Draft analysts are BUNK

                I am finally back! It has been too long and thank you for everyone’s support thus far, I have amassed enough supporters to finally start trying to make the move to podcasts and Youtube. Thank you again to everyone that has supported me up to this point, I never expected to get the views that I do, and I have no one to thank but you guys.

Enough of that, let’s get into football. There is something I really have been wanting to get of my chest, and that is how NFL teams look at players with the play style of Baker Mayfield’s. It DISGUSTS me that someone like that can achieve the things they do at such a high level and be considered to be a lower draft pick than the guy that just sits in the pocket all game. Last season I said time and time again that Deshaun Watson was the best QB in the draft, he just went back to back seasons of carving up Alabama’s defense and grabbing a National Title for Clemson. He showed tremendous poise in the pocket and when he needed to use his legs he did. Sure enough, he came into the league and lit it on fire. So why did so many draft analysts have him as a mid to late 1^st round behind two other Qbs? Behind a one-year starter?? It is happening to a much greater degree this year with Baker Mayfield. Baker Mayfield is on FIRE and just put up 4 TDs against one of the better defenses in the NCAA, and if you watched that game, he made it look easy. He clearly has the IT factor that everyone loves to talk about because he is winning games. He has thrown with a completion percentage of 71, 4340 passing yards with 41… yes 41 touchdowns and wait for it… 5 interceptions. These numbers are incredible. He has tremendous poise in the pocket and will kill you with his quickness, not his speed. He has the ability to extend plays much like Aaron Rodgers.

Sam Darnold is more of a pocket passer who is, moronically ranked above Mayfield, has a completion percentage of 63.7, 3787 pass yards, 26 touchdowns and 12 interceptions and has struggled to win against average teams. Lets look at another QB that’s ranked higher than Mayfield; Josh Rosen. First of all, he lead them to a 6-6 record and plays in the pac-12 so let’s get that out of the way first, second he has a completion percentage of 62.5, 3717 passing yards and 10 interceptions but yet another pocket passing QB. I have been told it’s because they have tremendous upside, but I fail to see how they have more upside than Baker Mayfield, who can torch any defense in the NCAA like they’re a bunch of JV football players. Mayfield is hands down the best QB in the draft and it is astonishing that there is anyone ranked above him. It makes me sick to my stomach that teams will pass on him to get the other guys. GROSS. I guess that is why those top 10 teams in the draft always seem to stay in the top 10…

Goodell Must Go

It is time to find a new commissioner. This is something that I have wanted to see happen for the better part of the last 4-5 years. The NFL, like the rest of the United States, suffers a huge opioid problem, yet Goodell seems much more focused on players smoking weed. This man in the past has treated marijuana use worse than domestic abuse on multiple occasions. Careers have been ended by marijuana abuse while domestic abuse has been treated as some petty offense. For example, Giants kicker Josh Brown, was arrested and charged with assaulting his wife at the time. Josh Brown assaulted her a few dozen times and according to his now ex-wife, once while she was pregnant. Do you know how many games he was suspended for? One. The flip side now, Ezekiel Elliot gets suspended for 6 games off the notion that "it is probably more likely he is guilty than he is not" as Max Kellerman would say. There was a video of Ray Rice punching a woman with some serious force and do you know how many games he was suspended for? Two! Guys in the league smoke some weed and get handed a 4 game suspension off the bat. Can I meet Goodell and just let him explain his stupidity to me because none of this makes sense. Players get hurt throughout their career and of course it is okay that they get addicted to opioid pain medication but god forbid they ever smoke a little weed in their off time. Goodell has also shown multiple cases of being tougher on n certain players than others, for what? Predetermined biases? Especially guys like Marshawn Lynch, where Goodell tried to find any reason to fine him. Do not even get me started on the Kaepernick situation. You are the commissioner of the NFL and it takes you this long to try to do anything about this situation that is not only affecting your business, but the businesses that sponsor you as well? I am not saying he should suspend players or anything like that, I am just referring to the fact that it took so long to address the issue at all. Roger Goodell is not a leader and not for the players. His actions show that he is nothing more than a power hungry man abusing the tools in which he possesses. Then he has the audacity to ask for 50 mil a year on top of health insurance and a private jet like he is some god or savior that the NFL just could not live without when he is one of the prime reasons the NFL popularity is down. The man gets boos every year at the draft! This became more of a rant but I am tired of seeing him do this to the players and the NFL.

The Most Important Part is the Brain.

Coaching is the #1 most important part of a team. People like Bill Belichick-the greatest coach of all time-have won games with sub par talent consistently. The Rams and Sean McVay have become the epitome of how much better a coach can make a team. Jeff Fisher was one of the worst coaches in the league and the Rams finally came to terms with that and let him go, and Sean McVay now has a team that is 6-2 and leading an always talented NFC west, besides the 49ers in recent years of course.
Jared Goff through 7 games his rookie season threw for 1,089 yards, 5 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. Jared Goff through 8 games this season with Sean McVay he has thrown for 2,030 yards, 13 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. He is also averaging around 100 more yards a game this year than last year (2016: 155.6 Yds/G 2017: Yds 253.8 Yds/G). This is a HUGE jump, makes you almost wonder how many draft "busts" were actually only a product of having bad coaching. The offense as a whole struggled greatly last year as opposed to this year, having a total of 4203 yards, 24 total touchdowns and a turnover ratio of... wait for it... -11, being one of the worst offenses in the league. At the half way point in the 2017 season the Rams have a total of 3057 yards, 27 touchdowns and a turnover ratio of +3, currently leading the league in points per game at 32,9, now being one of the best offenses in the NFL, being one of the best teams in the NFL. Is it the start of something great? As long as Sean McVay is at the helm of this team. Coaching is everything,

Carson Wentz is a Problem.

I’m sure that you are all very much aware of how good Carson Wentz is. I don’t think a lot of people really understand the level of football IQ the guy has, his accuracy combined with his football IQ is astonishing and he looks like an 8 year vet at this point. He reminds me of a more mobile Big Ben in his prime because he just doesn’t go down. That Houdini escape from the sack against the Redskins on Monday Night Football was something I had to watch 3 or 4 times to understand what happened, his strength is just unmatched by any QB in the league right now other than maybe Cam Newton. If you did not know he was going to be a freak in the league, you didn’t watch his rookie season, that much was obvious, but there weren’t very many people that thought he was going to be THIS good. The signs were there, the only concern I had with him was his deep ball accuracy-which has obviously changed. Carson Wentz is my top pick for MVP at this point of the season. Through 7 games he has put up 17 touchdowns and only 4 interceptions with a completion percentage of 61.6, 1,852 yards and a passer rating of... Wait for it... 104. Now I know that doesn’t have anything on the rating of 120 that Alex smith has but that is only because Alex smith has somehow avoided to throw any interceptions this season, but other than that, Wentz has more TDS and is only trailing in total passing yards by about 120. I haven’t even touched his running ability yet. Wentz has amassed 196 rushing yards and has broken off 3, 20yd+ rushing plays. His ability to make plays and extend the pocket is almost comparable to Aaron Rodgers. His only flaw seems to be fumbling, flumbling 14 times last season and a total of 7 times this season, if he can get those numbers down, he could very well be on his way to being the best QB in the league. Wentz has played incredible this season and will be winning hat MVP award this year. NFC east defenses for the foreseeable future is in for a rough time.

Better early than never for finals predictions

There have been so many moves made this offseason with all-star players, that I have no doubt things are going to be shaken up for both conferences in major ways. Although every team that made major all-star moves this offseason did it with only one issue in mind; how to match up against the Cavs and the Warriors. Those teams have unreal levels of talent, it was crazy to me that a roster could be so stacked when KD first signed with the Warriors. Now I look at the Cavs roster and think the same thing, there are so many star talents on both the starting lineup and the bench that any guy could go off on a given night and handle the scoring load. In the east, I don’t think any teams are going to have the talent to match up with the Cavs and beat them in a four-game series. For that reason, I’m taking the Cavs as my finals contender in the East, without a doubt. The west is a bit of a tossup for me, because I know the Thunder have the talent to beat the Warriors, but I need to see them play together and develop some chemistry first before I can make such a bold statement. The Warriors are just the complete package of talent, chemistry, and great coaching which has led them to dominate the league the way they have in recent years. So, my pick for the west has to be the Warriors, as much as I would love to see a championship hungry Westbrook take them down. Trust me, I’m just as sick of seeing the Cavs and Warriors in the finals every year as you are, but there’s no denying their talent. This year’s finals is coming up all Cavs for me though;they know their only concern is the Warriors, and with the super team that surrounds Lebron this season, I just don’t see them being stopped in the finals. I’m sure it will come down to a suspenseful game six or seven, and the games will definitely beexciting to watch with that much talent on the floor at one time. 

​I also wanted to include my honorable mention teams as I think they have the best chance of beating the big two monsters in the NBA. These two teams are the Thunder and the Timberwolves. The Thunder are going to be so much fun to watch this year, a big three made up entirely of cold blooded scorers is a scary sight. Not to sleep on Steven Adams either, that guy deserves a lot of respect for the work he puts in on the glass and the consistent buckets he gives them in the paint. If the Thunder can get their chemistry right and figure out how to slow down the Warrior’s transition game, I think they have a good shot at beating them. Another strong contender that has what it takes to beat both super powers is the Timberwolves. I can’t begin to explain how excited I am to see this team play this year, they have a roster loaded with young talent and definitely have the athleticism to keep up with the Cavs and Warriors. Jimmy Buckets gives them a solid scorer and lock down defender that I think will match perfectly with the playstyle of Karl-Anthony Towns and company. The only downside to the Timberwolves is that they are young and injury prone, a tough combination to deal with during a championship run. Definitely keep an eye on these teams throughout the season as they are some top contenders for the throne this year.​-Tyler Smith

Don't Lose Hope, Cowboys Fans

Wow it feels great to be writing again. Last Sunday I lost my dog so I spent every hour looking for him, leaving no time to watch football, therefore I had nothing to write on. This week I am doing something I haven’t done yet, partly because I felt it would be too predictable also due to the fact that I just had other subjects to get off my chest but the time has come for me to write about the Cowboys. Now, the Cowboys have had a bit of a shaky start thus far, and really should have just one loss if it wasn’t for two choked leads in a row… believe me when I say this bye week was a gift sent from god for this team. The entire season and preseason I never really expected the Cowboys to do much this year because of the massive overhaul of their defense that the front office decided was the best course of action in order to become a better team in years to come. As the year progresses, I am starting to realize that not only the cowboys, but the entire NFC has a chance to come out as champions. (Except obvious teams like the 49ers, which if they get a nice QB they’ll be a lot better in years to come under Kyle Shanahan, but that’s for another day) Aaron Rodgers going down possibly for the season holds an immense impact on the entire NFC, opening up a new hole in the NFC for anyone to take, and my fellow Cowboys fans, I have a feeling it’ll be Dallas. Dak has been performing great, the offensive line is finally starting to gel, but the offense never really was the problem, now was it? The defense has been atrocious, but not without some flashes of what could be a step in the right direction. Anthony Hitchens and Sean Lee are both expected to be healthy after the bye, which takes an enormous load off Jaylon Smith’s shoulders, that being the major contributor to his declined level of play. The bye week also gives the D-line, a D-line that has all its starters now, a week to mesh better together. This D-line, led by DeMarcus Lawrence should be able to step up their play for the rest of the season. Chido Awuzie should be healthy as well, we still haven’t really seen what he’s capable of, however, Jourdan Lewis and Xavier Woods are playing very well and the addition of another talented DB should help the defense regardless. Speaking of Joudan Lewis, he has been playing surprisingly well, especially in his ability to tackle, recording 19 tackles in just four games. He has shown tremendous patience in coverage already recording 5 pass deflections in his 4 games, this kid’s is only going to get better and better. Now if only they would start Xavier Woods over Jeff Heath… Do I think the Cowboys’ defense could be one of the best in the league? No, maybe in years to come, but not this year. Although, I do believe they can step up with the development of their young players and pull it together to take over the void the great Aaron Rodgers left in the NFC.

D Rose is Back on the Attack

Derrick Rose stole my heart forever in his 2010-2011 MVP season, he played ball like a man possessed, and was simply unstoppable that year. Needless to say, D Rose hasn’t been the same player in recent years, mainly due to the fact that he can’t seem to finish out a season without having his knees take a crap on him. No matter how bad things looked for him though, I always knew that he would get his chance to take the league over as he did in the past, and it looks like the Cavs are gonna be the team to give him that chance. I think most of Derick Rose’s problems in recent years can be summed up in one statement he made recently when asked about what his approach to the game has been, "I was in a dark place years ago, man, By a dark place I mean, I was playing, like, revenge basketball, and that wasn't my way of playing basketball.” If you have watched any film on Rose from after his initial ACL injuries, and his trade to the Knicks, it is easy to see that this statement is nothing but the truth. He seemed to be playing like he had something to prove to the league, that the injuries wouldn’t hold him back and that he could still be the same athletically dominant player that he was before, however that was not the case. You could see his frustration constantly as he was not able to put up stats and blow by defenders so effortlessly like before.

Being a part of this Cavs superteam this season is going to put Derrick Rose in the perfect position to have the success he’s been looking for. He will not have the same pressure as before to be playing at an MVP level every night, given the fact that he has countless superstars surrounding him that can take on the scoring load any given game. If somebody would have told me in 2010 that Derrick Rose and Lebron James, two of the strongest players in the east at the time, would be on the same team one day, I would have never believed them. Now that dream has become reality however, and watching the show that this Cavs team is going to put on this season will be an honor that might just bring a tear to my eye. Considering Isaiah Thomas will be out until as late as January with his hip injury, D Rose is going to have his opportunity to show the Cavs organization what he can do with a starting role. I predict that he will come out strong and average around 20 points and 6 assists per game, and if he is able to lead the Cavs to a strong winning record, perhaps he will be able to hold onto his starting position even when Isaiah Thomas is ready to play again. Regardless of what happens this season with the superteam plagued league we are in today, I am very excited to see what Derrick Rose will do running one of the strongest squads in the NBA this season. Let’s just hope that his knees and his jumper can get on the same page this year and stay strong all 82.

-Tyler Smith: The Whitest Cracker You Know

Aaron GODgers

Aaron Rodgers is the most talented QB we have ever seen. Yes, Tom Brady is the GOAT because one SB is not comparable to five but Aaron Rodgers is the most talented and yes there is a difference. We have seen year after year that team has struggled with their run game and defense yet Aaron Rodgers seems to find a way to get it done. Never since he has been the starting QB has he ever fallen below 60% pass completions. He has had one losing season in his entire career as a starter, and that was his first year at the helm. This man almost singlehandedly brought the Packers to the NFC championship in the 2016-2017 season; beating the cowboys to get there… I’m still upset about that one. The packers without Aaron Rodgers? I wouldn’t say they would finish over 8-8, and I feel a little generous. Aaron Rodgers is somebody that you could compare to a Lebron, in which he makes his team play at a much higher level. Have I mentioned his ability to extend plays? He has a sixth sense in the pocket, has excellent accuracy on the run and if there is still no one open down field he has no problem running it himself with 2,595 yards and 25 TDs in his career. Aaron Rodgers avoids sacks with his ability to extend plays but also avoids turnovers like no one has ever seen. He has an Interception percentage of 1.6. Tom Brady’s is 1.8. Rodgers has 307 career TDs and only 75 interceptions. With his ability to sling the rock like he does in the pocket and out, his ability to avoid turnovers at an elite level and his ability to run the ball, Aaron Rodgers is the most talented QB of all time. The Cowboys play him this week, and man, I am not happy about it. Playing Aaron Rodgers is like playing Madden 18 on All-Madden against the computer, no matter what you do he always knows where to throw. Like Stephen A. Smith always says, “He’s a baaaaaaaaaaad man”.

The AFC is very... unexpected

After a crazy weekend in the NFL, I was planning on giving people a more neutral stance on the issues that were at hand, however, I am sick of seeing politics mixed in with sports. All I want to do is just watch sports, so I decided against adding to the pot full of articles about the mess that has been going on; instead I have decided to write about how happy I am that the AFC seems more balanced than it ever has.

            Generally, the AFC has only about two or three good teams and one of those teams is ALWAYS the Patriots but now? The AFC has the Raiders, Chiefs, Texans, Steelers, Broncos and yes still the Patriots. The AFC is also home to a few up and coming teams that should be good within the next few years with the Titans, Jags, and even the Browns should be good soon – you would have to go out of your way to still suck after 11 draft picks over two years – which means that the already interesting AFC is only going to get better. I would go off on a tangent about how good some of these teams are and will be but I would rather keep these posts relatively short so maybe another day. It is revitalizing to see the AFC so balances in comparison to past years. I’m still sticking with my pick for the Raiders, however, with every week showing me new things that I really did not expect out of some of these teams, it is becoming less and less clear as to who really will come out of that division. If I am wrong about the Raiders coming out AFC champions, that is completely okay with me because of how much more exciting it is to watch these teams when anyone has a chance to lose.

Andrew Luck Needs to Bounce

Andrew Luck is one of the best QBs in the NFL when he is healthy. He has a career passer rating of 87.3 and his lowest passer ratings were 76.5 and 74.9, one of which was his rookie season and the other was 2015, when he spent a lot of time hurt, and dealing with that atrocious offensive line which the Colts still have not addressed. If Andrew Luck stays with the Colts he will see no success and only continue to get hurt since the Colts front office continues to not draft correctly. Offensive line should have been priority #1 and they did not draft an offensive lineman until the 4^th round. The 4^th round. Andrew Luck was sacked 41 times in 2016! He has currently missed the first two games of 2017 and is currently ruled out of game 3 as well. The face of your franchise who is a 3x pro bowler and led your team to 3 playoff runs and to the AFC championship gets sacked 41 times and you draft a safety in the first round? Andrew Luck needs to get out of Indianapolis as soon as he can. He has the potential to bring teams to the Super Bowl and his talent is being wasted with the colts who seem to have no interest in protecting him.

Andrew Luck should go to the Jaguars. They have built their defense in free agency and have provide weapons on the offense, including drafting a very promising Leonard Fournette to aid in the run game. The only thing they are missing to start really winning games is a great QB to pull it all together. Andrew Luck is that man. Do I think it will happen? Probably not, however, as a fan of Andrew Luck I want him out of there because I do not want to see such a special talent wasted with a team that doesn’t care about his wellbeing. 

Gabe's Personal NFL Power Rankings (1-5)

1.      Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs offense was firing on all cylinders against a team that many people expected to cruise to a win. It was a highly contested game up until the fourth when the Chief’s offense exploded with 21 points to seal up a nice victory. Their defense was never something that people were worried about and it seems as if their offense has answered a few questions as well.

2.      The Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys biggest question mark was the defense and say what you want about how OBJ was not on the field this last Sunday but let’s not act like the rest of the giants receiving corps isn’t good, with Sterling Shepard and newly signed Brandon Marshall. An offense with the weapons that the giants have regardless of OBJ being on the field or not would not be held to only 3 points by just any defense. The Cowboys defense has definitely made improvements in all categories especially pass rush, tallying 3 sacks on Eli Manning, and I know it is only one game, but this was a game against a team that some analysts had winning the East and even making a SB run.

3.      The Green Bay Packers

Aaron Rodgers is something very special. He took a defense that ranked in the bottom 10 of NFL defenses in 2016 to the NFC Championship. When I saw them play against the Seahawks I saw a defense that was much better in every category. Receivers couldn’t get open and the defensive line was in Russel Wilsons face all day. They held the Seahawks to zero touchdowns, and if you’re a fan of the NFL you know it is hard to stop Russel Wilson. The Packers are looking much better on the defensive side this year; however, the Seahawks offensive line is probably one of the worst in the league so I will need to see them against a better offense to put them any higher on the power rankings. Packer fans, I would not be worried about a thing.

4.      The Oakland Raiders

The Raiders cruised to a nice little victory against the Titans (26-16), who are definitely a team to watch the next few years. Derrick Carr did his thing and threw for 262 yards and 2 TDs. Beast Mode is back, and their defense let up a lot of yards but held up in the redzone. The Titans had 350 offensive yards but only let up one TD. The redzone defense on top of the offense that was clicking nicely and you’ve got yourself the best Raiders team we’ve seen in years.

5.      The New England Patriots

The Patriots are going to look a lot like the Packers did last year; great offense, great QB but no defense, but with a much better coach. I personally never had them in my top 4 anyways because I knew their defense wouldn’t be good enough but leaving them out of the top 5 would be foolish. They played well up until the 4^th quarter so tbere’s still hope for this team. The offense will always be great; against a great defense they still put up 371 total yards. 

The Patriots Will not be Winning the Super Bowl this Year

 That’s right, I said it; The Patriots will not win it all this year.  Tom Brady will do Tom Brady things and that offense wont struggle too much through the season, however, the offense is not their problem, it is their defense. This is something that I knew would be a problem before the disaster of a first game happened. Alex Smith and Kareem Hunt diced them up with 537 in total offense and 42 points, I was surprised but at the same time, I was not.

            The Patriots defense lacks any sort of pass rushing, Alex Smith had more than enough time to throw the ball and you cannot give an experienced QB such a Alex Smith time to throw because he will expose your DBs. The worst part about them not being able to get pressure is; The Chiefs offensive line isn’t anything great. I have no doubt that the coaching staff in New England can figure something out to help out the pass rush, but they will still struggle immensely against great offensive lines such as The Raiders. Even if the Patriots had great DBs they still wouldn’t be able to get any stops because no one can cover a receiver forever.

            Now on to the DBs, they don’t really have any. Malcom Butler is above average and Devon McCourty is pretty good, but beyond that, there really isn’t anyone else. The DBs are probably going to get a harsher wrap than they should because of the non-existent pass rush, but they still weren’t very good. Players were missing tackles, getting burned on simple routes, it was just too easy to dissect coverages.

            I think that Tom Brady can win two more, at the most, but I think it can happen. Bill Belichick is the greatest coach of all time, do not debate me on this because this is not an opinion it is a fact. So Patriots fans do not fret, you guys will be fine, but this year is just not your year.

            

SuperBowl Prediction

Let’s Get This Kicked Off

            Football has finally arrived my friends. The greatest time of the year, the time of year when fans of teams with no chance at the SuperBowl get tattoos, “____ 2018 SuperBowl champs!!” on their calves and everyone else kind of just laughs at them together. It is safe to say there is not a single sad football fan right now… until the season starts and 9ers and jets fans realize that they won’t be good for a very long time. But enough of that, time for me to start this season off with my SuperBowl prediction.

Raiders vs Falcons

            Now, my choice for the team that was coming out of the AFC was much easier than picking a team to come out of the NFC. The NFC every year is a tossup, there are always way too many good NFC teams for me to ever confidently pick one of those teams, however, this year is different and here’s why:

Falcons

            The Falcons offense was pretty close to unstoppable last season. Matt Ryan has proven to be a solid QB after having an MVP season last year, and he is still at the helm of that stacked offense. I am aware of Kyle Shanahan departing and that undoubtedly will make an impact, however, Dan Quinn is an excellent head coach and Falcons fans shouldn’t be too worried. There is one, fairly large, question mark here; their front office hired Steve Sarkisian, who has only ever called one game in his career – Alabama’s loss to Clemson in the most recent championship game – after being fired by USC in the middle of their 2015 season. Now I know that seems bad but the Falcons offense has enough weapons and experience to outplay any defense in the NFL, only time will tell how that will affect their offense. Did I mention they have the best receiver in the NFL?

            Their defense was the weak point in that team last year and it still was not that bad. Vic Beasley was nothing short of a monster last year, combine that with Dontari Poe, another solid DT in Jack Crawford and on top of that, they just drafted one of the best pass-rushing linebackers in this year’s draft class, Takkarist Mckinley. The Falcons should have a front that’s miles ahead of last year’s. Keanu Neal, Desmond Trufant and Robert Alford are all great DBs that can hold it down in the passing game, at least long enough for their pass rush to get to the QB.

Raiders

The Raiders are another team whose offense can be nothing short of dominant. That offensive line might be better than the cowboys this coming season. Put Beast Mode behind a line like that? They also have Derrick Carr at the helm of that offense, who has proven to be one of the best QBs in the league, and they gave him another weapon in Cordarrelle Patterson. Patterson being added to a receiving core that already included Michael Crabtree, Amari Cooper and Seth Roberts gives the Raiders an offense to be feared.

The Raiders DBs are stacked this year, Karl Joseph has proven to be a safety that plays a lot bigger than his size, Reggie Nelson has always been a great safety and Sean Smith is a lock down corner who comes up with a lot of pass deflections and can tackle fairly well. With the draft, the Raiders added a freak of nature, Obi Melifonwu, who had an insane NFL combine, and Gareon Conley who was one of the best corners in this year’s draft. Safe to say receivers are going to have a frustrating day when having to play against that secondary. Khalil Mack is probably the second-best pass-rushing linebackers in the NFL and if you made an argument that he is better than Von Miller I’d have a hard time disagreeing. On the other OLB position Bruce Irvin is always a great defender. The only real weakness that I can see in that defense is their middle front and that is only because they drafted and have chosen to let rookies take the helm of the nose tackle and middle linebacker position. So only time will tell how those players develop through the season.

Winner

The Raiders and Falcons, in my opinion, have the most talent and are the best prepared to make a SB run this year and I am a fan of how both coaches rebuilt these teams from the ground up, however, someone must win. I have the Raiders winning it all this year. The raiders defense is extremely talented in the secondary and will be one of the only defenses that can match up with the receiving core that the Falcons have and the Falcons don’t win games by running the ball. Both offenses are great but the Raiders defense is much better where it needs to be for this game. Raiders 31-21.