San Francisco 49ers
Week two concluded in the NFL with more of the status quo. Not as many shockers this week as there were in week one. It's a matter of opinion really. Here's more of mine opinions on week two in the NFL:
The Good
-49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is finally healthy and earning the massive contract. He completed 68% of his passes for 297 yards and three touchdowns against the Bengals. If he keeps this up, the 49ers will be a playoff contender. That NFC West will also be a division race to watch
-Falcons receiver Julio Jones took a 4th&3 reciever screen pass 54 yards to the house for the game winining touchdown. Analytics say he hit 20mph on his run to the end zone. Julio proved why he's considered the best reciever in the league and well deserving of the highest paid reciever in the league distinction as well.
-Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson had another great game. 272 yards passing on 65% passing with two touchdowns, another 120 yards rushing, while taking only two sacks and no turnovers. not too bad for a guy some thought would only survive as a reciever.
The Bad
-Cardinals rookie quarterback Kyler Murray threw for 349 yards...and they still lost. Being one of two rookie quarterbacks to throw for more than 300 yards in his first two games. This would be more celebrated had they won. Being 0-1-1 isn't going to save or torpedo his season, but putting up record number on a bad team is kind of like the tree falling in the woods with no one around.
-The ending of the Bears/Broncos game was terrible. Penalties, clock issues, blown chances, and a 4th&15 conversion. The only good thing that came out of it was the Bears apparently found a kicker in Eddie Pineiro as he kicked a 53 yard game winner. All of this in a 16-14 game between two 0-1 teams trying to avoid 0-2.
-The Chargers/Lions game ended in a 13-10 Lions win, and there was only one score in the second half when Matt Stafford hit Kenny Golladay for a touchdown midway through the third quater. One would think teams featuring Stafford and Phillip Rivers at quarterback would be capable of putting up more than 23 combined points.
The Ugly
-Quarterbacks are dropping like flies! Jags Nick Foles (IR designated to return), Steelers Ben Roethlisberger (season ending elbow surgery), and Saints Drew Brees (out six weeks with thumb surgery) are all out significant time due to injuries. Jags ans Steelers may be done, but the Saints have an outside shot to make the playoffs. Somebody wrap Deshaun Watson in bubble wrap please.
-Obligatory "Dolphins suck" post: The Dolphins lost 43-0 to the Patriots. They ran four less plays, got outgained by 97 yards, and gave up seven sacks. The average score of a Dolphin game after two weeks is 51-5. Maybe they will be historically bad.
-Eli Manning is in the last year of his contract with the Giants. The Giants are seemingly going to let him play it out even though 1sr round pick Daniel Jones is waiting in the wings.Eli has looked like a shell of himself and Jones is coming off a fairly impressive preseason. This has people calling for Manning's exit and Jones' entrance. Hard to see a two time Super Bowl winner being run out of town.
This was a quarterback heavy recap. Given that the NFL is a quarterback driven league, it's not surprising. Hopefully week three brings us some better performances, more stunning results, and a hit on a parlay (thanks for nothing Chargers/Lions). Although, I did enjoy some of the closer contested games. Overall it was another week of NFL football, of which, we have every weekend until the first Sunday in February. Let's enjoy it while we have it.
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With the Astros now officially ten games under .500 for the season, manager Joe Espada is taking a lot of heat from the fanbase for the team's struggles.
While we don't agree with the sentiment, we even hear fans clamoring for the return of Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado, thinking the Astros wouldn't be in this mess if they were still here.
Which is ridiculous. First of all, Maldonado has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .048 (even worse than Jose Abreu's .065). And for those of you that think his work with the pitching staff justifies his pathetic offense. Let me say this: Where was Maldy's game calling genius for Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez last year? All of them regressed significantly.
And as far as Baker is concerned, we have no idea how much a difference he would make, we can only speculate. Baker would also be dealing with a pitching staff ravaged with injuries. And let's not forget, Baker was the guy that refused to move Jose Abreu down in the batting order, even though he would finish the regular season with the ninth-worst OPS in baseball.
The reality of the situation is managers can only do so much in baseball. Which leads us to something else that needs to be considered. Is Espada being handcuffed by the front office? Espada and GM Dana Brown both said recently that Jon Singleton was going to get more at-bats while they give Abreu time off to try to figure things out. Yet, there Abreu was in the lineup again in the opening game of the Cubs series.
It makes us wonder how much power does Espada truly have? The Astros have some other options at first base. Yainer Diaz may only have eight games played at the position, but how much worse could he be than Abreu defensively? Abreu already has four errors, and Diaz is obviously a way better hitter. Victor Caratini isn't considered a plus offensive player, but his .276 batting average makes him look like Babe Ruth compared to Abreu. Let him catch more often and play Diaz at first. Starting Diaz at first more often could also lengthen his career long-term.
Maybe that's too wild of a move. Okay, fine. How about playing Mauricio Dubon at first base? I understand he doesn't have much experience at that position, but what's the downside of trying him there? If he can play shortstop, he can play first base. He's driving in runs at a higher rate (11 RBIs) than everyone on the team outside of Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. And he's producing like that as part-time player right now.
The other criticism we see of Espada is his use of Jon Singleton to pinch hit late in games. Let's be real, though, who else does Espada have on the roster to go to? Batting Abreu late in games in which you're trailing should be considered malpractice. Espada can only use who he has to work with. This all really stems from the Astros poor farm system.
They don't have anyone else to turn to. The draft picks the club lost from the sign-stealing scandal are really hurting them right now. First and second rounders from 2020 and 2021 should be helping you in 2024 at the big league level.
Maybe they go to Astros prospect Joey Loperfido soon, but after a hot start he has only two hits in his last six games.
Finally, we have to talk about what seems like a committee making baseball decisions. Lost in a committee is accountability. Who gets the blame for making poor decisions?
As time continues to pass it looks like moving on from former GM James Click was a massive mistake. He's the guy that didn't sign Abreu, but did trade Myles Straw (recently DFA'd) for Yainer Diaz and Phil Maton. He also built an elite bullpen without breaking the bank, and helped the club win a World Series in 2022.
The reality of the situation is Dusty Baker and James Click are not walking back through that door. And all good runs come to an end at some point. Is this what we're witnessing?
Don't miss the video above as we hit on all the points discussed and much more!
Catch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) with Charlie Pallilo, Brandon Strange, and Josh Jordan. We drop two episodes every week on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel. You can also listen on Apple Podcast, Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.