Hot Takes: NFL Week Seventeen

The final HOT TAKES of the regular season are extra special this week because they’re LIVE TAKES.

Panthers Clinch Home Field

I was at Bank of America Stadium on Sunday afternoon/night to see the Panthers thump the Buccaneers by a score of 38-10. It wasn’t really a competitive game as Jameis Winston showed that he’s still a work in progress, missing on a couple of easy throws and tossing two interceptions while Cam Newton wrapped up the MVP award, throwing for two TDs and running for two more.

I know that a lot of people dislike Newton because he does too much dancing and showboating, but this guy is an absolute gift to Carolina football. He’s a complete showman, which rubs a lot of people the wrong way, but as a pro wrestling fan, it’s pretty hard for me to dislike a guy who knows how to play to the crowd. In his first couple of years, when he did nothing but sulk, he was criticized for never being happy. Now he’s always happy and people think it’s too much. When Cam is on the field, he’s having fun, and I envy that about him. It’s rare that people actually enjoy their jobs. I hate my job and I’m willing to bet that 90% of America hates their job. Cam has an extremely difficult and demanding job, mind you he gets paid really well, but he has fun doing it. 300 pound men are trying to hit him and drag him to the ground, he gets ridiculed by fans and media over mistakes, and far too many people invest way more than they should on every play he makes. Yet he’s still having fun.

Fans and media want players to “act like they’ve been there before” when they score a touchdown or win a game. Why? The NFL is entertainment for fans, so let the players be entertainers every once in a while. 

Random Panthers/Bucs Thoughts

*Some people are questioning why Ron Rivera played the starters for most of the game even though the team was comfortably ahead and the Seahawks were handling the Cardinals, who pulled their starters in the third quarter. My guess is that Rivera wanted the team to finish strong. The Panthers have allowed opponents back in the game too often during the season, and with a bye-week coming up, he wanted to make sure the Bucs were going to make a last-quarter comeback. Yes, he risked guys getting injured, and it turns out Charles Tillman completely tore his partially torn ACL, but I understand where he was coming from in playing the starters into the fourth quarter even if the game had been decided after three.

*Philly Brown decided to be Ted Ginn on Sunday, dropping a couple of big passes that luckily didn’t come back to haunt the team.

*Devin Funchess and Kelvin Benjamin are going to be real fun to watch together next season.

*Say what you will about Cam’s dancing, the dude can flat out play football. That throw to Jericho Cotchery was elite.

*Panthers fan were disappointed that 16-0 didn’t happen, but at least we now know that the only reason they lost was due to Christmas and the birth of Cam’s child. Still undefeated on non-birthweeks.

Random Week 17 NFL Thoughts

*How likely is it that the Packers didn’t try all that hard to beat the Vikings on Sunday night? Beating the Redskins certainly sounds a whole lot easier than beating the Vikings three times in one season and on back-to-back weeks.

*The Broncos are winning the Super Bowl. It’s almost a little too perfect. Manning gets benched, Osweiler beats the Patriots and the Broncos look to be his team, Osweiler struggles in a must win game, MANNING RETURNS AND LEADS THEM TO A SUPER BOWL VICTORY, Manning retires. We’ll forget the whole HGH thing.

*Rex Ryan crushes the Jets Super Bowl hopes again.

*Who feels worse about their playoff hopes this weekend: Steve Cook or Dustin James? My guess is Cook. The Bengals are at home, but they’re either going with A.J. McCarron or a banged up Andy Dalton against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Dustin’s Chiefs are on the road, but they’re playing a pretty weak Texans team. Since I don’t have a rooting interest in the AFC or any rooting interest this weekend, I’ll be rooting for my buddies to be happy drunk and not depressed drunk.

*Good job by the Colts to keep Chuck Pagano. I don’t think the relationship is going to last, but stability is the key to success in the NFL.

*Now the Cleveland Browns, that’s an unstable situation. Another coach fired, another quarterback gone. At least we can all prepare ourselves for JOHNNY FOOTBALL IN JERRYS WORLD!

*The Rams beat the Seahawks one week and lose to the 49ers the next. I don’t think anyone will ever figure out what’s going on with that team.

*Giants ownership was harder on Coughlin than Coughlin ever was on his players. Not say it wasn't undeserved, just ironic.