The Bills Got Cooked For Gift-Wrapping Speedy WR Xavier Worthy To Patrick Mahomes & The Chiefs On Draft Night

The last time the Buffalo Bills made a draft day trade with the Kansas City Chiefs, the return on KC's side was Patrick Mahomes. He's pretty good. I wouldn't tempt fate again, were I Buffalo, and trade with the reigning back-to-back Super Bowl champs. Never mind the fact that the Chiefs are needy at the same, valuable wide receiver position, and the Bills just traded away their WR1 Stefon Diggs, and lost their WR2 Gabe Davis in free agency. https://twitter.com/SpielbergerBrad/status/1783698544978751827 Rather than sticking and picking, Buffalo moved back from the 28th pick to the 32nd spot, only to see Kansas City draft Texas wideout Xavier Worthy. You know, the dude who ran the fastest 40-yard dash in Combine history at 4.21 seconds. https://twitter.com/Chiefs/status/1783700182464434404 https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1783708283791867958   Maybe it's just me, but maybe it's also a stupid f*****g idea to hand a plutonium-grade explosive playmaker like Worthy over to the dynastic Chiefs! Especially when the Bills' current top receiver is, um, Curtis Samuel? To drive the stake further into their fan base's already-broken hearts, Buffalo's front office decided to forgo the chance to get a fifth-year option on their would-be first-rounder. They moved back one spot with the Panthers, who selected South Carolina wide receiver Xavier Legette. https://twitter.com/BuffaloBills/status/1783700491970498674 https://twitter.com/BuffaloBills/status/1783705276119388614 I guess it's cool that the Bills gained some ground on certain picks for this year. They'll kick off Day 2 of the draft being viewed as one of the biggest losers, however. That's not just my opinion. That's the consensus around NFL Twitter as well. https://twitter.com/hudsononeill15/status/1783701469742731515 https://twitter.com/JBaileyNFL/status/1783700618806219072 https://twitter.com/RileyMcAtee/status/1783701319410487297 https://twitter.com/getnickwright/status/1783702205754720493 https://twitter.com/TyDunne/status/1783699628644241613 https://twitter.com/NFL_Memes/status/1783706085888557134 https://twitter.com/stoolgambling/status/1783701843316531484 https://twitter.com/zimwhodey/status/1783703523953103222 https://twitter.com/_MLFootball/status/1783705749064909310 https://twitter.com/DomTibbettsTV/status/1783705990195556545 https://twitter.com/JaguarGator9NFL/status/1783705164597153908 https://twitter.com/tracywolfson/status/1783701122978333153 What was Buffalo thinking? I can only speculate. Sure doesn't strike me as a, "We want to win the Super Bowl this year!" type of draft strategy. Since they have Josh Allen at quarterback, the Bills always have a chance. I'll never count them out as long as Allen is healthy. That said, losing Diggs and Davis, then backing out of the first round of the draft? Not a good look any way you slice it, especially when the rest of the AFC is eagerly building arms and trying to chase down Kansas City! I'm baffled. I'm shook. I'm not angry, as a Bengals fan, who could stand for the Bills to take a step back or two in 2024. It's just a bummer for that city and their fans. Bills Mafia must be crestfallen. Think this is telling at all? When an exec in the conference is immediately, openly wondering what the hell you're doing? https://twitter.com/Schultz_Report/status/1783700782967079050 You can tell from the little highlight reel toward the beginning of this article that Worthy's literal world-class speed isn't for show. You see it on the field. But just in case you want a raw visual of the Chiefs' new Tyreek Hill-esque weapon, I'll play you out with it. Sorry again, Buffalo. The champs just punked you. https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1764073880119836935

NFL Twitter, AND Arthur Blank, Were Gobsmacked After Falcons Draft Michael Penix Jr. 8th Overall Despite Signing Kirk Cousins

The NFL is the greatest reality show on the planet. Thursday night's draft is Exhibit A, Example No. 193582913584, however you want to articulate it, as to why that is. The Atlanta Falcons gave Kirk Cousins a $180 million contract this offseason to wrest him away from Minnesota. Despite acquiring an additional first-round pick, the quarterback-needy Vikings didn't budge from the 11th pick. Atlanta's stunning selection of Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 overall spurred Minnesota to trade up to the 10th pick to take Michigan's JJ McCarthy. https://twitter.com/AtlantaFalcons/status/1783666590908604707 Everyone expected McCarthy to be the next field general off the board after Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye. It was even reported during ESPN's draft telecast that the Commanders, at No. 2 overall, had McCarthy as the runner-up to Daniels in terms of who had the most support in their building. https://twitter.com/johnewing/status/1783664497472725087 Did the Falcons do Minnesota a solid in a weird way? Only time will tell. Penix was my QB3 and 12th overall player (McCarthy: QB4/14th). Drake Maye is the one top signal-caller I'm not really enamored of, and the Patriots picked him at No. 3. We'll see how that works out. Probably the toughest situation to go into among all these guys. Anyway, Penix!? To Atlanta!? That's awesome on one hand, but Captain Kirk must feel a type of way. Yes, Cousins is coming off a torn Achilles, but the Falcons had a chance to add a premier defensive player. They need somebody like that. A pass-rusher. Another cornerback opposite A.J. Terrell. Anything, really. But nope! Already getting a Cousins successor in place. Penix may not see the field as the full-time starter until, what, 2026? WILD. Even Falcons owner, and Home Depot founder, Arthur Blank seemed very confused judging by this war room reaction: https://twitter.com/_MLFootball/status/1783676209701745013 I mean, the reactions rock, and again, this is exactly what makes the NFL so compelling. https://twitter.com/TheGhettoGronk/status/1783665546308849826 https://twitter.com/ringernfl/status/1783666915832918054 https://twitter.com/minakimes/status/1783664705409593627 https://twitter.com/PardonMyTake/status/1783664484688556248 https://twitter.com/gregauman/status/1783663821623578864 https://twitter.com/crissy_froyd/status/1783664558088818940 https://twitter.com/Ihartitz/status/1783663363102281729 https://twitter.com/RotoPat/status/1783663735296422119 https://twitter.com/SethWalder/status/1783665555947372959 https://twitter.com/ComplexSports/status/1783664723180855575 https://twitter.com/DanHanzus/status/1783664648199520689 https://twitter.com/FantasyPros/status/1783668582385135646 You could argue this is somewhat similar to the Chiefs' strategy of drafting Patrick Mahomes once upon a time, or when the Packers drafted Jordan Love. Kansas City had a capable veteran QB in Alex Smith at the time, while Green Bay had Aaron Rodgers. Smith was gone after one year, and Mahomes has proceeded to win three Super Bowls. Rodgers got a little extra motivation, won back-to-back MVPs, peaced out to the Jets a full season later, and Love took the reins this past year. He led the Packers to the playoffs, and a huge win in Dallas at that. Speaking of which...talk about foreshadowing. https://twitter.com/ZachGelb/status/1783666937681068345 I'm assuming the Falcons envision a similar scenario for Penix. When you look at Cousins' contract a little closer, there's a conceivable scenario where they trade him next offseason if he's not up to snuff. They'd eat a lot of dead money in 2025, but save a lot against the cap the next two seasons. In any event, holy sh*t. What a ballsy call by Atlanta's brass. I don't know what they're thinking. Can't wait to hear the press conference explanation for this one!

The Bears Cleverly Teased That They Were Drafting Caleb Williams In The Hour Before He Was Officially Picked

Cheekily done, Chicago Bears X/Twitter admin. Everyone knew the Bears were drafting USC quarterback Caleb Williams No. 1 overall before Thursday's NFL Draft officially opened. Roger Goodell and the league office doesn't love it when things are this way. Yes, a potential superstar QB is entering the league, and that's cool. However, the more suspense, the better. Why do you think it takes hours to announce 32 picks? Why do you think they still give the Bears 10 minutes to make their pick, even though they've had their minds made up for months? https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1783652917477622019 So anyway, the Bears did a cool thing and kind of retroactively let us know that they were teasing Williams as the pick in the hour leading up to the draft. I'll save you the suspense and just show it to you because, well, that's sort of apropos for how self-evident it was that Williams was headed to the Windy City. https://twitter.com/ChicagoBears/status/1783652857629065460 https://twitter.com/ChicagoBears/status/1783652118856876074 https://twitter.com/ChicagoBears/status/1783651665423290369 https://twitter.com/ChicagoBears/status/1783650150570766658 https://twitter.com/ChicagoBears/status/1783644588277727733 https://twitter.com/ChicagoBears/status/1783642409328312715 I'm a big acrostic fan. Actually scored a prom date in high school with an acrostic poem that spelled out the magic question. The date itself ended in disaster, but hey, ya can't win 'em all. Was just cutting my writing chops. Turned out to be a win in the end. If only because I can now appreciate what this Bears tweeter did to clue everyone in who was really paying attention. OK nobody was probably paying attention, because Williams to Chicago was a foregone conclusion. I appreciate the social team's effort to low-key drop the scoop on Williams before Goodell was ready for them to. I will say, scooping picks before they're announced kind of sucks in most cases. Woj didn't make it much better when he used passive-aggressive language to still break picks early during the NBA Draft. To y'all NFL insiders, take notes here. Give us a scavenger hunt. Don't even report on rumors that just turn out to be rubbish smokescreens in the end. Tweet in riddles. Speak on TV in the vaguest, most abstract of terms. How cool is this for the Bears, though? Caleb Williams! My goodness. He's my favorite all-around QB prospect since Joe Burrow, is No. 1 on the ol' top 100 big board, and is going to transform that organization and finally give them a viable franchise QB. That'll be necessary in an NFC North division with Jordan Love in Green Bay and Jared Goff in Detroit, plus whomever the Vikings' new field general is going forward. Enjoy, Chicago. I think you got a great one. https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1783653841411404044

Louisville Basketball Fans Adopt Zach Bryan’s “Revival” As Rallying Song As Head Coach Pat Kelsey “Revives” The Cardinal Brand

WE'RE HAVING AN ALL NIGHT REVIVAL! Zach Bryan's "Revival" is an all-timer, and if you've ever seen the country artist live, you know that particular song always brings the energy. It's also bringing a lot of high spiritedness to a once proud fanbase that has been toiling in turmoil and mediocrity for the last couple of years. It's no secret that the University of Louisville men's basketball program hit rock bottom. The "Kenny Payne Experiment," as you might call it, was a complete disaster. Even Payne himself related his tenure as a head coach at his alma mater to the Titanic, albeit it was unintentional. Louisville finally "ended the Payne" after Kenny went 12 and 52 in his two years at the helm, which resulted in the once prominent, 3-time* (if you still count 2013) National Champion Cardinal team having one of the worst winning percentages in all of college basketball: https://twitter.com/thestateoflou/status/1767688052070092945?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1767688052070092945%7Ctwgr%5Ef9eb440d292b4feeac409cdafdeef872e28b7536%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.whiskeyriff.com%2F2024%2F03%2F13%2Fkenny-payne-likens-12-52-tenure-at-louisville-to-the-titanic-blames-people-for-jumping-off%2F Once Louisville officially decided to make a change in the leadership of their program, they went with former College of Charleston head coach Pat Kelsey. It's still early in the proceedings, but upon initial inspection, his fiery personality seems to be the right fit for the Louisville team. Kelsey won over "Card Nation" with his opening press conference, and ever since then, he has been going to work recruiting basically an entirely new team to suit up in the Cardinal colors next season. Coach Pat has landed 8 commitments in 28 days, which is pretty impressive with the modern day landscape of college athletics. https://twitter.com/LouisvilleMBB/status/1783613131811373542 As a humble, beaten-down Lousiville fan myself, I'll answer the above post's question of "How we feeling Card Nation?" by saying, "Pretty good... probably the best Louisville fans have felt in years." And the slogan of this rebuild and all of its progress has been "The ReviVILLE," obviously a play on "The Ville" nickname Kentucky's largest city has been given. Pat Kelsey is doing his darnedest to bring the University of Louisville back to glory, and it's definitely going to take a full on revival to do that. https://twitter.com/patkelsey/status/1783604286527508717 So what better song to act as a rallying cry than Zach Bryan's "Revival?" Sure, it's not spelled the same as how Louisville fans are branding it, but it still works nonetheless. Anytime the Cards have landed a recruit, fans on social media have flooded the internet with their own videos set to Bryan's song. Hopefully Zach doesn't hit them with a cease and desist. The last thing Louisville needs is yet another messy run in with the law/rules. Just in case you are reading this Mr. Bryan, these videos and their use of your song is not hurting anyone. It's actually helping a lot of Louisville fans heal, and that's got to be worth more than any copyright lawsuit settlement. https://twitter.com/AngryVille/status/1783602531102347762 https://twitter.com/reynesmith/status/1783614302907445462 https://twitter.com/YungRichDave96/status/1783565791436099791 https://twitter.com/YungRichDave96/status/1782805415241064810 Love it. And just in case you wanted to fire up Zach Bryan's song in a non-Louisville-basketball-meme way, you can press play on the video below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWIcz3ab358

Marvin Harrison Jr. Wins NFL Draft Fashion Show With “Lion King” Chain That Pays Tribute To His Hall Of Fame Dad

Marvin Harrison Jr. spurned the entire circus that ensues before the NFL Draft where prospects are racing around, training for Combine and pro day workouts, frantically interviewing with teams, and all that cacophonous jazz. The son of a Hall of Fame wide receiver has instead opted to train to play football, rather than for the Underwear Olympics. Frankly, I think it's a little bit of weird energy. Then again, Harrison is a prohibitive favorite to be the first non-quarterback drafted on Thursday night. Time will tell if he, Malik Nabers, Rome Odunze or some other unexpected playmaker emerges as the true WR1 in the 2024 class. As things stand right now, Harrison is expected to have the best career. If fashion statements were correlated with how good a draft pick would be, well, MHJ would have a bust being mocked up in Canton right about now thanks to the chain he rocked in Detroit. https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1783596654848774365 https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1783596853335912917 A little Lion King reference here, with Marv Sr. representing Mufasa and the junior Harrison seeing himself as the Simba successor to the family tradition of NFL excellence. Arizona Cardinals fans are getting hyped about Harrison's social media activity, anticipating that he'll go to the desert at No. 4 overall. https://twitter.com/PHNX_Cardinals/status/1783542910056829399 Given how much Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort wheeled and dealt in last year's first round, I wouldn't be surprised if he gets a king's ransom for some QB-needy team trying to jump up. In fact, I predicted as much in my final mock draft that just went up this morning. https://twitter.com/MattFitz_gerald/status/1783499230667039152 That projection was more intended to be entertaining than anything else. I don't think Arizona could go wrong with trading down, picking Harrison, or for that matter, taking my WR1 Nabers at No. 4. This roster has so many holes, and acquiring picks 11 and 23 from Minnesota to go with the 27th and 35th selections they already have means the Cardinals could really build out their depth. My guess? Ossenfort stands pat this time around, and takes Harrison. It's the safe pick. The closest player comp I can think of to Harrison is a beloved ex-Bengal, Adriel Jeremiah Green. Ya know, AJ Green. His full name is just so cool, it's impossible not to type out whenever the opportunity arises. If Harrison is indeed Arizona's pick at No. 4, they really need a pass-rusher and cornerback somewhere in that top 35. We shall see how the cookie crumbles. Almost time for the draft to actually kick off!

Sara Evans Says She Feels Bad For New Artists Because They’re Expected To Have A Million Followers Before A Label Will Look At Them

TikTok has been a hot topic lately - not just in country music, but in general. Of course President Joe Biden signed into law yesterday a bill that could ultimately ban the social media app in the United States, forcing Chinese owner ByteDance to either sell the app or be shut down in the US. There are plenty of mixed feelings about the app, but it's undeniable the impact that TikTok has had on music. Over the past few years, and especially since the COVID lockdowns, we've seen more and more new artists use TikTok to build an audience and parlay that into record deals and (in a few cases) actual success in the music business. But Sara Evans isn't a fan of the changing landscape of the industry. During a recent episode of her Diving In Deep with Sara Evans podcast, the singer was joined by fellow country star Martina McBride "These days, I feel really, really bad for singers and musicians who are coming to town and trying to get a deal, because they're meant to have a million followers on TikTok and Instagram before a label will even look at them." And Martina agreed that she doesn't even understand the current landscape of the Nashville music business: "I don't even know how labels work anymore. It's like a whole different world... We were so lucky that we had a label that had experienced executives that knew what they were doing and could sort of shepherd you. We were always in control of making the music, and then they helped us get the music out there. These people today, I'm like, how are they doing it? I see young girls who are coming up and it seems like they don't have what we had, the support." Sara added that even with all of her experience in the music business, she's found herself unable to help her children who are interested in pursuing a career in music: "I don't know what to tell them. I have no idea. We had so much force behind us." It's not all social media though: Streaming has also played a big part in the changing landscape of the music industry - and the changing role of labels and artists. "These days our music is basically given away for free...Now we have really nothing to sell, except ourselves on the road." Things have definitely changed in the music industry over the last decade or so, and it's interesting to see the artists who have been able to adapt well to the changing landscape. But as we've mentioned so many times before, followers doesn't necessarily equal fans. I can point you to dozens of artists who have massive TikTok followings but couldn't sell out their hometown dive bar. And there are incredible artists who don't use social media at all but have hardcore fan bases that will sell out theaters and arenas - but those artists aren't given a look by the labels because they don't have the social media numbers. It seems these days that labels are less interested in developing artists as they are capitalizing on them. Find an artist who already has a built-in group of listeners versus signing a new artist and helping them become a superstar. And that's not to say that one way's right or wrong (though I obviously have my opinions on that too). But in a time where it seems like it's never been easier to discover new artists, it may be harder than ever for those artists to actually break through. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVCJb5a0bxQ

FIRST LISTEN: Tanya Tucker Joins T. Graham Brown For Soulful Cover Of “The Dark End Of The Street”

A little bit Memphis, a little bit Muscle Shoals. Throughout his career, T. Graham Brown has shown off his soulful sound on his many hits like “Hell and High Water,” “Darlene” and one of the most underrated songs of the ‘90s, his deeply personal “Wine Into Water.” The country music hitmaker is gearing up to release his 12th studio album, From Memphis to Muscle Shoals, which not only features Brown’s bluesy vocals but will also include appearances from artists like Wynonna, Randy Houser and Dwight Yoakam. And ahead of the album’s release, we’re excited to bring you the first listen of a new single featuring another country music legend: The incredible Tanya Tucker. Brown and Tucker show off their incredible, soulful sound on a cover of “The Dark End Of The Street,” which was first recorded by Memphis soul singer James Carr back in 1967 and covered over the years by names like Aretha Franklin and Linda Ronstadt. The bluesy cheatin’ song tells the story of a forbidden romance that can only take place under the cover of darkness: “At the dark end of the street That's where we always meet Hiding in shadows where we don't belong Living in darkness to hide our wrongs You and me at the dark end of the street” The new single also comes as Brown is gearing up to become the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry on May 3, which he says makes the release all the more special: “It is always exciting to release new music, but when it is a new duet with the one and only, Tanya Tucker, it’s an added treat. We recorded “The Dark End Of The Street” as a duet on my new album ‘From Memphis To Muscle Shoals’ and I think the outcome was magical. Thank you to Whiskey Riff for premiering this single and helping spread the word. A new song with Tanya and being inducted into the Grand Ole Opry on May 3, proves that you never know what God’s got up His sleeve. I love you all and hope to see you soon!” Produced by T. Graham Brown and Billy Lawson and distributed by Warner Music Group - ADA, the single drops everywhere tomorrow, but we’ve got your exclusive first listen right here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jxx1_VHB76o

Post Malone Shares Another Teaser Of Song With Morgan Wallen

Just drop it already, Post Malone. The pop superstar has been teasing original country music for about a month or so now, recently posting a clip of a song with Luke Combs seemingly called “Missin’ You Like This.” And this afternoon, he posted another teaser of a song that we've heard a little bit of before that features fellow superstar Morgan Wallen. Morgan had actually teased it himself a little while back, and the song was written by Morgan along with Post and Ernest, though the fan reaction was not good at all and the video was removed several hours after it was posted, though you can still listen to that version on a fan account HERE. I’m guessing that was the demo version and they decided to go back and rework it some after the aforementioned fan reaction, but this definitely sounds better. Also, it can be tricky when artists share demos because the final product usually sounds so much different, as is the case here, and fans will either completely love it or hate it, usually. Honestly, the production and lyrics on this tune would fit right in on Morgan’s 2023 One Thing At A Time album, so it makes sense that he would be featured (in addition to the fact that he’s one of the writers). Post shared the new teaser with some of the lyrics as a caption: "They say teamwork makes the dream work." When whatever this project is finally comes out, Post Malone isn’t messing around and knows exactly what he’s doing by getting two of the biggest stars in the genre to be part of it. Hopefully, he's pretty close to at least releasing one of the singles here soon, as his recent activity on social media would indicate. And while this song with Morgan definitely doesn't have the sound reminiscent of Colter Wall or Tyler Childers, artists Post specifically named as his favorites recently, it does sound pretty much exactly how I would've imagined a Post Malone and Morgan Wallen song would sound. Who knows, maybe he has a few surprises up his sleeve and there will be a collab with artists like Colter, Sturgill and Tyler... a girl can dream. You can listen to the new teaser here: https://www.instagram.com/p/C6M19aTsayB/ Out of the two he's teased on Instagram, I'm probably most excited for the aforementioned tune with Luke Combs: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C4ddM9PsLTT/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=f3af03df-7591-428d-b87e-6277e5ddce5a