When I went to journalism school in Northwestern in 2017, our class with media veteran J.A. Adande consisted of writing about topics of our own choice.
My most passionate paper that year was when I lobbied that Deshaun Watson should be the first quarterback taken in the 2017 NFL Draft. I later doubled down on Watson in a NFL Draft recap show us students created a few weeks later.
The National Championship-winning quarterback from Clemson has made me proud thus far.
His stats — 30 of 42, 280 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions — weren’t as flashy, thanks to a number of dumbfounding drops. But the result, a 31-24 win over the Chiefs in Kansas City, tell the real story.
As soon as Watson converted a 4th-and-3 on a gutsy pass to DeAndre Hopkins to seal the game, one thing was clear: Watson is an MVP candidate worthy of lofty comparisons to fellow new-wave superstars Patrick Mahomes and Russell Wilson.
While his moxie and leadership skills were already uncovered in college, it’s Watson’s pure passing skills that have kept the Texans in the mix in the AFC, despite having a slew of roster efficiencies like their offensive line.
The Texans head to Indianapolis next week, meaning we should know more about the division then. As admirable as Jacoby Brissett has played, he’s no Watson. But the Colts have the vastly superior team and the better head coach.
Good news for Houston — Watson produces when the chips are down, and stacked against his squad.
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For Kansas City, this is the second week in a row I featured their loss at the top my column. Two AFC South teams have beaten the Chiefs in Arrowhead Stadium last week, showcasing what we already knew about the 2018 AFC finalists — even Patrick Mahomes and this explosive offense will have trouble making the Super Bowl with this defense.
Even with a change at defensive coordinator — Steve Spagnuolo replacing Bob Sutton — and a slew of player additions — Frank Clark and Tyrann Mathieu — Kansas City’s defense remains futile.
Their inability to stop the run will only make things harder for them come January. Although this is a new era of football capable of producing a champion with a team of this nature, don’t bet on it. The Chiefs should and will explore the trade market for additions on defense this month.
LIFE AND FOOTBALL — THE GREAT SCHWARTZ INTERSECTION
Truth be told, basketball was my favorite sport until I was about 10 years old. I was also better at basketball than I was at football until I grew into my body around age 16 or 17.
But the moment I became hooked on football — which is basically the Schwartz family crest — was midway during the 1999 NFL season. I began watching after asking my Dad one simple question: “Who is our team?”
“The New England Patriots,” he responded, almost non-caring.
To be a Patriots fan was to barely care, at that point. Boston was a town ruled by the rich history of the the Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins.
I cared though. And I cared a lot, even though it all started on a whim.
Doug Flutie and the Buffalo Bills defeated the Patriots 17-7 in the first game I remember watching. The Patriots missed the postseason in 1999, and again in 2000, when they sported a measly 5-11 record under new head coach Bill Belichick.
But football quickly became my favorite sport to play and follow. I took in and processed all the information about the NFL that I could through Almanacs, Sports Illustrated issues, NFL preview magazines, Madden, and the internet back in the dial-up days — and that’s while I lived in Germany.
At one point during a holiday vacation to a resort in the Grand Canary Islands in December of 2000, I begged my dad to take me to the internet cafe so I could check the scores.
Unfortunately, my eagerness to learn was at a much higher level than the Patriots’ success.
That didn’t last long.
In September of 2001, a week after 9/11, the NFL resumed, and the 0-2 Patriots had dropped a close home game to the 2-0 New York Jets. But a major event happened — Tom Brady had replaced an injured Drew Bledsoe. And the rest was history.
I’d say three of New England’s six Super Bowl wins — Super Bowls 36, 49 and 51 — would make the top five of my favorite moments in life at this point, seeing as I am a 28-year-old, yet-to-be married dude who has no kids (yet).
Through the Patriots, I became ultra-close with my Dad’s mother, Grandma Schwartz, when she followed us to Jacksonville, North Carolina in 2005 after we moved there from Germany the year before.
I was often dropped off at her house during NFL Sundays — the first being a Patriots loss to the Panthers in 2005.
The most memorable moments with her were probably New England’s unbelievable upset over the Chargers in San Diego in the 2006 playoffs, and celebrating the Patriots clinching a 16-0 record together in their 2007 Week 17 win over the Giants. We even hugged with joy after the record-breaking Brady-to-Randy Moss score for the win.
The thing is, football brought our family closer. And although much of the Schwartz family were already Patriots fans, I do take credit (not fully) for spearheading the brigade, from when I became a fanatic. Soon, my Father, a UConn football alum who loved football but just casually enjoyed the NFL, was a huge Patriots fan. My mother became a fan, and my sister even ride or dies with the team.
Through football, my cousins Ryan, Brandon, Dylan and Kyle — who are basically like brothers — all love the game as much as I do, and we talk non-stop, almost each day, about the Patriots and the game.
The Patriots are so important to me that I could tell you where I was for just about every game since 2001. It’s insane. I remember those moments probably more than any other type of event in my life.
And the weirdest thing is, things seem to happen based on what has happened in my life. Of course this is probably all a coincidence, but it is weird that the Brady-Belichick era began JUST after I became interested in the sport.
And after a 10-year title drought, filled with SpyGate jokes and such, New England brought home the title on Malcolm Butler’s interception in Super Bowl 49, just three months after my Grandma Schwartz passed.
New England then won Super Bowl 51 just after my Grandpa Schwartz, another die-hard New England sports fan, passed away. That greatest-of-all-time comeback that cemented Brady as the greatest of all time, happened to be my year in J-School, and I covered the event that week down in Houston, even attending the press conference with Brady and Belichick the following morning.
Football has taught me about love, heartbreak, the importance of family and friends, and an arsenal of other lessons.
I suffered one bad adult breakup in my life, as we all do. Looking back, I’m obviously no longer sad as I was, but how bad as it was then, it was NOWHERE NEAR as sad as some of the Patriots biggest losses — the 2006 AFC Championship Game, Super Bowls 42, 46 and 52, etc.
But during those times, I was with family and/or the best of friends. And after ignoring sports media for a few days, I got back up on the horse, and looked forward to next season. I persevered, and my family was right there with me, ready for the new season.
Nowadays, I call my Dad after almost every game to discuss, even if he just likes talking to me, and can care less how well New England balanced the run and the pass.
As we enter the fall and winter once more, the Patriots are 6-0 and on track for a run at an unprecedented seventh title.
I’ll travel to both North Carolina and Dracut, Massachusetts, this Holiday season, as I have for the past few years. And I’ll enjoy the games with my immediate family, my extended family (shoutout to Uncle Kevin, Auntie Linda and the Dracut clan, which is like my second home, or home 1B) and with lifelong friends.
What a great tradition.
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I decided to write this section this weekend after dealing with the loss of my last childhood dog, Mickey.
To deal with the loss of a pet, one should try to look at the bright side, with all the memories you will forever have by sharing with the lovely creature. A lot of my memories will involve watching football with family, with Mickey hovering around, gleefully. So I remembered those times while also reading some of my favorite dog obituary columns by the great Peter King and Bill Simmons.
This is not meant to be an overly-somber cheesy memorial. Mickey was an awesome dog, and whatever lies after life on Earth, she’ll be there with her sister rat terrier pup, Spock — named by me, of course — waiting for the rest of us.
Mickey is no longer with us in a physical presence. Sometime in the way distant future, neither will my father, or even, me.
But the bond in our family created by the Patriots, and football, remains.
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Now without further ado, more fun and football. Here is my first take on the NFL MVP race this season:
NFL MVP RACE
This is my first ranking of NFL MVP candidates for 2019. I plan on including this section again after Week 9, Week 12 and then each week after Week 14.
1. Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle Seahawks. Wilson willed the Seahawks to wins over the Rams and Browns, and has officially ushered in Seattle’s new era under his leadership. His legacy will be defined by this era. This is a good start.
2. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers. Judging by voting in recent seasons, McCaffrey is probably slated for the OPOY award, but not the MVP. Voters like quarterbacks. There was a time when running backs often won this award.
3. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs. He has the offensive weapons, but his protection is waning, and his defense is still awful. He makes up for a lot.
4. Deshaun Watson, QB, Houston Texans. Even behind a lackluster offensive line, Watson keeps his cool, and delivers.
5. Jacoby Brissett, QB, Indianapolis Colts. Yeah, I said it. He has a great coach and team backing him, but Brissett was thrust into this spot after Andrew Luck’s retirement, and he’s kept the Colts’ playoff aspirations afloat. His stats are pretty, too. He belongs here.
Next up: Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings
THE BETTER HALF
1. New England Patriots (6-0) (Last week: 1). I somehow found myself in the middle of a heated Twitter debate on Sunday, defending Julian Edelman’s name to a portion of NFL Twitter that continues to dog him. It’s incredible that this happens on a Sunday in which New England wasn’t even playing. Listen, Edelman will likely have to play three more seasons, and would have to provide some more memorable moments to help win another Super Bowl or two, to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He just doesn’t have the regular season success. But the way in which football twitter places him as a system player not worthy of even top-25 receiver discussion at the moment — I believe Edelman is certainly in the top 20 right now, and was once a borderline top-10 pass catcher — is just nauseous.
Did they see his sweet move to beat a Giants double-team on Sunday?
Even in a game in which New England struggled on offense, and he was often doubled in coverage, Edelman hauled in nine catches for 115 yards on 15 targets. They don’t win any of these past three Super Bowls without him, and Brady’s play without him in the last few seasons is well-documented. He isn’t as good as Rob Gronkowski but he’s as equally — possibly more — important to this Patriots run of the 2010’s. He’s a major part of the offense. As it stands, New England should be searching for another receiver to add to their arsenal, but make no mistake — without Edelman, they’d be in much more trouble offensively.
2. New Orleans Saints (5-1) (Last week: 2). Another defensive-led win for the Saints. Teddy Bridgewater is solid, but when Drew Brees returns, the Saints know they may finally have the team and formula needed to win their second Super Bowl.
3. Green Bay Packers (4-1) (Last week: 5). Aaron Rodgers and the Packers defense should be able to squeeze by the Lions tonight.
4. Seattle Seahawks (5-1) (Last week: 6). Going west to east for an early kickoff is always going to be a tough one for the Seahawks. Thankfully, Russell Wilson pulled another one out of his hat. MVP?
5. San Francisco 49ers (5-0) (Last week: 10). They’re up top in the NFC despite semi-shaky play from Jimmy Garoppolo. That’s scary, because he’ll improve as we get farther away from the date of his brutal ACL injury. In the last two weeks, the defense has allowed a combined 10 points versus the star-studded offenses of the Browns and Rams.
6. Indianapolis Colts (3-2) (Last week: 8). The Colts move up during the bye week. They have perhaps the AFC’s most complete team.
7. Kansas City Chiefs (4-2) (Last week: 3). Patrick Mahomes is still Patrick Mahomes. But it appears even he can’t win a Super Bowl with this defense. Will they attempt to make some midseason changes?
8. Minnesota Vikings (4-2) (Last week: 16). Maybe a three-touchdown performance will temper Stefon Diggs’ desire to leave? Regardless, Kirk Cousins was awesome on Sunday, even if he was pitted against Philadelphia’s atrocious secondary.
9. Philadelphia Eagles (3-3) (Last week: 4). Their defense is holding them back. They need to swing a trade for Jalen Ramsey or Patrick Peterson, badly.
10. Los Angeles Rams (3-3) (Last week: 7). Yeah, they have issues. But I still think there’s a few more memorable moments to come in the Sean McVay-Jared Goff era. Let’s be patient. I think this tweet by a Rams beat reporter sums things up for now. But losing back-to-back games to NFC West opponents puts them squarely in the wild card race. I don’t think they’re winning the division.
11. Houston Texans (4-2) (Last week: NR). Big win for the Texans. They have a more important game next week in Indianapolis. A win over the Colts would put them 1.5 games ahed of Indy in the division.
12. Buffalo Bills (4-1) (Last week: 13). They have the second-best winning percentage in the AFC, and a laughable schedule the rest of the way. It’s time to start thinking of these Bills as the AFC’s No. 5 seed come January.
13. Dallas Cowboys (3-3) (Last week: 9). Three straight losses. All in ugly fashion. So much for the Dak Prescott MVP/new contract talk. If they lose at home to the Eagles on Sunday Night Football this week, they may fully spiral out of control. The talent is there. This is a perfect game for them to get back on track. Especially since it seems the NFC East may only send one playoff team.
14. Baltimore Ravens (4-2) (Last week: 14). Lamar Jackson and the Ravens have been sloppy after their two easy wins to begin the year. Had Ben Roethlisberger not gotten injured, I think the Steelers would take the AFC North. But with Ben’s injury and the Browns’ disastrous season, Baltimore should win the division. With that cushion, they should work on fixing their issues before January.
15. Chicago Bears (3-2) (Last week: 12). Other teams impressed this week, so they move down a few spots during their bye. They have a chance to move back up in a big way with a home bout with the Saints. They can win this.
16. Carolina Panthers (4-2) (Last week: NR). The Panthers have won five straight games with Kyle Allen, and have lost eight straight games with Cam Newton at the helm. Newton is certainly a better football player right now, but sometimes things just need to change. Allen is the hot hand, and Carolina should stick with him if he continues to play like this.
Next up: Detroit, Oakland, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Denver
No Guts No Glory 