Hot Takes: NFL Week Seven

Fresh from the week seven oven, get them HOT TAKES.

1. And Still…..

Three of the five undefeated teams were on a bye this week, but the other two handled business and kept their 0 intact.

The Patriots survived a tough test against the Jets thanks to Rob Gronkowski being Rob Gronkowski and a strong run defense. Tom Brady threw the ball 54 times, which doesn’t seem ideal when you consider who the Jets have at corner, but then you remember that Tom Brady is the Lord (according to some people) and a lot of those passes were quick and short passes designed so Brady doesn’t take a hit and you figure that 54 passes sounds about right. 

The Jets were in the game until the end and actually had a shot at a hail mary after recovering an onside kick, but screwed it up by not getting aligned when they spiked the ball. 

Now, New England faces a Miami team that has looked real good in their last two games on a short week. The game is in New England and home teams rarely seem to lose the Thursday night game, but the Dolphins will definitely be fired up and ready to get after Brady if he drops back 54 times again. 

In the Sunday night game, my Panthers also stayed undefeated with a victory over the Eagles. Cam Newton had three interceptions, although two weren’t his fault, but the defense proved why they’re one of the best in the league, holding the Eagles to only 16 points. 

I still think the Panthers lack of a #1 receiver is going to cost them later in the season, but Jonathan Stewart runs hard on every play and Cam is always a threat to make a play. Then there’s the defense, which has been great in every game, especially since Luke Kuechly’s return last week. With Kuechly and Davis cleaning up the run game and Josh Norman taking away part of the passing field, teams are gonna have a tough time moving the ball against this defense. 

The Panthers remain at home and in primetime this week as they take on an Indianapolis Colts team that can’t figure out what they’re doing. 

2. Dallas is a Mess

A lot of people questioned Jerry Jones when he brought in Greg Hardy, a man was accused of domestic violence and spent last year on the Commissioner’s List, which is the anthesis of the Dean’s List. He was also suspended for the first four games of this season and spent that time making rap videos and showing no remorse for his actions. 

On the field, he’s a very talented pass rusher and often times commands a double team, but his off the field issues seemed too big to ignore. Yet, Jones ignored them. 

Well, Hardy showed his temperament on Sunday when he was about to fight everyone on the team, including coaches and star receiver Dez Bryant. Hardy’s anger was mostly aimed at the special teams, who gave up a 100-yard kick off return for a touchdown, but it’s not his place to go off like that. That’s the job of the coaches. Hardy just looked like a child throwing a tantrum. 

Jones and head coach Jason Garrett were quick to defuse the situation and even said that they, “love the passion,” but that right there is the problem with the Cowboys. Hardy wasn’t showing passion. He was showing attitude and trying to one-up the players and coaches. There should be no place for that on a football team. Tom Brady shows passion when he’s yelling and headbutting guys, but that’s usually after something goes right. You don’t see Brady, or any other player in the league, yelling at guys on the other side of the ball for screwing up. That’s on the coaches and the leaders on that side of the ball. And last I checked, Hardy isn’t a defensive captain. 

No player should try and show up his team and coaches, especially a guy who is already on thin ice with the league. Hardy’s past can’t be ignored here. He’s a domestic abuser who has no remorse for his actions or the consequences and seems completely oblivious to concerns. 

The fact that Jones and Garrett don’t see an issue with this just shows how out of touch they are with the league, their team, and society. This probably flew in the 90’s when the Cowboys were winning titles and rebelling against society was cool, but this isn’t the 90’s. We’re a much more PC country nowadays and the NFL has taken a hard stance on just about everything. Jones loves this because it’s getting his team publicity and that’s more important to him than wins right now. 

3. Minnesota Vikings will make the Playoffs

The Packers will win their division, only one team from the NFC East will make it, the Panthers and Falcons will make it, and the NFC West is a two team race. Basically, there’s one wild card spot up for grabs between two teams: the Vikings and the Seahawks/Cardinals. 

I like the Vikings over those two. The Seahawks are a mess right now and I’m not sure they can do anything to fix that offensive line and the Cardinals are one Carson Palmer injury away from being average. The Vikings are in great shape thanks to a fantastic defense, a steady Teddy, and Adrain Peterson. The Vikings control their own destiny a bit as they play both the Seahawks and Cardinals later in the year. Plus, they have two games remaining against the Bears, both of which should be wins. 

4. The Next Coach to be Fired

The Miami Dolphins fired Joe Philbin and are now 2-0 and outscoring opponents by like 50 points.

So, who’s next?

It’s clearly Chuck Pagano. Management showed no faith in him during the offseason when they didn’t sign him to an extension and then went out and acquired pieces on the wrong side of the ball. Pagano doesn’t have a whole lot to work with, especially defensively, and if Andrew Luck stopped turning the ball over they’d be a lot better, but Pagano has made his fair share of questionable decisions this year and is coaching like he knows he’s about to be fired. 

Again, I don’t put full blame on Pagano. He’s proven to be a solid NFL head coach, but it’s not like they’re going to trade Luck and there’s not much they can do to improve the team during the season. 

The only man who might challenge Pagano as the next coach to be fired is Jim Caldwell, who continues to look lifeless on the sideline as he watches Matthew Stafford get killed every time he drops back. The Lions just fired their offensive coordinator, which means bigger changes might be in store if the team continues to lose. Caldwell has never been a very good head coach, mainly benefitting from Peyton Manning, and should be out the door by the end of the season. 

5. BRING STEVE SMITH HOME

This is taking the fifth spot every week until Smith gets traded or the deadline passes. 

The Ravens lost again. They suck. They aren’t making the playoffs. The great Steve Smith should not rot away on a terrible team in the final season of his career. He should be playing for a contender. He should be playing for the Panthers.

Everyone agrees with me. Except idiots who think he should go to Green Bay. Why? The Packers have the second rated passing offense in the league. Aaron Rodgers might not be throwing for 300 yards every game, but he’s methodically picking apart defenses and not turning the ball over. Plus, why should Smith have to learn a new offense and quarterback in his last year? Don’t do that to the man. 

He already knows Cam Newton and Mike Shula’s offense in Carolina. He already has an adoring fanbase in Carolina. He still has a house in Charlotte. He has charities in Charlotte. No other team makes sense for Smith except for Carolina. 

Do the right thing, Baltimore. #FreeSteveSmith #BringSmittyHome #IceUpSon

Quick Takes

*I don’t think Ryan Mallett will be out of a job for very long. There are a ton of terrible quarterbacks in the league and Mallett would be an upgrade over some of them.

*The Texans should blow it all up. Their offense is a mess and their defense, especially J.J. Watt is severely underperforming. Watt was never going to do the things that he did last year, but he’s been a non-factor in some games this season. 

*It’s actually a shame that Geno Smith didn’t get to play this season. We lost our season long “Worst QB in the League” competition between him and E.J. Manuel. 

*New rule: If you lose in Londo, you leave your coach in Londo. Sorry, Rex. 

*The Redskins win when Kirk Cousins doesn’t turn the ball over. Andy Reid should be his coach. YOU LIKE THAT!

*Come on, Tennessee.

*I’ve said it all season: Andrew Luck is not as good as people make him out to be. Don’t get me wrong, he’s really good, but people saying he’s already a top three QB behind Brady and Rodgers are mistaken. He turns the ball over way too much to be in their class. He’s still better than RG3.

*Josh McCown knew Johnny Manziel should be the starter so he purposely hurt himself by running into a wall after the play. McCown the real MVP.

*Going to be a tight OROY race between Amari Cooper and Todd Gurley. Both guys look like absolute studs right now.