Hot Takes: NFL Week Fifteen

Welcome to the fifteenth week of HOT TAKES! Before I begin, I must let you know that I, like Odell Beckham Jr., am not who I pretend to be. Every week I deliver HOT TAKES on the games that were just played, but the truth is, I don’t watch any of them. I’ve watched maybe a total of 10 minutes non-Panther football during the season. I can no longer keep up this lie. From here on out, if you want some REAL hot takes, tune in to ESPN First Take because they just make stuff up as well. But if you want some Panthers heavy talk with a sprinkling of random thoughts from around the league, then keep reading and stay tuned every week to THE USB. 

 

Panthers Blow Lead, Still Win

It looked like the game was over when the Panthers went up 35-7 with five minutes remaining in the fourth. The Giants seemed lifeless on both ends of the ball and Carolina looked almost unstoppable. Then, Odell Beckham Jr. took matters into his own hands/helmet. After launching himself helmet first into the head of Josh Norman, the game changed. The Panthers stopped playing, likely feeling that it wasn’t worth it if Beckham was going to be allowed to take cheap shots with the only repercussion being a flag. The Giants took advantage of this lapse, putting up 28 straight points, including a game-tying touchdown by Beckham over Norman to tie the game. Fortunately for the Panthers, Cam Newton might actually be Superman this season. A led a calm two-minute drill to set-up Graham Gano for the game-winning field goal. It was much tougher than it needed to be, a theme for the Panthers this year, but at the end of the day they’re 14-0.

Beckham Nonsense

Josh Norman gets under the skin of just about every receiver he’s lined up against. He’s a small guy, but there’s a lot of fight in him. He loves to talk and most of the time he backs it up. He’s almost like the Steve Smith of cornerbacks. Beckham wasn’t the first receiver that Norman frustrated and he won’t be the last. The difference between Beckham and every other receiver Norman has checked this year is that Beckham took it extremely personal. He wanted to make an example out of Norman and he let his personal battle get in the way of the actual game. When his team was down 35-7, he felt he had nothing to lose.

Beckham crossed the line when he speared Norman with his helmet as the play was dying. That type of hit could’ve concussed or broken the jaw of Norman, yet no action was taken. The refs didn’t eject him despite his earlier personal fouls and Tom Coughlin, who will punish players for being a minute late, didn’t pull him out of the game. I’m sure the NFL will suspend him for a game, but what good does that do the Panthers? Beckham was key in helping the Giants get back in the game when he never should’ve been on the field.

Beckham is still a great receiver, but he showed himself on Sunday. Teams are going to look for ways to frustrate him and get in his head from here on out. They won’t always succeed because Beckham isn’t going to drop a sure touchdown on the first play of every game and not every team has a Josh Norman, but you can bet that teams will do what they can to get him off his game. Hopefully he responds by putting up the numbers he’s capable of putting up. But if he responds the way he did on Sunday, then there’s no place for him in a league that preaches about player safety. 

CAMVP

Is it really close at this point? Six weeks ago everyone was comparing Cam’s numbers to the recently benched Colin Kaepernick, pointing out that there wasn’t much difference between the two except for their records. Since Kap’s benching (week nine), Cam has thrown for 19 touchdowns to only one interception and rushed for another two touchdowns. Need I remind you that his top wide receiver is Ted Ginn?

Carson Palmer is putting up huge numbers in Arizona and Tom Brady is doing Tom Brady things, but Cam is doing it with his arm and his legs with by far the worst receiving core he’s ever had and a bottom 10 receiving line-up in the league. 

Other Panthers/Giants Thoughts

*Charles Johnson complained about the starters getting pulled against Atlanta saying, “What’s the point of having good pass rushers if you sit them at the beginning of the fourth?” Well, the “good pass rushers” played all game on Sunday and still managed to produce 0 sacks despite the fact that the Giants were down big most of the game and forced to throw the ball.

*For the record, I think Norman should’ve been tossed from the game as well. He did his part in instigating things with Beckham, and while he didn’t cross the line that Beckham crossed, the game would’ve been better off with both of them gone.

*ESPN trying to make a big deal out of the Panthers having a bat during the pre-game is hilarious. This is something they’ve done all season. It’s a symbol, not unlike a team having a battle axe or a championship belt on the field. Did the Panthers threaten him with the bat? Who knows, but even if they did, it doesn’t excuse what Beckham did on the field. It’s not like Norman or any other Panthers player could use the bat during the game. If Beckham was legitimately scared because the Panthers had a bat then that’s his own insecurity. After what he did to Norman, he’s lucky they didn’t use the bat on him.

*Ted Ginn is who is he. He can turn a 2-yard screen into a 20-yard touchdown and he can drop passes that hit him right in the hands or chest. Panthers fans have learned to accept it and live with it because he’s the best option we have at receiver. The biggest compliment I can pay him is that he doesn’t let the drops bother him. Part of that is Cam going right back to him after a drop, but it’s also a mentality that he has.

*I liked what I saw from Cameron Artis-Payne. He makes a few too many cuts, but he runs hard and has speed. I put equal blame on Payne and Newton for the Panthers lone fumble. Newton can hold onto the ball a little too long on the zone reads and Payne, unlike Stewart, isn’t used to it. I also put some blame on Mike Shula for even trying a zone read at that point in the game. Either run it and kill some clock or keep the ball in the hands of Newton and trust he’ll make the right throw. Even though the zone read worked well during the game, it just wasn’t the time for it, especially with Payne in.

*The refs deserve blame for letting the Beckham/Norman situation get out of hand. Flags should’ve been thrown long before they were and ejections should’ve happened. I’m also putting blame on Tom Coughlin, who actually stood by Beckham after the fact. I get it, the guy is, at worst, the second best player on the team, but you can’t preach discipline and then not punish the guy who is making undisciplined play after undisciplined play, including the helmet-to-helmet hit. Rivera could’ve pulled Norman out of the game, and he said he would’ve if Beckham had been pulled, but since Coughlin didn’t pull Beckham, I don’t blame Rivera for not pulling Norman since I highly doubt Beckham would’ve taken a seat even if Norman took one first.

*David Ayers Jr. sacked Newton and then did a little dance with his team trailing 28-7. The Panthers scored a couple of plays later. Nothing is dumber than a defensive player celebrating a big play when their team is down big.

*Eli Manning crying about Josh Norman “crying” is hilarious. I’m probably bias, but I don’t see how Norman was crying. He was upset with some plays that he had every right to be upset with. It’s not like he “cried” about the Beckham TD (although he wanted a flag during the game, but to me that was just showmanship that just about every receiver/defensive back does when they feel they’re interfered with). Next time Eli takes a cheap shot to the head or knees, I don’t want to hear a word out of him. “Odell took the high road,” said Manning, obviously not watching the game.

*Jason Pierre-Paul saying that Norman moved his head and Beckham didn’t launch helmet-to-helmet intentionally proves that the fireworks may’ve cost him his vision along with his fingers.

*The Giants were better off admitting that what Beckham did was wrong and accepting the punishment. For them to try and spin things only makes him and the team look foolish. 

Random Thoughts Around The League

*Arizona scares me. They just lost Honey Badger for the year, which is a huge blow to their defense, but their offense is the best in the league. They handled a Philly team who had been playing pretty well with ease in Philly.

*I told you not worry, Cincy fans. A.J. McCarron is the real deal.

*What the hell happened to Rex Ryan and the Buffalo Bills? I don’t think Rex is a great coach, but he’s above average and is especially good with defenses. The Bills had a top five defense last year and are all the way down to #21 this year. I expect major changes to that defense in the offseason.

*Dustin James would like me to remind you that the Chiefs have won eight straight and are only a game behind the Broncos in the AFC West.

*I would like to remind you that the Chiefs are coached by Andy Reid and have Alex Smith at quarterback.

*Say hello to the Los Angeles Chargers.