15 NFL Players Who Need to Turn It Around Before It's Too Late
Father Time is undefeated. Peyton Manning is now facing that reality.
The Denver Broncos had no choice but to replace Manning with Brock Osweiler, as Joe Posnanski of NBC Sports believes that a reported torn plantar fascia could end Manning's Hall of Fame career. A team seen as a Super Bowl contender back in September is now handing over its offense to a man most fans wouldn't recognize if he knocked on their front door.
We've seen a number of power shifts throughout the NFL this season. The NFC's top team has put the rest of the conference on notice. But a familiar face is ruling over the AFC as the holiday season approaches.
There are two different types of NFL players who need to turn things around before it's too late. Some will be looking to find the best version of themselves as they prepare for postseason action. Others may be playing to save their jobs.
The final stretch of regular-season games is upon us. It's the most wonderful time of the year.
Eli Manning
1 of 15
The New York Giants may be the most frustrating team in the NFL. New York is a 5-5 side that could be 7-3, 8-2 or even 9-1. Clock-management issues turned a New York win into a loss in Week 1 against the Dallas Cowboys. Those problems reemerged in the fourth quarter of the Giants' loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday.
This is inexcusable.
Quarterback Eli Manning is a two-time Super Bowl MVP. Tom Coughlin is a two-time Super Bowl champion coach. Manning, Coughlin and the offensive coaching staff should be able to come up with a remedy before the Giants return from the bye week.
The Giants are fortunate to be the leaders of the awful NFC East. Manning is the only QB in the division who has ever hoisted the Vince Lombardi Trophy. It will be a massive disappointment if Manning can't turn the Giants offense around in the final six games of the campaign.
Drew Brees
2 of 15
According to Christopher Dabe of the Times-Picayune, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees had some instructions for his teammates heading into the bye week after a disappointing loss to the Washington Redskins. While that is great leadership from Brees, the veteran would do well to use the time off for some reflection on his own recent play.
Brees has been intercepted at least once in each of his last four games (h/t ESPN). He completed 19 of 28 pass attempts for 209 yards, a pair of touchdowns and a pair of interceptions in the loss to the Redskins.
Brees is going to have to carry the New Orleans offense if the 4-6 Saints are to compete for a playoff berth. He and the Saints need to turn things around starting with their Nov. 29 game against the Houston Texans, and not just for this year.
Brees is nearing the end of a tremendous career. He will be 37 years old in January. This may be the last time that Brees has a realistic shot at playing meaningful postseason football.
Jeremy Hill
3 of 15
The woes of Cincinnati Bengals running back Jeremy Hill were documented by Chris Zolli of Fantasy Pros after Cincinnati lost to the Houston Texans on Monday night.
"Jeremy Hill ran for only 15 yards on seven carries for the Bengals against the Texans, moving his scoreless streak to three games. Hill is also without a touchdown rush for five straight games and has 359 rushing yards this season.
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"Hill has been a waste this season for fantasy owners after leading the NFL in rushing yards in the second half of the 2014 season. He has two games with multiple rushing touchdowns this season, but has not run for more than 63 yards in any game this season.
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The harsh reality of the situation is that it may already be too late for Hill to turn things around in terms of the amount of touches he will get during games. Cincinnati has no reason to not go with Giovani Bernard as the team's first-choice back. Hill could change that, but only by producing on the field.
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Mark Sanchez
4 of 15
According to the current rules of the NFL, a team has to enter the playoffs as the winner of the NFC East. That team could be the Philadelphia Eagles when the dust settles.
NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reported on Nov. 16 that Philadelphia quarterback Sam Bradford could miss at least two games because of an injured shoulder and a concussion. Enter Mark Sanchez, who has had quite the roller-coaster career with the New York Jets and now the Eagles.
Forget the conversations about Sanchez's long-term future for now. Philadelphia head coach Chip Kelly may feel that he has no choice but to stick with Sanchez if the former "Sanchize" goes 2-0 in a pair of starts.
The Eagles are a half-game out of first place in the division behind the New York Giants. Philadelphia will end the campaign with games against the Washington Redskins and the Giants. Sanchez could prove to be the spark the Eagles need during this critical part of the season.
Blaine Gabbert
5 of 15
Second chances in life are not always easy to come by. It would have been understandable if Blaine Gabbert believed that he was going to be nothing but a career backup quarterback following his unsuccessful stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars. But Gabbert's career has been resurrected now that he has replaced Colin Kaepernick for the San Francisco 49ers.
How long this second life will last will be determined.
Head coach Jim Tomsula has not yet committed to naming Gabbert his new full-time starting QB, per Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group. That makes every game a potential one-and-done affair in which Gabbert could play himself out of the lineup and maybe even off the 49ers roster.
Gabbert is not only trying to turn things around for the struggling 49ers. He is attempting to save his career.
Duke Johnson and Isaiah Crowell
6 of 15
The hot takes about the Cleveland Browns' quarterback situation have been flowing for years. That is only going to continue now that Johnny Manziel has been given the opportunity to start for the Browns for the remainder of the season.
Anybody who has followed the 2015 Browns knows that neither Manziel nor journeyman veteran Josh McCown has been the problem for the team's offense. Not even close.
The Cleveland rushing attack has been lackluster and just about nonexistent at times during the campaign. Duke Johnson Jr. is averaging three yards per carry in his first NFL season. Isaiah Crowell is currently at 3.1 yards a run (h/t ESPN). Crowell's net contribution against the Pittsburgh Steelers last Sunday was a loss of five yards.
Cleveland cut ties with running back Terrance West after a single season. Given that, there's no reason to think that Johnson or Crowell will be safe from the chopping block in the offseason if they can't manage to turn things around.
Russell Wilson
7 of 15
Things change quickly in the NFL. Earlier in 2015, the Seattle Seahawks were literally a yard away from repeating as Super Bowl champions. Now, with Thanksgiving Day approaching, the Seahawks are a 4-5 team that has become vulnerable at home and is three games behind the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC West.
Scott Davis of Business Insider sees quarterback Russell Wilson as one of the problems that has plagued Seattle this season.
"While Seattle has plenty of concerns, Wilson's regression this season is alarming. Wilson is on pace for a career high in passing yards, and his completion percentage is up, but his numbers have fallen in plenty of other places. His touchdown percentage is 3.8%, down from 4.4% last year. His yards per completion are down slightly, his passer rating and QB rating are down, while his interception and sack percentages are up considerably.
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Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports recently pointed to the QB's woes in the pocket. What can an undersized QB who isn't gaining additional height do about this? Drew Brees has provided the blueprint for shorter QBs, and it comes down to locating and sometimes even creating throwing windows. Johnny Manziel is learning this with each week that he plays.
Wilson can and hopefully will find instances of when he should have remained in the pocket longer when he is reviewing game film. Learning from those hours of film study is the first step in the Super Bowl champion turning things around. Not throwing an interception for the first time in four games would also help his cause (h/t ESPN).
Kirk Cousins
8 of 15
Quarterback Kirk Cousins is in an interesting position at the moment. He is the starting QB for a Washington Redskins team that is only one win behind the New York Giants in the NFC East. Cousins is also, as explained by Liz Clarke of the Washington Post, playing to secure a big contract from the Redskins or a different team in the offseason.
Cousins needs to show the Redskins and other potential suitors that he has turned a corner. Lighting up the awful defense of the New Orleans Saints at home is, of course, a positive for Cousins. Can he do it against the Carolina Panthers? Can Cousins beat the Giants, Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys in must-win games? We'll have the answers to those questions come January.
Those answers will determine where Cousins plays in 2016.
A lack of consistency has been a problem for Cousins this year (h/t ESPN). He tossed three touchdowns in a winning effort against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but then had a woeful outing against a New England Patriots defense that nearly gave a game away to the New York Giants this past weekend. Gaining confidence could be all that Cousins needs to do to alleviate this problem.
Then again, such up-and-down play could be a sign that Cousins is merely a career backup who can't guide the Redskins to the postseason in 2015.
Jay Cutler
9 of 15
Don't look now, but quarterback Jay Cutler and the Chicago Bears may already be turning things around. Chicago has picked up back-to-back road victories against the San Diego Chargers and St. Louis Rams. And in his past three games, Cutler has tossed six touchdown passes and only one interception (h/t ESPN).
That's a solid start, but there is plenty of work left to be done for Cutler and the Bears. A 4-5 record is good enough to keep an NFC team in the wild-card hunt right now, and Chicago has games against the Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers looming ahead. All three of those teams are dealing with significant setbacks at the moment.
Imagine, if you will, a world in which Cutler and the Bears are 6-5 at the start of December. It could happen, and that potential four-game winning streak could represent Chicago making a serious push toward the postseason.
Ryan Tannehill
10 of 15
Those running the Miami Dolphins would have been foolish to expect quarterback Ryan Tannehill to match Tom Brady throw-for-throw. With that said, they were probably hoping that Tannehill would be the second-best QB in the AFC East. That has not been the case for much of 2015, and the Dolphins are currently the only team in the division below .500 at 4-5.
CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora had some harsh words about Tannehill while appearing on 560 WQAM program Hochman, Crowder and Krantz:
"He’s a young, developmental quarterback. You’re hoping he doesn’t lose you games most weeks. He’s not gonna come out and win you too many. He’ll be a function of what’s around him by and large, and that includes coaching and personnel and playcalling and all of that. He’s not going to be a guy who can make you transcend your other limitations to win football games and there aren’t a whole lot of those guys on the planet who do do that most Sundays. To me he’s in that sort of third tier of guys.
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Tannehill has been a mixed bag in 2015. He tossed four touchdowns against the Houston Texans but was then kept out of the end zone by the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills. Tannehill was solid, not great, against the Philadelphia Eagles last Sunday (h/t ESPN).
The Dolphins are in the wild-card race following a victory over the Eagles. Tannehill being just good enough during the second half of the season may not be good enough for the Dolphins. La Canfora's words can serve as bulletin board material for Tannehill, not that the QB should need the extra motivation this fall.
Andrew Luck
11 of 15
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck is banged up. It is not known exactly how long Luck will be sidelined because of a lacerated kidney and a partial tear of an abdominal muscle. Head coach Chuck Pagano, per Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star, believes that Luck has to make changes to his style of play to avoid these injuries.
"We're going to talk every day until he figures it out and we figure it out as a team. He knows full well that he can't do that. He can't put himself and this team in jeopardy. You love the grit, and you love the toughness and all that stuff. But playing the position like a linebacker? You can't.
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Luck will not just be tasked with taking fewer risks in games when he returns to the field. The fate of the 2015 Colts will be on Luck's shoulders. Indianapolis and the Houston Texans are tied atop the AFC South standings at 4-5. The Jacksonville Jaguars are right there at 3-6.
The hope for the Colts is that they won't be too far behind when Luck is healthy enough to play.
Aaron Rodgers
12 of 15
Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers have hit a low point in their season. Green Bay has lost three straight games. The Packers are coming off of a home defeat to a Detroit Lions side that was the worst team in the NFL at the start of the game. The Minnesota Vikings (7-2) have replaced the Packers (6-3) atop the NFC North.
ESPN's Rob Demovsky offered a few potential reasons for why Rodgers, who has lost three straight games for the first time since taking over for Brett Favre, is struggling. Among them are speculations about Rodgers' health and personal life, as well as a suggestion that Rodgers is missing the injured Jordy Nelson.
Those fretting over the Packers should take some advice from Mr. Rodgers: R-E-L-A-X. Rodgers has, after all, thrown six touchdowns and one interception in his last eight quarters (h/t ESPN).
Yes, the Packers have noticeable holes on both sides of the football. Unless Rodgers had his powers taken from him by the Monstars of Space Jam fame, he remains the best quarterback in the division and maybe the best overall QB in the NFL. Green Bay defeating the Vikings in Minnesota on Nov. 22 would put the Packers right back in first place in the division.
However, a loss this coming Sunday could be disastrous for the Packers.
Green Bay failing to defeat the Vikings would not just put the Packers back an additional game in the NFC North race. It could also, depending on other results around the conference, negatively affect the club's wild-card hopes. The time for Rodgers to turn things around for the Packers is now.
Johnny Manziel
13 of 15
Jay Glazer of Fox Sports broke the news on Tuesday morning that Johnny Manziel will be the starting quarterback of the Cleveland Browns for the "rest of the season."
It was the move that head coach Mike Pettine had to make.
Manziel has visibly improved in each of his appearances this season. He had what was, to date, the best outing of his NFL career against the Pittsburgh Steelers this past Sunday. After a disastrous start that saw him lose the ball on the first play from scrimmage, he finished the afternoon with 372 passing yards and a touchdown. He also completed over 70 percent of his pass attempts.
Manziel has a long journey ahead of him to prove to the Browns that he has turned things around. He must continue to show that he can consistently play in the pocket. While he will make mistakes like every young QB, Manziel must not regress. There are also concerns about Manziel's off-field activities that he has to eliminate.
Manziel is not leading the 2015 Browns to the playoffs. The objectives in front of him are nevertheless daunting:
- Improve on the field.
- Stay out of trouble off the field.
- Make a case to be the starting QB of the Browns in 2016.
- Potentially save the jobs of general manger Ray Farmer and Pettine.
- Convince the Browns that the team should not spend a first-round draft pick on a QB next spring.
It's officially Johnny Football time in Cleveland, for better or worse.
Jason Pierre-Paul
14 of 15
Jason Pierre-Paul owes the New York Giants—big time. The man who was supposed to be a mainstay on the defensive line of the Giants for the majority of the 2015 NFL season was sidelined because of a fireworks accident that occurred over the Fourth of July weekend. That regrettable incident cost Pierre-Paul normal use of his right hand and millions of dollars.
Pierre-Paul is now, as explained by ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk, relearning how to play defensive end:
"Pierre-Paul started Sunday's game against the New England Patriots wearing a glove before switching back to the oversized, mitten-like club on his right hand, which was injured during a July 4 fireworks accident.
Pierre-Paul finished with one quarterback hit and one batted-down pass in the 27-26 loss.
"I feel more comfortable with the club," Pierre-Paul said when asked about the switch. "Time is everything. Soon I will be playing with the glove.
"I just felt like going with the club," he added.
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Pierre-Paul may never again be the force up front that he was before the accident. He now has to prove to the Giants that he has a future playing in the NFL past the 2015 season. The Giants defense, which has been a liability this campaign, could certainly use the help.
Peyton Manning
15 of 15
Peyton Manning has been a shell of his former self this season. The 39-year-old, who already has a spot reserved for him in the Hall of Fame, has been a liability for the Denver Broncos during games. Manning has matched nine touchdown passes with 17 interceptions in nine games (h/t ESPN).
No, that is not a misprint.
We now know that Brock Osweiler will be filling in for Manning for some time as the future Hall of Famer attempts to recover from a torn plantar fascia. The only way that Manning can come close to turning things around is if he waits until he is as recovered as he is going to get at this stage of his career. From there, Manning will have to realize that his arm isn't what it once was.
The Sheriff just can't fit throws into tight windows like he could a few years ago.
The Denver Broncos have a championship defense that may just be the best in the NFL. And over the next few weeks, the Broncos might have to decide whether or not Osweiler gives them the best chance to win right now. If that does occur, the best way Manning can help the Broncos turn things around will be to gracefully hand the reins over to his understudy.
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