Ugly Football/MLB History — Whatever Will We Watch??

September 14, 2017 ~ Dave Ettinger ~ 2 Comments

cleveland indians

It’s a great time to be alive!! The NFL season is in full swing. MLB is nearing the home stretch. NBA is just 1 month away. And, NHL is only 3 weeks from the drop of a puck. Today, NFL games are the ‘talk of the town’.

Thursday Night Football

Yup, it’s Thursday already. The day you wake up and say, man I’m exhausted, I don’t know how I’m going to make it through this day. And then you remember there’s a football game tonight. Awesome!! I’m looking forward to fighting with my eyelids this evening.

Tonight, the Cincinnati Bengals host the Houston Texans. Both teams will look to bounce back from awful performances in Week 1. The Houston Texans got blown out 29-7 by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Texans quarterback, Tom Savage, was unimpressive to say the least. The Texans have been silent on their starting quarterback decision for tonight’s game, but one with a brain would assume it’s going to be Deshaun Watson. If not, Bill O’ Brien should be placed in the hot seat.

The Cincinnati Bengals literally can’t play worse than they did last week. They were the only team to be shutout, as they lost to the Baltimore Ravens 20-0. Is it possible Andy Dalton thinks it’s still Preseason?? Dalton threw 4 interceptions Week 1. Thursday Night Football doesn’t seem to enhance the level of play, due to the short week, so don’t expect an offensive masterpiece to appear in front of your eyes around 8:30 P.M. on NFL Network.

Prediction: Texans 21, Bengals 17

MLB Record Book

The Cleveland Indians swept the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday, making history. They also swept the Orioles, White Sox, Yankees, Royals, and Tigers again on their way to winning 21 consecutive games. This feat ties the 1935 Chicago Cubs for the most consecutive wins in the regular season in MLB history. The Indians have vaulted themselves from decent playoff team, to World Series’ favorite in just 3 short weeks. While I’m not sure they’ll win the World Series, they’ve been extremely impressive during this streak. The most runs they’ve given up in the past 21 games is 6, and they’ve posted 7 shutouts.

Tonight, they’ll go for sole possession of the record against the Kansas City Royals. I have no clue where you can find this game on TV, unless you live in Kansas City or Cleveland, but I’m sure ESPN or MLB Network will give Live Look-Ins to the game if they’re winning. First pitch is set for 7:10 P.M. EST, and Josh Tomlin will take the mound against Jake Junis.

Prediction: Indians 6, Royals 4

Do you think the Indians will break the record tonight??

Who do you think will win Thursday Night Football??

Post your predictions in the comment section below.

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AFC North Preview

August 24, 2017 ~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

afc-north-preview

Prepare to shield your eyes ladies and gentlemen, this could get ugly!! Listen, football is football. If the Cleveland Browns and the Jacksonville Jaguars are playing, I’m watching, but that doesn’t mean it’ll be pretty. And that leads us seamlessly into Dave’s AFC North Preview….

Last Season’s Standings:

Pittsburgh Steelers: 11-5

Baltimore Ravens: 8-8

Cincinnati Bengals: 6-9-1

Cleveland Browns: 1-15

To the bottom of the barrel we go….

Cleveland Browns

I’ve run out of ways to make fun of the Cleveland Browns (says the Jets’ fan), so I’m going to skip right to the meat and potatoes. Seriously though — the Browns are so historically bad, sometimes I wonder if they’re doing this on purpose (?). The Browns haven’t had a winning record since 2007 (10-6). They haven’t made the playoffs since 2002 (lost in the Wild Card Game). And they haven’t won the AFC North Division since 1989!! That’s a BAD meatball!! Despite having the #1 overall pick in the draft, again, the Browns will continue their streak of last place finishes (6 years running) in the dreadful AFC North.

Key Additions: Myles Garrett (Draft), Calvin Pryor, DeShone Kizer (Draft)

Key Losses: Demario Davis, Josh McCown, Gary Barnidge

Baltimore Ravens

Did I mention this division will be bad?? Just 3 short years ago, the AFC had the honor of sending 3 teams to the playoffs. This year..not so much. The Baltimore Ravens are going to regress this year. Their wildly overpaid quarterback, Joe Flacco, is dealing with a back injury and could miss anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks of the regular season. Considering their back-up quarterback (Ryan Mallett) is the worst quarterback in the NFL, I don’t like their chances. If it’s any consolation prize, at least you’re not the Browns….

Key Additions: Danny Woodhead, Jeremy Maclin, Brandon Carr

Key Losses: Elvis Dumervil, Dennis Pitta, Kamar Aiken

Cincinnati Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals are a hard team to figure out. In 2015, they were 12-4 (1st in the AFC North). In 2016, they were 6-9-1 (3rd in the AFC North). With consistency at the quarterback position, and a good defense, it’s odd to see a team fluctuate this much. Even when the Bengals showed flashes of sustainable success, they underachieved. For 5 consecutive seasons (2011-2015), they lost in the 1st round of the playoffs. This is a franchise that hasn’t won a playoff game since 1990 and has never won a Super Bowl. 2017 will not shatter either of those streaks. Sorry Bengals fans. Man, I feel like I’m sending out condolence letters left and right here.

Key Additions: Joe Mixon (Draft), Andre Smith, Kevin Minter

Key Losses: Domata Peko, Rex Burkhead, Karlos Dansby

Pittsburgh Steelers

We’ll call them, Patriots Lite. For those who haven’t noticed because they were counting Tom Brady’s Super Bowl rings, the Pittsburgh Steelers have quietly dominated the AFC North. The Steelers have not finished under .500 since 2003 (6-10). They have made the playoffs 9 times over that span, and have won 2 Super Bowls (in 3 appearances). Big Ben, Antonio Brown, and hopefully Le’Veon Bell will coast to another AFC North division title this year. The question is, can they beat the New England Patriots come January??

Key Additions: Knile Davis, Justin Hunter, Coty Sensabaugh

Key Losses: DeAngelo Williams, Lawrence Timmons, Jarvis Jones

This Season’s Predictions:

Pittsburgh Steelers: 11-5

Cincinnati Bengals: 8-8

Baltimore Ravens: 5-11

Cleveland Browns: 4-12

Today felt like a history lesson in mediocrity. I’d say tomorrow will be better, but we’re travelling to the AFC South, so I can’t make any promises. I promise you’ll laugh though.

So tune in tomorrow for Dave’s AFC South Preview.

Who do you think will win the AFC North?? Post your predictions in the comment section below.

NFL Divisional Playoffs Kick-Off Saturday

January 9, 2015January 9, 2015 ~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

This is the best weekend of the year. If you had somewhere to go, cancel your plans, because that groove on the couch misses you. I know it’s been hard to stay “into it” since your fantasy team was officially eliminated from contention, but it’s time to gear up for playoff football. The schedule is as follows:

Baltimore Ravens vs. *New England Patriots – Saturday @ 4:35 P.M. (NBC)

Carolina Panthers vs. *Seattle Seahawks – Saturday @ 8:15 P.M. (FOX)

Dallas Cowboys vs. *Green Bay Packers – Sunday @ 1:05 P.M. (FOX)

Indianapolis Colts vs. *Denver Broncos – Sunday @ 4:40 P.M. (CBS)

* – Indicates Home Team

If the Ravens and Patriots matchup is giving you deja vu, you are not the only one. This is the fourth time in six years that these teams will face each other in the postseason. And while the Patriots have the best postseason record of any team since the turn of the century (18-8), the Ravens have been Tom Brady’s kryptonite. Joe Flacco and the Ravens have beaten the Patriots in two of their last three trips to Foxboro. As much as I would enjoy seeing that trend continue, I believe the Gronkanator and the Pats will be too much for the Ravens to handle.

Prediction: Patriots 27 – Ravens 21

Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers will look to keep their momentum going as they venture to CenturyLink Field on Saturday. The Panthers are looking to become the first team ever to advance to the Conference Championships after having a losing record during the regular season (7-8-1). The Seahawks were 7-1 at home this season, and will look to continue that trend with their usual formula: ground and pound + violent defense = more points than the other team. If the Panthers are going to have any chance in this game, they’ll need Cam Newton to do his best Superman impression. Unfortunately, I don’t see that happening. Expect a defensive struggle in the first half, and then the Seahawks should pull away late in the game.

Prediction: Seahawks 26 – Panthers 17

As we transition to Sunday, expect the best game of the Divisional Round to come from the frozen tundra; aka Lambeau Field. This is a product of matchups. Demarco Murray, if healthy, should run all over the Packers less than stellar defensive line. However, Aaron Rodgers, if healthy, should have a field day with the Cowboys secondary. This matchup marks the first time in NFL Playoff history that an undefeated team at home (Green Bay 8-0) will host an undefeated team on the road (Dallas 8-0). Murray is the Cowboys only chance at victory, because as good as Tony Romo is, he is not winning a shootout against his counterpart. The soon to be MVP (Rodgers) should be able to will his team to victory with or without a torn calf. I see the Packers edging out the Cowboys in a thriller.

Prediction: Packers 28 – Cowboys 27

And to wrap up a great weekend in football, Andrew Luck will march in to Denver to take on Peyton Manning and the Broncos. Everyone can talk about how ordinary Peyton has looked over the last month, and how bad he is in the playoffs, but I am not ready to give up on the first family of football. Andrew Luck is a phenomenal talent, and I expect him to be great for 10 more years, but this is not his year. This Colts team is not strong enough defensively to stop Peyton Manning, and their running game has simply crumbled. They have left Andrew Luck on an island. I hope this game is close, but I see Peyton Manning, Demaryius Thomas, Julius Thomas, and Emmanuel Sanders being too much for the Colts to handle.

Prediction: Broncos 34 – Colts 24

What do you think? Who do you have advancing to the Conference Championships?

Let me know in the comment section below.

Since you enjoy my writing, follow me over to intheneutralzone.com where I am a contributing author there as well. Also you can follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like me on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!

One Liner Friday’s

September 6, 2013September 6, 2013 ~ Dave Ettinger ~ 2 Comments

Hello and welcome to another edition of One Liner Friday’s. Here you can find the past week in sports wrapped up in one line and one line only. Enjoy!!

Peyton Manning is very very very very very good at football.

Hey Flacco, I hope you had your notepad and pencil out while Mr. Manning was taking you to school (nice contract Ravens).

Seriously though, everyone should stop doubting Manning and his arm strength and his age and should just realize that he is one of the best to ever do it (NO, NOT 6, 7, 7 IS THE NUMBER!).

Something About Mary?

Oh Yankees, every time I think you’re going to return to form and storm your way into the playoffs, you go and do something like that.

In case you missed it, Big Mo blew a save (obviously against the Red Sox) and then who else but Joba the hut would go on to lose the game.

I still think the Yankees land the final Wild Card spot in the playoffs this year, watch.

I’ve said it about 10 times now, and I will say it again, Floyd Mayweather Jr. will be handed his first ever loss by Canelo Alvarez on Saturday September 14th.

I am looking forward to 50 Cent and Justin Bieber performing for Mayweather as he walks to the ring though (how stupid is that).

Nobody thinks that Cary Williams wanted to fight Riley Cooper because he is a blatant racist do they??

Because that would be absurd!

Hey, uh, Geno Smith, we passed on you just like everyone else in the 1st round of the draft, and we are actually going to play Mark ‘the worst quarterback in the history of the world’ Sanchez over you, but now that ummm, oh man this is awkward, now that he happens to be hurt THIS IS YOUR OFFENSE AND IT ALWAYS HAS BEEN!!

Yeah, I think he believes you and he’s buying the vote of confidence.

And if he’s not I certainly am.

It has been one of the most spectacular and impressive careers in the history of sports, but Roger Federer is officially on the Decline.

2013 became the first year he hasn’t reached a single Grand Slam Final since 2002 (back before he was the R-FED).

His career is not over, and I think he will make a comeback and have a nice showing in 2014 before he rides off into the sunset, but this is the first of many tributes to one of the finest athletes of all time.

Hey, uh, Andy Murray, I know you’re really busy being the ugliest man in the world, but a player of your stature should never lose in straight sets in the quarterfinals.

You know, instead of suspending Ryan Braun for the rest of the season, they should have just suspended him for 4.5 innings.

No?

Oh, that only works for privileged stuck up little children in College Football, my bad.

Who gives out a suspension of half of a game?!?!?

That’s like taking a convicted felon and saying, you know what we’re going to do, forget the whole prison thing, we are just going to give you about 25 minutes in the pink timeout chair in the corner (obviously the timeout chair is pink).

Thanks for reading everyone, and if you have your own one liner’s that you want to post, please feel free to do so in the comment section below. Enjoy your weekend everyone!!

If you enjoy my writing, follow me over to intheneutralzone.com where I am a contributing author there as well. Also you can follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like me on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!

I’d Ask, But I Know You Are Ready For Some Football!!

September 5, 2013September 6, 2013 ~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

Your birthday? Nope. Your anniversary? Nah. That day you randomly find a $20 in your jacket that you haven’t worn in 3 months? Almost, but no. So what is the best day of the year? It is today; Opening Day of the NFL Season. It is the day you’ve been waiting for ever since the unbelievably annoying Ray Lewis hoisted The Lombardi Trophy over is head in February. Well, the wait is over. You can have a snickers bar and you can watch some football. You can finally see how your fantasy picks will pan out. And, you all have a reason to sit on the couch and do nothing. Enjoy what should undoubtedly be made a National Holiday.

The 2013 NFL Season kicks off tonight, Thursday September 5th, with the defending champion Baltimore Ravens taking on the Denver Broncos (I think we all remember what happened the last time these teams met). To say The Broncos will be looking for revenge would be an understatement. The Broncos enter the season with extremely high expectations. Some have them in or winning The Super Bowl this year thanks to the additions of Wes Welker and others. Even with their best defender, Von Miller, suspended for the first 4 games of the season they are still looked at as the favorites in the AFC. On the other hand, the defending champion Ravens enter the season with a handful of question marks. How do they replace Ray Lewis and Ed Reed? Will Joe Flacco live up to the astronomically high contract he was given last year? Can you really win with just 1 wide receiver? That last one was a joke, but seriously how are you going to win with Torrey Smith and me at wide receiver? Despite his impressive Super Bowl performance and his wonderful (haha) showing on Dancing With The Stars, Jacoby Jones is actually not very good at football. These are some of the questions that will certainly be answered once the season gets under way. You can catch tonight’s opening game on NBC at 8:30 P.M. Who do you like to win this game? I have Denver (at home) winning a relatively close game 24-17.

The rest of Week 1 will be played on Sunday and Monday. So, clear your schedules for the weekend, find that ass groove in the couch that has missed you so dearly, and lets get ready for some football. I am now ready to give you some of my thoughts and predictions on the upcoming season. Everyone has an opinion on their own favorite team and who they think will win, but football more than any other sport is incredibly unpredictable. Players get injured at a very high rate, and every year we seem to have a completely unknown player climb out of the woodwork and land right in the limelight. Nonetheless, lets make some predictions. I shall start with my favorite “team”, The New York Jets. Their team can be summed up in one word: Joke. They are a complete and utter joke. I see them winning 4 games at most, but most likely will only pull off 3 lucky victories. With that being said, I still believe it is not fair for ESPN to rank the Jets as the worst team in the NFL. That distinction clearly should be held by The Oakland Raiders (Chris Berman voice). Anyway, I see the Raiders, Jets, and Jaguars all being very very bad, and I wouldn’t be surprised if any of these teams wound up as the worst team in the league. And now, I will provide you with the Division winners, Wild Card teams, and Super Bowl Champion that will make up the 2013 playoffs.

In the AFC East, I don’t see how any other team will come out of that division than The New England Patriots. Everyone can talk about how much better The Miami Dolphins will be, but I’m sorry Ryan Tannehill, I’m just not buying it. The AFC West is also a pretty easy division to figure out. The Denver Broncos will handily win this division. Most people are eager to hop on the Kansas City Chiefs bandwagon, but I’m also not prepared to do that either. Will they be in a hunt for the Wild Card with 3 games to go? It’s very possible, but I also wouldn’t be surprised if they were 4-9 by then either. Oh, they have Alex Smith? Well then, that changes everything, they’ll probably win The Super Bowl. What was I thinking? The AFC North and South are a little tougher to figure out, and will probably provide the playoffs with the other 4 teams in the AFC this year. The AFC North will be a tightly contested division, but I feel that The Cincinnati Bengals will prevail. I also believe that The Ravens, not The Steelers will land a Wild Card spot this year. The Steelers have no running game, and Big Ben just isn’t good enough to win without a good supporting cast and top 10 defense. The AFC South is a fun division and should also bring 2 playoff teams to the mix this year. The Indianapolis Colts will win this division behind the strong play of Andrew Luck (he is the real deal and will be the best 2nd year QB in the NFL this season). The Texans will land the other Wild Card spot this year.

AFC Playoff Picture

1.) Denver Broncos
2.) New England Patriots
3.) Indianapolis Colts
4.) Cincinnati Bengals
5.) Baltimore Ravens
6.) Houston Texans

I envision The Denver Broncos beating The New England Patriots in the AFC Championship (and giving everyone that one last Peyton Vs. Tom showdown everyone was looking for last year).

As for the NFC, I see this as the much harder conference to predict. The NFC East by itself is like flipping a 4-sided coin. But, here goes nothing. In the NFC East, as much as I hate them and love watching them crumble under pressure, I see the Dallas Cowboys narrowly pulling out the division title this year. I think The New York Giants will be in the fight for a Wild Card spot all season but will fall just short of the playoffs yet again this season. The NFC West, which is seen as the strongest division in the NFL should definitely bring 2 teams to the playoffs this year. I have The San Francisco 49ers winning the division, and The Seattle Seahawks winning a Wild Card spot. The NFC North should be a battle between 2 long time rivals; The Packers and Da Bears. I see The Packers edging out the Bears for the Division while Jay Cutler will once again be watching the playoffs from home this season. Last, but certainly not least, there is my favorite division in football, The NFC South. This division should also produce 2 playoff teams this season. The Atlanta Falcons will once again win the division while the New Orleans Saints will land the final playoff spot this season.

NFC Playoff Picture

1.) San Francisco
2.) Atlanta Falcons
3.) Green Bay Packers
4.) Dallas Cowboys
5.) Seattle Seahawks
6.) New Orleans Saints

Let me repeat how unpredictable the NFC is going to be this season. Don’t be surprised if the Wild Cards consist of The Bears, Redskins, Giants, or Redskins. However, based off my predictions, I see The San Francisco 49ers beating the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship in a rematch of last year. As for the Super Bowl, I see Peyton Manning prevailing to win his 2nd Lombardi Trophy, while Colin Kaepernick suffers his 2nd straight defeat in the Super Bowl. And that my friends, is how I see the NFL season playing out this year. It is a long road, and it all starts tonight. However it plays out, enjoy it!!

Please leave me your predictions for the upcoming NFL Season below in the comment section. Thank you.

In Case You missed It

March 20, 2013March 20, 2013 ~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

While everyone has been gearing up for the most exciting tournament of the year, there have been some other sporting events that you may have missed. I missed them as well, for good reason, but let me fill you in just in case you haven’t heard about them. Let me start with the most insignificant of them all. Did you guys really just storm the court for an NIT victory? I get it, Robert Morris probably isn’t supposed to beat anybody so beating Kentucky is a big deal, but it is the NIT. Who wants to watch the leftover scraps play basketball? This tournament isn’t meaningful, and I don’t know why we even have it. Most teams, like Kentucky, are so disappointed that they didn’t make it into the real tournament that they mail in an effort in the NIT. Congratulations Robert Morris, you beat a team that didn’t even want to be there.

Something else you definitely missed was the finals of the World Baseball Classic. Man is this tournament a bad idea. ALL PLAYERS should be with their respective REAL teams in March. You know, since they are holding this little thing called spring training right now. If you wanted to watch baseball’s watered down version of the ‘World Cup’, then I guess you were 1 of the 14 people who watched the World Baseball Classic. The Dominican Republic dominated the World Baseball Classic going 8-0 in the tournament. They capped off their run though the Classic with a 3-0 victory over Puerto Rico.

Also, over the past week we have seen a handful of free agent signings in the NFL. Steven Jackson signed with the Atlanta Falcons, bringing the size and strength their running game has been missing. Sure you can say, well what about Michael Turner wasn’t he a good strong back? No, no he wasn’t. The guy looked like he was running in quicksand. Jackson entering his 10th NFL season will be a better fit for the Falcons then Turner ever was. Greg Jennings has signed with the enemy; the Minnesota Vikings. There used to be a day when people would cringe when players signed with their rival, but the game has changed. In today’s NFL, there is no such thing is loyalty. It’s all about the Benjamin’s baby! Jennings should be a nice addition for the Vikings who traded Percy Harvin to the Seattle Seahawks prior to free agency. The New York Jets are still holding Darrelle Revis in limbo with his playing career. The Jets obviously aren’t pleased with the offers they are getting for Revis, or else he’d be gone by now. This begs the question, will Darrelle Revis be traded before this season or will the Jets get stuck with him? Ed Reed is a big name that has yet to sign on a dotted line, however Baltimore is showing interest in re-signing him and the Houston Texans have shown some interest as well. Lastly, you had one of the weirdest situations in the history of the NFL happen last week. Elvis Dumervil, the outstanding defender for the Denver Broncos, had until 4 p.m. on March 15th to decide whether he would restructure his contract or be released by the Broncos. He had decided to restructure, however his decision which was sent via fax was received by the Broncos just minutes after the deadline. This snafu could cost either Dumervil millions of dollars or the Broncos one of their best players. Either way it is definitely one of the most interesting situations in NFL history.

In basketball news, the Miami Heat still haven’t lost a basketball game in a little over 23 years. Oh my bad, I meant 23 games, they’ve extended their streak to 23 straight wins and they haven’t lost since January. Also flying under the radar are the Denver Nuggets. They beat the Oklahoma City Thunder Tuesday night to extend their winning streak to 13 games. In other mega-important news Tiger Woods is dating….ah who cares, just win golf tournaments buddy. And that about raps this past week in sports. It has been mostly irrelevant, but it was enough to hold us over until the main course; the NCAA tournament.

If you enjoy my writing, follow me over to intheneutralzone.com where I am a contributing author there as well. Also you can follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like me on Facebook athttp://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!

To Leave Or Not To Leave, That Is The Question (Either Way It’s All About The Benjamin’s Baby!!)

March 13, 2013 ~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

Tuesday afternoon at 4:00 P.M. marked the beginning of free agency in the NFL. It didn’t take long for teams to start signing and resigning players shortly after the 4 O’ clock hour. There were many moves that happened right away, and there are many moves that are still going to take place. I will give you a recap of what moves have been made and where your favorite players will be suiting up next season. I will also give you a quick rundown of some key players who have yet to sign a new deal. Some of these moves make you scratch your head from a football standpoint, but you need to remember these moves are about one thing and one thing only; money. With that being said, let’s take this thing for a ride.

One of the biggest signings so far has surely been Mike Wallace. Tuesday afternoon, the former Pittsburgh Steeler, signed the dotted line to play for the Miami Dolphins. The deal is reportedly for 5 years and 60 million dollars (30 million of which are guaranteed). It appears that the Steelers only offered Wallace 10 million per year, however Wallace was looking for a minimum of 12 million per year (cha ching). Another significant signing that occurred on Tuesday was the Cleveland Browns signing former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Paul Kruger to a 5 year, 40 million dollar contract. This is big money for a pretty unproven player in Kruger. He is a good linebacker but does not have the track record that would merit a contract of this magnitude. Only time will tell if the Browns made a smart move by signing Kruger (considering we are talking about the Browns I’m sure this move will backfire). There were a couple of moves at the tight end position Tuesday with Martellus Bennett and Anthony Fasano both on the move. Bennett, the former New York Giant, inked a 4 year, 20 million deal with the Chicago Bears, giving Jay Cutler another legitimate option other than Brandon Marshall. Anthony Fasano formerly of the Miami Dolphins signed with the already very busy Kansas City Chiefs. The deal is reportedly for 4 years and 16 million dollars. The Chiefs continue to improve their roster, and dare I say that the Chiefs might sniff at a winning record this season? Yeah you’re right, probably not. The biggest news at the tight end position by far was the decision by future Hall-Of-Famer Tony Gonzalez to come back to play one more season with the Atlanta Falcons. This season will be Gonzalez’s 18th, and based on his production from 2012, I’m sure the Falcons are giddy at the news of his comeback.

On the defensive side of the ball there hasn’t been as much noise, but there have been some moves that will impact the New York teams next season. The Giants had released Chris Canty who is now a member of the defending champion Baltimore Ravens. In his place, the Giants have brought in Cullen Jenkins formerly of the Philadelphia Eagles. The New York Jets made some noise a day prior to the free agent frenzy with the earth shattering signing of David Garrard, however they made a couple moves Tuesday as well. They restructured Santonio Holmes’ and Antonio Cromarties’ contracts and they can wave bye-bye to Mike Devito as he is off to the most popular place to live these days (apparently), Kansas City. Another noteworthy move from the defensive side of the ball was that the Eagles released Nnamdi Asomugha. Asomugha is one of the worst free agent signings in recent history (don’t worry Albert Haynesworth, your’e still #1 in my heart). Another notable release was Ryan Fitzpatrick being let go from the Buffalo Bills. At least they didn’t wipe their butt with all that money (haha). William Gay, formerly of the solid Arizona Cardinals defense will add some depth to an aging Pittsburgh Steelers defense. Also, Dunta Robinson, formerly of the Atlanta Falcons, signed with the new and improved Kansas City Chiefs.

At this point there are still some big names hanging out in free agency that have yet to sign somewhere. Most notably Wes Welker, Reggie Bush, Ahmad Bradshaw, Greg Jennings, Rashard Mendenhall, and Steven Jackson. All of these guys will find a home in the coming days, it is just a matter of where. You also have Victor Cruz in waiting as a restricted free agent. For those of you who don’t know what it means to be a restricted free agent allow me to explain: A restricted free agent can negotiate with any team until April 19th. If another team presents said free agent with an offer, the original team has an opportunity to match or exceed the offer. If the original team decides not to match the offer, they will receive draft compensation based on the qualifying offer. While I like Victor Cruz as a player (and I’m sure the Giants like him too), it’s not about the player, it’s about the money. Can the Giants keep Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz? I highly doubt it.

Let us move on to the other New York “team”, the Jets. The New York Jets are going to be one of the worst teams in the league this year. They have two quarterbacks who are both completely useless, and they are losing players in bulk this offseason. They already released Calvin Pace, Bart Scott, and Erik Smith in February. As I mentioned earlier, they lost mike Devito to free agency, they waived Sione Po’uha, and it is likely that Darrelle Revis will be traded before this years draft. It is safe to say that they are in rebuilding mode.

All in all it has been a busy couple of days in free agency, and the fun has only begun. As it stands so far, you’d have to say that the Kansas City Chiefs are the big winner so far. There are big names still left to sign so that may change in a heartbeat. Stay tuned for the rest of the moves around the NFL.

Let The Madness Begin!!

March 12, 2013 ~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

Gotcha!! You all thought this was a college basketball story didn’t you? Well, sorry to get your hopes up but it’s not. This article is all about NFL’s Free Agency, which begins today at 4:00 P.M. Come 4 O’ Clock teams will begin signing free agents in hopes to build a championship contender for the future. Some NFL teams couldn’t wait and started making moves Monday afternoon. Most notably, Anquan Boldin and Percy Harvin were both traded. Anquan Boldin was traded from the Baltimore Ravens to the San Francisco 49ers for a 6th round draft pick. Percy Harvin was traded from the Minnesota Vikings to the Seattle Seahawks for a 1st round draft pick this year as well as 2 other draft picks. If you ask me, I don’t really understand the Ravens’ thought process here. Why in the world would you trade the guy who just helped you win a Super Bowl for a 6th round pick? To save yourself 2 million dollars a year? If that’s the case, solid move Baltimore. You’ll see just how good Joe Flacco is without his most dependable wide receiver. The big winner in this situation is the San Francisco 49ers. They pick up a big physical receiver to play on the opposite side of the field as Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree. Happy Birthday Colin Kaepernick. Ahhhh I get it. It has nothing to do with the fact that Boldin refused to take a pay cut (rightfully so). It’s because John Harbaugh won a Super Bowl, and now he wants to make sure his little brother Jim wins one next year. Now, I’m sure that the Seattle Seahawks will have something to say about that next year. With these two trades, the NFC West has become the best division in football. The Seahawks gave up an arm and a leg for Percy Harvin, but this trade is clearly a perfect fit for them if he stays healthy. Think about it, all they are missing is a big play receiver. Last season prior to his injury, Harvin had 62 receptions for 677 yards (in only 9 games) on a team with a less than stellar quarterback. I’d say that’s exactly the type of production the Seahawks need to get over the hump. Harvin’s not too shabby in the kick return game either.

The New York Jets certainly made the biggest move of the day. Hell, this might be the move of the year! The Jets signed David Garrard as their backup quarterback. Their hope is that he can compete with Mark Sanchez for the starting job. To this I say nothing. I say nothing because it doesn’t matter. Garrard is not going to push Sanchez to another level, and if Sanchez falters Garrard is not going to come in and set the world on fire. I am pretty indifferent on the move, but I’m sure that Rex Ryan is sending save the dates to all his friends for the day after the Super Bowl. Oh yeah, they think they’ll be in Disney World, but actually they’ll be on their couch just like the rest of us. The actual news regarding the Jets is the status of Darrelle Revis. Revis must be traded, it is as simple as that. The question is what can they get for him in return? Due to the ACL injury he is coming off of they won’t get top value for him right now. The Jets would be taking a huge risk though if they hold on to him for this season. They would end up paying him plus they wouldn’t get anything in return in this years draft. Plus, he could play poorly due to the injury or even worse he could re-injure himself (then they would really be screwed). I think the Jets should get as much as possible for Revis before this years draft and before they are obligated to pay him another penny.

No matter what the Jets decide to do with Darrelle Revis, today should be a busy and fun filled day around the NFL. Buckle up your seat belts and let’s go for a ride. Check back tomorrow to see the grades I dish out for each teams major free agent signings.