WE READY
WE READY
WE READY FOR YAWWWWWW
It’s finally that time. Time to crown a new champion. Time for a team to leave a legacy that will never be wiped away. The pressure will be like never before because what’s at stake is something that you can’t explain. Yes, you will be a champion. Yes, you will stand tall as the conquerer of the other 31. But what can’t be described is the glory. Only when winning it all can the feeling be truly understood. It’s been described as a curse. It’s almost like relief but hunger at the same time. Because once you are at the top, it then becomes about staying on top. You go from hunting to being the hunted. But let’s be honest, that’s what we really want. Waving the trophy screaming, “I’m the best in the world!”
But before we start what could be the best playoffs thus far, we must appreciate what we have seen this year. We have asked NFL Coaches and GMs questions on how they view this season and the future of the league. So grab some popcorn. Lay back. And enjoy!
WHO IS THE MVP
Of course, this isn’t the official award, but it’s great to see who your peers feel deserves this prestigious award. This season we have seen some monster numbers…by multiple players. And because of that, the decision on MVP was tough for many GMs and Coaches. But four players’ names were mentioned the most. Mike Evans, Jayden Daniels, Jalen Hurts, and Joe Mixon. So out of respect for them, we will take a deep dive into their tremendous individual seasons. We will start with the one who received the least to the one who received the most votes.
Jalen Hurts
To start the season, Jalen Hurts struggled. In week 2, Hurts would throw 5 interceptions in an upset loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Following the game, Coach Procana expressed his frustration, stating that he didn’t think Hurts fit the system he wanted to run. Trade rumors started to come out. One trade was pretty much a done deal. The trade would have sent a young QB to the Eagles who would have battled for that QB1 position, but the NFL Committee would decline the trade because it broke the NFL Trade Policy. As the saying goes, their rejection was a blessing. Now, Jalen Hurts leads the league in passing yards while throwing 56 touchdowns. The Eagles are 13-4 and much credit goes to Hurts and the offense. The Eagles’ passing defense has been one of the worst. So many games have been won off Hurts’ shoulders. So basically, he is exactly what an MVP is.
Mike Evans
“Siri, who has the most receiving yards in an NFL Season?”
“Mike Evans. Mike Evans broke that record 13 games into the season. 1,964 was the previous record by Calvin Johnson. Evans had 2,392 yards.”
Yeah, we just witnessed history. A lot of controversy surrounded the name of Mike Evans. But while some complained that it wasn’t being done ethically, the rest of us were watching in awe. 35 touchdowns! Some credited Baker for this success, saying that it was his trust and accuracy. But Baker was quick to put that spotlight back on the MVP contender.
“He truly is the best receiver in the league. Sometimes I would just throw it up to him, knowing he would come down with it. That’s my MVP!”
A wide receiver has never won MVP…but MikeVP Evans certainly has a case.
Joe Mixon
Before the season, if I were to say a Texans player was an MVP candidate, many would have assumed CJ Stroud. If not, Diggs. But no one would have guessed Joe Mixon. The Texans ran away as one of the best teams in the league while Joe Mixon ran away as the best rusher in the league. Forget that he hasn’t played since Week 13 (due to injury), and is still leading the league in rushing yards! Forget that the Texans rank 27th in passing offense yet have the 3rd best record in the league. All we have to look at is the Texans in his absence. A completely different team. The disrespect RunningBacks get in this league and him being sidelined due to injury may come to bite him, but everyone who watched knows who truly deserves this award.
Jayden Daniels
Last time a rookie QB won MVP? Never.
But there is a Quarterback in the NFC who is trying to be the first: Jayden Daniels. He has done tremendous things passing and rushing—42 touchdowns to only 6 interceptions! Are we sure that he is a rookie? The only starting quarterback with fewer interceptions is Trey Lance (5), who only has 28 touchdowns. Daniels also has 12 rushing touchdowns. Gameplanning against him is easily the toughest in the league. He has led the Commanders to the 2nd best record in the NFC, only trailing the 16-1 Seahawks. MVP odds have him as the favorite and so do many GMs and Coaches.
Who Is The Best Offensive Coach?
They say defense wins championships, but offense brings the fans. No one wants to see a 13-7 game, but many will watch a shootout. We love scoring and some teams are just on another level when it comes to that. And credit goes to the offensive minds behind these great offenses. Here is who the GMs and Coaches feel are the greatest offensive coaches in order.
Coach Procana (Eagles)
One thing about Coach Procana is that he knows offense. In his career here in the OG league, offense has never been a problem. His team has always been top 3. And this season has been no different. It took a little longer than expected for Hurts to buy into his system. But once that happened, it’s been beautiful football to watch. The Eagles rank 2nd in passing yards. Short passes, long passes, screens…whatever you can imagine becomes a reality when the Eagles play football. Congrats to Coach Procana for getting the recognition he deserves.
Coach Chris (Jaguars)
1st in points per game. 1st in passing yards. 1st in total yards. Coach Chris has put on a masterclass on offense. Although Trevor Lawrence has been hit or miss, the offense maximizes the talent surrounding him. Most noticeably rookie Brian Thomas Jr. I don’t think people understand what we are witnessing. So imagine this: You are an offensive coordinator. You get a call from the Head Coach. He tells you that you have to come up with a game plan to score 42+ points. You ask why? And he tells you that the team you are facing averages 41 points a game. How ridiculous. In his first time in the OG league, Coach Chris has already built an offense we have never seen before.
Who Is The Best Defensive Coach?
“I’m locked up. They won’t let me up”
Nothing is more frustrating than having a plan that doesn’t work. Nothing is worse than an opponent having a counter to your counter. Defense wins championships. And these coaches have been recognized as the best defensive minds.
Coach Isaiah (Raiders)
Throughout his OG career as a Head Coach, Isaiah has always been known as a great defensive mind. He has talked about how much pride he takes in frustrating the opposing team. With Max Crosby and newly acquired Jonathan Allen, he has been able to do just that. The Raiders have the best defense in the league. Ranking 1st in opponents PPG. 1st in the fewest yards allowed. 2nd in the fewest passing yards allowed. 3rd in the fewest rushing yards allowed. Coach Isaiah will try to win his 2nd championship in a row, and to do that, his defense will have to continue to wreak havoc.
Coach Reggie (Seahawks)
45 interceptions! 40 Sacks! Ummm guys…this is ridicoulous. Coach Reggie not only has one of the best offenses in the league, but his defense has been a big talk this season. The 16-1 Hawks are the most dominant team in the league. There’s nothing to say when discussing this defense. I truly think saying 45 interceptions and 40 sacks is enough. They have six players with over 3 sacks! They have twelve players with at least 1 interception! It’s seatbelt season in Seattle!
Who Has Been The Biggest Disappointment?
Expectations. Expectations. The championship window is so small. Sometimes a team can look like they are on the rise only to realize later that there will be no more opportunities like that ever again. This season, there were teams who everyone thought would at least be in championship contention…who didn’t even make the playoffs. Grab your tomatoes folks.
49ers
The championship window might really be closed. And it’s sad to see. So many opportunities, but we are witnessing the fall. With the Seahawks, Rams, and even Cardinals showing that they will be a threat for years to come, the 49ers are the team left behind. The defense has been at the bottom of the league. And besides the running game, the offense has been poor as well. As stated in a previous article, maybe it’s our fault for having these expectations. Maybe Brock Purdy isn’t a franchise quarterback. Maybe their aging will continue to cost them. Maybe Coach BadGuy won’t be able to get this team over the hump.
Ravens
Lamar Jackson may end his career as the greatest Quarterback to never win a Superbowl. 40 Touchdowns to 12 interceptions. It got so bad that the Ravens fired their head coach. Coach NYCE now will carry the burden of championship or bust. The worst part about missing the playoffs is that the AFC North was probably the worst division in the AFC. All it would have taken was the Ravens to look like the Ravens of old. Instead, the Bengals would be the team to wake up and take the division. Lamar has expressed much frustration with how things are going in Baltimore. With his huge contract, it is very unlikely for him to be on the move. You have to wonder though, if Lamar can play like that and still lose, what will it take to win a Super Bowl in the tough AFC?
Biggest Leap and Downfall Next Season
Do you want to start with the positive or negative? Let’s do rock, paper, scissors.
“Rock, paper, scissors…shoot!”
If you picked rock, I picked paper. If you picked paper, I picked scissors. And if you picked scissors, I picked rock. And I choose to do…the negative first.
Downfall-Jets
Although the Jets have done an amazing job, Father Time is undefeated. I think that was the main factor when GMs and Coaches decided this. I will take it a step further. The Broncos just hired a former Super Bowl Contending coach in Coach Mari. The Steelers also hired a coach who went to back-to-back Super Bowls in Coach JayForeign. The Ravens have been much better with Coach NYCE. Patriots, Browns, and Titans look to be on the rise. And the Bills also had a very uncharacteristic year. Next year will be so tough, and not having a proven Quarterback may cost them.
Leap- Patriots and Titans
This was the most obvious answer. The Patriots would immediately call Coach Dominic after he stepped down from his role with the Chargers. And immediately, things got better for Drake Maye and the Patriots. In his first 8 weeks, Maye would throw 16 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. Since then, he has thrown 30 touchdowns and 3 interceptions! Talk about turning the tables. With another lottery pick, the Patriots’ future is looking very bright.
The Texans are 14-3. What if I told you that the team that beat them twice is 8-9? Yes, the Titans made a statement to the league in Week 18. It was not a fluke. The Titans are up next. The Titans struggled with consistency the entire year, but we got to see how dangerous they are at their best. Coach Afro continued to pour into this team through the losses and is starting to reap the benefits. We are even seeing the swagger displayed by Coach Afro. Next season, tighten up because the Titans are back and better.
PLAYOFF TALK
Fourteen teams. Seven in each conference. One champion.
Who will rise to the occasion? Who will choke? Will we have a Cinderella run? Let’s talk about it.
GMs and Coaches feel that of the fourteen teams, ten of them have a real shot at winning the whole thing. If you are new here, this is looking like it will be the wildest playoffs yet. The Bengals, Bears, Bucs, and Colts are the four who have been slighted and do not have respect around the league. Will one of these teams complete their Cinderella story? Speaking of lack of respect, many predict that the Saints will choke. With Carr out of the picture, many believe that they will exit very quickly.
The AFC Championship prediction is the Raiders against the Texans. Both teams sit at #1 and #2 respectively. A dominant year for both, but both were exposed toward the end of the year. The Texans will be without MVP Candidate Joe Mixon. Coach Urlacher will surely face criticism if the Texans have an early playoff exit. Too many snaps for Mixon is a reason he got injured. At the end of the day, winners find a way to adapt. Coach Urlacher has proven to be a winner and will find a way to get his team to the Super Bowl. For the Raiders, their weakness has been obvious from the start. The Miami Dolphins nearly beat them in Week 11. The formula…we can’t expose that. But the film is out there. That being said, both predicted teams are beatable. Dare I say, easily beatable.
The NFC Championship prediction is the Seahawks against the Commanders. If we get this matchup, it will be a dream come true. MVP favorite Jayden Daniels against the best overall team in the league. Coach Jalen has fallen short time and time again. But we have seen signs of old Coach Jalen. The swagger. The confidence. The cockiness. He has said he wants this matchup. But as the saying goes, be careful what you wish for. The Seahawks are no joke. They are the most disrespected #1 seed of all time
Offense: Elite
Defense: Elite
Coach Reggie and the Seahawks acknowledged the lack of respect around the league. Only one thing will give them the respect they deserve: Winning the Super Bowl. That being said, the Seahawks’ perfect season ended in week 18 against the Rams. The Commanders have had defensive issues all year. The Eagles can put up a fight with anyone. The Saints may be the biggest wildcard out of everyone. And the Bears did leave Week 18 with some momentum. Anything is possible…I’m just saying.
The predicted Super Bowl Matchup is the Seahawks against the Raiders. The best team in the NFC against the best team in the AFC. Most predicted the Raiders to win the whole thing. What was supposed to be a rebuilding year may turn into a championship. Coach Isaiah has done a great job in getting his guys to buy in. But let’s be real. None of that matters if they don’t finish the job. They brought in Jonathan Allen, a clear sign that they were going all in. For the Seahawks, I don’t think many predicted them to be this good either. The scariest part about them is that they are just getting started. Coach Reggie has stated that the league has not seen anything yet when it comes to how great this team can be. Will we see them compete on the biggest stage? Time will tell.
Madden Cover
This year we will get two Madden covers, including an MVP Edition. We all remember waiting to see the Madden cover reveal. So imagine, you are on that cover. All the hard work. The blood, sweat, and tears. The perseverance. The work you put in that nobody saw so you can get the results that everyone can now see. The four nominees are also the four MVP Candidates: Jayden Daniels, Jalen Hurts, Joe Mixon, and Mike Evans. Stay tuned to see the two winners. I did get a little sneak peek. I can comment no further.
Let The Games Begin
Thank you all for an amazing season. Thank you for sticking with us and engaging daily. This league isn’t what it is without all of you. We hope to have you for the foreseeable future. Blah Blah Blah…
LET’S PLAY FOOTBALL
Are you ready? Because I’m ready. Cancun is longing for more guests. And I don’t know about you, but I’m not trying to go. There can only be one Winner. Only one King on this hill. Only one Champion. Only one. Will it be you?
WE READY
WE READY
WE READY FOR YAWWWWWW
