Wednesday Morning QB (Week 12)
The most competitive people in the world are the only ones who can actually make anything of a professional sports career.
There are any number of talented players in any sport as some people are simply born with a talent but they may never make it.
That is because there is something in professional athletes that separates them from every other athletic person in the world.
They have that thing inside of them that makes them hate losing more than they like winning and that drives them to be better than everyone else.
When you put a lot of these players in the same league many playing the same position there is bound to be some type of competition.
It is one of the best things about any sport as people love to debate who the best is right now or who the best ever to play the position is.
These debates never come to an end and in the NFL there are more than a couple of positions that allow for debate.
There is the constant talk about who the best quarterback in the league is and where they stand among the best all time.
The skill positions are always at the centre of these conversations but lately there has been a trend towards looking at the defensive players.
Most of it started with the evolution of the passing game and the need for someone to stop the increasingly talented receivers that were coming into the league.
So the cornerbacks began to become major parts of a team getting higher pay every year and a higher profile.
With that higher profile comes the debate about who is the best in the league right now and over the past few years it has changed regularly.
The discussion truly began with Darrelle Revis who was widely considered the best in the league when he was first with the Jets.
Revis island became his trademark as anyone that was stuck with him was put on an island without much chance of getting good stats on the day.
That only lasted a few seasons though and lately he has been a shell of his former self with most believing he is nowhere near the best in the league.
Then came Richard Sherman who told everyone that he was the best corner in the game and convinced most through a great season in Seattle.
The questions started to arise later though as he never really played the best receivers because he only played on one side of the field.
To be the best you certainly should be able to shut down the best regardless of where they line up on the field.
As his greatness was questioned in came Josh Norman who began shutting down every top receiver in the game last year.
He would take on every top receiver never staying on one side of the field but rather following them to wherever they lined up on the field.
There was little debate about who was the best corner in the game at least for that season and everyone knew it heading into the off-season.
That is where Norman took a massive deal with Washington instead of staying with Carolina after a bad breakup.
The move has not necessarily been the best though as Norman has not been the dominant corner that he was a year ago.
Much like Sherman, it isn’t that he is particularly bad as in fact he is still one of the best in the league but he is not that consensus #1 corner in the league.
It became pretty clear this past week when he matched up with Dez Bryant who earned 72 yards and was the leading receiver of the day.
What exposed it, even more, is the fact that Bryant promised to share highlights of him beating Norman throughout the week.
The war of words had gone on in the post-game when Norman claimed that Bryant said he would “empty the clip” into Norman.
It turns out that those words were never said as Norman recounted his claims and as he also wanted the beef with Dez to go away.
Norman has made a habit of creating beef with top receivers and most of it had to do with him shutting them down all last season.
Now the receivers are getting their revenge and his decision to move on from Carolina is turning out to be a poor one.
Without that dominance from a year ago, the tide is turning and the league is looking for another top corner to call the best.
Fifth Quarter:
(Thoughts on this week in the NFL)
Dickerson Banned
The Los Angeles Rams are not having the best season in after they moved from St. Louis to their new home and things are only getting worse as now there is a rift between the organisation and Rams legend Eric Dickerson who was banned from the sidelines
New Record Holder
Tom Brady continues to pursue the biggest records in the league and he got closer to owning one as he won his 200th game tying Peyton Manning for most wins with his next giving him the record
Unrest in the Big Easy
The New Orleans Saints are not where they want to be and when teams struggle frustrations build which is happening now as Brandin Cooks has come out and said he is unhappy with his role on the team
Key Scores:
Detroit Lions 16-13 Minnesota Vikings
– The NFC North is getting closer as the season comes to an end and it only got closer as the Vikings lost another game while the Lions inched closer to a playoff spot making the race in the North that much better
Dallas Cowboys 31-26 Washington
– For Dallas, the season couldn’t have gone much better and with a win over Washington things are only looking better as they are that much closer to a playoff spot after a thanksgiving win that has them as contenders
Kansas City Chiefs 30-27 Denver Broncos
– A strange decision by Gary Kubiak to go for a last-minute field goal gave Kansas City a short field to work with which they did to earn a last-second field goal that gave them the win and kept them in the best division race of the year
Green Bay Packers 27-13 Philadelphia Eagles
– The Packers snapped a four-game losing streak and kept their playoff hopes alive although the end of their season needs to be great to get there while the Eagles took the loss and lost track in their own division battle
Next Week:
Dallas Cowboys vs. Minnesota Vikings (Thursday, December 1st; 8:25 pm ET)
– For the Cowboys, this could be the return to the playoffs that they have been waiting for as a win will be a massive step towards clinching with a win and a little help on the weekend to move into the playoffs
Los Angeles Rams vs. New England Patriots (Sunday, December 4th; 1:00 pm ET)
– One more win and Tom Brady will be the sole owner of the record for most wins in a career as a quarterback and he has a good match-up as the Rams continue to struggle although a win against the Pats could change everything
Buffalo Bills vs. Oakland Raiders (Sunday, December 4th; 4:05 pm ET)
– The Raiders are looking to get to the playoffs for the first time in a long time and they have a good shot in a very tough AFC West battle with a win against Buffalo meaning a big step forward towards that playoff berth
New York Giants vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (Sunday, December 4th; 4:25 pm ET)
– The Giants are in the midst of a big battle in the NFC East and they need this win if they hope to keep pace in the division race but the Steelers are no pushovers as they try to keep their playoff hopes alive
The Sport Addiction 