Best of 2020: Top Sports Moments

Today I have my top five sports moments of the year.

Again, I could have gone cliché and picked the obvious choices. I mean, in early March all of the sports shut down. It was a wrap. No March Madness, the NBA season stopped, the MLB never really got started, the NHL stopped, pro soccer was postponed, golf, hell, even NASCAR had to stop for a while. Football, both professionally and at the collegiate level, had months to be prepared, yet they did nothing. They have had multiple postponements and cancellations. It has been a mess. These are the moments I will remember most from 2020, but I like these lists to be about good things, things that made me happy or excited as a sports fan. I don't want it to be all doom and gloom. We do enough of that on the podcast. And I was successfully able to get a top five list of pretty great sports moments of 2020. I will always look back at this year with a wince when it comes to sports, but the five things I picked will help put a smile on my face.

Coming in at number five I have the Chiefs winning the Super Bowl. They have the best QB in the game right now. They made a habit of getting down big in the playoffs last year, and mounting pretty amazing comebacks, and the Super Bowl was no exception. For three plus quarters the game was pretty boring, and it looked like the 49ers were going to win an ugly game. Then Patrick Mahomes and Deangelo Williams and Andy Reid woke up and mounted yet another double digit comeback effort. It was pretty cool to see Mahomes do the things he does regularly on the biggest stage. I loved seeing the 49ers flop, I have never been a fan, and I was stoked for Andy Reid to finally get that ring. I am not a Chiefs fan, but I have a good amount of friends who are, and as always, I was happy for them. The Chiefs are going to be a force to be reckoned with for a while now too. They are a great team, and it started this year with a Super Bowl win.

At number four I have Sarah Fuller being the first woman to kick for a division 1 power five conference football team. She made her debut kicking off against Mizzou. She then kicked an extra point in the very next game. This is a humongous deal. The fact that a woman got into a legitimate D-1 football game is a humongous first step, with many more to come, towards equality in sports. Women are just as good as men, sometimes even better. The fact that Vanderbilt realized this, put her in the game and let her play was awesome. I am in awe of what Fuller was able to do. Add on the fact that it was within such a masculine sport, more props to her. This is so cool. I am all about fair play and playing the person who is the best, no matter the gender or anything else. Fuller was clearly the best person they had to kick for them, so they let her do it and she succeeded. I hope she gets to do it again next season when it will be a little more like a "regular" season. But this was cool and a great step in equality in all D-1 sports.

The top 3 moments are all NBA. Just letting you all know.

At number three I have the new format of the All Star game. Having captains of teams is cool, the "draft" is fun, although it is more for show than anything else, and letting fans vote is still super important. But the addition of making it more competitive towards the end of the game, and giving the money to charity, that is the cherry on top. When this game got down to the final quarter, when it was all ramped up, this was like watching a playoff game. It was, for all intents and purposes, the greatest pickup game of basketball anyone could ever imagine, behind only the Dream Team scrimmages. Players bought in, super stars were fighting and struggling for every point, rebound and assist. Players were locking in defensively. It was so cool to see these guys go so hard in an all star game. Most all star games are a glorified scrimmage, but this was not when they got into the fourth quarter. I loved it, I was on the edge of my seat at the end. And I don't even care that it ended on free throw shots. Hell, if anything, when AD missed the first one, I was more nervous for him. I know there is no all star game this year, for many very good reasons. But when we get back to some kind of normalcy in the sports world, I hope the NBA keeps this new format, which I am sure they will.

At number two I have the NBA bubble. This was a massive, massive success from the NBA, and all the people involved. When they had to shut down the league on March 11th, I had no idea, as with everyone else I imagine, when or if they would come back, and how they would do it. When this bubble idea came up, I was intrigued, but had many questions. The NBA answered them all. Players and staff had daily tests, they couldn't leave their resort hotels, they could only hang out with the people on their teams, when teams got beat they had to leave immediately. Everything they did worked. They had zero positive tests in the three plus months they were there. I know it was a physical and mental strain on the players there, but the NBA proved they could get the season done, and do it without anyone getting COVID. And I bought that there were fans in the stands when I heard the pumped in crowd noise while watching from my home. The ratings may not have been as great as everyone was hoping, but I watched a ton of the games and all of the playoffs and I enjoyed every single second of it. I was so impressed that they pulled it off.

But the NBA did do one thing better than the bubble, coming in as my top sports moment of 2020, was the NBA players strike. Jacob Blake, an unarmed black man, was shot by a white police officer even though he did nothing wrong at all. This happens all too often in our society, and it needs to stop. To all those "All Lives Matter" dummies out there, all lives cannot matter until Black Lives Matter. That is what we all have been saying for so long now. The Blake shooting was the straw that broke the camel's back for the NBA players, especially the players for the Bucks. Blake is from Milwaukee, and plenty of Bucks players have been very vocal about police brutality and police officers aggressiveness towards African Americans. They decided, as a team, without telling any media members, that they were going to not play in their playoff game that night. This set it off. The Magic quickly followed suit. Then the Thunder and Rockets protested their game that night. Then the entire NBA decided they were protesting. The NHL followed suit. Some NASCAR drivers did the same. MLB players and teams decided they were going to join the protests. This made the whole world stop and look, but it was the NBA, and more importantly, the Milwaukee Bucks that started this movement. We are sick and tired of all the BS and brutality and actions of people in power. It is intensified when professional athletes, especially super stars, let everyone else know this. The fact that, along with the entire Bucks team, LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, Jamaal Murray, Donovan Mitchell and so many, many more old and young stars stood up for what they believed in, and did this protest was truly amazing. I love the NBA. I always have, and I always will. Seeing this, seeing all these teams and players band together and fight for what they believe in, this moved me in a way that sports never has before. I was so proud to be a fan of the NBA when they protested. It made me so happy and so glad and showed me that these guys are people too, and they are sick and tired of all the nonsense. I don't know that any other sports moment will live up to this one in my lifetime. I am very happy I got to see this as it happened, and I am forever grateful to everyone who used their platform to make this protest happen. This was a truly amazing, once in a lifetime moment.

That's it for sports. Come back tomorrow for my top 5 podcasts/podcast episodes of the year.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty's Thoughts on The Chief's, a Team from Missouri, Big Super Bowl Win

The Kansas City Chiefs are the Super Bowl champs.

Oh, and by the way, they play in Kansas City, Missouri, for any idiots out there that may have tweeted a congratulations last night, and saying what a great example they are for the state of Kansas. What a giant, colossal moron. I mean, my 8 year old even knows they are in Missouri. What are we becoming as a country?

Anyway, I am here to break down the game today.

So, for the first three and a half quarters, this Super Bowl was almost as dull as last year. It was a sloppily played game, that featured nothing of excitement. This is exactly what the 49ers wanted as well. They were in total control of this game right after they tied it at 10. The Chiefs took an early lead, at 7-3, but the 49ers kind of took over after that. They were running the ball like they have all post season, Jimmy Garroppollo was making the easy throws, of which his receivers would turn into solid gains and their defense was suffocating the Chiefs offense. I was a little confused as to why the 49ers didn't try to, at the very least, get a field goal before halftime. They had all three of their timeouts, they were rolling and this was their chance to deliver a crucial blow to the Chiefs hopes. And even when they completed that big pass to George Kittle, it was nullified by his dumbass for pushing off. He one hundred percent interfered with the defender. I'm tired of hearing 49ers fans saying they were robbed by this one call. He offensive pass interfered, full stop. But even without using their timeouts, and trying to get a late first half score, they still came out and scored 10 points pretty easily, and seemed destined to win this game 20-10. They couldn't be stopped, their defense was clutch and Patrick Mahomes was having one of his worst games as a pro.

Then, with about 6 and a half minutes left, something switched. The Chiefs were faced with a third and 15, and I think we all kind of thought they were done. Then Mahomes whipped a 44 yard pass to a streaking receiver, and they scored four plays later, and this was a game. The Chiefs had that second chance they were looking for all game. They got the explosive play that they needed to propel themselves to the finish line. After that 44 yard throw, Mahomes was a different QB. Oh, and when the Chiefs scored to make it a three point game late in the fourth, the defense stepped the hell up. Also, the 49ers play calling, I'm looking at you "boy wonder" Kyle Shanahan, was wild. They tried to run, but KC was stacking the box, and actually, for once last night, stopping the run, thus forcing Garroppollo to beat them. And, he did not deliver. Jimmy Garroppollo is a fine game manager, but he is not the type of QB that can go out and win you a game. Sorry to break the news to you 49ers fans, but you know it's true. He didn't show any of that during the first two playoff games, and when he was needed most last night, he threw errant passes, some of which turned into picks. When the Chiefs got the ball back with about 3 and a half minutes left, I knew it was a wrap. Mahomes led them right down the field for the go ahead TD, and he made it look easy. This is what makes Mahomes great. He never got flustered during the first three quarters. He knew he was having a rough game, but he kept his head into it, never got too down on himself, and after he completed his long pass, he had that spark he needed to finish it off. He is the best QB in the league, hands down. I really like how quickly the Chiefs got the ball back very late, and let Damien Williams finish the game off for them as well.

The 49ers blew their chance at a Super Bowl, and who knows if they can get back. The NFC is very tough, and they play in a very good division. But, I'm happy for Andy Reid, and I think this could be the beginning of the Patrick Mahomes, and Chiefs, dynasty. They have the main guys coming back, they are young and they are the most explosive team in the NFL. They also exorcised any playoff demons Reid may have had, and the Chiefs franchise may have had. Also, the AFC is easier to get through.

I'm glad the Chiefs won, it was nice to see Mahomes get the MVP and I'm stoked for Andy Reid. Now I say to all my football fans out there, we better get used to seeing this team be a contender for a long, long time. Last night felt like the start of something big for the Chiefs.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty's 2016 NFL Playoff Predictions

Ready to tee up with the playoffs

The NFL playoffs are set, and I'm here to tell you who I think will walk away as Super Bowl 51 champs. I was obviously wrong in my preseason predictions. The Panthers, and Cam Newton, had an atrocious season. They looked pretty bad all year long. I was way, way off on that one. I was right about the Patriots though. I did not think Brady's suspension was going to affect them that much, and it didn't. They went 3-1 without him and 11-1 with him, giving the Patriots the best overall record in the league at, 14-2. I was off on the Cowboys though. I thought they would not be good, no matter who the starting QB was, but they have a tremendous offensive line, and Ezekial Elliot and Dak Prescott played like seasoned vets all year. Will it happen in the playoffs? We will have to wait and see. With all that being said, lets get to how I see this playoff playing out.

I'll start with the AFC. From 6 to 1, we have Miami, Oakland, Houston, Pittsburgh, Kansas City and New England. Only 2 of these teams, in my opinion, have a legit shot to go to the Super Bowl. The Wild Card matchups in the AFC will be Miami vs Pittsburgh and Oakland vs Houston.

Miami has had an okay season, but they have not beaten anybody all that decent this season. They might have the shadiest 10 wins in all the NFL. They have a good defense, but not great. Their offense, especially with Ryan Tannehill out, who I do not think is that much better than Blake Bortles anyway, is not very good. They have excellent receivers, but with Matt Moore leading the offense, it doesn't matter. Jay Ajayi exploded in the middle of the year, but since then, he has been average. The Steelers, on the other hand, have a lethal offense. Even though he is a horrible, god awful human being, Ben Roesthelisberger can still sling it, and he always gets help from the refs. He has his whole career. LeVeon Bell is one of the best running backs in the league. Antonio Brown is one of the best receivers in the league. The Steelers have a decent offensive line. Where they struggle is defense. They get gashed a lot. But, with Matt Moore being the QB, and Ajayi coming down to Earth, I do not see the Steelers short comings on defense giving the Dolphins a shot in this game. Steelers win this game fairly easily, 28-14.

The other game would have been a blowout, had Derek Carr not broken his leg 2 weeks ago. I still think the Raiders are better, but that was a crushing loss to this team. The Raiders now have to rely on either Connor Cook or Matt McGloin. Yeesh. They still have Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree and Latavius Murray, but no Derek Carr is brutal. Their defense, while Swiss cheese at times, has played better lately. They did not look great yesterday, but they have stepped up since earlier this season. Houston is a laughingstock. They do not belong in the playoffs at all. They are more bogus than the Dolphins, but since they are in such a crappy division, they get to go to the playoffs with only 9 wins. They have no offense, except DeAndre Hopkins. But, he barely sees the ball since both Osweiler and Tom Savage are mediocre. They also have no running game and their defense is a joke. As I said, the Raiders will win, but this game will be ugly. Final score of 13-3.

So that would pit the Steelers vs the Chiefs and the Raiders vs the Patriots. These should be good matchups. I think the Steelers-Chiefs game could be great. I think the Chiefs will pull out the win, but it will be tough. The Chiefs have a better overall team, and their defense is much better than Pittsburgh's. I also think that the Chiefs will be able to hold onto the ball and run at will against the Steelers, thus making the Steelers strength, their offense, moot. Andy Reid will not blow this chance, and he will pull out a hard fought victory, 21-17.

The other game is going to be a bloodbath. The Patriots, after Brady's suspension, are out for blood. They want to destroy anyone in their way so that Roger Goodell has to hand them the Lombardi trophy. Unfortunately for the Raiders, without Derek Carr, they will be the Patriots first victim. Sure, the Patriots do not have the best defense, but it is serviceable, especially against a team without their star QB. And this Patriots offense is surgical. Brady picks apart secondary's. He has made guys like Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola household names. He's doing the same with Chris Hogan and Malcom Mitchell this year. They also seem to have limitless options at running back. They can go with Legarette Blount for power, James White for speed and Dion Lewis for a bit of everything. And even though they lost Gronk to injury, they have Martellus Bennett, and he is awesome, and very tall. The Patriots are ready to beat the shit out of some people. I have the Patriots winning big, 34-10.

That would give us a Chiefs-Patriots AFC Championship. This will be a good game. The Chiefs are the one team in the AFC that can compete with this Patriots team. They have guys that can shut down the Patriots skill players, but they do not have any real game changers, except maybe Tyreek Hill, on offense to score with the Patriots. I think it will be a very good game, maybe even come down to the wire like last year, but Andy Reid will rear his ugly head at some point, and Belichek will capitalize, as he always does. This will be a low scoring, hard fought Patriots win, 20-13. The Patriots will represent the AFC in Super Bowl 51.

As far as the NFC goes, the seeding from 6 to 1 goes, Detroit, New York, Green Bay, Seattle, Atlanta and Dallas. I legitimately feel like almost any one of these teams can make a run to the Super Bowl, and yes, I am including the Lions in the discussion.

The Wild Card matchups will feature the Lions vs the Seahawks and the Giants vs the Packers. The Lions are an enigma. This team had no business even being competitive this season, especially after Calvin Johnson retired. They had no running game. Stafford had never put it all together. The defense is good, but spends too much time on the field. But, somehow they managed to get 9 wins and make the playoffs. The Seahawks have been incredibly inconsistent all year. At times they look like the clear cut favorites, at other times, they look mediocre at best. They have a good defense, but they are not what they were 2 years ago, and they are missing some key pieces. They also do not get pressure like they used to. The offense is very average. Russell Wilson has not taken that next step towards the upper echelon of starting QB's. He may be hurt, but he just does not look like the guy that many thought he would turn out to be after the Seahawks won 2 years ago. I think he is a better version of Colin Kaepernick, but not by much. Their offensive line stinks. They cannot protect the QB, and they do not open up running lanes. They have good receivers, like Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse, but they lost Tyler Lockett to a broken leg, and now they have no deep threat. They have also never really figured out how to use Jimmy Graham. He has become a mid tier tight end since the trade. With that being said, the game is in Seattle, so I do think the Seahawks will win, but it will be a very ugly game, much like the majority of the NFL this year. It will also be very low scoring, with a final of 10-6.

The other matchup, being a Packers fan, is my nightmare. I hate the Giants, and it is because they always seem to pull out some miraculous win, no matter how bad Eli Manning plays, or where the game is played. My only hope this season though, Tom Coughlin is gone, and Bob McAdoo is the coach, and he is as predictable as they come. Green Bay is also on a roll right now. Aaron Rodgers, after his selfish calling out of his teammates, has played lights out. So has Jordy Nelson and Davante Adams. Ty Montgomery has been a revelation. The offensive line is clicking. Hell, even the defense is playing better during their 6 game win streak. I'm always nervous when the Packers have to play the Giants though. I bad mouthed McAdoo, but Mike McCarthy is just as bad, possibly worse at times, but I do think the Packers will pull out the win. They have a better team, with much better skill players(yes, I think the duo of Nelson/Adams is better than Cruz/Beckham Jr), and I think Eli will make a big mistake. I have the Packers winning 28-23.

So that would give us second round matchups of Seattle-Atlanta and Green Bay-Dallas. Atlanta should easily beat the Seahawks. They have a better QB, better receivers, a better line and a better running game. They also do not have the injuries that Seattle has. I think Matt Ryan should be the regular season MVP. He's been great. So has Julio Jones. He has been un guardable at times. He is so tall and so fast and has great hands and runs great routes. The revolving door at running back works for them, and Devonta Freeman is coming on at the right time. Atlanta is a serious threat in the NFC. I have them beating Seattle fairly easily, 24-10. It will be close for a half, but Atlanta will pull away in the second half.

The other side has Green Bay-Dallas. This is supposed to be Dallas' year, right? They have everything going for them. They have home field throughout the playoffs. They have had a dominating year on the offensive side of the ball. They have the best offensive line in all of football. Ezekial Elliot and Dak Prescott are the future. Dez Bryant is playing better without Romo. This is supposed to be the year for them Cowboys, right? I do not know if it is my blind love for the Packers, or what, but I think the Packers will beat them, and I do not think it will even be close. The Cowboys will come out hot, but this is a team led by rookies, and I don't know about you, but I'd much rather have vets like Aaron Rodgers, Jordy Nelson, Julius Peppers, Davante Adams, Clay Matthews, some of which have won a Super Bowl, than rookies leading my team in the playoffs. This is not meant to take away from Dallas' great season, but I think the moment will be a bit too big for them. They have won a lot of games, 13, but some have been very ugly, and I just think their luck is going to run out. Maybe it is my blind love, it totally is, and my hatred for the Cowboys, it is that as well, but I think the Packers will go to Jerry World and win this game. I also think they will win by 2 scores, with a final of 28-17.

So that would give us Atlanta and Green Bay in the NFC Championship. this is where the Packers win streak ends. They have no one that can guard Julio Jones, and Matt Ryan is playing so god damn great right now. This will be a very high scoring game, close to the end, but Atlanta will win, 38-35. This game is going to be filled with offensive fireworks, and Atlanta has the better weapons on offense to do just that.

Super Bowl 51 will pit Atlanta and New England. This is a pretty good matchup, or at least I think so. Both teams have so so defenses, but they each have explosive offenses. The Super Bowl will be very high scoring, but in the end, I think New England puts it away, and Goodell has to hand that trophy over to Belichek and Brady. Atlanta will keep it close for three and a half quarters, but New England, behind Legarette Blount, not Tom Brady, will put this game away in the fourth quarter. I think the Falcons will be so keyed up to stop the Patriots pass game that it will open up the run game for New England. Blount is going to have a big game. He is the best of the three running backs the Patriots use, and they will ride him to a win in the Super Bowl. I expect him to go for over 100 yards and, at least, 2 touchdowns, and win the Super Bowl MVP. Like I said, it will be close for awhile, but New England will put it away early in the fourth, and win 38-28.

There you have it, my 2017 NFL playoff preview and picks.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. With the Packers and Wolverines, 2016 saw a lot of sports heartbreak. 2017 will not be a repeat for Ty's teams. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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Ty Ranks the 2016 NFL Teams: Shirt Fresh Out of the Dryer Edition

It's a new week, so that means we are back to my NFL countdown. I started last week with the worst and worked my way all the way to 4 teams that have a legitimate shot at making the playoffs this year by the end of the week. Starting today, I have 12 total teams left, so we are near the cream of the crop of the NFL. Today, I even have some division winners. I also have a few surprise teams, based on where I have them ranked. This is the good part of the NFL. These last 12 teams are all hyper competitive, and they have full fledged stars, and up and coming super talents. Okay, on with the countdown.

Coming in at number 12, I have the Indianapolis Colts. This team was ravaged by injuries last year, namely to Andrew Luck. I really think Luck is a great NFL QB. He is going to take that next step to the upper level, and I think it will happen this season, if he stays healthy. He had a ruptured spleen last year, and you could tell just by watching that he was in some serious pain. The fact that he even played as many games as he did was remarkable. The problem with Luck though, he does take way too many chances and that causes costly errors. The Colts also don't really have a running game. Yeah, they signed Frank Gore last year, but he was past his prime a few years back. He is still serviceable, but not the threat he once was. He still grinds out tough yards, but he has no break away speed anymore, not that he ever really had any at all. Gore also doesn't have that great of a line to run behind either. They also don't protect Luck all that well, he was sacked a lot last season, when he played. What the Colts do have, besides Luck, is a decent group of wideouts. T.Y. Hilton has become a household name for NFL fans. He is a deep threat, but he is also a very good possession receiver. They also have Donte Moncrief, who is a taller version of Hilton, just not as polished yet. They also have the ageless wonder, Deion Branch at receiver. He is old, but he is still good. The Colts have names on defense, but the results are not there yet. The defense has guys like Robert Mathis, Vontae Davis and D'Qwell Jackson, who are all good, but they still give up a lot of points. If the defense can shore it up, they have the talent to be in the top 10 of the league. They do also have the best kicker, maybe in the history of the NFL, in Adam Vinateiri. He is as automatic as they come. The Colts should win their division. As I said last week, the Texans and Jaguars are coming, but the Colts still have Andrew Luck. I say they rebound from last year, go 11-5 and win the division.

At number 11, I have the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs may be the most milquetoast team in all of football, but they win games. Andy Reid is a very good regular season head coach, so this team can always put together a very competitive team, they just don't win playoff games. Alex Smith may be the best game manager QB in the NFL. He makes the check down play a bit too much, but he usually makes the right throw. He very rarely gets picked off, which is huge for this team. Jamaal Charles, when he is healthy, is one of the best backs in the league. He's fast, he's shifty and when he is the open field, forget about trying to catch him, he's gone. But, he does get injured a ton. He has torn ACL's, suffered multiple concussions and gets nicks and bruises all the time. They have a good tight end in Travis Kelce, but he is a very poor man's version of Gronk. He doesn't have the size and speed or the hands of Gronk, but he is a reliable tight end. The Chiefs finally have a good receiver in Jeremy Maclin. He is very fast and has good hands. But, much like Charles, Maclin gets hurt a lot. He also alligator arms passes sometimes, leading me to believe that he doesn't like contact. But, he is still a very good receiver. Other than Maclin though, the Chiefs are thin at receiver. On the other side of the ball, the Chiefs are very stout. They have great players on defense with guys like Derrick Williams, Donatari Poe, Eric Berry, Justin Houston, Marcus Peters and Tamba Hali, amongst others. The Chiefs defense can get pressure, stop the run and cover the pass. The Chiefs are good, but they are the third best defense in their own conference, that's the problem. The Chiefs division is very, very good. I say they finish 10-6, but that will only good enough for third and they will miss out on the playoffs.

Coming in at number 10, I have my biggest mover from last season, the Oakland Raiders. Now, before you laugh this team off, they have gotten really good the past couple of seasons, and they have done most of it through the draft. First off, I think Derek Carr is a very serviceable QB right now, but I believe that he will become one of the better QB's in the league very soon. He has a great arm, makes good choices most of the time, and finally has some threats at the skill positions. Derek Carr is one of the better draft choices that the Raiders have made in a long, long time. Another great draft pick they made happened last year when they took Amari Cooper. Cooper proved in his rookie year that he was as advertised. He does the dirty work, i.e., going over the middle and jumping up for poorly thrown balls. Cooper also has speed, runs great routes and finds open spaces all over the field. Amari Cooper is awesome. They also have Michael Crabtree, who is still a very viable receiver, when he has a good QB. At running back, they looked thin, but Latavius Murray really showed up last year when they needed a good running back. He runs hard and grinds out yards. Their offensive line is also very, quietly, good. But, this Raiders defense is on the verge of being one of the top defenses in the NFL. They are so good, so fast, attack the other team, and they aren't dirty about it anymore. The defense is led by another great draft pick, Khalil Mack. Mack is so, so good. He is a dominant linebacker. He can tackle, he can cover and he is the leader of this unit when they are on the field, and he excels at all these things. They also signed Bruce Irvin this offseason away from Seattle, and now he is teaming up with Mack. Oof, that is a devastating duo at linebacker. They also have a good defensive line and secondary, but this defense is led by the linebackers, as defenses should be. I really like what the Raiders have done, I hope they don't move to Las Vegas, and they've done most of it through the draft. This team is good, and they should win 11 games this year, and compete for a playoff spot, but it will be from the wild card. I really enjoy this Raiders team.

At number 9, which is a fall for them, I have the Seattle Seahawks. I kind of feel that the shine is off this Seahawks team. They don't seem to be as dominant as they were 2 years ago. I feel that some people on their team, Russell Wilson, have let their ego get in the way of their game. Wilson was a fine game manager, but when he was the QB of a Super Bowl championship, I feel like he got way too much credit, and he let that get to his head. you could see it in his play last year. He tried to make throws that he can't possibly make. He also started to blame everyone else on the team for his short comings. Wilson is a slightly better version of Colin Kaepernick, he just happened to be on a team with one of the greatest defenses of all time. Then, they let Marshawn Lynch essentially walk away for nothing because he and Wilson couldn't coexist. They chose the QB over, at the time, the best running back in the league. I know Lynch was hurt a lot last year, but when he was in, he was great. Then, they struck gold with Thomas Rawls, who was a revelation, but he broke his ankle. The running back position is a big, big problem for this team, and they rely on the run more than any other NFL team. At receiver, they have just okay players. Tyler Lockett and Doug Baldwin are fine, but they are just kind of blah to me. They have Jimmy Graham, but they use him more for blocking than receiving, and that is not his strength. He is not a good blocker at all, but he is an all world receiver. They need to figure out how to use him properly. Their o line stinks as well. They simply cannot protect anyone. The defense is still good, but people have figured out how to neutralize their weapons. They lost Bruce Irvin, but they still have Bobby Wagner and KJ Wright. They are fine, but they are not Bruce Irvin. They do have a good d line, with guys like Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril. They can stop the run, but their days of pressuring the QB seem to be gone. The secondary is the best part of their defense, but it is not the "Legion of Boom"(what a stupid, self proclaimed nickname) anymore. Richard Sherman is great, but not like he was a few years ago. He gets beat deep more now, and he doesn't put fear in opposing QB's like he used to. Earl Thomas is a very good safety, but he also has lost a step or two over the past couple of years. Brandon Browner, in my opinion, has become a better over all cornerback than Richard Sherman, but no one talks about him. But, the cream of the crop in the secondary is Kam Chancellor. He is a great hitter and ball hawk. Chancellor may be one of the best secondary players in all the NFL. The Seahawks can still win this porous division, but they will probably only win 10 games. They still have a very stout defense, which will keep them in games, but the offense is not as good as some will lead you to believe, and they will continue to regress. Also, Pete Carroll is not as good a coach as some writers think he is.

Come back tomorrow for the next four teams.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. His dislike for the Seahawks is legendary, but he will still give credit where it is due. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.