NFL Offseason Overview

Hello readers, it has been a while! The National Football League is in the height of the preseason. With opening night of the regular season fast approaching, I feel that there needs to be an offseason column.   Overall, this column will highlight what I feel in my mind has been the biggest highlights of the past offseason. Topics like Tom Brady, the NFL draft, a familiar face in Oakland, and Kirk Cousins.

Tom Brady & Gronk retiring

After losing his 3rd Super Bowl in his career, Tom Brady retiring rumors surfaced over the next few months. Questions like "Will he retire?" "When will he retire?" "Can he retire right now because he is just that good even at age 40?" When Peyton Manning retired in 2016, even he knew that it was time to hang up the cleats and call it a career. Athletes like Tom Brady know when it is time to hang it up, when the body cannot give anymore to the team. If you were to ask me how many years he has left in the tank, I would at least say he has two more seasons left in him. You have to remember he threw for over 500 yards in last season's Super Bowl, grated the Eagles offense put up more points with less passing yardage. If Brady was to retire, he would've already announced it and all 31 teams (Pats fans would be devastated by the news, don't kid me) would be rejoicing over it.

Same story with Rob Gronkowski, he will retire when he knows its time. Granted has hasn't played a full 16 game season since 2011, the guy is a bruiser and plays the game the right way, sadly this right way to play has its drawbacks. As he does get injured a lot. Would it have surprised me to see him retire at a fairly young age? No, the guy is 29 years old and is about to enter his 9th season in the NFL. If he can still put together a couple of more solid seasons where he can stay healthy, he could possibly become a Hall of Famer (oof hot take in July).

Jon Gruden back in Oakland

The last time we saw Jon Gruden was in the Tennessee Titans/Kansas City Chiefs playoff game back in January in the broadcast booth with Sean McDonaugh. After the game he bid farewell to television and is now back to coach his old team, The Oakland Raiders. The rumors of Gruden itching to get back into coaching was always a topic of discussion in the offseason for years. The guy coached the Raiders from 1998 to 2001. He would be traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2002. He would win a Super Bowl in Tampa in his first season as head coach, he would hold the position until 2008. Overall, its a good move by the Raiders who have looked good but not quite finish the season on a positive note. Indeed the 2016 Oakland Raiders looked to be a Super Bowl contender until Derek Carr got injured and hampered their championship hopes. In 2017, Oakland looked to get back to where they were the season before until offensive and defensive play dropped resulting in a 6-10 finish. With Gruden in charge, it would be expected for the Raiders to finish at least .500 or better going into the regular season. Gruden signed a 10-year $100 million dollar contract with the team. If you do the math, that's 10 million a season. It would be expected that the results would match the contract, don't you think?

QB Controversy in Baltimore

As long as there has been an NFL, there is usually always a quarterback controversy. Some of the notable controversies as been Joe Montana-Steve Young, Terry Bradshaw-Joe Gilliam Jr., and Brett Favre-Aaron Rodgers. The latest controversy has come to the Baltimore Ravens where the incumbent Joe Flacco is faced with the task of keeping his starting job against challenger Lamar Jackson. Jackson, a 1st round pick out of Louisville, has shown flashes of talent with both his arm and his legs. Will I go as far to say that Flacco will lose his job? No, I'm not that crazy to say that. Flacco's last few seasons in Baltimore have been somewhat lackluster. In 2016, Flacco threw for 4,317 yards with 20 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. Last season, Flacco only threw for 3,141 yards and 18 touchdowns and 13 interceptions while hampered with injury. If controversies make both players better, then the Ravens could make some noise in the AFC for the upcoming season.

Upcoming writing schedule

With Opening Night coming up on September 6th, I will plan on doing a Week 1 picks column before Thursday Night's game. I am not sure if I will do prediction + picks column all in one or do it separate but I do plan on doing picks again for this season, for sure. See you all after Labor Day!

Super Bowl LII: Picks + Predictions + Results

Hello readers! It has been a bit since the last time I last posted a column in terms of NFL coverage. Hell it was last year since I did anything with this blog. The 52nd edition of the biggest sports event in North America is just a day away (writing this on Saturday). The blog will cover the regular season results between me and Cardinal Viking (my roommate), our playoff picks (not discussed in blog posts but will do it anyway), as well as the Big Game tomorrow.

The 2017 NFL regular season was the first season since 2014 for me doing NFL picks. It was a rather fun experience to pick teams and hope for the result to go in my favor. It was more of an interesting season with picking against my roommate Cardinal Viking. Here is the week 17 results:

My Record:
8-8

Cardinal Viking's Record:
9-7

The last week of the regular season is particularly tough to predict. Some teams bench their starters for the whole game or last through a half. One prime example of that is the Cowboys/Eagles game. I picked the Eagles but the Cowboys only won by 6 points via shutout. Here is the final regular season totals:

Record:

Week 1: 10-5

Week 2: 10-6

Week 3: 8-8

Week 4: 11-5

Week 5: 7-7

Week 6: 7-7

Week 7: 8-7

Week 8: 12-1

Week 9: 6-7

Week 10: 9-5

Week 11: 8-6

Week 12: 14-2

Week 13: 12-4

Week 14: 8-8

Week 15: 14-2

Week 16: 12-4

Week 17: 8-8

Overall: 164-92

Cardinal Viking, my roommates record:

Week 1: 7-8

Week 2: 13-3

Week 3: 8-8

Week 4: 11-5

Week 5: 4-10

Week 6: 7-7

Week 7: 10-5

Week 8: 11-2

Week 9: 7-6

Week 10: 9-5

Week 11: 12-2

Week 12: 13-3

Week 13: 10-6

Week 14: 9-7

Week 15: 13-3

Week 16: 14-2

Week 17: 9-7

Overall: 167-89

So pretty much by default the winner of the regular season pick'em's is: CARDINAL VIKING! Sure I'm somewhat disappointed by the result towards the latter half of the season. I banked on the predictability of certain teams like the Panthers, Packers, and the Falcons quite a bit. I am more than happy to award victory to my roommate. I just have to get used to the bragging rights though :-(

When I first made the Week 1 column back in September, I made a prediction on how each division will be won based on the division winner and the wild card teams, including the preseason Super Bowl matchup. Let's take a look at that as well:

NFC:

North: Packers
South: Panthers
East: Eagles
West: Cardinals
WC: Seahawks & Giants

AFC:

North: Steelers
South: Texans
East: Patriots
West: Raiders
WC: Titans & Broncos

Super Bowl LII: (biased) Packers vs Raiders... Packers win.
(unbiased and probably right) Cardinals vs Patriots... Cards win.

So out of the 8 division winners that I picked, only 3 of them would win their respected divisions. The Panthers got a wild card spot but they didn't win their division so I couldn't count them. Out of the 12 teams that I picked to get to the playoffs only 5 made it. I only got the Patriots prediction right. Bummer. 

The pick'ems continued into the playoffs starting with the Wild card matchups. Now I never did do post the playoff predictions of seasons past but heck why not. Cardinal Viking suggested it and I humbly agreed to it. Here are the results:

My record:

2-2 (Got Saints and Jags right while the Chiefs blow and the Rams well they choked too.)

Cardinal Viking's record:

1-3 (Got Jags correctly and lost the other wild card matchups)

Probably one of my favorite playoff weekends is the Divisional weekend. The 1 and 2 seeds up against the field. A sort of David vs Goliath deal. Here are the results for that:

My record:

3-1 (only messed up on the Saints/Vikings matchup, you had one job Saints!!!)

Cardinal Viking's record:

3-1 (picked the Falcons against the Eagles, losing in Atlanta-like style).

With the NFL's Final Four in place the 3/4 remaining teams had never won a Super Bowl. A decent chance but the Patriots would come back to beat the Jaguars and the Eagles would steamroll the hapless Vikings. Here are the results:

My record:

2-0 (Patriots and Eagles won, easy peasy).

Cardinal Viking's record:

2-0 (same result).

And with that ladies and gentlemen we are now at the Super Bowl part of the column. Strange how that all works out. I just sometimes amaze even myself. 

The 52nd version of the big game will be televised on NBC this year. NBC has shown 19 Super Bowls (including this year's): I (with CBS), III, V, VII, IX, XI, XIII, XV, XVII, XX, XXIII, XXVII, XXVIII, XXX, XXXII, XLIII, XLVI, XLIX.  The play-by-play announcer will be Al Michaels (who will be calling his 10th Super Bowl) who called XXII, XXV, XXIX, XXXIV, XXVII, XL, XLIII, XLVI, XLIX. The color commentator will be Cris Collinsworth who has played in two Super Bowls: XVI and XXIII and has called 3 Super Bowls: XXXIX, XLVI, and XLIX.

The game will be played at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The is the 2nd time that the big game has come to the State of 10,000 lakes. The first time was in Super Bowl XXVI when the Washington Redskins played against the Buffalo Bills. 

Here are some interesting stuff to keep in mind for the big game:

Referee: Gene Steratore (1st Super Bowl)

Line:

New England by -4.5 (as of 3:23 pm on 2/3/18)

O/U 48.5

Cost of 30-Second TV commercial:

$7.7 Million dollars

National Anthem: Pink

Halftime Show: Justin Timberlake (3rd Super Bowl appearance) who has appeared in Super Bowl's XXXV (as a member of *NSYNC), and XXXVIII (with Janet Jackson, yeah...).

Super Bowl Lead-Out Program: NBC's This Is Us.

The Super Bowl history between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots is sort of like a "Tale of Two Cities." One team has seen much Super Bowl success, while the other can't seem to figure itself out. New England has appeared in 9 Super Bowls prior to this years. Their record is 5-4. Philadelphia has made it to 2. Their record is 0-2. Let's take a look at the Super Bowl history for the two teams.

The New England Patriots first trip to the big game was in Super Bowl XX, where they lost to the Chicago Bears 46-10. The next trip came in Super Bowl XXXI where they took on the Green Bay Packers, they lost 35-21. The next three trips to the Super Bowl would result in victories for Brady & Company with wins in Super Bowl XXXVI, XXXVIII, and XXXIX. The Patriots were then undefeated heading into XLII against the Giants. New York would pull off one of the hugest upsets in Super Bowl history by handing the Patriots their first loss of the season, finishing off their season at 18-1. The same two teams would face off in another matchup in Super Bowl XLVI with the Giants winning yet again. The Patriots would face huge point deficits in Super Bowl's XLIX and LI (10 and 25 points respectively) and would overcome them to defeat the Seahawks and the Falcons. The Patriots have won five super bowls and seek to win a record-tying sixth Super Bowl. The Pittsburgh Steelers have won six Super Bowl's. 

A much less happier story with the Philadelphia Eagles. The first trip to the big game for the Eagles came in Super Bowl XV when they took on the Oakland Raiders. The score was 27-10 in favor of the Raiders. The Eagles would not see another Super Bowl appearance for another 24 years until Super Bowl XXXIX. The matchup was against the New England Patriots (who woulda thunk it). The game was close but the Patriots would come out on top 24-21. The Eagles are seeking their first Super Bowl win, their first league championship since 1960. 

The two teams have had stellar regular seasons posting an overall record of 13-3 in the regular season. There have been highs and lows for both teams. Let's take a look back at each team and how they got here. 

The New England Patriots started off the regular season with a loss on opening night against the Kansas City Chiefs, but would rebound to win their next two games against the Saints and the Texans. The 2nd loss of the season came against the Carolina Panthers who would upset them at home. After the loss the Patriots would rebound going on a 8-game winning streak before losing their 3rd game against the Miami Dolphins. The Pats would finish off the regular season winning their last 5 games to a 13-3 record. In the division round, the Patriots would face off against the Tennessee Titans who kept it interesting early in the game but the Pats would turn up the heat and win 35-14. In the AFC Championship game, the Patriots would play against the Jacksonville Jaguars who had upset the Pittsburgh Steelers the weekend prior. The Jaguars applied pressure to Brady, kept him off the field for much of the game, holding onto a 7 point lead going into the 4th Quarter. With the score at 17-10, the Patriots would go on a 14-3 run to beat the Jaguars and reach their 10th Super Bowl. 

The Philadelphia Eagles started the season at Washington cruising to a 30-17 victory. Their first loss of the season came the week after against the Kansas City Chiefs, losing 27-20. The week after would see the Eagles go on a 9-game winning streak before losing on the road against the Seattle Seahawks 24-10. The Eagles would finish off the regular season winning 3 of their last 4 games, their third loss coming against the Dallas Cowboys, 6-0 in week 17. In the week 14 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams, starting quarterback Carson Wentz would injure himself, tearing his ACL, which would be a season ending injury. Nick Foles would step up to help guide the Eagles into the playoffs. In the division round, the Eagles would take on the Atlanta Falcons, who had lost last year's super bowl by the Patriots. The game was a low-scoring affair against two defenses but the Eagles would hold Matt Ryan and company to 10 points giving the Eagles a 15-10 victory. In the NFC championship game against the Minnesota Vikings, who had won their game off a game-winning touchdown by Stephon Diggs. The Vikings scored a touchdown on their first possession of the game. The Vikings would not score again for the rest of the game as they would give up 38 unanswered points to the final score of 38-7. The Eagles would get to their 3rd Super Bowl. 

Keys to the game: 

Patriots:

- Keep Brady on his feet, if he can get good protection he will find his tight ends, wide receivers

- Stop the Eagles rushing attack

- Keep the game close or stay ahead, Bill Belichek is a great adjuster

Eagles:

- Attack Brady early and often, take notes on the 2007 Giants if you have to.

- Keep it balanced, you have a great rushing attack and good receiving corp

- Keep Brady off the field, if you can do that you can win.

Prediction:

New England Patriots. Score: 34-31. 

The matchup will come down to which offense can score the most points. The Patriots defense will struggle against the Eagles offense but will eventually keep it close. Brady once again has the game of his life but throws at least one interception. 

The prediction was very hard to predict as I do enjoy seeing the greats do well against fine competition like Tom Brady. I do also wanted to see North Dakota boy Carson Wentz get a ring as well since it is his team. It was a difficult decision to make but you cannot count out Tom Brady and his drive and will to win. Let alone overcome a 28-3 deficit. 

Let's also take a look at my predictions of Super Bowl's past:

Super Bowl XXXII: Packers vs Broncos (lost)
Super Bowl XXXIII: Broncos vs Falcons (won)
Super Bowl XXXIV: Rams vs Titans (won)
Super Bowl XXXV: Ravens vs Giants (lost)
Super Bowl XXXVI: Rams vs Patriots (lost)
Super Bowl XXXVII: Raiders vs Buccaneers (lost)
Super Bowl XXXVIII: Panthers vs Patriots (won)
Super Bowl XXXIX: Patriots vs Eagles (won)
Super Bowl XL: Steelers vs Seahawks (lost)
Super Bowl XLI: Colts vs Bears (won)
Super Bowl XLII: Giants vs Patriots (lost)
Super Bowl XLIII: Steelers vs Cardinals (lost)
Super Bowl XLIV: Saints vs Colts (won)
Super Bowl XLV: Steelers vs Packers (won)
Super Bowl XLVI: Giants vs Patriots (lost)
Super Bowl XLVII: Ravens vs 49ers (lost)
Super Bowl XLVIII: Seahawks vs Broncos (lost)

Super Bowl XLIX: Patriots vs Seahawks (lost)

Super Bowl 50: Panthers vs Broncos (lost)

Super Bowl LI: Patriots vs Falcons (won)

All-time record: 8-11

I hope you all enjoyed my time reading my weekly predictions and got some joy out of it. I certainly had a great time doing it. As far as what will happen with this blog during the offseason, it is much up in the air certainly. I do wish to do something like this during Baseball season when that comes later next month. I still have to figure that out. I also have work on some non-sports blogs that will possibly be worked on. Until then, I hope you all enjoy the game, enjoy the food, company, the commercials, the halftime show, and stay safe. 

-Tom