I know, I know, it's been too long since my last post. Well, I'm back and getting ready for a brand new NFL season.
As I'm sure all of you are excited about the new season, as am I. There are a few things that I want to talk about for the coming season. Obviously I'm not going to talk about Brady getting suspended. Quite frankly, I'm over it. We all know where that one is going to go.
The few things I will be going over are the rookie starting QB's, how the Sophomore QB's will fair, and how I think the season will go for a select few teams.
First thing I'm going to talk about is rookie QB's. There's two that are big right now, Jamies Winston and Marcus Maroita. They were both named to be there teams week 1 starter. This is not a huge surprise to some, but for others it's a bit of a shock. The one that surprises most is Winston. With all of his off the field issues that he had in college, nobody really expected him to be named the starter this early. Winston was asked about this Saturday and he said he's "matured" since his days at Florida State. "I've matured since I was an 18-year-old kid, just getting into mischievous things," said Winston, 21. "But now I love this opportunity that I've been given. It's a blessing. The best thing about it is my dream always was to be a professional quarterback, and I've achieved that dream."
I'm very interested in how this season will go for Tampa Bay. As a fan, I really am expecting them to do better then the 2-14 record they had last year. I don't know, however, that Winston is the complete answer, but he might be a good start. The one interesting thing is that they are also starting 2 other rookies, who just so happen to be on the left side of the line. I know he is a mobile quarterback and all, but I think this will test just how mobile he will be with the speed of the NFL players. There is a upside for Winston, and that is he has two 6'5" wide receivers. Evans and Jackson are 2 of the best. Jackson being the seasoned vet, and Evans being the stud younger receiver who came on last year with a less talented QB. It's going to be interesting and I can't wait to see what happens with the Bucs.
Maroita, in my opinion, will have a better career with the team he's on now. The only reason that I say this, is that the coaches told Maroita that he needed work on his placement after taking a snap from under center. He kept running into the running backs and stumbling over each other. This happened during summer workouts. After he was told this and got back for training camp, the coaches say it's like he has been doing this for years, with his placement. He learned what he was doing wrong, made the adjustments, and now looks like he's been doing this for years. This is a mark of a great QB, or player in general.
Maroita, though on a young team, will have a better career. If he can learn something that should have taken him months to master, in a few weeks of working and studying by himself, he will be able to take what the coaches give him and run with it.
As for the Sophomores, I think there's more upsides then down. The only real downside would be Johnny Manziel. Johnny has to win back the locker room, which is going to be the hardest thing for him to do. I think now that he got his life in check and cleaned up some personal issues he's had, he'll be in a lot better of a situation. The coaches are even on record saying that "the team hasn't given up on Johnny Manziel." The only problem is that the coaches can't be the ones to have him win back the locker room.
Blake Bortles and Derek Carr I like way more than I like Johnny. Though Jacksonville and Oakland aren't the sexiest of teams, they are rebuilding and the quarterback position is one of the main pieces to the puzzle. They both finally have that piece. Bortles has great receivers and they made some moves in the draft to hopefully keep him protected. That'll be the biggest thing for the Jags. If they can keep Bortles clean and off of his back, then they will have a fighting chance.
After the long off season, the Coaches say that "Carr is eager to lead the way". He is a natural born leader, and wants to show to everyone that he is the right man for the job. Which I believe that he is the right man for Oakland. They need some positive vibes coming their way, and Carr can be the good vibes that the team needs to get back on the right track. The nice thing about Carr, is that he's really digging his new role with the team. “It’s kind of nice knowing that, because now I can really be myself, whereas when it was Schaub’s team, there are certain things,” Carr said. “You can’t step on his toes. You don’t want to get in the way. You want to let him do his thing.”
I think with less pressure on "Stepping on the toes of the starter" Carr will be way more relaxed in the pocket, on the practice field, and in the locker room. He can be himself and lead this team in the right direction.
The teams I think will have a better season then they did last year are; Tampa Bay, Jacksonville, Oakland, and Tennessee. As for the ones I think will struggle a bit that would be; New England, St. Louis, and Cleveland.
I already explained why I think the teams that are going to have a better season in my above statements. As for the ones that will struggle, I have some thoughts. New England for obvious reasons with all the distractions that they are going through now with the whole Brady situation. And no I'm still not talking about that. I just think this is going to weigh on the team for the first 4 games. Even if he's there because of court rulings, he's still not going to win in court. He will miss 4 games this year, as for when, that's really his call at this point in time.
St. Louis is a weird one for me. I like the talent they have with their WR's and RB's, however the QB situation there is out of control. I have no idea why they thought getting rid of Bradford was the best option. I really don't think they have a plan for that positions on their club. He was a good starter, even though he is injury prone, he was still a guy you could have in there until you find a better option. I think with this going on they will struggle until they find their guy.
Cleveland had a okay season, for their standards, last year but there is one big distractions in their club house. His name is Johnny. Yes he has his "life in check" but he still needs to win back the locker room. I don't think he'll be able to do this in training camps. It's going to take a few weeks for this to happen. I think Johnny will come around and be a good QB for this team, but he has some growing to do with his team, and within himself. Once this happens the Browns will be in better shape then they are currently.
Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports.
