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Arizona Vs UCF 🏈 Game Preview/Discussion Thread 11/2/24 1230pm FS1
The Arizona Wildcats are on the road as they make the trip to face off with the UCF Knights on Saturday afternoon. Arizona was downed 31-26 by West Virginia at home last Saturday, losing outright as a 5.5-point favorite in the process. UCF was dropped 37-24 at home by #11 BYU last Saturday, losing outright as a three-point favorite, in their previous game. This marks the first ever meeting between the two teams.
Arizona Trying to Reverse Struggles as Calendar Flips to November
Arizona lost their fourth straight game as they were beaten at home by West Virginia last week. The Wildcats enter this game 3-5 overall and stand just 1-4 in the Big 12 as they hope to turn things around as November gets underway. Against West Virginia, Arizona never led in the contest as they trailed 10-0 after the opening quarter. The Wildcats trailed 17-7 at the half, 24-13 after three quarters and 31-13 in the opening 90 seconds of the final quarter. Arizona rallied to score twice late to get within five with 4:35 to play but never got the ball again. The Wildcats were outgained 405-386 in total offense, lost the turnover battle 35:04 to 24:56 and committed the game's only turnover. Those numbers far overshadowed the fact that they had an 18-16 advantage in first downs in the contest.
On the year, the Wildcats are 40th in the nation in passing offense with 260.3 yards per contest while they are 97th in rushing offense with 128.8 yards per game this season. Arizona is 100th in the FBS in scoring offense as they muster an average of 23.4 points per game while they are 91st in scoring defense by allowing 28 points per contest. Noah Fifita is 173 of 289 passing for 2,068 yards with 11 touchdowns against 10 interceptions while adding 60 yards and a score on the ground. Quali Conley leads the team on the ground with 109 carries for 572 yards and seven scores on the year. Kedrick Reescano (45 carries, 245 yards, TD) and Jacory Croskett-Merritt (13 carries, 106 yards, TD) are next in line for the run game. Tetairoa McMillan leads the team in the passing game with 57 catches for 982 yards and five scores on the season. Keyan Burnett (18 receptions, 217 yards, TD), Conley (27 grabs, 177 yards), Montana Lemonious-Craig (17 catches, 172 yards, TD) and Jeremiah Patterson (14 receptions, 124 yards, two scores) are solid secondary options. Tyler Loop is 17 of 18 on extra point attempts and 14 of 18 on field goal attempts with a long of 54 this season.
Knights Hoping to Rebound at Home
UCF started the year 3-0 but suffered their fifth straight loss as they were dumped by #11 BYU at home last Saturday. The Knights dropped to 3-5 overall on the year and are just 1-4 in Big 12 action on the year as they hope to snap their slide. Against BYU, UCF trailed 7-0 after the opening quarter and 17-0 midway through the second quarter. The Knights got within 17-10 only to give up the next 17 points to trail 34-10 after three quarters. They couldn't get closer than the final margin the rest of the way. UCF was hammered 480-379 in total offense, gave up 29 first downs while picking up 18, turned the ball over twice while forcing just one takeaway and was dominated 40:28 to 19:32 in time of possession in the contest.
The Knights are 106th in the FBS in passing offense as they average 186.9 yards per game through the air. UCF is 3rd in the nation in rushing offense with 267.9 yards per contest. The Knights are 51st of the 134 teams in the FBS to take the field this season in scoring offense as they put up 30.4 points per game. UCF is 86th in scoring defense as they give up 27.1 points a contest. KJ Jefferson is 64 of 108 passing for 1,012 yards with seven touchdowns and four interceptions while adding 193 yards plus two scores on the ground. Jacurri Brown (34 of 66, 387 yards, TD, four INT, 339 rush yards, two TD) and Dylan Rizk (seven of 11, 102 yards, TD, 34 rush yards) are next on the depth chart. In the run game, RJ Harvey leads the team with 149 carries for 1,017 yards and 13 touchdowns on the year. Peny Boone (34 carries, 208 yards, two TDs) and Myles Montgomery (25 carries, 156 yards, two TDs) are involved in the run game as well. Kobe Hudson leads the team in the passing game with 27 receptions for 509 yards and three scores. Harvey (11 catches, 205 yards, two TD), tight end Randy Pittman Jr. (16 catches, 186 yards) and Jacoby Jones (eight grabs, 145 yards, TD) are the only other players with at least 100 receiving yards on the season. Colton Boomer is 19 of 20 on extra points and three of six on field goals with a long of 50 this season. Grant Reddick is eight of eight on extra point attempts and five of five on field goals with a long of 38.
UCF is favored at 6 and the Over/Under is 56 points
Let's talk about the Wildcats Vs Knights!
BEARDOWN!!!
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A win vs. UCF is a nothing burger. Still below.500 and an only outside chance at a meaningless bowl. The only game that matters is vs. ASU imo.
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Looks like rain at game time.
I agree with TD on the Hail Mary, even with the shove back the ball broke the plane barely and call stands is automatic in my book, but:
Why is it that a guy can get shoved backwards in-bounds before feet touching the ground, but be awarded the most forward advancement possible from the moment the ball was considered "caught", even though the feet never touched the ground to confirm it was a real catch anyway... that is a huge assumption in terms of the yard marker.
BUT then, if the same play happened on the sidelines or back of the endzone, the same player in the same situation is not afforded any of those equal protections.
So the Rules assume that a catch is made if it is in the field of play even if the feet aren't down as long as the ball isn't moving/being juggled, but the rules make the Sideline and back of the Endzone into a Defensive Ally and won't allow/afford the same protections to assume the player would have came down in bounds had he not been shoved at all.
Makes a whole lot of sense right?
Now I know how it felt to be a visiting fan in The Mad House on Main in the 90's.
From my understanding, Brennan has packed it in.
He can try to save some face and go all in to beat ASU, but Arizona Football had a new standard. Winning the Duel in the Desert is not meaningless, but it's not the same as it was 20-30 years ago.
We were supposed to contend for a CFP spot. This is the absolute opposite of all expectations. I really do put it on Brennan. I don't think he was ever cut out for this position. I truly feel some coaches are capped in their potential. He may have had some success at SJSU, but that's not anything to write home about.
He is not Young.
He is not Old.
So what you see is what you get. We can't ignore it as a fanbase. He is too young to be completely set in his ways. He is too old to be thinking at the New Era analytical level of building schemes and team identity.
The Branch Servites are the Identity. The Tribal Chief Necklace is about to come and go from the program with a win over Oklahoma's backups to show for it at the end of the day.
It was fun while it lasted. I seriously don't know if Noah is capable of getting a better offer elsewhere unless Jedd just wants to bring him over to Washington, but I really don't think he will succeed there if he is having this much difficulty in the Big12. It is far weaker than the Big Ten in Football terms. There is nothing "tough nosed" about the Big12. We should be winning, but if we must lose.. we should be losing 45-38 type games. Not getting thorough whoopings week in week out.
And how about Houston. KC Cat swore that was a walkover, yet they just took out K-State without issue. Sure it came down to a hail mary at the end, but Houston had the game in control by large throughout. I really don't think we will be bowl eligible.
This has to be the biggest fall from grace I've seen in College Football History per the hype and talent in place. EA Sports should downgrade us to a 2 Star school and no one should be rated over 80 except McMillan who is playing like an 84 OVR at best not a 94. I am concerned he is no longer a 1st round pick at this point. He may have to test the waters and return.
Quote from: arxpert on November 02, 2024, 06:39:59 PMFrom my understanding, Brennan has packed it in.
He can try to save some face and go all in to beat ASU, but Arizona Football had a new standard. Winning the Duel in the Desert is not meaningless, but it's not the same as it was 20-30 years ago.
We were supposed to contend for a CFP spot. This is the absolute opposite of all expectations. I really do put it on Brennan. I don't think he was ever cut out for this position. I truly feel some coaches are capped in their potential. He may have had some success at SJSU, but that's not anything to write home about.
He is not Young.
He is not Old.
So what you see is what you get. We can't ignore it as a fanbase. He is too young to be completely set in his ways. He is too old to be thinking at the New Era analytical level of building schemes and team identity.
The Branch Servites are the Identity. The Tribal Chief Necklace is about to come and go from the program with a win over Oklahoma's backups to show for it at the end of the day.
It was fun while it lasted. I seriously don't know if Noah is capable of getting a better offer elsewhere unless Jedd just wants to bring him over to Washington, but I really don't think he will succeed there if he is having this much difficulty in the Big12. It is far weaker than the Big Ten in Football terms. There is nothing "tough nosed" about the Big12. We should be winning, but if we must lose.. we should be losing 45-38 type games. Not getting thorough whoopings week in week out.
And how about Houston. KC Cat swore that was a walkover, yet they just took out K-State without issue. Sure it came down to a hail mary at the end, but Houston had the game in control by large throughout. I really don't think we will be bowl eligible.
This has to be the biggest fall from grace I've seen in College Football History per the hype and talent in place. EA Sports should downgrade us to a 2 Star school and no one should be rated over 80 except McMillan who is playing like an 84 OVR at best not a 94. I am concerned he is no longer a 1st round pick at this point. He may have to test the waters and return.
Can't argue with any of this - especially that last paragraph. A fall to disgrace.....
Quote from: arxpert on November 02, 2024, 06:39:59 PMFrom my understanding, Brennan has packed it in.
He can try to save some face and go all in to beat ASU, but Arizona Football had a new standard. Winning the Duel in the Desert is not meaningless, but it's not the same as it was 20-30 years ago.
We were supposed to contend for a CFP spot. This is the absolute opposite of all expectations. I really do put it on Brennan. I don't think he was ever cut out for this position. I truly feel some coaches are capped in their potential. He may have had some success at SJSU, but that's not anything to write home about.
He is not Young.
He is not Old.
So what you see is what you get. We can't ignore it as a fanbase. He is too young to be completely set in his ways. He is too old to be thinking at the New Era analytical level of building schemes and team identity.
The Branch Servites are the Identity. The Tribal Chief Necklace is about to come and go from the program with a win over Oklahoma's backups to show for it at the end of the day.
It was fun while it lasted. I seriously don't know if Noah is capable of getting a better offer elsewhere unless Jedd just wants to bring him over to Washington, but I really don't think he will succeed there if he is having this much difficulty in the Big12. It is far weaker than the Big Ten in Football terms. There is nothing "tough nosed" about the Big12. We should be winning, but if we must lose.. we should be losing 45-38 type games. Not getting thorough whoopings week in week out.
And how about Houston. KC Cat swore that was a walkover, yet they just took out K-State without issue. Sure it came down to a hail mary at the end, but Houston had the game in control by large throughout. I really don't think we will be bowl eligible.
This has to be the biggest fall from grace I've seen in College Football History per the hype and talent in place. EA Sports should downgrade us to a 2 Star school and no one should be rated over 80 except McMillan who is playing like an 84 OVR at best not a 94. I am concerned he is no longer a 1st round pick at this point. He may have to test the waters and return.
You certainly make a good case, but I'm not sure I agree. I'll also stop short of saying you're wrong. Two months ago I was a big fan of Brennan, mostly because of his Tomey connection and the fact that he really seems to want to be here. Results, though, speak loudly. I still really want to be a fan of his, for the reasons mentioned above and because I want to see the Cats win. Brennan certainly hasn't proven he can win here yet, but he hasn't proven he can't either.
The O-line has been out matched since the 2nd game and hasn't given the offense a chance to excel (or even to be good very often). That's either coaching or physical ability. I don't know which it is, but it's been so consistent that I suspect it's ability.
Has Noah back slid? If he has that could be coaching. It sure looks like he has, but he's been under pressure on nearly every play, I don't recall that happening last year.
The defense waa starting to get going, but has gotten so depleted that they can't stop anyone. That certainly doesn't seem to be coaching either.
I sat next to and spoke with one of the players dads on Saturday. I asked him how his son had responded to fish leaving. He told me that his son really liked playing for fish, because the whole program from practice, to watching film,to game day was run like an NFL team. He said, he didn't follow to Washington because fish lost all credibility with how he handled his departure. One of the things I concluded from this is just how different the program is this year. Not necessarily better or worse, but for some players it probably fits them better, for others it's worse. For all of them it's different, and I don't think that speaks to Brennan's ability.
We all came into the year on a high and it seems we expected too much. Now we're on a low. Though, if the defense had stayed healthy, we'd likely have 2 or 3 more wins and be looking at finishing strong.
Arizona football isn't likely to ever be a consistent national championship contender, but we should almost always be in the top 25, and we should frequently flirt with the top ten. In those rare really great years, we should get to the top 5 and contend for a national championship. Brennan might not be the guy to lead us there, but he also might be. We just don't know yet.
It took me about 2 1/2 years to gain trust and get on the fish wagon, and about 3 seconds to jump off once my initial mistrust was proven correct. I got on the Brennan wagon qickly and I'm hoping he'll be like fish in that he proves my initial feelings correct.
Quote from: CatInFL on November 03, 2024, 07:43:58 PMQuote from: arxpert on November 02, 2024, 06:39:59 PMFrom my understanding, Brennan has packed it in.
He can try to save some face and go all in to beat ASU, but Arizona Football had a new standard. Winning the Duel in the Desert is not meaningless, but it's not the same as it was 20-30 years ago.
We were supposed to contend for a CFP spot. This is the absolute opposite of all expectations. I really do put it on Brennan. I don't think he was ever cut out for this position. I truly feel some coaches are capped in their potential. He may have had some success at SJSU, but that's not anything to write home about.
He is not Young.
He is not Old.
So what you see is what you get. We can't ignore it as a fanbase. He is too young to be completely set in his ways. He is too old to be thinking at the New Era analytical level of building schemes and team identity.
The Branch Servites are the Identity. The Tribal Chief Necklace is about to come and go from the program with a win over Oklahoma's backups to show for it at the end of the day.
It was fun while it lasted. I seriously don't know if Noah is capable of getting a better offer elsewhere unless Jedd just wants to bring him over to Washington, but I really don't think he will succeed there if he is having this much difficulty in the Big12. It is far weaker than the Big Ten in Football terms. There is nothing "tough nosed" about the Big12. We should be winning, but if we must lose.. we should be losing 45-38 type games. Not getting thorough whoopings week in week out.
And how about Houston. KC Cat swore that was a walkover, yet they just took out K-State without issue. Sure it came down to a hail mary at the end, but Houston had the game in control by large throughout. I really don't think we will be bowl eligible.
This has to be the biggest fall from grace I've seen in College Football History per the hype and talent in place. EA Sports should downgrade us to a 2 Star school and no one should be rated over 80 except McMillan who is playing like an 84 OVR at best not a 94. I am concerned he is no longer a 1st round pick at this point. He may have to test the waters and return.
You certainly make a good case, but I'm not sure I agree. I'll also stop short of saying you're wrong. Two months ago I was a big fan of Brennan, mostly because of his Tomey connection and the fact that he really seems to want to be here. Results, though, speak loudly. I still really want to be a fan of his, for the reasons mentioned above and because I want to see the Cats win. Brennan certainly hasn't proven he can win here yet, but he hasn't proven he can't either.
The O-line has been out matched since the 2nd game and hasn't given the offense a chance to excel (or even to be good very often). That's either coaching or physical ability. I don't know which it is, but it's been so consistent that I suspect it's ability.
Has Noah back slid? If he has that could be coaching. It sure looks like he has, but he's been under pressure on nearly every play, I don't recall that happening last year.
The defense waa starting to get going, but has gotten so depleted that they can't stop anyone. That certainly doesn't seem to be coaching either.
I sat next to and spoke with one of the players dads on Saturday. I asked him how his son had responded to fish leaving. He told me that his son really liked playing for fish, because the whole program from practice, to watching film,to game day was run like an NFL team. He said, he didn't follow to Washington because fish lost all credibility with how he handled his departure. One of the things I concluded from this is just how different the program is this year. Not necessarily better or worse, but for some players it probably fits them better, for others it's worse. For all of them it's different, and I don't think that speaks to Brennan's ability.
We all came into the year on a high and it seems we expected too much. Now we're on a low. Though, if the defense had stayed healthy, we'd likely have 2 or 3 more wins and be looking at finishing strong.
Arizona football isn't likely to ever be a consistent national championship contender, but we should almost always be in the top 25, and we should frequently flirt with the top ten. In those rare really great years, we should get to the top 5 and contend for a national championship. Brennan might not be the guy to lead us there, but he also might be. We just don't know yet.
It took me about 2 1/2 years to gain trust and get on the fish wagon, and about 3 seconds to jump off once my initial mistrust was proven correct. I got on the Brennan wagon qickly and I'm hoping he'll be like fish in that he proves my initial feelings correct.
I won't say that your assessment is wrong. It is more optimistic than mine. Jedd was always a grifter. I was hoodwinked by the end, but the results spoke for themselves. The NFL style is a major selling point. I think if we want to compete in this new landscape of amateur-professionalism (oxymoronical right?) then we must embrace the NFL style again.
Being a "Tomey boy" seems to be my biggest problem with Brennan. You mentioned a player's parent. The way that came off to me was that the parents and athlete was fine collecting his check and not bothering to go to Washington to get beat up on by Big Ten level competition which is a lot stiffer. I can be totally wrong, but there are definitely players on this team that are not up for that challenge and it is showing right now.
As for the Offensive Line theory - The Line is not as bad as people think. Something I have come to learn about Top Tier coaches is that they will find Assistants and teach specific schemes that cater to the strengths of the players and move away from the weaknesses.
There is always more than 1 way to skin a cat.
I have been calling for it all season. RUN THE BALL. Use the STABLE OF RUNNING BACKS. Not just 1. Not 6 carries from a 2nd. Use the OL to Noah's advantage. Run the Ball. Call 1-3 step drops, use WR screens. Don't expect Noah to just dance around like he is Lamar Jackson out there and make it happen. All year it has been T-Mac or bust. Noah has multiple TE's on this team. We don't use the 22 personnel package nearly enough. It doesn't need to present as a Wing-T. It can be motioning TE's/RBs/FBs around in a Spread Offense in order to get the same results.
We should be running the ball, calling inventive and intelligent screens and forcing teams to stop it.
Noah "under fire" is a product of Noah regressing. The coaching is a problem, but the coaching doesn't teach nor force him to make bad decisions. He can be mature and take a sack or get out of the pocket and throw the ball away. He doesn't need to force anything. We have far less bull rush/blindside strip sacks happening than people think. The decision making in the moment is on Noah. I won't absolve him of that. It is just regression under a new leader.
I don't think we will be Bowl Eligible, but it would be nice to limp in even if it is the Toilet.net Shit Bowl.
I stand by my comments and I think T-Mac may have lost some of his draft status. I am left wondering if Noah will stay here. Either way, this season has been a disaster and it stands to get worse before better from what I am seeing. Hopefully we can accelerate the process and be back on track by 2026 or 2027.
Basketball around the corner is going to be interesting too as the Big12 is going to present big challenges. Hopefully we can just finish the season respectably and beat a Mountain West team in a bowl game or something.
You mentioned a player's parent. The way that came off to me was that the parents and athlete was fine collecting his check and not bothering to go to Washington to get beat up on by Big Ten level competition which is a lot stiffer.
It could be, I didn't get that feeling though.
Something I have come to learn about Top Tier coaches is that they will find Assistants and teach specific schemes that cater to the strengths of the players and move away from the weaknesses.
I've been wondering for years were these coaches have gone. The attitude now seems to be, "This is what I believe is right, and you better fit." It's what Sumlin did with Tate. It's what Miller did with defense (no zone). I believe that what made Olsen great was his ability to adapt his style to his players.
I stand by my comments and I think T-Mac may have lost some of his draft status.
I would think so too, the parent I was talking to does not. He said "McMillan will be fine, it's a weak draft class." Shortly thereafter he ditched me to sit with the McMillans. Obviously, that was an upgrade for him.
The parents at the K-State game said that the players enjoyed the current staff more than Fisch but it was "too early to assess whether they were making progress on the field". Brennan brings in a great "culture"...but it doesn't matter if we can't beat the teams that we're expected to beat. Fingers crossed that they turn things around because it'll be hard to recruit if we continue in this direction.
Quote from: CatInFL on November 04, 2024, 12:57:55 PMI've been wondering for years were these coaches have gone.
They are mostly in the NFL. Coaches like the Harbaughs who are masters of Scheme football and being able to mold a team into a "Program", that finds ways to put what they have in the best positions to succeed. Being adaptable.
As for Lute, he still was stubborn with his 1-3-1, but back then it wasn't as much of an issue because Chef Curry was a figment of Dell Curry's imagination / a baby. Now the game is different and if anyone were to try 1-3-1 as consistently as Lute, they would give up 40 wide open 3pt shots.
Quote from: CatInFL on November 04, 2024, 12:57:55 PMHe said "McMillan will be fine, it's a weak draft class." Shortly thereafter he ditched me to sit with the McMillans. Obviously, that was an upgrade for him.
First of all, Lol at the upgrade.
Second of all, I agree it may be a weak class overall, but the 1st round isn't going to be weak. There will be some QBs taken naturally, but there won't be a pressing need to force a WR pick in the Top 10 other than Travis Hunter since he has all the momentum going for him. Even Luther Burden should go before T-Mac now and he isn't a world beater right now either.
If Ryan Williams wasn't "17" and a true freshman, he would be the best prospect coming out. Alabama found a true generational player there. If he can finish out next year and just get to the Pro's with his young age he could really challenge for some records. But that is putting the cart in front of the horse. It is all a wait-and-see overall.
T-Mac should leave regardless. I hope he slides though and the Ravens scoop him up. The Chiefs will probably trade their soul to get him in the early 20's. I can't even imagine the amount of vomit I would have to let go of in the moment if that came to fruition.
What's wrong with a banged up Diontae Johnson?? Seriously though, I think he'll be a positive factor for Lamar after he learns the playbook and is 100%. He's unquestionably squaring off against Hopkins in the AFC title game this year.
Quote from: KansasCityCats on November 06, 2024, 07:38:17 PMWhat's wrong with a banged up Diontae Johnson?? Seriously though, I think he'll be a positive factor for Lamar after he learns the playbook and is 100%. He's unquestionably squaring off against Hopkins in the AFC title game this year.
I don't think Dionte is hurt. I wonder if he gets some usage though. Can't hurt to have 4 or 5 viable WRs ranging from WR1-WR3 level without the drop off to the true WR4 "5th round Rookie" pick level to have to rely on.
Hopkins clearly didn't want to be a Raven. Last year the Ravens paid OBJ more money to come instead of Hopkins. Just seems like Hopkins wanted to be in a more loose setting where passing the ball is valued over the more regimented way the Ravens go about their system.
OBJ somehow has grifted the most money out of the league for a true do-nothing. I think last year he earned about 500k per catch the way he played/lack thereof. It should be studied how he is able to use charisma to be rostered.
At the moment I don't know if it will be a KC Ravens title game again, but I do know that the AFC is a massive gauntlet and the 1st round Bye is crucial. NFC is much more wide open. I don't care if the Lions are blowing teams out right now. They play in a Dome and that makes it much more Any Given Sunday at the end of the day.
The Ravens are better than Buffalo because their front seven is better. I think they'll be in the title game but anything can happen in January.
If I were a receiver, I wouldn't want to play with Lamar. He's possibly the most talented athlete in the NFL but his accuracy is garbage and the wideouts are constantly scrambling because he refuses to be patient in the pocket.
https://www.espn.com/nfl/insider/story/_/id/42509325/debunking-10-myths-2024-nfl-season-teams-chiefs-49ers-lamar-jackson
First off, I was wrong about Diontae. He may never contribute for Baltimore.
Second, this article doesn't take into account, the fact that a majority of Lamar's passes "from the pocket" are dump-offs to RB's and TE's.
Third, the Chiefs are actually winning, despite being the most penalized team in the 2nd half (including OT), while their opponents have the 3rd least calls. Aside from the idiot that allowed Spags to call timeout, KC reminds me of Arizona during the days that officials were out to get Miller.
Bump. Draft boards aren't making me optimistic that T-Mac will last until the final pick of the 1st round but you never know!
Quote from: KansasCityCats on November 22, 2024, 03:23:32 PMhttps://www.espn.com/nfl/insider/story/_/id/42509325/debunking-10-myths-2024-nfl-season-teams-chiefs-49ers-lamar-jackson
First off, I was wrong about Diontae. He may never contribute for Baltimore.
Second, this article doesn't take into account, the fact that a majority of Lamar's passes "from the pocket" are dump-offs to RB's and TE's.
Third, the Chiefs are actually winning, despite being the most penalized team in the 2nd half (including OT), while their opponents have the 3rd least calls. Aside from the idiot that allowed Spags to call timeout, KC reminds me of Arizona during the days that officials were out to get Miller.
Diontae has a chance to sign somewhere and contribute. Bad attitude, but incapable of accepting a role that was "beneath him" in his mind. He was released and picked up by Houston who then released him and Baltimore picked him back up just in case he gets a "prove it" contract and outperforms it the Compensatory pick will be good. They didn't really risk much. About 10-15 picks between Round 5 and Round 6 is the net effect. If there is a player the Ravens truly want, they could always use their 5th and 6th to move up and take the player or their 7th/Future 6th/7ths. It should really equate to nothing.
KC definitely got another good game out of Buffalo, but they avoided the 1 team that would have beat the brakes off of them stylistically. In other words, I don't believe it would have been close if KC lost this season. I think it would have been close if the Ravens lost though.
The type of team KC saw in Week 1 was completely different than it was last Sunday when Buffalo had enough help from refs and the outright mistakes of Baltimore to advance.
Buffalo is always going to be a threat with Josh Allen, but they were lacking a real pass game this year which is strange because they did have Amari Cooper.
KC is just the deepest team I have maybe ever seen on offense. Their Defense is getting a great Rep lately, but they aren't really playing up to that Rep.
Too many "calls stand" type bail outs for my taste.
This was the one time of the last "so many" years where the NFL finally set up a Ref Crew that had a Win% of 65% for Away Teams. Last year, they pulled the 65% Away Team thing for KC @ BAL
KC overcame it somehow. I don't want to say they are just better outright. They matchup against Buffalo a lot better than most think.
Baltimore can't get out of their own way and as the saying goes, "you can only play the team that is on your schedule". So it is really just one of those situations where maybe KC was let off the hook. At no point was I worried for KC.
Lamar really had a great season throwing the ball. I think more WRs will be interested in what Baltimore has evolved into. Henry is a true force and deserves a ring. Lamar doesn't really deserve one how he plays when it matters, but he was leading that comeback vs the Bills in tough conditions. The Fumbles and Drops just did them in.
I think KC is the only team to survive a game losing the turnover battle, but if you count a Turnover on Downs as a turnover then I think KC won that.
I looked into it more too. Baltimore beat Buffalo, Houston, Chargers, Steelers, and Denver. They lost to KC with a Toe on the Line in a poorly officiated game Week 1 with no continuity, no chemistry. Nothing like what the team looked like last week. They also took out Tampa Bay and DCC from the NFC.
The only team that truly Whooped them was Philly. I admit that. It took until around 6min left in the 4th to "pull away" from the Ravens, but I truly admit that they whooped them good.
I think Philly has been the best team all season. KC may be initial favorites, but I expect this one to actually be a Philly win this time.
The last matchup, Philly was just rolling out the gates. I think I posted about this once. They had it all going their way until Hurts fumbled in the most idiotic way which put KC right back into the game enough to get them rolling with "SOME" momentum. Just enough I guess. The flag at the end of the game was talked about a lot as a factor and also being held to 3.. but as an analyst of the game, I know for a fact it was that nonchalant fumble that basically caused Philly to lose that Superbowl in the 2nd quarter.
I am looking forward to a better game overall. Kelce has really done Nothing all year except be a pest and set great moving screens.
Hopkins
Tinywood Brown
Xavier Worthy
JuJu
Pacheco
Hunt
Perine
Kelce
Gray
Hendershot
not even getting into Justin Watson who is solid too. Rashee Rice would be there too if not injured. He will miss time next year I believe. A lot of time for his legal issues.
I was selfishly rooting for KC tonight. I didn't feel Buffalo was worthy of slaying the beast. I think KC is beatable, but I am rooting for someone other than Allen to do it.
Anyway, I will be rooting for the Eggs and their University of Georgia Defensive front 7 basically.
Jayden Daniels had a great season not to be forgotten.
Maybe Lamar paved the way in this New Era because the Mobile QB who can throw is the preferred QB nowadays.
I think Allen gets the MVP, but Lamar definitely had a better regular season and the H2H win was a Blowout.
Quote from: KansasCityCats on January 26, 2025, 08:11:07 PMBump. Draft boards aren't making me optimistic that T-Mac will last until the final pick of the 1st round but you never know!
T-Mac is going to shine at the Combine. I doubt he falls past 16. But in the event something happens, he may slip. He will never make it to 31 or 32 though. Not happening. In fact, anyone who is interested in him should trade their 1st and 3rd if he is in the 12-16 range. I hope he lands with the Cardinals TBH. Not expecting it, but T-Mac and Marv Jr would be very difficult to defend.
I am curious where Jeanty goes. Now that we are seeing the "RB1" era making a comeback and the "committee" era fading away, it looks like Jeanty may get some respect even with a lot of tread on the tires. The best teams know that 1 workhorse RB is extremely valuable as it opens up roster spots for other positions. RB2/RB3 can be had later in the 4th-6th.
Yeah, the RB position is a crapshoot. Teams like Detroit, Miami and Atlanta learned how to maintain the dual-backfield (which allows for injury) but other teams are reverting back to the single-back.
Cards would be an ideal spot for T-Mac, although I don't know who the QB will be after the 2025 season. Regardless, he and Harrison would be killer on opposite ends.