Week 8 Look Ahead and Thoughts

We have reached the former half way point of the NFL season and ya boy has thoughts. But rather than keep them to myself I decided let me share them with you, my loyal tens of readers who still read this blog when I so decide to dust off the old keyboard. So in an effort to be more creative I am going to try and do this more often, but don't hold me to that because this is free content.  

Random Thoughts:

*Of course I am going to start my thoughts on the NFL in Chicago and the number one overall pick. I was skeptical at the end of last season. I thought the Bears should keep Justin Fields and trade the pick for more assets. I think in hindsight, that would not have been the best move. After a rocky first two weeks, I have become a believer. This kid has IT. 

What is it? He has great anticipation, insane throwing angles and maybe, just maybe the Bears finally have the guy. I'm so excited to see where this goes as he continues to get comfortable.

*Speaking of rookie quarterbacks, Jayden Daniels? I am sorry I was not familiar with your game. He has been wildly accurate, and appears to be the perfect quarterback for Kliff Kingsbury's offense, He is a bit hobbled coming into this week which was my most pressing concern regarding him.

He takes comically large hits but if he can learn to protect himself then he along with Caleb will be causing hell among NFL defenses for a very long time. 

*Derrick Henry is unreal. Seriously. 

*Lamar Jackson is 2nd in the MVP race currently. Giving him the juggernaut at running back and the continued growth of Zay Flowers he has the Ravens humming along quite nicely.

Will this finally be the year the Ravens break through? No idea but this may be the best equipped they have been and hopefully Lamar continues to mature.

*Jared Goff is the MVP currently. Those are words I never thought I'd type. He has been putting up an efficient almost surgical level dissection of NFL Defenses.

In the last 4 games the Lions have scored more touchdowns then had incompletions. He has completed 73% of his passes so far this season and even had a perfect game. As long as the Lions keep winning and he keeps the turnovers to a minimum then he will no doubt be the NFL MVP. 

*Justin Fields has earned a chance to start, even if it's not in Pittsburgh. 

He led the Steelers to a winning record in Russell Wilson's absence. He always has the respect of his teammates and put up respectable numbers. Even cut down on those pesky turnovers, with only one interception and no lost fumbles. He definitely has some things to work on and given the right offensive mind I believe that he will be a very good quarterback for a long time.  

Well enough of that, I'll get to week 8 picks not counting the Thursday night game and let you get the hell on. 

Week 8 Picks: Ravens over Browns
Lions over Titans
Chiefs over Raiders
Steelers over Giants
Jets over Patriots
Eagles over Bengals
Jaguars over Packers (Because Fuck the Packers)
Buccaneers over Falcons
Texans over Colts
Chargers over Saints
Bills over Seahawks
Bears over Commanders
Broncos over Panthers
Cowboys over 49ers
Cardinals over Dolphins

The NFL Season is Amongst Us

 Oh man, it has been a long time and boy have I missed you my loyal group of probably 5 readers at this point. Long time readers and friends of your boy will attest that your boy loves a few things. Family, friends and being a sports fan. Baseball, basketball, and of course football. Well as I type this we are on the precipice of the kickoff of the new NFL season and ya boy is undoubtedly hyped to levels that are bad for my joints as I jump in excitement. So it is in that spirit that I present you, person reading this and no doubt did not ask for this, some takes and predictions for the upcoming season. Are they hot takes? Mild takes? Who the hell knows, just celebrate the fact that I am writing and football is here.

*The Bears have a new quarterback and I am ready to love again.

Caleb Williams to no one’s surprise was the number 1 overall pick and with much trepidation at first I’m all in after seeing him perform on Hard Knocks and in the preseason. He has the arm strength, mobility and processing speed that we've never seen in Chicago. What can’t be measured is it just appears that he has it. I know, I know, that’s not something I that can be measured but you know it when you see it. Long story short, Caleb I’m ready to do this baby. 

*The Falcons remain a deeply confusing team.

The Falcons have had a solid offseason. They got a new coach, signed Justin Simmons, and traded for Matthew Judon. They also for reasons unknown gave an older quarterback with an achilles injury a metric crap ton of money. Then they went full Falcons and spent a top 10 pick on another quarterback. I have no idea how to gauge this team but damn it’s always interesting to see how they decide to confuse us.

*The NFC North will be the most competitive division.

The Lions and Packers both made the playoffs, the Bears and Vikings both were in it coming into the last few weeks of the season. Given that every team has improved in a way I would imagine even the last place team getting 8 wins.

A few award predictions:

MVP: Joe Burrow, QB- Cincinnati

Burrow is coming off an injury filled season but when he has played he has done so at a high level. This year he gets Ja’Marr Chase playing for a big contract, Tee Higgins playing for a big contract and a coach who likes to air it out. I think Mahomes/Lamar Jackson fatigue in conjunction with  big numbers from Cincy gets him the award. 

Offensive Player of the Year: Christian McCaffrey, RB- San Francisco

On thing about Kyle Shanahan is when he finds a guy he feels he can unlock in his offense they get plenty of opportunities. Pair that up with McCaffrey being a damn monster out there he would not shock me if he tops 20 total touchdowns this year and then gets completely ignored by his coach in the playoffs thus completing another confounding end to a team that realistically could have 2 Super Bowls right now.

Defensive Player of the Year: Micah Parsons, LB- Dallas

Micah is a beast. And when you pair the beastdom with the expiring contract someone is going to be going full scorched earth to try and make Jerry Jones completely reset the defensive end/linebacker market.

Coach of the Year: Matt Eberflus- Chicago

The 2^nd half of last season when he took over the defensive play calling we saw a different Bears team. With all of the upgrades and a confidence in his decision making from Poles and the front office I believe the Bears are poised for a playoff return and I wouldn’t be shocked if they even won a game.

Offensive Rookie: Caleb Williams, QB-Chicago

See point 1 above.

Defensive Rookie: Laiatu Latu

Latu thought his career was over but going to UCLA revitalized him. I would expect the Indy defense to rely on the first real help DeForest Buckner has had on the defensive line and he will have a double digit sack season.

 

Super Bowl:

Kansas City vs Green Bay:

As I have said the past few years, I for one will not be betting against Patrick Lavon Mahomes II.

Kansas City - 34

Green Bay -    21

Well there you have it. The predictions of a man who got an A+ grade on his fantasy football draft according to the fine folks at Yahoo and I think we can thrust them.

 

The Caitlin Clark of It All

 I really hate writing this. Truly I do, but something has to be said, and who better to say it than a 40 year old basketball fan whose opinion was most certainly not requested. As anyone who knows me will attest, ya boy is a lifelong fan of basketball and not just the NBA. High school, college, hell I have even stayed up far too late watching reruns of Euro league games. Of course this means I have followed the WNBA as well for quite some time. And as a long time fan I gotta say to some of the newer fans of the W, y'all are wilding and you know who you are wilding about. 

Caitlin Clark is an amazing player. She is a generational talent I’d say, but to think she was going to waltz into the WNBA and dominate as she did in college was foolish. Diana Taurasi, during the NCAA tourney told Scott Van Pelt: “Look, SVP, reality is coming. There’s levels to this thing. And that’s just life. We all went through it. You see it on the NBA side, and you’re going to see it on this side. You look superhuman playing against 18-year-olds, but you’re going to (be playing against) some grown women that have been playing professional basketball for a long time.” It was immediately dismissed as hating and jealousy. Well you can say many things about Taurasi, she’s an asshole, she’s a legend but you can’t say she’s a liar. 

Now the prevailing narrative being pushed is that because Clark has struggled it’s due to pettiness and jealousy. The refs are conspiring against her. It couldn’t possibly be because she is playing against better and more experienced competition. Nope it’s all a massive conspiracy against checks notes the most hyped WNBA prospect possibly since Candace Parker. You do realize that this theory is among the dumbest things I’ve ever seen, and I have seen 5 different Sharknado movies. Here are just a few of the reasons that’s dumb.

*The officiating is letting the defense get too physical.

The WNBA has always been physical. Don’t believe me? Check out the Candace Parker brawl when she was also a hyped rookie against the Detroit Shock.

It was a lot worse than an off the ball hip check foul. Britney Griner, Taurasi, Odyssey Sims, Ivory Latta, Seimone Augustus and on and on and on have all dealt with the increase in physical play from college to the pros. Toughen up buttercups (I refer to the Clark fans complaining.)

*The players should take it easy on her because she is bringing attention to the league.

No the hell they should not. Why are the women expected to not have the competitiveness that made guys like Kobe, revered. If Caitlin Clark is who we have been told she is then guess what? She is going to rise to the challenge of the competition. In fact I posit that it is downright insulting to say let her dominate like she is a Make - a - wish kid. 

*Clark is above criticizing. 

No one is above criticism. We can talk about her higher than usual turnover rate, we talk about how she also appears to be a line stepper. She gets in people’s faces, she pushes players, she is not some shrinking violet who as some have claimed, a victim of assault as others have claimed.

She can be a bit of a dirty player herself. I said it. She tells opponents to “shut the fuck up,” I’ve seen her yell at refs, and hell even some teammates. It’s ok to acknowledge the bad aspects of her game/personality while also admiring the good. I promise you can.

So yeah, that’s all I got. I am going to keep watching and supporting but as I have said numerous times, while I am not a fan of gatekeeping, if you haven’t been watching the WNBA, maybe shut the fuck up a little and learn before being so loud and oftentimes wrong. 

The Chocolate Puma Mock Draft

 Hot damn it’s been a while since I last dusted off the old blog but damn it I am still here, I’m still standing, I’m still strong! With that being said I figured why not give you all what not a single human being asked for. That’s right, it’s NFL draft season and ya boy figures you all may be craving the unsolicited opinion of a third place finisher in a fantasy football league. But first just a few hot takes.

*Did I not call the last two Super Bowls and how they would turn out? You’re damn right. Basically never bet against Patrick Lavon Mahomes II.

*What is it with the Jets and Falcons putting their hopes and dreams into old quarterbacks coming off Achilles injuries? Maybe I’m old school but that’s an injury that takes a little time to come back from.

*The Bears failed Justin Fields and I was happy to see him go. I think the world of the kid as a player and as a leader you can tell he was respected as the entire locker room rallied behind him. He could have been better but to hold a season where they tanked, a season where the head coach didn’t want to start him over Andy Dalton and whatever the hell Luke Getsy was doing just doesn’t seem right. At least the team did right by him and sent him where he wanted to go.

With those things off my chest here are my guesses on who the top ten picks in the draft will be, and no I am not predicting trades. 

1. Chicago Bears

Team needs: QB, EDGE, DT, WR, IOL, LB, S
Selection:  Caleb Williams, QB- USC

Who I’d Draft: Williams

Probably the biggest duh of the draft at this point. He is a former Heisman trophy winner and has all the physical tools you’d want. He is also coming into a situation that no other number one pick has come into as it’s not a complete dumpster fire. 

2. Washington Commanders

Team needs: QB, OT, EDGE, CB, WR, S, LB, IOL

Selection: Jayden Daniels, QB- LSU

Who I’d Draft: Daniels

The current Heisman Trophy winner, he is a guy who is accurate, throws a great deep ball and very mobile. He is a member of the skinny delegation (shout out) and he takes as one of my favorite podcasters ColeyMick describes as “cartoonishly big hits.” He’s gonna have to protect himself but he is definitely the best qb available at this point.

3. New England Patriots 

Team needs: OT, WR, QB, CB, WR, OT, LB, DL, TE

Selection: Drake Maye, QB - UNC

Who I’d Draft: Marvin Harrison Jr.

The new era of the Patriots is among us and they are going to need someone to be the face of the team. They signed Jacoby Brissett in the offseason and he will be a great bridge QB until Maye is ready to go. I would take MHJ because he may be the best WR prospect to come out in the last few years. If you saw the OSU qb last year you would definitely get why I am so high on him. And if you don’t take him then you also run the risk of upsetting his father which is not a wise thing to do.

4. Arizona Cardinals

Team needs: WR, EDGE, DL, CB, RB, IOL, LB, EDGE, DL
Selection: Marvin Harrison Jr, WR - OSU

Who I’d Draft: Trade Down

If MHJ is there you run to the podium and take him. If he isn’t I’d move down, get more draft capital because this team needs help all over the damn place.

5. Los Angeles Chargers

Team needs: WR, CB, DL, OT, LB, WR, RB

Selection: Joe Alt, LT- Notre Dame
Who I’d Draft: Brock Bowers, TE- Georgia

Joe Alt is probably the best tackle in the draft however the line wasn’t the weakest part of the team last year. Last year’s top pick couldn’t hold on to the ball, Mike Williams is gone, Keenan Allen is gone and Austin Eckler is gone. Given that Herbert needs someone to depend on you get the best TE prospect in years there and baby you got a stew going! 

6. New York Giants

Team needs: WR, IOL, RB, LB, S, CB, QB

Selection: Malik Nabers, WR- LSU

Who I’d Draft: Olu Fashanu, LT

They’ve got so many holes to fill and their head coach is on the hot seat. If you’re gonna go with the QB you paid then I would say it’s important to protect him. Fashanu would be the best available Tackle at this point. You could also trade down and still get him.

7. Tennessee Titans

Team needs: OT, DL, EDGE, LB, IOL, WR, CB, TE
Selection: Olu Fashanu, LT - Penn St. 

Who I’d Draft: Fashanu

Last year they picked Peter Skoronski and you may as well get a bookend tackle to pair with him. If you’re going to go with Will Levis at QB then you better damn sure protect him. Simple as that.

8. Atlanta Falcons

Team needs: EDGE, CB, DL, LB, S, WR, CB
Selection: Dallas Turner, Edge- Alabama

Who I’d Draft: Turner

No need to overthink it, while it’s tempting to get one of the many wide receivers there is no shortage of Offensive talent for the Falcons. The pass rush was abysmal last year and adding the best edge rush prospect is pretty much a no brainer.

9. Chicago Bears

Team needs: QB, EDGE, DT, WR, IOL, LB, S
 Selection: Rome Odunze 

Who I’d Draft: Odunze/Trade Down for more picks

Teaming one of the best receiver prospects in years with Caleb Williams, D’Andre Swift, DJ Moore, Keenan Allen and Cole Kmet would give the Bears the chance to put up numbers not ever seen by this franchise. It is a deep draft for receivers so I wouldn’t rule out trading down and amassing more picks and still get a quality number three receiver.

10. New York Jets

Team needs: WR, TE, OT, RB, S, WR, CB

Selection: Brock Bowers, TE - Georgia 

Who I’d Draft: Taliese Fuaga, T-Oregon St.

Look if Bowers is available you take him. That said the Jets have an octogenarian at quarterback and he is coming off a torn achilles. So given all of that plus a very porous, old and sometimes injured offensive line it may be worth getting some protection to keep that anti vaxxed assclown upright.

Well there you have it, I know it won’t go this way but hey I am not a medium who can see in the future and trades are so damn wild to predict. And let’s be real, if I did try and guess those trades it would be wrong and I would get mocked much like my 2012 assessment of Damian Lillard.

So I wish you all the luck to your teams.

Unless it’s Aaron Rodgers. I wish him failure.

Prime Time and his Complex Legacy

My thoughts on Deion Sanders are much like his own ongoing legacy. They are…complex. With the unexpected success albeit very early in the season for the University of Colorado, there has come quite a bit of attention on the program. And while it’s to be expected, it still has me feeling a certain way.

First I’ll get my criticisms out of the way. I do not like how he left Jackson State. At all. He did not want to go through the conventional methods of becoming a head coach so he chose to go to a school that needed a light shined on it. Where he fucked up in my eyes was proclaiming he was on a mission from God when anyone who has followed Deion for more than 5 minutes will tell you he is out for Deion. But to his credit he rebuilt the program, brought in highly ranked recruits and donations flowed like water and that can not be discounted how much that helped.

Then the first moment he got a chance to step to a school higher on the NCAA totem pole he bounced. That’s fine, won’t begrudge the guy, however watch the game after he made the decision to leave, completely checked out and no longer worrying about the HBCU he made his name on and built his resume on. He owed it to Jackson State I feel, to leave in a manner that the school deserved. 

But the game is the game, and Deion rolled into Colorado and brought with him a plethora of transfers and highly ranked recruits. Much like many a high profile coach before him but this felt different. While there is much to be rightfully be critical of, the disrespect being shown is a touch much for your boy. You have talking heads openly claiming Jackson State is nothing more than a JUCO and of course immediately discounting the legitimacy of talent at HBCUs. 

So for as obnoxious as I find Deion, and to be fair I have always been a huge fan because of his obnoxious talent, just because I don’t like how he handled himself at Jackson St. does not mean I will ever root against him.

Ya know why? Because to root against him is to root against the success of guys like Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter, Xavier Weaver and so many more. And for all of the criticisms that can be levied, one thing is for sure he has made Colorado Buffalo football exciting in a way it has not been…well ever. 

Also when it comes to hoping Deion fails...

NFL Season Preview

The football season is upon us and I would be remiss if I didn’t recap how your boy came through and killed it with his prognostication. To recap, I called the Chiefs over the Eagles in the Super Bowl, I called the Bears stinking it up but progression from Justin Fields, I called in what had friends of mine laughing at me at the time, I called for a career year for one Geno Smith and damned if my boy Geno didn’t come through. So the time has come again for me, your resident prognosticator, to come through with what he does best, gut feelings based on elite athletes!

*The Detroit Lions will fall short of expectations.

I know this is going to grind the gears of some of my Lion supporting pals but allow me to bring a dose of reality to the situation. The Lions were the feel good story of the NFL last year and even sent Aaron Rodgers off to New York by ending the Packers season. However, dreams of Super Bowls need to be tempered just a bit. I’m seeing predictions of 12-13 wins and while admirable, shoot for 10 games and see where you go from there. They don’t have the easiest schedule and let’s be honest history isn’t on their side. I think they steal a wild card spot and who knows what  happens next year but any elite talk this year has got to be tabled.

*The Chicago Bears will exceed expectations but fall short of the playoffs.

Last season I said the Bears would be awful and they were but we saw enough from Justin Fields to get real excited as Bears fans. Last season even with a weak roster we were in most of the games we played and players like DJ Moore and Darnell Wright coming in this offseason will be huge. I think a 5-6 win improvement is more than possible. Also Fields gets a bad rap as a running quarterback when people seem to forget at Ohio State he ran nowhere near as much. Last season he had 160 rushing attempts, his entire college career he had 260. He’s going to be fine with some semblance of an offensive line.

*Bijan Robinson will be the most exciting rookie, possibly overall player not named Patrick Lavon Mahomes II.

I didn’t watch much college football outside of the Big 10/SEC however whenever Texas played I damn sure found a way to watch. Why? Because Bijan Robinson is the best player of this draft from a pure talent perspective. The man can literally do it all. Need someone to run between the tackles? Bijan got you. Need a third down back who can pass block and catch out the backfield? Bijan got you. Hell if you need someone to line up at wide receiver he can do that too! Given that the Atlanta qb situation is not known I would expect him to get the ball a lot. 

*Matt Stafford is cooked.

There has been no more coddled number one pick in NFL history than Matt Stafford. I don’t mean this in a bad way towards the man but the player until he was traded to the Rams constantly had excuses made for him that other number one picks did not. That said it was good to see one of the league's good guys get a super bowl but that may have been the last time we see him as a reasonably elite quarterback. He can’t stay healthy and when he is healthy he is looking for new and creative ways to make Cooper Kupp into the next Sterling Sharpe. So it may be time sooner rather than later to get the soon to be owner of Stetson Bennett Cadillac of Athens in that starting role.

*The Super Bowl will feature the 49ers vs the Chiefs in which Kyle Shanahan finds a way to lose again on the biggest stage.

In the regular season there is no more of a competent and inventive play caller than Kyle Shanahan, hell he took a team with Jimmy Garrapolo to the Super Bowl, however once he gets to the Super Bowl he loses his damn mind. Lest we forget his abysmal play calling with the Atlanta Falcons as they blew a 28-3 lead. So he has his plug and play qb, a solid defense and should run through the regular season. I expect the Eagles to take a step back after losing both coordinators this past offseason. As for the Chiefs? Just sign Chris Jones and let the Jordan of the NFL do the rest.

Alright well that’s all I got, I am sure now that I have confidently laid all this out, the Lions will go 16-1. But rejoice nonetheless because the summer dullness is about to soon be over.

Summer, Summer, Summertime!

It’s been a while since I’ve graced the old proverbial pen and pad for you fine folks who have come to depend on me, ya boy, for ridiculous takes that makes you call into question the quality of my home training which I can assure you that mama Thompson is not a fan of idiocy at times. So it is in this spirit that I give my thoughts on the coo coo bananas summer we have had thus far.

*Donald Trump got indicted…then he got indicted again…then he got indicted….then for good measure he got indicted one more time.

I was literally writing this and ol’ Trumpito got hit with another indictment. This man has more indictments than Nick Cannon has kids. He has more charges than Ariana Grande has broken homes in her wake. Seriously I don’t understand how anyone can think this is a conspiracy against this circus peanut hued con man. You mean to tell me the entire government is so scared of a failed businessman who only rose back to prominence due to a reality show during the last writer’s strike? Or is he an opportunistic ass clown who leans into the racist and sexist tendencies he has and that his base loves? I’m gonna go with the latter. Also he’s not this smart person so guess what happens to dumb criminals? They get hit with 91 combined charges. 

*Juvenile did a Tiny Desk concert and it was amazing.

A few months ago a twitter interaction with rapper Juvenile had him learn what NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series was and in real time he learned of its existence and agreed to do one himself. What followed was a performance that brought me much joy and happiness. First of all it was the rap I listened to in high school done live and everyone performing you can tell are both healthy and happy which is a rarity unfortunately. We see Mannie Fresh do what he does and people finally get the genius of the man. And the thing that struck me most, we see two black men of a certain age laughing, having fun in a southern accent that made me yearn for the summers of my youth in Mississippi and my relatives in New Orleans. I listen to it often and frankly, I’ll continue to do so.

*Keke Palmer boyfriend fumbled the bag.

One of the most popular acts in all of Vegas currently is Usher who is doing a residency there. At a show this summer Keke Palmer and her girls decided to hit up the show and as a recognizable celebrity there Usher sang to her and there was a little two step shared between the two. Fairly innocuous stuff right? Well you know who had a problem? The baby papa of Keke who stated “But you a mom tho.” And from that this young man’s fate was sealed as the dirtiest of macks all saw this slight opening to shoot their shot with this baddie we’ve all grown up with. That brother was sent to the curb with the quickness of a 5 star recruit at the University of Georgia. Keke meanwhile has gotten her props as a baddie mom and even released a music video with Usher mocking the whole situation. Savage. 

*There was a ferry brawl and black Aquaman was there.

We are living in unprecedented times. And typically in these times we are so deep in the forest that we can’t see the trees. We need to slow down, take a deep breath and realize the magnitude of things happening. I am referring of course to the great Montgomery Sweet Tea Party where a few racists tried to jump a dude who was just doing his job and like Jason Aldean said “Try that in a small town” because the Alabama Avengers assembled like Voltron to come to his rescue and I, your boy, have not stopped laughing since.

El Cabong!

It’s like an SNL Stefon skit. “Ths fight had everything: a chair man knocking people out, a swimming teenager body slamming people, a hat used as a distress signal and men skipping happily to knock someone out. Just as a general rule, if you see grown men skipping towards you ready to fight, do not fight those men. They woke up praying for this and they see you as a blessing.

So that’s just the smallest snippet of this absolutely bonkers summer. Seriously the writers of 2023 are not on strike with the plot twists this wacky ass year has thrown at us.I haven’t even mentioned the tanking of twitter, a black woman in Alabama faking her disappearance and Tim Anderson getting knocked the hell out on national tv.

I’m tired ya’ll.