Jerry Angelo is a former personnel director for the Bucs and former general manager of the Bears. Each week, Angelo answers your questions regarding the NFL. Send your questions to GarySheltonsports@gmail.com with "ask the expert'' in the subject line. The most interesting question will be selected.
Friday, 5 a.m.
Houston has put the talented J.J. Watt on injured reserve with a back injury. Will we see him at all this season, and if so, will he be as effective as ever. Most of all, can the Texans survive without him?
He may not return the rest of the season. This is not a good sign. Obviously, he still has symptoms and pain.
The Texans need to be very careful with him, because this is the type of injury that can linger and shorten his career. What are they without him is just a mediocre team.
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Watt is a difference-maker who can’t be replaced. His impact can’t be understated. They have gone from a potential playoff team, to a team that will fight to win 8 or 9 games.
It seems everyone is waiting to see if Julian Edelman plays quarterback. Would you like to see it? If so, how many yards would he throw for against Buffalo?
He can play quarterback. He was a QB in college.
I watched a lot of tape on him. He was a very good quarterback for Kent State. They won a lot of games because of him. He was more a runner than a passer, but could throw the ball well enough to keep defenses honest while defending him.
I have no clue how many yards he can throw for, nor do the Patriots. They will have a package in place that will feature him more out of the pocket, than in it.
Look for quarterback draws, play action and quick passes that will minimize him having to read coverages or throw over the pass rush and his offensive linemen.
Former Bucs receiver Austin Seferian-Jenkins is now a Jet. Will he grow up in time to help New York? And what does it say about the Bucs that they once had players such as Darrelle Revis, Michael Bennett, Donald Penn, LeGarrette Blount and Mark Barron who are still in the league?
Really, it says nothing other than the fact they didn’t work out for the Bucs. Sometimes you overpay a player and have to rid yourself of a his salary because he is not performing up to expectations (Revis, Penn). Other times you simply mis-evaluated the player (Bennett) and, lastly, sometimes players just don’t fit into the culture the coach wants for his locker room (Blount, Barron). As far as Seferian-Jenkins is concerned, he’s still a wild card. History says that guys like this don’t change and usually the verdict of their original team was the right one. He has talent and he knows this is it. Sometimes player have to have their backs to the wall, but injuries are hard to shake, once you’ve been labeled a "Chandelier."
Who would have been the Week Three Player of the Week?
Has to be the Trevor Siemian. He was playing on the road, and he's no longer an enigma in defensive coordinators' minds. He engineered drives that allowed the Broncos to a win a game by outscoring Cincinnati. I thought they’d lose, because the Bengals badly needed that win at home.
Which of the teams who are still unbeaten stands the greatest chance of losing this week: New England, Denver, Philadelphia, Minnesota or Baltimore?
Baltimore is clearly the weakest of the teams you’ve mentioned.
Colin Kaepernick says he’s much thinner than he was when he was good. We all know about players who have trouble keeping weight down, but how common is a player trying to keep weight on?
It’s much more common for players to have trouble keeping their weight down, than to hold it. Players consume a lot of food during the season and most of it is prepared by chefs and at no cost to them. Given their practice regimen is not nearly as strenuous as it once was. You don’t have to be a dietician to figure that one out.
Which of the teams who are winless stand the greatest chance of winning: Cleveland, Chicago, Jacksonville or New Orleans?
If I had to bet on one of them. I’d bet on the team that is the most desperate for a win. In the teams mentioned, Jacksonville would stand out to me. The coach is on a short lease. This is it for him. Either he shows big progress or he’s going to be casualty on the NFL highway.
Looking back, who was the biggest bust: Ryan Leaf, JaMarcus Russell or Johnny Manziel?
Pick your flavor on that one. They were all colossal busts. But being the number one overall pick in the draft probably gives you the edge on the other two. So, if you had to pick one, hw would be Russell, the Bengal tiger from LSU.
If you were general manager of the Bucs, how would you handle the Roberto Aguayo situation?
I’d be taking a big gulp of something. It’s one thing to stay with a rookie player who isn’t quite ready yet, like Noah Spence and bring him along. But this guy is your kicker. He’s going to dress each week and play. He can win or lose you a game based one his role!
What makes this situation tougher, he didn’t perform well during the preseason either. It isn’t fair to the team, coaches and fans to justify keeping a guy based on where he was drafted. The only thing worse than making a mistake, is trying to justify it. I’d probably sign another kicker (a veteran like a Robbie Gould) and give Aguayo sometime to collect himself. It may be different; if the Bucs were 3-0, but they're not! They need everyone who dresses on Sunday to do their job.
In Dallas, they seem to like the overstatement. The latest is that Dak Prescott is the new Roger Staubach. I don’t buy it yet. But how good a quarterback is Prescott?
You know, I really like this guy. He certainly has the “IT” factor, like a Staubach, you want at the position. Dak finds a way. He has incredible poise for a young quarterback. Nothing rattles him. He knows what to do with the ball and can keep drives alive with this legs or his arm. Time will tell, but right now he looks like a solution for the woeful boys in blue.
Today's franchise pick is an easy one: the New England Patriots. And no, we can’t pick Bill Belichick. Is their best-ever player:
a) Tom Brady
b) Jim Nance
c) John Hannah
d) Rob Gronkowski
e) Randy Moss
There it is. You listed them in the right order.
Jerry’s Picks
Denver at Tampa Bay
I see this as a must-win for the Bucs. They can’t lose another at home. This is Denver'a second road game in a row and again having to come two time zones to play.
Kansas City at Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh got embarrassed last week by little brother. I’m going with them at home.
Dallas at San Francisco
The Niners need a win. Dallas is feeling good, but their offense is not good enough to compensate for their drum and bugle defense.
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