Looking at your site of choice's player rankings as you prepare for a fantasy draft is an alternately exhilarating and horrifying experience. How you chose to maneuver that list of names, particularly in the early rounds, will likely be the difference between a season full of prideful triumphs or a whole lot of deep regret and extensive questioning about just what the hell you were thinking on draft day. Deducing what players you believe are being overvalued in the top rounds is easily one of the most essential parts in the pursuit of fantasy gold. Here are the coveted guys at each vital position that I believe to be not worth selecting at their current ADP.
Quarterback: Andrew Luck (Colts) (ADP: Yahoo: 46.1, ESPN: 61.4, NFL.com: 48.4)
In Luck's case, this has nothing to do with performance. The Colts signalcaller had his best year since his breakout campaign in 2014, finishing 5th in the league (4,593), 2nd in TD's (39) and 4th at the position in fantasy points (341.92). The problem is that while Luck's draft stock has surged, his significant injury concerns remain the same. He's currently battling a mysterious calf/lower leg/Achilles problem that has kept him out since the start of camp and knowing Luck's history, its entirely possible this keeps him out for the foreseeable future or that another ailment will pop up during the season. Obviously the rewards will be plentiful if holding him out of practice and preseason games ends up being just a precaution, but blowing a prime draft pick on an injury-prone player at a position that has plenty of depth is a super unnecessary risk.
Dishonorable Mentions: Baker Mayfield (Browns), Aaron Rodgers (Packers), Cam Newton (Panthers)
Running Back: Dalvin Cook (Vikings) (Yahoo: 19.7, ESPN: 25.7, NFL.com: 24.3)
Todd Gurley was in strong consideration here due to his complete physical breakdown at the end of last season, but the bounceback potential his impressive resume has earned him was just enough to make him the runner-up. On the other hand, Cook has done absolutely nothing to earn his high draft status. He's only appeared in 15 games over the course of his 1st 2 years in the league, has been thoroughly inconsistent when he's actually been on the field and remains stuck behind a bottom 3 offensive line in the league. With their more versatile skill sets and better o-lines, Marlon Mack, Aaron Jones and Devonta Freeman are all much more intriguing picks at a slightly cheaper price tag (high 20's to mid 30's).
Honorable Mentions: Todd Gurley (Rams), Damien Williams (Chiefs), Nick Chubb (Browns)
Wide Receiver: Antonio Brown (Raiders) (ADP: Yahoo: 21.7, ESPN: 18.7, NFL.com: 18.7)
I honestly can't believe I'm mentioning Brown here. He's been arguably the most consistent fantasy player on the planet since 2013, racking up at least 101 catches, 1,284 YDS and 8 TD's in each of those seasons. Now as a result of threatening retirement because he refuses to comply with the NFL's new helmet rule and going from future Hall-of-Famer Ben Roethlisberger to wildly overpaid punchline Derek Carr at the QB position, he's damn near undraftable. What a sudden and drastic fall from grace for the former best receiver in the league.
Honorable Mentions: Calvin Ridley (Falcons), A.J. Green (Bengals), Mike Williams (Chargers)
Tight End: Evan Engram (Giants) (ADP: Yahoo: 59.5, ESPN: 52.2, NFL.com: 50.5)
Nabbing tight ends in the middle rounds is becoming a more common practice thanks to the terrible depth at the position. However, I believe this trend is getting completely out of hand this season and Engram's early 5th round ADP on 2 of the 3 biggest sites is the best example of this insanity I've found to date. While Engram is an athletic freak and seems very likely to see a bump in targets thanks to the departure of Odell Beckham Jr., he's still apart of an anemic passing offense and is coming off a very forgettable 2018 in which he put up middling numbers (45 REC/577 YDS/3 TD's) and missed 5 games with a nagging hamstring injury-which also gave him problems in the early stages of this season's offseason program. If you're seeking a tight end in the 5th or 6th round, there are a number of vertical threats that are apart of more dynamic offenses (O.J. Howard, Jared Cook, Hunter Henry to a lesser extent) that all boast more upside than Engram.
Honorable Mentions: Eric Ebron (Colts), David Njoku (Browns), Jimmy Graham (Packers)
Defense/Special Teams: Jaguars (ADP: Yahoo: 80.9, ESPN: 98.1, NFL.com: 83.2)
There's a very slim chance that the Jags defense is as underwhelming in 2019 as they were in 2018. Whatever overconfidence existed as a result of their magical 2017 run that saw them almost beat the Patriots on the road in the AFC Championship Game was knocked out over the course of their 5-11 follow-up campaign plus there's just too much top-tier talent here (Jalen Ramsey, Calias Campbell, Yannick Ngakoue, A.J. Bouye, Marcell Dareus, Myles Jack) to believe they're going to put middling sack/takeaway (37/17) totals for a 2nd straight season. That being said, they're still a risky bet to be a top 5 fantasy defense this year. All-Pro outside linebacker Telvin Smith has effectively retired and the lack of experience they have at safety (current projected starters Ronnie Harrison and Jarrod Wilson have a combined 10 career starts) is very alarming for a secondary that lacked discipline throughout 2018.
Honorable Mentions: Ravens, Rams, Browns
Wednesday, August 14, 2019
Monday, August 12, 2019
The Best and Worst of Billy Crudup
“The Best and Worst of” series chronicles the career
highlights and lowlights of an actor starring in one of the week's
new theatrical releases. This week, I take a look at the filmography
of “Where'd You Go Bernadette” star Billy Crudup.
Films starring Billy Crudup that I've seen:
Almost Famous
Big Fish
Mission: Impossible III
Watchmen
Public Enemies
The Watch
The Stanford Prison Experiment
Spotlight
Jackie
20th Century Women
Alien: Covenant
Justice League
Best Performance: Almost Famous (2000)
A huge part of why Almost Famous works so well as both a coming-of-age story and a depiction of the glory days of rock music is the effortless authenticity that its actors brought to their parts. Outside of Kate Hudson's flawless turn as radiant groupie Penny Lane, Crudup's performance is the most impressive of the bunch. As guitarist Russell Hammond, the leader of the fictional band Stillwater that the protagonist (Patrick Fugit) is assigned to cover for a Rolling Stone feature, Crudup disappears into the character of a charismatic yet egomaniacal musician whose complete disregard for the feelings of the people that care about him puts the status of his band's burgeoning career in jeopardy.
Worst Performance: Watchmen (2009)
Watchmen falls into a very weird category that almost no other movie I've ever seen falls into. While there are plenty of elements of Zack Snyder's adaptation of the beloved graphic novel that left me awe-stricken (its unrelentingly dark tone, the action sequences, the alternate history timeline that drives its plot), there were several others (its sometimes very convoluted plot, the Nite Owl/Silk Spectre romance, every scene with Matthew Goode in it) that I outright hated. These insanely mixed feelings carried over to the acting as I felt every performance was either amazing (Jackie Earl Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan) or abysmal (Goode, Malin Akerman). Crudup fell into the latter category. Despite being a glowing blue beacon of radiation that you could see from anywhere in the galaxy, Crudup manages to make Dr. Manhattan a borderline invisible presence thanks to a tremendously awkward, stiff performance that couldn't possibly be less compelling.
Best Film: Almost Famous (2000)
Cameron Crowe is at his finest when he's telling heartfelt human stories, so it's probably not a coincidence that his finest work was based on his own experiences as a writer for Rolling Stone that embarked on tours with a number of iconic bands including Led Zeppelin, The Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynrd as a teenager in the 70's. Almost Famous is a fascinating, poignant portrait of the rebel spirit of rock n'roll and how the freewheeling lifestyle that comes with being on the road constantly can prepare someone for the unpredictable ups-and-downs that life has to offer.
Worst Film: Alien: Covenant (2017)
Alien has never been a series that I have a strong affinity for. Don't get me wrong: They're solid sci-fi horror movies with an iconic race of villains at the center of them, I've just always preferred the claustrophobic tension and self-aware goofiness of the Predator franchise. Even as a not overly big fan of the brand, I really wish Ridley Scott had just left it alone. Alien: Covenant takes a deeper dive into the origins of the Xenomorphs and boy oh boy does that prove to be a colossal mistake. The deeper Scott and screenwriter John Logan dive into the mythology of these once mysterious creatures, the more frustratingly absurd the proceedings get. Not to mention, this is boring as all hell whenever Michael Fassbender isn't on screen. Hopefully the financial problems that have already occurred during the first few months of the Fox/Disney merger will kill Scott's plan to make a prequel trilogy.
Thank you for reading this week's edition of “The Best and Worst of”. The next victim of my praise and ire will be “Angel Has Fallen” star Nick Nolte.
Films starring Billy Crudup that I've seen:
Almost Famous
Big Fish
Mission: Impossible III
Watchmen
Public Enemies
The Watch
The Stanford Prison Experiment
Spotlight
Jackie
20th Century Women
Alien: Covenant
Justice League
Best Performance: Almost Famous (2000)
A huge part of why Almost Famous works so well as both a coming-of-age story and a depiction of the glory days of rock music is the effortless authenticity that its actors brought to their parts. Outside of Kate Hudson's flawless turn as radiant groupie Penny Lane, Crudup's performance is the most impressive of the bunch. As guitarist Russell Hammond, the leader of the fictional band Stillwater that the protagonist (Patrick Fugit) is assigned to cover for a Rolling Stone feature, Crudup disappears into the character of a charismatic yet egomaniacal musician whose complete disregard for the feelings of the people that care about him puts the status of his band's burgeoning career in jeopardy.
Worst Performance: Watchmen (2009)
Watchmen falls into a very weird category that almost no other movie I've ever seen falls into. While there are plenty of elements of Zack Snyder's adaptation of the beloved graphic novel that left me awe-stricken (its unrelentingly dark tone, the action sequences, the alternate history timeline that drives its plot), there were several others (its sometimes very convoluted plot, the Nite Owl/Silk Spectre romance, every scene with Matthew Goode in it) that I outright hated. These insanely mixed feelings carried over to the acting as I felt every performance was either amazing (Jackie Earl Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan) or abysmal (Goode, Malin Akerman). Crudup fell into the latter category. Despite being a glowing blue beacon of radiation that you could see from anywhere in the galaxy, Crudup manages to make Dr. Manhattan a borderline invisible presence thanks to a tremendously awkward, stiff performance that couldn't possibly be less compelling.
Best Film: Almost Famous (2000)
Cameron Crowe is at his finest when he's telling heartfelt human stories, so it's probably not a coincidence that his finest work was based on his own experiences as a writer for Rolling Stone that embarked on tours with a number of iconic bands including Led Zeppelin, The Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynrd as a teenager in the 70's. Almost Famous is a fascinating, poignant portrait of the rebel spirit of rock n'roll and how the freewheeling lifestyle that comes with being on the road constantly can prepare someone for the unpredictable ups-and-downs that life has to offer.
Worst Film: Alien: Covenant (2017)
Alien has never been a series that I have a strong affinity for. Don't get me wrong: They're solid sci-fi horror movies with an iconic race of villains at the center of them, I've just always preferred the claustrophobic tension and self-aware goofiness of the Predator franchise. Even as a not overly big fan of the brand, I really wish Ridley Scott had just left it alone. Alien: Covenant takes a deeper dive into the origins of the Xenomorphs and boy oh boy does that prove to be a colossal mistake. The deeper Scott and screenwriter John Logan dive into the mythology of these once mysterious creatures, the more frustratingly absurd the proceedings get. Not to mention, this is boring as all hell whenever Michael Fassbender isn't on screen. Hopefully the financial problems that have already occurred during the first few months of the Fox/Disney merger will kill Scott's plan to make a prequel trilogy.
Thank you for reading this week's edition of “The Best and Worst of”. The next victim of my praise and ire will be “Angel Has Fallen” star Nick Nolte.
Friday, August 9, 2019
2019 NFL Preview: NFC North
Chicago Bears
2018 Record: 12-4 (1st in NFC North)
Head Coach: Matt Nagy (2nd season)
Notable Additions: S HaHa Clinton-Dix, CB Buster Skrine, WR/KR Cordarrelle Patterson
Notable Departures: S Adrian Amos, CB Bryce Callahan, RB Jordan Howard
-2019 is going to be the year where Mitch Trubisky has to prove what he's really made of. The excuses for his so-so play over the past 2 seasons have all been exhausted. His receiving corps (Allen Robinson, Anthony Miller, Taylor Gabriel, Trey Burton) is functional, his offensive line is good, his already talented group of running backs got more versatile this offseason with the additions of a pair of capable-receiving power backs (Mike Davis, rookie David Montgomery) to put alongside burgeoning scatback extraordinaire Tarik Cohen and most importantly, he doesn't have a new system to learn going into this season. His solid performance in the heartbreaking playoff loss against the Eagles, particularly when drove his team into easily makeable field goal range with 1 timeout and 48 seconds left, was a great example of the immense promise that made him the #2 pick in the draft back in 2017. However, he's going to need to display a lot more confidence in his decisionmaking and consistent accuracy on his throws if he wants to blossom into a successful starter in the NFL. The analytics junkies and scouts seem to think a breakout is on the horizon because of his dual-threat skill set and Andy Reid disciple Matt Nagy's role in developing him. I'm going to go into the season with a heavy dose of skepticism mixed with a dash of cautious optimism about his ability to make this difficult leap.
-Vic Fangio finally getting a shot to be a head coach wasn't at all surprising considering the way Bears defense dominated in 2018. Even though the writing was on the wall, it didn't make his departure sting any less. Fangio helped transform this group from a complete liability to a terrifying wrecking crew over the course of his 4 years as DC. He played an integral part in the development of Kyle Fuller, Eddie Jackson and the recently departed Adrian Amos while also establishing a sense of toughness and discipline that this franchise known for their great defenses completely lost during the Marc Trestman/Mel Tucker years.
Filling the shoes of the game's best defensive coordinator is a brutal and damn near impossible task. Luckily Nagy and GM Ryan Pace found about as solid as a replacement as they possibly could in Chuck Pagano. While Pagano hasn't served as a coordinator since 2011 and was out of coaching last year after getting fired by the Colts following the 2017 season, his strong pedigree from his time as a college defensive backs coach to his last stint as an assistant with the Ravens is strong enough for me to believe there won't be a whole lot of rust to shake off. Plus having a group that is so talented throughout its ranks even after the departures of Amos and Bryce Callahan in free agency gives you a serious advantage when you're trying to get back into the rhythm of coaching and establish a new system. As long as he doesn't run the defensive equivalent of the Swinging Gate play and can prevent new slot corner Buster Skrine from getting a zillion holding/pass interference penalties per game, Pagano should fare just fine in Chicago.
-Normally I don't dedicate an entire portion of a team preview to kicking, but the Bears perpetual nightmares at the position are too abnormal and vital to the trajectory of their season to ignore. As a fan of the team, what happens at kicker scares me even more than the development of Trubisky and the defense's ability to dominate without Fangio at coordinator heading into 2019. Following the inevitable Cody Parkey shank that joined Blair Walsh and Billy Cundiff's moments of season-ending infamy in the top tier of the Missed Field Goal Hall of Fame, I'm more convinced than ever that Ryan Pace's decision to prematurely cut ties with stud kicker Robbie Gould prior to the start of the 2016 season has put a hex on anyone that the Bears bring into play kicker. The poor souls they enlisted (Eddy Pinero and Elliott Fry) to compete for the thankless job of being the guy who follows the asshole responsible for crushing the dreams of a fanbase that hadn't gotten to bask in the majesty of playoff football since 2010 are probably both going to stink something fierce and make me continue to wish the position was abolished anytime someone with an orange C on their helmet goes out tomiss attempt a kick. Nothing would make me happier than for Pinero or Fry to put a stop to this vicious cycle of suffering, but my obsessive compulsive ass knows that it would be the most Bears thing in the world to have their 1st possible contending team in over a decade fail to reach their potential because of a fucking kicker.
-2019 is going to be the year where Mitch Trubisky has to prove what he's really made of. The excuses for his so-so play over the past 2 seasons have all been exhausted. His receiving corps (Allen Robinson, Anthony Miller, Taylor Gabriel, Trey Burton) is functional, his offensive line is good, his already talented group of running backs got more versatile this offseason with the additions of a pair of capable-receiving power backs (Mike Davis, rookie David Montgomery) to put alongside burgeoning scatback extraordinaire Tarik Cohen and most importantly, he doesn't have a new system to learn going into this season. His solid performance in the heartbreaking playoff loss against the Eagles, particularly when drove his team into easily makeable field goal range with 1 timeout and 48 seconds left, was a great example of the immense promise that made him the #2 pick in the draft back in 2017. However, he's going to need to display a lot more confidence in his decisionmaking and consistent accuracy on his throws if he wants to blossom into a successful starter in the NFL. The analytics junkies and scouts seem to think a breakout is on the horizon because of his dual-threat skill set and Andy Reid disciple Matt Nagy's role in developing him. I'm going to go into the season with a heavy dose of skepticism mixed with a dash of cautious optimism about his ability to make this difficult leap.
-Vic Fangio finally getting a shot to be a head coach wasn't at all surprising considering the way Bears defense dominated in 2018. Even though the writing was on the wall, it didn't make his departure sting any less. Fangio helped transform this group from a complete liability to a terrifying wrecking crew over the course of his 4 years as DC. He played an integral part in the development of Kyle Fuller, Eddie Jackson and the recently departed Adrian Amos while also establishing a sense of toughness and discipline that this franchise known for their great defenses completely lost during the Marc Trestman/Mel Tucker years.
Filling the shoes of the game's best defensive coordinator is a brutal and damn near impossible task. Luckily Nagy and GM Ryan Pace found about as solid as a replacement as they possibly could in Chuck Pagano. While Pagano hasn't served as a coordinator since 2011 and was out of coaching last year after getting fired by the Colts following the 2017 season, his strong pedigree from his time as a college defensive backs coach to his last stint as an assistant with the Ravens is strong enough for me to believe there won't be a whole lot of rust to shake off. Plus having a group that is so talented throughout its ranks even after the departures of Amos and Bryce Callahan in free agency gives you a serious advantage when you're trying to get back into the rhythm of coaching and establish a new system. As long as he doesn't run the defensive equivalent of the Swinging Gate play and can prevent new slot corner Buster Skrine from getting a zillion holding/pass interference penalties per game, Pagano should fare just fine in Chicago.
-Normally I don't dedicate an entire portion of a team preview to kicking, but the Bears perpetual nightmares at the position are too abnormal and vital to the trajectory of their season to ignore. As a fan of the team, what happens at kicker scares me even more than the development of Trubisky and the defense's ability to dominate without Fangio at coordinator heading into 2019. Following the inevitable Cody Parkey shank that joined Blair Walsh and Billy Cundiff's moments of season-ending infamy in the top tier of the Missed Field Goal Hall of Fame, I'm more convinced than ever that Ryan Pace's decision to prematurely cut ties with stud kicker Robbie Gould prior to the start of the 2016 season has put a hex on anyone that the Bears bring into play kicker. The poor souls they enlisted (Eddy Pinero and Elliott Fry) to compete for the thankless job of being the guy who follows the asshole responsible for crushing the dreams of a fanbase that hadn't gotten to bask in the majesty of playoff football since 2010 are probably both going to stink something fierce and make me continue to wish the position was abolished anytime someone with an orange C on their helmet goes out to
-Looking at the Bears on paper, it's hard to not be excited about what 2019 could bring. Their offense should improve in their 2nd season under the direction of a sharp, inventive playcaller like Nagy, the corps of their locker room seems to understand that they only have a short window to compete for a Lombardi and as I just stated above, a coordinator change and the loss of a pair of starters isn't likely going to be enough to sink a unit that was so consistently dominant a year ago. At the same time, there are a couple of things that make me hesitant to completely buy into this team as a top-tier contender. The Bears pulled out a number of close, ugly games a year ago against middling-to-poor competition (Cardinals, 49ers, Lions) as a result of their offensive inconsistency and their schedule, which includes dates with the Saints, Chiefs, Chargers, Cowboys and Rams, is easily among the toughest in the league. Is there enough talent on this team to overcome these obstacles? Of course, but the tougher road to even get back to the point they reached a year ago can not be downplayed.
Bottom Line:
While a bit of a regression from last season seems probable, the Bears should be in the mix in the NFC once again.
While a bit of a regression from last season seems probable, the Bears should be in the mix in the NFC once again.
Detroit Lions
2018 Record: 6-10 (4th in NFC North)
Head Coach: Matt Patricia (2nd season)
Notable Additions: DE Trey Flowers, DE/DT Mike Daniels, CB Justin Coleman
Notable Departures: DE Ezekiel Ansah, G T.J Lang (retired), S Glover Quin (retired)
-The 1st year of Matt Patricia's regime was pretty much a disaster. Several reports coming out of the locker room expressed how much the players hated his arrogant, tyrannical style of coaching. His former boss Bill Belichick can get away with the cocky, over-the-top hardo routine because of his unprecedented resume and the reputation that comes with it. When you're a 1st time head coach who has yet to accomplish anything on your own, that shit isn't going to fly. This Belichick Jr. approach yielded horrific results for Josh McDaniels in Denver and it's not likely to turn out any different for Patricia in Detroit if he continues to keeps this shtick up.
If he's serious about trying to turn this team around, he's going to have to show some humility, dial back his intensity a bit and get serious about establishing a program that players want to buy into. His job security as well the longtime health of this perpetually reeling franchise depends on it.
-While they've had a number of terrific players (current top corner Darius Slay, just departed edge rusher Ezekiel Ansah, recently retired safety Glover Quin, Ndamukong Suh, DeAndre Levy) this decade, the Lions have never really had a defense that's been feared on the whole during this period. That could very well change this season.
Adding Trey Flowers gives them another excellent run defender along their damn near impenetrable defensive line (Damon Harrison, Da'Shawn Hand, fellow new addition Mike Daniels) while also providing them with a reliable pass-rushing presence that should help soften the blow of Ansah's departure, solid vet Justin Coleman could very well solve the #2 corner problem that has plagued them over the past few seasons and if he can pick up the playbook quickly, Daniels could prove to be a massive get after the Packers surprisingly cut him at the start of camp. Their poor linebacking corps led by likely draft bust Jarrad Davis on the inside and unproven safeties (converted corner Quandre Diggs, special team contributor Miles Killebrew, rookie Wil Harris) are definitely a bit worrisome, but there's enough talent elsewhere to potentially cover up some of those problems and allow this group finish the year as a top 10 scoring defense.
-From top to bottom, this Lions offense could be the best they've had since Calvin Johnson retired. Their starting WR's (Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones Jr.) is without question among the most accomplished duos in the league, Kerryon Johnson looks like he might have what it takes to finally snap their decades-long curse at the RB position, rookie T.J. Hockensen is the most lauded tight end prospect to enter the league in over a decade and even after a rough 2018 where he failed to throw for 4,000 YDS, Matthew Stafford remains a solid veteran QB option that can absolutely torch defenses when he's on his game.
The talent may be intriguing, but it remains to be seen whether or not new offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell will be able to get the most out of them. Bevell's raw numbers were quite good during his time with the Seahawks, leading them to a top 4-11 scoring offense in 5 of his 7 seasons with the team. However, a deeper dive into the stats reveal that the defense was largely responsible for those impressive scoring outputs as they finished in the middle of the pack in offensive yardage in 3 of those 5 seasons. Bevell's also not known for being a particularly creative playcaller and he's still yet to live down the baffling decision to not hand the ball off to Marshwn Lynch on the goal line during Super Bowl 49. Clearly Jim Bob Cooter needed to be axed after leading this group to bottom 10 finishes in total yards and scoring in 2 of the 3 past seasons, but there's also no guarantee that Bevell can come in and provide the spark this group needs to reach their massive potential.
-Adding to the possible hiccups in their plan to become a top-tier offense is their line. This group was about as average as it gets in 2018 allowing 41 sacks (tied for 14th in the league), ranking 15th in run blocking efficiency and grading out as the 16th best line in the league overall according to Pro Football Focus. With T.J. Lang officially retiring after missing the final 10 games of 2018 with a slew of injuries, the group that closed out last season (Taylor Decker and Ricky Wagner at tackle, Kenny Wiggins, Frank Ragnow and Graham Glasgow on the inside) will be returning in full.
There's a belief that they'll improve with 2018 1st round pick Ragnow shifting back to his natural position of center after struggling as a guard during his rookie season, but I'm not really buying that simply switching where Ragnow and Glasgow play on the line is going to suddenly allow this group to elevate from their average status. Both of these guys were the weak links on the line last year and they're still playing on the interior, so why would anything be radically different in 2019? If Ragnow and Glasgow somehow play even worse in 2018, this group could possibly turn into a flat-out liability, which in turn would create even more problems for a team trying to re-establish itself as a competitive team.
Bottom Line:
Matt Patricia is still a jackass Belichick wannabe, so I'm not particularly confident that this team will be able to avoid finishing last in the NFC North again.
-The 1st year of Matt Patricia's regime was pretty much a disaster. Several reports coming out of the locker room expressed how much the players hated his arrogant, tyrannical style of coaching. His former boss Bill Belichick can get away with the cocky, over-the-top hardo routine because of his unprecedented resume and the reputation that comes with it. When you're a 1st time head coach who has yet to accomplish anything on your own, that shit isn't going to fly. This Belichick Jr. approach yielded horrific results for Josh McDaniels in Denver and it's not likely to turn out any different for Patricia in Detroit if he continues to keeps this shtick up.
If he's serious about trying to turn this team around, he's going to have to show some humility, dial back his intensity a bit and get serious about establishing a program that players want to buy into. His job security as well the longtime health of this perpetually reeling franchise depends on it.
-While they've had a number of terrific players (current top corner Darius Slay, just departed edge rusher Ezekiel Ansah, recently retired safety Glover Quin, Ndamukong Suh, DeAndre Levy) this decade, the Lions have never really had a defense that's been feared on the whole during this period. That could very well change this season.
Adding Trey Flowers gives them another excellent run defender along their damn near impenetrable defensive line (Damon Harrison, Da'Shawn Hand, fellow new addition Mike Daniels) while also providing them with a reliable pass-rushing presence that should help soften the blow of Ansah's departure, solid vet Justin Coleman could very well solve the #2 corner problem that has plagued them over the past few seasons and if he can pick up the playbook quickly, Daniels could prove to be a massive get after the Packers surprisingly cut him at the start of camp. Their poor linebacking corps led by likely draft bust Jarrad Davis on the inside and unproven safeties (converted corner Quandre Diggs, special team contributor Miles Killebrew, rookie Wil Harris) are definitely a bit worrisome, but there's enough talent elsewhere to potentially cover up some of those problems and allow this group finish the year as a top 10 scoring defense.
-From top to bottom, this Lions offense could be the best they've had since Calvin Johnson retired. Their starting WR's (Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones Jr.) is without question among the most accomplished duos in the league, Kerryon Johnson looks like he might have what it takes to finally snap their decades-long curse at the RB position, rookie T.J. Hockensen is the most lauded tight end prospect to enter the league in over a decade and even after a rough 2018 where he failed to throw for 4,000 YDS, Matthew Stafford remains a solid veteran QB option that can absolutely torch defenses when he's on his game.
The talent may be intriguing, but it remains to be seen whether or not new offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell will be able to get the most out of them. Bevell's raw numbers were quite good during his time with the Seahawks, leading them to a top 4-11 scoring offense in 5 of his 7 seasons with the team. However, a deeper dive into the stats reveal that the defense was largely responsible for those impressive scoring outputs as they finished in the middle of the pack in offensive yardage in 3 of those 5 seasons. Bevell's also not known for being a particularly creative playcaller and he's still yet to live down the baffling decision to not hand the ball off to Marshwn Lynch on the goal line during Super Bowl 49. Clearly Jim Bob Cooter needed to be axed after leading this group to bottom 10 finishes in total yards and scoring in 2 of the 3 past seasons, but there's also no guarantee that Bevell can come in and provide the spark this group needs to reach their massive potential.
-Adding to the possible hiccups in their plan to become a top-tier offense is their line. This group was about as average as it gets in 2018 allowing 41 sacks (tied for 14th in the league), ranking 15th in run blocking efficiency and grading out as the 16th best line in the league overall according to Pro Football Focus. With T.J. Lang officially retiring after missing the final 10 games of 2018 with a slew of injuries, the group that closed out last season (Taylor Decker and Ricky Wagner at tackle, Kenny Wiggins, Frank Ragnow and Graham Glasgow on the inside) will be returning in full.
There's a belief that they'll improve with 2018 1st round pick Ragnow shifting back to his natural position of center after struggling as a guard during his rookie season, but I'm not really buying that simply switching where Ragnow and Glasgow play on the line is going to suddenly allow this group to elevate from their average status. Both of these guys were the weak links on the line last year and they're still playing on the interior, so why would anything be radically different in 2019? If Ragnow and Glasgow somehow play even worse in 2018, this group could possibly turn into a flat-out liability, which in turn would create even more problems for a team trying to re-establish itself as a competitive team.
Bottom Line:
Matt Patricia is still a jackass Belichick wannabe, so I'm not particularly confident that this team will be able to avoid finishing last in the NFC North again.
Green Bay Packers
2018 Record: 6-9-1 (3rd in NFC North)
Head Coach: Matt LaFluer (1st season)
Notable Additions: S Adrian Amos, OLB Preston Smith, OLB Za'Darius Smith
Notable Departures: DE/DT Mike Daniels, WR Randall Cobb, OLB Clay Matthews
-It was no secret that Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers didn't get along. There was years of speculation from national reporters/anonymous team sources that hinted at their mutual disdain for each other and even a lengthy piece on Bleacher Report that detailed the insane power struggle that existed between them which was headlined by the revelation that Rodgers would often go rogue and ignore McCarthy's playcalls-leaving young receivers looking to earn playing time as well as favor with their QB in an ugly lose-lose situation. McCarthy was finally relieved of his coaching duties last December after a 13 year run with the team that yielded a Lombardi in 2010, but his tenure will largely be viewed as a disappointment due to the inability to take full advantage of the generational talent he had at quarterback.
Any amateur sleuths that are eager to answer the burning question of who deserves the bigger slice of blame pie in the demise of the McCarthy/Rodgers relationship will have their eyes glued to the Lambeau Field sideline to look at the body language of the man tasked with getting the Packers back on track after missing the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. That man would be Matt LaFluer, a truly out-of-left-field hire that kicked off this offseason's "Hey, I know Sean McVay!!!!" HC hiring trend.
LaFluer's lone season running an offense that wasn't associated with McVay's wizardry generated pretty horrific results. His primitive HB draw and play action pass-driven scheme helped land the Titans deep in the basement of nearly every meaningful stat category (27th in scoring, 29th in passing offense, 23rd in redzone efficiency) you can think of that didn't involve running the ball or giveaways in 2018.
How is this hire going to be received by a QB like Rodgers that's currently being perceived as an ornery diva? Probably not great. McCarthy's notoriously conservative redzone playcalling drove Rodgers bonkers, an entire system driven by runs and quick dump-off passes might cause him to hang it up early. To be fair to LaFluer, it's entirely possible that he employed that short yardage-driven approach because of Marcus Mariota's limitations as a passer, but that doesn't change the fact that the ineffectiveness he displayed while with the Titans certainly does not inspire a whole lot of confidence about his transition to Green Bay.
Clearly the Packers are banking on this dynamic working. Rodgers is almost 36 and likely doesn't have a ton of time left as an otherworldly quarterback given his extensive injury history. Finding a sharp head coach that is able to properly utilize Rodgers' special skill set and can earn the signalcaller's trust and respect is nothing short of imperative. The front office better hope that Rodgers' public questioning of LaFluer's decision to hold joint practices with the Texans prior to the 1st preseason game isn't indicative of how their relationship is going to be moving forward.
-Rodgers may not be happy with the arrival of LaFluer, but you know who probably is: Aaron Jones. The elusive dual-threat back shined in 2018, racking up 934 scrimmage YDS and 9 TD's on just 159 touches in 12 games. With a run-heavy coach calling the offense and no serious competition behind him, Jones has a real chance to enjoy a breakout season in 2019. He's earned every right to become more of a focal point of the Packers offensive attack after making the most of his modest workload a year ago and scanning down the receiver depth chart, you could certainly argue that he's the most potent weapon on this offense outside of Davante Adams. As long as he can hold up to the physical rigors an increased role would bring, Jones could be in line for at least 1,400+ YDS.
-2nd year GM Brian Gutekunst went to great lengths to further prove he's nothing like his predecessor Ted Thompson by being incredibly active in free agency this offseason. Gutekunst wasted out absolutely no time spending their shareholder's dollars. By the time the 1st day of the new league year came to a close, he had inked safety Adiran Amos, guard Billy Turner and outside linebackers Preston and Za'Darius Smith to multi-year deals.
While their aggression to try and address their top problem areas is commendable, I felt these signings were a bizarre mixed bag comprised of moves that were either brilliant or inexplicable. His refined albeit non-flashy skill set at a very reasonable price tag (4 years/$36 mil/$12 mil guaranteed) made Amos a tremendous value in a safety market that got completely ludicrous after Landon Collins signed his record-breaking deal with the Redskins. Poaching him from the Bears made it an even sweeter deal for the Cheeseheads. Preston Smith, who was a consistently productive pass rusher during his 4 years with the Redskins, was a similarly savvy signing (4 years/$52 mi/$16 mil guaranteed) that should do well in Mike Pettine's blitz-happy scheme.
On the other side of the coin, sits Za'Darius Smith and Turner. Za'Darius Smith's 4 year, $66 million ($20 mil guaranteed) deal legitimately blew my mind. How does someone command this type of contract after posting an 8.5 sack season following a 2-year span where they got just 4.5??? Couldn't be my relatively high paid pass rusher.
Though the financial commitment was far lower (4 years/$28 mil/$9 mil guaranteed), Turner's signing miraculously managed to be an even bigger head-scratcher. This dude went from being a turnstile that got released before the end of his rookie deal in Miami to a pretty unreliable presence that started just 11 games (all of which were in 2018) during a 3 year stint with the Broncos. Now he gets a 4-year deal to be a starting guard on a line that has had its share of struggles protecting an injury-prone starting quarterback over the past few years? Just amazing. If Rodgers goes down clutching his chest after Mr. Turner gets his ass handed to him on a bull rush, that broken collarbone will be on your hands Brian.
-Releasing Mike Daniels right before camp started was just a puzzling move. Daniels' play did decline pretty significantly last year, but at a time of year when opening up cap space means next to nothing, why not keep him around to see if he can return to form? He's only 30 and the Packers defensive line outside of Kenny Clark isn't exactly overflowing with talent. Plus his leadership would've been valuable on a group that lost both Clay Matthews and Jake Ryan in free agency. Now they're left with a sizable void in their starting lineup along with their locker room with no real contingency plan in place. Making matters even worse? He signed with the division rival Lions, meaning there's no avoiding the blowback if he returns to being a top-notch run defender after a lone down season. They better hope that Clark, the Smith's and at least one of their many young players (Blake Martinez or Kyler Fackrell perhaps?) really steps up this year and makes people forget that Daniels is gone. Otherwise, this already pretty mediocre front as well as their promising, but VERY young secondary could be in serious trouble.
Bottom Line:
The great unknown of Matt LaFluer and how Aaron Rodgers will be respond to his coaching makes the Packers difficult to project. A division win or yet another mediocre season seem equally likely.
-It was no secret that Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers didn't get along. There was years of speculation from national reporters/anonymous team sources that hinted at their mutual disdain for each other and even a lengthy piece on Bleacher Report that detailed the insane power struggle that existed between them which was headlined by the revelation that Rodgers would often go rogue and ignore McCarthy's playcalls-leaving young receivers looking to earn playing time as well as favor with their QB in an ugly lose-lose situation. McCarthy was finally relieved of his coaching duties last December after a 13 year run with the team that yielded a Lombardi in 2010, but his tenure will largely be viewed as a disappointment due to the inability to take full advantage of the generational talent he had at quarterback.
Any amateur sleuths that are eager to answer the burning question of who deserves the bigger slice of blame pie in the demise of the McCarthy/Rodgers relationship will have their eyes glued to the Lambeau Field sideline to look at the body language of the man tasked with getting the Packers back on track after missing the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. That man would be Matt LaFluer, a truly out-of-left-field hire that kicked off this offseason's "Hey, I know Sean McVay!!!!" HC hiring trend.
LaFluer's lone season running an offense that wasn't associated with McVay's wizardry generated pretty horrific results. His primitive HB draw and play action pass-driven scheme helped land the Titans deep in the basement of nearly every meaningful stat category (27th in scoring, 29th in passing offense, 23rd in redzone efficiency) you can think of that didn't involve running the ball or giveaways in 2018.
How is this hire going to be received by a QB like Rodgers that's currently being perceived as an ornery diva? Probably not great. McCarthy's notoriously conservative redzone playcalling drove Rodgers bonkers, an entire system driven by runs and quick dump-off passes might cause him to hang it up early. To be fair to LaFluer, it's entirely possible that he employed that short yardage-driven approach because of Marcus Mariota's limitations as a passer, but that doesn't change the fact that the ineffectiveness he displayed while with the Titans certainly does not inspire a whole lot of confidence about his transition to Green Bay.
Clearly the Packers are banking on this dynamic working. Rodgers is almost 36 and likely doesn't have a ton of time left as an otherworldly quarterback given his extensive injury history. Finding a sharp head coach that is able to properly utilize Rodgers' special skill set and can earn the signalcaller's trust and respect is nothing short of imperative. The front office better hope that Rodgers' public questioning of LaFluer's decision to hold joint practices with the Texans prior to the 1st preseason game isn't indicative of how their relationship is going to be moving forward.
-Rodgers may not be happy with the arrival of LaFluer, but you know who probably is: Aaron Jones. The elusive dual-threat back shined in 2018, racking up 934 scrimmage YDS and 9 TD's on just 159 touches in 12 games. With a run-heavy coach calling the offense and no serious competition behind him, Jones has a real chance to enjoy a breakout season in 2019. He's earned every right to become more of a focal point of the Packers offensive attack after making the most of his modest workload a year ago and scanning down the receiver depth chart, you could certainly argue that he's the most potent weapon on this offense outside of Davante Adams. As long as he can hold up to the physical rigors an increased role would bring, Jones could be in line for at least 1,400+ YDS.
-2nd year GM Brian Gutekunst went to great lengths to further prove he's nothing like his predecessor Ted Thompson by being incredibly active in free agency this offseason. Gutekunst wasted out absolutely no time spending their shareholder's dollars. By the time the 1st day of the new league year came to a close, he had inked safety Adiran Amos, guard Billy Turner and outside linebackers Preston and Za'Darius Smith to multi-year deals.
While their aggression to try and address their top problem areas is commendable, I felt these signings were a bizarre mixed bag comprised of moves that were either brilliant or inexplicable. His refined albeit non-flashy skill set at a very reasonable price tag (4 years/$36 mil/$12 mil guaranteed) made Amos a tremendous value in a safety market that got completely ludicrous after Landon Collins signed his record-breaking deal with the Redskins. Poaching him from the Bears made it an even sweeter deal for the Cheeseheads. Preston Smith, who was a consistently productive pass rusher during his 4 years with the Redskins, was a similarly savvy signing (4 years/$52 mi/$16 mil guaranteed) that should do well in Mike Pettine's blitz-happy scheme.
On the other side of the coin, sits Za'Darius Smith and Turner. Za'Darius Smith's 4 year, $66 million ($20 mil guaranteed) deal legitimately blew my mind. How does someone command this type of contract after posting an 8.5 sack season following a 2-year span where they got just 4.5??? Couldn't be my relatively high paid pass rusher.
Though the financial commitment was far lower (4 years/$28 mil/$9 mil guaranteed), Turner's signing miraculously managed to be an even bigger head-scratcher. This dude went from being a turnstile that got released before the end of his rookie deal in Miami to a pretty unreliable presence that started just 11 games (all of which were in 2018) during a 3 year stint with the Broncos. Now he gets a 4-year deal to be a starting guard on a line that has had its share of struggles protecting an injury-prone starting quarterback over the past few years? Just amazing. If Rodgers goes down clutching his chest after Mr. Turner gets his ass handed to him on a bull rush, that broken collarbone will be on your hands Brian.
-Releasing Mike Daniels right before camp started was just a puzzling move. Daniels' play did decline pretty significantly last year, but at a time of year when opening up cap space means next to nothing, why not keep him around to see if he can return to form? He's only 30 and the Packers defensive line outside of Kenny Clark isn't exactly overflowing with talent. Plus his leadership would've been valuable on a group that lost both Clay Matthews and Jake Ryan in free agency. Now they're left with a sizable void in their starting lineup along with their locker room with no real contingency plan in place. Making matters even worse? He signed with the division rival Lions, meaning there's no avoiding the blowback if he returns to being a top-notch run defender after a lone down season. They better hope that Clark, the Smith's and at least one of their many young players (Blake Martinez or Kyler Fackrell perhaps?) really steps up this year and makes people forget that Daniels is gone. Otherwise, this already pretty mediocre front as well as their promising, but VERY young secondary could be in serious trouble.
Bottom Line:
The great unknown of Matt LaFluer and how Aaron Rodgers will be respond to his coaching makes the Packers difficult to project. A division win or yet another mediocre season seem equally likely.
Minnesota Vikings
2018 Record: 8-7-1 (2nd in NFC North)
Head Coach: Mike Zimmer (6th season)
Notable Additions: G Josh Kline, QB Sean Mannion, WR Jordan Taylor
Notable Departures: DT Sheldon Richardson, T Mike Remmers, RB Latavius Murray
-The expectation was for the Vikings to be at the forefront of the list of NFC contenders a year ago after signing respected veteran starter Kirk Cousins in the aftermath of a season where they appeared in an NFC Championship Game with journeyman Case Keenum under center. That didn't come to fruition as the team went 8-7-1 and missed the playoffs after an embarrassing 24-10 Week 17 home loss to a Bears team that had already clinched the #3 seed.
To be fair, Cousins was far from the only problem the Vikings had during their underwhelming 2018. Their offense line was simply atrocious, there was an offensive coordinator change in the middle of the season and despite finishing as the 9th best scoring defense in the league (21.3 points per game allowed), they performed pretty poorly in several key games (Rams, Saints, Patriots) throughout the year. However, there's no denying that his reputation as a guy who feasts on inferior competition and struggles against good teams followed him from D.C. to the Twin Cities.
Cousins beat just 1 team that had a winning record (the Eagles in Week 5) last season and they were outscored by a combined total of 162-98 in their other 6 contests with playoff teams. For comparison's sake, they went 7-1-1 and had a scoring differential of 239-158 against teams with losing records. Putting up impressive raw stats (4,298 YDS, 10 INT's, career-high 30 TD's and 70.1 CMP%) and securing a bunch of blowout victories over 3-7 win teams isn't why he was given the league's 1st ever fully guaranteed contract (3 years/$84 mil). Rick Spielman brought him here because this team appeared to be just a QB away from being a serious Super Bowl Contender and if he can't beat this boogeyman that has prevented him from taking a leap into the realm of true greatness despite his pretty impressive set of intangibles (accuracy, decisionmaking, mobility, arm strength) and many flashes of brilliance he's displayed since he became a full-time starter back in 2015, the Vikings futility is going to continue. He has all of the weapons he could ask for with Adam Thielen, Stefon Diggs, Kyle Rudolph and rookie Irv Smith Jr. on the roster, now it's time for him to fully utilized them to try and shut the doubters up for good.
-I'll touch more on this in my fantasy draft columns next week, but why the hell is the Dalvin Cook hype train still chugging along at full steam? His stats, which aren't even all that impressive, are skewed because of a few big games (he only averaged 6 YDS per touch (2.9 YPC/9.1 YPR) in the 7 games where he failed to get over 100+ yards and only scored 4 total TD's last season), the guy has appeared in just 16 games in his 1st 2 seasons because of injury, he's got an extensive history of ball security issues and unless rookie center Garrett Bradbury and Josh Kline display HOF-caliber form right away, the Vikings o-line is still going to be a dumpster fire in 2019. He could very well turn into a respectable back if he can manage to stay healthy and stop the ball from exiting his hands so much, I'm just not buying into the superstar potential many people have been seeing in him since he entered the league.
-A pretty severe cap crunch prevented the Vikings from making a lot of moves in free agency. Whatever space they did have mostly went to re-signing Anthony Barr to a truly outrageous deal (5 years/$67.5 mil/$33 mil guaranteed) and inking Kline to a cost-effective 3-year deal worth up to $16 mil. Thankfully, the only real key piece they let walk as a result of their tight checkbook was Sheldon Richardson-who only spent a year with the team and was an undeniable luxury to have on a defensive line that was already loaded with high-end talent (Danielle Hunter, Linval Joseph, Everson Griffen).
This lack of fluctuation on the roster doesn't mean the Vikings didn't make any notable moves this season. They quietly added Gary Kubiak to their staff as an assistant head coach and offensive advisor in mid-January. While Kevin Stefanski remains the OC and will continue to handle playcalling duties, there's every expectation that Kubiak will have his fingerprints all over the scheme. His approach is a bit old-school in its reliance on the run, but he generated great results (8th in scoring, 8th in rushing, 13th in passing) during his last stint as a full-time coordinator with the Ravens in 2014. As trivial as this move may be seem on paper, Kubiak's presence on the staff could ultimately help the Vikings accomplish their goal of being one of the most feared offenses in the league.
Bottom Line:
-The expectation was for the Vikings to be at the forefront of the list of NFC contenders a year ago after signing respected veteran starter Kirk Cousins in the aftermath of a season where they appeared in an NFC Championship Game with journeyman Case Keenum under center. That didn't come to fruition as the team went 8-7-1 and missed the playoffs after an embarrassing 24-10 Week 17 home loss to a Bears team that had already clinched the #3 seed.
To be fair, Cousins was far from the only problem the Vikings had during their underwhelming 2018. Their offense line was simply atrocious, there was an offensive coordinator change in the middle of the season and despite finishing as the 9th best scoring defense in the league (21.3 points per game allowed), they performed pretty poorly in several key games (Rams, Saints, Patriots) throughout the year. However, there's no denying that his reputation as a guy who feasts on inferior competition and struggles against good teams followed him from D.C. to the Twin Cities.
Cousins beat just 1 team that had a winning record (the Eagles in Week 5) last season and they were outscored by a combined total of 162-98 in their other 6 contests with playoff teams. For comparison's sake, they went 7-1-1 and had a scoring differential of 239-158 against teams with losing records. Putting up impressive raw stats (4,298 YDS, 10 INT's, career-high 30 TD's and 70.1 CMP%) and securing a bunch of blowout victories over 3-7 win teams isn't why he was given the league's 1st ever fully guaranteed contract (3 years/$84 mil). Rick Spielman brought him here because this team appeared to be just a QB away from being a serious Super Bowl Contender and if he can't beat this boogeyman that has prevented him from taking a leap into the realm of true greatness despite his pretty impressive set of intangibles (accuracy, decisionmaking, mobility, arm strength) and many flashes of brilliance he's displayed since he became a full-time starter back in 2015, the Vikings futility is going to continue. He has all of the weapons he could ask for with Adam Thielen, Stefon Diggs, Kyle Rudolph and rookie Irv Smith Jr. on the roster, now it's time for him to fully utilized them to try and shut the doubters up for good.
-I'll touch more on this in my fantasy draft columns next week, but why the hell is the Dalvin Cook hype train still chugging along at full steam? His stats, which aren't even all that impressive, are skewed because of a few big games (he only averaged 6 YDS per touch (2.9 YPC/9.1 YPR) in the 7 games where he failed to get over 100+ yards and only scored 4 total TD's last season), the guy has appeared in just 16 games in his 1st 2 seasons because of injury, he's got an extensive history of ball security issues and unless rookie center Garrett Bradbury and Josh Kline display HOF-caliber form right away, the Vikings o-line is still going to be a dumpster fire in 2019. He could very well turn into a respectable back if he can manage to stay healthy and stop the ball from exiting his hands so much, I'm just not buying into the superstar potential many people have been seeing in him since he entered the league.
-A pretty severe cap crunch prevented the Vikings from making a lot of moves in free agency. Whatever space they did have mostly went to re-signing Anthony Barr to a truly outrageous deal (5 years/$67.5 mil/$33 mil guaranteed) and inking Kline to a cost-effective 3-year deal worth up to $16 mil. Thankfully, the only real key piece they let walk as a result of their tight checkbook was Sheldon Richardson-who only spent a year with the team and was an undeniable luxury to have on a defensive line that was already loaded with high-end talent (Danielle Hunter, Linval Joseph, Everson Griffen).
This lack of fluctuation on the roster doesn't mean the Vikings didn't make any notable moves this season. They quietly added Gary Kubiak to their staff as an assistant head coach and offensive advisor in mid-January. While Kevin Stefanski remains the OC and will continue to handle playcalling duties, there's every expectation that Kubiak will have his fingerprints all over the scheme. His approach is a bit old-school in its reliance on the run, but he generated great results (8th in scoring, 8th in rushing, 13th in passing) during his last stint as a full-time coordinator with the Ravens in 2014. As trivial as this move may be seem on paper, Kubiak's presence on the staff could ultimately help the Vikings accomplish their goal of being one of the most feared offenses in the league.
Bottom Line:
The Vikings are a talented, well-coached bunch whose fate will likely be determined by how well Kirk Cousins plays in his 2nd year with the team.
Projected Standings:
1.Chicago Bears (10-6)
2.Minnesota Vikings (10-6)
3.Green Bay Packers (8-8)
3.Green Bay Packers (8-8)
4.Detroit Lions (6-10)
Wednesday, August 7, 2019
Movie Review: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood...
If his words are to be believed, Quentin Tarantino's retirement from the industry is imminent. The notorious writer/director has repeatedly proclaimed in recent years that his 10th feature will be his last. With so little time left, the 56-year old is probably going to make sure his final act as an artist is defined by projects that he's especially passionate about. His presumed penultimate feature Once Upon a Time in Hollywood... fits that criteria and then some. Tarantino's 9th* (despite being released in two separate "volumes", he considers Kill Bill to be one film) movie is an absorbing, laid-back love letter to the Hollywood of his early childhood that birthed his love for the medium is unlike anything else he's ever made.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood... is almost the antithesis of the typical Tarantino experience. Instead of the frantic pacing and quip-filled monologues he tends to favor, Tarantino embraces the loose, freewheeling nature of the time period in which its set (1969) by establishing an easygoing episodic narrative style to tell the tale of three industry folk (once beloved TV star Rick Dalton and his stuntman turned chauffeur/errandboy Cliff Booth, rising star actress Sharon Tate) that are in different stages of their careers. Providing a glimpse into the dizzying highs and cruel lows that come with working in the entertainment industry as these people go about their daily routines allows him to extensively bask in the vibrancy that defined the period while also shedding a light on the often ignored dark underbelly of the "Free Love" era. While there's certainly a sense of indulgence to the slowly-unfolding, often inconsequential proceedings, the sheer enthusiasm and flood of details that was put into every frame made this absolutely magical for a film nerd like myself to take in. There's enough morbid humor, shocking bursts of graphic violence and morally dubious characters to remind the audience that they're watching a Tarantino film, but as a longtime fan of his work, it was fascinating and refreshing to see him utilize a radically different approach to achieve yet another knockout result.
Of course, a thinly plotted movie like this isn't just going to skate by on an intoxicating period atmosphere and the filmmaker's unwavering passion for the material. This revisionist history exercise only ends up being so compelling because of the actors Tarantino chose to bring his nostalgic fantasy to life. Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie are all absolutely sensational as the centerpieces of this Old Hollywood fairy tale. DiCaprio is an unstoppable force as an alcoholic actor whose finally starting to accept his fading fame, Pitt is the right blend of effortless cool and horrifying monster as the mysterious yet charismatic Booth, and Robbie's masterful subtle turn as Tate embodies the warmth the 60's were known for to an incredibly poignant degree.
Even the bit players who only show up for a scene or two (most notably Margret Qualley as a flirty Manson Family member who Booth picks up hitchhiking, Julia Butters as a child actress that works with Dalton who boasts a level of professionalism that well exceeds her years and Bruce Dern as the cranky, nearly blind George Spahn-who rents his massive ranch to the Manson Family) prove to be very engaging characters that help make this world a fascinating place to spend nearly 3 hours. Given the revolving door-like shuffling of people on and off-screen here, it's remarkable how nearly every character feels like a valuable part of this breezy journey and Tarantino deserves major props for perfectly casting an ensemble that was so absurdly large.
While it's not likely to be in the top tier of my favorites of his, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.... is another special, unforgettable film from Tarantino. This is the work of a director who is completely in control of their craft and a cast that has complete faith in the vision of the person steering the ship. If the unfortunate reality that the end is near for Tarantino proves to be true, at least he's going out with his boldness, confidence and skill as a filmmaker fully in tact.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood... is almost the antithesis of the typical Tarantino experience. Instead of the frantic pacing and quip-filled monologues he tends to favor, Tarantino embraces the loose, freewheeling nature of the time period in which its set (1969) by establishing an easygoing episodic narrative style to tell the tale of three industry folk (once beloved TV star Rick Dalton and his stuntman turned chauffeur/errandboy Cliff Booth, rising star actress Sharon Tate) that are in different stages of their careers. Providing a glimpse into the dizzying highs and cruel lows that come with working in the entertainment industry as these people go about their daily routines allows him to extensively bask in the vibrancy that defined the period while also shedding a light on the often ignored dark underbelly of the "Free Love" era. While there's certainly a sense of indulgence to the slowly-unfolding, often inconsequential proceedings, the sheer enthusiasm and flood of details that was put into every frame made this absolutely magical for a film nerd like myself to take in. There's enough morbid humor, shocking bursts of graphic violence and morally dubious characters to remind the audience that they're watching a Tarantino film, but as a longtime fan of his work, it was fascinating and refreshing to see him utilize a radically different approach to achieve yet another knockout result.
Of course, a thinly plotted movie like this isn't just going to skate by on an intoxicating period atmosphere and the filmmaker's unwavering passion for the material. This revisionist history exercise only ends up being so compelling because of the actors Tarantino chose to bring his nostalgic fantasy to life. Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie are all absolutely sensational as the centerpieces of this Old Hollywood fairy tale. DiCaprio is an unstoppable force as an alcoholic actor whose finally starting to accept his fading fame, Pitt is the right blend of effortless cool and horrifying monster as the mysterious yet charismatic Booth, and Robbie's masterful subtle turn as Tate embodies the warmth the 60's were known for to an incredibly poignant degree.
Even the bit players who only show up for a scene or two (most notably Margret Qualley as a flirty Manson Family member who Booth picks up hitchhiking, Julia Butters as a child actress that works with Dalton who boasts a level of professionalism that well exceeds her years and Bruce Dern as the cranky, nearly blind George Spahn-who rents his massive ranch to the Manson Family) prove to be very engaging characters that help make this world a fascinating place to spend nearly 3 hours. Given the revolving door-like shuffling of people on and off-screen here, it's remarkable how nearly every character feels like a valuable part of this breezy journey and Tarantino deserves major props for perfectly casting an ensemble that was so absurdly large.
While it's not likely to be in the top tier of my favorites of his, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.... is another special, unforgettable film from Tarantino. This is the work of a director who is completely in control of their craft and a cast that has complete faith in the vision of the person steering the ship. If the unfortunate reality that the end is near for Tarantino proves to be true, at least he's going out with his boldness, confidence and skill as a filmmaker fully in tact.
Grade: A-
Tuesday, August 6, 2019
2019 NFL Preview: AFC North
Baltimore Ravens
2018 Record: 10-6 (1st in AFC North)
Head Coach: John Harbaugh (12th season)
Notable Additions: S Earl Thomas, RB Mark Ingram, WR Seth Roberts
Notable Departures: QB Joe Flacco, OLB Terrell Suggs, ILB C.J. Mosley
-The commitment to Lamar Jackson as the uncontested starting quarterback became official when longtime starter Joe Flacco was traded to the Broncos in early March. This wasn't exactly a shock as Jackson started the final 8 games of last season including their wild card loss to the Chargers, but it's definitely a bold move given Jackson's rawness as a passer (1,201 YDS, 6 TD's, 3 INT's, 58.3 CMP%, 84.5 QBR as a rookie) and the lack of another reliable veteran option on the roster (Robert Griffin III, who has only appeared in 7 games since 2015, is currently the top backup).
Typically when a franchise commits to a young quarterback, they try to establish a stable environment that plays to their strengths in an attempt to maximize their comfort level and subsequently their effectiveness. The Ravens didn't embrace this practice. Outside of bringing in high quality vet Mark Ingram to bolster their backfield depth and versatility, the moves new GM Eric DeCosta made in the offseason have put Jackson at a serious disadvantage as he enters his 1st full season as a starter.
Let's start with the on-field personnel. Of the Ravens top 6 receivers from a year ago, only Willie Snead, Mark Andrews and Nick Boyle-who primarily operates as a blocking tight end- will be returning this season. This means Jackson will be throwing to many as 5-6 new targets if you include Ingram and rookie running back Justice Hill. Trying to build a rapport with a bunch of new guys is bad enough, but the guys they brought in to replace John Brown, Michael Crabtree and Maxx Williams are all puzzling schematic fits for an unrefined passer with questionable arm strength. Ex-Raider Seth Roberts is a mediocre slot receiver who only excels in redzone situations and rookies Marquise Brown and Miles Boykin are downfield burners with limited route-running capabilities that struggle to create after the catch when there isn't nothing but green grass in front of them. An offense built around speed and physicality in the passing game can do plenty of damage when you have the right quarterback under center, but when the guy running the show has yet to prove they consistently hit targets downfield or in tight windows, you're likely to end up with a group that gets far more punts than splash plays and TD's.
As problematic as the massive receiver overhaul could prove to be, that choice pales in comparison to the damage that could stem from their offensive coordinator change. Jackson didn't thrive doing anything besides running last year and as the Chargers proved to comical effect in their blowout wild card win, the Ravens offense was incredibly easy to shut down when you played them for a 2nd time. While this may seem like a justification to fire Marty Mornhinweg, I think the lack of playcalling diversity they displayed in the latter stages of the season was less an indictment on him and more of a reflection on Jackson's limitations as a passer at this point. Handing over the reigns to Greg Roman, who was the QB coach last year, isn't likely going to magically turn Jackson into a confident, accurate passer at the professional level and quite frankly, forcing Jackson to learn a new offense for a 2nd straight season could stunt his development as a passer even further. Given Roman's time as the 49ers OC while Colin Kaepernick was under center, it's also entirely possible they run a very similar system as they did last year centered around Jackson's exceptional athleticism and scrambling ability, which clearly would fix none of the problems that they were hoping to solve with the coordinator change. NFL teams often find scapegoats when they underachieve or don't want to admit to a bigger problem within their organization and I strongly believe that the sudden firing of Mornhinweg is one of the more egregious cases of this silly, face-saving phenomenon in recent memory.
-Actively stacking the odds against Jackson wasn't the only failure of DeCosta's baffling offseason plan. Their 2nd ranked scoring defense from a year ago got absolutely ransacked in free agency. Inside linebacker C.J. Mosley, safety Eric Weddle and 2 of their top 3 pass rushers (Za'Darius Smith, team legend and locker room leader Terrell Suggs) all walked out the door without any sort of resistance. Bringing in future hall of famer Earl Thomas to play center field along with the lack of change among their strong corner and defensive tackle groups should prevent this mass exodus from turning into a genuine personnel crisis, but enlisting the perpetually average Matthew Judon and the oft-injured Pernell McPhee to be your top pass-rushers, and someone as inexperienced as Kenny Young to be the field general that makes sure everyone lines up in the right spot is a very alarming proposition for a group that is typically defined by its heavy veteran presence at key positions. DC Don Martindale is going to have to work some serious magic if they want to retain the elite form they displayed for the bulk of 2018.
-The chances the Ravens have of overcoming this groundswell of change and making it back to the playoffs for a 2nd straight year lies squarely on the shoulders of John Harbaugh. His resume may not be as spotless as it once was, but the fact remains that they've only had 1 losing season since he arrived in 2008. He's maximized the output of nearly every team he's ever coached and it wouldn't be at all surprising if he was able to do it again with a roster that's a strange mix of seasoned and supremely talented at some key positions and young and very flawed at others.
-The commitment to Lamar Jackson as the uncontested starting quarterback became official when longtime starter Joe Flacco was traded to the Broncos in early March. This wasn't exactly a shock as Jackson started the final 8 games of last season including their wild card loss to the Chargers, but it's definitely a bold move given Jackson's rawness as a passer (1,201 YDS, 6 TD's, 3 INT's, 58.3 CMP%, 84.5 QBR as a rookie) and the lack of another reliable veteran option on the roster (Robert Griffin III, who has only appeared in 7 games since 2015, is currently the top backup).
Typically when a franchise commits to a young quarterback, they try to establish a stable environment that plays to their strengths in an attempt to maximize their comfort level and subsequently their effectiveness. The Ravens didn't embrace this practice. Outside of bringing in high quality vet Mark Ingram to bolster their backfield depth and versatility, the moves new GM Eric DeCosta made in the offseason have put Jackson at a serious disadvantage as he enters his 1st full season as a starter.
Let's start with the on-field personnel. Of the Ravens top 6 receivers from a year ago, only Willie Snead, Mark Andrews and Nick Boyle-who primarily operates as a blocking tight end- will be returning this season. This means Jackson will be throwing to many as 5-6 new targets if you include Ingram and rookie running back Justice Hill. Trying to build a rapport with a bunch of new guys is bad enough, but the guys they brought in to replace John Brown, Michael Crabtree and Maxx Williams are all puzzling schematic fits for an unrefined passer with questionable arm strength. Ex-Raider Seth Roberts is a mediocre slot receiver who only excels in redzone situations and rookies Marquise Brown and Miles Boykin are downfield burners with limited route-running capabilities that struggle to create after the catch when there isn't nothing but green grass in front of them. An offense built around speed and physicality in the passing game can do plenty of damage when you have the right quarterback under center, but when the guy running the show has yet to prove they consistently hit targets downfield or in tight windows, you're likely to end up with a group that gets far more punts than splash plays and TD's.
As problematic as the massive receiver overhaul could prove to be, that choice pales in comparison to the damage that could stem from their offensive coordinator change. Jackson didn't thrive doing anything besides running last year and as the Chargers proved to comical effect in their blowout wild card win, the Ravens offense was incredibly easy to shut down when you played them for a 2nd time. While this may seem like a justification to fire Marty Mornhinweg, I think the lack of playcalling diversity they displayed in the latter stages of the season was less an indictment on him and more of a reflection on Jackson's limitations as a passer at this point. Handing over the reigns to Greg Roman, who was the QB coach last year, isn't likely going to magically turn Jackson into a confident, accurate passer at the professional level and quite frankly, forcing Jackson to learn a new offense for a 2nd straight season could stunt his development as a passer even further. Given Roman's time as the 49ers OC while Colin Kaepernick was under center, it's also entirely possible they run a very similar system as they did last year centered around Jackson's exceptional athleticism and scrambling ability, which clearly would fix none of the problems that they were hoping to solve with the coordinator change. NFL teams often find scapegoats when they underachieve or don't want to admit to a bigger problem within their organization and I strongly believe that the sudden firing of Mornhinweg is one of the more egregious cases of this silly, face-saving phenomenon in recent memory.
-Actively stacking the odds against Jackson wasn't the only failure of DeCosta's baffling offseason plan. Their 2nd ranked scoring defense from a year ago got absolutely ransacked in free agency. Inside linebacker C.J. Mosley, safety Eric Weddle and 2 of their top 3 pass rushers (Za'Darius Smith, team legend and locker room leader Terrell Suggs) all walked out the door without any sort of resistance. Bringing in future hall of famer Earl Thomas to play center field along with the lack of change among their strong corner and defensive tackle groups should prevent this mass exodus from turning into a genuine personnel crisis, but enlisting the perpetually average Matthew Judon and the oft-injured Pernell McPhee to be your top pass-rushers, and someone as inexperienced as Kenny Young to be the field general that makes sure everyone lines up in the right spot is a very alarming proposition for a group that is typically defined by its heavy veteran presence at key positions. DC Don Martindale is going to have to work some serious magic if they want to retain the elite form they displayed for the bulk of 2018.
-The chances the Ravens have of overcoming this groundswell of change and making it back to the playoffs for a 2nd straight year lies squarely on the shoulders of John Harbaugh. His resume may not be as spotless as it once was, but the fact remains that they've only had 1 losing season since he arrived in 2008. He's maximized the output of nearly every team he's ever coached and it wouldn't be at all surprising if he was able to do it again with a roster that's a strange mix of seasoned and supremely talented at some key positions and young and very flawed at others.
Bottom Line:
They're too well coached and talented in certain crucial areas (running back, secondary, offensive/defensive line, special teams) to completely fall apart, but with defenses likely catching onto Jackson's run-happy tendencies at quarterback, a notable regression from their 10 win 2018 seems likely.
Cincinnati Bengals
2018 Record: 6-10 (4th in AFC North)
Head Coach: Zac Taylor (1st season)
Notable Additions: G John Miller, G John Jerry, DE Kerry Wynn
Notable Departures: ILB Vontaze Burfict, G Clint Boling (retired), TE Tyler Kroft
-Seeing Marvin Lewis get fired was like watching Wolverine die at the end of Logan. It served as an important reminder that no matter how long or hard they fight to stay alive, even the seemingly invincible have to meet their demise eventually. The only thing more surprising than Lewis finally getting axed was who the notoriously strange and cheap owner/GM Mike Brown chose to replace him.
Brown went against his practice of only hiring people he has familiarity with (returning special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons as well as former employees Hue Jackson, Vance Joseph and Bill Lazor all interviewed for the job) by enlisting former Rams QB coach Zac Taylor to be the 10th HC in franchise history. Taylor will likely get the luxury of time to try and build up a program that many coaches aren't afforded in the modern NFL, but it remains to be seen if that's a task he's cut out for or not. The 35-year old spent just 2 seasons with the Rams (1 as an assistant WR coach, 1 as a QB coach) and only experience as an NFL playcaller came during a 5 game stretch with the Dolphins in 2015 after Lazor was fired (the team went 2-3 and averaged just 17 PPG during that time).
While I'll reserve judgement until he calls some more games, it's hard to not get the impression that Taylor was hired simply because he worked with Sean McVay-who is being worshipped in every corner of the league at the moment after turning around the Rams so quickly. Taylor had absolutely no HC buzz behind him before Jared Goff went off last year, and it reeks of "a right place, right time" situation following a season where the Rams made it to the Super Bowl and there was no truly coveted candidates available like there had been in the past few years. It was time for Lewis to go after 16 mostly respectable, but ultimately futile seasons, they just might have brought in the wrong guy to replace him.
-Offensive line has been a massive crutch for this team ever since Andrew Whitworth and Kevin Zeitler left following the 2016 season. Bringing in former Bills left tackle Cordy Glenn did nothing to help matters last season as their offense puttered out (21st in rushing, 24th in passing) in large part due to their ineptitude and ultimately graded out as the 6th worst line in the league according to Pro Football Focus. 2019 looks like it's going to be yet another long season for Andy Dalton and friends.
2019 1st round pick Jonah Williams is projected to be out for the season after getting surgery to repair a torn labrum in June, a couple of traffic cones would likely do a better job in pass protection than right tackle Bobby Hart and their big solution to their guard woes of late appears to be the dynamic duo of John Jerry-who didn't play a snap in 2018 after an underwhelming 3 year stint with the Giants and John Miller-who somehow managed to coerce Brown into giving him a 3-year deal after 4 miserable seasons with the Bills. If anything other than disaster ensues from this ragtag group, Taylor should consider himself the luckiest SOB in the state of Ohio.
-It's no secret that things are pretty bleak for the Bengals. Dalton is a mediocre quarterback who will likely getting dumped for a young kid in the next year or two, their defense is well below average and they're stuck in a division with teams that have way more talent than them. So what keeps the Bengals out of the "worst team in the league" conversation? That would be their skill position players. Joe Mixon is a tough, hard runner that averaged just under 5 yards a carry behind the aforementioned horrific offensive line, Tyler Boyd enjoyed a breakout season in 2018 with 1,028 YDS and 7 TD's and even though his durability is starting to really come into question of late (he's expected to be out until at least late September after tearing multiple ligaments in his ankle on the 1st day of training camp) A.J. Green is a dynamic vertical threat whenever he's on the field. This pretty deep arsenal of playmakers they have should be enough to get them to 5 or 6 wins, regardless of how well Taylor or the offensive line performs.
Brown went against his practice of only hiring people he has familiarity with (returning special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons as well as former employees Hue Jackson, Vance Joseph and Bill Lazor all interviewed for the job) by enlisting former Rams QB coach Zac Taylor to be the 10th HC in franchise history. Taylor will likely get the luxury of time to try and build up a program that many coaches aren't afforded in the modern NFL, but it remains to be seen if that's a task he's cut out for or not. The 35-year old spent just 2 seasons with the Rams (1 as an assistant WR coach, 1 as a QB coach) and only experience as an NFL playcaller came during a 5 game stretch with the Dolphins in 2015 after Lazor was fired (the team went 2-3 and averaged just 17 PPG during that time).
While I'll reserve judgement until he calls some more games, it's hard to not get the impression that Taylor was hired simply because he worked with Sean McVay-who is being worshipped in every corner of the league at the moment after turning around the Rams so quickly. Taylor had absolutely no HC buzz behind him before Jared Goff went off last year, and it reeks of "a right place, right time" situation following a season where the Rams made it to the Super Bowl and there was no truly coveted candidates available like there had been in the past few years. It was time for Lewis to go after 16 mostly respectable, but ultimately futile seasons, they just might have brought in the wrong guy to replace him.
-Offensive line has been a massive crutch for this team ever since Andrew Whitworth and Kevin Zeitler left following the 2016 season. Bringing in former Bills left tackle Cordy Glenn did nothing to help matters last season as their offense puttered out (21st in rushing, 24th in passing) in large part due to their ineptitude and ultimately graded out as the 6th worst line in the league according to Pro Football Focus. 2019 looks like it's going to be yet another long season for Andy Dalton and friends.
2019 1st round pick Jonah Williams is projected to be out for the season after getting surgery to repair a torn labrum in June, a couple of traffic cones would likely do a better job in pass protection than right tackle Bobby Hart and their big solution to their guard woes of late appears to be the dynamic duo of John Jerry-who didn't play a snap in 2018 after an underwhelming 3 year stint with the Giants and John Miller-who somehow managed to coerce Brown into giving him a 3-year deal after 4 miserable seasons with the Bills. If anything other than disaster ensues from this ragtag group, Taylor should consider himself the luckiest SOB in the state of Ohio.
-It's no secret that things are pretty bleak for the Bengals. Dalton is a mediocre quarterback who will likely getting dumped for a young kid in the next year or two, their defense is well below average and they're stuck in a division with teams that have way more talent than them. So what keeps the Bengals out of the "worst team in the league" conversation? That would be their skill position players. Joe Mixon is a tough, hard runner that averaged just under 5 yards a carry behind the aforementioned horrific offensive line, Tyler Boyd enjoyed a breakout season in 2018 with 1,028 YDS and 7 TD's and even though his durability is starting to really come into question of late (he's expected to be out until at least late September after tearing multiple ligaments in his ankle on the 1st day of training camp) A.J. Green is a dynamic vertical threat whenever he's on the field. This pretty deep arsenal of playmakers they have should be enough to get them to 5 or 6 wins, regardless of how well Taylor or the offensive line performs.
Bottom Line:
A new coach and roster that's seemingly on the cusp of getting blown up for a rebuild is not a good mix to compete in a division that's as tough as the AFC North.
A new coach and roster that's seemingly on the cusp of getting blown up for a rebuild is not a good mix to compete in a division that's as tough as the AFC North.
Cleveland Browns
2018 Record: 7-8-1 (3rd in AFC North)
Head Coach: Freddie Kitchens (1st season)
Notable Additions: WR Odell Beckham Jr., DE Oliver Vernon, RB Kareem Hunt
Notable Departures: G Kevin Zeitler, S Jabrill Peppers, OLB Jamie Collins
-Something weird is happening in Cleveland. We're just 2 years removed from a historically awful 0-16 campaign and the Browns are now being viewed as a feared contending team as the 2019 season approaches. Truly amazing stuff. So how did we arrive this juncture? Well after Hue Jackson got fired following a 33-18 loss to the Steelers in Week 8, the Browns went onto to close out the year on a 5-3 run. During that time, Baker Mayfield, Nick Chubb and Denzel Ward emerged as potential cornerstone pieces with their impressive play alongside 2017 #1 overall pick Myles Garrett-who earned his 1st career All-Pro honor last season after amassing 13.5 sacks.
This hype that the young players built up after their strong finish in 2018 escalated to a whole new level when the Browns blockbuster-filled offseason kicked off with a trade to acquire Odell Beckham Jr. from the Giants. OBJ's electric, refined skill set has made him one of the most lethal receiving weapons in the league since he arrived on the scene in 2014 and pairing a dynamic playmaker like him that can be deployed in multiple spots on the offense alongside a fantastic short-to-intermediate yardage receiver in Jarvis Landry gives Mayfield the rare luxury of being able to attack defenses in any way imaginable.
Headlining the rest of the Browns sizable haul is edge rusher Oliver Vernon, defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson and running back Kareem Hunt. Vernon is about as good as anyone in the league at applying pressure on quarterbacks, Richardson is an adept run stuffer whose services are much needed on a D that ranked 28th in rushing yards allowed last season and while he's suspended for the 1st 10 games stemming from the domestic violence incident that led to his release from the Chiefs last fall, Hunt is a premier dual-threat back with some of the most frightening breakaway speed in the league that could prove to be an X-factor during the stretch run. Adding all of these pieces to units that were already full of promising young talent gives the Browns a sky high ceiling for at least the next 3-5 years as long as everybody lives up to their potential and/or continues to grow as players.
So this buzzy, talented group has to be viewed as the clear frontrunner to win the division and possibly work their way into the Super Bowl mix right? As far as I'm concerned, absolutely not. To be completely honest, I think this Browns squad is setting themselves up for a letdown of epic proportions. I'm not going to pretend like I wasn't bowled over initially when they added all these players. Their roster is silly good now and as a big OBJ fan, the prospect of him playing with a QB that was still alive was very exciting.
However, as the offseason has progressed, I've become more and more down on them as a team. The way these guys-particularly Mayfield and Beckham- have conducted themselves all offseason is just embarrassing. They're getting snippy with the media, arguing with fans on Twitter and publicly buying into the insane hype that's been built around them when they've literally accomplished nothing meaningful thus far. Like guys, you went 2 games over .500 against mediocre competition once your all time dink coach got fired halfway through the season. It was a nice turnaround, but it was hardly a sign that you were on the cusp of bringing a Lombardi back to Cuyahoga County. At least the Jaguars waited until they went to an AFC Championship to ratchet their shit talk up to an unjustifiable level.
The inexperience of their head coach can also not be overlooked when evaluating this team. Like his roster, Freddie Kitchens has prematurely been made out to be a football wizard because he did a good job running the offense on an INTERIM BASIS last season. Those 8 games after Jackson was fired were the only times he ever called plays at any level. Now, he's being asked to handle the daunting task of leading the god damn team (Friendly reminder: Gregg Williams, not Kitchens was the interim HC last season). The Browns were playing with house money last season and fared pretty well, but what happens now that there's pressure on them to succeed and opponents gunning for their heads? Does he have what it takes to adjust on the fly? Can he handle a locker room full of big personalities if/when true adversity hits? How about come up with new wrinkles to the offense if people start successfully scheming against Mayfield now that he's spent a year in the league and they have plenty of tape on him? Kitchens' ability or inability to handle these obstacles could very well determine if the Browns make their long-awaited breakthrough or continue to make the fine people of Cleveland suffer with another soul-crushing disappointment of a season.
-John Dorsey's slew of roster moves at least somewhat improved a lot of their biggest issues (pass rushing outside of Myles Garrett, rush defense, lack of a top receiver) from a year ago. Naturally to improve at all these spots, they had to make some sacrifices somewhere. Unfortunately, the area where they regressed was the offensive line.
On paper, it might not seem that drastic as they're set to return 4 of their 5 starters from a year ago. However, the starter they lost was stud guard Kevin Zeitler. Without Zeitler, their run blocking is inevitably going to take a stepback, the weakness of their tackles (Greg Robinson, Chris Hubbard) is more likely to be exposed and Austin Corbett, who struggled mightily on a limited basis as a rookie in 2018, is being thrust into the starting lineup. Joel Bitonio and JC Tretter are good enough to prevent this group from turning into a complete liability, but it is a little baffling to see a team with so much invested in their young skill position players roll the dice on 3/5 of their offensive line.
-With the signing of Demetrius Harris, David Njoku's job security needs to be called into question. You could look at the move as simply a case of Dorsey bringing in another guy he liked from his Kansas City days as a fallback option or a desire to deploy some more 2 TE looks, but it could also be a sign to Njoku that he needs to step his game up heading into year 3. Njoku's sophomore campaign had just as many as highs as it did lows as with him continuing to struggle with drops (6 on 88 targets) and consistency (held to under 40 yards in 8 games) among all the acrobatic catches and splash plays.
Buried behind star Travis Kelce during his time with the Chiefs , Harris could be hungry to prove himself as a top tight end that was only held back by lack of opportunities. The potential has always been there for Njoku, he just needs to display it on a more regular basis in order to keep the threat of Harris poaching his job from becoming something more than a blogger's largely baseless speculation.
This hype that the young players built up after their strong finish in 2018 escalated to a whole new level when the Browns blockbuster-filled offseason kicked off with a trade to acquire Odell Beckham Jr. from the Giants. OBJ's electric, refined skill set has made him one of the most lethal receiving weapons in the league since he arrived on the scene in 2014 and pairing a dynamic playmaker like him that can be deployed in multiple spots on the offense alongside a fantastic short-to-intermediate yardage receiver in Jarvis Landry gives Mayfield the rare luxury of being able to attack defenses in any way imaginable.
Headlining the rest of the Browns sizable haul is edge rusher Oliver Vernon, defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson and running back Kareem Hunt. Vernon is about as good as anyone in the league at applying pressure on quarterbacks, Richardson is an adept run stuffer whose services are much needed on a D that ranked 28th in rushing yards allowed last season and while he's suspended for the 1st 10 games stemming from the domestic violence incident that led to his release from the Chiefs last fall, Hunt is a premier dual-threat back with some of the most frightening breakaway speed in the league that could prove to be an X-factor during the stretch run. Adding all of these pieces to units that were already full of promising young talent gives the Browns a sky high ceiling for at least the next 3-5 years as long as everybody lives up to their potential and/or continues to grow as players.
So this buzzy, talented group has to be viewed as the clear frontrunner to win the division and possibly work their way into the Super Bowl mix right? As far as I'm concerned, absolutely not. To be completely honest, I think this Browns squad is setting themselves up for a letdown of epic proportions. I'm not going to pretend like I wasn't bowled over initially when they added all these players. Their roster is silly good now and as a big OBJ fan, the prospect of him playing with a QB that was still alive was very exciting.
However, as the offseason has progressed, I've become more and more down on them as a team. The way these guys-particularly Mayfield and Beckham- have conducted themselves all offseason is just embarrassing. They're getting snippy with the media, arguing with fans on Twitter and publicly buying into the insane hype that's been built around them when they've literally accomplished nothing meaningful thus far. Like guys, you went 2 games over .500 against mediocre competition once your all time dink coach got fired halfway through the season. It was a nice turnaround, but it was hardly a sign that you were on the cusp of bringing a Lombardi back to Cuyahoga County. At least the Jaguars waited until they went to an AFC Championship to ratchet their shit talk up to an unjustifiable level.
The inexperience of their head coach can also not be overlooked when evaluating this team. Like his roster, Freddie Kitchens has prematurely been made out to be a football wizard because he did a good job running the offense on an INTERIM BASIS last season. Those 8 games after Jackson was fired were the only times he ever called plays at any level. Now, he's being asked to handle the daunting task of leading the god damn team (Friendly reminder: Gregg Williams, not Kitchens was the interim HC last season). The Browns were playing with house money last season and fared pretty well, but what happens now that there's pressure on them to succeed and opponents gunning for their heads? Does he have what it takes to adjust on the fly? Can he handle a locker room full of big personalities if/when true adversity hits? How about come up with new wrinkles to the offense if people start successfully scheming against Mayfield now that he's spent a year in the league and they have plenty of tape on him? Kitchens' ability or inability to handle these obstacles could very well determine if the Browns make their long-awaited breakthrough or continue to make the fine people of Cleveland suffer with another soul-crushing disappointment of a season.
-John Dorsey's slew of roster moves at least somewhat improved a lot of their biggest issues (pass rushing outside of Myles Garrett, rush defense, lack of a top receiver) from a year ago. Naturally to improve at all these spots, they had to make some sacrifices somewhere. Unfortunately, the area where they regressed was the offensive line.
On paper, it might not seem that drastic as they're set to return 4 of their 5 starters from a year ago. However, the starter they lost was stud guard Kevin Zeitler. Without Zeitler, their run blocking is inevitably going to take a stepback, the weakness of their tackles (Greg Robinson, Chris Hubbard) is more likely to be exposed and Austin Corbett, who struggled mightily on a limited basis as a rookie in 2018, is being thrust into the starting lineup. Joel Bitonio and JC Tretter are good enough to prevent this group from turning into a complete liability, but it is a little baffling to see a team with so much invested in their young skill position players roll the dice on 3/5 of their offensive line.
-With the signing of Demetrius Harris, David Njoku's job security needs to be called into question. You could look at the move as simply a case of Dorsey bringing in another guy he liked from his Kansas City days as a fallback option or a desire to deploy some more 2 TE looks, but it could also be a sign to Njoku that he needs to step his game up heading into year 3. Njoku's sophomore campaign had just as many as highs as it did lows as with him continuing to struggle with drops (6 on 88 targets) and consistency (held to under 40 yards in 8 games) among all the acrobatic catches and splash plays.
Buried behind star Travis Kelce during his time with the Chiefs , Harris could be hungry to prove himself as a top tight end that was only held back by lack of opportunities. The potential has always been there for Njoku, he just needs to display it on a more regular basis in order to keep the threat of Harris poaching his job from becoming something more than a blogger's largely baseless speculation.
Bottom Line:
Unreasonably high expectations, a whole lot of trash talk from talented players that have yet to accomplish anything of note in the league and a 1st year head coaching running the show is enough for me to believe that we're looking at the 2019 version of the Dream Team Eagles.
Unreasonably high expectations, a whole lot of trash talk from talented players that have yet to accomplish anything of note in the league and a 1st year head coaching running the show is enough for me to believe that we're looking at the 2019 version of the Dream Team Eagles.
Pittsburgh Steelers
2018 Record: 9-6-1 (2nd in AFC North)
Head Coach: Mike Tomlin (13th season)
Notable Additions: CB Steven Nelson, ILB Mark Barron, WR Donte Moncrief
Notable Departures: WR Antonio Brown, RB Le'Veon Bell, T Marcus Gilbert
-The subtractions of Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown are being greatly exaggerated. As special as both of these guys, the Steelers have viable contingency plans in place to make up for that lost production. James Conner faired just fine (1,471 scrimmage YDS and 13 TD's in 13 games) in Bell's absence last year, the dynamic JuJu Smith-Schuster, who is coming off of a 111 REC/1,426 YD/7 TD season, is more than ready to be a #1 wideout in this league and their offensive line is still a dominant bunch that should put them in a great position to thrive. Not to mention, the locker room should be in a much better place without those guys in it (particularly Brown).
To be fair, the depth did take a hit in the wake of Bell and Brown's departure. Most notably, their receiving options behind Schuster aren't necessarily the greatest. James Washington was a huge flop as a rookie, Donte Moncrief is borderline useless outside of jumpball situations in the redzone, Vance McDonald was practically invisible prior to his career-best campaign (50 REC, 610 YDS, 4 TD) last year and while rookie Dionate Johnson is a perfect match for a deep ball-reliant quarterback like Ben Roethlisberger, his route-running and hands are going to need to improve before he can contribute in the pros. Despite those legit concerns, I'm still expecting this offense to be among the best in the league yet again in 2019.
-It's been a long way back for the Steelers defense since the Troy Polamalu/James Harrison/Ike Taylor/Casey Hampton/Brett Kiesel-era came to a close. They've flashed steady improvement since Keith Butler took over as DC in 2015 and have finished in the top half of the league in scoring defense in each year since. GM Kevin Colbert made defense his top priority this offseason and now it's looking like this group could finally make the leap from solid to flat-out great.
Colbert shocked a lot of people by going against his usual stick-and-pick, reward homegrown talent approach to teambuilding by inking ex-Chiefs corner Steven Nelson, an up-and-coming talent who has exceled in man coverage over the past 2 seasons, to a 3-year deal in free agency and trading up from #20 to #10 to land Michigan inside linebacker Devin Bush-a freakishly athletic potential centerpiece with unreal sideline-to-sideline speed who could finally the void left by Ryan Shazier's (likely) career-ending injury. As surprising as it was to see Colbert embrace a different philosophy, he did a nice job of addressing the most dire needs they had on this side of the ball without sacrificing a ton of valuable assets or cap space in the process. Putting Nelson and Bush alongside their reigning 6th-ranked rush defense and a solid pass rush led by rising star T.J. Watt, and you're looking at the possible blueprint for a top 5 defense.
-If the Steelers fail to make the playoffs again this season, it might be time to consider firing Mike Tomlin. Tomlin has done a pretty great job throughout his lengthy tenure in Pittsburgh, but a combination of losing focus late in games and locker room issues have prevented this team from reaching their potential a lot of late. Even though they play in a competitive division, the AFC isn't overly loaded with great teams at the moment and there's absolutely no excuse outside of a full-blown injury plague that will make them failing to secure a playoff spot for a 2nd consecutive season acceptable.
-The subtractions of Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown are being greatly exaggerated. As special as both of these guys, the Steelers have viable contingency plans in place to make up for that lost production. James Conner faired just fine (1,471 scrimmage YDS and 13 TD's in 13 games) in Bell's absence last year, the dynamic JuJu Smith-Schuster, who is coming off of a 111 REC/1,426 YD/7 TD season, is more than ready to be a #1 wideout in this league and their offensive line is still a dominant bunch that should put them in a great position to thrive. Not to mention, the locker room should be in a much better place without those guys in it (particularly Brown).
To be fair, the depth did take a hit in the wake of Bell and Brown's departure. Most notably, their receiving options behind Schuster aren't necessarily the greatest. James Washington was a huge flop as a rookie, Donte Moncrief is borderline useless outside of jumpball situations in the redzone, Vance McDonald was practically invisible prior to his career-best campaign (50 REC, 610 YDS, 4 TD) last year and while rookie Dionate Johnson is a perfect match for a deep ball-reliant quarterback like Ben Roethlisberger, his route-running and hands are going to need to improve before he can contribute in the pros. Despite those legit concerns, I'm still expecting this offense to be among the best in the league yet again in 2019.
-It's been a long way back for the Steelers defense since the Troy Polamalu/James Harrison/Ike Taylor/Casey Hampton/Brett Kiesel-era came to a close. They've flashed steady improvement since Keith Butler took over as DC in 2015 and have finished in the top half of the league in scoring defense in each year since. GM Kevin Colbert made defense his top priority this offseason and now it's looking like this group could finally make the leap from solid to flat-out great.
Colbert shocked a lot of people by going against his usual stick-and-pick, reward homegrown talent approach to teambuilding by inking ex-Chiefs corner Steven Nelson, an up-and-coming talent who has exceled in man coverage over the past 2 seasons, to a 3-year deal in free agency and trading up from #20 to #10 to land Michigan inside linebacker Devin Bush-a freakishly athletic potential centerpiece with unreal sideline-to-sideline speed who could finally the void left by Ryan Shazier's (likely) career-ending injury. As surprising as it was to see Colbert embrace a different philosophy, he did a nice job of addressing the most dire needs they had on this side of the ball without sacrificing a ton of valuable assets or cap space in the process. Putting Nelson and Bush alongside their reigning 6th-ranked rush defense and a solid pass rush led by rising star T.J. Watt, and you're looking at the possible blueprint for a top 5 defense.
-If the Steelers fail to make the playoffs again this season, it might be time to consider firing Mike Tomlin. Tomlin has done a pretty great job throughout his lengthy tenure in Pittsburgh, but a combination of losing focus late in games and locker room issues have prevented this team from reaching their potential a lot of late. Even though they play in a competitive division, the AFC isn't overly loaded with great teams at the moment and there's absolutely no excuse outside of a full-blown injury plague that will make them failing to secure a playoff spot for a 2nd consecutive season acceptable.
Bottom Line:
The Steelers almost made the playoffs last year despite enduring a brutal 4 game losing streak during the stretch run. With the Le'Veon Bell/Antonio Brown saga officially over and some more defensive firepower on the roster, they should be back in the fold in 2019.
The Steelers almost made the playoffs last year despite enduring a brutal 4 game losing streak during the stretch run. With the Le'Veon Bell/Antonio Brown saga officially over and some more defensive firepower on the roster, they should be back in the fold in 2019.
Projected Standings:
1.Pittsburgh Steelers (11-5)
2.Cleveland Browns (7-9)
3.Baltimore Ravens (7-9)
4.Cincinnati Bengals (5-11)
Monday, August 5, 2019
The Best and Worst of Dakota Johnson
“The Best and Worst of” series chronicles the career
highlights and lowlights of an actor starring in one of the week's
new theatrical releases. This week, I take a look at the filmography
of “The Peanut Butter Falcon” star Dakota Johnson.
Films starring Dakota Johnson that I've seen:
The Social Network
Beastly
21 Jump Street
The Five-Year Engagement
Need for Speed
Fifty Shades of Grey
Black Mass
How to Be Single
Fifty Shades Darker
Fifty Shades Freed
Bad Times at the El Royale
Suspiria
Best Performance: Black Mass (2015)
Like seemingly everyone else whose breakout role came in an adaptation of a critically frowned upon novel (Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Kaya Scodelario), Johnson has developed a reputation as a bad actor. I strongly disagree with that take. While the sample size is pretty small as a result of her only getting tiny roles pre-Fifty Shades, she's been pretty damn great whenever she's gotten enough screen time in a competent project to showcase her skills. Her powerful turn as Lindsey Cyr, Whitey Bulger's common law wife/mother of his child, in Black Mass was particularly impressive. In roughly 20 minutes of screen time, Johnson makes a strong impression as a woman who is deeply distraught and enraged by the monster the man she loves has turned into since gaining more power in the organized crime world.
Worst Performance: Fifty Shades Freed (2018)
I've praised Johnson on several occasions for her noble albeit not overly successful attempts to add some depth to the utter ridiculousness that sits at the core of the Fifty Shades movies. By the time this "erotic" romance trilogy reached the final installment, she had finally thrown in the towel and succumbed to the comical indifference everyone else involved in the production had displayed from the start. Bringing a series of blank stares, half-hearted smiles and not even remotely pained tears to every scene, it's easy to tell that she couldn't have been more eager to finish this shit up and move on with her promising career.
Best Film: 21 Jump Street (2012)
I've recently been kicking around the idea of doing a best comedies of the decade list once 2019 wraps up. If I do end up moving forward with that list, 21 Jump Street will have a prime spot. This clever, self-aware sendup of buddy movies, cop shows and remakes in general has no shortage of great gags, one-liners and performances (Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Ice Cube, Dave Franco, Rob Riggle) from its top-flight comedic cast.
Worst Film: Beastly (2011)
I honestly have no recollection of Johnson appearing in this movie. However, that could be because I've tried to repress as much information about Beastly as I possibly can. This modern update of Beauty and the Beast without any singing household objects was an unholy disaster from top to bottom that features some of the weakest writing, amateurish acting and embarrassingly forced melodrama of any theatrically-released movie I've ever seen.
Thank you for reading this week's edition of “The Best and Worst of”. The next victim of my praise and ire will be “Where'd You Go Bernadette” star Billy Crudup.
Films starring Dakota Johnson that I've seen:
The Social Network
Beastly
21 Jump Street
The Five-Year Engagement
Need for Speed
Fifty Shades of Grey
Black Mass
How to Be Single
Fifty Shades Darker
Fifty Shades Freed
Bad Times at the El Royale
Suspiria
Best Performance: Black Mass (2015)
Like seemingly everyone else whose breakout role came in an adaptation of a critically frowned upon novel (Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Kaya Scodelario), Johnson has developed a reputation as a bad actor. I strongly disagree with that take. While the sample size is pretty small as a result of her only getting tiny roles pre-Fifty Shades, she's been pretty damn great whenever she's gotten enough screen time in a competent project to showcase her skills. Her powerful turn as Lindsey Cyr, Whitey Bulger's common law wife/mother of his child, in Black Mass was particularly impressive. In roughly 20 minutes of screen time, Johnson makes a strong impression as a woman who is deeply distraught and enraged by the monster the man she loves has turned into since gaining more power in the organized crime world.
Worst Performance: Fifty Shades Freed (2018)
I've praised Johnson on several occasions for her noble albeit not overly successful attempts to add some depth to the utter ridiculousness that sits at the core of the Fifty Shades movies. By the time this "erotic" romance trilogy reached the final installment, she had finally thrown in the towel and succumbed to the comical indifference everyone else involved in the production had displayed from the start. Bringing a series of blank stares, half-hearted smiles and not even remotely pained tears to every scene, it's easy to tell that she couldn't have been more eager to finish this shit up and move on with her promising career.
Best Film: 21 Jump Street (2012)
I've recently been kicking around the idea of doing a best comedies of the decade list once 2019 wraps up. If I do end up moving forward with that list, 21 Jump Street will have a prime spot. This clever, self-aware sendup of buddy movies, cop shows and remakes in general has no shortage of great gags, one-liners and performances (Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Ice Cube, Dave Franco, Rob Riggle) from its top-flight comedic cast.
Worst Film: Beastly (2011)
I honestly have no recollection of Johnson appearing in this movie. However, that could be because I've tried to repress as much information about Beastly as I possibly can. This modern update of Beauty and the Beast without any singing household objects was an unholy disaster from top to bottom that features some of the weakest writing, amateurish acting and embarrassingly forced melodrama of any theatrically-released movie I've ever seen.
Thank you for reading this week's edition of “The Best and Worst of”. The next victim of my praise and ire will be “Where'd You Go Bernadette” star Billy Crudup.
Thursday, August 1, 2019
2019 NFL Preview: NFC East
Dallas Cowboys:
2018 Record: 10-6 (1st in NFC East)
Head Coach: Jason Garrett (9th season)
Notable Additions: TE Jason Witten, DE Robert Quinn, WR Randall Cobb
Notable Departures: WR Cole Beasley, DT David Irving (retired), TE Geoff Swaim
-Ezekiel Elliott's holdout has been the talk of Cowboys training camp so far. Of course, Jerry Jones has to get his smug mug in front of the camera to tell the world simultaneously that Elliott will be on the field to start the season and that his beloved 'Boys could win a Super Bowl without a running back of his caliber. In the past, I'd agree with him. Darren McFadden's corpse got dragged along for over 1,000 yards in 2015 after not rushing for more than 707 in any of the prior 4 seasons simply because the line was so damn dominant. I'm not so sure that "throw anybody with 2 working legs back there" approach will work as well if they're forced to implement it again in 2019.
For starters, this iteration of the line isn't the wrecking crew they had in 2015. Don't get it twisted, they're still a respectable enough group anchored by a pair of future Hall of Famers in guard Zach Martin and left tackle Tyron Smith. But unlike 2015, there's an alarming lack of reliability at the other 3 spots on the line. Connor Williams is coming off of a brutal rookie season where he was routinely overwhelmed as both a pass and rush blocker, La'el Collins is a below average right tackle that has a gift for allowing sacks at inopportune times and 3x All-Pro center Travis Fredrick is slowly trying to get back into a groove after being sidelined for all of 2018 with a bout of Gullain-Barre syndrome-a rare illness which causes rapid weakness of the muscles. If any of these guys go down, things would get even more dire as notorious veteran stiffs Xavier Su'a Filo and Cameron Fleming or raw rookie Connor McGovern would be forced into action.
Perhaps even more alarming than the o-line would be the running back options available if Zeke isn't around. Rookie Tony Pollard earned more reps as a return specialist than a traditional back during his time at Memphis, Darius Jackson is a practice squad journeyman whose only amassed 6 career carries in an actual NFL game and the newly signed Alfred Morris is an aging power back (he'll be 31 in December) who can't handle a sizable workload anymore. I can't believe I'm about to say this, but they shouldn't have let a guy like Rod Smith walk in free agency. His generally well-rounded skill set without the age baggage Morris brings to the table could've made this potential crisis situation a bit less scary.
Paying a running back big bucks is risky as hell because of the non-stop beatings they take from touching the ball so much. Hell, the Rams are probably already having buyer's remorse with Todd Gurley, who signed a massive extension prior to last season, after he got worn down to the point of near total ineffectiveness down the stretch. But if Jones doesn't dig deep into his piggy bank to pay Elliott, whatever small chance the Cowboys have of winning a title pretty much goes out the window. Dak Prescott has yet to prove that he's good enough to lead an offense with his arm and their new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore will have his work cut out for him if he's forced to turn to more a vertical attack in his inaugural season as a playcaller.
-For as many question marks that currently surround the offense (Elliott's holdout, are Prescott and Amari Cooper good enough to justify giving huge paydays to after this season, is Michael Gallup ready to take on a bigger role in his 2nd year, is Moore ready to be an OC), the defense is easily in the best shape it's been in recent memory. Jones acted swiftly and locked up edge terrorizer DeMarcus Lawrence to a long-term deal (5 years/$105 mil/$48 mil guaranteed) in April, their young linebackers (Jaylon Smith, Leighton Vander Esch) are a smart, instinctive duo that could conceivably be patrolling the middle of the field for the better part of the next decade and the secondary that had long given them headaches is finally a solid enough group thanks to the emergence of the absurdly versatile Byron Jones as an elite defensive back.
The positive feeling surrounding this group further intensified this offseason with the additions of some nice veteran depth (Robert Quinn, George Iloka, Kerry Hyder, Christian Covington) to put alongside their strong, youth-driven corps. If the secondary around Jones can improve-which is very possible considering the amount of youth (Chidobe Awuzie, Xavier Woods, Jourdan Lewis, Darian Thompson) they have at both corner and safety-these guys are going to be borderline unstoppable.
-It's not likely to have much of a positive or negative impact on the team, but Jason Witten returning to football is absolutely hilarious. This dude got so much scrutiny for his rambling, nonsensical color commentary on Monday Night Football last season that he decided at 37, it was time to return to the field just so he wouldn't have to be a broadcaster anymore. Just an amazing, reckless act by a future Hall-of-Famer who has absolutely no business playing in 2019. Looking forward to his 2nd retirement at end of the season after he hauls in roughly 20 passes and maybe gets in the endzone a couple of times.
-Ezekiel Elliott's holdout has been the talk of Cowboys training camp so far. Of course, Jerry Jones has to get his smug mug in front of the camera to tell the world simultaneously that Elliott will be on the field to start the season and that his beloved 'Boys could win a Super Bowl without a running back of his caliber. In the past, I'd agree with him. Darren McFadden's corpse got dragged along for over 1,000 yards in 2015 after not rushing for more than 707 in any of the prior 4 seasons simply because the line was so damn dominant. I'm not so sure that "throw anybody with 2 working legs back there" approach will work as well if they're forced to implement it again in 2019.
For starters, this iteration of the line isn't the wrecking crew they had in 2015. Don't get it twisted, they're still a respectable enough group anchored by a pair of future Hall of Famers in guard Zach Martin and left tackle Tyron Smith. But unlike 2015, there's an alarming lack of reliability at the other 3 spots on the line. Connor Williams is coming off of a brutal rookie season where he was routinely overwhelmed as both a pass and rush blocker, La'el Collins is a below average right tackle that has a gift for allowing sacks at inopportune times and 3x All-Pro center Travis Fredrick is slowly trying to get back into a groove after being sidelined for all of 2018 with a bout of Gullain-Barre syndrome-a rare illness which causes rapid weakness of the muscles. If any of these guys go down, things would get even more dire as notorious veteran stiffs Xavier Su'a Filo and Cameron Fleming or raw rookie Connor McGovern would be forced into action.
Perhaps even more alarming than the o-line would be the running back options available if Zeke isn't around. Rookie Tony Pollard earned more reps as a return specialist than a traditional back during his time at Memphis, Darius Jackson is a practice squad journeyman whose only amassed 6 career carries in an actual NFL game and the newly signed Alfred Morris is an aging power back (he'll be 31 in December) who can't handle a sizable workload anymore. I can't believe I'm about to say this, but they shouldn't have let a guy like Rod Smith walk in free agency. His generally well-rounded skill set without the age baggage Morris brings to the table could've made this potential crisis situation a bit less scary.
Paying a running back big bucks is risky as hell because of the non-stop beatings they take from touching the ball so much. Hell, the Rams are probably already having buyer's remorse with Todd Gurley, who signed a massive extension prior to last season, after he got worn down to the point of near total ineffectiveness down the stretch. But if Jones doesn't dig deep into his piggy bank to pay Elliott, whatever small chance the Cowboys have of winning a title pretty much goes out the window. Dak Prescott has yet to prove that he's good enough to lead an offense with his arm and their new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore will have his work cut out for him if he's forced to turn to more a vertical attack in his inaugural season as a playcaller.
-For as many question marks that currently surround the offense (Elliott's holdout, are Prescott and Amari Cooper good enough to justify giving huge paydays to after this season, is Michael Gallup ready to take on a bigger role in his 2nd year, is Moore ready to be an OC), the defense is easily in the best shape it's been in recent memory. Jones acted swiftly and locked up edge terrorizer DeMarcus Lawrence to a long-term deal (5 years/$105 mil/$48 mil guaranteed) in April, their young linebackers (Jaylon Smith, Leighton Vander Esch) are a smart, instinctive duo that could conceivably be patrolling the middle of the field for the better part of the next decade and the secondary that had long given them headaches is finally a solid enough group thanks to the emergence of the absurdly versatile Byron Jones as an elite defensive back.
The positive feeling surrounding this group further intensified this offseason with the additions of some nice veteran depth (Robert Quinn, George Iloka, Kerry Hyder, Christian Covington) to put alongside their strong, youth-driven corps. If the secondary around Jones can improve-which is very possible considering the amount of youth (Chidobe Awuzie, Xavier Woods, Jourdan Lewis, Darian Thompson) they have at both corner and safety-these guys are going to be borderline unstoppable.
-It's not likely to have much of a positive or negative impact on the team, but Jason Witten returning to football is absolutely hilarious. This dude got so much scrutiny for his rambling, nonsensical color commentary on Monday Night Football last season that he decided at 37, it was time to return to the field just so he wouldn't have to be a broadcaster anymore. Just an amazing, reckless act by a future Hall-of-Famer who has absolutely no business playing in 2019. Looking forward to his 2nd retirement at end of the season after he hauls in roughly 20 passes and maybe gets in the endzone a couple of times.
Bottom Line:
The Cowboys have a blend of competence and stupidity at all levels of the operation that truly is unmatched in the league. An 8-8 or 11-5 finish seem equally likely.
The Cowboys have a blend of competence and stupidity at all levels of the operation that truly is unmatched in the league. An 8-8 or 11-5 finish seem equally likely.
New York Giants
2018 Record: 5-11 (4th in NFC East)
Head Coach: Pat Shurmer (2nd season)
Notable Additions: G Kevin Zeitler, WR Golden Tate, S Jabrill Peppers
Notable Departures: WR Odell Beckham Jr., DE Olivier Vernon, S Landon Collins
-Dave Gettleman shouldn't have a position of power in this league. There's plenty of executives over the years that have taken the Jackson Pollack approach to teambuilding (Sashi Brown, Phil Emery, John Idzik to name a few), but none of them have earned the bizarre level of respect and trust from the owner's they work for than Gettleman has earned throughout his career. Guess that's what being a top front office assistant during 2 unlikely Super Bowl runs for this very same Giants organization earns you in this ridiculous league...
I compel anyone looking over the slew of personnel moves Gettleman made this offseason to try and figure out what the hell he's trying to accomplish. Trading a franchise cornerstone in Odell Beckham Jr. a year after inking him to an extension that made him the highest paid WR in the league and letting 25-year old secondary leader Landon Collins walk after appearing in 3 Pro Bowls in his 1st 4 seasons? Oh, they must be rebuilding. Replace OBJ with respected veteran possession receiver Golden Tate and land top-tier guard Kevin Zeitler in the OBJ deal? Wait, are they trying to win now? Deal top edge rusher Olivier Vernon to the Browns and finally draft a quarterback to succeed Eli Manning (more on this later....). Okay, looks they're going to hit that reset button after all. All but confirm that Manning's decrepit, geriatric ass is going to start as long as he's on the roster. WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING DAVE??????? This roster is a living, breathing identity crisis constructed by a guy who wants to give off the illusion this team is still contending by bringing in some splashy vets with good pedigrees to try and mask the stink protruding from every orifice of this roster. Refusing to fully commit to a rebuild after winning 8 games over the past 2 seasons makes you wonder what the hell its going to take to get Gettleman and his contingent of dink underlings to start getting serious about trying to right the ship.
-Of course the top individual headline to come out of East Rutherford this spring was the drafting of a quarterback in the 1st round. It's no secret that they had put off drafting Eli Manning's successor for quite some time. In fact, just last year they passed on the opportunity to take Sam Darnold with the #2 overall pick because they still had faith in Manning's ability to take them to the promised land. So who did Gettleman select to be the next starting quarterback for the New York Football Giants? Duke Blue Devils legend Daniel Jones!!!!!
After all this procrastinating, the front office's big future plan at quarterback ends up being a guy who completed less than 60% of his passes and threw for just 8,201 YDS in his 3 seasons as a starter at an ACC doormat. But hey at least he's tall, wooed Gettleman with some throws at a non-contact Senior Bowl practice and was coached by Peyton Manning's old throwing guru!!! Best part of all this? They used the #6 overall pick on this low upside, "looks the part" prospect because the Redskins floated out a bogus story that they were considering trading up into the top 10 to select Jones. As a result of this trickery, the Giants became nervous Jones wasn't going to be there when they picked again at #17 and took a prospect that literally nobody else coveted in the top 10. Getting played by an organization that's as notoriously dysfunctional as the Redskins is quite possibly the most embarrassing thing that can happen to a front office (except for taking Brock Osweiler Jr. in the top 10 of course).
-A side effect of this Gettleman-induced mess that seems to be getting buried whenever the Giants are being discussed is the burden that's being putting on Pat Shurmur. While I don't think Shurmur is a strong enough leader or inventive enough playcaller to be a good NFL head coach, he's also being set up for failure at every turn. Only a once-in-a-generation virtuoso could manage to manufacture a functional piece of machinery out of the big pile of garbage the shot callers in the team box have put in front of him. If they want to give Jones a chance to succeed, they should do the right thing and fire this poor guy before the start of next year. Forcing a quarterback with questionable talent to learn a new offense every season is a time-tested recipe for failure in this league that should be avoided whenever possible.
-If there wasn't enough negativity surrounding the 2019 Giants after their head-scratching offseason, look at the unrelenting hell that's broken loose in the past few weeks. Within the first 48 hours of training camp, top wideout Sterling Shepard had broken his thumb, Tate got suspended for 4 games after failing a drug test, wild card receiver Corey Coleman tore his ACL and a video of Jones throwing a screen pass to his new favorite target otherwise known as the grass had surfaced. They've also had to deal with a disturbing off-the-field matter after safety Kamrin Moore got arrested for assault after he allegedly knocked a woman out. Since he's not good enough to evade discipline a la Tyreek Hill, he's been suspended indefinitely while the police investigation takes place. To put it simply, they've already experienced enough bad omens to fill an entire season and I expect the football gods to continue to punish them moving forward.
-I've been really mean to the Giants throughout this piece, so how about we ends things with some positive thoughts?
-The offensive line should be much better! As I mentioned earlier, Zeitler is an incredible guard, Will Hernandez quietly had a very nice rookie season and Nate Solder rebounded with an excellent finish to 2018 (1 sack and 13 pressures allowed in the final 8 games) after a VERY ugly start to his time in East Rutherford. Also Ereck Flowers is nowhere to be found, which is probably the best piece of news Giants fans have received in the last few years.
-Naturally with an improved line and OBJ gone, Saquon Barkley is being put in a position to have a monstrous season. After posting a rookie record 2,028 scrimmage YDS (which also led the NFL)behind a relatively weak offensive line last year, it's not a stretch to think he can clear 2,500+ YDS with even more opportunities and better blocking in front of him. Barkley is elusive enough as a runner to fight through stacked boxes, versatile enough as a pass-catcher to line up all over the field and fast enough to take any ball he touches to the house. This kid has all the tools to be a special player in this league for as long as his body allows him to be and hopefully he'll be just as much of a treat to watch this year as he was during his electric rookie campaign.
-Their young secondary pieces are very intriguing! I felt DeAndre Baker was the best cover corner in this year's draft, new acquisition Jabrill Peppers is a freakishly athletic swiss army knife that dramatically improved his all-around game last season and while definitely raw, rookie Julian Love has the physicality, ball skills and fluid movement to succeed in the pros if he receives the right coaching.
-If he can repeat the brilliant marksmanship he showed in 2018 (32/33 FG), Aldrick Rosas should be considered a top 5 kicker after this season!
-Dave Gettleman shouldn't have a position of power in this league. There's plenty of executives over the years that have taken the Jackson Pollack approach to teambuilding (Sashi Brown, Phil Emery, John Idzik to name a few), but none of them have earned the bizarre level of respect and trust from the owner's they work for than Gettleman has earned throughout his career. Guess that's what being a top front office assistant during 2 unlikely Super Bowl runs for this very same Giants organization earns you in this ridiculous league...
I compel anyone looking over the slew of personnel moves Gettleman made this offseason to try and figure out what the hell he's trying to accomplish. Trading a franchise cornerstone in Odell Beckham Jr. a year after inking him to an extension that made him the highest paid WR in the league and letting 25-year old secondary leader Landon Collins walk after appearing in 3 Pro Bowls in his 1st 4 seasons? Oh, they must be rebuilding. Replace OBJ with respected veteran possession receiver Golden Tate and land top-tier guard Kevin Zeitler in the OBJ deal? Wait, are they trying to win now? Deal top edge rusher Olivier Vernon to the Browns and finally draft a quarterback to succeed Eli Manning (more on this later....). Okay, looks they're going to hit that reset button after all. All but confirm that Manning's decrepit, geriatric ass is going to start as long as he's on the roster. WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING DAVE??????? This roster is a living, breathing identity crisis constructed by a guy who wants to give off the illusion this team is still contending by bringing in some splashy vets with good pedigrees to try and mask the stink protruding from every orifice of this roster. Refusing to fully commit to a rebuild after winning 8 games over the past 2 seasons makes you wonder what the hell its going to take to get Gettleman and his contingent of dink underlings to start getting serious about trying to right the ship.
-Of course the top individual headline to come out of East Rutherford this spring was the drafting of a quarterback in the 1st round. It's no secret that they had put off drafting Eli Manning's successor for quite some time. In fact, just last year they passed on the opportunity to take Sam Darnold with the #2 overall pick because they still had faith in Manning's ability to take them to the promised land. So who did Gettleman select to be the next starting quarterback for the New York Football Giants? Duke Blue Devils legend Daniel Jones!!!!!
After all this procrastinating, the front office's big future plan at quarterback ends up being a guy who completed less than 60% of his passes and threw for just 8,201 YDS in his 3 seasons as a starter at an ACC doormat. But hey at least he's tall, wooed Gettleman with some throws at a non-contact Senior Bowl practice and was coached by Peyton Manning's old throwing guru!!! Best part of all this? They used the #6 overall pick on this low upside, "looks the part" prospect because the Redskins floated out a bogus story that they were considering trading up into the top 10 to select Jones. As a result of this trickery, the Giants became nervous Jones wasn't going to be there when they picked again at #17 and took a prospect that literally nobody else coveted in the top 10. Getting played by an organization that's as notoriously dysfunctional as the Redskins is quite possibly the most embarrassing thing that can happen to a front office (except for taking Brock Osweiler Jr. in the top 10 of course).
-A side effect of this Gettleman-induced mess that seems to be getting buried whenever the Giants are being discussed is the burden that's being putting on Pat Shurmur. While I don't think Shurmur is a strong enough leader or inventive enough playcaller to be a good NFL head coach, he's also being set up for failure at every turn. Only a once-in-a-generation virtuoso could manage to manufacture a functional piece of machinery out of the big pile of garbage the shot callers in the team box have put in front of him. If they want to give Jones a chance to succeed, they should do the right thing and fire this poor guy before the start of next year. Forcing a quarterback with questionable talent to learn a new offense every season is a time-tested recipe for failure in this league that should be avoided whenever possible.
-If there wasn't enough negativity surrounding the 2019 Giants after their head-scratching offseason, look at the unrelenting hell that's broken loose in the past few weeks. Within the first 48 hours of training camp, top wideout Sterling Shepard had broken his thumb, Tate got suspended for 4 games after failing a drug test, wild card receiver Corey Coleman tore his ACL and a video of Jones throwing a screen pass to his new favorite target otherwise known as the grass had surfaced. They've also had to deal with a disturbing off-the-field matter after safety Kamrin Moore got arrested for assault after he allegedly knocked a woman out. Since he's not good enough to evade discipline a la Tyreek Hill, he's been suspended indefinitely while the police investigation takes place. To put it simply, they've already experienced enough bad omens to fill an entire season and I expect the football gods to continue to punish them moving forward.
-I've been really mean to the Giants throughout this piece, so how about we ends things with some positive thoughts?
-The offensive line should be much better! As I mentioned earlier, Zeitler is an incredible guard, Will Hernandez quietly had a very nice rookie season and Nate Solder rebounded with an excellent finish to 2018 (1 sack and 13 pressures allowed in the final 8 games) after a VERY ugly start to his time in East Rutherford. Also Ereck Flowers is nowhere to be found, which is probably the best piece of news Giants fans have received in the last few years.
-Naturally with an improved line and OBJ gone, Saquon Barkley is being put in a position to have a monstrous season. After posting a rookie record 2,028 scrimmage YDS (which also led the NFL)behind a relatively weak offensive line last year, it's not a stretch to think he can clear 2,500+ YDS with even more opportunities and better blocking in front of him. Barkley is elusive enough as a runner to fight through stacked boxes, versatile enough as a pass-catcher to line up all over the field and fast enough to take any ball he touches to the house. This kid has all the tools to be a special player in this league for as long as his body allows him to be and hopefully he'll be just as much of a treat to watch this year as he was during his electric rookie campaign.
-Their young secondary pieces are very intriguing! I felt DeAndre Baker was the best cover corner in this year's draft, new acquisition Jabrill Peppers is a freakishly athletic swiss army knife that dramatically improved his all-around game last season and while definitely raw, rookie Julian Love has the physicality, ball skills and fluid movement to succeed in the pros if he receives the right coaching.
-If he can repeat the brilliant marksmanship he showed in 2018 (32/33 FG), Aldrick Rosas should be considered a top 5 kicker after this season!
Bottom Line:
They're doomed.
They're doomed.
Philadelphia Eagles
2018 Record: 9-7 (2nd in NFC East)
Head Coach: Doug Pederson (4th season)
Notable Additions: DT Malik Jackson, ILB Zach Brown, RB Jordan Howard
Notable Departures: QB Nick Foles, DE Michael Bennett, WR Golden Tate
-In what has to be comforting news to both the organization and Eagles fans around the globe, Carson Wentz is 100% healthy heading into this season. 2018 was a brutal year for Wentz where he looked rusty and visibly uncomfortable as a result of sitting out an entire offseason program while he rehabbed from the ACL tear he suffered in December 2017. His nightmare season came to a premature end when he sustained a back injury in Week 14 that kept him out through the playoffs.
Now the burning question is whether or not he can get back to the MVP form he displayed in 2017 before the ACL tear. The absurd, effortless-looking on-the run throws, toughness he displayed to break out of piles/absorb huge hits in order to make a throw and confidence he displayed running this uptempo, vertical attack made him a must-watch every week. If that electric playmaking ability returns in full and he can pick up where he left off with the likes of Zach Ertz, Alshon Jeffrey and Nelson Agholor, the Eagles are going to be really hard to stop.
However, you also have to consider the very real possibility that Wentz is either going to never regain that mobility that drove his game and/or suffer another injury. The frantic way he plays the position makes him susceptible to huge hits and given his advanced age (26 going on 27) relative to how long he's been in the league (4 years), he holds a higher risk of his skills deteriorating with each ailment he suffers. For a guy who relies a lot on escaping the pocket and pushing the ball downfield, the prospect of losing the speed and fluid lateral movement that allows him to do that is a scary proposition. I believe that Wentz is polished enough of a pocket passer and smart enough of a player to make the necessary adjustments to his game to preserve himself for the long haul, but there's no guarantee he'll be willing to make them-especially coming off of an underwhelming season where he was playing at less than 100%.
-Despite Wentz's clean bill of health entering the season, the departure of Nick Foles shouldn't be taken lightly. Having a backup that was familiar with the system, delivered in big situations and won a Lombardi for a long-suffering franchise was a luxury that was never going to last forever, but his departure couldn't have come at a worse time. Wentz has finished each of the last 2 seasons on the sideline and not having a guy like Foles to fall back on if he suffers a setback with his back/knee or an entirely new injury destroys the unusual solace that had existed in the past when he was forced of the lineup.
Adding to the gloom surrounding Foles' exit from the Eagles is who could possibly replace him. The current expectation is that incumbent 3rd stringer Nate Sudfield and new addition Cody Kessler will be duking it out for the top backup spot. Both options are about as inspiring as a life advice speech from your drunk uncle at the family cookout. Sudfield has only thrown 25 passes in 3 NFL seasons and Kessler, who is believed to have the edge thanks to his bit of starting experience (8 games with the Browns in 2016, 4 with the Jaguars last year), is an ultraconservative game manager that is a less than ideal fit for Doug Pederson's high-flying scheme. Clearly the Eagles are going to hope their very good offensive line and some time away from the field will be enough to keep Wentz healthy, but the worry that he will go down and what could happen if he does will undoubtedly be lurking in the minds of everyone that cares about this franchise all season long.
-If Dave Gettleman ever wants to take notes on how a GM is supposed to go about constructing a team, he should no look no further than the guy running the show for his team's hated rival. Howie Roseman used the draft and free agency this year to make a series of solid, savvy investments along the interior line (Hassan Ridgeway, Malik Jackson-who should thrive playing next to Fletcher Cox), backfield (Jordan Horward, Miles Sanders), inside linebacker (Zach Brown) and receiving corps (Desean Jackson, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside) that fit the identity of his team perfectly (fast, dynamic offense, nasty, hard-nosed defense). He even brought in a tackle (Andre Dillard) for the great Jason Peters to mentor before he retires within the next couple of years. Is everything perfect? Of course not. Their corner group is still a little shaky even after the re-signing of Ronald Darby, swapping out Michael Bennett for Vinny Curry is a pretty significant downgrade on the edge and the aforementioned backup quarterback situation is kind of terrifying, but Roseman still did a damn fine job of adding depth, getting good value in the draft, addressing a lot of the problems on the roster and prioritizing which of their own free agents they could afford to re-sign (choosing to re-up on Brandon Graham over Jordan Hicks and Golden Tate). The Eagles have amassed a tremendous arsenal of talent on both sides of the ball under Roseman's watch without ever getting into cap hell and these small tweaks they made in the offseason should only make them a more lethal force in 2019.
-In what has to be comforting news to both the organization and Eagles fans around the globe, Carson Wentz is 100% healthy heading into this season. 2018 was a brutal year for Wentz where he looked rusty and visibly uncomfortable as a result of sitting out an entire offseason program while he rehabbed from the ACL tear he suffered in December 2017. His nightmare season came to a premature end when he sustained a back injury in Week 14 that kept him out through the playoffs.
Now the burning question is whether or not he can get back to the MVP form he displayed in 2017 before the ACL tear. The absurd, effortless-looking on-the run throws, toughness he displayed to break out of piles/absorb huge hits in order to make a throw and confidence he displayed running this uptempo, vertical attack made him a must-watch every week. If that electric playmaking ability returns in full and he can pick up where he left off with the likes of Zach Ertz, Alshon Jeffrey and Nelson Agholor, the Eagles are going to be really hard to stop.
However, you also have to consider the very real possibility that Wentz is either going to never regain that mobility that drove his game and/or suffer another injury. The frantic way he plays the position makes him susceptible to huge hits and given his advanced age (26 going on 27) relative to how long he's been in the league (4 years), he holds a higher risk of his skills deteriorating with each ailment he suffers. For a guy who relies a lot on escaping the pocket and pushing the ball downfield, the prospect of losing the speed and fluid lateral movement that allows him to do that is a scary proposition. I believe that Wentz is polished enough of a pocket passer and smart enough of a player to make the necessary adjustments to his game to preserve himself for the long haul, but there's no guarantee he'll be willing to make them-especially coming off of an underwhelming season where he was playing at less than 100%.
-Despite Wentz's clean bill of health entering the season, the departure of Nick Foles shouldn't be taken lightly. Having a backup that was familiar with the system, delivered in big situations and won a Lombardi for a long-suffering franchise was a luxury that was never going to last forever, but his departure couldn't have come at a worse time. Wentz has finished each of the last 2 seasons on the sideline and not having a guy like Foles to fall back on if he suffers a setback with his back/knee or an entirely new injury destroys the unusual solace that had existed in the past when he was forced of the lineup.
Adding to the gloom surrounding Foles' exit from the Eagles is who could possibly replace him. The current expectation is that incumbent 3rd stringer Nate Sudfield and new addition Cody Kessler will be duking it out for the top backup spot. Both options are about as inspiring as a life advice speech from your drunk uncle at the family cookout. Sudfield has only thrown 25 passes in 3 NFL seasons and Kessler, who is believed to have the edge thanks to his bit of starting experience (8 games with the Browns in 2016, 4 with the Jaguars last year), is an ultraconservative game manager that is a less than ideal fit for Doug Pederson's high-flying scheme. Clearly the Eagles are going to hope their very good offensive line and some time away from the field will be enough to keep Wentz healthy, but the worry that he will go down and what could happen if he does will undoubtedly be lurking in the minds of everyone that cares about this franchise all season long.
-If Dave Gettleman ever wants to take notes on how a GM is supposed to go about constructing a team, he should no look no further than the guy running the show for his team's hated rival. Howie Roseman used the draft and free agency this year to make a series of solid, savvy investments along the interior line (Hassan Ridgeway, Malik Jackson-who should thrive playing next to Fletcher Cox), backfield (Jordan Horward, Miles Sanders), inside linebacker (Zach Brown) and receiving corps (Desean Jackson, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside) that fit the identity of his team perfectly (fast, dynamic offense, nasty, hard-nosed defense). He even brought in a tackle (Andre Dillard) for the great Jason Peters to mentor before he retires within the next couple of years. Is everything perfect? Of course not. Their corner group is still a little shaky even after the re-signing of Ronald Darby, swapping out Michael Bennett for Vinny Curry is a pretty significant downgrade on the edge and the aforementioned backup quarterback situation is kind of terrifying, but Roseman still did a damn fine job of adding depth, getting good value in the draft, addressing a lot of the problems on the roster and prioritizing which of their own free agents they could afford to re-sign (choosing to re-up on Brandon Graham over Jordan Hicks and Golden Tate). The Eagles have amassed a tremendous arsenal of talent on both sides of the ball under Roseman's watch without ever getting into cap hell and these small tweaks they made in the offseason should only make them a more lethal force in 2019.
Bottom Line:
With a deep, veteran-filled roster and healthy Carson Wentz under center, the Eagles are in a terrific spot to contend for a title in 2019.
With a deep, veteran-filled roster and healthy Carson Wentz under center, the Eagles are in a terrific spot to contend for a title in 2019.
Washington Redskins
2018 Record: 7-9 (3rd in NFC East)
Head Coach: Jay Gruden (6th season)
Notable Additions: S Landon Collins, CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, ILB Jon Bostic
Notable Departures: OLB Preston Smith, ILB Zach Brown, S HaHa Clinton-Dix
-Even with the encouraging progress he's made of late, there's still a very real chance Alex Smith never plays again. He almost lost his leg as a result of infections stemming from the surgery required to repair the compound and spiral tibia/fibula fractures he suffered last November. While obviously the 'Skins will be rooting for Smith to return in the future, they also understood that football is business and they needed to begin considering other options at the position right away.
They ultimately went the route that many QB-needy teams go by bringing in a veteran (Case Keenum) to serve as a possible stopgap starter and a rookie (Dwayne Haskins) that could prove to be the team's long-term option at the position. Keenum fell back down to mediocrity with the Broncos in 2018 after a stunningly successful 2017 campaign in which he led the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game, but he's a completely capable fill-in guy that doesn't tend to turn the ball over a ton (except for last year where he threw 15 INT's, which tied for 2nd most in the league) . As for Haskins, he only started for 1 year in college and faced next to no adversity on a great Ohio State team that had a tremendous offensive line, but flashed impressive accuracy (70% CMP), good decisionmaking and a strong pocket presence that made him an intriguing NFL prospect. The battle for the starting job appears to be a true competition that will be fascinating to monitor as camp progresses.
-Whoever ends up winning the starting QB job is going to be stuck with a pretty questionable group of receivers. While the Redskins haven't exactly been flush with talented pass-catches of late, their already dire situation got even worse with the departures of wideouts Jamison Crowder and Maurice Harris in free agency. Now, they're left with a group of misfits made up of injury-prone guys that can produce when healthy (Jordan Reed, Paul Richardson), notable draft busts (Josh Doctson, Brian Quick), a couple of rookies (Terry McLurin, Kelvin Harmon) and the somehow still active Vernon Davis. Reed, Richardson, McLurin and Doctson-who is in a contract year after the team declined his 5th year option- are currently penciled in as the top dogs on the depth chart, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that could change radically by the team the season rolls around.
Of the many unproven commodities within this group, McLurin makes for an interesting wild card-especially if his college teammate Haskins gets the job. McLurin's combo of speed, sharp route running and strong workouts allowed his stock to rise throughout the pre-draft process and it's entirely possible that he'll much more productive with the consistent reps that he never got during his time at Ohio State. Luckily for him, there appears to be no danger of him not getting ample opportunities to prove himself this season as part of a receiving corps that will likely need all the help it can get.
-It'll be interesting to see how much sophomore running back Derrius Guice ends up being used this year. Guice garnered a lot of positive buzz throughout OTA's/training camp last year and figured to be the team's bellcow until he tore his ACL in the 1st preseason game. In his absence, Adrian Peterson took over as starter and miraculously put together his 1st 1,000+ yard rushing campaign since 2015. AP's solid 2018 provides a level of muddiness to the backfield situation in Washington now that Guice is back in the fold.
Guice was clearly drafted to be the top back and has a level of versatility that greatly exceeds Peterson's, but AP demonstrated last year that he could still produce in the NFL in his mid 30's and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him start the year as the feature back to take some pressure off the 23-year old as he preps for his 1st dose of meaningful NFL action. Barring a notable breakout for Guice or age-showing slump from the 34-year old Peterson, an even timeshare seems like a pretty likely result in what figures to be a run-heavy attack.
-The front office braintrust of Bruce Allen, Doug Williams and owner Dan Snyder made one of the biggest splashes of free agency when they inked safety Landon Collins to a 6 year/$84 mil ($44.5 mil guaranteed) deal. A premier box safety that's still a few years away from entering his prime is a huge get for a team whose problems stopping the run of late are well-documented.
Unfortunately for the 'Skins, adding Collins was about the only positive this defense experienced this summer. Top pass-rusher Preston Smith left for the Packers, HaHa Clinton-Dix admitted to taking less money to sign with the Bears, and they bafflingly cut inside linebacker Zach Brown at the start of free agency after a terrific 2018 campaign.
Was Collins worth letting all those guys walk? Considering the lack of depth and consistency that existed within their D a year ago, probably not. Even if they decided to still sever ties with the aforementioned trio, that money would've been better served addressing the borderline crisis they have at corner alongside Josh Norman (sorry, I just don't believe 33-year old Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is a viable starter anymore), some more quality run-defenders to sure up the front 7 and maybe a solid veteran edge rusher to take some of the burden off of Ryan Kerrigan instead of landing a lone blue chip player. With a thinner talent pool and no real strengths to speak of, a finish lower than the nearly universal middle of the road rankings (15th in scoring defense, 15th in passing yards allowed, 17th in rushing yards allowed) they posted in 2018 seems probable for Greg Manusky's troops.
-Topping the lengthy list of red flags for the Redskins this year has got to be the ongoing holdout of left tackle Trent Williams. Williams has his voiced his complaints about his pay as well as the medical staff after they misdiagnosed an illness that eventually resulted in him getting a growth removed from his head last spring and vowed to not play another down for the organization until these issues are resolved. On a team that has been mired in dysfunction and lingering question marks for much of this decade, Williams has provided reliable excellence at an incredibly important position since he was drafted in 2010. Not having him there during a season where they have a new quarterback under center and head coach Jay Gruden's job could be on the line would be devastating for a team that's low on proven veteran talent at the moment.
-Even with the encouraging progress he's made of late, there's still a very real chance Alex Smith never plays again. He almost lost his leg as a result of infections stemming from the surgery required to repair the compound and spiral tibia/fibula fractures he suffered last November. While obviously the 'Skins will be rooting for Smith to return in the future, they also understood that football is business and they needed to begin considering other options at the position right away.
They ultimately went the route that many QB-needy teams go by bringing in a veteran (Case Keenum) to serve as a possible stopgap starter and a rookie (Dwayne Haskins) that could prove to be the team's long-term option at the position. Keenum fell back down to mediocrity with the Broncos in 2018 after a stunningly successful 2017 campaign in which he led the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game, but he's a completely capable fill-in guy that doesn't tend to turn the ball over a ton (except for last year where he threw 15 INT's, which tied for 2nd most in the league) . As for Haskins, he only started for 1 year in college and faced next to no adversity on a great Ohio State team that had a tremendous offensive line, but flashed impressive accuracy (70% CMP), good decisionmaking and a strong pocket presence that made him an intriguing NFL prospect. The battle for the starting job appears to be a true competition that will be fascinating to monitor as camp progresses.
-Whoever ends up winning the starting QB job is going to be stuck with a pretty questionable group of receivers. While the Redskins haven't exactly been flush with talented pass-catches of late, their already dire situation got even worse with the departures of wideouts Jamison Crowder and Maurice Harris in free agency. Now, they're left with a group of misfits made up of injury-prone guys that can produce when healthy (Jordan Reed, Paul Richardson), notable draft busts (Josh Doctson, Brian Quick), a couple of rookies (Terry McLurin, Kelvin Harmon) and the somehow still active Vernon Davis. Reed, Richardson, McLurin and Doctson-who is in a contract year after the team declined his 5th year option- are currently penciled in as the top dogs on the depth chart, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that could change radically by the team the season rolls around.
Of the many unproven commodities within this group, McLurin makes for an interesting wild card-especially if his college teammate Haskins gets the job. McLurin's combo of speed, sharp route running and strong workouts allowed his stock to rise throughout the pre-draft process and it's entirely possible that he'll much more productive with the consistent reps that he never got during his time at Ohio State. Luckily for him, there appears to be no danger of him not getting ample opportunities to prove himself this season as part of a receiving corps that will likely need all the help it can get.
-It'll be interesting to see how much sophomore running back Derrius Guice ends up being used this year. Guice garnered a lot of positive buzz throughout OTA's/training camp last year and figured to be the team's bellcow until he tore his ACL in the 1st preseason game. In his absence, Adrian Peterson took over as starter and miraculously put together his 1st 1,000+ yard rushing campaign since 2015. AP's solid 2018 provides a level of muddiness to the backfield situation in Washington now that Guice is back in the fold.
Guice was clearly drafted to be the top back and has a level of versatility that greatly exceeds Peterson's, but AP demonstrated last year that he could still produce in the NFL in his mid 30's and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him start the year as the feature back to take some pressure off the 23-year old as he preps for his 1st dose of meaningful NFL action. Barring a notable breakout for Guice or age-showing slump from the 34-year old Peterson, an even timeshare seems like a pretty likely result in what figures to be a run-heavy attack.
-The front office braintrust of Bruce Allen, Doug Williams and owner Dan Snyder made one of the biggest splashes of free agency when they inked safety Landon Collins to a 6 year/$84 mil ($44.5 mil guaranteed) deal. A premier box safety that's still a few years away from entering his prime is a huge get for a team whose problems stopping the run of late are well-documented.
Unfortunately for the 'Skins, adding Collins was about the only positive this defense experienced this summer. Top pass-rusher Preston Smith left for the Packers, HaHa Clinton-Dix admitted to taking less money to sign with the Bears, and they bafflingly cut inside linebacker Zach Brown at the start of free agency after a terrific 2018 campaign.
Was Collins worth letting all those guys walk? Considering the lack of depth and consistency that existed within their D a year ago, probably not. Even if they decided to still sever ties with the aforementioned trio, that money would've been better served addressing the borderline crisis they have at corner alongside Josh Norman (sorry, I just don't believe 33-year old Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is a viable starter anymore), some more quality run-defenders to sure up the front 7 and maybe a solid veteran edge rusher to take some of the burden off of Ryan Kerrigan instead of landing a lone blue chip player. With a thinner talent pool and no real strengths to speak of, a finish lower than the nearly universal middle of the road rankings (15th in scoring defense, 15th in passing yards allowed, 17th in rushing yards allowed) they posted in 2018 seems probable for Greg Manusky's troops.
-Topping the lengthy list of red flags for the Redskins this year has got to be the ongoing holdout of left tackle Trent Williams. Williams has his voiced his complaints about his pay as well as the medical staff after they misdiagnosed an illness that eventually resulted in him getting a growth removed from his head last spring and vowed to not play another down for the organization until these issues are resolved. On a team that has been mired in dysfunction and lingering question marks for much of this decade, Williams has provided reliable excellence at an incredibly important position since he was drafted in 2010. Not having him there during a season where they have a new quarterback under center and head coach Jay Gruden's job could be on the line would be devastating for a team that's low on proven veteran talent at the moment.
Bottom Line:
There's a chance they could surprise if they can get decent quarterback play, but their lack of proven playmakers and depth on both sides of the ball makes it hard to be optimistic about the Redskins in 2019.
Projected Standings:
1.Philadelphia Eagles (11-5)
2.Dallas Cowboys (9-7)
3.Washington Redskins (5-11)
3.Washington Redskins (5-11)
4.New York Giants (4-12)
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