NFL News and Opinions

Leading Up to the Combine The NFL Combine will be held soon, and here is who I believe are the top prospects at the quarterback, running back, and wide receiver positions:   Top 3 Quarterbacks: Jared Goff - University of California Carson Wentz - North Dakota State University Connor Cook - Michigan State University Top 3 Running Backs: Ezekial Elliot - Ohio State University Derrick Henry - University of Alabama Jordan Howard - University of Indiana Top 3 Wide Receivers: Laquon Treadwell - Ole Miss Josh Doctson - TCU Braxton Miller - Ohio State University  

The Future in the League A lot of teams who probably will not have a chance to win a Super Bowl in the next couple of years because they are not elite are already preparing to win a Super Bowl five years from now by building a young, athletic, smart, and competitive team. Here is a list of ten NFL teams with rosters that will be a "powerhouse" and will be able to compete for a Super Bowl five years from now: Minnesota Vikings Los Angeles Rams Seattle Seahawks Carolina Panthers Jacksonville Jaguars Oakland Raiders Tampa Bay Buccaneers Indianapolis Colts Atlanta Falcons Cincinnati Bengals

Getting a Tag On Tuesday, teams will be able to "franchise tag" free-agent players who they want to definitely retain, but do not have the money to do so. Teams can designate franchise players, and will have to pay them high amounts in a one-year contract essentially. I do not believe that many players will receive the tag this year, but here are a few: Von Miller - Denver Broncos - pass rusher Kirk Cousins - Washington Redskins - quarterback Brock Osweiler - Denver Broncos - quarterback (If the Broncos place the franchise tag on Miller, then they cannot use it on Osweiler) Josh Norman - Carolina Panthers - cornerback Mohammed Wilkerson - New York Jets - defensive end Tamba Hali or Eric Berry - Kansas City Chiefs - linebacker/cornerback Alshon Jeffrey - Chicago Bears - wide receiver Justin Tucker - Baltimore Ravens - kicker Josh Brown - New York Giants - kicker Mason Crosby - Green Bay Packers - kicker

Bears Part Ways with Forte It has recently been reported that the Bears' second round draft pick in 2008, Matt Forte, will not be returning to the team for the next season. He will become a free agent. Forte has been one of the most productive running backs since he came in the league, as he is a threat not only in the running game, but also in the passing game. The main reason why he was released is because his salary cap was too high, and at his age running backs begin to decline. The Bears also have a fresh and young runner in Jeremy Langford, who will assume the starting role at the beginning of next year.  Some of the potential landing spots for Matt Forte in free agency are: New England Patriots Baltimore Ravens Seattle Seahawks Green Bay Packers Houston Texans Dallas Cowboys

Beast Mode Hangs Up the Cleats On Sunday night, Beast Mode, a.k.a. Marshawn Lynch posted a picture on one of his social media accounts of his cleats hanging up, signaling the end of his career. He topped 1,000 yards six our of nine seasons and participated in the Pro Bowl five years. He is an outstanding running back in the playoffs as well, where is is eighth all-time in rushing yards and tied for seventh all-time in touchdowns scored. He led the Seahawks to their first Super Bowl victory against the Denver Broncos in 2013 and led them to the Super Bowl the next year as well when they played the Patriots. He has had quite a memorable career, from all of the press conferences where he would not talk, to the times when he actually went "beast mode" against opposing defenses on the field. In my opinion, Marshawn Lynch deserves to go to Canton at some point and become a Hall of Famer. He has had such a profound effect on his team when he was playing and racked up a ...

What Happened to the MVP? It has been quite a year for the Denver Broncos, and they capped the season off with a victory over the Carolina Panthers, 24-10. Peyton Manning won his second Super Bowl ring, and will most likely retire this offseason, headed to Canton, Ohio in the future as he is a definite Hall of Famer. This game was nothing about the Sheriff, though. It was about Denver's defense, and Cam Newton was absolutely slaughtered on the field. He did not receive an opportunity to throw the football down the field with a clean pocket once, and the #1 offense could not get anything going against the #1 defense. When the Panthers started moving the ball down the field, they committed a turnover - they had two fumbles and one interception - and lost all momentum. The linebackers for the Broncos, Von Miller, and DeMarcus Ware, were simply beasts. No one could stop them, and Miller rightfully deserved to be MVP of the Super Bowl. Once again, we learned that offense wins...

Denver Broncos over the Carolina Panthers 20-17: I am not really sure who do go with in this game, and they are both really good teams playing to win Super Bowl 50. The Panthers have been the best team this year, but the Broncos have the most terrorizing defense and Peyton Manning is not playing bad at all. Manning has rested for two weeks, and I believe that he will play better football as he has gotten more rest. Their defense had the capabilities to stop the Carolina offense, and they need to contain Cam Newton. The Panthers are a great team and it is really hard to pick a winner, but I believe that the Broncos will have more will with supposedly Peyton Manning's last game as he rides off into the sunset.

Johnny Football Most Likely Going to be Out of Cleveland According to many reports, there are good chances that the Cleveland Browns will cut Johnny Manziel once the new league year commences on March 9th. I believe that they are making the right move by cutting him for the franchise, in the wake of another altercation with police authorities. Manziel simply does not follow the rules, and he is not acting like a professional. You simply cannot play football and go to late night parties, miss team meetings, and consistently be pulled over on a road by police. The quarterback plays one of the most important positions, and Johnny Football cannot be the voice in the locker room of an already dysfunctional franchise. Cutting him and drafting a new quarterback is the best thing from the franchise, as no one knows what they are getting with Manziel. One day he could play outstanding, and then the next day he is a no-show at the team facility. What's next for Manziel? Frankly s...