Fancy Boys founder Matt Drufke doesn’t know anything about football. Lucky for him, Brandon Andreasen and Jack Baker do.
Each week, Matt emails Brandon and Jack NFL questions, they then immediately go and make fun of his lack of knowledge in a secret group chat. They then go and answer the questions. Here are those answers.
Let’s talk about the Bears. When the season started, Jack wrote a piece saying the Bears would be good. Then they lost their first game and Jack wrote a new piece saying they would be bad. Since then, they’ve won three in a row and are tied for the second-best record in the NFC. Their defense seems amazing and even a second-string quarterback was enough to help them thoroughly dispatch the Vikings. Are the Bears good? Or, to ask it better, when will Jack and the Chicago Bears get in a room and just fuuuuuuuuck already?
Brandon – In my season preview, I said the Bears needed to be 4-1 going into their bye week to have a shot at the playoffs. They are one win away from pulling that off. After the bye, the Bears have the schedule from hell.
To answer your question, the Bears are good. The defense is elite. The offense is going to hold this team back. But the team is good.
Jack – First of all, after the first game I said their defense was great and their offense is awful. Both of those things are still true. Are they a good team? Maybe. It depends on how well the offense can improve over the rest of the season.
Let’s talk about back-up quarterbacks, and one man specifically. Lots of teams have had to go to their second QB spot on the roster already this season, and it always leads to a social media uproar telling teams to sign Colin Kaepernick. People seem to think that Kaepernick could help a team, despite the fact that he hasn’t thrown a ball in a game since 2016. Could Colin Kaepernick play NFL football right now, and would he add any value to a team?
Brandon – Colin Kaepernick probably can’t step in and start, but as long as he has stayed in shape, he is still an NFL player. The Redskins started Josh Johnson last year and he hadn’t thrown an NFL pass since 2014. The question is twofold on whether he can start this year: Can he learn the bare bones of a teams playbook in time, and is there a team with strong enough leadership to absorb the Fox News 24/7 coverage?
Jack – Yes. If Trubisky is out for an extended period of time, the Bears should most definitely add Kaepernick. His ceiling is far higher than that of any free agent QB available and pretty much every backup currently in the NFL. The Bears’ defense gives them a real shot at a Super Bowl. Chase Daniel is a serviceable game manager at best and isn’t going to take them there. Tyler Bray wasn’t good enough to make the Bears roster after the preseason. I have no idea if Kaepernick would be good, but he has the potential to be, and for a team that has a shot at a championship, signing Kaepernick is a chance worth taking. Also, the whole Trump impeachment thing will probably help cut down on some of the conservative blowharding.
The top 5 QBs in terms of QBR right now are (in order): Dak Prescott, Patrick Mahomes, Daniel Jones, Lamar Jackson, and Russell Wilson. If you were the GM of a franchise, which would you choose right now to start for your team?
Brandon – Mahomes and its not close. The only other QB in the conversation is Wilson. The knock on Mahomes out of college was “Will he focus enough to learn a playbook and buy into an NFL system?” The answer has been a resounding yes. There isn’t another QB in the entire NFL I’d rather have.
Jack – Patrick Mahomes is far and away the answer here. He’s the best non-Khalil Mack player in the NFL and it isn’t close. If all the actual GMs and scouts were asked, I would be shocked if a single one gave a name other than Mahomes. And anyone who would say another name (maybe only Dave Gettleman) should be fired immediately.
People love fantasy football, probably because they hate their stupid wives and kids. Who is a surprise player that people should be looking to grab on the waiver wire?
Brandon – If Ronald Jones of the Bucs is still available in your league, snag him. He is getting close to surpassing Peyton Barber for lead running back in Tampa. He ran 19 times yesterday in a game the Bucs scored 55 points in. He will be a viable flex option.
Jack – Golden Tate is about to come back from a suspension. The Giants offense has been surprisingly competent without Saquon Barkley, although it helps to play Tampa Bay and Washington. Tat could be a big producer in that offense, and you might get lucky if he was overlooked in your league due to his suspension.
Fancy Boys Club 