Tag: commentary

NFL analyst criticizes Chiefs TE Travis Kelce: ‘He’s been partying all offseason’

NFL analyst Todd McShay criticizes Kansas City #Chiefs TE Travis Kelce: ‘He’s been partying all offseason’ | @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs are undefeated but still figuring out some issues on both sides of the ball. One of the odd moments at the start of the season is the performance of Pro Bowl tight end Travis Kelce.

Former ESPN analyst Todd McShay appeared on Monday’s episode of ‘The Ryen Russillo Podcast’ to share his thoughts on Kelce’s slow start to the season.

“Every show I watch, every pregame show, halftime show, postgame show, weekday show, every broadcast I watch for the last few weeks, it’s like, are we not allowed to say that he’s out of shape, that he’s been partying all offseason?” said McShay. “He’s been jet-setting around with the most famous person probably in the entire world, he drinking, going to the U.S. Open,”

Kelce has eight receptions for 69 yards and no touchdowns through three weeks. Patrick Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid have defended Kelce while praising his ability to improve other players from all the attention he draws.

https://youtube.com/shorts/3DUziWPz_BU?si=o8rgTkn_Tw4qRZ9Z

“What I do know is, I want you to take a picture from preseason 2022 and then take a picture preseason 2024; they’re barely the same human being, Ryen, and everyone’s like, ‘We got to get him the ball, why isn’t he part of the offense?’ said McShay. “The defense is double-covering.’ Here’s the bottom line with Kelce: The coverage and the respect he gets are the same; the athlete is not. Now, is he going to work himself into shape during the season? Yeah, I’m sure he will. He’s an unbelievable competitor, one of the best to ever do it, and he still finds a way to make a play or two here and there. He shows up in some clutch moments but is not the same guy right now.”

McShay’s comments are sharp and can be disputed, especially if Kelce has a big game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.

Russell Wilson can win the Steelers more games than Justin Fields can

The PIttsburgh Steelers need Russell Wilson back to help win football games.

While the Pittsburgh Steelers are sitting at an impressive 2-0, it is clear to see that on these given Sundays, the defense is winning these games.

Whether it’s designed quarterback runs, RPOs, play-action passes, or even simple snaps under center, Justin Fields just looks uncomfortable.  One can make the argument that Fields has done more to lose these two games than he did to win them, and one only has to look at his three near-fumble snap exchanges thus far to see that.

The topic of the Bears failing Justin Fields has been brought up recently due to the early struggles of rookie Caleb Williams, but why aren’t people talking about how the Broncos failed Russell Wilson?  His stat line on the season was modest, but still impressive considering how awful the Broncos were in 2023: 26 touchdowns, 8 interceptions, and 98.0 passer rating.

The Pittsburgh Steelers need the former MVP candidate and Super Bowl 48 winner, Russell Wilson, back from injury ASAP, as a Steelers insider has revealed that Fields will hold onto the quarterback position at least until after the Week 3 game against the Los Angeles Chargers.

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Cynthia Frelund projects Chiefs will have NFL’s top offense in 2023

The #Chiefs’ offense already faces lofty expectations as they look to secure Kansas City its third ring of the Patrick Mahomes era. | from @TheJohnDillon

Even after the Kansas City Chiefs decided to focus on their defense in the NFL draft, experts are still predicting a monster season for them in 2023 as they defend their Super Bowl title.

When NFL.com’s Cynthia Frelund broke down the numbers in a recent analysis of offenses around the league, she came to the conclusion that Kansas City was likely to have the highest projected win share of any team next season.

Last season, with Tyreek Hill exiting and JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling coming aboard, the Chiefs relied more on the short-passing game than they had in the past — and Patrick Mahomes proved he can adapt to any play style, logging 31 touchdown passes on throws of 10 air yards or less, 12 more than anyone else in the NFL (per Next Gen Stats). Kansas City, meanwhile, ranked first in the NFL in scoring and yards per play. I look forward to seeing what new plays, alignments and wrinkles Andy Reid folds into the offense this year, with the departures of Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman leaving room for Kadarius Toney, Skyy Moore and rookie Rashee Rice to step up around perennial pass-catching anchor Travis Kelce.

At a mark of 8.7, the team Chiefs are predicted to set the standard with Patrick Mahomes under center and a cast of returning talent that should continue to cruise amid the AFC’s offensive arms race. She pointed to the additions of Jawaan Taylor and Donovan Smith to the team’s offensive line, and second-round selection Rashee Rice to the receiving corps as factors that could push them to the remarkably high number.

Another factor working in Kansas City’s favor: the additions of veteran tackles Jawaan Taylor and Donovan Smith. My models have shown that improved offensive-line play is not just correlated but causal to significant year-over-year increases in first-down and touchdown probabilities. Despite the loss of Orlando Brown, the presence of Taylor and Smith on the line projects to keep the Chiefs’ offense rolling, even if that success is achieved in different ways yet again.

Championship defense can be a fickle thing, though, and Kansas City will have a target on its back in every game they play in 2023, so they’ll face an uphill battle to win their second straight Super Bowl. Nonetheless, if the Chiefs’ offense lives up to these lofty expectations during the regular season, Kansas City should have a shot to secure a first-round bye in the playoffs and home-field advantage for elimination games to add another ring to their collection.

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Vikings fans rank as league’s angriest after study

It seems that angst reigns supreme in the North Star State after #Vikings fans ranked as the NFL’s angriest in an online survey

The Minnesota Vikings managed to bring in some valuable talent during the first week of free agency, but it seems that their fans are less than satisfied after results from a gambling.com study came out on Tuesday.

Minnesota’s faithful followers ranked as the single angriest fanbase in the NFL according to the report, which tracked negative posts on Twitter, Facebook, and Reddit to determine which fans were the most disgruntled.

While the impact of the Vikings’ 2023 free agent signings has yet to be seen on the field, the amount of angst generated in the first week of offseason action would certainly seem to be disproportional given the strides Minnesota has made to improve their roster, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.

The release of beloved wide receiver Adam Thielen may have played a role in fans’ distaste of the work done by general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, who seems to have done his level best to improve the team despite some necessary attrition. Time will tell whether he can rebuild the trust that seems to have been lost from Minnesota’s fanbase in the coming season, and serious playoff contention should prove to go a long way toward getting the Vikings’ followers off the edge in 2023. 

Watch: DeMarcus Ware chimes in on current state of Cowboys

“I go back to during the offseason, you know when new coaches come in they usually establish some type of mantra, some type of character of the team, and I don’t see a lot of that this season.”

That’s how Cowboys legend and Super Bowl champion defensive end DeMarcus Ware started his evaluation of the issues the Dallas Cowboys are having in the 2020 season. Following the nationally televised debacle of a 34-17 ground pounding at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens in Week 13, those associated with the organization seemingly are fed up. Add Ware to those who have voiced their displeasure as he joined the Jim Rome Show on Wednesday.

Ware, the Cowboys all-time sack leader with 117, singled out the leadership issues on the Dallas defense for giving up 250+ yards for the third time this season, and questioned the dedication and “want to” of the defenders on the field.

Ware asked “Where is that mentality at?” looking for fight, resilience and big plays from the defense.

“At the beginning of the game, you can see that they stuck with them a little bit. Right? Where there were still some ups and downs, and then that second half, it’s like they came out and they were like ‘ok, well, we lost the game’, even though they were down 14-17, only by three. I really don’t know what that mentality is, but that goes towards, to me, the leadership of the team.”

Ware went on to speak on what Jerry Jones is thinking while watching the team flounder and referenced how Jones used to come into the locker room and ask where the gladiators are at?

He predicts there’s going to be a lot of change coming for the organization.

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