Ty's 2024 College Football Playoff Preview

The College Football Playoff starts tomorrow night and I cannot wait. Even without Michigan playing in the CFP this year, I'll still be tuning in. I will watch Michigan's bowl game, as always. But, with the new format, I'm pretty stoked to see how it all plays out. I love that the first round is being played in college stadiums, I love that the games are on in primetime and I cannot wait to watch it all unfold. With all that, I'm going to do a preview and prediction. The games will be here before we know it, so on with it.

The first playoff game is tomorrow night, with Indiana traveling to South Bend to face Notre Dame. I have seen Indiana play this year, and while a deserving playoff team, I don't think they have much of a chance tomorrow night. Their offense has stalled as of late. I know they scored 66 points in their rivalry game, but Purdue is not a very good football team right now. Indiana's two previous games, Michigan and the university of Ohio State, weren't so great. The university of Ohio State ran roughshod over them, and Michigan, who was not very good this year, had a shot to win that game in Bloomington. Notre Dame has a very stout defense, a great running game and a passing attack capable of taking advantage of a weak Indiana secondary. I'll be rooting for the Big 10 here, but Notre Dame is the better team and they have home field advantage.

The first game to kickoff Saturday morning features SMU traveling to Penn State. Penn State should win this game and win it relatively easily. They have a better defense, better run game and a QB that rarely makes mistakes. SMU can run the ball okay, but I don't trust much more from them, especially after watching them in the ACC title game. But, we have the whole James Franklin of it all here. He is a poor big game coach. It doesn't matter if he has home field advantage, if he has the refs and media on his side or if he even has the better roster. He seems to flub this stuff way more often than not. But, I'm going to go with Penn State in a low scoring, ugly game. What SMU did in the ACC title game has been hard for me to shake.

The 3pm central game has Clemson facing Texas. Texas is going to win and going to win convincingly in my opinion. Clemson is not the Clemson of old. They barely made the playoff. Their QB is wildly inefficient. The defense isn't as feared as they used to be. Texas, on the other hand, has an elite defense. Their run game is effective. And the duo of Quin Ewers and Arch Manning is going to give defenses tons of headaches in these playoffs. Texas should win this one going away, and I fully expect that. I wouldn't be surprised if they win by three or more scores.

The final first round playoff game is the best first round game. Tennessee faces off with the university of Ohio State. In years past this would've been an easy university of Ohio State pick for me. They have the best roster money can buy. They have weapons all over the field. They have one of the top defenses in the country. They have a highly effective run game. What worries me, their QB and coaching staff. Tennessee is kind of playing with house money here. Their defense is also legit, except on the outside. Their offense isn't as elite as in the past, and that is what worries me most with this team. This game is going to be a slug fest. And, as much as I'd love to see Tennessee win and plant their flag at the 50 yard line, I have this weird feeling that the university of Ohio State is going to get a break and win this on a last minute field goal.

The second round games, the elite 8 if you will, have Texas facing Arizona State, Penn State playing Boise State, Notre Dame facing Georgia and the university of Ohio State playing Oregon. Again, Texas got a great draw and they are going to walk over Arizona State. ASU is a nice story and it's rad that they made this big of a leap in year two of Kenny Dillingham's leadership. Their running back is also damn good. But Texas is so much better in every facet except running back. And Texas has a deep group of backs they can rotate. ASU may keep it close for a half, but then Texas should have an easy path to the final four.

I am going with Boise State, in a minor upset, to beat Penn State. Boise State has one of the greatest college running backs ever. Ashton Jeanty is a force of nature and I love watching him play. He's fierce and fast. He is not afraid of anyone. He will run you over and run by you. The rest of the offense is capable and the defense is fine. This is where James Franklin will find some way to blow it and all the PSU fans will be in agony once again. I really like this Boise State team.

Notre Dame-Georgia is going to be a fun game. If Carson Beck were healthy, I'd pick Georgia. But, Georgia's defense hasn't been nearly as dominant as in the past. The run game is hit or miss. The passing game, especially with Gunner Stockton running the show, is going to be nearly nonexistent. This all plays into Notre Dame's favor. They can slow this game down, make it a slugfest and they have the much better defense. I'm going with Notre Dame beating my preseason pick to win it all.

Finally, for the second round, we have the university of Ohio State facing Oregon. Oregon won this game once this season, by one, but that was earlier in the year. This version of Oregon is better and hungrier. They seem angrier too. They easily handled PSU in the Big Ten title game, and they don't want the accolades to stop there. This offense is one of the better balanced offenses in the country. They're fast everywhere. The defense is as good as Oregon has ever had. I just don't see a world where Oregon doesn't win this game.

That leaves me with a final four of Oregon, Notre Dame, Boise State and Texas. I think Notre Dame is going to beat Boise State. I think this is where the Cinderella run ends for BSU and Ashton Jeanty. Jeanty will have a good game, but Notre Dame can match their energy and I think they have an advantage with their defense.

The real title game for me is Oregon and Texas. These are, in my opinion, the two best teams in college football by a quarter mile. This game will be fast, exciting and an absolute feast for college football fans, In the end, in a minor shootout, I have Oregon winning this game and going to the championship.

This game, featuring Notre Dame and Oregon, will be a coronation for Oregon. It has all led to this for them, and I don't think they'll let their fans down this year. Oregon has all the tools they need to win it all, and I think they do just that this January. 

Ty

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

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Vick as a College Coach Makes Sense

I read earlier in the week that some smaller schools were looking at Mike Vick as a candidate at head coach for them. I didn't know he was actively looking and interviewing for a job, but I like it. Let’s discuss.

I have been a lifelong Mike Vick fan. From his time at Virginia Tech to his stops in the NFL, most memorably with the Falcons, I always enjoyed watching him play football. He reminded me so much of Randall Cunningham, who I also was a big fan of. But, he had a better arm and was so much faster than Cunningham ever was when he was in the NFL. Mike Vick didn't disappoint either. He was as good as advertised. He went to the title game with VT, and almost single handedly won it for them. He was the first pick and was awesome from the start. He made the Falcons fun to watch. He made them a playoff team. When he came back from his suspension, he was a star again with the Eagles. That Monday night game, you know what I'm talking about, was a sight to behold. He then ventured off to the Jets to be a backup and finished up his career as a backup once again with the Steelers. There is the prison sentence for his involvement in a dog fighting ring that slowed his career down significantly. What Vick did was wrong, but for him to be locked up was wild. There are things going on with current players that are much, much worse and they barely even get suspended from playing any games. They get to live their lives freely after doing some heinous things. Vick went to jail. He was a prisoner. He served time. He is well past the point of being a "bad guy" anymore. He did what he did, was punished for it and he came back to play at the highest level, and play very well. Now, he is going to be the head coach at Norfolk State.

I don't know much about Norfolk State. I know the university is in Virginia, Vick's home state. I know they're a lower level division 1-AA school. They haven't made a ton of noise lately, but I feel like that's going to change here very soon. I knew of Jackson State prior to Deion Sanders taking the job there. My knowledge of Jackson State while Deion was there and now is much greater because I wanted to know about where he was coaching. I get very similar vibes with Vick at Norfolk State. Kids with parents around my age or even a little younger are going to want their kids to play for Mike Vick. I would absolutely love for my kid to be recruited by him. I'd love to meet him as the parent. I think it would be a true highlight. Just based off that one fact, Norfolk State is going to improve. The school will put money behind him to help with the NIL collective. Vick is going to get kids in the door on name recognition alone. He and his staff will have to develop that talent. and I'm sure they'll be able to do that with no problem at all. Vick knows this game. He has learned from some of the game's smartest pro coaches. He was an electric athlete, and sometimes that works when transitioning to coaching. I have full faith that Vick will do just fine.

Hearing this news today made me so very happy for him. I want more guys like Vick coaching college football. These are the dudes I watched and I want to see them succeed and thrive. I will be more focused on Norfolk State moving forward from here on out. I love this hire and I cannot wait to see what Vick does now that he's a head coach. 

Ty

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

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Thoughts on Bill Belichick Going to UNC

I was on vacation with my wife last week and my son texted me something that truly shocked me. I was hanging out by a pool and I audibly gasped when I read what he sent. I also didn't fully believe him at first. The text read, "Bill Belichick just signed to be the next head coach for UNC!".

I was floored. I had to check some reputable sites, nothing against my kid, but he's 12, he has said lots of stuff that wasn't true. But he was correct. Bill Belichick is returning to coach football, and he isn't doing it in the NFL or at a big time power 5 school. He is going to coach UNC, who was like 6-6 or 7-5 this season. They gave up 70 plus points to James Madison. The entire staff is going to be new. I'm sure a good portion of the kids will transfer. I wouldn't be surprised if they had a season not too dissimilar to this past Michigan season.

I don't know how Bill Belichick is going to deal with or like coaching college football. I don't know that he has coached in college before. I only remember him as an NFL head coach, and a quite successful one at that. Bill Belichick knows football. There's no denying that fact. He has won multiple Super Bowls. He has helped to guide stifling defenses. He knows how to use what he has in the best possible way. He knows when to cut the fat and he doesn't let feelings get involved. He knows this sport inside and out. But college is a whole other animal. I mean, recruiting is a year round thing. Bill Belichick is going to have to go into an 18 year olds living room and sell this kid on UNC football. That is tough for anyone.

Also, Belichick is 72 years old. I mean, I cannot imagine traveling all over the country trying to sell your program is fun for anyone. College football coaches are getting younger too. I had a conversation with my son recently about that very topic. Jim Harbaugh left because he wanted to coach in the NFL. He was also sick and tired of dealing with the NCAA and all their nonsense. Nick Saban left Alabama last year and made a statement along the lines of he disliked how much the college game had changed. When you look at most college coaches, they seem to be not much older than 50. University of Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz is 41. Florida coach Billy Napier is 44. Tennessee coach Josh Heupel is 46. Georgia coach Kirby Smart is 48. Ryan Day is 45. PJ Fleck is 44. Lincoln Riley is 41. Sherrone Moore is 39. Dan Lanning is 38. In the ACC Cal coach Justin Wilcox is 48. Dabo Swinney is 58. Manny Diaz is 50. Mario Cristobal is 54. And Fran Brown is 42. Bill Belichick is nearly 30 years older than some of these guys. Hell, he is getting close to being 40 years older than some of these guys. College football, as far as recruiting and dealing with the NIL, is becoming a young guys game.

I feel like Belichick, with all of his knowledge, is going to find that coaching college football is way tougher than he thinks. And, as I said above, he is coaching at UNC. UNC is a basketball school through and through. It always has been, probably always will be. They have had some seasons that are solid, but they haven't been a CFP contender yet. They have a ton of preseason hype usually, but that doesn't seem to translate on the field. Belichek is also very old school. He's going to assume that he is the man in charge and the leader. That may have been the case in the 80's and 90's, but not anymore. As it should be, player empowerment is a real and viable thing. These kids know their worth and they aren't shy about letting everyone know. Kids aren't going to go play for Bill Belichick just because he is Bill Belichick. They are going to want playing time and solid NIL deals. They are going to want tv coverage. They are going to want awards. The coach is just a dude now. They teach the game and help mold these kids into pros in some cases. But, the coach doesn't have the power that they used to. Again, not many people know more about football than Bill Belichick. He has a wealth of knowledge. Teaching the game to his players won't be the issue. I think he will find it much more difficult to recruit and have to be on 365 days a year.

Time will tell, but this is a weird move from him. We will see how it turns out. 

Ty

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

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Thoughts on Who Should, and Will, Win the Heisman Trophy

The Heisman trophy will be awarded to the winner next week. There seem to be about four or five dudes up for consideration. If you want the names, Travis Hunter, Ashton Jeanty, Cam Ward and Dillon Gabriel are the four I'd invite to New York. But, in all reality this is down to two dudes.

The Heisman will be given to either Jeanty or Hunter. My son has pleaded his case for Cam Ward, who has had a great season. But, I just don't see it. He hasn't been as good as Hunter or Jeanty. Dillon Gabriel, my preseason pick for the award, has also been good. But, of the four guys I mentioned for invites, he'd finish fourth overall in my voting. He has been great too, but not out of this world. Hunter and Jeanty are crushing it this season. They're the focal points of two teams that have had a resurgent season.

Ashton Jeanty is the main threat for Boise State, who will, most likely, be in the playoffs this season. Jeanty has also been putting up video game numbers. He has carried the ball 312 times for 2,288 yards and 28 tds. He also has 18 catches for 102 yards and a td. Those numbers are good for 26 carries a game, 190 rushing yards a game and over 2 rushing tds a game. That is insane. He is cruising his way through the Mountain West Conference. In BSU's lone defeat this season, against number 1 Oregon, Jeanty went for 192 rush yards and 3 tds. That is pretty amazing against a solid defense. He has gone over 200 yards rushing four times this season, all wins. He ran for six tds in their opening win over Georgia Southern. The only game he didn't score in, a big time win over Portland State, he only played one half, where he carried the ball 11 times for 127 times. That's an average of 11.2 per carry. A first down per each carry. That is wild. Jeanty has all the stats, the playoff appearance and a good portion of the media behind him right now, and I wouldn't be upset at all if he won.

Travis Hunter is doing things that seem impossible in modern college football. He is the Shohei Ohtani of college football. Travis Hunter starts on both sides of the ball. And it isn't like some cutesy offensive packages, he is one of Colorado's top receiving options. He is a legit number 1 or number 2 option for their offense. He is also, quite possibly, the best corner in all of college football. He is lockdown. We don't hear his name too much and that is the biggest compliment you can give a corner. That means he is covering his guy so well that the opposing QB will not throw his way. And when they do, he seems to make incredible interceptions. On the season Hunter, as a wideout, has 92 catches for 1,152 receiving yards and 14 tds. That's good for 7 catches a game, 96 receiving yards and game and just over 1 receiving td a game. That is top notch for any power 5 wideout. He also has 31 tackles, 4 interceptions and 1 forced fumble as a corner. Again, that would be great stats for a guy that just plays defense. Hunter averages 114 plays per game. That is the amount of plays in most college football games. That means he never comes off the field. Hunter is always there and he is always producing. He is putting up crazy good numbers on both sides of the ball. Those stats, had he been a one way player, wouldn't be good enough for Heisman consideration, but he would be up for other postseason awards. The fact that he is doing this, in high level division 1 college football, is unheard of.

Hunter is going to be the first overall pick in next season's NFL draft. He may damn well play both sides of the ball in the NFL too. I also believe he should, and will, win the Heisman next weekend. Travis Hunter is an amazing football player, playing both sides of the ball, and he has done more than enough to win the Heisman. Hunter is my pick. 

Ty

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

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The Greatest The Game

Let’s talk about last Saturday’s Michigan Ohio State game.

After I got home from my race Saturday afternoon, and my dad arrived at my house, we settled in and watched the recording of the university of Ohio State and Michigan football game. Neither of us knew the outcome, nor the score at the time, so we went in totally fresh. What my dad and I watched unfold was pretty epic and inconceivable to the both of us.

This has been an incredibly frustrating year to be a Michigan football fan. I know, they were coming off an undefeated season that ended in a national title win. It was great. This year was a year of newness and head scratching. They had no QB. Their best defender missed most of the season. The o-line was not playing to their wild expectations. The receivers couldn't get separation. Donovan Edwards was replaced by Kalel Mullings. The defense had some questionable play calling. It was a mess and a work in progress. When I saw them play live over a month ago, it looked as bad in person as it did on the tv. After that Illinois-Michigan game, I thought they may finish 6-6 at best. They played Indiana close, which was nice to see, but they went into their second bye week at 5-5. I didn't know if they'd win another game. They went into the Northwestern game and demolished them. It was such a nice surprise to see them go out and dominate a team like they're supposed to. They ran up and down the field. The QB play was sufficient. The defense was suffocating. It was a sight for sore eyes.

Going into the university of Ohio State game, I had zero expectations. The university of Ohio State, on paper, is a much better team. They played Oregon close, in Eugene, and that same Oregon squad crushed Michigan in Ann Arbor. They throttled Indiana. They kind of, outside of Oregon, made lightwork of every team that was on their schedule. Michigan, on the other hand, really struggled all season long, until the Northwestern game. Fresno State stayed with them all game. They gave up 15 fourth quarter points to Arkansas State. Texas smacked them. So did Illinois and, as previously mentioned, Oregon. Michigan looked like a team that wasn't really prepared to play all year. But, I have to bring it up again, the Northwestern game showed me something different. They did what they wanted to do when they wanted to do it and they looked good while doing it. But I still expected them to get walloped on Saturday. The university of Ohio State was supposed to unleash three years of frustration and prove that Michigan wasn't going to be able to push them around anymore. Ryan Day said, in 2019, that he was "going to hang 100 on them", and I kind of expected that type of game on Saturday.

That didn't happen at all. Michigan was able to run on this supposed vaunted defense. Kalel Mullings fully took control of Michigan's ground game after Donovan Edwards got hurt. Davis Warren, well, he looked like a walk on. He had a bad, bad game. But that didn't matter. If the offense went three and out, the defense held firm. The Michigan defense was lights out on Saturday. They played their best game of the season and looked pretty damn good doing it. Early on in the game, with Michigan down 3-0, the university of Ohio State decided to throw on third and long from their endzone. Aamir Hall read it beautifully and picked the pass off with ease, setting up Michigan's first TD and lead of the game. The defense continued to dominate, but the university of Ohio State's play calling was bizarre. They kept trying to run the ball up the gut, playing right into Michigan's strength on defense. They have been great against the run all year. But, as I said to my dad at one point of the game, it felt like the university of Ohio State offensive plan was to prove how "tough" they could be. It didn't work, but they kept trying it. Over and over again they would run it two, sometimes three times during a drive, only to have to punt or try a field goal. And the field goal kicker missed two gimmes, which was brutal for that guy. But the sheer fact that they kept trying to run the ball, to no avail, was astonishing. The passing game was working like gangbusters, but they didn't stick with it and that helped Michigan. The hubris of the university of Ohio State, to continue to try and prove their "toughness" was the absolute wrong way to go about this game. Late in the fourth, tied at 10, the university of Ohio State had to give up the ball after yet another three and out and Michigan held onto the damn thing for the majority of the quarter. They drove it down inside the 5, after a brilliant Mullings run on third and 6. They made the university of Ohio State use all its timeouts, and with about 45 seconds left, Michigan kicker Dominic Zvada kicked a 20 yarder to take the lead. The university of Ohio State got the ball back with about 30 seconds left, and proceeded to call four pass plays that gained them a total of one yard. When the fourth and 9 pass fell to the turf, and it was known that Michigan was going to win for a fourth year in a row,

I gave out a guttural yell. I couldn't believe that this Michigan team, this 6-5 team with no real QB, two of their best players out, a coaching staff still figuring it all out and their best secondary player not covering superstar wideouts was able to pull off this upset, it was incredible. I loved all the congratulatory texts I was getting. I loved reading about the game online afterward. I loved seeing those crybabies show more fight after the game, when Michigan was planting their flag, trying to fight the players planting the flag. That shows how classless those players and that staff really are. There is no institutional control. Ryan Day is a coward and the biggest crybaby of them all. Their team captain telling Michigan that their "season is over", shows how little sportsmanship they have in Columbus. I want to inject Will Howard's crying speech into my veins. This dude has been popping off at the mouth all season, and being a Michigan fanatic, seeing him crying on national tv was glorious.

I cannot stop reading about this game. I want more and more and more of this. There's no more excuses. The university of Ohio State cannot blame signs, the flu, the cold, the Michigan staff, Jim Harbaugh, the Big 10 or the NCAA. This is all on them. They have to bear the brunt of the last four seasons. Michigan has clearly broken that team and that staff. The university of Ohio State will be in the playoff and they could make a run. But, this 7-5 Michigan team went into Columbus, as a 20 point underdog, with almost every media talking head picking against them, and won. Michigan won The Game for the fourth year in a row and this one feels better than some of the past four seasons. This wasn't supposed to happen, but Michigan did it. I'm going to soak in this for a good long time. Always and forever, Go Blue. 

Ty

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

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Mack Brown is an Old School Coach Who was Not a Fit for the Reality of College Football

Mack Brown was let go by North Carolina today. I'm not that surprised.

Mack Brown has had big preseason expectations in his return to head coaching, but UNC has not been able to live up to the hype. I feel like they, starting in his second season, were always a preseason darling, then they'd inevitably go 7-5 or 8-4. They were never a real threat in the ACC. They were surpassed by Clemson and Miami. Even Duke became more of a threat during his second tenure in Chapel Hill. He's had some solid recruits come in, most recently Drake Maye, but even they couldn't get the Tar Heels over the top. I don't think Maye was the starting QB of a team that won more than eight games.

I have to believe that the tipping point this season was when the Tar Heels gave up 70 plus points in a home game to James Madison. This is no slight to James Madison, who is a very solid division one football team, but that's a game that UNC should win, and win pretty handily. They did score 50 plus points themselves, but a lot of those points came when the game was already well out of hand. They have rebounded enough from that to be a 6-5 team, and they have a good shot to finish 7-5, ending the season against a shorthanded NC State. But, UNC has already let him go, he will coach the final regular season game, but he will not be there for the bowl game. UNC will begin searching for a head coach immediately.

All of this made me look back at Mack Brown, and I have been trying to figure out what went wrong. Brown was a very good coach back in his heyday. He was at UNC before, and he was good enough there to get the head coaching job at Texas. He had great success at Texas. He won a title. His teams competed for the Big 12 title pretty much every season he was there. He coached Vince Young, who may be the greatest college QB of all time. He coached Ricky Williams, who may be the greatest college running back of all time. This was all during the BCS era and pre NIL. This was a time where the coach of a college football team was the king. No one was above them. They called the shots and everyone did what the head coach of a major college football team asked. This new era of college football may have been too much for him. Mack Brown is an older dude, and maybe his old school mentality just doesn't fit in the modern game. When he would go to the podium for post game interviews now he would look tired and frustrated. He didn't have the easy answer like he did in the early 2000's. He would try to fit in and dance in the locker room with his players after any big win and it looked uncomfortable and awkward. He would try and sound cool and hip and it came off as phony. He didn't command the respect in a recruits home like he used to. A lot of these kids don't know much about his old Texas football teams. The game, from my perspective watching him coach these past few years, has passed him by. His defense never got better. He didn't utilize all these great weapons he had. He was not so great with the transfer portal. His teams could score, which they've always been able to, but they didn't do much else that good at all. This is like a passing of the guard in a way. There's not too many older coaches out there right now, and the ones that have stuck around, the lame ass Dabo Swinney's of the world, are getting past everyday by younger, more innovative head coaches.

Mack Brown will always have his championship and the memories of coaching Vince Young and Ricky Williams, but he is a "dinosaur" in the modern college football era and his time is done. 

Ty

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

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The Inglorious End of the Daniel Jones Era

I saw earlier today that the Daniel Jones era with the New York Giants has officially ended. Let’s discuss.

This seems pretty harsh and fast, but not all that crazy if you look at his short lived career. Jones was never the answer with the Giants. I can remember writing about him before he was drafted. I had him firmly in my bust category. He didn't really have the juice in my opinion. He seemed slow, he wasn't very accurate and I figured the bright lights of NYC were going to be too much for him. It seems like I, along with many other writers, had him pegged perfectly. And don't let some phony stats or one playoff win fool you. He was never the reason why the Giants had any of the minimal success they had while he was the starting QB.

The Giants won during that time because they had a killer defense and Saquon Barkley. Look at how stacked the boxes were when Barkley was drafted by the Giants. The guy was facing seven and eight man boxes and he was still producing. The Giants defense during that time created turnovers and rushed the passer. They did the little things they needed, had a superstar in Barkley and they won in spite of Daniel Jones.

Where the Giants screwed up was giving Jones such an enormous contract after their playoff run a few years back. They picked Jones over the Barkley and the rest is history. Barkley played one more season with the Giants, putting up somewhat decent numbers, and now he is thriving in Philadelphia. That team knows how to use their running backs, they have a legit MVP caliber QB in Jalen Hurts, their defense has taken a step up and Barkley seems to be the missing piece. This couldn't have worked out any better for Saquon Barkley.

Daniel Jones, well, as mentioned up top, he was cut today. Before that he was benched in favor of Tommy Devito. I don't know why Brian Daboll picked Devito over Drew Locke, but he did. Maybe Daboll wants out of NYC as well. But, they picked a flash in the pan who is more noteworthy for what his agent wears than anything he has ever done on the field. That speaks volumes to me. The Giants are going to eat whatever money they owe Jones now, but they don't care, they just want him gone. He was taking 4th string QB reps in practice yesterday and they even deployed him at safety on the Giants scout team defense for this week. I have to imagine when that happened that Jones knew it was only a matter of time before he was gone. I mean the disrespect they showed him is kind of sad but also hilarious to me.

What I don't think I'll get over as a fan of football is picking him over Barkley. Barkley is a generational back. He can run and catch. He is a good return man. He knows what he does best and he excels at that while always trying to get bigger, faster and stronger. Jones looks like a dope on and off the field. He seems like he doesn't really want to play this sport that made him millions of dollars. It is clear that he wasn't the guy for this job from day one. I'll be curious to see where his career takes him from here, but I have to assume he will never be more than a backup until he retires. And Saquon Barkley may be the spark to an Eagles team that could make a deep playoff run this year and seasons after this. 

Ty

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

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Calm Down (Online) Michigan Fans

Michigan football is struggling. There's no denying it. And there is plenty of blame to go around. Let’s discuss.

The QB situation has been an absolute mess. I guess the coaching staff figured they could work with what they had already on roster. It hasn't worked at all. The o-line, a strength in years past, has been underwhelming. They have had moments, but they have wildly underperformed all season. The receiving corps has been non essential. They don't get many targets and they are not the best blockers. The running backs have been okay, just relied on far too often, and the tight end group has been the lone bright spot on this horrid offense. The defense has been up and down. The secondary is bad. They have performed poorly all season long. Will Johnson is still hurt, Zeke Berry has had glimpses, but for the most part he gets beat far too often, Jayire Hill is hurt and gets beat too much and the safeties are nowhere near the level of the play they've had the past three seasons. The linebacking corps is okay, but very bad in coverage. And the d-line isn't generating pressure hardly at all. I will say the defense is better than people online have given them credit for this season though. They're on the field so much and guys are constantly tired. That would halt any defense in college football. And the new coaching staff is having a hard time with the promotion. Sherrone Moore is struggling. Wink Martindale thinks he's coaching NFL players. Kirk Campbell cannot get out of his own way. The lone star from this new staff, in my opinion, has been Lamar Morgan, and that is mostly due to his excellent recruiting acumen. This season has been a mess.

But, for all of the people that want this staff gone or want immediate changes or think they can do better, I need you all to calm the hell down. What did you really, truly expect? When this season started I thought they could win 9 or 10 games. I thought they could remain in the playoff picture. I figured they'd be solid. They had some guys returning that gave me hope. But, that was the optimistic side of my brain. At best they're going to be 6-6 this year and they are going to get stomped in their regular season finale. It's going to be rough. But again, what did you all expect? I don't get the people online, the keyboard warriors who are going on the internet before, during and after each game and saying how everyone needs to go. How they'd do so much better. That so and so should be playing because they're better. It's nonsense. And you have to give Moore more time. He inherited a team that saw a bunch of players and coaches leave the program for the NFL. They needed to replace almost their entire o-line. They needed a new QB. They needed a new number one, reliable running back. They have a whole new linebacking corps. Their best defensive player in the secondary has only played four full games. Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant are being double and triple teamed constantly.

It needs to be said this coaching staff is pretty much all new. Moore got promoted top head coach. Campbell went from QB coach to offensive coordinator. Ron Bellamy is still the wideout coach, and that's it. The rest of the staff is all new. They have a new strength coach, new linebacker and secondary coach. They have a new special teams coach. They have a new tight ends coach. It's all new. And that means they need time. They have to be able to recruit and develop the talent for their system. They have to be given a fair shot, a real chance at coaching this team. I have always been a believer of giving new coaches three seasons before making a decision on the future of the head coach. Moore has had four chances last season and 10 games so far this year. He is 9-5 as a head coach right now. Yes, there have been blundres and issues. Moore has made some odd decisions late in games this year. I'm still confused as to why he waited so long to call his first timeout last week. But I look at these as lessons. He is figuring all this out in real time. And while it looks bad now, I think he's going to learn from all of this and get better with each new season. There's a reason he was looked at as the predecessor to Harbaugh. Moore was going to be a hot commodity on the coaching market sooner rather than later. I'm stoked that Michigan hired him. He was, and I believe still is, the right man for the job.

Everyone wants instant gratification and if they don't get it, they think they can do better than the people most qualified for the job. I just want people online to give Moore a fair shot. I want them to let him recruit and coach his players to his system. Yes it is bad now, but they can get better from here. These kids love playing for Moore and I think with a little more time, one more full season under his belt, Moore will find his groove. We fans just have to believe in his ability. Give the man a real chance. 

Ty

Ty

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

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The Detroit Lions are a Damn Good Football Team

Yesterday I made sure to get everything done that needed to be done so I could sit down and really watch the Packers-Lions game. This was the big game of the week. These two teams have looked pretty damn good this season. They have both looked like the class of the NFC. It's kind of wild that they're in the same division, along with Minnesota and Chicago, all of which are at or over .500 right now. This is the best division in the NFL by a mile. The game between the Lions and Packers looked like it could be a good one. Add on the fact that it was raining, this had the makings to be solid.

Well, it wasn't. Green Bay looked slow and disorganized. They couldn't get off the field. They couldn't stop anything the Lions were doing. Their offense was inept and not productive. It was a mess. Sure, they made it closer than it should have been at the end, but that was a garbage time TD. And I'm not here for moral victories or to say that they weren't blown out. Green Bay was outplayed and deservingly got beat.

The Lions on the other hand, they look real, real good. They played a wonderful game and proved that they can go anywhere and beat anyone. They kept saying during the broadcast that this was their first game outside a dome. That didn't seem to matter. They looked damn good. They did whatever they wanted. They made everything they were able to do look easy. Jared Goff controlled Green Bay's secondary. He was slicing and dicing them with ease. He seemed to have a receiver open at all times. Where Green Bay receivers were dropping passes left and right, Detroit's wideouts caught everything. Detroit's o-line mashed and smashed Green Bay's d-line all afternoon. They supplied wonderful pass protection. They're the best o-line in the NFL, and they showed that yesterday. David Montgomery ran up and down the field. He would find a hole, cruise through it and pick up 4,5 or 6 yards a pop. Jahmyr Gibbs did the same and added pass catching out of the backfield. He looked so much faster than any defender Green Bay put on him yesterday. Detroit's defense was down two guys, Aidan Hutchinson to season ending surgery and Brian Branch on a very questionable targeting call, and they still dominated. Green Bay's offense has been decent as of late, especially the run game. And while Josh Jacobs got off a big run one time, he was pretty much kept in check, as was the rest of the backfield. The wideouts struggled to hold onto the ball, they couldn't get seperation and Detroit locked them down with relative ease. Detroit still dominated defensively even without their two best players on that side of the ball. What I noticed most yesterday was how good Detroit looks. There wasn't a moment where I thought Green Bay could come back or take control of the game, and they're the team I root for. Detroit looked so much better than Green Bay, and the rest of the NFL for that matter.

Where we stand right now, Detroit is the class of the NFL. They have competition, the Chiefs are undefeated, but in my mind the Lions look like a better team. They can play anyone, anywhere at any time. They have built an incredibly good football team. Everyone knows their roles and plays them exceptionally well. The coaching is second only to Kansas City, and I would take the entire Detroit Lions staff over the Chiefs, minus Andy Reid. Detroit should be considered the favorite to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl right now. And I'd say they're the favorite to win it all this season. They left a damn good impression on me, and they only appear to be getting better. 

Ty

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

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This is Not Last Year's Michigan Football Team

Last weekend I went to my first Michigan football game since 2019. My dad and I used to go to one game a year, but then COVID hit. We have contemplated going since 2022, but this was the first time that worked when we both felt comfortable enough. We traveled out to Champaign to see them play Illinois.

It was not great. I kind of wished we went in the last three seasons. We could've seen a legit title contending team. What we saw last Saturday was tough. I want to say at the top, I still believe in this staff, I think Michigan will be just fine very soon and they need time to recruit their guys, which they seem to be doing at the moment. I'm still all in. Give Moore and his staff three years. That's all I'm asking as a lifetime fan. But, what we saw this past weekend was bad.

This is not a good football team. I knew it was going to be rough, but I thought it was going to be "rough". As many of you may have read, I predicted Michigan to finish at 11 in the polls and return to the playoff. I thought they could win 10 games. Now, after seeing them play live, I'd be stunned if they won two more games all season. This team has issues all over the field. Everyone wants to say the biggest issue is QB. And that is a big, big problem. The QB play has been atrocious all season. They have three times more interceptions than touchdowns. They've fumbled the ball as many times as they have thrown TDs. They have no confidence in their arms. Michigan has played three different QBs this year and none of them have worked. Davis Warren was too timid. Alex Orji seemingly cannot throw the ball down field. And Jack Tuttle was supposed to be a career backup in college. But the issues go much deeper than just the QB. On offense, the o line has been miserable. They cannot protect the QB like they have in the past and the holes they used to open up with ease, they're not there anymore. This was a unit on the team that was award worthy. This year they have spent more time helping their QB up than pancaking a d lineman. The receivers are small and cannot get seperation. They are often easily covered and when they need a catch, they drop the ball. The tight ends have been okay, but when the only threat from the pass game is the tight end position, it's too easy to stop that. Kalel Mullings has been a bright spot, but he is the only bright spot. Donovan Edwards has totally disappeared. Ben Hall barely sees the field. And Jordan Marshall, a prized recruit, has been injured pretty much all season. The defense, which should have been their best unit, has been up and down all year. The d line is okay. Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant have been very good. Graham looks a little out of shape, but he is still producing. And Grant is swallowing double and triple teams consistently. The edge rushers seem to come and go. Josiah Stewart was unblockable against USC, but he barely did anything of note against Illinois. Derrick Moore has been hurt all year. Rayshaun Benny can't stay on the field. Cameron Brandt is committing dumb penalties. The linebackers have been okay, but I expected great things from this group. Jaishawn Barham is starting to pick it up, but it has taken too damn long. Ernest Hausmann is solid, but his coverage has been lacking. The secondary has been bad. Will Johnson is always hurt. He played one series at Illinois. He missed the Minnesota game. He may not play this weekend. Jayire Hill and Zeke Berry have made minimal strides, but they get targeted and get beat on a consistent basis. Quentin Johnson seems to have lost a step after flirting with the NFL. Makari Page coverage skills are nonexistent. And they get penalized far, far too much. There were multiple pass interference calls on Saturday. They got beat for three and long passes a few times. They miss tackles. The thing I notice most about this defense is how undisciplined they are. They have made so many mistakes this year that they haven't made in a long, long time. It is baffling to see after what we have watched for three years. This team has a ton of things to clean up. That starts with the coaching, but the players have to be held accountable at some point. And that means all players, not just the QB. Again,

I believe Michigan will be back. I hope that this season is just a bump in the road. Sherrone Moore was the right guy for the job. He earned it. But, he has got to move some things around and make some changes. I would love to see him play some young guys this season, just to see what he has on this roster moving ahead. And he needs to keep up the recruiting, especially in this new era of college football. As for this season, it's a total wash. They are a bad football team with a ton of issues. The issues are fixable, which is good. But, if they don't do something about it now, there is a very real possibility that they miss a bowl game one year after winning the championship. And that would be a bummer. Always and forever, Go Blue. 

Ty

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

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Robert Saleh Was Not The Jets Only Problem

The Jets relieved Robert Saleh of his head coaching duties yesterday. I was kind of surprised when I saw this news. Let’s discuss.

Saleh wasn't lighting the world on fire as a head coach by any means. His record was under .500, the offense always seemed to be a mess and he would say odd stuff from time to time while being interviewed. He also didn't seem to have much of a backbone with the front office. He let them run the show it seemed. But, he wasn't given the best team to work with all the time. He had to go out there and play with QB's like Zach Wilson, Trevor Siemien and Sam Darnold. Darnold is better now, but he was not great while with the Jets. I don't believe Siemien is still in the league and Wilson is destined to be a backup the rest of his career. They never had a real running game. Breece Hall got hurt two seasons ago and I don't know many other backs they've brought in. The receiving corps has not been super either. They have some dudes, but no one really jumps off the page. The defense was pretty legit under Saleh too. That is his forte. That is how he made his living in the NFL. He knows defense. The defense is why this team had any kind of relevance under Saleh. Again, Saleh was never over .500, but he won seven games two years in a row with Zach Wilson. He won six games with Siemien. He won five or six games with a rookie Darnold. Saleh did the best he could with the talent the front office gave him.

Then we have the whole Aaron Rodgers of it all. I am not, nor have I ever been a fan of his. He is a blowhard malcontent who is way too into conspiracy theories. He goes on wild offseason "darkness" retreats. He says stupid stuff like, "I am immunized from Coronavirus". He constantly complains about the "woke mob" while appearing on Pat McAfee's dumbass talk show. Rodgers is a locker room problem and he is a coach killer. I fully believe he is the one who wanted Saleh gone. I know he has come out today and said he has nothing to do with it, but come on man. This is his MO. He is an egomaniac that thinks he can cover everything up by going on some terrible rant on a dumbass sports talk show. He is clinically insane in my eyes. And he wanted to come to the Jets when he knew well that Saleh was the head coach. He got the front office to bring along all his buddies too. Rodgers convinced the Jets front office to sign Randall Cobb, Allen Lazard and Dalvin Cook, among others, to come play for the Jets after he signed with them. This would have been a great idea in 2015, when they were all still pretty good talents. They're all old, just like Saleh.

I have to imagine Saleh knew this, but he wasn't going to speak up to the front office. And that, along with the signing of Rodgers, led to him being removed from his job. Rodgers destroyed his knee on the first drive of the season last year, so this team, and Saleh, were already a year behind. Then all the off the field nonsense, again revolving around Rodgers, led to a bunch of unneeded attention. Now that Rodgers is back, and looks pretty old and not nearly anywhere near his elite level, this team needs a scapegoat. And that scapegoat is, unfortunately for him, Robert Saleh.

I don't know where the Jets are going to go from here, but this is a team I think I'd stay away from if I was an up and coming assistant in the NFL. There is something wild going on in that locker room, and I wouldn't touch Aaron Rodgers, who is 41 and coming off a massive injury, with a ten foot pole. I'm interested to see how this all shakes out. 

Ty

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

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Ty Predicts the 2024 College Football Season

Today I will wrap up my 2024 football preview with NCAA football. This is my favorite sport to watch. I loathe the NCAA, but man do I love college football. We actually get started this weekend with four games, but it all truly pops off next weekend. College football is just around the corner and I cannot wait. This year is different with conference realignment and the first year of the 12 team playoff. I'll still pick power 5 conference winners, but I'm not going to go team by team in each conference. I'm just going to pick the winners, one surprise from each conference, both good and bad, and then give you my 12 team playoff, with predictions all the way to the title game. I'll also do award predictions. And, of course, I'm going to talk about Michigan no matter what. With all that being said, let's get into the power 5 conference picks.

I'll start with the ACC. A bunch of teams have joined this conference of late, but it doesn't really matter. Clemson or FSU will win it this season, and I'll go with Clemson. They look quietly good coming into this season. As for my surprises, I think FSU is going to take a step back. Their game against Georgia Tech in Ireland this weekend will speak volumes as to how their season is going to play out. As for my good surprise, give me NC State. They got Grayson McCall to commit out of the portal and he is a good QB. I believe they will be Clemson's biggest threat. On to the Big 12 now.

The Big 12 has added a few teams in the past couple years. They are trying to remain a viable power conference, and they've had some good success over the past few years. My conference winner is Utah. It is weird that Utah is even in the Big 12, and I am counting on the QB to stay healthy, which is not a safe bet, but they have the most complete team in the conference and the best coaching staff. It wouldn't surprise me if they win the Big 12 with ease to be honest. As for my not so good surprise, I have zero faith in Oklahoma State. Their star running back was arrested for a DUI recently and their dickhead of a head coach laughed it off. Their QB is in his 7th year, and he is not Stetson Bennett. And now they are going to have QR codes on their helmets to help with NIL. This all seems like a recipe for disaster. My good surprise, give me KU. They have a great QB, who needs to stay healthy. But, they won big games without him last year. KU has a good football team. On to the skeleton of the Pac 12.

There's two teams left. Everyone else is gone. I don't know why they didn't just fold, but they didn't, and here we are. This is between two mediocre teams as well, Oregon State and Washington State. Oregon State has an entirely new coaching staff, and Washington State hasn't been a true threat in over a decade. I guess I'll go with WSU to win the Pac 12, but honestly, who cares? Moving on to the SEC.

The SEC has always been one of the best power 5 conferences, and after adding Texas and Oklahoma, the gauntlet is even tougher now. The SEC is one of two true power conferences left, the second one I'll get to next. There is some major turnover within this conference, namely Nick Saban retiring after last year. Georgia maybe should have been a playoff team last year, and they return a good portion of that team this year. They are the team to beat in this conference, and I think they are the team to beat in all of college football. They have a tremendous offense and an elite defense. Georgia is the cream of the crop in college football. My bad surprise team is LSU. I have no faith in Brian Kelly as a head coach. He has never really shined in big games. They also have to replace some excellent wideouts, and their Heisman winning QB. Regression is due with this team. My good surprise, South Carolina. I believe, though the belief is dwindling, that they have a good coaching staff. They also have the best athlete in all of college football on their team, Nyck Harbor. And he has a year of playing behind him. He knows the speed of the game and what to expect. If they can scheme him ways to get the ball as much as possible, big things are in store for him and the team.

Now to the Big 10, my conference. Before I pick my winner, let me talk about Michigan for a second. Michigan is the three time Big 10 champ and reigning national title winner. They have nothing to answer for, and for people out there who still think that they are going to get in trouble, it's not happening. Let it go. Harbaugh is gone, as expected, but they did the correct thing in hiring Sherrone Moore as the head coach. He has proven himself as a coordinator and position coach, and now it's his turn. The kids love playing for him too. A lot of important players graduated or opted for the draft. They do have to replace some important players. But they have guys that can do it, and guys that have proven they can do it. Their defense should be elite yet again. Michigan will not win the Big 10 this year, they have a brutal schedule, but they aren't going to roll over and die. They have good to great players, a wonderful defense and can grind games out by running the ball. Moore's pedigree is offensive line play, and Michigan should be elite there once again. Michigan isn't going anywhere. Now, onto my Big 10 picks.

Everyone and their mother assume the University of Ohio State is going to run away with the Big 10. They went out and purchased one of the best rosters money can buy in the NIL era. But Ryan Day is still the head coach, and while he has a pretty great record as a head coach, he is timid and afraid to go for the jugular in big, important games. That being said, give me Oregon to win the conference. They have a loaded roster, Phil Knight is dumping money into that program and they all want a title come hell or high water. My bad surprise team, Iowa. They cannot seem to figure out their offense. Their offense was historically bad last year. And by all accounts, it is as bad this season during camp and practice. Their defense should be great, but having this bad of an offense for too many seasons in a row is not a good look. My good surprise, give me Wisconsin. This is year two for Luke Fickell. He is a good head coach. He is a good recruiter. He has taken lesser programs to the playoff. Wisconsin should be on the come up, and I think we will see the first signs of it this season.

Now to my playoff teams and predictions. The playoff format is a bit different, giving four auto bids to the four major conference winners, and one from a group of 5 conference winners. So, that would mean I have Georgia representing the SEC, Utah from the Big 12, Clemson from the ACC and Oregon from the Big 10. My group of 5 playoff auto bid is Liberty. They made a big bowl game last year, hung with Oregon for a half and returned most of their key players. That doesn't mean they are the 5 seed though. For me, and most others, Liberty is the 12 seed. As for the four major conference winners, from 1-4 give me Georgia, Oregon, Clemson and then Utah. So that leaves us with spots 5-11. I believe they will be, in order, the University of Ohio State, Notre Dame, Mizzou, Ole Miss, Penn State, Texas and Michigan. That last spot was between Michigan and Bama, so I'm going to go with my heart here and take Michigan. This seems like a pretty darn good field for this expanded playoff, of which I'm a big fan. The matchups would be as follows, the top four teams get a first round bye. So, my 5-12 game features the University of Ohio State facing Liberty. The University of Ohio State wins that game going away. My 6-11 Matchup has an old time rivalry, Notre Dame and Michigan. Give me Michigan baby! They will head into South Bend and win an ugly, low scoring game. My 7-10 game has Mizzou facing Texas. Texas is going to be lethal this year and Mizzou doesn't have the rushing attack that they had last year. Texas wins here. And the 8-9 game will showcase Ole Miss and Penn State. Ole Miss is going to run up and down the field on Penn State and win going away. On to the quarterfinals. Number 1 Georgia will face off with Ole Miss. Georgia will maul this team. They are as fast and much better at almost every position. Oregon will then match up with Texas. Oregon is too good, they have a more explosive QB that is willing to run and Texas will not be able to match the Ducks speed. Clemson will get Michigan. This is where Michigan's title defense ends. This will be another ugly game, but due to more complete QB and wideout play, Clemson will win. And Utah will get the University of Ohio State. We have seen this story before and Utah cannot hang with a team that likes to run and gun up and down the field. The university of Ohio State wins a shootout. The semifinals are set with Georgia facing Oregon and Clemson facing the university of Ohio State. This has all been leading up to Georgia playing the university of Ohio State for the title. Clemson isn't ready yet, and Oregon always finds a way to blow a big game. Give me Georgia winning it all. They are the best team in college football. They will remind everyone that they are the top college football team. Ryan Day will find a way to get supremely outcoached by Kirby Smart and Georgia will win the inaugural 12 team college football playoff.

Onto awards. I am going with Dillon Gabriel to win the Heisman. Oregon will let him do anything and everything he wants. He is also playing behind one of the best o lines in college football. I have Luther Burden III of Mizzou winning the Biletnikoff. I'll take Omarion Hampton from UNC as the Daok Walker winner. Will Johnson will win the Jim Thorpe award. And Mason Graham will win the Outland Trophy. Colston Loveland will win the Mackey Award. James Pearce Jr will win both the Lombardi and Ted Hendricks award. Harold Perkins wins the Butkus award. And Travis Hunter has the Paul Hornung award almost already locked up. Finally, the coach of the year in college football will be Dan Lanning at Oregon. He will take them very far this year, they will have an elite offense and their defense has improved every season under his coaching.

That does it for everything football for the time being. I can't wait for the season to start and I can't wait to see how everything turns out. It is football season baby. Time to get excited. 

Ty

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

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Ty Predicts the 2024 NFL Champs and Award Winners

Wrapping up my NFL countdown stuff, today I come to you all with my postseason predictions and award winners. Tomorrow will be my college football preview and predictions, but today is my last day of NFL preview stuff for awhile now. I'll start with my AFC and NFC division winners, name some wild cards and then fully predict the playoffs. After that I will pick award winners. Let's get to it.

I'll start with the AFC East. This, to me, is a two team race. I think the Bills and Dolphins are the front runners. I have zero faith in the Jets offense being any good outside of Breece Hall, and the Patriots are a dumpster fire on offense. I think I'm going to go with the Dolphins. They have the best offense by a mile and the defense should be improved. The Bills don't have many more weapons and they are proven to not show up in big games. It will be tight the whole way, but I see the Dolphins wrapping it up by week 15.

The AFC North is going to be an absolute bloodbath. This may be the most competitive division in all of football. I believe that three of the teams were in my top 10, and the Steelers weren't very far off. I do believe each team could be over .500 and three could make the playoffs. I think in the long run it will come down to the Bengals and Ravens and I have the Ravens winning it. They have proven to be able to stay healthy and they have a much better coaching staff. But it is going to be brutal all season long when they play division games.

The AFC South has the juice to be pretty good. It isn't that much of a joke anymore. The teams are competent, they have solid QB play and the coaches are pretty darn good. The Colts and Jags will fight for second place, and whoever gets second place will probably be a playoff team. The Titans are no good and should be rebuilding as is. But this is the Texans division, and it shouldn't be that close. They have the best QB, the best offense, the best defense and the best coaching staff. The Texans are a very, very good football team.

The AFC West is not that tough. The Chiefs are the cream of the crop and should win this division going away. The Chargers will be frisky, the Raiders have an elite defense but no offense and the Broncos are starting a rookie at QB. The Chiefs have the best QB in the league, the best tight end, a much improved defense and the best coach in football. They win this division going away.

As for my playoff teams from the AFC, I have the four division winners, Dolphins, Ravens, Texans and Chiefs. Then we have the wild card teams, the Bengals, Jags and Bills. As for seeding, going from 1-7, I have the Texans, Chiefs, Ravens, Dolphins, Bengals, Jags and Bills. In the 4-5 matchup I have the Dolphins facing the Bengals. Give me the Bengals. They are a better overall team. The 3-6 matchup features the Ravens and Jaguars. The Ravens will win in a walk. The 2-7 matchup gives me the Chiefs facing the Bills. We have seen this matchup and we all know how it ends, with the Chiefs winning. So that would leave the Texans facing the Ravens and the Chiefs facing the Bengals. I really want to pick the Texans, but I think the Ravens are better and I feel like they are going to finally show up in a big game. Lamar Jackson will have perfect field conditions and he will thrive. The Chiefs-Bengals game should be epic. We have seen the Bengals win in KC, and I bet we will see it again. The Chiefs are tired and the Bengals are hungry. So my AFC title matchup is the Bengals and Ravens. The Bengals will be too tired from the previous game and Lamar Jackson will continue his redemption and revenge tour in the playoffs. Give me the Ravens representing the AFC in the Super Bowl.

Now for the NFC.

We will start with the NFC East, which is a weird division. I don't fully trust any team in this division. The Cowboys are a good regular season team, but they have so many outside issues. The Eagles are loaded with talent, but they have more issues with their team and staff than the Cowboys. The Commanders are coming, but they are too young. And the Giants stink. I'm going to go with the Eagles to win this division over the Cowboys because they have better QB and running back play than their opponents.

The NFC North has three good teams, and then there's the Vikings. This is a gap year for them. They can just take it off. The Bears are going to be good in a year or two, but not yet. They will show signs, but they aren't ready for the playoffs just yet. The Packers are pretty good and have a ton of talent, but they are still the youngest team in the NFL, and I want to see if last season was a fluke or not. The Lions are the cream of the crop here. They have pretty much everything you want in a very good NFL team. This division is theirs.

I cannot figure out the NFC South to save my life. The Panthers were awful last year so they are due to get better, but I don't think they'll be not much better. The Buccaneers are counting on a continued Baker Mayfield renaissance. I don't want anything to do with that. The Falcons are going with Kirk Cousins, who seems immune to winning important games. And the Saints are still rolling out Derek Carr and letting Dennis Allen continue to head coach this team. I guess I'll go with the Falcons, but they may only win eight games. And that may be enough here.

The NFC West may be frisky, but not great. The Rams have the guys, if they can stay on the field. The Seahawks have some quality skill guys and a competent QB, but they have a bad o line and a whole new coaching staff. I like what the Cardinals are doing, but they are still a few seasons away from true contention. Then we have the 49ers. They are the best and most complete team, outside the QB position, and they have to hope they get another year as healthy as last season. I'll go with the 49ers, but the Rams can push.

So, my four division winners, and locks for the playoffs, are the Eagles, Lions, Falcons and 49ers. My three wild card teams are the Packers, Cowboys and Rams. The rankings, from 1-7 are, the Lions, 49ers, Eagles, Falcons, Packers, Rams and Cowboys. The 4-5 matchup features the Falcons and Packers. Give me the Packers all day in this matchup. They may be younger, but they are better. The 3-6 matchup gives us the Eagles and Rams. This is where the Eagles will fall apart. The Rams will take advantage of the Eagles old secondary and they will win by outscoring the Eagles. The 2-7 matchup has the 49ers and Cowboys. It is an old school matchup where the 49ers will crush the Cowboys and send them into their next rebuild. So, the 1st seed Lions will face the 49ers and the Packers will face the Rams. Give me Green Bay in a home game over the Rams. It will be a good, close fought game. The Rams will stick around, but Lambeau will work its magic and the Packers will get to the NFC title game. The Lions and 49ers will give us a great rematch from last season, but this time the Lions will exorcise last year's second half debacle. I could see Detroit winning handily. This means we have a Lions-Packers NFC title game. This is a dope matchup on the field and within my family. We have fans of both, and the text chains will be great. The Lions are a better, more complete team, and they will win to finally get to a Super Bowl. They are the NFC champs.

That means I have the Lions and Ravens facing off in the Super Bowl. I'm going to go with the Ravens. Lamar Jackson will finish the revenge tour with a Super Bowl title and etch his name into greatness at the QB position.

As for award winners, first off Lamar Jackson will win the Super Bowl MVP. I also see him winning the regular season MVP for a second year in a row. Offensive Player of the Year will go to someone other than Jackson, and I'm going with Ja'Marr Chase. He's going to have a humongous season. Defensive Player of the Year will be Aiden Hutchinson. He is on the ascent, and this will be his first of many DPOY wins in his career. Offensive ROTY is going to be Caleb Williams. He is as advertised, and he is awesome. Defensive ROTY is a homer pick for me, as I am going with Mike Sainristil. He is going to be a big part on defense for a team that could surprise some this season. And Coach of the Year is going to be DeMeco Ryans. The Texans are going to be great this season, and the fact that he will have this team on this kind of a rise in year two will not go unnoticed.

That's it for preseason NFL stuff. Come back tomorrow for my college football preview and picks. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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Ty Ranks the 2024 NFL Teams: The Best Bunch

Today is the final day of my preseason 2024 NFL countdown. These are the four best teams in my rankings and I believe that all four could win the Super Bowl this season.

At 4 I have the Detroit Lions. The Lions are on the come up. They kind of, almost, have it all. They have very good to great players at almost every position. One position where they don't have top of the line talent is QB. Jared Goff is fine. He is milquetoast. You know exactly what you're going to get from him. He won't blow a game for you, but he won't win a game for you either. He is a run of the mill QB. David Montgomery is a very good starting running back. He gets you the tough yards and can pop a run off here and there. Jahmyr Gibbs is better than him. He is more explosive, is a better pass catcher and is younger. Gibbs is the future at this position for the Lions. Amon Ra St.Brown is an upper tier wideout. He is so good at every level as a receiver. Jameson Williams looks to be healthy and I feel like he is going to bust out this year. Sam LaPorta is already one of the better tight ends in the NFL. And this is the best o line in football. They are locked and loaded everywhere on the o line. They run and pass block better than any unit in the NFL. The defense is up and coming. Aidan Hutchinson is going to be one of the best edge rushers in the NFL sooner rather than later. He is a perfect fit in Detroit. Marcus Davenport can thrive playing opposite Hutchinson. Jack Campbell was solid in college and already looks solid in the NFL. Terrion Arnold was a hell of a pick and Brian Branch is a heavy hitting strong safety. The Lions are the truth. They almost made the Super Bowl last season, but they blew it. I am dying to see if they can remedy that this season. The Lions are going to be very good for a good amount of time. They should win the NFC North and probably can get to 13 or 14 wins during the regular season.

At 3 I have the Kansas City Chiefs. The reigning Super Bowl champs. They have almost everyone back, and that everyone is top of the line in the NFL. Patrick Mahomes is the best QB in the NFL. I trust him more than any other QB right now. He took a team that wasn't great last season and won a title with them. Mahomes is the man. Isiah Pacheco runs like a man possessed. He runs mean. He looks angry. He wants to dole out the punishment. He is very, very good. Rashee Rice is coming off a decent year. They signed Hollywood Brown. That seems unfair. And they were able to draft Xavier Worthy. The rich get richer. Travis Kelce is the best tight end in the league. He may be older, but he is Mahomes' security blanket and he is productive. This may be his last season, so I'm sure he'll want to go out with a bang. The o line is great. The defense was way better last season then they have been since Mahomes and Andy Reid got there. Chris Jones got his money and he was disruptive as hell. George Karlaftis is a good edge guy. Mike Danna is young and good. Nick Bolton is a tackling machine. They'll miss L'Jarius Sneed, but they still have Justin Reid and Trent McDuffie, so the secondary should be just fine. The Chiefs are the new Brady/Belichek Patriots. They are here to win and win big. They'll probably get 12 or 13 regular season wins on their way to another playoff run.

At 2 I have the San Francisco 49ers. This is a last chance at a ring for this team. They had almost everyone healthy last season, had a lead in the Super Bowl and they still couldn't finish the job. Kyle Shanahan may be a poor big game coach. I still have no energy to root for Brock Purdy. I think he is a fine QB, but not as good as some media outlets may have us believe. Purdy should not be counted on to win you a game. He is, at his very best, a game manager, and not even one of the best game managers in the NFL. Christian McCaffery is incredible. He is a prototype modern day running back. He may be the only player on the 49ers that I actively like. And he was healthy pretty much all season last year. I don't know if that will ever happen for him again. Counting on his health for two years in a row is a bad sign for him and this team. Brandon Aiyuk may or may not be on the team. He may or may not get paid. He is in far too much limbo. Deebo Samuel Jr is pretty great too, but his schtick seems to have been figured out. He doesn't pop off the big runs and long passing gains like he did two years ago. I think George Kittle is overrated. He is a very good blocking tight end, but he isn't the passing threat that people make him out to be. The o line is okay, but not at the level of Detroit or KC. This defense is still very good, but not the dominant force it once was. Nick Bosa is a dickhead that I will never, ever root for or say anything nice about ever. Dre Greenlaw and Fred Warner are awesome. I felt bad for Warner last year when he tore his ACL running on the field during the Super Bowl. That stinks for him. He will be back though. Charvarius Ward is elite. Leonard Floyd still has something left. And Ambry Thomas is a promising nickel corner. The 49ers have a good team, but a flawed team. They also still have a very good defense that will win them some games. I say they get 12 this season.

And finally, at number 1, which some people have told me I'm dumb about this, is the Baltimore Ravens. Lamar Jackson is my favorite NFL player to watch. He is the best modern day QB. He has gotten better every season. This team goes as he goes, and he usually goes far. He needs to show up better in big games, but he is still awesome. I adore Lamar Jackson. Derrick Henry adds a very nice dimension to this offense. He can take pressure off Jackson and help grind out games even more for this team. Zay Flowers has crazy speed. Rashod Bateman has a now or never type season, and I could see him showing up and showing out. And Nelson Agholor will bring nice production to this offense. Mark Andrews is an elite tight end, probably second best in the league. The o line is very, very good. The defense needs to replace Mike MacDonald, but they have the dudes to keep this defense humming. Odafe Owweh is an up and coming edge rusher. David Ojabo appears to be healthy finally. Getting Roquan Smith was such a good move a few seasons ago. Kyle Van Noy brings veteran experience. Kyle Hamilton is one of the best young safeties in the league. Marlon Humphrey is a very good cover corner. The Ravens are really, really good at every key position. The head coach has won big games. The QB has won multiple MVP awards. The new running back is a former rushing yards champ. The defense is blitz crazy and causes turnovers at a high rate. The Ravens, to me, are the cream of the crop this year. I look at them as the favorites for the Super Bowl going into this season. They appear to me to be a 13 or 14 regular season wins team. They are the best.

That's it for my preseason 2024 NFL countdown. Come back tomorrow for my playoff and awards predictions. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Ty Ranks the 2024 NFL Teams: The Contenders Bunch

Here we are at day seven of my preseason 2024 NFL countdown.

At number 8 I have the Cleveland Browns. The Browns have talent, but they also have issues. This defense played out of their minds last year, and I think they can recreate that again this season. Having Nick Chubb coming back from injury will be nice too. Deshaun Watson is the QB, and he has issues both on and off the field. He has never been the same QB since all of the allegations came out against him. These are real allegations, and he should be in more trouble. He also is not as good as he was while in Houston as a QB. He doesn't seem to have the juice anymore. Nick Chubb is back, as previously mentioned, but he is coming off a major injury. That is never a good thing for a running back. He may be on his last chance, however unfair that may be. Amari Cooper had a great year last season, but he has been in a ton of trade rumors, and maybe he just wants out. They traded for Jerry Jeudy, in what I think will end up being good for both the player and the team. And David Njoku was about the only thing that went right for me on my fantasy football team last year. The o line is stable and good. The defense is elite. Myles Garrett is the returning DPOY and he is a backfield destroyer. They signed Za'Darius Smith, and that dude still has some gas left. Denzel Ward, Greg Newsome II and Grant Delpit form an unbelievable secondary. And they are taking a chance on Devin Bush, who has had his moments. This team wins with running the ball and defense. They need better QB play and to not have their top wideouts in trade conversations constantly. But they will win games and make another playoff run. I have them at 10 or 11 wins.

At number 7 I have the Philadelphia Eagles. I'd have them higher if there wasn't a ton of turmoil surrounding the coaching staff. I am a Jalen Hurts fan. I think he is good, he is one of the best dual threat QBs in the league, and his passing has gotten so much better. They were able to sign Saquon Barkley. I feel like not enough people have talked about how big a deal this is for this team. Barkley adds another potent threat to a run-heavy offense in which he should thrive. This is a big, big deal. Devonta Smith is as advertised. I'm stoked that the Eagles didn't let his height affect drafting him. AJ Brown is in a much better situation. The o line will miss Jason Kelce a ton, but they still have the other guys back from one of the better o lines in the league. On defense, Jordan Davis is a world beater. Josh Sweat brings it from linebacker. CJ Gardner-Johnson and Darius Slay JR make for some nice pieces in the secondary. And Brandon Graham is back for one last ride with this team. The Eagles have the guys on paper to make a Super Bowl push. They need to straighten things up behind the scenes to do so. That being said, they are going to win 12, maybe 13 games this season.

At number 6 I have the Cincinnati Bengals. This team is so good, especially on offense, when everyone is healthy and available. That is not always the case with this team. They always seem to have a key player hurt when they need them most. Joe Burrow has proven himself on the field. The guy can play. He is a top tier QB and he has shown that he can beat the Chiefs in KC. Ja'Marr Chase is, probably, the best wideout in the game. He is damn near unguardable. He is, like he likes to say, always open. They signed Zack Moss to take over as the starting running back. Moss is a pro who will produce whatever they need from him. Tee Higgins is back, maybe only for this season, and when he is on the field he can put up numbers. The o line is much improved and should keep the QBs and running backs from getting too banged up. The defense, according to RD, is young. Dax Hill is a very capable, very good safety. He came in and found a place right away. Sam Hubbard is a very good edge rusher. Sheldon Rankins can be a problem when he wants to be. Kris Jenkins was a good draft pick for them to add depth. Cam Taylor-Britt is okay. This defense has guys that can play, they just need to play. They will get that chance this season. If this team can stay on the field and stay in one piece, I can definitely see them making a Super Bowl run. They just have to hope that this year is different from years past as far as injuries go. I say they are good enough to win 11, maybe 12 games during the regular season, if healthy.

At number 5 I have the Houston Texans. This is a team on the rise. They showed out last year and I only see more of that to some. CJ Stroud is elite. He had one of the best rookie seasons we have ever seen. He looked awesome and he will only get better. Joe Mixon was signed away from the Bengals and he will start here. He adds toughness and big play ability out of the backfield. The Texans may have the best receiving corps in professional football. Nico Collins exploded onto the scene as their number one option last year. He will only be better. Tank Dell was another rookie who had a phenomenal year. And they got Stefon Diggs to come on over. He should love being a part of this offense.. The o line is solid. They do their jobs. The defense is going to be better this year too. Will Anderson Jr is awesome. He is the next great edge rusher in this league. He is so explosive off the ball and he can mess up your backfield in an instant. Mario Edwards Jr can take on double teams to free up other d lineman. Danielle Hunter is a beast off the edge. Henry To'oTo'o is as solid as they come at linebacker. And Desmond King II and Derek Stingley can wreck your passing game at a moments notice. The Texans are good and should be for a good amount of time now. They are also a blast to watch play this game. They are going to win at least 12 games this season and it wouldn't shock me to see them win 13, hell, even 14 games. The Texans are legit.

That's it for today. Come back for the final four teams tomorrow. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Ty Ranks the 2024 NFL Teams: The Good Bunch

Welcome back to my preseason 2024 NFL countdown. I hope you all had a good weekend and pored over what I had to say last week. From here on out the teams all have some kind of a chance at making a postseason run. These are my "good" teams.

At number 12 I have the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams are going to miss Aaron Donald a ton. He is one of the greatest to ever do it at the d line position. His ability to take on double teams and still create pressure will never be replaced. Outside of Aaron Donald retiring, the Rams bring back a decent veteran team that made a playoff run last year. Matthew Stafford is back. He is old and slow and cannot make all the throws, but he can make the necessary throws. He is in the game management business now, and that should suit him nicely. Kyren Williams and Blake Corum should make for a formidable backfield. Williams is more of an explosive player and Corum will get you the gritty, tough yards. I expect a big rookie year from Corum. The receiving corps brings back a healthy Cooper Kuup, which is good for this team, and two young bucks in Puka Nacua and Demarcus Robinson. Robinson had moments, but I expect a leap, and Nacua exploded onto the scene. He has the makings of a number 1 wideout very soon. Kuup, if he can stay on the field, is about as consistent as they get in the NFL. The o line is good and will protect Stafford and open lanes for Williams and Corum. The defense is interesting. Jared Verse may have something left in the tank. Kobie Turner is intriguing. Tre'Davious White has his moments. And Byron Young looks solid. But they don't have the big names anymore. This isn't a flashy defense. They need to perform for this team to be any real threat, and I think they have the potential to be decent. I think this version of the Rams has a last season all together quality. And I think they will perform enough to win 11 games and sneak into the playoffs.

At number 11 I have the Dallas Cowboys. I mean, this has to be the last chance for Mike McCarthy, Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott, right? They can win in the regular season, but then they crap the bed in the playoffs. I like Dak Prescott as a dude. He seems like a good guy to me. But man does he crack under pressure. He would be better off moving on from this team and playing on a team that makes football fun. I was stunned when they brought Ezekiel Elliott back. This isn't 2019. This dude is washed. And they let Tony Pollard walk out of the door for nothing. They must resign CeeDee Lamb if they want to be taken seriously at all. He is the only true threat they have. Jerry Jones needs to get his racist ass in line and give this dude his money. He is all they have. Brandin Cooks is old and Luke Schoonmaker wasn't even my favorite tight end on the team when he played for Michigan. The o line is fine, but old and starting to show cracks. The defense got burned in the playoffs last year, and they seemingly did nothing to shore it up this offseason. Micah Parsons and Demarcus Lawrence are very, very good edge rushers. Parsons may be the best in the game. They can only do so much. They need more help. Erick Kendricks is old. Trevon Diggs feels like a flash in the pan. Jourdan Lewis is consistent, but never explosive. Mazi Smith has this allergic reaction thing. I don't trust this defense, especially in the secondary to make the needed stops. The Cowboys are built to win 11 or 12 games every regular season, and they get stomped in the first round of the playoff. If I were a betting man, I'd bet that will happen this year, and then massive changes will be made next offseason.

At number 10 I have the Green Bay Packers. This is my team. This is who I root for. I have come around on Matt Lafleur as a head coach. They won playing with house money last year. This is the test this year if they are actually any good. I have faith they are good. Jordan Love looked like a competent, and at times, exceptional starting NFL QB last season. He did everything that was asked of him, sometimes doing more. He still throws off his back foot more than I like, but that can be fixed. He got paid and I think the pure fact that he knows this team is his will help push him to other levels. I'm not crazy about Aaron Jones leaving for a division rival, but they replaced him with Josh Jacobs, a move I was stoked on when it happened. I love Jacobs' game, and he is in a place that wants him to thrive. I can't wait to watch him play this season. The wideouts are young, but they have potential. Jayden Reed popped last year. Christian Watson has the makings of a number 1 receiver. And Romeo Doubs is the guy they need to stretch the field. The o line is good, as always in Green Bay. The defense used to freak me out, but they had one hell of a season last year, and I think they can be better this year. Preston Smith and Rashan Gary are as good an edge rushing duo as you could want in the NFL. They will destroy backfields. Quay Walker has the makings of a perennial pro bowl player. Jaire Alexander is one of the best cover corners in the league. Eric Stokes brings the heat from the safety position. The Packers have a good, all around roster. They are solely reliant on the QB anymore. They can beat you in many different ways. I see this team as a near lock for 11 wins and a postseason berth.

At number 9 I have the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins look damn near unbeatable when they play in perfect conditions. When they don't, it can be ugly. Tua Tagovailoa maybe shouldn't be playing football because of the concussions, but he is really, really good at the QB position. He can wing it. He can also scramble. And he looks a bit more solid now, so maybe, hopefully for his sake, the concussions are a thing of the past. Devon Achane and Raheem Mostert are both good and both crucial to this offense. Mostert does the gritty work and Achane can take the top off of a defense. Tyreek Hill is the fastest and one of the best wideouts in football. Get him the ball and watch him go. Jaylen Waddle is a perfect second wideout to Hill and he thrives in that position. The o line is better and they are giving this high powered offense all the time it needs. The defense can be a problem, even more so than the weather. They are full of older dudes or unproven dudes. Calais Campbell and Jalen Ramsey are still kicking around. Jordan Poyer is now on this team. Bradley Chubb is hoping this works better for him. Then it is a bunch of guys I've never heard of. The Dolphins got a brutal weather game in the playoffs last season, but that is the case with the NFL and playing in winter. They are never going to have perfect weather unless they get to play every game at home. But, when this team is humming, they may have the best offense in the NFL. And that offense will lead them to a 12 win season.

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.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Ty Ranks the 2024 NFL Teams: The Looking to Make Some Noise Bunch

Welcome to day five of my preseason 2024 NFL countdown.

At 16 I have the Indianapolis Colts. I don't really understand why I have this level of confidence in this team, but I think they are playoff bound this year. My main reason for optimism is Anthony Richardson. This dude is big, physical, fast and can make some spectacular throws. I do think he opts to run far too much, but with a year behind him, that will only help take his game up another level. I do worry about him getting injured, but he looks like he got even bigger this offseason. Johnathan Taylor is an elite running back. He is the type of player you can count on to get tough yards, get 100 yards and score a TD or two in each game he plays. Michael Pittman Jr let it be known last season that he is on the come up. I love the Adonai Mitchell pick for them. This adds speed and excellent hands to this receiving corps. The o line is very solid. Hell, they are an upper tier o line in the NFL. The defense may be the question mark here. Kwity Paye is okay, but hasn't really popped off just yet. DeForest Buckner is pretty old. The linebackers are decent. And the secondary is full of unknown players to me. This team will go as Richardson and Taylor go. If they are both playing and performing, the Colts could be an eleven or fifteen win team. If they are hurt, they will be lucky to win seven or eight games. I'm going to go right in the middle and say they win ten and sneak into the playoffs.

At 15 I have the Pittsburgh Steelers. Mike Tomlin is still here, still one of the most underrated coaches and will have this team above .500 because that is what he does. Tomlin is one of the better coaches to ever walk the NFL sidelines. They do have a choice at QB with Justin Fields or Russell Wilson. Fields adds running and big play ability, but he's inconsistent. Wilson is a veteran leader who's won the biggest prize, but his rah rah stuff won't gel in Pittsburgh, and he is on the back end of his career. I think they will use both guys, but Tomlin will probably stick with Wilson in the long run. He is more of a sure thing between the two of them. Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren make a nice backfield duo, but it seems like Warren is the better option. Harris is taking carries away from him and they may need to choose between the two of these guys, just like at the QB position. They drafted Roman Wilson, who I adore, and maybe this will be the year that George Pickens finally pops. I don't know if that will happen, but if he does, these two could make for a nice, young wideout combination. They shored up the o line via the draft, so there may be bumps in the road, but it should work itself out. The defense has studs, TJ Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick are top tier talents. I also like the addition of Patrick Queen. Cameron Hayward is still pretty darn productive. And Joey Porter Jr is a really good cornerback. The more I look at this team the more I think I may have them too low. Mike Tomlin will get the best out of these guys, but with the uncertainty at QB, I think ten wins is the best case scenario for them. But it wouldn't surprise me to see them win twelve games.

At number 14 I have the Jacksonville Jaguars. This is another team that kind of reminds me of the Steelers. No frills, but competent play from all spots and solid coaching. Trevor Lawrence isn't the generational talent some thought he could be, but he is good. He is consistent. Travis Etienne Jr is a very good back when healthy. He had a heck of a year last year and I could see him being even better. The receiving corps is fine. They aren't great but they aren't bad. Evan Engram had a big season at tight end last year for them. The o line does a good job run and pass blocking. The defense has athletes. Travon Walker needs to produce more, but he has gotten better. Getting Darnell Savage in their secondary brings a heavy hitter. I'm going to miss him in Green Bay. Arik Armstead can still play well here and there. Josh Hines-Allen is one of the better pass rushers in the league. The Jags aren't going to look fancy when they play, but they will try and beat you into submission. They want to drain the clock and hit you hard on defense. All of that is good enough for eleven wins.

At number 13 I have the Buffalo Bills. Josh Allen is still here and still a pretty solid QB. I had my doubts about him, and I still do not enjoy him as a person, but the guy puts up numbers. He is a fantasy player's dream QB. James Cook should get the bulk of the carries and I think he is ready for an expanded role. Khalil Shakir really came on string at the end of last year. Curtis Samuel brings something interesting. And Keon Coleman has been the star of the offseason, both on and off the field. I don't think they'll miss Stefon Diggs too much. The o line is nasty and big and good. The defense is pretty solid too. The d line is nasty. Greg Rousseau is a o line wrecker. Ed Oliver is still out there putting up numbers. AJ Espensea looks to be a bit better than last year. The linebacker corps is okay, but I think they will miss Von Miller's veteran leadership. He's still there, but he is now a backup and he is often injured. He's still one of my all time favorite players. Damar Hamlin is still playing football, I don't know if that is best, but he is pretty good. Taylor Rapp is a force. And I'd love to see Kaiir Elam get some time in the secondary. The Bills will win regular season games. They could win twelve or thirteen. But they choke hard in the playoffs. They cannot beat the Chiefs. The rest of the AFC is very good. The Bills are a playoff team, but how far they go is up to them, and they have shown in the past that that may be too much to handle.

That is it for this week. Come back Monday for the next four teams. We are getting to the true threats to make real noise starting next week. See you then. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Ty Ranks the 2024 NFL Teams: The Outside Looking In Bunch

Welcome to day four of my 2024 preseason NFL countdown.

At number 20 I have the Chicago Bears. The Bears are a team on the rise. They are going to be a problem in a few years if these picks hit, and after seeing just a little bit this offseason, the picks look good. Caleb Williams is as advertised. He knows the game. He knows what he does best. He gets the ball out quick and is on target most of the time. He was born to play QB and he looks like a damn fine number 1 overall pick. But, he is a rookie and the wall is coming. D'Andre Swift is a capable back, but they need to upgrade at that position to be a real overall offensive threat as a team. The receiving corps is great. They drafted Rome Odunze, who was my favorite wideout not named Marvin Harrison Jr in this most recent draft. He is big and physical and fast and has great hands. They got Keenan Allen in a trade and he brings veteran leadership and veteran production to this team. And DJ Moore is the deep threat they need at the third wideout spot. Cole Kmet is a nice safety blanket for Williams in his rookie year. The o line is fine. It's not great and it's not a disaster. The defense can be better. There is room for growth. Getting Montez Sweat was a nice deal for the future last season. Kevin Byard is a fine safety. And Tremaine Edwards is an okay linebacker. Other than that, these are dudes that haven't really shown much yet. They will probably get exposed, but if they can shore it up by the middle of the season, the Bears could be a nice surprise. Getting Williams was a great thing and he could be a long term QB for this team. As for now, seven wins seems like the most likely outcome.

At number 19 I have the Atlanta Falcons. This may be too low for them, but I don't have the best feeling about this team. They gave Kirk Cousins way too much money and years. I cannot fathom a world in which Cousins keeps getting paid while other, younger QB's are consistently passed on. He is a fine regular season player, but when the lights are brightest, he falters. Bijan Robinson has some value, but he wasn't used correctly last season, he took a step back at the midpoint of last season and I worry about his health. Kyle Pitts should be the happiest person on the team now that they have a new head coach. Maybe, just maybe he will be used more in the pass game. But he is only getting older. Drake London had some moments last season, but now defenses will be locked in on him. I want to see him produce while being a focal point. The o line is fine. The defense got a big jolt yesterday when they acquired Matthew Judon. He makes their defense instantly better. He will be a great QB for the defense. Jessie Bates is a wonderful safety in the NFL. The fact that the Falcons got these two guys in the past two offseasons is a much better get than signing Kirk Cousins. The rest of the guys do their job, just not as well as I thought they might last year. The Falcons have some dudes, but they are in the Kirk Cousins business, and that have never really reaped any true rewards. eight or nine wins seems like the best the fans can hope for.

At number 18 I have the New York Jets. This is another team I see people ranking much higher than I do. I don't get it. Aaron Rodgers is 40, insane and coming off a brutal injury. He can't stop saying nonsense and he is old. I despise him. Breece Hall is a good back. He played well after Rodgers' injury last season. Hall is going to put up numbers. Garrett Wilson and Mike Williams are good wideouts, if they don't have to play with a backup QB. They are both capable of stretching the field and getting the first down on third down plays. The o line upgraded after last season, but they are blocking for a 40 year old maniac. I think they'd prefer to block for Breece Hall and anyone else at QB. The defense is legit. Sauce Gardner is an awesome cornerback. He is as shut down as they get in the NFL. He talks the talk and walks the walk. Quinnen Williams is a very good defensive tackle. CJ Mosley is a good linebacker. They have Hasson Reddick, but he already wants out, and I don't think that speaks well for the culture of this team. The defense will keep them in games, but the fact that they are banking on a healthy season from a 40 year old psychopath at QB doesn't bode well for them. I say nine wins at best for this team.

At number 17 I have the Seattle Seahawks. The Geno Smith glowup has been awesome to watch. He has really excelled since signing with this team. I love seeing him find a place to play and play well. He has earned this job. But he is old. Kenneth Walker III is a solid running back, but he is often injured. DK Metcalf, Jaxson Smith-Njigba and Tyler Lockett form a very good, very unique receiving corps. They can all do different things very well. The o line is suspect. I feel like Walker III's injuries are due to lack of holes and they don't give Smith nearly enough time in the pocket. This defense is not Legion of Boom, but they did hire a defensive minded coach in Mike MacDonald. He knows how to coordinate a defense, let's see if he can do that while coaching a whole team. And when I look at some of the names, there isn't anyone too familiar outside Devon Witherspoon, who is great. Johnathan Hankins feels like he may be washed. Leonard Williams has bounced around a ton. The rest are dudes I have never really heard of. But, MacDonald may get the best out of these guys. Time will tell. I think the Seahawks could win ten games and threaten for a playoff spot, but eight seems like the more likely outcome to me.

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.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Ty Ranks the 2024 NFL Teams: The Not Quite Ready Bunch

Welcome today to day three of my 2024 preseason NFL countdown.

Coming in at number 24 I have the Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders did some good things this offseason. They hired Antonio Pierce. He was the best choice and the players may have revolted if they didn't hire him. They also moved on from Jimmy Garropolo, which was the best thing they could have done for their locker room. He is not the answer at QB. They needed a change. But, I'm not so sure that Aiden O'Connell and Gardner Minshew are the answer. O'Connell had moments last season, but he is no more than a backup game manager. Minshew is the poor man's Ryan Fitzpatrick. He brings some fun to the team, but wins don't usually follow. They had to move Josh Jacobs, he was unhappy, but they replaced him with a mash unit. Zamir White is unproven and Alexander Mattison is old and washed. Davante Adams is a top flight wideout. He is a boss. It is unfortunate that he has to play with these mediocre QB's. They don't have much else at that position. They drafted Brock Bowers, who looks like he could be great, but he is going to run into a rookie wall, and he is coming off an injury last season. The o line is unremarkable. The defense is good, and this is where Pierce shines as a head coach. Maxx Crosby is dope. He is an upper echelon pass rusher. Christian Wilkins found a place that fits. The linebacking unit is solid, as is the secondary. This is where the Raiders win games, on defense. I don't know how many wins that will be due to poor QB play and a mediocre run game. And Davante Adams may ask for a trade in the middle of the season. The Raiders made good choices this offseason, and they need to continue that trend for another season. Then they can make some noise. As for now, eight wins seems like the best to hope for based solely on their defense.

At number 23 I have the Minnesota Vikings. I may have put them lower if I knew about JJ McCarhty's injury sooner. Losing him for the year is a blow. I didn't expect him to help them win much, but he was a better option at QB than Nick Mullens or Sam Darnold. They are stuck with those dudes now, for better or worse. They signed Aaron Jones this offseason. That is a fine move, but after watching Jones the past two years, a player I adore, he gets injured far too much. He is good when he plays, but that gets smaller every season. Justin Jefferson is probably the best wideout in the game. He is fast, runs excellent routes, has great hands and just got paid. He is going to put up numbers regardless of who is playing QB. It is just unfortunate that he hasn't gotten to play with an elite QB yet. He is like this era's Andre Johnson, only better. TJ Hockenson is a quality tight end, and the o line does enough. The Vikings defense is not so great. I look at these dudes on their depth chart, and it is some washed dudes, Harrison Smith, a Michigan guy who frustrated me to no end, Josh Mettulus and a bunch of guys I've never heard of. The Vikings used to win with defense, but that is not the case anymore. The Vikings are going to struggle mightily this season, and McCarthy being done for the year does not help. I'd say five wins at most now after seeing the injury news.

At number 22 I have the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. You may see this and think it is too low. They resigned Baker Mayfield and seem to have it all figured out now you'd tell me. I don't buy this hype around Mayfield. I didn't like him in college, I was not a fan of him being taken first overall and I have watched him bounce from team to team. I don't trust that he has figured it all out. Rachaad White is counting on himself, and I like that confidence from him. I could see him having a solid year. Mike Evans is a good wideout who just got paid as well. He is about as consistent as they get in the NFL right now. You know he will produce. And Chris Godwin is a fine second receiver. And the o line is good enough. The defense, which is what propelled them to a Super Bowl in 2020, has taken a step back. Antoine Winfield Jr is still a good secondary player. And Lavonte David is a tackling machine. But outside of them, they don't have much. Vita Vea is old. Logan Hall is not a true threat off the edge. The linebackers, outside of David, aren't top notch. And the secondary has only Winfield Jr to count on. This is a team that thinks it has an answer at QB and probably thinks they are better than they actually are. I'd say nine wins is the tops for them, with seven being a more likely outcome. Baker Mayfield has to prove he isn't washed to me.

At number 21 I have the Los Angeles Chargers. Or maybe I should just refer to them as Michigan West now. They got the big fish this offseason when they hired Jim Harbaugh. The dude wins everywhere he goes. He has a proven track record and he brought a bunch of familiar coaches along with him. He has instilled his system with his staff and it will eventually pay off. Justin Herbert is a good QB. He gets treated as if he is great, but he hasn't earned that just yet. But, he is going to get to great soon. It is coming. Getting JK Dobbins to back up Gus Edwards is a solid, and heady move. If Dobbins can play half the season, he and Edwards will make for an interesting backfield. Harbaugh did let some solid vet receivers walk, namely Keenan Allen. That was odd to me. They drafted some dudes, Ladd McConkey and Cornelius Johnson, and they should be productive, in time. They also took a flyer on DJ Chark, who is a burner. The o line is okay, and they will build and get better in time. That is Harbaugh's thing. The defense is old, old, old. Joey Bosa, who is a dickhead, and Khalil Mack, while very good players, are on the back half of their careers. Derwin James is still going to hit dudes, but he may be a step slower this year. Asante Samuel Jr looks like he can take a leap. And maybe Denzel Perryman will find the fountain of youth. Jesse Minter plays a solid and sophisticated style of defense. Once these guys get clicking, they could be tough to beat. But the defense needs an inflection of youth. The Chargers will be much higher on this list as soon as next year. As for this season, they may struggle to hit nine wins, but seven or eight is not out of the question.

That does it for day three. 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.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Ty Ranks the 2024 NFL Teams: The Better Luck Next Year Bunch

Welcome to day two of my 2024 NFL countdown.

At number 28 I have the Denver Broncos. They are one year behind what should have been the start of a rebuild last year. They reached real hard, in my opinion, for Bo Nix in the draft, and it looks like he will be starting this year. I don't know how that will look, but he is older so maybe he won't hit a rookie wall. I'm also certain he will, but maybe I'll be wrong. They don't have the best backup options either. Zack Wilson is a bust and Jarret Stidham should only ever be an emergency QB. Javonte Williams is a fine running back, but he will get overused. He is all they have on that side of the ball. Jerry Jeudy is gone and all they have to show for it is Courtland Sutton. The other wideouts are not that good, and Sutton is, at best, a third option at receiver. The o line is middle of the road on their best days. The defense is young and inexperienced. They will do their best to keep this team in games, but it won't be enough. The defense and Williams is about all the fans have to be hopeful for, and they will be counted on for way more than they can provide. I have a very bad feeling about Bo Nix, and the fact that Jerry Jeudy couldn't wait to be gone is a bad sign. I think that maybe Sean Payton is too old school to win in the NFL at a high level again. He is building this team in his image, but this is not the early 2010's. He has to adjust or the Broncos will be left behind in a hurry. I'd say 6-8 wins is their best possible outcome. They will most likely miss the playoffs by a wide margin for another season.

At number 27 I have the New York Giants. This team is a mess. They chose Daniel Jones over Saquon Barkley. I get that running backs are more expendable these days, but Barkley is a once in a generation guy. Daniel Jones is one of the worst starting QB's in the league. He used one playoff win, a game that wouldn't have been won without Barkley, and turned it into a big payday. He is over, done, finito. Daniel Jones will be cut or traded by next season. They replaced Barkley with Devin Singleltary. That is akin to going from wagyu steak to on sale ground beef. No disrespect to Singletary, but he is nowhere close to Barkley's level. Malik Nabers was a good pick, but he already looks frustrated playing with Jones. He gets open, but the ball never seems to find him. Wan'Dale Robinson needs to pop now or it will never happen. The o line is fine, but they don't have a back like Barkley to block for anymore, and that has to be frustrating. The defense went out and got Brian Burns, which was a tremendous trade for them. He and Kayvon Thibodeaux form an excellent pass rush. And the secondary is really solid at every position. The Giants defense could make a jump from good to great this season. But, they will be on the field way too much because Daniel Jones is not the type of guy that instills fear in an opponent's defense. This offense is going to be anemic. They picked the wrong dude to sign long term and their wins will suffer due to that. I'd say eight wins is the best outcome, and that is only if the defense becomes absolutely elite. They need to be otherworldly for that to happen.

At number 26 I have the Washington Commanders. The Commanders are coming. I like what they have put together. The only problem is the youth. This team is inexperienced. But, this team is also athletic. I love the Jayden Daniels pick. He was one of my top prospects going into the last draft. He may be a little thin, but he will put on muscle, and if he can keep that speed, watch out. He has a good arm, can throw into tight spaces and he can extend plays. He has all the tools to be awesome. Brian Robinson Jr is a very capable running back. He can grind out yards and make catches out of the backfield. Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson make for a nice receiving duo. They have gotten better each season, and now that they have a competent QB, they could put up big time numbers. The o line is fine. They do enough. The defense is going young as well. They traded their two best pass rushers for picks. I wasn't crazy about it at the time, but I get it. They do have Clelin Ferrel and Johnathan Allen on the d line. They are okay enough. I, of course, love the Mike Sainristil pick. I think he is going to have a very long and very productive career. Jeremy Chinn is solid. Bobby Wagner is a heavy hitter. Benjamin St-Juste is a decent coverage guy. And maybe this is when Dante Fowler Jr figures it all out. The Commanders, much like the Cardinals, are coming, they are just a year or two away. All they need is for these guys to get real game reps, and that should make them a playoff caliber team in 2026 or 27. As for this year, seven wins seems to be the ceiling.

At number 25 I have the New Orleans Saints. This is a pivotal year for this franchise. Derek Carr is not the answer at QB. He is too small, too slow and cannot make the big time throws. This is another case of one good game making people think he was going to catapult into stardom. Both the team and the player need to move on from each other. Alvin Kamara can still do some cool things, but he is old and he wants out. I don't blame him. He has been anything and everything this offense has asked him to be, and they still don't give him all the credit he is due. I'd want out if I were him as well. Chris Olave deserves better. He could be an elite wideout with better QB play. Rashid Shaheed is the burner of all burners, but the QB's miss him too much when he is open. Juwan Johnson is an okay tight end, but they could find better on the open market. The o line is good, they just have a mediocre QB to block for. The defense is old. Cam Jordan was once great. He's still good, but he is double teamed constantly. Marshon Lattimore crushed in his rookie year, but he took a step back last season. I love Tyrann Mathieu, but he was past his prime two years ago. Demario Davis is fine at linebacker, but not as the anchor of a defense. This team needs to make changes, mainly in the back half of their secondary, their QB and head coach. They need a new mind and a new look. Until then, eight wins may be the best to hope for out of this team.

That is it for today. Come back for the next four teams tomorrow. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.