As we navigate the ever-changing landscape of the NFL, the Hall of Fame candidacy of 20 active players sparks heated discussions. We know Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes will one day make it to Canton, Ohio. Same for the Kelce brothers. But what about Josh Allen? Or Justin Tucker? We’re delving into the careers of these borderline players, examining their achievements, stats, and impact on the game. These individuals find…
3 Predictions for Every NFL Team in 2023
AFC East Buffalo Bills Projected Record: 12-5 (division winner) Josh Allen puts up his fourth consecutive season of 35 TD passes and five or more rushing scores; all other QBs in history have combined for five seasons. The Stefon Diggs noise gets louder and louder, even as he’s peppered with an absurd amount of targets. The Bills force feed him passes even late in games, quietly add some more guaranteed…
Power Ranking 50 Active NFL Players With Best Chance to Make Pro Football Hall of Fame
Anywhere from four to eight former NFL players get inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame every year. Considering there are 32 NFL teams with 53-man rosters (plus injured reserve, suspensions, practice squad, and roster turnover), that’s over 1,700 players who will set foot on a football field in 2023. The odds of any one of those making it to Canton, Ohio (home of the HOF) is extraordinarily low….
SwartzSports 50 Predictions for the 2022 NFL Season
You can’t get every prediction right. Last year, I predicted that Joe Burrow was on the David Carr track. While Burrow did absorb a shocking amount of sacks in 2021, he also took the Cincinnati Bengals to the Super Bowl. Carr never did that. I had Trey Lance and Trevor Lawrence finishing 1-2 in the Offensive Rookie of the Year voting. I also said Derek Carr would be benched (for…
2022 SwartzSports First Round Mock Draft (with trades)
1. Jacksonville Jaguars: Travon Walker, EDGE, Georgia GM Trent Baalke will be betting on pure upside with this pick, and Travon Walker offers both impressive athleticism and versatility to play multiple roles on the defensive line. Aidan Hutchinson may be the ‘safer’ pick, but Walker’s 35-plus inch arms and 4.51 40-yard dash make him a physical freak. At Georgia, Walker played everywhere on the line – from a zero-technique…
Ranking the 50 Best Players Not in the Baseball Hall of Fame
Embed from Getty Images The Hall of Fame isn’t what it used to be. What once was the highest honor for a baseball player no longer has the same meaning. The all-time hit king isn’t in the Hall. Neither is the all-time home run leader. Same with a three-time MVP middle infielder or a seven-time Cy Young award-winning pitcher. Recent 16-man committees like the Today’s Game Era Committee and the…
Assigning Grades to Key Members of the 2021 Philadelphia Eagles: Part I (Offense)
The season wasn’t supposed to end like this. The Philadelphia Eagles didn’t necessarily have to beat Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but an honest to goodness battle against the Super Bowl champions would have been an encouraging finish for Birds fans. Instead, the Eagles were shellacked in the wild card round, falling down 31-0 in the third quarter before two late touchdowns made the score seem closer…
Handing Out Major Awards for 2021 NFL Season
In some ways, this NFL season was as typical as any we’ll ever see. Kansas City and Green Bay won their respective divisions. Aaron Rodgers threw a lot of touchdowns, Gronk spent much of the season Gronking, Aaron Donald was amazing, and Baker Mayfield made a ton of commercials. In another way, it was a season unlike any in a long time. The 17-game schedule threw everyone for a…
SwartzSports 50 Predictions for the 2021 NFL Season
Nothing is normal about this NFL season. To start, the season in itself expanded from a picture perfect 16-game slate to 17 games. Combining with the addition of an extra playoff team from a year ago, the NFL goes from a perfect two conferences, four divisions, eight playoff teams, and 16-game schedules to 2/4/7/17. Not quite the same mathematical symmetry. The whole COVID thing looms large with the league threatening…
Power Ranking All 235 Major League Players in the Baseball Hall of Fame (Part V: #50-1)
Baseball is a unique sport when compared to the other major sports. No one would dare say Wilt Chamberlain or Johnny Unitas is the greatest player ever in their respective sport, but we’re pushing nearly an entire century since Babe Ruth last suited up, and he’s still the consensus best player of all-time. Ruth was part of the original 1936 Hall of Fame class that saw five members elected. There…
Power Ranking All 235 Major League Players in the Baseball Hall of Fame (Part IV: #100-51)
Baseball is a unique sport when compared to the other major sports. No one would dare say Wilt Chamberlain or Johnny Unitas is the greatest player ever in their respective sport, but we’re pushing nearly an entire century since Babe Ruth last suited up, and he’s still the consensus best player of all-time. Ruth was part of the original 1936 Hall of Fame class that saw five members elected. There…
Power Ranking All 235 Major League Players in the Baseball Hall of Fame (Part III: #150-101)
Baseball is a unique sport when compared to the other major sports. No one would dare say Wilt Chamberlain or Johnny Unitas is the greatest player ever in their respective sport, but we’re pushing nearly an entire century since Babe Ruth last suited up, and he’s still the consensus best player of all-time. Ruth was part of the original 1936 Hall of Fame class that saw five members elected. There…
Power Ranking All 235 Major League Players in the Baseball Hall of Fame (Part II: #200-151)
Baseball is a unique sport when compared to the other major sports. No one would dare say Wilt Chamberlain or Johnny Unitas is the greatest player ever in their respective sport, but we’re pushing nearly an entire century since Babe Ruth last suited up, and he’s still the consensus best player of all-time. Ruth was part of the original 1936 Hall of Fame class that saw five members elected. There…
Power Ranking All 235 Major League Players in the Baseball Hall of Fame (Part I: #235-201)
Baseball is a unique sport when compared to the other major sports. No one would dare say Wilt Chamberlain or Johnny Unitas is the greatest player ever in their respective sport, but we’re pushing nearly an entire century since Babe Ruth last suited up, and he’s still the consensus best player of all-time. Ruth was part of the original 1936 Hall of Fame class that saw five members elected. There…
2021 SwartzSports First Round Mock Draft (with trades)
Jacksonville Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson There’s no need to overthink this pick and the Jaguars won’t. Trevor Lawrence is as locked in of a first round pick as we’ve seen since Andrew Luck to the Indianapolis Colts in 2012. He’s even started donating to Jacksonville charities. 2. New York Jets: Zach Wilson, QB, BYU Trading Sam Darnold tells you the Jets are moving in a different direction, and drafting…
Does Philip Rivers Deserve to Make the Hall of Fame?
I’ve long since been a fan of Philip Rivers. For 15 seasons, he epitomized a lot of the qualities you’d like in a quarterback – size, pinpoint accuracy, trash talking skills, and unbelievable durability. His flaws were obvious as well; by the end of his career, he was removed from the game in obvious Jacoby Brissett running situations, he couldn’t throw deep very well, and he’s statuesque in the pocket….
The 10 Biggest Problems With the 2020 Philadelphia Eagles
Picking one singular problem from the 2020 Philadelphia Eagles is impossible to do, and in fact, limiting the list to just 10 still seems light. It was a disaster of a season in every way for the Eagles, as they finished 4-11-1 and in sole possession of last place in the worst division ever. Quarterback was a problem. Coaching was a problem. The general manager was a problem. There were…
If This is the End for Carson Wentz, What Will His Legacy Be in Philadelphia?
The inevitable finally happened in Sunday’s 30-16 loss to the Green Bay Packers: Carson Wentz was officially benched. And not just for a play of Jalen Hurts subbing in to run a predictable RPO keeper up the middle for two yards. This was a full-fledged, classic talk radio special benching with Hurts playing a full series and then staying in to complete the game. As many expected, Hurts injected life…
True or False: 10 Week 1 Overreactions for 2020 NFL Season
Week 1 is only Week 1, but if we look at last year, all the signs were there that Lamar Jackson would win MVP, Mitchell Trubisky would cost the Chicago Bears a playoff spot, and the LA Chargers would be just fine without Melvin Gordon. There were also aberrations (remember how well Marcus Mariota directed the Tennessee offense?). It’s fun to break down 10 storylines from Week 1…
5 Biggest Problems From the Philadelphia Eagles’ Week 1 Loss
Week 1 wasn’t supposed to go this way. After building a sizable 17-0 lead over Washington in the first half, the Philadelphia Eagles fell apart in every facet of the game. Carson Wentz was awful. The offensive line was worse. The alarming lack of young talent exposed Howie Roseman’s recent drafts. Doug Pederson called a horrendous game. And even more players got hurt from a roster that already…
SwartzSports 50 Bold Predictions for 2020 NFL Season
The NFL will finish the 2020 season. It seems ridiculous to have to put this in a preview article, but we’ve also never before seen a year like 2020 before. The coronavirus pandemic has affected every aspect of our lives and led to the craziest baseball and basketball seasons ever. The NFL remains determined to start on time, play all 16 regular season games, conduct a full postseason, and…
5 Make-or-Break Players for the 2020 Philadelphia Eagles
Carson Wentz is the most important player on the Philadelphia Eagles, and he’ll remain that for the duration of his career with the team. Such is the life of a quarterback, especially a great one, and even more so one on a $30 million-per-year contract. The difference between an MVP season from Wentz and a mediocre one could easily be worth four or more wins to the team. For that…
Ranking Greatest Relief Pitchers Ever, Part II (#11-50)
It’s easy to conclude Mariano Rivera is the greatest relief pitcher of all-time, and it’s equally difficult to see anyone surpassing his list of accomplishments. His 205 league-adjusted ERA+ is the best mark ever. He was a 13-time All-Star who played a major role in five World Series championships, even winning World Series MVP once. And he earned a perfect 100 percent of the vote from the BBWAA when he…
Ranking the 10 Greatest Relief Pitchers in Baseball History
Mariano Rivera’s claim as the greatest closer of all-time is one of the safest arguments in baseball. No one has a legitimate argument to surpass Rivera, who made 13 All-Star teams, holds the highest adjusted ERA (205) in baseball history, and was a key component in the New York Yankees’ dynasty. Even though others have won Cy Young awards (and even regular season MVPs), Rivera was as close as you’ll…
Power Ranking All 32 NFL Teams by Last Five Draft Classes
NFL teams spend two to three months straight after the season evaluating college prospects for the upcoming draft and still, half of the 32 players taken in the first round won’t live up to their potential. A team may spend seven selections on players and be fortunate to walk away with one solid starter and two capable depth pieces. I looked at every team’s last five draft classes (not including…
Power Ranking 50 Best NFL Players of the 2010s
It’s a pass-happy league, and no position dominated the NFL over the last decade more than the quarterback. As a result, a full 10 of my 50 best players to qualify for this list were quarterbacks. Your usual end-of-the-year awards weighed heavily in making this ranking – Pro Bowl selections, All-Pro nominations, and MVP awards. I also valued durability and consistency, as well as length of career throughout the…
Power Ranking 25 Best Philadelphia Eagles Players of the 2010s
The Philadelphia Eagles started the decade with Donovan McNabb as their quarterback and Andy Reid as their head coach; they ended it with McNabb’s onetime backup, Doug Pederson, as the only coach in franchise history to win a Super Bowl. In between, we’ve seen quite a lot. There was the Michael Vick resurgence, the Dream Team, a smoothie craze behind a coach that loved the hurry-up offense, Nick Foles, Carson…
Was the 2019 Season a Success or Failure for the Philadelphia Eagles?
The conclusion to one of the most roller coaster rides of a season to Eagles football that we’ve witnessed in recent memory came to a disappointing end at Lincoln Financial Field. We all know what happened. It was Seahawks defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, a subject of many trade rumors for the Eagles in preseason, who ruined an entire city’s chances at a Super Bowl title when he knocked Carson…
SwartzSports NFL Wild Card Weekend Predictions
Buffalo at Houston Why Buffalo Should Win This isn’t the same old Bills team. The last time we saw Buffalo in the playoffs was a 2017 team that snuck into January despite a -57 point differential and a horrendous run defense. This 2019 team? This is a club predicated on a stout running attack and standout defense, one that features stars at every position on that side of the…
SwartzSports’ 2019 NFL Recap & Playoff Predictions
What a typically wild NFL season this was. We may, or may not, have seen the end of Tom Brady in New England. We saw a historic quarterback season that nobody, and I mean nobody, saw coming. We had one of the greatest seasons ever by a running back and a historic season by a wide receiver. And now we’re down to the fun part of the season. 256…
Re-Drafting the 2018 NFL Draft 18 Months Later
Even the best experts who dedicate their lives to grading and evaluating collegiate players still make draft day mistakes. For every first round Hall of Famer, there are numerous busts. It’s much easier to look back 18 months later and re-evaluate the draft. And then it’s even more fun to do it again a few years later and see where the players stand. For this sake, every team keeps their…
The Eagles Continuing to Utilize Mack Hollins is Killing Their Passing Game
Subpar wide receivers isn’t a new thing in Philadelphia. The 2000-2003 Philadelphia Eagles went to the playoffs four straight years but there’s a limit to how far a team can possibly go with James Thrash/Todd Pinkston/Freddie Mitchell catching passes, and we saw that on full display against Tampa Bay and Carolina in the NFC Championship Games. Over the years, we’ve seen the Eagles trot out Dorial Green-Beckham, late career Riley…
SwartzSports 2010s MLB All-Decade Team
The best player of the 2010s is not just the one who accumulated the most WAR at his position for the calendar decade. While my articles tend to be sabermetrically-oriented, I looked at more than just wins above replacement, wins above average (WAA), or OPS+, which compares a hitter’s performance at the plate to that of an average hitter in an average stadium. Home runs are a big…
Why Howie Roseman Needs to Swing a Trade for Chris Harris
Howie Roseman is no stranger to making moves at the trade deadline. Two years ago, he traded for Miami running back Jay Ajayi, who went on to play a key role in the Philadelphia Eagles’ Super Bowl championship a few months later. And last year, he sent a third-round pick for slot receiver Golden Tate. The Eagles struggled to incorporate Tate into the offense, but he did catch the game-winning…
Grading Every Player of 2019 Philadelphia Phillies Roster (Pitching)
There’s no denying that the 2019 Philadelphia Phillies fell short of expectations. After the organization spent close to half a billion dollars in the offseason, it’s not unreasonable to think a postseason finish was assumed. Instead, a second straight late-season skid tumbled the Phillies down the standings, and they finished with their eighth straight non-winning season. I’ll look at all the starting players in this article, grading the primary starting…
Grading Every Player of 2019 Philadelphia Phillies Roster (Offense)
There’s no denying that the 2019 Philadelphia Phillies fell short of expectations. After the organization spent close to half a billion dollars in the offseason, it’s not unreasonable to think a postseason finish was assumed. Instead, a second straight late-season skid tumbled the Phillies down the standings, and they finished with their eighth straight non-winning season. I’ll look at all the position players in this article, grading the eight primary…
Assigning Quarter Season Grades to 2019 Philadelphia Eagles Players: Defense
The 2019 Philadelphia Eagles season has been nothing short of exciting. Despite just a 2-2 record, every game has been decided by one score. Three of them were decided in the final minute. The wins have come via a 17-point comeback and then a 10-point road comeback/goal line stop of future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers on primetime football; meanwhile, the losses have come via a pair of dropped touchdown…
Assigning Quarter Season Grades to 2019 Philadelphia Eagles Players: Offense
The 2019 Philadelphia Eagles season has been nothing short of exciting. Despite just a 2-2 record, every game has been decided by one score. Three of them were decided in the final minute. The wins have come via a 17-point comeback and then a 10-point road comeback/goal line stop of future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers on primetime football; meanwhile, the losses have come via a pair of dropped touchdown…
What Does DeSean Jackson Need to Do to Make the Pro Football Hall of Fame?
Last Sunday against the Washington Redskins, DeSean Jackson hauled in not one, but two long touchdown receptions from Carson Wentz. His 51-yard and 53-yard scores now give him an incredible 31 regular season scores of 50+ yards, more than even the great Randy Moss and trailing just Jerry Rice for first place in NFL history. If opening week was any sign to come for Jackson, there’s plenty left in the…
True or False for 10 Week 1 Overreactions
It’s easy to overreact to Week 1. Last year, Ryan Fitzpatrick led Tampa Bay to 48 points in the opener, then was benched a month later. And Dallas put up just a measly eight points against the Carolina Panthers, then won the NFC East. But you’ll often see some truths. When Kansas City put up 38 points and Patrick Mahomes threw for four touchdowns, we kind of suspected he was…
2019 SwartzSports Bold NFL Predictions Edition
This is the ninth year I’ve done my bold NFL predictions, but I decided to mix it up a little. Rather than doing 50 bold predictions in all, I’ve done three for each team. You’ll find my complete list of NFL award winners and playoff predictions at the end. AFC EAST New England Patriots Tom Brady will make his NFL-record setting 15th Pro Bowl this year, throwing for 4,286…
Projecting One Hall of Famer From Each NFL Team
Not every team has one player with even the slimmest of Hall of Fame chances (see: Miami), while others have multiple players with over a 50% chance. It’s an inexact science to project future Hall of Famers, especially for players that are still on their rookie contract. But that’s what makes it fun. Buffalo Bills: RB Frank Gore If one 30-plus year-old running back isn’t enough, the Buffalo Bills…
10 Free Agents the Philadelphia Phillies Should Pursue This Offseason
If last offseason proved anything, it’s that money isn’t an issue for Philadelphia Phillies owner John Middleton. Last offseason, the team paid $330 million for Bryce Harper and spent nearly half a billion dollars in all on Harper, Jean Segura, Andrew McCutchen, and David Robertson. Despite the hefty spending, the Phillies find themselves in third place in the NL East, one game behind the Washington Nationals and a full 5.5…
An 18-Game NFL Season: Breaking Down the Potential What-ifs
The National Football League has had a 16-game schedule since 1978, but reportedly, the team owners are pushing for an 18-game schedule as part of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that will start in 2021. Most remarkably, players would only be able to suit up for 16 of their team’s 18 games. If this isn’t the worst idea I’ve ever heard, it’s right up there. The potential issues arising…
100 Greatest Players in Philadelphia Eagles History
It’s the 100-year anniversary of the National Football League this coming September, and what better way to celebrate that than to rank the 100 greatest players in the history of the Philadelphia Eagles? It’s not necessarily a list of the most popular players in Eagles history. Having a great nickname helps. And scoring a touchdown in a memorable game helps. But I also weighed heavily the time the player spent…
A Realistic Contract Projection for Carson Wentz
It’s no secret the Philadelphia Eagles want to extend Carson Wentz this offseason. Howie Roseman made almost no effort to retain Nick Foles, despite the quarterback having won playoff games in consecutive years and the franchise’s only Lombardi trophy to date. Last year’s third-stringer Nate Sudfeld was brought back at a second-round tender, one that will pay him a shade over $3 million in 2019. And career journeyman Cody…
Ranking Each League’s 5 Most Likely MVP Candidates
Embed from Getty Images As we grow close to one-third of the way through the 2019 MLB season, we can know some things for certain. Cody Bellinger won’t possibly end the year over a .400 batting average. Mitch Garver won’t finish with a Ruthian-like slugging percentage. And Joey Gallo can’t conceivably keep up this strikeout pace… can he? But we can say with fairly high certainty which two players will…
Reactions to the 2019 Philadelphia Eagles’ Schedule Release
Only in the National Football League does the release of a team’s schedule send waves across the nation. The Philadelphia Eagles are now a full offseason removed from spending the summer as Super Bowl champions, but a quick look at the 16 games for 2019 shows you that the NFL expects the Eagles to remain amongst the top teams in the league. (Schedule below courtesy of Philadelphia Eagles’ website). There…
Power Ranking all of Baseball’s $100 Million Contracts
Twenty years ago, Kevin Brown made baseball history when he signed the sport’s first $100 million contract; technically, a seven-year, $105 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Now? There have been 85 such deals, the most recent being Ronald Acuna’s eight-year, $100 million extension. For a long time, Alex Rodriguez held the honor of baseball’s loftiest contract at $252 million, and then he one-upped himself with a $275 million…
Can Mike Trout Become the Greatest Baseball Player Ever?
For close to one hundred years, Babe Ruth has been the standard by which all baseball players are judged. His 714 home runs and .690 slugging percentage are the crowning achievement of his greatness, and he even had a stellar pitching career before transitioning to a full-time hitter. Since then, we’ve called Willie Mays the best all-around player, Ted Williams the best hitter, Barry Bonds the most dominant player over…
What are Realistic Expectations for Bryce Harper in 2019?
There aren’t your 2018 Philadelphia Phillies anymore. Or the 2017 club. Or the 2016 team. Gone are the days of Freddy Galvis posting a .275 on-base percentage over 650 plate appearances or Tommy Joseph as the team’s best cleanup hitter or an outfield rotation of Aaron Altherr and Nick Williams. Perhaps the most memorable offseason in franchise history saw owner John Middleton add a litany of All-Star talent – Andrew…
6 Running Backs Who Make the Most Sense for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2019
It’s no secret that GM Howie Roseman doesn’t value the running back position. Just over a year ago, the Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl with a three-headed running back formation of LeGarrette Blount (formerly undrafted, signed to a one-year deal), Jay Ajayi (midseason trade acquisition), and Corey Clement (undrafted rookie). This past year, the Eagles’ leading rusher was undrafted rookie Josh Adams, who didn’t even emerge as the brief…