Inside My Head

Thursday, November 15, 2018

Madden League: Winners/Losers Of '19 Free Agency

Well its that time of the year again where teams gave players their pitch on why they should come join them or stay with them and we're on the verge of the Draft so who are some winners and losers of Free Agency?

Winner: Washington Redskins

After just missing the playoffs last year Washington looks to have reloaded when they signed 5 players during Free Agency. Among them were: RT - Rob Havenstein(79) , WR - Kendall Wright(78), MLB - CJ Mosley(86) & CB's - Trevor Williams(85) & Bradley Roby(84). All of them should play significant roles on what was already a playoff roster.

Havenstein gives them the 11th best RT in the league last year allowing Morgan Moses to move into that swing OL that every team needs. Moses was quoted as saying he's up for the challenge & isn't looking at it as a demotion but rather as motivation & doing what ever it takes to get those W's

Wright will probably have the hardest chance among this FA class to make an impact however Gruden assured Kendall they had a role for him. For now Wright is 4th on the depth chart and although we don't see a big role for him unless an injury happens we just have to believe the Head Coach right?

Mosley will pair with Zach Brown to possibly pair the leagues fiercest MLB tandem. They were ranked as the 6th & 8th best MLB's last season however it doesn't just stop there both players are quick and just know how to lay the wood & play with smarts inside the system, opposing offenses will need to have a strong game plan coming into games against Washington if they want to pick up a win.

Williams & Roby decided to form the deepest CB tandem in the entire league and although Washington was expected to go after one CB no one expected them to sign two top guys. Williams was the 22nd best CB last year & Roby was the 27th, so adding them opposite Josh Norman as the other outside & slot Corners and still having Quinton Dunbar who is no slouch and was the 52nd ranked CB as your Dime guy is just outstanding depth. Im not really sure what offenses will do against this defense but it's going to be tough to run or pass the ball.

Loser: Baltimore Ravens & Houston Texans

Both teams had a lot of needs and neither team did anything in Free Agency at this point we're not really sure how either Head Coach is still employed but you have to be thinking the the GM is watching them closely and if they don't have a amazing draft and lots of player development that they could be looking for work elsewhere.

Winner: Miami Dolphins
Miami seen holes and they not only secured their bag but they reeled in the biggest catch of Free Agency when they inked DT - David Irving(87) to a 4yr/56.6M deal. They also signed Outside Linebackers Clay Matthews(82) & Shaquil Barrett(81) to go with CB - Justin Coleman(77) & FS - Corey Moore(79) to complete what they feel should be a top half of the league defense.
On the other side of the ball the Dolphins brought in C - Matt Paradis(80) & RG - Jack Mewhort(79) to help clear some lanes for Kenyan Drake & hopefully keep the pocket clean so Ryan Tannehill can give the franchise some clarity on the position, at 31yrs old its time for him to either deliver or depart.

Thursday, January 12, 2017

2017 Vikings Mock Offseason v1.0

Players Not Brought Back

QB - Shaun Hill *Retires*

RB - Matt Asiata

WR - Charles Johnson

RG - Brandon Fusco

RT - Andre Smith

LT - Matt Kalil

DE - Justin Trattou

DT - Tom Johnson *Released*

LB - Chad Greenway *Retires*

LB - Audie Cole

CB - Terrance Newman *Retires*

Players Re-Signed

RB - Adrian Peterson (Reworks his current deal for some guaranteed money on a 2 year deal with incentives to make up to 10M, new Contract will pay him 5.5M which would be 9th best next season)

FB - Zach Line

WR - Cordarrelle Patterson (With Shumur being brought back Patterson has a clear role on this team not only as a WR but as a KR)

WR - Adam Thielen

TE - Rhett Ellison

OG - Zac Kerin

RT - Jeremiah Sirles

CB - Captain Munnerlyn

P - Jeff Locke

Trades

WR - Jarius Wright to the Bills for 5th round pick

DT - Sharrif Floyd to the Saints for 3rd Round pick

Free Agency

Target #1 - Riley Reiff - RT

A player with experience at LT if things go completely south again but a guy who can hold his own and give us some stability at RT something that is clearly lacking here

Target #2 - Manti Te'o - LB

I personally don't feel comfortable with Lamur as my starting/3rd LB

Target #3 - Andrew Whitworth - LT

Stop gap LT, the Vikings finally decide to move on from Kalil and improve their offensive line in the process

Draft

2(46) - Taylor Moton (OL) Western Michigan | 6'5" 328lbs

"His max squat is 570 pounds and he throws up 400 pounds on the bench press with ease.
“He’s got tremendous power,” said Western Michigan offensive line coach Brian Callahan. “He’s tremendously strong.”
Excellent strength and possesses elite power. Very versatile, and can play inside or outside. Working on his footwork as a tackle, but already a top level run blocker."

3(76) - Julie'n Davenport (OT) Bucknell | 6'6" 315lbs

"He's big, he's quick and he's a ferocious blocker when confronted. He's also a two-time team captain for the Bisons."

3(80) - D'Onta Foreman (RB) Texas | 6'1" 249lbs

"A very powerful back that has been the most productive back in the FBS this year. He is not just your typical power back, though, as has the agility to make defenders miss. He also has the ability to accelerate very quickly for a back his size.
Big-bodied running back prospect who features deceptive speed. In fact, he has arguably the best 2nd gear in the 2017 NFL Draft running back class. This is someone who quickly shoots through open holes and takes it to the house.
North-south runner who looks to get up field. He shows the ability to run with patience and allow his blocks to set up.
Power back with burst.
Incredible in pass protection. Perhaps the best in the draft.
Great vision and cutting ability."

3(87) - Jarron Jones (DT) Notre Dame | 6'5" 315lbs

"For a man of his size, Jones shows good initial quickness and flexibility to slip through gaps.
His best asset, however, is his power and length. Jones generates a powerful bull rush, showing impressive upper body strength as well as leg drive to push opponents into the backfield."

4(111) - Tanoh Kpassagnon (DE) Villanova | 6'6" 285lbs

"Fires off the ball, routinely blowing past offensive tackles with his initial burst to the outside. Complements his speed rush with an effective counter back to the inside off of a strong jab step. Strong hands to rip through the reach of tackles, slapping them away. Good flexibility and core strength to fight through contact on his way to the backfield, including through double-teams.
Voted a team captain and is highly respected by the Villanova coaching staff and teammates for his commitment towards maximizing his potential on and off the field."

4(118) - Damontae Kazee (CB) San Diego St | 5'10" 190lbs

"Confident in press man coverage, showing a low, tight backpedal and smooth turning motion. Good route anticipation and understands angles, keep his frame between the receiver and the quarterback.
Competitive open-field tackler, who aggressively slithers his way past would-be blockers to get into the action. Not an imposing hitter but is a sure tackler who wraps his arms for the secure stop.
Tracks the ball well, exhibiting the body control and concentration to make difficult over-the-shoulder grabs."

5 - Travin Dural (WR) LSU | 6'2" 203lbs

"Dural offers rare straight-line speed for a receiver of his size.
He accelerates smoothly, showing a distinct second gear to track down deep throws. Dural tracks the ball well over his shoulder and shows excellent timing on his leaps and hand-eye coordination to contort in space to make the tough grab outside of his frame."

5 - Kendell Beckwith (LB) LSU | 6'2" 252lbs

"Beckwith is extremely patient with a natural feel to sift through the trash, find the ball and make the stop. He is a fundamentally sound tackler with strong hands to hook, stay low and drop the ballcarrier, using leverage to wrap and finish.
Beckwith has the power and physical mentality to take on linemen at the second level, acting as a hammer between the tackles vs. the run game.
Beckwith is viewed as one of the veteran leaders in the locker room."

6 - Jalen Reeves-Maybin (LB) Tennessee | 6'0" 230lbs

"Has terrific diagnosis skills, frequently breaking through the line of scrimmage on outside runs and is especially keen to blowing up screen passes.
His previous experience at safety shows with his comfort with his back to the ball. He's also a savvy blitzer, showing good timing, burst and active hands to defeat blocks."

7 - Greg Pyke (OG) Georgia | 6'5" 313lbs

"Pyke possesses great core strength and leg drive which allows him to push defensive tackles off the ball on his way toward the second level.
In pass protection, Pyke shows good initial quickness, as well as lateral agility to mirror defenders. He attacks defenders with a strong initial punch and anchors well due to proper knee bend and his core strength. Alert to stunts and surprise blitzes."

Final Roster

Sunday, October 9, 2016

Early 2017 Minnesota Vikings Needs(Through 5 Weeks)

Okay so it's still early only a game over the quarter mark. Although it's still early I do believe our needs have changed, we've dealt with a lot of injuries from players who were supposed to play significant roles but that hasn't stopped this team from looking like an early favorite to be playing in the Super Bowl. I don't want to get ahead of myself though and I know Mike Zimmer will keep the players heads on the goal which should be take 1 week at a time. Anyways this is the way I see our top 5 needs playing out 5 weeks in.

#1 - OT - I've liked what I've seen from Clemmings who has had to fill in for the injury prone Matt Kalil, which is completely different from how I felt before the season. Kalil's move to IR basically means his time with the team is done. Getting back to Clemmings though it's still early enough were he could potentially lock down LT or on the other hand he could force the team to look for another option to protect QB - Sam Bradford and/or Teddy Bridgewater. Over at Right Tackle we had Andre Smith who was playing pretty poorly but he also went down with an injury and might find himself on IR as well however we've had Jeremiah Sirles who was the teams super sub Offensive Lineman, he filled in for Boone when he got hurt and has since taken over the RT spot when Smith got hurt and he's looked good so far although its a small sample size so far. Either way the team will need depth.
Early Favorite: Mike McGlinchey - Notre Dame
Available Latter on: Julie'n Davenport - Bucknell

#2 - HB - So Adrian Peterson got hurt again and needed surgery also resulting in him being put on IR however even before his injury he looked like father time had caught up with him, his burst was gone and he looked like he was dancing in the back field too much instead of just hitting the hole and going, maybe this had to do with Defenses still keying on him but either way he was very ineffective and I just can't believe he is back on this team next year at his current salary. Maybe he restructures his deal idk but I'm going in with the belief that another RB has to be added as I know I wasn't sure about McKinnon's ability to be a work horse back and although he's had a couple good outings in place of the injured Adrian Peterson I still feel that he isn't suited to be the feature back and I'm not all that confident in Matt Asiata. I'd rather see Asiata in that 3rd RB spot. Thankfully this is supposed to be a very deep Runningback class.
Early Favorites: Leonard Fournette - LSU & Dalvin Cook - FSU
Available Later On: James Connor - Pittsburgh

#3 - LB - This is Chad Greenway's last year and we'll need to find his replacement, LB could be a spot that the Vikings look to Free Agency to fill and although they did bring in Emmanuel Lamur I believe adding another stud LB could help take this defense to another level which is really saying something with the way this Defense has been playing this year, it's already being compared to some of the greatest Defenses to ever play the game.
Early Favorite ILB: Reuben Foster - Alabama
Early Favorite OLB: Zach Cunningham - Vanderbilt
Available Later On ILB: Hardy Nickerson - Illinois
Available Later On OLB: Davin Bellamy - Georgia

#4 - OG - So I'm not really sure how I feel about Fusco's play. Yes he has played much better on the Right side rather than his play last year on the Left side but I still believe we should add someone in the middle rounds that will be able to compete with him. Alex Boone has been a good addition but the OLine group as a whole needs more talent. Once again this could be a spot the team looks to address in FA depending upon how Fusco's play continues throughout the year.
Mid Round Favorite: Johnny Caspers - Stanford
Available Later On: Caleb Peterson - North Carolina

#5 - DT - This will likely come down to how the team feels about Sharrif Floyd, I like what I've seen but no one can deny he's had problems staying healthy. Well the team does have a lot of depth at the position and we do have Toby Johnson on the Practice Squad at this point all we should figure is that he's a future depth guy with potential. Tom Johnson is starting to get up there in Football Age and although he doesn't have many miles on his legs getting another stud DT in the middle of the defense could take a great defense to an elite level.
Favorites : None (A position I need to look into a little more)

Honorable Mentions: S, DE & WR. As for Safety it's obvious that the Vikings need someone next to Harrison Smith and I absolutely loved what I seen out of Jayron Kearse in the pre-season and lets not act like the potential isn't there for him to be good it will just depend upon how long his potential development could take and if he can be anything more than a backup Safety. I would love to add a player like Jabril Peppers - Michigan but with no 1st round pick that's going to be virtually impossible.

At DE it's no secret that Brian Robison is getting up there in age and next year could be his last in a Vikings Uniform. Yes the Vikings have a Stud waiting in the wings but it seems there philosophy has been to grab a guy in the middle rounds with tons of potential & I believe there is another guy who fits that bill perfectly, his name is Bryan Cox - Florida

WR will really depend upon who we decide to bring back. Currently the only WR's that will for sure be on the roster next year are Jarius Wright, LaQuon Treadwell & Stefon Diggs. It's quite possible that WR won't be a need at all next year but in the scenario that we only bring back 1 guy(Thielen) or even only 2 guys(Thielen & Cordarrelle Patterson) I'd love to add Mike Williams - Clemson but again he's a player who we'd have to trade up for or a player who I think will end up being one of the top 3 wideouts when the class is looked back upon years down the road in Corey Davis - Western Michigan

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

TMNT: MUTANTS IN MANHATTAN (PS4 Version) Review

Okay so I'm just going to jump into this as it's going to be my first game I've personally done the review on. I've decided to make this my first one simply because I've been a huge fan of TMNT since being a kid so I was pretty geeked for this game to come out.

My initial reaction was this is a fun game and I had absolutely no problem just picking it up, putting it in and just playing atleast outside of trying to find multi-player lobbies. The story is very easy as long as you actually listen to what you're supposed to be doing and even if you have problems staying focused and listening even for small amounts of time you should be able to still figure out what to do without getting frustrated. The game has replay value although at this time I can tell it won't be much as it's all very repetitive from what I've seen so far.

The game itself plays similar to the arcade one from back in the day and I see this game keeping fans of the TMNT franchise happy. If I could make one change to this game it would be a big one as I'd have it play more like Dying Light, obviously with Foot Soldiers walking around rather than Zombies and I believe if it was done like D.L. that this game had a chance to not only be good but be epic.

Now getting back to the game, when I was able to get into Multi Player Lobbies(which has gotten easier with every passing hour, which should be expected since it's still a very new game) I've had fun. I like that you can switch between your characters after your match/game. I haven't played enough M.P. though to tell yet if each game is different or they change, if each game is different that alone will add a lot of replay value as well.

Rating Score

6/10

Overall though I like the game and have fun while playing it. I haven't read if there will be any DLC but I definitely hope there will be.

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Extremely Early 2017 Minnesota Vikings Needs

2017 Vikings Early Needs

#1 - LT - This will be the most important position unless somehow Kalil turns it around but he's been on a decline for about 3 or 4 years now so I don't see that happening. Maybe Minnesota addresses this in Free Agency but I doubt that as good LT's don't typically hit free agency. I have no faith in Clemmings and for those who think Beavers has a chance to be "that guy" don't get your hopes up as the Minnesota Vikings have already declared him a Guard. Maybe the new coach(Tony Sparano) can get the most out of them but for a way too early projection I just can't/won't bank on that.

Early Favorite: Zach Banner - USC

#2 - TE - For all the talk about how Teddy Bridgewater needs to step his game up well Kyle Rudolph needs to be held accountable, He has not become what was envisioned and IMO he's holding the offense back. If he could play to the ability that was expected maybe the passing game wouldn't have been so bad & maybe just maybe the Vikings could stop settling for Field Goals and instead start punching it into the endzone.

Early Favorite: OJ Howard - Alabama

#3 - Center - This need could very easily change due to Sullivan's health or Easton's development however going with the theme of it being a way to early look I absolutely need to have this up there.

Early Favorite: Dan Voltz - Wisconsin

#4 - HB - This will most likely depend upon what happens with AP. Ideally for myself The Vikings keep him around on a restructured contract and still draft his eventual replacement. I don't have enough faith in McKinnon to shoulder the load & I personally would like to keep the RB's in a more traditional role where there is a workhorse back.

Early Favorite: Leonard Fournette - LSU

#5 - S - Well I do have faith in Michael Griffin, he is still up there in age and no one behind him has shown that they belong starting or that they're anything more than a depth guy.

Early Favorite: None

Honorable Mention: WR - I do believe that Minnesota will need another good to great WR as the Vikings transition the offense away from AP. The NFL is a pass happy league so why not follow suit? I like Jarius Wright and what he does however I just don't like him as a starting slot receiver. I view him more as a 4th WR on a good team. Maybe he changes my mind this year but I actually think Diggs would be best suited in this role when the offense goes into 3 or 4 WR sets.

Early Favorite: Mike Williams - Clemson & Corey Davis - Western Michigan

Friday, April 29, 2016

2016 NFC North 1st Round Draft Selection Analysis

Okay let's start this off with the Chicago Bears selection of LB - Leonard Floyd. First they traded up to get him, something I wasn't a fan of. I feel that Chicago could have stayed put at pick 11 and still landed him, even if that happened I still would have disliked this pick for them. I had Floyd with a ranking in the 18-25 range and even though I mocked him to the Giants in my mock draft that was simply going off of potential need and what I thought the team would do. Now Floyd has the potential to be a Anthony Barr type of player but he will need to put in the work. At the end of the day I think Floyd will be a good player but I don't see him reaching great or elite status and when you're picking in the top 10 and especially after trading up to get in the top 10 I feel that should have All-Pro potential and I just don't see it with Floyd.

Now with Chicago out of the way let's move onto the Detroit Lions selection of OT - Taylor Decker out of Ohio St. This is a move that I absolutely love, Decker went a little earlier than I projected and I had serious thoughts about mocking him to Detroit however I decided against it. Detroit did make the smart decision in taking Decker as he will help protect Matthew Stafford who is going to need all the help he can get now that he no longer has Calvin "MegaTron" Johnson to just lob the ball up to. I believe Stafford is going to get exposed for his lousy accuracy this upcoming season but there is a chance Decker helps nullify that a little bit.

Onto the Minnesota Vikings selection of WR - Laquon Treadwell out of Ole Miss. He wasn't the WR I thought would give Minnesota their best chance at changing their passing game, that award was for Josh Doctson however Laquon was my second choice and should give Teddy Bridgewater a perfect target to throw the ball up to in contested situations. Something Teddy just simply wouldn't do last year. Laquon fits Bridgewater's game perfectly and it wouldn't surprise me in the least if Treadwell is in the running for ROY at the end of the season as long as he stays healthy.

And last it's time for the Green Bay Packers who took DT - Kenny Clark out of UCLA. Green Bay absolutely needed to add a DT at some point in the draft but I feel that BJ Raji kind of forced their hand by his abrupt retirement. I feel that Green Bay was afraid they'd miss the run on DT's so they decided to grab one early. I have no problem with that but I do have a problem with them taking Clark who I had a 2nd/3rd round grade on when guys like Jarran Reed, A'Shawn Robinson & Andrew Billings were all still on the board. My biggest problem was that they passed on ILB Reggie Ragland who would have been the perfect fit for their Linebacker core. Ragland would have allowed Green Bay to move Clay Matthews to his natural position of OLB and let him wreck havoc.

Well that was my take on the selections made in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft.

Thursday, April 28, 2016

2016 NFL Mock Draft

1 - Los Angeles - Jared Goff (QB) California

2 - Philadelphia - Carson Wentz (QB) South Dakota St

3 - San Diego - Deforest Buckner (DL) Oregon

4 - Dallas - Joey Bosa (DE) Ohio St

5 - Jacksonville - Myles Jack (LB) UCLA

6 - Baltimore - Laremy Tunsil (OT) Ole Miss

7 - San Francisco - Ronnie Stanley (OT) Notre Dame

8 - Cleveland - Jalen Ramsey (DB) Florida St

9 - Tampa Bay - Vernon Hargreaves (CB) Florida

10 - New York(G) - Leonard Floyd (Edge) Georgia

11 - Chicago - Ezekiel Elliott (HB) Ohio St

12 - New Orleans - Paxton Lynch (QB) Memphis

13 - Miami - Eli Apple (CB) Ohio St

14 - Oakland - Sheldon Rankins (DT) Louisville

15 - Tennessee - Jack Conklin (OT) Michigan St

16 - Detroit - Jarran Reed (DT) Alabama

17 - Atlanta - Darron Lee (LB) Ohio St

18 - Indianapolis - Taylor Decker (OT) Ohio St

19 - Buffalo - Reggie Ragland (LB) Alabama

20 - New York(J) - Jason Spriggs (OT) Indiana

21 - Washington - Laquan Treadwell (WR) Ole Miss

22 - Houston - William Fuller (WR) Notre Dame

23 - Minnesota - Josh Doctson (WR) TCU

24 - Cincinnati - Corey Coleman (WR) Baylor

25 - Pittsburgh - A'Shawn Robinson (DT) Alabama

26 - Seattle - Robert Nkemdiche (DL) Ole Miss

27 - Green Bay - Vernon Butler (DT) LA Tech

28 - Kansas City - Connor Cook (QB) Michigan St

29 - Arizona - Ryan Kelly (OC) Alabama

30 - Carolina - William Jackson (CB) Houston

31 - Denver - Vonn Bell (S) Ohio St