A Moth's Thoughts: Wild Card Weekend, Future of the Patriots, and more

The 2019-2020 NFL Wild Card weekend was certainly filled with plenty of surprises and it just further confirmed that I should never bet on sports, or really on anything in the future. We saw Houston, Seattle, Minnesota, and perhaps most surprising of all, Tennessee move onto the divisional round. What can we expect to see from these teams next weekend? I'm not sure and I'm not going to bother predicting anything, since I'd prefer not to jinx any of these teams (sorry Bills fans).

Buffalo Bills @ Houston Texans

19-22

After seeing the teams duke it out, I'm not sure what to think of Josh Allen anymore. He looks like nothing more than a glorified running back at this point, though we could likely blame part of Buffalo's collapse on the refs. The defense is there, but inconsistency on quarterback is hurting the team. Where are they to go from here? My guess is they'd start looking for a new quarterback; perhaps the lack of an offense around him is partially to blame, but that doesn't excuse some of the awful plays he makes. While perhaps the best QB they've had since Jim Kelly, he's not going to lead them to the promised land in spite of an amazing defense. Houston on the other hand did pretty well, Deshaun Watson is looking better with each game, his elusiveness, rushing, and passing attack were nothing to laugh at and after seeing him pull this against a stingy Bills defense, I'm a little nervous about seeing what he'll do to Kansas City's secondary. 

Tennessee Titans @ New England Patriots

20-13

Wow, just wow. I wasn't expecting the Titans to just lay down and die against the Patriots, there was gonna be blood and a long, hard fought game between them, I just didn't expect Tennessee to be on the winning side of the ball. Derrick Henry was a beast, Ryan Tannehill played relatively well, and the defense did just enough to suffocate the Patriots offense. Ending the career of the greatest quarterback of all time on a pick six was painful to watch. New England was perplexing to say the least; over the past couple years, they seem to slump right around the end of the season and then what do they do? Dominate every single team in their path. They didn't do that this season, the offense was flat, the defense was okay at best, it just wasn't the Patriots team we all knew and loved (or hated). Was this the end of the dynasty? Perhaps, perhaps not. The Patriots are not like normal, mortal football teams. Tom Brady was unique even among quarterbacks. They might be done, they might not be, but that is for the football gods to decide. The Titans have done their part.

Minnesota Vikings @ New Orleans Saints

26-20

This game was perhaps the best reason as to why I should never bet on anything. I had picked the Saints to win the Super Bowl, and yet, they were booted out in the Wild Card round. Much like in the 2018 NFC Championship, you could likely blame their loss on the refs. It's almost like the football gods have a vendetta against Drew Brees and company. At least Kirk Cousins finally proved he could play well in games when it mattered most, though I don't think refball will be enough to help Minnesota against the Niners, but I've been proven wrong before, multiple times this postseason in fact. One question remains; will Drew Brees return next season or will the team officially belong to Teddy Bridgewater? It'd suck to see such a talented quarterback end his career on such a sour note, so I'd imagine we'll be seeing more of him next season, if just to protect his newly acquired touchdown pass record.

Seattle Seahawks @ Philadelphia Eagles

17-9

I suppose getting one out of four games right isn't all that bad. The result was expected, seeing as this Eagles team has been injured to hell and back, only squeaking into the playoffs on virtue of playing in an awful division. I wasn't really convinced on Seattle's performance, however. Russell Wilson only further confirmed that he was a god, but the rest of the team just seemed... stale. The offense wasn't really generating much against a broken Eagles defense, the ground game and passing game was flat; though considering the Seahawks have lost virtually every running back (except for Beast Mode, of course) on their roster, it was expected their ground game would be flat, but that doesn't excuse their poor play in the air. In the end, it was enough to put away a team that didn't deserve to be in the playoffs in the first place, now it's only time to see if Pete Carrol's team can repeat their success in Green Bay.

The Patriots: An End of a Dynasty?

This has been a question many people have been asking since their victory over Seattle in the Super Bowl, yet just when it seems the team was about to die, someone used necromancy to revive them. This year felt different, it feels like this was truly the end. Perhaps Tom Brady will return next season and prove everyone wrong by throwing for 6,000 yards and 60+ touchdowns or perhaps, he'll hang it up after an illustrious career, or maybe he'll be playing against New England rather than for them. The offense wasn't as sharp as it normally was, the defense on the other hand saved the team from missing the postseason entirely. Since Brady joined the team, there's been very few answers to New England's dominance; Peyton Manning occasionally showed up to steal AFC supremacy from him, Eli Manning somehow beat them twice, and every so often, the Steelers would slide past them. 

Bill Belichick will likely be back next season (sorry, Giants fans), but with questions on their star quarterback, whether or not the offense will return to form, and if the defense will continue to play like they were leaves the team's future in question. With all this in mind, what should the Patriots do? In my opinion, it's time to hit the reset button. They've done something no other team in the history of American sports can claim; they've remained the very model of success and consistency over the past near 20 years. They've done what many teams can only dream of; while the Browns, Raiders, Redskins, and Lions have managed to find someway to make bad situations worse, the Patriots turned bad situations into AFC Championships or even Super Bowl Championships.

However, it's come to an end and it's time to New England to begin revamping the team. I doubt they'll be the joke of the NFL like they were deep into the 1990s, but I'm not expecting them to be consistent Super Bowl contenders like they've been since their first championship. The time to search for their new quarterback has started, the time to figure out to contend with conference heavy weights like Kansas City, Baltimore, and Houston has begun, and perhaps it's also time for them to start watching a new team to dominate the division they've owned; in this case, Buffalo will take their place as AFC East Champions for years to come. It's hard to deny how incredible what they've done is, Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are Hall of Famers without a doubt, and their incredible run will go down as one of the greatest dynasties in not just American sports, but in the history of sports itself. 

Final Thoughts

So, over the past few days, we've seen some pretty crazy things. What are your thoughts on the Wild Card Weekend? Do you think any of the winners have a shot at taking their respective conference championship, or even the Lombardi Trophy itself? Do you think the Patriots will come back stronger next season or are they done? Let me know down below!

My Top Ten Pokemon

I love Pokemon, a lot. It's a great franchise with a number of unique creatures and there's just so many to pick from, so you can understand how difficult it is to make a top ten list, but it's certainly possible. That's what I'm here for today, I'll be sharing with you my top ten Pokemon of all time. Let's dive into the list, shall we?

#10: Gastly

I don't know why, but I've always adored Gastly. I love Haunter and Gengar, but Gastly has always been more appealing to me. It's a cute Pokemon and it's been a staple of my Pokemon teams since I started playing Blue all those years ago. It isn't great in battle, but it's adorable and that's what matters to me. 

#9: Beedrill

Beedrill is just an awesome looking Pokemon, it might be terrible without its Mega Evolution, but it's just an all round cool looking Pokemon. I love the design and it's been a staple of my teams since the Red and Blue, and since they gave it a Mega Evolution, my love for the Pokemon has only grown.

#8: Celebi

This is without a doubt, one of the cutest Pokemon that the franchise has to offer. If it wasn't apparent, I've got a thing for cute Pokemon and Celebi is no exception. It's cute, good in battle, and cute. I've not had the pleasure of using too often in game, but that doesn't matter. I love the adorable design this Pokemon.

#7: Reshiram

Reshiram is a really cool Pokemon, one of the most well designed in the series. Reshiram was the sole reason I picked up Pokemon Black, purely because of its cool design, the cry, the battle theme... everything about was cool. It quickly became a staple of my Pokemon Black playthroughs and it'll remain that way for a long time.

#6: Uxie

I have a thing for cute Pokemon, obviously. Uxie is absolutely adorable, one of the cutest in my opinion. I had fallen in love with it from the moment I had first spotted it during my first playthrough of Pokemon Diamond and it's remained a staple since then. My sweet little Uxie I currently use in Sun has traveled with me since Sinnoh and has never let me down.

#5: Mawile

Another adorable Pokemon, what a surprise. I love this little one, even though it might be absolutely terrible in battle, but I don't care. It might attempt to gobble me up whenever I hug it, but that doesn't matter. It's adorable and it's totally worth being devoured. I love Mawile and it was the sole reason I chose Omega Ruby over Alpha Sapphire.

#4: Meowstic

I love cats and these kitties are no exception, they're adorable and look totally cuddly. Sure, they might be able to turn me into dust, but I don't care. I'd be more than happy to let them crush me if it means I get to pet them. Meowstic is adorable and I've actually got some pretty good use out of mine competitively. 

#3: Victini

Quite possibly the cutest Pokemon in the entirety of the franchise, and unlike most of what I've put on the list, Victini is actually viable in battle. It's cute, strong, and adorable. Since I first caught it back in Pokemon Black, it quickly cemented its way into my heart and it's there to stay.

#2: Volcarona

Now, Volcarona is a cool Pokemon. A great design, great stats, great movepool, a cool cry... it just has everything going for it. I've never had a playthrough of any game, be in in Gen V or otherwise, without Volcarona or Larvesta in the team. They're just super cool Pokemon and I love it. It's been a staple of my competitive team and is perhaps the only reason I've done any good.

#1: Venomoth

Venomoth has long been my favorite Pokemon. I love moths, in real life, they're cute and cool. The moths in Pokemon are no exception; Venomoth is cool, useful in battle, and it's adorable. I never go a playthrough, in any generation, without a Venomoth in my party. I don't care how useless it was in the the old days, it was a necessary part of my team and to this day, it's remained a staple of them. Venomoth is a great Pokemon and will always remain among my favorites.

And there's my top ten Pokemon of all time. Did you agree with any of the Pokemon on the list? What's your top ten look like? Let me know in the comments below! Thanks for the reading the ramblings of a random moth.

Pokemon of the Week: #039 Ninetales

#039 Ninetales

The Fox Pokemon

Ninetales has long been one of the most popular and well known Pokemon in the entirety of the franchise and is a personal favorite of mine. The beautiful design has left it as one of the most endearing that the series has offered, though unfortunately, its popularity has never really transitioned to its effectiveness in battle. Though Ninetales is by no means a terrible Pokemon, it certainly isn't going to win any Best Pokemon Awards anytime soon. Ninetales has relatively mediocre stats, though its nice movepool and nice ability in Drought gives it some utility, but unfortunately it's outclassed in many situations. With the right tools, Ninetales can be an asset to a time, but more often than not, another Pokemon will be capable of doing everything that it can do, but better.

Suggested Set:

Ninetales @ Heat Rock

Nature: Timid (+Spe, -Atk)

IVs: 31/31/31/31/30/31

EVs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe / 4 Def

Ability: Drought

Moves: 

- Fire Blast

- Solar Beam/Dark Pulse

- Nasty Plot

- Hidden Power (Ice)

This set takes full advantage of what Ninetales does best; the sun raises the power of Ninetales' Fire Blast and coupled with Nasty Plot, its mediocre Sp. Attack stat will be raised to threatening levels. Thanks to its decent speed, it'll be able to do some decent damage to opposing Steel-, Bug-, Ice-, and Grass-types. Solar Beam is useful when dealing with Rock- and Water-types, and thanks to Drought, Ninetales will no longer need to wait a turn to charge. However, if this is a concern of yours, Solar Beam can be replaced with Dark Pulse, though the coverage against Rock- and Water-types that would threaten Ninetales will be sorely missed. Hidden Power is used to deal with pesky Ground- and Flying-types that would otherwise plague Ninetales; Pokemon like Gliscor would otherwise be able to wall it with little trouble, though it's weak without a Nasty Plot boost. 

The Heat Rock will extend the amount of time that Drought will remain active, giving Ninetales the ability to support its team. However, you can replace the Heat Rock with either a Firium-Z or Grassium-Z for a one time, incredibly strong attack. Firium-Z will turn Fire Blast into an incredibly strong Inferno Overdrive outright KO most things that don't resist it while the Grassium-Z will bypass Solar Beam's need to charge, giving Ninetales a powerful Grass-type option, being useful as a last resort.

Though this set can prove troublesome, it isn't hard to counter, so team support is necessary. Without a Nasty Plot boost, Ninetales is fairly weak and anything with a decent Sp. Defense can wall it, things like Chansey, Blissey, or Porygon2 will make Ninetales' life a living nightmare. Even with a boost, it can easily be walled. While its Speed is nice, it's not great and can easily be outsped and KO'd by faster Pokemon like Garchomp or Choice Scarf Tyrantrum. Ninetales is severely hampered by status, especially Paralysis. Entry hazards pose a major issue for Ninetales as well. All of these issues require ample support from its other team members. Defog and Rapid Spin support is almost required in order to keep entry hazards from cutting Ninetales' time short, status support and entry hazard support from its own team is useful. Spikes and Stealth Rock will make it easier for Ninetales to net KOs. All in all, Ninetales is a decent Pokemon, though it requires loads of team support to do what it needs to do. With the right tools, it'll prove to be an asset.

Alolan Spotlight:

When the seventh generation rolled around, a number of Kanto Pokemon had received special treatment and got a new form. Ninetales was among the many chosen to receive a new form. It quickly became my favorite of these Alolan variants and it's certainly an improvement over the original form, though like the original Ninetales, it has many limitations that hold it back. A nice typing in Ice- and Fairy- gives it plenty of useful resistances against Bug-, Ice-, and Dark- as well as nifty Dragon-type immunity, however its typing also gives it a number of crippling weaknesses. A 4x weakness to Steel-, along with weaknesses to Poison-, Rock-, and ironically, Fire-types makes it difficult to switch in. A shallow, but useful movepool and a nifty ability in Snow Warning gives it some usefulness, but mediocre stats hold it back severely.

Suggested Set:

Ninetales @ Light Clay

Nature: Timid (+Spe, -Atk)

EVs: 248 SpA / 8 HP / 252 Spe

Ability: Snow Warning

Moves:

- Aurora Veil

- Blizzard

- Moonblast

- Dark Pulse/Encore/Hail

Since Ninetales is the only Pokemon with access to both Aurora Veil and Snow Warning, this gives the Pokemon an excellent supporting role. Under hail, Blizzard is perfectly accurate and extremely strong, doing heavy damage to anything that doesn't resist it. Moonblast rounds out Ninetales' great STAB and in the case that the Hail ends, it gives Ninetales a good back up to Blizzard. Dark Pulse rounds out the coverage, being effective against opposing Psychic- and Ghost-types, though it can be replaced with Encore to further enhance its role as a supporting Pokemon, trapping opponents into boosting moves or into useless status moves can prove to be the turning point in your battles, and lastly, Hail can be used to replenish the weather on the battlefield, allowing Aurora Veil to remain useful. The Light Clay will push Aurora Veil to the max.

Though the Alolan Ninetales plays an excellent supporting role, it has a few things that hold it back. While its typing provides it with plenty of offensive options and some nifty resistances, it's proven to be more trouble than worth. Being extremely weak to moves like Bullet Punch isn't great, especially when you consider how common Pokemon like Scizor and Metagross are, two of the best users of the move. Though it has access to Nasty Plot, it often doesn't have the chance to squeeze it into the moveset and because of this, Ninetales' has trouble dealing much damage unless it's under Hail. Mediocre defenses make it easy to KO Ninetales and while it's got a great Speed stat, it's often outsped by common Choice Scarf users like Nihilego, Victini, and Garchomp who can easily OHKO the Pokemon with their super-effective moves. Lastly, it's hampered by status and entry hazards, requiring support from its other teammates. All in all, the Alolan Ninetales can be a very effective Pokemon, perhaps more so than its original counterpart, but it's held back by the same limitations.

What are you thoughts on the Fox Pokemon? What kind of experiences have you had with Ninetales in battle? Tell me your stories in the comments below! Thanks for reading the ramblings of a random moth.

Way Too Early NFL Predictions: 2019 Edition

We’ve still got a few months until the season officially kicks off with Chicago taking on Green Bay for the league’s 100th season, but it’s still fun to speculate what team will please and what team will disappoint. So, why don’t we take a look and see our division winners and wild cards? Of course, this is likely gonna be wrong in a couple months.

AFC East: New England (11-5)

The retirement of Rob Gronkowski certainly hurt the team’s offense a bit, but the Patriots are still the Patriots and for as long as the Belichick-Brady tandem remains in New England, they’re going to continue winning. It helps that the New York Jets are really the only threat to New England’s dominance. Buffalo and Miami are still the walking mediocrity that they have been for most of this decade.

Rest of Division:

• New York Jets: 9-7
• Miami Dolphins: 6-10
• Buffalo Bills: 6-10

AFC North: Cleveland (12-4)

It’s amazing that just a few seasons ago, the Browns had joined the 2008 Detroit Lions as the only team in NFL history to go 0-16 and now, they look like Super Bowl contenders. Baker Mayfield is the savior this franchise has been searching for since Modell screwed the city over. Adding OBJ, Kareem Hunt, and Jarvis Landry only helped to make this offense even more terrifying, the defense is looking smooth as well. Pittsburgh is fading away fast, Baltimore is all defense, and as usual, Cincinnati is just bungling around. Cleveland will cruise their way to winning their first division title since 1989, back when they were in the AFC Central.

Rest of Division:

• Baltimore Ravens: 10-6
• Pittsburgh Steelers: 9-7
• Cincinnati Bengals: 4-12

AFC West: Kansas City (12-4)

Perhaps this is just bias on my part, since Kansas City is my team, but despite the improvements of Denver and the Chargers, I'm not seeing them dethroning the Chiefs anytime soon. Considering what the reigning NFL MVP did to opposing defenses last season, I fail to see a reason why he won't do that this season. The uncertainty of Tyreek Hill playing has put a damper on the team's ambitions, but Travis Kelce is still an elite tight end, Damien Williams is a strong playmaker, Sammy Watkins is back and ready to play at elite levels, and rookie Mecole Hardman is bound to make an impact. Additions in Frank Clark and Tyrann Mathieu will make great strides on a struggling defense, though the loss of Justin Houston, Dee Ford, and Eric Berry certainly hurt. The team's offense will do more than enough to keep them on the top of the division.

Rest of Division:

• Los Angeles Chargers: 11-5
• Denver Broncos: 8-8
• Oakland Raiders: 6-10

AFC South: Indianapolis (13-3)

In what could possibly be the toughest division in all of football, it's difficult choosing a favorite for the division crown. Marcus Mariota will do great things in Tennessee, Nick Foles and an amazing defense will help Jacksonville stay relevant, and you really can't count out J.J Watt and the Texans quite yet, though it's hard to vote against Andrew Luck, especially seeing how well he played last season. A strong offense will help Indianapolis cut through opposing defenses, though I'm imagining it'll be a very close race between the four teams. I'm excited to see what these teams will do in the season and I think it's safe to say all four teams are Super Bowl contenders at this point.

Rest of Division: 

Jacksonville Jaguars: 11-5

Tennessee Titans: 10-6

Houston Texans: 10-6

AFC Wild Cards:

Los Angeles Chargers:

I don't like putting a division rival here, but the Chargers are too good to ignore. Philip Rivers is a fantastic QB and the Chargers defense will put many opposing QBs through hell, but I don't believe they've got enough in them to dethrone Kansas City quite yet. Though, their defense and strong offense will be enough to get them the fifth seed.

Jacksonville Jaguars:

The Jaguars have an elite defense and a good QB in Nick Foles, an elite running game and a strong passing game. With all of these qualities would make them a Super Bowl contender for sure, I'm just not too sure how Foles will fare with them. He's definitely an improvement over Bortles, but only time to tell how much damage he'll be able to do with them. Andrew Luck is arguably the best QB in the division and I don't believe the Jaguars defense will be able to stop him, but who knows?

NFC East: Dallas (12-4)

The Cowboys are a great team led by a great QB, defense, and elite playmakers in Amari Cooper and Ezekiel Elliott. The only real threat to the team are the Eagles, and that's only if Carson Wentz stays healthy. The Giants will continue to be a sentient derp for as long as Eli Manning is at the helm and the Redskins are probably the most dysfunctional team in all of NFL at the moment. Dallas should have a fairly easy ride to the division crown, though the rest of the NFC is slowly getting stronger, keeping them from having a better record.

Rest of Division:

• Philadelphia Eagles: 11-5
• New York Giants: 6-10
• Washington Redskins: 3-13

NFC North: Chicago (12-4)

Though it's difficult to choose against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, the Bears defense will be more than enough to make opposing QBs shudder in fear, even the more elite QBs like Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, or Philip Rivers will have their days turned into living nightmares thanks to elite pass rushers like Khalil Mack. It feels strange saying this, but Chicago will be the kings of the NFC North for years to come thanks to their young QB in Mitch Trubisky and an elite defense, this team will eventually morph into the 1985 Bears that bullied opposing offenses as they cruised to their first Super Bowl victory.

Rest of Division:

• Green Bay Packers: 11-5
• Minnesota Vikings: 9-7
• Detroit Lions: 6-10

NFC West: Los Angeles Rams (14-2)

The defending NFC champions aren't going anywhere anytime soon. Jared Goff is young and has plenty more years as an elite playmaker, as long as Todd Gurley remains healthy, their ground game will be hard to stop and will be fairly unpredictable, their defense is still one of the best in the game, though their division certainly improved. Seattle is still a difficult team to face thanks to Russell Wilson and San Francisco will be a team to watch for as long as Jimmy G. remains healthy. George Kittle will become the NFL's next Rob Gronkowski and will be a key playmaker for the 49ers, and though the Cardinals will likely miss the playoffs, they've improved slightly thanks to their first overall pick and Larry Fitzgerald is still a dangerous player to play against. Regardless, I fail to see any reason why the Rams won't take the division, and perhaps the conference, home again.

Rest of Division: 

• Seattle Seahawks: 11-5
• San Francisco 49ers: 10-6
• Arizona Cardinals: 5-11

NFC South: New Orleans (13-3)

Drew Brees is still an elite QB and the Saints still have one of the best offenses in the league, and for as long as the Super Bowl XLIV MVP is at the helm, they'll continue to bully opposing defenses. Their division rivals have done little to improve. If Cam Newton doesn't stay healthy, the Panthers will struggle mightily. Atlanta seems to be back to doing what they do best and as long as they stay mostly healthy, Matt Ryan and Julio Jones will cause a few issues for the Saints, but their defense will let them down, and the Buccaneers are still the Buccaneers. The Saints will be the class of the NFC South until Brees retires and that likely won't happen for a long time.

Rest of Division: 

• Atlanta Falcons: 11-5
• Carolina Panthers: 7-9
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 5-11

NFC Wild Cards

Atlanta Falcons:

Though the Falcons were severely held back by numerous injuries on both sides of the ball, they're back and ready to kick some tail. Matt Ryan is still an elite QB and Julio Jones is still the best receiver in the league, well, maybe alongside Antonio Brown and Odell Beckham Jr. Though their defense will likely hold them back from being able to topple New Orleans, they have the blessing of playing in a fairly weak division. Their offense should be enough to win them the fifth seed before they ultimately choke in January. 

Green Bay Packers:

Like I said earlier, it's difficult to choose against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, but it's unclear how first time head coach Matt LaFleur will do. With Rodgers at the helm, the offense should do some damage, but it's unclear how he'll work with his new head coach. It'll be a hard fight against Philadelphia and Seattle to win the final seed, but in the end, Aaron Rodgers and company will be enough to fight off their opponents for the final seed.

And with all this in mind, this wraps up my way too early NFL predictions. So, do you agree with my predictions or do you have other ideas? Who do you think will surprise and who do you think will disappoint? Let me know your thoughts down below. Thanks for reading the ramblings of a random moth.