The Sports Insanity Network

SIN’S MLB OFFSEASON Recap

Baseball season is almost here. It was an exciting winter. Here is how we saw the offseason through a questionnaire.

THE QUESTIONS

FAVORITE OFFSEASON SIGNING AND WHY?
WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE OFF-SEASON SIGNING, AND WHY?
FAVORITE UNDER-THE-RADAR SIGNING ( A SIGNING THAT OCCURRED AND DIDN’T GET ENOUGH TALK)
TEAM THAT HAD THE BEST OFFSEASON
TEAM THAT HAD THE WORST OFFSEASON

Jeff Knapp – As a Yankee fan, how can I not talk about the re-signing of Aaron Judge? He set the AL Record for home runs in a season and is one of the most beloved Yankees since Derek Jeter. The other signing I love is Trea Turner going to Philly. The Phillies won the NL pennant last year and are adding a guy who hits .320 and 20 homers and can steal many bases, plus plays solid defense.

Mark Halpern – Xander Bogaerts going to San Diego was a huge move. Adding him to a lineup that includes Machado, Juan Soto, and eventually, Fernando Tatis Jr. Bogaerts, Machado on one side of the infield is as good as it gets.

Mike Rifkin – I’m going the Jeff route here and taking two. Jose Abreu is going to Houston. The Astros won the World Series last year and only got better. Adding Abreu, a .292 career hitter, to a lineup that still has Altuve, Bregman, and Yordan Alvarez, this Astro lineup can be scary. The other signing I love is Willson Contreras going to the Cardinals. Yadier Molina has retired. There isn’t a better replacement for him than Contreras. He is outstanding defensively and gives the Cardinals a much-needed bat to go with Goldschmidt and Arenado in the middle of the lineup. Also, the Cardinals got to steal a Cub, which might not hurt either.

2. Jeff Knapp – Carlos Correa. This guy had two deals with the Giants and the Mets but wound up staying in Minnesota. I am still determining what the Twins will be this season. I am also concerned about his ankle.

Mark Halpern – Jacob deGrom – This one hurt when I found out about it, but Texas won 68 games last year. The Rangers invested much money into Jake, but is he still the same pitcher he was three years ago? Can he stay healthy for an entire season?

Mike Rifkin – Joey Gallo – I was going to say Arson Judge. Joey Gallo has struggled over the past couple of seasons. I thought that when he got traded to the Dodgers, that would bring him new life in his career, but he still struggled. Losing the shift could help Gallo in Minnesota.

3. Jeff – Jose Abreu’s signing happened so quickly in the offseason that I don’t believe it gets enough hype. Yes, he’s 36, but he is still coming off a season with a slash line of .304/.378/.446. Adding him to the Astro lineup is enormous.

Mark – Justin Turner – Turner turned his career around in Los Angeles. He is a solid third-baseman and DH option for the Red Sox. He can have much fun with the Green Monster.

Mike – Chris Bassitt – Blue Jays Bassitt was a workhorse for the Mets last season, going 15-9 with a 3.42 ERA. Adding him to a rotation with Alek Manoah, Kevin Gausman, and Hyun-Jin Ryu is solid for the Blue Jays.

4. Jeff – The team that had the best off-season was the Phillies. I’m not one to praise anything from Philadelphia, except for Rocky Balboa, but being objective, they were not only able to add one of the biggest free agents by signing shortstop Trea Turner, but they added starting pitcher Taijuan Walker after losing Thor and bolstered their bullpen by adding Craig Kimbrel and Gregory Soto. These moves might help them repeat as the NL champions once again.

Mark – I agree with Jeff that the Phillies had a good off-season. Despite being a Mets fan, the Phillies had a great off-season. Trea Turner is a star, and Taijuan Walker is a terrific addition to their rotation.

Mike: The Phillies did have a good offseason, but so did the rival New York Mets. People are questioning Justin Verlander’s age, but he was dominant last year in winning the AL CY Young award. They also added Kodai Senga from Japan. Steve Cohen also retained Brandon Nimmo, who is a spark at the top of the lineup, and Edwin Diaz, the most dominant closer in Baseball.

5. Jeff – Looking at who might have had the worst offseason, where possibly the LA Dodgers. I don’t care how long it’s been, but that’s what you get for leaving Brooklyn. It wasn’t surprising that they brought back Clayton Kershaw, but they lost position players like Trea Turner, Justin Turner, Cody Bellinger, and Craig Kimbrel. When it comes to bad, I have to add the San Francisco Giants in there because they could have had both Correa and Judge, but both options fell through. They did sign Mitch Haniger and Michael Conforto, but Conforto is coming off a severe shoulder injury, and Haniger has an injury history.

Mark – Colorado Rockies – Last winter, they added Kris Bryant, and he had a disappointing season mainly due to injury. This offseason, they only did a little. So I don’t want to hear their owner complain about other teams spending when he refuses to.

Mike – Red Sox – They re-signed Rafael Devers to a massive extension. But outside of that, I’m still determining. What do I expect from Justin Turner, Kenley Jansen, and Corey Kluber? Five or six years ago, that would’ve been great. I also hate the loss of Xander Bogaerts, whom I viewed as this team’s version of Dustin Pedroia. The Red Sox are hoping for many veterans to regain their form; otherwise, it might be a long year in Boston (At least they’ve got the Celtics and Bruins)

Being Comfor-TUA-ble

By: Mike Rifkin

It is widely reported that the Miami Dolphins are picking up the fifth-year option on quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Tua led the NFL with a passer rating of 105.5 last season and had 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Tua had a great season when he played, and he did miss time last year due to multiple concussions, including the last three games of the regular season.

Picking up on the fifth-year option makes sense for multiple reasons. The first is that paying Tua 23 million dollars instead of 43, which is what the franchise tag would be, is a win. But look at what the New York Giants did with their quarterback Daniel Jones. We can debate if it’s a good or bad deal later, but declining his option and he put together his best season, which costs them 40 million dollars a year. The Bengals, Chargers, and Eagles will all have to pay their quarterbacks this offseason, which could hamper their rosters. Another reason this move makes sense is that the organization is not locking in a lousy deal. They are still evaluating Tua. To most people, that seems like a bad thing, but despite Tua putting together a tremendous regular season needs to show he can stay healthy for an entire season. If he plays well, they’ll give him the long-term deal. They can go elsewhere if he struggles to stay healthy or struggles in general.

Now I need people to bear with me on this. Here is a hypothetical situation, but a part of me wonders if the organization would sit Tua for the season with the concussion issues and let him get his mind right. Sitting Tua for the season would mean the Dolphins need a quarterback for 2023. Enter Aaron Rodgers into the conversation. The Packers are moving the 39-year-old future hall of famer. The only team that has shown interest is the New York Jets. Now if the Dolphins enter the conversation, it would have to be a one-year deal, and then Tua gets back his job next season, and if something happens to Rodgers, you still have Tua. Remember, this is a hypothetical situation. Does that happen? No, I don’t, but it would be something I would consider monitoring because acquiring Rodgers is not like acquiring Lamar Jackson because you don’t have to make a long-term commitment. From an organizational perspective picking up the option on Tua makes all the sense in the world for the Dolphins.

WBC preview: Canada

By: Ross Mazin

The WBC is upon us, and I couldn’t be more excited. The WBC is where the stars get to play for national pride.

Canada last played in the WBC in 2006, where they had their signature win over the United States. Despite that, Canada has never made it out of pool play. They are overall a very competitive team. Before being eliminated after the first round, Canada played in Pool B, which consisted of Mexico, South Africa, and the United States. Canada will be in Pool C with the United States, Colombia, Mexico, and Great Britain this year.

The 2023 roster includes notable players such as Freddie Freeman, Tyler O’Neil, and Bo Naylor. Freeman, who finished fourth in NL MVP voting last season, is one of the elite players in all of baseball. Tyler O’Neill’s numbers went down in 2021, somewhat due to injuries. Naylor is a Guardians prospect who played in five games last season. When the scouts talk about Naylor, they talk about his power.

I expect Team Canada to perform very well and make the semi-finals for the first time.

Team Israel and Japan Previews

By: Lawrence Lang

As The World Baseball Classic Approaches, it’s time to break down Team Israel and Team Japan.

Starting with team Israel they are making its first appearance in the WBC since 2017. In the 2017 WBC, Israel went 3-0 in the first round beating South Korea, Chinese Taipei, and the Netherlands. But in the second round, they would go 1-2, losing to the Netherlands and Japan and only getting a win over Cuba.

In the 2023 WBC, they will be in Pool D, including the team countries of the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela. They will kick off Pool play against Nicaragua on March 12th, Then Puerto Rico on March 13th, and finish Pool Play against Venezuela on March 15th.

Two People who have won a World Series can ruffle some feathers with their team. This Israel Team is a decent-looking ball club with Ian Kinsler as Manager and Kevin Youkilis as Hitting coach. One good piece to this team is Outfielder Joc Pederson, who, in the 2022 season, had 104 hits, 23 home runs, and 70 RBIs. The Only player on the team born in Israel that is on Team Israel is Shlomo Lipetz, a Relief Pitcher who is also the oldest active player on the team and is 44 years old.

The only stats, according to baseball reference, is from 2007, when he was 28 years old, where he went 3-1 and had an era of .98. He gave up 17 hits, three earned runs, one home run, six walks, and had 30 strikeouts.

The Youngest player on this team is 22-year-old Josh Wolf. Wolf is a Cleveland Guardians prospect who is in Single A. right now. In three seasons between Rookie Ball and Single-A ball, he has gone 3-6 with a 5.26 era in 35 games with 56 Walks and 104 strikeouts. This WBC will be a big test for Wolf pitching on the biggest stage in Baseball that’s not the World Series.

Heading a little west, we now see Team Japan as a two-time winner, winning the inaugural WBC in 2006, then again in 2009, and finishing third twice in 2013 and the most recent WBC in 2017. In 2017, WBC Japan Entered Pool Play beating Cuba, Australia, and China. Then went 3-0 again in the second round, beating The Netherlands, Cuba again, and Israel. They would lose to the eventual winners in the semi-finals to team USA 2-1 and beat the Netherlands in the third-place game to cap off the 2017 WBC.

The 2023 Japanese baseball Team has two MLB Stars on their roster, one being starting pitcher Yu Darvish who in 2022 went 16-8 with a 3.10 ERA with 197 strikeouts and in 10 seasons has an overall record of 95-75 3.50 Era and 1788 strikeouts. The other is the two-way star in Shohei Ohtani. The 2018 Rookie of the Year is coming off a 2022 season where he went 15-9 as a starter with a 2.33 ERA and 219 strikeouts. At the plate, he batted .273 with 160 hits, 34 home runs, and 95 RBIs with 11 stolen bases and has already made way in Exhibition play, having two monster home runs even before the WBC starts.

The other notable player on team Japan is infielder Tetsuto Yamada from the Tokyo Yakult Swallows of Nippon, who in 2022 batted .243 with 114 hits, 23 home runs, 65 RBIs, and ten stolen bases.

Japan will be in Pool B with South Korea, Australia, China, and the Czech Republic. Pool Play will begin against China on March 9th, Then Play South Korea on the 10th, The 11th play the Czech Republic, and close pool play on the 12th against Australia. With Pool play beginning on Tuesday with Cuba and Netherlands, it’s great to have The WBC back because it’s a great way to prepare for Baseball before the regular season starts.

WBC Preview: Cuba and Great Britain

By: Mike Rifkin

The World Baseball Classic is upon us. Baseball players worldwide will take center stage and represent their country in this great tournament.

Cuba will be a part of Pool A along with Italy, Chinese Taipei, Netherlands, and Panama. Some of the best Cuban players should be playing in the WBC. Yordan Alvarez, Jose Abreu, Randy Arozarena, and the Gurriel brothers are not on the Cuban national team. White Sox players Yoan Moncada and Luis Robert will headline the lineup along with former Met Yoenis Cespedes. Roenis Elias is the most experienced pitcher at the big league level and has a career ERA of 3.96.

Great Britain has a lot of young players, including Harry Ford, one of the Mariners’ top prospects. Ford is a big athletic kid with a lot of power in his bat. Other prospects on this team include Lucius Fox of the Nationals, Matt Koperniak of the Cardinals, BJ Murray of the Cubs, and Tahnaj Thomas of the Pirates. Trayce Thompson, who has 39 career home runs, headlines the roster along with former pitcher Vance Worley. Great Britain is in Pool C, Canada, Colombia, Mexico, and the United States.

What If (Pro-Wrestling Edition)- What if AEW and WWE came together and mashed the best of the best in each specialized battle royal? Part 2

By Allison Weiner

Welcome to What If? (Pro Wrestling Edition). In this series, I give a predicament that could or could have potentially happened in the pro wrestling universe. Previously, I have decided to mash AEW and WWE’s famous battle royales for their tag team, women’s, and men’s division.

I have decided that the women competing will participate in a 21-Woman Casino Battle Royale, the tag teams will compete in a 24-tag team Royal Rampage, and the men will compete in the Greatest Royal Rumble and make it a 50-man Royal Rumble.

*Disclaimer: Jon Moxley and Roman Reigns are not on any of these lists as they deserve a match of their own, and Bray Wyatt is not on any list as we have only seen 1 match out of him since his return to WWE. Cody Rhodes and MJF are not on this list as I feel either of them will face the winner of the 50-man Royal Rumble at a PPV of their choice and could face each other in this type of event.

As a reminder, here are the entries for each famous battle royal….

AEW Womens	WWE Womens	AEW Tag Teams	WWE Tag Teams	AEW Mens	WWE Mens
Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D	Becky Lynch	Best Friends	Imperium	Kenny Omega	Drew Mcyntire
Ruby Soho	Natalya	Butcher & The Blade	Street Profits	Nick Jackson	Sheamus
Saraya	Bayley	Dark Order	Judgement Day	Matt Jackson	Gunther
Jaime Hayter	Asuka	House of Black	The O.C.	Chris Jericho	The Miz
Nyla Rose	Liv Morgan	Gunn Club	Viking Raiders	Hangman Adam Page	Brock Lesnar
Athena	Bianca Belair	Top Flight	Brawling Brutes	Darby Allin	Bobby Lashley
Riho	Raquel Rodriguez	Young Bucks	Legado Del Fantasma	Sammy Guevara	Sami Zayn
Hikaru Shida	Shayna Baszler	FTR	Alpha Academy	Bryan Danielson	Kevin Owens
Toni Storm	Rhea Ripley	Lucha Bros	The Creed Bros.	Brody King	Seth Rollins
Jade Cargill	Charlotte Flair	Red Dragon	Gallus	Malakai Black	Finn Balor
	Alexa Bliss	JAS	Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin	Jay Lethal	Damian Priest
		The Acclaimed	Usos	Adam Cole	Dominick Mysterio
				Hook	Rey Mysterio
				Jungle Boy Jack Perry	Braun Strowman
				Claudio Castagnoli	AJ Styles
				Wheeler Yuta	Shinsuke Nakamura
				Mark Briscoe	Kofi Kingston
				Samoa Joe	Xavier Woods
				Max Caster	Elias
				Anthony Bowens	Austin Theory
				Orange Cassidy	Randy Orton
				Wardlow	Matt Riddle
				Eddie Kingston	Johnny Gargano
				CM Punk	Tomasso Ciampa
				Ricky Starks	Edge

Let’s see the entries I have made for the 21-Women Casino Battle Royal

Suit	Women	Eliminated	Eliminated by	Total Eliminations
Clubs	Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D.	Winner	N/A	3
Clubs	Toni Storm	2nd/20th Place	Dr. Britt Baker DMD	0
Clubs	Riho	1st/21st Place	Bayley	0
Clubs	Bayley	9th/13th Place	Becky Lynch	1
Clubs	Liv Morgan	3rd/19th Place	Saraya	0
Diamonds	Saraya	10th/12th Place	Ruby Soho, Becky Lynch, and Jaime Hayter	3
Diamonds	Nyla Rose	7th/15th Place	Rhea Ripley	2
Diamonds	Hikaru Shida	5th/17th Place	Jade Cargill and Rhea Ripley	0
Diamonds	Alexa Bliss	4th/18th Place	Nyla Rose	0
Diamonds	Rhea Ripley	16th/6th Place	Bianca Belair	3
Hearts	Natalya	8th/14th Place	Saraya	0
Hearts	Ruby Soho	15th/7th Place	Charlotte Flair	1
Hearts	Jade Cargill	6th/16th Place	Nyla Rose	1
Hearts	Becky Lynch	18th/4th Place	Charlotte Flair	1
Hearts	Raquel Rodriguez	13th/9th Place	Rhea Ripley	0
Spades	Shayna Baszler	14th/8th Place	Asuka	1
Spades	Athena	10th/11th Place	Shayna Baszler	0
Spades	Asuka	17th/5th Place	Charlotte Flair and Dr. Britt Baker DMD	2
Spades	Jaime Hayter	11th/10th Place	Saraya and Asuka	1
Spades	Bianca Belair	Runner Up	Dr. Britt Baker DMD	2
Joker	Charlotte Flair	19th/3rd Place	Bianca Belair and Dr. Britt Baker DMD	3

Here are the entries for the 24-tag team battle royale

I didn’t give any extra details of who was eliminated by whom because it would be complex, but the final two are Jey Uso and Matt Jackson, and 3rd place is Cash Wheeler.

Color & Entry #	Tag Team	Eliminated overall
Red 1	The New Day	40th and 37th
Red 2	Hurt Business	48th and 47th
Blue 1	Best Friends	46th and 44th
Blue 2	FTR	19th and 3rd
Red 3	Legado Del Fantasma	45th and 36th
Blue 3	JAS	30th and 29th
Red 4	Judgment Day	37th and 31st
Blue 4	Alpha Academy	43rd and 39th
Red 5	Dark Order	42nd and 41st
Blue 5	House of Black	35th and 26th
Red 6	Butcher & The Blade	38th and 32nd
Blue 6	Usos	11th and WINNER
Red 7	Imperium	28th and 20th
Blue 7	Gunn Club	34th and 33rd
Red 8	Young Bucks	10th and RUNNER UP
Blue 8	Acclaimed	27th and 14th
Red 9	Gallus	23rd and 16th
Blue 9	Viking Raiders	25th and 24th
Red 10	Brawling Brutes	21st and 15th
Blue 10	Lucha Bros	18th and 8th
Red 11	Top Flight	22nd and 17th
Blue 11	Street Profits	9th and 7th
Red 12	The O.C.	12th and 6th
Blue 12	Red Dragon	5th and 4th

Finally, here are the entry prediction for the 50 Man Royal Rumble with the final 2 participants in the rumble fighting it out for almost 10 minutes.

Entry #	Men	Eliminated	Eliminated By	Total Eliminations
1	Elias	1st	Damian Priest	0
2	Max Caster	2nd	Damian Priest	0
3	Damian Priest	10th	Young Bucks	3
4	Darby Allin	3rd	Judgment Day	0
5	Finn Balor	9th	Kenny Omega	1
6	The Miz	5th	Jay Lethal	0
7	Dominik Mysterio	8th	Young Bucks	1
8	Sammy Guevara	7th	Eddie Kingston	0
9	Jay Lethal	12th	Adam Cole	0
10	Xavier Woods	4th	Kenny Omega	0
11	Kevin Owens	24th	Bryan Danielson	2
12	Kenny Omega	WINNER	N/A	7
13	Kofi Kingston	6th	Kenny Omega	0
14	Eddie Kingston	13th	Kevin Owens	1
15	Austin Theory	11th	Johnny Gargano	0
16	Matt Jackson	16th	Braun Strowman	1
17	Nick Jackson	17th	Braun Strowman	1
18	Adam Cole	14th	Edge	1
19	Johnny Gargano	23rd	Tomasso Ciampa	2
20	Edge	25th	Tomasso Ciampa	1
21	Hook	19th	Brody King	0
22	Orange Cassidy	15th	Kevin Owens	0
23	Anthony Bowens	18th	Braun Strowman	0
24	Braun Strowman	20th	Brody King	3
25	Brody King	21st	Drew Mcyntire	1
26	Drew Mcyntire	36th	Claudio Castagnoli	2
27	Sami Zayn	22nd	Tomasso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano	0
28	Tomasso Ciampa	30th	Gunther	3
29	Bryan Danielson	32nd	Randy Orton	1
30	Wardlow	28th	Samoa Joe	2
31	Bobby Lashley	26th	Wardlow	0
32	Matt Riddle	27th	Wardlow	0
33	Gunther	33rd	Claudio Castagnoli	2
34	Samoa Joe	29th	Wardlow, Gunther, and Drew Mcyntire	1
35	Seth Rollins	49th/Runner Up	Kenny Omega	3
36	Jungle Boy Jack Perry	31st	Gunther	0
37	Claudio Castagnoli	43rd	Hangman Adam Page	3
38	Randy Orton	37th	Sheamus	1
39	Sheamus	38th	Claudio Castagnoli	1
40	Wheeler Yuta	35th	Drew Mcyntire	0
41	Ricky Starks	34th	Drew Mcyntire	0
42	Rey Mysterio	39th	Malakai Black	0
43	AJ Styles	41st	Chris Jericho	1
44	Malakai Black	40th	AJ Styles, and Kenny Omega	1
45	Shinsuke Nakamura	42nd	Hangman Adam Page	0
46	Chris Jericho	47th	Hangman Adam Page	2
47	Hangman Adam Page	48th/3rd Place	Seth Rollins and Kenny Omega	4
48	Mark Briscoe	44th	Brock Lesnar	0
49	Brock Lesnar	45th	Hangman Adam Page, Seth Rollins, Kenny Omega, Chris Jericho	1
50	CM Punk	46th	Seth Rollins	0

Making A Lasting Impression

By: Mike Rifkin

The Nashville Predators announced last week that General Manager David Poile will retire on June 30th. Poile is the only General Manager in Predators history and will be replaced by the first coach in team history, Barry Trotz. Poile said, “I am incredibly proud of everything the Predators organization has accomplished during my time—all the wins, our appearance in the Stanley Cup Final, and winning the Presidents’ Trophy. But I am most proud of helping and developing Smashville into one of the best markets in the NHL”.

Friday was the NHL trade deadline, and David Poile has set up Barry Trotz and the Predators with a pleasant future. The Predators added nine draft picks, three roster players, and four prospects at the deadline. The Predators traded away Tanner Jeannot, Mattias Ekholm, Nino Niederreiter, and Mikael Granlund. Now the Predators have five first-round picks, six second-round picks, five third-round picks, and six fourth-round picks over the next three seasons. Barry Trotz will have options based on what David Poile did at the trade deadline. Depending on how successful the Predators are with those picks or how they are used, David Poile has left his mark in Nashville.

New York Giants Offseason Preview

By: Jeff Knapp

The New York Giants ended the 2022 season with a much improved 9-7-1 record finishing 3rd in the NFC East, clinching a playoff spot, defeating the Vikings in the opening Wildcard round, and finally coming up short in the Divisional Round to the future NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles. This was a highly successful season after not only going 4-13 last season but having to play under an entirely new coaching staff. The Giants will enter the 2023 draft this offseason with the 25th pick.

The Giants will enter into free agency with about $45 million in cap space and will need to plug up some holes on both sides of the ball, including what to do about Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Giants were ranked 18th in total yards per game with 333.9, 26th in passing yards a game with 185.7, 4th in rushing yards per game with 148.2, and 16th in points per game with 21.5.

Fourth-year and former 1st-round pick QB Daniel Jones who is in the last year of his contract after the Giants declined his 5th-year option, threw for 3205 yards (15th ranked), 15 TDs (21st ranked), 4 INTs (tied for 4th fewest) and took 44 sacks (5th most). This was his best overall season since his 2019 rookie season. He has made tremendous strides in securing the ball and using his legs more intelligently.

RB Saquon Barkley came back from an injury-plagued 2020 season and took a small step back 2021 season to finish up with 1312 rushing yards and 10 TDs to go along with his 57 receptions out of the backfields for 338 yards.

Their receiving core was banged up with Isaiah Hodgins missing nine games, Daniel Bellinger missing five games, Wan’Dale Robinson missing 11 games, and Sterling Shepard missing 14 games, all due to injury.

The two biggest receivers for the Giants, Darius Slayton and Richie James, ended the season with 70 catches each and under 800 yards receiving (724 & 569), and under 5 TDs (2 &4). The biggest surprise was the emergence of WR Isaiah Hodgins, who missed the early part of the 2022 season. Daniel Bellinger will be a more significant part of the offense going into the 2023 season.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Giants’ defense was the 18th-ranked defense giving up 21.8 points per game, ranked 13th with 41 sacks, but sadly ranks dead last in INTs with 6.

With an improved defense from 2021, some aspects left us wanting an improvement, especially in the DB area, although some of that was because of the injury to Zavier McKinney, who was out for eight games. With that said, some bright spots were on that side of the ball. I want to spotlight Safety Julian Love, who finished with 124 tackles, one sack, and 2 INTs. We also have to allow the spotlight to shine on LB Azeez Ojulari, who finished with 14 total tackles, 5.5 sacks, and 3 Forced Fumbles after only playing six games. Rookie Kayvon Thibodeaux started slowly but finished with 49 tackles, four sacks, 2 Forced Fumbles, and one fumble recovery for a TD. I was also happy to see the accomplishments of LB Jaylon Smith, who had 88 total tackles over 13 games. I’m excited to see what happens if he plays an entire season.

With free agency on the horizon, they can keep some of their most productive players and move on from others.

As of this writing, 2/27/2023, these are my thoughts on FA and the Draft

There are a few players I believe the Giants should try and resign are

WR Richie James
WR Darius Slayton
FS Julian Love

The elephant in the room is what they should do regarding Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones. They can only Franchise one of them. When it comes to Jones, he is loved by his teammates, but has he hit his ceiling? If the Giants want to give him another 4–6-year contract, let’s hope not. With the possibilities of the Giants also talking to Derek Carr, and I’d think every team needing a QB or on the fence will be talking to Lamar Jackson, DJ will be the financially cheaper of those three options. If they can get Barkley for four years, they might not have the cap space for Carr or Jackson.

Since the NFL is a business, there will be players moving on. The following players are a few they might need to move on from, and they are

WR Sterling Shepard
SS Tony Jefferson
LB Oshane Ximines
CB Fabian Moreau

With free agency starting in mid-March, there are many free agents they should go after. After giving up over 44 sacks, they need to sure up that OL to compliment the two young tackles in Thomas and Neal. With that said, I’d start 1st with Guards Matt Pryor or Isaac Seumalo. From there, I’d look into adding the WR core due to the injury bug that hit them in 2022. The five that caught my eye were Ju Ju Smith-Schuster, Jakobi Meyers, Allen Lazard, Parris Campbell, and Mecole Hardman

Some defensive names they might want to target

DE Yannick Ngakoue
DE Matthew Ioannidis
DE Jadeveon Clowney
S Jessie Bate
S Vonn Bell
S Donovan Wilson

Adding just some of those on both sides will give them an upgrade at the O-line and add to the ability to cut down on passing yards per game with the possible additions to the DB roster.

Let’s also not forget who might become cap casualties once teams like the Bucs, Saints, Vikings, Chargers, Jags, and Bills start releasing players.

With those holes hopefully filled or improved during the free agency period, they head into the 2023 draft with the 25th pick.

With the 25th pick, the Giants have four different options.

Option A: Fill the most needed spot on the roster, WR. The four names that stand out as possible targets are (in no particular order:

Jordan Addison
Quentin Johnston
Jalin Hyatt
Zay Flowers

Option B: If all those top receivers are off the board and are not interested in trading down, there are 3 DBs they can take:

Joey Porter Jr.
Deonte Banks
Christian Gonzalez

Option C: Stay committed to fixing the O-line and choose either:

OT Broderick Jones
OG O’Cyrus Torrence

Option D: Add to the D-Line or the LB core with the following:

Lukas Vann Ness
Trenton Simpson

New York Jets: An Offseason Preview

By: Ross Mazin

The New York Jets certainly had some high points last season and exceeded expectations. They ultimately fell short of making the playoffs. The Jets finished 7-10 and lost their final six games. The main culprit of these losses was the offense. Zach Wilson struggled most of the year. Wilson had a 54.5 completion percentage, 1,688 yards, six touchdowns, and seven interceptions. Wilson was benched at points for Mike White and Joe Flacco. There are games Wilson cost the Jets, none more than the two games against the New England Patriots. The Jets could have made the playoffs if Wilson had played well in those games.

Overall they did ok, and I’d give them a grade of a C plus. The bright spots were rookies Sauce Gardener and Garrett Wilson, who won offensive and defensive rookie of the year, respectively. Breece Hall was another bright spot with 463 yards and four touchdowns in seven games before tearing his ACL. The Jets’ defense was fourth in yards per game and were in the top ten in sacks. But as a team, they were at the bottom of the league in turnover differential at -7. Only the Raiders, Saints, and Colts had a worse turnover differential than the Jets.

If the Jets want to improve, they have to sign a quarterback like Derek Carr or trade for Aaron Rodgers. Anything outside of those two is an undersell. I want to hear about something other than Jimmy Garoppolo or Ryan Tannehill. Go big or go home. They might be trying to lure Rodgers in by bringing in his former offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett; if the Jets land Rodgers another way to make him comfortable is to add his teammate Allen Lazard, who has become a big weapon for Rodgers in the last two seasons. Jets quarterbacks were sacked 42 times last year, so no matter who the quarterback is, they have to sure up the line. I’d also like to see them look at the safety market, which has some good names on it. Tashaun Gipson, Taylor Rapp, and Vonn Bell all make sense.

DRAFT

RD 1 (13) Paris Johnson – OT – Ohio State – Johnson was solid at Ohio State and is viewed as a top lineman in this draft. With uncertainty around the Jets line, this pick feels like a no-brainer.

RD 2 (43) Demarion Overshown – LB – Texas. The Jets can use linebacker help, especially with us needing to know the future of Kwon Alexander. Overshown is a very effective blitzing linebacker.

RD 3 (74) – Wanya Morris – OT Oklahoma – Very athletic tackle who is a better pass blocker than run blocker. He needs to improve in some areas but has a very high upside.

Cardinals Season In Review/Offseason Preview

By: Mike Rifkin

The 2021 Arizona Cardinals were the talk of the league when they started 7-0; then they lost four of their final six games before losing to the eventual Super Bowl champion Rams on wildcard weekend. Before the 2022 season, the Cardinals’ front office extended Head Coach Kliff Kingsbury and Quarterback Kyler Murray. Murray signed a five-year 230.5 million dollar contract with 160 million dollars guaranteed. Murray’s contract will make him the third highest-paid quarterback in the NFL going into the 2023 season behind Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson.

But Murray will miss part of the 2023 season after he tore his ACL in December. Before the injury, Kyler Murray had a 66.4 completion percentage and threw for 2,368 yards with 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Murray added 418 yards rushing and three touchdowns. The team kept the details of Kingsbury’s extension private, and Kingsbury was fired after the Cardinals finished the 2022 season 4-13. Kingsbury was 28-17-1 in four seasons as the Cardinals coach. The Cardinals hired Eagles defensive coordinator Johnathon Gannon as the team’s next head coach.

Whether it’s Murray or someone else, one of the things Gannon has to fix is the offensive line. Cardinals quarterbacks were sacked 46 times last season, seven more than they gave up in 2021. This offense has many options, no matter who the quarterback is. James Conner had another solid season in Arizona with 782 yards and seven touchdowns in 13 games. Hollywood Brown, who the Cardinals acquired in a draft day trade with the Ravens and played with Kyler Murray at Oklahoma, had 67 catches for 709 yards and three touchdowns. DeAndre Hopkins, limited to nine games due to injury and a suspension for PEDS, had 64 receptions for 717 yards and three touchdowns. Tight End Zach Ertz had 47 catches for 406 yards and four touchdowns before tearing his ACL and MCL in November.

Gannon will take over a defense that was 21st in yards allowed allowing 348.9 yards per game. They were near the bottom of the league with 36 sacks and a -5 turnover differential. The Cardinal defense gave up 26.4 points per game. The Cardinal defense will be without one of their leaders as after this past season, JJ Watt announced his retirement from the NFL. Watt led the Cardinals with 12.5 sacks in 2022, including six in the last five games. Gannon led an Eagles defense in the top three in yards allowed, sacks, and turnover differential. The Eagles’ defense allowed 20.2 points per game.

The Cardinals will enter the offseason with around 20 million dollars in cap space. They can make some space by trading DeAndre Hopkins. The star receiver turns 31 this summer, so the Cardinals might look to get younger at the receiver position. Hopkins can be sought after by many teams, which could put the Cardinals as a beneficiary when it comes to draft capital. Cutting veterans Robbie Anderson, Markus Golden, and Colt McCoy could help the Cardinals save 17 million dollars.

Offseason Moves

Trade DeAndre Hopkins. Teams that could be interested include the Giants, Bears, and Jaguars.
Sign a Veteran QB: If Kyler Murray is out until midseason and Colt McCoy is a cut candidate, the Cardinals need a quarterback. Three names make sense: Andy Dalton, Teddy Bridgewater, and Jameis Winston (if cut). Any of the three could hold the fort down until Kyler comes back.
Sign Yannick Ngakoue – The Cardinals were at the bottom half of the league in sacks. JJ Watt retired, and Ngakoue has at least eight sacks every year of his career.
Sign Ben Powers – Time to beef up the Offensive line to help the investment of Kyler Murray. Powers has been great for the Ravens and can seek a big payday.

Draft

RD1 (3) – Will Anderson – EDGE: Alabama. The Cardinals have lost Watt and Chandler Jones in consecutive offseasons. The Cardinals add the best pass rusher in the draft.

RD 2 (34) Cam Mitchell – CB – Northwestern: The Cardinals cornerbacks could be better. Mitchell is a solid corner with good size in a division with some big receivers.

RD 3 (66) – Xavier Hutchinson – WR – Iowa St. If the Cardinals move on from Hopkins, they must fill the void. Hutchinson is a solid route runner with good hands.