Welcome to Extra Points, a new article I’ll be posting somewhat regularly throughout the season. It will be a collection of random thoughts that come to mind while watching games or during the week. It could be reactions to last week’s games or things to look for in the upcoming week.
I encourage feedback and contributions on Extra Points, whether it’s your opinion of my thoughts or random thoughts of yours that I may include and discuss in the articles. There are plenty of ways to get them to me, whether through social media, email, or simply commenting on the article.
I hope you will contribute to help generate some discussion. I mean, we all like talking football, right?
The Ball is Finally Bouncing the Commanders Way
Washington football fans have suffered for quite some time, no matter what the team name is. They would love to forget the “Snyder Era,” although I’m not sure they ever will.
The “Battle of the Beltway” was the first true sign of a new era for the Commanders. Rookie QB Jayden Daniels went blow for blow with the Ravens’ 2-time MVP Lamar Jackson. Although the Commanders ended up losing, it’s as close to a moral victory as I’ve ever seen.
Sunday against the Bears, almost all hope had been lost when Washington’s only shot at a victory was a last-second Hail Mary attempt.
The play was executed as effectively as you can, but its not a success without plain dumb luck. There is no successful professional sports team without luck. The Patriots had it for years, with the Tuck Rule game or Edelman’s crazy catch in the “28-3” Super Bowl, that dynasty just isn’t possible without some luck.
The Commanders are not a dynasty, or anything close, but on Sunday, luck was on their side. The ball finally bounced their way. Just the luck they will need if they plan on continuing to win.
We’re Over the Jets
The New York Jets have been paper champions now for two years running. They haven’t won anything besides rent-free space in our heads. Not because we want them there, but because the NFL media won’t let us forget about them.
I get it, you take a New York football team that hasn’t appeared in a Super Bowl since the Beatles were together and add a future Hall of Fame QB – it will get some people talking.
A torn Achilles and fired Head Coach later and you have a bad football team with an aging QB that can’t win no matter how many of his friends come to try to help.
The Jets have lost 5 straight games and are just a bad football team. I don’t want to hear any more about them until January when they hire a new head coach.
Morale Wins Games
Is there a team that has found a way to lose more than the Browns over the last 25 years? From Johnny Football to Hue Jackson and Hard Knocks, the list goes on and on. At the top of the list is Deshaun Watson. The record-breaking guaranteed contract for an unrecognizable player accused of countless sexual assault cases takes the cake.
JuJu Smith-Schuster said it best “The Browns is the Browns”
Call it bad luck, karma or an act of the Football Gods, but Deshaun Watson has been lost for the season with a torn Achilles and the Dawg Pound faithful rejoice.
In comes Jameis Winston. Fans have been calling for Jameis to start for over a month, and they finally got their wish.
The elephant in the room is that Watson was only still starting because ownership forced it due to his massive contract. There’s no way the players or coaching staff wanted it that way. Nobody likes to lose, but bad owners refuse to admit when they are wrong.
The Browns played with an entirely new energy in Jameis’ first start. The Dawg Pound was so energizing you could feel it through the TV. Jameis Winston started with an all-time pregame speech and ended with a win over the 7-point favorite and AFC powerhouse Ravens.
The Browns aren’t better than the Ravens and Jameis Winston is a backup QB for a reason, but they had brand new energy which on this day, was enough to overcome anybody. This team knows all about morale after they went on a playoff run last season with another QB not named Deshaun Watson.
Morale is so powerful that it can overcome the most important position in professional sports, the Quarterback. Time will tell if morale is enough to power the Browns to another playoff run, but we know it’s possible, we’ve seen it before.
Hats Off
Hats off to Shane Steichen. Benching your “franchise QB” isn’t an easy decision when the ultimate goal in the NFL is long-term success. The present-day often gets lost in the desire for long-term success. Anthony Richardson has been downright awful and the Colts season is slipping away because of it. Joe Flacco has provided an obvious spark when entered into the game and the team is just better with him as the starting QB.
It’s not the end of the road for Richardson. He is 22 years old and has started only 10 games in his young career. There is more than enough time for him to develop into the player the Colts saw when they drafted him #4 overall in the 2023 draft. Of course, he didn’t help his cause in his post-game interview..
This may have made a tough decision for the Head Coach a little easier. Steichen sees that the AFC South is within reach and wants to go get it. This Colts team has a chance to do it. Especially with the morale that Joe Flacco brings to the squad.
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