The Chargers Need a Coach Who Keeps It Simple
You knew it was coming when the Chargers fired head coach Brandon Staley; you just didn’t know that it was going to happen in the middle of the season.
Now that it has happened, stories start to come out, which I have seen happen before with coaches — younger coaches in particular — and he had such a fast ascension with a smart, creative football mind, but he thought he had all the answers.
When you’re a player, you need solutions. They don’t need you to draw on a piece of paper with 15,000 options on what to do; you need to have simple, creative solutions that you can lean on every single time and not overcomplicate things because everything happens so fast on the field – Brandon Staley was overcomplicating things.
If he had the defense playing well, he would have got more leeway, and I think they might have even allowed him one more chance.
I’m interested to see who will take over; you could see Bill Belichick going there. Belichick would have personnel control; they’ve got rid of their GM, but from a Chargers perspective, do you do all that and then have a guy who’s in his seventies who might only be there for two or three years – that’s the problem.
You’re investing in someone who is there to start a new cultural revolution within the club, and then he’s gone; does that work, or are you back to square one? So, it’s hard; Belichick's age makes it difficult.
Dak Prescott No Longer Frontrunner for MVP
I think their loss to the Buffalo Bills definitely damaged Dak Prescott’s chance for MVP; I wouldn’t say he’s the frontrunner anymore. He got outplayed by another quarterback (Josh Allen) who also is being considered for MVP.
We know about their struggles away from home, and they were exposed by the Bills' physical run game. I’ve spoken before about how they’re a home team, and they proved that again – they weren’t able to beat stiff competition.
Can they right the ship? I think they could if they pick up on some things. I trust their coaches, especially in defense, to find a way to reduce that exposure they’re suffering, but I don’t see that team doing anything significant in a playoff series.
The Bills, on the other hand, looked scary; nobody wants to face them in the playoffs. As spectators, we would love to see them, but as a team, you do not!
The Pressure Has Got to Jalen Hurts
Jalen is not playing well; he’s not seeing the field when the pressure is on him – he’s looking at the rush instead of feeling it. Once that starts to happen, it’s a slippery slope, and it’s tough to come back from that.
Outright Winner - Philadelphia Eagles
Once you stop seeing when routes are open down the field because you start focusing on the rush, that’s something you can fix, but it’s ultimately a comfort thing, and he’s definitely got it from what we saw last season where he took advantage of those opportunities and made those plays down the field. He used to see it, but now he’s not.
Brock Purdy Has Strong MVP Chances
If the 49ers win their number one seed and they’re the team, then I don’t see why Brock Purdy couldn’t win MVP; no one has better quarterback stats this season. He was Mr Irrelevant in last year's draft, and because of that, not a lot of people have much investment in what he does and what he doesn’t do in the eyes of a voter.
People tend to like to get behind things when they have an attachment to them – the only people who have that with him at the moment are the 49ers because they picked him!
The Ravens Aren’t Being Overlooked
I don’t think they’re being overlooked; they’re just not producing bone-crushing highlights every week unless you actually watch the game and see what Lamar Jackson does because that is special.
They’ve struggled with injury, but that defense can still take over, and they’ve got to keep the pressure on, and it is working. They haven’t fallen off, but at the same time, we’re also not crowning them yet.
It’ll be interesting as the Miami Dolphins start to push on; the conversation about what Baltimore is or isn’t is going to occur more.
Matchups of the Week
Two key games I'll be watching, the 49ers going up against the Ravens, and the Dolphins taking on the Cowboys – those are the big boys this week.
