2023 Football Thoughts
A brain dump of my thoughts as the season starts.
Because of my golf trip and writing about it and such, I haven’t really had a chance to think much of the NFL at all. So here’s a data dump of what I am and have been thinking of.
The Trey Lance trade was something I dismissed as having a chance at happening as recently as about a month before it actually did. It’s a bummer because I really was curious to see what Lance could become under Shanahan. He didn’t make nearly enough out of his limited opportunities, but the team also stumbled into a perfect Shanny QB in Brock Purdy. Who costs even less. So I get it, but I have to think and hope that the only reason we were willing to trade him to the Cowboys is because 49ers brass doesn’t really think Lance is going to turn into anything. Which is also sad.
I couldn’t watch the 49ers game against Pittsburgh but from the highlights I’ve seen and friends discussing it, the team looked fairly competent across the board with a tight and lethal offense and a smothering defense. I think Brandon Aiyuk is going to break out this year and wish I’d taken the time to put that out here before he scored twice in Game 1.
I’m writing this particular item during the Cowboys-Giants game, where it’s currently 40-0, Cowboys. It’s a truly bad game, and the Giants look completely outmatched even in their home stadium. It’s also pouring rain. (Props to the many Giants fans sticking it out through that while losing by 40.) This matchup happens almost every Week One as the evening game, and it almost always stinks. It gets great ratings but … maybe almost anything on Week 1 Sunday night would, too. Maybe have the repellent Cowboys play someone capable, I don’t know. But this isn’t a fun tradition, we can break it.
Speaking of objectionable offenses, take a look at the Houston Texans list of skill position players. At running back, they have Dameon Pierce being backed up by former Bill Devin Singletary. That’s not awful. Which is GOOD, because that’s as good as we’re getting here. The wide receiver core is LED by Nico Collins, followed by Robert Woods and Noah Brown. (They also have second year John Metchie and rookie Tank Dell.) At tight end, they have another Cowboys retread, Dalton Schultz. This is legitimately the worst offense in the league - even the hapless Cardinals have James Conner, Marquise Brown and even Zach Ertz who may not be his former self, but probably is still better than Schultz. Yikes, Houston. And prayers up for C.J. Stroud, who truly doesn’t have a lot to work with.
This is the Texans top wide receiver. His name is Nico Collins. The Cardinals have the Texans first round draft pick this year, which means they could very possibly have the first and second pick in the draft. There’s rumors that Caleb Williams might go back to school if he doesn’t like the team most likely to take him, which seems like a message to the Cardinals who are the only team that seems to be openly tanking, presumably for Caleb. (I think that would be very dumb, though if the Cardinals are giving up on Kyler Murray, that’s a trend of high prospect QBs not working out there, so maybe there’s something there…)
This. Just … this.
