The Bad Ash Blog

  *Cue the boos for Roger Goodell* Ladies and Gents ... it is that time.  Yes, it is NFL Draft time. Maybe you have read those Mel Kiper Jr. or Todd McShay mock drafts, or maybe you have saved the best prediction article for last. Either way, I am glad you are here. Welcome to the 2021 NFL Draft, where 7,238 quarterbacks will be drafted.  I'm kidding ... kind of. It's the quarterbacks' world and we're just living in it.  I am going to give you a breakdown of the hot topics within this NFL Draft. It will be like your reading something from Mel Kiper, but just a bit more Bad Ash.  I will be the first to admit that I entertained the idea of Justin Fields going No. 1 overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars. I mean, it made sense. Former Ohio State head coach takes Ohio State quarterback ... why not, right? I like to be different. However, we have been made well-aware that Trevor Lawrence is the top candidate to lead the Jaguars to the first playoff run since 2017. The f...

    One more game. One last attempt at the drawing board. One last matchup ... for all the marbles, to hoist the Lombardi trophy.  We made it. We made it to the Super Bowl of the weirdest, yet most rewarding, NFL season in history. Maybe our appreciation and enjoyment for the game grew a little deeper this year. And maybe that stems from the thought that there was a high possibility of it being taken away from us. There was truly a point when we did not know if we were going to have an NFL season. No matter the outcome, we get to witness history on Sunday.  Not only is this the first time a team will compete for a Super Bowl title in its home stadium, but it's the first time a player will appear in their 750th Super Bowl.  I had to get at least one joke in.  Much of the hype for this big game has been centered around the quarterback matchup, and rightfully so. Tom Brady could win his seventh ring, at the age of 43 might I add. Patrick Mahomes is the younges...

  I do not plan on this being your typical, cliché publication of "Yay, 2020 is almost over. Let's get to it, 2021." We will see enough of that on our Twitter timelines and Instagram feeds over the next 72 hours. 2020 has had ups and it has had downs, maybe some more than others. You don't need my personal testimony. I am more for sharing sports stories and opinions anyway.  Speaking of ups and downs, what better way to describe the 2020 sports year than that? January alone had a few great ups, but also had one of the biggest downs we as sports lovers would experience all year. It started off with the LSU Tigers capping off an undefeated and incredible season with a National Championship over the Clemson Tigers. Heisman trophy winner Joe (or, JEUX) Burrow threw up an incredible stat line of 463 yards and five touchdowns. On January 14 the WNBA established a groundbreaking collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The new CBA included substantial salary increases, improve...

When you go three months without losing a single football game, it is much easier to look over mistakes or issues that may be going on. Your team is 11-0, what could possibly be the problem? If you ask a Pittsburgh Steeler fan you may hear a 20-minute ramble. If you ask Mike Tomlin you will get honesty, respectfully.  The Steelers started out 11-0 and are now suffering from back-to-back losses. They now have just a 5% chance for a first round playoff bye (according to FiveThirtyEight ). Pittsburgh is no team that feels as though they need a bye in order to play in Miami on February 7, 2021. They won the Super Bowl in 2006 with a Wild Card entry.  Let's dig a little deeper because this team is not the same team that has swept the Baltimore Ravens, beat the Houston Texans 28-21, beat the Tennessee Titans 27-24, and beat all other seven opponents.  During their first loss of the season to the Washington Football Team in Week 13, eight passes were dropped. That is the most a ...

  In a Quarterback-driven league, the MVP race is a Quarterback-driven award. It sounds like I am referencing the Heisman, but I promise you that it is much different.  One week it is Russell, then Hail Murray, and now all votes point in the direction of reigning Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes. Two of those three extremely talented professionals are under the age of 25. Patrick Mahomes knows what it feels like to be one of the youngest to win league MVP, but Kyler Murray would be joining an elite group. Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes and Dan Marino were all under the age of 24. Russell Wilson seemed like a sure thing, then the Hail Murray to DeAndre Hopkins happened and we all began to understand and appreciate how impressive Kyler Murray has been, then the Week 11 KC Comeback occurred.  Let's recap (because it is worth recapping, no cap) ...  Buffalo is leading Arizona 30-26 with just 34 seconds left. With a touchback and two timeouts remaining, Arizona needed to co...

  I hope that you voted on Tuesday, or the day before that, or the week before that, or made sure your mailed-in ballot was counted for. I want to shed some love and light on your timeline today ... and what better way to do that than to talk some football? I know, many of Bad Ash's blog posts talk NFL football so consider yourself learning a fun fact about me.   We are heading into Week 9 of the NFL season and there have been some games postponed/rescheduled, but the season seems to be going smooth given the pandemic circumstances. We are fortunate enough to be watching games every week and that is a good sign.  Hopefully you all remember when I discussed the sad reality of no more postgame jersey swaps for the 2020 season. The latest on that is there is a new and improved (if you will) way to jersey swap. After much rebuttal, rightfully so, from players the NFL met halfway and came up with a way for players to carry on this beloved tradition. Jersey swaps are now c...

  How many of us have a distaste for the Dallas Cowboys, but an appreciation for Dak Prescott? The whole world has been pulling for him to get that multi-million dollar deal (that yes, he does deserve). The entire sports world and lovers of the sports world felt empathy on Sunday when Dak went down with an apparent ankle injury. Successful surgery was performed Sunday evening and well wishes were sent from all over the world.  In contrast to Alex Smith's injury, it is likely for a player to return from a compound fracture and remain as impactful as they were before. However, no matter how you twist it ... to be out due to injury for four to six months during your franchise tag year is devastating, especially when you are a quarterback that could be throwing over 300+ yards a game. Dak has recorded 42 wins since 2016, ranked third among QBs.   Dak has been a vital voice for mental health awareness and he has always been very open about his story. Dak lost his mother i...

It was not until games actually kicked off on Sunday afternoon that it felt like the NFL was back. We had Thursday night to get us warmed up, but it hits different when you have a full slate of games for the entire day. It has arrived, my friends. Football is here.  On the blog last week was an ice breaker, something to help us feel a little more prepared for the upcoming season. What's an ice breaker without a solid conversation to follow?  Let's dive in to the teams who did not live up to expectations, who exceeded expectations, and who did exactly what we expected them to do ... If the shoe fits then wear it, Cleveland.  Before I get into the quality of quarterbacks that we saw, or did not see, let's talk about what wins championships (is that still a saying or have dual-threat quarterbacks and running backs squashed that?). The Washington Football Team's defense brought them back from a 17-0 deficit against the Philadelphia Eagles. Not only did Chase Young have a so...

  We can see the leaves begin to change, the temperatures feel a little cooler, and all the pumpkin spice lattes being ordered. This only means one thing ... Football is in the air. Smells good, doesn't it?  This season feels a little different, and that's okay. The offseason has been anything but ordinary ... including some of the deals and extensions we have seen. However, just as the players have prepared for the upcoming season as they normally would that is why I am typing this for you all. We can expect for some games to be postponed or the season to be shortened, but let's prepare for 17 weeks, some playoffs, and a Super Bowl on February 7, 2021.  It is safe to assume that Kansas City will be in Tampa come February, but what's the fun in a predictable prediction? Let me start off by talking about these contract extensions we have been hearing about. Most recently, Jalen Ramsey became the highest paid Cornerback in NFL history. The LA Rams gave the Pro Bowler a 5-...