Serby Says would like to give thanks today to the players and coaches worth watching extra closely as playoff races roar down the stretch to the finish line.
We’re not including some of the more obvious choices who mesmerize us on a weekly basis — Odell Beckham Jr. and Landon Collins, Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski, Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown, Matt Ryan and Julio Jones, Von Miller — but not excluding several others.
The Dirty Dozen:
Derek Carr
The kid is leading the Raiders back to prominence. Thumbs up to general manager Reggie McKenzie for stealing his franchise quarterback in the second round of the 2014 draft. Thumbs down to the Jaguars (Blake Bortles), Browns (Johnny Manziel) and to a lesser degree Vikings (Teddy Bridgewater) for passing on him.
Carr (20 touchdowns, four interceptions) is in the MVP conversation with Tom Brady and Matty Ice.
“I think the guy’s going to be an All-Pro player,” former Giants coach and quarterback whisperer Jim Fassel said. “He knows exactly what he’s reading and where he’s going with the football.”
Steve Smith Sr.
Arguably pound-for-pound the NFL’s toughest player, he returned from an Achilles tendon injury to go out the right way at age 37. Look up the word “pugnacious” in the dictionary and you’ll see his face. First player under 6-foot (5-foot-9) to reach 1,000 career catches. A 44-516-3 TD season has the Ravens hoping he will reconsider retirement and return for a 17th season.
Marcus Mariota
Peyton Manning is a big fan, and now we see why. Mariota can beat you with his arm (23 TDs, eight INTs, just three in the past seven games) and his legs (two 60-yard-plus rushing games, two TDs). He has made a mockery of naysayers who doubted he could make the transition from a spread offense this quickly. His low-key, even-keeled demeanor belies his leadership in the huddle. Imagine if he had an elite receiver to complement tight end Delanie Walker.
Adam Gase
Peyton Manning vouched for him, and now we see why. The rookie head coach was summoned by Mike Tannenbaum to fix Ryan Tannehill, and the howling mob that had given up on their quarterback has been hushed during the current five-game winning streak. Gase also has gotten through to RB Jay Ajayi and now has himself a feature back.
Justin Houston
The OLB predator (56 career sacks in 71 games) knocked some of the rust off in his long-awaited return last Sunday from ACL surgery. Andy Reid hasn’t forgotten that Houston terrorized quarterbacks with 22 sacks in 2014, and teaming him with emerging Dee Ford (10 sacks this season) will keep the heat on the Raiders and Broncos in the torrid AFC West playoff race.
Dak Prescott/Ezekiel Elliott
Boys 2 Men in the blink of an eye. Think about how different the fortunes of two franchises would have been if the Jets had drafted Prescott (five rushing TDs) in the second round and the Cowboys had settled for Christian Hackenberg in the fourth round instead of the other way around. Every rookie quarterback should be this lucky: protection from an elite offensive line and a gamebreaking running back lined up behind him. But such poise.
“He seems to see the field real well from the pocket,” Fassel said. “He finds the guy that he needs to go to. If the play’s not good, he just gets you out of it, rather than throw the ball up for grabs, and that. He’s got a nice arm, he throws the ball strong, he’s got good agility, and he feels what he needs to do. And 90 percent of the time, he’s right.”
Zeke is taking direct aim at Eric Dickerson’s rookie rushing record (1,808 yards).
Brock Osweiler
They called him Kid Brock last season in Denver when he relieved Peyton Manning, but now he is the $18 million man summoned to lead the Texans to the Promised Land. His struggles with the deep ball have devalued DeAndre Hopkins. Osweiler became the first quarterback in league history to have three games in a single season with fewer than 200 yards on 40 attempts in each game. His yards per attempt, 7.2 in 2015, has fallen to 5.7.
“I think he still needs some seasoning,” Fassel said. “But I think as he grows, I think he’s a guy that if you put enough good people around him, he can take you to the Promised Land.”
Russell Wilson
Had been a hobbled shell of his former self until recently, and the whole gamut of Wilson’s genius now that he is healthy will make the Seahawks the most dangerous team in the NFC. His intelligence, awareness, instincts and resourcefulness, not to mention his accuracy and mobility, make him that rare competitor who finds a way to win. He can even catch gimmick TD passes from Doug Baldwin.
Le’Veon Bell
The Steelers will have to deal with the elements with three games at Heinz Field and one in Buffalo. Bell is fresher thanks to his three-game suspension to start the season, and his 201 total yards against the Browns last Sunday could be a harbinger of things to come. If Brown isn’t open, the checkdown to Bell, who sometimes splits out wide, is more often than not the best alternative.
Kirk Cousins
He is making his salary and playoff drives simultaneously, throwing for 826 yards and six TDs on his last two games. He can launch nuclear-tipped missiles downfield to a quarter of receivers, the best of whom is TE Jordan Reed, and now has the most 300-yard passing games in Redskins history. Former Redskins great Joe Theismann considers him a top-eight quarterback.
Rex Ryan
He remains a magnet for eyeballs and eardrums. He is trying his darnedest, with twin brother Rob’s help, to capture the Bills’ first playoff berth since Jan. 8, 2000, and possibly fighting to save his job at the same time. Imagine if it all came down to Jan. 1 against the Jets at MetLife Stadium, the way it came down to the 2015 regular-season finale in Buffalo for Todd Bowles and Ryan Fitzpatrick.