Five Hot Takes, a weekly segment where I counter five hot takes from the NFL with opinions of my own, is coming back around. Five Hot Takes From Week Six has featured some boiling takes, takes that erupt like a volcano and fire all over everything. So let’s get this party started.
Five Hot Takes From Week Six
1. Blaine Gabbert Is Better Than Colin Kaepernick
Really? We’ve watched Gabbert play, right? Colin Kaepernick isn’t all that good, but he’s not checking the ball down short of the sticks on 3rd down on a consistent basis, is he? He’s got better arm strength and mobility in addition, so saying Gabbert is better doesn’t make any sense.
Either way, both quarterbacks seem like stopgaps for the 49ers‘ lowly 2016 season until they can find a quarterback in free agency or the draft.
2. Matthew Stafford Is The Best Quarterback In The NFL
Okay, perhaps not a lot of people are thinking this right now, but for the select few that are, are you looking at box score stats?
To his credit, Stafford has played well this season, but a major reason for that is offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter‘s short yards after the catch scheme, as well as the receiving talent of Marvin Jones, Anquan Boldin, Golden Tate, and Theo Riddick. There’s still some accuracy issues, especially downfield. Sure, the team (apparently) leads the league in drops, but the plays they make on the field easily make up for this.
3. Geno Smith Is Worse Than Ryan Fitzpatrick
I am not a stats guy, but how can you be worse than someone who threw six interceptions in a single game (and likely could have had ten at least)? Geno Smith is not a good quarterback by any means, but he’s the better decision-maker, far more mobile, and has a lot more arm talent than Fitzpatrick.
By now it should be clear Fitzpatrick’s 2015 season was an outlier caused by an easy schedule, the receiving talent of Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker, and defenses that failed to cash in on Fitzpatrick’s bad throws like they have been this season.
4. Brian Hoyer Is Better Than Aaron Rodgers This Season
In no way, shape, or form is that sentence even true. Sure, the stats may look better, but the quality of play is drastically different. Hoyer has had the benefit of playing weak defenses while throwing to the likes of DeAndre Hopkins while in Houston (then imploding in the playoffs), while making simple throws against weak defenses in place of Jay Cutler on the Bears.
Meanwhile, Aaron Rodgers is being suffocated by the worst offensive scheme in the league, as well as receivers that cannot separate. Lets see Hoyer survive in Rodgers’ shoes before claiming he’s playing better.
5. Andy Dalton Is A Bright Spot For The Bengals
I never thought I’d hear Bengals fans say this back in 2014, and while Dalton hasn’t been bad, he also hasn’t been all that good. Without Marvin Jones, Mohamed Sanu, and the great but unhealthy Tyler Eifert, Dalton’s accuracy issues from his first four seasons have popped up again, even with A.J. Green still in the prime of his career.
Cincinnati is 2-4 largely because Dalton can’t completely carry a team that isn’t among the most talented in the league. Only if you ask him to simplify his throws to get the ball out on his first read can you find consistent and sustainable success with him as your quarterback.
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