AFC East Bills vs Dolphins rivalry (Take Two?)

Lisa Johnson
AFC South
AFC East Reporter

By Lisa Johnson // @LJ1303

 

As we move forward toward the new 2021 NFL season, two AFC East teams look to renew a decades-old rivalry.

Some of you might be too young to remember those glory days of the late ’80s/early ’90s of the  Miami Dolphins vs the Buffalo Bills.  With two of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game. Jim Kelly and Dan Marino. Historic match-ups to last-minute shoot-outs.

After two decades of getting dominated by QB Tom Brady (who has moved on to the Tamp Bay Buccaneers) and the New England Patriots. The Buffalo Bills took control of the AFC East last season behind quarterback Josh Allen and head coach Sean McDermott and came up one game shy of landing them in the Super Bowl.

The Bills are looking to make it back to the AFC Championship game next season.  To help them get there, they signed free agent wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders to add some depth. Sanders should complement all-pro receiver, Stefon Diggs. Diggs, as you will remember, joined the team last season and helped the Bills get to the AFC Championship game.  On the defensive side of the ball, the Bills drafted pass rusher Gregory Rousseau out of the University of Miami. Rousseau is athletic, explosive, and can really cause problems for opposing offensive linemen.  Which the Bills will look to do with high-powered offenses like the defending AFC Champions Kansas City Chiefs.

Continue reading “AFC East Bills vs Dolphins rivalry (Take Two?)” →

The NFC West got more competitive in the 2021 NFL Draft

Dayna O’Gorman
Senior NFL Reporter
NFC West/AFC West

By Dayna O’Gorman // @DaynaOG

I’ve said it before. I’ll say it again. And again, and again. The NFC West is the toughest division in football. This isn’t to disparage other divisions, as there are many fantastic divisions. However, over the last 7-10 years when you look at the records, how many times the winner of the NFC West has changed, how many times the division has represented the NFC in the Super Bowl… it’s hard to argue against my point.

In my article yesterday, I mentioned how the “rich got richer” when talking about the Kansas City Chiefs of the AFC West. For the NFC West, the entire division got even more competitive… which is saying a lot. Let’s take a look at how each team drafted in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Continue reading “The NFC West got more competitive in the 2021 NFL Draft” →

In the 2021 NFL Draft, the AFC West selects…

Dayna O’Gorman
Senior NFL Reporter
NFC West/AFC West

By Dayna O’Gorman // @DaynaOG

There is seriously tough competition in the AFC West. It is home to the AFC Champion from the last two seasons.

In a division that has one of, if not the, strongest teams in the league, how did the other 3 franchises look to add to their rosters in order to compete with the Patrick Mahomes/Andy Reid machine in Kansas City? Pretty well according to many in the business.

Let’s take a look at each team in the division and their draft picks.

Las Vegas Raiders

With the Raiders splitting the season at 8-8 last season, they knew they didn’t need a complete overhaul in order to get better. However, the grades given to this year’s Raiders draft were mostly B’s and C’s, with one D coming in from Vinny Iver from Sporting News.

Continue reading “In the 2021 NFL Draft, the AFC West selects…” →

Who got drafted

Sonja Greenfield, Senior NFL Reporter NFC North, NFC East

By Sonja Greenfield //@Mom23RN

Hi Friends!!

This isn’t going to be too in-depth. Just a rundown of who got picked.  Feel free to refer back to it as often as needed!  On another note, it was great to see fans back in an arena.  Hoping more of this is coming!

 

Thank you to the team at ProFootballRumors.com for their very organized list of who got drafted when!

Check it out here!

2021 NFL Draft Results by Team

 

I will have something next week to review the draft for my divisions, the NFC East and the NFC North.

 

Follow Sonja on Twitter @Mom23RN

#SmartWomen #SmartFootball

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Pre draft quarterback preview

Lisa Johnson
AFC South
AFC East Reporter

By Lisa Johnson //@LJ1303

It’s that time of year again. The 2021 NFL Draft is just weeks away. Pro-Days are wrapping up, draft boards are being built, and of course, rumors are flying.

Final preparations are well underway, especially for the top 5 teams. All of which (with the exception of the Cincinnati Bengals) could be in the market for a franchise quarterback.

Here are my top 5 quarterbacks going into the NFL.

Continue reading “Pre draft quarterback preview” →

OTFB Fan Forum: Free Agency 2021

Dayna O’Gorman
Senior NFL Reporter
NFC West/AFC West

By Dayna O’Gorman // @DaynaOG

Every few weeks during the regular season, and every month or so during the offseason, I chat with a group of fans from all around the NFL to ask them a question. This month’s edition focused on free agency as that is the hot topic of the month.

Fans often have a very different perspective regarding moves their team makes than the general media does. Fans look at their team with emotion and heart. The media, or more cynical fans, tend to focus more on statistics and grades given by random websites.

Continue reading “OTFB Fan Forum: Free Agency 2021” →

The Miami Dolphins shake up 2021 NFL Draft

Lisa Johnson
AFC South
AFC East Reporter

By Lisa Johnson // @LJ1303

Miami Dolphins General Manager Chris Grier wasted little time shaking up the top 10 picks going into the 2021 NFL draft. The Dolphins held the third overall pick (which they acquired from the Houston Texans) followed by the 18th pick in the first round.

In a trade that rocked the football world, Grier traded the 3rd overall pick to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for their 12th pick, a 2021 third-round pick, and first-round picks in 2022 and 2013. Fans were left reeling at the master craftsmanship Grier was pulling off.

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Dolphin Fans and Coaches ready themselves for the start of a new NFL year

Lisa Johnson
AFC South AFC East Reporter

By Lisa Johnson // @LJ1303

Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores addressed the South Florida media Thursday, March 11th  to finally discuss the up-and-coming 2021 NFL season.

The season is set to begin on March 17th, highlighted by the start of free agency.

Head Coach Brian Flores

(Opening statement) – “It’s good to see everyone. I hope you and your families are doing well, safe, healthy. Just kind of want to start with a little kind of, let’s call it ‘state of the union’ since we didn’t speak at the Combine this year. A couple quick updates the last couple months – the last time we talked, I want to say at the Senior Bowl and really at the end of the season, I talked about us kind of doing a full evaluation of our team and really, the entire operation – the 2020 season.

Continue reading “Dolphin Fans and Coaches ready themselves for the start of a new NFL year” →

The impact of social media on sports journalism

Lisa Johnson
AFC South AFC East Reporter

By Lisa Johnson // @LJ1303

As we prepare for the new NFL league year, which officially starts March 17, the league will continue to follow the current Covid-19 protocols put into place in 2020, holding all NFL team meetings and press conferences virtually. Beat writers and major network journalists are limited to virtual interviews only, bringing the importance of social media platforms to a whole new level.

As we continue to face challenges due to the 2020 pandemic, the one thing that has become crystal clear is every sports super fan has started a sports podcast and sports page. So what (if any) impact does this have on those that spent their lives working and earning sports journalist degrees?  I reached out to two sports journalists and asked them each the same question. One is from the good old print-only days, while the other is a little younger but can still remember newspapers.

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The impact of the 2021 NFL Cap

Dayna O’Gorman
Senior NFL Reporter
NFC West/AFC West

By Dayna O’Gorman // @DaynaOG

We’ve heard about it all season. The 2021 NFL Cap was going down. Way down. Teams who were going to be in cap trouble are now in REAL cap trouble, and teams who thought they had the room to go get every free agent they wanted are now having to reevaluate.

I went straight to the source to try to help us figure out how teams were going to manage this difficult cap year. Miguel Benzan, also known as @PatsCap on Twitter, is one of the most respected NFL cap space minds out there. While he mostly focuses on the New England Patriots cap, he is extremely well versed in intricate details of the NFL cap. Go follow him. Now.   I’ll wait. Continue reading “The impact of the 2021 NFL Cap” →