The hardest out the scene in the 802. North Ave Jax, dropped one of the most complete projects of 2022 so far. His album “LaZy, but i have goals” dropped on August 17th, 2022 and I have not stopped listening to it since, so why not put out an album review? The album has no features and includes two skits and eight songs.
North Ave Jax Album Review
The album from start to finish is one of the most complete and well put together albums I have heard in a long time. Every time I listen to this album, I always find something new. Whether it is that song I have been overlooking, a new play on words, or just understanding each song’s place on the album.
“Awful” was a great choice for the opening song, and really sets the tone for the rest of the listen. “Play Dumb” is the biggest banger on the album, and always gets me going. “The Fall” and “Awful” are two songs that almost everyone can relate to, but songs like “Guns & Roses” and “Eastside” will definitely have you contemplating getting in your bag.
My real only complaint is how random the skits are. My first time listening to the album I was like “why is this even in here?” That being said, even though the skits are a bit random they fit into the album. The skits give your ears a nice break as he transitions flows from song to song.
The production on the album is solid, but my favorite part of the album is Jax’s flow. No matter what type of beat it is, Jax always seems to know how to flow on it. And the quality of flow switches Jax does in a number of songs kept things fresh.
Closing Thoughts
The replay ability on this album is insane. I play this album day-in and day-out, and I don’t get tired of it. It’s the perfect album for any type of vibe and will have your friends asking you “who’s this?”
My personal favorite songs are “Awful” and “Play Dumb”, and I am looking forward to seeing what North Ave Jax drops next.
Stream North Ave Jax “LaZy, but i have goals” on Apple Music or Spotify, and for more album review content check out all of ATB’s hip-hop content.
In late June 2022, Aaron May dropped his highly anticipated EP “No Recognition”. Is the album worth a listen and how does it stand up to his previous breakout album “Chase”?
Aaron May Background
Aaron May is an up-and-coming independent artist out of Houston, TX. He is signed to the independent record label MOVEINTHEAM. Early in 2019, May dropped his debut album “Chase” with his hit single “Let Go”. Since then he has dropped a number of singles, but “No Recognition” was his first album since.
No Recognition Review
The seven song EP by May is one of the best melodic rap albums put out this year so far. The album has a slightly different vibe compared to “Chase”, as this is more mellow — which I feel like May did well. On “No Recognition” Aaron May seems to be coming into his own sound, and you can really see the growth he has had as an artist. Even though there are still some more upbeat tunes, May’s vocals float on the beat. The album also has a good balance of both slow songs and little more upbeat, which makes it an even better listen.
Personally, this is one of the best albums to just vibe to. May’s flow and voice with the production on this album make it a go-to for any moment. Throughout the album, May raps more about his struggles and uses music as a form of therapy. As you listen you hear lyrics that make you reflect on yourself and your own personal struggles. One of my own personal favorite lyrics is
“They be saying “Don’t waste yo potential boy you got real talent” They don’t understand it ain’t that simple when you tryna kill habits Goin’ through it on yo own it ain’t hard to feel stranded”.
Final Thoughts on Aaron May’s “No Recognition”
The replay ability of this album is just as good as it was for “Chase”, as the album is still in my rotation and has no signs of leaving. My personal favorite songs are “Last Time” and “I Ain’t Worried”. Overall, the album is a solid 8/10 and think will age like fine wine.
Disclaimer: This article is purely speculation, no one has any idea what will happen in the future. I, like most fans, want Gesicki to be re-signed.
Mike Gesicki is without a doubt one of the Miami Dolphins best players. Not only does he have great chemistry with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, but he is a playmaker and well liked in the locker room. That being said, the contract of Mike Gesicki is up at the end of the 2021-2022 NFL season.
For fans, it is concerning that Gesicki has not been extended, especially since he is a focal point of the offense. This brings me to ask the question: Is the writing on the wall for Gesicki?
Reason To Worry?
There are really two reasons why Miami fans should worry about Gesicki’s future. One of them being a contract extension not happening yet (or at least talked about) and his misuse/ disappearance from the offense as of late.
Mike Gesicki Contract Situation
Like I said above, it is a tad concerning that Mike Gesicki has not been extended yet. Especially since Dallas Goedert most recently signed an extension which probably raised the price for a Gesicki extension. Goedert signed a four year, $57 million dollar contract, equivalent to $14.25 million a year. This makes Goedert the second highest paid tight end by average money per year.
This means for Miami to resign Gesicki they will have to at least pay Gesicki $13 million dollars a year. This would make him the third highest paid tight end. That being said, I cannot see Miami signing Gesicki for that much. As we saw with the Xavien Howard situation, Miami can play hard ball.
Miami could play hard ball with Gesicki and not even offer him and franchise tag him or offer him less than what he is demanding (we’ll get to both of these later).
Offensive Woes
Gesicki’s presence on the offense during the past couple of weeks has been a lot different compared to last season and some other games this year. There can be a number of reasons for this. Defense’s could game plan for him better or the offensive game plan for that week could not emphasize him are just two reasons.
Now Gesicki’s targets per game are staying about the same week by week. His average yards per catch the past two weeks (weeks 12 and 13) has dropped by about 50%. This shows that Gesicki is being used less downfield and more in the flat. This does not really use Gesicki to his strengths and he is essentially a go up and get it guy.
In addition to all of this, recently, Gesicki seems to be absent for at least the first half of the game. All or a majority of his targets come later on in the game when the Dolphins are trying to secure the win. This can be due to Gesicki being Tua’s security blanket and he knows that if he throws it to Gesicki he will catch it.
Mike Gesicki Replacements
There is not true replacement for Gesicki in Miami’s offense. There is no player on this roster, and very few players in the NFL like Gesicki. Even though his blocking ability is questionable, his ability to make explosive plays and jump start the offense isn’t. Not to mention his chemistry with Tua is hard to beat as well.
That being said, Miami did draft Hunter Long in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft. In addition to that, we have been seeing a lot more of Durham Smythe (who is also a free agent at the end of the year) in Miami’s offense as of late. These are the two players that Miami could have in mind as potential replacements for Gesicki.
Hunter Long
When Long was first draft, multiple fans said he was going to be Mike Gesicki’s replacement and Miami was going to let Gesicki walk at the end of the year. This was due to his athleticism he displayed in college and his ability to line up anywhere on the offense.
Long has not had much spotlight this season. Getting his first (and so far only) catch in week 13 against the Giants. This does not mean Long is bad, he just has not been given an opportunity, as he is mostly inactive during games. When Long is active, he is blocking a majority of the time.
Durham Smythe
Smythe was drafted in the same class as Gesicki and has mostly been used as a blocker. This year and especially as of late, Miami has been using Smythe a lot more in the passing game. Now while he has no where near the targets Gesicki has, his presence in the pass game seems to be increasing.
Smythe is a free agent after this year as well. Now the reason why Miami would opt to resign Smythe over Gesicki is simple: money. Smythe will cost a whole lot less than Gesicki, which may be compelling to Chris Grier and company.
Mike Gesicki Contract Solutions
Now even though it make seem like I have lost all hope that the Dolphins and Mike Gesicki work something out, I still hope something does. There are two ways that Gesicki stays a Dolphins next season. That is the franchise tag and resigning him to an extension.
Franchise Tag
Now is Gesicki and the Dolphins can not agree to a contract extension, Miami could always franchise tag him. The franchise tag will pay him a little under $11 million dollars. Miami may think this is a more reasonable number for Gesicki. With an estimated almost $70 million dollars in cap space next year, the franchise tag may cause more problems than it solves.
Extension
This is the win-win solution. Miami and Gesicki should both want to get an extension done. As I said earlier, the starting point should be $13 million dollars a year. Whether Gesicki will want more than that is unknown as of right now. But I would not be surprised if Gesicki demands at least $14 million dollars a year as he could easily get that in free agency from another team.
Conclusion
So is the writing on the wall for Mike Gesicki? Only time will tell. As it seems right now the answer could go either way. As the season continues to go on it will be interesting to see how Gesicki is used. Hopefully Miami and Mike Gesicki can work a contract extension out, as players like Gesicki do not come around that often.
The Miami Dolphins stunned everyone with an upset win vs the Baltimore Ravens. Not only did Miami beat the Ravens, but they dominated most of the game. Even though it was a snooze fest of a game until the fourth quarter, Dolphin fans have a reason to be excited again. Here are some key takeaways from Miami’s stunning win vs the Ravens.
Defense Looks Dominant Again
Last night, the Dolphins defense looked like one of the best in the NFL. Holding one of the NFL’s best and hottest players in Lamar Jackson to just 277 all purpose yards. Not only that, but the Dolphins defense also had one interception, four sacks, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery that went for a touchdown vs the Ravens.
Xavien Howard got the game going with a forced fumble that he recovered and took it 49 yards for a score. Justin Coleman had the same sealing interception in the end zone with less than a minute left in the game. But this was all thanks to Lamar being uncomfortable all night.
Jaelan Philips, Andrew Van Ginkle, Emmanuel Ogbah, Brandon Jones, and Jevon Holland were in Lamar’s face all game. Lamar was blitzed essentially all game and it turned out to work for Miami.
Lamar Jackson was blitzed on 51.1% of his drop backs.
The 3rd highest of his career.
Fantastic gameplan and execution by the Dolphins defense
For the second straight week Tua Tagovailoa was active even with his finger injury. But for the second straight week Tua was the active back-up. This was until the third quarter when Jacoby Brissett went down with a knee injury.
On the next drive Brissett tried to go back in and head coach Brian Flores waved him off and called Tua’s number. At first it was evident that his finger is really injured, killing any “benching” speculation.
That being said, as the game went on, Tua did look more comfortable and started to throw better. He had some throws that made you shake your head but it is clear that it was due to his finger. Postgame Tua clarified that his finger “does not feel good”. but he stayed strong and played through it.
Tua Tagovailoa on his finger: “I’ll tell you what, it does not feel good. I banged it up a little bit. But we have 10 or so days to rest…” #Dolphins
Tua’s highlights from last night are his deep throw to Jaylen Waddle and Albert Wilson along with his one yard quarterback sneak to score a touchdown. With the extended week due to playing on Thursday night, hopefully Tua uses this time so he is 100% by the next game against the New York Jets.
Run Game and Offensive Line Leave Question Marks
Even though the Dolphins played their best game of the season vs the Ravens, there was still negatives. The run game still isn’t where it should be. Myles Gaskins was the only rusher with over 10 carries and averaged 2.2 yards per carry. That is including his long of 11 yards. No team in the NFL should be able to win like this consistently, so Miami needs to figure out their run game woes.
The offensive line for Miami also did not play their best. As I said above Tua only got in the game due to Brissett getting hurt. The Ravens only had four saves, but had a total of 13 quarterback hits.
The run game also looked horrendous part due to part of the offensive line. Liam Eichenberg allowed several pressures and was the one who allowed the sack that got Brissett hurt. It will be something to keep an eye on if Miami decides to switch up the offensive line during their long week.
Familiar Faces Return
Albert Wilson and Isaiah Ford were the lead receivers for the Dolphins last night. Both tied with a game high four catches and both led the Dolphins in receiving yards. Wilson had 87 yards compared to Ford’s 84.
The question of “where has Albert Wilson been?” finally got answered as Miami finally used him properly. Miami sent him on a wheel route on an RPO and gained 64 yards on his biggest play of the night. He also ran a number of screens where he flashed his ability to make people miss consistently. It will be interesting if Miami keeps using Wilson throughout the season or if this was a “gameplay” situation.
Ford also came through for Miami as he had a number of catches when Miami was in a hurry up offense. Besides not stepping out of bounds in an obvious situation, Ford was impressive. He showed that he can be Miami’s number three or even two receiver if need be.
Rookies Shine
Rookies Jevon Holland and Jaylen Waddle received public praise from the media and the Ravens players. While Jaelan Phillips had his best game to date. Holland was all over the field and broke up a deep ball that was intended for Marquise Brown early in the game.
In addition to that, Holland stuffed the stat sheet, with five tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss, two pass deflections, and a quarterback hit, it seems Chris Grier made have drafted a budding star.
Jaylen Waddle was also a key contributor as he was on the receiving end of Tua’s clutch throw in the fourth quarter. Waddle had four catches for 61 yards and its clear that Miami is making an effort to use him properly. He also drew a ton of attention as the defense always made sure they knew where he was. Waddle as normal was also both Brissett’s and Tua’s security blanket.
Jaelan Phillips impressed fans last week with a great game, but this week he was even better. Even though he only had half a sack and one quarterback hit, he was always around the ball and in Lamar’s face all night. He made sure Lamar didn’t scramble all over Miami and chased him down whenever he tried too.
Looking Ahead
Overall the Dolphins performance vs the Ravens showed how good of a team they can be. Even with the offensive line and run game not being the best they still outplayed the Ravens. The play-calling wasn’t the best but we have defiantly seen worse this year.
Let’s hope Miami is able to carry this momentum through the season and show that they are better than their current record of 3-7 and potentially fight for a playoff spot.
Yesterday the Miami Dolphins defeated the Atlanta Falcons 37-17 in week two of preseason. The team overall looked like they are ready to be serious contenders this year. One player in particular had himself a day, and that player was Sam Eguavoen.
Stats
Eguavoen had a ridiculous stat line last night. He had 11 tackles and four sacks one of which was a safety. Even though it is still preseason, it is very rare a player has that big of an impact on a game. Last night, Eguavoen had more sacks than he does in his career so far (3.5). His 11 tackles is also a career high. Eguavoen did have a horrible pass interference call on him last night as well. He really did not have to commit the penalty as the ball was not close to the receiver but it seems like he panicked because his back was to the ball and the receiver was faster than him. Man coverage is not his strong suit and you saw that later on in the game as he dominated by blitzing and playing in the box.
Stock
Sam Eguavoen was never fighting for a roster spot as he has been a prominent special teams player and a serviceable back up since 2019. However, the former CFL player is showing that he is progressing each year and may fight for more playing time this year. Playing behind free agent signing Benardrick McKinney, Eguavoen seems to be learning from him and is becoming a better run defender. Head coach Brian Flores loves to blitz linebackers and Eguavoen showed that he may be the best blitzing linebacker on the team (aside from Jerome Baker). As I said above he did have the DPI called against him and the only negative Egauvoen had last night.
Sam Eguavoen has had himself a game with four sacks, including this safety.
I doubt that Eguavoen will have a repeat performance next week against the Bengals. That is no knock on him, but it is very rare that players have back to back career games. However, if he can show that he can continue to improve and make plays, Eguavoen may be the teams third linebacker after Baker and McKinney. Stopping the run has been something Flores wants to do since coming to Miami and Eguavoen may be a piece to the puzzle. While he won’t be a starter, we may seem him take more and more snap from McKinney or even replace Baker on run obvious situations.
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