There will be a few new looks on the rule book for this season. One is the new rule on dunking. "Dunking" the football through the goal post/crossbar is now considered unsportsmanlike conduct (15 yards). This rule was enacted thanks to Jimmy Graham of the New Orleans Saints. Graham was known for dunking the football after every touchdown. His celebration in week 12 last year, a game against the Atlanta Falcons, caused the goal post to be bent out of shape, causing a delay in the game. This was a big reason for the new rule change. Another change that will be enacted this year is video replay and review on fumbles. Expand replays to cover recovery of loose balls even if the play is blown dead. This was in response to the blown call in last years playoffs, in the NFC title game between Seattle and San Francisco. The 49ers NaVorro Bowman's clear recovery of a loose ball and downed by contact, but the ball was still given to the Seattle Seahawks after Seahawks running back Michael Robinson took it away from Bowman after Bowman was forced to let go of the ball due to a severe knee injury. Despite the indisputable video evidence of the recovery by Bowman, the play was not reviewable. So that lead to the change in the rule.
But enough about the boring rule changes. Lets get down to the nitty gritty. Here's what I got for each and every division this season in the NFL. We start off with the National Football Conference.
NFC West
1. Seattle Seahawks: 12-4*
The Champs are going to be a threat again to come out of the NFC, but they took a bit of a hit this offseason. Their defense, while still one of the tops in all of football, isn't looking the same as last year since they lost two key cornerbacks in Brandon Browner and Walter Thurmond. The defensive line lost a ton of depth too, with Clinton McDonald, Chris Clemons, and Red Bryant not coming back. That defense won’t be as dominant as they were last season, but still they will be very very good and will be the top dog in the West.
2. San Francisco 49ers: 11-5 (WC)*
It was a very strange offseason for the 49ers. Too many off-the-field issues to feel great about the upcoming season in the toughest division in the league. Players have legal trouble and injuries. Despite all that the 49ers still have a potent offense, with an improved secondary with the addition of Antoine Bethea. This is a good, veteran squad, who when healthy and together, can be another force in the NFC.
3. Arizona Cardinals: 9-7
Arizona was a big surprise last season, picking up 10 wins. But considering that they play in the toughest division in all of football, it left them on the outside looking in. Arizona lost three of its starters from a year ago on defense, but they still have a very solid secondary. The offense can hang with quite a few teams this year, much like they did last year. Like I said last year they surprised a lot of people with their record, but this year, half of their games are against teams who were in the playoffs last year.
4. St Louis Rams: 6-10
Here's a team that's been hit with a little bit of bad luck. Losing Sam Bradford to the knee injury for the year really hurt this team. Now they have to rely on Shaun Hill as a starter. Don't get me wrong I'm sure Hill is a capable QB, but he hasn't had to be a proven starter, his entire career has been spent as a backup. Now the Rams offense, had Bradford been able to play this year, would have been good, but with him hurt, it hurts their chances. The defense in St. Louis is one of the tops in all of football, but playing where they do its going to be rough.
NFC South
1. New Orleans Saints: 11-5*
The Saints are going to be another force in the NFC this season. They are still the class in this division. Drew Brees will again be leading a high powered offense, with his arsenal of weapons like Jimmy Graham, Marques Colston, Kenny Stills and Mark Ingram. There will be no real trouble for the Saints in putting up points this year. The defense is going to be much improved and home field means more wins. The Saints are 31-9 at home since 2009 and that includes a season without their head coach.
2. Carolina Panthers: 9-7
Carolina had a big year last year, winning the division at 12-4. This year, however, Carolina has taken a step backwards. Cam Newton is still going to lead the offense, but they have downgraded for him with weapons to work with this year. His top receivers from last year, Ted Ginn Jr and Steve Smith, are both out of town. Now Cam's top throwing targets are going to be Kelvin Benjamin and Jerricho Cotchery. In my book, while both are good receivers, its a downgrade. They do still have Greg Olsen and DeAngelo Williams, which will try and balance out but still its a downgrade.
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 8-8
This is a team in Tampa that could be a vast improving team, given the right direction. The offense has the skills to hang around a bit, with weapons like Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson in the passing game and Doug Martin running the football. The question with the offense is how quick can Josh McCown get aclimated and get the ball out to his big receiving weapons. The defense in Tampa is going to be good this year, and will be able to keep them in most of their games this season. But if the offense can't hang, then they will slip.
4. Atlanta Falcons: 7-9
Atlanta has taken a bit of a hit lately. Tony Gonzalez just called it a career, so that leaves a hole at tight end. The team has a potent passing game, with Matt Ryan still being able to sling the ball. Ryan has good targets to work with in Roddy White and Julio Jones. The problem with the Atlanta offense may be the running game, as Steven Jackson and Jacquizz Rodgers are a question mark. The defense really is in flux too as without a good pass rush, they won't be too effective this year.
NFC North
1. Green Bay Packers: 11-5*
This division has been the Packers division for a while now, and will continue to be their division for a while longer. The offense is, once again, going to be a force in the NFC this year. Aaron Rogers is still a very lethal quarterback, there's no doubt about that. With him in the lineup last year, the Packers were 6-2, without him they were 2-5-1. That shows just how good this guy is. Throw in the likes of Eddie Lacy running the ball, while Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson are catching passes from Rogers, it gives the Packers a balanced, deep attack. The defense is a little bit weaker than in years past, but still a very solid ball club that will keep the Pack near the top of the NFC all year long.
2. Detroit Lions: 9-7 (WC)*
Here's a team that's on the rise with a bright future ahead of it. Their offense is loaded. Matthew Stafford is quickly becoming a top five quarterback in this league. Throw into the mix Calvin Johnson, who is hands down the best wide receiver in the entire game. Calvin isn't the only weapon you have to worry about, not when you have the likes of Golden Tate and Kevin Ogletree at wideout and Brandon Pettigrew at tight end. Plus with a duel threat running game in Reggie Bush and Joique Bell, this Lions offense is going to be hard to beat. Defensively, the Lions are solid but still leave a lot to be desired. They have the chance to go deep into the playoffs, but that's if the Defense can rise above itself. Still they are good enough to squeak out a wild card spot.
3. Chicago Bears: 9-7
This is going to be a very tough team to deal with this season. On the defensive side of the ball, there leaves a lot to be desired. Once feared for their defense, the Bears don't seam to have it at that elite level right now. Sure they have some studs on defense like Charles Tillman and Lance Briggs, but nobody else on Chicago's D really strikes fear into you. On offense, however, there is plenty to like. They had stud players on offense like Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery to catch passes, while Matt Forte is quickly becoming one of the top running backs in all of football. With Jay Cutler throwing the ball, there's a lot to like. That's if Cutler can stay healthy.
4. Minnesota Vikings: 5-11
Even though they have the best running back in the entire league in Adrian Petterson, the Vikings aren't quite there yet. Minnesota could surprise with a healthy roster but it’s hard to get too excited until either Matt Cassel or Teddy Bridgewater proves a difference-maker at quarterback.
NFC East
1. Philadelphia Eagles: 11-5*
This is a team last year that surprised quite a few people by winning the division. They are poised to to again this year in one of the weakest divisions in football. Nick Foles was brilliant a season
ago, throwing only two picks. There's no way he will be that good again this year, but he will still be very effective. The passing attack lost DeSean Jackson, but they still have Jeremy Maclin, Brent Celek, Riley Cooper and Brad Smith makes for a potent passing game. The defense isn't star studded but it will be good enough to keep the team in games.
2. Washington Redskins: 8-8
This team may be a surprise team this year. The defense looks good from a year ago, with the likes of DeAngelo Hall bolstering that secondary. They may not have a big defense but still going to be tough to play against. The offense has the potential to be very very good. Alfred Morris is becoming a top ten running back in this league. In the passing game, Pierre Garcon, DeSean Jackson, Andre Roberts and Santana Moss are going to be very tough to play against. The question mark with this team is the health of Robert Griffin III/ A healthy RG3 will put the Redskins in contention with the Eagles for the title, but if we get the RG3 we saw last year, then its going to be a long year in the nations capital.
3. New York Giants: 8-8
This is going to be a big year of change for Big Blue. The defense is going to be much better than it was last year. The Giants brought in a lot of veteran players for experience and to plug holes. Eli Manning and Tom Coughlin have a solid history of rebounding from bad seasons. Do they have the pass protection and playmakers to do it again?
4. Dallas Cowboys: 7-9
The Dallas defense is going to be an issue once again. No DeMarcus Ware, no Sean Lee, no Jason Hatcher and as good as the offense might be, they will not score 35 points every week. Sure they have a solid offense lead by Tony Romo and he has weapons in Jason Whitten, Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray. You know that the Boys can score points, but the defense may not be able to keep those points held up.
Now we switch gears and move on to the American Football Conference.
AFC West
1. Denver Broncos: 12-4*
These guys were the class of the AFC last year and they will be again this year. The defense for Denver was average at best a season ago, but now they've gotten better. Rahim Moore and Aqib Talib were added to bolster the secondary, while DeMarcus Ware joins Von Miller as the monsters that will lead that front seven. So Denver's defense has really gone better. Offensively, they are still the top dog in the conference. Sure they lost Eric Decker, and Wes Welker is suspended the first four games of the year. But the team still has Julius Thomas and Demaryius Thomas, while they added in Emmanuel Sanders to catch passes. Then there's Montee Ball carrying the load out of the backfield. And, oh yeah, they still have some guy named Peyton Manning throwing the football. These guys are good, scary good.
2. San Diego Chargers: 9-7 (WC)*
Last year wasn't a fluke for this Chargers team. Philip Rivers had a great season last year, showing that he is still one of the top QB's in the game, and now he gets Malcom Floyd back to go along with Keenan Allen and Antonio Gates. This offense is going to be really good. The defense gave up under 18 points a game over the last seven weeks of the season including the playoffs I'll even go so far as to say 10 wins for the Chargers isn't out of the realm of possibilities.
3. Kansas City Chiefs: 8-8
Last season started off great for Kansas City, going 9-0 to kick the season off. But then the wheels fell off for the Chiefs, going 2-6 down the stretch, including the playoffs. Don't get me wrong, they delivered quite well for Andy Reid, and Alex Smith played well. But the way the team finished out last year left a bad taste in everybody's mouth. Offense usually isn’t a concern on an Andy Reid-coached squad. It is for the 2014 Chiefs because of a leaky offensive line and shaky wide receiver corps. That's going to hurt KC this year.
4. Oakland Raiders: 4-12
This is a must-win season for the Raiders' coaches and front office but it would serve the organization well to give them contract extensions now and build this team the right way. I suspect we will see Derek Carr under center before the season is over. Regardless of who is under center, the Raiders don't have enough weapons to be a contender.
AFC South
1. Indianapolis Colts: 11-5*
Andrew Luck is really starting to step into his own as the quarterback in Indy. He has really filled in nicely in the post Manning era in Indy. There is plenty of weapons for Luck to play with on offense in a returning from injury Reggie Wayne, they also have Hakeem Nicks and TY Hilton to catch passes. Throw in the running game of Trent Richardson and Ahmad Bradshaw, it makes for a pretty potent offense. Add that up with a solid, and improved defense, the Colts are a cut above everybody else in the division.
2. Tennessee Titans: 8-8
This team is really going to be a surprise dark horse in this league this year. The Titans are solid on defense, especially up front. New head coach Ken Whisenhunt will get the quarterback situation sorted out, having Jake Locker settled in as the man under center in the Music City.. The offense simply needs to score more points. Last year they had eight games where they scored 20 or less points. They have a few weapons for Locker to work with in the passing game, so keep your eyes on the Titans this season.
3. Houston Texans: 7-9
This Texans team is going to have one of the best defensive lines in the league, being lead by JJ Watt and rookie Jadeveon Clowney, they are going to be a force to be reckoned with. What bothers me here is the offense. sure they have plenty of weapons in the likes of Arian Foster and Andre Johnson but the question here is how good is Ryan Fitspatrick going to be?
4. Jacksonville Jaguars: 5-11
Gus Bradley has his young team pointed in the right direction but he needs more talent on offense. They had 13 games where they scored 20 or less points. This year Bradley brought over some of his former Seahawks players to fortify the defense. Plus they have something to work with at the quarterback position with Blake Bortles
AFC North
1. Cincinnati Bengals: 11-5*
In what is probably going to be the toughest division in the AFC, this is the division’s most complete team – and one poised to finally win in the postseason after three consecutive first-round losses. The defense will be solid once again. On the offensive side of the ball, with A.J. Green, Brandon Tate and Marvin Jones catching passes from Andy Dalton, this passing game is going to be very good. Throw in the running of Giovani Bernard and the Bengals offense is going to be good.
2. Baltimore Ravens: 10-6 (WC)*
After having a down year last year, finishing the year 8-8, the ravens are going to be returning to form again this season. Re-tooling the offense should push the Ravens back into the postseason for the sixth time in seven years. I know they will be without Ray Rice the first two weeks of the season due to off the field issues so Bernard Pierce will handle the running duties till he gets back. As for the passing game, Joe Flacco is going to have fun this year. he gets Dennis Pitta back from injury, and he can work in Owen Daniels, Tory Smith, Steve Smith and Jacoby Jones in the pass game, so there will be plenty to go around.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers: 9-7
Last year Pittsburgh had a strong second half of the year but came up just short in their search of a playoff spot. Same thing will happen again this year. It's not that the Steelers are an older team its they don't have a good enough team. Le'Veon Bell will have an impact on the running game but the Steelers are average at best.
4. Cleveland Browns: 4-12
Despite getting Johnny Manzel as a backup quarterback there isn't much hope in the city of Cleveland. Cleveland has solid leadership in the front office and on the coaching staff but they are not ready for prime time just yet. Look for a solid finish to the season and a glimmer of hope for 2015.
AFC East
1. New England Patriots: 11-5*
The AFC East is not ready to dethrone Tom Brady. Brady is 58-16 against his division and he should add at least four more wins to that total this year. Brady still has weapons to work with in the likes of Aaron Dobson, Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola, and a returning Rob Gronkowski. The Pats always find a way to pull it out, even when it looks like the chips are down. On the defensive side of the ball, the secondary got a big boost by adding Darrelle Revis. New England is still the class of the East, looking to grab their 6th straight division title.
2. New York Jets: 9-7
This is a team that surprised a lot of people last year when they finished the year at 8-8. This year the jets can improve, with a little bit of luck. They have new weapons to work with on offense in Chris Johnson and Eric Decker, to help Geno Smith in his development. On defense the Jets are still a top ten defense except for the secondary which is a huge question mark. Plus it doesn't help that the Jets secondary goes through hell in a six week stretch of facing some of the top passing offenses in the entire league.
3. Miami Dolphins: 8-8
The Dolphins' offensive line is being rebuilt and just had a setback with the hip surgery for Mike Pouncey, which only adds to the pressure on Ryan Tannehill. The Dolphins' first two games are against New England and Buffalo.
4. Buffalo Bills: 6-10
The Bills go as EJ Manuel goes and he may be a year away from being ready to lead his team to the division title. There's little doubt the Bills are headed in the right direction and could be better than anticipated.
So there we have it, the picks for every division this season!
No comments:
Post a Comment