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JLP

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My uninformed and probably way too early predictions for da beloved:

- 6 to 9 wins. Early schedule is pretty brutal. If they go into the bye week at 3-5 I'd feel really good.

- Bears defense will be top 10 in the league. If they had a better offense or were able to generate turnovers better to keep them off the field it's a borderline top 5 unit

- Glennon is replaced as the starter by Trubisky after the bye week.

- The thunder and lightning combination of Howard and Cohen gets national play and is very effective

- Leonard Floyd emerges as a top pass rusher

 

All predictions are out if they suffer as badly with injuries as they did last year (worst ever seen in modern area by a couple of metrics). Staying healthy has been their biggest challenge the last couple of years.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers 10-6

 

7-9 to 11-5 with a realistic chance of repeating another 9-7 year. I think we can skate into the NFC championship and maybe sneak into the Superbowl if the team lives up to their potential and stays healthy. NFC South has been represented in the Superbowl lately, trend might continue with Bucs or Panthers.

 

Probowl

Jameis Winston, Mike Evans, Gerald McCoy, Kwon Alexander, Lavonte David, Brent Grimes

 

 

 

Off. Rookie of the Year

Dalvin Cook

 

Def. Rookie of the Year

T.J. Watt

 

Superbowl

Raiders/Patriots vs Bucs/Panthers

 

 

AFC Playoffs

  1. Patriots (13-3)
  2. Raiders (11-5)
  3. Steelers (10-6)
  4. Titans (9-7)
  5. Chiefs (10-6)
  6. Texans (8-8)

NFC Playoffs

  1. Buccaneers* (11-5)
  2. Seahawks (11-5)
  3. Packers (11-5)
  4. Giants (10-6)
  5. Panthers* (10-6)
  6. Cowboys/Vikings (9-7)

* teams could be swapped

 

 

 

 

Losing Records (7 wins or less):

Browns, 49ers, Bears, Saints, Eagles, Jaguars, Dolphins, Rams, Bills, Jets, Chargers

 

Even Records (8-8ish):

Texans, Lions, Redskins, Falcons, Colts, Ravens, Bengals, Cardinals, Broncos

 

Winning Records (9 wins or more):

Patriots, Buccaneers, Seahawks, Steelers, Packers, Raiders, Chiefs, Titans, Giants, Panthers, Vikings, Cowboys

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AFC East

Patriots

Dolphins

Bills

Jets

Summary: Should be another easy year for the Patriots. Only team in the division that isn't a complete dumpster fire. Dolphins will still pull off 2nd with Cutler, but it will still have a losing record.

 

AFC North

Steelers

Ravens - Wildcard

Bengals

Browns

Summary: Le'Veon Bell won't sit out and the Steelers will give Big Ben one last Super Bowl run. With a weak AFC this season, the Ravens will squeak into the playoffs with a 9-7 record.

 

AFC South

Colts

Titans - Wildcard

Texans

Jaguars

Summary: This is the result if Andrew Luck stays healthy all season, but his O-line will need to improve by leaps and bounds this season. Texans will show flashes, but the DeShaun Watson will struggle, so Titans manage to get the Wildcard.

 

AFC West

Raiders

Chiefs

Broncos

Chargers

Summary: Outside of the Raiders, this division will look bad. Broncos still can't decide who their QB is, the Chiefs are getting old and complacent and the Chargers will be focused on next season.

 

NFC East

Giants

Cowboys

Eagles

Redskins

Summary: Hard to pick this one, but the Giants adding Brandon Marshall on the other side of OBJ is dangerous. If Ezekiel Elliott's suspension holds up (and it will), the Cowboys will struggle to find a decent run game and Dak will throw too much.

 

NFC North

Packers

Vikings - Wildcard

Lions

Bears

Summary: Until anyone else shows otherwise, the Packers will rule this division. With Teddy Bridgewater's return, the Vikings offense should runs much smoother and could/should look even better then they did in 2015.

 

NFC South

Falcons

Buccaneers - Wildcard

Saints

Panthers

Summary: Another tough one, but Falcons looked unbeatable (until the 2nd half of the Super Bowl) last season and it should continue. The Bucs are due and the talent is there, so it will be a fun season for their fans.

 

NFC West

Seahawks

Cardinals

49ers

Rams

Summary: Dumpster fire division #2, but Seattle will win all of it's divisional games with out much trouble. Cards need to find their QB of the future, because Palmer's age will show and David Johnson can only do so much.

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NFC East

Giants

Cowboys

Eagles

Redskins

Summary: Hard to pick this one, but the Giants adding Brandon Marshall on the other side of OBJ is dangerous. If Ezekiel Elliott's suspension holds up (and it will), the Cowboys will struggle to find a decent run game and Dak will throw too much.

 

 

I think just about any back in the league can run behind that offensive line. They won't have the athleticism to make it look as easy as Zeke and get the big gains, but they should still be good enough to keep a well balanced offense. McFadden has 1000 yards with this o-line before Zeke got there and Alfred Morris could probably do the same.

 

The Giants will compete with the Cowboys.. or Cowboys will compete with the Giants. I think Giants edge division out in a close race. I think Marshall, Shepard, Engrim, OBJ will make for a potent offensive attack for Eli with a semi-stellar defense.

 

NFC South

Falcons

Buccaneers - Wildcard

Saints

Panthers

Summary: Another tough one, but Falcons looked unbeatable (until the 2nd half of the Super Bowl) last season and it should continue. The Bucs are due and the talent is there, so it will be a fun season for their fans.

 

I disagree with these standings (outside of bucs) the most. Winner of NFC south makes superbowl, tends to tank next season. Falcons lost offensive coordinator and seem to have discord among players who want paid (Freeman). I think Saints are going to finish dead last, Falcons will hover right above them, then it's comp. between Bucs and Panthers. Panthers defense took a step back, age, injuries, free agency, depth... but their offense is twice as deadly as it's ever been with the addition of McCaffery and Curtis Samuel. They have a short yardage bruiser in Stewart, big body receiver in Kelvin Benjiman, an ageless TE who can't be covered by LB's in Greg Olsen, then you add the versatility of Christian and Samuel and Cam... it gives them a college-like offense where they can do all kinds of misdirection, sweeps, reverses, options, and playaction to confuse the defense and get them out of position. I think it'll be pretty successful if Cam comes in focused and hungry.

 

Definitely the paper-champ offense of the off-season imo.

 

 

I don't feel like the Saints improved much, if at all, and for that they will be at the bottom. Panthers improved the most with offensive diversity and it opens up the playbook. Vets like Luke, Davis, and Johnson on defense should be a decent anchor to at least stay in the middle of the road. They will be most improved team going into this season. Falcons lost off. coordinator, will take step back offensively, but I think their defense looks a little better than last year with the young athletic guys stepping up. Bucs got big time weapons in OJ Howard and DeSean Jackson, but their success might come down to the 0-line and if they can keep Winston from being rushed and making bad decisions/throws under pressure. If the o-line can stop him from going all willy nilly with the ball when the pocket collapses and the team can get healthy I think we have a good shot at making a deep run into the playoffs.

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I disagree with these standings (outside of bucs) the most. Winner of NFC south makes superbowl, tends to tank next season. Falcons lost offensive coordinator and seem to have discord among players who want paid (Freeman). I think Saints are going to finish dead last, Falcons will hover right above them, then it's comp. between Bucs and Panthers. Panthers defense took a step back, age, injuries, free agency, depth... but their offense is twice as deadly as it's ever been with the addition of McCaffery and Curtis Samuel. They have a short yardage bruiser in Stewart, big body receiver in Kelvin Benjiman, an ageless TE who can't be covered by LB's in Greg Olsen, then you add the versatility of Christian and Samuel and Cam... it gives them a college-like offense where they can do all kinds of misdirection, sweeps, reverses, options, and playaction to confuse the defense and get them out of position. I think it'll be pretty successful if Cam comes in focused and hungry.

 

Definitely the paper-champ offense of the off-season imo.

 

 

While normally I would agree, that streak has to end at some point and I think the Falcons will manage to do it. Freeman already signed his extension, so his money concerns are gone.

 

On paper, yes the Panthers look like they have improved. They are very talented, but they are also one of the most injury prone teams in recent years. They have at least one or two of their key players hurt every season. Something will happen again this season and they will struggle. The only problem with their potential "college-like offense" is those offenses never work in the NFL.

 

 

I don't feel like the Saints improved much, if at all, and for that they will be at the bottom. Panthers improved the most with offensive diversity and it opens up the playbook. Vets like Luke, Davis, and Johnson on defense should be a decent anchor to at least stay in the middle of the road. They will be most improved team going into this season. Falcons lost off. coordinator, will take step back offensively, but I think their defense looks a little better than last year with the young athletic guys stepping up. Bucs got big time weapons in OJ Howard and DeSean Jackson, but their success might come down to the 0-line and if they can keep Winston from being rushed and making bad decisions/throws under pressure. If the o-line can stop him from going all willy nilly with the ball when the pocket collapses and the team can get healthy I think we have a good shot at making a deep run into the playoffs.

 

I think the Saints have improved in areas they needed to improve. Mostly on the defensive side. Trading Brandin Cooks won't hurt very much with the likes of Willie Snead and Michael Thomas at WR. Picking up Adrian Peterson is huge. Peterson is motivated to not let age and last seasons injury determine the rest of his career, so expect big things.

 

Yes losing their Off. Coordinator will hurt the Falcons, but that offense has been solid for the last several seasons under a few different Coordinators. I expect a little drop off, but not much.

I do agree with everything you said about the Bucs. They are loaded on offense, but it still comes down to their O-line. If they show any improvement from last season, then I can easily see them overtaking the Falcons and running this division for the next several years.

W

I do hile normally I would agree, that streak has to end at some point and I think the Falcons will manage to do it. Freeman already signed his extension, so his money concerns are gone. Yes losing their Off. Coordinator will hurt them, but that offense has been solid for the last several seasons under a few different Coordinators.

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I think AP's glory days are done. If he went to the Cowboys he'd be a 1500+ yard back but with the Saints I feel like he'll be lucky to eclipse 900 yards. We'll see though, I expect he doubles his receiving yardage.

 

 

Those offenses usually work for a year or two until some wizard solves the puzzle and creates a blueprint on how to stop it. Harbaugh @ 49ers with Kap. Chip Kelly @ Eagles for two years with no QB to run his style of offense. I heard he tried to trade entire draft to move up and take Marcus Mariota from the Titans. He could still be with the Eagles if he would of pulled that trade off. It takes a while for teams to really figure out how to line up and designate assignments and situational elements to certain formations and sub-packages. Panthers got two brand new offensive weapons with no NFL tape who are as athletic as any players in the draft. Easier for an offense to exploit mismatches in the coverage when you can't double team anybody. We'll see though, hopefully I'm wrong and the Panthers lose every game this year.

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Beaaaarrrrsssse's defense absolutely mauled the Titans offense today. Mularkey kept the ones on the field until late in the third quarter so they could play against the Bears 2s and get something positive going. The Fox announcers were actually shocked that the bears d was playing so well.

Glennon looked like an nfl qb for the first time. The offense moved the ball pretty well. Of course the bears maddening injury trend continues and they lost their #1 receiver, Cam Meredith for the year.

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Beaaaarrrrsssse's defense absolutely mauled the Titans offense today. Mularkey kept the ones on the field until late in the third quarter so they could play against the Bears 2s and get something positive going. The Fox announcers were actually shocked that the bears d was playing so well.

Glennon looked like an nfl qb for the first time. The offense moved the ball pretty well. Of course the bears maddening injury trend continues and they lost their #1 receiver, Cam Meredith for the year.

 

Kevin White needs to really step it up this year. If the running game can be effective it would take a lot of the pressure off the passing game.

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NFC South

Falcons

Buccaneers - Wildcard

Saints

Panthers

Summary: Another tough one, but Falcons looked unbeatable (until the 2nd half of the Super Bowl) last season and it should continue. The Bucs are due and the talent is there, so it will be a fun season for their fans.

 

 

They looked unbeatable until the 2nd half of the Super Bowl? Did you see the first game of the year when The Bucs beat them in Atlanta?

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Did you watch the rest of the season?

yes, but if they got beat in the first game how'd did they look unbeatable until the 2nd half of the Super Bowl if the first game was part of that period. The Bucs would have swept them if not for injuries and scheduling.

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So, is anybody going to pick up Brock Osweiler now that Cleveland cut him?

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Can't wait to see some of the big names (or in most cases former big names) that get cut. So far we have Osweiler, Victor Cruz (Bears) and Chris Johnson (Cardinals). Could ever throw in Stevan Ridley (Broncos) and Matt Asiata (Lions) since they were considered good for a spot start every once in a while.

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what sucks is if Irma causes the NFL to cancel the Bucs/Dolphins game, they're going to have them make it up during the bye week, making them play 16 straight games.

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Dolphins vs Bucs officially postponed until week 11.

yeah 16 straight games

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