Author: Mike Papero

Michael Penix Jr. would agree with the saying, “Opportunity dances with those on the dancefloor.” The question is, who will be willing to dance with a 24-year-old rookie quarterback who suffered four season-ending injuries while in college? While he’s still viewed as a top-six quarterback in the upcoming NFL Draft, it wasn’t that long ago that it seemed like would be one of the first to hear his name called. How good is Michael Penix Jr.? Michael Penix Jr. was once thought to be a top-three quarterback taken in April’s draft, but now he seems to be the fifth or…

The 2024 NFL Draft quarterback class is as intriguing of a quarterback draft class as we have seen in some years. Since the end of the college football season, through the NFL combine, and after the start of free agency, there has been a lot of moving and shaking amongst (almost all) the top six quarterbacks on the board. As more workouts happen and more reports make their rounds, it’s anybody’s guess as to who will be selected and in which order, after number one of course. 2024 NFL Draft Quarterback Class Tiers Tier 1-Caleb Williams Most experts have USC…

The Los Angeles Chargers had a disappointing 2023 season that not too many saw coming. That type of thing happens when your starting quarterback misses four and a half games of the season. But even when star wuarterback Justin Herbert was healthy, the Chargers weren’t setting the world on fire; they were 5-7 going into the game against Denver when Herbert was sacked four times and injured for what would be the remainder of the season. Chargers running on fumes One of the biggest problems faced by the Chargers was their lack of a running game. They finished 25th in…

Sometimes it’s easy to read between the lines, especially when a very blunt man in khakis spells it out quite clearly. New Los Angeles Chargers’ Head Coach Jim Harbaugh isn’t what one would call a “beat around the bush” type. Actually, he’s a “go in with a shovel and dig the bush out” type. So when Harbaugh recently spoke at the NFL league meetings, his intentions couldn’t be covered with an infield tarp. https://twitter.com/AdamHoge/status/1772273841785463245 Coach Harbaugh spoke at length about the importance of offensive linemen. “If I asked you the question of what position group depends on no other position…

The National Football League continued it’s bastardization of the sport we have grown up watching and loving. With approval by the owners, the NFL has banned the hip-drop tackle in a move that has many angry and confused.  While NFL execs use player safety as the sole reason for this rule change, one can’t help but wonder if the league’s drop in scoring since 2020 is truly the catalyst behind this change. For those unaware a hip-drop tackle, it is described as follows: If a defender “grabs the runner with both hands or wraps the runner with both arms” and…

The University of Michigan Pro Day for their NFL Draft eligible players has attracted a lot of decision makers from countless NFL teams. As reported by Jim Nagy of SeniorBowl.com, no college has ever had as many players participate in a pro day, and no team has more representatives in Ann Arbor than the Chicago Bears. Chicago holds the the first and ninth overall picks in the 2024 NFL Draft. The Bears contingent at the Michigan Pro Day includes: Ryan Poles (General Manager); Matt Eberflus (Head Coach); Shane Waldron (Offensive Coordinator); Kerry Joseph (Quarterbacks Coach); Chris Beatty (Wide Receivers Coach)…

Don’t worry Philadelphia, the “Brotherly Shove” will be back in 2024. According to Troy Vincent, NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations, the Tush Push, a play that resembles more of a scrum, will still be legal next season. In his conference call, Vincent stated that various NFL committees, such as the competition committee and health and safety committee, decided that there just wasn’t the injury data that would suggest that the play should be banned or even voted on. So the Tush Push lives on, just without the key ingredient, Eagles center Jason Kelce. What is the Tush Push?…

The Chicago Bears offense left a lot to be desired in the 2023 season as they showed flashes of brilliance but very little consistency. If you watched them, you gained a lot of experience putting your favorite expletives to use. Luke Getsy can be thanked for that. His snap screens to receivers with no blocking in front of them infuriated Bears fans almost as much as his lack of designed runs and deep shots for Justin Fields. But with some recent trades and free agent signings, the Chicago Bears offense of 2023 looks to be a thing of the past,…

Rome Odunze has been getting a lot of respect from NFL pundits on TV. The University of Washington wide receiver has climbed draft boards over the past couple months, and many doubt he’ll make it out of the top 8. In fact, in ESPN analyst, Mel Kiper’s latest mock draft, Odunze is scooped up at #6 overall by the New York Giants. The rise in stock for Odunze begs the question: should he be the top WR drafted next month? https://twitter.com/The33rdTeamFB/status/1765905188177776801 What does Rome Odunze bring to the table? If you’ve ever seen Rome Odunze play, you should know how…

For months, if not years, two things have seemed certain about the 2024 NFL Draft; Caleb Williams and Marvin Harrison Jr. are surefire studs who are generational talents at their respective positions.  Exactly where each of them gets picked has been a little tougher to decipher because we all know how valued quarterbacks are. Many experts have said that Harrison Jr. is the “safer” guarantee, but it’s tough for a wide receiver to be the first overall pick. Typically, once the first quarterback is taken, the jockeying to get the next best quarterbacks takes place and before you know it,…