Note: This list is speculative by design. Training camps just opened, the amount of major injuries suffered has been very minimal and clearly we still have no clue how any of these teams that don't play in Foxboro, Massachusetts are going to be this season. The point of this exercise is simply to take an early stab at how I view the NFL hierarchy roughly a month out from the start of the season.
1.New England Patriots
2.Los Angeles Rams
3.New Orleans Saints
4.Kansas City Chiefs
5.Philadelphia Eagles
6.Los Angeles Chargers
7.Chicago Bears
8.Indianapolis Colts
9.Dallas Cowboys
10.Pittsburgh Steelers
11.Houston Texans
12.Atlanta Falcons
13.Green Bay Packers
14.Minnesota Vikings
15.Cleveland Browns
16.Seattle Seahawks
17.Baltimore Ravens
18.Carolina Panthers
19.Tennessee Titans
20.Denver Broncos
21.New York Jets
22.Tampa Bay Buccaneers
23.Buffalo Bills
24.Jacksonville Jaguars
25.Detroit Lions
26.Oakland Raiders
27.San Francisco 49ers
28.Cincinnati Bengals
29.Miami Dolphins
30.Washington Redskins
31.New York Giants
32.Arizona Cardinals
Wednesday, July 31, 2019
Monday, July 29, 2019
The Best and Worst of Jason Statham (2019)
“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 “Hobbs & Shaw” star Jason Statham.
Films starring Jason Statham that I've seen:
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
Snatch
The Transporter
The Italian Job
Cellular
Transporter 2
Revolver
The Pink Panther
Crank
War
The Bank Job
Death Race
Transporter 3
Crank: High Voltage
The Expendables
The Mechanic
Gnomeo & Juliet
Killer Elite
Safe
The Expendables 2
Parker
Homefront
The Expendables 3
Wild Card
Furious 7
Spy
Mechanic: Resurrection
The Fate of the Furious
The Meg
Best Performance: Crank (2006)
In the action genre, Statham deserves to be considered a legend. He's filled the magnetic, reliable hero/antihero mantle left open by the Schwarzenegger's, Stallone's and Van Damme's of the world for the past two decades, and has amassed a filmography that's just as, if not more impressive than any of those guys. Of all the valuable contributions he's made to this depraved little corner of the movie industry, his turn as lovable antihero Chev Chelios in Crank reigns supreme.This hitman who has been poisoned by a rival criminal syndicate and needs to keep his adrenaline levels up in order to stay alive serves as the perfect vessel for Statham's immense swagger, polished fight choreography and snarky wit.
Worst Performance: Revolver (2005)
Statham's connection with Guy Ritchie is truly beautiful. There's not too many actors that have thrived delivering Richie's aggressive, snappy quip-filled dialogue as much as Statham did in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch. The filmmaker that planted the seeds for his eventual breakout in the industry did him dirty in their third and as of right now, final collaboration. A muddy, tonally-confused script that lacks much of the biting humor of their past collaborations severely limits the effectiveness of Statham's abundant wisecracking charisma, which in turn led to Revolver being Ritchie's worst crime movie by far.
Best Film: Snatch (2000)
Well before Ritchie became an in-demand blockbuster director, he was churning out brilliant, grimy British crime sagas like Snatch. Courtesy of its manic pacing, highly quotable dialogue and a universe solely occupied by big, colorful personalities, Snatch ends up being the most deliriously entertaining piece of hyperstylized hilarity Ritchie has ever created.
Worst Film: Gnomeo and Juliet (2011)
This may come as a surprise given my notoriously unrefined tastes and the constant glowing praise I've thrown out in the previous paragraphs, Statham is one of my favorite actors. At least a half dozen of the movies listed above are all-timers to me and even a lot of his weaker action/blockbuster efforts (Wild Card, Mechanic: Resurrection, The Meg) have been made tolerable by his presence. All this being said, there was absolutely nothing he could do to save Gnomeo & Juliet. This Shakespeare-inspired jukebox musical was a wall-to-wall hellscape that may or may not have put me in a cringe-induced coma for 90 minutes.
Thank you for reading this week's edition of “The Best and Worst of”. The next victim of my praise and ire will be “The Peanut Butter Falcon” star Dakota Johnson .
Films starring Jason Statham that I've seen:
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
Snatch
The Transporter
The Italian Job
Cellular
Transporter 2
Revolver
The Pink Panther
Crank
War
The Bank Job
Death Race
Transporter 3
Crank: High Voltage
The Expendables
The Mechanic
Gnomeo & Juliet
Killer Elite
Safe
The Expendables 2
Parker
Homefront
The Expendables 3
Wild Card
Furious 7
Spy
Mechanic: Resurrection
The Fate of the Furious
The Meg
Best Performance: Crank (2006)
In the action genre, Statham deserves to be considered a legend. He's filled the magnetic, reliable hero/antihero mantle left open by the Schwarzenegger's, Stallone's and Van Damme's of the world for the past two decades, and has amassed a filmography that's just as, if not more impressive than any of those guys. Of all the valuable contributions he's made to this depraved little corner of the movie industry, his turn as lovable antihero Chev Chelios in Crank reigns supreme.This hitman who has been poisoned by a rival criminal syndicate and needs to keep his adrenaline levels up in order to stay alive serves as the perfect vessel for Statham's immense swagger, polished fight choreography and snarky wit.
Worst Performance: Revolver (2005)
Statham's connection with Guy Ritchie is truly beautiful. There's not too many actors that have thrived delivering Richie's aggressive, snappy quip-filled dialogue as much as Statham did in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch. The filmmaker that planted the seeds for his eventual breakout in the industry did him dirty in their third and as of right now, final collaboration. A muddy, tonally-confused script that lacks much of the biting humor of their past collaborations severely limits the effectiveness of Statham's abundant wisecracking charisma, which in turn led to Revolver being Ritchie's worst crime movie by far.
Best Film: Snatch (2000)
Well before Ritchie became an in-demand blockbuster director, he was churning out brilliant, grimy British crime sagas like Snatch. Courtesy of its manic pacing, highly quotable dialogue and a universe solely occupied by big, colorful personalities, Snatch ends up being the most deliriously entertaining piece of hyperstylized hilarity Ritchie has ever created.
Worst Film: Gnomeo and Juliet (2011)
This may come as a surprise given my notoriously unrefined tastes and the constant glowing praise I've thrown out in the previous paragraphs, Statham is one of my favorite actors. At least a half dozen of the movies listed above are all-timers to me and even a lot of his weaker action/blockbuster efforts (Wild Card, Mechanic: Resurrection, The Meg) have been made tolerable by his presence. All this being said, there was absolutely nothing he could do to save Gnomeo & Juliet. This Shakespeare-inspired jukebox musical was a wall-to-wall hellscape that may or may not have put me in a cringe-induced coma for 90 minutes.
Thank you for reading this week's edition of “The Best and Worst of”. The next victim of my praise and ire will be “The Peanut Butter Falcon” star Dakota Johnson .
Thursday, July 25, 2019
2018 in Music: Revisited
Unlike its movie counterpart, there's not a whole lot of new entries on this list. In fact, there's only 3 records on here that didn't appear on January's year-end recap. As a result, the amount of change isn't particularly significant. While the shakeups weren't abundant, that doesn't mean there hasn't been any notable movement over the past 6 months. Janelle Monae's ambitious comeback effort Dirty Computer jumped up over 10 spots, Logic's Bobby Tarantino II evaporated even further into the abyss of soulless mediocrity and Coheed and Cambira's Unheavenly Creatures has become a strong contender for my favorite release of theirs in the past decade and is now flirting with a top 10 spot. Without any further delay, here's the updated version of my worst to best EP/LP rankings for 2018.
Note: ()=indicates previous ranking
EP's:
9.(9) 2 Chainz-The Play Don't Care Who Makes It (B-) (Favorite Track: "Ok Bitch")
8.(8) Fall Out Boy-Lake Effect Kid (B) (Favorite Track: "Lake Effect Kid")
7.(7) Drake-Scary Hours (B) (Favorite Track: "God's Plan")
6.(5) 2 Chainz-Hot Wings are a Girl's Best Friend (B) (Favorite Track: "Hot Wings")
5.(6) The Weeknd-My Dear Melancholy... (B) (Favorite Track: "Call Out My Name")
4.(4) Young Thug-On the Rvn (B+) (Favorite Track: "High")
3.(3) Counterparts-Private Room (B+) (Favorite Track: "Selfishly I Sink")
2.(2) Converge-Beautiful Ruin (B+) (Favorite Track: "Permanent Blue")
1.(1) Young Thug-Hear No Evil (A-) (Favorite Track: "Anybody")
LP's:
110.(107) Eminem-Kamikaze (D) (Favorite Track: N/A)
109.(106) Kanye West-ye (D+) (Favorite Track: "Yikes")
108.(105) Lil Yachty-Lil Boat 2 (D+) (Favorite Track: "Self-Made")
107.(104) Tropical Fuck Storm-A Laughing Death in Meat Space (C-) (Favorite Track: "Chameleon Paint")
106.(103) Machine Head-Catharsis (C-) (Favorite Track: "Volatile")
105.(102) Jack White-Boarding House Reach (C-) (Favorite Track: "Over and Over and Over")
104.(101) Alkaline Trio-Is Thing Cursed? (C-) (Favorite Track: "Blackbird")
103.(100) Kodak Black-Heartbreak Kodak (C) (Favorite Track: "Codeine Dreaming")
102.(99) Sting and Shaggy-44/776 (C) (Favorite Track: "Waiting for the Break of Day")
101.(98) Parkway Drive-Reverence (C) (Favorite Track: "Wishing Wells")
100.(93) Logic-Bobby Tarantino II (C) (Favorite Track: "Warm It Up")
99.(96) Lil Wayne-The Carter V (C) (Favorite Track: "Can't Be Broken")
98.(97) Vince Staples-FM! (C) (Favorite Track: "Feels Like Summer")
97.(95) Lykke Li-so sad so sexy (C) (Favorite Track: "so sad so sexy")
96.(94) Kids See Ghosts-Kids See Ghosts (C) (Favorite Track: "Cudi Montage")
95.(92) State Champs-Living Proof (C+) (Favorite Track: "Frozen")
94.(new) Twenty One Pilots-Trench (C+) (Favorite Track: "Jumpsuit")
93.(91) Famous Dex-Dex Meets Dexter (C+) (Favorite Track: "Deadpool")
92.(90) Young Thug-Slime Language (C+) (Favorite Track: "Tsunami")
91.(89) XXXTENTACION-? (C+) (Favorite Track: "SAD!")
90.(new) 6LACK-East Atlanta Love Letter (C+) (Favorite Track: "Let Her Go")
89.(88) Nekrogoblikon-Welcome to Bonkers (C+) (Favorite Track: "The Skin Thief")
88.(86) Juice WRLD-Goodbye & Good Riddance (C+) (Favorite Track: "Lean Wit Me")
87.(87) Good Tiger-We Will All Be Gone (C+) (Favorite Track: "Blueshift")
86.(85) Architects-Holy Hell (C+) (Favorite Track: "Dying to Heal")
85.(84) Fall Out Boy-MANIA (C+) (Favorite Track: "Stay Frosty Royal Milk Tea")
84.(83) Earl Sweatshirt-Some Rap Songs (C+) (Favorite Track: "Azucar")
83.(82) Various Artists-Black Panther: The Album-Music from and Inspired by (B-) (Favorite Track: "Big Shot")
82.(81) The Carters-EVERYTHING IS LOVE (B-) (Favorite Track: "APESHIT")
81.(80) Swae Lee-Swaecation (B-) (Favorite Track: "Offshore")
80.(79) Nicki Minaj-Queen (B-) (Favorite Track: "Ganja Burn")
79.(78) Teyana Taylor-K.T.S.E. (B-) (Favorite Track: "Rose in Harlem")
78.(77) The Story So Far-Proper Dose (B-) (Favorite Track: "Keep This Up")
77.(76) Crossfaith-EX_MACHINA (B-) (Favorite Track: "The Perfect Nightmare")
76.(75) Ski Mask the Slump God-Stokely (B-) (Favorite Track: "Nuketown")
75.(74) Bury Tomorrow-Black Flame (B-) (Favorite Track: "Knife of Gold")
74.(73) Clutch-Book of Bad Decisions (B-) (Favorite Track: "In Walks Barbarella")
73.(72) JPEGMAFIA-Veteran (B-) (Favorite Track: "Real Negga")
72.(71) Slim Jxmmi-Jxmtro (B-) (Favorite Track: "Juggling Biddies")
71.(70) The Wonder Years-Sister Cities (B-) (Favorite Track: "Sister Cities")
70.(69) $uicideboy$-I Want to Die in New Orleans (B-) (Favorite Track: "King Tulip")
69.(68) Takeoff-The Last Rocket (B-) (Favorite Track: "Last Memory")
68.(66) ERRA-Neon (B-) (Favorite Track: "Valhalla")
67.(65) Quavo-Quavo Huncho (B-) (Favorite Track: "Pass Out")
66.(67) Maxo Kream-Punken (B-) (Favorite Track: "Roaches")
65.(55) Greta Van Fleet-Anthem of the Peaceful Army (B-) (Favorite Track: "Mountain of the Sun")
64.(64) Mac Miller-Swimming (B-) (Favorite Track: "Ladders")
63.(63) Ski Mask the Slump God-BEWARE THE BOOK OF ELI (B-) (Favorite Track: "Run")
62.(62) Trippie Redd-A Love Letter to You 3 (B-) (Favorite Track: "Topanga")
61.(61) Lil Baby and Gunna-Drip Harder (B-) (Favorite Track: "Never Recover")
60.(59) Turnstile-Time & Space (B-) (Favorite Track: "Come Back for More/H.O.Y.")
59.(58) Migos-Culture II (B-) (Favorite Track: "Stir Fry")
58.(57) Trippie Redd-Life's a Trip (B) (Favorite Track: "Dark Knight Dummo")
57.(56) Pusha T-Daytona (B) (Favorite Track: "If You Know You Know")
56.(54) Augury-Illusive Golden Age (B) (Favorite Track: "Maritime")
55.(53) Obscura-Diluvium (B) (Favorite Track: "Mortification of the Vulgar Sun")
54.(51) Drake-Scorpion (B) (Favorite Track: "Nice for What")
53.(41) The Ocean-Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic (B) (Favorite Track: "Cambrian II: Eternal Recurrence")
52.(50) The Agony Scene-Tormentor (B) (Favorite Track: "Serpent's Tongue")
51.(new) Irreversible Mechanism-Immersion (B) (Favorite Track: "Beyond")
50.(49) Anderson.Paak-Oxnard (B) (Favorite Track: "Tints")
49.(48) Extinction A.D.-Decimation Treaty (B) (Favorite Track: "Decimation Treaty")
48.(46) Noname-Room 25 (B) (Favorite Track: "Don't Forget About Me")
47.(45) Action Bronson-White Bronco (B) (Favorite Track: "Ring Ring")
46.(60) Kacey Musgraves-Golden Hour (B) (Favorite Track: "Golden Hour")
45.(52) Kyle-Light of Mine (B) (Favorite Track: "Games")
44.(44) Rae Sremmurd-SR3MM (B) (Favorite Track: "Powerglide")
43.(43) Horrendous-Idol (B) (Favorite Track: "Divine Anhedonia")
42.(47) Camila Cabello-Camila (B) (Favorite Track: "In the Dark")
41.(40) Kodak Black-Dying to Live (B) (Favorite Track: "MoshPit")
40.(39) J.I.D.-DiCaprio 2 (B) (Favorite Track: "Slick Talk")
39.(38) Florence+the Machine-High as Hope (B) (Favorite Track: "Big God")
38.(37) Jorja Smith-Lost and Found (B) (Favorite Track: "Blue Lights")
37.(35) BROCKHAMPTON-iridescence (B) (Favorite Track: "NEW ORLEANS")
36.(34) A$AP Rocky-Testing (B) (Favorite Track: "Fukk Sleep")
35.(33) Kimbra-Primal Heart (B) (Favorite Track: "Black Sky")
34.(32) Post Malone-beerbongs & bentleys (B) (Favorite Track: "92 Explorer")
33.(31) High on Fire-Electric Messiah (B) (Favorite Track: "Freebooter")
32.(28) Alterbeast-Feast (B) (Favorite Track: "The Maggot's Ascension")
31.(27) Cardi B-Invasion of Privacy (B) (Favorite Track: "Money Bag")
30.(42) Janelle Monae-Dirty Computer (B) (Favorite Track: "Crazy, Classic, Life")
29.(30) Ariana Grande-Sweetener (B) (Favorite Track: "no tears left to cry')
28.(29) Mitski-Be the Cowboy (B) (Favorite Track: "Geyser")
27.(26) Death Grips-Year of the Snitch (B) (Favorite Track: "Black Paint")
26.(36) TesseracT-Sonder (B) (Favorite Track: "Smile")
25.(25) Future-BEASTMODE2 (B) (Favorite Track: "31 Days")
24.(24) Flatbush Zombies-Vacation in Hell (B) (Favorite Track: "Big Shrimp")
23.(23) Unearth-Extinction(s) (B+) (Favorite Track: "Cultivation of Infection")
22.(22) Monuments-Phronesis (B+) (Favorite Track: "A.W.O.L.")
21.(21) Skeletonwitch-Devouring Radiant Light (B+) (Favorite Track: "Fen of Shadows")
20.(20) Night Verses-From the Gallery of Sleep (B+) (Favorite Track: "Vantablonde")
19.(13) Rolo Tomassi-Time Will Die and Love Will Bury It (B+) (Favorite Track: "Alma Mater")
18.(18) City Morgue-Hell or High Water Vol.1 (B+) (Favorite Track: "33rd Blakk Glass")
17.(17) Behemoth-I Loved You at Your Darkest (B+) (Favorite Track: "Ecclesia Diabolica Catholica")
16.(14) Inferi-Revenant (B+) (Favorite Track: "Thy Menacing Gaze")
15.(16) 21 Savage-I Am>I Was (B+) (Favorite Track: "all my friends")
14.(15) Vein-Errorzone (B+) (Favorite Track: "End Eternal")
13.(12) Metro Boomin-NOT ALL HEROES WEAR CAPES (A-) (Favorite Track: "10 Freaky Girls")
12.(11) Slugdge-Esoteric Malacology (A-) (Favorite Track: "Transylvanian Fungus")
11.(19) Coheed and Cambria-Unheavenly Creatures (A-) (Favorite Track: "The Dark Sentencer")
10.(10) Playboi Carti-Die Lit (A-) (Favorite Track: "R.I.P.")
9.(9) Between the Buried and Me-Automata I (A-) (Favorite Track: "Blot")
8.(8) Greyhaven-Empty Black (A-) (Favorite Track: "Blemish")
7.(7) Denzel Curry-Tab13oo (A-) (Favorite Track: "Black Balloons")
6.(6) Kali Uchis-Isolation (A-) (Favorite Track: "Tyrant")
5.(5) Dance Gavin Dance-Artificial Selection (A-) (Favorite Track: "Count Bassy")
4.(4) Between the Buried and Me-Automata II (A) (Favorite Track: "Voice of Trespass")
3.(3) Revocation-The Outer Ones (A) (Favorite Track: "Blood Atonement")
2.(2) Travis Scott-Astroworld (A) (Favorite Track: "YOSEMITE")
1.(1) Rivers of Nihil-Where Owls Know My Name (A) (Favorite Track: "A Home")
Note: ()=indicates previous ranking
EP's:
9.(9) 2 Chainz-The Play Don't Care Who Makes It (B-) (Favorite Track: "Ok Bitch")
8.(8) Fall Out Boy-Lake Effect Kid (B) (Favorite Track: "Lake Effect Kid")
7.(7) Drake-Scary Hours (B) (Favorite Track: "God's Plan")
6.(5) 2 Chainz-Hot Wings are a Girl's Best Friend (B) (Favorite Track: "Hot Wings")
5.(6) The Weeknd-My Dear Melancholy... (B) (Favorite Track: "Call Out My Name")
4.(4) Young Thug-On the Rvn (B+) (Favorite Track: "High")
3.(3) Counterparts-Private Room (B+) (Favorite Track: "Selfishly I Sink")
2.(2) Converge-Beautiful Ruin (B+) (Favorite Track: "Permanent Blue")
1.(1) Young Thug-Hear No Evil (A-) (Favorite Track: "Anybody")
LP's:
110.(107) Eminem-Kamikaze (D) (Favorite Track: N/A)
109.(106) Kanye West-ye (D+) (Favorite Track: "Yikes")
108.(105) Lil Yachty-Lil Boat 2 (D+) (Favorite Track: "Self-Made")
107.(104) Tropical Fuck Storm-A Laughing Death in Meat Space (C-) (Favorite Track: "Chameleon Paint")
106.(103) Machine Head-Catharsis (C-) (Favorite Track: "Volatile")
105.(102) Jack White-Boarding House Reach (C-) (Favorite Track: "Over and Over and Over")
104.(101) Alkaline Trio-Is Thing Cursed? (C-) (Favorite Track: "Blackbird")
103.(100) Kodak Black-Heartbreak Kodak (C) (Favorite Track: "Codeine Dreaming")
102.(99) Sting and Shaggy-44/776 (C) (Favorite Track: "Waiting for the Break of Day")
101.(98) Parkway Drive-Reverence (C) (Favorite Track: "Wishing Wells")
100.(93) Logic-Bobby Tarantino II (C) (Favorite Track: "Warm It Up")
99.(96) Lil Wayne-The Carter V (C) (Favorite Track: "Can't Be Broken")
98.(97) Vince Staples-FM! (C) (Favorite Track: "Feels Like Summer")
97.(95) Lykke Li-so sad so sexy (C) (Favorite Track: "so sad so sexy")
96.(94) Kids See Ghosts-Kids See Ghosts (C) (Favorite Track: "Cudi Montage")
95.(92) State Champs-Living Proof (C+) (Favorite Track: "Frozen")
94.(new) Twenty One Pilots-Trench (C+) (Favorite Track: "Jumpsuit")
93.(91) Famous Dex-Dex Meets Dexter (C+) (Favorite Track: "Deadpool")
92.(90) Young Thug-Slime Language (C+) (Favorite Track: "Tsunami")
91.(89) XXXTENTACION-? (C+) (Favorite Track: "SAD!")
90.(new) 6LACK-East Atlanta Love Letter (C+) (Favorite Track: "Let Her Go")
89.(88) Nekrogoblikon-Welcome to Bonkers (C+) (Favorite Track: "The Skin Thief")
88.(86) Juice WRLD-Goodbye & Good Riddance (C+) (Favorite Track: "Lean Wit Me")
87.(87) Good Tiger-We Will All Be Gone (C+) (Favorite Track: "Blueshift")
86.(85) Architects-Holy Hell (C+) (Favorite Track: "Dying to Heal")
85.(84) Fall Out Boy-MANIA (C+) (Favorite Track: "Stay Frosty Royal Milk Tea")
84.(83) Earl Sweatshirt-Some Rap Songs (C+) (Favorite Track: "Azucar")
83.(82) Various Artists-Black Panther: The Album-Music from and Inspired by (B-) (Favorite Track: "Big Shot")
82.(81) The Carters-EVERYTHING IS LOVE (B-) (Favorite Track: "APESHIT")
81.(80) Swae Lee-Swaecation (B-) (Favorite Track: "Offshore")
80.(79) Nicki Minaj-Queen (B-) (Favorite Track: "Ganja Burn")
79.(78) Teyana Taylor-K.T.S.E. (B-) (Favorite Track: "Rose in Harlem")
78.(77) The Story So Far-Proper Dose (B-) (Favorite Track: "Keep This Up")
77.(76) Crossfaith-EX_MACHINA (B-) (Favorite Track: "The Perfect Nightmare")
76.(75) Ski Mask the Slump God-Stokely (B-) (Favorite Track: "Nuketown")
75.(74) Bury Tomorrow-Black Flame (B-) (Favorite Track: "Knife of Gold")
74.(73) Clutch-Book of Bad Decisions (B-) (Favorite Track: "In Walks Barbarella")
73.(72) JPEGMAFIA-Veteran (B-) (Favorite Track: "Real Negga")
72.(71) Slim Jxmmi-Jxmtro (B-) (Favorite Track: "Juggling Biddies")
71.(70) The Wonder Years-Sister Cities (B-) (Favorite Track: "Sister Cities")
70.(69) $uicideboy$-I Want to Die in New Orleans (B-) (Favorite Track: "King Tulip")
69.(68) Takeoff-The Last Rocket (B-) (Favorite Track: "Last Memory")
68.(66) ERRA-Neon (B-) (Favorite Track: "Valhalla")
67.(65) Quavo-Quavo Huncho (B-) (Favorite Track: "Pass Out")
66.(67) Maxo Kream-Punken (B-) (Favorite Track: "Roaches")
65.(55) Greta Van Fleet-Anthem of the Peaceful Army (B-) (Favorite Track: "Mountain of the Sun")
64.(64) Mac Miller-Swimming (B-) (Favorite Track: "Ladders")
63.(63) Ski Mask the Slump God-BEWARE THE BOOK OF ELI (B-) (Favorite Track: "Run")
62.(62) Trippie Redd-A Love Letter to You 3 (B-) (Favorite Track: "Topanga")
61.(61) Lil Baby and Gunna-Drip Harder (B-) (Favorite Track: "Never Recover")
60.(59) Turnstile-Time & Space (B-) (Favorite Track: "Come Back for More/H.O.Y.")
59.(58) Migos-Culture II (B-) (Favorite Track: "Stir Fry")
58.(57) Trippie Redd-Life's a Trip (B) (Favorite Track: "Dark Knight Dummo")
57.(56) Pusha T-Daytona (B) (Favorite Track: "If You Know You Know")
56.(54) Augury-Illusive Golden Age (B) (Favorite Track: "Maritime")
55.(53) Obscura-Diluvium (B) (Favorite Track: "Mortification of the Vulgar Sun")
54.(51) Drake-Scorpion (B) (Favorite Track: "Nice for What")
53.(41) The Ocean-Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic (B) (Favorite Track: "Cambrian II: Eternal Recurrence")
52.(50) The Agony Scene-Tormentor (B) (Favorite Track: "Serpent's Tongue")
51.(new) Irreversible Mechanism-Immersion (B) (Favorite Track: "Beyond")
50.(49) Anderson.Paak-Oxnard (B) (Favorite Track: "Tints")
49.(48) Extinction A.D.-Decimation Treaty (B) (Favorite Track: "Decimation Treaty")
48.(46) Noname-Room 25 (B) (Favorite Track: "Don't Forget About Me")
47.(45) Action Bronson-White Bronco (B) (Favorite Track: "Ring Ring")
46.(60) Kacey Musgraves-Golden Hour (B) (Favorite Track: "Golden Hour")
45.(52) Kyle-Light of Mine (B) (Favorite Track: "Games")
44.(44) Rae Sremmurd-SR3MM (B) (Favorite Track: "Powerglide")
43.(43) Horrendous-Idol (B) (Favorite Track: "Divine Anhedonia")
42.(47) Camila Cabello-Camila (B) (Favorite Track: "In the Dark")
41.(40) Kodak Black-Dying to Live (B) (Favorite Track: "MoshPit")
40.(39) J.I.D.-DiCaprio 2 (B) (Favorite Track: "Slick Talk")
39.(38) Florence+the Machine-High as Hope (B) (Favorite Track: "Big God")
38.(37) Jorja Smith-Lost and Found (B) (Favorite Track: "Blue Lights")
37.(35) BROCKHAMPTON-iridescence (B) (Favorite Track: "NEW ORLEANS")
36.(34) A$AP Rocky-Testing (B) (Favorite Track: "Fukk Sleep")
35.(33) Kimbra-Primal Heart (B) (Favorite Track: "Black Sky")
34.(32) Post Malone-beerbongs & bentleys (B) (Favorite Track: "92 Explorer")
33.(31) High on Fire-Electric Messiah (B) (Favorite Track: "Freebooter")
32.(28) Alterbeast-Feast (B) (Favorite Track: "The Maggot's Ascension")
31.(27) Cardi B-Invasion of Privacy (B) (Favorite Track: "Money Bag")
30.(42) Janelle Monae-Dirty Computer (B) (Favorite Track: "Crazy, Classic, Life")
29.(30) Ariana Grande-Sweetener (B) (Favorite Track: "no tears left to cry')
28.(29) Mitski-Be the Cowboy (B) (Favorite Track: "Geyser")
27.(26) Death Grips-Year of the Snitch (B) (Favorite Track: "Black Paint")
26.(36) TesseracT-Sonder (B) (Favorite Track: "Smile")
25.(25) Future-BEASTMODE2 (B) (Favorite Track: "31 Days")
24.(24) Flatbush Zombies-Vacation in Hell (B) (Favorite Track: "Big Shrimp")
23.(23) Unearth-Extinction(s) (B+) (Favorite Track: "Cultivation of Infection")
22.(22) Monuments-Phronesis (B+) (Favorite Track: "A.W.O.L.")
21.(21) Skeletonwitch-Devouring Radiant Light (B+) (Favorite Track: "Fen of Shadows")
20.(20) Night Verses-From the Gallery of Sleep (B+) (Favorite Track: "Vantablonde")
19.(13) Rolo Tomassi-Time Will Die and Love Will Bury It (B+) (Favorite Track: "Alma Mater")
18.(18) City Morgue-Hell or High Water Vol.1 (B+) (Favorite Track: "33rd Blakk Glass")
17.(17) Behemoth-I Loved You at Your Darkest (B+) (Favorite Track: "Ecclesia Diabolica Catholica")
16.(14) Inferi-Revenant (B+) (Favorite Track: "Thy Menacing Gaze")
15.(16) 21 Savage-I Am>I Was (B+) (Favorite Track: "all my friends")
14.(15) Vein-Errorzone (B+) (Favorite Track: "End Eternal")
13.(12) Metro Boomin-NOT ALL HEROES WEAR CAPES (A-) (Favorite Track: "10 Freaky Girls")
12.(11) Slugdge-Esoteric Malacology (A-) (Favorite Track: "Transylvanian Fungus")
11.(19) Coheed and Cambria-Unheavenly Creatures (A-) (Favorite Track: "The Dark Sentencer")
10.(10) Playboi Carti-Die Lit (A-) (Favorite Track: "R.I.P.")
9.(9) Between the Buried and Me-Automata I (A-) (Favorite Track: "Blot")
8.(8) Greyhaven-Empty Black (A-) (Favorite Track: "Blemish")
7.(7) Denzel Curry-Tab13oo (A-) (Favorite Track: "Black Balloons")
6.(6) Kali Uchis-Isolation (A-) (Favorite Track: "Tyrant")
5.(5) Dance Gavin Dance-Artificial Selection (A-) (Favorite Track: "Count Bassy")
4.(4) Between the Buried and Me-Automata II (A) (Favorite Track: "Voice of Trespass")
3.(3) Revocation-The Outer Ones (A) (Favorite Track: "Blood Atonement")
2.(2) Travis Scott-Astroworld (A) (Favorite Track: "YOSEMITE")
1.(1) Rivers of Nihil-Where Owls Know My Name (A) (Favorite Track: "A Home")
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
2019 NFL Preview: AFC East
Buffalo Bills
2018 Record: 6-10 (3rd in AFC East)
Head Coach: Sean McDermott (3rd season)
Notable Additions: WR Cole Beasley, WR John Brown, C Mitch Morse
Notable Departures: DT Kyle Williams (retired), TE Charles Clay, G John Miller
-The Bills confused a lot of people in league circles last season by not bringing in any notable wide receivers despite drafting a new potential franchise quarterback in Josh Allen. Unsurprisingly, this baffling plan backfired. Projected top wideout Kelvin Benjamin ended up getting cut before the end of the year, Zay F'n Jones ended up leading the team in receiving yards with a whopping 652 YDS on 56 receptions largely because he was the only WR who played in every game and this widely feared group combined to catch a league-worst 13 TD's (Jones and Robert Foster were the only players to catch multiple scores on the year) on the season. This lack of receiving production paired with similarly lackluster contributions from his running backs led to Allen rushing the ball an absurd 89 times in just 12 games.
Thankfully, GM Brandon Beane decided it wasn't the greatest idea to run it back with Jones as the #1 wideout and got Allen a couple of veteran targets in John Brown and Cole Beasley that could bring some much-needed playmaking power to this offense. A certified burner like Brown is the perfect option for a strong-armed gunslinger like Allen and as long as he's healthy, he should be the top dog in the passing game. Beasley, on the other hand, isn't the best schematic fit given Allen's questionable short-to-intermediate accuracy, but he's a reliable possession receiver that should at least bring some stability to the screen game. Throw in a great backfield receiving option in T.J. Yeldon and an intriguing wild card in Foster,who started to build some chemistry with Allen during the back half of last season, and you should have a much improved passing attack in Buffalo.
-Continuing in their dedication to building around Allen, the Bills invested a solid amount in their offensive line this offseason. Heading into training camp, left tackle Dion Dawkins is projected to be the only returning starter from last year's unit that allowed 41 sacks. Former Chiefs center Mitch Morse is the headliner of this overhauled unit- becoming the highest paid player at his position after inking a 4 year/$44.5 mil deal at the start of free agency. Morse is also the only newcomer that's seemingly locked into a starting job. A combination of journeymen (Quinton Spain, Ty Nheske, Spencer Long) and spot-starting vets (LaAdrian Waddle, Jon Feliciano) appear set to duke it out with rookie Cody Ford and returning Bill Wyatt Teller-who finished 2018 as the starting left guard-for the remaining 3 spots on the line.
While Beane deserves credit for trying to shake things up after a dreadful season, I'm not confident that this new look o-line will generate much better results than the group they mostly severed ties with. Morse is a merely decent center who got paid as a result of hitting the market in a very thin free agency class, Ford's shaky technique/hand usage caused some problems in pass-protection during his time at Oklahoma and none of the vets who could start outside of Spain have displayed long stretches of consistent play in the pros. Mostly avoiding handing out a bunch of bad, big money deals to fill this need was a smart move, but their bargain basement lineman shopping spree could yield questionable results that forces their coveted young QB to run just as much as he did as a rookie.
-LeSean McCoy's time as the Bills uncontested starting running back appears to be over. The Bills loaded up on backfield depth this offseason by bringing in ageless wonder Frank Gore, respectable dual-threat option T.J. Yeldon and rookie Devin Singletary to compete for playing time. Signing two vets who got consistent touches on their previous teams and using a 3rd round pick on a back that was among the most hyped in this year's draft class doesn't seem like its just a coincidence-especially with McCoy coming off a miserable 2018 where he averaged just 3.2 yards per carry. McCoy's durability has always been a problem (he's only appeared in all 16 games 3 times since he became a full-time starter in 2010) and with his declining speed, agility and cutting ability, the tremendous scat back skill set that won him a rushing title back him in 2013 and allowed him to have 6 1,000+ yard campaigns has greatly diminished. If the 31-year old is still on the roster in Week 1, it'll likely be just as a change-of-pace option in this newly-formed committee and if last season's production proves to be the new norm for the 6x Pro Bowler, the team should be better off for it.
-Sean McDermott's positive influence on the defense was even more apparent in his 2nd year with the Bills. Their terrific young secondary finished the year as the #1 ranked pass defense, several guys made huge leaps forward (Shaq Lawson, Matt Milano, Jordan Phillips) and even though their offense routinely put them in brutal spots by giving the ball away 30 times (tied for 2nd most in the league), they still only allowed 23.4 points per game. With no significant personnel losses and some really intriguing additions, this group could morph into a true powerhouse in 2019.
The corps of their defense (safeties Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer, defensive end Jerry Hughes, cornerback Tre'Davious White) is sneaky deadly, rookie defensive tackle Ed Oliver is a freakishly athletic disruptor that could help take their respectable albeit beatable rushing defense to the next level and despite a couple of back-to-back wretched years with the Texans, Kevin Johnson has flashed enough in the past to be molded into a solid slot corner with the right coaching. The Bills are trying to building an old-school monster of a football team that emphasizes tough, sound defense over everything else and if this group can reach their full potential in 2019, they could end up surprising some people in the wide open AFC.
-The Bills confused a lot of people in league circles last season by not bringing in any notable wide receivers despite drafting a new potential franchise quarterback in Josh Allen. Unsurprisingly, this baffling plan backfired. Projected top wideout Kelvin Benjamin ended up getting cut before the end of the year, Zay F'n Jones ended up leading the team in receiving yards with a whopping 652 YDS on 56 receptions largely because he was the only WR who played in every game and this widely feared group combined to catch a league-worst 13 TD's (Jones and Robert Foster were the only players to catch multiple scores on the year) on the season. This lack of receiving production paired with similarly lackluster contributions from his running backs led to Allen rushing the ball an absurd 89 times in just 12 games.
Thankfully, GM Brandon Beane decided it wasn't the greatest idea to run it back with Jones as the #1 wideout and got Allen a couple of veteran targets in John Brown and Cole Beasley that could bring some much-needed playmaking power to this offense. A certified burner like Brown is the perfect option for a strong-armed gunslinger like Allen and as long as he's healthy, he should be the top dog in the passing game. Beasley, on the other hand, isn't the best schematic fit given Allen's questionable short-to-intermediate accuracy, but he's a reliable possession receiver that should at least bring some stability to the screen game. Throw in a great backfield receiving option in T.J. Yeldon and an intriguing wild card in Foster,who started to build some chemistry with Allen during the back half of last season, and you should have a much improved passing attack in Buffalo.
-Continuing in their dedication to building around Allen, the Bills invested a solid amount in their offensive line this offseason. Heading into training camp, left tackle Dion Dawkins is projected to be the only returning starter from last year's unit that allowed 41 sacks. Former Chiefs center Mitch Morse is the headliner of this overhauled unit- becoming the highest paid player at his position after inking a 4 year/$44.5 mil deal at the start of free agency. Morse is also the only newcomer that's seemingly locked into a starting job. A combination of journeymen (Quinton Spain, Ty Nheske, Spencer Long) and spot-starting vets (LaAdrian Waddle, Jon Feliciano) appear set to duke it out with rookie Cody Ford and returning Bill Wyatt Teller-who finished 2018 as the starting left guard-for the remaining 3 spots on the line.
While Beane deserves credit for trying to shake things up after a dreadful season, I'm not confident that this new look o-line will generate much better results than the group they mostly severed ties with. Morse is a merely decent center who got paid as a result of hitting the market in a very thin free agency class, Ford's shaky technique/hand usage caused some problems in pass-protection during his time at Oklahoma and none of the vets who could start outside of Spain have displayed long stretches of consistent play in the pros. Mostly avoiding handing out a bunch of bad, big money deals to fill this need was a smart move, but their bargain basement lineman shopping spree could yield questionable results that forces their coveted young QB to run just as much as he did as a rookie.
-LeSean McCoy's time as the Bills uncontested starting running back appears to be over. The Bills loaded up on backfield depth this offseason by bringing in ageless wonder Frank Gore, respectable dual-threat option T.J. Yeldon and rookie Devin Singletary to compete for playing time. Signing two vets who got consistent touches on their previous teams and using a 3rd round pick on a back that was among the most hyped in this year's draft class doesn't seem like its just a coincidence-especially with McCoy coming off a miserable 2018 where he averaged just 3.2 yards per carry. McCoy's durability has always been a problem (he's only appeared in all 16 games 3 times since he became a full-time starter in 2010) and with his declining speed, agility and cutting ability, the tremendous scat back skill set that won him a rushing title back him in 2013 and allowed him to have 6 1,000+ yard campaigns has greatly diminished. If the 31-year old is still on the roster in Week 1, it'll likely be just as a change-of-pace option in this newly-formed committee and if last season's production proves to be the new norm for the 6x Pro Bowler, the team should be better off for it.
-Sean McDermott's positive influence on the defense was even more apparent in his 2nd year with the Bills. Their terrific young secondary finished the year as the #1 ranked pass defense, several guys made huge leaps forward (Shaq Lawson, Matt Milano, Jordan Phillips) and even though their offense routinely put them in brutal spots by giving the ball away 30 times (tied for 2nd most in the league), they still only allowed 23.4 points per game. With no significant personnel losses and some really intriguing additions, this group could morph into a true powerhouse in 2019.
The corps of their defense (safeties Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer, defensive end Jerry Hughes, cornerback Tre'Davious White) is sneaky deadly, rookie defensive tackle Ed Oliver is a freakishly athletic disruptor that could help take their respectable albeit beatable rushing defense to the next level and despite a couple of back-to-back wretched years with the Texans, Kevin Johnson has flashed enough in the past to be molded into a solid slot corner with the right coaching. The Bills are trying to building an old-school monster of a football team that emphasizes tough, sound defense over everything else and if this group can reach their full potential in 2019, they could end up surprising some people in the wide open AFC.
Bottom Line:
Despite doing a solid job addressing many of their needs in the offseason, too many question marks are surrounding the Bills unproven offense to believe they'll be much better than below average once again in 2019.
Despite doing a solid job addressing many of their needs in the offseason, too many question marks are surrounding the Bills unproven offense to believe they'll be much better than below average once again in 2019.
Miami Dolphins
2018 Record: 7-9 (2nd in AFC East)
Head Coach: Brian Flores (1st season)
Notable Additions: QB Josh Rosen, QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, CB Eric Rowe
Notable Departures: DE Cameron Wake, QB Ryan Tannehill, T Ja'Wuan James
-Bill Belichick's coaching tree isn't exactly synonymous with greatness. Bill O'Brien is the only Belichick protégé that has enjoyed any semblance of success as an HC in the NFL and he's still just a shade over .500 for his career (43-41) with a less than impressive 1-3 playoff record. Brian Flores will look to break the cycle of Belichick disciples crumbling when they get a chance to run their own show. Flores factored heavily into the Patriots title run last by overseeing a top 10 scoring defense that became downright stifling when the playoffs came around and garnered a level of respect that few assistants achieve in the process. However, no amount of respect can change the fact that Flores only has 1 year of coordinator experience under his belt and might not be ready to take on the daunting task of leading a team that just nuked most of its roster. Tasking a young HC with minimal top assistant experience to lead a rebuild is a tremendous vote of confidence from the Dolphins brass that will more than likely to lead a whole lot of extensions or firings a few years down the line.
-The secret weapon of Flores' coaching staff has unfortunately already been decommissioned. Tapping an NFL vet in Jim Caldwell with 7 seasons of HC experience, 4 playoff appearances and a sensational track record with developing potent offenses to be the QB/assistant head coach was a brilliant move that likely would've eased Flores' transition into the role. Now with Caldwell taking an indefinite leave of absence from the Dolphins for health reasons, Flores now only has a pair of first-time coordinators (OC Chad O'Shea and DC Patrick Graham) to turn to for advice while adjusting to his new role. Head coaching is a brutal gig that only a small number of people in the league are cut out for and not having a guy whose had some success navigating through that unforgiving fire around could really hurt the development of this new regime.
-The Cardinals decision to give up on top 10 pick Josh Rosen after a rough rookie season in which he was essentially set up to fail with a terrible offensive line, almost no formidable weapons at the skill positions and a mid-season offensive coordinator change paid off beautifully for the Dolphins. They were able to acquire Rosen for the low price of a late 2nd round pick in this year's draft and a 5th round pick in 2020 because Cards GM Steve Kiem was desperate to get rid of him after selecting Kyler Murray with the 1st overall pick and watching every other potential suitor (Giants, Redskins) also take a quarterback in the 1st round.
While there's a pretty good chance the bolt of gridiron electricity otherwise known as Ryan Fitzpatrick is under center in Week 1, acquiring Rosen is a no-lose situation for the rebuilding 'Phins. If he works out, they acquired a franchise quarterback for peanuts. If he doesn't, they'll be bad enough to land another high-end prospect without having to give up any additional assets. I'll be rooting for Rosen to succeed hard after what the Cardinals did to him and regardless of what happens, GM Chris Grier deserves credit for being brave enough to take a chance on a young QB whose ceiling was viewed as limitless ahead of last year's draft.
-Now that Adam Gase's irrational ass is out of the equation, the Dolphins should finally get a good look at how Kenyan Drake is as a feature back as he enters his contract year. Drake did well filling in as a starter for the final 6 games of the 2017 season and was initially slated to start last season, but inexplicably ceded a lot of touches to short-term RB option Frank Gore and finished with only 1,012 scrimmage YDS (535 rushing, 477 receiving) on the year. Drake's shiftiness, relative lack of wear for a 25-year old back and solid production (2,177 scrimmage YDS) relative to his modest touch totals (380 in 3 NFL seasons) gives him a legit shot to breakout on a Dolphins offense that isn't exactly brimming with top-end talent at the moment.
-In a shakeup-driven offseason where the team parted ways with the likes of Ryan Tanehill, Ja'Wuan James and longtime defensive focal point/locker room leader Cameron Wake, the Dolphins did make a massive commitment to corner Xavien Howard. Howard was able to parlay his 1st All-Pro/Pro Bowl season last year in which he tied for the league lead with 7 INT's in just 13 games into a massive 5 year/$76.5 mil ($46 mil guaranteed) extension that made him the highest player at his position.
It's a well-deserved deal for a guy whose blossomed into a borderline lockdown corner over the past couple of seasons and at just 26, is still presumably a couple years from hitting his prime. Howard is the type of formidable piece at a key position any team wants to build around and the front office will hope that their other young defenders (Minkah Fitzpatrick, Raekwon McMillan, Charles Harris, rookie Christian Wilkins) will follow similar trajectories in the coming years and allow this currently well below average unit to turn into a true behemoth.
-Bill Belichick's coaching tree isn't exactly synonymous with greatness. Bill O'Brien is the only Belichick protégé that has enjoyed any semblance of success as an HC in the NFL and he's still just a shade over .500 for his career (43-41) with a less than impressive 1-3 playoff record. Brian Flores will look to break the cycle of Belichick disciples crumbling when they get a chance to run their own show. Flores factored heavily into the Patriots title run last by overseeing a top 10 scoring defense that became downright stifling when the playoffs came around and garnered a level of respect that few assistants achieve in the process. However, no amount of respect can change the fact that Flores only has 1 year of coordinator experience under his belt and might not be ready to take on the daunting task of leading a team that just nuked most of its roster. Tasking a young HC with minimal top assistant experience to lead a rebuild is a tremendous vote of confidence from the Dolphins brass that will more than likely to lead a whole lot of extensions or firings a few years down the line.
-The secret weapon of Flores' coaching staff has unfortunately already been decommissioned. Tapping an NFL vet in Jim Caldwell with 7 seasons of HC experience, 4 playoff appearances and a sensational track record with developing potent offenses to be the QB/assistant head coach was a brilliant move that likely would've eased Flores' transition into the role. Now with Caldwell taking an indefinite leave of absence from the Dolphins for health reasons, Flores now only has a pair of first-time coordinators (OC Chad O'Shea and DC Patrick Graham) to turn to for advice while adjusting to his new role. Head coaching is a brutal gig that only a small number of people in the league are cut out for and not having a guy whose had some success navigating through that unforgiving fire around could really hurt the development of this new regime.
-The Cardinals decision to give up on top 10 pick Josh Rosen after a rough rookie season in which he was essentially set up to fail with a terrible offensive line, almost no formidable weapons at the skill positions and a mid-season offensive coordinator change paid off beautifully for the Dolphins. They were able to acquire Rosen for the low price of a late 2nd round pick in this year's draft and a 5th round pick in 2020 because Cards GM Steve Kiem was desperate to get rid of him after selecting Kyler Murray with the 1st overall pick and watching every other potential suitor (Giants, Redskins) also take a quarterback in the 1st round.
While there's a pretty good chance the bolt of gridiron electricity otherwise known as Ryan Fitzpatrick is under center in Week 1, acquiring Rosen is a no-lose situation for the rebuilding 'Phins. If he works out, they acquired a franchise quarterback for peanuts. If he doesn't, they'll be bad enough to land another high-end prospect without having to give up any additional assets. I'll be rooting for Rosen to succeed hard after what the Cardinals did to him and regardless of what happens, GM Chris Grier deserves credit for being brave enough to take a chance on a young QB whose ceiling was viewed as limitless ahead of last year's draft.
-Now that Adam Gase's irrational ass is out of the equation, the Dolphins should finally get a good look at how Kenyan Drake is as a feature back as he enters his contract year. Drake did well filling in as a starter for the final 6 games of the 2017 season and was initially slated to start last season, but inexplicably ceded a lot of touches to short-term RB option Frank Gore and finished with only 1,012 scrimmage YDS (535 rushing, 477 receiving) on the year. Drake's shiftiness, relative lack of wear for a 25-year old back and solid production (2,177 scrimmage YDS) relative to his modest touch totals (380 in 3 NFL seasons) gives him a legit shot to breakout on a Dolphins offense that isn't exactly brimming with top-end talent at the moment.
-In a shakeup-driven offseason where the team parted ways with the likes of Ryan Tanehill, Ja'Wuan James and longtime defensive focal point/locker room leader Cameron Wake, the Dolphins did make a massive commitment to corner Xavien Howard. Howard was able to parlay his 1st All-Pro/Pro Bowl season last year in which he tied for the league lead with 7 INT's in just 13 games into a massive 5 year/$76.5 mil ($46 mil guaranteed) extension that made him the highest player at his position.
It's a well-deserved deal for a guy whose blossomed into a borderline lockdown corner over the past couple of seasons and at just 26, is still presumably a couple years from hitting his prime. Howard is the type of formidable piece at a key position any team wants to build around and the front office will hope that their other young defenders (Minkah Fitzpatrick, Raekwon McMillan, Charles Harris, rookie Christian Wilkins) will follow similar trajectories in the coming years and allow this currently well below average unit to turn into a true behemoth.
Bottom Line:
Now fully committed to a rebuild after sitting in the middle of the pack for much of this decade, 2019 for the Dolphins should be all about evaluating what players could turn into foundational pieces and what positions they'll need to address in next year's draft/free agency.
Now fully committed to a rebuild after sitting in the middle of the pack for much of this decade, 2019 for the Dolphins should be all about evaluating what players could turn into foundational pieces and what positions they'll need to address in next year's draft/free agency.
New England Patriots
2018 Record: 11-5 (1st in AFC East)
Head Coach: Bill Belichick (20th season)
Notable Additions: DE Michael Bennett, DT Mike Pennel, WR Demaryius Thomas
Notable Departures: TE Rob Gronkowski (retired), DE Trey Flowers, T Trent Brown
-Rob Gronkowski finally announced his retirement from football after years of speculation in late March. BUT IS HE REALLY RETIRED?????? The "Is Gronk actually done with football narrative?" has been the talk of the offseason here in Massachusetts, but my question is why do Patriots fans want him back so badly? Gronk was a beloved institution that was arguably the single most electrifying player to ever play for this franchise, so can't you just be happy with the fact that he went out on the best possible note with a strong playoff run after a regular season where the years of getting physically and mentally beaten down on a weekly basis finally caught up to him?
Does their current lackluster tight end group of Ben Watson, Matt LaCosse, Stephen Anderson, Ryan Izzo and Andrew Beck along with his public workout with Tom Brady in LA a couple weeks ago leave the door ajar for his return? Sure. But do the Patriots really need him? Of course not. Julian Edelman is still around to be Brady's safety valve, James White is as steady of a pass-catching running back as there is in the league right now and at least one of the vets they brought in to compete for a roster spot (Demaryius Thomas, Maurice Harris, Dontrelle Inman) should stick. Not to mention, Bill Belichick stunned the world and used a 1st round pick on a wide receiver in N'Keal Harry-who should get plenty of chances to prove himself this season. Unless this is the year where Brady finally shows his age and rapidly careens off a cliff, their passing game as well as their general health as a franchise will continue to be just fine with or without Gronk.
-Trey Flowers is a major, but not particularly surprising loss for the Patriots. Belichick doesn't like paying elite edge guys the big bucks they command once their rookie deals expire and he proved that once again by letting Flowers walk without any notable resistance. Acquiring a pure, nasty gamer like Michael Bennett from the Eagles takes a bit of the sting out of letting someone as special as Flowers leave. While his age (he'll be 34 in November) makes him merely a short-term option, Bennett is a terrific, well-rounded defensive end who can still disrupt the hell out of the line of scrimmage. Pairing Bennett with ferocious run-stopper Lawrence Guy, fellow hard-nosed new addition Mike Pennel and rookie Chase Winovich, a disciplined, athletic edge player who couldn't possibly fit Belichick's scheme better, gives the Pats one of the most intriguing, deep and dynamic defensive lines in the league.
-There's a growing belief that the Patriots are becoming a run-first team to try and preserve Brady as much as possible during the final act of his career. Last season certainly led credence to that theory as Brady often took a back burner to Sony Michel in non-crunch time situations and spending another relatively high pick on a back this year (Damien Harris) seems to only further indicate that this change in ideology is legit. The question is whether or not this philosophy will generate positive results once again this season.
Michel certainly had himself a pretty solid rookie year (931 YDS and 6 TD's on 209 carries) and the Pats terrific o-line is perfectly equipped to lead a mean ground-and-pound offense. However, the track record of Patriots backs that don't contribute a lot in the passing game having back-to-back successful years is sketchy at best (see Stevan Ridley, Benjarvus Green-Ellis, Antowain Smith) and Michel has a concerning injury history that makes me question abilities to hold up the rigors of carrying the ball 20+ times per games (he's opening training camp on the PUP list with a knee injury). Regardless of Michel's availability during the year, I'm actually going to make the unpopular prediction that their ground attack won't be quite as effective this season and they will run the ball a bit less than expected as a result.
-To be honest with you, the only alarming thing about the 2019 Patriots is the level of fluctuation on the coaching staff. This offseason marked the type of full-blown gutting that they had somehow managed to avoid throughout their run. Brian Flores took veteran assistants Chad O'Shea (WR's), Josh Boyer (CB's) and Jerry Schuplinski (assistant QB's) with him to the Dolphins, defensive line coach Brendan Daly bolted to the Chiefs and Flores' intended replacement at DC Greg Schiano resigned before mini-camp even started. While the offense only lost 2 guys and special teams group is unchanged from 2018, the defensive staff is entirely overhauled with only safeties coach Steve Belichick returning from last year. Their personnel outside of the erratic linebacking corps is certainly good enough to prevent a major regression from happening, but getting used to a new group of coaches that they haven't worked with before and the scheme change that comes with it (the Pats will be running a 4-3 base this season) could cause the Pats to come out of the early part of the season with more blemishes than usual.
-Rob Gronkowski finally announced his retirement from football after years of speculation in late March. BUT IS HE REALLY RETIRED?????? The "Is Gronk actually done with football narrative?" has been the talk of the offseason here in Massachusetts, but my question is why do Patriots fans want him back so badly? Gronk was a beloved institution that was arguably the single most electrifying player to ever play for this franchise, so can't you just be happy with the fact that he went out on the best possible note with a strong playoff run after a regular season where the years of getting physically and mentally beaten down on a weekly basis finally caught up to him?
Does their current lackluster tight end group of Ben Watson, Matt LaCosse, Stephen Anderson, Ryan Izzo and Andrew Beck along with his public workout with Tom Brady in LA a couple weeks ago leave the door ajar for his return? Sure. But do the Patriots really need him? Of course not. Julian Edelman is still around to be Brady's safety valve, James White is as steady of a pass-catching running back as there is in the league right now and at least one of the vets they brought in to compete for a roster spot (Demaryius Thomas, Maurice Harris, Dontrelle Inman) should stick. Not to mention, Bill Belichick stunned the world and used a 1st round pick on a wide receiver in N'Keal Harry-who should get plenty of chances to prove himself this season. Unless this is the year where Brady finally shows his age and rapidly careens off a cliff, their passing game as well as their general health as a franchise will continue to be just fine with or without Gronk.
-Trey Flowers is a major, but not particularly surprising loss for the Patriots. Belichick doesn't like paying elite edge guys the big bucks they command once their rookie deals expire and he proved that once again by letting Flowers walk without any notable resistance. Acquiring a pure, nasty gamer like Michael Bennett from the Eagles takes a bit of the sting out of letting someone as special as Flowers leave. While his age (he'll be 34 in November) makes him merely a short-term option, Bennett is a terrific, well-rounded defensive end who can still disrupt the hell out of the line of scrimmage. Pairing Bennett with ferocious run-stopper Lawrence Guy, fellow hard-nosed new addition Mike Pennel and rookie Chase Winovich, a disciplined, athletic edge player who couldn't possibly fit Belichick's scheme better, gives the Pats one of the most intriguing, deep and dynamic defensive lines in the league.
-There's a growing belief that the Patriots are becoming a run-first team to try and preserve Brady as much as possible during the final act of his career. Last season certainly led credence to that theory as Brady often took a back burner to Sony Michel in non-crunch time situations and spending another relatively high pick on a back this year (Damien Harris) seems to only further indicate that this change in ideology is legit. The question is whether or not this philosophy will generate positive results once again this season.
Michel certainly had himself a pretty solid rookie year (931 YDS and 6 TD's on 209 carries) and the Pats terrific o-line is perfectly equipped to lead a mean ground-and-pound offense. However, the track record of Patriots backs that don't contribute a lot in the passing game having back-to-back successful years is sketchy at best (see Stevan Ridley, Benjarvus Green-Ellis, Antowain Smith) and Michel has a concerning injury history that makes me question abilities to hold up the rigors of carrying the ball 20+ times per games (he's opening training camp on the PUP list with a knee injury). Regardless of Michel's availability during the year, I'm actually going to make the unpopular prediction that their ground attack won't be quite as effective this season and they will run the ball a bit less than expected as a result.
-To be honest with you, the only alarming thing about the 2019 Patriots is the level of fluctuation on the coaching staff. This offseason marked the type of full-blown gutting that they had somehow managed to avoid throughout their run. Brian Flores took veteran assistants Chad O'Shea (WR's), Josh Boyer (CB's) and Jerry Schuplinski (assistant QB's) with him to the Dolphins, defensive line coach Brendan Daly bolted to the Chiefs and Flores' intended replacement at DC Greg Schiano resigned before mini-camp even started. While the offense only lost 2 guys and special teams group is unchanged from 2018, the defensive staff is entirely overhauled with only safeties coach Steve Belichick returning from last year. Their personnel outside of the erratic linebacking corps is certainly good enough to prevent a major regression from happening, but getting used to a new group of coaches that they haven't worked with before and the scheme change that comes with it (the Pats will be running a 4-3 base this season) could cause the Pats to come out of the early part of the season with more blemishes than usual.
Bottom Line:
What do you think? Barring some unforeseen fuckery, their floor is an AFC Championship game appearance and their ceiling is another Lombardi. C'est La Vie for the Patriots.
New York Jets
2018 Record: 4-12 (4th in AFC East)
Head Coach: Adam Gase (1st season)
Notable Additions: RB Le'Veon Bell, ILB C.J. Mosley, G Kelechi Osemele
Notable Departures: K Jason Myers, DT Mike Pennel, CB Buster Skrine
-Adam Gase is someone that I am not a fan of. I think he's a below average head coach who manages games poorly, throws his players under the bus with reckless abandon and has no leadership skills to speak of. However, his reputation as a QB guru is completely deserved. Clearly his work with Peyton Manning during his time with the Broncos remains his masterpiece, but he also been able to maximize the effectiveness of spotty, mediocre QB's such as Jay Cutler and Ryan Tannehill. This skill is clearly the primary reason why the Jets hired him and the mere thought of what he could do with Sam Darnold has understandably generated the most positive buzz this franchise has received since their back-to-back AFC Championship appearances in the early stages of Rex Ryan's tenure with the team. Darnold displayed a level of poise, intelligence and efficiency at the end of last season that well exceeded your typical rookie signalcaller, and pairing those traits with a more adventurous offense could result in a huge spike in production for the USC product.
-The Jets receiving corps is completely fine. Robby Anderson is a solid vertical threat who finally got on the same page with Darnold during the final month of the 2018 season, Chris Herndon emerged as a nice safety blanket and newly-acquired Jamison Crowder is a respectable possession receiver who has flashed excellence at times while he was with the Redskins.
As prominent of a role as these guys figure to play in 2019, the true make-or-break piece on this offense is Le'Veon Bell. Putting the fate of your offense on a true unknown is a cruel, reckless and very Jetsian thing to do. On the one hand, Bell's a smart, complete bellcow back whose year off from the game could go down as a genius preservation technique for a guy who had touched the ball over 350 times per year in 6 of the 7 prior seasons (college + pro) he suited up to play. On the other, he's a 27-year old running back with an extensive injury history whose work ethic has to at least be questioned after voluntarily spending a year away from the game that no longer has the benefit of running behind an otherworldly offensive line. An effective Bell would give Darnold a dynamic, lethal running mate and likely make the Jets a surprise playoff contender. A lethargic one would put them in a prime position to return to the basement dweller status they've occupied far too often of late. Good luck Jets fans.
-Darnold and Bell may be the faces of hope for this franchise, but the Jets arguably dedicated even more resources into retooling their defense. This is an understandable move for a team that didn't have a lot to be excited about outside of their scary good young safety duo (Jamal Adams, Marcus Maye) last season.
Free agency started their aggressive makeover process with a record-breaking deal for 4x All-Pro inside linebacker C.J. Mosley and signing of ex-Falcons slot corner Brian Poole to replace the departed Buster Skrine as well as the re-signing of defensive end Henry Anderson-who enjoyed a career year in 2018. They also dumped a lot of their limited draft picks into their defense including most notably Quinnen Williams-a 1 man wrecking crew who is widely considered to be the best interior defensive line prospect to enter the league since Aaron Donald -to pair with Leonard Williams upfront and Jachai Polite-an instinctive albeit very raw edge rusher who earned 1st team All-SEC honors during his final year at Florida.
Overseeing this new look group will be the great bounty hunter Gregg Williams-whose combination of toughness and savviness should provided a much-needed boost to a defense that's coming off an ugly season where they finished 29th in scoring defense (27.6 points allowed per game). Even with the flaws that still exist with corner depth and established pass rushing prowess off the edge, this group appears set to make a sizable leap this season.
-For all of the work the Jets did to their roster this offseason, Mike Maccagnan, who has since been fired as GM and replaced with former Eagles VP of player personnel Joe Douglas, largely ignored trying to upgrade the offensive line for some reason. Their offensive line has been below average at best over the past few years and they're set to roll out 4 of the 5 guys (center Jonotthan Harrison, right guard Brian Winters, left tackle Kelvin Beachum, right tackle Brandon Shell) that finished 2018 as starters again this season. The lone newcomer? That would be Kelechi Osemele. Since it's no longer 2016 and the Raiders traded him away for practically nothing just to get his salary off the books, he's not likely to make this group any better. Shaky offensive line play will likely impede upon Darnold's ability to perform at a high level and if they don't maximize his opportunities to make plays under center, they have next to no chance of turning things around in 2019.
-The Jets receiving corps is completely fine. Robby Anderson is a solid vertical threat who finally got on the same page with Darnold during the final month of the 2018 season, Chris Herndon emerged as a nice safety blanket and newly-acquired Jamison Crowder is a respectable possession receiver who has flashed excellence at times while he was with the Redskins.
As prominent of a role as these guys figure to play in 2019, the true make-or-break piece on this offense is Le'Veon Bell. Putting the fate of your offense on a true unknown is a cruel, reckless and very Jetsian thing to do. On the one hand, Bell's a smart, complete bellcow back whose year off from the game could go down as a genius preservation technique for a guy who had touched the ball over 350 times per year in 6 of the 7 prior seasons (college + pro) he suited up to play. On the other, he's a 27-year old running back with an extensive injury history whose work ethic has to at least be questioned after voluntarily spending a year away from the game that no longer has the benefit of running behind an otherworldly offensive line. An effective Bell would give Darnold a dynamic, lethal running mate and likely make the Jets a surprise playoff contender. A lethargic one would put them in a prime position to return to the basement dweller status they've occupied far too often of late. Good luck Jets fans.
-Darnold and Bell may be the faces of hope for this franchise, but the Jets arguably dedicated even more resources into retooling their defense. This is an understandable move for a team that didn't have a lot to be excited about outside of their scary good young safety duo (Jamal Adams, Marcus Maye) last season.
Free agency started their aggressive makeover process with a record-breaking deal for 4x All-Pro inside linebacker C.J. Mosley and signing of ex-Falcons slot corner Brian Poole to replace the departed Buster Skrine as well as the re-signing of defensive end Henry Anderson-who enjoyed a career year in 2018. They also dumped a lot of their limited draft picks into their defense including most notably Quinnen Williams-a 1 man wrecking crew who is widely considered to be the best interior defensive line prospect to enter the league since Aaron Donald -to pair with Leonard Williams upfront and Jachai Polite-an instinctive albeit very raw edge rusher who earned 1st team All-SEC honors during his final year at Florida.
Overseeing this new look group will be the great bounty hunter Gregg Williams-whose combination of toughness and savviness should provided a much-needed boost to a defense that's coming off an ugly season where they finished 29th in scoring defense (27.6 points allowed per game). Even with the flaws that still exist with corner depth and established pass rushing prowess off the edge, this group appears set to make a sizable leap this season.
-For all of the work the Jets did to their roster this offseason, Mike Maccagnan, who has since been fired as GM and replaced with former Eagles VP of player personnel Joe Douglas, largely ignored trying to upgrade the offensive line for some reason. Their offensive line has been below average at best over the past few years and they're set to roll out 4 of the 5 guys (center Jonotthan Harrison, right guard Brian Winters, left tackle Kelvin Beachum, right tackle Brandon Shell) that finished 2018 as starters again this season. The lone newcomer? That would be Kelechi Osemele. Since it's no longer 2016 and the Raiders traded him away for practically nothing just to get his salary off the books, he's not likely to make this group any better. Shaky offensive line play will likely impede upon Darnold's ability to perform at a high level and if they don't maximize his opportunities to make plays under center, they have next to no chance of turning things around in 2019.
Bottom Line:
Even with a promising new coaching staff and deeper, retooled roster, the Jets will still more than likely only get as far as Sam Darnold and Le'Veon Bell can take them.
Projected Standings:
1.New England Patriots (12-4)
2.New York Jets (8-8)
3.Buffalo Bills (6-10)
4.Miami Dolphins (5-11)
Even with a promising new coaching staff and deeper, retooled roster, the Jets will still more than likely only get as far as Sam Darnold and Le'Veon Bell can take them.
Projected Standings:
1.New England Patriots (12-4)
2.New York Jets (8-8)
3.Buffalo Bills (6-10)
4.Miami Dolphins (5-11)
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
HUGE NFL CONTENT ANNOUNCEMENT
Brace yourself for a major news bomb folks. I'm happy to announce that tomorrow will mark the start of 2019 NFL Preview SZN. Over the next seven weeks, evaluations and takes galore on all 32 teams will rain down from the sky, burrow out of the ground and even be conjured out of thin air! In addition to these division-by-division breakdowns, there will be fantasy football columns, pre-season power rankings and league leader/year-end award predictions on the dance card. Can't wait to get started on this yearly adventure and I hope all you of fine people enjoy reading this onslaught of football content.
Chris Maitland
Chris Maitland
Monday, July 22, 2019
The Best and Worst of Leonardo DiCaprio
“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 "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio.
Films starring Leonardo DiCaprio that I've seen:
Titanic
Catch Me If You Can
The Aviator
The Departed
Blood Diamond
Body of Lies
Revolutionary Road
Shutter Island
Inception
Django Unchained
The Wolf of Wall Street
The Revenant
Best Performance: Revolutionary Road (2008)
DiCaprio has never shied away from a challenging role at any point during his storied career and while it's certainly not his most acclaimed or well-known contribution to the world of cinema, I found this to be his most transformative and rewarding performance by far. His turn as a 30-year old man, who along with his wife (an equally superb Kate Winslet) have become disgruntled with their seemingly idyllic life in suburban Connecticut, paints a heartbreakingly convincing picture of an emotionally-conflicted person who believes he sacrificed his identity in exchange for a safe existence that isn't nearly as fulfilling as he had hoped.
Worst Performance: The Revenant (2015)
It's really a damn shame that this had to be the role for which the Academy handed DiCaprio his "Sorry for not giving you one sooner" Oscar. Like the movie itself, his performance in The Revenant is a repulsive piece of "look at me" showmanship that has nothing going on beneath its faux deep arthouse surface. No amount of grunting, foaming at the mouth and pained expressions could convince me that Hugh Glass was anything more than a boring protagonist in the most pretentious revenge movie ever made.
Best Film: The Departed (2006)
Mob movies have helped define Martin Scorsese's legacy as a director. Of all his outstanding contributions to this iconic subgenre, this sits at the top of my list of favorites. The Departed is a masterfully-crafted crime saga that is overflowing with terrific dialogue, vivid characters, sensational acting, unexpected narrative turns and nerve-frying tension.
Worst Film: Titanic (1997)
Here marks the precious moment in time where James Cameron's artistry went down the toilet. Due to my age, Titanic was the first movie of his that I ever saw and let me tell you, I just can't understand how the same person behind this 52,310 ton cinematic garbage vessel could also be responsible for birthing an elite action sci-fi franchise in Terminator. Titanic is a monumental, insufferable bore whose mere mention fills my soul with gloom. Its corny writing, bloated runtime and obnoxious characters made this type of unrelentingly tedious watch you hope to never have to endure as a movie fan.
Thank you for reading this week's edition of “The Best and Worst of”. The next victim of my praise and ire will be “Hobbs & Shaw” star Jason Statham.
Films starring Leonardo DiCaprio that I've seen:
Titanic
Catch Me If You Can
The Aviator
The Departed
Blood Diamond
Body of Lies
Revolutionary Road
Shutter Island
Inception
Django Unchained
The Wolf of Wall Street
The Revenant
Best Performance: Revolutionary Road (2008)
DiCaprio has never shied away from a challenging role at any point during his storied career and while it's certainly not his most acclaimed or well-known contribution to the world of cinema, I found this to be his most transformative and rewarding performance by far. His turn as a 30-year old man, who along with his wife (an equally superb Kate Winslet) have become disgruntled with their seemingly idyllic life in suburban Connecticut, paints a heartbreakingly convincing picture of an emotionally-conflicted person who believes he sacrificed his identity in exchange for a safe existence that isn't nearly as fulfilling as he had hoped.
Worst Performance: The Revenant (2015)
It's really a damn shame that this had to be the role for which the Academy handed DiCaprio his "Sorry for not giving you one sooner" Oscar. Like the movie itself, his performance in The Revenant is a repulsive piece of "look at me" showmanship that has nothing going on beneath its faux deep arthouse surface. No amount of grunting, foaming at the mouth and pained expressions could convince me that Hugh Glass was anything more than a boring protagonist in the most pretentious revenge movie ever made.
Best Film: The Departed (2006)
Mob movies have helped define Martin Scorsese's legacy as a director. Of all his outstanding contributions to this iconic subgenre, this sits at the top of my list of favorites. The Departed is a masterfully-crafted crime saga that is overflowing with terrific dialogue, vivid characters, sensational acting, unexpected narrative turns and nerve-frying tension.
Worst Film: Titanic (1997)
Here marks the precious moment in time where James Cameron's artistry went down the toilet. Due to my age, Titanic was the first movie of his that I ever saw and let me tell you, I just can't understand how the same person behind this 52,310 ton cinematic garbage vessel could also be responsible for birthing an elite action sci-fi franchise in Terminator. Titanic is a monumental, insufferable bore whose mere mention fills my soul with gloom. Its corny writing, bloated runtime and obnoxious characters made this type of unrelentingly tedious watch you hope to never have to endure as a movie fan.
Thank you for reading this week's edition of “The Best and Worst of”. The next victim of my praise and ire will be “Hobbs & Shaw” star Jason Statham.
Thursday, July 18, 2019
Album Review: Banks-III
It's been a relatively quiet couple of years for R&B/electropop artist Banks. A collaboration with 6LACK on a track called "In Between" for the reissue of his breakout debut album Free 6LACK and an uncharacteristically sunny standalone single "Underdog" have been her only contributions to the musical world since she wrapped up the touring cycle for her 2016 record The Altar in the fall of 2017. That brief hiatus, if you can even call it that, from the industry has come to a close with her aptly-named third LP III-which adds yet another focused, personal and cohesive collection of songs to her increasingly impressive catalog.
Outside of some subtle details in the production choices (the jazz piano in the bridge of "Hawaiian Mazes", the ominous-to-smooth bass beat switch during the back half of "Stroke", the frantic Timbaland-esque keys on the hook of "Gimme") that were very exciting and an increase in the prominence/range of effects attached to complement her striking natural voice, Banks mostly sticks to her established playbook on III. Experimentation is great and all, but when your generating positive results with an established formula that has defined your musical identity since day one, do you don't really need to stray from it? Her signature haunting melodies and soul-bearing lyric allows her to seamlessly shift between basking in swagger ("Till Now", "Propaganda", the aforementioned "Gimme") and sharing her vulnerability ("Contaminated", "Godless", "Alaska") over the course of these 13 emotionally-charged tracks. Another record full of self-love anthems and reflections on past relationships may bore some listeners who weren't high on her past efforts, but as long as she continues to traverse between these two sides of her personality with such transparent honesty, confidence and general songwriting prowess, I'll be fully on board with her continued exploration of these themes.
While their music is relatively different, I can't help but compare my thoughts on III to Lana Del Rey's Honeymoon. III may lack the abundance of explosive hooks and soaring highs of her previous pair of records, but it's able to make up for that reduction in awe-inspiring moments with a stronger overall consistency and plenty of raw emotional power. Besides the annoyingly repetitive and flat wannabe banger "The Fall", every track on III is at the very least pleasant-if not pretty damn good. This type of trade-off may not be perfect-especially as a direct follow-up to the electric highlight factory that was The Altar, but an album with a bunch of very good tracks and almost no skippable ones is still a major win for any artist.
Grade: B+
Standout Tracks:
1.Godless
2.Gimme
3.Hawaiian Mazes
Wednesday, July 17, 2019
Movie Review: Stuber
Following in the footsteps of the adult-aimed buddy action comedies (The Hitman's Bodyguard, The Spy Who Dumped Me) that hit theaters during the past two summers, Stuber hits its peak when the bullets and fists are flying. The combination of a script that conceived some truly wild fight scenes, a pair of charismatic leads (Kumail Nanjiani, Dave Bautista) that are down for anything and a director in Michael Dowse (Goon, What If?) that wraps all of this wall-to-wall lunacy into an exciting, streamlined package serves as a beautiful foundation for a good action movie. There's an energy, exuberance and almost improvisational quality in the way the characters use the environment to aid them that allows these increasingly absurd showdowns (a pair of sequences in an animal hospital and sporting goods store are particularly great) to really sing. The only lapse in judgement the filmmakers made when constructing these action scenes was severely underutilizing Iko Uwais- who portrays the illusive drug lord the protagonists are pursing throughout the movie. A freewheeling playground like the one Stuber establishes would've been the perfect place to repeatedly unleash his unreal martial arts talents and leaving him on the sidelines for 95% of the runtime prevents this from having the best pure action sequences of 2019 so far that weren't in John Wick: Chapter 3.
Despite a solid effort from the well-matched Nanijani and Bautista to elevate the material at every turn, the level of wit present in the action scenes mostly doesn't translate to the more traditional jokes. The bulk of the humor outside of the fight scenes consists of predictable jabs about the conflicting archetypes these two men conveniently fit (tough guy vs. sensitive guy) -which last month's similarly constructed Shaft somehow managed to do a much better job with. I get that it was trying to satirize toxic masculinity (or something along those lines), but the writing isn't sharp or consistently funny enough to make these attempts at conveying a message stick. While Stuber manages to work pretty well in spite of its mediocre jokes and incoherent social commentary, it's still a bit disappointing that writer Tripper Clancy couldn't make better use of the strong comedic dynamic that he was fortunate enough to have heading this project.
Anybody that's looking for a serviceable buddy movie with some laughs and cool action should give Stuber a watch. It may not be a 5-star ride, but it got me where I needed to go without any serious detours-which is really all I want/need to be satisfied most days.
Grade: B
Tuesday, July 16, 2019
The Best and Worst of James Earl Jones
“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 Lion King” star James Earl Jones.
Films starring James Earl Jones that I've seen:
Star Wars: A New Hope
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
Coming to America
Field of Dreams
The Hunt for Red October
The Sandlot
The Lion King
Judge Dredd
The Lion King II: Simba's Pride
Robots
The Benchwarmers
Click
Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Best Performance: Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
I went with Empire Strikes Back because it's my favorite Star Wars movie and features the famous reveal that turned the entire original trilogy on its head, but you could really pick any of Jones' turns as Darth Vader as his finest work (except for Rogue One because he's not in it for very long). Even though he wasn't in the actual suit, Jones is responsible for the overwhelmingly menacing aura that has made Vader one of the most iconic and instantly recognizable villains in cinema history.
Worst Performance: N/A
The top perk of being a character actor who specializes in voice acting and bit parts in large ensembles is having far less of a chance to embarrass yourself. Jones' particularly strong track record exemplifies why he's largely viewed within the industry as a true pro that has relished every opportunity he's had throughout his lengthy career. Whether its playing a resentful, grudge-holding father in the decent, but largely forgotten comedy Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins or providing narration for Sylvester Stallone's super campy adaptation of Judge Dredd, Jones has a way of disappearing into the characters he plays and providing at least a minimal boost to the quality of a project in the process.
Best Film: Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Like most widely beloved franchises, Star Wars is arguably a little bit overrated. Personally, I've only really enjoyed one of the movies that's been released since the original trilogy and it's probably not a coincidence that it was the one (The Force Awakens) that pretty much modeled itself beat by beat after A New Hope. The exception to that belief is The Empire Strikes Back. This was the one time in the entire series where everything just came together perfectly. The movie is epic, exciting, well-acted and best of all, has held up about as well as a movie that's nearly 40 years old possibly can.
Worst Film: The Hunt for Red October (1990)
No words could accurately describe the feeling of sheer hopelessness I felt while watching this lifeless political saga play out. The spy genre has plenty of boring-ass movies, but this is one of the only times where international espionage has been portrayed in a way that makes it seem like the most mundane activity in the whole god damn world. After about 90 minutes of cutting between conservations between the American feds about how advanced the titular Russian submarine was and an esteemed Russian sub commander played by accent virtuoso Sean F'n Connery lecturing his crew about why he was defecting from the Soviet Union, I was keeping my fingers crossed that a third party would've came in and wiped out both sets of cardboard power players just so I could relish in one fleeting moment of excitement before this nearly 150-minute ZZZapalooza came to a close.
Thank you for reading this week's edition of “The Best and Worst of”. The next victim of my praise and ire will be “Once Upon a Time.... in Hollywood” star Leonardo DiCaprio.
Films starring James Earl Jones that I've seen:
Star Wars: A New Hope
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
Coming to America
Field of Dreams
The Hunt for Red October
The Sandlot
The Lion King
Judge Dredd
The Lion King II: Simba's Pride
Robots
The Benchwarmers
Click
Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Best Performance: Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
I went with Empire Strikes Back because it's my favorite Star Wars movie and features the famous reveal that turned the entire original trilogy on its head, but you could really pick any of Jones' turns as Darth Vader as his finest work (except for Rogue One because he's not in it for very long). Even though he wasn't in the actual suit, Jones is responsible for the overwhelmingly menacing aura that has made Vader one of the most iconic and instantly recognizable villains in cinema history.
Worst Performance: N/A
The top perk of being a character actor who specializes in voice acting and bit parts in large ensembles is having far less of a chance to embarrass yourself. Jones' particularly strong track record exemplifies why he's largely viewed within the industry as a true pro that has relished every opportunity he's had throughout his lengthy career. Whether its playing a resentful, grudge-holding father in the decent, but largely forgotten comedy Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins or providing narration for Sylvester Stallone's super campy adaptation of Judge Dredd, Jones has a way of disappearing into the characters he plays and providing at least a minimal boost to the quality of a project in the process.
Best Film: Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Like most widely beloved franchises, Star Wars is arguably a little bit overrated. Personally, I've only really enjoyed one of the movies that's been released since the original trilogy and it's probably not a coincidence that it was the one (The Force Awakens) that pretty much modeled itself beat by beat after A New Hope. The exception to that belief is The Empire Strikes Back. This was the one time in the entire series where everything just came together perfectly. The movie is epic, exciting, well-acted and best of all, has held up about as well as a movie that's nearly 40 years old possibly can.
Worst Film: The Hunt for Red October (1990)
No words could accurately describe the feeling of sheer hopelessness I felt while watching this lifeless political saga play out. The spy genre has plenty of boring-ass movies, but this is one of the only times where international espionage has been portrayed in a way that makes it seem like the most mundane activity in the whole god damn world. After about 90 minutes of cutting between conservations between the American feds about how advanced the titular Russian submarine was and an esteemed Russian sub commander played by accent virtuoso Sean F'n Connery lecturing his crew about why he was defecting from the Soviet Union, I was keeping my fingers crossed that a third party would've came in and wiped out both sets of cardboard power players just so I could relish in one fleeting moment of excitement before this nearly 150-minute ZZZapalooza came to a close.
Thank you for reading this week's edition of “The Best and Worst of”. The next victim of my praise and ire will be “Once Upon a Time.... in Hollywood” star Leonardo DiCaprio.
Monday, July 15, 2019
Movie Review: Crawl
Movies like Crawl that emphasize simplicity, efficiency and pure entertainment value over grander cinematic ambitions will always have my respect. This throwback disaster/creature feature hybrid from veteran horror director Alexandre Aja (Piranha, The Hills Have Eyes) gets right down to business within the first few minutes and wraps everything up in a refreshingly tight 85 minutes. The plot is about as bare bones as a narrative feature can possibly be: A young woman (Kaya Scodelario) goes to check up on her father (Barry Pepper)- who hadn't answered or returned any of his family members calls for several hours-as a category 5 hurricane begins to make landfall in their costal Florida town. Shortly after arriving, she discovers her father passed out in the crawlspace of his house with a sizable bite wound from an alligator that came in through the storm drain. As the hurricane and subsequent flooding intensifies, they soon find themselves trapped in the crawlspace with an increasing number of displaced gators.
What follows is roughly an hour or so of these two people being forced to think and act swiftly as their attempts to escape the crawlspace continue to go awry courtesy of both the increasingly treacherous elements and presence of their carnivorous reptile friends. While this battle for survival doesn't throw out a whole lot of curveballs, it blends its two genres together very well and remains a compelling, surprisingly grounded affair that effectively uses its claustrophobic setting throughout. There's a couple of corny, semi-forced moments of family melodrama sprinkled in as the daughter/father hash out long-rooted problems in the wake of their potential demise and the level of over-the-top gore is disappointingly minimal for a film helmed by a noted splatter enthusiast, but neither of these things deter too much from the natural rhythm, bursts of suspense and solid all-around craftsmanship that makes Crawl a nice little reprieve from the season's barrage of blockbusters.
What follows is roughly an hour or so of these two people being forced to think and act swiftly as their attempts to escape the crawlspace continue to go awry courtesy of both the increasingly treacherous elements and presence of their carnivorous reptile friends. While this battle for survival doesn't throw out a whole lot of curveballs, it blends its two genres together very well and remains a compelling, surprisingly grounded affair that effectively uses its claustrophobic setting throughout. There's a couple of corny, semi-forced moments of family melodrama sprinkled in as the daughter/father hash out long-rooted problems in the wake of their potential demise and the level of over-the-top gore is disappointingly minimal for a film helmed by a noted splatter enthusiast, but neither of these things deter too much from the natural rhythm, bursts of suspense and solid all-around craftsmanship that makes Crawl a nice little reprieve from the season's barrage of blockbusters.
Grade: B
Thursday, July 11, 2019
2018 in Movies: Revisited
After a one year hiatus, the proud tradition of revaluating the previous year's movies has returned! Has six months drastically changed how I viewed the cinematic year of 2018? Not really. The top 20 is exactly the same as it was when I finalized my initial year-end list in January and only a pair of new titles (Chappaquiddick, The Miseducation of Cameron Post) have entered the top 30 since then. However, there has been a fair amount of change in the middle of the list with a lot of movies I saw from late January until now entering the fray in the #31-65 range, a few titles (Ant-Man and the Wasp, Blindspotting, Widows) that I've somewhat cooled on of late dropping 10+ spots and Aquaman jumping up a couple spots as a result of seeing some other middling superhero movies that lacked its tonal cohesion and sheer craftsmanship from a directional standpoint. Gotti's time as my pick for the worst movie of the year has also come to an end. Here's the revised worst to best rankings (w/grades) of every movie I saw in 2018.
Notes: ()=indicates previous ranking
147.(new) Roma (F)
146.(124) Gotti (D-)
145.(123) Love After Love (D-)
144.(122) Sorry to Bother You (D)
143.(121) Hereditary (D)
142.(118) Beirut (D+)
141.(120) Breaking In (D+)
140.(119) Acts of Violence (D+)
139.(117) Suspiria (D+)
138.(116) Slice (D+)
137.(115) Unsane (D+)
136.(114) The Kindergarten Teacher (D+)
135.(113) Apostle (C-)
134.(112) Braven (C-)
133.(111) The 15:17 to Paris (C-)
132.(110) Kin (C-)
131.(109) Eighth Grade (C-)
130.(new) Hell Fest (C)
129.(108) Borg vs. McEnroe (C)
128.(107) The Hurricane Heist (C)
127.(106) Leave No Trace (C)
126.(105) The Equalizer 2 (C)
125.(104) You Were Never Really Here (C)
124.(new) Hunter Killer (C)
123.(103) Skyscraper (C)
122.(new) The Oath (C)
121.(102) Tully (C)
120.(101) Maze Runner: The Death Cure (C+)
119.(100) Dude (C+)
118.(99) The Cloverfield Paradox (C+)
117.(88) First Man (C+)
116.(98) Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (C+)
115.(97) Pacific Rim Uprising (C+)
114.(94) Crazy Rich Asians (C+)
113.(96) Unfriended: Dark Web (C+)
112.(95) Peppermint (C+)
111.(93) Action Point (C+)
110.(92) Isle of Dogs (C+)
109.(91) Flower (C+)
108.(new) The House with a Clock in Its Walls (B-)
107.(90) The Meg (B-)
106.(89) I Feel Pretty (B-)
105.(87) Adrift (B-)
104.(86) Gemini (B-)
103.(82) Teen Titans Go! to the Movies (B-)
102.(new) Holmes & Watson (B-)
101.(85) Proud Mary (B-)
100.(84) Death Wish (B-)
99.(83) Ibiza (B-)
98.(new) Night School (B-)
97.(81) SuperFly (B-)
96.(80) Extinction (B-)
95.(79) The Nun (B-)
94.(78) Calibre (B-)
93.(new) Robin Hood (B-)
92.(77) The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter (B-)
91.(74) Bohemian Rhapsody (B-)
90.(new) The Old Man & the Gun (B-)
89.(76) Ready Player One (B-)
88.(75) The Week Of (B-)
87.(new) Support the Girls (B-)
86.(new) Revenge (B-)
85.(73) Assassination Nation (B-)
84.(72) Gringo (B-)
83.(71) Tomb Raider (B)
82.(70) Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (B)
81.(69) A Futile and Stupid Gesture (B)
80.(68) The Commuter (B)
79.(67) Ocean's 8 (B)
78.(66) Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot (B)
77.(65) The Happytime Murders (B)
76.(64) Rampage (B)
75.(63) A Simple Favor (B)
74.(62) Kodachrome (B)
73.(60) Venom (B)
72.(61) Set It Up (B)
71.(59) Solo: A Star Wars Story (B)
70.(new) First Reformed (B)
69.(new) Free Solo (B)
68.(58) Mile 22 (B)
67.(57) Private Life (B)
66.(53) Ant-Man and the Wasp (B)
65.(56) The Mule (B)
64.(new) Dr. Seuss' The Grinch (B)
63.(new) Can You Ever Forgive Me? (B)
62.(55) Never Goin' Back (B)
61.(54) 6 Balloons (B)
60.(52) The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (B)
59.(51) Bird Box (B)
58.(50) The Girl in the Spider's Web (B)
57.(44) Blindspotting (B)
56.(49) Love, Simon (B)
55.(47) American Animals (B)
54.(46) Mom and Dad (B)
53.(45) The Package (B)
52.(43) Destroyer (B)
51.(42) Searching (B)
50.(new) Instant Family (B)
49.(new) The Guilty (B)
48.(new) White Boy Rick (B)
47.(34) Widows (B)
46.(48) Aquaman (B)
45.(41) Like Father (B)
44.(40) Hotel Artemis (B)
43.(39) Game Over, Man! (B)
42.(38) Uncle Drew (B)
41.(37) The Spy Who Dumped Me (B)
40.(36) Thoroughbreds (B)
39.(35) Super Troopers 2 (B+)
38.(33) Hold the Dark (B+)
37.(new) An Evening with Beverley Luff Linn (B+)
36.(32) The Predator (B+)
35.(31) Sicario: Day of the Soldado (B+)
34.(30) If Beale Street Could Talk (B+)
33.(29) Three Identical Strangers (B+)
32.(new) The Hate U Give (B+)
31.(new) Ben is Back (B+)
30.(28) The Favourite (B+)
29.(27) BlacKkKlansman (B+)
28.(new) The Miseducation of Cameron Post (B+)
27.(26) Red Sparrow (B+)
26.(25) Halloween (B+)
25.(24) Destination Wedding (B+)
24.(23) Green Book (B+)
23.(22) Bad Times at the El Royale (B+)
22.(21) Won't You Be My Neighbor? (B+)
21.(new) Chappaquiddick (B+)
20.(20) BumbleBee (B+)
19.(19) A Quiet Place (B+)
18.(18) Annihilation (B+)
17.(17) Den of Thieves (B+)
16.(16) Deadpool 2 (B+)
15.(15) Mission-Impossible: Fallout (B+)
14.(14) The First Purge (A-)
13.(13) Tag (A-)
12.(12) Blockers (A-)
11.(11) Vice (A-)
10.(10) Upgrade (A-)
9.(9) The Night Comes for Us (A)
8.(8) Mandy (A)
7.(7) Overlord (A)
6.(6) Mid90s (A)
5.(5) Avengers: Infinity War (A)
4.(4) Creed II (A)
3.(3) Game Night (A)
2.(2) Black Panther (A)
1.(1) A Star is Born (A)
Notes: ()=indicates previous ranking
147.(new) Roma (F)
146.(124) Gotti (D-)
145.(123) Love After Love (D-)
144.(122) Sorry to Bother You (D)
143.(121) Hereditary (D)
142.(118) Beirut (D+)
141.(120) Breaking In (D+)
140.(119) Acts of Violence (D+)
139.(117) Suspiria (D+)
138.(116) Slice (D+)
137.(115) Unsane (D+)
136.(114) The Kindergarten Teacher (D+)
135.(113) Apostle (C-)
134.(112) Braven (C-)
133.(111) The 15:17 to Paris (C-)
132.(110) Kin (C-)
131.(109) Eighth Grade (C-)
130.(new) Hell Fest (C)
129.(108) Borg vs. McEnroe (C)
128.(107) The Hurricane Heist (C)
127.(106) Leave No Trace (C)
126.(105) The Equalizer 2 (C)
125.(104) You Were Never Really Here (C)
124.(new) Hunter Killer (C)
123.(103) Skyscraper (C)
122.(new) The Oath (C)
121.(102) Tully (C)
120.(101) Maze Runner: The Death Cure (C+)
119.(100) Dude (C+)
118.(99) The Cloverfield Paradox (C+)
117.(88) First Man (C+)
116.(98) Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (C+)
115.(97) Pacific Rim Uprising (C+)
114.(94) Crazy Rich Asians (C+)
113.(96) Unfriended: Dark Web (C+)
112.(95) Peppermint (C+)
111.(93) Action Point (C+)
110.(92) Isle of Dogs (C+)
109.(91) Flower (C+)
108.(new) The House with a Clock in Its Walls (B-)
107.(90) The Meg (B-)
106.(89) I Feel Pretty (B-)
105.(87) Adrift (B-)
104.(86) Gemini (B-)
103.(82) Teen Titans Go! to the Movies (B-)
102.(new) Holmes & Watson (B-)
101.(85) Proud Mary (B-)
100.(84) Death Wish (B-)
99.(83) Ibiza (B-)
98.(new) Night School (B-)
97.(81) SuperFly (B-)
96.(80) Extinction (B-)
95.(79) The Nun (B-)
94.(78) Calibre (B-)
93.(new) Robin Hood (B-)
92.(77) The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter (B-)
91.(74) Bohemian Rhapsody (B-)
90.(new) The Old Man & the Gun (B-)
89.(76) Ready Player One (B-)
88.(75) The Week Of (B-)
87.(new) Support the Girls (B-)
86.(new) Revenge (B-)
85.(73) Assassination Nation (B-)
84.(72) Gringo (B-)
83.(71) Tomb Raider (B)
82.(70) Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (B)
81.(69) A Futile and Stupid Gesture (B)
80.(68) The Commuter (B)
79.(67) Ocean's 8 (B)
78.(66) Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot (B)
77.(65) The Happytime Murders (B)
76.(64) Rampage (B)
75.(63) A Simple Favor (B)
74.(62) Kodachrome (B)
73.(60) Venom (B)
72.(61) Set It Up (B)
71.(59) Solo: A Star Wars Story (B)
70.(new) First Reformed (B)
69.(new) Free Solo (B)
68.(58) Mile 22 (B)
67.(57) Private Life (B)
66.(53) Ant-Man and the Wasp (B)
65.(56) The Mule (B)
64.(new) Dr. Seuss' The Grinch (B)
63.(new) Can You Ever Forgive Me? (B)
62.(55) Never Goin' Back (B)
61.(54) 6 Balloons (B)
60.(52) The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (B)
59.(51) Bird Box (B)
58.(50) The Girl in the Spider's Web (B)
57.(44) Blindspotting (B)
56.(49) Love, Simon (B)
55.(47) American Animals (B)
54.(46) Mom and Dad (B)
53.(45) The Package (B)
52.(43) Destroyer (B)
51.(42) Searching (B)
50.(new) Instant Family (B)
49.(new) The Guilty (B)
48.(new) White Boy Rick (B)
47.(34) Widows (B)
46.(48) Aquaman (B)
45.(41) Like Father (B)
44.(40) Hotel Artemis (B)
43.(39) Game Over, Man! (B)
42.(38) Uncle Drew (B)
41.(37) The Spy Who Dumped Me (B)
40.(36) Thoroughbreds (B)
39.(35) Super Troopers 2 (B+)
38.(33) Hold the Dark (B+)
37.(new) An Evening with Beverley Luff Linn (B+)
36.(32) The Predator (B+)
35.(31) Sicario: Day of the Soldado (B+)
34.(30) If Beale Street Could Talk (B+)
33.(29) Three Identical Strangers (B+)
32.(new) The Hate U Give (B+)
31.(new) Ben is Back (B+)
30.(28) The Favourite (B+)
29.(27) BlacKkKlansman (B+)
28.(new) The Miseducation of Cameron Post (B+)
27.(26) Red Sparrow (B+)
26.(25) Halloween (B+)
25.(24) Destination Wedding (B+)
24.(23) Green Book (B+)
23.(22) Bad Times at the El Royale (B+)
22.(21) Won't You Be My Neighbor? (B+)
21.(new) Chappaquiddick (B+)
20.(20) BumbleBee (B+)
19.(19) A Quiet Place (B+)
18.(18) Annihilation (B+)
17.(17) Den of Thieves (B+)
16.(16) Deadpool 2 (B+)
15.(15) Mission-Impossible: Fallout (B+)
14.(14) The First Purge (A-)
13.(13) Tag (A-)
12.(12) Blockers (A-)
11.(11) Vice (A-)
10.(10) Upgrade (A-)
9.(9) The Night Comes for Us (A)
8.(8) Mandy (A)
7.(7) Overlord (A)
6.(6) Mid90s (A)
5.(5) Avengers: Infinity War (A)
4.(4) Creed II (A)
3.(3) Game Night (A)
2.(2) Black Panther (A)
1.(1) A Star is Born (A)
Wednesday, July 10, 2019
The Best and Worst of Kaya Scodelario
“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 “Crawl” star Kaya Scodelario.
Films starring Kaya Scodelario that I've seen:
Moon
Clash of the Titans
The Truth About Emmanuel
The Maze Runner
Tiger House
Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
Maze Runner: The Death Cure
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile
Best Performance: The Truth About Emmanuel (2014)
All of Scodelario's most prominent roles in American movies thus far have offered little to no room to display any meaningful acting chops. On the few occasions where she's starred in something more substantial, she's absolutely thrived. It's essentially a coin flip between The Truth About Emmanuel and Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile for her top performance, but I'm going to give the edge to Emmanuel because she was in it for far longer. Her raw, fearless performance as a young woman who blames herself for the tragic death of her mother is the lone standout element of a messy psychological drama that goes completely off-the-rails during its ludicrous final act.
Worst Performance: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)
Is there some kind of mandate on the Pirates of the Caribbean movies where you have to agree to not display any sort of personality if you're teaming up with Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow? Because that's really the only explanation I can think as to why every other hero in this franchise stinks so much. Scodelario and Brenton Thwaites proudly (?) inherit the stiff, robotic sidekick mantle from Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom here as they serve as the latest disengaged passengers on Depp's scenery-chewing locomotive. With a production budget believed to be over $300 mil, hopefully they were at least compensated well for their lethargic efforts.
Best Film: Moon (2009)
Man, did Duncan Jones' directorial career get off to an impressive start. Thanks to some clever writing and a sensational lead performance from Sam Rockwell, Moon succeeds as an eerie, fascinating and poignant sci-fi tale that put my brain through a blender for 90 minutes.
Worst Film: Tiger House (2015)
This cheap British home invasion thriller that was relegated to the VOD circuit here in the States betrays the basic blueprint of the genre by being pretty much entirely devoid of tension and ending on the most anticlimactic note possible. Respectable acting from the bulk of the cast and a couple of inspired kills prevent it from being a complete waste of time, but it still manages to be about as disposable as a B-movie can possibly be.
Thank you for reading this week's edition of “The Best and Worst of”. The next victim of my praise and ire will be “The Lion King” star James Earl Jones.
Films starring Kaya Scodelario that I've seen:
Moon
Clash of the Titans
The Truth About Emmanuel
The Maze Runner
Tiger House
Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
Maze Runner: The Death Cure
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile
Best Performance: The Truth About Emmanuel (2014)
All of Scodelario's most prominent roles in American movies thus far have offered little to no room to display any meaningful acting chops. On the few occasions where she's starred in something more substantial, she's absolutely thrived. It's essentially a coin flip between The Truth About Emmanuel and Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile for her top performance, but I'm going to give the edge to Emmanuel because she was in it for far longer. Her raw, fearless performance as a young woman who blames herself for the tragic death of her mother is the lone standout element of a messy psychological drama that goes completely off-the-rails during its ludicrous final act.
Worst Performance: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)
Is there some kind of mandate on the Pirates of the Caribbean movies where you have to agree to not display any sort of personality if you're teaming up with Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow? Because that's really the only explanation I can think as to why every other hero in this franchise stinks so much. Scodelario and Brenton Thwaites proudly (?) inherit the stiff, robotic sidekick mantle from Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom here as they serve as the latest disengaged passengers on Depp's scenery-chewing locomotive. With a production budget believed to be over $300 mil, hopefully they were at least compensated well for their lethargic efforts.
Best Film: Moon (2009)
Man, did Duncan Jones' directorial career get off to an impressive start. Thanks to some clever writing and a sensational lead performance from Sam Rockwell, Moon succeeds as an eerie, fascinating and poignant sci-fi tale that put my brain through a blender for 90 minutes.
Worst Film: Tiger House (2015)
This cheap British home invasion thriller that was relegated to the VOD circuit here in the States betrays the basic blueprint of the genre by being pretty much entirely devoid of tension and ending on the most anticlimactic note possible. Respectable acting from the bulk of the cast and a couple of inspired kills prevent it from being a complete waste of time, but it still manages to be about as disposable as a B-movie can possibly be.
Thank you for reading this week's edition of “The Best and Worst of”. The next victim of my praise and ire will be “The Lion King” star James Earl Jones.
Tuesday, July 9, 2019
2019 NFL Position Rankings: Full Series Recap
For those who are unfamiliar with this series, here are the rules and guidelines I use when putting them together:
1.Rookies are excluded
2.Each player is judged on where they currently stand in my opinion, not the player I believe they once were, are going to be, etc.
3.Each player is listed as a member of the team they will play for in 2019.
Notes:
-Josh Gordon and Jason-Pierre Paul were excluded as a result of their potential unavailability for the duration of the 2019 season.
-As a result of his retirement, free agent safety Glover Quin has been replaced by Justin Simmons.
Quarterback:
25.Ryan Fitzpatrick (Dolphins)
24.Sam Darnold (Jets)
23.Jimmy Garoppolo (49ers)
22.Marcus Mariota (Titans)
21.Andy Dalton (Bengals)
20.Baker Mayfield (Browns)
19.Derek Carr (Raiders)
18.Jameis Winston (Buccaneers)
17.Cam Newton (Panthers)
16.Dak Prescott (Cowboys)
15.Jared Goff (Rams)
14.Deshaun Watson (Texans)
13.Nick Foles (Jaguars)
12.Matthew Stafford (Lions)
11.Carson Wentz (Eagles)
10.Kirk Cousins (Vikings)
9.Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs)
8.Matt Ryan (Falcons)
7.Ben Roethlisberger (Steelers)
6.Phillip Rivers (Chargers)
5.Andrew Luck (Colts)
4.Aaron Rodgers (Packers)
3.Russell Wilson (Seahawks)
2.Drew Brees (Saints)
1.Tom Brady (Patriots)
Running Back:
50.Ito Smith (Falcons)
49.Jay Ajayi (Free Agent)
48.Doug Martin (Raiders)
47.Peyton Barber (Buccaneers)
46.Carlos Hyde (Chiefs)
45.Jalen Richard (Raiders)
44.Theo Riddick (Lions)
43.Mike Davis (Bears)
42.Jerick McKinnon (49ers)
41.Gus Edwards (Ravens)
40.Chris Thompson (Redskins)
39.C.J. Anderson (Lions)
38.Matt Brieda (49ers)
37.LeSean McCoy (Bills)
36.Duke Johnson Jr. (Browns)
35.Dion Lewis (Titans)
34.Latavius Murray (Saints)
33.Kenyan Drake (Dolphins)
32.Dalvin Cook (Vikings)
31.Kerryon Johnson (Lions)
30.Frank Gore (Bills)
29.Tarik Cohen (Bears)
28.Austin Ekeler (Chargers)
27.Sony Michel (Patriots)
26.Aaron Jones (Packers)
25.Tevin Coleman (49ers)
24.Damien Williams (Chiefs)
23.Adrian Peterson (Redskins)
22.Marlon Mack (Colts)
21.Nick Chubb (Browns)
20.James Conner (Steelers)
19.Phillip Lindsay (Broncos)
18.James White (Patriots)
17.Leonard Fournette (Jaguars)
16.Lamar Miller (Texans)
15.Jordan Howard (Eagles)
14.Chris Carson (Seahawks)
13.Derrick Henry (Titans)
12.Mark Ingram (Ravens)
11.Joe Mixon (Bengals)
10.Le'Veon Bell (Jets)
9.Devonta Freeman (Falcons)
8.David Johnson (Cardinals)
7.Kareem Hunt (Browns)
6.Saquon Barkley (Giants)
5.Christian McCaffery (Panthers)
4.Alvin Kamara (Saints)
3.Melvin Gordon (Chargers)
2.Todd Gurley (Rams)
1.Ezekiel Elliot (Cowboys)
Wide Receiver:
50.Christian Kirk (Cardinals)
49.Demaryius Thomas (Patriots)
48.Kenny Stills (Dolphins)
47.Taylor Gabriel (Bears)
46.Mike Williams (Chargers)
45.Cole Beasley (Bills)
44.Devin Funchess (Colts)
43.Nelson Agholor (Eagles)
42.Tyrell Williams (Raiders)
41.Dede Westbrook (Jaguars)
40.Mohamed Sanu (Falcons)
39.DeSean Jackson (Eagles)
38.Robby Anderson (Jets)
37.John Brown (Bills)
36.Calvin Ridley (Falcons)
35Adam Humphries (Titans)
34.D.J. Moore (Panthers)
33.Chris Godwin (Buccaneers)
32.Sterling Shepard (Giants)
31.Corey Davis (Titans)
30.Larry Fitzgerald (Cardinals)
29.Tyler Boyd (Bengals)
28.Emmanuel Sanders (Broncos)
27.Sammy Watkins (Chiefs)
26.Kenny Golladay (Lions)
25.Tyler Lockett (Seahawks)
24.Marvin Jones Jr. (Lions)
23.Allen Robinson (Bears)
22.Golden Tate (Giants)
21.Jarvis Landry (Browns)
20.Cooper Kupp (Rams)
19.Alshon Jeffrey (Eagles)
18.Julian Edelman (Patriots)
17.A.J. Green (Bengals)
16.Robert Woods (Rams)
15.Amari Cooper (Cowboys)
14.Stefon Diggs (Vikings)
13.Brandin Cooks (Rams)
12.JuJu Smith-Schuster (Steelers)
11.Davante Adams (Packers)
10.Tyreek Hill (Chiefs)
9.Keenan Allen (Chargers)
8.Adam Thielen (Vikings)
7.T.Y. Hilton (Colts)
6.Mike Evans (Buccaneers)
5.Odell Beckham Jr. (Browns)
4.Antonio Brown (Raiders)
3.Michael Thomas (Saints)
2.Julio Jones (Falcons)
1.DeAndre Hopkins (Texans)
Tight End:
20.Hunter Henry (Chargers)
19.Chris Herndon (Jets)
18.Mark Andrews (Ravens)
17.Greg Olsen (Panthers)
16.Jordan Reed (Redskins)
15.Delanie Walker (Titans)
14.Jack Doyle (Colts)
13.Jimmy Graham (Packers)
12.Vance McDonald (Steelers)
11.Trey Burton (Bears)
10.Austin Hooper (Falcons)
9.David Njoku (Browns)
8.Kyle Rudolph (Vikings)
7.Eric Ebron (Colts)
6.Evan Engram (Giants)
5.Jared Cook (Saints)
4.O.J. Howard (Buccaneers)
3.George Kittle (49ers)
2.Zach Ertz (Eagles)
1.Travis Kelce (Chiefs)
Tackle:
30.Laremy Tunsil (Dolphins)
29.Taylor Decker (Lions)
28.Eric Fisher (Chiefs)
27.Riley Reiff (Vikings)
26.Braden Smith (Colts)
25.Mike McGlinchey (49ers)
24.Taylor Moton (Panthers)
23.Marcus Cannon (Patriots)
22.Jason Peters (Eagles)
21.Ricky Wagner (Lions)
20.Nate Solder (Giants)
19.Ronnie Stanley (Ravens)
18.Charles Leno Jr. (Bears)
17.Bryan Bulaga (Packers)
16.Rob Havenstien (Rams)
15.Russell Okung (Chargers)
14.Taylor Lewan (Titans)
13.Lane Johnson (Eagles)
12.Alejandro Villanueva (Steelers)
11.Anthony Castonzo (Colts)
10.Terron Armstead (Saints)
9.Trent Williams (Redskins)
8.Jake Matthews (Falcons)
7.Ryan Ramcyzk (Saints)
6.Mitchell Schwartz (Chiefs)
5.Duane Brown (Seahawks)
4.Joe Staley (49ers)
3.Tyron Smith (Cowboys)
2.Andrew Whitworth (Rams)
1.David Bakhtiari (Packers)
Guard:
30.Clint Boling (Bengals)
29.Quinton Spain (Bills)
28.Billy Turner (Packers)
27.Wes Schweitzer (Falcons)
26.Issac Seumalo (Eagles)
25.Lane Taylor (Packers)
24.Larry Warford (Saints)
23.Laurent Duvernay-Tardif (Chiefs)
22.Trai Turner (Panthers)
21.Mark Glowinski (Colts)
20.Will Hernandez (Giants)
19.Austin Blythe (Rams)
18.Kelechi Osemele (Jets)
17.Ronald Leary (Broncos)
16.Kyle Long (Bears)
15.Gabe Jackson (Raiders)
14.Ramon Foster (Steelers)
13.Brandon Schreff (Redskins)
12.Ali Marpet (Buccaneers)
11.Joe Thuney (Patriots)
10.Andrew Norwell (Jaguars)
9.Rodger Saffold (Titans)
8.Brandon Brooks (Eagles)
7.Quenton Nelson (Colts)
6.Joel Bitonio (Browns)
5.Kevin Zeitler (Giants)
4.Shaq Mason (Patriots)
3.David DeCastro (Steelers)
2.Marshal Yanda (Ravens)
1.Zach Martin (Cowboys)
Center:
20.Spencer Pulley (Giants)
19.Mike Pouncey (Chargers)
18.Nick Easton (Saints)
17.Matt Skura (Ravens)
16.Nick Martin (Texans)
15.Chase Roullier (Redskins)
14.Mitch Morse (Bills)
13.Ryan Kelly (Colts)
12.Maurkice Pouncey (Steelers)
11.Cody Whitehair (Bears)
10.Ben Jones (Titans)
9.Travis Fredrick (Cowboys)
8.Corey Linsley (Packers)
7.J.C. Tretter (Browns)
6.David Andrews (Patriots)
5.Matt Paradis (Panthers)
4.Brandon Linder (Jaguars)
3.Rodney Hudson (Raiders)
2.Alex Mack (Falcons)
1.Jason Kelce (Eagles)
Defensive Tackle:
30.Dalvin Tomlinson (Giants)
29.D.J. Reader (Texans)
28.Steve McClendon (Jets)
27.Mike Pennel (Patriots)
26.David Onyemata (Saints)
25.Da'Shawn Hand (Lions)
24.Malik Jackson (Eagles)
23.Sheldon Rankins (Saints)
22.Javon Hargrave (Steelers)
21.Sheldon Richardson (Browns)
20.Brandon Williams (Ravens)
19.Linval Joseph (Vikings)
18.Eddie Goldman (Bears)
17.Michael Pierce (Ravens)
16.Shelby Harris (Broncos)
15.Lawrence Guy (Patriots)
14.Marcell Dareus (Jaguars)
13.Gerald McCoy (Panthers)
12.DeForest Buckner (49ers)
11.Ndamukong Suh (Buccaneers)
10.Kawann Short (Panthers)
9.Kenny Clark (Packers)
8.Jurrell Casey (Titans)
7.Geno Atkins (Bengals)
6.Grady Jarrett (Falcons)
5.Damon Harrison (Lions)
4.Chris Jones (Chiefs)
3.Akeim Hicks (Bears)
2.Fletcher Cox (Eagles)
1.Aaron Donald (Rams)
Defensive End:
35.Marcus Davenport (Saints)
34.Jonathan Allen (Redskins)
33.Carl Lawson (Bengals)
32.Michael Brockers (Rams)
31.Alex Okafor (Chiefs)
30.Robert Quinn (Cowboys)
29.Mario Addison (Panthers)
28.Henry Anderson (Jets)
27.Ezekiel Ansah (Seahawks)
26.Shaq Lawson (Bills)
25.Jabaal Sheard (Colts)
24.Derek Wolfe (Broncos)
23.Everson Griffen (Vikings)
22.Yannick Ngakoue (Jaguars)
21.Leonard Williams (Jets)
20.Frank Clark (Chiefs)
19.Mike Daniels (Packers)
18.Carlos Dunlap (Bengals)
17.Michael Bennett (Patriots)
16.Cameron Wake (Titans)
15.Danielle Hunter (Vikings)
14.Justin Houston (Colts)
13.Olivier Vernon (Browns)
12.Myles Garrett (Browns)
11.Cameron Heyward (Steelers)
10.Dee Ford (49ers)
9.Joey Bosa (Chargers)
8.Jerry Hughes (Bills)
7.Melvin Ingram (Chargers)
6.Trey Flowers (Lions)
5.DeMarcus Lawrence (Cowboys)
4.Brandon Graham (Eagles)
3.Calias Campbell (Jaguars)
2.J.J. Watt (Texans)
1.Cameron Jordan (Saints)
Inside Linebacker:
25.Brandon Marshall (Raiders)
24.Jake Ryan (Jaguars)
23.Kwon Alexander (49ers)
22.Denzel Perryman (Chargers)
21.Elandon Roberts (Patriots)
20.Zach Cunningham (Texans)
19.Cory Littleton (Rams)
18.Eric Kendricks (Vikings)
17.Wesley Woodyard (Titans)
16.Todd Davis (Broncos)
15.Jayon Brown (Titans)
14.Blake Martinez (Packers)
13.Myles Jack (Jaguars)
12.Jordan Hicks (Cardinals)
11.Danny Trevathan (Bears)
10.Avery Williamson (Jets)
9.Joe Schobert (Browns)
8.Demario Davis (Saints)
7.Jaylon Smith (Cowboys)
6.Benardrick McKinney (Texans)
5.Zach Brown (Eagles)
4.C.J. Mosley (Jets)
3.Deion Jones (Falcons)
2.Luke Kuechly (Panthers)
1.Bobby Wagner (Seahawks)
Outside Linebacker:
35.De'Vondre Campbell (Falcons)
34.Brooks Reed (Cardinals)
33.Clay Matthews (Rams)
32.Matthew Judon (Ravens)
31.Alex Anzalone (Saints)
30.Dante Fowler Jr. (Rams)
29.Kyler Fackrell (Packers)
28.Shaquil Barrett (Buccaneers)
27.A.J Klein (Saints)
26.Sean Lee (Cowboys)
25.Aaron Lynch (Bears)
24.Whitney Mercilus (Texans)
23.Shaq Thompson (Panthers)
22.Bradley Chubb (Broncos)
21.Kyle Van Noy (Patriots)
20.Leonard Floyd (Bears)
19.Nigel Bradham (Eagles)
18.Za'darius Smith (Packers)
17.Matt Milano (Bills)
16.Anthony Barr (Vikings)
15.Terrell Suggs (Cardinals)
14.Dont'a Hightower (Patriots)
13.Thomas Davis (Chargers)
12.T.J. Watt (Steelers)
11.Preston Smith (Packers)
10.Lorenzo Alexander (Bills)
9.Darius Leonard (Colts)
8.Leighton Vander Esch (Cowboys)
7.K.J. Wright (Seahawks)
6.Ryan Kerrigan (Redskins)
5.Chandler Jones (Cardinals)
4.Lavonte David (Buccaneers)
3.Jadeveon Clowney (Texans)
2.Von Miller (Broncos)
1.Khalil Mack (Bears)
Cornerback:
50.Trae Waynes (Vikings)
49.J.C. Jackson (Patriots)
48.Quincy Wilson (Colts)
47.James Bradberry (Panthers)
46.Darqueze Dennard (Bengals)
45.Justin Coleman (Lions)
44.Robert Alford (Cardinals)
43.Bradley Roby (Texans)
42.Mike Hilton (Steelers)
41.Patrick Robinson (Saints)
40.Jaire Alexander (Packers)
39.Kenny Moore (Colts)
38.Joe Haden (Steelers)
37.Janoris Jenkins (Giants)
36.Malcolm Butler (Titans)
35.Brandon Carr (Ravens)
34.Tre'Davious White (Bills)
33.Desmond Trufant (Falcons)
32.Josh Norman (Redskins)
31.Ronald Darby (Eagles)
30.Kendall Fuller (Chiefs)
29.Adoree' Jackson (Titans)
28.Steven Nelson (Steelers)
27.William Jackson III (Bengals)
26.Trumaine Johnson (Jets)
25.Pierre Desir (Colts)
24.Denzel Ward (Browns)
23.Nickell Robey-Coleman (Rams)
22.Richard Sherman (49ers)
21.Marcus Peters (Rams)
20.Xavier Rhodes (Vikings)
19.Xavien Howard (Dolphins)
18.Marlon Humphery (Ravens)
17.Jonathan Joseph (Texans)
16.Bryce Callahan (Broncos)
15.Jason McCourty (Patriots)
14.Prince Amukamara (Bears)
13.Marshon Lattimore (Saints)
12.Kareem Jackson (Broncos)
11.Byron Jones (Cowboys)
10.Aqib Talib (Rams)
9.Kyle Fuller (Bears)
8.A.J. Bouye (Jaguars)
7.Desmond King (Chargers)
6.Darius Slay (Lions)
5.Patrick Peterson (Cardinals)
4.Jalen Ramsey (Jaguars)
3.Casey Hayward (Chargers)
2.Chris Harris Jr. (Broncos)
1.Stephon Gilmore (Patriots)
Safety:
50.Justin Simmons (Broncos)
49.Tedric Thompson (Seahawks)
48.Xavier Woods (Cowboys)
47.Clayton Geathers (Colts)
46.Justin Evans (Buccaneers)
45.George Illoka (Cowboys)
44.Morgan Burnett (Browns)
43.Eric Berry (Free Agent)
42.Sean Davis (Steelers)
41.Rodney McLeod (Eagles)
40.Antonie Bethea (Giants)
39.Eric Reid (Panthers)
38.Duron Harmon (Patriots)
37.Shawn Williams (Bengals)
36.Justin Reid (Texans)
35.Jordan Poyer (Bills)
34.Patrick Chung (Patriots)
33.Quandre Diggs (Lions)
32.Damarious Randall (Browns)
31.Karl Joseph (Raiders)
30.Vonn Bell (Saints)
29.Ricardo Allen (Falcons)
28.Bradley McDougald (Seahawks)
27.Tashaun Gibson (Texans)
26.Jabrill Peppers (Giants)
25.Malik Hooker (Colts)
24.Andrew Sendejo (Eagles)
23.Marcus Williams (Saints)
22.Jessie Bates (Bengals)
21.Keanu Neal (Falcons)
20.Marcus Maye (Jets)
19.HaHa Clinton-Dix (Bears)
18.D.J. Swearinger (Cardinals)
17.Tony Jefferson (Ravens)
16.Lamarcus Joyner (Raiders)
15.Landon Collins (Redskins)
14.Tyrann Mathieu (Chiefs)
13.Derwin James (Chargers)
12.Malcolm Jenkins (Eagles)
11.John Johnson III (Rams)
10.Reshad Jones (Dolphins)
9.Micah Hyde (Bills)
8.Adrian Amos (Packers)
7.Devin McCourty (Patriots)
6.Jamal Adams (Jets)
5.Eddie Jackson (Bears)
4.Kevin Byard (Titans)
3.Eric Weddle (Rams)
2.Earl Thomas (Ravens)
1.Harrison Smith (Vikings)
Kicker:
20.Jason Sanders (Dolphins)
19.Michael Badgley (Chargers)
18.Ryan Succop (Titans)
17.Mason Crosby (Packers)
16.Jake Elliott (Eagles)
15.Steven Hauschka (Bills)
14.Adam Vinatieri (Colts)
13.Graham Gano (Panthers)
12.Harrison Butker (Chiefs)
11.Dustin Hopkins (Redskins)
10.Kai'mi Fairbairn (Texans)
9.Jason Myers (Seahawks)
8.Josh Lambo (Jaguars)
7.Matt Prater (Lions)
6.Aldrick Rosas (Giants)
5.Will Lutz (Saints)
4.Stephen Gostkowski (Patriots)
3.Greg Zuerlein (Rams)
2.Robbie Gould (49ers)
1.Justin Tucker (Ravens)
Punter:
20.Pat O'Donnell (Bears)
19.Logan Cooke (Jaguars)
18.Dustin Colquitt (Chiefs)
17.Michael Parlardy (Panthers)
16.Sam Martin (Lions)
15.Matt Wile (Vikings)
14.Britton Colquitt (Browns)
13.Ryan Allen (Patriots)
12.Lachlan Edwards (Jets)
11.Riley Dixon (Giants)
10.Cameron Johnston (Eagles)
9.Rigoberto Sanchez (Colts)
8.Sam Koch (Ravens)
7.Matt Bosher (Falcons)
6.Tress Way (Redskins)
5.Michael Dickson (Seahawks)
4.Andy Lee (Cardinals)
3.Brett Kern (Titans)
2.Thomas Morstead (Saints)
1.Johnny Hekker (Rams)
Top 10 Appearances by Team (Most to Least):
New Orleans Saints-10 (Terron Armstead, Drew Brees, Jared Cook, Demario Davis, Cameron Jordan, Alvin Kamara, Will Lutz, Thomas Morstead, Ryan Ramcyzk, Michael Thomas)
Atlanta Falcons-8 (Matt Bosher, Devonta Freeman, Grady Jarrett, Deion Jones, Julio Jones, Alex Mack, Jake Matthews, Matt Ryan)
Dallas Cowboys-8 (Ezekiel Elliott, Travis Fredrick, DeMarcus Lawrence, Zach Martin, Jaylon Smith, Tyron Smith, Leighton Vander Esch)
Los Angeles Chargers-7 (Keenan Allen, Joey Bosa, Melvin Gordon, Casey Hayward, Melvin Ingram, Desmond King, Phillip Rivers)
Los Angeles Rams-7 (Aaron Donald, Todd Gurley, Johnny Hekker, Aqib Talib, Eric Weddle, Andrew Whitworth, Greg Zuerlein)
Philadelphia Eagles-7 (Brandon Brooks, Zach Brown, Fletcher Cox, Zach Ertz, Brandon Graham, Cameron Johnston, Jason Kelce)
Cleveland Browns-6 (Odell Beckham Jr., Joel Bitonio, Kareem Hunt, David Njoku, Joe Schobert, J.C. Tretter)
Indianapolis Colts-6 (Eric Ebron, T.Y. Hilton, Darius Leonard, Andrew Luck, Quenton Nelson, Rigoberto Sanchez)
Jacksonville Jaguars-6 (A.J. Bouye, Calias Campbell, Josh Lambo, Brandon Linder, Andrew Norwell, Jalen Ramsey)
New England Patriots-6 (David Andrews, Tom Brady, Stephen Gilmore, Stephen Gostkowski, Shaq Mason, Devin McCourty)
Seattle Seahawks-6 (Duane Brown, Michael Dickson, Jason Myers, Bobby Wagner, Russell Wilson, K.J. Wright)
Green Bay Packers-5 (Adrian Amos, David Bakhtiari, Kenny Clark, Corey Linsley, Aaron Rodgers)
Houston Texans-5 (Jadeveon Clowney, Kai'mi Fairbain, DeAndre Hopkins, Benardrick McKinney, J.J. Watt)
Kansas City Chiefs-5 (Tyreek Hill, Chris Jones, Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes, Mitchell Schwartz)
Tennessee Titans-5 (Kevin Byard, Jurrell Casey, Ben Jones, Brett Kern, Rodger Saffold)
Baltimore Ravens-4 (Sam Koch, Earl Thomas, Justin Tucker, Marshal Yanda)
Carolina Panthers-4 (Luke Kuechly, Christian McCaffery, Matt Paradis, Kawann Short)
Chicago Bears-4 (Kyle Fuller, Akiem Hicks, Eddie Jackson, Khalil Mack)
Detroit Lions-4 (Trey Flowers, Damon Harrison, Matt Prater, Darius Slay)
Minnesota Vikings-4 (Kirk Cousins, Kyle Rudolph, Harrison Smith, Adam Thielen)
New York Giants-4 (Saquon Barkley, Evan Engram, Aldrick Rosas, Kevin Zeitler)
New York Jets-4 (Jamal Adams, Le'Veon Bell, C.J. Mosley, Avery Williamson)
San Francisco 49ers-4 (Dee Ford, Robbie Gould, George Kittle, Joe Staley)
Arizona Cardinals-3 (David Johnson, Chandler Jones, Andy Lee)
Buffalo Bills-3 (Lorenzo Alexander, Jerry Hughes, Micah Hyde)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers-3 (Lavonte David, Mike Evans, O.J. Howard)
Washington Redskins-3 (Ryan Kerrigan, Tress Way, Trent Williams)
Denver Broncos-2 (Chris Harris Jr., Von Miller)
Oakland Raiders-2 (Antonio Brown, Rodney Hudson)
Pittsburgh Steelers-2 (David DeCastro, Ben Roethlisberger)
Cincinnati Bengals-1 (Geno Atkins)
Miami Dolphins-1 (Reshad Jones)
1.Rookies are excluded
2.Each player is judged on where they currently stand in my opinion, not the player I believe they once were, are going to be, etc.
3.Each player is listed as a member of the team they will play for in 2019.
Notes:
-Josh Gordon and Jason-Pierre Paul were excluded as a result of their potential unavailability for the duration of the 2019 season.
-As a result of his retirement, free agent safety Glover Quin has been replaced by Justin Simmons.
Quarterback:
25.Ryan Fitzpatrick (Dolphins)
24.Sam Darnold (Jets)
23.Jimmy Garoppolo (49ers)
22.Marcus Mariota (Titans)
21.Andy Dalton (Bengals)
20.Baker Mayfield (Browns)
19.Derek Carr (Raiders)
18.Jameis Winston (Buccaneers)
17.Cam Newton (Panthers)
16.Dak Prescott (Cowboys)
15.Jared Goff (Rams)
14.Deshaun Watson (Texans)
13.Nick Foles (Jaguars)
12.Matthew Stafford (Lions)
11.Carson Wentz (Eagles)
10.Kirk Cousins (Vikings)
9.Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs)
8.Matt Ryan (Falcons)
7.Ben Roethlisberger (Steelers)
6.Phillip Rivers (Chargers)
5.Andrew Luck (Colts)
4.Aaron Rodgers (Packers)
3.Russell Wilson (Seahawks)
2.Drew Brees (Saints)
1.Tom Brady (Patriots)
Running Back:
50.Ito Smith (Falcons)
49.Jay Ajayi (Free Agent)
48.Doug Martin (Raiders)
47.Peyton Barber (Buccaneers)
46.Carlos Hyde (Chiefs)
45.Jalen Richard (Raiders)
44.Theo Riddick (Lions)
43.Mike Davis (Bears)
42.Jerick McKinnon (49ers)
41.Gus Edwards (Ravens)
40.Chris Thompson (Redskins)
39.C.J. Anderson (Lions)
38.Matt Brieda (49ers)
37.LeSean McCoy (Bills)
36.Duke Johnson Jr. (Browns)
35.Dion Lewis (Titans)
34.Latavius Murray (Saints)
33.Kenyan Drake (Dolphins)
32.Dalvin Cook (Vikings)
31.Kerryon Johnson (Lions)
30.Frank Gore (Bills)
29.Tarik Cohen (Bears)
28.Austin Ekeler (Chargers)
27.Sony Michel (Patriots)
26.Aaron Jones (Packers)
25.Tevin Coleman (49ers)
24.Damien Williams (Chiefs)
23.Adrian Peterson (Redskins)
22.Marlon Mack (Colts)
21.Nick Chubb (Browns)
20.James Conner (Steelers)
19.Phillip Lindsay (Broncos)
18.James White (Patriots)
17.Leonard Fournette (Jaguars)
16.Lamar Miller (Texans)
15.Jordan Howard (Eagles)
14.Chris Carson (Seahawks)
13.Derrick Henry (Titans)
12.Mark Ingram (Ravens)
11.Joe Mixon (Bengals)
10.Le'Veon Bell (Jets)
9.Devonta Freeman (Falcons)
8.David Johnson (Cardinals)
7.Kareem Hunt (Browns)
6.Saquon Barkley (Giants)
5.Christian McCaffery (Panthers)
4.Alvin Kamara (Saints)
3.Melvin Gordon (Chargers)
2.Todd Gurley (Rams)
1.Ezekiel Elliot (Cowboys)
Wide Receiver:
50.Christian Kirk (Cardinals)
49.Demaryius Thomas (Patriots)
48.Kenny Stills (Dolphins)
47.Taylor Gabriel (Bears)
46.Mike Williams (Chargers)
45.Cole Beasley (Bills)
44.Devin Funchess (Colts)
43.Nelson Agholor (Eagles)
42.Tyrell Williams (Raiders)
41.Dede Westbrook (Jaguars)
40.Mohamed Sanu (Falcons)
39.DeSean Jackson (Eagles)
38.Robby Anderson (Jets)
37.John Brown (Bills)
36.Calvin Ridley (Falcons)
35Adam Humphries (Titans)
34.D.J. Moore (Panthers)
33.Chris Godwin (Buccaneers)
32.Sterling Shepard (Giants)
31.Corey Davis (Titans)
30.Larry Fitzgerald (Cardinals)
29.Tyler Boyd (Bengals)
28.Emmanuel Sanders (Broncos)
27.Sammy Watkins (Chiefs)
26.Kenny Golladay (Lions)
25.Tyler Lockett (Seahawks)
24.Marvin Jones Jr. (Lions)
23.Allen Robinson (Bears)
22.Golden Tate (Giants)
21.Jarvis Landry (Browns)
20.Cooper Kupp (Rams)
19.Alshon Jeffrey (Eagles)
18.Julian Edelman (Patriots)
17.A.J. Green (Bengals)
16.Robert Woods (Rams)
15.Amari Cooper (Cowboys)
14.Stefon Diggs (Vikings)
13.Brandin Cooks (Rams)
12.JuJu Smith-Schuster (Steelers)
11.Davante Adams (Packers)
10.Tyreek Hill (Chiefs)
9.Keenan Allen (Chargers)
8.Adam Thielen (Vikings)
7.T.Y. Hilton (Colts)
6.Mike Evans (Buccaneers)
5.Odell Beckham Jr. (Browns)
4.Antonio Brown (Raiders)
3.Michael Thomas (Saints)
2.Julio Jones (Falcons)
1.DeAndre Hopkins (Texans)
Tight End:
20.Hunter Henry (Chargers)
19.Chris Herndon (Jets)
18.Mark Andrews (Ravens)
17.Greg Olsen (Panthers)
16.Jordan Reed (Redskins)
15.Delanie Walker (Titans)
14.Jack Doyle (Colts)
13.Jimmy Graham (Packers)
12.Vance McDonald (Steelers)
11.Trey Burton (Bears)
10.Austin Hooper (Falcons)
9.David Njoku (Browns)
8.Kyle Rudolph (Vikings)
7.Eric Ebron (Colts)
6.Evan Engram (Giants)
5.Jared Cook (Saints)
4.O.J. Howard (Buccaneers)
3.George Kittle (49ers)
2.Zach Ertz (Eagles)
1.Travis Kelce (Chiefs)
Tackle:
30.Laremy Tunsil (Dolphins)
29.Taylor Decker (Lions)
28.Eric Fisher (Chiefs)
27.Riley Reiff (Vikings)
26.Braden Smith (Colts)
25.Mike McGlinchey (49ers)
24.Taylor Moton (Panthers)
23.Marcus Cannon (Patriots)
22.Jason Peters (Eagles)
21.Ricky Wagner (Lions)
20.Nate Solder (Giants)
19.Ronnie Stanley (Ravens)
18.Charles Leno Jr. (Bears)
17.Bryan Bulaga (Packers)
16.Rob Havenstien (Rams)
15.Russell Okung (Chargers)
14.Taylor Lewan (Titans)
13.Lane Johnson (Eagles)
12.Alejandro Villanueva (Steelers)
11.Anthony Castonzo (Colts)
10.Terron Armstead (Saints)
9.Trent Williams (Redskins)
8.Jake Matthews (Falcons)
7.Ryan Ramcyzk (Saints)
6.Mitchell Schwartz (Chiefs)
5.Duane Brown (Seahawks)
4.Joe Staley (49ers)
3.Tyron Smith (Cowboys)
2.Andrew Whitworth (Rams)
1.David Bakhtiari (Packers)
Guard:
30.Clint Boling (Bengals)
29.Quinton Spain (Bills)
28.Billy Turner (Packers)
27.Wes Schweitzer (Falcons)
26.Issac Seumalo (Eagles)
25.Lane Taylor (Packers)
24.Larry Warford (Saints)
23.Laurent Duvernay-Tardif (Chiefs)
22.Trai Turner (Panthers)
21.Mark Glowinski (Colts)
20.Will Hernandez (Giants)
19.Austin Blythe (Rams)
18.Kelechi Osemele (Jets)
17.Ronald Leary (Broncos)
16.Kyle Long (Bears)
15.Gabe Jackson (Raiders)
14.Ramon Foster (Steelers)
13.Brandon Schreff (Redskins)
12.Ali Marpet (Buccaneers)
11.Joe Thuney (Patriots)
10.Andrew Norwell (Jaguars)
9.Rodger Saffold (Titans)
8.Brandon Brooks (Eagles)
7.Quenton Nelson (Colts)
6.Joel Bitonio (Browns)
5.Kevin Zeitler (Giants)
4.Shaq Mason (Patriots)
3.David DeCastro (Steelers)
2.Marshal Yanda (Ravens)
1.Zach Martin (Cowboys)
Center:
20.Spencer Pulley (Giants)
19.Mike Pouncey (Chargers)
18.Nick Easton (Saints)
17.Matt Skura (Ravens)
16.Nick Martin (Texans)
15.Chase Roullier (Redskins)
14.Mitch Morse (Bills)
13.Ryan Kelly (Colts)
12.Maurkice Pouncey (Steelers)
11.Cody Whitehair (Bears)
10.Ben Jones (Titans)
9.Travis Fredrick (Cowboys)
8.Corey Linsley (Packers)
7.J.C. Tretter (Browns)
6.David Andrews (Patriots)
5.Matt Paradis (Panthers)
4.Brandon Linder (Jaguars)
3.Rodney Hudson (Raiders)
2.Alex Mack (Falcons)
1.Jason Kelce (Eagles)
Defensive Tackle:
30.Dalvin Tomlinson (Giants)
29.D.J. Reader (Texans)
28.Steve McClendon (Jets)
27.Mike Pennel (Patriots)
26.David Onyemata (Saints)
25.Da'Shawn Hand (Lions)
24.Malik Jackson (Eagles)
23.Sheldon Rankins (Saints)
22.Javon Hargrave (Steelers)
21.Sheldon Richardson (Browns)
20.Brandon Williams (Ravens)
19.Linval Joseph (Vikings)
18.Eddie Goldman (Bears)
17.Michael Pierce (Ravens)
16.Shelby Harris (Broncos)
15.Lawrence Guy (Patriots)
14.Marcell Dareus (Jaguars)
13.Gerald McCoy (Panthers)
12.DeForest Buckner (49ers)
11.Ndamukong Suh (Buccaneers)
10.Kawann Short (Panthers)
9.Kenny Clark (Packers)
8.Jurrell Casey (Titans)
7.Geno Atkins (Bengals)
6.Grady Jarrett (Falcons)
5.Damon Harrison (Lions)
4.Chris Jones (Chiefs)
3.Akeim Hicks (Bears)
2.Fletcher Cox (Eagles)
1.Aaron Donald (Rams)
Defensive End:
35.Marcus Davenport (Saints)
34.Jonathan Allen (Redskins)
33.Carl Lawson (Bengals)
32.Michael Brockers (Rams)
31.Alex Okafor (Chiefs)
30.Robert Quinn (Cowboys)
29.Mario Addison (Panthers)
28.Henry Anderson (Jets)
27.Ezekiel Ansah (Seahawks)
26.Shaq Lawson (Bills)
25.Jabaal Sheard (Colts)
24.Derek Wolfe (Broncos)
23.Everson Griffen (Vikings)
22.Yannick Ngakoue (Jaguars)
21.Leonard Williams (Jets)
20.Frank Clark (Chiefs)
19.Mike Daniels (Packers)
18.Carlos Dunlap (Bengals)
17.Michael Bennett (Patriots)
16.Cameron Wake (Titans)
15.Danielle Hunter (Vikings)
14.Justin Houston (Colts)
13.Olivier Vernon (Browns)
12.Myles Garrett (Browns)
11.Cameron Heyward (Steelers)
10.Dee Ford (49ers)
9.Joey Bosa (Chargers)
8.Jerry Hughes (Bills)
7.Melvin Ingram (Chargers)
6.Trey Flowers (Lions)
5.DeMarcus Lawrence (Cowboys)
4.Brandon Graham (Eagles)
3.Calias Campbell (Jaguars)
2.J.J. Watt (Texans)
1.Cameron Jordan (Saints)
Inside Linebacker:
25.Brandon Marshall (Raiders)
24.Jake Ryan (Jaguars)
23.Kwon Alexander (49ers)
22.Denzel Perryman (Chargers)
21.Elandon Roberts (Patriots)
20.Zach Cunningham (Texans)
19.Cory Littleton (Rams)
18.Eric Kendricks (Vikings)
17.Wesley Woodyard (Titans)
16.Todd Davis (Broncos)
15.Jayon Brown (Titans)
14.Blake Martinez (Packers)
13.Myles Jack (Jaguars)
12.Jordan Hicks (Cardinals)
11.Danny Trevathan (Bears)
10.Avery Williamson (Jets)
9.Joe Schobert (Browns)
8.Demario Davis (Saints)
7.Jaylon Smith (Cowboys)
6.Benardrick McKinney (Texans)
5.Zach Brown (Eagles)
4.C.J. Mosley (Jets)
3.Deion Jones (Falcons)
2.Luke Kuechly (Panthers)
1.Bobby Wagner (Seahawks)
Outside Linebacker:
35.De'Vondre Campbell (Falcons)
34.Brooks Reed (Cardinals)
33.Clay Matthews (Rams)
32.Matthew Judon (Ravens)
31.Alex Anzalone (Saints)
30.Dante Fowler Jr. (Rams)
29.Kyler Fackrell (Packers)
28.Shaquil Barrett (Buccaneers)
27.A.J Klein (Saints)
26.Sean Lee (Cowboys)
25.Aaron Lynch (Bears)
24.Whitney Mercilus (Texans)
23.Shaq Thompson (Panthers)
22.Bradley Chubb (Broncos)
21.Kyle Van Noy (Patriots)
20.Leonard Floyd (Bears)
19.Nigel Bradham (Eagles)
18.Za'darius Smith (Packers)
17.Matt Milano (Bills)
16.Anthony Barr (Vikings)
15.Terrell Suggs (Cardinals)
14.Dont'a Hightower (Patriots)
13.Thomas Davis (Chargers)
12.T.J. Watt (Steelers)
11.Preston Smith (Packers)
10.Lorenzo Alexander (Bills)
9.Darius Leonard (Colts)
8.Leighton Vander Esch (Cowboys)
7.K.J. Wright (Seahawks)
6.Ryan Kerrigan (Redskins)
5.Chandler Jones (Cardinals)
4.Lavonte David (Buccaneers)
3.Jadeveon Clowney (Texans)
2.Von Miller (Broncos)
1.Khalil Mack (Bears)
Cornerback:
50.Trae Waynes (Vikings)
49.J.C. Jackson (Patriots)
48.Quincy Wilson (Colts)
47.James Bradberry (Panthers)
46.Darqueze Dennard (Bengals)
45.Justin Coleman (Lions)
44.Robert Alford (Cardinals)
43.Bradley Roby (Texans)
42.Mike Hilton (Steelers)
41.Patrick Robinson (Saints)
40.Jaire Alexander (Packers)
39.Kenny Moore (Colts)
38.Joe Haden (Steelers)
37.Janoris Jenkins (Giants)
36.Malcolm Butler (Titans)
35.Brandon Carr (Ravens)
34.Tre'Davious White (Bills)
33.Desmond Trufant (Falcons)
32.Josh Norman (Redskins)
31.Ronald Darby (Eagles)
30.Kendall Fuller (Chiefs)
29.Adoree' Jackson (Titans)
28.Steven Nelson (Steelers)
27.William Jackson III (Bengals)
26.Trumaine Johnson (Jets)
25.Pierre Desir (Colts)
24.Denzel Ward (Browns)
23.Nickell Robey-Coleman (Rams)
22.Richard Sherman (49ers)
21.Marcus Peters (Rams)
20.Xavier Rhodes (Vikings)
19.Xavien Howard (Dolphins)
18.Marlon Humphery (Ravens)
17.Jonathan Joseph (Texans)
16.Bryce Callahan (Broncos)
15.Jason McCourty (Patriots)
14.Prince Amukamara (Bears)
13.Marshon Lattimore (Saints)
12.Kareem Jackson (Broncos)
11.Byron Jones (Cowboys)
10.Aqib Talib (Rams)
9.Kyle Fuller (Bears)
8.A.J. Bouye (Jaguars)
7.Desmond King (Chargers)
6.Darius Slay (Lions)
5.Patrick Peterson (Cardinals)
4.Jalen Ramsey (Jaguars)
3.Casey Hayward (Chargers)
2.Chris Harris Jr. (Broncos)
1.Stephon Gilmore (Patriots)
Safety:
50.Justin Simmons (Broncos)
49.Tedric Thompson (Seahawks)
48.Xavier Woods (Cowboys)
47.Clayton Geathers (Colts)
46.Justin Evans (Buccaneers)
45.George Illoka (Cowboys)
44.Morgan Burnett (Browns)
43.Eric Berry (Free Agent)
42.Sean Davis (Steelers)
41.Rodney McLeod (Eagles)
40.Antonie Bethea (Giants)
39.Eric Reid (Panthers)
38.Duron Harmon (Patriots)
37.Shawn Williams (Bengals)
36.Justin Reid (Texans)
35.Jordan Poyer (Bills)
34.Patrick Chung (Patriots)
33.Quandre Diggs (Lions)
32.Damarious Randall (Browns)
31.Karl Joseph (Raiders)
30.Vonn Bell (Saints)
29.Ricardo Allen (Falcons)
28.Bradley McDougald (Seahawks)
27.Tashaun Gibson (Texans)
26.Jabrill Peppers (Giants)
25.Malik Hooker (Colts)
24.Andrew Sendejo (Eagles)
23.Marcus Williams (Saints)
22.Jessie Bates (Bengals)
21.Keanu Neal (Falcons)
20.Marcus Maye (Jets)
19.HaHa Clinton-Dix (Bears)
18.D.J. Swearinger (Cardinals)
17.Tony Jefferson (Ravens)
16.Lamarcus Joyner (Raiders)
15.Landon Collins (Redskins)
14.Tyrann Mathieu (Chiefs)
13.Derwin James (Chargers)
12.Malcolm Jenkins (Eagles)
11.John Johnson III (Rams)
10.Reshad Jones (Dolphins)
9.Micah Hyde (Bills)
8.Adrian Amos (Packers)
7.Devin McCourty (Patriots)
6.Jamal Adams (Jets)
5.Eddie Jackson (Bears)
4.Kevin Byard (Titans)
3.Eric Weddle (Rams)
2.Earl Thomas (Ravens)
1.Harrison Smith (Vikings)
Kicker:
20.Jason Sanders (Dolphins)
19.Michael Badgley (Chargers)
18.Ryan Succop (Titans)
17.Mason Crosby (Packers)
16.Jake Elliott (Eagles)
15.Steven Hauschka (Bills)
14.Adam Vinatieri (Colts)
13.Graham Gano (Panthers)
12.Harrison Butker (Chiefs)
11.Dustin Hopkins (Redskins)
10.Kai'mi Fairbairn (Texans)
9.Jason Myers (Seahawks)
8.Josh Lambo (Jaguars)
7.Matt Prater (Lions)
6.Aldrick Rosas (Giants)
5.Will Lutz (Saints)
4.Stephen Gostkowski (Patriots)
3.Greg Zuerlein (Rams)
2.Robbie Gould (49ers)
1.Justin Tucker (Ravens)
Punter:
20.Pat O'Donnell (Bears)
19.Logan Cooke (Jaguars)
18.Dustin Colquitt (Chiefs)
17.Michael Parlardy (Panthers)
16.Sam Martin (Lions)
15.Matt Wile (Vikings)
14.Britton Colquitt (Browns)
13.Ryan Allen (Patriots)
12.Lachlan Edwards (Jets)
11.Riley Dixon (Giants)
10.Cameron Johnston (Eagles)
9.Rigoberto Sanchez (Colts)
8.Sam Koch (Ravens)
7.Matt Bosher (Falcons)
6.Tress Way (Redskins)
5.Michael Dickson (Seahawks)
4.Andy Lee (Cardinals)
3.Brett Kern (Titans)
2.Thomas Morstead (Saints)
1.Johnny Hekker (Rams)
Top 10 Appearances by Team (Most to Least):
New Orleans Saints-10 (Terron Armstead, Drew Brees, Jared Cook, Demario Davis, Cameron Jordan, Alvin Kamara, Will Lutz, Thomas Morstead, Ryan Ramcyzk, Michael Thomas)
Atlanta Falcons-8 (Matt Bosher, Devonta Freeman, Grady Jarrett, Deion Jones, Julio Jones, Alex Mack, Jake Matthews, Matt Ryan)
Dallas Cowboys-8 (Ezekiel Elliott, Travis Fredrick, DeMarcus Lawrence, Zach Martin, Jaylon Smith, Tyron Smith, Leighton Vander Esch)
Los Angeles Chargers-7 (Keenan Allen, Joey Bosa, Melvin Gordon, Casey Hayward, Melvin Ingram, Desmond King, Phillip Rivers)
Los Angeles Rams-7 (Aaron Donald, Todd Gurley, Johnny Hekker, Aqib Talib, Eric Weddle, Andrew Whitworth, Greg Zuerlein)
Philadelphia Eagles-7 (Brandon Brooks, Zach Brown, Fletcher Cox, Zach Ertz, Brandon Graham, Cameron Johnston, Jason Kelce)
Cleveland Browns-6 (Odell Beckham Jr., Joel Bitonio, Kareem Hunt, David Njoku, Joe Schobert, J.C. Tretter)
Indianapolis Colts-6 (Eric Ebron, T.Y. Hilton, Darius Leonard, Andrew Luck, Quenton Nelson, Rigoberto Sanchez)
Jacksonville Jaguars-6 (A.J. Bouye, Calias Campbell, Josh Lambo, Brandon Linder, Andrew Norwell, Jalen Ramsey)
New England Patriots-6 (David Andrews, Tom Brady, Stephen Gilmore, Stephen Gostkowski, Shaq Mason, Devin McCourty)
Seattle Seahawks-6 (Duane Brown, Michael Dickson, Jason Myers, Bobby Wagner, Russell Wilson, K.J. Wright)
Green Bay Packers-5 (Adrian Amos, David Bakhtiari, Kenny Clark, Corey Linsley, Aaron Rodgers)
Houston Texans-5 (Jadeveon Clowney, Kai'mi Fairbain, DeAndre Hopkins, Benardrick McKinney, J.J. Watt)
Kansas City Chiefs-5 (Tyreek Hill, Chris Jones, Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes, Mitchell Schwartz)
Tennessee Titans-5 (Kevin Byard, Jurrell Casey, Ben Jones, Brett Kern, Rodger Saffold)
Baltimore Ravens-4 (Sam Koch, Earl Thomas, Justin Tucker, Marshal Yanda)
Carolina Panthers-4 (Luke Kuechly, Christian McCaffery, Matt Paradis, Kawann Short)
Chicago Bears-4 (Kyle Fuller, Akiem Hicks, Eddie Jackson, Khalil Mack)
Detroit Lions-4 (Trey Flowers, Damon Harrison, Matt Prater, Darius Slay)
Minnesota Vikings-4 (Kirk Cousins, Kyle Rudolph, Harrison Smith, Adam Thielen)
New York Giants-4 (Saquon Barkley, Evan Engram, Aldrick Rosas, Kevin Zeitler)
New York Jets-4 (Jamal Adams, Le'Veon Bell, C.J. Mosley, Avery Williamson)
San Francisco 49ers-4 (Dee Ford, Robbie Gould, George Kittle, Joe Staley)
Arizona Cardinals-3 (David Johnson, Chandler Jones, Andy Lee)
Buffalo Bills-3 (Lorenzo Alexander, Jerry Hughes, Micah Hyde)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers-3 (Lavonte David, Mike Evans, O.J. Howard)
Washington Redskins-3 (Ryan Kerrigan, Tress Way, Trent Williams)
Denver Broncos-2 (Chris Harris Jr., Von Miller)
Oakland Raiders-2 (Antonio Brown, Rodney Hudson)
Pittsburgh Steelers-2 (David DeCastro, Ben Roethlisberger)
Cincinnati Bengals-1 (Geno Atkins)
Miami Dolphins-1 (Reshad Jones)
Monday, July 8, 2019
Movie Review: Spider-Man: Far from Home
(Warning: If you care about what happened in "Avengers: Endgame" and for some reason haven't seen it yet, don't read any further because this review addresses some massive spoilers that are integral to the basic plot of "Spider-Man: Far from Home".)
It's the dawn of a new era for the MCU. Three of the founding members of the Avengers are dead following the events of Endgame- which means someone's going to have to fill the leadership void left by the fallen. Naturally, the first person to get a crack at being one of the new focal points of the most powerful superhero team in the galaxy is a 16-year old high school student from New York City. Like its protagonist, Spider-Man: Far from Home alternates between major triumphs and disheartening growing pains as this mega franchise begins its daunting transition into the next wave of movies.
A raising of the stakes for the teenage webslinger was inevitable after the universe-altering events of the last two entries in the Avengers saga. Peter Parker has been involved in intergalactic missions where the fate of all living things were in jeopardy and now the person he turned to for guidance whenever he had a question about being a superhero has passed away, so making another relatively low-key movie about a bumbling teenager trying to thwart neighborhood crime wouldn't have made a lot of sense.
However, this transition to a bigger scale ends up feeling far too abrupt and the unnatural acceleration of Parker's maturation process as a hero doesn't mesh with how this iteration of Spider-Man has handled the character to-date. Is Parker still making boneheaded mistakes and dealing with trivial issues that his colleagues in The Avengers simply don't have to deal with in the present? Of course. The problem is that those signature awkward high school character dilemmas get overshadowed by a pretty routine "stop massive world domination plot"-which strips the series of its distinct, goofy identity and causes Far from Home to blend in with the merely good movies Marvel churned out with regularity from 2011-2016. Spider-Man's status as an eager, bumbling kid made him stand out and forcing the character to rapidly mature undermines some of the good the MCU has done with their take on the character.
Of course, this transition in tone also could've been smoother if Kevin Feige had tapped someone else other than Jon Watts to oversee this "grown-up" version of Spider-Man. Watts didn't do a great job handling the more elaborate setpieces on Homecoming, and scaling back the humor only further exposes his deficiencies as a director. He treats all of the superhero plot points like a series of stale interludes that were mandated by the studio and while notably better than the "two flying objects repeatedly crashing into each other from afar" trash that dominated Homecoming, still struggles to construct memorable, coherent action scenes. When Parker questions his ability to handle the huge responsibilities of being a globetrotting superhero, it feels like a natural reaction. When the director responsible for bringing his story to life lacks the confidence and enthusiasm to embrace the new direction the series is heading in, it's a detriment that bogs down the effectiveness of the entire production.
Sadly, delving into a lot of the positives of Far from Home outside of the continued success of Holland as Spider-Man and Jacob Batalon as Parker's best friend Ned is damn near impossible to do without disclosing huge spoilers. What I can say is that Jake Gyllenhaal does an absolutely fantastic job as Mysterio, adding JB Smoove to the cast as a paranoid teacher that's chaperoning Parker's class trip to Europe was genius and the barrage of twists that emerge as the story unfolds are not only clever, but have some interesting long-term ramifications for the MCU. Even with those impressive performances and cool left turns, it's still hard for me to not view Far from Home as a solid yet somewhat bumpy start to the post-Endgame worldbuilding. There's a terrific primary cast here and a lot of the quieter character/more humorous moments work very well, these Spider-Man flicks just need a director that can combine the coming-of-age and superhero elements into a more cohesive package before Parker can turn into the clubhouse leader that both the real-and-fictional shot callers believe he can blossom into.
A raising of the stakes for the teenage webslinger was inevitable after the universe-altering events of the last two entries in the Avengers saga. Peter Parker has been involved in intergalactic missions where the fate of all living things were in jeopardy and now the person he turned to for guidance whenever he had a question about being a superhero has passed away, so making another relatively low-key movie about a bumbling teenager trying to thwart neighborhood crime wouldn't have made a lot of sense.
However, this transition to a bigger scale ends up feeling far too abrupt and the unnatural acceleration of Parker's maturation process as a hero doesn't mesh with how this iteration of Spider-Man has handled the character to-date. Is Parker still making boneheaded mistakes and dealing with trivial issues that his colleagues in The Avengers simply don't have to deal with in the present? Of course. The problem is that those signature awkward high school character dilemmas get overshadowed by a pretty routine "stop massive world domination plot"-which strips the series of its distinct, goofy identity and causes Far from Home to blend in with the merely good movies Marvel churned out with regularity from 2011-2016. Spider-Man's status as an eager, bumbling kid made him stand out and forcing the character to rapidly mature undermines some of the good the MCU has done with their take on the character.
Of course, this transition in tone also could've been smoother if Kevin Feige had tapped someone else other than Jon Watts to oversee this "grown-up" version of Spider-Man. Watts didn't do a great job handling the more elaborate setpieces on Homecoming, and scaling back the humor only further exposes his deficiencies as a director. He treats all of the superhero plot points like a series of stale interludes that were mandated by the studio and while notably better than the "two flying objects repeatedly crashing into each other from afar" trash that dominated Homecoming, still struggles to construct memorable, coherent action scenes. When Parker questions his ability to handle the huge responsibilities of being a globetrotting superhero, it feels like a natural reaction. When the director responsible for bringing his story to life lacks the confidence and enthusiasm to embrace the new direction the series is heading in, it's a detriment that bogs down the effectiveness of the entire production.
Sadly, delving into a lot of the positives of Far from Home outside of the continued success of Holland as Spider-Man and Jacob Batalon as Parker's best friend Ned is damn near impossible to do without disclosing huge spoilers. What I can say is that Jake Gyllenhaal does an absolutely fantastic job as Mysterio, adding JB Smoove to the cast as a paranoid teacher that's chaperoning Parker's class trip to Europe was genius and the barrage of twists that emerge as the story unfolds are not only clever, but have some interesting long-term ramifications for the MCU. Even with those impressive performances and cool left turns, it's still hard for me to not view Far from Home as a solid yet somewhat bumpy start to the post-Endgame worldbuilding. There's a terrific primary cast here and a lot of the quieter character/more humorous moments work very well, these Spider-Man flicks just need a director that can combine the coming-of-age and superhero elements into a more cohesive package before Parker can turn into the clubhouse leader that both the real-and-fictional shot callers believe he can blossom into.
Grade: B
Friday, July 5, 2019
2019 NFL Position Rankings: Top 20 Punters
20.Pat O'Donnell (Bears)
19.Logan Cooke (Jaguars)
18.Dustin Colquitt (Chiefs)
17.Michael Parlardy (Panthers)
16.Sam Martin (Lions)
15.Matt Wile (Vikings)
14.Britton Colquitt (Browns)
13.Ryan Allen (Patriots)
12.Lachlan Edwards (Jets)
11.Riley Dixon (Giants)
10.Cameron Johnston (Eagles)
9.Rigoberto Sanchez (Colts)
8.Sam Koch (Ravens)
7.Matt Bosher (Falcons)
6.Tress Way (Redskins)
5.Michael Dickson (Seahawks)
4.Andy Lee (Cardinals)
3.Brett Kern (Titans)
2.Thomas Morstead (Saints)
1.Johnny Hekker (Rams)
19.Logan Cooke (Jaguars)
18.Dustin Colquitt (Chiefs)
17.Michael Parlardy (Panthers)
16.Sam Martin (Lions)
15.Matt Wile (Vikings)
14.Britton Colquitt (Browns)
13.Ryan Allen (Patriots)
12.Lachlan Edwards (Jets)
11.Riley Dixon (Giants)
10.Cameron Johnston (Eagles)
9.Rigoberto Sanchez (Colts)
8.Sam Koch (Ravens)
7.Matt Bosher (Falcons)
6.Tress Way (Redskins)
5.Michael Dickson (Seahawks)
4.Andy Lee (Cardinals)
3.Brett Kern (Titans)
2.Thomas Morstead (Saints)
1.Johnny Hekker (Rams)
Wednesday, July 3, 2019
2019 in Music: Mid-Year Review
Man, has 2019 been an odd musical journey for me so f. Artists that I had long written off (Whitechapel, Children of Bodom, Born of Osiris),have put out records that rank among the best of their careers, favorites of mine ended long-standing hot streaks by releasing underwhelming projects (Fallujah, Future, ScHoolboy Q) and Billy Ray "Achy Breaky Heart" Cyrus is a featured artist on a smash hit country rap song that I am somehow still delighted by despite its insane overexposure. Things have gotten slightly more normal over the past couple months with acts like Allegeaon, Denzel Curry and Thank You Scientist continuing to build upon the excellence they've displayed in recent years with superb new releases, but there's still been enough oddity abound to not completely disrupt that underlying weirdness. While I wait to see whether or not this sense of strangeness develops into a year-long trend, here's a full list of every LP and EP I've heard so far in 2019 ranked from worst to best (w/grades and favorite tracks) as well as a handful of mid-year superlatives. Enjoy!
EP's:
5.Drake-The Best in the World Pack (C) (Favorite Track: "Money in the Grave")
4.Future-Save Me (C+) (Favorite Track: "Government Official")
3.Lil Nas X-7 (B) (Favorite Track: "Rodeo")
2.Kevin Abstract-ARIZONA baby (B) (Favorite Track: "Joyride")
1.$ucideboy$ and Travis Barker-LIVE FAST DIE WHENEVER (B) (Favorite Track: "nothingleftnothingleft")
LP's:
39.ScHoolboy Q-CrasH Talk (D+) (Favorite Track: "Floating")
38.Yelawolf-Trunk Muzik 3 (C) (Favorite Track: "Trunk Muzik Intro")
37.PUP-Morbid Stuff (C) (Favorite Track: "Kids")
36.Pile-Green and Gray (C) (Favorite Track: "On a Bigger Screen")
35.Sharon Van Etten-Remind Me Tomorrow (C+) (Favorite Track: "Seventeen")
34.Vampire Weekend-Father of the Bride (C+) (Favorite Track: "Bambina")
33.Secret Band-LP2 (C+) (Favorite Track: "Black Dolphin")
32.Future-The WZRD (B-) (Favorite Track: "Unicorn Purp")
31.Wristmeetsrazor-Misery Never Forgets (B-) (Favorite Track: "Come on In, the Water's Pink")
30.Offset-FATHER OF 4 (B-) (Favorite Track: "Clout")
29.Kevin Abstract-ARIZONA BABY (B-) (Favorite Track: "Boyer")
28.Fallujah-Undying Light (B-) (Favorite Track: "Eyes Like the Sun")
27.DaBaby-Baby on Baby (B) (Favorite Track: "Goin Baby")
26.Amon Amarth-Berserker (B) (Favorite Track: "When Once Again We Can Set Out Sails")
25.While She Sleeps-SO WHAT? (B) (Favorite Track: "Elephant")
24.Injury Reserve-Injury Reserve (B) (Favorite Track: "Jailbreak the Tesla")
23.Rico Nasty and Kenny Beats-Anger Management (B) (Favorite Track: "Cold")
22.Hozier-Wasteland, Baby! (B) (Favorite Track: "No Plan")
21.Megan thee Stallion-Fever (B) (Favorite Track: "Money Good")
20.Weyes Blood-Titanic Rising (B) (Favorite Track: "Andromeda")
19.Carly Rae Jepsen-Dedicated (B) (Favorite Track: "Happy Not Knowing")
18.After the Burial-Evergreen (B) (Favorite Track: "The Great Repeat")
17.Moon Tooth-Crux (B) (Favorite Track: "Musketeers")
16.Billie Eilish-When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (B) (Favorite Track: "bad guy")
15.Born of Osiris-The Simulation (B) (Favorite Track: "Cycles of Tragedy")
14.Lil Pump-Harverd Dropout (B) (Favorite Track: "Nu Uh")
13.Venom Prison-Samsara (B) (Favorite Track: "Uterine Industrialization")
12.Ariana Grande-thank u, next (B) (Favorite Track: "bloodline")
11.Freddie Gibbs & Madlib-Bandana (B) (Favorite Track: "Palmolive")
10.Critical Defiance-Misconception (B+) (Favorite Track: "Pursuit of Chaos")
9.Itacha-The Language of Injury (B+) (Favorite Track: "Slow Negative Order")
8.2 Chainz-Rap or Go to the League (B+) (Favorite Track: "Whip")
7.Periphery-Periphery IV: HAIL STAN (B+) (Favorite Track: "Garden in the Bones")
6.Anderson. Paak-Ventura (B+) (Favorite Track: "Jet Black")
5.Children of Bodom-Hexed (A-) (Favorite Track: "Kick in a Spleen")
4.Whitechapel-The Valley (A-) (Favorite Track: "When a Demon Defiles a Witch")
3.Thank You Scientist-Terraformer (A-) (Favorite Track: "Swarm")
2.Denzel Curry-ZUU (A-) (Favorite Track: "Birdz")
1.Allegaeon-Apoptosis (A) (Favorite Track: "Metaphobia")
Top 50 Songs of the Year (in no particular order):
2 Chainz-Rule the World (feat. Ariana Grande)
2 Chainz-Whip (feat. Travis Scott)
Allegaeon-Exothermic Chemical Combustion
Allegaeon-Extremophiles (B)
Allegaeon-Metaphobia
Allegaeon-The Secular Age
Allegaeon-Tsunami and Submergence
Anderson. Paak-Chosen One (feat. Sonyae Elise)
Anderson. Paak-Come Home (feat. Andre 3000)
Anderson. Paak-Jet Black (feat. Brandy)
Anderson. Paak-Reachin' 2 Much (feat. Lalah Hathaway)
Ariana Grande-bad idea
Ariana Grande-bloodline
Banks-Gimme
Billie Eilish-bad guy
Billie Eilish-my strange addiction
Born of Osiris-Cycles of Tragedy
Children of Bodom-Kick in a Spleen
Children of Bodom-Relapse (The Nature of My Crime)
Children of Bodom-Under Grass and Clover
Critical Defiance-Pursuit of Chaos
Dance Gavin Dance-Head Hunter
Denzel Curry-BIRDZ (feat. Rick Ross)
Denzel Curry-Bulls on Parade (Rage Against the Machine cover)
Denzel Curry-P.A.T. (feat. PlayThatBoiZay)
Denzel Curry-RICKY
Denzel Curry-WISH (feat.Kiddo Marv)
Freddie Gibbs & Madlib-Half Manne Half Cocaine
Freddie Gibbs & Madlib-Palmolive (feat. Killer Mike and Pusha T)
Halsey-Nightmare
Hozier-No Plan
Itacha-Slow Negative Order
Kevin Abstract-Boyer
Kevin Abstract-Joyride
Lana Del Rey-Doin' Time (Sublime cover)
Lil Nas X-Old Town (Remix) (feat. Billy Ray Cyrus)
Lil Pump-Nuh Uh
Periphery-CHVRCH BURNER
Periphery-Garden in the Bones
Periphery-Reptile
Thank You Scientist-Everyday Ghosts
Thank You Scientist-Son of a Serpent
Thank You Scientist-Swarm
Thank You Scientist-Terraformer
Trippie Redd-Under Enemy Arms
Venom Prison-Uterine Industrialization
Weyes Blood-Andromeda
Whitechapel-Doom Woods
Whitechapel-Hickory Creek
Whitechapel-When a Demon Defiles a Witch
Mid-Year Awards:
Biggest Surprise (tie): Whitechapel-The Valley/Children of Bodom-Hexed
Biggest Letdown: Fallujah-Undying Light
Most Underrated Album: Lil Pump-Harverd Dropout
Most Overrated Album: PUP-Morbid Stuff
Top Discovery: Ithaca
Most Inexplicably Half-Assed Release by a Member of Black Hippy: ScHoolboy Q-CrasH Talk
Album I'm Most Excited to Hear in the Second Half of 2019: Lana Del Rey-Norman Fucking Rockwell
EP's:
5.Drake-The Best in the World Pack (C) (Favorite Track: "Money in the Grave")
4.Future-Save Me (C+) (Favorite Track: "Government Official")
3.Lil Nas X-7 (B) (Favorite Track: "Rodeo")
2.Kevin Abstract-ARIZONA baby (B) (Favorite Track: "Joyride")
1.$ucideboy$ and Travis Barker-LIVE FAST DIE WHENEVER (B) (Favorite Track: "nothingleftnothingleft")
LP's:
39.ScHoolboy Q-CrasH Talk (D+) (Favorite Track: "Floating")
38.Yelawolf-Trunk Muzik 3 (C) (Favorite Track: "Trunk Muzik Intro")
37.PUP-Morbid Stuff (C) (Favorite Track: "Kids")
36.Pile-Green and Gray (C) (Favorite Track: "On a Bigger Screen")
35.Sharon Van Etten-Remind Me Tomorrow (C+) (Favorite Track: "Seventeen")
34.Vampire Weekend-Father of the Bride (C+) (Favorite Track: "Bambina")
33.Secret Band-LP2 (C+) (Favorite Track: "Black Dolphin")
32.Future-The WZRD (B-) (Favorite Track: "Unicorn Purp")
31.Wristmeetsrazor-Misery Never Forgets (B-) (Favorite Track: "Come on In, the Water's Pink")
30.Offset-FATHER OF 4 (B-) (Favorite Track: "Clout")
29.Kevin Abstract-ARIZONA BABY (B-) (Favorite Track: "Boyer")
28.Fallujah-Undying Light (B-) (Favorite Track: "Eyes Like the Sun")
27.DaBaby-Baby on Baby (B) (Favorite Track: "Goin Baby")
26.Amon Amarth-Berserker (B) (Favorite Track: "When Once Again We Can Set Out Sails")
25.While She Sleeps-SO WHAT? (B) (Favorite Track: "Elephant")
24.Injury Reserve-Injury Reserve (B) (Favorite Track: "Jailbreak the Tesla")
23.Rico Nasty and Kenny Beats-Anger Management (B) (Favorite Track: "Cold")
22.Hozier-Wasteland, Baby! (B) (Favorite Track: "No Plan")
21.Megan thee Stallion-Fever (B) (Favorite Track: "Money Good")
20.Weyes Blood-Titanic Rising (B) (Favorite Track: "Andromeda")
19.Carly Rae Jepsen-Dedicated (B) (Favorite Track: "Happy Not Knowing")
18.After the Burial-Evergreen (B) (Favorite Track: "The Great Repeat")
17.Moon Tooth-Crux (B) (Favorite Track: "Musketeers")
16.Billie Eilish-When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (B) (Favorite Track: "bad guy")
15.Born of Osiris-The Simulation (B) (Favorite Track: "Cycles of Tragedy")
14.Lil Pump-Harverd Dropout (B) (Favorite Track: "Nu Uh")
13.Venom Prison-Samsara (B) (Favorite Track: "Uterine Industrialization")
12.Ariana Grande-thank u, next (B) (Favorite Track: "bloodline")
11.Freddie Gibbs & Madlib-Bandana (B) (Favorite Track: "Palmolive")
10.Critical Defiance-Misconception (B+) (Favorite Track: "Pursuit of Chaos")
9.Itacha-The Language of Injury (B+) (Favorite Track: "Slow Negative Order")
8.2 Chainz-Rap or Go to the League (B+) (Favorite Track: "Whip")
7.Periphery-Periphery IV: HAIL STAN (B+) (Favorite Track: "Garden in the Bones")
6.Anderson. Paak-Ventura (B+) (Favorite Track: "Jet Black")
5.Children of Bodom-Hexed (A-) (Favorite Track: "Kick in a Spleen")
4.Whitechapel-The Valley (A-) (Favorite Track: "When a Demon Defiles a Witch")
3.Thank You Scientist-Terraformer (A-) (Favorite Track: "Swarm")
2.Denzel Curry-ZUU (A-) (Favorite Track: "Birdz")
1.Allegaeon-Apoptosis (A) (Favorite Track: "Metaphobia")
Top 50 Songs of the Year (in no particular order):
2 Chainz-Rule the World (feat. Ariana Grande)
2 Chainz-Whip (feat. Travis Scott)
Allegaeon-Exothermic Chemical Combustion
Allegaeon-Extremophiles (B)
Allegaeon-Metaphobia
Allegaeon-The Secular Age
Allegaeon-Tsunami and Submergence
Anderson. Paak-Chosen One (feat. Sonyae Elise)
Anderson. Paak-Come Home (feat. Andre 3000)
Anderson. Paak-Jet Black (feat. Brandy)
Anderson. Paak-Reachin' 2 Much (feat. Lalah Hathaway)
Ariana Grande-bad idea
Ariana Grande-bloodline
Banks-Gimme
Billie Eilish-bad guy
Billie Eilish-my strange addiction
Born of Osiris-Cycles of Tragedy
Children of Bodom-Kick in a Spleen
Children of Bodom-Relapse (The Nature of My Crime)
Children of Bodom-Under Grass and Clover
Critical Defiance-Pursuit of Chaos
Dance Gavin Dance-Head Hunter
Denzel Curry-BIRDZ (feat. Rick Ross)
Denzel Curry-Bulls on Parade (Rage Against the Machine cover)
Denzel Curry-P.A.T. (feat. PlayThatBoiZay)
Denzel Curry-RICKY
Denzel Curry-WISH (feat.Kiddo Marv)
Freddie Gibbs & Madlib-Half Manne Half Cocaine
Freddie Gibbs & Madlib-Palmolive (feat. Killer Mike and Pusha T)
Halsey-Nightmare
Hozier-No Plan
Itacha-Slow Negative Order
Kevin Abstract-Boyer
Kevin Abstract-Joyride
Lana Del Rey-Doin' Time (Sublime cover)
Lil Nas X-Old Town (Remix) (feat. Billy Ray Cyrus)
Lil Pump-Nuh Uh
Periphery-CHVRCH BURNER
Periphery-Garden in the Bones
Periphery-Reptile
Thank You Scientist-Everyday Ghosts
Thank You Scientist-Son of a Serpent
Thank You Scientist-Swarm
Thank You Scientist-Terraformer
Trippie Redd-Under Enemy Arms
Venom Prison-Uterine Industrialization
Weyes Blood-Andromeda
Whitechapel-Doom Woods
Whitechapel-Hickory Creek
Whitechapel-When a Demon Defiles a Witch
Mid-Year Awards:
Biggest Surprise (tie): Whitechapel-The Valley/Children of Bodom-Hexed
Biggest Letdown: Fallujah-Undying Light
Most Underrated Album: Lil Pump-Harverd Dropout
Most Overrated Album: PUP-Morbid Stuff
Top Discovery: Ithaca
Most Inexplicably Half-Assed Release by a Member of Black Hippy: ScHoolboy Q-CrasH Talk
Album I'm Most Excited to Hear in the Second Half of 2019: Lana Del Rey-Norman Fucking Rockwell
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