Halfway Mark of the NFL Season
It’s the halfway mark of the NFL season and I have some opinions.
The best team I’ve seen are the San Francisco 49ers. Keep in mind I haven’t broadcast a Patriots game, nor many other contending teams. I’m not assigned the best matchups each week, although many of our first eight contests have been thrillers involving strong clubs. So this is about what I’ve seen in person, not seen on television or what I’ve read or what people have told me.
I’ve witnessed the 49ers twice. They stomped on the Rams on the road, and last week they crushed the Panthers at home.
I know fans talk about possible Super Bowl showdowns such as the Patriots vs. the Saints, or similar battles. But what if the two unbeaten teams (as of last Sunday), the Patriots and the 49ers wind up in Miami in February.
It would be business as usual for New England, but a wonderful dream for San Francisco.
How about this for a hook! Tom Brady vs. Jimmy Garoppolo, the former Patriots backup quarterback who was traded to the Niners two years ago?
That’s a pretty good start.
Brady and Garoppolo
The 49ers have improved unbelievably with key acquisitions and great drafts. Isn’t that the way teams get to be contenders?
No secret formula there.
The offense is engineered by head coach Kyle Shanahan, who has put the icing on the cake of the solid offenses designed by his father, Mike Shanahan, who won two Super Bowls in Denver.
Shanahan can be a mad-scientist type of play caller, with fancy formations and motions involving more than one player.
But the name of his game is running the football.
Kyle Shanahan
As offense coordinator, It’s the kind of thing Shanahan didn’t do when he got too creative when the Atlanta Falcons had that huge lead before they squandered the Super Bowl to the Patriots a couple of years ago.
But now the 49ers run the ball with the best of them, behind a stalwart offensive line that has depth. A feature they’ve needed.
Garoppolo hasn’t been forced to win a game with his arm. That’s a good thing because he is prone to mistakes when the passing game becomes front and center.
Now, the prime reason the 49ers are where they are? It’s the defense, stupid! (Just borrowing a phrase).
In the last four games, the San Fran defense has allowed 3, 7, 0, and 13 points. That’s giving up an average of nearly 6 points per game.
They boast five number one draft picks on their defensive line alone, including their top choice this year, Nick Bosa.
He had three sacks and an interception Sunday, and covered a wide receiver deep downfield.
He will be the defensive rookie of the year in the NFL if he stays healthy.
Thus far, the 49ers have gotten rich on teams who mostly have losing records. It gets much tougher the second half, including two contests against Seattle, one more against the Rams, a meeting at home with the Packers, and road tests at Baltimore and New Orleans. That’s a tall order for anyone. Five of their last nine will be at home, so we’ll see.
One team in particular, and one player specifically, has caught my eye, to the extent that we could be looking at the genuine new wave of the way the game is played.
This team is not from a major market. They have largely operated under the radar. They happen to lead their division, but no one is talking about them.
Yet.
They are not ready to be declared the elite of the NFL, perhaps not even among the best.
Things can and do change in the sport, depending on injuries, of course, and other aspects that alter the picture.
The team is the Baltimore Ravens. Last season, head coach John Harbaugh made the decision to bench his veteran quarterback who led them to a Super Bowl championship in 2012.
John Harbaugh
Joe Flacco, who now plays for the Denver Broncos was benched after he was injured, for a rookie who was considered a questionable high pick in the 2018 draft. That draft produced several signal-callers who are now starting for their respective teams.
At the top was Baker Mayfield now with the Browns. Then came Sam Darnold by the Jets, Josh Allen of the Bills, Josh Rosen of the Cardinals, then traded to the Dolphins, and last, but not least, Lamar Jackson, chosen by the Ravens on the final pick in the first round.
Jackson was the big question mark. More was made of what he couldn’t do than what he could do.
He was known more for his running skills than his passing ability. He played his college ball at Louisville and won the Heisman Trophy as the top player in the sport in 2016, and finished third in the voting the next season.
Lamar Jackson
I got the impression that teams were afraid to take a chance on Jackson in that draft. There is nothing worse than choosing a dud in the first round and wasting the pick.
He slipped all the way to the 32nd and final selection in the first round.
Then the Baltimore Ravens chose him. The Ravens finished strong last season with Jackson leading the team in his rookie year. He was shaky as a passer, but could he ever run, if his number was called, or if a play broke down.
The Ravens struggling at 4-5, then went on a 6-1 run to finish 10-6 , before losing to the Chargers in the wild-card round of the playoffs.
This season, Baltimore has started out 5-2, and leading the AFC North. There has been little if any bouquets sent their way, but that could change. Looking at what they’ve accomplished thus far, you could deduce, and be correct, that they really haven’t had a formidable challenger.
They lost at Kansas City (when Patrick Mahomes was healthy), and for the most part have eked out victories over weak division rivals Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, forced to go with a backup quarterback.
This week was their bye week, I covered their 30-16 triumph in Seattle prior to their off week.
I realize any team can look impressive on a given Sunday. I’m not one to get carried away by a single game, despite the through manner the Ravens dominated the Seahawks on the road.
But sometimes you see things. We might learn more this coming weekend, when the Ravens host the unbeaten Patriots in Baltimore.
Win or lose, I believe the Ravens have discovered something special. It all starts with Lamar Jackson, who has improved considerably as a passer, to go along with the amazing speed, instinct, and football intelligence that makes him a game-changer and a true phenomenon.
I’m not kidding.
I won’t go into football talk, and the X’s and O’s which will make you turn to another page, but Harbaugh and his coaching staff have developed an attack which emphasizes running the ball with a trio of backs, led by the quarterback, and a passing offense that relies on a tight end as the leading receiver.
It is an exciting mix, headed up front by a tremendous line, and the play-calling by the man who directed Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers to the Super Bowl. The one they lost to the Ravens. When John Harbaugh beat his brother Jim Harbaugh in the big game.
Th Baltimore Ravens have been defined by their brilliant defense for over a decade. The great names who made it famous are gone, and while it’s not as stifling as it once was, it complements the offense in outstanding fashion.
The best way to describe what the Ravens are developing is to urge fans to simply watch them in action.
John Harbaugh made the decision to build the team around Lamar Jackson and goes as far as saying that his young quarterback could become the kind of sports and human symbol that Jackie Robinson and Muhammad Ali became.
Harbaugh is an intelligent man. His mention of Jackson with those two icons is stunning. But it bears watching.
In his view, it’s all about those who were negative about the youngster’s chances. He is anxious for Lamar Jackson to show those who are naysayers how wrong they could be.
Before he faced him, Seahawks head coach declared Jackson superior to the first run-first QB Michael Vick.
Bill Belichick, who opposed him last Sunday, says Jackson is so fast, defenses will have trouble catching him.
Again, it’s not all about playing the Patriots, who still haven’t lost.
It’s the big picture.
As Lamar Jackson gets better, how revolutionary will the Baltimore Ravens become?
We’ll follow it. And maybe before the season is history, they’ll be the talk of the town.
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LEADERSHIP • A WINNING ATTITUDE • INSPIRATION • TEAMWORK
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