Ty's 2024-2025 NBA Preview: Not the Worst, but Not Very Good Division

Welcome to day two of my 2024-25 NBA countdown.

Coming in at number 25 I have the Toronto Raptors. It feels like they're trying to rebuild, but the front office is too competent to fully blow it up. They make moves that make too much sense and this pushes them to over 30 wins and at the back end of the lottery, if not out of it all together. Scottie Barnes has the goods to be the number 1 guy on this team. He can handle the ball, is a good passer and rebounder and can score from all three levels. He just needs to stay on the court. They acquired RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley last season and both of those guys played well. I think Barrett is happy to be home and Quickley knows he's going to get real minutes and real shots. Gradey Dick has maybe figured something out, he looked good in Summer League, but he doesn't have the look or feel of a real player on a title contender. They're taking a chance on Davion Mitchell, who can defend but cannot shoot. Bruce Brown should be on a true playoff contending team. His talents are being wasted here. Ja'Kobe Walter is interesting. Chris Boucher is at the back half of his career. Kelly Olynk is mediocre at this point. And Jakob Poeltl is an okay rebounder and nothing else. The Raptors have some decent top end talent, but the bench is thin. Maybe some of the young guys will hit, but they are still far away from truly contending.

At number 24 I have the Utah Jazz. This team starts hot and really fades. I know that's by design, but still, that has to hurt their top guys. Lauri Markennen has proved me wrong. That dude can ball. He is good and deserves to play for a contender. Jordan Clarkson has game. He's not much of a defender, but boy oh boy can he score. I don't know if he will be with the Jazz all season, and if he is, good for them. Keyonte George is interesting, but he is young and needs a little more time to develop. Real minutes would be nice too. Walker Kessler has kind of fallen off a cliff. He doesn't bring much of anything anymore. Collin Sexton is good. He got real playing time and he proved he can stay on the floor with the best of them. Isaiah Collier can be an electric bench scorer, but he has to fully round out his game before he is looked at as a real NBA threat. I cannot stand Kyle Filipowski. He is a perfect fit for Utah, not because of his game, but because of his attitude and weird family stuff. I've always been a fan of John Collins, but he has never really lived up to his draft position. And Patty Mills got a deal based on one good game in the Olympics. The Jazz have a true all star in Markennen and a decent scorer in Clarkson. Outside them and Sexton, this team is funky. I'd love to see them continue to go for it if they start strong. But history tells us that is not the case. And I think they really want to tank and try to get that first, second or third pick in the draft.

At number 23 I have the Chicago Bulls. This team is in purgatory. They can't decide if they want to tank or stay in the play in race. They have been in the play in the past couple years because they hover around 35-38 wins every year. Zach Lavine needs a change of scenery. He is hurt, not as good as he used to be and has asked out many times before. He can still go off for 30, but it is an even more rare occurrence nowadays. Coby White is becoming a damn good player. He has upped his game every season and I expect more from him this year. Josh Giddey is fine, but he is unplayable in important games due to his awful shooting, and he has off court stuff that he has to deal with. Lonzo Ball is in line to play his first game in two years, so who knows what we will see from him. I bet he won't be nearly as explosive though. The rookie Matas Buzelis has some swag, now we need to see if that translates on the floor. Nikola Vucevic is cashed out. He is washed. Patrick Williams is never going to happen. He is done. I like Kenny Lofton Jr, but he is more novelty than anything else at this point. The Bulls need to go full rebuild. They started this offseason when they traded Alex Caruso and let DeMar DeRozan walk. Now they need to fully pull off the bandaid.

At number 22 I have the Atlanta Hawks. This team was in the Eastern Conference Finals three years ago. Now they're here. Trae Young is a fine scorer and point guard, but he is small, he is a zero on defense and he whines way, way too much. I would not want him on my team. He can shoot, but that's all he offers at this point. Clint Capela needs less playing time or to go to a middling team. His time has passed, he cannot shoot jump shots and doesn't have the bounce he used to. Zach Rissacher was the first overall pick in the draft, and has looked pretty good in the preseason. But he is young and skinny and kind of soft right now. Bogdan Bogdanovic had a good Olympics, but I feel like he is an overrated bench player. Jalen Johnson is a very good player. He came on super strong after he recovered from injury last season and I expect him to take an even bigger leap this year. He's awesome. Onyeka Okongwu is okay,  but he is a bench player at best. De'Andre Hunter has never taken the next step since he entered the league. Dyson Daniels is intriguing. The Hawks have to make a decision on Trae Young. Once they do that, they can take the next step to starting over.

The final team for today, at number 21 I have the San Antonio Spurs. I feel like they're going to make the biggest leap of any team this season. Victor Webanyama is legit. He is the next superstar in this league. He can literally do it all. He is a joy to watch and if his Olympics were a sign of things to come, watch out. Chris Paul will bring a nice veteran leader that this young team is begging for. He will be the leader they need. Devin Vassell has true game. He is a very good role player and fits in with this roster very well. I'm very high on the Stephon Castle draft pick. He is very explosive. Jeremy Sochan needs to fully buy into being a defensive enforcer. That is where he excels. Keldon Johnson, much like Vassell, is a perfect fit for Wemby and Greg Poppovich. I like that they acquired Harrison Barnes. He, much like CP3, is a nice steady veteran presence. Tre Jones is an okay backup. Zach Collins has never worked out. Malaki Branham and Malachi Flynn are essentially the same player, but they are years apart in age. The Spurs are going to take a jump. Wemby and CP3 want to win. They have some decent role players. But, the bench is pretty thin and a big leap for this team is equal to 32-35 wins.

That's it for today. Come back tomorrow for the next five teams.

Ty

 Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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Ty's 2024-2025 NBA Preview: Picking at the Top of Lottery Division

The 2024-25 NBA season is upon us. With that being said, today I will start my countdown of all 30 teams, going from 30-1. These are some of my favorite blogs to write. I love basketball and I love the NBA. I am going to do five teams a day, with a little write up about each, and then on day seven I will do my playoff and awards predictions. I will also do a NCAA men's basketball preview on the eighth day. Now, on to the countdown.

At number 30, coming in dead last, I have the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets are bad by design. They want the number one pick in the draft. They're eyeing Cooper Flagg or one of the kids from Rutgers. This is a very good draft class, the Nets front office seems to understand that, and they are going hard for that first overall pick. They traded away Mikail Bridges, who was their dude. They have a roster of dudes like Cam Johnson, Denis Schroeder, Zaire Williams, Nic Claxton and Ben Simmons, to name a few. Johnson is an okay enough player, but he should never ever be a first option. Schroeder is fine, but old. Williams is a castoff from the Grizzlies. Claxton is a fine pick and roll guy, but not much else. And Ben Simmons is afraid to shoot. They also have other castoffs too. Killian Hayes is there. So is Day'Ron Sharpe and Shake Milton. This is a mishmash roster and they know it. The Nets could be one of the worst teams in the history of the NBA.

At number 29 I have the Washington Wizards. The Wizards are pretty awful too. They have no real logic on their roster. They may not win 20 games, but at least they're not the Nets. Jordan Poole was supposed to explode as the top player on their team last year. Instead, he fell off, and that bums me out because I like rooting for Poole. Alex Sarr was the number two overall pick, and looks to be an okay defender already. But, he is not much of a scorer just yet. Kyle Kuzma is more noteworthy for saying nonsense on the internet than anything he does on the court. Bilal Coulibaly is good at defense and nothing else. They inexplicably signed Jonas Valenciunas and Malcolm Brogdon, who will most likely be on different teams by mid December. Bub Carrington is a fun rookie. Corey Kispert is very average, Saadiq Bey has never really figured it out and Marvin Bagley Jr is somehow still a playable NBA player in the minds of the Wizards front office. The Wizards started their rebuild a year ago, and they're still working on that rebuild going into year two. They're bad and will be for a few more seasons.

At number 28 I have the Portland Trailblazers. I have always rooted for Portland as a secondary team, but boy oh boy are they bad. The Wizards roster is confusing enough, but the Trailblazers roster is nonsensical. They have way too many centers and no true point guard. Anfernee Simons is a great scorer, but a total zero on defense. He is always in trade rumors as well. Scoot Henderson, who I love, really struggled last season. I still have high hopes for him, but he has to find a jump shot before it's too late. Shaedon Sharpe is an incredible athlete and leaper. He just has to stay healthy. Speaking of health, Robert Williams has never been able to stay on the floor. His career may be over at this point. Deandre Ayton got out of Phoenix like he wanted, but he has not done anything to speak of since arriving in Portland. They traded for Denji Avidija, which is puzzling. He's young, but he really came on strong last year. Maybe they will use him to trade for picks later this season. They drafted Donovan Clingnan, who appears to be a good rim protector, but he is skinny right now. He needs to bulk up. Toumani Camara was a nice surprise last season. They did acquire Devonte Graham, who is sometimes good and sometimes bad. There's no in between. Matisse Thybulle is still there too, but he has really fallen off the past couple seasons. The Trailblazers are taking chances on some dudes, but until they have a cohesive lineup, they are going to have some big, big holes to fill.

At number 27 I have the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons are stuck in mediocrity with no real light at the end of the tunnel. I'd be infuriated if I were a fan of theirs. Cade Cunnigham is very good, but he has not been able to put it all together or stay healthy for a full season since he got in the league. His shot is still a little funky too. Jaden Ivey has never been the answer next to Cunningham. They hoped these two would work, but it never has. I will never get why they signed Tobias Harris for the years and money that they did. It is mind boggling. I like Ron Holland, but to take him fifth overall was a wild stretch. He may not see significant minutes on the court for a few years. Jalen Duren is an amazing big man, but he needs to develop an offensive game other than just dunking. He is a legit rebounder and defender, but he needs to figure some low post stuff out soon. Acquiring Tim Hardaway Jr via trade and signing Malik Beasley in free agency is fine, but they add nothing other than on and off shooting. Ausar Thompson has that it factor, but like many of his teammates, he needs to develop a shot. Isaiah Stewart is cooked as a viable NBA player. The Pistons would be happy to land a lottery pick that isn't number five overall. If they could add an awesome rookie from this class, maybe, finally, they can start the turnaround.

The final team for the day, coming in at number 26 I have the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets have some dudes, but they are never on the floor at the same time and some of these dudes have off court issues. Miles Bridges should not be in the league. What he did was abhorrent and he should have been suspended much, much longer. LaMelo Ball is very good with some impeccable court vision. But he has never played more than 50 games in a season it feels, and the last two seasons he has missed the majority of each year. Brandon Miller seems to have the ability to make an all star team. He does have the whole off court stuff at Alabama hanging over him though. He is very good at basketball too. Seth Curry is TEMU Steph Curry. Seth Curry is very good, but he is not even on the same planet as his brother. Grant Williams is a head case. Mark Williams is always injured. Nick Richards is very up and down. Taj Gibson is as old as me. This team is a weird collection of guys that cannot stay on the court for one reason or another. They have some dudes that could potentially make them a fringe playoff team if they could ever stay on the floor. Unfortunately for their fans that hasn't happened to this point.

That's it for today. Come back tomorrow for my next five teams. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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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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Thoughts on the 2024 Michigan Wolverines

I do not like armchair quarterbacks or dudes who sit in their homes and talk about how they would change the team they root for. They have these big ideas, think their idea is best and want to run the team. They have it all figured out and they think they're going to be the one who makes the change that fixes everything. I sit back, watch the teams I watch and root hard for them. I have ideas, but I'm not anywhere near the level that the coaches are involved with the teams, and I just vent these ideas to my dad or my kid. They don't seem to mind too much, and they are free to vent to me if they like.

I will always and forever be a Michigan football fan, and there is no way, in a million years, that I'd ever want to be the head football coach. The fans that I'm speaking of right now are the ones on the Michigan fan page who seem to think they have all the answers. They don't, but they sure like to go on social media after a game and speak their wild ideas into existence. I'm not one of those people. I just want to put that out into the world. And I truly have nothing of importance to complain about with the team. They are the defending champs. They have won the Big 10 three years in a row. They have returned to relevance. They have a good team. This season so far has been tough though. They lost a ton from last year's team. That team won a ton too. The head coach is gone. The defensive coordinator is gone. So is the strength coach, defensive back coach, d-line coach, tight ends coach, running back coach, linebacker coach and a bunch of their recruiting staff. They did retain some coaches, and to the armchair online fans, they hired the right guy as head coach. Sherrone Moore is the rightful head coach. Yes, he seems a bit overwhelmed and in over his head from time to time, but he needs a year or two before people start calling for his job. Along with the coaches, they had to replace their starting QB, running back, most of the o line, a lot of their secondary and a good portion of their linebacking corps. I want to say that Michigan is a team that reloads, not rebuilds. But maybe that was a little too much foresight on my end.

Looking at this team halfway through the season, they're a mess. I already mentioned how Moore is a bit overwhelmed, but so is Wink Martindale. He needs to adjust to coaching college kids. This is not the pros. The secondary has taken a step back as well. The defense is supposed to be the strongest unit on this team, but they are struggling, mostly in the secondary. They miss coverages and tackles far too much. The d-line is still pretty good, and the linebackers can make tackles. But, the secondary is really having a tough go, and the new linebackers are taking a little longer to run the defense than I hoped they would. I do have faith they can figure it out. The offense on the other hand, they are being super exposed. There is no imagination. There is nothing different from last season, which worked because of the talent, but this team is totally different. I feel like I can call every play. They like to run up the middle on first and second down. And if that doesn't work, they throw a five yard out on third and 10. When Davis Warren was in at QB, he would chuck it in the air and hope for the best. He threw a ton of picks. When Alex Orji took over, it was run, run, run and run some more. Opposing teams knew this, so they would stack the box. The o-line cannot block eight or nine guys every time. Michigan would go three and out consistently. This tired out the defense. They put Jack Tuttle in last week's game, and while he provided a tiny spark that worked for a bit, once Washington figured him out, he fumbled and threw a crushing pick. The freshman QB they have isn't ready, and I have no idea what happened to Jadyn Denegal. The offense needs to open the playbook. They need to try something else. They need to see what they have at QB and receiver and just go out there and wing it. If they continue with the motion and try to run up the gut, they will be lucky to win another game all year. I don't know better than the coaches. They are there for a reason. They understand the game better than I ever could. And I trust this staff. I was pounding the pavement for Moore to be the head coach after Harbaugh left for the NFL. I like that they gave Campbell the OC job. Martindale created the defense that Mike MacDonald and Jesse Minter ran while they were the DC's. This staff has what it takes to win at this level, and win big. But they have to get creative. They have to change things up. They have to take a chance. They are going to have to spend in NIL. And they need a viable QB, be it from the portal or from recruiting. You need someone that you can rely on at the most important position in football. They don't have that right now, and it will be a struggle until they figure this out.

Always and forever though, 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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Thoughts on the Big KAT Trade

The Knicks and Timberwolves made a pretty massive trade last week. It wasn't fully finalized until yesterday, so I wanted to wait until it was official. The Timberwolves traded Karl Anthony-Towns to the Knicks for Julius Randle, Donte DiVencenzo and a first round pick. The Hornets also got involved, getting a few second round picks from the Knicks. Let’s discuss.

Trades like this do not happen all that often, especially right before the season starts. I have been ranking my teams for my upcoming NBA preview, but I have to reconsider some things now because this trade shakes it up a bit. Karl Anthony-Towns was destined to be moved. It has been in the works for a bit now it seems. The Timberwolves weren't going to be able to keep all the players they had and expect everyone to be paid a fair price. It wasn't financially sound. But, trading him one season after making a run to the Western Conference Finals seems, at least to me, a bit rash and quick. I know KAT had his issues in the playoffs. He fouls too much. His shot comes and goes. He dips in and out of games. But, he had a rhythm with Anthony Edwards, who by all accounts is very bummed about this trade. He had seemed to figure out a way to play with Rudy Gobert. His defense went up a level playing with such a good rim protector. His three point shot was a weapon for the Timberwolves. He guarded Nikola Jokic better than anyone else in the league. But I guess the front office of the Timberwolves felt the time had come and that the Knicks were offering the best package.

The Timberwolves replace KAT with Randle and DiVincenzo. This does make the T'Wolves deeper. It also adds a very explosive offensive player in Randle, when he is healthy. He is also in the last year of his contract, so maybe they have more plans to trade him for someone else. DiVincenzo came on very strong during last season, is a solid shooter and shot creator and he has a wonderful contract. Adding these two guys to the roster helps their bench immensely. Mike Conley, Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Randle, for the time being, and Gobert make up the starting five. That means they have DiVencenzo, Rob DillinghamNaz Reid and PJ Dozier, among others they can count on for a second unit. This gives Edwards even more of a runway to be the offensive leader, McDaniels showed some nice flashes on offense last season and DiVencenzo is going to feast on second unit defenses.

Trading KAT almost felt like a necessity, but it is still wild that they did it this offseason. The Knicks got a big man shooter, who has played for Thibodeau before, and he will fit in nicely with this squad. It might bum Jalen Brunson out a bit that one of his Villanova guys is gone, but that isn't as big a deal as it seems at first glance. The Knicks have an identity now. They had an issue at center, due to Isaiah Hartenstein going to the Thunder and Mitchell Robinson always being hurt. They addressed that, and then some, acquiring KAT. KAT is added to a starting five of Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby. That is a really, really good starting five, when they are all healthy. That will be a real fear here. Brunson has thumb stuff. Anunoby has never played a full season. KAT has leg and ankle stuff all the time. But, if they can stay relatively healthy, the Knicks can be a real threat to the Celtics. Their bench, if Thibodeau would ever give extensive bench minutes, is very good as well. Deuce McBride proved himself last season. Precious Achiuwa is a big body backup five. Jericho Sims showed flashes last year. Landry Shamet and Cam Payne are solid veteran backup guards. They have some decent youth. The Knicks have a nice group of players that make sense on paper.

Pulling away and looking at this trade for both teams, I think it works for both the Knicks and Timberwolves. The Timberwolves added depth and shooting. They also have the flexibility to make more moves that could benefit them. And they still have Anthony Edwards, who is an incredible player. The Knicks solved their center issue, they have a big that can truly stretch the floor and KAT makes sense with this roster. Both teams are going to be playoff teams and both teams can make a real run. This is the rare trade that actually makes sense that includes big name players. I'm excited to see these dudes on their new teams as well. What a wild, but, on paper, successful trade. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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The SeedSing 2024 MLB Playoff Preview

I'm a day late, but I'm going to do a MLB playoff preview and predictions blog today. I promise you all these were my picks going into the playoffs. I didn't realize they started yesterday until my son told me a game was going on at the time. I thought they started next week. Apologies. Anyway, let's get to it.

I'll start with the AL. The wild card features Detroit facing Houston and Kansas City facing Baltimore. Detroit has an excellent pitching staff and they are coming into the playoffs on fire. They have been on a big time hot streak. The Astros have the experience and know how to move on. They also have a pretty potent lineup. I'm going to go with Detroit since I have family members that are fans and I want to see them move on in the playoffs. In the other matchup, I'll take Baltimore. They are more experienced, they have a better lineup and they can outscore a bunch of teams. The Royals are back on track and have a good pitching staff. I just don't think they have the bats to keep up with the Orioles.

With the Tigers and Orioles moving on, we have the Tigers facing the Guardians and the Orioles facing the Yankees. The Tigers will be coming into this series red hot and they may surprise a few people. I think the Guardians have the players to win and go onto the ALCS. But, I'm going to stick with the Tigers here. They are having a moment and I think that will push them to the ALCS. The Orioles and Yankees are going to score a ton of runs and hit a bunch of homeruns. I'm going to pick the Yankees here. They have a better lineup and Aaron Judge is playing like an MVP.

That means I have the Tigers facing the Yankees in the ALCS. This is where the Tigers run stops. While they have a better pitching staff, I don't think they'll be able to keep up with the Yankees bats. And as big a moment as the Tigers are having, Aaron Judge is having an even bigger one. I have a feeling he is going to crush in the playoffs this year. The Yankees will represent the AL in the World Series.

On to the NL. There are no Reds and no Cardinals here. No team for RD or myself to root for. I've decided to give my fandom to Detroit in the playoffs this season. RD, who knows. But, if I had to guess, he may be sticking up for an NL team, maybe the Brewers since he spent time in Milwaukee and our dad is a fan. As for the wild card matchups in the NL, the aforementioned Brewers are facing the Mets and the Braves are facing the Padres. I do believe the Brewers will beat the Mets. The Mets did come on strong in the middle of the season, but the Brewers have been consistently good all year. They kind of ran off with the NL Central early on. The Braves barely made the playoffs, on the last day of the season, and this will be a short trip for them. The Padres have had the best record since the all star break and they look primes to make a run. If the Braves were fully healthy, this would be a different story. Give me the Padres here.

So, that leaves us with the Brewers facing the Phillies and the Padres facing the Dodgers in the NLDS. I'm going to stick with the Brewers over the Phillies. The Phillies are incredibly potent, but they haven't been as dominant as they were in past seasons. The Dodgers have the best lineup in baseball. They have a solid pitching staff. The only thing that worries me with the Dodgers is their manager. He makes some questionable decisions. That being said, I'll take the Dodgers to beat the Padres. It will close, maybe the best series of the playoffs, but in the end, the Dodgers lineup is too damn good to get beat.

This leaves us with an NLCS of Brewers and Dodgers. Again, I'm going to stick with the Dodgers lineup. Shoei Ohtani is the best player in the MLB and he is going to be the Aaron Judge of the NL during the playoffs.

So, that means I have the Yankees facing the Dodgers in the World Series. The two best teams that money can buy in all of baseball. I'm going to stay with the Dodgers. They are going to be World Series champs and Shoei Ohtani is going to win the MVP of the series.

There it is, my 2024 MLB playoff preview and predictions. 

Ty

Another view

This is a must make the World Series year for the Yankees and the Dodgers. I believe neither team will make the series because both teams have a top half great lineup and average bottom half. Also both teams are lacking a solid #3 starter that you need for a playoff run. Also, also both managers are not great. That said this is how I think each round is going to shake out.

Wild Card Round

Brewers will beat the Mets (great story for the Mets this year)

Padres will beat the Braves

Detroit will beat the Astros (this is the end of the Astros dynasty)

Baltimore will beat the Royals (watch out for KC next year)

Divisional round

Phillies will beat the Brewers

Padres will beat the Dodgers (sorry LA)

Cleveland will beat Detroit

The Yankees will beat Baltimore

LCS

Phillies will beat the Padres

Cleveland will beat the Yankees (The Guardians feel like last year’s Rangers)

World Series

Phillies over Guardians in seven (another heartbreak for the Cleveland faithful)

RD

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

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R.I.P. Pete Rose

Another professional sports legend has passed away. Almost immediately after posting my Dikembe Mutumbo RIP blog, I read that an all time great baseball icon, Pete Rose, had passed away at 83. It was a punch to the gut.

Think and say whatever you'd like about Rose's personal life, the dude could play the game of baseball. He brought a fire and passion to the game that no one has come close to matching. I vividly remember seeing a video of Rose playing in an all star game when I was younger and he ran over the catcher to score a run. In a glorified exhibition. I mean, the guy cared, sometimes too much, whenever he set foot on a ball field.

As for regular season and postseason, Rose is an all timer. He had the most hits ever, checking in at 4,256. He had a lifetime batting average of .303. His least amount of regular season games played came when he was 43 years old, when he only appeared in 26 games. Other than that, his next lowest total was 107. He was almost always out on the field playing as hard as he could. He played for 25 years, 19 of which came with the Reds. That is the team that we all remember him being on the most. In the postseason he hit for an average of .321. He showed up when it mattered most and least. He gave it his all until he couldn't anymore. When he left the game, he returned to be a coach. He was okay too. He won over 400 games, ranking him fifth overall in Reds history for managerial wins. Not bad.

Rose’s time as manager was also when the gambling became a true issue. I'm sure he had problems with it his whole career, but it became well known by everyone while he was coaching. He was betting on a ton of games, but the most egregious betting was when he put money on the Reds, while he was their manager. That is wrong, and he should have been given a punishment. But, the punishment was far too harsh in my opinion. The fact that he is not in the hall of fame is laughable. There are some members of the hall of fame that did way more heinous stuff. Ty Cobb was a hate filled, miserable prick of a person. But, he is in the hall of fame. John Smoltz is an alt right weirdo. Jim Leyland was a chain smoking, big chugging lush. Hell, a vast majority of the players in the hall of fame played when the game was still segregated. That was not a fair playing ground whatsoever. So, leaving Rose out of the hall of fame is absurd and laughable. He was one of the best to ever do it, and he belongs in the hall of fame with everyone else. I remember going to a Reds game years ago with my son, my brother and our folks. While Rose may not be in the hall of fame, the Reds paid him a wonderful tribute. He has a statue outside the stadium, of him sliding head first, as he was well known to do. There's a rose wall, one for each of his hits, if memory serves me correctly. They have a ton of pictures, memorabilia and what one could call a shrine to him as a Red. It was awesome to see. I like that they went out of their way to honor him the proper way. He gambled on baseball, so what? Who cares? It is legal now. People do it all the time and they are open about it. Yes, he shouldn't have bet on the team he was managing, but he has more than paid the price. He belongs with all the other legends in the baseball hall of fame. The MLB should do the right thing and posthumously place him in asap.

Rest in Peace Pete Rose. Smack a line drive and dive head first into second base wherever you may be now. 

Ty

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

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R.I.P. Dikembe Mutombo

Dikembe Mutombo has unexpectedly passed away. I had no idea until my son emailed me to let me know. This is shocking to me. He was only 58 years old. I have not seen any cause of death, but this is still very upsetting Editor’s note: Since Ty wrote this article it has been announced that Dikembe Mutombo died of brain cancer.

I was a Mutombo fan as a kid. He did break my heart when I was younger, when the 8th seeded Nuggets beat the 1 seed Super Sonics, my favorite team. But even in that series, I found Mutombo endlessly watchable. He was such a presence. I remember seeing him on the court and being blown away that someone so big could move so nimbly. He was an absolute menace on the court. He was a rebounding monster, but it was his defense that made me enjoy watching him play. It was damn near impossible to score on him. If he was near any floater or layup, he usually swatted it away. And then he would wag his finger, saying "no no no". I loved this. I used to do it when I would play pickup with my friends. If we played on a small hoop, so we could dunk, if I swatted away a dunk, the finger wag was the go to move. Mutombo made this celebration the best thing at the time, and now people are trying to use it and claim it as their own. The finger wag will always be Mutombo's thing. He invented it, it is his and it will always be his.

Mutombo also played for the Nuggets when they had their coolest jerseys. I really liked the dark navy with the gold and other colors. It was a jersey I coveted as a kid. I never had one, but my friends who had one, it was almost always a Mutombo jersey. That number 55 has always been, for me, Mutombo's number. He was, and always will be, the best 55 in the NBA.

Coming out of Georgetown he was already a stout defender. That is why he was the fourth overall pick. While with the Nuggets, he bulked up, blocked all kinds of shots, rebounded well and scored when needed. He was the anchor of the defense and the heart and soul of the team. He moved on to the Hawks after five seasons. He was just as good with Atlanta as he was with Denver. He became an all NBA player while there. He won three Defensive Player of the Year awards while with Atlanta and was on the all defensive team. He led the league in rebounding twice. He was good enough with Denver and Atlanta that they both retired his jersey. He then went to play with Allen Iverson in Philly for two years. He helped Iverson and the 76ers reach the finals. They went up against a juggernaut in the Kobe-Shaq Lakers. But still, Iverson and Mutumbo were the only big names that the 76ers team had. He then went to the Knicks for a season and finished his career off with the Rockets. He passed Kareem Abdul-Jabaar for second most blocks all time in the NBA. He was Yao Ming's backup, but was integral to the team. He even had a 20 rebound game when he was 40 years old. He retired and was a sure fire Hall of Fame player.

Mt Mutumbo was a great center. He was the last of a dying breed. He wasn't a scorer, nor did he care about scoring. He wanted to grab boards and block shots. He wanted to do the dirty work and then wag his finger after every block. It was a thing of beauty when he would block a shot and say "no no no". Rest in Peace Dikembe Mutumbo. This is stunning and shocking and you will be missed. I hope you are blocking shots wherever you are now. 

Ty

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

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Derrick Rose's Retires as the NBA's Greatest What If Story

Derrick Rose called it a career this morning. He has officially retired from the NBA. You could see this coming after the Grizzlies released him about a week ago. If the place he played his college basketball was not going to keep him on the team, even in an Udonis Haslem type role, the writing was on the wall.

Rose had one of the biggest "what if" careers in the history of the NBA. Rose was a star when he played at Memphis. He was an all American, led the Tigers to their most regular season wins, led them to the title game and their first number one ranking in the polls in 25 years. Sure, there were some issues off the court that were investigated, but that is rampant in college basketball back then, and even now. He parlayed this college success into being selected first overall in the 2008 draft by the Chicago Bulls. This was an easy pick for the Bulls back then. He was the surefire guy. He was the explosive guard that teams coveted. And he was damn good early on in his career. He was the 2009 Rookie of the Year. He put in 16 points per game, 6 assists and 3 rebounds. Not too shabby for a rookie point guard. He made his first all star team in year two. In the 2010-2011 season, Rose went off. The explosiveness that was so coveted came into full focus. Rose averaged well over 20 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds. He led the Bulls to 60+ wins. They were the number 1 seed. They won their first two playoff matchups. Rose had become everything the Bulls hoped he would be when they took him first overall two years prior. Rose and the Bulls ended up facing the Heat, and they took them down in five games.

Then the injuries happened. Rose got a raise, but tore his ACL in round one of the playoffs against the 76ers. It was bad. Rose missed all of the next season. He came back in 2013-14, only to tear his meniscus in November. He came back the next year, but he still looked a bit off. His bounce and explosiveness was rare and hard to find now. He couldn't get to the spots he used to with ease. It was discovered that he needed another surgery on his right knee. He had torn his meniscus again. He played his last season with the Bulls in 2015-16. He had moments, but he was not the same guy as he was in 08,09 and 2010. He wasn't a feared rim runner anymore. He couldn't beat guys off the dribble. His knees gave out on him.

Rose still managed to stick around long enough to make more highlights post his Bulls playing days. He went to play for the Knicks after the Bulls. He played here and there, not doing too much. He also left the team at one point without telling them. He was going to see his mom. When he came back, he did score 30 in a win over the Celtics. He left after one season in New York due to some differences with the scheme. He went to play for the Cavs in 17-18, joining LeBron James. He hurt his ankle midway through the season, and left the team to decide if he wanted to keep playing. He played here and there occasionally before hurting his ankle again and moving on to Minnesota. He was kind of revitalized, as much as he could at this point. He had one night where he scored 50 and it was awesome to see. It was at this moment when I really respected and was happy that he was one of my favorite modern players in the NBA. He proved how great he could still be when given the chance. He got to play for Tom Thibodeau again, he was teammates again with guys he loved like Taj Gibson and Jimmy Butler and he seemed happy playing again. Rose was a key part to the Timberwolves in their semi return to relevance. After his time in Minnesota he ended up with the Detroit Pistons. I had forgotten about his time there. It was uneventful. He did have seven straight games of scoring 20 points, was a starter again and really embraced the role of a sixth man. After Detroit he went back to New York, reuniting yet again with Tom Thibeodeau. He ended up third in sixth man of the year voting in 2021. He also returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2018. After two seasons in New York, Rose returned to where he played his college ball, signing with the Memphis Grizzlies. He went back to number 23, had a whole video about returning home and got a humongous ovation when he took the court for the first time that season. He sparingly played for a shell of the Memphis Grizzlies. And then he stepped away after being released.

Rose, if he had stayed healthy, could've been an all timer. He was Russell Westbrook before Russell Westbrook. He was such a dominant athlete, but his body betrayed him. It is a real bummer. He showed flashes later in his career, but he was never the same after winning his MVP award. I'm still on the fence about Rose being a hall of fame player. But, those first three years of his NBA career were amazing and extremely memorable. Enjoy retirement Derrick Rose. You were lightning in a bottle until your injuries halted what could have been a great, great career. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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The (Non) Humility of JJ Redick

I was listening to "The Lowe Post" earlier today and Zach Lowe had JJ Redick on as a guest. Let’s discuss.

This was Redick’s first podcast interview since being named the head coach of the LA Lakers, a job I fully believe he is wildly unqualified for. They both chatted for a bit, Redick did typical coach speak nonsense, not really saying much of anything . Zach Lowe eventually asked Redick the question I hoped he would, did Redick feel like he "skipped the line" after getting the head coaching position with the Lakers.

This was when the interview got interesting, and really opened my eyes to what a jerk JJ Redick can be. Lowe asked him a very straight forward question that I have to mention is on a bunch of peoples minds right now. Redick has done zero in the world of coaching. I read he coached a fourth grade basketball team, but other than that, he has done nothing. His career coaching record is 0-0. He has never been an assistant coach. He was never a college coach, either assistant or head coach. He never even coached high school basketball. To me, to get a head coaching job as big as the Lakers, one of the biggest brands in professional sports, that is the definition of "skipping the line". Redick built up a friendship with LeBron James, called a few playoff games for ESPN and somehow turned that into a head coaching job. It's baffling. So, instead of showing grace and humility, Redick proceeded to talk about how he "earned" the job and how he "put in the work". Having a podcast that you turn into a tv show does not earn one a professional head coaching job. Being friends with LeBron is not "putting in work". Talking out of the side of his mouth on his own podcast doesn't mean he is ready for this moment. These are all things he mentioned today. Lowe brought up Doc Rivers saying he is glad Redick got a job because now he may rethink some of the stuff he has said about other coaches on his pod. This seems like a very fair suggestion from Rivers. Redick in turn said he felt nothing about it, and mentioned the tenuous relationship he had with Rivers.

JJ Redick has no humility. Sure, he worked hard to make it to the NBA, but he grew up with money and had all the coaches he could have ever wanted to help him achieve this goal. He played college basketball at Duke, so he never had to worry about officiating or being called out for doing gross stuff in college. He was a run of the mill pro. He was good enough to start, but he never really wowed anyone. For his career he averaged 12 points a game, 2 rebounds and 2 assists. He was never an all star, never an all NBA player, never won any kind of awards. Again, he was an okay pro. A guy you want around because he may hit four or five threes in a game, but not a guy counted on to win big. At least when Steve Nash got the Brooklyn job he had multiple MVP awards, multiple all star appearances and was on a few all NBA teams. Redick was just a dude.

What made this interview really gross to me, what made me actually call him an asshole out loud to no one, was how he spoke down to NBA fans, and even more-so, Zach Lowe. He mentioned his "podcast empire", and said that he started that because he was sick of NBA writers asking the same questions in different ways. He said this to an NBA writer who has a podcast and asks the same questions. He seemed to be implying that he was better at podcasting than a seasoned pro. That is a dick move. But, what really upset me, what sent this interview overboard was when he mentioned NBA podcast fans. He went on to make some analogy about how sugar is good, and gives you instant gratification, but sometimes "others" want a leafy green salad. He talked down to the majority of podcast listeners. He seemed to imply that he is better, and smarter than anyone else.

Redick’s whole attitude during this interview was gross and uncalled for. It reeked of privilege. It was as if a glorified white basketball, who has never had to work very hard in life, was hand gifted a job because of who he knows, rather than his accomplishments. That is JJ Redick to a T if you ask me. I don't wish ill will on anyone, but after hearing this today, I hope this goes downhill quickly for him. He talks and acts like he is better than everyone. He is not, and being the head coach of the Lakers will hopefully be a real eye opener for him. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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Ohtani is Must Watch

Shohei Ohtani has just further made his case as one of the best to ever play the game of baseball professionally. It was not enough that he went 6 for 6 in the Dodgers game yesterday, with three home runs and 10 RBI's. He also became the first and only member in the 50/50 club in baseball history. Unreal.

For people that don't know, Ohtani now has 51 home runs and 50 stolen bases. That is incredible. For Ohtani to achieve this so early in his MLB career is amazing. Again, he is the only player to ever do this. I remember when Jose Canseco made the 40/40 club back when I was kid. It was a big deal. Not many people had done that to that point. Ohtani has upped it by 10 plus, with a good amount of games left. It would be wild if he joined the 60/60. And the crazy thing, I wouldn't be stunned if he did it. That is how good he is at the game of baseball. Ohtani can hit with the best of them. Not only does he have 50 home runs, he has 120 RBI's and has a batting average of .294. Oh, and he may end up pitching in the postseason. It's more likely that he won't, but the sheer possibility that he could is baffling.

There is no other player like Shohei Ohtani. There hasn't been a player like him since Babe Ruth, and Ruth never had a season of hitting and pitching like Ohtani has had. He has had multiple seasons where he is a dominant pitcher and a home run hitter. He has won the MVP already, but he should be no doubt MVP this year. He is doing amazing things on the field. Not only does he provide power, but when he gets on base, he is one of the better base stealers in the MLB. A single is going to be a double, at least now. He is going to swipe second base when he gets the chance. Outside of Elly De La Cruz, I don't know that any other player is more of a threat to steal bases than Ohtani. And he's damn good at it too. As good as he is at hitting homers. For a bit I would say that Mike Trout and Bryce Harper were the best players in baseball. That's not true, and it's not even close. Shoei Ohtani is far and away the best player in baseball. He is leaps and bounds above everyone else. I thought that maybe this season would be a little rough for him. He had a scandal with his interpreter, he was coming off injury, he was changing teams and he had this massive contract to live up to. None of that has stopped him from having a massive season. The scandal was over before it ever really started. The injury only affected his pitching. The team change was not a big deal because he didn't have to leave the city he was initially playing in. And he has more than lived up to the money the Dodgers decided to give him. This is the new world of sports contracts, and Ohtani has proven that the Dodgers were right to give him one of the biggest contracts in the history of pro sports.

Shohei Ohtani is the best player in baseball. He has now done something else that no other MLB player has done. He is in a league all his own. I'm not a Dodgers fan by any means, but I sure as hell am going to watch them in the playoffs because I want to see what amazing thing Shoei Ohtani is going to do next. He is making me become more of a baseball fan. 

Ty

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

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Why is Being a Sports Fan Not Fun Anymore?

Over the past couple of days I have heard a few different people have some interesting takes on sports. My buddy Kirk sent me a stand up video where the comic stated why they like going to concerts over sporting events. He said, in not so many words, that he is never upset after going to a concert. He gets to hear his favorite songs, has a good time and gets to vibe out with friends. At a sporting event, your team doesn't always win, a player you may like might get hurt and you can come home in a bad mood half the time. That is a very fair assessment I think.

Then, while on a run today I was listening to "Doughboys" and their guest was talking about their husband who is a Celtics fan. She said that when the Celtics won, her husband went outside and laid on the ground. She asked what was wrong, and he said he was relieved that his team won it all. This, again, is also relatable for me. When Michigan won it all last season, I was grateful and relieved. At the same time. It was a weird feeling, but that was how I took the title. I celebrated the win during the off season, but now that a new season is here, I am only worried about how they finish this season. I know that you are not supposed to celebrate a title only during the off season, but still, they are reigning champs. That should be enough to make me happy. It isn't though, and that stinks.

As I sit here and think about it, my fandom that is, why do we do this to ourselves? I'm speaking to all sports fans. I have seen an Onion headline that states, local child picks sports team to make their lives miserable forever, or something like that. And it's true. When I was a child I chose Michigan football. My dad is a fan, he would watch the games and I wanted to hang out with him during the game. It was a pretty easy 1 to 1 for me. I was probably about 8 years old. Now, 33 years later, I'm a fanatic. I love Michigan football more than any other team in pro or college sports. I live and die by the results of their games. I constantly read about the team. I want to know what is going on, and hopefully I can be one of the first to know the news. It's been like that for 33 years now. And when I was a kid, it wasn't that hard. I watched the games, the results were the results and that was that. There was no internet, no constant stream of tv shows, no Twitter or Facebook or Instagram. It was great.

Yet, over time, the internet and tv shows are EVERYWHERE, and EVERYONE has a take. Your team can win, but if they don't win by enough, they're trash. God help you if they get beat, the keyboard warriors will tell all of the regular fans how bad your team is, no matter what. Be it coaching changes, a down season, one bad game or not being dominant enough, internet personalities and tv hosts are ready with the ammo to attack your team. It is rough. It's brutal to be a fan of any team nowadays. After Nick Saban left Alabama, the internet had a field day. Washington got beat by Washington State in the Apple Cup last week, and now Washington is consider lower tier. Colorado struggles to beat North Dakota State and podcast hosts instantly call out Deion Sanders. Arch Manning comes in to take over for an injured Quinn Ewers last week, and now everyone says Manning needs to be the starter. Georgia barely beats Kentucky, on the road, and now they are "vulnerable" all of the sudden. It's rough. And all of us sports fans decided that we were going to almost always be miserable the moment we picked our favorite sports team. It's not fun. I want to go back to when I was a kid and it was fun. Sure, your friends would roast you from time to time, but it was all good, clean fun. Now, it's just mean and vindictive. Everyone, who never played the sport mind you, has a hot take now, and they have it at the ready the moment the game hits all zeros in the fourth quarter. Sports can be wonderful and make you very happy, but for the most part, it is brutal and a dumb choice we made when we were way, way too young. And the keyboard warriors don't make it any easier.

Oh well, on to USC for Michigan this weekend, and I am as nervous as ever. Why did I choose this, I guess to hang with my dad and root for a team. But, it has gotten harder and harder each season to experience true joy. And Michigan is reigning national champs. Yikes. 

Ty

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

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Daniel Jones Over Saquon Barkley and Other Notable Sports Decisions

While out to coffee with my dad this morning we were talking about how the Giants picked Daniel Jones over Saquon Barkley. Let’s discuss.

We both agreed that this was a bad choice by the Giants front office. Barkley is a generational talent. He scored three TDs on the opening weekend. He is a good pass catcher out of the backfield, can return kicks and is hard to tackle and has some good open field speed. Daniel Jones is Daniel Jones. He threw two pick 6's last weekend. He has thrown more pick 6's than long TD passes since signing his massive deal. The Vikings defense said that they "started to feel bad" for him during the last game. He is one of the worst starting QB's in the NFL. His contract is rough, and this decision is going to lead to a bunch of people looking for a new job next season.

This conversation had me thinking after coffee. I was out for a run and I started to think more and more about these decisions by front offices. Both good and bad choices came to mind. The bad choices are much more provocative, but the good ones can be beneficial. One of the good ones I thought of was the Denver Nuggets picking Nikola Jokic over Jusuf Nurkic. I am not a Jokic fan, but the Nuggets have won a title, been a contender every year and Jokic has won three MVP awards. While I like Nurkic's game, he isn't even close to Jokic's level. He has no rings, no MVP awards, no all star game appearances. He has solid numbers, but he is a fringe starter at best. Another good move in choosing a player is the Raptors picking Kyle Lowry to stay after trading for Kawhi Leonard. Someone had to go, and that someone was DeMar DeRozan. DeRozan is going to be much more appreciated when he retires. He is a great mid range scorer, has had a long and personally successful career and is beloved by his teammates on every team he has been a part of. But he had to go to acquire Leonard, and Lowry fits much better with his game. The Raptors got a title out of this. DeRozan is still searching for his first ring. As for football, the Patriots decision to stick with Tom Brady after Drew Bledsoe got hurt will go down in history. Brady and the Patriots had a dynasty and many consider Brady as one of the greatest QB's ever. Bledsoe had a fine career, but it doesn't even come close to what Brady and the Patriots achieved once they moved on from him.

Now for the bad decisions, the Jones over Barkley type decision. The first one that comes to my mind is the Dolphins picking Daunte Caulpepper over Drew Brees. At the time, I thought Culpepper was the correct choice. He had more success at that point, Brees was coming off injury, Culpepper was more mobile and had a better arm. Well, Culpepper flamed out pretty quick and Drew Brees has multiple MVP's and a Super Bowl ring. He is also one of the best to ever play the position. He is going to be a hall of famer for sure. Culpepper, he will unfortunately be a footnote. The Bears decided in the 2017 draft that they had to trade up one spot to take Mitch Trubisky. Some players that went after Trubisky include Christian McCaffery, Jamal Adams, Evan Engram, Jabrill Peppers, TJ Watt, David Njoku, oh yeah, and Patrick Mahomes. Sure, maybe the Bears didn't need some of the other guys due to position. But, they picked Trubisky over Mahomes. That is some Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan stuff right there. Getting back to picking a player over another player, the last one I want to bring up is Kobe Bryant over Shaq. This one may cause division with others. Kobe had a great career post Shaq. That is undeniable. He won MVP awards. He won titles. He was always on the all star team. He is one of the better NBA players we have ever seen. But it took time. Kobe wasn't instantly successful after the Lakers picked him over Shaq. It took time. On the other hand, Shaq won a title immediately. He teamed up with Dwyane Wade in Miami and got a ring that season. Shaq was what the Heat needed, he went there and he won right away. We all remember how Shaq told the world he was better too. Look it up. Shaq was also beloved, for the most part. Kobe was not. His teammates despised him from what I have read. Shaq was fun. Kobe was vigilant. Shaq knew what to do and when to do it. Kobe expected things from people that may not have been able to provide it. I am also a Shaq fan, so that is why I believe the Lakers made the wrong choice. But, I do have to say that both parties benefited from the choice.

Let me know if you all have some that I may have missed out on. I like stuff like this. Send them my way. 

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.

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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.

Follow Ty on instagram.

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