NFL Fact Or Fiction - Week 7 Edition: Alex Smith, Christian Ponder, Jim Irsay And More

Discussion in 'NFL Writer's Block' started by SRW, Oct 18, 2013.

  1. SRW

    SRW Ex-World's Worst Site Admin

    NFL FACT OR FICTION - WEEK 7 EDITION

    This week we discuss: Alex Smith, The Vikings QB situation, Jim Irsay's Bromance with Peyton, The NFL Wild Card's structure and if you should have a chance at having a stake in your favorite NFL team.

    It's time to celebrate, NFL Fact or Fiction is back with another new edition!
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    NFL Week 6 opened up with the Bears keeping the Giants winless in an entertaining game, then NFL fans were treated to some very entertaining games on Sunday. We got the Packers, down to no receivers outside of Jordy Nelson, going into Baltimore and defeating the defending Super Bowl champs. Meanwhile, we got a fun OT game in Buffalo with the Bengals going to 4-2 before being treated to a all-time great moment for Tom Brady after his last second win over the previously unbeaten Saints. Let's take a quick look back at Week 6 around the NFL:

    [ame=http://www.nfl.com/videos/ultimate-monday-morning-recap/0ap2000000262253/Week-6-Ultimate-Monday-morning-recap]Week 6: Ultimate Monday morning recap - NFL Videos[/ame]

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    SRW's Soapbox

    The NFC East is a joke right now. The Cowboys and Eagles are tied for first at 3-3 and frankly, it boggles the mind when you realize both teams are not worse than .500. A couple years ago the NFC West was the division everyone was dogging, some people going as far as wanting to break up the division or change the playoff seeding to not allow a sub-.500 division winner in. It's funny how in a few short years things have changed and you now have two conference powers in the NFC West. While the Seahawks and 49ers are in the mix for favorites, the reality is the NFL is wide open this year. There is no reason a 8-8 Cowboys team couldn't get hot in the playoffs and not take out some favorites. There is no NFL super team this year, everyone has a major flaw somewhere on their roster. Parity in the NFL is rampant, and it's making it more exciting for people hoping to see their team get the ring at the end of the year. More games actually mean something, and playoff races are dogfights to the end. At the end of the day the winner is the NFL fan, who is getting more scoring and close finishes week in and week out. But is this really the NFL we want? I miss the dynasties, they were measuring sticks for where other NFL teams should aspire to get. I miss rules where defenders could play defense and not get flagged for plays that go against everything they have been taught about the game since they were young. So what do you think? Do you like this new era of NFL football? Or are you more old-school, blood and knuckles? Let us know how you feel in your comments below!

    Well, with that out of the way, it's time to step off my soapbox and unleash the hounds! This week we have the usual suspects RichLikeWh0a and Omen back and I'll be serving up the topics they'll dissect. So let's get into it without further delay, whaddya say?

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    1. The Vikings named Josh Freeman the starter against the Giants this week with Ponder being listed as his backup. According to Coach Frazier, this move was planned the moment the team acquired Freeman and barring injury, will be the arrangement from here on out. The Vikings are making a clear statement that Christian Ponder is not the long-term answer and he will more than likely be playing elsewhere in 2013.

    RichLikeWh0a: Fact. They didn't really have much of a choice, and I think Josh Freeman coming available was the closest thing to a dream come true for the Vikings. Ponder is a back-up quality QB, nothing more. And he's a solid back up at that. But he is not the QB you want leading your offense, assuming you don't intend to tank. And when you have AP on your team (especially with him approaching that dreaded 30 and with a lot of wear and tear at this point), there's really no reason to tank.

    Omen: Fact i think truly believe that Christian Ponder will be a playing ball on another team next yr. especially if Freeman does well. Ponder might become a back up or fight it out in training camp somewhere where they need a QB bad enough, did i hear Texans. ​

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    2. Alex Smith has led the Chiefs to a 6-0 record. A closer look at the numbers shows that while Smith hasn't turned the ball over he's not exactly lighting up the scoreboard or stat sheet. He's averaging a whopping 6.2 yards per pass and his 79.8 QB rating suggests the game manager is barely doing that. The Chiefs have to have their eye on the future and find their future QB in next year's QB rich draft. Alex Smith is servicable at best but he's not going to be the guy to get the Chiefs over the hump when it counts.

    RichLikeWh0a: Fact. Alex Smith has finally grown into an acceptable NFL quarterback. I'll grant him that. Being acceptable isn't enough though. Alex Smith is that QB that will never lose you a football game, but he'll never win you one either. Smith is good enough to start for the Chiefs for a couple of seasons while Andy grooms a QB of his choosing, but that's about it. You can't win a superbowl with a QB who won't look further than 5 yards downfield.

    Omen: Fiction and really this is a two part question. The reason i say fiction is because Alex smith can get the Chiefs over the hump, with the help of his defense and by not making any bone headed plays. he just has to drive the bus and manage it as we like to say. I mean if Rob Johnson and Trent Dilfer can do it. second part of the question is they should keep an eye out for a hair to the QB position, some to sit and learn behind Alex ala Aaron Rogers​

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    3. In case you missed it this week, Jim Irsay took to making an butt out of himself once again. This time he took to criticizing the man responsible for the football palace his team currently plays in, Peyton Manning. But....does the statement hold some weight? Manning DID lead the Colts to the playoffs 11 times but he DID also exit the playoffs after one game seven times while only bringing home one Super Bowl ring. No matter what numbers he puts up, Peyton Manning didn't produce championships like Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger and his brother Eli. Peyton Manning can shatter all NFL records, but when all is said and done he's not the best QB to play the game, ever.

    RichLikeWh0a: Fiction. Or Fact. Or... This is a really difficult question, or series of questions. Irsay wasn't wrong in what he said. There's no doubt it has to be frustrating to have had such a prolific offense for so long and so little to show for it. That said, Irsay also hit the nail on the head in saying they needed to put a better D/ST behind Peyton. In my personal opinion, there's no question that Peyton Manning is the greatest quarterback of all time. No question. But I'm also someone who doesn't put a lot of stock in superbowls = talent.

    Omen: Fiction this one took me awhile to answer i am torn Peyton has all the stats all the records but he lacks the rings. I would venture to say that he'd trade all the records and stats for 2 more SB rings. I think Peyton is better than above mentioned QBs due to the help they had from their TEAM because championships are won by a team not a sole player or position. Peyton Manning at this point is the top 5 QBs ever imo.​

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    This week we got a pair of user submitted questions from [MENTION=2081]markaz[/MENTION]. Want to submit some Fact or Fiction statements for the dynamic duo to dissect? Feel free to PM them to me people. We'd really love the interaction with the readers, so feel free to send away people! With the plug out of the way, it's time to give markaz the floor:

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    4. The NFL has it structured such that divisional winners will always have home field advantage when they play Wild Card teams in the playoffs. Even if a Wild Card team has a better won-loss record than its divisional champion opponent, the divisional champ will host the game. The NFL should change the rule that would allow for the team with the better won-loss record to host that particular playoff game.

    RichLikeWh0a: Fiction. The system isn't broke and there really isn't a reason to fix it. If you don't play well enough to win your division, you really don't deserve home field advantage, in my personal opinion. Yeah, it's poor luck to have a better record than another team and still have to play on the road, but they earned that advantage.

    Omen: Fiction. You want home field? Win more game and your division simple as that. ​

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    5. The National Football League is currently 32 family-owned businesses conducting their business under the umbrella of the NFL. With $9 Billion in revenues expected in 2013, Roger Goodell has set the bar at $27 Billion for 2027. Given that it is mandated by the NFL that the owner families MUST have a 30% stake in their respective franchises, the NFL and its teams should consider going public for immediate infusion of capital and a more fiscally sound organization.

    RichLikeWh0a: Fiction. This is a deep question, wow. I don't think sports teams of any kind should be a publicly traded business. That would just be a bit of madness. This is a good question though, one that's kind of hard to give an elaborate answer on. I think it would, however, create a bit more of a competitive disadvantage for teams like Jacksonville, and they really don't need anything else going against them.

    Omen: Fiction - this is the capitalist in me if a team or owner cant or wont infuse money into their franchise let them fail and get an owner who care and will infuse money and resources into their business. their is no reason a Million dollar NFL team should be bailed out by the public.​

    [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNEd0_rm6kU]Porky Pig - That's All Folks! (1938 Original In Color!) - YouTube[/ame]

    Thanks once again to RichLikeWh0a and Omen for their takes this week. Extra props go out to markaz for submitting a couple questions for the guys to take a swing at. Week 7 should be an interesting week so I hope members think up some good Fact or Fiction statements to send it so we can give our takes.

    If you enjoyed what you read in our article, please give us a like, comment below, share the article on Facebook or Twitter, tell a friend....you get the idea. Let us know you are out there, keep us motivated to bring you more.

    You can also subscribe to your favorite columns here on the site by clicking on the RSS icons on the site's header or footer. Or, if that's too much effort, I can post the links here:
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    I leave you now with the Classic NFL Moment Of The Week, enjoy:
    [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9raZmOBH_o]Jack Fleming - The Immaculate Reception - YouTube[/ame]
     
    Last edited: Oct 18, 2013
  2. ICECOLD

    ICECOLD 1st Stringer

    Great work fellas! And yes, the owners should be putting more into their teams so public funds go where they're needed
     
  3. markaz

    markaz Resident Cards Fan Staff Member

    Good job [MENTION=968]RichLikeWh0a[/MENTION] and [MENTION=555]Omen[/MENTION]. The only topic that I very much agree on is Omen's take on Alex Smith. I'm not talking about him being one of the best ever or even a potential Hall of Famer. But given the makeup of the Chiefs teams and what they expect from their QB, Smith may just well be the ideal signal caller for now and years to come.
    The guy has never been flash, never talked smack, would make a crapty spokesperson for a commercial and was less than ideally handled while in SF. So he's probably not going to throw a couple of 40 yarders in the final 2 minutes to win the game, he's displayed the ability to move the chains when needed and keep their potent defense well rested.
    I just think the jury is still out now that he KNOWS he doesn't have a HC ready to pull him at a moments notice and we may still see even better play out of him to actually get the Chiefs over the hump. We shall see.
     
  4. CaptainStubing

    CaptainStubing Gave her a Dirty Sanchez

    good job once again gentlemen. there were some challenging questions this week.
     
  5. 86WARD

    86WARD -

    NFL Fact Or Fiction - Week 7 Edition: Alex Smith, Christian Ponder, Jim Irsay...

    Awesome job guys!!

    Another great classic moment!!

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    Last edited: Oct 18, 2013
  6. Aussie61

    Aussie61 Nutcase

    Good job guys,this segment is cool!
    Now for my say.As a mentally tortured Vikings fan,with Musgrave calling plays from the worlds smallest playcard,Joe Montana would fail in this offense.While i think the move to Freeman is worthwhile,this team is doomed to fail with such a conservative coaching staff.
    2. As long as the Chiefs D stays healthy,then Alex Smith has every chance of capturing a SB ring (49er fans would love that!)
    3. Irsay has sucker punched the media! Great work Jimmy in deflecting the national spotlight away from Andrew Luck so that the young man can go about preparing to beat Peyton.
    4. I disagree with the boys on the subject of a wild card team having home field.Lets say a division winner was 14 - 2 and the runner up 12 - 4. If another division winner was 9 - 7 then why shouldn't the 12 - 4 team (wildcard) host the game?
    Let the fun begin!!
    And as for SRWs little intro,please don't get me started on the way defenders have to tip toe through the tulips nowadays!! Let them play!!!
     
  7. DaBearsrule4ever

    DaBearsrule4ever Hall Of Famer

    Yes, Jim Irsay should want more than one super bowl ring BUT he should be thankful for the one that he does have. Last I checked, there are 53 players on an NFL roster and 45 are active on game day. Last I also checked, Peyton Manning is only one person. It takes a whole team to win a world championship, not just one person.

    While winning your division is not the be all end all, but I think if you win your division, you should have home field advantage over the wild team that may have a better record than you. Sometimes, the home team is not always the better team anyway.
     
  8. ICECOLD

    ICECOLD 1st Stringer

    And some divisions are tougher to get wins in than others...
     
  9. Fez

    Fez Chicharooney!!!

    Let's see what tune the whole league sings when the Chiefs face an opponent who can challenge their defense, and Cpt. Checkdown has to step up and make long throws.
     
  10. DaBearsrule4ever

    DaBearsrule4ever Hall Of Famer

    Not all that long ago, the NFC West was the laughing stock of the NFL. The Seahawks did win that division with a 7-9 record back in 2010. Now that the NFC East is the current laughing stock, I wouldn't be surprised if the division winner from that division had a 7-9 record as well.
     
  11. Omen

    Omen Speeling Be Champions Staff Member

    Because they didn't win their conference simple as that ya want home field win the conference
     
  12. RichLikeWh0a

    RichLikeWh0a Hermhater = Nemesis

    I wondered if I was the only one who realized that Andrew Luck has evaded media hype this weekend, so I didn't bother to mention it. Glad I wasn't the only one.

    As far as the wild card is concerned, even in a 14-2/12-4 scenario, you didn't win your division. Period. And that's not even a valid argument unless you beat the 14-2 team twice.
     
  13. Tarkus

    Tarkus The Thread Stalker

    Soapbox: Like probably 99% of fans, agree with SRW

    Just a (sad) sign of the times. Just like most things that cycle, the NFL, for better or worse (worse), was going to change. The handwriting was on the wall that parity was going to be the (business) call of the day to keep fans of all franchises glued to their TVs season long instead of the disconnect with most as the powerhouses of yesteryear graded the road to the playoffs with their favorite teams.

    No longer will we see the NFL being, well...the NFL. There'll be more veiled money making schemes like the 'caring' side of the NFL's breast cancer awareness that surely has nothing to do with making the NFL more female friendly, the 'caring' side of players safety that undoubtedly has nothing to do with litigation control for the past refusal to acknowledge damage to players & denying them proper medical support nor a plan to keep their money making assets on the field.

    It's big business & nothing's gonna stop them from watering down the game to keep extending their reach to a wider, more ADD oriented middle of the road audience who's attracted to the flash of 1 dimensional scoring over a 2 dimensional offense/defense sport like a kid who's distracted by something shiny.

    & while they're on their way, they'll continue to stick to their mission statement to keep the league as vanilla as they can, keeping the critics at bay & the sponsors lining up. The money also needs to keep flowing for the future coercion of cities to keep upgrading their stadiums so they stay. Nothing like running a business that allows your fan base to do more than just buy tickets/merchandise, eh?

    Ponder: Agree with Rich/Omen

    Always was going to be cannon fodder. He's not good enough, talent-wise, to come close to over riding the Vikings weaknesses/raising that O. Shouldn't come as no surprise when Freeman hit the radar.

    Alex Smith: Agree with Rich

    Always reliant on what type of players around him, not the other way around. Should continue to be a solid choice for regular season wins but come gravy time, just don't see him delivering.

    Irsay/Manning: Agree with SRW/Omen

    Too bizarre to even go too deep. Just the usual history tampering/altering story line that happens when lovers break up. Irsay didn't build defenses, just rode Manning. Manning is 1 of the great QBs but even with weaknesses defensively, no way is he in line to be the greatest QB of all time.

    Home Field for division winners: Agree with markaz

    Sure, on the surface it would seem a division title should stand for something especially with being in a tough division but IMO, it's still about wins.

    The payoff on a division win is getting in the playoffs even with more losses than other teams elsewhere but when you step outside that division, it's the Ws...

    Public trading: Agree with Omen

    He said it all...