Telling It All Podcast - Kyrie Irving/Isaiah Thomas Trade, Fantasy Football, MLB and NFL Predictions

Topics Include: The Kyrie Irving Trade Saga (0:30). The Trade From The Cavaliers Perspective (2:45). The Trade From The Celtics Perspective (8:45). The Top Of The Eastern Conference (17:00). Players To Target In Earlier Rounds Of Fantasy Football (20:40). Players To Look For In Later Rounds (25:00). Fantasy Football Strategies (28:15). The LA Dodgers Playoff Outlook (32:40). AFC Divisional Predictions (36:20). NFC Divisional Predictions (40:25).

Soundcloud Podcast Homepage: https://soundcloud.com/ctellallsports

Telling It All Podcast With Ben Goodman - Patriots-Falcons Super Bowl LI Recap

Topics Include: The Atlanta Falcons Dominate First Half (2:37). The Patriots Comeback/Falcons Collapse (7:33). The Falcons 4th Quarter Play-Calling (16:30). The Inevitable Patriots Touchdown In Overtime (22:30). Tom Brady As the Greatest Quarterback Of All-Time (26:40). The Devastating Loss For The Falcons (29:30). Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal 2017 Australian Open Finals (34:00). Carmelo Anthony Trade Speculation (39:30).

SoundCloud Podcast Homepage: https://soundcloud.com/ctellallsports

Telling It All Podcast With Ben Goodman - AFC/NFC Championship Games, Mets Signing Yoenis Cespedes, Cavs Firing David Blatt, Australian Open Second Week

Topics Include: Broncos AFC Championship Game Victory Over The Patriots (0:30). Our Thoughts On The Panthers Dominating The Cardinals In The NFC Championship Game (11:40). Reactions To The Mets Re-Signing Yoenis Cespedes To A 3-year, 75 Million Dollar Contract (14:00). Second Week Preview of Australian Open Men's Singles (19:00). Super Bowl 50 Predictions For Broncos And Panthers Game (23:30).

SoundCloud Podcast Homepage: https://soundcloud.com/ctellallsports

Telling It All Podcast - English Premier League, David Blatt Firing, AFC/NFC Championship Games, Oscars Nominations/Predictions

Topics Include: Can Leicester City Win The EPL Title (0:45)? The State of Manchester City and Manchester United (4:15). What Clubs Will Get Into The Top Four (9:30)? Discussion of the Relegation Battle (11:30). Reaction to the Cavs firing of David Blatt (14:50). AFC Championship Game Preview (22:10). NFC Championship Game Preview (26:35). Oscar Nominations/Oscar Predictions (31:30).

SoundCloud Podcast Homepage: https://soundcloud.com/ctellallsports

Telling It All Podcast - 2015 Sports Year In Review

Topics Include: Who Won The Year In Sports In 2015 (0:30)? Who Were The Biggest Disappointments (4:00)? What Are You Looking Forward To In 2016 (6:00)? 


Podcast Notes:

American Pharoah is the only horse to have won the Triple Crown and the Breeders' Cup Classic. Sunday Silence is the only other horse to have won three of the four grand slam of racing in the same year (won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Breeders' Cup Classic in 1989).

Jordan Spieth (-18 at Masters, -5 at U.S. Open, -14 at British Open, -17 at PGA) finished the four majors at a combined 54 under, surpassing the record set by Tiger Woods in 2000 at 53 under (-4 at Masters, -12 at U.S. Open, -19 at British Open, -18 at PGA).

Pablo Sandoval and Rick Porcello are under contract for 4 more years, and Hanley Ramirez has a 22-million dollar vesting option for 2019 if he accumulates 1,050 plate appearances between 2017 and 2018. Tear, tear for Red Sox fans.

SoundCloud Podcast Homepage: https://soundcloud.com/ctellallsports

NFL Quick Thoughts Through Week 12

AFC Teams Squarely In The Playoff Picture (11 teams): New England Patriots (9-3), Miami Dolphins (6-5), Buffalo Bills (6-5), Cincinnati Bengals (7-3-1), Pittsburgh Steelers, (7-4), Cleveland Browns (7-4), Baltimore Ravens (7-4), Indianapolis Colts (7-4), Denver Broncos (8-3), Kansas City Chiefs (7-4), San Diego Chargers (7-4)

AFC Teams Out Of The Playoff Picture (5 teams): New York Jets (2-9), Houston Texans (5-6), Tennessee Titans (2-9), Jacksonville Jaguars (1-10), Oakland Raiders (1-10)

NFC Teams Still In The Playoff Picture (10 teams): Philadelphia Eagles (8-3), Dallas Cowboys (8-3), Green Bay Packers (8-3), Detroit Lions (7-4), New Orleans Saints (4-7), Atlanta Falcons (4-7), Carolina Panthers (3-7-1), Arizona Cardinals (9-2), Seattle Seahawks (7-4), San Francisco 49ers (7-4)

NFC Teams Out Of The Playoff Picture (6 teams): New York Giants (3-8), Washington Redskins (3-8), Chicago Bears (5-6), Minnesota Vikings (4-7), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-9), St. Louis Rams (4-7)

Clearly, there is still a whole lot to be determined in the NFL despite nearly three quarters of the season having already been played. Here are some quick thoughts through week 12 of the NFL year:

The New England Patriots Are Really Hot:

In the Patriots 42-20 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in week 11, undrafted third year running back Jonas Gray, who never even started at Notre Dame in four years and did not have a single rushing touchdown in his career, rushed for 201 yards and 4 touchdowns. Granted, Gray ran against a Colts defense that has been susceptible to the running game for seemingly 15 years since the days of Peyton Manning (remember that in the playoff game between these two teams last year, the Pats rattled off 234 yards and 6 touchdowns on the ground to advance to the AFC Championship Game). Nonetheless, out of seemingly nowhere, Gray became the third Patriot to run for 200 yards in a game, joining only Jim Nance and Tony Collins, who did so in 1966 against the Raiders and 1983 versus the Jets respectively, became the 5th running back in the last 45 years to have 200 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns in a game along with Barry Sanders in 1991, Corey Dillion in 1997, Mike Anderson in 2000, Doug Martin in 2008, and the first player to score his first four touchdowns all in one game since Herb Henderson in 1921. So what did Belichick and the Patriots do in week 12, they benched Gray after he was late to practice and then proceeded to pound on the once NFC North leading Detroit Lions, who have one of the best defenses in all of football, 34-9 in Foxborough. The Patriots, who are riding a 7-game winning streak since they were plumbed by the Chiefs on Monday Night Football on September 29th, could do anything right now and it would work out perfectly because that is how things are going in New England. Now, let's get one thing straight. I'm sure Belichick loved to show the world that he can do anything he wants and still get a victory, and simultaneously making thousands of fantasy owners thoroughly upset while he was at it must have been a nice added bonus for the smug coach. However, if the Pats thought that they absolutely needed Gray to win the game, he would have been on the field regardless of any internal disciplinary protocol. For example, Darrelle Revis was late to practice on October 21st, but Revis was out there on the following Sunday because they needed him to match up against Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall. The Pats were fine without Gray playing after their acquisition of power back LeGarrette Blount, who ran for 78 yards and 2 touchdowns against Detroit, and Shane Vereen catching the ball out of the backfield. The Patriots are one of those teams where the system is bigger than a majority of its parts. With Gray coming back into the fold next week against the Packers, the Patriots should continue their dominance running the football.

The change in the play of the Patriots has been striking. At one time, New England was a very unconvincing 5-2 heading into a stretch at home against Chicago and Denver, at Indy, home against Detroit, on the road at Green Bay and San Diego, and then home against Miami (teams at this point that have a combined record of 48-29 and five of which are in position to be in the playoffs). Many Pats fans would have taken a record of 9-5 after that brutal stretch, one of the toughest in the NFL this year, and yet New England has played its best football since its Super Bowl run in 2011 with four straight 21 point victories against the Bears, Broncos, Colts, and Lions, matching a record they set back in 2007. The Patriots are now sitting at 9-2 as they head into the tail end of their difficult schedule, and laughable articles about Jimmy Garappolo replacing Brady and there being friction in the Pats front office about Garappolo taking over the starting job can be put to bed forever. Rob Gronkowski returning to full health and looking like the Gronk from 2011 has been a major factor, if not the main reason, behind the Pats return to dominance on the offensive side of the football. The Gronk that is just punishing teams over the middle of the field with seam routes and blocking guys out of bounds with no regard for humanity and not looking limited coming off his ACL/MCL right knee injury has finally returned to New England over the past couple of weeks. After understandably not getting too many reps in the early part of the season and not having a game with at least 45 yards in the Pats 3-2 start, Gronk had 100 yards and a touchdown against the Bengals, 149 and 3 touchdowns versus the Bears (the first tight end with those numbers since Shannon Sharpe in 1996), 105 and a touchdown against the Broncos, and 71 and a touchdown against the Colts.

This is what I wrote about Gronk before the season. "Gronk has been limited in practice and will likely take some time to come back and return to his normal self, but the Pats really need the big tight end for the stretch run and the postseason more than anything else. His addition to New England's offense is so important and cannot be understated because of his value to Brady in unlocking defenses over the middle and in the red zone especially. At 6-6, Gronk is such a big body that it is almost impossible to get in front of him when he runs those inside seam routes and crossing routes over the center of the field, and with the new NFL rules, you also can't hit him up high to jar the ball loose (if you can't hit high, you have to hit low and remember T.J. Ward, now of the Denver Broncos, cost Gronk the end of his season last year when he got him down in the knees, the only spot you can hit now without getting flagged for unnecessary contact; thanks Roger Goodell). New England had a 58.11 red zone touchdown percentage in 2013-2014, which was still good enough for 8th in the NFL, but with Tom Brady at QB, only in 2009 did they have a lower touchdown success rate between the 20 and the goal line in the last 10 years and that had a lot to do with Gronk's absence. Clearly, in the red zone everything is compressed, so it is harder for smaller guys like Edelman and Amendola to find space and open field because everything is so clustered, and the two combined for just 8 touchdowns last season. New England dearly missed having the big body of Gronk to throw to up high in the red zone when things got tight and there were not as many open windows to throw to underneath. With Gronk returning, it gives Brady a dynamic option in the red zone and when he is under pressure and needs to get rid of the ball because of Gronk's ability to out muscle any defender whether it be a bigger but slower linebacker or a quicker but smaller safety (unless it is Kam Chancellor because he is just huge). It will also create more room for guys like Amendola, Dobson, and Thompkins to go down the field with all of the attention that Gronk's presence down the middle of the field deservedly creates (his presence off the field also seemingly creates a lot of notice amongst people, but that is for another time)."

If you look at the presence that Gronk has had for New England over their winning streak, he is as big a reason as any for why Tom Brady has suddenly played so much better since some of his struggles in the beginning of the year. The Patriots lead the NFL in red zone touchdown scores per game because of just how good Gronk and his big body is between the 20 and the goal line. Not only can Gronk box guys out because of his superior size and make plays in the red zone, but he commands so much attention and double teams from opposing defenses that it allows other guys to get free for Brady. For example, in the game against the Lions this past weekend, Tim Wright was able to catch two wide open touchdowns because Detroit put so many bodies on Gronk and the Pats used him as a decoy for Brady. The Pats have also begun to welcome opposing wide receivers to Revis island, which is now looking like one of the best signings of the off-season because he looks like the shutdown Revis from back in 2010 and 2011 (other great NFL off-season signings have been Golden Tate for Detroit, Emmanuel Sanders for the Broncos, Henry Melton for Dallas, Brandon Flowers for San Diego, and Branden Albert to sure up the offensive line in Miami). New England has shown that they can run the football (week two against the Vikings, week 5 against the Benglas, week 11 versus the Colts), throw the football (week 6 versus the Bills, week 8 against the Bears, week 12 versus the Lions), and shut teams down when their offense isn't clicking (week 3 against the Raiders), but like all Patriots teams since their dynasty began in 2001, it is all about the postseason. As long as Gronk stays healthy, this is as dangerous as we have seen the Pats in a couple of years.

The NFC South Is Really Bad and the AFC North Is Really Good:

Remember when we thought the 2010 NFC West was bad? The NFC South makes that division look like the 2000-2001 NBA Western Conference because the Saints, Falcons, Panthers, and Buccaneers are all really bad teams. The NFC South is so bad that the Bucs, who are 2-9, second to last in the NFC in points scored, tied for second to last in the conference in points against, and lost 56-14 to the Atlanta Falcons in week 3, are just two games behind the 4-7 Saints and Falcons in the division (the Jets are 2-9 and mathematically eliminated from the playoffs and the Bucs are actually right there in the playoff hunt somehow). The NFC South is so bad that the the Saints are tied for the division lead and have only had a worse 11 game start to a season when they were 3-8 back in 2005 in the Katrina year on their way to a 3-13 season. The NFC South is so bad that the Atlanta Falcons are 4-0 in divisional games (beat the Saints, Bucs twice, and Panthers) and 0-7 against all other teams in the NFL (loss to the Bengals, Vikings, Giants, Bears, Ravens, Lions, and Browns). The NFC south is so bad that the Panthers have not had a victory in their last 6 games (tie against the Bengals and losses to the Packers, Seahawks, Saints, Eagles, and Falcons), their longest such streak since they lost 7 in a row in their 2-14 year in 2010, and are just a game and a half out of the division lead. The NFC South is 1-10-1 against the AFC North, the AFC division that each of their teams are playing, and 4-7 against the NFC North, the NFC division that each of their teams are playing. Overall, the putrid division is 6-23-1 in out of divisional games, which is on pace to set the mark for the second worst out of division record behind the 2008 NFC West. Hopefully, the horrible NFC South winner will show the NFL that each of the divisional winners should not be guaranteed to host a playoff game, especially when a possible 6-10 Saints or Falcons is hosting a 11-5 Cowboys or Seahawks.

As their records would indicate, the Saints, Falcons, Panthers, and Buccaneers have each run into some very significant problems this season. New Orleans, which cut defensive end Will Smith and cornerback Jabari Greer, let linebacker Jonathan Vilma go, and lost safeties Malcom Jenkins and Roman Harper to the Eagles and Panthers respectively in the-offseason, is 27th in the league in opponents passing yards per game. In a Rob Ryan defense that loves to blitz five or six guys and keep their corners and safeties in single coverage, the Saints have not gotten the secondary play from Keenan Lewis, Corey White, Kenny Vaccaro, and Jamarca Sanford to substantiate their blitz heavy scheme. Drew Bress has also thrown 11 interceptions through 11 games, which has put the Saints in the bottom 5 of the NFL in turnover differential at -9 with the Redskins, Jaguars, Jets, and Raiders, all of whom are terrible teams. The Falcons have played exactly as you would expect from a Mike Smith coached team and found more ways to lose close games than most people would think is humanly possible. In their loss to the Browns this past week, Mike Smith inexplicably stopped the clock by calling a timeout with 55 seconds left before a third down play, which allowed the Browns to keep all three of their timeouts and mount a drive to set up a Billy Cundiff game-winning field goal as time expired. When Smith was asked about calling the timeout he said, "They [Cleveland] would have used the timeout if we hadn't," so why not save Cleveland and Mike Pettine the trouble and take the timeout for them right? In Carolina, meanwhile, Cam Newton is getting hit as we speak, as the former Auburn quarterback seems to be consistently under more pressure than anybody not named RGIII. Newton has been sacked 33 times this season, which is tied for the 5th most in the NFL, and was highlighted when the Eagles got to Cam 9 times on Monday Night Football back in week 10. The Panthers have used so many different offensive line combinations this year with injuries to left guard Amini Silatolu, left tackle Byron Bell, and right guard Trai Turner that it has killed Newton. Finally, the Bucs have been a complete mess on both sides of the football from the beginning of the season and have had few bright spots outside of dynamic rookie wide receiver Mike Evans. Can things get any worse for this disaster of a division? Well, Mike Smith could continue to mess up late game situations with his horrid clock management, Lovie Smith could keep on relying on the Tampa 2 defense, the Panthers could continue to allow Cam Newton to get beat up, and the Saints could continue to lose games at home (they have lost three in a row after not losing in New Orleans in a year), which means they wouldn't be able to get any victories at all with their road history.

Meanwhile, the AFC North is the exact opposite of the NFC South, and is reminiscent of the rugged 2013 NFC West. All four of the teams in the North are at least three games above .500 and while the Ravens, Steelers, and Bengals have been three of NFL's most consistent teams over the past decade, the emergence of the Cleveland Browns has made the AFC North really solid from top to bottom. The AFC North is the first division since the 1935 Western Division with the Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, and Chicago Cardinals to have a point in the season where all four of the teams are at least two games above .500. The Bengals, Steelers, Ravens, and Browns are an incredible 20-7-1 in out of division games, and all have positive point differentials, which only the 2007 NFC East and 2008 NFC South have accomplished for an entire season over the past 13 years. In fact, the AFC North's out of division winning percentage above .700 has only been done by seven divisions since the merger back in 1970, which is such an impressive mark. While none of the four teams in the AFC North are as imposing as the Patriots, Broncos, and likely even the Colts, it has the most depth of any division in recent NFL history with all their teams at 7 victories on the season through 12 weeks.

For the fourth straight year with Andy Dalton at quarterback, the Bengals have been able to rack up a lot of wins in the regular season. Cincinnati, who has not won a playoff game since they beat the old Houston Oilers in 1990, are really balanced on offense and are pretty sound on defense although they could use a better pass rush from players other than Carlos Dunlap (the Bengals have 14 sacks through 12 games, which is tied for 30th in the NFL and only ahead of the deplorable Raiders). Highlighted by right tackle Andre Smith, the Bengals rock solid offensive line has prevented Dalton from getting pressured on more passes than any other quarterback in the league and has helped their power running game with Jeremy Hill and the more shifty Giovani Bernard. The reason why a really average quarterback like Dalton has been able to be so successful in the regular season and a QB like Cam Newton has struggled so mightily is that Dalton's weapons, specifically his line and athletic wide receivers A.J. Green and Mohamed Sanu, are at the top of the entire NFL. Meanwhile, Cleveland, who are off to their best start since 2007, have looked nothing like the Browns of old, which is a very good thing, because of their great secondary play. Joe Haden is one of the best four cornerbacks in the league with Patrick Peterson, Revis, and Richard Sherman, and Buster Skrine has really come along despite teams throwing at him so often because of their fear of Haden. The Browns acquisition of big hitting safety Donte Whitner, has also allowed Tashaun Gipson the freedom to roam the field and follow the quarterbacks eyes on passing plays, which is why he leads the NFL in interceptions (the last safety to lead the NFL in picks outright was Ed Reed back in 2010). The Ravens have gotten through the entire Ray Rice mess that was brought about by the despicable actions of Rice himself, but also the incompetence of Roger Goodell and preserved to a 7-4 start to the season (I'm holding back on any Goodell hate although it is so tempting). Baltimore has not really excelled in any one facet of the game, but they have been above average on both offense and defense and are 5-0 against teams that are under .500. Steve Smith seems to be revitalized in his move to Baltimore despite changing teams for the first time after 13 years with Carolina, and has already had four games with at least 85 yards and a touchdown. Smith may not have the explosiveness he once did back in 2005 when he led the league in receptions, receiving touchdowns, and receiving yards, but he is still as tough and feisty as any player in the NFL. Elvis Dumervil's 10.5 sacks are the third most in the NFL and Will Hill, who endured so many off the field problems while with the Giants, has been a nice addition to a Ravens secondary that lost Aaron Ross for the season to a torn Achilles and Jimmy Smith to foot surgery. Finally, the Steelers have been really tough to figure out this year, as they demolished the Colts and Ravens in back-to-back weeks but have also suffered losses to the Bucs and Jets. They also were caught falling a little too in love with the passing game, which is justifiable when Big Ben throws for 12 touchdown passes in 2 weeks and Antonio Brown is second in the league in receiving yards, but they remembered in the second half against the Titans that their true identity is running the football (Le'Veon Bell finished that game with 204 yards and a touchdown).

The Dallas Cowboys Have By Far The Best Offensive Line In Football:

With the best tackle in football in Joe Thomas on their offensive line, the Browns have provided some really nice protection in the pocket for Brian Hoyer, which has allowed him to step up in the pocket and make some big throws down the field to streaking receivers. In Baltimore, with two of the best guards in football in Marshal Yanda and Kelechi Osemele and the quick Eugene Monroe at left tackle, Joe Flacco has been sacked just 14 times in 12 games for the Ravens, which is tied for the 4th fewest in the NFL, because of team's inability to get interior pressure on him (that says something because Flacco is possibly the slowest quarterback in the NFL aside from Tom Brady and the Manning brothers). The Seahawks offensive line highlighted by Max Unger and Russell Okung has opened up huge holes for Marshawn Lynch to run through in Seattle, which is why the Seahawks lead the NFL in rushing yards and rushing yards per carry. Phillip Rivers is third in the NFL in completion percentage in large part because of the time that his tackles D.J. Fluker and King Dunlap have given him to pick out Antonio Gates, Keenan Allen, and Malcolm Floyd, and Eddie Royal. Finally, there has been a resurgence in New England because of the consistency of their offensive line to give Brady time in the pocket to pick out his receivers down the field, which has been. However, the Dallas Cowboys offensive line of Tyron Smith at left tackle, Ronald Leary at left guard, Travis Frederick at center, Zack Martin at right guard, and Doug Free at left tackle is by far the best offensive line in the NFL, which is something we never thought we would have said about the Cowboys a few years ago when Romo was getting hit on almost every dropback and they couldn't get a running game going.

Obviously, having a great quarterback is the biggest factor in the success of a team because you almost always need a great QB to win a Super Bowl (I understand that Brad Johnson, Jeff Hostetler, Trent Dilfer, and Mark Rypien won Super Bowls, but you almost always need a top quarterback to get through the grind of the playoffs). However, the quarterback is the most dependent position in sports, and offensive lines in football are typically the strongest determinant of a team's ability to move the ball down the field because games are played from the inside-out starting in the trenches. Having an extra second to throw the ball in the pocket or going 3.5 yards before contact on running plays rather than 2.2 yards is often the difference between a playoff club and a team that is watching in January. The improvement in the offensive line of the Dallas Cowboys has enabled them more than anything else to a mark of 8-3 through 12 weeks, and a win away from not finishing at .500 for the fourth straight season since 2011 (last season, the Cowboys joined the 1983-1985 Green Bay Packers and the 1996-1998 Houston Oilers as the only team's to have three straight seasons with the same number of wins and losses). The dominance of the Cowboys offensive line has allowed DeMarco Murray to lead the league in running yards per game (123.1), first down runs (65), and rushing yards (1,354), and has put him on pace to pass Eric Dickerson in terms of total yards in a season. Tony Romo has only been sacked 21 times through 12 games, which is the 4th fewest in the NFC, and the Cowboys have only allowed more than two sacks once in their last 9 games (in comparison, Matthew Stafford has been sacked 33 times this season). When the Cowboys were trailing 28-24 with 3 minutes left in the fourth quarter and went down the field on their game-winning touchdown drive, Tony Romo was literally given all day to stand in the pocket and pick out his receivers. Granted, what was once a real strong point for the Giants defense during their two Super Bowl runs has turned into a major weakness, as New York has the 4th worst pass rush in the NFL in terms of sack numbers. However, what Dallas's offensive line did to the Giants was so impressive nonetheless, especially on the touchdown throw to Dez Bryant when Romo was allowed to survey the field for 7 or 8 seconds, grab dinner, date Candice Crawford, Jessica Simpson, and Carrie Underwood, and then toss the TD.

The centerpiece of the Cowboys offensive line is left tackle Tyron Smith, who is the best tackle in the NFL not named Joe Thomas. Taken with the 9th pick in the loaded 2011 draft out of USC (the Cowboys highest pick for an offensive lineman since they took John Niland with the fifth overall selection back in 1966), Smith is a monster in pass protection with his good hands and in run blocking for DeMarco Murray. He dominated Jason-Pierre Paul a few nights ago and held Robert Quinn, Chris Clemons, and Cliff Avril without a sack against the Rams, Jaguars, and Seahawks respectively. In the 2014 NFL Draft, as enticing as it would have been if the Cowboys selected Johnny Manziel with Tony Romo coming off back surgery, Jerry Jones did the prudent thing (who would ever thought we would say that) and took offensive guard Zack Martin out of Notre Dame to solidify the final piece of their ascending offensive line. It was just the third time since 1967 that the Cowboys had taken an offensive lineman in the first round with Howard Richards in 1981 and Smith in 2011 being the others (in comparison, the Rams have used the same number of first round picks on offensive linemen since 2005 alone with Alex Barron, Jason Smith, and Greg Robinson and the Packers and Bears have used 11 first rounders on the O-line since 1967). The Cowboys pick of Martin showed their shrewd emphasis on creating a dominant offensive line, which has paid off in the form of 8 wins and 3 losses through 12 weeks.

2014-2015 AFC East Predictions

AFC East:

The New England Patriots have dominated the AFC East unlike any other team in a single division in all of sports (basically, they have been the Microsoft of the AFC East). The Pats have won the division 11 of the past 13 years with the only exceptions being in 2002 when they went 9-7 with a second year Tom Brady - the last time they didn't have double-digit wins in a season - and in 2008 when they joined the 1985 Denver Broncos as the only teams to not make the playoffs despite winning at least 11 games in a season (the Seahawks won the NFC West with 7 wins in 2010 for perspective) after they went 11-5 with a Belichick is the true genius inspired Matt Cassel replacing an injured Tom Brady at quarterback for the entire season (ironically, the next year in 1986 the Broncos and John Elway had the same record in the AFC West and were actually the 2 seed in the conference, the same season they beat the Browns in "The Drive"). The Patriots have had an unprecedented run of success since Belichick ditched the Jets for New England in 2000 in a move somebody with true integrity like Jason Kidd would never do, as a 158-50 record over the past 11 years with 8 AFC Championship Game appearances, 5 Super Bowl appearances, and 3 Super Bowls is something that Browns and Lions fans wouldn't even be able to dream about because it seems so distant and fanciful to their doormat franchises. Tom Brady is one of the top 4 quarterbacks of all-time along with Johnny Unitas, Joe Montana, and Peyton Manning (apologizes to Otto Graham, John Elway, and Dan Marino) and Belichick is one of the top 8 greatest coaches ever along with legends Vince Lombardi, Paul Brown, George Halas, Tom Landry, Bill Walsh, Chuck Noll, and Don Shula (sorry Joe Gibbs, Curly Lambeau, and Bill Parcells).

However, it is a lot easier to be the class of your division when everybody around you is about as incompetent as Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell in The Other Guys. The Bills have not made the playoffs since they fatally lost the Music City Miracle to Frank Wycheck, Kevin Dyson, and Tennessee Titans all the way back in the 1999-2000 season. Over the past 14 years, the Bills have been 88-136 with 8 seasons of double-digit losses, have trotted out the likes of Alex Van Pely, Rob Johnson, J.P. Losman, Kelly Holcomb, Trent Edwards, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Brian Brohm, Jeff Tuel, Thad Lewis, and now EJ Manuel to play quarterback, seen a variety of their top picks excel on other teams whether it be Willis McGahee in Baltimore, Donte Whitner in San Francisco, Marshawn Lynch in Seattle, or Paul Posluszny in Jacksonville, and had Donald Trump and Bon Jovi make runs at buying the team (the only thing worse that could happen to the Bills is if they moved to Toronto and had Rob Ford replace Doug Marrone as head coach and Doug Whaley as general manager. On second thought, no longer having Doug Marrone patrolling the sidelines wouldn't be the worst of things for Buffalo). It has not been much better in Miami despite their owner Stephen Ross spending huge chucks of money on big name free agents to try and make the team relevant down in South Beach, as they have brought in guys like wide receiver Mike Wallace, left tackle Branden Albert, cornerbacks Brent Grimes and Cortland Finnegan, and defensive tackles Randy Starks and Earl Mitchell over the past two free agencies. The Fins have not won a playoff game since they beat the Colts in the 2000 Wild Card round with Jay Fiedler playing QB - their defense with Trace Armstrong, Jason Taylor, Zach Thomas, Larry Izzo, Sam Madison, and Brock Marion was ferocious - and unlike the Packers, who went from Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers, the Colts who went from Peyton Manning to Andrew Luck, or the Oilers/Titans who went from Warren Moon to Steve McNair, they have still not found a reliable starter since Dan Marino retired in 1999, playing everybody from Sage Rosenfels to Tyler Thigpen over that time span. Finally, outside of the two seasons in which they somehow made back-to-back AFC Championship Game appearances in 2009 and 2010, the Jets have been full of drama and juicy story lines whether it be Tebow or Sanchez or Revis, but have not done all that much to challenge the Pats in the East. New York has not had a winning season in each of the past three years, the only other teams with that unfortunate mark are the Dolphins, Bills, Jaguars, Raiders, Bucs, and Rams, and Rex Ryan's time at MetLife Stadium may be running on thin ice.

New England Patriots:

Before any sentence can even be muttered about the Patriots offense in 2013-2014, it has come as a prerequisite to say, "Tom Brady had limited pass catching weapons," or "Tom Brady had a depleted receiving core," or "the Patriots lacked the options on the exterior to exploit a defense down the field," and that may be fair to say about the team (they did have the second most drops and second worst drops percentage in the NFL last season, only behind the Detroit Lions). Rob Gronkowski had two different surgeries on his forearm and then back surgery in the off-season, which caused him to miss the team's first 6 games, and then tore his ACL and MCL, which caused him to miss the club's last 3 games and the postseason. Aaron Hernandez went from 910 yards and 7 touchdowns in 2011 to being indicted for murder by 2013 and became the biggest criminal the country has seen since Phil Spector or Paul Kelly. Brady was left with a receiving core of rookies Aaron Dobson and Kenbrell Thompkins, who both dropped so many passes that they made Stevie Johnson look like he has sure hands (they were two of three NFL players along with Browns running back Chris Ogbonnaya with at least 7 drops and less than 40 catches in 2013-2014), and Danny Amendola, who was a free agency disappointment in coming over from St. Louis in the off-season. However, outside of three years with Randy Moss from 2007 to 2009 when Moss caught 47 touchdowns in three seasons including a record 23 in 2007 and the 2011 year when Welker, Gronk, and Hernandez combined for 33 touchdowns and each eclipsed 900 yards, Brady has never really had top end receivers and he has been just fine in New England. Now, that is not to say that if Brady had a receiving core like the one in Chicago with Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery, or Washington with DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon, and Andre Roberts, or San Francisco with Boldin, Crabtree, Steve Johnson, Brandon Lloyd, and Vernon Davis that he wouldn't be a much more efficient quarterback. What I am saying, though, is that Brady's receiving core was better than many of the groups he has had in the past in New England and that Brady should be held accountable for some of the mistakes he made last year, particularly when he missed so many throws high against Denver in the first half of the Patriots 26-16 AFC Championship Game loss to the Broncos. Furthermore, Julian Edelman, was terrific last season and may have been just as lethal as Wes Welker in that slot receiver role for New England in helping the team constantly move the chains with short routes to the sidelines and slants over the middle, so exclusively blaming the receivers for some of the Pats offense struggles is just not warranted. Brady struggled against the blitz last season, especially on third down, and although that certainly had something to do with his receivers not getting off the line quick enough and making plays, Brady took too many sacks to cost him team opportunities to score in the opposing territory.

Despite all of that talk, the Patriots should still win the AFC East once again this season by several games (in the last four years, New England has won the division by 3 games, 5 games twice, and then 4 games last season), and despite some of his struggles last season, Tom Brady is not regressing to the mean and is still a top four NFL quarterback along with Manning, Rodgers, Brees. The Pats have completely moved on from the Aaron Hernandez fiasco, the most paranoid man since Joseph Stalin, and Brady should have more continuity and familiarity with his receiving core this year of Danny Amendola, Julian Edelman, Aaron Dobson, Kenbrell Thompkins, newly acquired Brandon LaFell from Carolina (sorry Cam Newton but your receivers are all but gone), and for Pats fans sake, hopefully a healthy Rob Gronkowski. Gronk has been limited in practice and will likely take some time to come back and return to his normal self, but the Pats really need the big tight end for the stretch run and the postseason more than anything else. His addition to New England's offense is so important and cannot be understated because of his value to Brady in unlocking defenses over the middle and in the red zone especially. At 6-6, Gronk is such a big body that it is almost impossible to get in front of him when he runs those inside seam routes and crossing routes over the center of the field, and with the new NFL rules, you also can't hit him up high to jar the ball loose (if you can't hit high, you have to hit low and remember T.J. Ward, now of the Denver Broncos, cost Gronk the end of his season last year when he got him down in the knees, the only spot you can hit now without getting flagged for unnecessary contact; thanks Roger Goodell). New England had a 58.11 red zone touchdown percentage in 2013-2014, which was still good enough for 8th in the NFL, but with Tom Brady at QB, only in 2009 did they have a lower touchdown success rate between the 20 and the goal line in the last 10 years and that had a lot to do with Gronk's absence. Clearly, in the red zone everything is compressed, so it is harder for smaller guys like Edelman and Amendola to find space and open field because everything is so clustered, and the two combined for just 8 touchdowns last season. New England dearly missed having the big body of Gronk to throw to up high in the red zone when things got tight and there were not as many open windows to throw to underneath. With Gronk returning, it not only gives Brady a dynamic option in the red zone and when he is under pressure and needs to get rid of the ball because of Gronk's ability to out muscle any defender whether it be a bigger but slower linebacker or a quicker but smaller safety (unless it is Kam Chancellor because he is just huge), but it will also create more room for guys like Amendola, Dobson, and Thompkins to go down the field with all of the attention that Gronk's presence down the middle of the field deservedly creates (his presence off the field also seemingly creates a lot of notice amongst people, but that is for another time). Obviously, the more time that Brady's line of Nate Solder, Josh Kline (replacing Logan Mankins), Ryan Wendell, Dan Connolly, and Sebastian Vollmer gives him, the better he will be at spreading the ball around and getting the running game going with their assortment of backs including Stevan "Nobody Lost More Fumbles Than Me Last Season" Ridley, Shane "I Am Such A Good Pass Catching Tailback Just Call Me Kevin Faulk 2.0" Vereen, Brandon Bolden, and James "Watch Out For Me Because I'm Good Even Though I Played Behind Montee Ball In College" White.

People often tend to forget with Tom Brady and the Pats offense, just how concentrated the club has been with their running game since Bill Belichick took over as head coach at the turn on the century. Obviously, the emphasis on the running game has gone away a little bit over the years with Brady maturing as a quarterback and the league rules changing in such a way where any time a defensive back touches a receiver, it is a holding or pass interference penalty. Nonetheless, New England is one of the more balanced teams in the NFL (something the Lions and Cowboys could learn from), and are at their best when they are able to move the sticks with the run game and then set up the play action for Brady when he has more time to set his feet and really step into his throws without defenders in his face. Only the Bills, Jets, Chargers, and Bengals averaged more rushing attempts per game than the Patriots last season in the AFC and that was only the case for Buffalo and New York out of necessity because you really don't want to see EJ Manuel and you really, really don't want to see Geno Smith sit back and throw the ball 35-40 times a contest unless you are the opposing defense. In 2012, New England led the league in total yards (6,846) and points per game (34.8) largely because their 9.2 rushing first downs per game led the league (it has still not been bettered by any other franchise over the past 11 seasons), but last year they averaged just 7.1 rushing first downs per contest and were down to 7th in total yardage in the NFL. The Pats have always liked to wear teams down in the Brady-Belichick days with the running game and then set up the pass as the game goes along, but they do have some offensive line question marks. New England traded long-time left guard Logan Mankins to the Tampa Bay Bucs because of some issues with contract restructuring in very Patriots like fashion and their replacement, Josh Kline, only started one game in his rookie season last year. Furthermore, Sebastian Vollmer is coming off a broken leg and missed the second half of the year in 2013-2014 with the injury. Offensively, however, the Patriots have Tom Brady and the other teams in the AFC East do not possess the same advantage, so scoring a lot of points will not be too tough for this Patriots team in the regular season, but they will have to be hitting on all cylinders to win their first Super Bowl since back in 2004 (it has been longer than you think). Time is of the essence for an aging Tom Brady, who is already 37 years old, but they should have no problem rolling through the AFC East and finishing with a 11-5 or 12-4 record like they do almost every year. I also say that in large part when you consider the fact that they will have Vince Wilfork and Jerod Mayo, the lynch pins of their defense, both returning from injuries that cost them their season in 2013, Darrelle Revis shutting down one side of the field at cornerback and bringing back Revis Island, and the very athletic Chandler Jones rushing the passer from the right defensive end spot in the Pats much improved 4-3 defense.

Miami Dolphins:

There are certain quarterbacks coming into this season that are a very delicate point in their careers amongst fans of the league and NFL teams, and if they play well, they will have faith restored in their ability to lead a club to the promise land, but if they don't have a good season, serious doubts about their future as a starting quarterback and the amount of success that they can have if the NFL may come into thinking amongst everybody involved with a particular franchise. That is not to say that if certain quarterbacks don't have a good season this year that they will no longer have a job as a starter in this league, although it could in some instances, but it does means that serious doubt will be cast over their ability to take a team deep into the postseason and clubs may need to re-evaluate if this is their quarterback of the future (for example, the Vikings did not see enough out of Matt Cassel or Christian Ponder and the Raiders saw nothing positive out of Terrelle Pryor and Matt Flynn in 2013 to give either team the confidence that any one of their respective quarterbacks could be the long term solution for the club behind center, so Minnesota took Teddy Bridgewater out of Louisville with the last pick of the first round despite some of his arm concerns and Oakland took big throwing Derek Carr from Fresno St. in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft despite some of his brother concerns in hopes that they can be the guy for the next couple of years). Some of those signal callers that are at a very make-or-break point this season include Jake Locker, Carson Palmer, and Jay Cutler and possibly if you want to stretch this category out a little bit, Andy Dalton if he gets to the playoffs and fails to win a playoff game for the 4th straight season, Robert Griffin III (Kirk Cousins is right on his back in Washington), and even Eli Manning after his 27 interception laughing stock of a season last year although I think he needs maybe one or two more poor years to put him at a breaking point because of his two Super Bowl wins against Tom Brady and the Pats in 2007 and then again in 2011. However, the first name that comes to mind under this classification of quarterbacks is certainly Miami Dolphins third-year starter out of Texas A&M, the new factory for quarterbacks, Ryan Tannehill. After a 7-9 year as a rookie and a 8-8 season that came up just shy of the postseason in 2013-2014 because of some really bad losses at the end of the season including a 19-0 defeat to the Bills in week 16 and a 20-7 clunker against the Jets in the final week of the season at Sun Life Stadium, Tannehill needs to prove himself down in Miami this year for the Dolphins to put their complete trust in him going forward as their franchise QB. Tannehill throws a really nice ball, and he has a strong arm to get the pigskin down the field in a hurry, even when he is on the run and outside of the pocket, which is perfectly suited for a team that has the down the field receiving threat of Mike Wallace breaking the top off defensive coverages with his outstanding speed. Tannehill spreads the ball out nicely, despite too many of his passes getting tipped at the line of scrimmage (he had one game in a 2012 loss when two of his tipped passes against the Texans resulted in picks), and he isn't afraid to gun some throws into tight coverage, but like many young quarterbacks, his decision making needs to improve, and he needs to get rid of the ball quicker while not staring down receivers when doing so from the pocket. Tannehill is probably a 4th level QB and somewhere in the range of 20-25 amongst NFL single callers and he will have to make a little bit of a jump into the level of Nick Foles, Alex Smith, and Andy Dalton in order for the Fins to be all-in on him.

As much as this is a make-or-break year for Ryan Tannehill in year three, the Dolphins are almost at a franchise crossroads entering the 2014-2015 season because they either need to make some strides forward or change the way their roster is shaped under new general manager Dennis Hickey because the Bills, Browns, Lions, and possibly Texans and Redskins are the only teams that have been less successful than Miami since 2000. The Fins have been so mediocre since Marino's retirement 14 years ago with a record of 107-117 since the turn of the century, not good enough to challenge in the AFC with the likes of the Pats, Colts, Steelers, Ravens, and Broncos but also not bad enough to blow the whole thing up and start all over again (they have finished between 6 and 8 wins for 5 straight seasons since 2009 and have only had three top 7 draft picks since 1993). The Dolphins have tried for years to put some nice complimentary pieces around their quarterbacks on the offensive side of the ball, and despite past failures with guys like Jake Grove, Ernest Wilford, and to a certain extent Brandon Marshall, they have tried to make some strides in improving their offensive line, which was just terrible last season, and receiving group. Miami signed Branden Albert to a 5-year, 47 million dollar contract in the off-season to hold down their left tackle spot, which was a good move since Albert is coming off his best season with the Chiefs in 2013, and drafted Ja'Wuan James out of Tennessee in the first round, who is a much better pass protector than dominate force in the run game. The Dolphins desperately needed some new linemen to keep Ryan Tannehill on his feet and Albert and James should provide that in the passing game. Last season, Tannehill was hit more than almost any other quarterback in the NFL and had very little time in the pocket to go through his progressions because of constant pressure in his face. Miami was dead last in the NFL in QB sacks per game at 3.6, the most in a year since 2006, and in plays without the opposition sending extra men on a blitz, teams were still able to sack Tannehill 30 times, the most in the league by a good margin. Tannehill really struggled with his decision making when he faced pressure in 2013, which he did on nearly 23 percent of his passing attempts, so Miami was often put into long down-and-distances because of sacks and errant throws. With Mike Pouncey on the PUP list while still recovering from hip surgery, the Fins will be starting five entirely different offensive lineman from last season, which is a positive sign in the sense that they were proactive in the off-season and didn't just sit back after their QB was constantly knocked around last season like the Texans did with David Carr, but it is also a little bit worrying since they have barely worked together as an offensive unit. If the Dolphins are able to run the ball this season with new back from Denver Knowshon Moreno along with second-year tailback Lamar Miller, it will take a lot of pressure off the back of Tannehill. The Fins were only ahead of the Browns, Steelers, and Ravens in the AFC in rushing yards per game in 2013-2014 and were 27th in the NFL in rushing touchdowns last year, which put everything on the shoulders of Tannehill. They will need to be more balanced this year to help out Tannehill and get their offensive line pushing forward in the running game.

Much like how their offense has some really nice features (their receiving core with Mike Wallace, Brian Hartline, and Charles Clay) and also some real question marks (offensive line and running game) and would be categorized overall as fairly average to below average, the same can be said for their defense and their entire team in general (essentially, they are headed for another 7-9 or 8-8 season and a year of mediocrity). The Dolphins were 24th in rushing yards allowed per game last year at nearly 125 yards and as a Colts fans, I know what it is like to have opposing teams tail backs constantly running all over you on Sundays, so they need to improve on that front or feel the misery I have become so accustomed too over the years (as an optimistic Colts fan, however, with the newly acquired 30-million dollar Arthur Jones from Baltimore, Montori Hughes, and Cory Redding up front in the 3-4, Indy is going to have their best run defense since they ranked 15th in rushing yards per game in 2007 and went 13-3). Like many teams with below average rush defenses, Miami does have some dynamic pass rushers to get to the quarterback because their defensive ends just shoot down their lanes on the outside of offensive tackles and get to the QB on occasion, especially in obvious passing situations, but also leave openings in between the guard and the tackle in the running game. Aldon Smith, DeMarcus Ware, and Miami defensive end Cameron Wake are the only defenders to have two seasons of 14 or more sacks since 2010 and only Robert Mathis and Mario Williams had more sacks in the AFC than Miami's other defensive end, Olivier Vernon, last season, who came up with 11.5 including 7 in his last 7 games. In the secondary, any team that has to be heavily reliant on the very erratic and unpredictable Cortland Finnegan, like Miami is going to have to do this year with second-year players Will Davis and Jamar Taylor as their only other main cornerbacks, is a little nerve wrecking. Miami probably did make an upgrade in bringing in safety Louis Delmas from the Lions and letting the worse Chris Clemons, not the former Seattle and now Jacksonville one, go to Houston, but it may not make up enough for some of the defensive woes that the team has in the run game and with the unreliable Finnegan at the other starting corner spot across from Brent Grimes. Expect another year of .500 football from a very mediocre Miami Dolphins team and more head scratching and pondering of what to do moving froward with the club.

New York Jets/Buffalo Bills:

It is the Jets and the Bills. They are starting Geno Smith and EJ Manuel at quarterback respectively, two guys who make me confident in the abilities of Shaun Hill and Ryan Fitzpatrick. Do I need to say anything more? They are actually two teams that have a lot of similarities when you really come to think about it. New York and Buffalo both have second year quarterbacks that did not show nearly enough in their rookie seasons to give their fan bases any confidence in them going forward. When Manuel was on the field last year and not dealing with his knee injury, he showed his athleticism and ability to throw the ball on the run, but he still needs to improve on his pocket awareness this upcoming season. Geno Smith looked out of his comfort zone at times last season, like the game was just moving too fast for him, and he will have to be, at the bare minimum, a servicable quarterback for the Jets to do anything in 2014-2015. The Jets and Bills were also two teams that ranked at the top of the AFC in rushing play percentage in 2013 despite the fact that Chris Ivory's only good game came against the Saints, his former team, and C.J. Spiller single-handled ruined 30 percent of all fantasy football leagues last season when he went late in the first round and had 2 touchdowns all year long and had 23 rushing yards or less in 5 out of the 15 games he played in for Buffalo. The clubs have some serious defensive problems heading into this season despite the Jets very solid interior and Bills above average secondary, as New York's cornerback situation is in such disarray that Dimitri Patterson ran away from the team in fear of what was going to come in the future and the Bills lack the quality linebackers that you need in a 4-3 defense to stop the run (they ranked 28th in rushing yards allowed per game in 2013 and that was with a Marcell Dareus that didn't come to camp way overweight and a healthy Kiko Alonso, who will be out for the entirety of the season with a torn ACL). New York and Buffalo also have new wide receivers to help their young quarterbacks, as the Jets spent the big bucks for Eric Decker and the Bills traded up with the Browns to acquire Sammy Watkins. Nonetheless, expect 5-11 or 6-10 seasons for New York and Buffalo and top 10 picks in the 2015 Draft with questions circling around the teams all season long about future quarterback prospects such as Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota, Brett Hundley, Connor Cook, and Kevin Hogan. Also expect Rex Ryan and Doug Marrone to be looking for jobs this off-season and Muhammad Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson of the Jets defensive line and Mario Williams, Kyle Williams, and Leodis McKelvin of the Bills defense wishing they had more capable offenses to help them win some more football games. New York football teams are in for another tough season, especially if the new look Giants offense mirrors their miserable performance in the pre-season and the Jets and Bills play the sub-par football must people expect from them in 2014-2015.

Possible Future Frank Caliendo Impersonations

By now, almost everybody has seen ESPN's 30 for 30 mockumentary on Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman starring comedian Frank Caliendo.

 

Not only does Caliendo look like all of the analysts and coaches that he impersonates in the video, but it is incredible how spot on he is with all of their little mannerisms and specific idiosyncrasies. David Hasselhoff could take some notes (it probably wouldn't help him anyway to be honest).

Here are some of Caliendo's other very impressive impersonations that I found after a quick youtube search:

 

  

 

This got the staff at Cory Tell All Sports thinking (Ok, it got me thinking) about some impersonations of sports analysts and athletes that we (and by that I mean I) would love to see in the future. After hours of deliberating and thinking, which would make the John Isner-Nicolas Mahut match look like an appetizer, here is what I have come up with as some of the funniest coaches in sports that could, and absolutely should, get mimicked by Frank Caliendo.

  

Detroit Lions Head Coach Jim Caldwell: 

In a sport that could not be any more captivating to fans and players alike, Jim Caldwell could not look any more emotionless on the sidelines. He is a coach that is so lifeless and stoic that he makes Bill Belichick, a man who reportedly smiled a total of 7 times during 115 minutes of press conferences this season despite the fact that his team went 12-4, won the AFC East for the 11th time in 13 years, and made their 8th AFC Championship game since 2001, look euphoric with every word he utters to the media. I'm sure Lions fans, a group of supporters that have seen a total of one playoff victory in the last 57 years, are just going to be overjoyed with every Matt Stafford side-arm interception throw, followed by the inevitable Jim Caldwell expression that makes Jon Fredersen in Metropolis look like he wears his emotions on his sleeves. I think this impersonation could provide some challenges for Caliendo just because I'm not sure if he could be as unemotional and impassive as Caldwell. I'm taking odds on Jason Dufner cracking a simile before we get some kind of passionate cry from Detroit's new head coach on the sidelines. Jim Caldwell makes Jean Dujardin in The Artist look like a loud and impassioned character. Detroit fans seem to have found the reincarnation of Darryl Rodgers, or Marty Mornhinweg, or Rod Marinelli (we might be here all day if I continue). I could definitely see Caliendo having some fun with the deadpan nature of Jim Caldwell.

New Orleans Saints Defensive Coordinator Rob Ryan:

This one is an absolute no-brainer for me. Anything involving the always entertaining Ryan brothers and a coach that needs to get a haircut before he can receive an interview for a head coaching job is an obvious choice for a Frank Caliendo impersonation. Jason Isaacs in Harry Potter, Daniel Day Lewis in Last of the Mohicans, David Bowie in Labyrinth, and Nicolas Cage in Con Air are likely jealous of Ryan's mop. In terms of football, there is no doubt that Ryan is one of the best coordinators in the NFL with his all so effective 3-4 defensive scheme. In 2012, with Steve Spagnolo at defensive coordinator and no injury based bounty system (I mean alleged injury based bounty system), the Saints defense was just atrocious, as they were the 2nd worst in the league in passing yards allowed and points allowed and worst in the NFL in rushing yards allowed and yards allowed. Ryan, however, transformed their defensive play this year, bringing them up to 2nd in the NFL in passing yards allowed and 4th in the league in yards allowed and points allowed. The thing that makes Ryan so easy for a Caliendo performance is his very vibrant and vociferous personality. Over the past year, Ryan has bought drinks for Saints fans after victories against the Falcons and Cowboys, got #RobRyanface trending on twitter after the Patriots came back to beat the Saints in week 6, been named the Grand Marshall in the Mardi Gras parade, and taken so much attention away from Sean Payton that some people may have forgotten he returned to the sidelines this year after his great work as the offensive assistant on his son's sixth grade team in Texas. Caliendo should definitely impersonate Rob Ryan, at the very least just to try to pull off his untidy, sloppy hair.

San Antonio Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich:

Coach Pop has had the same calculated and gruff demeanor ever since he became the Spurs coach in 1996-1997, and he has provided some of the best quotes and moments for NBA fans during his time in San Antonio. In the 2007-2008 Western Conference first round, for example, Popovich decided to employ the hack-a-shaq strategy, making Shaquille O'Neal, a career 58.2 percent free throw shooter, go to the free throw line fourteen times during the last five minutes of each half in game 5. As a joke, the always cunning and comical Popovich decided to foul Shaq five seconds into the first game of the following season, reminding the great center of his inability to knock down key free throws and his team's postseason failures the previous year. The hack-a-shaq tactic, which was evidently a very shrewd strategy, is just one of the many great Pop moments, as the coach loves to show his brusque, blunt attitude to the media. Just look at this youtube video of some of Popovich's funniest lines. Pop's rather surly personality has been reflected in his basketball team's toughness and intensity. The Spurs have been in the playoffs every year since 1997-1998, which has only been eclipsed by five teams for a longer postseason stretch (Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers from 1950 to 1971, Portland Trail Blazers from 1983 to 2003, Utah Jazz from 1984 to 2003, Boston Celtics from 1951 to 1969, and Los Angeles Lakers from 1977 to 1993). In fact, only Phil Jackson (11), Red Auerbach (9), John Kundla (5), and Pat Riley (5) have more NBA titles than the legendary Popovich. There would be nothing better than seeing Caliendo take on Pop's grumpy nature in his next sports impersonation video.

Seattle Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll and Tampa Bay Rays Manager Joe Maddon:

I'm grouping these two guys together because they just have too many similarities to ignore, and their upbeat coaching styles and personalities would be great for a Caliendo impersonation. First, both of these guys are on the older side for coaches in the professional ranks, especially nowadays where the Seahawks have an average age of 26 years old and the Rays have pitchers on the roster that are just 22. In fact, Pete Carroll at 62 is the second oldest coach in the NFL only behind 67 year old Tom Coughlin (inset Giants joke here about how Coughlin has lost his team, or how Big Blue has a non-existent pass rush, or about how Eli Manning has now lead the league in interceptions three times but somehow has more Super Bowl wins than Dan Marino, Jim Kelly, Fran Tarkenton, Warren Moon, Dan Fouts, and his brother combined). Joe Maddon at 60, meanwhile, is only younger than Ron Washington (61) and Terry Collins (64), which is saying something since everybody knows that baseball is an old men's game (the MLB didn't install some kind of magical system to make sure calls on the field were actually correct until 28 years after the NFL did so in 1986). However, you would never know that Carroll and Maddon were two of the oldest guys in their respective professions from watching them, as they are two of the funniest and most entertaining coaches in the business. Players love to play for the Seahawks and the Rays because of Carroll's and Maddon's animated and lively coaching styles. Seahawks linebacker Heath Farwell said about Carroll, "A lot of guys can relate to him, and understand we're going to have a lot of fun here. We're going to play hard and practice hard, but we're going to have a lot of fun doing it. It's a great atmosphere." Meanwhile, Maddon is known for his wildly fun and outrageous antics that include bringing in a 20-foot snake to the club house, wearing a helmet to a post-game press conference, walking Josh Hamilton with the bases loaded, and recently making a parody of Mike Gundy's infamous I'm 40 rant from 2007. I would love to see Caliendo try to bring the passion and zeal that Caroll and Maddon exude in his next comedic video.

South Carolina Gamecocks Head Coach Steve Spurrier:

Not only is Steve Spurrier one of only two active coaches, along with Frank Beamer, to have more than 200 career FBS victories, but the old ball coach has also had some the best lines of any coach in the history of sports. Spurrier has become notorious for chiding some of his main rivalries, particularly Tennessee and Georgia along with Florida St. when he was at Florida from 1990 to 2001 and Clemson in his time with South Carolina. One of Spurrier's more famous lines during his time in Gainesville was, "You can't spell the Citrus without U-T," referencing the fact that Tennessee often ended up in the second-tier Citrus Bowl, playing in the game three out of four years from 1993 to 1996. In 2012, Spurrier was asked about his thoughts on South Carolina's game against Georgia being moved from its normal week 2 spot to week 6. He replied, "I don't know. I sort of always liked playing them that second game because you could always count on them having two or three key players suspended," making fun of Georgia's poor disciplinary history (the Bulldogs had three notable stars get three game suspensions in 2011 including former top 20 recruit Isaiah Crowell). This year when Spurrier was asked about coaching at Tennessee for the 14th time in his career he joked, "Will be the 14th time I've coached in Neyland Stadium. I've coached there more than some of their head coaches." Spurrier was humorously alluding to the fact that n the last five years, the Volunteers have had four different head coaches (Lane Kiffin, Derek Dooley, Jim Chaney, and Butch Jones). However, my personal favorite Steve Spurrier line is when he asked about his offensive line this season and he replied, "Our offensive line [is] pretty good at everything except for blocking. Unfortunately, that's all we ask them to do." Spurrier's brutal honest gives us some classic lines, which I would love to see Caliendo emulate in his next video.

New England Patriots - Indianapolis Colts Post-Game Podcast

New England Patriots - Indianapolis Colts First Half Podcast

Adrian Peterson Deserves The NFL MVP Award

As the NFL playoffs head to the Divisional Round and we reflect on the outstanding season in the league, it is hard to say that this year was anything less than extraordinary. The variety of intriguing storylines such as the success of the rookie quarterbacks and the historic record chases by Adrian Peterson, Calvin Johnson, and J. J. Watt created a tremendous amount of interest across the league. Like every year, the great individual and team performances were mixed with a multitude of bizarre moments such as the replacement officials simultaneous catch ruling in the Packers-Seahawks game or Jim Schwartz illegal challenge on a play that was already getting reviewed. The 2012-2013 NFL season was a year to remember.

The NFL MVP award has become a glorified honor for the best quarterback in the league the last 20 years. Since 1994, the award has been captured by 15 quarterbacks including both Peyton Manning and Steve McNair when they split the honor in 2003, and just 5 running backs. There is no doubt that the NFL is driven by the quarterback position and that the league has become reliant on the vertical passing game. While the play of Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Aaron Rodgers shouldn't be overlooked, Adrian Peterson deserves the MVP award this season.

The fact that Peterson tore his ACL and MCL in December of 2011, and returned for the first week of this season, makes his entire year that much more special. Although Peterson started out the season a little slow for his standards and had just one 100-yard rushing game through the first 6 weeks of the season, he ran for at least 100 yards in 9 of his last 10 games and averaged nearly 160 yards and a touchdown per game over that stretch. If you don't even take Peterson's first 6 games into account, he still would have been the 2nd leading rusher in the league. While Peterson's 2,097 yard season was just 9 yards shy of breaking Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing record, he still became just the 7th running back to ever rush for 2,000 yards along with O.J. Simpson, Eric Dickerson, Barry Sanders, Terrell Davis, Jamal Lewis, and Chris Johnson, and he accomplished the feat just a year removed from a horrid knee injury.

Peterson's value to the Vikings in their surprising run to the playoffs can not be understated or minimized, as a preponderance of Minnesota's offensive attack was contingent upon AP. With a passing game that was dead last in the NFC in yards per game and a weak receiving core, especially after Percy Harvin was sidelined with an ankle injury, Peterson carried the load for the Vikings week-after-week. Despite the fact that defenses knew Peterson was going to get the ball, his rare combination of power and speed was unable to be corralled all season long. In the Vikings week 17 victory over the Packers to send them into the playoffs, Peterson carried the ball a career high 34 times and rushed for 199 yards and a touchdown despite 7 or 8 Packers in the box for the vast majority of the game.

Obviously, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Aaron Rodgers all have very compelling cases for the MVP award as well. Manning completely transformed a Broncos offense and his command of the team and his consistency was astounding. Brady had another typical Tom Brady year, as the New England quarterback didn't throw an interception in 11 of 16 games this season. Finally, Aaron Rodgers led the league once again in quarterback rating and had a very impressive 39-8 touchdown to interception ratio. However, the award should still go to Peterson, as he had one of the greatest single-season efforts in running back history.

Chip Kelly's Offensive System Can Work In the NFL

Over the past ten years, the NFL has seen a dramatic transformation in the way the game is played and it is no longer your father's league. With a bevy of new rules benefiting the vertical passing game, teams are throwing the ball at a historic rate. For example, Detroit Lions quarterback Matt Stafford attempted 727 passes this season, which is an average of more than 45 passes per game. Furthermore, old NFL cliches are becoming quickly outdated. The notion that rookie quarterbacks need time to develop and can't play right away and that college coaches can't be successful in the pros is being discredited. Rookies Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, and Russell Wilson all led their respective teams to the playoffs and Ryan Tannehill and Brandon Weeden both had fairly good years. In the NFC West, two former college coaches, Jim Harbaugh and Pete Carroll, both led their teams to the playoffs and the Bucs showed promise this season under former Rutgers coach Greg Schiano. The NFL is quickly molding into a new type of league and Oregon head coach Chip Kelly and his unique offense could definitely be very effective.

Although the college and pro games are obviously played at much different speeds, it would not be prudent to discredit the success that Chip Kelly has had at Oregon. Since Kelly was named the head coach in 2009, the Ducks have had an incredible record of 46-7 (33-3 in conference) including four straight appearances in BCS bowl games, which has only been matched by Miami, USC, and Ohio State since 1998. Kelly has run the most dynamic offensive system in the country with the Ducks, which makes his NFL coaching prospects so enticing. In each of the last three years, Oregon has finished the college football season in the top five of rushing yard per game, yards per game, as well as points per game, which displays just how proficient the Ducks have been on offense. Despite the undeniable talent gap between the pros and college, the collegiate game is swiftly becoming much more advanced and the difference between the NFL and college game has never been smaller. Although Kelly's success with the Ducks certainly doesn't mean that he will experience the same feats in the pro game, it is an indication that his offensive attack can work at the next level.

One of the main criticisms of Chip's spread offense is that it can only prosper with a quick and mobile quarterback under center and a speedy running back along side him in the backfield, which is what Kelly has had at Oregon. While Chip's high-powered offense would definitely flourish with a duel threat quarterback like Cam Newton, RGIII, or Russell Wilson, it can still be very effective with a pocket passer. Kelly's offensive system is predicated on its tempo more than anything else and therefore if Kelly had a quarterback that lacked mobility, he would just increase the pace of the team's offense. For example, Kelly has made numerous visits to the New England Patriots, upon Bill Belichick's request, to show the team his up-tempo offensive style. With their no-huddle and faster pace, the Patriots led the league with an average of 74.4 plays per game, which in comparison was almost 14 more plays per game than the defending Super Bowl Champion New York Giants ran during the season. Kelly's offense is all about tempo and speed, which is starting to become a popular trend in the NFL, and this exemplifies why so many league executives are attracted to him.

The Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, and Philadelphia Eagles have all set up meetings with the Oregon coach, and all three of the clubs seem to be very interested in his services. Each of the teams could use an offensive revamp, as they all finished outside of the top 20 in points per game this season. Aside from the promising improvements that Kelly could bring on the offensive side of the ball, his "win the day" mantra of playing hard every day, and the fact that all of his players seem to very much like him as a coach, could bring a much needed cohesion to an NFL team, especially one with the talent level of the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Jets Should Start Tim Tebow

Timothy Richard Tebow. Just uttering the name of the former Heisman Trophy winner steers up controversy, emotions, and heated arguments amongst fans and naysayers. Never in the history of the NFL has a backup quarterback, who has completed just 5 passes through the first 10 weeks of the season, been the talk of every radio show and television newscast in the country. Mark Sanchez has had to answer more questions about Tim Tebow than anybody could have imagined when Woody Johnson and Mike Tannenbaum traded for the polarizing QB from the Broncos back in March.

Although Rex Ryan continues to say Tebow will have an expanded role in the Jets offense, week after week Tebow is only on the field for a few snaps each game. With the Jets sitting in a 3-6 hole and in grave danger of being out of playoff contention with 5 or 6 games left in the season, it is time they turn the ball over to Tebow. Not only does the two-time college National Champion give the Jets a wide range of play choices with his dynamic ability to both pass and run, but Mark Sanchez has played so poorly the last couple of weeks that the Jets absolutely need a change behind center.

The struggles of Mark Sanchez, especially in the last two Jet losses, is the main reason gang green need to make a change at quarterback. If the Jets do in fact make a switch behind center, it would be more about Mark Sanchez losing his role due to his poor play rather than Tim Tebow taking over the quarterback job.

There have been glimpses this season where we have seen an effective Mark Sanchez, specifically in the Jets 29-26 overtime loss to the Patriots in Foxboro. Although the Pats secondary does rank dead last in the AFC in passing yards allowed per game and has been getting torched all season, Sanchez looked in rhythm with his receivers and was throwing the ball on time all game long.

However, moments of promise have been few and far between for Sanchez and the team's offense. Aside from the Patriots game, the Jets passing attack has been extremely lackluster. No team in the NFL fears gang green's air attack whatsoever, as only the Jacksonville Jaguars have thrown for less yards in the AFC than the Jets. Sanchez is also the only NFL starting quarterback to have thrown for less than 140 yards in more than two games this season, as he failed to eclipse the 140 yard mark in games against the Steelers, 49ers, Colts, and Seahawks. Not only has Sanchez held on to the ball for too long in the pocket, which has resulted in sacks and turnovers, but the former USC quarterback's accuracy has also failed him, as he ranks dead last in the league with a 52 percent completion percentage.

As a duel threat quarterback, Tebow can bring unique qualities to the Jets that the inept offense has been lacking all season long. Although Mark Sanchez is mobile in the pocket and can move around to evade sacks, Tebow can extend plays like no other quarterback in the NFL, which would allow the Jets poor receiving core more time to create separation down the field. Tebow's running ability would also prove to be a weapon for the Jets rushing attack, which is averaging just 3.8 yards per carry through nine games. With defenses keying on Tebow's running prowess and stacking the box, it would leave openings in the secondary for the Jets much-maligned receivers as well.

Obviously, Tebow has his limitations as a passer. Although his ability to throw the deep ball is very underrated, his accuracy is a source of concern. However, Tebow would bring something different to a Jets offense in need of a change, as the offensive attack has sputtered all season long.

While Mark Sanchez deserves the lion's share of the blame for the Jets 3-6 start, there have been a multitude of failures for the Jets not only on the field, but in management as well as in the front office.

Frankly, the Jets just don't have the talent that was there when they reached the AFC Championship game in back-to-back years in 2009 and 2010. While the Jets "ground and pound" style was in the top four of the NFL in both of their playoff years, only four other AFC teams have rushed for fewer yards per carry than the Jets this season. While Thomas Jones and LaDainian Tomlinson were proven running backs, Shonn Greene is nowhere near a top flight NFL back. The Jets also have limited talent and big play ability with their wide receivers. Whereas in 2010 gan green had Santonio Holmes, Braylon Edwards, Jerricho Cotchery, and Brad Smith at their receiver positions, with Holmes out for the season this year, the Jets receiving core of Stephen Hill, Chaz Schilens, Jeremy Kerley, and Clyde Gates is almost laughable to think about. Although Stephen Hill, who the Jets drafted in the second round from Georgia Tech, has electrifying speed, he has dropped far too many passes in his rookie campaign.

The Jets coaching staff has also miss managed their use of Tebow in their "wildcat" package. The former Florida QB has not had nearly enough snaps to make the plays that he is capable of making, as the Jets continue to use their dynamic playmaker for just seven snaps per game. Also, when Jets offensive coordinator Tony Sparano does use Tebow behind center, he is way too conservative with his play selection. Rather than let Tebow sit in the pocket and observe the field and allow him to make plays, Sparano continues to have Tebow fake the ball to the running back and run it straight up the gut, which every defense player is expecting, for three or four yards.

If Jets owner Woody Johnson and general manager Mike Tannenbaum brought Tebow in to be a factor rather than to sell hot dogs, PSL's, and make the back pages of the news, than why has Tebow's role been so small in the offense? Also, if Tebow is going to be rarely used, why bring him into the fold and create a tremendous amount of pressure on Mark Sanchez?

If the Jets fail to beat the St. Louis Rams this week, their season will essentially be all but over and considering how poorly Sanchez has played in the Jets last two losses to the Dolphins and Seahawks, gang green need to turn to Tebow. With the Jets three games out in the AFC East as well as three games behind the Steelers and Colts in the AFC Wild Card, it is now or never for New York.

Best Trades During The First Round Of The NFL Draft

Although the first two picks of the NFL draft lacked the drama of a normal year, there wasn't a dearth of quality selections and as always a lack of head scratchers.

On Wednesday, Colts officials confirmed the overwhelming thought that they were going to take Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck with the first pick in the NFL draft. General Manager Ryan Grigson said, "We didn't see the point in prolonging what the world already knows. It's about Andrew and we wanted to do the right thing by him... We've exhausted the process. We've pretty much made up our mind and we're going to go from there. We feel good about it and we'll go from there."

The next day, Redskins G.M. Bruce Allen announced what most people assumed when the Skins gave up three first round picks to acquire the second overall selection from the Rams, which was that the Skins would take Baylor quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III with their selection. Allen said, "We think that Robert fits our offense to a tee. We're excited about being able to complement him with what we've already been able to do with some of his special talents. Obviously his charisma is going to be embraced by the Redskins Nation."

Although this year had no where near the amount of anticipation at the top of the draft like in 2006 when questions swirled all draft week on the Texans difficult decision between taking Mario Williams, Reggie Bush, and Vince Young with the first pick, a lot of another intriguing stroylines emerged.

With offense numbers at a record high last year and team's slinging the ball all over the field with the passing game taking over the league, defense was a priority in the draft. From picks 6 to 21, there were 13 defenses players taken, compared to just 3 offense players selected.

Coming into the draft, most people thought that there wouldn't be as many trades as last year because of a lack of really can't miss guys and not a great disparity between players projected to go in the first round and the second round. For example, instead of a team trading up to try and get a guy like Quinton Coples, the assumption was that they could wait until the second round and select a guy like Andre Branch, while not losing any more picks.

However, the first round was littered with teams trading up to get a player they desperately wanted as well as teams trading down to stockpile on picks. There were eight draft day trades during the first round, as the Colts were the only team in the top 7 to hold on to their draft pick from the start of the draft process. The Patriots, Broncos, and Rams all made two trades to change their position in the draft (including the Rams pre-draft trade with the Redskins).

Best Trades During The First Round:

#5 Pick: Jacksonville Jaguars - WR Justin Blackmon from Oklahoma State:

When the Jacksonville Jaguars traded up from the 16th pick in last year's draft to acquire Blaine Gabbert out of Missouri with the 10th overall selection, the Jags expected Gabbert to become their quarterback of the future. Due to the ineffectiveness of Luke McCown (McCown was picked off 4 times in three quarters against the Jets in week 2) Gabbert was forced to play much earlier than expected, and the rookie severely struggled in his 14 starts.

In 8 of Gabbert's starts he threw for less than 150 yards and he had a woeful completion percentage of 50.8 to go along with a league low 65.4 passer rating. Gabbert was hit a ton in the packet, as he was sacked 40 times (tied for the most in the AFC along with Big Ben), and his confidence looked down and he looked deeply flustered when he would drop back to pass. Gabbert almost looked fearful of staying in the pocket and making a throw down the field because he was always getting hit.

Jacksonville's inept offense, which ranked dead last in yards per game and passing yards per game last year, will be getting a huge lift with the addition of 2-time Biletnikoff Award winner (given to the best receiver in college football) Justin Blackmon. Blackmon will provide the outside threat that Jacksonville so desperately needs, and a go-to-guy for Blaine Gabbert, who didn't have a receiver last year with more than 44 catches or 460 yards.

The Jags made a terrific move by giving the Buccaneers their 7th overall selection and a fourth round pick, in order to move up two spots and ensure that they would land Blackmon. Blackmon, who is 6'1'', is often compared to Anquan Boldin because of their similar stature and their great hands. Blackmon, who was third in the FBS last year with 121 catches, is very comfortable in catching the ball over the middle and he is also a huge red zone threat, as he ranked 2nd in the FBS last year with 18 touchdowns.

Whether Gabbert can be a successful quarterback in the NFL remains to be seen, but Jacksonville has found themselves a pro-bowl caliber receiver in Blackmon.

#6 Pick: Dallas Cowboys - CB Morris Claiborne from LSU:

The Cowboys time to win with their current core group of players is starting to run down and Cowboys fans are growing inpatient of their team's lack of success, despite all of the talent that they have assembled. By the start of next year, Tony Romo will be 32, Jay Ratliff will 31, DeMarcus Ware and Jason Witten will be 30, and Marcus Spears will be 29. For a team that has a 1-6 playoff record since 1998 and hasn't made it past the Divisional Round since they won the Super Bowl 17 years ago in 1995, the Cowboys had to move up in the draft.

Last year the Cowboys downfall was their atrocious secondary play. They ranked 23rd in the NFL in opponents passing yards per game, as the opposing quarterback threw for an average of 244 yards against them. After the worst season of his 9 year career, the Cowboys released their long time top cornerback Terence Newman. Newman looked like he lost a step, as he struggled to stay with speedy receivers and had a career low of just 8 pass deflections all season long. As Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said," We've had our shortcomings in our secondary for the last three seasons."

It was a great draft day trade by the Cowboys to make a leap up 8 spots to the 6th pick and give the Rams their 14th overall pick and a second rounder because the Cowboys desperately needed a cover corner with the ability of Morris Claiborne. Claiborne, who has been overshadowed in LSU's daunting secondary the past two years because of the play of Patrick Peterson (who was taken 5th in last year's draft by the Arizona Cardinals) and the "Honey Badger" Tyrann Mathieu (who finished 5th in the 2012 Heisman Trophy voting), is the best pure cornerback of all three guys.

Claiborne is everything that a team is looking for in a cornerback that is going to try and shut down the opposing team's best receiving threat. The 2012 SEC Defensive Player of the Year and Jim Thorpe Award Winner (given to the best cornerback in college football) is extremely athletic and has unbelievable ball skills for a cornerback, as Claiborne had 6 interceptions last year. Although the move was a bold one, it was necessary because the Cowboys need a shutdown corner, which Claiborne has the ability to be. The Boys will have to stop top receivers like Brandon Marshall, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, Roddy White, A.J. Green, Mike Wallace, Marques Colston, as well as Victor Cruz and DeSean Jackson twice a year if they want to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2009.

#12 Pick: Philadelphia Eagles - DT Fletcher Cox from Mississippi State:

Last year, the so called "Dream Team" began the season 1-4 and after a week 13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, the Eagles were sitting at 4-8. A season that started so promising with the signings and acquisitions of quarterback Vince Young, running back Ronnie Brown, defensive end Jason Babin, defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins, and cornerbacks Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, ended without a playoff birth. It was the first time the Eagles didn't make the playoffs in back-to-back years since 1998-1999.

The Eagles downfall last year was their inability to stop the run. Through the Eagles first 5 games, they were allowing over 165 rushing yards per game and they allowed 6 rushing touchdowns in that span where they dug themselves into a huge 1-4 hole. The Birds allowed at least 100 yards to all of the top tier running back that they faced including Michael Turner, who ran for 114 yards, Frank Gore, who ran for 127 yards, Fred Jackson, who ran for 111 yards, Matt Forte, who ran for 133 yards, Marshawn Lynch, who ran for 148 yards, and finally Reggie Bush, who ran for 103 yards, and the Eagles had a 1-5 record in these games.

The Eagles made a smart move by trading their 15th overall pick, as well as a 4th and 6th rounder to the Seattle Seahawks, so that they could move up three spots and ensue that they would improve their run defense. With defensive tackle Dontari Poe from Memphis already off the boards after he was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs with the 11th pick and no insurance that the only other two top defensive tackles, Fletcher Cox and Michael Brockers, would still be around by pick 15, the Eagles had to pull the trigger and move up. The Birds will be more than pleased with their selection of Cox out of Mississippi St.

Cox, who was a Pro Football Weekly All-American and a First-Team All-SEC selection, will be a large presence in the middle of the Eagles defense. The pick of the 6'4'' and nearly 300 pound interior linemen, along with the trade to aquire linebacker DeMeco Ryans from the Texans will greatly improve the Eagles defensive interior.