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It’s that time of year again. As we prepare for the upcoming 2023 NFL draft, we still want to take a look back at the top performers of the 2022 season. These rookies are about to live their NFL dreams, but getting drafted is just the start of their journey. The will try to rack up yards, touchdowns, wins, etc., but their ultimate goal is to one day make it on PFJ’s All-Joke team. I’m excited to bestow this honor on a new crop of players.
QB: Bailey Zappe There were plenty of great candidates at quarterback, such as Sam Ehlinger, Baker Mayfield, Desmond Ridder, Malik Willis, and of course the GOAT, Chad Henne. But nothing beat the 3-week stretch where Zappe mania took over New England. Pats fans had a fever dream that Zappe would be the next Tom Brady and lead them to another 6 Lombardi Trophies, but Matt Patricia had other plans. Instead we just got Mac Jones yelling about wanting a “real offensive coordinator”, and taking out his frustration on defenders’ knees. RB: Jamaal Williams Jamaal basically ran his own campaign for the All-Joke Team, and boy did it work. He’s always been a PFJ favorite but this year on the Lions he really let loose. But it’s not all about his antics in interviews and on Hard Knocks. His on-the-field play was more than worthy of the All-Joke status, vulturing about 35 1-yd touchdowns, and leading the league in rushing TDs. WR: Rasheed Shahid, Greg Dortch, Mack Hollins Just a loaded group at receiver this year. The easiest sign of an All-Joke player is that when they catch the ball, the jokes write themselves. Rasheed Shahid was basically the poster-boy of this year’s team, and he might have a solid NFL future. Greg Dortch was a close second, beating his 5 time All-Joke teammate, Robby/Robbie/Chosen Anderson. And Mack Hollins grabbed the final spot since he caused about 500 fantasy analysts to beg you not to chase the points after his one blow-up game in week 2. Safe to say, they were all correct. But it’s Hollins who gets the last laugh as he earns his way to the PFJ’s highest honor. TE: Mycole Pruitt Mycole Pruitt now has more receiving touchdowns as a Falcon as Kyle Pitts, in one less year with the team. That is all. OT: Ty Nsekhe, La’el Collins OG: Cole Strange, Oday Aboushi C: Jason Kelce As always, the offensive line doesn’t have the same pop as the skill position players, but the fact that Ty Nsekhe was out there playing meaningful (or as close to meaningful as any snaps were for the Rams) snaps for the Rams makes him a no-brainer. Oday Aboushi gets the nod for the same reason, as I probably could have just listed the entire Rams offensive line. La’el Collins makes it for the endless hats he caused Reeb to throw, Cole Strange makes it exclusively for the draft day reaction of Sean McVay, and Jason Kelce makes it because he has a podcast I guess. EDGE: Kayvon Thibodeaux, Joseph Ossai We have a couple of new young players at Edge Rusher this year. If you make snow angels over Nick Foles’ lifeless corpse, you clearly have earned yourself a spot on the All-Joke team. I’m not trying to encourage people, but if you want an easy way on the team, then I’m giving players some free advice. Ossai makes it for breaking the heart of our Unpaid Intern. I felt bad for the guy (Ossai that is, not Reeb), but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a great joke. DT: Linval Joseph, Ndamukong Suh Linval Joseph and Ndamukong Suh make this list for narratively being the saviors of the Eagles run defense, even though they are like 50 years old and playing like 20 snaps per game. And Suh is a perennial All-Joker as you should stay tuned for Jemp’s 2032 article “Ndamukong Who?”. LB: Bobby Wagner, Jaylon Smith Bobby Wagner earned his spot on this list by decking a streaker on national television. He also secured a post-career job as an NFL security guard. Jaylon Smith didn’t do anything nearly as flashy, but just being out there in the year 2022 is enough for Jaylon. CB: Marshon Lattimore, Jeff Okudah, Xavien Howard Not a bad corner group this year. Marshon Lattimore makes it for being the guy who is always a week away from coming back from injury, and then missing like 11 weeks. He came back just in time for the Saints defense to ball out in the final few weeks and finish a nice tidy 7-10. Jeff Okudah has to make it for being talked about like Darrelle Revis for one week after he “shut down” Justin Jefferson, and then yet finishing as PFF’s 77th ranked corner. But that is still higher than Xavien Howard who just forgot how to play football after getting his second payday from the Dolphins. S: Jaquan Brisker, Jamal Adams Jaquan Brisker makes this list for leading the Bears in sacks as a safety… with 4. Let that sink in. The only other safety I remember leading his team in sacks is Jamal Adams, who also makes this list despite being injured for basically the entire season. But the fact that he is totally forgotten on the Seahawks after they traded two first-round picks for him is a great joke in itself. K: Brett Maher P: Johnny Hekker RS: Braxton Berrios Not a bad Special Teams group this year. Johnny Hekker will forever be immortalized as the weapon, and Braxton Berrios is another All-Joke mainstay, although I considered having Rashid Shaheed make the team as a receiver and returner. But Brett Maher makes his first All-Joke appearance for his legendary playoff performance. The All-Pro team might not consider playoffs, but the All-Joke team bears no such bias. And missing four extra points in a row is an all-timer. He should be proud to say he was a unanimous selection at kicker.
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Okay, I know it might seem like I’m running out of time to complete this series, but I work best when hitting tight deadlines. I’ll get the AFC done in a flash. In the meantime, let’s look at probably the best division in football, the NFC West.  The Rams look like they have a fair amount of holes, but this exercise shouldn’t discourage Rams fans at all. Their secondary is still stout, and Aaron Donald deserves his own color to show that he can carry the front seven on his own. The offense lost Austin Blythe at center, meaning Brian Allen will be thrust back into the lineup. Probably not ideal since the last time he went into the season as the starter, the line was awful. But I don’t actually expect that to affect them much. I love the possibilities that come with Matthew Stafford leading a Sean McVay offense, or vice versa. Desean Jackson and Tutu Atwell might not be exciting pickups, but they bring the vertical element that this offense was missing last year. Only question is if the running game can get going, but I still see this team as a serious contender. The Cardinals roster is fine, yet they’ll have some work to do if they don’t want to finish at the bottom of this division. We’ll see if AJ Green and Rondale Moore add anything to this receiving corps, because Christian Kirk and Andy Isabella clearly aren’t cutting it. I like the offensive line, but I’m still waiting to see anything of value from Kliff Kingsbury. On defense, it’s a lot of average players plus a couple of former superstars in JJ Watt and Chandler Jones. Jones is coming off an injury and JJ Watt is in the backend of his career. A little odd that Jordan Hicks won’t be starting as he’s been their best player in their front seven over the past couple years. They seem to be the opposite of the coaching staffs that make rookies earn their spots. They have looked good in preseason, but this decision seemed to be made long before that. Budda Baker is the bright spot in their secondary, but the rest of the unit is solid if they can avoid injury. The Seahawks are a perennial contender as long as Russell Wilson and Pete Carrol are there, but they’ll have their hands full in this division. Their defense is one of the strangest groups in the league, seeming to be a mish mash of outcasts, backups, and Bobby Wagner and Jamal Adams. Their defensive line is deeper than I’ve seen it in years. Poona Ford is a stalwart, Carlos Dunlap returns after bringing life to the unit last year, Benson Mayowa was solid for them last year. They also brough in Kerry Hyder who balled out for the first half of the season last year. And they should get back Al Woods and Darrell Taylor from injury. That’s not even mentioning their former first round pick LJ Collier. Granted, none of these guys are exactly pro bowlers, but they can all play, or at least have potential. Then there is their backend, which has no depth whatsoever. But hey, they haven’t had a good secondary since the LOB anyway, so they should be used to it. Of course their offense is thin as well, but it’s good enough anyway. Despite’s Russ’s complaints about the line, this is probably the best offensive line they’ve had since his first few years. The 49ers have easily the most complete team in the division. Their defense isn’t quite as good as it was during their super bowl run, but there still aren’t many holes. Fred Warner has become one of the best linebackers in the league, and Dre Greenlaw is playing the KJ Wright to his Bobby Wagner. They are thinner in the secondary, but that starting unit is solid all the way around. The offensive line is a strength, and they have more skill talent than they have in a while, with Brandon Aiyuk set for a breakout, and George Kittle back healthy. If Trey Lance proves to be as dynamic as people hope, then the sky is the limit for this team. Time for the NFC South. Let’s take a look to see if anyone can take down the defending champs. Spoiler alert, the other teams in this division cannot.  Well Saints fans might get a break from playoff heartbreak this year. With Michael Thomas out, they have the worst receiving corps in the league, and that includes the Lions. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but the Saints would be lucky to have Breshad Perriman right now. The saving grace for the offense is that they have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, and having Alvin Kamara helps too. Granted, I don’t want to totally write off the pass catchers. Maybe having a quarterback that is willing to sling it to anyone on the field (including the defense) will help one of these guys break out. Or maybe it will just be Taysom Hill and the receivers become irrelevant anyway. There are a couple of position battles along the defensive line. Payton Turner will compete for playing time with Marcus Davenport and Cam Jordan, and that second defensive tackle spot is up for grabs between Shy Tuttle and Malcolm Roach. But, it’s the secondary that is the issue. The unit used to be one of the deepest in the league, and now they are resorting to starting Ken Crawley, who used to be a starter for them 3 years ago, but has been on and off the team the past two years and played only sparingly. I don’t know what to make of the Panthers. On the one hand, I love what the coaching staff did with this team last year, and I’m optimistic about the future. They even took what looked to be the worst defense in the league, and turned them into a decent unit. Brian Burns broke out as a star, while rookies like Jeremy Chinn, Derrick Brown, and Yetur Gross-Matos were instant impact players. They added to the dfense again this offseason by bringing in guys like Haason Reddick, Jaycee Horn, and AJ Bouye. Suddenly the defense looks somewhat formidable. The issue is that you now have Sam Darnold playing behind one of the worst offensive lines in football. I love the offensive coaches, but I don’t know if they can scheme Cam Erving into a competent left tackle. I guess the gameplan can just go back to getting Christian McCaffrey in space, and hope that’s enough to win some games. This could be a rough year for the Falcons. It’s nice that Matty Ice has Calvin Ridley and future Hall of Famer Kyle Pitts, but the rest of the pass-catchers look rough. I’d love to talk up my fellow Wahoo, Olamide Zaccheaus, but I don’t have it in me. The offensive line has a couple of stalwarts in Jake Matthews and now Chris Lindstrom, but still a couple of unknowns as well in Jalen Mayfield and Matt Hennessy. The defense still looks awful. I feel like we’ve been waiting for Deion Jones to turn into Bobby Wagner for about 5 years now and it’s time to accept that it isn’t happening. Grady Jarrett is the lone bright spot in the front seven, and the secondary is somehow worse. AJ Terrell showed some promise as a rookie, but there isn’t much else to look forward to from the corners. I don’t hate the safety group as I’ve seen Erik Harris make some plays on the Raiders, and Duron Harmon has been pretty consistent for his career, albeit as the third safety for most part. They also drafted Richie Grant who can work in at safety as well. The defending Super Bowl Champs couldn’t win this division last year, but right now it looks like they can cruise to the NFC South Title this year. Overall, I’m not that big a fan of the Bucs idea of just running back the same group of guys, although it did make my job in this exercise easier, but it should be more than enough to win this division. I guess the idea is just to keep going for gold as long as Tom Brady has something left in the tank. Who knows how many more season he can play at a high level, but you might as well take advantage of it while you can. But let’s remember, it isn’t as if this team was dominant last year, at least not during the regular season. They were an 11-5 wild card team who had a hard time getting past some of the top NFL teams. They turned that sentiment around in January, but just assuming that they can keep that up could backfire. But, maybe it’s just me that is overthinking things, and running it back with a championship roster works out just fine. Alright, we’re making progress now. Sure, we’ve still got six divisions to go and the shortened preseason is already about to start, but I’m not worried. Just about to really kick things into gear. Much like Aaron Rodgers.  It looks like Aaron Rodgers is coming back despite not being in Love with the organization right now. The rest of the team isn’t much different than last year, other than the loss of Corey Linsley at center. It’s still Davante Adams and Aaron Jones on offense, surrounded by a mesh of guys who may or may not show up. On defense, they are top heavy with Kenny Clark clogging up the middle, Za’Darius Smith coming off the edge, Jaire Alexander shutting down the outside, and Adrian Amos playing ball hawk on the backend. All great players, but they don’t fully cover up some of the holes on this defense. I do like the addition of Devondre Campbell, but that’s just about the only change from last year. They also drafted Eric Stokes, but I don’t see him playing all that much in his first year, despite the fact that I’m sure fans will be clamoring for him the second Kevin King gives up a touchdown. The Bears are still desperately trying to cling to that elite defense they had in 2018. They’ve retained most of the front seven, but the sands of time aren’t in their favor. It’s still not a bad unit by any means, but I don’t expect it to be dominant enough to cover for an ailing secondary. Jaylon Johnson played fairly well for a rookie last year, but it isn’t ideal when a second year player and injury riddled veteran are your only two corners with any substantial experience. On the offensive side of the ball, Fields might add a little life to the unit, but there isn’t much else going on outside of Allen Robinson. Their offensive line struggled last year, so they decided to blow it all up and start fresh, so we’ll see if that pays off for them. If there is a team in this division that can challenge the Packers, it’s definitely not the Lions. Which means the Vikings are the best shot, and I really like the look of this group. The offense was actually really good last year, and they could be even better if Christian Darrisaw works out at left tackle. But it’s the defense that I expect to recover from an embarrassing season. On the defensive line, they get Hunter back from injury, Michael Pierce back after opting out last year, and they bring in Dalvin Tomlinson from the Giants. They could also play Sheldon Richardson opposite Hunter, since they don’t really have another edge rusher, but overall the group is a massive upgrade from what they had last year. I also love the marriage of Patrick Peterson and Mike Zimmer. I smell a bounce back season for the future Hall of Famer. They did just quietly cut Jeff Gladney, who was their first round pick last year, but fortunately they had another rookie in Cam Dantzler that made everyone forget about him. I guess I should mention the Lions as well. Honestly if we ignored the receiving corps and the secondary, this team wouldn’t be half bad. The offensive line is a strength with the Penei Sewell draft pick, and I sneaky love the running back duo of DeAndre Swift and Jamaal Williams. Even the front seven has a lot of nice pieces. Jamie Collins still played well last year, Romeo Okwara had a breakout season, and Trey Flowers is always good when he’s healthy. The best thing I can say about the corners is that they should be able to hold up in practice. I’d suggest avoiding any joint practices or scrimmages if you want to keep their confidence up. Also try to avoid games, because they probably won’t go well either. It’s been a little while since I’ve written a good PFJ article, and we are nearing training camp once again, so I figured I’d revive my division preview pieces. Maybe I can even make it through all the divisions this year.  This is the best I’ve felt about the Football Team in a long time. Now they can go 17-0 instead of 16-0. People think Fitzmagic will be this team’s undoing, but calling him inconsistent haven’t been paying attention to his game the past few years. Just because he’s been benched like 7 times in 3 years doesn’t mean anything. Sure, coaches have always wanted to get some young promising talents in there over him, but fortunately the Football Team doesn’t have any of those players. Plus, he’s surrounded by the best group of skill talent this team has had since Pierre Garcon, Desean Jackson and Jordan Reed were all healthy at the same time for like those couple of games in 2015. Scary Terry will have a monster year, and the offensive line is rock solid with some decent depth. Sam Cosmi could easily win one of those tackle spots as well if he plays well in camp. We know the defensive line is monstrous and the rest of the defense should be able to feed off of that. Jamin Davis and William Jackson are great additions that should propel this defense to one of the best in the NFL. I think I started this exercise right after the Eagles won the super bowl, and every year they look like the most loaded roster in the NFL, only to inevitably disappoint their optimistic fans. The good news is that this year they have clearly bucked that trend. They have added some pieces to their receiving corps, but the pass-catching group is still as confusing as ever. The offensive line is pretty solidified as long as it stays healthy (and why wouldn’t it?) other than the left tackle spot, where an intriguing battle between Andre Dillard and Jordan Mailata is brewing. Dillard is the first-round pick so he may win the job just because of the sunk-cost fallacy, but Mailata has shown more promise, and may have even greater upside given the physical abilities of the former rugby star. The defensive line is still a massive strength, bringing in Ryan Kerrigan to bring some pass rush off the bench along with Josh Sweat. The linebackers are fine with Alex Singleton coming off a breakout season, and Eric Wilson coming in from Minnesota. The secondary is probably still a disaster unless Darius Slay can get a second wind in his career trajectory. At least they signed Anthony Harris who is a free agent steal, but I don’t see this team getting more than 5 wins. Ah the Cowboys, everyone’s favorite pick to rebound now that Dak is healthy. The offense is the same, so they will have just as much production as the beginning of last year and the defense is bound to be better, right? Well, the offense is nearly identical to this exercise last year, except I’ve now put in Dalton Schultz as the starter at TE instead of Blake Jarwin, but I think it makes little to no difference if they end up sticking with Jarwin. There is no doubt the offense is good, well at least at racking up yards and points in garbage time after doing nothing in the first half. But, on paper, the defense is worse than this point last year. Their depth on the defensive line is laughable, as they actually have to count on Randy Gregory to play to field a decent group of edge rushers. Tarrell Basham and some joker they drafted in the third round are their backup options. That may be harsh as Basham at least has experience and I know nothing about Chauncey Golston. Their secondary is just as much of a crapshoot, essentially fielding the same terrible group they had last year after Awuzie got hurt. They did draft Kelvin Joseph and Nashon Wright on Day 2 of the NFL draft, so they desperately need at least one of them to work out, and hope Trevon Diggs can make a leap as well. The safeties are fine I suppose, and the one saving grace for this defense is that it should have a great linebacking corps, which we all know is the most important thing for a 2021 defense. But at least they have Dan Quinn to put everything together. The Giants have the most holes in the division, but that doesn’t meant they are the worst team. I still see this being a strong defense, with a loaded secondary and an interesting front seven. I love the addition of Adoree Jackson. I didn’t rate the slot corner high, but the multiple defenses Patrick Graham runs gives him a myriad of option to work around that with the players he has. They did lose Dalvin Tomlinson, but they still have plenty of interior rushers including the newly signed Danny Shelton. Okay calling Shelton a rusher seems like an exaggeration, but he’s a good run stuffer. They still don’t have an established edge rusher apart from Leonard Williams (who can play inside and out), but they drafted Aziz Ojulari and signed Ifeadi Odenigbo, which gives them options. I love their skill position players on offense, as I didn’t even list Kadarius Toney as a starter for them. However, their offensive line was ranked 31st last year by PFF, and it hasn’t really gotten any better. To be fair Andrew Thomas played much better in the second half of last year, so he could continue to ascend. Yet, that barely helps as the rest of the line is still garbage. Will Hernandez was once thought to be a promising young guard, and then got benched for Shane Lemieux early last year. You might think they kept him on the bench because Lemieux was playing well, but PFF had him ranked dead last among guards. Zach Fulton could take that right guard spot, but he’s spent most of his career as a desperation fill in for teams, so not exactly the ideal choice. But at least maybe Nate Solder could be back to play. Alright, I know this series has taken a little hiatus, but finally it’s back and don’t worry it will get done before the season that’s coming up in less than three weeks. In fact, 3 weeks from today, we’ll have the first game in the books and have Scott Hanson on one TV and the Football Team game on the other. Maybe that last part is just me, but you get the idea. But the point is that I’m running out of time to get this done, so I’d better get to it.  Let’s start with everyone’s favorite team to bury, the Los Angeles Rams. They mortgaged their future by giving a ton of money to their stars, and trading all their first round picks for big names. Clearly this completely ruined their team, forcing them into the dreaded 9-7, something their previous coach just wouldn’t tolerate. Yet, their roster isn’t all that bad. Their defense looks good with a great secondary with Jalen Ramsey leading the way, and I love David Long either in the slot or outside. Their front has some weak spots, but Aaron Donald pretty much makes up for that. The offense is a little murkier. We’ll see if any of their running backs can emerge as the lead guy, or if Josh Reynolds or Van Jefferson can make a difference as the third receiver. Of course, their biggest weakness last year was their offensive line, and the interior spots are pretty much up for grabs. Joe Noteboom and Brian Allen will definitely be competing for spots, but this was the lineup that fueled their best offensive run at the end of the season. Then again, Andrew Whitworth turns 39 this year so if he falls off, then this line is really in trouble. We now move to the team whose bandwagon is filling up faster than the schools in Texas. I was all ready to hop on too, but looking at the roster, it’s hard not to notice that they might have the weakest lineup in the division. Don’t get me wrong, there is plenty to like with this team, and they can certainly compete with anyone. DeAndre Hopkins has put their receiving corps on the map, they have a great group of safeties and linebackers, Patrick Peterson and Chandler Jones are still among the best at their positions, and Kyler Murray has theA chance to break out as a top 10 quarterback. The only problem with that statement is that I feel like a used car salesman when I say all that. The team has no depth at pass rusher or cornerback. It’s sad that Robert Alford’s injury is such a big blow to this defense. They also lost Marcus Gilbert at right tackle when he opted out for the year. However, if Josh Jones works out, then the offensive line might still be solid. This might not be a super bowl contender, but I expect the team to make progress and be very fun to watch. Is the Legion of Boom back? The Seahawks are getting back to what feels natural for them. They now have a loaded secondary, with a great cornerback duo of Shaq Griffin and Quinton Dunbar, only to be outdone by their safeties, Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams. It might be a little short of the original LOB, but they have a defensive identity again. Also in their attempt to become the old Seahawks, they have regained their title as the worst offensive line in the league. They also might have the worst group of edge rushers in the league (eh well maybe the Jets can give them a run for their money). Fortunately, with their strength in the secondary, great linebackers, and very nice group of offensive playmakers, Russ does have more help than he’s had in a few years now, and don’t be surprised if this team steals the division. We close out the NFC with the defending conference champions. The 49ers are nearly as loaded as they were last year. They’ve replaced Joe Staley with Trent Williams, DeForest Buckner with Javon Kinlaw, and Emmanuel Sanders with Brandon Aiyuk. The only position where they don’t yet have a definitive answer is right guard, where Daniel Brunskill and Tom Compton are competing to fill the void left by Mike Person’s retirement. I expect Kyle Shanahan to go with the familiar (yet uninspiring) vet in Compton unless Brunskill really impresses in camp. Either way, the line should be fine. The defensive line should take a small step back, as you can’t expect Kinlaw to be as good as DeForest Buckner as a rookie, but of course it will still be one the better pass rushes in the NFL. In reality, Armstead will start outside, and Dee Ford will come off the bench, with DJ Jones or Solomon Thomas starting inside, but I went with the money lineup. It’s not the starters but this will be the group they use on crucial downs, assuming Kinlaw is better than the interior goofballs I just mentioned. Anyway, the linebackers and secondary look rock solid as long as Richard Sherman can keep up his play. Their biggest question is the passing game. Deebo Samuel is hurt right now, and while he shouldn’t miss too much time, it highlights how thin they are at receiver. Of course it might not matter if Jimmy G can’t hit them anyway. What do you do when it’s 1:30 and you can’t sleep? For me, I get my best ideas for PFJ articles. Typically, I think of them and then fall asleep and forget about them, but not this time. So hopefully this still seems like a good idea in the sober light of day. Anyway, as you can probably tell by the headline, this article is going to go through the top three quarterbacks each season for the past 30 years. Now, I know you probably have a few questions, so let me see if I can knock out a few of the ones I expect are running through your head. Why top 3? Isn’t that kind of arbitrary? Well, yes and no. Mostly yes. But I do think that top 3 is a rough estimate of what makes a quarterback truly elite. For most of my life it was Brady, Manning, and Brees, then Rodgers, Brees, and Brady, now Mahomes, Russ, and Lamar. Top 3 just felt right. Why the last 30 years? Isn’t that kind of arbitrary? Completely. But I have to draw the line somewhere dickbag. Are you counting playoffs? What am I, the Associated Press? Of course I’m counting playoffs, but it isn’t the end-all, be-all for this list. Did you even watch football all these seasons? Nope, just the most recent fifteen years, but I did my research. Most of the people who watched have no idea what they’re talking about anyway. Are you ever going to get to the article? What? Is it too tough to scroll a little extra? I’m getting there. Was that last question really necessary? Probably not, but this one certainly isn’t. Findings:  Another question you may have is why I’m putting my takeaways at the top here. Well, that answer is simple. I know most of you illiterate assholes will be too lazy to read all the way to the bottom, and still complain that you have nothing to do in quarantine, so I’m making your life easier. The biggest takeaway is something I already knew: Tom Brady and Peyton Manning were absolutely ridiculous. Peyton Manning and Brett Favre are probably the most disrespected of the bunch. After their career’s ended they are remembered for being old, washed-up quarterbacks that threw interceptions in the playoffs. Not untrue, but they were also two of the best of our generation, consistently leading some of the best teams in the league due to their incredible, albeit very different, abilities. Most of the younger generation didn’t watch Favre in his prime in the 90s, but he was far and away the best quarterback of that decade. As for Peyton, I always took Tom Terrific in the Brady v. Manning debate, but that doesn’t mean Peyton wasn’t a close second. I still don’t know if there is any quarterback I’ve ever feared more when the ball was in his hands. Anyway, I suggest you take a few minutes out of your busy day and read, or at least skim, all the way to the bottom.
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The great part of the NFL offseason is that it gives us all a chance for retrospection. Being confined to our own homes has allowed me to gain appreciation for the NFL greats of my lifetime. The guys who have maintained almost from the start of my football-watching days. Of course, we have Frank Gore, Larry Fitzgerald, and Adrian Peterson, but they get enough love as it is. Gore, Fitz, and AD are the top 3 among active players in all-purpose yardage, but just behind them is one of the best of our generation. I’m referring of course, to the great Ted Ginn Jr.
I take you back to April 28th, 2007, back when the NFL draft still began on a Saturday. We all know the Raiders drafted arguably the biggest draft bust in NFL history with the first overall pick, but did they really make the biggest mistake? At least they took their shot at a quarterback, and there weren’t any quarterbacks on the board that they missed out on. What were they supposed to do, choose between Drew Stanton and Tyler Thigpen? I contest that the next pick was the bigger mistake. The Lions had the chance to draft one of the greatest receivers in NFL history. They had their struggles in drafting receivers early. First Charles Rogers, then Mike Williams, then Roy Williams, it at least seemed like they were getting better with each pick. But they couldn’t hit their star. At the time, and for years after, we thought they finally did by taking Calvin Johnson, but looking back, were we wrong? Sure, Megatron was great in his time, but now he’s been out of the league for five years, and perhaps, they made the wrong choice. Ted Ginn was on the board, ripe for the picking, and instead the Lions opted for the obvious choice, not daring to take a chance on the incredible upside of the electric playmaker. But they would live to regret this choice. Calvin Johnson retired after the 2015 season, and he now ranks 107th in all-purpose yardage. Not bad by any means, but Ted Ginn Jr. is still going strong, and ranks 25th in all-purpose yardage. He has more than hall of famers like Randy Moss and Eric Dickerson. And if this wasn’t embarrassing enough for Detroit, they now have Ginn in the division, ready to steal the division from them once again. Ginn can stamp his hall of fame resume by climbing even higher into the NFL recordbooks. Maybe it was their Michigan bias against Ohio State, or maybe it was their unwillingness to stray from the conventional draft analysis, but the Lions must deeply regret that fateful day over 13 years ago. Granted, you know what they say, hindsight is 20/15. Moving away from a division that was anybody’s to win, we move to the NFC South, which looks to be a two-horse race. And what a race it is, Team Brady vs. Team Brees. However, the two hall-of-famers are no longer what they once were, but the teams around them are as good as ever, so let’s take a look at them. And we can talk a little about the Panthers and the Falcons too.  The Saints once again enter the season with what looks to be the best roster in the NFL. The sea of green that are their starters are only interrupted with a pair of promising rookies, and of course Tre’Quan Smith. There are still depth issues with their pass catchers, but the addition of Emmanuel Sanders at least gives some relief to Michael Thomas. The offensive line should again be great with perhaps the best tackle duo in the NFL. The interior line has some questions as Andrus Peat is absolutely despised by PFF, but the Saints like him enough to give him a big contract over Larry Warford. Erik McCoy played very well as a rookie last year, and of course Cesar Ruiz was a first round pick. The defense is solid as ever as long as both Old-Man-Jenkinses hold up in the secondary. If Drew Brees can just be an above average quarterback, this team should be ready to get their hearts broken in the playoffs once again. Now let’s make a hard pivot to the Carolina Panthers. Let’s start with the good news. This team has a strong group of offensive skill players with a formidable receiving trio, and the best running back of 2019. The bad news is that there are quite a few other positions in professional football. The offensive line is average at best, and the defense is an absolute mess, despite them using all of their draft picks to bolster it. When signing Eli Apple is immediately a clear upgrade, you know your secondary is in trouble. The front seven isn’t in any better shape, as the only proven asset is Kawann Short, who is 31 years old coming off a torn rotator cuff. And pairing the worst defense in the league with an offense led by Teddy Bridgewater doesn’t seem like a recipe for success. Sorry, I know people like to talk about Teddy like he’s some kind of tragic war hero, but I’m not even sure he’s an upgrade over Kyle Allen when it comes to actual football. The Falcons really remind me of the Bucs going into last year, but perhaps with a little more consistent QB play. The first similarity is obviously in the receiving corps, as I could easily see Calvin Ridley making a Godwin-like jump in his third year to give them one of the best duos in the NFL. But like the Bucs, the WR room completely dries up after the top two stars. They also have a very inexperienced cornerback group and a front seven with some talent, but a lot of inconsistency. However, this team would be extremely lucky to turn out as good as the 2019 Bucs. They don’t have the depth at corner that the Bucs had, so they need to hit with their two young starters. And having Tak McKinley or Dante Fowler have a Shaq Barrett-like breakout would be a borderline miracle. Short of another Matt Ryan MVP campaign, I don’t see this team as a playoff contender. I’ve already said that the Saints have the best roster in the league, but this Bucs team could still give them a run for their money in the division. I don’t expect Tom Brady to ever return to being a top-five quarterback, but if he can be top 12 and clutch in playoffs, then he has enough around him for a Super Bowl run. We know about the great pass-catchers (even if I don’t expect much from Gronk), but now the offensive line should be solidified with the addition of Tristan Wirfs. The front seven is truly one of the best in the NFL, and all those draft picks they spent in the secondary seem to finally be paying off. Jamel Dean, Sean Murphy-Bunting, and Carlton Davis emerged as capable NFL corners last year, and they still have room to grow. If that happens, watch out, because this aggressive defense could be among the best in the NFC. Time to move on to the NFC North. The Packers won it last year, but it looks much more even this year, especially with Mitchell Trubisky all but out of the picture. Honestly, I expect Mitch to start week 1, but quickly lose his job, and then probably have Nick Foles get hurt and Trubisky to have to come back in… Okay maybe too much Bears talk for the intro. Let just get right into it.  The first big decision I had to make for the Packers was whether to slot in Aaron Rodgers or Jordan Love. But, with weapons like Devin Funchess, Alan Lazard, and Jace Sternberger, Rodgers will surely return to peak form. The defense remains virtually unchanged, other than switching out Blake Martinez for Christian Kirksey. That should completely fix their run defense. Perhaps getting Rashan Gary more involved could help as well, as he was sidelined for most of his rookie year thanks to the success of the Smiths on the edge. Maybe our buddy Oren Burks can step up too. The secondary wasn’t quite as good as I hoped, but they still have good pieces with Alexander and their safety duo, and there is still some potential behind them. The nickel spot will be a competition between Chandon Sullivan and Josh Jackson. The Bears again look like a loaded team, other than the quarterback position. Allen Robinson was one of the best receivers in football last year, and Anthony Miller is good option in the slot. Sure, they are a little thin after that, but maybe Cole Kmet or Adam Shaheen can replace Jimmy Graham as a quality tight end, and then their group of pass catchers is looking good. I also love the look of their offensive line. They have four quality starters and bring in Germain Ifedi to move into guard. Sometimes the move from tackle to guard is just what these struggling first round picks need, just ask Ereck Flowers. The defense is again stacked. They replaced Leonard Floyd with Robert Quinn, and drafted Jaylon Johnson to fill in for Prince Amukamara, both of which could be seen as upgrades. But this team could again be sunk by their quarterback, despite the slight upgrade. Either that or he wins them the super bowl, one of the two. As much as I love Kirk, I can’t help wondering if this Vikings team missed their window. The secondary has been completely overhauled, placing previous fill-ins Mike Hughes and Holton Hill in the spotlight, and counting on rookie Jeff Gladney as a starter as well. The only good news is that they may have the best safety tandem in football behind them, and it will be hard for any of them to be as bad as Xavier Rhodes was last year. However, there are just more issues when we come up front. The linebackers are stellar but the defensive line is a mess. Perhaps they will bring back Everson Griffen at some point, but right now they are looking to a group of Ifeadi Odenigbo, Anthony Zettel, Eddie Yarbrough, and 4th round rookie James Lynch to fill in that other edge spot opposite Daniell Hunter. This once mighty defense seems to have more holes than ever. The offense isn’t as much of a concern for me, as I think their receiving group is fine despite the departure of Stefon Diggs. The offensive line still has some problems. I expect they eventually want Ezra Cleveland to play at left tackle, and have Riley Reiff move into guard, but it is a big ask for a second round pick to anchor the blind side from day 1. Yet, I also can’t imagine them sitting Cleveland allowing Dakota Dozier and Pat Elflein to return as the guards, unless he is a complete disaster. But never fear, Kirk will carry the day. It’s weird, but this Lions defense reminds me a lot of the Patriots defense. All jokes aside, it isn’t just the player crossovers, but Patricia has built a defense that focuses on big, brutal defensive linemen, which allow the linebackers to make plays. Jamie Collins and Jahlani Tavai can be those outside athletic linebackers who can be used in multiple ways, with Jarrad Davis and perhaps Reggie Ragland filling the Dont’a Hightower role. The secondary also looks good on paper, though it might look better if they had an All-Pro cornerback as their top guy. However, I guess it underlines the issue with the Lions defense. Patricia has put in a nice structure to the defense, but I don’t know that they have the talent that the Patriots had. Then again, their offense looks much more talented than the Patriots offense from last year at least. They might have one of the best offensive skill groups in the league. Finally, they have a formidable running back group, an impeccable trio of receivers, and young tight end that was being compared to Gronk this time last year. If their offensive line holds up, this could be one of the best offenses in the league. |
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