Here we go…first off, Josh Sitton.  I never addressed it, however it’s as puzzling now as it was when word leaked the Packers cut him.  If the rumors are true – that Ted and Mac were worried about him creating a problem in the locker room if they weren’t going to discuss a contract extension – there’s a few ways to look at it.

1. It’s awfully dangerous for the Packers’ brain trust to assume such a reaction…why?
   1. Other players may lose confidence in the organization’s abilities/actions
   2. Sitton may not have reacted negatively, thus being pointless to cut him
2. There’s a reason a well-run team would think their own, homegrown, player would react in such a way so the move had to be made.
3. The Packers truly thought that Taylor was the better option over Sitton
   1. Not necessarily now, but they did extend him in the offseason and it’s a priority for him to get playing time.
      1. Devil’s advocate – if that’s the case, why wasn’t Sitton moved or cut prior and why didn’t Taylor begin with the 1^st team all offseason and preseason?

Any way, it was a puzzling move because a trade did not commence and you’d have to assume (dangerous yes I know) based on the contract Sitton garnered from Chicago that he had trade value, at least from them.

In the end, I still like the overall philosophy that Thompson conducts and it’s always better to rid yourself of a player a year or two early rather than hang on a year or two too long (see Donald Driver).

Not as puzzling, but still stemming from the above situation was the extension of Left Tackle David Bakhtiari.  The Packers locked him up for 4 years with a deal worth in excess of $50M.  That’s a substantial amount of money for a premier player at any position, let alone – what I deem – an average player that seemed to have his replacement drafted (Jason Spriggs).  Looking ahead it begs the question Is TJ Lang a priority or have a future on this team?  I sure hope so as I think he’s a top 5 Guard in the NFL and is only 28 years old, and has 3-5 solid years left.  Either way, looking at it from a pure number and emotionless view, the Packers are rotating their offensive line with youth and it looks to be strong in the years to come.

Ok, now on to week 2 and the Minnesota Vikings’ Super Bowl…the grand opening of their new stadium (US Bank Stadium) and of course they must host the Packers.  There’s plenty of reasons to be confident as a Packer fan heading into this matchup, but I’m willing to risk being called negative and “not a true Packer fan” for stating otherwise.

First off, the Vikings possess a better defense than Jacksonville and that defense has seen this Packers’ offense a few times…so the element of surprise and unscouted looks will be at a minimum.  Minnesota has always been a pain in the a$$ to play as beating the Packers is their EVERYTHING.

Second, the Packers held TJ Yeldon (Jaguars Running Back) to under 2 yards/carry and AP didn’t do much better at Tennessee last week.  I put that more as a testament to the poor play-calling and timing of play calls by Gus Bradley’s staff (Jacksonville’s head coach) than the Packers’ rush defense.  However, if the Packers are able to contain and stop Peterson, that will be a huge step in the right direction to getting this defense to a top 5 overall in the NFL, which is needed to win the Super Bowl

The Vikings may not have decided on a starting quarterback yet, but that doesn’t mean losing Sam Shields (concussion) is meaningless.  Minnesota has dangerous wide receivers (Diggs and Johnson) that can make plays and Kyle Rudolph at Tight End to open the middle of the field in the passing game.

Of course I have to preface this next statement to prove I’m a “true Packer fan,” but I hope I’m wrong in my prediction.  The Packers are the better team, with more talent, that’s used to winning.  However, I think with this being a game that’s been circled on the Vikings’ and all of their fans’ calendars since April, they make 1-2 more key plays with their fast, physical, smart defense and win a tough battle.

Packers 23

Vikings 24

*Again, I hope I’m wrong and will gladly admit I am if that’s the case.*

Although I gave my season predictions, I didn’t give insight into the Week 1 matchup v. the Bucks of the NFL, the Jacksonville Jaguars.  They’re the up-and-coming team in the NFL, just like the Bucks are (hopefully) the hot new team coming in!  Anyway, I digress…

The Jaguars have 2 Wide Receivers that will test this Packers secondary; Allen Hurns and Allen Robinson.  I believe they’re both 26 years old or younger and each had over 1,000 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns last season.  Sam Shields, Damarious Randall, Quinten Rollins and company will be tested – and I think they pass the test.  It’s been quite some time, but this Packers’ secondary could be the best since Charles Woodson donned #21 and played corner.  The big issue is the defensive line, not only how thin it is in depth, but talent too.  Keep an eye on Blake Martinez, #50, Middle Linebacker…he’s shown all preseason and in training camp he’s capable of being a solid player at a position of need.

Eventually I’ll get into the whole “cutting Sitton” issue, but another time.  To keep it easy, and on topic….keep an eye on Jacksonville’s running back TJ Yeldon (the HB that followed Lacy out of Alabama), as the lack of depth on Green Bay’s DLine could be an issue.  I think the overall talent of Green Bay beats out the excitement of Jacksonville.  It should be a close game but I believe the final score will give Packer fans reason to believe this team is truly talented…

Green Bay 31
Jacksonville 20

Another year of Green Bay Packer football is finally upon us!  Another year with HOF quarterback play is expected…however, until the Packers show me a reason to believe they’re capable of winning a Super Bowl (and no, because they won it 6 years ago isn’t applicable) I can’t realistically believe they’ll actually accomplish the goal.  I’ve been a huge supporter of Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy since they’ve arrived and the “success” has shown that building through the draft and staying young while adding a free agent here and there is a great way to give yourself a chance each and every year, it’s only garnered one championship.

After seeing Aaron Rodgers develop from 2005 to 2007 behind Brett Favre and seeing his improvement, essentially each season since starting, it’s easy to say he’s the best QB in the NFL.  My only issue with that statement is Why does he only have 1 Super Bowl ring?  One can blame Thompson for not building a strong enough defense around him to win…another can point a finger at McCarthy for going soft in the NFC title game at Seattle in January of 2015.  However, in 4 of Rodgers’ six playoff losses, he’s been outplayed by the opposing quarterback (passer rating) and hasn’t played to near the level that I’ve come to expect from him and he gets a pass from most fans for it.  Like his predecessor (Favre), Aaron won his only Super Bowl with a top 5 Defense (based on total yards; Brett had the #1 overall D while Rodgers had the 5^th in 2010) – and I’m confident in saying he’ll need a top 5 defense to win a Super Bowl this year.

After dissecting all of the preseason games, I believe this defense will be improved overall from last year (15^th overall) which gave up 20 points to a very good Arizona offense, on the road, but choked in overtime just like the year prior – I don’t think they’ll finish in the top 5 thus I don’t think the Packers will win the Super Bowl.  IF THAT’S THE OUTCOME, AGAIN, MAJOR CHANGE MUST OCCUR.  Then again, many fans are happy being “relevant” or “having a shot” every year.  If Quarterback is that important to winning titles, and Rodgers is that great, shouldn’t we as a fan base expect to be a dynasty?  Hell, a team has won 3 rings in a decade in each decade since the NFL began and time is running out, so why not the Packers???

Here’s my season and playoff predictions!  Have fun and thank God football is back!

After a 2-month hiatus (my longest) I figured it’s time…football is back!!!  However, let’s clean up the Brewers and Bucks before getting to the Pack.

The Brewers absolutely nailed the trade deadline.  Of course there’s a chance these prospects won’t turn out, but Lucroy needed to be traded regardless as his value was and never would have been higher than August 1^st, 2016.  By packaging Jeremy Jeffress with Jonathan Lucroy the Brewers were able to extract Lewis Brinson (21^st overall rated prospect by MLB.com – RF), Luis Ortiz (62^nd overall prospect – RHP), and a player to be named later.  Guessed by fellow blogger Disciples of Uecker: http://disciplesofuecker.com/guessing-the-brewers-player-to-be-named-later/26550; believed to be Michael Matuella.  Matuella was projected to be the 1^st overall draft pick in 2015 before having Tommy John surgery, and a worthy gamble if you ask me.  With the advancement of Tommy John surgeries and how guys are coming back even better than before the injury, I believe it’s worth the risk as Brinson and Ortiz could easily be the “real deals.”

With all of this said, arguably the best value-trade in all of baseball would be the return garnered by Stearns for LHP Will Smith – the Giants gave up Phil Bickford (64^th overall prospect – RHP) and Andrew Susac, a solid catching prospect who’s 26 years old and the Brewers have control until 2021.  That leaves them with plenty of time to see if the former 2^nd round selection by San Francisco can turn into a contributing piece or a perennial backup to likely catching incumbent Jacob Nottingham.

No matter how I slice it, the Brewers gave up solid talent (Jonathan Lucroy, Will Smith, and Jeremy Jeffress) and got potentially three top 100 prospects and an everyday Catcher all in control until 2021.  Thumbs up David Stearns, A+ in my book…for now.  (Keeping track, as of August 4^th, the Brewers are on track for 73 wins….my guess was 74).

Moving on to the Bucks.  There’s been a lot of money splashed around which would normally help a team like Milwaukee (small market), however with the NBA having a minimum of 90% cap, it could kill a team like the Bucks.  While rebuilding it’d be a perfect time to let other teams sign free agents to stupid money while Cream City focuses on developing their young talent.  Extending Miles Plumlee, signing Dellavedova, and Mirza Teletovic is all huge money and I hope it doesn’t come to bite my team in the ass…and this is all money NOT committed to Giannis and/or Jabari.  Heading into the season, as of now, the goals are simple:

1. Continue to progress Giannis and Jabari
2. Trade Monroe if value is there (he’s just not a fit, I was wrong there)
3. Gain playoff experience and hell, win a series?

Ok, if you’re still reading (probably should start with the Packers) I appreciate it and here’s the good stuff.  Camp has officially started, Eddie Lacy is still absent a 6-pack, meanwhile every other player asked to get in better shape, DID!  Let’s weigh-in, shall we? (I couldn’t resist):

1. Datone Jones switched positions to OLB and while leaner and quite productive on tape (according to the experts) will have my attention this preseason.
2. Aaron Rodgers apparently decided to go vegan and looks good. Hopefully he didn’t give any toughness/endurance away by dropping to 215-218lbs.
3. Richard Rodgers – I’ve been one of his fans since the 2015 mock drafts began – is down to 258lbs and looks quite thin, with a much quicker first-step.

I’m not to firm on many things, yet, but one of those things is I believe Ted Thompson finally found his true middle linebacker (MLB or ILB) in Blake Martinez (4^th round selection, 131^st overall).  From all of the reports and what my eyes saw on Family Night, that kid is ready and can play.  Also, from all of the interviews I’ve heard him do, he’s a sharp cat with a good head on his shoulders.  Jason Spriggs (2^nd round 48^th overall) could be legit too, but I’m hoping he doesn’t have to play much during the regular season.

Wrapping up, as I could go on for days and days, in the Hall of Fame Game on Sunday night I’m looking for:

1. Kenny Clark’s (1^st round pick, 27^th overall) explosiveness off the snap of the ball.
2. Blake Martinez to continue his solid play, aka reading the play quick, first step, etc.
3. Davante Adams to catch a pass (man I had high-hopes for him coming in and he might get cut).
4. IF Brett Hundley plays, for him to pick up where he left off last year’s preseason.

That’s about it…remember it’s like training camp for me too J  If you have feedback or comments, again I always welcome them!

…otherwise known as a State of the State, of sports…in Wisconsin.

With the Brewers going through a much-needed rebuild, the Bucks hopefully doing the same, the Packers had a draft – all meaning there’s not much to get amped about (aside from the Brewers rebuild but only the true nerds, like myself, get pumped about that).

Brewers – as of today, June 4^th, the Brewers are 25-30.  On pace for 74 wins, which is exactly where I had them heading into the season.  There are 2 major bright spots:

• Ryan Braun is hitting and hitting well (his batting avg. is .341)! After last season I would’ve been happy to find another team to take him and we’d be left with ½ his salary.  Now???  He’s arguably the hottest commodity on the trade market.
• Jonathan Lucroy is also having a great season, hitting .304 and just hit 9HRs all in the month of May. He was the hottest trade piece heading into the season and still is considered by some.

Bucks – we’ve since found out Milwaukee will have the 10^th selection in the draft coming up on June 23^rd.  I believe, per usual, that the Bucks are best suited to pick the best player available (stop me if you’ve heard this before Packer fans).  That is usually the best method into building a good team and sustaining it, in any sport.  The Bucks are in need of a point guard there’s no secret there, however if there’s a trade partner for Milwaukee to either A.) move back or B.) add another 1^st round pick in next year’s draft then I’d be all for it.  Especially after the awful trade for Greivis Vasquez (ugh.)

Packers – the draft has come and gone, all the “experts” have given their analysis, and Vegas has updated their odds of each team to hoist the Lombardi trophy (Packers are 11 to 1, with the third highest odds behind Seattle and New England).  Let’s take a quick look at the draft picks and where the team stands now.

Draft – Kenny Clark (1^st round, 27^th overall) may not have been the obvious choice but his position was, so no one should be upset with the pick.  The one I’m most excited about, but likely won’t see returns for 2+ years is Jason Spriggs (2^nd round, 48^th overall).  Based on how he moves, he’s as athletic as a wide receiver with an ideal left tackle’s body.  I’m a big believer in building through the trenches on both sides of the ball and if both of these kids turn out, that should be a major boost to keep the Packers in contention for years to come.

Status – Green Bay returns Jordy Nelson, arguably a top 5 wide receiver in the NFL, but with only another year or two tops of high-level production left AND adding Jared Cook (free agent TE from the Rams) the Packers’ passing game shouldn’t have any problems… that is unless Eddie Lacy can’t put down the fork.  It does no good to harp on him, plus it’s been covered to nauseam, but the Packers need their MVP quarterback to play like it this season (and in the postseason), their receivers to catch the ball (Jordy in the postseason), their defense to actually play well all season while improving, and most importantly: STAY HEALTHY.

So to recap:
Brewers – If you’re against the rebuild look at it this way, when they tried to win they couldn’t even get to .500 while messing up the future.  There’s no pressure to win now.  I know you may think I’m contradicting myself with me saying winning is all that matters, yes, but in order for the Brewers to win a World Series this is needed.

Bucks – essentially read the Brewer recap.  Keep building around Giannis and Jabari with hopes you’re able to build a good team and those two keep progressing towards their extremely high ceilings.

Packers – When Aaron Rodgers first started (as in became the starting quarterback) in 2008, his potential was far ahead of where I thought he’d be and I thought he should’ve been the 1^st overall pick in 2005 without a doubt.  With that said, I figured he’d win 3 Super Bowls for the Packers and while he still has time and talent (and it’s not all on him and I love having discussions about QB ranks, etc.) the Packers have no excuse to continuously fall short in the playoffs.  Some may use the word choke, I have, but it seems that towards the end of the game I have the feeling creep in my head of How the hell are they gonna blow this game? as opposed to This is going to be fun watching them come through in the clutch.

Thanks for reading, any comments, feedback, or arguments are greatly accepted!

I plan on that being the longest hiatus for this blog as the summer (obviously not referring to the weather) approaches and can comment regarding the Brewers and NBA draft/off-season.

Now, to address the title of this blog.  Why you should hope Patrick Lynch (QB – Memphis) is due to a few factors:

1. Although I’ve been critical of Thompson of late, the infrastructure of his plan (draft/develop) is the best. With that plan in place, hoarding draft picks is the best way to accumulate young, cheap talent.
2. This is a very rich and deep draft for Defensive linemen. With the early retirement of BJ Raji, the Packers now have a reason to add beef to the D line.  I believe they were going to already but not it’s an even bigger need.
3. The trades by Los Angeles (that’s going to take some time getting used to still) and Philadelphia shows that teams will pay a king’s ransom for the 1^st and 2^nd overall picks, respectively.

With all of these factors I hope the Packers can find a trade partner and trade back.  The reason to hope Lynch falls to the Packers is that may introduce an opportunity for a team to enter trade talks with Green Bay, aka Denver or Cleveland.  With the deep draft of Defensive Linemen, the Packers’ best chance to stock pile talent at a needed area would be able to trade back and add another two picks in the middle rounds (3^rd through 5^th rounds).  That would be the best case scenario.

If you’re looking for me to elaborate from my first NFL Draft posting by guessing who the Packers will select, I’ll give you the names that have been mocked to the Packers at 27, then tell you who I’d want (ideally a trade back) and who I think Green Bay will select (if no trade back).

NFL.com has 4 analysts mocking players to Green Bay in the first round, Javon Hargrave (DT – South Carolina St.), and the 3 others say Reggie Ragland (ILB – Alabama).  Ragland seems like a great and obvious choice, however after watching the National Title game he appeared slow and thick, more of a tweener body type for what the Packers need/want.

Walter football says Vernon Butler (DT – Louisiana Tech), he also has a possible pick of Jonathan Bullard (DT – Florida), as well as a possible trade down J

My guess???  It comes with an IF.  IF Paxton Lynch is available when Green Bay picks, I expect a trade back which would be awesome.  However, since that’s not likely I’ll leave you with 2 choices, not a cop out but I’ll go on record saying the Packers will select Andrew Billings, DT from Baylor.  There’s also a chance Taylor Decker (OT – Ohio St.) could be selected, but I’ll officially say Billings.

Round 1 is great but Friday (rounds 2 and 3) and Saturday (rounds 4-7) are more fun for us draft geeks.

Thanks for reading!  I’m open to comments/convo!

….and we hit the start of the NCAA tournament!  The first 2 days are arguably the longest, best stretch in all of sports!  This year college basketball seems to have as much parody as ever, making the tournament that much better!

Along with the NCAA tournament is NFL offseason (not that you care but I have Kansas, Oregon, Michigan St., and North Carolina in my Final Four with Kansas winning it all).  The Packers let Trevathan sign in Chicago along with Jerrell Freeman (another Inside Linebacker, from Indianapolis).  Of all the remaining free agents, the only one that makes sense is Jared Cook (Tight End from the (formerly known as) St. Louis Rams).  Ted Thompson brought Cook in for a visit but let him walk without an offer.

This is what sabre-metrics looks like when applied to the NFL.  Would Danny Trevathan be an improvement over Jake Ryan or Sam Barrington, but with the sabre-metric theory in play Trevathan at $6M/year would have to out-value Barrington and his contract of $550k/yr.  It’s possible that by signing Trevathan the Packers may not have enough room to resign Josh Sitton or TJ Lang next year…

My expectations are either winning a Super Bowl or the season was a waste – not popular by many – and now I’m at a crossroads.  The debacle of the NFC title game in Seattle (2014 season) was a combination of everyone failing.  Last season Rodgers looked human for multiple reasons, but I’m thoroughly convinced Rodgers cannot win a Super Bowl without a top 5 defense.

Hey!  I’ve appeared on a radio show a few times now and will likely make more appearances in the coming weeks.  Take a look on Facebook for What’s the Score!?  It’s a sports-related current events game show with fun topics and great personalities!

Until next time!  Go Badgers, beat Pitt (and Xavier)!

As it’s always been in the sports world (in the United States), the period following the Super Bowl until March Madness has been sssllllooowwwwwwwww.  Aside from continuously talking about draft prospects – how a couple weeks of workouts change their draft stock which had been built on years of actually playing – is pointless.

Instead let’s recap where each of our teams stand heading into the Madness of March and ultimately Opening Day!

Packers – The NFL Draft is the focal point of building this team (some may say the only method), and it is the best way to do so.  I wasn’t a fan of the Julius Peppers signing, at least to $10M per year, and I think the Packers overpaid for Mason Crosby as well.  However, because of the way Ted Thompson builds a team/roster there’s still Salary Cap space to be flexible, or at least to not be in trouble (i.e. having to restructure multiple players’ contract ala the Miami Dolphins).  There are still a couple decisions to be made on whether bringing Mike Neal or Nick Perry back, even if for depth, or to resign John Kuhn, but either way regardless of word in the media I’d be shocked if Green Bay brings in a high-priced free agent.  There’s an opportunity to improve this team by bringing in one or two free agents for depth purposes and continue to build through the draft.  There shouldn’t be much to cover/analyze until the draft takes place the last weekend of April, so we have some time yet.  Until then, if anything drastic happens I’ll cover it!

Bucks – the trade deadline came and went…and finally the Bucks stood pat.  It’s relieving to now watch this young team have a chance to play together and grow.  The playoffs are a pipe dream at this point and other than the #1 overall pick (assumed to be Ben Simmons – LSU) this isn’t a great draft.  The main goal should be to get Giannis and Jabari as many minutes as possible and have them handle the ball and shoot as often as they can.  Greg Monroe apparently has beef with Kris Middleton, considering the Bucks gave both of them quite a bit of $ this could be a problem.  If this is the case it’s paramount that team chemistry is strong as it’ll breed confidence and development.  The last couple of weeks both Giannis and Jabari have shown vast improvement and potential, hopefully this continues and bleeds to others!

Brewers – as David Stearns (new General Manager) continues to change the makeup of this team and get younger, he also is improving the team.  Which is quite funny considering Doug Melvin (previous GM) was trying to win the division and the team kept getting worse and in further trouble.  Some things to keep in mind for Spring Training and to watch come Opening Day: the Brewers farm system; Jonathan Lucroy’s rebound from injury; Ryan Braun’s rebound as well; Wily Peralta’s bounce-back from a disappointing season; Jimmy Nelson’s continuing his growth.  Just keep in mind, regardless of record at the deadline this team will NOT try to win now.  2019 is the plan for this team to contend, it’ll be much less frustrating for fans once they accept this…for me it’s exciting because the pressure is solely on building the team full of 18-22 year olds, this is fun!

I’ll try to keep it bi-weekly until Opening Day!  If you have questions don’t hesitate to reach me on Facebook: Nick Zurich or Twitter: @nickzurich

Turns out playing man coverage against Carolina’s below-average receivers and making Cam pass to beat you is the game plan to beat the Panthers.  Pretty easy to see just by watching Newton try to throw to guys that aren’t streaking wide open down field…but enough about teams that accomplished  their goals and on to our team that continues to fail.

The NFL Draft is quickly approaching and for most of you my guess is you couldn’t care less.  For others it’s really the only next step in the NFL calendar (although I do enjoy watching the NFL combine which may be a sickness).

Ted Thompson’s philosophy of building through the draft, then developing those players.  I believe is the best system to consistently contend in the NFL, and the other major sports as well.  However, I don’t like the idea of drafting for need as you’re likely to pass up a better football player for one in need.  Let’s take a look at some potential focus areas for the Packers and some players that are projected to be taken in around where the Packers are slated to draft.

We all know the offense was a joke this year (remember the 9 consecutive punts versus Detroit, at HOME? I’ll never forget) but from what we’re led to believe this is a defensive-heavy draft and it would suit Green Bay to come away with plenty of defensive help to develop.  Since winning the Super Bowl the Packers haven’t finished in the top 10 in Total Defense, the highest finish was 11^th in 2012 – the year Dom Capers made Kaepernick resemble Bo Jackson in Tecmo Bowl.  Yes the Packers’ D was playing well this year but still finished 15^th in the league.  Sad that we consider that playing well.

As I covered in last week’s post there are a few guys that may not be returning but sadly it seems Julius Peppers will be.  Either way, Outside Linebacker is a huge need and Jaylon Smith (Notre Dame) could be available due to a torn up knee in the Bowl Game v Ohio St. last month.  Smith was projected as a top 10, maybe even a top 5, talent in this draft until the injury.  He may not be available to play all year but Ted may not be able to pass up that type of talent should he drop to the Packers at 27.  Another potential fit could be from Smith’s opponent in that bowl game, Darron Lee from Ohio St.  Lee is listed as an OLB but his size and style could be perfect for ILB (6’1” 235lbs).  Here’s the scouting report from Dane Brugler, cbssports.com:

Lee is a fantastic athlete with long arms and aggressive hands, but needs to develop his functional strength to consistently stack and shed at the line of scrimmage and keep himself clean. Although he is still young in linebacker years, he is a high character competitor, playing with sky-high confidence and natural football instincts to pick things up quickly. In the mold of Ryan Shazier or Kwon Alexander, Lee is a versatile run-and-hit linebacker with an attacking mind-set that fits today’s NFL.

–Dane Brugler (1/5/16)

Another first round possibilities could be Jarran Reed (DT – Alabama), who put on a show in the National Championship game v. Clemson.  Reed weighs 290+ and showed off his speed in which he beat the running back to the edge and made a tackle for no gain on a sweep.  I’d die if an interior lineman on the Packers did that without the back getting caught in traffic.

Jake Conklin (OT – Michigan St.) is an interesting option.  There are quite a few talented Tackles in this draft, Conklin isn’t the best but don’t be surprised if Ted pulls the trigger should he be on the board at 27.  Bakhtiari’s value was proven this year, not because he played well, but because Barclay proved he doesn’t deserve to be on an active roster.  I’m also not a fan of paying $8M+/yr. for Bakhtiari and that may be what he commands – no thanks.  Plus the Packers are desperate for offensive line depth and will need to address it sooner rather than later.

Lastly, for now, Kenny Clark (DT – UCLA) could be a steal at 27 should he be available.  Paraphrasing from a couple scouts, he’s a stout run-defender that shows the ability to be a 3-down defensive lineman in the NFL.  He was a high school wrestling champ which I like to hear for a couple of reasons 1. Wrestlers rarely have off-field issues/good character guys and 2. That mindset translates extremely well to both OL and DL positions.  It’ll be an interesting draft, one that I think will focus a lot on defense with possibly a pick or two for the OL, RB, and TE – I’ll cover those next time.

Thanks for reading!

The NFL postseason got it right again, the two best teams are facing each other again in the Super Bowl.  Carolina hasn’t seen a defense like Denver’s all season.  Denver will likely play man coverage on Carolina’s average to below-average receivers and force Cam Newton to pass from the pocket to beat them…at least that’s what I would do as Cam isn’t a good passer or quarterback for that matter.  Yes he’ll win the MVP, yes he had 35 pass TDs, but he also didn’t complete 60% of his passes – that’s baaaaaaaaad.

Carolina has jumped all over Seattle and Arizona in their playoff games so far.  Denver will be focused on limiting/negating big plays from Carolina, especially during the first half.  If Denver keeps it to within 1 score at halftime they’re in position to keep the pressure on Carolina to keep performing and make Cam be accurate.

I know this is short and sweet but I’m hoping for Peyton to go out on top being he’s the standard for class in this league (hoping the HGH allegations are false…).

Carolina 23
Denver 27

*Next week I’ll begin to look at the draft and possible prospects to keep your eyes on for potential fits for the Packers.*

**Also, I made an appearance on What’s The Score? The Sports News Quiz Show episode #7.  It’s 51 minutes long but if you’d like to hear some good sports talk/trivia, take a listen and let me know what you think!** http://www.spreaker.com/user/5554585/whats-the-score-the-sports-news-quiz-7