Sports

[teganslaw]

I wonder if the Cowboys regret losing Amari Cooper. After a slow start, he has had two straight 100 yard games. The Browns got Cooper for a song, and he seems to be doing well in that environment. 

He probably doesn't consider Brissett a "black Kirk Cousins" like he said about Prescott. That could have been one of the reasons the Cowboys traded him. 

[gardenman]

@teganslaw 

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that the Cowboys would prefer to have kept Cooper, but when he disses the QB as he did, you pretty much have to flush the guy.

That kind of talk tends to divide a roster with some supporting the QB and some the WR. It's happened twice in Philly. Once with McNabb and TO and more recently with Wentz and Alshon Jeffrey. You just can't let that stuff linger. Someone had to go, and it was Cooper.

Should they have gotten more for him? Yes. But JJ wanted him gone now and the Browns said, "We'll take him!" So off he went for just a fifth. As long as he stays happy and a team player in Cleveland, the Browns will be happy.

The bad news for Dallas is in addition to losing the best receiver they had, the sentiment he expressed outwardly is probably felt by more than a few players who were smart enough to not say it publicly. What one guy is dumb enough to say out loud, lots of other guys will feel and believe also. JJ and his coaches are likely sorting out the malcontents as much as possible and flushing them, but that kind of thought and belief is a cancer to a team.

If teammates don't believe a QB can win the big games, they won't kill themselves to win the big game. "We won't win anyway with him as the QB, so why kill myself?" Guys with dings they could play through will opt not to. That little extra effort that's often the difference between winning and losing just isn't there. It is a big issue and a big problem.

And there is no easy fix. Dak needs to grab the team by the throat and drag them kicking and screaming to the Super Bowl and get the win to kill that kind of talk. And that's not such an easy thing to do when parts of the team don't think you can or will win. It's a big problem for a team. A whole lot of football gets played between the earholes and Cooper made it clear his headspace wasn't right with Dak. And he's almost certainly not alone.

[Spurt]

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@teganslaw wrote:

I wonder if the Cowboys regret losing Amari Cooper. After a slow start, he has had two straight 100 yard games. The Browns got Cooper for a song, and he seems to be doing well in that environment. 

He probably doesn't consider Brissett a "black Kirk Cousins" like he said about Prescott. That could have been one of the reasons the Cowboys traded him. 

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@teganslaw 

Yep, it seemed everytime you turned around, when something good happened in the game, you heard the name AMARI COOPER ....I wonder if Jerry Jones was kicking himself with regrets, however, @gardenman as you pointed out, its difficult to keep a player once he makes his negative feelings known about a key player on the team....

Thats why I think Washington should cut Jamin Davis due to that negative comment on social media.....Davis scrambled to CYA and said, "He deleted his Instagram post quickly after he realized the reaction it was getting. He said it was meant to be a joke and not a shot at the staff. He said he talked with Del Rio about it, and they shared a laugh over it. He was surprised at the public reaction and how the media ran wild with it."-----Hmmmm I wonder how much of this is TRUE! 🤔

[Spurt]

@gardenman @teganslaw 

Washington fans are happy with the offense, and despite the loss to the Lions, admired the way that Carson and the offense fought back. So opinions have changed regarding Carson Wentz (although there are some mistakes he needs to correct--staring down his receivers, holding onto the ball too long, and not going thrugh his reads), in a recent poll 68% of fans gave Wentz a grade of a B and they are optimistic about this group and have given a thumbs up to Carson, Terry McLaurin, Dotson, Samuel comparing them to the successful Redskin trio of the past---Monk, Clark, and Sanders! These WRs McLaurin, Dotson and Samuel have been described by the fans and media as thoughtful, passionate, hard working and talented. 

According to the fans, the defense, on the other hand, seems to be the fault of poor coaching and the team's defensive scheme rather than the talent......Although the LB talent and secondary are areas of concern....And it doesnt help that injuries are starting to pile up! 😫

[gardenman]

@Spurt 

Logan Thomas should have a good year also. Wentz loves his tight ends. The Commanders should have a pretty potent offense.  I don't know what happened to their defense. That should be a strength, but it's not.

[gardenman]

Good old JJ. He's now saying the only reason he got rid of Amari Cooper was due to his salary. Yeah. Sure. Cooper saying Dak Prescott was a black Kirk Cousins had nothing to do with it. Nope. Nothing at all. And Cooper's salary ties for tenth among the NFL wide receivers and will fall farther down that list each year.

At this moment, according to NFL.com, Amari Cooper is currently fourth in receptions with 19 for 219 yards and two TDs. So, yeah, he's a top-ten kind of guy. And given the contracts handed out this past offseason, you could argue he's underpaid.

JJ just wants everyone to forget what Cooper said that got him kicked out of Dallas. The perception that Dak Prescott is a black Kirk Cousins is not a perception JJ wants out there. He wants that forgotten and put on the shelf. He wants his team to believe that Dak is the very embodiment of the best QBs out there, not a mediocre, middle-tier kind of guy who will never win the big game.

JJ couldn't wait to unload Cooper and get him out of town. With other upper-tier receivers garnering first-round picks, larger salaries, and more, the trading of Cooper for just a fifth-round pick looks ridiculous, but JJ had no choice. Cooper had become a cancer in the locker room. Cooper couldn't take back what he said about Dak and keeping him would just be a constant reminder that he didn't believe in his QB. Cooper had to go.

JJ is now in spin mode trying to make it sound like he did the right thing (which he did) but he's claiming he did it for a different reason. No. The reason Cooper had to go was because of what he said. Not how much he was being paid.

[teganslaw]

Injury update for Sunday game: Out-Bernhard Raimann and Shaquille Leonard. 

Questionable- Yannick Ngakoue

Leonard still being out is a mystery. He had full practice, says he has no pain and is ready to play. Maybe they're taking the advice of the staff doctor on Leonard's condition. He had a serious injury, so they could be taking extra precautions. 

Michael Pittman returns. That's good news as Ryan needs his #1 WR. Some analysts are predicting a Colts upset this week. The Chiefs are favored, so if someone wants to risk betting on the Colts they could make a good amount of money. 

[gardenman]

@teganslaw 

Yeah betting on the Colts could get you a big return if the Colts won, but that whole "if the Colts won" part is the hard part. About the only position where I would say the Colts were better player-for-player was with Quenton Nelson. Maybe RB also. Clyde Edwards Helaire is pretty good though.

[gardenman]

It's game day! Something of a home game for the Eagles as multiple busloads of Eagle's fans are heading south for the game. One group spent most of the day Friday making 600 green Jell-o shots for the game. The Commanders are letting the fans at the game vote on the new team mascot and there's a movement among the Philly fans to pick the least attractive option of the group. (Commanders' fans supposedly want the Hog, so the Eagle fans are planning to vote for something else.)

It should be a good game. The Eagles should be the better team, but these NFC East games often devolve into something of a dogfight. Jonathan Gannon finally showed some aggression last week and it worked, but will he continue on that path or regress into his shell?

The Commanders' defense hasn't been spectacular against either the pass or the run and the Eagles can do both well, so I would expect a high-scoring game. At least on the Eagles' part. Carson Wentz will want to beat the Eagles badly and we always have trouble with Terry McLaurin. For whatever reason, we have a tendency to forget to cover him. He doesn't even have to do anything to get open, we just forget to cover him in game after game. Assuming we fix that minor issue, we should get the win today.

To no one's surprise, the Bucs have already activated Cole Beasley. He is very much a Tom Brady type of target. I would expect him to put up big numbers over the course of the season. Brady loves those shifty little slot guys who work the middle of the field. If he and Beasley are on the same page already, you can expect to see Beasley get a lot of balls thrown his way. Brady has made stars of guys like Welker, Amendola, and Edelman. Beasley may be the most gifted of those guys. I don't know how much they'll be on the same page already, but if they are, expect big numbers from Beasley. We'll see the Battle of Green Bay and Tampa Bay in game two today. I would expect to see Beasley get a lot of balls thrown his way.

Tonight's game will have the Niners taking on the Broncos. It should be a fun one. Jimmy G back at the controls of the Niners will want to remind the world why he should be their starter. Russell Wilson will still be trying to remember the names of the guys around him. Broncos fans were not thrilled with the coaching last week when the coaches seemed to lose track of the play clock.

If Jimmy G can stay healthy (a big if), he'll be a very sought-after guy in free agency. His reworked deal with the Niners prevents them from using the franchise tag on him and with lots of teams looking for a QB in 2023, the bidding war for him could get quite intense. (And expensive.) The list of possible suitors would include, Seahawks, Niners, Falcons, Panthers, Lions, Giants, Bucs (if Brady retires again), Vikings, and Saints. And maybe more. He could end up getting $50+ million a year in a new deal.

He just needs to stay healthy, win games, and look better than the rest. 

It should be a fun day of football.

[teganslaw]

Early games are Chiefs at Colts (CBS); Lions at Vikings (FOX) I plan on watching the Colts game, just with lower expectations.

Late afternoon is Packers at Bucs (FOX)

Tropical storm Ian could affect the Florida games. It's predicted to turn into a hurricane headed for the west coast of Florida. The Bucs and Dolphins games could be playing in rain and wind. The NFL must have already made decisions in order for everyone to stay safe.