Four Down Territory: Week 6

It’s hard to believe that we’re already six weeks into the NFL season. Let’s start the 4DT drive.

1st Down: We live in an age where our TV cameras are so advanced that we can count the number of rubber pellets that fly up when a receiver drags their feet on the sideline. We have the ability to slow plays down, see something from numerous angles, and all in high definition. We have access to all of this technology and yet refs still blow calls at an alarming rate. I understand that every penalty can’t be reviewed, games would last longer and fans will become disinterested. I do believe, however, that the NFL should adopt an NBA type rule in which all plays after the two-minute warning can be reviewed if an official in the booth calls for it. Too many games are being decided by officials and the NFL needs to act, and fast. The last thing they want is a playoff game to be decided by a blown call. Sorry, Dallas.

2nd Down: At the beginning of the year I had Big Ben penned in as the offensive player of the year. My thought was that he has one good season left before the inevitable decline. It appears that I was one season too late. Roethlisberger had surgery Monday to repair his meniscus. It isn’t season ending but there is no timetable for his return. That means Landry Jones will have to man the fort until Ben comes back. During the preseason Landry completed 69.5% of his passes, threw two touchdowns and four interceptions. It goes without saying but those aren’t impressive numbers. Todd Haley is going to have to find ways to get Antonio Brown the ball and feed defenses a healthy portion of Le’Veon Bell if they want to survive. Ben’s health has been a topic of conversation for years and many believe that the Steelers should have invested in a proven backup or his replacement. This injury only cements those claims.

3rd Down: The Giants beat the Ravens this weekend thanks to OBJ‘s monster game. The 23-year-old caught eight passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns. Odell had a few sideline antics during the game including proposing to the kicking net that he’s seemed to make up with. He also got flagged fifteen yards for taking off his helmet while on the field. That penalty gave Baltimore life on the final drive of the game but to no avail. Eli would go on to say that one can get real sick of Odell if he’s not producing. Coach Ben McAdoo agreed and has also doubled down against Beckham’s antics. Here’s the thing, Odell is the best player on that team by a mile. If it weren’t for him they would have lost Sunday. How many times has he made Eli look good by pulling of a ridiculous catch? Eli has thrown six interceptions so far this year, putting him in the top ten among active quarterbacks. I suggest he worry about his own production instead of Beckham.

4th Down: Sunday marked the return of Colin Kaepernick to the starting role for the 49ers. They would lose to the Bills and Kap had a rough outing but that’s not much of a shock due to the fact that he’s coming off knee surgery. The most disgusting part from that game was the rowdy, classless Bills fans. Before the game a video surfaced of fans tackling a dummy wearing and afro and a Kaepernick jersey. I get it, tailgates can get pretty rowdy and this isn’t the first time we’ve seen a Bills fan do something stupid. The worst part about this whole ordeal are the shirts that were being sold outside of the stadium. Racially charged shirts threatening a man for peacefully protesting against racism is proving his point. Keep scarfing down those wings, though.

Extra Tidbits: At what point will Vontze‘s dirty play get him indefinitely suspended? Geno finally got to play but Todd Bowles has already claimed Fitzpatrick will start next week. Let’s get his train rolling, #StartGeno. Cam is Superman but the Panthers are done. The Eagles picked the worst time to decline. Over the next seven weeks they have to play Minnesota, Dallas, New York, Atlanta, Seattle, Green Bay, and Cincinnati.

Tweet Me: @mattgarrett41

As always, thanks for reading.

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