It’s Masters Week

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Augusta National

As I write this we are about 39hours until the first group tee off at the 2023 Masters.  This is my favorite golf tournament of the year, and for the last few years I have taken the entire week off from work simply to be able to see every moment of the experience.  I enjoy the accessibilty that Augusta National provides as far as streaming and coverage on the internet.  I can watch every shot from the opening ceremonies of Jack, Gary, and Tom Watson hitting the ceremonial first shots to the last putt on 18 via the web coverage.

I love the pageantry, the tradition and the drama of the back 9 on Sunday…  My love for this tournament began in 1986 when Jack Nicklaus won his 6th green jacket at 46 years old.  Since then I have been obsessed with this week in April ever since.  This is one of my favorite weeks of the year, and I look forward to see what happens.

So… how was your holiday weekend?

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I went into the holiday weekend with optimism, with hope for good times with family, holiday cheer, and reflection on the last 12 months.

What I got instead was sadness and sorrow.

Friday and Saturday were great, got to see family I haven’ seen in a month, and whom I don’ get to see but for the holidays.  Then comes Sunday morning… Christmas Morning.  I was perusing Facebook and came across a post from my nephew in Ohio.  This is the son of my middle sister, he was born the last year I lived in Ohio and has a daughter, a wife of 8 years, and two step-daughters in high school.  The girls are active in school to include being very talented members of the school volleyball team.  One of them has even been recruited by Hiram College, which ironically, happens to be the school where my mother worked for 11 years in the athletic department.  I grew up in the 70’s as sort of a “mascot” for the Basketball and Football teams as a kid, making this recruitment very special to me.  His wife, Lindsey, was diagnosed with Lupus before they met and has been battling the disease for years.  she is a fighter and had shown some progress over the years, but recently, she was re-admitted to the hospital and sadly, she passed away Christmas morning from the disease…  she was 41.  My heart is breaking for my nephew and their three girls.  I have no words to describe it, just that I am sad and wish I was in Ohio right now to console him and give him whatever he needs at this time.  Please keep him and those wonderful girls in your thoughts, they need it right now.  I never met her, but I kept up with them through social media…  they were such a close and happy family, this is tragic and devastating to not just him and the girls, but to the entire family.

The other is my beautiful Tazzy…  I got her when she was 8 weeks old.  I was working at a car dealership in 2006 and she was the runt of a litter of kittens that were born on the dealership property, what I called a lot kitty at the time.  She called out to me and I could not resist bringing her home.  She remained with me through good times and bad times, 5 moves, including the move from Clearwater, Fl. to Polk county.  that was a move of over 60 miles, and she, along with her adopted brother Simon, who passed in 2015, was forced into a family with two other cats and hilarity ensued.  it was a lot of fun to see the interaction between all four felines and provided hours and hours of entertainment for my wife and I.  The marriage ended in 2011 and I was again alone with just Tazzy and Simon.  Two moves later and we arrive in my current domicile and Tazzy was by my side the entire time.  I introduced a new kitty to the mix in 2016 and Tazzy was not at all thrilled about the situation.  the two never got along and I had to keep them separated, in order to maintain a cohesive unit.  I went to Melbourne this weekend for the holiday weekend, but it was with heavy heart, because she had been failing in health over the last few weeks and I was afraid the end was near for her.  I came back from the holiday this morning and when I got home, she had already passed away.  Her death leaves a huge hole in my heart and it will take time for me to get over the fact that she is gone.  Rest well baby girl…  Thank you for being with me for some of the best and worst years of my life.

Tazzy

Thanks for reading…  Happy Holidays, and hug your family members and  fur babies tonight.

Scott

Putting it out there…

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So I have been pretty quiet in my writing these last few months, all because I have been lazy.  Hemming and Hawing over whether to post or to push my thoughts out there.  Well, here I am, not sure of what I am going to say.  But… as my good friend Jon Olson says…  (I am paraphrasing here) put it out there and see what happens.

Season in review… through week 10…

Pre-season favorite Buffalo Bills – underperforming…

AFC West – not as good as the nerds thought – this division is still ruled by Kansas City and the others in the division – Las Vegas, LA Chargers, Denver, suuuuck…  just saying

AFC East – Miami Dolphins – true contenders in the AFC East as Buffalo loses games they should win…  Tua is the real deal and the Dolphins are gonna make a run… the Jets are the surprise team in this division…  but they still have Zack Wilson.. so there’s that.. as for the Patriots, well, if the playoffs were to start today, EVERY team in the AFC East would make the playoffs, even the Pats, despite currently being in the cellar of that division.

AFC North…  it’s Baltimore’s division to lose, they have the better team over Cincinnati…  As for my Browns…   Well…  Can someone buy a decent  Defensive Coordinator a plane ticket to Cleveland?  Watson maybe returning in two weeks, but without a decent defense the Browns are doomed to finish last in the division…  again…

NFC North – Umm… the changing of the guard in this division… the Vikings are the team to beat and Aaron Rogers needs to consider his future after this season, cause it isn’t looking to bright.

NFC South – the rumors of the Demise of Tom Brady and the Bucs is overrated…  this division is the WORST in the NFC and the Bucs are the class of that division.  After two straight wins…  the most recent being the first NFL regular season game in Germany of all places, The Bucs once again look like the best team in that division

AFC South…  who cares?  The only interesting story in this division is Jeff Saturday being the head coach in Indy…  The Titans are boring, the Texans are, well… the Texans… and the Jaguars?…  new season same results

NFC West…  This division is the most surprising of all to me…  the Seahawks lead the division… and this is a surprise to everyone, cause they all had the ‘Hawks in the cellar at the beginning of the season.  the Rams… meh…  Cardinals… HA!!  The Niners are good… and are the only team that could overtake Seattle when it is all said and done.  (How good do the 9ers look now for not dealing Jimmy G?)

Which brings me to the NFC East…  Dallas, Philadelphia, NY Giants… all solid contenders right now for that division, with Philly being the favorite due to their perfect 8-0 record with the “Commanders” on deck tonight for Monday Night Football.  Dallas laid an egg against the Packers due to some Aaron Rogers magic (how about Christian Watson and his 3 TD’s?) The Giants find themselves in second place in the division and just to be clear… Saquon Barkley is BACK!!  This is the most intriguing division in football to me right now…

With 8 weeks left, I am excited about the remainder of the season…

Join me and my cohosts @jongolson, @scubatexan, and Eliot “Big E” Lomba each and every Sunday night at 7:30 PM Eastern time for The Sports Nerds!  60 minutes of sports talk, trash talk, and laughs as we discuss the week in sports.

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2022 NFL Season Preview AFC West

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AFC West

Day Eight of the “Division Prediction Marathon” brings us to the LAST division in my series, the one that will be the hardest to predict, the one where the winner could be almost any of the four teams in the division.  All have Special talent at key positions, all have great defenses, and all have an elite QB at the helm of the offense.  We’re talking about the AFC West, the best division in the NFL, so say all of the experts.  Well I am NOT an expert, but even I agree this is the best division in football.  (Yes Footies in Europe and around the world – FOOTBALL…)  It’s pure American, and as much as you may HATE America, it is the #1 sport over here in the west, and we love to watch it, we love to play it, and we love to talk about it.  We feel it is the greatest sport in the world and because we are arrogant  “yanks”,  we will not allow any discussion to the contrary.

Now that I have insulted pretty much everyone in the Eastern Hemisphere…  Lets move on with the preview…

Los Angeles Chargers – wait…  what? The Sports Nerd is choosing the Chargers over the Chiefs???  Yes, I am…  The Chargers have a better running game, they have a better WR corps, and most importantly, they have a better defense than the Chiefs.  Justin Herbert, Austin Eckler, Keenan Allen, Mike Williams…  all more talented than what KC can bring to the table (except maybe Mahomes – MAYBE).  Herbert is ready to take this team to the next level, and I don’t doubt they will be successful.  Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack, Kyle Van Noy, Derwin James, Asante Samuel Jr, all top tier defenders, the Chargers defense is no joke and I really think they will cause havoc in opponents backfields this upcoming season.  The Los Angels Chargers will WIN the AFC West.

Kansas City Chiefs – The Chiefs will fall a bit this year, but not THAT much.  Despite the loss of Tyreek Hill in the offseason to the Dolphins, the Chiefs have arguably the SECOND best QB in the NFL in Patrick Mahomes, after Josh Allen.  Yeah Josh is a better QB, and I will die on that hill…  The Chiefs replace hill with JuJu Smith-Schuster from Pittsburgh and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, along with Justin Watson from the Buccaneers.  The only returning WR on the roster from last year is Mecole Hardman, so Patrick will have a whole set of new targets to throw to, not saying these guys are exactly elite.  They still have Travis Kelce, but he will spend so much time under double team, Patrick may have to get more creative than ever to hook up with his other options.  They do not have a top-10 defense, in fact both Los Angeles and Denver have better defenses in the division, and I feel a lot of teams will be able to score on them.  The Chiefs finish second in the division, but still make the playoffs.

Denver Broncos – It was difficult picking between the Broncos and Raiders for the third spot in the division, but I feel the deciding factor is Denver’s defense and Russell Wilson.  Wilson, acquired in the offseason from the Seahawks via trade, will inject new life in to the offense that barely managed to get out of its own way last season with Drew Lock at the helm, who ironically, is now in Seattle.  Having Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton to throw too gives Wilson some pretty good targets.  Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams make for a pretty good backfield in the running game (Key Fantasy Football advice…  do NOT draft Gordon, TRUST me) and Wilson wil have something he didn’t have in Seattle…  an offensive line.  Denver has one of the best defensive lines in football, so he will see more protection than he ever had in Seattle since their Super Bowl years.  Bradley Chub, Randy Gregory, Patrick Surtain, some of the best defenders in the league.  All things considered if the Broncos go on a roll, they could compete with the Chiefs for that second spot in the division.

Las Vegas Raiders – So I finish up this series with the Las Vegas Raiders…  I’ve been to Vegas ONCE in my life…  2008 for a week.  Nice place to visit but I wouldn’t want to live there.  Between all of the guys on the sidewalks on the strip handing you flyers for calling a hooker, the money trap that is the casinos, and the fact I did not win crap on the slots…  I have no desire to go back, but I digress.  The Raiders are a really good team, besides me picking them to finish last in the division.  I firmly believe that 9-8 could be the record of the last placed team in the division.  The problem is that this division is so good, even the Raiders could finish last and still have a better record than some second place teams in other divisions and quite possibly one or two division winners.  (AFC South & NFC East) Derek Carr has a new weapon in Davante Adams, picked up in the offseason with the Packers, Hunter Renfrow is also a high end receiver and Daren Waller is one of the best TE’s in the NFL.  Josh Jacobs is a top-level running back so Carr has a ton of weapons, but I just don’t think it is enough to overcome the other teams in the division.  I just don’t feel that the Raiders have the horsepower to compete in the division and that is why I pick them to finish last.

So ends the “Division Prediction Marathon” by The Sports Nerd.  I hope this series has given you a glimpse of the upcoming season and whether or not you agree with what I have predicted, I thank you all for reading what I have had to say.  I have NEVER written one post a day for eight days straight before and as I told @jongolson the other night this series has given me a new outlook on where I am going as a writer.  Look for more posts as the season progresses and I may even post my predictions on the playoffs and Super Bowl 57 in the coming days.  Right now…  I need to rest my fingers.  thanks all…

Join me and my cohosts @jongolson, @scubatexan, and Eliot “Big E” Lomba each and every Sunday night at 7:30 PM Eastern time for The Sports Nerds!  60 minutes of sports talk, trash talk, and laughs as we discuss the week in sports.

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2022 NFL Season Preview NFC South

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Day seven of the “Division Prediction Marathon” brings us to the NFC South which includes the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, and the Atlanta Falcons.  This division is loaded with four teams that truly hate each other.  These teams play each other with intensity and over the years it is plain that whatever the records, anything can happen.  With that being said, let me present you with my prediction for this division.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Tom Fucking Brady…  The goat will play his third season as QB of the Bucs, and at 45 years old he is showing NO signs of slowing down.  He has talent around him with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, Leonard Fournette and new addition Julio Jones.  Supporting cast includes Scotty Miller, Breshad Perriman, and TE’s Cameron Brate and Kyle Rudolph.  The only weak spot I see with the Bucs is their offensive line.  the injury bug has hit this team pretty hard including center Ryan Jensen and Guard Aaron Stinnie leaving a gaping hole in the center of the offensive line.  History has shown that Brady’s greatest weakness is teams applying pressure up the middle of the OL.  With that being said if there is any kink in the armor of the Bucs, it will be there.  they have a solid defense, lead by Shaquil Barrett, Lavonte David Will Gholston, and Vita Vea.  I feel the defense will play a bigger role in how successful the Bucs are this season.  Despite all of the improvements and additions made by their biggest rival, The New Orleans Saints, I still think that the Bucs will win the division.

New Orleans Saints – The Saints welcome back Jameis Winston at QB after missing most of last year due to injury.  he has performed well during the preseason and it is this fan’s belief that he will have a breakout season, perhaps even winning comeback player of the year.  Surrounded by plenty of key players, including the return of of Michael Thomas, coming off of injury, and new addition Jarvis Landry who was the emotional leader in Cleveland while he was there.  add to that RB’s Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram along with a stout defense, the Saints are the greatest threat tot he Bucs in the NFC South.  I still feel they will finish second in the division, but they should make the playoffs and after that anything can happen.

Carolina Panthers – The Panthers traded for Baker Mayfield in the offseason, hoping he could be the answer to their QB situation.  Baker competed with Sam Darnold for the starting position during the preseason wining the job with his performance.  Baker will have Christian McCaffrey as his lead back, Rashard Higgins and DJ Moore as his main targets at WR, and after that, the talent level on offense deteriorates from there.  the Panthers wont be very good, and baker will not be able to carry them very far this season.  The most exciting game this season will be week one, when baker faces his old team, MY Cleveland Browns in Carolina.  After that, The Panthers will have a disappointing season, finishing third in the division.

Atlanta Falcons – The most significant pickup for the Falcons in the offseason was QB Marcus Mariota, the former first round draft pick out of Oregon.  He wil be their starter for 2022 but waiting in the wings is Desmond Ritter their first round draft pick out of The University of Cincinnati.  If Mariota falters during the season, expect to see Ritter step in as the starter the remainder of the season.  The Falcons do have high-level talent beginning with star TE Kyle Pitts and RB/WR Cordarrelle Patterson, who is more like a swiss army knife as far as a weapon is concerned.  Despite all that, the Falcons will not be good enough to get out of the cellar of the NFC South this season and they will finish last.

Join me and my cohosts @jongolson, @scubatexan, and Eliot “Big E” Lomba each and every Sunday night at 7:30 PM Eastern time for The Sports Nerds!  60 minutes of sports talk, trash talk, and laughs as we discuss the week in sports.

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2022 NFL Season Preview AFC South

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AFC South

Day six of the “Division Prediction Marathon” and today I will present my prediction of the AFC South.  This division includes The Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Houston Texans.  Not exactly the most exciting division but it presents a lot of questions as to the rebuild of more than one team in the division.  I have found that this is the hardest division to predict and the choices I have made may or may not be right, but here goes…

Indianapolis Colts – The Colts traded for Matt Ryan in the offseason, giving them the franchise quarterback that they have been lacking since Andrew Luck retired.  Ryan may be long in the tooth and he is on the downside of his career, but the talent around him is enough to elevate him to the weapon that Indy needs to get them to the next level.  I predict they will win the South with the help of Jonathon Taylor, arguable the best RB in the NFL, and a talented WR corps I foresee the Colts winning the division.

Tennessee Titans – I am not really sure what to make of this team.  They have Derrick Henry, a powerful, dominant RB and yet they have a mediocre WR corps and a QB that is hot and cold depending on the situation.    they traded away AJ Brown to the Eagles and yet, they are coming off a division win last season.  The Titans remain an enigma, not sure how to judge them or to evaluate them.  Still, they have enough talent to finish second in the division, for what it is worth, and despite that, I don’t think they will make the playoffs in a highly talented conference.  there just wont be enough space to get in the playoffs with how much talent in other divisions in the AFC.

Jacksonville Jaguars – I placed the Jaguars third in the division simply because of the talent on the team.  The jags are coming off a dysfunctional season where Urban Meyer, hired last year as the head coach, caused more drama and problems than owner Shahid Khan could muster and thus was fired after 13 games last season.  New head coach Doug Peterson comes with a Super Bowl pedigree with the Eagles in 2018 and promises to further groom the talent of QB Trevor Lawrence.  With RB Travis Etienne coming off injury, WR’s Marvin Jones and Christian Kirk, the Jags hope to move to the next level.  I predict they will, from 4th in the division to the third…  not much of an improvement, but an improvement just the same.

Houston Texans –  the highlight of 2021 for the Texans was upstart QB Davis Mills who performed at a higher level than was expected.  They finished 4-13 last season but the bright start was Mills.  Unfortunately they changed their head coach yet again this offseason and hired Lovie Smith as their head coach.  Smith has a decent record as a head coach with the Bears, even leading the Bears to the Super Bowl in 2006, where they lost to the Peyton Manning-led Indianapolis Colts in Miami.  The Texans traded their franchise QB Deshaun Watson in the offseason to the Browns, garnering a plethora of high draft picks in the process.  the future of the Texans may be bright with all of those draft picks, but for this season the result will be a last place finish in the division.

Join me and my cohosts @jongolson, @scubatexan, and Eliot “Big E” Lomba each and every Sunday night at 7:30 PM Eastern time for The Sports Nerds!  60 minutes of sports talk, trash talk, and laughs as we discuss the week in sports.

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2022 NFL Season Preview–NFC North

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NFC North

Day five of the “Division Prediction Marathon”  today I predict the NFC North, a tried and true historic division that includes teams with tremendous history, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears, and The Detroit Lions.  ESPN Anchor Chris Berman is famous for calling this division the “Norris” out of respect for the historic NHL teams in what used to be I that division back in the day.  Friend of The Sports Nerds Derek Lofland is a die-hard Green Bay Packers fan and this post is dedicated to him, no matter how much he will disagree with what I have to say.

Green Bay Packers – I dwelled on this for a few days, I could not decide between the Packers or the Vikings.  Green Bay lost Devante Adams to a trade with the Raiders in the offseason, seriously diminishing the WR Corps in Green Bay.  The difference maker here is of course Aaron Rogers, coming off back-to-back MVP seasons, Rogers has the ability to get the most out of his receivers no matter who they are.  They have a solid run game with Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon, who is a weapon in the passing game out of the backfield.  I foresee Rogers leaning on that run game more than he has in many years, but with the talent of Green and Jones that will be the most positive factor in the Packers attack.  AS much as I don’t have a lot of confidence in the receiving corps (Sammy Watkins, really??) I have faith in their QB and their defense.  The defense promises to be very good ( I Think) and the fact that none of the other teams in this division has enough talent to compete with them, The Packers will win the division

Minnesota Vikings – The Vikings still have Kirk Cousins at the helm of a very potent offense.  Dalvin Cook is in the top-5 of talented RB’s in the NFL so long as he can stay healthy.  Justin Jefferson is one of the best WR’s in the league as well and he is destined to have another Pro Bowl season this year.  the question mark I have on the offensive side of the ball is Cousins.  I have no confidence in him at all, he is a journeyman QB at best, although he has a good arm he has a tendency to make mistakes that have cost The Vikings in the past.  I predict the Vikings will try and draft a future franchise QB in the upcoming QB-rich NFL draft in 2023.  I cant see the Vikings being able to overtake the Packers and they will finish second in the division.

Chicago Bears – Justin Fields…  I have a warm spot in my heart for this guy, due to his College Career at Ohio State (NCAA) and I hope he can be successful in the NFL, but the problem is that he plays for The Bears, and this franchise simply has underperformed for over a decade, winning the division only once in that time frame.  The Bears will have a decent defense but that will not be enough to overcome their lack of talent on the offensive side of the ball.  Time will tell if Fields can raise the play of this offense, but he cant do it alone.  They will finish third in the division.

Detroit Lions – What can I say about the Lions…  they have been the poster child for failure in the NFL ever since Barry Sanders retired.  they lose their future HOF QB in Matthew Stafford last year to a trade and he all of sudden wins The Super Bowl with the Rams.  Another year for Jaren Goff to prove himself, though I have no doubt he will again be shown as the mediocre QB that he is.  I understand the Lions had a great experience on Hard Knocks, but that won translate to the field.  Second year head coach Dan Campbell is a great motivator, but still he is limited to the talent on the roster.  Detroit finishes last in the division yet again.

Join me and my cohosts @jongolson, @scubatexan, and Eliot “Big E” Lomba each and every Sunday night at 7:30 PM Eastern time for The Sports Nerds!  60 minutes of sports talk, trash talk, and laughs as we discuss the week in sports.

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2022 NFL Season Preview AFC North

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AFC North

Day four of the “Division Prediction Marathon” – tonight I predict the AFC North, and as al of you that know me I have a veste4d interest in this division, after all, I am a life-long Browns Fan and I am usually biased when it comes to the Browns.  This time, however I will put my blinders aside, take off my rose colored glasses and present an honest, non-biased review of the division and how I truly feel it will play out for 2022.

This division contains four teams that all hate each other, there are historic rivalries, rivalries that have been around for over 50 years.  However there are some rivalries that have not lasted that long…  simply 20 or so years, specifically since the “Ratbirds” came into the NFL in 1996, a bastard child of what once was the proud franchise in Cleveland, a stain on the league, a team that I have grown to hate more than that team in Pittsburgh, the traitorous owner Art Modell, may he rot in Hell, moved his ownership to Baltimore and will forever be known as the most hated man in Ohio, even a decade after his death this month in 2012.  (Do I sound bitter?)

Moving on…

Here is my prediction for the AFC North for 2022…

Cincinnati Bengals – The Bengals are coming off their first division championship since 2015 and their first Super Bowl appearance since 1989.  QB Joe Burrow has injected a winning mindset into the franchise and has become the leader of this team in just his second season, going into his third.  The Bengals weakness last year was their offensive line, allowing a historic amount of sacks on Burrow, including 9 sacks in the playoff game against Tennessee.  Despite those sacks, and his lack of protection, burrow was still able to lead the Bengals to the Super Bowl, where once again Their offensive line showed signs of weakness allowing another 7 sacks against the Rams.  The game was close the entire way, but a late near-sack by Aaron Donald stopped the Bengals final drive and sealed the victory.  I say all of this to point out the fact that the Bengals have made a ton of offseason moves to bolster their offensive line with a few key additions in the offseason making them still the favorite in the division in my mind.

Baltimore “Ratbirds” – As much as I hate to admit it, Baltimore will finish second in the division.  They have the X-Factor in Lamar Jackson and one of the best defenses in the NFL.  The only weakness I can see in this team is their WR corps, loaded with a bunch of no-names and unproven players with the exception of Demarcus Robinson, but he doesn’t fuel any hopes of having a breakout year.  The Ravens were decimated last year with injury, which is mostly responsible for their last-place finish in the division.  they are mostly healthy now, wit the exception of their mascot, who suffered a season-ending knee injury just this week.  Still, with al of that being said, I feel they will finish second in the division, despite the “experts” saying they will actually win the division.  I am still of the opinion that Jackson is overrated and teams have figured him out going into 2022.  My second place division prediction does not mean I feel they will make the playoffs, as most of the AFC is loaded with much more talented teams.  With that being said, FUCK the “Ratbirds”…

Cleveland Browns – *sigh* ok…  here we go…  after yet another off-season full of drama, The Browns are still trying to find their identity.  this team is loaded with talent, top defense, top WR corps, arguable the best 1-2 punch at RB in the NFL.  The ONE position that has plagued this team for over 20 years is quarterback.  Baker was drafted #1 overall in 2018 and he was the hope of the future for this team.  He led them to the playoffs in 2020 but an injury plagued season last year caused the front office to second-guess that decision.  Baker played with a Torn labrum in his left shoulder for most of all last season and it affected his throwing motion and the Browns finished out of the playoffs.  The Browns traded for Deshaun Watson in the offseason, despite the 24 accusations of sexual abuse/assault against him, causing this fan to question why he is still following this shit-show of a franchise.  When the Browns hired Andrew Berry as GM and Kevin Stefanski as Head Coach, I had high hopes for The Browns.  this off-season put a lot of doubt in my head and my fandom.  Watson has been suspended the first 11 games of the season, leaving Jacoby Brissett as the starter for the season until Watson returns.  Brissett is a game manager and has not proven he can lead a team so I do not have a lot of hope for a successful season.  The Browns finish third in the division and miss the playoffs for the second straight season.  I will root for them nonetheless, as I have for the last 50+ years, but I am not hopeful and I am not positive they can win 7 or 8 games this season.

Pittsburgh Steelers – Big Ben is gone…  Roethlisberger retired after the 2021 season and the Steelers are left with a trio of journeyman quarterbacks on the roster.  I don’t necessarily like talking about the Steelers because of how much I hate this team.  but with their options at QB – Mitchell Trubisky, Rookie from Pitt Kenny Picket, and Mason Rudolph the potential of this team is questionable at best.  The Steelers will still have a good defense with it’s leader TJ Watt, a potential defensive player of the year candidate, but the defense cannot make up for the weak offense they will put on the field.  the WR corps is average, with Chase Claypool as the potential WR1 and Najee Harris as their #1 back, he may be the lone bright spot for this team.  It’s gonna be a long season in Pittsburgh, they will finish last in the division.

Join me tomorrow as I preview the NFC North, home of the Packers, the favorite team of one of our favorite guests on The Sports Nerds – Derek Lofland…

Join me and my cohosts @jongolson, @scubatexan, and Eliot “Big E” Lomba each and every Sunday night at 7:30 PM Eastern time for The Sports Nerds!  60 minutes of sports talk, trash talk, and laughs as we discuss the week in sports.

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NFL Season Preview – NFC West

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NFC West

Day three of what I like to call the “division prediction marathon” brings us to the NFC West..  In this division we have the Los Angeles Rams, The San Francisco 49er’s and the Arizona “Hail Murray” Cardinals.  I have heard some say this is the best division in the NFC, and to be honest, it is pretty good, with three teams in this division having the chance to win it (Sorry Seattle) but I don’t know yet, I am still on the fence on how good the teams are in this division.  Lets get going, this one is for Eliot Lomba, co-host #3 on the list, but (possibly) #1 on my co-host list.  (not really, I don’t rank my friends).

Los Angeles Rams –  Coming off their Super Bowl victory the Rams are the team to beat in the division.  Until they are knocked off, they will still be my favorite to win the division, as the have most of their team back for 2022.  Matthew Stafford, after languishing in Detroit for all of his career with a front office and ownership that didn’t care about winning, finally got a taste of what a successful franchise is really like.  I was very happy for him, and even more happy that the Rams beat the Bengals, a hated rival in the AFC North and The Browns (AFC North prediction coming tomorrow).  The Rams will win this division again, beating out their fiercest rivals, the 49ers.  Honestly I don’t see them repeating (That blog is coming later) but with the ability of Stafford and that receiving corps along with the defense and Aaron Donald, they should once again win this division.

San Francisco 49ers – This team is loaded with Talent…  From Nick Bosa, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, and yes, even Trey Lance I still don’t fee they are ready to take over the division.  The question mark in my eyes is Lance…  he is a great talent, but this season will be the first for him to start full time for the 9ers and with the re-signing of Jimmy Garoppolo yesterday, Lance will be looking over his shoulder, whether on purpose or not.  They’re gonna have to get past the Rams, and although they were able to do that during the regular season, it is yet to be seen if they can do it in the playoffs.

Arizona Cardinals – The Cardinals are counting on Kyler Murray to take that next step and be the guy to lead them to the promised land.  With targets like Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and DeAndre Hopkins Murray should… wait… just a minute… oh RIGHT..  Hopkins is suspended for the first six games of the season…  so… there’s that.   Still, they have Zach Ertz in his 10th season, A.J. Green in his 12th season…  and a bunch of nobody’s to throw the ball to before Hopkins comes back.  They have James Connor as their primary back, which is ok, but he hasn’t exactly shown elite status as an NFL Running Back.  Then, there;s the defense…  Led by J.J. Watt, one of the most injured DE’s in the NFL in his 12th season and not much else…  I foresee trouble for the Cardinals on defense.  I’m not sold on Murray, he is 5’ 10” if that, and despite his mobility, I still question he can get the ball downfield and be the leader of this team.  Just not a fan of him and feel he is overrated.  The Cardinals will finish 3rd at best in this division and will miss the postseason.

Seattle Seahawks – What can I say about Seattle?  They trade Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos, they release Bobby Wagner and it appears that they are working to rebuild post Pete Carroll.  I predict the Seahawks will play to get a high draft pick next year in a QB rich draft so they can move towards molding their future around a new franchise quarterback.  I believe Carrol is done after this season and they bring in a coach that will pick the future of the franchise.  The Hawks finish last in this division under the ageing Pete Carrol, Geno Smith, and Drew Lock waiting in the wings.  Not even the physical specimen DK Metcalf or the versatile Tyler Locket wil be able to help this team…  and TE Noah Fant? he’s gonna miss Denver so bad this year…

Tomorrow is the Big one…  The AFC North…  be ready, I’m not going to be biased on this one…  I may actually shock a lot of you.  Stay tuned…

Join me and my cohosts @jongolson, @scubatexan, and Eliot “Big E” Lomba each and every Sunday night at 7:30 PM Eastern time for The Sports Nerds!  90 minutes of sports talk, trash talk, and laughs as we discuss the week in sports.

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2022 NFL Season – NFC East Preview

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NFC East

Continuing my series on previewing the 2022 NFL season, tonight I predict the NFC East.  This division includes The Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, NY Giants, and the Washington (uggh) Commanders.  It has a lot of NFL History with a total of 13 Super Bowl Wins in its history.  Dallas with 5, NY Giants with 4, Washington with 3, and the Philadelphia Eagles with 1.   Below is my  preview of this division for 2022.

Dallas Cowboys –  Dallas has been the brunt of the “can’t win the big one” Memes you’ve seen on the internet.  Dallas hasn’t won a championship since 1995, and have not won many playoff games since that last championship, despite having high-level talent.  Dak Prescott will lead this team in his seventh season out of Mississippi State.  Dak has shown a lot of promise since he was drafted, but he just can’t seem to get them over the hump and go deep in the playoffs.  Despite all this, hopes are once again high in Dallas, with their all-star QB, power running game and vaunted defense.   Owner jerry jones is hoping he can get the “Jimmy Johnson” monkey off his back, but alas, I don’t believe it.  This division is going to come down to two teams…  Dallas and Philadelphia.  despite my reservations I give the Cowboys the edge in the division and will come out on top just BARELY over the Eagles.

Philadelphia Eagles – The Eagles got some weapons in the offseason, including wide receiver AJ Brown in a surprise trade with the Tennessee Titans this past offseason.  Brown promises to be WR#1 and the primary target of QB Jalen Hurts, in his third season out of Alabama and his second season at the helm of the Eagles offense.  The Eagles may be leaning on the run game more this year with Miles Sanders and newly acquired (Today) Trey Sermon from waivers after he was released by the San Francisco 49ers.  This season wil be a make or break year for Jalen Hurts and will be his proving ground for whether or not he can be the franchise QB for the Eagles, something they have been looking for since Donovan McNabb retired.  I think the Eagles will battle it out with the Cowboys for the division but just fall short, settling for a Wild Card Playoff spot in the NFC.

New York Giants – The Giants have a new head coach in Brian Daboll, recently with the Buffalo Bills.  Daboll will insert a shot of renewed hope with the Giants and there are signs that they will rebuild and be a better team than they were compared to last years team.  They are still going to ride with Daniel Jones as their QB and in this fans opinion, this will e the make or break year for Jones.  Saquon Barkley is healthy, they added WR Kenny Golladay last year and he promises top be their key receiver this season, along with Sterling Shepard, Darius Slayton, Kadarius Toney, and David Sills.  The giants were 4-13 last season, but this season I feel they will be better under Daboll.  Not much, but better.

Washington Commanders – New name… same owner…  that’s al I really have to say.  Daniel Snyder is the worst owner in the NFL and he doesn’t care about winning, only about how much money he can make each season.  The “Commanders” acquired Carson Wentz in the offseason, the poster child for unrealized expectations at QB.  Ron Rivera is a great head coach, but he is at the mercy of an ineffective front office and an owner that just doesn’t care.  They will already start the season without All-Pro DE Chase Young for the first 4 games due to still rehabbing his torn ACL & MCL in November last year.  Questions remain to see if RB Antonio Gibson can return to form and if Terry McLaurin can carry the WR corps along with Curtis Samuel and others.  The biggest question mark is Wentz…  will we see good Wentz or bad Wentz…  My prediction is that this will be Wentz’s last stand, and the Commanders will finish last in the division, possibly costing Rivera his job.

Thanks for reading and I don’t expect many to agree with what I predicted, but after all, no one can accurately predict what will happen in any given division in August/September before the season starts.  It’s a crap shoot, and everyone is 0-0.  Stay tuned tomorrow night as I preview the NFC West.  I am sure Eliot will have a LOT to say after that post… lol.

Join me and my cohosts @jongolson, @scubatexan, and Eliot “Big E” Lomba each and every Sunday night at 7:30 PM Eastern time for The Sports Nerds! 90 minutes of sports talk, trash talk, and laughs as we discuss the week in sports.

https://www.vimm.tv/c/the-sports-nerd
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