Erik Karlsson: Latest Trade Rumors (Updated Version)

By: Adamo Marinelli

August 31st, 2018

    After a quiet July in terms of trying to trade all-star defenseman Erik Karlsson, GM Pierre Dorion and the Senators would prefer to trade him before the regular season starts ending a year-long saga and freeing him from the organization’s perpetual state of dysfunction.

    The Senators in a last resort attempt to sign Karlsson after they failed to trade him before the trade deadline, offered him an eight-year contract extension worth $80 million, an average annual value of $10 million on July 1st, the first day of eligibility to resign their franchise defenseman. Karlsson’s team rejected the deal, considering the deal is well below market value for a player who is considered the best defenseman in the NHL. After that, a month long hiatus of silence surrounding Karlsson trade rumours happened in July. Then, in late August, trade rumours began to resurface.

    As of now, it appears Karlsson will be going to a western conference team. The favourites to land Erik Karlsson are the Canucks, Golden Knights, Stars and the underdog Sharks. The Tampa Bay Lightning appear to be out of the conversation, despite being a favourite to land Karlsson at one point. Although, he’d be a logical fit in Tampa Bay. One should never count out Steve Yzerman, but the Tampa Bay Lightning have to address many complicated contract issues on their team before they make another huge deal. So, Karlsson would likely be traded to one of those four western conference teams by the beginning of the regular season.

    The Senators would likely be trading Bobby Ryan and his seven-year contract at about $7,250,000 a year with Karlsson to get rid of the contract. For a franchise defenseman (despite his bad season last year) and a pretty talented forward, the Senators should be able to get two amazing current roster players back, and a first-round draft pick.

    According to Sporting News: “If Ottawa is unable to move Karlsson before the 2018-19 season starts, they run the risk of losing power at the negotiating table with another team, or even playing out the season with Karlsson on the roster, and then having him walk in the summer of 2019 for nothing....and Ottawa already having unsuccessfully tried to move him prior to the 2018 deadline.”

    In my personal opinion, that is not true. Karlsson didn’t have a very productive season last year, which is why he wasn’t traded at the deadline. Also, if the Senators keep him on the roster for this season, and he has a spectacular season up until the trade deadline, and is very productive, then his market value will be even higher than ever before and he’d be worth a lot more than he was asking for during this past trade deadline and offseason. As a result, when the Senators trade Karlsson and Bobby Ryan at the 2019 trade deadline, Karlsson would be at his peak value and they would be able to get two amazing current roster players, a first-round draft pick and a handful of talented prospects for Karlsson and Ryan. I think trading Karlsson at the deadline (maybe even with Ryan) is a better plan than trading him before the season starts as long as you know you have plenty of good offers when the deadline comes around. If not,  take what you can get before the start of the season.

    However, if Karlsson stays with the Senators and doesn’t have a good season this year, then the Senators will not be able to trade him before the 2019 trade deadline and if they do trade him they might not get as much as they deserve in return for Karlsson. As he is a superstar and they should get a lot back for him. But, even a superstar, after a couple bad seasons, especially in a row, is in danger of having is market value deteriorating. They also probably won’t get any trade offers for Karlsson in the 2019 offseason, so Karlsson will walk as a free agent in the summer of 2019 and the Senators won’t get anything in return while being stuck with Ryan.

    But Karlsson having a bad year this season is very unlikely, last year’s lackluster performance was just a fluke, he was playing with a foot injury that he received before 2017’s amazing playoff run. He played in the playoffs despite the injury which worsened his condition and by the time he returned from surgery in late October, he had missed a month of the season (11 games) and still wasn’t 100% healthy. Karlsson is a superstar, after all.

    However, Karlsson is a superstar. Teams that want to trade for Karlsson know what they’re getting in Karlsson. A superstar. An elite talent that plays his hardest every game. One of the best in defenders in the NHL. Him having a good year is not a fluke. Him having a bad year is a fluke. He only had a bad year because he was injured this season, an injury that lingered from last year. He is consistent year in and year out. Not only is he an elite defenseman who makes lots of plays and gets lots of assists but he is also very good on offence and knows how to score goals. And he does. If he has one bad year, like this past year, it doesn’t matter. He’s still a superstar and all 30 other NHL teams would love to have him. And they’d give up more to get him sooner rather than later.

    So, in one way, trading him now, before the season starts is better than trading him at the trade deadline. If the Senators trade Karlsson now, they can negotiate with teams and get a lot more in return for Karlsson, especially if they include Ryan in the trade (although at Karlsson worth $12 million a year and Ryan $7 million per year, it’d be hard for one team to absorb this amount of money, so it looks like Karlsson and Ryan will only be traded away together if a third team is involved or else Karlsson will be traded individually.) If they wait until the trade deadline, the Senators will be in a bind and might not get as much in return for Karlsson compared to what they can get before the season starts. They’ll have to accept whatever deal a team offers for Karlsson even if the Senators don’t get as much back as they give away because if they don’t accept that deal, they might not get another deal and then Karlsson will walk away from the Senators in the summer of 2019 as a free agent because Karlsson doesn’t want to stay in Ottawa, especially if he is not paid what he’s worth. But, you can still get a good and fair deal for a superstar before the trade deadline but it doesn’t happen very often considering teams are normally in a bind in the trade deadline. The more the Senators get back for Karlsson, the faster they rebuild.

    So if I were the Senators’ general manager, I’d keep Karlsson for the start of this upcoming season, if I was sure I can get a lot for let him in the trade deadline. Even if he doesn’t want to play in Ottawa, if he has a great season this year the Senators can trade him at his peak value at next year’s trade deadline (with Ryan) to maximize what they get back in the trade. And, Karlsson won’t have a bad year this season, in fact, he’ll try to make this year one of the best in his career, as he knows the better he plays this year with Ottawa, the more he’ll get paid by another team as the Senators are not going to re-sign Karlsson as Melnyk doesn’t want to spend all that money even though he’s talented. Even a superstar by playing amazing can increase their market value even more which will give him more money and the team he is traded from more players in return. If I wasn’t sure I can get a lot for him in the trade deadline or despite all the interest in Karlsson, if teams give less in return to the Senators for Karlsson because they know the trade deadline is the last chance for the Senators to trade Karlsson and if they don’t accept the trade (even if the Senators don’t get a lot in return for him in the trade), Karlsson will walk as a free agent and Ottawa will get nothing for an elite talent. In this case, I’d trade him before the season starts and make sure I get plenty in return for Karlsson instead of risking getting less than he’s worth or nothing if he walks.

    I do not work in the Senators front office, so obviously, I don’t know all the details, but this is what can happen if the Senators trade him before the season and if they wait to trade him in the trade deadline.

Denver Broncos vs Washington Redskins Recap

By: Adamo Marinelli

August 28th, 2018

    The Denver Broncos put on a show in their 29-17 win against the Redskins in week four of the preseason and had an excellent performance from all positions during the game. Even better, the Broncos first team offence and defence had their best game in the preseason thus far. The Broncos are now 1-2 thus far in the preseason, so are the Redskins.

    Case Keenum looked a little shaky in the first two games in the preseason, with only one completion for five yards against the Vikings and then improving in the next game against the Bears with eight completions on 13 attempts for 78 yards. In the third game, Keenum looked like the QB that led the Vikings to the NFC championship game last season.

    Against the Redskins, Keenum moved the ball very well, spreading it out to many different receivers and running backs extending drives and scoring points. On five drives for Case Keenum in the first half, he scored points on three of them -- a 50-yard field goal by Brandon McManus on their first drive and a rushing touchdown from both Royce Freeman on their second drive and Emmanuel Sanders on their fourth drive -- and only going 3 & out once on their third drive. On the fifth drive, he was able to get one first down with the help of a three-yard rush from Devontae Booker. On the following series of downs, he had two incompletions, the second one batted down by a Redskins’ defender and a sack that forced a punt. He finished the half, and his night, completing 12-18 passes for 148 yards.

   Despite the fact, he has not scored a passing touchdown thus far into the preseason, the entire first-string offence around him has improved greatly scoring either a touchdown or a field goal on its last five of seven possessions after starting the preseason with three consecutive three and out drives. By the time the regular season comes, Keenum will be throwing touchdown passes like it’s nothing. Another positive, the starting offence did not start the game with a 3 & out drive, like they did in their first two preseason games. The most important thing, however, is Keenum is yet to cause a turnover this preseason. He has not thrown an interception or lost a fumble. Considering turnovers and lack of ball security plagued the Broncos last season, it’s awesome to have a QB who knows a lot about ball security.

    Not only did Keenum succeed in last week’s game but so did many other fantastic players on the Broncos’ roster.

    Emmanuel Sanders had four receptions for 61 yards and one rush for 27 yards for a touchdown on a reverse handoff with a fullback block from Andy Janovich. In the Broncos’ fourth drive, where Sanders got into the end zone, he accounted for all 75 yards of the Broncos’ offence. He had two receptions for 48 yards and then proceeded to rush the ball 27 yards for a touchdown. Sanders had an amazing game, especially on this drive, running all over the field, beating defenders, winning jump balls, being a threat in both the receiving and ground game and proving he’s an elite wide receiver.

    Royce Freeman, the rookie, a third-round pick in 2018 draft showed he is the real deal and made his case to be the Broncos’ starting running back this season. Not only did he score a 24-yard touchdown, he also had 26 yards on five carries. He has now scored a touchdown in all three preseason games thus far. That is incredible, especially for a rookie.

    The Broncos’ offensive line also played an amazing game, they looked like a brick wall allowing adequate time for Keenum to throw the ball, excellent pass protection, and provided lots of holes on the Redskins’ defensive line and gave plenty of room for the running backs to work with and run through. They only gave up one sack and only had one penalty -- an unnecessary roughness call on Garret Bolles for pushing Anthony Lanier after he sacked Keenum on 3rd down, forcing the Broncos to punt for the second time. Overall, an excellent performance by the offensive linemen. They ate much better than they were last year.

    Philip Lindsay also had a very good game in three categories. He had five rushes for 31 yards and one reception for 18 yards but he also had one kick return for 18 yards. Kicking and punt returning have improved significantly from last season, Isaiah McKenzie hasn’t muffed a single punt or kick and now they also have undrafted free agent rookie Philip Lindsay out of Colorado who can return punts and kicks. They also have cornerback Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones to strengthen their cornerback depth, which may be the only position of need in Denver who is also proficient at kick and punt returns.

    Brandon McManus also was on fire, going 5/5 in field goals, making two from 50 yards out or longer, with one from 50, the other from 56. Marquette King, the punter also had 2 punts for 94 yards, pinning the offence deep into their own territory, which is important on special teams.

    Overall, the offence was good in this game and should have an amazing season if they continue to play like they did against the Redskins, with an elite QB in Case Keenum, amazing WRs in Emmanuel Sanders, Demaryius Thomas, Courtland Sutton and Deshaun Hamilton, a pretty good running game with Royce Freeman, Devontae Booker, Carlos Henderson, Philip Lindsay, and finally they have a strong tight end core with Jake Butt, Jeff Heuerman and even Troy Fumagalli. Keenum is one of the 22 players not expected to play their final preseason game against the Cardinals but will study the Cardinals’ defence to prepare for their week seven matchup against them. Chad Kelly will start against the Cardinals on August 30th, so Keenum will also help him play well with the first string offence and will help Lynch when he plays in the second half.

    But the Broncos’ defence was also spectacular. As well as amassing 2.5 sacks -- one against Alex Smith and 1.5 against Colt Mccoy, which shows excellence in the pass rushing department but they also limited Alex Smith and the Redskins starting offence to 33 passing yards as Smith only completed 3-8 passes for 33 yards. Great pressure applied by the starting defensive line and the starting pass rushers to collapse the pocket and a great performance by the starting secondary only giving up 33 yards through the air. Chubb got 0.5 sacks as he had help bringing down Mccoy and the other half of that sack didn’t register as a sack but only a tackle, Adam Gotsis got one sack against Smith and Shane Ray with another sack against Mccoy. The Broncos will have an excellent season in 2018, as well as their offence, with an amazing defensive line, pass rushers in Von Miller, Bradley Chubb, Derek Wolfe and Shane Ray amongst others as well as a decent secondary with cornerbacks in Chris Harris Jr., Bradley Roby, Tramaine Brock, and newly acquired Adam Jones and safeties Darion Stewart, Su’a Cravens once he returns from injury, Justin Simmons and Will Parks.

    The linebackers were also amazing, applying pressure to the quarterback, helping out in close pass protection and amazing in stopping the running game. After being startled by Adrian Peterson’s seven-yard run to start the game, the Broncos pretty much stopped him the rest of the game. He finished with 11 carries for 56 yards, Kapri Bibbs, an ex. Bronco, had two carries for 41 yards and the Redskins only finished with 136 rushing yards from six rushers.

    In the fourth quarter, Redskins’ QB Kevin Hogan came into the game and completed 7-9 passes for 88 yards and two passing touchdowns to bring the Redskins within 12 points, the Broncos now only led 29-17 after leading 23-3 going into the fourth quarter. This was against the Broncos’ second-team defence. The second team pass rushers weren’t able to sack Hogan however, they pressured him four times and their second team secondary including cornerbacks Isaac Yiadom, a rookie fresh out of Boston College selected in the third round of the 2018 draft and Brendan Langley, a cornerback drafted in the third round in the 2017 draft. Obviously, those cornerbacks are not NFL ready yet, but eventually will be ready to start. That’s okay, because the players on the second team defence will eventually improve enough to move up to a starter.

    Overall, it was a great game for the Broncos’ offence, defence and special teams. Head coach Vance Joseph managed the game well, offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave ran the offence smoothly and was an excellent play caller, leading drives that led to the Broncos scoring points which gave them the win. Also, the defensive coordinator, Joe Woods had an excellent game, limiting the Redskins’ starting offence to nearly no production on the ground or the air. Keenum’s success in this game was owed to his talent and the collaboration of offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave and QB coach Klint Kubiak who worked together to help Keenum play well.

    In terms of injury, Broncos’ safety Su’a Cravens, with a knee injury is questionable for Friday’s preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals but he took the field on Monday, August 27th, for his first practice all preseason long. He should be okay to start the regular season. Broncos’ tight end Troy Fumagalli, with a sports hernia injury won’t play against the Cardinals and is questionable for September 9th when the Broncos open up their season against the season at home. The rookie out of Wisconsin has been battling this injury for a couple of months now and it seems like he’ll need time to rest and get back to full health. So it’s likely he will miss the first few weeks of the regular season. And, it looks like Jake Butt and Jeff Heuerman will be the starting tight ends for the Broncos to start the regular season. Broncos’ safety Will Parks who suffered a knee injury against the Bears exited the game but head coach Vance Joseph indicated that Parks avoided structural damage and is only dealing with a bruise. He appears to have avoided a serious injury and it’s unclear whether he will play against the Cardinals bit should be okay to start the regular season. Also, safety Shamarko Thomas did not suffer a detached retina, contradictory to previous reports and he’s still being evaluated by Broncos’ trainers and it’s not clear when he will return to the field. A detached retina would have meant immediate season-ending surgery to save his vision.

    The Redskins injuries include: running back Derrius Guice who tore his ACL and his out for the season, which is why the Redskins signed running back Adrian Peterson; running back Chris Thompson with a lower leg injury, he is questionable for their final preseason game but Jay Gruden said Thompson’s leg looks “fantastic” in practice, Kareem Copeland of The Washington Post reports after he has been held out for all of the Redskins’ preseason games despite participating in all practices since the beginning of training camp. He is questionable to start the regular season. Also, tight end Jordan Reed is questionable for the last preseason game with a toe injury is on track to play in week one of the regular season against the Cardinals. Washington has taken a cautious approach with Reed and Thompson throughout the preseason, not playing them at all, despite them participating in training camp due to their infamous injury history. Also, backup QB Colt Mccoy is questionable for their last preseason game but Alex Smith and Kevin Hogan should do just fine and wide receiver Jamison Crowder didn’t play against the Broncos and is questionable for the last preseason game and the start of the regular season with a groin injury.  

    Overall, the Broncos had an amazing game on both offence, defence and special teams and were the better team against the Redskins in their 29-17 win. They should have a pretty good year, might even make the playoffs.

    In their final preseason game, the 1-2 Redskins visit the undefeated 4-0 Baltimore Ravens and the 1-2 Broncos visit Josh Rosen and the Arizona Cardinals who are 3-0 in preseason thus far to try and finish at .500 in the preseason.

Philadelphia Eagles vs Cleveland Browns Recap

By: Adamo Marinelli

August 26th, 2018

    To open up week four of the 2018 NFL preseason, on August 23rd, 2018, the 1-1 Cleveland Browns hosted the defending Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles who are 0-2 thus far in the preseason.

    This game resembled a hockey or baseball game more than a football game due to its low score. Cleveland started the scoring by sacking Nick Foles in the end zone for two points in the first quarter and then preceded to kick a field goal in the second quarter. Those were the only points of the game.

    However, this game made a few factors evident. That the Cleveland Browns’ defence is excellent and their offence is great now with Taylor and Mayfield at QB. Also, the Eagles defence is great even without a few of their starters and the Eagles offence has been terrible all preseason long. Their quarterbacks and offensive line particularly. Of course, WRs Alshon Jeffery and Nelson Agholor are injured but, the fact remains: the Eagles will not be as good as last year if this offensive struggle persists. Their first-string offence hasn’t scored a single point all preseason long (on 14 drives over three games). Not even a field goal. That’s not like them.

    First, let’s talk about Cleveland’s defence: They played amazing all game long. They looked like an elite defence that’s been talented for over a decade. They looked like Denver’s defence in 2015, Seattle’s defence in 2013, the Steel Curtain, even Philadelphia’s 2017 defence. Their secondary didn’t surrender any points and only gave up 199 yards of total offence. Their pass rush was excellent, collecting seven sacks. They also only gave up 101 rushing yards. One of those sacks resulted in a safety for two points. No wonder the Eagles scored no points. Everything worked well for the Brown’s defence, even playcalling. Their defensive coordinator must be proud. This season should be a good one for pass rushers Myles Garrett, Mychal Kendricks and all of their secondary.

    Next, Cleveland’s offence: Despite only registering three points on a 54-yard field goal from Zane Gonzalez to lead 5-0 in the second quarter, in general, their offence looked much better than last season, where they ranked dead last in production last season. Taylor completed 4-8 of his passes for 19 yards before being sidelined with a left hand injury after he fell awkwardly, wrist first, onto the turf (replays showed his left wrist bent backward) after an incomplete pass on a fourth and goal from the Eagles’ one-yard line on the Brown’s second offensive series of the game. He only missed a few drives before he returned later in the second quarter. He finished the second quarter completing 11-16 passes with 65 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. Taylor was re-evaluated by medical staff on Friday, August 24th, and X-rays came back negative, which means it’s not a serious injury but head coach Hue Jackson said: "We will continue to look at it and see where we are as we head into next week. X-rays were negative but I think it is important that we do everything that we need to do to make sure exactly where that hand is.” In other words, to make sure the hand is okay for the start of the regular season.  However, Mayfield, as well as filling in for Taylor when he was temporarily injured, also started and played most of the second half until he collided head first into one of his teammates in the fourth quarter. Baker Mayfield went 8-12 of his passes for 76 yards and one interception in the game. QB Drew Stanton finished the game completing 1-3 passes for seven yards. Mayfield was evaluated for a concussion and appears not to have one. Not an astounding night but it will improve as the season progresses, especially if the QBs stay healthy. And with two young and talented QBs in Tyrod Taylor, traded from the Bills and Baker Mayfield, the first overall pick in 2018; with Nick Chubb, Carlos Hyde and Duke Johnson as RBs, and with receivers in Jarvis Landry, Antonio Callaway, Josh Gordon and new TE David Njoku, their offence should be a very good unit in 2018. The Browns’ intend to start Taylor with Mayfield as the backup in the season opener on September 9th against Pittsburgh.

    Now, Philadelphia’s defence: They had a great year last season in 2017, both in the pass rush department with DEs Derek Barnett, Chris Long, Brandon Graham and Michael Bennett, LB Nigel Bradham, DT Fletcher Cox and an amazing secondary with players in Jalen Mills, Rodney Mcleod, Ronald Darby, Malcolm Jenkins. They played pretty well limiting the Browns’ offence to only a field goal, 141 passing yards and 138 rushing yards while adding four sacks. The Eagles defence’s most notable accomplishment in this game was stopping the Browns’ offence on four plays from their own one-yard line. The Eagles’ defence did play very well making big plays when it counted, especially on the goal-line stand, but, the Brown’s defence had a better game, making more plays and limiting the Eagles to no points with three more sacks than the Eagles, even though some of both team’s defensive starters didn’t play in tonight’s game. Although, their defence looks to have another incredible year this season which will give them a chance to win their division and make the playoffs.

    Finally, Philadelphia’s offence: The Eagles’ offence was very quiet and lackluster in their performance against the Browns. Their first and second string offence didn’t score a single point the entire game (although they had a touchdown called back as the receiver’s foot was out of bounds when he got control of the ball in the end zone and Jake Elliott missed a 33 yard field goal in the second half) and their main struggles were the quarterbacks and the offensive line. The offensive line surrendered seven sacks and 16 pressures, which is not good whatsoever and they had five linemen start at one point in the game which will be worrisome for this coming season. Also, Nick Foles completed 13-17 passes for 127 yards and two interceptions and Nate Sudfeld completed 11-21 passes for 72 yards. That is not a very good performance at QB for either of them. However, you can’t put all the blame on them due to the weak offensive line and the main WRs in Jeffrey and Agholor not playing due to injury. They also had a weak running game, only rushing for 101 yards, however, none of the starters in Jay Ajayi, Darren Sproles and Corey Clement played. With them, the rushing game will improve, but tonight without them, the lack of a ground game didn’t help the QBs especially under pressure. As well as all that, the Eagles’ offence fumbled and lost the ball once, and gave up a safety for a total of four turnovers including the two aforementioned interceptions by Nick Foles.

    Eagles coach Doug Pederson was upset with his team's offensive performance, not just Foles. “I don't want to single out one player, so don't put this all on Nick,” Pederson said. “I'm disappointed in the offense. It's not what you want obviously in the third preseason week. We still want to evaluate and make sure we got the right guys in the right spots.” Finally, at this point of the preseason, with Wentz just recently starting to get reps in 11-11 drills, waiting to be cleared to play again following knee surgery after suffering an ACL injury last December, it appears the Super Bowl 52 MVP Nick Foles will be the starting QB for the first few games of the 2018 season at least. If Foles plays like he did against the Browns, the Eagles will not have a great start to the season. But if he plays like he did in last year’s playoffs everything should be fine in terms of QB. It is also undetermined if WR Alshon Jeffery will be ready to play in week one after playing all of last season with a torn rotator cuff. Furthermore, all the starting RBs and the majority of the first-string defence are ready for their week one game against the Falcons too. Other notable injuries include Eagles’ center Jason Kelce, who limped to the sideline after making a block on the first drive. The location of the injury is unknown but is expected to be lower body due to him limping off the field. However, he did agility and stretching drills under the guidance of the training staff and returned for Philadelphia's next possession, so the injury isn’t serious and he should be fine for week one. Also, the fourth overall pick and Browns’ CB Denzel Ward will undergo an MRI after suffering a back injury in the first quarter. He appeared to be twisted while tackling 250 pound Eagles’ TE Zach Ertz. He was down several minutes before leaving the field on his own. Furthermore, Browns' starting safety Damarious Randall did not dress because of a knee injury. He was not on the team's original "not expected to play" list. Also, rookie WR Antonio Callaway did not dress after missing three practices with a groin injury.

    In the final week of preseason, week five, the Browns visit the Lions in what will be an important game for both of their QBs and entire offence to show they can put up points and the Eagles will host the Jets in hopes of winning their first preseason game.

What is the NFL’s new helmet rule and why it has to be removed

By: Adamo Marinelli

August 23rd, 2018

    The NFL decided to change things up a little bit with a rule change that alters the way defensive players hit their opponents and vice-versa, and also alters the game in a sense that there is 15 yards awarded each time the penalty is called. That can very quickly change momentum in a football game, especially in a close game.

What is the rule:

    The new NFL helmet rule states that: “players can't lead, or initiate contact, with their helmets on tackles”. Players especially cannot lower their heads before making a tackle as the result of injuries are higher for both players when heads are down. Each time the penalty occurs, on both sides of the ball, the opposing team is awarded 15 yards. Not to mention, players can be ejected if they are charged with this penalty twice or just appear to be targeting a certain player. So the NFL wants players to tackle with your shoulders and keep your head up and neck straight.

    As of now, the penalty has already been called 51 times through three weeks of preseason, including the Hall of Fame Game leading coaches, players, and analysts to express confusion. In fact, most of these flags thrown, upon second inspection, misinterpret the new rule. So, essentially the new rule isn’t even doing its job. It’s only causing unnecessary drama throughout the NFL.

    Chicago Bears cornerback Prince Amukamara told Business Insider that: “the new rule could be problematic because it may force players to think or hesitate on the field”. Clearly, in a game that is all about inches, you do not want players hesitating on making a tackle. This new rule seems to create a steep learning curve for players and coaches that will create plenty of controversies this season.

    One of the many controversies so far, was a harmless looking sack from the Minnesota Vikings’ defence against Blake Bortles in week three of preseason (including the Hall of Fame Game which was the sole game in week one) was called roughing the passer which kept the drive alive for Jacksonville. The Jaguars ended up winning the game 14-10. The reason why the penalty was called is because the Vikings’ defender lowered his head before initiating contact. Before the new rule, that would have been a clean sack, but with the addition of the controversial rule, the head hit was ruled a penalty and it changed the game’s momentum and gave the Jaguars the win. Also, this has not been the only example of this new and ridiculous rule affecting the outcome of games. There have been many more instances so far this preseason.

Why the new rule must be abolished:

    Many players say this rule should not be allowed to stay because it takes the ‘football’ out of football. Even if you lead a tackle with your shoulders, which is what the NFL wants players to do, your head still goes down following your shoulders; as both body parts are connected by your neck. It’s just how human biology works. So, instead of eliminating the real football and forcing the players to lead tackles with their shoulders and to strike low with the new rule, just educate the players on safe tackling. Safe tackling is leading with your head, however, not the crown of your head, instead, your head is up, your neck is straight, you are looking in front of you and tackling with your facemask. In other words, grab your opponent by the shoulders and tackle him to the ground with your facemask facing his, so your head up. If you led with the crown of your head, you can get paralysed. Josh Norman said: “Now [the new rule will make it] easier for refs to throw another flag for something a player, in that split second, didn't intend to do.”

    That is not only an easier way to get the message of safe tackling into players heads but it is also a better way to enforce safe tackling than with a new rule that just adds confusion and unnecessary, game-changing penalties that confuse both the players, the coaches and sometimes even the referees. I’m not saying I want the NFL players to get injured because I don’t. I want the NFL players to stay safe. I just think it’s better to educate players on safe tackling rather than making a new rule that prevents tackles leading with the head, which is the most common and effective form of tackling because tackles to the knees can result in more serious injuries than tackles to the head as there is more protection on your head than on your knees. But, injuries to both places can be very serious and career ending. After all, football cannot exist without at least some violence, in particular leading a tackle with your facemask as that’s the most effective way to tackle for defenders.

    The NFL overall has gone down in passing yards and points in the past two seasons and I suppose adding this penalty to make it harder on the defence to make tackles and stops will increase the overall number of passing yards and points, but I don’t think a penalty is the right way to do this. Offences just need new plays in their playbooks to generate points, not help from a penalty that makes a defender’s life harder. After all, defence wins championships. This is another reason why this rule should be abolished.

    San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman also continued his criticism of the new rule, telling USA Today Sports that: “It's going to be a disaster." Sherman added: “It's ridiculous, they'll see how ridiculous it is, once they make the refs call it. It's going to be worse than holding, worse than the catch rule. On a good form tackle, guys will lead with their shoulder pads, but you bring your head.”

Conclusion:

    The new helmet rule is not going to help the NFL advance in terms of player safety. It will only hinder that advancement. There is no fixing or altering it. It’s simple. The NFL must get rid of the new helmet rule. It’s only confused players, coaches and referees in the preseason and it will continue to do the same in the regular season. The NFL’s ratings have been down the last two seasons, and with this rule, the lackluster reviews will only continue for another season at least. At the end of the day, whether this rule stays or goes is not my decision, but in my honest opinion, I think it should be removed, and removed fast. Before the 2018 regular season would be great. The rule won’t completely ruin the NFL, but it still has to go.

The Redblacks make a statement, pummel Blue Bombers 44-21

By: Adamo Marinelli

August 20th, 2018

    On August 17th, the Redblacks came to Winnipeg expecting a close game from an explosive Winnipeg offence led by Matt Nichols and CFL leading rusher Andrew Harris. The game wasn’t very close at all, except for when Ottawa led 8-7 after Winnipeg’s first touchdown to counter Ottawa’s first touchdown in a Redblacks 44-21 win in dominant fashion.

    Ottawa’s offence, defence and special teams were clicking. The Redblacks’ offence played a spectacular game and everyone on the offence was producing. Trevor Harris went 29-39 throwing for 361 yards and a passing touchdown. William Powell had an explosive game both on the ground and in the air with 18 carries for 106 yards and a rushing touchdown to give the Redblacks a 44-21 lead with about seven-and-a-half minutes remaining in the fourth quarter to put the nail in the coffin in this game and secure the win for the Redblacks. He also added four receptions for 46 yards. Both Ellingson and Sinopoli played a huge role in the passing game with eight receptions for 100 yards and three receptions for 51 yards respectively. Dominic Rhymes also was a weapon for the Redblacks with five receptions for 81 yards and a touchdown from Harris. Dominique Davis, the backup QB was another superstar against the Blue Bombers with three rushes for four yards and two one-yard rushing touchdowns.

    Ottawa’s defence played extremely well also. They held the leading rusher in the CFL, Andrew Harris to only 72 yards on 12 carries with one touchdown. He normally produces 150+ yards per game so the Ottawa’s run defence was clearly a factor in making Winnipeg’s offence one dimensional. And despite Winnipeg QB Matt Nichols went 23-35 passing with 291 passing yards which has been larger than his average of 150 yards per game so far this season (he has played nine games and passed for 1344 yards this season), the fact that Ottawa held the second best offence in the league behind Calgary (Ottawa is the third best offence in the CFL) to 21 points is phenomenal. Also, the Ottawa defence - specifically Jonathan Rose - intercepted Matt Nichols once, sacked him four times, one of which was a sack by Corey Tindal who caused a forced fumble which was returned by Avery Williams for a defensive touchdown. The four sacks resulted in a combined loss of 30 yards as well.

    Another area Ottawa excelled at was in the special teams' department. Lewis Ward hit both of his field goals from 41 and 38 yards out respectively to make it 24 consecutive field goals made, a CFL record. And he’s only a rookie, who is only 5’6’’ tall. Incredible. He did miss a PAT after Powell’s rushing touchdown to make Ottawa’s lead 45-21, but that doesn’t take away from his expertise in kicking. And Richie Leone, the punter, punted six times for 281 yards, his longest from 57 yards out. He always pinned the Winnipeg offence deep in their own territory making it very hard for their offence to get a rhythm going and helping out Ottawa’s defence make big plays at crucial times. Diontae Spencer was even a threat in both kick and punt returning. In kick returns, he had four returns for 80 yards, his longest was a 27-yard return and in punt returning, he had six returns for 69 yards, his longest was a 35-yard return. He also had six receptions for 27 yards in the receiving game, two of those receptions for clutch first downs to keep the drive alive.

    In short, the Redblacks’ offence played start to finish with fire. They dominated the Winnipeg defence and that was a huge factor in the Redblacks win. Their defence was also extraordinary, really shutting down the potent Blue Bombers’ offence and by causing turnovers: in the form of interceptions and forced fumbles. And the special team unit: field goal kicking, punting, kick and punt returns were excellent, helping both the offence with the field goals and the defence by pinning the opposing offence deep in their own territory.

    In other words, the Redblacks dominated the Blue Bombers 44-21 to improve to 6-3 which gives them a three-game lead in the east division and dropped the Blue Bombers to 5-4, which is good enough for third in the west division. They are trailing the Eskimos by one game and the Stampeders by two-and-a-half games.

    Next week, in week 11, the Redblacks will have a bye and then in week 12, they will host the Alouettes on August 31st at TD Place. The Blue Bombers will visit Calgary to play the Stampeders on August 25th in week 11.

A look ahead to week three preseason matchups

By: Adamo Marinelli

August 16th, 2018

    Week three of the 2018 NFL preseason is filled with plenty of interesting matchups that we all should be excited for. Let’s analyse all of the week three preseason games and discuss how all of these teams will use the preseason to try and have the best season possible.

Eagles @ Patriots - Aug. 16th:

    With Carson Wentz still out until at least the start of week one of the regular season, Nick Foles and Tom Brady are set to make their preseason debut in a Super Bowl 52 rematch. With many Eagles players like Alshon Jeffery, Carson Wentz, amongst others injured and many players like LeGarrette Blount, Torrey Smith, Trey Burton and Brent Celek being traded, the Eagles will focus on a big performance from their defence, Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert, their tight-ends, to get a preseason win. The Patriots with the loss of Matt Patricia, their defensive coordinator, as well as Dion Lewis, Malcolm Butler and Danny Amendola being traded, the Patriots will use the weapons they still have on offence led by Tom Brady to try and muster a win after a comeback win against the Redskins in week two.

Jets @ Redskins - Aug.16th:

    After an amazing preseason performance by Sam Darnold in week one, the Jets will turn to him again in week three of the 2018 preseason, hoping for another big performance, to see if he can start the regular season over Teddy Bridgewater and Josh Mccown. If the Jets get a reliable QB to start in the regular season, they have a legitimate chance to win their division, the AFC East, due to the Patriots starting their ineludible decline. In last week’s preseason loss to the Patriots, the Redskins lost their rookie running back Derrius Guice to a completely torn ACL, and he will miss the remainder of the season. So, the Redskins will turn to an offence led by newly acquired QB Alex Smith in hopes of getting a preseason win and in hopes of having a good season, and possibly making the playoffs through a wild card spot as they will unlikely win their division with the Eagles, Giants and Cowboys.

Steelers @ Packers - Aug.16th:

    Two teams with elite talent, especially on offence face in a preseason game with plenty of rookies fighting for spots on the team and positions in the depth chart. Aaron Rodgers is set to play at least for a couple of drives and Ben Roethlisberger will not be playing due to an injury that seems to be a concussion. Aaron Rodgers was injured early last season, in week six and missed the majority of the season. In his absence, the team struggled and went 3-5, including the loss to the Vikings. Aaron Rodgers came back in week 15, only to lose 31-24 to the Panthers. He had 290 yards and three touchdowns but also had three interceptions which is unlike Rodgers. The Steelers made the playoffs last year as a second seed but lost in shocking fashion to the Jaguars 45-42 in the divisional round. Both teams will be hungry for a win tonight and a good 2018 season and a playoff berth.

Chiefs @ Falcons - Aug.17th:

    The Falcons after being shut-out 17-0 by the Jets in week one, look to bounce back against the Chiefs who lost 17-10 against the Texans in their first preseason game. The Chiefs after sending QB Alex Smith to the Redskins have a brand new quarterback in Patrick Mahomes to try and lead the Chiefs to victory tonight and this season. The Falcons with amazing talent on offence with Matt Ryan, Devontae Freeman, Julio Jones, Mohamed Sanu and on defence with Vic Beasley Jr. and Deion Jones after a disappointing loss to the Eagles in last year’s divisional game look to bounce back and have a good season being in a tough division.

Giants @ Lions - Aug.17th:

    With RB Saquon Barkley sitting out of this week’s game against the Lions with a hamstring injury, the Giants are clearly being cautious with the second overall pick’s season after Derrius Guice’s season-ending ACL tear against the Patriots in week one. That’s the right move, as you wouldn’t want to make a minor sprain a worse injury especially in the preseason. If it was regular season, he’d probably play, but it’s not, so he won’t. That shifts the focus to Eli Manning and the passing game after a 20-10 loss to the Browns. The Lions will try to get their offensive and defensive rookies clicking with the starters after a 16-10 loss to the Raiders last week.

Bills @ Browns - Aug.17th:

    Two rookie quarterbacks will hit the field in Cleveland tomorrow night. Josh Allen, drafted seventh overall by the Bills in 2018, and Baker Mayfield drafted first overall by the Browns in 2018, will be looking to have amazing games tonight in hopes of becoming the starting quarterback for their respective teams. Mayfield will have to leap Tyrod Taylor in the depth chart, who came to Cleveland from Buffalo last season after getting the Bills into the playoffs. Josh Allen has to pass Nathan Peterman and AJ Mccarron in the depth chart which shouldn’t be that hard as Peterman and McCarron are not that great QBs, however, Allen does have some accuracy issues he’ll have to overcome if he wants the starting QB job. This should be a good game.

Dolphins @ Panthers - Aug.17th:

    After QB Ryan Tannehill completed 4-6 passes for 32 yards in a drive that led the Dolphins into Buccaneers territory, which is the only series he played in last week’s game, the Dolphins will supposedly start Ryan Tannehill to give him more reps in the preseason to ready him for starting QB job in the regular season. And with Devante Parker and Kenny Stills injured, Jakeem Grant and Albert Wilson should get more reps as well as their running backs Kenyan Drake and Frank Gore. The Panthers with an explosive offence led by QB Cam Newton, RBs Christian Mccaffrey and CJ Anderson, WRs Devin Funchess, Torrey Smith and rookie D.J. Moore and an amazing defence led by Luke Kuechly and Todd Davis Sr. Can the Dolphins’ O-line hold up against the Panthers’ D-line?

Cardinals @ Saints Aug.17th:

    The Cardinals and QB Josh Rosen look to have another great game after a dominating 24-17 win over the Chargers last week. In the limited time Rosen played last week, he didn’t have a bad game last week, but it wasn’t exceptional, statistics-wise. He completed 6-13 passes for 41 yards and no touchdowns or interceptions. If Rosen wants the starting QB job over Sam Bradford and if we wants no backlash on the comment he made after he was drafted 10th overall: “There were nine mistakes ahead of me”, he better have an exceptional game next week against a Saints team that is loaded on offence and defence with players like Drew Brees, Mark Ingram, Alvin Kamara, Michael Thomas, Marcus Williams, Marshon Lattimore and Cameron Jordan amongst others.

Jaguars @ Vikings - Aug.18th:

    Both teams have top five defences in the NFL and the Vikings added Alex Smith, ex. Redskins’ quarterback after sending Keenum to the Broncos, Bradford to the Cardinals and Bridgewater to the Jets to compliment their potent offence with players like Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen, Latavius Murray, Dalvin Cook and Kyle Rudolph. The Jaguars have a great running game with Leonard Fournette and some pretty talented wide receivers in Marqise Lee, Donte Moncrief and Keelan Cole. If their QB Blake Bortles can be better than mediocre, and be consistent - not having up games followed by down games - than the Jaguars can be serious Super Bowl contenders. They are already AFC contenders along with the Patriots, Steelers, Texans, Chargers. Two amazing defences battling it out with one offence better than the other.

Raiders @ Rams - Aug.18th:

    The Raiders coming off a 16-10 win against the Lions last week showed that they had depth at the QB position behind Derek Carr with Connor Cook who completed 11-19 of his passes for 141 yards and a touchdown. No player from either team had more than 90 rushing yards and no more than 50 receiving yards, so this game wasn’t a very offensive one, however, it was the small, clutch plays that ended up being more important. Field goals were huge in this game: there were four - three for Oakland, one for Detroit. Both Lions’ QBs were okay both with over 80 passing yards, no touchdowns and interceptions. But rookie RB Kerryon Johnson looks good and despite having seven carries for 34 yards, some of his rushes came on big plays, getting first downs and keeping drives alive. Both teams have plenty of depth besides their starters so it should be a good preseason game, but both teams have a good shot at the playoffs this year with John Gruden, Derek Carr and Jordy Nelson and the Lions with all-around improvement.

Bengals @ Cowboys - Aug.18th:

    The Cowboys opened their preseason last week with a 24-21 loss to the 49ers. The Bengals opened with a 30-27 win over the Bears. We know the NFC East will be a very tight division with the Redskins and Giants improving over the offseason, the Cowboys have all their offensive weapons back for the whole season this year and the Eagles still look good after a Super Bowl win last season in which they were strong on offence, defence and special teams. But, with all of Dallas’ young talent on offence and defence, particularly Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott on offence and Demarcus Lawrence and Cody Ealy on defence, the Cowboys should be a contender to win their division even with the release of WR Dez Bryant. The Bengals who with a week 17 win against the Ravens to get the Bills into the playoffs, snapping a 17-year drought are currently the third best team in their division behind the Steelers and Ravens and depending on how Mayfield performs, the Browns might leap over the Bengals in their division. Although, with the Dalton to Green connection, and many promising rookies on both sides of the ball, the Bengals should have at least an okay season.  

49ers @ Texans - Aug.18th:

    The 49ers finished the 2017 season with five straight wins with new QB Jimmy Garoppolo at the helm. With new additions on offence and defence from the 2018 draft and in free agency, the 49ers only look to be getting better on both sides of the ball with a middle of the pack offence and defence at least for now. Personally, I think they can contend with the Rams for the division win. The Texans after an appalling 4-12 season in 2017, look to make the playoffs in a very tight AFC South division, perhaps the tightest in the league. With QB Deshaun Watson back from a torn ACL injury, as well as DE J.J. Watt back from a broken leg, the Texans should be a contender for the playoffs in the AFC. With the Watson to Hopkins connection, an above average running game in Lamar Miller and an elite defence with J.J. Watt, Jadeveon Clowney and Tyrann Mathieu, they’re a real threat in the AFC. I say the Jaguars win the division, the Texans should be able to finish second and get a wildcard spot. This game will have an impact on the futures of these two teams with their rookies.

Buccaneers @ Titans - Aug.18th:

    The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ QB Jameis Winston has been suspended three games in 2018 for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. So the preseason is the perfect time to figure out which backup QB will start the season for the Buccaneers. Last week, in a 26-24 win against the Dolphins in week two of the preseason, the Buccaneers appear to have found their temporary starting QB in Ryan Griffin who completed 20/26 of his passes with 179 passing yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. When Winston returns, Griffin will be ahead of Ryan Fitzpatrick in the depth chart. The Buccaneers are only a mediocre team on both offence and defence but in a talented NFC South with the Saints, Panthers and Falcons, the Buccaneers probably won’t even make the playoffs. The Titans, coming off their first playoff appearance since 2009 and their first playoff win since 2004, in a 22-21 comeback win against the Chiefs only got better by adding RB Dion Lewis to help Derrick Henry and adding all-star CB Malcolm Butler to improve the secondary. If Marcus Mariota can play well, they’ll have a good season and a chance to win this game with plenty of rookies fighting for spots on the 53-man roster.

Bears @ Broncos - Aug.18th:

    Both teams coming off less than mediocre 5-11 campaigns in 2017 only got better. The Broncos finally solved their QB problems by signing ex. Vikings QB Case Keenum. He went 11-3 in Minnesota last year in the 14 games he played after Sam Bradford went down with an injury. He’s a better QB than Siemian, Osweiler and Lynch and will revitalize the Broncos’ offence. Chad Kelly is the backup to Keenum. Adding WRs Courtland Sutton and Deshaun Hamilton will give more depth to the position behind Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas and with an actual starting QB at the helm, the WRs should be more active. Drafting linebacker Bradley Chubb, to play on the other side of the defensive line as Von Miller is scary for opposing offensive lines and makes the Broncos pass-rush one of the best in the league along with Minnesota, Jacksonville and Philadelphia. The Broncos also improved their offensive line by adding offensive tackle Jared Veldheer who will fix the problem at the right tackle position. The rest of the line is pretty stable with Garret Bolles at left tackle, Ronald Leary at left guard, Matt Paradis at center and Connor McGovern at right guard. Overall a big improvement. No matter what happens in preseason, the Broncos should have a good season, might even sneak into the playoffs with the second wildcard spot with a 10-6 record. Although, Keenum needs to play well in the preseason to make sure he plays well in the season after a bad performance last week. The Bears have Mitchell Trubisky, who is better than last year, a great running game with Tarik Cohen and Jordan Howard, a better offensive and defensive line, Tre Burton, an ex. Eagles’ tight end who will help the receiving game and a much better secondary and pass rush with linebacker Roquan Smith whom the Bears drafted eighth overall in 2018. They will definitely be better than last year, but might not make the playoffs in a tight division with the Lions, Packers and Vikings.

Seahawks @ Chargers - Aug.18th:

    The Chargers and Seahawks are both coming off a loss in week two of the preseason. Both teams now have an 0-1 record in this year’s preseason thus far. The Seahawks appear to be preparing to have a down season after their defence fell to shreds with Richard Sherman being traded to the 49ers, Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas being forced into early retirement with serious neck injuries and Michael Bennett being traded to the Eagles. They also lost a key piece of their offence when tight end Jimmy Graham was traded to the Packers. So the only pieces they really have are QB Russell Wilson and WR Doug Baldwin. So this preseason is a great time for new rookies to step up and start rebuilding the old Seahawks team. On the other hand, the Chargers have had the pieces to be a playoff contender but haven’t made the playoffs since 2014. They have an elite offence with players like Philip Rivers, Melvin Gordon, Keenan Allen and Hunter Henry amongst others. Their defence is also spectacular with players like Joey Bosa, Derwin James, Melvin Ingram, Casey Hayward amongst others. This could be their year.

Ravens @ Colts - Aug.20th:

   Lastly, we have the Baltimore Ravens visiting Indianapolis to play the Colts. The Ravens can contend with the Steelers for the AFC North crown, especially if Le’Veon Bell doesn’t end up playing for the Steelers this season with the franchise tag and the lack of an expensive long-term deal. The Ravens still have a mediocre offence and defence and can likely make the playoffs - at least with a wild card spot - if they don’t end up winning their division. After all, they did win Super Bowl 47 five years ago. The Colts are in a tough division in the AFC South, along with the Jaguars, Titans and Texans. The Colts may be the worst of these four teams; but if QB Andrew Luck can come back in time to be the starting QB before the regular season starts, that single-handedly might be enough to lift the Colts to a playoff spot, perhaps a division title (that’s unlikely, the division will likely be won by the Jaguars or Texans) as it is the NFL, anything is possible. And the best way to get better is to add reliable backups to your starters and the preseason is the time to select those backups from the draft class and former practice squad members.