Month: October 2015

NFL Power Rankings: Week 5

Chris McGlynn Football, NFL, Power Rankings

Patriots Logo

1. New England Patriots (Last week: 1)
The Pats got a week off and made good use of it. Dion Lewis just signed a two-year deal to keep him around for the near future. Whatever few issues the Patriots have through the first quarter of the season likely were ironed out this week as well. Look for New England to keep rolling going forward.

Packers logo2. Green Bay Packers (Last week: 2)
The Packers would be first on this list if it wasn’t for the fact that the Patriots have come out on fire. Green Bay has proven that even without Jordy Nelson, this is still a Super Bowl caliber team.

Denver_Broncos3. Denver Broncos (Last week: 3)
Another week, another outstanding performance from the Denver defense. This group leads the league in terms of fewest yards per game and second in points per game. The offense is starting to find its footing but there is still a long way to go.

Bengals Logo4. Cincinnati Bengals (Last week: 5)
Four weeks in the Bengals are still undefeated. Most of that credit should go directly to Andy Dalton. He has played well beyond the level we are used to seeing from him. His connection with A.J. Green is somewhere near the level of Matt Ryan and Julio Jones.

Falcons logo5. Atlanta Falcons (Last week: 6)
No fourth quarter comeback needed this week as the Falcons blew out the Texans. From start to finish, this team simply dominated the game. Plenty of work still to be done though as this defense has consistently struggled against the pass.

Arizona_Cardnals_logo_(1994-2004)6. Arizona Cardinals (Last week: 4)
That was ugly. There is no other way to say it than that. Arizona seemed to be on cruise control to this point in the season but a loss to St. Louis brings them back down to earth. The defense struggled to contain Todd Gurley and the offense could not consistently run the ball. The Cards do get a chance to get back on the track with the winless Lions this week.

Seahawks logo7. Seattle Seahawks (Last week: 9)
Two consecutive wins for the Seahawks has this team looking up after a rough start but Seattle was lucky to get the win on Monday night. A blow call by the officiating crew saved them (again). The Seahawks could just as easily be 1-3 and still look no closer to finding the answer on offense.

Jets logo8. New York Jets (Last week: 13)
Miami might be bad but that doesn’t mean the Jets didn’t take care of business. New York enters the bye with a chance to let Chris Ivory, Eric Decker and Darrelle Revis get healthy. Then they face a very easy stretch with Washington, Oakland and Jacksonville as three of their next four games. The other game is in Foxborough though.

Panthers logo9. Carolina Panthers (Last week: 15)
Four straight wins would usually vault you into the top five no problem. However, Carolina’s four wins came against Houston, Jacksonville, Tampa Bay and New Orleans without Drew Brees. Until they beat even an average team, I’m not totally buying into the hype.

Colts logo10. Indianapolis Colts (Last week: 12)
Matt Hasselback came out of…wait he never retired? Well either way, he found a way to get the Colts an ugly win against Jacksonville. If he can find a way to pilot Indy to a victory over Houston, this team has nothing to worry about. Being 3-0 is a huge advantage in a division where likely no one will win more than 10 games.

Bills logo11. Buffalo Bills (Last week: 7)
On again and off again. The Bills cannot seem to string to competitive weeks together. Buffalo was coming off a blow out of Miami only to look lost playing the Giants. The problem above all: penalties. Every Rex Ryan team has them. The sooner they go away, the sooner the Bills become a playoff team.

Pittsburgh_Steelers logo12. Pittsburgh Steelers (Last week: 8)
You really couldn’t have asked for much more out of Michael Vick. He made big throws, executed the gameplan well and took his lumps. He was sacked four times and hit six. The Steelers need to do a better job blocking for him. Oh and so long Josh Scobee.

Cowboys logo13. Dallas Cowboys (Last week: 11)
That stings a bit. Dallas still leads the division but life without Romo and Bryant seems to be getting worse. Two straight losses to the NFC South has the Cowboys reeling and in desperate need of a wake up call. The odd thing though is the offense seems fine while the defense seems clueless.

Vikings logo14. Minnesota Vikings (Last week: 14)
Minnesota looks like a more than capable football team at this point. The defense just couldn’t hang on for a major win against the Broncos. This is a team full of young talent with a Hall of Fame leader in Adrian Peterson. I have a feeling the Vikings will be playing meaningful football come December.

Chiefs Logo15. Kansas City Chiefs (Last week: 10)
There was a lot of optimism surrounding the Chiefs at the beginning of the season. Most of that has completely died off now as the offense has struggled and the defense continues to give up points. Kansas City has given up to most points per game through four weeks. Andy Reid has to fix that if they team plans on getting a wild card spot.

Chargers logo16. San Diego Chargers (Last week: 17)
It wasn’t pretty but San Diego got a win against Cleveland. They almost went to overtime, but the Browns gave the Chargers another chance after Josh Lambo missed his initial field goal attempt. Far from a convincing start for the Bolts.

Giants Logo17. New York Giants (Last week: 24)
For a second week in a row, the Giants pulled of a big win. The Bills showed some signs of pulling off the comeback before New York righted the ship and walked out of Buffalo with a win. Keeping pace in the wide open NFC East is important but now is the Giants’ chance to take control of the division.

Rams logo18. St. Louis Rams (Last week: 22)
Apparently, the Rams can only upset their NFC West counter parts. A win over the previously undefeated Cardinals proves that the Rams can run with the top teams in teh NFC. The next step is finding consistency.

Ravens logo19. Baltimore Ravens (Last week: 21)
Getting the win against Pittsburgh saved their season but losing Steve Smith with broken ribs is not much of a trade off. Now Baltimore goes forward with even fewer receiving options to choose from.

Raiders logo20. Oakland Raiders (Last week: 19)
Just when Oakland seemed like they were heading in a positive direction, the blow a last second lead to the winless Bears. The Raiders had a chance to be 3-1. Instead, they find themselves at .500 with a less than favorable schedule in front of them.

Dolphins logo21. Miami Dolphins (Last week: 18)
Miami went on damage control this week after a brutal loss overseas. Joe Philbin is officially out Dan Campbell enters as the interim with no previous coaching experience. It might only be Week 5 but stick a fork in the ‘Phins, they’re done.

Washington made up logo22. Washington (Last week: 29)
If you had told me that through four weeks of the season, Washington would be at .500 and tied for the division lead, I would have laughed at you. That is exactly the position Washington find itself in though with some optimism that this team isn’t as far away from competing as we thought.

Eagles Logo23. Philadelphia Eagles (Last week: 16)
Yeah, so Chip Kelly is looking more and more like an idiot by the week. His seat has to be getting pretty hot as well. Even if you want to put the blame on the players for playing poorly rather than on the coach, you have to remember that Kelly overhauled this roster to get the team he wanted. Not looking too good so far. The Eagles are only one game out of first place in the NFC East though. Stranger things have happened.

Texans logo24. Houston Texans (Last week: 23)
It goes without saying that the Texans are in free fall. The quarterback position continues to be an issue for the struggling Texans. A loss to the Colts would pretty much end their chances of winning the AFC South.

Lions Logo

25. Detroit Lions (Last week: 20)
The Lions were robbed on Monday night in Seattle, just like the Green Bay Packers before them. Once again, the officials blew a major call at the end of the game to cost the road team a win. Unfortunately, that was hardly Detroit’s only chance to win. The defense was outstanding while the offense failed to convert on three takeaways. It might be tough to swallow but Detroit deserves to be 0-4.

Saints logo26. New Orleans Saints (Last week: 28)
So that’s what the Saints’ offense can do. Drew Brees returned and got a major win in the Bayou. Their chances are still slim but they survive another week. This team is one of the most unpredictable in the league on a week to week basis.

Titans logo27. Tennessee Titans (Last week: 27)
An off week for Tennessee provides an opportunity to review some film for this very young team. Marcus Mariota is an early front runner for Rookie of the Year and the future seems bright in the Music City.

49ers Logo28. San Francisco 49ers (Last week: 25)
Between averaging 289 yards per game on offense, second worst in the NFL, and having the worst scoring offense, San Francisco is in a rut. Something needs to change for this 49er offense. An easier test comes against a middling Giants defense, but San Francisco is not scaring anyone right now.

Browns logo29. Cleveland Browns (Last week: 26)
They had a chance for overtime when the Chargers missed a last-second game-winning field goal attempt, but naturally the Browns were offsides. Cleveland is one of only two teams to be allowing more than 400 yards per contest defensively. The offense is scoring enough points to get some wins. Mike Pettine has to coach up this defense to get them to at least average before the Browns are challenging anyone.

Bears logo30. Chicago Bears (Last week: 32)
The Bears won! Chicago narrowly managed to avoid starting 0-4 for the first time since the year 2000. Fun fact: the last time the Bears started 0-3, they got a win over the Oakland Raiders to avoid an 0-4 start. And they say history doesn’t repeat itself.

Jaguars logo31. Jacksonville Jaguars (Last week: 30)
That was brutal. No other way to put it than that. It almost doesn’t make sense that Jacksonville lost. They controlled the clock sightly longer than Indy. They out-gained the Colts by 100+ yards. They finished plus two in the turnover battle. Yet the Jags only managed 13 points. That’s just frustrating.

Buccaneers logo32. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last week: 31)
Jameis Winston looks every bit the part of raw rookie quarterback. He owns a 54.9 completion percentage and a share of the interception lead in the league. No one expected him to be perfect but he is a long way off from being a franchise quarterback.

What if Chip had stayed at Oregon?

Chris McGlynn Football, NCAA, NFL , ,

The Eagles have been the most scrutinized team in the NFL since Chip Kelly arrived in Philly from the Pacific Northwest. He brought with him a college style of coaching and a new offense that many assumed could not work at the professional level. He has burned more than his fair share of bridges as well with many of his now former players.

Chip_Kelly
Kelly had a 46-7 record in his five years at Oregon before leaving for Philly.

For better or worse, Chip has completely changed the landscape of the NFL in his three years as head coach. But what if he had never left? What if Kelly had decided to stay out at Oregon and run his fast-paced offense? That is exactly what we are going to talk about right now.

Well first thing is first, the Eagles need a new coach when Andy Reid is fired following the 2012 season. So Philly brings in current Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer. Zimmer was tabbed by Minnesota in 2014 but because he is still a coordinator in Cincy in 2013, the Eagles snap him up instead.

The team approach for Philly completely changes. Zimmer brings in a defensive presence to an Eagles team that desperately needed it. Philadelphia had ranked tied for 29th in the league in 2012 for scoring defense. Needless to say, Zimmer would look to bring in some fresh faces. Needing a solid defensive end, Philly targets Michael Bennett from the Bengals in offseason and avoids letting Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie walk away.

Michael_Bennett
Bennett won a ring in 2013 with the Seattle Seahawks.

Already the defense looks better and some very important things happen for the Eagles offense. Zimmer never isolates DeSean Jackson so he stays and there is no push a year later for Jeremy Maclin or LeSean McCoy to leave. Todd Herremans and Evan Mathis never feel unwelcome either. Philly keeps together their core together instead.

2013 proves to be an excellent year for Philly as they once again capture the NFC East crown, but this time, Zimmer gets a playoff win against New Orleans, as his defense finds a way to limit Drew Brees on the road. The Eagles travel to Carolina the following week and pick up a big victory against the favored Panthers. Philly runs into a buzz saw in the form of Seattle in the NFC Championship game though and sit at home as the Seahawks blow out the Broncos. Overall though, it is a very positive start to the Zimmer era in Philly.

Meanwhile, in Oregon, the Ducks enter the season as a team with major National Title aspirations again but have a legitimate chance of getting the job done with Kelly at the helm. He and sophomore quarterback Marcus Mariota manage to go the whole season with just one loss, a blowout defeat against Arizona. Kelly calling the shots proves to be enough for Oregon to beat Stanford and hold onto their title aspirations much longer. Instead of finishing 10th in the standings, the Ducks finish fifth and earn a spot in the 2014 Rose Bowl in place of Stanford.

Zimmer continue to prepare his team for a very important 2014 campaign though over in Philadelphia. His core of McCoy, Jackson, Maclin and rookie Jordan Matthews pace the offense and make life easy on Nick Foles. The defense, led by Michael Bennett, Trent Cole, Connor Barwin and rookie Bradley Roby, proves to do enough for Philly to make the playoffs in 2014 instead of just missing out. The team moves forward mainly due to avoiding a late season loss to Washington.

The Eagles enter the postseason with a matchup against Dallas on the horizon. The Cowboys split the regular season series with Philly but they lost at home then and they do again here. That mean Philly travels to Seattle for the divisional round and for the second straight year, the Eagles fall against the Seahawks in the playoffs.

Marcus_Mariota
Mariota was the second overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft.

Checking back in on the West Coast, Marcus Mariota is tipped to be the Heismann winner with Kelly at the helm. Oregon is coming off a Rose Bowl win and looks to be a lock for the College Football playoff. They finish the season with just one loss for the second consecutive year under Kelly, the loss once again coming against rival Arizona. Mariota bolsters his draft stock in his junior season and takes home the Heismann Trophy by a landslide. Oregon still ends up in the National Title game, still against Ohio State. The game ends a lot closer this time around but still in an Ohio State win.

The 2015 NFL draft rolls around and after his transcendent performance under Kelly at Oregon, Mariota leapfrogs Jameis Winston in the predraft build up. Mariota goes number one overall to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tennessee is left to take Winston second.

Damarious_Randall
The Packers selected Randall with the 30th pick in the draft.

Later on in the first round, selecting after the would’ve this year, the Eagles instead take Arizona State safety Damarious Randall to bolster the secondary then draft the troubled Randy Gregory in the second round. Now, Zimmer has all of the pieces he wants to play with on defense and Philly enters the season as an early season favorite to win the NFC instead of a team with dozens of questions surrounding it.

McCoy never winds up in Buffalo, Maclin never joins Andy Reid in Kansas City. DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews never join during the offseason. Instead, Mathews heads to Tennesee to help the rebuilding Titans. Murray takes his talent (or lack there of) to Baltimore.

Who would’ve thought that the NFL would change this much just because Chip Kelly decided to stay at Oregon.

The Lesser of Two Evils

Chris McGlynn EPL, FIFA, Football, MLS, NFL, Soccer , ,

Don’t you just hate when people lie to you? Or when people just don’t understand when they have done something wrong? Or when it seems like everything someone does has an ulterior motive that seems to somehow benefit them?

Any of those descriptions could apply to Sepp Blatter or Roger Goodell. Both men run probably the two most powerful sporting organizations in the world. Honestly, two of the most powerful organizations of any kind. According to bloomberg.com, the NFL generates an estimated $9.5 billion per season with a market value of roughly $46 billion between the 32 teams. FIFA generated about $5.7 billion in 2014, according its end-of-year financial report. $4.8 billion came from the World Cup in Brazil, and only about $2.2 billion in expenses. Clearly, both of these organizations are very lucrative.

Then you realize that both of them are registered as non-profit organizations. Yup, that’s right. No taxes for either the NFL or FIFA league offices. Well, the NFL actually recently changed its stance on that. It decided to give up its tax-free ways so it could now hide Goodell’s salary. Go figure they want to be as opaque as possible.

That is definitely frustrating, as a tax-paying citizen, to hear. If that proves to be too much anger for you, stop reading this now, because it gets a whole lot worse.

Debating who is worse of these two clowns is sort of like debating which is worse, Comcast or Time Warner Cable. They both are awful, money-sucking entities with an inability to apply reason to situations that need to be fixed, but somehow, one has to be worse than the other right?

Roger_Goodell
Goodell has been commissioner of the NFL since 2009.

So, we’ve talked about the organizations completely dodging taxes, which is beyond ridiculous. The amount these two men make though is even more absurd. Goodell makes way more than any of his top players make in a given year. His salary was $45 million in 2012 and it took a drop to $34 million in 2013. However, he does not have to worry about his pay for a while. The New York Daily News reports that Goodell received a package that will pay him roughly $300 million over a seven year span starting in 2012. That average of close to $43 million a year is about double what the league’s top players make every year and they risk their bodies for our entertainment. Goodell sits in a cushy chair and just suspends whoever he likes (more on that later).

Sepp_Blatter
Blatter has been the president of FIFA since 1998.

Blatter is not quite as bad as Goodell in terms of his greed for his salary. Different sources conflict on how much Blatter makes. One thinks Blatter makes roughly $1 million annually. Another pegs it somewhere between $5 and $18 million. FIFA does not have to release it’s executives salaries each year. However, the likelihood is that Blatter makes more than just his salary, it just isn’t listed.

FIFA also has a track record for ripping off host countries. Blatter and his organization are exempt from all taxes, local, state and national, when operating in the country for the World Cup. In fact, Brazil estimated $248.7 million in lost revenue following the World Cup just for letting FIFA evade taxes. More often than not, FIFA causes countries to shell out an inordinate amount of money and then actually walk away worse off financially than when FIFA arrived. The funny thing is, that isn’t even close to the worst part about FIFA.

Over the past year or so, FIFA has been rocked by allegations of bribery and corruption. 2015 saw the story break regarding a scheme that FIFA officials organized to generate more than $150 million in kickbacks for themselves. Now Blatter was not one of the officials named in this situation but this is not the first time FIFA has been accused of corruption or accepting bribes. Dating back to 2010, FIFA executives have served bans for violations of ethics codes. With all of this going on in FIFA it is hard to believe that Blatter has not been a part of some of the activity, taking his fair share of bribes.

Sepp BlatterWhile he wasn’t named then, things finally seem to have caught up to Blatter. The Swiss Attorney General’s office announced it was launching an investigation “on suspicion of criminal mismanagement…and – alternatively – misappropriation.” The report also mentions that Blatter’s office was searched and data was seized.

Goodell has never been accused of criminal activity, which would definitely go in the win column for him. However, he has grossly mishandled several legal cases with serious repercussions.

For starters, there was Goodell handing Ray Rice only a two-game suspension after he had weeks to review the situation and give an appropriate punishment. Rice punched his then fiancee in the face, knocking her out, then dragged her onto an elevator. The NFL received word of this and then rather than rationally seek outside counsel for a case they were not equipped to handle, brought Rice and his fiancee into the same room together to rehash the situation. That is a principle violation of how to handle assault cases mainly because the accuser is in the same room as the assaulter. More often than not, the accuser will stand down out of fear that if he or she tells the truth, the assaulter will hurt them again.

So there was that. Then there was Goodell mishandling Ray McDonald’s, Adrian Peterson’s and Greg Hardy’s cases as well.

Roger GoodellNeedless to say, Goodell had a rough 2014 offseason. But then his popularity rating dropped even lower when he picked a fight with Tom Brady and slandered his name despite having no hard evidence. Many people agreed with Goodell’s thinking that Brady was innocent but Goodell once again displayed his dictator-like powers, handing down a four-game suspension (keep in mind he suspended Rice for only two for punching his wife) to Brady on the account that Brady might have been generally aware that someone had tampered with the footballs in the AFC Championship game. Even now after a federal judge ruled the suspension unfair, the NFL continues to drag out the fight, looking to appeal the ruling on the appeal (which is also just stupid that it is allowed).

Right now, these two men are at an all-time low in terms of popularity. However, Goodell might have the slight edge. No NFL sponsors have publicly demanded for Goodell to step down from his post, (although, they probably should have). Meanwhile, Coca-cola just released a statement that Blatter must step down amidst the corruption scandal. It is a long time coming but Coke finally pulled the trigger. No word has come yet from Blatter on what he will do now that this is out in the open.

So while Goodell is an inconsiderate, greedy, sexist and overall incompetent man, he managed to make the NFL lucrative with having to break dozens of laws and fund himself with illegal hidden payments. Blatter has corruption written all over his organization during his tenure, from accepting bribes for World Cup allocations to illegal contracts.

Thankfully, it seems like Blatter is on his way soon between he “resignation” that should hopefully take place in December and a major sponsor turning up the heat. Now if only Nike could finally tell Goodell that he really just needs to take a hike, the world be a much better place.

Oh and just for sheer entertainment value because he fully deserves it: 

Bears’ Fire Sale is Officially Underway

Chris McGlynn Football, NFL ,

Chicago is in full scale remodel mode. Already, Jared Allen and Jon Bostic have been sent packing to the Panthers and Patriots respectively. Rumors have listed Alshon Jeffery and Matt Forte as potential targets to follow. I wouldn’t be surprised if veterans Martellus Bennett and Shea McClellin follow them out the door. The Bears are headed in a new direction under head coach John Fox and seem to be fully embracing hitting the reset button.

So now it seems like many of the Bears’ aging stars are on their way out. The question is, where will they end up? I am going to take my best guess based on what can be offered in return, different needs for teams around the league and who can afford to take on these contracts.

Alshon Jeffery, Wide Receiver
New Team: Baltimore Ravens

More than anything else, the Ravens need a big body receiver for Joe Flacco to throw to. Baltimore desperately needs another receiver in general. Flacco has targeted Steve Smith Sr. 40 times through the first three games. He has targeted every other receiver on his team fewer than 20. No one is even near as effective as Smith on a per game basis either. Smith is averaging 116 yards per game receiving and the next wide receiver on the stat sheet is Kamar Aiken with 29 yards per game. Implementing Jeffery into this offense will provide the spark Baltimore needs going forward. Chicago can probably demand a high round pick, possibly a second rounder, plus youngster Matt Elam at safety. That is a decent haul for the former second round pick.

Martellus BennettMartellus Bennett, Tight End
New Team: Denver Broncos

Give Peyton Manning a 6’6″ tight end and just let him work. Denver has struggled to moved the ball on offense so far this year so adding Bennett could be one of the final pieces that the Broncos need to make that Super Bowl push. Virgil Green and Owen Daniels just aren’t getting it done so far this year. The two of them combined have 90 yards combined in three games. Bennett has 118 on his own. Giving Manning a safety valve on his plays and Gary Kubiak another red zone threat would help balance out Denver’s offense. John Fox would probably be willing to do business with his old team too, knowing the players in the system. A fifth round draft pick plus either Ronnie Hillman or Juwan Thompson should be enough for the Bears to part with the veteran tight end.

Shea_mcclellinShea McClellin, Linebacker
New Team: Green Bay Packers

Trading within the division is always questionable but this makes sense for both sides. Shea McClellin was a first round draft pick by Chicago back in 2012 and the Bears expected him to develop into a star pass rusher. That never happened and McClellin now serves as a back up in the Windy City. Over in Green Bay, Sam Barrington is done for the year already and Packers are pretty light on linebackers at the moment. Adding McClellin would allow Chicago to move on from their former first rounder and it gives Green Bay a young player who could provide some depth. Look for McClellin to be moved for cheap. The Packers could probably land him in exchange for a fifth rounder.

Matt_ForteMatt Forte, Running Back
New Team: Tennessee Titans

This might seem kind of odd honestly. Why is Tennessee making a move for a veteran running back like Forte? Well, they don’t have an answer right now at running back in Tennessee and Matt Forte can do it all. He is an added weapon in the passing game as well for rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota. Mariota has played out of his mind so far to open the season but he needs some more help. Taking the pressure off the young signal caller by adding Forte would be the smart move, especially with how weak the AFC South looks this year. The Titans almost upset the Colts this past week and actually sit tied for the division lead heading into Week 4. Forte might just be the piece the Titans need to put pressure on the Colts in the wide open South. Forte won’t come cheap but he is a 30-year old running back. Fox would likely let him go in exchange for a third rounder and maybe a conditional future pick.

So the Bears would make out with Matt Elam, Ronnie Hillman/Juwan Thompson, a second round pick, a third round pick two fifth rounders and a conditional future pick. That isn’t a bad way to go moving forward. Chicago needs a fresh start more than anyone else in the league. Setting themselves up for the future begins with letting go of the past.