Welcome back to “NFL’s Believe It or Not.” This week, I will focus on controversial comments from Antonio Gates, Sam Gash, and James Jones.
Antonio Gates
I will start with San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates, who praised teammate Malcom Floyd, saying that “He’s by far the most underrated player in the last 10 years.” Malcom Floyd made his NFL debut in 2004, but he has only played 16 games in a season one time. He has never reached 1,000 receiving yards in one season, which is a basic milestone for any good wide receiver. He has also never scored more than six touchdowns in one season. Floyd might be the most injury-prone player in the last 10 years, not the most underrated. He simply hasn’t put up the numbers for somebody to rate him highly. Floyd turns 33 in a few days and he is coming off of a serious neck injury. His time in the NFL is extremely limited at this point, but maybe he can shock the world if he stays healthy.
Sam Gash
Next up, Green Bay Packers running backs coach Sam Gash praised Packers star running back Eddie Lacy, saying, “Without a doubt. He has the capability of being the leading rusher and maybe even combined yards if he catches a lot of balls. I absolutely do think that.” Let’s not get carried away now. Eddie Lacy is very talented, but the Packers remain a pass-first offense with Aaron Rodgers leading the charge. Lacy should easily break 1,000 rushing yards, but he will not receive enough carries to compete with leading rushers like Adrian Peterson, LeSean McCoy, and Jamaal Charles. With Norv Turner leading the Vikings with a new offensive scheme, Adrian Peterson is poised to get around 2,000 rushing yards again. Even without considering McCoy or Charles, Eddie Lacy has no chance to catch Peterson. These three running backs are the focal points of their offenses. Eddie Lacy is a complementary piece to Aaron Rodgers’ passing attack. While the Packers should have a dynamic, well-rounded offense, Eddie Lacy will not be looking at the rushing title this year.
James Jones
Finally, Oakland Raiders wide receiver James Jones compared his former quarterback to his current quarterback, saying, “He’s really calm, really cool in the pocket. He acts like he’s been there before. I’ve been calling him mini A-Rod since he got here.” The first NFL game is tonight, so James Jones figured he should add one last ridiculous offseason comparison to this year’s list. Aaron Rodgers is one of the top four, at worst, quarterbacks in the NFL today. Derek Carr will make his NFL debut this Sunday against the New York Jets. We should probably let him play a few games before we compare him to one of the best quarterbacks in the league. In a weak quarterback class, Carr was drafted in the second round back in May. The Raiders haven’t exactly had much success at quarterback in recent years, and rookie Derek Carr probably won’t be able to reverse this trend and transform the oldest team in the league into a playoff team.
Make sure to leave your own comments below and come back next Thursday for another edition of “NFL’s Believe It or Not.”
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on Twitter – @alprez96. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter –@LastWordOnSport – and “liking” our Facebook page.
For more on sports injuries, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.
Have you tuned into Last Word On Sports Radio? LWOS is pleased to bring you 24/7sports radio to your PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. What are you waiting for? GO!
Main Photo:
