{"id":6629,"date":"2016-11-20T18:23:16","date_gmt":"2016-11-20T23:23:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/?p=6629"},"modified":"2016-11-20T18:23:16","modified_gmt":"2016-11-20T23:23:16","slug":"strange-2016-nfl-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2016\/11\/20\/strange-2016-nfl-season\/","title":{"rendered":"The Strange 2016 NFL Season"},"content":{"rendered":"

Doctor Strange<\/em> for all its silly trailer gimmicks is a solid movie. It has well placed humor, a good leading actor, Benedict Cumberbatch. And a good story to keep it all together. But you what else is good and strange, the 2016 NFL Season –\u00a0no clear cut favorites, the Raiders being back, this year\u2019s Chargers season,\u00a0and so many of the football \u00a0divisions still up for grabs.<\/p>\n

So without further ado, let’s devote some of Doctor Strange’s quotes to this year’s contenders.<\/p>\n

The Strange 2016 NFL Season<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cMight I offer you some advice?\u201d<\/h4>\n

To everyone betting on any team in the NFC North. Don\u2019t. The Minnesota Vikings<\/strong> offense has fallen apart. The Green Bay Packers<\/strong> receivers can\u2019t get open. Seriously, they\u2019re third worst in yards per catch. Bad for a team that relies solely on their quarterback to bail them every time (more on this later). The Chicago Bears<\/strong>, well the Bears still have Jay Cutler<\/a><\/strong>.\u00a0Sorry Bears fans. And\u00a0Matt Stafford<\/strong> looks great,\u00a0without<\/em> Calvin Johnson<\/a><\/strong>. Skeptical. But that\u2019s where we are. The Detroit Lions<\/strong> have Vegas odds to win the division (8-5, Minnesota & Green Bay at 7 to 4, and Tony Romo<\/a><\/strong> has a better chance at starting than the Bears winning the division). And it\u2019s true, here\u2019s the remainder of all of their schedules:<\/p>\n

Option A \u2013 Jacksonville Jaguars<\/strong>, Vikings, New Orleans Saints<\/strong>, Bears, New York Giants<\/strong>, Dallas Cowboys<\/strong>, Packers<\/p>\n

Option B \u2013 Washington Redskins<\/strong>, Philadelphia Eagles<\/strong>, Houston Texans<\/strong>, Seattle Seahawks<\/strong>, Bears, Vikings, Lions<\/p>\n

Option C \u2013 Arizona Cardinals<\/strong>, Lions, Cowboys, Jaguars, Indianapolis Colts<\/strong>, Packers, Bears<\/p>\n

Doesn\u2019t Option A sound the friendliest? Option A is the Lions schedule (B = Green Bay, C = Minnesota).<\/p>\n

\u201cForget everything that you think you know.\u201d<\/h4>\n

This concerns the Packers mirage. They’re horrible. They’ve lost to the Colts and got trounced by the Titans.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s easy to be duped though. They have the best quarterback, a semi-celebrity linebacker, star in great commercials, have averaged 11 wins over the last five years, and produced four division titles within that time span.<\/p>\n

Everyone is expecting them to bounce back, including many of the experts. But they\u2019re not. Here’s why:<\/p>\n

Offensively they rank 18th, BEHIND Cleveland and Tampa Bay<\/strong>. They average an abysmal 6.5 yards per pass attempt (28th). And their receivers almost come in dead last in yards per catch (30th).<\/p>\n

Defensively they don\u2019t take the ball away enough (25th in turnover margin),\u00a0give up a whopping 26 points\/game (24th), are middle-of-the-road in allowing others to convert on 3rd downs (38.4%\/12th), and allow opponents to convert 70% of the time on fourth downs. Somewhere,\u00a0Steve Spurrier<\/a><\/strong> is drooling.<\/p>\n

And if it wasn\u2019t for them playing in the NFC North, they\u2019d already be out of the playoff picture like the New York Jets, <\/strong>Jaguars, and San Francisco 49ers<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou wonder what I see in your future? Possibility.\u201d<\/h4>\n

We’re talking about this year\u2019s Cowboys here. When was the last time two rookies on the same team created this much\u00a0<\/em>excitement!? Ezekiel Elliot<\/strong> leads all rushers in yards, tied for third in touchdowns, fifth in yards per attempt, and first in, \u201cIs that a crop top?\u201d reactions.<\/p>\n

As for Dak Prescott<\/a><\/strong>, he\u2019s been phenomenal and as solid as a rookie as you could possibly be. He\u2019s fourth among all quarterbacks in passer rating (104.2 and ahead of Derek Carr<\/a><\/strong>), fourth in yards per attempt, has a 24\/4 touchdown interception ratio, and possess a 66.5 completion percentage.<\/p>\n

Also, if we were re-picking the last three years of quarterbacks right now, wouldn\u2019t the pecking order look something like this:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Derek Carr<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    2. Carson Wentz<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

    3. Marcus Mariota<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

    4. Dak Prescott<\/strong><\/p>\n

    5. Teddy Bridgewater<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

    6. Jimmy Garoppolo<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

    7. Jameis Winston<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

    8. Trevor Siemian<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

    9. Blake Bortles<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

    Last\u2026 Johnny Manziel<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

    So yes, he\u2019s already that good.<\/p>\n

    \u201cWhy are you doing this?\u201d<\/h4>\n

    Can you hilariously imagine Bill O\u2019Brien<\/strong> saying this to the football gods after every game!? To his credit he\u2019s handcuffed to an abysmal quarterback who\u2019s passer rating dwells near the bottom with Blaine Gabbert<\/a><\/strong> and Case Keenum<\/a><\/strong>. On top of that, his superstar defensive end, J.J. Watt<\/strong>, is out for the season.<\/p>\n

    Working against all of that though,\u00a0O\u2019Brien hasn\u2019t done anything spectacular that screams offensive innovation even with<\/em> two good receivers and a top seven running back. How is it that Bill Belichick<\/strong> can get more out of a third string quarterback than O\u2019Brien out of his starter? Again, he lost to the Pats with a 60% Rob Gronkowski<\/a><\/strong> \u2013 like losing to the Patriots with one hand tied behind their back.\u00a0And if this year\u2019s surprise team, the Titans, wins the division, O\u2019Brien will be questioning the football gods on Sundays from the comfort of his couch.<\/p>\n

    \u201cI don\u2019t believe in fairy tales.\u201d<\/h4>\n

    Did anyone else see the Titans joining the Kansas City Chiefs<\/strong> in this year\u2019s group of super solid teams? That\u2019s right, both Andy Reid<\/a><\/strong> AND Mike Mularkey<\/a><\/strong> are leading two of this year\u2019s most steady teams.\u00a0Here\u2019s the best thing teams can do, understand what they are and stick to realistic goals\/team strengths. Not fairy tales. Both teams had the same blueprints too \u2013 just run the ball, manage their quarterbacks, and let their defenses take care of the rest. And both have good chances of sneaking into the playoffs too. Can the Titans outpace Houston and Indy for the division title? Yes. And can the Chiefs steadiness especially with Justin Houston<\/a><\/strong> coming back lead them to the playoffs? Yes to that too.<\/p>\n

    \u201cYou\u2019re work saved the lives of thousands.\u201d<\/h4>\n

    To everyone who fiscally went all-in on Seattle being crowned Super Bowl Champs, Pete Carroll<\/strong>\u2019s work is vindicating (and maybe saving their lives too depending on how much they bet) their roll of the dice. Seriously, picking anyone for Super Bowl champion right now, Seattle is probably the most secure bet. They just out-dueled New England in a \u201cWho has bigger cajones\u201d game, and their defense can totally stymie the Cowboys while their offense overwhelms a Dallas defense devoid of a pass rush. Especially with Russell Wilson<\/a><\/strong>, Jimmy Graham<\/a><\/strong>, Doug Baldwin<\/a><\/strong>, and the rest of that crew doing their thing. Why Vegas<\/strong> stupidly\u00a0placed better odds on the Cowboys and Patriots winning the Lombardi Trophy, no one knows.<\/p>\n

    But hold on\u2026<\/p>\n

    \u201cWhat if i told you, that reality is one of many.\u201d<\/h4>\n

    So that\u2019s where the season is. Seattle is in the Super Bowl driver’s seat with Dallas and New England sharing shotgun and Oakland\/New York\/Atlanta riding backseat. Just don\u2019t take your eyes off the rearview mirror,\u00a0somewhere back there lurking is this year\u2019s surprise all hell breaks loose team \u2013 Broncos, Ravens, Steelers.<\/p>\n

    \n
    Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n