Tag: The 33rd Team

Vikings land J.J. McCarthy and Jer’Zhan Newton in 33rd Team mock draft

The 33rd Team’s Ari Meirov sends Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy and Illinois DT Johnny Newton to the Minnesota Vikings in his latest mock draft.

One of the biggest questions coming into this week’s NFL draft is if the Minnesota Vikings are going to be able to get their quarterback of the future, and just how much they’re going to have to give up to do so. But what if the Vikings don’t have to give up anything and can still land a potential franchise QB?

That’s the scenario that played out in the latest mock draft from The 33rd Team’s Ari Meirov. Meirov has the Vikings standing pat at the 11th spot and still landing former Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy. Here’s Meirov’s analysis of the selection and McCarthy’s fit in Minnesota:

A trade-up could likely be required for the Minnesota Vikings to get a quarterback in this draft, but I don’t think they will have to go all the way to No. 4 with Arizona the way most people think, especially if it’s for J.J. McCarthy. Assuming it can’t get Maye, Minnesota could be more patient and let the draft come to them; trading up to No. 7 or 8 would make more sense.

McCarthy is the most polarizing quarterback of the top four. Still, he would walk into easily the best position of anyone: Minnesota has the play-caller in Kevin O’Connell, the playmakers with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson and Aaron Jones, and the protection with bookend tackles Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill.

With the Vikings not trading up for a quarterback, they’re able to keep their second first-round pick and can bolster the team even further. In this mock, they’re able to beef up their defensive line with the 23rd pick, taking former Illinois defensive tackle Johnny (Jer’Zhan) Newton.

The Minnesota Vikings could very well not even have this pick if they trade up, which many people think is likely. Jer’Zhan Newton had more than 100 pressures over the past two seasons, and some people rate him as the draft’s top interior defensive lineman.

The First-Team All-American had surgery in January to repair a fracture in his foot and did not do any workouts during the pre-draft process.

This draft would be just about a dream scenario for the Vikings. They’d be able to land a quarterback they’re heavily rumored to be in on, and would get to keep their draft assets to land a player who most draft analysts have as the top interior defensive lineman available.

Andy Reid inexplicably ranked third on list of top NFL play-callers

Andy Reid was inexplicably ranked as the third-best offensive playcaller in the NFL by “The 33rd Team” despite winning Super bowl LVIII.

Despite Andy Reid’s success with the Kansas City Chiefs in recent years, it seems that the long-tenured head coach is still an underrated asset for the defending Super Bowl champions.

In a list made by popular football blog The 33rd Team, Reid inexplicably ranked as the third-best offensive play-caller in the NFL behind Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay.

While these rankings are far from definitive, it seems illogical that Reid would be left out of the top spot in favor of a coach whom he defeated in Super Bowl LVIII earlier this month.

Reid has consistently led the Chiefs’ offense to top spots in NFL rankings with Patrick Mahomes under center, and even after a year that many fans saw as a step back for the unit, Kansas City’s season still ended with a second-consecutive championship.

It is unclear what Reid would have to do to earn the top spot in this rankings, but with Super Bowl rings to show for his play-calling prowess, it isn’t likely that he cares much about his placement in rankings like these.

Veteran executive Mike Tannenbaum explains Isiah Pacheco’s slide to the 7th round

Veteran executive Mike Tannenbaum explains #Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco’s slide to the seventh round of the 2022 draft.

The decisions made in the offseason regarding the lead-up to the NFL Draft are critical for every franchise as they seek to get younger and better at specific positions. Making these problematic decisions falls on the general managers and front office personnel keen on picking up the best available talent on the board.

Chiefs Wire’s Ed Easton Jr. recently talked with former NFL executive Mike Tannenbaum to get his thoughts on the Kansas City Chiefs NFL Draft seventh-round selection steal of running back Isiah Pacheco in 2022. Tannenbaum spoke on behalf of The 33rd Team during a special media availability, providing insight into a general manager’s mindset during the late draft rounds.

“He said they did a ten-year study on draft picks that hit and miss, and it was very interesting,” Tannenbaum explained. “He’s like if we just went with our grades literally that were like from this time of year like you watch the games period, end of story.

“Everyone’s gonna get some right, people get them right and wrong, but they’re more accurate when you don’t have the Senior Bowl, the (NFL Scouting) Combine the interviews and all the other things that we put a lot of time effort and money in.”

The Chiefs selected Isiah Pacheco without much fanfare in 2022 and watched as he immediately made an impact through training camp to become the starting running back eventually. He led the team in rushing this season, becoming one of the most essential parts of the offense.

“It’s kind of interesting because when you look at Brock (Purdy), a four-year starter at Iowa State, he was a good player, but it’s not going to test well, obviously,” said Tannenbaum. “(Isiah) Pacheco, [went] a little bit different under the radar at Rutgers, but when you put on the film, they’re really playing the same way they played in college.

“Coach (Bill) Parcells always had an expression like in the late rounds, you want to draft an attribute, and that attribute can be production. And certainly, like in [the] previous case, like you’re drafting experience, so not all late-round picks are gonna work out as we all know, but like that, to me, like Purdy, a really good example of the Casserly lesson of just go by the film and ignore everything else.”

Purdy was selected to his first Pro Bowl this season, while Pacheco continues to prove that general manager Brett Veach knows precisely what Kansas City needs moving forward.

Former NFL executive Mike Tannenbaum says Chiefs should prioritize offensive tackle in free agency

Former NFL executive Mike Tannenbaum says the Kansas City #Chiefs should prioritize offensive tackle in free agency.

The Kansas City Chiefs are heading to another postseason under head coach Andy Reid after winning their eighth straight AFC West division title. Decisions will need to be made during the upcoming offseason whether or not the team wins another Super Bowl title.

Chiefs Wire’s Ed Easton Jr. recently sat down with former NFL executive Mike Tannenbaum to get his thoughts on the Kansas City Chiefs’ offseason free agency plans. Tannenbaum spoke on behalf of The 33rd Team during a special media availability, providing insight on Kansas City’s needs, including negotiations with Chris Jones.

“I think their wide receivers are a work in progress, from Skyy Moore a year ago, Rashee Rice, to Kadarius Toney, but to me, their big issue is offensive tackle point to last week they led the league with penalties,” said Tannenbaum. “Right now, they’re just not playing great, between Donovan Smith and Jawaan Taylor. To me, that’s the bigger concern, and when they have to go on the road for playoff games, I think that’s going to be exacerbated.”

Taylor and Smith have notably struggled in their first season in Kansas City, with the latter missing multiple games with a neck injury. Tannenbaum continues to have strong trust and belief in the progress of Chiefs general manager Brett Veach to fix the issue.

“I think Brett Veach has done an amazing job, and when they lost the Super Bowl against Tampa (Bay Buccaneers) in Tampa,” Tannenbaum explained. “His answer was to fix the offensive line, and I think that’s number one, and then adding a receiver will be 1A, and I’m sure they’ll figure out a way to keep Chris Jones. I think he’s too valuable. It may cost them some other veterans, but I don’t think it’d be Chris Jones.”

Tannenbaum was a significant figure in various front offices from 1995-2018. He continues to appear on many media platforms while representing The 33rd Team, sharing his wealth of experience.

HOF QB Kurt Warner on Ken Dorsey firing: ‘I’m not sure it changes a whole lot’

The Hall of Famer needs some selling on the idea:

Kurt Warner doesn’t think the Buffalo Bills should get too excited about what’s to come after the firing of offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey.

The Hall of Fame quarterback joined The 33rd Team and discussed Dorsey’s dismissal. In his eyes, based on his experiences in the NFL, he’s not convinced it’s going to make much of a difference.

“I’m not sure it changes a whole lot,” Warner said. “You have to look at the big picture.”

Instead, Warner is seeing what some others are pointing to: Players on the Bills offense have to clean things up.

“You watch them play and there’s opportunities out there and there’s some bad football out there,” Warner said.

Warner’s full breakdown can be found in the The 33rd Team clip below:

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Former NFL Officiating Exec Dean Blandino comments on Chiefs RT Jawaan Taylor

Former NFL Officiating Exec Dean Blandino comments on #Chiefs RT Jawaan Taylor. | from: @EdEastonJr

Around the NFL, there continues to be plenty of talk surrounding the name Taylor, and it has nothing to do with the famous pop star Taylor Swift. The discussion regarding Kansas City Chiefs right tackle Jawaan Taylor has been loud since his debut with the team in Week 1 because of his alignment on the offensive line.

Former NFL Vice President of Officiating and current FOX Sports analyst Dean Blandino recently spoke with The 33rd Team about Taylor’s controversial start in Kansas City.

“After opening night, Lions vs. Chiefs, I really thought we would be done talking about tackles getting lined up on the line of scrimmage. And specifically Jawaan Taylor from the Chiefs. But now we’re through three weeks, and we’re still talking about Taylor.” said Blandino, “Week One doesn’t get called; we get a lot of attention on whether he was on the line of scrimmage. Look, he wasn’t, but there are a lot of tackles that aren’t on the line of scrimmage. And it’s up to the officials again to warn and then after the warning to flag so that the tackles can correct the issue.”

Taylor was tagged with two more penalties last Sunday against the Bears, leading to head coach Andy Reid and Mahomes to come to Taylor’s defense.

“Now look, he was off the ball. There’s no question that he was too far back; you got to break the belt line of the snapper. And he was too far back. Patrick Mahomes touched on the issue when he said that he watches a ton of film. And he doesn’t think that Jawaan Taylor’s lined up any further back than other tackles. I can’t say Patrick Mahomes is wrong when he says he watches a ton of film and sees other tackles because here’s the deal. We had five illegal formation calls in week three so far; three were for different violations, maybe a receiver covering up another eligible receiver. There were only two illegal formations for a tackle not lining up on the line of scrimmage. And that’s right. The only two were against our guy Jawaan Taylor, and look, you can look at a lot of film. Is this something that the league has to continue to emphasize? And it’s not just one player. It’s all tackles; they got to be up on the ball.”

The Chiefs will be back on national television this Sunday on the road against the New York Jets, with more eyes likely on Taylor.

The 33rd Team ranked Bucs WR Mike Evans as one of the NFL’s ’10 Most Underrated Players’ in 2023

The 33rd Team writer Ross Tucker has placed Tampa Bay and former TAMU WR Mike Evans as an underrated prospect entering the 2023 NFL season

The legend of former Texas A&M wide receiver Mike Evans will live on through both the college football and NFL realm for years to come, leaving a lasting impression on every Aggie fan who witnessed Heisman-winning quarterback Johnny Manziel lob 17 touchdowns his way for 2,499 yards in two record-setting seasons in College Station, leading to his current Hall of Fame NFL career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Heading into his tenth season with Tampa Bay, Evans has already amassed 683 receptions, 10,425 receiving yards, and 81, yes, 81 touchdowns, which are good for 13 Buccaneers records, and is just two 1,000-plus yard seasons away from breaking the great NFL Hall of Famer Jerry Rices’ record 11 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, already passing Hall of Fame WR Randy Moss, who finished with six.

Finishing the 2022 campaign with 1,124 yards and six touchdowns, a (hilariously) down year for the veteran, Evans’ seems to have plenty left in the tank at 30 years old. Despite his elite status in the league, The 33rd Team writer and former NFL offensive lineman Ross Tucker has placed Evans as one of the ten most underrated players entering the 2023 season, which will be his first campaign since Tom Brady’s retirement this offseason.

“Everybody knows Mike Evans and acknowledges he is a good player. Still, you never hear his name mentioned as being one of the league’s best wide receivers — despite the fact Evans has had more than 1,000 receiving yards every year for all nine seasons of his career. No other player has done that for more than six years to start his career.

That kind of consistency is incredibly impressive, but it will be tested this season behind a suspect offensive line and with Baker Mayfield at quarterback.”

Tucker’s take is built in harsh truths based on the growing pains Head Coach Todd Bowles’ squad may face with journeyman quarterback Baker Mayfield at the helm. Still, like the former Jameis Winston regime, Mike Evans’s huge catch radius and downfield speed are the best security blanket a veteran signal-caller like Mayfield can ask for.

With a Super Bowl ring and four Pro Bowl berths under his belt, Evan’s new challenge will require his vital veteran leadership, which will be depended on more than ever this season, and we’re all here to watch him deliver week to week.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.

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Kirk Cousins named one of 2023’s most underrated players

Kirk Cousins is starting to get more recognition among national media

Ross Tucker of the 33rd Team labeled Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk COusins as one of the top ten most underrated players heading into the 2023 season.

Cousins has never been the flashiest of quarterbacks. Even his persona on Netflix’s “Quarterback” series showcased a family man that does his job to the best of his ability, comes home and repeats the cycle. With that lack of flash comes a sense of boredom with the narrative around Cousins.

“I know, I know. Kirk Cousins is not Patrick Mahomes but guess what, who is?

In a society where some think you are either elite or you stink, Cousins has been incredibly consistent. During the past eight years since he became the starter in Washington, Cousins hasn’t missed a single game with an injury and has provided top-15 quarterback play.

Do you know how many franchises would sign up right now to get top-10 or top-15 quarterback play every week for the next eight years?”

That consistency will be Cousins’ calling card as his contract expires at the end of the 2023 season.

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Justin Jefferson labeled best route runner in the NFL by The 33rd Team

The accolades keep piling up for Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson with the latest coming from The 33rd Team.

One of the key aspects in today’s game is a receiver’s ability to separate from their defender. The best way to gain that separation is through pristine route running. The 33rd Team’s Andy Benoit ranked the top nine route runners in the NFL today.

The Minnesota Vikings’ star receiver Justin Jefferson claimed the top spot on this list.

Justin Jefferson is in this spot because he makes cuts without slowing down or shortening his stride. Few – if any – players in history have had such an ability. It’s an incredible physical gift that Jefferson amplifies with smooth and fluid hips, twitchy joints and, therefore, supreme body control.

His 2022 league-leading 1,809 receiving yards would have been well north of 2,000 if he’d been more consistently targeted when open (especially early in the season). And so much of Jefferson’s “open” is wide open. What’s more, everything we’ve touched on here applies to Jefferson whether he’s aligning at X receiver outside, off the ball as a Z receiver or in the slot as an F receiver.

This is another example of Jefferson’s dominance as a receiving option. The sky is the limit for what the 24-year-old superstar is capable of.

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Where do the Commanders uniforms rank in the NFL?

The Commanders’ uniforms still aren’t very popular.

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Who has the best and who has the worst NFL uniform?

On Tuesday, The 33rd Team posted their ranking of each of the NFL’s 32 teams, not by roster or wins and losses, but by uniforms. So, of course, it is almost entirely subjective. Yet some are clearly better or worse than others.

Some people really prefer a two-color scheme, while some prefer a three-color scheme in an NFL uniform.

One thing Commanders fans are most likely going to be singing in unison is that the Washington Redskins and even the Washington Football Team uniforms were superior to the current Commanders uniforms.

For instance, look at how the WFT uniform used the primary color of burgundy, with white pants, with the gold trim (facemask, numbering on the helmet, a gold strip on the pants, and gold boundary around the perimeter of the white numbers. Those were some sharply designed uniforms.

Then came the Commanders’ uniforms. First of all, the franchise colors are burgundy and gold. So, why on earth would you even consider black uniforms? Further, to have black uniforms only served to remind some of us of the Jim Zorn (maroon and black) comment. Many fans have stated they feel the “W” on the helmet is the best part of the new uniforms.  But one would be hard-pressed to explain how the white jersey is not clearly a move from the past tradition of the sharp burgundy and gold tradition. There have been fans, and even former players, telling of how the new uniforms looked too much like an expansion team.

As we see below, in this ranking, the Commanders were in the bottom fourth, coming in at 26th. Consequently, it is not merely Washington fans viewing this as a step backward from the “Football Team” uniforms.

Finally, here is a tier evaluation of NFL uniforms that you may have missed produced during the 2022 offseason. The Commanders did not fare well at all in this evaluation either.

But hey, if they are a winning team in 2023, it will make the new uniforms easier to accept. Winning cures all.