Before we kick off Week 10 of the NFL season, we take one final look back at the events, ramifications and news that spawned from our Week Nine of action. As always, there’s plenty to sift through.
WE MIGHT GET RID OF ROGER GOODELL
A few weeks ago the NFL let slip that commissioner Roger Goodell was up for a contract extension that would pay him way more money than he deserved. Actually, that’s not a fair way to look at it. Any job would pay Goodell more than he deserved. He could be working the hose at a septic tank cleaner business and still be under-qualified and overpaid for the job. He sucks.
Now, saying Goodell is bad at his chosen profession is nothing new and is certainly an opinion that many people share with me. The good news is, enough NFL owners, and powerful owners at that, agree with my (and your) assessment of Goodell’s ineptitude and have put a quick stop to this contract extension bullshit.
Roger Goodell is "furious" at being offered $20M a year to do his dream job. As if there are dozens of other businesses just waiting to pay Roger Goodell $20M a year if he leaves the NFL https://t.co/ndgayqV55J
— Michael David Smith (@MichaelDavSmith) November 8, 2017
Goodell’s current contract will enable him to ruin the NFL through the 2018 season. Just this week Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has made it clear that he will sue the NFL if that Goodell gets to keep his job past next year.
Currently the league rules say that if 2/3 of the owners approve of the deal, Goodell gets to stay commissioner. First, Jones doesn’t like that rule and thinks it should be at least 3/4. Second, he doesn’t like Goodell and thinks he’s been a negative force in the NFL, both in player discipline and public perception. He could also say that Goodell is a coward and totally corrupt, but nobody asked me.
According to an ESPN report, Jones has about five other owners with him against Goodell. Who are they? Robert Kraft is probably a smart guess for one of them. There are also about six more “fence-sitters” as ESPN calls them, that could be swayed Jones’ way. Considering that Jones and Kraft control the two most valuable franchises in the NFL, their opinions could certainly sway things.
Trying to figure out who to root for between Jerry Jones and Roger Goodell pic.twitter.com/ynIe0vfhmM
— Chris Cwik (the real one) (@Chris_Cwik) November 8, 2017
What’s working in Goodell’s favor? One fact and it’s a big one, the owners think he did a good job for them during the last collective bargaining agreement with the NFLPA. The current deal is up in 2021 and there’s an idea that Goodell could pull another fast one over the players. I don’t see that happening. They all know now how thoroughly they got screwed last time. Players openly complain about it all the time.
Goodell (and I hope you are sitting down) has earned more than $200 million in his time as NFL commissioner, a job in which he has been terrible.
Who would replace Goodell? Apparently Jones has someone already picked out, but that’s pissed off some of the owners too. I do know that former United States Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice has openly campaigned for the job in the past. She currently sits on the NCAA College Football Playoff committee and there’s been a groundswell pushing for her to get the job for years.
THERE ARE STILL TWO WINLESS TEAMS
We’re about to hit Week 10 and there’s still no win in sight for the Cleveland Browns (0-8). The Browns travel to the Detroit Lions this week as two touchdown underdogs before hosting the Jacksonville Jaguars on Nov. 19.
They’ve blown their best chances at a dub already this season, falling 12-9 to the Tennessee Titans, 17-14 to the New York Jets and 31-28 to the Indianapolis Colts. From what I can see, there are four more chances, but maybe just one realistic shot at not going 0-16.
I never thought I’d see a team go 0-16 in the first place until the Detroit Lions did it in 2008. Finishing completely defeated is as difficult as going undefeated. Every team picks from the same pool of players, there’s a salary cap to keep the richer teams from just loading up on stars and there’s a salary minimum that forces a team like Cleveland to field an NFL roster of players.
Honestly shocked the list of @Browns starting QBs since 1999 fit in 280 characters:
Couch
Detmer
Wynn
Pederson
Holcomb
McCown
Garcia
Dilfer
Frye
Dorsey
Gradakowski
Anderson
Quinn
Delhomme
Wallace
McCoy
Lewis
Weeden
Campbell
Hoyer
Manziel
Shaw
McCown
Davis
RG3
Kessler
Kizer
Hogan— Austin Hunt (@AustinHunt) November 8, 2017
So what are the winnable games? After the Lions and the Jaguars, the Browns head to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals. Depending on how many white flags on the season Cincy is throwing up at that point, Cleveland could have a shot. Last year it was the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers that saved the Browns from being winless and they could do so again on Dec. 3.
The Browns host the Aaron Rodgers-less Green Bay Packers on Dec. 10. On Christmas Eve, they play at the Chicago Bears in what should be their last chance at a victory.
The San Francisco 49ers (0-9) are our first official losing team of the 2017-18 season. They too saw multiple chances slip through their buttery fingers this season, with five consecutive losses by three points or less. They’ve since ended that streak with three straight double digit losses. So they’ve got that going for them.
Kyle Shanahan said he expects C.J. Beathard to start on Sunday vs. NY Giants. Jimmy Garoppolo, again, will be the only other QB in uniform for #49ers. But Shanahan said he reserves the right to change his mind.
— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) November 8, 2017
Now, before you think Jimmy Garoppolo is stepping in this week against the pathetic New York Giants and getting that job done, you need to know that head coach Kyle Shanahan is sticking with rookie C.J. Beathard. Garoppolo is still holding the Surface tablet for at least one more week, maybe two. He’ll likely not make his debut under center until December.
Still, this Giants game is winnable. After that, they too face off against the Bears in the final stretch on Dec. 3, then the Tom Savage Houston Texans on Dec. 10 and the Mike Mularkey coached Titans on Dec. 17. There are opportunities there.
COACH INEPTITUDE RANKINGS
Finally, I’ll wrap this up with another Top 5 list of NFL head coaches who should be out of a job at the end of the season, if not before. None of these should be a shock.
1. Ben McAdoo, New York Giants
He’s lost the team and a shitload of games.
2. Dirk Koetter, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The “contender” turned into a pretender as soon as the games started to count.
3. Chuck Pagano, Indianapolis Colts
They’ve shut down Andrew Luck. Now they need to shut Pagano out of the team facility.
4. Hue Jackson, Cleveland Browns
There has to be a completely new regime coming in next year, right? Right?
5. Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati Bengals
Of all the guys on this list, I have the most confidence that Lewis makes it through the season since his contract will expire anyway.
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