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Last Word On Sports

Sports News Since 2011. Honestly.

Last Word On Sports Logo

Sports. Honestly. Since 2011

Day: August 31, 2016

Injury Update: A Common Theme for 2016 New England Patriots

Posted on by Henry Brechter

The injury bug has bitten plenty of teams so far, and the New England Patriots are no exception.

Starting right tackle Sebastian Vollmer had shoulder surgery recently and has been placed on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. He will miss at least the first six games, and may miss the entire season. Injuries have plagued the veteran, and he has not played since suffering a leg injury in Week 16 of last season.

Running back Dion Lewis has been placed on the PUP list as well. Once a Heisman Trophy candidate in 2009 at Pittsburgh, Lewis has had his promising career derailed by leg injuries. His debut with the Patriots in September 2015 was his first in-game action since 2012. He provided a spark for the Patriots early last season, showing great agility and the knack for making people miss. But he was once again sidelined with an ACL injury, and has had two surgeries since.

Injury Update: A Common Theme for the 2016 New England Patriots

The news is not all bad, though.

After suffering injuries early in the preseason, defensive end Rob Ninkovich and wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell were both full participants at the Patriots’ Tuesday afternoon practice in Foxboro, MA.

Ninkovich, entering his 11th season as a pro, found his role with the Patriots when he signed prior to the 2009 season. He has started at defensive end for the past six seasons and has been a model of consistency on the edge. After being a special teamer his first three years in the league, he has gained the respect of players around the league for performing his specified job to perfection.

Ninkovich was feared gone for four to six weeks after tearing his triceps August 9th, but has returned ahead of schedule. He is welcomed back to a line that has also lost Jabaal Sheard (MCL sprain) to injury. With roster trimming in full effect, his improving health will heat up the competition for the last open spots on the defensive line depth chart.

Mitchell, a rookie, was drafted in the fourth round from the University of Georgia. He ranks third in school history with 174 receptions and was a four-year starter. He spent an extra year in school after tearing his ACL in the 2013 season opener and saw a drop in production in 2014. The 6’0″ pass-catcher was well regarded entering the 2016 draft, but fell to the fourth round due to injury concerns. His hands and athleticism at wide receiver were still considered among the best in the draft class.

Mitchell dislocated his elbow in the first preseason game on a gruesome looking tackle. Up until that point, he had played well and made several big plays. He has a real chance to make the 53-man roster, and the notion is that he could be one of the big steals from this year’s draft. His production is valued with oft-injured Aaron Dobson supposedly on his way out of town, and his return to practice is a great sign. Both Jimmy Garoppolo and Tom Brady will need all the receivers they can get.

The Patriots cap off their preseason Thursday night in their annual exhibition game with the New York Giants.

Five New York Red Bulls. Five Grades vs. New England Revolution

Posted on by Kevin Drastura

This past week the New York Red Bulls faced off against rival from I-95 the New England Revolution. Despite a less than stellar performance, the Red Bulls were able to top the Revs 1-0 at Red Bull Arena.  This extended New York’s unbeaten streak to 12 across all competitions.

New York Red Bulls Grades vs New England

Alex Muyl: B

The 20 year-old homegrown player takes home the highest mark  for the New York Red Bulls grades vs New England.  Muyl has become THE strarting right midfielder for Jesse Marsch through his unequaled worth ethic.  However recently, it seems as if Muyl has started to turn a corner with his skill.  For many matches Alex Muyl has been able to get himself in great situations but has lacked the touch to either create or finish a chance.  In Sundays match, Muyl showed great touch on the wing and created dangerous chances for both himself and his teammates.  Though he didn’t score, Muyl was able to fight through three defenders and rip a shot that was parried away right to Bradley Wright-Phillips who tapped in the eventual game winning goal.

Mike Grella: D

This was not Grella’s best performance.  As always, Grella was able to get himself into space by beating players one-on-one on the ball.  After that, it seemed as Grella lacked the proper decision making to capitalize.  Whether it was holding the ball to long or making a poor pass, this is definitely one to forget for Mike Grella. The frustration showed shortly after being subbed with Grella slamming his water bottle in disgust.

Sean Davis: B-

Davis receives this mark for his consistency.  Since taking over for the injured Dax McCarty, Sean Davis has been able to show why he would be starting at almost every other club in the MLS.  Taking over a position that is one of the most important to the Red Bulls system, Davis has handled himself which such poise.  Davis has been playing mistake free soccer and holding his own until the Red Bulls can get their Skipper back.  With Davis continuing his solid play, it will be hard for Marsch to not further incorporate him into matches.  It is a problem he is glad to have.

Omer Damari: B-

Omer Damari is making a strong case to be in the New York’s Starting XI.  Every appearance Damari has made since arriving to New York he has looked dangerous.  Whether creating chances for others or himself, Omer is proving he is ready to take New York to the next level.  On Sunday, he once again showed how good he can be for the Red Bulls and the headaches he will cause for opposition’s back four.

Bradley Wright-Phillips: C+

Past scoring the games only goal, BWP really didn’t make much of an impact on the game.  Created from the hard work of Muyl and Wright-Phillips had a mere tap in off Muyl’s rebounded shot.  However, Wright-Phillips is making the most of his chances this season.  Scoring 16 times of 21 shots, Wright-Phillips holds the highest conversion rate in the top four scorers in the league(21%).  With Wright-Phillips becoming quite the cut-throat clinical fisher, BWP could be looking at his second MLS Golden Boot in three years.

 

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College Football Preview; week 1, Part 2

Posted on by Tony Siracusa, CFB Managing Editor

As we said at the outset of Part 1 of our preview, the weekend was too big to be contained:

“Anyone who has read this space for the last few years knows we try to develop a theme when looking at the biggest college football games on the national landscape each week. With such an amazing schedule for week one of this season, I started thinking “shame on you people for looking for a theme…or really shame on me for trying to find one.” However, in the midst of consecutive night of insomnia #3,462, it hit me like a bad 2am infomercial. Well, it was actually was a bad infomercial…for survivalist food kits. I mean, there is no excuse to leave the house this weekend with such a plethora of great games, but we all need nourishment, and for only $150 we can get storage tubs full of things like freeze dried cereal, powdered drinks, beans and rice and 10 pizzas, that by the way, have a 20 year shelf life. Yum.”

The schedule of games is worthy of so much attention this weekend, that we are breaking the preview into two parts. So, as the “preppers” say, let’s SIP (shelter in place), find the remote and grab our bucket o’ food for the games and Part 2 of the preview.

College Football Preview; week 1, Part 2

USC vs. Alabama; Saturday 8pm EDT ABC

Break out one of the high-end, “forever” pizzas from the tub for this one. Maybe even throw in some of the never-goes-bad pasta. Two of college football’s blue bloods meeting at Jerry World in Arlington, TX is cause for celebration. They have 27 national title claims between them and some historic matchups, including the 1970 game when the Trojans’ Sam Cunningham rushing performance did more to integrate college football in the south than any previous march or protest. Both teams are breaking in new quarterbacks. Both teams have talent to burn at the skill positions. The real test is upfront where USC has one of the top offensive lines in the country, anchored by 6-9 340 Zach Banner. Bama has one of the best defensive front sevens in the nation with Ryan Anderson and Tim Williams. In the side dish/subplot, of course USC also gets to visit an old friend now pacing the Bama sidelines. There is no truth to the rumor that SC will stop by the Lane Kiffin Memorial Lounge at LA Airport on their way out of town.

Clemson @ Auburn; Saturday 9pm EDT ESP

We would offer dessert here for the end of the evening, but the “prepper” tub only seems to have canned fruit for that. Clemson knows what it has on offense. Heisman finalist Deshaun Watson returns at quarterback along with most of the offensive weapons that averaged 38 points per game last year. Clemson’s defense, however, has holes to fill with only four starters returning. Auburn’s offense is introducing new quarterback Sean White, and instead of putting the game on the sophomore’s shoulders, Gus Malzahn would like to go to a ball control, clock management offense, but he has lost two of the three running backs that were expected to play major roles this season. It’s going to be up to Auburn’s defense to try to turn Watson into more of a pocket passer and turn down the temperature on the seat that is getting warm under Malzahn’s backside.

Notre Dame @ Texas; Sunday 7:30pm EDT ABC

This is what you get when the NFL regular season has not started yet. You get Sunday college football and maybe another one of the “great” pizzas from the tub. Notre Dame’s offense jumped on Texas early and often last year. The Irish are going with a two headed quarterback scheme, with DeShone Kizer and Malik Zaire both taking snaps in the game. There is enough talent surrounding them to go around for everyone. Texas, as it does every year recently, is playing for head coach Charlie Strong’s job. For a change though, the Longhorns seem to have found their quarterback of the future in true freshman Shane Buechele. It’s a lot to ask of a kid to put up big points against Notre Dame and so the Longhorns are going to have to rely on their defense to try to keep the Irish offense in check.

Ole Miss vs. Florida State; Monday 8pm EDT ESPN

Labor Day brings a day to not labor and watch more football. No one is happier to labor over football than Ole Miss. After an off-season where much of the focus centered on the ongoing NCAA investigation, they would much rather talk about quarterback Chad Kelly, the senior with an NFL-caliber arm who can also run. He is going to need all of that because his entire offensive line from last season is gone. Florida State has its own questions on offense, but yeah, not really so much. Sure, the Seminoles are breaking in a new signal caller in Deondre Francois, but we’re not sure it will matter much. Not as long as they have Heisman candidate running back Dalvin Cook, who rushed for just under 1,700 yards last season to go with 19 touchdowns. The game is technically at a neutral site in Orlando, (the former Citrus Bowl stadium), but since Ole Miss has to travel about three times as far as Florida State, it’s just another thing working against the Rebels.

I would offer more from the Prepper’s tub to keep you going, but after a weekend of all the freeze dried cereal and fruit and beans and rice and pizza, for the love of goodness sake just go grill a burger at this point. We have done all we can for you. We have brought you enough “nourishment” to last through the extended weekend, whether it be a zombie apocalypse or the start of the college football season. If you can’t get pumped up by now, as the “preppers” say, YOYO, (You’re On Your Own).

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College Football Preview; Week 1, Part 1

Posted on by Tony Siracusa, CFB Managing Editor

Anyone who has read this space for the last few years knows we try to develop a theme when looking at the biggest college football games on the national landscape each week.

With such an amazing schedule for week one of this season, I started thinking “shame on you people for looking for a theme…or really shame on me for trying to find one.” However, in the midst of consecutive night of insomnia #3,462, it hit me like a bad 2am infomercial. Well, it actually was a bad infomercial…for survivalist food kits. I mean, there is no excuse to leave the house this weekend with such a plethora of great games, but we all need nourishment. For only $150 we can get storage tubs full of things like freeze dried cereal, powdered drinks, beans and rice and 10 pizzas, that by the way, have a 20 year shelf life. Yum.

The schedule of games is so big this weekend, that we are breaking the preview into two parts. So, as the “preppers” say, let’s SIP (shelter in place), find the remote and grab our bucket o’ food for the games and check out Part 1 of the preview.

College Football Preview; Week 1, Part 1

Oklahoma @ Houston; Saturday 12pm EDT ABC

The game is actually in Houston but at NRG Stadium. First big one of a long weekend so grab that powdered orange drink mix and some and freeze dried apple cinnamon cereal.  Houston caught a lot of folks off guard last year, but there is no chance of that now.

The biggest boost for the Cougars was when head coach Tom Herman turned down numerous opportunities to stay in Houston. Quarterback Greg Ward is back, coming off his Peach Bowl Offensive MVP performance and he has plenty of offensive weapons back. The defense lost some critical players to the NFL. That’s bad news when Oklahoma is coming with Heisman candidate quarterback Baker Mayfield and running backs Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon. “Some” at LWOS even think enough of the Sooners to give them a first place vote in the Top 25 poll. Good thing the stadium is sponsored by an energy company. Means plenty of light bulbs for the scoreboard.

UCLA @ Texas A&M; Saturday 3:30PM EDT CBS

This is a strange match-up. In January, Noel Mazzone was the offensive coordinator at UCLA. His son, Taylor was the quarterback coach. After a season that many in Westwood were dissatisfied with, both are now in College Station preparing to face their former team. The tandem will be guiding transfer quarterback Trevor Knight, (the fourth Aggies’ signal caller in two years) into a new look spread offense. UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen will be leading a UCLA offense that will be transformed into a more pro-style offense in order to take advantage of his arm strength.  The real key to watch will be the best defensive end in the country, A&M’s Myles Garrett, versus a make shift UCLA offensive line. The “legacy meals” sommelier recommends the 4,000 calorie nutrition bar for the game.

LSU @ Wisconsin; Saturday 3:30PM EDT ABC

If Pac 12 vs, SEC isn’t your cup of “prepper’s” freeze dried tea, then check out this great SEC vs. Big 10 showdown. I have taken many shots over the years at certain schools in certain conferences for playing soft OOC schedules. The SEC and ACC have stepped up this season, but special props go to LSU for being the one team willing to travel north of the Mason Dixon Line to do it.

The Tigers are beginning what is surely Leonard Fournette’s last year after the junior averaged more than six yards a carry in route to nearly 2,000 yards rushing a season ago. While Fournette is amazing to watch, keep your eyes on the defenses. LSU defensive coordinator Dave Aranda was leading a physically tough Wisconsin squad this time last year. He was replaced in Madison by Justin Wilcox who was run out of Southern Cal. LSU is a legitimate contender for the SEC West. Wisconsin may be a little down this year, but that still makes them one of the physically tougher teams in the country. To make the matchup all the more special, the game is being played at Lambeau Field.

Georgia vs. North Carolina; Saturday 5:30pm EDT ESPN

The Kirby Smart era begins at the Georgia Dome with questions at quarterback and in the trainer’s room. Nick Chubb is one of the best running backs in the country but has been limited in camp while rehabbing from last season’s injury. Sony Michel broke his arm in a four wheeler accident and just starting taking contact drills this week. Both are expected to play but quality of time is an issue.

Healthy or not, they will be going up against a Tar Heels defense that was 122nd in the nation against the run last season. While North Carolina breaks in new quarterback Mitch Tribusky, they will lean heavily on the running of Elijah Hood, who rushed for 1,400 yards last season. Lots of ground game in this one so don’t get too filled up on the quality “prepper” food just yet.

For Part 2 of the preview, we will head into prime time Saturday night with our “tub of food,” starting in Arlington Texas and finishing the weekend in Orlando, Florida.

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New York City FC vs D.C. United Preview

Posted on by Noah Sobel-Pressman

Stadium: Yankee Stadium

Location: New York, NY

Time: 7:00 PM EST

New York City FC vs D.C. United Preview

Three players who could impact the game

Patrick Mullins

Patrick Mullins was traded from New York City FC to D.C. United this summer transfer window for an international roster spot. He has taken D.C. by storm, notching five goals in seven appearances, with a hat trick last week against the Chicago Fire. In the past Mullins has decimated his former teams. In his first game against the New England Revolution, his orignal club, with NYCFC, his second club, he scored on his first touch. Look for him to play an active role in the revitalized United attack as they look to test a shaky NYCFC defense.

Jefferson Mena

Last week, Jefferson Mena was embarrassed by Kaka. If NYCFC want to retake their spot atop the East, they need to limit United’s shots and goals. That all starts with Mena. Brilliant couldn’t play last match and Chanot may miss the game for international duty. If they are both absent, it falls on to Mena to keep the defense in shape. If he fails to play well, NYCFC will struggle to win a game they should definitely win.

Lloyd Sam

Lloyd Sam was another one of D.C. United’s summer transfer window additions. He came from NYCFC’s biggest rivals, the New York Red Bulls. Against NYCFC, he hasn’t really impressed, only getting two assists in five appearances. In order for DC to succeed he is going to need to provide good service to Mullins. He also will have to track back defensively often, as NYCFC have two dangerous attack minded fullbacks, R.J. Allen and Ronald Matarrita.

When NYCFC is attacking

As always, NYCFC will play out of the back. It will be interesting to see what they do if their normal center backs aren’t playing. Also look for David Villa to get on the score sheet. He was absent from it last week, a rare occurrence from him. If Jack Harrison is starting NYCFC attack will be very different than if Stiven Mendoza was starting. Harrison will inject that technical ability that is just worlds better than Mendoza. However, Mendoza can provide more physicality than Harrison can and is hot coming off scoring last week.

When D.C. United is attacking

United will try to to get the ball to Mullins through Sam. Also, Luciano Acosta will be pulling the strings of the offense. He is coming off one of his best game of the season, with one goal and three assists. It will be interesting to see how D.C. United’s attack have recovered since losing Fabian Espindola this summer transfer window.

Last year, the clubs split a pair of games a year ago with NYCFC taking  a 3-1 win at Yankee Stadium, D.C. United taking a 2-1 win at RFK Stadium.

 

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – July 30: Frank Lampard #8 of New York City FC celebrates with team mate Jack Harrison #11 of New York City FC after scoring his sides first goal past Goalkeeper Tim Howard #1 of Colorado Rapids during the NYCFC Vs Colorado Rapids regular season MLS game at Yankee Stadium on July 30, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)

Southern Mississippi at Kentucky Preview and Prediction

Posted on by Kevin McGuffey

Southern Mississippi at Kentucky (7:30- ESPN)– If there is one constant with the Kentucky football program over the years it is nothing is ever easy. Anytime something looks like a sure thing it turns out to be anything but. A prime example is the season opener against the Golden Eagles. Originally this game was supposed to be against the University of Alabama-Birmingham but when the school disbanded the program, the Cats suddenly had a hole in their 2016 schedule.

Last summer a deal was worked out where Southern Miss would come to Lexington this season and Kentucky would go to Hattiesburg to play in 2017. At the time this series was signed the Golden Eagles were coming off a 4-32 record over the previous three seasons, sounds like an easy win. In a season where Mark Stoops needs to get to six wins and a bowl game Cat fans will take any win they can get.

Southern Mississippi at Kentucky Preview and Prediction

As Kentucky luck would have it Southern Miss was one of the surprise teams in college football in 2015 going 9-5, making the Conference USA title game and a berth in the Heart of Texas Bowl losing to Washington 44-31.

As usually happens when mid-majors have a great season, there has been some turnover for Southern Miss, with Head Coach Todd Monken leaving to take the offensive coordinator job with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Alcorn State coach and former USM assistant Jay Hopson is the new man in charge. Adding another layer to this game is the new offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson, who held the same position for Kentucky in 2015 before being let go after the season. Stoops and Dawson seemed to never be on the same page and for True Blue Fans his play calling was quite frankly sometimes baffling. Dawson made waves two weeks ago when he commented to the media “I’m a good coordinator when I have a good quarterback to work with” which was a perceived slam towards former Kentucky quarterbacks Patrick Towles, who transferred to Boston College and current signal caller Drew Barker.

Quarterback

If Dawson’s words are true then he certainly has a good quarterback to work with in Nick Mullens. The senior is the pre-season Conference USA player of the year after setting school records last season with 4,476 yards passing and 38 touchdowns and is on every quarterback award watch list. The strength of this Wildcat defense is the secondary so the match up of them versuse Mullens will be very interesting. USM also returns running back Ito Smith, who had over 1,600 total yards and 13 touchdowns last season. The Wildcats are quite inexperienced on their front seven so keeping Ito from having a big game will be key.

On the other side of the ball, Southern Miss lost three of their top defensive players from last season. Barker and his talented group of running backs and receivers led by Boom Williams should be able to move the ball and score on USM. Kentucky fans are very interested to see how the offense works under new coordinators Eddie Gran and Darrin Hinshaw and how much more involved tight end CJ Conrad will be after being almost an afterthought last season.

This has the potential to be one of the more exciting games of the first weekend. Stoops needs a win in this game and he will get the last laugh over Dawson and Southern Miss.

Kentucky   41-28

Time to take a look at the rest of the games in what is a huge first weekend for the SEC and we begin in Knoxville.

Appalachian State at Tennessee- (Thursday 7:30 SEC Network)–

The SEC East favorites start the season with what could be a tough test from the Mountaineers.  Led by quarterback Taylor Lamb Appy State will score some points. However behind Jalen Hurd and Joshua Dobbs Tennessee will score a lot more.

Tennessee 42-20

South Carolina at Vanderbilt- (Thursday 8:00 ESPN)–

The Commodores have hopes of making a bowl game in Derek Mason‘s third season. The Gamecocks start a new era under coach Will Mushchamp but will more than likely struggle in 2016. Vandy’s defense is one of the league’s best while their offense is not. This one won’t be pretty and first one to 20 points wins.

Vanderbilt 20-14

South Alabama at Mississippi State- (NOON- SEC Network)-

The Bulldogs begin life after Dak Prescott and Coach Dan Mullen may play both Nick Fitzgerald and Damian Williams behind center. Fortunately the Jaguars are not good so this should help them gain confidence.

Mississippi State 35-17

Missouri at West Virginia- (NOON- Fox Sports 1)–

Barry Odom takes the reigns in Columbia and faces a tough first game going into Morgantown. The Tiger defense is really good and should be able to keep this game close.

West Virginia 31-14

UCLA at Texas A&M- (3:30- CBS)-

Quarterback Trevor Knight will have quite the challenge in his debut for the Aggies facing one of the best secondaries in the Pac 12. Bruins quarterback Josh Rosen will face the nation’s best pass rusher in Myles Garrett. Playing in College Station in front of a national television audience Kevin Sumlin‘s club will pull out a close one.

Texas A&M 28-24

LSU at Wisconsin- (3:30 ABC- Game Played in Green Bay)–

The last year has certainly been an interesting for Les Miles where he went from certain firing to being back for another season. Leonard Fournette is one of the favorites for the Heisman Trophy but is recovering from an ankle injury. The Badgers have one of the nation;s best run defenses but their defensive coordinator is now at LSU. The Tigers pull one out in the fourth quarter.

LSU 21-17

Louisiana Tech at Arkansas- (4:00 SEC Network)-

The Razorbacks rallied after a 1-3 start to finish 8-5 and a win over Kansas State in the Liberty Bowl. Austin Allen will be the new man under center and the Hogs should be able to take advantage of a Bulldog team who are rebuilding after a 9-4 season in 2015.

Arkansas 41-21

North Carolina vs. Georgia- (5:00 ESPN- Game played in Atlanta)-

It has been quite the off-season for new Bulldog coach Kirby Smart and he is probably happy to finally start the season. Georgia has many question marks including the health of running back Nick Chubb and breaking in a new quarterback in Jacob Eason. The Tar Heels have a great back of their own in Elijah Hood and even playing in Atlanta Gene Chizek’s club will spoil Smart’s debut.

North Carolina 27-23

Massachusetts at Florida- (7:30 SEC Network)-

In what seems to be a recurring theme in the SEC, the Gators will have a new quarterback in Luke Del Rio. Coach Jim McElwain has suspended a few players for this game but it really won’t matter. The Minutemen have won only eight games in the last four seasons.

Florida 49-13

USC at Alabama- (8:00 ABC- Game played in Arlington)–

The defending National Champs open the season with questions under center as Nick Saban has said both Cooper Bateman and Blake Barnett will play. There are plenty of interesting match ups on both sides of the ball and the Trojans have the players to pull the upset. Saban is 9-0 in openers at Bama and 6-0 aginst teams from Power Five conferences. Expect a close game with Alabama winning late.

Alabama 28-24

Clemson at Auburn- (9:00 ESPN)-

The Tigers from the ACC lost to Alabama in the championship game but return Heisman favorite Deshaun Watson. The Tigers from the SEC have struggled the last couple of seasons and it doesn’t appear on paper that Gus Malzahn’s club will be able to stop Watson and company.

Clemson 42-17

Ole Miss vs. Florida State- (8:00 ESPN- Game played in Orlando)–

The last game on the opening weekend could be one of the best. Chad Kelly returns for Hugh Freeze’s club and hopes to build on his record setting season in 2015. The Seminoles with counter with Dalvin Cook, the ACC’s leading rusher but will have a new quarterback in Deondre Francois. With the Rebels missing three first round draft picks from last year’s team Jimbo Fisher’s club should have a few more weapons and will win.

Florida State 38-31

 

LEXINGTON, KY – SEPTEMBER 26:  Mark Stoops of the Kentucky Wildcats calls out instructions during the second half against the Missouri Tigers at Commonwealth Stadium on September 26, 2015 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

2016 AFC South Breakdown by Position: The Offense

Posted on by Jarred Long

With the position breakdown series in full swing, the next division under the microscope is the AFC South. Here’s an offensive position-by-position breakdown of the AFC South, with “the best” at each position followed by “the rest” in descending order.

2016 AFC South Breakdown by Position: The Offense

Quarterback

The Best: Indianapolis Colts

The Rest: Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans

When healthy, Andrew Luck runs away with this category. Luck has played all 16 games every season of his career, with the exception being last year when he only played in seven due to injury. In 2014, Luck threw for 4,721 yards and 40 touchdowns against only 16 interceptions. It would be easy to forget last season where the former Stanford Cardinal only played seven games due to a lacerated spleen. With a healthy Luck in 2016, look for the Indianapolis Colts to have their eyes set on the division title.

Brock Osweiler could make a solid case for second place due to his small sample size. Osweiler made himself a household name during the 2015 season in which he started eight games in place of the injured Peyton Manning. Osweiler threw for 1,927 yards, ten touchdowns and six interceptions. He signed with the Houston Texans during the 2015 free agency period.

Blake Bortles and Marcus Mariota both have tons of potential and tremendous upside. Both are young quarterbacks looking to make an impact in the NFL. Bortles is entering his third NFL season, and Mariota is entering his sophomore season.

Running Back

The Best: Houston Texans

The Rest: Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Indianapolis Colts

Lamar Miller is going to take the cake on this one. Miller had a very productive season last year for the Miami Dolphins. The former Miami Hurricane ran for eight touchdowns and caught two more. Miller ran for 872 yards to go along with 375 receiving yards. Miller is the favorite in Houston and is seen as an upgrade from the injury-plagued Arian Foster, who signed with the Dolphins in the off-season.

Frank Gore returns in his role for the Indianapolis Colts. Gore is entering his 12th season in the NFL, a majority of which were spent with the San Fransisco 49ers. Gore is a close second in this category due to his ability to stay consistent throughout his NFL career when healthy. Look for him to have numbers similar to his 1,000-plus yard seasons in the past.

DeMarco Murray is a new name to the AFC South. Murray was traded to the Titans in the off-season from the Philadelphia Eagles, where he was unable to thrive in the offensive scheme. Look for him to be more productive in Tennessee alongside rookie Derrick Henry.

Chris Ivory seems to be the new starter for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Ivory signed with the Jags in the off-season, bumping T.J. Yeldon to the number two spot on the depth chart. Ivory is coming off a career season last year with the New York Jets. He rushed for over 1,000 yards and had a career-high eight touchdowns.

Wide Receiver

The Best: Houston Texans

The Rest: Jacksonville Jaguars, Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans

DeAndre Hopkins is hands down the best receiver in the division, and is arguably one of the best wide receivers in the entire NFL. Hopkins had his breakout season last year for the Houston Texans, securing 111 receptions for 1,521 yards and 11 touchdowns. All were career highs. Look for these numbers to increase in 2016 with Brock Osweiler behind center. Early reports from training camp are that the relationship between the wide out and his quarterback is strong.

Allen Robinson is also a favorite in the division. Robinson had a standout year in 2015 with the Jacksonville Jaguars, with 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns in his sophomore season. Look for him to be a major target for Blake Bortles and the revamped Jags roster.

T.Y. Hilton is another name to watch. While he’s no stranger to fans, it’s easy to get lost in such a stacked division when it comes to wide receivers. Hilton had a 1, 000-plus yard season last year despite not having Andrew Luck behind center. He was still able to make plays with Matt Hasselbeck throwing the ball for the injured Luck. With a healthy Luck, look for Hilton to be targeted frequently and to match or increase last season’s numbers.

Rishard Matthews was a new acquisition for the Titans this off-season, having played his previous four seasons with Miami. Matthews had career high numbers last year and looks to increase them alongside sophomore quarterback Marcus Mariota.

Tight End

The Best: Tennessee Titans

The  Rest: Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts

Delanie Walker runs away with this one as the only tight end to have more than 50 receptions or 500 receiving yards. Walker put up career numbers last season, posting 94 receptions, 1,088 yards, and six touchdowns. He was one of Marcus Mariota’s primary targets and will expect to get even more looks as the quarterback out of Oregon finds his groove in his second season.

Julius Thomas out of Jacksonville gets mentioned as the second place tight end although he had less than half as many receptions and receiving yardsas Walker last season. Thomas was also getting acclimated in his first season with the Jaguars. He played in only 12 games. Look for the newly bolstered Jags offense to put up much bigger numbers in the 2016 season.

C.J. Fiedorowicz of the Houston Texans and Dwayne Allen of the Indianapolis Colts finish out the group with 17 and 16 receptions respectively. Both finished the season with one receiving touchdown. Fiedorowicz didn’t get a lot of looks due to the quarterback carousel in Houston and Allen wasn’t targeted nearly as much with Andrew Luck injured and Matt Hasselbeck filling in.

Offensive Line

The Best: Houston Texans

The Rest: Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans

The Texans offensive line has a lot of depth, but some of their starters haven’t played their best football recently. Duane Brown peaked in 2011 and 2012 and had his worst season in 2015. Derek Newton also took a step back after an excellent 2014 season. Although they lost their best interior lineman, Brandon Brooks , they added Jeff Allen via free agent signing, and Tony Bergstrom, which could more than make up for it.

While the Indianapolis line has received a bad reputation in recent years, there is a reason to be optimistic about it going forward. Jack Mewhort’s move to guard was a big success, and Anthony Castonzo has been an above-average left tackle. Joe Reitz has generally played well, and Denzelle Good could push for a starting job after playing well on a small sample size as a rookie. Hugh Thornton’s poor play holds the line back some, and typically centers will grade poorly as rookies—even if they become great later in their careers.

The offensive line was the weak point of the Jaguars’ offense in 2015, and that will likely hold true again in 2016. There is some reason to believe it could improve going forward, though. Kelvin Beachum was a free-agent addition from Pittsburgh who missed 2015, but at his best, can be among the top left tackles in football.

Last season, the Titans played 28 different offensive-line combinations, second-most only to the Patriots. Tennessee has spent first-round picks on linemen in three of the last four seasons, so if any franchise has a lot of potential that hasn’t been fully reached yet, it’s located in Nashville.

Check out the AFC South defensive and special teams breakdown.

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2016 AFC South Breakdown by Position: The Defense and Special Teams

Posted on by Jarred Long

With the position breakdown series in full swing, the next division under the microscope is the AFC South. Here’s a defensive position-by-position breakdown of the AFC South, with “the best” at each position followed by “the rest” in descending order.

2016 AFC South Breakdown by Position: The Defense and Special Teams

Defensive Line

The Best: Houston Texans

The Rest: Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Indianapolis Colts

The defensive front of the Houston Texans that boasts J.J. Watt is going to be up there in terms of a front-seven ranking. It also doesn’t hurt having a Super Bowl champion as your nose tackle. The leadership and mentoring that Vince Wilfork offers is priceless. That, paired with the tenacity of Watt makes for a formidable front line.

The Tennessee Titans defensive front is keyed by Jurrell Casey, who once again was one of the league’s best and most complete interior defenders. The Titans were one of the league’s worst defenses at pass-rushing in the first half of games last season. This led to a lot of time playing from behind in the second half, which led to Wesley Woodyard’s excellent run defense numbers. If the Titans are to step forward in 2016, Derrick Morgan and Brian Orakpo need to make plays earlier in games and be able to pin their ears back more in the second half.

The Jacksonville Jaguars defensive front could be one of the league’s best, but we have to wait and see how the pieces fit together. The glaring hole is in the pass-rush, where the pressure will be on Malik Jackson and last year’s first-round pick, Dante Fowler, to fill the Jags’ biggest defensive need. If every player in this group hits their peak, this is a top ten defensive front.

A strong rookie season from Henry Anderson and a career-year from Kendall Langford were the bright spots in an otherwise disappointing season from the Indianapolis Colts defensive front.

Linebacker

The Best: Houston Texans

The Rest: Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Indianapolis Colts

With a healthy linebacker crew, the Houston Texans get a slight edge in this category. The Texans run a 3-4 scheme, which heavily relies on the use of linebackers to stop the rush and the passer. Whitney Mercilus is one of the upcoming names on defense in the NFL. He made a name for himself last year by accumulating 12 sacks. Jadeveon Clowney will have to step up and play like a former first overall draft pick. The Texans will need him to come through more than anything else because with him drawing attention, it will free up Mercilus to make plays, as opponents will have to devote so much to stopping Clowney and Watt.

On the outside, the Tennessee Titans have a couple of good pass rushers in Brian Orakpo and Derrick Morgan. The problem is both of them have proven to be fairly injury prone throughout their careers. Orakpo tied for the team lead in sacks last season with seven. In two seasons in Tennessee, Wesley Woodyard has 181 tackles and 7.5 sacks, including five last season. If Avery Williamson can make the switch from a 4-3 defense and the core can stay healthy, the Titans could have a wrecking crew behind the line.

This is a little different because the Jacksonville Jaguars are the only team that runs a 4-3 defense, but still the talent they have at linebacker is surprising. On the inside, Paul Posluszny is a tackling machine. In five years in Jacksonville, he has racked up 622 tackles. He also can cover well with 14 career interceptions. This off-season they picked Myles Jack from UCLA in round two, a guy who might have been a top ten pick if not for his injury risk. If Jack can stay healthy, this will be among the best linerbacker units in the league.

Continuing on with the Colts’ pitiful front seven, their linebackers leave something to be desired. Erik Walden is just kind of there, and Trent Cole is past his prime. So is Robert Mathis, who is old and has battled injuries for the last couple of seasons. On the inside, D’Qwell Jackson makes a ton of tackles but really isn’t an impact player. He’s led the team in tackles each of the last two years. They drafted two linebackers this season in Trevor Bates from Maine, and Antonio Morrison from Florida. Don’t be surprised if one or both of them ended up getting significant playing time this season.

Cornerback

The Best: Houston Texans

The Rest: Jacksonville Jaguars, Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans

Jonathan Joseph ended last season on an absolute tear.  Over the final 14 weeks of the season, Joseph was the highest-graded corner in the league in coverage. While Kareem Jackson took a step back from his 2014 form, Kevin Johnson put in a solid rookie display to add to the overall strength of this trio.

Even before the acquisition of Jalen Ramsey in the draft, the Jacksonville secondary had already made strides, and Ramsey could now cap off an ascending group of cornerbacks. After Ramsey fell into Jacksonville’s lap during the draft, the Jags now boast unexpected depth at cornerm with the likes of Aaron Colvin now competing for playing time. Davon House surrendered a passer rating below 80.0 in his first season in Jacksonville, while free-agent signing Prince Amukamara was tied for 17th in the league.

Vontae Davis has an incredible 2014 campaign with Indianapolis and fans were eager to see if he could keep up his elite numbers from 2014. After his miraculous 2014 campaign (no touchdowns allowed, 13 pass defenses, 41.2 passer rating allowed) Davis returned to giving up too many touchdowns to be considered among the league’s elite, but 2015 was still a solid season for him. Behind him, the support was lacking. Another strong season from free-agent addition Patrick Robinson will give the Colts a quality starting pair, but the competition to be their third corner looked to be wide open. With a right ankle sprain expected to sideline Davis until October, the team went out and signed free agent Antonio Cromartie to help fill the void. Clearly, this situation is one to be monitored.

2015 was a rough year for the Tennessee Titans, and their cornerback corps didn’t escape the damage. Among the corners who registered playing time, only rookie slot corner Cody Riggs surrendered a passer rating below 100.0. Jason McCourty is now three years removed from his best form, but his sure tackling will at least provide an upgrade after Perrish Cox and Coty Sensabaugh missed a combined 23 tackles last year.

Safety

The Best: Houston Texans

The Rest: Jacksonville Jaguars, Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans

The safety position is arguably the weakest of the division. The safeties in the AFC South aren’t top shelf or household names, but Houston does lay claim to the best two in the division. Andre Hal and Quintin Demps of the Texans both finished the 2015 campaign with above average grades in coverage.  The other three teams have sub-par grades for coverage after the 2015 season.

The Colts come in at number two with Mike Adams and rookie T.J. Green. Green was a standout his senior year at Clemson. He was a wideout who made the transition to safety his sophomore year. Green will improve through repetition, and will slowly make a name for himself if he can keep silly penalties to a minimum.

The Jaguars are poised to have a solid cornerback platoon, but the question comes down to which version of the safeties fans will see. One question is which version of Tashaun Gipson is going to show up this season; after earning the 15th-best overall grade in 2014, he dropped all the way to 83rd out of 88 qualifying safeties in 2015. Jonathan Cyprien was not much, if any better, with a negative grade that ranked 85th.

The poor Titans. Unfortunately, they will find themselves at the bottom of most of these lists. About the only thing that went right for the Titans’ secondary last year was the addition of Da’Norris Searcy, who finished the season with a career-high coverage grade.

Special Teams

The Best: Indianapolis Colts

The Rest: Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans

Pat McAfee excelled both as a punter and a kickoff specialist, ranking first and fourth in the league, respectively. His 47.7 gross average on punts ranked second in the league. The ageless Adam Vinatieri was the fifth-highest graded kicker, missing only two field goals all season. Quan Bray had the third-highest grade among kick returners, despite playing only nine games.

The Titans come in at number two. Brett Kern earned the second-highest grade among punters, averaging 47.4 gross yards per punt. He forced the second-most fair catches (23), surrendered the second-fewest touchbacks (two), and had the fourth-most punts downed inside the 20-yard line (35). Return man Dexter McCluster was solid before an injury ended his season, and cover men David Bass, Daimion Stafford, and Phillip Supernaw combined for 19 solo special teams tackles, two assists, one forced a fumble, and one fumble recovery, while combining for just one missed tackle. Titans special teamers forced four total turnovers during the course of the 2015 season.

Jason Myers had a very up and down first year in Jacksonville. He struggled so much early on that some fans wanted him replaced. But as the year went on he got better, and missed just four field goals all season. Where he struggled was with extra points, missing a league-high seven. But overall he has a strong leg and could very easily improve in year two. While the kickoff returns were nothing special last season, they had the highest average on punt returns in the league. Former Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall and running back Denard Robinson make for a couple decent returners. Unfortunately for them, their coverage units are not as good.

After being brought in a few games into last season, Nick Novak made 18 of21 field goals, good for 85.7%. Randy Bullock was 5-6, which is 83.3%. Shane Lechler earned the reputation of being one of the best punters in the league during his time in Oakland, but the big legged former Texas A&M Aggie really looked his age last season. He ranked 26th among 32 qualified punters in net last season at 38.8 yards. He had a league-high ten touchbacks, and one of the highest punt return averages against in the league. Keith Mumphery is handling the bulk of the punt return duties. The Texans need to hope somebody steps up as a returner during training camp, and the coaches are betting mostly on fourth-round pick Tyler Ervin, the San Jose State speedster who was likely brought in for this exact purpose.

Coaching

The Best: Indianapolis Colts    The Rest: Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans

Chuck Pagano has to be the best coach in the AFC South. What he is able to do for and with a team is astonishing. He returned to coaching after a bout with cancer and was still able to lead the Colts to a second place finish last season without Andrew Luck.

Bill O’Brien is making his presence known, both in Houston and in the NFL. During last season, his second with Houston, a lot more of his changes were noticeable. His offensive and defensive schemes came to life, leading the Texans to a division title.

Gus Bradley inherited an awful Jacksonville team that went just 3-13 his first year as head coach. On the upside, each season since then has been an improvement over the prior. 2016 could be a very good year for the Jaguars.

There’s not a large sample size from Titans head coach Mike Mularkey. He was originally hired to be the tight ends coach with Tennessee and was promoted to interim head coach after Ken Whisenhunt was relieved of his coaching duties. In the off-season, the Titans announced that they would retain Mularkey full time as the head coach.

Check out the AFC South offensive breakdown.

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Eli Rogers Could Shine in the Pittsburgh Steelers Offense

Posted on by Logan Helfferich

The Pittsburgh Steelers offense has been hyped up to be one of the best offenses in the NFL coming into the 2016 season. Even with suspensions to Le’Veon Bell (three games) and Martavis Bryant (season), the Steelers offense still promises to put up big numbers this season. Second year wide receiver, Eli Rogers, has shown that he is willing to step up in Bryant’s absence and be a dependable target for Ben Roethlisberger. With star wide receiver Antonio Brown drawing most of the opposing defense’s attention, Rogers could have a breakout season.

Eli Rogers Could Shine in the Pittsburgh Steelers Offense

Rogers was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Steelers last year, after playing his college football for the Louisville Cardinals. Rogers ended up being placed on injured reserve last season after suffering a broken foot during training camp. So far this preseason, Rogers has shown what he is capable of. The talented receiver has even played alongside the starters and has shown that he belongs.

Rogers By the Numbers

So far this preseason, Rogers has seven receptions for 64 yards. While those numbers may not necessarily raise eyebrows, anyone watching the games can see what a presence he has on the field. Against the Philadelphia Eagles, Rogers had his best game of the preseason with four receptions for 39 yards, giving him a nice average of nine yards per reception. More importantly than his skills as a receiver is the fact that Rogers has also been named the team’s punt returner by head coach Mike Tomlin.

Steelers Depth at Wide Receiver

Ahead of Rogers on the depth chart at wide receiver are: Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant (suspended), Markus Wheaton, Sammie Coates and Darrius Heyward-Bey. Even though Rogers is listed as the sixth receiver on the depth chart, he’s all but wrapped up a spot on the roster since he’s been named the punt returner. Brown has shown that he has the skills to return punts, but the coaches likely don’t want him to take any extra chances of getting injured. It’ll be interesting to see if Rogers also returns kickoffs as well as punts, since Tomlin has shown over the years that he prefers having a running back return kickoffs.

With Bryant out, Rogers moves up to the fifth spot on the depth chart at wide receiver. Another unfortunate injury would move Rogers up into the fourth spot and the Steelers love to spread the field on offense, especially when running the hurry-up offense. With Brown and Heyward-Bey on the outside, Wheaton and Rogers will play the slot positions. Extra attention focused on Brown, as well as Bell and/or DeAngelo Williams coming out of the backfield, will free up Wheaton and Rogers over the middle. The number of weapons that the Steelers have on offense ensures that someone will always have a linebacker or defensive lineman covering them.

The relative unknown factor of Rogers will help him succeed even more. NFL defenses won’t key on him and he’ll slip through the middle of the defense over and over until he starts being recognized. Rogers will likely have a linebacker or defensive lineman lined up across from him more than any other receiver. Even with all of the suspensions and injuries plaguing the Steelers offense, there is no lack of talent. Rogers will gladly step up and fill the void left by Bryant and Bell, as well as newly acquired Ladarius Green. Look for Rogers to become yet another highly successful wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

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