Behind the Line

We hear about statement games often at the college football level...but it's not often we see statement games in the NFL. Sunday night...Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints put the NFL on notice by beating the hell out of Tom Brady and the Bucs.

In What's Real/What's Fake this week:

Should Ben Roethlisberger be the frontrunner for NFL MVP?

There's no path forward for Matt Stafford and the Detroit Lions.

Will Nick Foles lead the Chicago Bears to the playoffs?

ESPN used to be a ratings juggernaut. The network was so popular that it quickly became the most expensive channel for traditional television providers. However...over the last 5-6 years as ESPN became more political...the ratings began to decline.

Today...ESPN is struggling in the ratings...which forced the network to layoff hundreds of employees. Personalities like Stephen A Smith...Kirk Herbstreit...and Max Kellerman have gone full blown woke. We look at the recent history of politics on ESPN...and explain why this had a direct impact on the layoffs this week. 

We also criticize the media for defending ESPN...and lying about the reason for the layoffs. We look into excuses the media is making for ESPN...and disprove them.

Jimmy Garoppolo arrived in San Francisco this time three years ago looking for his first opportunity to lead a team to the Superbowl. Even though he accomplished that his first full season as a starter...he's been underappreciated in the Bay Area...and now it appears his time in San Francisco is coming to an end.

Injuries surely didn't help his case with Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers...but we believe there's another reason for his imminent departure. We explain that reason in detail...and speculate who could replace Jimmy G next season...and where he could end up in 2021.

ESPN was once a television ratings giant in this country. However...much like the NBA...when ESPN decided to go woke they began to experience a rapid decline in ratings. This past summer they hit a 41-year ratings low.

We look back to when the network first started showing signs of going woke with Jemele Hill. We trace it all the way to this past summer when they went full woke...with personalities like Stephen A Smith and Max Kellerman leading the way.

ESPN is expected to layoff between 300-700 employees. Will the sports network ever recover?

Bill Belichick's two decade run in New England is undoubtedly the greatest dynasty across all of professional sports. Six Superbowl wins...division titles nearly every year...we may never see a dynasty like the New England Patriots.

However...now that the dynasty is over...with the Patriots not looking to be in Superbowl contention anytime soon...could Bill Belichick end his coaching career outside of New England?

We take a look at this possibility...and give several reasons why this could happen.

This week in What's Real/What's Fake:

The Pittsburgh Steelers are the best team in the NFL:

We explain why even though the Steelers are undefeated...they still aren't the best team in the league.

Lamar Jackson needs to be better in big games:

We dive into his struggles against elite teams...and give the reason why he's struggling.

Baker Mayfield can't keep letting the Browns down:

Once again...Mayfield proved Sunday he's the king of inconsistency. The Browns are the worst 5-3 team in the league.

The Packers losses to Tampa and Minnesota are anomalies:

Aaron Rodgers gifted us with this ridiculous notion. The Packers are in trouble.

LeBron James has undoubtedly made many positive impacts on the NBA since he entered the league in 2003. However...as he's become increasingly political the past eight or so years...the positive impacts are beginning to be outweighed by the negative.

As LeBron started to use his platform to promote his political beliefs in 2012...the NBA's television ratings began to decline. The more political LeBron became...the more the ratings decreased...hitting an apex this season as the entire league followed LeBron down the path of woke politics...and ratings for the NBA playoffs and NBA Finals were at record lows.

We analyze the negative impacts LeBron is having on the NBA...and explain how this is going to effect his legacy. We also determine whether or not the NBA is going to rebound next season...or if they will continue to see steep declines in television ratings.

Without a doubt...JJ Watt is the most popular player in the history of the Houston Texans franchise...and one of the most popular players in the NFL. For the past decade...Watt has given everything he has to the city of Houston...both on and off the field.

However...with the disaster left by Bill O'Brien...and the Texans being years away from playoff contention...JJ Watt needs to put himself first and demand to be traded. 

We explain why the Texans aren't close to playoff contention...and how by the time this team is ready to contend...JJ Watt's career could be over. With a Superbowl ring the only thing missing from his Hall-of-Fame resume...JJ Watt should end his career outside of Houston with a title contender.

Bill Walsh once said it's better to let your quarterback go one year early...then wait and let them go one year late. Sean Payton and the New Orleans Saints find themselves in that predicament right now.

It's likely that 2020 is the final season in New Orleans for Drew Brees. We explain why we believe Payton and Brees came to an agreement after last season that 2020 would be their last year together. 

We also explain why Taysom Hill is being utilized differently this year...and how he will be the successor to Drew Brees in New Orleans.

The Cleveland Browns lost Odell Beckham for the season Sunday due to a torn ACL. Some may believe this is a debilitating loss for the Browns...but this could actually be a blessing in disguise for Baker Mayfield.

We've been seen saying since last season that Odell Beckham is hindering the development of Baker Mayfield. The Browns quarterback plays better with OBJ off the field...and losing him for the season could loosen Mayfield up to the point he leads Cleveland to the playoffs.

If that's the case...Odell Beckham's days in Cleveland will be numbered. We explain the roadblocks the Browns will face getting him out of Cleveland...but outline one possible scenario that could ensure OBJ isn't wearing a Browns uniform in 2021.