Matthew Schmidt Articles - Page 132

The New England Patriots aren’t used to having great running backs. Sure, there was Corey Dillon, but outside of him, the Patriots haven’t really had any elite halfbacks during the Tom Brady era. But that seems to be changing. Sony Michel had a terrific rookie campaign for New England this past season, rushing for 931 […]

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley had a spectacular rookie campaign this past season, hauling in 64 receptions for 821 yards and 10 touchdowns. As if Julio Jones wasn’t already enough to deal with, the Falcons now have Ridley as well, giving them one of the most lethal receiver duos in the NFL going into […]

The New Orleans Saints were in need of some help on the defensive side of the ball, so they drafted University of Florida safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson in the fourth round (105th pick overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft late last month. The Saints finished with the NFL’s best record this past season, winning 13 games […]

The Los Angeles Chargers won 12 games and were one of the best teams in the NFL this past season, and much of that had to do with their lethal passing game, which was led by quarterback Philip Rivers and wide receiver Keenan Allen. When you think of the best wide outs in the NFL, […]

The Tennessee Titans came within one game of making their second straight playoff appearance this past year, as they ended up losing a winner-take-all game to the Indianapolis Colts in the final week of the regular season. When you look at the Titans’ 2018 campaign as a whole, you can see that they did not […]

The Oakland Raiders picked up Clemson cornerback Trayvon Mullen in the second round (40th pick overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft late last month, making Mullen one of three Clemson players they took in the draft. Mullen was thrilled to be drafted by the Raiders and can envision himself in Oakland’s defense. “I was really […]

The Seattle Seahawks have emerged as the favorites to sign free-agent defensive lineman Ezekiel “Ziggy” Ansah, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Ansah visited with the Seahawks late last month, and with the Seahawks trading away fellow defensive lineman Frank Clark, they can certainly use another pass rusher. Rapoport adds that Ansah has also […]

This offseason is quite a bit different for Allen Robinson than it was a year ago, as the Chicago Bears wide receiver was still recovering from a torn ACL at the beginning of 2018. This time around, Robinson is healthy, and it makes things much easier: “For me a big difference (this year) is not […]

The Green Bay Packers are entering the 2019 campaign with a lot of hope, as they addressed a lot of their issues defensively (or at least they hope) and have made a coaching change that could (should) be a breath of fresh air in the locker room. While most of us are focused on what […]

The San Francisco 49ers may not have a whole lot of proven producers at the wide receiver position, but they certainly have a lot of talent. During the 2019 NFL Draft, the 49ers added yet another piece to their expanding receiving corps, selecting University of South Carolina wideout Deebo Samuel with the 36th overall pick. […]

The Seattle Seahawks have a whole lot of question marks in their receiving corps, so they prioritized the wide receiver position in the 2019 NFL Draft, selecting University of Mississippi wide receiver D.K. Metcalf with the 64th overall pick. There were some who actually felt Metcalf would go in the first round as a result […]

When the Toronto Raptors acquired big man Marc Gasol in a midseason trade with the Memphis Grizzlies back in February, they knew that he would possibly be a half-year rental, as Gasol can opt out of his contract this summer. But does Gasol have any idea what he will do when the time comes? It’s […]

The Dallas Cowboys reached an agreement on a long-term deal with defensive lineman DeMarcus Lawrence earlier this offseason, but that is far from the last contract they are going to have to hand out. The Cowboys especially have a lot of work to do on the offensive side of the ball, as quarterback Dak Prescott, […]

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been under harsh criticism not only for his leadership ability, but also for what some have considered a lackluster 2018 campaign. Still, it’s hard to consider a season where he threw for 4,442 yards, 25 touchdowns, and just two interceptions while completing 62.3 percent of his passes and […]

The Baltimore Ravens added a big piece to their ground attack this offseason, signing former New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram. Thanks largely to quarterback Lamar Jackson, who rushed for 695 yards himself, the Ravens boasted the second-best rushing offense in the NFL this past season, and Ingram should only add to that. We […]

For the first time in 23 years, the New England Patriots used a first-round pick on a wide receiver, taking Arizona State’s N’Keal Harry with the 32nd overall selection in the 2019 NFL Draft. Everyone knew that receiver was a major need of the Patriots going into the draft, so their decision to go with […]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive lineman Jason Pierre-Paul suffered what is potentially a season-ending neck injury during a car accident last week in Florida, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Schefter adds that Pierre-Paul will visit neck specialists this week to see if there is any hope of him playing in 2019. Pierre-Paul is coming off […]

Free-agent offensive lineman Richie Incognito visited with the Oakland Raiders on Monday, but he left without a deal, according to Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area. Bair notes that a deal could still happen, and when Incognito first met with the Raiders, it was reported that the two sides had “mutual interest.” It was […]

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has taken his fair share of lumps this offseason, with many fans, media members and former teammates criticizing his leadership ability. The Steelers did clear the locker room of a guy who was a rather big problem in wide receiver Antonio Brown, and with running back Le’Veon Bell signing with […]

Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman DeMarcus Lawrence got paid this offseason, landing a five-year, $105 million contract extension that will keep him in Dallas for the foreseeable future. While Lawrence certainly earned the deal with his spectacular play over the last couple of seasons, former Cowboys pass rusher DeMarcus Ware says that Lawrence needs to be […]

Houston Texans star defensive lineman J.J. Watt was finally able to return to the field in 2018 after missing nearly two full seasons due to back and leg injuries in 2016 and 2017, which makes you wonder just how much time he has left. He is just 30 years old, but football takes a toll […]

There is a whole lot of hype surrounding the Cleveland Browns heading into 2019, and for good reason (who ever thought we would be saying that?). The Browns’ offense is headlined by second-year quarterback Baker Mayfield, last year’s No. 1 pick who had a phenomenal rookie season. Not only that, but Cleveland had a monster […]

For the first time since 2015, Nick Foles will open the season as a starting quarterback. Sounds weird, right? Yes, Foles led the Philadelphia Eagles to their first ever Super Bowl title during the 2017 campaign. And yes, he led them to another playoff win this past season, but Foles doesn’t actually have a huge […]

Wide receiver Martavis Bryant has told Dan Graziano of ESPN that he plans to file for reinstatement in the coming weeks. Bryant was suspended by the NFL back on Dec. 14 for violating the terms of his conditional reinstatement after his previous ban. The wide out has been suspended three times over the last four […]

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be inducting former cornerback Ronde Barber into their Ring of Honor, according to Jenna Laine of ESPN.com. Barber, who played his collegiate football at the University of Virginia, was originally selected by the Buccaneers in the third round (66th pick overall) of the 1997 NFL Draft and went on to […]

The New York Giants selected Duke quarterback Daniel Jones with the sixth overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft, and most feel that a big reason why the Giants went with Jones was because of his relationship with the Manning family. With Eli Manning having just one year remaining on his contract, it’s obvious that […]

Things did not exactly go as planned in LeBron James’ first season with the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers were unable to land another star to put alongside James, injuries ravaged the roster, the team did not make the playoffs and, most shocking of all, Magic Johnson stepped down as team president. So, basically, the […]

One thing we know about the New England Patriots (you know, other than the fact that they have been the best franchise in the NFL for two decades) is that they run a lot of short and intermediate routes on offense. That’s why receivers like Wes Welker, Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola and Chris Hogan have […]

Former Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Michael Crabtree is still out on the open market after being released at the end of February, but Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports thinks he will find a home soon. And where does Benjamin feel that Crabtree will end up? Green Bay. It definitely makes sense, as the Packers’ receiving […]

Unless you have been living under a rock the past couple of weeks, you know that the New York Giants took Duke quarterback Daniel Jones with the sixth overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft, and you also know that they have been heavily criticized for it. Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins seemed like the natural […]

The Dallas Cowboys are coming off of a 2018 campaign in which they won 10 games and captured the NFC East division title, and going into next season, they are the consensus favorites to do so again. Rich Eisen of NFL Network does not feel any differently, as he explained on his radio show why […]

The Washington Redskins have one of the most interesting quarterback competitions in the league heading into next season. As a result of Alex Smith suffering a gruesome broken leg injury that will take him all of 2019 to recover from, the Redskins’ starting quarterback job is ripe for the taking, and there are three signal-callers […]

The Carolina Panthers have informed former quarterback Jake Delhomme that he will be entering the Panthers’ Hall of Honor, and Delhomme was overwhelmed when he heard the news: “It’s not often I’m lost for words, and I was taken aback,” Delhomme said on WFNZ Sports Radio. “Lost for words.” Delhomme spent seven years with Carolina, […]

The Los Angeles Clippers were one of the NBA’s biggest surprises this season, winning 48 games and fighting the Golden State Warriors tooth-and-nail in what ended up being a six-game first-round playoff series loss. But there is a very good chance that the Clippers’ roster will look very different a few months from now. It […]

The San Francisco 49ers and star defensive lineman DeForest Buckner are still not close on coming to an agreement on a long-term deal, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Rapoport notes that talks have occurred over the last few days, but no deal is in sight. The 49ers exercised Buckner’s fifth-year option last week. […]

Boston Celtics guard Kyrie Irving is a star. He is a phenomenal scorer. He has unbelievable handles. He can get his shot whenever he wants. But just where does he rank among the all-time great talents in the history of the NBA? Well, ESPN’s Max Kellerman thinks he is at the very top, stating that […]

Ernier Grunfeld had a long run as president of the Washington Wizards, taking over in 2003 and lasting all the way through 2019 before finally being fired. But just because he was there for an extended period of time does not mean he was all that good at his job. While many have criticized Grunfeld […]

The Washington Redskins have one of the most intriguing quarterback situations in football heading into 2019. With Alex Smith set to miss the 2019 campaign while he recovers from a gruesome broken leg injury, the Redskins have added some competition for Colt McCoy this offseason, trading for Case Keenum and drafting Dwayne Haskins. While you […]

The Golden State Warriors dropped Game 3 of their second-round Western Conference playoff series against the Houston Rockets this past Saturday, falling by a score of 126-121 in overtime. The Warriors still hold a 2-1 lead in the series, but perhaps if some Golden State players other than Kevin Durant, who dropped 46 points in […]