Chiefs Keys to Victory

By Michael Rifkin

The Kansas City Chiefs have been in the last two Super Bowls and are the envy of the rest of the AFC. A lot of the competitors in the conference tried to make splash moves to beat the Chiefs. The Cleveland Browns, who the Chiefs defeated in the AFC Divisional playoffs and will play in week one, worked on their defense, including signing former number one overall pick Jadeveon Clowney. The Tennessee Titans traded for star wide receiver Julio Jones from the Atlanta Falcons and signed pass rusher Bud Dupree from the Pittsburgh Steelers. The New England Patriots, the team that ran the conference for the last two decades, made a flurry of moves, including signing pass-catchers Nelson Agholor, Kendrick Bourne, Hunter Henry, and Jonnu Smith, who will all catch passes from rookie Mac Jones.

The Patriots also will be bringing back seven players on defense who opted out of last season due to Covid. New England also signed star pass rusher Matthew Judon from the Baltimore Ravens. This offseason saw New England spend more money than ever under future Hall of Fame coach Bill Belichick. And there is the Buffalo Bills, the team the Chiefs defeated in the AFC championship game who will bring back the same team for the most part but will get back defensive tackle Star Lotulelei who opted out of last season due to Covid. If the Chiefs want to get back to their third consecutive Super Bowl in a very competitive AFC, here are five keys to doing that.

  1. Offensive line. The lasting memory of the Super Bowl was Patrick Mahomes trying to run away from the Buccaneers pass rush. This offseason, General Manager Brett Veach made this his target. They traded for left tackle Orlando Brown from the Ravens. They signed Joe Thuney from the Patriots and Kyle Long out of retirement. Rookies Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith will also help out the revamped line.
  2. Clyde Edwards-Helaire. The second-year running back out of LSU ran for 803 yards and four touchdowns. He averaged 4.4 yards per carry in his rookie season. Now with an entire offseason of minicamps and OTA’s, watch him have a breakout season.
  3. L’Jarious Sneed. The 2020 fourth-round pick out of Louisiana Tech had three interceptions and seven passes defended in nine games played in his rookie season. He was limited to nine games because of a fractured collarbone in week three vs. Ravens. 
  4. Patrick Mahomes. Yes, it took until reason four to bring up the best quarterback in the game. Mahomes last season had a 66.3% completion percentage and 4,740 Passing yards with 38 touchdowns and six interceptions. With players like Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill helping him, the Chiefs offense might be unstoppable if the before-mentioned Edwards Helaire takes a step forward.
  5. Schedule. Because the Chiefs won the AFC West again, they have a schedule where they need to be on their game early. Week 1 they play the Browns, Week 2: Ravens, Week 5 Bills, Week 9 Packers, Week 16 Steelers. So throughout the season, the Chiefs will go up against the best the NFL has to offer, and if they can get through it, they will go into the playoffs battle-tested. 

Dallas Cowboys Final Roster

By Mark Halpern

Well, another preseason has come and gone, and the Cowboys didn’t win one single game. Now preseason isn’t about wins and losses; it’s about seeing who will make the final roster. At 4 pm today, the Cowboys released their final depth chart, and I am delighted with the outcome.

The Offense is back to full strength with Dak Prescott taking full pads practices, and he will be the leader on the field for this season. One of the Cowboys’ positions that they were trying to figure out was the backup quarterback, and Cooper Rush won the battle, however with news of Cam Newton release from New England, I can’t see how the Cowboys wouldn’t be in play. The running backs will be the same talented group of Zeke Elliot and Tony Pollard. The wide receiver group is in the top 3 in the league. Armani Cooper, Michael Gallup, and Cee Dee Lamb will be roaming the gridiron with Cedrick Wilson and Noah Brown. The tight ends remain the same with Blake Jarwin and Dalton Schultz.

The offensive line was a big problem last year but, this year, it’s full strength. Leading the way will be Tyron Smith, Zack Martin, La’el Collins, Connor Williams, and Terrence Stelle blocking and opening holes. I am proud of Matt Farinok for making the depth chart. He did everything right and showed the Cowboys he belongs on the team. With this line in place and staying healthy, this Cowboys offense will be at the top of the league.
Defensively the Cowboys made some significant changes. First, Brining in Dan Quinn to take charge and reformulate this entire defense. The defensive line has Demarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory on the ends. I am pulling for Gregory to have a big year cause he worked his way back from offseason troubles last year. Dorrance Armstrong had a considerable preseason, and Neville Gallimore will miss the first 2-3 games with an elbow injury. This year, they have depth, and I expect things from the line like not giving up a hundred yards on the ground in the first quarter.

The Linebacking crew is top three in the NFL this year. Leighton Vander Esch is coming off an injury-plagued season last year but is fully healthy and has an excellent vision all over the field. Jaylon Smith, the man whom teams thought, would never play again after his knee injury in college a few years back but has emerged as one of the best linebackers in the NFL. Keanu Neal came to the team this offseason and has not been disappointed. Now the Cowboys used the draft very wisely for this position. They drafted Micha Parson and Jabril Cox. These two are studs, and they have performed well during the preseason and will excel during the regular season.
One of the biggest problems the Cowboys had was the secondary. Trevon Diggs, Jordan Lewis, and Anthony Brown return from last season. They all have adjusted nicely to Dan Quinn’s new defensive scheme. The significant addition of Malik Hooker, who will be playing strong safety this year, will be critical for this defense. He can cover the field well and is very experienced. One big surprise here was rookie Israel Mukuamu who played his heart out and even picked off a pass in the final game. He deserved the roster spot, and I look for him to do fine things.

Special teams is a little stronger than it was. Greg Zuerlein will be handling the placekicking and can drive a field goal from over 60 yards; and has been very consistent over his time in the NFL. Punting for the Cowboys is Bryan Anger. I like what I have seen, and may he take as much anger out on the ball as he wants.
I have very high expectations for this year’s team as they break camp and take on Tampa in week one next Thursday night. This will be an actual test of this Cowboys team going up against Brady and the SuperBowl champs but, I like what I am seeing, and LET’S GO COWBOYS!

New York Giants 53-Man Roster

By Jeff Knapp

The New York Giants have a week off until their season opener against the Denver Broncos. It’s been a busy few days. They released the 53-man roster, which as of 9/2 looks like this:

On Offense:
Quarterback: Daniel Jones and Mike Glennon

Running Back: Saquon Barkley, Devontae Booker, Eli Penny, Gary Brightwell, and Cullen Gillaspia

Tight End: Evan Engram, Kyle Rudolph, and Kaden Smith

Wide Receiver: Kenny Golladay, Sterling Shepard, Darius Slayton, Kadarius Toney,
C.J. Board and Collin Johnson (claimed off waivers from the Jaguars)

O-line: Nate Solder, Andrew Thomas, Matt Peart, Will Hernandez, Shane Lemieux, Nick Gates, Billy Price, and Ben Bredeson

On Defense:
D-line: Leonard Williams, Dexter Lawrence, Danny Shelton, Austin Johnson, Raymond Johnson

Linebacker: Blake Martinez, Reggie Ragland, Oshane Ximines, Lorenzo Carter, Tae Crowder, Azeez Ojulari, Carter Coughlin, Cam Brown, Quincy Roche (claimed off waivers from the Steelers), and Justin Hilliard (claimed off waivers from the 49ers)

Safety: Jabrill Peppers, Logan Ryan, Julian Love, and Xavier McKinney

Cornerback: James Bradberry, Adoree Jackson, Sam Beal, Darnay Holmes, Rodarius Williams, Josh Jackson, and Keion Crossen

Special Teams:
Kicker: Graham Gano
Punter: Riley Dixon
LS: Casey Kreiter

Currently, they have ten men on IR with players like WR John Ross, who will be on IR for at least the first three games, LB Elerson Smith and G Ted Larsen.

As of 9/2, the Giants did some last-second tweaking to their practice squad by adding QB Brian Lewerke, RB Dexter Williams, LB Trent Harris, and WR Dante Pettis, who were both waived and have rejoined the team.

Rams 53 Man Roster announced; A surprising and dramatic day

By Zakary Haines

LOS ANGELES- Figuring out a final roster is never an easy task. With only 53 players allowed, teams had to make a massive jump down from 80 players. Some teams had an easier day than others, but the Rams had their good share of surprises and drama heading into the deadline. There were some obvious cuts and a handful of surprising cuts that left more questions than answers. However, that does not explain the players who made the team last year and somehow did not make this years’ roster. 

One player that comes to mind immediately is linebacker Micah Kiser. Not only did Kiser make the squad last year, but he also started the first half of the season until a knee injury sidelined him. This preseason the Rams had plenty of talent to choose from. It made sense to move on with newer, younger talent. Kiser was a force against the run game last season; however, he was limited in his play and had issues dropping into coverage on pass plays. Regardless, Kiser’s time with the Rams has come to an end.

A group that was primarily unaffected until the deadline was wide receivers. Two very surprising players who were cut were JJ Koski and Triston Jackson. Both players were making noise on the offensive side of the ball. Koski had 102 receiving yards in the preseason, along with 12 receptions. However, Koski did not get any receiving touchdowns, which may have made the difference.

Meanwhile, Jackson was on the Rams last year, had 55 receiving yards, five receptions, and one touchdown out of two games (Jackson did not participate against the Raiders). These two cuts are even more surprising as to who took their spots. Tutu Atwell, who will also have kickoff return duties, and rookie Ben Skowronek missed the preseason with a fractured forearm. 

The most exciting aspect of today was with the team’s two punters: Johnny Hekker and Corey Bojorquez. Hekker put out an exciting and cryptic Instagram post on Tuesday morning saying, “The future is bright.” During the day, there was a report going around that Hekker would be cut and join the Dallas Cowboys. Hekker’s camp and the Rams could restructure Hekker’s contract and ship off Bojorquez, and a 7th round pick to the Green Bay Packers. This seems this was a win-win all around as the Packers parted ways with JK Scott and grabbed one of the best punters in the preseason.

With all the cuts, some stand-out stars throughout the preseason fought and won their spot on the roster. Division II outside linebacker Chris Garrett made highlights against the Las Vegas Raiders and earned himself a spot on the depth chart. Bryce Perkins had one of the best preseason performances and landed at 3rd on the quarterback depth chart. Overall, there were some smart choices and some questionable ones. Only time will tell if Sean McVay put together a title-contending team. The Rams’ first game of the regular season is on September 12th for Sunday night football against the Chicago Bears at SoFi Stadium.

THE DETROIT LIONS 53 MAN ROSTER

By Mark Halpern

So the Detroit Lions finished the preseason 0-3 the way many sportscasters and other analysts figure their entire season could be 0-17. The Lions made big waves trading their superstar quarterback Matt Stafford to the Rams for Superstar quarterback Jared Goff. In my opinion, the Rams got the better deal with that all-star offense. Goff came to a team that has some talent but is a rebuilding team now. The Lions broke camp last Friday, and their official depth chart was finalized on Tuesday, the 31st. It is not an impressive team, but let’s see what this team is working with.

The Lion’s offense over the past few seasons has been pitiful. They showed some flash at times. Jared Goff will lead the way at quarterback, and David Blough, who had a decent preseason, will back him up. Since the number one running back, Deandre Swift, is still battling injury, and the running back position will be pretty much by committee until Swift Is 100%. Jamaal Williams and Jamar Jefferson will be a change of pace running backs. The wide receiver core, which was once a highly rated core with Marvin Jones Jr {Now on Jacksonville} and Kenny Golladay {Now on the NY Giants} left the position pretty meek. The number one receiver is Tyrell Williams with Amon-Ra St. Brown at the number two, and either Kalif Raymond or Quintez Cephus, who had an excellent preseason and earned a spot on the roster, could be the slot receiver. Returning as the number one Tight End is T.J. Hockenson, who worked well with Stafford but had a subpar year due to injury, and his talents weren’t appropriately used should have an improved season. Jared Goff had good connections with his Tight Ends in LA. So I see Hockenson having a much better year as long as he can stay healthy. His backup is Darren Fells, who has experience in the NFL and is a good blocker.

The offensive line is pretty much the same as last season. The line didn’t perform horribly but was very inconsistent with their blocking. Taylor Decker, Frank Ragnow, and Penei Swell are the ones on the line I think will work well, and with the new offense, we could see some surprises. However, Goff will be on his back a lot if the line performs the way it did in the preseason.

On the other side of the ball, The Lion’s defense has always had stars and plays some good defense at times, and then they look like a high school football team defense. Trey Flowers is a stud defensive end and is in line for another pro bowl season. Austin Bryant should be the other edge starter and can cause some trouble to quarterbacks with his speed. On the line, Kevin Strong and Michael Brockers will look to close holes and try not to give up over a hundred yards to opposing running backs a game. The Line backing unit with Derrick Barnes and Jamie Collins Sr complement each other well. The Lion’s secondary has always had a star cornerback, and this year Jeff Okudah and Amani Oruwariye are a good pair of outside defenders. A.J. Parker will be covering the slot receiver. Yes, I understand Goff is the star here, but this secondary could turn some heads or get their heads turned. Backing up the backs is Tracy Walker in the free safety spot, and Will Harris at solid safety will be actively busy as teams will try and test this defense.

As for the Special Teams, the placekicker is new. No longer the star Matt Prater who could hit from almost anywhere on the gridiron is gone, and taking over is Zane Gonzales, who has experience but not quite the leg or accuracy that Prater has. So this position could be a problem.
I look at this Lions team, and I see two things. 1. The team that they are, and 2. The team that they could be. When the two of them meet, the Lions will be dangerous.

Titans Final Roster

By Bill Murphy

On Tuesday, after a 2-1 preseason finish, the Tennessee Titans made their 53 man roster. Though there is a 53 man roster out, some players are on the Covid 19/ reserve list. When they come back, the Titans can make some changes to the roster before the season starts.Of course, the first one to talk about who will win the number two spot on the roster as backup quarterback to Ryan Tannehill.

The winner of that sweepstakes is Logan Woodside, who this preseason threw 29 completions out of 40 attempts giving him a completion rate of 72.5%, with 228 yards and three touchdowns. Woodside put up a strong preseason and deserves the position . Matt Barkley initially made the cut but was released on Wednesday and was added to the practice squad later that day.

When it comes to the running back’s Mekhi Sargent did end up making the squad. Sargent had 90 yards during this preseason. This could only be a temporary move because Jeremy McNichols (the Titans top pick) is currently on the COVID/ reserve list and is slated to come back with that. It makes Sergeant’s future of starting very uncertain at this moment.

A move that I am presently surprised at is that Cameron Baston ended up making the team. Baston’s s preseason numbers were 66 yards and two touchdowns. This was a good move by the Titans because it Could probably strengthen the receiver game with AJ Brown and Julio Jones.
When it comes to the cuts, there have been 17 made. Those are the cuts that have been made for the Tennessee Titans. One of the cuts that I am shocked about is when they cut Mason Kinsey, who wracked up ten receptions, 131 yards, and one touchdown during preseason. His performance could’ve strengthened that Wide receiver core. Next Sunday, September 12th, the Titans start their season when they have their home opener against the Arizona Cardinals.

Boogate 2021

by Michael Rifkin

After Sunday’s win over the Nationals Mets second baseman and trade deadline acquisition, Javier Baez talked about the team’s new thumbs-down sign. Saying, “When we don’t get success, we’re going to get booed. So they are going to get booed when we get success.” This isn’t about one player. In particular, this is about culture in the clubhouse. This kind of behavior shouldn’t be tolerated. The Mets have had a dreadful month of August with a record of 8-19 and have seen their first-place lead turn into being 7.5 games out in the NL East. The Mets had a brutal stretch where they played thirteen straight games against the Dodgers and Giants, two of the top teams in MLB, and went 2-11. During this stretch where the team has struggled, the fans have felt as frustrated, just as the players have.

Players don’t like being booed, but openly admitting that the response is to boo the fans is wrong. The fans also pay good money to watch their team play. When they pay for their ticket, it allows them to say how they feel. There was a different feeling coming into the 2021 season for the Mets, new owner Steve Cohen and president Sandy Alderson made moves to better the roster, including trading for star shortstop Francisco Lindor and paying him $341 million over ten years. Mets fans rejoiced when Cohen bought the team the clown show was supposed to stop. Mets president Sandy Alderson put out a statement late Sunday night saying, “The Mets will not tolerate any player gesture that is unprofessional in its meeting or is directed toward our fans.” Alderson goes on to say, “Mets fans are loyal, passionate, knowledgeable, and more than willing to express themselves. We love them for every one of these qualities.” Fans see players’ frustrations boil over in the dugout, or they slam a bat. When the fans get frustrated, they boo the team, but at the end of the day, the Mets players and fans are frustrated with what has occurred recently. Alderson also said there would be a team meeting over this.

Mets fans are very passionate about their team; look at the fantastic run in 2015. If you embrace the fans and New York, they will embrace right back. Right now, nobody is happy with what is going on, but this is all about passion. Mets fans are passionate about their team succeeding and want to see that happen. The Mets and their fanbase want Citi Field to be rocking in October.

Giants preseason game 3 vs Patriots – post game

By Jeff Knapp

The 3rd and final preseason game is over for the New York Giants, who fell 22-20 to the New England patriots in a back and forth game.

There were a few things that I loved and a few things that I did not love. I will start off with what bothered me.

What bothered me was the fact that the Giants won in time of possession and still lost. A stat I saw from 2017 showed that 7 of the 10 teams that win time of possession made the playoffs. Some people don’t care about that since this is a passing league, and certain offenses are designed to score quickly. I’ve always gone with running the ball, and defense wins championships.

Speaking of running the ball, the Giants only rushed the ball 22 times and averaged 4.4 yards per attempt. If it wasn’t for Elijhaa Penny and Corey Clement bolstering that average, it would have been right around two yards per carry. The o-line gave up four sacks, and although the Patriots also gave up four sacks, you aren’t going to win ball games that way.

Although Daniel Jones looked pretty good, he was sacked twice and threw a crucial interception in the endzone.

On to a few things that didn’t make me happy. The four sacks and interception were a treat to see, and although the Patriots had a few big runs for over 15 yards and three big pass plays, the first team secondary looked pretty good. I was pleased with Damion Willis and Sterling Shepard, who I hope will have an amazing season, as long as Jones stays upright and doesn’t fumble the ball.

I’m wondering how the team will look come opening day with all the starters hopefully on the field, but as Alexander Pope once said, “Hope Springs Eternal.”

Best Food in Stadiums and Venues Pt4.(NCAA)

By Mark Halpern

So in the first three parts of this feature piece, we touched on the MLB, NBA, NFL, and NHL. Now to take a deeper look into food, we head to the stadiums that players play in so they get recognized and may be drafted. I am talking about College Football. We will take a look at six college stadiums that have a featured dish and another sought-out food item (the second food item will not have a picture).

  #5   At North Western University, we find traditional college food but jacked up. Most stadium goers love a good plate of Nachos. However, here at NWU, we get a spicy version called Wildcat Nachos. A heaping order of blue corn tortillas topped with pico de gallo, Beef Barbacoa { A Mexican/Caribbean BBQ} piled on high topped with a bunch of spicy jalapenos and topped off with white queso cheese sauce. If you enjoy a spicy treat, then this is for you.

      A secondary dish to try if you go to a game at NWU is Asian/Italian fusion food called the Asian Meatball Sandwich. You get four pork meatballs, a Hoisin glaze BBQ sauce, and topped with Asian slaw on a footlong wedge. It comes with a side of potato wedges. Not your average wedge here.

#7 At the University of Arkansas, home of the Razorbacks, you can get a deep-fried treat called Pork rinds with Pimento Cheese. You have to be in a suite for this fried treat to get them, but I am told it is way worth it. A plate is full of Pork Rinds that are battered and then fried served with a side of Pimento Cheese sauce. This is one of those Lipitor dishes that I mentioned in the first article. They look good, and a plate can feed 2-3 people, and considering suites hold roughly 20-25 people, we might as well get eight plates.

#2 At Oregon State University, home of the Ducks {Not the Disney ones} you can get a Bratwurst with a kick called The Beaver Brat.  It starts with a beer-braised Bratwurst served on a Franz outdoor roll, topped with pickled sweet and spicy peppers, honey mustard sauce, and Sauerkraut. More Quack for your bite with this one.

    Another trendy dish at the Ducks’ home gets its name for the official animal of Oregon called Beaver Dam Fries. You get about ¾ of a pound of very crisp French fries topped with Caramelized onions, applewood smoked bacon, and a secret sauce they call Fry sauce. This is more of a dish to have later because that much will fill you up or get two and not worry about food the rest of the game.

#4 At Iowa State University, we get a basket of French Fries like no other I have ever seen called Crabmeat Rangoon Fries. Now, if you have not had Crabmeat Rangoon, I will explain. At some Chinese restaurants, you can get Crabmeat Rangoon but in a wonton form. A crispy wonton stuffed with Crab and Cream Cheese mixed with Green onions. Well, they took it one step farther and deconstructed it. It is a basket of French fries, topped off with a spicy chili sauce, Crab Cream Cheese, and topped off with Green Onions and wonton strips. A snack variety of foods on the list but sounds delicious.

      Available only in suites at Iowa State is an appetizer that is a must-have. An order of herb Naam bread is cut into toast points, and to dip them, you get a bowl of hot cheese and corn dip. The cheese, however, is mixed with a local beer, and the corn is roasted garlic corn, and they come together to make a yummy dip.

#1 At Purdue University, you can get an enormous sandwich with a hell of a name called Porky’s Pete’s Primetime Player BBQ Sandwich. On an Onion bun, you get an oversized piece of fried pork tenderloin, polish sausage, pulled pork, bacon, coleslaw, and three huge onion rings served with a wicked BBq sauce. This sandwich is a must-have, and come hungry cause; this beast can fill almost anyone.

     Now a good burger is hard to find, and a burger with the name the Bacon Double Hammer Burger gives a proper pounding. This tasty burger comes with two ¼ pound burger patties, two slices of American cheese, and four slices of bacon. This makes your everyday burger, but we have also known stadium food just tastes better.

#6 At the University of Alabama {Roll Tide} we get a stuffed stadium delight called Pimento Cheese stuffed Coneuch {which is a southern hickory-smoked sausage.} Take one of these sausage links and stuff them with their homemade Pimento Cheese, then cook and then top it off with a southern BBQ sauce.

  Now also at UA, you can get a sandwich in which the state of Pennsylvania made famous called the Philly Cheesesteak.  On a fresh Hoagie roll, you get fresh grilled top sirloin, mixed green peppers, and onions, and top it off with a hefty helping of cheese sauce. Made the same way in Pennsylvania but served with southern love.

   I hope you all liked this feature. If you go to a stadium or arena and find a new crazy concession, please take a picture and send it to me here on our site, and if anyone around the works reads this and shares it, I would love to do a feature on foods from stadiums of the world. All in all, I believe MLB stadiums have the best unique food to offer, and that is how the old man sees it.

Dallas vs Jacksonville Post Game : 0-4 {enough said}

By Mark Halpern

The Dallas Cowboys played their final preseason game today against the Jaguars and lost 34-14. The Big Cats made us look like a minor Pee Wee football team. Yes, mind you, not many starters started on the offense and very few on defense. Dallas coaches will begin to decide who is staying and who will be going. Some of those cuts will come as soon as Monday.

The story of the preseason was who was going to be the backup quarterback in Dallas? If we were judging just by today, then it wouldn’t be Cooper Rush. He was the only reserve quarterback not to throw a touchdown. His play has been erratic, and still, he isn’t the worst option. Ben DeNucci, who did pass for a score, has been the weakest this entire preseason. His passes are all over the place, and sometimes he doesn’t show much confidence. This leaves us with Garrett Gilbert, who did throw a touchdown and completed fifty percent of his passes. None of these three deserve to be on the team, but you must have a backup in case of injuries. The Cowboys restructured Elliot’s contract earlier in the week to free up a chunk of cap room. The question is, which quarterback are they going to go after this close to the season?

Let’s look at the positives from today. The cowboys did not turn over the ball but did force a turnover on an interception. Well, that was easy. The Cowboys brought out second and third-rounders to see where they had to trim the fat in the upcoming days. This version of the Cowboys defense let Trevor Lawrence go off today. Trevor threw 11/12 passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns. They then let Jake Luton come in and throw 16/18 for 137 yards and one touchdown to make things worse. If the Jacksonville Jaguars come out like this on week one, then the league better watch out. 

Tuesday, Aug 31st, 4 pm is the time limit teams must cut down to the magic number of 53 players. I will say that some choices will be challenging, especially on the defensive side. The Cowboys have the best linebacking crew in football, and depth in that position is perfect. They will be cutting more offensive players than defensive. I see Ben DeNucci staying with the Cowboys but on the practice squad. As for others, it will be a wait-and-see.

Look for my article this week on the cut down to 53 and my predictions for the season.