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Articles by Ben Elsner
Have the Philadelphia Eagles Invested Too Much at WR?
On the first day of the 2022 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles spent a 1st and a 3rd round draft pick to acquire wide receiver A.J. Brown from the Tennessee Titans. In 2021, Brown had 63 receptions for 869 yards and five touchdowns. He was the fifth-ranked receiver on the Pro Football Focus board—and this was a down year for Brown who had a chest injury and spent time on injured reserve. Brown sits atop the Eagles’ wide receiver depth chart alongside Devonta Smith and Quez Watkins.
Former NFL Decision Makers on the Final Hours Before the NFL Draft
“The only thing accurate about the movie “Draft Day” is that you eat a lot of bad food for three days,” That was former Indianapolis Colts General Manager and President, Bill Polian‘s critique of the Kevin Costner movie that tracks a fictional General Manager of the Cleveland Browns as he works through the drama of making the first pick. Reality, it turns out, is far more interesting than Hollywood.
Executing a Draft Day Trade
Each year countless trades occur during the NFL Draft. Trades involving a player while a team is on the clock is a rarity, and there’s a fundamental reason for that. A trade isn’t official until the League receives exact matching calls from both clubs, so when players are involved that becomes even more complex. While I was with the Jets, we traded up to the No. 5 overall pick to draft Mark Sanchez in 2009.
6 Players We Would Pound the Table For on Draft Night
In The 33rd Team war room, as we scouted the 320+ prospects in this class, we landed on a few players that we feel have immense potential who should provide good value. Often this can be a high ceiling player, or those with a very high floor. If we were in the war room, these are the players we would be pounding the table for during the 2022 NFL Draft. North Dakota State WR Christian Watson 6040 208 lbs 38.5 VJ 4.36s 40-yard dash Christian Watson tests as a WR you build in a laboratory.
Travon Walker…1st Overall Pick? Why? Former NFL Executive Dissects
More so than the 40-yard dash, the 10-yard time is extremely predictive of future pass rush production. It is not perfect — there are exceptions in both directions (with guys that worked out but didn’t have great 10 times and guys that had great 10 times yet didn’t work out). There are no absolutes, but if you want to play the odds, the 10 time is a very good predictor of the ability to pressure and sack the quarterback.
Lions Should Take Ahmad Gardner No. 2 in the 2022 NFL Draft
The Detroit Lions sit with the No. 2 pick in the NFL Draft with major holes across their roster. With the perception that Jacksonville takes an EDGE No. 1 overall, the Lions will be left with some top players at a multitude of positions, including Cincinnati cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner.
Philadelphia Eagles Are NFL's Best In The Big Play Index
The 33rd Team introduced the Big Play Index last season to show how NFL teams stack up in terms of big plays produced and big plays allowed. The Big Play Index has a new and improved outlook with the help of Marc Trestman. When Trestman coached in the NFL, his definition of a “Big Play” was a run of 10-plus yards and/or a pass of 16-plus yards. Ultimately, BPI correlates the ability to create explosive plays, while also limiting the opponent, and the success of the team (based on wins).
Kotwica's Week 16 Special Teams Report: Berrios Proves He Is a Pro Bowl Snub
Having worked in the NFL for 15 years in the special teams realm, each week we will discuss the most impactful moments from in the kicking, punting or return game. Often special teams can be overlooked, but the critical nature of a reliable and effective special teams unit cannot be overstated. This week, we will take a closer look into game-changing returns for TDs, an epic fake punt and the clutch kick of the week.
Eagles and Dolphins Rising
1) Packers (12-3) Previous: 1 Last week: W24-22CLE This week: v. 7-8 Vikings. Good news: Aaron Rodgers continues to play at a not-of-this-world level. Sixteen TD passes and zero interceptions in the last five games. A plus-29 TDs-to-INTs differential for the season. Bad news: Packers defense has given up 28.8 points per game over the last five games.
Davis Mills is The Man Behind The Houston Texans' Recent Success
It’s been an up-and-down rookie season for Davis Mills, but over the past few weeks he’s been able to establish a rhythm and get Houston rolling on offense. Mills has excelled against cover 3, where he frequently exploited the Seahawks while getting three first downs and averaging a 13.4 average depth of target. In their win against the Jaguars he completed seven passes, threw one touchdown, and had one first down against cover 3.
The Resurrection Of Chiefs Kingdom: What’s Changed in Kansas City
Let’s take you back to Week 7 in the NFL when the Chiefs had just lost an embarrassing game to the Tennessee Titans in which they scored 3 points, the lowest scoring output in the Patrick Mahomes era. In this game, Patrick Mahomes faced a scary head injury late in the 4th quarter. Since Week 7 on, the Chiefs have won 6 games in a row all while outscoring their opponents 163 to 65, including holding their last 3 opponents (Cowboys, Broncos and Raiders) to under 9 points each.
Kotwica’s Week 13 Special Teams Report: Seahawks ST Unit Soars
Having worked in the NFL for 15 years in the special teams realm, each week we will discuss the most impactful moments from in the kicking, punting or return game. Often special teams can be overlooked, but the critical nature of a reliable and effective special teams unit cannot be overstated. This week, we will take a closer look into game altering moments, extra point mishaps, and a tip our cap to the top performers.
Ben Kotwica's Mid-Season Special Teams Rankings
With the NFL entering the second half of the 2021 season, we wanted to take a deep dive into the Special Teams play and provide an objective analysis on those units that are helping their teams win games and those whose lack of production is hindering their team’s ability to reach their goals.
Kotwica's Week 9 Special Teams Report: Late Round Rookie Dazzles on Special Teams
Having worked in the NFL for 15 years in the special teams realm as an assistant and as a Coordinator, each week we will discuss the most impactful moments from the kicking game. While special teams can be overlooked at times, the critical nature of a reliable and effective special teams unit cannot be overstated. This week, we will take a closer look at the week’s impactful plays and tip our cap to the top performers.
The Evolution of Running Quarterbacks
When Dick Vermeil took the Philadelphia Eagles to the Super Bowl in 1980, his quarterback was Ron Jaworski. Jaworski was a classic drop-back passer. Speed wasn’t his forte. His nickname was the Polish Rifle not the Polish Roadrunner. He averaged 1.4 rush attempts per game and 3.3 yards per carry during his 15-year NFL career. Nearly two decades later, when Vermeil won the Super Bowl with the St. Louis Rams, it was with another seven-step-drop, stay-in-the-pocket quarterback, Kurt Warner.
33rd Team DFS and Betting Roundup: Week 6
I’m a total degenerate. I used to love sports, now I just love making money from sports. If you’re like me, The 33rd Team has you covered. Our staff of football experts including current and former executives and coaches offers insight you won’t find anywhere else. While I’m no expert, I do know how to connect the dots between those insights and turning a profit.
The Oldest and Youngest Defensive Position Groups in the NFL
X Ben Elsner . 9 hours ago . 1 min read Last week, we presented the oldest and youngest offensive position groups in the NFL. Based on the 2021 rosters, here are the top 5 oldest teams and top 5 youngest teams by defensive position group in the NFL, as well as the league average at each position group.
The Oldest and Youngest Offensive Position Groups in the NFL
X Ben Elsner . Jul 5 . 3 min read Based on the 2021 NFL rosters, here are the top 5 oldest teams and youngest teams by position group in the NFL.
Can Southern New Hampshire University Make it Back to the D2 College World Series?
by Ben Elsner When people think of college baseball and their prospects, people’s minds go to the Division I (DI) big schools like, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, TCU and Arizona State but within Division II (DII) college baseball you can find some unique prospects. Current World Series Champion and All-Star J.D Martinez is a former DII prospect when he played his college ball at Nova Southern University.
Could Feltman solve Red Sox potential free agency problem?
by Ben Elsner With the 100th pick in 2018 MLB Draft, the Boston Red Sox drafted Durbin Feltman, relief pitcher out of Texas Christian University (TCU). Feltman, who is from Oak Ridge Texas, played his high school ball primarily as a catcher. He did not begin to pitch until he went into his senior year of high school. With no team wanting him out of high school, Feltman enrolled in the prestigious baseball school, TCU.
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