NFL 2021 Regular Season!

[SUPERECWFAN1]

I know it's a hard memory for a KC fan, but remember also that Tampa had a very slow start last season, and with a shorter preseason now it's going to take any team longer to gel than we are used to. COVID may have tricked people into thinking that last season was an aberration in that regard, but it probably just enhanced that aspect rather than creating it.

The biggest issue is Reid is really gambling now. He's rolling with 3 rookies on the right side of offensive line ! Rookie center , guard and tackle.

Its one of those...can you seriously contend with 3 rookie offensive linemen ?

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Likely the biggest shock was seeing Buffalo fall to Pittsburgh and Minnesota lose to Cincinnati this week #1. Not only is it stunning to see both teams lose , but Bills are considered an AFC Championship favorite this season too.

To be honest, I can’t say it was a “shock” that Minnesota lost. I mean, they’re far from being a powerhouse like the Bills, NO team with Kirk Cousins at the controls can be considered a force in the league. Hell, at best, the Vikings are no better than the third best team in NFC North, perhaps second if the Bears falter, but they ain’t catching Green Bay, despite the Pack having been curbstomped by New Orleans today.

[Gray Lensman]

The biggest issue is Reid is really gambling now. He's rolling with 3 rookies on the right side of offensive line ! Rookie center , guard and tackle.

Its one of those...can you seriously contend with 3 rookie offensive linemen ?

If they are good, and you have a good enough OL coach, then yes, but not without some time. Personally, I'd hedge my bets and put either the TE or a chip from the RB on that side as well - or whatever other tricks are available to assist them until they figure things out. Because with an O-Line, it isn't just how good each individual is, but how well they work together.

Basically, I expect KC to struggle a great deal for the first 4 to 8 weeks, but to come on stronger after the line solidifies. Depending on what Mr. Injury Bug has to say about things, of course.

[godisawesome]

I think KC’s new linemen did fine today; not great, but not bad, and against a dangerous D-Line. What I was more worried about was seeing how the defense played on the first half. I know they had 3 major injuries/exclusions, but it very much looked like the old 2018 squad that was all firepower and almost no stopping power.

But the team is disciplined and had bought in on their potential; that paid dividends and won them the game against someone who came in with the right game plan to beat them.

[Kirby101]

Glad my Dolphins won. Both Tua and Jones looked just okay, but not great. And they won because of a late fumble by the Pats. The Phins had a bad 4th quarter and got lucky. Neither offense was a powerhouse. There were teams yesterday that score more points than both of these together.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Well, my Eagles were the only team in NFC Least that won yesterday. I was pleasantly surprised at how good QB Jalen Hurts looked, even though he only had ten snaps in the preseason, I guess those joint practices with other teams counts for something after all. As for the other clubs in the division, Dallas looked good on offense with Dak Prescott, but the defense looked a tad shaky. The debut of FitzMagic for Washington was short lived after he left from a hip injury and could be out for awhile. As for the Giants, I watched that game, and boy, they sure looked godawful, especially QB Daniel Jones. Now to see what happens with NFC Least teams come week two.

[InfamousBG]

Yes, the Pats lost yesterday. Wayyyyy too many mistakes. The good thing though is that most of those mistakes were not made by Mac Jones. The kid looked good yesterday. Nothing crazy but ill take good over bad any day. Mac looked like a first time QB in a crazy league. I'm happy with that.

Lots of crazy wins yesterday. The Cardinals, The The Steelers, The Saints. The Chiefs just pulled like out like always. That amazing QB will do that for them.

I am so happy footballs back. Tonight's game looks nothing special as I don't have the Ravens or the Raiders doing much this year. The poor Ravens and all the injuries (lol ya right screw them). Ill be watching tonight though either way.

[Scott Taylor]

Rams won big and Stafford got a lot of credit for it with three TDs, no INTS and 20 for 26 passing. Yah I know, calm down its just the Bears. But they really hurt us with the running game, it basically allowed them to get into Rams territory a ton more than you would think looking at the score. Montgomery is the real deal.

The Bears were running an interesting offense, mostly using Dalton but switching Fields in periodically in short yardage situations, especially near the goal line. Fields got one of the touchdowns on a bootleg. He seemed very calm and collected in there. Odds are pretty good Fields will be starting for them in the next month.

[InfamousBG]

Rams won big and Stafford got a lot of credit for it with three TDs, no INTS and 20 for 26 passing. Yah I know, calm down its just the Bears. But they really hurt us with the running game, it basically allowed them to get into Rams territory a ton more than you would think looking at the score. Montgomery is the real deal.

The Bears were running an interesting offense, mostly using Dalton but switching Fields in periodically in short yardage situations, especially near the goal line. Fields got one of the touchdowns on a bootleg. He seemed very calm and collected in there. Odds are pretty good Fields will be starting for them in the next month.

Fields should have been in the entire game.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Fields should have been in the entire game.

No...he needs to sit awhile. Because the Bears rushed Trubisky into starting and paid a price on it. Here Fields gets some plays and they groom him along.

Maybe half way through season he starts. Maybe at the end. They can't rush him.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

No...he needs to sit awhile. Because the Bears rushed Trubisky into starting and paid a price on it. Here Fields gets some plays and they groom him along.

Maybe half way through season he starts. Maybe at the end. They can't rush him.

I agree. It’s not like quarterback is the last piece of the puzzle for a Bears Super Bowl run, because that’s not happening. Let Fields sit back and learn the system while Dalton gets his head beat in.

[The Big G]

maximum foooootballl

[The Big G]

what.is.footbal?????????

[worstblogever]

Gonna make last year’s WBE weekly column a tradition in CBR’s NFL talk now… I’m going to state that I’m not rooting for any of these coaches to be given a pink slip, just predicting how their employment status is looking between now and the end of the season. So without further adieu…

WEEK 1 "WHO'S COOKIN' ON THE HOTSEAT?/FIRE THIS COACH!" DISCUSSION
ALREADY FIRED BEFORE WEEK 13: Bill O'Brien (Texans) , Dan Quinn (Falcons), Matt Patricia (Lions) FIRED! THEY’RE FIRED!

10. Kliff Kingsbury, Cardinals (LUKEWARM SEAT): Arizona missed the playoffs last year after starting the season 5-2, and after the Hail Murray versus the Bills, was 6-3. Arizona's 8 wins last year? Four were against the NFC (L)East and a fifth came against the Jets. They went 2-5 down the stretch. The starting QBs in that 7 game stretch:
• Russell Wilson, Seahawks (LOSS)- the only real threat of this group.
• Cam Newton, Patriots (LOSS)- Cam is considered washed up by many, and calls for Jared Stidham instead were being made.
• Jared Goff, Rams (LOSS)- Jared Goff has never been considered even a Top 10 QB. He put up 400 yards against the Cardinals. Rams coach Sean McVay went to 8-0 versus Arizona.
• Daniel Jones, Giants (WIN)- Daniel Jones sucks. He also was playing with a hamstring injury.
• Jalen Hurts, Eagles (WIN)- Hurts is in his second start, and puts up 300+ yards.
• C.J. Beatheard, 49ers (LOSS)- This one isn't simply a QB issue. San Francisco is beyond depleted on offense due to injuries. Arizona needed to simply win and they were in the playoffs. They can't force a turnover against a 3rd stringer.
• John Wolford, Rams (LOS)- A guy who a year ago was in the AAF throws a pick on his first series, then settles in to handle the Cardinals defense down the stretch, including opening the second half with a 12-7 lead and taking his team on a nine and a half minute drive. Yes, the Rams were chewing clock with a lead at halftime. They were just going to let their defense hang on.
Kliff Kingsbury starts 2021 on the hot seat, and if they fail to get in the playoffs this year, he could be toast. He makes bad decisions on a weekly basis. He burns timeouts at the worst times (in Sunday’s blowout win, he burned two in the first seven minutes, and used his third in the first half a minute into the second quarter), his team led the league in penalties last year (they had eight on Sunday).

This being said, he probably is the LEAST endangered coach we’re talking about after Week One, because Arizona didn’t just beat Tennessee, the defending AFC South champs, they took them behind the woodshed by 3 scores yesterday. Their raw CB room held their own against Julio Jones and A.J. Brown, assisted by Chandler Jones and J.J. Watt absolutely sending Ryan Tannehill running for his life. The Titans also couldn’t get Derrick Henry going, and fell behind 17-0, never getting a chance to truly establish the run. Meanwhile, Kyler Murray made a case in one game for an MVP campaign.

So… yeah, all is right in the desert… for now. We’ll see what happens when they start playing games against the rest of the NFC West, the toughest division in football today.

9. Jon Gruden, Raiders (LUKEWARM SEAT): The supposed QB whisperer cannot get the Raiders to get to the next level, and this offseason green-lit the trade of Pro-Bowl Center Rodney Hudson to Arizona, as if THAT would help the Raiders’ offense figure it out. This would be similar, but to a lesser extent how after Gruden’s arrival, seeing him trade away Khalil Mack to the Bears, except he only asked the Cardinals for a 3rd round pick for a key piece of their offense. It’s a miracle he hasn’t traded away Derek Carr to start Marcus Mariota yet.

The Raiders are currently relieved to have gotten their first win in front of fans in Vegas after prematurely celebrating a game-winning TD on the field in overtime that was overturned upon review, and the ensuing plays saw Oakland fail to get in from 1st and Goal at the 1, only to turn it over on an INT on 3rd down… luckily, Lamar Jackson turned the ball over right back to them and got burned on an all-out blitz to send Raider Nation home happy.

Our reason why John Gruden won’t be fired: He still is only in year FOUR of a TEN YEAR contract. That’s a lot of money tied up into the guy, and if Mark Davis drops the axe, he’d have to keep paying Gruden millions until 2028. The business model is no longer a “Commitment to Excellence” though, it’s “find a way to make a profit until Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert retire”.



8. Zac Taylor, Bengals (LUKEWARM SEAT): The Bengals won their opener, but against an even more poorly coached Vikings team (see below). We don’t want to say Taylor is “safe” at 1-0, but even if this team loses its next 16 and his weak O-Line gets Joe Burrow murdered again before October hits…

Why Zac Taylor might not get fired is "Mike Brown is a f***ing cheapskate!" Remember all the years where people thought FOR SURE Marvin Lewis would get fired because he couldn't win a playoff game? And Cincinnatti kept him around? Well, the talk always was because Mike Brown couldn't find a cheaper, better option than that, and the skinflint would never spend money on a good coach. So I look at Zac Taylor, and think they're gonna give him at least until the end of the year and maybe longer because as bad as the Bengals look outside of Joe Burrow and as disgruntled as this locker room is... Zac Taylor still only makes between $400,000 and $600,000 a season. He is valued at roughly 1/20 of Bill Belichek, and maybe like 1/16 of an Andy Reid. And y’know what? The Brown family are “bullish” on a coach that last year, got their rookie star hurt and only won 4.5 games. It’s Cincinnatti, it’s not a question of if they’ll suck, it’s how much.

[worstblogever]

7. Vic Fangio, Broncos (LUKEWARM SEAT) : It’s year three of Vic Fangio, and somehow, he’s got the best QB situation he’s had with Teddy Bridgewater coming in this year. Perhaps we should mention that last year, the game that the Broncos played without an actual QB was because under Fangio’s leadership, the whole QB room broke Covid-19 protocols so they could sit right on top of each other in the film room, rather than socially distance in corners. If you can’t get guys to adhere to that simple thing… it might be because you yourself are fighting the regulations there to keep you alive.

A reminder, Fangio declared that Covid-19 is showing "who the whiners are" around the NFL, last season. On the field, though... “Mr. Covid Tough Guy” Fangio led Denver to a 5-11, and to paraphrase a wiser person on CBR than I… “Denver somehow found the only person who can make dumber decisions than Vance Joseph.” Prediction: The Broncos next head coach will not have a name that starts with “V”. Just in case.

For the moment, Fangio looks like a genius after winning a blowout, but it’s because his team had the good fortune to play the New York Giants.

6. Bill Belichek, Patriots: New England loses their opener to Miami 17-16. Sure, last year New England missed the playoffs and went 7-9 with Cam Newton… this year they’re starting a rookie QB in Mac Jones. They had seven starters on defense sit out last year due to Covid-19… but those guys are back. Is the story of this year going to be “Belichek gets a pass because he started a rookie he’s developing?”

We’re saying, yes. That’s why no matter what Tom Brady does in Tampa Bay that will make people wonder if Belichek maybe isn’t that good without him, he’ll be allowed to hang around.

5. Urban Meyer, Jaguars: Jacksonville’s preseason was filled with self-inflicted wounds caused by decisions from Meyer, from hiring coaches without vetting them properly (strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle), bringing in Tim Tebow as a possible TIGHT END option that was nothing but a media distraction, and acting like he’s the smartest guy in the NFL because of his college success. I’m no coaching expert, but having a rookie QB throw over 50 times in his first start MAAAYBE isn’t a winning formula, even if he is a butt-chin wonder like Trevor Lawrence.

And about that game… the Houston Texans, regarded as many as a candidate to be the worst team in the NFL this year… the Jags got blown out by THAT team. One that doesn’t have a first or second day drat pick until 2022. One that doesn’t have DeShaun Watson, and keeps letting Arizona poach its Pro Bowlers. THAT Texans team wiped the floor with Urban Meyer’s squad, and to their 16th consecutive loss.

We again, will likely not see Urban Meyer fired unless he gets Trevor Lawrence injured by leaving him out there in a lopsided loss while the team is winless… something horribly malfeasant will have to take place, because Shad Khan gave Doug Marrone and Gus Bradley YEARS to keep failing with this team before showing them the door. For Meyer to get fired, he’ll not just have to screw the pooch, but get it pregnant.

4. Mike McCarthy, Cowboys) Jerrah does not like chaos at the coaching position… but Mike McCarthy has continually been exposed as a coach, and in spite of Dak Prescott AGAIN carrying the Cowboys to a late lead with 400+ yards passing, McCarthy cannot handle clock management to save his life, and left Tom Brady with 90 seconds to casually head the other direction against Dallas’ still porous defense (they gave up 379 yards and 4 TDs to Tampa Bay) and take the Buccaneers to a victory. The Bucs had 11 PENALITES which you would think would screw them out of a win, but the Cowboys had EIGHT of their own.

At some point, it should be clear that Mike McCarthy cannot coach defense to save his life and all he can do is get a solid franchise QB and pray they carry him to victory. That was the case in Green Bay, and so it is in Dallas.

This being said, the NFC (L)East still is the Cowboys’ to lose, even with their abysmal D.




3. Matt Nagy, Bears (COOL SEAT): The Double-Doink happened like 3 years ago, but it made something snap in Matt Nagy. He spent that entire off-season talking about it, and making his players relive that trauma, and they responded by getting worse afterwards. Where they didn’t respond was fixing their QB situation. They drafted Justin Fields, sure, but Nagy is sticking with Andy Dalton. If you’re going with the Red Rifle at this stage of his career, you’re pretty f***ed. Their defense? They still have DPOTY candidate Khalil Mack. The offense? Yeah, again, that QB situation and poor Allen Robinson wishing he didn’t leave Jacksonville. Think about that… there’s a guy who was better off IN JACKSONVILLE than in Chicago. The Bears watched Arizona choke away the #7 playoff seed last year and got it, but 8-8 and early exits and a never-ending offense stuck in first gear could end Nagy’s tenure in the Windy City at four years.

How did the opener go? They were completely outclassed by the Los Angeles Rams, and Andy Dalton had 0 TD, 1 INT, and a fumble while Chicago’s office failed to hold on to the ball for even 25 minutes. Matt Stafford had a 156.1 QB rating for L.A. against the Bears’ defense. Kind of what was expected, and whether or not Matt Nagy pulls the trigger on Justin Fields before it’s too late may or may not save his job.

2. Joe Judge, Giants: We don’t believe Joe Judge should have ever been a head coach. His prior experience before getting the gig in the Meadowlands with the G-Men was serving as special teams coordinator/wide receivers coach in New England (a team not regarded well for its WR corps during his tenure). His QB is living blooper reel Daniel Jones. His team’s preseason was marred by a massive brawl with THEMSELVES where the pileup of players throwing haymakers tumbled onto their starting QB who ended up at the bottom of the mound of humanity, enraging Judge so he made his players run gassers like they were back in high school JV, and resulting in one veteran filing to retire immediately, rather than play for him any more.

This guy’s team loathes him, and the New York media are salivating at all the ink they can lay out simply by getting his players to throw him under the bus. His only hope for any job security is he’s coaching in the worst division in the NFL right now, where practically any of the four teams in it could accidentally stumble into a division title to get destroyed in the first round of the playoffs. That’s the GOOD news.

In Week One, this squad got the good fortune to play against the Denver Broncos, who are thought of as, at best, a mid-tier team at the moment. The Giants’ defense gave up 400 yards against them, Saquon Barkley had only 26 yards on the ground on 10 carries, and Daniel Jones fumbled, again. For those keeping track, that’s 10 career fumbles in 28 career starts to go along with 22 INTs. Their offense was so anemic, they didn’t even hold the ball for 25 minutes of action.

If the Giants can’t get some wins against the WFT, Eagles, or Cowboys, it could spell doom for Judge. What’s going for him is that the Mara family are notoriously patient with coaches, as the franchise still has only had 21 in their entire team history.





1. Mike Zimmer, Vikings : The Vikings were supposedly "just a QB away" from winning a Super Bowl a few years ago with the impeccable defense they had, and they spent BIG for Kirk Cousins. Then they traded away Stephon Diggs (BIG MISTAKE), and their defense officially "got a case of the olds" going into 2020. Minnesota’s biggest off-season free agent signing was CB Patrick Peterson, who age has not just proven to be “no longer an elite corner”, he’s arguably “not even a starting corner” in the league, admitting on his podcast he struggles at covering any receiver who’s simply PUT IN MOTION. That’s the top free agent addition to an aged defense. That probably had a lot to do with how Joe Burrow and the Bengals beat the Vikings yesterday, with rookie JaMarr Chase going for over 100 yards and a big late catch against Peterson, who any coach worth their salt would admit needs safety help to get the job done anymore.

But no… there’s two big failings by Zimmer after Week 1. Somehow, he failed to get Dalvin Cook involved in the offense, having his team throw 50… yes FIFTY times, and thus they got outgained 149 to 67 by the Bengals. More embarrassing? Cincinnatti, often the butt of jokes for getting in their own way… the supposed Bungles only committed 3 penalties for 15 yards. Mike Zimmer’s Vikings squad?

TWELVE PENALTIES. 116 yards. HOLY F***, that is a damning statistic for how ready he had his team to play.

In Week Two, Zimmer’s going to have his team traveling again to Arizona, where Patrick Peterson is going to be given DeAndrew Hopkins to cover, after he spent the ENTIRE offseason not shutting the f*** up about his former team, and giving them a TON of bulletin-board material about what he’s planning to do against them. This would be the Cardinals team whose defense just shut down Derrick Henry, Julio Jones, and A.J. Brown, while Kyler Murray torched the Titans’ secondary for 4 TDs in the air, and another on the ground. If the Cardinals have another blowout, there’s a chance Zimmer could become a midseason casualty.