Trending NFL Topics, Week of January 20, 2014

This may or may not become a regular column, but I thought I would give my two cents on a few of the interesting, hot topics that were discussed this week in the NFL. Hopefully, my take offers a fresh view and furthers the dialogue and conversation. 

The Juxtaposition of Richard Sherman
Richard Sherman—great  player, incredible personal story, but a bad show of sportsmanship in his post-game “interview” last week. As a teacher and a father, I wasn’t a fan of kids watching his rant and thinking that it would be cool to emulate.

That being said, a brash, arrogant NFL interview is fairly common, right? And in the heat of the moment right after securing a trip to the Super Bowl? Sherman’s reaction is almost understandable. The problem that so many people had was the personal nature Sherman took against Michael Crabtree.

And this is where I think he had an opportunity to diffuse the situation, but Sherman missed the boat. Sherman could have easily made amends while he was at the podium during the postgame press conference (after he was showered and dressed), but he took the opportunity to reiterate his opinion of Crabtree.

I like Sherman. I think he is smart, articulate, and insightful. I have enjoyed Sherman’s columns this season on Peter King’s MMQB.com. He raised some very valid points with Rachel Nichols this weekend in how society has changed semantics while keeping a hurtful, hateful message out in the open.

I like the fact that people, the casual fan especially, now knows Sherman and his story. I wish it would have been through different circumstances, but his story is being shared.

Eliminating the Extra Point
Eliminating the extra point is too extreme of a change. Yes, this is an automatic play (99.5 percent conversion rate over the last three NFL seasons), but the proposals being suggested alter the game, and its history, too drastically.

It is interesting how the extra point has evolved in professional football. The extra point in football has its origins from rugby and its “try.” In early American football, the touchdown garnered no points, but it only allowed a team a “try” at points. That is where the try after came into play. This was eventually phased out of the game.

Early American football, even after the change above, emphasized the kicking game—touchdowns were four worth points, extra points were worth two points, and field goals were worth five points. The game was predicated on kicking the ball; hence, the name football.

I say keep the extra point, but make it more challenging by spotting the ball for a 47 yard try. This keeps specialists on rosters and allows the kicker to become more valuable. Plus, it still provides me an opportunity to go to the bathroom during the game without missing much action.

Ravens’ Offensive Coordinator Search Will Conclude Monday
This job search is teetering on the brink of dragging on too long. Hopefully the reports are true and an announcement will come tomorrow.

The Ravens need a breath of innovation and creativity blown into the offensive side of the ball. Kyle Shanahan would provide that fresh perspective; however, he does come with some baggage and I am not sure if he is the right person for the job.

Jim Hostler, right or wrong, represents the bland, vanilla past. He has done well in developing the wide receivers in his time with the Ravens—Torrey Smith has grown every year he has been with the team, Marlon Brown became more than a developmental player this year, and even Derrick Mason endorsed his coaching. The question remains if he can make the necessary changes this offense needs.  

The bigger question I have is what are the Ravens planning to do about adding a quarterback coach. Are they even planning this move? If so, who are the candidates?

Mel Kiper Regrades the 2013 Ravens’ Draft
You need an ESPN Insider account to read the whole article, but Mel Kiper has a column up that regrades the 2103 draft. His original post-draft grade for the Ravens was an A-, but his new grade is a B-.

I am not a fan of grading drafts this soon into the process as it takes three years to really see the impact of a draft class. However, in a year that the Ravens needed their rookie class to contribute, they received next to nothing in production. Matt Elam is the only rookie who actually played significantly. Arthur Brown and Brandon Williams were expected to be key reserves, if not push to become starters, yet they played sparingly. John Simon and Kyle Juszczyk were special teamers only. Ricky Wagner was an extra lineman in jumbo packages only. Kapron Lewis-Moore, Ryan Jensen, and Aaron Mellette were injury scratches. Marc Anthony didn’t even make the team.

A grade of a B- is generous.

Pro Bowl
I like my fantasy football the way it is, thank you very much.