nfl-draft

THE 2026 NFL PREDICTIONS NFL WEEK ONE DONE THE WILD SHAMROCK WAY

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NFL opening week is like being a kid on Christmas morning. Every team has a chance. Your fantasy team is looking well. The team you root for is looking well as you have high hopes it will be your season. Then the first whistle of week one, all your thoughts and dreams go into the crapper as reality sets in. It’s going to be a very long season. Once again I have high hopes going into the season with my first set of weekly picks. Just wait a few games and all these picks will end up in the crapper. We will then say there is always next week which is true. Because we have 18 weeks of saying that. Cross your fingers. Even cross your toes as week 1 top picks are out and about.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS AT SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

The NFL some day will want to have full control of the entire week to display one of their games. The first game of the year features the rematch of last year’s Superbowl in which Seattle gave New England an ole fashion beat-down. This game will be played on Wednesday night while the NFL will have its regular Thursday night game in operation as well. I have never seen an NFL game on hump day. A future Wednesday night game could be played on the night before Thanksgiving. Patriots Head Coach Mike Vrabel made news in the off-season with his affair with ESPN reporter Dianna Russini. Bad things will happen to bad people as in Vrabel, who is carrying on the torch of this Evil Empire franchise who just were a dynasty it seemed not too long ago. The Patriots were lucky last year playing the easy schedule. Then playing a back up QB in a snow storm in Denver in a championship game to get to the Superbowl. Seattle exploited their weaknesses as a team that should have never been there. Look for another beat down by Seattle over a Patriots team who will implode this season.

OUR PICK: SEAHAWKS

THURSDAY NIGHT GAME IN KANGAROO COUNTRY

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS AT LA RAMS (AUSTRALIA)

Right off the bat the NFL will have it’s first international game. It will be the first NFL game played in Australia. I expect Crocodile Dundee to be on hand to sing the Aussie National Anthem. This is a great game between two NFC power houses that play in the same division. The Rams added the defensive player of the year in Myles Garrett this off-season in a trade with the Browns. Then Aaron Donald came out of retirement to play this season with the Rams. He’s another guy that collected defensive player of the year awards. San Francisco is very good when they are healthy. For week 1 they are healthy. The Rams are the sexy pick to win it all. On a neutral field, this contest could go either way. This should be a close game. Sean McVay, the head coach of the Rams, has a different approach to overseas games that have worked as he gets his team there the night before the game. While the 49ers will be on hand in Australia for a week. McVay dots his I’s and crosses his T’s so I’m not going to question something that has great results for this Rams franchise.

OUR PICK: RAMS

THE SUNDAY SLATE

ATLANTA FALCONS AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS

The Falcons will not have their off-season splash free agent signing, Tua Tagovailoa the former Dolphins QB, starting in week 1. He’s injured. The former number one pick of the Falcons Michael Penix Jr. is still not healthy. The Falcons have to rely on Cooper Rush as their week 1 starter. Rush was a Raven last year when he went 0-2 as the starter for Baltimore with 4 interceptions. His best season came in Dallas in 2022 filling in for Dak Prescott as he went 4-1 as the starter. In 2024 he went 4-4 filling in for Dak once again. The Falcons are 0-7-1 all-time in Pittsburgh. I can’t see the Falcons even inking out another tie here either. Aaron Rodgers is 12-6 in week 1 starts in his career. Rodgers has thrown 32 touchdown passes to only 10 interceptions in week 1 action in his entire career. The Steelers would be a good survivor pick to roll out week 1. I just don’t see the Falcons leaving Steel Town with a W.

OUR PICK: STEELERS

BALTIMORE RAVENS AT INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

These are two teams that collapsed like a ton of bricks last season. The Ravens are always a power house threat in the AFC. A lock for the post-season. However they crumbled with a bad defense and their stud questionable QB, Lamar Jackson, does not like to play a full game. For the Colts last year they were really not expected to make the post-season.

The Colts found their quarterback by signing former Giants starter Daniel Jones. He won the starting job. They nicknamed him Indianapolis Jones for his play as he had the Colts 8-2 until he got hurt. He was Danny Dimes throwing perfect dimes to his receivers. The Colts folded up like a cheap card table the rest of the season and missed the playoffs without their starter. John Harbaugh is out as Ravens head coach. They brought in the Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter to be the new head coach. I expect the Ravens defense to return to their old ways. Not so fast. The Colts offense can keep up with many teams like the Ravens because of Jones and their star running back Jonathan Taylor, who had a great season last year. The Ravens are favorites in this one by slim margin. The Colts being at home and a team that is well prepared. Minter will have his defense fixed. Has he fixed the mind set of the Jackson? That is a tall task. My first upset is a gut feeling.

OUR PICK: COLTS

CHICAGO BEARS AT CAROLINA PANTHERS

Can both the Panthers’ and Bears’ young QB’s make the next step in their careers? For the Panthers it looked like their number one draft pick Bryce Young was going to be a bust. Last year he turned his career around and got the Panthers in the post-season. Young went 8-8 as the starter. His first season of his career without posting a losing campaign. Then Caleb Williams earned the nickname Ice-Man for his splashy last minute and second half big time come backs.

Only knock on Williams last year was the Bears got off to too many slow starts in the first half. The Bears offense could be one of the best in the league this season with their head coach Ben Johnson, who is a genius on that side of the ball. Williams has weapons. The Bears have a double headed monster in the back field. However the Panthers could exploit the Bears weakness on defense with their running game. Bears run defense was horrible last year. They really did not address it in the off-season. The Bears defense can get the takeaways. Young should be good for a few mistakes that should help the Bears leave Carolina with a victory. I think the Ice Dude will start off hot and stay hot most of this game durin which Young will not be able to match the Bears with scores.

OUR PICK: DA BEARS

BUFFALO BILLS AT HOUSTON TEXANS

Can Josh Allen beat the Houston Texans? Allen is 0-4 vs the Texans and last year was sacked 8 times in that game. Houston is one of the top defenses in the NFL. The Bills have been held under 20 points in all 4 of those games. Is anything different this go around for this match up? Allen is still one of the top QB’s in the league. The Texans defense may be better than they were last year. This year the Bills have a new head coach. This year the Bills have changed their style of defense and added new talent. The Bills defense is going to attack opposing teams and that may not be good for Houston’s QB, CJ Stroud. Remember his last game in the post-season with multiple interceptions in New England. This new defense now takes pressure off Allen as he does not have to carry this entire team on his shoulders on every offensive series looking to do something big. He can just flow with the game and take whatever the Houston defense is giving him. The Texans get out of the gates very slowly. I like the Bills chances to break the curse and give Houston the problem.

OUR PICK: BILLS

CLEVELAND BROWNS AT JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

The great citizen of Cleveland pleads not guilty to a speeding ticket this week. Mr. Innocent, the sexual predator Deshaun Watson, is probably better off starting on the road in his latest comeback than at home. The Jaguars were a playoff team last year. Liam Coen enters his second season as the head coach with the Jaguars. Coen had that Jaguars offense humming last year. The Jaguars defense needs to be mentioned here. Down the stretch they were a lights out unit. The Browns defense is still intact from last year even after losing their Myles Garrett, their number one defender. The Browns defense will have to keep this team close in almost every game to get Cleveland a victory. Browns usually don’t start the season off very hot. I don’t trust Watson to take this team on his shoulders to earn this victory like how every QB in the league should do so. The Jaguars defense will force the sexual predator into mistakes.

Then eventually exterminate the beast. I think Trevor Lawrence will get off to a solid start for Jacksonville and wear down the Browns defense with long drives.

OUR PICK: JAGUARS

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS AT DETROIT LIONS

I think the Saints and Lions could both make it to the post-season. The Lions had a winning season of 9-8 last year. In a season they lost both their top coordinators to head coaching jobs. Both teams will benefit from playing weaker schedules. Let’s face it the Saints should thrive in their own division. The Lions offense with Jared Goff as their starting QB and all his weapons means they should be right in the thick of things in a tough NFC North. I loved how last year’s rookie starter, Tyler Shough, did when he took over as the team’s starter behind center. He went 5-4 in 9 starts. The Saints won 4 straight of his starts down the stretch. Saints made some nice additions to their offense in the draft and free agency. The Lions defense will be the big test for them right out of the gates. I don’t see Shough matching every score from Goff and that Lions offense. I think the Saints will start the season off slowly & then gain momentum as weeks go by. I feel the Lions will come out swinging like they always do. They are tough to beat in Detroit as well.

OUR PICK:LIONS

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS AT CINCINNATI BENGALS

This will be the first time Baker Mayfield faces the Bengals wearing a Buccaneers uniform. Mayfield has stated 8 games versus the Bengals in his career. He is 6-2 in those games. He was 6-1 wearing the Browns uniform against the Bengals. He went 0-1 when he played for the Panthers. He had 4 of those match ups vs Joe Burrow and he went 3-1 against him. The Bengals have struggled the last few years getting out of the gates very poorly. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor in his tenure in Cincinnati has gone 10-17-1 in weeks 1 through 4. Mayfield has racked up 16 touchdown passes to only 4 interceptions vs the Bengals. The Bengals are favored in this one. The Buccaneers finally completed a contract extension with Baker keeping him in Tampa for a few more years. Watch him make the front office look like geniuses in the first week by knocking off the Bengals in another one of my upsets in week 1.

OUR PICK: BUCCANEERS

NEW YORK JETS AT TENNESSEE TITANS

The Titans may already have their franchise quarterback in Cam Ward while the Jets will be looking to bank on their future starter in a loaded 2027 draft. Let’s face the facts: The Jets and Titans will be two bottom feeder teams this season. The Jets have their former QB they drafted listed as their starter for this season. Geno Smith was terrible with the Raiders as he may have led or was in fact one of top leaders in interceptions thrown. The Titans have a new coaching staff inserted and Brian Daboll, former Giants HC, who helped develop Josh Allen in Buffalo before he took the head coaching job in New York. I expect better things from Ward in his second NFL season. Look for Ward to click with the Titans’ top draft pick from this year in Carnell Tate. The Titans defense will be able to keep Smith in check. Maybe get an interception or two. The Jets defense did not get one interception last year as this team should be tanking games for the future QB next year. This game may be the ugliest on the docket.

OUR PICK: TITANS

ARIZONA CARDINALS AT LA CHARGERS

The Chargers are a 10.5 favorite in this match up. This game will rack up plenty of passing yards. The Chargers unleash a entire new offensive scheme for Justin Herbert. In the off-season, the Chargers hired former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniels. Look for a solid running game by the Chargers and Herbert going deep for big plays. It was TUA time when McDaniels racked up all kinds of passing yards and plenty of scores in Miami. Now just being a offensive coordinator, he can help the Chargers offense be explosive-like instead of conservative. The Cardinals are going with veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett as their starter. He started 12 games last year, threw 23 touchdowns, and only 8 interceptions. The Cardinals offense was good and will score points this year as Brissett has some solid weapons in Arizona. However Brissett was 1-11 in those 12 starts. The Chargers have a defense which the Cards do not. It could be a high scoring affair for most of the game until the Chargers defense tightens up and wins their home opener by about 10 points. Both teams will score some points. In the end the Chargers will light up the scoreboard just a bit more. I thinking the final will be something like 34 to 24.

OUR PICK: CHARGERS

MIAMI DOLPHINS AT LAS VEGAS RAIDERS

The Dolphins roster may have more holes than a brick of Swiss cheese. Their salary cap has plenty of dead money from cleaning out their pool last year and during the off-season.

The water is murky and the season is grim if you’re a Dolphins fan. They have to rely on their swamp thing, Malik Willis, who is 3-3 all-time as a starter in the NFL. He was a bust with the Titans. Willis won some games with a talented Packers team in the last two seasons. He is a guy that can run. Who does he have to throw to? Meanwhile Kirk Cousins will get the starting nod to start the season for the Raiders while their number 1 QB in last year’s draft holds the clip board and learns the game. Fernando Mendoza is the Raiders future. Coming off being the Heisman winner and winning the National Championship with the Hoosiers, it will not take long until the Raiders plug him in. Look for the Raiders new head coach, Klint Kubiak, who was the O-Coordinator on last year’s Superbowl winning Seattle Seahawks, to have a big impact on both QB’s. I think Cousins who comes off the scrap heap will be a productive bridge QB for Mendoza. Against the Dolphins, he should have a big game. Cousins, like Mad Maxx Crosby who was traded to the Ravens in the off season & then had to come back, because of the physical. They have chips on their shoulders. Look for Crosby to make a statement right away as he mangles the Dolphins new starter. Making him wish he never signed with Miami.

OUR PICK: RAIDERS

GREEN BAY PACKERS AT MINNESOTA VIKINGS

Sour cheese in Green Bay and they have not even played one game yet. First, the Packers lost one of their top wide receivers last year in free agency. Romeo Doubs signed with New England. Then their top defender Micah Parsons is on the NFL PUP list. Guys unable to perform due to an injury. Parsons will definitely miss the first 4 games of the season. Now their top running back Josh Jacobs had some trouble with the law. Facing charges of battery as he beat up his girlfriend months ago. He is on the Commissioner’s exempt list and will likely face a suspension. Meanwhile the Packers visit a Vikings team that got hot at the end of the season. The Vikings did finish with a 9-8 record. They have a new QB looking for Kyler Murray, the former Cardinal, to do what Sam Darnold did a few seasons ago for Minnesota. Murray has the weapons of mass destruction. The Vikings also have a solid defense. They are at home. All these NFC North games are tight. Murray will answer the prayers of the Vikings fans and win his first game as a Viking. Beating a hated rival at the same time will give him some love in Minnesota. It will be a well fought close affair, but the home team survives.

OUR PICK:VIKINGS

WASHINGTON COMMANDERS AT PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

Can Jayden Daniels stay on the field this year for the Commanders? The Eagles will still have that solid defense and an offense with a balanced attack, even though they traded away one of their top play makers AJ Brown. Daniels in his rookie season had the Commanders going deep into post-season. Last year he only managed to play in seven games due to injuries.

Daniels may be the ghost of RGIII who was a duel threat quarterback that took on the big hits. Robert Griffin was basically a 1 year wonder in Washington. After that great season, he turned into a fragile QB. Right now with the Commanders you just have too many questions. Will Daniels stay healthy? What’s the state of the offensive line due to the injury of Laremy Tunsil, their top guy in the trenches? What can we expect from that defense that was not really that good last year? I have to go Eagles because of their defense. Because they can run the ball. Which will open up the passing game for them.

OUR PICK: EAGLES

THE SUNDAY NIGHT GAME

DALLAS COWBOYS AT NEW YORK GIANTS

Every year the football world has to throw the Cowboys down our throats. I’m not buying that they are America’s team either. The Cowboys had one of the top offenses in the league last year. Which I expect the same this season with the talent they have. Can the Cowboys play defense? Last year was not good for the Boys on defense. Meanwhile the Giants have a new head coach in John Harbaugh, the former Ravens HC. Which is a move that should get this team better than what they were last year. It could be a slow process or things will happen quickly. Harbaugh is relying on the growth of his QB Jaxson Dart, who started 12 games last year in his rookie season. Dart played in 14 games total. He beat the Cowboys in the one start he had against them. His record was 4-8 as a starter. He’s a duel threat QB who dealt with his own injuries and some of his top play makers were sidelined multiple weeks. The Cowboys added some pieces to their defense that surrendered about 30 points per game last year. The Cowboys are 11-1 in the last 12 meetings in New York. Dallas has a perfect 8-0 record vs the Cowboys on prime time games. Dak Prescott is 14-3 life time vs the Giants in his career. Give me the Cowboys in this game. They will win but it will not be easy this go around.

OUR PICK: COWBOYS

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

DENVER BRONCOS AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

The Chiefs are coming off a season last year where they missed the post-season. The Broncos reclaimed the AFC West as they were the number 1 seed in the post-season. Each team has their starting quarterback coming back from a season ending injury. Patrick Mahomes went down in week 15 of regular season. Bo Nix did finish the game in the Divisional round of the AFC post-season but did not play in the championship game. Are the Chiefs dynasty done? It will not be easy for the Chiefs because of the improvement in the AFC West. The Broncos and Chargers you can say are better than KC. The Raiders will show improvement this season as well. The Broncos had one of the top defenses in the league last year. The Broncos swept the Chiefs in the two game series. Shiny new objects for both teams. The Chiefs added the MVP of last year’s Superbowl in Kenneth Walker III, who helped the Seahawks beat down of the Patriots. Then Broncos added Jaylen Waddle who was a big part of the Dolphins aerial attack the last few years. Is Patrick Mahomes still Patrick Mahomes? That will be the biggest question this season? Will he be able to mobile coming off the knee injury? I think the Broncos are the better team here. Mahomes will need to shake out some rust which could come in a few weeks. That Broncos defense is the key.

OUR PICK: BRONCOS

THE DYNAMIC DUO OF PASS RUSHERS

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When the LA Rams made that huge trade landing one of the best defensive ends in the game in Myles Garrett, you felt like their was a disturbance in the force. My gut feeling In the pit of my stomach told me just watch Aaron Donald come out of retirement and suit up once again for the Rams. Donald, who played ten seasons in the NFL and helped the Rams win their first Superbowl, being a resident in L.A., is coming back. Donald hung up the spikes in 2023 at the age of 32. From 2014 until he retired in ’23, he was the most feared defensive tackle in the league. Now he will return to the NFL at the age of 35 and team up with Garrett, who has all kinds of defensive awards like Donald had during his career. Could these two defensive studs be one of the best dynamic duos in the NFL of all-time? I’m not talking Batman and Robin. This is like Batman and Superman teaming up to disrupt every offensive game plan in the league.

If you tallied the numbers combined for both Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald, you’d have over 200 sacks by two players on the same team career-wise. Donald has 111 sacks in his career playing his entire career with the Rams. Which started in St.Louis when the Rams drafted him and eventually moved back to LA from Arch-Town. In 9 seasons Myles Garrett has only played with one franchise before heading to LA in a trade with the Browns, that happened several weeks ago. Our apologies playing in Cleveland that long. Garrett has tallied up 125.5 sacks in his career so far and he is only 30 years of age. Now you have two guys playing on the defensive unit that have racked up multiple Pro-Bowl honors. Along with both of them winning multiple defensive player of the year awards. You know that both guys will be enshrined in Canton some day on the first ballot when they are eligible. Don’t be fooled by their ages as well. Garrett is coming off one of the best seasons in his career as he tied the NFL record with the most sacks in one season. Now Donald is 35 years of age and watching his clips him working out, he does not look like he will miss a beat. In ten seasons Donald never had any lower body injuries. I think the few years off have rested the wear and tear on his body, so it’s like if time stood still for him. He’s 35 but coming back as a 32 year old in a 35 year old body. These are two guys that opposing teams plan their game plan around. Now these offensive coordinators have to deal with two of the best defenders of all-time. With these guys getting attention, it will open up plenty of doors for other Rams defenders to have some big games on the field on Sundays. Last year the Rams defense was solid. They were not the best unit in the league but could hold their own.

Could Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald go down in history as one of the best duos on the defensive line and put up numbers as some of the best of all-time ever in the NFL?

In 198,1 the New York Jets defense was called the New York Sack Exchange. Between Mark Gastineau and Joe Klecko, they racked up 40.5 sacks that year.

The other New York team, the Giants, had their own duo. Carl Banks and the great L.T. Yep, Lawrence Taylor who put the fear of god into the quarterbacks’ eyes. The Giants went on multiple championship runs with these guys causing havoc in the 80’s.

The Eagle has landed. I’m surprised those great Eagles defenses, when they had Reggie White in his prime and Jerome Brown, never won a Superbowl in Philadelphia. White would win a Superbowl after his Eagles days with the Packers. In the late 80’s & early 90’s, Brown and White were monsters on that Philadelphia defense.

The Denver Broncos had two of these guys that were the main reason why they won Superbowl 50. It was Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware, who created mayhem on the Broncos defense. It was Miller who earned MVP honors in that Superbowl in which he turned Cam Newton into a soft cookie after his humiliation on the grand stage.

Last year Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. on that Houston Texans defense tallied up 27 sacks between the two of them.

You wonder: How do these teams still have available cap space to fit in a guy like Aaron Donald? He will be paid 20 million in his return. The 35 year old that was drafted out of the University of Pittsburgh where Donald played his college ball, can turn the one year deal into a 30 million value with incentives. Playoff incentives. Obviously for the Rams it is Superbowl or bust here. I wrote when the Rams traded for Myles Garrett, it was a check mate style of move. The Rams last year without Garrett and without Donald made it all the way to the NFC championship. They lost a close one in a thriller. The Seahawks would go on to beat up the Patriots who really did not belong in the big game. Last year you could easily say that Seattle had the better defense. Their defense was nicknamed the Dark Side. With the additions of Donald and Garrett, the Rams may get a nickname and right now are clear favorites to win it all this upcoming season. The Rams have one of the best offenses in the league. Matthew Stafford is one of the better quarterbacks in the league and has won a ring already. The Rams are loaded in playmakers. They have a balanced attack, as their running game is lethal like their aerial attack. The Rams head coach, Sean McVay, is a genius at his position. Many reasons you can pick the Rams to win it all. Donald seeing that, got the itch again to play football. Can the Rams defense be up their with the 1985 Bears dominant D after this season? Right now the Rams have Godzilla and King Kong on their defensive line. That’s scary shit.

BEARS HAVE A BEAST TO REPLACE DEXTER AND HIS TABLE ON THE DEFENSIVE LINE

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Gervon Dexter Sr. had a career year last season for the Bears as he tallied up 6 victims on his table. Six quarterbacks he sacked playing on the Bears defensive line. In 2023’s NFL draft, the Bears selected defensive lineman Dexter Sr. in the second round 53rd overall from Florida University. Last year Dexter was in his 3rd season with the Bears and heading into his last season under his rookie contract, when he was traded to the Atlanta Falcons. The 24 year old defensive lineman netted the Bears in return a 5th round draft pick and a piece for their secondary in Clark Phillips III, who is a corner back. Ben Johnson and the Bears coaching staff think they have a beast for Dexter Sr.’s replacement which is rookie defensive line man Jordan van den Berg who is native of South Africa and played his college ball at Georgia Tech. The Bears head coach describes van den Berg as a beast. Did the Bears make the right decision on this trade? One of the criticisms was the Bears defense lacked guys able to kill the quarterback. Dexter Sr. was coming off a career year.

The Atlanta Falcons were relying on 8 year veteran defensive end 30 year old Da’Shawn Hand who played for the Chargers last year. Hand is a former Detroit Lion who suffered a leg injury in preseason. The Falcons revamped their d-line this off season with their new general manager Ian Cunningham, who was actually the Bears assistant general manager last season. He was a part of the front office when the Bears drafted Gervon Dexter Sr. back in 2023. The Falcons are getting a big physical presence to their defensive lineman who is playing for a contract next year and playing for a multi year deal if he continues to improve his game every year. He however has suffered a hamstring injury last Tuesday and did not travel with the team for their joint practices with the Titans in Tennessee. He obviously missed the preseason finale with the Titans as well. In three seasons, Dexter Sr. has racked up 13.5 table victims on quarterbacks. Which is 13.5 total sacks. His rookie year he tallied 2.5 sacks. In 2024 he tallied 5 sacks. Then six last year. Dexter Sr. has way more sacks then the guy he is replacing, Hand, who has 6.5 in his entire 8 year career. The Falcons in this deal have an upgrade.

Jordan van cen Berg is a massive man weighting 310 lbs and standing at 6’3″. He was drafted in the 6th round by the Chicago Bears in the 2026 NFL draft and he is 24 years of age. He was born in South Africa. He played for three different colleges starting with smaller school, Iowa Western, then moved on to Penn State, and concluded his college career with Georgia Tech. The Bears liked what they have seen in preseason to make this deal by trading Gervon Dexter Sr. Actually Dexter Sr. is bigger than van den Berg as he weighs 326 1bs and stands at 6’6″. The Bears are going smaller, but they think van den Berg will make an impact right away. Last year for the Yellow Jackets he was one of the leading defenders in the conference with 11 tackles for loss of yards. Last year he was the first All-ACC selection. In 2024 he was second team in All-ACC selection. He has shown his dominating skills with the Bears offensive line in all the practices. He has shown he can move bodies up front, has speed, and plenty of athleticism. They love his strength. The Bears think he can pick up the slack or play better than the guy they just traded away. Being called a beast by your head coach is a compliment for any football player working in the trenches.

What will the Bears be getting in cornerback Clark Phillips III? He also is 24 years of age. He was also drafted in the 2023 NFL draft in the 4th round by the Falcons from Utah University. He will provide the Bears with some depth to their secondary. Especially the Bears have some injuries at the position. He is young and could be a rotational piece for the Bears defense. He has played in 28 games and made 7 starts in his career. Last year Clark missed most of the year with a triceps injury. In 2024 he had 1 interception with two forced fumbles and fumble recovery. He defended 5 passes. He racked up 50 solo tackles in three seasons in the NFL. This trade is a gamble on the Bears part. You’re banking on a rookie to replace a veteran who had success playing the position. You get some draft capital out of the deal that could get you a future piece for a rainy day. The corner back you are getting back is questionable. Will he be able to deliver this Bears defense with any kind of success? Dennis Allen. the Bears defensive coach, has had success being a defensive coordinator. The Bears defense were very good at getting takeaways last year. That was really the only thing they did well. The Bears have made multiple changes on that side of the ball this off season. Which they are hoping these moves pan out. The Bears offense can deliver the goods. It will be a tougher schedule for the Bears since they went deep into post-season last year. They need that defense to catch up to the offense. This is a trade they are rolling the dice on. Everything Bears head coach Ben Johnson has touched since taking the job in Chicago has turned into gold. We will see if this move will be golden which we will find out very soon.

THE DAWG POUND IS REVOLTING

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When Cleveland Browns fans heard the news that Deshaun Watson will be their starting quarterback to start the season, their fan base began revolting against ownership. The Jim Brown statue outside Huntington Bank stadium was vandalized with all kind of signs about how they feel about the sexual predator being their starting quarterback. It was supposed to have been an open quarterback competition between Watson and Shaduer Sanders this preseason. It’s obvious the Browns fans were gas lighted by Cleveland’s ownership and new head coach Todd Monken. Sanders had the better numbers than Watson during the preseason. This decision comes right after Watson called out the Dawg Pound once again, which are the home fans that pay for the tickets, that they are disrespectful for booing him. As Watson’s feelings have been hurt once again as he does not believe in the old saying, “sticks and bones will break my bones but names will never hurt.” The Browns ownership admit they took a swing and missed when it comes to the trade that brought Watson from Houston to Cleveland. Somehow they continue to give him the keys to the starting QB job which could result in their younger quarterbacks taking a step backwards in their development.

Do you remember when the former Browns owner Art Modell moved the franchise to Baltimore in the wee hours of the morning in 1996? The Browns became the Baltimore Ravens in 1996. All Cleveland got was they retained their name Browns and all their rights with the history. Then in 1999 the Browns were back as an expansion team. The Ravens would win multiple Superbowl titles while the Browns became a joke. The Browns have not won a division title since 1989. They went 0-16 in 2017. In 2018 they won one game and finished with a 1-15 record. 1964 was the last year the Cleveland Browns have won a championship. In 2012, Jimmy Haslam and his wife Dee purchased the Browns. Under his watch he let his guys in the front office trade all that draft capital to the Houston Texans for Deshaun Watson. Even with all the baggage he came with. Over 20 accusers accusing Watson of sexual assaulting them when he would be getting a rub down from a massage therapist. Jimmy decided to still pay the sexual predator a 230 million guaranteed contract for 5 seasons. Watson has not played a single snap in the NFL since 2024. In 2021 he wanted out of Houston because he did not get the say in who the Texans should hire as their new head coach. He did not play in 2021 because he wanted to be traded and then all the allegations and law suits came out of the wood work. In 2022 he would play in only six games for the Browns because he was suspended by the league because those women filed lawsuits over his bad behavior and got 10 games for those actions. In 2023 his best season in a Browns uniform, it lasted six games. He went 5-1 in those six starts. Then in 2024 he managed to play in seven games and was awful as he went 1-6 behind center. That was the year that the DAWG pound unleashed their happiness seeing the sexual predator’s season end right then and there.

The Dawg pound cheered as they carted dear Watson off the field in hopes they will never see him as their starting quarterback. He is 9-10 in 19 starts in 4 years with the Browns. Teams play 17 games per season now in the NFL. One season and 2 games to be paid all of that money. For what? To see another year of the Browns trotting his arse back on the field to get their money’s worth.

I know Shedeur Sanders is not an answer as the franchise quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. In 7 games he went 3-4 last year as the starter. He was named to the Pro-Bowl as an alternate because of other star quarterbacks that did not want to waste their time playing flag football. Sanders led all quarterbacks in interceptions from week 11 until the end of the season. Sanders looked better in preseason than Watson. In preseason we don’t see full starting defenses out there on the field with a full scheme against the starting offenses in the league. Coaching staffs definitely judge their players in practices as well in the games. Rumor has it when Sanders is not starting, his game prep is very poor. Sanders is only 24 years of age and Watson is 30 years of age. Can a team develop Sanders? He is a duel threat QB with poor arm strength and turns over the ball. Watson is not much better but has the stronger arm. Can you trade one of these guys? Probably not. Sanders and Watson are head cases no other teams will want to deal with. Watson, no team would want his baggage to get their own fan base to turn on ownership. Shedeur being Deion Sanders’ son in prime time did not do his son any favors telling him to tank interviews before the NFL draft. No team wants a kid who has not done anything concrete in the NFL to walk into their locker room like his shit don’t stink.

The Browns also drafted another two quarterbacks in the last two seasons. The Browns drafted Dillon Gabriel in the 3rd round of the 2025 NFL draft. That was two rounds before the Browns drafted Shedeur Sanders who was picked in the 5th round. Gabriel played in 10 games last year and had 6 starts where he went 1-5 in those games. He threw 7 touchdown passes to only two interceptions. Sanders in 7 starts had 7 touchdown passes to 10 interceptions. Dillon had the higher completion percentage than Sanders, but only by a few points being the difference. The Browns also drafted Taylen Green in the 6th round of the 2026 NFL draft. Green is also a duel threat quarterback that stands at 6’6″ and weighs 2151bs. He played his college balls at Arkansas and before being a Razerback, he played on the smurf turf in Boise State. He’s a big dude that did some nice things this preseason.

Deshaun Watson apologized recently for his second attack on fans for booing him. Watson made his apology after learning he will be the starting quarterback for the Browns to start this season. As a fan: Why would you pay the big amount of money for a ticket to see a bum like Watson play football? What kind of role model is Watson for all these younger QBs this team has? Can the Browns keep 4 quarterbacks on their roster? Sure they can keep three and stash perhaps Taylen Green on their practice squad. What kind of year are the Browns going to have? The Browns had to trade their best defender away in Myles Garrett in efforts to get some of that draft capital they lost by acquiring Watson. This is a team that will not make it to the post-season. Watson will have to be top notch best in the league to find someone to take him off your hands. No way Cleveland will bring him back next year. It is a waste to play Watson right now when you can see what you have in these other guys they drafted. Especially next season which the draft will be loaded with a ton of solid quarterbacks. Maybe you keep two of these young guys and draft a franchise quarterback next season. Watson right now could be a bridge type quarterback just to get things started for this new coaching staff for their first season under the microscope. By week 4 we could see one of the other QBs get thrown to the wolves. At least Shedeur and Gabriel have a taste of the NFL game from last year. To get the speed of the pro game down and adjust from the college game. If I’m a fan I would want to see this team lose with the young guys instead of the veteran Watson. If this is a tanking season it will open up doors for the draft next year. Watson, it’s post-season or bust with him. Next season he will not find another team to play on if he looks the same as the 2024 version of himself. He will have to play like the days he wore a Texans uniform to come back in 2027 and be some other team’s cancer in their locker room. He will be blackballed by the owners of the NFL is my opinion. That would be good for all massage therapists throughout the country. I hope the Dawg pound continues to revolt and hope we see plenty of empty seats in Cleveland. When empty seats hurt the owner’s pockets, they finally come to their senses and make the right moves. Jimmy Haslam is a moron who needs to make a right move to save himself from the mob with torches and pitch forks.

THE CLEVELAND BROWNS SHOULD HAVE KEPT BAKER MAYFIELD AT HOME WITH PROGRESSIVE

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I was watching some preseason football yesterday in a game that involved two franchises that have had big issues at the quarterback position. The Chicago Bears were hosting the Cleveland Browns. The Bears finally got their guy as they drafted Caleb Williams number 1 overall in 2024. Last year Williams showed the NFL why he was selected number 1. Williams right now may be that franchise quarterback the Bears have been lacking since the 1940’s when Sid Luckman was the Big Lebowski for the Monsters of the Midway. If I was a Browns fan trying to stomach the play of the sexual predator Deshaun Watson along with Shedeur Sanders, I would be looking for a new team right now. Even Dillon Gabriel looks like your typical quarterback made at a Ohio factory. The last time the Browns have had a franchise quarterback, you have to say Bernie Kosar was the dude in the 80’s and early 90’s. I think the Browns actually had their franchise quarterback in Baker Mayfield who they gave up on after 4 seasons.

Baker Mayfield was originally drafted by the Cleveland Browns number 1 overall in the 2018 NFL draft. Mayfield was going to be the Browns savior at the quarterback position after decades of inferior products at the Ohio factory. Which is a list never-ending and longer than anything Santa had at the North Pole. Mayfield made 59 starts while playing in 60 games in those 4 seasons and had a losing record of 29-30. He threw 92 touchdown passes to only 56 interceptions. In the last three seasons Mayfield now is 31 years of age and has started 51 games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He has a winning record in Tampa with 27-24 record behind center starting. He has thrown 95 touchdowns in three seasons with the Buccaneers to only 37 interceptions. With age he has gotten better. In 2020 he led the Browns to the post-season for the first time since 2002. Mayfield won his first post-season game that year, but the Browns would lose in the divisional round. Then in 2021 Mayfield tried to gut it out playing most of the season with an injury as he started 14 games and he went 6-8 as the starter that year. The Browns would not make back-to-back post season trips. The Browns after 2021 cut ties with their number 1 pick. It looked like the Browns front office was right in cutting ties with Mayfield. In 2022 with the Panther and Rams combined, he started 10 games and went 2-8 in 10 total starts. In 2023, he signed with the Buccaneers and now has gotten Tampa Bay to the post-season twice in three seasons.

I know it’s only preseason, but I was not impressed with the return of Deshaun Watson who has not played a regular season game since 2024. Watson went 11-15 passes for 126 passing yards. He fumbled the football. He was sacked. He did not look crisp, but more uncomfortable like all his massage therapists after a session with the sexual predator. In 2024 he went 1-6 as the Browns starter. Watson is on this team for one reason – the guarantee money the Cleveland front office forked out in that stupid trade acquiring him from Houston. I really don’t care if Shedeur Sanders made the pro-bowl as an alternate last season because the other real quarterbacks in the league did not want to participate in a flag football game. Sanders is dreadful. He threw an interception and completed 6-11 passes for 79 passing yards for the day. Dillon Gabriel also threw a pick and completed 5 passes out of 8 attempts for 23 freaking pass yards. This is your quarterback room. The Bears second string quarterback Tyson Bagent is better than all three guys Cleveland trotted out there. I don’t know if you could make one decent quarterback out of the three guys Cleveland had if you were a mad scientist.

I’m not sure how many actual quarterbacks Cleveland had trying to right the ship since Bernie Kosar was behind center. It’s a list of number one draft picks and veteran starters and career backups trying to be a starting QB taking their shots behind center for the Brownies. The Browns have shaken the New England tree a few times with guys like Brian Hoyer, Bailey Zappe, and Jacoby Brissett. Derek Anderson was a one year wonder. Johnny Football Manziel and Tim Couch were number 1 round busts. Why did the Browns draft a 28 year old rookie starting quarter back named Brandon Weedon? The Mighty Quinn was not mighty in a Browns uniform with Brady Quinn. Jason Campbell went 1-7 as a starter in Cleveland. Case Keenum is the Bears third string quarterback and he is better than what the Browns have in 2026. Thad Lewis may have been a Cosby kid on the Bill Cosby show. Robert Griffin III aka RG3 was a one year wonder in Washington and did nothing in Cleveland. Cody Kessler went 0-8 as a starter. Then the backups trying to pretend they are starters, the list starts with Colt McCoy, Nick Mullens, and Seneca Wallace. Jeff Garcia has seen better days elsewhere. Ty Detmer was Tim Couch’s mentor as you can see how that worked out. The great Kevin Hogan. DeShone Kizer was 0-15 as starter in Cleveland. Doug Pederson won 1 game in a Browns uniform. Austin Davis completed 48% of his passes. Charlie Frye did have some cooking going 6-13 as a starter. Josh McCown collected every team’s uniform in the NFL, made a stop in Cleveland, and earned his being sacked 41 times. Joe Flacco did well for the Browns in the first stint taking over for the injured Watson to lead Cleveland back to the post-season. I’m sure I’m missing a few names as well.

That is quite the list of quarterbacks that the Cleveland Browns have marched out on the field every Sunday since Bernie left town. That is a factory of recalls in which the three current QB’s the Browns have should be sent back and probably be destroyed in the process. If I was a Browns fan, I would definitely be missing Bake Mayfield. He was a guy you had. He had success on the field. He was a guy trying to play through an injury which you have to respect that type of person. Imagine if Deshaun Watson gets a boo boo he’s out multiple weeks. Mayfield is likeable. How do you like and support a sexual predator? Even Shedeur Sanders how he thought he should go number 1 overall in the NFL draft and fell to the 5th round. How he tanked interviews with teams that his father Deon did not like or think his son should play for. I’m not buying their jerseys. The Browns had to trade their star defensive end Myles Garrett to get back the draft capital they sank on the Watson deal years prior. It is Cleveland and they call their home turf the Dawg pound. I guess you need to stock the quarterback position with some real ugly mutts. If Mayfield stayed in Cleveland would this team be different right now? Garrett may still be on the Browns defense. They could have been the top team in their division. The Bengals have a terrible defense. The Steelers are not winning a Superbowl with the aging Aaron Rodgers. The Ravens can’t hold onto a lead in the 4th quarter and Lamar Jackson does not have the killer instinct in the this league to win the big games. Mayfield is a grinder and a solid leader which you can’t take that away from him.

NO JUICE WILL BE SERVED AT THE BILLS’ NEW STADIUM

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The Buffalo Bills will be playing at a brand new spanking facility this upcoming season. The new Bills stadium will still be named Highmark stadium which cost 2.1 billion dollars to construct this new facility that is across the street from the old building. The Old Highmark stadium is being bulldozed which is already underway. Left under the rubble will be one of the Bills most famous running backs not named Thurman Thomas. All the Bills greats from the old stadium will be honored at the new stadium like nothing ever happened except one name. The Juice. OJ Simpson will be a ghost of the past when it comes to his old team moving into a new home. You can’t erase the past. However you could erase him from your new building which many thought they should have done a long time ago when the Bronco was in motion and the gloves did not fit in the 1990’s. When Juice was suddenly not a healthy choice in Western New York anymore. The Bills X running back created more black clouds above their skies which lingered for decades. Now the Bills leaders have finally got rid of a stain on the franchise that Simpson caused murdering two people and getting away with it.

OJ Simpson was the oil and gasoline of the Buffalo Bills on the field during the 1970’s. Simpson was drafted by the Buffalo Bills number 1 overall in the 1969 NFL draft from USC. He played 11 seasons in the NFL of which his first 9 came in wearing a Bills uniform. His last two seasons he went back home to the west coast and suited up with the 49ers. From 1969-1977 he made a name for himself on the gridiron playing professional football after a very solid college career. In 1973 he became the first running back in the NFL to rush for over 2,000 yards in one season. He was a 6 x Pro-Bowler. He made 5 first All-Pro squads in his 11 year career. He played in 135 games and ran the ball 2,404 times and tallied up 11,236 rushing yards. He averaged 4.7 yards per carry and scored 61 rushing touchdowns. He was a 3x AFC MVP. He was the first inducted member of the Bills Wall of Fame at the old stadium. They called it the Wall of Fame and his name was there for a reason. His play on the field eventually earned himself a trip to Canton as he made the NFL Hall of Fame.

Then in 1994 Nicole Simpson and Ronald Goldman were found stabbed to death. OJ Simpson now became a person of interest. Everyone was glued to their television set when OJ tried to make a run for it in his white Bronco with his best friend. Which set up one of the slowest ever police chases of all-time. Then in 1995 Simpson was charged with murder for what he did to his X-wife Nicole and Mr. Goldman. When you have money you can hire the dream team table of lawyers which the Juice did. His trial drew a larger audience than he ever saw on the football field. It was a world wide trial of people wanting to know what would happen next. What happened was Simpson was acquitted of all charges & that put plenty of dark clouds on America’s justice system. A trial that prosecutors botched big time. Simpson was a free man. But two years later his bank account all of a sudden dried up as he lost the civil court case that cost him 33.5 million dollars. The civil court claimed he was liable for wrongful death. In 2007 Simpson would be arrested in an arm robbery along with kidnapping charges with several accomplices. He claimed he was trying to get back his sports memorabilia that was stolon from him as he broke into a hotel in Las Vegas. In 2008 he was locked up. He served only 9 years in prison as he was once again a free man in 2017. Simpson would die of cancer in 2024 at the age of 76.

The Bills President of Business Operations, Pete Guelli, said, “We have an organizational decision that he is not fit to display inside our new stadium and family circle.”

The family circle will be all the Bills legends outside with three gigantic bison statues that will be open all year round.

Inside, other players on the Wall of Fame will be in the new stadium except OJ Simpson. No Juice. Just tall boys of Labatt Blue. Inside the new stadium will have history of all those great teams in the 1990’s with the 4 Superbowls in a row in that decade. Then other seasons that were memorable.

OJ Simpson had it all. He was a side line reporter for the NFL after his playing career concluded. He was a pitchman for Hertz car rental. He was a Hollywood movie star starring in all three of the Naked Guns.

Simpson was a guy that was liked on those commercials and movies. The fans in the NFL liked his insight on the sidelines of games he covered. He had a dark side and that is what came out years later.

OJ Simpson will always be one of the Best Buffalo Bills running backs of all-time. When he played the game on the gridiron, he did not have that dark side. He had a knack and the athleticism to run the football well on the field. He may have played with an edge. He had that friendly personality that fans loved after the games. Those were dark days of your franchise because the team did not win a ton of games like they do now in present day. He was a bright spot in those dark days that turned into a problem when he stabbed his X-wife and Ronald Goldman. Murderers should only be on the walls of the post office as a wanted person dead or live by the law. You have to protect the youth and not glamorize an athlete who committed double homicide. If you call something Family Circle, no way you should have OJ’s face on that. The Bills should have removed OJ from the old stadium . They let it linger. It’s better to leave OJ’s memories there. The Bills did not win any Superbowls in the old facility that had OJ on the wall. It’s a new beginning. The Bills are making the smart decisions to hopefully create more sunshine above Highmark stadium and disburse those dark clouds to New England.

UFL MVP LOOKING TO RUN WITH THE BISON IN BUFFALO

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The Buffalo Bills added another running back to their roster by signing the UFL,United Football League MVP of the recent championship, Ian Wheeler. Wheeler helped the Louisville Kings win their first title in the United Bowl III which was only weeks ago. Wheeler is 24 years old and will be 25 when the month of September rolls around. This is a guy that put medical school on hold to achieve his NFL dreams. His NFL dreams were crushed with a preseason injury with the Chicago Bears. After that he made the Saints practice squad which only lasted a week. Can Wheeler help the Bills and Josh Allen win a championship with a very loaded running back room already in place?

This will not be the first time Ian Wheeler has run with the Buffaloes. Wheeler played college football at Howard University.

Howard University had nothing to do with that award winning Hollywood movie, Howard the Duck. Howard University’s nickname is the Bison. When Wheeler played for the Bison during his college years, he averaged 6.5 yards per carry on the grid iron. I imagine in the classroom his grades were also off the charts as he already achieved a degree in Psychology. His college stats he carried the ball for the Bison 177 times and tallied up 1,154 rushing yards with 14 rushing touchdowns. The passing game he only tallied up a couple hundred yards with one more touchdown. In the return game, he had three touchdowns on special teams in his collegiate career. He was an undrafted free agent and signed with the Chicago Bears after he concluded a very nice career at Howard.

On August 10th of 2024, Ian Wheeler in a Chicago Bear Uniform scored two touchdowns against the team he just signed for, the Buffalo Bills, in a preseason game. By August 24th he was placed on injury reserve as a torn ACL which made his football career at that time very grim. By 2025, about a year later, the Bears released Wheeler. In late November he was able to sign with the Saints practice squad but it only lasted for a cup of coffee in the Big Easy. To keep Medical School on hold, Wheeler needed a new plan and that’s when the United Football league would help his case to show teams what he still has in his legs. Wheeler played in 9 regular season games for the Louisville Kings and finished 4th in rushing yards for the season in the UFL. He carried the ball 68 times and tallied up 370 rushing yards in those 9 games. Which averages out to 5.4 yards per carry. He had 6 rushing touchdowns during regular season. In two post-season games, he carried the ball 17 times for 175 rushing yards. He scored two rushing touchdowns. One of those touchdowns came in the 4th quarter in the United Bowl, a 44 yard dagger that beat last year’s champions the DC Defenders in their home stadium. Wheeler ranked number 5 in the UFL during the regular season for all-purpose yards. He averaged 28.5 yards on kick off returns for the Kings this spring.

Why do the Bills even need another running back when their starter won the rushing title in 2025? James Cook III tore up the league last year and won his first rushing title of his career. The Bills already have in place a solid third down running back in veteran Ty Johnson. The Bills also have the legendary Frank Gore’s son, Frank Jr., as the guy on the practice squad that has been improving every week and waiting to latch on to the main roster this upcoming season. Then Ray Davis who has been crucial on the return game on special teams for the Bills. When Davis carries the rock, he has done very well in limited time on the field. However Davis has been disgruntled as he voiced his opinions that he should be used more in the Bills offense. Could Wheeler be his replacement?

The Bills gave Ian Wheeler a contract as this is not your normal thing inviting UFL players or un-drafted free agents to try out for your team. Wheeler is a winner everywhere he played. Obviously we saw that with the Louisville Kings. If we go back to his college days, he helped the Bison of Howard win back to back MEAC championships. I’m not saying Wheeler is the missing piece that the Bills need to get to the Superbowl. He is a smart guy. He is a smart guy with talent on the field which you don’t get very often on the football field. You don’t get that very often in general in sports. I like anybody that can make big plays in the 4th quarter in a crucial game. He may be a guy the Bills only use on special teams. In football to be a Superbowl team, you have to be talented in all three phases of the game: offense, defense, and special teams. Wheeler could be an important factor if any of these guys get injured. This is a nice signing because there is nothing wrong with having too much talent at one position. It’s a low risk/high ceiling type of move here by the Bills. Hoping medical school waits a little bit longer to see Wheeler run wild with the Buffaloes in Orchard Park, New York.

NO PLACE LIKE JORDAN’S HOME

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Cameron Jordan has stayed afloat in the free agent pool lingering until June looking for his next team to play for in the NFL. After coming off a solid season weighting his offers, he clicked his spiked shoes three times and decided to come home. Jordan is coming home back to the New Orleans Saints for his 16th season in the NFL. All of them have been in the Big Easy. At 36 years of age, Jordan will turn 37 in July & says this will be his last season in the NFL. He could have pursued a Superbowl ring with a contender. He always had an invite by the Saints organization to play another season. He probably would have made more money elsewhere. He settles on a 1 year deal which is an incentive-laden type of contract. He will have to perform his best to get all the extra trimmings. The Saints right now are not Superbowl-bound. Late in the season last year, the Saints showed their fan base improvements. Could the Saints win their division the NFC South which is not a power house in the NFL? When any team makes it to the post-season, sometimes anything can happen. Look at the New England Patriots – a team that looked like they did not belong in the Superbowl. The Patriots found a way winning games on one of the easiest schedules in the NFL last year.

The Saints Defensive End Cameron Jordan was a 1st round pick by the Saints in the 2011 NFL draft 24th overall coming from the University of California. In 17 games last year for the Saints, he recorded 10.5 sacks along with 32 solo tackles and forced two fumbles. Not too shabby for a 36 year old athlete. Jordan has made the NFL Pro-Bowl 8 times in 15 seasons. Jordan has hit double digits in sacks in 7 out of 15 seasons. His career high in sacks was 15.5 sacks in 2019. In 2017 he had 13 sacks that year. He has a pair of 12.5 sack seasons as well. Last season was a contract year for Cameron as he responded but did not get the deal he expected to sign. In 2024 & ’25, he combined 6 sacks in those two seasons. Jordan has started every game in his career except 1 game. He has only missed 1 regular season game in his career. He has played 11 extra games in the post-season and has recorded 5.5 sacks in the playoffs. He has never played in a Superbowl as he missed Drew Brees and the Saints winning their only title by a few seasons. His career numbers he has 132 sacks in the NFL during regular season. Which ranks number 17 all-time in the NFL since they made the sack a stat. He has tallied up 494 solo tackles and has forced 17 forced fumbles in his career. He has 3 interceptions and has tallied up 248 QB hits in 15 seasons. Last year he had 15.

Ricky Jackson was a former Saint line backer as he played some defensive end as well. Jackson played for the Saints from 1981-1993 and racked up 115 sacks which is good for number two all-time on the Saints sacks list. Jackson would move on from New Orleans and play two seasons with the 49ers where he helped San Francisco win a Superbowl. In 15 seasons Jackson has 136 total sacks in the NFL. Cameron Jordan has 132 sacks all with the Saints which makes him the number 1 guy all-time at killing the quarterback for New Orleans. He would need 4 sacks to tie Jackson and with 5 he would move ahead of him on the all-time NFL sacks list. Number three all-time in sacks for the Saints is Wayne Martin who tallied 82.5 sacks from 1989-1999. One of the biggest bad asses in Saints history on their defense was Pat Swilling, who tallied up 76.5 sacks in Saints history from 1986-1992. Which is good for 4th all-time dressed in gold, black and white.

Then Will Smith rounds the top 5 on the Saints all-time sacks list. Smith unfortunately passed away in 2016. He helped the Saints win their only Superbowl as he played from 2004-2013 and played a few seasons with Cameron. He recorded 67.5 sacks for Smith.

The Saints came into last season with a new head coach, Kellen Moore, a guy that has played some quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. Moore has been one of the league’s best play callers as well as being an offensive coordinator for years before getting his first head coaching job in New Orleans. The Saints fans may have found their next Drew Brees in Tyler Shough, who was a rookie last year. He showed he can throw the football and use his legs to get some yards. He was quite the leader out there. As a starter down the stretch he had a 5-4 record and Saints looked like a complete different team. The Saints added another top notch receiver in the draft picking up Arizona State Jordyn Tyson which will give Shough another play maker in New Orleans offense. The Saints still have Chris Olave who was the number 1 Saints receiver last year. The Saints aerial attack will be making some noise with Tyson and Olave. Then the Saints added running back free agent Travis Ethienne Jr. who had a monster year for the Jaguars last year. This offense will be better. The Saints defense played better as the season went on. Bringing back Cameron Jordan for peanuts is a big move for this organization. He is a guy that wants to be playing in New Orleans. His wife and 4 kids love the Big Easy. It’s their home away from home. Jordan dd not want to play for an arch rival like the Falcons, Panthers, or Buccaneers. That shows you something. He was honest he did not want to play for any cold weather teams. I thought the Bears should have tried to lure him to Chicago with the Saints old head coach Dennie Allen who is the defensive coordinator in the Windy City. Jordan gave the Saints a definitely home town discount. His heart is still in New Orleans and I have to give credit to a guy playing in one city his entire career. With free agency & trades that is unheard of in the sports world. If the Saints do make the post-season and don’t quite get to the Superbowl, they still look like a future contender. I think Jordan Cameron will go another year after this season just because this team is trending upwards. Look for Jordan along with the Saints to march after your quarterback at a stadium near you. Jordan is back home in the Big Easy looking to kill the quarterback.

RAMS PULL OFF CHECKMATE MOVE THAT LANDS THEM MYLES GARRETT FROM CLEVELAND

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In 2021 the LA Rams pulled out a blockbuster trade that helped them win the Superbowl in the same year they acquired their quarterback, Matthew Stafford, from the Detroit Lions. The Rams are notorious for trading their number 1 draft picks for established veteran players over the last several years. The Rams have done it again in another CHECKMATE move and acquired one of the best defensive ends in the league, Myles Garrett, from the Cleveland Browns. The Rams will send their much younger defensive end, Jared Verse, to Cleveland with three draft picks of which two are number one selections. The draft picks are 2027 first round pick, 2028 first round pick, and finally a 2029 3rd round pick. This is a trade that can certainly help the Rams get to the Superbowl which their home stadium is hosting next February. It also helps the Cleveland Browns get some of the draft capital they surrendered to the Houston Texans a few seasons ago when they acquired the sexual predator, Deshaun Watson.

Myles Garrett was originally drafted by the Cleveland Browns back in 2017 in the first round number 1 overall from Texas A&M. He is 30 years of age and already has 9 seasons in the NFL. He is the highest paid player in the league that is not a quarterback. He has won back to back years as the defensive player of the year. Last year he tied the NFL single season record of most sacks by a player in one season. He had 23 sacks. He played in all 17 games for the Browns last year, tallied up 43 solo tackles, and forced three fumbles in 2025. He has played in 134 career games in his career and has racked up 125.5 sacks with 293 solo tackles while forcing 23 fumbles. In 9 seasons he has only played in 3 career playoff games with the Browns and has recorded one sack in those games. Garrett is remembered for ripping the helmet off Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolf during a play & then using it as a weapon to hit him in the head with it. Garrett would miss six games including the post-season in 2019 for that incident as he was suspended by the league.

You have to feel sorry for Jared Verse who has two years in the league and has been a starter for the Rams both seasons. Now he leaves a potential team that could make it to the Superbowl to play for a flunky like the Browns. Verse is also a first round pick. He was drafted in 2024 by the Rams number 19 overall from Florida State University. Last year he racked up 7.5 sacks for the Rams as he played in all 17 regular season games. He also had 35 solo tackles and forced 3 fumbles. In two seasons he has racked up 12 sacks and has 71 total solo tackles in 34 games. He has also forced 5 fumbles. He has 45 total QB hits in two seasons. He was named Defensive Rookie of the Year for the Rams in 2024. He is a 2x Pro-Bowler as well and has only two seasons under his belt. The Rams are getting a solid piece in return for Garrett who is still playing under a rookie contract. Plus he is 25 years of age which is 5 years younger than Myles Garrett. The Browns in March also restructured Garret’s contract making him easier to trade. The restructuring will allow the Browns two seasons to spread his 41.09 million dollars in dead cap space on the salary cap instead of taking the hit in one season. The Browns also get two number 1 draft picks along with a 3rd. Let’s not forget Verse was picked in the first round. Now you have your draft capital back from the horrific deal acquiring the sexual predator, Deshaun Watson, back in 2022 from Houston. Watson has been terrible most of the time since he came from Cleveland. He has missed a ton of games with season ending injuries. Plus he’s a cancer in the locker room. Then you still hear about more sexual assault cases against him popping up. Hopefully Cleveland can use one of those draft picks and find a QB. Next year’s draft will be loaded with QB talent.

When the Rams won their last Superbowl, they had that one player on that defense who was a game wrecker. Aaron Donald was a beast. He has been retired now for the last few seasons. The Rams defense was solid last year. By bringing in Myles Garrett they have that Donald, a guy that can change the game. He’s a QB killer who has 239 hits on the guy behind center in 9 seasons. If he does not record a sack he will let you know his presence is there. He’s a guy that can close out football games. Let’s face it, the Rams are all in. They have a veteran quarterback approaching 40 years of age in Matthew Stafford who has shown he is capable of still playing at a high level. Last year the Rams went out and got another top receiver in the NFL, in Devante Adams. The Rams went all the way to the NFC Championship game and lost to a division rival, the Seattle Seahawks, who went on to dispose of the New England Patriots in the Superbowl. The Rams feel they need one more player to get them over the top of the mountain to get back to the Superbowl. The Rams feel they get more for their teams by trading their number 1 pick for talented veteran players. They have also acquired Von Mille and Jalen Ramsey in the past. This off-season they made a deal with the Chiefs for their all-pro corner back, Trent McDuffie, for some draft picks. The Rams actually used their number 1 pick this season on a quarterback, Ty Simpson. This Rams team has one of the best coaches in the NFL, the young mind of Sean McVay. Then next year’s Superbowl is in LA. The Rams could do their version of Tom Brady and the Buccaneers, and host the Superbowl in their own stadium. The Rams before the trade landing Garrett, had good odds by Las Vegas to win next year’s big game. Now they should be the lead horse in the race to win next year’s Superbowl. In my opinion this looks like a solid trade for both teams. Cleveland is not getting to the Superbowl any time soon as they need to rebuild that roster. The Rams have done this before and made the big move to put themselves in the best position possible. You can really say, “CHECKMATE!!”

BEARS BEAM UP SCOTTY MILLER TO THE MOTHER SHIP

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The Chicago Bears brought in veteran wide receiver, Chicagoland native Scotty Miller, for a visit. Miller participated in the team’s rookie mini camp and the Bears liked what they saw. Miller will join the Bears receiving core as he walks out of Lake Forest with a contract for this upcoming season. He’s from the Northwest suburbs of Chicago. He was originally drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 6th round of the 2019 NFL draft out of Bowling Green. Miller is remembered mostly for his best year with the Buccaneers in 2020 where he became a nice target for Tom Brady. Miller has a Superbowl ring as the Buccaneers won it all in 2020 behind Brady.

Scotty Miller is 28 years of age and has been in the NFL for the last seven seasons. Miller spent 4 seasons in Tampa Bay before moving on to Atlanta in 2023. The last two seasons he has played for the Pittsburgh Steelers. For the Steelers in the last 2 seasons, he has played in 26 games and has hauled in only 14 passes for 131 receiving yards. In 2023 his numbers were better than what he did the last two seasons in Pittsburgh. One season with the Falcons he caught 11 balls for 161 receiving yards and two touchdown catches. His best year was when Tom Brady was his quarterback in 2020 when he caught 53 balls for 501 receiving yards and three touchdown catches. In 93 games in the NFL he has caught 99 balls for 1,216 receiving yards with 6 touchdown catches. You have to remember his catch wearing a Buccaneers uniform versus the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship game. At Lambeau Field, Miller was wide open as Brady found him & threw him the ball for a 39 yard touchdown pass right at the end of the first half that gave Tampa Bay a 21-10 halftime lead. The Buccaneers would go on to the Superbowl after beating Green Bay on the road and win their second championship in their franchise history. In post-season, Miller has 4 catches for 80 receiving yards and that touchdown catch versus Green Bay.

Scotty Miller is originally from the suburb of Barrington in the Chicagoland area. He attended Barrington High School. He also played youth football with his old and now new teammate from the Bears, tight end Cole Kmet. It is a nice story reuniting two teammates from the past when they were kids who were just starting to play the sport of football. What does Miller right now bring to the table for the Bears? Last year he only had 9 catches for 62 receiving yards. The Bears in the off-season traded one of their top receivers to Buffalo to open up more cap space for the team. DJ Moore will wear a Bills uniform. The Bears have a young core of talented receivers such as Rome Odunze & Luther Burden III who are coming off a big year under Ben Johnson’s offense. The Bears added a veteran Lions receiver that Johnson knows from the motor city in Kalif Raymond. The Bears also have some other young options they’d like to develop in Zavion Thomas and Jahdae Walker. The Bears had a solid 1-2 punch at the tight end position with Cole Kmet and Colston Sutherland last year. That did not stop the Bears adding another tight end in the draft this season by selecting Sam Roush out of Stanford. Miller gives the Bears another veteran receiver who can convert some third downs and has a knack at finding the end zone. Miller gives the Bears depth at the wide receivers position just in case of any unfortunate injuries that occur before the season even starts. Miller has not really had a solid quarterback since Brady retired from the game. I could see Caleb Williams giving a guy like Miller more targets because he is dependable when he gets the ball thrown in his direction. This is a low risk/high ceiling type of move by the Bears here. If he does not serve a purpose, the team could release him back into the free agent waters of the NFL. With Johnson’s offensive system, plenty of balls can feed many of the play makers on this team. Nothing wrong with bringing in the hometown guy to help the team and really revive Miller’s career where he can do the things he did for Tom Brady. You have to like the post-season experience Miller has for being around one of the best all-time. He has seen firsthand how the goat did it. Can Williams be that goat?