Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Friday, November 27, 2015

Johnny Manziel: His Problem, Not Ours




We all know one person in our lives who just effortlessly keeps making mistakes left and right, without thinking of the possible consequences. 

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Wednesday Morning Thoughts: NFL Week One




Oh, Ram!
The St. Louis Rams perhaps shocked everybody outside of their own locker room by defeating the defending NFC champion Seattle Seahawks in a 34-31 OT thriller. Yes, Seattle was on the road and without perhaps the best safety in all of football in Kam Chancellor, yet this win, for some reason, just rattles excitement for this football club. For about the past 3 years now, we've been hearing many analysts across the country peg the Rams as the club who will finally rise to glory, however nothing amounted. Sam Bradford was always hurt, and the offense couldn't match par with the other side's unit, resulting in less than .500 seasons for the past 3 years Jeff Fisher has been head coach. With one of the league's best defensive units, a healthy Todd Gurley and a upright quarterback in Nick Foles, St. Louis appears ready to contend for a NFC West crown.

Not So Fast, My Friend!
Admittedly, almost everybody (including myself) saw no hope for the San Francisco 49ers this season. With Jim Harbaugh back to school and 20+ players gone for at least the opener, no expert in their right mind would have picked against an improving Minnesota team, with Teddy Bridgewater making strides throwing the ball and welcoming back a well-rested Adrian Peterson. The Colin Kaepernick we've all come to know, hate and love, looks like a completely different quarterback. Carlos Hyde wipes any yearning of Frank Gore off the map, and any defense that can hold Adrian Peterson to 31 yards on double-digit carries deserves some recognition. Maybe not as much potential as St. Louis to make some noise this year, but 49ers faithful do indeed have something to be faithful about. 

Silence of the Manning
Football has always been a family business in the Manning household, yet neither Peyton or Eli Manning took care of business on Sunday. In an ugly 19-13 win against Baltimore, Peyton Manning managed to not lose the game against the Ravens, and show that father time was perhaps catching up with him on more than one occasion. However it was Eli that managed to out-do his brother, having a less-than-stellar game and maybe even costing the Giants a valuable win on Sunday night at Dallas. It's been a great run for the brothers, who've been in the league together since little brother Eli joined in 2004, but as for the Manning duo itself, the down-slope is near, if not apparent as is. 

Super Mariota 
One of the more unappreciated games this past Sunday pitted number one and number two draft picks Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota against each other. The hype, for both quarterbacks, have seen it's share of both sides of the scale. In a 42-14 good-ole-fashion-tail-whooping, Marcus Mariota led the way with four touchdown passes (all in the first half) and went 13/16 for 209 yards, being the only quarterback since Fran Tarkenton to throw for four touchdown passes his first game. Mariota looked calm in the pocket and flashed his potential as a duel-threat quarterback in Sunday's win. On the other side of the field, Jameis Winston looked all but ready, making many errors on a 16/33 night with 2 TD's and 2 interceptions. Surely we shouldn't push the panic button just yet (A young Peyton Manning threw 28 interceptions his rookie year) but we recognize there is progress to be made in Tampa Bay.

Saturday, August 29, 2015

Saturday Thoughts: (Pre) Season of the Quarterback




Position Battles 

As expected, quarterback races across the landscape of the league have heated up throughout the 2015 NFL Preseason, with Brian Hoyer getting the nod over Ryan Mallett in Houston, Ryan Fitzpatrick being brought to the Big Apple, and EJ Manuel/Matt Cassel duking it out in Buffalo, with Tyrod Taylor even having a slight outside shot.


Johnny Football Done for Preseason
In a pivotal year for Johnny Manziel, it appears as if he's done playing NFL football... for now. Manziel was recently shut down for the rest of the preseason due to elbow soreness. Reportedly, Manziel has experienced soreness since his high school days, and it couldn't have flared up at a worse time. Coming off a year where we saw him struggle both on and off the field, Johnny Football was locked in a battle to become Cleveland's starting quarterback, and with his absence on the field, the job will ultimately shift in favor of Josh McCown.

Vick Receives New Contract, Old Haters 
With Bruce Gradkowski now on the IR list, Pittsburgh searched for an upgraded insurance policy for Ben Roethlisberger (Anybody but Landry Jones, please) and signed former first overall pick Michael Vick. Although Vick is certainly on the down-slope of his career, he adds another dimension at the quarterback position and is able to pick up an offense quickly, something needed for the Steelers with a mere two weeks until they travel to New England to open the season.

With the ink still wet on the contract, the "Michael Vick Haters Chorus" awoke from their slumber, and pegged Vick with the same old insults used almost a decade ago. Why some people decide to only dislike him for past mistakes when he makes headlines is another topic for another day, Michael is ready to do whatever he can to help Pittsburgh become a better team, and hopefully try to once again show people the new, changed person he is throughout that process.

RG3 Lacks Many Things, Except Confidence

"I feel like I'm the best quarterback in the league" is a quote you would expect to come out of the likes of a Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady or any established passer in this league. However, this quote came from Redskins signal-caller Robert Griffin III.

Now before this topic is discussed any further, you can't fault Griffin for being confident and believing in himself. Obviously, being asked how he felt in an interview, one wouldn't expect RG3 to degrade himself and be completely honest, that's a job for people such as myself.

Yet it's the simple fact those words were uttered out of Robert that took many people off-guard. After all, this is the same once rookie sensation turned injury-prone, inaccurate and shaky quarterback we're talking about, correct?  Props to Griffin for the confidence, but let's not lose a grip of reality. RG3 is well on his way to becoming one of the more notable of busts in recent memory, unless of course the prayers are finally answered in Washington and the Redskins deliver on the football field.



Thursday, June 25, 2015

2015 NBA Mock Draft



And with the first pick in the NBA Draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves select...

Thursday, April 30, 2015

2015 NFL Mock Draft




With the NFL Draft starting fresh by relocating to Chicago for its 2015 event, all 32 clubs look to start fresh as the 2015 NFL Draft will inject new hope into fans, players and staff across the landscape of the league.

Monday, February 16, 2015

Incoming Freshmen to Watch in 2015 College Football Season: Offensive Edition



Just a few days removed from national signing day, and hype is already building for next year's college football season. The new season is

Friday, February 6, 2015

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Ohio State Tops Oregon in National Championship




"The chase is complete"

Those were the words uttered by Ohio State coach Urban Meyer on a confetti flooded field immediately after his team defeated the Oregon Ducks 42-20 in AT&T Stadium on Monday night.