Vikings seem to be a popular pick to finish 2nd in that division..I love their addition of Wallace. Now that he has a QB that can throw the deep ball he should have a bounceback year. Rams are a team I think will overachieve. Their D is going to wreak havoc and Foles has some decent weapons to play with. Gurley getting back only improves that. I also dont think that division will be as tough as years past. Underachievers I have every team in the AFC North. 9 wins will win that division and IMO it will be an ugly 9 wins for whoever gets it. Lots of people seem to like the Chiefs too but I dont trust Alex Smith to get them anywhere.
I love this one. Agree on both, Jags will win maybe 6 games, that should be considered vastly overachieving. Colts are predicted SB winners by several media members already. Could not disagree more. I like Andre Johnson and Frank Gore, but neither is THAT good. They also totally ignored their defense again and lost a key contributor to IR already. This is a bad team carried by Luck, and Luck is incredibly mistake prone as of last season. Also disagree on those calling Vikings over achievers this year. Teddy Bridgewater showed some legit QB play last season, especially late, they added a good receiver in Wallace to give the offense another element and get a rested Peterson back who should be motivated. Defensively they have a good young CB and Safety leading the way with some over solid pieces in place. They'll probably be better than Detroit and could very well be in a WC spot come January. I don't think that's overachieving, they have the pieces in place to be a GOOD, not "great" team.
under: pats, father time, the loses on D and the rest of the division getting better. Over: Chicago, I have a gut feeling Cutler will step up this year.
I actually opened this thread to post that. Especially if Conley can make a little noise this year. Their O line kinda worries me tho.
Over: Ravens. They have a 3rd place schedule, and they are the best team in their division. Under: Colts. Still can't stop a nose bleed outside their division.
Yes, they do. They're offensive line is dreadful. They're extremely weak at guard and at strugfled overall in pass protection. They're fine at center, but every other position on that line is a question mark and no Icognito isn't any good. I could very well be wrong on the Bills, but I don't see them making the postseason or coming close.
Many are underrating the impact of Suh, who is a force both in the run game and pass rushing game, that will allow Wake and Vernon to wreak havoc as pass rushers. They were fairly average at stopping the run last season and I'd like to think a game changer such as Suh will help MIA become an elite run d. They're going to have an elite pass rush and run d, along with an improved offensive line with Albert returning later in the season and Juan James who was excellent in his rookie season when healthy. Devante Parker will contribute immediately IMO and when Stills is healthy, they'll have one of the best deep threats in the game (Mike Wallace is one of the reasons why Tannehill struggleed to complete the deep ball). Greg Jenngings and Jordan Cameron who is very very good give the Fins more solid, dependable pass catchers..The Dolphins late game execution along with their inconsistent OL is the only why they missed the playoffs last season; they lost two nail biters to GB and Detroit. I also think many flaws on this current Pats roster is being ignored because they have Brady and Belichick. Weaker Pats team and schedule+Suh and an improving QB in year 2 of a good O system and better players at the skill position equal divison title IMO. If they miss the playoffs, Philbin needs go immediately. I think the Dolphins will win ten games and that should be enough to win the divison.
I think the Pats will be weaker but I disagree on a lot of what you are saying about Miami. Like a lot. But I appreciate your thoughts. They added Suh but they did lose a very good run defender in Randy Starks. Suh is a great player but Miami is also a place high priced FAs like to go and mail it in. Suh doesn't seem like the type but who knows. You are also assuming Tannehill is any good which I don't think he is. and DeVante Parker is a rookie, who knows. guessing he will have a big impact is just a guess at this point. Lots of pressure down there now and I don't think they have the players/leadership to handle that pressure. I also think they have the worst coaching staff in the AFC East
Tannehill is a quality QB, IMO. I'm not saying he's a top ten guy, but he's accurate, manipulates ball trajectory very well, and has shown continually improvement each season. He's also excellent at negating edge pressure and creating more time in the pocket with crisp footwork. I went back and looked back at some his games in the off season on rewind and I came away impressed. This is coming from a guy, who was not on Tannehill as solid starter before his 2013 2014 season. He's a quality QB and the Dolphins O wasn't even the problem last season, as they ranked 7 in O DOVA. Randy Starks is a good player, but Suh is an All, Pro game changer, who requires double teams on every play. There's no reason to expect regression from a player, such as Suh in his prime. Suh is probably one of the three or five defensive players in league. I didn't say Parker would have a big impact, however, I did say he would help and contribute. They're just deeper at WR in general, Jordan Cameron's a top five TE and Landry is likely to improve. As I said before, Philbin is the only coach or player who can hold that team back. He's the only question mark on that coaching staff. New England's ALOT weaker. I still have them making the playoffs and winning 10 or 11 , but that's only because of Belichick and Brady. I very well could be wrong, but that's what I see happening.
We have two new starters at guard, both of whom dominated some great defensive linemen this preseason. Tell me how they "struggled in pass protection." You are probably the only person who would say Incognito "isn't any good." His play on the field has never been his problem.
Icognito isn't good. He really doesn't have the mobility to be a good, consistent guard anymore. Also if he were good , considering how poor OL play is in the NFL,a team would have taken a flyer on him when his suspension was lifted. And I know many who agree with me . When the Bills OL as a unit is able to pass protect well and run block well in the regular season , my opinion will change. And even if you think Incognito is good, his strength has never been pass protection. They were one of the worst OL's in the league last season and I don't see that changing, with the addition of Icognito. Agree to disagree.
One thing is for sure, TGG! ANY I mean ANY little criticism of any buffalo Jills player, coach, front office manager, ball boy, team landscaper, fan, water boy, etc.. And their biggest little cheerleader BOJ will come running in to cry about it! That's my "prediction" for 2015 & beyond
I haven't read many projections for this season, so I can't speak to the conventional wisdom. I do however think the NFC West will see a changeup in the order of finish, so much so that I would not be surprised to see the Niners in last place. The Rams will be either in second or third. Foles is going to be a good addition for them. On that note I am not so sure the Seahawks will repeat, either. The Cards played well last year when they did not have Palmer for long stretches. If he stays healthy I disagree with those who predict them to underachieve. But of course if he gets hurt again, it will be very difficult for them to pull off what they did last year. Another team you really have to wonder about is the Eagles. Is Kelly insane or a mad genius? It will likely depend on Bradford's health. Not intentionally focusing on the NFC here, but another interesting team is Chicago. Call me crazy but they were largely hampered last year by their organization and bad blood in the locker room. Says here the new guys will stop feeling pressured by Cutler's contract, whcih was the "fault" of the old guys, and Cutler himself will realize it's now or never. If they just play football they will conceivably do well, although ftr I am not predicting they pass GB. (Although I would not put the rent money on a successful season for the Bears, to be sure.)
