Brock Osweiler is the First Loser of NFL Free Agency

Osweiler, after the year he is having.

The NFL's free agency frenzy started yesterday, and there have already been a lot of moves, more than usual I think.

Some of these moves I have really liked for the player and the team. I love Desean Jackson to Tampa. This seems like a match made in NFL heaven. Jackson will line up opposite Mike Evans and, as much as I dislike him as a person, Jameis Winston looks to be pretty good and now has 2 great receivers with 2 differing styles that will give defensive coordinators nightmares. Brandon Marshall to the Giants on a short, financially smart deal is great as well. He gives the Giants another much needed weapon at receiver, and much like Tampa, the Giants now have 2 great options outside that will give opposing secondary's headaches. It also makes their offense much less predictable. Jacksonville has done a ton to upgrade their defense. Their offense is still horrific and will hold them back, but they have the players to have a legit top ten defense.

There are also some moves that I don't like. Brian Hoyer and Pierre Garcon to the 49ers makes no sense to me, other than the fact that the San Francisco front office has money burning a hole in their pocket. These 2 guys don't move the needle at all for the 49ers. Brian Hoyer is not a good professional QB and Garcon, who I like, is a second receiver at best. They gave him number one receiver money. The contract that Carolina gave Ryan Kalil is insane. He is an okay offensive lineman, but to give him 25 million guaranteed is outrageous. Sure, he gets to play with his brother, but still, that is way too much guaranteed money for a middle of the pack lineman. Alshon Jeffrey only getting a one year deal is bizarre to me. He could have gotten a longer deal somewhere else, but I guess he wanted to play in Philadelphia, and they only wanted to sign him for one season. The fact that Mike Glennon is making more money than Aaron Rodgers now is an absolute joke. Glennon is not a starting caliber QB. He is a second stringer at best. There's a reason the Buccaneers drafted Winston number one a few years ago. It is hilarious to me that the Bears think Glennon is worth that much money, and this will surely blow up in their face just like the Cutler deal and anyone else this team thinks they can play at QB.

But there is one deal that has me absolutely flabbergasted. I was literally shocked when the news popped up on my phone yesterday that the Texans had traded Brock Osweiler and their 2018 second round pick to the Browns for a  fourth round pick in this year's draft. This is the same Brock Osweiler that the Texans gave a 4 year, 72 million dollar contract one year ago to the day. Yes, Osweiler was atrocious this past season. Yes, he was a flash in the pan, a la Matt Flynn in Green Bay, that cashed in on a few good games, or in Flynn's case, one good game. Yes, when you can't get the ball to one of the best receivers in the game. DeAndre Hopkins, the problem lies with the QB, not the receiver. But, Osweiler's fall in just one year is unprecedented to me.

Osweiler was on top of the world at this point a year ago. He was the prize QB on the market. The Texans thought they finally found their franchise guy at the QB position. Then the season happened and Osweiler wildly underperformed. He was flat out bad. He may have been the worst starting QB in the league last year. There were times that I would have rather had Colin Kaepernick, Blaine Gabbert, Blake Bortles or Trevor Siemian as my QB over Osweiler. He was so terrible. He even got replaced during the regular season by Tom Savage. Yeesh. After that benching, instead of working harder, he only got worse. He continued to doubt himself. When he was pushed back into action due to an injury to Savage, he played scared. He just didn't have the killer instinct. Sure, he won a playoff game, but it was against the Raiders who's QB broke his leg in week 16 and it wasn't due to Osweiler's play, it was the Texans defense. Hell, swap the QB's from that game, and I still think the Texans would have won with Connor Cook, and Connor Cook is dreadful.

With all that being said, this trade still shocked me. The Browns had to give up NOTHING for Osweiler, and by all accounts, Brock Osweiler will not be on the Browns for the 2017 season. They will either cut him or trade him. The Browns are in full on tank mode. The Texans clearly wanted to rid themselves of Osweiler, and they will probably end up with Tony Romo, but geeze oh man did they give up on Osweiler fast, and I don't blame them.

Brock Osweiler was so bad, I actually feel like both teams won this trade. The Texans got rid of his contract to make room for Romo or Savage, and they got a draft pick. The Browns got Osweiler, as trade bait, and a second round pick themselves. The Browns will pass off his contract to some team like the Jets or Jags that will be looking for a "quick fix" at QB, but Osweiler will just set them back further.

I wanted to compare this trade to the Pelicans trade for Boogie, but no one got fleeced here, except for Brock Osweiler. He fell so hard so fast. He is now considered a mediocre QB. I wouldn't touch him with a ten foot pole if I was a team in need of even a second string QB. He has to be a shell of himself from Denver. And, it's not like he set the world on fire in Denver. His play seemed better than it actually was because, A) he beat the Patriots during one regular season game and, B), his play was overshadowed by a historically great defense.

I'm sure some more crazy stuff will happen during the NFL's free agency, but nothing will compare to this bizarre trade that went down between the Texans and Browns yesterday. This was absolutely ridiculous.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He has yet to put this trade through on Madden, he doesn't want to waste his time with video game Osweiler any more than the real world one.  Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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Ty Ranks the 2016 NFL Teams: Cool Summer Breeze Edition

Welcome to day 5 of my NFL countdown. We are finally past the mediocre half of teams in the NFL, and we are now going to be getting to teams with real shots at making the playoffs, and advancing fairly far. For the most part, if not all of them, the rest of these teams will be .500, or much, much better. We are finally at some good teams. On with the countdown.

Coming in at number 16, I have the New York Jets. The Jets were almost going to be on the earlier part of my countdown, but they signed Ryan Fitzpatrick to a one year deal at the very last moment before I started my notes for this list. Now, Fitzpatrick is not an other worldly QB, but he is decent. He set Jets passing records last year, and he is a whole hell of a lot more liked and reliable than Geno Smith. You never hear of anyone punching Fitzpatrick so hard that they break his jaw. He goes in and does his job, and he has gotten better the longer he has been in the NFL. I think Fitzpatrick is a pretty decent QB to lead what could be a playoff bound Jets team. At receiver they have two very good targets in Eric Decker and the wonderful Brandon Marshall. Decker goes over the middle and makes the circus catches, but Brandon Marshall is the far superior pass catcher on this team. He catches everything that comes his way, he is tall and he is fast. Brandon Marshall is a great, great football player. They absolutely upgraded their running game by signing Matt Forte. He is going to make opponents respect the run game, and the pass game will benefit. He is also a very good pass catcher coming from the backfield. I like this addition a lot. The offensive is good too. The Jets also have a pretty good defense as well. Muhammed Wilkerson is a very good d lineman. Leonard Williams is a fast defensive end, who can wreak havoc in the backfield. David Harris is still one of the most steady linebackers in all of the NFL. And Darelle Revis is one of, if not the, best cover corners in all of football. The Jets are a team on the rise, and they could be a big factor this year. I think they will be pretty decent, but they will also blow games because that's what they do. The Jets will be 10-6 and may push their way into the playoffs.

At number 15, I have the Buffalo Bills. Is this the year that the Bills finally take that next step? Is this the year they win, or are near the top of their division? Is this the year they put it all together? They just might. I'm actually a pretty big fan of Tyrod Taylor at QB. He seems to almost always make the right decision. He uses his legs when necessary, throws the ball to the right receiver, and throws it away when the play breaks down. LeSean McCoy, when healthy, is a great running back. He is the focal point of the offense, and that is the way it should be. He is great at running the ball, and a very good receiver out of the backfield. Sammy Watkins is a star in the making at receiver, they just have to get him the ball more. He is so dynamic with the ball in his hands, and he is an awesome football player. The o line, while not great, is serviceable. Sure, they lost Mario William, but they have Shaq Lawson to replace him. They also have guys like Reggie Ragland, Stephon Gilmore and Marcell Dareus on their defense. The Bills may be the team that takes the most advantage of the Brady's four game suspension. They have the players that have the know how and the goods to come out of the gates hot and challenge the Patriots. This may be one of the better teams that Rex Ryan has had the ability to coach. But, Rex Ryan is what is holding this team back. He is just not that good of a head coach. Because of Ryan, I think the Bills will go 10-6, but they have the players to be 12-4, or even 13-3.

At number 14, I have the team from Washington. They are the only team in their god awful division that can win double digit games. They have Kirk Cousins back, who proved that he may be a decent NFL QB. He is another guy that doesn't try to make miracle plays, he usually makes the right play. He can check down to other receivers, he will throw the ball away, and he will run when called on to. I think he is making a big mistake by betting on himself and not signing a long term deal, but we will see. At running back, they have some good guys. I really like Matt Jones. He is a good, big and durable back. He is very competent. Then, they have a plethora of good receivers. Guys like Desean Jackson, stretches the field with his speed, Pierre Garcon, great possession receiver, Santana Moss, old, but reliable and rookie Josh Doctson, who won't be counted on as the top threat, but will make some plays. They also signed Vernon Davis this off season, and I like that a lot. He is a great safety blanket for all the QB's he's played for. Then, on defense, they have decent d lineman and linebackers, but they have D'Angelo Hall, and they signed Josh Norman, who may be the best defensive back in all of the NFL. That is huge for Washington, because they will play the Giants twice, and they now have a corner that can shutdown Odell Beckham JR. The Washington defense is good. This team has all the tools to repeat, and repeat as division winners with ease. I think they do that to the tune of 11-5. They will feast on the teams in their division. They may get 8 of their 11 wins from their division alone.

At number 13, I have the Houston Texans. Now, this team is all about their defense. I think their defense could win a lot of games for them this year. They will have a lot of games that will finish 10-7 or 14-10, and they will win those because their defense is so good. But, I will talk about the offense first. Sure, they signed Brock Osweiler away from Denver, but I don't think he is as good as others think he is. But, the caveat, he is playing with a defense that is almost, but not really, as good as Denver's. They have similar defenses, so Osweiler won't have to do to terribly much on offense. They also signed Lamar Miller after letting Arian Foster walk. Miller is a decent running back, and he will put up similar numbers to what Foster has done the past few years. At receiver they have the awesome DeAndre Hopkins. I know he is in a contract situation right now, but they will figure that out, he is too important to this team. But, outside of the excellence that is Hopkins, they are thin at wide out. Will Fuller is fine, but not a real big threat. They have an okay o line as well. But, this team is not about offense. Their defense is stout, led by JJ Watt. There is no denying  his greatness, he is going to go down as one of the best of all time. They also have Jadeveon Clowney, who is due to have a big year, and Vince Wilfork, who is one of the best nose guards that has ever played. They have some great linebackers, even though some have been suspended for using steroids. Brian Cushing is said steroid user, but he is a good linebacker. I also like Whitney Mercilus. He has gotten better every year in the pros. Charles James and Quintin Demps are pretty decent defensive backfield players, they just don't get shine because their d line is so great. Houston should take over that division away from the Colts, but I don't know if Bill O'Brien is the coach to do that. He has held this team back since he was picked to coach them. I still think they are above .500, but I don't think they will supplant the Colts just yet. I like this team a lot, but I think they will finish 9-7, but it will be the most competitive 9-7 in all of football.

Come back next week for the rest of my countdown.

Ty 

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Want to know what Ty has to say about the Olympics? Check out the new X Millennial Man Podcast premiering tomorrow. Ty has a twitter, go follow him @tykulik.

Charles Woodson is the greatest player to come out of the Peyton Manning draft

We all know a wolverine could tear a volunteer in half

I was watching Sports Center or NFL Network or something where they were talking about football. They were previewing the upcoming Broncos-Raiders game and they kept showing pictures of Peyton Manning and Brock Osweiler, comparing the two quarterbacks. My wife was watching with me and, the longer we've been together, the more she knows about football. She asked me, during the preview of the game, "why are they only talking about Peyton Manning? Why aren't they talking about Charles Woodson more, he's had a better overall career than Peyton Manning, right?".

Now, Charles Woodson is my all time favorite football player, and yes, he is a University of Michigan alum and yes, I'm a diehard Michigan fan, so naturally, I agreed with my wife. Then, I looked much, much further into her statement and yes, I do believe, with no bias, that Charles Woodson has had a better overall career than Peyton Manning. Let's look even further into it though. Sure, Peyton Manning is the more famous player. He is a quarterback, he has way more endorsements, he has hosted SNL multiple times and he's won a Super Bowl. But, Charles Woodson won the Heisman over Peyton Manning in 1997, he too has won a Super Bowl and been to a second one and he's stayed healthy and productive his entire career. He's still producing at an All Pro level and he's the captain and leader of the resurgent Raiders defense. Peyton Manning was recently just benched, some will say due to injury, for a back up QB from Arizona State. But, was the injury the only reason Manning was benched? I've written about Manning before on the website and I think that blog speaks many truths on his benching. His ball has no more zip. He throws multiple interceptions per game. He cannot move in the pocket anymore. He's a Hall of Famer, but I think his time is done. Charles Woodson on the other hand, he's still picking off passes and making open field passes. In fact, when the Raiders and Broncos met earlier this year, when Manning was still the starter, Woodson picked him off twice in that game. No praise was heaped on Woodson and how well he's still playing for a 39 year old in the NFL. The announcers only talked about how Manning will always be a great pro and these interceptions were just a flash in the pan, he'd bounce back for sure. But, as we all know now, he didn't bounce back. Woodson has produced every week for the 6-7 Raiders. That doesn't sound so great, but when was the last time the Raiders sniffed a .500 or even a winning record? They have a legitimate shot, albeit an outside one, to make the playoffs this year. The Broncos are a lock, but it's not because of Manning, it's their defense. Sure, the Raiders have a good young QB in Derek Carr and a great young receiver in Amari Cooper, but they are led in their defensive backfield by Charles Woodson. Their defense is middle of the road in the NFL, but I say again, when was the last time the Raiders were relevant? I truly believe that Charles Woodson has a real chance to win NFL Defensive Player of the Year. He's been lockdown all season playing out of position as a safety.

Lets go back and look at their Super Bowl wins. I will give you the fact that Woodson didn't play in the Packer Super Bowl win, he had a separated shoulder. But, he was the anchor of that defense all season, leading them to the Super Bowl. If I remember correctly, he hurt his shoulder making an important tackle or even interception in the NFC Championship game. He laid it all on the line for that Packer team and he definitely helped them win that Super Bowl. Sure, Peyton Manning was playing when the Colts won, but they played a sorry Bears team led by Rex Grossman in their Super Bowl win. Also, the game was a sloppy mess and Manning didn't win the game for them, their defense and running game was the determining factor. The two of them also lost a Super Bowl. The Manning loss was solely on him. The Colts had a chance late against the Saints, but we all know about the game sealing pick six that he threw to secure the win for the Saints. When the Raiders, that's right, this is Woodson's second go around with the Raiders, lost to the Buccaneers, it wasn't their defenses fault, Rich Gannon threw multiple picks and took multiple sacks in that game. But, Peyton Manning will go down as the more remembered player. He is a QB and they're stars. That's the way it is in the NFL. Woodson has been solid for 18 seasons now, but he plays defense and, what's worse, he plays cornerback and safety. And, if you don't constantly run your mouth like any secondary player on the Seahawks, you don't get noticed. But, I think that's the way Woodson wants it. He won a title in college. He beat out Manning for the Heisman. He was the best and most important player on one of the all time great Michigan teams and he's done it with little to no fanfare.

Manning has been great, as I said before, he is a sure fire Hall of Famer, but it big moments, he's choked more than he's succeeded. In college, his Tennessee Volunteers could never beat Florida and got trounced by Nebraska when they had a shot at a national title. In the pros, he's won a Super Bowl, but it wasn't because he had a great game. Peyton Manning will go down as one of the all time greatest QB's in NFL and college football history, but will he be remembered as the greatest QB of all time? I don't think so. He's not even the best QB in his draft class, that title is firmly in Tom Brady's hands. But, Charles Woodson may very well be the greatest defensive back of all time in the NFL or college football. He's had a stellar career and he continues to produce. I 100 percent agree with my wife's assumption that Charles Woodson has had the better overall career than Peyton Manning. Look at all the reasons that I mentioned above. It's not just my love for Woodson, the facts can't be ignored. Tell me why I'm wrong in the comment section. 

I will go to my grave thinking Charles Woodson is not only better than Peyton Manning, but he is the best defensive back to ever play football.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He once benched Rex Grossman on his fantasy team for Drew Henson. Not because Henson went to Michigan, but because Grossman stinks. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

This is the End. The End my Friend Peyton Manning

I bet Peyton could float the ball over those mountains

Sometimes we miss the best time to say goodbye.

Yesterday, while watching the NFL, I witnessed the death of a legend. It was brutal and very, very tough to watch. This guy has been a staple in the NFL since 1996. He was on the radar since he was playing college football. He was the Heisman runner up in 1996. He was and definitely will go down as one of the greatest to ever play quarterback, but Peyton Manning probably played his final NFL and football game yesterday.

It was excruciating to watch. First, he surpassed Brett Favre for most passing yards, but it was less than impressive. The pass that broke the record just floated very slowly through the air until it finally landed in his receivers hands. Lots of cheers were showered down and the players all congratulated him, but his day got far worse after that. Manning couldn't move in the pocket. His passes, as they've looked all season, had no zip. They literally float through the air. When rushed, he almost looked flustered and would just throw the ball to no one in particular. He threw for 35 yards and 4 interceptions before Gary Kubiak and the Broncos coaching staff mercifully pulled him in favor of Brock Osweiler. Osweiler's passes looked great compared to what Manning was putting out there. This was pretty much a mercy kill that's been put on hold for 9 and a half weeks now.

Manning has not looked like himself since the midway point of last season, but yesterday, and this whole season, has been brutal. He looks old. The game looks too fast for him now. It was revealed that he has an injured foot today, but he's looked hurt since the playoffs last year. To give a comparison, Charles Woodson, taken in the same draft, is the leader of the Raiders defense, I know they got throttled yesterday, but he's still performing at a fairly high level. No, Woodson is not the same player he was three or four years ago, but he's not hurting his team.

Now, the Broncos are 7-2 after the Chiefs beat them yesterday, but they're winning with defense. They have no running game at all, they lost Julius Thomas in free agency, and Demaryius Thomas is giving his all, but the ball is not getting to him when it needs to be there. The offensive line isn't good either. Make no mistake, this team is led by its vaunted defense. Who would have thought this just two years ago? The Broncos were in the Super Bowl. Their running game was on fire and Peyton Manning was crushing it. He opened that season with a 7 touchdown performance. He was on fire. The ball was were it needed to be. It was on time and had plenty of zip. Julius and Demaryius Thomas were a lethal combo. Then, in said Super Bowl, they got destroyed by the Seahawks. Last season, they played well in the regular season, but got beat, at home, by an inferior Colts team. And, this was when Manning started to look bad. I thought this was a one time thing, he'd fix it in the off season and be back to his old self when this season started.

I couldn't have been more wrong.

The first time I watched the Broncos play, I was appalled at how bad Manning's throws looked. As I've said many times, the ball just floated very slowly through the air. Receivers just waited on the ball, or had to fight through defensive backs to get to the ball. There were times that receivers looked like they'd get blown up by corners and safeties if they attempted to catch a pass. It's a shame what has happened. It looks like Manning has played longer than he should have. This isn't like Michael Jordan when he was with the Wizards or Brett Favre with the Vikings. At least those two lead those teams to the playoffs. The Broncos will make the playoffs, but not because of Manning's leadership. It's because of their defense. In the case of Jordan, he was still a 20 point per game player. Brett Favre led the Vikings. Without him, that team wouldn't have made the playoffs. It's a bummer.

I watched Manning in college and the pros. He seems like a good guy. I'd much rather hang out with him than Eli. But, his time has come. He needs to retire. He needs to do it now too, not wait until the end of the season. The Broncos need to move on from him and he needs to move on from football. You're one of the greats Peyton Manning, but Father Time has taken over and your career is done. It was a great career. You've won multiple MVP's, shattered records, won a lot of football games and won a Super Bowl. Quite a careerindeed.

Go and enjoy your retirement, you've earned it.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man podcast. He feels bad for Peyton since he will always be number 2 (runner up in Heisman and runner up to Brady - Go Blue). Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.