In CBCSports.ca's Week 5 chatter, our guys revisit the debate over Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III, whether the Packers are a playoff team and the futures of QBs Michael Vick and Matt Cassel.
In CBCSports.ca's Week 5 chatter, our guys revisit the debate over Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III, whether the Packers are a playoff team and the futures of QBs Michael Vick and Matt Cassel.Follow our panelists on Twitter: @tcare66 @JesseCampigotto @JasonD79.
Indianapolis Colts rookie QB Andrew Luck led a comeback victory over the Green Bay Packers. It was the second, fourth-quarter rally Luck has engineered in four games. Has the rookie exceeded your expectations?
Tony Care: Slightly. My one concern was that WR Reggie Wayne would be Luck's only real weapon. I didn't think Wayne would still be able to put up eye-popping numbers with defences spending the majority of the time focusing on him. Aside from that, I'm not surprised with Luck's performance to this point. The winning drive against Green Bay was special. The rookie has it all and in due time he'll develop into the best QBs in football.
Jesse Campigotto: Actually, reality has moved closer toward my expectations for the Luck-RG3 "rivalry." My pre-season take was that, while Griffin is probably the more dazzling athlete and could turn heads, Luck has a better chance to have the better rookie season because Griffin's playing style makes him more injury prone. Sure enough, in Week 5, Luck, the "classic" pocket passer, leads his team to a big upset win over Green Bay, while Griffin takes a shot to the head and has to leave the game with a concussion.
Jason Davidson: Full credit to Andrew Luck. Indy was brave to part ways with longtime QB Peyton Manning after all those years but this is the right decision for the long term. Sure, Luck's completion percentage wasn't out of this world (31/55) but he threw for big time yards (362) and twice found receivers for big scores when they were especially needed. Luck certainly exceeded my expectations in this unbelievable comeback against the Pack. Grace under pressure to say the least. And nice to see them get a win for Chuck Pagano.
At the other end, the Packers are now 2-3 and are already two games back of the Vikings and Bears in the NFC North. Will the Packers be a playoff team?
Tony Care: The Packers were able to off-set a porous defence last season with an offensive juggernaut that couldn't be stopped in the regular season. Now with injuries mounting on offence, and a defence that remains awful, the Packers are in big trouble. Another discouraging sight on Sunday was that Green Bay could only muster one touchdown in the second half against Indy after building a 21-3 lead. It's too early to count out them out, but how are the Packers going to contend if QB Aaron Rodgers doesn't get his troops on track in a hurry?
Jesse Campigotto: It's too early to count out a team this talented (and don't forget the Pack should actually be 3-2 right now if not for one of the most infamous officiating blunders in history that night in Seattle. But Green Bay has problems, particularly on the offensive line. Aaron Rodgers has been sacked on 9.95 per cent of his drop backs: only Kevin Kolb and the Swiss cheese Arizona line (10.63 per cent) have been victimized more often. It doesn't matter how great your QB is if you don't allow him any time to throw.
Jason Davidson: If they come up one win short of a playoff spot at season's end, we'll all point to the officiating debacle in Seattle. But the Pack blew it on their own in Indy. They couldn't make the big plays to put the game away. The continuing groin issues star receiver Greg Jennings is having has to be of tremendous concern. Aaron Rodgers will be without his favourite target for another week or two, perhaps more. The loss of running back Cedric Benson until at least early December due to a foot injury certainly doesn't help either. Green Bay has one more game against Chicago and two against Minnesota. Three must wins and by no means an easy task.
Philadelphia quarterback Michael Vick's two lost fumbles were largely responsible for the Eagles dropping a tough game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. In five games Vick has only played one mistake-free contest. Can the Eagles continue to trust Vick?
Tony Care: They don't have a choice. Head coach Andy Reid can talk all he wants about evaluating Vick - a not-so-subtle hint that he may go with backup Nick Foles. However, Reid could be on his way out if the Eagles miss the playoffs and I can't see him going with a rookie while Philadelphia is in the hunt for a division title. Vick threw six interceptions in his first two games, but has gone three straight contests without tossing another pick. The Eagles just have to hope Vick, who has lost five fumbles to this point, can do the same with his ball security.
Jesse Campigotto: He could never be trusted. Aside from his magical 2010 season, Vick has struggled to take care of the ball and throw for accuracy for more or less his entire career. This year he's taken it to new levels, though: six picks and eight fumbles (five lost) in just five games? Vick is a turnover machine. And his 58.4 per cent completion rate just doesn't cut it in today's NFL, when QBs are more accurate than ever, especially not from a guy playing the short-pass West Coast style favored by Andy Reid.
Jason Davidson: Considering that Nick Foles and Trent Edwards are the second and third stringers, Vick is the guy and that's where the Eagles have to put their trust under centre. He still completed two thirds of his passes and was the arm behind both of their majors. Unfortunately, those arms also played a part in coughing up the ball on two separate occasions. Still, Philly's defence twice allowed the Steelers to convert on third down on that final drive, which eventually led to Shaun Suisham's game-winning 34-yard field goal. Vick makes mistakes but he can exonerate himself with big plays too.
Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel was cheered by some fans when he left the field against the Baltimore Ravens with what was later diagnosed as a concussion. Let's bypass the poor taste shown by those fans and discuss Cassel. Since coming over in a trade to K.C. in 2009, Cassel has a dismal 19-24 record. How much longer can the Chiefs go with Cassel before cutting bait?
Tony Care: I said this the day the Chiefs got him from New England and gave him that outrageous contract: Matt Cassel owes his wealth to Randy Moss and Wes Welker. Cassel has done nothing to prove he's a starting quarterback in the NFL. More importantly, GM Scott Pioli finds himself in hot water. It was Pioli who brought Cassel over to Kansas City, and with another potential lost season well under way, both Pioli and Cassel may be finding work elsewhere next year.
Jesse Campigotto: My favourite under-used stat for analyzing QBs is passing yards per attempt. It ain't perfect (Cam Newton and Robert Griffin currently lead the league, in part because they run more and have attempted fewer throws than most other top QBs) but it gives you a pretty good idea of who the best passers are. Matt Cassell ranks ahead of only five other QBs this season: Russell Wilson, Brandon Weeden, Mark Sanchez, Matt Hasselbeck and Blaine Gabbert. Two of those guys are rookies, another is a washed-up veteran who's started one game, and the other two are Mark Sanchez and Blaine Gabbert. Bad company. Plus, Cassell is tied with Weeden for the league "lead" in interceptions with nine, and tied for second in fumbles with five. Hats off once again to Bill Belichick for going 11-5 with this guys at the helm for effectively the entire season in 2008.
Jason Davidson: For starters, we'll have to see how Cassel is feeling as the week progresses. Kansas City has a 1-4 record with a road date against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before a bye week, so this is the time to give backup Brady Quinn a start. Quinn completed three of three passes for an average of 10.7 yards on Sunday, which lead the Chiefs to a field goal. That has to speak some sort of volumes, especially against a Ravens defence. Decent for someone who didn't even take a snap during his two seasons with the Denver Broncos in 2010 and 2011
Back to accessibility linksAnda sedang membaca artikel tentang
NFL Roundtable: Week 5 recap
Dengan url
http://sportiflover.blogspot.com/2012/10/nfl-roundtable-week-5-recap.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
NFL Roundtable: Week 5 recap
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar