Wednesday Morning QB (NFL Week 8)
The Dallas Cowboys would see something on the sidelines that not many teams are happy to see on the sidelines. After a rough game where the Detroit Lions would come back and score a last second TD that nobody saw coming. It was the latest in a number of last second collapses by the Cowboys and the frustration levels continue to rise. After the Detroit TD the frustration would come out on the Dallas sidelines as wide receiver Dez Bryant would go off on veteran tight end Jason Witten. Earlier in the game Bryant would be seen doing the same thing to Tony Romo. The first time that Bryant would get his frustrations out with Romo would be more of an attempt at riling the QB up. A sideline camera would catch Bryant yelling at Romo with more about making sure they knew they were better than the former play. The second time was not caught on camera and looked much more like destructive frustration rather than constructive frustration. The argument with Witten was a sign of what a lot of people had thought in the organization as Bryant exposed his one weakness. Dez Bryant could be one of the best receivers in football as he has all of the talent and the physical attributes of a Calvin Johnson but does not have the maturity of a Calvin Johnson. Bryant showed that his maturity level is still not at the level where he can dominate the league. After the rant on the sidelines Bryant is now at a turning point in his career as he can go one of two ways. He will either take the path of the diva receiver or will become something much more. If he keeps acting like he did this past week Bryant may very well find himself among the diva receivers that will only be remembered for their antics off the field rather than on. It is not the best strategy for receivers though as there have been plenty who have let their emotions get the best of them. They have the talent to be the best in the game and to be considered some of the best of all time. Yet time after time they make headlines for all the wrong reasons off the field rather than on the field. One only needs to look at the most recent diva receivers and where they are today to see what that path leads to. Names like Terrell Owens and Chad Johnson, aka Chad Ochocinco, are among those who have taken the diva path and their legacy is more than their performance. Both had plenty of talent as they were great players but when it came to the sidelines and the locker room they fell far short. They were perceived as cancers in the locker room as they would concentrate on themselves more than the team. They would cause trouble in the locker room and would spend more time talking about themselves than the season and their teams. They would end up bouncing around to multiple teams until eventually nobody would take them. Now both are out of the league despite the fact that they could have had longer careers if a team would have signed them. Diva receivers burn bright but they burn out quickly as players like that will only find a few teams to put up with them until nobody will. With younger receivers entering the NFL every year there is no room for players who are going to think about themselves more than the team. Dez Bryant could be headed in that direction as he may be labeled a diva if he continues to have outbursts on the sideline like he had this week. Then again he could change things and become a receiver that the Cowboys can depend on for years to come. If Bryant can mature he can become a receiver like Calvin Johnson or like the greats of the past like Jerry Rice. These players never had these outbursts against their own teams and although they may have complained about receptions every now and then, what receiver doesn’t, they were always about the team first. Bryant is at a critical point in his career as he will have to make a decision about what way he wants to go which will make a big difference in how he is remembered. If he chooses to grow up he could be one of the best receivers in the league but if he doesn’t he may go down as a waste of talent that was more of a headache than a help.
Fifth Quarter:
(Four Quick Thoughts on Week 8)
Pouncey Brought in
Shortly after Miami’s game in New England, Miami centre Mike Pouncey would meet with law enforcement as he was served a subpoena as New England authorities are asking him to appear in the trial against his friend and former College teammate Aaron Hernandez
The Redskins Debate
The debate continues to make news as public groups are calling for a change of the Washington Redskins name because it is offensive to the native community but with Dan Snyder opposed to the idea the debate may continue for years to come
Deadline come and gone
Despite plenty of rumours heading into the NFL trade deadline there were not too many moves on the day with only Philadelphia sending Isaac Sapoaga and a 6th round pick in 2014 to the New England Patriots for a 5th round pick in 2014
NFL Standings
American Football Conference
AFC East:
1. New England Patriots (.750)
2. New York Jets (.500)
3. Miami Dolphins (.429)
4. Buffalo Bills (.375)
AFC North:
1. Cincinnati Bengals (.750)
2. Baltimore Ravens (.429)
3. Cleveland Browns (.375)
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (.286)
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 (.875)
3. San Diego Chargers (.571)
4. Oakland Raiders (.429)
National Football Conference:
NFC East:
1. Dallas Cowboys (.500)
2. Philadelphia Eagles (.375)
3. Washington Redskins (.286)
4. New York Giants (.250)
NFC North:
1. Green Bay Packers (.714)
2. Detroit Lions (.625)
3. Chicago Bears (.571)
4. Minnesota Vikings (.143)
NFC South:
1. New Orleans Saints (.857)
2. Carolina Panthers (.571)
3. Atlanta Falcons (.286)
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (.000)
NFC West:
1. Seattle Seahawks (.875)
2. San Francisco 49ers (.750)
3. Arizona Cardinals (.500)
4. St. Louis Rams (.375)
Key Scores:
San Francisco 49ers 42 – 10 Jacksonville Jaguars
– The second game in London this year would be what many had thought it would be as the Niners would completely dominate the Jaguars and hand them yet another loss on the season while giving the English at least a show of offence
Detroit Lions 31 – 30 Dallas Cowboys
– The Dallas Cowboys seemed to be in control at the end of the fourth quarter but Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson would have something to say about that as they would march down the field and score a last second TD on a QB sneak that nobody was expecting
Oakland Raiders 21 – 18 Pittsburgh Steelers
– The Steelers seemed like they might just be able to turn this season around but it was not to be as Terrell Pryor would take over the game and would lead the Raiders to the win while breaking an NFL record for longest run by a QB at 93 yards
Green Bay Packers 44 – 31 Minnesota Vikings
– The Vikings and Packers rivalry seemed to be notched up another level in the offseason when Greg Jennings would sign with the Vikings and begin talking trash about Aaron Rodgers but Rodgers would have the last laugh dominating the game and taking another win
Next Week:
Minnesota Vikings vs. Dallas Cowboys (Sunday November 3rd; 1:00 pm ET)
– The Vikings and the Cowboys are coming off of two tough losses and they will try to come back and win their next one as the Vikings try to figure out who should play QB while the Cowboys try to figure out how to finish a game
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Buffalo Bills (Sunday November 3rd; 1:00 pm ET)
– The Chiefs remain undefeated and they are hoping to continue their run to get closer to the playoffs this year but they will have to be careful of overlooking the Bills who could pull off the big upset
Baltimore Ravens vs. Cleveland Browns (Sunday November 3rd; 4:25 pm ET)
– The Browns are a better team this year while the Ravens are struggling to repeat their performance from last year but are hoping to turn things around against a team looking to make a statement
Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers (Monday November 4th; 8:40 pm ET)
– It is the oldest rivalry in the NFL and it will take full focus on Monday Night with two of the best teams in the NFC North looking for a win as Aaron Rodgers tries to continue to roll with young talent and the Bears hope that Jay Cutler can return to challenge their hated rivals
The Sport Addiction 