It’s time for the annual NFC Preview. Which teams will make the playoffs? Who will surprise us? How will your team finish? Listen to find out.
Tampa Bay buccaneers
NFL Hot Seat Update
The weather might be getting colder but the hot seat is getting red hot in the NFL. On this episode I give you my top five coaches on the NFL hot seat and discuss why they will likely be gone by the end of the season. Did your team’s head coach make the cut? Check it out and make sure to follow and subscribe for all the latest content.
NFL Hot Seat Special
At the quarter mark of the 2018 season, let’s dive into what will be a quarterly segment call the “Hot Seat Special”. At each quarter mark of the season I’ll give you my top five coaches on the seat. This is based not only on this season, but their previous track record. If you see a coach that you think should be on this list or that you think should not be on the hot seat comment or send us an email at: Richsportstalk@gmail.com
NFC South 2018 Preview
On the latest podcast is our final NFC preview before we get to our AFC previews before the 2018 NFL regular season. Check in to see how I have each team finishing in the division and why.
If you missed any of our previous previews or want to hear out AFC previews make sure to follow and subscribe for all the latest content.
Quarterback Roulette: Where Will Top Prospects Land?
Jameis Winston: Round 1 Pick 1
This pick has seemingly been locked for a long time. Winston has been the consensus top quarterback in the class and has been almost locked as the top pick for months. Barring some trade or a bold decision, it looks like Winston will be a Buccaneer. It makes too much sense. Tampa Bay has been desperate fort a franchise quarterback for years, Winston is from the Tampa area, the small market could help the media exposure around Winston, and Tampa has some great weapons on offense. With the state of the NFC South, it’s not that far-fetched that if Winston can play well from day one, the Buccaneers could compete for the division title.
Marcus Mariota: Round 1 Pick 2
The biggest question about this year’s draft will be where will Mariota go? Will he be drafted high or fall? Will a team trade up for him? Which team could trade for him? In this scenario I have Tennessee grabbing him here for one of two reasons. First, they need a franchise quarterback and Zach Mettenberger is probably not the answer. The other reason he could go here is that Tennessee could play the leverage game and try to trade him for more draft picks. Either way Mariota will probably be off the board sooner than later.
Every year quarterbacks go earlier in the draft then projected. It is a quarterback driven lead after all and teams will be aggressive to get a quarterback before they come off the board. With two first round picks, the Browns have the luxury to use one of the picks on a quarterback while still getting a talented player with the other. I have Petty going with the later pick. Cleveland has made it clear that they are no longer sold on Manziel and Petty has the type of character make up a franchise would want at quarterback. Petty will need some time to sit and learn the playbook and with Josh McCown now on the Browns it has made it the perfect situation for Petty to sit and learn rather than playing right away. It also could give Cleveland the excuse to move on from Manziel.
Garrett Grayson: Round 2 Pick 6
The Washington Redskins could be looking to move on from Robert Griffin III. However, they probably will not want to use a first round pick on a quarterback even if Mariota is available. In the second round Washington could take a shot on Garrett Grayson who has been battling Hundley and Petty to be the third quarterback off the board. Grayson has the size and enough arm talent to possibly be a future franchise quarterback in the NFL. While Griffin has more physical talent, the problems with his leadership and durability will have Washington looking for a possible replacement plan.
Brett Hundley: Round 2 Pick 23 UCLA
Despite three different quarterbacks in 2014, the Arizona Cardinals were able to make the playoffs. However, with Carson Palmer’s health now a question mark the team needs a solid backup plan. Hundley could be the future starter in Arizona, and could be groomed in the meantime under Palmer. Arizona has the defense to be a contender but they will need a quarterback to get there. Hundley could be that option if Palmer is hurt again and Hundley’s skill set is perfect for not only this team but this division. With a division with great defenses and pass rushers, a mobile quarterback in the pocket is crucial. There’s a reason the NFC West has two of the most mobile quarterbacks in the league, it’s because this division has great defenses. Arizona needs a quarterback to get back to the postseason and Hundley is a great security blanket should Palmer get hurt again.
Bucs Unveil New Uniforms
Tampa Hey! The Buccaneers have just released their newest uniforms for the 2014 season. In an attempt to combine their historic past with a new future, the Bucs new threads combine the nostalgia of Tampa’s rich history into a new sleek design. First the colors. I love black. In my opinion you can almost never go wrong with black and these uniforms are no exception. The black pants and shoulders are intimidating and sleek. The focus on red and the reintroduction of the creamsicle color are also well executed. While black is the primary color other than the white on the jersey, the red and orange are great accent colors that really pop. However, I do have some issues with the Bucs new jerseys. While the home jersey has not been revealed yet, I can assume that it will the same uniform except with a red jersey instead of white there are some poor design choices. While I love the black in this uniform, there is still not enough. While there could be a black jersey too, I still think it would have been better if the Bucs decided to use a black helmet instead of the pewter color. The helmets are ok, the new logo is great but other then that they’re nothing special. They would have looked better if the were all black helmets. My other big knock on the jerseys is the numbers. True, I do give Tampa credit for trying something different. Just the style and the amount of white within the numbers make them look odd. It would have been better in a different font, or if the numbers were just a solid red without the white accents. Overall, these jerseys are overall an improvement over the Bucs previous installment. Good jerseys, but not great. Grade: B
Do you like the Buccaneers new uniforms? What was your favorite? Take our poll!