NFL News and Opinions

Best Odds to Win Super Bowl 51 Super Bowl LI will take place in Reliant Stadium at Houston, Texas, a year and one week from now. It will be a long road to the next Super Bowl, but here are the top sixteen teams who I believe have the best odds to make it there as of now: Arizona Cardinals (2015-16 Record: 13-3) Carolina Panthers (15-1) Seattle Seahawks (10-6) Cincinnati Bengals (12-4) New England Patriots (12-4) Green Bay Packers (10-6) Kansas City Chiefs (11-5) Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6) Minnesota Vikings (11-5) Indianapolis Colts (8-8) Houston Texans (9-7) Denver Broncos (12-4) Oakland Raiders (6-10) Atlanta Falcons (7-9) St. Louis Rams (6-10) Buffalo Bills (8-8)

Team Irvin vs. Team Rice Team Irvin defeats Team Rice 49-45: A record 133 players have been voted into the game or have received invitations to play. Luckily, there is a lot of talent in the NFL and many superstars who deserve to play in the Pro Bowl (although I must question the choice of alternative quarterbacks). These days, not much defense is played in this game and are normally high scoring. I expect this game to be high scoring as well. Team Irvin selected Russell Wilson with the first pick in the draft, and Team Rice selected Eli Manning with the second pick. Team Irvin was smart during the draft, as he and his captains selected players from the same team, and good friends (Richard Sherman and Desmond Trufant) who had good chemistry to lead his group. All four Atlanta Falcon Pro Bowlers and all three Dallas Cowboy offensive linemen are on his team. Also, his team has more offensive firepower. With Russell Wilson manning the center, a pair of young running backs (...

Superman Cam Newton will definitely be dabbing if he wins Super Bowl 50 one and a half weeks from now. He is definitely the MVP of the league this season and has helped carry the Panthers to the Super Bowl. He deserves to be called "Superman" this year, as he has done everything for his team. Their top wide receiver has been out the entire season, and their running back and tight end have been injured as well. Newton has made everyone else on his team better. Ted Ginn Jr., their #1 wide receiver at the moment, has been outstanding, mainly because of Cam. Newton is not only a threat in the passing game, but he is an incredible athlete and runner. If he wanted to, he could probably be a running back in the league as well. He has rushed for the most yards by any quarterback this season. Against the Cardinals, he ran for another touchdown, and he literally leaped over the defense into the endzone. Without him at quarterback, there is no way the Panthers would have made it...

Why are Jones and Brown Necessary to the Success of their Teams? Julio Jones and Antonio Brown were the best wide receivers in the league this year, and without them, their teams probably would have done a lot worse. Jones finished second all-time for most receiving yards in a season in NFL history with 1,871, and Brown finished fourth all-time with 1,834 receiving yards. Both of these receivers are dominant, and wreck havoc against opposing cornerbacks and safeties. They are matchup nightmares, as they are more physical, athletic, speedy, and have all of the attributes and skills necessary to consistently be a part of the Pro Bowl. For the Steelers, not having Antonio Brown, means not having a go-to guy who Ben Roethlisberger can always throw the ball to in tough circumstances. He reduces stress for his quarterback as he can make a play on the ball anytime. For the Falcons, not having Julio Jones basically means you are losing a majority of your offense. Matt Ryan consis...

Why Do the Houston Texans Need J.J. Watt? J.J. Watt is by far the most dynamic player on defense in the NFL. He is incredibly energetic and athletic on the field, and can wreck havoc against opposing offensive lineman. Since 2012, he has produced a grand total of 69 sacks and has even returned an interception for a touchdown. In fact, he caught three touchdowns from his quarterback in the 2014 season, playing as a tight end. This guy can do it all. Without him, the Texans would not have a leader on defense, and they would have a lot more trouble stopping opposing offenses, and quarterbacks might not always be on their toes if he is not on the field. Not to mention the fact that he is a superstar all around the league, and increases the "value" of the franchise. The Texans need him if they want to make a deep run in the playoffs in the next couple of years. Without him, life would be quite difficult.

The Conference Round Denver Broncos over the New England Patriots 16-14:  Manning versus Brady: Episode 17. This game will be low scoring, with both defenses playing well. I believe that Peyton Manning really wants to win another Super Bowl as he walks off into the moonlight and it was their "destiny" to go to the Super Bowl this year. The Broncos defense is too good and has a lot of playmakers to try and stop the Patriots passing attack, even though it will be quite difficult with Tom Brady at the helm. The Broncos will also struggle to put up points, and for them to be successful, C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman need to run the football with energy. Peyton Manning must be protected by the O-Line and just control the flow of the game as their defense attempts to stop Brady. To stop Brady, they must contain Rob Gronkowski as well as Julian Edelman, and make someone else on the team beat them. Arizona Cardinals over the Carolina Panthers 34-31: These are the two best...

Why is Gronk a Necessity for the Pats? Anyone who reads my blog most likely knows that Rob Gronkowski is the tight end of New England Patriots, and probably the best tight end in the league. He is strong, physical, athletic, and just a beast. He is by far the best tight end in the league, No one can compare to him at this position. Without him, I believe that the Patriots would not be in the position that they are in right now to go to a Super Bowl for a second straight year, and they might not have even won the Super Bowl last year. Why? First and for most, Gronk gives the entire team confidence. Just watching him spike the ball once, even if he doesn't score, has to give the team a boost. Even if HE is the one deflating all of the footballs in the endzone, no one cares, it just gives the team more "fun" during the game. Also, with him on the field, it frees up the other wide receivers for Tom Brady, such as the elusive Julian Edelman. Without him, defensive bac...

Who has the Best Team? As the Conference Championship games approach, here is how I rank the four teams in terms of most talent and most complete on both sides of the ball: Arizona Cardinals (#2 in NFC): They have a high-powered offense as well as a high-powered defense, and they can even make plays on special teams. They had the second highest scoring offense, ranking only behind the Panthers, and were in the top 5 in terms of total defense and scoring defense. Their quarterback would probably finish runner-up in MVP voting, and he played outstanding during the regular season (although he did not play well against Packers in divisional round matchup). Their running back is young, flashy, and was the best rusher in the final weeks of the season. Larry Fitzgerald is a beast, and they have other receivers with some serious speed to go along with him and Michael Floyd. Lastly, they have a lot of playmakers and stars on defense such as Patrick Peterson and Calais Campbell, and ...

The Home Teams Win New England Patriots over the Kansas City Chiefs 27-20: Tom Brady had all of his weapons back for the first time in a long time, and the offense was clicking. Their top two running backs are out, but Steven Jackson and James White are producing well. Julian Edelman was back in the lineup, and Rob Gronkowski played well like always (scoring two touchdowns). The Chiefs were unable to put points on the board and produce on their opportunities and fell in a deep hole heading into the fourth quarter. There was also bad time management decisions by the coaches for the Chiefs, and they did not even receive a chance to try and tie the game up. Arizona Cardinals over the Green Bay Packers 26-20 in OT: I believe that this was the best game of the weekend. It had everything; Larry Fitzgerald playing like he is not in his 30s, Carson Palmer throwing terrible passes, two Hail Mary passes on the final couple of plays in the fourth quarter by Aaron Rodgers to tie the...

And Then There Were Four There are four teams left in the race to win Super Bowl 50, with the Patriots and Broncos representing the AFC, and the Cardinals and Panthers representing the NFC. Take a look at the Playoff Picture as we get set for the Conference Championship games a week from now: AFC: Patriots at Broncos Patriots - #2 seed in the AFC, had a first round bye, and defeated the Chiefs (#5 seed) 27-20. Tom Brady threw two touchdown passes to Rob Gronkowski, and the team is much healthier than they were during the regular season. Broncos - #1 seed in the AFC, had a first round bye, and defeated the Steelers (#6 seed) 23-16. Peyton Manning played for the first time in almost eight weeks and was quite efficient with the ball. Their #1 ranked defense forced a fumble that stopped a long drive by the Steelers and the turnover led to the game-winning drive for the offense. NFC: Cardinals at Panthers Cardinals - #2 seed in the NFC, had a first round bye, a...

Seven New Coaches Hired There were seven coaching vacancies at the end of the season that needed to be addressed, and all of them have been filled. The dominoes have fallen. Hopefully, these coaches will help their teams become more fortunate (ex: Cleveland Browns), and lead them to Super Bowls in the future. Adam Gase / Miami Dolphins - Gase has been at outstanding offensive mind throughout his career, bringing the best out of Tim Tebow, Peyton Manning, and Jay Cutler during his time with the Broncos and Bears. With the Dolphins, he will try to make Ryan Tannehill worth the money he was paid last offseason, as well as a franchise and elite quarterback.  Ben McAdoo / New York Giants - McAdoo was promoted from offensive coordinator to head coach as Tom Coughlin resigned as head coach of the Giants this offseason. The organization stated that the reason behing hiring him was that they felt that he had something to prove. Also, Eli Manning supported him throughout...

The Divisional Round Kansas City Chiefs over the New England Patriots 27-24: I am not quite sure who I should pick in the first game of the weekend. The team that has won eleven straight games, or the team that had the first round bye and has Tom Brady? I don't think that I can pick against a team that is on fire, especially the Chiefs. This team was 1-5 at one point, finished the season 11-5, and they beat the Texans on the road 30-0. I don't think they will shut out the Patriots, but I believe that they will do enough in the game to keep things close and ultimately win the game. The Chiefs defense forces a lot of turnovers, and the Chiefs offense doesn't turn the ball over a lot over the course of the game. I expect their defensive line to overpower the Patriots' banged up offensive line, and I also expect them to control their passing game. This will be a close one, but the Chiefs will pull off the upset with a winning field goal. Arizona Cardinals over the ...

Rams will Relocate to LA; Chargers might Move After a long day in Houston, the NFL owner voted 30-2 for the Rams to relocate to Los Angeles immediately. Essentially, the Los Angeles Rams are back, and the St. Louis Rams are gone. This decision will push professional football back into LA for the first time in over 21 years. The San Diego Chargers are the first option to join the Rams as a Los Angeles football team, but this is still up in the air, and the franchise has one year to make a decision. If the Chargers decide to stay in San Diego, the Raiders will have a year to figure what they want to do with their relocation plans. In my opinion, I believe that the Rams should have stayed in St. Louis, and this deal makes it seem as though everyone ignored the loyalty of St. Louis fans, and they left them without a team. At the same time, LA will receive its first football team in a while with these relocation plans.  There are some other teams with plans to open new s...

Best Odds to Win Super Bowl 50 There are eight teams left in the race to win Super Bowl 50 after all four road teams won last week in the Wild Card Round. The matchups in the NFC are Seahawks at Panthers and Packers at Cardinals, while the matchups in the AFC are Chiefs at Patriots and Steelers at Broncos. Here is who I believe has the best odds to win the Super Bowl based on their matchups: Arizona Cardinals 13-3 (vs. Packers) Denver Broncos 13-3 (vs. Steelers) New England Patriots 12-4 (vs. Chiefs) Kansas City Chiefs 11-5 (at Patriots) Carolina Panthers 15-1 (vs. Seahawks) Seattle Seahawks 10-6 (at Panthers) Pittsburgh Steelers 10-6 (at Broncos) Green Bay Packers 10-6 (at Cardinals)

Seahawks Work some Magic to Edge Vikings The Seahawks beat the Vikings 10-9 in terrible weather conditions, and will play the Carolina Panthers (15-1) in the divisional round. It was really a miracle for the Seahawks, as they were down earlier in the game 9-0, and the Vikings kicker, Blair Walsh, missed the potential game-winning kick at the end of regulation. Walsh has been one of the best kickers in the league, and made three other field goals earlier during the game, and the 27 yard field goal he kicked was practically a chip shot. His miss was simply unacceptable in the situation, and he will go down in history with this blunder. At the same time, we should take into account the Seahawks' comeback. They played terrible football the first three quarters of the games on the offense, and were unable to move the ball down the field. The entire team saved their best for later in the game, and Russell Wilson was the catalyst of the comeback, as he played extremely well. The Seaha...

The Wild Card Round Kansas City Chiefs over the Houston Texans 20-13: I simply cannot pick against the Chiefs because they are the hottest team in the NFL right now, and they have won ten straight games after starting the season 1-5. This game will feature two of the best defenses of the second half of the season, and I believe that the game will come down to which offense can push the ball down the field and solidify the running game.  Pittsburgh Steelers over the Cincinnati Bengals 28-20: It's really difficult for me to pick against the Bengals in another divisional round matchup as they've lost all of them so far in the Dalton-Lewis era, but I don't think that they will be able to get the job done once again. First and for most, Dalton will not be playing, and the ball will be in AJ McCarron's hands. Offensive numbers have dipped with him playing quarterback, and I do not think that the Bengals will be able to put up points. Also, I am not sure if the Bengals...

Jones, Brown, or Beckham Jr.? There were many receivers over 1,000 yards this year, and this shows how the league is becoming more of passing league compared to a rushing league. Julio Jones and Antonio Brown were putting up record numbers, and in my opinion, both of them deserve to be number one on this list. The top receivers of the regular season this year were: Julio Jones - Atlanta Falcons Antonio Brown - Pittsburgh Steelers Odell Beckham Jr. - New York Giants DeAndre Hopkins - Houston Texans Brandon Marshall - New York Jets A.J. Green - Cincinnati Bengals Allen Robinson - Jacksonville Jaguars Larry Fitzgerald - Arizona Cardinals Brandin Cooks - New Orlean Saints Demaryius Thomas - Denver Broncos Calvin Johnson - Detroit Lions Jarvis Landry - Miami Doplhins Doug Baldwin - Seattle Seahawks Sammy Watkins - Buffalo Bills

Adrian Peterson and the Young Stars Adrian Peterson was by far the best running back in the league, as a lot of running backs were injured this year (LeSean McCoy, Matt Forte, Jamaal Charles, LeVeon Bell, Marshawn Lynch, Mark Ingram, Justin Forsett). Also, many young guns were rising to the challenge this year, most notably Todd Gurley and Devonta Freeman. The top running backs of the regular season were: Adrian Peterson - Minnesota Vikings Devonta Freeman - Atlanta Falcons Doug Martin - Tampa Bay Buccaneers Todd Gurley - St. Louis Rams Jonathan Stewart - Carolina Panthers LeSean McCoy - Buffalo Bills Chris Ivory - New York Jets DeAngelo Williams - Pittsburgh Steelers Darren McFadden - Dallas Cowboys David Johnson - Arizona Cardinals Thomas Rawls - Seattle Seahawks Matt Forte - Chicago Bears Latavius Murray - Oakland Raiders Lamar Miller - Miami Dolphins

Cam Newton was Best Quarterback of 2015 I would have to say that this season was all about the backup quarterbacks. Many starters were injured, most notably Tony Romo, Joe Flacco, Peyton Manning, and Andrew Luck. Blaine Gabbert was starting games. Matt Schaub started games. Heck, even Josh Freeman played in a game for the Colts. Here is a list of who I believe were the best quarterbacks this season: Cam Newton - Carolina Panthers (MVP Candidate) Carson Palmer - Arizona Cardinals (MVP Candidate) Russell Wilson - Seattle Seahawks Tom Brady - New England Patriots Philip Rivers - San Diego Chargers Ben Roethlisberger - Pittsburgh Steelers Drew Bress - New Orlean Saints Blake Bortles - Jacksonville Jaguars Andy Dalton - Cincinnati Bengals Aaron Rodgers - Green Bay Packers Matthew Stafford - Detroit Lions Derek Carr - Oakland Raiders Eli Manning - New York Giants Kirk Cousins - Washington Redskins

Panthers and Broncos Lead the Pack The regular season is now over, and it is time for the playoffs. Here is how I rank the twelve teams: Carolina Panthers (15-1) Denver Broncos (12-4) Arizona Cardinals (13-3) Seattle Seahawks (10-6) Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6) New England Patriots (12-4) Kansas City Chiefs (11-5) Minnesota Vikings (11-5) Cincinnati Bengals (12-4) Washington Redskins (9-7) Houston Texans (9-7) Green Bay Packers (10-6) A couple of surprises, with the Steelers ranking higher than the Patriots, and the Redskins and Texans ranking higher than the Packers, but this is how I feel they should be ranked, taking into consideration injuries and recent play.

Coaching Vacancies Miami Dolphins: The Dolphins seem to be ready for a complete overhaul of their roster, and they unlikely to retain Dan Campbell as their head coach. They are in search of a new coach and a new general manager after a really disappointing season. Tennessee Titans: The Titans fired Ken Whisenhunt in the middle of the season, and Mike Mularkey was named the interim head coach. Chip Kelly might be a good option with Marcus Mariota at quarterback, but the organization is keeping their options open for a new head coach and genral manager. Philadelphia Eagles: Chip Kelly (the coach and GM) was fired after Week 16 of the regular season mainly because none of the players who they signed in the offseason played well, and their offense was stopped by opposing defenses. The franchise was not headed in the right direction and are now looking for a new coach and general manager. Cleveland Browns: This organization is going nowhere. Their quarterback does not sh...

Broncos Clinch #1 Seed in AFC; Panthers Clinch #1 Seed in NFC The playoffs are set are the final week of the regular season, and only twelve teams remain in the hunt for Super Bowl 50. The other 20 teams are moving on to the offseason, with issues to fix leading up to the draft.  AFC Playoffs: Denver Broncos (12-4) New England Patriots (12-4) Cincinnati Bengals (12-4) Houston Texans (9-7) Kansas City Chiefs (11-5) Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6) The Patriots had another chance to clinch home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, and once again, they blew their opportunity. Instead, the road to the Super Bowl will go through Denver after they pulled off a close win against the Chargers with the return of Peyton Manning, who came in the game after Brock Osweiler struggled to move the ball down the field. The Patriots secured a first-round bye even with their loss, and the Bengals hold the third seed. The Texans won the porous AFC South (someone had to), and the two ...