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...

  On February 26, 2021 a change was officially made in the WNBA that goes far beyond the hardwood.  History was made as a three-member investor group was approved to purchase the Atlanta Dream. Larry Gottesdiener, Renee Montgomery and Suzanne Abair make up this strong force that is this investor group. Montgomery has become the first former player to become both an owner and executive of a WNBA franchise. THIS, this is the breaking barriers.  Pressure began to fall on former Senator Kelly Loeffler as she angered many across the country, most specifically in the WNBA. Loeffler's outward opposition to the league's racial injustice initiative sparked players to push for Loeffler to give up her part-ownership of the Dream.  Yes, she had to go. Not only in her role as Senator but as part-owner of the Atlanta Dream.  What prompted Montgomery to begin considering this journey was a tweet from LeBron James. James mentioned the idea of becoming a part of such a group tha...

  The NFL awards, the NBA awards, the All-Star selection ... how much of it is really ... accurate? Devin Booker initially getting snubbed as an All-Star starter is proof enough for me to realize that the voting system is well, misleading. T.J. Watt missing the mark on NFL Defensive Player of the Year is well, just wrong.  And no, that is not me saying that I do not think Aaron Donald was not deserving of it. However, T.J. should have taken the crown on that. It's not bias, it's just numbers.  So do not come for me.  However, I would be lying if said that we all didn't love to find out who wins these things. It's the sports lover in us. And even though these awards appear to be a wash, they do still become a part of these players' legacies and accolades. This year's most intriguing NBA award is not the Most Valuable Player but the Rookie of the Year. It has been one of those races where the lead runner changes frequently.  It is LaMelo Ball, Tyrese Haliburton, a...

  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...

  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...

  Where is Paul George? What's going on with PG13? Has PG lost his touch? Is the shoulder soreness too much to handle?  These are the questions that have consumed many minds who have been tuning into the NBA playoffs. Paul George was off ... to say the least. On Tuesday, August 25, the day of Game 5 between the Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks ... something clicked for PG.  "I mean, I just felt it. My energy, my spirit was changed. That's all it needed" said George when referring to his chat with the team psychiatrist. "That's all I needed. I came here, I know what my job was. Left it all on that court. Ready to move forward." 35 points in 25 minutes was certainly needed. Paul George became the only player to score 35 in 25 minutes or less in the shot clock era (1954-55).  PG was hearing it all within the world of social media. All of the comments, the doubts, the criticism, he heard it all. In a postgame interview after Tuesday night's fran...

  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...