Jonathan Taylor is a running back for the Indianapolis Colts. He came into the NFL last year and did amazing. Everyone knew that he was something special. He posted 1,169 rushing yards, 11 rushing touchdowns, and had a 5.0 yard per carry.

He was the clear centerpiece of the Colts offense. This amazing rookie season led him into the playoffs in which he ran for about 70 yards and had a rushing touchdown. Definitely not bad for a rookie’s first playoff game. Jonathan Taylor knew that coming into this season he was going to get more volume. He knew that he would have more production shares on the field, and he prevailed.

The Indianapolis Colts have one of the best offensive lines in football. Quinten Nelson is a multiple time pro-bowler and a great player. While the Colts do deserve a lot of credit for Taylor’s success, his running ability is truly something to keep an eye on. He averaged about 5.0 yards per carry in his rookie season, but this season it’s on a different level. In his second season, he is now averaging 5.6 yards per carry!

Jonathan Taylor has had eight games this season in which he ran for over 100 yards. He is leading the NFL in rushing yards with 1,518, 17 rushing touchdowns, and 270 rushing attempts. Earlier this season, he surprisingly wasn’t getting a lot of touches. He went nine straight games in which he didn’t eclipse 19 or more carries, and was still among the top five in rushing yards.

What makes Jonathan Taylor so special is his ability to run the ball. He isn’t involved in the passing game. Despite his usual 36-40 receptions a season with about 300-400 receiving yards, he isn’t actually a good route runner. He’s not among the top receiving backs, and honestly, is far from it. It’s Jonathan Taylor’s ability to use his strength, speed, and freakish awareness to swift and sway away from defenders.

Many believe Jonathan Taylor to be the MVP. Because of what he’s doing, and because there’s distance between him and every other running back, it might just be true. It’s extremely rare for a running back to win the MVP award. The last running back to accomplish this feat was LaDanian Tomlinson back in 2006. He had close to 2,000 rushing yards and over 25 rushing touchdowns.

Jonathan Taylor is in his second season. He is immaculate, and will definitely be one of the best running backs in the league in a matter of years. His contract is far from over, and the Indianapolis Colts are actually a young team. They have multiple young players who have immense potential.

There are two more games left in the regular season, and if Jonathan Taylor can keep this hot streak up, there’s no reason why the Indianapolis Colts can’t advance to the playoffs once again.

The NBA has been very disappointing over the past decade. All of the rules that have been implemented to make the game pretty much impossible to play have gone on for far too long.

In comparison to the other years, the NBA hasn’t lived up to being the global entity that it once was. Many long-term fans haven’t felt the urge to watch their teams play because of how soft the league is. These new rules have completely changed the game. Some rules include the takeaway of hand-checking, offensive players being able to hook their arms into their opponents to draw fouls, and being inside a players “landing zone.”

Hand-checking was defined as a defender being allowed to use one or both hands to steer his opponent wherever they wanted to go. It was the ultimate key to why it was so much harder to score back then. Despite your athletic ability to do whatever it was on the court, you literally had to fight your way to almost every possession to put the ball in the basket. Hand-checking has been removed ever since the 90s ended. It is now illegal to hand-check and if a player commits this, it could lead to serious trouble.

This is being looked at as a huge deal because when players lose their temper and talk back to the referees, it’s the players who get in trouble for it. The amount of money that players get fined in the NBA for bad behavior is ridiculous. An NBA fine for getting ejected is anything higher than $1,000, and that’s the bare minimum. An NBA fine for getting a technical foul is anywhere between $5,000-50,000. It never exceeds that much, but there have been cases where players have come close.

The ejections and technical fouls that these players face is astronomical. The money being put on the table is one thing, but the impact the players have on the game when they’re being escorted out of the arena is another. The pace of the game is much faster in today’s NBA. This makes for more possessions on the court, and it seems like players wouldn’t have restrictions, but they do.

The average amount of fouls drawn in the 90s was around 22 per game. That’s not a bad sample size. Well, now the NBA has more than 48 fouls drawn on a per game basis. That is double the amount of fouls drawn on a per game basis, making the game much more stressful. It’s not a surprise at all how many ejections and technical fouls players face all the time because basketball is being played in Candy Land.

NBA players do have to understand their emotions. They don’t have to control their emotions, and they should take the time to view them from different angles. All of that is true, and better yet, it makes sense. However, that is next to impossible when their emotions are in jeopardy every single night they play basketball. They should just be able to go out there and do what they love to do. There should be absolutely no restrictions on anyone.

Everything that comes into play with these new rules all come together to prove how unwatchable the NBA is. In terms of how many views the NBA gets on a per game basis, and when it really counts, the NBA Finals, it has dramatically changed since the 90s. The difference between the two is actually millions of people.

One of the most heavily anticipated NBA Finals ever was in 2016. The number of viewers that watched game 7 were 31.02 million people. That’s amazing, but it doesn’t compare to how many people watched the 1998 NBA Finals. In game 6 of that series, 35.89 million people tuned in to watch Chicago battle it out with Utah.

Out of the 10 most watched NBA Finals games in history, eight got viewed the most in the 80s or 90s. 80% of the most watched games all come from back in the day. There were only two instances in which any game from the 2000s or 2010s got more views. That is absolutely ridiculous.

During this year's finals the viewership was down, but higher than the 2020 turnout. The 2020 NBA Finals has been the least viewed series in history averaging 7.45 million who tuned in. This year the average was 9.89 million viewers, a 33% increase from last year, but a drop from the 2019 15.14 million viewers.

The recent decrease in viewership of the NBA has been caused by the constant fining, the excessive fouls, and all of the ejections that occur throughout the entirety of games. Fans are no longer watching because these actions have made the game uninteresting and repetitive. The NBA losing money is due to the decrease in viewership.

All of the fines, unnecessary calls, and the amount of views all speak to why these new rule changes are extremely important. It is the most anticipated thing to occur since hand-checking was implemented in the 90s. Players will now be able to do what they are physically capable of, and the views over the next couple of years should go up tremendously.

These new rule changes will completely reshape the game of basketball and will be a worldwide phenomenon for all of the fans around the world. No one should be against these new rules, and the NBA will finally resume with more consistency in the next two weeks.

Saquon Barkley not only tore his ACL, but he also managed to injure his meniscus and his MCL, all in the beginning of the 2019 NFL season. According to many NFL analysts, Saquon Barkley was at the top of the running back hierarchy when he was healthy. His impact on the New York Giants was absolutely amazing, and he was just getting started. However, his injury prevented him from missing a season and a half, and in terms of the impact he brought on the Giants, they again ranked in the bottom of offensive efficiency.

The Giants greatly benefited from Saquon while he was on the field. In other words, when Saquon was playing the Giants would move the ball consistently on offense. While he was off the field and was resting, their production on the offensive side of the ball wasn’t even comparable.

“Saquon’s impact on the rushing game will be felt; however having the worst offensive line in football will derail his production,” Kenny Kilfoyle said about Saquon Barkley’s impact.

Saquon Barkley averaged five yards per carry. To put that in more simpler terms, Saquon got the first down every time he ran the ball twice. Five yards per carry was first in the league among the top five running backs, however his offensive line wasn’t always there for him.

In 2019, the New York Giants ranked 16th in offensive rating. That’s a pretty good sample size considering that’s nearly better than half of the league. However, they also ranked 23rd in defensive rating. In totality, this made the Giants a below average team in the NFL.

“I think the question would be how healthy he is,” Mr. Wong BHS Help Desk Teacher said. “As long as the offensive coordinator can institute a running game, he will have a very good impact on the Giants.” In terms of what he did in the running game, Saquon Barkley ran for 1,307 yards and got 11 touchdowns. He ranked second in yards and fifth in touchdowns.

Although the numbers in the running game were excellent, it didn’t totally define who Saquon was as a football player. Yes, Saquon Barkley was a good “pure runner,” but what made Saquon Barkley so effective was his ability to get involved in the passing game. Running backs that catch the ball, on a per game basis, more than their own contemporaries are called “dual threat running backs.” This means that they also had production shares in which they ran routes and caught the ball similar to what a receiver normally does. Because of this, it makes that particular running back even more difficult for defenses to contain.

In terms of receiving among running backs, Saquon Barkley was able to come down with 91 receptions, 729 yards, and four receiving touchdowns. He ranked second in receptions, third in yards, and sixth in touchdowns. Another fun fact is that Saquon didn’t fumble the ball once that entire season. In totality, he had over 2,000 yards and 15 total touchdowns.

“It depends if they get an offensive line. His skills are right there, but the offensive line is key,” Vincent Mohan-Monestere said about Saquon Barkley’s likelihood of him ever being the same again.

Saquon Barkley returned to the NFL on Sunday against the Denver Broncos. It was his first game back since the start of the 2020 NFL Season. He ran the ball 10 times and got 26 yards for an average of 2.6 yards per carry. He got the ball thrown to him three times, caught one, and only had one yard. Saquon was being limited throughout the game and played when there wasn't really any tension.

Week 2 of the NFL Season began last night on Thursday. The game was between the Washington Football Team and the New York Giants. Saquon Barkley did play. Saquon looked really good throughout the course of the game. He is still getting his legs back, but this can be a really positive development for the Giants as a whole. He ran the ball 13 times and got 57 yards, and he was targeted three times, caught two of them, and had 12 yards. He averaged about 4.4 yards per carry. His contribution to the Giants was great. Although the Giants lost the game and it was really close, this still provides insight to what Saquon Barkley has in store for the remainder of the season.

Saquon, throughout the course of the training camps this off-season, has kept everything quiet. He hasn’t been open about his injury. This left so many questions for how he will start to become his former self.

His contract that he received in 2018 goes for four years worth $64 million. This holds many questions about Saquon’s future simply because next year will be the end of his rookie deal. His injury will limit him throughout each week, but he’s still talented enough to facilitate the Giants offense and be that dominant presence that he was. As long as the Giants go at his own pace, there is no reason why Saquon Barkley shouldn’t rise back up to the top.

As of August 26th Mac Jones is the new quarterback after the team dropped Cam Newton. The team was given the choice of 3 time pro bowler, and 2015 MVP, Cam Newton. Or they were able to start their first round draft pick, rookie, Mac Jones. With all of summer training done, the NE Patriots chose to go with rookie Mac Jones.

Mac Jones has played two weeks so far with the Patriots and has shown why he should be the starting quarterback and why he should not be a starter. He has been showing a great completion percentage (73-74%), which has been the highest for a rookie as of week 2 for all rookie quarterbacks. He has also been showing that he is able to throw the ball and can find the open man when he needs to.

Bill Belichick, head coach of the New England Patriots, had to make a tough decision choosing either Cam Newton or Mac Jones.

“Because it is too early to put in Mac Jones as a starter because it is his first year in the NFL and they have no fall back and the only backup is a terrible player,” Khael Alcider, BHS junior, said. “Cam has been in the league for a long time and has more skill and knowledge.”

Belichick could have gone with the quarterback that had more experience and a lot more playing time, but he decided to go with the rookie, who looked a lot better in summer camp compared to Newton. According to some reports, Newton was messing around at some points. Rather than getting the practice that he needs, he decided to do a dance or sing a song.

The Patriots had a really tough season last season, and they are trying to redeem themselves to both their fans and for themselves. With the loss of quarterback Tom Brady, they were in desperate need of a different quarterback and did not have a draft pick to get a good one from college. They had the option of taking Cam so they took it. He didn't have any time to get any chemistry with the team and was kind of just thrown into things.

Based off of their last season they didn't look like they were going to ever be as good as they used to be “because once the players are comfortable with the new situation they will play good, and once they play good they will be good,” Nick Barrett, a student at Burlington High School said.

All of the players need to be on board with what Mac Jones and Bill Belicheck want to do with the team. If they aren't going to cooperate then they shouldn't play. Anyone who is skilled enough and smart enough should be able to play with them.

With the past year in mind most students are wondering what will happen to the sports at BHS. Now that Covid numbers are back on the rise, what measures are being taken in sports to prevent the spread of COVID?

BHS does it’s best to protect its players and stop the spread.

“Indoor sports masks are on for everyone, spectators and players,” Shaun Hart, BHS athletic director said. “Transportation-wise, it’s masks on for players and coaches. Locker rooms you must wear a mask. If you’re outside, you don’t need masks.”

These protocols make it possible for the sports to have a full season with buses and spectators which has already impacted the teams spirit.

“Buses and spectators have encouraged us to play better, especially with a fan section,” Nicole Pellegrino, BHS varsity volleyball captain, said. Nicole is one of Varsity Volleyball captains and saw what it was like to play in a COVID year.

Last year’s COVID protocols made it a hard year all around for students, from virtual school to sports.

”It was a change for everybody,” Mr. Hart said. “It was scary and confusing at times but athletically we made the best of a bad situation. We played 200 varsity games last year during COVID. Our kids, coaches and staff took everything seriously to ensure that we could play.”

Mr. Liljegren, the boys JV soccer coach, had a similar view. For him, it was an awful time and it didn’t feel like we're a team. “There was no connection between the players; it was blank.”

The real question is when will things finally get back to normal.

“New Year's maybe,” Mr. Liljegren said. “The vaccine will hopefully get better and everyone will get it.”

This also brings up the question of did COVID change what we call normal.

“I don’t know if there will be a ‘back to normal through Covid’,” Mr. Hart said., “I think that we’ve learned new things and we can do things better. I think some things will stay the same.”

However long it takes for COVID to subside, it’s also a matter of question if it will get worse before it gets better.

“I think they will become more strict because everyone will be inside,” Mr. Hart said. “But if things stay the same they may become more lenient.”

Although some people think things will worsen before they get better there are two sides to a story. Mr. Liljegren on the other hand believes things will get better.

Upholding a 4-year long tradition for over a thousand students is not easy! But every year, BHS seniors come together to do just that. “Devs Nation” is a student run account that keeps students informed about all of the sports offered at BHS.

Through various social media platforms, students have created a sense of community through representing and promoting Burlington Athletics.

This year, seniors Sam Moreira, Gabbi Gillis, and Becca Ferguson are responsible for running the account and keeping it up to date. They encourage all students and staff to follow the account.

Senior Becca Ferguson explained why students and staff should follow the account, “Well, 1. To be informed about games. 2. Get some school spirit. It also kind of includes everyone even if you’re not a student athlete.”

“It's important to stay updated on BHS athletics and all that might be happening. It’s not only athletics it’s also school-wide events and stuff like that,” the account's other owner, Sam Moreira, added.

Devs Nation started as an Instagram account in August of 2018, but the accounts previous owners had moved it onto different platforms.

“Right now, we have accounts on Instagram and Twitter,” Becca Ferguson said. “Our Twitter platform isn’t as strong because Instagram has a different audience. Who knows? Maybe Tiktok one day. I feel like, with the incoming freshmen, maybe it will be on Tiktok. I don’t think we’ll make an account on Facebook.”

So how often would account followers expect updates?

“We try to post every day,” Gabbi Gillis said. “At least every day. Weekends are off though. We use canva to edit pictures. We reach out to team captains to like, send in pictures and game information.”

Some feel as though, in years past, the account lacked equal representation and promotion of all sports teams. When asked if the account represents all sports fairly now, Ferguson answered, “Yes and no. I feel like in the past it kinda didn’t. I feel like it was mostly based around football, but we're changing that now.”

It’s not always easy to get a hold of student athletes and pictures of them playing their sports to post on the social media account.

“Some sports seem under-represented but we just don’t have pictures and stuff,” Gabbi Gillis said. “Cross country is a fall sport but they haven’t had any meets yet so there’s some conflicts. Some sports are hard to get pictures of.”

School spirit and student involvement are crucial for sports. The owners of Devs Nation feel as though the account gets everyone excited and involved to some degree.

“I feel like being able to reach out to everyone to tell them when games are and stuff like that, it gets more of a crowd there,” Becca Ferguson said. “People also get excited when they’re posted on Devs Nation! Ever since my freshman year I wanted to do it. I never had friends who ran it, but I was always excited for my senior year just to run the Instagram. It was something we looked forward to. The account brings out our school spirit. It makes things a little bit better.”

A lot of students feel as though Devs Nation unites the community and creates a sense of school pride.

“I feel like it’s a good way to bring everyone together. I like making the posts because it gives me something to do,” Gabbi Gillis said.

Since the account is strictly run by seniors each year, ownership changes frequently. Moreira explained the transition from one owner to another, “The previous owners from last year reached out and asked if I was interested in running it,” Moreira said. “I guess the owners now will be looking at the junior class and choosing who’s very involved in athletics and the BHS community.”

The Devs Nation account has been going strong for four years now.

“I feel like it’ll go on for a couple of years,” Ferguson said. “As long as athletics are important and people stay engaged.”