The Bad Ash Blog

    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...

  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-...

  Let me get this straight ... during this global pandemic, college football players should risk their lives for our entertainment and other peoples' paychecks. Essentially, college football players should be treated like the pros without receiving any of the incentives that the pros receive. That sounds pretty bold doesn't it? Good, it was meant to.  40% of the Power 5 conferences have canceled their football season with intentions of planning a spring season. It sounds weird, but it is necessary. The Big Ten and Pac-12 have thrown in the towel due to their large concerns about the health and safety of student-athletes. Student comes first and athlete comes second, but they are not treated as such.  We have seen a mixture of interviews, tweets and comments regarding the upcoming college football season ... or lack thereof. We have even witnessed Dabo Swinney mentioning that the downsize of college football participation does not sway the playoff picture. "Whoever wins it...

It is no secret that the NBA bubble works, and whatever the MLB is doing does not work. Baseball began play on July 23 and the NBA tipped off their restart on July 30. MLB, players and personnel, have had over 30 positive COVID-19 cases and 20 games postponed. The NBA has not had a positive COVID test since July 13. Out of 343 tests, zero have been positive.  One is not like the other. Shoutout to the bubble. One league has a commissioner that puts forth an effort to make sure its players are looked out for, and their families. This commissioner makes them aware that their health is actually the priority and money is spent in all of the right places in order to appease all parties (you and I included). This other commissioner lacks the effort in taking responsibility for being blind to reality because of the inconvenience that may come with it.  Robert Manfred may not be a "quitter," but also does not appear to be the most rational either.  It took the MLB quite some...

You may or may not be a part of the ever-glorious Twitter world. Regardless, you have probably seen the "#WeWantToPlay" tweeted out by many NFL players. If you follow me on Twitter then you have certainly glanced at this hashtag because I have retweeted many tweets from these athletes advocating for ... themselves.  At no surprise, the NFL and the NFL Players Association are not in agreement. The players want to be looked out for and the league wants the moolah. So, who has to sacrifice? What are the negotiations at-hand? What's gotta give for there to simply be ... football.  On March 31st Jeff Pash, the NFL Executive Vice President and General Counsel, made a bold plan for the upcoming 2020 season. Almost four months ago we had expectations that the season would start on time, fans would be in the stands, games would be played at the regular stadiums, 17 weeks would be played, and a full set of playoffs would ice the cake. Fast forward to today and it may not b...

Triple Threat (maybe).  photo retrieved from  https://nypost.com/2019/04/01/baker-mayfield-already-gushing-about-odell-beckham-relationship/ Cheers to the best time of the year.  I would drink to that.  You all already know that BadAsh has you covered with what you need to know for this upcoming NFL season, along with a hot take that you probably won't agree with (@ me.).  Don't get me wrong, baseball and basketball are great ... but they're not football.  Football Sundays (and Saturdays for you college lovers out there) hit different.  ... I'm done being nostalgic for now. Let's get down to business.  The Browns made headlines this offseason ... Yes, the Cleveland Browns.  The Browns are in contention to win the AFC North, and make the playoffs for the first time since 2002 ... Yes, the Cleveland Browns.  Odell Beckham Jr. and former teammate/college roommate Jarvis Landry are ready to let Baker Mayfield shine. T...