Wednesday Morning QB (NFL Week 13)
So it begins, the biggest question heading into the NFL season has been answered and has had much of the expected result. Going into 2014 it was all about Johnny Manziel and when he would get to start for the woeful Browns. Many believed it wouldn’t be until around this time in the season when the Browns were out of the playoff hunt and ready to see what they had in the young exciting star. That was not exactly the case in Week 13 though as the Browns are far from the worst team in the league and still have a chance. Yet despite a great year to this point the Browns have struggled in recent weeks and with the team in a playoff hunt they were looking to take a crucial win against the Buffalo Bills. With Brian Hoyer under centre they stumbled put pf the gate and Hoyer threw two interceptions. It was a bad start for the quarterback who has not been the stable leader he was at the end of last year and the beginning of this year. He continued to fail to lead the offence consistently and for that he was pulled in favour of Johnny Football. It was not the way many had thought he would make his debut but he did make the debut and tried to make a big enough impression to force the Browns to make a tough decision. He did exactly that on his first drive as he led the Browns down the field and ran for his first NFL touchdown. Then in his next series he showed his inexperience when he fumbled a snap pushing the Browns further into their own end. Both sides of Manziel showed on the day but it was enough for the city and the NFL to see Manziel doing something great like many thought he could. It was enough for the talk to begin about whether or not Manziel should lead the Browns in the playoff race. The talk was inevitable once Manziel got a chance on the field. Everyone who watched College Football knew that he could make plays with an athletic ability unmatched by anyone in the NFL. The major question was whetehr or not that ability could translate to an entire season and if Manziel could be the leader that the Browns needed. None of those questions will be answered in the next few weeks if he gets to lead the Browns in the playoff run. It could easily become another Tim Tebow where he leads the Browns into the playoffs and the issues he has are overlooked. Then again he may not have success and could be considered a bit of a bust is he struggles. He still needs to earn the trust of the coaching staff though as he has yet to be named the starter for Week 14 and is in no way has been named the man to lead the Browns into the end of the season. Still the controversy is here and ready to go for the rest of the season as there will be no doubt that fans and media alike will weigh the pros and cons of letting Manziel start for the rest of the season. Usually these controversies are reserved for the pre-season and the controversy on the Browns is sure to be there in 2015. Yet this time around it is in the mid-season as the playoff hopes of a team rest in the balance of the decision at quarterback. The Browns enter the end of the season with a unique challenge as they try to get back to the playoffs. They will need to decide whether to go with the quarterback that got them their despite struggling lately or the young exciting QB. The controversy has started in Cleveland and could be the story of the team for the season no matter how it finishes.
Fifth Quarter:
(Thoughts on Week 13 in the NFL)
Rice to return to the League
Ray Rice was recently suspended for the entire season by the NFL but he appealed that decision and this week won his appeal officially being reinstated by the NFL and more than that successfully challenging the rule of Roger Goodell
No discipline for Rams
The St. Louis Rams saw a very controversial moment before their game this week when five players ran out of the tunnel and put their hands up in a ‘surrender’ pose after police officers were proven not guilty in an internal investigation of the Ferguson shooting
Harbaugh on the outs
Jim Harbaugh has reportedly lost the locker room in San Francisco and many believe he will not be there long but he remains on a contract prompting rumours of a potential trade to Oakland which would be one of the more unique ways to get rid of a coach
Key Scores:
Philadelphia Eagles 33 – 10 Dallas Cowboys
– The Eagles were simply too much for the Cowboys on Thanksgiving as the pace of the offence had the Cowboys breathing hard throughout the night allowing the Eagles to put up plenty of points
San Diego Chargers 34 – 33 Baltimore Ravens
– The Chargers and Ravens went at it all afternoon going back and forth until a late drive led by Philip Rivers that ended with a last-minute touchdown to Eddie Royal giving the Chargers the win
Cincinnati Bengals 14 – 13 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
– The Bengals got the win but it wasn’t pretty as they struggled to get by one of the worst teams in the NFL to pick up the win and continue to lead the North as the playoff race heats up and teams begin to push the Bengals
Green Bay Packers 26 – 21 New England Patriots
– It was built as a battle between two of the hottest teams and the hottest two quarterbacks in the league and the matchup didn’t disappoint as the teams went back and forth with the Packers coming out with a win that makes them the team to beat
Next Week:
Dallas Cowboys vs. Chicago Bears (Thursday December 4th; 8:25 pm ET)
– The Cowboys are coming off of a tough loss against the Eagles and will try to take out the Bears to stay in the division hunt while the Bears are trying to hold onto their slim playoff hopes with a win over the Cowboys
Indianapolis Colts vs. Cleveland Browns (Sunday December 7th; 1:00 pm ET)
– The question heading into the game will be about the Cleveland quarterback situation as Manziel or Hoyer will start and will look to begin a very important four week stretch that will determine whether or not the Browns make the playoffs
Seattle Seahawks vs. Philadelphia Eagles (Sunday December 7th; 4:25 pm ET)
– The Eagles offence seems to be finding their form late in the season and now they take on a tough test in the Seattle defence as Sanchez leads the up-tempo offence against Richard Sherman and a good defence
San Francisco 49ers vs. Oakland Raiders (Sunday December 7th; 4:25 pm ET)
– The Niners and Raiders take on the Battle of the Bay once again and there is a little extra motivation with rumours of Jim Harbaugh being traded to the Raiders as he looks to put that out of his mind and get a win against the worst team in the NFL
The Sport Addiction 