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Author: Jon Kuzma

The Denver Broncos landed Vernon Davis and a 2017 seventh round draft pick in exchange for a 2016 and 2017 sixth round pick that was sent to San Francisco. The deal seems like a steal on the Denver Broncos behalf because they finally will have a tight end in their offense that can minimize the loss of Julian Thomas. On the opposite side of the deal you have to really start to feel for the 49ers. The franchise has entered desperation mode and now we will likely see a sell the house mentality from Jim Tomsula and company. While the Niners receive two 6th round draft picks for Davis and if you looked at his recent stats you might think “that’s a good deal”. It isn’t because if you wanted to move Kaepernick and take that offense into the future, Vernon Davis would of been a nice weapon for that next quarterback coming into the fold for the 49ers. Vernon Davis’ production has struggled because Kaepernick struggled to make all of the throws at the NFL level. Don’t be surprised when Davis has a career resurrection playing in that Broncos offense. Manning could use that easy throw down the middle to his tight end to help build his confidence back up. Davis should do the trick nicely, and give credit to John Elway for realizing how close this team is and understanding what he has to do to get this team there. The defense has been terrific in Denver and adding another weapon on offense should yield great results.
One other note there is always weird trades happening in the NFL. Remember when Randy Moss was traded from Oakland to New England for a fourth round draft pick? Or how about when Brandon Marshall was sent packing from Miami to the Chicago Bears for for two 3rd round picks in 2012 and 2013? There have been several head scratchers when it comes to trades in the NFL. Sometimes you have to wonder how experienced these General Managers truly are?

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Author: Jon Kuzma

The Denver Broncos improved to 7-0 on the season after a convincing win against the Green Bay Packers last night in Sunday Night Football action. The Broncos defense looked outstanding hold Aaron Rodgers to just 77 yards passing on the evening. The Broncos front seven were also able to sack Rodgers on 3 different occasions with Von Miler and DeMarcus Ware both contributing a sack each for this defense. Green Bay was also only able to rush for 90 yards on the ground between 5 ball carriers. Whispers going around the NFL that this Denver Broncos defense isn’t that good just aren’t true. They made last years most valuable player look like a rookie. Give this defense a ton of credit and look for them to only get better as the season goes on. Offensively the Broncos finally found their rhythm. The rushing attack looked spectacular all night long no matter who was in the game. CJ Anderson rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown. While Ronnie Hillman amassed 60 yards and two touchdowns for this Broncos offense. The two running back system seems to be a huge factor for the Broncos this year. If they can continue to get that kind of production out of both of those player, they will have a lot of success going forward. It should also be stated that there was a Peyton Manning sighting yesterday at Sports Authority Field. Manning was able to pass for 340 yards in the game showing glimpses of the player he used to be. Unfortunately for Peyton he wasn’t able to find the end zone on any touchdown passes. He also threw for 1 interception. The 39 year old signal caller should walk away from this game with some confidence. While some might argue that Manning surely has confidence. You would be surprised how fast even a pro athletes poise can regress when his performance on the field continuously struggles. Manning hasn’t been spectacular this season with 7 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. The Broncos will be hoping this game can get him back in his groove. We will see next week when the Broncos take on the Colts.

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Photo credit: Joe Bielawa

Endzoneblog staff battle it out for Week 8 picks.

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Author: Jon Kuzma

The wait is over for New York Giants Defensive End Jason Pierre-Paul. He finally re-signed with the team this past week and rejoins the Giants after that horrific firework accident that claimed his index finger. Now with only 9 fingers Jason Pierre-Paul looks to continue his life as a pro football player. While the Giants initially suspected that the injury would be career ending. Pierre-Paul took the opposite stance and voiced his concerns via Twitter stating “I can’t think of the last time my index finger got me a sack”. Clearly the 6th year player felt he could still contribute to this New York Giants defense and now the story is a tale of great recovery. It has been a long road back for Pierre-Paul who has been kept off the football field and unable to do what he enjoys most, compete. He was slated to make around 14.8 million dollars before the injury, however the contract Pierre-Paul had to sign now is a performance based contract worth a maximum of 8.7 million dollars. That means if Pierre-Paul is capable of playing at an optimal level he will make that 8.7 million. That optimal level being a production level of at least 10 sacks. His base salary is actually only 1.5 million a year. So when you look at what Pierre Paul was going to make before the accident to now, it’s a big swing. Still Pierre-Paul remains optimistic. He has stated that he is “just happy to be playing football”. He also mentioned in a press conference that he is “happy to be alive”. The fireworks accident has clearly given Pierre-Paul a new perspective on life and that maturity might bold well for the pass rusher. A humbling experience like the one JPP had to face can push an athlete to new levels. Adversity works in funny ways for some athletes. Some respond to it much better than others. Jason Pierre Paul seems like a guy who used this injury as fuel for the fire. Many people wrote him off and it’s time Pierre-Paul gets his victory. He will get it when he walks back out on that field.

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Author: Jon Kuzma

We all know that New England is the front runner of the AFC playoff picture. The next two teams in line are clearly the Broncos and the Bengals. With the Jets and Steelers sitting just behind those two squads mentioned above. So when the Bengals meet with the Steelers sunday in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania it will be a great measuring stick of how the future AFC playoffs might pan out. The Bengals enter that match up undefeated and with one of the better offenses in the league. Andy Dalton has been sensational this far, and he has a talented cast of offensive threats around him including most notably A.J Green. Green and Dalton have hooked up for 3 touchdown scores and Green is the primary option in this Bengals offense. When you add in the other offensive weapons the Bengals have acquired in guys like Tyler Eiffert who actually has been the most productive receiver in the offense this year. They really have an aerial threat that can overwhelm you defensively, if you don’t have a good enough pass rush and cover guys guys on the back end that can make plays. On the other sideline the Steelers offense is also very dynamic. They have been slowly gaining momentum over the last couple years offensively by adding talented young players through the draft. Now with Ben Roethlisberger back this weekend this offense should be ready to soar. That is if Roethlisberger is in good enough shape health wise to play at the level he was at before the knee injury. This is the first time this year the Steelers offense have got Roethlisbeger, LaVeon Bell, and Martavis Bryant all on the field at the same time. Those explosive players along with Antonio Brown will give this team a chance to win a lot of games later on in the year. Winning at home vs the Bengals would set a good precedent for the future. However it looks like the Bengals will be able to take this one. They just are a complete football team this year and haven’t been beaten this far. It doesn’t seem like that will change Sunday.

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Author: Jon Kuzma

The New England Patriots rolled against the Miami Dolphins in Thursday Night Football 36-7. The Patriots were just a more sound football team in nearly every phase of the game. One thing that really stands out after reviewing the game film twice is the pass rush that the Patriots were able to bring. The Patriots defense sacked Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill 5 different times and made his night stressful all night long. That pressure led Tannehill to throw for 0 touchdowns and 2 interceptions on the evening. The whole defense collectively only surrendered 7 points so that is a testament to their effort as a group. Belichick has to certainly be pleased with his defense’s effort from last night. Offensively just like any other week it was all about Tom Brady. The guy put up 4 touchdowns and no interceptions against the Miami defense. Showing why he is clearly the best quarterback in the league and a no brainer for the MVP award. Rob Gronkowski continued his dominance recording his 7th touchdown reception on the year. The guy was a match up problem all night for the Dolphins defense, whether it was on a post route down the middle or an out route up the sideline. Another notable Patriots performance that must be mentioned is Dion Lewis’ efforts. The Patriots scat back was able to haul in 6 receptions for 93 yards and a touchdown. He added a whole other dynamic to this Patriots offense and he is guy who beats you with his speed. Give credit to Belichick for finding another player flying under the radar and putting him in a role that not only optimizes his talents. It also adds a much needed passing threat out of the backfield to this Patriots offense. The Patriots won this match easily and walk into week 9 against the Redskins with a whole lot of momentum. This team just might have enough firepower to go undefeated again. Each week you have to become more and more of a believer.

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Author: Jon Kuzma

The Miami Dolphins always play the New England Patriots tough. In fact in 2013 the Dolphins beat the Patriots and in 2014 the teams split each winning a game apiece. Now after struggling in the beginning of the season the Dolphins have found their groove under new head coach Dan Campbell. Will it be enough enough to get past Tom Brady and the Patriots though? Not likely. The Patriots are undefeated for a reason and Tom Brady is a man on a mission. He is playing angry at the world for all the people who dragged his name through the mud and tried to dishonor his integrity. Sometimes the people follow the wrong path in life and many people chose to hop on the “I hate Tom Brady bandwagon”. Why though? He is the best quarterback of all time, and was a vital piece in building the new commercialized NFL that you see today. It’s simple quarterbacks are the face of the franchise and these quarterbacks are what sell the league to viewers. To turn your back on the guy who is arguably the clutches player of all time in any sport is just foolish of the American people. Do I believe Tom Brady is a cheater? No I do not, maybe you can accuse him of a little gamesmanship, but show me one franchise that doesn’t have that and I’ll pay my respects. The punishment Brady received for the alleged crime of deflating footballs was unfair. This has caused Tom Brady to become angry, and an angry Tom Brady is clearly a productive one. He has thrown for 16 touchdowns and only 1 interception on the season. While the Dolphins are red hot right now winning two in a row. They will come back down to earth tonight against the Patriots. And Brady will continue his dominance.

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New England takes on Miami in Week 8 of Thursday Night Football action.

Jon            Joey            Tammy

Patriots   Patriots       Patriots

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Author: Joey Carr

364. That’s the amount of yards the Green Bay Packers are averaging per game in 2015. 281. That’s how many yards the Denver Broncos allow per game. In the upcoming battle of offense and defense this Sunday between Green Bay and Denver, something will have to give, and there will be one less undefeated team in the NFL.

Taking a small detour, let’s take a look at something that won’t be talked about very much in the buildup for this game: Green Bay’s defense vs. Denver’s offense. Neither unit is remotely close to as dominant as their counterpart, but yet, both teams haven’t lost a game, which can only mean the other side of the ball is bailing them out each and every game. This scenario is primarily occurring in the Mile High City, with Peyton Manning and company getting some very good fortune with Aqib Talib and Chris Harris Jr. catching multiple Pick-6’s to give the Broncos some breathing room. It’s no secret that the Denver offense has been bad, really bad; Manning has thrown an interception in each game this season, and the run game is either lackluster or nonexistent. So how well will this 29th ranked offense matchup with the 14th ranked defense of Green Bay? Maybe better than you think. If you go back and watch the week 6 matchup that had Green Bay fend off San Diego, you’ll notice that Phillip Rivers and Keenan Allen had career-high games, and the rushing attack was held to just 75 yards. Those stats bode well for The Sheriff and his high quality receiving corps, as Denver has a few more weapons than the Chargers and should be able to run all over the secondary. The one thing that has to happen for the Broncos to win this game though: Peyton Manning has to be somewhat accurate. We’re not used to seeing Number 18 throw more interceptions than touchdowns but this week, in order for Denver to have a shot at staying unbeaten, he has to be the Peyton Manning of old.

Now, getting back on track, let’s take a look at the real matchup of the day: the GB offense vs. the DEN defense. Both of these high-powered units have won the majority of their team’s games so far this season, but one unit will ultimately prevail. So which one will it be? I’m leaning towards the Green Bay offense. Once you consider the quality of quarterbacks that Denver has played this year, none of them come close to comparing to the skillset possessed by Aaron Rodgers. He has pinpoint accuracy and a knack for finding the open man, something the Broncos haven’t faced yet. I’m not saying that the dynamic duo of cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Chris Harris Jr. aren’t up to the task, but there are very few cornerbacks in the league that have been able to stop Rodgers in the past. However, a banged up Randall Cobb and rusty Davante Adams aren’t exactly the receivers that can burn a defense but they, along with ageless veteran James Jones, haven’t had any problems so far in the season. The one thing that might derail the Packers offensive charge is the formidable Denver front seven and linebacker corps. Led by Von Miller and Demarcus Ware, the pass rush of Denver has been nearly impossible to stop so far this season and an average Green Bay offensive line might not be up to the task of stopping them. It’ll certainly be something to keep an eye when Sunday Night comes around.

All in all, this will be an absolutely fantastic game (at least everyone hopes). Two of the more dominant teams in the league battling it out under the lights on Sunday night is a recipe for a fun-filled night. In the end, however, I see Green Bay’s high flying offense getting the job done and the Denver offense continuing to struggle against an up and coming Packer defense.

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Author: Jon Kuzma

With news breaking out of Cowboys camp that Dez Brant is slowly returning to practice this week for the Cowboys. You have to wonder if the Cowboys are going to have enough firepower later on to get back in NFC East contention and the playoffs. While the team has been decimated by the loss of Tony Romo (they haven’t won a game without him) the team still has to find a way to win a couple games down the stretch to give this team a chance for Romo to come back and save their season. The Cowboys almost have to look at their season as a baseball game, and they have to get it to their closer (Romo) who will come in at the end of the season and get this team to the playoffs. Before that however they have to be able to beat some very good ball clubs which include the Seattle Seahawks who are just finding their stride again. Also they will have to beat the Panthers who have been red hot this season and are still undefeated. That’s if Tony Romo comes back by November 26th, there is still no telling when Romo will officially be ready to go. That’s if Romo will even be able to go again this year. You never know how long a collarbone injury is going to take with a quarterback and players tend to rush it when it trying to get back on the field. The last thing the Cowboys want to do is force their franchise player to play before he is physically healthy. Regardless if Romo is able to go or not, getting Bryant back will certainly help this ball club. Whether Matt Cassel or Brandon Weeden is in the game they will get a huge uplift from having Dez Bryant back on the field and that number 88 receiver lined up out wide. Were talking about a guy who had 16 touchdown receptions last season and has god given talents that are far superior than most. Bryant truly is an x-factor and getting him back couldn’t come at a better time for the Boys.

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