(Photo: Ed Zurga/AP)
By Kyle Showalter
Football is back.
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I don’t think you guys heard me in the back.
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FOOTBALL IS BACK BABY!
America’s game is finally rearing its ugly head and with it will come the glorious tailgates by the infamous Bills Mafia. With it will come the never-ending dynasty that is the New England Patriots (shout-out Antonio Brown). With it will come the highest of highs when a team hosts the Lombardi at the end of the year, and the lowest of lows when we find out who’s on the clock for the priceless number one pick.
Football, after the annual hiatus that leaves us salivating for crushing hits, long touchdowns, and sleeveless Bill Belicheck on a cold January afternoon, is finally back, and obviously you have questions.
We have the answers.
Will Baker Mayfield be more productive than Patrick Mahomes this year? -Christian H.
Short answer, no. I do believe Patrick Mahomes is going to regress this year, but that’s almost to be expected. He threw 50 touchdown passes in 2018, a feat accomplished by two other quarterbacks in the 99 years of the NFL’s existence. The others were named Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. Ever heard of them? In the 100th anniversary of the NFL, don’t expect to see that again. The Chiefs are going to throw a lot this year, and with the weapons around Mahomes, don’t be surprised to see him have another spectacular year. Just don’t be surprised when that spectacular year has him throwing closer to 40 touchdowns than 50. Baker Mayfield, who this question is actually about, is surrounded by a plethora of offensive weapons as well, none more appreciated than the newest addition Odell Beckham Jr. Baker was electric once newly-promoted-from-interim head coach Freddie Kitchens took over, so it’s interesting to see what a full season in his offense will look like. Ultimately, I don’t think his numbers will stack up with Mahomes at the end of the season, but that isn’t to say that he won’t be special this year.
Who is the best quarterback in the league right now? -Kristen R.
This is an extremely difficult question. We get to watch the tail end of arguably the greatest quarterback ever’s career in Tom Brady, but he is past his prime and showed some warning signs of an imminent decline. Drew Brees completed 74% of his passes last season and would have been a legitimate MVP candidate had Mahomes not went nuclear. Aaron Rodgers has his place among the all-time greats and will hopefully have some more creative play calling to help his case. Russell Wilson certainly has a case despite being in the most run-heavy offense in the NFL. Carson Wentz looked like the MVP before he tore his ACL in 2017. If I had to choose, it’s hard to not go with Mahomes right now. He threw for 5000+ yards with 50+ TD passes to go along last year, a feat only accomplished before him by Peyton Manning. Did I mention it was only Mahomes second year in the NFL? He is going to dominate the NFL for a decade to come.
Where does Larry Fitzgerald fit amongst the greatest receivers of all time? -Ivan H.
Pretty darn high. Larry Fitzgerald has always puzzled me. He has remained productive late in his career despite not having the speed he once had, something many aging receivers struggle with. I believe that he gives Cris Carter a run for his money for having the best hands in the history of the league. He actually has more career tackles, 37, than drops, 29. He is the staple for consistency at the wide receiver position. The hierarchy for all time receivers is pretty clear: Jerry Rice and Randy Moss are the clear 1a and 1b, and Terrell Owens is a distant 3rd. There’s also a pretty wide talent gap between TO and the next closest receiver. That’s where you start to be able to make a case for good ole Larry Fitz.
Who’s the best receiver in the game? -Uzair S.
Another receiver question! This is another tough one. There are so many receivers that do so many things well in today’s NFL. Passing is king, so it’s no surprise that the pass catchers of today are as talented as ever. Right now, Deandre Hopkins would be my pick. Six years into his career, he’s already posted 2 1500 yard receiving seasons. he’s also posted double digit touchdowns in 3 of the last 4 seasons. A small tidbit that matters a great deal, he’s only played one full season with a competent quarterback, last year with Deshaun Watson. He has the best hands in the NFL (sorry OBJ), and has no problem jumping with anyone for a contested pass. The completeness of his game is what sells it for me, but I wouldn’t be mad with anyone answering with Odell Beckham Jr, Julio Jones, Antonio Brown, or Michael Thomas.
The NFL has been quick to implement new rules to the game. Will they be as quick to assess these rules as implemented and modify or retract if such rules are found to not add value to the game? -Curtis S.
I think we’re going to find that out pretty quickly this season. The new pass interference rule seems like it was thrown together way too abruptly for me. A massive change to replay isn’t just something you can piece together in a few days and implement right away. Pass interference is really subjective, as we all know. Ten people can look at a play and you’ll get 10 different interpretations of it. The NFL has now opened up the ability for subjective calls to be reviewed, so if one of these calls is sent to replay there’s no guarantee that the call is going to come back right. It’s not like challenging to see if the ball carrier went down at the 21 or the 22 yard line. One reviewer could see the penalty, and another could say that there isn’t enough there to throw a flag. If this process results in a few suspect decisions, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the NFL roll it back at season’s end.
