Week 4 NFL Hot Takes

For now, this will be the big title change.  I’m not dishing out any answers, even when I’m joking.  The title can be hot takes though, because it’s ironic…that’s the joke…get it?  In no way am I coming with any hot takes.  F*** I’m funny…

Atlanta and L.A. are 3-1, while Carolina and Arizona are 1-3.  We all had that didn’t we?  The giant shit that everyone repeatedly takes on Matt Ryan hasn’t ever been justifiable.  Is he an elite QB?  No.  Is he capable of winning a Super Bowl?  Yes.  He is in the same league as Tony Romo.  Don’t expect him to do all the heavy lifting, but if you put a proper team around him then he’ll win for you.  Dan Quinn seems to be doing a good job, that D is improving, the O-line is improving, and while I’m hesitant to pronounce the Falcons to be better than solid, they’re at least solid which is better than most figured they’d be.

As for the Rams, I don’t get it.  One week they beat Seattle while barely scoring, then they beat Tampa in a shootout, and now they beat the Cards in another defensive struggle.  Todd Gurley hasn’t really gone off, no playmakers have really emerged on offense or defense, yet they’ve won three in a row.  I have to think their 3-1 is more of a mirage than Atlanta’s.  They have the Seahawks number and the Cards haven’t looked right at all thus far.

Anyone else notice Carolina’s offense looks real good with Derek Anderson at QB?  It wasn’t just yesterday, this has kind of become a theme when Newton is out.  Not at all to actually make this a “hot take”, but Anderson is a real good backup QB, and the Panthers are more than just Cam Newton.  1-3 and now Newton is concussed, not a great start.  But I feel a lot better about the Panthers 1-3 than the Cardinals 1-3.  The Cards just look bad.  Home losses to New England without Brady and the Rams, and then to the Bills.  That’s not a murderer’s row.

Another 3-1 team is MY Oakland Raiders!!!  Not actually mine, but I’ve been a Raiders well wisher for a long time now and at 3-1…all three wins coming on the road, things look real good!  And the way they won that game yesterday has to be a sigh of relief to Raiders fans.  Derek Carr had been good, but not great.  But he took over that game yesterday and won it for them.

I’m on the verge of starting #freeAndrewLuck.  I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again, that team has NOTHING else.  No D, no O-line, hell for how much they’ve invested in receivers for him he doesn’t have much.

Hey, thanks Chip Kelly!  I’ve done nothing but sing your praises and this is how you repay me!?!?  Not that I lost 40 bucks on that game or anything…I’m always just pissed at random teams and coaches….1-3 so far this week with my picks against the spread, so I guess my streak won’t reach four.  Back to the drawing board.  I think Chipper will be making a change at QB soon.  That’ll get all the left wing wack jobs hot and bothered, but I’m not sure Colin Kaepernick is the answer.  Definitely has talent, but despite what many in the media believe Chip’s offense is about having a QB who can think the game quickly, not a QB who can run quickly.

As for the Cowboys, I’m going to do a bigger blog on them this week looking at how bright things are looking there.  3-1, but keep in mind the three is against Washington, Chicago and San Francisco.  Not exactly New England, Denver, and Minny.

Then you have Denver, 4-0 and the more they change QB’s the better they get!  I don’t know if this is a hot take, but can we finally acknowledge that Gary Kubiak is an elite offensive coach in this league?  Because remember, it was he who made Matt Schaub look amazing.  And then when Matt Schaub went down before the 2011 playoffs, TJ Yates looked real good.  And then last season Brock Osweiler looked terrific.  To start this season Trevor Siemian has looked great.  And now Paxton Lynch who was projected as a high ceiling but big project in the draft, steps in and goes 14/24, 170 yards and 1 TD.  I give up, I think with this D that Gary Kubiak is that good of an offensive mind to get the Broncos back to the AFC title game.  I don’t know if they can get back to the Super Bowl, but it really doesn’t seem to matter who the QB is with Kubiak running the show on offense and this incredible defense who limited Jameis Winston to 7 points.

Finally, the Steelers.  That makes sense hey?  Completely blown out by Philly, completely blow out KC, couldn’t be more similarly coached teams, pretty even in terms of talent too, that makes total sense.

Four weeks in and we don’t know shit!  Some good, some bad, a lot of questionable.  We’re on to Cincinnati (if you don’t get that joke, please quit reading me).

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