Journal 3 Revised: The Quest to Remain Unbeaten

Quarterback Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons (Courtesy of http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/41286/is-this-real-your-6-0-atlanta-falcons)

      I recently read an article titled "Is This Real? Your 7-0 Atlanta Falcons", by Bill Barnwell. In the article, Barnwell talks about the Atlanta Falcons and their current undefeated record in the NFL. This is an overall well written article, that I enjoyed reading. Barnwell does a great job of pointing out some minute details that people do not think about when you talk about a team winning football games. However, this article is missing a very important element; the Falcons are simply injury free. This is a major part of their ability to win games and stay on this winning streak. Other teams that have lost a game or more have all had key players go down. The reason why Atlanta is able to compete at such a high level each game is because they always have their best players on the field. This has a major role in the Falcons ability to win close games. Another point that Barnwell does not mention, is how long the team has been playing together. For the Falcons, the core of the team has all played together for a number of years. This helps the team gain chemistry and work better as a team.. Overall, Barnwell made many valid points on why the Falcons have started 7-0. However, I wish he would have included some nonfactual arguments.

You can find this article at http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/41286/is-this-real-your-6-0-atlanta-falcons

Journal 4 Revised: The Best of the Best

JJ Watt of the Huston Texans ( Courtesy of http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/41798/nfl-midseason-awards-who-deserves-the-hardware)

     I recently read an article titled ,"NFL Midseason Awards: Who Deserves the Hardware," by Robert Mays. In the article, Mays talks about who deserves the most honorable awards in the NFL half way through the season. The players that he has picked are overall in my opinion good picks. Mays believes that the MVP should go to J.J Watt, the offensive player of the year to Peyton Manning, and the defensive player of the year to Cameron Wake. I think these are all good choices and strongly agree with each and every one of them. I believe that no one in the NFL has been playing better than JJ Watt this early in the season. JJ is on pace to set the single season record for sacks in a season. I also agree with his choice for Manning for the Offensive player of the year. Peyton has helped a  surging Broncos team to first place in the AFC west and has done so in a dominant manner. The only player that I strongly disagree with is Cameron Wake for defensive player of the year. Mays makes a strong case for Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller, who I believe should be the defensive player of the year. Von is tied for second in the NFL in sacks and has played really well. Mays makes some good choices overall that I strongly agree with. He also is able to back up his choices with relevant information and stats and ranks the players accordingly.
This article can be found at http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/41798/nfl-midseason-awards-who-deserves-the-hardware.

Journal 6 Revised: A Closer in Football?

Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick quarterbacks for the 49ers. (Courtesy of David Dermer/Diamond Images/ Getty Images http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/43466/fourth-and-short-niners-could-use-a-closer-qb)

      I recently looked at an article by Bill Barnwell. In his article, Barnwell talks about Alex Smith current role on the 49ers. He makes the argument that Alex is a great decision maker, and that he could come in late in the game to play a closer role. Barnwell has a lot of valid points including the fact that it would give Smith a chance to stay healthy if the 49ers make a playoff push. He also makes that argument that this would give current quarterback Colin Kaepernick a chance to develop and improve. Although Barnwell makes a sound argument, he forgets to mention one of the most important attributes a quarterback has. Announcers and broadcasters constantly talk about a quarterback and an offense getting into a rhythm. In Barnwell's scenario, Colin would be pulled in the most critical point in the game, while a quarterback who has not had the chance to warm up is put in. This would disrupt the entire teams movement and rhythm. A second idea that could be used is to include Kaepernick into the offence in would to place him into a role  similar to Tim Tebow in New York. Kaepernick could come in on short third down situations to put both the threat of pass and run. This would also give the chance for Kaepernick to get game time experience while the starter Alex Smith is getting a quick breather. This would be an overall better option for the 49ers in my opinion. Barnwell raises a very interesting question. Having a rotation at quarterback has never been done in the NFL and is definitely something that the 49ers and other teams should look into.                                                                                                                                   

     The article can be found at http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/43466/fourth-and-short-niners-could-use-a-closer-qb