My Week 11 NFL Notebook

posted 11/18/19

1. I think there's plenty of blame to go around regarding the Colin Kaepernick workout. The NFL should have made sure that everything was agreed upon before scheduling the workout. And Kaepernick should have compromised more.

I understand that he doesn't trust the NFL after being essentially banned by the league in the last three years, but if he participated, there would be no questions about his ability. If he wasn't signed after that, then the collusion would be more evident. He should've stayed, wowed who was there, and put the ball on the league's court. Instead, he made it easy for teams to pass on him.

As for the NFL, this whole thing felt like half an effort to the league to say, "We gave him a chance." They scheduled the workout on a Saturday when coaches and their staffs are busy finalizing their game plans. No high ranking personnel would want to take the time 24 hours before a game.

Worst of all, this only solidified the resolve of both sides. Instead of an opening, both sides slammed the door shut.

2. Only the Cleveland Browns can lose after actually winning a game. 

I know Myles Garrett wasn't the instigator. I know Mason Rudolph was frustrated. And I know that football is an emotional game. But Garrett has shown a lack of composure before. It wasn't the worst fight I'd ever seen in sports, but it's in the top five. 
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3. Tua Tagovailoa's injury was awful and no one's fault. He wanted to play. Nick Saban wanted him to play. And the game was only in the first half. If you benched Alabama's starters every time after they had a big lead, they'd never play. I feel for the kid. 

4. The beauty of Lamar Jackson’s season is now an old school offense can flourish in today’s game. Baltimore has run the ball for a league leading 2,038 yards, nearly 500 yards more than the team in second place (Minnesota). Their two tight end set makes them a matchup nightmare. When they run, the offense is like the old single wing. Key on the run and Jackson can look to tight ends Mark Andrews or Hayden Hurst on mismatches down the field. I’ve always thought that a multi faceted tight end would be the ultimate weapon for a team. It looks like Baltimore understands the value and is reaping the benefits.

5. Jackson has 788 yards rushing through ten games. At this rate, he’ll shatter the record set by Michael Vick in 2006 (1,039 yards.)

6. When you’re rolling as Jackson is, he gets his own hype man. Enter Mark Ingram. 

7. Atlanta’s Raheem Morris went from coaching the wide receivers to the defensive backs two weeks ago. Since then, the Falcons have allowed just 12 points and forced 11 sacks to two division foes on the road.

8. Broncos’ fans have to be asking themselves, “What next?” Denver had the Vikings on the ropes the entire first half. They stifled their running game. They had the perfect defensive game plan. They were going to make Kirk Cousins beat them. Cousins threw for 261 yards and three touchdowns after halftime. It’s Denver’s fourth blown lead this season. And while Vic Fangio is a well respected defensive mind, he may be better suited to staying a coordinator. 

9. Marlon Mack broke his hand in Indy’s win over the Jags. It’s uncertain if he’ll be available for Thursday Night’s showdown against Houston.

10. It’s good to hear that Auden Tate accompanied the Bengals back to Cincinnati after that scary hit.

11. Michael Gallup has the catch of the day on the anniversary of his brother’s passing. 

12. Ezekiel Elliott does his best Dak Prescott impression after scoring.

13. That Tom Brady to Julian Edelman to Philip Dorsett double pass was a thing of beauty, even if it meant the Patriots needed trickery for the biggest play of the day.

14. This was Brady’s third game without a touchdown pass this year. And even though the Patriots only care about winning, Brady can’t be happy about his performance.

15. Jameis Winston has 18 interceptions this season with four for that have gone for touchdowns. It's clear that Bruce Arians and the Bucs have to shop for a new signal caller in April. 

16. Jimmy Garappolo had a career best 425 yards passing for four touchdowns, but had two bad interceptions that could have cost the 49ers the game. I’m still not sure what kind of quarterback Garappolo is at this point. He isn’t always sharp with his throws and gets his receivers in bad situations.

17. I think it’s safe to say that the pass interference challenge has been a failure this season. I’m not sure if the coaches, players, or fans know what PI is anymore. But it’s clear that the referees don’t.