This season of Hard Knocks – a reality sports documentary produced by the NFL and HBO – follows the Detroit Lions in training camp with coach Dan Campbell. Jared Goff hasn’t been seen very much, as they want to protect the QB during training camp, but David Blough has featured prominently. Did he make the team? The spotlight is on the Taxi Squad, or player development squad, made up of players to help run through drills. Most teams start camp with 80-90 players and coaches study a lot of film to whittle the number down to a final 53-man roster. How does the salary budget, with star players garnering multi-million dollar contracts, affect the decision-making process when choosing the rest of the team? Will Goff and the Lions win at least six or seven games this season?
The LA Rams are playing the Buffalo Bills next week, and it looks like the Bills are the favorite on the road in 2022. Will they beat the reigning Super Bowl champs and grab the LVII title for themselves?
The NCAA Transfer Portal has been closed until December, preventing athletes from transferring until the next recruiting season, which keeps players from changing schools after just a couple of games and allows most teams the chance for some consistency. University presidents and trustees have also gotten together and are considering instituting an 8-12 game college football playoff. Will this be more exciting for fans? Are these enough improvements to make up for the changes caused by the NIL?
Has Chip Kelly put together a solid team this year? He surrounded himself with a lot of coaching expertise, a good defensive coordinator, and several new players who have come through the Transfer Portal. Returning QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson, RB Zach Charbonnet, and their offensive line represent a solid core. The Bruins have talent and potential, but do they have enough depth?
In their first game of the year, the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame are 17 1/2 point favorites against Ohio State. With such optimistic initial projections, will Marcus Freeman‘s team continue with more numbers like those throughout the season?
Email Fred and Art with questions and comments at sportsfred@aol.com
