Week 5 was another strange week in the NFL. Graham Gano kicked a game winning 63 yard field goal, Greg Joseph kicked the ugliest game winning field goal in recent memory, and one of the NFL’s best kickers, Mason Crosby, missed 5 kicks against the Lions. The Jets running game rose from the ashes, the…
This past weekend someone asked me why fantasy football is so difficult. I told her, quite frankly, it is so hard because the NFL is almost impossible to predict. Right on cue the Bills beat the Vikings and the Lions beat the Patriots with their first 100 yard rushing performance in 5 years. This, of…
Before I start writing and you start reading, let us try to take a moment to process the featured image above. Specifically: is this the greatest thing ever to happen or a sign the excesses of Western Civilization have finally gotten completely out of control? I wonder . . . Okay, so now that we…
No quarterback had more deep passing attempts than Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck did from 2012-2014, and between deep drops, a suspect offensive line, and a propensity to hang on to the football, Luck took a lot of hits. He spent much of the next three years dealing with injuries, with shoulder surgery keeping him…
The Zen philosopher Basho once wrote . . . Ha! I’m just kidding. Unlike my last article, I won’t be funneling my analysis through Ancient Philosophy. Hence the Caddyshack reference. No, no, instead I’d like to take some time and share a few storylines in Week One that should have a significant impact on the…
With the new season upon us, what better time than now to talk about the playoffs? There are 31 fan bases across the country full of high hopes that their favorite team will make the playoffs. For New England fans, it’s become basically an annual occurrence, so they probably aren’t too concerned. Enjoy it while…
It’s time to extrapolate the artistry of pass rushing, now that we have a foundation in place which explains the fundamentals of rushing the quarterback. The NFL really values the positions that can win one-on-one matchups in the trenches while applying pressure to the signal caller. This is one reason why pass rushers have been…
On a recent Locked On Patriots mailbag, LOP Host and ITP Lead Writer Mark Schofield answered a question about New England’s pick of Georgia running back Sony Michel in the first round. Pats fans have been divided by the pick, with some fans excited about what Michel can bring to the offense and others (such…
Be sure to purchase the Inside the Pylon Draft Guide (including team specific guides) for full reports on all drafted players, available now! A tumultuous Pittsburgh Steelers season that included the Ryan Shazier injury and the “no catch” by Jesse James came to a disappointing end, with the team giving up 45 points at home to…
Each year the NFL scouting community engages in a shuffle, as both personnel and scouts move between organizations. Sometimes these are individual movements and promotions from team to team, but other times these moves indicate a new front office that is looking to make a shift in the team’s philosophy. This tracker I have put together…
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…
Changes are a-coming. Black Monday is almost here. We’ll be seeing, at minimum, five job openings in the NFL head coaching ranks this offseason. The New York Giants have already dismissed Ben McAdoo, the Browns claim to be hanging on to Hue Jackson (can’t see this happening), John Fox is non-answering his way through press…
The 2017 NFL trade deadline was surprisingly full of excitement this season. There were many high impact trades affecting teams both trying to win now and those preparing for the long term. However, I want to mainly focus on the quarterback movement, or almost quarterback movement in the case of A.J. McCarron, and how we…
The Bills run power. Really well. Rick Dennison runs zone. A lot. From day one of the new regime under head coach Sean McDermott, the hire of Rick Dennison as offensive coordinator seemed odd to me (and other Bills fans). Dennison was practically born and raised in the Denver Broncos outside zone stretch running scheme,…
From a wins and loss perspective, things have not been looking well for the Cleveland Browns this season. And with another loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 4, the Browns find themselves in an all too familiar spot, sitting winless and looking for answers. In the last 10 seasons, the Browns have started 0-4…
Houston Texans’ rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson emerged victorious in his first career start, leading his team to a narrow 13-9 victory against the Cincinnati Bengals. While he turned in the biggest play of the game, a 49-yard scramble for the game’s only touchdown, there were some areas of concern. During the draft process one of…