A Halfhearted, In Depth, Look at Super Bowl 53

There is a big football game this Sunday, and no I am not talking about any college football all star game, or the XFL or the American Alliance of Football. I am talking about Super Bowl 53. The Los Angeles Rams are playing the New England Patriots. And yes, it sounds just as boring as you may feel right now. But I’m a professional so I must do what all us internet sports writers do, talk about the game.

I have said it on the podcast, and this is the first time I am writing it, but I have ZERO interest in this game. I have no rooting interest. I am sick of seeing the Patriots in the Super Bowl. For a sport that is supposed to have parity every year, this is the third straight year they are in the game. This is, I don't know, something like the tenth straight time they have been to the AFC title game. And this is the, I want to say, eighth time, the Patriots have been in the Super Bowl in the last 17 years. That is more than half of the Super Bowl's in almost 2 decades. I'm over them.

I also loathe this whole narrative that they are somehow the "underdogs". That "no one" believes in them. That Tom freaking Brady has to go to a party and chant, "We're still here". It is so, so, so stupid. No one buys it except dumbass Patriots fans. They are not the underdogs. The majority of people I read, and myself and RD included, picked them to be in, at the very least, the AFC title game this year. Knock that shit off.

As far as the Rams go, I am from Saint Louis, and it bums me out that they moved, but I have no ill will towards them. I despise Stan Kroenke, and what he did, and how he did it. But he is the only person I truly hate that is involved with the Rams. I think Sean McVay is a solid coach. Jared Goff is a decent QB. Todd Gurley is totally awesome. I like Ndomankong Suh. Aaron Donald is the best defensive player currently in the NFL. But, they do not deserve to be in this game. They got in because the refs blew a massive obvious pass interference. The DB admitted it. The NFL admitted it. The NFL fined the DB that hit the receiver after the fact. But the refs did not call the penalty during the NFC title game. They blew it. They put the Rams here. They wanted the story lines that are now being blown way out of proportion during Super Bowl week. It is, at least in my lifetime, the worst no call ever.

With all this being said, like a good pop culture / sports writer, I am going to pick the game. But, I truly don't care. This is the first Super Bowl I can remember in my lifetime that I have no real interest in the game. At least in year's past I had team's I could root against, if the Packers weren't playing. I don't like the Seahawks, so it was fun to root for whoever they played. I have never liked Peyton Manning, so when he played, it was easy for me to root for the NFC team. I like to root against the Steelers, so when they played, I just stood up for the other team. Even last year, I had the Eagles to root for because of Brandon Graham, and I wanted Mike Lombardi from The Ringer to have to eat crow. But this year, I just do not care. I know I keep repeating that, but it is true. This game is going to be a slog. But, I will watch it because I am a football junkie, and this is the Super Bowl.

If I look at it with just a fan's eye, the Rams should win. They have the better, younger players overall. Yes, the Patriots have Tom Brady, and he is the greatest QB ever, but that seems to be the only advantage they have. The Rams have better receivers. They have much better backs. They have the better O line. And this is the time for McVay to prove his "offensive genius". The Patriots are not good defensively. They can be run on, and they are susceptible to the play action pass. That is where the Rams thrive. As far as the defensive side of the ball, again, on paper, the Rams are better. They have a ferocious pass rush led by Suh and Donald. They have heavy hitting linebackers that can cover. They have a solid secondary. The Patriots have experience, but that is not always what will win the game. Sometimes talent just wins out. And that should happen this Sunday.

Notice I keep saying "should". The reason you may ask, two things, Tom Brady and Bill Belichek. Ooh, and lets add a third, the refs. Belichek is, for all his shortcomings as a human being, gosh I despise him so much, is a genius football coach. He knows how to take away your best players and plays and frustrate you. He usually thrives in the biggest games. The same thing can be said for Brady. Even if you look at the Super Bowl's the Patriots have been beaten in, he played well. He threw for over 500 yards last year. He puts the ball on the money, even if Wes Welker drops it. He is legit the best QB ever. And then we have the refs. They are clearly on the side of the Patriots, no matter what they and their boneheaded fans say. The refs love Brady, Belichek and anyone involved with them. They will give them the benefit of the doubt. There was the no PI call in the NFC title game, but look at the roughing the passer call in the AFC title game. Brady got his shoulder touched, and the refs called roughing. That is clear evidence that the refs are in their pocket.

On paper, I have the Rams winning, and wining with ease. But, when I really look into everything, the players, coaches, refs, star players, I still have the Rams, but in a much closer than it should be game. I think the Rams will win because they will be able to run the ball and keep Brady off the filed. They will control the clock. I also expect Suh, but more so Donald, to make a few big time plays, be it sacks or forced fumbles or even just making Brady release the ball a hair earlier than he would like. So I have the Rams winning a very ugly game by a score of 23-17.

There you have it. Enjoy the game I guess.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He wants to know when the sports media will proclaim Ty as the greatest football caller guy in the world, you know since they are eager to anoint an overrated retired qb.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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Ty Ranks the 2016 NFL Teams: Day Old Donuts Edition

On to day three of my NFL preview. The next four teams are much better than the previous 8, but these teams have, at best, a slight chance of finishing at or above .500. Some were great a few years ago, others have potential, and some, they just haven't been up to snuff. Anyway, on with the countdown.

Coming in at number 24, I have the Atlanta Falcons. Man, this team is so, so much better on paper than they actually perform on the field. They should be at, or near the top of their division every season, but they, one way or another, always find a way to shoot themselves in the feet. They throw crucial pick sixes, fumble at inopportune times, or can't get that last stop that they need. Let's look at the offense first. They have, since Calvin Johnson may actually be retired, the best receiver in all of football in Julio Jones. Jones catches everything gets open in the smallest of cracks, is faster than almost everyone on the field, and has been very durable. But, after Jones, it gets a little suspect. Sure, Devonta Freeman exploded on the scene last year, becoming one of the best fantasy pick ups ever, but he faded at the end of the year, and I wonder if he was a one season wonder. I hope he's good, because I really like his game, but time will tell. Outside of Julio Jones, they don't have much at receiver. Roddy White is gone, and to take is place are guys like Muhammed Sanu and Devin Fuller. Those guys aren't, and probably don't have the potential to be, household names. Then, there is the conundrum that is Matt Ryan. He should be a great QB, but he seems more average to mediocre. Sure, he has some big passing numbers, but that is because of Julio Jones, not Matt Ryan. And this whole "Matty Ice" nonsense needs to stop. Yeah, he may have kept his cool under pressure in college, but he is an interception machine in the pros. He tries to fit passes into windows that no QB can. This may be the last we see of the Matt Ryan experience in Atlanta, and that maybe for the best. He just hasn't figured it out yet, and I don't think he will. On defense, they have big name guys, but no results. They can throw a Vic Beasley or a Courtney Upshaw or Adrian Clayborn out there, but these guys are stopping anyone. The Falcons give up a ton of points. They just don't have the necessary guys to truly stop anyone. Unfortunately Falcons fans, I think this team is a 6 win team again, blowing a lot of games late.

At number 23, I have the Miami Dolphins. Now, first things first, they could make me look like an idiot by making noise and leading that division after the first four games due to Tom Brady's suspension, but will they? I don't know. That is what is so frustrating about the Dolphins. I legitimately want to like them, but they are so hard to get behind. They have really good to great players on both sides of the ball, but they have nothing to show for it. This is the make or break year for Ryan Tannehill. I know they paid him a bundle, but if he doesn't perform this season, they may look to move on. Tannehill can't beat the good teams, and he plays down to lesser opponents. It's maddening watching someone who could be great play so poorly. Then, they have excellent receivers like Jarvis Landry and Davante Parker, but they are both under sized, and they have Tannehill throwing them the ball. That does not make for a great combination. I feel really bad for Jarvis Landry because he is very, very good. They went out and signed Arian Foster, who is great, but he simply cannot stay healthy. The offensive line made the best pick in the draft, grabbing Laremy Tunsil, but he is a rookie and it is always tough sledding for rookies. Then, on defense, they have guys like Ndamakong Suh, Cameron Wake, Kiko Alonso, Dion Jordan and they signed Mario Williams. Williams and Suh are household names, but they were both very subpar last year. Cameron Wake was hurt all year, so we will see how he comes back. Alonso and Jordan are young and fast, but very unproven. They have the names, but no results. Like I said, I could be way off, but I just don't see them taking the four game advantage because of their QB and running back situations. My gut tells me they finish 7-9 this year.

At number 22, I have the LA Rams, the team ripped away from Saint Louis so that douchebag Stan Kroenke could bet another million or so bucks. I was very high on this Rams team last year. I thought they had the potential to sneak into the playoffs. But, they under performed once again. They could not get anything going on offense, no matter how great Todd Gurley was. I love Gurley. I think he has the potential to be a big, big star. But, the rest of the offense, not so great. They will be starting number one overall pick Jared Goff at QB this year. You all know how I feel about rookies in the NFL, and I think Goff is going to be a major bust. He was another guy, a la Jay Cutler, that didn't really win in college, but for some reason, NFL scouts love him. sure he's tall, but his arm isn't great, and it will take him awhile to learn and deal with the speed in the NFL. His receivers are all downright crummy. I thought Tavon Austin would be good, I was wrong. Wes Welker is there, but he is old and has been concussed far too much. Other than those 2, it's all rookies or guys looking to make a team. Their offensive line is so so. Their defense should be all world, but they haven't quite put it together yet. Aaron Donald is a stud though. That guy is great. They have some good defensive backs, guys like Trumaine Johnson and EJ Gaines, but they haven't put it all together yet. They have good linebackers too, but they just haven't shown up fully yet. The defense can still be great, as I said, I love Donald and Quinton Coples and Mark Barron, but they just aren't elite yet. The defense will keep them in some games, maybe even win a few for them, but that offense, when opponents stack the box with 8, 9 and sometimes 10 guys, will sputter out and be ineffective. They could go .500, but I see 6-10 or 7-9 as more likely.

My final team of the day, coming in at number 21, I have the New Orleans Saints. This team was once, not that long ago, a perennial Super Bowl contender. but, Drew Brees has only gotten older, more hurt and not as efficient as he once was. Brees is a sure fire hall of famer, and probably top 15 QB of all time, but his best days are behind him. Then, to make matters worse, they let Jimmy Graham go last year and now they released Marques Colston. Those two were his safety blankets. He could rely on them more than anyone else, and they almost always came through for the team. Now, Brees is throwing to guys like Brandin cooks and Michael Thomas. sure, they are good, but they are not Jimmy Graham or Marques Colston. Their running game is average. Mark Ingram is another in a long line of Alabama backs that don't produce much of anything in the pros. Then his backup, CJ Spiller, he was cut from the Bills last year, so that should tell you all you need to know. The offensive line is fine, but not great. The Saints defense is an absolute dumpster fire. This team gave up over 50 points at least twice last season. They cannot stop anyone, Eli Manning included. They have no one that is, or ever has been, competent on defense. That's the biggest issue, they have to try and outscore teams, and that is not a recipe for winning in the NFL. The Saints have become a bummer team to watch. They are getting older at skill positions, mainly QB, and their defense is utterly atrocious. They will be lucky to be 6-10 next year.

That's it for today, 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. He still wears his vintage Tony Banks St. Louis Rams jersey to remember the bad days. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

Ty's NFL Preview 2015: Super Bowl and Awards

Ty has his snacks ready for the big game.

Read where Ty previews the AFC and NFC.

Now it is time to wrap a bow on this preview and give you the Super Bowl winner, along with some awards.

The Packers Colts Super Bowl will be close for about one half and the Packers will pull away and win Super Bowl 50 by at least 10 points. So, the Packers will win Super Bowl 50.

My picks for offensive player of the year is Aaron Rodgers. He's the best QB in the game and he will have an awesome season.

Defensive player of the year will come down to two defensive lineman, Ndamokong Suh and JJ Watt. I think Suh will dethrone Watt and win defensive player of the year.

The MVP will be won by Aaron Rodgers again. He's going to bring home a lot of hardware this season.

The offensive rookie of the year will be Melvin Gordon. I see him going for about 1,200 rushing yards, 500 plus receiving yards and 10 or more touchdowns. He's going to be really good.

The defensive rookie of the year will be Steelers rookie linebacker Bud Dupree. He's a beast and has the nose for the football. He's also in a great situation to succeed playing for the Steelers.

Coach of the year will be Jeff Fisher. If he can get the Rams to the playoffs it will be a no brainer. He's just a good coach too.

So, that's my NFL preview. Tell me why I'm right or wrong in the comment section and hopefully I've prepared you for the upcoming season. Football is right around the corner.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the co-host of the X Millennial Man podcast. His football knowledge was gained by being the commissioner of his fantasy league the last three years. He is eager to replace the current NFL commissioner when he ends up getting fired. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

Ty's NFL Preview 2015: AFC

Ty is set to watch some NFL foot... wait, why the hell is his drink green?

Ed Note: We will break Ty's NFL preview up into three parts. Today we give you the AFC, tomorrow the NFC, and then the Super Bowl and awards.

On the heels of my 2015 college football preview, I'll be doing my first annual, "Ty's NFL Preview".

Much in the same vain as the college preview, I'll pick division winners, two wild cards from each conference, the teams that will play in the conference championship games, the Super Bowl winner and the offensive and defensive players of the year. Hell, I'll even throw in my pick for coach of the year and offensive and defensive rookies of the year. No preseason bull shit, because, just like the preseason poll in college football, preseason in the NFL doesn't mean anything to anyone that's watching. Preseason is more for players trying to make teams. And, no matter how terrible of a commissioner Roger Goodell is, I've mentioned how bad he is many times on the site, NFL football is the most popular sport in America and I love it just as much as any other fan out there.

So, let's get started. First, I'll break down the AFC. I'll start with the AFC East. The AFC East consists of the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets and defending super bowl champs, the New England Patriots. The Bills had a pretty wild offseason. First, their former coach, Doug Marrone, quit out of nowhere, He led this team to 9 wins last season, with no decent QB, and just up and quit. It made no sense to me. So, the Bills hired Rex Ryan after he was fired by the Jets. I don't like this hire because I don't think Rex Ryan is a good head coach. He knows a lot about defense, but basically doesn't care or seem to know anything about offense. They also traded a linebacker, Kiko Alonso, to the Eagles for one of the top running backs in the league in LeSean McCoy. He didn't want to sign long term, but eventually did. They also signed supreme douchebag, Richie Incognito one year after his suspension for bullying. Like I said, a bizarre offseason. The Bills, I think, will look like the same team they did last season. They'll have a good running game, a good defense and no passing game whatsoever. They have no capable QB's on their roster and, with the exception of Sammy Watkins, no threats at receiver. I say 8 or 9 wins for the Bills. The Miami Dolphins made the biggest splash in free agency by bringing in Ndomakong Suh. They gave him a HUGE contract, but the guy is the best interior defensive lineman in the league. On offense they will look much the same, led by Ryan Tannehill at quarterback. They seem like a team on the rise and I think they're New England's biggest threat in the East. They could easily win 10,11 or even 12 games this year and possibly win the division. The New York Jets are a complete mess. First of all, their best defensive player, Sheldon Richardson, decided to drive his car 143 mph on the highway, and to top it off, he had guns in that car. He may never play football again. Next, a back up linebacker sucker punched starting QB Geno Smith in the jaw over what appears to be a $600 debt and he's out, at least 6-10 weeks. They have no real running game, the QB situation will be taken over by Ryan Fitzpatrick, and their defense, while solid, is only getting older, and they don't have Richardson clogging up the middle. I'd be surprised if they won 6 games this year. This brings me to the defending champions, New England Patriots. They've had an odd offseason as well. The main thing being the stupid non story of "deflategate". Another huge error in judgement from the moronic Roger Goodell. Tom Brady is supposed to miss the first four games of the season, we'll see if that holds up, and I think this will hurt the Patriots more than most. Jimmy Garroppolo may be good in a few years, but he's not ready. The Patriots do have a good running game and you can line up Rob Gronkowski against almost anyone and I'd take him, but their defense is suspect and can lose games for them. Darelle Revis also left to sign with the Jets this offseason, and that will sting. I still see the Patriots winning 10 or 11 games if Brady only misses 1 or 2 games. If he misses all four, they're more like an 8 or 9 win team to me. For that reason alone, I'm picking the Miami Dolphins to win the AFC East.

Next, The AFC North. In the North we have, the Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns. The Ravens are a decent football team. They have a great defense, they always do, and are led on offense by Joe Flacco. That's a good and a bad thing. When he's good, he can be great, but when he's bad, he's really bad. One week he will throw for 350 yards and five touchdowns, but the next week, he'll go for less than 100 yards and 3 or 4 interceptions. But, the Ravens find ways to win 10 games every year and I don't see that changing this season. The Pittsburgh Steelers have to deal with a suspension to running back LeVeon Bell, only two games, but it will still hurt. They still have Ben Roesthliberger at QB, but he's old and, while never the fastest guy out there, seems to get slower every season. Antonio Brown is a great receiver, one of the best in the league, and will stretch the field on defenses all season. The Steelers should be good for 9 to 11 wins this season. The Cincinnati Bengals are a very predictable team. They will look very good at times. Andy Dalton will be a decent QB, but make his typical mistakes. AJ Green is an electric receiver and catches some of the worst throws in the NFL and Giovanni Bernard is going to be a star. Their defense is worrisome. They got older and their big off season acquisition of AJ Hawk doesn't make them any better. He's old and the rest of that defense is getting older. They will be good for 10 or 11 wins and probably crap out in the first round of the playoffs again. Last, and certainly least, is the Cleveland Browns. They're a joke of a franchise and be it Johnny Manziel(please God no!) or Josh McCown at QB, it doesn't matter, the Browns stink. They have no receivers, no real running game, and stink on defense. If they win 5 games I will be shocked. This division will be tough, minus the Browns, but this seems to be Pittsburgh's last shot and I think they win 11 games and the division.

Next we have the AFC South. This is a division with one, maybe two real teams, but really, the South is owned by the Indianapolis Colts. Their only real threat in the Houston Texans, and that's a reach. There's also the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Tennessee Titans. The Jaguars upgraded their offense by signing Julius Thomas, but Blake Bortles needs at least one more season to get his feet wet and the defense isn't ready yet. It will be another 4 or 5 win season for the Jaguars. The Titans are being led by a rookie QB in Marcus Mariota, and while he may be good, when your team is being led by a rookie, with no weapons on offense around him, it's going to be a long, tough season. Their defense is pretty awful as well. They'd be lucky to win 3 or 4 games this year. The Texans have one of the best defenses in the league, led by all world defensive end JJ Watt. They are pretty stout on the line, have good linebackers and a pretty decent secondary. Offense is where the problem lies. They do have a good running back in Arian Foster, when he's not hurt, and a great up and coming receiver in DeAndre Hopkins, but who's going to be the QB? Ryan Mallet or Brian Hoyer are the two choices, and I don't think either of them have played, or are good enough to win in this league. The Texans will be better, but anything more than 9 wins would be surprising. The Colts are the class of the division. They have an explosive offense led by Andrew Luck. They have receivers like TY Hilton and signed Andre Johnson this offseason. They do a running back by committee, but this is a passing offense. Their defense is bend, but don't break and they play it very well. The Colts will win 12 games easily this season and win the AFC South running away.

The final division  is the AFC West. This is another two team division, but can anybody really beat the Denver Broncos. Their only competition will be the San Diego Chargers. The Chargers drafted Melvin Gordon this draft and he will be a big upgrade for them at the running back position. They just locked down Phillip Rivers to a long term deal and he is a great QB in this league. Their defense in just okay. They will win at least 10 games this season, but the 4 game suspension to Antonio Gates will hurt their passing game. The Broncos are led by Peyton Manning. He's one of the best QB's of all time and he continues to churn out 4,000 yard and 35 touchdown seasons. Montee Ball should bounce back after an injury plagued, subpar season. While they lost Julius Thomas, they still have Demayrius Thomas and a bunch of other great receivers. The defense is led by Von Miller, and they are stout in all three phases of defense. Hiring Gary Kubiak won't change this team much at all. They should be a 12 or 13 win team again. The other two teams in the division are the Kansas City Chiefs and the Oakland Raiders. The Chiefs are competitive, but they are pretty stale. Alex Smith is not a great QB, they don't score with their passing game, and there's only so much Jamal Charles can do. Their defense is okay, but not great. 8 or 9 wins is their best possible outcome. The Raiders are still a joke, but they seem like they're trying to get better. Derek Carr could still be a good QB and drafting Amari Cooper and signing Michael Crabtree will help. The running game is still a work in progress. The defense is not that good and that will keep them back. But, linebacker Khalil Mack is going to be a star in this league. 5 or 6 wins would be a good season for the Raiders. The Broncos will continue to win this conference as long as Peyton Manning is the QB.

So, the four division winners, the Dolphins, the Steelers, the Colts and the Broncos will all be in the playoffs and the two wild cards will be, the Chargers and the Patriots. The Bengals and Ravens will get shut out. The Colts and Broncos will have the first round byes. The Chargers will beat the Dolphins and the Steelers will beat the Patriots. In the next round, The Colts will beat the Chargers and the Broncos will beat the Steelers. In the AFC Championship, the Colts will beat the Broncos and find themselves in the Super Bowl.

Come back tomorrow for some NFC action.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and co-host of the X Millennial Man podcast. Is he going to pick Green bay for the NFC, I think he is going to pick Green Bay. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.