguars in his absence, but the team has more invested in Foles and was not going to sit him on the bench with that much money.
How Dangerous Are the Ravens?
The Baltimore Ravens are on top of the world after giving the New England Patriots their first loss of the season. The Ravens won 37-20 behind the rushing attack that features quarterback Lamar Jackson. It was a shock to some, considering that the Patriots got beat by team’s strength, something they are known to take away from opponents; but others felt this was a test against a quality team in which they failed. Now the attention turns to the Ravens, who are now 6-2 and sitting on top of the AFC North with a defeated Cincinnatti Bengals team, a struggling Cleveland Browns team and a Pittsburgh Steelers team that looks like it’s trying to make a playoff push, but probably won’t succeed in doing so. But all the work that Baltimore has been doing this year, has led up to Sunday night’s victory.
This is a Ravens that has survived on running the football. They are currently ranked as the number one offense in the league, thanks to their number one ranked running attack. It helps that they were able to add former New Orleans Saint Mark Ingram in the offseason, but QB Lamar Jackson has been an extra RB of sorts. While he is improving as a passer in his skillset, Jackson can still take off when needed and use his speed as a weapon to move the chains. Just look at last week’s win over the Seattle Seahawks when the Ravens were about to kick a field goal, until Jackson convinced head coach John Harbaugh to let him run it in the end zone for the score.
Just like every other team in the league that goes on a hot streak, the Ravens are bound to get exposed. Jackson is trying to enhance his passing skillset but a lot of his throws are hitting tight ends on mid-yardage plays and not so much going down the field. Some of the teams that Baltimore will face include the San Francisco 49ers, Houston Texans and Los Angeles Rams, teams with quarterbacks younger than Brady and more prone to attack that 26th ranked pass defense. By the time they reach these teams, they are likely to be figured out, as far as how to take out Jackson, and it could damper any momentum they try to take with them in the playoffs. It will be a frightening challenge those opposing defenses, but even more frightening for the Ravens if those teams succeed.
Chargers Don’t Need to Bolt Anywhere
Late Monday night, a report surfaced that the Los Angeles Chargers were considered to be relocated to London, where the NFL has been playing its International Series games. Thankfully, Chargers owner Dean Spanos came out and shut that rumor down completely, because the Chargers don’t need nymore home games with opposing fans. The Chargers moved to L.A. from San Diego in 2017, after they filed to secure a new stadium. Currently, they play in Dignity Health Stadium, a 27,000 capacity stadium that serves as home for Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles Galaxy. To compare how small the venue is, across town, the Los Angeles Rams play in LA Memorial Coliseum which can hold around 78,000. Still, the size of the venue is no excuse for the numerous games fans of the opposing teams outnumber the home team’s base. This was evident when the Chargers took on the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football a couple of weeks ago.
The bottom line is that the Chargers should try keeping their winning ways above water as opposed to jumping across the pond. Los Angeles has Hollywood, the Lakers, Clippers, Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles, Rodeo Drive and Disneyland, to name a few things. Even the Rams – who moved to L.A. from St. Louis in 2016 – are enjoying some success after coming off a Super Bowl appearance last season. In a city as prominent as L.A., nobody wants to spend 3 hours in a small stadium, watching their team get beat down. Losing is not fun in the city that gave you Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson. The Chargers will have to build off last season’s playoff appearance to string some wins together, so the fans that do come in can be electrified by what they see, then get their friends charged up to come to the game and fill the seats.
Shoutouts/Shutouts
Shout out to the Miami Dolphins for getting their first win of the season. They beat the New York Jets 26-18to become 1-7 on the year.
Shut out to another New York team who may have had worse luck in Week 9 than he Jets. The New York Giants had a 9-3 lead over the Dallas Cowboys, and was in Dallas territory to score, until a black cat run on the field. The game had to be stopped until the cat ran off the field. That 9-3 lead turned into a 37-18 beatdown at the hands of the Cowboys, including 34-9 run by Dallas after the cat crossed the field.
Shout out to Denver Broncos quarterback Brandon Allen for winning his 1st start of his career. Allen replaced Broncos QB Joe Flacco, who is done for the year after suffering a neck injury. Allen was 12/20 for 2 touchdowns and 3 sacks in a 24-19 win over the Cleveland Browns.
Shut out to whatever the hell Baker Mayfield was doing with this mustache and coat.
Shout out to former NFL quarterback Coli Kaepernick who spent his birthday. The recently-turned 32-year-old turned down partying and decided to feed the homeless by bringing out a food truck and paying for their meals. Much respect!
Shut out to the dreaded injured reserve. Tuesday, the Carolina Panthers put quarterback Cam Newton on IR, ending his season and, possibly, his tenure with the team. Philadelphia Eagles placed wide receiver Desean Jackson after he went through abdominal surgery. Week 10 is going to be prime cut for primetime matchups. Sunday night, the Minnesota Vikings and Dallas Cowboys will clash for NFC playoff positioning. The Vikings re a game behind the Green Bay Packers in the NFC North while the Cowboys lead the NFC East by a half game over the Eagles. The game of the week is going to be Monday between the San Francisco 49ers and Settle Seahawks. The undefeated niners will be at home, coming off a 28-25 win over the Arizona Cardinals last Thursday. The Seahawks are also coming off a win and looking to get a win and gain some ground on San Fran before their Week 11 bye. Seattle just added wide receiver Josh Gordon to their arsenal and could be lighting up the skies with their new weapon. But until then…I’ll holla.