Wednesday Weekly: Kobe vs. LeBron, Soto vs. Acuña, Alex Smith vs. the Redskins Running Game and More

Photo via Daniel Kucin Jr. (Icon Sportswire)

I've decided to try to give weekly mailbag questions a try. Thanks so much to everyone who sent me questions and helped get this off the ground. As a reward to you, I'm making an effort to answer each and every question I received. Here goes nothing!

On the court, this shouldn't be a debate. Sure, Kobe Bryant was the better scorer, but there's so much more to LeBron James' game than putting the ball through the net himself.

Where Kobe has LeBron beat — and always will — is in the pantheon of Lakers history. "King James" could win a title all four seasons he's in Los Angeles, and he still wouldn't approach Kobe's standing as a Laker.

With that said, those two truths are completely okay. There is no reason for Lakers fans to be painting murals of LeBron or for them to be vandalized just because LeBron could be a threat to Kobe. Don't hate, just appreciate greatness!

Excluding James Harden — who shouldn't be defined as a point guard — Kyrie Irving came in fourth at his position in points per game in 2017–2018, whereas Al Horford came in either fourth or fifth (depending on what you view LeBron James as) at his spot in assists.

It's doubtful that either finish in the top three without an injury occurring, but Horford is slightly more likely, mainly because Irving probably won't take as many shots this season.

Gordon Hayward will be back in the mix (although he was never really in it), Jayson Tatum has seemingly improved in each game he's played, and Jaylen Brown certainly showcased his talents down the stretch. Shots have to be distributed fairly amongst them, and the ball should be moving a lot, so an increase in passing for any player seems more likely than any scoring boost.

Matt is doing some great things, including serving as the Sports Director for WUVT in Blacksburg. If you love the Hokies or baseball in general, consider giving him a follow.

The race for National League Rookie of the Year appeared to be over not long ago. As recently as August 7, Juan Soto of the Nationals was batting .311 with a .429 on-base percentage and slugging .563, numbers which were very much in line with where they had been all year. They were also rate statistics that only a handful of players in all of baseball held.

Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr., the consensus No. 1 preseason prospect in baseball, had a more modest .261/.321/.478 slash line at that point. However, a major shift occurred immediately after that date.

August 8 (ironically during a head-to-head series), was the beginning of a one-week stretch during which Acuña hit eight home runs, many off which were to lead off games, while also recording hits in 16 of his 34 at bats.

In those eight games, Acuña's on-base plus slugging (OPS) rose from .799 to .922, where it has roughly remained since. Although Soto's OPS stood at .970 on that same date, he has gone 3-for-21 since, and none have been extra-base hits.

Soto still owns a 21-point edge in OPS, but that also doesn't tell the whole story, because Acuña has eight more stolen bases. Even so, Soto has a slight edge for Rookie of the Year, as he has been the Nationals' most dependable hitter since the day he was promoted (until the aforementioned slump). The ball does seem to be in Acuña's court going forward, though, especially considering their standing in the NL East.

One last note: these are the two youngest position players in the majors, and also play on rival teams. Buckle up, because these head-to-head comparisons aren't going away.

Time for another plug! Dillon has been a hard-working Sports Staff Writer for the Collegiate Times at Virginia Tech (of which I am an alum), and has been promoted to Assistant Sports Editor for this year. I can attest that he will be writing great content on the Hokies, so follow him and keep up with his work, as well.

The Hokies are sitting at No. 17 in the Coaches Poll and No. 20 in the AP Top 25. Most projections have them finishing either 8–4 or 9–3. Considering all the players that have moved on since last season, challenging for ten wins, even if they likely fall short, should be seen as a successful season.

With all the players that left, there is obviously a lot of turnover. In particular, the "back seven" of the defense will be particularly young, with strong safety/rover (call it what you wish) Reggie Floyd as the only returning player who received meaningful minutes for the bulk of last season. This might be defensive coordinator Bud Foster's biggest test yet.

That's not to say the offense doesn't have question marks, either. Cam Phillips has moved onto the next level, Travon McMillan transferred, and two spots on the offensive line (including Wyatt Teller's) have to be filled.

What helps significantly is their schedule. After the opener against Florida State, they don't really have games where you should pencil in a loss. Notre Dame and Miami should be their toughest competition, but both of those games will be played in Lane Stadium.

Photo via ESPN.com

In terms of a prediction, 8–4 seems most reasonable. They'll likely lose at least two of the three big games, and a slip-up or two wouldn't be surprising, as is generally the case for such a young team. For their sake, thank goodness they caught a relative break with the schedule, because this team needs to get some wins under its belt going forward.

Bovada's Heisman Trophy odds appear to be pretty spot-on. The running back crop — namely Bryce Love (Stanford) and Jonathan Taylor (Wisconsin) — is well-equipped to make some noise this season, even though it's usually a quarterback's award for the taking. After all, Love eclipsed 2,000 rushing yards last season, while Taylor fell just shy.

Love, who was visibly hobbled down the stretch last season, is a defending finalist for the award and will likely have a bigger individual season than Taylor. However, Taylor has the clearer path to a conference championship and playoff berth.

Beyond those two players, it's hard to ignore what Tua Tagovailoa did in the second half of the National Championship against a stout Georgia defense, when he threw for 166 yards and three touchdowns to carry Alabama to a come-from-behind win.

Based on how he looked and his prospect status before stepping onto the big stage — combined with the near-certainty that the Crimson Tide will make the College Football Playoff — he has to be in the mix, in spite of his inexperience.

Don't rule out quarterback trio Will Grier (West Virginia), Trace McSorley (Penn State), or dual threat Khalil Tate (Arizona), who are referenced as top challengers, but they're on the outside looking in at this point. The same holds true for Justin Herbert (Oregon), who many experts view as the top NFL prospect at the position.

It might seem crazy to say the Browns are more likely to go undefeated, following up a winless season, but they should be vastly improved, which it the point that needs to be emphasized here. Any sports fan knows that the Patriots are dominant, but what can legitimately be expected of the Browns this year?

First of all, don't expect No. 1 pick Baker Mayfield to start — at least not right away. Tyrod Taylor (the fellow Hokie alum) is a serviceable starter who just ended Buffalo's playoff drought. They have a bye in Week 11, which would be a reasonable time to ramp up Mayfield's workload with the first unit and possibly get him onto the field for a game, depending on where they stand record wise.

Taylor doesn't make mistakes, but he also doesn't capitalize on opportunities as much as most franchise quarterbacks do. Offensively, there are three types of players that you must have in order for Taylor to thrive: a big-bodied possession receiver, a dependable slot receiver, and a solid running back (preferably one who can catch out of the backfield).

While the Bills really only had two of those, they had a sneaky-solid defense and LeSean McCoy remains one of the best running backs in the league.

The Browns, however, are a perfect fit for Tyrod. As long as Josh Gordon is available, he's probably the most ideal wide receiver Taylor has ever had, and if it isn't him, it's Jarvis Landry, who just set the record for most receptions in a player's first four seasons. Even Duke Johnson, out of the backfield, is a great receiving option. If they get anything out of Carlos Hyde and/or second-round rookie Nick Chubb in the running game, look out for this offense — as long as the line holds up.

This defense doesn't appear to match up with Buffalo's, but Myles Garrett has elite pass rush potential and rookie cornerback Denzel Ward was selected No. 4 overall for a reason.

Cleveland won't be a great team, but don't be surprised to see an 8–8 or 9–7 showing. Let's be honest, Browns fans deserve that.

Ricky is a good friend of mine, as well as a person that I have looked up to as a sports reporter. He's also the inspiration for the mailbag that you're reading. Check out the latest edition of his fan mail series, and definitely follow him if you're looking for great Hokie coverage.

Ricky, to tell you and your fellow Redskins fans the truth, the injury to Derrius Guice, who was taken in this year's second round to be the workhorse out of the backfield, hurts their chances at making a playoff push significantly. Even so, the season isn't over, and it's largely thanks to Alex Smith.

Historically, Smith has always needed a star all-purpose running back. Unless Rob Kelley, Samaje Perine or Adrian Peterson are more productive that anyone foresees, the rushing attack may be as nonexistent as it was last year.

Sure, the Redskins should be able to implement many similar concepts to the Chiefs, but Kansas City's attack was largely dependent on running back play on order to utilize Smith as a play-action passer or throw against less loaded coverages.

Jay Gruden should look to replicate a good portion of that, because the crossing routes in particular were hard to defend. However, there's an even better model for how to make this personnel group work, particularly considering the lack of a game-changing rusher. The team, which will remain unnamed, has been playing this way for the better portion of well over a decade, and Smith quietly shares a lot of similar traits to its quarterback. In fact, he outperformed him for much of last year.

Without a running game, the ball has to get out of the quarterback's hand very quickly. High-percentage throws will be of the utmost importance, and Smith is a proven high-percentage passer. He has shown the ability to cut defenses up in play-action situations and with crossing routes. He will have to continue that, while also shortening up many of those route progressions a bit more.

The Redskins will need two players to serve as slot or pseudo-slot receivers that run short-to-intermediate routes (no more than ten yards downfield) 99 percent of the time. On paper, the leading candidate to be the primary slot man should be Jamison Crowder, but the most important thing is having sure-handed players that Smith is extremely comfortable with in those spots. However, physicality, elusiveness and an extremely high motor are also ideal, because these guys will be spotting up near the heart of the defense consistently. Think of the slot specialist as a running back, from a physical perspective. Don't be afraid to throw someone from off the grid into this role, either.

From there, it's important to have two players who can stretch the field — one strictly vertically and other for predominately post-type routes 10–15 yards downfield. Ideally, one of those guys is either a tight end or a big-bodied wideout, while the other is the quickest option you have. The idea is to create mismatches.

Josh Doctson has to fulfill one of those roles, because he's as big and as fast as anyone the Redskins have. In a perfect world, Jordan Reed serves as the intermediate receiver, which is what he's been (when healthy) anyway. If he isn't, they can probably mix and match, with Vernon Davis — who Smith has a great rapport with, dating back to their days in San Francisco — inserted into the equation. Two tight end sets should be common in the offense, anyway.

Paul Richardson is intriguing. It appears that he can handle some slot responsibilities (although he's a bit scrawny), but he's a pretty adept route runner, and he also runs a 4.40 flat 40-yard dash, so he can get open downfield. This is where the Kansas City wrinkle comes into play. He should be deployed similarly to speed demon Tyreek Hill, minus the occasional backfield alignment. While other guys should be utilized where their skill sets most directly dictate, Richardson should be sprinkled everywhere to make the defense have to account for him (and sometimes lose track of him).

Lastly, you need an unconventional crop of running backs. A bruiser is always great to have, but pass-catching ability and shiftiness are also essential. Don't be surprised if Byron Marshall and Kapri Bibbs get serious looks this preseason. In fact, Washington is probably best-served if at least one of them (or possibly De'Veon Smith) makes the roster. Chris Thompson needs to have a starring role as a receiver and/or elusive runner, and Perine makes the most sense in short-yardage situations, as long as he can hold onto the ball. Quite frankly, Adrian Peterson and Rob Kelley don't serve much of a role.

Don't worry too much about the running game. As long as the Redskins are able to effectively utilize the short passing game as extended run plays that also get ball carriers immediately into space, the lack of a consistent rushing attack will be relatively insignificant in at least 80 percent of in-game situations. That deficiency can almost always be made up for, but it takes precision throws, crisp routes, and soft-handed targets.

I promise this is the last shout-out. Cody and I have started a podcast series that college football fans would really enjoy.

Since the Browns have already received their praise, let's skip to the New York Giants. They were 3–13 last year, but went 11–5 in 2016. Expect them to be much closer to the latter this season.

Odell Beckham Jr. missed essentially all of last season, which can't be understated. The Giants also didn't have a running game (not that they did before anyway). That made Eli Manning's job extremely difficult.

Speaking of the running game, that hole has been addressed in a major way with the selection of Saquon Barkley with the No. 2 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Between his insertion and the return of Beckham, the offense will be exponentially more potent.

The defensive side of the ball also took a nose dive last year. The situations the offense was placing them in. Nonetheless, they gave up the second-most total yards per game in 2017 after surrendering the tenth-fewest the season prior, despite little turnover in personnel.

The biggest fix, however, may have been the firing of head coach Ben McAdoo and subsequent hiring of Pat Shurmur, who was most recently the architect of the Minnesota Vikings offense. Whether it was McAdoo's fault or not, the dysfunction amongst the roster last year was glaring, and it undoubtedly affected the on-field product, which was already handcuffed offensively. Whether Shurmur is the answer remains to be seen, but it can't get worse.

On paper, this is a team that could legitimately threaten the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles for the NFC East title. They went 11–5 two years ago with a roster that was arguably worse than the one they have this year. Another sub-.500 finish would be surprising.

The Denver Broncos deserve an honorable mention, with their season largely riding on the arm of journeyman quarterback Case Keenum, whom teamed up with Shurmur on a run to the NFC championship game in 2017.

I hope you all enjoyed reading this and consider contributing to it down the road. I would love to make this (well, probably a shorter version of it) a weekly fixture.