“No Fun League”? C’mon.
The NFL isn’t perfect. Never has been, never will be.
(And it definitely needs to stop touting any player safety successes when its officials still don’t effectively protect non-quarterbacks from dangerous helmet-to-helmet hits even while passers draw flags any time defenders hurt their feelings).
But I digress.
The league is flourishing — my colleague Mike Jones nicely laid out its resurrection (as well as its still-lingering issues) in his latest column.
The NFL has been fun in 2018. Very fun. Here are 32 reasons why:
1. Points, points and more points. Through six weeks, we’ve witnessed 504 touchdowns and 4,489 points, both league records to this point.
2. Despite all that scoring, competitive balance remains as strong as ever. So far, 54 games have been decided by one score, tied for most ever through six weeks. Twelve of those games have been won on the final play.
2a. And how about the scads of free football? Never before has there been at least one overtime game every weekend through a season’s first six weeks.
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3. James Conner would prefer you not ask him about being a cancer survivor anymore. Maybe just ask him about helping the Steelers survive Le’Veon Bell’s absence. Conner has delivered just about on a weekly basis, his seven TDs trailing only Todd Gurley (11) and Melvin Gordon (9).
4. Conner even delivered a newborn football when teammate JuJu Smith-Schuster unexpectedly went into labor after scoring a TD in Week 5. Smith-Schuster has not yet taken paternity (maternity?) leave.
5. Jon Gruden is back. And while Chucky may not be having all that much fun himself, the league’s most facially expressive coach hasn’t lost a, well, step (?) and is still refreshingly baring his soul after each Raiders loss. We especially appreciate Gruden’s repeated willingness to bemoan Oakland’s pass rush.
6. Speaking of which, the NFL is more fun when the Chicago Bears are relevant — particularly when they’re led by a tone-setting linebacker. Like Khalil Mack. (Thanks again, Gruden.)
7. Ryan Fitzpatrick is raiding DeSean Jackson’s locker to get his Conor McGregor on.
8. Conor McGregor is raiding Jerry Jones’ closet, then failing to get his Ryan Fitzpatrick on.
9. Keke Coutee (pronounced Key Key Cutey). Houston’s rookie slot receiver now owns the league’s most fun name … but maybe only as long as Phillip Supernaw remains unemployed.
10. NFL Films is doing highlights for Showtime’s Inside the NFL … using vintage 20th Century NFL Films highlight music. Check it out. Pretty sweet.
11. You did it, Saquon Barkley, somehow managing to justify all those ridiculous Barry Sanders comparisons.
12. Cleveland is no longer the Factory Of Sadness. Unlike Ohio in general, the NFL is better off with this particular manufacturing site shuttered.
13. The Browns even have a franchise quarterback. Finally. Presumably. And Baker Mayfield sure is fun to watch and will probably re-purpose that old factory to start mass-producing playoff berths soon enough.
14. The Jets also have a franchise quarterback. Finally. Presumably. And Sam Darnold may yet replace Peyton Manning as the NFL’s most prolific letter writer — though Sam pens his thoughts to J-E-T-S fans, not retiring passers.
15. Patrick Mahomes probably has the strongest arm in the land, and it’s a delight to watch his weekly exploits.
16. Yet even if he tried, we’re not sure Mahomes could actually overthrow Tyreek Hill, who already has 14 career TDs that cover at least 50 yards. BTW, Hill is 24 and has played in just 37 NFL games.
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17. I’m no fan of historical dismissiveness, especially in the age of hot takes. For example, still not comfortable with these rampant comparisons of the L.A. Rams’ “Greatest Show on Surf” — as fun as it is to behold — to the St. Louis Rams’ “Greatest Show on Turf.”
18. But … are we potentially witnessing the birth of the greatest deep-strike combo in the NFL’s 99-year history — meaning the marriage of the Mahomes launching pad and human wifi Hill (five-bar coverage on any field)? Think about it.
19. While we’re still on this train of thought, time for the Royals to consider Mahomes as a situational lefty in 2019? Think about it.
20. Family portraits in the end zone. They’re everywhere.
21. Who knew Kirk Cousins was saving dopey dances for his touchdown runs? Fantastic.
22. Cousins’ dopey (“dead arm”) dances come courtesy his favorite target, 100-yard-per-week Adam Thielen. Still fantastic.
23. Jets RB Isaiah Crowell wiped his butt with the football following a TD, then chucked it into the Cleveland crowd that once rooted for him. (Joe Buck didn’t even rail against Crowell on the broadcast). Crowell’s, uh, celebration eventually brought him a fine … and an endorsement.
24. Niners WR Marquise Goodwin oiled up like a boxer — shirtless — in near-freezing temperatures before San Francisco’s recent Monday nighter at Lambeau Field.
25. Goodwin, a former track and field Olympian, has also taken the long jump into the paint.
26. The NFL is more fun with villains. Thanks, Jalen Ramsey.
27. We know you think the NFL has gotten soft, Clay Matthews. But at least Pittsburgh’s Vance McDonald is out there leading the resistance with his vicious stiffarm.
28. Drew Brees has reached a level where he sets a record with every completion. That’s pretty cool for a guy who’s maybe been a little too underrated for a little too long.
29. Tom Brady is “Brees-ing” through the record book in his own manner, now owner of an unprecedented 200 regular-season wins and TD passes to a record 71 different teammates. But I’m deriving far more enjoyment from TB12’s tongue-in-cheek TB1K pursuit as he plods toward 1,000 career rushing yards. Just 17 more to go, buddy … and at this year’s pace — 1.4 yards per carry — that’s probably just another dozen sneaks.
30. With apologies to Jimmy Garoppolo and the Atlanta Falcons, we haven’t seen nearly as many stars afflicted by injuries. Even better to see J.J. Watt, Carson Wentz, Andrew Luck, Aaron Rodgers, Adrian Peterson and many others all the way back (or nearly there).
31. Luck is showing off his rebuilt shoulder at a clip that will blow Matthew Stafford’s single-season mark for pass attempts (727) out of the record book. He’s also blessedly giving @CaptAndrewLuck a lot more to tell his “Dearest mother.”
32. Blake Bortles is chucking passes off his teammate’s helmets. (Somewhere, Mark Sanchez wishes he’d tried that.) Bortles has been alternately sublime and substandard — there’s usually no in between — blessedly giving @BortlesFacts (and the rest of us) plenty to talk about.
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Follow Nate Davis on Twitter @ByNateDavis