Tag: Jacksonville Jaguars

Get Used To Me Couch, The NFL Is Back!!!!

~ Dave Ettinger ~ 2 Comments

jets stink

That was fun!! We should do that every week. What do you say, we get together next Sunday, around 1 o’ clock?? Yeah, you can come over, and we’ll watch football for 11 straight hours while we eat guacamole and drink beer. It’ll be great!!

After being forced to wait 7 months for football, the NFL finally returned, and it did not disappoint. My team, however, is another story:

New York Jets

1 down, 15 to go. As a lifelong Jets’ fan, this is going to be the weirdest season I’ve ever experienced. Today, I am glad they lost. Their performance was encouraging. It showed me they are capable of losing to anyone. Although their defense is decent, they will be on the field too often to impact the game positively. They lost 21-12 to the 1st place Buffalo Bills (man that sounds weird).

New York Giants

Few teams looked worse than the Jets yesterday. The Giants were one of them. They lost to the Dallas Cowboys 19-3. 3. 3 points.

“7. 7 miles per hour. And usually when I pull someone over they pull over to the side of the road!”

Last time I checked it’s hard to win a football game when you only score 3 points. Did I mention the Giants only scored 3 points?? People can talk about Odell Beckham Jr. not playing all they want, but it all boils down to the Giants’ offensive line. They can’t protect Eli Manning. They can’t provide running lanes for their running backs. I’m surprised they don’t get penalized more often. Last night, they made the Cowboys defense look like the ‘Steel Curtain’.

The Giants have the worst offensive line in the NFL. 

Stinky QB Play

Two quarterbacks were pulled from their respective games yesterday, Tom Savage and Scott Tolzien. I’m not sure who was worse….

Scott Tolzien: 9/18 for 128 yards, 2 INT’s, and 1 fumble

or

Tom Savage: 7/13 for 62 yards and 2 lost fumbles

Tolzien was pulled from the game for newly acquired Jacoby Brissett. Brissett has only been on the Indianapolis Colts for 8 days, so he will be given a longer leash than Tolzien. It’s safe to say the Colts can’t wait for Andrew Luck to return to the field. For my eyeballs’ sake, I can’t either.

Despite having the emotional Houston crowd behind him, Savage was only able to muster 62 yards passing against a mediocre Jacksonville Jaguars defense. Oh, and the Jaguars had 10 sacks. Savage was replaced with rookie Deshaun Watson. Watson looked good, scoring a touchdown on his opening drive, but it was too little, way too late. The damage had been done. Hopefully, the Texans are smart enough to start Watson next week.

Too Smart For Their Own Good

The Philadelphia Eagles looked good yesterday. Carson Wentz looked good yesterday. And most would say head coach, Doug Pederson, looked good yesterday. The Eagles beat the Washington Redskins 30-17. Pederson’s mathematical blunder went unnoticed because they were winning, but bonehead decisions like these will cost you games in the future. The Eagles returned a Kirk Cousins’ fumble for a touchdown, going up 28-17 with 1:29 left in the 4th quarter. Pederson and the Eagles proceeded to go for a 2-point conversion.

I’ll give you a second to let that sink in….

Now, if you know anything about football, or numbers, you’d know going for 2-points in this situation is the wrong decision. There is no difference in being up 12 (kicking the extra point) versus being up 13 (going for 2). The only risk is not converting the 2-point conversion, only being up 11, and allowing the Redskins to climb back into the game. If you didn’t notice this mistake, don’t feel bad. The professional commentators announcing the game didn’t notice either.

 

There are still 2 Monday Night Football games left to close out Week 1. The New Orleans Saints will visit the Minnesota Vikings @ 7:10 P.M. EST, and the Los Angeles Charges will visit the Denver Broncos @ 10:20 P.M. EST. Both games can be seen on ESPN. I will be sound asleep before the 2nd game starts.

 

What was your biggest take away from the 1st Sunday of the NFL season?? Tell me all about it in the comment section below.

You can now find me on the Radio too. Download the TuneIn Radio App and search OWWR. I’ll be on live every Wednesday from 6:00 P.M. – 8:00 P.M EST. I also broadcast every show on Facebook Live via my DaveTalksSports.com Facebook Page.

Since you enjoy my writing, follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like my page on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. You can also Subscribe to my YouTube Channel called DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading!! Now go tell all your friends!!

 

 

 

 

AFC South Preview

~ Dave Ettinger ~ 2 Comments

afc south preview

The AFC South is usually stinky. It’s like that co-worker who opts for a cologne bath rather than a shower. Yeah, that kind of stink. However, this season, you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the smell of the AFC South….

Last Season’s Standings:

Houston Texans: 9-7

Tennessee Titans: 9-7

Indianapolis Colts: 8-8

Jacksonville Jaguars: 3-13

 

From worst-to-first we go….

Jacksonville Jaguars

This division as a whole will be better, but that doesn’t apply to this bottom feeder. The Jacksonville Jaguars will be awful this season — again. Their level of bad will depend on the number of turnovers their quarterback has (and if they beat the Jets or not). New head coach, Doug Marrone, has inexplicably decided to stick with Blake Bortles under center. Bortles, the former #3 overall pick (2014), has been nothing short of a disaster early on in his career. I envision feeling very badly for rookie running back, Leonard Fournette at some point this season.

Key Additions: Leonard Fournette (Draft), Calais Campbell, Barry Church

Key Losses:  Julius Thomas, Luke Joeckel, Kelvin Beachum

Indianapolis Colts

The Indianapolis Colts will go as far as their quarterback will take them. The only problem is their quarterback is injured. And when he’s not injured, he’s being sacked, and in turn, re-injured. The way Colts’ management has treated Andrew Luck is criminal. I can’t recall a quarterback, with hall of fame talent like Luck, ever taking snaps behind a worse offensive line. And I’m sorry Colts’ fans, that streak of missing the playoffs in 2 consecutive years won’t end this year.

Key Additions: Christine Michael, Johnathan Hankins, Kamar Aiken 

Key Losses:  Trent Cole, Dwayne Allen, D’Qwell Jackson

Houston Texans

Being a Houston Texans fan must be frustrating. The Texans have such a talented roster, outside of the MOST IMPORTANT POSITION on the field, quarterback. Yes, they drafted Deshaun Watson in the 2017 Draft (12th pick), but as per head coach, Bill O’Brien, Watson will ride the pine to start the season. O’Brien will turn the reigns over to Mr. Tom Savage. No no, you don’t need glasses. You read that right. The question though, is when, not if, Watson will take over at quarterback?? We know how you feel DeAndre Hopkins, but don’t jump overboard yet. Help is coming….

Key Additions: Deshaun Watson (Draft), Breno Giacomini, Marcus Gilchrist  

Key Losses:  Vince Wilfork, A.J. Bouye, Antonio Smith

Tennessee Titans

Are you sensing a theme in this division?? Every team will go as far as their quarterback will take them. Marcus Mariota is one of the great, young quarterbacks in this league. Despite breaking his leg in December of 2016, Mariota looks poised to lead his Titans to an AFC South Division Title. Mariota will line up behind one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, and when he’s not running the ball, will hand it off to the best running back tandem in the league (Demarco Murray and Derrick Henry).

Jump on the bandwagon while you still can!! It’s getting crowded on here!!

Key Additions: Eric Decker, Logan Ryan, Corey Davis (Draft)

Key Losses:  Jason McCourty, Kendall Wright, Chance Wormack

 

This Season’s Predictions:

Tennessee Titans: 11-5

Houston Texans: 9-7

Indianapolis Colts: 6-10

Jacksonville Jaguars: 4-12

 

Who do you think will win the AFC South?? Post your predictions in the comment section below.

You can now find me on the Radio too. Download the TuneIn Radio App and search OWWR. I’ll be on live every Wednesday from 6:00 P.M. – 8:00 P.M EST. I also broadcast every show on Facebook Live via my DaveTalksSports.com Facebook Page.

Since you enjoy my writing, follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like my page on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. You can also Subscribe to my YouTube Channel called DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading!! Now go tell all your friends!!

2014 NFL Draft: 1 Day Down, 178 To Go

~ Dave Ettinger ~ 1 Comment

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Round 1 of the 2014 NFL Draft is now officially in the books.  It was a very interesting 1st round that came with a few trades, a few surprises, but most things played out as expected.  Over the past 3 months, draft experts have been laying out any and all possibilities for the outcome of the NFL Draft.  Many have been suggesting that The Houston Texans could do a multitude of things with the #1 overall pick in the draft.  Some have suggested that they should select Johnny Manziel because they need a quarterback and he played his college ball in the state of Texas while some have suggested trading the asset of the #1 overall pick, move back in the draft, and collect an extra set of picks.  And the majority of people have implored the Texans to simply to the right thing and select the best player in the draft.  And that is what they did.  They selected Jadeveon Clowney because he is a “freak of nature”.  At his size, Clowney is listed at 6’5 1/4″ and 266 pounds, his speed, size, and power are unmatched.  He posted a very impressive 40-yard dash time of 4.53 seconds, the fastest of any defensive lineman in this years draft.  I believe this was the right selection by The Texans, but don’t be surprised if Khalil Mack is the best defensive player to come out of this years draft.  Oh no wait, he was drafted by The Oakland Raiders so never mind.

 

The first surprise to come out of the 1st round was the selection of Blake Bortles 3rd overall by The Jacksonville Jaguars.  I understand that he is your prototypical quarterback, standing 6’5″ and weighing in at 232 pounds, and he played his college football in the state of Florida, and Jacksonville desperately needs a quarterback, BUT I think that it was a reach taking Bortles this early.  The 2nd quarterback selected was Johnny Manziel at #22, so the Jaguars definitely could have capitalized on having the #3 pick by trading back in the draft, still drafting Bortles, and picking up an extra pick or 2 in the 2nd or 3rd round. 

 

The first trade occurred at the 4th overall pick in the draft, where The Buffalo Bills traded up from the 9th pick to acquire, who I believe is the best wide receiver in the draft, Sammy Watkins.  The Bills traded their 9th pick this year and their 1st and 5th round picks in the 2015 to The Cleveland Browns for the 4th overall pick.  Personally, I like this move because I feel that Watkins has the potential to be one of the best wide outs in the NFL for the next 8-10 years.  This is a move that I have been talking about for weeks, only I was hopeful that The New York Jets (having 1,278 draft picks this year) would have taken advantage of such an opportunity.  Instead, The Jets drafted Calvin Pryor, a hard hitting safety from Louisville.  I like Pryor, and while I believe he is the best safety in the draft, I would have been much happier with a cornerback (Darqueze Dennard) or a wide receiver (Brandin Cooks) at the 18th overall pick in the draft.  I believe that John Idzik was thinking about position depth in this years draft when he made this selection.  There is plenty of talent at cornerback and wide receiver, but the talent at safety is scarce.  Also, The Jets do have another 11 picks in this years draft, so I’m sure they will fulfill their needs at wide receiver, cornerback, tight end, and most importantly WIDE RECEIVER.  Did I say wide receiver?? 

 

The Jets crosstown riv…..oh wait they play in the same building and they’re not rivals, but anyway, The New York Giants did select a wide receiver with the 12th overall pick in the draft.  They chose a very talented playmaker in Odell Beckham Jr. from LSU.  I think The Giants should have drafted an offensive lineman here, because you can have all the talent you want at wide receiver, but if you can’t protect your quarterback, and provide him with enough time to throw the ball, then your talent at wide receiver will be all for naught.  However, you can’t solve all of your problems in 1 pick, so we will have to wait and see what The New York Giants do with their other 6 draft picks. 

 

Ah yes, which brings us to little Johnny football, aka Johnny Manziel.  Manziel “dropped” down to the 22nd pick in the 1st round.  ESPN kept showing his face on the screen as if we were supposed to feel bad for him for sitting in the spot light for 3 hours.  I think he and his millions will be just fine (as he so clearly let us know by rubbing his fingers together on his way on stage as if to say “show me the money”).  And despite all the money he did lose by not being drafted until 22nd, he did not get drafted into a bad situation.  If you look at all of the possible teams that could have drafted him, The Minnesota Vikings or Jacksonville Jaguars, he actually landed in the best situation.  The Browns offensive line isn’t terrible and Manziel will have 2 viable options at pass catching positions (Josh Gordon and Jordan Cameron).  Having a reliable running back would help Manziel out, but it’s a better situation than his fellow competitor Blake Bortles is in. 

 

All-in-all I think it was an entertaining 1st round with a lot of interesting picks and moves.  I do have a gripe with the NFL though, with the way the draft is run.  Let’s use the very first pick of the entire draft as an example.  The Houston Texans have known they were going to pick #1 overall for quite some time now.  They obviously had decided before 8:00 p.m. last night that they were not going to trade their pick and they were going to select Jadeveon Clowney.  So, why in the world did it take them nearly 7 minutes to announce their selection?!?!?!  I’ll tell you why.  Now, I don’t want to get all conspiracy theory on everybody, but the NFL is a money making business just like any business in the world.  I have said many times before, and I will say it again: Everything is about money.  The longer the draft takes, the more money the NFL makes.  To keep watching the 2014 NFL Draft, you can tune in to ESPN tonight at 7:00 p.m. and coverage will continue at 8:00 p.m. on ESPN2.  Enjoy!!

 

If you enjoy my writing, follow me over to intheneutralzone.com where I am a contributing author there as well. Also you can follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like me on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!

Thank you for reading and leave a comment in the section below.

            

           

I’d Ask, But I Know You Are Ready For Some Football!!

~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

Denver-Broncos-vs-Baltimore-Ravens-620x350

Your birthday? Nope. Your anniversary? Nah. That day you randomly find a $20 in your jacket that you haven’t worn in 3 months? Almost, but no. So what is the best day of the year? It is today; Opening Day of the NFL Season. It is the day you’ve been waiting for ever since the unbelievably annoying Ray Lewis hoisted The Lombardi Trophy over is head in February. Well, the wait is over. You can have a snickers bar and you can watch some football. You can finally see how your fantasy picks will pan out. And, you all have a reason to sit on the couch and do nothing. Enjoy what should undoubtedly be made a National Holiday.

The 2013 NFL Season kicks off tonight, Thursday September 5th, with the defending champion Baltimore Ravens taking on the Denver Broncos (I think we all remember what happened the last time these teams met). To say The Broncos will be looking for revenge would be an understatement. The Broncos enter the season with extremely high expectations. Some have them in or winning The Super Bowl this year thanks to the additions of Wes Welker and others. Even with their best defender, Von Miller, suspended for the first 4 games of the season they are still looked at as the favorites in the AFC. On the other hand, the defending champion Ravens enter the season with a handful of question marks. How do they replace Ray Lewis and Ed Reed? Will Joe Flacco live up to the astronomically high contract he was given last year? Can you really win with just 1 wide receiver? That last one was a joke, but seriously how are you going to win with Torrey Smith and me at wide receiver? Despite his impressive Super Bowl performance and his wonderful (haha) showing on Dancing With The Stars, Jacoby Jones is actually not very good at football. These are some of the questions that will certainly be answered once the season gets under way. You can catch tonight’s opening game on NBC at 8:30 P.M. Who do you like to win this game? I have Denver (at home) winning a relatively close game 24-17.

The rest of Week 1 will be played on Sunday and Monday. So, clear your schedules for the weekend, find that ass groove in the couch that has missed you so dearly, and lets get ready for some football. I am now ready to give you some of my thoughts and predictions on the upcoming season. Everyone has an opinion on their own favorite team and who they think will win, but football more than any other sport is incredibly unpredictable. Players get injured at a very high rate, and every year we seem to have a completely unknown player climb out of the woodwork and land right in the limelight. Nonetheless, lets make some predictions. I shall start with my favorite “team”, The New York Jets. Their team can be summed up in one word: Joke. They are a complete and utter joke. I see them winning 4 games at most, but most likely will only pull off 3 lucky victories. With that being said, I still believe it is not fair for ESPN to rank the Jets as the worst team in the NFL. That distinction clearly should be held by The Oakland Raiders (Chris Berman voice). Anyway, I see the Raiders, Jets, and Jaguars all being very very bad, and I wouldn’t be surprised if any of these teams wound up as the worst team in the league. And now, I will provide you with the Division winners, Wild Card teams, and Super Bowl Champion that will make up the 2013 playoffs.

In the AFC East, I don’t see how any other team will come out of that division than The New England Patriots. Everyone can talk about how much better The Miami Dolphins will be, but I’m sorry Ryan Tannehill, I’m just not buying it. The AFC West is also a pretty easy division to figure out. The Denver Broncos will handily win this division. Most people are eager to hop on the Kansas City Chiefs bandwagon, but I’m also not prepared to do that either. Will they be in a hunt for the Wild Card with 3 games to go? It’s very possible, but I also wouldn’t be surprised if they were 4-9 by then either. Oh, they have Alex Smith? Well then, that changes everything, they’ll probably win The Super Bowl. What was I thinking? The AFC North and South are a little tougher to figure out, and will probably provide the playoffs with the other 4 teams in the AFC this year. The AFC North will be a tightly contested division, but I feel that The Cincinnati Bengals will prevail. I also believe that The Ravens, not The Steelers will land a Wild Card spot this year. The Steelers have no running game, and Big Ben just isn’t good enough to win without a good supporting cast and top 10 defense. The AFC South is a fun division and should also bring 2 playoff teams to the mix this year. The Indianapolis Colts will win this division behind the strong play of Andrew Luck (he is the real deal and will be the best 2nd year QB in the NFL this season). The Texans will land the other Wild Card spot this year.

    AFC Playoff Picture

1.) Denver Broncos
2.) New England Patriots
3.) Indianapolis Colts
4.) Cincinnati Bengals
5.) Baltimore Ravens
6.) Houston Texans

I envision The Denver Broncos beating The New England Patriots in the AFC Championship (and giving everyone that one last Peyton Vs. Tom showdown everyone was looking for last year).

As for the NFC, I see this as the much harder conference to predict. The NFC East by itself is like flipping a 4-sided coin. But, here goes nothing. In the NFC East, as much as I hate them and love watching them crumble under pressure, I see the Dallas Cowboys narrowly pulling out the division title this year. I think The New York Giants will be in the fight for a Wild Card spot all season but will fall just short of the playoffs yet again this season. The NFC West, which is seen as the strongest division in the NFL should definitely bring 2 teams to the playoffs this year. I have The San Francisco 49ers winning the division, and The Seattle Seahawks winning a Wild Card spot. The NFC North should be a battle between 2 long time rivals; The Packers and Da Bears. I see The Packers edging out the Bears for the Division while Jay Cutler will once again be watching the playoffs from home this season. Last, but certainly not least, there is my favorite division in football, The NFC South. This division should also produce 2 playoff teams this season. The Atlanta Falcons will once again win the division while the New Orleans Saints will land the final playoff spot this season.

    NFC Playoff Picture

1.) San Francisco
2.) Atlanta Falcons
3.) Green Bay Packers
4.) Dallas Cowboys
5.) Seattle Seahawks
6.) New Orleans Saints

Let me repeat how unpredictable the NFC is going to be this season. Don’t be surprised if the Wild Cards consist of The Bears, Redskins, Giants, or Redskins. However, based off my predictions, I see The San Francisco 49ers beating the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship in a rematch of last year. As for the Super Bowl, I see Peyton Manning prevailing to win his 2nd Lombardi Trophy, while Colin Kaepernick suffers his 2nd straight defeat in the Super Bowl. And that my friends, is how I see the NFL season playing out this year. It is a long road, and it all starts tonight. However it plays out, enjoy it!!

Please leave me your predictions for the upcoming NFL Season below in the comment section. Thank you.

If you enjoy my writing, follow me over to intheneutralzone.com where I am a contributing author there as well. Also you can follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like me on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!