Wednesday Morning QB (NFL Week 7)
The NFL loves to build up their players and as is widely known it is one of the reasons that they are the most popular leagues in North America. As the NFL continues to build up players there are a handful that can be counted among the elite in the league. These players are not only the best players during their time playing but can be put into the debate of the best players to ever play in the NFL. These players are not so common with plenty of great players coming though the NFL ranks and only a few can enter the conversation of best ever. Even fewer are considered legends while they are still playing. More often than not it takes a few years after a player is no longer on the field for them to be truly appreciated. When looking back on a career it is simpler to determine where they stand as stats are no longer being added. These legends plant themselves in the minds of the fans and can be heroes to the city they played in. Many of them could do no wrong while playing and when they retire that sentiment only gets worse. People remember the good times and forget about the times when these players were booed off of the field for losing the game. These players make their impression on the fans and on the league but all cannot play forever. When they retire, these legendary players can leave a massive hole in the lineup that is a tough to fill for the players that come after them. Teams have found it a particularly difficult proposition to replace these players especially when it comes to the men under centre. The Miami Dolphins could be the best example of this as they have been a team that has found it almost impossible to replace Dan Marino. Since Marino retired in 1999 the Dolphins have not been able to find a QB to help them get back to winning. It has only been in the last two years where Ryan Tannehill has started the process of moving on 14 years after the fact. The QBs that come in directly after a legendary player can have a rough go of things as they are consistently compared to the man who came before them. The player who came before has likely broken records and won championships so when the replacement steps in they are immediately expected to do the same. More often than not this will not happen as the replacement struggles in his first few years and eventually falls under the pressure brought on by the shadow of the past. There have been some players who have seen success when they replace a legend though like Aaron Rodgers who would have a tough task of replacing three-time MVP and Super Bowl champion Brett Favre. He would do fine though winning his own Super Bowl and his own MVP Award in relief of the future Hall of famer. Rodgers would be one of the few QBs to successfully replace a legend and would also be one of the few players to face his predecessor while he was still in the league. When Brett Favre would be run out of Green Bay he would return as a member of the Minnesota Vikings where he would face the Packers 4 times over two years bringing his legend to his former team against the QB who replaced him. This situation would happen once again this week when Andrew Luck would take on the shadow that he has battled with since entering the league last year. Peyton Manning would return to Indianapolis for the first time since signing with the Denver Broncos and would look to show that releasing him and picking Luck in the draft might not have been the best decision. Then the unexpected would happen as Andrew Luck would lead the Colts to a win over the unbeaten Broncos. The win was more than just an accomplishment for the team but was another chapter in Andrew Luck’s young career. He had already done a good job of helping the Colts to move on and beating his predecessor will be a big boost in helping the Indianapolis fans to move on from a legend and embrace his replacement. Replacing a legend is not the easiest thing but it will be attempted year after year and if the trend continues players like Aaron Rodgers and Andrew Luck will continue to make an impression despite their predecessors looming over their shoulders.
Fifth Quarter:
(Four Quick Thoughts on Week 7)
Injuries Pile Up
The Green Bay Packers are finding ways to win despite losing many of their star players including starting OLB Clay Matthews and star WRs Randall Cobb and James Jones and with Jermichael Finely going down in a scare injury this week the patch job continues
The Only One Left
There is only one undefeated team left in the NFL and it is the team that many did not think would remain undefeated as the Kansas City Chiefs remained the undefeated this year and can be considered the best team in the league
Records May Fall
The defensive lines in the NFL are having an amazing season as Mario Williams, Robert Mathis, and Justin Houston are all on pace to challenge the single season sack record held by Michael Strahan as the sacks continue to pile up
Freeman’s Season Gets worse
Josh Freeman would get his first start of the season with the Minnesota Vikings after being released by Tampa Bay but it would not be a good one as he would look completely out of it in the Monday Night Game leaving doubts as to whether he can remain the starting QB
NFL Standings
American Football Conference
AFC East:
1. New England Patriots (.714)
2. New York Jets (.571)
3. Miami Dolphins (.500)
4. Buffalo Bills (.429)
AFC North:
1. Cincinnati Bengals (.714)
2. Baltimore Ravens (.429)
3. Cleveland Browns (.429)
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (.333)
AFC South:
1. Indianapolis Colts (.714)
2. Tennessee Titans (.429)
3. Houston Texans (.286)
4. Jacksonville Jaguars (.000)
AFC West:
1. Kansas City Chiefs (1.000)
2. Denver Broncos (.857)
3. San Diego Chargers (.571)
4. Oakland Raiders (.333)
National Football Conference:
NFC East:
1. Dallas Cowboys (.571)
2. Philadelphia Eagles (.429)
3. Washington Redskins (.333)
4. New York Giants (.143)
NFC North:
1. Green Bay Packers (.667)
2. Detroit Lions (.571)
3. Chicago Bears (.571)
4. Minnesota Vikings (.167)
NFC South:
1. New Orleans Saints (.833)
2. Carolina Panthers (.500)
3. Atlanta Falcons (.333)
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (.000)
NFC West:
1. Seattle Seahawks (.857)
2. San Francisco 49ers (.714)
3. St. Louis Rams (.429)
4. Arizona Cardinals (.429)
Key Scores:
Dallas Cowboys 17 – 3 Philadelphia Eagles
– The NFC East is the worst division in the NFL right now with no team having a record better than .500 until this week when the Cowboys would take the lead in the division and move above .500
New York Jets 30 – 27 New England Patriots
– The New England Patriots had already won plenty of games with a limited cast so when Rob Gronkowski was set to return against the jets there were high hopes for another win but the defence of the Jets would prove to be the difference and would help to give the Jets to win
Pittsburgh Steelers 19 – 16 Baltimore Ravens
– The Steelers are having a terrible season but they would be able to get up for their division rivals in the Baltimore Ravens as they would earn their second win of the season while the Ravens were left to wonder how they can fix their team
New York Giants 23 – 7 Minnesota Vikings
– The Vikings would head into the this game with a new promising QB in Josh Freeman who would get his first start since being benched earlier this year by Tampa Bay who would later release him but it was not enough to get a win as the giants would earn their first in a convincing performance
Next Week:
Dallas Cowboys vs. Detroit Lions (Sunday October 27th; 1:00 pm ET)
– The Cowboys are hoping that they can continue their winning ways to begin to build a lead in the NFC East as they take on the Lions who are trying to get back to the top of their division after falling from first place in week 7
New York Jets vs. Cincinnati Bengals (Sunday October 27th; 4:05 pm ET)
– The Jets are riding high after a win against their division rivals in the New England Patriots but their games will not get any easier as they will have to take on the Bengals and try to continue their winning ways
Washington Redskins vs. Denver Broncos (Sunday October 27th; 4:25 pm ET)
– The Broncos were not expecting to lose to the Colts in week 7 and now they will have to get back on track when they take on the Redskins who are struggling and trying to get back to their winning ways
Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota Vikings (Sunday October 27th; 8:30 pm ET)
– The Vikings will be taking another chance with Josh Freeman and will give him the start as he hopes to redeem himself against a Packers team that continues to rack up the injuries with most of their top players on the sidelines
The Sport Addiction 