Welcome to the Tuesday edition of the Pick Six newsletter!
I have no idea how it happened, but it is somehow already August. I'm not going to lie, I thought it was still June. Apparently, I have no sense of time during the offseason. I also have no sense of time because I woke up at 3 a.m. to watch the USWNT play in the World Cup, but you don't care about that, because this isn't a soccer newsletter. It's a football newsletter, so let's get to the football.
As always, here's your daily reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. To get them signed up, all you have to do is click here. Let's get to the rundown.
1. Today's show: Breaking down the Jaguars offseason and predicting how they'll do in 2023
It's time for another episode of our "All 32" series, and for today, we have an extra special show and that's because Pete Prisco decided to make an appearance on the podcast.
The only way we were able to convince to Pete to come on is that we promised him we would talk about the Jacksonville Jaguars. Pete is always excited to talk about the Jaguars, which is kind of weird, because before last year, no one was ever really excited to talk about Jaguars. However, that's not the case this year and that's because they have one of the most exciting teams in the NFL.
Here are two topics that we covered today with Prisco:
- How good can Calvin Ridley be for the Jaguars? Ridley didn't play a single snap last season due to a gambling suspension, and although he's certainly talented, no one really knows what he's going to look like after a year off. Prisco thinks that Ridley is going to be a game-changer for the Jags. "He is going to add a dynamic dimension to the offense," Prisco said. "That's a No. 1 wide receiver. He's 28. He's in the prime of his career. And what he does, he will open up Christian Kirk. Kirk in the middle of the field, and then you get the one-on-ones on the outside with Zay Jones, who can fly, and Evan Engram will get more one-on-ones. ... I think Ridley is going to have a monster year and he's going to open up everything else for everyone else." After listening to Prisco, I might have to take Ridley with the first overall pick in my fantasy draft.
- Will the Jaguars repeat as AFC South champions? After winning the AFC South last season, the Jags are now looking to win a division title in back-to-back seasons for the first time in more than 20 years (The last time it happened, the AFC South didn't even exist. The Jags on the AFC Central in 1997 and 1998). Not only does Prisco think they can win the division, but he likes the idea of betting on them to win the MOST GAMES of any team in the NFL this year at 14-to-1 odds. "I think that's a good bet," Prisco said. "I think Jacksonville's schedule makes them a good bet to win the most games in the entire NFL."
Prisco spent more than 20 minutes talking about the Jaguars, and if you want to hear everything he had to say, you can listen to today's show here. You can also watch today's show on YouTube by clicking here.
2. Super Bowl LVIII is getting an alternate broadcast on Nickelodeon
The Super Bowl is about to get slimed. For the first time in NFL history, the Super Bowl is going to have an alternate broadcast. This main Super Bowl broadcast this year will be airing on CBS, but there will also be an alternate broadcast on Nickelodeon.
Here are a few details:
- Why this is happening now. This was the next logical step for both the NFL and Paramount (which owns both CBS and Nickelodeon). Nick has already aired two playoff games and one regular-season game since 2020. All three games were a big hit, so it made sense to let Nickelodeon also air the biggest football game of the year. "We're thrilled to partner with CBS Sports and Nickelodeon to present the first alternate telecast of the Super Bowl," the NFL's executive VP for media distribution, Hans Schroeder, said in a statement. "Our previous telecasts on Nickelodeon have been huge hits and created a new and different way to experience an NFL game."
- The alternate feed targets new, young fans. One reason the NFL agreed to do any alternate broadcasts with Nickelodeon is because it goes after a completely different audience. With the slime-filled Nick broadcast, the target audience is kids and families. This has been a popular broadcast with kids and I can testify to that. My daughter is 3 and she has the attention span of a cat, but she was very fascinated by the Nickelodeon broadcast last Christmas when the Broncos played the Rams (The highlight of that game came when Patrick Star did play-by-play of a Russell Wilson interception, which you can see here. You definitely do NOT get that on the normal broadcast).
- Nickelodeon will actually be airing two games this year. Besides the Super Bowl, there will also be a Nickelodeon broadcast on Christmas, which is known as "Nickmas" around these parts. The Christmas day game will be held in Kansas City with the Raiders taking on the Chiefs.
Super Bowl LVIII will be kicking off from Las Vegas on Feb. 11. For more details on the Super Bowl Sunday slimefest that will be taking place on Nickelodeon, you can see our full story here.
The previous Nickelodeon telecasts have combined to win TWO sports Emmys, so trust me when I say that the Nick feed is definitely entertaining.
3. Predicting the winner of every training camp QB battle
When it comes to training camp, there is nothing more entertaining than a good QB battle, and to be honest, bad QB battles are also entertaining. Although there aren't very many QB competitions going on around the NFL this year, we do have a few, so Jordan Dajani decided to make some predictions on who's going to win those battles.
- Tampa Bay: Baker Mayfield vs. Kyle Trask. "It's true that Mayfield has struggled since parting ways with the Browns, but he's likely the better -- and definitely more experienced -- quarterback in Tampa. Trask has played in one NFL game, Mayfield has played 72. Trask has attempted nine career passes, Mayfield has attempted 2,259. I say Baker starts Week 1, barring injury or something unforeseen."
- Indianapolis: Gardner Minshew vs. Anthony Richardson. "Whether this should be a quarterback battle or not is an interesting discussion, but in reality, I don't think the Colts believe their starting quarterback job is up for grabs. It's going to be Richardson."
- San Francisco: Brock Purdy vs. Trey Lance vs. Sam Darnold. "Purdy should be viewed as the favorite to win this job after his NFC Championship run last year, but he of course is coming back from an elbow injury that he suffered in said NFC title game." (Personally, I think the more intriguing battle with the 49ers might be at backup QB. If Lance can't earn the No. 2 spot, then it's hard to see him lasting much longer in San Francisco, which means the 49ers will have wasted the two first-round picks that it took to trade up to get him.
Jordan also took a look at the QB situation in Washington and if you want to read his take on all four of these QB competitions, then be sure to click here.
4. NFL Under 25 Team: Best defensive players under the age of 25
After unveiling our list yesterday of the best offensive players under the age of 25, it's time to head to the other side of the ball today. Yup, that means we're going to be taking a look at the best defensive players under the age of 25.
Jordan Dajani had the honor of putting together our All Under 25 Team on the defensive side of the ball, and here's what he came up with at several key positions:
EDGE: Micah Parson, Cowboys
EDGE: Aidan Hutchinson, Lions
LB: Jordan Davis, Eagles
LB: Patrick Queen, Ravens
CB: Sauce Gardner, Jets
CB: Patrick Surtain II, Broncos
Just in case there wasn't enough hype in Detroit already, the Lions were the only team in the NFL to get two players on our first team. Besides Hutchinson, the Lions also landed defensive lineman Alim McNeil on our team.
If you want to see the full All Under 25 Team on the defensive side of the ball, then be sure to click here.
5. Best bets for OPOY and DPOY
After giving us his favorite MVP bets last week, Will Brinson is back with more best bets. This time around, Brinson is handing out his best bets for both Offensive Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.
Brinson has a best bet and a long shot bet for each award, so let's check those out now:
- Best bet for OPOY: Christian McCaffrey (11-1). "The 49ers running back was on pace for nearly a 2,000-yard scrimmage season with 13 touchdowns last season. He had 63 targets in 10 games with San Francisco last year. If CMC plays 15 games and the Niners QB situation is remotely competent, he's winning this award."
- Best long shot bet for OPOY: Calvin Ridley (60-1). "This guy went for 1,374 yards in his final full season with the Falcons. I don't blame Atlanta for moving on given the gambling stigma, but if the Jaguars are a high-octane offense Ridley will be a massive factor. ... Also, there's a redemption factor for Ridley and him becoming a 135+ target guy for Lawrence in Doug Pederson's offense wouldn't be a surprise. A usage uptick from his final Falcons season plus a jump for playing with Trevor Lawrence puts this firmly in play."
- Best bet for DPOY: Haason Reddick (22-1). "His pressure numbers are fantastic and if the defensive shift works out how it could, Reddick might be in line for a monster season. The Eagles will be very good, near the top of the NFC, and he'll benefit from that PR bump. I have no problem with Nick Bosa here either, he's just 11-1 and I'll take Reddick at double the odds."
- Best long shot bet for DPOY: Bradley Chubb (50-1). "This is where everyone should live on this award right now, because there are legitimate pass rushers on good teams available. I like Chubb because he could go off for the Dolphins in a Vic Fangio defense."
For a full look at all of Brinson's best bets, be sure to click here.
6. Extra points: Cowboys running back gets suspended
It's been a busy 24 hours in the NFL, and since it's nearly impossible to keep track of everything that happened, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you.
- Ronald Jones hit with two-game suspension. The Cowboys running back has been suspended for the first two games of the season for violating the NFL's PED policy. This means that Jones will miss games against the Giants and Jets.
- Broncos' Tim Patrick out for season. The Broncos receiver will miss the entire 2023 season after tearing his Achilles in practice on Monday. Patrick tallied 734 receiving yards last year, which was second on the team, so he won't be easy to replace.
- Broncos cut KJ Hamler. Denver was hit with a double dose of bad news on Monday. The team also waived Hamler, who was diagnosed with pericarditis, which is a minor heart irritation. The good news here is that the team is expected to re-sign him at some point in the near future.
- Alvin Kamara to meet with Roger Goodell. The Saints running put his legal situation behind him last month when he pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge that stemmed from a 2022 incident in Las Vegas, however, he could still face an NFL suspension. According to ESPN.com, Kamara is expected to meet with Goodell this week, and at that point, we should have a better idea if he's going to face any punishment from the league this year.
- Colts dealing with more issues at running back. The Colts depth chart at running back took a major hit on Monday after Zack Moss broke his arm. Moss is expected to miss at least six weeks. With Moss out and Jonathan Taylor unhappy, the Colts added another running back today by signing Toriano Clinton.
- Joe Burrow update. The Bengals QB was spotted at the team facility walking around with no limp on Monday, which is definitely good news for Cincinnati. In other Bengals news, Jake Browning got all the first-team reps at quarterback on Monday over Trevor Siemian, which was a mild surprise. Siemian has more NFL experience, but Browning knows Zac Taylor's offense better, so it will be interesting to see if they switch every day or if Browning will just get the majority of the reps while Burrow is out.
