Lance's 2021 Mid-Season Hot Takes

College football is at or past the halfway point for most teams, and the NFL is getting close to theirs, so I decided to write out some of my mid-season hot takes. I did have one on why a QB needy team should go ahead and give Houston what they want to land Watson, but news broke this morning that they've agreed in principle to a deal with Miami. I also went through and captioned each take so you can decide if it’s interesting enough for you to read or not. Also, the bottom is a mix of players/coaches/team combinations I’d like to see happen next offseason.

Matt Corral and Malik Willis are NOT the #1 QB prospects for the 2022 draft

I’m very high on Matt Corral, he was my Heisman pick after all, and I like Malik Willis’ potential considering his tremendous athletic capabilities, but as of right now I’d argue neither is the best draft eligible prospect for 2022. Based on the last year and a half, my vote would be for Grayson McCall out of Coastal Carolina. He is a redshirt Sophomore who could opt to go back to school but look at his body of work. He was one of the main reasons for the Chanticleers jumping from 5-7 in 2019 to 11-1 in 2020. He’s also highly efficient. Last year he completed 68.8% of his passes, at 10 yards/attempt and had 26 touchdown passes to just 3 picks. HE’S OUTDOING THAT THIS YEAR!! Seven games in, he’s completed 77.3% of his passes, at 13.4 YPA, and has 15 touchdowns to just 1 pick! He can also run the ball, not to the same effect as Willis, but 569 rush yards and 7 touchdowns a year ago is pretty solid (he hasn’t taken off much this year). With how down the QB class looks for 2022 I really hope McCall comes out; he’d help make the first-round way more interesting.

Kayvon Thibodeaux is NOT the world beater he’s being made out to be

Thibodeaux is being listed as the #1 prospect by just about everyone out there. Recently I saw someone comparing him to Demarcus Ware. I disagree with both of those takes. In a pretty loaded Edge Rusher class, I’m not even convinced he’s the top prospect at his own position. The likes of Aidan Hutchinson, George Karlaftis, Drake Jackson, and even up and comers like Jermaine Johnson make it difficult for me to just pick Thibodeaux and be done with it. Personally, I view Thibodeaux more along the lines of Jadeveon Clowney. A player with a ton of talent and athletic ability who did alright in college. But don’t worry, they still get drafted very high before failing to live up to the hype as a pro.

Tennessee and Minnesota are Super Bowl Contenders

It's not a popular opinion because they have to get through teams like Buffalo, Cincinnati, Baltimore, Arizona, Green Bay and Tampa Bay, but in order to get where I am you have to look at the teams, not the potential opponents. Tennessee is currently the 6th highest scoring offense, and while their scoring defense is only tied for 16th, they did just play their best game. Minnesota is tied for 14th in scoring offense, and is 13th in scoring defense.  You might look at that and think neither team seems like a legit threat, but average defenses led by high flying offenses can go a long ways. Plus, the Vikings are also 5th in total offensive yards (Tennessee's is 11th). The teams that struggle in the playoffs are usually the ones who either a) are toward the bottom in scoring defense, or b) can't score to save their lives. Definitely don't be surprised if these two make the playoffs, but even beyond that, don't be surprised if one or both of these teams make a push deep into the playoffs. Oh, and for the record, the Vikings were a missed FG away from beating Arizona at the end of their game, every other team the Cards have beaten by seven or more.

Team-Ups I’d like to see

Greg Roman and Grayson McCall

This is a package deal for a team that needs a new Head Coach and a new Quarterback. McCall could run Roman’s RPO style offense using his accuracy and decision making to really help the offense take off. He’s not as athletic as Lamar Jackson, so the Run part of the RPO would be him reading the defense and deciding to hand the ball off or throw it. Though he is athletic enough to keep it himself on occasion. Really, it’s his efficiency as a passer that I think makes him the more intriguing fit for Roman’s scheme than say Malik Willis. He’s the type of Quarterback who could help Roman excel as a head coach, and Roman’s scheme could help McCall take off as a pro. It’s a great match, maybe in Minnesota?!? Probably not, more likely it would be Washington or maybe even Houston.

Eric Bienemy and Trevor Lawrence

The Jags messed up by hiring Urban Meyer, that’s not a secret, but they can make up for it by cutting ties with him before he destroys Lawrence’s career. Bienemy has been the coaching candidate darling of most analysts over the last two seasons, and he’s failed to land an offer so far. I’ve heard reasons for that ranging from “look at what Andy Reid offensive coordinators have done when they’ve gotten head coaching gigs in the past” to “he just doesn’t interview well.” That’s understandable. You look at the past OCs to move on to Head Coaches and you end up with the likes of Brad Childress, Doug Pedersen and Matt Nagy (you could almost add Pat Shurmur into that group too). It hasn’t been pretty, but that doesn’t mean the next guy can’t be the one to get it right. The system they run in K.C. would be great for Lawrence, Robinson, Etienne, Chark, Shenault and Jones. The team would still need to hit on some draft picks/free agency moves and Bienemy would need to land the right guy to run the defense, but Bienemy is the guy they need to help Lawrence grow into the franchise QB they drafted him to be.

Joe Brady, Matt Corral and the NY Giants

I’m not a Giants fan by any stretch, I actually still hold a grudge against them for that whooping they gave my Vikings during the 2000-2001 NFC Championship game. But I do have a couple of good friends who are Giants fans, and I know how much it sucks to watch your team suffer year after year. If the Giants decide to scrub everything by getting rid of Gettleman, Judge and Jones, then I’d love to see them land Brady and Corral. Corral has made big strides this year for the Rebels and if he got a chance to work with a brilliant offensive mind like Joe Brady in the pros, he could continue to grow into one of the top passers in the league.

Mac Jones and John Metchie/Justin Fields and Chris Olave

Seeing the college connections from this past draft working in the pros has been pretty entertaining, not to mention beneficial for the teams using the hookups, especially Cincy, with Burrow to Chase becoming a weekly highlight reel. Jones can’t have Devonta Smith, but Metchie became one of his go to guys after Waddle went down during that magical 2020 season. Olave was Fields’ #1 target. Allen Robinson will likely be out of Chicago before the draft next year, which means Receiver will be at the top of Chicago’s list of needs. Olave would be a great get for their young signal caller.

Graham Harrell and the Miami Dolphins

Not as the head coach, but as the OC. I think I called for this a year or two ago and of course it never happened, so I’m bringing it back up. Brian Flores is a good head coach, and he’s worked some serious magic with that defense, but the offense needs a kick and more importantly, Tua needs a helping hand. Harrell runs an air raid style offense which would open things up and make life easier for Tagovailoa. Harrell was the OC for North Texas during the years that Seth Littrell was being considered one of the best group of five coaches. Then Harrell left for USC, the Mean Green fell apart, and Kedon Slovis became a top pro prospect for two seasons (had me fooled). Go get him before colleges start to see him for the head coaching candidate he is.

Kansas City and a Defensive Coach from Arizona, Cincinnati or Buffalo

The Chiefs need to do something to help clean up their defensive deficiencies. Arizona and Cincinnati are two surprises toward the top of the defensive statistical boards, and Buffalo is the top defense, though that’s not a big surprise it is a major bounce back from their 2020 performance. K.C. should be looking to replace their defensive coordinator and the defensive assistants from one of these three teams would be a great place to start looking. Another thing I’d love to see as a combo with K.C. is a first-round pick used on a DEFENSIVE PLAYER! The last time they did that was 2015 and it shows.