Ron Rivera and the Washington Football Team: Second Half Studs

By: Jack Pooley

The new coaching regime in Washington created a cultural impact immediately felt throughout the organization. With Ron Rivera battling cancer, Scott Turner managing a QB room riddled with injuries/off-field drama, and Jack Del Rio inheriting the 27th ranked defense in yards allowed from 2019, the group wasn’t exactly dealt a stellar hand. Regardless, their ability to still earn a division title has proven that with Bruce Allen gone, the opportunity for improvement is very real in Washington. 

Running Back Value in the NFL Draft

Saquon Barkley just completed a historic rookie season. The Giants first-year running back became the third rookie in NFL history to amass over 2,000 yards from scrimmage, joining Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson and four-time pro-bowler Edgerrin James. Barkley’s first-year campaign featured many highlight plays, from breathtaking speed to unnatural hurdles to a touchdown leap resembling Michael Jordan. Such gaudy statistics seem to justify the immense pre-draft hype that Barkley received. He was selected with the second overall pick, over an heir to aging quarterback Eli Manning, with General Manager Dave Gettleman calling Saquon “the unanimous best player in the draft.” Barkley’s rookie season was capped off with a rookie of the year trophy, leading to Ian Rapoport, among others, claiming the award is “further validating a pick many wondered about.” However, the Giants absolutely made the wrong call in the 2018 draft, and this past season only further proved this. Instead, the franchise should have selected Sam Darnold, who was selected one pick later by the crosstown rival New York Jets.

The Super Bowl Hangover, Fact or Fiction?

By William Ford

Reading Time: [rt_reading_time] minutes

28-3.  Too early?  It’s never too early for a 28-3 reference.

Congratulations Falcons fans!  It’s your team’s chance to experience the dreaded Super Bowl hangover!  Essentially, a Super Bowl hangover is the idea that the losing team in the Super Bowl will underperform or underachieve in the following season.  Many NFL fans, and by many NFL fans I mean Falcon fans, will argue that there is no such thing as a Super Bowl hangover.  Falcons fans should ask their division rival Carolina Panthers about it.  The 2016 Panthers are the textbook example of a team experiencing the Super Bowl hangover.  In 2015, the Carolina Panthers went 15-1 in the regular season but lost in the Super Bowl.  In the following season, the Panthers went 6-10 and missed the playoffs.  The Panthers can’t be the ONLY team to experience the Super Bowl hangover, right?  The chart below shows how teams have fared the following season after losing in the Super Bowl over the course of the past decade:

Catch 22: Assessing the Dominance of the Indians Historic Win Streak

By: Ryan Kelly

Reading Time: [rt_reading_time] minutes

After the Indians took an early exit from the playoffs at the hands of the Bronx Bombers, I thought it appropriate to look back at their first-place regular season finish in remembrance of the season that was.  When looking back, one thing comes to mind: the streak.  From August 24^th to September 14^th, Cleveland rattled off a remarkable 22 straight wins, breaking the 2002 Oakland Athletics American League win streak under the orchestration of Mr. Moneyball, Billy Beane.  As I sat in my dorm room and watched the improbable, come-from-behind 22^nd victory against the Royals, I thought to myself just how dominant Cleveland seemed to be over this four-week stretch.  But how historically dominant were they?  Where does this remarkable stretch stack up against some of the greatest win streaks in the history of American professional sports?

The Key to Wide Receivers at the NFL Combine

By Mike Popper
Reading Time: [rt_reading_time] minutes

Some say speed kills. Others live by the philosophy of big bodies. And then there are those who love fast feet and quick change of direction twitchiness. For NFL fans, these draft philosophies have been debated over and over again. From that high school friend who believes NFL teams are doing the combine wrong (*cough cough* this article) to anyone’s crazy uncle who claims to have ran a 4.3 40 in his “prime,” the NFL Combine is a hotbed of discussion among NFL fans across the world.