Ben Solak
The Ringer
Contact Ben
Discover and connect with journalists and influencers around the world, save time on email research, monitor the news, and more.
| Recent: |
|
| Past: |
|
Past articles by Ben:
What the Panthers’ Trade to No. 1 Means for the Rest of the NFL Draft
We now know which team will make the first selection in April. But that’s about all we know. → Read More
Bryce Young and the QB Size Dilemma
The Alabama passer is one of the smallest QB prospects to be pegged as a first-round pick. To succeed in the NFL, he’ll need to be an outlier among outliers. → Read More
What We Learned From a Week at the Senior Bowl
Some players raised their draft stocks. Others still face questions. And all week in Mobile, Alabama, rumors swirled. → Read More
The Rapid Evolution of Joe Burrow
The Cincinnati Bengals’ star quarterback has taken another step up this season, not by refining his play style but by changing it. That’s his superpower. → Read More
Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills’ One Small Problem
The Bills offense is elite. But one small change could make it better. → Read More
The Inevitable Jacksonville Jaguars Beat the Cursed L.A. Chargers
Saturday night’s wild-card matchup featured two pieces of NFL folklore: the Jaguars’ newfound inevitability, and the Chargers’ unavoidable curse. The two combined to form a comeback for the ages—and present plenty of offseason questions for Los Angeles. → Read More
The College-to-NFL Coaching Pipeline Has Gone Dry
Coaching in college and coaching in the pros require two different sets of skills. Kliff Kingsbury’s failure in Arizona is just the latest example. → Read More
Jacksonville Jaguars Quarterback Trevor Lawrence Has Arrived
The NFL’s next star quarterback is in Jacksonville. Over the last few weeks, the Jaguars QB has been displaying all the traits that made him one of the most coveted draft prospects in league history. → Read More
The Arizona Cardinals Are in a Hole
The team came into this season thinking they’d be contenders but were quickly exposed. With an aging roster and too many big contracts, there are no easy answers in Arizona. → Read More
The Detroit Lions Are Just Getting Started
Dan Campbell, Jared Goff and Co. are 6-7 and have a legit shot at making the playoffs. But whether they get to the postseason or not isn’t the point—this team is built for the long term. → Read More
Once Again, Kyle Shanahan Is Coaching a Backup QB. Will He Be Able to Make Magic With Brock Purdy?
No one is better at generating productive offense with no-name quarterbacks than Shanahan and playmakers like Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, and Brandon Aiyuk. Will it be enough for a playoff run? → Read More
The Dallas Cowboys Are Emerging as True Contenders
It was a bumpy start for Dallas, but Dak Prescott, Micah Parsons, and the rest of this team have the talent to be trouble the rest of this season and into the playoffs → Read More
After Replacing Frank Reich With Jeff Saturday, the Colts Have No Next Move
Reich wasn’t the problem in Indianapolis. But the team—and especially owner Jim Irsay—don’t appear too interested in rational decision-making right now. → Read More
The Christian McCaffrey Trade Is a Wildly Fun All-In Move for the 49ers
San Francisco dealt a haul of picks to bring in the star running back, igniting questions about the value of the position. But if there is anyone who can get the most out of CMC, it’s Kyle Shanahan. → Read More
The Secret to the New York Giants’ 5-1 Record? Chaos.
No one expected New York to have this kind of start to the season—especially those running the team. But Brian Daboll is showing he knows how to fit a system to his players’ strengths and maximize his chances for success. → Read More
Are the Packers’ Issues About Scheme or Talent? Yes.
On one side of the ball, Green Bay has the players, but not a system that will maximize them. On the other, the team has a smart playbook, but not the players to execute. What can the team do to fix its problems? → Read More
Jalen Hurts Has Everything Working for the Eagles
The question is, how long will that last? Philadelphia is running an offense so RPO-heavy that it would look more at home in the Big 12 than the NFL. Is Hurts good enough to keep that from becoming a problem? → Read More
The X Factors for All 32 NFL Teams
Every team’s season hinges on someone. Which players have the ability to make—or break—their squad’s campaign? → Read More
The Six Least-Predictable Units of the NFL Offseason
Summer is a time for rampant optimism and even more rampant narratives—but some narratives aren’t so easy to identify → Read More
Seven Takeaways From the 2022 NFL Draft
The quarterbacks fell … and fell, and fell, and fell. But a few teams managed to have great draft classes while others left us scratching our heads. → Read More