Topics: Underrated NFL Players, the state of the Eagles and Cardinals, the Jets D, and a brief look at some of next Sundays’ games.
I think these NFL players are underrated
Alfred Morris – Morris no longer has the luxury of a highly effective QB (Robert Griffin has under-performed this season compared to last), and is still a top five running back in only his second year. Morris ranks third overall in rushing yards. The press can’t stop talking about Adrian Peterson and Eddie Lacy while Morris continues to burn run defenses week in and week out.
Reggie Bush – Totaled over 1,000 yards of offense in under 200 touches. The once deemed first round bust turned over a new leaf in Miami and is now on pace to finish the season with over 1,500 yards from scrimmage (and that’s with missing a game). Twenty-eight years young, Bush finally seems to be hitting his stride as an NFL running back.
Philip Rivers – Quietly reestablished his dominance in the passing game without a strong receiving corps like Denver or New Orleans. Looks like QB guru Mike McCoy’s magic worked in helping Rivers return to pre-2010 form.
Nick Foles – In five starts, Foles has produced eighteen touchdowns with only one turnover (a fumble). Philadelphia hasn’t had the same quarterback produce consistently quality offensive production since Donovan McNabb. Foles looked adequate in limited action last season, but has begun to shine in Kelly’s offense in 2013.
Josh Gordon – leads the league in yards per reception among receivers with 40 catches or more. Also catching passes from the three headed monster of Brandon Weeden, Brian Hoyer and Jason Campbell, easily the worst trio of QB’s in the NFL (Matt Cassel went to a pro bowl) and has no viable running attack to help Cleveland open up the passing game.
Kiko Alonso – Bills linebacker has quickly adapted to the pro game and ranks in the top five in tackles and INTs. And he has two sacks. And four passes defended. And a forced fumble.
Apparently Alonso got arrested while playing at Oregon for a DUI and breaking and entering, and then passing out drunkenly in the domicile he entered. Fortunately for him and the Oregon Ducks, he was able to turn his act around and become a solid contributor on a solid Oregon team.
Jurrell Casey – The third round pick out of USC has collected seven sacks in ten games. As a defensive tackle. Sacks come at a snails’ pace for interior linemen. The fact Casey leads the Titans’ D in sacks as a defensive tackle suggests Casey has many years to contribute as a future Warren Sapp lookalike. I should also mention the season isn’t over, meaning Casey has six more game to hunt quarterbacks down and to brutalize interior offensive linemen.
Miscellaneous:
Sitting at 6-5 atop the NFC East, the Eagles have a reasonable chance of actually making the playoffs. The burgeoning of Nick Foles’ quarterback play gives Philadelphia a chance of topping the Lions, Bears, and division rival Cowboys to close out the season.
The Arizona Cardinals for the first time in several years resemble a professional football club. Bruce Arians has translated his coaching magic from his 9-3 time in Indianapolis to the turning around of a perennially poor into a competitive football club. If Arizona can pull three wins out of their next six games, they will have a winning record for the first time since the 2009 season.
Rex Ryan can thank the Jets front seven for keeping his job another season. Maybe the media forgot about Ryan’s defensive genius because of the teams’ sub-par performance since the 2010 season. Young talents like Muhammad Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson have played a major role in New York’s’ ability to stay relevant in the AFC.
This coming Sunday’s match up of Green Bay and Minnesota may be the most painful to watch of the season. Scott Tolzien is the worst starting quarterback in the NFL as of 12:47 am 11/22/2013 Eastern time. He’s contributed one touchdown and five interceptions this season as a Packer. Green Bay’s offense has fallen toothless without Rodgers at the helm. The Vikings aren’t exactly a shining star either. The Vikings defense actually ranks dead last in points allowed with 32 per game. This should provide an interesting match up, the worst quarterback versus the worst defense.
Some games worth paying attention this weekend include:
- San Diego at Kansas City (Can Kansas City continue to prove they are an okay team?)
- Indianapolis at Arizona (Bruce Arians plays his former team)
- Denver at New England (Manning vs. Brady part 817)
Thank you for reading this far. Have a beautiful day.
Gridiron Seasonal 