Embed from Getty Images
Photo credit: Elsa

Author: Jon Kuzma

Saquon Barkley is one of the most athletic players in the entire NFL. But let’s be honest the New York Giants aren’t the most talented team in the world. Sometimes that‘s held Barkley back because there hasn’t been very good blocking in front of him. However that’s all about to change for the Giants. Andrew Thomas should bring some toughness to this offensive line. And if you’re Saquon Barkley that’s a dream come true. With more holes opening up it’s going to lead to more production from Barkley. And we could finally see New York establish a downhill mentality. Which is difficult to achieve in the NFL because the defenses are so good. Daniel Jones should be a little bit better too. Therefore we could see him be more effective on those dump off passes out of the backfield to Barkley. The bottom line is Barkley is great when he gets the ball in space and Jones needs to tap into that. With both of these phases of the offense clicking. We could see the best version of Barkley yet. There’s more talent around him and it’ll make everyone raise their level of play. So it’s easy to see that this is the moment that Saquon Barkley has been waiting for. The Giants are getting closer.

Charity of the day: Conservation Fund

Go donate! www.conservationfund.org

DISCLOSURE: This website may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the links and make a purchase, we receive a commission.

“We partner with Rakuten Marketing, who may collect personal information when you interact with our site. The collection and use of this information is subject to the privacy policy located here.

Rakuten CCPA Privacy Policy

Embed from Getty Images
Photo credit: Joe Robbins

Author: Jon Kuzma

Al Davis loved the vertical passing game. He knew that the players who could beat the defense over the top led to quick scores. Which is why Davis took Darrius Heyward-Bey with the 7th overall pick in the 2009 Draft. While that selection didn’t necessarily pan out for the Raiders. That wouldn’t have changed Davis’ philosophy when it came to wide receivers. So when Las Vegas went with Henry Ruggs out of Alabama with this year’s first round pick. You know Davis was smiling down from the heavens above. Ruggs was the fastest player at the combine and he ran a blazing 4.27 40-yard dash. Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden probably got sick of seeing Tyreek Hill run right past everyone. And they decided that they needed some game changing speed of their own. Ruggs will be that guy and defenses will be on their heels trying to keep up with him. The person who should benefit the most from the addition of Ruggs is Derek Carr. Because Carr will have a mismatch that he can consistently take advantage of. We see the same exact thing when Mahomes looks Hill’s way. But it won’t come easy for Ruggs. He’ll need to get in the weight room and put on some muscle. However if he takes it seriously then this can be exactly what the Raiders need. Ruggs makes this team more explosive.

Charity of the day: Conservation Fund

Go donate! www.conservationfund.org

DISCLOSURE: This website may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the links and make a purchase, we receive a commission.

“We partner with Rakuten Marketing, who may collect personal information when you interact with our site. The collection and use of this information is subject to the privacy policy located here.

Rakuten CCPA Privacy Policy

Embed from Getty Images
Photo credit: Icon Sportswire

Author: Jon Kuzma

When Deforest Buckner was traded and Emmanuel Sanders signed with the Saints. It was a huge red flag for the 49ers. Deforest Buckner is a lot better than people realize and he was somewhat overlooked with the emergence of Nick Bosa. He was the hardest piece to replace but John Lynch did the best he could. We don’t know if Javon Kinlaw will be able to fill those shoes. But the decision to draft Kinlaw was certainly the right one. Without someone that can bring a punch to that interior defensive line. The 49ers wouldn’t of had enough firepower to get the stops they needed down the stretch. Bosa is great but he can’t do it all by himself. Kinlaw can come in and generate some pressure from the interior. And then you have to take a look at Brandon Aiyuk. His job will be creating some offense for Kyle Shanahan. Aiyuk showed some amazing big play capabilities at Arizona State. He’s a vertical threat that’s also great after the catch. If he pans out like Deebo Samuel did a year ago. Then the Niners could be even more explosive than last season. And we know that Lynch chose to take Aiyuk sooner than most people expected. Which tells you that San Francisco thinks Aiyuk could be a diamond in the rough. When you add these two guys to the system that they have in the Bay Area. It means this team is still one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl.

Charity of the day: Food and Water Watch

Go donate! www.foodandwaterwatch.org

DISCLOSURE: This website may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the links and make a purchase, we receive a commission.

“We partner with Rakuten Marketing, who may collect personal information when you interact with our site. The collection and use of this information is subject to the privacy policy located here.

Rakuten CCPA Privacy Policy

Embed from Getty Images
Photo credit: Grant Halverson

Author: Jon Kuzma

The Arizona Cardinals top pick in the NFL Draft was former Clemson standout Isaiah Simmons. While Simmons was known for his versatility in college (he played multiple positions). In Arizona they’ll play the rookie at linebacker. And that makes sense because Simmons has great speed and instincts. If the Cardinals play him at weakside LB then he should flourish with one less blocker on his side. There won’t be any tight ends that can pick Simmons up on run plays. And another thing he does really well is blitz. The Cardinals can send Simmons often and let him wreak havoc on quarterbacks. Keep in mind that Arizona also has Chandler Jones. So those two guys will be tasked with generating pressure in this 3-4 defense. With so much attention being shifted toward Jones. That means Simmons will have an opportunity to carve out a huge role with the Cardinals. He’s a great form tackler so we know he can finish the play when he arrives. And one area that Simmons is much better than Jones is when he has to drop into coverage. At Clemson this guy batted a lot of passes down when he was sitting in his hook zone. What that does is help the secondary behind him. Simmons also has good enough hands to intercept some passes. So when you add all of these things up it makes for a talented player. If Simmons can put it all together then the Cardinals should be in good shape.

Charity of the day: Food and Water Watch

Go donate! www.foodandwaterwatch.org

DISCLOSURE: This website may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the links and make a purchase, we receive a commission.

“We partner with Rakuten Marketing, who may collect personal information when you interact with our site. The collection and use of this information is subject to the privacy policy located here.

Rakuten CCPA Privacy Policy

Embed from Getty Images
Photo credit: Michael Chang

Author: Jon Kuzma

What does Tua Tagovailoa bring to a team? A whole lot of star power and that’s obviously what we’re seeing in Miami. Tagovailoa’s pro career started off great when he was ahead of pace after his return from hip surgery. Multiple doctors declared that Tagovailoa is healthy and that’s why he went to the Dolphins with the 5th overall pick. Since then this guy had two of the top selling jerseys in the entire league. Stores can’t keep Tagovailoa’s jersey in stock because people are buying them up at a very fast rate. Now Tagovailoa just signed a new four-year $30M rookie contract with Miami. So there will be no holdout and it’s clear the former Alabama standout is ready to get right to work. Which means everything is off to a great start for the rookie. Things couldn’t be going any better. And if this is any indication of what’s to come from Tagovailoa. Then the bar is definitely being set high. The culture of this team is improving and they have a quarterback that will also help their environment. It’s starting to feel like the stars are aligning in South Florida. The AFC East will probably come down to the Bills and Dolphins when it’s all said and done. If Tagovailoa ends up being what he was in college. Then it might be enough to get Miami over the top.

Charity of the day: Goodwill Industries International (National Office)

Go donate! www.goodwill.org

DISCLOSURE: This website may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the links and make a purchase, we receive a commission.

“We partner with Rakuten Marketing, who may collect personal information when you interact with our site. The collection and use of this information is subject to the privacy policy located here.

Rakuten CCPA Privacy Policy