The playoffs are here, the draft order has been set, and several firings of coaches have been made during the regular season. Before you go and say each team had an equal shot let’s not forget that several key players throughout the league had opt-ed out of this season due to the pandemic that we face. With the playoffs here we have some new and old faces. One team has waited years to be on this stage, while one man has proved the doubters wrong to get back to where he belongs. It wasn’t that long ago when the city of Cleveland held their very own parade for the Browns after posting a winless season. To those die-hard Browns fans this has been a long time coming for them. The Browns, led by quarterback Baker Mayfield look to take down the division champion Pittsburg Steelers. These teams had played this past Sunday, and boy was it heart-pounding. The Browns had barely won the game with the final score of 24-22. Look again to this Sunday as these two teams face off for one last time this season with the winner one step closer to the Lombardi trophy.
After years of being in a different color we see the GOAT prepare for his first playoff run with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tom Brady known for his outstanding playmaking ability at quarterback has amassed a handful of Super Bowl rings during his time with the New England Patriots. Many believed that it was the coach that made the player but that is not the case. After his first season in Tampa he proved why he’s called the GOAT. From being down at the half to throwing several touchdowns in a single game, the concept of time doesn’t apply to Tom Brady as he continues to build a Hall of Fame resume. Brady knows what it takes to win and has the tools to get the job done but the journey to the Super Bowl is not an easy one. His road to the Lombardi trophy starts Saturday as the Buccaneers look to take down the top defense in the NFL, The Washington Football Team. The first round of the playoffs kicks off on Saturday and I am looking forward to it with several other major games being played over the course of this weekend. As the postseason finally sets in for some teams we see several organizations scrambling for answers so they don’t repeat past mistakes.
The draft order has been set and the first two picks go to the worse teams in the league. The Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets, have posted the worst records across the boards in the league and are in a desperate need of a rebuild. As both have started the rebuilding process the first step taken was the removal of both team’s head coaches. Both coaches had posted back-to-back losing seasons and the relationship between players had been detrimental to the organization. With the removal of their head coaches these teams now look to improve and only get better over the years. They each have a number of draft picks that allows for any coach to build and implement their own personnel and systems for years to come. With the order decided it comes down to who will these teams take at the first and second pick in the draft. It’s almost guaranteed that Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawerence will be the first off of the board, but let’s not overlook the other college athletes who can change a franchise around. Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields led the buckeyes to take down Lawerences Tigers and that game was a stunner. The Tigers were favored to win the game as the Buckeyes had ranked 3rd on the playoff rankings. Fields and the Buckeyes looked to take down the Tigers and that was exactly what they did. Coming out of the gates hot the Buckeyes were not going to let Lawerence and the Tigers find their footing. Even when it looked as though Fields would be out of the game with an apparent injury he did not let that stop him from proving the doubters wrong. If it wasn’t for Fields the Buckeyes wouldn’t have a chance to play in the FBS championship game.
From Alabama University the Heisman winner, wide receiver DeVonta Smith has the potential to be a number one receiver in this league one day. With his ability to break on the ball extremely quickly and the consistency he has at the receiver position a team should definitely be on the lookout for Smith. Lastly, Penn State’s outside linebacker Micah Parson, had opted out of this season but he still ranks as the number one linebacker in the draft. After looking at how he played in the 2019 season there’s no debate to why Parsons is at the top. He excels at playing the outside linebacker position and it shows as he was named the Big Ten Linebacker of the Year in 2019. With the playoffs in full swing and the post season quickly approaching for the rest of the league many should be on the lookout for February 8th as things change.