I watched the first game and the second half of the second game without much volume. So the Steelers cut Switzer so a guy called Ray-Ray can return just kick offs? And hyped to the gills Diontae Johnson, a lesser player than Cody Thompson when they were at Toledo, returned 3 punts for 13 yards. One punt that was in the air for an hour he decided not to catch? And of course he muffed a punt next to the Giants goal line. Before the roster cut down an article specifically mentioned that the
trickier punts were the reason Ryan Switzer ( bring in the white guy moment) was going to remain on the team.
The Saquon Barkley mystery continues to deepen. On a pass play he showed his open field skills and had a nice highlight reel leap. But he is also a "look at me" player. It all started at Penn State where the hype was way over the top. When little known Troy Apke ran a faster 40 than Barkley at the combine the Penn State hype machine couldn't let that stand. Before the combine there were hints Barkley might run a 4.2 40. He did run a fast 40 (4.40 ) but after Apke's 4.34 and better all around athletic testing the Penn State HC went out of his way to explain to the public that Barkley is much faster than his time at the combine.
Barkley claims he wants to be known as the greatest RB ever. Therein lies the problem. He isn't interested in doing the dirty work like getting three crucial yards and a cloud of dust? That appears to be beneath him. Like some home run swinging baseball hitters who strike out a ton he is only interested in home runs. Then he can bask in the drooling media spotlight. More interested in making highlight reels than helping the team in smaller ways. A dancer. Give me a plug ahead guy any day of the week. Sure he flashes talent. But if he keeps having games like last night at some points frustrated fans will say no more. He loses more yards on plays than any other RB I can think of in the NFL. Is he more physically talented than most running backs? Yes. Me I prefer Rex Burkhead types. Not as flashy but puts his head down and gets the job done.
By the way another media hyped wonder TE with a swift 40 yard dash combine number is TE ( actually a big WR) is Evan Engram. Last night he dropped easy passes and from day one he could never block. The Steelers pass rush ran over him over as if he wasn't there. So what good is he? Another combine wonder who hasn't come near his hype.
I like Ryan Tannehill a heck of a lot. Like Alex Smith the media has dumped on him quite a bit. In some ways he is like Alex Smith. Like Alex who was still playing very well in his mid thirties , Ryan has kept in great shape and still has that bounce in his legs. At 32 it seems Tannehill has entered his prime and last night he was sharp once again with a 29-43 -249-2 stat line. Is this the breakout year for WR Adam Humphries? He didn't gain too much yardage (47) but did catch 6 passes and it seems to me the more the Titans throw the ball to him the better off they will be. I think he might catch 70-80 passes this year. Just stay healthy Adam.
I watched the second game with low volume. Was the three man booth tolerable?
