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Author: Jon Kuzma

It’s been a long wait for Denver Broncos fans. For the past three years this team couldn’t get their act together. Then this past season a guy named Drew Lock came along and the Broncos won four out of their last five games. Fast forward to now and this team has been one of the big winners in free agency. They just signed Melvin Gordon and that’s definitely a splash. Gordon is good enough to fix a lot of the problems they’ve had on offense. When you have a young quarterback like Lock then you want to take the pressure off of him.


Now they can run their offense through Gordon and Phillip Lindsay. The idea is that Denver should be able to beat teams with their rushing attack. At the minimum they’ll be able to weaken opposing defenses. And that’s when you’ll see Lock take advantage of a fatigued group and create some plays in the passing game. The other strength we have to acknowledge is how good Gordon is at finding the end zone. He’s combined for 47 touchdowns throughout his career (rushing and receiving). Those points can be the difference between winning and losing games. For a team like Denver who is getting much closer to winning. That production will go a long way. And Gordon also has to be upbeat about facing his former team twice a year. He punished the Chargers for not re-signing him.

Charity of the day: Children International

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Author: Jon Kuzma

Darius Slay is a three time Pro Bowler but apparently that doesn’t matter to the Detroit Lions. They sent Slay packing in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles. Philly only gave up a 3rd and a 5th round pick to acquire the 29-year old. And that’s a bargain considering how gifted Slay really is. This is someone who has a knack for closing games out. When Detroit did find a way to win. It was usually because Slay made a big play late in the game. And we know coaches are obsessed with forcing turnovers. Darius Slay has 19 interceptions over his seven year career. He‘s good enough to keep up with the most athletic receivers in the NFL.


He’s also a guy the team can count on when it matters the most. For a team like the Eagles who haven’t had a lot of stability in their secondary. Slay should be able to come in and immediately elevate that group. And the fact that he’ll be reunited with his former coach Jim Schwartz could also be beneficial. Schwartz has a great defensive mind and he’ll put Slay in a position to succeed. Not to mention the Eagles get way more pressure on the quarterback than the Lions do. So there’s going to be more interceptions that are up for grabs. Based on Slay’s past we have to believe he’ll come down with them.

Charity of the day: Global Green USA

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Author: Jon Kuzma

This shouldn’t have happened. The Los Angeles Rams weren’t supposed to release Todd Gurley, who was the face of their franchise. Yeah there were some concerns about Gurley and how bad the arthritis in his knee was? But Gurley was the key to all of LA’s success and it doesn’t seem real that the Rams could just throw him away like they did. Especially when you go back and look at the film.


Gurley scored 5 touchdowns in his last 5 games and that’s not production a team can just walk away from. The Chicago Bears just tried to do the same thing with Jordan Howard and their offense was a shell of what it used to be. The same situation is going to play itself out in Southern California. Without their workhorse Los Angeles’ offense will take a huge step backwards. The Sean McVay’s a genius narrative will disappear this upcoming season. And let’s be honest it’s probably Les Snead’s fault. He’s the general manager and the one who’s responsible for every roster move. So that’s where the blame has to fall for a decision like this. But make no mistake about it. This is a poor choice when we’re talking about performance on the field and wins and losses. It doesn’t matter how much cap space is freed up. Cutting Todd Gurley will always be the wrong move in the sport of football.

Charity of the day: Global Green USA

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Author: Jon Kuzma

So we know Tom Brady is out of the picture and that means Bill Belichick has a big decision to make. He has to find out who his next starting quarterback will be and we’ve heard rumors all off-season that he wants Andy Dalton. Obviously the Patriots would have to work out a trade with the Bengals to get that deal done. And we know Belichick doesn’t like to give up very much in trades. So it makes more sense for him to just sign Jameis Winston in free agency instead. Who happens to be a better player than Dalton anyway. Winston was the NFL’s 2019 passing leader and he could be exactly what New England needs to get past the Brady era. When Winston was coming out of college. The scouts raved about how good his football I.Q was.


Well Belichick has the highest football I.Q of all-time. And those two together could whip up some game plans that would keep their opponents on their heels. Look Andy Dalton had some success but the Bengals defense was the real reason that Cincinnati went to the playoffs five times. New England should go with Winston and try to teach him better ball security. If those issues get corrected then Winston can be a great football player. And who would be better at fixing those problems than Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels?

Charity of the day: Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

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Author: Jon Kuzma

If you’ve followed Teddy Bridgewater’s career his latest promotion isn’t too surprising. Bridgewater has always been a positive guy. Even when he had to overcome that gruesome knee injury he suffered with the Vikings. And after being a perfect teammate for the past two seasons in New Orleans. You just knew that some team would come knocking at his door. We know now that was the Carolina Panthers and now Bridgewater will be a full time starter. If you’re new coach like Matt Rhule is and hoping to build up your team’s culture. Teddy Bridgewater is the perfect centerpiece because you know he’ll take that role seriously.


He’ll make sure that the other players on the team take it serious as well. Then you have to take a look at what Bridgewater does well when he’s under center. He’s not a one read quarterback. Bridgewater can get through his progressions and scan the field. The other thing he does really well is he gets the football out of his hands quickly. Those are skills that will upgrade the Panthers quarterback situation. So really this is a win for both sides and most fans will be happy for this guy. Bridgewater has done the right thing every step of the way. And now he’s being rewarded for the choices he’s made.

Charity of the day: Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

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Author: Jon Kuzma

Why did Tom Brady choose the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? There’s plenty of reasons but the most obvious is the offensive pieces he’ll have around him with the Bucs. Mike Evans has over 7,000 receiving yards in only six seasons. And Chris Godwin was probably the most improved player in the NFL this past year. To go from a receiving core that was depleted in New England. To having two 1,000 yard receivers on your roster. Is such an upgrade and it makes sense if we’re thinking from strictly a quarterback’s perspective. There’s also two tight ends there with Cameron Brate and O.J Howard.


And we know Brady loves his two tight end formations. The throws up the seams are much easier out of those alignments. So everything adds up because we’ll get to see Brady go out with a bang throughout the rest of his career. The other thing he’ll have down in Florida is a much more laid back head coach in Bruce Arians. Let’s face it Bill Belichick will overstep some boundaries at times. However Arians is someone who’d rather build up his players. And he can also make the final stretch of Brady’s career more enjoyable. Arians is going to crack some jokes and have some laughs. Brady would prefer to be in that environment at this point of his life.

Charity of the day: Prostate Cancer Foundation

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Author: Jon Kuzma

The sky is falling in New England. Tom Brady announced that he’s leaving the Patriots. And while this is big news for Brady. Life will also go on for Belichick and the Patriots. Based off the reports we’ve heard in the past. It feels like the team wanted to go this route. Clearly Belichick wanted to get younger when he was adamant that they move forward with Jimmy Garoppolo over Brady. But it probably won’t go exactly how Belichick thinks. The team was already unraveling with the loss of Rob Gronkowski.


Instead of making it to the Super Bowl, New England got bounced in the first round by the Tennessee Titans. Now you have to subtract Tom Brady from that situation and you can read the writing on the wall. It’s very realistic to think that New England won’t make the playoffs next season. Belichick is great but you need talent on the field to win in this sport. And with Kansas City and Baltimore emerging in the AFC. It’s just not the Patriots time anymore. It’s sad because it’s the end of an era.

Charity of the day: Prostate Cancer Foundation

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Author: Jon Kuzma

Stefon Diggs has been frustrated with the Minnesota Vikings for a while. And now he’ll have a new team for the 2020 season. The Buffalo Bills have traded for Diggs and that’s great news for Josh Allen. Diggs played his best football ever last season and he’s entering that elite category. For a team that just went to the playoffs this is a huge acquisition. Allen is getting better each year and should make a big leap in his third season. When you also add Diggs into the mix Allen’s progress could accelerate tenfold. This guy is just so good at working those vertical routes downfield. And Allen happens to have the strongest arm in the entire NFL.


Play-wise they’re a match made in heaven and it’s also a fresh start for Diggs. Clearly he wasn’t too fond of playing with Kirk Cousins. However Allen has a lot more competitive fire and that’s something Diggs also possesses. Those two working together makes it clear that this offense will be much more talented than the past. Everything is going right for this team and the other players around the league are starting to notice it. Buffalo is starting to become a more attractive destination. Without the success they’ve had it’s hard to believe this deal would’ve happened. We just seen Antonio Brown veto a trade to the Bills a year ago. But Diggs went the opposite route and celebrated the news. He believes this a much better situation than Minnesota.

Charity of the day: Interfaith Alliance Foundation

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Author: Jon Kuzma

We knew things were going to heat up quickly. But no one knew the trade around the world would happen today. The Arizona Cardinals have traded for DeAndre Hopkins. They gave up David Johnson and a 2nd round pick to make that deal happen. And honestly this is a complete steal for Arizona. David Johnson is no longer a starter and we’ve seen so many teams miss on their draft picks.


You know what you’re getting from DeAndre Hopkins. That’s a bona fide superstar who has made a name for himself by having the best hands in the NFL. Anything that comes close to Hopkins gets caught and that’s why he’s been a top receiver in the league his entire career. When you think about what he’s going to bring to the Cardinals it makes this team much more exciting. Kyler Murray just won the Rookie of the Year award. And now he’ll have Larry Fitzgerald and DeAndre Hopkins to throw to. Those guys alone will provide so many big plays for the 2nd year quarterback. Plus Kliff Kingsbury will also have a lot more options on the table creativity-wise. The stars are aligning for this franchise and Hopkins could help them take the next step. A winning season in year two would be huge for this current regime.

Charity of the day: Interfaith Alliance Foundation

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Author: Jon Kuzma

Well we know now that Tom Brady won’t be signing with the Tennessee Titans. The team has decided to stick with Ryan Tannehill. And they gave Tannehill a new 4-year $118M contract to show they’re committed to him. Now this feels a lot like the deal San Francisco did with Jimmy Garoppolo two years ago. Just because they both had very short stints before getting paid. But he showed enough to compel Mike Vrabel and the Titans front office. For a guy who was recently traded away by the Miami Dolphins. This was a quick turnaround and you have to remember he started off the season as Marcus Mariota’s backup.


Clearly Miami’s dysfunction was holding Tannehill back. He’s also got a much better supporting cast with the Titans. Derrick Henry was the best running back in football last year and A.J Brown is a budding superstar. So those guys have helped take some of the pressure off of Tannehill. And that has allowed him to completely reinvent himself. His 119 passer rating from this past season is what really jumps out at you. He also did a good job of limiting his turnovers which is what hurts that rating the most. And because he was so much better than Mariota. Tennessee rallied around Tannehill. Clearly they wanted to build on that momentum and he’ll be there for the foreseeable future.

Charity of the day: Child Find of America

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