The NFL All-Available Team

Hello, and welcome back to the blog.

I have published at least once to this site every year since I started it, so I feel like I have to keep the streak alive with two days left in 2025. I've been focused on work so much (and successfully so - I've found a great career with plenty of growth already achieved and more to come!) but I have found some time to do some side projects.

The one I've been focusing on the most is the NFL All-Available Team - this was a project I started working on after the 2023 NFL season but abandoned it. I recently decided to revisit it and I'm just about finished so I feel confident to start doing some publishing of my findings!

Joe Burrow was the NFL's most-available quarterback in 2024. (Charles Baus/Cal Sport Media)

Here's the gist of it: My best friends at pro-football-reference.com (they don't know me, but I know them...it's a very healthy relationship) have a database dating back to 2012 of each team's annual snap counts by player. What I've done is compiled them into a spreadsheet (long time readers know my love of a good NFL stat spreadsheet) to determine which players at each position were on the field for the highest proportion of plays their specific unit (offense/defense/special teams).

I did it by position because different positions have different proportions of snaps they typically appear. For instance, every single offensive lineman I will be naming "all-available" played every single offensive snap for their respective teams in the given years they earned "all-available" honors. Meanwhile, no placekicker since 2012 has played in more than 48 percent of their team's special teams snaps.

I also ranked players by snap count percentage - in other words, a player to record 900 snaps in a year that their team was on offense for 1,000 plays (90%) would score higher than a player at the same position who appeared in 1,000 plays for an offense which took the field 1,200 times (83%). In a case where multiple players recorded the same percentage of snaps, the tie went to the player who was in more total plays. I mostly used this tiebreaker for offensive linemen (the iron horses of pro football), but I did occasionally break ties for other positions as well.

In the coming series, I'll be highlighting the most available players at each position each year based on this methodology, as well as crowning a "Most Available Player" for each season since 2012. I'll also be including some other fun tidbits, including an honorable mention for any player who appeared in 100 percent of their team's snaps without earning a spot on that year's All-Available team because players at their positions played in more total snaps.

Two quick disclaimers: pro-football-reference.com states in their snap count logs that all logs are approximate and unofficial - PFR does such amazing work, though, I'm sure theirs would be the most accurate list you could find! Also, while I do have the stats fully compiled through 2024, I will likely not be consistent with posting these. But we'll see!

I hope that if you're reading this, you're doing well. Remember to take care of yourselves and each other, spread love and kindness, and we'll see each other again in 2026!

2024 FBS Top 25 October Update

We're a month (and change) into the college football season and since I stayed up for the end of the night games, I guess I'll put out an update before I go to sleep (time management, woohoo).

I've got the list divided into four tiers this month. Tier one is unbeaten Power 4 teams with three Power 4 wins. Tier two, unbeaten P4 teams with two P4 wins and three Group of 5 wins, and one-loss P4 teams with three P4 wins and two G5 wins/P4 losses. 

Tier three features unbeaten P4 teams with two P4 wins and two G5 wins, and one-loss P4 teams with two P4 wins and three G5 wins/P4 losses or three P4 wins and one G5 win/P4 loss. Tier four is the rest of the one-loss P4 teams, one two-loss P4 team, and two unbeaten G5 teams. As always, within the tiers teams are ranked based on their performance against the spread.

Defensive end Tyler Batty and BYU had a signature 38-9 win over Kansas State in a ridiculously impressive September. (AP Photo / Tyler Tate)

TIER ONE
1. BYU (5-0; 5-0, +85 ATS)
2. Pittsburgh (5-0; 5-0, +48 ATS)
3. Indiana (6-0; 5-1, +74 ATS)
4. Iowa State (5-0; 4-1, +30 ATS)
5. Miami (FL) (6-0; 3-3, +43 ATS)
6. Penn State (5-0; 2-3, -26 ATS)
TIER TWO
7. Texas (5-0; 4-1, +34 ATS)
8. Nebraska (5-1; 4-1-1, +10 ATS)
9. SMU (5-1; 4-2, +23 ATS)
10. Clemson (4-1; 3-2, +17 ATS)
11. Texas A&M (5-1; 2-4, +2 ATS)
TIER THREE
12. Ole Miss (5-1; 4-2, +49 ATS)
13. Arizona State (4-1; 4-1, +40 ATS)
14. Notre Dame (4-1; 3-2, +33 ATS)
15. Ohio State (5-0; 3-2, +30 ATS)
16. Alabama (4-1; 3-2, +22 ATS)
17. Duke (5-1; 3-2-1, +12 ATS)
18. Texas Tech (5-1; 3-2-1, -5 ATS)
19. Oklahoma (4-1; 3-2, -14 ATS)
20. Georgia (4-1; 1-4, -23 ATS)
21. Oregon (5-0; 1-4, -44 ATS)
TIER FOUR
22. Army (5-0; 5-0, +83 ATS)
23. Navy (5-0; 4-1, +69 ATS)
24. Tennessee (4-1; 4-1, +68 ATS)
25. Illinois (4-1; 4-1, +50 ATS)

There's a top-five matchup next week according to the national media, but neither team in it is in my top five. This once again just shows that you need to play quality teams for me to consider you as one of the best.

We'll see you again at some point. Make sure you're registered to vote and have a voting plan!

Yeah, Why Not. Another Year of the FBS Top 25.

I think I tried to do this on Tik Tok last year, and after two or three weeks I gave up. May have shared it to Facebook a few times too? Who knows. It all blurs together.

There were precisely EIGHTEEN Power Four teams who took on the challenge of playing against similar competition coming out of the gate this year. They're all getting rewarded. If you put up 76 points on an FCS team, just shut up (looking at you, Ole Miss).

I tried to tweak my formula this year so losers of P4 v P4 games had a higher ranking than winners of P4 v Group of 5 (still throwing me off that there's only 4 major conferences now, but whatever). It didn't quite work out this week, but I still did get a couple losers in the top 25.

Boston College proved that Florida State was only a healthy quarterback away from being able to hold their own in the playoff last year. Oh wait, the Seminoles lost 9 other starters to the draft too? But that doesn't fit the narrative! (Colin Hackley // AP)

1. Boston College (1-0, 1 P4 win, 1-0/+32 ATS)
2. Miami (FL) (1-0, 1 P4 win, 1-0/+22)
3. Georgia (1-0, 1 P4 win, 1-0/+21)
4. Vanderbilt (1-0, 1 P4 win, 1-0/+21)
5. Penn State (1-0, 1 P4 win, 1-0/+15)
6. Notre Dame (1-0, 1 P4 win, 1-0/+13)
7. USC (1-0, 1 P4 win, 1-0/+11)
8. North Carolina (1-0, 1 P4 win, 0-0-1/+0)
9. TCU (1-0, 1 P4 win, 0-1/-1)
10. Georgia Tech (2-0, 1 P4 win, 2-0/+15)
11. Arizona State (1-0, 1 G5 win, 1-0/+35)
12. Alabama (1-0, 1 G5 win, 1-0/+29)
13. Maryland (1-0, 1 G5 win, 1-0/+25)
14. UNLV (1-0, 1 P4 win, 1-0/+24)
15. Texas (1-0, 1 G5 win, 1-0/+17)
16. Pittsburgh (1-0, 1 G5 win, 1-0/+8)
17. Nebraska (1-0, 1 G5 win, 1-0/+6)
18. Kentucky (1-0, 1 G5 win, 1-0/+6)
19. Oklahoma (1-0, 1 G5 win, 1-0/+5)
20. Northwestern (1-0, 1 G5 win, 1-0/+4)
21. Stanford (0-1, 1 P4 loss, 1-0/+1)
22. Minnesota (0-1, 1 P4 loss, 0-0-1/+0)
23. Michigan (1-0, 1 G5 win, 0-1/-1)
24. Syracuse (1-0, 1 G5 win, 0-1/-1)
25. Indiana (1-0, 1 G5 win, 0-1/-1)

With 9 of these teams playing FCS opponents this week (including 7 of the top 9), and an additional 5 going just a step higher in difficulty with a Group of 5 foe, this list will be dramatically different next week. Such is the way my system works.

See you here then. Or not. Like I said, who even knows at this point.

(Disclaimer, I'm not having an existential crisis or anything. Work is just ridiculously busy in the best possible way, so I literally have no way of knowing what I'll be able to get done outside of that on a weekly or even daily basis. Stay blessed fam!)

Song of the Day: January 30, 2024

Remember back when I didn't have three very awesome jobs, I was in a serious life depression, and I used to share music I was digging on this site that two people ever visit?

Well, life is good and I stay busy, but I thought I'd bring back an exclusive, once-in-a-decade Song Of The Day post to evoke those days. Also, this one is just SO GOOD.

Last night at dinner, the family sat down to watch the Netflix documentary on the recording of the smash 1985 single "We Are The World." Everyone who was anyone in the mid-80s (well, except for Madonna and Prince) was involved in this recording, which was marketed both to promote and provide funding for the hunger crisis in Africa.

The documentary is called "The Greatest Night In Pop" and it tells the story of how 40-plus musicians in their prime spent a whirlwind nine-hour recording session right after the 1984-85 American Music Awards creating what would eventually become one of the best-selling singles of all time.

There are many memorable moments in the 96-minute documentary, from encounters between Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson's numerous pets to Waylon Jennings walking out of the session after Stevie Wonder suggested including African phrases in the song to cater to a more global audience.

Without a doubt, however, my absolute favorite moment in the session came after the all-star chorus was finished recording, and producer Quincy Jones made sure to recognize then-living legend Harry Belafonte for his pioneering work in using music to advance social causes.

Al Jarreau, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, and others then led the who's-who group of singers in an impromptu singing of Belafonte's signature single "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)" as a tribute to the legendary singer and social justice advocate.

The following clip was surely used in the documentary, as it was recorded as part of the song's Grammy, VMA, People's Choice, and AMA-winning music video. The specific clip, however, seems to come from a newscast after the song's release. Before watching, know that the assembled artists take until around the 42 second mark to really get going, and around the 1:14 mark to really get in sync:

Among my favorite highlights: In a song that is described on its Wikipedia page as "a traditional Jamaican folk song," you may expect the less-pigmented superstars in the ensemble to not be as enthusiastic participants. Case in point Bob Dylan, who the documentary paints as someone who was having trouble finding his groove throughout the session until he was essentially isolated during his solo recording moment.

However, I have to shout out Kenny Rogers clapping along enthusiastically during Jarreau and Wonders' verses, and singing loudly and proudly at every repetition of "Daylight come and me wanna go home." Considering what happened with another country star involved in the recording (as previously mentioned), it's absolutely worth noting Rogers' apparently unbridled allyship in this moment.

As for Jarreau, the documentary notes that he was sufficiently inebriated during the session ("He was celebrating," said one of the interview subjects, I believe Lionel Richie), so it makes total sense that after an initial pseudo-power struggle with Motown legend Smokey Robinson, Jarreau took over as the lead verse-singer in the group, and enthusiastically so.

The undeniable highlight of the jam session, however, is when Stevie Wonder takes over singing of the verses. "If you have too much, y'all have to stay," one of my all-time musical icons sings, "because you'll have to be driven home by me or Ray [Charles]!".

If you know anything about Wonder or Charles, this line will make you roll on the floor in laughter. Also, note Robinson's reaction just a beat or two later.

I'm not 100 percent positive, but based on the documentary USA For Africa may still be using proceeds from this song to eradicate hunger in the third-world. So if you wouldn't mind streaming We Are The World a few million times on your favorite platform, you might be able to make a difference in the world!

That's it for this one. For my long-time Universe fans, I'm trying to get an NFL post up before the Super Bowl so stay tuned!

Peace and love to all.

-Clayton

Post-publication note 1: It is an all-time dream of mine to be included in something like this. Not with that caliber of music star, I am totally aware that will never happen. But with any certain group. I got close to it last year, but I still think it could have been better.

2023 NFL Midseason Predictions

What's up 22 readers! The season is two months old, so let's see if my quarter season predictions are holding up or if I've changed my ideas about who's going to be left standing at the end after another month of football. Small disclaimer, I began working on this before the Thursday night game, which I of course picked incorrectly. I'm leaving that pick incorrect for the integrity of this project and for the sake of laziness in not wanting to restart.

Starting in the AFC...

Playing with a determination like none other, Joe Burrow will emerge as the 2023 NFL MVP. (Michael Hickey // Getty)

EAST
1. Miami - 12-5
2. Buffalo - 11-6
3. NY Jets - 7-10
4. New England - 6-11
I kept the Jets at 7-10, but other than that there is a lot of change from quarter-season. That includes swapping Buffalo for Miami atop the division. Both teams will drop three of their last nine, but it will ultimately be Miami coming out on top after winning the very last game of the regular season - a typical primetime struggle for Josh Allen. The Jets will have faint playoff hopes until around Christmas, and New England will find four more wins in an otherwise forgettable season. 

WEST

1. Kansas City - 12-5
2. Denver - 7-10
3. LA Chargers - 7-10
4. Las Vegas - 7-10

Call it the Taylor Swift Effect, call it Travis Kelce is literally Kansas City's only offensive weapon. Regardless, the Chiefs will drop three more, including one to a team they should beat easily on paper, but still hold on to what is still a miserable division. I didn't even bother tiebreaking the three 7-10 teams; the main surprise here from the start of the season is Denver. After the back-to-back wins to close out October, I think they have it in them to win at least a couple more; they may even go my predicted 4-5 down the stretch.

NORTH

1. Cincinnati - 13-4
2. Baltimore - 12-5
3. Pittsburgh - 10-7
4. Cleveland - 8-9
In stark contrast to the West, the AFC North is probably top-to-bottom the best division in the NFL this year. Last month, I predicted the Bengals to come back from 3-7 to snag a wild card spot. The Cardiac Cats are already 4-3, and I truly believe they could run the table or just drop one game to not only claim the division from Baltimore in Week 18, but also earn a first-round bye in the playoffs. I'm giving the Ravens and Steelers both wild card berths in this prognostication, while the Browns will end the season on a three-game skid and get knocked out of the postseason in the final week.

SOUTH

1. Jacksonville - 11-6
2. Tennessee - 7-10

3. Indianapolis - 7-10

4. Houston - 6-11

At the start of October, I predicted 10 wins for the Jaguars. At 6-2 through the halfway point, 11 wins seems like a fair final tally. Will Levis has some catching up to do if he wants to be in the Rookie of the Year conversation that a month ago started and ended with C.J. Stroud, but it's possible. I'm not keen on either of them for the award, however; more on that later. Nothing super exciting will happen for the rest of the season for Tennessee, Houston, and Indianapolis; a win or two here, two or three losses there, keep focusing on developing young talent.

The AFC playoff picture hasn't changed much since quarter-season as far as who's in, the only switch out I did was Pittsburgh for Cleveland. The seeding has significantly changed. The first overall seed will be the Bengals; Kansas City, Miami, and Jacksonville will host wild card games. The wild card seeds from fifth through seventh will be Baltimore, Buffalo, and Pittsburgh.

Now, for the NFC.

I'm picking Puka for this year's top rookie. (Kyle Terada // USA Today)

EAST

1. Philadelphia - 14-3
2. Dallas - 13-4
3. Washington - 5-12
4. NY Giants - 4-13

I was right about Philadelphia being the last unbeaten team, although I gave them their first loss a week later than they actually got it. I don't think there is a question whatsoever that the Eagles are the best team in the NFL this year. I have Dallas finishing with a couple more wins now than I did a month ago; the offense concerns me but the opportunistic Cowboys defense is so much fun to watch. I gave the Commanders significantly fewer wins than I did in quarter-season, and the Giants exactly the same.

WEST

1. San Francisco - 12-5
2. Seattle - 11-6
3. LA Rams - 5-12
4. Arizona - 5-12
The 49ers are clearly no longer the best team in the NFL as I predicted a month ago, making the race for the West much, much more interesting. At this point it could go to either San Francisco or Seattle. This will give their two matchups, just 17 days apart, shades of the iconic NFC West rivalry of a decade ago. I still have the 49ers righting the ship and prevailing ultimately. Puka Nacua is my current pick for Rookie of the Year; whereas Stroud's production has dipped off Nacua has remained a consistent receiving threat for a Rams team in an otherwise forgettable season. Currently sitting at 1-7, the Cardinals will somehow pick up four wins to mess up the tank and avoid the top pick in the draft.

NORTH

1. Detroit - 14-3
2. Chicago - 6-11
3. Minnesota - 5-12
4. Green Bay - 4-13

The Lions are the chief beneficiary of an already-weak NFC North whose bottom has recently fallen out thanks in part to the most-mourned injury of the season to dote and the Packers being just about the worst team of the past few weeks. Detroit could plausibly even win the whole division on Thanksgiving if the Vikings fail to win all month without Kirk Cousins. The Bears, currently with the worst record in the division, will go 4-5 down the stretch to win the coveted prize of distant second. In what's probably the biggest overreaction of 2023, the Vikings win just one more game all season. The Packers will just continue to be garbage.

SOUTH

1. Tampa Bay - 10-7
2. New Orleans - 10-7
3. Atlanta - 8-9
4. Carolina - 3-14
I started tracking the playoff picture in Week 12 of this prediction, and in alternating weeks the NFC South had New Orleans leading with Atlanta in a wild card spot or Tampa Bay leading with New Orleans the at-large. Ultimately the second scenario is what played out as the Falcons lose their last three games in classic Dirty Bird fashion. Carolina will ultimately secure the worst record in the NFL and allow Chicago the top pick in the 2024 draft thanks to the "brilliant" Bryce Young trade.

The playoff picture in the NFC is even more similar to quarter-season than the AFC. New Orleans will replace Minnesota and the division winner seeding will change slightly. Most significantly, Philadelphia gets the first round bye. Detroit, San Francisco, and Tampa Bay will be the second through fourth seeds hosting fifth through seventh seeds Dallas, Seattle, and New Orleans in the wild card round.

Now on to my predictions for the postseason!

In the wild card round, Pittsburgh will keep it close in the first half, but the Chiefs will ultimately overpower a young Steelers team still finding their identity. In a rematch of the Week 18 game that gave Miami a playoff home game, big-game Josh Allen will come through once again. He'll turn the ball over four times as the Greatest Show on Surf notches its first postseason victory. In another tough day for a quarterback that can't win in the clutch, the Jaguars will stifle Lamar Jackson to cap off an AFC wild card weekend dominated by the division champs.

In the NFC, Derek Carr and the Saints will be no match for the roaring Dan Campbell Lions. 49ers-Seahawks will have a trilogy segment, just like it always seemed to during that all-time great rivalry of the early 2010s. The road team will come out on top, not allowing Brock Purdy's playoff magic to extend to his sophomore campaign. Down in West Florida (and one of the all-time great NFL uniform matchups; I just love that red and pewter of Tampa against the white and silver of Dallas), the Cowboys defense will absolutely bewilder Baker Mayfield for an easy road win.

After nearly running the table to earn a rest week, Cincinnati might end up being too rested when the Juggernaut Jaguars come to town. Trevor Lawrence and company will bewilder the Bengals and 2023 NFL MVP Burrow will be denied his annual postseason meetup with 2022 MVP Patrick Mahomes. Speaking (now) of Mahomes, the AFC's other Florida squad will meet its end in chilly Arrowhead stadium as Kansas City, also thanks to the Bengals' loss, will get to host its sixth straight AFC title game. Hosting their second straight NFC Championship will be the Eagles, who benefit from the bye week to dismantle the Seahawks. The Cowboys' defense will run out of miracles against Detroit, who will stymie the mediocre Dallas offense to win two playoff games in a season for the first time since 1957 and advance to just the second NFC Championship game in franchise history.

Second seed Kansas City will host its aforementioned sixth straight battle for the Lamar Hunt Trophy against fourth seed Jacksonville, in the Championship for the fourth time in franchise history. The top-seeded Eagles will also be in a familiar spot trying to win their second straight George Halas Trophy against a famously starved second-seeded Lions squad. If either of the underdogs come out on top, it will make for their first Super Bowl appearance.

Instead, it will be the favorites winning both championships. Detroit will scratch and claw with every last ounce of intensity, but the Eagles have just enough talent and experience to survive what will surely be an instant classic. The Chiefs will continue to show vulnerability, but just like in Philly's case, Kansas City's championship pedigree will show through in an AFC Championship Game that is inexplicably closer than it probably should be.

Super Bowl LVIII will become just the second time in NFL history that two teams will face each other in back-to-back Super Bowls. Unlike the last time, when Dallas beat Buffalo in both Super Bowls XXVII and XXVIII, last year's loser will come out on top. Now even more than at the start of October, I am all in on the Eagles winning it all in February. They'll have a hiccup or two in the regular season, but once the dust is settled, there is no other team I can see within striking distance of Philadelphia.

It's all about the Shove - in fact, Jason Kelce for Super Bowl MVP! (Kevork Djansezian // AP)

Oh, and the Eras Tour is in Tokyo on Super Bowl Sunday so the Chiefs won't have their good luck charm.