Mark Sanchez's Struggles
Mark Sanchez and Chip Kelly were always a match made in “that Mark Sanchez?” But so is Kelly’s brilliance that we were willing to give the experiment the old Nick Foles try. Because after all, if Kelly can make his uptempo, spread attack work with a statue like Foles at the controls, would Sanchez success really be that crazy?
A former No. 5 overall pick who is still only 28, Sanchez would get the opportunity to pilot an offense set up for success. In other words, not one where a disinterested Santonio Holmes is the No. 1 weapon and Tim Tebow is checking in once a quarter to run into the back of the offensive line.
The early returns were promising enough. Nine total touchdowns across his first five appearances, three 300-yard games, a 63.4 completion percentage and four Eagles victories. Sure, there were some problems — Sanchez’s eight turnovers, for starters — but his insertion under center went largely as smooth as even the biggest Kelly apologist could have hoped. Then the schedule stiffened, New York Mark started to rear its ugly head and Foles’ collarbone drew ever closer to full health.
Sanchez now has just 355 total yards over his past two starts, and two touchdowns compared to three turnovers. Sanchez completed 10 passes as the Eagles got roughed up at home by the Seahawks in Week 14, and couldn’t keep up with Tony Romo as the Eagles fell behind in the race for the NFC East on Sunday.
Sanchez was simply bad as the Eagles tried to put a bow on the division, tossing two terrible second-half interceptions while leaving the kind of space between the ball and his receivers that we grew used to seeing in New York. Now Eagles fans are no longer patiently googling “nick foles timetable,” but refreshing the Eagles’ official Twitter feed every five minutes. Sanchez has started the Foles countdown clock, and even with cupcake matchups in the Redskins and Giants on deck, there’s probably no way he can stave off zero.
Like Aaron Rodgers last season, Foles won't gain clearance until at least Week 17, but he’s proven himself to be the most malleable of Kelly’s misfit toys at quarterback, and the best man for the job should the Eagles need a win right now. That’s what they’ll need in both Weeks 16 and 17, and the Wild Card round should they win out and Dallas go 1-1. The fact that Sanchez had any success at all is a testament to Kelly’s genius. But all genius has its limits. It’s not surprising that not even Kelly could break through the Sanchez glass ceiling. Nick Foles is not a star, but he’s also not Mark Sanchez. That’s what the Eagles will tell themselves when he’s cleared and back under center.
Five Things That Went According To Plan In Week 15
Jeremy Hill’s production as the Bengals’ starter. The Bengals committed to their rookie back. He committed to running all over the Browns. Hill got the rock on Cincinnati’s first four plays. He turned the touches into 24 yards, and was off to the races for his third 150-yard day of the season. Patiently waiting for running lanes to open and making the right cuts once they did, Hill averaged 5.92 yards per carry, and is now sporting a 4.95 mark on the year. Hill has had three 24-carry games. His YPC in those contests? 5.97. Hill is a true workhorse back, one capable of hitting you in the mouth to start a game, and wearing you down to finish it. With Andy Dalton (again) going in the tank, Hill will be the engine that runs the Bengals’ offense for however long they can stay alive.
Jake Locker botching his latest chance under center. It took Locker all of 11 pass attempts to suffer his latest injury, this one to his shoulder. The ailment should end his season, and time with the Titans. You could argue that Locker has had bad luck — he’s dealt with shoulder, foot, hip and hand issues since being the No. 8 overall pick of the 2011 draft — but you could just as easily attribute his constant maladies to his style of play. A would-be dual threat who seems blissfully unaware of the outside world whether he’s in the pocket or not, Locker has long left himself susceptible to big hits, and they’ve laid him low time and again. A 57.5 percent career passer with a lifetime 32:28 TD:turnover ratio, Locker isn’t guaranteed to find a No. 2 job this offseason.
Odell Beckham reaving souls for the Giants. Beckham destroyed Jim Haslett’s “defense” for 12 catches, 143 yards and three touchdowns, bringing his season line to 71/972/9 … in 10 games. Beckham is averaging a weekly nine catches for 124 yards since replacing Victor Cruz in the starting lineup, and has cleared 90 yards 7-of-7 times. His 61 grabs are the most ever for a rookie in a seven-game span, while his 866 yards are the second most. His starting averages extrapolate to 139/1,979/14 for a full season. That yardage total would be the most all time. He will not be slowed by the Rams and Eagles the next two weeks.
Harry Douglas soaking up looks in the absence of Julio Jones (hip). A target magnet whenever one of his more-ballyhooed teammates sits, Douglas corralled 10-of-14 looks for 131 yards. Granted, the performance came against one of the league’s worst secondaries, but that’s what Douglas will get again in Week 16 with the Saints. Douglas will fall down to the ranks of the WR4s if Jones gives it a go, but will be a legit WR3 with WR2 upside if Julio misses a second-straight game.
Shonn Greene and Chris Johnson’s “revenge.” As in, neither of them got it. Greene rushed 16 times for 50 yards (3.12 YPC), with CJ2K managing 10/55 (5.50). Greene could be out of the league next season, while Johnson has proven he’s nothing more than a complimentary piece in a committee backfield. Even that is a bit of a stretch, as Johnson still seems to only run hard when he wants to. Who knows how much he’ll want to for a terrible Jets team in 2015, or if he’ll even be back at his $4 million price tag.
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Five Things That Didn’t Go According To Plan In Week 15
Johnny Manziel’s first NFL start. Like Brian Hoyer, Manziel received little help from his supporting cast. Like Brian Hoyer, that should not be the narrative of Manziel’s Sunday debacle. Johnny Football was simply dreadful, completing just 10 passes as the Browns amassed a pathetic 107 yards of total offense. Manziel was hurt by drops and penalties, but both of his interceptions were mind-numbing, while the rookie quarterback consistently missed high. Manziel will get a chance to rebound in Weeks 16 and 17, but an out-of-the-gate savior he is not.
LeSean McCoy’s touchdown regression. The Eagles tallied three rushing scores in their 38-27 loss to the Cowboys. Not one of them belonged to Shady, who could only watch in horror as Chris Polk notched two touchdowns, and Darren Sproles vultured the third. McCoy came close to finding the promised land in the third quarter, but didn’t seem terribly interested in going all out, getting forced out of bounds at the one-yard line. The end result was 16 uneventful carries for 64 yards, and legions of fantasy players who made McCoy a top-three pick ruing the day they did so.
LeGarrette Blount rewarding fantasy owners’ trust. All week, the joke went “just you watch — now that we trust Blount, he won’t do anything.” The prophecy wasn’t entirely fulfilled — Blount scored a touchdown — but the nightmare nearly unfurled in textbook fashion. In a game where the Patriots scored 41 points, Blount handled the ball only 10 times, managing just 27 yards. This, as Jonas Gray came back from the dead to take the rock 12 times for 69 yards. Half of Gray’s totes came with the game well out of reach, but the other half didn’t. It’s enough to make Blount an uncertain option for the fantasy finals, and someone who can’t be started as more than a touchdown-dependent RB3.
Aaron Rodgers and Peyton Manning winning fantasy semifinals. Rodgers and Manning were supposed to win weeks. Instead, they combined for 31-of-62 passing (50.0 percent) for 418 yards (6.74 YPC), one score and two turnovers. Rodgers had easily the worst game of his career. Rodgers was hurt immensely by drops — including this shower-cry inducing number from Jordy Nelson — but at the end of the day, he just didn’t have it against one of the league’s best defenses. If you somehow survived and advanced to the fantasy finals, Rodgers promises to make amends against the Bucs, who currently own the No. 1 overall pick in next spring’s draft.
Julius Thomas’ workload. Thomas was expected to be full go after serving as an “emergency option” in Week 14, but ended up catching only one pass on 29 snaps. He was highly rationed in a game the Broncos (correctly) ascertained they could win without him. That’s great for Manning and Denver, but bad news for fantasy owners who desperately needed Thomas to score his 13th touchdown of 2014. We’d say Thomas should finally be safe to trust in Week 16 against the Bengals, but we thought the same was true of Week 15.
Questions
1. How can one team lose two spot starts to Derek Anderson in one year?
2. Has it been scientifically proven yet that Colt McCoy is the answer to exactly zero questions?
3. Would you at least use your blinker the next time you run right by Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher?
Early Waiver Look (Players owned in less than 50 percent of Yahoo leagues)
QB: Teddy Bridgewater, Robert Griffin III, Johnny Manziel, Nick Foles,
RB: Kerwynn Williams, Carlos Hyde, Toby Gerhart,
WR: Jarvis Landry, Charles Johnson, Harry Douglas, Marquess Wilson
TE: Charles Clay
Stats of the Week
Via Evan Silva: Sammy Watkins has been held to under 40 yards receiving in five of his past six games. He hasn’t scored a touchdown since Week 8.
Before missing a few snaps with a thigh issue on Sunday, Peyton Manning had missed one career play due to injury in games that he started. (Thanks, Scott Kacsmar.)
Speaking of Manning … Over the past three weeks, the Broncos have called 105 runs and 78 passes. This isn’t your father’s 2014 Broncos offense.
Derek Carr averaged a mind-bogglingly bad 3.96 yards per attempt Sunday. He’s been held to 5.06 or below in six of his past seven starts.
Johnny Manziel was the first quarterback to be shut out in his first start since Rusty Smith. As far as omens go … not the best.
17. That’s how many yards Tom Brady was allowed to scramble on a third-quarter play, a run on which he did not slide. “I was pretty pissed off that time, so I figured I wouldn’t slide.”
The Seahawks have held a lead in all 51 games Russell Wilson has started. Not bad.
DeMarco Murray has 409 more rushing yards than any player in the league. Trent Richardson has 507 rushing yards.
Antonio Brown has 19 more catches than any player in the league. Hakeem Nicks has 26 catches.
Awards Section
Week 15 Fantasy All-Pro Team: QB Tony Romo, RB Jeremy Hill, RB Le’Veon Bell, WR Odell Beckham, WR Dez Bryant, WR Demaryius Thomas, TE Greg Olsen
Tweet of the Week, from @ESPN_MacMahon: Brandon Carr ranks right up there with Chan Ho Park among biggest free agent busts in DFW sports history.
Quote of the Week, from Jerry Jones on why he wears a suit on the team plane: “I’m the daddy.”
Explanation of the Week, from Ryan Nanni on Mark Sanchez’s poor performance: “See, Mark Sanchez is used to the Xbox controller and this Playstation one is spaced all weird.”
Reaction of the Week, from C.D. Carter on Jordy Nelson’s dropped touchdown: “I went blind for 90 minutes.”
Welcome to the NFL Award: Chin up, kid.
