Kelvin Benjamin is not a number 1 receiver but that's ok

Kelvin Benjamin is not a true number 1 NFL wide receiver in my opinion. Benjamin is not a burner, does not have the best hands and is lazy in his route running. That does not mean that the Carolina Panthers can't get some use out of Benjamin.

Kelvin Benjamin can be a good move the chains possession receiver using his size to box out defenders, especially in the red zone. If all the negative attention Kelvin Benjamin is getting for being overweight motivates him then all the better.

Some Panthers fans will defend Kelvin Benjamin to the death or even longer! Yes Benjamin had a bad knee injury and yes his states look ok to the naked eye. I just don't think KB is a legit number one wide receiver and I also don't think it matters very much.

Cam Newton had the best season of his career and won the NFL MVP without Kelvin Benjamin and a true number one wide receiver. Greg Olsen is the key target in the passing game and now with the rookie additions the Panthers

The Panthers want to try to incorporate some of the Patriots offense into their own playbook. The Patriots offense really looks like a West Coast offense to me with lots of short, quick throws. This helps a quarterback prevent being hit so often and negates to a degree a bad offensive line.

The big question is how Cam Newton will adapt to that style of offense, after missing a lot of off season time recovering from a late shoulder surgery. Cam also is not the most accurate short passer and may break some fingers with his fastball on short throws. I think Cam is better suited to a Norv Turner offense with deep drops and long, deep throws.

That being said I have seen Cam play some of his best football when the Panthers speed him up in the hurry up offense. If they do some of that with the short throws, then Cam could do well in this offense despite not having a true number one wide receiver.

Photo By Keith Allison - Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=35800679

Texans show some heart in loss to Patriots

I was impressed a little by the Houston Texans a little in their loss to the New England Patriots. The Texans played hard and made a game of it longer than I thought they would. I think the Texans are a quarterback away from being a Super Bowl contender.

The Texans overpaid for Osweiler and I saw it coming. If the Broncos though Osweiler was a franchise quarterback they would have tagged him. Osweiler got his feelings hurt in Denver and didn't want to play there anymore. The fact that the Broncos let him walk told me all I need to know about him.

Rumors of the Texans coaching staff being in trouble should be just crazy talk. Yes Houston won a weak division and beat an Oakland team in the playoffs who didn't have a quarterback. But I think the Texans coaches have done a good job with what they have to work with.

Can rookie Dak Prescott take the Cowboys to the Super Bowl

Can Dak Prescott take the Dallas Cowboys to the Super Bowl? That is the question and the answer is yes he can. But will he? Prescott has only had a few rookie moments after replacing the then injured Tony Romo.



The Cowboys defense is playing better than expected and that will help the Cowboys rookie quarterback to try to take Dallas to the promised land. The big help of course if that great Cowboys offensive line.




Oh yeah in addition to the Cowboys offensive line they also have another rookie player. Ezekiel Elliot will be a huge factor in the Cowboys Super Bowl hunt if he don't hit a rookie wall. Elliott has played well and a dynamic running back can take a lot of pressure off of Dak Prescott and the rest of the Cowboys offense.

Photo   By Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA - Jason Garrett, Dak Prescott, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=51527647