MLB after All-Star Break Preview: Teams trending up and down

The MLB is starting to heat up as teams are fighting for 1st place in their respective divisions. The Pittsburgh Pirates just ended an 11 game winning streak, the Cincinnati Reds are looking much better after entering May with only 7 wins to start the year, and the Boston Red Sox are pulling away from the Yankees with a 5 game lead in the AL East. As the MLB enters August, nobody wants to be left out of the playoff conversation (except the Orioles) and will do anything to get an advantage on their opponents. These are the teams trending up or down in the playoff race...here we go...

Teams trending UP ↑

https://westfaironline.com/101393/shelton-base
d-wrre-named-official-realtor-of-boston-red-sox/

Boston Red Sox: 72-33, 1st in AL East 

With a stacked lineup including Mookie Betts, J.D. Martinez, Eduardo Nunez and a possible AL Cy Young Winner Chris Sale, the Boston Red Sox are looking like the team to beat in the MLB. Per ESPN, Mookie Betts is batting a .345 with 115 H, 25 HR, and 54 RBI. Chris Sale has an ERA of 2.04 and this is .85 lower than his career average which is a notable improvement. If the Red Sox continue to play like they are right now then they are probably the favorite to win the World Series this year. But, they still have to deal with last year's World Series winners, the Houston Astros. Don't sleep on the Boston Red Sox for the rest of the year as they want to continue winning until a championship win is in their grasp.

Oakland Athletics: 61-44, 3rd in AL West

https://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Oakland_Athletics

This year, the AL West is the hardest division in baseball. With 4 of the 5 teams over .500, only one other division is accomplishing this feat currently. If the playoffs started right now, the Athletics wouldn't make it even with their amazing record. Being in a conference with the Red Sox, Mariners, Yankees, Indians, and Astros is difficult to compete with. But, the Athletics have all the tools they need to make the playoffs for the first time in 4 years. Per ESPN, Stephen Piscotty is batting .262  with 91 H, 14 HR, and 50 RBI. Jeurys Familia has an ERA of 2.56 and is looking like a solid pitcher for the Athletics. He is 6-4 this year as a starter. Overall, the Athletics just need to keep winning games and to keep being consistent in order to pass the Seattle Mariners and get the second Wild Card Spot in the American League.

Milwaukee Brewers: 61-46, 2nd in NL Central

http://www.espn.com/mlb/team/_
/name/mil/milwaukee-brewers

Winners of 5 out of their last 6 games, the Brewers are going in the right direction. The Brewers are currently holding the first wild-card spot in their conference. The Cubs are barely hanging on to a half-game lead and the Brewers can easily regain 1st place in as early as today. With all the right pieces in place, the Brewers could win the National League this year. With a dynamic duo in relief pitchers in Josh Hader and Jeremy Jeffress, the Milwaukee Brewers continue to dominate the ends of games. Per ESPN, Josh Hader has an ERA of 1.39 and Jeremy Jeffress has an ERA of 1.45. Nobody is stopping them at the plate right now. Per ESPN, the Brewers acquired a star in Mike Moustakas from Kansas City on Friday, July 27. In exchange, they sent OF Brett Lopez and RH pitcher Jorge Lopez. Eric Thames, Christian Yelich, and Jesus Aguilar continue to shine on the plate and at their respected positions. If Milwaukee continues to play like this, they will surely take over the #1 spot in the NL Central from the Chicago Cubs and make a deep run in the postseason.

Teams trending DOWN ↓

Washington Nationals: 52-52, 3rd in NL East

https://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Washington_Nationals

The Washington Nationals are looking like the laughingstock of their conference. With the amount of talent they have on their roster, there should be no reason to be trailing 4.5 games out of the 2nd Wild Card spot in the National League. With the 2018 Home Run Derby winner in Brice Harper, the Nationals should have more production out of him. But, recent rumors have suggested that the Washington Nationals will trade him before the non-waiver deadline of Tuesday, July 31st. With a star-studded roster composed of Matt Wieters, Matt Adams, Daniel Murphy, Trea Turner, Ryan Zimmerman, Adam Eaton, Brice Harper and a new product in Juan Soto, there should be no reason for the Nationals to be losing as much as they are. Per ESPN, Juan Soto is batting a .314 AVG with 40 R, 65 H, 13 HR and 36 RBI. The MLB season is down to its last 2 months and if the Nationals don't start winning games soon they will miss out on the postseason for the first time since 2015

Los Angeles Angels: 54-52, 4th in AL West

https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los
_Angeles_Angels_of_Anaheim

After starting off the year 13-3 and looking to take control of their division, the Angels are barely over .500 at a little over the halfway point of the season. After the rookie Shohei Ohtani hurt his elbow and probably can't pitch for the rest of the season, the Angels have been struggling ever since. Per ESPN, the Angels have 10 players on the disabled list. Ohtani is currently the Angels DH or designated hitter and he is batting a solid 2.62 AVG with 26 R, 45 H, 9 HR and 25 RBI. Mike Trout is the Angels best player and will continue his legacy as one of the best players in baseball in 2018. The Angels have been relying on him heavily this year and need above-average production. Per ESPN, he is batting .310 AVG with 78 R, 112 H, 29 HR and 59 RBI. A Venezuelan native in Francisco Arcia has tremendously helped the Angels in their last 2 games, setting a major league record 10 RBI in his 1st 2 career games. If the Angels can continue to find stars in the making and can build around Mike Trout, then the Angels can slowly make their way back into the playoff conversation. But, there is still plenty of work to do first. 

Baltimore Orioles: 31-74, 5th in AL East

https://www.mlb.com/orioles

The Orioles are tanking. Per ESPN, the Orioles traded Manny Machado to the Dodgers for 5 prospects. This is a big sign that the Orioles are mentally "finished" with 2018 and looking to the next season in 2019. None of their pitchers are pitching to MLB standards and 4 of them are on the disabled list. Per ESPN, their best player to date on the roster is probably Adam Jones who is batting a .281 AVG, 41 R, 114 H, 11 HR and 43 RBI. The Orioles need to find other players that can play like Adam Jones or better if they want to try and win 60 games this year. The Orioles currently have the worst record in the MLB so there is something to improve on in every aspect of their roster. Sadly, there isn't a "strength" on this roster and just too many weaknesses to have any hope at getting into the playoff hunt. The Orioles will hope to finish out the season strong and not end up with the worst record in the MLB. To do so, someone else besides Adam Jones will have to step up and make an impact on this team if they plan on making any progress in the win column. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

                                                                                                        

2018 NFL Training Camp Preview: AFC North

Pittsburgh Steelers

Biggest Question:

Vince Williams had 8 sacks last season,
which was second on the team.

Ryan Shazier, unfortunately, suffered a potentially career-ending spine injury last season on Monday night vs. the Bengals. Shazier was an impact player for the Steelers last year, as his all-around quickness led him to grab 3 turnovers, as well as his 2nd pro bowl appearance. The question is, who is going to replace Shazier, and can he adequately fill the void left by Shazier's absence? Vince Williams is a good shout, as he had 8 sacks last year, and he is very effective in run defense. However, he is quite shaky in coverage, as he allowed the most receptions by a Steelers defender. Veteran LB Jon Bostic comes over from Indianapolis to help out the linebacker depth, and he should be a key role player on third down. However, it will be challenging for any of these players to fill the gap by Shazier.  "We don't have another Ryan Shazier on our team," Vince Williams told ESPN, "But we do have very capable, starter-ready middle linebackers." 

Key Player to Watch:

WR Juju Smith-Schuster. Juju had an outstanding rookie season, racking up 58 catches for 917 yards and 7 TDS, not terrible for a slot receiver. He also proved his versatility by returning a kickoff for a touchdown. Juju has incredible agility and speed, which has made him one of the top slot receivers going into the 2018 NFL season. One of the more unbelievable stats about Juju is his passer rating while targeted by Big Ben. Ben had a 134.8 passer rating while targeting Smith-Schuster, which was the highest in the league. With uncertainty at the #2 WR, Juju has a great chance to break 1000 receiving yards this season as a slot receiver.

Cincinnati Bengals

Biggest Question:

The Bengals started out of the gate last season very slowly, as exhibited by them scoring a whopping 9 points in their first 2 games. The offense would not get that much better throughout the season, finishing 26th in scoring offense and LAST in total yards. QB Andy Dalton did not have a bad TD/INT ratio, but he failed to lead a struggling Bungles team to postseason contention. It was not just Dalton's fault, however, as the run game was unable to produce, with only 1,366 yards (31st in NFL) and 6 TDs (29th in NFL) on the ground. Rookie RB Joe Mixon had a somewhat disappointing season, only rushing for 626 yards and 4 TDS. For the Bengals to be in the playoffs again, he is going to have to have a big season, and that all starts with training camp.
Key Player(s) to Watch:
The entire offensive line. Cincy's o-line was hindered last offseason when pro bowlers Kevin Zeitler and Andrew Whitworth left for greener pastures (and Cleveland). Nonetheless, their offensive line struggled to protect Dalton or block for the run game. This offseason the Bengals traded for Bills LT Cordy Glenn and drafted highly ranked C Billy Price with their 1st round pick. However, questions remain on the right side of the offensive line, particularly at RT, where Jake Fisher and former Giant Bobby Hart will battle for the starting spot. If the Bengals o-line excels during camp, then management might be more reluctant to run the ball more, which is a culture change needed for the Bengals to succeed.

Baltimore Ravens

Biggest Question:
Baltimore has had some "issues" at WR for a couple of years now. The only receiver that looked decent last season was Mike Wallace, who had 748 yards and 4 TDs, and he's off to Philadelphia. The Ravens did not hold back in Free Agency, however, signing 3 new WRs to the roster, and they're not a bunch of scrubs either. John Brown was productive at Arizona, cracking 1000 receiving yards in 2015, before injuries limited to a couple games last season. Willie Snead put up 1879 yards and 7 TDs as a slot receiver from 2015-2016 before injuries limited playing time in 2017. And finally, Michael Crabtree comes over after a productive 3-year stint with the Oakland Raiders. The question is, can these players produce on the field, and can they replicate their form from previous seasons? They clearly have talent, but how they bounce back from injuries will be essential to prove in training camp and in the preseason. Flacco has shown that with a comparable receiving corps the Ravens instantly become playoff contenders, maybe even AFC contenders.

Key Player to Watch: 
QB Lamar Jackson. Flacco has done a fair job in Baltimore, leading them to the playoffs six times since he became a starter as a rookie in 2008. However, they have not made the playoffs since 2014, and Flacco had one of his worst statistical seasons in 2017. The Ravens seemed to take note as they selected former Heisman winning QB Lamar Jackson.  His speed rivals defensive backs, and his arm was among the best in the 2018 draft. He needs a lot of work in the accuracy department, and he needs to adapt to a pro-style offense, as Jackson ran the spread offense at Louisville. Jackson is a polarizing prospect, with many saying he can be the next Micheal Vick. Those are lofty expectations, but he can show some of his magic in training camp. Although he is not likely to start this season, if he performs well in the preseason, then the Ravens can confidently go forward with him at QB in the coming seasons. 

Cleveland Browns

Biggest Question:

When former Chiefs GM John Dorsey took over the Browns, he complained about the lack of talent on his new team. He stated that the Browns didn't get any "real players" before and that he would go get them real players. Well, Dorsey was certainly not messing around, as the GM made a surplus of moves to try and get the Browns "real players." He started off by getting not one, but two QBs, trading for Buffalo Bills' Tyrod Taylor and drafting the impressive Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield number 1 overall in the NFL Draft. He also added WR Jarvis Landry and RB Carlos Hyde, who Dorsey hopes can be key contributors on the Browns. The Browns also drafted DB Denzel Ward from Ohio State, who was perceived to be the top defensive back in the draft. The question is, can this young and talented Browns team turn into wins? The Browns have gone 1-31 over the past 2 years, which if you have a brain, you know it's not good. These players will have to prove in training camp that they have the chemistry and work ethic to turn the Browns around. Jarvis Landry is very high on his new team telling Sports Illustrated  "If we get everyone playing to their potential, we can win the Super Bowl this year."  Woah there, let's see if they can win a game first, huh Landry?   

Key Player to Watch: 

QB Baker Mayfield. There are a lot of new faces in Cleveland, but Baker is probably the most interesting. The college star will look to translate his success to the NFL, and that starts with training camp. If Mayfield excels in training and in the preseason, he could land himself the starting job in week 1. Head coach Hue Jackson has stated that it is likely that Mayfield will see action at some point during the season, even if it is not opening day. 

Image Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vince_Williams_(American_football)
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/college/louisville/2018/07/25/how-lamar-jackson-adjusting-baltimore-and-nfl/818760002/
https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/no-1-overall-pick-baker-mayfield-signs-rookie-deal-with-browns/

Top 5 NBA Free Agency Moves Summer 2018

Ranking the most impactful and most shocking trades, signings, and free agency decisions this summer.

5. Isaiah Thomas to the Denver Nuggets

Moving from the Los Angeles Lakers to willingly decide to play in Denver shocked many NBA fans, as they wanted Thomas to be on a team with stacked talent and potential to win a championship. However, this move makes perfect sense for IT, as the head coach of the Nuggets, Michael Malone, was IT's head coach at the Sacramento Kings when Thomas had his first breakout season. In an interview, Thomas stated that with joining the Nuggets, Coach Malone will "give [him] the opportunity in Denver" to be himself again, the IT all NBA fans have been amazed by (USA Basketball). This move by Isaiah Thomas will hopefully prove to the league just how dangerous of a player he truly is, and hopefully bring the Nuggets and the city of Denver excitement around their franchise.

4. Carmelo Anthony to the Houston Rockets

Spending only one year at the Oklahoma City Thunder, Carmelo Anthony has slowly been declining from his prime; however, it is safe to say that he is still a highly skilled veteran essential to a championship team. His addition to the Houston Rockets makes the team a deadly trio of 2017-2018 Regular Season MVP James Harden, 9x NBA All Star Chris Paul, and 10x NBA All Star Carmelo Anthony. The backcourt duo of Harden and Paul has already proven to be deadly last season. With the addition of Anthony, who knows how the Western Conference may shape up this year, with the overpowered Warriors, a Lebron-based Lakers team, and the now newly hot Rockets.

3. Kawhi Leonard - DeMar DeRozan Trade

DeMar DeRozan (Left) and Kawhi Leonard (Right) in their new respective jerseys

This trade originally started with Kawhi Leonard demanding a trade to play somewhere else, as he was not satisfied playing in San Antonio with the Spurs. Surprisingly, the Toronto Raptors traded away their superstar player DeMar DeRozan for Leonard. DeRozan was the face of both the city of Toronto and the Raptors franchise. The Raptors organization trading away their franchise player was a move controversial to many NBA fans and players. Him being traded was looked upon as an act of disloyalty by the Toronto Raptors. Putting politics aside, moving Kawhi Leonard to Toronto could possibly make the Raptors a contender in the Eastern Conference, while moving DeRozan to the Spurs will team him up with Hall of Fame coach Greg Poppovich. Overall, this trade created a buzz around the Raptors' disloyal action as well as affecting the future of both the Raptors and Spurs in the upcoming years.

2. Demarcus Cousins to the Golden State Warriors

All NBA fans know of the superteam that has formed in Golden State. They have changed the whole look of the NBA, having loads of all star talent stacked on their roster. And now, this summer, they have acquired All Star center Demarcus Cousins. Not only does this fix the Warriors' only weakness of lacking a skilled center, but Cousins' free agency move also makes the Warriors have a starting lineup of five All Stars. With a starting lineup of 2x League MVP Steph Curry, 2x NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant, 4x NBA All Star Klay Thompson, 3x NBA All Star Draymond Green, and newly acquired 4x NBA All Star Demarcus Cousins, this squad completes the definition of the most stacked superteam in NBA History. Cousins' new signing in Golden State was seen by many as a coward's move, as the motto: "If you can't beat them, join them" came into full effect. Whether a coward-ish move or not, Demarcus Cousin's move will definitely shake up how the Warriors place in the Western Conference and in the playoffs.

1. LeBron James to the Los Angeles Lakers

Simple Rule of the NBA: Whichever team LeBron James is on, that team automatically becomes a championship contender.

Shocking the basketball world with his career-affecting decision, LeBron James decided to leave his hometown of Cleveland to play in Hollywood. Sources stated the move to Los Angeles was for several reasons such as: family, Lakers fame, Hollywood and Movie-Production, Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka, etc. Whatever the reason may be for the move, James is still considered to be in his prime, and has shown no signs of slowing down. With a Lakers roster full of promising young talent, James' presence will elevate the Lakers and make them a championship contender. This upcoming season will be interesting to see how LeBron James and his young teammates compete against the other experienced superpower teams in the West, such as the Warriors and Rockets. One thing is for sure: LeBron James is hungry for another championship, and will do anything these next few years to achieve that goal.

Picture Credits:
www.inquisitr.com
www.clutchpoints.com
www.nbcsports.com
www.flurrysports.org

10 things to look out for in the upcoming College Football Season

College football is underway in just under a month, and many fans across the nation are eager to watch their favorite teams play again. Not including Independents, FBS teams are in one of the following conferences: SEC, ACC,  Big 10, Pac 12, Big 12, AAC, CUSA, MAC, MWC or Sun Belt. With the addition of new teams practically every year, college football has continued to intensify, and the competitiveness has risen to new heights never seen before. That said, here are my 10 things to look out for...

1. UCF's follow-up season

Pay attention to UCF this season as it will be interesting what they do after losing Scott Frost to Nebraska. With McKenzie Milton returning for his senior year at quarterback, except UCF to be back in the New Year's Six conversations.

2. Clemson's stacked defensive line

Clemson might have the best defense in the nation at the moment. Dabo Swinney has done a terrific job recruiting players to Clemson as they have fought their way to the top of the college football world. The most notable spot on Clemson's defense is their defensive line. Their current starters are Dexter Lawrence, Christian Wilkins, Austin Bryant and Clelin Ferrell. With that much depth on the defensive line, Clemson will continue to be a dominant force in the ACC and beyond.

3. Pac 12's "Power" team

After going 1-7 in bowl games last season, the Pac 12 is struggling mightily to keep up with the other Power 5 conferences. Utah was the one team to win a bowl game last season. They took down West Virginia 30-14 in the Heart of Dallas Bowl. With so many average teams in the conference, does the Pac 12 have a power team like the SEC in Alabama? This remains to be seen as the college football season gets closer and closer to its start time.

4. FAU with Lane Kiffin

In his second season at FAU, Lane Kiffin is on the right track to win another conference championship. He drastically turned the program around from a 3-9 campaign in 2016 to an 11-3 campaign in 2017. FAU is looking like a New Year's Six team already. With a tough schedule featuring nonconference opponents Oklahoma and UCF, FAU could find itself in the College Football Playoff as well. For now, Lane Kiffin is here to stay in sunny FAU.

5. Auburn's Identity

Even after losing to both Clemson and LSU in 2017, Auburn manages to beat Alabama and Georgia in the same season. Yes, that's right. Auburn BEAT both teams that made it to the National Championship Game. They went on to play in the SEC Championship Game and lost to Georgia 7-28 after beating them earlier. To date, Auburn is one of the most inconsistent teams in college football ever. Later that season, Auburn loses to UCF in the New Year's Six Peach Bowl game. With Gus Malzhan's HC seat warming and their QB Jarett Stidham possibly leaving for the NFL next year, its do or die for Auburn football in 2018.

6. New rules in CFB

The college football world saw many new rule changes. Here is a short list of a few of them...

• When a player calls for a fair catch behind the 25-yard line on kickoffs, the team will be granted a touchback
• To make play faster, a 40-second play clock has been added after touchdowns and kickoffs
• Teams are now allowed to redshirt a player if the player participates in 4 games or less in any given season
• College athletes don't need permission anymore from their school to transfer

7. ACC and SEC scheduling 8 conference opponents

The number of conference opponents a team plays factors greatly into the competitiveness a conference would like to have. The more teams you play against in your conference, the more competition there will be. This is why 2 teams from the SEC played each other in the National Championship game. They have one less conference game to play than everyone else besides the ACC. For example, Alabama is scheduled to play The Citadel late in the season this year before they face off against Auburn in the Iron Bowl. Barring a miracle happens, this is essentially a bye week for Alabama and a complete waste of their time along with the rest of college football. 

8. Michigan's struggle to beat top teams in the Big Ten

Under Jim Harbaugh, Michigan can't seem to beat the likes of Penn St., Ohio St., and Michigan St. at all. He is a combined 3-6 against these three teams and 0-3 against Ohio St. If Michigan wants to make any progress in the loaded Big Ten East, they need to figure out how to win against the harder teams. Aside from that, Michigan should still manage to be in the Top 25 for the whole year unless otherwise.

9. Texas A&M going all in on Jimbo Fisher

After letting Kevin Sumlin go, Texas A&M is taking a huge risk here. Sumlin was a special coach that fit well with their system and could recruit fairly well in Texas and neighboring states. He produced many winning seasons for A&M and left a reputation to be continued upon. To bring in Jimbo Fisher, a former Florida St. coach, is a bold move for many reasons. He has to transition from the ACC to SEC, the players and coaches don't really know him and if he doesn't make progress in the right direction Texas A&M is going to rethink their decision. We'll see how Texas A&M plays this year as they are trying to acquire the right pieces and make the right moves to win a division title and possibly an SEC championship game in the near future.

10. Notre Dame's history of tough schedules

Notre Dame is currently an FBS Independent team and that brings really challenging schedules on their part. This is very rewarding yet costly at the same time. It's rewarding because if they go 12-0 or 11-1 during the regular season, they almost certainly make the College Football Playoff. But, it can be costly because to play a formidable opponent every week and expect lots of wins is very hard. The players and coaches will both get tired as having to prepare for stiff opponents take a lot of hard work and effort. 2-3 slip-ups a year is all it takes to be knocked out of the playoff discussion. The good thing is that they are used to it so the pressure is eased off a little bit.  From fbsschedules.com  here is Notre Dame's 2018 schedule...

2018 NFL Training Camp Preview: AFC East

New England Patriots

Biggest Question:
The New England Patriots are the model organization of the NFL, and it has been for almost 20 years. However, the front office experienced some drama last season after the 49ers traded for Jimmy Garappolo. Coach Bill Belichick also caused a stir with benching CB Malcolm Butler in Super Bowl LII against the Eagles. Star players Rob Gronkowski and Tom Brady skipped Voluntary OTAs, and several key players left in free agency, such as the previously stated Malcolm Butler. The question is, can they put this beside them and continue the so-called "Patriot Way"? As long as TB12 is the quarterback and Belichick is their coach, the Patriots are sure-fire AFC Contenders.
Key Player to Watch: 

Patriots WR Malcolm Mitchell

WR Malcolm Mitchell. Mitchell showed promise as a 4th round pick in 2016, racking up 32 receptions and 401 receiving yards. Recently Mitchell has been the talk of potential trade talks, per NFL insider Ian Rappaport. According to NESN.com, he was the only player to not show up at Patriots training camp on Thursday. It will be interesting to see if he shows up to camp, and how he will respond to trade rumors. Fun Fact: He also apparently has a passion for writing as he released a children's book, The Magician's Hat, back in 2016.

Buffalo Bills

Biggest Question:

AJ McCarron, as it stands, will be the starting QB for the Buffalo Bills at the start of the season. No disrespect to AJ, but a lot of Bills fans probably don't have confidence in a guy who couldn't beat out Andy Dalton for a starting spot, and someone who has not played meaningful snaps since the 2015 playoffs. The other QB options in Buffalo are interception machine Nathan Peterman and raw rookie Josh Allen. The key name is Allen. Josh Allen has all the arm talent in the world, but he struggled to be productive in his last season at Wyoming. If Allen overachieves and performs well in training camp and the preseason, he could potentially land the starting job sometime during the season. Perhaps during week 1. 

Key Player to Watch:

LB Tremaine Edmunds.  After selecting Allen 7th overall, the Bills sent a king's ransom of picks to select the talented linebacker out of Virginia Tech 16th overall. It is likely that Edmunds will be the starting middle linebacker at the start of the season. Edmunds' unique blend of speed and size give him an exciting upside. Edmunds will need to establish himself as a leader and a tackling force in Sean McDermott's defense, which he did at Virginia Tech. He already showed some of those capabilities at OTAs; the question is can he keep it up in training camp and into the season?

New York Jets

Biggest Question:

The New York Jets enter this season with a large selection of skill position players. Let's start with their receiving corps. Robby Anderson showed flashes last year of being a potential #1 wide receiver. However, he had off the field issues, and according to USA Today, the NFL is investigating his case. If he is found to violate the NFL's personal conduct policy, he could face a suspension. Other players such as Quincy Enunwa, Jermaine Kearse, and Terrelle Pryor all are intriguing options, but they need to prove themselves in training camp. As for running backs, the Jets brought in Isiah Crowell and Thomas Rawls, players who had injury problems last season, but they had productive seasons before that in 2016. These guys join a running back group which includes Eli Mcguirre and Bilal Powell, who played on a running back committee last year. The Jets need a top running game to support veteran QB Josh McCown or 3rd overall pick Sam Darnold, who by the way should benefit learning under a seasoned veteran in McCown.
Key Player to Watch:
CB Trumaine Johnson. Trumaine is a former Los Angeles Ram, where he was the #1 corner there from 2015-2017. He was let go after the team signed Aqib Talib and traded for Marcus Peters, and it was determined that Johnson was too expensive for a 3rd cornerback. Trumaine joins a pass defense that allowed 30 passing touchdowns, which was ranked #29 in the NFL. However, the pass defense boasts the likes of Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye, two safeties who showed flashes of greatness in their rookie years last season. Johnson can play very well as a slot cornerback, which is likely where he will play in the Big Apple. With Johnson added to this young and speedy secondary, expect the Jets to improve in pass defense this season.

Miami Dolphins

Biggest Question:
Ryan Tannehill last played NFL football on December 11th, 2016, which if Tannehill starts week 1, it will be a 637-day gap between snaps during an NFL game. For the Dolphins to succeed, Tannehill must have a good season, which he is capable of, but he has been inconsistent ever since drafted in 2012. Tannehill is not the only question mark on this offense. The Dolphins replaced much of their offensive core, including leading receiver Jarvis Landry, Julius Thomas, and pro bowl center Mike Pouncey. They tried to replace these players by signing WR Danny Amendola and C Daniel Kilgore, as well as drafting Penn St. TE Mike Gesicki in the 2nd round. All of these players are key to improving an offense that was ranked 25th in yards gained, and 28th in points scored. The Dolphins look to Run a fast-paced offense with Ryan Tannehill at the helm, which coach Adam Gase hopes will fix an offense that struggled last year.
Key Player to Watch:

LB Raekwon McMillan. McMillan was a 2nd round pick in 2017, who unfortunately has his season end due to a knee injury in preseason. The Dolphins have high hopes that McMillan can assume the role of starting MLB this season without injury. McMillan was a very good coverage linebacker at Ohio State, which is something the Dolphins struggled to do last year at the linebacker position. He also has a very high football IQ, as he has an uncanny ability to anticipate the run, getting 7 tackles for loss in his final year at Ohio State. Miami runs a heavy zone defense, which is the defense that McMillan excelled at during his tenure with the Buckeyes. The Dolphins need to see some of that at training camp, to feel confident that they have found their guy at MLB.

Image sources:
https://www.profootballrumors.com/2018/07/malcolm-mitchell-undergoes-knee-surgery

https://dolphinswire.usatoday.com/2018/07/23/dolphins-sophomore-player-profile-lb-raekwon-mcmillan/