NFLRT 9/13/2024

The questions and discussion… 

1) Week 1 couldn’t have been much worse for the QB Deshaun Watson and the Cleveland Browns as they got creamed by the Dallas Cowboys 33-17 in a game that was much more lopsided than the score indicated due to the fact that the Browns scored a 2-yard rushing touchdown against the Cowboys backups with 29 seconds left ion the game.

Watson was at the center of the Browns woes as he went 24 for 45 threw for just for 169 yards, with one touchdown (that came with the game with Dallas leading 27-3 and just 6:18 left than in the 3^rd quarter or essentially what could be called garbage time) and two interceptions while being sacked six times. 

That is an abysmal performance for a quarterback who held the record for the most guaranteed money in a contract ($230,000,000) in league history until Sunday morning ((9/8) when the Cowboys re-signed three-time Pro Bowler Dak Prescott to a four-year, $240 million contract with $231 million guaranteed. In fact, according to ESPN.com Watson has been one of the league’s worst quarterbacks since the Browns traded for him and re-signed him to his five-year fully guaranteed deal in March 2022. 

With that in mind, is Cleveland’s decision to acquire him and then re-sign him to a 5 year extension, with a $44,965,000 signing bonus, and all $230 million guaranteed the worst transaction in NFL history? Why or why not?

Ever since Deshaun Watson was acquired by the Cleveland Browns, they’ve had nothing but poor luck with him. Not only was he suspended for half a season after over 20 lawsuits were brought against him for sexual misconduct during massage sessions, he hasn’t been able to redeem himself and rebound from his great success in Houston.

Last season, he dealt with injuries and only played half of a season, and saw his job get surpassed by Joe Flacco bringing Cleveland to the playoffs, where they ultimately got blown out by the Texans in the first-round of the playoffs. He posted comparable numbers both seasons, with 14 touchdowns combined (seven each year) and nine interceptions. This year, he started off incredibly poorly. He looked awful. Decision-making was extremely questionable. He couldn’t move the ball. The offense was stale all-around. This is, without a question in my mind, one of the worst contracts in NFL history.

Why I put it as number one? Because of the incredible, record-breaking amount of guaranteed money given to him. This is going to handicap the Browns in what they can spend to support their defense. They need to move on after this season and bite the bullet. 

Personally I have never been able to fully understand why the Browns traded for Watson to begin with. I understand Watson earned three consecutive Pro Bowl selections from 2018-2020 with the Houston Texans, and he played like a top-five quarterback in 2020 when he threw for a league-leading 4,823 passing yards, had the third-best touchdown to interception ratio (33-7) and the second-best passer rating (112.4) in the NFL behind only Aaron Rodgers the 2020 NFL MVP.  

But he was being sued by 25 women on allegations from sexual harassment to sexual assault  and combined with other issues, including a trad demand, wound up not playing the entire 2021 season with the Houston Texans. And whichever team traded for him knew that due to those “sexual allegations” Watson was destined to be suspended by the NFL for a significant amount of games if not possibly seasons.

It wound up being for 11 games. But after he returned to action he ultimately wound up getting injured that led to season-ending surgery in 2023.

Cleveland sent six draft picks, including three first-rounders, Houston’s way in exchange for Watson and across two seasons… from 2022-2023… Watson has ranked 35th or worse in completion percentage, yards per attempt and passer rating among 45 qualified quarterbacks.  

That’s not a good return for what it cost to get him… not by any stretch of the imagination.

And oh yeah, adding injury to insult… the Texans used all that draft capital in pone fashion or another to build a potential powerhouse around wunderkind QB C.J. Stroud. Ouch!

Now…

Among  the worst trades ever enacted in the NFL I have to believe…

(1) The Vikings giving the Cowboys three first-rounders, three second-round picks and third and a sixth for Hershel Walker which led to the Cowboys building their own powerhouse and becoming a Super Bowl winning team. In two seasons Walker played 42 games in Minnesota, rushing for 2,264 yards and 20 touchdowns before they dumped him off to the Eagles. Minnesota went 14-18 while Walker was with the team.

And…

(2)The Broncos giving the Seahawks a 2022 first-round pick, a 2022 second-round pick, a 2022 fifth-round pick, a 2023 first-round pick, a 2023 second-round pick, plus tight end Noah Fant, defensive lineman Shelby and QB Drew Locke for Russel Wilson and his onerous contract and a 2022 fourth-round pick.

Until possibly now…

And why is this deal with Watson potentially the worst deal ever?

Simply because after all is said and done the Browns went out and handed Watson an unprecedented fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract… the largest deal ever handed out in the NFL, that is until just recently due to Jerry Jones giving Dak Prescott a bigger one.

And it’s not just the money… it’s the cap hit they would take… google it you’ll be amazed… if they try and cut him before his guaranteed contract expires.

And now to make matters even worse… there is a new sexual allegation claim being made against Watson and its possible he will wind up being handed another suspension. Of  course being forced by the NFL in not having Watson available might be a benefit and not a punishment a this point for the Browns.  

2) During the 2023 season the Carolina Panthers were the worst team in the NFL going 2-15 while being outscored 416-236 with the -180 point differential the second worst in the league.

In Week 1 of the new season under new HC Dave Canales started off on the wrong foot as the Panthers were crushed by the New Orleans Saints (which itself is not exactly the cream of the NFL) 47-10 and were at one point trailing 30-0 in the first half before even scoring a point. QB Bryce Young had an abysmal game (again) as he threw an interception on his first pass of the game and overall went 13 of 30 for 161 yards with two interceptions and a 32.8 passer rating. 

Is Carolina destined to be the worst team in the NFL again? Why or why not?

And is Young essentially playing out this season for his job as the so-called franchise QB for the Panthers? Why or why not?

Carolina is a disaster.

Their offense can’t move the ball. Bryce Young clearly isn’t the answer at quarterback. There were jokes made on X that were saying Tepper was on the phone, looking for interim head coaches. The defense in Week 1 allowed Derek Carr to look like an MVP, and the Saints were able to dominate without getting the ball consistently to their top wide receiver (Chris Olave), who had two targets, 11 yards, including one catch of 17 yards.

The Panthers are on their path to another top overall draft pick this season. They also got rid of their best defensive player, to the Giants, in Brian Burns. This team better be already on a lot of trips to colleges to scout for the 2025 NFL Draft.

Bryce Young, while I think it’s still early, is going to be playing to ensure the Panthers don’t try and replace him already. He hasn’t shown any promise. Week 1 was a terrible precedent to set for the season and that needs to change immediately. They need to turn it around, or Canales & Young will be looking for better employment situations after this season. 

After what the Panthers showed in Week 1 by getting their butts whooped and losing to the Derek Carr led Saints by a score of 47-10 and their supposed franchise QB Bryce Young going an abysmal 13 for 30 for 161 yards and 2 INTs…

This is going to be a very long NFL season for any Panthers’ fans out there without any relief in sight now or in the near future.

3) And speaking of teams that had a bad start to the 2024 season…

The New York Giants were embarrassed by the Minnesota Viking 28-6 failing to score a TD with QB Daniel Jones having another terrible performance as 22-42 for 186 yards, two interceptions (including a pick-six) and averaged just 3.5 yards per pass attempt. In addition the offensive line allowed five sacks and 12 quarterback hits. In short, the Giants 2024 season is already starting to look a lot like last season which was marked by poor QB performances that were made worse due to a porous offensive line. 

What is your over/under for the Giants’ wins this season? Why?

And is HC Brian Daboll already at the top of the list for which NFL head coach will be the first to be fired in the 2024 season? Why or why not?

The Giants, and Daniel Jones, both looked terrible against the Vikings. The defense allowed Sam Darnold to carve them apart for the entire first half of the game. The Giants have an over/under on the season, after watching the first game, of 5.5. I don’t picture them being able to survive in the NFC East with the Eagles and Cowboys as division foes, let alone even beat the Commanders with their new quarterback in Jayden Daniels. The Giants had to come out this week and confirm that Daniel Jones is their starting quarterback for their Week 2 match-up against the Commanders. Brian Daboll is definitely on the hot seat. I think it even accentuated the exposure for the franchise with the off-season edition of Hard Knocks. Daboll needs to turn this around. They were given a break last season with Daniel Jones missing the second half with an injury. With the offense coming back and looking just the same as last year, they’re going to be looking for changes. And it’ll start with the quarterback position. Next is head coach. 

As Daniel Jones goes for the Giants so will go Brian Daboll’s future as the Giants’ head coach.

I don’t expect much from Jones or the Giants as a team this season and as a result I expect Daboll to be fired during the 2024/25 season. Possibly by the season’s midpoint if not sooner.

I also expect Jones to be benched multiple times as the Giants try everything nthey can to jumpstart a dismal year.

Then in the off-season Jones will be a gone guy from the Giants roster.

4) The Pittsburgh Steelers were forced to start back-up QB Justin Fields on short notice to a game day decision not to start Russell Wilson due to a lower leg injury. While Fields wasn’t flashy he did get the job done well enough to set up Chris Boswell to kick six field goals (including three that came from beyond 50 yards) tying the franchise’s record for made FGs in a single game.

Is Wilson’s job as the Steeler’s QB1 in jeopardy? Or is this just a bump in the road for Wilson (and the Steelers) and once he is fully healed from his injury he will be reinserted as the Steelers starter at QB? Why or why not?

I think Russell Wilson’s job was in jeopardy as soon as Justin Fields was acquired.

Wilson is older. He’s coming off of poor showings in Denver after getting traded from Seattle. He’s playing for, ultimately, nothing after Denver agreed to mortgage their cap space to get rid of him at quarterback.

Fields is young and finishing up his rookie contract. The Steelers got a win out of him. Fields was 17-of-23 passing for 156 yards, including 57 rushing yards. While he took two sacks, he didn’t turn the ball over. And that was key. They can grow him. He looked more composed in the pocket than he did when he was with Chicago. I think Pittsburgh is going to develop Fields and leave him as the starter, unless there’s an injury.

Wilson won’t start as long as Fields continues to win. The injury just sealed his fate as back-up quarterback. And if Wilson raises too many problems or complaints, as it was written that he was not happy being a back-up, they’ll cut him mid-season to get negativity out of their locker room. 

The way I see this shaking out is that as long as Wilson is not playing and as long as Fields is playing, and playing well and pretty much mistake free, and winning games for the Steelers…

Then without a doubt…

Wilson’s job as the Steelers starting QB is in dire straits and deep jeopardy.

5) Jordan Love sustained a sprained MCL in his left knee with 6 seconds left in the Green Bay  Packers 34-29 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. While the Packers do not plan to put Love on injured reserve, the current recovery time for Love’s injury is being cited as being between three to four weeks.

Malik Willis is the Packers current backup QB and HC Matt LaFleur said, “… if Jordan’s not cleared, then we’ll start Malik…”

Can the Packers survive Love missing the next three or four games in their schedule and still be a playoff team? Why or why not?   

What if Love’s recovery time becomes longer… does that change anything? Can the Packers still survive and make the playoffs? Why or why not? 

The Packers caught an enormous break by Jordan Love only spraining his MCL and being out roughly three-to-six weeks. And with Matt LaFleur saying that he has a chance to play this week already, shows how minor the injury is. They avoided putting him on injured reserve.

So the best estimate is three weeks missed. And that will only put us at Week 5. Still 13 weeks of the season left to play and a lot of time. If the Packers go 0-5, yet win the final 13 games, they can win their division and still get a top seed in the conference. So no, it’s way too early to write them off already.

The Colts are going to be a tough test. Then they have the Titans, who coughed away a game in Week 1 to an offense that looked like they were still in practice mode. Next up is Minnesota, followed by the Rams. In Week 6, when Jordan Love is probably going to be officially back, they face the Cardinals. Unless Kyler Murray actually utilizes Marvin Harrison Jr, that shouldn’t be too big of a concern. Their real test comes in Week 7 against Houston, at home.

If Love is forced to miss an extended period, or the Packers are forced to put him on injured reserve, then the playoffs become a problem and a lot harder. But there are a lot of spaces to enter the playoffs. There’s a lot of room for error in the beginning of the season. They redeemed themselves at the end of the season, snuck into the playoffs as a seven seed, and dominated the Cowboys. It’s not time to panic Packer fans. There’s a lot of season left. And Jordan Love should be back quicker than what’s initially estimated, ready to rock-and-roll.   

It still really early in the NFL season and as noted in Dan’s answer the Packers caught a ginormous bit of luck break when news came out that Love only sprained his MCL and could possibly be back playing within weeks.

If the Packers can kinda, sorta tread water and win some games here and there while Love is out ,then by the time he returns the team could not only be in contention for a Wild Card slot for the playoffs they  very well could still have a shot at winning the NFC North outright.

If however Love is out for any longer than the earliest estimates… I won’t say the Packers season will be toast but in my opinion it will be hard to see them making the playoffs with Love not playing as the team’s starting QB.