“Tales of The Week” Week 9 of 2019 NFL Season (11-5-19)
By: Tyrone Montgomery Jr.
Headline Photo Credit: Darrell Owens-LMS Network
Who Needs the #1 pick the most
For the first time this season, the Dolphins aren’t the worst team in the league. Yes! They have finally won a game. They defeated the New York Jets 26-18. This was something the whole city of Miami has been waiting for. There are still plenty of games left to be played. Tanking has been known in the NBA, but tanking is becoming a regular thing for the NFL now. There are a ton of teams with just a single win this season. They include the Jets, Redskins, Falcons, and of course the Dolphins now. And then there’s the winless Cincinnati Bengals.
Everyone of coarse wants the #1 Pick, but the question is who needs it more? The New York Jets needs it the most and here’s why. Outside of Sam Darnold and Leveon Bell, it’s pretty hard to name other offensive players on that team. If you ask Darnold, it’s Bell and a bunch of ghost on that team. So yes, the Jets need this more than anything.
The Redskins are set. They have their future QB in Dwayne Haskins. They also provided him weapons in rookie RB Derrius Guice and WR Terry McLaurin. The Falcons just need to fire their head coach and entire coaching staff and they should be fine. It appears Dan Quinn has lost the locker room and this is the beginning of the end for him. The Dolphins have a lot of talent on the roster on both sides of the ball. Chemistry has been an issue for them. They just need time. The blowout losses set the tone for them early on this season and they just haven’t been able to recover from that. They already have a ton of picks now anyway. They will be fine.
And the Bengals have plenty of trade pieces that will jumpstart their rebuild. You need a solid QB to win in this league. Andy Dalton was recently benched so you know they’re looking. They have a top 5 WR when healthy on the team in AJ Green. He needs a change of scenery. Look for him to be dealt sooner rather than later. Many teams would give up a lot just to have a weapon as good as him. The Jets desperately need this pick to get back on the map in the NFL.
Best Fits For Cam Newton
In the case of Cam Newton and the Panthers, we all see the writing on the wall here. Cam’s days as a Panther are numbered. He had a good run. He was well worth the #1 overall pick used to select him in the 2011 NFL Draft. He reminds me of Donavan McNabb. McNabb was a winner. He didn’t have the best team around him, but he found ways to get it done. Like McNabb, Cam Newton too made it to just 1 Super Bowl and loss as he had one of his best seasons. His career isn’t over just yet. McNabb played for 2 other teams after leaving the Eagles. Cam has struggled to stay healthy over the years. That may simply be due to the fact that the Panthers have asked him to do so much since he’s been there. Injuries are a part of the game. But it seems to me that his career in Carolina is over. This is Christian McCaffrey’s team now. Rookie QB Kyle Allen has been fantastic all season long as well. He will serve as Cam’s replacement. So the question is who will Cam Newton replace? There are 5 good fits for Cam, let’s review…
1. Indianapolis Colts
No Luck, No Problem. They may have their QB in Jacoby Brisett. He’s played well and have won a lot of games for them. But adding Cam Newton will take this team to a new level.
2. Chicago Bears
Mitch Trubisky may have been a mistake for this team. They have descent weapons. More weapons than Carolina ever had. Cam would immediately make them a playoff team with that defense.
3. Denver Broncos
Cam Newton would be a Black Friday Deal for the Broncos. Get him on sale while you can. He needs good management to keep him in check. The Broncos are known for good management.
4. Cincinatti Bengals
The Bengals are in the market for a new QB. They have one of the best WR in the game in AJ Green. Cam Newton never had a WR on that level in his career. They also have a good young RB in Joe Mixon.
5. Pittsburgh Steelers
Big Ben’s days are over. Mason Rudolph is okay. I’m not sure he is the next in line and Pittsburgh may have the same thoughts as I do. If Ben retires, Cam will immediately fill the role. He fits the culture. He’s strong, tough, and hard to take down. Big Ben and Cam have very similar games.
Cam Newton to the Pittsburgh Steelers is a match made in heaven. It makes all the sense in the world. The AFC would be wide open if Brady retires soon. He has good coaching along with good weapons. And outside of the Ravens, the division sucks. It will be an interesting offseason for Cam Newton.
Chiefs Staying in the Midst of Things
The Chiefs loss QB Pat Mahomes due to a knee cap injury 2 weeks ago. Mahomes was expected to miss 4-6 weeks. The team wasn’t quite the team they were last season, so Mahomes wasn’t pleased about his injury timetable at all. In fact, he was trying to play this week. He was actually going to, but doctors told him he would have a 40% chance of re-injuring the kneecap as opposed to 17% if he decides to play next week. In Mahomes’ absence, the Chiefs have split with a 1-1 record. We talked so much about how great Patrick Mahomes is. His greatness includes tons of 400+ yard games, no look passes, and even multiple 4 TD games. Mahomes is the real deal. But let’s talk and appreciate the greatness of coaching with Andy Reid. The Chiefs were able to win the game Mahomes went down vs. the Broncos 30-6 in Denver. QB Matt Moore served as his replacement.
The game they loss was to the Green Bay Packers, who many people have going to the Super Bowl this season. That game was tough and Green Bay struggled to put the Chiefs away squeezing by 31-24. This past week, the Chiefs beat a good Minnesota Vikings team and Matt Moore shined yet again. Andy Reid deserves credit here. At 6-3, The Chiefs are ready to welcome back Pat Mahomes vs. the Tennessee Titans and continue to roll behind offensive genius Andy Reid.
BEWARE
Over the weekend, the New England Patriots finally went down as they loss in Baltimore to the Ravens 37-20. The Patriots looked darn near perfect as they have not only the greatest QB of all time in Tom Brady, but they have the best defense in the league as well giving up only 8 PPG. This is a passing league, and teams are always looking to add weapons. The Patriots added one of the best WR we have ever seen in the NFL, Antonio Brown. Due to legal issues, he only played in 1 game before being released and they still seemed invulnerable. In week 9, they seemed to have encountered an ultimate test in Lamar Jackson and the Ravens, who lead the league in rushing. The Patriots bombed the test miserably. The time has come that we give the Ravens the respect they rightfully deserve. At 6-2, they are now the 2nd seed in the entire AFC. There were MVP chants in Baltimore over the weekend. Will Lamar Jackson be this year’s MVP? He definitely has proved that he is worthy of it. Coaching has a lot to do with this too. John Harbaugh has been brilliant with the play calling, making the game easy for Jackson. Jackson had a 74% passing completion and scored 3 total TD’s.
The Ravens are legit and we should be thinking Super Bowl in Baltimore. The question that now arises is this; was this game more about the Patriots or the Ravens? It has to be the Ravens. They matched up well against the best defense in the league. Not only were they comfortable, they were effective too. I’m sure on the Patriot side of things, Bill Belichick didn’t show all his cards in this game. These 2 teams are bound to meet in the playoffs. Even when Coach Belichick shows his full hand off to Lamar Jackson and the Ravens, the question is will it be enough?
