2018 Heisman Hopefuls are Hard to Find

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Only quarterbacks and Alabama running backs have won the Heisman dating back to 2000. (Wikimedia Commons)

After five weeks of action in the 2018 college football season, the shortlist of contenders for the Heisman Trophy is shrinking. Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa, Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins, West Virginia’s Will Grier and Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray are the clear front runners at this stage. All four of them are undefeated quarterbacks playing on Power 5 conference teams ranked in the top 10. At this stage, any of them could win the award, but it seems like there is not much chance anyone else manages to get their name into the running. Let’s break down who else was supposed to be in this race.

The Preseason Hopefuls
There were several other players who were supposed to challenge for the highest individual honor in the college game. Stanford running back Bryce Love and Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor headline this group. Love was the runner up for the award last season when Baker Mayfield took it home. Taylor finished sixth in the voting. The pair finished second and third in the nation in rushing respectively behind Seahawks first round selection Rashaad Penny. This season Taylor is fifth in the country for ground yardage, but hasn’t scored in either of his past two games and Wisconsin lost to an unranked BYU squad. Love has missed time with some nagging injuries.

Also in this group is Shea Patterson of Michigan and Kelly Bryant of Clemson. The two quarterbacks had rough starts to the season. For Patterson, he lost his season opener to Notre Dame and failed to throw a touchdown pass. He only has seven through five games this year. On the other hand, Bryant actually lost his starting job to freshman Trevor Lawrence and announced he plans to transfer.

The Sleeper Picks
Every year, there are a bunch of dark horse candidates to win the Heisman. 2018 was no different. The most popular sleeper pick this year had to be Penn State’s Trace McSorley. A true dual-threat quarterback, the senior has thrown for over 1,000 yards and rushed for over 450. Normally, that would put you right in the heart of the conversation. However, McSorley sustained a heavy blow to his candidacy with PSU’s loss to Ohio State at home. On top of that, he has a woeful completion percentage of 52 and had two games where he failed to eclipse 200 yards passing.

Alongside McSorely were Drew Lock and Jarret Stidham, two SEC quarterbacks with first round potential in the upcoming NFL draft. Lock was always going to have a tough road to the award being on an unranked team. He opened the season on fire, but came back down to Earth when Georgia drubbed Missouri. Lock failed to complete 50 percent of his passes against the Bulldogs, threw no touchdowns, one interception and for under 250 yards. For a quarterback who doesn’t run much, that pretty much ended Lock’s campaign. Stidham’s candidacy turned out to be mostly hype. Through five games, the Auburn quarterback has only thrown five touchdowns, lost at home to LSU and topped 200 passing yards twice.

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Mayfield became the first senior to win the award since 2006 and translated it into the first overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. (Wikimedia Commons)

Still Could Join the Party
I have bashed the depth of the hopefuls pretty thoroughly, but it is still early and there a are a handful of players who could make some noise and draw Heisman attention before the season is over.

The first is Justin Herbert. The Oregon quarterback is making a case to be the first quarterback selected in May at the NFL draft. He could also sneak into the Heisman conversation, but it feels like he missed his best chance to assert himself. It will be hard for voters to shake the memory of him throwing four straight incompletions to lose at home to Stanford in overtime. He also has a couple of ugly statistical games on his record where he tossed multiple interceptions and completed fewer than 50 percent of his passes.

There is no way that only quarterbacks finish as finalists either. Travis Etienne of Clemson has a chance to thrust himself into the conversation before the season is out. He is currently seventh in the country in rushing with an outrageous 8.1 yards per carry. The sophomore running back also has eight touchdowns so far. Additionally, Etienne might have just had his Heisman moment as he carried Clemson to a comeback in Death Valley over Syracuse with the team’s third-string quarterback under center. He rushed for 203 yards and three touchdowns to keep the Tigers undefeated. Being the lead back on a team likely to make the playoff and having your starting quarterback transfer, Etienne has everything in place to take a stab at this.

One last one that is a bit of a unique case is Ian Book. The Notre Dame quarterback took over as the starter in the third game of the season. He threw the game-clinching touchdown against Wake Forest and has thrown for 603 yards and six touchdowns over his last two starts. He torched what is a good Stanford defense and has a stellar 74 percent completion rate. On top of all of that, he hasn’t thrown an interception. The Irish sit at sixth in the AP poll and have a chance to make the College Football Playoff. If Book puts up similar numbers and leads Notre Dame to an undefeated regular season, he could be in the mix.

The Longshots
Just because you aren’t at a big school doesn’t mean you can’t make some noise. Now, Kentucky is a big school, but you probably know them for basketball. However, Ben Snell Jr. is having an impressive year running the ball. He is fourth in the nation in both yards and touchdowns. Kentucky is also 5-0 and up to #13 in the AP Poll. He will get a chance to play some great competition as Texas A&M and Georgia are still on the schedule. He could be a late riser.

Even more of a long shot is John Ursua of Hawaii. He really doesn’t belong, but he leads the nation in receptions, yards and touchdowns. He is on pace to finish with 100 catches, 1500 yards and 24 touchdowns. That kind of production usually catches the eyes of Heisman voters, but the best team Hawaii has played all year is Army. Unless Ursua can step it up and start shattering some records along with Hawaii winning out, he won’t really draw much attention.

One last name to throw around is Steven Montez from Colorado. The Buffaloes are 4-0 this season for the first time in 20 years. Montez is completing 75.8 percent of his passes, which leads the nation. Colorado is 21st in the polls and has road games against USC, Washington and Cal. Montez has thrown for over 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns in four games so far. He still has two-thirds of his games left in his season. It will be interesting to see what he can do with it.

The season is far from over, but it seems like the majority of the whittling down for the Heisman Trophy has already occurred. We might get some fireworks by season’s end, but this feels like a four-man race with a lot of people wondering what could have been.

NFL Power Rankings 2018: Week 4

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1. Los Angeles Rams: 4-0 (Last Week: 1)
Talk about a shootout! Thursday Night Football treated us to a thriller in the Coliseum. It is not there yet, but Sean McVay is starting to form the Greatest Show on Turf 2.0. Jared Goff tore apart the Vikings defense to the tune of 450+ yards and five touchdowns. With the number four scoring defense in the league, LA is the team to beat in the NFL. A win in Seattle could make this division race a formality for the Rams going forward.

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2. Kansas City Chiefs: 4-0 (Last Week: 2)
The Monday Night Football stage proved to be just the latest chapter in the legend of Patrick Mahomes. The kid from Texas Tech went over 300 yards again and had two scores. Kareem Hunt had a break out game as well. The defense is still struggling but did just enough for a fourth quarter comeback to be possible. Kansas City has a massive matchup with Jacksonville ahead. Top scoring defense, meet top scoring offense. Something has to give.

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3. Jacksonville Jaguars: 3-1 (Last Week: 4)
It wasn’t always pretty, but the Jaguars won it going away against the Jets. Blake Bortles had another stellar day. Jacksonville leads the league in just about every meaningful statistical category on defense. The concern was the turnovers. The Jags had three of them without forcing one from New York. The Jets aren’t enough of a threat on offense for that to matter, but that is something Doug Marrone is going to have to fix heading into a matchup with the Chiefs.

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4. New England Patriots: 2-2 (Last Week: 6)
What’s that? It’s been 8 years since anyone won the AFC East over the Patriots? Right. New England smacked Miami 38-7, silencing all of the talk about the end of an era. This team is not as talented as in years past, but still more than good enough to win the division. The Pats get Julian Edelman back this week as it gets set for to host Indy on Thursday night.

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5. Chicago Bears: 3-1 (Last Week: 7)
All of a sudden, Chicago is having some flashbacks to the 2006 NFL season when an incredible defense carried it to a Super Bowl appearance. This time though, Da Bears have a much better quarterback than Rex Grossman. Mitch Trubisky launched six touchdown passes in a rout of the Buccaneers. Matt Nagy almost has to feel disappointed his team is off this week after firing on all cylinders against Tampa.

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6. Baltimore Ravens: 3-1 (Last Week: 8)
Baltimore took care of business on Sunday Night Football, winning the best current rivalry in the NFL. Joe Flacco played great and the Ravens defense shut down the high-powered Steelers offense. Jim Harbaugh’s defense is giving up the second fewest yards and third fewest points per game. The next step for Baltimore is finishing drives with touchdowns. Justin Tucker kicked four field goals in the second half.

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7. Minnesota Vikings: 1-2-1 (Last Week 5)
It would be really easy to look at the scoreline and think the Vikings just aren’t as good as a year ago. Minnesota played a much better football game on the road with a short week against the best team in the league. At the same time, the Vikings are one Clay Matthews roughing the passer penalty away from being 1-3. The schedule doesn’t get much easier as Mike Zimmer prepares for a road trip to Philly for a rematch of the NFC title game.

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8. Philadelphia Eagles: 2-2 (Last Week: 3)
The message so far has been to wait until this team gets healthy. It might take a bit of time for all those previously injured players to gel again as the Eagles drop another close game on the road. Looking at the box score, its tough to figure out where Philly faltered after posting 432 yards of offense and forcing a turnover on defense. The biggest issue was Tennessee going 3-3 on fourth down, all of them coming in overtime. Doug Peterson has some soul searching to do as the Vikings come to town desperate for a win.

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9. New Orleans Saints: 3-1 (Last Week: 15)
The Saints are at their best when they run the ball efficiently. It keeps the defense off the field and allows Drew Brees to utilize the play action passing game. In fact, they were 9-1 last season when eclipsing the 100-yard mark on the ground and 3-5 when failing to top 100 yards. Efficiently is putting it mildly as well after averaging 5.3 yards per carry against the Giants. Alvin Kamara had a field day with 181 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns. Mark Ingram also returns from suspension this week as New Orleans heads home to host Washington.

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10. Carolina Panthers: 2-1 (Last Week: 10)
An early off week for the Panthers allows them to hopefully solve a few of the issues plaguing the secondary. It will start by taking the week to integrate newly-signed safety Eric Reid. Carolina gave up the third most yards per play in its first three games. The cure for that might be the struggling Giants offense, who visits this week after managing only 18 points against what has been a terrible Saints defense this season.

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11. Cincinnati Bengals: 3-1 (Last Week: 16)
With several games heading to overtime, the Bengals might have played in the best game of the weekend and it finished in regulation. Beating the Falcons in Atlanta is a big statement for Cincy. The secondary needs to step up after allowing 432 yards passing and three touchdowns. The Bengals have also allowed opponents to convert 57 percent of their third downs, the worst mark in the league. Cincinnati has the firepower, now the defense needs to take some pressure off Andy Dalton until Joe Mixon is back.

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12. Green Bay Packers: 2-1-1 (Last Week: 12)
Aaron Rodgers said the Packers were terrible following a shutout over the Bills. The offense might not have been great, but the defense played lights out. Green Bay sacked Josh Allen seven times, forcing a fumble, and picked him off twice. Buffalo only mustered 145 yards of total offense. For a team that has struggled on defense this season, these are all good signs.

Falcons logo13. Atlanta Falcons: 1-3 (Last Week: 11)
Another week, another heart-breaking close loss for the Falcons. The Bengals have looked sharp this season on offense, so the struggles on defense are somewhat understandable, especially given how many injuries the team has suffered. Calvin Ridley also continues to emerge for the offense. Scoring points isn’t the problem. Dan Quinn needs to return to his defensive roots and find ways to hide its weaknesses on that side of the ball.

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14. Washington: 2-1 (Last Week: 14)
The week off couldn’t have gone much better for Washington. Both the Eagles and Giants lost. The Cowboys failing in their late comeback would’ve been the icing on the cake, but Washington is still atop the division. It has a tough week ahead with the Saints on Monday night, but Jay Gruden got an extra week to find ways to slow down this New Orleans offense.

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15. Tennessee Titans: 3-1 (Last Week: 20)
Mike Vrabel showed everyone that he has the guts to win football games as a head coach in the NFL. The Titans converted on three fourth downs in overtime to topple the defending champs. The offense took a little while to get going, but Marcus Mariota finally scored a touchdown. It was a poor game plan from Philly, but Vrabel and his staff put together a great game plan to maximize what little talent it has at the skill positions on offense. The Titans are going to be tough to beat.

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16. Pittsburgh Steelers: 1-2-1 (Last Week: 9)
It is time to consider that maybe the Steelers just aren’t that good. Ben Roethlisberger missed open receivers and for the first time this season, Pittsburgh really missed Le’Veon Bell, who announced he will return during week 7. The defense actually improved in a bend don’t break sort of way, but this team has a lot of questions and not too many answers after four weeks of football.

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17. Miami Dolphins: 3-1 (Last Week: 13)
Dolphins, meet Earth. Miami came down hard in a blowout against New England. Ryan Tannehill accomplished nothing under center, the running game was MIA and, despite two interceptions, the defense was gashed by Patriot running backs all game long. The Dolphins proved to everyone they are not a contender, not even really close to one, with that loss.

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18. Denver Broncos: 2-2 (Last Week: 18)
Denver came agonizingly close to an impressive upset. The ground game and defense powered the Broncos to a 23-13 lead, but faltered down the stretch when it mattered most. This is a gritty team capable of hanging with the top teams in the league. Case Keenum needs to make more plays to push the Broncos over the hump from just competing to winning.

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19. Los Angeles Chargers: 2-2 (Last Week: 19)
This was bad, but it could’ve been worse. The Chargers squeaked out a win over the battered 49ers. Los Angeles showed heart in the comeback, but it should never have been required. The defense allowed too many big plays and could struggle again with the Raiders coming to town after finally showing up on offense.

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20. Seattle Seahawks: 2-2 (Last Week: 22)
Seattle is an entirely different team on the road. It played poorly enough to lose to Arizona, but the Cardinals couldn’t get out of their own way to pull off the upset. The one positive is the Seahawks looked comfortable running the ball even without Chris Carson. They head home for a date with the Rams and a chance to pull off a major upset. No matter how shaky Seattle might be, going to CenturyLink Field and winning is still one of the hardest things to do in football.

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21. Dallas Cowboys: 2-2 (Last Week: 23)
Ezekiel Elliott is making a legitimate case for the MVP award this season. The former Buckeye leads the league in rushing by almost 100 yards through four weeks. He is also second in yards from scrimmage only behind Alvin Kamara. The reason MVP might be in order is only Cole Beasley has more receiving yards for Dallas this season. Zeke is doing it all right now for the Cowboys, who might need his heroics again in Houston to go above .500.

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22. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 2-2 (Last Week: 17)
Goodbye FitzMagic, hello quarterback controversy. Neither Ryan Fitzpatrick nor Jameis Winston played well in a 48-10 laugher against the Bears. The Bucs defense picked up right where it left off, which is giving up massive gains through the air and occasionally frustrating running backs. This is much more the Tampa team many expected to see this season, and it could cost Dirk Koetter his job.

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23. Indianapolis Colts: 1-3 (Last Week: 21)
After a tough start, the Colts really turned things around to force overtime and almost pull off the comeback. Andrew Luck put up great numbers, but still does not look like the same quarterback he was before his injury. The running game didn’t produce much, but Nyheim Hines caught a pair of touchdowns out of the backfield. Frank Reich has achieved some positive things in Indy, but the Colts have a long way to go.

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24. New York Giants: 1-3 (Last Week: 24)
The Giants limited Drew Brees and Mike Thomas, but totally forgot about Alvin Kamara, letting him rumble for 181 yards of offense and three touchdowns. Offensively, New York has not threatened to throw it downfield and cannot find a way to establish a consistent running game. It seems like the Giants need to start thinking about the future, looking for a long-term answer at quarterback and completely rebuilding this offensive line.

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25. Detroit Lions: 1-3 (Last Week: 25)
Going into Dallas to earn a win after pulling off a major upset against New England would have caused many to forget the woeful start to the season. Instead, the Lions are 1-3 and seem unsure how to utilize the talent they have. Kerryon Johnson did not get the ball enough against the Cowboys and Matt Stafford continues to do a lot. The defense had no answer for Ezekiel Elliot though. With Green Bay visiting this week, Detroit needs to have a much better game plan.

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26. Cleveland Browns: 1-2-1 (Last Week: 26)
Heading to the West Coast is really tough. There is a lot to take away from this game. The positives are the offense can score a ton of points and the defense can generate turnovers. The negatives are the defense can give up a ton of points and the offense can commit a lot of turnovers. If Baker Mayfield can find some ways to clean up his game (four turnovers in Oakland), the Browns should start winning games.

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27. Houston Texans: 1-3 (Last Week: 28)
It required a bit of luck, no pun intended, to beat the Colts after Indy failed to convert from midfield on fourth down. That set up the Texans for the game-winning field goal in overtime. Deshaun Watson played great. J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney combined for four sacks. However, the secondary gave up over 450 yards and four touchdowns. The task this week will be containing Ezekiel Elliott.

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28. New York Jets: 1-3 (Last Week: 27)
It is games like these that set the Jets back a few years. Todd Bowles seems to be trending ever closer to an exit in New York. Blake Bortles tore apart the Jets defense and New York never adjusted. Bowles continues to blitz on third down in any part of the field and Jaguars were ready for it every time. It is hard to fire a coach after drafting a rookie quarterback, but for the sake of Sam Darnold’s development, the Jets are better off doing it this year rather than waiting.

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29. Oakland Raiders: 1-3 (Last Week: 31)
At times, it seems like the Raiders are trying to lose. Oakland made a ton of mistakes on both sides of the ball and benefitted from several questionable calls by the officials. Still, it was a win nonetheless, Jon Gruden’s first in ten years. The Raiders offense showed up against what had been a good Browns defense. Oakland is going to need the offense to keep clicking to even have a chance with how poorly the defense continues to play.

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30. San Francisco 49ers: 1-3 (Last Week: 30)
For those who thought San Francisco would just go quietly into the night after losing Jimmy Garoppolo, this was a big surprise. The 49ers came extremely close to knocking off the Chargers. C.J. Beathard knows this offense well after starting several games last season. It is unlikely Kyle Shanahan and company win a ton of games the rest of the way, but they seem like they will at least be competitive.

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31. Buffalo Bills: 1-3 (Last Week: 29)
Reality set in once again for the Bills after shocking the Vikings at home in week 3. Josh Allen is still a rookie and this offensive line still isn’t good. Green Bay sacked Allen seven times in the contest. If Buffalo cannot find a way to keep the kid from Wyoming clean, he will continue to force the errors we saw in the second half in Green Bay.
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32. Arizona Cardinals: 0-4 (Last Week: 32)
Quietly, Josh Rosen might have had the best week of any of the rookie quarterbacks who started. He only threw for 180 yards and a touchdown, but he considering the Cardinals dropped at least three passes in the game and Phil Dawson missed two field goals, he did a lot to put his team in a position to win. It was improvement from the previous week in Chicago which featured an awful final few minutes for the kid from UCLA. If David Johnson can get on track, this Cardinals offense should be decent at least with Rosen at the helm.

The Collapse of the Oakland Raiders

In 2016, the Oakland Raiders were finally back. After 14 years without a winning record, the Silver and Black went 12-4 and returned to the playoffs for the first time since losing to Tampa Bay in the Super Bowl. This was a team on the rise. They had a young stud at quarterback. They had a defensive player of the year. They had a brash coach who was unafraid to gamble with the game on the line. It seemed like the Raiders were once again in the mix to compete for a championship.

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Carr is already fourth in franchise history for passing yardage and touchdowns in just his fifth season. (Wikimedia Commons)

That 2016 season ended in bitter disappointment. Third-year quarterback Derek Carr suffered a season-ending injury in week 16. The Raiders lost their final regular season game with rookie Connor Cook under center. That loss cost Oakland the division and a first-round bye in the playoffs. Instead, the Raiders had to travel to Houston to play against the vaunted Texans defense in the Wild Card round. Cook struggled mightily in the game and the Raiders lost 27-14, ending their season.

Many felt that had Carr stayed healthy, that team could have made a deep run in the postseason. After all, Oakland had seven Pro Bowlers and three players named to the AP All-Pro team. Still, despite the abrupt end to the season, it seemed like the Raiders were poised for another great season in 2017.

That great season never came. Oakland struggled through the 2017 season, facing a much tougher schedule. The 2016 Raiders had the 15th hardest schedule in the league. The 2017 Raiders had the fourth. Injuries limited the team as offensive tackle Donald Penn finished the season on IR. So did Oakland’s first two picks in the 2017 draft. Oakland still had bright spots. Khalil Mack dominated, becoming the first player ever to be named first-team All-Pro at two different positions in the same season.

However, in addition to the tougher schedule, there are some easy things to point to as the reason for regression. The offense fell off a cliff. The Raiders gained 50 fewer yards of offense per game and scored eight fewer points per contest. Not exactly a recipe for success. Oakland also went from the top team in turnover ratio in 2016 to tied for 29th in 2017. That was a swing over 30 possessions, roughly two per game. That could help explain some of the scoring and yardage difference.

After a 6-6 start, the Raiders finished the season on a four-game losing streak. That cost Jack Del Rio his job as the head coach. Little did we know, he would be the first of many crucial pieces to leave Oakland.

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Gruden is 101-88 in his career as a head coach, including the playoffs. (Wikimedia Commons)

It ended up being a tumultuous offseason for the Raiders. During the 2017 season, the team announced it would be moving to Las Vegas for the 2020 season. The fan base was already unsettled as a result. Then the Raiders signed Jon Gruden to a massive deal, reportedly worth about $100 million over 10 years.

Here’s the thing, Gruden hasn’t coached a football team in 10 years. His last gig was as the Buccaneers coach from 2002 to 2008. He did win a Super Bowl during that first season, beating none other than the Oakland Raiders.

The move made a lot of sense from the story perspective. Gruden had been the head coach of the Raiders 1998 to 2001, only to be forced out by former Raiders owner Al Davis. Gruden has said he feels like there is a lot that he would like to do to finish his legacy in Oakland.

When you pay a coach that much money though, it makes it really difficult to explain to your players that you can’t pay them. The team elected to extend Derek Carr’s contract with a lucrative deal that was the richest in NFL history for a short period of time. It seemed like the logical move, until the consequences quickly followed.

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Mack signed a six-year $141-million contract, the richest for a defense player in NFL history, after joining the Bears. (Wikimedia Commons) 

Khalil Mack is one of the best defensive players in NFL history, yet the Raiders did not pay him. Mack held out all summer long in hopes of landing a new contract. It never came, at least not from Oakland. Just before the start of the season, Gruden shipped Mack to Chicago for a package of draft picks. Mack has been a beast through the first four weeks of the NFL season. He is tied for second in the league with five sacks. He also leads the league with four forced fumbles alongside J.J. Watt, and has an interception.

The loss of Mack leaves the Raiders seemingly in a rebuild mode. Oakland has started the season 1-3 and shows no signs of turning it around. It needed overtime and a bit of assistance from the officials to pull off the victory and avoid what would have been a truly terrible start to 2018. The Raiders have scored the fifth fewest points this season. Apparently, Gruden does not really know how to rebuild either.

Thinking about it, it’s not too shocking considering this is a franchise known for the mantra “Just Win Baby.” The Raiders were never good at rebuilding. They struggled to do so for the aforementioned 14 years without a winning record. Oakland failed to draft well or attract free agents to help turn the franchise around. The environment for this Raiders franchise has been toxic for years. Even when it did bring in top-tier talent, like Randy Moss or Charles Woodson for the second time, it couldn’t convert that into true success. Looking at this Raiders team now, one that is going to require a ton of roster turnover and a general talent overhaul, Gruden has not positioned himself to rebuild in the coming years.

Oakland has the oldest roster in the NFL. The Raiders on average are 27.32 years old, according to Spotrac. The next youngest team is the Atlanta Falcons at 27. Oakland is more than a full year older than the league average. It also has the most players signed over the age of 30. Gruden has built a team ready to win this season, but it will come nowhere close to even making it to the playoffs. Gruden is also burying Marquel Lee and Karl Joseph, young players with bright futures, on the depth chart.

At this point just two years ago. The Raiders were 3-1 and seemed like a team destined to compete for the next several years. Today, this team is years away from competing. Gruden has one hell of a task ahead of him and this organization has some explaining to do as to how quickly it let the team fall into turmoil.

Could Earl Thomas be the Solution to the Steelers’ Le’Veon Bell Problem?

The first and third-most talked about contract disputes (Khalil Mack is safely at number two) in the NFL this year have dragged on into the regular season. If you are a football fan, you no doubt know that Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell will not sign his franchise tag tender. You likely also know the Seahawks are locked in a heated dispute with safety Earl Thomas. Both are elite level players responsible for a lot of the success these two teams have had in recent years, but both seem equally intent on playing elsewhere in order to get a bigger paycheck. Speculation about where each could land continues to roll on, but it is possible Seattle and Pittsburgh could solve the other’s problem.

So far this year, Pittsburgh has been burned in the secondary. The Steelers have allowed the fifth most passing yards and are tied with the Saints for the most passing touchdowns given up. For Seattle, this team has stated it would like to get back to running the ball more. Unfortunately, the Seahawks rank 25th in rushing yards and have the third worst yards per carry average in the league. Even with a bevy of options in the backfield, no one has managed to really take control.

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Bell has missed 15 games over the past three seasons with the Steelers. (Wikimedia Commons)

The truth is, the Steelers no longer need Bell. He would still be an upgrade over James Connor, but the second year back from the University of Pittsburgh ranks eight in yards from scrimmage so far this year. The need to patch up the secondary is a big one. Earl Thomas would be a huge upgrade over Sean Davis. Pro Football Focus ranks Davis as the 41st safety in the league. Thomas tops the list.

For Seattle, they have a number of young backs, but the chance to add Le’Veon Bell and potentially reduce the number of hits Russell Wilson takes would be massive. Bell had the second most yards from scrimmage in the league last year. His ability as a pass blocker and pass catcher would take a ton of pressure off Wilson. Even though Seattle has a couple of young running backs, none of them will ever come close to playing at the same level as Bell as he enters his prime.

Financially, there is some interesting movement here. Bell is going to want a massive extension. Todd Gurley set the market in a lot of ways for running backs when he negotiated his extension with the Rams. CBS Sports reported back in July Bell wanted roughly $17 million per year in the deal, turning down a massive five-year $70-million offer from Pittsburgh. Seattle might be willing to go a little higher to land him. Using Spotrac, I put together a contract that pays Le’Veon an average of $15.1 million per year in the form of a 5-year $75.5-million deal. That is still short of his asking price, but it tops the Steelers’ last offer.

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Thomas has 28 career interceptions, including three this season. (Wikimedia Commons)

Thomas wants to be paid as well. Eric Berry is the highest paid safety in the league out in Kansas City. The Steelers already have a Bell-sized opening in their cap number, so absorbing Thomas’ cap hit this season would be no big deal. Signing Thomas to something like a 4-year $48 million contract should appease him. It would put him in the same category as Berry and Tyrann Mathieu in terms of average salary.

These are just some rough numbers I ran, but both seem like realistic contracts for each of them to sign. Bell and Thomas both desperately need a change of scenery. It checks a lot of boxes for both teams, filling a need, sending the player to the opposite conference to avoid playing them again and moving on from a player that clearly no longer wants to be part of the organization.

NFL Power Rankings 2018: Week 3

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1. Los Angeles Rams: 3-0 (Last Week: 1)
The first battle for Los Angeles since 1994 ends in favor of the Rams. Jared Goff played a great game, save a redzone interception. The special teams bailed him out by blocking the ensuing punt and recovering for a touchdowns. There were some key injuries though. With a short week ahead and going on the road, week 4 will be very telling for Los Angeles.

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2. Kansas City Chiefs: 3-0 (Last Week: 4)
Records continue to fall as Patrick Mahomes continues to ball in Kansas City. The Chiefs have dominated teams through the first three weeks of the season. All three of their wins have been solid. The Chargers, Steelers and 49ers were all considered to be among the better teams in the league this year. The secondary might be terrible, but no one has even come close to slowing down Andy Reid’s high-powered offense.

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3. Philadelphia Eagles: 2-1 (Last Week: 6)
Carson Wentz was back and managed to knock off some rust. It was a bit of an ugly win for the Eagles, but a win nonetheless. Philly should be getting healthier over the next few weeks as the trio of Alshon Jeffrey, Darren Sproles and Jay Ajayi all set to return soon. With their MVP-caliber quarterback back in action, we could see the Eagles return to the form that led them to the Super Bowl in the near future.

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4. Jacksonville Jaguars: 2-1 (Last Week: 2)
And this is where the parity in the NFL kicks in once again. After the Jaguars beat the Patriots, they were riding high atop the AFC. Then they crashed back down to Earth with a loss to the short-handed Titans. Jacksonville faced a lot of the issues it struggled with in the past as the defense played lights out, but the offense struggled to score points. The Jets are on the schedule next, which should be a win, but the Jags lost to New York last year and with how this NFL season is going, nothing is for certain.

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5. Minnesota Vikings: 1-1-1 (Last Week 3)
In other results that continue to make no sense, Minnesota laid an egg against Buffalo. The offensive line forgot how to block and Kirk Cousins was responsible for three turnovers. The Bills deserve a lot of credit for winning, but the Vikings played like it was the NFC Championship game. With a short week, Minnesota desperately needs to turn things around quickly heading to Los Angeles for a matchup with the Rams.

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6. New England Patriots: 1-2 (Last Week: 5)
Take your hand off the panic button. It was not a good week for New England. There is no question this team is not as good as it was a year ago. The Patriots still have a lot to figure out, but they are still the best team in the AFC East and one of the top three teams in the AFC. A win over the currently undefeated Dolphins would do a lot to silence doubters.

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7. Chicago Bears: 2-1 (Last Week: 9)
I will be honest, after the performance the Bears put on against the Cardinals, I don’t feel great about having them at seventh. However, who would you put ahead of them? This defense has been among the best in the league. It hasn’t really beaten anyone significant yet, but will get a chance to prove itself against Tampa Bay and Miami in its next two games. Also, trust in Matt Nagy. He seems like he is going to figure out what ails the offense before too long.

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8. Baltimore Ravens: 2-1 (Last Week: 14)
One week after being embarrassed by Andy Dalton, the Ravens bounced back. Bend but don’t break proved to be the solution for Balitmore’s defense en route to an important win over Denver. It seems odd to call a week 3 game important, but it was a victory over another AFC team that could be the difference in what seems like it will be a tough AFC North.

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9. Pittsburgh Steelers: 1-1-1 (Last Week: 12)
That second half did not do much to comfort anyone and Pittsburgh looks as undisciplined as ever, but it picked up a win, and a road win at that. Ben Roethlisberger picked up right where he left off against Kansas City. Unfortunately, the secondary reverted to its woeful ways after halftime. Still, four forced turnovers is a good place to start for the Steelers. If they can avoid committing as many penalties, wins should become easier to come by.

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10. Carolina Panthers: 2-1 (Last Week: 18)
I will admit, heading into the season, I was very skeptical of this Panthers team. Most of my concerns were with the offense though and after three weeks, a lot of them have been alleviated. Cam Newton and Christian McCaffrey work well together on the ground and Carolina can create just enough passing downfield to keep the defense honest. After intercepting Andy Dalton four times as well, it seems like this team is only getting better as the season rolls on.

Falcons logo11. Atlanta Falcons: 1-2 (Last Week: 8)
Even though the Falcons beat the Panthers in week 2, Atlanta has lost some big pieces in the meantime. Keanu Neal, Deion Jones, Andy Levitre, Devonta Freeman, Riccardo Allen and Takk McKinnley all find themselves on the injury report, and some of them aren’t coming back. The offense seems to be hitting its stride, scoring over 30 points each of the last two weeks, but if the defense cannot get healthy, it might not matter for the Falcons.

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12. Green Bay Packers: 1-1-1 (Last Week: 7)
Sure it was a road game, but that was not the performance we are used to seeing from the Green Bay Packers. Aaron Rodgers and the offense mustered only 17 points. The defense was gashed by countless big plays. The Packers have not looked like a great team through three weeks. There are only so many times Rodgers can tell everyone to relax.

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13. Miami Dolphins: 3-0 (Last Week: 17)
It is hard to know what to make of the Dolphins quite yet. They trailed at home against Oakland, but scored 21 points in the second half to pull off the comeback. Ryan Tannehill has played extremely well through the first three weeks of the season, but the running game disappeared against the Raiders. Despite being 3-0, Miami has yet to really secure a statement win. Beating the Patriots this week would certainly qualify.

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14. Washington: 2-1 (Last Week: 19)
The parity in the NFL is reaching an interesting point. One week after falling flat against Indianapolis, Washington nearly doubled up Green Bay. The rushing attack came up huge as Adrian Peterson feasted on the Packers defense. Alex Smith put up solid numbers, but only completed 12 passes. It was a huge improvement, but there is still room to grow.

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15. New Orleans Saints: 2-1 (Last Week: 22)
This seems a lot more like the Saints team we know. Drew Brees turned back the clocks with a vintage performance, setting the NFL record for career completions in the process. New Orleans might have the most dangerous offense in football outside of Kansas City when it gets going. Mark Ingram is only two weeks away from returning as well. Now, if someone could just teach them to play defense.

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16. Cincinnati Bengals: 2-1 (Last Week: 10)
One week after tossing four touchdown passes, Andy Dalton threw four interceptions. The lack of consistency make the Bengals a tough team to trust, but they were missing Joe Mixon and A.J. Green left the game with an injury as well. Cincy still leads the suddenly very competitive AFC North, but faces a tough test with a trip to Atlanta on the horizon.

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17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 2-1 (Last Week: 11)
It might seem like a bit of a steep drop, but this was exactly what every Buccaneers fan feared would happen. Tampa Bay’s offense committed four turnovers in the first half, including a pick-six by Ryan Fitzpatrick. It battled back in the second half, and the defense actually pitched a shutout, but the damage was already done. If not for some shaky kicking by Chris Boswell, this game might have even been a bit further out of reach when Tampa started to make its late push. Jameis Winston returns this week as well, potentially throwing this team into chaos about who should start at quarterback.

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18. Denver Broncos: 2-1 (Last Week: 15)
A lot of the concerns about this Broncos team came to light in the loss to the Ravens. Case Keenum was rather pedestrian throwing for under 200 yards with no touchdowns and the running game could not bail Denver out. This is still a team more than capable of competing for a playoff spot, but with a trip to Arrowhead upcoming, the offense needs to get into gear.

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19. Los Angeles Chargers: 1-2 (Last Week: 16)
It is easy to look at the scoreline and think the Chargers were a step below the Rams, but Anthony Lynn’s squad put up a good fight. If not for a blocked punt recovered for a touchdown, this game would’ve been a whole lot closer. Last year’s first round pick Mike Williams flashed some of his potential and the ground game looked solid. If Los Angeles can use the rushing attack early to control the tempo, the Chargers should start winning more games.

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20. Tennessee Titans: 2-1 (Last Week: 23)
Thankfully for the Titans, style points are worth nothing in the NFL. The thing holding Tennessee back from being higher on this list is the battered situation of its quarterback group. Marcus Mariota can barely grip a football and Blaine Gabbert took a nasty shot to the head. The Titans will probably need to score a few more points with the defending champs coming to town.

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21. Indianapolis Colts: 1-2 (Last Week: 21)
The defense came to play. The offense was almost nowhere to be found. Indy managed just 209 yards of total offense for a pathetic 3.7 yards per play. The sad truth is that Andrew Luck might never truly be the same quarterback he was back in 2015 before all these injuries piled up. The evidence was never clearer than watching Jacoby Brissett come off the bench to attempt the potential game-winning Hail Mary pass.

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22. Seattle Seahawks: 1-2 (Last Week: 27)
All I’m going to say is the Seahawks better pay Earl Thomas soon. The veteran safety intercepted two passes against Dallas and made life a lot easier for the Seattle offense. Chris Carson cracked the hundred-yard mark, but it took him 32 carries. Overall, this was a massive improvement for the Seahawks, but the jump was from dreadful to below average. This team still has a lot to prove.

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23. Dallas Cowboys: 1-2 (Last Week: 20)
Turnovers killed the Cowboys as the offense sputtered once again on the road. Dallas is sticking to its gameplan as Ezekiel Elliott is tied for the league lead in rushing yards through the first three weeks. However, the poor play in the secondary and the inability to generate a downfield passing threat are huge red flags. This team is missing Dez Bryant and Jason Witten.

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24. New York Giants: 1-2 (Last Week: 25)
Pat Shurmer deserves a lot of praise for his handling of this game. He kept the Giants moving the ball efficiently on the ground and kept Eli Manning about as clean as possible considering the talent level on the offense line and on the Texans’ defensive front. Heading home with a win is crucial for this team, but the defense will need to turn it up a notch with the Saints coming to visit.

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25. Detroit Lions: 1-2 (Last Week: 28)
Wow. This does not make up for how poorly the Lions played to open the season, but it means a lot for how Detroit fans view Matt Patricia. The Lions finally had a 100-yard rusher as rookie Kerryon Johnson crossed the century mark. Matt Stafford was solid if unspectacular. The secondary played some of the best football I’ve seen in Detroit in a long time. The win means a lot, but it will mean a lot more if the Lions can go into Dallas and build on the positives.

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26. Cleveland Browns: 1-1-1 (Last Week: 29)
LeBron who? OK, that’s definitely pushing it, but it felt a bit like Cleveland found its new king on Thursday night as Baker Mayfield came off the bench to lead a second-half comeback and end the Browns’ 19-game losing streak. There is no looking back now and the extra prep the team got heading into a matchup with Oakland could have the Browns on the cusp of a winning record for the first time since November of 2014.

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27. New York Jets: 1-2 (Last Week: 24)
Just in case anyone had forgotten, the Jets reminded the whole league they are still a rebuilding team after losing in Cleveland. It was part of a tough schedule to open the season travel wise as New York played it’s third game in 10 days. Still, Sam Darnold showed he is a rookie with a lot to learn and the defense still cannot generate a pass rush without blitzing. It could be a long season for the Jets.

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28. Houston Texans: 0-3 (Last Week: 26)
For a team as talented as the Texans supposedly are, it is unbelievable they are one of just three teams in the league without a win. The pass rush showed up against New York, as did the passing game, but Houston still came up short. Bill O’Brien has to figure out what is holding this team back and fast. Dropping to 0-4 with a loss to the Colts would end its season.

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29. Buffalo Bills: 1-2 (Last Week: 31)
I’m not going to claim for even a second that I saw this coming, but I did think the Bills looked a lot better in week 2. They looked even better thrashing Minnesota at home with a 27-6 victory. Josh Allen showed why he was a top-10 pick in the draft and Buffalo found a way to move the ball on the ground even without LeSean McCoy. This team is still far from contending, but it might be a bit more competitive than most initially thought.

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30. San Francisco 49ers: 1-2 (Last Week: 13)
And with that, the 49ers hopes for a successful season end. Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a torn ACL, meaning he is done for the year. San Francisco is already at 1-2 and started 1-10 last year before Garoppolo took over as quarterback. On the bright side, a high draft pick for a team that already has a franchise quarterback can be a very valuable asset.

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31. Oakland Raiders: 0-3 (Last Week: 30)
John Gruden said in an interview that he wouldn’t take the Raiders money if he wasn’t successful. It is time to start handing it back over. Oakland is arguably the worst team in the league. The major difference separating it from Arizona is the fact it is not starting a rookie quarterback. Oakland is being outscored by about 10 points per game and owns the worst turnover ratio in the league. The Raiders do have an easy schedule remaining, but need to drastically improve for this not to seem like a season that set the franchise back several years.

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32. Arizona Cardinals: 0-3 (Last Week: 32)
Well, all of the rookie quarterbacks taken in the top-10 are now in control of the starting role. Josh Rosen will likely join Baker Mayfield in making his first NFL start in week 4. It was a rough start for Rosen as he threw two interceptions to close the game. One was called back for an offsides penalty, but Rosen still took a sack to eventually end the contest. Even though it was a close game, Arizona still looks like the worst team in the NFL.