The NFL Roundup 2020: Week 1 – What We Learned

Written by John Edward Betancourt

There really is nothing quite like how one feels after a weekend of good football. Because it simply energizes your body and your mind, and I know I’m not alone in saying that I feel refreshed and relaxed after sitting through hours upon end of my favorite sport. But while it is lovely to bask in the fact that football is back at last and that for a brief moment, 2020 felt normal, there are some in-depth discussions to be had about Week 1 in the NFL. So, without further ado, let’s reflect upon this magical weekend and what we learned about some of our favorite teams and unfortunately… some of the fans.
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Kansas City’s fans were an outright embarrassment on Thursday night.  
Well if you watched Thursday Night Football, you likely noticed the fact that KC’s fans felt the need to boo everything good that the Texans and Chiefs were trying to accomplish on the field and well, their actions were sad and embarrassing and downright pathetic and quite frankly, everyone in those stands that felt the need to boo a movement like this, is an outright disappointment to humanity. Simple as that. But what truly makes this whole ‘controversy’ over players protesting for basic human rights so incredibly stupid, is the sheer fact that all of these buffoons somehow believe that exercising one’s constitutional rights on a national stage is somehow un-American. So, to the folks that feel this way; stop your whining and let them exercise their rights. The ones you ‘claim’ to believe in. Because they really are putting a spotlight on a seriously grave injustice and it isn’t causing anyone any harm in the slightest, and now that we have that out of the way, let’s forget about these goofs and talk some football.
 
It turns out that Mitch Trubisky might be an NFL Quarterback after all.
It is downright safe to say that Bears fans everywhere are ready to see the franchise move on from Mitchell Trubisky and understandably so. Because his tenure in the NFL has been marked with poor decision making and errant throws and everything you don’t want to see out of a starting NFL quarterback. But despite looking like his usual messy self on Sunday, something magical happened late in that game against Detroit, in that; #10 looked like a legitimate QB. For he made every throw you want out of your signal caller and he actually managed to pull off the win and it would seem that when Trubisky gets out of his own way and plays the sport he knows, he can accomplish wonders. But does his performance mean that all will be forgiven and that the Bears will start racking up the dubs? Probably not simply because the relationship between the team and Mitch is severely broken and he clearly needs more time to grow. But hopefully he learns something from this game, and it helps him become a better signal caller when he lands a job in another city in 2021.
 
The Cleveland Browns are in for another terrible year.
You know, every year there is this weird hope that we all harbor for the Cleveland Browns. The kind where we genuinely want to see them succeed and win the Division and do more than just become the butt of our football jokes. But every year those hopes are quickly dashed and this year is no exception to that unfortunate rule, it just took far quicker than expected, for us to realize that 2020 is going to be another awful year for this franchise. Because they straight up embarrassed themselves against the Ravens and well, this is really the first and last time we will be discussing them in this weekly article. Simply because they’re not worth the time and the effort anymore, not when it is the same old thing year in and year out. So, good luck Browns fans and hang in there. Maybe the 93rd Head Coach next year will finally be the guy to put it all together. 
 
Cam Newton really wasn’t all that remarkable in his first start as a Patriot.
Social media was ablaze on Sunday over Cam Newton’s first start as a New England Patriot and understandably so. After all, there was a lot of worry surrounding the Pats and whether or not they’d find any measure of success without Tom Brady under center. But while it is cool that New England got the win and that Cam energized the crowd, his performance really wasn’t all that great. Because, he only threw for 155 yards didn’t score any touchdowns through the air. He just did it with his legs and that RPO stuff only carries you so far. Plus, they beat the Dolphins and that’s not saying much. So, in reality, the jury is still out as to whether or not Cam is the ‘savior’ of the New England Patriots, and if he can’t return to his MVP form from a few years back, and teams key in on this scrambling noise, it won’t be long before the losses pile up and the Pats go back to the QB drawing board.
 
There should be a lot of concern in Tampa Bay right now over their signing of Tom Brady.
If there is one universal truth about hall of fame caliber quarterbacks, it would have to be that they can play anywhere and, in any system. And we’ve seen this fact be reinforced in recent years by both Brett Favre and Peyton Manning. But man, one now has to wonder if Tom Brady is a system quarterback after all because what we saw in New Orleans on Sunday was just downright awful. Because #12 struggled mightily to read basic defensive coverages and he made some horrible throws. And while some can attribute that to rust and a new team, those excuses just don’t fly. Because he’s been playing in the league for twenty years and he hasn’t played an actual preseason game in the last five or six of those, and he knows football. If anything, these are just red flags that Tom might not be the answer in Tampa, and that he may be in decline and it should be interesting to see how #12 responds to this first real test of his character and his skill set, come next week.

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