Remember that time you tried to buy M&Ms but the vending machine stole your dollar? If that vending machine were an NFL quarterback, it would be Brock Osweiler.
I realize I’m not breaking any new ground here. It’s common knowledge that Osweiler is a bottom-rung quarterback. But what’s frustrating is that Houston is so close to being a real threat in the AFC. Consider what they did to Tom Brady on Saturday night. Brady threw as many interceptions Saturday as he did all regular season while facing constant pressure from reborn Jadeveon Clowney and the equally fearsome Whitney Mercilus. The Patriots committed three turnovers in their own territory while Brady was held to his lowest completion percentage of the season (47.4). J.J. Watt wasn’t even playing and the Texans still wreaked havoc on one of the league’s best offenses.
And after all that, the Patriots still covered the spread. If Osweiler were any good at all, the Texans would be in Pittsburgh playing for an AFC Championship this week. But instead, Osweiler squandered every opportunity the Patriots gave him, just as he has all season. As conservative as http://www.nbcsports.com/edge/player/NFL/3147/Alex-SmithAlex Smith but with none of his accuracy and talent, Osweiler is shaping up to be one of the biggest busts in free agent history.
One overlooked aspect of Osweiler’s incompetence is the effect it’s having on DeAndre Hopkins. The Texans have been gifted one of the league’s best receivers but are wasting his prime on a quarterback who is only comfortable throwing check-downs to tight ends. No one would ever confuse Brian Hoyer for an elite NFL quarterback, but Hopkins still managed 111 catches for 1,521 yards and 11 touchdowns with Hoyer throwing to him in 2015. This year Hopkins totaled 78 catches for 954 yards and four TDs. It’s a pretty ominous sign when your $72 million franchise quarterback is a noticeable step down from a guy who’s played for six teams over his last six seasons.
Given his exorbitant salary and all the dead money it would cost to cut him, it looks like the Texans will be stuck with Osweiler for at least one more season. There is another possibility, however. If GM Rick Smith really wants to go for it, the Texans could push all their chips to the center of the table and make a run at Tony Romo. The Cowboys QB is certain to be traded this offseason and though he prefers to land in Denver, that interest doesn’t appear to be mutual. The Texans have a strong roster, are only four hours south of Dallas and play their home games indoors. What more could a veteran quarterback ask for?
To Spike or Not to Spike?
I’ll be short and sweet about this: I had no problem with Dallas spiking the ball on first down with 1:07 remaining in Sunday’s heartbreaking loss to Green Bay. In fact, I thought it was the right call at the time. As I expected, sports pundits have been pretty adamant that this is why Dallas lost, which is ridiculous.
So basically the argument being made is that by stopping the clock at that juncture, the Cowboys allowed Green Bay enough time to go downfield and kick the game-winning field goal. That’s exactly how it played out, but the Packers needed a miracle throw by Aaron Rodgers to make that even remotely possible. And even then, Mason Crosby made a heck of a kick (it was actually two kicks because the Cowboys iced him on his first attempt) from 52 yards out as time expired.
Rodgers has routinely completed impossible passes, often while falling down as he did on Sunday’s 36-yard strike to Jared Cook in the closing seconds. But that’s never an outcome you’d expect, especially given the circumstances leading up to that throw. Rodgers had just taken a huge sack, backing the Packers up to their own 32-yard-line with 12 seconds left. That’s just Darth Vader (that’s what my mom calls Aaron Rodgers and I’m really hoping it catches on) using the force.
You can poke plenty of holes in the Cowboys’ game plan. They didn’t apply enough pressure on Rodgers and could have fed Ezekiel Elliott more, especially in the first half. But I’m not going to wag a finger at them for spiking it, which is what all teams do when they’re in that position. Though they only needed a field goal to tie it, the Cowboys were certainly playing for a touchdown and still needed to span 51 yards in 67 seconds to make that happen. The spike didn’t kill Dallas. Aaron Rodgers did.
McDaniels Staying Put
They say time heals all wounds. Josh McDaniels is living proof of that. Now that the stink has worn off from his forgettable stint in Denver a half-decade ago, the Patriots OC has once again emerged as a viable head-coaching candidate.
But despite drawing plenty of interest around the league, McDaniels won’t be getting a coaching job this cycle. He made sure of that by withdrawing his name from San Francisco’s head-coaching search on Monday. That was the only coaching job left as the Bills, Broncos, Chargers, Jaguars and Rams all moved ahead with new hires while McDaniels was in the midst of coaching the Patriots to their sixth straight AFC title game. McDaniels will always be at a disadvantage in this regard. Teams usually look to fill head-coaching vacancies within a week or two of the regular season, which often conflicts with the Patriots’ playoff schedule.
Of the jobs that were up for grabs this offseason, the vacancy in San Francisco was the least enticing. The Niners have a pitiful roster on both sides of the ball and aren’t close to competing for a Super Bowl or even a playoff berth anytime soon. The Denver job was probably the most appealing but that wasn’t available to McDaniels after failing there in his first try as a head coach.
With all the other jobs filled and the Patriots still in the thick of the AFC playoff hunt, the decision to put his head-coaching aspirations on hold for another year makes plenty of sense from McDaniels’ perspective. One more failed coaching stint could doom McDaniels to a lifetime of coordinating work, so it’s important for him to choose the right fit. The 40-year-old has successfully rebuilt his reputation but until he gets his next coaching gig, it will be hard to tell if McDaniels is indeed a prodigy or just another assistant propped up by the genius of Bill Belichick. With McDaniels out of the mix, the Niners are zeroing in on Seahawks OL coach Tom Cable and Falcons OC Kyle Shanahan as the top candidates to replace Chip Kelly.
Quick Hits: Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said he expects both Tyler Lockett and Earl Thomas to be ready for the start of next season. Lockett missed the Seahawks’ last three games with a broken fibula while Thomas sat out the last seven with a fractured tibia. Thomas briefly considered retirement but now plans on playing at least one more season … In his year-end press conference, Carroll mentioned that Richard Sherman played the second half of the season with a “significant MCL injury.” Sherman still led the team with four interceptions but was left off the All-Pro team for the first time since 2011 … The Seahawks really can’t catch a break with injuries. Deshawn Shead (No. 32 in PFF’s year-end cornerback grades) suffered what Carroll described as a “really significant” knee injury in Saturday’s loss to the Falcons. That injury is believed to be a torn right ACL, which will obviously require surgery … The Texans and OC George Godsey have agreed to part ways. He spent three seasons in Houston, serving as QBs coach in 2014 before being promoted to OC a year later … Falcons coach Dan Quinn said Julio Jones will be “ready to rock” Sunday against the Packers. Jones re-injured his sprained toe in Saturday’s win over the Seahawks. In that game he was on the field for a season-low 58.3 percent of the Falcons’ offensive snaps … Packers coach Mike McCarthy said he isn’t sure if Jordy Nelson (broken ribs) will return to practice on Wednesday. Nelson’s status for Sunday’s NFC Championship Game is still up in the air … Ex-49ers coach Chip Kelly interviewed for the Jaguars’ opening at offensive coordinator and according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, there’s a “good chance” he’ll end up getting the job. Meanwhile former Jaguars OC Greg Olson is interviewing for the same position in Buffalo … Chiefs coach Andy Reid confirmed that http://www.nbcsports.com/edge/player/NFL/3147/Alex-SmithAlex Smith will begin next year as the team’s starting quarterback. Smith completed 20-of-34 passes for 172 yards with one touchdown and one interception in Sunday’s season-ending loss to Pittsburgh ... Tamba Hali said he has no plans to retire. The 11-year veteran ended the year as a backup behind starting outside linebackers Justin Houston and Dee Ford … Sunday night’s Chiefs/Steelers matchup was the highest-rated Divisional Round game in NFL history. The NFL shifted the start time of Sunday’s game due to poor weather conditions in Kansas City. Expect the league to schedule more playoff games in primetime moving forward … Rob Ryan is scheduled to interview for the Redskins’ opening at defensive coordinator. Gus Bradley and Mike Pettine interviewed for the same position earlier this month … Martavis Bryant, who is currently serving an indefinite suspension for repeated violations of the league’s substance abuse policy, said he considered quitting football during his season-long hiatus. Since then, Bryant has rededicated himself and now says he’s training harder than ever. The 25-year-old will have to apply for reinstatement before he’s allowed to resume playing … Antonio Brown live-streamed coach Mike Tomlin’s explicit post-game speech after Sunday’s win over the Chiefs. Tomlin had choice words for the Patriots and seemed resentful that New England will have an extra day to prepare for Sunday’s AFC Championship Game. When asked for a reaction, coach Bill Belichick said, “As you know, I’m not on SnapFace and all that, so I don’t really get those” … We may have seen the last of two NFL greats this past weekend. Texans DT Vince Wilfork said, “I think I have played my last NFL game” after losing to the Patriots (his former team) in Saturday’s Divisional Round game at Foxboro. Meanwhile Seahawks return specialist Devin Hester said he told his wife that this was “pretty much my last year.” Wilfork was a four-time All-Pro selection and two-time Super Bowl champion while Hester holds the NFL’s all-time record with 20 return touchdowns … A gambler in Las Vegas bet $300 on the Packers to beat the Eagles back in Week 12. He’s put money on the Packers every week since and has turned that $300 into over $28,000. He’s going to let it ride again Sunday to try and push his winnings to $76,000.
