Welcome to the Tuesday edition of the Pick Six newsletter!
After mulling it over for the past 24 hours, I have decided that my new favorite sports team is any team that Stan Kroenke owns. The man owns multiple teams, and those teams are winning everything. The most recent example of this came last night when Kroenke’s Nuggets took home the NBA title with a 4-1 series win over the Heat.
Over the past 16 months, Kroenke has now won four titles:
- Los Angeles Rams win Super Bowl LVI (Feb. 13, 2022)
- Colorado Mammoth win National Lacrosse League championship (June 18, 2022)
- Colorado Avalanche win Stanley Cup (June 26, 2022)
- Denver Nuggets win NBA championship (June 12, 2023)
I haven’t seen a run like this since Biff Tannen in “Back to the Future II,” which obviously means that Kroenke somehow got his hands on a copy of Gray’s Sports Almanac. That’s the only way to explain how he knew which teams to buy.
Anyway, I’m done talking about Kroenke. Let’s get to today’s rundown.
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1. Today’s show: Team that will finish with the most wins
After a brief absence from the show, we welcomed Jason La Canfora back to the Pick Six Podcast this week. He was also on last week, which makes me think that his appearances might now become a weekly thing, which would be a win for everyone.
Every show with La Canfora is a wild ride, and today’s episode was no different. One of his favorite things to talk about is gambling, so that’s exactly what we did today.
Today’s gambling topic: Which NFL team will finish with the best record?
JLC’S TAKE: The Chiefs (+380) are currently the favorites to finish with the best record, but JLC decided to think outside the box with his answer: He went with the JAGUARS.
“They play in what is probably the worst division or second-worst division,” La Canfora said. “This is a team that last year, learned to believe in itself, learned how to win games, learned how to come from behind and win games even when they weren’t at their best. At +1400, I like it. … I think things set up pretty well for them.”
JLC also mentioned that he thinks the No. 1 seed in the AFC will be “within reach” for the Jaguars.
BRINSON’S TAKE: Brinson thinks AFC teams are going to beat up on each other, which is why he likes an NFC team to finish with the best record, and not just any NFC teams: He specifically likes TWO NFC SOUTH teams.
“The NFC is completely watered down, especially in the NFC South,” Brinson said. “If you sweep that division and pick up a few other wins along the way, it’s not out of the question at all for an NFC South team to steal this. You’re going to have a bunch of AFC teams battle each other for that top spot and you’re probably not going to see an AFC team go 15-2. It’s a tough ask for Carolina or Atlanta, but I like both of those teams for most wins.”
Brinson was clearly drawn to the long odds of each team. The Panthers are a 150-to-1 long shot to finish with the best record while the Falcons are 80-to-1.
MOX’S TAKE: Pick Six Host Katie Mox decided to go with the obvious pick here: She went with the Chiefs. Sometimes, the obvious pick is the smart pick.
Katie, Brinson and JLC also revealed some of their favorite point spreads for Week 1, and if you want to know what those are, make sure to listen to today’s show, which you can do here. You can also watch today’s show on YouTube by clicking here.
2. Best move made by each NFC team this offseason
From free agency to the draft to making trades, it’s been a busy offseason for every team in the NFC. One thing that’s always true about the offseason is that some moves are better than others, and since we wanted to know which ones were the best, we had Jeff Kerr go through and come up with the best move that each NFC team made this offseason.
Here’s a look at the best move made by five of the teams in the NFC:
- Cardinals: Traded No. 3 overall pick to Texans. “The Cardinals have made it clear they won’t be contending for the NFC West this year, but with this trade, the franchise did put itself in a great position to get two of the top picks in the 2024 NFL Draft.”
- Cowboys: Traded for Brandin Cooks. “Dallas didn’t give up much to acquire a player of Cooks’ talent, who should be a viable No. 2 option behind CeeDee Lamb in 2023. … Cooks makes the Cowboys offense better, as Dallas will have a different look in the passing game with no Dalton Schultz in the fold.”
- Saints: Signed Derek Carr. “The Saints have gone through a whirlwind at quarterback since Drew Brees retired, starting five different quarterbacks in two seasons with no playoff appearances. In a wide open NFC South, the Saints now have the division’s best quarterback with Carr.”
- Giants: Traded for Darren Waller. “The Giants certainly lacked a playmaking tight end last season, but Waller will certainly provide that if he can stay healthy.”
- Commanders: Hired Eric Bieniemy as offensive coordinator. “Getting Bieniemy to leave Kansas City and become a play-caller was the best move the Commanders could have made this offseason. Bieniemy takes over a Commanders offense that has started 12 different quarterbacks since 2018 — the most in the NFL over that span. Bieniemy played a crucial role in the development of Patrick Mahomes and the evolution of the Kansas City Chiefs offense over the past five years.”
If you want to see the best move that was made by each team in the NFC, then be sure to click here.
3. Head coaches on shaky ground heading into the 2023 season
With the start of the NFL season still roughly three months away, there aren’t really any coaches on the hot seat just yet, but there are definitely a few who will be heading into the 2023 season on shaky ground.
Cody Benjamin put together a list of seven coaches who will probably want to get off to a hot start this year if they want to avoid being on the hot seat. Here’s a look at three of the coaches on his list:
- Brandon Staley (Chargers). “Staley has kept Los Angeles competitive … but his teams have folded at the worst times, in dramatic fashion. His first year ended with quizzical time management in a Week 18 play-in defeat, and last year ended with a blown 27-0 playoff lead, the worst in team history.”
- Kevin Stefanski (Browns). “After winning a playoff game during his first year in Cleveland, his teams have gotten progressively worse since, dropping to 8-9 in 2021 and then 7-10 last season. Now, whether he likes it or not, all his eggs are in the Deshaun Watson basket; after the embattled former Texans star flopped post-suspension in 2022, it’s on Stefanski to quickly rejuvenate the QB in a tough AFC North.”
- Mike McCarthy (Cowboys). “He’s also found just one playoff victory in Dallas, upending elite offensive weaponry with curious late-game calls in consecutive season-ending losses. With former Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore now gone, the offense will now hinge on McCarthy the play-caller to secure the Cowboys’ first title bid since the 1990s.”
To see the full list of all the coaches who are shaky ground heading into 2023, be sure to click here.
4. Mandatory minicamp: Top storylines for the 21 teams holding practices this week
Guess what everyone, we’ve done it! We have finally reached the final week of mandatory minicamp. After this week, there won’t be anymore NFL practices held until each team’s training camp opens in July. Before we get to that, though, we have 21 teams holding their mandatory minicamp this week.
Keeping tabs on 21 teams isn’t easy, but Tyler Sullivan managed to do that for us today. With the 21 minicamps kicking off this week, Sullivan went through and looked at one big storyline for each of the 21 teams that will be on the field.
Let’s take a look at a few of the storylines that Sullivan is monitoring:
- Ravens: Lamar Jackson is trying to learn a new offense “With his contract issues behind him, Lamar Jackson can center his focus on learning Baltimore’s new offense under OC Todd Monken. The expectation is that Jackson will be throwing the football more than he has in the past, and the Ravens did revamp the wide receiver room this offseason by adding Odell Beckham Jr. and drafting Zay Flowers in the first round of the NFL Draft.”
- Bengals: Jonah Williams is expected to transition to right tackle. “If Williams shows up to minicamp, the team will also get an update on his health after undergoing knee surgery in February. If he’s cleared by team doctors, he could get some initial reps at right tackle leading up to a potential training camp battle between him, La’el Collins — who is also coming back from knee surgery — and Jackson Carman.” Note: Although Williams didn’t initially want to play right tackle, he said Monday that he’ll be “happy” to be a contributor in any way despite making a trade request earlier this offseason.
- Texans: C.J. Stroud gearing up for rookie season. “By all accounts, No. 2 overall pick C.J. Stroud is coming into minicamp as the presumptive Week 1 starter. With that in mind, this period will be a continuation for him to set a solid foundation before training camp.”
- Broncos: Sean Payton continues to have a major impact on the team. “Payton’s arrival should shift the culture at Mile High, and it’ll be intriguing to see how much magic he can work on Wilson to get him back to the quarterback he was in Seattle. If he can do that, Denver has the pieces to turn things around in a hurry.”
If you want to see the storylines from the 17 other teams that will be kicking off minicamp this week, be sure to click here.
5. Bill Belichick reveals his list for best player of all time in each phase of the game
Bill Belichick is arguably the best coach in NFL history and not many people have been around the game longer than the Patriots coach. Belichick took his first NFL job in 1975 as an assistant with the Colts and he’s been on an NFL sideline in every season since then. After nearly 50 years of coaching, Belichick seems more qualified than anyone to rank the best players of all time, and that’s what he did this week, but with a twist.
The Patriots coach gave his pick for the best offensive player, best defensive player and best special teams players, and the twist here is that he COACHED THEM ALL at one point.
- Best offensive player: Tom Brady (Years under Belichick: 2000-2019)
- Best defensive player: Lawrence Taylor (Years under Belichick: 1985-1990)
- Best special teams player: Matthew Slater (Years under Belichick: 2008-current)
Belichick served as the head coach for Brady and Slater in New England, but his time with Taylor came as the Giants’ defensive coordinator.
“I feel like I’ve coached the best offensive player, the best player in football in Tom [Brady]; the best defensive player in football in L.T. [Lawrence Taylor], and the best special-teams player in football in Matt Slater,” Belichick said in a recent interview with the 33rd Team. “If you’re a coach and you coach Taylor, Brady and Slater, that’s three pretty good players.”
For more on Belichick’s comments, be sure to go here.
6. Extra points: Stefon Diggs a no-show for mandatory minicamp
It’s been a busy 24 hours in the NFL, and since it’s nearly impossible to keep track of everything that happened, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you.
- Bills ‘concerned’ after Stefon Diggs doesn’t show up for minicamp. The Bills are kicking off their mandatory minicamp today, and so far, there has been one noticeable absence: Stefon Diggs. The receiver was expected to be there and now that he’s a no-show, Bills coach Sean McDermott admitted that he’s “very concerned” with the situation. It’s not clear if Diggs wants more money or if he wants to be traded, but this is definitely something that could become an issue for the Bills. The last time we saw Diggs on the field, he was chewing out Josh Allen in a playoff loss to the Bengals and things clearly haven’t gotten better since then.
- James Robinson out in New England. Just three months after signing with the Patriots, James Robinson is already done in New England. Robinson tore his Achilles in 2021 and has been battling injuries ever since then. It appears that his injury issues were a big reason why the Patriots decided to dump him. You can read more about his release and where he might end up by clicking here.
- Super Bowl-winning kicker dies at age 82. Jim Turner, who kicked three field goals in the Jets’ shocking upset win over the Colts in Super Bowl III, has passed away at the age of 82. Turner started his career with the Jets in 1964 and ended up spending 16 seasons in the NFL. Not only did Turner win a Super Bowl with the Jets, but the two-time Pro Bowler also played in Super Bowl XII with the Broncos. Turner spent nine seasons with the Broncos (1971-79) and is currently the third-leading scorer in franchise history. Turner’s 1,439 career points ranks as the 31st most in NFL history.
- XFL lost $60 million in 2023. From a financial standpoint, the XFL had a rough year in 2023. According to multiple reports, the league lost $60 million. If the losses keep piling up, it’s going to be hard for the XFL to stick around, which is why we came up with several suggestions that could help the XFL survive. You can read those suggestions here.
- Browns unveil new logo. The Browns held a contest this offseason to let fans design and vote on a new dog logo, and that logo was finally unveiled on Monday. The new dog is ferocious and you can see what it looks like by clicking here.
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Author: John Breech
June 13, 2023 | 1:34 pm
