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| Friday, May 19, 2023 |
| Welcome to the Friday edition of the Pick Six newsletter! |
| Sorry if there was some confusion to start off the newsletter today. You may have noticed in the headline that the words "Super Bowl" and "Cowboys" were used in the same sentence, which is definitely kind of confusing because those words never get used together in the same sentence. |
| I know what you're now thinking, and no, this is not an anti-Cowboys newsletter. Sure it might seem that way, but you won't feel that way after you read our 2023 prediction for Dallas, which will be unveiling today. We'll also be taking a look at where the NFL is planning on holding Super Bowl LX (That LX stands for 60 for those of you out there who hate Roman numerals). |
| As always, here's your daily reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. To get them signed up, all you have to do is click here. |
| 1. Today's podcast: Brady Quinn breaks down topics from around the NFL |
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| If you're going to listen to just one episode of the Pick Six podcast this week, then you're definitely going to want to make it today's show and that's because it consisted of a full hour of Brady Quinn. The former NFL first-round pick joined Will Brinson and host Katie Mox to talk about a multitude of NFL topics. |
| One topic Quinn talked about with the crew was Alex Smith's recent comments that head coaches who have a defensive background don't generally do as well of a job of developing quarterbacks as head coaches with an offensive background. |
| "There's without a doubt a big difference," Quinn said of the two kinds of coaches, before pointing to two specific recent situations. |
| One example of this is the Dolphins, who had a defensive-minded head coach in Brian Flores before hiring the offensive-minded Mike McDaniel in 2022. |
| "Look at Brian Flores and how he handled things with Tua [Tagovailoa]," Quinn said. "Flores would be like, 'It's time for the two-minute drill, let's put in Ryan Fitzpatrick.' At some point, you've got to see whether or not Tua is capable of doing this. So Flores moves on, Mike McDaniel takes over and BOOM. Look at the confidence, look how Tua is playing and look how McDaniel has handled things." |
| Quinn also pointed to the Vikings as proof that quarterbacks tend to thrive better under offensive-minded head coaches. Kirk Cousins and the defensive-minded Mike Zimmer never got along, but Cousins does seem to have a solid relationship with new coach Kevin O'Connell, who is an offensive-minded coach. |
| If teams are looking to make a new coaching hire, last year's postseason may have been proof that an offensive-minded coach is the way to go. Out of the final eight teams left standing, seven of them had an offensive-minded head coach (Only the Bills had a defensive guy). |
| Besides that topic, the crew also touched on the Davante Adams situation in Las Vegas and whether the NFL should implement a draft lottery. If you want to hear Quinn's full thoughts on everything, then be sure to click here. You can also watch today's show on YouTube by clicking here. |
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| 2. Super Bowl LX likely headed to the Bay Area |
| If you're someone who likes to plan things in advance, then you might want to go ahead and get out your 2026 calendar, because we have something big you're going to want to put on it: The date and location of Super Bowl LX. |
| Here's what you need to know: |
| Levi's Stadium expected to host Super Bowl LX. When the NFL owners get together at the annual Spring League Meeting next week, the group is expected to vote on the location of Super Bowl LX, and the expectation is that the owners will approve Levi's Stadium to host the game, according to the Sports Business Journal. Levi's will be undergoing some major upgrades before the game. The game is tentatively scheduled for Feb. 8, 2026 and by the time it kicks off, the 49ers will have spent some major money upgrading Levi's Stadium. According to The Athletic, the team is planning at least $120 million in upgrades, which will see the team upgrade its premium suites, premium seats and the stadium scoreboard. Bay Area will be hosting its third Super Bowl. The first Bay Area Super Bowl came in January 1985 when the 49ers beat the Dolphins in Super Bowl XIX in a game that was played at Stanford. After that, the NFL didn't give the Bay Area another Big Game until Super Bowl 50 in February 2016 (The Broncos beat the Panthers that year). |
| Here's a look at where the next three Super Bowls will he held assuming the Bay Area gets approved: |
| Super Bowl LVIII: Las Vegas -- Feb. 11, 2024 (CBS)Super Bowl LIX: New Orleans -- Feb. 9, 2025 (Fox)Super Bowl LX: Santa Clara -- Feb. 8, 2026 (NBC) |
| For more on Super Bowl LX, be sure to click here. |
| 3. One reason of optimism for the 18 teams that didn't make the playoffs in 2022 |
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| If you were depressed at the end of the 2022 season because your favorite team didn't make the playoffs, I have some good news for you: Cody Benjamin is going to do his best to put you in a good mood. Cody went through all 18 teams that didn't make the playoffs last season and came up with one reason why each team should be optimistic heading into the 2023 season. |
| Let's take a look at a few of those reasons: |
| Bears: Justin Fields actually has a supporting cast. "A year after actively avoiding legitimate offensive upgrades, Bears management prioritized more short-yardage toughness with RB D'Onta Foreman and TE Robert Tonyan, better protection with OT Darnell Wright and OG Nate Davis, and most importantly a No. 1 pass catcher in D.J. Moore. Their young quarterback still needs to prove he can excel as a decision-maker, but he shouldn't always have to play Superman now."Browns: The passing attack looks deeper. "A year after leaning heavily on Amari Cooper, the former Texans QB now has ex-Jets prospect Elijah Moore on the outside, along with rookie Cedric Tillman Jr. and veteran speedster Marquise Goodwin as rotational options. They'll need all the firepower they can get in a tough-nosed AFC North."Colts: They finally appear to have a long-term answer at QB. "After years of betting on middling and/or aging veterans, Indy has itself maybe the most dynamic raw talent of the 2023 QB class in Anthony Richardson. His lack of polish as a passer may spell a stint on the bench, or keep them a year away from contention even in an open AFC South. But even his supersized athleticism as a scrambler should make the Colts a tougher out than expected." |
| If you're feeling extra positive today and want to check out the how optimistic Cody feels about the other 15 non-playoff teams, be sure to click here. |
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| 4. Ranking the 10 best rookie fits for 2023 |
| When it comes to the NFL Draft, one big reason a rookie will find success during their first year in the league is because they ended up with a team that knows how to utilize their talent. If a rookie fits a team's system, that gives them a much better chance to be successful. |
| With that in mind, CBSSports.com NFL Draft guru Chris Trapasso ranked the 10 best rookie fits for 2023 and we're going to take a look at his top five below. |
| 1. QB Anthony Richardson (Fourth overall pick, Colts). "Richardson's coach, Shane Steichen, was integral to Jalen Hurts' development in Philadelphia. That was well documented during the pre-draft process. Like Steichen did with Hurts in his first full season as the Eagles starter, Richardson will be provided ample easy, high-percentage throws, too. Indianapolis swung for the fences with its first selection in the 2023 draft, and the Richardson-Steichen fit is exquisite." |
| 2. RB Devon Achane (84th overall pick, Dolphins). "Achane is who Mike McDaniel would create in Madden for his offense. Feisty, one-cut type and, of course, most importantly, stupidly fast. Achane's 4.32 tied for the fifth-fastest 40-yard dash time for a running back in the officially recorded combine era (dating back to 1999)." |
| 3. CB Christian Gonzalez (17th overall pick, Patriots). "After losing J.C. Jackson in free agency last offseason, New England has needed to reinstall that true alpha corner to the defense. Belichick got one in Gonzalez, who mirrors like a five-year NFL veteran." |
| 4. WR Rashee Rice (55th overall pick, Chiefs). "In his final two seasons at SMU, Rice forced 35 missed tackles on 160 receptions. Enormous elusiveness rate there. His size and athleticism profiles were spitting images of Brandon Aiyuk. That's who Rice can be in this Patrick Mahomes-powered offense." |
| 5. OL Sidy Sow (117th overall pick, Patriots). "A four-year, full-time starter at Eastern Michigan, Sow is ready for any blitz variation or any sized defensive tackle. He's seen it all. At nearly 6-foot-5 and 320-plus pounds with elite athleticism and serious power for the guard spot, he will hit the ground running in the NFL. Bill Belichick has a knack for discovering quality blockers after the second round in the draft. Sow is next." |
| If you want to see Trapasso's full list of 10 players, be sure to click here. |
| 5. Predicting the Cowboys' final record for 2023 |
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| Every day this week, we've gone through and predicted the final record for one team in the NFL, and today, we're finishing the week with America's team. CBSSports.com's Garrett Podell went through the Cowboys' entire schedule and picked out all the games they're going to win and all the games they're going to lose. |
| Here's a look at his predictions from three key games: |
| Week 2: Jets at Cowboys. "The Jets were a quarterback away from making noise in 2022, thanks to their top-five scoring defense and young playmakers (2022 Offensive Rookie of the Year Garrett Wilson and running back Breece Hall), so as long as New York's offensive line can keep Rodgers in good enough health entering this contest, they have a great chance of ruining another Cowboys' Sunday." Prediction: Jets 34-28 over Cowboys. Week 5: Cowboys at 49ers. "In the Cowboys' second consecutive playoff loss to the 49ers, one of the primary reasons for their defeat was Dak Prescott forcing too many passes to CeeDee Lamb since Dallas lacked a viable No. 2 option. With Brandin Cooks now onboard, his presence should erase the issue." Prediction: Cowboys 23-16 over 49ers. Week 15: Cowboys at Bills. "The Cowboys facing off against one of the NFL's best teams on the road will be a tough task, and there's no shame in coming up a play or two short while losing on a game-winning field goal." Prediction: Bills 27-24 over Cowboys. |
| Overall, Podell is predicting that the Cowboys will finish the season with a 12-5 record, which is a smart prediction, because if the Cowboys have proven one thing over the past two years, it's that they have perfected the art of finished 12-5 only to flame out in the playoffs (The Cowboys went 12-5 in both 2021 and 2022). |
| If you want to see Garrett's prediction for each game, be sure to click here to check out his entire story. |
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| 6. Extra points: Mitchell Trubisky signs extension |
| It's been a busy 24 hours in the NFL, and since it's nearly impossible to keep track of everything that happened, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you. |
| Steelers give Mitchell Trubisky new three-year deal. The Steelers quarterback, who got benched for Kenny Pickett last season, is going to stick around in Pittsburgh as the team's backup. The Steelers announced today that Trubisky has a signed a three-year deal with the team . According to multiple reports, the deal is worth $19.4 million and can be increase up to $33 million if Trubisky meets certain incentives.Commanders sale won't be voted on at May owner's meeting. Although the owners will be voting on the location of Super Bowl LX next week, they won't be voting in the sale of the Commanders . The group buying the team, led by Josh Harris, has to be vetted by the NFL's finance committee and that won't be done before next week's meeting. Ex-NFL player accused of threatening congressman. Former 49ers fullback Bruce Miller was reported to Capitol Police this week after sending a threatening message to a sitting congressman. In the message, which was sent to Rep. Eric Swalwell, Miller asked the congressman, "Would you rather Guantanamo or just execution?" You can see the full details on the story here. Ravens legend denies player's request to wear No. 55 in Baltimore. Ravens linebacker David Ojabo was hoping to wear No. 55 this year, which is what he wore in college, but that won't be happening because Terrell Suggs shot down his request . The number isn't technically retired by the Ravens, but no one has worn it in Baltimore since Suggs left in 2018, and apparently, Suggs is going to make sure it stays that way. |
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| | | | | PGA Championship | | PGA Championship HQ Coverage | This weekend, CBS heads to a major tournament when the world's best golfers descend on the legendary Oak Hill Country Club, with the winner taking home the coveted Wanamaker Trophy at the PGA Championship. Live coverage on Saturday and Sunday begins at 1 PM ET.
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| | This weekend, CBS Sports HQ is live from Oak Hill for the PGA Championship. Watch exclusive interviews, on-site analysis and up-to-the-minute news from our talent directly to you.
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