March Madness in the NFL

I’m anxiously awaiting the return of football in 2022. Photo credit: Adobe Stock

The term “March Madness” is typically reserved for discussing the college basketball season, where events like a 15th-seeded Saint Peter’s team upsetting a 2nd-seeded Kentucky team tend to mess up everyone’s brackets. That said, I believe the NFL has turned in a historic month of action in March that’s comparable to the NCAA’s yearly college basketball tournament. Think about it, the NFL has seen tons of star quarterbacks on the move, the return of Tom Brady, a free agency frenzy, and much more just in the month of March alone. We’re talking about star players here too, household names that have been comparatively rated amongst the league’s elite. Let’s dive in & find out what has happened (so far) during March, and how it affects the league.

Quarterback carousel

            Russell Wilson & Deshaun Watson were amongst the elite QBs traded during March. Others such as Carson Wentz, Teddy Bridgewater, and Mitchell Trubisky were sent elsewhere. It’s still possible that Matt Ryan, Jimmy Garoppolo, and Baker Mayfield could be on the move. That’s a big game of musical chairs as the quarterback position as those teams who missed out on these guys will have to pivot elsewhere, likely to the rookie quarterbacks in the 2022 Draft. It’s also created new opportunities for unheralded names around the league, such as Davis Mills of the Houston Texans, to come out & prove themselves as their team’s franchise quarterback.

Tom Brady’s back

            Oh yeah, and let’s not forget the most important quarterback acquisition of the offseason, which is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers getting Tom Brady to come back out of retirement (sigh). For better or worse, Brady’s back and is set up well to continue terrorizing defenses this season. He saw that the NFC is now a weak quarterback conference and decided to give it one more shot. Tom Brady seems unlikely to retire until the wheels fall off, which likely won’t be until 2057.

Free agency frenzy

            Okay, so we’re done talking about quarterbacks, but what about the other star players? WR Allen Robinson, DE Chandler Jones, CB J.C. Jackson, and many others have taken their talents to new places through the NFL’s free agency frenzy process that began on Monday. Several others, such as LB Bobby Wagner, OT Terron Armstead, and S Tyrann Mathieu have yet to sign as they examine their options and await lucrative offers from teams around the league. There are 44 of the league’s top 101 free agents list who are still on the board for teams to sign. Teams like the Rams, Bengals, and Raiders were clear winners in free agency’s initial wave. Meanwhile, teams like the Colts, Seahawks, and Texans could make noise in the next wave.

Star players traded

            WR Davante Adams, OLB Khalil Mack, and WR Amari Cooper were amongst the superstar players traded to new teams earlier this month. Lesser-known players, such as WR Robert Woods, OG Shaq Mason, & DE Yannick Ngakoue also found new homes via trade. That’s a very active trade market in today’s NFL, as trades have typically been hard to come by. All of these players on the move are surely to shake up the league during the 2022 NFL season.

Series of questionable moves

            It’s clear that the Jaguars overpaid just about everyone that they signed in free agency. WR Christian Kirk got a 4-year, $84M deal despite never having a 1,000-yard season to date. LB Foye Oluokun got a three-year, $45M deal despite never being an impact player for the Falcons. The list goes on and on for the Jaguars, as they signed a slew of free agents so far this offseason. They weren’t the only ones who made head scratching decisions though, as the Bills handed OLB Von Miller a monstrous 6-year, $120M deal to become their team’s primary pass rusher. It’s not that I don’t like Von Miller, but paying a 32-year-old pass rusher $20M per year over 6 years when he played better with a superior supporting cast in front of him seems like a bad idea. I also loathe the Cowboys re-signing WR Michael Gallup to a 5-year, $62.5M deal. Gallup is a good player, but paying your No. 3 receiver like a No. 1 receiver just seems like bad business.

The bottom line

            It’s clear that the dynamics of the league will change after this March Madness bonanza. There’s been a definite shift in quarterback play around the league, and especially in the AFC. The AFC is loaded with superstar QBs in the conference, with the AFC West leading the way. That’s why several of these teams, like the Bengals, have prioritized signing offensive linemen. Other teams, like the Chargers, have signed pass rushers and cornerbacks to bolster their defense. Pass catchers are also valued at a premium, as Davante Adams & Amari Cooper have shown us. Add all of this up, and it’s clear that NFL fans are in for a dramatic and exciting season in 2022.

Atlanta Braves replace Freddie Freeman

Go through the five stages of grief with me as I process Freddie Freeman leaving the Braves. Photo credit: Adobe Stock

For those who haven’t heard, the Atlanta Braves made a blockbuster trade on Monday in acquiring star first baseman Matt Olson from the Oakland As for a package of four hot prospects. The team later doubled down on the move by extending Olson on an 8-year, $168 million deal. I’m not going to focus on the Olson signing yet, as I plan on saving that story for a later article. Today, I want to focus on what this means for Freddie Freeman and Braves fans who love him. I’ll do this by going through the Kübler-Ross Five Stages of Grief model upon hearing the news. My collegiate background is in the field of Psychology, so this should be a fun exercise for me. Discussing the Kübler-Ross model is a serious topic, but I’ll put a humorous spin on things too.

Denial

            Let’s make this clear, I’m a huge Braves fan & Freddie Freeman was my favorite player. I’ve got a poster of him on my wall, a Freddie bobblehead on my shelf, & his jersey in my closet. Needless to say, losing him to another team (still unsigned currently) will take time to process. My experience with the denial phase upon hearing the news was as follows, “OK, so we’ve got Matt Olson. He’s a good player, but maybe we could re-sign Freddie as our designated hitter?” This was an unrealistic expectation of course, but it was the only thought that crossed my mind. This wasn’t exactly how I was expecting to hear the news either, which made denial hard for me. I expected to see a CBS notification on my phone saying either “Braves re-sign Freeman” or “Freeman signs with team X.”  The Matt Olson trade complicated things & stirred my emotions.

Anger

How could the Braves do this to Freddie after he just helped them win the World Series? I’ve been in and out of this stage in the grief process, as it’s still too early to tell how well that Matt Olson & Freddie Freeman will play this coming season & in future seasons down the road. My dad & I previously joked about bringing out our pitchforks & lanterns to form an angry mob at Truist Park if the Braves didn’t re-sign Freddie, but I’m just not sure my heart can take it yet. Still though, seeing him in another uniform (especially if it’s the Dodgers) is surely going to hurt. I’m not mad at Freddie, but instead mad at the Braves for choosing to go in a different direction.

Bargaining

            Bargaining for me involved foolishly believing we could still re-sign Freddie as DH and hoping (and praying) that the Dodgers don’t back up the Brink’s truck in an effort to sign him. The truth is, Freddie’s free to sign wherever he pleases & it might be with a team nobody likes. This stage of the grief process didn’t take me long to get over, as this always seemed unrealistic. Those who are still in this stage may need to stay off social media until Freddie signs elsewhere.

Depression

            I think a lot of us are currently in this stage as we anxiously await the return of baseball. Atlanta Braves General Manager Alex Anthopoulos went through this stage of grief (beginning at the 8:30 mark) publicly as he met with the media on Monday to discuss the Matt Olson trade. You can see him start to choke up & tear up as he indirectly answers questions about Freddie. Personally, this is the stage I’m most associated with right now as the wound is still too fresh. People in this stage should avoid wearing Freeman gear and watching World Series highlights.

Acceptance

            Acceptance is of course the most difficult stage to achieve in the grieving process model. You’ve got to go through the other four stages to get here, and then open your mind about things. Anthopoulos somehow reached this stage already in a Tuesday media interview with Matt Olson. You can see he’s excited to move on in life, which is in stark contrast to his previous interview. Everyone grieves in their own way and in their own time, so don’t worry if you’re not here yet. It’s going to be a long road for me, and I probably won’t reach acceptance until the season starts.

Atlanta Falcons should release Calvin Ridley

Oh, how I miss football already… Photo credit: Adobe Stock

WR Calvin Ridley’s gambling issues are apparently much deeper than originally thought. The NFL suspended Ridley indefinitely & for at least one full season as they discovered that he had placed bets on pro football games while taking a mental health break from the team in November. Ridley tweeted out at the time that he had “only” bet $1,500 on games, while also indicating that he did not believe he had a gambling problem. A new report from Sports Illustrated indicates otherwise, as the report alleges that Ridley bet more than $3,900 on NFL games and more than $32,000 on other sporting lines! None of this is a good look for the receiver, who missed most of last year while on a mental health break from the Atlanta Falcons. I’m going to dive into all of the reasons why I believe it’s time for the team & player to move on.

Misuse of trust

            The Falcons trusted Calvin Ridley to use his mental health break from the team properly. They probably weren’t expecting it to last the entire rest of the season, and they surely wanted him to come back fresh and ready to go in 2022. He misused their trust by betting on NFL games during his time off, which fair or not is a clear violation of league rules that carries consequences. It’s not like he wasn’t aware of the rule, as all league personnel are required to take yearly training programs designed to inform them of the rule and the consequences thereof. Additionally, Ridley resurfaced on social media in late January after months removed from it. What did he do? He liked a tweet from a fan saying, “I hope the Miami Dolphins get Calvin Ridley!” I can’t imagine the team was very thrilled to hear the news after months without any.

Same dilemma next offseason

            Here are a few of this off-season’s storylines involving Calvin Ridley. Will the Falcons trade Calvin Ridley? Will Calvin Ridley return in good shape & play well in the last year of his deal? These are the exact same questions the Falcons would have to answer next offseason should they decide to give Ridley another chance by keeping him on the roster through 2022. My question then becomes, why wait? Is it really worth the headache to keep the guy around? Sure, he’s a talented player but as we saw with Antonio Brown, this type of behavior becomes a distraction to the team at some point regardless of how talented the guy is on the gridiron. He’s going to miss at least a year of football regardless, and I’m not sure he’s worth us waiting for.

Need to rebuild the receiver room regardless

            With or without Calvin Ridley, the Falcons are going to need to rebuild their receiver room from scratch as the team only has one other receiver (Frank Darby) under contract in 2022. CBS reported that the Eagles were close to finalizing a trade for the star Falcons receiver before the gambling suspension was revealed, which from the Falcons perspective indicates that the team was planning on moving forward without the enigmatic receiver on their roster in 2022. Receiver was already a position of need for the team in both free agency and the draft, and with the Ridley news it’s clear that this should be atop the Falcons offseason priorities. Re-signing Russell Gage & Cordarrelle Patterson and drafting multiple receivers would help fill the room.

The bottom line

            It’s clear that both the team and player need a clean break from this toxic relationship. The Falcons would be doing Ridley a solid by allowing him an opportunity to pick his next team. He might carve himself out a nice role elsewhere, but he also might wash out of the league too. Remember, this regime didn’t draft Ridley and yet allowed him to take his mental health break. They could do well for all involved by granting one more act of kindness in releasing the player.

How the Atlanta Braves benefitted most from MLB lockout

Baseball is back, baby! Photo credit: Adobe Stock

In case you hadn’t heard, baseball is back after a lengthy owner-imposed lockout by MLB. Spring Training opens this Sunday (3/13) & the season begins on Thursday, April 7th. That’s terrific news for baseball fans & especially Braves fans as our team attempts to defend their title in 2022. The lockout wasn’t ideal for anybody: coaches, players, or fans, but some teams certainly benefitted from it more than others for various reasons. Let’s dive in & find out why the Braves were one of the teams who likely benefitted from the league’s lockout. We’ll do this by analyzing their unique circumstances with a “glass half-full” perspective towards them.

Opportunity to rethink Freddie Freeman situation

            The number one priority for the Braves post-lockout should be to immediately re-sign Freddie Freeman. Before the lockout, the reported main holdup in doing so was that the Braves didn’t want to give him a six-year contract but were open to giving him a five-year deal instead. What’s changed since then? Well for starters, the universal designated hitter will make it’s way back to the National League for the first time since the Covid-shortened 2020 season. That’s important for several reasons, and in Freddie’s case it benefits him because even if his defensive value declines in his age-36 season, he could simply transition into being the team’s DH instead. Not only that, but this news means that the Braves have another roster spot to fill in their lineup. Let’s face it, the Braves need to re-sign Freddie so they don’t have two big holes in their lineup.

More recovery time for injured players

            Charlie Morton, Ronald Acuna Jr., Mike Soroka, and others on the team have certainly benefitted from the extra time to heal their various injuries. Braves trainers haven’t been able to interact with these guys in quite some time due to the lockout, but I’m sure they’ll be good to go. Surely the entire roster was worn out after the team’s deep postseason run as well, so the extra time off will prove beneficial to their health throughout the course of the long upcoming season. Players like Morton & Acuna would’ve been pushing to play by the originally scheduled Opening Day date, but now that it’s been pushed back they should be good to go on April 7th. Having those guys back would be a huge boost to the team’s morale as they begin their season.

Chance to figure out what to do with Marcell Ozuna

            Marcell Ozuna is under contract with the Braves at the hefty cost of $16 million in 2022. Will the Braves clubhouse accept him back with open arms? Or will they still be upset with him? The clubhouse culture is fantastic as the team just won the World Series, so allowing Ozuna an opportunity to return to the clubhouse and expecting positive player feedback sounds very risky. On the other hand, he’s shown to be a reliable DH and would fit well on the roster in that role. Finally, a trade in a swap of bad contracts with another team is also a plausible outcome here. Whatever the case, the Braves certainly benefitted from the extra time to think things through.

Freedom to enjoy their World Series championship

            Braves players got to celebrate their World Series championship on their own terms. Freddie Freeman, for instance, spent lots of time with his family in Los Angeles in the offseason. Other players, like Joc Pederson & Dansby Swanson, had fun working at Papa Johns for a day. This is the type of stuff they’re free to do over the offseason, and they took full advantage of it. Having more time to enjoy their offseason after a month-long playoff run is never a bad thing. Now they’ll certainly be fresh and ready to go for our home opener against the Reds in a month.

Tumultuous Tuesday in the NFL

So many things happened today that it was tough to keep track of it all. Photo credit: Adobe Stock

NFL fans were unknowingly in for a real treat on this random Tuesday in the middle of March. There was a blockbuster trade, stars getting paid, and lots of franchise tagging that happened today. Not only that, but a star player was surprisingly released late Tuesday night. The craziest thing is, we haven’t even hit free agency yet! There’s bound to be plenty more action when free agency opens next Wednesday afternoon. Let’s not lose sight of the moment though, as this was a Tuesday for the ages. Let’s dive in & recap all of the league’s happenings.

Blockbuster trade

            QB Russell Wilson has been traded from the Seattle Seahawks to the Denver Broncos for two 1st round picks, two 2nd round picks, a 5th round pick, QB Drew Lock, DT Shelby Harris, & TE Noah Fant. Whew, that took a lot out of me just typing all of that. What does all of this mean for both teams? Well for one, the Broncos finally have a franchise quarterback for the first time since Peyton Manning retired in 2016. They are finally able to compete in their QB-loaded division featuring Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, & Derek Carr. On the flip side, the Seahawks are clearly rebuilding & acquired a boatload of players & draft picks for a great player who no longer seemed interested in playing for them. I think this was a win-win for both sides.

Stars get paid

            The Aaron Rodgers offseason drama is finally over! He will stay in Green Bay on a 4-year, $200M contract. This is a reminder to all of us that money talks regardless of the situation. Rodgers wasn’t the only star player who got paid though, as WR Mike Williams & OLB Harold Landry also re-signed with their respective teams. Williams signed a 3-year, $60M deal with the Chargers, while Landry received a 5-year deal worth $87.5M from the Titans. Both players are coming off the best seasons of their careers for the teams that drafted them a few short years ago.

Tag, you’re it!

            This was a very eventful day in terms of the league’s infamous franchise tag deadline. All in all, eight players were slapped with the tag, which is essentially a one-year “prove it” deal. WRs Davante Adams & Chris Godwin, TEs Mike Gesicki, Dalton Schultz, & David Njoku, OTs Orlando Brown Jr & Cam Robinson, & S Jessie Bates were all tagged by their respective teams. I’m surprised the Browns decided to keep Njoku around, but the other players were certainly deserving candidates. Godwin & Robinson received the tag for the second year in a row, so you have to wonder what the future holds for these players & their teams. Out of this crew, the most likely to get paid later on in my opinion are Adams, Godwin, & Brown. Remember, these players do have the option of holding out their services if they refuse to sign their franchise tenders.

Pro Bowl linebacker released

            Seahawks LB Bobby Wagner was released from his contract with the Seahawks in a stunning move late Tuesday night. The defensive stalwart was a great player for the Seahawks as he made the Pro Bowl eight times & won Super Bowl XLVIII in his 10-year career with the team. This story is still developing, so I’ll be interested to find out further details on his abrupt release. Wagner’s release, along with Russell Wilson’s trade to the Broncos, marks the end of an era for the Seahawks as they were the last two players on the roster from the Super Bowl XLVIII team.

Just how special is Joe Burrow?

Joe Burrow glistens in the sun like this every time he throws a pass. Photo credit: Adobe Stock

Many of us thought that Joe Burrow would turn into a solid NFL QB after watching him direct a historic 2019 LSU offense, win the Heisman Trophy, & beat Clemson in the CFP National Championship Game. Let’s be honest though, did anybody expect him to be this good? After all, there are plenty of No. 1 overall picks that don’t live up to the hype for various reasons. This is not the case for Burrow, who has been as advertised since the Bengals drafted him No. 1. He’s been special despite dealing with a mediocre offensive line & inconsistent running game. Now, it certainly helps that he has the best WR trio in the league; however, credit should be given where it’s due & Burrow is considered one of the league’s elite QBs for various reasons.

Pinpoint accuracy

            Joe Burrow is one of five quarterbacks in NFL history to post single season marks of at least 4,000 yards (4,611), 30 passing touchdowns (34), and a 70 percent completion rate (70.4%). He completed 65.3% of his passes the season prior, ranking him right in the middle of NFL QBs. He’s doing all of this while getting the ball out quickly (2.65 seconds average time to throw) to avoid taking sacks & hits. His drastic increase in accuracy also resulted in increased yards per attempt (8.9) numbers which led the league last year. Young quarterbacks typically struggle with accuracy, decision-making, and avoiding pressure, but that’s not the case for this Bengals QB.

Tough as nails

            I called out the Bengals offensive line earlier for being mediocre in terms of protecting their star QB. I’m hesitant to give such blatant criticism; however, I also believe that the criticism is warranted after the unit allowed 70 sacks in the regular season & playoffs last year. Burrow was sacked 19 times in 4 Bengals playoff games, including 7 times in Super Bowl LVI. He’s also been sacked a ridiculous 83 times in his 26-game regular season career as an NFL QB. These hits have left him prone to injury, including a throat contusion suffered in early 2020, a torn ACL & MCL suffered in late 2020, & an MCL sprain suffered during Super Bowl LVI. Despite all of these factors working against him, he still led his team to the Super Bowl in 2021. Toughness is an underrated factor in terms of evaluating QBs, and Burrow has that in spades. 

Elite company

            Writing this piece made me ask the question, “how many second-year quarterbacks have ever taken their teams to the Super Bowl?” The answer is now seven, and it’s an impressive list. We’re talking two Hall of Famers (Dan Marino, Kurt Warner), two future Hall of Famers (Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger), Russell Wilson (potential HOF), Colin Kaepernick, & Joe Burrow. What makes this feat even more impressive though is that his team is the Bengals, who entering this season hadn’t won a playoff game since 1991 & hadn’t been to the Super Bowl since 1989. Let’s be honest, we might be witnessing history in the making so long as the Bengals upgrade their offensive line to ensure Burrow’s career doesn’t go to waste like Andrew Luck’s once did.

Best calendar year ever for Atlanta sports

Braves pitcher Max Fried & I

It’s a time of celebration for Atlanta sports fans as we’ve had a banner year in 2021-22. The highlights included the Braves winning the World Series & the Dawgs winning the CFP National Championship; however, the great year wasn’t done yet for these diehard fans. That’s because we haven’t yet mentioned the surprising success of the Atlanta Hawks, nor the sudden retirements of several prominent figures within the NFC South division. Sure, we’ve taken our losses along the way this year (looking at you, Atlanta Falcons), but overall this is the type of year Atlanta sports fans have been dreaming of for several decades. That’s why it’s so critically important to take a step back in appreciation for all that has happened this past calendar year.

Drew Brees retires (3/14/21)

            Atlanta sports fans sure are a petty bunch, aren’t we? We don’t know how to handle success very well, so we enjoy every opportunity we get to bask in the failures of our rival teams. I have nothing but respect for Drew Brees, but as a Falcons fan I was happy he decided to retire. He absolutely terrorized our defenses for about two decades since the Saints signed him in 2006. Brees was 29-9 all-time against the Falcons, with 54 TDs, 8,695 yards, & a 97.1 QBR against us. It’s no coincidence that the Saints struggled at the quarterback position this year once Brees left.

Hawks advance in playoffs (6/20/21)

            I’ll confess that I don’t know very much about the Hawks & basketball in general, but I was certainly paying attention when the Hawks started making some noise in the 2021 playoffs. You could feel it, the entire city was rooting for them & paying attention to their games for once. Their run finally came to an end in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals, but the team made tons of progress under [then] interim head coach Nate McMillan, who was later hired full-time. Who knows what will happen to the Hawks in 2022, but ‘21 will be remembered fondly by fans.

Braves win World Series (11/2/21)

            The 2021 Atlanta Braves were the team of destiny that Atlanta sports fans dreamed of. The team was 44-45 at the All-Star break, and they didn’t cross the .500 mark until August 6th. They finally beat the Dodgers in the playoffs to advance to their first World Series since 1999. Jorge Soler won the World Series MVP by leading off Game 1 with a homer & by hitting a moonshot home run in Game 6. That ball surely hasn’t landed back on Earth quite yet, right?  Max Fried dazzled in Game 6 after getting his ankle stepped on while fielding in the 1st inning. This championship win made up for the ghosts of Atlanta sports playoff failures over the years.
Personally, it meant a lot to me to be able to participate in the World Series parade afterwards. I’d never seen the city gather together like that, and plenty of fans watched the event on TV too. 

Falcons overachieve (1/9/22)

            The Falcons were coming off of a 4-12 season in 2020 that necessitated a regime change. Needless to say, expectations were fairly low for the 2021 Falcons after trading away franchise icon Julio Jones earlier in the offseason & letting OL Alex Mack & others walk in free agency. Then the Calvin Ridley debacle happened midseason, and all bets were off for them after that. Considering the circumstances, this team should receive praise for their 7-10 record in 2021. They were playoff relevant until the end of the season, even if it always seemed like a longshot. Our Falcons weren’t the highlight of our calendar year, but things certainly could’ve been worse.

Georgia wins the Natty (1/11/22)

            I was screaming at my TV when Georgia cornerback Kelee Ringo intercepted Alabama QB Bryce Young with 1:04 left in the game and returned it 79 yards for a defensive touchdown! The ghosts of Atlanta sports playoff failures past haunted me, and at the time I wanted Ringo to play it safe & take a knee with the ball so that our offense could just run the clock out on Bama. After all, what if he had fumbled & Bama recovered the ball near our own 20-yard line instead? What I didn’t realize was that Ringo’s convoy of blockers simply wouldn’t allow that to happen. Two championships in 1 year from our Atlanta sports teams? I’ll take that any day of the week.

Sean Payton retires (1/25/22)

            It seems the Saints recent run of dominance in the NFC South has finally come to an end. Their two franchise cornerstones (Payton & Brees) have retired in subsequent offseasons, they have no viable franchise quarterback to speak of, and their franchise is in salary cap hell to boot.  All of this makes Falcons fans smile, as our rivalry with the Saints is one of the best in football. I have a feeling we haven’t seen the last of Sean Payton, whether that’s as a head coach for the Cowboys or as a TV analyst for Amazon; however, I’m happy he won’t coach the Saints again. His 21-9 record against the Falcons shows that his teams were superior to ours in recent years.

Tom Brady retires (2/1/22)

            I have huge respect for Tom Brady as the greatest quarterback to ever play the game; however, not one part of me will miss him at all after he dominated the league for two decades. It’s been especially frustrating as a Falcons fan having to watch my team play against him in Super Bowl LI & twice a year for the past two year upon his arrival with the Buccaneers in 2020. Fun fact, the Falcons are 0-5 in those games & 0-9 lifetime against teams featuring Tom Brady. I’m hopeful that he’s decided to actually retire, as defenses around the league won’t miss him.

How the Super Bowl Champs were built

The Rams defeated the Bengals 23-20 in Super Bowl LVI. Photo credit: Adobe Stock

I was listening to the NFL’s Move the Sticks podcast recently & it inspired me to write about how each of the Super Bowl contending teams were constructed for the 2021-2022 season. I’m not about to re-hash everything analysts Daniel Jeremiah & Bucky Brooks said in their latest episodes, but rather summarize what they said & throw in my own flavor to the conversation too. The NFL is a copycat league where the hottest trends are duplicated time & time again. What lessons can be learned from how each of these contenders went about building their franchises? Let’s begin our series by exploring how the 2021-22 Super Bowl Champion team was built.  

Unique roster approach

            The bottom line for the Rams is that their formula for success is impossible to duplicate.  That’s because they didn’t just use one method (the draft, trades, free agency) to build the roster. They used all of these methods to their advantage, & decided to go all in on building their team. Blue chip players (Aaron Donald, Matt Stafford, Odell Beckham Jr.) were made available to them along their journey, and they capitalized by acquiring all of these great players. It’s pretty remarkable that all their hard work paid off & the team was rewarded with a championship.

Emphasis on draft’s later rounds

            Rams teams haven’t featured a first-round draft pick on the roster since Jared Goff in 2016. Their franchise won’t draft in the 1st round again until 2024 due to the Matt Stafford trade. The only 1st round pick they’ve drafted in recent years that’s still on the roster is Aaron Donald. They do a great job in using the earlier rounds of the draft to their advantage though, acquiring key starters such as WR Cooper Kupp, RB Cam Akers, & S Taylor Rapp in the 2nd & 3rd rounds. What also benefits the team is acquiring role players (WR Van Jefferson, RB Darrell Henderson, S Jordan Fuller) in the draft whose complimentary skillsets fit in well with the rest of the roster. This is risky business in terms of team building, but the Rams have done it better than anyone.

Trades, trades, and more trades

            Rams GM Les Snead wore a shirt to the Super Bowl parade that said, “f— them picks.” That sums up how the Rams feel about their 1st round draft picks, using all of them in recent years to trade for veteran stars like QB Matt Stafford, CB Jalen Ramsey, & WR Brandin Cooks. Cooks didn’t really work out, but the other two have paid dividends on both sides of the football. DE Von Miller, OG Austin Corbett, & RB Sony Michel were also acquired via recent trades. Needless to say, there’s clearly been a team emphasis on adding proven players to the roster. It’s rare that blue chip players are available via trade, so the Rams outbid everyone else to get them.

Free agency frenzies

            Finally, there were several key free agent additions that made the Rams title run possible. Acquiring WR Odell Beckham Jr. & S Eric Weddle aided in the team’s success down the stretch. Their signings of OT Andrew Whitworth, WR Robert Woods, & DE Leonard Floyd paid off too. All of these acquisitions made for a slow roster build that transformed a mediocre squad into a championship-winning unit in the span of five seasons. The Rams have this “team of destiny” feel to them, and they probably are since their formula for success is impossible to duplicate. This franchise has done a remarkable job of adding talent at all positions in a half-decade span.

How the AFC Champion Bengals were built

Me & former Bengals receiver Mohamed Sanu

I was listening to the Move the Sticks podcast recently & it inspired me to write about how each of the Super Bowl contending teams were constructed for the 2021-2022 season. I’m not about to re-hash everything analysts Daniel Jeremiah & Bucky Brooks said in their latest episodes, but rather summarize what they said & throw in my own flavor to the conversation too. The NFL is a copycat league where the hottest trends are replicated time & time again. What lessons can be learned from how each of these contenders went about building their franchises? Let’s continue our series by exploring how the 2021-2022 AFC Champion team was assembled.

Homegrown offense

            Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, & Joe Mixon were all drafted by the Bengals organization. These guys are the engine of the Bengals offense, with role players such as Tee Higgins & Tyler Boyd joining them in recent drafts as well. That’s not all, as most of their offensive line was also drafted by the team. Add all of this up, and it’s clear that the Bengals have prioritized drafting & developing their own players on offense while spending money improving their defense. Now, it certainly helps that most of their picks on offense in recent years have been home runs; however, this organizational philosophy will surely be duplicated & utilized by other teams going forward.

Mercenary defense

            The Bengals essentially fixed their defense, going from a mediocre unit to an average one, in one offseason by signing twelve defensive free agents before the start of the 2021 season. Some of these guys (Larry Ogunjobi, Eli Apple, Ricardo Allen) signed 1-year “prove it” deals, while players like Trey Hendrickson, Mike Hilton, & Chidobe Owuzie got paid the big bucks. All of the signings worked out well for the team, with Hendrickson & Hilton having great years. Is it possible that it’s more difficult for this team to draft defensive players who fit their scheme? Or could it be that defensive rookies from the draft take longer to develop into starting players? Whatever the reason, this franchise has emphasized signing defensive players over drafting them.

Special teams emphasis

            Special teams is an important yet often overlooked aspect in terms of a team’s identity. The Bengals were ranked 7th in the latest special teams rankings over the course of the season. Rookie kicker Evan McPherson scored 48 of the 92 total points in the Bengals postseason run. Do you realize the value in having a strong special teams unit after giving you this information?  It’s no coincidence that the Bengals just enjoyed their most successful season in decades after making investments in their special teams unit this offseason by drafting McPherson in the fifth round & re-signing punter Kevin Huber & long snapper Clark Harris to new one-year contracts.

The bottom line

            This is a model of success that most teams can get behind, as the Bengals haven’t needed to go out & make splashy free agent acquisitions or trade for the best available players just yet. I’m sure teams are going to try & copy their approach, but I question if many teams will succeed. That’s because I believe this team’s superior draft strategy will be difficult for teams to replicate. After all, almost their entire offense is home grown & their last 3 drafts have been outstanding. Most importantly, they haven’t had to pay their quarterback yet while some teams already have. There are certainly lessons to be learned here, but this Bengals team seems like it’s truly unique.

Options for 1st pick in 2022 fantasy drafts

Never too early to start talking fantasy. Photo credit: Adobe Stock

Team managers with the No. 1 pick in 2022 fantasy drafts are going to face a decision. Their decision is choosing between Cooper Kupp, Jonathan Taylor, Derrick Henry, and others. All of these guys are absolute studs, but they all have their flaws & injuries are always a factor. That said, are there some of these players who should be considered better options than others? Let’s dive in & take a look at all the options on the table with the 1st overall pick in the draft.

Cooper Kupp

            The 2021 Fantasy MVP (according to PFF) is coming off the best year of his career. Kupp had the NFL’s receiving Triple Crown with 145 catches for 1,947 yards & 16 touchdowns. Him & Matt Stafford developed quite the rapport, but can he put up MVP-type numbers again? That’s the concern with Kupp, as he’s been a solid WR in recent years but never an elite WR1. I’m likely to take him in a PPR league, but regression will certainly be a factor to monitor here.

Jonathan Taylor

            Workhorse running backs with well-rounded skillsets like Taylor are hard to come by. Taylor’s candidacy as a No. 1 overall pick comes down to his large amount of projected touches. This makes him an injury risk, but also gives him a high floor & high ceiling in most leagues. His role as a pass catcher has remained steady, with nearly 40 receptions in back-to-back years. What really stands out about him though is that his rushing attempts increased by 100 this year. The only two concerns with Taylor involve quarterback play and injury risk factors associated with all fantasy football players. Lots of people are likely to draft him with the 1st overall pick.

Derrick Henry

            Henry joins Taylor as one of the few elite workhorse running backs in the modern era. Unfortunately, he missed 9 games due to injury last year partially due to his strenuous workload. Here’s some context for you, he was already up to 237 total touches just 8 games into the season! Assuming a return to full health for Henry, he’ll certainly be in the No. 1 overall pick discussion. You can probably do better in PPR leagues though, as Henry simply doesn’t get enough targets.

Davante Adams

            There’s plenty of mystery surrounding Adams, mostly related to Aaron Rodgers status. Adams would certainly be in play at 1.01 if him & Rodgers return to the Packers next season. He’s a PPR machine as evidenced by his 123 catches for 1,553 yards & 11 touchdowns last year. Touchdown volume is also there for Adams, making him a safe bet in non-PPR leagues as well. His candidacy comes down to who’s throwing him the ball & where he’ll be playing next year.

Austin Ekeler

            Ekeler is undoubtedly the best pass catching running back in all of football right now. His 2021 receiving numbers, 70 receptions for 647 yards & 8 touchdowns, really jump off the page. Those are fantastic numbers for a wide receiver, much less a 5’10”, 200 pound running back. When you add in his efficiency & nose for the endzone as a rusher, you make his case at 1.01. My only concern with Ekeler is his size, which makes him more of an injury risk than most.

Christian McCaffrey

            Last year’s consensus No. 1 pick has seen his career derailed by injuries in recent years. There’s certainly still potential here, particularly if the Panthers make an upgrade at quarterback. That said, we might talk ourselves into drafting him early given his amazing dual threat abilities. Buyer beware here, but who knows how everything will shake out leading up to your 2022 draft.