Crazy's 2017 MLB Predictions: Indians over Dodgers in 6

Projected Indians vs. Dodgers World Series Matchup

AL East
Red Sox: 95-67
Blue Jays: 91-71 (Wild Card #1)
Orioles: 82-80
Yankees: 81-81
Rays: 77-85

AL Central

Francona gets the last laugh this time

Indians: 97-65
Tigers: 85-77
Royals: 75-87
Twins: 66-96
White Sox: 61-101

AL West
Mariners: 92-70
Astros: 88-74 (Wild Card #2)
Rangers: 84-78
Angels: 83-79
A's: 79-83

AL Wild Card: Blue Jays over Astros
ALDS: Indians over Blue Jays
ALDS: Red Sox over Mariners
ALCS: Indians over Red Sox
AL Champions: Indians

AL MVP: Mookie Betts
AL CY Young: Corey Kluber
AL ROY: Andrew Benintendi
AL Manager of the Year: Scott Servais
Comeback Player of the Year: Michael Brantley

NL East
Mets: 94-68
Nationals: 90-72 (Wild Card #1)
Marlins: 80-82
Phillies: 76-86
Braves: 72-90

NL Central
Cubs: 99-63
Cardinals: 86-76
Pirates: 77-83
Brewers: 71-91
Reds: 62-100

NL West
Dodgers: 96-66
Rockies: 87-75 (Wild Card #2)
Giants 78-84
Diamondbacks: 74-87
Padres: 66-96

NL Wild Card: Nationals over Rockies
NLDS: Cubs over Nationals
NLDS: Dodgers over Mets
NLCS: Dodgers over Cubs
NL Champions: Dodgers

NL MVP: Nolan Arenado
NL Cy Young: Noah Syndergaard
NL ROY: Dansby Swanson
NL Manager of the Year: Bud Black
Comeback Player of the Year: Bryce Harper

World Series: Indians over Dodgers in 6
World Series MVP: Francisco Lindor
Playoff MVP: Corey Seager

Crazy's Thoughts on the Jets New QB

Yesterday evening, the Jets signed a 38-year-old career journeyman to a 1 year/$6.5 million deal. Josh McCown is not a flashy signing, nor is he the most talented quarterback on the current free agent market, but he clearly fits the Jets current plan of tanking. 

McCown comes with high praise. A great teammate, leader, mentor, and father. He will come into camp as the starter, but Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg will have every opportunity to beat him out for that starting job. It is clear cut that his duty on this team is to mentor these quarterback prospects and hopefully one of them will turn into the Jets starter of the future. Right now, that does not look like the case, and it seems like the Jets have turned their full attention to obtaining the #1 selection in the 2018 NFL Draft and selecting the best quarterback prospect in Sam Darnold, from USC.

The last time Josh McCown was in New York....

In my opinion, this was the right move to make. Cutler and Kaepernick are both more talented and both would demand more money, but a team in the position of the Jets do not need those type of distractions on the back page New York tabloids. Many Jets fans were agitated by this signing, which to me makes little to no sense. McCown knows his role, hell he did it for the past two seasons in Cleveland. He is the right guy in the locker room for this young and rebuilding team and with his contract, it does not force the Jets hand into starting him, especially if Petty and Hackenberg perform well in Training Camp.

Of course, there will be jokes about the Jets signing McCown because he is a career journeyman with some pretty bad statistics (granted, he has been on some God-awful teams). McCown will absolutely go out there every Sunday and give you everything he's got, that can't be said for someone named Jay Cutler. He's the definition of a team player and someone who you definitely want on your team if you are currently in the stages of rebuilding.

Clearly, it is not the prettiest signing in the world, but if McCown can be everything that Fitzpatrick wasn't to Petty/Hack, the $6.5 million is worth every penny. Put me down on record saying that McCown won't start more games than Petty/Hack, but he'll sure hold that clipboard for almost $7 million and mentor these guys like he has in the past.

If everything goes as planned, Josh McCown will rarely take snaps from under center as QB #1 of the New York Jets. Ideally, Christian Hackenberg can emerge as the starter in training camp and the starting QB of the future. That's the Jets plan after all. 

Crazy's AFC & NFC Championship Game Predictions

Green Bay @ Atlanta, 3:05 ET on Fox- Joe Buck and Troy Aikman on the Call.

A week 8 rematch in which a Packers team started their free fall, the Falcons barely inching out a victory at 33-32. The Packers, while beat up, are a much different team now. They ran the table after 4 straight losses, including 2 blowouts to non-playoff teams. They are also coming off beating the #1 seed at home. Aaron Rodgers is on fire, he is on a mission to take his team to Houston and the only way that Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons can put out this fire is by winning in a shootout. Neither team has an impressive defense, the Falcons might have the upper hand with Vic Beasley, but both teams have injury ridden secondaries and are quite easy to pass on. The MVP voters have probably already voted, but this is a true battle between MVP candidates. Whoever comes out on top is much deserving of the MVP and I believe it to be Aaron Rodgers. I'm sticking to my pre-season Super Bowl which had the Packers coming out of the NFC and the Patriots coming out of the AFC. I am still rooting for Atlanta to win this game because I feel like it's time for some new blood in the Super Bowl, but Rodgers vs Brady will be a battle for the ages.

My Prediction: Packers 30 Falcons 28. Another very close game, but the red-hot Green Bay Packers will try to make it 3 consecutive wins indoors.


Pittsburgh @ New England, 6:40 ET on CBS- Jim Nantz and Phil Simms on the Call.

Another rematch, this one in Week 7, where the Patriots won handily 27-16 vs a Big Ben-less Steelers. Nothing I want to see more is a Patriots loss, as a Jets fan, but I just cannot see it happening. The Patriots looked very beatable last week @ home vs Houston. If Houston had started Tom Savage over Brock Osweiler, Pittsburgh might be hosting the AFC Championship Game. That's not the case, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots look to punch their ticket to Houston vs a Steelers team that could not score a Touchdown last week @ Kansas City. I have the Patriots winning by 8, they will be too much for Steelers. A Steelers team that hasn't won at Gillette Stadium since 2008, when Matt Cassel was the Patriots starting QB (Brady tore his ACL- Week 1 vs KC). Mike Tomlin will see Bill Belichick's shadow and the Patriots will ultimately prevail. This is not an indictment on the Steelers, they are a very good team, but don't ever bet against Tom Brady or Bill Belichick at home, hosting a playoff game. New England has only lost one championship game at home in recent memory and that was 2012 to the Baltimore Ravens.

My Prediction: Patriots 31 Steelers 23. This game will be very close, but the Pats will pull away late in the 4th Quarter and meet the Packers for Super Bowl 51 in Houston.

I want to see a Pittsburgh-Atlanta Super Bowl very badly, two battles between two prolific offenses. The American people will be stuck with Green Bay-New England, which will still be a hell of a game. The Battle between Rodgers and Brady, who have never faced in a Super Bowl, that was Bledsoe and Favre in Super Bowl 31.

Crazy's Morning Digest after Jets blowout loss to Dolphins

The Jets have quit, the entire team has given up. They no longer care and it is apparent in their play. They have quit on Todd Bowles and that is a huge indictment on not only him but the coaching staff as well. The embarrassing displays from Brandon Marshall, Muhammad Wilkerson, Sheldon Richardson, the Secondary, and Special Teams were abysmal. Todd Bowles has lost his 53-man roster to agony over a lost season and the only people giving a damn are the youngsters (Leo Williams, Darron Lee, Jordan Jenkins, Juston Burris, Bryce Petty, Quincy Enunwa, and Robby Anderson), let's not forget Bilal Powell either, who should have been the starting RB the entire season.

Bryce Petty is playing to the best of his abilities, his ceiling is a Landry Jones or Matt Moore type player, but damn the kid plays with some heart. He is a gunslinger with a live arm and the Jets offense has been better than it as all season under his direction (not saying much). Last night, he was off his game and made apparent rookie mistakes. One thing that caught every Jets fans' attention is when he was sandwiched by Wake and Suh. The Jets entire Offensive Line decided to block one Miami Dolphin and Eric Tomlinson did not even bother to look up. This collective group of misfits let their QB get killed and not one of them helped him up, which is very telling to some. Petty getting the wind knocked out of him allowed cockroach, Ryan Fitzpatrick to come into the game and get in on the interception party. If Fitzpatrick starts a meaningless game next week @ New England it will be very revealing as to how the Jets feel about 2nd round pick, Christain Hackenberg's development. Fitzpatrick should never take another snap as a member of the New York Jets and this is coming from someone who wanted him back in the off-season. If neither Petty or Hackenberg can go, Bilal Powell should start out of the wildcat offense.

Via Barstool Sports on Twitter, RIP Bryce Petty

Let's talk about the coaching staff here.... Todd Bowles has to go. I was on the fence about firing him after the Indy Monday Night Football debacle because you do not fire a coach every two years. You create a losing culture and neither players nor potential coaches will be attracted to that. Bowles is a very sound defensive mind, whose defense has been nothing shy of atrocious this season. The defense is the main issue for this team with a defensive HC, that does not go over too well with the fanbase. The two coordinators Kacy Rogers and Chan Gailey have shown vanilla gameplans and might be the biggest issue on this coaching staff. I am one to believe that Woody Johnson is still the biggest problem with the Jets and if you are a die hard Jets fan you probably are crossing your fingers and praying to God that Johnson accepts an ambassador position in the Trump administration.

How can the Jets be fixed? Well, it sure as hell ain't an easy one. First things first, I would fire Todd Bowles and hire an offensive minded experienced Head Coach. Names like Josh McDaniels, Todd Haley, and Sean Payton come to mind. Haley seems the most likely because he does have extensive ties to the Jets and had some success as the Kansas City Chiefs HC from 2009-2011. Next, stick to a re-build. Look what teams like Oakland, Dallas, Tampa Bay, and Tennesse have all done and stick to that. The key there is that they all have franchise QBs. Also, the Jets need an entire roster overhaul, cut everyone that you can possibly cut that is a veteran and makes sense financially. 25 new faces should be on this roster next season and you could put good money on it that they will come via the draft and undrafted free agency. Speaking of the draft, I will have a 3-round Jets mock draft at the bottom. Finally, the Jets need to find a franchise QB. It seems to me that neither Bryce Petty or Christian Hackenberg are the answer to their 40+ year's prayer and they may need to try again in this draft. Names like Mitch Trubisky and DeShaun Watson come to mind here. Whatever it is, the Jets need to find an answer to their biggest glaring hole on their roster and that position just happens to be the most important one in the NFL.

3- Round Jets Mock Draft
1st Round: Tim Williams, OLB, Alabama. The Jets will finally get a much-needed edge rusher to pair with Jordan Jenkins and Lorenzo Mauldin and help their invisible blitz in 2016. This draft choice would probably mean the end of the road for Sheldon Richardson as a Jet (fingers crossed).

2nd Round: DeShaun Watson, QB, Clemson. Not a huge Watson fan, but the Jets simply need a QB (again). Watson's stats at Clemson are a huge indicator of success and he is a born winner. Something not too many New York Jets are accustomed to.

3rd Round: Tyler Orlosky, C, West Virginia. Nick Mangold has been a staple on the Jets OL for nearly a decade. The future Jets Ring of Honor' body has clearly broken down and his cap hit is not worth it anymore. Wesley Johnson has played well when given the opportunity to fill in for Mangold, but he is not a long-term solution.

Crazy's 2016-2017 NFL Predictions

AFC East
Patriots: 12-4 (1)
Jets: 10-6 (5)
Bills: 7-9
Dolphins: 6-10

AFC North
Bengals: 11-5 (2)
Steelers: 10-6 (6)
Ravens: 7-9
Browns: 4-12

Rematch of Super Bowl 31, 20 years later in Houston

AFC South
Texans: 9-7 (4)
Jaguars: 8-8
Colts: 6-10
Titans: 3-13

AFC West
Chiefs: 10-6 (3)
Broncos: 9-7
Raiders: 8-8
Chargers: 5-11

AFC Playoffs
Steelers (6) over Chiefs (3)
Jets (5) over Texans (4)
Patriots (1) over Steelers (6)
Bengals (2) over Jets (5)
Patriots (1) over Bengals (2)
AFC Champions: Patriots (1)

NFC East
Giants: 9-7 (4)
Redskins: 8-8
Cowboys: 7-9
Eagles: 4-12

NFC North
Packers: 13-3 (1)
Vikings: 9-7 (6)
Lions: 7-9
Bears: 6-10

NFC South
Panthers: 12-4 (2)
Falcons: 8-8
Saints: 7-9
Bucs: 6-10

NFC West
Seahawks: 12-4 (3)
Cardinals: 11-5 (5)
Rams: 7-9
49ers: 2-14

NFC Playoffs
Seahawks (3) over Vikings (6)
Cardinals (5) over Giants (4)
Packers (1) over Cardinals (5)
Panthers (2) over Seahawks (3)
Packers (1) over Panthers (2)
NFC Champions: Packers

Super Bowl:
Packers (1) over Patriots (1)

NFL Awards
MVP: Aaron Rodgers
OPOY: Andrew Luck
DPOY: Khalil Mack
OROY: Ezekiel Elliott
DROY: Jalen Ramsey
COY: Marvin Lewis
CPOY: Kelvin Benjamin

Mets, Dead in the Water

After getting swept by the first place Nationals, the Mets are floundering. Currently, the Mets are just 3 games above 500 at 40-37 and are 6 games back from first place. You would think getting swept by the worst team in the NL would be enough for this team to start panicking, but somehow that wasn't enough. This team is barely functioning with all their injuries, they can't hit, pitch, manage, run, or field and something has got to change with this team if they don't want to be buried under 500 by the best team in baseball this upcoming weekend. The Mets are so dysfunctional right now, they can't even stop news about a little Noah Syndergaard bone spur from getting out.

As the title of this blog post insinuates, the Mets are dead in the water. They put a solid pitching effort out there every night and just watch their stone-cold offense torture the fan base. It might be impossible for the Mets to get a hit with runners in scoring position or manufacture runs because I sure as hell haven't seen them be able to simply do that. 

When your offense gets mowed down by Bud Norris. Bud Freaking Norris, there is a greater issue at hand with this offense and instead of sitting on their hands, the organization needs to find a viable solution for this issue.

This picture says it all for the Mets season, Alejandro De Aza miserable Mets career in one picture

Now, where does the blame fall? It doesn't fall too far from the tree for me. Personally, I think Terry Collins is way in over his head. He has never ever come into a season as the Mets manager with a legitimate expectation. Now that the team he runs has World Series aspirations, they are cracking under the pressure and the manager is always the first one to go. Granted, when the front office comes into the season with no bench and no depth. And especially no contingency plan for your injury prone players, you shouldn't be surprised with the results happening on the field. Also, when Alejandro De Aza is your best option at "depth", it may be time to monitor Sandy Alderson on his little miserable off-season spending sprees. Obviously, Alderson hasn't handed Collins the best of hands at times, but it is up to Collins to have this team play competitively and they can't even simply do that.

This weekend is make or break for the Mets, if they fall under 500, people should be fired. This is the type of bad play that causes people to lose their jobs and Willie Randolph was let go for much less. It's time for the Mets to "shake things up" like they said they were going to after the debacle vs Atlanta. Make a managerial change, go get Gourriel, go get a 7th inning guy. Just do something before it's too late. This team can not sit on their hands until July 31st, otherwise, it will be the 1987 Mets all over again.

Crazy's Final 2016 NFL Mock Draft

Top quarterback prospects, Jared Goff, and Carson Wentz are the unanimous 1-2 in the 2016 NFL Draft

#1 LA- Jared Goff, QB, California (From TEN)
#2 PHI- Carson Wentz, QB, North Dakota State (From CLE)

#3 SD- Ronnie Stanley, T, Notre Dame

#4 DAL- Jalen Ramsey, CB, Florida State

#5 JAC- Joey Bosa, DE, Ohio State

#6 BAL- Laremy Tunsil, T, Ole Miss

#7 SF- DeForest Buckner, DE, Oregon

#8 CLE- Myles Jack, OLB, UCLA (From PHI through MIA)

#9 TB- Vernon Hargreaves, CB, Florida  

#10 NYG- Jack Conklin, T, Michigan State

#11 CHI- Leonard Floyd, OLB, Georgia

#12 NO- Sheldon Rankins, DT, Louisville

#13 MIA- Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio State (From PHI)

#14 OAK- Robert Nkemdiche, DT, Ole Miss
#15 TEN- Taylor Decker, T, Ohio State (From LA)

#16 DET- Jarran Reed, DT, Alabama

#17 ATL- Darron Lee, OLB, Ohio State

#18 IND- Ryan Kelly, C, Alabama

#19 BUF- Shaq Lawson, DE, Clemson

#20 NYJ- Noah Spence, EDGE, Eastern Kentucky
#21 WSH- A'Shawn Robinson, DT, Alabama
#22 HOU- Will Fuller, WR, Notre Dame
#23 MIN- Laquon Treadwell. WR, Ole Miss
#24 CIN- Josh Doctson, WR, TCU
#25 PIT- Eli Apple, CB, Ohio State
#26 SEA- Germain Ifedi, OG, Texas A&M
#27 GB- Reggie Ragland, ILB, Alabama
#28 KC- William Jackson, CB, Houston
#29 AZ- Artie Burns, CB, Miami
#30 CAR- Kevin Dodd, DE, Clemson
#31 DEN- Paxton Lynch, QB, Memphis

Draft Notes:
1) If the Browns "guy" is not there at 8, I think they take a real hard look at Paxton Lynch or they trade back and control next year's draft.

2) I can see Paxton Lynch falling to #20, but if the Jets think he is their guy, they may have to move up to #7, in front of the Browns to take him or in front of the Bills.

3) Panthers do not necessarily need to go CB in Round 1 if Apple, Burns, and Jackson are already gone by #30. Dodd is a better fit than any of those CB's "would be" and Dave Gettleman will not reach for one here.

4) Broncos decide that #31 may be a reach for Paxton Lynch, but if Denver is serious about grooming another QB prospect a la Brock, they need to draft him