The Week in Football: Will Muschamp will be Fired, Texas A&M gets Blown Out, and Seattle is Crumbling

On Saturday, Florida was blown out 42-13 by Missouri, despite the fact that the Tigers had only 119 yards of offense. Missouri scored touchdowns on a kickoff, punt, fumble, and interception return. Translation: the Gators are abysmal and all time bad offensively, and they no longer make big plays, or any plays, in special teams. Here’s the craziest stat about the Will Muschamp era at Florida; since taking over as the head coach, he is 0-2 in games in which his defense allows less than 120 yards. During the last ten seasons, all other FBS coaches are 94-0 in the same situation.

Remember when Urban Meyer was there? The Gators were so explosive offensively, and it seemed like they always were getting a huge punt return that set them up with a short field, or they were busting through the line and blocking a punt. Where have all those big plays gone? They are in one of the most fertile recruiting areas in the country. How can they not be loaded with speedy athletes on offense? The days of Percy Harvin, Andre Caldwell, Riley Cooper, and Aaron Hernandez are long gone. In fact, they started to show signs of being limited offensively even during Meyer's last year. Plus, five years ago, they would’ve never given up two special teams touchdowns in the same game. Now? They lose games that way.

With results like this, it means one thing, and one thing only…..

This is Will Muschamp’s Last Year in the Swamp

He was already on the hot seat coming into this season following last year’s embarrassing 4-8 campaign. With performances like Saturday, he may get the axe before the season is over. He’s already lost the fan base; the stadium was loudly chanting “FIRE MUSCHAMP” during the game. I don’t think he can do anything to get them back, particularly when you look at what they have left on the schedule. They are currently 3-3. After an open date this week, they end the year with Georgia in Jacksonville, at Vanderbilt, at home  against South Carolina and Eastern Kentucky, and then in Tallahassee against Florida State. I’m going to go ahead and count Georgia and FSU as losses. They’ll probably beat Eastern Kentucky, but that South Carolina game looks more and more daunting, particularly when you consider the fact that Florida has great potential to show up, turn the ball over five times, and be incapable of generating anything offensively. And then there’s the game at Vanderbilt on November 8^th. If the Gators lose that game, Muschamp might get fired at the Nashville airport, and be barred from entering the team plane, forcing him to find his own way back to Gainesville.

Regardless of what happens in that Vandy game, Muschamp’s probably going to have to go at least 4-1 in their final five to keep his job. 5-6 or 6-5 won’t cut it, meaning he’ll have to beat either Georgia or FSU. Good luck with that.

So who will the Gators pursue to replace Muschamp? Dan Mullen has to be at the top of their list. He was the Gators’ offensive coordinator when Meyer had things rocking and rolling, and he’s done a really great job at Mississippi State. I think he’d be a slam dunk in the Swamp. If he can recruit athletes in Starkville, I think he’ll be able to do it in Gainesville. There really isn’t a downside for Mullen at all actually. He gets to move from one of the worst jobs in the SEC to one of the ten best jobs in the country. He also gets to leave the much tougher SEC West for the easy, by comparison, SEC East, which, at least this year, only has one really good team, Georgia. So that’s my prediction, at least right now.

The most depressing aspect about the Gators’ struggles? They beat Tennessee this year. I will now light myself on fire.

I Thought Kevin Sumlin was a Genius?

Texas A&M got clobbered on Saturday by Alabama. In fact, I’m not even sure that does justice to describe how bad A&M played. The "elite" Aggie offense only managed to gain 51 yards in the first half, as they trailed 45-0 at halftime. And it didn't help that the defense betrayed them once again. How is it possible that they could get torched by an Alabama offense that had only managed to score 24 points the last two weeks? I know I’ve written a lot about how defense matters less and less, but you still have to be able to get stops every once in a while. The Aggies can’t do that. That’s why I’m sort of down on all of these all offense-no defense coaches. I think Art Briles is a smart guy, and he’s done a great job at Baylor, but I wouldn’t hire him if I was the atheletic director at a big time program. They don’t play any defense, meaning they are forced to outscore every team they play, making every game a shootout. And when that’s the case, sometimes the other team gets a few more stops, and gets up by a few scores, making it so tough to come back. That’s what happened to them against West Virginia on Saturday. Or, in Sumlin’s case, your offense doesn’t show up at all, and you get physically, mentally, and emotionally overpowered in all facets of the game. As long as Sumlin is at A&M, they won’t win the SEC. You have to play some defense in this league to win it. Keep in mind that the “genius” Sumlin, the guy who had the offense that no one could contend with, is now 12-9 in the SEC.

Two more thoughts on Sumlin:

1. My Angry Old Man texted (I know, he actually texted! It was a miracle that he’s began to accept modern technology!) me something interesting about Sumlin on Saturday. I always appreciate when I can get insights from my Angry Old Man, a guy who spends most Saturdays screaming at the televison about how the world is going to hell in a handbasket. I guess a blind squirrel finds an acorn every once in a while. Anyway, he recalled that, after the South Carolina game on the opening Thursday of the season, Sumlin was running his mouth like a player would, talking about how his team wasn't getting any respect. Have you ever heard Nick Saban or any other great coach run his mouth and talk about “respect” after a game before? I certainly haven’t. You let your players do that. Why not say something like, “Yeah, we played great, but we’ve got a lot of things to work on. We’ll be happy about this one tonight, but we’ll be back to work tomorrow”. Just listen to what Saban said after the game on Saturday, one that they absolutely dominated. From Saban, ''I think this is as close as we can get to the Alabama football that we want to try to get from our players in terms of effort, toughness, emotional excitement and execution that we got throughout the game”. Nothing about not getting any respect, nothing about the “haters”, and nothing about “everyone that doubted us”. And there have been a lot of doubters the last few weeks. Bama silenced them. But Saban didn’t, and wouldn’t, talk about “respect”. Neither should Sumlin.
2. The Aggies miss Johnny Football. Say what you will about his off-field actions, but there was no doubt that he was going to show up every Saturday and bring his A game. He may not have  always played well (both his games against LSU come to mind), but he always played hard. And he covered up a lot of holes for them. They haven’t been a great running team since Sumlin got there, and they aren’t this year. But with Manziel, it didn’t necessarily matter, because he could make a few plays here and there with his legs, and he was always, no matter the down, or time of the game, capable of making a big play. The team doesn’t have that element this year. Kenny Hill is an above average quarterback, but he’s not the running, or big play threat, that Johnny was. Plus, I think they miss Manziel’s leadership and intensity on the sidelines. Where is that guy this year? I haven’t, at least yet, seen someone on this team that’s been able to rally everyone together like Johnny did. I think just having Manziel on the team made everybody believe, because he was a super hero. There was no way they would’ve gotten shut out, or blown out, if he was on the this year's team. We’ll see how this program does the next few years without him. We’ll see how much he made Sumlin.

My Four Team Playoff

1. Mississippi State. Coming off a bye week, the Bulldogs are rewarded with a road game in Lexington against Kentucky, a team that is reeling after a 41-3 beatdown in Death Valley at the hands of LSU. Kentucky, despite Saturday’s result, is an improved team. This will be an interesting game on Saturday. But for now, State is still number one.
2. Ole Miss. They easily dispatched my Vols on Saturday night, showing no signs of weakness (unlike Florida State). But watch out for their game on Saturday night at LSU. Gameday will be there, and LSU looks like they’re starting to figure some things out.
3. Florida State. They were outplayed on Saturday Night by Notre Dame. If Jameis Winston didn’t play so well in the second half (he completed his first 13 passes) the Irish probably leave victorious. But much like the Auburn game last year, or the Clemson game this year, the Seminoles found a way to gut it out, catch a few breaks, and win. And yes, just in case you were curious, the offensive pass interference call at the end of the game was the right one. I understand a lot of teams run pick plays and things like that, but you can’t block a receiver open by just shoving the defensive backs out of the way. That’s what the Irish did. It was the right call.
4. Alabama. The Crimson Tide are just ahead of Auburn in my book right now, simply because of their dominating win on Saturday. They looked better in that game than Auburn has all year. I still really don’t understand all the Auburn love. They struggled with Kansas State (and should have lost), blew out an average LSU team at home, and lost to Mississippi State. That’s it? Until they show me more, Bama takes the last spot.

The Indianapolis Colts have Won Five Games in a Row

I’m fully on the Colts’ bandwagon now. They destroyed Cincinnati yesterday, and they didn’t even play well offensively in the first half. However, that defense was awesome, as they held the Bengals to 135 yards, forced 10 three and outs, only gave up eight first downs,  allowed Cincy to run just 8 plays in their territory, and sacked Andy Dalton three times. If they can keep that level of defensive intensity up (and their numbers over the last five games seem to indicate that they can) then they may be the best team in the AFC at the end of the year. And let’s not forget that they’ve accomplished all of this without Robert Mathis, their best pass rusher, and the NFL’s sack champion in 2013.

Also, at what point are we really going to give Andrew Luck the credit he deserves? In 2012, when he was drafted, this was the worst team in the NFL. Since then, they’ve been to the playoffs twice, won a division title, and a wildcard playoff game. Heck, they might’ve been last year’s AFC Championship Game, or even the Super Bowl, if they hadn’t lost 7 offensive starters by Thanksgiving. Remember, they beat San Francisco, Seattle, and Denver last year, only the NFL’s three best teams. This season, they’ve started out 5-2. Luck has transformed everything. Normally, I hate boiling everything down to the QB, because I feel like that’s a typical Skip Baseless/Screamin’ A. Smith/ ESPN talking head thing to do, but in this case, I think it’s justified. Sure, they’ve gotten some great play from their defense, but they ask Luck to do so much for them offensively. They don’t run the ball all that well, forcing him to be great throwing the ball every week. And most of the time, he is. So let’s stop comparing Russell Wilson to him. There is no comparison between what Seattle asks Wilson to do, and what Indy requires Luck to do. Wilson is really good, but he’s not Luck.

Speaking of Wilson….

What’s Happened to Seattle?

I think they’ve lost their edge a little bit. The defense just doesn’t seem to have that aura of invincibility that they had last year. It probably has something to do with the fact that they’ve been physically overpowered a few times (mainly by San Diego and Dallas) this season. Also, they’re actually really limited offensively. Where are the great offensive playmakers on this team? Doug Baldwin? I love the way Marshawn Lynch runs, but he’s never been a big play threat, besides this. They won’t have that game breaker this year, because they traded away the only guy with that potential, Percy Harvin, who was apparently a Terrell Owens-esque personality in the locker room. Plus, they’ve had some injuries on the offensive line. It’s just so hard to repeat. There’s a reason that it’s been ten years since it happened in the NFL. Other teams get better, you start to lose your edge, you lose a few guys in free agency, some guys start to get selfish, you get a few guys injured, you don’t catch a few breaks, and the next thing you know, your team is 3-3. That’s pretty much the story of the Seahawks season. I still think they’ll make the playoffs, but they might not win the division, or have any games at home during the postseason. Then again, they do still have 10 games left. It’s still a long season. We’ll see how it plays out.

NFL Power Rankings

1. Dallas Cowboys. They’re first team to 6 wins, they’ve committed to a consistent offensive identity, and they’ve showed no signs of slowing down. Bring on the Redskins on Monday night. I can’t believe I’ve got Dallas ranked number one. I’m still sort of waiting for them to turn back into the Cowboys we all know and love, but it hasn’t happened yet. Maybe it won’t. But can you really see Tony Romo lifting up the Lombardi Trophy? I can’t either. But it could happen.
2. Denver Broncos. They’re as solid as ever. They absolutely dominated the Niners yesterday. It wasn’t even close, and Peyton Manning was brilliant, as he has been all year. This week, they’ll play the best Thursday night game of the year, at home against San Diego, for mid season division, and AFC, supremacy.
3. San Diego Chargers. I had to drop them two spots because of their loss to Kansas City, but I’m still really high on this team. What’s not to love? Phil Rivers would still get my MVP vote, Antonio Gates is having a young Antonio Gates year (27 catches, 363 yards, 7 touchdowns), and their defense is ranked 5^th in yards allowed. They’re still a great team. I can’t wait for that slugfest with Denver on Thursday night.
4. Arizona Cardinals. Despite all their injuries, they’re 5-1. If Carson Palmer can stay healthy, this team is a Super Bowl contender. That defense is really good, and they’ve got playmakers on offense. Plus, that division is worse than we thought it would be. Could we potentially be talking about the NFC West champion Cardinals? We’ll see.
5. Philadelphia Eagles. Another 5-1 team, and one that’s also had injury problems. They were off this week, and have a huge game in Arizona against the Cardinals on Sunday. It’s already shaping up to be a great NFL weekend.
6. Indianapolis Colts. They’ve won five in a row, their defense is playing great, and they’ve got the best young quarterback in the league. If either San Diego or Denver falters this season, expect Indy to be the one who takes their place in the AFC.
7. Detroit Lions. Statistically, they’ve got the best defense in the league. And they keep winning, even without Calvin Johnson. Once they get him back, watch out. It seems that the team has responded extremely well to the Mr. Blank Expression, head coach Jim Caldwell, who would react the same way to winning the power ball as he would to having his legs broken like James Caan in the movie Misery.
8. Baltimore Ravens. Fresh off flushing the Falcons season down the toilet, Baltimore appears to be inching back towards being a Super Bowl contender. How awesome has Steve Smith been for them this year? He’s given that offense an edge they didn’t have last year, and Joe Flacco a target that he’s sorely missed since they decided it would be a good idea to get rid of Anquan Boldin. You know, only one of their best players, as well as emotional leaders, during their Super Bowl run.
9. Green Bay Packers. Aaron Rodgers is quietly having an excellent year (66.8 completion percentage, 1,674 yards, 18 TDs, only 1 pick), and that defense appears to have settled in a little bit, or have at least been servicable. I don’t, at least at this point, buy them as a Super Bowl contender, but I believe in the power of Rodgers. I think he can get them there. The Packers are just one of those teams that I had to audible on. Sometimes you make a sweeping pronouncement on a team, but instead of being right, you end up whiffing worse than Casey at the Bat. That’s when you have to swallow your pride, except that you were an idiot about this team, and adjust accordingly. That’s what I’ve done with Green Bay.
10. Seattle Seahawks. I have no reason to leave them in the top 10, other than I think they’ve got enough pride in their locker room to get things turned around. They’re still talented. I’m not done with them yet.

Quickly, from my Angry Old Man, though we’ve already heard from his angry self once today, “You idiot, I know how much you love that garbage NBA regular season. I better not see you writing any crap about that until at least January or I’ll no longer have any sons. Your brother has already let me down enough times, you better not do the same!”

Unfortunatley for him, I’ll be writing at least a few things about the NBA this week before the season starts. I love every sport, but the NBA is my favorite. It’s been a long time since the season ended, and a lot of important things have happened. I can’t stay silent on them forever.