NFL – Page 2 – Muddled State

Super Bowl Prediction

The time has come. Super Bowl LVI is set to kick off in just a few hours. Lets take a minute to appreciate the moment, that the big game will not feature the likes Tom Brady, the Patriots, the Chiefs, the 49ers, etc.

This game should be a good one, the Bengals will have to find a way to move the ball in the run and short passing game as their OL simply can not protect Joe Burrow, especially in this matchup. Can the Bengals defense answer the bell like they have done so many times this season vs a very balanced Rams offense.

Ultimately, I believe Rams are a more balanced football team and playmakers on defense will get enough stops to win Super Bowl LVI, 27-23 over the Bengals.

Enjoy the game!

AFC Championship Game Preview

The Cincinatti Bengals travel to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday.

This is a rematch of a game that took place a few weeks ago, in which Joe Burrow and Jamarr Chase powered the Bengals to an upset victory over the Chiefs in Cincinatti.

I believe revenge will be on the mind of the Chiefs, as well as prior playoff experience which will prove to be too much for the Bengals, resulting in a 30-23 victory and a 3rd straight AFC Championship for the Chiefs.

side note, will the Raiders ever hire a GM/HC?

AFC West 2019 Draft Classes

JMC, Godfather, Joseph my Broseph…. Thank you. Thank you for submitting content here in MuddledState like only a few of us do showing the willingness to set aside personal shit to add a little something to this joint. My MS Appreciation posts ran short on time this preseason, but know yours and Nori’s contributions the last year have been much appreciated with us parting ways with a few writers. Just kidding, we didn’t part ways, but Robb/Dude/my bitchass have been either busy or just haven’t made it a priority.

I apologize for cutting your week 2 grades/predictions posts a little short, but this topic needed to be addressed.

Clelin Ferrell has not lived up to his draft position, #4 overall of the 2019 NFL draft as far as his tangible production. As far as his intangible production, that’s a little difficult to measure because its intangible (let me know if any of you drizzledicks need a definition). The Raiders draft strategy from 2019-2021 has been well documented, they valued the intangibles moreso than any other team in the league, to establish a winning culture. They took a few reaches drafting high character guys out of high class programs. This should not be news to anyone in this blog, but here we are 2+ years later still talking about the same shit. “Ermuhgerd, Clelin Ferrell was such a turrible pick.”

There has been so much Raiders slander regarding Mike Mayock, Clelin Ferrell and the #4 overall pick of the 2019 NFL draft, that I thought it was worth looking back on that draft at our respective teams’ draft classes to set the record straight. Seriously, look at this shit.

Raiders 2019 Draft Class
1st round pick, #4 overall – Clelin Ferrell – Bust. He’s man against the run, but you don’t draft those guys with a top 20 pick.
1st round pick, #24 overall – Josh Jacobs – Quality starter/Borderline stud. He looked like a stud in his rookie year, struggled with injury and playing behind a lackluster OL his 2nd year.
1st round pick, #27 overall – Jonathan Abram – Looking busty. Year 1 injured, year 2 garbage. Year 3 in the new defensive scheme will be big for his development.
2nd round pick, #40 overall – Trayvon Mullen – Up and down CB through 2 years, pretty high upside but has had some struggles too. The Raiders young secondary hard to judge given the poor defensive scheme and talent surrounding them.
4th round pick, #106 overall – Maxx Crosby – Stud. Not bonafide stud, but stud. 2020 he was coming off of rehab and injury, but his 2019 rookie campaign was huge, and he appears to be poised for a Pro Bowl season in 2021.
4th round pick, #129 overall – Isaiah Johnson – Garbage.
4th round pick, #137 overall – Foster Moreau – Solid #2 TE, would start for a dozen teams in the league.
5th round pick, #149 overall – Hunter Renfrow – GOAT. Beast. Absolute stud. 3rd and Renfrow. Fight me if you disagree with a goddamm 5th round pick.
Other Picks – Quinton Bell – Garbage.

End Results – 3 starters ranging from mid-all pro upside, 1 starter by default with… uhhh…. upside (Abram), 1 backup but starter potential TE, a stud slot WR and whatever the fuck Clelin Ferrell is for a potential middle of the road to possibly potential AFC playoff team.

Chiefs 2019 Draft Class
2nd round pick, #56 overall – Mecole Hardman – He’s fast, he makes some big plays, but has the luxury of playing alongside guys like Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins and Pat Mahomes throwing him the ball. Would he do the same in Detroit?
2nd round pick, #63 overall – Juan Thornhill – Quality starter potential, mid-high upside.
3rd round pick, #82 overall – Khalen Saunders – Some upside as a rotational interior DL but a rather low ceiling.
6th round pick, #201 overall – Rashad Fenton – #4/5 CB, has had a few good moments, but otherwise meh.
Other picks – Darwin Thompson, Nick Allegretti – Garbage, not worth noting.

End Results – 1 starter, 2 mid-high upside potential future starters, and a depth guy or two. They’re one of the most talented rosters in the league though, so they’re a bit of an anomaly in the AFCW.

Chargers 2019 Draft Class
1st round pick, #28 overall – Jerry Tillery – Lol. Had a marginal bounce back year in 2020 after an abysmal 2019. Pretty bust worthy at this point.
2nd round pick, #60 overall – Nasir Adderley – See Tillery description.
3rd round pick, #91 overall – Trey Pipkins – Complete bust from the moment it was announced.
4th round pick, #130 overall – Drue Tranquill – He’s a rotational LB. He’s not good.
Other picks – Easton Stick, Emeke Ebule, Broughton – Garbage, actually Stick could be the little engine that could as a backup QB, but you’re fucked if he’s ever called to real action.

End Results – 2 starters (neither of which you’re overly excited about), a rotational LB and a bunch a garbage.

Broncos 2019 Draft Class
1st round pick, #20 overall – Noah Fant – Quality TE, with good upside. Might break into the top tier of TE’s, might not due to injuries/drops/etc.
2nd round pick, #41 overall – Dalton Risner – Looked every bit the part of a potential Pro Bowl LG coming out of college, hasn’t quite lived up to it. Still plenty of potential.
2nd round pick, #42 overall – Drew Lock – Looking busty, unless the starting QB shits the bed (which is a possibility) and Lock comes in and redeems himself. Otherwise, another big Elway QB miss.
3rd round pick, #71 overall – Dre’Mont Jones – Was a steal at the time. It’s still probably a steal. Looks every bit the part of a potential Pro Bowl DL.
Other picks – Justin Hollins, Juwann Winfree – Not steals, they suck.

End Results – 3 mid-high upside starters, and Drew Lock whatever he is. The rest is trash.

So while you all keep talking about the #4 overall pick (I get it, he sucks), I’m looking at the big picture, and feeling juuuust fine.

Balls 2021 AFCW Predicktion

That’s a WRAP on the 2021 NFL Preseason for the AFCW, which means its time for my final AFCW Predicktions. The teams got through the preseason relatively healthy, with only a few small injuries. The Raiders did end up a little thin at LB, so they elected to trade for Denzel Perryman one of PFF’s top 3 rated LB’s in 2020 to play for his old defensive coordinator Gus Bradley. They appeared to shore up that position prior to the start of the season.

The Chiefs enter the season as large favorites to win the AFCW, and I see no reason to disagree with that. They have been significantly better and more consistent the last couple years than the other teams, with only the Raiders providing them a bit of a challenge in 2020, splitting the series and looking very evenly matched throughout 8 quarters of football. The Raiders lacked the consistency and overall quality of defensive play to make a strong push down the stretch.

The Chargers and Broncos have numerous areas to improve in order to be contenders in the AFCW. The Chargers elected to revamp the coaching staff around their star young QB Justin Herbert. They brought in some quality offensive lineman to give the QB time, but many question marks remain, particularly on the defensive side of the ball and the lack of experience in the new coaching staff. Meanwhile, the Broncos elected to bring in QB Teddy Bridgewater in the hopes to gain more consistency and improve on their -16 turnover differential, which was last in the league. They addressed the offensive line and brought in some new corners to hopefully improve the pass defense in 2021.

My predicktions are as follows:

Chiefs – 13-4 – Barring injury, the Chiefs are still the class of the division by at least two or 3 games. Their season begins in January. Fuck them.

Raiders – 10-7 – The Raiders continue to steadily improve under Gruden and Mayock, with the offense leading the way. The defense finally shows signs of life after several years of disappointment under Paul Guenther. They finally get back to the playoffs, and Derek Carr gets his 1st playoff start in his 9th season. GOAT.

Chargers – 8-9 – Too many holes to fill in one offseason, too much uncertainty around the coaching staff and getting everyone on the same page. They will flash at times, but will lack consistency to make the playoffs in 2021. Justin Herbert shines, Keenan Allen has another strong campaign, but the rest of the pieces on O and all 3 levels on defense leave a bit to be desired.

Broncos – 6-11 – Another year, another new QB starting in Denver makes for another year of up and down offensive output, mostly down. Denver does have some weapons to throw to, I’m just not sure they have the QB situation to fully utilize them.

AFCW MVP – Patrick Mahomes, easily.

AFCW Offense POY – Travis Kelce, easily.

AFCW Defensive POY – Justin Simmons edges out Derwin James.

AFCW Offensive ROY – Not many to choose from here, but Javonte Williams should be in for a nice season only sharing carries with MGIII and Mike Boone out for the season. A few quality rookie OL throughout the division, but don’t typically get the shiny hardware.

AFCW Defensive ROY – Trevon Moehrig gets the INT’s necessary to edge out Surtain and Samuel, Jr.

Just a casual reminder that my Predicktions for the AFCW have been pretty spot on for a number of years. I do tend to miss on one team but only one, and outside of 2017, it is never the Raiders. So think of that as you proceed to tell me how wrong I am.

Enjoy the season. Fuck your teams.

Muddled State Contributor Appreciation Post…. per Balls

In the 2nd edition of Balls’ sappy MS Appreciation posts, I want to recognize to more OG’s. Two that were crucial in the process of migrating from ESPN to Facebook, to Shootgap, and finally to MuddledState. They might not be here much anymore, or even at all, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be grateful for them getting us here. They’re Broncos fans, but for a week or two maybe we can look past that.

TheDudeAbides and McNutty… thanks for all your past, present, and future contributions to MuddledState. You are good dudes and without your efforts, we might never made it away from the dreadful AFC West Facebook Fan Page (Yikes!).

Thanks again. FO!

Muddled State Contributor Appreciation Post…. per Balls

“We are in the NFL offseason folks, the dog days of summer. While I do still fully expect the Denver Broncos to be in the news for the Aaron Rodgers trade sweepstakes in the coming weeks, it should be pretty uneventful in NFL news for the next several weeks otherwise.

I haven’t been contributing much, which is good for my personal life, but not so more for my alter ago, Balls from Muddled State. First of all, thank you everyone that keeps this place fun for the time we want to get away from our “normal lives.” This community has been such a good escape, a brotherhood of a bunch of odd ducks from all walks of life here in the US of A. We disagree sometimes, usually respectfully, but we all share many core values including family and football.

I am going to re-dedicate myself as a contributor to this joint for a couple months, not because my football team warrants it, but I think this community warrants it. I intend to post about some/most/maybe all of the folks that make this joint what it is, in appreciation posts.

The first contributor I’d like to thank, is one of the main life bloods that keeps MS going: Sir Robb Fett.

Robb, you might not even see this because your lame ass is never here anymore, but thank you. Without you, this community might have been dead in the water after the ESPN/Facebook era. You helped get us through not only those transitions, but then ShootGap and now MuddledState. That was over 10 years ago. Not a “thanks for getting us through the last 6 months, or a year,” this is a thank you for the last 10+ years of going the extra mile for a couple dozen random schmuck’s from the interwebs.

Your witty, passive aggressive, asshole-ish posts have undoubtedly ruffled many of feathers here, but your overall generosity has not gone unnoticed. Now, put your personal life priorities aside, and come home…. to MuddledState. We need you here, I need you on Fortnite, Lord needs you in the bedroom. Come back to us.

Thank you, Robb.”

-Balls, probably

Weekly Grades and Game Predictions

“No athlete is truly tested until they’ve stared an injury in the face and come out on the other side stronger than ever.”

That could be the mantra for the entire NFL but the AFC West was hit pretty hard too. This week in football we saw so many injuries that it felt like some teams gave up on themselves. I am proud to say that is not the case in the AFC West. Team suffered key loses and still fought to the end. It was really great to see.

GRADES

Chiefs
The Chiefs, like all of the other teams in the Division had to deal with injuries. Sammy Watkins, Frank Clark, Darrell Williams and Antonio Hamilton all left the game and did not return. Patrick Mahomes was the offense in the game going 27 of 47 (57%) for 302 yards and 2 touchdowns. He was also the leading rusher with 6 carries for 54 yards. Rookie Clyde Edwards-Helaire was held in check with 10 carries for 38 yards and 6 receptions for 32 yards. Tyreek Hill had 5 receptions for 99 yards and a touchdown. The defense was just ok with 2 sacks, 4.5 tackles for loss and 1 interception. The player of the game was Harrison Butker. He was asked to hit a 53 yarder in overtime and did. There was a penalty on the play, move him back 5 yards. He then hit a 58 yards. No good, a timeout was called. He then hit the 58 yarder again. Ice in his veins, BRAVO!!! The Chiefs won on the road but did it against a rookie quarterback and needed overtime to get it done.

Grade: C+

Chargers
The Chargers got hit hard again this week. Starting Quarterback Tyron Taylor was a scratch right before the start of the game with a chest injury. Bryan Bulaga, Rayshawn Jenkins and Justin Jones left the game and did not return. Justin Herbert stepped in and went 22 of 33 (66%) for 311 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception. He also rushed 4 times for 18 yards and 1 touchdown. Austin Ekeler was the leading rusher with 16 carries for 93 yards. He also had 4 receptions for 55 yards. Keenan Allen had 7 receptions for 96 yards. The defense played ok recording 1 sack and 2 tackles for loss. Overall, the Chargers gave the defending champs all they could handle taking them to overtime. It was a good showing.

Grade: B-

Broncos
The Broncos got hit hard yet again. Starting Quarterback Drew Lock went down with a shoulder injury. Cortland Sutton was lost for the season with a torn ACL. Dre’Mont Jones and DeMarcus Walker were also injured and did not return. Jeff Driskel came in and went 18 of 34 (53%) 256 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. Melvin Gordon had 19 carries for 70 yards. Cortland Sutton had 3 receptions for 66 yards. The defense played better than expected an had 1 sack, 5 tackles for loss and 1 interception. The offensive line flat out sucked and gave up 7 sacks and 13 tackles for loss. Overall the Broncos played better than expected but it was not quite good enough.

Grade: C

Raiders
The Raiders had a few injuries. Richie Incognito left the game with an Achilles injury and did not return. The scariest moment was watching Johnathan Abram ran into a cart that was near the field on a goal-line play. He did return. Derek Carr played lights out going 28 of 38 (73%) for 282 yards and 3 touchdowns. Josh Jacobs rushed 27 times for 88 yards and 3 receptions for 17 yards. Darren Waller had 12 receptions for 103 yards and a touchdown. The defense was flat out horrible with no sacks, no tackles for loss and 1 interception. Daniel Carlson was perfect yet again hitting 2 field goals and 4 extra points. Overall the Raiders wanted it more and earned a fantastic win in their home opener at the newly built “Death Star”.

Grade: B+

PREDICTIONS

Las Vegas Raiders at New England Patriots
Going to the East Coast to play The Patriots after a bad lose for them to the Seahawks. Some will say that the Raiders have the momentum. I would say going against The Hoodie after a loss is no bueno. The Raiders will keep it close but in the end they will fall short to Newton and company.

Patriots 34 Raiders 28

Spread: +6 Raiders

Over/Under: 48

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Denver Broncos
Tom Brady is coming to town with a chip on his shoulder. Denver had his number when he was in New England, will that work now? With all of the injuries and the Bucs finding their running game with Leonard Fournette, this does not look good for the Broncos.

Buccaneers 27 Broncos 17

Spread: +6 Broncos

Over/Under: 43

Carolina Panthers at Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers are playing some pretty good football. They are also finding out that Justin Herbert is a pretty good player. The Panthers lost their best player in Christian McCaffrey for a month or two. That does not bold well for them coming to Los Angeles.

Chargers 24 Panthers 17

Spread: -6.5 Chargers

Over/Under: 43.5

Kansas City Chiefs at Baltimore Ravens
Another fantastic Monday Night matchup, I love it! The last two league MVPs going toe to toe. This one will be a barn burner coming down to which defense steps up and makes a play. Baltimore is hitting on all cylinders right now and this is in their house.

Ravens 31 Chiefs 27

Spread: +3.5 Chiefs

Over/Under: 53

Week 2: 2-1 Season: 5-2

“Most people give up just when they’re about to achieve success. They quit on the one yard line. They give up at the last minute of the game one foot from a winning touchdown.”
– Ross Perot

Most of you young pups know nothing about the man who ran one of the most successful independent races for President. As journalist Paul Burka wrote in Texas Monthly, “Perot is the candidate of the disaffected, the disenchanted, the fed up: the people whose contempt for politics has passed beyond cynicism to despair.”

Here’s to another great week of football, Cheers!

Weekly Grades and Game Predictions

Well…… what a great weekend of football. The division did pretty damn well (Sorry Broncos) overall. Considering we had no pre-season games and all of the rookies that started in the division, we saw some really good football.

Here are the grades for week one and the predictions for week two in the 101st season of the NFL (Fuck all of you for thinking I was at the first game).

GRADES

Chiefs

Here is a terrifying thought, the Chiefs offense is even more explosive with the running game they now have. Andy Reid has to be absolutely loving this. Rookies running back Clyde Edwards-Halaire exploded in his first game with 138 rushing yards rushing and 1 touchdown. Patrick Mahomes was 24 of 32 passes (75%) for 211 yards and 3 touchdowns. The defense racked up 4 sacks, 3 tackles for loss and 1 interception. Harrison Butker was perfect with 2 field-goals and 4 extra points. This is what a complete team looks like (I just threw-up on my laptop)

Grade: A+

Chargers

When you score 16 points on the road with a new quarterback after losing your best defensive player and still find a way to win, that says something about the team. Austin Ekeler led the team with 84 yards on 19 carries while rookie running back Joshua Kelly contributed 60 yards rushing on 12 carries and a touchdown. Tyrod Taylor completed 16 of 30 passes (53%) for 208 yards. Hunter Henry led the team with 5 receptions for 73 yards. The defense had 3 sacks, 6 tackles for loss and 1 interception. Michael Badgley hit 3 of 4 field-goals and his sole extra point. Overall it was a solid performance with the defense leading the way.

Grade: B-

Raiders

Going on the road to the East Coast and getting a win is a great way to start the season for the Raiders. Josh Jacobs is a flat out monster! He had 93 rushing yards on 25 carries and 3 touchdowns to go with 4 receptions and 46 yards. Rookie receiver Henry Ruggs had 3 receptions for 55 yards to lead the team and 2 carries for 11 yards. Derek Carr complete 22 of 30 passes (73%) for 239 yards and a touchdown. The defense had 1 sack and 2 tackles for loss but came up with two huge stops in the 4th quarter when it mattered the most. Daniel Carlson was perfect with 2 field-goals and 4 extra points. The offense was great, the defense not so much.

Grade: B+

Broncos

Starting the season at home is great. Playing without your best offensive and defensive players, not so much. To top it off, Bradley Chubb is not 100% coming off knee surgery and Phillip Lindsay and AJ Bouye both went down early in the game. New edition Melvin Gordon had 15 carries for 78 yards and a touchdown to go with 3 receptions for 8 yards. Drew Lock completed 22 of 33 passes (66%) for 216 Yards and a touchdown. Noah Fant led the team with 5 receptions for 81 yards and a touchdown while rookie Jerry Jeudy had 4 receptions for 56 yards (with 2 big drops). This game was not as close as the score and the Broncos have a lot of work to do to get this thing turned around.

Grade: C-

PREDICTIONS

Denver Broncos at Pittsburgh Steelers

Most times game this early in the season don’t mean much, this one does for the Broncos. They cannot start the season 0-2. Unfortunately they are the walking wounded right now and heading to the East Coast to play a team the has their leader back in Ben Roethlisberger. With all the injuries and going up against this defense, things are not looking good for the Broncos.

Steelers 31 Broncos 20

Spread: +7.5 Broncos

Over/Under: 41.5

Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Chargers

Division games are always great and even better at the start of the season. This one however is not going to be very nice. The Chiefs are one of if not the most complete teams in the NFL, the Chargers, not so much. I think the Chargers will play hard but won’t be able to slow down this monster for the mid-west.

Chiefs 38 Chargers 17

Spread: +9 Chargers

Over/Under: 47.5

New Orleans Saint st Las Vegas Raiders

So excited for the very first game at home for the Las Vegas Raiders in their new stadium AKA The Death Star. Unfortunately it is against a first ballot Hall of Fame quarterback in Drew Brees. The Raiders offense is good enough to win this game, the defense, not so much. This could be a true barn burner.

Saints 34 Raiders 27

Spread: +6 Raiders

Over/Under: 50

Week 1: 3-1

A great NFL saying is simplicity itself: You are never as good or as bad as you looked in week one. This year that takes on an even bigger meaning considering there were no OTAs, mini-camp or pre-season games. By week 3-4 we will start to see some serious improvement in play on both side of the ball.

Sit back, relax and enjoy the ride! We are only getting started.

AFC West New Updates

Well, we are 8 weeks out to the start of the season. Pre-season football has been cut to only two weeks because of the corona virus. Oakley, has developed a face shield to help protect the players from the virus. The NFL seems to be doing all it can to ensure the season not only happens but starts on time. With cases increasing throughout the country, we can only hope that it does not effect the season (I am starting to think it will).

With all of the craziness, we do have some interesting news in the division staring with the Division and Super Bowl Champion, Kansas City Chiefs (I just threw up in my mouth typing that). Let’s rock and roll!

Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs sign QB Mahomes to a 10 year contract for record breaking money: https://www.si.com/nfl/chiefs/news/breaking-patrick-mahomes-signs-10-year-contract-extension-with-kansas-city-chiefs

If one big contract is good than two is better. The Chiefs sign DT Jones to a four year contract extension: https://www.nfl.com/news/chris-jones-chiefs-agree-on-four-year-85-million-contract

The Chiefs have invested some serious money in both their offensive and defensive lead players. They are going to be a very formitable team over the next few years. FUCK THE CHIEFS!!!

Denver Broncos
With social distancing in mind and the NFL setting standards on how many fans can attend games, the Broncos are one of the first teams to announce they will be refunding season ticket holder a full refund: https://kdvr.com/sports/denver-broncos/denver-broncos-offer-refunds-for-2020-season-ticket-holders/

The Broncos and FS Simmons fail to reach a long term contract and he will play this year on the Franchise Tag: https://www.9news.com/article/sports/nfl/denver-broncos/mike-klis/wait-til-next-year-justin-simmons-declines-broncos-long-term-offer-will-play-2020-on-one-year-114-million-salary/73-41e1ad7f-4c1f-4c53-9825-e989c19783ef

Elway has been great at getting long term deals done with franchise tagged players but for the first time he did not accomplish his goal. The virus had quite a bit to do with this. With that said, FUCK THE BRONCOS!!!

Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers failed to agree with TE Henry on a long term contract so he will play on the Franchise Tag: https://www.nfl.com/news/chargers-te-hunter-henry-to-play-2020-on-franchise-tag

The Chargers will be faced with a big decision next year after DE Garrett signed a HUGE contract this year and DE Bosa being a free agent next year: https://boltbeat.com/2020/07/14/chargers-myles-garrett-extension-bad-news-joey-bosa/

The Chargers defense should be really good this year. The biggest question is what will the offense be with QB Rivers leaving and who will be the starting signal caller. FUCK THE CHARGERS!!!

Las Vegas Raiders
Raiders make an offer to Free Agent DE Jadeveon Clowney: https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/07/08/report-raiders-make-offer-to-free-agent-jadeveon-clowney/

Rookie WR Edwards is working out in Vegas with QB Carr and looks really good. He did not run at the Combine because of a foot injury but that looks to be behind him: https://www.fanduel.com/theduel/posts/video-raiders-rookie-looking-great-in-offseason-workout-with-derek-carr-01ed1rppv2h6

The Raiders wide receivers were a weakness last year. I think this year will be different and QB Carr will put up numbers to keep him in the MVP conversation all year. GO RAIDERS!!!

Politics, Covid-19, BLM and Police Brutality. These issues need to be addressed but we need football and we need it now if only to give us something else to talk about. Let’s hope we have a season and maybe a little piece of mind.