BOB RANKS THE 12 NFL PLAYOFF QUARTERBACKS...WHERE IS TYROD TAYLOR?
Here are my rankings – worst to first -- of the 12 starting quarterbacks in this NFL post-season tournament.
Performance this season is the major criterion. Lesser emphasis on past accomplishments.
12th – Nick Foles (Philadelphia). Before Carson Wentz’s season-ending knee injury, he was my league MVP frontrunner and the Eagles were my favorite to win Super Bowl LII. Foles had one good game against the Giants and was mostly terrible the rest of December. Often off target and not much mobility. Nate Sudfeld’s numbers looked good (19-of-23 for 134 yards) as a relief pitcher in Week 17’s 6-0 loss to Dallas but that likely was a fluke.
11th – Marcus Mariota (Tennessee). He played hurt and regressed in his third NFL season. He had 45 TD passes/19 INTs (+26) in 2015-2016 but was 13 TD passes/15 INTs (-2) this season. Passer rating dropped to a modest 79.3. Mobility is a plus (60-for-312; 5.2-yard average; 5 TDs).
10th – Blake Bortles (Jacksonville). Played relatively well in the middle of season but not so hot at the start and down the stretch. Streaky and inconsistent. Not regarded highly as a clutch performer. 21 TD passes/13 INTs (+8); 84.7 passer rating. Effective runner: 57-for-322; 5.6 average.
9th – Tyrod Taylor (Buffalo). How often has a starting QB entered the playoffs as a lame duck? Top assets are protecting the football and making plays with his legs. Throws a nice deep ball but lacks the speedy wide receivers to click with any regularity. Erratic intermediate passer and holds onto the ball for too long. 14 TD passes/only 4 INTs (+10); 89.2 passer rating. 84 carries for 427 yards (5.1-yard average) and 4 TDs.
8th – Cam Newton (Carolina). Appears to be slipping. 22 TD passes/16 INT (+6) and 80.7 passer rating. Sacked 35 times. Has had shoulder problems but still has velocity. Accuracy not so hot (.591 completion percentage). Still a 6-foot-5, 250-pound battering ram (139 carries for 754 yards; 5.4-yard average and 6 TDs. May better rating.
7th – Jared Goff (Los Angeles Rams). Impressive improvement in his second NFL season. 28 TD passes/only 7 INTs (+21); 3804 yards passing and a 100.5 passer rating (fifth-best in the league). Has lots of weapons and knows how to use them. Not much of a scrambler.
6th – Case Keenum (Minnesota). Defense is the major asset for the Vikings but Keenum was a huge surprise this season (12-3 record) after Sam Bradford went down. 22 TD passes/only 7 INTs (+15). Completion percentage .676 for 3,547 yards. 98.3 passer rating (seventh-best).
5th – Matt Ryan (Atlanta). The 2016 NFL MVP wasn’t as sharp this season but he wasn’t bad, either: 4.095 yards passing; completion percentage .647; 20 TD passes/12 INTs (+8); 91.4 passer rating. Fair scrambler when needed.
4th – Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh). Not quite what he used to be at age 35 but he’s still tough-as-nails and a winner. 28 TD passes/14 INTs (+14).; .642 completion percentage; 4,251 yards passing; 93.4 passer rating. Sturdy as a statue but moves like one, too.
3rd – Alex Smith (Kansas City). Played extremely well early (5-0), struggled during the team’s 1-6 slump and returned to top form down the stretch (4-0). He has to play well because the Chiefs have regressed on defense. NFL-best 104.7 passer rating; 26 TD passes/only 5 INTs (+21); .675 completion percentage; 4,042 yards passing. Still mobile at age 33: 60 carries for 355 yards; 5.9-yard average).
2nd – Drew Brees (New Orleans). Hasn’t lost his passing touch at age 38. Set an NFL record with .720 completion percentage. 23 TD passes/8 INTs (+15). Second-best 103.9 passer rating. Volume passing numbers slightly down because he is complemented by a dynamite 1-2 RB punch (Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara). No mobility but has a quick release.
1st – Tom Brady (New England). He didn’t look like Supertom down the stretch and there are some injury concerns (sore Achilles and left shoulder). But there is nothing wrong with his throwing arm: NFL-most 4,577 yards passing; 32 TD passes/only 8 INTs (+24); third-best 102.8 passer rating. Fading a bit but remains a peerless leader and winner. I don’t think he’ll be a starting QB in the NFL at age 45. But he’s good enough to earn a sixth Super Bowl ring.
THE ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL 32
Here are the odds to won Super Bowl LII (52), courtesy of BetOnline.ag:
New England 2-to-1
Minnesota 9-to-2
Pittsburgh 6-to-1
Los Angeles Rams/New Orleans/Philadelphia each 10-to-1
Kansas City 16-to-1
Atlanta/Jacksonville each 20-to-1
Carolina 25-to-1
Buffalo/Tennessee each 100-to-1.
Bob’s most-tempting at the odds: Minnesota (9-to-2)...New Orleans (10-to-1)...Atlanta (20-to-1)
Bob’s least-tempting at the odds: New England 2-to-1 (don’t know if Brady’s magic can make up for a rather ordinary defense)...Philadelphia 10-to-1 (not likely to win three games with Nick Foles)...Buffalo 100-to-1 (the undermanned Bills are a nice story but I wouldn’t take them at 500-to-1).
NFL WILD-CARD WEEKEND “BEST BET”: JAGUARS OVER THE UNDERMANNED BILLS
The Buffalo Bills are a warm-and-fuzzy story. They’re in the playoffs for the first time in 18 years. Most of the country’s sports fans will be rooting for them on Sunday at Jacksonville.
Do the Bills have a chance? Sure. But they have a high hill to climb. More like a mountain.
How many teams have entered the playoffs with a lame-duck quarterback? The possible heavy-duty emergency running back didn’t join the practice squad until November 6. The starting left tackle is a rookie. The best wide receiver has a sore knee. The front seven has had big problems stopping the run and Jacksonville has a terrific rookie running back in Leonard Fournette.
I believe Buffalo’s best hope is an awful game by Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles. He might cough up the turnovers the Bills thrived on early in the regular season.
I’ll be rooting for the Bills. It has been an interesting season – with more ups than downs. It would be great fun to take another shot at knocking off the mighty Patriots.
But I make this “Best Bet” pick with my brain and not my heart: JACKSONVILLE (-8 ½) 28, Buffalo 13.
Saturday’s games
(home team in CAPS)
KANSAS CITY (-8) 27, Tennessee 10 – The Chiefs are back in gear after their baffling 1-6 slump and the Titans had lost three straight before last week’s 15 -10 home win over less-than-enthusiastic Jacksonville. Kansas City quarterback Alex Smith is in top form and Tennessee’s Marcus Mariota battled injuries and regressed this season. Playoff experience and playing at Arrowhead Stadium and two more reasons to like the Chiefs.
LOS ANGELES RAMS (--6 ½) 24, Atlanta 20 – The Rams are legitimately good on offense and decent on defense. Playing at home is another plus. But the Falcons have much to prove after choking away Super Bowl LI and enough overall talent to hang tough all the way in this spot.
Sunday’s other game
NEW ORLEANS (-7) 30, Carolina 17 – The Saints won their last seven games at Mercedes-Benz Superdome this season and swept the Panthers 34-13 on the road and 31-21 at home. The Panthers always are dangerous and might have a slight edge on defense, but New Orleans has improved on defense and has an extremely potent attack with super-accurate QB Drew Brees and the 1-2 punch of Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara (the first NFL RB duo to both have 1,500-plus yards from scrimmage).
TWINS SIGN PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE BATTING CHAMPION FOR THE RED WINGS
The Minnesota Twins this week signed 2017 Pacific Coast League batting champion Nick Buss for the Red Wings.
The 31-year-old left-hand hitting outfielder batted .348 with the El Paso Chihuahuas in the hitter-friendly PCL. I wonder how much his batting average will drop in the pitcher-friendly International League. The PCL has better weather, lighter air and cozier ballparks.
I hope he fares better than Don Cardoza, smooth-swinging left-handed hitter led the PCL in 1977 with a .355 batting average for Albuquerque. He made the PCL-to-IL switch and hit .255 (exactly 100 points less) for the 1978 Red Wings.
I believe he retired from organized baseball after that season.
SYRACUSE SURE MISSED TYLER LYDON IN LOSS TO WAKE FOREST
The Syracuse Orange (12-3 overall; 1-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference) lost 73-67 Wednesday night to Wake Forest (8-6 overall) in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Guard Frank Howard had a strong game for SU (23 points including 5-of-7 from three-point range) but he was pretty much a one-man shows. The most alarming stat for the Orange was being outrebounded 38-29. Rebounding is SU’s strength.
The Orange sure could’ve used Tyler Lydon Wednesday night. The 6-foot-9 power forward opted for the 2017 NBA draft after his sophomore season. He was selected No. 24 overall by Denver and signed for a guaranteed $2.88 million for two seasons. He currently is playing for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the NBA G-League: 10 games, averaging 13.4 points and 9.0 rebounds per game.
SU hosts Notre Dame Saturday afternoon at the Carrier Dome. Irish star Bonzie Colson will be sidelined for at least two months (foot surgery) but Notre Dame crushed visiting North Carolina State 88-58 without him Wednesday night.
TOP COLLEGE QUARTERBACKS DISAPPOINTED IN THE BOWL GAMES
I’m pretty sure Buffalo Bills fans who watched the recent parade of college bowl games were paying particular attention to the handful of top prospects who were being touted as “franchise quarterbacks.”
I was disappointed, how about you?
Mason Rudolph (Oklahoma State) impressed me more than the more heralded Baker Mayfield (Oklahoma), Sam Darnold (USC), Josh Rosen (UCLA) and Josh Allen (Montana).
I’m wondering if 2016 Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson (Louisville) – who on Friday announced that he’ll enter the 2018 draft -- might turn out to be a better pick than any of the QBs listed above. He has the speed, moves and sheer athleticism to be an instant NFL star. I just don’t know if his position would be QB, RB, WR or DB. What do you think?
PLAYOFF BERTH MEANS NO “HARD KNOCKS” FOR THE BILLS
By making the NFL playoffs, the Buffalo Bills no longer could be forced to be the NFL team featured in the popular training camp 2018 HBO reality show Hard Knocks.
Teams that have a right to refuse have a new head coach, have appeared in the series within the last 10 years or have been to the playoffs in the last two years (that finally includes Buffalo).
That leaves six teams that could be forced to host Hard Knocks next summer: Baltimore, Cleveland, Denver, Los Angeles Chargers, San Francisco and Washington.
SHORT SHOTS
Pro Football Focus posted the five highest-graded players for each NFL team this season. Four of the top five Buffalo Bills are in the secondary: 1-LCB Tre’Davious White...2-SS Micah Hyde...3-FS Jordon Poyer...4-RB LeSean McCoy...5-RCB E.J. Gaines.
Steve Donner and his family are moving to Greenville, South Carolina as owner of that city’s Swamp Rabbits ECHL hockey team. He had hoped to return to his native Rochester from Florida but things didn’t work out with the Rhinos or the Amerks. Greenville’s gain is Rochester’s loss. Pro sports in Rochester probably never be as successful in the standings or at the turnstiles as they were under Donner’s watch.
I don’t mean to pile on the struggling Buffalo Sabres, but they don’t fare well working overtime. They’re 2-9 in overtime this season (0-1 in shootouts and 2-8 in OT).
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...
Friday, January 5
Malachi Richardson (22)...Tyler Ulis (22)...Zemgus Girgensons (24)...C.J. Cron (28)...former Red Wing OF Danny Ortiz (28)...Norichika Aoli (36)...Jose Inglesias (26)...Warrick Dunn (43)...Ryan Minor (44)...Joe Juneau (50)...Tim Kerr (58)...Joe Cribbs (60)...Alex English (64)...Rick Mount (70)...Charlie Hough (70)...Mercury Morris (71)...Sam Wyche (73)...Tommie Smith (74)...Jim Otto (80). Bradley Cooper (43), Diane Keaton (72), Charlie Rose (76) and Robert Duvall (87) are invited to the birthday party.
Saturday, January 6
Jameis Winston (24)...Kevin Gausman (27)...Sean Kilpatrick (28)...Ndamukong Suh (31)...A.J. Hawk (34)...former Red Wings relief pitcher Anthony Slama (34)...Gilbert Arenas (36)...Asante Samuel (37)...Richard Zednik (42)...James Farrior (43)...Gabrielle Reece (48)...Amerks Hall of Famer Scott Metcalfe (51)...Charles Haley (54)...Keith Crowder (59)...Sean Landeta (56)...Howie Long (58)...Paul Azinger (58)...Kapil Dev (59)...Nancy Lopez (61)...Don Gullett (67)...Harold Jackson (72). Eric Trump (34) and Eddie Redmayne (36) are invited to the birthday party. Dwayne “Pearl” Washington was born on this date 54 years ago (1964) and died in 2016 at age 52.
Sunday, January 7
Lamar Jackson (21)...Jordan Bell (23)...Jhoulys Chacin (30)...Lewis Hamilton (33)...Jon Lesater (34)...Edwin Encarnacion (35)...Natalie Gulbis (35)...Francisco Rodriguez (36)...Alfonso Soriano (42)...Eric Gagne (42)...Bobby Engram (45)...Todd Day (48)...Randy Burridge (52)...Ron Rivera (56)...Jeff Montgomery (56)...Terry Miller (62)...Mike Luit (62)...Ross Grimsley (68). Nicolas Cage (54) is invited to the birthday party.