Welcome back to another edition of Five Hot Takes, where I take a look every week at five hot takes from the NFL season and counter them with my own arguments.
Five Hot Takes From Week Five
So without further ado, let’s get to the hottest takes from Week Five.
1. David Johnson Is The Best Running Back In The NFL
This is where I draw the line. David Johnson is good; no one will dispute that, but he’s not the best running back in the league. That title belongs to Le’Veon Bell, whose patience allows him to create yards and running lanes all on his own. Ezekiel Elliott is also a bit better, in my opinion. I don’t think Johnson is better than Matt Forte either. Otherwise, Johnson is probably my number four running back.
Johnson currently leads the league in yards from scrimmage, but he’s had some help from the run blocking. The other players are a bit more athletic and have less hype around them. I can’t wait to see what Johnson can do in the future, but let’s hold off the number one runner talk.
2. Sam Bradford Is A Game Manager
This is understandable to a degree, but it’s really selling short what he’s been doing. He’s been very accurate this season on both short and vertical passes, and he’s doing this behind the worst offensive line in the league. He’s been a big reason why the Vikings are currently 5-0, along with their defense.
3. The Cleveland Browns Are Hopeless
This is a team that is in the first stage of rebuilding, had poor officiating cost them against the Ravens and Redskins, and were a shanked kick away from winning against the Dolphins. Plus, how do you expect a rebuilding team to play against the Patriots?
The offense has some nice young talent in Duke Johnson, Isaiah Crowell, Corey Coleman, Ricardo Louis, and the surprise success of Terrelle Pryor as a wide receiver. Cody Kessler has performed better than expected, and is certainly a better QB than Charlie Whitehurst (who was just released).
This will take a few years before the team is ready to compete.
4. Brock Osweiler Looked Bad Because He Was Facing The Vikings Defense
That defense is really good, but Brock Osweiler looked bad because he is bad. His accuracy was awful and his decision-making under pressure was even worse. Too many times he failed to take advantage of good situations and forced the ball when he didn’t need to. $72M dollars never looked so terrible, and unless Osweiler lights a fire under himself, the Texans won’t feel good about this deal.
5. Tom Brady Is A System Quarterback
The offense he is in is perhaps the most quarterback-friendly in the league, but that doesn’t mean Brady is only good because of it. Jimmy Garoppolo had an equal understanding of the offense with his play, but Jacoby Brissett‘s vision was limited, failing to make the plays Brady usually would.
The offense requires the quarterback to find an open receiver quickly; usually under two seconds, and work less on holding the ball. It’s probably an easy task but Brady’s amount of time in the offense makes it look easy as well.
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