When: 11/14/2020
Where: Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, LA
Coach: Ed Orgeron
Mascot: Mike the Tiger
2019: 15-0, SEC Champions, CFP Champions

Offense

Scoring Offense: 35.8 pts/gm (34th)
Total Offense: 458 yds/gm (25th)
Passing: 338.4 yds/gm (12th)
Rushing: 119.6 rush yds/gm (100th)
Misc. stats: 33.3% 3rd down conv. (97th), 71.43% 4th down conv. (32nd), 24.4 1st downs/gm (30th), RZ %’s – TD 25% (64th), score 87.5% (52nd), 13 sacks allowed (77th), 21 TFL allowed (47th), 50th+ in plays of 10+, 20+, and 30+ yards from scrimmage
Returning starters: 2 (plus 1 opting out of 2020 season)
The LSU offense was undoubtedly the biggest story of the 2019 season. Known for traditional ground-and-pound offenses under Les Miles, LSU ran a spread offenses with a blend of RPO and West Coast tactics. The change came with new passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach Joe Brady. Brady brought a new playbook and philosophy with the goal of getting players the ball in space. This was extremely effective, with QB Joe Burrow and WR Ja’Marr Chase setting multiple records for their respective positions.
With 2020 comes lots of replacing and rebuilding for LSU’s offense. Every draft-eligible member of the 2019 offense is now in the NFL, which simultaneously explains last year’s success and bodes poorly for 2020’s prospects. The key returners for offensive production are WR Terrace Marshall and RT Austin Deculus. LSU must replace offensive guru Joe Brady (Carolina Panthers OC), QB Joe Burrow (NFL), WR Justin Jefferson (NFL), WR Ja’Marr Chase (Opt-Out), RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire (NFL), TE Thaddeus Moss (NFL), C Lloyd Cushenberry (NFL), OG Damien Lewis (NFL), LT Saahdiq Charles (NFL), WTE Stephen Sullivan (NFL), OG Adrian Magee (NFL), WR Derrick Dillon (NFL), and backup OT Badara Traore (NFL). In total, LSU returns a starting lineman and wide receiver on offense, while losing #1 and #2 WRs, #1 RB, #1 TE, and 4 offensive line starters (plus the main backup). Here is their projected depth chart at this point.

2020 Depth Chart

* returning 2019 starters in bold
· QB – RS JR Myles Brennan (injured), FR TJ Finley/FR Max Johnson
· RB – SO John Emery Jr, RS SO Chris Curry, SO Tyrion Davis-Price
· WR – SR Racey McMath, SO Trey Palmer
· WR – JR Terrace Marshall Jr, FR Koy Moore, RS SO Jaray Jenkins
· WR – FR Kayshon Boutte, SR Jontre Kirklin
· TE – FR Arik Gilbert, SR Tory Carter, FR Kole Taylor, RS SO Nick Storz
· LT – RS SO Cameron Wire, FR Xavier Hill
· LG – JR Ed Ingram, FR Marlon Martinez, RS FR Thomas Perry
· C – GR Liam Shanahan, RS FR Charles Turner
· RG – JR Chasen Hines, RS FR Anthony Bradford, RS FR Kardell Thomas
· RT – SR Austin Deculus, RS SO Cameron Wire, FR Marcus Dumervil
· Opt Out – JR WR Ja’Marr Chase
· Suspended – starting RS SO Dare Rosenthal

Passing

338.4 yds/gm (12th), 14 TD (24th), 62% completion rate (55th), 8.5 yds/att (28th)
The focus of the Tiger’s 2019 offense was their Heisman-winning QB, Joe Burrow. In his LSU-debut, Burrow completed 57.8% of his passes for 2,894 yards, 16 TD, 5 Int, and a 133.21 passer efficiency rating. With the arrival of Joe Brady, Burrow completed 76.3% of his passes for 5,671 yards, 60 TD, 6 Int, and a 201.96 passer rating (just behind Tua’s 206.93). Perhaps the single-most improved season in history, Burrow was deadly accurate through the air, and he made good decisions to minimize turnovers and get the ball to open receivers in space. We must understand Burrow’s role and impact on LSU’s success in order to know what to expect with the inauguration of their 2020 starter, Myles Brennan.
Brennan is a RS Junior and is the only quarterback on LSU’s roster with collegiate game experience. As a backup in 2019, he was 24/40 (60%) for 353 yards, 1 TD, 1 Int, and a 137.38 passer rating. Keep in mind that Burrow played far into the end of the game, even in upsets. Brennan didn’t attempt any passes unless LSU was up by 15+, and didn’t throw any passes in the first half of any games. On third downs, Brennan completed 50% of his passes and compiled a 111.60 passer rating. It is safe to say that Brennan has not seen any meaningful snaps in college, as he only attempted 15 passes against SEC opponents, completing 33% for one TD and INT each - for a 108.08 passer rating. Brennan is untested and inexperienced, and he hasn’t shown any signs that inspire confidence in his ability. Will he be the next Joe Burrow? No. But, is he capable of winning the SEC? Also no.
Brennan has been serviceable for the Tigers this year, completing only 60.3% of his passes, although he has 11 TD to 3 Int. He averaged 370.7 passing y/g in his 3 starts this year, but he has missed LSU’s last two games due to a lower body injury (some speculate the injury is related to how much LSU fans jerked him off in the offseason). On Wednesday, Nov 4, Orgeron said Brennan is “very doubtful” to be healthy to play in the Alabama game. Most experts agree this is a great business decision for Myles.
TJ Finley started LSU’s game against South Carolina and led them to a big win. Finley went 17/21 for 265 yards, 2 TD and 1 Int. Finley’s best attribute however is his size. TJ stands 6’6” tall and weighs in at 242 lbs. He looks every inch and pound as big when watching him on the field.
After LSU’s biggest win of the season against 2-4 South Carolina, Finley got the start against Auburn in their last game. He went 15/24 for 174 yards and 1 TD and a QBR of 34.0 before being replaced by FR Max Johnson. It seems that Max Johnson’s most impressive quality is his top-notch name, which is admittedly elite. His quarterback play, however, leaves a lot to be desired. He went 13/24 for 143 yards, 0 TDs, and 2 Ints, resulting in a QBR of 20.2. TJ Finley is most likely going to start against Alabama, but one thing is for sure: If the Tigers need elite QB play to challenge Alabama, they should keep looking.

Rushing

119.6 rush yds/gm (100th), 5 TD (76th), 3.5 yds/car (93rd)
By simply looking at LSU’s total rushing defense last year, you might think their main rusher was not very good. However, Edwards-Helaire averaged an impressive 6.58 y/car and 94.27 y/g. He also played a role in the receiving game with 30.2 rec y/g. So, what’s on the horizon for LSU’s 2020 rushing campaign?
LSU had four players with rushing yards outside of EH, Burrow and Brennan, and WR Ja’Marr Chase: Soph. Tyrion Davis-Prince (295 yds), Soph. Chris Curry (189 yds), Soph. John Emery Jr. (188 yds), and Lanard Fournette (36 yds). Fournette left the team after four games in 2019.
The projected starter is Tyrion Davis-Price (DP) as he was the main backup in 2019. He is a tough runner that can be difficult to bring down, and his weaknesses are his blocking and pass-catching. He only had 8 carries in the postseason, so his experience is still a bit limited.
Chris Curry’s accomplishment is that he was the leading rusher against Oklahoma in the playoffs, rushing for 90 yards on 16 carries. On the season, Curry averaged 5.03 y/c with a long of 20 yards including 3 carries in the red zone for 10 yards (3.33 y/c). Within the program, Curry shares Marshawn Lynch’s nickname “Beast Mode” because of Curry’s strength and ability to run through tackles.
John Emery Jr. is a former 5-star recruit and the most highly touted back coming into Baton Rouge. Although he is probably the fastest and most agile back on the current roster, he struggled in pass protection and dropped several passes last year. He was also legally blind in one eye and had LASIK eye surgery this offseason. Time will tell if this has truly improved his vision.
Emery and Davis-Price have led the rushing charge for the Tigers, totaling 246 and 245 yds respectively. Neither has looked particularly impressive, especially in the absence of Clyde Edwards-Helaire.

Receiving

338.4 yds/gm (12th), 14 TD (24th), 62% completion rate (55th), 8.5 yds/att (28th)
One of LSU’s two offensive position groups with a returning starter is wide receiver. Ja’Marr Chase was the Tigers’ leading receiver in 2019, and he was expected to be the team’s best offensive (and possibly overall) player in 2020. Chase caught 84 passes for 1,780 yards and 20 TDs while averaging 21.19 y/cat and 127.1 y/g which was good for 2nd nationally. Unfortunately for the Tigers, Chase has opted out of the 2020 season and will declare for the 2021 NFL Draft, ending his time with LSU.
Marshall was third on the team with 671 receiving yards on 46 catches, behind only Chase and Justin Jefferson in receiving yards. He had 13 TD and averaged 55.9 y/g. Lots of LSU fans believe Marshall would have been just as good as Chase if he had stayed healthy. He missed games against Utah St, Florida, and Miss St with a foot fracture.
After Marshall, LSU only had one other player with more than 100 receiving yards on the season in Racey McMath. McMath is listed as a senior, though he has not started to date. He saw significant playing time last year having the sixth-most catches on the team. He only had two catches in his freshman and sophomore seasons.
Marshall has emerged as the clear #1 target this season, capturing a third of the team’s receiving yards. He has caught 9 TDs so far, which is good for 2nd in the country currently (Smitty has 8, and Waddle had 4, so expect Smitty to surpass him Saturday). Marshall also is averaging 108 receiving y/g, which is 22nd in the country (behind both Smitty and Waddle).
LSU’s #2 target is their TE, Arik Gilbert, who only has 259 yards and 2 TDs on the season. He and the rest of the receivers haven’t done enough to merit reporting.

Offensive Line

2.6 sacks allowed/gm (82nd), 7 TFL allowed/gm (33rd)
Besides QB, this is where the biggest drop-off for LSU is expected. LSU returns 2019 SR RT Austin Deculus, but must replace LT Saahdiq Charles, OG Damien Lewis, OG Adrian Magee, C Lloyd Cushenberry, and the main OL replacement Badara Traore.
Starting at LT is RS SO Cameron Wire. He is replacing Dare Rosenthall who has been suspended indefinitely from the team. Wire only played 35 snaps in 2019, so he has a lot to learn still.
JR Ed Ingram is listed as the starting LG. Ingram started 12 games at RG as a true freshman, then served a year-long suspension following his arrest for two counts of sexual assault charges and being indicted by a Texas grand jury. DeSoto Police Department would not disclose the victim’s age, but confirmed they were a minor. The case was dropped, and details are limited because the attorney general placed the case under official seal. During the suspension and court proceedings, Orgeron said “I think that maybe, maybe, if things go right, we may get him at some part of the season. I don’t know exactly when, but hopefully we get him at some part of the season…”
Starting Center is Liam Shanahan, a Harvard transfer. His backup is RS FR Charles Turner.
The starting RG is JR Chasen Hines. Hines played snaps in 10 games last year without any starts.
RT will be the only known commodity with returning SR Austin Deculus. RS FR Thomas Perry is his backup. All told, the OL starters and backups include 1 SR, 2 JR, 2 SO, and 8 FR.

Defense

Scoring Defense: 33.6 pts/g (84th)
Total Defense: 478.6 yds/g (111th)
Passing Defense: 335.2 yds/g (119th)
Rushing Defense: 143.4 yds/g (52nd)
Misc. stats: +4 turnover margin (15th), 2.8 sacks/gm (34th), 7 TFL/gm (33rd), 5 INTs (49th), 6 fum recov (10th), 6 fum forced (24th), 46.97% opp 3rd down conv. (100th), 40% opp 4th down conv. (20th), 21.2 opp 1st downs/gm (57th), opp RZ %’s – TD 57.89% (42nd), score 73.68% (22nd)
Returning starters: 4 (plus 1 opting out of 2020 season)
LSU’s 2019 defense was… not what it has been in years past. 59th is the lowest LSU’s pass defense has been ranked since 2015. They also lost several key starters from last year, most notably S Grant Delpit, OLB K’Lavon Chaisson, ILB Patrick Queen, and ILB Jacob Phillips. Projected starters DT Tyler Shelvin, and DB Kary Vincent Jr (less likely to start) have opted out of the 2020 season to prepare for the 2021 NFL Draft. That leaves the Tiger’s defense with 4 returning starters: DL Glen Logan, LB Damone Clark, CB Derek Stingley Jr., and S JaCoby Stevens. Let’s look at the roster and specific position groups.
LSU has certainly missed Dave Aranda this year. Bo Pelini has not proved up to the challenge of stopping the modern passing offenses they have faced. Bo Nix, who is completing 57.6% of his passes and has thrown 16 TDs and 6 INTs completed 75% of his passes against LSU for 3 TDs and 0 INTs. In their debut, they gave up 600+ passing yards to a QB who has now been benched in favor of a freshman. LSU fans must continually tell themselves that 2019 was worth it while plugging their ears and looking the other way in 2020.

2020 Projected Depth Chart

· RDE – FR BJ Ojulari, RS SR Andre Anthony, FR Phillip Webb, RS FR Desmond Little
· LDE – JTR Ali Gaye, RS STR Travez Moore, RS SO Jarell Cherry
· DT – RS FR Joseph Evans, SR Neil Farrell Jr., FR Jacobian Guillory
· DT – RS SR Glen Logan, RS JTR Soni Fonua, SR Neil Farrell Jr., FR Jaquelin Roy
· OLB – JR Micah Baskerville, RS SR Ray Thornton, FR Antoine Sampah
· OLB –GR Jabril Cox, SO Devonta Lee, RS JR Jared Small
· MLB –JR Damone Clark, FR Josh White
· CB – SO Derek Stingley Jr, SO Jay Ward, GR Darren Evans, FR Dwight McGlothern
· CB – SO Cordale Flott, FR Eli Ricks, RS FR Raydarious Jones
· FS –SR JaCoby Stevens, RS SR Cameron Lewis
· SS – RS JR Todd Harris Jr, SO Maurice Hampton Jr, FR Jordan Toles
· Opt Out – SR FS Kary Vincent Jr., RS JR NT Tyler Shelvin (13), RS SO DL Nelson Jenkins III

Defensive Line

2.8 sacks/gm (34th), 7 TFL/gm (33rd)
With Bo Pelini replacing Dave Aranda as Defensive Coordinator, LSU uses a 4-3 scheme as opposed to 3-4 which was preferred by Aranda. Despite the losses of Rashard Lawrence and Breiden Fehoko, the defensive line looked to have good depth going into 2020 before Tyler Shelvin opted out of the 2020 season. Additionally, TK McLendon, who was named as the left end starter during spring camp, entered the transfer portal in August. Another blow came when Justin Thomas, the named starting right end, was announced to have left the team unexpectedly in August. Thomas was a strong contender to start at defensive end, where he started one game last year, played in five, and had a recurring role in LSU’s 3rd-down pass rush package. Shelvin was a returning starter.
That leaves former linebacker Andre Anthony as the only end with any starts. The freshman Ojulari has carved out for himself a starting role on the end ahead of Anthony. The middle of the line will feature returning starter Glen Logan. Logan is one of the leaders of the DL as the only DT with any starts.

Linebackers

46.97% opp 3rd down conv. (100th), 40% opp 4th down conv. (20th)
The linebackers are one of the most inexperienced group on LSU’s 2020 defense. After losing both OLBs and one of their two MLBs from their 4-backer scheme, only MLB Damone Clark returns to the middle of the field. Clark took over Michael Divinity’s role on the outside and provided a lot of support in that part of the field, although he was overshadowed by departures Patrick Queen, Jacob Phillips, and K’Lavon Chaisson.
Ray Thornton Jr. saw limited playing time at OLB behind Clark, Marcel Brooks, and Michael Divinity, recording only 9 total tackles on the season. He has been a regular backup on the outside.
Micah Baskerville has limited playing time, and his time in the program has earned him the start over Thornton.
Jabril Cox brings a lot of playing time and experience from NDSU, and he also played for Pelini at Youngtown State. With his playing time and experience in a winning program like NDSU, he has earned the starting job opposite Baskerville.

Secondary

5 INTs (49th), 14 PBUs (69th), 19 passes defended (68th), 54 opp passes 10+ yds (74th), 30 opp passes 20+ yds (117th), 17 opp passes 30+ yds (118th), opp passes of 40+, 50+, 60+, 70+, 80+, and 90+ (110th or worse for all), LSU is one of only 5 teams to give up a 90+ yd pass
The secondary looked to be LSU’s strongest unit on defense this year. They returned CB Derek Stingley and S JaCoby Stevens who were both regular starters last year. Todd Harris has become the starter at SS and moved Stevens to FS. Outside of Stingley, CB Cordale Flott is the only other CB with meaningful playing time. Many expected Kary Vincent to play at corner and/or safety before he opted out of the 2020 season. With Vincent’s decision to withdraw, LSU has very little depth at safety or corner.
The rushing defense has actually been average for the Tigers this year, but the passing defense has been downright abysmal. Ranking at the bottom of the NCAA in most passing defensive categories, they should not prove to be much of a challenge for Mac Jones and the Bama 10.

Special Teams

2020 Projected Depth Chart

· P – RS SR Zach Von Rosenberg (39), JR Avery Atkins
· PK – SO Cade York (15)
· KO – JR Avery Atkins
· LS – RS FR Quentin Skinner
· PKR – SO Derek Stingley Jr., SO Trey Palmer
* for kicking and punting starts, I used 1) LSU’s official game starts or 2) number of games the team played that season if the player was the primary starter for the role

Punting

Fortunately for LSU, one of the players they have utilized the most in 2020 returns plenty of experience. Punter Zach Von Rosenberg has been the primary punter since 2017. He is averaging 47.05 yards per punt in 2020.

Kicking

The Tigers also return their placekicker, Cade York. York is 8/10 on FGs and 21/21 on XPs this year. Avery Atkins returns as the kickoff specialist. Atkins has 33 KOs with 28 touchbacks (84.85%).

Returning

Stingley has been the primary punt/kick returner. He has only had to return 3 punts this year, averaging 30.67 (48 yds came on one return). Trey Palmer has returned 6 kickoffs averaging 36.5 yds/return, including a 93 yd TD return.

Coaching

Head Coach: Ed Orgeron

Orgeron’s early coaching days included coaching the defensive line for Miami beginning in 1988. He began coaching the 1992 season in which his Canes were trounced by Alabama in the national title game, but his tenure was cut short when he was arrested following a bar fight in Baton Rouge, LA, during which Orgeron admits he was intoxicated.
“Coach O” is in his fourth full year as the head coach at LSU (he was the interim coach for most of the 2016 season). As head coach, his records beginning in 2016 are 6-2, 9-4, 10-3, 15-0. He has improved each year (until 2020). Arguably his most effective coaching decision has been hiring “Passing Game Coordinators.” He hired Joe Brady for the role in 2019, and Brady hand-crafted their offensive scheme which was extremely effective.
Coach O gained national recognition in 2019 after his team beat Alabama (his first time since coming to LSU, the first LSU win vs the Tide since the 2011 season) and he made the comments “We’re going to beat [Alabama’s] ass in recruiting. We’re going to beat their ass every time they see us. You understand me? Roll Tide what? Fuck you!” The coach then promptly finished multiple spots behind Alabama in the 2020 recruiting class, and currently trails Alabama for the 2021 recruiting class by a wide margin. His head coaching record against Alabama is 1-7, and he is 1-5 coaching against Nick Saban.
Orgeron currently has the Tigers at 2-3 for the year. After 2019, some speculated Orgeron may be on the same coaching tier as Saban with the great team they fielded. 2020 has shown that Orgeron hasn’t figured out how to deal with losing talent to the NFL, including players and coaches (something Saban encounters on an annual basis).

Offensive Coordinator: Steve Ensminger

Ensminger became the offensive coordinator in 2016 under Orgeron. His style includes a hurry-up no-huddle tempo (HUNH) and using the run-pass option (RPO). He has said that no matter what formation they line up in, he wants them to be able to throw the quick pass. We saw this implemented last year with Joe Brady coordinating the passing game. Look for a similar style and scheme in 2020. The challenge will be coming up with new routes and plays to get receivers open the way that Joe Brady managed to do.

Defensive Coordinator: Bo Pelini

Former Nebraska head coach and former LSU defensive coordinator was rehired for the DC position for the 2020 season. Pelini utilizes the 4-3 defensive scheme which includes 4 down linemen and 3 linebackers. The benefit of a 4-3 defense is that you can typically get a better push against the offensive line, resulting in better run-blocking or more pass-rush. However, since each down lineman is responsible for a single line gap, it is more vulnerable to the play-action (PA) pass. Another concern for the Tigers is that with so many departures on the defensive line, they will have a lot of inexperience having to make decisions. It also forces the defense to use a defensive end instead of a linebacker for extra pass-support.

Passing Game Coordinator: Scott Linehan

Scott Linehan will replace the biggest void on the LSU coaching staff, Joe Brady. Linehan is the product of John L. Smith, who was the last college coach he worked under. He last coached for the Dallas Cowboys, leading their passing game and serving as offensive coordinator.
We won’t know what similarities or differences Linehan’s offense will share with Brady’s, but a major difference will be the personnel available. LSU loses Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase at receiver, QB Joe Burrow, RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and 4/5 offensive linemen. I would expect the Tigers’ 2020 offense to look similar to 2018.

Matchups

Alabama

Alabama leads the all-time series with LSU 53-26-5, boasting a 66.1% win percentage. The largest victory belongs to Alabama, 47-3 in 1922. The longest streak also belongs to the Tide, with 11 consecutive wins from 1971-1981. Alabama recently won 8 consecutive games against LSU despite LSU being ranked in each loss, including being ranked in the top-10 five times and in the top-5 four times. LSU was shut out in three of the eight games (37.5%) including the January 9, 2012 matchup in the national championship game held in New Orleans, LA, a short 90-minute drive from Baton Rouge.
LSU’s win over Alabama last season marked the fourth victory for the Tigers over Alabama since Nick Saban came to Tuscaloosa. The Tide have enjoyed ten wins over the last fourteen seasons. The four Alabama losses had a total point difference of 18, including three of them being five points or fewer. In the same time span, Alabama has outscored LSU by 135 in the remaining games, resulting in a 117-point advantage for Alabama since 2007.
Since Nick Saban’s arrival in 2007, the early-November matchups between the Tigers and the Tide have often been competitive and tension-filled. Of the 14 Saban vs. LSU games, half have been decided by 7 points or fewer. Another 4 games were decided by 14 pts or fewer, leaving only 3 of the 14 games being won (all by Alabama) by more than two scores. The 4 LSU wins in this time span were all by 7 points or fewer. The teams have gone to overtime thrice, and surprisingly the visiting team has won all three times (Alabama 2, LSU 1). On a related note, Alabama has been dominant in the supposedly-daunting “Death Valley” holding an all-time 28-9-2 record in Baton Rouge, as well as winning 5 of the last 6 games there, including the last 4.
Although Alabama and LSU have not been rivals historically, the series has been split since 2000, with Alabama holding a close 11-10 series lead. Also, since Bear Bryant retired, Alabama has controlled the series 22-15-1. Despite the recent competitiveness of the “rivalry,” a 2009 poll of SEC fans revealed that Alabama fans mostly did not consider LSU to be a rival, while over 60% of LSU fans singled out Alabama as their most bitter rival. This no doubt stems from the fact that Nick Saban previously coached at LSU from 2000-2004. Saban compiled a 48-16 record at LSU while winning LSU’s second ever national championship, and their first in 45 years. Saban left LSU to try his hand at head coaching in the NFL. He found success hard to come by, and decided to return to coaching college. LSU did not want Saban back, instead preferring to keep then-coach Les Miles, so Saban took the best job on the table- Alabama. For some reason, LSU took this as a personal insult of the highest order and have hated Saban and Alabama ever since. The Tigers have only managed to beat Saban’s Alabama in Baton Rouge once.

Ole Miss

Ole Miss is undoubtedly LSU’s longest-standing and most significant rival. The Tigers lead the Landsharks all-time 63-40-4, but recent history is even more lopsided as Ole Miss has only managed to beat LSU five times since 2000.
In the “Magnolia Bowl,” LSU and Ole Miss have produced some exciting rivalry games. Probably the most famous was 1959’s “Cannon’s Halloween Run” in which #1 LSU’s Billy Cannon had an 89-yard punt return TD late in the game, breaking 7 tackles en route to what would be the game winning score. On Ole Miss’s ensuing drive, they made it all the way to LSU’s 1 yard line, but were stopped as time expired. The teams would have a rematch in the Sugar Bowl (effectively the national championship that year) and Ole Miss routed the Tigers 21-0. This would not be the last time LSU would lose a national championship 21-0 in the Sugar Bowl in a rematch to a team they narrowly beat in the regular season.

Arkansas

Arkansas has been a traditional rival for LSU. The two first played in 1901 in Baton Rouge, with LSU winning 15-0. They played until 1936, but the series stopped until 1991 when Arkansas joined the SEC and defeated LSU in Fayetteville 30-6. Overall, LSU holds a 41-22-2 lead in the series.
The LSU-Arkansas winner takes home “The Golden Boot” trophy, or just “The Boot.” This is because the trophy, which outlines the states of Louisiana and Arkansas, forms what looks like a boot. The 175 lb, 4” tall trophy is made of 24-karat gold.

Tulane

LSU’s oldest rival is found in New Orleans, LA. The Tulane Green Wave first played LSU in 1892. LSU and Tulane were each members of the SIAA from 1899, the Southern Conference from 1922 to 1932, and charter members of the SEC from 1932 to 1966. The matchup is known as the “Battle for the Rag,” with LSU referring to it as the Tiger Rag, and Tulane calling it the Victory Flag. The flag shows each school’s logos divided diagonally with the Seal of Louisiana in the center.
While the series was somewhat competitive to begin with LSU leading 23-18-5, the Tigers have gone 45-4-2 since, including winning the last 18 matchups. LSU leads the all-time series 69-23-7. The teams met on the field once from 1997 to 2005, but they renewed the series in 2006. After their 2009 matchup, LSU offered Tulane to either play the remaining games in Baton Rouge or end the series early for a small payout. Tulane took the buyout deal and the teams have not met since.

Mascot

Perhaps one of the most famous college mascots is LSU’s Mike the Tiger. Traditionally, Mike is a Bengal tiger, although the last three iterations have been mixed-breeds. Mike VII is a Bengal-Serbian mix. LSU adopted the tiger as mascot referencing the Louisiana-native troops in Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia in the civil war, as they were known as “the Tigers.” LSU’s may be the only SEC mascot to pay homage to confederate nostalgia since Ole Miss rebranded themselves as the Admiral Ackbars Landsharks.
Each Mike has generally been in good hands in Baton Rouge, as LSU’s vet school is exceptional. A new, 15,000 square foot habitat was created for Mike in 2005 for $3 million. . He can be seen eating, sleeping, roaming, or playing on any given day in his home on campus.
According to legend, LSU will score a touchdown for every one of Mike’s roars on game day. Mike VI and Mike VII have come under scrutiny for not roaring enough on Alabama game days.

Lagniappe

Misc. program stats

· 812-415-47 (.656) all-time record (13th)
· 812 all-time wins (12th)
· 4 national championships (16th)
· 16 conference championships (31st)
· 52 bowl game appearances (8th)
· 28-23-1 (.548) bowl record (27th)
· 39 consensus all-Americans (14th)
· 2 Heisman winners (11th)
· 352 NFL Draft picks (10th)
· 635 weeks in AP poll (10th)
· Conference foes Alabama, Florida, and Tennessee hold series leads over LSU
· LSU’s last two head coaches each left the program with one national championship
· Current head coach Ed Orgeron has one national championship
· LSU has not scored against Alabama in Death Valley since 2014
· In LSU’s last five games in Louisiana against Alabama, they have scored a total of 30 points (includes 3 shutouts)

Jerseys

The current style of jerseys were introduced by head coach Paul Dietzel in 1957. While it is customary for the home football team to wear their primary color and the visitor to wear white, LSU also prefers to wear white jerseys for both home and away games. From 1983 to 1994, the NCAA mandated visiting teams to wear white. From 1994-1999, LSU often wore gold in lieu of purple due to then-head coach Gerry DiNardo’s understandable dislike of the color purple. In 1995, the NCAA changed the rule to allow the home team to wear white with visitor’s prior approval. In 1997, the SEC ruled that the home team can wear their color of choice without consent of SEC visiting teams. While LSU wears white to home games, they occasionally wear purple or gold similarly to how other teams have a white-out or black-out game.
Nick Saban and Matt Mauck led the Tigers to a national title in 2003 with Mauck wearing No. 18. The No. 18 jersey “became synonymous with success on and off the field as well as having a selfless attitude.” Each season, a player is chosen by the coaching staff to wear the No. 18 jersey.

Other traditions

Tiger stadium has two defining characteristics on the field that contrast from most other colleges. First, the field displays all 5-yard line numbers on the field instead of just the 10-yard line numbers. Only the 10-yard lines have directional arrows, however. Second, Tiger stadium features “H”-style goal posts instead of the more popular “Y” style. This is allegedly to double players’ chances of injury due to impact with the posts.
About an hour before kickoff, the players, coaches, band, and cheerleaders march down a hill to the North of the Stadium. Ironically, this is called Victory Hill despite the tradition preceding many, many losses.
Night games in Tiger Stadium have become iconic in Baton Rouge. Statistically, LSU has performed better at home during night games. According to LSU’s 2016 Media Guide, LSU was 320-105-13 (.745) in night games through the 2015 season. Unfortunately for the Tigers, LSU is 0-4 in night games in Tiger Stadium against Saban’s Crimson Tide.

https://throneroomsports.com/2020-nba-mock-draft/
I wrote up a mock draft and figured I would share it here. I know I've always loved reading mock drafts so I thought someone here might enjoy mocking my mock draft. Link to the website is above for a slightly cleaner format. I didn't include any trades in this mock even though I know there will be plenty of draft night trades.

1. Timberwolves - Anthony Edwards - G - Georgia. Unfortunately for the T-Wolves this is one of those years where there isn’t really a consensus clear cut number 1 overall player. That lowers the trade value of this pick which is what I would want to do here if I were the Timberwolves. I question how well LaMelo and D’Angelo Russell would operate together in the backcourt, so Edwards is my pick here. The Georgia product has elite athleticism, projects to be an above average defender, and a sky-high ceiling. He should add to the young core that the T-Wolves currently have.
2. Warriors - James Wiseman - C - Memphis. It’s incredible that a team with the talent of the Warriors are drafting this early but due to some serious bad injury luck, here they are. Again, if I was the one making the pick here, I would try like hell to trade back in the draft to try and acquire a player that fits the current team’s timeline better. However once again the lack of top end talent at the top of this draft makes moving back here difficult to obtain the value that the number 2 pick should warrant. LaMelo is redundant here with Steph and Klay so James Wiseman is the choice. With basically zero college tape on him this draft pick is all about upside. You can’t teach size and superior athleticism which Wiseman has in spades. He’ll provide the rim protection that the Warriors haven’t really had but now need due to Anthony Davis’ presence on the Lakers.
3. Hornets - LaMelo Ball - G - NBL. Charlotte takes the player many analysts consider the top player in the draft. The lanky point guard should immediately upgrade the lead guard spot on the Hornets. Unfortunately for the Hornets, word is that they covet James Wiseman who Golden State already selected. This is the first pick that I could realistically see being traded as no other big man is worthy of being a top 3 pick. Onyeka Okongwu is a name to watch here if a trade down can’t be achieved and the Hornets are set on adding to the front court.
4. Bulls - Deni Avdija - F - Maccabi Tel Aviv. I really wanted to predict Obi Toppin here to the Bulls. Billy Donovan always knew how to get the best out of undersized bigmen during his time at Florida. But Obi is more than that. He was clearly the best player in all of college basketball last season and would have pushed Dayton to the finals of March Madness had the event happened. But all the smoke on this pick is that the Bulls want the international prospect. Avdija is your typical lottery international big man. Great passing and floor vision with the ability to stretch the floor. He’ll pair nicely with Markkanen.
5. Cavaliers - Obi Toppin - F - Dayton. The NCAA tournament being cancelled turns into a stroke of luck for the Cavaliers as Obi Toppin falls to them at 5. If March Madness had actually happened and Obi’s Flyers had won the whole tournament (like I had expected them to do) then there’s no way he lasts past the top 3 picks. You can draft for potential all you want but when a player is as dominant as Obi was at Dayton you should draft the results that are backed up on the court. While he’s a bit undersized his game will transition nicely to the modern NBA. With Sexton and Garland manning the backcourt the addition of Toppin makes the Cavaliers’ future look bright for the first time since LeBron left (for the second time).
6. Hawks - Isaac Okoro - F - Auburn. I’ll preface this pick by saying that I’m almost assuredly wrong on this selection. Patrick Williams out of Florida St has been ascending in the past few weeks which has caused Okoro’s presumed value to drop. But holy hell is that a terrible take. Okoro has the potential to be the top player out of the class three years down the road. The knock on him is his shooting, but he walks into the league a plus defender with amazing athletic ability. He’ll be an immediate contributor even if his shot doesn’t improve. I think you’ll see a playoff team try to trade up into the lottery to select this guy. The kid had a great work ethic so a professional staff should be able to help him improve his shooting and eventually he’ll look like the steal of this draft.
7. Pistons - Patrick Williams - F - Florida State. I hate to bash on a team in a public forum, but the Pistons are not a good basketball team. When I first started to make this mock draft I had planned on having Detroit take the top available guard here. Killian Hayes and Tyrese Halliburton were and could still be names to look out for here. But Williams has had a rocket strapped to his back in recent weeks and has been flying up draft boards. I wouldn’t be shocked to see him go in the top 5 selections. So Detroit takes the best available player in Williams. And realistically the Pistons should try and trade Griffin to a star hungry team and get any additional draft picks they can acquire. They need them, badly.
8. Knicks - Killian Hayes - G - France. The Knickerbockers need playmakers and bringing in a facilitator like Hayes who can also shoot the ball is exactly what Spike Lee ordered. If Hayes had played a year at college in the States, he would easily be a top 5 if not top 3 pick in this draft. He projects to be a plus 3-point shooter and pairing him with RJ Barrett could be a lethal combination for many years.
9. Wizards - Onyeka Okongu - C - USC. The second-best big man in the draft goes to the Wizards at 9. I’ve seen other analysts compare him to Bam Adebayo, but they really need to tone that comparison down. Bam is on pace to be one of the top big men in all the world. Okongu has a strong work ethic and will need to improve his shooting from anywhere that’s not underneath the basket to come close to being a Bam like player. However he’s a problem for other teams defensively and has a knack for getting the loose ball which should help him be able to see early playing time for a Wizards team in need of help in the front court.
10. Suns - Devin Vassell - F - Florida State. Two players going in the top ten for Florida State. Impressive. It’s a good thing FSU is a basketball school considering how terrible they are at football. The AD down in Tallahassee can’t hire a football coach to save his life. Taggart was an absolute car wreck and Norvell appears to have plowed a semi into the pileup. Anyway, this is about the NBA. The Suns really traded a future first round pick for Chris Paul. Which messed my draft up like crazy. I was all set to predict a point guard to them too. Either Tyrese Halliburton, or Kira Lewis Jr. but now they should turn to their second need and add a wing. Vassell is all sorts of impressive and could be a deadly addition to the most entertaining team we all watched in the bubble go undefeated. The Suns could go ahead and still select a PG here to learn the ropes from one of the best of all time but I think the Suns are pushing hard for a playoff spot and need to add players who are ready to contribute immediately.
11. Spurs - Tyrese Haliburton - G - Iowa State. He has a funky shooting form that some NBA teams may want to try and revamp, but I don’t see it as an issue. He’s a do it all lead guard with premier basketball IQ and the ability to space the floor. Adding Haliburton to Murray would create a dangerous backcourt if both players live up to their potential. If the Spurs want to add a wing here, then Saddiq Bey could be a name to watch out for. But this shouldn’t be the only pick the Spurs make, they desperately need to trade Aldridge to a contender and push this rebuild forward.
12. Kings - Saddiq Bey - F - Villanova. Speaking of Saddiq Bey he comes off the board next to the Kings. I was originally planning on mocking a guard to the Kings as a potential replacement to Buddy Hield if he continues to pursue a trade request. But with the trade that brings Donte DiVincenzo (a strong young asset) I decided to add to the wing. But honestly this pick will be all about whose advanced stats the Kings analytics team values. They have decided to try and bring Moneyball to the NBA. So I wouldn’t be shocked to see a pick here that many experts consider to be a reach.
13. Pelicans - Kira Lewis Jr - G - Alabama. Well what a damn haul the Pelicans got out of the Buck for Jrue. And if by some circumstance Giannis does end up leaving the Bucks then those first rounders could be decent picks and not near the end of the first round. Lewis is a speedster with the ability to spread the floor with his 3-point shooting and should add to the great young core the Pelicans are building. They really need to add perimeter shooting to surround Zion to give him the spacing to be the explosive athlete that he is.
14. Celtics - Aleksej Pokusevski - F - Olympiacos. Honestly, I’ll be surprised if the Celtics actually select a player here. With the talent the team has, adding multiple first round picks shouldn’t be the priority. They should be trying to package those picks to move up in the draft or acquire a player to add to their depth. Bench scoring should be the main offseason acquisition to keep up with the revamped Bucks. Poku is a unique talent in that he’s a 7-footer who passes and shoots like a guard. In a couple years he could be a great talent in the league. But that doesn’t really fit the timeline of this team. I simply slotted my best player available to the Celtics here. Tyrell Terry could be another name to watch here because of his ability to contribute off the bench immediately.
15. Magic - Tyrese Maxey - G - Kentucky. This pick hurts me to make. Full disclosure I’ve been a fan of the Miami Heat my entire life and this is the guy I desperately wanted to see fall to 20. He has the potential to follow in the footsteps of other Kentucky guards who have excelled in the past few years. If his shooting picks up to the level that I think he’s capable of there’s a real chance he’s the best player out of this draft in a couple of years. Kentucky guards tend to really excel once reaching the league and this kid has all the potential in the world. He spent the majority of his year at Kentucky playing off the ball, but he has the ability to act as the lead guard. I hope I’m wrong on this pick and he somehow falls to 20, because I think he’s gonna be an All-Star in the not too distant future.
16. Rockets - Jalen Smith - C - Maryland. This team needs to acquire some size. Desperately. Smith fits with the culture of shooting as many threes as possible (I’m kidding here) with his sweet shooting shot. Most importantly he will provide the rim protection that the team really needs. The biggest question about the Rockets will be does one or both of the stars get traded. Personally I would try and offload Westbrook for whatever I could get and try like hell to get Harden to buy in and stop trying to leave. But who can blame him when the owner is approaching Dolan levels of ignorance.
17. Timberwolves - Aaron Nesmith - F - Vanderbilt. After adding Anthony Edwards earlier in the draft I have the T-Wolves selecting the best player available in Aaron Nesmith He’s a scorer with a sweet shot who can score from all over the floor. He has the potential to be the best 3-point shooter out of this draft class which is always desired in The League.
18. Mavericks - Desmond Bane - G - TCU. I want to clarify that I highly doubt the Mavericks actually keep this pick. I don’t even work for an NBA team and they contacted me about trying to trade out of this pick. The Mavs are wanting to make a playoff push to try and attract stars in free agency. So players who need developmental time I basically ignored and looked at players who could contribute immediately. Bane is a senior who has a highly polished game and if he were younger would be drafted much higher than he’s currently being mocked. He has a high basketball IQ and has the polish that most rookies don’t usually have until being in the league for a few years.
19. Nets - Isaiah Joe - G - Arkansas. This is probably my first reach that I’m predicting in this mock. I’ve seen a ton, mostly all, second round projections for Joe but that is a terrible take. As far as who the best shooter in this draft is right now it’s Joe and it’s not even close. He has one of the most flawless shots I’ve seen come into the league in years. The Nets very well could try and trade this pick for a veteran to help push a title run. But if they actually select a player here I see them pushing for a player with a higher ceiling than trying to draft a rookie who can play immediately, especially in a season with such a short offseason.
20. Heat - Malachi Flynn - G - San Diego State. I’m going to try my best to be unbiased here but as a Heat fan that may be hard. Flynn is a straight dog as a lead guard, which is exactly what the Heat need. Especially if Goran decides to leave as the Heat will only want to offer a one-year inflated contract to make a run at Giannis next summer. He was one of my favorite players in all of college last season and another player who would not have lasted this long if the NCAA tournament had actually been played. Now I’m losing my ability to be unbiased. The Heat are going to win the championship next year. If they had not had to deal with injuries, there is a real chance the LeLakers don’t win that series. This team over performed to what the talking heads thought they would, and I completely expect them to be back in The Finals next year, this time taking the trophy back to Miami.
21. 76ers - Cole Anthony - G - North Carolina. Another team who probably wants to try and trade out of this pick. But adding a point guard who is capable of playing off the ball isn’t the worst idea. He has slid in this draft due to just how horrible UNC was last year, not really anything with his game. He will definitely benefit from not being the focal point on the 76ers like he was last year at UNC.
22. Nuggets - Precious Achiuwa - F - Memphis. The Nuggets need to add some size to their front court and they have to be thrilled Achiuwa fell to them at 22. I love the team that the Nuggets have put together. MPJ has all the makings of a star. Jamal Murray is my pick to be the breakout star of the entire league, he just has that IT factor. Pair all of that with the Joker and this team should be at the top of the West for a long time. Adding a back to the basket PF here should help the team tremendously.
23. Jazz - RJ Hampton - G - New Zealand Breakers. Hampton is going to be a developmental pick and is being drafted this high due to how high his ceiling, but at this point in the draft players with high ceilings are solid draft picks. Based on area of need I would try and shoehorn a frontcourt player here, like Isaiah Stewart, but decided to go with the guy with the highest ceiling still available. Drafting in the 20’s is all about trying to find upside or potential bench depth. If RJ Hampton had went to college in the States, he very well could have been a lottery pick.
24. Pelicans - Josh Green - G - Arizona. Adding a 3 and D player who could be a solid rotational piece early in his career with the skill set to become a starter is a solid pick for the Pelicans. Adding him along with Kira Lewis Jr the Pelicans continue to acquire young assets for when they try to go all in on a trade for another star to pair with Zion. Personally, I think the Pelicans should try their hardest to pry Bradley Beal away from the Wizards. Pairing him with Zion would make a deadly duo for years to come.
25. Thunder - Tre Jones - G - Duke. I love this kid and think he’s being undervalued by many. The Thunder appear to be tearing down their roster and building through the draft. Shai Gilgeous Alexander is the real deal. Adding Tre Jones to the backcourt with him is a great way to replace Dennis Schroeder. Tre took a big step forward in his sophomore season at Duke. He’s a tenacious defender who improved his shooting from his freshman year.
26. Celtics - Leandro Bolmaro - G - Barcelona. At some point the Celtics are going to run out of roster spots for all of these draft picks so I decided to predict them with an international player they could stash overseas for a year or two. As I said before they should try and trade this pick away, but Danny Ainge typically tries to always fleece the opposing GM so it’s hard for other teams to trade with Boston. Bolmaro has a lot of work to do on his shooting but he can make every pass on the basketball court.
27. Knicks - Isaiah Stewart - F - Washington. Stewart is your traditional back to the basket big man with a knack for finding the rebound. He has a high motor (I think that’s my first time dropping that line) and an aggressive nature on the defensive end that leads to blocked shots. He’s the type of player that Tom Thibodeau loves to run until his knees wear out in three years.
28. Thunder - Xavier Tillman - F - Michigan State. Having added a point guard earlier in this mock it allows the Thunder to bring a seasoned big man into the fold. Tillman projects as a plus defender with the ability to attack the basket. The Thunder are going young and having a guy who’s been a leader of his college team for a couple years could really help the Thunder along with their rebuild.
29. Raptors - Nico Mannion - G - Arizona. I love this kid. When he had just committed to Arizona as a recruit, I figured I would be mocking him as a guaranteed lottery pick. But Arizona underperformed and Mannion didn’t get his chance to shine in the NCAA Tournament. Fred VanVleet is an unrestricted free agent looking to secure his bag and Kyle Lowery isn’t a spring chicken anymore so the Raptors attempt to lock down their long term lead guard here.
30. Celtics - Mason Jones - G - Arkansas. I don’t even care about this pick. I’m sick and tired of predicting Celtics picks at this point. THEY SHOULD TRADE THIS PICK. Yes, I’m also aware that this is a reach and there’s practically no chance Mason is a first round draft choice. But dammit this kid is a baller. He’s one of the best shooters in the draft and is an explosive scorer. I just wanted to bring a little attention to a player who’s gonna stick in the league for a long time. Realistically Theo Maledon would have been my pick here if I wasn’t so tired of mocking players to the Celtics. And yes, that would have been my third international player I predicted the Celtics to draft. Draft and stash for the win baby.

The term "generational" prospect has been used so frequently these days that it's started to lose some meaning. To help, we've been talking about the idea of a bridge term. "Presidential." The goal should be to describe a player who transcends his draft class, but doesn't quite rise up to "generational" status. In an ideal world, a generational prospect should come along every 20 years or so. And in an ideal world, a presidential prospect should come around roughly every 4 years or so (hence the terminology.)
That term hasn't been too popular and the picks aren't always either -- but that's sort of the point of reddit in a way. We're not here to read content and sit on our hands; we're here to engage and debate. So herein, let's ask ourselves: which prospects were generational? Presidential? Which prospects from 2020 may rise up to the same? With those questions in mind, let's talk a look back at different positions and make some determinations. And remember: we are exclusively debating their perceived NFL Draft stock AT THE TIME (not in hindsight). It's not an easy exercise to do, so take my personal judgments with a grain of salt and feel free to campaign for your own!

classifying OFFENSIVE TACKLES (1997-2019)

Gauging and comparing offensive tackles is going to be one of the most difficult exercises of all our positions. For one, we don't have a lot of statistics to cite as evidence and fall back on. Moreover, offensive tackles are always valuable, and always in demand. The best tackle in a class is usually going to be a very good prospect. In fact, the average draft position for the top tackle in a class has been 6.2 over our sample size, and never lower than 20th overall. So for a tackle to reach "presidential" status, they're going to have to leap over a high bar.
1997: Orlando Pace (#1 pick), Walter Jones (#6), Chris Naeole (#10)
We've always been starting with 1998 and we should stick with that in order to maintain continuity and the integrity of our exercise here. However, I just couldn't ignore the (dancing) elephant in the room. Orlando Pace -- arguably the best offensive lineman prospect we'll name -- went just one season before our cut-off. Given that, I feel compelled to include him and show just what a generational prospect looks like. Pace started as a true freshman, and didn't allow a single sack in his final two years at school. As a result, he won the Lombardi Award (awarded to the best player in college, regardless of position). Twice. In fact, he's the only player in college football HISTORY to win the Lombardi twice. He even finished 4th in the Heisman Trophy voting -- as a freakin' offensive lineman! Given all that success, Sports Illustrated named him to the All-Century team of the best college football players ever. It's not an exaggeration to say that Orlando Pace -- whose physical gifts matched the accolades -- was the best offensive linemen prospect of all-time and arguably the best of any non-QB.
Interesting sidenote here. Then-Jets coach Bill Parcells had the # 1 pick, but traded down to # 6, and then traded down again for more picks. Usually that's the right move, but he may have regretted it here. #1 pick Orlando Pace went on to anchor the Rams for over a decade. # 6 pick Walter Jones did the same for the Seahawks. The man Parcells landed on -- LB James Farrior -- was a two-time Pro Bowler, but nothing on the level of these Hall of Famers.
1998: Tra Thomas (#11), Mo Collins (#23), Victor Riley (#27)
William "Tra" Thomas is pissed that we broke our rules and started in 1997, because he doesn't look nearly as impressive now. Thomas was a very good prospect, but nothing that transcended the expected top tackle in the way that Pace did.
1999: John Tait (#14), Matt Stinchcomb (#18), L.J. Shelton (#21)
John Tait and Matt Stinchcomb were good, dependable prospects, but again nothing to get hung up on. However, I did want to mention # 27 pick Aaron Gibson, because he does illustrate another challenge of this exercise. Gibson was a MASSIVE human being (6'7" 385) who projected as an ideal road-grading right tackle. However, right tackles are traditionally not valued as highly as left tackles. The distinction between the two has been reduced over time, but it's more apparent in this era. Your left tackle was expected to be an agile pass blocker, while your right tackle was expected to be a big-ass run blocker. Because we're lumping all tackles together, right tackles are going to feel neglected and overlooked. However, I just don't think there's quite enough of a difference to merit separate entries/tags.
2000: Chris Samuels (#3), Stockar McDougle (#20), Chris McIntosh (#22)
Back to our left tackles, and a classic one in Alabama's Chris Samuels. If you wanted a pass blocker at the position, you found one here. According to charting at the time, Samuels started 42 straight games without giving up a sack. Can we give him presidential status for that? Maybe, maybe not. But here's another feather in his cap. The Skins traded two first-round picks -- # 12 and # 24 -- to move up to draft him. To me, that illustrates his elite stock at the time and tips the needle to our presidential tag.
2001: Leonard Davis (#2), Kenyatta Walker (#14), Jeff Backus (#18)
Most websites list Texas' massive (6'6" 355) lineman Leonard Davis as a "guard." And if that's the case, he could move over to the guard list and campaign for presidential status based on his being the # 2 pick. However, I am old enough to dispute that. Davis ended up playing guard in the NFL, but he played left tackle in college and was drafted with that plan in mind. As a tackle, he would be a very good prospect but not quite elite.
2002: Mike Williams (#4), Bryant McKinnie (#7), Levi Jones (#10)
Here's where it may get tricky for us. Texas' latest giant Mike Williams had great size and athleticism, and could make an argument for presidential status. However, I'm almost more intrigued by Bryant McKinnie instead. McKinnie was a VERY famous college player -- known as "Mount" McKinnie. For most of his career at Miami (Fla.), he earned comparisons to superstars like Jonathan Ogden or Orlando Pace. Like Pace, he didn't allow any sacks as a junior or senior, and like Pace, he even generated Heisman votes (finishing 8th.) I'd be inclined to grant McKinnie presidential status, but can we do that when he was only the second tackle in his class and "only" the 7th overall pick? I'm torn. And my general rule of thumb in this exercise has been: when in doubt, stay conservative and avoid awarding status.
2003: Jordan Gross (#8), George Foster (#20), Kwame Harris (#26)
To me, Jordan Gross is the type of player you can usually expect to find at the top of the class. That is: a very good prospect, but nothing that we'd dwell on here. Sidenote: George Foster is the first person on our board that I didn't remember at all. So congrats (?) to him.
2004: Robert Gallery (#2), Shawn Andrews (#16), Vernon Carey (#19)
Meanwhile, I can't forget Robert Gallery, and the Oakland Raiders fans probably can't either. There was a TON of hype about Gallery coming out of Iowa. He was tall, agile, and had great technique. Sports Illustrated's Peter King wrote a glowing article about him in Sports Illustrated calling him the best linemen in years. Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said he was a better prospect than Tony Boselli (whom he also coached as an assistant.) In hindsight, we may be able to pinpoint Ferentz as the reason that Gallery disappointed -- in a different way. Throughout his time in Iowa, Ferentz has been among the best coaches in the NCAA at developing players. At the time, it felt like Gallery was a technical savant, but it could have just been a matter of the Ferentz Factory. However, we're judging prospects based on their perceived value not their actual value; by that metric, Gallery was a presidential prospect, even bordering on "generational."
2005: Jammal Brown (#13), Alex Barron (#19)
Both Jammal Brown and Alex Barron were toolsy prospects from big programs. In some ways, I'm surprised they didn't go higher. But when we're talking generational or presidential, they don't quite pass the test.
2006: D'Brickashaw Ferguson (#4), Winston Justice (#39)
UVA's D'Brickashaw Ferguson was a well-known name from the moment he went to school -- and not just because of the unusual name. His mirroring and agility felt top notch for the position. A four-year starter at left tackle, he transcends his draft class and earns a presidential status from me. The only real concern with Ferguson at the time was that he was relatively light (at around 300 pounds), but that was generally excused with the presumption he could gain more weight and strength as he aged.
2007: Joe Thomas (#3), Levi Brown (#5), Joe Staley (#28)
Conversely, Joe Thomas was nearly a finished product coming out of Wisconsin. Also a four-year starter, Thomas checked nearly every box you'd want. He had the height, the technique, the run blocking, the pass blocking, and "sneaky" athleticism (if you catch my drift) as a track and field standout. He also had a top football pedigree as a two-time All-American. I'm going to label him as presidential as a result. What may tilt Thomas over the edge there is that he had the type of high character, IQ, and blue-collar mentality that teams craved in the position.
2008: Jake Long (#1), Ryan Clady (#12), Chris Williams (#14), Branden Albert (#15)
If D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Joe Thomas can earn presidential status, then surely a tackle who went # 1 overall can be given the red carpet treatment and waltz right into our club too, right? Right...? Eh. There are no hard and fast rules here. Part of the exercise here is adding some context to the process. The 2008 NFL Draft class was deep with tackles (8 went in the first round alone) but lacked a signature QB, with Matt Ryan considered a "good but not great" prospect. In MOST years, a franchise QB would have gone ahead of Jake Long, who was known for being tough and reliable, but didn't wow you with elite physical traits. In fact, I would humbly speculate that Long would have probably gotten drafted after Joe Thomas if they were in the same class (Thomas was a little more fluid.) After some going back and forth, I'm going to reluctantly go with presidential. My thinking is that, while Jake Long didn't have incredible upside, he had a very high "floor" even by our standards. An experienced, two-time All-American with great functional strength, he could have excelled at RT if need be.
2009: Jason Smith (#2), Andre Smith (#6), Eugene Monroe (#8), Michael Oher (#23)
Jason Smith ended up vaulting to the head of the class based on athleticism and upside, but there were legitimate concerns about his ability to adjust to an NFL offense after a career at a (then) unconventional spread offense at Baylor. For the majority of the process, it was Alabama mauler Andre Smith who had been seen as the clear cream of the crop at the position. He may have generated presidential status here, but he bombed the pre-draft process about as badly as you can with poor testing and shaky attitude. The fact that he still went as high as # 6 shows how valued you was before that.
2010: Trent Williams (#4), Russell Okung (#6), Anthony Davis (#11)
As mentioned, we expect the top tackle in the class to be a very good prospect. Even with that high bar, I'd say Trent Williams and Russell Okung were better than the average bear as prospects. Both contributed and started as true freshman, and went on to great careers at their neighboring universities (Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, respectively.) Both also had the size and athletic traits to lock on the left side. I went back and forth on the designations for them. Should they be presidential? Near misses? If I had to pick one, which? Trent Williams went higher, but Okung had been ranked higher by most experts coming into the draft (and trust me, I just went back and google researched to be certain.) At the end of the day, if I have to debate this much, I'll fall back on my rule to be conservative and pass. If you want to include them both, it would be completely fair.
2011: Tyron Smith (#9), Nate Solder (#17), Anthony Castonzo (#22)
USC product Tyron Smith turned out to be an elite NFL tackle, but at the time of his draft he was seen as a little bit of an upside project. After all, he only spent 3 years on campus before bolting to the NFL, which is unusual for the position (wherein a lot of top tackles stay for 4/5 years.) Clearly, it turned out OK. He has been the best in a class that featured 9 offensive linemen in the first round alone.
2012: Matt Kalil (#4), Riley Reiff (#23)
Matt Kalil: very good prospect. Again, that's what you'd expect from the top tackle.
2013: Eric Fisher (#1), Luke Joeckel (#2), Lane Johnson (#4)
You wanna get nuts? Come on! Let's get nuts!. After debating it before, I'm going to pull the trigger and PASS on awarding a status to the # 1 overall pick at tackle. But before you get the pitchforks out, hear me out and consider the context. Back in 2013, Andy Reid came over to Kansas City, armed with a solid roster and the # 1 pick. However, the team needed a QB. Normally, a QB would be a slam dunk at # 1, but this happened to be a very bad class for quarterbacks (with Geno Smith's stock in a freefall.) The Chiefs decided to trade for veteran Alex Smith, and utilize the # 1 pick on a "best available" instead.
At the time, most expected that "best available" to be Texas A&M's Luke Joeckel. Joeckel had been hyped for several years, with scouts citing his picture-perfect pass blocking as the reason for his being the # 1 prospect in the class. However, he ended up getting clipped in an upset by Eric Fisher. In some way, Fisher was like the tackle version of Carson Wentz. Like Wentz, Fisher was a well-regarded small school prospect (from Central Michigan) who had a good shot to go in R1. And then, they absolutely nailed the pre-draft process and skyrocketed up the charts. The Chiefs decided to go with Fisher over Joeckel, and that turned out to be the right pick (at least, among the two.) However, if we're gauging the GENERAL consensus, I'd say Luke Joeckel was the perceived top prospect among them and more of a candidate for our "presidential" tag. However, his pre-draft process didn't go as well as Fisher, with some concerns about his functional strength and overall grittiness. That late backlash will prevent him from being presidential as well, although he's awfully close to qualifying regardless.
2014: Greg Robinson (#2), Jake Matthews (#6), Taylor Lewan (#11)
Once again, we see a tackle leapfrog over the presumptive # 1 tackle from Texas A&M (this time, a role played by Jake Matthews). However, I'd say Greg Robinson was more like Jason Smith a few years prior than the experienced Eric Fisher. Like Smith, Greg Robinson was a hugely talented but somewhat-raw prospect who carried some natural risk to his selection. It didn't work in either case.
2015: Ereck Flowers (#9), Andrus Peat (#13)
Ereck Flowers and Andrus Peat were bluechip high school recruits who managed to sustain enough momentum to go in R1. At the same time, they didn't overwhelm people as sure-things based on the college production.
2016: Ronnie Stanley (#6), Jack Conklin (#8), Laremy Tunsil (#13)
With all due respect to Ronnie Stanley and Jack Conklin (who have turned out quite well, thank you), Ole Miss' Laremy Tunsil was the most hyped tackle in this class for the majority of his college career. He probably matches D'Brickashaw Ferguson in terms of hype from day 1 to draft day... with one exception. That infamous gas mask video did injure his stock and cause him to stumble a few extra spots. We're weighing character into these valuations, so he won't be netting any status himself.
2017: Garett Bolles (#20), Ryan Ramczyk (#32), Cam Robinson (#34)
In contrast, 2017 was a weak year for offensive tackles. Alabama's Cam Robinson had the most momentum early on in his career, but scouts started some backlash against him based on some possible stiffness and caused him to slip to R2.
2018: Mike McGlinchey (#9), Kolton Miller (#15), Isaiah Wynn (#23)
Mike McGlinchey didn't receive the universal praise that his line-mate Quenton Nelson did. In fact, there may have been more nitpicking about McGlinchey than necessary. Tall-ass (6'8") tackles who have been good multi-year starters in college usually turn out well, be it McGlinchey or Taylor Lewan from a few year's prior.
2019: Jonah Williams (#11), Andre Dillard (#22), Tytus Howard (#23)
Similarly, long-time standout Jonah Williams earned some nitpicking prior to the draft, with many saying he may have to transition to guard. We're starting to hear that often with tackles that don't have great size (and especially when they're white, to be candid.) And to be fair, that idea has worked out quite well for some like Zack Martin and Brandon Scherff.
2020: ???
Georgia's Andrew Thomas may need a cooler name to generate D'Brickashaw-levels of buzz, but based on his stock so far, he's absolutely a threat to join our presidential club. He's physically talented and technically sound. For Thomas, the key may be the measurables, particularly in regards to his frame and wingspan. But if he checks that box with prototypical length as well, then it's hard to find much of a flaw in his game.
OVERALL RECAP
draft classes: 23 (one more than usual)
"generational" prospects: 1 (Orlando Pace)
In some ways, the offensive tackles may regret pushing to include 1997, because Orlando Pace set the bar so high for us that it felt hard to grant anyone else his company. If we had to include more, I would lean to Chris Samuels or Robert Gallery.
"presidential" prospects: 6 (Pace, Chris Samuels, Robert Gallery, D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Joe Thomas, Jake Long)
According to our central conceit, we should have a presidential prospect roughly every 4.0 years. In this case, we're averaging every 3.8 years -- a near perfect match. That said, it does feel odd not to include Walter Jones, Trent Williams, Russell Okung, Luke Joeckel, and a # 1 pick in Eric Fisher. Feel free to criticize those decisions and any other down below!

breakdown of other positions

QB, RB, WR, TE, OG, OC, K/P, DE, DT, LB, CB, DB

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Divisional Round Playoffs Seattle vs. Carolina: Pregame Report

Weekly Contest!!!

Carolina Panthers VS. Seattle Seahawks : HEAD TO HEAD

CAROLINA	VS.	SEATTLE
526 Attempts 2282 Yards	Rushing	500 Attempts 2268 Yards
3873 Yards 53 +20 Yard Receptions	Receiving	4061 Yards 60 +20 Yard Receptions
1049 Total 44 Sacks	Tackles	975 Total 37 Sacks
+20	Turnover Ratio	+6
103 Penalties 12 Declined	Penalties	123 Penalties 23 Declined
31.2	Avg. PPG	26.4

Game Information

	Record Against the Spread
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS	8-7-1
CAROLINA PANTHERS	11-5

Betting Odds
Oddsshark Information
Favorite: Carolina by -1.5
OveUnder: 43.5
GAME TIME AND LOCATION:
BoA Stadium, Charlotte, NC 1:05pm Day January 17th, 2016
NFL Broadcast Nationwide: Fox
Announcers: Troy Aikman & Joe Buck
WEATHER FORECAST: Stadium Type: Grass Temperature: 43°F Forecast: Partly Cloudy (4% chance of rain)
Broadcast Station(FOX) - Where to Watch
NFL Red Zone - Provider Participation Required
NFL Streams - Look here 30 minutes before the game for Streams
Radio Broadcast Information
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Head Official will be Tony Corrente, who is in his 21st season and 18th as referee. This will be Corrente’s 15th postseason assignment, including 5 Wild Card Playoffs, 4 Divisional Playoffs, 5 Conference Championships, and Super Bowl XLI. His Super Bowl assignment was as a referee.
CAROLINA WILL BE WEARING WHITE JERSEYS.

In the Red Corner: Seattle Seahawks

We went over to /seahawks and got some great answers. Most notably darkmuta25 seemed to have a lot of information on each question. Here is his answer. Here is a link to the other responses which were all great. If you go over there please be respectful, they were good sports and we should be nothing less than.
Which players stood out the most last week?
Michael Bennett terrorized the Vikings O-line, blew up play after play after play.
Kam Chancellor, other than the pass he gave up at the end, was also good, causing the AP fumble was huge.
Jeremy Lane is playing like a lockdown corner tbh.
Russell Wilson, I don't care what the stats say, he played well given the conditions.
Our o-line, honestly other than the snap over the head, I don't remember too much about them, which as we know is a good thing.
Who do you expect to make the biggest impact in Sunday's game?
Russell Wilson. When it's not negative 10 degrees and he's not playing the Rams, he's been on fire, I think the loss of Tillman is going to hurt you guys worse than you think. In the first game we focused on Graham and the run game, at the time it was thought that was our best bet on beating yall. Now however, we have Baldwin, Lockett and Kearse, to go along with Freddie, Christine and and much better O-line, speaking of.
The O-line, I cannot stress how much better our O-line is since we faced each other the first time, it's night and day, black and white, peanut butter and something that is the opposite of peanut butter. If i'm not mistakes the stats we're something like 45 sacks given up through the first 9 weeks, 25 in the last 8. They're also opening up holes for Christine, who's playing really well. Speaking of
Christine Michael. Has looked as good as he ever has, him taking a ride on the NFL carousel has made him shape his ass up, he's focused and has decent run blockers, so he's contributing like never before.
Earl Thomas. The thing is, Sherman will shut down whoever he's on (Ginn I would guess), Jeremy will do well, so will the rest of the LoB, but Thomas makes game changing plays when they need to made, and I feel like Cam is the type of QB who will give him the opportunity to do so. Cam's been great this year, but his completion percentage is awful, and from the 6 Panthers games i've seen, he's prone to throwing two or three passes that could be picked a game. The good thing for him is that defenses haven't been making plays on those balls....other defenses however, don't have Earl Thomas, so good luck to Cam when he throws some ducks up.
Cliff Avril. The last guy is Cliff, basically because I have a feeling Caroline will scheme around keeping Black Santa in check, which means Avril will have to step it up, and he's more than capable of doing that, he's been a nightmare when he gets going, and as I recall you guys have one O-lineman who's been a liability all year (Mike Remmers), it wouldn't surprise me to see the Seahawks switch out Bennett and Avril to Remmers side the entire game.
Are there any key injuries that will affect the game?
I can say with complete honesty, no. The only player who won't play is Luke Wilson, who is a good tight end, but Helfet and Coffman have proven to be more than capable at filling in.
What concerned you most in last week's game?
The weather, Seahawks fans on here played it down, but everyone knew in reality it would be tough. I don't care who your team is, unless you used to playing in that kind of weather, which the Vikings are, it's going to affect how you play. I know a lot of Panthers fans will look at last week's game and say their not worried because we barely beat the Vikings on the road, but I'd tell them to give serious consideration to how the Panthers would have played in minus 10 degree weather.
Any other relevant information for this game that you feel like Panthers fans should know going into the game.
We were starting Cary Williams last game, I cannot, cannot stress enough how bad he was. Lane is graded as a top 15 corner by PFF since he came back,and that has been huge. Bobby Wagner didn't play last game, he's our best run stuffing/play making/coverage linebacker, he's been on a tear since coming back, cannot understate how important he is to our team, looking at last years team with and without him, it's that peanut butter and opposite of peanut butter thing I said earlier. We also weren't playing Kelcie Mccray or Deshawn Shead last game, do not under any circumstances underestimate how big they've been in our win streak, being able to mix and match DBs/Safeties has been huge for keeping our defense fresh in the game. We've gotten much better on third downs, most Panthers fans probably want to forget we we're leading in our first game, but one of the reasons we kept blowing fourth quarter leads was our offense's inability to stay on the damned field, hasn't been a probably since week 9 or so. Sherman is playing with swagger again, I know to Panthers fans that may not mean much, but I promise you'll see what I mean on Sunday.

HISTORY VS SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

The Panthers and Seahawks have met a total of 10 times with the Seahawks leading the series 7-3. This may not seem like too many matchups, but since 2012 the rivalry (yes, to those outside these two teams, it is very much a rivalry) has grown with each team facing off every year and once in the playoffs, making this Sunday the 6th time in four years the Panthers and Seahawks have met. These two teams have fierce defensive battles each time they meet with a point differential of 31 in the last 5 meetings. Not counting the playoffs, that point difference drops to 17 in 4 regular season games. Combine the elite defenses, mobile and agile quarterbacks, strong running games, and great secondaries, the Panthers and Seahawks are built very similar which usually means great games. The nice thing though is our offense is tough to figure out!
Highlights:

• 10/7/2012 - Charlotte - L 12-16
• 9/8/2013 - Charlotte - L 7-12
• 10/26/2014 - Charlotte - L 9-13
• 1/10/2015 - Seattle - L 17-31 - Playoffs
• 10/18/2015 - Seattle - W 27-23

Date	Location	Result	Score
October 8, 2000	Charlotte	W	26-3
October 31, 2004	Seattle	L	17-23
January 22, 2006	Seattle	L	14-34
December 16, 2007	Charlotte	W	13-10
December 5, 2010	Seattle	L	14-31
October 7, 2012	Charlotte	L	12-16
September 8, 2013	Charlotte	L	7-12
October 26, 2014	Charlotte	L	9-13
January 10, 2015*	Seattle	L	17-31
October 18, 2015	Seattle	W	27-23

(*) Playoff game

Players to Watch

Kawann Short

Unequivocally the best player on the Panthers defensive front, KK Short finished the 2015 season in rare form, wrapping up his second of two "Defensive Player of the Month" awards this season. This is the first time a Panthers player has won this award twice in the same season and the first time in NFL history a defensive tackle has done so. That's right. Suh, Donald, Atkins, etc....none could achieve this. Short is, in his third season of NFL play, quickly turning into a dominant force for the Panthers.
Fresh off a bye week, after soaking up a Pro Bowl nod and a 2nd team All-Pro rep (both his first), KK turns his sites on a banged up Seattle offensive line that struggles to keep Wilson upright at times. Short brings an 11 sack, 3 forced fumbles, and 36 tackle resume to the game. 2 sacks came the last time he faced the Seahawks in week six. With the defensive ends struggling at times, watch for Short to set the tone in the middle.
It will be imperative that Short, with his partner in crime, Star Lotulelei, bring their best game to stuff Seattle's run-intensive offense, and contain Wilson from his explosive capabilities out of the pocket.

Kurt Coleman

Back on the practice field today for the first time since his injury, Coleman's presence is a sight for sore eyes to a Panther's fanbase suffering through some serious secondary hardship. With the losses of Bené Benwikere and Peanut Tillman, the Panthers were forced to make more in-season signings to patch up their cornerback rotation. Practice squad stud Lou Young and Patriots castoff Robert McClain, as well as the now-seasoned Cortland Finnegan, will be on the field Sunday to hold down a secondary that really turned it around this season.
Josh Norman has been acclaimed (and at times reviled) nationally for his elite play (and edgy behavior) in his fourth year breakout season. His numbers speak for themselves and what they don't say has been covered extensively by NFL pundits since September. But the Panthers secondary has another weapon that, outside of local attention, goes fairly unrecognized for his performance this year.
Seahawks fans are no stranger to Coleman, either, as he was badly burned on a trick play the Seahawks ran in week 6, a fake sweep play action pass to Ricardo Lockette, who made a fantastic catch for a TD over Coleman's outstretched body.
And so the narrative would suggest a cause for concern, but Panthers' fans know otherwise as Coleman, like many good players, used this performance as motivation to work harder and elevate his game. Coleman was responsible for one INT prior to the October matchup with Seattle, and then turned it on afterwards, with six picks over 9 games...finishing the season tied for second in the NFL with 7 interceptions.
Coleman ended the regular season tacking on a sack, 9 passes defended and 90 tackles, which was third most on the team behind Kuechly and Davis. His presence back on the field after missing the last regular season contest, will greatly benefit the Panthers secondary, the most injury-riddled unit on the team.

The Return of the Piano Man

After sitting out almost the entire last month of the Panthers' regular season, the franchises favorite classically trained one-man wrecking ball is back just in time to compose Carolina's #2 ranked rushing offense against the league's premiere rushing defense.
Stewart finished the regular season as the #8 back in terms of production, gaining 11 yards shy of the 1,000 mark in 13 games of action. Before going down with sprained foot in the first game against Atlanta, Stewart was the third best back in the league behind Adrian Peterson and Doug Martin. His 7 combined TD's don't tell the whole story of Stewart, who has to share his scores with the #1 rushing QB in the NFL, as well as a pro-bowl fullback in Tolbert. It's not far-fetched to imagine Stewart would have topped the 1,200 yd/10 TD mark had he remained healthy throughout the regular season.
J-Stew is one of the most under-appreciated running backs in the NFL, due in part to missing so much time in seasons past to injury, and playing second-fiddle to DeAngelo Williams for most of his career in Carolina...one of the first teams to deploy a genuine running back by committee approach. But the silver lining in Stewart's career on a committee is longevity and Stewart has had an incredible resurgence since taking over for Williams late last season. He has not disappointed taking on the team's full-time tailback role. He's one of the most difficult backs in the league to take down and his ability to gain yards after initial contact is elite.
For anyone wondering if Stewart will be rusty from an extended break in action, note that he came off a comparable injury stint on December 7, 2014 to tune up the Saints for 155 yards and a score in the Panthers' blowout victory. He posted 78 yards and 2 TD's in Carolina's first game against the Seahawks this season. Expect a rested Stewart to find his rhythm on Sunday.

Devin Funchess and Ted Ginn, Jr.

One of the themes leading in to this game is that Seattle is "not the same team" as the one Carolina faced in week 6. Really there is no argument. The Seahawks went 8-2 down the stretch and, due largely to Russell Wilson, looked like their former dominant selves again in the back half of the season.
But this same sentiment holds true in Carolina. At the time when Seattle and Carolina met for the first time, Carolina was still struggling to find its rhythm in the passing game. Up to and including the first Seahawks contest, Ted Ginn, Jr. and Devin Funchess combined for 286 yards and 3 TD's in five games. In the 10 games since week 6 (Both were inactive for one game afterwards each), Ginn and Funchess have combined for 926 yards and 12 TD's.
The Panthers don't feature any premiere names at receiver and were a squad the NFL media left for dead when the true #1 option, Kelvin Benjamin, went down in the preseason with a torn ACL. This group didn't necessarily light the world on fire, but they outperformed expectations this year and contributed heavily to the Panthers league-leading scoring offense. Yards and production can be deceiving when you consider that the Panthers also led the league in both turnovers and turnover margin this season, taking the ball away a ridiculous 39 times. Playing on short fields provided by the defense allowed the Panthers to post up points on lots of short fields.
As the Seahawks plan to try and figure out a way to stop Third Leg Greg, who ripped off 131 yards and a score in week six, they now must also account for a much more polished group of receivers who also include Jericho Cotchery (Clutchery around these parts) who is always at the right place at the right time with the most reliable hands on the team. The Seattle defense will need to digest all of these moving parts, while also accounting for Stewart, Cameron Artis-Payne, and Mike Tolbert out of the backfield on two weeks rest.
There is another player on offense that Seattle has to account for, but I'm having trouble remembering who that is. Oh...that's right...

THIS GUY

The talk all week, and deservingly so, will cover the NFL's newfound conference rivalry between two quarterbacks that are changing the way the game is being played....Cam Newton and Russell Wilson. There have been many discussions about which of these guys is better...and with the recent success of the two franchises, is a matchup turning in to this decade's Manning/Brady contest in terms of buzz and heated debates between the fan bases.
While Russell Wilson hit the league by storm and has found a lot of success since his inaugural NFL season, Cam's elevation has taken longer to round in to form. Unlike Wilson, Cam had to deal with the loss of his first OC and waded through several years while the Panthers new DC fashioned the defense in to a premiere unit. Cam came in to the NFL with a lot of raw potential but not a lot of experience playing in pro-style offenses. His truncated (but very successful) NCAA experience made him a work-in-progress and Cam has spent several seasons making eye-popping plays with his legs, but being inconsistent with his arm. He had difficulties moving through his reads, putting too much juice on the ball, and sailing passes high.
This season Cam has made huge leaps in his passing game development, topping 3,800 yards again for the first time since 2012 with one of the most pedestrian set of receivers to play this season. His 35 passing TD's are his career best by a wide margin, and coupled with his 10 rushing TD's, made him the league's top scoring player. His trajectory continues to rise each season and now, as a seasoned playoff quarterback, has a lot of prove at home against one of his team's biggest challenges during his short career in pro football.
This week will mark the sixth time these teams have played in five years and Cam is only 1-5 in those contests, which include a brutal divisional-round loss last season in Seattle in front of a raucous crowd. Cam sets out to prove that he finally shed the Seattle Monkey off his back in October, when he went completely bonkers in the 4th quarter, completing 12/15 for 162 yards and 2 TDs in the last two drives of the quarter.

What to Watch:

Michael Bennett vs Panthers Running Squad

According to the folks over at /Seahawks , Michael Bennett and the Seahawks entire defensive line did an amazing job shutting down the run last week. This week with JStew coming back, CAP, and Tolbert there will be a lot for their D-line to worry about. Watch for JStew's return this week and Michael Bennett to see how he does trying to shut down the run game.

Russell Wilson vs Panthers Secondary

Wilson finished the game last week with only 13 completions on 26 attempts, but just keep in mind he was playing in sub-zero temperatures. The Panthers secondary has been superb all year and Sunday will be no exception. Coleman will be back which will be a big help to the secondary. Don't be surprised to see a few interceptions by the thieves this week!

CaMVP vs Kam Chancellor and the Seahawks Secondary

Cam the absolute monster of a QB he is will be throwing against some top tier Safeties and Corners this week. He threw 2 picks last time they played Seattle at the beginning of the season. One was purely a bad decision and his arm got hit on the other. Kam had one of those interceptions on Newton in their last matchup. This game will be one to watch for sure. Keep an eye out for Cam and Kam this Sunday.

Injury Report: CAROLINA PANTHERS

Name	Pos.	Injury	Status
Fozzy Whittaker	RB	Ankle	DNP

Injury Report: SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

Name	Pos.	Injury	Status
Will Tukuafu	FB	Hamstring	DNP
Michael Bennett	DE	Toe	DNP

Playoffs - Divisional Round Picks

Networks

CBS

	Pete Prisco	Jason LaConfora	Will Brinson	Jared Dubin	Ryan Wilson	John Breech	Dave Richard	Jamey Eisenberg
Record	155-101	152-104	153-103	150-106	154-102	154-102	168-88*	163-93
	X		X	X	X		X	X
		X				X

FOX

	Mike Garafalo	Alex Marvez	Peter Schrager	Jimmy Traina	James Parziale	Sid Saraf	Ross Jones
Record	163-97*	161-99	133-127	157-103	152-108	154-106	148-112
	X	X		X		X
			X		X		X

ESPN

	Mike Golic	Merril Hoge	Ron Jaworski	Chris Mortenson	Adam Caplan	Mark Sclereth	Tom Jackson	Keyshawn Johnson	Mike Ditka	Chris Carter
Record	155-105	162-98	161-99	165-95*	156-104	159-101	156-104	163-97	155-105	160-100
		X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
	X

*indicates lead dog

TOTALS

	CBS	FOX	ESPN	Total
	6	4	9	19
	2	3	1	6

Computer Analysis

	538	Microsoft Cortana
Record	175-85	163-97
	55%	57%
	45%	43%

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

• Nervous Nellies
• Update on the Chosen 1
• Even Sherman likes Newton

Reminder to not go into the Saints or Seahawks subreddit after the game on Sunday.

Last Note:

I didn't do any of this, this week. The team really stepped up while I had to attend to real life matters. I finalized a few things and didn't get a chance to read over it all and edit it properly. This is the most unedited piece and it shows just how good of a team we have. Great job to everyone. Seriously. Y'all have no idea how much work is put into these posts and everyone behinds the scenes deserves 99% of the credit.
Thanks to the team:

• appgrad22
• Captainsparrow11
• JCoxRocks
• Spiralyst
• ACraftyRooster
• Wu-Tang_Cam

KEEP POUNDING.

Philadelphia Eagles (0-0) vs Cleveland Browns (0-0)

From the moment the schedule was released back in April, fans knew that September 11 would mark the first game of Doug Pederson’s tenure as the Eagles’ head coach. What fans didn’t know, and what the Eagles didn’t even know until this past weekend, is that it will also be the first game of the Carson Wentz era.
The Sam Bradford trade on Saturday came as a shock to just about everyone, but it opened the door for Wentz, the No. 2 overall pick in April’s draft, to make his NFL debut in the season opener. He’ll be the first Eagles rookie quarterback to start an opener since Davey O’Brien in 1939. And how’s this for intrigue: He’ll make his debut against the Cleveland Browns - the team in need of a quarterback for the future that had the opportunity to select Wentz, but instead traded the second pick away to the Eagles.
There are so many areas of interest and questions to be answered for the Eagles on Sunday. What will the offense really look like? How much does it change with Wentz at the helm? Can the defense keep up its lights-out play from the preseason? What will we learn about Pederson as a playcaller and as a risk-taker? On top of all of those questions about what could be for the Eagles this year, there’s also the raw excitement of the NFL regular season being back. Real football will be played at Lincoln Financial Field, and it should be a blast.
The Eagles and Browns will be linked for years to come because of the Wentz trade. The Eagles saw a 23-year old quarterback who they had to go all-in for. The Browns saw a chance to pick up for draft assets and build in other ways. Cleveland had a whopping 14 draft picks in the 2016 NFL Draft, and every single one of them made the 53-man roster. In the first round, they moved back again to the 15th pick and selected Baylor’s Corey Coleman, the first receiver to go in the draft. In an attempt to revamp the offense, Cleveland selected four receivers in the draft, and all of them could make an impact on Sunday.
But the issue for the Browns that has lingered over them since they came back into the NFL in 1999 has been quarterback play. From Tim Couch to Brady Quinn to Brandon Weeden to Johnny Manziel, the Browns have taken their chances on first-round picks to play the quarterback position. None of them have panned out though, so Cleveland goes with another second overall pick at quarterback this year (although he wasn’t drafted by the Browns) in former Washington first-round selection Robert Griffin III. The last time RGIII played in Philadelphia was in 2014, a game in which the Eagles came away victorious. He’ll look to change his fortunes this time around.

General Information
Posting Rules and Guidelines
Remember to join us on Slack during the game!
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New to the Eagles? Take a look at our New Fan Page!

Game Time	Game Location
1:00 PM - Eastern	Lincoln Financial Field
12:00 PM - Central	1020 Pattison Ave
11:00 AM - Mountain	Philadelphia, PA 19148
10:00 AM - Pacific	Wikipedia - Map

Weather Forecast
Stadium Type: Open Air
Temperature: 85°F
Feels Like: 86°F
Forecast: Partly Cloudy/Possible Showers
Humidity: 39%
Chance of Precipitation: 2%
Cloud Coverage: 22%
Wind: SE 9 MPH

Betting Odds
Oddsshark Information
Favorite/Opening Line: Eagles by -3.5
OveUnder: 41
Record VS. Spread: Eagles 0-0, Browns 0-0

Where to Watch on TV
CBS - Greg Gumbel, Trent Green, and Jamie Erdahl
TV Map - Week 1 TV Coverage Map

Internet Streams
NFL Streams - Look here 30 minutes before the game for Streams

Listen to Merrill Reese and Mike Quick

Location	Station	Frequency
Philadelphia, PA	WIP-FM	94.1 FM and 610 AM
Allentown, PA	WCTO-FM	96.1 FM
Levittown, PA	WBCB-AM	1490 AM
Wilmington, DE	WDEL-AM	1150 AM
Reading, PA	WEEU-AM	830 AM
Sunbury, PA	WEGH-FM	107.3 FM
Pottsville, PA	WPPA-AM	1360 AM
Williamsport, PA	WBZD-FM	93.3 FM
Harrisburg/York/Lancaster, PA	WSOX-FM	96.1 FM
Salisbury/Ocean City, MD	WAFL-FM	97.7 FM
Wilkes-Barre / Scranton, PA	WEZX-FM	106.9 and 107.3
Atlantic City, NJ	WENJ-AM	97.3 FM/1450 AM
Milford, DE	WAFL-FM	97.7 FM

Spanish Radio
Rickie Ricardo, Gus Salazar and Macu Berral will handle the broadcast in Spanish on El Zol (1340 AM) in Philadelphia.

Satellite Radio

Station	Eagles Channel	Browns Channel
Sirius Radio	SIRI 132 (Internet 824)	SIRI 112 (Internet 807)
XM Radio	XM 231 (Internet 824)	XM Internet 807
Sirius XM Radio	SXM 231(Internet 824)	SXM 285 (Internet 807)

NFC East Standings

Team	W	L	Pct	PF	PA	Net Pts	TD	Home	Road	Div	Pct	Conf	Pct	Non-Conf	Streak	Last 5
Redskins	0	0	0.000	0	0	0	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0.000	0-0	0.000	0-0	0	0-0
Eagles	0	0	0.000	0	0	0	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0.000	0-0	0.000	0-0	0	0-0
Giants	0	0	0.000	0	0	0	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0.000	0-0	0.000	0-0	0	0-0
Cowboys	0	0	0.000	0	0	0	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0.000	0-0	0.000	0-0	0	0-0

Series Information
The Cleveland Browns leads Philadelphia Eagles (31-16-1)
Series History
Head to Head Box Scores
Points Leader
The Cleveland Browns lead the Philadelphia Eagles (1201-901)
Coaches Record
Doug Pederson: 0-0 against the Browns
Hue Jackson: 0-0 against Eagles
Coaches Head to Head
Doug Pederson vs Hue Jackson: First Meeting
Quarterback Record
Carson Wentz: Against Browns: 0-0
Robert Griffin III: Against Eagles: 3-2
Quarterbacks Head to Head
Carson Wentz vs Robert Griffin III: First Meeting
Records per Stadium
Record @ Lincoln Financial Field: Eagles lead the Browns: 1-0
Record @ First Energy Stadium: Eagles lead the Browns: 3-0

Rankings and Last Meeting Information
AP Pro 32 Ranking
Eagles No. 28 - Browns No. 32
Last Week
Eagles: (Preseason) W 24-17 vs Jets
Browns: (Preseason) L 21-7 vs Bears
Last Meeting
Sept 09, 2012 - Eagles 17 - Browns 16.
Philadelphia QB Michael Vick threw for 317 yards & 2 TDs. Eagles TE Clay Harbor had a Game Winning 4-yard Touchdown catch with 1:23 remaining in 4th quarter.
Click here to view the Video Recap
Click here to view the Stats Recap
Last Meeting At Site
Dec 15, 2008 - Eagles 30 - Browns 10.
Philadelphia QB Donovan McNabb throws for 290 yards & 2 TDs. Eagles CB Asante Samuel has 50-yard INT-TD.
Click here to view the Video Recap
Click here to view the Stats Recap

Last 10 Meetings

Date	Winner	Loser	Score
09/09/2012	Eagles	Browns	17-16
12/15/2008	Eagles	Browns	30-10
10/24/2004	Eagles	Browns	34-31 OT
12/10/2000	Eagles	Browns	35-24
11/13/1994	Browns	Eagles	26-7
11/10/1991	Eagles	Browns	32-30
10/16/1988	Browns	Eagles	19-3
09/19/1982	Eagles	Browns	24-21
11/04/1979	Browns	Eagles	24-19
11/14/1976	Browns	Eagles	24-3

Injury Reports	Depth Charts
Eagles	Eagles
Browns	Browns

2016 Weekly Matchup
Week 1 - Iron Rank Matchup
Week 1 - "Expert" Picks
Week 1 - Sporting Charts Matchup (2015 Season)

2015 Stats (Starters/Leaders)
Eagles Season Stats
Browns Season Stats

2016 Stats (Starters/Leaders)

Not Available for Week 1 - Will Return Week 2

League Rankings 2015

Offense Rankings

Team	Overall	Passing	Rushing
Eagles	12	12	14
Browns	25	21	22

Defense Rankings

Team	Overall	Passing	Rushing
Eagles	30	28	32
Browns	27	22	30

General
Referee: Walt Anderson
Hue Jackson makes his debut as the Browns' head coach after two seasons as Cincinnati's defensive coordinator. It's the second head-coaching stint for Jackson, who went 8-8 with Oakland in 2011.
Doug Pederson makes his coaching debut for Eagles. Pederson was one of the 24 QBs to start for Browns since '99.
In 2015, the Browns finished 30th in the NFL in points per game, averaging just 17.4 points per contest. Meanwhile, the Eagles’ defense led the NFL with just 9.5 points allowed per game during the 2016 preseason.
The Eagles have won six of their last eight matchups against Cleveland (four in a row) dating back to 1982. Eagles have averaged 28.7 points in those wins.
The last time that Browns QB Robert Griffin III started at Lincoln Financial Field, the Eagles held him to just a 48.6 completion percentage (November 2013).
New Eagles DC Jim Schwartz has three starters who played for him elsewhere: LB Nigel Bradham, S Rodney McLeod, CB Leodis McKelvin. Backup LB Stephen Tulloch also played for Schwartz.
QB Robert Griffin III is the 25th QB to start for Browns since '99.
The Browns have lost an NFL-record 11 straight openers and are 1-16 in Week 1 since 1999. Their only win came in 2004 against Baltimore under coach Butch Davis.
The Browns have 17 rookies, 13 draft picks this year, and have 27 new players on roster from year ago.

Eagles
QB Carson Wentz makes his NFL debut against the team that could've drafted him but instead they traded the #2 overall pick to the Philadelphia Eagles. Wentz led North Dakota State to back-to-back NCAA Division I FCS national championships in 2014 and 2015
RB Ryan Matthews had an average of 5.1 rushing yards last season which ranked him 4th in the NFL.
WR Jordan Matthews has collected 152 receptions since 2014, which is the 10th most receptions in NFL history through the first two seasons of a career.
WR Dorial Green-Beckham will make his Eagles debut and may start the game. In 2015, Green-Becham led rookies with an average of 17.2 yards per catch.
TE Zach Ertz has 450 receiving yards in his last 4 games and joins TE Jimmy Graham as the only NFL Tight Ends with 450+ yards over a 4 game span since the 2013 season.
DT Fletcher Cox had 8.5 sacks in past 12 games.
LB Connor Barwin has 6.5 sacks in the past 6 games against AFC teams.
S Malcolm Jenkins had a career-high 104 tackles with 10 passes defensed and 3 forced fumbles last season.
S Rodney McLeod is making his Eagles debut as well. In 2015 McLeod had a career-high 81 tackles with 3 forced fumbles with the Rams.
The Eagles Offensive Line enters the season fully intact, despite reports over the past month that T Lane Johnson would be suspended for 10 games for violating the league's policy regarding performance-enhancing substances.

Browns
QB Robert Griffin III makes his debut in Cleveland. When playing for the Redskins, Griffin made 5 starts against the Eagles with an overall rating of 98.3. His most dominant game against the Eagles was on November 18, 2012. In that meeting Griffin was able to complete 14 of 15 passes (93.3%) for 200 yards for 4 TDs & 0 INTs for 158.3 rating. Additonally, he managed to 84 yards rushing.
OT Joe Thomas is the only Offensive Lineman in NFL history to be selected to the Pro Bowl in each of his 1st 9 seasons. Thomas has not missed snap since joining team in 2007. His consecutive plays streak of 8,959 is current longest in league.
RB Isaiah Crowell lead the Browns in 2015 with 706 rushing yards and 4 rushing touchdowns.
RB Duke Johnson, Jr ranked 4th among NFL RBs last season with 61 catches for 534 yards.
TE Gary Barnidge had a career-high 79 catches for 1,043 yards and 9 touchdowns in 2015. His 9 receiving touchdowns tied HOF TE Ozzie Newsome (1979) for most ever by a Browns TE.
WR Corey Coleman was selected 15th overall by the Browns. Coleman won the 2015 Biletnikoff Award as NCAA’s best receiver.
Since 2010, CBs Tramon Williams (92) and Joe Haden (90) are the top 2 CBs in NFL when it comes to Passes Defensed.
LB DeMario Davis joins Cleveland after 4 years with the New York Jets. Davis has started all 48 games & has 305 tackles in past 3 seasons.
Browns are without top pass rushers OLB Armonty Bryant (suspension) and DE Desmond Bryant (season-ending pectoral injury).

Milestones
TE Brent Celek (371) needs three catches to pass Pete Pihos (373) for fourth in Eagles history.
TE Brent Celek (4,713) can move into 8th place on the Eagles all-time receiving list with 59 more yards. He would pass WR Ben Hawkins (4,764) and WR Jeremy Maclin (4,771). Additionally, with 287 more yards he would reach 5000 career receiving yards.
RB Darren Sproles (17,903) needs 97 more all-purpose yards to reach 18,000 career all-purpose yards. Additionally, Sproles is 266 all-purpose yards away from moving into the NFL's top 10 all time list passing RB Herschel Walker.
DE Fletcher Cox (22.0) can move into the 20th spot on the Eagles All Time Sack List with 1 more sack, passing DE Darren Howard (22.5)
OLB Connor Barwin can move into 17th place on the Eagles All Time Sack List with 1 more sack, passing DT Darwin Walker (26.0).
RB Isaiah Crowell (1313) needs 88 yards to move into the 20th on the Browns All Time Rushing list, passing RB Jamel White (1324), RB Fred Morrison (1398), and RB Jerome Harrison (1401).

Matchups to Watch
CB Leodis McKelvin vs. WR Corey Coleman
Corey Coleman was the 2015 Biletnikoff Award winner, given to the top receiver in college football. In his final season at Baylor, he racked up 1,363 yards and a remarkable 20 touchdowns. Coleman missed a large chunk of the preseason with a hamstring injury, but he’s without a doubt the Browns’ top receiver as Josh Gordon is suspended for the first four games of the season.
McKelvin is also a former first-round pick in his own right, and while he has familiarity with Jim Schwartz, he’s still looking to have a good first impression in front of Eagles fans for his first regular season home game. Nolan Carroll will get his chances versus Coleman as well, but McKelvin figures to see the lion’s share of No. 19.
TE Gary Barnidge vs. LB Jordan Hicks/CB Ron Brooks
Tight end Gary Barnidge had never caught more than 13 passes in a season before 2015. Seemingly out of nowhere, he hauled in 79 passes for 1,043 yards and nine touchdowns last season, earning his first Pro Bowl appearance. Cleveland has added a lot in terms of perimeter receiver threats, but Barnidge could still be the go-to weapon in the middle of the field.
He’ll get some helps from slot corners and safeties, but Jordan Hicks was the Eagles' best coverage linebacker last season and figures to take on the leading role of keeping Barnidge at bay. Hicks hasn’t played a regular season game since the breakout game he had versus Dallas last season in Week 9, but he can make an early mark on 2016 by limiting Barnidge in the passing game
DE Connor Barwin/DE Vinny Curry vs. T Joe Thomas
Joe Thomas might be the most consistent player in football. The third overall pick in 2007, Thomas has played nine seasons in the NFL. During that time, he’s never missed a game, and by the way, he’s made nine Pro Bowls. It’s incredible to think that a player could make the Pro Bowl every single season of his career, but Thomas has done that. Expect Connor Barwin and Vinny Curry to give him an early test though. The Eagles’ defensive line was dominant during the preseason, and they’ll give Thomas everything he can handle on Sunday.