Welcome back to “NFL’s Believe It or Not.” This week, I will focus on controversial comments from LeSean McCoy, Brian Hoyer, and Chip Kelly.
I will start with Eagles running back LeSean McCoy, who recently said, “Vick is going to be the starting quarterback this year. He’s way better than Geno Smith. Way better. That’s no contest.” McCoy is discussing the Jets quarterback battle between newly acquired Michael Vick and 2013 second-round pick Geno Smith. McCoy is definitely biased here, so he can’t be blamed for siding with his former quarterback and friend. Whether Vick is definitely better than Geno Smith is the real discussion. Michael Vick’s age and frequent injuries will certainly be factors in Rex Ryan’s decision. I would say that Michael Vick is probably better than Geno Smith this season, but I wouldn’t say he is “way better.” Smith has plenty of years left to grow and the Jets aren’t likely to contend for a championship this year. ESPN also recently reported that Geno Smith will get most of the first-team reps at quarterback. Ultimately, McCoy shouldn’t be as certain as he is because I wouldn’t be surprised if Geno Smith starts in the season opener.
Next up, Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer recently said, “I feel like I’m the starter for this team.” I certainly admire Hoyer’s confidence and he wouldn’t be a terrible backup plan, but nobody can deny that the Browns will be looking closely at many different quarterbacks in the 2014 NFL Draft. Johnny Manziel has been linked to the Browns as a possibility in the first round and even if they decide to pass on Manziel, they will likely draft a quarterback somewhere later on. Hoyer turns 29 in October and frankly, he doesn’t possess the talents to become a permanent franchise quarterback. However, he did play pretty well in the three starts he had last year before he got injured, throwing for 615 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions. It is not out of the question for Hoyer to start next year, but I certainly don’t feel that it is likely.
Finally, Eagles head coach Chip Kelly raised some eyebrows while talking about the DeSean Jackson release when he stated, “We just wanted to go in a different direction. It had nothing to do with any article. Purely football.” Purely football reasons? Sorry Chip, but I’m not buying it. I’m definitely not the biggest fan of DeSean Jackson, but nobody can dismiss his football talents. No wide receiver would ever be released after putting up 1,332 receiving yards along with nine touchdowns for purely football reasons. DeSean Jackson did cause some drama off-the field, especially in the locker room, but I’m not sure what type of player Chip Kelly is looking for if he doesn’t feel DeSean Jackson’s football talents are good enough. He is coming off of the best season of his career and he flourished in Kelly’s offensive system. There were many accusations defaming Jackson after he was released, and those accusations are the reasons he was released. I would take DeSean Jackson’s football talents on my team any day (without the drama), as any team would, so I’m not sure what Chip Kelly is trying to get at.
Make sure to leave your own comments below and come back next Thursday for another edition of “NFL’s Believe It or Not.”
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