Four Down Territory: NFL Week 2

Week two has come and gone and it really wasn’t anything exciting. The Falcons and Packers looked interesting but all around we just got some mediocre football. Don’t worry, though, there is still plenty to talk about.

Let’s start the drive.

1st Down: The Bengals are putrid. It doesn’t take a football purist to see that Andy Dalton just isn’t getting it done. The worst part? He has one of the best skill position casts in the league.

After two home games a zero touchdowns Cincinnati had no choice but to fire someone and since Marvin Lewis seems to be bulletproof the shoe fell on offensive coordinator Ken Zampese. Make no mistake, if the Bengals could get rid of Dalton right now then he’d be gone, too.

In reality, they still might.

Reports have surfaced that the team (players, not management) want to bring in Colin Kaepernick and send Dalton to the pine.

This is, by far, the most interesting wrinkle that has formed this season so far.

Besides, what do they have to lose?

2nd Down: Speaking of Kaepernick; as stated last week in 4DT, after all the bad quarterback play we’ve seen so far you can’t say with full confidence that he doesn’t belong in the league. If your reasoning for Colin not being in the league is anything but him being blackballed then you’re naive and I have a house in Neverland for sale if you’re interested.

I have the time; let’s go through the main excuses.

“We don’t know if Colin is committed to football.” He has said that he’s in shape and wants to play.

“He’ll be a distraction.” Chip Kelly and 49ers teammates last year said the exact opposite.

“He’s not good anymore.” Last year Kap threw 16 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. It’s week two and Carson Palmer, Andy Dalton, and DeShone Kizer have already thrown 4 interceptions. For those counting, that’s a pace of 32 interceptions for the year. Also, Josh McCown, Blake Bortles, Brian Hoyer, and MIKE GLENNON are starters.

“You have to adjust your offense around him.” This another lie and peak code. Football purists have done breakdown after breakdown showing that Kap can do anything a “traditional” quarterback can do.

“What has he done since the protest? He should put his money where his mouth is.” Where do we start? First, Kap has pledged (and donated 900k to date) $1 million AND all the proceeds from his jersey sales to different charities. He has donated suits to a charity designed to help people find jobs. He created the Know Your Rights Camp. An organization designed to fight oppression globally thorough social activism. He’s donated $50,000 to meals on wheels. He organized a relief effort to help those affected by famine in Somalia. Below is a small breakdown of where the funds have gone.

Colin Kaepernick donates another $100K on way to $1M pledge, now at $800K total. Detail of where $ goes is admirable. pic.twitter.com/22oS4Is97v

— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) August 23, 2017

“He disrespects the flag and military.” Kap has said many times that he respects our military and has received a lot of support from our servicemen and women.

Hell, even Tom Brady is advocating for him.

To summarize; if you’re out here saying any of those excuses then we know what you truly mean. Just come out and say it.

3rd Down: A storm is brewing in Dallas. After a lightning delay against Denver Sunday the Broncos beat the Cowboys 41-17. That’s embarrassing but every team has a bad day. The main storyline is that Jason Garrett threw Dak under the bus and said Dak, “consistently didn’t attack with the passing game.” That is true but you don’t say that to the media about your second year quarterback. Denver’s ability to bottle Zeke (8 yards on 9 carries) was the real reason they lost. You can’t expect Dak to throw 50 times per game and come out victorious. It’s not going to happen.

If that isn’t enough there are reports that Jerry Jones is salty about the league trying to reverse Elliott’s suspension and because of that he’s holding up Goodell’s contract extension.

I’m not a fan of Jerry but I respect his level of pettiness.

4th Down: It’s okay to believe in the Falcons, everyone. Yes, the Bears gave them a bit of a scare week one but they pulled together and won one on the road. They opened their new stadium by fine tuning the Packers 34-23. I thought that losing the Super Bowl in a historic fashion would linger but it seems that Matt Ryan and company have shaken it off and moved on. Vic Beasley is out for a month but hopefully he’ll be coming back right in time for their showdown in New England. It’s waaaayyyy too early to start predicting playoffs but it looks like the Falcons are still the cream of the crop in the NFC.

Side Note: I think Arthur Blank deserves real kudos for making a commitment to keeping stadium food costs reasonable for the consumer. NFL games are expensive and anyone looking to take their family to a game shouldn’t have to spend $30 for some popcorn and a Coke. Hopefully this model holds and other owners will follow suit.

For a $20 bill, you can get 1 cheeseburger, 2 hot dogs, 2 waffle fries & 2 unlimited sodas at @AtlantaFalcons games. You get $1 back. pic.twitter.com/XhsZXExjHd

— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) September 18, 2017

Extra Points: How long before Jim Nantz pulls Romo aside and reminds him who the number one guy at CBS is and how bitter is Phil Simms seeing Tony getting all this love? The Colts’ handling of Andrew Luck‘s career is going to be a great 30 for 30. Philip Rivers‘ record of losing close games is the saddest stat you’ll see all week.

Philip Rivers has had some bad luck… pic.twitter.com/NklH4iGVgp

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 18, 2017

Tweet Me: @madads14

As always, thanks for reading.

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