Week 8 Recap and Mid-Week Storylines

Week 8 Recap and Mid-Week Storylines

   Week 8 turned out to be a strong week for my predictions as I went 9-3 and could have been even better had the Cowboys not faltered down the stretch in the Detroit game. Also once again, my upset pick was dead on making me 3-0 on my “upset pick of the week” Interesting weekend so lets jump into it!

Mid-week Storylines

Dez Bryant

     Probably the most talked about story coming out of week 8, which is a real shame. Just out of that game we could be talking about questionable offensive play calling. Or Dez’s spectacular touchdown grab. Or how about the show Calvin Johnson put on? But we are talking about Dez’s tantrum, which thanks to technology caught what he said and proved he was just being competitive in a little more animated way.

     And for those people saying that there is unfair treatment in the NFL because of how Dez Bryant was talked about with his “tantrum” versus Tom Brady. Lets not forget some important things: First of all, Tom Brady is a 3 time Super Bowl Champion, 2 time league MVP and much more decorated while Dez is young in his career. Secondly, Dez has a bit of a history (which I think is unfair) but he does. Third, Tom Brady went on his tantrum for about 10 seconds and was then done. Dez went on for a little longer. Fourth, the timing was way different. Brady was in the first half of a game while Dez was towards the very end of the game. No matter how frustrated Brady ever gets, he is always calm in pressure situations.

     That being said, I believe all of the criticism towards Bryant is very uncalled for and unnecessary. But if you are going to make those calls and comparisons, at least get your facts straight. Some may disagree but qualified people like Michael Irvin and Deion Sanders agree so I think there is a point. At the end of the day, Dez’s teammates have his back and that is all that really matters.

Injury roundup:

     ACL tears are on an astronomical rate this year. Sidney Rice is the latest to catch the flu bug, as he is not lost for the season. That brings the ACL tear count in the NFL to 39. THIRTY NINE torn ACL’s. That is preposterous. Names that suffered this injury include stars like Reggie Wayne, Sidney Rice, Maurkice Pouncey, Sam Bradford, Melvin Ingram, Dustin Keller, and many more. In some cases, as with Keller, the low hit and ACL tear can be directed to the league’s attempt to minimize head injuries. As Bradon Meriweather said, it is basically telling you to go “tear ACL’s” which is what is happening. So now players have to decide: Do they want full years wiped out or just a few weeks with maybe long term consequences? Tough decision but one thing is for sure. Softening up the game of football anymore, will make it much less appealing to watch.

Sebastian Vollmer is done for the year as the New England Patriots right tackle suffered a broken leg

Michael Vick may have just lost his starting job for good as he came back from a hamstring injury that shelved him a few weeks and was out again after just over a quarter. Not a good sign for the fragile Vick, who’s dependability issues are overshadowing his ability.

Another injury to monitor: Tom Brady may not just be struggling with his horrific makeshift receiving corp. His right throwing hand looked very badly swollen and although Brady would never make excuses about it, it is clearly an issue. He has been keeping it hidden as much as possible and is also listed on the practice report with a right shoulder injury.

World Series

     Boston Red Sox are looking like they will win and close the World Series tonight at Fenway as they are currently up 6-1 in the top of the 9^th. If so, then my prediction of a 6 game Red Sox victory would come true

 Quarterback Central

Week 8:

5- Cam Newton

4- Colin Kaepernick

3- Andy Dalton

2- Peyton Manning

1- Aaron Rodgers

Season:

5- Cam Newton and Tony Romo

4- Andrew Luck

3- Aaron Rodgers

2- Drew Brees
1- Peyton Manning