Friday, July 29, 2016

Madden '17 "Top" Ratings (by Position)

EA Sports' Madden '17 Player Ratings are slowly trickling out in the forms of "best by position" lists daily on the EA site.  Below we will track and list players on 3-Guys rosters (as well as the New England Patriots) in anticipation of the August 23 release date.

 ROOKIES
#1 CB Jalen Ramsey (82) - New York Jets

 QUARTERBACKS
#1 Aaron Rodgers (96) - Buffalo Bills
#3 Tom Brady (94) - New England Patriots

 OFFENSIVE LINEMAN
#3 Marshal Yanda (97) - New York Jets
#5 Zack Martin (92) - New York Jets
#8 Travis Frederick (91) - New York Jets
#9 TJ Lang (91) - Buffalo Bills
#10 Josh Sitton (91) - Buffalo Bills

 DEFENSIVE TACKLES
#1 Aaron Donald (98) - New York Jets
#2 Geno Atkins (94) - Buffalo Bills
#5 Kawann Short (92) - New York Jets

 TIGHT ENDS
#1 Rob Gronkowski (99) - New England Patriots

 OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS
#3 Khalil Mack (94) - Miami Dolphins
#5 Dont'a Hightower (90) - New England Patriots

 MIDDLE LINEBACKERS
#1 Luke Kuechly (99) - Buffalo Bills
#2 Brandon Marshall (90) - New York Jets
#4 Bobby Wagner (88) - Miami Dolphins
#5 Jamie Collins (88) - New England Patriots

 STRONG SAFETIES
#2 Kam Chancellor (91) - New York Jets
#3 Patrick Chung (86) - Buffalo Bills

 FREE SAFETIES
#4 Earl Thomas (93) - Miami Dolphins

KICKERS
#3 Stephen Gostkowski (85) - New England Patriots

 TEAM TOTALS
NEW YORK: 8
BUFFALO: 6
NEW ENGLAND: 5
MIAMI: 3

Posted by at

Thursday, July 21, 2016

Press Release: WR Devin Funchess to Miami for Multiple Draft Picks

Wide Receiver Devin Funchess found himself as the odd man out in Buffalo after the team's trade to acquire wide receiver Amari Cooper from the Oakland Raiders.
The Bills sent the second year player to their division rivals in Miami for a pair of 2017 draft picks (3rd & 5th rounders).
Funchess will be an immediate upgrade for the Dolphins and should start alongside Jeremy Kerley on the outside.
Miami has utilized pieces acquired in their trade of Marcell Dareus to secure the services of quarterback Jacoby Brissett, cornerback Xavier Rhodes, and now Funchess (along with still owning an extra 3rd round selection in the 2018 NFL Draft. 
Posted by at

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Breaking: Nelson Fails Physical with Buffalo; Blockbuster with Oakland Confirmed


The Buffalo Bills are doubling down on their attempt to find themselves a true number one receiving option for quarterback Aaron Rodgers after 31-year old Jordy Nelson failed the team's physical earlier this afternoon.
Rex Ryan and company gave the go ahead for the team to send their first round pick in 2017 and 2018 along with wide receiver Mohamed Sanu to the Oakland Raiders for up-and-coming superstar Amari Cooper.
The 22-year old Alabama product was just as shocked as the rest of the sports world to hear of the news.

 @AmariCooper9: Agent just told me it is real. I am sorry @RaiderNation, gotta represent for @BillsMafia now

 Trading for Nelson and giving up a first round pick was a steep price to pay to try to win the championship in 2017. Now, spending an additional first rounder on Cooper may seem foolish at face value, but Cooper's speed, skill, and youth give the Bills, and most importantly Rodgers, a top-5 receiving option for the next 7-plus years. 
"I could do without the drama," Rodgers said. "I really liked the Jordy move, but these things change. Amari is an absolute superstar in the making. My job is to help him become a champion too."
Posted by at

Friday, July 15, 2016

Wheelin' & Dealin' in the AFC East


Three trades occurred on this relatively normal Friday afternoon that not only solidified the AFC East as the NFL's toughest division but also its most ambitious.
First, the New York Jets made an aggressive move to pick up Vic Beasley from the Atlanta Falcons for their 2017 2nd round pick and OLB Bud Dupree. Coach Todd Bowles has been raving about the fast and explosive Beasly since coaching the Clemson product at the 2015 Senior Bowl.
"I am through the roof," Bowles said. "To me, he has the potential to be defensive player of the year right now. This is amazing for our team."
Moments later, Rex Ryan declared that his team is officially in 'win-now' mode by acquiring 31-year old wide-receiver Jordy Nelson from the Green Bay Packers in exchange for their 2017 1st round pick and wide-receiver Mohamed Sanu. 
Nelson, coming off a torn ACL, should be an explosive weapon for Aaron Rodgers.
"I met him today and it's like we've been together for years," Rodgers said. "The chemistry is palpable and it will be fun to work with him."
Not to be left out, the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins collaborated to send newly drafted Jacoby Brissett (2016 3rd round compensatory selection) and a 2017 6th round pick to the Dolphins for a 2017 second round pick.
With Matt Moore firmly entrenched as Tom Brady's backup, head coach Bill Belichick is betting on Moore to get the team through the upcoming 4-game suspension for Brady to start 2016.
"The plan was to groom Jacoby (Brissett) for the future," Belichick said. "But they (Miami) are high on him too. We can address our long-term quarterback plans in the future and use this 2nd round to help our team next moving forward."
Posted by at

Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Marcell Dareus Headed to SD in Puzzling Move


A year after locking up who they then called their "franchise stalwart," the Miami Dolphins have traded pro bowl defensive tackle Marcell Dareus to the San Diego Chargers.
The rare summertime blockbuster has the defending champs sending Dareus along with middle linebacker Manti Te'o to America's Finest City for cornerback Xavier Rhodes, a 2017 2nd round pick, a 2017 3rd round pick, and a 2018 3rd round pick.
"I'm shocked and a little bit pissed off to be honest," Dareus said. "But I don't want to be here if I'm not wanted. I'm ready to try to get Philip (Rivers) a ring."
On the surface the move seems a bit perplexing, but if you dig a bit deeper into Miami's future, there may be some logic behind what seems like a move better saved for the Marlins across town.
With Khalil Mack, Star Lotulelei, & Leonard Williams all set to require large contract extensions by 2018, Dareus found himself on the outside looking in as Adam Gase took the reigns in Miami. 
Despite the success running the football a year ago behind Kelechi Osemele (who was just resigned to a 58.5 million dollar contract extension) and Trai Turner (who is also on a rookie deal through 2018), the offense is a mess and eventually the team will want to either draft or sign a long-term solution at quarterback; it's also nice to have capable players to catch the football as well, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.
"We want to build through the draft," Gase said. "This gives us some leverage moving forward while allowing us to lock up the core of our defense in the coming years."
Kevin Brown, Bobby Bonilla, and Gary Sheffield could not be reached for comment. 
Posted by at

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

3-Guys Madden League Pre-Season Projections & Award Predictions


During these NFL dog days of summer, there is nothing better than unnecessarily stirring up controversy to help get us back into football season. We polled various owners, players and general managers and asked them to predict the 2016 order of finish for the AFC East as well as to pre-determine who would win some of the coveted 3-Guys Madden hardware at the end of the season. So, without further ado, let's start the debate. 

 Projected Final 2016 AFC East Standings
T1st - New England Patriots
T1st - Buffalo Bills
3rd - New York Jets
4th - Miami Dolphins

 No respect for the defending AFC East and Super Bowl Champions. Apparently the losses of quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (released) and fullback Roosevelt Nix (free agent) were enough for pundits to predict a free fall for winter's darlings from a year ago.
"I know you're trying to get us riled up man," safety Calvin Pryor said. "But I ain't taking the bait. We (are) in a good division, so honestly any team can win it this year; We have to come out hungry again (because) now we are the hunted."
With a healthy Tom Brady returning, the Patriots look poised to regain their place on the division throne.
"I don't have any thoughts on that poll," coach Bill Belichick said. "Waste of time if you ask me - it's 85-degrees outside, what are you doing?"
The division's other hall of fame signal caller is looking to bounce back from an injury a year ago to put his team back in the playoff hunt.
"It was a nice story for Miami last year," Buffalo quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. "But you're not going to have every quarterback in the division go down with an injury (Brady & Rodgers) or benching (Cam Newton). I wouldn't call it a fluke what they (Miami) accomplished last year, but you can't undersell the fact that it was a fluky season."
The team that no one seems to be talking about, the New York Jets, quietly had an outstanding off-season and, if their rookies develop, have (on paper) one of the most talented defensive units the NFL has seen in some time.
"I like being under the radar," defensive tackle Aaron Donald said. "Let everyone else grab the headlines. We'll be ready to write our own when they visit the NYC."

 Projected 3-Guys 2016 Award Winners
Offensive Player of the Year: Quarterback Aaron Rodgers (Buffalo)
Defensive Player of the Year: Defensive End Khalil Mack (Miami)
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Wide Receiver Josh Doctson (Buffalo)
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Linebacker/Safety Myles Jack (New York)

 Although Buffalo's Todd Gurley ran away with many of the 2015 awards, all signs point to a more balanced Bills attack in 2016 with a healthy Rodgers back calling the shots.
Khalil Mack shared votes with Pryor from the vaunted Miami defense. Both players will look to continue to carry their team while the passing game gets settled with Jimmy Garoppolo version 2.0 (yikes).
For Rodgers to live up to this preseason hype, he will need to rely on his rookie pass catcher Josh Doctson out of TCU. Doctson' skill set fits perfectly with what Rex Ryan's crew wants out of a wideout: Ability to go get it and run. Doctson split votes in this category with the speedy and versatile Braxton Miller out of Ohio State. The New York Jets can cause matchup nightmares with Tavon Austin and Miller on the field at the same time (Miami still has nightmares about Austin's end around TD last season).
The young Jet defenders Myles Jack and Jalen Ramsey were both mentioned in the DROY category and it wouldn't surprise anyone if either player ended the season in the Pro Bowl. If you get bored, search the potential starting 11 for New York's defense next year...I'll wait...Scary right?
Posted by at

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

NFL Players Top 100 Players for 2016

Below we will track players from the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, & New York Jets who crack the current NFL Players Top 100 Player Rankings for 2016 list.

 #78 Chris Ivory (HB - Miami Dolphins): Last year as a New York Giant, Ivory led a ground-and-pound rushing attack that allowed Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. to flourish as defenses stacked the box. Ivory joins the Super Bowl 50 champs to form a formidable duo with Thomas Rawls, last year's NFL leader in rush yards. 

 #66 Earl Thomas (FS - Miami Dolphins): The soul of one of the NFL's most feared defenses, Thomas flew around the field all season for a Miami team that finished with a magical championship run. 

#63 Gerald McCoy (DT - Buffalo Bills): This perennial pro-bowler helped the Bills defense lead the NFL in rushing defense by a wide margin. Offenses were forced to go one-dimensional against the wall of McCoy and Geno Atkins. 

 #61 NaVorro Bowman (MLB - New York Jets): The tackling machine starred for one of the most feared front sevens in the NFL. Bowman's bone-crunching hits left ball carriers hoping to bounce every run to the outside. With the addition of Brandon Marshall, backs now have nowhere to hide. 

 #58 Kawann Short (DT - New York Jets): Short, at times, plays like one of the best defensive tackles in the league, but he'll admit that he's not even the best at his position on his team.  "That's Aaron for sure," Short says.  Although he's not yet putting himself in Donald's stratosphere, Short is a monster in the middle for a dominant New York defense.

 #57 Clay Matthews (OLB - Buffalo Bills): Matthews served as the Buffalo heart-and-soul a year ago.  When quarterback Aaron Rodgers went down, Matthews became the team's leader while keeping his squad in the playoff hunt despite a dramatic offensive drop off with Rodgers sidelined. 

 #37 Marshall Yanda (OG - New York Jets): Yanda is a road-grader on the inside for the powerful Jets offensive line. With an increased focus on the running game while incorporating a new short-passing game emphasis through a change in offensive coordinators in 2016, fans in New York can rely on Yanda to help these alterations lead to success on the field. 

 #32 Kam Chancellor (SS - New York Jets): Adding  young playmakers Myles Jack and Jalen Ramsey to a defensive backfield that includes Joe Haden and the hard-hitting Chancellor makes the 2016 New York Jets defense a terror on paper. Opposing offenses already had to account for Chancellor's playmaking ability in their game-planning. Now, with an influx of talent, Chancellor should see his game-changing moments increase along with adding playoff appearances to the New York record book. 

 #29 Geno Atkins (DT - Buffalo Bills): You often see opposing offensive coordinators updating their resumes the week they face the Buffalo Bills. With the #63 player on our list (Gerald McCoy) and Atkins regularly destroying game-plans by bullying centers and guards around the league, there is little reason to doubt that the 2016 Bills will continue to exist as one of the most feared front sevens in NFL history. 
"I almost broke my collarbone watching them on film," Bills quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. "I sure am glad they're on my team."

 #22 Todd Gurley (HB - Buffalo Bills): The only shock to seeing 2015 rookie-of-the-year (and 3-Guys League MVP) Todd Gurley on the list of the NFL's top players is that he did not crack the Top 10. After a season that saw him destroy the NFL's single-season RECEPTION record along with being one of the league's top rushers, Gurley now rates as the league's most dangerous threat. Gurley has turned into a bigger and stronger version of LaDainian Tomlinson in his prime - and he is only 21 years old. Scary.

 #14 Aaron Donald (DT - New York Jets): Donald has quietly become one of the league's best defensive players. The 2014 Defensive Rookie of the Year has been invaluable in stopping the run and rushing the passer for the defensive unit roaming the streets of MetLife Stadium. Donald is the 4th Jet to grace our Top 100 list on the defensive side of the ball teaming up with Navorro Bowman (MLB), Kawann Short (DT), and Kam Chancellor (SS). There have been many predictions pointing to a deep 2016 playoff run for the New York Jets and this author has no reason to doubt that with the collection of defensive talent assembled by this organization's front office. 

 #13 Khalil Mack (DE - Miami Dolphins): If voting for this list had occurred immediately after Super Bowl 50, Mack undoubtedly would have been number one on our list. With his Super Bowl record 5-sack performance, Mack single-handedly shut down the Packer attack led in the 37-20 Miami triumph. Super Bowl performance aside, Mack was easily the most consistent player on the league's 2nd ranked defense. 

 #7 Luke Kuechly (MLB - Buffalo Bills): The leader on the inside for Buffalo, Kuechly has quickly placed himself on a Hall of Fame trajectory. Last year, with 153 tackles including 22 for loss, Kuechly flew around the field within Rex Ryan's new scheme. With arguably the best signal caller in the game (Aaron Rodgers) on offense and the best defensive "quarterback" in Kuechly, there are no more excused for the 2016 Bills as they look towards making a trip to Super Bowl LI.

 #6 Aaron Rodgers (QB - Buffalo Bills): If we are being honest with ourselves, we can agree that any list with Aaron Rodgers outside of the Top 5 is ludicrous. However, after his collarbone injury sidelined him for the last quarter of the 2015 season, we can forgive players for forgetting how unstoppable A-Rod can be. Rodgers has proclaimed 2016 as "Super Bowl or Bust." Who are we to disagree with him?
Posted by at
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)