Playing Newton sensible
Week 15 of the NFL season was dominated by reaction to New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.’s fiery on-field behavior during back-and-forth confrontations with Carolina Panthers cornerback Josh Norman on Sunday.
But the weekend also featured the improbable emergence of a backup quarterback for the Houston Texans, a favorite rising in the NFC East and three teams (the Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks and Pittsburgh Steelers) continuing to gather strength for potentially deep playoff runs.
Here’s push-back to overreactions from Week 15:
1. Panthers coach Ron Rivera has no choice but to rest Cam Newton for the next two weeks.
The Carolina fan base understandably holds its collective breath each time a defender closes in on the front-runner for league MVP. But how to handle the final two regular-season games with his unbeaten team, which has not secured home-field advantage, is not a clear-cut scenario for Rivera.
Resting star players gives Rivera — he sat running back Jonathan Stewart on Sunday — his best possible lineup for the playoffs. But does the move squander a chance at history? Does it risk losing the team’s rhythm and edge? And what message does it send to players? By playing stars in the final two games — at the Atlanta Falcons and against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Rivera would be telling them that finishing unbeaten is important and that the team could find a rarefied perch in history alongside the 1972 Miami Dolphins.
2. Not pulling Beckham from the game, at least for a series, was the final straw for Tom Coughlin.
First, the obvious: Shame on the officials for not ejecting a completely out-of-control player. And if this is going to be the end for Coughlin, barring an improbable run to the playoffs, he didn’t need a poor response to Beckham’s meltdown to seal his fate.
Fielding a Giants team with one of its worst defenses in recent history, squandering chances to win in the waning seconds of at least five games and clinching his third consecutive non-winning season are enough reasons the distinguished Coughlin tenure, highlighted by two magical Super Bowl wins, could end. This certainly doesn’t look like a typical Coughlin-coached team. It’s hard to envision vintage Coughlin not sitting Beckham (the coach admitted Monday that he needed his best player to win the game). But if this is the end for Coughlin, it won’t be because he didn’t discipline his me-first receiver, who was suspended for one game by the NFL on Monday.
3. The Philadelphia Eagles are done — really done — this time.
Haven’t we learned anything this season? Philadelphia plays in the woeful NFC East. And while the Washington Redskins (7-7) are in the driver’s seat to win the division, a scenario difficult to envision at the season’s start, the Eagles (6-8) can capture the division with two more wins. The biggest reason for optimism: They play two NFC East teams (the Redskins and Giants) to close the regular season.
The Eagles still look like a hot mess on the field, and their use of DeMarco Murray and abysmal tackling are baffling. But it shouldn’t surprise anyone if the Eagles beat the Redskins, who are 1-5 on the road. And the Giants have given away multiple games in the fourth quarter this season. Remember, it was just two weeks ago that the Eagles inexplicably beat the New England Patriots.
4. Move over Newton, Tom Brady and Carson Palmer: Russell Wilson should be the MVP.
In his last five games, Wilson has amassed statistics — 19 touchdown passes and zero interceptions — usually seen only in video games. His play is the primary reason the Seahawks are well positioned to make another run in the playoffs. And the quarterback is doing it without Marshawn Lynch, tight end Jimmy Graham and running back Thomas Rawls.
But let’s not forget the MVP front-runner also can run, pass and lead.
Newton might not always have the gaudiest statistics, but he also doesn’t have the most glamorous group of pass catchers outside of Greg Olsen, one of the league’s best tight ends. Sunday, Newton became the first quarterback in history to throw for 300 yards and five touchdowns and run for 100 yards in the same game. Oh, by the way, Newton’s team is also unbeaten. He deserves to be the MVP.
5. The Dallas Cowboys have found their backup quarterback in Kellen Moore, but they were wrong to release Brandon Weeden.
There’s a reason it took Moore this long to see action in a regular-season game. Lacking optimal size and arm strength, he threw three interceptions in relief of struggling Matt Cassel in Saturday’s loss to the New York Jets. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is fluent in hyperbole, but he will only say that Moore’s best attribute is his knowledge of the offense. No gushing about the beauty of his throws, as he did about Weeden, whom the Cowboys released last month.
Kudos to Weeden, who played well Sunday in place of injured quarterback T.J. Yates and helped the Texans take control of the AFC South with a win at the Indianapolis Colts.
But the Cowboys chose to go with Cassel, which was not an unpopular decision at the time. At least in Dallas, Weeden seemed either unwilling or unable to take enough chances downfield. It’s likely that next year’s backup to Tony Romo was never on the Dallas roster this season. We all know that Jones has one eye on a quarterback on the Cleveland Browns.