It’s Tuesday afternoon and that’s as good a time to sit back, reflect, maybe sneak a beer at lunch to push you through the whistle and figure out what we learned from Week Four of the NFL Season.
The Rams are not to be trusted
Yes, the Los Angeles Rams are 3-1 and even I, a Jeff Fisher cynic, am tempted to jump on this bandwagon, tear my shirt off and scream Leeeeroooyy! as we all tumble off a cliff and explode. But I’m not going to yet. My shirt remains on. Sorry ladies.
Fisher has proven three things over his tenure with the Rams and they all remain true this season. 1: He can get his team to play up with the best teams in the NFC West. 2: He can beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 3: His teams always lose to teams (besides the Bucs) they should beat. That’s why these next two games on the Rams’ schedule are so important. Los Angeles hosts the Buffalo Bills (2-2) at the Coliseum Sunday.
Nothing better than #VictoryWaffles with @RyanSeacrest
Catch the full interview here 📻: https://t.co/XAs9iVQw66 pic.twitter.com/jxKvSdBYof
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) October 4, 2016
This is a Bills team that will have to travel over 2,500 miles to face a Rams roster that is superior at nearly every position except probably cornerback and that’s a push. This should be an easy Rams win, but nobody trusts them. The sportsbooks have this a Rams -2.5. Based on the records and game stats alone, it should be Rams -6, but nobody, and I mean nobody, trusts Jeff Fisher.
The next week the Rams play at Detroit, another team they should be able to overmatch across the field. If the Rams beat the Bills Sunday, that will probably be a Rams -3 line. If they lose, it’ll be EVEN or a Lions -1. That’s how tenuous this all is.
If Fisher really wants to end the “7-and-9 bullshit,” these next two weeks are key. Then the rest of us can buy in too.
Josh Gordon’s time in Cleveland is over
What first was announced as a triumphant attempt at Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon reclaiming his life by entering rehab, turnout to be another Cleveland turd-tastrophy. As it happened, Gordon didn’t shine a revealing light into his own heart and find a longing for redemption there, but instead had a “slip up” involving alcohol. A violation of his current NFL probation deal and something that would probably cost him the rest of the season anyway.
NFL has refused to comment on Josh Gordon's status. Was set to come off suspension today. But remains on reserve/suspended list
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) October 3, 2016
Gordon entered rehab as a way to kind of control his own destiny and it may work. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has pretty much Qadaffi-like dictatorial powers right now and he can at least publicly pretend the goal of the NFL’s drug policy is keeping players healthy and alive. Rehab would seem to be a better option than just cutting a player loose. It’s not exactly worked out well for former Jacksonville Jaguars wideout Justin Blackmon, who just got busted on a DUI again back in December.
A healthy and unsuspended Gordon should have plenty of options outside of Cleveland. The Browns have made it clear they are going to “move on” and they should. They also made it clear they’re run by morons because they should have “moved on” back in the offseason when they could have gotten something of value from Gordon in a trade. It was never going to work out in Cleveland. Everyone knew that but the Browns.
Just to prove my point, the Browns tried to trade Gordon a couple of weeks before he announced his intention of going to rehab. They were asking for a first or a second-round pick. See? Complete dumbasses.
The Vikings look like the best team in the NFC
And, frankly, it’s not even close. Minnesota consistently fields the most complete team in the conference and there’s an argument to be made the Vikings are the best team in the league in the first quarter of the NFL season. I’ll be breaking down the first month and giving my grades this week, but needless to say, the Vikings’ mom and dad will be taking them out for ice cream.
Coach Zimmer was proud of his #squad last night. pic.twitter.com/Fw7jGAgzYi
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) October 4, 2016
This 4-0 Vikings record is no smoke and there’s not a mirror in site. They’ve only played one cupcake, the Tennessee Titans, and they did that with their backup quarterback under center. Since Sam Bradford took over they’ve beaten the Green Bay Packers, the Carolina Panthers on the road and the New York Giants. All potential playoff teams and one of them a defending conference champion. If the Vikings aren’t the best team in the NFC, who is?
