Resist-Midnight Oil Album Review:

 

    Midnight Oil is back with their final album “Resist” their thirteenth album which is a follow up to their last album from two years ago “The Makarrata Project” as they recorded over twenty songs before the pandemic. This is great because bassist/backup vocalist Bones Hillman was able to record on both albums before he passed away from cancer. This is a great makeup for that previous album which wasn’t very good and way too political, it was all meant for charity but for very specific kinds for indigenous people even with chants, but that album wasn’t what we had come to expect from Midnight Oil.

            On ‘Resist” they have a great balance of songs that rock out from start to end and songs that have a mixture of acoustic quiet mellow parts to it. There are also a few songs with interesting musical breakdowns in the middle that could be two distinct and separate songs each containing a unique and different sound.

            The songs that rock out do have political messages blended in about climate change, the government and all the troubles in the world, but Peter Garrett and crew do a good job of blending rock music with good impactful lyrics. Songs like “Rising Seas” (opening track that starts out preaching right away), “At the Time of Writing”(which is super catchy) is one of the best songs on the album, “Undercover”(has that 80/90s grunge sound with great keyboard) and “Last Frontier”(has cool nature sound effects with some narration), these are songs that rock out completely. While songs “Tarkine” (great vocals), “Reef” (good acoustic work) and “Lost at Sea” (groovy, good music especially the bass work/the keyboard) have a great blend of up tempo/or mellow-but rocks out.

            There are good songs that are on the quieter song like “To the Ends of the Earth” (It has a an interesting sound to it) and “We Resist” which is a very passionate political message that uses the album name “Resist” in it. While there are three songs that have a musical breakdown and some turn into another song in the second half. “The Barka-Darling River” starts out with a heavy grunge rock feel then the keyboard breakdown takes it to a quieter acoustic track. “Nobody’s Child” has a very 80’s keyboard/synthesizer vibe to it but then also has an interesting musical breakdown, and lastly “We are not Afraid” has good elements of acoustic guitar, good harmonizing, with another musical breakdown with a cello involved.

            If this truly the end for Midnight Oil when it comes to new music/touring then they went out with a bang because there are no bad songs on this album. Some songs have political elements because that’s who they are, which just adds another good edition to their discography. It is a nice journey listening to the album from start to end because of all the moods it goes through and you get a rock album out of a legendary rock band. We all should be resisting the bad world we live in and try to make changes like Garrett, Hillman, Rob Hirst, Martin Rotsey and Jim Moginie have been trying to do for almost fifty years. 

NFL Recap Week 3 2022:

 

Browns 29-17 over the Steelers: Backup QB Jacoby Brissett outplayed QB Mitchell Trubisky with two passing TDs compared to zero by Trubisky. RB Nick Chubb ran all over the Steelers defense that was missing TJ Watt by having 113 yards rushing with a rushing TD. Browns got another touchdown as time expired because the Steelers were laterally throwing it around and fumbled it in their end zone where Cleveland recovered it.

Panthers 22-14 over the Saints: QB Jameis Winston threw two interceptions with two fumbles and their kicker missed two field goals (one was blocked). The Panthers’ defense also forced RB Alvin Kamara into a fumble that was recovered for a TD.

Bears 23-20 over the Texans: QB David Mills threw one of his two interceptions late in the 4^th quarter which set up the game winning field goal by the Bears. The MVP for Chicago was RB Khalil Herbert who had 157 yards rushing along with two rushing TDs in relief of RB David Montgomery who left the game with an injury.

Colts 20-17 over the Chiefs: QB Patrick Mahomes threw a crucial interception late in the game and their kicker missed a field goal (also missed an extra point). All of that set up the go ahead TD by QB Matt Ryan one of his two for the game.

Dolphins 21-19 over the Bills: This divisional game was neck and neck (QB Josh Allen two TD passes) until Buffalo pulled ahead by a field goal. The Dolphins with QB Tua Tagovaiola leading them down the field for a TD to take the lead. The Bills then turned the ball over on downs but the punter for the Dolphins got his punt blocked in the end zone for a safety.

Vikings 28-24 over the Lions: QB Kirk Cousins had two TD passes and both of his RBs had rushing TDs. The Vikings won despite missing two field goals (so did the Lions). Backup RB Jamaal Williams had two rushing TDs.

Ravens 37-26 over the Patriots: It was all QB Lamar Jackson who had four passing TDs and a rushing TD (107 yards rushing). QB Mac Jones had three interceptions, his team had three fumbles and Jones threw zero TD passes but he had a rushing TD. Both of his RBs had a rushing TD but in losing this game they may have lost Jones for awhile as he left with a high ankle sprain.

Bengals 27-12 over the Jets: QB Joe Burrow had three TD passes while QB Joe Flacco had zero TD passes with two interceptions and three fumbles. K Greg Zuerlein accounted for all 12 points for the Jets.

Titans 24-22 over the Raiders: The Titans went up 24-10 at halftime and held on in a game of two winless teams, so one team had to win. RB Derrick Henry had a rushing TD and QB Ryan Tannenhill had a passing and a rushing TD. QB Derek Carr did have two passing TDs.

Eagles 24-8 over the Commanders: QB Carson Wentz was sacked nine times by his former team and he fumbled two times but didn’t have any TD passes. QB Jalen Hurts had three TD passes all in the same quarter. Washington did tackle RB Boston Scott in the end zone to get a safety.

Jaguars 38-10 over the Chargers: QB Trevor Lawrence had three passing TDs and RB James Robinson had a rushing TD. QB Justin Herbert was playing with a rib cartilage injury so he did his best to play through the injury but it wasn’t pretty with a fumble, an interception and only one TD pass.

Rams 20-12 over the Cardinals: In this divisional game both QBs didn’t throw a TD pass as the Rams got two rushing TDs one by RB Cam Akers and one by WR Cooper Kupp. All of Arizona’s points came from field goals.

Falcons 27-23 over the Seahawks: RB Cordarrelle Patterson went off for 141 rushing yards with a rushing TD and QB Marcus Mariota had a rushing TD and passing TD. QB Geno Smith did have two passing TDs but threw an interception to seal the game for the Falcons.

Packers 14-12 over the Buccaneers: In this QB matchup of Tom Brady VS. Aaron Rodgers it was Rodgers who came out on top with the win and two passing TDs.

Broncos 11-10 over the 49ers: The 49ers fumbled the ball away and QB Jimmy Garoppolo threw an interception in the 4^th quarter to cost them the game. The Broncos scored a TD by RB Melvin Gordon to take the lead late in the 4^th quarter. Garoppolo also ran on the back of the end zone for a safety and had a fumble.

Cowboys 23-16 over the Giants: New York was up 13-6 during the 3^rd quarter but that was the last time they led as they missed a field goal and QB Daniel Jones threw an interception (had no TD passes). Backup QB Cooper Rush had a passing TD and RB Ezekiel Elliot had a rushing TD.

 

NFL Recap Week 2 2022:

 

Chiefs 27-24 over the Chargers:  The Chargers led for most of the game until QB Patrick Mahomes took over and they then played catch-up but it wasn’t enough. Both QBs played well as Mahomes had two passing TDs and Justin Herbert had three, but the most crucial play was an interception by Herbert in the 4^th quarter that was returned for 99 yards for a TD.

Jets 31-30 over the Browns: The Jets were down for most of the game as QB Joe Flacco with his four TD passes led them to a comeback victory, plus they succeeded with an onside kick. The Browns tried to win the game but QB Jacoby Brissett threw an interception late to seal the game.

Lions 36-27 over the Commanders: The Lions took a 22-0 lead entering halftime and didn’t look back as QB Jared Goff had four TD passes with two going to WR Amron St Brown. While QB Carson Wentz did his best in a comeback attempt in the second half but it wasn’t enough in spite of three TD passes, he also had an interception.

Jaguars 24-0 over the Colts: QB Trevor Lawrence had two TD passes both to WR Christian Kirk and RB James Robinson had a rushing TD. For the Colts QB Matt Ryan had 0 TD passes with three interceptions.

Buccaneers 20-10 over the Saints: In this game there were 11 punts and three field goals. QB Jameis Winston had three interceptions with one being returned for a TD, and one of his team’s three fumbles. QB Tom Brady had one passing TD with no interceptions.

Giants 19-16 over the Panthers: The difference in this game was the Panthers fumbling the ball away twice and the Giants taking advantage with two field goals. The Giants hit the go ahead field goal late in the 4^th quarter.

Patriots 17-14 over the Steelers: There were 8 punts, a missed field goal, three field goals and both QBs had a TD get cancelled out by an interception. The biggest difference in the game would be the Steelers missing that field goal.

Dolphins 42-38 over Ravens: QB Tua Tagovailoa had six TD passes while QB Lamar Jackson threw 3 TD passes and had a rushing TD. The Ravens did have a 103 yard kick return TD to start the game off.

Rams 31-27 over the Falcons: This game had everything: a missed field goal, a blocked punt returned for a TD, two interceptions by both QBs (QB Marcus Mariota had a fumble to end the game too), two fumbles and a safety. Los Angeles QB Matthew Stafford had three passing TDs and RB Darrell Henderson had a rushing TD.

49ers 27-7 over the Seahawks: QB Trey Lance injured his ankle and is out for the year so QB Jimmy Garoppolo came in to lead them to victory with a passing and a rushing TD. FB Kyle Juszczyk added a rushing TD too. The Seahawks only scored on a blocked field goal which was returned for a TD as both QB Geno Smith and RB DeeJay Dallas threw interceptions.

Cowboys 20-17 over the Bengals: Dallas hit a game winning field goal as time expired. Backup QB Cooper Rush out passed QB Joe Burrow while both had only one TD pass. Backup RB Tony Pollard had the other Dallas TD. The Cowboys’ defense sacked Burrow six times.

Broncos 16-9 over the Texans: If you were betting on the kickers in this game you were right as Ka’imi Fairbarin accounted for all of the points for the Texans. While Brandon McManus scored 10 of the points for Denver and QB Russell Wilson had one TD pass.

Cardinals 29-23 over the Raiders (OT): The Cardinals were down 23-7 and came back to win in overtime by scoring 22 straight points. QB Kyler Murray had a passing a rushing TD plus a rushing TD by Darrel Williams. QB Derek Carr had two passing TDs. In overtime the Raiders fumbled the ball away and the Cardinals recovered it for the game winning TD.

Packers 27-10 over the Bears: QB Aaron Rodgers had two passing TDs and RB Aaron Jones had a rushing TD plus he caught one of those TD passes. QB Justin Fields had no passing TDs but one rushing TD with a fumble and an interception.

Bills 41-7 over the Titans: RB Derrick Henry had a rushing TD to tie the game in the 1^st quarter. That would be the last time the Titans scored all game, as Buffalo scored 34 straight to close out the game. QB Josh Allen threw four TD passes three to WR Stefon Diggs who had 148 yards receiving. QB Ryan Tannehill threw two interceptions with one being returned for a TD.

Eagles 24-7 over the Vikings: Well QB Kirk Cousins again wilted under the spotlight of Sunday/Monday night football as he had a fumble, three interceptions and only one TD pass. QB Jalen Hurts had two rushing TDs and a passing TD.

 

 

 

NFL Recap Week 1 2022:

 

Bills 31-10 over the Rams:  It was the QB Josh Allen show again with three passing TDs and a rushing TD. The Bills pass rush had seven total sacks including two from LB Von Miller who just played for the Rams to spoil banner night for Los Angeles.

Saints 27-26 over the Falcons: The Saints were down 23-10 heading into the 4^th quarter until the Saints scored two TDs and converted 2 two-point conversions to go ahead in the end. They scored 17 points in the 4th quarter as QB Jameis Winston had two TD passes both to WR Michael Thomas in his return from injury almost two years ago. Winston also set up the game winning field goal and the defense blocked a field goal to end the game.

Browns 26-24 over the Panthers: At the Baker Mayfield bowl it was the rushing attack of the Browns RBs. Kareem Hunt had both a receiving and a rushing TD while Nick Chubb had 141 yards rushing that pushed them to victory.  Their kicker Cade York also accounted for 14 of their points. While Mayfield did have a passing and rushing TD it was a game winning kick that sealed the loss for his team.

Bears 19-10 over 49ers: In a torrential downpour the Bears scored 19 points in the second half to secure the come from behind win. QB Justin Fields out played fellow second year QB Trey Lance by throwing two passing TDs compared to zero from Lance.

Steelers 23-20 over the Bengals (OT): Steelers finally won the game on a field goal in overtime after both teams missed field goals. Despite only one TD pass by QB Mitchell Trubisky he didn’t have four interceptions (one returned for a TD) like QB Joe Burrow had plus a few fumbles.

Eagles 38-35 over the Lions: The Eagles had a 38-14 lead late into the 3^rd quarter and giving up 21 straight points and still held on. The Eagles had four rushing TDs and picked off QB Jared Goff once and returned it for a TD. The Lions got three rushing TDs with two coming from backup Jamaal Williams, and Goff did have two passing TDs.

Colts 20-20 Tie with Titans (OT): The Colts were down 20-3 entering the fourth quarter and scored 17 unanswered points but couldn’t score in overtime leading to a tie as they missed a field goal. RB Jonathan Taylor had 161 rushing yards with a rushing TD and QB Davis Mills had two passing TDs.

Dolphins 20-7 over the Patriots: The Dolphins defense forced two fumbles with one being returned for a TD and intercepted Mac Jones once. Both Jones and Tua had one passing TD.

Ravens 24-9 over the Jets: In the Joe Flacco bowl he only had one TD pass but with an interception while QB Lamar Jackson had three TD passes proving that he deserves an extension. The Jets missed both a field goal and an extra point plus lost two fumbles.

Commanders 28-22 over the Jaguars: QB Carson Wentz in his debut for Washington had four TDs VS his former head coach Doug Peterson, while QB Trevor Lawrence had only one TD pass but his interception at the end of the game sealed it. 

Giants 21-10 over the Titans:  The Giants were down early and came all the way back to win because of RB Saquon Barkley looking like himself with 164 yards rushing with a TD, and QB Daniel Jones even drove the Giants down the field with two TDs/converting on a two-point conversion. The Titans missed a field goal which would have won the game.

Chiefs 44-21 over the Cardinals: QB Patrick Mahomes had five TD passes while QB Kyler Murray only had two TD passes.

Chargers 24-19 over the Raiders: QB Justin Herbert had three TD passes with no turnovers, while QB Derek Carr had two TD passes but had three interceptions and two of his team’s three fumbles.

Vikings 23-7 over the Packers: QB Aaron Rodgers had no TD passes with an interception, while QB Kirk Cousins had two TD passes both to WR Justin Jefferson who had 184 yards receiving.

Buccaneers 19-3 over the Cowboys: In a game of field goals Ryan Succop had four field goals good for 13 of the Buccaneers 19 points. The biggest lost wasn’t the game for the Cowboys it was QB Dak Prescott leaving the game with an injury that will require surgery for a joint injury on his right thumb which will keep him out for awhile.

Seahawks 17-16 over the Broncos: In QB Russell Wilson’s return to Seattle his team came up short by missing a potential game winning field goal. QB Geno Smith who was Wilson’s backup out played him with two passing TDs. Denver fumbled the ball away in the end zone twice which is what really killed them. 

2022-2023 NFL Standings, Playoffs & Awards Predictions:

North:

1. Packers

2. Vikings

3. Lions

4. Bears

East:

1. Eagles

2. Cowboys

3. Commanders

4. Giants

South:

1. Buccaneers

2. Saints

3. Panthers

4. Falcons

West:

1. Rams

2. Cardinals

3. 49ers

4. Seahawks

North:

1. Bengals

2. Ravens

3. Steelers

4. Browns

East:

1. Bills

2. Dolphins

3. Patriots

4. Jets

South:

1. Colts

2. Titans

3. Jaguars

4. Texans

West:

1. Chiefs

2. Broncos

3. Chargers

4. Raiders

Playoffs:

NFC:

Wild Card:

#2 Buccaneers VS #7 Vikings: Buccaneers win.

#3 Packers VS #6 49ers: 49ers win.

#4 Eagles VS #5 Cardinals: Cardinals win. 

Divisional:

#1 Rams VS #5 Cardinals: Rams win.

#2 Buccaneers VS #6 49ers: 49ers win.

Championship:

#1 Rams VS #6 49ers: Rams win

AFC:

Wild Card:

#2 Bengals VS #7 Chargers: Bengals win.

#3 Chiefs VS #6 Ravens: Chiefs win.

#4 Colts VS #5 Broncos: Broncos win.

Divisional:

#1 Bills VS #5 Broncos: Bills win.

#2 Bengals VS #3 Chiefs: Chiefs win.

Championship:

#1 Bills VS #3 Chiefs: Bills win

Superbowl:

Bills VS Rams: Rams win

Awards:

MVP: QB Justin Herbert Chargers; QB Kyler Murray Cardinals & QB Josh Allen Bills.

Offensive Player of the Year: Cooper Kupp Rams; RB Jonathan Taylor Colts & TE Travis Kelce Chiefs

Defensive Player of the Year: LB TJ Watt Steelers; LB Micah Parsons Cowboys & DT Aaron Donald Rams.

Defensive Rookie of the Year: DE Kayvon Thibodeaux Giants; DE Aidan Hutchinson Lions & CB Sauce Gardner Jets.

Offensive Rookie of the Year: WR Chris Olave Saints; WR Drake London & RB Breece Hall.

Comeback Player of the Year: RB Christian McCaffrey Panthers; RB Saquon Barkley Giants & WR Michael Thomas Saints.

Coach of the Year: Brandon Staley Chargers; Nathaniel Hackett Broncos & John Harbaugh Ravens.

Executive of the Year: George Paton Broncos; Trent Baalke Jaguars & Chris Grier Dolphins.

2022-2023 NFL Preview:

 

North: This is the Packers division to lose as they still have the best QB in Aaron Rogers, best head coach in Matt Lafleur and best RB in Aaron Jones (plus AJ Dillon). The issue will be can Rodgers lead a team with inexperienced weapons or past their prime weapons (Sammy Watkins/Randall Cobb) with Davante Adams’ departure and an unhealthy offensive line as he ages? They still have a good enough defense to keep the game close in CB Jaire Alexander and S Adrian Amos leading the secondary, plus they also drafted two top defensive players in the 1^st round. 

The Vikings have a chance to win this division because they moved on from defensive minded head coach in Mike Zimmer for an offensive minded guy in Kevin O’Connell (former QB & former offensive coordinator) as they have a talented set of skill players in wide receivers Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, KJ Osborn, RB Dalvin Cook and TE Irv Smith. If QB Kirk Cousins doesn’t get covid19 again they might not lose crucial games at the end of season, but if he cannot click with the new head coach and with these weapons his time might be done there. They went all in on defense in the draft as they drafted two defensive players in the first round to help their core of S Harrison Smith, CB Patrick Peterson, LBs Za’Darius Smith, Jordan Hicks, Danielle Hunter and Eric Kendricks. 

The Lions may not finish in last place this year as they were competitive in every game last year under head coach Dan Campbell and they have one of the best offensive lines in all football after drafting that position high the last few seasons. They also drafted Aidan Hutchinson one of the top defensive players in the draft and a few more talented players to help out DT Michael Brockers and CB Jeff Okudah as this unit keeps improving every year. They even added a talented WR in DJ Chark and top WR in the 1^st round to help out WR Amon-Ra St Brown, TE TJ Hockenson and RB D’Andre Swift. The only thing they are missing is a franchise QB but you can do worse than Jared Goff a professional. 

The Bears finally moved on from Ryan Pace/Matt Nagy but replaced them with a defensive minded head coach in Matt Eberflus(league is going with offensive guys)/former scout/player personnel guy with the Chiefs in Ryan Poles, but you cannot blame them for not doing much as they weren’t left with much talent or cap space. They still have one of the worst offensive lines in football as they did draft four offensive linemen hoping one will stick but went mostly in on defense in the draft and waited to draft a WR in 3^rd round is who older then the QB Justin Fields. Fields again will have to run for his life/give ball to RB David Montgomery plus they have no one good to throw the ball to other than Darnell Mooney as WR Allen Robinson left; all they did was get depth but not #1 talent in Byron Pringle, N’Keal Harry and Equanimeous St Brown to name some. Their defense lost Khalil Mack for less then what they gave up for him and LB Roqaun Smith wants out as he, Eddie Jackson and Robert Quinn are the only good players left.

East: The Eagles have the best offensive line, an improving young QB in Jalen Hurts and they traded for a top WR in AJ Brown which pushes Devonta Smith to #2. Not to mention a good RB in Miles Sanders, TE Dallas Goedert, and a supporting receiver in Zach Pascual to set up for a good offensive threat. Their defense still has DTs Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave, CBs Darius Slay, James Bradberry, signed LB Hasson Reddick and drafted two defense stars from college. 

The Cowboys lost Connor Williams, Amari Cooper, Cedrick Wilson, Randy Gregory, Greg Zuerlein and Blake Jarwin. They also have concerns on the offensive line with Tyron Smith’s injury and their lead WR Michael Gallup coming off an ACL injury plus RB Ezekiel Elliott’s decline the past few seasons. They still have a top offensive line because of Smith and Zack Martin, a pro in QB Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and Dalton Schultz as weapons but not much after those two. Their defense still has LBs Micah Parsons, Anthony Barr, Leighton Vander Esch, CB Trevon Diggs and DE Demarcus Lawrence, plus they drafted nine players hoping it makes up for their losses but it will come down to coaching from Mike McCarthy as some think DC Dan Quinn should be coach. This division has two bad teams in New York and Washington so Dallas and Philadelphia should only have to worry about each other.

The Commanders took one step forward two seasons ago making the playoffs but then finished with essentially the same record, but the others team were better which made them miss the playoffs which will happen this year as QB Carson Wentz is on his third team in three seasons. If he wasn’t the answer in Indianapolis he certainly isn’t going to turn it around with a lesser team with middle of the pack offensive line; a draft where all the experts said they reached on every pick they made, their best defensive player (maybe best player) will miss a chunk of the season in Chase Young after tearing his ACL last year, and their skill players like TE Logan Thomas and RBs Antonio Gibson, JD McKissic don’t stay healthy. Only upgrade Wentz gets is WRs Terry McLaurin is a true deep threat and Curtis Samuel is a nice #2 WR. 

The Giants have a new head coach in Brian Daboll/new GM Joe Schoen from Buffalo and drafted eleven players with hopes of those picks fixing the holes the team has at defense and offensive line, like their first two picks Kayvon Thibodeaux and Evan Neal. They still have a talented group of skill players in RB Saquon Barkley, WRs Kenny Golladay, Darius Slayton, Sterling Shepard and last year’s 1^st round pick Kadarius Toney but guess what they all never stay healthy. They still do not have a TE after losing Evan Engram, they made some improvements with the offensive line but it is still a work in progress like the defense outside of Leonard Williams. The biggest issue is they still do not have a franchise QB because of how bad Daniel Jones has been, hopefully Daboll fixes him or tells the GM to move on and maybe even let Tyrod Taylor play most games this season.

South: The Buccaneers are the most talented team in this division despite losing Rob Gronkowski, Antonio Brown, Ronald Jones, OJ Howard, Jason Pierre Paul, Ndamukong Suh, Jordan Whitehead, Alex Cappa and Ali Marpet. They drafted a top OL and traded for Shaq Mason to offset losses on the line, added Julio Jones, Kyle Rudolph, Russell Gage, and drafted a RB with their 3^rd round pick to help the offense. They still have a top defense that has DE Akiem Hicks, NT Vita Vea, LBs Devin White, Lavonte David, Shaquil Barrett, S Logan Ryan, Antoine Winfield and CB Carlton Davis, not to mention their new head coach is Todd Bowles who was coaching their defense. The only thing that will matter is QB Tom Brady who was rumored to have retired or wanting to go to Miami instead if he still has it at age 45 to keep slinging it to Chris Godwin, Mike Evans, Cameron Brate and Leonard Fournette. 

The Saints are now entering another offseason without an offensive legend Drew Brees before and now head coach Sean Payton who retired as he handed the reins over to DC Dennis Allen who coached them before when Payton was suspended for bountygate. The issue with this team is the teams below them are bad and the team ahead of them will only be good for a few seasons that they can’t fully rebuild so they have to be competitive as they added WR Jarvis Landry, 1^st round pick WR Chris Olave to help Michael Thomas, brought back RB Mark Ingram to help Alvin Kamara, added S Tyrann Mathieu, Marcus Maye to their defense to help out DEs Cameron Jordan, Marcus Davenport, and CB Marshon Lattimore. The real question will be can QB Jameis Winston stay healthy and be good enough with all of these weapons in spite of a bottom tier offensive line? 

The Panthers have had QBs Cam Newton, Teddy Bridgewater, PJ Walker, Sam Darnold, Newton again and traded for Baker Mayfield after drafting a QB in the 3^rd round the past few seasons. HC Matt Rhule is on the hot seat since he was supposedly a hot commodity from college and it hasn’t worked out well since he is supposed to be an offensive guy but with all of these QBs it isn’t a good sign. This team doesn’t have a TE, RB Christian McCaffrey never stays healthy and DJ Moore/Robbie Anderson aren’t #1 WRs either, plus the offensive line is one of the bottom tier ones which has to also be on the GM as well. Outside of LB Shaq Thompson and CB Jaycee Horn there isn’t much on defense either. 

The Falcons finally said goodbye to franchise stalwart QB Matt Ryan by trading him to Indianapolis (are eating a record-setting amount of dead money on the salary cap to do so ($40.5 million), signed Marcus Mariota as a bridge QB and drafted a QB in the 3^rd round to move forward. They also drafted a talented WR with their 1^st pick in Drake London to be their next Julio Jones to help TE Kyle Pitts, a RB to help out Cordelle Patterson, and three defensive players to help build this defense up again. It will be on HC Arthur Smith to oversee this rebuild correctly by fixing this offensive line before they find their franchise QB since they got the TE, hopefully their #1 WR, a RB and when Calvin Ridley comes back from his one year suspension for gambling a #2 WR, and an improving defense to go with a top kicker Younghoe Koo but it is last place for awhile in Atlanta.  

West: The Rams might actually be one of those teams who can repeat winning the Super Bowl besides winning this division and conference as they pretty much have the same team intact: QB Matthew Stafford, RB Cam Akers healthy for a full season, WR Cooper Kupp, a top 10 offensive line, Aaron Donald/Leonard Floyd in their linebacking core, Jalen Ramsey at CB and Sean McVay at head coach. They did lose Odell Beckham Jr. but replaced him with Allen Robinson, lost Von Miller but added one of the best linebackers in all of football in Bobby Wagner, they still have Van Jefferson, Tyler Higbee as weapons. Stafford still has room for improvement in year two as he led the league in interceptions last year so that will need to be cut down, and they drafted eight players which has been their key to success in having organizational depth.

 The Cardinals will again compete for the playoffs because of QB Kyler Murray(he is staying long term five year extension), but the question will be can he stay healthy and lead his team past the 1^st round/play and be better without DeAndre Hopkins who is suspended for the 1^st six games? They did add Marquis Brown to help fill that hole but once Hopkins comes back the skill players on this team will be top 5 with those two, plus AJ Green, TE Zach Ertz, RB James Conner and rookie TE Trey McBride. They still have JJ Watt and Budda Baker leading this defense but lost Chandler Jones, so hopefully their draft picks pick up the slack- plus they still have pro kicker Matt Prater. 

The 49ers have a great team and system thanks to head coach Kyle Shanahan but they are bailing on Jimmy Garoppolo who hasn’t been traded yet which is isn’t smart. They are handing the keys over to Trey Lance who they traded a lot of draft capital for but he doesn’t have many snaps at QB in both college and pros so it will be a transitional season. On offense they still have WR Deebo Samuel, WR Brandon Aiyuk, TE George Kittle, FB Kyle Juszcyzk, RB Elijah Mitchell, a top 15 offensive line led by Trent Williams and kicker Robbie Gould. They also have a great defense led by Nick Bosa, Jimmie Ward and Fred Warner, plus drafted a top defensive player in the 3^rd round. 

The Seahawks traded away their franchise stalwart QB Russell Wilson to Denver and got QB Drew Lock and TE Noah Fant back. They are in full rebuild mode since they didn’t trade for a veteran QB as they are sticking with Lock and Geno Smith, but are using those draft picks wisely as they drafted a RB in 3^rd round to replace Chris Carson who retired and drafted a few offensive linemen to hopefully fix the worst offensive line. They still got WRs Tyler Lockett who could be traded, Marquise Goodwin and DK Metcalf who signed an extension, and still have Jamal Adams/Quandre Diggs as veterans on defense but they could be traded too. For it to be a real rebuild they should continue to fix the offensive line, fix their defense to be the legion of boom again (drafted four players this year), so when they get their franchise QB he has protection/a defense and Pete Carroll who is 70 retires. 

North: The Bengals will be one of the few teams who lose in the Super Bowl to make the playoffs the following season as they still have QB Joe Burrow, a stable of wide receivers Ja'marr Chase, Tyler Boyd, Tee Higgins, RB Joe Mixon, added TE Hayden Hurst and have kicker Evan McPherson. The knock on this team was their offensive line/they couldn’t protect Burrow well they added Alex Cappa, Ted Karras and La'el Collins through free agency and have previously drafted linemen as well to go from one of the worst to one of the best offensive lines out there. They even drafted three defensive players with their first three picks to help out Trey Hendrickson, Vonn Bell and Sam Hubbard. 

The Ravens still have QB Lamar Jackson, HC John Harbaugh, TE Mark Andrews and the best kicker in Justin Tucker,  plus they should be luckier when it comes to health as they had a cluster of injuries at positions like CB and RB to name some last year. They added to their defense by signing Marcus Williams, Michael Pierce, Kyle Fuller to help Calais Campbell, Marlon Humphrey, Marcus Peters, Justin Houston, and had eleven draft picks where five of them were on defense. They signed one offensive lineman, used their 1^st round pick on C Tyler Linderbaum, and Ronnie Staley is back from injury which will help keep Jackson healthy and have time to throw to his weapons. Which will be the biggest issue outside of Andrews, who is Jackson throwing to with Marquise Brown traded away as Rashod Bateman isn’t a #1 and RB JK Dobbins was injured last year. 

The Steelers said goodbye to QB Ben Roethlisberger who has retired and found his replacement hopefully in KennyPickett plus drafted three skills players with one being a potential Antonio Brown in the making(they have a knack for drafting/developing great WRs) in George Pickens. They added Myles Jack, Levi Wallace and drafted a DE to help this great defense led by TJ Watt, Cameron Hayward, Devin Bush, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Terrell Edmunds, which is coached by one of the best in Mike Tomlin plus Brian Flores is helping out. One of the two issues is for right now who is throwing the ball to Chase Claypool, Diontae Johnson, TE Pat Freiermuth, RB Najee Harris and Pickens, is it Mitchell Trubisky a bridge QB, backup Mason Rudolph, or rookie Pickett, plus they have a bottom tier offensive line. 

The Browns on paper have one of the most talented rosters with two RBs in Nick Chubb/Kareem Hunt, two TEs in Harrison Bryant/David Njoku, WR Amari Cooper, and when healthy a top five offensive line. They also have a good defense led by Myles Garrett, Jadeveon Clowney, Denzel Ward and drafted four defensive players in the draft with their first two picks being on defense. The biggest issue was what they would do with QB Baker Mayfield, well they traded him away and traded for Deshaun Watson by giving up four 1^st round picks and some third/fourth rounds picks, but he is going to be suspended for 11 games now so it will be on Jacoby Brissett, Josh Dobbs or Josh Rosen to hold the down the fort till he comes back.

East: The Bills can be a one man wrecking crew because of Josh Allen’s arm and legs as the team realized they need to help him out more so in the draft so they got a CB Kaiir Elam to fix that hole, drafted James Cook to help out the hole at RB, drafted a few LBs to help out the defense, and signed Da'Quan Jones and Von Miller too. Tremaine Edmunds, Ed Oliver, Matt Milano, Tre'Davious White, Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer will appreciate the help on defense. His weapons will still be TE Dawson Knox, WR Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis, added Jameson Crower and drafted a WR for him as well. 

The Dolphins decided to spend money to help out QB Tua Tagovailoa as they hired an offensive minded HC in Mike McDaniel, traded for Tyreek Hill, signed Cedrick Wilson, drafted another WR to pair with TE Mike Gesicki and Jalen Waddle. They signed Connor Williams/Terron Armstead to help improve the offensive line but it is still a work in progress and picked up Chase Edmonds, Sony Michel and Raheem Mostert at RB. On defense they added Melvin Ingram to help Xavien Howard and Byron Jones, but it is also still a work in progress. 

The Patriots now have seen Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman and this offseason see Josh McDaniels leave to coach in Vegas, but now have Joe Judge/Matt Patricia coaching QB Mac Jones on offense. This is going to be the biggest issue in Jones’ development in year two but at least they still have a top ten offensive line. They have nice depth at RB in Damien Harris, Ty Montgomery, Rhamondre Stevenson, TEs Hunter Henry/Jonnu Smith and at WR Jakobi Meyers, Kendrick Bourne, Nelson Agholor, and traded for DeVante Parker, but all of this is nice depth nothing top tier. On defense which is Bill Belichick’s forte they still have Devin McCourty, Jalen Mills, Adrian Phillips, Jabrill Peppers and Matthew Judon. You know the saying quality over quantity, well New England had ten picks and all the experts think they reached on most of them and drafted a QB to be a backup. 

The Jets are still going to be bad because no matter how good QB Zach Wilson can be he wasn’t healthy last year is already hurt this season. When he comes back he will have a top 15 offensive line to protect him even with Mekhi Becton missing the year because they signed Duane Brown to fill that hole. In the draft they got him a talented WR, a RB and TE to give him weapons and drafted two of the best defensive players in the draft like Sauce Gardner at CB. They also signed an offensive lineman/drafted one to help protect him as well, and added Jordan Whitehead/DJ Reed to their defense which helps Lamarcus Joyner, CJ Mosley, Car lLawson, Quinnen Williams and Solomon Thomas. On offense his weapons will be TEs Tyler Conklin/CJ Uzomah, WRs Corey Davis, Elijah Moore and got kicker Greg Zuerlein too.

South: The Colts are now just trying anything at QB after Andrew Luck’s retirement, Phillip Rivers and Carson Wentz now trading for Matt Ryan who can succeed when he has things around him. This team has a top RB in Jonathan Taylor, a top ten offensive line, an ok set of skill players like Michael Pittman, Parris Campbell, Mo Alie Cox and two early draft picks but nothing special. They still have a good defense led by Shaquille Leonard, DeForest Buckner, Kenny Moore, they added Stephon Gilmore and traded for Yannick Ngakoue to fortify it.  

The Titans are the pure example of average but with 17 games they can’t be .500 anymore as they have a competent QB in Ryan Tannehill, but the main attraction is still Derrick Henry. They traded away their #1 WR in AJ Brown so they had to take one in the 1^st round in Treylon Burks, but that’s a lot of pressure for him right away as adding Robert Woods coming of an ACL tear doesn’t scream explosive skill players even with adding Austin Hooper at TE. They have a bottom tier offensive line and middling defense with only Bud Dupree, Harold Landry and Kevin Byard as the only big names. The most intriguing thing is how long they will stay with Tannehill now that they drafted a potential starting QB in Malik Willis in the 3^rd round. 

The Jaguars will be better because Doug Peterson got the most out of Nick Foles/Carson Wentz so he knows offense which is a good sign for year two of QB Trevor Lawrence. They added TE Evan Engram, WRs Christian Kirk, Zay Jones to Marvin Jones and are getting Travis Etienne/James Robinson back from injures at RB. They did draft three defensive players with their first four picks but five overall on defense and signed a few defensive veterans to help out Josh Allen and Shaquill Griffin, but is still a work in progress. Their biggest weakness is the offensive line by drafting a center and signed Brandon Scherff to help but again a work in progress. 

The Texans have decided last year’s 3^rd round pick QB Davis Mills is their franchise QB after trading away Deshaun Watson for lots of draft picks by using on two defensive players, an offensive lineman and WR in the early rounds. Lovie Smith was officially given the head coach title as his specialty is defense so you knew they were going to go heavy on defense in the draft with five this year, and they will always work hard no matter what plus you know the special teams will be solid too. In spite of having Justin Britt and Laremy Tunsil they have a bottom tier offensive line, no big time defensive player yet, have no TE threat and their other skill players like Brandin Cooks who has had so many concussions we all wonder why he hasn’t retired, and are going with a 4th round pick at RB in Dameon Pierce.

West: The Chiefs are still the class of the conference but specifically this division since they still have QB Patrick Mahomes and HC Andy Reid calling plays, plus they have the best TE in Travis Kelce. Despite trading WR Tyreek Hill they turned that into many draft picks which were used on quality defense players with their 1^st two picks/eight total and drafted a WR in the second round. They still have a top 10 offensive line, RB Clyde Edwards Helaire, WR Mecole Hardman and added two quality receivers in Juju Smith Schuster and Marquez Valdes Scantling. On defense they still have Chris Jones, Frank Clark, Willie Gay and Carlos Dunlap to go along with those draft picks. 

The Broncos did it again (Peyton Manning) but this time they didn’t get an aging/injured QB as QB Russell Wilson is still young enough/not injured often to complement an already good team that has good players on both sides of the ball. They have two good RBs in Melvin Gordon/Javonte Williams, a stable of WRs in Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, KJ Hamler, and have two young TE’s one from this year’s draft/another young TE plus a middle tier offensive line. On defense they still have Bradley Chubb, Ronald Darby, Kareem Jackson, Pat Surtain and added Randy Gregory, not to mention their draft picks especially four of five of their first picks. Question will be can first year HC Nathaniel Hackett put all of these pieces together or not? 

The Chargers were the best team to not make the playoffs last season due to having QB Justin Herbert leading the charge with a good set of skill players in RB Austin Ekeler, WRs Keenan Allen, Mike Williams and TE Gerald Everett. They continue to set Herbert up for success as they keep improving his offensive line last year by drafting two more offensive linemen to keep them as a top 12 offensive line and really went on it on defense too. They acquired JC Jackson, Kyle Van Noy, Khalil Mack, Austin Johnson, Sebastian Joseph Day and drafted four more defensive players to help out Joey Bosa, Derwin James and Astane Samuel. 

We need to give so much credit to QB Derek Carr for overcoming teammates getting arrested, his head coach having a scandal and still being a top 10 QB in a new city for the past seasons after being in Oakland by taking his team to the playoffs. The Raiders rewarded him with a three year extension and his former college WR in Davante Adams to pair with Hunter Renfrow, TE Darren Waller and RB Josh Jacobs, plus hired an offensive minded HC in Josh McDaniels. Their biggest issues are still having one of the worst offensive lines and having a below average defense even with signing Chandler Jones to help out Maxx Crosby but give them credit for drafting two offensive and defensive linemen.