Wildcard Sports & Pop Culture

TURBULENCE OVER, JETS TIME FOR TAKEOFF?

February 9, 2022April 1, 2022 by Rahman Washington, posted in --, Fantasy, NBA, NFL, Sports

Insane that the NY Jets 4-13 season could be looked at as a successful season, right? Well, that is not the craziest thing in the world to say when you look past the record. Coach Robert Saleh, was one of six first year coaches in the league won over his higher-ups and locker-room in a timely-manner. After being selected to coach the National team during the Senior Bowl, the NY Jets coaching staff not only picked up a win but was also praised for excellent management of Senior Bowl practices. Saleh spoke on how the advantages of coaching the senior bowl, especially for a team with 9 picks in this years draft and 4 in the first 38 picks. Coach Saleh is well-respected throughout the league and more importantly the locker rooms. Jets Linebacker and defensive leader, CJ Mosley was one of many to praise Coach Saleh by describing coach as “a person you want to be around”. Mosley went on to elaborate on the feelings towards Coach Saleh, saying that “He has that energy that brings people closer, that makes you want to go the extra mile for him, for your teammates and for your families.” Managing to keep a high player morale, get positive player feedback about the future of the team while showing improvements throughout a season that is not going how you planned is a testament to the job Saleh has done thus far.

The Jets finished last in the AFC East with the worst overall defense in the NFL. The average age for the Jets week 1 defense was 25 years old. Seven of the 11 week 1 starters were 25-or-under. None of the remaining 4 being older than 30. In true Jets fashion the team was plagued with injuries throughout the season making an already historically young defense more vulnerable. The Jets lost Carl Lawson to a ruptured achilles tendon who was having an outstanding training camp with the team. Lawson have being arguably the best pure pass rusher to hit free agency this past offseason was predicted for a breakout season in his new-look Jets uniform. It was a huge hit to lose him right before the season while a fews weeks later going on to lose Safety Marcus Maye for the season as well. At one point the Jets top six linebackers were inactive on IR or doubtful causing them to sign B.J. Goodson who played one game with the Jets before deciding to retire. In the midst of injury central, the NY Jets were able to develop and discover pieces that will be vital to the Jets future success. However, it will be exhilarating for the Jets to have Carl Lawson lining up on the opposing side of John-Franklin-Myers. Franklin-Myers is an elite pass-rusher on the interior and elite run defender on the edge. Franklin-Myers tied for 18th among edge defenders with 53 pressures, the most ever recorded by a Jets edge defender in a single season since 2006. Although, this was a step down to the impact Franklin-Myers had in 2020 lining up in the interior where he ranked eighth among IDL with 51 pressures and did it on a astounding pressure rate of 14.4%, which ranked third-best among qualified IDL trailing only Stephon Tuitt and Aaron Donald which is pretty talented company. It will be interesting to see where Saleh & the Jets decide to place Franklin-Myer but do not be surprised to see him lining up both as an edge-rusher and IDL next season considering Jets still have consistently developing Quinnen Williams. Williams tied with outside DL John Franklin-Myers for the team lead with 6.0 sacks and was second with 12 QB hits to JFM’s 14. Starting off the season with a foot injury followed by a shoulder injury and COVID Williams was stopped from having the season he hoped to have, ending the season with only 6 sacks. In his end-of-year conference Williams showed self-awareness that should make staff and fans feel good. Williams stated that, “I have games where I make big plays and I have games where I just do my job and I’m an above-average defensive tackle in the league” . Quinnen believes he has the ability to “dominate and take over games like Aaron Donald and Fletcher Cox and those guys on the elite level” if he can work on his consistency. It may sound crazy for Quinnen Williams to compare himself to the likes of those players but it’s not and here’s why. In a healthy 2020 season Williams recorded 13 sacks and 26 QBHs, which may not be Aaron Donald numbers but still is game-changing numbers. Quinnen was not the only Williams to be in a Jets uniform this season and honestly he was not the best Williams in a Jets uniform this year. Quincy Williams, older brother of Quinnen Williams was acquired off waiver wire and took full advantage to the point the NY Jets front office have began to see Pro-Bowl potential in Quincy. He responded to his opportunity by recording 107 tackles, making big plays and having highlight worthy hits. Quincy had the second most tackles on the team while playing the 3rd most snaps on the team during his time playing beside his LB running mate CJ Mosley. CJ & Quincy were the first Jets to surpass 100 tackles each in the same season since LB Avery Williamson (120) and S Jamal Adams (115) in 2018. Jets are nothing less than thrilled of this breakout, but also because they finally got to see what they paid for with CJ Mosley.

Pro-bowl Linebacker CJ Mosley being active for a majority of the season after missing two seasons meant enormous amount to not only the Jets fans but the organization as a whole. To the standards of CJ Mosley, some fans were disappointed in his season saying he looked ‘washed’ and some fans were pleased with his performance. Between not being able to build chemistry with the defense because of the injuries and returning from a two-year hiatus CJ Mosley showed disappointing lows such as 17 missed tackles and unusual bad pass coverage. However, the Jets defensive captain CJ Mosley was no slouch and showed he still has plenty left to give the Jets defense tallying 168 tackles for the season, which placed 3rd in the league. Between filling the gaps, making open field tackles or just making clutch stops for the Jets, Mosley was his vintage pro-bowl self. It will be interesting to see a healthy CJ Mosley, Carl Lawson, Franklin-Myers, Quincy Williams and Quinnen Williams lead this Jets defense next year. Potential breakout talent does not stop there for the Jets while have high hopes for 23 year old edge rusher Bryce Huff who missed half the season with injuries. Huff, a 2020 UDFA went on to play 14 games registering two sacks, 16 tackles, four tackles for loss, and four QB hits in his rookie season while playing around 26 percent of defensive snaps and becoming a regular in the front-seven rotation. Huff was named potential breakout player for the 2021-22 season seeing that Saleh’s 4-3 scheme was more fitting for Huff opposed to the 3-4 scheme the Jets ran prior to Saleh. Other than Quincy Williams the Jets breakout player turned out to be the emergence of second-year cornerback Bryce Hall. Jets made a big get with Hall making him CB1 and it paid off. Hall finished with 79 tackles (66 solo), 16 passes defensed which tied Jalen Ramsey and Xavien Howard at 6th for passes defended. Although needing to work on his ball-hawking skills, Bryce Hall has exceeded expectations and is well on his way to becoming a top flight cornerback in this league. Hall was not the only bright spot in the cornerback room, rookie corner Brandon Echols had an outstanding year. Echols who started all 14 games for the Jets certainly had his lows with the occasional tendency to give up big plays. Otherwise Echols more than held his own, even recording a pick six against Tom Brady in one of the best games from any Jets corner which resulted to winning rookie of the week. Echols showed that he deserved a spot in NYJ cornerback room next year.

Unfortunately someone who will more than likely not be in the DB room is Marcus Maye. Marcus Maye’s season and possibly time as a Jet came to an halt after he suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in an October game versus the Colts. He is set to hit the free agent market this summer unless Saleh and the Jets organization decide to bring him back, which will not be an easy task. Negotiations did not go well between Maye and the Jets last summer and Maye’s injury could make things more difficult or end up a blessing in disguise for the Jets. Jets may be able to get Maye back on a discounted price seeing that he is coming off of his achilles injury depending on whether or not Maye is in the Jets future plans. Jets have four picks within the first 38 picks, that is huge. It is difficult to put together many scenarios that don’t end in the Jets going defense for the one of the first two picks if not both picks.

Some defensive names that have been tied to the Jets draft board include; DT Demarvin Leal, CB Andrew Booth Jr, CB Derek Stingley Jr., Safety Kyle Hamilton, LB Nakobe Dean or pass rushers Aidan Hutchinson and Kayvon Thibodeaux. The Jets landing any of those names will be great additions to the returning Jets defenders along with the names they can attract throughout the offseason and it will be intriguing to see how the Jets capatlize on this opportunity of a franchise shifting offseason. The real question that people want the answer is about Zach Wilson. Is he the one to turn this Jets offense into a consistent threat? Unfortunately the jury is still out on that because of Wilson’s rollercoaster season. Wilson finished the year completing 55.6% of his passes for 2,334 yards, 13 total TDS and 11 INTS w/ a 69.7 quarterback rating. Clearly these numbers will not change a teams season for the better. Wilson, needing to improve on his decision making, consistency and accuracy managed to do that on the backend of the Jets season. Wilson’s connection started strongest with WR Corey Davis. Former Titans WR, Corey Davis had a rough season with uncharacteristic drops and ultimately spending the final month on IR with a core muscle injury. Davis will be back in a Jets uniform again next year and looking to re-establish himself as a pro-bowl WR. Alongside him will be the 2nd year WR Elijah Moore, who in his rookie season let everyone know the player he has the potential to become after a slow start the season. In 11 games Moore had 43 catches for team-leading totals of 538 receiving yards and five receiving TDs and 1 rushing TD. Twenty-five of his catches went for first downs, also the best on the team. It will be very exciting for the Jets to see if a Moore can be a emerge as a superstar WR. With the disappointing output from Jamison Crowder, Denzel Mims and Keelan Cole the Jets decided to the increase the usage of Braxton Berrios. He became the Jets lead returner, while holding on to punt return duties and becoming an high usage WR because of injuries. Braxton Barrios took full advantage of his opportunity, Berrios was announced as 1st Team All-Pro as a Kick Returner and Pro bowl reserve. Berrios became the first Jets player to make the first-team AP All-Pro since S Jamal Adams in 2019. Unfortunately for the Jets, Berrios days with the Jets are likely coming to an end after reported that he is expecting a multi-year contract averaging $9M per season. While Berrios had a fantastic season, the Jets would be insane to give Berrios $9Mil when the chances are high of finding another player who offers the same production for much cheaper. It would be surprising to see any of Keelan Cole, Denzel Mims or Jamison Crowder back in a Jets uniform next year. It can be argued that the Jets are more likely to trade for or pursue an established WR rather than bringing players back. It is important that Davis and Moore stay healthy considering those will be the players Zach Wilson has the most chemistry with. It is much expected for the Jets to spend a draft capital creating depth with another playmaker at that WR or TE position. The Tight end position was a place that the Jets struggled in a major way. Which will make the Jets followers feel good that the Jets have been tied to some of the top TE names such as Trey McBridge, Jeremy Ruckert and Jake Ferigson.

The Jets are still celebrating the amazing 2021 draft they were able to have, especially the potential steal of the night. The Jets drafted Michael Carter, the former UNC running back late in the fourth round. In 14 games Michael Carter finished by leading the Jets with 639 rushing yards on 137 carries (at 4.3 yards/carry) and 964 scrimmage yards . He also topped the team in both rushing (29) and total first downs (46). Michael Carter can well be on his way to consistent 1,000+ yard seasons. Which speaks volume to the terrific job by the Jets OL . The Ny Jets’ offensive line ranked just outside the top-10, which is amazing considering Mehki Becton played only week 1 before sitting out rest of the year. During the absence of Mehki, George Fant not only replaced Becton but managed to have a breakout year while doing it. Fant gave up just one sack in 889 snaps at left tackle. You can very much expect to see George Fant and Becton starting at the tackle positions. Jets left guard, Alijah Vera-Tucker was named to the PFWA’s All-Rookie team. AVT led the Jets offense in total snaps in 2021 with 1,026. Missing only game during his rookie season to COVID-19. Vera-Tucker was charged with only two sacks on the season which includes a 14-game streak with no sacks allowed, being that his only two came in Weeks 1 and 18. All in all, the New York Jets are trending in the right direction with so many bright spots from this previous season. How many teams can say they received solid production from eight out of 10 draft picks in 2021 draft? The Jets can and has the ability repeat that with the position Jets have been put in to have a great offseason. If the Bengals have taught us anything, it is that a strong off-season under strong leadership followed by a healthy roster can completely change your season. New York Jets are so close yet so far.

J-E-T-S

Fantasy, Football, Jets, NFL, NFL DRAFT, Podcast, Robert Saleh, Rookies, Self-Taught, Sports, Superbowl, Zach Wilson

The Potential Next Big 3 in Minnesota?

February 2, 2022February 2, 2022 by Rahman Washington, posted in --

When asked his 5-Year plan in terms of being in the league Anthony Edwards responded, “I want to go deep in the playoffs, definitely past the first round. In five years, I want to be the face of the league and have a couple of MVPs by then and have a ring. In five years, I would expect to go to the Finals for sure,” Edwards says. Whether or not he lives us to his personal goals it up to him, it is certainly not a far-fetched goal for a player of his caliber. However, we are here to talk about the player that could help him and the Timberwolves achieve their team goals in this 5-year window.

Dejounte Murray is everything T-Wolves need to start making consistent playoff pushes. A 6’4 two-way player who can be the true point guard to create for his co-stars but can also create a bucket for himself when needed. Murray shoots just good enough from three to play off the ball, with an 32% career average. It benefits tremendously having a player like Murray that can be your threat on the offensive end but still manage to make an All-Defensive team. Murray is currently averaging an career high 8.4 RPG which 7.1 comes from on defensive end and tacking on 2.0 SPG which is a testament to his 6’10 wingspan. 25 year old Dejounte Murray is having a career year, so good that he could arguably be an Allstar reserve this year. The key here is that Dejounte undoubtedly improves every year. Within the next three years, Anthony Edwards will likely be a top 10 player, KAT will continue to be one of the consistent top bigs in the league. It is unclear what Dejounte’s game will develop into but if they trend of the next three years match the previous three year trend then Dejounte will be one heck of a player. With all three players being under 26, ANT & Dejounte running the floor with KAT in the paint or spreading the court with his nice jumper in addition to them all being able to hold their own on the defensive end could mean for a scary trio for the league.

21-22 Statline – 19.4 PPG. 8.4 RPG 9.1 APG

basketball, NBA, NBA FREE AGENTS, NBA TRADE DEADLINE, Sports, Spurs, Timberwolves

Tokyo’s Final Road To Gold

July 30, 2021August 2, 2021 by kevenmyrick, posted in NBA, Sports

The Quarterfinals matchups start Monday night into Tuesday morning. I am so excited yet also sad that it is coming to an end. Iran, Nigeria, Czech Republic and the host country Japan are out of the tournament. A disappointing run from Nigeria, losing all 3 games after defeating USA & Argentina in exhibition play, plus a tough draw from Czech Republic having France and USA in their group play & Japan simply not having enough to defeat Argentina.

The stage is set. Here are the games for the Quarterfinals. Starting Monday Night (9 PM EST), Slovenia, led by Luka Doncic takes on Mo Wagner and the Deutschland squad. Spain’s last ride gets a bad draw with the United States. Italy vs France, then Boomers playing Argentina to end Tokyo’s night. As a prophet, this is how I think it will play out.

Slovenia(3-0) (-14) vs Germany (1-2) o/u 182.5

Luka Doncic (who is averaging 28.3 ppg, 10.7 rpg and 7 apg) is now 16-0 in the Slovenia jersey in his career. At this rate why wouldn’t they win Gold? Slovenia scored the most points in the 3 games so far totaling 329 points (109.7 ppg). With other talent like Mike Tobey and Vlatko Cancar look for Slovenia to take advantage of this opporutnity. Germany lone win came against Nigeria but they still made the quaterfinals. Mo Wager & Maodo Lo has been the bright spots for Germany, who are missing key pieces such as Dennis Schroder and Max Kleber. Averaging 86 points per game & allowing 91 points per game, all points to the over in this game. Slovenia is the best rebounding team and has the best player in the Olympics.

Pick: Slovenia by 14, Over 182.5

USA (2-1) (-12) vs Spain (2-1) o/u 179.5

The #2 Team in the world, according to FIBA arrives to the quarterfinals with their last chance to medal. Spain’s core is old and most likely we will see a different starting lineup in 2024 Olympics in Paris. I have Ricky Rubio as a Top 5 player in the Olympics and he hasn’t disappointed. The newly acquired Cavalier is averaging 21 ppg, 3 rpg, 7 apg and leads his team in efficiency. Rubio, The Gasol Brothers and company will give it one last shot but got the bad end of the stick after losing to Slovenia in their final group play. Consolation prize? The United States. After losing to France, the United States handed out 2 big blowouts: Iran by 54 and Czech Republic by 34. Averaging 119.5 points the last two games look for USA to build on the embarrassing lost to France. Kevin Durant has now surpassed Carmelo Anthony for most USA Olympic points of All-time, look for him to add to his legacy. We should see 3 more games of USA basketball, hopefully. Spains will show pride & USA will show dominance.

Pick: USA -12, over 179.5

Italy (2-1) vs France (3-0) (-8.5) o/u 168.5

Italy is well balance team that has numerous ways to put the ball in the hoop. Their strength is turnovers, meaning they are the best Olympic team in terms of NOT handing over the rock. That will be the key if they have success going forward. With 5 guys who can fill the ‘Pts” category, including Nico Mannion from the Warriors, look for them to bring a “Team” effort across the board. France, has been impressive the entire time. The game is all about matchups, they give me the most worry of advancing to the Final Four. Evan Fournier and Rudy Gobert are my 7th and 8th player coming into the Olympics, they will need both stars to bring their A-game if they want any shot at winning gold. France is a great rebounding team and one of the most efficient, look for them to pull out a close victory vs Italy. Note: 2 games of France has hit the under (USA & Iran)

Pick: France ML, Under 168.5

Australia (3-0) (-8.5) vs Argentina (1-2) o/u 170.5

Argentina made the quarterfinals after knocking out the host country Japan with a 20 point win. Luis Scola and Facundo Campazzo of the Nuggets, lead the squad to perhaps their last run together as a duo. Argentina ranks 3rd in points but doesn’t stand out anywhere else. This team isn’t the team that won gold in 2004, actually nowhere near. They’re clearly the worse team left in the field. Australia is the perhaps the deepest team outside of the US. With NBA talent such as Joe Ingles, Matisse Thybulle and Aron Baynes they provide key roles alongside their superstar Patty Mills. Perhaps the most important piece is Nick Kay (14ppg & 6 rpg) who filled in for the injured Aron Baynes. Here are the Boomers ranks so far: 4th in scoring, 2nd in steals, 1st in Free Throw %, 3rd in rebounding, and 2nd in team defense. The Boomers were my pre-Olympic gold medal pick. Every game has hit the under for Australia, even Germany couldn’t push over the 170.5 mark. Will Argentina?

Pick: Australia -8.5, under 170.5

FINAL FOUR TEAMS

This will be my Final Four here: Slovenia vs France & USA vs Australia. Hard to see any of them lose, even having Boomers to win gold, I know it will be very difficult to beat USA again. The odds for winning gold has USA 1st at -210, Slovenia 2nd at +550, France & Australia tied for 3rd place at +900.

Bronze Medal Game

Australia vs France

This matchup saddens me deeply because I believe both teams have what it takes to win Gold. The loser coming in 4th place just doesn’t sit right with me. However, if USA stays on this hot scoring pace & Slovenia finds ways to put up points, the “defense win championship” theory comes into question. The winner will find themselves on the podium but for Bronze.

Winner: Australia

Gold Medal Game

Slovenia vs USA

The most anticipating matchup in Olympic sport history, the dominance of Team USA, winner of the last 3 Olympics vs Slovenia led by the arguably the best player in the world, Luka The Don. For all reasons above in this article, the world do not want to miss this no matter the time. USA has the talent but will it outweigh the chemistry of Slovenia? This game will clearly be high scoring and one, I believe will come down to the wire.

Winner: USA

Top 10 Players in the Tokyo 2021 Olympics

July 24, 2021July 30, 2021 by kevenmyrick, posted in --, NBA, Sports

This was fun to do especially with so many opt outs and top countries not making the final cut. Teams like Serbia, that have the 2021 NBA MVP Nikola Jokic alongside Hawks starting SG Bogdan Bogdanovic & the mighty Greece team, where their leader is celebrating his first championship & Finals MVP in Giannis Antetokounmpo are all missing out of 2021 in Tokyo. Other great players like Dennis Schroder couldn’t get insurance to play for Germany & other teams like Lithuania with Sabonis just didn’t qualify.

Teams in the Olympics

Japan (Host Country)
Argentina
Australia
Czech Republic
France
Germany
Iran
Italy
Nigeria
Slovenia
Spain
USA

So here we go, ranking the top 10 Players in Tokyo 2021

10. Danilo Gallinari, Italy

He arrived late to the party due to the Atlanta Hawks making it to the Eastern Conference Finals but Gallo has been one of the most consistent international players the NBA’s ever had. In FIBA 2019, Gallo averaged 17.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg & 2.8 apg while shooting 50% from 3. Italy has more scorers now who can light up the scoreboard including the Warriors Nico Mannion, but look for the Italian veteran to prove he’s still the go to guy & the reason Italy could medal.

9. Tomas Satoransky, Czech Republic

The underdog role fits Tomas Satoransky perfectly. His 16 ppg during the qualifying round in Victoria, helped lead to upsets over Canada & Greece, including a game winner over Lu Dort. Along with Jan Vesely, look for Tomas to try and make a statement in a tough group with USA and France. Will the underdog become a hero and rise to the occasion? FIBA 2019 stats: 15.5 ppg, 8.5 apg & 5.6 rebs while shooting 48% from 3.

8. Rudy Gobert, France

The big man upfront, The Stifle Tower from the Utah Jazz, help leads a loaded France team looking to capture gold in the Olympics. Rudy Gobert is arguably the best defender in the WORLD, he’ll look to use his length to dominate the Olympics this go around. We last saw him help defeat Team USA in FIBA 2019, where he posted 21 points, 16 rebounds & 3 blocks. He’s the best big in the Olympics and he’ll prove that once again.

7. Evan Fournier, France

Just like his teammate, Evan Fournier is ready to bring France the gold. He poured in 22 pts vs USA in FIBA making France a dominating duo alongside other NBA players like Nicolas Batum & Frank Ntilikina. Fournier average 19.8 ppg, 4 rpg & 3 apg in 2019 and is poised for another great run. France takes on Team USA in their first game, Fournier will be counted on as the lead guy, to upset USA again.

6. Jayson Tatum, USA

Jayson Tatum is a top 15 player in the NBA so he has to make a top 10 list in the Olympics. This is the summer where Tatum take his defensive prowess to the next level. I mention on the Preach Kev Preach w/ Rashad Podcast Episode – Everything That Glitters Ain’t Gold – that Team USA needs to learn their roles. Tatum worked out with the late great Kobe Bryant and his role was defense. Taking the challenge to lock down France’s Evan Fournier & Czech Republic’s Tomas Satoransky in Group play is a task Tatum is made for.

5. Ricky Rubio, Spain

Man let me tell you about the one they call Ricky Rubio. As the Gasol brothers age out, Rubio remains the catalyst & most important player on the Spain team. This is Spain’s final opportunity to capture goal. If they do, it’ll all be up to Ricky. 16 ppg, 6 apg, 5 rpg from the FIBA World Cup shows all the confidence he’ll to return to the form or even better. Rubio’s game is exactly the way you want to model yourself in international play demonstrating great IQ & playmaking ability. Rubio led all scorers vs USA in the final friendly heading to Tokyo with 23 points.

4. Patty Mills, Australia

Superstar Patty Mills!!! That’s all I can say. He’s been a beast for the Boomers and if you watch international play, you’d know that by now. Australia has been disappointing the last few times out including when they had the opportunity to win Gold in 2019 but look for the team to look toward their best player to lead them to the promise land. Patty Mills has average 20+ points on the last 3 Boomer Teams (2019 FIBA, 2016 Olympics & 2012 Olympics), this is why we call him Superstar Patty Mills.

3. Kevin Durant, USA

I know what you’re thinking…THIRD? Well we know KD is arguably the baddest man on the planet, however his role is carved out for Team USA differently. He’s one of the best scorers in Team USA history and he’ll continue to do so, especially in the Carmelo Anthony role . KD is the Guard-Center of this team, which is a made up position, but he’s the tallest player on Team USA, aside from Mcgee and I think they’ll use him in numerous ways including controlling the glass which could take away from his superstardom we see in the NBA.

2. Damian Lillard, USA

Dame will take up the slack for Team USA. When in doubt, give the ball to Damian Lillard, he can make something out of nothing and he’ll be the key reason Team USA wins gold. Obviously, Team USA is loaded with talent, but he’ll still find away to lead the team in scoring and probably 3 pointers made. The Olympics is very guard centric right now and he’ll provide that as an elite option & probably the best Tokyo will see.

1. Luka Doncic, Slovenia

Are Kevin Durant and Damian Lillard better than Luka? It’s definitely a debate, but when it comes to International play, I’m taking Luka everyday and twice on Sunday. Luka won MVP at 18 and he’s carrying yet another team on his back. Slovenia has a shot and it’s all up to Luka. In the qualifying round Luka average 21 ppg, 11 apg & 8 rpg in 4 games, not to mention his historic triple double vs the mighty Lithuanian team in the Finals. Luka is the most exciting basketball player to watch in the world and honestly I don’t think that’s up for debate. Can’t wait to see how far Luka can take Slovenia.

THE NEW ALLSTAR WEEKEND EVENT?

June 14, 2021 by Rahman Washington, posted in --

Every year we see NBA free agency filled with talents that have us wondering, “how is he not signed” and wondering why our favorite teams are not filling these voids. I think I figured out the solution to this problem.

During All-star weekend the NBA should have a game that features the top available free agents and there are two ways this could happen or free agents that drew the most interest from the NBA Teams

-3 Game Tournament. 4 Teams of 10. Team A Vs Team B, Team C Vs Team D and those winners play one another. You get to see 40 players between those two teams & 8 coaches between the teams.

2 Teams of 12-13 Players

Benefits of this addition?

-NBA gets the other event they have been looking to add to All Star Weekend which will add more revenue to the weekend.

NBA gets the other event they have been looking to add to All-Star Weekend, which will add more revenue to the weekend.

Fans get a competitive meaning event to enjoy to begin All-Star Weekend

Teams get to checkout players that could potentially fill gaps and improve their team post All-Star weekend.

We have these players working their tails off during the summer waiting for their opportunity; they do not truly have a platform to showcase their improvements.

As of now, the most exciting event we have is the 3PT contest with the dunk contest constantly becoming a hit or miss, I feel that this will bring the viewers back while drawing new viewers to check out this event.

NBA, NBA FREE AGENTS

WWE Reviving Momentum in Women’s Division

June 8, 2021April 1, 2022 by Rahman Washington, posted in --

Currently the women’s division is in a interesting place, we have two new fresh faces as champions with Bianca Belair and Nikki A.S.H. and they are doing terrific jobs this far. However, with the release of so many women superstars, having a women’s tag team division on the main roster does not make much sense at the moment. Tamina & Natalya as a tag team seemed random at first but they ended up meshing well. It would be great if the roster still had other tags such as; Iconics, Bella twins, Riot Squad, Fire & Desire, Bayley & Sasha, Kabuki Warriors, Alexa & Nikki. The thing is, none of those tag teams exist anymore either from breaking up or no longer being with the company. Instead of forming random tag teams that don’t compliment one another WWE should replace the women’s tag team division with a mid-card singles belt. I am a fan of women’s division but having a tag division with the current constructed roster it does not benefit the company at this point.

Committing to someone as world champion is a big deal. Adding this title would allow WWE to test the waters of their women superstars to see if they are built for the responsibility of a champion and would allow the company to push women who they do not see as world champions but still see them as championship worthy, fan favorite superstars especially. In a tag division there are only so many rivalries you can have before you are repeating storylines or throwing random tags together. Women superstars such as; Naomi, Tamina, Sonya Deville, Mandy Rose, Liv Morgan, Dana Brooke, Natalya, Zelina Vega, Carmella, Eva Marie and so many more who may not be in the title picture anytime soon because management does not have evidence or confidence in them to be an successful title holder would benefit from this enormously. This mid-card belt could be that stepping stone for the superstars while still being a huge achievement within itself.

Other benefits of adding a mid-card single’s belt include:

Allowing women to stay relevant without being a world champion
You can have tag team matches without having a tag title and they don’t lose much meaning. Mid-card singles matches would mean more by having the title involved
Having a way to develop or discover mid-card talent as world champion talent
Allowing fans to see fan favorites hold a title.
Allowing the women who will always be mid-card to stay motivated to put on good shows and get better because they still have a chance to be a realistic title holder
If you are bringing a new superstar into the company or bringing a superstar from NXT and want them to hit the ground running but do not want to commit to them a world champion this allows that to happen.
It gives the women who feel that have already achieved their goals as world champion a new milestone to look forward to. Such as Charlotte Flair & Sasha Banks.
Giving fans a fresh reason to want to tune in.

Lastly, It’s just time. The women’s division has had some huge milestones in the last decade; from ‘Evolution’, wrestling in Saudi, being the Wrestlemania main event, women’s rumble and so many other achievements. I think we all can agree that for many reasons WWE main roster has had one too many stale storylines or repeated rivalries and too many missing superstar pushes. The historic history of the men’s IC and US title is legendary with some of the names who held that title from; Terry Funk, Ricky Steamboat, Razor Ramon, Jake Roberts, Bret Hart, HHH. It is time to offer that opportunity to the women.

WWE Reviving Momentum in Women’s Division

Hot time for Boxing

June 7, 2021 by Rahman Washington, posted in --

Boy are we getting blessed with some amazing fights in the months of June, July, and August! If you are a boxing fan then you could not be happier with these next couple months and if you are looking to get into boxing, these next few months are the time to do that. Check out the fights lined up and my predictions for the key fights.

Predictions in Red

JUNE

June 5: Shropshire, England

Title fight: Daniel Dubois vs. Bogdan Dinu, 12 rounds, for the vacant WBA interim heavyweight title–Dubois, coming off his last loss I feel like Dubois is on a mission to redeem himself. Also, Bogdan lost vs Big Baby Miller and I feel like Dubois is more active and a heavier striker than Big Baby
Nathan Heaney vs. Iliyan Markov, 10 rounds, middleweights-
Liam Davies vs. Stefan Slavchev, 6 rounds, bantamweights-
Daniel Buciuc vs. Naeem Ali, 6 rounds, junior middleweights-
Tommy Fury vs. Jordan Grant, 6 rounds, light heavyweights-
George Bance vs. Des Newston, 4 rounds, welterweights
Adan Mohamed vs. Luke Fash, 4 rounds, featherweights
Caoimhin Agyarko vs. TBA, 6 rounds, middleweights

June 6: Miami (Showtime PPV)

Floyd Mayweather vs. Logan Paul, 8 rounds, “special exhibition” – I am not a fan of this fight, OR The ‘celebrity exhibition boxing’ wave that is going on because I do feel like professional boxing is back. Collectively, boxing has some of the most depth of great boxers in a long time. Boxing is at one of it’s peaks and I feel like these kinds of fights take away from that.
Badou Jack vs. Dervin Colina, 10 rounds, light heavyweights- Badou Jack

June 12: Las Vegas (ESPN/ESPN+)

Title fight: Shakur Stevenson vs. Jeremiah Nakathila, 12 rounds, for the vacant WBO interim junior lightweight title– Shakur Stevenson picks up a statement win in this Title fight
Jose Pedraza vs. Julian Rodriguez, 10 rounds, junior welterweights
Xander Zayas vs. Larry Fryers, 6 rounds, welterweights
Tyler McCreary vs. Manuel Rey Rojas, 8 rounds, junior lightweights
John Bauza vs. Christon Edwards, 8 rounds, junior welterweights
Bryan Lua vs. Frevian Gonzalez, 6 rounds, junior lightweights
Troy Isley vs. LaQuan Evans, 4 rounds, middleweights
Kasir Goldston vs. Maurice Anthony, 4 rounds, welterweights
Jahi Tucker vs. Ysrael Barboza, 4 rounds, welterweights

June 12: Newcastle, England

Lewis Ritson vs. Jeremias Nicolas Ponce, 12 rounds, junior welterweights
Cyrus Pattinson vs. TBA, rounds TBA, junior middleweights
Scott Fitzgerald vs. TBA, rounds TBA, junior middleweights

June 19: Las Vegas (ESPN and ESPN+)

Title fight: Naoya Inoue vs. Michael Dasmarinas, 12 rounds, for Inoue’s IBF and WBA bantamweight titles- Naoya Inoue
Title fight: Mikaela Mayer vs. Erica Farias, 10 rounds, for Mayer’s WBO women’s junior lightweight title- Erica Farias
Adam Lopez vs. Isaac Dogboe, 10 rounds, featherweights

June 19: Miami (Triller PPV)

Title fight: Teofimo Lopez vs George Kambosos Jr, 12 rounds, for Lopez’s WBA, WBO and IBF lightweight titles- Teofimo Lopez picks up a dominating win over Kambosos in his first title defense
Charles Conwell vs. Mark DeLuca, 10 rounds, junior middleweights
Title fight: Franchon Crews Dezurn vs. Elin Cederroos, 10 rounds, for Crews Dezurn’s WBC and WBO women’s super middleweight titles, and Cederroos’ WBA and IBF women’s super middleweight titles- Elin Cederoos
Andy Vences vs. Jono Carroll, 10 rounds, junior lightweights
Michael Hunter vs. Mike Wilson, 12 rounds, heavyweights
Willie Monroe Jr. vs. Juan De Angel, 10 rounds, middleweights- Willie Monroe Jr
Zhilel Zhang vs. Daniel Martz, 10 rounds, heavyweights
Aaron Aponte vs. Gerardo Contreras Gonzalez, 4 rounds, junior welterweights
Ray Robinson vs. Ramal Amanov, 8 rounds, junior middleweights
Haven Brady Jr. vs. Manuel Lara, 4 rounds, featherweights
Nikoloz Sekhniashvili vs. TBA, 6 rounds, junior middleweights
Arnold Gonzalez vs. Gabriel Gutierrez, 4 rounds, welterweights

June 19: Houston (Showtime)

Title fight: Jermall Charlo vs. Juan Macias Montiel, 12 rounds, for Charlo’s WBC middleweight title- Jermall Charlo will have a dominating win as he tries to make his point that he needs to see GGG or Canelo next.
Kudratillo Abdukakhorov vs. Cesar Miguel Barrionuevo, 10 rounds, welterweights
Angelo Leo vs. Aaron Alameda, 10 rounds, junior featherweights- Angelo Leo
Isaac Cruz Gonzalez vs. Francisco Vargas, 10 rounds, lightweights

June 19: Jalisco, Mexico (PPV)

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. vs. Anderson Silva, 10 rounds, cruiserweights
Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. vs. Hector Camacho Jr., 6 rounds, middleweight exhibition
Omar Chavez vs. Ramon Alvarez, 10 rounds, middleweights
Damian Sosa vs. Abel Mina, 10 rounds, junior middleweights
Kevin Torres vs. Jorge Luis Melendez, 8 rounds, junior welterweights
Manuel Jaimes vs. Francisco Arturo Ramirez Martinez, 8 rounds, lightweights
Mario Alberto Ramirez vs. Pedro Castro, 8 rounds, featherweights
Erik Inzunza vs. TBA, 6 rounds, junior lightweights
Karen Rubio vs. TBA, 4 rounds, women’s junior flyweights

June 19: El Paso, Texas (DAZN)

Jaime Munguia vs. Maciej Sulecki, 12 rounds, middleweights
Bektemir Melikuziev vs. Gabriel Rosado, 12 rounds, super middleweights
Title fight: Ibeth Zamora vs. Marlen Esparza, 10 rounds, for Zamora’s WBC women’s flyweight title- Ibeth Zamora
Blair Cobbs vs. Brad Brad Solomon, 10 rounds, welterweights

June 26: Las Vegas (ESPN+)

Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. Masayoshi Nakatani, 12 rounds, lightweights- Lomachenko
Rob Brant vs. Janibek Alimkhanuly, 10 rounds, middleweights

June 26: TBA (Showtime PPV)- The best card from start to finish

Title fight: Mario Barrios vs. Gervonta Davis, 12 rounds, for Barrios’ WBA “regular” junior welterweight title- Boy this will be an interesting fight. While Tank is the obvious favorite, Barrios size difference could be a big problem for Tank if he can’t manage to close the distance. I do believe Tank overcomes the size difference for the win
Erickson Lubin vs. Jeison Rosario, 12 rounds, WBC junior middleweight title eliminator- Rosario, I do feel Rosario will redeem himself after his last fight
Batyr Akhmedov vs. Algenis Mendez, 12 rounds, junior welterweights-
Julian Williams vs. Brian Mendoza, 10 rounds, junior middleweights- This will be one amazing fight to watch but tough fight for both fighters. I feel as if this is a must win for Julian Williams career, I think he understands that and will get the job done.

june 27th: pbc, live on fox:

Title fight: David Morrell Jr vs Mario Cazares, 12 rounds, WBA Super Middleweight Championship – David Morrell stays unbeaten in his title defense, giving Cazares his first loss.

JULY

July 3: Carson, California (Showtime)

Title fight: Chris Colbert vs. Yuriorkis Gamboa, 12 rounds, for Colbert’s WBA interim junior lightweight title– Chris Colbert, I feel as if Gamboa’s days are numbered. Gamboa is a tough fighter and will not be a cake walk but ultimately I think he loses in a stoppage.

July 9: Los Angeles (DAZN)

Gilberto Ramirez vs. Sullivan Barrera, 12 rounds, light heavyweights
Joseph Diaz Jr. vs. Javier Fortuna, 12 rounds, lightweights– Fortuna

July 17: TBA (Showtime)

Title fight: Jermell Charlo vs. Brian Castano, 12 rounds, for Charlo’s IBF, WBC and WBA junior middleweight titles and Castano’s WBO junior middleweight title- Jermell Charlo – Jermell Charlo with KO of the Year candidate

July 17: Germany

Tina Rupprecht vs. Katia Gutierrez, 10 rounds, for Rupprecht’ WBC women’s strawweight title

July 24: Las Vegas

Title fight: Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder, 12 rounds, for Fury’s WBC heavyweight title- This one is hard for me. With Wilder having a new trainer he has shown actual boxing skills and not just being a slugger. If Wilder changes up his fighting style to what his training has looked like alongside his KO Power then I have a hard time betting against him. Fury is so skilled and agile for a fighter of his size. However I am nervous that he is doubting Wilder’s ability to beat him. By the skin of my teeth I have to go with Deontay Wilder. I feel a loss for Wilder would be more detrimental to his career than if Fury lost.

AUGUST

August 14: TBA (Showtime)

Title fight: John Riel Casimero vs. Guillermo Rigondeaux, 12 rounds, for Casimero’s WBO bantamweight title- John Riel Casimero

August 21: Las Vegas (FOX PPV) (Fight of the year until further notice)

Title fight: Errol, Spence Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao, 12 rounds, for Spence’s WBC and IBF welterweight titles- Errol Spence Jr, Boy is this fight huge for the boxing world. We have Manny Pacquiao trying to cement his legacy against arguably the top boxer of today’s boxing generation. Errol Spence Jr has been calling Manny out for some time, so to add a win over Manny Pacquiao to his resume would be amazing. Please disregard Manny Pacquiao’s age, he will be even more prepared than he was for Thurman, however Errol Spence is no Thurman. Coming off a huge win against Danny Garcia, Spence says he currently feels 100% again and did not during Danny Garcia’s fight. I do not seeing 100% Errol Spence losing to Manny Pacquiao.

August 28: TBA (Showtime)

David Benavidez vs. Jose Uzcategui, 12 rounds, WBC super middleweight title eliminator- David Benavidez Winner

Hot time for Boxing

The NBA’s Next – Set Me Free Players

June 3, 2021June 5, 2021 by kevenmyrick, posted in NBA

Every year NBA players are on the move, looking to improve their chances on winning a NBA title. In the past, we had players team up to form unbeatable teams such as the Heat in the early 2010s, the Warriors on the back end & now a big three that just formed in Brooklyn. For the first two examples, they became champions and rightfully so. Lebron James & Kevin Durant took it upon themselves to make sure they could host the Larry O’Brien trophy and free themselves of that ever cloud of judgement from around the NBA and the world. Who needs to save themselves or need help saving? At the end of the day we should be shouting, ‘Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty, they’re free at last.

C Domantas Sabonis, Pacers

20.3 ppg, 12 rpg, 6 apg, 1.2 spg, 0.5 bpg, 53.5 FG%, 32.1 3pt%

Sabonis, in his 5th season, has taken a step toward stardom. Easily the best player on the Pacers, he couldn’t get enough from his team, to secure their place in the playoffs. A 2x time all star with 13 career triple doubles, what’s not to like about him. He’s one of four players to average 20 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists, joining elite company like Kevin Garnett, Wilt Chamberlin, and Oscar Robertson. As great as he’s been where do we really see the Pacers going? In his 4 years with the Pacers, they have 3 playoff appearances including 2 sweeps.

With the turmoil coming out of Indiana with coach Nate Bjorkgren, can we save Sabonis before it’s too late? Outside of Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic, is he not the 3rd best big in the league? At least its debatable, but I hope we can find a place for the Lithuanian Star.

G De’Aaron Fox, Kings

25.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 7.2 apg, 1.5 spg, 0.5 blk, 47.7 FG%, 32.2 3pt%, 71.9 FT%

First off, I’d like to say that Fox is from the University of Kentucky, which means he’s “damn sho” built different. What’s built different from the rest of the NBA, is the way the Sacramento Kings have been ran by the front office. The Kings haven’t made the playoffs since 2007 season. That’s a 14 year drought and haven’t won a series since 2004. With all the lottery draft picks, one of them that was right from Day 1 was De’Aaron Fox. He’s known as one of the fastest players in the league, who constantly applies pressure to opposing defenses. In 2021, he took a big step in a positive direction, in career numbers leading to impactful success. In the month of March, Fox averaged 29 ppg and 7 apg following that up with great April (27 ppg and 7 apg). If it wasn’t for the greatness of the point guard position, I would be standing on the table singing, “ALL-NBA, ALL-NBA”.

What will the Kings do this offseason… well Luke Walton will return as Head Coach, all the more reasons that Fox needs saving. At this point there’s no reason to continue to wait on the development of Haliburton and Bagley and even though Fox signed a 5 year – 163 million contract, that wont start until next season, its time to wave the flag.

PF Zion Williamson, Pelicans

27 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 3.7 apg, 0.9 spg, 0.6 bpg, 61.1 FG%, 29.4 3pt%, 69.8 FT%

Well obviously, he’s only been around for 2 seasons (only played 85 career games), however he’s already to big for the Pelicans. This is a team that has already lost Jrue Holiday, but already have talked about trading Steven Adams & Eric Bledsoe this offseason but potentially losing a piece from the Anthony Davis trade, in Lonzo Ball. Most players that pan out usually stays with their team for 7 years because of the contract they can sign after year 4, this may very well be the case for Zion but what will he have to gain?

How far will the Pelicans go? As a small market, I have no faith that this team can surround him with the talent that he needs to make deep playoff runs, especially with losing 3 starters in the 2021 offseason. It is not easy to carry a small market team as a big men, Anthony Davis tried, Kevin Garnett tried, Kevin Love, Chris Bosh, etc. When you look at bigs in big markets i.e. Joel Embiid, good things can happen. Free Zion, we don’t want him in New Orleans.

C Karl-Anthony Towns, Timberwolves

24.8 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 4.5 apg, 0.8 spg, 1.1 bpg, 48.7 FG%, 38.7 3pt%, 85.9 FT%

I may have spoke to soon when it comes to big men outside of Jokic and Embiid because KAT has something to say. KAT has made the playoffs once since entering the NBA and that was off the back of Jimmy Butler. I preach patience when it comes to KAT and the Timberwolves because I love the additions of Anthony Edwards and newly HC Chris Finch. The Wolves have made strives but to be fair the all 29 teams could use KAT in some shape or form. His only weakness is being a lock down defender but he’s a stat stuffer and can provide scoring on all 3 levels.

The wolves messed up their chances by winning a high percentage of their games in the 2nd half of the season as they do not hold the cards to their 1st round pick since it is Top 3 protected, that pick goes to the Golden State Warriors. As mentioned above, KAT is also from the University of Kentucky & has the tools but as a big needs help to contend in the West. There’s a free KAT available, even though he wants to stay in Minnesota, I may need to get on I-90 myself to move him out personally.

G Donovan Mitchell, Jazz

26.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 5.2 apg, 1.0 spg, 0.3 bpg, 43.8 FG%, 38.6 3pt%, 84.5 FT%

I know what you’re thinking, the Jazz are the No.1 seed in the West and have the best record in the NBA.

“History repeats itself, but in such a cunning disguise that we never detect the resemblance until the damage is done”
Syndey J Harris

Karl Malone, John Stockton, Deron Williams were Jazz players who couldn’t win a title in Utah. To be fair, two of them ran into Michael Jordan and one ran into Kobe Bryant but that’s beside the point. The Jazz are a complete team from top to bottom with an incredible Head Coach in Quin Snyder. When you talk about other elite teams around the league, there’s usually more than 1 star. Mitchell relies on Bogdanovic, veteran Mike Conley and 6th man of the year Jordan Clarkson for scoring, while someone like Jayson Tatum on the other hand, has a budding star in Jaylen Brown to rely on. Donovan Mitchell is box office and if you ask me, Utah shouldn’t hold him down for too long with or without a deep playoff run, he could be first in line to ask out.

NFL AFTER WEEK 3 RANKINGS

October 1, 2020October 1, 2020 by preachkevpreach, posted in --, NFL, Sports

Week 3 is in the books, a lot of movement and finding out which teams are real and which team is not. The rankings has been consistent with teams at the top, as well as team at the bottom. Don’t let another moment go until you see the Prophet Rankings after week 3.

32. New York Jets (0-3)

Last Week Ranking: 32

This could be the worse team in the NFL and I don’t think it’s close. Adam Gase is one more blowout away from being fired, but what would that really mean? The race for 0-16 is on.

Highest Ranking: 32

Lowest Ranking: 32

31. New York Giants (0-3)

Last Week Ranking: 31

Another team from New York and another way to open the season up with disaster. Rookie HC Joe Judge has a lot of improvements for this young team. However it is hard to judge them when they faced defenses like Steelers, Bears and the 49ers.

Highest Ranking: 31

Lowest Ranking: 31

30. Washington Football Team (1-2)

Last Week: 24

Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Washington biggest problem is the QB position. Dwayne Haskins hasn’t showed any real signs through 3 games that points to him being a franchise QB. The DL is dangerous and Terry is Scary but that’s all they have going for them

Highest Ranking: 28

Lowest Ranking: 30

29. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-2)

Last Week Ranking: 21

Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

They are who we thought they were! After impressive win over the Colts and impressive lost vs the Titans, the Jags showed the world on National TV where they really stand. Can they bounce back?

Highest Ranking: 23

Lowest Ranking: 30

28. Cincinnati Bengals (0-2-1)

Last Week Ranking: 28

Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

A Tie? Joe Burrow was a couple of plays away from making the 2019 NFC East Champs 0-3. They are showing signs of what could be an incredible offense in the near future. Stay Tuned

Highest Ranking: 24

Lowest Ranking: 30

27. Denver Broncos (0-3)

Last Week Ranking: 20

The injuries has piled up for the Broncos which make their ranking low. A team with promise seems to be stressing. Will they get their first win in Week 4?

Highest Ranking: 23

Lowest Ranking: 29

26. Carolina Panthers (1-2)

Last Week Ranking: 30

Got their first win without their star player in Christian McCaffrey. This team will be a pain in the butt all year but there is a lot to look toward for Matt Rhule and company.

Highest Ranking: 21

Lowest Ranking: 29

25. Philadelphia Eagles (0-2-1)

Last Week Ranking: 26

Someone tell me where the real Carson Wentz is. He hasn’t showed any signs of a good QB – I question can he even read the defense. Nonetheless, the Eagles are still hurt (as always) and it doesn’t appear to be getting any better.

Highest Ranking: 21

Lowest Ranking: 27

24. Atlanta Falcons (0-3)

Last Week Ranking: 22

The Comeback Kids got their name when they played the Falcons. Another late fashion lost, this team could be one of the best but they stand in their own way. The clock is ticking for Dan Quinn

Highest Ranking: 24

Lowest Ranking: 26

23. Miami Dolphins (1-2)

Last Week Ranking: 29

Dolphins went wild vs the Jags on TNF. Brian Flores has the team playing pretty well sticking with the Pats and Bills to start the season. How will they fair with another Mobile QB in Week 4, let’s find out.

Highest Ranking: 22

Lowest Ranking: 28

22. Los Angeles Chargers (1-2)

Last Week Ranking: 17

This team will be up and down all season. A team that has changed QBs plus with multiple injuries it is hard to get a real grasp if the lighting bolts are real.

Highest Ranking: 19

Lowest Ranking: 29

21. Minnesota Vikings (0-3)

Last Week Ranking: 25

Vikings made NFL History with a rusher over 175 yards and another player with over 175 yards receiving and still lost to the Titans on Sunday. They have looked better since Week 1 but still haven’t received their 1st win. Could be in store in Week 4.

Highest Ranking: 27

Lowest Ranking: 19

20. Houston Texans (0-3)

Last Week Ranking: 23

Watson is doing all he can but that isn’t enough right now. The schedule was not kind to the Texans, a very brutal start to the season.

Highest Ranking: 17

Lowest Ranking: 25

19. Las Vegas Raiders (2-1)

Last Week: 15

Raiders have to prove they can play from behind. Aside from the beautiful stadium there is still some ugly to their game.

Highest Ranking: 18

Lowest Ranking: 22

18. Detroit Lions (1-2)

Last Week Ranking: 27

Impressive win over the Arizona Cards, this team was one catch away from being 2-1 and being in control of the destiny. Stafford is Top 10 in passing without Kenny Golladay, put some respect on his name.

Highest Ranking: 18

Lowest Rankin: 20

17. Cleveland Browns (1-2)

Last Week Ranking: 18

Run the ball! That’s the success for this team — They’ll move up in they continue the 2 headed monster in Chubb & Hunt.

Highest Ranking: 17

Lowest Ranking: 18

16. San Francisco 49ers (2-1)

Last Week Ranking: 13

The injuries are mounting up yet they still win. Kyle Shanahan is doing all he can, hopefully the injury bug moves away.

Highest Ranking: 11

Lowest Ranking: 16

15. Arizona Cardinals (2-1)

Last Week Ranking: 12

Kyler Murray…. how could you lose to Detroit? It’s okay, things happen, we still believe in you.

Highest Ranking: 11

Lowest Ranking: 16

14. Chicago Bears (3-0)

Last Week Ranking: 14

The change at Quarterback helped them stay undefeated. Bears are who we thought they were.

Highest Ranking: 11

Lowest Ranking: 16

13. New Orleans Saints (1-2)

Last Week Ranking: 9

Don’t know where to peg the Saints. Brees Average Depth of Throw is extremely low. He’s missing Mike Thomas but the defense isn’t that great so far. They’ll clean it up.

Highest Ranking: 11

Lowest Ranking: 14

12. Indy Colts (2-1)

Last Week Ranking: 16

Still can’t believe Colts lost to the Jags but they dominated the Jets. Real challenge in Week 4, will they live up to the hype.

Highest Ranking: 9

Lowest Ranking: 15

11. Dallas Cowboys (1-2)

Last Week Ranking: 13

The offense is the calling card for the team and right now they’re 1 for 3. Dak lead the league in passing, that’s it for now.

Highest Ranking: 8

Lowest Ranking: 16

10. Tennessee Titans (3-0)

Last Week Ranking: 10

They probably won Week 3 because they had the Coronavirus, either way they pulled out 3 wins by kicking game winning FGs. Can they dominate for 60 mins.

Highest Ranking: 8

Lowest Ranking: 15

9. New England Patriots (2-1)

Last Week Ranking: 11

Big follow up to Week 2 performance putting up a lot of points. The big task is if they can do that in Week 4.

Highest Ranking: 7

Lowest Ranking: 10

8. Los Angeles Rams (2-1)

Last Week Ranking: 7

Rams was a DPI call from being 3-0 and higher on this list but here they are looking so much better than initially thought. Goff and the offense has gotten back on track and that’s all you can ask.

Highest Ranking: 8

Lowest Ranking: 10

7. Tampa Bay Bucs (2-1)

Last Week Ranking: 8

They may have the best defense in the NFC but they played the Panthers and the Broncos. The offense is getting better, can we trust Brady down the line??

Highest Ranking: 7

Lowest Ranking: 9

6. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-0)

Last Week Ranking: 6

The defense played amazing in the 2nd half and the offense is getting better each week. All faith in Steelers this year to continually be in the top 7 all year.

Highest Ranking: 2

Lowest Ranking: 6

5. Green Bay Packers (3-0)

Last Week Ranking: 4

A-Aron and A-Aron are doing everything in their power making them one of the best offenses in the league. Week 4 make way for some more fireworks.

Highest Ranking: 3

Lowest Ranking: 5

4. Buffalo Bills (3-0)

Last Week Ranking: 5

Josh Allen continues to prove the doubters wrong. After giving up a 28-3 lead he proved how clutch he can be. The success is on his shoulders and he can handle it.

Highest Ranking: 2

Lowest Ranking: 6

3. Seattle Seahawks (3-0)

Last Week Ranking: 3

Russ Cooked and it was good. Another Shootout performance by Seattle and it seems that Tyler Lockett may be the most underrated WR in the game.

Highest Ranking: 2

Lowest Ranking: 4

2. Baltimore Ravens (2-1)

Last Week Ranking: 2

Lackluster performance but the only time the Ravens trail is when they play the Chiefs. They’ll be fine and will bounce back huge in Week 4.

Highest Ranking: 2

Lowest Ranking: 4

1. Kansas City Chiefs (3-0)

Last Week Ranking: 1

Is it Chiefs vs Everybody? Indeed it is. Mahomes and company looked great in Week 3 on both sides of the ball. They’ll look to keep that up vs another mobile QB in Cam Newton.

Highest Ranking: 1

Lowest Ranking: 1

NFL Pre Week 2 Rankings

September 17, 2020September 18, 2020 by preachkevpreach, posted in --, NFL, Sports

Week 1 was full of exciting moments and surprising upsets. Which teams took a dive after one week of play and which team jumped. Only 1 game played so far, so no need to panic, but does your team has cause for concerns ? See the new Week 2 Power Ranking.

32. New York Jets (0-1)

Last Week Ranking: 31

The New York Jets offense did not impress as predicted. Adam Gase gets another crack to show what this team can do. However, he’ll be without starting running back Le’Veon Bell and the ageless Frank Gore will start.

Highest Ranking: 32

Lowest Ranking: 32

31. New York Giants (0-1)

Last Week Ranking: 28

Not a horrible start, but can this offensive line provide any room for Saquon Barkley to operate. This defense also has a lot of growing up to do.

Highest Ranking: 26

Lowest Ranking: 31

30. Cincinnati Bengals (0-2)

Last Week Ranking: 30

Bayou Bengal’s first game and it was almost a win, if not for AJ Green’s OPI call. Still needs improvement but it is good signs in the right direction for Joe Burrow and company.

Highest Ranking: 28

Lowest Ranking: 30

29. Carolina Panthers (0-1)

Last Week Ranking: 29

Gave up a lot of points, but that was expected with a new young defense. The offense put on a show – will they be able to do it again?

Highest Ranking: 26

Lowest Ranking: 31

28. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-0)

Last Week Ranking: 32

Beating the Colts was definitely a shocker. Minshew played great, trying to hold off all of the Trevor Lawrence talk. Jaguars up this week.

Highest Ranking: 25

Lowest Ranking: 31

27. Miami Dolphins (0-1)

Last Week Ranking: 25

#TankForTua to #PlayTuaNow will be the new hashtag for Week 2 after a bad game from Fitzpatrick. Small decline after high hopes for this squad.

Highest Ranking: 22

Lowest Ranking: 27

26. Las Vegas Raiders (1-0)

Last Week Ranking: 26

Las Vegas Raiders, led by Josh Jacobs, looked great on offense. A win over Carolina didn’t mean much but can they repeat said performance in week 2 over the Saints?

Highest Ranking: 21

Lowest Ranking: 28

25. Detroit Lions (0-1)

Last Week Ranking: 24

Another “Lions will be Lions” type of game as they blew another late lead vs. the Bears. Swift, in his rookie debut scored his first Touchdown and also dropped the Game Winning Touchdown, talk about your up and down, but that’s the Lion way.

Highest Ranking: 20

Lowest Ranking: 30

24. Atlanta Falcons (0-1)

Last Week Ranking: 21

The offense did what the offense do but once again Dan Quinn doesn’t have the defense to stop anyone.

Highest Ranking: 17

Lowest Ranking: 29

23. Cleveland Browns (1-1)

Last Week Ranking: 14

Browns were blown this past Sunday vs a Super Bowl caliber team. Now they face one of the bottom teams. Are we sure they’re not a bottom team too?

Highest Ranking: 21

Lowest Ranking: 27

22. Los Angeles Chargers (1-0)

Last Week Ranking: 15

Down in the ranking after a win. They were a good kick away from facing overtime vs the Bengals. The offense did not look good — How long until the fans rant “We Want Herbert”.

Highest Ranking: 17

Lowest Ranking: 29

21. Washington Football Team (1-0)

Last Week Ranking: 27

That front 4 can be, will be and should be the best in the league. This defense can carry this team as far as it can go. Still some questions and reserve on starting QB Dwayne Haskins.

Highest Ranking: 17

Lowest Ranking: 25

20. Indianapolis Colts (0-1)

Last Week Ranking: 12

Going down in the rankings should not be a surprise after losing to the Jags. What do you have left Rivers? The rankers are all over the place on this one.

Highest Ranking: 10

Lowest Ranking: 26

19. Houston Texans (0-1)

Last Week Ranking: 18

Defense is swiss cheese, however Will Fuller looked good in DHop absences. The offense should take another step in Week 2.

Highest Ranking: 13

Lowest Ranking: 24

18. Chicago Bears (1-0)

Last Week Ranking: 20

Mitch with a comeback behind win vs the Lions. Keeping his job for another week.

Highest Ranking: 15

Lowest Ranking: 20

17. Denver Broncos (0-1)

Last Week Ranking: 16

Almost a win without Von Miller, Denver will still be a surprise team this season.

Highest Ranking: 16

Lowest Ranking: 21

16. Philadelphia Eagles (0-1)

Last Week Ranking: 13

Very thankful that Wentz is still upright after a brutal beating from the team in Washington. Hopefully they will get players back to help the North Dakota State alum.

Highest Ranking: 14

Lowest Ranking: 18

15. Minnesota Vikings (0-1)

Last Week Ranking: 9

Coming in to the season, the defense had all eyes on them, and so did Aaron Rodgers. Will Zimmer get his defense back on track in Week 2.

Highest Ranking: 13

Lowest Ranking: 19

14. Los Angeles Rams (1-0)

Last Week Ranking: 23

Aaron Donald is the best non-QB player in football. That is all you need to know.

Highest Ranking: 8

Lowest Ranking: 17

13. Arizona Cardinals (1-0)

Last Week Ranking: 19

Great upset to beat the NFC champion from last season. Kyler looked great to get a comeback win in the 4th.

Highest Ranking: 10

Lowest Ranking: 18

12. New England Patriots (1-0)

Last Week Ranking: 22

Cam Newton broke one record for the Pats already, how many can he get the rest of the year?

Highest Ranking: 11

Lowest Ranking: 15

11. Tennessee Titans (1-0)

Last Week Ranking: 17

Thank God the kicker made 1 FG and it was to win the game. Derrick Henry pounded the rock per usual.

Highest Ranking: 10

Lowest Ranking: 16

10. Tampa Bay Bucs (0-1)

Last Week Ranking: 8

First Game with Brady under center, there’s room for improvement for Arians with this offense.

Highest Ranking: 14

Lowest Ranking: 10

9. Dallas Cowboys (0-1)

Last Week Ranking: 6

Mike McCarthy is to blame for the week 1 loss. Deciding to go for it instead of tying the game is mind blowing. We all thought coaching wouldn’t cost the Cowboys anymore.

Highest Ranking: 6

Lowest Ranking: 12

8 San Fransisco 49ers (0-1)

Last Week Ranking: 3

Super Bowl Hangover? The team banged up? Oh BOY!

Highest Ranking: 5

Lowest Ranking: 9

7. Green Bay Packers (1-0)

Last Week Ranking: 10

Rodgers is still a badddddddddd man. If he continues this play, look out NFL.

Highest Ranking: 5

Lowest Ranking: 8

6.Buffalo Bills (1-0)

Last Week Ranking: 7

Josh Allen impressed this past Sunday, he was a long shot for MVP, PLACE YOUR BETS!

Highest Ranking: 3

Lowest Ranking: 11

5. Seattle Seahawks (1-0)

Last Week Ranking: 11

Did Seattle just let Russ Cook? You love to see it

Highest Ranking: 4

Lowest Ranking: 12

4 Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0)

Last Week Ranking: 5

Big Ben is back and that defense is straight up filthy. How do you score on them?

Highest Ranking: 4

Lowest Ranking: 6

3 New Orleans Saints (1-0)

Last Week Ranking: 4

Didn’t even play a great game but the Saints fall into the Super Bowl or bust category. Even without Michael Thomas having 10+ catches the offense clicked, the defense clicked.

Highest Ranking: 2

Lowest Ranking: 5

2. Baltimore Ravens (1-0)

Last Week Ranking: 2

The Ravens aren’t going anywhere and will probably destroy anyone in their way. Lamar providing his back to back MVP case already.

Highest Ranking: 2

Lowest Ranking: 3

1. Kansas City Chiefs (1-0)

Last Week Ranking: 1

As expected, you must score at least 30 to even have a shot. Team is too talented and Clyde Edwards-Helaire was amazing to watch.

Highest Ranking: 1

Lowest Ranking: 1

The Prophet NFL Rankers: Keven Myrick, Rashad Harris, Austin Hunt, Kevin Callair