NFL Draft 2019 Preview: Mock draft, DOs, and DON’T DOs

The 2019 NFL Draft will begin tonight in a few hours. The hype surrounding the draft is crazy, as it is every year. But before the draft starts, I want to give a preview. Here is my mock draft…This mock draft is my GUESS on what each team will do with their first round pick(s), not what I think they should do. Afterwards, I’ll give a few takes on what teams should focus on…For now, here is my mock draft:

1-13

14-2728-32

Now that you have looked at my mock draft, I also want to give an overview on the DOs and DON’T DOs for some of the big headline teams in the draft.

 

Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals must draft Kyler Murray. Josh Rosen is clearly not the Cardinals’ guy for the next 10-15 years. Considering the likely tension that has grown between Rosen and the Cardinals franchise due to trade rumors, the team should trade Rosen, even if a second round pick is the best they can get.

 

New York Giants

I am a Giants fan, so I am super passionate about the Giants’ two picks this year. First off, the Giants must not choose Daniel Jones. Second, the Giants must choose their QB at pick #6, if they are planning on taking a quarterback. Third, they must pick Dwayne Haskins or Drew Lock if they are planning on choosing a QB.

Why, you ask? It’s simple. If the Giants truly want to take Eli Manning’s successor, they MUST take him at #6 because leaving the QB pick until #17 is risky and stupid. If they are truly confident in their decision to take the QB of the future, the Giants should not be worried about the other player they will be drafting in the first round.

 

Wide Receivers

No team should take a WR at the top half of the first round. Great WRs in the NFL come from a variety of different rounds in the draft, and to waste a top-16 pick on a player whose success in the NFL is so difficult to predict, is plain stupid. Just look at John Ross, Kevin White, and Devante Parker as recent examples of top-half first rounders who have failed to prove themselves in the NFL. This is not to say that great WRs don’t come in the first round. They do. A lot of them do. HOWEVER, plenty of great WRs come in later rounds, so even if talents like D.K. Metcalf, Marquise Brown, and Parris Campbell seem like great picks, the risk is not worthwhile.

Just look at things this way…Some of the best WRs in the game were not drafted in the first round, yet are superstars, including Antonio Brown (195th pick, 2010), Tyreek Hill (165th pick, 2016), and Adam Thielen (Undrafted FA, 2013). Furthermore, wide receivers are not the core pieces of a roster, but rather, skill positions that should be considered after filling up other positions.

Patriots

The Patriots should seriously consider drafting Daniel Jones. Will they? probably not. I think Brady still has 2+ years in him, but drafting a high-IQ QB like Daniel Jones to learn behind Brady would be a very wise decision.

 

Featured image from:

https://www.newyorkupstate.com/buffalo-bills/2019/04/2019-nfl-draft-todd-mcshay-hearing-buffalo-bills-want-to-address-dl-in-round-1.html

The 2019 Super Bowl was terrible, and here’s why

The Patriots won AGAIN (congrats to the Pats for the 6th win though, seriously), but that’s not why Super Bowl 53 was terrible. The commercials were mediocre and the highly revered halftime show was atrocious. Mainly though, the game itself had very little offensive action. The scoreline was 3-0 at the half! We heard analysts and commentators predict a high scoring game, yet the outcome was not close to that, as this Super Bowl was the lowest scoring Super Bowl in the history of the NFL!

I’ve heard people ranging from the average football viewer to NFL commentators claiming that people should complain about the Super Bowl. This is a bad argument. Why shouldn’t we expect the Super Bowl to be the most exciting game? Do these people expect us to act all jolly about the lowest scoring Super Bowl game ever, and put up a nice face? For what? Some say that “we sat through the game, so we shouldn’t complain.” Again, just because we watched the whole game and enjoyed a few plays, does not mean that we can’t argue that this Super Bowl didn’t live up to its hype and that it was terrible in comparison to previous Super Bowls. With those counter arguments out of the way, after sitting through hours of bad football, here are my 8 reasons for why this game ended up becoming such a boring Super Bowl contest.

 

1) Both defenses were absolutely stacked

I’ll get into more detail about the specific aspects of the defenses that made the game so offensively stale, but overall, the defense in this game made the offenses extremely stagnant. Again, 3-0 at the half, with 8 out of 8 drives ending in punts for the Rams is absolutely atrocious. The Pats weren’t much better with Brady’s early INT and lack of drive consistency.

2) Jared Goff

Goff was awful. Let’s say it as it is. He took sacks that he should not have. He overlooked a great slant pass seven minutes into the 2nd quarter which he instead flung it dangerously to Cooks for a bad 50-50 ball that luckily fell incompleteHe mistimed another long ball to Cooks in the endzone with 3:40 left in the 3rd; He took forever to pass to wide-open Cooks, giving Jason McCourty a boatload of time to knock it incomplete. He threw a terrible interception to Gilmore with 4:19 left in the 4th quarter; a ball that didn’t even reach the endzone. To top it all off, he completed only half of his throws. This year, Goff’s postseason TD-INT ratio was 1-2 in three games, so one could question his standing as the Rams’ future. Personally, this bad playoff series should not define his career which has seen a lot of regular season success, but his atrocious performance in the Superbowl surely does not help his case.

3) Patriots’ secondary

The Patriots’ secondary was on fire. Honestly, the four sacks the Patriots had could be mainly attributed to the Pats’ secondary. The Rams’ offensive weapons were clearly locked up, and Goff was unable to throw on any of his looks. Furthermore, the Patriots’ lockup secondary caused Goff to throw away a good amount of passes. The Patriots’ secondary really limited the offensive action for the Rams. Less Rams offense means less entertainment.

4) Pats’ 3rd down defense

On top of their great secondary, New England’s 3rd down defense was on point. The Rams looked absolutely static on 3rd downs, as they had to punt on their first NINE drives. Every single one of their drives in the first half resulted in a punt! In the first half, I honestly thought Hekker was going to be named MVP. The Pats defense played extremely well on third down to force those punts.

5) Great punts

Continuing on from my previous point, this game had a lot of punts. The abundance of punts is a meme at this point, but it definitely played a major role in the lack of entertainment in the game. Rams’ punter Hekker kicked nine punts averaging 46 yards, also kicking the Superbowl’s longest punt ever at 65 yards. Ryan Allen of the Patriots didn’t have a record breaking day, but he still kicked five punts averaging 43 yards. These great punt plays forced the Rams and Pats to start inside their own 20 yard-line three times and five times, respectively. Starting near their own goal line observably limited both teams’ play-calling options, as we saw some static offenses after punts.

6) Aaron Donald and the Rams’ D-line

Aaron Donald played like a beast. As fun as he is to watch, his run-stopping in the trenches and the many early throws he forced Brady into created inconsistency in the Pats’ offense. Ndamukong Suh also looked pretty dangerous. In the end, Belichick and the Pats found a way to build a game-winning drive with big plays from Sony Michel and Gronk, but that offense was not buzzing as it usually is in the Super Bowl. This lack of Patriots offense caused by the Rams’ lockup D-line didn’t help the game in terms of entertainment.

7) Brandin Cooks

It seems like I’m just naming all the Rams stars, but the fact is, Cooks missed two huge TD opportunities. One on the not-so-perfect pass from Goff in the 3rd quarter, and one on the perfect deep pass from Goff with 4:24 left in the game. While the first pass was contended by Jason McCourty and was a difficult ball to catch that was thrown late, the second opportunity was clearly a missed chance by Cooks. Both plays were pretty difficult and could have went either way, but a top-10 WR with Super Bowl experience should make those clutch plays.

8) Lack of redzone play

You could argue that the lack of redzone play is the result of the things listed above, but either way, this factor made this game so boring. In the first half, there was not a single snap played in the red-zone by either team. That fact shows us how strong both teams’ defenses were, but also how boring it could be when two talented defenses with great head coaches clash in the biggest stage.

Conclusion

While Brady and the Patriots had a good amount of yards, they couldn’t translate it to many points. The Rams on the other hand, lacked severely in both yardage and scoring. We saw great defensive plays, many special teams appearances, and multiple missed opportunities throughout the game that created a boring Superbowl. While any Superbowl game is worth watching til the end, this game was not a fun one to sit through. Let’s all hope for a step up next year. I mean, there is no way but up after a game that literally broke a record for its lack of points scored.

Sources:

“Jared Goff.” NFL.com History. Accessed February 04, 2019. http://www.nfl.com/player/jaredgoff/2555334/gamelogs.
“Johnny Hekker.” NFL.com History. Accessed February 04, 2019. http://www.nfl.com/player/johnnyhekker/2535663/gamelogs.
“Ryan Allen.” NFL.com History. Accessed February 04, 2019. http://www.nfl.com/player/ryanallen/2539640/gamelogs.
Breech, John. “2019 Super Bowl: Patriots’ Win over Rams Becomes Lowest-scoring Super Bowl in NFL History.” CBSSports.com. February 04, 2019. Accessed February 04, 2019. https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/2019-super-bowl-patriots-win-over-rams-becomes-lowest-scoring-super-bowl-in-nfl-history/.

Featured image from:

https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2019/2/3/18209722/super-bowl-2019-punting-record-johnny-hekker-ryan-allen

 

Akira’s (Super Late) Game Review: Spider-Man PS4

I finished playing Spider-Man PS4 a few weeks ago, and it was a really good game. The best thing about the game was that it really made me FEEL LIKE SPIDER-MAN. Lmao, but seriously though…Let’s start off with the good parts.

+Positives+

Web-swinging and traversal

The most enjoyable aspect of Spider-Man PS4 was swinging around New York City and testing out the different ways to maneuver around. Feeling out the basic physics of web-swinging, figuring out tricks, diving off the Empire State Building, point launching off lamp posts, and wall-running were all really fun. Furthermore, the game actually encourages you to explore its web-swinging, as performing tricks or meeting traversal benchmarks give you XP that can be used to unlock skills that can be used in combat.

Combat

The combat was also a very strong part of this game. The general punching and kicking was obviously extremely satisfying, but the most unique part of the game was using the suit powers, gadgets, and skills. Using all the different gadgets to web up or blow away enemies allows you to establish your own combat style. Practicing and improving my combat combos also allowed my to explore the potential that Spider-Man PS4 had.

Cosmetics

The large number of unlockable suits was great. The best part of the unlockable suits system was that each suit came with an in-game ability, rendering each “cosmetic” suit actually very useful. The suits were also pretty badass.

Enemy level

Another great part of this game was the evolving enemy AI. As I improved my combat ability and unlocked more suits and gadgets, my opponents became evidently stronger. This might be an obvious facet of any game’s AI, but I just need to emphasize that this game’s combat never got too easy or boring.

John Jonah Jameson

I’m sorry, but I just really liked JJ Jameson’s constant radio commentaries on Spidey. Listening to him try to silence Spider-Man supporters was pretty hilarious.

Spider-Man PS4 is a really good game, but it also had its flaws. Now come the not-so-good parts of the game.

-Negatives-

Story

To put things simply, the story was boring. The storyline consisted of the classic Spider-Man cliches like Peter Parker’s relationship with MJ, but not much more. One of the secondary bosses, Mr. Negative, had a pretty intriguing story, but the game introduced it too late to explore it more deeply. Furthermore, Aunt May was not an integral aspect of the story-line until the end. I feel like the game could have done more with the story. Peter Parker’s character didn’t really get tested until the end of the main story, and his nerdy personality didn’t come into play. Considering how important Peter Parker’s quirkiness is, its nonexistence in the game was unfortunate. The abundance of different villains definitely helped the story, but overall, the storyline could have been better.

Boss fights

I have to say it. The boss fights were boring. The boss fights allowed for no creativity and I constantly had to maneuver to the direction the game wanted me to. The game made clear that there was a certain cut scene that had to play out within the battle. Overall, the boss fights were a repetitive mashing of buttons that the game forced me towards.

 

All in all, Spider-Man PS4 lived up to its hype. The game was extremely enjoyable throughout, and the flaws in its storyline and boss fights are overpowered by the game’s satisfying web-swinging, fun combat, and gadget and skill progression systems.

 

Final verdict: 92/100

I truly recommend this game.

Featured image from:

https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/marvels-spider-man-ps4/

 

My Game Rating System from 1 to 100 (not that anyone cares)

0-10: Absolutely atrocious…This game has few to no positives

11-20: Very bad, the game is just not much fun

21-30: Not disgusting, but still pretty bad

31-40: Game isn’t complete trash, but its negatives outweigh the positives

41-50: Okay…But I probably won’t re-visit it

51-60: Decent game, probably didn’t match the hype

61-70: Good game, fun but still has notable flaws

71-80: Great game, the game’s execution matched its original intent but has some flaws

81-90: Amazing, the controller is hard to put down

91-100: Absolute masterpiece, one of the best games I’ve played

Featured image from:

https://www.flaticon.com/free-icon/ps4-game-console_39627

Marvel Cinematic Universe: Ranking the Major Superheroes

This list is my VERY SUBJECTIVE ranking of the major characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe who appeared in Avengers: Infinity War. This ranking is based on the characters’ 1) combat power, 2) unique abilities, and 3) personality. While I will try to use these three criterion to rank the MCU characters, compared to my other lists, this one will be much less methodical and more arbitrary. Basically what I am trying to say is, this ranking is subjective. With those comments out of the way, this is my ranking:

18) Hawkeye

This guy is the classic joke of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Honestly, his bow and arrow is pretty dope, but he doesn’t have any special traits. Without many lines, he doesn’t have an established personality either. This guy’s at the bottom.

17) Vision

Vision is supposed to be a VERY POWERFUL character. He is also very smart. However, he looked pretty weak in Avengers 3: Infinity War, and he never really fought in the preceding movies. He had so much potential, but he never showed his outstanding power. He is second-to-last.

16) Falcon

Falcon looks pretty bad-ass with his huge wings and fancy tech. With that being said, he doesn’t have any out-of-this-world abilities, and he got DESTROYED by Ant-man while the former robber was still in training (Ant-Man 1).

15) Black Widow

Even though she may seem useless at times, she’s survived through many battles. She has a keen ability to bring her opponents to close quarter combats where she excels most.

14) War Machine

The War Machine has some big guns and pretty sick gadgets. However, he is basically just an Iron Man ripoff. His suit doesn’t seem to contain the ever-progressing Stark Industries gadgets, and his guns aren’t nearly as effective as Iron Man’s lasers.

13) Rocket

In hindsight, Rocket is just a cute Raccoon, who’s always in search for better weapons and gadgets. But in reality, he is a bad-ass with quite the personality. He hates being called a fox, he has a quick wit, and he’s constantly angry at his opponents. When you look deeper into Rocket’s past of being genetically modified and abused, you notice why he is constantly angry and alone. When you look at his love for Groot and his teammates, you realize how genuine and understandable Rocket is.

12) Winter Soldier

Bucky and his journey to escape his murderous past was very intriguing. But he doesn’t have any specific abilities, other than his calmness and athletic prowess. He is interesting, but he doesn’t beat out many of the other Avengers.

11) Drax

“Why is Gamora.” What an iconic line. On top of being a hilarious and brutally honest guy, Drax is an absolute beast. He may not have a special superhuman ability, but this BUFF dude goes straight at his opponents. His personality is his strongest characteristic.

10) Captain America

Captain America might be one of the leaders of the Avengers, but he’s surely not the strongest of the bunch. His buffed up body and his shield are effective for short range combat, but his combat power is pretty overrated. Still, he’s in the top-10 for his leadership.

9) Groot

Groot’s single “I am Groot” line, along with his constant changes from adult Groot to baby Groot to teenager Groot added a lot to the story lines of both Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and Avengers: Infinity War. He was not the most powerful character, but his ability to stab his opponents with his own limbs was so different yet effective.

8) Spider-Man

Spider-Man movies are classics for good reason. With a strong focus on story-line and character relationships, Spider-Man movies keep moviegoers coming back. Also, Spider-Man is a pretty strong superhero; His web-shooting allows for demobilizing opponents, long-range combat, and web-swinging, and his new Stark Spider-Man suit has all the useful gadgets for combat. Spidey would be higher if not for his lack of body power.

7) Dr. Strange

Dr. Strange was very powerful. And with the Time Stone, he was nearly unstoppable. Unless he somehow cursed it, though, his decision to give the Stone to Thanos was very questionable. Regardless, Dr. Strange was a very powerful wizard. However, he’s not higher on this list because he doesn’t have much of a personality.

6) Ant Man

Ant-Man 1 was one of my favorite Marvel movies. Scott Lang is a pretty funny guy, and his ability to change size is both unique and effective. He wasn’t in Infinity War, but he will probably show up in the next Avengers movie.

5) Black Panther

T’Challa was not nearly as impressive in the Black Panther movie than he was in Captain America: Civil War. He had more passion in Captain America: Civil War. Regardless, with the futuristic Black Panther suit, he is a force to be reckoned with. Black Panther doesn’t have the ability to destroy multiple opponents at once, but at the same time, he himself doesn’t take much damage thanks to his energy absorbing suit.

4) Scarlet Witch

Scarlet Witch is truly underrated. She might be the most energetic and cheery character, but she is one of the strongest Avengers. Her ability to blast rays of energy and her telekinesis makes her a very strong superhero. Not only can she protect herself, but also she can do tons of damage to her opponents.

3) Iron Man

Iron Man is one of my favorite Avengers. Behind is cool facade, he holds humane affinity for the other Avengers and Pepper Pots. Also, he’s a genius, and his Iron Man suit is insanely effective due to its plethora of gadgets and abilities. Iron Man is also one of the main leaders of the Avengers.

2) Hulk

This green demi-human is an absolute beast. Bruce Banner couldn’t turn into Hulk in Avengers 3, but when he does, he is extremely lethal. His superhuman strength alone can cause wide-scale damage to adversaries, rendering Hulk a very potent Avenger. Also, Bruce Banner’s conflict with the Hulk and his constant anger gives him personality.

1) Thor

Thor is easily the strongest Marvel cinematic superhero. Although he has occasionally shown his more villainous side, he has contributed greatly to the Avengers’ success. In Avengers 3: Infinity War, his appearance single-handedly turned the tide in the final battle. His god-status makes him the strongest Marvel hero. He’s a complete badass.

Those were the top major MCU superheroes. I’m super hyped for the next Avengers movie.

 

Featured image from:

“Avengers: Infinity War (2018).” ‎Avengers: Infinity War (2018) Directed by Joe Russo, Anthony Russo • Reviews, Film Cast • Letterboxd. January 01, 1970. Accessed October 14, 2018. https://letterboxd.com/film/avengers-infinity-war/.

 

 

 

 

How the NFL Rookie First-rounders have Fared so Far

In today’s NFL, the average career length of a first-round draft selection is 9.3 years, nearly three times longer than that of an average NFL player. Naturally, expectations are high for any first-round draft selection, as teams look to find the next hall-of-famer. The first round of the 2018 NFL Draft contained a plethora of surprises. Five weeks into the season, some of the top rookies have separated themselves from the bunch, while others have under-performed their first-round status.

The biggest excitements of the 2018 Draft were the quarterbacks, but among the five first-round QBs, none of been outstanding. Darnold was a top prospect entering the NFL Draft. Many NFL analysts and experts have viewed Darnold as the most “sound” rookie QB. Josh Allen was drafted as an ongoing project rather than a polished NFL starter. He was drafted in the first round mainly due to his wildly strong throwing arm rather than his technique. Josh Rosen was drafted as the cleanest passer in the Draft. While all three quarterbacks are still getting into the rhythm of the NFL, they are yet to record good numbers. Sam Darnold, who threw an interception on his first NFL play, has recorded a poor TD-INT ratio of 7-6. Josh Allen has been terrible in the NFL so far. His completion percentage has been an atrocious 53.3%, and he thrown only two TDs in four starts. Josh Rosen has been affected by the Cardinals’ terribleness on both sides of the ball. Despite playing behind a terrible o-line, Rosen has won a game in his second start. That doesn’t excuse his 49.2% completion rate. The first overall draft pick Baker Mayfield took the League by storm in his first game. Baker Mayfield impressively led the Cleveland Browns to their first NFL win in over a year. He recorded a high 73.9% completion rate in 23 attempts. Since then, he’s thrown 3 TDs and 3 INTs.

Despite generally disappointing performances from the first-round quarterbacks, many other rookies have played well so far. On the offensive side of the ballgame, Saquon Barkley (RB, 2nd overall) and Calvin Ridley (WR, 26th overall) have shone brightly. Barkley has scored 4 rushing touchdowns and 2 receiving touchdowns in six games, while also displaying highlight-reel runs every game. Calvin Ridley has been a great #2 receiver for the Falcons. Ridley is on track to have over 60 receptions this year, not to mention the 6 TDs he has already scored for the Falcons.

Many of the defensive rookies have also played very well. Denzel Ward (CB, 4th overall), Tremaine Edmunds (LB, 16th overall), and Derwin James (S, 17th overall) have fared well so far. Denzel Ward, the star cornerback for the Browns, has wreaked havoc all over the football field. He had two interceptions in his debut against offensive powerhouse Pittsburgh Steelers. He also had a crucial forced fumble against the Jets, and without such a play, the Browns may have never come back to win. He had another INT in the Browns’ win against Baltimore. Tremaine Edmunds has also beat up NFL offenses so far, recording 38 tackles, one sack, and two forced fumbles in five weeks of football. The final standout first-rounder is Derwin James. He recorded three sacks and an interception so far. His ability to defend against top offensive teams is a positive sign for the young safety.

While some rookies have played well in an ever-growing League, others have not gotten many opportunities yet. Vita Vea (DT, 12th overall), Billy Price (C, 21st overall) and Hayden Hurst (TE, 25th overall) have experienced injuries early on in their careers and have not made impacts on the field. We are only six weeks into the season, and we are yet to see some of these future stars integrate with their teammates and get used to the hard-hitting NFL stage. There is still a lot of football to look forward to for these young first-round picks.

Bibliography:

“2018 NFL Draft.” Sporting News. Accessed September 24, 2018. http://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/draft/2018/draft-results/round/1.

 

“Pro Football Statistics and History.” Pro-Football-Reference.com. Accessed September 24, 2018. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/.
Featured image from:
Beer, Jeff. “This Is Where Top NFL Rookies Go on Their First Business Trip.” Fast Company. May 22, 2018. Accessed October 13, 2018. https://www.fastcompany.com/40576033/this-is-where-top-nfl-rookies-go-on-their-first-business-trip.

The Cleveland Browns Right Now

Jeez.

The Browns have played decently in the opening two weeks of the 2018 season, despite playing against two Superbowl contenders, the Steelers and the Saints. HOWEVER, like always, they’ve found a way to NOT WIN.

Their rushing offense has looked above average, with Carlos Hyde and Tyrod Taylor leading the rushing core in terms of ypg. Nick Chubb has made some plays here and there too.

The passing game has been mediocre, partly because of some atrocious mistakes by Tyrod Taylor. However, Jarvis Landry, Rashard Higgins, and Antonio Callaway has looked pretty dangerous.

The offense has been average. The defense has been where the Browns have shone. The defense may have conceded many yards, but thanks to INTs and forced fumbles, the Browns turnover differential is a +6 in only two weeks of football. That stat goes to show the Browns defense’s success. Denzel Ward has especially played well.

Despite an average offense and good defense, Zane Gonzalez, the Browns’ placekicker, has greatly cost Cleveland. He had a game-winning field goal blocked by T.J. Watt in week 1 which he couldn’t control. Putting that aside, he subsequently missed an extra point in week 2 against the Saints, and went on to miss a game tying 52 yard FG. If not for those crucial misses, the Browns would’ve won for the first time in a year.

I slightly feel bad for this guy. He seemed heartbroken after the Saints game, where he sat on the Browns bench, tearing up, before being consoled by a Saints player. But we can’t forget that kicking IS HIS JOB. He was DRAFTED as a kicker, yet, he has only made 2 out of his 5 attempted FGs, costing the game against the Saints. The Browns need to find a solution quickly.

Overall, the Browns have come neck-and-neck with two TOP-TIER football teams. Cleveland seems like an 8-8 record team, but they need to fix up the ugly kicking situation.

Citations:

“Cleveland Browns Stats at NFL.com.” NFL.com. Accessed September 17, 2018. http://www.nfl.com/teams/statistics?team=CLE.
“Zane Gonzalez.” ESPN. Accessed September 17, 2018. http://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/3043234/zane-gonzalez.

Featured image from:

“Internet Explodes after Browns Miss Kicks vs. Saints.” SI.com. Accessed September 17, 2018. https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/09/16/zane-gonzalez-missed-field-goals-browns-loss-saints.