We hit all the topics this week, ranging from projections for Patrick Mahomes and the New York Jets to pineapple on pizza and obscure rules.
The New York Jets have had quite the offseason.
First, it seemed positive. Free agency netted Le’Veon Bell, Jamison Crowder and C.J. Mosley. There was the trade for guard Kelechi Osemele. Things were looking up. Then, Mike Maccagnan gets fired after the draft. Adam Gase ascends. Yikes.
Still, I believe New York may be a playoff team.
My best-case scenario is winning nine games and reaching the postseason as a sixth seed. In fact, this was my prediction the night of the NFL’s schedule release. New York has talent, and Sam Darnold is about to bust out. The concern is whether Gase can guide the ship, and if ownership has any clue what it is doing.
As for the GM search, Joe Douglas has long been the favorite. Many inside the league believe Douglas is a terrific candidate, having proven himself with the Philadelphia Eagles as their vice president of player personnel. If New York can lure Douglas away, he’d be a wise hire.
Over on the yards, under on the touchdown passes.
Patrick Mahomes is a generational talent. The term is wildly overused, but it’s true in this case. A first-time starter in 2018, Mahomes threw for 5,097 yards and 50 touchdowns. It’s arguably the second-best season of all time for a quarterback.
However, asking Mahomes to duplicate those stats in 2019 is an enormous task. We’re talking projections here, and those are largely worthless (what were his projections last year?) but put me down for 4,600 yards and 42 touchdowns. This would be an average of 287.5 yards and 2.6 touchdowns per game. Not bad.
Why the slight dip? Tyreek Hill might not be available for at least a chunk of the season. Also, Kansas City’s defense is better. The combination means a little more reliance on the running game.
The one-point safety.
It’s happened a few times in college football, but never in the NFL. Here’s how it works:
A team is going for a two-point conversion and commits a turnover. The defensive player with the football is either already out or comes out of the end zone and then retreats back in, where he is tackled. The result of the play is a one-point safety, scored for the offensive team.
In the 99-year history of the NFL, it’s yet to be committed. One day, though. One day.
When your biggest issue going into training camp is the backup tight end, you know you’re pretty damn good. Still, this is a fair question. The Chiefs are entering the summer with Travis Kelce and nothing else of note on the depth chart.
The most obvious target remains Kyle Rudolph. The Minnesota Vikings are in a cap crunch, and the 29-year-old has a $7.6 million cap hit this season. If Minnesota moves him, there’s no penalty against its books. If the Vikings decide to put him on the block, the Chiefs could likely acquire him for a third-day pick.
As for Blake Bell, the expectations shouldn’t be high. In his career, Bell has 30 catches for 357 yards and zero touchdowns. If he remains the second tight end, I would put his over/under at 15 catches, 200 yards and two touchdowns.
Absolutely. I can’t say I frequently do this, but I see no issue. Sometimes you like to set yourself up for the quick getaway.
However, the people who do this and can’t center themselves in the spot need to serve time in prison. Few things are worse than going out to your car and being boxed in because some moron had to park halfway into your spot. The absolute worst.
No. No. Never. Kill it with fire.
Pepperoni, mushrooms, meatball and sausage. Those are the four toppings I’ll allow for on a standard pizza. The second fruit gets brought into the equation, it’s not longer pizza. It’s garbage with fruit on it.
I enjoy that my colleague and co-host of our Stacking The Box podcast, Mr. Josh Hill was brought into this. Hill is both apparently a cronie, and he’s a Buccaneers fan.
That said, I’ve never hidden my fandom. I also don’t allow it to impact my analysis. I grew up in New York but have been a Chiefs fan since I was a 5-year-old. That year, Joe Montana became my hero. Sue me.
As for the question, good luck. The Oakland Raiders are 0-6 since Andy Reid showed up. This year, Oakland visits Kansas City in Week 13. The Chiefs are coming off a bye. All the best.