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These are only excerpts. To read the whole article click the link below.
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http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2015/10/12/nfl-week-5-monday-morning-quarterback-peter-king
Old Arms, Boos and Ohio QBs: It’s Getting Weird in the NFL
Week 5 featured no shortage of wait, what? developments, from the late heroics of Andy Dalton and Josh McCown to Matthew Stafford's benching. Plus, Miami's motivating new leader, a 78-year-old INT combo and more
by Peter King
What an intriguing weekend. One month ago, the first Sunday of the regular season kicked off, and this is how weird the season has gotten:
• Only two men are averaging 100 rushing yards per game. Rookie Todd Gurley, three games into his career, and vet Chris Ivory are both putting up 104.7 yards a week. Only Le'Veon Bell (95.5 in two games) is within 10 yards of them.
• The leading rushers in Week 5 would have made you titter a month ago.
1. Thomas Rawls, Seattle, Undrafted rookie, Central Michigan, 169 yards
2. Todd Gurley, St. Louis, Rookie, 10th pick overall, Georgia, 159 yards
3. Devonta Freeman, Atlanta, Fourth-round pick, 2014, Fla. State, 153 yards
• Baltimore is four games out of first in the AFC North. Cincinnati is 5-0, Baltimore 1-4. Neither of those records is remotely fluky. The Ravens gave up 505 yards to the Browns on Sunday ... in Baltimore.
• The aged shall inherit the league. This weekend’s winning quarterbacks included Matt Hasselbeck (40) and Peyton Manning (39), both of whom were born before the newest head coach in the league, Miami’s Dan Campbell (39). Charles Woodson (39) had his first two interceptions of Manning ever on Sunday, but Manning got revenge for the 1997 Heisman voting (in order, Woodson, Manning, Ryan Leaf) with a 16-10 win.
• The Ohio quarterbacks no one wanted in August? Fans want ‘em now. Josh McCown and Andy Dalton combined for 788 passing yards to beat Super Bowl 47 champ Baltimore and Super Bowl 48 champ Seattle, respectively. Explain how the Bengals came from 17 down in the fourth quarter to win, and how they went back to throw the exact same pass, exact same pattern, to tight end Tyler Eifert for a second touchdown against the great and powerful Seahawks. “That one did surprise me,” said Hue Jackson, the man with enough stones to call the play a second time.
• No quarterback’s getting beat up like Russell Wilson. No coincidence Seattle is 2-3 … lots of reasons why, really, including the leaky and green offensive line. But the Seahawks are still very much alive, despite the fact Wilson has been sacked an NFL-high 22 times.
• The Lions yanked Matthew Stafford for Dan Orlovsky while being routed by Arizona Sunday. Crowd at Ford Field: BOOOOOOOOOO. I repeat: Stafford out, Orlovsky in. Stafford healthy. Stafford stinking it up at an RG3 2013 level. Coach Jim Caldwell said Stafford was the starter, and there is no controversy. “It's like a pitcher not having a very good day,” Caldwell said of his quarterback. “That pitcher comes out and, obviously, he's still the starter.”
• Unbeatens: Cincinnati, Green Bay, Denver and Atlanta, 5-0. Carolina and New England, 4-0.
• Winless: Detroit, 0-5.
• We can say there is some normalcy. The Packers, Broncos and Patriots are a combined 14-0. But if you want normalcy, this is not the right sport for you this morning.
* * *
We’re going to start in a heartwarming place this morning: in Cleveland, where the quarterback of the 2010 Hartford Colonials just might have done enough to earn a spot on a wall he considers hallowed in a room in Berea, Ohio.
* * *
Photo: Rob Carr/Getty Images
Josh McCown is the first QB in Browns history with at least 300 yards passing in three straight games.
Cleveland's unlikely hero.
Josh McCown probably should have taken his gold watch last year. Nice career, meandering from Arizona to Detroit to Carolina to Hartford of the United Football League to coaching high school football to Chicago to Tampa Bay last year. At 35, coming off a very good five-start stretch for Chicago in 2013, McCown was going to be the Bucs’ bridge to the future. But offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford fell ill before the season, never was right during the year, and the offense was in shambles, and the offensive line was the worst in football, and McCown played poorly. There was his wife and kids in Charlotte, and no one would have thought it odd for McCown to leave the game and go back to coaching.
“But I just thought, ‘This isn’t the best I can be. I don’t want to go out like that. I don’t want to be a one-hit wonder from Chicago—I know I’m capable of doing that,’” he said Sunday night. “I just knew I could do it again, and my wife was super supportive.”
So the Browns needed a sort of player-coach to play and mentor Johnny Manziel—or whomever the next quarterback there would be. McCown signed, won the starting job in camp, and led the Browns on a 17-play drive on the first possession of the season at the Jets. He was concussed on play 17, trying to dive for the end zone. Johnny Football time. Manziel had some moments, and beat the Titans in Week 2, and the locals were frenzied. Cleveland wanted Johnny. And this old-fashioned McCown understood.
“I was heartbroken after that long drive against the Jets, because I thought we’d have a big day,” he said. “But people don’t understand—you sign with a team, and you’re there to serve your team. If you’re called on to play, you play. If you’re not playing, you help your team in other ways. So my job until I played again, if I played again, was to help Johnny be the best. The organization picked this young man in the first round and has high hopes for him—still does. So I wanted to help him.”
That sounds trite, honestly. You’re tempted not to buy it. But I know it’s the way McCown feels, because I’ve heard it from him before—about Jay Cutler, about Mike Glennon—and because he has this weird attitude that quite a few players don’t. Team guy.
“My wife and I went to couple of the NBA Finals games here in the spring,” he said. “We’re walking downtown and we thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if this would happen with the Browns?’ The energy, the passion, the drive. So I promise you—I get it when they chant for Johnny. You know why? They want to win. They want a spark. Give us a win! Make us feel good!”
McCown got his job back in Week 3 and threw for 341 yards, but the Browns lost to Oakland. He kept the job in Week 4 and threw for 356 yards in San Diego, but the Browns lost in overtime in San Diego. No reason to think Sunday in Baltimore would be different; the Ravens were 13-1 in the John Harbaugh Era against Cleveland, and Harbaugh’s 1-3 team needed a win badly.
Baltimore up 21-9. McCown, methodical, with 75 and 79-yard drives to put Cleveland up 22-21. The second touchdown came on the strangest TD catch you’ll ever see. From the Ravens’ 18, McCown, pressured, lofted one to tight end Gary Barnidge at the goal line. He jumped with a Ravens’ defender, and Barnidge ended up falling, the ball near his feet.
As he fell, Barnidge kept the ball off the ground between his legs but not touching his hands; somehow it never touched the ground and he was able to pop it back into his hands while lying on the goal line. The officials couldn’t believe it, and no one else could either. Touchdown. Browns up.
They were waiting for replay after the score to confirm or deny when McCown saw Barnidge on the field.
“Did you catch it?” McCown asked.
“Yeah—just not with my hands!” Barnidge said.
“Hey, put that on the stat sheet!” McCown said.
The catch counted. But back came Baltimore. They traded touchdowns again—Ravens up 27-22, then Cleveland up 30-27—and Justin Tucker’s field goal with 25 seconds left tied it going into overtime.
Now, the Browns are not set up to be a throwing team. With Josh Gordon suspended for the year and a solid run-blocking line, coach Mike Pettine was to be pretty egalitarian run-pass. But it hasn’t worked out that way in the past three weeks. Since McCown has taken the reins back, Cleveland has called pass plays on a remarkable 72 percent of the snaps. “When I came here, I was thinking maybe 30 throws a game,” McCown said.
“But in our quarterback room, we have the attitude that we don’t have to be babysitters. We can win the games.” On this overtime drive, there was a key third-and-1, and Baltimore expected run. McCown delivered a strike to Barnidge for 19 up the seam. That got Cleveland near field-goal range. After nibbling at Baltimore’s exhausted defense a little more, the Browns set up for Travis Coons’ winning 32-yard field goal.
When it was over, McCown saw the incredible numbers: 36 of 51, 457 yards, two touchdowns, no picks.
The Browns were founded 69 years ago. Through Otto Graham and a succession of pre-nineties very good passers, and through the Browns’ rebirth, no quarterback ever had a regular-season game like this one. No Brown ever threw for as many yards.
“When I’m done,” McCown said, “I think it’ll sink in, and I’ll enjoy it. But we’re in the middle of something pretty cool here. We went to San Diego last week and had our hearts broken, and the energy in the locker room was so fantastic—we’ve got something good going here. Today we come back to Baltimore, and obviously it’s a team that’s been tough for us, but the energy was fantastic again. I just love being in there. I love being a part of the team. That’s what means something to me.
“Now, we have a quarterback room, and the Browns have these murals on the walls with all the great quarterbacks, back to Otto Graham, and Frank Ryan, Brian Sipe, Bernie Kosar. You see the history in there. It’s cool. And I’ve sat there and I’ve thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool to be on that wall someday, and have the respect of the next generation of quarterbacks in this room?’ That would mean something to me.”
* * *
“And Aaron Rodgers is human. Five hundred eight-seven passes since his last pick at Lambeau.”
—Ian Eagle of FOX, doing the play-by-play of Rams-Packers in Green Bay, after James Laurinaitis of St. Louis intercepted a Rodgers pass. Fifteen plays later, Rodgers threw another one, to cornerback Trumaine Johnson.
* * *
Football Perspective @fbgchase
November 2014: Gurley tears his ACL, Thomas Rawls plodding away in the MAC, Devonta Freeman a rookie backup. Today, all 3 rush for over 150
* * *
I think this is what I liked about Week 5:
Todd Gurley.
I think this is what I didn’t like about Week 5:
Horrible throw by Nick Foles, picked and returned for a touchdown by Quinten Rollins of the Pack.
**********************************************************
http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2015/10/12/nfl-week-5-monday-morning-quarterback-peter-king
Old Arms, Boos and Ohio QBs: It’s Getting Weird in the NFL
Week 5 featured no shortage of wait, what? developments, from the late heroics of Andy Dalton and Josh McCown to Matthew Stafford's benching. Plus, Miami's motivating new leader, a 78-year-old INT combo and more
by Peter King
What an intriguing weekend. One month ago, the first Sunday of the regular season kicked off, and this is how weird the season has gotten:
• Only two men are averaging 100 rushing yards per game. Rookie Todd Gurley, three games into his career, and vet Chris Ivory are both putting up 104.7 yards a week. Only Le'Veon Bell (95.5 in two games) is within 10 yards of them.
• The leading rushers in Week 5 would have made you titter a month ago.
1. Thomas Rawls, Seattle, Undrafted rookie, Central Michigan, 169 yards
2. Todd Gurley, St. Louis, Rookie, 10th pick overall, Georgia, 159 yards
3. Devonta Freeman, Atlanta, Fourth-round pick, 2014, Fla. State, 153 yards
• Baltimore is four games out of first in the AFC North. Cincinnati is 5-0, Baltimore 1-4. Neither of those records is remotely fluky. The Ravens gave up 505 yards to the Browns on Sunday ... in Baltimore.
• The aged shall inherit the league. This weekend’s winning quarterbacks included Matt Hasselbeck (40) and Peyton Manning (39), both of whom were born before the newest head coach in the league, Miami’s Dan Campbell (39). Charles Woodson (39) had his first two interceptions of Manning ever on Sunday, but Manning got revenge for the 1997 Heisman voting (in order, Woodson, Manning, Ryan Leaf) with a 16-10 win.
• The Ohio quarterbacks no one wanted in August? Fans want ‘em now. Josh McCown and Andy Dalton combined for 788 passing yards to beat Super Bowl 47 champ Baltimore and Super Bowl 48 champ Seattle, respectively. Explain how the Bengals came from 17 down in the fourth quarter to win, and how they went back to throw the exact same pass, exact same pattern, to tight end Tyler Eifert for a second touchdown against the great and powerful Seahawks. “That one did surprise me,” said Hue Jackson, the man with enough stones to call the play a second time.
• No quarterback’s getting beat up like Russell Wilson. No coincidence Seattle is 2-3 … lots of reasons why, really, including the leaky and green offensive line. But the Seahawks are still very much alive, despite the fact Wilson has been sacked an NFL-high 22 times.
• The Lions yanked Matthew Stafford for Dan Orlovsky while being routed by Arizona Sunday. Crowd at Ford Field: BOOOOOOOOOO. I repeat: Stafford out, Orlovsky in. Stafford healthy. Stafford stinking it up at an RG3 2013 level. Coach Jim Caldwell said Stafford was the starter, and there is no controversy. “It's like a pitcher not having a very good day,” Caldwell said of his quarterback. “That pitcher comes out and, obviously, he's still the starter.”
• Unbeatens: Cincinnati, Green Bay, Denver and Atlanta, 5-0. Carolina and New England, 4-0.
• Winless: Detroit, 0-5.
• We can say there is some normalcy. The Packers, Broncos and Patriots are a combined 14-0. But if you want normalcy, this is not the right sport for you this morning.
* * *
We’re going to start in a heartwarming place this morning: in Cleveland, where the quarterback of the 2010 Hartford Colonials just might have done enough to earn a spot on a wall he considers hallowed in a room in Berea, Ohio.
* * *
Photo: Rob Carr/Getty Images
Josh McCown is the first QB in Browns history with at least 300 yards passing in three straight games.
Cleveland's unlikely hero.
Josh McCown probably should have taken his gold watch last year. Nice career, meandering from Arizona to Detroit to Carolina to Hartford of the United Football League to coaching high school football to Chicago to Tampa Bay last year. At 35, coming off a very good five-start stretch for Chicago in 2013, McCown was going to be the Bucs’ bridge to the future. But offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford fell ill before the season, never was right during the year, and the offense was in shambles, and the offensive line was the worst in football, and McCown played poorly. There was his wife and kids in Charlotte, and no one would have thought it odd for McCown to leave the game and go back to coaching.
“But I just thought, ‘This isn’t the best I can be. I don’t want to go out like that. I don’t want to be a one-hit wonder from Chicago—I know I’m capable of doing that,’” he said Sunday night. “I just knew I could do it again, and my wife was super supportive.”
So the Browns needed a sort of player-coach to play and mentor Johnny Manziel—or whomever the next quarterback there would be. McCown signed, won the starting job in camp, and led the Browns on a 17-play drive on the first possession of the season at the Jets. He was concussed on play 17, trying to dive for the end zone. Johnny Football time. Manziel had some moments, and beat the Titans in Week 2, and the locals were frenzied. Cleveland wanted Johnny. And this old-fashioned McCown understood.
“I was heartbroken after that long drive against the Jets, because I thought we’d have a big day,” he said. “But people don’t understand—you sign with a team, and you’re there to serve your team. If you’re called on to play, you play. If you’re not playing, you help your team in other ways. So my job until I played again, if I played again, was to help Johnny be the best. The organization picked this young man in the first round and has high hopes for him—still does. So I wanted to help him.”
That sounds trite, honestly. You’re tempted not to buy it. But I know it’s the way McCown feels, because I’ve heard it from him before—about Jay Cutler, about Mike Glennon—and because he has this weird attitude that quite a few players don’t. Team guy.
“My wife and I went to couple of the NBA Finals games here in the spring,” he said. “We’re walking downtown and we thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if this would happen with the Browns?’ The energy, the passion, the drive. So I promise you—I get it when they chant for Johnny. You know why? They want to win. They want a spark. Give us a win! Make us feel good!”
McCown got his job back in Week 3 and threw for 341 yards, but the Browns lost to Oakland. He kept the job in Week 4 and threw for 356 yards in San Diego, but the Browns lost in overtime in San Diego. No reason to think Sunday in Baltimore would be different; the Ravens were 13-1 in the John Harbaugh Era against Cleveland, and Harbaugh’s 1-3 team needed a win badly.
Baltimore up 21-9. McCown, methodical, with 75 and 79-yard drives to put Cleveland up 22-21. The second touchdown came on the strangest TD catch you’ll ever see. From the Ravens’ 18, McCown, pressured, lofted one to tight end Gary Barnidge at the goal line. He jumped with a Ravens’ defender, and Barnidge ended up falling, the ball near his feet.
As he fell, Barnidge kept the ball off the ground between his legs but not touching his hands; somehow it never touched the ground and he was able to pop it back into his hands while lying on the goal line. The officials couldn’t believe it, and no one else could either. Touchdown. Browns up.
They were waiting for replay after the score to confirm or deny when McCown saw Barnidge on the field.
“Did you catch it?” McCown asked.
“Yeah—just not with my hands!” Barnidge said.
“Hey, put that on the stat sheet!” McCown said.
The catch counted. But back came Baltimore. They traded touchdowns again—Ravens up 27-22, then Cleveland up 30-27—and Justin Tucker’s field goal with 25 seconds left tied it going into overtime.
Now, the Browns are not set up to be a throwing team. With Josh Gordon suspended for the year and a solid run-blocking line, coach Mike Pettine was to be pretty egalitarian run-pass. But it hasn’t worked out that way in the past three weeks. Since McCown has taken the reins back, Cleveland has called pass plays on a remarkable 72 percent of the snaps. “When I came here, I was thinking maybe 30 throws a game,” McCown said.
“But in our quarterback room, we have the attitude that we don’t have to be babysitters. We can win the games.” On this overtime drive, there was a key third-and-1, and Baltimore expected run. McCown delivered a strike to Barnidge for 19 up the seam. That got Cleveland near field-goal range. After nibbling at Baltimore’s exhausted defense a little more, the Browns set up for Travis Coons’ winning 32-yard field goal.
When it was over, McCown saw the incredible numbers: 36 of 51, 457 yards, two touchdowns, no picks.
The Browns were founded 69 years ago. Through Otto Graham and a succession of pre-nineties very good passers, and through the Browns’ rebirth, no quarterback ever had a regular-season game like this one. No Brown ever threw for as many yards.
“When I’m done,” McCown said, “I think it’ll sink in, and I’ll enjoy it. But we’re in the middle of something pretty cool here. We went to San Diego last week and had our hearts broken, and the energy in the locker room was so fantastic—we’ve got something good going here. Today we come back to Baltimore, and obviously it’s a team that’s been tough for us, but the energy was fantastic again. I just love being in there. I love being a part of the team. That’s what means something to me.
“Now, we have a quarterback room, and the Browns have these murals on the walls with all the great quarterbacks, back to Otto Graham, and Frank Ryan, Brian Sipe, Bernie Kosar. You see the history in there. It’s cool. And I’ve sat there and I’ve thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool to be on that wall someday, and have the respect of the next generation of quarterbacks in this room?’ That would mean something to me.”
* * *
“And Aaron Rodgers is human. Five hundred eight-seven passes since his last pick at Lambeau.”
—Ian Eagle of FOX, doing the play-by-play of Rams-Packers in Green Bay, after James Laurinaitis of St. Louis intercepted a Rodgers pass. Fifteen plays later, Rodgers threw another one, to cornerback Trumaine Johnson.
* * *
Football Perspective @fbgchase
November 2014: Gurley tears his ACL, Thomas Rawls plodding away in the MAC, Devonta Freeman a rookie backup. Today, all 3 rush for over 150
* * *
I think this is what I liked about Week 5:
Todd Gurley.
I think this is what I didn’t like about Week 5:
Horrible throw by Nick Foles, picked and returned for a touchdown by Quinten Rollins of the Pack.
