We always close out our Tuesday with a solid look back and what we’ve learned, and maybe what’s changed, after the weekend of NFL action. Did Week Five alter any perceptions? Did it shake up the league? Let’s take a look.
THE ADRIAN PETERSON EXPERIMENT IN NEW ORLEANS FAILED
It was a match that never made much sense in the first place and now it’s over. The New Orleans Saints officially cut bait on their off-season free agent acquisition of running back Adrian Peterson by trading him to the Arizona Cardinals for a conditional 2018 six round draft pick. I’d imagine it would be a late pick.
Peterson joined the Saints with a two-year, $7 million contract back when free agency began with a $2.5 million signing bonus and $3.5 million guaranteed. The Saints are out $2.5 million in cap and in real money.
What was your favorite memory of Adrian Peterson as a Saint? pic.twitter.com/0S84rcTI0t
— Michele Steele (@MicheleSteele) October 10, 2017
Peterson has been the proverbial square peg in a round hole in New Orleans and never fit their offense. He started one game this season and has amassed just 27 carries for 81 yards and no touchdowns, averaging 3.0 yards per carry. Considering Peterson only saved $705,882 against the cap this season, it doesn’t seem like there’s a lot to do with that money. Peterson was due $3.5 million in roster bonuses and salary next season, but he wouldn’t have been back anyway. No, this was a fire sale and the Cardinals were in the buying mood.
To make room for Peterson, the Cardinals cut Chris Johnson, who is likely done in the NFL. Johnson carried the ball 45 times for 114 yards, no touchdowns and averaged a paltry 2.5 yards per carry in four games.
Adrian Peterson in New Orleans like pic.twitter.com/pVLW5BLLVH
— Justin Tucker = GOAT (@TouchdownLamar) October 10, 2017
Peterson simply didn’t fit the Saints’ system. Frankly, their best back is probably rookie Alvin Kamara for what Sean Payton wants to do with the position. He wants a Le’Veon Bell, David Johnson type running back that can run and catch the ball. Kamara is that guy. The Saints already had Mark Ingram as a regular style running back and while the difference between Peterson and Ingram in their primes was probably cavernous, it wasn’t so large this season that New Orleans could trust AP on the field on passing downs.
My question is, what do the Cardinals get out of the deal? Their offense, like the Saints, works better with a multi purpose back. Peterson ins’t that. Obviously Johnson couldn’t do it anymore either, but Peterson has never been that guy.
https://twitter.com/SkolSees/status/917780507491958784
“We are always on the lookout for opportunities to improve our team and we look at this as one of those opportunities,” Cardinals general manager Steve Keim said in a statement. “What Adrian has accomplished in this league is well-established. Our need for a spark in our running game right now is also obvious and we are excited to give him the chance to provide that.”
For Peterson, he’ll likely see more than nine snaps, but if he can’t pass protect and run some routes, and he’s never proven he can, his time in Arizona could be short lived too.
THE GIANTS COULD BE HISTORICALLY AWFUL
An 0-5 start could just be the beginning for the New York Giants, who may not have a winnable game on their schedule until they play at the San Francisco 49ers on November 12. If that one doesn’t work out, they play at the Arizona Cardinals on Christmas Eve. Both of those are road games.
Now starting at WR for the New York Giants: pic.twitter.com/9xH65tLGei
— ethan, who is a fan of well run football teams (@EthanGSN) October 9, 2017
Needless to say, Ben McAdoo is a dead man walking and may not survive the season. Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandon Marshall are both out for the year and now there are rumblings that it might be a good idea for the team to move on from Eli Manning too. I don’t see that happening, especially since he’d be such an asset in hiring a new head coach.
If New York does go 2-14, they could, however, end up with their next quarterback in the draft and let him ride the bench like Aaron Rodgers did in Green Bay for a couple of seasons. If they hired the right coach, that could really work out well in the long term. A 2-14 season would be the worst Giants year since they went 3-12-1 in 1983. In fact, the last time New York won less than three games was in 1974 when they went 2-12 back when the season was 14 games long.
McAdoo? How about McAdon’t.
WE’RE DOWN TO THREE WINLESS TEAMS
Speaking of the Giants and their prospects this season, it’s just as important to look at the other 0-5 squads, the Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers, and figure out where their wins might come.
The Browns have already faced the two worst teams on their schedule, the Indianapolis Colts and the New York Jets and lost both games. Is there a win remaining on their sheet?
Cleveland’s best chances come when they welcome the Tennessee Titans, coached by Mike Mularkey, into FirstEnergy Stadium on Oct. 22. The Titans are a far superior team talent-wise, but Mularkey is the great equalizer and his shitty coaching could cause any number of problems for his own team.
Browns twitter at 1pm Sundays. Browns twitter at 4pm Sundays. pic.twitter.com/iBgNZu4wTM
— Ken Carman (@KenCarman) October 9, 2017
After that, they host the Jacksonville Jaguars on Nov. 19 and play at the Los Angeles Chargers, the only team they beat last season, on Dec. 3. Their last chance will be at the Chicago Bears on Christmas eve in the penultimate week of the season. That’s the time where they got their victory last year. It may come down to that game again.
Many of the same murderer’s row of shitty teams show up on the 49ers’ schedule later in the season. Their first real chance for a victory probably shows up on Nov. 5 against the Cardinals. The Niners nearly got Arizona the last time they played, with the Cardinals winning 18-15 in overtime. After that, they travel to Chicago to take on the Bears on Dec. 3, then host the Mularkey Titans on Dec. 17 and finally have their own Christmas Eve miracle game set up against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
#Redskins open up as 11 point favorites over the #49ers
— Jordan Asri (@wshingtontoday) October 10, 2017
Needless to say, by winning three games in a row and being competitive, the New York Jets have already cost themselves the No. 1 pick. If these three teams, and the Los Angeles Chargers who just got off the winless train with a win over the Giants Sunday, have their say, the Jets won’t pick in the Top Five without trading up.
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