2015 NFL Rookie Class
By: Justis Nieves
Staff Writer
This year’s N.F.L. rookie class is an exciting one for all fans of the league. Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota, Leonard Williams, and Amari Cooper are just some of the names in this year’s draft that are hoping to become stars in this league. This year’s draft has fans, coaches, expert analysts, and players in awe about the potential this draft has.
Let’s start with the first overall pick, Jameis Winston, who could arguably be the best quarterback in this draft, who attended Florida State. Jameis stands at 6’4 and weighs a solid 231 lbs. A former Heisman Trophy winner in 2013, Winston was the youngest player ever to receive the prestigious award as a sophomore at Florida State. Winston had one the best college careers at FSU. At FSU, he threw for 7,964 yards, had a completion percentage of 66.0, an average of 9.4 yards per pass, along with 65 touchdowns and 28 interceptions at the end of his college run. Come draft night, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Jameis first overall, trusting him with the responsibility of being their center piece at starting quarterback. Even though Jameis’s first drive in the N.F.L. ended with a pick six against the Tennessee Titans, he still has a lot of potential. Winston has seven interceptions and six touchdowns and thrown for 965 yards in his first few games into the his rookie season. Things are looking up for the Buccaneers in the near future.
Marcus Mariota. 2014’s Heisman Trophy winner and second overall pick in this year’s draft. Mariota is the definition of what coaches want in a quarterback, maturity, poise, leadership, and a winner. Many said Winston should be first overall, but many also thought Mariota should first in this year’s draft. Ryan Tellier ,a sophomore, commented that, “The most exciting and skilled player in this draft is Marcus Mariota”. While at the University of Oregon, Mariota had a completion rating of 66.8, he threw for 10,769 yards, rushed for 2,237 yards, averaged 9.3 yards per throw, and threw a stunning 105 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. With the numbers that Mariota had, it was hard for the Tennessee Titans to pass him up with their second pick. Mariota has thrown for 833 yards and eight touchdowns and two interceptions in his first games in the NFL. To go along with that he has been named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month for the month of September. Marcus Mariota is sure to be watched by many more in the future.
Moving to the defensive end of football, there’s no denying of the havoc that Leonard Williams causes as a defensive end. Leonard, at 6’5 and 302 lbs, is a monster at the defensive line. Trey Bekaert, another sophomore, commented that,“(Leonard Williams) is very talented coming out of college.” While at the University of Southern California, Williams had 20 sacks, four forced fumbles (third in the Pac 12 ), and 111 tackles. With the sixth pick, the New York Jets selected Williams to help improve their defense, which has proven to be one of the best in the league. Leonard Williams to many people, is the best defensive tackle and some say he’s best the overall defensive player in general in this draft. Williams will help the Jets defensively and cause damage on the defensive line.
Now onto Amari Cooper. Cooper is a constant offensive threat coming out of Alabama University. While playing for the Crimson Tide, Cooper had 3,463 yards receiving, averaged 15.2 yards per catch, and 31 touchdowns in his three years at Alabama. In his final year at Alabama in 2014, Amari finished first in receptions and receiving yards along with finishing third in the Heisman Trophy voting. Even though Amari didn’t win the Heisman Trophy, he did win the 2014 SEC Offensive Player of the Year honors. Still available at the fourth spot in the draft, the Oakland Raiders selected the 6’1 wide receiver. Although his stats in his first three games haven’t been stellar, Amari is still considered a likely candidate for the 2015 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
It’s hard for many football fans to ignore the talent this draft has allround. There are so many potential stars in this draft. On the offensive end, guys like Marcus Mariota, Jameis Winston, and Amari Cooper are stars in the making. Also on the defensive end, guys like Leonard Williams and Marcus Peters will cause damage to a team’s offense. It’s gonna be an exciting year for rookies and fans alike. In time this draft could be remembered as one of the best in recent memory
Staff Writer
This year’s N.F.L. rookie class is an exciting one for all fans of the league. Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota, Leonard Williams, and Amari Cooper are just some of the names in this year’s draft that are hoping to become stars in this league. This year’s draft has fans, coaches, expert analysts, and players in awe about the potential this draft has.
Let’s start with the first overall pick, Jameis Winston, who could arguably be the best quarterback in this draft, who attended Florida State. Jameis stands at 6’4 and weighs a solid 231 lbs. A former Heisman Trophy winner in 2013, Winston was the youngest player ever to receive the prestigious award as a sophomore at Florida State. Winston had one the best college careers at FSU. At FSU, he threw for 7,964 yards, had a completion percentage of 66.0, an average of 9.4 yards per pass, along with 65 touchdowns and 28 interceptions at the end of his college run. Come draft night, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Jameis first overall, trusting him with the responsibility of being their center piece at starting quarterback. Even though Jameis’s first drive in the N.F.L. ended with a pick six against the Tennessee Titans, he still has a lot of potential. Winston has seven interceptions and six touchdowns and thrown for 965 yards in his first few games into the his rookie season. Things are looking up for the Buccaneers in the near future.
Marcus Mariota. 2014’s Heisman Trophy winner and second overall pick in this year’s draft. Mariota is the definition of what coaches want in a quarterback, maturity, poise, leadership, and a winner. Many said Winston should be first overall, but many also thought Mariota should first in this year’s draft. Ryan Tellier ,a sophomore, commented that, “The most exciting and skilled player in this draft is Marcus Mariota”. While at the University of Oregon, Mariota had a completion rating of 66.8, he threw for 10,769 yards, rushed for 2,237 yards, averaged 9.3 yards per throw, and threw a stunning 105 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. With the numbers that Mariota had, it was hard for the Tennessee Titans to pass him up with their second pick. Mariota has thrown for 833 yards and eight touchdowns and two interceptions in his first games in the NFL. To go along with that he has been named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month for the month of September. Marcus Mariota is sure to be watched by many more in the future.
Moving to the defensive end of football, there’s no denying of the havoc that Leonard Williams causes as a defensive end. Leonard, at 6’5 and 302 lbs, is a monster at the defensive line. Trey Bekaert, another sophomore, commented that,“(Leonard Williams) is very talented coming out of college.” While at the University of Southern California, Williams had 20 sacks, four forced fumbles (third in the Pac 12 ), and 111 tackles. With the sixth pick, the New York Jets selected Williams to help improve their defense, which has proven to be one of the best in the league. Leonard Williams to many people, is the best defensive tackle and some say he’s best the overall defensive player in general in this draft. Williams will help the Jets defensively and cause damage on the defensive line.
Now onto Amari Cooper. Cooper is a constant offensive threat coming out of Alabama University. While playing for the Crimson Tide, Cooper had 3,463 yards receiving, averaged 15.2 yards per catch, and 31 touchdowns in his three years at Alabama. In his final year at Alabama in 2014, Amari finished first in receptions and receiving yards along with finishing third in the Heisman Trophy voting. Even though Amari didn’t win the Heisman Trophy, he did win the 2014 SEC Offensive Player of the Year honors. Still available at the fourth spot in the draft, the Oakland Raiders selected the 6’1 wide receiver. Although his stats in his first three games haven’t been stellar, Amari is still considered a likely candidate for the 2015 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
It’s hard for many football fans to ignore the talent this draft has allround. There are so many potential stars in this draft. On the offensive end, guys like Marcus Mariota, Jameis Winston, and Amari Cooper are stars in the making. Also on the defensive end, guys like Leonard Williams and Marcus Peters will cause damage to a team’s offense. It’s gonna be an exciting year for rookies and fans alike. In time this draft could be remembered as one of the best in recent memory
Super Bowl XLIX: Tarnished by Cheating?
By: Monica Neubauer
Sports Page Editor
January 18th, 2015 marked the day that would begin the controversial investigation that would be soon be referred to as ‘Deflategate.’ On this date in the AFC championship game, D’Qwell Jackson of the Indianapolis Colts caught an interception from New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. Although Jackson claims to have given the football to the Colts equipment manager without knowing anything, a report about the ball being underinflated soon surfaced. Some may think that an underinflated football may be the smallest infraction, others may think that it is a violation to the integrity of the game. At first word when mentioned on a phone call, Brady laughed at the assumption. The Patriots were cooperative with the league and head coach Bill Belichick even conducted his own experiment to see the science of how the footballs got worn through during the games. On May 6th, a 243 - page investigative report, known as the Wells Report, was released by the NFL regarding the situation at hand. In the report, it stated that Brady was “generally aware” of the deflation of footballs. Many people have different reactions as to what is the truth. NFL players have taken to social media and have spoken out about what their opinions were. After the 45-7 loss in the AFC Championship game and the possibility of cheating at hand on the New England sideline, Colts tight end Dwayne Allen tweeted that, “They [the Patriots] could have played with soap for balls and beat us. Simply the better team.” This proves that it doesn’t matter where you’re standing, different people will simply have different opinions.
Tom Brady ended up receiving a four game suspension. The following months, he spent most of his time traveling between New York, to try and get his suspension revoked, and at training camp at Patriot Place in Foxborough. Time flew by with nothing getting resolved and avid fans of the game were growing impatient. Appeal after appeal, Brady’s suspension was officially overturned by Judge Richard Berman, allowing Brady to start in week one of the NFL season. All of this controversy has done nothing but fuel Brady into giving an on peak performance including throwing his 400th touchdown as well as being named September’s offensive player of the month. Many people reacted differently to Brady’s suspension being overturned including NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who broke the tradition of attending the NFL season opener.
Once the ruling became overturned, many reports surfaced stating that the harsh punishment for Deflategate was simply a prolonged penalty from the well-known 2008 scandal “Spygate.” Students here at WVHS have different opinions depicting what they think about the situation at hand including senior Austin Cleverly who stated, “They [the Patriots] have been caught cheating multiple times throughout the years. This time was wrong, but they needed to be caught.”
They way that the National Football League handles situations like these in ways that both fans and players may or may not agree with. In the past five years, suspensions such as Bountygate with the New Orleans Saints and Ray Rice’s domestic violence case were either reduced or overturned. The way the Goodell and the league has been handling wrongful events is a whole other controversy in itself. Whether or not you may think that Super Bowl XLIV may be tarnished by the events that began in January, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman who was on the losing side of the game stated, “A lot of times in this league, it’s guilty until proven innocent.”
You may think that a slight underinflation of a fews footballs may have led to the 38-point deficit in the AFC Championship game while others may just say it was simply the better team who reigned. Some may say that the Super Bowl win was based off of cheating. Brittany Murroni, a senior, stated, “I think it was completely blown out of proportion. The Patriots have been a great team for years, it had nothing to do with the balls being deflated. They earned that [win].” All that can be said is that the 2015 season has begun and everyone in the Patriots organization is looking forward and not behind.
Sports Page Editor
January 18th, 2015 marked the day that would begin the controversial investigation that would be soon be referred to as ‘Deflategate.’ On this date in the AFC championship game, D’Qwell Jackson of the Indianapolis Colts caught an interception from New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. Although Jackson claims to have given the football to the Colts equipment manager without knowing anything, a report about the ball being underinflated soon surfaced. Some may think that an underinflated football may be the smallest infraction, others may think that it is a violation to the integrity of the game. At first word when mentioned on a phone call, Brady laughed at the assumption. The Patriots were cooperative with the league and head coach Bill Belichick even conducted his own experiment to see the science of how the footballs got worn through during the games. On May 6th, a 243 - page investigative report, known as the Wells Report, was released by the NFL regarding the situation at hand. In the report, it stated that Brady was “generally aware” of the deflation of footballs. Many people have different reactions as to what is the truth. NFL players have taken to social media and have spoken out about what their opinions were. After the 45-7 loss in the AFC Championship game and the possibility of cheating at hand on the New England sideline, Colts tight end Dwayne Allen tweeted that, “They [the Patriots] could have played with soap for balls and beat us. Simply the better team.” This proves that it doesn’t matter where you’re standing, different people will simply have different opinions.
Tom Brady ended up receiving a four game suspension. The following months, he spent most of his time traveling between New York, to try and get his suspension revoked, and at training camp at Patriot Place in Foxborough. Time flew by with nothing getting resolved and avid fans of the game were growing impatient. Appeal after appeal, Brady’s suspension was officially overturned by Judge Richard Berman, allowing Brady to start in week one of the NFL season. All of this controversy has done nothing but fuel Brady into giving an on peak performance including throwing his 400th touchdown as well as being named September’s offensive player of the month. Many people reacted differently to Brady’s suspension being overturned including NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who broke the tradition of attending the NFL season opener.
Once the ruling became overturned, many reports surfaced stating that the harsh punishment for Deflategate was simply a prolonged penalty from the well-known 2008 scandal “Spygate.” Students here at WVHS have different opinions depicting what they think about the situation at hand including senior Austin Cleverly who stated, “They [the Patriots] have been caught cheating multiple times throughout the years. This time was wrong, but they needed to be caught.”
They way that the National Football League handles situations like these in ways that both fans and players may or may not agree with. In the past five years, suspensions such as Bountygate with the New Orleans Saints and Ray Rice’s domestic violence case were either reduced or overturned. The way the Goodell and the league has been handling wrongful events is a whole other controversy in itself. Whether or not you may think that Super Bowl XLIV may be tarnished by the events that began in January, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman who was on the losing side of the game stated, “A lot of times in this league, it’s guilty until proven innocent.”
You may think that a slight underinflation of a fews footballs may have led to the 38-point deficit in the AFC Championship game while others may just say it was simply the better team who reigned. Some may say that the Super Bowl win was based off of cheating. Brittany Murroni, a senior, stated, “I think it was completely blown out of proportion. The Patriots have been a great team for years, it had nothing to do with the balls being deflated. They earned that [win].” All that can be said is that the 2015 season has begun and everyone in the Patriots organization is looking forward and not behind.