Category: 2023 nfl schedule

Awful decisions have brought the Broncos to the brink of franchise purgatory

The Denver Broncos have made a series of bad decisions over the last few years, with the Russell Wilson fiasco as the head of the snake.

It wasn’t so long ago that Peyton Manning was guiding the Denver Broncos and their elite defense to multiple Super Bowls and they were consistently one of the most dominant teams in the league year after year. However, since Manning’s departure seemingly nothing has gone right for the Broncos as they have landed on a string of six about to be seven straight losing seasons.

What has gone wrong? How has this happened? There is virtually no way you can correctly point a finger at a single person in this seven year string of events. One consistent theme through all of these seasons has been the quarterback, a position in which the Denver Broncos has never hit on in the draft in their franchise history outside of the likes of Jay Cutler. Obviously that trend isn’t the sole responsibility of anyone involved, but perhaps a history lesson that is forcing the Broncos to look back at themselves and see where they’ve missed out.

The list of failed Denver Broncos quarterbacks since Peyton Manning departed is quite long, and Russell Wilson is the most expensive consequence of all of them that has now threatened to bury the franchise into a purgatory of mediocrity for some time. Fans can hardly blame the franchise for taking the dive on Wilson once he became available, but there were certainly mistakes made along the way. It was clear and obvious to everyone that Denver was aiming for Aaron Rodgers during the same offseason they acquired Wilson, as shown by their head coach choice of Nathaniel Hackett, and numerous reports that pointed in that direction. Hitting the panic button and sinking your future into a quarterback that a different franchise was eager to move on from, in retrospect may have been a death sentence.

Since acquiring Wilson the Broncos have looked like one of the worst teams in the league, and while new head coach Sean Payton (who they also gave away a first round pick for) has certainly made the team look functional it’s clear he could not save this roster or this quarterback from the inevitable. With Wilson being benched this week and in all likelihood being cut in the offseason, what do the Denver Broncos have to lean on but their head coach? How long will that realistically last given the roster Payton has to deal with.

It is going to be imperative that Denver does not panic and that they add depth to a roster that is seriously lacking. You almost have to hit a reset button and declare everyone is for sale to try and salvage a competitive future in the next five years. There are not a ton of stars on this team, and the ones that they do have in the likes of Patrick Surtain, should seriously be considered to be swapped for draft capital.

This is going to be a very painful lesson for a historically successful franchise. This new ownership needs to find out of they have the right coach before the hit the panic button on their next quarterback, and their current coach needs to build this roster from the ground up once again lest the team be stricken with another half decade of mediocrity.

Falcons head coach Arthur Smith is committing malpractice with his talented weapons

The lack of touches for Atlanta’s top-tier offensive talent is a noticeable bump on an already rocky season under head coach Arthur Smith.

There had been a lot of growing optimism in Atlanta over the past few years with the hiring of offensive whiz Arthur Smith as the Falcons’ new head coach. The excitement quickly escalated when Smith and general manager Terry Fontenot made high first round investments in three of the most explosive playmakers we have seen in recent years. Kyle Pitts, Drake London, and Bijan Robinson all look like they were bred specifically to play in the NFL, and yet, they have been less than productive during the tenor of Smith.

It’s been a buzz around the league seemingly all year that Smith and the Falcons’ are not scheming up these next level talents, and instead game planning for touches for veterans like tight end Jonnu Smith and wide receiver Mack Hollins. When you hire an offensive mastermind to be your next head coach and hand him these kinds of weapons it is fair to expect that they be used on a fairly consistent basis and schemed in a way to create mismatches across the board. Kyle Pitts in particular is one of the best athletes we have seen every come out of the draft, and somehow in his three year stint under Smith he only has four total touchdowns.

It extends to this years rookie running back as well. Every time we see Bijan Robinson touch the football he looks like the most explosive and competent back on the field, yet he has ceded more than a handful of carries to the two other backs in this running back rotation. It is baffling to many that Robinson only has 24 touches through the ground and air in the last two weeks. That isn’t to say Tyler Allgeier is a subpar talent by any means, but he has out touched Robinson in multiple games this year, and there is a noticeable skill gap between the two.

Arthur Smith unexpectedly finds himself on the hot seat and his glaring lack of use of these high value assets is a large reason why. It is in Atlanta’s best interest to bring in an offensive coach that can help fix the quarterback position and put these many weapons to good use in the future. Wasting the talent of these superstars is the biggest case of pro football malpractice we’ve seen all year.

Why the Cincinnati Bengals should consider shutting Joe Burrow down

Joe Burrow has not played well to this point, and his injury is a big reason why. Should he be taken out until he is fully healed?

In what has quickly become a nightmare of a season for the Cincinnati Bengals and its’ fans there is a certain feeling of dread circling the air. What is wrong with this offense that was an elite unit just last season? What is going on that is making them average 12 points a game? While all the blame cannot be placed upon it, a heavy amount of the problem could be with the health of star quarterback Joe Burrow and his calf injury.

Anyone watching Cincinnati playing on Sunday can see there is something off about Burrow’s play and his ability to maneuver around in the pocket. This is obviously a huge problem given one of Burrow’s best traits is his pocket awareness and movement, and it has lead to him getting hit far more often than he should. There are multiple times during the game where an edge rusher is coming around the corner and a healthy Burrow could step in around the rush, but this version seems to struggle shifting as quickly and showcasing those subtle quick movements that allow him to evade. His offensive lune being subpar is making this a glaring issue that has lead to offensive ineptitude.

Obviously this isn’t all on Burrow — there has been a seeming lack of acknowledgement about his limited mobility by his offensive play callers who routinely dial up deep balls without much consideration for hot routes or dump offs. If this coaching staff does keep Burrow in the game they should at least be designing plays more consistently that get the ball out quick and take advantage of Burrow’s excellent processing skills and accuracy. Not having hot routes and safety blankets is a big reason why Burrow got walloped last week against the Titans.

There are plenty of cautionary tales on keeping an injured quarterback going to try and push for a single season. Look no further than the likes of Cam Newton with the Carolina Panthers, Andrew Luck with the Indianapolis Colts, etc., etc. There are a handful of examples of coaches pushing their quarterbacks through injuries that end in a severe downturn in play or in outright retirement. Though to be fair it is unlikely Burrow would even here out a request to shut him down for an amount of time to heal as he is one of the most driven competitors in the league.

It’s never easy to make the decision to essentially wave a white flag for your season or however long Burrows needs to be out, but your quarterback has to be protected.

The most valuable asset of any franchise is a rare one, a franchise quarterback, and not many teams have the opportunity to land one. The Cincinnati Bengals have that luxury, and if they determine Burrow’s calf injury is holding him back and at risk for further injury, they should protect their investment and shut him down until it is healed.

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Fantasy Football: Waiver targets for Week 5

We tell fantasy managers who to run out and go get on the waiver wire heading into Week 5.

It was an exciting and interesting Week 4, where we saw the breakout of multiple surprise players. Injuries and breakout stars are going to send fantasy managers scrambling to waivers this week, and we can full you in on who to target before waivers clear.

Fantasy Football: Quarterback starts and sits for Week 4

We look at the quarterback position for week four and tell you which guys to start and to sit to ease the mind of fantasy managers

Starts and sits is here to help fantasy managers make those all important last minute lineup decisions .While we won’t tell you about obvious starts such as Christian McCaffrey or Justin Jefferson, we will find players you may be waffling about and help you make a decision.

Let’s look at quarterbacks for Week 4.

Tua Tagovailoa is the leading NFL MVP candidate

The Miami Dolphins possess the league’s scariest offense and its current favorite for MVP in Tua Tagovailoa.

Expectations on the season for the Miami Dolphins waffled somewhere between ‘Tua can’t stay healthy third place team’ to ‘Potentially competing for a wild card spot’. Needless to say Tua Tagovailoa and this Dolphins team is blow those expectations out of the water in a big way, and Tagovailoa’s play is accounts for a big part of that success.

Tagovailoa’s career leading up to this point has been shaky to say the least, whether it was dealing with the early parts of his career showing limited production, or the last two seasons where he has shown flashes but has been unable to stay healthy. So far in 2023 Tagovailoa has flipped that narrative on it’s head, looking every bit the ultra accurate and dynamic passer he was coming out of Alabama.

Coming off one of the biggest offensive performances in NFL history, Tagovailoa put up rather modest numbers given the circumstances, with “only” 309 yards and four touchdowns on the day. It certainly felt like he could have easily thrown for 600 yards and nine touchdowns, but with a game out of hand and head coach Mike McDaniel wanting to experiment in the run game with his shiny rookie running back, the pass game got away from them.

This is just a blip on how efficient Tagovailoa has been as a passer this season, and in his previous two games he looked every bit as good, including against a intimidating New England team. So far through three games Tagovailoa has thrown for over one thousand yards, eight touchdowns, and just two interceptions, placing him with an astonishing quarterback rating of 121.9 through three games. To this point Tagovailoa has made a definitive statement with his place, placing himself firmly atop of the MVP race as well as putting the Miami Dolphins in prime position to make a Super Bowl run with the best offense in the league.

Fantasy Football: Waiver targets for Week 4

We comb through the waivers for Week 4 and find the best options for you to add to your roster to push towards a fantasy championship

It was an exciting and interesting Week 3, where we saw the breakout of multiple surprise players. Injuries and breakout stars are going to send fantasy managers scrambling to waivers this week, and we can full you in on who to target before waivers clear.

Fantasy Football: Wide receiver starts and sits for Week 3

We look at the wide receiver position for Week 3 and let fantasy managers know which guys to start and which ones to leave on the bench

Starts and sits is here to help fantasy managers make those all important last minute lineup decisions .While we won’t tell you about obvious starts such as Christian McCaffrey or Justin Jefferson, we will find players you may be waffling about and help you make a decision.

Let’s look at wide receivers for Week 3.

Fantasy Football: Running back starts and sits for Week 3

From Josh Jacobs to Jerome Ford we help fantasy managers make tough roster decisions at the running back position going into Week 3

Starts and sits is here to help fantasy managers make those all important last minute lineup decisions .While we won’t tell you about obvious starts such as Christian McCaffrey or Justin Jefferson, we will find players you may be waffling about and help you make a decision.

Let’s look at running backs for Week 3.

4-Down Territory: Worst NFL owners, biggest schedule beefs, undrafted players to watch

In this week’s “4-Down Teritory,” Doug and Kyle discuss worst owners, best undrafted free agents, and 2023 NFL schedule beefs.

In this week’s “4-Down Territory,” Kyle Madson of Niners Wire and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire get into a few important items as NFL teams put the first minicamps of the 2023 season in the books.

  1. Who is the worst owner in pro football history, and why might it be Dan Snyder?
  2. Who are the undrafted first-year players to watch as rookie minicamps turn to minicamps to training camps?
  3. Which team has the biggest legitimate beef with the NFL”s schedule-makers?
  4. And which team has the easiest path to success from a schedule perspective?

You can watch this week’s episode of “4-Down Territory” right here:

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