Passing The Baton Season 2: 2021 Season Through 16 Weeks
Hi. It’s been a minute. My b. BUT it’s given us so much to catch up on so we’re good, right? Essentially Mahomes is back, Kyler is looking at making his playoff debut if only the Cards can keep the fire lit, Russ may be dipsetting from Seattle and a bunch of other stuff. You can read that below but let’s chat about the folks we removed from the Big Board.
- Trey Lance - Not sure what SF is gonna do. I’m not sure if Trey just isn’t ready or they’re really conflicted about moving on from Jimmy but the time to make a decision is going to come soon.
- Geno and Tyrod - Backups. And we love that Black QBs get to be backups and not have to be Superman, more on that in a sec
- Jacoby - Essentially the same thing as Geno and Tyrod but I still unrealistically think Jacoby can get another shot. I know I’m wrong, just let me rock.
- Cam - SIGH. It’s time. I know it hurts to say but it’s time. I’ve said it on PTB before but Cam needs his flowers to the sacrifice he made in making the bozo ass Panthers relevant and I will gladly spend that effort as a writer to put that in the universe. But for now? It’s time to geaux
11-4 as a starter
Statline: 383-579 passing for 4310 yards | 33 TD 13 INT
Patty and the Chiefs have turned it up since our last installment of PTB. Through 7 games the Chiefs were 3-4 and all seemed lost, their defense was non-existent and Mahomes sported a 2:1 TD-INT ratio. During this 7 game win streak, that ratio is 3:1. In an AFC that looks a bit shaky as some of the contenders have fallen off, this may be the perfect time for Kansas City to return to form as they hope to avenge their Super Bowl loss.
4-8 as a starter
Statline: 207-314 passing for 2483 yards | 18TD 4 INT
Russ missed a stretch after Week 5 but this Seahawks team is COOKED! I’m not sure if Russ and Seattle are truly headed for a divorce but it’s hard to see a quick rebuild in the immediate works for this Pacific Northwest ball club.
In an era where many of our QB greats have ended their careers elsewhere from where they established their legacy, it wouldn’t be a shock if this was Wilson’s last hurrah in blue and green. I saw something earlier asking if New Orleans would be a good destination, and that wouldn’t be a bad look giving an offensive mastermind in Sean Payton, a gem like Russ. Stay tuned on that note though, if Russ goes he’d surely be a hot commodity.
8-6 as a starter
Statline: 242-378 passing for 2865 yards | 16 TD 13 INT | 2 Rushing TD
To be honest, I don’t know what the exact issue is here. I don’t know if Baltimore simply isn’t as good as advertised OR if in sculpting this offense in the way that they have with Lamar as the focus this has handcuffed the Ravens versatility.
I’m not sure if Tyler Huntley is actually this diamond in the rough or not but something told me that we’d see a more dynamic offense with him at the helm because they’re not playing by “Lamar rules”. Sure enough, he balled out. The Ravens are in the midst of duking it out for the AFC North crown with basically everyone in the division essentially, so we’ll see in the next two weeks how it all unfolds.
8-4 as a starter
Statline: 279-404 passing for 3284 yards | 21 TD 10 INT | 5 Rushing TD
After just missing out on the playoffs last season, the Desert Birds were red hot - I’m sorry it was right there LOL - to start 2021-22. The Cardinals were the NFL’s last undefeated team through seven weeks before losing to Green Bay.
Despite a Kyler injury that saw him miss three games, the team still pulled out two W’s. But upon his return, back-to-back losses to the Rams - understandable - and lowly Lions - not as understandable - makes one wonder if a late season collapse is in the works.
I mean they’re a lock for the playoffs but this is not the time to not be playing the best brand of footbaw. This Christmas night matchup against Indianapolis is a great test of playoff caliber football so we’ll see if they’re truly ready for primetime marquee matches when it really matters, or not.
10-4 as a starter
Statline: 365-531 passing for 3928 yards | 29 TD 10 INT
As many diagnosed with a healthy Dak in tow, the Cowboys would rise to the top of a struggling NFC East division. This has happened, and Dallas looked dangerous for a good chunk of the season. Three losses since Week 9 has invited valid questions about Dallas’ consistency, particularly on offense.
Getting too feast on Washington and the Giants the past two weeks has seen the Cowboys come back to form which they’ll need to maintain if the public are to be believers of “America’s Team” in what should be a difficult NFC playoff environment. Nevertheless, after a 2020 without Dak this has been cool to see for anyone rooting for Dak personally.
7-7 as a starter
Statline: 273-404 passing for 2954 yards | 18 TD 7 INT
There’s not much to say about Teddy. This is who he is. The record, the statline, all of it. He’s good enough to win games, they should win and be competitive in games against superior opponents a.k.a. an NFL caliber QB.
Given who their coach is, and how uninspiring the next crop QBs in the 2022 Draft look at the present this may be what it is for Denver. But if nothing else, Teddy has earned himself a job on someone’s roster as a stopgap starter or very competent and capable backup.
7-7 as a starter
Statline: 248-406 passing for 2930 yards | 16 TD 9 INT | 10 Rushing TD
There were questions earlier in the season as to if Jalen Hurts was the guy. And the answer seems to be similar to the conundrum the Broncos have, which is “Do you have any other viable options?” Unless Sirianni really is enamored by someone in the upcoming draft, it seems the Eagles are better off just running it back.
Jalen hasn’t looked like the problem and the team itself is quite youthful offensively as evidenced by their mid-season trading of Zach Ertz to Arizona. The older I’ve gotten with football, the more I see the rebuild process as being about what’s going on in one’s division.
What I mean is the Giants are a dumpster fire and will continue to be as long as Gettlemoney has the reigns, the Washington Football Team isn’t making any real steps forward without a true QB we believe in, and Dallas’ window is now.
I know Philly fans are super passionate and all but let Dallas do their thing and figure out what on the roster is worth building and moving forward with and trim fat where it’s needed.
5-2 as a starter
Statline: 95-161 passing for 1170 yards | 14 TD 3 INT
Jameis’ season ended early - ironically against Tampa - but this season was a major win for him. And as a Bucs fan, although I hate the Saints, I’m really proud of and for him. Regardless of the opinion of the strategy, Sean Payton actively avoided putting too much on Jameis’ plate. One way of looking at that is to speak about how little faith the team has in him.
But another way to look at it is creating the QB the team wants to sculpt through loosing up the reigns as the QB passes tests and starts to get it. We’ve watched this happen with the Pats and Mac Jones. In the beginning of the season when they were 2-4, Mac Jones had 7 TDs to 6 INTs. Then the light bulb came on, the Pats won 7 - in a row - of their last 8 and he’s thrown 11 TDs to 4 INTs.
I say all of that to say I believe the same intention was had with Jameis. I think Payton looked at Jameis and said we need to treat you like Teddy Bridgewater, the QB who revived his career as Drew Brees’ backup after his injured tenure in Minnesota came to an end.
I wish the Saints would cut it the fuck out with this Taysom Hill nonsense but I think the plan for them is to shoot their shot at Russ and if not, run it back with Jameis while fortifying the skill positions.
3-9 as a starter
Statline: 159-270 passing for 1870 yards | 7 TD 10 INT
I tweeted that I wasn’t judging Fields until Matt Nagy was out of the picture. And I think this is sound, although there are some traits that seem to be on Justin himself. However, football success is all about fit and if Nagy isn’t the guy doing the exact type of QB whispering to help Fields’ development then it’s going to look like the mess it has looked like.
Chicago has a decent amount of offensive talent too with Montgomery and a few backup RBs along with Mooney, Allen Robinson, Grant, Kmet and whatever is left in the tank for Jimmy. As I’ve said before here, once the Bears give Nagy his walking papers they can set their sights on a new coach.
Whether they want to do the whole, let’s get a HC specifically for Justin that’s offensive minded or going to the other side of the ball alike the Chargers did and hoping that guy brings some great coordinators with him, they need to get this right if they want Justin to work out.
Through 16 weeks, remember we have two more weeks left not one, there are two official openings: Las Vegas and Jacksonville. There were rumors Matt Nagy would be fired around Thanksgiving but he’s still around holding a clipboard looking cute, for now.
For the sake of this post, we’ll consider Chicago to be open too. This is a great resource of hot shot coordinators that should get a look or at least an interview. Obviously we care the most about Bieniemy because he’s WILDLY OVERDUE but any of the Black candidates we’re very openly rooting for as well. Besides the coaches, here are some other jobs that might be posting on Indeed and Monster this winter:
- Seattle
- This is basically a WWE I Quit match - not sure if they still roll those out lol. But either Russ is left standing, Pete is left standing, or unlike the professional wrestling biz both are out. The Seahawks are run by the same peeps as my beloved Trail Blazers which means, who knows what they’re actually going to do because Jody Allen doesn’t do sportz. If EYE YAM Russ, I look elsewhere at least to see what teams are talking about. He has an out after this season, and it probably wouldn’t take a lot to get him. Depending on what the person/people in charge think, it might be easiest to just clean house across the board at HC and QB.
- Houston
- There’s no real tea behind this. It’s just a matter of if they really like Culley or not. Houston had no real shot at being competitive this year anyway so unless there’s this drop dead candidate, why make a change?
- Minnesota
- You know I blame Kirk lmfaooooo. But there’s a legit question as to what Zimmer has really brought to the table in his 8 years. They’ve made the playoffs three years, winning the division twice. YAY. But haven’t gotten past game number two, although game two was the NFC Championship in 2017. He’s under contract until 2024, so it’ll come down to if there’s some spice that hits the market that Zygi believes in.
- Carolina
- Things are messy in Charlotte with the bunglefuck of the QB position and the mid-season firing of hot shot OC Joe Brady but I’m not too sure this is set in stone unless Rhule has his eyes on going back to the hood. Sure, the move to sign Darnold in the first place was a lil dicey but if they get a young guy of their own the staff should ideally have the space to grow with him. But I know nothing of Tepper’s get down so for now the Panthers stay up here.
- Denver
- This depends on what the situation is with their ownership situation, how much pressure Elway feels, and good ol’ whether both sides agree on the direction the team should go. As I said above, it’s probably not going to to get much better than Bridgewater unless the Aaron Rodgers rumors have some legs to them at which if he wants a new coach, then you go get a new coach.
