The quarterback is always the most important player on a football field. No other position has such a strong influence on the outcome of every single play. Finding the right QB is the top priority for every NFL team. It’s why top-tier coaches like Sean Payton and Jim Harbaugh are fighting over the chance to coach raging dumpster fire that is the Denver Broncos. It’s also why teams have to mortgage their entire future to trade for a proven QB. Most of the time, this doesn’t work out. Not everyone can be the Rams. Instead of paying that exorbitant price, most teams try and draft their quarterback of the future. It’s seen as the safer bet, but is it? Drafting in general is a crap shoot. On average, over half of each year’s first round picks will never make a Pro Bowl, which is a relatively low bar. Is there anything a team can do to improve their chances of selecting their franchise savior? The past fifteen years of data can provide the answers. Continue reading
Category: Blogs
Special Teams Matter
Everyone loves to watch an explosive offense. “Defense wins championships” is one of the oldest adages in the sport. These opposing phases of football dominate the conversation, and rightfully so. They do make up the vast majority of every game. Meanwhile, there’s a third phase of the game that endures nothing but ridicule. I’m talking about football’s red headed stepchild: special teams. Every few years, some Skip Bayless type talking head will say that kickers and punters aren’t football players, all the other shows will turn it into a few days of content, and Pat McAfee will be the only one defending the specialists. Even though it’s easy to make fun of college kickers, the results don’t lie. Good special teams is a requirement to win a championship. Continue reading
Who Were 2022’s Surprise Teams?
Bowl season is finally upon us. It’s the glorious time of year where we all sit down to watch teams you haven’t heard of play in a city you otherwise wouldn’t know exists in a game named after a sketchy tech company; all so we can avoid interacting with our loved ones during the holidays. It’s a perfect time begin looking back on the regular season. Let’s start by looking at ten of the year’s most surprising teams, half of which were pleasant surprises, and the other half not so much. These teams were selected based on the change in their composite rankings, nerd stats that predict how much better or worse a team is compared to the average, from the start of the year to the end. I did not pick these teams myself. There are 131 FBS teams. That’s a lot to sort through for subjective rankings. I want to make sure that you understand that, because there is one very conspicuous omission from this list, and I don’t want to get yelled at. I want to be optimistic, so let’s start with the good and end with the bad. Continue reading
College Football Week 13 Recap
It’s the most bittersweet weekend of the year. It’s the last week of the college football regular season. The thing we’ve all been waiting nine months for is finally over. To soften the blow, the football gods bless us with the greatest week of the season: rivalry week. There were too many amazing games to cover all in one piece, so let’s jump in and look back at some of the best of the best from this past week. Continue reading
College Football Week 12 Recap
Sadly, the college football season is almost over. Week 12 is usually light on drama, as it’s more of a table setter for the best week of the year: rivalry week. However, this year there was plenty of drama to be found, including one team blowing their shot at a national championship. So, without further ado, let’s dive in. Continue reading
College Football Week 11 Recap
The playoff picture is finally coming into focus, while a few teams have already clinched their spot in their conference championships. The season is coming to a close already, but that doesn’t mean the chaos has stopped. Let’s look back on the week that was with the usual categories. Continue reading
College Football Week 10 Recap
Believe it or not, the college football season is almost over. The playoff picture is starting to come into focus, and the list of undefeated teams is shrinking every week. Let’s look back at some of those with the usual categories. Continue reading
College Football Week 8 Recap
The show goes on. This week certainly didn’t live up to the insanity that was week 7, but that’s an impossible bar anyways. Week 8 continued to slowly chip away at the playoff contenders, separating the good teams from great teams. Hidden gems dominated this weekend, so let’s look back at some of those with the usual categories. Continue reading
College Football Week 7 Recap
I’m sure I’ve said this before, but this past Saturday was honestly the greatest day of college football I have ever seen. Almost all of the big games lived up to the hype, we had some thrillers in the G5, and, most importantly, we had actual rivalry games. It was the kind of weekend that reminds you why you put up with all the garbage and outside noise that comes with this sport. Nothing compares to the pure emotion and pageantry that is college football. So, let’s take a look back this incredible week with the usual categories. Continue reading
College Football Week 6 Recap
I always espouse the virtues of looking past the top 5 teams, and that’s never been more true than this season. Outside of that hegemony, it’s feeling a whole lot like 2007, which many consider to be the most exciting season ever. So let’s not waste any time and dive right in. Continue reading
Teague Thoughts 