Tee Higgins To LA, Thunder in 1st place, Wins & Lessons of the week
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Happy Valentine’s Day - Be a real one and show your girl some love today.. Show your girl love everyday. If you are single, show yourself some love - continue to work on yourself, you owe it to yourself and your future self: to get to the gym, eat right, work hard and stack it up.. The right one will come along when the time is right
Alright.. Enough of that.. This ain't a dating pod.. This is about Fast Break Friday.. For my homies.. On your commute to work.. Let’s get straight to it.
NFL Free Agency Fits
Yes, the season has ended, but if you’re like me, you are looking up the latest news 365.. It doesn't matter if it’s week 5 and the cowboys are 4 and 1 or if it’s June 13th and I need a hit of what is happening in Jerry’s World in Texas..
A couple important NFL dates coming up:
NFL Scouting Combine - February 24th
Deadline to designate Franchise Tags - March 4th
Free Agency Signing begins - March 12th
NFL Draft - April 24th-26th
So every Friday, I will break down one of the top free agents, what he brings to the table, what the market is telling us and some potential landing spots..
So let’s kick it off with Free Agent Wide Receiver #1, Tee Higgins. The big question, is Tee Higgins a true WR1?
That means we’re talking $30 M’s plus. He has all the WR1 traits; he is big dog status at 6’4 220 lbs, he can run the full route tree, he gets off the line clean, he has good speed, he has great hands, he can go up and win jump balls, he’s shown everything you need in a WR1. We just have not seen WR1 production for two reasons, injuries and Mr. Triple Crown Jamar Chase doing his thing in a contract year. If he gets WR1 volume, we’re looking at 90-1200-12. But does he have the durability for $30 M’s, because that is elite WR Money. This past season there were 5 WR’s making north of $30M:
Jefferson $35M
CeeDee $34M
AJB $32
ASB $30
Tyreek $30
Do I think he is better than any of those guys? No, I don’t. As the salary cap continues to rise, so do players salaries and this dude is about to cash in.
According to Spotrac, the largest sports team and player contract database on the internet, has his market value sitting at $26M. This is based on his production, age and projections. He is entering his prime at 26 years old. Market-wise, simple supply and demand, he is the best WR available, many teams with money are looking for a WR1, this will drive his price tag over $30M. Let’s take a look at potential landing spots:
Patriots - They have the most cap space at over $120 mill, they desperately need player makers, they have the money, Drake Maye had a solid rookie season but he needs weapons. I’d assume they’d be willing to go dollar for dollar with almost any offer he receives
SAN-DIEGO-SUPER just kidding LA Chargers - I like this spot for him. This would give Herbert a big WR1 who would compliment Ladd perfectly. Ladd’s is an elite route runner, especially on the shorter and underneath stuff, which would provide a deadly 1-2 punch letting Higgins get to his bread and butter, the deep stuff.
Commanders - They have to be aggressive while Jayden is on his rookie deal. He took em to the NFC championship in his rookie campaign in what was supposed to be a transition year, Daniels is the real deal hollyfield. They have the cap space and pairing him next to Terry, would be down right scary.
Broncos - Another surprise team, Sean Payton found his guy in Bo Nix, another Oregon Guyyyy, who looks like a stud. This would give him a real WR1, they can find a running back in a loaded draft class this year and they would be off to the races with that elite D.
Bengals - Joey B wants him back but I just don’t think they can afford to tag him at $26M. They still have to work out deals for Jamar Chase and Trey Hendrickson, who both are coming off career years and will be demanding top dollar at two premium positions.
What do you think? Is Tee Higgins ready to be a WR1? Is he worth $30M? Where do you think he ends up?
Wins & Lessons
New segment we are adding called Wins and Lessons. One of the most valuable things in life that sports teaches you is how to win. If you have the privilege to play sports, better yet if you have the privilege to play for a winning program, you will learn how to win. The fundamentals that are built on goal setting, visualization, commitment, persistence and resilience. Tools that allow you to succeed in anything in life. Quick shoutout to Coach Bernett who instilled these lessons in me and thousands of other boys that he coached into men. You are a real one.
The other thing sports teaches you are lessons. There are no losses. You have the opportunity to learn after a loss. You learn how to get back up after being knocked down. You learn how to review the film, because film don’t lie, and learn where you can get better. If you apply these principles to anything you do in life, you will continue to get better.
Win Of The Week:
I’m done talking about the Eagles, the post super bowl recap was hard for me, so I can’t also give them the biggest win of the week. The biggest win of the week goes to the OKC Thunder. They were down 21 to the Heat, they literally stormed back with a 32-8 4th quarter led by SGA’s 32 and 9. They finish 1st overall in the league going into the all star break with a record of 44-9.
Excited to watch them continue to improve, they have the MVP front runner in SGA, they have depth and they play great D. I hope this is the year that they can make the jump in the playoffs in a once again loaded West.
Lesson Of The Week:
We’re going to stick with OKC.. who reminds us about the importance of the draft. Draft picks and drafting well are a major key to success in any sport. Let’s run it back to the Key Arena..
2007 - Seattle SuperSonics selected KD 2nd overall
2008 - Seattle selected Russell Westbrook 4th overall, they then relocated to OKC for the 08-09 season
2009 - OKC draft James Harden 3rd overall
Those three players were the cornerstones of the original OKC franchise. All three of these players have won an NBA MVP in their career.. Just an insane three years of drafting. They improved every year and got a little deeper into the playoffs, then check out this 2012 finals run:
First round - took down Dirk’s defending champion Mavericks
2nd round - took down Kobe’s Lakers
Conference Finals - took down a Spurs team that started the series up 2-0 and had won 20 consecutive games at that point
They would lose in the finals to Lebron’s Big 3 heat.
How did OKC build this current roster?
2019 they sent Paul George to the Clippers for SGA - who averaged 11 points in his rookie season and FIVE.. YES FIVE FIRST ROUND PICKS
They used one of those picks on Jalen Wililams, who will be playing in his first ASG, that same draft they scooped Chet Holmgren 2nd overall
They also hold 32 draft picks from now until the 2031 draft including 15 first rounders
Reminder there’s only 2 rounds per year in the NBA, they have the #1 record and more than 4 picks per year until 2031.
Personal Win:
My biggest win of the week: launching this podcast and re-connecting with a couple OG’s who I remember talking sports with at a young age. I remember reading the SI for Kids, the SI that came out every Thursday, the SLAM Magazines and coming ready with the facts for a debate. The fact that they’re listening to this podcast and we are re-connecting is the ultimate win of my year so far. You guys know who you are - I appreciate you and love you!
Personal Lesson:
You just gotta go. Stop waiting for the perfect time, because the perfect time was yesterday. Establish a plan, do your research, but eventually you just gotta go. Take that first step, be willing to learn and figure it out along the way. Launch your show, start that new workout plan, ask that girl out, tell people how you feel, you gotta be about that action. You can’t score sitting on the sidelines.
That’s all for today. Fast break friday is picking up the tempo. Appreciate every one of you tuning in, I hope you have a wonderful Friday. Count your blessings and finish the week strong!
