By KALLE SORBO
As they
Kareem Hunt Signs with the Cleveland Browns
I’m going to put a disclaimer out there that I am not going to be objective when talking about this topic. I think it does absolutely no good to try and be objective about something that should not even be a topic of debate.
Kareem Hunt signed a one-year deal with the Cleveland Browns last Tuesday. It is a one-year deal for the veteran minimum and comes with no guaranteed money. Kareem Hunt will also no-doubt face a suspension from the league for his actions last year.
Hunt was cut from the Kansas City Chiefs during a historic season for the franchise last year when a video surfaced of him kicking a woman in a hotel. He was near becoming immediately released by the team. Many speculated if he would ever have a job in the NFL again. The answer was yes, and it didn’t take long.
The move makes sense for a few reasons. The Browns lose nothing if it doesn’t work out. The have to deal with some bad public relations, and some mad fans, but if they start winning, as is the case in the NFL, nobody will care. John Dorsey was the general manager who drafted Kareem Hunt in Kansas City so there is a relationship between the two. John Dorsey said he was thorough in his investigation of the topic, even though he admitted he has not yet reached out to the victim of the incident.
What doesn’t make sense is the Browns didn’t need to sign him. There are plenty of teams that need a true RB1. The Browns aren’t one of them. They drafted Nick Chubb last year. Nick Chubb was almost a thousand yard back (966 yards to be exact), and he only started nine games. That is crazy high level production. They also still have Duke Johnson Jr. who is about as good of a pass catching back as you can find. I don’t understand how the running back rotation will work, but they signed him and here we are.
This is one of the moves that makes me question whether I can support the NFL. I love football, and I love watching the NFL more than anything. I’ll put it this way. If I were an owner I would do whatever it takes to win because that what you should do, and I’m competitive like that. But I would make sure I was doing it with a team full of men that had never laid a hand on a woman in a violent manner. The NFL still has a domestic abuse problem. Let’s see what type of suspension gets handed out.
Kyler Murray commits completely and fully to Football
Kyler Murray took to Instagram and Twitter last tuesday to state his position on his future with the NFL.
“I am firmly and fully committing my life and time to becoming an NFL quarterback,” Murray said. “I eagerly await the opportunity to continue to prove to NFL decision makers that I am the franchise QB in this draft.”
Kyler Murray is going to be an NFL Quarterback. This is big for the league, and a really bad look for the MLB. Kyler Murray is a rare enough athletic talent that he is about to be the first ever player selected in the first round of the draft in both the MLB and the NFL. That type of rare athletic talent does not come around that often. Kyler is special. There are some questions about his height. He comes in at maybe 5’10”. There is no precedent for a QB of his size succeeding in the NFL. But there has never been a player like Kyler Murray.
Four QBs have a first round grade going into this years draft: Murray, Dwayne Haskins, Drew Lock and Daniel Jones. Murray is by far the shortest but had the least amount of passes batted down at the line of scrimmage last season in college. Murray is lighting fast and has an elusive quickness that allows him to avoid big hits. Baker’s early success is only going to help Murray, and 60 percent or more of snaps are taken out of shotgun in the NFL.
Murray being 100 percent dedicated to football transforms this QB draft class. Having another 1st round guy go into the class helps teams like Denver or Miami who are picking at 10 and 13 respectively maybe be able to draft a guy without reaching on someone like Daniel Jones. Elway Reached on a QB a few years ago, and Paxton Lynch will go down as one of the biggest first round busts of this decade.
I don’t have any data to support this, but mark my words. Come draft day there will be chatter about Kyler Murray going No. 1 overall. If that sounds crazy, a year ago today, people were debating whether Baker Mayfield would be a first round pick…How did that turn out? If I had to bet, I would say Murray got a first round guarantee from a team. If he’s there when they pick, they are taking him. Regardless Murray is an electrifying athlete and the league is a better place with him in it.
The Broncos Trade for Joe Flacco
Broncos country should collectively step off the ledge. This was a good move. Elway is getting absolutely smashed by some of the national media, and I can see why. Just last week new Broncos head coach Vic Fangio was talking about not using Band-Aids. Joe Flacco is the biggest Band-Aid yet. Yet, I still think this is a good move.
If I didn’t name any names and told you a team improved their quarterback position at the cost of a fourth round pick would you say it was a good move? The answer is yes. I’m not going to argue that Flacco is elite, or even good. But he is certainly an upgrade of Case Keenum. People are pointing out that statistically the two players have been almost identical over the past three years. So they are rightfully questioning if it’s really an upgrade. The answer is still yes. If I told you you had to go win a game and your options were Joe Flacco and Case Keenum, and your life depended on winning that football game, you would pick Flacco every time.
The only way to know whether this is a good move is to see what happens next. If Elway thinks Flacco is his answer at QB, and that he’s done addressing the position this is a terrible move. But if it’s just part of the plan than we’ll see. I still believe the Broncos are drafting a guy in the first round this year, or moving back and collecting picks so that they can move up and draft a guy next year. If the Broncos are looking for a bridge QB, Flacco is a much better bridge than Case Keenum. He also fits Rich Scangarello’s system much better. Scangarello needs a strong armed QB that can stretch the field. Flacco has a canon. The jury is still out, but I think this is a good move for the Broncos. They are a better team today with Flacco at QB and Vic Fangio as head coach than they were last season with Case Keenum and Vance Joseph.
