A week to week breakdown of who I believe will have a monster game, who looks in need of a change of scenery, and who needs to hang them up.
Covering players, teams and coaches, I will offer five individual breakdowns of what to expect from those under the microscope on a week to week basis. It has been a long time since I’ve been able to talk ball with y’all, let us not waste anymore time.
Boomed: Justin Fields
The Bears host the Packers in Week 1, and Justin Fields is going to send NFL fans into a frenzy. The Packers have the worst run defense in the NFC and struggle to contain the quarterbacks during improv/scramble scenarios. The addition of D.J. Moore won’t hurt either. Expect a big week from him when the Bears are not dominating on the ground. The Bears also added former Packer Robert Tonyan into their locker room. Tha packers are likely going to struggle out of the gate with first year starter Jordan Love at the helm. Justin Fields and the Chicago Bears offense will jump out to a lead, and expect Justin Fields to be at the center of all the excitement.
Doomed: Jonathon Taylor
If you want to talk about a physical embodiment of “having your cake and eating it too?” look no further than Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay. All Jonathan Taylor wants is to get paid at the level he performs at. The last time Taylor was fully healthy he posted over 2,100 all purpose yards and was by far the Colts best player that season. A second round pick just a couple of years ago is now mentioned in the same breath as King Henry, Nick Chubb and CMC [Christian McCaffrey]. Once you are at the top of your position, you are also atop your market. The Colts are not respecting this line of logic when it comes to the financial compensation of their superstar. Jim Irsay and his team are taking the opposite stance when it comes to trade compensation. The Dolphins were in contention to land Taylor but the two parties could not come to a mutual agreement before the 53 man roster deadline. Now one of the most talented players in the league is out for a minimum of 4 weeks nursing an injury, then has to come back to a situation he has known disdain for. Jonathan Taylor needs a change, real bad. See ya next year buddy.
Busted: The San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers are a historically decorated franchise. Even after their “off” years it only takes about a season or two for them to right the ship. For example, in 2018 the Niners finished last in their division with a record of 4-12. The very next year they were competing for the Super Bowl after finishing the season 13-3. Let us start from the top down. Kyle Shanahan is an outstanding coach; however, I get the sense that he is always trying to come across as the smartest person in the room. I cannot overlook the recent debacle regarding the Trey Lance situation. Three first round picks for one player who was widely labeled as a project quarterback, all to eventually trade him and his knowledge of your system to a conference rival for a penny of what you paid to get him. Like Jimmy G [Garoppolo] said, “The whole situation is weird.”. According to Over the Cap, the 49ers will have 79% of the projected $240 million cap tied up in nine players! This situation reminds me a lot of the Rams, except it’s missing one thing. It looks like the 2023 season might be their last chance before some time off.
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