Tales of The Week – 2018 NFL Season Week 13 Edition

By:Tyrone Montgomery Jr.

Headline Photo Credit: USA Today Sports

Mike McCarthy Packing it up

There was a firing over the weekend in Green Bay. These things happen all the time, especially in the NFL. It’s an unfortunate situation, especially when it may not necessarily be the coach’s fault that the team may be struggling. Mike McCarthy was relieved of his Head Coaching duties after leading the Packers to a 4-7-1 Record this season. In response, top assistance coach Winston Moss was fired too after a tweet he sent “Ponder this… what Championship teams have are great leadership! Period! It’s not the offensive guru trend, it’s not the safe trend. Find somebody that is going to hold #12 and everybody in this building to a #LombardiStandard! Period! #losingsucks!” It’s been said, we win as a team, and we lose as a team. The NFL is supposed to be the ultimate team sport. However, it has the tendency to be the business of pointing fingers and crossing toes. Let’s look at the facts. Mike McCarthy is 1 of 3 Green Bay Packers Coaches to win a Super Bowl. McCarthy led them to a Super Bowl 45 Victory in 2010 in a 31-25 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. McCarthy also has the 2^ndmost wins in franchise history (125 Wins), trailing only the great Curly Lambeau (209).

Now let’s shift the attention to the Management. Green Bay is the only team in the league without an owner. These types of situations causes dysfunction and confusion as to which direction they should head in next. That may be why McCarthy loss his job actually. Life is all about making tough decisions. Should I go to college or maybe just a short trade school? Should I buy the 5 Bedroom House or should I just stick to the Loft Apartment? The Packers Management had everything going for them. A good company, good employees, and now forced to choose between 2 people to run the company. And that leads us to The NFL’s Golden Boy, Aaron Rodgers. It’s been said that Aaron isn’t exactly the easiest player to play alongside with but it’s doable. Does he rub some people the wrong way and maybe wear them out. Sometimes, Yes! But is he a QB you trust under center and would much rather have than most other QB’s in the league? Oh, most definitely! This is the beginning of the end for The Packers. They chose the wrong guy. It’s time to restart, you got to rebuild and that ends with Aaron Rodgers. At age 35, he still has tremendous trade value. The only problem here is the contract he’s under that made him the richest QB in NFL History. That’s a management problem. That’s where that void in ownership hurts.

NFL Owners think long-term and look down the road. If one was in place in Green Bay, he would have never gotten that contract. And now, they can’t even afford to bring in any talent around Aaron Rodgers to help him out a bit. Things are only going to get worst for this team and it won’t end well for Rodger, unless he gets a fresh new start elsewhere.

Notable Coaches Who May Get Fired Next

1. Jay Gruden – Washington Redskins
2. Jon Gruden – Vegas Raiders
3. Todd Bowles – New York Jets
4. Ron Rivera – Carolina Panthers
5. Marvin Lewis – Cincinnati Bengals

Houston, We DO NOT Have A Problem!

Winners of their last 9, The Houston Texans look to be the team to beat in the AFC. The juggernaut of the AFC has always been Tom Brady and The New England Patriots. But The Texans may be the only team that can beat them and here’s why…

1.     A Strong Running Game

To beat the Patriots, you have to keep the ball out of Tom Brady’s hands. The running game in Houston will surely control the time of possession. Not just by the running backs, but by QB Deshaun Watson too. The Texans rank 3^rd in Rushing Yards/Game

2.     A Great Defense

This team is one of the best defensive teams in the league and it’s only going to get better. No one can run on them as they rank in the Top 5 in rushing defense and they seem to get stops in the passing game too right when they need them. 

 3.     Deshaun Watson Making Magic Happen

This kid may be the Comeback Player of the Year this season. He was impressive last season. After a torn ACL last season, it seems as if Watson hasn’t missed a beat and is picking up exactly where he left off from last season. I’m not saying he’s better than Brady, but Watson currently has more TD’s than Brady. 

The Texans are rolling. But let’s face it; it’s not going to be easy to get past the Patriots. The Texans do however; have the best chance to do so due to process of elimination. Kansas City couldn’t stop an arena league team defensively if they wanted to. The Chargers fold under pressure and you just don’t know what to expect from Pittsburgh. It’s going to be a fun race to the Super Bowl in the AFC.