Week 9 Recap and Mid-Week Storylines

     Week 9 was another pretty good week on my predictions, going 8-4 and once again dead on with my upset pick of the Redskins over the Chargers, making me 4-0 in upset predictions. Some very surprising results in the week with the Jets upending the Saints, Foles going berserk on the Raiders with 7 touchdowns, and Rodgers leaving Green Bay with a minor collarbone break. Time to jump in to the storylines of the week:

Richie Incognito:

     A storyline that is dominating the league more than anything is the incident regarding Incognito and teammate Jonathan Martin. Many different things have leaked out but not a lot is known for sure. The things that are out there is that Richie Incognito has been harassing Martin since the offseason because the coaching staff had told Incognito to light a fire under Martin after he had missed voluntary OTA’s. The perception is that Incognito, a leader on the Dolphins, took it too far as evident by voicemails and text messages. It is surprising he was a leader on the team considering his checkered past. I believe the use of derogatory language is definitely out of line on Incognito’s part but Martin should also be held accountable. This is not middle school football, rookie or not, Martin is a grown man and should stand up for himself. Instead he left the team, and a lot of money, and went and not only went home but checked into a hospital!! Talk about not having think skin… This also exposes a lack of leadership within the Dolphins organization for not being able to handle it internally. In a situation like this, fingers point in all direction, including Jonathan Martin.

Medical Condition of Coaches:

     Two coaches in the past week have landed in the hospital, Broncos head coach John Fox and Texans head coach Gary Kubiak. Fox’s condition came during the Broncos bye week so they had time to prepare for life with Defensive Coordinator Jack Del Rio as the interim head coach. The Texans switched to their defensive coordinator Wade Phillips as their interim head coach at half time after Kubiak suffered a mini-stroke while jogging into the locker room at half time of the Texans demoralizing loss to the Indianapolis Colts. This brought to question the stress head coaches in the NFL go through and when Lions head coach Jim Schwartz was asked of it he said "Coaches don't work 100 hours a week because they're doing it because that's healthy. They do it because the job requires it. It just is what it is." Coaching in the NFL is a privilege but it can take a toll.  Prayers go out to both Fox and Kubiak. Hopefully they are able to return to the sidelines soon.

Injuries:

     Aaron Rodgers: The most significant injury out of Week 9 was that of Aaron Rodgers who seemingly has a minor break in his collarbone and Rodgers himself called it “significant” which is not a good sign. NFL media insider Ian Rapoport has said the timetable for his return is 4-6 weeks, which may be a little too late for a playoff push but Packer fans hope that Rodgers’ reputation as a quick heeler comes to light.

     New England Patriots: We can seemingly have a chapter every week on the Patriots’ injuries as they are arguably the most banged up team in the NFL. Sunday in a win over the Steelers they lost starting safety Steve Gregory for a few weeks to a broken thumb. Also in that game Austin Collie injured his knee, which then prompted his release from the team. Defensive End Rob Ninkovich and Cornerback Alfonzo Dennard both did not finish the game and their status is unknown. Patriots players are currently off for their bye week.

     Around the League: Dez Bryant (back), Miles Austin, Jason Hatcher, and JJ Wilcox all did not practice for the Dallas Cowboys. The severities are unknown. EJ Manuel seems to be inching closer to his return at the helm of the Buffalo Bills as he took first team snaps.

 Quarterback Central

Week 9:

5- Drew Brees

4- Ben Roethlisberger 

3- Case Keenum

2- Tom Brady

1- Nick Foles

Season:

5- Tom Brady

4- Cam Newton

3- Andrew Luck

2- Drew Brees
1- Peyton Manning