The Don’s NFL Week One Best Bets
We have finally made it to the first Sunday of the 2023 NFL season. A full slate of NFL games on a Sunday afternoon is just what the doctor has ordered. Last season was a successful season as my recor...
Lions vs Chiefs TNF | The Don’s Best Bets
The NFL season is finally upon us and what a great TNF game to start the season. We have the Detroit Lions, who are up and coming, against the defending Super Bowl Champions in the Kansas City Chiefs....
Don’t Push The Panic Button on The Chicago Bears – Yet.
With an inexperienced roster and fresh coaching staff all organized by a first-time general manager, expectations for the Chicago Bears in 2022 often included severe growing pains. However, that pain ...
Andrew Diaz’s Thursday Night Football Props: Week 3 – Steelers vs. Browns
Yearly Record: 6-11 I desperately need to recover. Monday night brought forth one of the greatest HOSE jobs of all-time. I felt like LeBron James; I lost “not one, not two, not three, not four&#...
4 Things to Watch: Championship Sunday
Even when his team has been eliminated, Tom Brady still finds a way to be the main event. With the confusion surrounding Brady’s alleged retirement dominating social media, it’s easy to fo...
8 Things to Watch For: Divisional Round Weekend
The field is a little smaller as we head into the Divisional Round this weekend. After a few blowouts and some decent matchups, it seems that the hype for this weekend’s games is much higher tha...
12 Things To Watch For: Wild Card Weekend
Playoff football is here! In the NFL’s longest season ever, we’re also treated to an extended Wild-Card Weekend, as the Cardinals and Rams will face off in the first ever Monday Night play...
NFL Week 13 Preview: Picks and MVP Race Update
We’ve reached December and the NFL playoff race is really heating up. We’re well into the season and there still may be more question marks than certainties. This is the month where stars ...
NFL Week 11 Preview: Picks and MVP Update
We’re getting closer and closer to the holidays which means that football season is heating up. As we get into Week 11, the playoff race is as muddled as ever. Plenty of teams from both division...
NFL Week 10 Preview: Picks and MVP Update
Two names are dominating Twitter as we enter week 10: Cam Newton and Odell Beckham Jr. You might read that and think we’re back in 2015, but it really is 2021, and these are the guys who could b...
NFL Week 9 Preview: Picks and MVP Update
Whew! Quite a bit happened as the trade deadline came and went, and we can officially gear up for the latter half of the 2021 season. Von Miller was the biggest name to be shipped, but we also saw ple...
NFL Week 8 Preview: Picks and MVP Update
As week 8 dawns upon us, the big question on many NFL fans’ minds is… “What the **** is up with the Kansas City Chiefs??” A shocking 27-3 blowout loss to the Tennessee Titans h...
NFL Week 6 Preview: Picks and MVP Update
Week 6 in the NFL is shrouded in controversy. Leaked emails and messages from Raiders’ coach Jon Gruden have taken center stage, and opened up a league wide conversation about respect, privacy a...
NFL Week 4 Preview: Picks and MVP Update
As we enter the 4th week of the NFL season, we’re going to get a good sense of what’s real and what’s not. Will the Rams ever lose with Matt Stafford? Are the Broncos, Panthers and R...
NFL Week 3 Preview: Picks and MVP Race!
We enter week 3 of the NFL with plenty of surprises already occurring. The crop of 2-0 teams features some that we’d expect and some new blood trying to prove they’re for real this season....
Week 2 NFL Preview: Picks and MVP Race Update!
Welcome back to another week of football. Week 1 of the 2021 NFL season gave us a little bit of everything. We saw some teams rise to the occasion and surprise us, while others (cough cough… the...
2021 Week 1 NFL Preview: Picks and Award Previews!
Ladies and gentlemen, the NFL is back. Last season was incredible, but something about empty stadiums just didn’t feel right. The atmosphere is half the fun with the National Football League, an...
7 Bold Takes Heading Into the 2021-22 NFL Season
Fall is arriving and NFL football is right around the corner. The start of September is a wonderful time in sports. Baseball playoff pushes are happening, college football is alive and well, and fanta...
10 Predictions for the 2021 NFL Season
Since everyone else gets to make some wild predictions I figured I would throw my two cents in. With that being said, they will be reasonable predictions that should seem plausible to the typical NFL ...
NFL Off-Season Grades: NFC South Edition
Something I have done for the last few years is taking a look at every team’s off-season (free agency, trades, and the draft) and giving them a grade. Obviously, I try to grade based on a team’s s...
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah: 2021 NFL Draft Breakdown
JOK is the do-it-all linebacker that made Notre Dame’s defense so good this past season. He is by far the most versatile player in this draft class and one of the most pro-ready. He’s a na...
Micah Parsons: 2021 NFL Draft Breakdown
Athletic freak. That’s the best way to describe Micah Parsons. Like the Youtube video says, he’s a generational talent. He sat out the 2020 season but was so good in 2019 that it did nothi...
Dylan Moses: 2021 NFL Draft Breakdown
Dylan Moses is the kind of guy offensive players don’t want to see in the hole. He’s not flashy, but he gets the job done. He was the leader of the Alabama defense that won the CFP this pa...
Pat Freiermuth: 2021 NFL Draft Breakdown
Pat Freiermuth is the number two tight end in this draft class and for good reason. He’s earned the nickname ‘Baby Gronk’ for his playstyle and you’ll see why in his highlights...
Jay Tufele: 2021 NFL Draft Breakdown
Jay Tufele is one of the rawest prospects in this draft. He is an athletic freak that headed USC’s defensive line. He opted out in 2020 due to the incompetence of the PAC 12. When he did play he...
Daviyon Nixon: 2021 NFL Draft Breakdown
Daviyon Nixon is one of those players that makes your jaw drop when he makes a play. He’s 6’3 305 lbs and is quick. A year after AJ Epinesa, the Hawkeyes put another player into the draft ...
Alim McNeill: 2021 NFL Draft Breakdown
Alim McNeill has quite possibly the highest ceiling of any of the interior D-lineman in this draft class. The 6’2 320 lb. NC State product started all three years, being a key piece to their def...
Marvin Wilson: 2021 NFL Draft Breakdown
Marvin Wilson was a man amongst boys on the football field during his college career. One of the few shining lights on a poor Florida State team, Wilson, 6’5 305 lbs, proved why he’s one o...
J.J. Watt Picks Arizona
Super-star defensive end, J.J. Watt, has decided to take his talents to the NFC and join the Arizona Cardinals. Watt has signed a two year deal worth $28 million, along with $23 million guaranteed. He...
Tom Brady Looks to Make (more) NFL History
This past Sunday, 43 year old Tom Brady started in his 43rd playoff game (32-9). The Tampa Bay Buccaneers traveled to New Orleans for the Divisional round, and won the game 30-20 to advance to the NFC...
Why Winning A Super Bowl Didn’t Save Doug Pederson
If you know anything about me, it is that I strongly believe that good coaching is the most important factor for any team in any sport. Which makes this title seem redundant. However, a major factor i...
Nickelodeon Televises its First NFL Game
One of the NFC Wild Card games looked a little different this season with the popular kid’s station, Nickelodeon, televising the Bears and Saints game. It was a blast from the past for many fans...
NFL Wild Card Round Preview
It’s officially time for the NFL playoffs! The Wild Card round starts on Saturday when we will let all the chaos ensue. NFC Wild Card Matchups #2 New Orleans vs. #7 Chicago One of the few matchu...
Every Possible Landing Spot For Deshaun Watson: Tiered
As we enter the 2020-21 NFL Playoffs, all eyes are on a quarterback whose team isn’t even participating. Superstar Deshaun Watson appears to have had it with the Houston Texans’ new manage...
Alex Smith’s Newest Trophy
On November 18, 2018, Washington Football Team quarterback Alex Smith suffered a spiral compound fracture of the tibia & fibula in his right leg on a sack during a game against the Houston Texans....
Which Head Coach Opening Is The Most Desirable?
With the NFL regular season concluding teams have begun the more darkest stage of the off-season, firing coaches and executives, if they haven’t already. So far the Jaguars, Falcons, Jets, Charg...
Week 17 NFL Preview: Game Picks and Award Predictions!
We’ve reached the final week of the NFL Season. With the year we’ve had, it’s quite amazing that the NFL was able to get through this year with only a few hiccups along the way. On t...
NFL Power Rankings: Week 17
The final week of the regular season. Which means playoffs football! But also means I can’t spend my Thursdays, Sundays, and Mondays watching football. As well as spend hours of every other day ...
The Dolphins Are The Epitome Of Team Building
Team building is certainly a tricky thing. At least for the Dolphins it has been. The two main parts of team building are the draft and free agency. In my years of observing this league and sports in ...
Week 16 NFL Preview: Picks, MVP Race, and Fantasy Advice!
Another week in the NFL has arrived. Week 15 had some shocking upsets and created some serious changes in playoff position. Week 16 should be no different, as every game means a little bit more than i...
NFL Playoff Predictions: Who Gets In?
We are only a couple of weeks away from the NFL postseason and with roughly 24 teams still alive, we have an exciting finish on our hands. There are four spots already accounted for, that being the Ch...
NFC East Divisional Odds
The NFC East this year has been a train wreck. Even with some of the teams getting hot as of late, the two teams atop the division currently sit at paltry 5-7 records. While it is nothing to write hom...
NFL Week 14 Model Projections
I’ve been building this NFL predictive model for close to two seasons now with great results. I figured that now is as good of a time as any to make these numbers public to help everyone out! NF...
Week 13 NFL Preview: Picks, MVP Race and Fantasy Advice!
The rescheduling of games due to the Coronavirus means no Thursday night game as we enter week 13 of the NFL season. Instead, we’ll be treated to a Monday night doubleheader and the return of Tu...
The Top NFL Coaching Hires for 2021
Through 12 weeks of play, we have seen three head coaches get fired. Bill O’Brien, Dan Quinn, and most recently Matt Patricia. It is also expected to see a lot more guys get the ax before the se...
Will Fuller Facing Six Game Suspension
The Houston Texans have lost wide receiver Will Fuller V for the rest of the 2020 regular season after he tested positive for performance enhancing drugs. The league decided to hand him a six game sus...
Week 12 NFL Preview: Picks, MVP Race, and Fantasy Advice!
Welcome back to another weekly NFL Preview! Week 12 has phenomenal matchups, and significant playoff implications for both the NFL teams, and many fantasy managers as well. Thanksgiving weekend always...
Lions and Cowboys: A Thanksgiving Tradition
Thanksgiving is a time for family, friends, food, and football. The NFL makes sure to give us three games every year on that 4th Thursday of November. And every year there are two teams that play no m...
Week 11 NFL Preview: Picks, MVP Race and Fantasy Advice!
Welcome to the second week of my NFL weekly previews! Last week in the National Football League was certifiably wild, and now we’re seeing some serious playoff chatter heat up for Week 11. My fi...
Drew Brees out for multiple weeks
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees suffered five fractured ribs on both sides of his chest and a collapsed right lung after Sunday’s win against the San Francisco 49ers, per Ed Werder. Dr...
The Suffer Index: NFL Fanbases
Being an NFL fan is tough, especially when your team is no better than a dumpster fire. Obviously, being a fan involves immense amounts of emotion, but I want to take the emotion out of it. My questio...
Week 10 NFL Preview: Picks, MVP Race, and Fantasy Advice
As crazy as it sounds, we’re over halfway through the NFL regular season. This year has been like no other in football history, and I think I’m just now starting to rationalize how wild it...
Why Does Adam Gase Still Have A Job?
It’s no secret that the Adam Gase led New York Jets are far and away the worst football team in the NFL. Their point differential is -144 so far this season. They are on pace to beat the record ...
NFL Trade Deadline: Who Should Buy And Who Should Sell?
The NFL trade deadline. One of my favorite times of the year. Over the next few days we get to see which teams are pushing their chips to the middle of the table and which teams are punting on the sea...
Le’Veon Bell Inks Deal With Chiefs
Three time Pro-Bowl running back Le’Veon Bell was recently released from the New York Jets after just over one season with the team. The two time All-Pro inked a one year deal with the Kansas Ci...
Why Did You Doubt Aaron Rodgers?
Today, on the Pat McAfee Show, Aaron Rodgers said “I sometimes laugh when people talk about down years for me, because a lot of times down years for me are career years for most quarterbacks....
Titans & Vikings Suspending ALL in Person Activity
After their game this past Sunday the Titans and Vikings have decided to stop all in person work (for now). They stopped due to eight Titans testing positive for COVID-19 earlier within the last 24 ho...
BigHoppa’s Fantasy Football Review: Week 2
After an awful Week 1 for all 8 of my Fantasy Football teams, I had something to prove. However, that didn’t happen. Technically, we saw improvement, but that’s relative when you’re ...
BigHoppa’s Fantasy Football Review: Week 1
Folks, there was football played. It was played this past weekend. As someone whose first love was football, I have gone down the deep hole of getting into too many fantasy football leagues. So each w...
Saints Sign Alvin Kamara to Lucrative Extension
The New Orleans Saints and super star running back Alvin Kamara have come to an agreement on a contract extension keeping the All-Pro in NOLA. The extension is for five more seasons with up to $75 mil...
Baltimore Ravens 2020 Season Preview
The Ravens came into 2019 with some question marks. After a dud in the playoffs in 2018, Lamar Jackson needed a big “prove it” year. Well, I would assume winning the MVP proved he belongs ...
NFL Predictions
It is that time of year! After countless hours of podcasts, TV, and reading articles, it is time to put my entire predictions to paper. Obviously, it is a little intimidating to put all this out. Afte...
Lecture Hall 2020 NFL Season Preview
If you haven’t been listening, you’ve been missing out first of all, but here is a recap of the Lecture Hall boys 2020 NFL Season Preview! Seeding After 7 long weeks, the boys predicted al...
Tennessee Titans 2020 Season Preview
The Tennessee Titans are coming off a season that saw them incredibly overachieve. In 2019 the Titans managed to appear in the AFC Championship game for first time since 2002, but came up short agains...
Minnesota Vikings 2020 Season Preview
2019 was an interesting year for the Minnesota Vikings. They came into the season with decent expectations and were expected to compete for the NFC North crown. That did not happen, but they still man...
My First Fantasy Football Auction Draft
On Tuesday night I attempted a fantasy football auction draft for the first time. This is my long-standing home league and for years I have been the person pushing for an auction draft. Because 2020 h...
Atlanta Falcons 2020 Season Preview
From a technical perspective, the Atlanta Falcons have put together a historic offense. They boast a former first round pick at 10 out of the 11 offensive positions. The Falcons finished off the seaso...
Las Vegas Raiders 2020 Season Preview
No team underwent more changes than the Oakland Las Vegas Raiders this past season. While they signed numerous free agents, the biggest change was leaving The Town for the Vegas Strip. Although many f...
Yannick Ngakoue Finally Gets His Wish
Former Jacksonville Jaguars star Yannick Ngakoue finally gets out of Jacksonville, just like he wanted. On Sunday morning the Jaguars traded Yannick Ngakoue to the Vikings in exchange for a 2021 secon...
Detroit Lions 2020 NFL Season Preview
2019 Finish and Record: The Detroit Lions finished the 2019-2020 season with a record of 3-12-1 (No Playoffs) for a poor winning percentage of .219. Detroit finished dead last in the NFC North. Return...
Miami Dolphins 2020 Season Preview
The Miami Dolphins finished 2019 at 5-11 and look to improve in their second year under Brian Flores. Returning Starters: 12 (5 offense/7 defense) Key Additions: Byron Jones, Kyle Van Noy, Emmanuel Og...
Several NFL Teams Cancel Practice Symbolically
On Thursday morning, several NFL teams decided to call off scheduled practices for the day. The Cardinals, Colts, Jets,Washington Football Team, Titans, Bears, Broncos, Chargers and Packers were the t...
Jacksonville Jaguars 2020 Season Preview
The Jacksonville Jaguars have been voted 32nd in the Student Union power rankings. The NFL season is upon us and that means anything can happen. Well, almost anything. Many of our esteemed writers hav...
More Beef? Adam Gase vs. Media
Let’s be real, Adam Gase is an odd dude. Gase is likely coaching for his job this season and the pressure is most certainly on. Jets Reporter Rich Cimini asked a seemingly normal question when t...
Ian Rapoport vs. Jerry Jones
A new kind of fight is brewing around NFL training camp, but it does not involve any players. The news and rumors surrounding Earl Thomas and many assumed he would be heading to Dallas. Ian Rapoport t...
Cardinals Make Budda Baker Highest Paid Safety
On the morning of August 25, the Arizona Cardinals decided to make Budda Baker the NFL’s highest paid safety. The Cardinals extended Baker on a 4- year deal worth $59 million with $33.1 million ...
Earl Thomas the Free Agent
Former Ravens star safety Earl Thomas was sent home from Thursday’s practice following a fight with position-mate Chuck Clark. When the Ravens returned for practice on Friday Thomas was no where...
Patriots Won’t Host Any Fans This September
Despite the New England Patriots initial plan of hosting 20% of their stadium’s capacity on July 14. Gillette Stadium officials announced today that no fans will be attending stadium events this...
Travis Kelce: First Purchase on His New Contract
Following a season in which Travis Kelce had over 1,200 yards with 5 touchdowns, a Second team All-Pro selection, and a Super Bowl victory. The Chiefs rewarded Kelce on a 4 year extension worth $57 mi...
George Kittle Inks Record Extension
On Thursday super star tight end,George Kittle, signed a 5 year extension worth $75 million with $30 million guaranteed at signing, per Ian Rapoport. Kittle managed to secure the largest contract ever...
Washington Releases Derrius Guice
The Washington Football Team announced Friday evening that they would be releasing RB Derrius Guice. The release came following Guice turning himself in on domestic violence charges Friday afternoon. ...
Aaron Rodgers’ Future in Green Bay
In the 2020 NFL draft the Green Bay Packers decided to trade up in the first round to get their guy. Instead of drafting Aaron Rodgers his very first 1st round weapon, their “guy” ended up being R...
Damien Williams Latest Chief to Opt-Out
The Kansas City Chiefs once again have another starting offensive player opt-out of the 2020 season. This time it’s running-back Damien Williams who has announced that he is opting out of the se...
6 Patriots Will Sit Out of 2020 Season (so far)
The New England Patriots and Bill Belichick will go into the 2020 season without two veteran defenders. The two vets are starting players (SS) Patrick Chung and (IBL) Dont’a Hightower. They are ...
Jets Deal Jamal Adams to Seahawks
The New York Jets have finally granted their (former) super star safety, Jamal Adams, the wish that he asked for over a month ago. After months of contract disputes, the 1st team all pro informed the ...
NFL Set to Return in 2020
The NFL will be returning this fall, while the NCAA and high-school programs are still scrambling to find a healthy concrete plan to have football this fall. The NFLPA player representatives approved ...
Antonio Brown Retiring (again)?
Former NFL superstar WR Antonio Brown is back in the headlines by claiming he’s hanging up the cleats. Antonio took to Twitter to announce the “news”. “Is it time to walk away ...
Madden 21 Set to Remove Washington’s Former Name & Logo
After Electronic Arts (EA) saw that Washington’s football team had decided to drop its politically historic nickname, “Redskins”, they knew that they had to make changes themselves. ...
Derrick Henry and The Titans Beat The Buzzer
July 15th 2020- Derrick Henry was the next big named franchise tagged player, next to Dak Prescott and Chris Jones. The two parties were able to agree to a 4 year extension worth $50 million before th...
Chris Jones The Newest Chief to Ink Extension
July 14 2020- The Chiefs are back giving out an extension just 8 days after extending Mahomes to the largest contract in sports history. The deadline to extend this year’s franchise tagged playe...
The “Redskins” Have Retired
July 13th, 2020 – Washington’s football team finally decided to drop the nickname “Redskins”, after 10 days of announcing they would be doing a thorough review on the club’s name. A majo...
Cam Newton is a Patriot
The NFL season lives in the hypothetical, much like almost every other sport during COVID. New England dropped us a bomb shell when it was announced that Cam Newton would be signing with the team. The...
What Does Cam Newton to the Patriots Mean?
On what seemed to be another quiet Sunday without football on June 28th, the Patriots (of course) made some noise by signing veteran free agent quarterback and former 2015 NFL MVP Cam Newton. The Patr...
Zachary Spiecker’s Big Board 1.0
As of now, the NFL draft is still happening on April 23rd, 2020. And as long as the draft is going to happen, we’re going to write about it. This big board isn’t based on positional value ...
Jordan Love: 2020 NFL Draft Breakdown
2019 Stats: 3,402 yard 20 TDs 17 ints 62% comp pct Overview Starting off his high school career, Jordan Love stood at 5’6” and weighed 145 lbs. He did not receive a whole lot of national attention...
Eli Manning: Remembering an Ole Miss Legend
On Friday an Ole Miss legend, Eli Manning, announced his retirement from the NFL. Manning’s lasting legacy will be his two Super Bowl victories over the New England Patriots, but he will have a ...
Not Bad for a Running Back
Will the Ravens Quarterback, Lamar Jackson, leave his legacy with Baltimore and the NFL by winning the Most Valuable Player award in 2019? Lamar Jackson is only in his second season with the Baltimore...
Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry: Reunited
My favorite wide receiver tandem of all time is BACK. 2013 is my second favorite college football season behind only the fabled 2007 season. There were so many things that made 2013 such a magical yea...
Will New Helmet Rules Affect Football in the Longrun
The NFL’s Hall of Fame game against the Baltimore Ravens and the Chicago Bears saw the debut of a couple new helmet rules. The first: a player cannot lower his helmet to initiate contact. The second...
Interesting and Odd: NFL vs College All-Star Team in the ’70’s
In the present day, professional sports All-Star games are more of a pickup game that is meant to be an attractive site for fans. And that concept seems to make sense. It cannot be too intense of a ...
Jerry Rice Talking About a Return Makes me Wonder
Recently one of the greatest players in the history of the NFL, Jerry Rice made a wild yet not totally unrealistic claim. The 55-year-old said that he could still play in the NFL. Also, former teammat...
Arena Football: A Solution to Boring Summers in the Sports World
Given that this is the most boring time of the sports year with the MLB as the only professional sport being played, one has to wonder what could be done to improve this problem. How could this time o...
Johnny Football is Back(ish)
Johnny Manziel took a big step in his attempt at an NFL comeback this week, announcing that he is signing a two-year contract with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football league, as first rep...
Dear Joey Freshwater: Volume VI
We’re back, folks! After a few weeks on the job for me and a few weeks of off-the-grid redneck shenanigans for Joey, we’ve returned to give you an Easter edition of the best question and a...
The Student Union Sports Podcast: Trivia Edition
Todays Episode of the Student Union Sports Podcast features the first round of the Student Union Trivia Tournament of Champions (Its a working title…) Writers competing include Johnny Rambos, PJ...
Dear Joey Freshwater: Volume I
For most of the editions of The Hangover that I published during football season, a mysterious figure named Joey Freshwater, a Crimson Tide fan from Eutaw, Alabama, provided his commentary on that wee...
Making an All-Big Ten team from the NFL’s Final Four
With only three games left this football season and most people’s favorite team out of contention (including mine), #debateSZN is prime. That being said, it’s fair to ask which B1G Ten sch...
Rosen and Darnold Declare For NFL
Two days removed from the College Football Playoff semi-finals, both Josh Rosen and Sam Darnold declared for the NFL draft. The two Pac-12 quarterbacks are actually the two youngest of the elite quart...
2017 PAC-12 Championship Preview: USC vs Stanford
USC is looking to win its first conference championship since 2011 while Stanford is trying to win its 4th conference title in seven years, extending their decade long dominance over the PAC-12 confer...
