Even if Drew had stayed for year 21 years, Monday’s game would be missing a future Hall of Fame QB in Russell Wilson. The Seahawks QB is out with an injury.
It won’t feature two of the NFL’s best young wide receivers. The Seahawks have DK Metcalf, but Michael Thomas is on the shelf with an injury. It also won’t have its matchup of two backs from the 2017 draft. Alvin Kamara is in action for the Saints, but Chris Carson will miss with an injury. Seattle’s running back is working toward his third 1,000-yard season in the last four years.
But the game will feature two quarterbacks trying to rewrite their legacies. Jameis Winston went into the year as an NFL starter, so his legacy is a little different than Geno Smith’s. He entered the year as Seattle’s backup QB, a role he’s primarily held on NFL rosters since 2015. But both players have two stats they would like to move down the ladder in people’s conscience.
The more Jameis plays and wins, the greater the separation from the 2019 season where he threw those well-discussed 30 interceptions (along with 33 touchdowns). I hope he does that, and I believe he will.
Geno’s resume is a little more difficult to cast away. His struggles weren’t confined to any specific season, but throughout a career that started with the New York Jets in 2013. In his 8 NFL season, Geno’s thrown for 31 touchdowns; the fans of his teams will more likely remember the 37 interceptions. Jameis can probably relate to that feeling.
But what we do have for tonight, besides a weather system called a “bomb cyclone,” is Sean Payton vs. Pete Carroll.
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Sorry, tangent alert.
A bomb cyclone … really? It’s described as a series of systems arriving off the Pacific coast bringing rain and gusty winds. The word bomb refers to what is known by meteorologists as bombogenesis. Bombogenesis is a midlatitude cyclone that sees rapid intensification over a 24-hour period and a significant drop in atmospheric pressure. Any of that sound familiar? Rapid intensification and significant drop in atmospheric pressure.
I mean, Bomb? There’s no better name? I spent 30-seconds on a thesaurus and already came up with “bombshell formation.” You don’t think teasing bombshell formation would get viewers and listeners to stick around. And I’ve already applied for the bombshell formation patent. I also think it’s a cruel welcome to the northwest for the Louisiana blue roofers still recovering from Hurricane Ida.
I’m sure new Saints kicker Brian Johnson, kicking in his first NFL game, is saying to himself: Heck, I could have kicked in Chicago and had better than this.
One last tangent, before I return to the title of this column.
I’d like to request that Brian Johnson find a way to trade for a number with someone on the practice squad. I can’t look down at a No. 6 kicker anymore. My confidence is too shaken. A number once heralded as a sign of success and confidence when worn by punter Thomas Morstead is now like a series of restaurants failing in the same location. The NFL says he can wear anything from 1-19, but in the top 10, his only real choices are 8 and 9. Those would be the jerseys of Archie Manning and Drew Brees, so those are clearly off-limits.
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So he’ll have to buy one of the jerseys on the practice squad, or just take 19, I think that’s open. It worked for Johnny Unitas. I realize Wil Lutz is waiting in the wings, and this will all be moot, but we need a kicker now, and a new number seems paramount.
Let’s see, where was I?
Oh yeah, Payton vs. Pete.
The similarities and contrasts of these two coaches is quite striking. Payton is a Midwest guy; Pete is a northern California native. Payton is offense, Pete is defense. Payton is a little bit country and rock and roll. I don’t know about Carroll. Payton has 146 regular season victories, while Pete has 147. Pete’s mark includes his time as head coach of the New England Patriots and New York Jets, but still one game apart as far as regular season victories.
Coincidence? Of course. Payton’s postseason record is 9-8 and Carroll’s is 11-10. Despite amazing success, both have just one Lombardi Trophy. Both coaches have led their teams to the playoffs in each of the last three years. Only two other teams can say that.
On the NFL’s all-time head coach leaders for victories, Sean Payton is No. 5 and Pete Carroll is No. 4. (Sean always gets top billing). And finally, they are the prime-time teams. Since 2006, the Saints are 36-19 in prime-time, which is good for No. 3 in the NFL. But wait, Seattle is 36-14 during prime-time, the best in the league.
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All that ends up to a simple conclusion: Monday Night Football should be exciting in Week 7.
A bombogenesis big bash. Speaking of which, I need to do a couple of things. The first is turn up the heat. It’s in the 40’s here, cold and damp, so the heat has been on since I arrived. I need to go check my traveling barometer attached to my hotel room window. I record pressure readings every hour and send them back to former WWL weather colleague Laura Buchtel who replies, no matter what I send, that I’m wrong.
And all is right with the world.