I don't think Belichick will ever be fired... at least not publicly. Kraft is loyal to the man who brought his team 6 championships in 20 years. But after conversations Bill may decide to hang it up or move into a consultant role or something. A gentle exit for a coaching legend. At this point I think he was only hanging around to try and catch Shula for most wins - but at this current rate that could be a long time.
And this may shock you - but I agree with your assessment on Purdy. Steven Ruiz is currently catching a ton of heat on-line for stubbornly still ranking Purdy in the bottom 10 in the league - but his analysis is sound. As a fan of the 49ers I don't care if Purdy is seen as one of the best QB's in the league. If he can keep playing efficient and mistake free football, with this team, that can be enough to win a super bowl.
I like Ruiz a lot. While I didn't like his analysis at first, I've come around. His QB rankings are almost exactly the same as my own. I'd have Kyler lower at 17, Stroud higher at 15, and Purdy at higher at 16, but I think he about nails it. I could see Stroud as high as 7 by the end of next season. The dude has it.
Oof... I KNEW that the early start in Cleveland without Chubb and Watson was a total trap game for the Niners. I knew it and hoped they wouldn't fall into the trap. But - with Greenlaw being a scratch before the game, and then losing Deebo on the first series, having Trent Williams get injured and then McCaffrey go down - I felt disaster looming. Purdy had by far his worst day as a pro. The weather clearly affected him - he was struggling to grip the ball and he missed SO many throws. But even with all of that - the Niners did enough to win that game. All they needed was a 40 yard field goal from their kicker. It should have worked. They should have escaped that terrible day still undefeated. And then the kicker just missed. He missed a long one earlier in the game - like 56 yarder or something, but that's long and the weather wasn't ideal... but this one was from 40 with the game on the line. That has to put through the uprights. Has to be.
At least I could take solace in the Eagles also losing - as well as the Seahawks. If the Cowboys can lose tonight to the Chargers that will be a bit of comfort too.
The Eagles looked like they were going to blow the doors off the Jets - up 14-0 I thought they were going to start piling on and instead the Jets defense came up big - got turnovers and shocked the system by handing the defending champs their first loss.
A ton of low scoring affairs this weekend all around the league. And a ton of injuries to key participants that will be interesting to watch. The eagles losing Lane Johnson hurts them - he's so good on their O-Line. It will depend on how serious the various injuries are for the 49ers to see how much trouble they'll be in. McCaffrey is the engine that makes their offense purr and if they are without him and without Deebo for any significant stretch that will be impactful. But Trent Williams might be even more important - so have to hope his foot problem isn't too bad.
Lots of injuries around the league as well - Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, Tannehill, Garropolo - rough day all around.
What the hell happened to the favorites this weekend? The Chiefs lost to one of the worst teams in football and the 49ers have strung together a number of bad performances now. Who is the favorite, anyway?
- KC - lacks weapons
- Buffalo - too many injuries
- Miami - going to have to prove it to me in the playoffs
- Jacksonville - same as Miami. They're 6-2 with a +37 point differential. I don't buy it
- SF - lost three straight
- Philly - looks a lot weaker than last season despite a 7-1 record
- Dallas - coached by Mike McCarthy
- Seattle & Detroit - lack of star power
I feel like Baltimore should be the favorite as of now, but I truly would not be surprised if any of the teams above won the Super Bowl or were blown out in Wild Card weekend.
I feel like Baltimore might really start to hit their stride now that they've had 8 games working in Monken's new offense. Lamar seems locked in, and their defense is legit.
As usual, its going to come a lot down to who's healthy down the stretch.
Yeah... so with the 49ers - I think there's a few things at work. They had their best defensive performance of the season against Dallas and I think they got a little high on their own supply, so to speak.
But, the game against Cleveland should have been a Win. They didn't play great but well enough to get a W.
The game against Minnesota could have been a win. If the defender doesn't go for the interception and instead goes for a hit - the pass at the end of the first half is at worst a completion in the middle of the field with time running out rapidly and possibly even just an incompletion. In a game decided by 5 points that gimme touchdown looms large.
With the game against Cincinnati the zone defense got shredded by Burrow. The niners aren't generating the expected pressure and teams have figured out how to exploit their zone. The Bengals moved the ball at will.
One thing that gets overlooked but the Niners played Cleveland after their bye week and Cincy after their bye week. Both of those teams had an extra week to game plan and prepare and with the Bengals game the Niners had a short week as well. It seems like a scheduling problem to put a team on short rest up against a team coming off a bye. Luckily two of the losses are to AFC teams so less harmful than they could be.
The offense very clearly misses Trent Williams. The good news is they have a bye to get Willaims and Deebo healthy. I have faith that they will get things fixed and won't keep losing and luckily the schedules are extremely tough for Dallas and Philly too. But the Niners don't catch any breaks - their next 5 games are against playoff teams from last year - most or all of which could be playoff teams against this year - Jaguars, Bucs, Seahawks, Eagles, Seahawks. They are going to have to earn it if they want to reach the post season.
My son was happy that his Panthers got their first win of the season - and beat the team who's QB people are saying they should have taken... not that either QB had a great game
The Jets won perhaps the ugliest game we'll see all year. I felt so bad for the Giants at the end - down to their 3rd QB, who they clearly didn't trust to throw the ball. Tyrod Taylor was 4/7 for 8 yards(!) before getting hurt and DeVito came in and was somehow worse... 2/7 for -1 yard. NEGATIVE ONE. They had 7 total passing yards for the game. And the Jets still needed a last minute field goal to win because their offense is equally terrible. Zach Wilson was their leading rusher with 24 yards. Hall had 17 yards on 12 carries. I'm not positive, but I'm pretty sure averaging less than 1.5 yards per carry on double digit carries is a problem. At least my nephew plays defense so gets to feel good about the job he did.
I don't love that I'll be having to hear about the 1st place Seahawks for the next however many weeks - I hate that team so much. Interesting that the Cardinals are benching Josh Dobbs but indicating Murray isn't ready to be the starter yet. I guess Arizona is trying to seal the deal on their tank job.
Wow.... and within an hour of hearing that the Cardiinals were benching Dobbs - the news drops that he's traded to the Vikings.
Obviously Minnesota needed an answer at QB now that Cousins is done for the year - so it wasn't so much that Dobbs was benched as much as it was they were setting expectations that the team would be moving on. Fascinating.
Also very interesting to me that the Bears are a buyer at the trade deadline obtaining Montez Sweat. They must think they have a path to the post season, even if that doesn't seem clear to the rest of us.
Trade deadline day is always fun. Mostly because there's so much wild speculation and so little actual dramatic movement. Football is different than baseball or basketball - much harder to just plug in a new piece and keep rolling. That's why big midseason trades are so much rarer in the NFL.
And... Niners also grumpy about their pass rush go out and get Chase Young. Man... as an O line who do you double team. Bosa? Hargrave? Young?
Honestly wonder if they still go out and grab a corner to shore up tje back end too.
This is fun.
Who knows what Chicago is up to? Bill Barnwell made some good points about their recent trades on Twitter.
I'm surprised the Jets didn't go out and get Andy Dalton or Jacoby Brissett. They'd both be better long-term options than Wilson, and while they claim Aaron Rodgers is coming back this year, they need someone to keep them in playoff contention in the meantime.
As far as Bryce Young, I've stepped away from the ledge somewhat, but I think his ceiling is a mid-tier QB. He doesn't have the strength to get the ball to the sidelines with zip and he lacks the athleticism to break away from would-be sacks like he did in college. All of this is happening while Stroud's ceiling is just outside that elite tier of guys. Probably like the sixth- or seventh-best QB in football.
I didn't realize how traumatizing it would be for your team to get the top pick and select the second (or third? or fourth?) best QB in the draft until it happened. I guess you experienced some of that with the Niners getting Lance, PC.
I didn't realize how traumatizing it would be for your team to get the top pick and select the second (or third? or fourth?) best QB in the draft until it happened. I guess you experienced some of that with the Niners getting Lance, PC.
For sure... it sucks. The silver lining (I guess) is that virtually all of the other QB options they could have had in that draft are also not setting the world on fire - Wilson, Fields and Mac Jones don't look like world beaters either. But it definitely hurts seeing they could have stayed at their original draft spot and taken Micah Parsons. Or used that spot to take an elite receiver like Jamarr Chase or Devonte Smith, or an O lineman like Rashaan Slater or Penei Sewell or even a corner like Jaycee Horn or Patrick Surtain. That draft was laden with high end talent and we burned 3 1st round picks on a total reach QB that busted. Sigh.
Tonight's game is interesting. I grew up loving the Steelers/Oilers rivalry - but the Steelers/Titans doesn't hold quite the same allure. I am interested to get to watch Will Levis in action and see what he looks like against a good defense. Can the Steelers get any offense going, or will the defense have to take over (again)?
Everybody already disillusioned with Football - not a post in here in a month.
Sure wish the Niners rookie had hit that kick against the Browns and if Ward comes down with that second interception against the Vikings rather than allowing a long touchdown the 49ers probably beat the Vikings too. Having both Philly and SF roll into this coming week's game at 10-1 would have been pretty epic.
As it stands, even if the Niners win, they have to hope for some serious help along the way to snag that 1 seed. Even just getting that kick against the Browns the Niners would move into the top spot with a win.
The Eagles haven't looked as sharp top to bottom this season - but they find ways to win games they could lose (except somehow against the Jets?). I'm hoping the Niners can take them down, since it seems like if they see them again in the playoffs it will be in Philly yet again.
This stretch now with the Eagles, Seahawks again with revenge on their minds, and the Ravens is going to be key.
The AFC is kind of fun with Denver looking like it may cruise into a playoff spot. I'm curious about the Browns and whether they can stay in it without an offense.
Meanwhile, the Steelers looked like a totally different team offensively in post-Matt Canada era.
Only a couple of good games this weekend. Thursday's Seahawks/Dallas game should be interesting. If the Seahawks want to save their season a win vs the Cowboys would go a long way. After that they have the Niners again and then the Eagles - so if they drop all of those, their season looks like a disaster.
Already talked about Niners/Eagles. And then the Chiefs/Packers game could be low-key interesting given the Packers performance last Thursday.
And as for College Football - I'm always happy when Alabama and Ohio State catch losses - so really glad Michigan was able to pull it out last Saturday. Now I just need Georgia to beat Bama in the SEC title game so the Tide don't somehow back their way into the playoffs. With Oregon sitting at #5 right now it would be fascinating to see what would happen if Oregon were to beat Washington in the Pac-12 title game. Would Washington drop low enough to let Ohio State back in? I think if Louisville beast Florida State there's no way to keep the Buckeyes out though.
Decidedly less fun when it's just the two of us going back and forth.
Somehow SF is favored at the 10-1 Eagles this weekend. I think SF is the better team by a slight margin, but that's not a result I'd bet on.
Personally, I'd rather see Houston and Buffalo in the playoffs than Indy, Denver, or Cleveland. I love watching Stroud, and Buffalo proved last Sunday that they can still compete with any team in the league.
I like rooting for the hometown Seahawks where I can, but it's time to admit that team is fraudulent. They have a -20 point differential. Although I can't believe it, somehow Dallas has the best PD in the league at +162. Are the Cowboys finally for real?
As someone who grew up a huge Ohio State fan, can you not? 🤢 You might be the only person outside of Ann Arbor rooting for those cheating fucks. OSU needs too much help this weekend to get in. I think the Oregon/Washington loser is out, so no issue there, but Florida State and Alabama have to lose this weekend at a minimum. Probably Texas, too. Might be for the best that this Ohio State team is kept out. Their offense is mediocre at best. Honestly, it's more important to me that Michigan gets thrashed in the playoff than anything. I think UGA and Oregon are both better teams, so I do like my odds. *knock on wood*
I love me some football and wish I could chime in with more deep analysis and thoughts but I don't get a chance to watch much these days. A lot of my favorite players have moved on, too, so I'm finding myself less interested in a majority of the matchups. The Colts are my team and they're never on here so I'm usually catching the Bears, Chiefs, or Packers. I used to love GB but once Rodgers went full crazy... nah. Bears have never been my team, they're just the local favorite and the Chiefs are fine but it's hard to get too excited for a team that's been at the top for the last handful of years. Even some of the "good" games, like the Chargers/Ravens this past week just haven't grabbed me for whatever reason. Think my head is too busy right now maybe.
I did catch the Ohio State/Michigan game this past Saturday. I've got pneumonia so some forced r&r was prescribed by my wife. I haven't been able to watch college in years and I was excited to watch such a big and important game. Both my parents went to OSU so they've always been my college team of choice. Having said that, wow, I was surprised how bad they were. They had a couple drives that made them look like they deserved their ranking but for the most part they looked worse than mediocre, especially their QB. Maybe I'm too used to the NFL and pro level but I couldn't believe this was supposed to be a good team.
Vegas knows more than us I guess. The Eagles are 10-2 and the Cowboys are 9-3 and the 49ers have beaten those two teams by a combined 84 to 29 score.... Obviously the Niners were hyped for this one. They talked a lot going into the game and backed all of it up and took the Eagles lunch money. Philly better hope there isn't a hang over effect on them the way there is for lots of SF opponents since they have to go to Dallas now with the division lead on the line.
The 49ers can't bask in the victory too much since they have Seattle again on Sunday - a Seahawks team that just dropped 35 on Dallas in Dallas on Thursday night. Extra rest and motivation could get Seattle up and if the Niners have a let down it could be problems.
With Kenny Pickett going down yesterday and being scheduled for surgery that leaves Baltimore with Lamar Jackson as the only team to still have their starting QB in the AFC North. That's crazy. And two of those teams are still in playoff position (at least for now)
The Patriots - for a THIRD TIME in a row - held a team to 10 or fewer points and lost the game. That hasn't been done since the 1938 Chicago Cardinals did it. That's 85 years ago, fam before the advent of the forward pass. Just ridiculous.
Cowboys/Eagles hype for next Sunday night is going to be off the charts.
And the Bills somehow outside looking in at the playoffs currently and their next two games are against the Chiefs and the Cowboys - so it's conceivable they could be 6-8 at that point. Woof.
My personal rooting interest will be for the Cowboys to beat the Eagles next week - and then to lose to the Bills. That would put SF in the drivers seat for the #1 seed.
As for college football - the two teams I absolutely loathe are Alabama and Ohio State. Can't stand either one of those programs at all. So it's not that I like Michigan (though I do have a soft spot for Harbaugh because he took my NFL team to a Super Bowl) - it's that I would pick literally anyone over Ohio State (maybe not Alabama if they met head to head).
I was bummed that Georgia couldn't pull it off against 'Bama. They fought back and made it close. Obviously I'll be rooting Huskies to win the Natty at this point. Would be amazing to have the Pac-12 champ ride off on top with the conference evaporating next season. I feel bad for Florida State who beat every team they played and got squeezed out of the Playoff for 1 loss Texas and 1 loss Alabama. To get leapfrogged like that when you were #4 and won your conference championship game seems dirty.
I have to wonder that if Georgia had won their game and beaten Alabama would Texas still have pushed past the Seminoles? Or would the top 4 have stayed the same since all 4 would have won their games? I feel like with Alabama beating Georgia the committee felt like it wanted an SEC team in the playoff but couldn't justify having them leap frog the Longhorns who also only had one loss and beat Alabama head to head this year so they just shoved them both in front of the 'noles. Feels dirty - even if Florida State might have lost head to head to either the Longhorns or the Tide.
Now the committee will be faced the the prospect of maybe having a one loss National Champion while Florida State could win their bowl game and finish undefeated and you still have a muddy National Champion conversation with BCS crowning Alabama and the Coaches poll crowning Florida State. I honestly think if Georgia had beaten Alabama that Florida State is in the Playoff and Texas doesn't get in. But the committee couldn't bring itself to have a playoff without an SEC team.
The 49ers have to be the prohibitive favorite now. That comes with pros and cons. If they're relatively healthy in January, I think they're the closest we've had to a sure thing in years. Maybe longer.
I'm still rooting for the Bills to make the playoffs. We're looking at an AFC playoff picture without Herbert, Allen, and Burrow if they don't. Mahomes, Lamar, and Lawrence are probably locks to get in at this point, but the best part of the playoffs is the insane QB play in the AFC. I think we'll be adding CJ Stroud's name to that list soon--if we haven't already.
I get hating Ohio State (though lumping them in with Alabama--arguably the most successful team in any sport over the last 10+ years--is a glow-up for the Buckeyes). I'll never understand rooting for Michigan under any circumstances, especially when they will almost definitely have to vacate any wins from this year and the last two years. Watching Michigan win its first anything in more than two decades only to have to vacate is a tasty proposition, but I can't risk the NCAA sitting on its corrupt little hands. Besides, Michigan fans are so fucking sanctimonious that they'd claim the title anyway.
I'm also rooting for the hometown Huskies. They're underdogs against Texas and would be underdogs vs. Alabama/Michigan, so it seems like a longshot. Penix is something special, though. I'd love to see the Panthers draft him.
I've claimed an SEC conspiracy before. It's in ESPN's best interests for the SEC to do well. With the Big 10 and SEC creating two super leagues, it's in college football's best interest for the SEC to do well. That said, I would've kept Florida State out, too. They have a reasonable case, but they would've been 14-point underdogs against Michigan. Alabama started as 1.5-point underdogs. That has to factor in.
I think a better question is whether Alabama was deserving. They lost at home to Texas and barely survived scrapes against bad teams like USF, Arkansas, and Auburn. The Committee's decisions have never made much sense to me, but their recency bias is off the charts. Ohio State's only loss was at the #1 team in the country by one score. Georgia's only loss came to one of the most talented teams in the country on a neutral site.
They say they want the four best teams in, but it's really a combination of "best" and "most deserving." I could make a good case that the four best teams in the country are Michigan, Ohio State, Georgia, and Alabama. But nobody wants rematches and the other conferences need a say. It's honestly remarkable that the four-team playoff didn't bite the NCAA in the ass before now.
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