NL East Offseason Report

The National League East is home to the Philadelphia Phillies, Miami Marlins, New York Mets, the 2019 World Series Champion Washington Nationals, and the 2021 World Series Champion Atlanta Braves. 

They also have three of the last 5 National League MVP Award Winners in Giancarlo Stanton with the Marlins in 2017, Freddie Freeman with the Braves in 2020, and most recently Bryce Harper with the Phillies in 2020. That’s not even mentioning the Cy Young Dominance that Nationals (and now Mets) Pitcher Max Scherzer and Mets Pitcher Jacob DeGrom have had over the past six years.

Even with all these accolades, the star powered division is considered to be amongst the worst in baseball. The teams can some of the worst of the worst, and the best of the best all in one season. 

This offseason is one of the most star-studded free agent cycles that we have seen in a long time, and the trade market is just as crazy. The Mets have been all over it, bringing in stars like Center Fielder Starling Marte, Infielder Eduardo Escobar, 1^st Baseman Mark Chana, and now the icing on top, Superstar Pitcher Max Scherzer.

The Mets remain active, while teams like the Phillies and Braves, who were expected to be big players in this market, remain quiet. The Marlins also are expected to make a splash, pun intended. Yet we have yet to hear of any real traction between any major players in this market and either of these teams.

With all these teams being a key player or two away from being in contention for a title, it is strange to see four of five teams being quiet. 

The Phillies and Marlins have been linked to outfielders Chris Taylor and Nicholas Castellanos, and it seems like they are both frontrunners for both players, no real movement has been made, per Jon Morosi of the Athletic. The Phillies are also interested in potential infielders turned outfielders Trevor Story and Kris Bryant, though both seem to be looking for contracts out of their price range. 

The Braves and superstar 1^st Baseman Freddie Freeman have yet to agree on a deal or even to be rumored to be close in negotiations which has come to shock the MLB world. 

There has not even been a peep from the Nationals, not even a rumor. A potential extension for their young star outfielder Juan Soto could be in the works, but its yet to be said how Soto feels about his future in Washington. 

The balance of power in the NL East could be shifting, as the fate of the teams is in the hands of their front office’s. With Mets being the only team active, we could see a new team on top of the division very soon. 

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Penn State vs Iowa Preview

It is finally time. The highly anticipated top four showdown at Kinnick Stadium is finally here. Penn State and Iowa always combine for exciting matchups and today should be no different. Both teams have gotten off to red hot starts and will be looking to prove themselves once again this afternoon.

Offensive Outlook:

Iowa’s defense has been stifling this season. They have allowed just 11.6 points per game, but have also recorded an astounding amount of takeaways. They have already scored three touchdowns and a safety in just five games this season. There isn’t a star player that the defense revolves around, but they play as a cohesive unit.

Typically Iowa teams are stout up front, which they are, but not as much as they have been in the past. Penn State’s run game hasn’t been incredible but they need to stick to it today. Keyvone Lee should be untilized throughout to get sure yards – something Noah Cain has not done recently. Cain is still the best back on this team, but Lee looks to be the better option to attack the Hawkeyes.

The strength of this defense is their secondary. Every player back there has years of experience and they capitalize on mistakes made by opposing Quarterbacks. However, they have not faced a test like this Penn State offense. It is important to get Jahan Dotson involved early because they do not have the star power to stop him. Once they become weary of him, that will open up easy reads underneath for Clifford to make.

Mike Yurcich needs to stretch out the offense and attack Iowa through the air. This is a game where they will need to target everyone and rely on Jahan Dotson in key moments to be the difference maker. Establishing the run is important, but will not be easy today, so that is why 11 personnel is this offense’s best option. Jack Campbell and the rest of Iowa’s Linebackers are excellent against the run, but have questionable coverage skills. The Nittany Lions must use that to their advantage.

Defensive Outlook:

Iowa’s offense is not going to take the top off of a defense as good as Penn State’s, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t capable of moving the ball. Tyler Goodson is one of the best Running Backs in the Big 10 and has an incredible interior Offensive Line to run behind. Ellis Brooks has proven to be stout downhill, but Brandon Smith has not done so just yet. Today is the day for younger Linebackers like Smith and Curtis Jacobs’ to prove their toughness.

Redshirt Junior Quarterback, Spencer Petras has proven to be a very good game manager for the Hawkeyes. He does not have spectacular arm talent and is not too versatile but has a good read on the pocket and generally makes good, safe decisions. It is important for Brent Pry to dial up blitzes throughout the game to pressure Petras and expose his shortcomings. Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Nico Ragaini are better than your stereotypical Iowa Wide Receivers, but aren’t anything that Joey Porter Jr. and Tariq Castro-Fields haven’t seen before.

Furthermore, the Hawkeye Offensive Tackles are a big question mark. They are inexperienced and will face a very big test this week. Arnold Ebiketie and Jesse Luketa should have big games pressuring both Petras and Goodson.

Final Verdict:

The Nittany Lions are better than the Hawkeyes at nearly every position. They are the better team and need to prove so today. Iowa’s defense hasn’t faced Wide Receivers as good as Jahan Dotson and Parker Washington yet this season; moreover, they faced a Quarterback like Sean Clifford either. Iowa’s offense will move the ball, but Penn State’s red zone defense matches up well. Don’t expect the Hawkeyes to score many touchdowns. If Penn State plays smart, doesn’t make costly turnovers, and doesn’t beat themselves, they will make a huge statement today in Iowa City.

Final Score Prediction:

Penn State 23, Iowa 13

Offensive Player of the Game:

Parker Washington

Defensive Player of the Game:

Arnold Ebiketie

Penn State vs Auburn Preview

The Auburn Tigers are coming to Happy Valley Saturday night to take on the Nittany Lions in the university’s first white out in nearly two years. Not only is this a gigantic game for PSU’s season, but also for the Big Ten conference as a whole. The entire country will be watching this game in prime time and there is no better opportunity for this football team to show what this program is all about and that Beaver Stadium is the best atmosphere in college football.

Offensive Outlook:

It’s Mike Yurcich’s time to shine. The offense has executed well ever since they came out of the tunnel to start the second half in Madison. Quite frankly, Auburn’s defense matches up phenomenally with Penn State’s offense. Their weakness is up front, but this Nittany Lions offensive line has yet to prove that they will dominate an inferior defensive line. Auburn’s back seven has some of the best talent the NCAA has to offer. Owen Pappoe and Zakoby McClain are two of the best linebackers in the nation. Expect to hear their names a lot, especially McClain who led the SEC in tackles last season. Cornerback, Roger McCreary and Safety, Smoke Monday headline their secondary which contains plenty of question marks. The Tigers’ secondary has plenty of potential, but that comes with a lack of experience. They will play a sound game, but mistakes will be made and there will be guys open down the field. These opportunities will be few and far between so it is important that Sean Clifford makes the most of them. Clifford needs to keep the ball out of opposing hands and make the throws that he is given.

Mike Yurcich should use his running back depth early. Noah Cain has taken another gigantic leap going into this season and has proven himself to be this team’s best running back. Due to his importance, he needs to be fresh for the second half. Devyn Ford and Keyvone Lee should hopefully get touches early. All three guys need to remain fresh and go right at Auburn to wear down their linebackers. Then once the second half comes, it’s Noah Cain’s time to shine and put the game on ice.

The Nittany Lions will move the ball by being creative. Yurcich has already shown his willingness to go up tempo often and run the offense out of a wide variety of different personnel packages and formations. More of that style is to be expected tonight.

Defensive Outlook:

This has all the feels of being a dog fight. Not only is Auburn’s offensive line returning all five starters, but they have seven linemen in total who started multiple games last season. The Tigers possess experience and depth up front, they also possess one of the best running backs in the nation, Tank Bigsby. The sophomore is a downhill runner with power and underrated agility. However, it doesn’t end there; backing him up is Shaun Shivers, also one of the Tigers’ best players. He will see the field plenty, providing the finesse and receiving ability that Bigsby doesn’t. However, Tank is their guy and their offense goes when he goes. He will prefer to ground and pound trailing his guards, so it is important that the only returning Defensive Lineman, P.J. Mustipher clogs up holes and takes on double teams to allow his linebackers to make plays. The defensive ends need to keep their heads up to better defend the run and prevent success on draws and screens. Expect Jesse Luketa to have a big night on the edge due to his experience reading the field at linebacker.

The Nittany Lions’ back seven is most likely where this game will be won or lost. Auburn’s offensive coordinator, Mike Bobo is known for using multiple running backs to run the ball in his creative run scheme but also as receivers in the screen game. Penn State’s linebackers will be tested by Auburn’s offensive scheme. They need to be cautious of Tank Bigsby bruising them up the middle, but will also need to range sideline to sideline. Ellis Brooks has been phenomenal in the three halves he’s played this season, but Brandon Smith and Curtis Jacobs have been timid. They need to trust their instincts and play aggressively like they began to do last week against Ball State. Since Auburn is unlikely to be too spread out and will likely be in 21 personnel quite often, Brent Pry should be able to stack the box and trust his cornerbacks on the outside. Joey Porter Jr. and Tariq Castro-Fields have played excellently but will be tested on Saturday night, likely without much safety help. If those guys hold Bo Nix and the Tigers’ passing offense in check and allow the Linebackers to play aggressively sideline to sideline, the Nittany Lions probably win this game.

Final Verdict:

This is going to be a close game. Both defenses match up excellently against their opponents on offense. A multitude of running backs will be getting touches on both sides. This is going to be a game won on big plays and the turnover battle. Most likely Bo Nix and Sean Clifford will have relatively quiet games and won’t be asked to do too much. With that being said, there is a large chance that they will be the deciding factors in this game. If one throws a costly interception, but their counterpart is able to find a receiver deep for a timely touchdown, that probably decides the outcome of this showdown.

Score Prediction:

Penn State 23, Auburn 20

Offensive Player of the Game Prediction:

Noah Cain

Defensive Player of the Game Prediction:

P.J. Mustipher

What to expect from the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021?

With The Eagles season just 3 Weeks away. We already kind of know what to expect. Or do we? With a new Coaching Staff and New QB a ton of questions remain unanswered in this blog I will give you some players and some coaches to be on the lookout for as we move closer to the start of the regular season.

Jalen Hurts

How can you hate Jalen Hurts? Jalen looks like player ready for war. He is always counted out and has always played very well under pressure. NBC’s Chris Simms recently left Jalen Hurts out of his top 40 Qb’s in the NFL. How disrespectful is that. I truly believe Jalen Hurts can take a huge leap and become the future for the Philadelphia Eagles. Now that is if the team allows him to. The Eagles have been recently linked to Houston Texans’ QuarterBack Deshaun Watson and knowing Howie Roseman he is most likely extremely interested. Although his legal issues may hold him back I would not be surprised if the Eagles trade for the star QB (if he’s innocent). But for now the QB1 is Jalen and he has all of the fanbases’ attention.

Nick Sirianni

Personally, I was not high on Nick Sirianni when the Eagles first hired him. And quite frankly I’m still not. As an eagles fan I’ve learned to never be excited about anything it seems like the eagles never have anything good. Like Donald Trump once said “Bad things happen in Philadelphia”. Nick Sirianni’s First press conference was one to remember he seemed nervous as if he’s never spoken to the media or anyone before. Since then he seems more confident but maybe a bit of a overthinker which is a big change supposing Doug Pederson was a guy who thought he knew it all. Coach Sirianni looks like he is ready to learn from his mistakes and become a better coach every day. Just like Coach said yesterday in His press conference ” Like Jalen said ‘Rent is due every week and we don’t plan on missing a payment”. Coach added, ” If we pay rent every week we get better”. Seems like these two are very responsible with their bills. Lol.

Jonathan Gannon

Oh Boy. Jonathan Gannon also newly hired as a Defensive Coordinator. His run defense this preseason is something that makes me want to turn off my TV. I really hope this is just a thing that he is doing for the preseason. He recently stated that he wants to see everyone 1v1. Meaning he won’t blitz this preseason which is understandable. Coach Gannon looks to regain the eagles reputation of being the blitz heavy defense we all remember. I expect big things this season for the defense with additions Like Anthony Harris, Eric Wilson and Steven Nelson this defense should look a lot better. If the team wants to be successful it starts with the defense.

Howie Roseman

This man has managed to salvage his Job multiple times. For example, When Chip kelly took over he was on the verge of being fired. One year Later he built a Championship Roster. But after that whole Carson Wentz and Doug Pederson Mess you have to hope this is a make or break season for Howie. Howie has been able to hire 3 head coaches that is unheard of in the NFL. But I give credit when credit is due and with no money he was able to sign some solid players. And was able to pull off a crazy trade on draft night to move up to 10 and draft WR Devonta Smith. I truly hope that of the eagles are a competent team in the trade deadline he is able to pull off 1 or 2 solid trades. With a estimated cap space of $54 Million and 2 first round picks in 2022 (Could be 3 if Carson Wentz plays 75% of the snaps for the colts) it’s a big offseason next year for Howie.

Devonta Smith

Devonta Smith was such a surprise pick. When the eagles traded up to 10 I was ecstatic. So was the entirety of the Eagles Fanbase just take a look at this.

You think Eagles fans were happy to draft a Heisman Trophy winner? 🏆 (via @Eagles)@DeVontaSmith_6 | @AlabamaFTBL pic.twitter.com/2LlavcXYo5

— NFL (@NFL) May 4, 2021

Devonta Smith had his debut on Thursday against the patriots racking up 2 receptions for 19 yards. Does his body frame worry me? Watching his tape it seems like no one can catch him in the line of scrimmage so if no one can get physical with him then I don’t worry about his frame. The Former Heisman winner put up video game numbers in 2020. Making him the 2nd WR of all time to win the heisman award. With all the accomplishments it seems like the eagles finally got a WR1 but only time will tell. Wishing the best for Devonta.

.@DeVontaSmith_6 in and out of the whip route in 2 steps 🥶 pic.twitter.com/uTAIbZHj1q

— Receiver School (@ReceiverSchool) August 20, 2021

Make Sure to check out @eagles_culture on instagram for 24/7 Eagles News!

NFC East Record Predictions: How Will the Eagles Fair?

Before 2020, the Eagles were always serious competition in the disastrous NFC East, making the postseason from 2017-2019 (3 times); that’s when things turned upside down. This previous season, Philly went 4-11-1, and were plagued by injuries (lots of them!) and inconsistent quarterback play, along with several key players underperforming.

Let’s stop living in the past; it’s a NEW SEASON. This upcoming year most likely won’t bring the Eagles the past success they’ve came across, but there’s still hope for us fans. Let’s look at the different teams in this division, predict their record, and see where the Eagles land!

Washington: The Washington Football Team had a pleasantly surprising 2020 season, making the playoffs with an underwhelming 7-9 record (43.8% win pct.). They ended up losing to the soon-to-be Super Bowl Champs — the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — in a thriller. This offseason — although they lost some notable names such as Ryan Kerrigan & Ronald Darby — they added even more talent, including veteran quarterback, Ryan Fitzpatrick and former Panthers wideout, Curtis Samuel, ultimately bolstering the offense. Washington massively improved their roster this offseason, and in my eyes, will end up with a winning record.

Ceiling: 11-6 | Floor: 9-8

New York: The New York Giants are coming off a rather disappointing season in which they missed the playoffs with a 6-10 record (37.5% win pct.) due to an Eagles loss to the WFT in Week 17. They had a pretty stellar offseason, though, retaining Leanord Williams and signing guys such as Kenny Golladay, John Ross & Kyle Rudolph, while drafting Kadarius Toney, providing Jones with more weapons. Regardless of the nice summer by the Giants’ front office, New York’s success relies on the man under center, Daniel Stephen Jones; how he performs this season is very unpredictable, as he’s flashed immense potential in the past, but has also seemed like a complete bust at times as well. Daniel Jones is why the Giants could place last in the NFC East or end up with a winning record.

Ceiling: 9-8 | Floor: 5-12

Dallas: The Dallas Cowboys’ 2020 campaign is the definition of disappointing. Up until Week 5, Dallas seemingly had one of the best offenses in the NFL, with Dak playing at a MVP level with multiple weapons to throw to…then came the injuries. On October 11th against the Giants, the Cowboys’ season was pretty much over, as Dak had broken his ankle on a scramble. The offensive line was in shambles through the season, Leighton Vander-Esch missed 5 games and Gerald McCoy missed the entire season; definition of an injury-riddled season. After that train wreck, Jerry made sure the offseason would be a positive one, bringing former Falcons HC, Dan Quinn, as DC aboard and drafting standout linebacker Micah Parsons at pick No. 12. 2021 feels like it could end up being a very good year for the Cowboys, but I’m stuck on how Dak could come back; it’d be difficult to recreate what he had going in the first 5 weeks of last season coming off such a serious injury. At best, they could win the division but could be a prime example of mediocrity at worst.

Ceiling: 10-7 | Floor: 8-8

Philadelphia: Finally our very own, Philadelphia Eagles. We all know what happened…the Carson Wentz dilemma, Hurts taking over, a plethora of injuries, Reagor being in/out of the lineup, Ertz playing horrible, Sanders dropping passes, etc…all of that leading to a 4-11-1 season that left us LAST in the NFC East. All fans doubted Howie after this, doubting that he could do anything more to clean his mess and build a competent roster once again; Howie rose up to the challenge. We don’t know if this is a competent team yet, but on paper, it looks like a damn good one. Roseman drafted DeVonta Smith, improving a poor WR room, added Anthony Harris & Steven Nelson, bolstering depth in a desperate secondary, signing Joe Flacco, a former Super Bowl MVP to mentor and backup Jalen Hurts while also getting rid of older players that wouldn’t benefit the team and would take away playing time from the young guys, among other little moves. Howie, throughout the offseason, worked to prepare this team to go through a small period of retooling while keeping what should be a fun roster to watch through the the 17-game season. He did the best he could, but that doesn’t mean it’ll translate instantly, especially not into this first season of the “retool.” The roster consists of several new players playing for an entirely rebranded coaching staff; it’ll take time to settle in. A lot of our potential success relies on Jalen Hurts and how he performs — he had his good and bad moments after taking Carson’s spot late last season. If Hurts can take that leap and cement his spot as the franchise quarterback then that’d make Howie’s work a lot easier these coming years. Focusing on this upcoming season, however, Philly could either surprise the league and end with a winning record or be the laughing stock of the NFL.

Ceiling: 9-8 | Floor: 5-12

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76ers vs Thunder: Final

RING THE BELL! The 76ers finally take a W after a week of continuous L’s. They blew the OKC Thunder out of the water, 121-90!

Philadelphia 76ers

This was a much-needed win for the Sixers, and they knew it. The games started out very close. There was a lack of effort on defense from the Sixers, which allowed the Thunder to stay with them; then the 2nd quarter came. Philly started playing incredible defense, which led to easy buckets on the other side. At halftime, we were sitting with a comfortable 15-point lead. Once the 2nd half came, Sixers did not take their foot off the gas. The best part? No starter played over 25 minutes. Guys like Tyrese Maxey, Paul Reed, Dwight Howard, Rayjon Tucker, and Isiah Joe among others were able to close out the game.

Again, what stood out most was the defensive play from Philadelphia. They had a total of 22 steals and 7 blocks compared to OKC’s 11 and 1. We also forced a whopping 30 turnovers.

Oklahoma City Thunder

If you’re the Thunder, what are you supposed to do in this situation? The youngest team in the league that sits near the bottom of the Western Conference had to go against an experienced Sixers’ team fighting for the top spot in the East. There was no doubt on how this game would pan out.

However, the Thunder must be credited for something, and that was their ability to capitalize off turnovers; OKC had 35 total points off turnovers, compared to Philly’s 19.

Best Performances:

PHI:

• Joel Embiid – 21 PTS | 5 REB | 3 STL
• Ben Simmons – 12 PTS | 3 STL | 2 BLK
• Tobias Harris – 11 PTS | 4 AST | 4 STL

OKC:

• Darius Bazley – 14 PTS | 2 AST | 7 REB
• Ty Jerome – 22 PTS | 2 AST | 2 REB
• Moses Brown – 11 PTS | 1 AST | 8 REB

Overall, this was a great team performance by the Sixers, and we expected no less, going against this inexperienced Thunder squad. Let’s hope we can transfer the momentum onto Atlanta on Wednesday!

76ers vs Bucks Preview

For the final time this season, the Philadelphia 76ers will take on the Milwaukee Bucks. These two clubs battled it out on Thursday, but the outcome wasn’t in Philly’s favor: Milwaukee won, 124-117. The Sixers look to avoid the season sweep against the Bucks, as they are 0-2 against them this season.

Philadelphia 76ers

Like we just mentioned, the 76ers are coming off a horrible loss to the Bucks. Milwaukee seemed to hit nearly every shot they attempted, and the Sixers couldn’t respond; their play on the offensive end was pretty good, they just couldn’t make any defensive adjustments. A lot has to change this afternoon. Harris HAS to be more impactful consistently, rather than just here and there today. Though he’s coming off an injury, the team needs to see his normal form sooner rather than later. It will give Embiid more than enough room to operate if he can keep the defense honest. We must also see a change in the defense: whether that be schemes, execution, etc. More on-ball pressure is needed. Starting Thybulle may help immensely. Philly cannot afford to give up all momentum and dig themselves in a hole, expecting to come back against Giannis.

PHI Injury Report:

• Ben Simmons – OUT
• Paul Reed – OUT
• Joel Embiid – QUESTIONABLE
• Furkan Korkmaz – QUESTIONABLE

Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks are coming off a massive victory against the Sixers, just 2 days ago; they’re looking to translate that energy to today’s matchup; most importantly, Milwaukee’s looking to replicate the magnificent shooting. They’re also looking for another great performance from starters, Giannis, Middleton, and Lopez, along with Portis off the bench. These guys practically handled business by themselves! However, it shouldn’t be as easy this time around; Bucks should most definitely expect changes in the Sixers play, on both ends of the ball.

MIL Injury Report:

NO INJURIES.

Tune in at 3:30 PM EST, on ESPN, to watch Philly battle Milwaukee in their final matchup of the season!

The Eagles Are Once Again Being Linked To A Deshaun Watson Trade

Another report stating the Philadelphia Eagles have interest in acquiring Texans star QB Deshaun Watson. Mike Fisher reported this morning that a trade can happen anytime after the draft. The obvious roadblock in preventing a trade is Watson’s legal issues. Watson is currently facing 21 allegations of sexual assault. One case has been dismissed but we are a long ways away from this issue being resolved. Innocent or not this process will be very exhausting. It will be long and won’t be solved anytime soon.

The Eagles continue to monitor the situation which shows the teams interest and willingness to acquire Watson. Jeff McLane dropped a report 2 or 3 weeks ago stating Eagles GM Howie Roseman ‘is willing to give up everything he has’ for the star QB.

While there’s obvious interest on Philly’s end, we’ve yet to here about the Texans being willing to trade the 25 year old QB. Watson has given in a formal trade request but the Texans front office isn’t budging. Before all these allegations came in, the Texans showed they had no interest in trading Watson…but we don’t know if these allegations change the teams mind. Stay tuned for more on the Watson situation and what the Eagles are willing to do.

Rashod Bateman Would Be A Smart Trade Down Option For the Eagles

Much like last year the theme of this offseason for the Philadelphia Eagles will be wide receiver. With this year’s free agent class being loaded at that position, it is a possibility they could very well sign a starting caliber wide out such as Allen Robinson, Kenny Golladay or the speedster in Will Fuller but with free agency yet to hit, it is still unknown who will get extended or even hit with the franchise tag so right now we have assume the Eagle’s look toward the draft for receiver help. With Alshon Jeffrey presumably out the door as he continues to age, Jalen Reagor’s spotty rookie season and the emergence of Travis Fulgham who seemed to fade down the stretch, the Eagles still need to look for that number one receiver to line up on the outside and Minnesota’s Rashod Bateman is exactly the player who can be that guy.

With the Eagles sitting at six in the upcoming draft the popular choice would be to grab whoever is there for them whether it’s Ja’Marr Chase or Devonta Smith, but with this roster depleted and continuing to age, the best move might in fact be trading down, acquiring more picks, and still grabbing a stud receiver in Bateman to be their number one. Rashod Bateman stands 6’2 at about 210 pounds and really jumped onto the draft radar after his very strong 2019 campaign where he hauled in 60 receptions for 1,219 yards, 12 touchdowns and averaged 20 yards per catch. Bateman only played in 5 games this year before opting out to start preparing for the upcoming draft. In those 5 games in 2020 he caught 36 passes for 472 yards, 2 touchdowns and averaged 13 yards per catch.

Standing 6’2 Bateman possesses the ideal size for a prototypical number one receiver. He possesses the best route running in this upcoming draft, as he does a great job changing levels at the top of his routes to create separation. Really soft/reliable hands, he’s a true hands catcher that catches the ball clean and effortlessly. Very underrated run after catch ability, his combination of size and speed makes him tough to bring down in open space. He’s also a very versatile receiver, his route running and good short area quickness give him the ability to win both inside and out. And he also had a pretty diverse route tree at Minnesota that should make for a small learning curve at the next level. Some weaknesses in Bateman’s game is that he doesn’t possess the deep speed to pose much of a threat over the top for opposing defenses. Seems to have not have much of a vertical to be able to out jumps opposing defenders on 50/50 balls. And because he opted out after only 5 games this season, there is somewhat of a small sample size compared to other receivers in the draft this year.

With Bateman opting out after only 5 games this year I think people, especially box score “scouts”, forget just how good he is when he’s on the field. Bateman has everything it takes to be a number one receiver at the next level in my opinion with his ideal size and polished route running to be able to consistently create separation, and he reminds me very much of Keenan Allen and I can definitely see him putting up similar number to him. Like I said earlier the popular choice for the Eagles would to be them taking either Chase or Smith at 6 but to trade down and acquire more more picks to help out this aging team, and still being able to grab a stud later in the first would be more valuable to this team in my opinion, and would set this team up nicely for future given they would hit on their extra picks acquired from a move like this.

Giants Vs Eagles week 10 game review, Eagles without wings

The goal in every football game is simple, win, but if you’ve watched any NFC East team play this year you’d think otherwise. Despite a year of bad and ugly play the Eagles(3-5-1) currently hold the division title, meaning they would host a wildcard team in the first round of the playoffs had the season ended today. but then again maybe every NFC East’s team season has already ended at least in most divisions. Only in the NFC East can a 3-7 team have a viable shot to win the division. The giants and Eagles met Sunday for the 2nd matchup of the season, with the Eagles edging out the first one a few weeks back in Philly.

Unlike the first game in which these two met The Giants controlled almost all aspects of this one. Miles sanders made his return to the Eagles but he didn’t exactly get the number of touches most had expected, despite that he was able to get 85. Carson Wentz failed to throw for a touchdown Sunday as he continues the unpredictable roller coaster of a season as the Eagles were able to only muster up an FG in the first two quarters with the Giants leading 14-3 at Half. The Eagles were able to muster two touchdowns in the 3rd quarter with the Giants adding one of their own.

The 4th quarter was relatively quiet with just two field goals from the giants propelling them to a 27-17 victory. Daniel Jones seemed to have no problem connecting Sunday,21-28 with 244 yards, he also added 64 yards on the ground and a rushing TD as well. The Giants head to their bye week which may be something they don’t want considering the momentum the team is starting to build. The Eagles on the other hand will look to get something just anything going as they head to Cleveland next week to play a talented but very inconsistent Browns team. Regardless, from a Bird’s eye view despite sporting a 3-7 record it looks like the New York Giants have the most going for them and pending this level of play continues for them a nice run and even an ugly record of 7-9 or even 6-10 could shockingly result in a division title/playoff berth and better yet a home playoff game! Washington knows a good defense wins games the only problem is they have to know scoring points does also, efficiently. The Cowboys have not been the same since Prescott win down with an awful leg injury and the Eagles well, they just don’t seem to fly without wings.