The NFL will finish the 2020 season. It seems ridiculous to have to put this in a preview article, but we’ve also never before seen a year like 2020 before. The coronavirus pandemic has affected every aspect of our lives and led to the craziest baseball and basketball seasons ever. The NFL remains determined to start on time, play all 16 regular season games, conduct a full postseason, and…
Carson Wentz is the most important player on the Philadelphia Eagles, and he’ll remain that for the duration of his career with the team. Such is the life of a quarterback, especially a great one, and even more so one on a $30 million-per-year contract. The difference between an MVP season from Wentz and a mediocre one could easily be worth four or more wins to the team. For that…
It’s easy to conclude Mariano Rivera is the greatest relief pitcher of all-time, and it’s equally difficult to see anyone surpassing his list of accomplishments. His 205 league-adjusted ERA+ is the best mark ever. He was a 13-time All-Star who played a major role in five World Series championships, even winning World Series MVP once. And he earned a perfect 100 percent of the vote from the BBWAA when he…
Mariano Rivera’s claim as the greatest closer of all-time is one of the safest arguments in baseball. No one has a legitimate argument to surpass Rivera, who made 13 All-Star teams, holds the highest adjusted ERA (205) in baseball history, and was a key component in the New York Yankees’ dynasty. Even though others have won Cy Young awards (and even regular season MVPs), Rivera was as close as you’ll…
NFL teams spend two to three months straight after the season evaluating college prospects for the upcoming draft and still, half of the 32 players taken in the first round won’t live up to their potential. A team may spend seven selections on players and be fortunate to walk away with one solid starter and two capable depth pieces. I looked at every team’s last five draft classes (not including…
It’s a pass-happy league, and no position dominated the NFL over the last decade more than the quarterback. As a result, a full 10 of my 50 best players to qualify for this list were quarterbacks. Your usual end-of-the-year awards weighed heavily in making this ranking – Pro Bowl selections, All-Pro nominations, and MVP awards. I also valued durability and consistency, as well as length of career throughout the…
The Philadelphia Eagles started the decade with Donovan McNabb as their quarterback and Andy Reid as their head coach; they ended it with McNabb’s onetime backup, Doug Pederson, as the only coach in franchise history to win a Super Bowl. In between, we’ve seen quite a lot. There was the Michael Vick resurgence, the Dream Team, a smoothie craze behind a coach that loved the hurry-up offense, Nick Foles, Carson…
Buffalo at Houston Why Buffalo Should Win This isn’t the same old Bills team. The last time we saw Buffalo in the playoffs was a 2017 team that snuck into January despite a -57 point differential and a horrendous run defense. This 2019 team? This is a club predicated on a stout running attack and standout defense, one that features stars at every position on that side of the…
Even the best experts who dedicate their lives to grading and evaluating collegiate players still make draft day mistakes. For every first round Hall of Famer, there are numerous busts. It’s much easier to look back 18 months later and re-evaluate the draft. And then it’s even more fun to do it again a few years later and see where the players stand. For this sake, every team keeps their…
Subpar wide receivers isn’t a new thing in Philadelphia. The 2000-2003 Philadelphia Eagles went to the playoffs four straight years but there’s a limit to how far a team can possibly go with James Thrash/Todd Pinkston/Freddie Mitchell catching passes, and we saw that on full display against Tampa Bay and Carolina in the NFC Championship Games. Over the years, we’ve seen the Eagles trot out Dorial Green-Beckham, late career Riley…