East Day 1 Recap Day 2 Preview

By Lawrence Lang

Well, well, it was an exciting day for the whole NCAA Men’s Tournament, especially in the East Region with what is upset of the tournament so far with 15 Saint Peter’s upset 2 Kentucky with an 85 -79 overtime win. 

The Peacocks got the game to overtime with Doug Edert making a jump shot to tie the game at 71-71. With 24 seconds left, Kentucky would have a shot to try and win the game but was unsuccessful in the game-winner attempt. Then in overtime, the Peacocks took control, and Daryl Banks III and Doug Edert helped lead the way to the March Madness upset. Banks III had 27 points going 9-19 from field goal range and 5-8 from three-point range and was 4-4 at the free-throw line. Edert off the bench had 20 points 5-7 from field goal range 2-2 from three-point range, and 8-8 at the free-throw line. 

This loss is a shocking blow for Kentucky because most saw them going on a run, and I even had them going all the way to face Duke in the finals because who wouldn’t want to see Coach K and Coach Calipari face off one? More time, especially for a National Championship. That is the power of March Madness, where Madness ensues and upsets happen at any moment, and that is the best part of March Madness because an upset can happen anytime and shake the tournament right up. 

For the rest of day one for the East Region 

1 Baylor took care of business against 16 Norfolk State with a 85 -49 win 

4 UCLA barley gets the win out against 13 Akron 

  • Tyger Cambell made a clutch three pointer with a 1:19  left to give UCLA the lead. 
  • Akron’s Gavin Clark got the score down to 53-55 with 34 seconds left to give Akron a shot to win but with 4 secounds left Ali Ali missed a layup to tie the game. 
  • With 2 seconds left Johnny Juzang made a pair of free throws to seal the game for UCLA 

5 Saint Mary’s took care of 12 Indiana with a 82-53 win 

7 Murray State took care of 10 San Francisco in OT 92- 87 

  • SF Jamaree Bouyea made a three pointer with 19 seconds left to tie the game and send it to overtime
  • Jordan Skipper-Brown would have 5 of the 19 points of Murray State in overtime making a tip in 2 pointer with 32 seconds left and then make three of four free throws to help seal the win for Murray State.  

8 North Carolina took care of 9 Marquette 95-63 

Day 2 Only two games left for the East Region of the bracket 

2:00 PM 14 Yale takes on 3 Purdue 

  • Purdue 27-7 3rd in Big Ten 
  • Purdue Jaden Ivey (G) 17.4 PPG 
  • Yale 19-11 2nd in Ivy 
  • Yale Azar Swain (G) 19.2 PPG
  • Can Yale Purduce another major upset in the tournament ? (That pun was for you Mike) 

4:30 PM 11 Virginia Tech takes on 6 Texas 

  • Virginia Tech 23-12 7th in ACC 
  • Virginia Tech Keve Aluma (F) 15.8 PPG 
  • Texas 21-11 4th in Big 12 
  • Texas Timmy Allen (F) 12.3 PPG 

What Can The Browns Do For Baker?

By : Mike Rifkin

The Cleveland Browns were one of the massive disappointments in the NFL in 2021. In 2020 the Browns lost in the AFC Divisional Round and people thought better times were ahead. Instead in 2021 the Browns went 8-9 and finished in third place in the AFC North. One of the major conversations over the past year is what a contract for quarterback Baker Mayfield would look like. The Browns selected Mayfield first overall in the 2018 draft. In 2020 Mayfield had his best season as a pro, still the front office have yet to give Mayfield the long term contract he desires. In 2021 Mayfield’s play dipped especially after Mayfield tore the labrum in his shoulder. Mayfield was eventually shut down for the season.  

It was reported earlier this week that the Browns had conversations with the Houston Texans regarding trading for quarterback Deshaun Watson. Watson is still being sued civilly for 22 counts of sexual harassment and assault, Watson will be suspended we just don’t know for how long. The Browns were known as one of the four finalists to acquire Watson, there is one problem they never told Mayfield. Mayfield took to social media earlier this week thanking the fans of Cleveland for supporting him these past four seasons. Chris Mortensen of ESPN reported the Browns were looking for “ An adult” for the quarterback position. I would rather have Watson over Baker if I was starting a franchise, but to say you want an adult in the room and the rumored guy you are talking about has 22 lawsuits for sexual harassment and assault isn’t the best look for the organization. 

On Thursday Watson told the Browns he didn’t want to play for them ( he has a no trade clause) and later on Baker Mayfield requested a trade. The Browns response was that they have no plans on trading Baker. It’s the organization’s prerogative to upgrade the position if they want, but at least let Mayfield know what is going on. Now how can Baker come back into the locker room, and trust the organization? For a while I agreed with the Browns front office because Baker Mayfield isn’t worth 40 million dollars a season, and I don’t care that they looked into acquiring Watson. But why can’t you tell Mayfield that you are exploring this opportunity? My issue with Baker is that he needs to realize there is a business side to this and trades happen. The problem Cleveland now has is what is out there that is an actual true upgrade over Mayfield? This will be fascinating to watch how this whole thing plays out the rest of this offseason.

WEST REGION ROUND 1

DAY 2

By Mark Halpern

   So yesterday was an exhilarating round one, and today could be even more explosive. Powerhouse Gonzaga gave us all a little scare initially but ended up doing what they do in the end and win by 21 GO ZAGS! Games start at 1:45 pm Est, and we have some good ones.

#3 Texas Tech vs. #14 Montana State. Texas Tech is coming off a great season and is in a prime spot to move one. Bryson Williams and Kevin Ober will have to try and control the pace. Williams is averaging 13.7 pts a game, and his leadership will be needed. As for Montana State, they are coming off a good season, and Xavier Bishop, who is leading the team in multiple categories, will be the floor general for Montana. I see Texas Teach running away with this one 82-70.

#6 Alabama and #11 Notre Dame. Hats off to the Irish to go through double overtime to make it to the dance. Notre Dame will have their work cut out for them. Let’s hope the Irish have recovered from St. Patrick’s Day. Blake Wesley will have another good game, and Paul Atkinson will need to contribute under the boards. The Crimson Tide are led by star guard Jaden Shackelford with 16.7 points a game and Keon Ellis, who is very capable of averaging a double-double in the game. I see Alabama winning by 10 points here 75-65.

#2 Duke vs. #15 CSU Fullerton. This tourney is the last for the great Coach Mike Krzyzewski. He has had an outstanding career, and wouldn’t it be fitting to win it all again and go with a win. Duke Stars Paolo Banchero and Wendell Morre Jr, who led duke in most categories, will do everything to get the Great Coach to the final four again. CSU Fullerton has had an excellent season, and it’s hard to face one of the tournament’s scariest teams. E.J. Anosike and Damari Milstead are going to have to be near flawless to move on. The Blue Devils win big here 82-69.

#7 Michigan State vs. #10 Davidson. Michigan State will look to move on here. Gabe Brown at 11.4 pts a game and Marcus Bingham 6.1 boards a game is going to have to keep pushing the ball and set the pace because Davidson has a real chance to beat Michigan here. They are a hungry team, and Star guard Foster Loyer who leads the team in points and assists, will be the general out there and help on the boards from Luka Brajkovich, a monster on the boards and can put a double-double every game. This is my pick of the day, Davidson to win 67-65

    Look Tomorrow for a recap of the first round and previews of round Two. Good luck to the teams today and let us see some history created.

NCAA Tournament: MidWest Preview 

By: Mike Rifkin

The NCAA tournament begins today here is a preview for the Mid West region

Top Seeds 

  1. Kansas
  2. Auburn 
  3. Wisconsin
  4. Providence
  5. Iowa

Key first round matchup (8) San Diego St. Vs (9) Creighton: 8 vs 9 always brings a lot of intrigue. SDSU allows the fewest points per game at 57.7 points per game. Creighton averages 69.0 points per game. Expect a defensive battle. Matt Bradley for the Aztecs averages 17.0 points per game and shoots 41.6 percent from three. 

Best 1st rd upset (11) Iowa St. over (6) LSU. LSU fired coach Will Wade due to NCAA violations. Iowa St. has not played well either down the stretch but I do expect them to upset the Tigers. 

Surprise team to make a run: (14) Colgate: Last year Colgate gave Arkansas all they could handle in the first round. This year they play a Wisconsin team that lost in the first round of the Big Ten tournament. Colgate has won 19 of their last 20 games. 

Player to watch: There are a lot to choose from Keegan Murray from Iowa, Johnny Davis from Wisconsin, Ochai Agbaji from Kansas. But I will go with Jabari Smith from Auburn. Smith averaged 17.1 points per game this season including averaging almost 24 points per game in the team’s final seven games. Smith also averages seven rebounds per game and shoots 42.8 percent from three. Smith is likely to be a lottery pick in the NBA Draft. 

Region Winner : (2) Auburn Tigers : They struggled down the stretch a little, but I don’t mind that this team has a lot of talent. With Smith and Walker Kessler who is a block machine Auburn has a good front court and they shoot 32.3 percent from three as a team. I like Bruce Pearl’s team to come out of this region.

MARCH MADNESS WEST REGION PREVIEW

GAMES KICK OFF AT 1:45pm

By Mark Halpern

Let the Madness begin. Starting today at 1:45 pm est the West Region kickoffs, it’s part of the tourney. The West Region has some real potential to be the region that wins the tournament, with Gonzaga favored almost 3-1 to win.

    #8 Boise State vs. #9Memphis. Traditionally this is where most of the records for teams playing even out. The record is close to .500, with #8 seeds just edging out #9. Memphis will have to keep the ball moving and get the ball down low to Star Center Jalen Duran. He is a scary threat and a monster under the boards, averaging almost double-double whenever he is on the floor. Boise will have to slow down this offense and keep Duran isolated. Abu Kigab and Maiden Armus, the two top players on Boise, will have to control the floor today. I have Memphis Pulling out a small margin victory 87-80

#5 Uconn vs. #12 New Mexico State. There is another win for Uconn here as the Huskies and R.J. Cole and Adama Sanogo have their eyes set on the dance. They have had outstanding years, with Cole averaging 15.7 pts a game and Sanogo managing 8 rebounds a game. New Mexico earned their spot here with an excellent 26-6 record to earn their spot in the tourney. Teddy Allen is the team’s clear leader with 19.3 pts and 6.8 rebounds a game. He and the Aggies have their work cut out for them as I foresee a narrow victory here with Uconn edging out New Mexico 77-73.

#1 Gonzaga vs. #16 Georgia State. I congratulate Georgia for making the tournament, and it’s sad they face off against the heavily favorite Gonzaga in the first round. Top-tier players Drew Timme and Chet Holmgren will be licking their chops to help put the Zags with their first win in the tourney. It has happened before, but I don’t foresee any upset here. Look for Panther’s star Corey Allen to have the most vigorous game as I see #1 Gonzaga 98-Georgia State 74.

#4 Arkansas vs. #13 Vermont. The Razorbacks will face off against the Catamounts in a late match-up on TNT at 9 pm est. J.D. Notae leads the Razorbacks with 18.4 pts and 3.7 assists per game. Jaylin Williams has helped under the boards, who is almost averaging a double-double every game. The Catamounts didn’t have a quiet season either. Compiling a 28-5 record and lead by Ryan Davis with 17 pts a game and Isaiah Powell, who leads the team in reb/ast. I see the great play by the Catamounts here and pulling out an upset and winning 82-79.

     Tomorrow I will have reactions to today’s games and previews of tomorrows West Region games for Friday up at the same time. Good luck to all teams and may the Zags win it all.

NCAA Tournament East Preview Day 1

By Lawrence Lang

With the NCAA Tournament set to begin today here is a preview for all of today’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship – East Region.

2:00 PM 16 Norfolk State @ 1 Baylor 

  • NF State 24-6 1st in MEAC 
  • NF Joe Bryant Jr. (G) 16.8 PPG 
  • Baylor 26-6 1st in Big 12 
  • Baylor James Akinjo (G) 13.4 PPG 
  • Baylor Looking to repeat as Champions 
  • Looking at 1 vs 16 matchup this is the one that most likely an upset can happen 

4:30 PM 9 Marquette @ 8 North Carolina 

  • Marquette 19 -12 5th in Big East 
  • Marquette Justin Lewis (F) 17.1 PPG 
  • NC 24-9 2nd in ACC 
  • NC Armando Bacot (F) 16.5 PPG 
  • The 8 vs 9 matchup is my favorite matchup because its like flipping a coin for their seeding purpose and also when it comes to bracket challenges it’s always a tough one to pick because its the most even matchup in the opening around unlike a 16 vs 1 matchup.

7:10 PM  15  Saint Peters @ 2 Kentucky

  • Saint Peters 19-11 2nd in MAAC 
  • Saint Peters Daryl Banks III (G) 11.0 PPG 
  • Kentucky 26-7 2nd in SEC 
  • Kentucky Oscar Tshiebwe (F) 17.0 PPG 
  • If Saint Peters win they can become the 10th 15th seed to beat a 2nd seed in the opening round of the NCAA tournament. Last 15th seed to beat a 2nd seed was in last Year tournament where Oral Roberts beat Ohio State 75-72 
  • For Kentucky this is interesting because they are always in the conversation of a team that can win every year but somehow have gone down in going home. 
    • 2012 won it all 
    • 2014 runner up 
    • 2015 final four 
    • 2019 Elite 8
    • 2022 Sweet 16 or first around ???

7:20 PM  12 Indiana @ 5 Saint Mary’s 

  • Indiana 21-13 9th in Big Ten 
  • Indiana Trayce Jackson- Davis (F) 18.4 PPG 
  • Saint Mary’s 25-7 2nd in WCC
  • Saint Mary’s Matthias Tass (F) 12.6 PPG 
  • Go Indiana for Grandma and because momentum is on their side after winning in the play-in game to get into the tournament.  

9:40 PM  10 San Francisco @ 7 Murray State 

  • SF 24-9 4th in WCC
  • SF Jamaree Bouyea (G) 16.7 PPG
  • Murray State 30-2 in OVC 
  • Murray State KJ Williams (F) 18.2 PPG 
  • With a 10 vs 7 matchup this is another fun matchup to watch, probably one of my favorites to watch because this is a situation where an upset can happen and let’s face it, upsets are always fun in the NCAA tournament. 

9:50 PM 13 Akron @ 4 UCLA 

  • Akron 24-9 3rd in MAC
  • Akron Ali Ali (F) 14.2 PPG 
  • UCLA 25-7 2nd in Pac- 12 
  • UCLA Johnny Juzang (G) 16.0 PPG 
  •  What’s interesting here is that the 13th seed has beaten the 4th seed 31 times in the last 36 years. Last year it happened twice when Ohio beat Virginia 62-58 and North Texas beat Purdue in overtime 78-69. If Akron can jump ahead early you never know we might be talking about Akron in tournament upset history. 

NCAA Tournament : South Preview

By Mike Rifkin

Top Seeds

  1. Arizona
  2. Villanova
  3. Tennessee 
  4. Illinois 
  5. Houston 

Best 1st round matchup (7) Ohio State vs (10) Loyola Chicago. Ohio State was upset as a 2 seed last year by Oral Roberts. Loyola Chicago is a defensively sound team that will not be afraid of the big stage. I really like the Ramblers in this game. 

Biggest upset ( 12) UAB over (5) Houston. The Blazers are on fire, so are the Cougars. But season ending injuries to two of Houston’s guards could be the difference, as could UAB’s three point shooting they shoot 38 percent from behind the arc. Houston’s three point defense sits at 29 percent. ( Bonus Chattanooga over Illinois) 

Team to make a run: (10) Loyola Chicago. Lot of people are picking Chattanooga and rightfully so but the Ramblers bring a lot of experience to this tournament. They share the basketball averaging 15 assists per game, and they turn the ball over 12 times per game. But they have very balanced scoring throughout their lineup. 

Player to watch : Kofi Cockburn Illinois: If Illinois is going to make a run in this tournament it’s because of the man in the middle. Cockburn averaged 21 points and 10 rebounds per game, Illinois can not afford him to have a bad game.

Region Winner: (1) Arizona: Arizona was one of the most consistent teams all season. They average 84.6 points per game third in the nation, they shoot 49.6 percent from the field third in the nation. They have seven players who shoot higher than 30 percent from three including two who shoot 50 percent. Arizona is a tough out and I expect them to get to the Final Four.

Are The Toronto Blue Jays the AL East Favorites?

By: Mike Rifkin

The Toronto Blue Jays finished 2021 with a 91-71 record. That record led them to fourth place in the AL East and missed the Wild Card by one game. That has been motivation for the Jays who have been very active since the baseball lockout ended. On Wednesday morning the Toronto Blue Jays acquired Third Baseman Matt Chapman from the Oakland Athletics for prospects. Chapman had a career low .210 batting average with 27 home runs and 72 RBI. Now moving from Oakland to Toronto should help Chapman’s average especially in Toronto’s lineup he can have a huge season. But with Chapman it’s not all about the offense, it’s about his defense Chapman has three Gold Gloves and two Platinum Gloves in his career.  Adding Chapman to a lineup that features Vladimir Guerrero Jr. who was a finalist for AL MVP last season and is one of the best young players in all of baseball. George Springer who was last year’s big free agent addition who had a good season but was limited to 78 games due to injuries. Bo Bichette is a young player who had a really good season in 2021 posting a .298 average with 29 home runs and 102 RBI. Bichette also added 25 stolen bases. 

The Jays also added to their rotation this offseason with the signings of Kevin Gausman and Yusei Kikuchi. Gausman started his career in the AL East with the Baltimore Orioles. 2021 was Gausman’s best season in the majors going 14-6 with a 2.81 E.R.A. for the Giants. In 192.0 innings pitched he had a career high 227 strikeouts. Kikuchi signed a three year contract after spending the past three seasons with the Mariners. Kikuchi had a 4.97 ERA in Seattle, but had his best season in 2021 and was an All Star for the first time. But the Blue Jays rotation can be really special with Hyun -Jin Ryu who has been a CY Young finalist two of the last three seasons, Jose Berrios who they acquired at the trade deadline and gave a massive extension to, and Alek Manoah who went 9-2 with a 3.22 ERA as a rookie. 

The Rays, Yankees, and Red Sox will all have something to say about who wins the division, but right now you have to put the Blue Jays as the frontrunner. Bigger picture the Blue Jays might be the team to beat in the American League.

Tennessee Titans offseason recap 

By Bill Murphy 

The Tennessee Titans finished the season with a 12-5 record, winning the AFC South for the second consecutive year. Unfortunately, after securing the number one seed and a first round bye, they lost  to  the eventual AFC Champion, Cincinnati  Bengals in the Divisional round. Head  Coach Mike Vrabel was voted AP’s Coach Of The Year .   

Ryan Tannehill this year threw for 3,954 yards , 22 touchdowns and rushed for  270 yards and seven touchdowns with a QBR of 67.0%, threw 14 ints  and ranked at #12. Compared to last year Tannehill ranked 8th and  threw for 3819 yards , 33 tds 7 int .  Tannehill’s numbers were not as impressive from previous seasons.  This season Tannehill was inconsistent because there were many injuries on this offense and Tannehill himself contracted Covid during training camp .

 Running Back Derrick Henry  was coming off of a 2020 season in which he rushed for 2,027 yards ,17  touchdowns , 3.78 yards per carry  which resulted in him winning the 2020  AFC offensive player of the year .  Unfortunately , this  year was not the same for Henry , he was looking sharp in the first seven  weeks of the season winning two offensive players of the week, and then in week eight he suffered a Jones fracture . When he was injured he was leading the league in rushing yards , touchdowns , carries and was front runner for MVP .   Henry was activated during the AFC Divisional  Game in which he  had 20 carries for 62 yards and scored one touchdown .

The Wide receiver  corps on this team was talked about a lot when this season started and that was the team of Julio Jones and AJ Brown. Julio Jones  was traded to the Titans from the Falcons for a second round draft pick .  Jones  who is usually all pro was riddled  with injuries this year Jones had 31 catches for 434 yards and a touchdown, the trade didn’t pan out in year one, let’s see what year two brings.   Aj Brown battled through injuries all season. He caught 35 passes for 509 yards and three touchdowns. 

The defense was a major improvement. In 2020  they ranked 25th in defense in points allowed , 4,439 passing  yards ,1,933 rushing yards . This season they ranked 11th in points allowed, 4,169  passing  yards , 1,438 rushing yards . 

Cap Space 

The Titans cap space is $ 214.5 million dollars which is 6.3 million dollars over the NFL cap space .  The Titans could Make the following contract changes to help them get under the cap space 

– Taylor Lewan, OT – Cap savings: $12.9 million ($1.79 million in dead money)

– Zach Cunningham, LB – Cap savings: $10.5 million ($0 in dead money)

– Rodger Saffold, G – Cap savings: $10.5 million ($2.37 million in dead money) – Saffold was released and signed with the Bills

– Jackrabbit Jenkins, CB – Cap savings: $7 million ($3.2 million in dead money) – Jenkins was released on Tuesday

– Kendall Lamm, OT – Cap savings: $3.3 million ($850,000 in dead money)

– Brett Kern, P – Cap savings: $3.2 million ($550,000 in dead money)

– Nate Davis, G – Cap savings: $2.68 million ($233,670 in dead money)

– Julio Jones, WR – Post-June 1 cap savings: $9.5 million ($4.8 million in dead money); Pre-June 1 cap savings: $1 million Who I believe needs to be cut because his age is showing and he is frequently injured because of his age. 

Note: Titans can also restructure any of these contracts if they want to. 

Additions that need to be made 

Needs CB , TE ,WR 

Tight Ends

Free Agents 

OJ Howard TB Bucs  2021 Stats : 14 receptions  135 receiving yards

Tyler Kroft New York Jets :  16 receptions 173 receiving yards 1 yards 

Both would be low cost options for the Titans.

Draft Picks 

 Trey McBride  Colorado State :  158 catches  2,015 yards 

Isiah likely  Coastal Caorlina : 59 receptions, 912 yards, 12 TDs

Cade Otton Washington : 28 receptions, 250 yards, 1 TD

Cornerback 

Draft pick : Andrew Booth JR Clemson : 37 tackles, 5 passes defensed, 3 interceptions

Free Agents : Sidney Jones . Seattle Seahawks : 45 tackles 

 Wide receivers

Free agents 

 Will Fuller : Miami Dolphins 4 Receptions 26 yards 

Draft picks

Jameson Williams / John Metchie : Alabama 

Christian Watson North Dakota state 

Offensive Line

Draft Picks 

Trevor Penning OT  northern Iowa 

 IOL Dylan Parham  Memphis 

Free Agents

 Tom Compton OT SF 

Linebacker 

Free Agent 

Kamu Gruiger Hill LB Houston Texans 

 Jacob Martin Edge Houston 

Draft 

LB Channing Tindall Georgia

Saints Season In Review/Offseason to do list

By: Mike Rifkin

The 2021 New Orleans Saints finished the 2021 season with a record of 9-8 and just missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016. After the season head coach Sean Payton stepped down, Payton went 152-89 in 16 seasons as the head coach and did win a Super Bowl. Sean Payton and future Hall of Fame Quarterback Drew Brees both arrived in New Orleans in 2006 and spent 15 seasons together. After the 2020 season Drew Brees announced his retirement, and now Sean Payton has stepped down and it truly is the end of an era for the Saints. Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen will take over as the head coach.

In 2021 there was a question of who would succeed Drew Brees for the Saints and the Saints signed a familiar face. Former number one overall pick Jameis Winston, somebody the Saints played when he was a member of the Buccaneers, was signed to a one year deal. Winston played ok with a 59.0 completion percentage 1,170 yards, 144 touchdowns and three interceptions. Winston was limited to seven games before he tore his ACL against his old team. They then tried Trevor Siemian, Taysom Hill, and Ian Book even got a start. Taysom Hill is best used as an offensive weapon then as a quarterback, Book and Siemian are not the answer. The Saints are one of the teams engaged with Texans for quarterback Deshaun Watson. 

The Saints do have one of the best running backs in the league in Alvin Kamara. Kamara had 898 rushing yards and four touchdowns, while adding 439 yards and five touchdowns receiving. Kamara was ok in 2021 but the inconsistent quarterback play and the limited amount of weapons really hampered him when he did play. After the Pro Bowl Kamara was arrested for Battery, so we will see what happens in regard to a suspension. Taysom Hill added 374 yards and five touchdowns rushing.

The Saints receiving group will get a boost with the return of Michael Thomas who missed all of 2021 with Ankle surgery. Prior to 2020 Thomas had three consecutive seasons with 100 plus catches and over 1,000 yards. In Thomas’s absence young players like Marquez Callaway and Deonte Harris stepped into bigger roles. Marquez Callaway led the Saints with 698 yards and six touchdowns last season. Tight Ends Adam Trautman and Juwan Johnson combined for 422 yards and six touchdowns. 

The Saints have one of the best defenses in the NFL. They were third in points allowed allowing 19.7 points per game and seventh in total defense giving up 318.2 yards per game. They were eighth in sacks with 46. Veteran Cam Jordan led the team with 12.5 sacks and former first round pick Marcus Davenport put up a career high nine sacks and forced three fumbles. They were also in the top 10 in turnover differential with a +7. Cornerbacks Marshon Lattimore, Paulson Adebo, CJ Gardner-Johnson, and P.J. Williams each had three interceptions. Safety Marcus Williams, who was third on the team in tackles, departed for Baltimore, but the Saints signed former Jet Marcus Maye to replace him. 

The Saints have restructured a lot of their contracts to get under the cap. Now as I mentioned earlier the Saints are one of the teams who are in on Deshaun Watson from the Texans, but what is plan B in case they don’t acquire him. For me that would be bringing back Jameis Winston. We have seen how the quarterback market has developed over the past week and depending on his health going with Jameis is probably the best option for the Saints if they cannot land Watson. Either way they are going to have to find a way to bring back left tackle Terron Armstead. 

Draft

RD 1 (15) Charles Cross OT – Mississippi State – If Armstead leaves that leaves a gaping hole, and Cross can fill in nicely. Names to watch : Malik Willis QB Liberty, Kenny Pickett QB Pittsburgh, Trevor Penning OT Northern Iowa

RD 2 (49) Isaiah Spiller RB Texas A&M : With some uncertainty around Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram getting older the Saints could use another running back. Spiller is a very effective runner who could help the Saints.

RD 3 ( 98) Bryan Cook Safety Cincinnati : Good safety who could benefit from a veteran like Malcolm Jenkins. Used to play corner so he can help in coverage and is a very good tackler.