The Downfall of Matt Ryan

By: Hunter Kraynak

Many NFL fans have probably heard of the name Matt Ryan. If you haven’t, Matt Ryan is a quarterback who was drafted out of Boston College by the Atlanta Falcons. Ryan proved throughout the years that he could have a hall of fame career. Matt Ryan’s career has led him to a number seven spot on the all time passing yards leaders. Ryan even won NFL MVP in 2016 after leading the Falcons to the SuperBowl against the New England Patriots. The downfall began sooner rather than later though. In fact, some would even say the downfall began during the SuperBowl while the Falcons had a 28-3 lead over the Tom Brady-led Patriots. If you are an NFL fan you likely know what happened next: the Patriots came from behind and ended up winning the game in overtime. While it isn’t all Matt Ryan's fault for the SuperBowl loss, he still deserves some of the blame. The last time the Falcons scored in that game was with 8 minutes left in the 3rd quarter. The Patriots outscored the Falcons 31-0 after that point. Ryan’s ability to win games has been in question since that game as he has 38 wins to 48 losses since that point. He has also only averaged a 2:1 touchdown to interception ratio which isn’t very good. Ryan was also just recently benched for a second year quarterback. With Matt Ryan being 37 years of age and under performing in recent years I think it is time for the Colts quarterback to waive the white flag and retire.

#10 Penn State vs #5 Michigan

By: Hunter Kraynak

Week 7 of the FBS College Football season is ahead of us and boy do we have a great BIG10 matchup this week. This week's matchup will feature two top ten teams in the AP Top 25 with these teams being number 10 ranked Penn State vs number 5 Michigan. The Wolverines come into this matchup as -5.5 favorites in Vegas’s odds. Here's the breakdown for each team.

Michigan enters week 7 off a 31-10 win at Indiana. Michigan is sitting at a very good 6-0 with their biggest competitor so far being Maryland which they beat 34-27 on September 24. The Wolverines have faced three Big Ten opponents this season with these teams being Maryland, Iowa, and Indiana. Their biggest margin of victory this year was their 59-0 win over Connecticut on September 17. While Michigan dropped a spot in this week's poll from fourth to fifth, many still have them as CFP favorites.

Penn State enters week 7 off a much needed bye week due to their upcoming schedule as in the next three weeks they will face #5 Michigan, Minnesota, and #3 Ohio State. Their most recent win was over Northwestern on October 1 with a final score of 17-7 in a sloppy game at Beaver Stadium. Penn State hasn’t faced a single Big Ten East opponent yet with their only Big Ten opponents being Northwestern and Purdue. Penn State's biggest competitor so far this year has been their week one matchup at Purdue with the final score being 35-31. Their biggest margin of victory this year was a 46-10 win over Ohio on September 10. Penn State has overcome a great feat this year coming off a 7-5 season and being unranked to a top 10 team and a potential CFP competitor.

The game will take place on October 15 at 12 pm EST from Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It will be streamed locally and on FOX. This will be a game you won’t want to miss as a football fan. Will Penn State take down Michigan? Tune in to find out.

“Penn State vs. Michigan - Game Summary - October 15, 2022.” ESPN, ESPN Internet Ventures, https://www.espn.com/college-football/game/_/gameId/401405115.

My Craziest Fantasy Football Week EVER!

By: Hunter Kraynak

If you play fantasy football, you know to expect the unexpected, but I didn’t expect this. I came into week 5 of fantasy football as the number 3 team in my 6-man league sitting at 2-2. My opponent was also sitting at 2-2 and the number 4 team in our league. My Starting Lineup consisted of the following players : QB - Lamar Jackson, RB1 - Nick Chubb, RB2 - Christian McCaffrey, WR1 - Cooper Kupp, WR2 - Drake London, TE - Travis Kelce, FLEX1 - Miles Sanders, FLEX2 - Chris Olave, K - Tyler Bass, and DEF - Ravens. My Opponent’s Lineup consisted of the following players : QB - Tom Brady, RB1 - Dalvin Cook, RB2 - Austin Ekeler, WR1 - Stefon Diggs, WR2 - Tyreek Hill, TE - Dallas Goedert, FLEX1 - Chris Godwin, FLEX2 - Tee Higgins, K - Daniel Carlson, and DEF - Vikings. I came into the week favored to win 157.92 to 150.31 but after the 1 o’clock games, I was down 56.3 to 135.24. I had 6 players left to play vs. his 3; things weren’t looking good. After the 4 o’clock games, I was still down 114 to 152.74 and it still wasn’t looking good for me to win. I had 3 players left and he still had 2. I had 2 players play during Sunday night’s game, these being Lamar Jackson and the Ravens’ defense, while he had Tee Higgins playing. After Sunday night, I was still down 134.76 to 152.74. I was down 17.98 points and all I had left was Travis Kelce and he had Daniel Carlson. The night started off slow and a loss seemed inevitable. This was until Kelce hauled in a total of 4 touchdown receptions finishing the game with 7 receptions, 25 yards, and 4 touchdowns giving him 33.5 fantasy points. Carlson however finished with still a good 15 points. This won me the game 168.26 to 167.74 giving me a .52 point victory and now a 3-2 record. This will likely be my most crazy comeback in fantasy football ever!

“Welcome to the NFL: NFL Fantasy.” Welcome to the NFL | NFL Fantasy, https://fantasy.nfl.com/league/8918944/team/2/gamecenter?week=5.

The Panthers Coaching Situation

By: Hunter Kraynak

Tuesday morning, the public got word that Carolina Panthers Head Coach Matt Rhule had been released from the Panthers organization. Rhule was fired after a week 5 loss to the 49ers at home. This is when you could hear booing and “Fire Matt Rhule” chants from the home crowd. Rhule was less than a third of the way into his third season as the Panthers head coach. The former Baylor Bears and Temple Owls head was fired after having a 11-27 record and the Panthers weren’t happy with the progress the Head Coach was making with the team. Rhule will be replaced by interim head coach Steve Wilks for now.

While I believe there are many candidates for the position, I believe there is one guy who would be perfect for the job. That guy is Steelers linebacker coordinator Brian Flores. Flores was fired after 3 seasons with the Dolphins and a 24-25 record. While it may not look good on paper, Flores was able to lead the Dolphins on a seven game win streak last season after starting 1-7. Flores believed the true reason for this firing was racial motivation and he filed a lawsuit against the NFL in February of this year. I truly believe that if the Panthers were to hire Brian Flores they would be 10 times more successful than they were with Matt Rhule.

The Tragic University of Virginia Shooting

By: Hunter Kraynak

On Monday, November 14, 2022 the news was announced by University of Virginia president Jim Ryan that three current UVA Cavaliers football players were tragically shot and killed. The three juniors who were killed are as follows: Wide Receiver - Lavel Davis Jr., Wide Receiver - Devin Chandler, Defensive End/ Linebacker - D’Sean Perry. It was also announced that two other students were injured in the shooting. As news is coming out it is currently known that one is in critical condition and one is in good condition. The main suspect in the shooting is former UVA football player Christopher Darnell Jones Jr. Jones was arrested on Monday morning around 11 am. One of the students in stable condition is running back Mike Hollins Jr. It was reported by Hollins’ father that he is in stable condition after being shot in the back. Hollins also said, “the doctors say he is going to recover.” The shooting happened upon the arrival of their charter bus after a field trip. Classes are canceled on Tuesday for the students of UVA. This is to give students and staff time to process what has happened emotionally. The UVA basketball game against the Northern Iowa Panthers has been canceled.

Schlabach, Mark. “Three Virginia Football Players Killed; Ex-Player in Custody.” ESPN, ESPN Internet Ventures, 14 Nov. 2022, https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/35025779/police-seek-ex-virginia-football-player-campus-shooting.

Vera, Amir, and Holly Yan. “The University of Virginia Grapples with the Killing of 3 Football Players as Details of Alleged Shooter Emerge.” CNN, Cable News Network, 15 Nov. 2022, https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/15/us/university-of-virginia-shooting-tuesday/index.html.

Pat Tillman: An American Tragedy

By : Hunter Kraynak

Patrick Daniel Tillman was born on November 6, 1976 in San Jose, California. Tillman was the oldest of three children in his family. Through high school Tillman excelled in football. He would lead his high school football team to the Central Coast Division I Football Championship. His excellence in football would lead him to earn a scholarship to Arizona State University. Tillman would lead the Sun Devils to an undefeated season and a 1997 Rose Bowl game appearance. Upon his graduation from ASU, Tillman was drafted to the Arizona Cardinals in 1998. Tillman became an immediate starter and star. But this would all change. After the 9/11 attacks Tillman turned down a new contract with the Cardinals and instead decided to go into the United States Army. In 2003, Tillman would be deployed to Iraq. Tillman was completely against the Iraqi War and instead he wanted to go to Afghanistan where the war efforts began. Then a year later during Tillman’s second tour, this time in Afghanistan, Tillman was fatally shot to death in 2004. At first the U.S. government claimed that Tillman had been helping fellow American soldiers and he was shot to death by terrorists. Tillman’s mom was very adamant about learning more about her son's death so she tried to dig deeper into what happened. This is when the Army finally admitted that Tillman’s death was the result of friendly fire. While it is still ruled as an accident today many including myself don’t believe it. Doctors said that Tillman was shot three times in the head with an M-16 Assault Rifle from within 10 yards away. It was also said that there was no enemy fire in the area when Tillman was shot. This contradicts what the Army was saying happened during Tillman's death. Tillman’s uniform and personal belongings were also burned to hide evidence of what had happened. The last thing Tillman ever said was, “ I’m Pat f**king Tillman” in an attempt to get them to stop. The soldiers fired anyway which resulted in Tillman’s death. Whether you believe it was an accident or not there is one thing you can’t deny: Pat Tillman is and was an American hero.

Margaritoff, Marco. “The True Story of Pat Tillman's Death - and the Cover-up That Followed.” All That's Interesting, All That's Interesting, 8 July 2022, https://allthatsinteresting.com/pat-tillman-death.