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Greetings! Sometimes, I like to change things up with a sports topic. The annual NFL Draft gives teams a chance to bring new talent to their rosters. Unfortunately, many draft picks don't work out, including college stars and number one picks. You never know when it comes to professional sports. I actually watched the entire draft this year and here are my general thoughts.
The 2022 Draft Churned Out Many Linemen and Defensive Backs It seems like 2022 had a strong class of offensive linemen and defensive backs. I suppose a lot of defensive backs get selected in every draft, but an overwhelming number of them were chosen over more popular positions. Truthfully, I believe most teams benefit by drafting strong offensive linemen because your quarterbacks and running backs need adequate protection. Linemen tend to be very underrated, but this season turned out well for their draft class. It's a good situation because many teams had weak offensive lines last year. That's why Patrick Mahomes and other strong quarterbacks were running amok all over the field. Some new blood will definitely help many football teams. Teams Actually Drafted What They Needed Usually, teams draft the most valuable or popular players. This season was a little different because teams actually drafted what they needed. Universally across the board, teams need offensive and defensive linemen, defensive backs, wide receivers, and linebackers to a certain extent. So, those were the players who were chosen in large quantities. Typically, teams in the early part of the draft will chose quarterbacks, which brings up my next point. 2022 Had a Weak Quarterback Class Many first round draft picks are quarterbacks, except this year. In fact, this draft class had very few quarterbacks at all. Why chose a quarterback who's going to fail in the long run? I know it sounds mean to label players negatively before giving them a chance, but sports are competitive and the writing is on the wall for many these quarterbacks. Maybe somebody will prove me wrong and become a sensation, although it's unlikely. Many Draft Picks Are a Ploy to Replace Veteran Players with Big Salaries Football teams have a plight when they win the Super Bowl or have really strong seasons. They have to give more money to top tier players, usually the quarterback and possibly a few other team members. Unfortunately, that means other valuable players must be cut or traded to save money. For example, the LA Rams are the current Super Bowl champions and they drafted three defensive backs, probably intending to replace Jalen Ramsey with someone younger and cheaper. This phenomenon drives me crazy, but it’s the norm. Certain Teams Are Dead Ends for Top Tier Talent I feel great sympathy for some of the high end draft picks because they go to the worst teams. It literally destroys some careers before they even start. Notable teams that spell certain doom for new players include the Jacksonville Jaguars, the New York Jets, the Detroit Lions, and a few others. Trevor Lawrence was the number one draft selection in 2021 and they remained the worst team in the NFL. Ouch! However, some teams eventually gather enough players with high quality and break through the curse. Typically, the Bengals are lousy, but they went to the Super Bow last year, so you never know. A Few Teams Didn't Know What They Wanted, So They Drafted a Punter Four teams actually wasted draft picks on punters. They just kick the ball away upon fourth down. Nobody needs to draft this position because dozens of eligible and qualified punters are free agents every season. In my opinion, a small number of teams didn’t know what to pick, so they grabbed a punter for some reason. I don’t get it, but this type of thing happens with almost every draft class. Mr. Irrelevant Was a Quarterback Here’s a real shocker. The final selection in the draft was a quarterback. That almost never happens. Again, 2022 didn’t have the most impressive quarterback class. For those of you who are unfamiliar, the final selection in every draft receives the name, Mr. Irrelevant. He even gets a special jersey. It might sound embarrassing, but many players wear the title with pride. After all, it’s better to get the last pick, rather than being skipped from the draft entirely. Occasionally, Mr. Irrelevant can be a valuable player with a successful career, but not very often. The current Mr. Irrelevant will probably be a backup quarterback and you might be surprised. Some backup quarterbacks last a really long time in the NFL, even if they rarely play. There you go! Did you watch the NFL Draft this year? Leave a comment if you have anything to say about this post. I'll probably return to movie or gaming news next week. Be careful out there. We might be done with the worst part of the pandemic, but the Fall and Winter seasons will be the real test. So, enjoy your freedom, have fun, enjoy your Mother’s Day, and come back again next week. See you later!
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Good evening! As expected, the streaming landscape continues to change dramatically and unpredictably. The media is going wild with reports about Netflix losing 200,000 subscribers in the first quarter of 2022. That’s a pretty big deal, but I wouldn’t say the streaming industry is in trouble. Streaming companies simply over-expanded and consolidation is inevitable. I’ll explain my rationale below.
For the record, I still believe streaming is the future of television and cinema. It might even be the future of gaming some day. However, the streaming market is oversaturated and consumers are only going to spend their money on a finite number of services. The main point is to spend less money and enjoy a large amount of content. In the past, Netflix didn’t have any competition, so they could afford new films and shows on a weekly basis with top tier talent. Now their competition includes Disney+, HBO Max, Amazon Prime, Peacock, Apple TV+, Paramount+, Hulu, etc. Everybody has entered the streaming wars and we’ve already seen casualties. For example, CNN+ was shuttered a handful of weeks after launch. In the long run, the market won’t have a million streaming services. Some of them are going to fail, but that doesn’t mean consumers will have less content. Do I really think fledgling services like Peacock and Paramount+ are going survive? I doubt it, but Universal Pictures and Paramount will probably sell content to Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, or whoever endures. Right now, multiple streaming services exist and we’ll probably wind up with three or four in the long run. That’s what I mean by consolidation. It’s an inevitable reality across all markets. We’re already seeing major consolidation in the film industry. For example, Disney purchased 20th Century, including all subsidiary brands. Consolidation is also happening in the gaming industry. Microsoft and Sony are buying game developers left and right. Many people freak out when consolidation occurs, but it’s unavoidable because consumers don’t have unlimited time or money. Look at how many films release in theaters on a monthly basis. Nobody can afford that many movie outings! What will change for Netflix in the near future? I have a feeling we’re going to see a cheaper, ad supported plan at some point. It might incentivize consumers to keep their subscriptions. Ultimately, Netflix will have to cut down the amount of movies and shows. It also means they can’t afford the most expensive actors, directors, and screen writers. Don’t freak out because viewers only watch a fraction of the content on any given streaming service. A lot of good (and mediocre) content slips under the radar and nobody even notices. Netflix must save money, one way or another. It’s worth noting, many of those 200,000 subscribers will probably return. Netflix and the other streaming services are victims of churn. That means viewers will subscribe to one or more streaming services for a month and unsubscribe the following month to try something else. I think weekly episode releases was a smart change for streaming shows, but they can do more. Rising prices may have contributed to the problem, considering Netflix is one of the most expensive streaming services and they continue to lose content. I’m talking about less content for more money. Disney, Warner Bros., Universal, and Paramount want their franchises back. So, the days of a million new streaming shows every week will end one of these days. That’s fine because quality is more important than quantity and people simply don’t have that kind of time anyway. By the way, network television is in far worse trouble. I’m pretty sure live sports are the only thing keeping network television on life support right now. We’ll have to see how live news and sports integrate into the streaming market eventually. Did you keep your Netflix subscription? What’s your favorite streaming service at the moment? Do you think streaming is becoming more expensive than cable? Go ahead and rant about everything in the comment section. I haven’t figured out next week’s post yet, so keeps your eyes open. Take care and enjoy the rest of your weekend! |
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May 2019
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