Four Down Territory: NFL Week 8
Believe it or not the NFL regular season is at the halfway point. The good teams are starting to rise and other teams are looking forward to the draft. We’ve gotten a lot of great games so far and still have many to look forward to.
This season, though, has revolved around the player protests. This week isn’t any different.
Let’s start the drive.
1st Down: Texans owner Robert McNair said something extremely stupid during an owners meeting with NFL players about social justice issues. McNair appeared to say that NFL owners can’t let the inmates (the players) run the prison.
As one can imagine, saying that phrase while the majority of NFL players are black and all the owner are white, caused quite a stir. The racial undertones are clear but McNair has said numerous times that it’s being taken the wrong way. The Texans players, specifically DeAndre Hopkins and Duane Brown, took offense to those remarks and Hopkins even skipped a day of practice.
The players have every right to be outraged. What McNair said was subliminally racists and he showed his true colors. My question is; what took the players so long to realize this?
It’s no major secret that NFL owners think of players as commodities and not people. I mean….they get traded and cut like like cattle at the market. Owners have shown time and time again that they think of their players as property. Hell, Jerry Jones just threatened his players if they protested the anthem.
Think that through. An old man that looks like a wet thumb threatened a group of grown men that are twice his size. You know why? Because Jerry is cutting the checks and noooooo one is trying to mess up the money.
A rule of thumb (get it?); you aren’t going to tell billionaires what to do especially when it comes to things they own. They own the team therefore, in their minds, they own the players.
The Texans players did send a message to McNair. On Sunday they took a knee during the anthem to protest his comments.
The next collective bargaining agreement negotiations will start after the 2020 season. If the players really want to send a message to the billionaire owners then they have to be prepared for a work stoppage, and a long one at that.
Also, where is Captain America aka J.J. Watt during all of this? I’ve always found it funny how the athletes that make their name off loving America are as quiet as the morgue when racism is present.
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Well…I guess being quiet about racism is the most American thing he can do.
2nd Down: The trade deadline in the NFL is usually boring. Unlike the NBA and MLB trades in professional football are rare because it’s a lot harder to adjust to an NFL scheme compared to other leagues. This year, however, seems to be the exception and not the rule. The Seahawks have traded Jeremy Lane, a 2019 second round pick, and a fifth round pick in 2018.
A few thoughts on the trade. First, the Texans deal a disgruntled tackle that has been extremely vocal about McNair’s inmates comment, among other things. Second the Seahawks cemented the one spot that was holding them back. Yes, he’s 32 years old but Seattle is built to win now. It’s a rare win-win for both teams.
A live update on Russell Wilson right now:
Not to be outdone the 49ers and Patriots pulled off quite the blockbuster.
To repeat: 49ers are trading a 2018 2nd-round draft pick for Patriots QB Jimmy Garoppolo, sources tell ESPN.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 31, 2017
Let’s take a moment to shoutout the Patriots for always finding the come up. That second round pick can be used to draft Brady‘s replacement and the 49ers have jump-started their rebuilding process. They aren’t that good this year but 2017 was never about winning. Now they can avoid reaching for a quarterback this year and draft the best player available. It also gives them the option of trading the first round pick to another team that wants to sell the farm for one of those quarterbacks. They also avoid overpaying Kirk Cousins this offseason when he hits the open market. I was critical of Lynch when he first got this gig but he’s doing a masterful job minus the whole Kap situation.
The Eagles have gotten in the mix as well.
TRADE: #Eagles have acquired RB Jay Ajayi from Miami in exchange for a 2018 4th-round pick. #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/LIepxUbP2B
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) October 31, 2017
On its face this trade is an absolute steal for the Eagles. Ajayi is a young running back who looks like a star in the making. It also fills a hole of need while paying a low cost. Rumor has it that Jay was traded by Coach Adam Gase as a message to his players. I don’t know what kind of message it is but that’s above my pay grade. Philadelphia is making the smart move and going all in for this year. Eagles GM Howie Roseman has quite the talent for fleecing AFC East teams, it seems.
3rd Down: Sunday Bears tight end Zach Miller suffered a knee injury that almost cost him a limb. Miller tore an artery and needed emergency surgery to save his leg. Injuries are part of the game but this is just a reminder how tough this game is on the body. It’s also a reminder why players need to get as much money as possible in free agency or whenever the opportunity presents itself. You just never know when it all can end.
Remember this when you’re wondering why your favorite athlete isn’t giving the team a “hometown discount.”
4th Down: I’m sick of Thursday Night Football. It’s dangerous to player’s health, the games are rarely good, the matchups are usually boring, and the jerseys are hideous. It’s getting to the point where we have too much football. There are the usual Sunday games, Monday night game, Saturday games at the end of the season, and Thursday night games. The league is over saturating the market with their product. People are still watching but can the NFL really take pride in Thursday night games when the majority of them are blowouts?
Who am I kidding? Of course they can. Keep counting those Benjamins, Rog.
Extra Points: I’ve never seen injuries pile up like the Washington’s offensive line. The NFL needs to find a way to get JuJu and Le’Veon in the endzone every week. After Kiko‘s hit on Flacco one must asked; what does it take to get ejected? Damn Rookie of the Year, Deshuan Watson is going for MVP.
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