By Brandon Simmons
C.J. Stroud could be the Next Phenom
C.J. Stroud is quietly becoming the next QB phenom. The Houston Texans rookie led his team to a 39-37 victory over the Tampa Buccaneers by throwing a TD pass to Texans wide receiver Tank Dell with 6 seconds left in the game. The crazy part is this isn’t the only moment he has had this year. In his rookie season, Stroud won Rookie of the month in September, set the record for most consecutive pass attempts without an interception in addition to setting the single game passing yardage record for a rookie this past Sunday, at 470 yards. The number 2 overall pick has done nothing but impress.
C.J. Stroud may very well be having one of the best rookie seasons ever and is laying the foundation to become the next big time signal caller. Heading into the draft, he was being pegged as the consensus number 2 overall pick. Lots of experts were in love with QB Bryce Young – who the Carolina Panthers drafted first overall – despite concerns about his size. Many considered Young to have the advantage with his playmaking ability, whereas Stroud was known more for his accuracy and staying in the pocket. However, Stroud this season has emerged as the best player of this rookie class, defying all the critics in the national media who claimed he would be a bust and not even make it through the season. Aside from him standing above his draft peers, he has the trust of his veteran teammates. They love his confidence and poise, which he displayed leading his team to the game winning touchdown on Sunday. He had to win in spite of crucial defensive mistakes, missing his starting running back and having lost his kicker to injury. That’s the scenario that people expect of a Patrick Mahomes or Joe Burrow, not a rookie QB who’s been playing the beginning of his career behind a banged up offensive line. Stroud has a long way to go before reaching those levels, but he is on the fast track.
When Will the Patriots Send off Belichick?
The New England Patriots have been downright bad this year and all eyes are on head coach Bill Belichick. With each loss, comes another notion that Belichick is set to be axed either at the end of the season or within the coming weeks. However, despite the long history that the organization has with Belichick, things seemed to be pointing towards a change. They have been atrocious this year on both sides of the ball. The defense is 26th in points allowed while the offense is 31st in scoring. New England has had only one postseason appearance in the 4 years that QB Tom Brady left them in free agency. That has left many people to wonder if Brady was covering up for some of Belichick’s deficiencies, which is crazy to say.
Bill Belichick has had a lot of success over the year but maybe it is time for a change, which might benefit both sides. This roster – chosen by Belichick for the most part – is just not competitive. QB Mac Jones has had one good season, which was his rookie year, but he has not performed well since then. The receiving group has not been anything to write home about but that has always been the narrative for New England when Brady was here; but again, Brady isn’t here. Belichick is still revered as a pure defensive mind, who obviously has the championship experience, so a lot of teams would welcome him aboard, especially if they have a solid QB in tow. One team that stands out right now is the Los Angeles Chargers. Chargers head coach Brandon Staley has been rumored to be on the hot seat for a while now and that job could be vacant if the Chargers don’t find any success this season. And while it may seem counterproductive bringing in a defensive-minded head coach, Belichick has enough head coaching experience to give input in all facets of the game. However, he will have plenty of pieces to work with in improving that defense with players such as defensive end Joey Bosa and linebacker Khalil Mack. He will also have one of the most explosive offenses he’s ever had in his career at his disposal.
As of right now, he’s still the Patriots coach, and with his deep history in the organization, there’s no way that he gets the axe in the middle of the year. It would be embarrassing for him to go out like that and the organization would not do that to their fan base. Belichick is, and always be, a Patriot until the team says so otherwise, hopefully later rather than sooner.
Josh McDaniels Should be Banned from Coaching
Speaking of the Patriots, and former Tom Brady coaches, Josh McDaniels should not receive any more coaching offers. McDaniels was fired as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders this past week after a disappointing 3-5 start. This came in the wake of the Raiders losing on Monday Night Football to the Detroit Lions, a game that saw Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams only get one catch in a game. However, it wasn’t just the frustration that Adams has expressed this season, but many players have expressed their grievances about how things have gone this year. Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer reported there was a meeting for players to voice their opinion about the season. Players gave their spiel, and the coaches gave theirs. When it was time for the coaches to speak, linebackers coach – and current interim coach Antonio Pierce – said the team needed to be like the Giants team he played on that beat the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl – when McDaniels was their offensive coordinator at the time – having the mindset that they can beat anybody. Apparently, he told Pierce after the meeting not to mention the Patriots in that manner again.
McDaniels should not be considered for another head coaching job, probably ever. It’s rough to not want somebody to have that opportunity but he has been horrible at the 2 and a half head coaching gigs he’s received. When he was with the Denver Broncos, he got fired midway during the 2nd year of his tenure. While he led the team to a 8-8 record in his first season, he went 2-8 the rest of that year but also went 3-9 the following season. McDaniels was also accused of his own version of Spygate during this time. After that, he eventually got hired again as a head coach, this time with the Indianapolis Colts, but he ditched that job to stay as the offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots. He then became the Raiders head coach, where he infamously benched Derek Carr and has seemingly rattled the feathers of every player and front office member. The moral of the story is if it isn’t the New England Patriots then McDaniels should not be apart of it. Even as the OC for the St. Lous Rams, they were not very good. Some guys just do not make good head coaches and are better off as coordinators. In McDaniels’ case he does not make as a good coach anywhere outside of New England, as his track record suggests.
Shoutouts/Shutouts
Shout out to Antonio Pierce for hav8ng a great first week as a head coach. In the wake of the J9sh McDaniels firing, Pierce was named interim head coach for the Las Vegas Raiders. Within his first week, he won his first game, beating the New York. Giants 30-3. In addition to the win, he also became a part of history. Pierce joined team president Sandra Douglass Morgan and General Manager Champ Kelly as the first all black collective of a team president, general manager and head coach in NFL history. Pierce seems to already be a favorite amongst the players so hopefully the success continues with him.
Shut out to Jimmy Clausen for not charging for his worth. Former Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton recently revealed a convo about wearing Clausen’s jersey number when Newton was drafted to the Panthers. Newton wanted Clausen’s number 2, which was his number at Auburn, but Clausen tried to charge him a million for it. When Newton refused, Clausen lowered the price to $750,00 and Newton still declined, moving forward with wearing number on for his jersey. Clausen did nothing wrong but lower the price. Cam Newton got drafted to come in and take his job, so there’s no reason for hm to just give his jersey away for nothing. If I was Clausen, I would’ve charged him $2 million.
Week 10 is already here in what seems to a blur. This means that the playoff race is right around the corner and the games are going to be more crucial. The Jacksonville Jaguars are hosting the San Francisco 49ers. This will feature an explosive Jaguars offense against the stout 49ers defense. At the same time, the Baltimore Ravens are hosting the Cleveland Browns. If Browns QB Deshaun Watson stays healthy, this should be a huge showdown between him and his division rival signal caller, Ravens QB Lamar Jackson. Also, both teams have 2 of the best defenses in the league so the opposing QB on each side will be going through hell. But until then…I’ll holla.