Tag: Football

NFL Hot Seat Rankings

NFL head coach hot seat rankings heading into Week 8:

1 Doug Pederson – Jaguars

Pederson is a good coach. However, this team is too talented to be 2-5, especially after giving their QB a massive contract this offseason. If they don’t get it together, they’ll move off him.

2 Mike McCarthy – Cowboys

The Cowboys and McCarthy seem to be at a pass. They have disappointed in the postseason the past couple seasons and this year is already looking like a letdown. If they don’t make the playoffs, they’ll likely “mutually part ways.”

3 Dennis Allen – Saints

The Saints need an all-around rebuild. They are old and expensive with an ineffective coach. This offseason should be the start of a new era with a new coach.

4 Brian Daboll – Giants

Daboll is a good coach, but the Giants are a bad team. Unfortunately, he could be a casualty of bad roster decisions made by the front office.

5 Nick Sirianni – Eagles

The Eagles aren’t playing horrible, but Philly coaches always have short leashes. If the Eagles don’t win a playoff game, Srianni could be gone.

NFL Week 8 Predictions

Philadelphia Eagles (4-2) @ Cincinnati Bengals (3-4)

Two teams that have had up and down seasons, but still have enough hope and talent to do something this year. The Bengals have more to play for and I think they win, cover (-2.5), and the over (47.5) hits.

New York Jets (2-5) @ New England Patriots (1-6)

A hectic week in New England overshadows the fact that we actually have a game this weekend. Between former coaches and players commenting on Mayo’s “soft” comment and half our wide receiver room acting out, I can’t imagine this team is that focused. Oh, and our offensive line is still ravaged by injuries. I think the Jets win, cover (-7), and the over (41) hits.

Buffalo Bills (5-2) @ Seattle Seahawks (4-3)

The Bills travel across the country for a big game with the Seahawks. Despite the long trip, I think they win, cover (-3), and the over (46) hits.

Dallas Cowboys (3-3) @ San Francisco 49ers (3-4)

What a difference a year can make. Last year, both of these teams were 2 of the 3 best in the NFC. This year, they are fighting just to make the playoffs. I think the Cowboys win, cover (+4), and the under (47) hits.

15 Minute Blitz Episode 2

Episode 2 of the pod:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3zLVws3ZzCXbU9OtbOQiDD

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-15-minute-blitz-230527724/

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/15-minute-blitz/id1775746291

https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/23d6848d-e967-470e-b1f1-8996bd205feb/15-minute-blitz

NFL Week 7 Reaction

New England Patriots (1-6) vs Jacksonville Jaguars (2-5)

Leave it to the Pats to make the Jags look good this year. This completely was a game the Pats could have won.

Overall, they got beaten physically. The defense got ran all over and the offense couldn’t run the ball.

On special teams, out kicking the coverage led to a long return TD.

Outside of Maye and the passing game, this team played bad today. On the flip side, it’s nice seeing that our offense can finally produce big plays. There’s a lot to build on.

Jerrod Mayo is starting to worry me as a coach. Going for 2 made absolutely no sense, when the Pats could have kicked an extra point and made it a one possession game. The decision to go for 2 and not get it, completely changed the dynamic of the game and makes it so much harder to win.

I also don’t like that every time the camera shows Mayo, he seems to have an annoyed look on his face, he shows no emotion, and never appears to be talking to any of his players or coaches. If your team is constantly losing, at least try to keep up their spirits instead of pouting on the sideline.

He called out the team after the game and said they were soft. We’ll see if that moralizes or demoralizes the Pats.

Houston Texans (5-2) @ Green Bay Packers (5-2)

Stroud struggled a lot this game, but the Texans still nearly pulled this one out. The Packers came through and won, which is a necessity for them in the stacked NFC North.

Detroit Lions (5-1) @ Minnesota Vikings (5-1)

The Lions continue to show they are the best team in the league. They can beat you in so many ways and pulled off another win in a great back and forth game.

Kansas City Chiefs (6-0) @ San Francisco 49ers (3-4)

Wow. That is all I can say about the Chiefs. They are the new Patriots, in the sense that they can change their identity and win any way. They used to be a high powered offensive team. Now they have morphed into a team that runs the ball well and plays amazing defense. Mahomes does’t put up gaudy stats, but makes the big plays when he needs to. Despite losing their top running back and top wide receiver, the train keeps chugging on.

The craziest stat to show how good the Chiefs have been defensively is that today they scored 28 points, which is the most they’ve scored in the last 16 games they’ve played. They are 13-3 in those games. Scary for the rest of the league.

The 49ers under Kyle Shanahan fall to 0-5 vs Andy Reid and the Chiefs. Both teams dealt with tons of injuries today, but the Niners did not get through it like the Chiefs did. Defensively, you can only shake your head. They held Mahomes to a QB Rating of 44.4 and still lost by 10 points. They have very little room for error, given their record, if they want to make the playoffs.

Baltimore Ravens (5-2) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-3)

The Ravens keep on rolling and Lamar is once again the MVP front-runner. This team is so good in all facets of the game and, dare I say, the best team in the AFC right now. I know Lamar and Co. have struggled vs the Chiefs. But guess what? Tom Brady and the Patriots started off 6-0 vs Peyton Manning including 2-0 in the postseason. The rest of their careers after that? Manning went 6-5 including 3-0 in the playoffs (all AFC Championship games). So just because Mahomes has his number now, doesn’t mean that will continue forever.

The Bucs night started off well with a 10-0 lead and Mike Evans scoring his 100th career receiving TD. Evans is the 9th WR to ever have 12,000 yards receiving and 100 TDs. Despite being so underrated, he’s going to Canton.

After that, things fell apart with Baker throwing some bad picks, the Bucs blowing their lead, and Evans and Godwin leaving with injuries. Evans looks like he’ll be week to week, but Godwin might be out for the year. This could be a massive blow to the Bucs playoff chances.

Game/Betting Picks Results

Game: 3-2 (18-8 This Season) (56-24 All-Time)

Spread: 3-2 (17-8-1) (56-22-2)

O/U: 2-3 (13-13) (42-37-1)

CFB Week 8 Reaction

5 Georgia @ 1 Texas

Georgia with a huge win in an extremely unique game. This shows the good side of realignment where two all-time programs play each other in a primetime top 5 matchup.

For Georgia, they don’t look as dominant as they have the past three years. But they still look like the best team in a loaded SEC. Even with Carson Beck not playing his best, they thoroughly outplayed Texas. Their strength continues to be an absurd defense with future NFL players all around it.

Texas’s season is very much still alive. If this is their only loss, they easily still make the playoff. It’ll be interesting to see how they handle everything internally.

Sark removing Quinn Ewers so early was kind of ridiculous. But once you put Arch in, stick it out instead of taking him out right away. Now you hurt both QBs confidence and create a controversy moving forward. They need to pick one and commit to them moving forward. I think Ewers is the guy right now due to his experience. He’s still shaking off rust from injury. The remainder of the schedule is not easy since it’s the SEC, but they should be able to right the ship and Quinn should get back to playing well.

7 Alabama @ 11 Tennessee

Bama is in a tough spot now. They really have no way to make the conference championship game. Their one avenue to the playoff is to win out, look impressive, and hope their resume is good enough to get an at large bid. This is exactly why great teams like them can’t afford brutal losses to teams like Vandy. The SEC is so good, you’re nearly guaranteed to lose 1 or 2 games to great teams. Any extra losses just tank your season.

Tennessee finds themselves in a pretty good spot moving forward. Their one tough remaining opponent is Georgia. If they can pull that off they are likely in the SEC Championship. Even if that is the one loss they have, this Bama win gives them a strong case for the playoff.

24 Michigan @ 22 Illinois

The emphatic nail in Michigan’s already brutal season. They lose by 14 points to a team that had 80 yards passing. They are in rebuild mode and I’m betting they’ll be back to great in a couple years. Illinois is sneaky good this year. They have a big next game vs Oregon. If they pull off the upset, they have a clear rode to the Big 10 Championship.

NFL Week 7 Predictions

New England Patriots (1-5) vs Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5)

The Pats head to London in a game they could actually win this year. Drake Maye has given this team all kinds of hope and hopefully the team continues to grow. We’re dealing with lots of injuries on the offensive line once again and Rhamondre might not play. I think the Pats win, cover (+6), and the over (42) hits.

Houston Texans (5-1) @ Green Bay Packers (4-2)

A great matchup between two up and coming teams. The Texans are dealing with tons of injuries to their defense. I think the Packers win, the Texans cover (+3), and the over (48.5) hits.

Detroit Lions (4-1) @ Minnesota Vikings (5-0)

A matchup of the two best teams in the NFC. I think the Lions win, cover (+1.5), and the under (50.5) hits.

Kansas City Chiefs (5-0) @ San Francisco 49ers (3-3)

A Super Bowl rematch as the Niners biggest tormentor comes to Santa Clara. The Chiefs have played well in spite of injuries to great offensive players. I think the Niners get revenge, cover (-2), and the over (47) hits.

Baltimore Ravens (4-2) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-2)

One of the best primetime games of the year so far. I think the Ravens win, cover (-3.5), and the over (49.5) hits.

Game/Betting Picks Results

Game: 0-0 (15-6 This Season) (53-22 All-Time)

Spread: 0-0 (14-6-1) (53-20-2)

O/U: 0-0 (11-10) (40-34-1)

The Jets’ Biggest Problem

The Jets main problem is that they assembled a team of great players who have no chemistry and expected them to be great right away. That isn’t how football works. Continuity is so important and guys need to play together for years and build a connection for a team to truly thrive.

The Jets basically did the college equivalent of the Colorado Buffaloes by bringing in a a lot of talented guys from the transfer portal and expecting to succeed right away. It reminds me of when the Pats lost Brady in the 2020 offseason and spent a record amount of guaranteed money for free agents and brought in Cam Newton to be their QB. They ended the season with 7 wins.

The Jets will likely be better by season’s end. But for right now, they are still learning how to play with each other. Aaron Rodgers, Tyron Smith, Mike Williams, and now Davante Adams are all talented players at important positions. However, you can’t just expect to bring them in and mesh with the team, organization, and city right away. It’s even harder when the Jets don’t have any established stars that have been there for a while or a strong, winning culture – which makes it easier for guys to adapt to.

To their credit, the Jets have drafted and developed a lot of talented young stars like Sauce Gardner, Quinnen Williams, Breece Hall, Garrett Wilson, and Alijah Vera-Tucker. They also have signed and acclimated good free agents in C.J Mosley and Quincy Williams. They need to be patient with letting the younger guys that have been here for a little bit mesh with the star veterans they have brought in. Firing Robert Saleh only hurts their growth because now they also need to combine a new coach with all of these other players.

I am no fan of the Jets, but fans should not panic yet. Brady and Stafford had slow starts in their first season with the Bucs and Rams, respectively. This basically is Rodger’s first year with the Jets. This team should end up having a much better 2nd half of the season than 1st.

NFL Week 6 Reaction

Washington Commanders (4-2) @ Baltimore Ravens (4-2)

The Ravens keep steamrolling along. Both QBs balled out in this game and both teams have bright futures ahead this season and beyond. Derrick Henry playing so good even at age 30 is so much fun to watch. He passed 10,000 yards rushing and is closing in on 100 TDs. He is a future Hall of Famer.

Houston Texans (5-1) @ New England Patriots (1-5)

Those red uniforms absolutely POP in Fall New England weather.

I don’t understand why the Pats continue to defer. They CANNOT play from behind. They need to be tied or have the lead so they can run the ball, grind out drives, and set the tone. It’s ridiculous. They let the Texans get the ball and score, then went 3 and out, then let the Texans score again. And the game was over after two possessions.

The Pats lack of discipline and penalties is absurd. You are bad enough as is, stop giving other teams more chances. So many good plays they make are negated by dumb penalties.

Drake Maye is so athletic and showed flashes of why we drafted him so high. That throw to Kayshon Boutte was Boutte-ful (sorry). We have not had a throw like that since Brady was QB and it feels so good to finally see a long, explosive play. His ability to keep plays alive with his feet and scramble is huge too and is helping our offense look more modern.

Yes, he had three TOs but had some deep passes, 3 passing TDs, and a handful of yards rushing. This was the first time we scored over 20 points and had a 200 yard passer. It feels so nice to have an offense again. It was a great debut overall and given how bad our O-line and skill players are and how good the Texans are, I’d give the debut an 8/10.

Sadly, the O-line is still terrible and we were dealt even more injuries today. Drake Maye and Antonio Gibson consistently never had a chance on passing and running plays.

Demario Douglas is showing flashes of becoming a good slot guy for the Pats. We haven’t had that since Jakobi Meyers was foolishly not resigned.

I would have liked to see the Pats run a mock two minute drill at the end of the game. You had 3 timeouts and plenty of time, why not use the timeouts and go for a score?

The officials were absolutely awful. A bogus pass interference helped lead to the first TD. Then a missed facemask call preceded Drake Maye getting stripped sacked and the Texans scoring their third TD. It was an embarrassment of a performance by those refs. I don’t get why refs aren’t held accountable for being terrible. If you fine the bad refs that made awful calls and/or suspend them without pay for a game for consistently being awful they might actually be competent at their jobs.

The Texans are really good and might be able to topple the Chiefs in the playoffs.

Detroit Lions (4-1) @ Dallas Cowboys (3-3)

Blowout Central. The Lions are great this year and look like the best team in the NFC. They are such a well-rounded team and have so many weapons on offense plus the best offensive line in the league.

It just sucks to see what happened to Aidan Hutchinson. It’s awful whenever any player gets a gruesome and brutal injury. Especially so when he’s one of the best players in the league and a leader of a Super Bowl contender. I hope and pray he can make a speedy and full recovery.

Brady said it and it’s true: Why are the Lions pulling out all these great trick plays in a blowout? Save them for a big game that is close in score.

The Cowboys look lost. Outside of CeeDee Lamb, they don’t have another reliable option offensively. Defensively, they are so banged up. This looks like it might be Mike McCarthy’s last year in Dallas.

Buffalo Bills (4-2) @ New York Jets (2-4)

New coach, same old Jets. Another game lost they definitely could have won. Two missed field goals and a bad pick at the end of the game doomed this team.

Even though the Jets season seems close to combustion, they could easily be 4-2 and a top the AFC East. It’s just a matter if they can right the ship of they internally collapse.

The Bills have their ups and downs, but they consistently find ways to win games.

Game/Betting Picks Results

Game: 3-1 (15-6 This Season) (53-22 All-Time)

Spread: 2-1-1 (14-6-1) (53-20-2)

O/U: 3-1 (11-10) (40-34-1)

College Football Week 7

South Carolina @ 7 Alabama

Alabama has such a wide range of performance. At their ceiling, they can beat anyone, like when they put up a 28-0 lead on Georgia and beat them. At their floor, they can lose to teams they absolutely should beat, like Vanderbilt. With so many good teams in the SEC, that isn’t the consistency needed to win the conference and win the Natty.

Saturday was the perfect example of their floor where they let a much worse USC team hang around. USC failed on a 2-point conversion to tie the game, despite a wide open receiver their QB simply missed. That should have been the game. Instead, Bama botches the onside kick and gave USC another chance to win the game. If they keep playing this way in the SEC, they won’t make the conference championship.

I also do not see Jalen Milroe as a legitimate NFL prospect. He came into this week as Mel Kiper’s #2 QB which I think is crazy. He is not a consistent enough passer and makes too many poor decisions with the football to be great in the NFL. He is such a good athlete that he may eventually be able to develop into a good NFL QB with the right coach, but it’s a long shot. I think Shedeur Sanders and Quinn Ewers are the clear cut top two prospects and after that there is much more uncertainty.

1 Texas vs 18 Oklahoma

QB Quinn Ewers looked shaky early. He got better as the game went on, but will need to play better if they want to beat Georgia. If he was more settled, this would have been a bigger blow out. There will be noise this week about Arch Manning playing over Ewers. A bad performance against Georgia will only make those voices louder.

Texas’s defense led the way and played great the whole game. They put the offense in position to score so many times. The offense missed many opportunities to put the game away earlier.

Oklahoma’s defense is great, but the offense could not keep up. Their QB should be good once he develops more, but he could not handle Texas’s defense, especially with his top FIVE wide receivers out.

2 Ohio State at 3 Oregon

This game lived up to the hype. Both teams are so even, either could have pulled out the win. I believe these are the two best teams in the Big 10 and they will meet in the championship game, with Ohio State getting revenge.

9 Ole Miss at 13 LSU

Another awesome night game that was overshadowed by the Big 10 showdown mentioned above. LSU saved their SEC title hopes with the win and ended Ole Miss’s chance to make it. The SEC is super close right now and Texas A&M, Texas, and LSU are the only SEC teams without a conference loss.