Sports Addict

NFL trade deadline passes: Which teams improved?

On Tuesday, October 30th, the NFL trade deadline passed us. Teams were all over the phones attempting to buy or sell the NFL’s top trade targets. Some teams were able to acquire talents that could help them potentially make a Super Bowl run, others got returns for players who had failed them, and the remaining watched as division rivals became stronger or acquired future draft picks for dead weight. Here are some teams that I think made great trades this week.

ha ha

The Washington Redskins have started the 2018 NFL season strong, leading the NFC East at 5-2. Boasting one of the better defenses in the league, the Redskins made a trade to acquire Ha Ha Clinton-Dix from the Green Bay Packers for a 4th round pick. pairing him with DJ Swearinger will make the Redskins defense a true threat, one that you have to gameplan around like the dominant Jaguars and Rams defenses.

golden

Staying in the NFC East, I believe the Philadelphia Eagles have become contenders to repeat after making a move for Golden Tate. The Eagles offense has not been as effective as they were last year as Carson Wentz is coming off a torn ACL, and teams put more focus on the Eagles as they’ve become the team to beat. The Wide Receiver depth was exposed as Alshon Jeffrey hasn’t been 100% this season. This move revamps the Eagles offense as Tate was one of the 3 very solid receivers on the Lions. The price for him was a 3rd round pick, which with Detroit’s drafting history, I feel it’s a steal for the Eagles even on the last year of his contract.

Finally, we have the Jacksonville Jaguars shipped off Dante Fowler to the Rams for both a 3rd and a 5th round pick. Many believe that the Rams have won this trade, but I feel the contrary is true. Fowler is talented but a torn ACL and off-field issues could bring much worse results for the Rams than expected. The Jaguars have spent late-round picks on both Yannick Ngakoue and Telvin Smith, both very good players on an elite defense. I could easily see the Jags replacing Fowler with the 3rd round pick and maybe taking a solid Safety or Wide Receiver with the 5th round pick. Who do you think won the trade deadline? Reply below!

The worst NHL teams surprise us with who they are.

The 2018-2019 NHL season has begun and it has been exciting! We’ve seen great performances out of many of the NHL’s stars and some newcomers have burst onto the scene. Unfortunately for some teams, they haven’t had those great moments yet, and sit at the bottom of the standings. Here are the teams that rank last in their division and what has gone wrong.

First, we have the current worst team in the NHL, the Detroit Red Wings. Once a long-time dynasty, the Red Wings are now considered to be one of the least talented teams in the NHL. Are we really supposed to compare Dylan Larkin to the likes of Sidney Crosby and Auston Matthews? He’s a good player, but he is not a star yet. The Red Wings also lack any defenseman that should be on a first-pairing. Though Dennis Cholowski is looking like a solid blue-liner for the future, he would definitely not make a second-pairing for the Nashville Predators or the Tampa Bay Lightning. Their talent just simply doesn’t stack up, and they’ll remain one of the worst teams in the NHL this season.

Lundy

In the Metropolitan division, we have another rebuilding team, the New York Rangers. The Rangers are another team that doesn’t stack up talent-wise to the teams that will compete for the playoffs. Their most talented offensive player is Mika Zibanejad. Like Dylan Larkin, Zibanejad isn’t a true star in the league and should not be your biggest threat to defend. The Rangers are at least better than the Red Wings in that they have more depth in their offense, such as wingers like Chris Kreider. Though they do have depth, the aging Henrik Lundvist has to keep their team in the game by making 30-40 saves each game. They currently have no defenseman that are consistently playing well, and they don’t have the offensive firepower to truly compete.

Moving to the Western conference, here is our first real surprise: The St. Louis Blues. Just a year separated from them being at the top of the NHL standings, the Blues have been cursed by the Central division competing at such a high level that one team had to rank last. Looking at their player stats, it seems that Vladimir Tarasenko, Jaden Schwartz, and Alex Pietrangelo have all taken steps back in terms of production. Being fair to Pietrangelo, his weak +/- stat may be due to Jake Allen’s poor performance. The Blues have only played 8 games so far. Many team they’re behind have already played 9-10 games, so there is time for the Blues to come back if Allen can stop the puck, and Tarasenko can return to 2016 form.

Quick

Finally in the Pacific division, we have the Los Angeles Kings. Wait a minute, not the Vancouver Canucks or Arizona Coyotes? Yes, the playoff-making Kings of last season have started out of the gate very weak to start the season. Much of this can be attributed to Jonathan Quick not being 100%. The Kings have thrived off of his success since the early 2010’s, they simply need him in order to be a playoff contender at this time. However, another good way to lose games is by not putting pucks in the net. The Kings have been especially good at that this season, scoring less than 2 goals per game through the first 9 games of the season. I did predict them to not make the playoffs this season, but I was not expecting the Kings to start 2-6-1 and be only 1 point ahead of the Red Wings. Like the Blues, they do have a chance to get it together if Quick can get back to elite form, and the offense can score. Who do you think is the most surprisingly good/bad NHL team so far? Reply below!

NFL prime time games flexed! Lineup remains weak.

Last week, the NFL decided to flex the matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Kansas City Chiefs to the Sunday Night Football slot. Replacing the Los Angeles Rams vs. the lowly San Francisco 49ers, this matchup should easily be the strongest game of the 3 primetime games this week. This week’s prime time games could be the weakest lineup of the season and help make the case that the NFL should have more authority to flex games.

Broncos suck lol.JPG

On Thursday night, the 2-4 Denver Broncos play against the 1-5 Arizona Cardinals who found a way to beat the Garoppolo-less 49ers. There are concerns for both teams that their staff could be losing their jobs if they lose the game. Cardinals head coach Steve Wilks believes that he and his entire staff are on the hot seat. Broncos GM John Elway believes the same for him and head coach Vance Joseph. Rather than watching teams that are near the top of the standings, we are a watching a battle between teams that could fire their staff for poor performance.

Members of the 139th Airlift Wing, Missouri Air National Guard, pose for a photo with Patrick Mahomes, quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs football team, at the Chief’s training camp in St. Joseph, Mo., Aug. 14, 2018. The Chiefs hosted a military appreciation day on their final day of training. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Michael Crane)

As I said earlier, originally scheduled for Sunday Night Football was the Rams vs. 49ers, but due to the 49ers lack of winning and loss of their main star Jimmy Garoppolo, the game was flexed out. Replacing it is the Chiefs vs. Bengals. I feel that Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense will run over the Bengals defense as they’re coming off a devastating loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers at home. That type of loss is one that’s likely to derail a season.

Finally, on Monday Night Football, we have the 1-5 New York Giants vs. the 2-4 Atlanta Falcons. The Giants have struggled both offensively and defensively all season, and they will likely draft a QB next season to end the Eli Manning era. The Falcons have suffered an insane amount of injuries on defense. The Falcons ranks 2nd-to-last in points allowed per game and 3rd-to-last in yards allowed per game. This game will lack the quality the schedule makers were expecting when they generated the NFL schedule back in April.

If the NFL had more flexing capabilities, they could move the 4-2 Baltimore Ravens vs. 4-1 New Orleans Saints into prime time and take out either the Broncos vs. Cardinals or Falcons vs. Giants. Unfortunately, flexing Sunday afternoon games to Thursday Night or Monday Night is likely something the NFL would not want to do as it could lead to less teams feeling like they truly matter and the majority of games having no impact (I personally think the NBA has a problem with this). Do you feel that your favorite team(s) in sports should be scheduled for prime time games more often? Reply your thoughts below!

An inside look into the NHL: Who will surprise us?

The 2017-2018 NHL season has begun and given us many exciting games. We’ve seen a dominant performance by the Washington Capitals, the return of elite Jonathan Toews, and the start of the John Tavares era in Toronto. One of the most exciting things about a new NHL season is the teams that shock us by making the playoffs after a disappointing season the year before. Last year, very few people predicted the Winnipeg Jets, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Vegas Golden Knights to even make the playoffs, but all three made it to at least the Conference Finals. There are three teams that I believe can surprise us this year.

LeFlop Toews

There’s all this talk about the Chicago Blackhawks dynasty being over, as Patrick Kane, Johnathan Toews, and Duncan Keith will all soon be on the wrong side of 30 years old. There’s also uncertainty to whether Corey Crawford can return to elite form after being plagued with injuries last season. However, I feel that all of these guys can still perform. Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane have proven that on the ice so far. Opponents will also fear the young Alex DeBrincat as he poses a threat to be a 30+ goal scorer this season. They lack much depth on the defensive core, but not many teams are going to be able to keep up with them offensively this season.

Sticking in the Western Conference, the next team that could emerge into a good team is the Calgary Flames. Last season, the Flames started off somewhat hot, but fell off and ultimately missed the playoffs. During the offseason, the Flames were one of the most active teams, making a major trade with the Carolina Hurricanes, and signing James Neal during free agency. The trade with the Hurricanes brought in two pieces with major potential: Winger Elias Lindholm, and Defenseman Noah Hanifin. Neither player was able to fulfill their potential while in Carolina, but with Calgary playing better as a team, I think both guys can be solid players with major roles on the team. Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, and Matthew Tkachuck are all likely to have 60+ points (I expect 80+ for Gaudreau and Monahan). They’ve proven they can play with the best as they beat the Nashville Predators 3-0 Tuesday night.

The one team that I think can break through in the Eastern Conference is the Florida Panthers. Last season, the Panthers went on an insane surge of 5 straight wins to end the campaign. However, they fell a whole 1 point short of a playoff spot as they were beat out a a New Jersey Devils team that lacked depth, and the inconsistent Columbus Blue Jackets. This year, they have 6 forwards who are likely to post 50+ points this season. They also have a very solid defensive core, and Roberto Luongo in net. The roster is built to play deep into April, and maybe even May/June. They are one of the most complete teams in the NHL.

I think the Blackhawks will overtake the Colorado Avalanche, the Flames will pass the LA Kings, and the Panthers will jump the New Jersey Devils for playoff spots this season. I could even see Florida and Calgary going on deep runs in the playoffs. What team do you see surprising us this season? Reply below!

Arizona Cardinals fly south in the NFC standings for the Winter

One Quarter into the NFL season, there remains only one team without a victory, and surprisingly, it’s not the Cleveland Browns. Instead, it’s the rebuilding Arizona Cardinals at 0-4. Listed at the bottom of many Power Rankings, the Cardinals have produced the least amount of offense, and have lacked the clutch in defense and special teams that was present back in 2015.

The offense has been led by aging, future Hall-of-Fame Wide Receiver Larry Fitzgerald, and underperforming Running Back David Johnson. Sam Bradford was signed in the offseason to give experience to rookie Josh Rosen on how to play QB successfully. However, he led the Cardinals to a whole 20 points in 3 games, and if you take off their first quarter against the Bears, they scored 6 points in 11 quarters with Bradford at the helm. Bradford has been demoted to third string behind both Rosen and Mike Glennon.

Rosen

Enter Josh Rosen, the standout QB prospect from UCLA who fell behind the likes of Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, and Josh Allen to #10 in the 2018 NFL Draft where the Cardinals traded up to get him. Rosen has shown quite little in his short time so far in Arizona. Trusting him to be the starting QB for the rest of the season will likely be disastrous.

A big instance of the Cardinals lack of clutch on Defense and Special Teams was their Week 4 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Cardinals Kicker Phil Dawson missed a 45-yard field goal late in the 4th quarter, and the defense allowed the Seahawks to drive down the field for a game-winning field goal of their own, which was from 52 yards.

This team is definitely not anywhere near the 2015 Cardinals, who reached the NFC Championship game that year. They’re suffering many player losses: former QB Carson Palmer retired, WR Larry Fitzgerald nearing retirement, FS Tyrann Matthieu leaving for the Houston Texans and standout DE Calais Campbell leaving for the Jacksonville Jaguars. It’s clear that this Cardinals team won’t be winning much of anything soon and shouldn’t be making much of a push to do so.

So when will they get their first win? They actually have a good shot this week against the lowly 49ers. Who, as I mentioned before, have lost QB Jimmy Garoppolo to a torn ACL. They follow that up with tough matches against the Minnesota Vikings and the Denver Broncos. However, they do have some other games they can win: Week 8 vs. the 49ers, Week 11 vs. the Oakland Raiders, Week 14 vs.the Detroit Lions, and Week 17 at the Seattle Seahawks. When do you think the Cardinals will get their first win? Do you think they could go 0-16? Reply with your thoughts below!

Inside the NFL’s undefeated teams: Who will fall first?

Three weeks into the 2018 NFL season, we have seen records broken, major upsets, and best of all, good teams emerge. With teams being much more balanced this season, there are only six teams with either an undefeated or win-less season so far. Today, I’ll be looking at the three teams that have not suffered a loss yet and making a prediction on who will lose first.

Tannehill

I’ll start with the team that everyone expected to own the AFC East, you know, the Miami Dolphins. Yes, in a stunning turn of events, the defending AFC champion New England Patriots have started the season 1-2 due to a lack of defense and an underperforming Rob Gronkowski. This has given the remaining teams in AFC East race the opportunity to take an early lead, and the Dolphins have taken advantage. Led by Quarterback Ryan Tannehill and Safety Reshad Jones, the Fins have not won games pretty, but have managed to escape Week 3 with a 3-0 record. The Dolphins defense has forced 8 turnovers so far, and is looking to be one of the premier defenses of 2018. They’ll have a tough test this week as they head up to Foxborough to play against the Patriots, who have the opportunity to bounce back. If they pull off what is still considered to be an upset against the Pats, they’ll have another challenge the following week at the Cincinnati Bengals. It is very likely that the Fins won’t retain an undefeated record 2 weeks from now as they do not match up very well against either team.

Mahomes

The next team to look at is the red-hot Kansas City Chiefs. Led by Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs have shredded through 3 teams that were projected to be solid this season. The entire offense has been magnificent, with Tyreek Hill and Kareem Hunt constantly putting the ball in the endzone. I’d be surprised if the Chiefs didn’t score another Touchdown while I’m typing this. One problem with the Chiefs that could easily be overlooked is their lack of defense. Through the first 3 games, the Chiefs defense ranks LAST in yards allowed, and 30th in points allowed. Mahomes has put up big numbers, but the problem is that he has had to put up those big stats to keep his team from losing. That will become a problem around playoff time, when they’ll likely have to play a team with a great defense. This week’s opponent is the Denver Broncos, who talent-wise are very defensive, but production-wise are doing better offensively. It could be tough for Kansas City to win as it is at Denver. After that, the Chiefs come back home, but have to play against the brutal Jaguars defense. Just like Miami, I don’t see Kansas City retaining the undefeated record a couple weeks from now.

Rams

The final team to observe is the Los Angeles Rams. Through 3 games, the Rams are statistically the best team in the league, bolstering a high-flying offense, along with a stout, turnover-driven defense. So far the Rams have outscored opponents 102-36. However, their 3 opponents currently have a combined record of 1-8. Another concern with this team is the injuries on defense. Both of their star corners, Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib, are on the injury report. They play the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday Night Football this week. After that, the schedule becomes easier, including a match against the San Francisco 49ers without Jimmy Garoppolo. I think the losses of Talib and Peters will be too much as the Kirk Cousins should be able to pick the stout Rams defense apart.

So while all three of these team should be playoff contenders this season, I don’t see any of them keeping their undefeated record past Week 5. The Dolphins will likely lose either at New England or at Cincinnati. The Chiefs go up against two very talented defenses, which should keep Mahomes from lighting up the scoreboard. Finally the Rams are just a bit too banged up right now to beat a solid team like the Vikings. Though I think the Rams are the best of these three teams, I think they will lose first

Which team do you think will lose first? Comment your answer and why down below!

Mahomes sizzles through the NFL’s best teams

On Sunday, Kansas City Chiefs Quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw for 328 yards and 6 touchdowns against the Pittsburgh Steelers. In fact, he threw for more touchdowns (6) than incompletions (5). This dominant performance has proven not to be a fluke as the week before, we saw him throw for 256 yards and 4 touchdowns against the Los Angeles Chargers. Not as high of numbers, but still stats that will most often lead to victory.

The 2017 1st round draft pick will be a premier player in the 2018 NFL season. He has all of the tools around him to produce the most passing yards, touchdowns, and wins this season.

Arguably his most effective weapon is the speedy Tyreek Hill. Nicknamed the “Cheetah”, Hill came into the league in 2016 with a 4.25 40-yard-dash time. In 2017, Hill was near the top of the league in receiving yards at 1,183. Just 2 games into 2018, he already has scored 4 touchdowns.

Another major threat on the Chiefs is the Tight End Travis Kelce. Brother of Philadelphia Eagles Center Jason, Travis has consistently played at a high level since 2014. In both 2016 and 2017, Kelce had over 1,000 receiving yards, something no other TE has done.

Joining the Chiefs this past offseason is Sammy Watkins. Though never fulfilling his potential as a #4 pick in the draft, Watkins is still a solid WR who will play a major factor in this dynamic offense. He accounted for 100 of the 328 passing yards from Mahomes against the Steelers.

Finally, to avoid becoming one-dimensional, Mahomes has been gifted a great run game, lead by Running Back Kareem Hunt. Hunt led the league in rushing last season with 1,327 yards.

The Chiefs are currently 2-0 , sitting atop the AFC West. If they’re able to avoid injuries and suspensions, there’s nothing stopping this team from taking over the entire AFC. Patrick Mahomes gives the tremendously talented team a reliable arm that can shred through even the best squads in the NFL.

With the talent around him, Mahomes can also develop quickly and learn how to handle high pressure situations. It’ll be interesting to see a few years from now how well Mahomes is doing in the NFL compared to young QB’s who are given less talent and opportunities. Guys to compare with may include Dak Prescott, Josh Allen, and Josh Rosen.

The Journey Begins

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton

post