Football: NFC South Up For Grabs, Buccaneers Favorite?

Jameis Winston started his NFL career kind of on a sour-note.  He completed nine of 19 passes for 131 yards and threw an interception in a loss to the Minnesota Vikings in the team’s first preseason game.

However, we all know Winston is only a rookie,  so head coach Lovie Smith and the coaching staff won’t ask the former Heisman Trophy winner to do too much. But Winston will have some of his “Famous Jameis” moments, as I like to call them, whether good or bad.

Let’s just hope this offensive line doesn’t force him to do too much either.

Offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter should have enough weapons around Winston to put together a consistent scoring threat, assuming Winston gets proper protection up-front.

The only question mark is who will be running the ball,  but the sudden controversy has re-invegered former first-round pick Doug Martin.  He is the “lead running-back,” according to Smith.

“[He is] Definitely a key for us,” Smith told the Tampa Bay Times. “We talked about being able to establish the run. Doug will be the lead guy doing that, so it’s very important that we open up some holes and let him do his thing.”

With Smith being the defensive-minded coach that he is, a lot will be asked of a defense that includes top-five defensive tackle Gerald McCoy.  When McCoy is healthy some would say he resembles Hall Of Famer Warren Sapp.

The former Oklahoma Sooner averaged 8.5 sacks in 13 games last season, and averaged 9.5 in 2013 when he was healthy.  Hoping that McCoy stays injury-free, he should be a terror for opposing offensive linemen this season.

The Buccaneers play in the NFC South, a division that saw it’s champion finish with a 7-8-1 record. That team was the Carolina Panthers, and with wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin out for the season with a torn ACL, Cam Newton will be forced to find other options in their title defense.

The Saints have a solid defense but gave away their offensive weapon in Jimmy Graham to the Seattle Seahawks.  Drew Brees is still a top quarterback, but with limited options on offense don’t expect them to make much noise.

That leaves just the Buccaneers and the Atlanta Falcons.  The big three that is Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and Roddy White are a handful when they are all on the same page.  As for the Falcons’ defense, it’s hit or miss.

Bus’ defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier hopes to built from last year, where the defense ranked 14th in the second half of the season.  The secondary will be a work in progress throughout the season.

With that being said, the Buccaneers have a legitimate chance to surprise some people and win the the NFC South.  When you actually think about it, who is in their way?

I’m not saying the Buccaneers will win the division, but don’t be surprised if they are still in the hunt come late December.

Tom Brady Settlement Talks At Standstill

 

Tom Brady did not attend practice with his team today, the New England Patriots,  in order to prepare for his federal court hearing with Judge Richard M. Berman on Wednesday.

The NFL and NFLPA have been at a “standstill” regarding Brady’s role in Deflate-gate.  Judge Berman has been reluctant to include himself in such discussions and told both parties they need to come to a “common ground.”

The league wants Brady to serve a four-game suspension on top of the $1 million fine they levied on the team, but the Super Bowl MVP doesn’t want anything less than a fine.

A settlement between the NFL and NFLPA seems unlikely, so Judge Berman will eventually have to make a ruling on the case. Tomorrow’s hearing will provide a timeline for when a decision could be made.

[ProFootballTalk]

UCLA 4-Star Recruit Cordell Broadus Quits Football

Cordell Broadus, son of rapper Snoop Dogg, has made the decision to end his football career early after enrolling into UCLA this past summer.

Broadus was a four-star recruit out of Bishop Gorman Las Vegas and would have been an incoming freshman, but hadn’t reported to UCLA’s fall camp in San Bernardino , which started on Monday.

According to sources, he hadn’t contacted the UCLA staff or players informing them of his decision.

Broadus, who was pushed to play football by his father was considering quitting once entering college.  It was just a matter of time before he ” wanted to do his own thing” which did not involve football at all.

It something about rapper’s kids and UCLA. P. Diddy’s son Justin Combs also plays for the Bruins.

[Scout.com]

 

Jets To Look At ex-Patriots quarterback Matt Flynn

After a 23-3 loss to the Detroit Lion on Thursday, the New York Jets announced they will work out ex-New England Patriots quarterback Matt Flynn.

Free agent QB Matt Flynn is working out for the #Jets today, source said. Had spent the early part of camp with the #Patriots.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 14, 2015

Geno Smith, the Jets presumed starter for the season, is out six to 10 weeks after having surgery on his broken jaw.  The Jets passed for a combined 56 yards with rookie draft pick Bryce Petty handling most of the offense.

Flynn has been dealing with an elbow injury and did not get to see the field in New England.  The assumption is Flynn will just be a band-aid until preseason is over, where the Jets hope with Ryan Fitzpatrick or Petty will be ready for the season opener.

The seven-year veteran has played for three teams which includes the Oakland Raiders, Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks.  He has a career completion percentage of 61.3%.

[NFL.com]

T.Y Hilton And Colts Agree To Extension

The Indianapolis Colts and wide receiver T.Y Hilton have reached an agreement on a five-year extension.

Colts gave WR T.Y. Hilton a five-year, $65 million deal, per source.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 13, 2015

“It’s a great day for the Indianapolis Colts, T.Y. Hilton and his family,” Colts general manager Ryan Grigson said in a statement. “We’re extremely happy as an organization to ensure that T.Y. will continue to be a part of our journey for many years to come. His daily excellence on and off the field is a shining example of an individual striving for greatness and what it truly means to be a Colt.”

Hilton’s $39 million guaranteed is nearly twice as much money as any other player on the team.  Quarterback Andrew Luck is second in that category at $22.1 million guaranteed.

The four-year veteran had his best statistical season last year, catching seven touchdown passes for 1.,345 yards and caught 82 passes. The performance earned him his first Pro Bowl selection.

Now that Hilton is paid, it will be interesting to see the dynamic duo of him and Andre Johnson.