What is Bad Football?

NFL WEEK 8

Recently Tom Brady said “I think there’s a lot of bad football from what I watch…I watch a lot of bad football. Poor quality of football. That’s what I see.” Good thing TB12 shared his opinion this so that we all know how to think and view football.  Week to week I will highlight the “bad football” team of the week.

So, what is BAD FOOTBALL?  This week’s example is NOT TB12’s own TB Buccaneers. After being a gleaming example of “bad football” for the past two weeks, this team decided to compete albeit in a loss to the Ravens.  It also just seems wrong to pick on TB12 on the heels of his divorce.  Jokes and football aside, divorce sucks and anytime the love once shared between two people fades into oblivion, I can’t help but feel sad for the people involved.  Farewell Tom and Gisele.

For this weeks example of “bad football,” we head to the Nevada desert where we find the ever so stacked 2-5 Las Vegas Raiders.  4 of the 5 Raiders losses have been by less than 6 and 3 of the losses have been by 2 or less, so the team’s issue hasn’t been competing in but closing games.  Until this past week of course.  The Raiders travelled to the also 2-5 New Orleans Saints who by the way has played all 7 games within one score.  Two talented desperate teams facing off and one of those teams showed up prepared and ready to execute.  The Raiders on the other hand shit the bed offensively having 9 offensive possessions 6 ending in punts and 1 ending in an interception.  The other two ended in the half and the game ending.  Stats such as Derek Carr 101 yards passing, Josh Jacobs 43 yards rushing, and Davante Adams 3 receiving yards is exactly how you land on the “bad football” list.  This team appears to lack positive chemistry and seemed to give up after their first drive in the second half ended in another punt.  Surprising to me considering Adams and Carr’s relationship going back to their college days at Fresno st.  Carr to Adams was one if not the best college QB/ WR duo in history.  When the Raiders made the deal for Davante, it was easy to see this team as a playoff contender and a dark horse to win the division away from the Mahomes led Chiefs.  After 7 games the perception has changed dramatically for this team and it makes me wonder why. 

The team is relatively healthy, talented in the skill positions and has a fan base that’s about as passionate as any in the league.  Could it be HC Josh Mcdaniels or is Derek Carr just not elite enough to will this team to victory? 

I believe the problems begin with the HC.  Over the summer, Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham said of his former and current colleague, Josh McDaniels, “the best play–caller in the NFL” -Raiderswire.com.  The results on the field do not prove Graham’s offseason claim and I wonder if he would stand behind those words after a 24-0 loss to the Saints.  It seems like “the best play-caller in the game could’ve managed to score at least once against a defense giving up almost 22 points/ game.  A loss alone will not land a team on the ”bad football” list, but not competing for an entire game on offense and playing completely uninspired for an entire game will.

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