Rough Offseason IN KC

 

            Putting aside my personal biases as a diehard Denver Broncos fan, the two-time Super Bowl-winning Kansas City Chiefs, currently find themselves in a prime position to possibly achieve something that has never happened before in the history of the Super Bowl era (GB won three straight titles between 1966-1968, SB era began in 1967).  It’s been 104 years since the NFL has been around, though it was two years after the APFA was established that the NFL adopted its current name.  That being said, the Chiefs are hopeful they can be the first team in league history to win three consecutive Super Bowls.  Last season we saw an omen out of KC in the form of Patrick Mahomes having the most losses he's ever had in a season.  They had issues with their O-line, defensive struggles early in the season, and even a descending Travis Kelce who didn't look up to par early on.  Mahomes receiving core was by far the worst he’s had in his career, leading the league in drops (44 drops, 6.9 drop %).  To better depict just how bad the Chiefs’ WRs were in drops last year let’s look at a couple of other teams with somewhat sub-par wideouts.  One team I think you could consider here is the Pittsburgh Steelers (16), the other is, New England Patriots (23).  Both teams had significantly fewer drops than the Chiefs.  However, you can certainly argue the NFL has become more of a passing league, meaning there will be more opportunities for a higher number of drops with teams passing more and more.

                                Kansas City has won back-to-back Super Bowl titles; however, they have been making a lot of noise around the league since they stepped off the field last season.  The noise has derived from all the unprecedented, troubling things that have been going on around the entire organization, from player incidents to violence, and systematic issues.  Somehow, someway people have even started saying absurd things about HC Andy Ried, comparing him to once Jacksonville Jaguars HC, Urban Myer; longtime college HC (17 seasons for 4 teams).  Though I am sure by now every football fan has heard of Rashee Rice’s incident after the end of last season.  The NFL ruled and announced on Thursday that Rashee Rice will be allowed to play while he awaits the ruling of his legal case.  The NFL would normally place a player on the Commissioner’s Exempt List for instances like this, amongst other reasons.  The C.E.L. is used for players who have had off-field issues, placing this tag on them would keep them off the field while they face those criminal charges.

                                 Rashee Rice had a few incidents since last year’s Super Bowl win.  The first was obviously the car accident that took place on the freeway in Dallas, Texas when Rice caused a six-car crash while recklessly racing, for which he received one count for collision & serious bodily injury, plus six counts of collision that involved more injuries during said six-car crash.  His next incident came when Rice allegedly assaulted a photographer back in the spring at a youth football camp.  These incidents had multiple people scoping into the receiver’s past to see if anything else loomed over him.  They came back with an alleged incident that claims several if not all NFL teams supposedly knew about from Rice’s days at SMU.  It is believed that Rashee apparently believed his girlfriend was seeing another athlete in SMU basketball player Kendric Davis, which led to him firing gunshots into Davis’s empty car.  This is obviously a lot of issues for the Chiefs for just one player and the hope for this gifted young man is that he will mature and walk the right path from here on out, but we will wait to see what happens here with the legal process.

                                Others had issues this offseason as well for the Champs.  Backup Defensive Tackle Isaiah Buggs is facing charges in Tuscaloosa after being arrested in Alabama for both domestic violence & burglary.  Buggs has more than those charges as he also allegedly broke into the mother of his child’s home with a tire iron and then dragged her down a flight of stairs.  Isaiah was arrested twice in three weeks for these two incidents.  Then, come to find out he was being accused of apparent animal cruelty when there were two dogs found locked in his home without food or water.  Someone close to the situation said Buggs had already moved out of that house and never owned dogs.  It is a wild situation, but even if the latter isn’t true, it obviously doesn’t help his situation because of the other crimes he has already committed.  This isn’t all though, as KC’s two offensive tackles were arrested on marijuana charges after reportedly being on the wrong side of state lines.  If you didn’t know, Kansas City is split between both Missouri & Kansas and while weed has been legalized in the state of Missouri, it is still illegal in the state of Kansas. 

                                Over the years Chiefs’ HC Andy Ried has been largely known for giving second chances to many players in the NFL when others would not.  This became the narrative when Andy brought Michael Vick to the Eagles to help him revamp his life and NFL career.  With all this being said, KC went out and signed the accused problematic punter who was alleged of rape against a 17-year-old girl in 2021, though was dismissed last December on such charges.  Another weird move was having ex-Raiders & Buccaneers HC John Gruden at Kansas City’s practice earlier in August when Gruden was seen in all Chiefs apparel.  Coach Ried later told the media that John would not be a part of the coaching staff.  From this article you can see how many odd things have been going on with the team in the past seven months or so and although it doesn’t shed a positive light on the outlook of the organization it is still the Chiefs.  The team that just won two consecutive rings and is probably an early favorite in the eyes of a lot of people to become the only team to possibly win three in a row.

CHIEF’S KINGDOM ASCENDING OR DESCENDING

 

        The Kansas City Chiefs have constantly been in the playoff discussion ever since Patrick Mahomes's career began.  The current ride that the Kansas City Chiefs have consistently been on is a monstrous feat, but it takes more than just results out on the field for 60 minutes a game every Sunday afternoon for 17 weeks.  Success must be earned, success must be premeditated, and there are a series of tasks that must be repeated throughout months, years, or even decades.  Repetition and failures on your journey will help you become successful and are crucial to the learning curve.  It is often underestimated how many humans It takes to excel in any sport for any team or organization.   Several humans are needed, but it could also make a difference with one certain piece if all the other pieces buy into the process that has the right ingredients and recipe for success.  Success in the NFL is different depending on the individual, it doesn’t have to mean the same for every person or every team.

        Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has been around the sport of football for a long time now.  He has held various coaching positions amongst other roles for numerous teams in the past 42 years.  Andy started as an O-Line coach at San Francisco State, then went on to Northern Arizona to do the same in 1986 for just one season before moving on again, to UTEP, then Missouri.  The Green Bay Packers hired Andy in 1992 to begin his NFL coaching career.  In doing so GB made coach Reid their Assistant O-Line & TE coach, and then in 1997, they upgraded him to their QB coach & Assistant HC.  It wasn’t until 1999 when Andy Reid was hired by the Philadelphia Eagles for his first head coaching job.  That was when he wound up becoming a household name.  Under Reid, the Eagles had a seemingly continual playoff run every year of his tenure.  Andy led Philly to nine playoff runs (1999-2012), six division titles, and five NFC Championship Games, (four straight 2001-2004) plus he also brought them to a Super Bowl.  Though he got them there the Eagles' play showed that they were not quite ready for the challenge against the eventual golden boy or the golden arm in Tom Brady.  Super Bowl XXXIX against the New England Patriots the Philadelphia Eagles ended up losing 24-21, by just a field goal, and unfortunately for the E-A-G-L-E-S Eagles, they never made it back under the Andy Reid regime.

         Andy got word that the Eagles would move on from him and was fired after the 2012 season.  After Reid was relieved of his duties in Philly, though you could never see it coming then, it was honestly the best thing that could’ve ever happened for his coaching career.  Of course, I am alluding to the fact that ‘‘Big Red’’ was hired to become the Kansas City Chiefs HC in 2013 following his departure from the Eagles.  Andy has become one of the G.O.A.T.S. among NFL head coaches.  With Bill Belichick out of the league this year, coach Reid should probably be considered the sole best HC in the league, at least this year given a possible return to the NFL, in the future for ex-Patriots HC Bill Belichick.  Big Red, as he’s known in KC has taken these Chiefs to the biggest game in the NFL four different times, of course winning three times is an incredible resume alone.  In route to these Super Bowl appearances, Reid led KC to 10 postseason runs in 11 seasons.  

  “Chiefs Kingdom” as many refer to it has become a staple for postseason play and you can practically lock that in every year before week one of the regular season.  KC has won eight straight AFC West titles and made six consecutive AFC Championship Games.   Under HC Andy Reid they also won their first playoff game since 1993 when they came away with a win in 2015 against the Houston Texans in a complete shut out 30-0.  That win against Houston ended the Chiefs record of the NFL’s most consecutive playoff losses.  He also led them to clinch consecutive division titles (2016-2017) for the first time in Kansas City’s history.  Then the Chiefs won their first Super Bowl in 50 years in Super Bowl LIV (2019).  Though Andy is still their HC it is safe to say that these Kansas City Chiefs will probably never have another HC as great as Andy, and one who possesses the football intelligence he has.  Reid came into a situation in KC that was very bad, and he helped revitalize this team & organization by not just turning them into a competitive team, but also the league’s best team who is currently seeking their third straight Championship!

    This article was started by the implication that to have the success both Andy and the Chiefs have had to this point it takes patience, time, and the right people to get you to these kinds of heights.  Well, I know I would be remiss if I didn’t speak about certain people or individual players here in the red, white, & yellow.  Obviously, the football games are won on the field every Sunday, not in the coaching staff offices, at practice, or anywhere else.  At the professional level of football, you may be able to win meaningful games in the regular season without a breakout talent out of your running back, receiver, or even tight end skilled positional groups.  If you are a team that achieves this then you must have more than competent play from your quarterback.  Sure, some teams have won a Super Bowl with a “game manager” type of QB but they also need a top-tier defense and possibly one or two all-stars from his skilled positions. 

    Patrick Mahomes interestingly enough was vastly underrated during his college football days at Texas Tech.  While playing for the Red Raiders, Mahomes freshman season he only played in 7 games and obviously didn’t produce a whole lot because of his limited playing time.  In his sophomore season, he provided a high level of play while posting 36 TDs, and 15 INTs, rushing for 10 more touchdowns and throwing for 4,653 yards (including bowl game stats).  When Mahomes was a senior his gameplay was once again elevated to another level as we watched him pass for over 5,000 yards, while also throwing 41 TDS, 10 INTs, and an added 12 rushing touchdowns on 260 yards.  This was showing us the possible talent he could be as an NFL starter early on, though what he was about to become in KC nobody could have ever predicted.  Enter 2017 when Kansas City drafted Patrick 10^th overall in the first round of the NFL draft.  Upon getting to Arrowhead Mahomes was placed as the backup to a pretty good QB in Alex Smith.  At this point, HC Andy Reid was still trying to help rebuild this team and organization from the inside out.  After a good season (4,000+ pass yds, 26 TDs-5 INTs ) as the Chiefs QB1 Smith finished the season 8^th in passing yards and 1^st in passer rating (104.7), though he and the Chiefs ultimately came up short in the Wild Card Round 22-21 against the Tennessee Titans.

  2018 started a whole new era for Kansas City at Arrowhead Stadium.  After 2017 KC decided to part with QB Alex Smith and give way to this young, gifted, freak of an athlete in Patrick Mahomes.  In his first season as a starter, we all probably thought to ourselves, KC has something special here, but it was still too soon to really understand all the dynamics of this eventual dynasty that was being built in front of our eyes.  Patrick had recorded insane numbers right off the bat, torching the ball to over 5,000 yards, while slinging 50 TDs, & 12 INTs.  He took KC to the playoffs that season and went 1-1 (a record).  In 2019 Mahomes numbers dropped significantly throwing a thousand yards fewer than in 2018 and having half as many TDs & INTs (26-5), but when it came to the postseason, he went 3-0 and wrapped up the year with his first Super Bowl Victory.   This showed even further the ingenious offensive-minded coach Andy Reid.

  2020-2022 Mahomes threw between 4,740-5,250 yds, ascending each season also staying consistent with TDs both passing (38tds, 37tds, 41tds- 2020-2022) and rushing (2tds,2tds,4tds).  Along with his statistics increasing each season he also has had his team in the playoffs and winning their division (AFC West) every single season that he has been in the league.  Mahomes has now played in 4 Super Bowls with his only loss coming at the hands of Tom Brady, when he took the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to Super Bowl LV and prevailed 31-9 over KC.  Since then, the Chiefs of Kansas City have become what is known as the “Chiefs Kingdom” and have gone on to win back-to-back Super Bowl Championships (2022-2023) with no sign of slowing down anytime soon.

  General Manager Brett Veach alongside Andy Reid are two masterminds at bringing in talent and are both responsible for this franchise’s meteoric rise which is why Andy is very much involved with the roster and player personnel.  They have kept this roster built strongly and improved it again this offseason.  I think one of the most undervalued moves made by KC is the signing of veteran backup quarterback Carson Wentz.  They also added depth to their receiver core with the additions of Marquise “Hollywood” Brown in free agency and drafting the man who set the new all-time fastest 40-yard time in the history of the NFL, Xavier Worthy.  The Chiefs also signed JuJu Smith-Schuster to his second stint with KC while Brown is still out with shoulder issues from a dislocated shoulder.  Let’s also not forget last year’s dependable rookie WR Rashee Rice plus RB Isiah Pacheco.  The other day the Chiefs also made a huge splash with the extension given to Pro Bowl O-lineman, Center Creed Humphrey who got a hefty contract agreeing to a $72M deal that includes $50M in guarantees.  That deal makes Creed Humphrey the highest-paid C in the league.

DUVAL COUNTY’S OWN; JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

 

        Down in Duval, QB Trevor Lawrence eagerly waits for the 2024 season to be underway and is chomping at the bit to redeem himself from last season’s less-than-impressive outing.  I guess that you could say Trevor has somewhat catlike instincts (3 years as Clemson Tiger, 3 years as a Jaguar) that he is ready to unveil to the world coming in roughly two weeks at the start of the NFL season.  Trevor undoubtedly had a tough season last year.  His numbers weren’t bad, yet it's still less than we’d expect of a player of his caliber.  He accounted for 21 pass TDs and produced just over 4,000 pass yards but also threw 14 INTs.  I know the NFL is a whole lot faster than college football and the defenses are much stouter than units you’ll see at the collegiate level; however, Lawrence's 14 turnovers last season accounted for the second most he’s had throughout his past 6 seasons (3yrs college & 3yrs NFL).  In his rookie season (2021) we saw him throw 17 INTs, which matched his combined overall total throughout his collegiate career.  With his sophomore season as a Jag, he recorded only 8 interceptions while throwing for 25 TDs.  Last season, the talented Trevor Lawrence threw fewer TDs (21) while also regressing in turnovers tossing 14 picks.

        I already pointed out that Trevor needs to do a better job in the turnover department if he wants to make another playoff appearance this season after breaking the hearts of Jacksonville fans last year when they missed out on post-season play after an abysmal second half of the season.  The Jaguars started out great last year going 6-2 the first eight weeks of the season, going on 5 game winning streak weeks 4-8.  They even had a favorable bye week smack dab in the middle of the year.  Everything seemed to be going their way until they came back from their week nine bye where it is safe to say they were slaughtered by the eventual NFC Super Bowl representatives; the San Francisco forty-niners allowed a total combined 221 yards (162 pass yds, 59 rush yds) and held this Jags team to just a field goal (34-3).  The following two games they did show up against both division rivals, Titans & Texans outscoring both opponents (58-35).  Then the traumatic fall hit them like a sack of bricks as they went on to drop four straight games, five of their final six, four crucial AFC conference matchups, ultimately losing them a playoff spot.  It was largely an atrocious second half as they went on a downward spiral going 3-6 over their last nine games.

        Jacksonville’s GM Trent Baalke exhausted all avenues bringing in a ton of talent during the offseason with high hopes of turning things around quickly.  Especially, having last year’s surprisingly robust Houston Texans within the same division as the Jags.  The team moved on from wideout Calvin Ridley among some other talents on the offense.  Then they turned around and drafted one of last year’s best WRs in the nation in Brian Thomas Jr.  Brian played out his whole college career at LSU but wasn’t widely recognized as a top WR until he went all out last year and produced as a superstar type of WR.  The numbers he posted are miraculous, though we should also give some props to the man who threw him the ball, ex-LSU QB and Washington Commanders' new starter, Jayden Daniels.  Through 13 games he recorded 68 recs, 1,177 yds, & 17 TDs.  His explosive speed matched by the ability to win vertically is a testament to how he led the nation in 2023 with a 99.9 PFF in terms of deep receiving grade & 12 deep TDs.  He looks to become an instant threat of potentially becoming Lawrence’s number 1 option, but he could use improvement as an overall route runner.

        Some of the other players Jacksonville brought in this offseason were a couple of WRs to help upgrade this core group with the signings of ex-Bills wideout Gabe Davis and previously Baltimore’s WR Devin Duvernay.  They already have a great pass catcher in Christian Kirk, and the league leader in receptions for all tight ends last season, Evan Engram.  Not only did Engram lead all tight ends in catches but also fourth in the entire NFL in that category.  The only players that managed to haul in more passes last season were CeeDee Lamb, Tyreek Hill, & Amon-Ra St. Brown.  He was also third in receiving yards for all TEs less than 40 yards from 1,000 yards on the year.  They certainly have the talent to propel Trevor Lawrence to a top-tier QB and Jacksonville is hoping for that to come to fruition after getting a new deal done with him earlier this offseason.  Lawrence was inked to a new contract on June 13^th when the Jaguars signed him to a five-year, $275M extension, then at the time making him the highest-paid QB in the league (tied with Joe Burrow). 

        Head Coach Doug Pederson is going into year three as Jacksonville’s coach and still feels he has a lot to prove.  Pederson already has two rings as he was on the Packers' Super Bowl team when they defeated the New England Patriots back in 1996 (Super Bowl XXXI) then again as a head coach for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2018.  I’m sure if you were to ask him which was the more meaningful win, he'd probably say the win as a coach.  Doug is one of few people who can brag about beating the Patriots on more than one occasion in a Super Bowl, however the Patriots of the late 90’s were a completely different team and were not yet the dynasty that they eventually turned into from 2000’s-2010’s largely in part because of the two G.O.A.T.S (HC Bill Belichick & QB Tom Brady).  What GM Baalke has accomplished in the offseason should have Coach Pederson feeling jubilant not just with the WRs he was able to swing deals with & draft but also for the upgrades to the O-Line when they inked both G Erza Cleveland & a good center Mitch Morse to deals in hopes of solidifying the interior of this line.

        Once known as Sacksonville for the elite pass rush that the Jaguars had built not too many years ago, has been long gone in the past few years.  While attempting to bring this defense back to a respected unit league-wide, the Jags also brought in some veteran leadership and smart football-minded players who will definitely change the perspective of this defense’s overall talent level.  A deal was struck with a monster of a DT in Arik Armstead, they also resigned their own defensive tackle Jeremiah Ledbetter for added depth.  Then they went out and tremendously upgraded their defensive back play by inking cornerback Ronald Darby and veteran safety Darnell Savage.  I like what I see out of Jacksonville, and I believe they will have a lot more fight in them this year, of course barring any injuries to pivotal players on their team.  This AFC South division seems to have turned the corner in being the least impressive division in all of the AFC after last year’s big surprise in the Texans.  The Colts also look to be improved with a healthy second-year versatile stud at the helm in QB Anthony Richardson.  Jacksonville themselves are only two years removed from a playoff appearance and AFC South title after last year’s postseason spot was taken from them with only 2-3 weeks remaining in the season.  Tennessee is the only questionable team in this division right now with new HC Brian Callahan and new coordinators on both offense & defense.   

IN BURROW WE TRUST, JOE'S EARNED HIS STRIPES

 

           Cincinnati has been somewhat of a rollercoaster the last handful of seasons.  They were of course a bottom-barrel team before they drafted immensely talented QB Joe Burrow.  The team that once had one of the best offenses in the league (2005-2006) led by QB Carson Palmer along with dangerous weapons such as sure-handed WR T.J Houshmandzadeh alongside one of the most exciting and vocal players on & off the field in Chad “OchoCinco” Johnson, in many people’s eyes, was some of the best football the Bengals fans have ever seen.  The chemistry between the duo wideouts not only with each other but also with their passer looked almost unmatched at times during their heyday.  To speak a little more on the chemistry between T.J. and Chad they were also college teammates at Oregon State for a year (2000) before both being drafted by the Bengals.   Unfortunately for the city of Cincinnati and their fanbase, the Bengals Super Bowl hopes were shattered after losing Carson Palmer to a freak injury not even a whole quarter into their Wild Card Playoff game against none other than their division foe the Pittsburgh Steelers.  Sadly, Carson Palmer was carted off the field after suffering a torn ACL on only their second offensive play.  Palmer completed a 66-yard pass to their then up-in-coming third WR Chris Henry.  Talk about cursed, this team went threw it for a very long time.

          After that season the Bengals never seemed to get back to their 2005 form and never made another playoff appearance with that same core group of men.  After the 2008 season, T.J. left for Seattle and Carson ended up leaving after 2010 when he went to the Raiders.  Chad along with Carson made it to the wildcard round of the playoffs one more time before Palmer’s departure in 2010 but lost the game.  Chad was also sent packing after the 2010 season.  Chad was never the same after his time with Cincinnati though nor were the Bengals.  The 2011 season started with the Bengals looking to replace long-time impressive QB Carson Palmer when they decided to draft TCU’s former guy Andy Dalton.  Dalton didn’t achieve as much as the Bengals would’ve liked, he didn’t win them a championship, in fact, they never won a playoff game with him either.  What Dalton did accomplish was taking Cincy to five consecutive playoff appearances even if it was a one-and-done carousel on repeat for five years.  More impressive was the fact that Dalton managed this without the help of Superstar WR Chad Johnson.  They did wind up drafting their own new Star pass catcher A.J. Green, but he wasn’t Chad.

        Now for over 30 years, the Bengals fans had been largely let down with no end in sight to all the misery and misfortune over that period.  2020 marked a new era with people showing loud cries of hope with a new signal caller that may be able to bring them back to a Super Bowl for the first time since 1989.  This new QB showed in college how good he can really be so when Cincy opted to take Joe Burrow 1^st overall in the 2020 draft it left fans proud to be a Bengals fan.  The hype of Burrow and his high football IQ showed his rookie season as he only played 10 games but showed his precision and ability to make smart decisions and not turn the ball over.  In Burrow’s second season, he went on to win 10 games and earned the Bengals a playoff spot.  He was able to do something for this franchise that no other QB had done in the previous 30 seasons which was win a postseason game.  Burrow won them 3 playoff games, then took them all the way to a Super Bowl, and on the way there he beat the best QB the league has seen since Brady in Patrick Mahomes (3x Super Bowl winner).  No other QB has been able to have success against Mahomes other than Joe.  The only issue here is that Burrow and the Bengals ran into quite possibly the only team in the league that was hungrier than them that year.  Stafford and the Rams won 23-20 in his very first season in Los Angeles in what was a home game for the Rams at SoFi Stadium.

             The Bengals are coming off a down year as they missed the playoffs for the first year since Joe has been their starter.  He had an injury to his throwing wrist last season and couldn’t recover within the season.  There is no way to predict what will happen shortly for this franchise, but in the short term, more specifically this season.  As of right now the Bengals still currently have two extremely good weapons on the outside for their QB to look for in the passing game, one of which is a previous college teammate of Burrow in Ja’Marr Chase, and the other top talent is Tee Higgins.  With the season about to start, the Bengals are staring at 2 of the league’s top 20 WRs that are on their roster and are both in need of a new deal.  It is believed by some that Tee Higgins may be getting ready to lace up his cleats for the last year in Cincy and they might be right, given that nothing crazy happens with Chase’s situation.  Speaking of Chase, on the other hand, he is seeking a huge contract, and I don’t think anyone can imagine that Cincinnati lets him walk.  If you have a strong rapport like that of Burrow and Chase you don’t mess with that, especially given the fact that they also spent time together at LSU, they have such great chemistry, and it shows.  Ja’Marr is a stellar player and outside of the likes of fellow WRs Tyreek Hill, Justin Jefferson, & Amon-Ra St. Brown, Ja’Marr Chase is probably the only other WR that is on that same level of talent right now.

            In my opinion, this team will be fine outside of the simple fact that they are currently in what is viewed as probably the most difficult division in all of football.  Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens are not showing any signs of regression anytime soon, as Lamar is coming off his second MVP season.  His Ravens barely lost to the Kansas City Chiefs at home in the AFC Championship game.  The Browns looked like they were also a Super Bowl contender with a top-five defense last year and accomplished big things with Joe Flacco, who came off the couch to take them all the way to the wildcard round of the playoffs.  I don’t think I really need to say a lot about the Pittsburgh Steelers here except for defense, defense, defense, oh yeah, and Mike Tomlin.  Tomlin has never had a losing season in his 17 seasons as the Steelers HC and they brought in two new QBs, young & raw talent, but still unproven player Justin Fields plus the reliable, one-time Super Bowl winning veteran Russell Wilson.  This shows you just how tough of a division the AFC North really is.  Will the Bengals again rise to the top or will this Ravens team reclaim their successes of last season?

A LOVE STORY FOR THE CHEESEHEADS OF GREEN BAY

 

                Sometimes in life, you may be doing your absolute best, although you may not reach your ultimate goals right away.  That is ok, because if you keep pushing and scratching in pursuit of something that means the world to you; you will eventually reach that goal and soon realize that it was all worth it.  Staying cool, calm, & persistent while working at your craft will lead you into a world of opportunities even if you can’t quite see it on the surface.  This is exactly how things have panned out for the Green Bay Packers and QB Jordan Love.  Love, much like his predecessor Aaron Rodgers who had to sit behind legendary gun-slinger Brett Favre, also had to sit behind Rodgers.  Jordan was the 26^th pick in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.  The pick for a QB once Utah State University starter (Jordan Love) was quite the surprise twist that Aaron Rodgers was not yet ready for.  At the time (2023) Brett Favre had spoken to Rodgers and reminded him of the same thing happening to him about 15 years prior when he had taken the starting job away from Farve.  Rodgers pushed back as long as he could, winning back-to-back MVPs (2020-2021) both the year that Love was drafted and the following year as well.

                In comes new, young talented players every single season.  They always seem to be faster, stronger, and smarter; it is evolution, and for the veterans they all eventually get replaced at some point by either getting traded, benched, or even cut/waived by teams in their careers.  It is very seldom, if ever, that an NFL player or really any athlete gets the opportunity to play out their entire career for one team.  All players know it is the nature of the business and never personal.  Although there have been a few stories over the years of certain coaches or staff members that may have been cruel to some players and treated them unfairly to get rid of them, sometimes there are going to be some bad apples in the bunch, but that is a true rarity and seldom happens.  People have often joked about the NFL being an acronym for Not for Long, seeing as how the physicality shows us many, many times throughout every year in the National Football League that while we sit there and watch to be entertained over hundreds of injuries take place.  It is inevitable even with the league trying to figure out all kinds of ways to keep people from getting hurt, there will never be a possible way to do so while hitting people in such a fast-paced game.

              Keeping the same sentiments as I previously alluded to, in with the new and out with the old, the next cycle will always be better, right?  That is just evolution, and I must say the last few cycles of QBs have been getting better and better.  Some QBs can come right in, take the pole position, and seem to fair well, as others may wind up ruining their confidence, decision-making, and quite possibly their careers.  It has happened numerous times in the past when coaches try to force rookie QBs into games and hope for them to break out overnight or maybe because they just don’t have a reliable enough candidate or veteran kind of presence on the bench to go to.  Then different types of young talented QBs may get drafted to a team that purposely drafts them knowing that they will either be a work in process or draft them hoping that they may be able to keep the team up to par from when a veteran is traded, waived, or retires.  In Jordan’s instance, Green Bay and GM Brian Gutekunst saw raw talent that they figured would be a perfect fit.  They saw a guy they could stash, groom, and build around for the future while also realizing that Aaron was still at the top of his game as it obviously showed with two consecutive MVPs.

                Jordan Love was electric last season in his first full season as a starter and fans in Green Bay were somewhat torn.  Do you blame them, I mean how could you not feel this way as a diehard cheesehead.  After all, Aaron was now a 4x NFL MVP and brought the Packers another Lombardy amongst other accomplishments within his tenure there.  Love at times didn’t look great, but he did kick his inaugural season off with a doozy.  Throwing for 316 yards, only 5 incompletions (27 of 32, 84.4 CMP%) passing for 2 TDs and 0 turnovers, Love looked primed to be a starter.  In fact, the Packers new QB started off this new era of GB football with a 3-0 start while throwing a 9-0 TD-INT in his first four games.  Down the stretch Love started to falter a little, starting with the week 12 opponent the Vikings, Packers went on a 4-game losing streak to Min, Den, LV, & Det.  During that four-game slide Love’s production was porous, tossing only 4 TDs while compiling INTs (7) left and right among being outscored 94-60 by their opponents.  Love can’t account for all the blame here as he had both top WRs and TE miss time last season due to injuries, along with RB Aaron Jones missing 6 games of his own dealing with ACL & MCL issues.

               Remember just a few seasons ago when we heard Rodgers talking about Packers GM Brian Gutekunst, projecting his feelings towards the player personnel that Brian was bringing into town.  Whether it was draft picks, free agency etc., he was saying that Gutekunst wasn’t bringing in enough talent or any at all to the skill positions to help Rodgers out.  On the contrary, let's fast forward to 2 years ago when Gutekunst selected two WRs (2022 Draft) Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs who are now the top two options on this Packers offense and if not for injuries could be viewed as quite possibly a top 10-12 duo in the league at the WR position.  Then there was the 2023 NFL Draft where Green Bay’s GM seemingly hit again on two more WRs, Dontayvion Wicks and Jayden Reed.  Last year’s rookie Jayden Reed had an awesome season with 10 total TDs, racking up over 800 total scrimmage yards and hauling in 64 recs.  Reed paced the Packers in almost every receiving category as he led them in total recs, rec yds, rec yds/g, and rec TDs (8 tied with Doubs). 

              With all this talent from the skilled positions that Green Bay has put into place this is going to be one of the most intriguing and exciting teams in all of football.  The Packers did make one slight move to their offense however, by allowing RB Aaron Jones to walk away to division rival Minnesota Vikings, they went out and came away with what can be viewed as an immediate upgrade to the RB position by signing ex-Raider’s rusher Josh Jacobs.  Jacobs is younger than Jones and although he’s coming over following a down year where he only rushed for less than half of the yardage he had in 2022 when won the rushing title with 1,653 yards.  He is also coming off a season where he wasn’t 100% healthy and missed four games. 

  When you surround QB Jordan Love with all the weaponry he currently has at his disposal how can you go wrong?  Jordan ended last season with superb numbers throwing for 4,159 yds, 32 tds, 11 ints, and a passer rating of 96.1.  Love also ran for another 4 tds.  Come playoff time he leveled up with another 466 yds, 5 tds, 2 ints in two post-season matchups that came against top talented defensive units in the Dallas Cowboys and the San Fransico forty-niners.  Love showed top-tier talent in just his first season and because of that ended up with a lucrative new 4-year deal paying him $220M ($55M APY) with an NFL record-setting $75M signing bonus.

JERRY, THE BOYS, & THE BUDGET $$$

 

Longtime Dallas Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones has been a pillar to both Forth Worth and Dallas, Texas over the past 35 years now.  Jerry is a widely known figure to everyone, sports fan or not, most people have heard the name Jerry Jones before.  He is one of the most ingenious businessmen the NFL or America has ever seen.  When people see Jerry as an Owner get what we believe to be a little too involved with the team’s day-to-day operations or with coaching and player personnel, it kind of starts to get a tad cringeworthy.  He is an incredible Owner and should most definitely be abreast of everything that is going on, but at the same time, it probably wouldn’t hurt if he took a slightly different approach at times.  Currently, the Cowboys have been in the news everywhere you look because of Jerry saying this or Jerry saying that with the current contract disputes between said Owner and their number one WR CeeDee Lamb.

Cedarian DeLeon “CeeDee” Lamb is known for his incredible play abilities as one of the most elite WRs in the entire league.  He is the most unwavering option on their offense on a week-to-week basis since basically his first season as a Cowboy.  Sure, when he was drafted 17^th overall in 2020, he joined the then number one WR Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup but Lamb played right out of the gates.  Gallup had missed 12 games due to different injuries in his career which unequivocally gave him more opportunities and shined even more light on CeeDee but we all assumed he would be a stud in the NFL from his level of production at Oklahoma.  His sophomore season is when he really started to up his game catching 65 passes for 1,158 yds 11 TDs.  CeeDee’s junior year his number of receptions dropped to 62 although bested his yardage and TD totals, accumulating 1,327 yards and hauling in 14 touchdowns.  He was a superstar in college and has since held up to the same stature for the Dallas Cowboys.  CeeDee currently has the 4^th most receiving yards to start an NFL career along with also setting some other records.  In 2023 Lamb became the first player in NFL history to record at least 10 catches for more than 150 yards in three consecutive games plus he broke Michael Irvin’s Cowboys single-season record for both receptions and yards also breaking Irvin’s single-game record bringing in 13 catches for 227 receiving yards.

Along with CeeDee Lamb holding out for a new deal, there have been a couple of other cornerstones of this team that are looking for new contracts.  One is QB Dak Prescott who is currently in the last year of his deal.  His contract holds a cap hit of just over $55.1M and his average salary is $40M (15^th among QBs).  Dak is a very good top-10 type of talent at the QB position and seeks to be compensated as such.  The market for every position will always only go up and for this position it is, was, and will always be the highest-paid group of players leaguewide.  This is a tricky situation however, he is very talented, wins tons of games in the regular season, and is consistently one of the better QBs (when healthy) in terms of passing yards, win percentage, and TD-Int ratio.  The only negatives here with Dak that could maybe make the details of his new contract a bit murky would be the fact that he does seem to make some poor and costly decisions at times.  Otherwise, the biggest talk about Dak has always been the lack of play in the post-season as Prescott has now played in 7 playoff games, but unfortunately only won 28.5% of those games (record of 2-5).  Coincidentally, the 28.5%-win percentage ranks 15^th in the league among the top 19 QBs of APY salary.  I’m not saying that Dak should continue to be paid as the 15th-highest salary among QBs, but that is an interesting little nugget of info.

Upon writing this article CeeDee Lamb and the Dallas Cowboys have reached an agreement for terms on a new deal.  Lamb’s new contract is a highly lucrative one as we all expected it would be.  Dallas offered their top playmaker a record 4- year deal for $136M.  Ceedee has since signed said new contract and in doing so becomes the 2^nd highest-paid non-QB in NFL history.  The new deal includes $38M in signing bonus money, which is the largest amount ever given to a WR!  Though the entire fully guaranteed money hasn’t yet been announced publicly as I am writing this, there are whispers that Lamb may wind up with $100M or somewhere in that ballpark in guarantees.

There is also another player who is patiently waiting to hear about the terms of a new contract.  That player is the key piece to their whole defense, I am of course referring to Micah Parsons.  Parsons is one of the most versatile players I’ve ever seen from rushing the passer to excelling in the run game and even having a strong presence in the pass game when he drops back into coverage.  His physicality & presence brings more to the defense than what his stats show.  Micah’s numbers have descended each year of his career so far in tackles (84 tot, 64 solo 2021, 65 tot, 42 solo 2022, 64 tot, 36 solo 2023), but his sacks have been trending upwards.  He had 13 sacks in his rookie season, then he had 13.5 in year two, and he managed to bring down QBs 14 times last season.  Micah isn’t stressing over a new contract though; he knows that it's only a matter of time before he’s called into the office to sign his initials.

Lastly, I have one more note on the state of the Cowboys franchise right now and that is that HC Mike McCarthy is also currently coaching on the last year of his deal.  I don’t know for sure if Mike wants to stay there or not, I'd probably guess so, but with Jerry seemingly always in your space who could really know what the man wants other than him.  Coach McCarthy is presently third in the NFL right in total wins with 178 and is tied for ninth in overall win percentage.  Mike’s overall regular season win-loss record is 167-102-2 and his playoff record is 11-11.  That playoff record is the only thing coach McCarthy needs to work on because he kills it every year in the regular season.  After last season that makes three consecutive years of finishing with a record of 12-5.  The Dallas Cowboys now find themselves tied with the San Francisco forty-niners for the all-time lead of the most seasons with 12 or more wins (16).

J.E.T.S, JETS - JETS – JETS

 

        This article is for the diehard fans of New York, who have been holding on by a thread while they watch their NY Jets stink up the field over the past several decades.  What I mean by this is that the Jets fans have been waiting to see their team get back to the Super Bowl as it has been 55 years since.  Obviously, the Jets have only made one Super Bowl appearance in their entire existence which came back in 1969.  Joe Namath and the Jets largely upset Johnny Unitas’ Baltimore Colts 16-7 as the Colts were heavily favored that year.  Namath’s Jets became the first AFL team to defeat an NFL team in winning a Super Bowl.   Even though the Jets only brought home one Lombardy the fans still to this day love Joe Namath and everything he did for the beloved Jets organization and team in his 13-year tenure there.  I have not been alive long enough to have seen all the QBs the Jets have assembled since Namath retired, but I can tell you one thing, none of the QBs the Jets have had since the early 90s haven’t come close to that type of franchise player.

        They’ve had plenty of decent to good QBs, Vinny Testaverde who spent 2 stints with the Jets, and Chad Pennington, who looked very promising until injuries plagued his career, then there was hope and belief that getting Brett Favre towards the end of his career would surely be the answer to end their half-century of misery.  Shockingly, with Brett under center, the Jets neither made a Super Bowl appearance nor the playoffs in his lone season as a Jet.  Favre wound up getting hurt and was shipped back to the NFC North the following season to play for his long-time rival Minnesota Vikings.  Two seasons later came ex-USC Trojans QB Mark Sanchez who led NY to back-2-back AFC championships (2010-2011) but fell short both times.  Last season it seemed like all the misfortunes of the Jets were going to come to an end.  When you bring in Aaron Rodgers, yet another ex-Packers QB how can you not be overcome with excitement.  I mean it is a guy who led the Packers to a Super Bowl win, it may’ve been over a decade ago but still, Green Bay seemingly scouts the best of the best at that position, and the proof is there.  I mean the Packers have only had 3 starting QBs in the past 32 years.  Well, surprise, surprise last year the Jets found out their season was over pretty early, extremely early, in fact, there’s an old saying “The early bird gets the worm”.  It was earlier than that, as Rodgers only played four snaps into their first game and then tore his achillies tendon.  When you rewatch the footage of the play where the damage was done you can see the tendon snap back like a rubber band.

        Enough of the negative noise though.  Let's discuss what the Jets fans are looking forward to this season.  Aaron Rodgers is now 100% healthy even if he is over 40 years old.  Star RB Breece Hall is back healthy and stud WR Garrett Wilson is primed for a breakout year.  Jets GM Joe Douglas made sure he brought in enough talent to have in place for his guy Rodgers by beefing up the O-Line, I don’t believe it’ll be a top unit in the league, but anything is better than last year's struggles from their big men up front.  Often hurt (missed 37 games the past four seasons) T Tyron Smith was brought over from Dallas who can play the left tackle or guard positions.  LG John Simpson came from Baltimore where he started every game last season including both Ravens playoff games.  Douglas also signed ex-Ravens RT Morgan Moses to sure up the right side of the O-line.  Mike Williams, ex-chargers WR was brought in to help bolster this core unit of pass catchers that also has second-year WR Xavier Gipson alongside future Superstar Wilson.  Offensively they have more than enough talent to work with.

        When you think about this New York Jets team you may think of the 4x MVP Aaron Rodgers, their RB Hall, and even WR Wilson, but the first thing that should come to mind is this astounding Jets defense.  This may not be the New York Sack Exchange of the 1980’s although this is as scary of a unit as you’ll see across the league.  Last season the Jets were second in passing yards allowed.  They also allowed just 19 pass TDs (tied 2nd), had 15 INTs (12th), 15 FF (11th), 10 FR (11h), & 48 sacks (9th).  This Jets D has huge pieces at every level from the D-line, heart and soul of the defense Quinnen Williams, newly acquired players in both Javon Kinlaw & Haason Reddick, LBs C.J. Mosley, Quincy Williams, and of course the backend that is loaded with talent.  One of the best lockdown CBs in the entire league is Sauce Gardner, his teammate on the other side of the field D.J Reed, Michael Carter II at the nickel position, underrated S Tony Adams, and recently signed veteran Chuck Clark.  I’ve quietly been a fan of Chuck Clark from his days in Baltimore.   He’s not the best in pass coverage but what he brings to the run game with his ability to tackle in the open field just brings even more greatness to this DB room.

        New York Jets fans are in a great place right now with Rodgers and this intimidating defense that can single-handedly win them games with sufficient play from any passer, let alone the game-changer that Aaron has been.  Even better news for NY is that the Division rival Buffalo Bills have lost a lot of staples to their team and seem to be slightly trending in the wrong direction.  To analyze the rest of their AFC East rivals, the New England Patriots and Belichick parted ways and are entering a full rebuild that will keep them out of the mix for at least the next few seasons.  Then there is the Miami Dolphins who are potentially a threat to the Jets after winning the East last season.  However, one thing favoring the Jets here is that the Jets will host the Dolphins the last week of the season.  Say the Jets and Dolphins are tied for the division lead in week 18, that will not bode well for these Fins.  If you don’t know what I am alluding to with the previous statement I will leave you with this stat.  The Miami Dolphins have not won a game they've played in 40 degrees or less in their past 11 games in such temperatures.

ATLANTA FALCONS SNEAKY OFFSEASON MAY HAVE THEM READY TO SURPRISE THE NFL

 

                   The Atlanta Falcons’ fanbase has been craving a formidable football team to represent the Atlanta, Georgia area for several years.  Atlanta last made the playoffs in 2017 when they suffered a brutal loss at the hands of the “G.O.A.T” Tom Brady.  Yes, that is right, in Superbowl LI the Atlanta Falcons had their hands on the pulse of the New England Patriots and were looking to close out the game while routing the Pats 28-3, but here came the heroics of golden boy Tom Brady, yet again.  Brady and the Patriots erased a 28-3 deficit in the third quarter that led them to a tied game to end the fourth quarter and in doing so also led to the NFL’s very first Over Time game in Super Bowl history.  When you have any team down by three or more scores in any game, let alone the pinnacle of the sport, you must pull out all the stops to end it with a win so you can get that prestigious ring that you spend your whole life dreaming about.  The Falcons looked like their path to victory would have been to keep the ball in the arms of the running back.  After all, that is the reason they gained such a big lead, to begin with.  However to everyone's surprise Atlanta chose to do the opposite and air the ball out rather than kill the remaining time with the run game.  This decision proved fatal for the Falcons as Brady drove his guys down the field three times while successfully holding the Falcons without scoring the entire fourth quarter.  Then the game went to overtime for the first time in Super Bowl history and the New England Patriots ended up completing the largest comeback in the Super Bowl era.

                        Since Atlanta’s heartbreaking loss in that Super Bowl,  the vibes there haven't been the same.  Julio Jones ended up leaving and spent time with three different teams since then and although I haven’t heard that he has retired yet he is nowhere near the player he was then.  Julio had an incredible career and is widely known as one of the best pass catchers the league has ever seen.  Matt Ryan had also moved on after spending a few more seasons in Atlanta, he ended up going to Indianapolis and proved his best years were behind him as an elite QB.  Now Matty Ice is retired, and Atlanta was just hoping to find another proven guy to bring them back to the top of the NFC South.  In comes Kirk Cousins to hopefully save the day and Atlanta’s hopes of a long-awaited path back to a playoff birth.  Granted Kirk isn’t a top 5 QB, but he is a little more than a game manager even now at 36 entering his 13^th season and 10^th season as a starter.  Cousins is a 4x Pro Bowler, led the league in completion percentage in 2015, Bart Starr award winner (2023), has the most game-winning drives in a single season (tied with Matthew Stafford) & most fourth-quarter comebacks in s season 8 (tied with Stafford).  Kirk also accomplished the biggest comeback in NFL history during week 15 of the 2022 season when Cousins led his Minnesota Vikings to an incredible win as the Colts got out to a blowout kind of lead early in the game, but the no-quit in Kirk was fully on display as he threw for a career-high 460 yds on 34 of 54 passes, 4 TDs & 2 INTs.

                        There is finally hope in Atlanta with this revamped offense that comes with head coach Raheem Morris and offensive coordinator Zac Robinson.  New HC Morris was brought over in the offseason from the Los Angeles Rams, though Morris brought some friends with him from Los Angeles.  Falcons' new OC Zac Robinson also made the trip from L.A. where he was the Rams QB coach and passing game coordinator from 2022-2023.  The Rams also lost their Assistant HC Jimmy Lake who is now the Falcons DC.  From the coaching staff to the front office things seem much better than just a year ago.  General Manager Terry Fontenot has done an awesome job bringing in more talent and even late in the preseason, he was still able to strike gold with some savvy moves signing veteran safety Justin Simmons to pair with Jessie Bates.  Fontenot also made a huge trade with the Patriots that dealt Edge Rusher Matthew Judon to Atlanta.  They also made sure to re-sign their top CB A.J Terrell to a massive 4yr-$81M deal that includes $65.80M guaranteed, which is a record-setting amount for guaranteed money.

                        Offensively the Falcons already have two very good RBs in last year’s rookie sensation Bijan Robinson and third-year back Tyler Allgeier.  I expect big things from Bijan this season and believe he can lead all running backs in both receptions and possibly in total scrimmage yards. They also have, the oftentimes underestimated and undervalued tight end Kyle Pitts whose talent is about to explode.  This is finally a pass-friendly attack, and Pitts will be one of the vocal points of this offense along with WRs Drake London and the speedster Darnell Mooney.  The 2024 regular season is almost underway and a smart bet for the NFC South champions may be those Falcons out of the Peach State.

BRONCO COUNTRY & SEAN PAYTON PART II

 

 

                                Broncos Country, we got our guys, what I mean is they have both their HC Sean Payton, and their QB of the future, Bo Nix.  If you happen to be a Denver Broncos fan, you have not been thrilled since 2015.  That was the last time the Broncos won the Super Bowl, their division (AFC West), or even made the playoffs.  It has certainly been painful, at times to watch how this Broncos team unraveled over the last 9 seasons.  Having to employ fourteen different guys at the quarterback position in that span is just excruciating to watch as a fan.  After Peyton Manning retired, they decided to go with Brock Osweiler but unfortunately for both parties, it didn’t work out.  Brock ended up on the Houston Texans after signing a major 4-year $72 million contract in the 2016 offseason.  The Broncos had other subpar starters, Trevor Siemian, Paxton Lynch, and Case Keenum.  After seemingly no viable replacement, they looked to the free agency pool for a possible veteran and found themselves Mr. Joe Cool himself, Joe Flacco.  When that didn’t work out in came the kid out of Missouri, Drew Lock.  Drew showed a lot of promise at times but ultimately the Broncos soon gave up on him and others like Brandon Allen, Jeff Driskel, and Brett Rypien.  In fact, they had so much bad luck that during the 2020 season in week 12 against the New Orleans Saints, the Bronco’s backup QB Jeff Driskel tested positive for COVID-19, and then all of Denver’s QBs were ruled ineligible due to being in close contact to him.  This left Denver with no quarterback for the matchup.  They had no choice but to start the once quarterback at the collegiate level, their wideout Kendall Hinton, alongside their running back Phillip Lindsay, who had also taken some snaps as their passer.  Needless to say, it was an all-around horrendous performance.  The following season the Broncos signed veteran QB Teddy Bridgewater, though that was yet again an ill-fated attempt to fix their offensive woes and get back to a playoff-caliber team. 

              Then came the 2022 offseason when the Broncos made a huge splash in free agency making the biggest move since the Broncos signed Peyton Manning back in March of 2012.  They had signed another all-pro, Super Bowl-winning, franchise quarterback Russell Wilson.  It was a massive trade that had them acquire Wilson as the Broncos traded with the Seattle Seahawks, giving the Seahawks five draft picks, including two first-rounders, and 3 players, QB Drew Lock, TE Noah Fant, & DE Shelby Harris.  Denver ended up going 11-19 in Russell’s tenure with the Broncos, which was ended after only two seasons.  Actually two games short of two full seasons.  Sean Payton didn’t exactly love what he saw out of Russ and, therefore ended up benching Wilson with two games remaining.  Upon the end of the season, I’m sure the team and its fan base had sensed that this would probably be the end of the Russell Wilson era.   What would they do now to bolster this pesky QB situation, that had been a nagging thorn in their side for almost a decade?  Well, it took no time at all for the release of Wilson when the Broncos informed him of his departure from the team on March 6, 2024, giving Russ plenty of time to go find another team.  That way Denver could focus on their future and not have to worry about any possible distractions from a guy that’s still more than capable of a starting role in the NFL after passing for 3,070 yards, 26 TDs, 8 INTs, and 3 rush TDs.

                Oregon Duck fans certainly know the name Bo Nix from his work as the heart and soul of their team the last two years after transferring from Auburn in 2022.  Bo was the SEC FOTY in 2019, selected to First-team All-Pac-12 in 2023, and was also the Pac-12 OPOY.  During his senior year at Oregon Bo posted incredible stats with a record of 12-2 Nix completed 77.4% of his passes, 4508 yds, 45 TDs 3 INTs, & 6 rushing TDs.  When watching Bo Nix’s style of play, he at times resembles future hall of famer Drew Brees.  I believe that is exactly what Sean Payton saw in Bo from his time in Oregon plus at his pro day, which is why Sean Payton and George Paton drafted Nix 12^th overall in this year's NFL draft.  Coincidently a little birdy recently told me that Bo was working out with Brees, getting a few pointers from him on playing in Sean Payton’s offense.  Brees had an incredibly successful career in Sean Payton’s scheme and won a Super Bowl in 2010 defeating Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts 31-17.

                Bo has an immensely talented core of skilled positional players around him now in Denver from wideouts Courtland Sutton, second-year sensation, and possible breakout player Marvin Mims Jr., plus they also signed newcomer ex-Ram Josh Reynolds.  Denver even drafted Bo's Oregon teammate, and favorite target Troy Franklin.  He hasn’t exactly shown his greatest stuff so far in the pre-season, but I project him to be the last receiver to make the cut.  The Broncos also have some decent tight ends in Adam Trautman, listed at 6’5”, 253 lbs., is certainly a weapon around the red zone.  Trautman possesses reliable hands with a big enough frame to help with blocking in the run game.  Along with him they also have a gem now third-year TE Greg Dulcich who played all four years of college ball with UCLA.  In his last season there Dulcich posted 42 recs, 725 yds, and 5 TDs, he also has good size at 6’4” and 245 lbs.  He's good at finding the soft spots in the defense when he’s not the first option.  He makes for a perfect safety blanket when the QB is rushed and must sling it out at the last second.  His route-running skills combined with size and speed can be an absolute mismatch nightmare and headache for linebackers.

                Now for Denver’s running back room.  First, Javonte Williams was drafted by the Broncos in the 2021 draft 35^th overall out of NC where he ran for a total of 2,297 yards, for 29 TDs.  Javonte most definitely impressed Mile High as a rookie amassing 1,200 scrimmage yards scoring 7 TDs total and rushing for 4.4 average yards per carry.  Williams looked to become one of the best up-and-coming backs in the league during his rookie season.  He often broke three to four tackles on every couple of carries.  Javonte had his own highlight reel from the beginning of the season, I remember watching him break three tacklers and dragging the fourth man about 15-20 yards down the field.  Anyhow, after his first season, Williams sadly tore his ACL.  This, unfortunately, brought his second season to an end after only playing in four games.  Currently, the Broncos also have Samaje Perine, who I personally believe may end up cut, not that he is not a good player, but I just think they will choose the upside from other players such as Jaleel McLaughlin.   He has been killing it all throughout the off-season thus far and his peers and coaching staff are raving about him. Assuming most people don’t know this stat, McLaughlin is the All-Time NCAA leading rusher at 8,166 total yards!  That is insane right, Jaleel amassed at least 1,500 yds in 4 of his 5 seasons reaching 2,300 + yds in his first two seasons.  He also accounted for 79 TDs on the ground in only 56 games.  His average yards per game in 56 games is 145.82 while his average yards per season is just over 1,600 yds.  McLaughlin showed he is a burst of energy last season and is a perfectly added weapon in Sean Payton’s offense.  His scheme is very running-back friendly to multiple types of backs, like when the Saints had Mark Ingram & Darren Sproles or Alvin Kamara & Ingram under Payton.  The last running back Audric Estime, Denver just drafted this year from Notre Dame, ran for 2,321 yards for 29 TDs.  Estime has some critics drawing comparisons to Hall of Famer  Jerome “The Bus” Bettis, I mean don’t get me wrong here he’s in the pros now and will need to do a ton before anyone can take that seriously.  I believe that the Denver Broncos are undoubtedly on the right path right now under the direction of both Sean Payton & GM George Paton.  My credence is that many people will be wildly surprised at the Broncos' outcome of the season.  I wouldn’t count them out for a possible playoff appearance as soon as this season with rookie QB Box Nix under center because he is that good.

THE KING HENRY AFFECT IN BALTIMORE = OFFENSIVE SUPREMACY

                        The Baltimore Ravens have largely been known for having one of the best Defenses ever since they’ve been a franchise.  Baltimore chose to name their team the Ravens after the fans got involved in a contest that included both a phone survey and focus groups where over 33,000 people voted between possible team names such as Marauders, Americans, Bombers, and of course Ravens.  The possible team names were originally a list of over 100 nicknames that the NFL had presented to the public.  Obviously after fans played a pivotal role here, the name that was eventually picked became Ravens.  Edgar Allen Poe’s poem that was written in Baltimore, Maryland back on January 29, 1845, which was titled “The Raven” was in fact the inspiration behind the NFL team’s name.  As I already mentioned, this Baltimore team had been infamous for their stifling defense which was majorly because of a few names you may have heard of, in many people’s opinion the greatest LB to every play the game, Ray Lewis who was the Ravens 2^nd overall draft pick as an NFL franchise.  Lewis played lights out for just under 2 decades (17 seasons) for the Purple & White tallying 978 solo tackles with a combined total of 1,343 tkl, 41.5 sk, 31 int, 17 ff, 20 fr, & 3 tds.  As the most decorated player in franchise history Ray was selected to 13 Pro Bowls, he won 2 DPOY, 1 Super Bowl MVP and 2 Championships.  Since retiring back in 2013 Ray Lewis was soon after inducted to the NFL HOF in 2018.

                        Baltimore has always focused slightly more on employing greatness on defense than the offensive side of the ball and for what many believe to be a very good reason.  I believe it was an old college football coach Bear Bryant who first said, “offense sells tickets, but defense wins championships.”  This is exactly what Baltimore’s organization and their fanbase have been hanging their hats on ever since the birth of the franchise back in 1996.  The Ravens later became a franchise after the Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell reached a deal with Baltimore to relocate their franchise there.  Over the Ravens 28 year span they have had numerous bullies on their incredible defenses, to name a few, Ed Reed, Tony Siragusa, Adalius Thomas, Terrell Suggs, Bart Scott, Haloti Ngata, Chris McAlister, Peter Boulware, Rod Woodson, Trevor Pyrce & C.J Mosley.  Fast forward to 2024 and this trend is still in full swing with some of the best players in the NFL on the Ravens defense.  Kyle Hamilton S, Roquan Smith LB, & Justin Madubuike DE are all fresh off their Pro Bowl nods last season.  Mix in one of the best CBs Marlon Humphrey along with skilled S Marcus Williams and that’s a recipe for a top 5 Defense in football.  Although the Ravens did just lose their DC Mike McDonald this offseason when he signed with Seattle to become their new HC to replace longtime HC Pete Carroll.  There is a silver lining however, Baltimore promoted their once LB Zach Orr who played with the Ravens (2014-2016), then coached as their defensive analyst (2017-2020), & ILB coach (2022-2023) will be their new DC.  After 9 years both playing and coaching for this franchise, he knows this defense inside out and no doubt he will get the best out of these men.

                        History also says that this team hasn’t exactly had a ton of success on the offensive side of the ball as I previously stated.  The last few seasons they have largely showed signs of breaking out, this is mainly because of their QB who is now a 2x NFL MVP in Lamar Lackson.   His abilities as an overall player go unmatched as he is possibly the most versatile athlete from the quarterback position the NFL has seen since the likes of Michael Vick.  Lamar can not only throw the ball accurately deep-down field but can also take off at any given time whether the pocket breaks down around him or if he can’t find his man down field.  He has amazing vision as a runner and a vastly overlooked ability to avoid taking any big hits from tacklers when he leisurely takes off at will.  With a massive addition in the offseason the Ravens may have just helped the longevity of Jacksons career by signing arguably the best RB of the last two decades in Derrick Henry (aka King Henry). 

              HC John Harbaugh along with OC Todd Monken must be gleaming with joy knowing that they have their guy that can take a lot of pressure off Lamar by making opposing defenses have to respect the run even more with a true threat at RB.  Defenses will have to stack the box although it will also lead to a whole lot more production from Lamar through the air rocketing the ball down field.  Derrick Henry has posted at least 1,000 yds rushing 5 out of his 8 years in the NFL.  2021 was an intriguing year as Henry looked to amass 1,000 yds by the halfway point in the season before sustaining a brutal injury in which Henry suffered a pedal foot fracture keeping him from quite possibly breaking the all-time season record for rushing yards (2,105yds, Eric Dickerson, 1984).  It wasn’t Henry’s first go at the record as Henry already ranks fifth on the all-time list with 2,027 yds back in 2020. One would certainly be astute to assume that Baltimore will more than likely finish the season with the top rushing attack for the second straight season giving the fact that Lamar alone ran for 821 yds plus their second year elusive RB Keaton Mitchell who looked very explosive as a rookie posting 5.1y/a on 396yds in only 8 games with only 2 games as a starter.  Mitchell was injured much of the season, so it is only a small sample size to start his career.  Nevertheless, it is still something to be excited about for the future.  Now add King Henry’s 1,167 yds, sprinkle in a little of Justice Hill here and how can you not claim the Ravens as the best rushing offense in football?

            Lastly, I would like to touch on the weapons outside of the RBs that Lamar will have at his disposal.  First is their number one target, who is always Lamar’s safety valve in TE Mark Andrews.  Andrews is consistently a top 3-5 option at his position, from posting 10 TDs in 2019, to recording career highs in 2021 (107rec, 1361yds, 9tds), then catching 73 passes in 2022.  Mark was often banged up last season and his stats took an obvious dip while only playing in 10 games.  When Mark went got hurt their back up, who I think could be a starter on a lot of other teams stepped up snagging 30 recs, over 400yds receiving & 5 TDs.  Zay Flowers is also a hot commodity now entering his second NFL season.  He oozed talent right out of the gate last year, nearly going for 1,000 receiving yards on 77 receptions for 5 TDs.  Flowers capped off his rookie campaign with adding 9 catches & 1 TD on 156yds in postseason play before a huge costly fumble in the AFC Championship Game where the Ravens hopes and dreams were shattered at the hand of the Kansas City Chiefs & the most dominant QB in the league, Patrick Mahomes.  I wouldn’t say the Ravens have a great group of WRs right now, but they do have solid players like Nelson Agholor, Russell Gage, Tylan Wallace, and returning starter Rashod Bateman. 

            Baltimore in my own opinion is one of the most sturdily built teams top to bottom from the coaching staff to the depth chart.  I can’t help but imagine the Ravens not getting back to the AFC Championship yet again after bringing in even more talent in both free agency and this year’s draft.  It will not be an easy task in AFC where it essentially seemed like every team was in playoff contention until the last 2 weeks of the season last year.  They also play in the AFC North Division that had 3 teams make the playoffs last season.  Inter divisional play alone against Joe Burrow’s Bengals, Cleveland Browns & the Pittsburgh Steelers is quite a challenge.  This is most definitely the toughest division in football right now and I can’t wait to see if this ends up being the first division in NFL history to have all four teams advance to the playoffs.  I don’t know about you, but I’m sure ready for some football.