On this eve of the draft, as anticipation swells, we present the final 2020 GSM Mock Draft: 3.0. For every pick we get right (by team, draft spot, or both), we will be donating $3 to the American Red Cross.
Round 1:
Eagles trade picks #21, #53, #146 to 49ers for #13
GSM stepped into the War Room today for our Mock Draft 1.0. Shoutout to thedraftnetwork.com for their excellent NFL mock draft tool. Given time constraints, 1.0 just includes the first round. Look for an expanded version in 2.0.
The date was February 6th, 2005, and it was not supposed to end this way. The Philadelphia Eagles and Sixth-Year Head Coach Andy Reid had just capped off the most magical season the city had seen since at least 1980. After three consecutive defeats in the NFC Championship Game, the Birds of Broad Street had finally broken through after defeating a young Michael Vick and the upstart Atlanta Falcons to book
a trip to Jacksonville for Super Bowl XXXIX. After years of backlash from fans begging the front office to pair Donovan McNabb with a true WR1, the Eagles had traded for Terrell Owens, creating the most potent offense in the league that year.
Reid & Owens -Credit: AP- Rusty Kennedy
Combined with the suffocating defense of Jim Johnson, which sent 4 players to the Pro Bowl, this was the year that the Philly Faithful were going to be rewarded with the franchise’s first Championship since the pre-Super Bowl Era.
In an effort to avoid a play by play breakdown of that fateful evening in sunny Florida, the Eagles lost to New England by a score of 24-21. Outside of a magical playoff run during the 2008 Postseason, the Eagles would never reach the historic heights of those first 6 years under Andy Reid. The familiar faces that had defined the early 2000’s Birds, such as Jeremiah Trotter, Lito Shepard, Brian Westbrook, and Brian Dawkins would be gone by the end of the decade. Even McNabb, who was as polarizing a figure as any athlete in the city’s history, would close the decade with forgettable stints on the Redskins and Vikings before quietly retiring.
By 2012, the team was unrecognizable. Philadelphia limped to a 4-12 season, highlighted by the historic failure of that offseason’s “Dream Team” (thanks Vince Young). At that point Reid was the longest tenured head coach in the league, but nothing could stop the downward momentum that had accumulated. He was soon released from his contract and allowed to pursue other options, ultimately landing in Kansas City in January 2013.
It appeared the change of scenery had revitalized Reid, who quickly turned a struggling Chiefs franchise into a perennial contender in the AFC West. Reid, who had once coached an imperfect QB in Donovan McNabb onto the cover of Madden (thanks EA Sports), once again proved to the world that he was the quintessential Quarterback Whisperer of the National Football League. Under Reid’s tutelage, Alex Smith led the team to 53 wins over 5 seasons, making the playoffs all but 1 year, but were dispatched each time in the Wild Card or Divisional rounds.
Reid knew that he needed a transcendent talent under center in order to maximize the full potential of his up-tempo version of the classic West Coast Offense. The answer was found with the 10th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. The Chiefs traded up with the Buffalo Bills, in order to select QB Patrick Mahomes out of Texas Tech University in a move that would alter not only the franchise, but the NFL as a whole over the next 3 seasons. A “Passing Symphony” might be the only phrase suitable to describe just how beautiful Reid and Mahomes’ pairing has been over his 2 seasons as a starter, resulting in 24 regular season wins, 1 MVP Trophy, consecutive trips to the AFC Championship, and finally, one trip to the Super Bowl in Miami tomorrow.
I’ve talked at length about Reid’s journey over the last 20 years. Now let’s take some time to quickly jolt over what has changed when comparing Reid and his teams from 2005 vs 2020.
WHAT’S CHANGED:
The Diet–
Never one to skip a meal, Reid’s diet and exploits at restaurants have teetered between impressive to flat out urban legends. In Reid’s defense, he has always been ‘big-boned’ This however was not helped by being head coach in in two cities known
synonymously with their legendary menu items. The media and other pundits have driven both Cheesesteak and KC BBQ jokes into the ground at this point, and it is time to put some respect on this man’s name. Not only has Coach Reid found a second chance in Kansas City in regard to the game of football, but maybe on life itself. He has slimmed down significantly since the early 2000’s reportedly weighing 60 pounds less today.
The Skill Position Players–
Outside of a hobbled Terrell Owens and the uber-talented Brian Westbrook, the 2004 Eagles came into the Super Bowl with a WR and TE core that left much to
be desired. Correct me if I am wrong, but the average fan will catch no flack for forgetting such legendary names as Todd Pinkston, LJ Smith, Greg Lewis, and God’s Gift to Philadelphia, ‘FredEx’ Freddie Mitchell. The script is flipped this time around for Big Red, who enters Sunday with perhaps the most talented group of skill position players ever assembled on one offense. Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins, Travis Kelce, Mecole Hardman and Damien Williams boast enough speed to keep any defensive coordinator up at night, and they are firing on all cylinders right now. The battle between Robert Saleh’s talented 49ers D and Reid’s potent offense is easily the most interesting storyline heading into Sunday. May we all pray for points.
I leave you all with a quick message. While this may not be Andy Reid’s last chance at a Super Bowl, it may be his best chance. I would hate to look back on his career as one giant ‘What If?’. I urge all Guru’s far and wide to place your support in the Chiefs and our Big Red Messiah. Let’s get Andy on top of the mountain, hell, we all know he deserves it.
Like Aunt Susie’s fire 7-layer dip, throwing some green on the many obscure Super Bowl prop bets can be an integral component to a great Super Bowl watch. Correspondent Mac Mombello filled us in on a few of his Super Bowl LIV favorite prop bets.
Demi Lovato National Anthem: UNDER 2 mins
Last year, Gladys Knight’s rendition ran for 2 min and 1 sec, so this year’s over/under opened at 2 mins. Lovato, coming off her stellar performance at the Grammy Awards, most recently sang the anthem at the Mayweather v McGregor fight where she went over two minutes. Under bets have in 10 of the last 12 seasons, however, and after crunching some numbers, we are riding the under again. We see her taking a minute (at most) for the first 2 verses and with her averaging 42 seconds for the last two verses, we have her squarely fitting under 2 minutes.
Coin Toss HEADS
2019 has been all about heads and if you don’t trust us, here is Pro-Bowl DE Everson Griffen of the Minnesota Vikings. “The reason I called heads—I want Melvin Ingram to hear this—we’re playing Chargers and I call tails and he was like ‘It’s been heads this whole year,’ so in the playoffs I thought of him. He said it’s been heads this whole year. I called it twice, thank you Melvin I appreciate that man. I’m going heads this whole-time baby.”
Everyone is all over the under here based on the performance of the 49ers offense in the last two games. They have been run/run/run and then run again with the three headed monster of Mostert, Coleman and Breida. But they have yet to play a team in the playoffs that can match the firepower offense of the Chiefs. In Jimmy G’s last 16 games, he has averaged 20.125 completed passes. The 49ers will likely be playing from behind and this game could end in a shootout (last time this happened was vs the Saints in the regular season and he completed 27 passes). Give us the over.
Total Game UNDER 4.5 Sacks
Another pick where we are going against the grain here. After consulting the number machine, this season Patrick Mahomes was sacked an average of 1.2x per game while Jimmy G was sacked an average of 2.25x per game. Despite the tremendous D-line of the 49ers, Mahomes has maximum escapability and we believe he will use his legs to get out of trouble. We see 49ers getting 2 sacks maximum which should keep us under the 4.5 if the Chiefs D-line performs as they usually do.
Gatorade shower PURPLE
We hate to get sentimental here, but purple is the color of 2020. With the passing of Kobe Bryant, it would only see fitting that he is honored at the Super Bowl with the winning coach showered in his Lakers purple. He would want it that way, and we are going to ride to the payload.