Patriots continued success means more chaos for the rest of the AFC East

This has been an eventful first few days of free agency to say the least. Blockbuster trades, surprising signings and interesting coaching decisions have highlighted a number of moves that could change some of the landscape of the NFL. One thing, however, that most likely wont change, is the dominance of the Defending Champion New England Patriots over the AFC EAST. This is because, even though the Jets, Bills and Fins have significantly upgraded, while some could say that the Pats took a step back losing their starting CBs, the Pats still have number 12 behind center while the Bills and Jets are scrambling to find a guy, and the Fins are just keeping their fingers crossed that they did find the guy.

We are aware that the Bills resigned Hughes and got Shady and everything looks promising in Buffalo. We do also realize that they also signed Matt Cassel who, I dont think is the second coming of Mr. Kelly. Their defense was dominant last year, no question, however, their offense is still shaky a little bit and without an answer at QB, they will continue to chase the Pats and Brady.

The Jets made a few great moves to bolster their secondary (Sometimes I am not sure if the Jets realize there are other positions on the field other than cornerback.) Either way, signing Revis and the infamous father who can't name his own children, Cromartie, as well as Buster Skrine, the Jets have a great, lockdown group. In a passing league, this is always helpful. Getting B.Marsh is a big upgrade too, however, same situation with the Bills, without having a QB that can get him the ball, they will continue to be the rabbit that is chasing the carrot (The Pats)

The Fins (my team, and I am trying to not be biased here) did a great job of signing SUH, a corner from the Steelers in Brice McCain as well as Jordan Cameron to beef up their offense. As recently as 10 miuntes ago, they just traded for, in my opinion, a STUD WR from the Saints Kenny Stills. Even with all that $$$ they spend and the moves they made, their biggest bank roll is whether or not Ryan Tannehill is going to be the guy they can ride for the next 10 years. If he is, they are in a prime place to overtake the Pats, if hes not, then the fins are going to be at the bottom of the AFC East for years to come!

Bottom line, the Jets, Bills and Fins have done a lot to help their chances to dethrone the Pats this season. With the Brady/Belichick combo still pumping out division titles and Super Bowls with almost what sometimes seems to be makeshift rosters, these 3 wanna be champs will continue to be looking up at the greatest Player/Head Coach combo ever...maybe in any sport! (Topic for another day)

Throwdown Thursday - 500

500 - the schoolyard football game of "up for grabs". Despite what the rulebook says, this is full contact:

Game- 500 

Matchup- 

Megatron (6'5'') 
vs. 
DeAndre Jordan (6'11'')

Class is back in session

FREE AGENCY BEGINS WITH A BANG...

We have all been patiently waiting for this day to come and boy did it not disappoint.  Too many moves to account for but man does this have me itching for some pigskin.  Is it September yet?  How important it is to win in Free agency will remain to be seen but no doubt some teams are off to a fast start.  Big thanks to everyone that has taken time to read our articles.  We, like Free Agency are off to a fast start and hope to one day land a similar contract that Suh just signed in Miami.  Until then it's back to the drawing board. Don't hesitate to share your thoughts...

DAY 1 WINNERS/LOSERS

WINNERS

NEW YORK JETS 

The Jets just locked in a familiar face and one that happens to be the best corner in the game.  Really doesn’t matter what happens from here on out this move is huge.  Also am hearing that Cromartie could be on his way back to the NYJ as well.  AFC East is gearing up to make Tom Brady’s season a living hell.  Don’t sleep on the acquisition of Brandon Marshall either.  B Marsh gets a lot of flake for his off the field antics but no one can contest his dedication on the field.  Played most of last year on one leg and played at a very high level.

BUFFALO BILLS

Could be some bias here but hard to argue that day 1 was nothing but a success.  Jerry Hughes returns to one of the NFL’s best front lines. Couple that with the acquisition of Shady McCoy, and we now see a plan in place for our Bills.  Ground and Pound with Shady and Freddy and play dominant defense.  If anyone is going to break the mold on getting to the playoffs without a QB it will be the Bills this year.  That roster is stacked.

ST LOUIS RAMS

Finally found their QB of the future in Foles and didn't have to give up all that much in doing so.  We all know the Rams were scared to death about Bradfords current deal (on his way to being cut anyway?) and it looks like Philly was more than willing to take that off their hands.  We will see where Bradford lands.  Something tells me his last stop will not be in Philly.  Cleveland anyone?  Still think Chip will find a way to land Mariotta.

UNDER THE RADAR MOVES THAT WIILL HELP

ATL FALCONS

Signing of Brooks Reed and Justin Durant give the falcons and their awful defense their starting LBs for the next few years.  My pick for surprise team of 2015 looks like they are off to a good start.  Just need to work on shoring up that O line to keep Matty Ice upright because you know Dan Quinn will bring some immediate credibility to that defense.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ers

Torrey Smith gets to team back up with Anquan Boldin where they dominated during their stints with Baltimore.  Beginning to see a trend here?  Everyone heading back to where it all began.  Just wish the Bills were that lucky and could somehow find a way to lure Gronk back to where his football days all began.

NEW YORK GIANTS

The addition of Shane Vareen adds another dimension to the Giants and what Eli and OC Ben McAdoo will look to do.  Finally have a threat to catch balls outta the backfield.  One they envisioned David Wilson would be before injuries took him off the field.  Shane Vareen will be loved by Giants fans and I think you'll see him on the field more often than not. 

LOSERS

NOLA

Franchise under water had to make the move but losing the best target in football will certainly leave a mark.  Who knows maybe Marques Colston has a rebirth but right now Drew is looking for weapons.

SAN FRANCISCO

As much as I love the Torrey move they certainly did pay him quite a bit of money.  With that said, that is the least of their problems.  Losing the talent of Willis and Justin Smith on the defensive side of the ball will hurt.  Frank Gore was getting up there in age so letting him walk was probably the right move but the loss of Iupati will leave a big hole on that line for whoever comes in next year.

JAGUARS

If there is anything I have learned from being a Bills fan it is that no matter how hard you try some guys just don't wanna play for you or your bad team.  The Jags are going through that right now, but there is also something to be said for being patient.  Throwing out a ton of money for a guy who got to play under Peyton Manning for two years?  Granted he put up some great numbers but plug in anyone with Peyton and Tom Brady and they're surely to produce something.  Julius is good but I'd be shocked if his numbers are half of what they were last year.

TEAMS THAT WILL BE MAKING A SPLASH IN THE COMING DAYS

PHILLY

Something crazy is going to happen here soon.  Either that or the city of Philly will burn to the ground

OAK AND JAX

Does anyone want to play for these guys?  More money to spend then any other organization and they cant seem to get their hands on anyone.  I think that changes here shortly.  Demarco Murray anyone?  Del Rio will find a way to get him to Oakland is my assumption here.

MOTOWN LIONS

The move to grab Haloti Ngata will help stop the bleeding from Suh bolting but they do now have quite a bit of money to spend. 

...love to hear everyone's thoughts

I’m expecting a lot of heat from nothing on the Suh to Miami move and quite honestly I'm torn.   I would say this is TBD.  What else can Miami do this offseason?  How strapped will they be moving forward on this deal?  No doubt they got one hell of a talent.

Happy Hump day everyone

The OTHER NFL Combine

So everyone is, for whatever reason, enamored with the NFL combine right now as they watch to see who their teams are going to draft in a few months. With zero pads and zero defense, I don't think the combine is a true representation of what the NFL is going to be for these kids but, whatever. I've decided to take a look at the OTHER NFL Combine, the NBA, and try to correlate who in the NBA would also be able to handle Sunday afternoons on the gridiron. Now I am sure others will have opinions on this, and they are welcome to share, but this is my edition of NBA players in the NFL.

QB- Kevin Love (NFL Equivalent- Joe Flacco)
If anyone has seen Kevin Love play over his career, you know he is a master of the outlet pass as seen here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99iT6DQj6Zo

This guy is country strong and makes full-court passes on a dime to his teammates with little to know effort. Imagine what he could do with a 7 step drop to a streaking Calvin Johnons!
Backup- Chris Paul.

RB-Kyle Lowry (NFL Equivalent- MJD..in his prime)
Lowry has the thick build of an NFL bruising running back. With his quickness and his strength, he would be sure to break some tackles running behind almost any offensive line.
Backup- Marcus Smart



WR1- DeAndre Jordan (NFL Equivalent Calvin Johnson)
This guy is a FREAK athlete! His ability to go get literally anything, it wont matter if it's Aaron Rodgers, Jay Cutler or Mark Sanchez.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIDS3q3F0H4 ...DAMN!


WR2- Leandro Barbosa (NFL Equivalent Antonio Brown)
The Brazilian Blurr as he is called, is one of the fastest guys in the NBA. His ability to get past the defense would be a benefit to any QB looking to get a quick 6 points.

WR3- Jimmy Butler (NFL Equivalent Anquan Boldin)
One of the more physical perimeter players in the NBA, Butler has a knack for not only creating contact, but having the ability to take a hit as well. Leading the league in minutes played, he surely has the stamina to make those crossing routes and big 3rd down catches.



WR4- Steph Curry( NFL Equivalent Wes Welker)
If anyone didn't see Curry's play this past Sunday...WOW

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NudiJUlxb10

With moves like that, he would be able to get open against any type of defense...and shown in the clip, he will finish the play!

TE- Lebron James (NFL Equivalent...None)
There is no NFL Equivalent to Lebron, lets be honest, he could probably strap on shoulder pads and go play on Sundays right now if he wanted. He could probably make Gronk look human.

So obviously I went with a spread formation here with 4 wide receivers, but they don't all have to play at the same time. I would welcome others to see where I was on to something, and where I could be way off. Tune in soon for the defensive side of the ball!

Does the Jerry Hughes Signing Mark the Beginning of an Era in Buffalo?

Greetings from the 4th blogger on 2 Eggs, Toast and Homefield Advantage. To answer your questions: 1) Yes I do in fact exist, 2) Yes I intend to focus on the NFL, MLB, and NCAA, 3) Yes I am a Bills, Yankees, and Syracuse fan, and inherently have some level of bias to those teams, and 4) Yes I do my best to remain objective despite those bias' (you be the judge of that at the end of this blog).

Now moving on...

If you overslept your 4AM alarm that you set this morning to make sure you were up for any NFL free agency news (sleep is for quitters), it's possible you missed that the Bills re-signed Jerry Hughes to a 5 year, $45M deal with $22M in guarantees. Bottom line; at $9M/year average salary, this is a serious win for the Buffalo Bills. With Hughes arguably the #1 edge rusher available in free agency this year, maybe even before JPP was franchise tagged by the Giants, a $9M/year average salary at a time where teams are paying for QB pressures/sacks feels low. As Vic Carruci of the Buffalo News reports, this may in fact have been driven by Hughes' desire to remain a Buffalo Bill.

News that a player wants to remain in Buffalo is not something that you typically hear. A combination of the upstate NY weather, the unfavorable state tax rate, and 15 years of a losing culture (maybe that last one should have been listed first?) has kept high profile free agents away from Buffalo for a long time. So why would a highly touted edge rusher give Buffalo what seems like a hometown discount? Two words: Rex Ryan.

Everyone knows Rex has a reputation for being a 'players coach' and someone that players love to grind for. While that may be true, that's not enough for a guy like Hughes to leave $2-$3M/year on the table. What may be enough though, is the thought of being a part of a record-setting defense that leads a team to the playoffs for the first time in 15 years. I already know the response to that last statement: "But Blair, you're acting like the typical Bills fan, calling playoffs the second something positive happens in Buffalo." 

Fair, but riddle me this: If Ryan was able to coach his talent-lacking '13 and '14 Jets defense's to an 11th and 6th ranking respectively (on a yards/game basis), what can he do with a unit that over the same time frame lead the league in sacks (111), forced 60 total turnovers (3rd best), and finished 10th and 4th in total yards allowed per game? Simply looking at the discrepancy in edge rushing talent between the Jets and Bills over the last two years is enough to make anyone wonder just how good this defense can be. The Hughes/Williams combination averaged 126.0 Hurries/Hits/Sacks the last two years, versus the Pace/Coples combination at 74.5 over the same time frame. Upgrade anyone?

At the end of the day, Jerry Hughes is coming back to a team that took a chance by trading for him from Indy in 2013, ultimately reigniting his career. He's signed on for five years to play for one of the best defensive minded coaches in football, and with a unit that has emerged as the most threatening pass rush in the game. If the Bills keep their aggressive approach to free agency alive and sign some more beef up front to block for new RB Lesean McCoy, and maybe a pass catching TE as well, the 'Bills to the playoffs in 2015' call might end up not being so crazy after all.

P.S. This blog sets up the worlds easiest rebuttal.....

Bidder Beware!!

It's hard to believe there is chatter again about making SIGNIFICANT moves to move up to snag another unconventional QB (Mariota) come draft day.  If history is any indication, you can bet the mortgage this won't come cheap (just ask the Redskins). As part of the RG3 trade in 2012, the Rams were able to score BIG by moving back just just 4 spots to then move back 8 more spots to then...well actually, just check out the picture:

I will be the first to admit, locking down a franchise QB should be priority 1 for teams that don't have one already. Having said that, if it comes at too steep of a price - how much better off are you long term (again, just ask Washington)?? For whatever its worth, consider this a firm warning to Chip Kelly and the Eagles (Who seem to be in line to be the highest bidder) that if this goes through and is anything short of a grand slam - I'd be on the lookout for that pink slip in the locker (and frankly, in the NFL as well).

Throwdown Thursday - 1 on 1 with..

Throwdown Thursday - a chance to make a case which athlete/athletes would win out in any given contest. This week: 1 & 1 with two of the greats.

Game: Basketball 

Matchup: Horace Grant vs. Brian Scalabrine
Throwdown - 1 on 1 to 21 (with two's)

The MASKED Valuable Player

Now first off, I am aware of the skepticism from those that know me of my bias to this particular topic, however, I am going to hopefully back up my belief that Russel Westbrook should win the MVP this season with factual information, as well as a little of my opinion.

1-This is a 4-horse race to most people. To me, it should only be 3. Russel Westbrook, James Harden and Steph Curry all are in the Western Conference, a far superior conference than the East. Lebron James, who is the best player in the world right now, is playing teams like the Knicks, Magic and 76ers on a consistent basis while the 3 studs in the West, have to go toe to toe against each other! The fact that Lebron is in the East should discredit him for MVP of this season (His numbers don't match up to Westbrook either.) Yes he is the best in the world, but he's not the best this year. Lets not forget that Lebron, when healthy, has played with Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving all season!

2-Now that I've voiced a little opinion on narrowing it down to 3 players, let me throw some facts at you to SHOW you why Westbrook is the MVP. Here are the stat lines for the 3 remaining candidates.
Westbrook- 27 ppg, 8.2 apg, 7 rpg 2.1 stlpg in 33.2 minutes of action a night. His PER is 29.91
Harden- 26.9 ppg, 7 apg, 5.8 rpg, 1.9 stlpg in 36.7 minutes of action a night. His PER is 26.95.
Curry- 23.8 ppg, 7.8 apg, 4.5 rpg, 2.1 stlpg in 33.2 minutes of action a night. His PER is 27.92.

As anyone with eyes could see, Westbrook has the best numbers right now. The only thing that is holding him back from being the clear cut runaway right now, is the fact that the Thunder are in 8th place in the West while Curry and Harden are in 1st and 4th respectfully. This is a positive to Westbrooks MVP chase believe it or not. The Thunder started the season 3-12 with a multitude of injures as we all know. Once they became 100% healthy, it was only temporary. Durant went back down, Adams got injured, and the weight of the season rested on Westbrooks super-hero shoulders. Thought of to many as not a "true" point guard, Westbrook began to literally do EVERYTHING to help his team win. Hes now amassed 4 straight triple doubles and 6 this season! Now I never understood what people meant by a "true" anything. What's a "true" small forward, a "true" power forward? That is a topic for a different day.

With Durants absence, Westbrook as jolted the Thunder who, at one point this season, literally had only 3 guys sitting on their bench for a game while 5 were on the floor and they included Ish Smith, Lance Thomas and Sebastian Telfair, to a surging Thunder team with a much different look. Yes Sam Presti has done an excellent job going out and getting talented players who buy in and getting rid of one player who was too selfish to buy in...Yea I'm talking to you Reggie Jackson! With that being said, Westbrook as brought this team back to, not only relevancy, but to the exciting powerhouse we've come to see in recent years. I would assume that Steph Curry would gladly give up the MVP trophy to either one of the other 2 guys to NOT have to face a Thunder team with Russel Westbrook playing the way he is, a RESTED healthy KD and a supporting cast who has all elevated their games.They have all elevated their games because of the dominance, power and brilliance of the 2014-2015 MVP, Russel Westbrook.

Top 5 most underappreciated positions in sports

#5. The Set-up Man: 
It has been and forever will be known that in baseball - it comes down to pitching. We all know the importance of great starting pitching -that's a given. Also, we know how a lights out closer can put a lid on things with a scoreless 9th taking home the glory (and the save). Not to be ignored bridging these lies the Set-up man. In the eyes of many under-appreciating viewers, this is seen as almost a commercial break from the action. A chance to reload on the Miller Light and grab a footlong before the concessions close up shop. Not today.  Here's to the Set-up Man for cracking the top 5. Today, we got your back (unless you hang a curve and make us look like idiots).

#4. The Swingman:

NBA analysts seems to flip flop every year on what wins championships. Some (including myself) think its won in the paint. Others say the 1-2 punch back-court are a must and will create space for everyone to fill their role. Lost on this is the versatile Swingman. The match-up nightmare that does both! Case and point: Boris Diaw, Draymond Green, Paul George. Not saying the guys will ever score an MVP vote, but if the V stood for Versatile - would give anyone a serious run for the money. The "Point-Forward" spot - when played the right way - creates mismatches across the board. Not only for him, but for teammates as well. Put a guard on him - he'll post up. Match him with a big - hes stretching the floor. While some teams tend to occupy this spot with a spot up corner shooter (ie Kyle Korver), I think the better play is the Swing-man that will keep the defense on edge. Here's to the nightly 9point 7board 4assist 1steal & 1block that today, we celebrate.

#3. The Gunner:
The field position game is to some degree - appropriately mentioned throughout the course of a football game. In an effort to not group all the special teamers into one category, today we give the rose to the punt gunners. There is something to be said for the the back up to the back ups back up who will only see the field for about 7 seconds every time the team has to punt and for about 6 of these seconds, he will be fighting off 2 defenders while clawing tooth and nail to - best case scenario - force a fair catch. Someday Yahoo will add a spot on the fantasy roster for these guys but for now - you'll have to settle for #3 on our otherwise meaningless article. Congratulations.

#2. The Caddy:

Cant help but give the #2 spot the the guy that gets up at the crack of dawn to walk the course, check out the greens, scout every inch of the course to "set the table" if you will to help out his buddy for ZERO of the accolades (all the while forced to dressed like a painter). At the very least, let the guys put their own names on their backs! I find it hard to believe the golfer who is standing next to them and who's bag they are holding wouldn't be a dead give away. Show some love to the caddy!

#1. TBD

Tune in later for our #1 Top spot on the chart. In the meantime - drop your thoughts below on who you think rounds out the list. 

Bills sign Matt Cassel!!!

Bills make another big move here not even 24 hours after the Shady McCoy deal, has some Bills fans wondering if this is the Orton replacement we were all waiting for?  Hard for any Bills fan to be excited about such a move.  Cassel has been in the league now for quite some time.  Jumped around a bit, had some success after replacing Brady in NE and even made the Pro Bowl.  Shortly after taking the Bradyless Patriots to the playoffs the Chiefs were the first to jump at the opportunity to plug in a guy who looked like a legitimate starter.  That didn't pan out and he then moved to Minn where injuries and poor play ultimately led to Teddy Bridgewater being the guy. 

The question here isn't whether or not we are excited to see this guy play and take our Bills to the playoffs but instead, is he coming in as the projected starter or as competition to EJ?  Is EJ done?  Cassel has the 2nd worst QBR since 2009 ahead of only Mark Sanchez, Rex Ryan's other QB.  Embarrassing to say the least.

My thought is this...this is a significant downgrade from Kyle Orton and my hope is that EJ figures it out this year and starts week 1.  We all know Cassel at this point...throws a lot of INTs, gets hurt easily and had 1 winning season on a great roster after Brady went down.  With EJ, I think at his best he can perform better then Cassel on the field.  The time is now for EJ to show and if he doesn't and Cassel starts week 1, adios EJ and hopefully adios to Whaley and everyone else that thought EJ was the guy where they were willing to take him early in the first round.  If he cant beat out a perennial backup then he should head straight to the XFL, oh wait does even that exist anymore?...

Let me know your thoughts...

Its not crazy, its Sports

For those who caught it, ESPN produced an "It's not crazy, its sports" piece that aired this past Sunday night. While some segments were a little ehh, the electric football number was top notch. Check out the link here and let me know what you think. Spoiler Alert...Shout out to the 585! Though for the record, there is more going on in the ROC than this leads to believe. Check it out if you missed it. 

http://grantland.com/features/its-not-crazy-its-sports-the-subterranean-stadium/

Is Arod really getting a shot this Spring?

On the eve of Arod's first spring training game yanks fans are left to wonder what will come of baseball's forever black eye?  Now we can sit here all day and talk about what type of numbers he will put up.  Will he make the team?  Will Arod settle for a buyout?  Tough to even fathom when he's set to make north of $60 mil over the next three years.  Instead, I find myself thinking how much support is this guy getting from the organization.  The organization I have grown to love ever since I was a little kid.  The organization that stands for everything right in this otherwise backwards sports world we live in.  Look, ill be the first one to tell you that Arod is degenerate and deserved everything that has gone wrong in his life but let's not forget that he paid the price.  He sat out a year and a half from baseball and he's now honoring his contractual obligations and trying to get back up to speed with major league baseball.  So as we sit here on the night before Arod is slated to start at DH down in Florida we are left to wonder where he stands with the folks 1000+ miles away.

It goes without saying that we desperately need Arod to perform and to make this team.  230 BA, 20 dingers, 80 RBI's would be a lift for a team that had a horrible time scoring runs last year.  Is it possible?  Probably not...Shoot id go as far as to say that would be one of the most impressive comebacks sports has seen in a while.  They have always said the hardest thing to do is to hit MLB pitching, take into account that Arod is 39 and hasn't played in a game since 2013 and id say that is one of the more impressive things you'll see. 

So to sum it all up...let's show a little love NY (Girardi, Steinbrenner, Yankee mgmt.)  As much as we hate this guy, we need this guy and everyone loves a comeback story...

DeMarco....Polo!!!!

 

Its official, with the franchise tag of Bryant, the cowboys have made publicly clear they are in search of reinforcements at the RB spot that are more cap friendly than Murray. Can't say I disagree with them and given the line in big D, I find it hard to believe they won't find someone to throw back there that wont produce close to the numbers Murray posted - without coughing up the ball.
The league appears to be coming down a bit from the west coast style with the Pro style offence taking its place so this move is bitter sweet - but given the success of Joseph Randle (when hes was not ripping off Walmart), and the Boys position in the draft to make a play for a strong RB (and hopefully some secondary help) - I like the move. Thoughts??

Why the Bills made a WRONG choice at head coach

To me, as a fan of a rival team in the AFC East (Dolphins) who are, by no means an organization that exemplifies how to pick a head coach, I believe that the Buffalo Bills made a poor decision by hiring Sexy Rexy Ryan for their head coach.

1st-Rex is a proven defensive mind who guided the Jets to 2 AFC Championship games. Other than that, he did nothing to help the development of Mark Sanchez and Geno Smith. This is reason 1 why the Bills made a bad choice, his inability to develop a QB, who we've concluded, is by far the most important player on a football team, and by far the position that the Bills need help with the most

2nd- The Bills had a top 5 defense last year under Jim Schwartz who did an amazing job. By hiring a defensive minded HC, who 100% will be calling the defensive plays, what does that do to not only the psyche of Schwartz, but also his desire to WANT to stay? Why would the Bills hire a coach who knows little to nothing about offense, when that is exactly what they need? The Bills were already in perfect position defensively to continue to have success, yet they decided to change things up by hiring Rex...By the way, he will be implementing his 3-4 defense as well so Mario has to change positions again.

3- To me, this hire shows me something...The Bills are interested in selling tickets and being talked about, instead of winning and being relevant. If they had waited, done their homework and gotten a HC who knows how to develop and work with a QB, that would have been the ideal situation. Their defense would be in place with Schwartz and the HC could focus a lot of his time on developing Manuel and whoever else they draft/bring in.

Finally, Rex will sell tickets and put the Bills on Sportscenter no doubt, but the 9-7, 8-8 seasons are going to continue until they bring someone in who can help their team find the next Jim Kelly.