Sports

The LA Chargers ‘Charged’ to Take the AFC West

Published

3 years ago

July 15, 2021

Jonathan Grilli

Can the Los Angeles Chargers streal the AFC West away from the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2021-2022 season?

If you remember last season, the LA Chargers handed the Kansas City Chiefs a 38-21 loss on January 3^rd.

This was one of just two losses for the recent Champs and back-to-back Super Bowl participants. The other came at the hands of Jon Gruden’s Las Vegas Raiders, the black sheep of the AFC West.

The other game the Chargers played against the Chiefs went right down to the wire as well. In Week 2, the Chargers and their stud of a rookie QB took KC into overtime and lost 23-20.

One thing is for sure, even if the Chargers don’t win the division this year, this is a team that is coming up in a big way.

Odds on the AFC West

The market from top bookmakers at Illinois opened with the betting lines showing the Kansas City Chiefs at -455; the LA Chargers at +525; the LV Raiders at +1400; and the Denver Broncos at +1500.

These lines showed that sportsbooks around the globe thought the Chargers were poised to be the second-best team in the AFC West and significantly more likely to win the division than the Raiders or Broncos.

But even though no announcements have been made, bookmakers believe that Aaron Rodgers will find his way to Mile High in 2021. So much so that the Denver Broncos have jumped the Chargers on the boards at most betting outlets and currently hold that No. 2 spot. The Broncos now have odds as short as +400 to win the west.

But how much will it matter? Even if Aaron Rodgers does move to Denver, the offensive line isn’t great—rated by Pro Fantasy Football at No. 25 in the league—and Rodgers still doesn’t have the most outstanding targets. Sure, the potential is there, and some experts are touting the Denver receiving corps as high as No. 6 in the NFL … but let’s be honest, Cortland Sutton missed most of the season, and we are not sure what the Broncos will be getting back at this point. Then there are two highly touted young receivers in K.J. Hamler and Jerry Jeudy but what we have seen from them is just handfuls of dropped passes—or figurative handfuls, because they can’t keep the ball in their hands.

As far as the O-lines are concerned, the Chargers look much better than Denver. Bryan Bulga is back and healthy and is continually graded at 75.0 or better. On top of Bulga being back to top form, the Chargers grabbed another former Green Bay big-man in Corey Linsley. This snapper was, in many eyes, the top free-agent center on the market.

The Chargers also have some solid back-ups on the line, namely Brenden James. The young guard needs to work on his run-blocking but is a solid pass protector, which is just what Justin Herbert needs when Oday Aboushi takes a breather or goes down with a stinger.

Although the Chargers are far from boasting the best offensive line in the league, they may have the most improved line in the entire NFL.

If the Chargers win the games they need and split wins with the KC Chiefs again; they could take the AFC West. After all, the LA Chargers are tied for the 3rd most manageable schedule in the league when the SOS is based on current season win projections—using the win/loss over/under totals for each team on the schedule instead of last season’s record.

Will they actually win the AFC West? Probably not; the Chiefs are loaded. But hey, you never know. That said, I believe the Chargers are poised for a wild card berth in 2021-2022, and this team will continue to surprise with upset wins over teams that are better on paper.

What are the odds that the Chargers will get nine wins and make a solid run on the division but fall short to a 12-wins Chiefs squad? We will find out.

Sports

Why Todd Graves Is Driven To Innovate Golfing Techniques and Inspire Future Athletes

Published

5 months ago

November 28, 2023

Jonathan Grilli

When you look up the history of sports and how it changed over the years, you will find several influential public figures and athletes’ names at the top of unique inventions. After all, those who play the sport, also know what could improve and popularize it. Todd Graves is one of those individuals with a passion for golf and sports innovation.

He is an innovative thought leader and business expert with nearly 50 years of experience in the golf community. He practiced golf under the training and guidance of Murray “Moe” Norman, the world-renowned PGA golfer of the 20^th Century. Norman was one of the most influential figures in the golf community with his unique techniques and innovative methods to approach the game.

His contributions and golf skills earned him the nickname of “Pipeline Moe”, mainly for his unmatched ability to hit one straight shot after another with the slightest deviation in the ball’s trajectory. As his protégé, Todd Graves vowed to be among the leading sports personalities and innovators in the golf space. He worked on the single-plane swing technique modeled by his mentor, Moe Norman over his professional career.

It is a technique that helps a golfer reduce strain on the lower back while increasing the consistency and frequency of making a solid impact with the ball. Before, it was limited in practice to highly experienced golfers with immense knowledge of kinetic movements and swinging techniques. Today, Todd Graves’ contributions have enabled the wide use and adoption of the single-plane swing method in the global golf community.

The pro golfer believes that innovation is a key component of progress and without progress, humanity could come to a standstill. Whether it is progress in the personal, professional, or sports world, every great athlete should strive for it and reach their maximum potential, according to Todd Graves. To bring new knowledge to a wider audience around the world, he recently partnered with Barry Morrow, who is a famous American screenwriter and film producer credited with co-writing the screenplay for the movie Rain Main (1988).

Graves partnered with Oscar-winning Barry Morrow to create a documentary on the life and achievements of the great pro golfer, Moe Norman. Through the documentary, Todd wishes to inspire athletes and motivate golfers to bring innovation to their gameplay. Todd Graves shares his drive for bringing innovation and catalyzing change in the sports world with aspiring athletes, pro golfers, and students.

Graves’s inspiration comes from his dedication to the advancement of sports science. He spent a better part of his career with kinesiology experts and sports scientists to discover intricate details involved in various physical activities, also including golf. He identified potential risk injuries, analyzed their occurrences, and gathered factual data with the help of scientists.

He aims to portray actual findings in his upcoming documentary and inspire young athletes to be more than participants in national and international competitions. Todd Graves stands as one of the most influential and inspirational figures in the golf community and has earned association with several famous personalities including Ben Hago, and Tiger Woods, among others.