2026-2027 NFL Preview:

North: The Bears surprised many by winning the division and winning a playoff game but now everyone knows they are for real hence the strongest strength of schedule. HC Ben Johnson is still calling the offense for QB Caleb Williams just with only young players in WRs Rome Odzune, Luther Burden and TE’s Colson Loveland and Cole Kmet with DJ Moore gone. 

RB D’Andre Swift is still the lead back with no clear backup but at least their offensive line is still top 5 despite the retirement of Drew Dalman because they traded for C Garrett Bradbury. On defense they lost six players like Termaine Edmunds and Kevin Byard to name some so the pressure is on DE Montez Sweat and CB Jaylon Johnson. Their draft was used to fill those holes like their 1^st round pick S Dillon Thieneman; the hope is continuity between HC and QB will offset the loss of players in free agency to go back to the second round of the playoffs or even further. 

The Lions will rebound after tying for last place technically with a winning record a game back of second they have too much talent. QB Jared Goff is still there with RB Jahmyr Gibbs, TE Sam LaPorta, WRs Amon-Ra St Brown and Jameson Williams but traded away David Montgomery. 

The biggest issue is their offensive line lost two of their better players and is moving OT Penei Sewell to the other side. They hope that using their first two draft picks on that and on putting someone next to DE Aidan Hutchinson to help the pass rush as they went mostly with defensive players that HC Dan Campbell will figure it out to get back to the playoffs. 

The Packers always seem to be a playoff team or just hover around no matter who is the QB from Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love(even Malik Willis filling in) that is a testament to HC Matt LaFleur. 

They lost two of their top receivers like Romeo Dobbs and extended the other two but the issue is health for all of them the same goes for RB Josh Jacobs and their tight ends. Their offensive line is one of the worst and their defense lost a few players but most importantly will be without LB Micah Parsons for like half the season. Their new DC Jonathan Gannon has his work cut out for him as four of their draft picks were on defense and only signed NT  Javon Hargave.

 Well the Vikings have started all over at QB again by signing Kyler Murray who is a talented QB but has health issues amongst other things to overcome. HC Kevin O’Connell is supposed to be an offensive guru so the hope is he figures out this offense because they have one of the best WRs in Justin Jefferson being wasted along with Jordan Addison, offseason addition Jauan Jennings, TE TJ Hockenson, and RB Aaron Jones along with a top 12 offensive line. 

Their defense lost four starters so they went all in on drafting new players with five their picks used on it, as LB Andrew Van Ginkel is the only good veteran that is left. 

East: This will be the Eagles division for a while based on their talent, front office and QB led by Jalen Hurts. If he misses time they got Andy Dalton waiting; their skill players are still RB Saquon Barkley, TE Dallas Goedert, WR DeVonta Smith but traded away AJ Brown. 

They hope by drafting both a WR/TE in the draft, adding Hollywood Brown and Dontayvion Wicks will make up for that loss. They still have a top 2 offensive line led by G Landon Dickerson and OT Lane Johnson’s last season will maybe get them further in the playoffs. Losing two key defensive players will make it harder on DT Jalen Carter, LB Zack Baun and CB Cooper DeJean who are leading it. 

For the Commanders getting QB Jayden Daniels back and healthy will make them a post-season threat but still have one of the worst offensive lines in the game and lost OT Laremy Tunsil for the season. 

His talent with the skill players they have will be exciting if he is upright with WRs Terry McLaurin, offseason addition Stefon Diggs and TE Chig Okonkwo plus RBs Jacory Corskey-Merritt and Rachaad White. Since their HC Dan Quinn is a defensive guy they drafted a few players on that side of the ball to help NT Daron Payne and DT Javon Kinlaw. 

To help out QB Dak Prescott the Cowboys re-signed RB Javonte Williams and franchise tagged WR George Pickens so it is not only CeeDee Lamb out there. 

They still have a middle of the pack offensive line unlike the earlier days of Prescott’s career but it will be the defense that will be the reason if they sniff the playoffs. They hired the youngest defensive coordinator in their history in 34 year old Christian Parker and used five of their draft picks on that side of the ball with both of their first round picks. They added LBs Rashan Gary, Dee Winters to DT Quinnen Williams, NT Kenny Clark, and CB DaRon Bland. 

The Giants have a new HC in John Harbaugh and drafted two offensive linemen to help out LT Andrew Thomas so hopefully those moves help keep QB Jaxson Dart healthy but also blossom. Health is also the issue for their skill players like WRs Malik Nabers, Darius Slayton and RB Cam Skattebo but added RB Najee Harris, WRs Darnell Mooney, brought back Odell Beckham Jr and TE Isaiah Likely. 

Their defense might be their best unit as it is lead by LBs Kayvon Thibodeaux, Adbul Carter and Brian Burnes but also added CB Greg Newsome, LBs Termaine Edmunds and first round pick Avrell Reese. 

South: Due to tiebreakers Carolina won the division because the Buccaneers just gave it away leading up to the last few weeks. This time QB Baker Mayfield should be back on track with his skill players RB Bucky Irving, WRs Chris Godwin, Emeka Egbuka and TE Cade Otton plus a top 3 offensive line led by OTs Tristin Wirfs and Luke Goedeke. 

They did lose franchise stalwart Mike Evans but hope they get lucky again with a rookie WR filling it. They used four of their other picks on the defense end since they lost Lavonte Davis to retirement and Jamal Dean. DT Vita Vea wants out so it is on S Antoine Winfield to lead this unit with LB Alex Anzalone who they signed. 

The Falcons will only go as far as their QB takes them but which QB between Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Pennix who both can’t stay healthy. They have a top 10 offensive line led by Jake Matthews but are weak at RT which is important for both QBs who are lefties. 

They did extend their best skill players RB Bijan Robinson, TE Kyle Pitts and WR Drake London. With all the shakeup and QB decisions they got one of the best head coaches available in the offseason in Kevin Stefanski who is finally out of Cleveland. Their issue will be their defense as DE Za’Darius Smith is their best player and used four of their draft picks on the defensive side. 

The Panthers won the division on a tiebreaker and if QB Bryce Young wasn’t their QB they would have cut bait already if HC Dave Canales didn’t believe in him. They still have a skill player problem even with them adding Darren Waller at TE; they lost RB Rico Dowdle and hoping RB Jonathon Brooks is finally healthy to pair Chuba Hubbard. 

Their WR core is young with the reigning offensive Rookie of Year in Tetairoa McMillan and their offensive line is bottom tier which is why they drafted a few linemen to improve it. They did add LBs Jaelan Phillips, and Devin Lloyd to help CB Jaycee Horn to improving  the defense. 

The Saints will continue to be in last place until they find a QB and HC Kellen Moore hopes is Tyler Shough because he has weapons. They added RB Travis Eteinne to Alvin Kamara, WR Chris Olave, TE Juwan Johnson and signed TE Noah Fant plus used their first round pick on a WR in Jordyn Tyson.

Their offensive line is middle of the pack and their defense lost Demario Davis and Alotae Taylor. Their defense is still led by LB Cameron Jordan which is the only bright spot.

West: In this tough division that had three playoff teams and the conference finals being between the Rams and Seahawks before Seattle won the whole thing, it will be slightly different. 

The Rams went off this offseason: re-signed reigning MVP QB Matthew Stafford, signed CB Jaylen Watson and trading for DE Myles Garrett and CB Trent McDuffie plus LB Aaron Donald might come out of retirement at some point. 

They still have WRs Puka Nacua, Davante Adams, TEs Colby Parkinson, Tyler Higbee and RB Kryen Williams plus a potentially top 10 offensive line. With Garrett, McDuffie, Watson being added to the defense it is a little top heavy as it cost them three draft picks and Jared Verse for the present. Also weirdly enough they didn’t use their 1^st round pick on something for the present they drafted a QB. 

The reigning Super Bowl Champs Seattle Seahawks still have the same core of QB Sam Darnold and WR Jaxson Smith-Njigba, Rashid Shaheed and Cooper Kupp and a middle tier offensive line. 

The biggest change is they lost SB MVP RB Kenneth Walker and their core defense players like Coby Bryant. Draft experts said they reached on getting a RB in the first round as Zach Charbonnet recovers from his ACL surgery. Their defense still has CB Devon Witherspoon, DE Leonard Williams, DT Bryon Murphy, LB Demarcus Lawrence and S Julian Love leading it for HC Mike Macdonald. 

The 49ers also lost to the Seahawks in the playoffs but will be back in the playoffs again. QB Brock Purdy will hopefully be fully healthy but has QB Mac Jones backing him up, RB Christian McCaffrey, TE George Kittle, FB Kyle Juszcyk but interestingly enough got back WR Debo Samuel, added Mike Evans and Christian Kirk since Ricky Pearsall is out for the year. 

With OT Trent Williams they still have a top 10 offensive line and have a good defense led by DE Nick Bosa, LBs Dre Greenlaw and Fred Warner. 

The Cardinals didn’t get anything for QB Kyler Murray by releasing him and they fired their HC so they hired the Rams OC in Mike LaFleur the younger brother of Matt in Green Bay. Their QB room of Gardner Minshew, Jacoby Brissett and Carson Beck isn’t scary enough for anyone and they had a starting RB in James Connor/added Tyler Allgeier but used their first pick at RB on Jeremiyah Love.

Their pass catchers aren’t bad if healthy in Marvin Harrison Jr, Kendrick Bourne and TE Trey McBride. Their offensive line is still bottom tier so they hope the draft helps and their defense is still led by S Budda Baker and LB Josh Sweat so they will be in last place for a while. 

North: Both Baltimore and Cincinnati suffered through key injuries causing both of them to not make the playoffs and Pittsburgh just inching in for the division title. 

The Ravens have a new head coach in Jesse Minter as John Harbough left for New York and lost their starting center Tyler Linderbaum to make their offensive line bottom tier. What is the same is QB Lamar Jackson, RB Derrick Henry, TE Mark Andrews and WR Zay Flowers leading their offense. 

Their defense missed out on Maxx Crosby but got Trey Hendrickson from their own rival to help out LB Roquan Smith, Marlon Humphrey, S Kyle Hamilton and they added Calais Campbell. Their front office drafted all the areas of weakness like an offensive linemen with their first pick, a pass rusher with the second round pick and some skill players for depth. 

The Bengals only go as far as QB Joe Burrow takes them and were not talking about his talent since he did take them to a SB appearance; it is his health, if he misses a huge chunk of time they do not make the playoffs. 

They now can weather the storm with Joe Flacco as his backup but the question is with a bottom tier offensive line will they keep him upright all season? They have one of the best receiving rooms in the league with WRs Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, TE Mike Gesicki plus RB Chase Brown. They went all in on defense in the offseason with their first two picks on defensive side, trading their first round pick for DT Dexter Lawrence, signed S Byran Cook, DEs Boye Mafe, Jonathan Allen, and S Kyle Dugger to help out second year coordinator Al Golden since they lost their best player on that side of ball in Hendrickson to Baltimore. 

The Steelers are going for a final run with QB Aaron Rodgers since he announced it would be his last season but this time it will not be with Mike Tomlin as they parted ways with their 3^rd coach since 1969. Rodgers’ former HC Mike McCarthy, a Pittsburgh native will take over. Their weapons of DK Metcalf, TE Pat Freiermuth and RB Jaylen Warren are good but they also added RB Rico Dowdle and WR Michael Pittman. Their offensive line is outside of the top 10 due to having one of the best centers in Zach Frazier and used their 1^st pick on a lineman. 

Their defense added CB Jamel Dean and S Jaquan Brisker to the core of DE Cameron Heyward, LB TJ Watt, CBs Jalen Ramsey, Joey Porter and LB Patrick Queen. 

The Browns fired a good head coach in Kevin Stefanski and hired Baltimore’s OC Todd Monken who is 60 years old and tasked him with deciding between Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel to be his QB1. They still have WR Jerry Jeudy and RB Quinshon Judkins plus TE Harold Fannin but lost TE David Njoku and have one of the worst offensive lines. They also traded franchise stalwart Myles Garrett to LA for DE Jared Verse and picks. 

They used their draft capital smartly investing in the offensive line, their WR core and on their defense because Verse/CB Denzel Ward can’t do it alone on defense. Once they figure out the QB situation the future talent around that QB will help propel them forward instead of backwards. 

East: The Patriots went all the way to the Super Bowl and lost and sometimes the runner ups don’t even make the playoffs the following season. This team might also have a stronghold on the division going forward with a young rising QB and a good roster with a good head coach in Mike Vrabel. QB Drake Maye was given upgrades in the WR room with AJ Brown and Romeo Doubs to pair with TE Hunter Henry and RB Rhamondre Stevenson. 

They also added G Alijah Vera-Tucker to their offensive line to give Maye a solid line to protect him. Their defense is led by Christian Gonzalez, Robert Spillane, Harold Landry, Carlton Davis and added Kevin Byard and Dre'Mont Jones. 

Nine seasons of HC Sean McDermott and eight of QB Josh Allen, Bills ownership decided it was time for a change because of how close they were but never won it by firing McDermott. 

They replaced him from within with OC Joe Brady and traded for WR DJ Moore. Their other skill players are still RB James Cook, TEs Dalton Kincaid, Dawson Knox and WRs Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman. Plus the offensive line is still top tier being led by Dion Dawkins. DT Ed Oliver still leads the defense but they added LB Bradley Chubb and S CJ Gardner Johnson plus went heavy in the draft on defense. 

The Dolphins what are they now? They fired their HC Mike McDaniel to hire the Packers DC Jeff Hafley, they cut QB Tua Tagovailoa and signed backup Packers QB Malik Willis, cut Tyreek Hill, Bradley Chubb and traded both Minkah Fitzpatrick and WR Jaylen Waddle away. Willis will have RB De’Von Achane who they extended but will have question marks all over the offense including a bottom tier offensive line. 

They drafted thirteen players but unsure if any will help out on defense, offense or on the offensive line but time will tell. 

The Jets and HC Aaron Glenn will hope for a better season this time with them bringing back QB Geno Smith via trade and drafting three players in the 1^st round. They even added S Minkah Fitzpatrick from their divisional rivals to help out LB Demario Davis and Nahshon Wright on defense. 

Their offensive line could be good or bad as the interior is the question but at least they extended RB Breece Hall and WR Garrett Wilson two important pieces for any QB bridge or rookie coming up. 

South: The Texans doubled down on their defense by extending DEs Will Anderson, Danielle Hunter and Azeez Al-Shaair, and to keep their offensive line improving by re-signing Trent Brown, Ed Ingram and using their 1^st pick on a lineman. That falls on QB CJ Stroud to play like he did his rookie season and get them further than the second round. 

They did add David Montgomery at RB and traded for WR Kayshon Boutte to pair with Nico Collins, Tank Dell and TE Dalton Schultz. Outside of those three core players they still have DT Sheldon Rankins, Derek Stingley and added Reed Blankenship. 

The Jaguars have had the QB for five seasons but have had four head coaches for Trevor Lawrence so it is on him to stay healthy and take this team past the first round. 

The detractors are still saying they have one of the worst offensive lines, having a terrible draft where experts said they reached and didn’t get a LB or edge rusher till very late which are their weak links. They let RB Travis Etienne and LB Devin Lloyd leave, but locked up TE Brenton Strange and DE Travon Walker. The other skill players are WRs Brian Thomas, Parker Washington and Jakobi Meyers plus hope Travis Hunter is healthy enough to suit up at both WR and CB. On defense DEs Josh Allen-Hines and Arik Armstead still lead and will do their best to lead this unit. 

The Colts think they have found “their QB” in Daniel Jones who was extended and was good for a half of a season before tearing his Achilles causing Phillip Rivers to come out of retirement. They also signed their WR Alec Pierce to a four year deal but then traded away Michael Pittman which didn’t make any sense but still have RB Jonathan Taylor. 

They also have a good TE in Tyler Warren and just picked up WR Keenan Allen to make up for the loss but Pierce is coming off ankle surgery too. For Jones he has the best offensive line in his career led by Quenton Nelson, a top five unit. A full season of CB Sauce Gardner will be good for the defense to help out DE DeForest Buckner and CB Charvarius Ward, plus they went defense heavy in the draft. 

QB Cam Ward will have a new head coach in his second season for the Titans but not an offensive guy he got Robert Saleh which didn’t make sense. What made sense was to draft a WR with their first pick to give him another weapon to pair with Calvin Ridley, and signed Wan’Dale Robinson plus RB Tony Pollard. Their offensive line is bottom tier and they don’t have a starting TE either.

Jeffery Simmons was extended so he will be leading this defense for awhile with DE Jermaine Johnson, S Amani Hooker, and how they went defense in the draft for Saleh’s system. 

West: QB Bo Nix and the Broncos were so close to going to the Super Bowl before he broke his ankle. They as a team proved this will be their division going forward with HC Sean Payton calling plays and having the top offensive line return intact. 

Adding WR Jaylen Waddle to pair with WR Courtland Sutton and TE Evan Engram plus RB JK Dobbins means the offense will be good again. On the defensive end they will be good again due to being led by former defensive player of the year CB Patrick Surtain, Nik Bonitto and Alex Singleton plus their first selection. 

The Chargers have a good regular season and lose in the 1^st round too many times so hopefully for QB Justin Herbert and HC Jim Harbaugh the difference with Mike McDaniel at OC will advance them further. 

They will also get back OTs Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater to the offensive line to protect Herbert as a top ten unit but just lost C Tyler Biadasz so they can’t get a break there. Skill player wise it is still a RB by committee crew, are lacking a true #1 WR but brought in TE David Njoku and FB Alex Ingold. S Derwin James was extended so when healthy he is one of the best safeties and they still have Bud Dupree, Denzel Perryman, S Tony Jefferson and LB Khalil Mack leading the defense.

Kansas City finally missed the playoffs (2014) under HC Andy Reid and QB Patrick Mahomes due to Mahomes injuring his knee. 

The Chiefs have no guarantees that he is fully healthy and will be the same player but signed QB Justin Fields for insurance. They still have one of the best offensive lines to keep him upright led by C Creed Humphrey and signed SB MVP Kenneth Walker at RB, plus still have TE Travis Kelce and WRs Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice. They traded away Trent McDuffie, let a few other key players leave on defense but are still led by DE Chris Jones, LB Nick Bolton and CB L’Jarius Sneed, plus went heavy in the draft on defense. 

The Raiders will keep changing up head coach and QB but will still be in last place in this division. They are on their fifth HC since Jon Gruden’s second tenure in Klint Kubiak, the son of Gary Kubiak after he was the SB champion Seahawks OC, and used their #1 overall pick on QB Fernando Mendoza, the Heisman winner. Interestingly enough they signed QB Kirk Cousins for two years to mentor/let him take the hits for a middle of the pack offensive line that will be headlined by Tyler Linderbaum who is now the highest paid center. They have some of the best skill players in RBs in Ashton Jeanty and TE Brock Bowers but nothing at WR; they did add FB Connor Heyward too. 

On defense they got lucky DE Maxx Crosby didn’t get traded to Baltimore so he can lead this unit with LB Nakobe Dean, S Jeremy Chinn, and their defense focused draft after selecting their QB.

 

2026-2027 NFL Standings, Playoffs & Award Predictions:

 

North:

1. Bears*

2. Packers*

3. Lions

4. Vikings

East:

1. Eagles*

2. Commanders

3. Cowboys

4. Giants

South:

1. Buccaneers*

2. Falcons

3. Panthers

4. Saints

West:

1. Rams*

2. Seahawks*

3. 49ers*

4. Cardinals

North: 

1. Ravens*

2. Bengals*

3. Steelers

4. Browns

East:

1. Patriots*

2. Bills*

3. Dolphins

4. Jets

South:

1. Jaguars*

2. Texans

3. Colts

4. Titans

West:

1. Broncos*

2. Chargers*

3. Chiefs

4. Raiders 

NFC Playoffs:

Wild Card Round:

#2 Eagles VS #7 Packers: Eagles win

#3 Bears VS #6 49ers: Bears win

#5 Seahawks VS #4 Buccaneers: Seahawks win

Divisional Round: 

#5 Seahawks VS #2 Eagles: Eagles win

#3 Bears VS #1 Rams: Rams win

Conference Championship Round:

#2 Eagles VS #1 Rams: Rams win

AFC Playoffs:

Wild Card Round:

#2 Broncos VS #7 Bengals: Broncos win

#3 Ravens VS #6 Chargers: Chargers win

#5 Bills VS #4 Jaguars: Bills win

Divisional Round:

#5 Bills VS #2 Broncos: Broncos win

#6 Chargers VS #1 Patriots: Patriots win

Conference Championship Round:

#2 Broncs VS #1 Patriots: Broncos Win

Superbowl LXI:

#2 Broncos VS #1 Rams: Rams win 

Awards: 

MVP: QB Drake Maye Patriots; QB Matthew Stafford Rams & QB Josh Allen Bills: 

Defensive Player of the Year: DE Myles Garrett Rams; Trey Hendrickson Ravens & S Derwin James Chargers 

Defensive Rookie of the Year: LB Arvell Reese Giants; S Dillon Thieneman Bears & S Caleb Downs Cowboys

Offensive Player of the Year: WR Amon-Ra St Brown Lions; WR Justin Jefferson Vikings & WR AJ Brown Patriots 

Offensive Rookie of the Year: RB Jadarian Price Seahawks; WR Carnell Tate & RB Jeremiyah Love Cardinals 

Comeback Player of the Year: QB Jayden Daniels Commanders; QB Patrick Mahomes Chiefs & QB Daniel Jones Colts

Protector of the Year: LT Penei Sewell Lions; Trent Williams 49ers & C Creed Humphrey 

Coach of the Year: Jesse Minter Ravens; John Harbaugh Giants & Kevin Stefanski Falcons 

Assistant Coach of the Year: OC Mike McDaniel Chargers; DC Brian Flores & DC Christian Parker Cowboys 

Executive of the Year: Les Snead Rams; Ian Cunningham Falcons & Eric DeCosta Ravens 

Your Favorite Toy-Foo Fighters Album Review:

Foo Fighters is back with their twelfth studio album “Your Favorite Toy” their first in three years (But Here we are). Their first with a new drummer named Ilan Rubin as the last album Dave Grohl did the drumming himself. Grohl himself said “The track title song sets the overall direction and tone of the record following an extended period of experimentation”. During 2024 and 2025 the band worked on new material, eventually shaping a set of louder, more energetic songs after the creation of the title track and this is the shortest length of any album they have made.

Grohl and company can keep making music and we all would keep listening to it. The real issue is do they need to keep making music? They are at a point in their career where they do not make trash or bad music but not every new song or album will be as good as their past releases. This album isn’t great nor is it complete trash.

There are two really bad songs in “Your Favorite Toy” the track title and “Spit Shine”. They both do not sound like their style as there is a lot of screaming grunge style. The average songs are “Of All People”, “Amen Cavemen” and “Caught in the Echo” the first track. All three do rock out but have elements that make you dislike the tracks like screaming or something.

The good tracks are “Window”, “If You Only Knew”, “Unconditional”, “Child Actor" and “Asking for a Friend”. All are good emotional songs with a softer tone but can still rock out. “Window” seems a little sad with how a window washer views the world through his window. It seems like “Asking for a Friend” and “If You Only Knew” are songs about a friend he has lost like Taylor Hawkins, which is a good thing to know he has not stopped thinking about his friend that he and the world had lost tragically. While “Child Actor” can be about being the limelight since he was young and maybe he didn’t want to be in the public eye his whole life.

In the end fans of the Foo Fighters are not going to hate this album or any other more recent release. They are just going to take the good from this album and add it to the great discography/songbook of music they like from them. This will not be theirs, mine or anyone’s favorite toy but will just be another addition to their history of making good music. It is good they can still make music even after all the tragedy this group has been through.

The Romantic-Bruno Mars Album Review:

 

Bruno Mars is back with this fourth solo album (his fifth overall) with “The Romantic” his first in a decade in “24K”. He is one of the most accomplished and talented singer-songwriters musicians in the industry who is always collaborating with others like Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, and the last album he worked on under the title Silk Sonic with Anderson Paak. The album peaked atop the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums US charts while also reaching number one in Canada. It is rare to listen to an album and not want to skip songs as it is a nice ride from the start to the end during the listening experience. It is the type of album that makes you smile or enjoy the experience because so many tracks are upbeat, funky, and groovy and make you want to dance or tap your feet to the beat. It does really show off his vocal strengths too.

            This upbeat R&B, pop-rock album is exactly what his fans have asked of him for years to come out with because it sounds so much like his older albums. “Cha, Cha, Cha” and the final track “Dance with me” are definitely dance songs. The former is an upbeat song and the latter is  definitely a slow song to dance to as he is talking about falling in love again. Tracks “Risk it all”, “I just might” and “G-d was showing off” all have that same upbeat-funky-groovy feel of R&B or Latin music. They have the feel of his older work and make you want to get up to dance; the first track does have a nice acoustic-quieter tone to start. The song “Why you want to fight”,  is when the album starts to kick it up a notch some cool guitar riffs and he sounds like a lounge or do-wop singer singing the blues in a way. While “On my soul” also has some good guitar riffs, is fast paced, with some guitar solos and some more ‘oofm’ to it. “Something serious” could be considered a song to dance to but he is definitely serious in the tone of the lyrics in the song. While the remaining song “Nothing left” is the one really serious song even though he is covering love in the other tracks for the most part. You can hear the emotional aspect in his vocals as there is more depth to the song too and it rocks out too.

            Mars has captured the romantic in him with these love songs of R&B, Hip-Hop, Pop-Rock and dance. He has also accomplished putting out music his fans can enjoy as it brings you back to his debut album or the previous ones. Because of his talent he will always be collaborating with other artists on either one track or even a whole album, which is fine. But the fans get kind of lucky that he is always releasing new music no matter if it’s as a solo artist or with others. Just know this man is not done making more music and let’s enjoy the ride that we all have been on since he started writing music for others and has been writing music for himself.

2026 MLB Trade Deadline Preview:

AL:

Central:

White Sox: Buyers: SP, RP & C

Guardians: Buyers: CF & RP

Twins: Sellers: C Ryan Jeffers, DH Josh Bell OFers Trevor Larnach, INF Cody Clemens SPs Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober

Tigers: Sellers: 2B Gleyber Torres SP Tarik Skubal CL Kenley Jansen, RP Kyle Finnegan 

Royals: Sellers: OF Lane Thomas, Starling Marte, SP Michael Wacha RPs Matt Strahm, John Schreiber

East:

Rays: Buyers: RF, 2B 

Yankees: Buyers: C

Red Sox: Buyers: C, RP

Orioles: Sellers: OFers Taylor Ward, Leody Taveras, RPs Yennier Cano, Rico Garcia, Andrew Kittredge, Tyler Wells 

Blue Jays: Sellers: OFers Daulton Varsho, Jesus Sanchez, INF Lenyn Sosa SP Kevin Gausman RPs Louis Varland, Jeff Hoffman, Tyler Rogers

West:

Rangers: Buyers: 2B, C, RP

Mariners: Buyers: RP 

Astros: Buyers: OF, SP, RP

Athletics: Sellers: 2B Jeff McNeil, C Jonah Heim, SPs Jeffrey Springs, JT Ginn, RPs Jose Saurez, Elvis Alvardo, Geoff Harlieb

Angels: Sellers: DH Jorge Soler, OFers Mike Trout, Josh Lowe, Jo Adell, SPs Jose Soriano, Reid Detmers, RPs Kirby Yates, Brent Suter

NL:

Central:

Brewers: Buyers: SP

Cubs: Buyers: SP & CL

Pirates: Sellers: RPs Gregory Soto, Mason Montgomery, Hunter Startton

Cardinals: Sellers: INF Jose Fermin, SP Dustin May, RP JoJo Romero, Ryne Stanek

Reds: Sellers: 1B Nate Lowe, 3B Gino Suarez, OFers Dane Myers, JJ Bleday, SP Andrew Abbott, Brady Singer, RPs Emilio Pagan, Pierce Johnson, Caleb Ferguson, Brock Burke, Sam Moll, Tejay Antone

East:

Braves: Buyers: C, SP, RP 

Phillies: Buyers: OF & RP 

Nationals: Sellers: SS CJ Abrams, INF Luis Garcia, C Keibert Ruiz, SPs Cade Cavalli, Foster Griffin, Zack Littell, Miles Mikolas

Marlins: Sellers: OFers Kyle Stowers, Esteury Ruiz, INF Otto Lopez, SP Sandy Alcantara, RPs Peter Fairbanks, Anthony Bender, Calvin Faucher

Mets: Sellers: OF Luis Robert, 2B Marcus Semien, SP Freddy Peralta, RPs Luke Weaver, Brooks Raley, AJ Minter, Huascar Brazoban, Cionel Perez

West:

Dodgers: Buyers: RP

Diamondbacks: Buyers: OF & RP 

Padres: Sellers: 1B Ty France, C Freddy Fermin, SPs Walker Buehler, Griffin Canning, German Marquez, RPs Mason Miller, Adrian Morejon, Wandy Peralta, Randy Vazquez, Jason Adam

Giants: Sellers: OFers Heliot Ramos, Jung Hoo Lee, INF Casey Schmitt, 2B Luis Arrez, SPs Robbie Ray, Tyler Mahhle, RPs Caleb Killan, JT Brubaker, Adrain Houser, Jason Foley

Rockies: Sellers: OFers Mickey Moniak, Jake McCarthy, UTL Tyler Freeman, INF Willi Castro, SS Ezequiel Tovar, C Hunter Goodman, Sps Michael Lorenzen, Tomoyuki Sugano, RP Antonino Senzatela

I Am Alexander James-AJ McClean Album Review:

 

AJ McLean of the Backstreet Boys is out with his second solo album “My Name Is Alexander James”; his debut solo album “Have it All” came out 16 years ago which is a long time for most artists but when you’re in the most successful boy band ever you don’t always have time. The reality is he was working on an album for years with songs being leaked and then he scrapped the whole idea instead coming out with all different kinds of singles in different genres/with other artists. Some of it has been odd like country or hip hop tracks just not his style as his first album had a full set of real music with instruments that had a pop, rock, RNB and blues feel to it. He has decided to pull the curtain into who he really is; which is Alex not AJ which has been his stage name since he was a teen; by showing his struggles in life with staying sober and his marriage falling apart. This is a true reflection of who he is as an individual and a father, rather than just the pop-star.

This took four years to come together and it was worth it. His daughter’s intro up the album in the prologue and he ends with thanking everyone at the end in the epilogue. It is harsh to say two worst songs but ones that do not click are “Flowers” which has “Ty Doll $ign” on it where the chorus is better than the verse but still an “ehh” and “Why you love me wrong” has some weird production values on it and it sounds more like a song for a hip-hop artist for a loud nightclub. There is- like completely different vibes in the middle of album that make the album have fun. They all have some hip-hop, RNB, groovy, upbeat elements in them or the nightclub vibe works. Those tracks “Body Butter”, “Lovin on me”, ‘Kiss Kiss” and “Sad in the Summer” are all catchy songs to listen to while “What you know about that” does have some emotional element to it as well.

The first track “Can’t love you anymore” has really good strong production values where you know he means business to start the album. It sounds like a song the Backstreet Boys would do and it shows how the album is going to be an emotional journey for Alex and us. Songs “Thinking about us” and “The one that got away” sounds like his relationship with his now ex-wife; does a good job at the whole introspective element. The song “Y.O.U.” sounds like he is a lounge singer talking about love and the blues. “Arizona” is definitely one of the more emotional tracks, showing off his vocal range, getting emotional/introspective but asking an important question. Am I good enough? Followed by “Relapse” which is something he is afraid of doing after becoming sober. While “Echoes” which is about his inner-demons like being sober or heartbreak. While the last track “Better man” ends the album beautifully asking the question is he a better man after all he has been through in life and will he be one in the future is this journey to become over.

In the end Alex has now made two solo albums like his band mate Howie D and Nick Carter(who has five). They have grown since their youth and you can hear it on their solo albums. AJ has been in the public eye for years back to when he acted as a kid before his music career. He hopes he is in a good place with his sobriety, mental health and being the best father he can be after everything he has been through in life. This album shows the journey he has been on to make the leap in his growth as a person with personal songs about his struggles in life. It might not be as good as his debut album but to answer his question; “Am I good enough to be loved by you?” He is certainly more than good enough as a person, father, friend and musician. Alexander James and AJ can both be present in the world and he shows that in this album.