2019 NFL Quick Hits: Week 14

Week 14 of the NFL season has come and gone, and I'm here for my weekly takes.

Thursday night's game proved to me that maybe, just maybe, Mitch Trubisky can be Blake Bortles 2.0, with a better defense. The Bears easily handled the Cowboys, god I love seeing them blow it like this every year, and Trubisky controlled the game well enough. The Bears defense also totally shut down the Cowboys offense when it mattered. Sure, the score looked close at the end, but the game was never in doubt. The Bears have strung together a couple of wins, but I don't think it will matter in the end because they currently are third in their division. The Cowboys are still in first, at 6-7, but that just shows me how bad the NFC East is, and how average the Cowboys are.

The Colts blew a much needed win to stay in the playoff hunt in the AFC. Things looked good at the start when they pick sixed Jameis Winston to start the game, but the defense couldn't stop him from there. Winston threw the ball all over the field for the Bucs, and they have looked competitive near the end of this season. They won't make the playoffs, but they are looking more and more like a team that could be good if they get the right QB. They already have solid running backs, great receivers and a good enough o line. They could go far with a quality QB like Colin Kaepernick. The Colts, well, they look like they are running out of steam, and that the loss of Andrew Luck is starting to get to them now. They have played hard, but they are getting tired. It happens.

Lamar Jackson and the Ravens won again. God I love watching this team. In the past 2 weeks Jackson has faced defenses that were designed to stop him, and while they have held him down a bit, he is still finding ways to win. And wins like the past 2 weeks make me like this team even more as a real Super Bowl contender. Jackson has also, to me, already won the MVP. Put his name on the trophy. The Bills played tough, but they just don't have the offense to be a real threat.

The Vikings beat the Lions in one of the most boring games of the week. The Vikings are keeping up in the NFC North, and they need to win games like this, but I still don't trust them, and I picked them to win the division. I also feel sorry for the Lions because they could be a threat if Stafford was healthy. This is kind of a mulligan year for them in my opinion.

Speaking of the NFC North, the Packers won, but it was not pretty. They just kind of trotted out there, did what they needed to and walked away with a blah win. That proves how bad Washington is to me as well. The Packers went maybe 70 percent and still won. They have real problems in Washington.

The Broncos absolutely torched the Texans. I thought the Texans were on their way up, but apparently they let their win over New England last week blend into this week. The Broncos led by 28 at one point, and Drew Lock looked like a Pro Bowler at times. Games like this happen, but if you want to be a real contender, this shouldn't happen. Houston should have taken care of business, but they didn't, and they still don't have a spot wrapped up yet.

The 49ers and Saints played a very exciting, defenseless game. This was back and forth. Drew Brees looked like his old self, but Jimmy Garroppolo matched it. And that play at the end, with George Kittle dragging defenders who were holding his facemask was damn impressive. I didn't expect the 49ers to be this good so soon, but props to them. And while they got beat, I don't think this mattered as much to the Saints. They already have a division wrapped up, and they are just out there to stay warm. Super fun game if you like offense though.

The Browns beat the Bengals, and pushed their record to 6-7, but it is so hollow. The Browns have been a disappointment this season, and the fact that they let the Bengals back in this game speaks to how overrated they were to start the season. As for the Bengals, this is a lost year, they need to rebuild and start all over again. They are not very good.

The Falcons destroyed the Panthers, who are playing horrible football lately, need a new coach and need Cam Newton back. That team was fighting for the playoffs three weeks ago, now they are looking at a possible top ten pick. As for the Falcons, they are playing so much better since Raheem Morris took over the defense and since they realized they could just have fun and play. They look a whole lot better. I wouldn't be totally shocked if Dan Quinn keeps his job. Seriously.

The Dolphins beat the Jets, and all I know about this game is the Dolphins 21 points came from 7 field goals. No TD's. That is insane. Also, the Jets are so inconsistent. It is wild.

The Chargers obliterated the Jags. I guess neither Gardner Minshew nor Nick Foles is the answer at QB. They may also need a new head coach. As for the Chargers, it is games like this that would drive me nuts if I were a fan of theirs. They have the ability to be this good most weeks, they showed that last year, but they have been so up and down this season. Good win for them though.

The Chiefs beat the Patriots in Foxborough in December, and they won pretty easily. The Patriots defense looks to be wearing down a bit, and their offense has not been good at all. They need to fix some stuff, or just cheat like they always have. I'm sure they will find a way to cheat. Hell, they are even illegally taping Bengals sidelines now. That is a problem. As for the Chiefs, they are starting to come together at the exact right time. They are getting that look from last season nearing he end of the regular season and playoffs, just when you want to start really clicking.

The Titans, led by Ryan Tannehill, are really looking like a legit playoff threat. They all but ended the Raiders playoff hopes by beating them by 3 TD's. The Raiders may be good in a few years, but it will still take time. The Titans, while boring, are a good team with a great run game and a solid defense. I could see them winning a playoff game this year over a team deemed better than them.

The Steelers won again, keeping that sixth spot in the playoffs, and it is because of Mike Tomlin and their defense. They stifled the Cardinals, who are definitely running out of steam, and starting to get figured out by opposing teams. I don't know how they do it every year, but the Steelers, and I hate saying this because I dislike them so much, are the Spurs of the NFL. They are consistently good.

The Rams, much like the Chiefs, are starting to click at the right time. It may be too little too late for them, the NFC is loaded, but man did they smoke a hot Seahawks team. They won with ease. They had a 3 score lead going into half. The only TD the Seahawks scored was on defense. Russell Wilson is no longer the MVP front runner. I like what the Rams are doing, they made great adjustments, but like I said, there may not be enough time left in the season. They are going to gave to win out, and still get help from other teams.

And the Monday night game, the Eagles and Giants, may be one of the worst matchups ever for a primetime game. I didn't watch a second, I saw Eli Manning started, threw a few TD's and lost, putting his all time record below .500. By the way, he is not a hall of fame player, but that is a different blog for another day. As for the Eagles, they still have a shot at the division title, but they are so disappointing, I don't think it matters. But good on them, they won a game they needed.

That does it for week 14. Come back next week when we should have a ton of playoff spots nearly sewn up.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Word is that the Patriots have been taping Ty while he writes his blogs. Anything to get a leg up on the competition.

Why Are the Houston Rockets Wasting Everyone's Time?

This whole thing going on in Houston with the Rockets and filing a grievance for a game they got beat in for a missed call on a dunk is one of the wilder things I have ever seen in my NBA watching life.

For those that may not know, James Harden went up for a fast break dunk with about 8 minutes left in the fourth quarter in a game they were currently leading by 13 points, he dunked it pretty hard and the ball flipped out of the top of the hoop. I have never seen anything like this before, and I was blown away that the refs said it was no basket. The ball went through the net, meaning it should have counted, and it whipped through the net up and out. Still, it went through, it should have been a basket. But, this is no different to me than when the refs miss a travel, or a foul or any nominal type call. It happens. Refs are human, and they make mistakes. But, the Rockets went on to blow that lead, and the Spurs won in double overtime. And somehow, well after the game, the Rockets decided that this one miss was the sole reason they got beat.

I mean, come the hell on with that nonsense. Sure, the game was close. I believe the Spurs won by a very slim margin, and one basket may have sent the game to a third overtime, but still, what is this nonsense all about? Why all the whining? Why all the bitching and moaning and filing a grievance? Is this one game, in the first quarter of the season, really going to screw up Houston's shot at a 3 or 4 seed. The facts are simple, the refs missed a call, but the Rockets blew the game. That call was not the deciding factor.

I feel like a lot of this stems from James Harden and Mike D'Antoni. They always have this air about them where they feel like they've been disrespected or screwed by some outside factor. The Rockets are an elite offensive team and a mediocre defensive team. That is D'antoni's MO, and that is how Harden plays. Defense is a nuisance that gets in the way of Harden pounding the ball for 20 seconds and shooting a three or drawing a foul. In this particular game, the defense let them down. I say again, they had a 13 point lead in the middle of the fourth quarter against a team that isn't very good right now. So, for the team, and the higher ups in that organization to think that filing this grievance, and either being gifted a win, or replaying the final 8 minutes, was a good idea, it is not. This is a waste of everyone not involved with the Rockets organization. The people who work for the NBA, the refs, the Spurs, all the fans that were there, will have to comb through pointless footage and have unnecessary meetings and be called out of the blue just because a ref blew a call and cost James Harden 2 points. I mean, that is absurd.

The Rockets, as they currently sit, are starting to remind me every single day of the "Lob City" Clippers. They are an entitled bunch of assholes that haven't won anything of importance. They are chokers. They are highlight chasers. They are ball hogs. They don't play defense. They aren't properly coached come playoff time. They are overrated as hell. I used to like James Harden, now I cannot stand to watch him play. He slows the game down to a grind. The dude is an incredible scorer, and does things I didn't even know were possible, but he is a drag to watch. Russell Westbrook is not near the lightening rod he was in OKC. He is being as misused as Chris Paul was, and he isn't half the defender Paul still is. PJ Tucker is about the only guy that tries on defense, but he uses all of his energy on that end because no one else does. Capela has completely fallen off. He was ascending big time 2 years ago, and now, he is no more than a screener and rebounder. Eric Gordon is hurt. Ben McLemore is playing big minutes. And Mike D'Antoni is a very, very, VERY poor man's version of Phil Jackson when it comes to hounding refs. The Rockets are the new "Lob City" Clippers, minus the high flying dunks, and I don't mean that as a compliment. And this latest stupidity just adds more fuel to people like me who think that they are an absolutely ridiculous franchise.

A team that would complain about a meaningless game in December clearly doesn't have the fortitude to care about the games in June, you know, the ones that matter. This is so pointless and dumb and whiny and will resolve nothing. It is an absolute waste of everyone's time.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

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2019 NFL Quick Hits: Week 13

On to week 13 NFL quick takes. There were three games on Thursday, as opposed to the regular one, but I guess that was because it was Thanksgiving. Anyway, the games on Thursday weren't great, but they were telling.

The Bears beat the Lions, behind their third string QB. Mitch Trubisky looked good, for once in his career, but it was against a very undermanned Lions team. Also, the dude that played QB for the Lions, David Blough, looked okay against a very stout defense. But, the Bears got the win to stay in the playoff hunt. Yipee.

The Bills easily disposed of the Cowboys in Dallas. I think this game says a lot about both teams. The Cowboys are not very good. They can't really stop anyone, and the offense, while it can be explosive, is very inconsistent. The Bills, well, if they can run the ball and stop you, they will win. That's pretty clear cut. They did both of those things in this game, and won going away. They also managed to shit talk a ton, and I loved every second of it.

The Saints wrapped up their division with an easy-ish win over the Falcons. The Falcons are having a very bad year, and the Saints compounded that by beating them with relative ease. No, they didn't play their best, and the defense had a few lapses, but they still won, and are going to the playoffs again.

The Sunday games had one real highlight game, and the rest was just okay.

The Titans beat the Colts by 2 TD's, but it was close all the way to the end. Had it not been for an awkward turnover, the Colts may have won. As for the Titans, we should be talking a ton more about Derrick Henry. He is crushing it lately. He has looked like the best running back in the league for the past three games. He is awesome. The Titans are still in the race, and that surprises me. As for the Colts, they too still have a slight chance at the playoffs, but it looks less and less likely that they will make it. That being said, this team has played well all year considering what happened this offseason.

The game of the day was 49ers-Ravens, and even though it was played in an absolute mess, it was a very good game. The 49ers made some stops, but Lamar Jackson and the Ravens still found a way to win. They made the little plays, got the critical stop and Justin Tucker kicked yet another game winning field goal. Lamar Jackson is the clear front runner for MVP. This game was great.

RD's Bengals got a win. They beat the hapless Jets, and did it convincingly. I didn't watch a single second of this game, why would I, but I did see that they gave head coach Zac Taylor a Gatorade bath, and that is upsetting. I mean, they are 1-11, and he gets rewarded for that? Come on. As for the Jets, they should have won this game easily. They were playing well, and they laid a total egg. It looked rough. I put this one on their terrible coaching staff.

The Steelers beat the Browns in their "rematch" from the game that gave us that wild fight. The Browns head coach wore a stupid t shirt, they played like trash on offense and the Steelers got another win with an undrafted free agent rookie QB. The Steelers are winning with defense and a great head coach. They are nearly firmly in the playoffs, and that is nuts. Hats off to Mike Tomlin and that defense. As for the Browns, well, they are the most overrated team in the NFL. They may also be the most overhyped team. What a disappointment.

The Dolphins beat the Eagles, and man do the Eagles look hapless. They gave up a TD pass from punter to kicker. They let Ryan Fitzpatrick throw for 250 plus yards and three TD's. They got run on at will. The Eagles are right next to the Browns as the second most overrated team. And it all starts with their QB. Maybe Carson Wentz isn't as good as others thought. He hasn't been on at all this season. And that defense has way too many holes. They are 5-7, and still have a shot at the playoffs, but they are a very poor season. Also, Brian Flores is a hell of a head coach. He has this Dolphins team with 3 wins. That's incredible.

Washington, who looks like they have a little fight in them, beat Carolina. That was enough for them to fire Ron Riveria, and maybe Kyle Allen is really a backup, and not a QB to build around. Also, Christian McCaffery has no help, the defense is a mess and, as I said, Kyle Allen isn't the answer at QB. They should hold on to Cam if they can. And good job Washington in beating a real NFL team. They still aren't any good, and a total mess, but a win is a win.

The Packers won a glorified scrimmage over the Giants. They made Daniel Jones look like Daniel Jones and they held Saquon Barkley in check most of the afternoon. Also, Aaron Rodgers looked good throwing the ball, but they need to run better, especially later in the season like this when the weather gets bad. If they had run a bit more on Sunday they could've won by 30.

The Bucs beat the Jags, and Jameis Winston looked okay and Bruce Arians had a good game plan. The bigger story from this game was Nick Foles getting benched for Gardner Minshew. They gave Foles a ton of money, and he has gotten hurt, and played poorly and now they have a QB battle on their hands. I wouldn't be shocked if they try to trade Foles. What a mess.

The Rams got back on track easily disposing of the Arizona Cardinals. It's games like this that make me not give up on the Rams. Sure, Arizona is not a good football team right now, but they have looked competent at times this season against other good teams, and the Rams decimated them on Sunday. If they play like this, I could see them making a solid push for the playoffs. They are still very good.

The Chiefs destroyed the Raiders, and they looked like the Chiefs of old. Patrick Mahomes was crushing it, the run game worked and even the defense stepped up. They too, like the Rams, are looking like they are getting their footing, and they will be a dangerous team come playoff time. They do have the reigning MVP after all. As for the Raiders, well, it was fun while it lasted, pretending they were a playoff team. They have come up super short in their last 2 games, and regressed to the mean, They have 8-8 or 7-9 written all over them.

The Chargers found another crushing way to lose a game, this time getting flagged for pass interference in the final seconds of a game against the Broncos, setting them up with an easy field goal to win. The Chargers let a Drew Lock led team beat them, and I just think it is time they moved on from Phillip Rivers and company. He isn't elite anymore, the run game is stagnant, and the defense may be a bit overrated. And I guess good for the Broncos. They beat a divisional team, and maybe I am being too hard on Drew Lock. Maybe he can be their future QB, if this defense stays together.

The Sunday night game brought about more questions about this being the "end of the Patriots dynasty". I don't think that is true. They are 10-2 and they have a historically good defense. But, the Texans are good, and Deshaun Watson is amazing. He proved his worth by going for 4 TD passes and no picks against that stout defense. They could be a problem in the playoffs too, given the right matchup. They are a good football team. So are the Patriots.

And the Monday night game was entertaining. I'm sorry the Vikings didn't win RD, but I think that is because their QB is garbage against real football teams. He just can't finish the job. Also, the Seahawks, unfortunately, look legit. Russell Wilson is good. He has solid receivers. They now seem to have a run game. And while the defense isn't as good as they used to be, having Jadaveon Clowney is enough to make opposing coaches game plan simply for him.

That does it for week 13. Come back next week for week 14. We are getting near the end.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He forgot to mention the most important game of the weekend. The Head Editor won their last game of the fantasy football season, thus completing a 13-0 undefeated season. Bring on the playoffs.

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Time to Face Some Hard Facts About Michigan Football

Okay, I have given myself the weekend, thought about it a lot, and I want to give my thoughts on where my favorite team of all time, the University of Michigan Wolverines football team, currently sits in the landscape of college football.

First off, I was wrong with my preseason prediction. They were not a playoff team, not even close. They were out of Big Ten title contention after getting beat by Penn State. They were unfocused and undisciplined more often than not this season. Shea Patterson took too long to play like I, and many other fans, expected him to. And the defense, they played well in some games and awful in others. This is the second year in a row where I thought they had a legitimate chance to beat the University of Ohio State, and they got obliterated, twice. The game this year was close for one quarter, that was it. They got their butts handed to them, and the University of Ohio State continued to assert their dominance. There is no way to mince words, Michigan is not as good as them. It is that plain and that simple. Michigan has talented players, good quality football players and students. But, the talent is not the same. That much is evident. That much is true. I don't think anyone could deny that right now.

The coaching, I'm not ready to go there yet. The University of Ohio State poached a few key coaches from Michigan, but this happens all the time. But to see Greg Mattison leave, that one hurt. I really like the new D line coach, Shaun Nua, but Mattison was at Michigan twice, and for him to up and leave all of the sudden, that hurt. But, I would still take Jim Harbaugh over Ryan Day, and Josh Gattis over whoever their offensive coordinator and Don Brown, yeah I said it, over their two defensive coordinators. Hell, I would take all the assistants at Michigan. But, that could be my fandom clouding all of this.

Pulling away from the University of Ohio State game, and just looking at Michigan since Harbaugh took over, I will take it. No, Michigan has not won the Big Ten. No, they have not been to the playoff. No, they have not beaten the University of Ohio State. But, do all these current Michigan fans calling for the whole staff to be fired remember how bad this team was before they hired Harbaugh? Rich Rodriguez was a train wreck. He took over a storied program, tried to change the entire philosophy, albeit he was trying to get them to move into the 21st century of football, and it was disastrous. Rodriguez set records no one would want. He was the head coach when Michigan lost its first game to a MAC school. He lost 9 games in his first year. He stayed on the same recruits for far too long. He started Tate Forcier over Denard Robinson to run a spread option offense. He didn't care about defense. He lasted three years, and his best record was 7-6. He was not the answer. Then they tried to go back to the "glory days", and they hired a former assistant who was having a little success at a smaller school, a la Bo, in Brady Hoke. And, while his first season couldn't have gone better, 11 wins, beating the University of Ohio State and winning the Sugar Bowl, it was all down hill from there. They dropped off to 8 wins, then 7 and then 5. I saw that 5 win team play, and that team was so poorly coached. Hoke wanted to be good, I wanted him to be good, Dave Brandon wanted him to be good, but he just couldn't live up to the job. It was far too big for him. It was too much. And look at him now. I believe he was a d line coach at Tennessee for a minute, and now, I have no idea what he is doing.

After they fired Hoke, they hired Warde Manuel, thank goodness, and then they went out and got their white whale for head coach. They got Harbaugh. At the time I wasn't a humongous fan of this because of how quickly he leaves jobs, and how often he is mentioned for NFL openings. It seemed like his tenure would be shot lived. But, he came in and won 10 games his first season with a subpar roster. But, you could see the team was better coached and more disciplined. Then he had a team that seemed poised to be a playoff team. And, if it wasn't for one horrible spot, they would have made the playoff. Also, Harbaugh was finally getting high rated recruits to live up to their potential. Jabrill Peppers was crushing it that year. Devin Bush was a spot starter and special teams demon his first season. They reeled in Rashan Gary. You could see, in one year, that top tier kids wanted to play for Michigan. Also, he wasn't just getting good football players, but also good students. Michigan is hard enough to get into, so it is a bit harder to recruit the super, super elite. Michigan gets great players, but they have to develop. Year three was a bit of a setback for Harbaugh, but there were injuries and a ton of youth on that squad. Also, they trotted out John O'Korn and Brandon Peters at moments that season, and they still won 8 games. Last year, the first with Patterson, they looked like that second year team. And, they had a chance to play for the Big Ten title and the playoff, and got stomped in the final game. And then Rashan Gary and Devin Bush and Karan Higdon and others decided they needed to skip the bowl game to get ready for the NFL. I have no problem with that, but it does make it hard when several starters skip bowl games. And then we have this season. It was a very rocky start, but Harbaugh and the staff coached these kids up when they needed it. Everyone was ready to give up on Gattis, Harbaugh and Don Brown after the Wisconsin game, and that game was bad. This team looked bad. They needed double overtime to beat Army. Middle Tennessee was in the game late in the third. They looked discombobulated. Then the Penn State game happened. The first half was bad, but they looked totally different in the second half. They looked like they were having fun and playing loose. They looked solid. They didn't win that game, but I walked away thinking they may have figured it out. They went on to win the next four games, crushing Notre Dame and Michigan State. And even with the outcome of the University of Ohio State game, I still saw signs that the offense has legs. The defense was the main problem. So, while I was not on board with the hire 5 years ago, I look at it now like it was the right thing.

Also, for all the people wanting to fire him and the staff, who is the big time hire they expect? There is no one out there, for Michigan, that will be as big as Harbaugh was five years ago. Seriously, who would it be? They are not luring names like Nick Saban or Dabo Swinney or Kirby Smart or anyone that has teams in the hunt for the playoff currently. Those guys are staying put, or looking to get into the NFL. And do you really want to go down the NFL route again? Who would they get? I honestly don't know. I find that the Michigan fans that want a new coach don't really think, they just react. That is a problem. Give yourself time to take everything in before you jump to crazy conclusions. If/when Jim Harbaugh leaves, it will be on his terms. Michigan isn't going to let him go, that would be stupid, especially with the recruits that he has coming in. I'm also fully in on Josh Gattis. He improved each week, and given a few more years, he will be a head coach, I have no doubt about that. I also like Don Brown. I know he has other options right now, the Boston College job just opened. But, I think he is a very, very good coordinator. He is stubborn, but Michigan's defense is always in the top 20. If he leaves, I would hope that Harbaugh would stay in house, maybe Chris Partridge, to take over the defense. But, I like the staff. I'm in on the staff.

As for the talent on the field, it is okay, but not elite. Shea Patterson has been the best QB of the Harbaugh era, but I don't truly know how that makes me feel. I love the Packers, but I get frustrated with Aaron Rodgers. I guess it is the same with Patterson. He was solid for 2 seasons, but never "the best". Never the Heisman candidate that some predicted. The run game does seem to be in a good spot. I am a big fan of both Hassan Haskins and Zach Charbonnet. They could be one of the best duos in college football the more they play and develop. The receivers are solid. It all depends on who comes back, but they have a very good group of pass catchers. Tight end is solid too. So is the offensive line. I look at the defense, and while I have grown to adore guys like Khaleke Hudson and Josh Mettulus and Carlo Kemp and Lavert Hill, I won't be so bummed to see them graduate and head to the pros. It could be addition by subtraction. Again, Harbaugh and his staff have done a solid job of recruiting. Ambry Thomas is a very good corner. Daxton Hill looks like a legit All American. Cam McGrone played lights out after taking over for an injured Josh Ross. Kwity Paye has proven to be a solid pass rusher. Aidan Hutchinson looks really good. Chris Hinton got tons of looks this season. Mike Barrett should step in nicely at Viper. And Brad Hawkins is fine. They should be okay. The only question I have for the team next year is the QB spot, They will be picking between Dylan McCaffery and Joe Milton. Personally, I love Joe Milton. He is humongous, has a big time arm, can run and the game seems to come easy to him. Don't get me wrong, McCaffery is very good too. He's been the number 2 QB for two years. But, he gets hurt often and isn't the athlete Milton is. The offseason will tell a lot about where this team wants to go in 2020 at that position.

But pulling back from all of this. Pulling back from what they look like on paper, and who may or may not be on the staff next year and just thinking about where they stand in the current college football landscape, they are a good team. They can, and should win between 9 and 11 games every year. They will compete. They will play hard. They will fight. They can occasionally get a solid win here and there. They have a good staff with a top tier head coach. But, they are not elite. They are not on the level of the University of Ohio State or Alabama or Clemson. They are, at best, a top 15 team every year. They can win games, but they will also disappoint. They will continue to have dopes in the media say that the head coach is awful one second, then have the same people opining for him to coach their favorite NFL team. They will have to endure these stupid ass memes that former players put on the internet. They will have to deal with guys that have never played or coached the game at this high a level pass judgement on them. Michigan is a target, and so is Jim Harbaugh. But, that is okay. I would rather have a coach that is in demand than not. I would rather my team be in it all the way until the end of the season most of the time. I want Harbaugh to stick around and develop some of these young kids he has recruited to see if they pan out and become the answer for how to beat elite teams, and finally become one again. But, time will tell.

So, where does Michigan stand in my eyes? They are a solid football team. They will play in bowl games every year, and sometimes even major bowl games. They will compete. But, they are not elite. They are not upper echelon, and it may take a little bit longer than we all hope. All in all, I want them to stick with the staff as intact as possible, I want Harbaugh to stay and I really feel like they can close the gap. I feel like they can do it. They have been close twice. They just need to get over that hump. Until then, we Wolverine fans have to get used to 9-3 or 10-2 for a tiny bit longer. Those are just facts.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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2019 NFL Quick Hits: Week 12

Week 12 of the NFL has come and gone, and while there were some matchups that looked good on paper, they were, for the most part, blowouts, or just duds. That's not to say that the games weren't competitive, they just weren't as good as I was hoping. Anyway, lets get to my takes.

The Texans got a much needed win over the Colts on Thursday night to stay in first place on their division, but it wasn't easy. Deshaun Watson and Deandre Hopkins had to play amazingly, and luckily for them, they do that pretty much every game day. And the Colts, well they played tough, they are having trouble closing out games. It was close, a defensive battle, and the Texans pulled it out in the end. Deshaun Watson is so good too, and Hopkins. I just needed to point that out.

On to the Sunday games. The Browns won their third straight game, easily disposing of the Dolphins. The Browns offense actually looked functional, and the defense did what they had to do. As for the Dolphins, Brian Flores is proving to be a good coach because he has this roster actually competing in games against real teams. They have had no business being in any games, and they have won 2. But, the Browns may finally being putting it together, but the schedule only gets tougher from here.

Washington somehow won a game, but it was very, very ugly. They beat the Jeff Driskell led Lions. And while it is no excuse to get beat by Washington, I feel like Jeff Driskell being your starting QB is a pretty telling sign why the Lions got beat. But, this game was so ugly, and I read a story that said that tickets were going for as little as 9 dollars, in the lower bowl of the stadium. That is rough for two pro football teams. Also, go check out some of the pictures on the internet of the parking lot. It is something else.

The Raiders looked to be a real playoff contender, and then they got their asses whipped by the suddenly full of life Jets. The Jets won by 31 points. They only gave up 3 points. The Raiders defense gave up 34 points to Sam Darnold and the Adam Gase led Jets. Just when I think that Jon Gruden and the Raiders may have figured it out, they do something like this. I still don't totally trust them as a real playoff team, especially after a performance like this.

The Bears and Giants played a game almost as ugly as the Lions and Washington. The Bears won 19-14, and when I looked at the stats, it was eerily similar to the Washington-Detroit game. Mitch Trubisky played, and did okay. The Bears defense shut down the Giants, as expected. So, this game was nothing out of the ordinary, just another good showing by the Bears defense, and the offense doing everything they can to blow the game.

The Saints and Panthers played a pretty exciting, back and forth game. The Saints went up by 14 early on, but the Panthers scratched their way back, and the rest of the game it felt like each team seemed to trade points. Christian McCaffery would score, and then Drew Brees or Alvin Kamara or Michael Thomas would match it. The Panthers lost this game because their kicker had a bad day, and the Saints didn't. This game would have killed any shot the Panthers may have had at the playoffs, and solidified the Saints as a top tier contender. This was probably the best game of the weekend. I watched this game, and without even being a fan of either team, I was invested in the outcome.

The Eagles laid another egg, and Carson Wentz looked so bad, against the Seahawks. Russell Wilson didn't look great either, but at least he made plays when he needed to. Wentz did not. He has been really, really bad this year. so have the Eagles. They are the most disappointing team in the NFL this season. I feel dumb for ranking them number one in my preseason rankings. I was very wrong.

I was also wrong on Seattle. Wilson has been great, they have a solid run game, they have good deep threats at wideout and the defense can make plays when they need to. They look like a legit contender in the NFC. They could end up in the Super Bowl and it wouldn't surprise me one bit.

The Bucs finally solved the Falcons newfound defense and won going away. The game didn't start that way, with Jameis Winston immediately throwing a pick 6, but he settled down and so did Tampa Bay and they won with ease. Granted, the Falcons played Matt Schaub at QB, and they had no run game whatsoever, but their defense was humming, and they got scorched. Tampa and Atlanta are two of the most inconsistent teams, so I shouldn't be surprised, but I thought they would win this game. I was wrong.

The Bills won their ninth game, beating Denver 20-3. The game was close for a minute, then the Bills scored a few late TD's to pull away late. The Broncos played someone I have never heard of at QB, they ran the ball okay, but they couldn't do a thing throwing the ball. They also wasted a solid performance from their defense. The Bills defense is what is going to get them in the playoffs, but it may just be for one game because the offense is so blah. Shouts to Frank Gore also, who passed Barry Sanders in career rush yards in this game.

The Steelers beat RD's Bengals, to continue their winless season. The Bengals had a shot too. Ryan Findlay, why is he starting, threw a pass to Tyler Boyd that he housed, and they had a TD lead in the first half. Then the Steelers totally shut them down, and even though their racist ass QB got benched, and they kicked a few field goals after tying the game and walked away with a win, and now hold the 6th spot in the AFC playoff race. This was another ugly game, and was nearly unwatchable.

Derrick Henry and the Titans ran all over the Jags, and got a much needed win to stay in the playoff race. Derrick Henry loves to play Jacksonville it seems. He goes for tons of yards, multiple TD's and looks great. The Jags, well, they have a lot of offseason questions to ask, and try to figure out a direction they want to take this team in for the future.

The Cowboys and Patriots played a sloppy, wildly called game on Sunday afternoon. The Patriots won because they have a much, much better coaching staff. Dak Prescott has been great all year, but Jason Garrett seems to be obsessed with giving Ezekial Elliot the ball. He got far too many carries, and the Cowboys need to rely on Prescott if they want to be a real team. The Patriots were lights out on defense, but that offense is not very good. They have 10 wins, and will be the one seed in the AFC, but they feel like the most hollow 10-1 I have ever seen. The playoffs will be very telling.

The Packers had a chance to look for real, and they totally blew it Sunday night. The 49ers absolutely crushed them in all 3 phases. The Packers could not stop them, they could not do anything on offense and they were totally outclassed. The 49ers are the ones who look like the real deal after this game. They seem to have it all. They can run the ball very well, they can pass it now and the defense is incredible. They are legit.

And then we had the Monday night game. The Ravens are the most fun team to watch. Lamar Jackson is, far and away, the front runner for MVP. They are the best running team in the league and are super efficient in the pass game. The defense is legit too. They stifled the Rams all game long. Jared Goff looked like a rookie. They made Todd Gurley a total non factor. This was a tale of 2 teams going in totally different directions. The Rams are falling off, and the Ravens look like the best team in the NFL. Seriously people, if you haven't watched Lamar Jackson yet, check him out. He is amazing. He is Mike Vick mixed with Drew Brees passing ability. He is the new generation of football players that I want to watch. He might be the NFL's saving grace.

That's it for week 12. Come back next week.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. It was an extra bad weekend for the Head Editor’s teams. The Bengals were the Bengals, and even the Vikings did not win. Granted, Minnesota was on a bye, but still no wins from RD’s teams.

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Bad Take Generator Kevin O'Connor Is At It Again

Where O’Connor’s takes belong

I don't like to talk about the same person in 2 consecutive weeks, and this comes off as big time trolling, but The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor was at it again on "The Ringer NBA Show" this past Tuesday. Also, I don't care trolling someone when they are as stupid and contradictory as O'Connor has proven himself to be time and time again.

This most recent episode had me giving in and saying that I am only going to give the pod one more listen because O'Connor's takes have gotten worse and worse and he has gotten so high and mighty that it is insufferable. On the most recent episode there were 2 instances where he made himself look like a total asshole and idiot.

The first was his pure love for Luka Doncic and his recent tear, wherein he is averaging near a triple double. O'Connor praised Doncic. He has been on the bandwagon since before last year's draft, I will give him that. He then went on to talk about how he is a top ten player currently, I personally have him just outside the top ten, and an MVP candidate right now, of which I agree with. I like Doncic as much as the next NBA fan. I just don't love him as much as O'Connor does. And, when Chris Vernon, who is the only saving grace of this pod and website right now, pushed him on how he dogged Russell Westbrook for averaging a triple double 2 years ago, O'Connor's response was so god damn stupid that I continued to call him an idiot to my phone multiple times.

O'Connor went into some nonsense about how he wished that Westbrook was a better shooter, and how he wished he didn't hunt stats and how he thought Westbrook's two triple double seasons were empty. He then praised Doncic's passing. He said he loves that he shoots threes, even though he isn't a great shooter yet. He also talked about how important he is to the Mavericks and to the league. This is all ridiculous and further proves that The Ringer hates Westbrook and loves Doncic. They're so protective of their pet projects and guys they like, and when they don't like someone, they go in so hard to prove how "bad" they are. But, here is the truth. Westbrook is a better player than Doncic. He isn't the shooter, and he isn't as young, but he has done so much more, for a longer period of time, including deep playoff runs, than Doncic can dream of doing right now. Westbrook one hundred percent deserved his MVP when he won it, and him averaging a triple double was astounding.

The fact that shit writers like O'Connor, and his boss Bill Simmons, keep putting down Westbrook is so pitiful. Westbrook is a once in a generation talent, and they are taking him for granted because they don't like the way he plays basketball. To praise Doncic, who is totally stat hunting as well, and trash Westbrook is just in poor taste and proves how hacky the takes are from O'Connor.

Then, when I didn't think he could be more stupid, he comes out and says that the Spurs need to trade one or both of DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge and embrace the youth movement. While I don't think that the Spurs embracing youth is bad, O'Connor's reasoning was what made me scoff. He said that if they keep both guys, they will be a 6, 7 or 8 seed and get beat in the playoffs, and who wants that he asked. I'd say the majority of Spurs fans would want that. The fans in San Antonio have become so used to being in the playoffs, so I don't think they'd care if they are a lower seed, as long as they are still in the playoffs. I wonder if he would say the same thing about Tom Brady right now, and the Patriots. Yes, the Patriots are better, but Brady has looked pretty washed this season. So, since he is all about youth, why not move on from Brady? Is it because he is a winner, and you trust him to figure it out? Wow. Maybe that is how the Spurs fans feel about Greg Poppovich and his staff. They always seem to figure something out, and they are always competitive. Just because this younger group of writers like O'Connor are so obsessed with drafting based on potential doesn't mean that people who have been winning for multiple decades now have to do what they want them to do. It is 15 games into an 82 game season. They have so much time, and seeds 5-8 are still very much wide open. Then, when Vernon said he wouldn't trade DeRozan because he is good, O'Connor went into nonsense about how he doesn't shoot enough threes and they need to trade him to get younger guys willing to shoot the three. That is so god damn stupid. Also, he kept talking about how the youth on the Spurs barely plays together, and I say again, it is 15 god damn games into the year. I'm sure Poppovich will fix some stuff and make some adjustments. Hearing takes like this every week from a dude that I can guarantee didn't even play high school basketball is so absurd. I'm sure front offices also have people that listen to these pods and think, I'm glad that moron doesn't work for us.

Kevin O'Connor has seemed to do something that makes me dislike, and lose respect for him, every week on the podcast. I already stopped reading his writing because it is poor, and now I am one step away from ending listening to him on pods because his takes are worse than ever. It is sad that he is so porous at what he does, yet he is one of the bigger names at this ridiculous company. Every week I lose respect for him, and continue to ask myself, why do I listen to anyone besides Zach Lowe and Jackie MacMullen talk basketball. They are good. O'Connor is not.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He had an uncomfortable experience with a lie detector test. It was quite uncomfortable, know what I mean?

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2019 NFL Quick Hits: Week 11

Week 11 of the NFL season has come and gone, and for the most part it was pretty blah. But, we do have the Thursday night game that was pretty explosive. So, I'm going to get right into my takes for week 11, but I am going to save the Thursday night game for last. That needs to be talked about a little bit longer than my usual week takes.

So, getting right into the early games, the Jets played Washington, and this game just further proved that both teams are not good. Yes, the Jets won, and are currently on a 2 game win streak, and have Jamal Adams, but that is it. Also, all this winning from them is going to entice them to keep Adam Gase, and man would that be disappointing. As for Washington, they are the most moribund franchise in the NFL, and maybe in all of pro sports. They have no coach, a terrible GM, have made awful front office decisions, lied to a player who had cancer and are going absolutely nowhere. Washington is awful in every possible way.

The Colts got a much needed win over the Jags. Jacoby Brissett was back, and the offense needed that, but they absolutely shut down the Jags offense. They couldn't do a damn thing. Nick Foles was back, and threw for a good amount of yards. But what he didn't throw for was TD's. Also, Marlon Mack was great out of the backfield for the Colts, but he did get hurt. I don't think it is major, but they need him if they want to make a playoff push. This was a big win for Indianapolis. The Bills easily handled the Dolphins, ending their 2 game win streak. Miami looked like the tanking team they set out to be this season, letting Ryan Fitzpatrick throw the ball almost 50 times. Their defense also made Josh Allen look like an All Pro. He is not, but he looked good on Sunday, both throwing and running the ball. Their defense also looked as good as advertised. Yes, it is Miami, but this is what Buffalo needed after getting beat by the Browns last week.

The Cowboys beat the undermanned Lions. Dak Prescott was incredible in this game too. He made all the throws, he made the reads and he is proving that he is going to get paid, by someone, this offseason. He has been solid all season. The Lions are playing with a left hand because Matthew Stafford is out, and he is going to miss a good amount of time. That is a bummer because this team was fun, and competitive when they had Stafford under center. This win keeps the Cowboys atop their division, but outside of Prescott, I feel like they are a very, very flawed team.

The Ravens further proved they are a legit contender, and that Lamar Jackson is the front runner for MVP. Every week he does something else amazing, and it leaves me in awe. He is so good, and the team around him fits perfectly. He is awesome. The Texans, well they had zero answers for Jackson. Deshaun Watson was under duress, the refs blew a horrible no pass interference call early in the game that really changed the start of the game and they just crumbled from there. The Texans are a fine team, but they acted like a title contender before the season started. They look like a first round out, at best, right now.

The Falcons, stunningly, won another game where their defense was amazing. They attacked Kyle Allen all game, they picked him off 4 times and they stalled Christian McCaffery enough to really dominate the Panthers. I feel like the whole honeymoon phase with Kyle Allen is coming to an end. But lets get back to the Falcons for a second. That defense is suddenly one of the most formidable in the league. They are attacking and covering and just playing correctly. It is a sight to behold. They could end up winning 6 or 7 games, which I thought was a no way when they were 1-7.

Speaking of the Falcons, the Saints rebounded from being beat by them to easily dispatch the Bucs. Drew Brees looked like himself, Michael Thomas was great and Alvin Kamara gave the defense headaches. The Saints also picked off Jameis Winston 4 times, and totally stymied the Bucs offense. The Bucs are a mess, and Bruce Arians definitely has his hands full right now. The Saints did what they needed to do, and it helps that it was a divisional win.

The Vikings came back from a 20 point halftime deficit to beat the Broncos. Denver looked in control the whole first half, and I assumed they would roll. But, the Vikings woke up, scored on every second half possession and eeked out a win. This is the type of game that you would expect that they should win, just not in this fashion. It shows that they have the superior talent to Denver, and when they have their backs against the wall, they showed they are up to the task. It is a game like this that worries me when they have to play the Packers again.

The 49ers rebounded from last week, but it took all they had to beat the Cardinals. Jimmy Garroppolo did throw for 4 TD's, but he had 2 awful picks, and made some confounding throws. The Cardinals shouldn't have won this game, and they didn't, but damn is Kyler Murray good. He made a ton of great throws, ran the ball super well and looks like he is in total control of that offense. If/when they get some real players around him, this team could be very good.

The Patriots beat the Eagles in a Super Bowl 51 rematch, but it was not the offensive explosion we saw the first time. This was a defensive battle through and through. Both offenses struggled to move the ball and looked discombobulated. The Patriots made more plays, and made the bigger plays when they needed to. The Eagles are wildly inconsistent. One week they look good, the next, they can't do a thing. As for the Patriots, they have a really good defense and a very average offense. I have said that I thought they would come around, but we are already in week 12, and they have not looked the part all season. That could be their undoing in the playoffs.

The Sunday night game was an absolute slog. The Rams beat the Bears, but it was a total mess. Jared Goff has not looked the part of franchise QB and their defense, while stopping Chicago, hasn't been great. I will say that Todd Gurley looked like himself, and that is an encouraging sign for the rest of the season. The Bears, boy oh boy are they in trouble. Mitch Trubisky is playing scared. He doesn't want to get hit, he is making bad throws and now there is conflicting stories of why he got pulled late in the game. As for the guy that pulled him. Matt Nagy, he is running a gimmicky offense that the NFL has easily figured out. I feel like I say this every week, but they are wasting a once in a generation defense. That is a shame. This team is one QB away from being a legit contender, but it may be too late.

The Monday night game, played in Mexico City, was fun, but kind of empty. The Chiefs won. Patrick Mahomes looked pretty good, almost like he is fully back from injury. And their defense finally played good enough to win. The Chargers slept walked their way to getting beat again. Phillip Rivers is washed. They need some better O lineman. Keenan Allen is the only good receiver they have and Melvin Gordon clearly wants out. The Chargers season last year seems like a total mirage now. They are going nowhere fast.

Now for the Thursday night game.

The game itself wasn't any good. The Browns won 21-7, getting their second straight win, and staying in the playoff picture. And the Steelers dropped to 5-5, and are looking like they don't have a clue on offense. But, what happened near the end of this game was something I haven't seen in a long, long time. This was Malice at the Palace type stuff, except it didn't involve any fans. Near the end of the game a fight broke out between Steelers QB and O lineman Mason Rudolph and Maurkice Pouncey and Browns defensive end Myles Garrett. The scuffle got so bad that Garrett removed Rudolph's helmet and swung it at his head, twice. I was stunned. I didn't know what to think at first. I do not like either of these teams, but I do like Myles Garrett. And he seems like such a quiet, even keeled dude. But this is something that you can never, ever do to anyone else. I need to say that. What Myles Garrett did was wrong, and dangerous. He has since apologized and has appealed his suspension. Then, as I looked further and further into the whole scenario, and checked on some background of the players involved, I kind of tweaked my thoughts. As you all know, I am a died in wool liberal democrat. While doing some research on Rudolph, I found out that he is a hard core conservative, and counts that dip shit Tami Lauren, I truly don't care if her name is misspelled, as a close friend. So I then thought, what did he say. What could he have done to, maybe, provoke Garrett. I have played sports my whole life, and I get heated, I talk shit and I go at it. But, I have never been so angry that I wanted to harm or hurt someone. But I remembered back to when Marcus Smart was playing college basketball at Oklahoma State, and he went after a fan. It was very quickly found out that this fan was calling him racial epitaphs. I then had zero problem with him protecting himself against someone that would say some heinous stuff like that. So, how do we know that Rudolph wasn't doing the very same thing. It is clear he has a history of liking and connecting with people that have this same behavior. And in his post game presser, he acted so holier than thou. He called Garrett "classless", and acted like he was going to pursue legal actions. That is white privilege at its best. So, I am in a very, very gray area. As I said, what Garrett did was totally off base, and he should be suspended for some amount of time. But, we may never know what, if anything, Rudolph said to Garrett to provoke him. It could be heinous. It could be nothing. We may never know, and that is the craziest part.

Come back next week for my week 12 thoughts.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Thanks to Kirk Cousins second half performance, the Head Editor is still undefeated in fantasy football. HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT TY!!!

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Carmelo Anthony has Landed in Portland

Carmelo Anthony is back in the NBA.

Last night it was reported that he was going to sign a non guaranteed contract with the Portland Trailblazers. I think this is both good and bad. Anthony deserves to be on a NBA roster. He is still a really good scorer, he can hit the open shot and he has pedigree. He is better than a good 40 to 50 percent of players currently on most rosters. He should have been signed sooner, but still, he is getting what will most likely be his final shot. He is only going to bolster one of the better scoring back courts in the league. I know that he is technically a small forward, but lets be honest, he is a 2 guard in a forward's body. He has always been a shooter, and that will never change. Putting him on the floor with Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum is going to be a rough matchup for most opponents. Teams will have one, maybe 2 guys to throw at them, but no team, not even the Clippers, have the guys to stop all three of them at once.

I also think, and I know that I have said this for his last 2 teams, we will finally get the Olympic Carmelo. I think he has been humbled by being cut by Houston, and then having to wait this long to get back in the league. I would hope that he would be willing to be the fourth or fifth option on this team. I would hope that he knows this is where he is in his career. He is at the end, and what he is best at is being a spot up shooter who sometimes will drive and kick. That is his skill set now. I want him to play like Vince Carter does now. That would be ideal.

Now, the bad. This threesome is going to be horrendous defensively. Lillard and McCollum are already known league wide as one of the worst defensive backcourts in the NBA. They make up for it as much as they can on the offensive end, but it doesn't always work out. I mean, Lillard went for 60 in a game earlier this season, and they Blazers got beat, fairly handily. McCollum has nights where he goes for 30 plus, but his guy cancels that out by matching his scoring most of the time. And Carmelo has never, ever been considered a top end defender. He is an okay rebounder, but he has never been a good defender. And he is only older now. He never had the best ability on that end of the floor, and he is only older and slower now. That is not a slight, it is the truth. I feel like even Carmelo would admit this much.

The Blazers are also in a bit of a mess right now. They are currently 4-8, and they play in the West. They need to start figuring stuff out real, real quick if they want to get back to the playoffs. So while Carmelo adds another scorer, he has a history of not being a great postseason player. He has also shown that he cannot lead a team. His best teams never made it further than the second round of the playoffs, and he never really showed up.

Another isssue, the Blazers also don't need more scoring. I just mentioned that Lillard and McCollum are scoring machines, but this team needs bigs that are good rebounders and defenders. They need Jusuf Nurkic back. They need Hassan Whiteside to show up, or to trade him for someone that will put in full effort. They need a solid veteran willing to push aside their own personal numbers and do what is best for the team. They need Terry Stotts to wake the hell up and become the good coach eh has proven to be so far in his career.

So while I am thrilled for Carmelo that he is back, I don't think this moves the needle, at all, for Portland. They have bigger fish to fry, and Carmelo doesn't really solve any of the big problems currently plaguing this team. I will say though, I am stoked to see Anthony, who is going to join the team on their upcoming road trip, play against the Rockets. I feel like he could explode on them. I just don't know if that will result in a win for them. They need to get some stops.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

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What to Make of the Colin Kaepernick NFL "Tryout"

It seems like Colin Kaepernick is going to get a shot at making a NFL team next week. That much is good. It is a step. But, I have a ton of mixed feelings about this workout that is happening in a few days.

I want to get the bad out of the way first. This feels like the coup of publicity stunts. I mean, the NFL called his people and told him to be in Atlanta for this tryout. He didn't get to pick the day, location or people he wants around for this tryout. This is all being done on their watch, and that is shady as hell. I feel like the NFL thinks, at least the higher ups, that they are in a win win situation. If he gets signed they can say, "see, we didn't blackball him", and if he doesn't get signed they can say, "well, he is too old, and the tryout proved that today". They cannot literally say anything wrong, in their eyes. It is just so weird that this is coming on so sudden. I know that Kaepernick, who has handled this as gracefully as one can, more on that when I get to the good, says he is ready. But, this is so spur of the moment, and even though he is a pro, he hasn't played in 3 years, and the tryout is in a few days. It doesn't feel like enough time. It feels like the NFL is setting him up to fail, and that is so immoral. I think Jerry Jones saying this is good is a real problem. Jones is the epitome of an owner who literally thinks he owns the team, and the players. He is old, racist and insanely rich and stupid. He could care less about the well being of a young person, as long as that person is a good football player. so, for him to be on board with this, I feel like the NFL went to him personally and asked him to say he likes this. I would bet a good sum of money that Roger Goodell and Jones had a meeting prior to this, and Goodell asked him to say he likes this, for a certain amount of cash. And as I said at the top, I don't like the small amount of notice they gave Kaeperninck. This is no time to really get yourself ready for a tryout like this. I would imagine that most, if not all, of the teams will have a representative there to watch. And Kaepernick is going to have to be perfect. Any slip up, and he is toast. That is a shame. I mean, guys coming into the draft have multiple chances to show themselves to teams before being picked. They have the combine, pro days and private workouts, all made on their own schedules. And as far as signing a vet off the street, even those guys get time to get themselves ready. They get a call, are asked to come in for a tryout, and then, if they make the team, sometimes have a few weeks worth of practice with the team. Kaepernick gets none of this, and that is grossly unfair. He has a few days to get himself ready for what may be the biggest tryout for a professional athlete ever. That is insane.

As far as what I think is "good" about this, it is a few things. One, I am glad he is actually getting a shot. I know that I said the time constraints and timing of this is bad, but still, he is getting an opportunity to tryout. I also adore the way he has handled this. Like I said before, he has shown nothing but grace and composure during this past week. He has tweeted out his happiness at a tryout. He is going to be as prepared as he can be. He has been staying in shape. He is still continuing to help his community. Colin Kaepernick is a great human being, and he will be remembered for so much more than just this tryout.

Finally, I think he is going to crush at this tryout. He is going to look good. He will make the throws. He will make the right decisions and he will be phenomenal. He is going to almost force a team, or teams, to sign him. He fits with a ton of teams right now too. The tanking teams, like Miami or Cincinnati or Washington or the Jets or Denver, he is better than any starting QB they currently have on their roster. He would also fit in perfectly as a backup with Dallas or Houston or Kansas City or Green Bay. Hell, I would much rather have him backing up Aaron Rodgers than whoever in the hell is his current backup.

Look, I am a big time supporter of Kaepernick's and I want him to make. I think the NFL is trying to save face with this tryout, hoping that he may not be as good as he was, and it will blow up in their face. He is going to do great, and he is going to get signed. I fully believe that, and I fully believe that is what the NFL doesn't want to happen. We will soon know, and I will be rooting hard for him to make it.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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2019 NFL Quick Hits: Week 10

Week 10 of the NFL season has come and gone, and I am here with some takes. To be completely transparent with everyone, this week I only watched one game, the Packers-Panthers game, and the rest I saw on highlights. I have been busy doing house renovations, and Sunday is the best day for me to do them. Maybe that is because college football is on Saturday, and college football is infinitely more fun, and much cooler than the NFL. It could also be that my mother in law, who has been teaching me how to do all these things around my house, likes coming out on Sunday's. Either way, the majority of my NFL experience this season has been watching Packers games, and catching up on the rest with highlights. Anyway, here we go.

Thursday night featured another big win from the Raiders. They beat the Chargers, who were coming off a big win over the Packers, and Josh Jacobs further strengthened his hold on offensive rookie of the year. That kid is good, Jon Gruden is making me remember that he is a solid coach, and still a jackass, and the Chargers will not be making a second straight postseason. They need to move on from Phillip Rivers, and give Melvin Gordon a new chance somewhere else. Also, maybe they should move to the UK. Who knows. Anyway, the Raiders look like a legit playoff team, and the Chargers are stumbling.

The Jets and the Giants played, and I can't think of anyone that would willingly watch that game. You have to be a serious diehard, almost obsessive, to watch that game. The Jets won, but from what I heard, it was ugly.

The Falcons stunned the Saints. I'm not much for upsets in the NFL, but this is an upset. The Falcons harassed Drew Brees all game, gaining 6 sacks. They had 7 all year. They also showed up on offense and looked, somewhat, like their old selves. I'm sure this is a flash in the pan performance, but shocking nonetheless. This is the type of win that can help the Falcons finish strong, and may hurt the Saints in playoff seeding, and possible home field advantage type scenarios. This may have also saved Dan Quinn's job. Maybe.

In another stunner, the Titans beat the Chiefs. Patrick Mahomes was back, looked really good, albeit a little slow and they looked like themselves, on offense that is. Derrick Henry gashed that defense for almost 200 yards rushing and 3 TD's. He is good, but not that good. That being said, the Chiefs did have the game in hand, seemingly, but they found a way to blow it. The defense let Ryan Tannehill lead a game winning drive at the end, and they took home a 3 point win after they blocked the Chiefs last second field goal attempt. The Chiefs may not be as invincible as I thought. This was a troubling loss for them.

In not so stunning news, the Ravens dismantled the Bengals. They were beating them so bad that they ran out a package where they ran the option with Lamar Jackson, Robert Griffin and Mark Ingram, "The Heisman Package" they called it, and, near the end of the third quarter, Lamar Jackson was on the sideline wearing shades and grinning from ear to ear. The Ravens are the most fun team in the NFL, they keep winning and Lamar Jackson is the real deal. The best part about this game, when John Harbaugh and Jackson were caught talking on the sideline about how Jackson is changing the game and that kids everywhere will be wearing his jersey. That rules. Also, the Bengals stink. Sorry RD.

The Browns found a way to win a game, but from what I heard, this game was almost as unwatchable as the Jets-Giants game. I guess the Browns play calling was atrocious, and the Bills, well, they are still letting Josh Allen play QB for them. The Bills are like the Bears in that regard. I don't think this win was as big for Freddie Kitchens as the Falcons win was for Dan Quinn, but it is a win, and one the Browns desperately needed. Also, the Bills might be returning to form as a middle of the road AFC team. Their defense is really good, but man is their offense bad.

The Bucs and Cardinals played what looked like an exciting game, with tons of passing yards and lots points. Jameis Winston had one of his good performances. Kyler Murray looks like the real deal, maybe he won't be running to play pro baseball after this year, and both teams, while not very good, play exciting football. Bruce Arians has a ton of work to do to get the Bucs back to contention, and every week I am stunned at how Kliff Kingsbury is adapting, as best he can, to the NFL game. The Cardinals could be good sooner rather than later.

The Bears beat the Lions, and Mitch Trubisky had 3 TD passes. But, I think this game says way more about the Lions, and who they had to play at QB. Matthew Stafford missed his first game in forever, and the Lions had to start, hell I don't know if it was Ryan Lindley or Ryan Driskell at QB. The fact that those guys got to start NFL games this week, and Colin Kaepernick is still unsigned is such a god damn joke. Shame on the NFL and their owners. That is so absurd. Anyway, the Bears shut down whatever lower tier QB they played, and Trubisky did enough to eek out a 7 point win over a very undermanned team. I still don't buy any of the "Trubisky proved his worth" headlines I saw, and I bet Lions fans are waiting with bated breath that Stafford's back injury isn't super serious. This seems like another bad game among the many that were played on Sunday.

The Dolphins won their second straight game, beating the Brian Hoyer led Colts. Again, Hoyer is a fine career backup, but why not get Kaepernick to replace Brissett? That would be perfect. But the Dolphins put together enough points to stave off their "tank" for a second straight game. I know the Dolphins are bad, but I feel like Brian Flores is proving his worth as a head coach. The fact that he has gotten this Dolphins team to win, twice, is amazing. And the Colts, well, this is what happens when you have to trot out a career backup. Jacoby Brissett is far better.

The game I watched, Packers-Panthers, was pretty fun. Both teams were able to gobble up rush yards, they played solid defense and it ended with a goal line stand. Aaron Jones is proving his worth,, and then some, this season. He is so important to the Packers offense, and he has been living up to that new role. He is amazing. The Packers defense also did just enough to get a crucial win. That goal line stand was dope. The Panthers are a good team, but they need Cam Newton. I know all the talk lately is of them moving on from him, but I don't trust Kyle Allen. The pressure is already firmly on Christian McCaffery, and he has been great, but that wears on a running back. Also, the Panthers defense is really good. Their pass rush is good. And that roughing call was really bad late in the game. But, the Packers came away with a win, and they still hold a one game lead over RD's Vikings.

The Steelers are making a late playoff push, and it is because of their defense. Minkah Fitzpatrick has been stupendous since being traded there. He is a turnover machine, and he turns them into TD's. Without him, and that D, the Steelers would be DOA. As for the Rams, well, this is what happens when you let Jared Goff be the focal point. He is not that good. This team should go as Todd Gurley goes. But, something is up with him. I don't know if it is an injury, or they want to give Goff the reins because they paid him so much money, but the Rams look like they are suffering from a big time Super Bowl hangover. They don't seem very locked in right now.

RD's real team, the Vikings, got a big win in Dallas. They shut down woman and child abuser Ezekial Elliot. They made Dak Prescott uncomfortable all game. And Dalvin Cook was tremendous. This was a big time win for the Vikings, and it keeps them in the NFC North race. I actually caught a few seconds of this game, and the Cowboys insistence on getting Elliot the ball on the goal line was stupefying. The Vikings knew it was coming, and they stopped it, twice. Good win for Minnesota, and this further proves that Jason Garrett is a bad head coach, and the Cowboys are still irrelevant.

The Monday night game featured overtime, a hard fought game and the Seahawks handing the 49ers their first loss. This game showed me quite a bit in fact. Russell Wilson is good. I don't like writing that every week, but it is true, at least this season. Also, the "vaunted" 49ers defense may not be as formidable as they are perceived. And Jimmy Garropollo isn't Tom Brady, as much as the media may want us to believe. Both these teams are good. They can both do good things. But, if I were to pick a team that would win a crucial, important game, I would go with the Seahawks. They have the better QB, better skill players and the experience. San Francisco is a nice story, but they aren't elite. Not yet anyway.

That does it for week 10. Come back next week for week 11 takes.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Tales of the NCAA Being Stupid: Chase Young and James Wiseman Edition

In their never ending circle of stupidity, the NCAA doubled down with 2 of the most baffling suspensions I have ever witnessed in my history of watching college sports this past week.

First off, you all know how I feel about the University of Ohio State. I think it says a lot the way I type it, I loathe that team, I think they cheat and Urban Meyer is a supreme asshole. But, to suspend Chase Young, for what now looks like 2 of the most meaningless games on their schedule, is absolutely ridiculous. I get that players cannot accept money from boosters, and that, somewhere deep, deep in the rule book what he did was "wrong", still, this was so stupid. Yes, he took money from a "booster", but it was to fly his family, and his girlfriend, out to the bowl game last season. And Chase Young paid the loan back. I swear the only reason he got the suspension was because the "booster" has ties to the NFL. Or his family does, or something like that.

Herein lies one of my biggest problems with the NCAA and their never ending rule book. Chase Young is not allowed to get a job while he is enrolled in school. One, he doesn't have time, but college athletes cannot get work outside of the program. It is one of the billion dumb rules passed down by the NCAA to further police these kids. I had a friend who I have mentioned before that played division 1-AA football, and even he couldn't work a summer job that wasn't connected with the school. Chase Young is a star player. He is one of the favorites to win the Heisman. He is the best player on the number one ranked team in the country. He will, almost certainly, be a top 3 pick in the upcoming draft, and the NCAA decided now, near the end of the regular season, they were going to suspend him? Look, I do not like standing up for a player from that school, but this is so bogus. I mean, by all accounts, he goes to class, he has had zero off field issues and he paid back the loan. Why the suspension? The NCAA is as crooked, if not more so, than FIFA. And this suspension is just another unwanted feather in their, and Mark Emmert's dumbass hat. Again, the games he will, and already has, missed are glorified scrimmages. But still, this all but takes him out of the Heisman race, and makes the NCAA look really, really bad.

Then, to almost try and outdo themselves, the NCAA decided, one game into the men's college basketball season, that they were going to suspend the number one recruit, and most likely number one pick in the upcoming NBA draft, James Wiseman out of Memphis for the rest of the season because he accepted a "gift" from a booster. This booster, his head coach Penny Hardaway. Never, ever in my life have I heard, or been told, or read that a head coach can also be considered a "booster". This is asinine. I mean, Penny Hardaway did nothing wrong at all. He did exactly as Coach K or John Calipari would do. But, because he is young and new, the NCAA decided they were going to target him. I guarantee that if Wiseman went to Kentucky or Duke, this wouldn't even be a story. But, because Wiseman chose Memphis, and Penny Hardaway, the NCAA decided they needed to suspend him.

Even further, I don't know what the suspension is for. All I have read so far is that he is "ineligible". Is it grades? Is it impermissible benefits? Did the coaching staff at Memphis give him money? The NCAA has answered none of this, and just deemed him "ineligible". But, not to be taken prisoner by the corrupt NCAA, James Wiseman and Penny Hardaway are fighting the suspension, and until he is for real punished, he is allowed to play. The very same day he was deemed "ineligible", he went out and played and had a monster game. Look, Wiseman is going to be in the NBA regardless next year, but this one year at Memphis can mean the difference in draft position, and that could mean millions upon millions of dollars. But does the NCAA care about that? Of course not. They want things done their way, no matter how stupid and pointless their crazy rules may be.

Like I said before, if he were at any other school, one of the blue blood schools, this wouldn't even be an issue. But since Penny Hardaway is able to go into any recruit's home in the country, and is infinitely cooler than say Coach K or John Calipari or Roy Williams or Tom Izzo, the NCAA gets their feathers all ruffled. I told my dad, that if my son grows up to be a college level basketball player, and I had to pick a team or a coach I would want him to play for, Michigan and Juwan Howard were one, but Penny Hardaway and Memphis were a very close second. I grew up watching those guys play in college and the NBA. I didn't sit down and watch Coach K coach Duke, or John Calipari cheat at UMASS and now Kentucky. I loathe Tom Izzo. I think Roy Williams is okay, but he is old school. I would want my kid to play for a young, hip and fun coach. Not some crusty old man.

These 2 suspensions are so blatantly stupid and pointless from the NCAA and Mark Emmert. Every time they do anything that is slightly good, like agreeing to eventually pay athletes for their likeness, they go and do something like this that reminds me how disgusting and corrupt they are. This is so stupid and I like that these kids are fighting back. They aren't just accepting it because the NCAA says so. Good for these kids, and good for Penny Hardaway for attacking the system.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

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Where Does Florida State Go From Here?

Florida State fired Willie Taggart earlier this week. I thought this may be coming, just not in the middle of the season.

I'm not a big fan, usually, of a coach being fired during the season. Let them finish it out, then let them go. Also, I do not think Taggart got a fair shot. The fact that boosters raised the money to have him removed, a near record breaking 17 million dollar buyout, shows they wanted him gone. This, I feel, has a lot to do with the on field product, but I think if he had been given one more season, he could have turned this around. Also, I don't think he would have been fired so quickly if he were Jimbo Fisher, who left this team 2 years ago, or Mark Stoops, who has Kentucky playing okay, but not great. I think you all know what I am getting at with these 2 comparisons. I also think Taggart is a solid head coach. He did great things at Western Kentucky, and while he left them ASAP, I feel like he was a perfect fit at Oregon after they let go of Mark Helfrich. I am not concerned for Taggart though. He has that humongous payout, and I would be shocked if he wasn't coaching a division 1 school at the start of the 2020 season. There will be some openings, probably some fairly big time schools, and many of them will jump at the chance to hire Willie Taggart.

As for Florida State, I really don't know where they go from here. As little as 5 or 6 years ago, they were a national title winner. I believe they were the last BCS champs. They then made the initial playoff. Then Jimbo Fisher decides to leave them for Texas A&M, I still don't understand that, and they were left searching. I thought they hit a homerun with Taggart, but clearly, I was wrong.

Some names that have popped up since Taggart was let go are fine. I think Bob Stoops is a solid head coach, and college is a much better fit for any coach than the dumbass XFL. But, Stoops left Oklahoma out of the blue, with so many unanswered questions hanging over him. I was stunned when he left. And, Oklahoma has been better, at least more consistent, since Lincoln Riley took over. Maybe Stoops knew his days were numbered, but still, he left under bizarre circumstances.

Lane Kiffin has said he would be interested in the job, but we have been down this road with Kiffin before. How many more times can he fail up into a job. He was horrible at Tennessee, and left them the moment the USC job was open. He then scorched Earth with that team, and that team's fan base. It was so bad that he was fired in the middle of the night, after a plane ride home. He then went on to Alabama to be an offensive coordinator, and he turned that into the head coaching gig at Florida Atlantic. Sure, he has some fun teams there, and he is a big time JUCO recruiter, but FAU is no better than a 7 or 8 win team. And when he has to play the upper tier, power 5 schools, FAU gets destroyed. I know FSU is in the ACC, but a team like Clemson would relish the fact that they could destroy a Lane Kiffin coached team. I feel like Miami and Manny Diaz would love the challenge. Hell, even the times they play Florida, Dan Mullen would wipe the floor with them.

And then this morning I heard that Deion Sanders has become a viable candidate for the opening. I actually think this would be kind of cool. He went to Florida State. He was there when they were a power. He has clout. He could get into any recruit in the nation's home and wow them. He oozes charisma. He knows the game. But, he has never coached at this high a level before. Yes, he is leading his son's high school team, but that is high school football. College is such a different game, and FSU, that is major division 1 college football. I look at some former players that are coaching now, and it takes time. I love that Michigan basketball has hired Juwan Howard, but I know it will be a few seasons before they are elite. This is his first time. Patrick Ewing has Georgetown potentially as a tournament team this year, but this is year 3 for him. Herm Edwards took over Arizona State, and while they were ranked for a moment this season, that team has fallen back to Earth. They are a 6 win team at best. Sure, that means bowl eligibility, but one of those early December bowl games. I imagine it would be tough for Deion to, one, not get every top flight recruit, and 2, not be that good for a few seasons. He would inherit a team that is light on QB's and receivers. A team that struggles defensively, even against inferior opponents. He would also have to deal with the exact same boosters who raised enough money to buy out Taggart. It is a tough situation.

So, if I were FSU, and thank goodness I have zero affiliation and do not like that team, I would give Deion Sanders the job, knowing that it would be a rebuilding project. That is what I think would be best for everyone involved.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is ready to return the glory to his old team and become the head coach. Do you hear that Marquette High?

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The Ringer's Kevin O'Conner is a Bad Take Generator

Home to Kevin O’Conner takes

I am very tough on the website The Ringer. I feel like it is filled with hot take millennial BS that is pointless. All the majority of the hosts of the podcasts, and their writers, it is all about the quickest and hottest take out there. I don't feel like they do a ton of research, and they just want to put out stuff to get clicks on the site. Also, Bill Simmons is one of the biggest has beens in the sports writing business. He is such a non factor in the NBA world now. I do not trust a word he says anymore, and while he was once a solid writer, he has only shown since starting The Ringer, is that he wants so badly to still be in his 20's, even though he is approaching his 50's. It is sad. That much is true. Also, his interviews with Malcolm Gladwell have been horrendous and awful, in so many different ways.

While I do not read the website anymore, it feels like a total waste of time, I do subscribe to 2 of their podcasts. I listen to their NFL show, and I listen to their NBA show hosted by Chris Vernon and Kevin O'Connor. I do like Chris Vernon. I have talked about that before. He has some of the better takes on the pod, he seems to understand the NBA pretty well, and he isn't a yes man, of which this company is filled with. I also enjoy his passion for the game, and his love for his hometown team, the Memphis Grizzlies. Yes, he can be obnoxious from time to time, he can be a little loud, but again, he seems like the smartest person that is involved with the whole Ringer crew.

Then we have Kevin O'Connor. Boy oh boy do I not like him. He has one, maybe 2 good takes per episode, but everything else is so absurd and contradictory and asinine and flat out stupid. He takes credit for the few things he gets right, and when he is very wrong, which is a lot, he almost always deflects the blame. He is never wrong, it was something out of his control that caused his shit take to be off.

For example, I was listening to their most recent episode, and twice he said some shit that was so off that it made me audibly gasp and call him an idiot to my iPhone. First, Chris Vernon called him out on his "bright future Suns" comment, and when he was pushed by Vernon, he kind of just blahed his way through his speech. Vernon pointed out that when he called them the "bright future Suns", they had so many other players. In fact, the only player that is still on the team when O'Connor coined them that is Devin Booker. Every other player is gone. But O'Connor, in his infinite stupidity, tried to claim that Booker was the only reason he called them "the bright future Suns". That is false. You can go back and listen to him say he still liked Dragan Bender, gone, or any other number of players that the Suns have since traded or let go in free agency. The team is incredibly different from who O'Connor dubbed "the bright future Suns".

And then, the comment that really irked me, he said that the Knicks need to lose. I hate, hate, hate that this whole new tanking thing is what the younger generation of basketball writers are so enamored with right now. Why would any fan of any team ever want their team to lose purposely? The 76ers did it for half a decade, and when you talk to their fans, they talk about some dark thoughts during that time. I am a lifelong Michigan fan, and the Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke eras where unbearable. I'm sure Houston Astros fans are happy now, but when they were regularly losing 100 games, that couldn't have been fun. I am now rooting for the Memphis Grizzlies, and while Ja Morant has been a blast to watch so far, it stinks that they get beat pretty much every night. I think it is easy for someone like Kevin O'Connor, who is a Boston guy, to talk about how these teams should actively tank because in his whole sports fandom life, the Patriots, Celtics, Bruins and Red Sox have all been really good, or even won titles. The teams he roots for haven't had to tank, yet. So when he said that the Knicks should continue to tank, I was flabbergasted. He kept saying that this would help them get young talent, and lure free agents. I need to say, how did that work for them this past offseason? They didn't sign anyone of note, they ended up taking RJ Barrett, more on him and another O'Connor comment in a moment, and they have no real shot anymore at getting the number one pick in the upcoming draft. They did this exact same thing last year, losing because they were certain they were going to get Zion Williamson, and sign one, or both, of KD and Kyrie Irving. Well, none of that happened Mr. O'Connor. So what makes you think it will happen this offseason, or next or next? Hell, KD even said no one wants to go sign with the Knicks because they haven't been relevant since the late 90's.

As for that RJ Barrett comment, he said that the Knicks are playing him too much. What in the actual hell?! I mean, if the kid wants to play, and the team wants him to play and the coach wants him to play, let him play. Who cares? You can throw all the too many minutes thing, and the rookie wall at me, but if Barrett feels good, and they took him third overall and they want to build around him, let him play. O'Connor is obsessed with coddling the young generation coming into the NBA, especially Duke players. That is ridiculous. Also, if David Fizdale was only playing him 20 minutes a night, O'Connor would be the first one to say that the Knicks need a new coach who would let Barrett play.

Kevin O'Conner is an unreliable, porous and crappy sports writer. He is the definition of a hot take writer who thinks they are never wrong. He seems lost and confused every time Chris Vernon calls him out, and his response is to act like a child who is being wrongly scolded. I hope O'Connor reads this because I really, really want him to know how I feel about him and his crap takes. Of all the crummy writers and podcasters they have at The Ringer, O'Connor is the second worse, behind only his boss, Bill Simmons.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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2019 NFL Quick Hits: Week 9

Week 9 of the NFL has passed, and while it was a pretty boring week, save for the Sunday night game, I do have some takes, especially on my team, and another team from the same division. Lets get to it.

First off we have the Thursday night game between the 49ers and Cardinals. The 49ers pushed their way to 8-0, but they made it tough. The Cardinals made it a game near the end, and dare I say, I may have been wrong on Kliff Kingsbury, for now. The Cardinals have proven to be much better on offense than I thought, and their defense, while not great, is fine. The 49ers finally got a breakout game from Jimmy Garropolo, and if they play like this, they are a true NFC threat. I don't totally buy it yet, but they do have a solid defense, they are winning, and if the offense can put together more games like this, they will be good for years to come. Also, Kyler Murray is really, really good. That kid can play.

The Texans easily dispatched of the Jags, and I think this game really showed the true colors of each team. The Texans can be great, if they can protect Deshaun Watson. He was awesome on Sunday, and that Jumpman pose he did to get in the end zone was rad. Also, him shouting out Popeye's spicy chicken sandwich was so god damn cool. Deshaun Watson rules. The Jags, and more so Gardner Minshew, are, at best, a 7 win team. They cannot keep up on defense, when teams load the box Leonard Fournette cannot go off and Minshew looks like a backup. I still kind of like the Jags, but they aren't a top tier, playoff caliber team. Not yet anyway.

The Eagles looked lackluster, slow and kind of checked out, and yet they still beat the Bears. The Eagles did just enough to get a crucial win to stay in the playoff conversation, but this game was way more clarifying as to what ails the Bears. The Bears have an otherworldly defense, and Khalil Mack is great. But, their offense is horrendous, and I put the blame squarely on the GM and the QB. Yes, Matt Nagy has made some odd calls, but if he had a QB that was serviceable, I think the Bears are 6-2 instead of 3-5. Mitch Trubisky is not a good NFL QB, and as long as he is starting, the Bears will be wasting a great defense and a solid receiving corps. They need to move on now.

The Chiefs found a way to beat one of RD's teams, the Vikings, with a backup QB. This proves how great of a regular season coach Andy Reid is. He schemed up Matt Moore to perfection, got a key win and is just biding his time until Patrick Mahomes gets back. The Vikings played okay, but they just couldn't get it done. I thought they were going to beat the Chiefs because of how hot they have been lately, but this is what happens when you put all your eggs in the Kirk Cousins basket I guess.

The Steelers, who I still don't buy as a playoff contender, somehow found a way to beat the Colts. Now, Jacoby Brissett got hurt during the game, and still, the Colts had a shot. Adam Vinateiri missed a game winner, and he may be done, but still, the Colts had a chance. They are still in contention to win the division, or get a wild card slot, but this loss hurts, and if Brissett misses a few games, it may only get worse. As for the Steelers, they won, but again, I still don't buy them as contenders. They cannot run the ball with consistency, and their QB situation is a real mess. Although, I love seeing Devin Bush playing well. That is pretty cool.

The Dolphins won a game. I did not think I would write that sentence once this year. But, they found a way to beat the Jets. The Jets may be the worst team in, not only the NFL this year, but of all time. I know some teams have gone 0-16, and other teams have played bad, but the Jets are a whole new level of awful. They are poorly coached, poorly ran and they flat out stink. Sam Darnold has regressed, LeVeon Bell cannot find any running room and their defense is real, real bad. Adam Gase is a horrible head coach, and the Jets are in chaos mode right now. Good for the Dolphins though. Way to get one win.

The Bills made easy work of Washington, and Washington is almost, almost, as bad as the Jets. The Bills are, fairly quietly, 6-2, and could be 9-2 after the next 3 weeks. They have a very, very good defense, and can run the ball well. They are a clock controlling type team. As for Washington, well, they haven't scored a single TD in 3 weeks. That is atrocious. They can't run, they can't protect their rookie QB and they lied to their best O lineman about having cancer. This team is a mess, and I bet they have a very hard time finding anyone credible coach to take their vacant head coaching job. Washington is bad.

The Panthers beat the Titans because Christian McCaffery is fully asserting himself as the best running back in the league. They did get some bad news today, with Cam Newton going on IR, but if CMC continues to do what he's doing, and the defense plays like they did on Sunday, as opposed to what they did against the 49ers, they can still make that push for the playoffs. The Titans, on the other hand, are the most bland team in the league. They don't do anything spectacular or terrible. They are so blah. I'm sure they will go 7-9 or 8-8 and no one will care.

The Raiders got their fourth win of the year, and they beat an okay Lions team. I cannot believe I am saying this, but the Raiders are starting to resemble a real NFL team. Oh, and Josh Jacobs is awesome. I thought they may have reached a bit for him. I was wrong. He is a real good running back. The Lions had one of their typical blown games, but this time it was on them, not the refs. They just have struggled to put together a full four quarters. But, the Raiders aren't as bad as they have been in the past, and Matt Stafford is having a solid year. Now they need to translate that into some wins.

The Seahawks let the Bucs jump out to a 14 point lead, but they managed to comeback yet again. Russell Wilson was great when he needed to be, and it gets more and more frustrating to me to say this, but he is having a monster year. So is DK Metcaf. The Seahawks have problems on defense, but if Russell Wilson continues to play like he has all year, he will single handily lead them to the playoffs. The Bucs cannot get out of their own way. Even when Jameis Winston has a good game, he still has a critical turnover that kills his team. Also, the Bucs defense is awful. They cannot stop anyone.

My team, the Packers, laid a complete egg on Sunday. The Chargers have not been a good team all year, yet they dominated Green Bay. The Packers defense was on the field seemingly all game, and they got pretty tired near the end. And when Green Bay was on offense, they looked very sloppy. They couldn't do much of anything. The Chargers deserved to win, and they easily won. That was a rough watch for me.

The Sunday night game, as I mentioned at the top, was great. The Ravens shredded the Patriots D, and for the first time this season, the Patriots looked unprepared. Lamar Jackson furthered his MVP case as well. He was so awesome on Sunday night. He made all the right reads, he made the throws and he was a nuisance to tackle. He is the new Mike Vick. He is a faster Steve Young. He is awesome. The Ravens D also harassed Tom Brady all game long, stripped Julian Edelmann and shut the Patriots down. I know this is just one game, and I still think the Patriots will be in the Super Bowl, but it was nice to see the Ravens and Lamar Jackson run all over them and win going away. The Ravens are legit, and so is Lamar Jackson.

Finally we have the Monday night game between the Cowboys and Giants, and honestly, I didn't watch a second of this game. I instead chose to watch "Watchmen", and I feel like I made the correct choice. I saw the Cowboys won, and that Saquon Barkley did some more cool shit this morning when I checked highlights, and for a Monday night game like last night, I feel that is more than enough attention that needs to be paid to 2 teams I could care less about, and haven't been relevant for nearly a decade now.

That's it for my week 9 takes. Come back next week for week 10.

Ty

2019 NFL Midseason Redo

Okay, as promised, today I finally come to you with my NFL midseason redo, filled with new picks and predictions. I will do it just like I did my season preview. I will go through each division with a sentence or 2 about each team, pick a winner, then pick the AFC and NFC title game, Super Bowl matchup and winner. I will also pick new award winners.

Okay, lets get to it.

Lets start with the AFC first. In the East, the Patriots are absolutely running away with it, yet again. They haven't even hit their stride offensively, but their defense is his historically good, and I know they haven't played the best competition, but they are destroying the bad teams as they should. They have a big test this weekend, and if they pass it, they could go undefeated. The Bills are surprisingly solid, at 5-2. They aren't very good on offense, but they are pretty stout on defense. They are in the thick of the wild card hunt. Then we have the Jets and Dolphins. I mean, could they be the 2 worst teams in the NFL? Maybe. The Jets are a mess with a terrible head coach. As for the Dolphins, they are trying to lose games, and boy are they succeeding. Patriots will win the East.

The AFC West is pretty much all wrapped up as well. I know the Chiefs are without Patrick Mahomes, but they will be just fine when he comes back in a week or 2. They don't have the best defense, not by a long shot, but they have an offense that can light it up, when Mahomes gets back. Every other team is under .500. The Raiders are better, but they need a better QB and some better receivers. The Chargers are a mess, and have been ravaged by injury. Also, Phillip Rivers needs to give it up. And the Broncos, well, they are in a real, real mess. John Elway is an awful GM, and this season is really proving that. Chiefs will win the West.

The AFC North is a lot like the West. The Ravens are the best team by a wide margin. Lamar Jackson is awesome, and might be the most fun QB in the league. They also have a tough defense. The Ravens are the Spurs of the NFL. The Steelers are no good. I know people keep saying they can make a push for the playoffs. They cannot. They are not that good. The Browns, seemingly everyone's preseason darlings, are not good. At all. They cannot protect their overrated QB, they can't get Odell the ball and they aren't living up to the hype on defense. Oh, they are poorly coached too. And we have one of RD's 2 teams, the Bengals. The 0-8 Bengals that is. They stink, enough said. Ravens take the North.

Finally in the AFC we have the South, which has been surprisingly good. The Colts have kept it together very well after Andrew Luck's retirement. They play solid ball control offense, and their defense is stout. The Texans have the other most exciting QB in the league in Deshaun Watson. He is amazing, and he is carrying that team. He can lead them to the playoffs. The Titans and Jags are both 4-4, and both totally different. The Titans are bland and dull and will be 8-8 at best. The Jags have a good run game, and their defense, even without Jalen Ramsey, looks a lot more similar to the defense 2 years ago. I am going to pick the Colts because they have the better head coach, but the Texans will still be in the playoffs.

As for the AFC playoff teams, I have the Texans, Bills, Colts, Ravens, Chiefs and Patriots. In the AFC title game I still have the Chiefs and Patriots, but, and it really bums me out, I am going to pick the Patriots. Their defense is amazing, and the offense will figure it out soon. They are just too good, and they will have home field throughout the playoffs.

On to the NFC. The NFC East is not very good, and yet, they may get 2 playoff teams. The Cowboys are as Jekyll and Hyde as it gets. One week they look unstoppable, the next, they lose to the Jets. Who knows with this team. The Eagles, my number one team in the preseason, has been a major disappointment. They play no secondary defense and cannot pressure the QB. And the offense is dealing with injuries and an inability to pass the ball. Yet here they sit at 4-4, and in a tie for first. The Giants are wasting Saquon Barkley's talents, and have benched Eli Manning in favor for Daniel Jones. That says it all. And then there is Washington. I mean, they fired Jay Gruden, told a player that had cancer that he didn't and could care less about winning games, player safety or getting fans to come to the game. They are a mess, and they totally deserve all the bad that is happening to them right now. I guess I am going to pick the Cowboys because they most recently destroyed the Eagles. But, don't count out the Eagles.

The NFC West is really good. The 49ers seemed to have figured something out, and where we sit right now, they are one of 2 undefeated teams. They have a solid run and play action pass game and their defense is ferocious. The Seahawks are being led by Russell Wilson, who is having an MVP caliber year, and they are playing better defense. The Rams are finally using Todd Gurley properly, got Jalen Ramsey and are starting to look like the team they were last year. Then we have the Cardinals, who aren't as bad as I thought, but still aren't that good. I could see three of the 4 teams making the playoffs from this division. Right now though, at the halfway point, I am going with the 49ers to win the division because they have a 2 game lead. That is big time in the NFL.

The NFC North is a 2 team race, and those 2 teams are my team and RD's real team. The Packers were led by their defense early and the offense is finally starting to figure it out. My only fear with them, they are peaking too early. The Vikings looked like a bust a few weeks into the season, but now, they look pretty good. They are throwing the ball well, Dalvin Cook is finally becoming the star he showed he could be in college and the defense is solid. The Lions are a real tough team, but they either get screwed by refs, or screw themselves. They could win 10 games, but I see them winning 7 or 8 games. And then we have the Bears. Mitch Trubisky is a bust. There is no way to argue that. He has only gotten worse, and it is on him and the head coach as to why they have been so underwhelming. They still cannot kick a field goal either. This defense is being completely wasted. I'm going to go with the Packers to win the division now, but the Vikings are a real, real threat.

And in the South, the Saints might be the second best team in the NFL. They have a great defense now, and Drew Brees is back and the offense is really good. They are complete now. Also, the fact that Teddy Bridgewater is the backup shows how deep this team is. The Saints are really good, and Alvin Kamara hasn't played in a few weeks. The Panthers are okay, but not good enough to make the playoffs. Also, they need Cam Newton back. The Buccaneers are a turnover machine, and they don't play a whole lot of defense. And the Falcons are a total and utter disaster. They have to be the worst defense in the NFL, and the offense is old and stale. The Saints are going to cruise with the division.

As for my NFC playoff teams, I'm going to go with the Vikings, Rams, Cowboys, 49ers, Packers and Saints. The NFC title game will feature the Packers and Saints, and I am going to go with the Saints. The NFC had the most changes from my preseason picks, but I still have the Saints in the Super Bowl.

That means my Super Bowl is going to feature the Patriots and Saints, and I am sticking with the Saints, and with my prediction of Drew Brees to retire afterward and hand over the reins to Teddy Bridgewater. It is all working towards that. Also, I would so much rather see the Saints win than the Patriots again. As for award winners, defensive rookie of the year I am sticking with Josh Allen, he is wrecking shit.

As for offensive rookie of the year, still going with Kyler Murray. He is going to put up big numbers for sure. For coach of the year, I'm going Frank Reich. The Colts should be in the playoffs, and the fact that he is leading that team to the playoffs after Lucks' retirement is a testament to how good of a coach he is. For defensive player of the year, I have to go with Aaron Donald., He is the best in the game. For offensive player of the year, I'm going Christian McCaffery. Sure, the Panthers won't make the playoffs, but he is putting up monster numbers, and Mahomes is hurt and Aaron Rodgers started off a little too late. For MVP, I am going with Lamar Jackson. There is no one, and that includes Russell Wilson, that is more important to his team's success than Lamar Jackson. He is that good.

So, there you have it, my mid season review with new predictions. I am sure I will be wrong on some of them, but I feel most solid with my Super Bowl and MVP winner. I will stand by those picks.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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2019 NFL Quick Hits: Week 8

Today I am coming at you with my NFL week 8 quick takes. I am going to do a midseason review, but I am saving that for Thursday. I want to really marinate on that one because I am not so sure about my Super Bowl pick, especially the Eagles. I just need some more time to think. But, I do want to touch quickly on week 8.

Getting right to it, the Vikings did what they were supposed to do to Washington. They are a better team in all three phases, and in the coaching category. Kirk Cousins, who still is a total doofus, had a good game, but threw no TD's. Dalvin Cook is the real deal. And their defense is looking more and more like themselves. As for Washington, I actually feel bad for Dwayne Haskins because he has zero help. That is a bad, bad football team. And that head coach opening looks less and less desirable with each passing week.

The Seahawks beat the Falcons by 7, but it wasn't that close. The Falcons are in a real bad spot. They just traded away Mohammed Sanu, and I wouldn't be shocked if they try and offload Julio Jones. He deserves so much better. And, while I know he is hurt, Matt Ryan has really fallen off a cliff. Their defense is also porous. The Seahawks controlled that game, and won with ease. Russell Wilson played fine enough, they ran the ball well and the defense made plays when they needed to. This was, for all intents and purposes, a glorified scrimmage for the Seahawks.

The Bears missed a game winning field goal. I know, I am as shocked as anyone(sarcastic). The Bears missed a field goal, but they have so many more problems, and it starts with that horrendous offense. Mitch Trubisky is not good, they have no run game and they are wasting a historically good defense. And while the Chargers won, Phillip Rivers and the head coach fought on the sideline, Melvin Gordon could only muster 30 yards on 10 plus carries and the offensive coordinator just got fired. This team is in trouble, and they won. That shows how bad the Bears are right now.

The Giants and Lions played a shockingly exciting game. There was a ton of points, Matthew Stafford was awesome, but so was Daniel Jones. I might be wrong on Daniel Jones. Also, Saquon Barkley is a once in a generation talent. That kid is great. But, the Lions finally won a close game, a game they deserved to win, and they are so much better than I thought they were going to be coming into the season. I am glad I picked up Stafford on my fantasy team. He has looked really good. Kenny Golladay is quickly becoming a top receiver in the league too.

The Jags easily dispatched of the Jets. They did enough on offense, and the defense stifled one of the easiest teams to stifle. The Jets are a mess. The Jags played up the whole "seeing ghosts" thing to perfection. And now I hear the Jets are willing to trade LeVeon Bell. This news comes just days after they traded Leonard Williams. The Jets are a total mess.

The Rams and Bengals played in London, and while it was tied at 10 for a minute, the Bengals did what they did and let Cooper Kuup walk in for a 60 yard TD and it was done from there. Todd Gurley also looked really solid in this game. The Rams have gotten exactly what they've needed the past 2 weeks to get back on track. I also just heard that the Bengals are now benching Andy Dalton. That is a bit too late, but they have zero wins, so why not bottom out to try and get a top QB prospect? They have nothing else to play for.

The Buccaneers and Titans played a close game, but I could not tell you much from that game. The Titans won, I saw Tannehill had three TD passes, and Jameis Winston wasn't terrible. But, these 2 teams couldn't be more unimportant. The Titans have 8-8 written all over them, and the Bucs are just tumbling. They will, most likely, be picking in the top 5 again. It may be time to move on from Winston.

The Eagles smoked the Bills, in what was a bit shocking to me. The Bills aren't explosive on offense, far from it, but the Eagles are horrendous on defense. But, maybe this will tamp down the Josh Allen hype train a bit. The Eagles stifled him, and they ran the hell out of the ball. Miles Sanders and Jordan Howard were dynamite. It is a win like this that makes me think the Eagles still have a chance, albeit small.

The Colts beat the Broncos on a last second field goal. This is what the Colts do. They can look sloppy and inefficient, but they stay in games, and find a way to win. They have done a great job of staying relevant after Andrew Luck retired to start the year. And the Broncos, well, Joe Flacco called out the entire coaching staff, and now he is benched. That says a ton, when Joe Flacco is calling you out. This is another team wasting a great, great defense with how pitiful they are on offense. The Broncos stink.

The Saints absolutely shredded the Cardinals. I know the Cardinals aren't that good, but just last week, I gave them a little credit. I think this win really solidifies the Saints as an upper tier NFC team, and Drew Brees look like he didn't miss a beat. I loved seeing Teddy Bridgewater do what he did, but Brees reminded us all why he is a hall of fame player. And that defense, which used to be the problem, is totally ferocious and fearsome. Kyler Murray had a solid game, but he was made very much to look like a rookie agains this defense. And I want better for Larry Fitzgerald. Trade him to a contender so he has one last shot at a ring. Please.

The 49ers are good. There, I finally admitted it. They didn't just beat the Panthers, they demolished them. The 49ers, where we stand right now, have a great run game, the play action is super effective and their defense is very, very good. I mean, Carolina is no slouch, and they held them to 13 points, while scoring 51. Kyle Shanahan is proving he can coach, and while he isn't putting up record breaking stats, Jimmy Garroppolo is the game manager they need. And that run game is just tremendous. Add in the fact they have Emmanuel Sanders, the 49ers are going to be good for awhile. Also, I think all the Cam trade talk, and giving the team to Kyle Allen needs to immediately stop after this game. Allen was bad, and looked the part of a backup. CMC is the only thing they had on offense, and that is why they only had 13 points.

The Texans won a thriller late against the Raiders. That TD pass Deshaun Watson threw to go ahead was spectacular. He got kicked in the face and still managed to find the open guy. I bet the Bears would kill to have a QB half as good as Watson, and they could have just drafted Watson themselves. He is firmly in the MVP race, if not the front runner, right now. And the Raiders, I will give them credit, they aren't rolling over and dying this season. They are playing teams tough, they just don't have the talent yet. They need a better QB too.

The Patriots made easy work of the Browns, I'm not much for counting teams out in week 8, but the Browns hype train is fully off the rails. They stink. Baker Mayfield is Johnny Manziel. They cannot get the ball to Odell Beckham. Nick Chubb has become a fumble machine and the O line is dreadful. The Patriots defense forced 3 turnovers on 3 consecutive snaps. That is unheard of. And the fact that Tom Brady hasn't had to do much of anything should have the whole NFL worried. The Patriots D is playing at a historical level, and I don't see them slowing down anytime soon. They're fast, big and get a shit ton of turnovers. I cannot stand that team, but dammit, they are really, really good.

The Packers won the Sunday night game, but it was a little too close for comfort for me. The Chiefs had a backup QB in, and the Packers had an early 14 point lead, but that was gone by halftime. Then they woke up, Aaron Rodgers and Aaron Jones were tremendous, and the D made plays when they needed. Rodgers has looked phenomenal the past 2 games as well, and soon they will get Davante Adams back. And Jones and Jamal Williams are finally giving the Packers a run game. The Chiefs are going to be fine as soon as Mahomes returns, but they did play okay in his absence. They held a lead for a minute, and Andy Reid proved he can make a game plan for 2 very different QB's. But, Mahomes is the engine that runs that team, and when he is out, it is noticeable.

Finally, the Monday night game was Dolphins-Steelers. I didn't watch a single second because I loathe both teams, the Dolphins are actively losing games and the Steelers are very boring and blah. The Steelers won, so good for them I guess.

That does it for week 8. Like I said, I will have a midseason update on Thursday. Come back for that.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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2019 NFL Quick Hits: Week 7

As we move into week 7 quick takes, I want to take a second to call out ESPN fantasy scoring. My brother and I, RD as you know him, tied in this week's game, 94.7 to 94.7, but for some unknown reason, they gave him the win. I don't get it. I am not a fan of ties, I think they're stupid in fact, but still, I didn't lose the game. I didn't win either. I tied him. But, for some weird reason, that makes no sense, I am now 5-2, and RD sits at 7-0. What the hell?! Anyway, lets get to week 7 NFL takes.

The Thursday game was an expected blowout. The Chiefs easily handled the Broncos 30-6. But, the Chiefs did suffer a tremendous loss in that game. Patrick Mahomes, who has been hurt all year, got for real hurt, a dislocated knee, and he is going to miss 3 to 5 weeks. I don't think this will affect the Chiefs too terribly much, but still, no Mahomes for 3 to 5 weeks is a bummer. And the Broncos, and Joe Flacco and John Elway, are dreadful. That team is in trouble. They need to rebuild for sure.

The Packers crushed a solid Raiders team, and Aaron Rodgers had a humongous game. Rodgers went for 400 plus passing yards and 5 TD's, plus a rushing TD, and if he can do this, and if Davante Adams can stay healthy, and the defense can continue to pressure QB's and bend but not break, the Packers could have a special season. The Raiders were never really in this game, and that is how I like to watch a Pacer win.

The Rams destroyed the Falcons and got back on track a little bit. Goff looked okay, Gurley had a solid game and the defense, with their new addition of Jalen Ramsey, looked solid. The Falcons, on the other hand, are in total disarray. I thought they wouldn't be that good, maybe a 6 or 7 win team, but I didn't think they would be this awful on defense. And with the way Matt Ryan is playing, and the non existent running game, the Falcons might be firing a head coach and picking in the top 5 in the next draft.

Washington and San Francisco played a rain soaked, sloppy football game. Jimmy Garropollo was very blah, the 49ers had no run game, and Washington was even worse. Case Keenum is bad and, speaking of no run game, Washington might as well not even field a running back. The 49ers defense did more than enough to win that game. And Washington is bad.

The Colts got a big time division win over the Texans. They played a bit different than when they beat the Chiefs, and that worked for them. Jacoby Brissett was excellent, and their defense once again stepped up big time. They limited Deshaun Watson enough and got stops when they needed to. They could win that division. They can, as they proved on Sunday, beat the Texans.

RD's Vikings got a solid division win over Detroit. And poor Detroit. They have a pretty good team, they play fun offense, but they find a way to either get screwed by the refs, or blow a game late. They blew this one. And the Vikings offense has looked so much better, and their defense is starting to play close to their level a few seasons back when they wen to the NFC title game. The Packers have some serious competition.

RD's other team, the Bengals, let Gardner Minshew lead a comeback, and once again, found a way to lose a game late. Zac Taylor has been dreadful, they need to trade a ton of guys and they need to move on from Andy Dalton. As for the Jags, they have 7 wins written all over them, and they will continue to play ugly games like this, and they might even win some.

The Cardinals, shockingly, have 3 wins this season, 2 of them in a row. Kyler Murray has looked good, and dare I say, Kliff Kingsbury has seemed to adjust, for now, to the NFL. The Giants honeymoon with Daniel Jones seems to be over too. He has not been the same since his first 2 games. He is starting to look like the bust I predicted him to be.

The Bills had to eek out a win over Miami, but still, they won and they are 6-1 now. That is impressive, and that is due to their defense. They also returned an onside attempt for a TD, which never happens, That is the Dolphins this season for you. They are finding new ways to assure they get the top pick.

The Chargers found another crushing way to blow a game, fumbling on the goal line late in the fourth quarter down by 3 points. I'm done believing in the Chargers. They are back to their old ways of being the "Cinderella" pick every year, then choking it away. Phillip Rivers looks old, Melvin Gordon looks rusty and the defense is way too injured and playing poorly to matter. And they let a Ryan Tannehill led team beat them. That is sad. The Titans aren't great, but they are better than the Chargers.

Lamar Jackson and the Ravens went to Seattle and beat the Seahawks, by 2 touchdowns. It was awesome. Lamar Jackson is the most fun player for me to watch since I first saw Mike Vick. He is impossible to game plan for, and he is becoming a better passer every week. That fourth down call was awesome. Good for him, and the coaching staff, for letting it ride. And it was awesome to see Marcus Peters get a pick 6 a week after being traded. I also like seeing Earl Thomas beat his old team too. Nothing delights me more than seeing the Seahawks get beat, at home, by multiple scores. It was great.

The Saints moved to 6-1 overall, and 5-0 without Drew Brees when they smothered the Bears. The Saints played really solid D, they ran the ball well without Alvin Kamara, and Teddy Bridgewater proved why he is the highest paid backup in the league. He is going to get paid this offseason. And the Bears, oof. Mitch Trubisky was back, but he looked as bad as ever. I cannot believe that he was taken 8 spots ahead of Mahomes, and 10 ahead of Deshaun Watson. It is baffling. That offense is wasting one of the best defenses of the past decade.

The Cowboys destroyed the Eagles on Sunday night. Both those teams aren't very good, but the Eagles, especially on defense, are awful. I was very, very wrong about that team in my preseason rankings and predictions. They are not a good team, and injuries have taken a toll. The Cowboys looked better, but a lot of teams have exposed the Eagles D, especially the secondary. But they had a fully healthy O line, they ran the ball a ton and they gave Dak Prescott time. They were able to pick apart the Eagles, and take hold of that atrocious division.

Finally, we have the Monday night game. That was a bad game. The Patriots immediately jumped all over the Jets, causing 6 turnovers, 4 of which were interceptions. The Patriots D is otherworldly right now, and they are easily dispatching of teams they should beat handily. They are going to finally get real tests soon, but as of right now, they are doing what they should do. They have 18 interceptions, and have only given up one passing TD. They also are stopping the run. Just wait until Tom Brady starts playing well. And the Jets, well, they looked like an Adam Gase run team. They were uninspired last night. Sam Darnold even said at one point, "I am seeing ghosts". That is rough.

That's it for week 7. Come back next week for week 8 takes, and my midseason updated review and predictions.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Ty is right, he got screwed by ESPN’s fantasy football scoring. Sorry dude.

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Ty's 2019-2020 Men's College Basketball Preview

Today I come to you with my 2019-20 men's NCAA basketball preview. I feel like I write this sentence every year when I do this preview, but I simply do not know too terribly much about the upcoming season. There is so much turnover, new players and super duper 5 star players that come over to do the whole "one and done" deal. Also, I know that nothing big has happened to the schools involved in the FBI wiretap ordeal, but that will come sooner rather than later, especially at Kansas.

Anyway, I am going to go about this preview kind of like I do my football preview, highlighting the major conferences top teams, pick a winner, talk about some solid teams outside of power conferences, pick a player of the year, the final four and the champ. With that being said, and again, talk this with a major grain of salt, lets get to it.

Somehow the AAC is a "major" conference when it comes to college basketball. Houston has been a pretty good, perennial top 25 team since Kelvin Sampson has taken over the program. UConn is not what they used to be. Same for Wichita State. Cincinnati is always competitive. But the best team is Memphis. Penny Hardaway has turned into one hell of a recruiter, he got the top kid to commit, and he is the newest coach to adopt the "one and done" era of recruiting, and he is doing it as well as the best of them. Memphis is back, and it is due to Penny. They will win the AAC with relative ease.

The ACC is loaded as always. Duke has one of the best classes in the country, and they just keep bringing in top classes, and see no shade thrown their way like other programs that recruit "one and done" freshman do. But, Duke is good. So is UNC. They have a really solid all around squad. They have great freshman, solid upperclassmen and just win all the time. Louisville has a ton of hype around them, and they look to have a really good team coming into this year. Maybe, just maybe, the Rick Pitino stuff is behind them. Virginia won the title last year, and while they lost a ton of talent, they are a typical rebuild, not reload, type team. They also have a ton of depth just waiting their turn. FSU just got a big time commit, they have a ton of length and they have a good head coach. But when I get down to it, it is going to come down to Duke and UNC, and I, once again, am going with UNC to win the ACC. They have the most talent, depth and experience of any team in the ACC.

The Big 12 is KU's to lose, if they don't get sanctioned to hell. But, the Big 12 is a little more competitive than it has been in the past. KU is good, but so is Kansas State. Oklahoma always seems to put up a fight. Oklahoma State is always a tough spot to play, no matter how good or bad they are. Texas Tech was in the title game last year, and probably should have won. Texas is okay. Same with West Virginia. Hell, even TCU is a 20 win team now. But, until they get sanctioned, KU will win the Big 12. They need to make up for not winning it last year.

The Big East isn’t what it used to be, but there’s some okay squads. Patrick Ewing has Georgetown getting back to respectability. St John’s lost Chris Mullin, but they’re feisty. Creighton seems to put together shockingly good seasons time to time. Marquette has the potential to be really good. Xavier is scrappy as hell. Seton Hall is making a mini comeback. But come on, the Big East is owned by Villanova. Jay Wright is still the coach, and as long as he’s around, Villanova will continue to be dominant. They also have solid experience on their squad.

The Pac 12 is weird in both football and basketball. They have name recognition, but they always blow it it seems. Arizona had an immense amount of talent a few years back, and they blew it. They are also on that FBI list. Arizona State always starts strong and tails off. Oregon gets top flight recruits, and they either fizzle or get hurt. Stanford is not a power anymore. Washington has gotten major recruits, but it hasn’t really translated into on court dominance. UCLA has a new coach again, and they are still rebuilding. I just really don’t know what to make of this conference. I’m going to go with Oregon, they just got another 5 star guy, but this is the pick I’m most leery of.

The SEC is all about Kentucky and Auburn. I know Tennessee was really good last year, but they have a ton to replace. Arkansas plays hard, but they don’t have the talent. The Mississippi schools are blah. Missouri’s best recruits are gone, and didn’t do much when they were there. LSU couldn’t win with Ben Simmons. Florida is good, but not anywhere near the top. I fully believe in Auburn, and that bums me out because their coach is a rat. But, Kentucky has a whole new crop of guys, and while John Calipari can recruit, he’s not a great in game coach. And Auburn has some key guys back, and good players coming in. It’s a changing of the guard in the SEC.

Finishing up with the major conferences, we have the Big Ten, my conference. I mean, and again I hate that i have to say this, Michigan State is easily the preseason favorite. They have a great amount of talent back and they have good freshman coming in. They shouldn’t have a sports program because of their heinous crimes. Until that is fully realized, Michigan State will run the Big Ten this year. But, there are some other good teams. The University of Ohio State will be better, and they were a tournament team last year. Michigan has a new coach, of which I’m very excited for, and a slew of starters back. They won’t be as good as last year, but I still think they’ll be good defensively, and make shots. Maryland has a very solid team, and they are well coached. Illinois has to be better than last year. Their coach is too good to keep being below .500. Nebraska has the talent to be a tournament team. Indiana is going to get back in the conversation soon. Purdue is a very, very good team that does all the little things really well. Minnesota is tough. And Iowa plays muddy basketball that frustrates opponents. But, unfortunately, the Big Ten is MSU’s to lose.

As far as some teams outside major conferences, there is obviously Gonzaga. They’re no longer the lovable Cinderella’s they used to be. They’re a national power. Dayton has a solid team. Campbell College has a ton of undersized scorers. Western Kentucky oddly gets top flight recruits to commit there, and I think the one they got this year is actually going to play. One of the Ivy League schools, most likely Harvard, will scare someone in the tournament. Nevada has the most coveted head coach by power schools right now. And Saint Mary’s always wins 20 games and always scare Gonzaga.

As far as award winners, for freshman of the year, I’m going with the Wiseman kid at Memphis. I’ve heard nothing but good things about him. I also think Memphis will win another award, and that will be Penny Hardaway as coach of the year. As far as player of the year, which is so hard to pair down so many good players, I guess I’ll go with the Winston kid at MSU, everyone else is picking him, and I’m pretty sure he’s a senior, and this is usually an award for longevity in college basketball. My final four is UNC, MSU, Auburn, and my surprise, Memphis. I love Memphis right now. The title game will pit UNC and Auburn, and I’m going with the Tarheels. They are so, so deep and so talented and they are due.

Okay, there’s my men’s college basketball preview. Take it as you will. Basketball is coming people. Time to get pumped up.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

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Ty's 2019-2020 NBA Preview: Postseason and Awards

Finishing up my 2019-20 NBA countdown and preview, I come to you today with my playoff picks, championship matchup, winner and award winners. The basketball preview stuff isn't totally done yet because I am doing my men's college basketball preview tomorrow. But today wraps up the NBA, for now.

I am going to start with the East because it is the JV of the NBA. Sorry to say, but the top 3 or 4 teams would make the playoffs in the West, but they would be hard pressed, and find it very tough, to be a top 4 seed. Anyway, I will give you my eight teams in descending order. Starting off I have the Raptors, Magic, Nets, Celtics, Heat, Pacers, Bucks and 76ers. You may see that and think I am too high on a few teams. I have the Pacers as a three seed, but I fully believe in them, and when Oladipo comes back, they will have the star player they crave. I have the Heat at 4, and that is solely due to Jimmy Butler. I also think they are going to pull off a good to great trade before the All Star break to pair with Butler. Conversely you may see the Celtics as a 5 seed, or the Raptors as a 7. Well, I do not believe in the Celtics, but they have the talent, in the East, to win 44 or 45 games and be in the playoffs. And the Raptors, if they stay together, will barely, barely make the playoffs. I do think Pascal Siakim is that good. When it comes down to the conference finals, I would be shocked, shocked I tell you, if it isn't Milwaukee and Philadelphia. They are, far and away, the best 2 teams in the East. They have the best 2 players in the East. They have the best coaches in the East. They are the best. Picking a winner of that series is tough for me, but I just don't think the Bucks have the guys that can shut down the 76ers humongous length and size and strength. Also, I fully, fully believe in an in shape Joel Embiid. I have the 76ers winning in 7 games. As far as a surprise or 2 that may happen, I think the Heat will sweep the Celtics, and then the Celtics will have a ton of offseason questions to answer, and I feel like the Magic will push the Pacers to 7 games in round one. Both teams play really good defense, and will frustrate one another to no end. But the Pacers will pull out a close game 7 at home.

Now to the Varsity of the NBA. The West is far, far better than the East. Some of the teams that will miss the playoffs could have 45 wins. Seriously. I think every team, except for the Suns and Grizzlies, and the Thunder if they trade everyone, has a legit shot at making the playoffs. This conference was tough for me, but I think I have it paired down to the 8 teams that will make it. Just like the East I will put the 8 teams in descending order. So, I have the Spurs, Lakers, Trailblazers, Warriors, Rockets, Jazz, Nuggets and Clippers. Again, I'm sure I have some teams too high and too low for some readers. I will never not put the Spurs in the playoffs as long as Greg Poppovich is their head coach. Also, Dejounte Murray is back. I said that the Lakers may have the best duo in the NBA in LeBron and AD, but I do not like the rest of that roster, at all. And what if LeBron gets hurt again, he is 35, and AD further hurts his thumb? What then for the Lakers? As far as teams I have high, I am all in on the Jazz. I loved their offseason, and they are one of, if not the, best defensive teams in the league. I am also a big time believer in the Nuggets. They have continuity, a super duper star player, the most depth in the league and good shooters off the bench. They are the real deal. As far as the West Finals, this was really tough. I am going with the Clippers, they sill have the best defense in the league, and I feel like they will play the Rockets. I think that the Russ and Harden pair up will work this season. And, as they are want to do, I think the Rockets will get beat, handily, by the Clippers. I wouldn't be all that surprised if it was a sweep to be honest. The Clippers are so good defensively, and they will be able to score almost as well as they will be able to stop teams from scoring.

That means I have the Clippers facing the 76ers in the Finals. This is what I want to happen. These are the 2 best defensive teams, they play throwback basketball with a touch of the modern game and they have the best overall rosters. I think it will be hard fought, gritty and even ugly at times, but I just can't go against Kawhi after what I saw 5 years ago when he lead the Spurs to the beat down of the Heat, and what I watched him do last year throughout the entirety of the playoffs. This is also probably the most talent he has ever played with in his basketball career. The Clippers are as good as advertised in my opinion. They will finally hang a banner in Staples for themselves.

As far as awards, the playoff MVP will once again be Kawhi Leonard. He is that dude. He has that killer instinct and he wants to beat every team in his way. For the regular season awards. The Rookie of the Year will be Zion Williamson. This rookie class is absolutely loaded, some rookies will put up ridiculous numbers and they will be a ton of fun to watch. This is the future. But Zion will be on a team fighting for the playoffs all season, and he is going to be the guy they run the offense through. He is also a solid defensive player. Most Improved player, and this is going to sound super weird, I'm going with Russell Westbrook. Like I said, I think the pairing with Harden will work, and Westbrook will put up his best shooting numbers of his career. He is going to eat on second units as well. Defensive Player of the Year is going to be, once again, Rudy Gobert. He is the best, and most formidable, rim protector in the game. He is an absolute stopper and no one is better than him at doing that, right now, in the NBA. Sixth Man of the Year, and they just need to permanently etch his name in this award, is Lou Williams. He is the best bench player in the league, he is liable to go off anytime he is on the floor and he is a great teammate. Lou Williams rules. Coach of the Year will be Doc Rivers. He probably should have won it last year, but they won't make that mistake this year. The Clippers are going to be really, really good, and Doc has already proven once that he can get the best out of star players. Finally the MVP. I mentioned yesterday, and today for that matter, how much I love Joel Embiid, and I think he is going to award that with an MVP trophy this year. He is in shape, he has stated that he wants this award, and also the DPOY award too, and how hungry he is coming into this season after last year's heart break. He is going to dominate the low post on both ends, and he is going to play the most games of his career this year. He is the modern Hakeem Olajuwon, and I feel like this is going to be one of what could be multiple MVP awards for him.

Okay, there is my full 2019-20 NBA preview and predictions. I'm so very excited for this season to start. We finally, finally have parity and I cannot wait to see all these new guys on new teams. I'm also very stoked to watch the rookies play. I cannot wait. Only 5 days now. Lets get to it.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

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SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Ty's NBA 2019-2020 Preview: Clippers, 76ers

Okay, today ends my NBA countdown. I have my top 2 teams going into the 2019-20 season. That doesn't mean I am done writing about the NBA, not by a long shot. I will do my predictions, title and awards, tomorrow, and on Friday I will do my men's college basketball preview. But, the 2 teams I have today are the best of the best when fully healthy. These are the 2 teams that I think will matchup in the finals this year. They have good rosters, play good defense and, on paper, are the best 2 teams.

Okay, coming in at number 2 I have the LA Clippers. The Clippers had the coup of the summer. They got Kawhi Leonard. It seemed like a forgone conclusion that he was going there last summer, but he went to Toronto and won a title. And make no mistake, without Kawhi, the Raptors wouldn't have won. Now he is off to LA, and he, right now, is the best 2 way player in the league. Not to outdo themselves, the Clippers, on the very same night they signed Kawhi, traded for Paul George, who might be the second best 2 way player in the NBA,. This was shocking to me. I didn't think he was going to leave OKC. I assumed he and Westbrook would run it back at least one more year. But from everything I read, Kawhi wanted to team up with him, and the Clippers moved heaven and earth to acquire George. They traded away their future, but at least Kawhi and George are still relatively young. And when George gets back to full health, those 2 are going to be a nightmare for opponents. George shot the ball very well until he got hurt last year, and we all saw what Kawhi did in the playoffs. Getting these 2 guys was a tremendous boon for the Clippers. And the rest of their roster is pretty damn talented. They got Pat Beverly to resign, and he is the biggest pest, I mean that in the best way possible, in the NBA. He is also a perfect point guard to pair with the other starters on this team. He has also earned his place in the league, and it is hard to not root for a story like his. Montrezl Harrell has really become a solid big man. He is solid in the pick and roll, he can play defense, he is a good rebounder and he is tough. Lou Williams might be the best sixth man of all time, and that dude is instant offense. When he comes on the floor, he is liable to drop 30 on any given night. He is the shooter this team needs. Ivan Zubic proved to be a solid role playing big off the bench last year. I never would have thought that when watching him as a Laker, but he proved his worth as a Clipper. Landry Shamet can shoot the ball, and he was way better as a rookie than I thought he was going to be. JaMychal Green is a solid spot minute big man that is super long. Jerome Robinson had an odd year, and will barely see the floor, but he will be an okay bench player. And signing Mo Harkless was a low key good deal. The Clippers are the best defensive team in the league, and they can put up points too. This team, at full health, has the ability and talent to be very, very good.

But, there is one team that I think is better than them, coming in at number 1 I have the Philadelphia 76ers. My how the times have changed. I once called the 76ers the worst franchise in professional sports, but I'll be damned if all the tanking didn't kind of work. Joel Embiid is an absolute monster on both ends of the floor. He is unguardable in the post. He is so, so close to being the modern day Hakeem Olajuwon. I watched him in a preseason game last night, and while only going about 50 percent, he dominated. Embiid is so good. He just needs to stay healthy and stay on the floor. Ben Simmons is a 6'10 point guard that is a problem. He is so good with the ball in his hand, he is an excellent passer, he plays good defense and is a real threat to attack the rim at any point. And, if these videos of his three point shooting are even half real, watch out. If he has any semblance of a jump shot, he will vault himself into the conversation as a top 10 player. I feel like they picked the right guy to resign when they gave Tobias Harris a big time deal. Harris is a better teammate than Butler. He may not be as good a player, but the gap isn't that wide. Harris is a good shooter, a good defender and a great locker room guy. Getting Al Horford to sign with them was huge. Yes he is old, and not as athletic as some of the other guys on the team, but talk about a great veteran, and Horford is exactly that. He is also a great defender, a great passer and a solid offensive player. He has also been a great playoff player. And having him and Embiid playing post defense will be a nightmare for opponents. I am also a big fan of Josh Richardson, who they got in the Jimmy Butler trade. Richardson is a solid three point shooter, he is tall and long and he plays defense. I love what I have seen out of Matisse Thybulle, their first round pick. He is energetic and bouncy and looks like he will be a perfect addition. When Mike Scott gets back from his suspension, he will beat the hell out of you and he will hit open shots. Trey Burke has kind of found a home in the league as a bench player. He can fill it up on occasion and he is a solid backup point guard. He is an upgrade over TJ McConnell. Furkan Korkmaz is a summer league legend and has looked pretty solid in preseason. And I'm curious to see how Zhaire Smith looks in year 2. He was a good pick, took some bumps last year, and has had an entire summer and offseason to improve his game. I really, really like the 76res. They are like the real life Monstars. They are so, so , so big. I think their shortest starter is Richardson,, and he is 6'7. They are playing a different style of basketball right now, and with their length and want to play defense, I think it will work out really well for them.

Okay, there are my top 2 teams going into the season., Come back tomorrow for my predictions. The NBA season is less than a week away people. Time to get excited.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.