Photo credit: Patrick Smith / Getty Images Sport

Author: Jon Kuzma

When you look at Joe Flacco and Case Keenum’s careers there’s no doubt that Flacco has been better. The 34 year old quarterback has thrown for 212 touchdowns and 38,245 yards. Back in 2012 Flacco also put together an amazing playoff run and helped the Baltimore Ravens win the Super Bowl, also notching MVP honors. Where there’s some concern is if Joe Flacco is a better player than Case Keenum is right now? The past two seasons Keenum (30 years old) has been better statistically. So while he doesn’t have that strong track record it’s a real possibility that Denver should’ve stuck with Keenum because he’s been performing at higher level recently. Then there’s the salary cap factor and it’s expensive to have two “number one” quarterbacks on your roster. Clearly the Broncos plan on going with the guy they just traded for (Flacco) and releasing Keenum. That will result in a $10M dollar cap hit which isn’t exactly ideal when you’re trying to build a team up into a contender. Those are funds that could’ve went towards a couple of good players and the surprising twist in all of this is Flacco lost his job to Lamar Jackson this past season. So this was a huge risk by John Elway but the idea is being in a friendlier environment will help Joe Flacco take his game to the next level. In Baltimore the former Delaware alum had to constantly look over his shoulder with Jackson emerging. He’ll have complete support from the front office in Denver and that should be a good thing for Flacco’s confidence. It’s a bold decision but sometimes things work out differently than we expect them to. You know Flacco appreciates what the Broncos organization has done for him and he’ll do everything he can to win some football games. The question is will it be enough?

Charity of the day: Junior Achievement USA

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Joe Flacco will face long odds in Denver but anything is possible.

Photo credit: David Eulitt / Getty Images Sport

Author: Jon Kuzma

There’s a lot of speculation coming out of Arizona that the Cardinals are thinking about trading Josh Rosen and selecting Kyler Murray number one overall. Kliff Kingsbury even went on camera while he was at Texas Tech and stated that he would take Murray with the 1st pick if he was in a position to do so. However that wouldn’t be very smart of Arizona because Rosen fits the mold of what an NFL quarterback should look like. Even though Murray is a dynamic playmaker and coming off a Heisman winning year. Rosen is the guy who can sit in the pocket and beat teams with his arm. A lot of people are already writing the young quarterback (Rosen) off but you have to remember he was only a rookie this past season and he’s going to improve quite a bit. The other problem with turning the page on Rosen is the fact that the Cardinals were dreadful offensively under their old coach Steve Wilks. Kingsbury will put in a system that should bring out the best in Josh Rosen. Murray would be good at extending the play and throwing on the run but it’s dangerous to go that route in the NFL. The defenders are too physical and it’s not like Murray’s size is going to help him when a 300 pound defensive lineman is trying to take his head off. You can get away with those things in college when you’re more athletic than everyone else. In pro football the only one who makes those plays on the field is Russell Wilson and maybe two or three other players. The Cardinals have to stick with Josh Rosen and then they should trade the 1st overall selection for a boatload of draft capital. We saw the Los Angeles Rams pay Tennessee six draft picks to trade up and get Jared Goff in 2016. If Arizona has the opportunity to gain four or five picks there’s no doubt they should take that offer. Doing so would give this organization the tools to succeed down the line. By avoiding their history of poor decision-making the Cardinals can finally take steps towards a brighter future.

Charity of the day: CEDARS

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If the Cardinals trade the first overall pick for a king’s ransom they should be able to put the right pieces around Josh Rosen.

Photo credit: Icon Sportswire

Author: Jon Kuzma

The Oakland Raiders’ defense was dreadful in 2018 and they finished 26th in the league surrendering a whopping 381 yards per contest. It’s tough to win in the National Football League when teams are able to march up and down the field so easily and that’s why Jon Gruden needs to revamp that side of the ball this off-season. With Oakland running a 4-3 scheme the biggest improvements needs to come up front on the defensive line. It’s probably wishful thinking that the Raiders will get both Grady Jarret and Frank Clark but those two players will instantly change the silver and black for the better. Jarrett and Clark combined for 19 sacks this past season and that will significantly bolster the team’s pass rush. Then it’s about adding someone like C.J Mosley to take away those running lanes. Mosley is a winner and he’d immediately bring some toughness to that group. Spending over $45M per year on three players is a risky move but suddenly Oakland would start to resemble what Jon Gruden had in Tampa Bay when he won the Super Bowl back in 2003. Keep in mind the Raiders have three 1st round picks in the 2019 NFL Draft and they could also add someone like Rashan Gary or Ed Oliver to be the cherry on top of an already great situation. Which would leave two other first round picks for Gruden to clean up his offense. Can you imagine how much more competitive this roster would be with all of that talent? This could be the difference between having a winning record or not and remember this ball club would still have some cap space to work with and two more first round draft picks in 2020. You can see how things would start to come together and it’s the best course of action on the table for a franchise that’s desperately trying to turn their culture around.

Charity of the day: CEDARS

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Photo credit: John McCoy / Getty Images Sport

Author: Jon Kuzma

Lets face it there’s not a lot of money to go around and the Dallas Cowboys only have $46M in cap space available. When you also factor in that Demarcus Lawrence needs a new contract then that number will be even lower. Ezekiel Elliott is also up for a new contract next year so there’s a lot of Cowboys’ players that need to be paid and those guys have to be the priority. Which brings us to Dak Prescott and his unique situation. Prescott is good enough to be an NFL starter but overall he’s a “B talent.” If you’re going to pay a quarterback the big bucks you better make sure they’re at least an elite player who you’re 100% confident in. There’s no sense in handicapping the team’s future by handing Prescott a $20M dollar contract. He’s a 20 touchdowns a year player and you want a guy who is going to give you 30 touchdowns. Not to mention Prescott has only averaged a 100 quarterback rating once (2016). The problems come to down to arm talent and there’s guys out there who are more gifted when it comes to throwing the football. It would be a harsh move to pick a quarterback in the 2nd round and trade Dak Prescott on draft night but that’s exactly what the Cowboys should do. A rookie quarterback will have a much smaller contract than what Prescott would make if Dallas keeps him. Therefore it’s a cheaper option and you can get someone who will take that offense to the next level. Jacksonville and Miami desperately need a QB and that’s who Jerry Jones should get on the phone and call up. Imagine selecting Will Grier and then getting another pick for Prescott. How could the Cowboys pass that up when it’ll set them up for even more success later on? Really it’s a no brainer.

Charity of the day: Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund

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Why the Dallas Cowboys should avoid giving Dak Prescott a mega-contract.

Photo credit: Peter G. Aiken / Getty Images Sport

Author: Jon Kuzma

The Cleveland Browns shocked the football world when they decided to sign Kareem Hunt to a one year contract worth $1M dollars. That was surprising because Hunt was released from the Chiefs after a video surfaced of a women and him getting into an altercation. While that video wasn’t nearly as bad as the Ray Rice incident it’s clear why Dorsey made this decision. Dorsey actually drafted Kareem Hunt when he was the General Manager of Kansas City (before he was fired and joined Cleveland). So it’s obvious that it was one of his guys but make no mistake about it this was about one thing and one thing only and that’s winning. Dorsey wants to put as much talent as possible on the field and really make a splash in 2019. This acquisition is about putting his stamp on the roster and making sure Baker Mayfield has a solid ground game to lean on. From a football standpoint it’s a genius move because Hunt was well on his way to a huge payday which would’ve been over $10M dollars annually. The question is can Kareem Hunt keep himself in check and avoid anymore problems in his personal life? We know now that he tends to get into trouble and that’s unfortunate because he’s such a great player. Hopefully all of this was a lesson for Hunt and he makes some improvements in his life. There’s still time to turn things around and become a better human being. Nobody is perfect and we all make mistakes but this can’t happen again. If Kareem Hunt straightens himself out and keeps dominating on the football field then he’ll have the world in his hands again before we know it. This is just the first step and we’ll see what type of role he plays behind Nick Chubb? Those two could wind up being one of the better one-two punches in the league.

Charity of the day: Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund

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John Dorsey and the Cleveland Browns know they’re much better off with Kareem Hunt on the field.

Photo credit: Christian Petersen / AAF

Author: Jon Kuzma

It’s a little bit early to be saying John Wolford is going to make it back to the NFL but there’s no doubt he raised his value enormously. Wolford looked very sharp in one of the Alliance of American Football’s first regular season match-ups and he’s currently the top rated quarterback in the new league. The former Wake Forest signal caller was on the Jets roster in September but they ended up letting him go. That might not have been the best move because Wolford is showing he can play. After lighting it up for 275 passing yards, 4 touchdowns, and no interceptions it feels like this guy could be a backup or a third stringer on somebody’s team. Especially when you take into account that Buffalo was basically pulling people out of the stands to play QB at one point (Derek Anderson, Nathan Peterman). Some of the other players who stood out for Arizona were Rashad Ross and Jhurell Pressley. Ross was dominant through the air hauling in 103 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns. Pressley also rushed for 64 yards and had 1 receiving touchdown. The Stallions were led by Josh Woodrum who threw for 103 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. Eventually Woodrum was knocked out the game though and that killed Salt Lakes’ chances of winning. Nick Tuesdell, Jordan Leslie, and Matt Asiata all scored touchdowns in a tough night out. Luckily it’s only week one and there’s plenty of football left to be played. On the other side of the ball Steven Johnson tore it up for the Hotshots’ defense recording 7 tackles and 1 interception. Will Sutton was also very good he had 4 tackles, 1 sack, and 1 TFL. Cody Brown (6 tackles) and Karter Schult (4 tackles) were Salt Lake’s top performers and each player ended up having a sack. Week one is officially in the books and it was definitely exciting to watch. We’ll see how both teams respond to this outcome and where they go from here?

Charity of the day: Center for Constitutional Rights

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John Wolford could be making a case for an NFL job. He was dominant in the Arizona Hotshots’ season opener.

Photo credit: Joe Robbins / AAF

Author: Jon Kuzma

Week one of the AAF’s inaugural season continued today and the Birmingham Iron took care of business. The gap between the Iron and the Memphis Express was substantial and that was clear on both sides of the ball. Birmingham’s offense was firing on all cylinders and their execution was very crisp. A lot of that was because Trent Richardson turned back the clock and torched Mike Singletary’s defense for 58 yards and 2 touchdowns. Richardson actually fumbled early on in the game but took over in the second half. Right now the former Alabama star is the top running back in the league and how funny would it be if he played himself into another NFL job? The Iron also got a big night from Luis Perez and he was much better than Christian Hackenberg. Perez threw for 252 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions compared to Hackenberg’s 87 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 1 interception. Obviously it’s going to take time to work out all of the kinks but the Express seemed to lack offensive continuity. Memphis didn’t have any elite weapons either and when you look at what Quinton Patton was able to do for Birmingham it was tough to keep up with that. Patton recorded 107 receiving yards and has been the best receiver in the AAF up to this point. So between Perez, Richardson, and Patton there was a lot of firepower. When you also factor in that Tim Lewis’ defense was able to shutout Hackenberg and the Express’ offense. It just made this win even more convincing. Jonathan Massaquoi was at the forefront of that effort and he put up 5 tackles, 2 sacks, and 3 TFLs. Jamar Summers also had 2 tackles, 1 interception, and 1 forced fumble. The top performers for Memphis were Zac Stacy with 58 rushing yards and DeMarquis Gates with 10 tackles and 2 forced fumbles. Ultimately though the Birmingham Iron were too much to match up with and they’ll improve to 1-0.

Charity of the day: Center for Constitutional Rights

Go donate! www.ccrjustice.org

Trent Richardson is on fire right now in the AAF. It’s been a good start for him.

Photo credit: Mike Ehrmann / AAF

Author: Jon Kuzma

The AAF got their inaugural season under way when the Orlando Apollos hosted the Atlanta Legends at Spectrum Stadium. This wasn’t much of a contest because Steve Spurrier put on a coaching clinic completely showing up Kevin Coyle. Spurrier’s offense had crisp execution and there was concepts that the former South Carolina and Florida coach learned over the course of his 56 years involved in the sport. All of that put Garrett Gilbert in a position to succeed and what a night the Apollos quarterback ended up having. Gilbert threw 227 yards, 2 touchdowns, and no interceptions before the contest was over. Including a strike up the seam to Jalin Marshall which was exactly the first touchdown in AAF history. D’Ernest Johnson also caught a touchdown from Gilbert too and it was an offensive onslaught. Atlanta couldn’t find their rhythm on either side of the ball and there wasn’t very many bright spots for them. Matt Simms threw for 126 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. It wasn’t a great night for the Legends’ quarterback and they should see if Aaron Murray can give them more output. Lawrence Pittman did make the most of his touches he ran for 24 yards on 3 carries for the Legends. While Seantavius Jones had 43 receiving yards in the defeat. Overall this was a total success for Charlie Ebersol and Bill Polian because everything ran so smoothly. On top of that the play on the field seemed a step above the UFL or the old XFL. Moving forward the AAF has established a good foundation but the challenge will be keeping the fans interested throughout the entire season. Opening night is always a good draw but will people continue to watch all the way until week 9 and 10? So we’ll see how things play out but there’s no doubt this was win for this new league.

Charity of the day: National Park Foundation

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Garrett Gilbert was able to light up the Atlanta Legends and now the Orlando Apollos are 1-0.

Photo credit: Edward A. Ornelas / AAF

Author: Jon Kuzma

Week one of the Alliance of America Football has arrived and it seemed like the San Antonio Commanders hit the ground running. At first the defense was taking care of business and they actually sacked Fleet quarterback Mike Bercovici 6 times before the night was over. That included a devastating hit by Shaan Washington that sent Bercovici’s helmet flying through the air. Ryan Moeller was also stellar for that group with 5 tackles and 1 interception. It just seemed like San Antonio played with energy from the get go and their home crowd was definitely charging them up. Mike Martz’s San Diego team was the completed opposite. Traveling from California to Texas is about 1,200 miles but it didn’t feel like the Fleet got off the plane. Mart’s is an offensive minded guy but his team only managed to put up 6 points which came on a pair of field goals by Donny Hogeman. Logan Woodside was also able to show up Bercovici. Woodside threw for 255 yards compared to the 176 Bercovici had and even though neither quarterback threw for a touchdown. This was the first action these guys have seen in a long time and they’ll all get better as they shake off the rust. Therefore you have to like what you seen from Woodside because he was throwing some deep ball strikes down the field. It takes a lot of throw power to complete those passes and that’s a great sign for the Commanders. Then the final piece of the puzzle was the winning team’s wide receivers. MeKale McKay appears to be a future star and could wind up in the NFL someday. McKay tallied 80 yards before the night was over and Alonzo Moore chipped in 78 yards too. Ja’Quan Gardner was the best player for San Diego with 55 rushing yards but no one else really stepped. Overall though you had to like what you saw because the league appeared to be very organized.

Charity of the day: National Park Foundation

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The San Antonio Commanders had a packed house full of fans and the home crowd rooted their team on to 15-6 victory.

Photo credit: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images Sport

Author: Jon Kuzma

John Lynch signed Richard Sherman to a 3 year $27M dollar contract last Spring but Lynch was smart enough to leave himself an out after one year. One look at the that deal makes it’s clear that San Francisco should exercise that option because if they don’t they’ll take a cap hit of $19.8M over the next two years. With Sherman failing to produce a single interception it’s clear that his age is starting to catch up to him. Lynch can finish paying off Sherman’s initial $8M, let him go, and only have $2M dollars in dead cap. That’s $17M in cash that can be used to get two or three good players. Why go with Sherman when you could sign Tre Boston, Morris Claibourne, and Bashaud Breeland which would completely revamp their secondary. Not only that but the 49ers could offer all three of those players more money than they made in 2018 just off what they would be paying Richard Sherman. Oh yea by the way Boston, Claibourne, and Breeland had 7 interceptions this season and that’s clearly where Lynch should turn all of his attention to. For Sherman he’s going to have to find another spot to play. Maybe if he’s lucky San Francisco will keep him around but it’s not very likely. So he could also hit the open market and truthfully there might not be a whole lot of suitors out there. You’d think that someone would give Sherman another opportunity but he’ll have to put together a strong performance to extend his career. It’s not impossible and if there’s anything to be optimistic about it’s the fact that Sherman will have another year to recover from that achilles tear. Sometimes when you’re coming back from an injury like that it takes two or three seasons to get back up to speed. The good news is veterans reinvigorate themselves all the time and that’s what Sherman’s goal will have to be.

Charity of the day: Diabetes Research Institute Foundation

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Richard Sherman will be on the bubble because his contract is too big.