Since Aaron Rodgers and his former tight end Robert Tonyan will most likely never play together on the same team, it’s nice to get a parting gift on the way out of Green Bay. Rogers is helping Tonyan go home and play for the team he grew up watching as Aaron owns the Chicago Bears and set him up with a one year deal. Tonyan, a local Chicago guy growing up in McHenry, Illinois, is another free agent the Bears are bringing home. Suddenly the Bears roster is piling up with guys that have roots in the Windy City. Signing Tonyan gives the Bears another weapon for their quarterback, Justin Fields. Tonyan, a bigger target, could be very valuable in the red zone. Tonyan also reunites with his former coach in Green Bay: Luke Getsy, the Bears offensive coordinator.

Robert Tonyan is 28 years old and was another undrafted free agent coming out of Indiana State University. After 5 seasons at Indiana State, Tonyan was number two all-time in receiving stats behind only Sam Logan with 150 receptions and 2,047 yards. He also set the record for most touchdowns in one season at Indiana State with ten. In 2017, Tonyan signed with the Detroit Lions & became only the tenth player ever at Indiana State to make it to the NFL. Tonyan would never see the field in Detroit as the furthest he came was the practice squad. In 2018, Tonyan moved on from the Lions to the Packers and actually got on the field. It was not until Tonyan’s third season in 2020, when he became your fantasy pick up after catching 52 balls for 586 yards for 11 touchdowns. In 2018-19, Tonyan only had 14 catches for 177 yards with two touchdowns. In 2021, Tonyan would only play in 8 games for the Packers as he tore his ACL and was out the rest of the season. Tonyan would only catch 18 balls for 204 yards with two touchdowns in those 8 games he did play. Last year, Tonyan rebounded and caught 52 passes for 470 yards with 2 touchdown grabs.

Robert Tonyan reminds me of the former Bear they over paid for a few seasons back, Jimmy Grahamcracker. Tonyan is a 6’5″ target with great hands but can’t shake or break a tackler for extra yards. Tonyan does not do run blocking or pass very good, just like the graham cracker dust. Tonyan is not breaking the bank like Graham and is younger than him. With Tonyan on the field at the same time as Cole Kmet, an emerging talent at the tight end position who had a break out season last year, could make the Bears offense very interesting. Tonyan can catch the ball. If you can get the ball near him he has gobbled up 80% of his passes. Tonyan could be targeted on third down plays and the red zone could be a valuable piece to this Bears offense who suddenly have bullets in the chamber. With Tonyan on board now, the Bears have Kmet, Jack Sanborn, and T.J Edwards: all guys who grew up around Chicago rooting for the Bears when they were younger. I think having Luke Getsy on the coaching staff and calling the offensive plays knowing Tonyan could only benefit both parties. This is a low budget move by the Bears and only a one year deal so if it goes bad, the team can cut ties with the former Packer. I think Tonyan can help Justin Fields’ short passing game with his good hands. Fields has not established that he can beat a team with the short passing game. Tonyan can be used on deeper routes as we’ve seen him do with Aaron Rogers before. I like having depth on the roster as well just in case Kmet does get injured & misses some time. At least you have another guy that can catch the ball at that position.

It did not look good for the Buffalo Bills defense with two of their studs heading to free agency. The Buffalo Bills were up against the salary cap with some big decisions on the horizon knowing it would be impossible to bring back both line backer Tremaine Edmunds and safety Jordan Poyer. The Bills front office had to face reality that they could have lost both of these guys to free agency not being able to pay them the money other teams had and were willing to give. The off-season for the Bills defense started off bleak with Leslie Frazier stepping down as the teams defensive coordinator who just wanted to step away from the game for one season to recharge his batteries. The Bills defense has been one of the top units in the league since Jordan Poyer and head coach Sean McDermott came to Buffalo in 2017. In the first day of free agency, right out of the gates the Chicago Bears plucked line backer Tremaine Edmunds off the board with a 4 year deal. Poyer wanted to come back to Buffalo but had said playing in some warmer climate with less state taxes sucking up all his funds would be ideal to him and his family. In the background, Poyer’s wife Rachel was never shy about chiming in on the lack of a contract extension. The Bills looked like they were on the ropes about to lose two of their captains on their defense. In the end, it all worked out for the 31 year pro-bowl safety as he landed a two year deal to return to his family the Bills where he had the most success out of his career and to play along side with his best friend safety Micah Hyde who missed most of the season last year with an injury. Hyde would comment on the taxes to his football brother as he most likely was the first teammate to know about Jordan coming back to town. The comment was just busting the chops on his friend for life – the kind of deal where everyone has that person in life that can say anything to poke fun at you when your foot is inserted in your mouth.

Jordan Poyer has played ten seasons in the NFL and has come a long way to being the ball hawk and big play maker on the Bills defense. Poyer was born in Oregon which has a better tax situation than Western New York, I assume. Poyer was drafted out of Oregon State by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 7th round of the 2013 draft. Poyer was an excellent baseball player in high school and in 2009 was actually drafted by the Florida Marlins so to play both baseball and football at a high level, Jordan is a very good athlete. For the Eagles, they did not show brotherly love for Poyer as he only played three games before then being released and picked up by the Browns. It was not until 2017 when Poyer arrived in Buffalo where he elevated his game and had 5 interceptions and found himself in a system that his talents thrived in or just found his game. Last season, in 12 games only due to injuries, Poyer would still get the Pro Bowl selection & still had 63 tackles, 4 interceptions, & 1 forced fumble, while defending 8 passes. In week six in a big game with the Chiefs, the Bills safety dealing with an rib injury could not fly with the team to Kansas City. Instead of missing the game between two heavy weights of the AFC, Poyer drove to Kansas City from Buffalo and back to play in that game. It shows you his heat and dedication to the team. In 2021, Poyer was named First NFL-All Pro selection. That year he tied his career high with 5 interceptions.

In 2020, Jordan Poyer thought he drank too much and said he was an alcoholic. Poyer went to some meetings and ended up quitting drinking for his own sake, for his family and perhaps just wanting to take his craft of playing safety in the NFL to new heights. Poyer would tell his Bills teammates then of his decision and the support he got from them and the Bills Mafia after he went on Instagram and told his story about the demon he was dealing with. His performance on the field did get better after the pandemic year of 2020. It takes guts to even mention to one person about your problem rather than opening up to a group of guys. It seems like this is the team the Buffalo Bills are. A small market franchise with dedicated fans and that mom and pop family operations at the work place as it spills on to the field. Since 2017, Poyer is the only NFL player with 500 tackles, 20 interceptions, and ten sacks. During that span, Poyer has had 22 interceptions which is good for 5th in NFL. Then 9 of those picks have come in the last two seasons.

Jordan Poyer wants to retire as a Buffalo Bill and that would be a great thing. He wants to win a championship with the Bills as that would be special for this group on the field and to give the fans of Buffalo their first ever Superbowl title. It would be that feeling the Chicago Cubs fans had in 2016 breaking over a 100 year drought since their last title. I think the Bills got lucky on this re-signing of one of their own. With Poyer’s age and with some injuries last year, teams were not willing to ante up for the all pro safety. Sometimes when things look bleak, destiny takes over and brings Poyer back to town. Poyer, in ten years in the NFL, has racked up 706 tackles, 11 sacks, 50 pass defended, 8 forced fumbles, 7 fumble recoveries, 24 interceptions, and one defensive touchdown. Poyer keeps that Buffalo defensive secondary solid, and the fans would love to see the dynamic duel next season do their thing with a healthy Micah Hyde back from injury. Now the Bills have to worry about finding Tremaine Edmunds’ replacement which will not be easy as he was a talented young line backer about to play in his prime years of his career. It’s better than trying to find two positions on your defense, especially with two captains on your field. This move bringing back Poyer may be one of the most important moves the Bills front office will make this off-season. Play makers on defense is very important with dealing with these high powered offenses the AFC has, especially in the Bills’ own division with how rivals are stacking up their squads.

With 5 weeks in the books for the XFL III, and football scheduled this weekend, it looks like the league will last longer than the 2020 reboot who lasted only 5 weeks. It was the pandemic that took out the XFL reboot. Things should be good this weekend unless players caught the Irish flu at the St.Patrick’s Day celebrations last weekend. In our latest version of the XFL power rankings, the Defenders are flying high right now.

The Roughnecks blow an oil gasket.

We are rearranging the furniture in week six and starts with the top of the food chain.

#8. ORLANDO GUARDIANS (0-5) FOREVER IN THE SAME SPOT

Would week 5 be Terrell Buckley’s above coming out party? The Guardians versus Vipers in the XFL Classic Toilet Bowl I. The Guardians had some good, bad, and as usual… just ugly moments in this game between two winless teams. The good or maybe just lucky, as Quinton Dormady came of the bench after being suspended this season and looked, kept the Guardians in the game with a chance to win late.

Dormady was accused of giving away plays to the opposing team and was kicked off the team & then reinstated. What would Buckley’s play book be?? A pop-up book with Disney characters. Dormady went 22-25 for 256 yards with two touchdown passes. As a team, the Guardians scored the most points in a game this season with 32. At the end, with a chance to win, the Guardians get derailed by penalties at which they had another game over ten of them. This Guardian team has no discipline and bad coaching decisions. They had a chance at the end but took a sack and then two false starts keeps their perfect record intact.

#7. VEGAS VIPERS (1-4) SAME SPOT LAST WEEK

The Vipers prevailed in the Classic XFL Toilet Bowl game winning their first game of the season versus a Guardian team that took them to the brink of the game. The Vipers have played teams tough this season as I was shocked to see the Guardians making this showdown a close game. The Vipers won this game because the Guardians shot themselves in the foot at the very end of the game with the ball on the Vipers’ doorstep to take the lead. Former Pittsburgh Steeler great, Rod Woodson, gets his first victory as a head coach as he tied former teammate, Hines Ward, who is head coach of the Brahmas in San Antonio. Quietly, the King of Spring Fling, Luis Perez, is one of the top quarterbacks in the XFL. Perez in 4 games for the Vipers has 8 touchdowns. This Viper team will not make the playoffs but could play the role of spoiler to another team’s playoff hopes.

#6. SAN ANTONIO BRAHMAS (1-4) DROPPED ONE SPOT FROM LAST WEEK

Only ten points versus the Renegades as they scored just 12 to beat you. The problem with the Brahmas is the offense, offense, and the offense. MIA!!! The Brahmas defense has kept them, in every game, one of the better units. Head Coach Hines Ward has changed his offensive coordinator, which did not. Ward even changed his quarterback that did not work as Reid Sinnett did not set the league on fire passing for 97 yards. Sinnett threw 19 passes & completed 13 for the shortest of the short of passing games, averaging 5.1 yards a pass play. The Brahmas go home next week and quickly have a rematch versus the same division rival, the Renegades, who could take the bull by the horns and end San Antonio’s playoff hopes of sweeping the series. When is the Steeler Bowl?

Hines’ Brahma’s versus Rod Woodson’s Vipers. Might be better than the toilet bowl between the Vipers and Guardians.

#5. ARLINGTON RENEGADES (3-2) MOVED UP ONE SPOT FROM LAST WEEK

The Renegades are like the Brahmas with a great defense and non-existent offense. However, the Renegades have 3 wins as they are just doing enough to get by as they scored 12 to beat the Brahmas who only scored 10. The Renegades play in the same division as the Guardians and face the Brahmas in a rematch this weekend. If Bob Stoops’ Renegades prevail in San Antonio, they would have swept the Brahmas and improved their record to 4-2. The Brahmas would drop to 1-5 with 4 games left. The Renegades would have that 2nd place spot wrapped up in the division and a ticket to the post-season play.

The Renegades linebacker, Donald Payne, is one of the cogs that make the Renegades defense one of the best. Payne is second in the XFL in tackles. Payne played for the Houston Gamblers in the USFL last Spring and was one of the leading tacklers in that league. Payne, like most of these guys, is trying to get back to the NFL. A post-season appearance by the Renegades could help Payne’s case if he can thrive in big game moments and take control of the game for his Arlington team.

#4. ST. LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS (3-2) DROPPED ONE SPOT FROM LAST WEEK

I thought the St. Louis Battlehawks would be undefeated at home. With those packed houses and the Battlehawks playing some good football. The Defenders waltz in to St.Louis and beat the Battlehawks for the second time this season to sweep the series. Only two losses the BattleHawks have are against DC. My problem with the Battlehawks is they find themselves behind in the second half and have to try these immaculate comebacks to win games. The Battlehawks won their first two on the road with impressive comebacks. A.J McCarron once again made things interesting hitting on 50 yard touchdown strike to make the game 28-20 with 4 minutes left against the Defenders. The Battlehawk defense then stopped the Defenders on the next possession, forcing them to punt.

Carson Wells, linebacker for the Battlehawks defense, one of my favorite defenders in the league. He’s always in on a tackle or making a big play. The Battlehawks would get the ball back and McCarron throws an interception on the potential game winning drive as the Defenders hold on and stay undefeated.

Battlehawks end up losing once again to their former quarterback of of 2020 in the XFL first reboot, Jordan Ta’amu.

#3. HOUSTON ROUGHNECKS (4-1) DROPPED TWO SPOTS FROM LAST WEEK

Do the 1972 Dolphins use the Roughnecks loss as an excuse to go out & hoist a few drinks to salute the only perfect season in pro football history? The Roughnecks were having a perfect season until the pandemic shut things down in the XFL reboot in 2020. This year the streak is over at the midway point of the season.The first loss ever for the Roughnecks game looked close, but it could have been a blow out by Seattle who kept shooting themselves in the foot to keep Houston in the game. The Roughnecks have two wins versus the Guardians, which is not saying much. In games besides the Guardian, the offense of the Roughnecks has disappeared for half the game. The offense was shut out in the first half last week versus the Sea Dragons. Is that a concern? We will find out how the Roughnecks do against the Defenders on the XFL’S first Monday night game in week 6. Would have been cool to see if the Defenders and Roughnecks were facing each other undefeated. A Roughnecks win could catapult them back to the top of the power ranking mountain.

#2. SEATTLE SEA DRAGONS (3-2) MOVED UP 2 SPACES FROM LAST WEEK

The Sea Dragons give the Roughnecks their first blemish of all-time and first loss this season in the standings. Seattle has now won 3 games in a row and have the scariest quarterback in the league. Ben DiNucci can beat you with his arm and use his legs to get important yards. DiNucci leads the XFL in many of the passing stats like yards and touchdown passes. I felt like the Sea Dragons should have killed the Roughnecks 40-0. But DiNucci makes too many mistakes as he has 7 interceptions this season in 5 games. Roughnecks had some late scores to make the game look close at 21-14. It was a game Seattle dominated. The Sea Dragons offense has the most weapons in the XFL and has a good quarterback, but thanks to Ron Zook’s defense, they overcame DiNucci’s mistakes.

It was defensive line man Niko Lalos that came up with the interception to end any Roughnecks’ comeback. Houston’s quarterback did not look comfortable most of the game as Zook’s defense had a nice game plan to shut out the Houston’s squad in the first half. The Sea Dragons lost their first two games in close games and now are finding ways to win close games.

#1. DC DEFENDERS (5-0) MOVED UP ONE SPACE FROM LAST WEEK

The Defenders finally found that deluxe apartment in the sky of the XFL power rankings. I told you it would take Houston losing a game to move the Roughnecks off the top peg of the power rankings. Houston finally lost and the Defenders now are the last of the remaining undefeated teams in the XFL. The Defenders went off the road and came out of St. Louis with a victory. The Defenders had their work cut out for them as they had to deal with 35,000 screaming fans and beat a very good St. Louis team. Plus, the Defenders beat St. Louis twice and swept the series as the first one ended in a rumble in DC in a hard fought game. It seems like the Defenders have a different unsung hero every week on a well-rounded team on all aspects of the game.

The Defenders used that talented offensive line they assembled and opened up holes for running back Abraham Smith. He torched the Battlehawks defense for three rushing touchdowns and ran for 218 games. Smith had a monster game and now leads the XFL in rushing. In 5 games, Smith has averaged 5.1 yards per carry, has 4 rushing touchdowns, and has compiled up 432 yards. 218 of those 432 yards were last week against a pretty good Battlehawk defense.

Last season after the Bears got rid of all their old defensive stars, the defense was looser than a whore house giving away free cake. The Bears were able to find out about what they had in young players as a local kid Jack Sanborn turned some heads at the linebacker position. He had 64 tackles of which 50 of them were solo. When you see a player with heart when your team is getting mauled every Sunday by the opposing team’s offenses, you can most certainly somebody check the box that Sanborn is a keeper. The Bears found themselves a carbon copy of Sanborn – a little bit older but both players come from the same journey to the NFL as undrafted free agents. The Bears sign T.J Edwards, a 26 year old linebacker from the Philadelphia Eagles who is also a local kid from Chicago. He’s actually a former teammate of Sanborn as their paths crossed in 2018 playing college ball at the University of Wisconsin. Edwards is a tackling machine that helped the Eagles maintain one of the best defensive units in the league which helped Philadelphia get back to the Superbowl. The Bears made a splash on the same day as getting Edwards, they inked the Bills’ heart and soul of their defense, Tremaine Edwards, to a 4 year deal. Head Coach of the Bears, Matt Eberflus has three linebackers that can chase the opponents down with high speed and what they do best is make the tackle.

In 2019, T.J Edwards came out of the University of Wisconsin undrafted, signed with the Eagles, and made the squad playing all 16 games in which 4 of them he started. In his first year, Edwards had 30 tackles of which 15 of them were solo. In 2020, Edwards showed improvement – he started 12 games, had 70 tackles with two sacks, and an interception. In 2021, Edwards became a defensive pillar on the Eagles defense starting all 16 games and racking up 130 tackles which 5 of them were for loss. Edwards also had 1 interception, 1 fumble recovery, while defending 5 passes. Last year, Edwards even got better as he has 159 tackles which is record for third in Eagles history in one season. Edwards also had 2 sacks, ten of his tackles were for a loss of yardage while defending 7 passes and picked up a fumble recovery while playing all 17 games. In four seasons, Edwards has 389 tackles on the back of his football card with 5 sacks and 20 tackles for loss of yardage in 61 games. It’s pretty exciting to be a Bears fans with this line backing crew.

T.J Edwards said, “When the home team comes calling, it’s time to head home.” Edwards is a Lake Villa native who grew up a Bears fans liking guys like Lance Briggs, Brian Urlacher, Mike Brown, and Devin Hester. Edwards loved seeing his old friend & Badger teammate, Jack Sanborn, having success with the Bears. Edwards felt a tad jealous not playing for the home team. The Bears also drafted Cole Kmet in 2020, another local guy who played high school football in Arlington Heights which in a few years could be the new home for the Chicago franchise. With Sanborn, Edmunds, and now Edwards, you have a trio of young linebackers in the prime of their career. In 2006, Briggs, Urlacher and Hunter Hillenmeyer were a very impressive group. I may be looked at like I have three heads saying this trio could be the next Monsters of the Midway group that help win the Bears’ only Superbowl in the best defense of all-time… the ’85 team. That ’85 team had Mike Singletary, Otis Wilson, and a force to be reckoned with… Wilbur Marshall. I shouldn’t be this giddy right now as this is the Bears & they always screw things up. I was not sure the Bears would crank the gear into overdrive in the free agency market. I thought they would build this thing slowly through the draft & then spend the big bucks at Menards on all the power tools. The Bears general manager is not getting washed up veterans like some of the old regimes. Ryan Poles is getting talent from guys in their mid 20’s looking for their second contract in the NFL. Local guys that liked the Bears growing up that are very talented, I always thought they were Packers fans as the cheese heads have infiltrated the Chicagoland area the last 30 years. Welcome home and go Bears!!!

I bet many people never even heard of the school Fairleigh Dickinson. On Friday night, many people probably did a simple google search, including myself, wondering where the hell FDU was located. Which I found in a town called Madison in the state of New Jersey. On Friday night, this unknown University made history being the second only team in NCAA history to be he 16th seed to knock off a number one seed. They did it to the University of Purdue in a shocking upset in Columbus, Ohio. It was a game that featured the shortest team in the tournament beating a Giant center in Zach Edey, and a well established Big Ten basketball program. Talk about a significant trophy kill. The Knights would beat the Boilermakers 63-58 as the buzzer sounded, and the world would rejoice seeing one of the ultimate Cinderella stories unfold in a classic David versus Goliath style of game.

The Boiler makers went 15-5 in the Big Ten with a 29-6 overall record and won the conference tournament. The selection committee made Purdue the number one seed in the Eastern Region. The Boiler Makers have one of the best head coaches in the country in Matt Painter. Painter has been on the other side of the fence before as he brought a small school, Southern Illinois, to the tournament with a 25-5 record back in the 2003-04 season. Painter would move on from SIU and take the job at Purdue where he been ever since. At Purdue he has 5 conference titles under his bel,t and as head coach has compiled up a impressive record of 438-203 which is a .683 winning percentage. The Boilermakers the last three seasons have made the tournament but have been dropped by double digit seeds. Last year, Purdue was a number three seed and was, knocked off by St. Peter’s who were a 15. Then in 2021, the Boilermakers were a number 4 seed and dropped by a 13th seed in North Texas.

Fairleigh Dickinson came into the tournament with a 20-15 record before facing the Boilermakers. FDU had to beat Texas Southern University in the First 4, which they obviously did to play another game of Friday night. FDU did not win their conference tournament as they took a loss to Merrimack University in the NEC Championship. The Warriors of Merrimack were not eligible for the tournament, so the automatic bid went to FDU and the Knights would take full advantage. The head coach of FDU, Tobin Anderson is in his first season on the job as being the guy and has two tournament wins. After the victory against Texas Southern, Anderson’s gut feeling was he could beat Purdue with his team. After his team pulled off the upset in his interview, he wished his father was here to see this miracle but knew he was watching from the heavens as he was the real coach of the family. Anderson’s dad was a former basketball coach and Tobin is following in his footprints.

FDU pulled off the upset with quickness and full court pressure most of the game against the Boilermakers. Purdue did not shoot very well going 19-23 and hitting only 5 three pointers. It seem at the end of the game, no one on Purdue wanted to shoot the ball as they were all off and lacked confidence. The big man for Purdue, Zach Edey, had 21 points with 15 rebounds, but he played soft most of the night as the FDU players were like little Napoleon dogs nipping at the big junk yard mutt ankles all night long causing him to turnover the ball. FDU players razzled and dazzled the Boilermakers, moving the ball around defenders and quick passing that set up great shots for the Knights. Sean Moore had a big night for the Knights scoring 19 points. The native from Columbus had maybe his best game of his college career in front of his family and friends. Moore’s season average was only 6.7 points per game. At the end, FDU joins only UMBC as teams that won as a 16th seed. UMBC (University of Maryland Baltimore County) beat Virginia in 2018. FDU will move on to play another day and go up against the Owls of Florida Atlantic, a number 9 seed. This year it seems there’s no clear cut favorite team to win the entire enchilada. It would be cool to see the underdogs battle it out in the final four. It will be interesting to see if FDU can continue their stretch and make it to the sixteen. UNBC would lose their next game after beating Virginia. If FDU can get by the Owls, they would make more history for their basketball program out of Madison, New Jersey… just in case you’re asking.

The Las Vegas Raiders have found their replacement for Derek Carr at the quarterback position by signing Jimmy Garoppolo. Maybe the plan all along was to reunite Garoppolo with his former offensive coordinator from their New England days, Josh McDaniels, who is the Raiders’ head coach. Garoppolo was drafted by the Patriots and played in New England for three seasons and only started 2 games, as he won them both. The Patriots already had Tom Brady in place, and owner Robert Kraft was not going to replace his love child. Even though you think McDaniels and head coach Bill Belichick’s pipe dream was to move on from Brady, who was getting too big for his britches, and insert in Jimmy G to steer the Patriot dynasty to excellence. Now Belichick will have to live this dream through his former disciple, McDaniels, as they now have Mr. GQ for three years for 67.5 million of which 34 is guaranteed. The Jimmy Garoppolo signing is going to either make or break McDaniels who has not had much success at the head coach position. Can Jimmy G change McDaniels’ luck?

Last year, Jimmy Garoppolo saved the San Francisco 49ers season as the coaching staff went with Trey Lance as the starting quarterback. Lance would only last two games as suddenly Jimmy was the man again. Garoppolo did his thing and went 7-3, completing 67.2% of his passes with 16 touchdown passes and only 4 interceptions. Garoppolo’s season would then suddenly come to an end with an injury to his left foot. Garoppolo would miss the remaining 5 games and the playoffs. The 49ers were in good hands with Brock Purdy who took over the quarterback duties and went perfect in the 5 games Jimmy G missed. Purdy’s injury in the playoffs would eventually end the 49ers’ road to the Superbowl. This is what you may encounter signing Garoppolo because injuries have followed him like dark clouds as he has only played 1 full season as a starter without missing time. Garoppolo missed 30 games during his tenure with the 49ers with all kinds of injuries from his thumb, ankle, and shoulder. When Jimmy G is healthy, all’s he does is WIN BABY! Taking the saying of the Great Al Davis former owner of the silver and black. Garoppolo is 40-17 as a regular season starter and is 4-2 in the post-season and led the 49ers to Superbowl LIV, which resulted in a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Garoppolo is 31 years old and has completed 67.6% of his passes while tossing 87 touchdowns with only 42 interceptions and has 14,289 passing yards to his credits.

Derek Carr had his worst season of his career in Josh McDaniels’ system last season. It will be interesting to see if Garoppolo thrives in McDaniel’s system over Kyle Shanahan’s system he’s been in the last 6 seasons. The Raiders have signed wide receiver Phillip Dorsett, who was a brief teammate of Garoppolo back in New England. Then the Raiders signed another former Patriot, their best wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, to a three year deal. McDaniels is familiar with Meyers and vice versa. The Raiders have one of the best receivers on their roster in Devante Adams. Garoppolo will have a good running game behind him with one of the best backs in the league last year, Josh Jacobs. You definitely can compare the talent on the 49ers offense and the Raiders offense is pretty close. Who’s the back up quarterback for the Raiders? Last season, Jarrett Stidham, another former Patriot, knew McDaniels’ system but has signed with the Broncos. This is looking good for the Raiders, but they are a team that needs a quality back up to steer the ship if injuries occur once again for Jimmy. You hope the back up knows this system, because it seems like it’s not for every quarterback in the league. Does this Jimmy signing make the Raiders able to knock the champs off their perch? Does it make you better than the Chargers or the Broncos? The Raiders defense has talent on that unit, but they could use some help. Garoppolo is used to that 49ers defense that can shut teams down after a mistake perhaps. I like Jimmy Garoppolo being the man and the guy which the 49ers never thought of him as drafting Trey Lance high in the first round instead of getting a piece to help that 49ers roster at the time. I hate the Patriot way of any kind. It would be fascinating to see Bill Belichick & him love struck for Jimmy blossoming under his former clown. I really don’t think McDaniels is cut out to be a head coach in the NFL. His mind is always on this offense and seems he can’t juggle the other duties that come with being the head coach. When the regular season starts, we will see if Jimmy G continues to win baby!!

The XFL are building some nice fan bases that bring out that College atmosphere of fun and crazy shenanigans.

The Battlehawks were greeted with a sold out home-opener… just a sea of blue in St. Louis. The ratings of the XFL may be slipping, but people at these games are certainly enjoying themselves. XFL week 5 we see a slight movement with Seattle on the rise. The top and the bottom of the rankings are still holding their spots at the half way point coming up of the XFL regular season. Week 5: Slainte for a Happy St. Patrick’s Day weekend.

#8. ORLANDO GUARDIANS (0-4) SAME SPOT LAST WEEK

Terrell Buckley should never be a head coach again in any league, including pee wee football. The coach of the Guardians is in over his head & you can tell that on the sideline every week. If the Guardians don’t beat the other team with no victories this season, the Vipers this week, the Guardians will have a perfect season with no victories and be cemented last in the power rankings. Even the Canadian Football League has chimed in on the state of the Guardians. It’s not good and the second half of the season could be like a burning highway wreck which people slow down to look at and know why. Who is Charleston Rambo?

John Rambo’s son I imagine. Charleston had an 81 yard touchdown catch at least for that play on the field. He was the opposing team’s nightmare, just like his dad.

#7. VEGAS VIPERS (0-4) SAME SPOT LAST WEEK

Las Vegas changed their offensive coordinator as his watch started with a bang. Brett Hundley’s fumbling of the first snap of the Vipers first series led to a Defenders score. Hundley was replaced by Luis Perez at quarterback due to injury. He did pretty good but a scoring chance which originally was called a touchdown showed he was short of pay dirt as the call reversed. The ten second run off killed any chance of points before the end of the first half.

The Vipers should have a win by now. Head Coach Rod Woodson has this Viper team competing every week. Unfortunately, the team has had too many bad breaks as the ball does not bounce their way in almost every game. I think the snakes will strike next week at home in their snake pit versus the Guardians.

Luis Perez finished up last week versus the Defenders throwing for 283 yards with two touchdown passes. The Vipers need to maintain what they have going and get that break that this team has coming to turn around a bad season so far.

#6. ARLINGTON RENEGADES (2-2) SAME SPOT LAST WEEK

The Renegades were greeted with a full house in St. Louis at their home opener. The Renegades players probably felt they were squaring off in the Thunderdome or in some kind of Gladiator arena. Some of these players probably have not played in front of a full live studio audience since their college days. Same story for the Renegades as the quarterback change to Kyle Sloter has only averaged out to ten points a game roughly in the last two games. Sloter, a gunslinger by choice, threw three interceptions against the Battlehawks defense. Inside St. Louis stadium, the noise caused some penalties for this Renegade offense. Sloter made poor decisions as he still does not look comfortable in the Renegades offense like he was in the USFL in a Breakers uniform. Head Coach Bob Stoops has to find more offense from his team if they want to make it to post-season. Renegades defense has won the two games for this Arlington team.

#5. SAN ANTONIO BRAHMAS (1-3) DROPPED ONE SPOT FROM LAST WEEK

The Brahmas have been in every game they played and only come away with one victory. Each game the Brahmas defense has been awesome keeping this San Antonio in each of these contests. Could Reid Sinnett be the guy to take over the offense behind center? Sinnett, out of University of San Diego, has had some time in the NFL with Dolphins, Eagles, and Buccaneers in their camps. Jack Coan has played well this season for the Brahmas, but the team is not getting the down field passing they should. Which opposing teams are stacking the box to stop the Brahmas running attack which can be solid in a balanced attack? Last week, Coan went 20-39 for 189 yards, no touchdowns, and lots of short yardage passing. Coan is in the middle of the pack in quarterbacks statistical wise in the XFL. Brahmas can turn things around playing an import divisional game against the Renegades in week 5. Will Hines Ward pull the trigger on his quarterback position?

#4. SEATTLE SEA DRAGONS (2-2) MOVED UP ONE SPOT FROM LAST WEEK

The Sea Dragons starting off 0-2 now have won two straight. In both loses the Sea Dragons lost two close contests. Last week Sea Dragons are finding their way to put the fatality into the opposing team as they posted another loss on the Brahmas.

During this game, Ben DiNucci becomes the first quarterback this season to pass for over 1,000 yards. Wha’ts not being talked about is the Sea Dragons running game. We know the Sea Dragons have the top passing attack in the XFL. The Sea Dragons running back, Morgan Ellison, has become one of the elite backs in the league.

Ellison had a 1 yard rushing touchdown that helped Seattle win their second straight. The way he runs, he makes opposing defenses work hard to bring him down every time he carries the rock.

#3. ST.LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS (3-1) SAME SPOT LAST WEEK

The seas of blue as football once again returns to St. Louis. You can see one Battlehawk fan saluting the Rams owner who took his franchise back to LA after 20 seasons of loyalty. This is what every owner or every Spring Football league dream would be seeing this kind of attendance at each stadium that has a team across the league.

The Battlehawks had 38, 310 fans on hand to watch their team dominate the Renegades. The Battlehawks played with a pep in their step in front of the home faithful. St. Louis’ defense had three interceptions off Kyle Sloter. Darius Shepard, one of A.J. McCarron’s weapons hauled in a 27 yard touchdown pass. McCarron had a good day at the office completing 20-27 for 214 yards with two touchdown passes in his home debut.

#2. DC DEFENDERS (4-0) SAME SPOT LAST WEEK

The Defenders have everything working for them as they are clicking on all cylinders. This includes tandem quarterbacks as it’s good to be king.

The Defenders will mix and match you with two quarterbacks every game. D’Eiq King, this kid runs the option with authority as he ran for two touchdowns, and hit Jequez Ezzard on a 32 yard touchdown strike. In King’s interview after the game, he sounds like a great team guy who’s having fun on the football field every week and to make a two quarterback system work you need to be supportive of the other guy. Head Coach Reggie Barlow has done well getting this team to play well.

Mr. Bounty gate, Gregg Williams, has the Defender defense at one of the best units in the league. Minus the bounties put on the quarterback’s head.

Those New Orleans Saints days are over as a tamer Williams is making this defense execute without the extra scratch on the line.

#1. HOUSTON ROUGHNECKS (4-0) SAME SPOT LAST WEEK

Another Brandon Silvers weapon, Travell Harris, had a pair of touchdowns to keep Houston undefeated and still has not lost a game going back to the XFL reboot of 2020. Brandon Silvers, who leads the XFL in touchdown passes, had three more as he had a monster day completing 24-30 for 239 yards as he is one of the best quarterbacks in the XFL. Houston’s schedule will get tougher in the next few weeks with an upcoming game versus the Sea Dragons and then another one versus the Battlehawks. Can Houston maintain their perfection?

The Chicago Bears were not wasting any time out of the gates like a racehorse as soon as the bell rang saying that the NFL free agency has begun. Many of those past Bears teams that had money to spend, would put stupid money on players on their last legs. This new regime of the Bears signed a stud at the linebacker position taking one of the Bills’ biggest cogs on that defense. For a change, the Bears are signing a player in his prime; 24-year-old linebacker Tremaine Edmunds to a 4-year deal worth 72 million, of which 50 will be guaranteed. The Buffalo Bills were up against the salary cap and no way they could sign their defensive captain to that kind of money. Edmunds will get the largest four-year deal by an inside linebacker in the NFL. The Bills would have loved to have Edmunds back, and he should have been a guy that never hit the free agency market. Edmunds has been a starter day one since he was drafted in the first round by the Bills out of Virginia Tech, 16th overall. The thing about Edmunds is he is a really good player and yet has not hit his highest peak on the gridiron.

When the Bills drafted Tremaine Edmunds, he was only 19 years old and was the second youngest player ever selected in NFL history. Edmunds will be 25 in May. Edmunds has started all 74 regular season games he has ever played and all 8 post-season games the Bills have played since his arrival in Western New York. Edmunds is a two-time pro-bowler and has been the Bills defensive captain the last 4 seasons calling the plays in the huddle. Only his rookie year he did not call the defensive plays. Edmunds can tackle and has that Brian Urlacher speed to track down running backs in the back field. Edmunds has had at least 100 tackles in each of the seasons he has played. Edmunds has been improving his pass coverage but has defended 35 passes with 5 interceptions. Edmunds has racked up 6.5 sacks in his young career as he’s not been used as some linebackers that just pressure the quarterback. Edmunds’ rookie year he had his first interception off quarterback Sam Darnold and became the youngest player ever to accomplish that in NFL history. Last year, Edmunds played in 13 regular season games, still had 102 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 1 interception, and a sack.

Tremaine Edmunds comes from a football family. Tremaine and his brother Terrell were both picked in the first round in the 2018 draft. Terrell Edmunds was picked number 28 by the Steelers as he also plays defense like Tremaine but at the safety position. Terrell also went to Virginia Tech. Their older brother Trey played on the offensive side of the ball like his father. Trey Edmunds was a running back and played in 37 games for the Saints and Steelers from 2017-21. Then the father with the magic genes he passed down was 2-time pro-bowler at the tight end position. Ferrell Edmunds suited up for the Dolphins from1988-92 & then did two seasons with the Seattle Seahawks.

The Bears signing Tremaine Edmunds basically replaces Roquan Smith, who the team traded to the Ravens at the deadline for a 2nd round draft pick. You wonder if Smith was offered the same kind of contract that Edmunds has. Smith wanted a longer deal on the years. You look at the bright side for the Bears: they got younger at Smith’s position and got a draft pick out of the deal. The Bears have money to spend as they will add more defensive players like Edmunds to the team. This move is a good start for the Bears because you are getting a guy in his prime years in only his second contract in the NFL. Edmunds was coached his entire NFL career by Lesile Frazier, one of the ’85 Bears. You have to respect him for helping this linebacker become something very special in the NFL. Edmunds brings the Bears a Captain on the field & a main cog to make this defense go round and round. Plus, Edmunds is a great locker room guy & awesome teammate who has that personality where people gravitate to him. I like this signing better than when the Bears made the trade for Khaili Mack who at the time I was very excited to watch him unleash on a douche like Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers. Edmunds will be a guy that gets the Bears defense off the field because this guy can tackle and chase you down like you owe him money. It’s a solid start for General Manager Ryan Poles making this deal happen.

I run my own NCAA March Madness and every year we pick the teams out of a hat for my friends and family. After we pick all the teams I will let everyone know who was not present at the luck of the draw, who they got. I think some people, even my own blood, think I make up some of these Universities. A few years back a friend of mine told me, “Why you giving me hockey teams for my March Madness pool?” We all love the Cinderella stories that occur early in the tournament. Back in 2018, the Baltimore DMV who came in as a 16th seed took out number one Virginia. I call it Baltimore DMV which it sounds like, but the college was UNBC (University of Maryland, Baltimore County), who are nicknamed the Retrievers. This season I have never heard of Furman University or Kennesaw State.

Is Furman University located in a far galaxy where Wookies roam? Furman University’s nickname is the Paladins which are knights. You can probably classify Chewbacca, Han Solo’s sidekick, as some kind of knight with more hair than armor. Furman is located in Greenville, South Carolina and has been around since 1826. Last time Furman played in the Big Dance, you’d have to go back to 1980 as they were the number 10 seed. In 1974, Furman University won their only March Madness game beating South Carolina in the first round. In the 1970’s, Furman was kind of a big deal as they made the tournament in 1971, 73, 74, 75, 78, and last time in 1980.

The Furman logo looks too fierce for a Liberal Arts school. The 2023 Furman team had a record of 27-7 this season and will be a 13th seed ready to play #4 seed Virginia. The Paladins won the Southern Conference tournament as they beat Chattanooga in the championship to seal the deal and get in this year’s tournament. Which is automatic berth winning your conference tournament. Plus, the Paladins got revenge on Chattanooga who beat them in the 2022 conference champions on a walk off 3 point shot at the buzzer. Head coach Bob Richey is in his 4th season on the sidelines.

I’m sure Bob Richey does not wear a fur coat like David Puddy on Seinfeld. Furman is a team that averages 17.1 assists a game which is good for 8th in the country. They have three guys on the team that have dished out over 100 assists alone this season. Furman is a very disciplined team where they make the passes to find the open shot.

The legend of Frank Selvy at Furman University is still talked about in present times. Selvy scored 100 points against NewBerry February 13, 1954. Selvy has a place in the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame as he led the country in scoring two seasons in a row.

FEELING LIKE THE FIRST TIME

This will be the first time ever that Kennesaw State University has made the tournament. Kennesaw State is located in Georgia, which I had to look up. The University has only been around since 1963. Kennesaw started off as a Junior College. Talk about starting from the bottom and moving up the ladder. In 1988, Kennnesaw became of College status. Then in 2015, the school merged with Southern Polytechnic state and became a university. It’s a public research university.

Perhaps the University did some research on famous owls giving a hoot, so don’t pollute. Kennesaw University went 26-8 this season as they won the Atlantic Sun Conference by beating Liberty in the Championship. The Owls are coming in as a 14th seed and play number 3, Xavier, in the opening round.

The Owls head coach, Amir Abdur-Rahmin’s, secret to success word is not Boner from the show Growing Pains. It’s one word BONE and the players follow the Bone slogan. BE-ONE-NO-EGO. The Owls squad is 10-3 in games decided by 5 points or less this season.

So Furman University and Kennesaw State will be my two schools I’m hoping will get that magical Cinderella story. I did mention the Baltimore County team that beat number one, Virginia. Could Furman University do the same thing against the same school, Virginia?

Who would not LOVE to see the Fur-Man get on a pair of those Cavaliers from Virginia? Then Kennesaw State winning their first ever tournament victory for the first time.

Like having your first beer. Both the Owls and Paladins I will be rooting on to make history and not be some stupid hockey team name. If either team wins, they will make history and people will remember them just like that Baltimore Maryland Street department squad. If either one of these teams loses in the first round, we will forget about them . Then 40 years into the future, the next time they get back to the tournament when Robots are doing all the writing, someone will say the same things about these schools. These are my two hopeful upsets as just a fan.

We all remember what happened last time the Chicago Bears had the top choice at the quarterback position in 2017. The Great Mitch Trubisky! The door number three prize by any other team’s standards in the 3 quarterbacks taken right away in the first round that year. The Bears could have had Patrick Mahomes, a two time Superbowl winner. The Bears could have had Deshaun Watson who at the time would have been the safe risk at the time because of his time at Clemson playing in the College playoffs. Now Monday morning quarterback Watson would have cost you 230 million guaranteed if you still wanted him to be your guy behind center. Would the massage therapists all around the Chicagoland area have caved in and gave Watson whatever he wanted? Those were the dark days of the 2017 draft, as the Bears have a new regime this go around and don’t want to walk the same line as the old Ryan/Matt combo. This is the new Ryan/Matt show and they believe they have a quarterback in Justin Fields.

The Bears general, Ryan Poles, got a king’s ransom for the number one pick with the deal they pulled off with the Carolina Panthers. Some experts say the Bears could have done better and gotten even a bigger haul. Just knowing Bears history and not wanting to repeat the actions of Ryan Pace, the then General Manager of the Bears, who got fleeced by the 49ers to move up one spot to get Mitch Trubisky knowing the fact that San Francisco was not in the market for a quarterback. Ryan Pace’s first round picks were absolutely duds except for linebacker Roquan Smith. The new Ryan traded away Smith at the trade deadline last season. Ryan Poles will still get to show us what a number one draft pick should look like as the Bears will get the Panthers’ ninth spot. The deal is the Bears will pick ninth while the Panthers will have pick number one looking to add a quarterback. The Bears will get veteran Wide Receiver D.J Moore from the Panthers along with the 2023 second round draft pick, 2024 1st rounder, and a 2025 second rounder. The trade with the Panthers getting Moore means the Bears are building this team around Justin Fields.

The three top quarterbacks that are projected to go in the 2023 1st round of the NFL draft not in any special order are: University of Alabama Bryce Young, University of Kentucky’s Will Lewis and another Ohio State signal caller in C.J Stroud as Bears have did that/done that with Justin Fields. Not having an answer at the quarterback position since the 1940’s when Sid Luckman was leading the charge on the gridiron. The Bears would have found the lemon out of these top three choices and went down Mitch Trubisky Boulevard once again. We know Justin Fields can run like Forest Gump with 70 yard gallops for touchdowns. I like how Justin Fields can throw some nice dimes on the deep ball. Without having the protection in a good or even decent offensive line, we did not get see how Fields can do with the short patterns. Slant plays, side line tosses, screen passes with that right touch. We know the Bears are stocking draft picks like those hoarders during the pandemic that brought up all the store’s toilet paper. We know the Bears will have Uncle Scrooge type of money to spend on the best toys in the game. What if one of these young quarterbacks listed above is the next Patrick Mahomes and Fields turns out like every other Bears quarterback we have seen? Having the number one draft pick was earned by the team and fans for watching that hot garbage of season. Only certain franchises have the magic touch and pick their right guy like the Colts getting Peyton Manning which is not a no-brainer. For the Bears, that would be like a person who does not like public speaking – a train wreck. The Colts would then get Andrew Luck right after kicking Manning to the side of the road. The Packers getting Brett Farve, then Aaron Rodgers. Will Jordan Love be the next thorn in the side of the Bears? Maybe Rogers can sell Love a percentage of his Bears team.

The Bears could possibly get one of those quarterbacks with the number 9 pick. That would be what the Bears like to take – the leftover door prize. I think the Bears should draft a quarterback in later rounds. The Bears getting D.J Moore instantly improves your wide receiving core as he now is the best one the team has. That number nine has to be an offensive lineman of which the Bears may have the first pick in that position by then. Pick of the litter? Here we go again. I really can see the Bears going defense in that number 9 selection. You know it too. The Bears have the money and draft capital, and if Justin Fields is the man behind center and can make Chicago a staple in the playoffs, avoiding picking at number one will mean nothing. I think Ryan Poles could of waited after free agency, closer to the draft, and fleeced some team for more riches. I think the number one draft pick for the Bears brass is a game of hot potato… get rid of it as fast as you can. These potatoes always have a way of finding the Bears, especially if one of these kids in the upcoming draft becomes the next Tom Brady. You can’t make these things up as a Bears fan.