I couldn’t even see downtown Mobile out my hotel window Wednesday morning at 7:30 AM when I woke up. That’s some pretty dense fog, considering I was looking out a 17th floor window to a downtown less than 5 miles away. Oh well, it was lifted to another gray, cloudy day by the time I headed for practice… Read More »
After a mad dash from a restaurant on the causeway to the USA campus football stadium at the western end of town, we were happily treated to two full practice sessions sans rain until the last 15 minutes of the later session. The opener featured the NATIONAL Team under the guidance of BRIAN FLORES and his Dolphins coaching… Read More »
I want to put a different spin on this report. Weather made for an exciting, active day today in Mobile. It started last night when practices were announced as moving to the USA Indoor practice facility which meant no room for the media corps. Then the annual weigh-in was held this A.M., but the media could not attend… Read More »
The NFL is heading for the Super Bowl, which like everything else in this Pandemic World of Covid-19, will seem a bit subdued and strange as Covid Protocols are set in place. But once they kick the game off, it should be similar, on the field of play, to what we have grown accustomed to. I live only… Read More »
It was not my intention to load up with 50 Rookies on my team. But with a few injuries (i.e. JOE BURROW), an overload of talent at some positions, and the NFL using multiple sets of personnel groupings, listing just 25 guys is impractical. So on this team, I give you 38 players. PPG OFFENSE QB Justin… Read More »
It was a strange weekend on the College Football landscape with an unusual hodgepodge of make-up games and Conference Championships. Some of the games were shootouts til the final possession (SEC), others were pure butt kicking (ACC). DABO SWINNEY made a BIG stink about Ohio State not deserving a spot in the Final Four, but despite only playing… Read More »
Like several other football writers, I was thinking that the 2020 season would be a hall pass of sorts for coaches, just like the NCAA tried to do with players. But apparently that concept was erroneous in its conception. The coaching carousel is in full gear, and for most teams, the season isn’t quite over yet. While Texas… Read More »
The most notable thing that caught my eye this week came Monday after the College Football weekend was wrapped up. That was the announcement from Sports Illustrated of it’s Sports Person(s) of the Year for 2020, clearly the year of Covid-19, to people with a reasonably functioning brain. And lo and behold, whose face should appear to my… Read More »
The biggest item that caught my eye Sunday morning was all the press coverage of the Denver Broncos Covid-19 plight in their QB Room. After multiple appeals and requests to the League to at least move the game to Monday or Tuesday so that unaffected QBs could suit up, the answers from the League Office had all been… Read More »
We are now starting to see some showdown games, as it were, that should separate the fly poop from the pepper. Unbeatens Indiana and Ohio State had a terrific showdown game which contained a large number of 2021 Draft prospects, and proved that IU Head Coach Tom Allen and his staff know what they are doing up there… Read More »
The Covid-19 Pandemic is really taking big bites out of the 2020 College Football season, as we approach the end of 2020. My schedule sheet for last weekend showed 14 college games cancelled or postponed. 4 of those lost games came from the SEC alone. Thankfully, we were still left with a goodly number of contests, featuring some… Read More »
The big game for last weekend caused some question marks to go as the lights were fading in South Bend, IN last Saturday, as Notre Dame toppled top ranked Clemson in OT, 47-40. Arguably the top college QB in the country, by the name of TREVOR LAWRENCE, fell victim to Covid-19 and missed the game. However, the question… Read More »
As I stated previously, the STEELERS are also one of my teams to watch for the 2020 NFL season. Their biggest question mark is clearly the healthy (?) return of BIG BEN at the QB slot. He missed most of 2019 after requiring elbow surgery on his right arm. Yes, that’s his throwing arm. He was last seen… Read More »
Every season, I like to name a couple of teams who have caught my eye in the off-season. I’ve been looking at rosters this past month, and despite the uncertainty of whether or not we will have a legit NFL season this Fall, because of the pandemic, I have come up with a short list of teams that… Read More »
And so we reach the end of the line. The final NFL Division, which this year happens to include the reigning Super Bowl Champion CHIEFS. However, as good as they are, I don’t see them as a clear cut dominant team. The new look Las Vegas RAIDERS under GRUDEN and MAYOCK are coming up fast. The Chargers are… Read More »
The NFC West is blessed by not having any truly QB needy teams. Even the one that gets the most QB scrutiny just happens to have one that led his team to the Super Bowl last season. So in essence, we have an entire division looking to upgrade around their QB, not replace him. Now for something completely… Read More »
As usual in today’s NFL, the biggest question in this division revolves around the QB position. Can Rookie JOE BURROW turn around the recently sinking prospects of the Bengals? Will BAKER MAYFIELD rebound from a sophomore slump season under the new coaching regime of KEVIN STEFANSKI? Will the Ravens continue their reign atop the division under the leadership… Read More »
Lots of things to look at in the NFC North. Things are rather hot for the coldest weather division in the NFL. Are DA BEARS ready to move on from MITCH TRUBISKY? Did the Packers draft AARON RODGERS eventual successor? Have the Lions turned the corner at all? Exercising an NFL record 15 Picks in one draft, did… Read More »
MIKE VRABEL’s Titans are the new team to beat in this division. And after this Draft, the team that could make a big move up might be the COLTS, if only they can measure up at the QB position. So for today, let’s stick to the 2020 Draft efforts within this division. HOUSTON TEXANS This team… Read More »
One name defines the entire Draft process in this division, and of course that name is TOM BRADY. Not only did it dictate much of the Bucs Draft, but likely influenced the thinking of their 3 other division opponents. ATLANTA FALCONS The Falcons had some heavy work to do on their roster even before the… Read More »
The expectation is that we will finally see some shuffling and serious competition in this division. The biggest reason is the divorce between TOM BRADY and BILL BELICHICK. This leaves the Patriots in uncharted waters in this millennium. They have to find their next championship level QB. Good luck on that one. BUFFALO BILLS The… Read More »
Let’s take a quick look at what each NFC East team did, and/or didn’t, get done during the 3 days of the 2020 NFL Draft. DALLAS COWBOYS Ok, let’s put the brakes on the party wagon, or yacht, for a few minutes. Good Ole Boy JERRY was just beside himself with joy, maybe even giddy, when… Read More »
We live in an Information Age, with all the access that we have through the internet and the general interest in sports that drives major networks to give us what we want, which is more sports info. However, I have found in recent years that in the rush to break stories or uncover information and get it out,… Read More »
I am always amazed how quickly the NFL jumps right from the Draft into Undrafted Rookie Free Agent (URFA) signings, vet roster cuts (based largely on what they got in the Draft) and limited leftover VFA signings. So let’s reflect a bit on some Draft numbers and what that has led us to today. Let’s start with non-Draft… Read More »
As custom seems to dictate in the world of internet communication, it seems that once the NFL Draft ends, a plethora of “Best Still Avbailable” lists appears. So lest I be left behind, here are my top ranked, but undrafted prospects. Some of them are already signing and I can guarantee you that GBN Chief Scout Larry Parker… Read More »
