Jackie Chan Ranked

Welcome to "Ranked", a weekly series where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best and hand out assorted related superlatives. This week, I'm profiling the work of Jackie Chan-whose latest project "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem" is in theaters tomorrow.  

Jackie Chan's Filmography Ranked:

18.The Tuxedo (D-)

17.The Medallion (D)

16.The Foreigner (D+) 

15.Drunken Master (C-)

14.The Forbidden Kingdom (C)

13.The Lego Ninjago Movie (B-)

12.Mulan (B-)

11.Shanghai Knights (B-)

10.Rumble in the Bronx (B-)

9.Rush Hour 3 (B)

8.Kung Fu Panda 3 (B)

7.Police Story (B)

6.Kung Fu Panda 2 (B)

5.Mr. Nice Guy (B)

4.Shanghai Noon (B)

3.Rush Hour 2 (B+)

2.Kung Fu Panda (B+)

1.Rush Hour (B+)

Top Dog: Rush Hour (1998)

Has it aged well? Not exactly! However, Rush Hour still manages to be a very entertaining, influential action comedy that features one of the great "forced" buddy pairings (Chan, Christ Tucker) in cinema history and goofy, high-energy action scenes that bring an American sense of chaos to its Hong Kong-inspired martial arts.     

Bottom Feeder: The Tuxedo (2002)

Once Chan established a real footing in American cinema following the success of Shanghai Noon and the Rush Hour films, the offers to appear in some real pieces of garbage started rolling in. From the duds he decided to appear in, the supreme stink of The Tuxedo really stands out. The Tuxedo is in some special company alongside such classics as The Master of Disguise and The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas of movies that were so dumb, dull and unfunny that I despised them when I was a kid.      

Most Underrated: Mr. Nice Guy (1997)

Mr. Nice Guy has all of the awe-inspiring fight choreography/stuntwork and slapstick humor of Chan's best projects paired with a sub 90-minute runtime that ensures that the fun stuff that is prioritized over getting overly bogged down with developing a silly story that is designed to be second to the fights and jokes anyways.     

Most Overrated: The Foreigner (2017)

Kudos to Chan for breaking away from his mold in the States by making something dramatic and still being able to move well in the fight scenes in his early-60's, but The Foreigner is a huge swing-and-miss. Whatever brief jolts of excitement come from the action are constantly overshadowed by an incoherent mess of a plot that's centered around an increasingly absurd government conspiracy and some brutally slow pacing that stops the movie dead in its tracks whenever it threatens to get exciting.   

LaKeith Stanfield Ranked

Welcome to "Ranked", a weekly series where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best and hand out assorted related superlatives. This week, I'm profiling the work of LaKeith Stanfield-whose latest project "Haunted Mansion" releases in theaters tomorrow.  

LaKeith Stanfield's Filmography Ranked:

18.Sorry to Bother You (D)

17.The Incredible Jessica James (C)

16.Miles Ahead (C)

15.Someone Great (C+)

14.Crown Heights (C+)

13.The Girl in the Spider's Web (B)

12.The Purge: Anarchy (B)

11.Snowden (B)

10.The Photograph (B+)

9.Knives Out (B+)

8.The Harder They Fall (A-)

7.Selma (A-)

6.Dope (A)

5.Straight Outta Compton (A)

4.Short Term 12 (A)

3.Judas and the Black Messiah (A)

2.Uncut Gems (A)

1.Get Out (A)

Top Dog: Get Out (2017)

After making a pretty great career himself for in the world of acting/sketch comedy, Jordan Peele wasted no time announcing himself as a special filmmaking talent with one of the most assured and masterful directorial debuts in the history of cinema. Courtesy of a tone that perfectly mixes hilarious satire with disturbing psychological horror and a group of actors that knew exactly what notes they needed to hit to make this balancing act, Get Out ends up a smart, wildly entertaining mediation on race relations in the United States and the current face that racism has taken on in this country (well maybe not totally current, since Nazis, the KKK and other blatant hate groups have become a LOT more prevalent again since this was made).    

Bottom Feeder: Sorry to Bother You (2018)

In terms of recent attempts at satire that I've seen, this just might be the worst of the bunch. Boots Riley demonstrates that he was coming into this whole making movies things from another creative medium by making something that is so eager to take shots at so many of America's ills (capitalism, corporate  greed, cultural appropriation, people of color acting/speaking differently to make white people more comfortable with their presence, violence in media) at the same time that it never develops a cohesive message and boasts such an awkward, stiff comedic rhythm that almost none of its jokes land. 

Most Underrated: Short Term 12 (2013)

Years before Brie Larson, Rami Malek, Destin Daniel Cretton, Kaitlyn Dever, Stephanie Beatriz and Stanfield were winning awards and getting the chance to be in or direct blockbusters, they were cutting their teeth on a tiny indie drama that never really received much fan fare outside of the Grand Jury Prize at South by Southwest. Short Term 12 is one of those intimate DIY films that beautifully tackles a tough subject matter (the plot focuses on a woman in her mid-20's who manages a group home for troubled teenagers who is forced to reckon with the suppressed demons from her childhood when she bonds with a new resident whose history of self-harm and neglect/abuse from a parent are eerily similar to her own) by treating it with honesty and empathy. Bringing a combination of grace, care and authenticity to every aspect of the film is precisely why so many people from this project are doing big things in Hollywood today.       

Most Overrated: Sorry to Bother You (2018)

As I outlined above, I feel that Sorry to Bother You wastes a bunch of gifted actors (Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Steven Yeun, Danny Glover, Jermaine Fowler, Omari Hardwick, Terry Crews, Kate Berlant David Cross, Lily James, Forest Whitaker, Rosario Dawson) on a brutally unfunny mess of a movie that tries to say/do far too much in under 2 hours.   

2023 NFL Preview: AFC East

Buffalo Bills

2023 Record: 13-3 (1st in AFC East)

Head Coach: Sean McDermott (7th season)

Notable Additions: DE Leonard Floyd, RB Damien Harris, G Connor McGovern

Notable Departures:  ILB Tremaine Edmunds, RB Devin Singletary, G Greg Van Roten

Biggest Reason for Excitement: A Deeper, More Dynamic Running Back Committee  

Last season was somewhat revelatory for the Bills offense as they started to find a running game that went beyond having Josh Allen use his monstrous size to bowl over unsuspecting DB's/LB's on broken plays and QB draws. Shockingly,  they actually ended up being the 7th ranked rushing offense in the league despite ranking basically right in the middle in attempts (15th to be exact) thanks to rookie James Cook averaging 5.7 YDS her carry in his change-of-pace role, Devin Singletary managing a solid 4.6 YDS per touch as the lead back for the 2nd straight season and Allen managing 6.1 YDS per carry on his 124 rushing attempts.

Despite Singletary exiting for Houston in free agency and not having a natural pass-catcher in their ranks now that Nyhiem Hines is done for the year after being involved in a freak accident where he was struck by a jet ski while sitting idly on his own jet ski, this group could be in even better shape this season. Damien Harris gives them a tough power runner with a pretty strong track record as a goal-line back whose effectiveness the Bills are quite familiar with as they had some real difficulty containing him during his time with the Patriots and even at the advanced RB age of 33, Latavius Murray continues to be a pretty productive north/south runner who slots in great as part of a constantly-rotating committee. Pairing two brute forces who can wear down opposing defenses with a home run-hitting speedster in Cook gives the Bills the ability to unleash a more balanced, dynamic rushing attack that could be very difficult for opposing defenses to slow down or predict. 

Biggest Reason for Concern: Their Playoff Failures Over The Past Seasons Snowballing Into Something Bigger That Hurts Them Long-Term

Over the past 5 seasons, the AFC representatives in the Super Bowl have been the New England Patriots, Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs (3x). Despite all of the buzz surrounding the team based on their regular season success and the sheer volume of splashy players they have on their roster, the Bills just haven't been able to make it to the promised land yet. 2022 was supposed to be their year after the entire organization complained so much about their "unfair" overtime loss to the Chiefs in the 2021 Divisional Round-in which they played of some of the most hilariously inept situational defense that you'll ever see in the final 2 possessions that allowed the Chiefs to tie and eventually win the game-that they successfully lobbied to change the playoff overtime rules to guarantee each team gets a possession, but they got massacred by the Bengals in the Divisional Round a week after barely holding off the Skylar Thompson-led Dolphins in the Wild Card round, so they definitely couldn't pin their early exit on the rules this time around.

After 3 straight playoff exits where the common denominator was poor execution when it mattered most, the pressure is on the Bills to deliver on the lofty expectations they've earned since Allen solidified himself as a franchise QB in 2019. With camp on the horizon, the early signs that this will be the season where they come together aren't encouraging. As you may recall, one of the most striking images from the Bills loss to the Bengals was Stefon Diggs trying to rally the troops after they had a brutal start on both sides of the ball. His efforts were all for naught as the team continued to hang their hands in shame and got steamrolled for the remainder of the game. Diggs' frustration from that playoff no-show has clearly not disappeared as he's made several vague but pointed public criticisms where he questioned the heart of his team on social media and even skipped out on the mandatory OTA's in the spring over an issue with the team that "wasn't contract-related". If someone that's as vital to the success of this team as Diggs is doesn't believe in this team, that could be hugely detrimental. 

What does that say about the leadership of the team if Diggs doesn't believe they care enough about winning? Will that cause Josh Allen, Micah Hyde, Jordan Poyer, Tre'Davious White, Matt Milano and Dion Dawkins to also not believe they can't? (Von Miller won't waiver in his belief in this team because he's a pro's pro, but his steady hand might not be enough if things get out of control). And what if Diggs start to loaf on the field? Are Gabe Davis, Khalil Shakir, Dawson Knox, free agent pickup Trent Sherfield and rookie Dalton Kincald strong enough as a group to make up for his contributions? This is a team on the ropes and if they don't get it together, they won't even come closing to sniffing a Super Bowl appearance.                

Key to Reaching Their Ceiling: Sean McDermott Seamlessly Returning to Having Sole Responsibility for the Defense

Longtime DC Leslie Frazier taking a leave of absence from coaching has been such a non-story this offseason that most people outside of Upstate New York probably don't even know about it. Since Frazier is currently only expected to be away from the Bills from the season, McDermott decided to just scheme/call the defense himself. This makes complete sense since McDermott was likely already involved in the game-planning and back during his time as a DC with the Eagles and Panthers, consistently fielded some of the best defenses in the league. 

Interim DC McDermott will certainly have his work cut out for him. Not only does he have to shake the rust off as he takes on primary defensive playcalling/gameplanning responsibilities for the 1st time since 2016, he has to try and fix some issues with a defense that isn't nearly as potent as their 2nd place finish in scoring defense a year ago would suggest. Their passing defense ranked 15th last year and they're effectively running it back (Tre'Davious White, Kaiir Elam and Taron Johnson at corner, Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer at safety )-except Hyde is now 32 going on 33 and coming off a massive neck injury that kept him for the final 4 months of the 2022 season and Taylor Rapp was brought in to patrol the box as a 3rd safety/serve as a potential injury replacement if/when Poyer gets dinged up for a few games. Their pass-rush that cratered once Von Miller went down with a torn ACL on Thanksgiving Day only brought in Leonard Floyd-who famously has only really excelled when playing next to elite talent while with the Bears and Rams, Poona Ford-who is a respectable yet not overly consistent interior pass-rusher that has never gotten more than 3 sacks in a season and Shane Ray-the oft-injured yet intermittently promising 2015 1st round pick of the Broncos who is attempting an NFL comeback after spending the past 2 seasons playing for the CFL's Toronto Argonauts- as reinforcements tasked with helping keep this ship afloat as Miller remains out indefinitely as he continues to rehab his knee at age 34. And last but certainly not least, Terrel Bernard-who logged 1 start and relatively infrequent playing time as a rookie-will have a lot on his plate as he steps into the starting inside linebacker role vacated by Tremaine Edmunds-who was quietly very good last season. Based on his X and O's knowledge and track record of getting the most out of every player that worked their way into the lineup, the McDermott of old would almost certainly fix all of these problems in short order. If the nuances of the gig return to him after many years of not having to engage with them, present day McDermott should do a fine job too.         

Bottom Line:

While they're too talented to completely write-off, the mounting pressure surrounding them after yet another ugly playoff exit along with some deceptively big question marks surrounding their defense could mean that a bit of a regression is imminent. 

Miami Dolphins

2023 Record: 9-8 (2nd in AFC East)

Head Coach: Mike McDaniel (2nd season)

Notable Additions: CB Jalen Ramsey, ILB David Long Jr., QB Mike White

Notable Departures: TE Mike Gesicki, CB Byron Jones, WR Trent Sherfield

Biggest Reason for Excitement: Hiring Vic Fangio as their Defensive Coordinator

Josh Boyer-a holdover from Brian Flores' staff-was fired as Dolphins DC in mid-January after a group that he once had in the top 10 in the league fell all the way down to the bottom half of the league in a number of important categories (24th in scoring defense, 26th in passing yards allowed, 30th in 3rd down defense, tied for 29th in takeaways) in 2022. Fair or not, when you underperform as a coordinator, you're likely to get fired-especially when the current head coach wasn't the one that hired you. Mike McDaniel had his eyes on a big fish (no pun intended) to replace Boyer and he was able to reel him in. The fish in question is none other than Vic Fangio. 

In terms of impact coaching hires this offseason, this has the potential to be the biggest of all.  During his 3 most recent stops with the 49ers, Bears and Broncos, Fangio was able to come in and radically transform the identity of their defenses overnight. He has this combination of knowing where to place guys in his scheme, a system that is aggressive and physical without being undisciplined or dumb and a level of respect for his players that encourages them to buy-in into his system that is just special. Considering this group's mix of established veteran talent (Christian Wilkins, Xavien Howard, Bradley Chubb, Jerome Baker, Emmanuel Ogbah, offseason pickups Jalen Ramsey and David Long Jr.) and promising young guys (Jaelan Phillips, Jevon Holland, Kader Kohou) who should really benefit from his coaching, this could prove to be an easier renaissance project than any of his other recent stops.    

Biggest Reason for Concern: Tua Tagovailoa's Health

This is much more of an off-the-field concern than an on-the-field one. New backup Mike White has what it takes to adequately run their offense-which relies on getting the ball into the hands of Tyreek Hill or Jaylen Waddle in the short-to-intermediate passing game, not turning the ball over and the occasional RPO-without torpedoing the team if Tua Tagovailoa gets hurt. What happened to Tua last year was the most vivid example of the horrors that can occur when a head injury is sustained in football that we've seen in recent years. Opening himself up to more head trauma after (seemingly) suffering 3 concussions in about 3 months last season is a scary risk that's being powered by his love of the game. Let's hope for the sake of him and his family that his love of the game doesn't leave him with a permanent brain injury or worse.      

Key to Reaching Their Ceiling:  Their Defense Matching Their Offense

After last season, everybody knows what kind of magic this Dolphins offense is capable of. Hill and Waddle have the speed to burn people deep and the shiftiness to pick up YAC in a crowd or in the open field-which makes them among the most uniquely explosive playmaking receivers in the league, Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. are the types of backs that will rip off an 80-YD TD run when you least expect it and longtime Kyle Shanahan assistant Mike McDaniel proved in his 1st year on the job that his reputation in league circles as one of the brightest offensive minds in the league was well-earned. If Dalvin Cook makes his way to South Beach before the start of the season or rookie Devon Achane proves himself to be an explosive playmaker out of the backfield the way that he was at Texas A&M, they could be even scarier in 2023.

The secret to this team going from the bottom of the Wild Card Race to the top of the hierarchy lies in their ability to keep points off the board, not put them on. Between the Bengals, Chiefs, Chargers, Ravens, Jaguars, the 3 teams in their division and some wild card option that will emerge out of nowhere during the season, there is a silly amount of offensive firepower in the AFC right now. Their difficulties in coverage and getting off the field on 3rd down killed them just as much as their QB injuries did last season and that's precisely why they brought in Fangio, Ramsey and Long Jr. to spearhead their defensive overhaul. How successful these efforts are will determine just how far they go when the games start to really matter and the teams who can make stops late pull out the wins more often than not.      

Bottom Line:

If Tua can stay healthy and Fangio can radically and rapidly transform the defense like he has in his previous 3 jobs, the Dolphins should immediately work their way into the top-tier of AFC contenders. 

New England Patriots

2023 Record: 8-9 (3rd in AFC East)

Head Coach: Bill Belichick (24th season)

Notable Additions: WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, TE Mike Gesicki, T Riley Reiff

Notable Departures: S Devin McCourty (retired), WR Jakobi Meyers, RB Damien Harris

Biggest Reason for Excitement: They're Going to Be Running an NFL Offense!

Bad news high school football coaches: You won't see an offense that looks like the one you run on Sundays anymore. After an awful season full of universal criticism from the talking heads on ESPN all the way down to the locker room at 1 Patriot Place and the strong likelihood of Robert Kraft forcing his hand, Bill Belichick removed his old friend Matt Patricia from his offensive coordinator post. We'll always have that cool Marcus Jones TD run against the Bills Matt.

 Replacing Patricia is Bill O'Brien-who is wait for it... an offensive coach by trade!!!! Look at Belichick thinking outside of the box and hiring a guy who is actually qualified for the job. O'Brien previously served as Pats OC after Josh McDaniels departed to coach the Broncos in 2009 and served in the role for 3 years before leaving to become the Penn State HC in 2012. Much can be made of O'Brien's middle-of-the-pack offenses during his stint with the Texans and all of the backlash he got at Alabama for "ruining" their offense over the past 2 seasons, but he runs a system that most of the players on this offense are familiar with and had success with under McDaniels in 2021, which is great news for all parties involved.

The other portion of the Patricia exit that deserves to be celebrated/pointed out more is that he also served as offensive line coach last season. While their play never imploded quite like the broader offense did, it became apparent pretty quickly that veteran center David Andrews and assistant offensive line coach Billy Yates-who will return to the post this season-were doing more of the coaching than Patricia was on a weekly basis. Patricia is being replaced by Adrian Klemm-who ironically was part of Belichick's inaugural Patriots draft class in 200. Klemm rehabbed his reputation with a strong campaign at the University of Oregon last year that earned him interest from several NFL teams after getting dumped by the Steelers following just 1 season as their offensive line coach. What went wrong with the Steelers in 2021 is definitely cause for some concern, but again, he at least understands the position far better than Patricia did and should be able to get their rookie depth pieces (Sidy Sow, Jake Andrews, Atonio Malfi) acclimated to the pros and give 2022 1st round pick Cole Strange the coaching he failed to receive during his rough rookie campaign.        

Biggest Reason for Concern: Not Having the Talent to Keep Up with the Powerhouse in Their Division 

Up here in Massachusetts, fans and sports media people have been lusting over DeAndre Hopkins and Dalvin Cook for months now. There's such a profound lack of sexiness among their offensive arsenal right now that people will entertain any available big name in the hopes of adding some sizzle to their ranks. While expecting Hopkins and Cook to be offense-changing gamebreakers at this stage of his career isn't exactly the most reasonable thing in the world, Pats fans are right to want more talent for their team given their current status as a middler that is too talented to tank, but not good enough to contend with the big dogs.

 Their receiving corps is in flux yet again as they're relying on Kendrick Bourne to bounce back from an awful 2022 campaign where he barley saw the field and inside/outside threat JuJu Smith-Schuster-who is coming off a nice bounceback campaign with the Chiefs last season, but missed the entire mandatory offseason program due to an injury he suffered in the spring and has yet to workout with Mac Jones-to seamlessly replace the unexciting but always reliable Jakobi Meyers-who had a terrific rapport with Jones, DeVante Parker to be a #2 WR despite the increasingly hard time he's having with separating from defensive backs and asking 2022 2nd round pick Tyquan Thornton to really do anything at all after a rookie campaign where he cleared 37 YDS just once and caught just 2 TD's in 13 games played. The famously slightly above average Mike Gesicki will be slotting into the 2nd tight end role alongside Hunter Henry that was vacated by failed free agent signing/money laundering God Jonnu Smith-which feels like an O'Brien move since he recruited the kid to Penn State, but left for the Texans before he could coach him and the kid doesn't meet the Belichick standards for tight end since he was arguably the worst blocker at the position in the league right up until the moment this morning that it was announced that Jimmy Graham was attempting to make a comeback with the Saints. Even the offensive line is kind of shaky since they're seemingly relying on the famously unreliable Trent Brown to lock down the left tackle spot and newly-signed, pretty unremarkable vets Riley Reiff and Calvin Anderson to provide the reliable presence on the right side that they lacked for much of last year. Rhamondre Stevenson is the closest thing they have to a star right now and he's an old-school power back that needs to come off the field in most passing situations and barely cleared 1,000 rushing YDS last season. Now, imagine you're a Pats fan putting this group next to the Chiefs, Bengals or any of the other teams in the division and try not to feel immediately deflated and sick. 

Their defense isn't immune to these question marks either. In a division that boasts Diggs, Hill, Waddle and Wilson among its WR ranks, do the Patriots have a guy that's capable of covering a top WR (rookie Christian Gonzalez has the physical tools and a strong track record as a top corner in college, but not every rookie corner can be Sauce Gardner or Patrick Surtain II and seamlessly handle any assignment thrown at them right away)? Is their front 7 athletic enough to handle the speed of the modern NFL? Can a raw rookie in Keion White step up and contribute right away as a pass-rusher if Matthew Judon, Josh Uche or Deatrich Wise Jr gets hurt? They have the toughest schedule in the league on paper this season, so we should have a pretty good idea of whether they're talented enough to compete when it's all said and done.     

Key to Reaching Their Ceiling: Mac Jones Getting Back on Track

After a promising rookie campaign, Jones spent his sophomore season playing with an arm tied behind his back as he had to deal with the ineptitude of Patricia calling the plays and installing an offense that was completely unlike the one he ran under McDaniels in 2021. Fortunately, he'll be returning to the system that made him the most productive rookie QB in football during 2021 now that O'Brien is running the offense. During that season, Jones was pretty consistently comfortable in the pocket, quick with his decisions and accurate everywhere except deep downfield. That's the player he was billed to be coming out of Alabama and that's the player that he can be for 10+ years in the pros if he's in an offense that plays to those strengths. If re-implementing a system that's proven it works for him can get Jones back to the level of competence, the Patriots should be able to improve on their 7-10 campaign from a year ago with relative ease.       

Bottom Line:

As great as Bill O'Brien's presence will be there for the functionality of their entire operation, the Patriots don't appear to have the offensive talent to compete in the toughest division in an increasingly competitive conference.  

New York Jets

2023 Record: 7-10 (4th in AFC East)

Head Coach: Robert Saleh (3rd season)

Notable Additions: QB Aaron Rodgers, WR Allen Lazard, S Adrian Amos

Notable Departures: DT Sheldon Rankins, QB Mike White, S Lamarcus Joyner

Biggest Reason for Excitement: Aaron Rodgers

The Jets were a quarterback away from making playoffs last year. To be completely honestly, they probably could've made the playoffs if Breece Hall-who was downright lethal when he was on the field (681 scrimmage YDS, 5 total TD's and 5.8 YPC in only 7 games) and Alijah Vera-Tucker and Max Mitchell didn't get hurt. Their defense was the best in the league by a wide margin and they just needed to get 17-20 points per game to win most weeks and more often that not, that was too damn much to ask out of offenses led by Mike White and Zach Wilson-who looked completely lost and unqualified to start nearly every time he stepped back to throw-that had horrid offense line play and no running game to speak of once Hall went down.

Given the pressure the organization is feeling to win now given how loaded most of their roster is and just how alarmingly terrible Wilson has been over the past 2 years, the Jets went out and landed Aaron Rodgers via trade in April. Considering what the Jets have dealt with at this position of late, Rodgers' arrival feels like a godsend. Not only is the guy a real quarterback, he's a future Hall-of-Famer with a room full of MVP trophies and some of the most staggering natural ability the league has ever seen at the position. They went from a busted-up sedan to a sports car that may have a ton of miles, but can still win a damn race at the most important position in the sport. When you factor in that they'll have the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year Garrett Wilson, a potential dual-threat star RB in Hall and an ascending pass-catching TE in Tyler Conklin alongside him, it's hard not to get excited about what having Rodgers could mean for the team.  

Biggest Reason for Concern: The Offensive Line

Offensive line has been a house of horrors of late for the Jets. 2020 1st round pick Mekhi Becton has had his entire career derailed by injuries, everybody, the majority of the guys they've signed in free agency of late have underwhelmed big time (Laken Tomlinson, Duane Brown, George Fant-who wasn't re-signed after his contract expired at the end of last season) and young bright spots like Alijah Vera-Tucker and Max Mitchell both missed extensive time with massive injuries last season. So what did the Jets do to solve this potentially crippling problem this offseason? Well, not much at all. 

They were angling to draft a new anchor at left tackle given that Becton is entering the final year of his rookie deal this season, 2022 starter Brown is turning 38 at the end of August and they lacked the necessary cap space to make a run at top available players such as Orlando Brown Jr and Mike McGlinchey in free agency. 

On draft night, a truly absurd scenario unfolded that promptly thwarted this plan. After swapping first round picks with the Packers in the Rodgers trade, the Jets slid back from #13 to #15. Sitting at #14 happened to be #1 Jets hater Bill Belichick-who gladly jumped at the opportunity to trade back in order to allow the tackle-needy Steelers to jump ahead of them and select University of Georgia tackle Broderick Jones-who was widely believed to be the last "elite" tackle prospect available. GM Joe Douglas clearly wasn't a fan of top remaining tackle Anton Harrison-who ended up being selected by the Jaguars at #27-and ended up pivoting to the luxury selection of edge rusher Will McDonald IV instead. 

Their addressing of the o-line came with their next two picks in the Draft in the form of center/guard Joe Tippmann and tackle Carter Warren and through some post-Draft free agent dumpster diving pickups in tackles Billy Turner and Yodney Cajuste. Tippmann is a high-floor prospect who was among the best and most durable interior lineman in football during his time at Wisconsin, but the other guys don't seem likely to play much this season as Warren is a super raw athlete who hasn't figured out the nuances of the position quite yet, Turner is a below average journeyman with no real standout traits beyond his inside/outside versatility who happens to be on his 3rd team in the past 3 years and Cajuste is somebody who struggled to get onto field with the Patriots over the past 4 seasons until a slew of injuries forced their hand over the past 2 seasons and when he played, he was shaky at best.

After all the dust has settled, their current projected starting lineup is Brown (left tackle), Vera-Tucker (left guard), Tippmann (center), Tomlinson (right guard) and Becton (right tackle). That group-particularly at tackle-is awfully shaky to be tasked with protecting a 39-old QB. Durability is a massive concern for Becton as he's played in only 1 game since December 2020, trotting out Brown at left tackle after all of the beatdowns he took last year just seems like an unnecessary bad idea when a 2nd year player in Mitchell who flashed at right tackle last season is currently sitting on the bench and Tomlinson struggled so mightily last season out of nowhere that it wouldn't be absurd to question whether or not he's in the early stages of a career-killing tailspin. Rodgers lived a pretty charmed existence with the quality of his offensive lines during his time in Green Bay, even in recent years when they had some relatively rough patches with David Bakhtiari on the shelf ,and dealing with a group that is so unsettled could really break his spirit, or worse, one of his bones.      

Key to Reaching Their Ceiling: An Engaged Aaron Rodgers

As he hurdles towards his 40th birthday in December, it would be hard to argue that Rodgers has showed his age yet. Sure, 2022 was a down year for him after his back-to-back MVP seasons in 2020 and 2021, but he still played perfectly solid, respectable football as the Packers fell just shy of the final NFC Wild Card spot following their Week 18 loss to the Lions. Will Rodgers suddenly undergo a massive physical decline this season? Not likely as he didn't get hurt last year and was throwing with the ball with plenty of zip and touch throughout the year. However, he is the kind of guy that could decide to turn on the old autopilot now that the end of his career is on the horizon. Rodgers has made an obscene amount of money that will get considerably larger if the 2024 option on the deal he signed last season is triggered that will pay him up to $50 million and his dedication to winning is uh, questionable-especially in recent years as he seems more interested in discussing conspiracy theories, doing psychedelic drugs and darkness retreats than playing football.  

Now, there is one reason to believe that Rodgers could go in the complete opposite direction and put together an elite season: The powerful force of pettiness. Rodgers loves drama and acting like he's being persecuted and he could absolutely find a way to spin his public demand to be traded from the Packers as this great revenge tale where he gets back at the team that did him wrong, which is particularly hard to believe since his new team gave him the "control" over who he wanted to play with that they allegedly refused him for all of these years and all he did with it was bring over some of his buddies from Green Bay (Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, Adrian Amos). Manufactured or not, that motivation could be strong enough to power him to another MVP-caliber season and if that happens, look out because the Jets might actually be able to get back to the AFC Championship Game before Rodgers does his signature playoff disappearing act.             

Bottom Line:

Despite all the signs pointing to the Jets being serious contenders this year, I refuse to take the cheese on them. High expectations and Aaron Rodgers entering his age 40 season in a hostile media market alongside a mostly super young roster and hardo coach who will get shitcanned if they underachieve feels like the makings of yet another tragic Jets season.

Predicted Standings:

1.Miami Dolphins (13-4) 

2.Buffalo Bills (11-6)

3.New England Patriots (9-8)

4.New York Jets (7-10)

2023 NFL Preview Series is Coming

Training Camp starts for all 32 NFL teams this week, which means it's time for me to begin the 2023 edition of my annual NFL Preview Series. Here's what the tentative schedule looks like for this year as of now:

This Week: AFC East  

Next Week: NFC East

Week of August 7th: AFC North, NFC North

Week of August 14th: AFC South

Week of August 21st: NFC South

Week of August 28th: AFC West

Week of September 4th: NFC West

Spewing takes about NFL teams at this time of year is always a treat for me as it means football is almost back and I hope you have as much fun reading these silly musings as I do writing them. Now, I'm off to write some words about the Bills, Dolphins, Patriots and Jets that will ideally be live tomorrow. Talk to you soon folks

Chris Maitland 

Whacky Double Features

Barbenheimer is finally upon us as many brave souls out there head to see Barbie and Oppenheimer in theaters on the same day this weekend. In the spirit of this momentous occasion that will probably be the last piece of good news the movie business receives until the studios are forced to stop being greedy, idiotic clowns who have no respect for the people that allow their executives to pull down such obscene salaries and bring an end to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes by paying these creatives what their worth among other things, I decided to compile a list of some of my favorite double features consisting of two radically different films that I've done over the years. It should be noted that many of them of are very recent as the majority of the double features that I've done in my life have been since I became an AMC Stubs A-List member in October 2018. Hope you enjoy this quick goofy ode to clashing double features and if you're partaking in Barbenheimer, good luck to you and have fun.

The List:

Red Dawn/Silver Linings Playbook

I, Frankenstein/Her* (This is a bit of a cheat as I spent about 8 hours at the theater on this day as my friend was working there at the time and also saw significant portions of Hunger Games: Catching Fire and American Hustle as a result of being there for so long, but these were the 2 films I saw from start to finish on that day.) 

The Hateful Eight/Daddy's Home 

Blade Runner 2049/Happy Death Day

Ant-Man and the Wasp/Sorry to Bother You

The Kid Who Would Be King/Serenity

Captain Marvel/Climax (My personal favorite. Immediately going from the formulaic safety of an MCU movie to the deeply disturbing psychedelic's grime of a Gaspar Noe from is just beautiful.) 

Child's Play/Toy Story 4 

Bombshell/Jumanji: The Next Level  

Space Jam: A New Legacy/Pig

Don't Breathe 2/Free Guy

Venom: Let There Be Carnage/Titane  

The Last Duel/Halloween Kills

Spencer/Ron's Gone Wrong

Ghostbusters: Afterlife/C'mon C'mon

The Worst Person in the World/Moonfall

Three Thousand Years of Longing/Barbarian    

Halloween Ends/TAR

Black Adam/Till  

Armageddon Time/Ticket to Paradise

She Said/The Menu  

M3GAN/Women Talking

Knock at the Cabin/Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

Kandahar/You Hurt My Feelings

Robert Downey Jr. Ranked

Welcome to "Ranked", a weekly series where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best and hand assorted related superlatives. This week, I'm profiling the work of Robert Downey Jr.-whose latest project "Oppenheimer" releases in theaters today.

Robert Downey Jr.'s Filmography Ranked:

22.Back to School (D)

21.Avengers: Age of Ultron (D+)

20.Good Night, and Good Luck (C)

19.Iron Man 2 (C+)

18.The Judge (C+)

17.Natural Born Killers (C+)

16.Bowfinger (B-)

15.Charlie Bartlett (B-)

14.Captain America: Civil War (B)

13.Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (B)

12.Due Date (B)

11.Chef (B)

10.Zodiac (B)

9.Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (B+)

8.Spider-Man: Homecoming (B+)

7.The Avengers (B+)

6.Sherlock Holmes (B+)

5.Avengers: Endgame (A-)

4.Tropic Thunder (A-)

3.Iron Man 3 (A)

2.Iron Man (A)

1.Avengers: Infinity War (A)

Top Dog: Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

The further removed from the release of Avengers: Infinity War we get, the more impressive of an accomplishment it becomes. Its the most urgent, high-stakes and downbeat movie Marvel has ever put out and no matter what direction these films head in the future, they're going to have a hard time replicating or matching what made this a singularly great entry in the franchise.  

Bottom Feeder: Back to School (1986)

I'd never seen a movie where Rodney Dangerfield was asked to pull the comedic weight by himself until Back to School and oh boy, was this a rough look for him. Dangerfield is effectively just doing a stiffer version of his stand-up bits for 90 minutes as Thornton Melon, a hard-partying clothing store tycoon who decides to join his son (Keith Gordon) at college after he suddenly separates from his second wife (Adrienne Barbeau) after catching her cheating at their anniversary party. Its a brutally unfunny, deeply grating performance that reinforces why he should've kept his wisecracking loser schtick on a stage. 

Most Underrated: Iron Man 3 (2013)

The distance between this and the original Iron Man is miniscule. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if rewatches of both films caused the order to be switched. What Shane Black did here was take a sledgehammer to the MCU formula by making a deeply funny, emotional character study about Tony Stark finally confronting his demons and mortality after the events of The Avengers. On top of the service it does to Stark as a character, its deeply inspired approach to crafting/developing its villains (Ben Kingsley, Guy Pearce) that more than makes up for the abysmal ones that populated Iron Man 2 while also introducing a fascinating hero/villain dynamic that makes the second half of the movie particularly riveting.      

Most Overrated: Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

The man himself recently trashed Age of Ultron in an interview with The New York Times Magazine and let's just say Mr. Downey, I agree with you completely! This convoluted bore isn't just the easily the worst MCU project Downey Jr. appeared in, it remains the worst thing Kevin Feige and co. have ushered into the world thus far (although Quantumania did come damn close to topping it).  

Movie Review: Mission-Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One

The Tom Cruise Blockbuster Complex is on the summertime theatrical menu for the 2nd consecutive summer and folks, the mad lad has done it again. Mission: Impossible-Dead Reckoning Part One continues to roll out the franchise's later-era formula of hurling insane practical stunts, frenetic pacing and a tone that is both playful without meta and suspenseful to the point where it starts to almost feel like a thriller/horror movie at points and it once again yields some really tremendous results. 

So what did Cruise do to risk his life for the sake of his craft? Plenty! In terms of sheer danger involved, nothing tops the motorcycle cliff jump into a skydive that Paramount has wisely based their marketing around for the past year. Seeing the entire sequence in the completed film really emphasizes just how completely fucking insane it was to even attempt, let alone execute and the shot of Hunt freefalling before he pulls the parachute delivers the type of raw adrenaline and clear and present danger that only the wildest stunts in the world can provide.  

When it comes to the broader setpieces involving other members of the cast (which are more important if you ask me), the top highlights are a massive car chase in Rome where Hunt and Hayley Atwell's Grace are forced to drive and perform multiple vehicle switches while hand-cuffed together and an unpredictable, lengthy footchase through the Abu Dhabi International Airport. The Rome sequence is laced with humor, massive vehicular/property destruction and some of the most exceptional stunt driving you'll ever see on screen while the Abu Dhabi scene is an electric sequence that masterfully builds an escalating sense of tension through switching between a half-dozen parties, constantly introducing new elements that throw them out of rhythm and seeing how each of them adapts on-the-fly in order to try and work out their objective. Its in scenes like this where the creativity and desire to entertain an audience that drives the partnership between Cruise and McQuarrie shines brightest and demonstrates precisely why they've been able to become so simpatico over the past decade of making movies together.      

While I don't exactly buy Cruise and co-writer/director Christopher McQuarrie's insistence that the characters are what makes these movies special, they did do an excellent job of bringing in new actors to join their traveling action circus here. Atwell makes for a great addition to the well-established team of rogue spies (Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson) that aid Cruise's Ethan Hunt as an endlessly charming virtuoso thief/pickpocket who isn't quite prepared for the constant threats of danger that rule the high-stakes espionage world she's entering, Esai Morales is a properly elusive, intimidating ghost-like presence as the mysterious Gabriel that has a powerful connection to Hunt's past and Pom Klementieff gives the film's most endearing performance as Paris-a nearly-silent French assassin that shadows Gabriel who expertly communicates her rage, maniacal glee and sorrow through facial expressions and body language. Finding actors that can play off or counterbalance the stern intensity Cruise isn't easy to do, but this trio joins Rhames, Pegg and Ferguson as part of the small group that has the resolve and skill to pull that daunting assignment off.   

A breathtakingly silly plot about all of the world's power players fighting over a key that would provide them control over a sentient AI system known as "The Entity" that is capable of dismantling or altering any computer system in the world that feels like yet another attempt by Cruise to position himself as the only person in the world that's capable of destroying the film industry's reliance on digital effects/streaming algorithms, some blandly-choreographed hand-to-hand fight scenes that make use of the most puzzling shot selections/editing choices of any action movie since last summer's The Gray Man and the big finale set on a speeding train in the Austrian Alps that might be the single weakest setpiece in a recent Mission movie simply on the grounds of it being far more CGI-driven than what we typically see in this franchise dings Dead Reckoning Part One enough where it's not able to rise to the level of Fallout. Still, it's a relentlessly thrilling, top-tier entry in this series that does a terrific job of selling the joys of the theatrical experience to any non-believers that may exist out there and teasing a second half that could very well prove to be the grandest, most action-packed installment yet.   

Grade: B+
 

Movie Review: The Out-Laws

After Adam Sandler solidified himself as a huge comedy star with his career-defining run of Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, The Waterboy, The Wedding Singer and Big Daddy from 1995-99, he had earned the creative juice and the $$$ to start his own production company called Happy Madison. Anybody that's seen a film led by Sandler himself or his best buds David Spade, Rob Schneider and Kevin James over the past 20+ years has seen their title card featuring a golf ball smashing into glass before a man (Sandler's father Stanley) holding a golf club appears and says "Terrific!" a couple dozen times, which gives the company more name recognition than just about any other production house in Hollywood. It's kind of remarkable that Happy Madison has been able to endure for so long because quite frankly, their movies just aren't very well-liked. 

Pulling up the Happy Madison filmography provides a cliff notes answer to the regularly asked question of "Why did the quality of Adam Sandler's movies take a nosedive after the 90's ended?". Whether it was through bad instincts, a desire to help out his friends who weren't finding much work elsewhere, not caring as much about the product due to his success or some combination of the three, Sandler was choosing to back projects that were varying degrees of bad nearly every time he took something on. After a string of particularly hurtful bombs in Jack & Jill, That's My Boy and Pixels in the early-to-mid-2010's, Sandler made history in the worst possible way as Happy Madison became the first production company to enter a lucrative agreement with the then-ascending streaming giant Netflix. The Netflix pact has effectively rewarded Happy Madison for their questionable project selction as each and every film of theirs shoots to the top of their most watched movie charts for 7-20 days before they fade into the obscurity purgatory that the service's algorithm banishes every project to after its initial release. Action comedy The Out-Laws from director Tyler Spindel (Father of the Year, The Wrong Missy)-who has seemingly become the go-to director for any of Happy Madison's non-Sandler-led projects-continues the company's proud tradition of just hurling any project onto a screen without any real regard for its quality

The plot outline of The Out-Laws reads like a sitcom setup that just happens to have been turned into an R-rated feature film. Owen Browning (Adam DeVine) is a meek bank manager whose blissfully vanilla life with his wife-to-be Parker (Nina Dobrev) is disrupted when her reclusive parents (Pierce Brosnan, Ellen Barkin)-who Owen has never met before-agree to come to the wedding mere days before it happens and promptly show up on the engaged couple's doorstep. Making this situation even worse, Owen's bank gets robbed 2 days after their arrival and after a conversation with a federal agent (Michael Rooker), it's revealed that Parker's parents are actually a prolific bank robbing duo known as "The Ghost Bandits". Awkward! Owen is now forced to walk on eggshells as he attempts to avoid derail his nuptials by keeping this troublesome revelation to himself. Suffice to say, he fails miserably and what ensues in the days following takes him way out of his comfort zone and may change him as a person forever.    

When it comes to execution, The Out-Laws has little on its mind other than getting from start to finish in the safest possible way. Far too much of the attempts at humor come from situations where the badass criminal parents are hurling insults at and toying with their dweeby future son-in-law (both before and after he's forced to come work with them) and there isn't more than a couple of funny zingers that come from it. The action sequences mostly centered around 70-year olds Brosnan and Barkin are filled with frantic, choppy editing to cover up the stunt performers that handled just about everything outside of the stationary gun-shooting for them. And perhaps worst of all, DeVine, Dobrev, Brosnan and Barkin don't appear to be particularly concerned whether the movie is working or not as they give these straight-down-the-middle, clock-punching performances and are easily outshined every single time they share a scene with someone from outside of the top of the call sheet who actually takes pride in pulling their comedic weight.  

The Out-Laws is never bad enough to be painful nor good enough to be meaningfully funny or engaging, which leaves it in the dreaded dead zone of instantly forgettable mediocrity.  The cast-which also includes Poorna Jagannathan, Julie Hagerty, Richard Kind, Lil Rel Howrey, Blake Anderson and Lauren Lapkus aka the people who are responsible for over 90% of the comedic moments that work here-are better than this type of shit. The stunt team headed up by Chris O'Hara and Jimmy Chhiu are better than this type of shit. Even Sandler and his producing team could be better than this shit despite their lengthy track record to the contrary. The lone constant in the always rapidly evolving world of comedy is an unwavering dedication to the difficult art of trying to make an audience laugh and as long as Happy Madison continues to churn out efforts that are are completely devoid of passion and commitment, they're going to continue to make movies like The Out-Laws that will be forgotten in far less time than they took to conceive and complete.  

 Grade: C             

I Think You Should Leave Season 3 Sketches Ranked

Season 3 of I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson debuted on May 30th and with it, came another round of absurd sketches, colorfully-named characters and memes that have reached millions of people that haven't even seen the show. After a few run-throughs of all 6 episodes, I'm now comfortable sharing my rankings for this season's sketches. As always with these rankings, it needs to be noted that this order is fluid as this show's brand of comedy regularly reveals new layers to the jokes and their deliveries on re-watch (the current rankings got shaken up pretty considerably just last night after I ripped through episodes #1-3 again). Enjoy the list and be sure to head over to thedrivingcrooner.com to find more information on the business opportunity of a lifetime.   

26.Don Bondarley: King of the Dirty Songs (Episode 6)

25.Dog Hair (Episode 3)

24.Friend Group (Episode 4)

23.Danny Green's Photo Wall of Metal Motto Search (Episode 6)

22.Shirt Brothers (Episode 4)

21.Gelutol (Episode 4)

20.HR Seminar (Episode 6)

19.Rat Mom (Episode 3)

18.Sounds Like a Volcano (Episode 5)

17.Ponytail (Episode 2)

16.Tasty Time Vids (Episode 6)

15.Team Building Workshop (Episode 1)

14.Don't Talk About Your Kids (Episode 5)

13.Egg Game (Episode 2)

12.Barley Tonight (Episode 1)

11.Pacific Proposal Park (Episode 4)

10.Street Sets (Episode 1)

9.Sitcom Taping (Episode 2)

8.VR Grocery Shopping (Episode 2)

7.Pay It Forward (Episode 3)

6.ABX Heart Monitor (Episode 3)

5.Jellybean (Episode 3)

4.Summer Loving/Summer Loving: Farewell (Episodes 1 and 4)

3.The Driving Crooner (Episode 1)

2.Darmine Doggy Door (Episode 2)

1.Wedding Photo Booth (Episode 5)

Movie Review: Joy Ride

 

Clearly positioning itself as a pure summer hangout buddy comedy with a prime post-July 4th release date, Joy Ride does its job well. The directorial debut from veteran screenwriter/producer Adele Lim (Crazy Rich Asians, Raya and the Last Dragon) tells the story of Seattle-area lawyer Audrey Sullivan (Ashley Park) who travels to China with her lifelong best friend Lolo (Sherry Cola) and Lolo's socially awkward cousin who goes by the name Deadeye (Sabrina Wu) as she attempts to secure a major client (Ronny Chieng) for her firm-which if successful, would land her a promotion to partner. After the initial meeting with her client goes sideways in a hurry, Lolo, Deadeye and her college roommate (Stephanie Hsu)-who is now a Chinese soap opera star-convince Audrey-who was adopted by an American couple (David Denman, Annie Mumolo) as a child-to seek out her birth mother in China to help close the prospective deal as the client is a family-driven person. 

This "4 friends journeying across China" narrative provides many opportunities for comedic situations to arise and often times for the screenwriting duo of Cherry Chevapravatdumrong (Family Guy, The Orville) and Teresa Hsiao (Family Guy, Awakafina is Nora From Queens), that means going straight to the gutter. Joy Ride is as brazenly fearless in it its delivery of gross-out/sexual humor as any movie the genre has produced in recent years and all of the leads along with the revolving door of supporting players (Chieng, Meredith Hagner, Chris Pang, Alexander Hodge, Lori Tann Chinn, a retired 2x NBA All-Star playing himself whose appearance got a huge reaction out of me and me alone at my screening) that show up during their trip that roll with the punches without even thinking twice. There's a sense that everyone involved-particularly the Asian cast members-figured this could be their only shot to do something like this and just committed to being unapologetically vulgar and having a great time doing it. When you belong to a racial group that is often categorized as the meek, submissive "model minority", I'd imagine getting the chance to show you're capable of being just as wild and obscene as anybody else has to be liberating and cathartic .   

When Joy Ride steps away from the buzzy highs of its crude comedy and the warm friendship dynamic between Park, Cola, Hsu and Wu, it runs into a bit of trouble. It's a bit too reliant on its bigger, grosser bits to produce laughs as the other scenes rarely hit the highs of those moments (the lone exception is a scene where Deadeye is playing a card game with a kid where Wu solidifies their standing as the movie's MVP) and while Audrey eventually gets a nice sense of closure, the dramatic conflict is too abruptly introduced and resolved to have the intended heartstring-tugging effect. Despite its comedic and narrative hiccups, Joy Ride is still plenty funny, breezy and pleasant enough to keep the summer 2023 R-rated comedy batting average at a pristine 1.000. 

Grade: B     

Ving Rhames Ranked

Welcome to "Ranked", a weekly series where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best and hand out assorted related superlatives. This week, I'm profiling the work of Ving Rhames-whose latest project "Mission-Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One" is in theaters now.  

Ving Rhames' Filmography Ranked:

23.Day of the Dead (F)

22.Entrapment (C-)

21.Mission: Impossible 2 (C-)

20.I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (C-)

19.Surrogates (C)

18.The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard (C)

17.Father Figures (C+)

16.Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 (C+)

15.Lilo & Stitch (B-)

14.Piranha 3DD (B)

13.Mission: Impossible III  (B)

12.Mission: Impossible-Rogue Nation (B)

11.The Tournament (B)

10.Bringing Out the Dead (B)

9.Mission: Impossible (B)

8.Mission: Impossible-Ghost Protocol (B+)

7.Piranha 3D (B+)

6.Mission: Impossible-Fallout (B+)

5.Baby Boy (A-)

4.Out of Sight (A-)

3.Dawn of the Dead (A)

2.Con Air (A)

1.Pulp Fiction (A+)

Top Dog: Pulp Fiction (1994)

As Quentin Tarantino continues to prepare his (alleged) final film The Movie Critic, now is as good of a time as any to reflect on Pulp Fiction. On only his second feature film, Tarantino demonstrates his complete mastery of the medium by crafting a non-linear crime opus featuring a zillion different characters that slowly reveals itself to be this brilliant  interconnected puzzle of outcasts and criminals bound by a desire to escape their lives, but are trapped in them with seemingly no way out. Each character big or small is vividly written and brought to life by the perfect actor for the job, the amount of memorable/electrifying/tense/insane/hilarious scenes in this is astounding and Tarantino's palpable love for the art of moviemaking adds a giddiness to the proceedings that makes it feel completely distinct. It's pure movie magic and I doubt a day will come where it's not my favorite movie of all time.   

Bottom Feeder: Day of the Dead (2008)

The direct-to-video Day of the Dead remake is so overwhelmingly awful that it manages to simultaneously disgrace all of George A. Romero's original Night of the Living Dead films, Zack Snyder's excellent remake of Dawn of the Dead and the zombie genre on the whole. It's one of those movies where the low budget is reflected by the horrid production values and a concerning lack of passion from the top down- which leads to a movie that is so boring, soulless and technically inept that it's straight-up torturous to sit through. 

Most Underrated: Baby Boy (2001)

When the late John Singleton was really cooking, he was one of the most interesting and powerful voices in all of Hollywood. The criminally underseen Baby Boy-which shockingly was the last movie of his that he wrote himself-was one of the best examples of this. At times, Baby Boy feels like it could be a spiritual follow-up to Singleton's breakout debut Boyz n'the Hood as it also tells a coming-of-age story set in South Central Los Angeles, but it slowly reveals itself to be a funnier and weirder yet still distinctly powerful movie that explores the difficulties of taking on adult responsibilities before you're "ready" to and showing up/looking out for others when you don't have your own shit together at all.     

Most Overrated: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 (2017)

Someday in the near future, I'm going to re-visit Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 and see if my opinion of it improves after another viewing. As of today however, I view it as the lone directorial misfire James Gunn has put out thus far and one of the weakest films in the entire MCU. While not without its funny or emotional moments, its comedic/serious tonal balancing act is completely out of whack for the vast majority of the movie and it makes the entire story feel disjointed and cheaply melodramatic.   

2023 NFL Position Rankings: Full Series Recap

Quarterback:

25.Mac Jones (Patriots)

24.Justin Fields (Bears)

23.Baker Mayfield (Buccaneers)

22.Ryan Tannehill (Titans)

21.Jacoby Brissett (Commanders)

20.Deshaun Watson (Browns)

19.Tua Tagovailoa (Dolphins)

18.Russell Wilson (Broncos)

17.Jimmy Garoppolo (Raiders)

16.Daniel Jones (Giants)

15.Kyler Murray (Cardinals)

14.Derek Carr (Saints)

13.Jared Goff (Lions)

12.Trevor Lawrence (Jaguars)

11.Geno Smith (Seahawks)

10.Matthew Stafford (Rams)

9.Dak Prescott (Cowboys)

8.Kirk Cousins (Vikings)

7.Aaron Rodgers (Jets)

6.Justin Herbert (Chargers)

5.Lamar Jackson (Ravens)

4.Jalen Hurts (Eagles)

3.Josh Allen (Bills)

2.Joe Burrow (Bengals)

1.Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs)

Running Back:

50.Chuba Hubbard (Panthers)

49.James Cook (Bills)

48.Cordarrelle Patterson (Falcons)

47.Leonard Forunette (Free Agent)

46.Rachaad White (Buccaneers)

45.Antonio Gibson (Commanders)

44.Kareem Hunt (Free Agent)

43.Alexander Mattison (Vikings)

42.Javonte Williams (Broncos)

41.Elijah Mitchell (49ers)

40.Latavius Murray (Bills)

39.Devin Singletary (Texans)

38.Rashaad Penny (Eagles)

37.J.K. Dobbins (Ravens)

36.Jerick McKinnon (Chiefs)

35.Jeff Wilson Jr. (Dolphins)

34.D'Andre Swift (Eagles)

33.Brian Robinson Jr. (Commanders)

32.Breece Hall (Jets)

31.Khalil Herbert (Bears)

30.Gus Edwards (Ravens)

29.David Montgomery (Lions)

28.Damien Harris (Bills)

27.D'Onta Foreman (Bears)

26.Dameon Pierce (Texans)

25.Cam Akers (Rams)

24.Raheem Mostert (Dolphins)

23.James Conner (Cardinals)

22.Isiah Pacheco (Chiefs)

21.Tyler Allgeier (Falcons)

20.Najee Harris (Steelers)

19.Jammal Williams (Saints)

18.A.J. Dillon (Packers)

17.Travis Etienne (Jaguars)

16.Kenneth Walker III (Seahawks)

15.Joe Mixon (Bengals)

14.Alvin Kamara (Saints)

13.Ezekiel Elliott (Free Agent)

12.Rhamondre Stevenson (Patriots)

11.Miles Sanders (Panthers)

10.Aaron Jones (Packers)

9.Dalvin Cook (Free Agent)

8.Tony Pollard (Cowboys)

7.Saquon Barkley (Giants)

6.Josh Jacobs (Raiders)

5.Austin Ekeler (Chargers)

4.Jonathan Taylor (Colts)

3.Nick Chubb (Browns)

2.Derrick Henry (Titans)

1.Christian McCaffery (49ers)

Wide Receiver:

50.Robert Woods (Texans)

49.Curtis Samuel (Commanders)

48.Darius Slayton (Giants)

47.George Pickens (Steelers)

46.Zay Jones (Jaguars)

45.Allen Robinson (Steelers)

44.Darnell Mooney (Bears)

43.Adam Thielen (Panthers)

42.Allen Lazard (Jets)

41.Drake London (Falcons)

40.Tyler Boyd (Bengals)

39.Marquise Brown (Cardinals)

38.Michael Thomas (Saints)

37.Hunter Renfrow (Raiders)

36.Courtland Sutton (Broncos)

35.Dionate Johnson (Steelers)

34.Gabe Davis (Bills)

33.Chris Olave (Saints)

32.Jakobi Meyers (Raiders)

31.Odell Beckham Jr. (Ravens)

30.Jerry Jeudy (Broncos)

29.JuJu Smith-Schuster (Patriots)

28.Brandin Cooks (Cowboys)

27.Garrett Wilson (Jets)

26.Brandon Aiyuk (49ers)

25.Michael Pittman Jr. (Colts)

24.Christian Kirk (Jaguars)

23.DeVonta Smith (Eagles)

22.D.J. Moore (Bears)

21.Amari Cooper (Browns)

20.Mike Evans (Buccaneers)

19.Mike Williams (Chargers)

18.Tyler Lockett (Seahawks)

17.Tee Higgins (Bengals)

16.Amon-Ra St.Brown (Lions)

15.Deebo Samuel (49ers)

14.D.K. Metcalf (Seahawks)

13.Keenan Allen (Chargers)

12.Chris Godwin (Buccaneers)

11.Terry McLaurin (Commanders)

10.Jaylen Waddle (Dolphins)

9.CeeDee Lamb (Cowboys)

8.DeAndre Hopkins (Free Agent)

7.Ja'Marr Chase (Bengals)

6.A.J. Brown (Eagles)

5.Stefon Diggs (Bills)

4.Cooper Kupp (Rams)

3.Tyreek Hill (Dolphins)

2.Davante Adams (Raiders)

1.Justin Jefferson (Vikings)

Tight End:

20.Jordan Akins (Browns)

19.Juwan Johnson (Saints)

18.Mike Gesicki (Patriots)

17.Noah Fant (Seahawks)

16.Hunter Henry (Patriots)

15.Gerald Everett (Chargers)

14.Cole Kmet (Bears)

13.Dawson Knox (Bills)

12.Kyle Pitts (Falcons)

11.Tyler Higbee (Rams)

10.Dalton Schultz (Texans)

9.Evan Engram (Jaguars)

8.David Njoku (Browns)

7.Pat Friermuth (Steelers)

6.Darren Waller (Giants)

5.T.J. Hockenson (Vikings)

4.Dallas Goedert (Eagles)

3.Mark Andrews (Ravens)

2.George Kittle (49ers)

1.Travis Kelce (Chiefs)

Tackle:

30.Braxton Jones (Bears)

29.D.J. Humphries (Cardinals)

28.Charles Leno Jr. (Commanders)

27.Braden Smith (Colts)

26.Rob Havenstein (Rams)

25.Morgan Moses (Ravens)

24.Jack Conklin (Browns)

23.Mike McGlinchey (Broncos)

22.Dion Dawkins (Bills)

21.Kaleb McGary (Falcons)

20.Taylor Moton (Panthers)

19.Rashawn Slater (Chargers)

18.Garret Bolles (Broncos)

17.Ronnie Stanley (Ravens)

16.Taylor Decker (Lions)

15.Orlando Brown Jr. (Bengals)

14.Kolton Miller (Raiders)

13.Jordan Mailata (Eagles)

12.Penei Sewell (Lions)

11.Christian Darrisaw (Vikings)

10.Jake Matthews (Falcons)

9.Terron Armstead (Dolphins)

8.David Bakhtiari (Packers)

7.Brian O'Neill (Vikings)

6.Laremy Tunsil (Texans)

5.Andrew Thomas (Giants)

4.Tristian Wirfs (Buccaneers)

3.Ryan Ramcyzk (Saints)

2.Lane Johnson (Eagles)

1.Trent Williams (49ers)

Guard:

30.Mark Glowinski (Giants)

29.Tyler Smith (Cowboys)

28.Jonah Jackson (Lions)

27.Will Hernandez (Cardinals)

26.Alijah Vera-Tucker (Jets)

25.Teven Jenkins (Bears)

24.Nate Davis (Bears)

23.Landon Dickerson (Eagles)

22.Andrew Norwell (Commanders)

21.Laken Tomlinson (Jets)

20.Brandon Schreff (Jaguars)

19.Damien Lewis (Seahawks)

18.Quinn Minerz (Broncos)

17.James Daniels (Steelers)

16.Alex Cappa (Bengals)

15.Austin Corbett (Panthers)

14.Robert Hunt (Dolphins)

13.Trey Smith (Chiefs)

12.Ezra Cleveland (Vikings)

11.Issac Seumalo (Steelers)

10.Elgton Jenkins (Packers)

9.Wyatt Teller (Browns)

8.Shaq Mason (Texans)

7.Kevin Zeitler (Ravens)

6.Quenton Nelson (Colts)

5.Michael Owenu (Patriots)

4.Zack Martin (Cowboys)

3.Joe Thuney (Chiefs)

2.Chris Lindstrom (Falcons)

1.Joel Bitonio (Browns)

Center:

20.Ted Karras (Bengals)

19.Brian Allen (Rams)

18.Jake Brendel (49ers)

17.Bradley Bozeman (Panthers)

16.Ryan Kelly (Colts)

15.Drew Dalman (Falcons)

14.Mason Cole (Steelers)

13.Garrett Bradbury (Vikings)

12.Cody Whitehair (Bears)

11.Connor McGovern (Jets)

10.Ryan Jensen (Buccaneers)

9.Ethan Pocic (Browns)

8.Tyler Linderbaum (Ravens)

7.Ben Jones (Free Agent)

6.David Andrews (Patriots)

5.Connor Williams (Dolphins)

4.Corey Linsley (Chargers)

3.Frank Ragnow (Lions)

2.Jason Kelce (Eagles)

1.Creed Humphrey (Chiefs)

Defensive End:

35.Morgan Fox (Chargers)

34.Ogbonnia Okoronkwo (Browns)

33.John Kominsky (Lions)

32.Harrison Phillips (Vikings)

31.Charles Omenihu (Chiefs)

30.Samson Ebukam (Colts)

29.DeMarcus Walker (Bears)

28.Zach Sieler (Dolphins)

27.Jerry Hughes (Texans)

26.Chase Young (Commanders)

25.Chandler Jones (Raiders)

24.Kenny Clark (Packers)

23.Kwity Paye (Colts)

22.Zach Allen (Broncos)

21.Carl Granderson (Saints)

20.Deatrich Wise Jr. (Patriots)

19.Aidan Hutchinson (Lions)

18.Gregory Rousseau (Bills)

17.Sam Hubbard (Bengals)

16.Josh Sweat (Eagles)

15.Denico Autry (Titans)

14.DeMarcus Lawrence (Cowboys)

13.Leonard Williams (Giants)

12.John Franklin-Myers (Jets)

11.Montez Sweat (Commanders)

10.Calias Campbell (Falcons)

9.Brandon Graham (Eagles)
8.Cameron Jordan (Saints)

7.Von Miller (Bills)

6.Za'Darius Smith (Browns)

5.Trey Hendrickson (Bengals)

4.Micah Parsons (Cowboys)

3.Maxx Crosby (Raiders)

2.Myles Garrett (Browns)

1.Nick Bosa (49ers)

Defensive Tackle:

35.Maliek Collins (Texans)

34.Broderick Washington (Ravens)

33.Christian Barmore (Patriots)

32.B.J. Hill (Bengals)

31.Andrew Billings (Bears)

30.A'Shawn Robinson (Giants)

29.David Onyemata (Falcons)

28.Ed Oliver (Bills)

27.Jordan Davis (Eagles)

26.Alim McNeill (Lions)

25.Nathan Shepard (Saints)

24.DaQuan Jones (Bills)

23.Teair Tart (Titans)

22.Davon Hamilton (Jaguars)

21.Michael Pierce (Ravens)

20.Sheldon Rankins (Texans)

19.Fletcher Cox (Eagles)

18.Da'Ron Payne (Commanders)

17.Grover Stewart (Colts)

16.Vita Vea (Buccaneers)

15.Dalvin Tomlinson (Browns)

14.Arik Armstead (49ers)

13.Grady Jarrett (Falcons)

12.Derrick Brown (Panthers)

11.D.J. Reader (Bengals)

10.Javon Hargrave (49ers)

9.Jeffrey Simmons (Titans)

8.Jonathan Allen (Commanders)

7.Christian Wilkins (Dolphins)

6.Quinnen Williams (Jets)

5.DeForest Buckner (Colts)

4.Dexter Lawrence (Giants)

3.Cameron Heyward (Steelers)

2.Aaron Donald (Rams)

1.Chris Jones (Chiefs)

Outside Linebacker:

35.Cory Littleton (Texans)

34.Arden Key (Titans)

33.Joe Tryon-Shoyinka (Buccaneers)

32.Michael Hoecht (Rams)

31.Darrell Taylor (Seahawks)

30.Jack Sanborn (Bears)

29.Zaire Franklin (Colts)

28.Sionne Takitaki (Browns)

27.Jahlani Tavai (Patriots)

26.Malcolm Rodriguez (Lions)

25.Kayvon Thibodeaux (Giants)

24.Bud Dupree (Falcons)

23.Marcus Davenport (Vikings)

22.Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (Browns)

21.Pete Werner (Saints)

20.Josh Uche (Patriots)

19.Harold Landry (Titans)

18.Randy Gregory (Broncos)

17.Bradley Chubb (Dolphins)

16.Shaq Barrett (Buccaneers)

15.Preston Smith (Packers)

14.Uchenna Nwosu (Seahawks)

13.Dre Greenlaw (49ers)

12.Khalil Mack (Chargers)

11.Brian Burns (Panthers)

10.Rashan Gary (Packers)

9.Jaelan Phillips (Dolphins)

8.T.J. Edwards (Bears)

7.Josh Allen (Jaguars)

6.Danielle Hunter (Vikings)

5.Alex Highsmith (Steelers)

4.Matthew Judon (Patriots)

3.Joey Bosa (Chargers)

2.Haason Reddick (Eagles)

1.T.J. Watt (Steelers)

Inside Linebacker:

35.Ernest Jones (Rams)

34.Patrick Queen (Ravens)

33.Devin White (Buccaneers)

32.Cole Holcomb (Steelers)

31.Cody Barton (Commanders)

30.Kyzir White (Cardinals)

29.Kaden Elliss (Falcons)

28.Eric Kendricks (Chargers)

27.Willie Gay Jr. (Chiefs)

26.Josey Jewell (Broncos)

25.Leighton Vander Esch (Cowboys)

24.Denzel Perryman (Texans)

23.Frankie Luvu (Panthers)

22.Jerome Baker (Dolphins)

21.Germaine Pratt (Bengals)

20.Shaq Thompson (Panthers)

19.Anthony Walker Jr. (Browns)

18.Jordan Hicks (Vikings)

17.C.J. Mosley (Jets)

16.Tremaine Edmunds (Bears)

15.Foyesade Oluokun (Jaguars)

14.David Long (Dolphins)

13.Alex Singleton (Broncos)

12.Bobby Okereke (Giants)

11.De'Vondre Campbell (Packers)

10.Ja'Whaun Bentley (Patriots)

9.Roquan Smith (Ravens)

8.Shaquille Leonard (Colts)

7.Logan Wilson (Bengals)

6.Matt Milano (Bills)

5.Nick Bolton (Chiefs)

4.Lavonte David (Buccaneers)

3.Demario Davis (Saints)

2.Bobby Wagner (Seahawks)

1.Fred Warner (49ers)

Cornerback

50.Asante Samuel Jr. (Chargers)

49.Dammari Mathis (Broncos)

48.Trent McDuffie (Chiefs)

47.Byron Murphy (Vikings)

46.Emmanuel Moseley (Lions)

45.K'Wuan Williams (Broncos)

44.Martin Emerson (Browns)

43.Sean Murphy-Bunting (Titans)

42.Desmond King II (Texans)

41.Greg Newsome II (Browns)

40.Kader Kohou (Dolphins)

39.Darious Williams (Jaguars)

38.Marcus Peters (Free Agent)

37.Michael Davis (Chargers)

36.Jaylon Johnson (Bears)

35.Steven Nelson (Texans)

34.Avonte Maddox (Eagles)

33.Jonathan Jones (Patriots)

32.Taron Johnson (Bills)

31.Michael Carter II (Jets)

30.Rasul Douglas (Packers)

29.Cameron Sutton (Lions)

28.Jaycee Horn (Panthers)

27.Tariq Woolen (Seahawks)

26.Tyson Campbell (Jaguars)

25.L'Jarius Sneed (Chiefs)

24.Kenny Moore (Colts)

23.A.J. Terrell (Falcons)

22.Tre'Davious White (Bills)

21.Trevon Diggs (Cowboys)

20.Mike Hilton (Bengals)

19.Carlton Davis (Buccaneers)

18.Denzel Ward (Browns)

17.Xavien Howard (Dolphins)

16.Marshon Lattimore (Saints)

15.Chidobe Awuzie (Bengals)

14.D.J. Reed Jr. (Jets)

13.Adoree' Jackson (Giants)

12.Patrick Peterson (Steelers)

11.Jamel Dean (Buccaneers)

10.Kendall Fuller (Commanders)

9.James Bradberry (Eagles)

8.Stephon Gilmore (Cowboys)

7.Darius Slay (Eagles)

6.Marlon Humphrey (Ravens)

5.Charvarius Ward (49ers)

4.Sauce Gardner (Jets)

3.Patrick Surtain II (Broncos)

2.Jaire Alexander (Packers)

1.Jalen Ramsey (Dolphins)

Safety

50.John Johnson III (Free Agent)

49.Malik Hooker (Cowboys)

48.Kerby Joseph (Lions)

47.Kareem Jackson (Broncos)

46.Adrian Amos (Jets)

45.Bobby McCain (Giants)

44.Jordan Fuller (Rams)

43.Amani Hooker (Titans)

42.Jalen Thompson (Cardinals)

41.Darrick Forrest (Commanders)

40.Xavier Woods (Panthers)

39.Jabrill Peppers (Patriots)

38.Jaquan Brisker (Bears)

37.Jordan Whitehead (Jets)

36.Terrell Edmunds (Eagles)

35.Donovan Wilson (Cowboys)

34.Jamal Adams (Seahawks)

33.Tashaun Gipson (49ers)

32.Juan Thornhill (Browns)

31.Jayron Kearse (Cowboys)

30.Andre Cisco (Jaguars)

29.Jevon Holland (Dolphins)

28.Vonn Bell (Panthers)

27.Julian Love (Seahawks)

26.Rodney McLeod (Browns)

25.Talanoa Hufanga (49ers)

24.Kyle Hamilton (Ravens)

23.Ryan Neal (Buccaneers)

22.Taylor Rapp (Bills)

21.Marcus Maye (Saints)

20.Adrian Phillips (Patriots)

19.Jimmie Ward (Texans)

18.Quandre Diggs (Seahawks)

17.Justin Reid (Chiefs)

16.Micah Hyde (Bills)

15.Harrison Smith (Vikings)

14.Chauncey Gardner-Johnson (Lions)

13.Kyle Dugger (Patriots)

12.Eddie Jackson (Bears)

11.Budda Baker (Cardinals)

10.Jordan Poyer (Bills)

9.Kamren Curl (Commanders)

8.Jessie Bates III (Falcons)

7.Justin Simmons (Broncos)

6.Antoine Winfield Jr. (Buccaneers)

5.Tyrann Mathieu (Saints)

4.Marcus Williams (Ravens)

3.Derwin James (Chargers)

2.Kevin Byard (Titans)

1.Minkah Fitzpatrick (Steelers)

Kicker

20.Chase McLaughlin (Buccaneers)

19.Will Lutz (Saints)

18.Brandon McManus (Jaguars)

17.Cairo Santos (Bears)

16.Chris Boswell (Steelers)

15.Greg Zuerlein (Jets)

14.Nick Folk (Patriots)

13.Ka'imi Fairbairn (Texans)

12.Eddy Pineiro (Panthers)

11.Evan McPherson (Bengals)

10.Jake Elliott (Eagles)

9.Harrison Butker (Chiefs)

8.Matt Prater (Cardinals)

7.Younghoe Koo (Falcons)

6.Graham Gano (Giants)

5.Jason Myers (Seahawks)

4.Tyler Bass (Bills)

3.Matt Gay (Colts)

2.Daniel Carlson (Raiders)

1.Justin Tucker (Ravens)

Punter

Drue Chrisman (Bengals)

Andy Lee (Free Agent)

Corliss Waitman (Patriots)

Arryn Siposs (Eagles)

Pressley Harvin III (Steelers)

Matt Haack (Cardinals)

J.K. Scott (Chargers)

Jordan Stout (Ravens)

Trenton Gill (Bears)

20.Thomas Morstead (Jets)

19.Bradley Pinion (Falcons)

18.Braden Mann (Steelers)

17.Jamie Gillan (Giants)

16.Blake Gillikin (Saints)

15.Corey Borjorquez (Browns)

14.Sam Martin (Bills)

13.Jake Camarda (Buccaneers)

12.Riley Dixon (Broncos)

11.Cameron Johnston (Texans)

10.Ryan Wright (Vikings)

9.Ryan Stonehouse (Titans)

8.Johnny Hekker (Panthers)

7.Bryan Anger (Cowboys)

6.Tress Way (Commanders)

5.Tommy Townsend (Chiefs)

4.Jack Fox (Lions)

3.Logan Cooke (Jaguars)

2.Michael Dickson (Seahawks)

1.A.J. Cole (Raiders)

Top 10 Appearances by Team:

Philadelphia Eagles-10 (James Bradberry, A.J. Brown, Jake Elliott, Dallas Goedert, Brandon Graham, Jalen Hurts, Lane Johnson, Jason Kelce, Haason Reddick, Darius Slay)

Baltimore Ravens-8 (Mark Andrews, Marlon Humphrey, Lamar Jackson, Tyler Linderbaum, Roquan Smith, Justin Tucker, Marcus Williams, Kevin Zeitler)

Kansas City Chiefs-8 (Nick Bolton, Harrison Butker, Creed Humphrey, Chris Jones, Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes, Joe Thuney, Tommy Townsend)

Cleveland Browns-7 (Joel Bitonio, Nick Chubb, Myles Garrett, David Njoku, Ethan Pocic, Za'Darius Smith, Wyatt Teller)

Dallas Cowboys-7 (Bryan Anger, Stephon Gilmore, CeeDee Lamb, Zack Martin, Micah Parsons, Tony Pollard, Dak Prescott)

Miami Dolphins-7 (Terron Armstead, Tyreek Hill, Jaelan Phillips, Jalen Ramsey, Jaylen Waddle, Christian Wilkins, Connor Williams)

Buffalo Bills-6 (Josh Allen, Tyler Bass, Stefon Diggs, Matt Milano, Von Miller, Jordan Poyer)

Minnesota Vikings-6 (Kirk Cousins, T.J. Hockenson, Danielle Hunter, Justin Jefferson, Brian O'Neill, Ryan Wright)

San Francisco 49ers-6 (Nick Bosa, Javon Hargrave, Christian McCaffery, Charvarius Ward, Fred Warner, Trent Williams)

Atlanta Falcons-5 (Jesssie Bates III, Calias Campbell, Younghoe Koo, Chris Lindstrom, Jake Matthews)

Green Bay Packers-5 (Jaire Alexander, David Bakhtiari, Rashan Gary, Elgton Jenkins, Aaron Jones)

Indianapolis Colts-5 (DeForest Buckner, Matt Gay, Shaquille Leonard, Quenton Nelson, Jonathan Taylor)

Las Vegas Raiders-5 (Davante Adams, Daniel Carlson, A.J. Cole, Maxx Crosby, Josh Jacobs)

Pittsburgh Steelers-5 (Pat Friermuth, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Cameron Heyward, Alex Highsmith, T.J. Watt)

Cincinnati Bengals-4 (Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, Trey Hendrickson, Logan Wilson)

Los Angeles Chargers-4 (Joey Bosa, Austin Ekeler, Justin Herbert, Derwin James)

New England Patriots-4 (David Andrews, Ja'Whaun Bentley, Matthew Judon, Michael Owenu)

New Orleans Saints-4 (Demario Davis, Cameron Jordan, Tyrann Mathieu, Ryan Ramcyzk)

New York Giants-4 (Saquon Barkley, Dexter Lawrence, Andrew Thomas, Darren Waller)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers-4 (Lavonte David, Ryan Jensen, Antonie Winfield Jr., Tristian Wirfs)

Tennessee Titans-4 (Kevin Byard, Derrick Henry, Jeffrey Simmons, Ryan Stonehouse)

Washington Commanders-4 (Jonathan Allen, Kamren Curl, Kendall Fuller, Tress Way)

Free Agent-3 (Dalvin Cook,DeAndre Hopkins, Ben Jones)

Houston Texans-3 (Shaq Mason, Dalton Schultz, Laremy Tunsil)

Jacksonville Jaguars-3 (Josh Allen, Logan Cooke, Evan Engram)

Los Angeles Rams-3 (Aaron Donald, Cooper Kupp, Matthew Stafford)

New York Jets-3 (Sauce Gardner, Aaron Rodgers, Quinnen Williams)

Seattle Seahawks-3 (Michael Dickson, Jason Myers, Bobby Wagner)

Denver Broncos-2 (Justin Simmons, Patrick Surtain II)

Detroit Lions-2 (Jack Fox, Frank Ragnow)

Arizona Cardinals-1 (Matt Prater)

Carolina Panthers-1 (Johnny Hekker)

Chicago Bears-1 (T.J. Edwards)