In 1999, Paul DePodesta was hired by the Oakland Athletics as an assistant to the then GM Billy Beane. DePodesta, and his trusty sabermetrics, led the A’s to unprecedented success given their budgetary restrictions. Along with the help of a successful novel and film adaptation, Beane and DePodesta helped usher in an era of analytics…
Now that the 2018 NFL draft has commenced, and the dust settled from the scrutiny of New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman’s process, smart minds can take the time to see what the Giants actually picked. Gettleman’s chiding of various “new school” doctrines like analytics aside, some of his choices show a real thoroughness…
I know. You might be sick of mock drafts at this point. But with just hours to go until the 2018 NFL draft, it is time for my final thoughts on what to expect Thursday night. One of the overarching questions this draft season has been the idea of “will versus should?” It has most…
Does a piece on a wide receiver regarded as one of the best in the league need to be written? With the recent buzz of trade rumors regarding this high profile athlete, Twitter and the media in general have exploded with remarks on his worth as a locker room guy (we as outsiders have very…
As the calendar turns to the month of April, the rumors and smokescreens about the upcoming NFL Draft intensify. Is Sam Darnold still a lock to go #1? Will Minkah Fitzpatrick actually fall out of the top 10? What will the New York Giants do at #2? The answer to the 3rd question may be…
The NFL’s top wide receivers have been evolving in recent seasons and it’s currently having an impact on how we evaluate and value certain traits at the position. Two drafts ago, Ole Miss WR Laquon Treadwell was considered the next Dez Bryant due to his inability to create consistent separation and strong ball skills, highlighted…
New head coach Pat Shurmur brings a lot to the historic organization of the New York Giants. On the offensive side of the ball, the conversation starts with two time Super Bowl winner Eli Manning. His career is nearing its end, and he is coming off a disastrous 2017 season. Without diving into the drama…
As the offseason continues, the ebbs and flows of headlines continue to rock the football world. Between the group of free agent quarterback available this year and the very deep 2018 draft class, there is certainly a lot of chatter to go around. Recently, AJ McCarron became a unrestricted free agent in the wake of…
What was once thought of as a championship team was nothing more than a figment of our imagination, as we watched the 2017 Giants crumble from the North, South, East, and West. Alas, Week 17 couldn’t arrive soon enough and us Giants fans went right into full draft mode, as an uncommon reality materialized into…
Part 1: The Day One Selections There comes a time in every person’s life when they have to push all their chips to the center of the table. When they have to just go all in, and lay everything bare for the world to see. Perhaps that comes when a person proposes marriage, and asks…
There have been interesting discussions lately about how teams in need of a quarterback should go about improving the position this offseason. Whether it’s through free agency, the draft or both – all options come with caveats. Depending on your team’s organizational philosophy there will be different ways decision makers go about filling the need…
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has ranked near the top of the MVP race all season, but it doesn’t seem like anyone is too excited about his candidacy. First, Philadelphia Eagles QB Carson Wentz was the front-runner, but his season was cut short by a knee injury. Pundits next turned to Seattle Seahawks signal-caller…
The Minnesota Vikings, led by surprise free agent acquisition Case Keenum, look like one of a handful of teams that can compete for the Super Bowl. On Thanksgiving, Case Keenum put on a show for a national audience, and while the Vikings still looked like they’re eventually going to hand the reigns to Teddy Bridgewater,…
As the confetti is cleaned up from the turf in Houston, and the 2016-2017 NFL season is finally put to bed, the football world now turns its eyes onto the upcoming NFL draft. While many football fans begin to focus on the draft around this time of the year, the NFL draft has become a 24/7,…
As preseason comes to a close, people rush to sort things, sufficient information be dratted, and Los Angeles Rams #1 pick Jared Goff is not immune. Jon Ledyard takes a look at Jared Goff’s preseason to contextualize this struggles and concludes that there is no need to hit the panic button yet. When the Los Angeles Rams made…
The 2016 NFL season begins now, with 32 teams scheming to knock off the reigning champion Denver Broncos. The NFL Draft is just around the corner, but the first step in any offseason plan is to assess a team’s needs. Here we look at what the Los Angeles Rams team needs are. The Rams finished third…