Quarterback Tinder: Week 11 Picks

The ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle said "falling down is not a failure. Failure comes when you stay where you have fallen." 

Cousin Jimmy had it all; a trusty Lada Niva 4x4, 67 stremmata  of south facing Kalamata olive orchards he inherited from Pappou, and the flowing locks of an Adonis that caught the eye of many damsels, both young and old. 

All this until the summer of ‘78. The meltemi winds were rampant when an errant cigarette butt—or a jealous neighbor, we may never know —were his fortuitous undoing. The orchard burned, taking the Lada with it and Jimmy’s place atop Kalamata bachelordom. As if that wasn’t enough he inherited a nasty scar on his neck and lost his hair to errant flaming saganaki at St Nikolas panigiri. 

A true Greek tragedy, or so it would seem.

For most, this would be the fatal blow. For Jimmy it was the genesis of his comeback story. A fishery business, a Fiat Panda and Turkish plugs became his epitaph. Perhaps, Jimmy 2.0 was better in the long run. The tragedy had humbled him, shifted his perspective and his bride Despina had more character than the harlets he used to date. 

The 2018 draft should be renamed the redemption draft. Look at the first 7 picks:1. Baker Mayfield, 2. Saquon Barkley, 3. Sam Darnold, 4. Denzel Ward, 5. Nick Chubb, 6. Quenton Nelson, 7. Josh Allen.

The quarterbacks all had to overcome a lot at the beginning of their professional careers. The Greek Uncles in Chicago have featured Baker and Allen already. But Sam Darnold is the epitome of learning from your failures. The Jets took him and fed him to the wolves. With no one to throw to and no running game, he was seeing ghosts, and that was before he got mono, and became a meme.

Poorly run franchises are career killers for quarterbacks and the Jets have been a graveyard for decades. After three seasons the Jets traded Darnold to the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers had been sold to David Tepper and he did new owner things, hiring a new general manager and poaching Matt Rhule from college to coach.

The team started 3-0 with Darnold as the starter but then he got hurt and missed much of the season. The team signed Baker Mayfield the next season and named him the starter.  Darnold ended up on the 49ers in 2023, which he credits for changing his approach to the game. It was a magical year and the team went to the Superbowl before losing to the Chiefs.

He signed with the Vikings in 2024 and played great until the last two games of the year; falling apart in a nationally televised game under a mercilessly Lions blitz in Week 18, providing a blueprint for the Ramst he following week. Sacked 9 times and unable to score a touchdown, the Vikings (14-3) went belly up.

This season Minnesota decided to go with J.J. McCarthy which enabled the Seahawks to sign Darnold to a modest three-year deal. He has been phenomenal and the team is ranked #1 when utilizing the DVOA metric. This week they play the second-best DVOA team, the Rams.

The Greek Uncles from Chicago do not recommend betting this game, rather enjoy two great teams playing at a supreme level. Take the Raiders (+3.5) at home against the Cowboys and the 49ers (-2.5) to cover over Arizona. We also like the Chargers (-2.5) at Jacksonville and Miami (-2.5) over a Washington team that can't tackle, rush the passer, cover anyone, or stop the run.

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