Just a few thoughts after this past weekend's games:
- As a Lions fan, I think it's time for Schwartz to go. Last year should not have been an anomaly. This team had a very real chance to beat Minnesota once, Green Bay twice, Chicago, Houston, and Indianapolis but came up just short every time. Every game we've been killed by bad coaching, especially in terms of boneheaded penalties and bad game management. Stafford is one of the league's best QBs, Johnson is the league's best WR, and our defense is at least playoff caliber. All we needed this year was an average ground game and discipline, and Schwartz couldn't get either of those pieces.
- SF fans have to be thrilled with their team. If they don't make a deep run this year, they will soon. They have all the pieces and their pieces are all young and appear to not be injury-prone. Kaepernick is the reason I go out of my way to watch SF games.
- Indy fans have to be thrilled with their team. Luck is astonishingly good. With a 1,000 yard rusher and more experience under Luck's belt (can you even imagine if Luck threw half as many picks as he did?), Indy will be going to the playoffs every year for a long time. They need a better D to make deep runs in the postseason, though. Too many old, past their prime guys on D are taking up salary space. Pagano is a helluva coach, too, so hopefully he wins his off the field fight.
- Denver has two, maybe three more years to get back to the Super Bowl if they don't make it this year. If this is what they're doing with Manning having just joined the team, they will be scary good as long as he's there (two or three more years). Manning is CBPOY, regardless of AP's performance. One thing I don't think gets consideration in that debate is the fact that Manning is old - AP is nearly a decade younger. AP's recovery is incredibly impressive but no one can escape Father Time, except apparently Peyton Manning.
- Cousins is too good to be riding the pine behind RG3. I hope he's starting somewhere next year. That said, RG3 is going to need a good backup - he is not a big guy and can't keep taking big hits. He is really lucky he tweaked his knee rather than blowing it out entirely. Hopefully Washington will get him a better secondary so he doesn't have to take so many risky runs downfield. He's a better passer than runner anyway, and Morris is a good to great RB, so RG3's legs just need to keep defenses honest - they don't need to win games.
- As a Badger, I was telling people last year that Wilson was too smart to be backing someone up. His football IQ and work ethic are off the charts. Seattle is a dangerous team this year, and will be for years to come. Wilson gets my nod for RoY. Why? Because RG3 got hurt and Luck makes too many mistakes. Wilson wasn't even supposed to be a starter.
- I will be surprised to see either Vick or Tebow on rosters next year.