Tag: Detroit Lions

This might be the year to win the Super Bowl for these three teams

With parity as high as ever in the NFL, a few unlikely clubs could have their best chance to get rings

Coming into the NFL season, predictions were made on who could win the Super Bowl in February, and there’s still a good amount of time to see if those views play out. The majority of those views probably had what one could call the usual contenders: the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens topping the list in the AFC, while the Philadelphia Eagles (defending champs), Washington Commanders and Detroit Lions gathered the majority of votes from the NFC. After that’s determined, the next question centers around teams who can announce themselves as a threat in their own right. The Houston Texans (who went home after the divisional round each of the last two seasons) were a trendy pick, but have been underwhelming to this point. The Green Bay Packers, particularly after they acquired linebacker/defensive end Micah Parsons in a trade with the Dallas Cowboys, became the team everyone is supposedly chasing, but many questions remain if they can even win the NFC North (let alone make a championship run). One thing (and perhaps the only item) we have learned is there isn’t a stand out team playing right now. As a result, three squads who weren’t looked at as serious contenders may have as good a chance as ever to emerge as the top dog.

The first of this trio is the Indianapolis Colts. It would be interesting to see if even the biggest Colts fan living within the Indianapolis city limits had this on their bingo card, but this team is tied for the best record in the league at 5-1. Somewhere along the line, it was forgotten how good running back Jonathan Taylor was and is. Taylor is reminding everyone up to this point, as he leads the NFL in rushing yardage (603) and touchdowns (seven). Combine that with the efficient play of quarterback Daniel Jones (yes, that guy who flamed out with the New York Giants), and the offense is on a level that makes them hard to stop. The Colts defense has been good enough to bend, but not completely break, and they have forced nine turnovers in their six games. Complementary football has been a strength for Indy, and Shane Steichen has cooled off talk of being on the hot seat to lose his head coaching job. In other words, the Colts have the ingredients to stay in the fight for a while.

Second on the list is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who is the team tied with Indy for the league’s best record. The Buccaneers could be at least 2-4 if a play or two doesn’t go their way, but they have found a way to make those plays, and the scary thing with this squad is they can become much better as the season moves on. If there is one reason why Tampa Bay sits where they are, it probably starts and ends with QB Baker Mayfield, who would probably be the MVP if the season ended today. Mayfield has been the definition of clutch, as he has been the architect of a few game-winning drives. It’s even more remarkable when considering Mayfield is playing at this level without the team’s top-two receivers (Mike Evans and Chris Godwin Jr.). There was a little talk about the Bucs being a contender going into the season, but the combination of how good they can be and the league being up for grabs could see them become a favorite before too long.

Finally, the Denver Broncos find themselves on the list of teams who could walk up to a championship this season. With the Broncos coming off of a wild card appearance last year, the prevalent thinking was they could continue to ascend, and perhaps, knock the Chiefs off from the top of the AFC West. The main reason is their defense, led by cornerback Pat Surtain II (the defensive player of the year in 2024) and linebackers Nik Bonitto and Jonathan Cooper. Most people would say Denver’s defense is at championship-level, but what could make or break their visions is whether or not quarterback Bo Nix can consistently stay on the same page with coach Sean Payton, and bring the offense close to par with the other side of the ball. Throughout the year, Nix has been hit or miss with the execution of plays. If he can provide more of the good version, the Broncos could be on the cusp of a high on the Rocky Mountains.

There are other teams that could have made this list (the Atlanta Falcons, Los Angeles Chargers and New England Patriots among them), but at this time, the Colts, Buccaneers and Broncos seem to have more in their favor to continue the upward trend. Of course, things can escalate quickly in the NFL, and what looks good one week might not the next, and vice versa. Who knows? Those teams who were listed as favorites might ultimately end up there come January. The beautiful thing about sports is games will be played, and everyone will get to find out as it happens. What we know is the gap between contenders and pretenders doesn’t seem to be as wide, and if that continues to be the case, don’t be surprised if this year’s Super Bowl winner is someone not exactly on the radar from the beginning.

Looking at myself after seeing the Damar Hamlin injury

The tendency is to look at things one way or another, but it’s okay to embrace multiple perspectives

Coming into this first week of the new year, I had a plan to write on this blog, mostly because it’s been a while since the last article. The topic was going to be about delusional NFL franchises who thought they were Super Bowl contenders. That topic might be ready for another day, but on this occasion, I want to talk about life. There will be elements of sports sprinkled in, but this is more about a deep dive into opinions, emotions and the way we process different events. Before we start having the tough conversation, let it be known this might not be the cleanest copy. This is about getting thoughts on paper, and we’ll see where it takes us.

On Monday night, I, like many in this country and around the world, watched in horror and shocked silence as Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field from cardiac arrest in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals. At the time, I was actually working as an associate editor for a sports website, and of course, we had to bang out the articles. You do what you can, because it’s part of the job, but I can tell you my mind was probably not with it. After my shift, which ended at midnight, I tried to go to sleep, but couldn’t because all I wanted to do was get a report on Hamlin the man, not just the football player. Even my mom, who’s a causal football fan, called to ask me if I was watching what was going on. My mind, my thoughts, my heart, everything was fixated on the hope of good news for the condition of Hamlin.

As I woke up Tuesday, I had no idea when I was going to write on the blog, because I didn’t feel it was right to. I knew I had to go to work, but it felt wrong to write about anything else. The last thing I wanted to do is seem insensitive by not following the Hamlin situation. It did help I was able to write about some of the reaction from legendary players, such as Former Bills and hall-of-fame quarterback Jim Kelly, but even with that, there was something in me that was missing as far as the passion I normally have for talking about sports. I guess the only way I can explain it is I was able to take the emotion out of it, and focus on the job. After all, that is what we’re told to do, keep our head down and continue to push through at times when we’re might not be at optimal performance levels.

Speaking of pushing through, I would be lying if I said I knew the Bills-Bengals game would be postponed, and later cancelled. This is the NFL we’re talking about, and we all know how money-driven and spotlight-hungry the league has shown to be. As catastrophic and horrifying as Hamlin’s injury was, I did think they were going to treat him, take him to the hospital, and the game would continue soon after. I understand if someone would call me morbid for these thoughts, but before the criticism comes, ask yourself this. How many times have we seen players have gruesome injuries during games, and there wasn’t even a thought of that game being postponed? Look at what happened to Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa earlier this year, also in a game against the Bengals. Personally, I still can’t shake the vision of Tagovailoa’s fingers seizing up from the effects of a concussion. That, like Hamlin’s injury, was scary to watch, but the paramedics came on the field, handled Tagovailoa with extreme care, and took him to the hospital. The game went on without a thought of suspending it. I’m old enough to remember watching the moment when Detroit Lions linebacker Reggie Brown suffered a spinal cord injury in a game against the New York Jets in 1997, and Brown, like Hamlin, needed CPR to bring him back to life. Again, the game kept going without the thought of postponement.

I’m not here to compare injuries or situations. I’m just stating as scary as Hamlin’s injury was to witness, this is far from the first time athletes have been in danger of dying on the field of play. With all of that being said, I have no issues with the Bills-Bengals being cancelled because through all of the rough moments mentioned, we (myself included) have to remember these players are human beings, not unemotional robots. It can be easy to forget because players are painted as heroes, and they are capable of doing superhuman things while in action. There are some professions where you spend more time with co-workers than you do with your families. Bonds get developed over time, and they mature into brotherhoods (or sisterhoods). When one of those brothers or sisters go down, it’s an mental and emotional blow that’s hard to recover from. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to see Buffalo was in no state of mind to continue that game, and it was refreshing to see the NFL take a break from their money machine to acknowledge the human element.

Over the week, the focus went to what happens for the rest of the season, and the first two games since the Hamlin injury were played Saturday. A part of me still says all of that is irrelevant at this point, but two things brought me back to that conversation. The first is the positive reports about Hamlin’s condition, and hearing one of the first questions he asks doctors was whether or not his team won. The second is remembering what sports is about at its core. This is one of the few places where people from different backgrounds and beliefs can come together for a common bond. It’s also where we go to help heal after difficult times. Meanwhile, tributes continue to rain down upon Hamlin and his family, which shows there’s still care in the world, and lots of it.

So all of the discussions about the season, and how to feel about league decisions regarding the AFC Championship Game will keep going. As a journalist, I get it because I live in the 24/7 news cycle. This is just me sharing a deep dive into my feelings, because I believe it’s a conversation worth having. Emotions run high all of the time, and mine’s was all over the place through the week. So I waited until I was ready to share on this forum. Maybe my next article will get back to normal, but no promises. I’ll just leave you with this. While we put a lot on sports, we have to remember they are part of life, not life itself, and the humans playing it have feelings just like the rest of us. My hope is we, and the league keeps that in mind, because a little heart and compassion can go a long way. Don’t worry…I’m doing what I can to follow my own advice.

The Rams’ path to glory is not the model to copy

From Thursday to Saturday, the NFL Draft is taking place in Las Vegas. With these picks come eternal hope, for teams and their fans alike, that the players selected can be a part of building something special. Entering the draft, eight squads didn’t have a pick in the first round. One of those teams come in the form of the newly-crowned Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams, who have famously put a value on veterans over draft picks in their pursuit of championships. It a high-risk, high reward strategy, and even if the reward is a title or two, the result of future futility is almost certain.

We all know Rams general manager Les Snead is known for saying “F*** Them Picks,” even wearing a t-shirt with the phrase on it during the team’s championship parade. When it comes to a winning window, there’s no telling how long that could last. Since the New England Patriots went back-to-back in the 2003 and 2004 seasons, there hasn’t been a repeat champion. So the question a squad’s front office has to answer is how to go about building a team that can compete for titles. Is it being patient to build through the draft and develop young players, or is stacking the team with established veterans to enhance the all-in, win now mentality? For L.A., the answer was clearly the latter.

So the frenzy of trading the draft picks began, and the Rams turned to free agency to fill the rest of the holes on the roster. The main chess piece was quarterback Matthew Stafford, who the team sent previous starter Jared Goff, two first-round picks and a third-rounder to the Detroit Lions to receive before last season. It took a couple more first-rounders and a fourth-round pick to get cornerback Jalen Ramsey from the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2019. Wanna get linebacker Von Miller (now with the Buffalo Bills) from the Denver Broncos? L.A. said here’s a second and third-round pick in return. Looking for a wide receiver to complement Cooper Kupp? Let’s sign Odell Beckham Jr. While trading all of these picks seem a little insane, one can respect a team going for it when the opportunity presents itself.

Let’s not forget the Rams played in the Super Bowl at the end of the 2018 season, losing to the Patriots 13-3. Getting that close to the title can definitely drive motivation to get back and finish the job. Seeing what the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did in winning a Super Bowl in their home stadium, combined with knowing this past title game was in SoFi Stadium, only added to the fire. All of this equaled L.A.’s willingness to sacrifice the future for a potentially-brighter present, and with Snead and head coach Sean McVay on the same page, “F*** Them Picks” became one of the most famous memes out there.

If a win-now strategy pays off, fans and media will say it’s all worth it to win a championship, especially when celebrations are happening at the time. If that’s the case, there shouldn’t be any complaints when their squad has no future to build upon because of the lack of draft picks. The purgatory is probably coming for the Rams, and with the world living in the moment more than ever, those same fans who said the title was worth it will be the ones calling out the future being in peril. With that said, there are multiple ways to put a team together to win. L.A. found one that worked for them, but by no means should it be a model to copy. Therefore, the standard is not the standard in this case. There is still a lot of value in the draft, and over time, the Rams will see that also.