By Brandon Simmons
Trade Deadline Review
The NFL trade deadline came and went on Tuesday afternoon, and if you were expecting any big time trades, you will be disappointed. This year’s deadline had a real quiet feeling to as teams focused on retooling certain aspects. The New England Patriots sent a 7th round pick to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for wide receiver Isiah Ford. The injury-riddled San Francisco 49ers sent former Pro Bowl linebacker Kwon Alexander to the New Orleans Saints in exchange for linebacker Kiko Alonso. The Dallas Cowboys sent away defensive end Everson Griffin to the Detroit Lions for a 6th round pick. But maybe the stories of non-trades made just as much noise as the processed transactions. After a week and a half of rumors, the Houston Texans and Green Bay Packers failed to agree to a trade that would send Texans wide receiver Will Fuller to Lambeau Land.
Neither of these moves see to carry a huge impact right now, but time will tell all. Alexander is coming to a Saints defense, which is ranked 5th overall, however, he is recovering from a high ankle sprain suffered last month and just returned to practice. It remains to be seen if he will play at a level close to his Pro Bowl season. Many reporters are painting this as a salary dump, which could be thing for them to do right now, considering the injuries to their 2 stars have returned and could derail the season. The Patriots trade makes sense on paper as it comes at an interesting time. Monday, New England head coach Bill Belichick said in an interview that the team had “less to work with” talent-wise but it was no excuse for their play this as it’s the same approach they’ve been successful with in previous years. So bringing in Ford – a 3rd year pro that has not worked out for Miami – is probably just a quick-fix, given the fact they only gave up a 7th rounder. The Packers not landing Fuller is going to be highlighted by all. It was the chance for Green Bay to notch some help for quarterback Aaron Rodgers and adding the speedy Fuller is an affordable option to go. Sure, the Packers have a good receiving group, but so did the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Antonio Brown has yet to step on the field for the Bucs. It never hurts to have enough firepower, and Fuller has maintained his health this season to become a factor. When the playoffs come around, and if the Packers run into either the Seahawks or Buccaneers, a lot of fans will already think about the trade that could’ve been mad but wasn’t.
Is Russell Wilson Running his own MVP Race?
Seattle Seahawks Russell Wilson is having a tremendous season, throwing him at the top of many people’s MVP lists. So far this year, he has thrown for over 2000 yards and 26 touchdowns, while putting his team at the top of the NFC. Still, as he is running a successful campaign, you can’t help but wonder what other candidates should receive this honor.
When examining the field of possible MVP candidates for this year, it’s a slim field to choose from. Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is someone who pops up as an alternative to the front running Russell. He has his team at the top of the division while putting up similar numbers next to Russell’s. Another person that may come to mind is Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The veteran QB is at the forefront of leading this Steelers team to an undefeated record while working with a young receiving group. Kansas City Chiefs Quarterback Pat Mahomes could be sneaking back into the conversation as well. It’s hard not to turn this into a QB-fest, but it’s not a lot of skill position players to argue for in this conversation. Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry might be a long shot for it with his league-leading 663 rushing yards. Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett is also a long shot with his league-leading 7 receiving touchdowns.
While these are all good candidates, they carry their own faults to push them out of the race. Rodgers has already had 2 bad games, which resulted in losses. While this does push Roethlisberger’s case, he’s playing with a superb defense, while Wilson is delivering his team success in spite of that. In the case of Mahomes, it is a strange thing that he is not being put in the MVP convo by the media, but it kind of makes sense. Usually, the favorite for MVP gears toward the newer candidate that’s playing at a high level (i.e. Lamar Jackson last season and Mahomes the year before that).
Although explaining why Mahomes is not part of the convo, however, it explains why Wilson is now receiving his MVP flowers. Even though he has been around for a while, his explosive play this season has grabbed enough eyes to put him next in line for MVP. Wilson, Rodgers and Mahomes all boast similar numbers in categories such as touchdowns and QBR but Wilson has the Seahawks jumping off the screen right now. With the “Let Russ Cook” mantra, Seattle looks dangerous with their passing attack which is surprising to those who have always expected the bruising run game from them. That same bruising run game that was an aid to Wilson, but now is he rising up on his own, which see him be in his own as MVP.
Are the Dolphins Doing it Right with Tua?
Miami Dolphins rookie quarterback Tua Tagovoila got his first career start Sunday against the Los Angles Rams. The Alabama Crimson Tide product was able to clinch his first victory going 12/22 for 93 yards and 1 touchdown while being sacked once. He did have a lot of help from the defense and special teams, who provided some scoring and key field position through turnovers. The start comes in the wake of Miami reportedly exploring their options since they have the Houston Texans’ first and second round picks. Whatever the case, a win in a rookie QB’s first game is always going to equal success.
Based off that report, it seems the Dolphins were deciding if they should join the Tank for Trevor sweepstakes. It is not uncommon for teams for teams to go after a franchise QB a year after they tried to draft one. As mentioned in a previous Black Quarterback column, the Arizona Cardinals made this move when drafting quarterback Kyler Murray one year after selecting QB Josh Rosen 10th overall.
On the outside, it seems kinda rushed but it really makes sense in terms of Miami wanting to build this team. If Tua goes out there and stinks it up, then the Dolphins might have to go in the direction of getting another QB for next season. However, if he plays at a respectable level then the organization is going to want to invest in pieces to put around him. For either of these options, it will take a few games to decide. That’s probably not what the Dolphins fans want to hear, who are seeing their team on the verge of the playoffs and the defense playing great. However, drafting a QB in the top 10, they had to know that the possibility of him playing was very real. The best thing they can do is hope the next few games will show more of the upside that the Dolphins organization has seen in him.
Shoutout/Shutouts
Shout out to Russell Wilson and his wife Ciara for their Busta Rhymes and Janet Jackson costume. The couple dressed up to portray the 2 artists in the video for 1998’s “What’s It Gonna Be”, a song of Busta’s album, E.L.E. (Extinction Level Event): The Final World Front.
Shut out to Chicago Bears wide receiver Javon Wims and New Orleans Saints cornerback C.J. Gardner-Johnson for their altercation. Sunday, Wims was seen punching Gardner-Johnson right after a play. What makes it more animated, Wims pulled a move in which he appeared to snatch a chain first then proceeded to punch the corner. Saints CB Janoris Jenkins jumped in to break up the melee. According to Bleacher Report, Gardner-Johnson started things earlier in the game by spitting on Wims, so he might have to share in this shutout as well.
Week 9 will be showing off a couple of teams who have been under the radar but now getting some major tests. One of those such games will be the Indianapolis Colts hosting the Baltimore Ravens. Baltimore is coming off a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, while Indy is coming off a dominating 41-21 win over the Detroit Lions. Not a lot of noise has been made about the Colts, who are currently 5-2 and tied with the Tennessee Titans for first place in the AFC South. The game of the weekend will be a rematch between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints on Sunday night. The Saints took the first round in Week 1 and many people wondered if Bucs QB Tom Brady had anything left. Since then, the Tampa Bay offense has looked great, but their defense is playing tough as well. That might spell trouble for Saints QB Drew Brees, who analysts remind us about every game he is averaging low passing yards per attempt. Could also be trouble for Brady against a Saints pass rush that can be real spooky. But until then…I’ll holla.
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