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Author: Jon Kuzma

Congratulations Cincinnati you just hit the lottery. LSU quarterback Joe Burrow just threw 60 touchdown passes in a season and capped it off by winning the National Championship. It was the greatest year we’ve ever seen from a college QB and now Burrow will go number one overall to the Bengals. So when you look at what Zac Taylor is getting in Southern Ohio. It’s a playmaker who gets the job done with his arm talent. Burrow made all of the big time throws and always rose to the occasion. Shannon Sharpe said it best when he stated that “Burrow has touch on his passes.”


Some guys put too much velocity on their throws. Not Burrow, everything is right on time and he rarely overpowers his receivers. Then you have to take a look at the mental makeup of Burrow because Cincinnati will take on that identity. The former LSU Tiger is as cool as they come and his poise is incredible. He never panicked against Clemson and that’s going to be refreshing for the Bengals. Let’s be honest Andy Dalton was a good quarterback but when you take into account each guy’s potential. There’s no denying that Burrow is on another level. He couldn’t be coming out of college at a better time because Cincinnati needs a savior. Joe Burrow certainly fits the mold.

Charity of the day: Operation Homefront

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Author: Jon Kuzma

Kyler Murray went first overall in the 2019 NFL Draft and he was taken one pick higher than Nick Bosa. Murray has Arizona Cardinals fans optimistic about their future but it’s fair to wonder if they made the right pick?


When you look at the impact that Nick Bosa is having for the San Francisco 49ers its hard to believe any other rookie is better than him. Not only that there’s also rumors that Joey Bosa wants to team up with his brother. So if Arizona had the potential to swing the other Bosa brother like the 49ers could in 2021. It would’ve made the Cardinals defense the best in the league. So you really have to ponder whether or not Arizona should’ve went with Bosa and put some pressure on opposing quarterbacks. We’re seeing first hand that those abilities have turned San Francisco into a true contender. And let’s be honest it’s very likely that they’ll come out of the NFC side of the bracket and go to the Super Bowl. Aaron Rodgers isn’t going to have much time in the pocket at all. You can have the most talented quarterback in the world but if the offensive line doesn’t hold up then it doesn’t matter. All of those first round picks that the 49ers used on the defensive side of the ball have officially panned out. And Nick Bosa appears to be the best out of all of them.

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Author: Jon Kuzma

It’s not easy to play at Lambeau Field in January because it’s not an environment that’s conducive for offensive football. The weather and conditions make it almost impossible to execute. Yet Aaron Rodgers made it look easy against Seattle in the NFC divisional round. The Packers would go on to win this game 28-23 and the thing that stands out is how well Rodgers started off. The Seahawks have a very tough defense but Rodgers came into this game as cool as ice. He threw an early touchdown to Davante Adams which helped capture the momentum in a contest that was very tight.


So to do that within the first 10 minutes of play was very crucial in this victory. Keep in mind Rodgers was also better than Russell Wilson in the head-to-head quarterback duel . When you get into these playoff games each team is so competitive and your stars have to show up. Rodgers answered the call and it’s the reason the Packers are moving on to the NFC Championship. They’ll face the San Francisco 49ers in what’s certainly going to be a clash of the titans. If the hot streak continues for Rodgers you just never know how that game will play out?

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Author: Jon Kuzma

If you were looking for a game that had non-stop action. Then the Chiefs and Texans AFC divisional matchup was everything you were hoping for. Houston came out of the gate on fire and was pouring it on Kansas City in the first quarter. The score was actually 21-0 and Arrowhead Stadium was completely quiet. But that’s when Travis Kelce decided to put the team on his back and he willed the Chiefs to victory. Kelce would go on to record 134 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns before the day was over. He was also the spark plug that uplifted this offense when they needed it the most. Once Kelce set the tone then we seen Patrick Mahomes start become more confident as well.


The result was a 51-31 thrashing by the Chiefs and stop and think about that for a second. Houston scored 31 points and still lost this game. That tells you just how dangerous Kansas City is and they’re so entertaining to watch. Not many teams could do what the Chiefs were able to pull off in this win. It will go down as one of the truly special moments in NFL playoff history. And Andy Reid’s ball club with keep pushing forward. They’re starting to look like the Super Bowl favorites.

Charity of the day: Doctors Without Borders USA

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Author: Jon Kuzma

Welp the Mike Vrabel era has officially arrived and it’s everything the Tennessee Titans hoped it would be. Sure the Titans have great talent on the defensive side of the ball but Vrabel is getting the most out of those guys and it makes this unit truly special. For example the past two weeks the Titans have schemed up the New England Patriots and the Baltimore Ravens. How anyone could go 2-0 against those teams is truly a Cinderella run and clearly Vrabel knows how to take away his opponent’s biggest strengths.


For Baltimore that was their rushing attack and tight ends over the middle. So without those two options off the table it forced the Ravens to drop back Lamar Jackson 59 times. It’s hard to win with so many passing attempts and it’s due to the fact that your offense becomes unbalanced. Yeah Jackson still rushed for over 100 yards but it’s almost impossible to keep him in check. Especially when it’s a passing play and he tucks the football and runs with it. All you have to do is look at the scoreboard and you can see the true story. The underdog knocked off one of the Super Bowl favorites and these playoffs are getting really interesting now.

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Author: Jon Kuzma

The NFC divisional round was the same thing we’ve seen all season from the San Francisco 49ers. Their defense can completely suffocate their opponents and that’s what happened to the Minnesota Vikings. Thanks to Nick Bosa, Solomon Thomas, and DeForest Buckner the Niners we’re able to completely takeaway Dalvin Cook. Cook is Minnesota’s best player but he only had 18 rushing yards in this contest. Therefore Kirk Cousins couldn’t run any playaction passes or bootlegs.


So what that did is eliminate most of the things that Minnesota does on offense. And it’s hard for an offense to throw away their whole game plan and go with something else in the middle of a game. Truth be told the 49ers were the more physical team and they overpowered the Vikings offensive line for all four quarters. This is who San Francisco is. They’re kind of a throwback ball club because they wear you down with their running game and then let their defense outmuscle you. Another huge thing is the 49ers are also getting healthier. Dee Ford and Kwon Alexander’s return makes them much better defensively. Which could be the two pieces that puts them over the top.

Charity of the day: Sierra Club Foundation

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Author: Jon Kuzma

Last year the Kansas City Chiefs should’ve went to the Super Bowl but Dee Ford was flagged for an offsides penalty. And that helped the New England Patriots advance. Fast forward to now though and the Patriots have been eliminated from the playoffs. Therefore you know the Chiefs are licking their chops because this is their best shot at winning it all. Of course they’ll have to get past the Houston Texans first and that won’t be an easy task. The Chiefs should win that game but Deshaun Watson will certainly present a challenge. Even if Kansas City does move on to the AFC Championship they still could run into the Baltimore Ravens. But it’s still is a huge relief that Bill Belichick isn’t in the picture anymore because we know how good the Patriots have been. The Ravens, Texans, and Chiefs are all offensive teams and Belichick has made his name off neutralizing those kind of opponents.


Just last year New England blanketed the Sean McVay led Rams to win their 6th Super Bowl ring. Patrick Mahomes can rest a little bit easier knowing he won’t have to deal with that stress and now he must realize the opportunity in front of him. This is his chance to put his name in the history books and get his future Hall of Fame career up and running. If he’s truly the next great quarterback in the National Football League then the Lombardi is heading back to Missouri because this is their time.

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Author: Jon Kuzma

The clock is ticking for Aaron Rodgers because he’s already 36 years old. Which means his window to win another Super Bowl is getting smaller everyday. Luckily the Packers have one of the better teams in football right now. And that means Rodgers has to capitalize on this opportunity and win his second Vince Lombardi Trophy. You never know when Matt LaFleur’s magic will wear off. Not to mention teams always get better and worse each off-season. There’s no guarantee that Green Bay will make anymore playoff appearances moving forward. So the Packers entire focus has to be on this game against the Seattle Seahawks and Rodgers has to seize the moment. We all know what he’s capable of but it’s hard to go out there and make it happen when you start to slowdown.


That’s the challenge Rodgers will face but he’s always had enough arm talent to bail himself out. There’s not much room for error against the Seahawks defense but if Rodgers can have his best game of the season there’s hope. It’s not going to get any easier if somehow Green Bay makes it past this matchup either. Rodgers is going through the gauntlet and he’ll certainly be battled tested if he does make it to Miami (the location of Super Bowl LIV). It’ll certainly be entertaining to see how he performs with so much pressure on his shoulders?

Charity of the day: Defenders of Wildlife

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Author: Jon Kuzma

The Carolina Panthers had a press conference to introduce their new head coach Matt Rhule. And it seems like a good fit for the Panthers. You get the vibe from Rhule that he cares deeply about the people around him. He went above and beyond when talking about everyone who’s supported him (wife, family, etc.). It’s clear that the players can rally behind Rhule or he wouldn’t be in the NFL today. There’s also a charisma there which has helped this guy become extremely successful at both Temple and Baylor.


It’s easy to see why Rhule was so highly coveted and he made it clear that this was the right move for his family. David Tepper and Carolina’s front office plan on giving their new hire their full support. So for Rhule this was the perfect situation. In fact he chose Carolina over the New York Giants job and that should tell you something. Which goes back to the whole relationships thing and he went with David Tepper because he felt like he could trust him. Now Rhule will have to find a way to connect with the guys in the Panthers locker room. It seems like he’ll probably call the offensive plays so he should get very close with Christian McCaffrey, D.J Moore, and Curtis Samuel. Rhule will also have to make a decision at quarterback. Do you draft somebody or sign one in free agency? Kyle Allen has also shown some promise and could be in play to be the full-time starter. Regardless those are the answers Matt Rhule will have to figure out to make this team tick.

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Author: Jon Kuzma

Let’s be honest. Mike McCarthy is a decent football coach and nobody can take that away from him. But the Dallas Cowboys are worth more money than the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Lakers, and Real Madrid. So when your organization is one of the biggest brands in the world and when you have more resources than everyone else. It just makes sense that you’d want to attract the best talent to help execute the process. Unfortunately for whatever reason Jerry Jones hasn’t been able to find the right coach since Barry Switzer won a Super Bowl back in 1996. And with Dallas’ championship window quickly closing you’d figure that it’s now or never. Instead Jones settled for McCarthy and it doesn’t feel like he’s the right guy for the job for a number of reasons. Perhaps the most obvious is that Aaron Rodgers didn’t seem to be a big fan of him. There were a number of reports that came out which stated that Rodgers felt like McCarthy held Green Bay’s offense back.


Plus when you look at how much better they’ve been with Matt LaFleur there seems to be some truth to those claims. Look Adam Gase got the Jets job because Peyton Manning made him look like a genius. Mike McCarthy landed in Dallas because Rodgers won him a Super Bowl. It’s not because McCarthy had an amazing system like Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay, and Kliff Kingsbury have right now. However Urban Meyer, Mike Leach, and Lincoln Riley all do. Those three should’ve been the Cowboys’ ideal candidates. But once again this franchise came up short.

Charity of the day: Unbound

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