We've
reached the halfway point of the season and it's time once again to dive into
our analysis of what happened in week eight of the season. Let's dive on in,
shall we?
- - Cam Newton recently spoke out against the lack of calls and
protection he is getting from the league. Newton stated that he “doesn’t feel
safe” and the hits are “taking the fun out of the game” per the the Charlotte Observer.
I’ve said it before and I will say it again, the NFL preaches player safety,
yet somehow let’s one the biggest faces of the league get punished. I am not
saying that Newton doesn’t put himself into some situations because he does
with his style of play. But there are certainly times where a low tackle or
cheap shot to the head should have been flagged and it wasn’t. I don’t know if
it’s a race thing, if it’s the fact that he is a “mobile quarterback” (another
term that gets thrown on African-American quarterbacks) or something completely
different, but it needs to change and in a hurry.
- - On the top of the term “mobile quarterback”, I want to address the
stereotype that gets attached to that term. So often we want to call
quarterbacks with dark-skin “mobile” because they like to run or are athletic. Last
I checked, you need to be athletic to play in the NFL. What frustrates me the
most about this is there are quarterbacks with light-skin who run around just
as much as the former. Take Blaine Gabbert as an example of this. Here’s a fun
stat: who has more rushing attempts: Gabbert or Russell Wilson? You would
assume it is Wilson because he is a “mobile quarterback” but you’d be wrong. They
have 39 to 25 respectively. The biggest difference is Wilson is looking to pass
far more often than Gabbert is. Not to mention Gabbert had those 39 attempts in
just five games! Two fewer than Wilson. How come we don’t refer to Gabbert as a
“mobile quarterback”? it’s become a frustrating stereotype. Especially when I hear
people call guys such as Teddy Bridgewater or Hall of Fame quarterback Warren
Moon “mobile quarterbacks”. I don’t mind the term at all and even understand it
to a certain degree. But it is also become a stereotype for African-American
quarterbacks and other ethnicities. So, I want to stress I am not asking us to
stop using the term, but don’t be afraid to call guys like Gabbert, or Blake
Bortles, or Carson Wentz, or other Caucasian quarterbacks “mobile” as well as
guys like Cam Newton or Russell Wilson.
- - Okay, rant over! Moving on, it’s time to recognize the Dallas
Cowboys as the best team in the NFC. They are 6-1 and only lost week one
against the Giants because Terrance Williams has no idea where the sideline is.
Ezekiel Elliot and Dak Prescott have done unreal things as rookies and the
defense is playing much better than the talent on paper would represent. The offensive
line is the best in football and it’s really not even close. Not to mention a
healthy Dez Bryant will help the team to not remain so one-dimensional (even
though it hasn’t slowed them down). The Cowboys are the best team in the NFC
and while there are definitely other teams who can and will challenge them this
season, I will be picking the Cowboys on a regular basis to win the rest of
their games and maybe even make it to a Super Bowl.
- - Chiefs’ running back Jamaal Charles has landed on injured reserve
after being active for just three games. Complications with his knee have left
many wondering before the season even started if he would ever be the same and
now we are seeing what is more than likely the end of Charles great career. While
I wouldn’t say he is Hall of Fame worthy, we certainly have to acknowledge
Charles as one of the best running backs of the 2010s.
- - The NFL trade deadline was yesterday and there was almost no
activity, let alone blockbuster trades, to be made. It was a very boring day, despite
big names such as Sheldon Richardson, Cameron Wake, Joe Thomas, Joe Staley, and
Joe Haden as well as others on the trade block. There was one big trade,
however…
- - The Patriots dealt linebacker Jamie Collins to the CLEVELAND BROWNS
for a compensatory third round pick in 2017, per nfl.com.
I have quite a bit to say on this so let’s break it down for each team:
- - I would say the clear winners of this trade are the New England
Patriots. The Patriots entered a contract-year with Collins and were able to
ship him away from a high third round pick. That beats the hell out of losing
him to free agency and not getting anything in return until the 2018 draft. Collins
was reportedly asking for Von Miller money, although he denied that today per cleveland.com.
Regardless, Collins is one of the best young linebackers in the game and it
would’ve been extremely difficult to sign him long-term without damaging their
cap space tremendously. It is also a practice we often see with the Patriots,
as they dealt Chandler Jones to the Cardinals just before the 2016 draft for a
second round pick. Overall, it makes sense for the Patriots side. On the
contrary…
- - Why did the Browns trade a valuable third round pick for a
linebacker who clearly is more about himself than the team, let alone the fact
that he is entering free agency when the 2016 season concludes? I understand
the Browns are devoid of talent by why trade a high pick away for someone who
can’t make your team win now? Collins is a stud, don’t get me wrong. And if the
Browns can resign Collins for the right price, he will be a great building
piece for this defense. I have to convince myself that he is the future leader
for this defense. If they let him walk in free agency, was it really worth it,
Cleveland?
- - Another week, another tie. I am not going to say much on this
because I already covered it in last week’s Quick Hits,
but I still hate ties. Hopefully after back-to-back weeks of games ending in
ties, the NFL will take a serious look at perhaps changing overtime rules and
preventing this from happening.
- - This little piece came out today while I was writing this week’s
Quick Hits ad found it to be the perfect note to end on. NFL Network’s Brian
Baldinger has been suspended for six months without pay for making obscene
comments about how the Eagles should’ve attempted to injure Cowboys’ running
back Ezekiel Elliott, per Bleacher Report.
This is beyond awful, and I’m not just talking about Baldinger’s comments. How can
the NFL Network, a television channel that represents the NFL in its title,
suspend someone who went as far as to say, “This is the guy that we’ve got to
hurt” and, “In fact, we may even put a little bounty on Ezekiel Elliott”?! That’s
about as unprofessional as it gets. The man shouldn’t be suspended, his ass
should be on the curb. There is absolutely no way this man should continue to
have a job working for the NFL *BLEEPING* NETWORK. This shouldn’t even be
something we are talking about, but it now needs to be. Join me in asking for
this man to resign or be fired for these comments. It is beyond absurd he will
be rejoining the network when his suspension ends.
Richard Bradshaw is
available to follow on Twitter @RichieBradz36. Thank you for the read.
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