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There are opinions that everyone loves, opinions that everyone hates and then there are those that leave you puzzled. Well, with these unpopular opinions, we will let you be the judge.
“Matt Ryan is a first ballot Hall of Famer.” – Danny Thompson
How many quarterbacks can say that they have thrown for over 50,000 yards with over 300 touchdown passes, in the top six in completion percentage, have a quarterback rating over 94.0 and have an MVP trophy in their career? The answer is four in the entire history of the NFL.
Three of them are Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers (which all will be future first ballot hall of famers). The fourth one is a player that doesn’t get the respect that he should be given. That player is Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan.
Ryan is known more for being the quarterback that was on the team that was on the wrong side of the largest comeback in Super Bowl history. Ryan isn’t given credit for statistics such as having 11 out of 12 seasons completing 60% or more of his passes. Only four quarterbacks in the history of the game that have played as many seasons as Ryan, have completed 60% or more in over 90% of the seasons they have thrown passes in.
People say he’s not a winner but Ryan is 14th all time in victories as a starter. He’s eighth all time in game winning drives and fourth quarter comebacks. Every other quarterback in front of him is either still playing or has their bust in Canton right now.
Regardless if Ryan throws another pass in the National Football League, his numbers all across the board speak not only how great he is but how constant he has been throughout his entire career. Consistency leads to a spot in Canton and Ryan’s consistency should have him with his plaque in the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
“The NFL should replace the onside kick.” – Damian Adams
The onside kick has provided some great moments throughout the years like the New Orleans Saints starting the second half of the SuperBowl against the Indianapolis Colts with a surprise onside kick. Or the Green Bay Packers having perhaps the biggest blunder in playoff history when a backup tight end jumped in front of Jordy Nelson and missed the ball on a Seattle Seahawks onside kick.
Moments like this are why fans are attached to the tradition of the onside kick but those moments will no longer happen with the new rules that were implemented in the 2018 for player safety. The onside kick was changed dramatically and the results were affected in a major way. Since 2018, only 10.5 percent of onside kicks were recovered by the kicking team.
So why continue this when safety is still a concern and the magic of the play is gone? There’s no reason when the alternative could be so much more exciting. Have the offense come back out on the field for a 4th and 15 play. The offense converts and they get to stay on the field.
Imagine the Ravens are up by two touchdowns over the Chiefs with four minutes left. The Chiefs don’t want to give Baltimore the ball back. So now the 450 million dollar man, Patrick Mahomes, and that offense has a shot on 4th and 15 to keep the ball. As a fan you are glued to your seat, you truly have no idea what is about to happen.
If they have to do the traditional onside kick, your interest isn’t as high, you pretty much know what is going to happen. Let’s let go of this tradition and implement a new one that will add new classic memories and give teams a better chance to comeback. I thank the onside kick for its service but 4th and 15 should be the future.
“Barring injury, Trae Young will be the best point guard in the NBA next year and throughout.” – Raphael Haynes
In today’s NBA, the league is filled with talent at the point guard position. Whether new school or the veterans, the league is in a good place. When it comes to the best point guard of the future, Trae Young will be No. 1 for years to come.
With Young averaging nearly 30.0 points per game (29.6 to be exact) in only his second season, what do you think he will do in year five or six. Many people say well he’s getting meaningless points because his team isn’t that good. I don’t care how bad they are, if he’s averaging 30.0 points per game that means the opposition is not doing a good job of double-teaming or he’s just that good.
So does that mean that Steph Curry scoring 30 a game with all of that talent should be viewed as easy points? Which is harder, being double-teamed or never having to worry about being doubled?
The first year All-Star hasn’t even grown into his body yet and he is still scoring at a high level. Of course, he has the range from behind the arch which should get better but the fact that he shoots over 50% inside the arch is more impressive to be as small as he is. What he understands that most young players don’t is attacking to get to the free throw line. He averages over nine attempts a game.
The most underrated and his best attribute is his passing skills. He’s averaged 9.3 assist and played with a young, inexperienced low percentage shooting team. Just imagine if he had the weapons that Luka Doncic, Damian Lillard, James Harden or Ricky Rubio had and he averages more assist than all of them.
What he has that most of them don’t have is his competitive nature. “Ice Trae” wants to go against the best and he usually performs at his best against the top players in the league. And let’s not forget how clutch he’s been in his first two years. For a guy that only played one year in the college and doesn’t have the talent around him like most, he should blossom once he gets better players around him.
“New Yankee stadium isn’t that great” – Eric Urbanowicz
It always seems that Yankee Stadium is constantly ranked in the top 10 all over the internet for best stadiums in baseball; why?It’s nothing special, at times it doesn’t even feel like you’re at a baseball game.
Opening day in 2009, the New York Yankees tried to replace the original Yankee Stadium with a bigger and modernized version of it.It came at a costs, $1.5 billion to build and the stripping of everything that made the original so unique.
Instead of the old Yankee ballpark atmosphere, you now get more of a shopping mall feel that just happens to feature the most successful team in baseball history playing there.
Remember the home field advantage that the Yankees had in big games and rivalries? That’s gone too, as made apparent by comments from New York legends like Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter.
Yet, fans will eat it up and talk about how great it is because of the team that plays there. It holds nothing that old Yankee Stadium had and it certainly doesn’t carry over the prestige. It’s not a classic like Fenway Park or Wrigley Field and it’s not a modern marvel like Target Field and SunTrust Park. It’s just a freaking mess.
“LeBron James is a superstar with no signature move.” – Mike Patton
LeBron James has been among the best players in the NBA for a while now. He dominates the game with multiple attributes he uses on the floor. However, with how dominant he can be, he also has no particular move that anyone can deem his signature move.
Now I know one move that we’ve seen from James time and time again… the step back three pointer. Is that really a move he took to the next level or did he start using it after he saw James Harden do it? Is he as consistent using it as Harden? The jury is still out on that one.
Other than the step back three, you see James using his superior combination of size, strength and speed to his advantage as he gets to the cup or sets others up for high-percentage shots. To his credit, he has dominated the league by using his skills and unique abilities to his advantage to terrorized the NBA.
James is one of the greatest players of all-time and no one can deny that. Those that want to deny that he has a go-to move that he can depend on are living in denial. By no means am I taking away from his greatness with this, but in the famous words of Mr. Controversy, “You gotta tell the truth and shame the devil.” And the doors of the church are now open.