NFL Preview (early) 2015

Preview to the Preview

            I love July for many reasons. First, it’s like Minnesota’s best month. Birds are singing, a soft wind is blowing through the leaves, and it’s not quite August so it isn’t 90 degrees every day (or is it?). Second, it means we are just weeks away from the start of the new NFL season. And NCAA football season. Hell, my personal favorite, global football, is only 5 weeks away. So, of course I’m giddy in anticipation of another Super Bowl. And Premier League trophy. And Big Ten championship. I’ve spent the last two weekends pouring over roster moves, coaching changes, and new implementations of offense and defense into each NFL team, and a number of college teams as well. I’ve taken a few notes, changed my mind a couple of times, and shaken my head at the Oakland/LA Raiders’ off-season moves (Christian Ponder, Michael Crabtree, J’Marcus Webb, among others). That said, here’s what I could see with each teams tinted glasses upon my eyes, or, if I’m drinking a heavy dose of that team’s haterade.  I’ll finish by asking 3 questions of each team that I want answered sometime during the season.

AFC North

Baltimore Ravens: Best case - 12-4, and Super Bowl contenders. Worst case – 3^rd and no playoffs, but Harbaugh shouldn’t fear anything.

• Is Flacco finally top 5?
• Was WR Breshad Perriman the right pick?
• Just how awesome is CJ Mosley?

Cincinnati Bengals: Best case - 12-4, finally out of first round. Worst case - 4-12, Dalton gets hurt, ahhhh AJ McCarron.

• Can Dalton win a playoff game?
• Is this the best RB duo (Jeremy Hill, Gio Bernard) in the NFL?
• How much money for AJ Green?

Cleveland Browns: Best case - 9-7, short of wild card in tough division. Worst case – First pick in the draft.

• So much talent on defense, but tell me, who is the long-term QB answer?
• How bad was the Justin Gilbert pick? (Anthony Barr, Kyle Fuller or Odell Beckham)
• Duke Johnson will have the starting job by when?

Pittsburgh Steelers: Best case - 11-5 (5-1 division) for the North title. Super Bowl 50 may be a reach. Worst case – awful, difficult schedule, so possibly even 5-11.

• Will Le’Veon be missed when they play NE, SF and St. Louis?
• Who’s going to step up on the D-Line?
• How are they going to replace Troy Polamalu and Ike Taylor?

AFC South

Houston Texans: Best case - 11-5 maybe 2^nd round. Worst case – Last in the NFL’s weakest division.

• Who is the QB?
• Can DeAndre Hopkins replace one of the greatest WR’s in NFL history?
• Will Vince Wilfork and Jared Crick make this D go from good to dominant?

Indianapolis Colts: Best case – Super Bowl champions. Worst case – 8-8 and get surpassed by the Texans after signing half the league.

• Is Andrew Luck the best QB in the NFL?
• Can Trent Cole and Robert Mathis still get to the opposing QB?
• Will they be 5-0 when New England comes to town with Brady?

Jacksonville Jaguars: Best case – A playoff sniff. Worst case – 2-14, and back near the top of another draft.

• Who are the leaders on offense?
• Does London love the Jaguars?
• Is Rashad Greene already this team’s best WR?

Tennessee Titans: Best case – 8-8, Mariota wins Offensive RoY. Worst case – First pick in the 2016 NFL draft, Mariota can’t adjust to an NFL offense.

• Will anyone compare Marcus Mariota to Jake Locker at the first sign of indecisiveness?
• Can David Cobb win the starting RB job from Bishop Sankey?
• Will the casual Titans fans realize that something special is being built on D? (Dick Lebeau)

AFC East

Buffalo Bills: Best case – 11-5 with that schedule, and a Brady free NE game. Worst case – 5-11 and going backwards with Rex Ryan.

• Is this team really only a QB away from being really special?
• Was Sammy Watkins really worth losing what equated to the 19^th pick?
• Is this the best front four in the NFL?

Miami Dolphins: Best case – 10-6 and a playoff appearance. Worst case – Last place in what is becoming a talented division.

• Can Ndamukong Suh single-handedly turn around last year’s 24^th ranked defense against the run?
• If this is a playoff team, was getting rid of your best WR the right thing to do?
• Who will play opposite Brent Grimes that’s even serviceable at CB?

New England Patriots: Best case – Back to back titles again. Worst case – 8-8, because Garoppolo couldn’t win when Brady was out.

• Are the Patriots set up for another 10 years of success at QB?
• Will the last 2 games of the year mean anything, and if so, do they go 2-0?
• Can Jared Mayo, please, please, play an entire season?

New York Jets: Best case – 10-6 as the defense and run game is dominant at times. Worst case – 4-12 and back into the top 5 to find a long-term QB.

• Was the drafting of Leonard Williams the best move in this year’s draft?
• Geno?
• Will the CB’s (Darrelle Revis & Antonio Cromartie) remind us of 2010?

AFC West

Denver Broncos: Best case – 13-3, dominant and holding a trophy. Worst case – 8-8, Manning leaves with a whisper.

• Probably my pre-season favorite, will they be focused and ready?
• Most of the NFL’s best teams come to Mile High; can they win enough games to lock up home field?
• Was Shane Ray the right draft pick with so much need at O-Line?

Kansas City Chiefs: Best case – Not starting 0-4, then crushing a weak 2^nd half schedule. Worst case – 0-4 start and less than .500 football the rest of the way.

• Justin Houston, out of nowhere... or is he here to stay?
• Can Andy Reid turn Marcus Peters into another Lito Sheppard?
• Why did they pay Jeremy Maclin sick money with so many capable rookie WR’s?
• Is Eric Berry okay? (I worry about him, so KC gets an extra look)

Oakland Raiders: Best case – 10-6 with some impressive wins, and a playoff appearance. Worst case – An even worse than typical Raiders year, Derek Carr regresses.

• Is Derek Carr on the same trajectory as his NFL comparison? (Joe Flacco)
• Did they waste tons of free agent money on fringe NFL talent?
• Is Charles Woodson ageless?

San Diego Chargers: Best case – 11-5, and a playoff victory. Worst case – Missing the playoffs again, and blowing it all up.

• Is this a team that’s going to get blown up if they go 8-8? (Hmm... fresh start in a new city...)
• Does Philip Rivers sign an extension, or try and win the big one elsewhere?
• Will Eric Weddle ever shave that beard of his?

NFC North

Chicago Bears: Best case – 8-8, maybe 9-7, but the schedule is brutal. Worst case - #1 pick in the draft with all the losses they accumulate.

• Can the defense rebuild after the losses of Lance Briggs and Charles Tillman?
• Will this new up-tempo offense play to the strengths of Matt Forte and Jay Cutler?
• Will Kyle Fuller continue to develop into a top-level CB?

Detroit Lions: Best case – Wins in San Diego and Minnesota the first 2 weeks set the tone, and they make the playoffs again. Worst case – An 0-5 start and finishing last in the NFC North.

• Can Haloti Ngata do his best Ndamukong Suh impression?
• Did they draft two staples at G for the next 10 years in Larry Warford and Laken Tomlinson?
• Will Matty Stafford have to throw another 600+ passes in order to get to the playoffs again?

Green Bay Packers: Best case – 13-3, a trip to California and winning a potential tiebreaker game over Seattle. Worst case – Finishing in second for the first time in 5 years.

• Will Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins change the fortunes of the secondary?
• Can Aaron Rodgers post another 38/5 year, or will we start to see a plateau?
• Will Morgan Burnett take a knee again after any turnover he recovers, ever?

Minnesota Vikings: Best case – 11-5, Teddy and AP click, and a playoff spot. Worst case – Regression by Teddy and less than 5-3 at TCF Bank.

• Will AP sniff 2,000 after a year off?
• Will Teddy Bridgewater end a potential Bridgewater/Bortles/Carr/Manziel debate?
• Will Mike Wallace set a good example for Cordarrelle Patterson?

NFC South

Atlanta Falcons: Best case – A division title, and a playoff win. Worst case – 4-12, last in an improving division, and an unclear future for Matt Ryan.

• A lot of off-season changes, but did the roster get better?
• Can this O-line give Matt Ryan time to throw?
• Outside of Desmond Trufant and Vic Beasley, is there anyone you would take on their defense?

Carolina Panthers: Best case – 12-4, NFC championship game. It’s a talented roster and they have a window. Worst case – 6-10 and an unknown future outside of QB.

• Why doesn’t Cam Newton get the elite debate?
• Can Michael Oher live up to the expectation placed on him, in what may be his last chance on an NFL roster?
• Will a revamped secondary not be an Achilles heel to a great defense?

New Orleans Saints: Best case – 11-5 and back in the Super Bowl hunt. Worst case – 7-9 again and time to think about life after Brees.

• Can they recover from a season that started with Super Bowl aspirations, which ended with a team that went 3-5 at the precarious Superdome?
• Can the defense give the NFL’s #1 ranked offense any help?
• Can the O-Line become the NFL’s best overnight?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Best case – Jameis is the answer and they win 8 or 9 games. Worst case – Jameis’s immaturity earns Tampa another selection at the #1 spot.

·        Will Jameis Winston struggle behind the NFL’s most inexperienced O-Line?

·        Can they actually embrace a full-on rebuild as the team attempts to grow with Winston, Mike Evans and Lavonte David?

·        Speaking of, is Lavonte David the best LB in the NFL?

NFC East

Dallas Cowboys: Best case – I believe they have the talent for a Super Bowl championship. Worst case – Dez doesn’t play, they self-destruct and finish around 6-10.

• Best story in football, will Dez get a deal? If not, will Dez play?
• Will this O-line become as good as the one we saw in the 90’s?
• Do Greg Hardy and Randy Gregory make this defense great?

New York Giants: Best case – 11-5, superb new talent and a division title. Worst case – JPP is never the same, Odell was a fluke, and the team still looks old at 5-11.

• Can Eli Manning reach 30 TD’s for the 2^nd year running?
• If they finish the season 5-1 after the bye, is it enough for the playoffs?
• Will their first three draft choices start and impress from day 1?

Philadelphia Eagles: Best case – 12-4 and every off-season move was the right one. Worst case – They got rid of too much talent and finish bottom at 6-10.

• Does DeMarco Murray replace Shady effectively?
• Is this hurry-up offense worth the value of a tired and at times overmatched D?
• Is Mychal Kendricks worthy of a top-dollar contract like he believes?

Washington Redskins: Best case – The division gets pounded by the AFC East, and Washington wins it at 9-7. Worst case – The number 1 draft choice, which means the RG3 experiment is over.

• Is the steal of the draft 4^th rounder Arie Kouandjio who could start at G from day one?
• Is the defensive front 7 better after a ton of off-season moves?
• Seriously, what is RG3?

NFC West

Arizona Cardinals: Best case – Carson Palmer plays 16 games, a good team goes 12-4. Worst case – Injuries again ruin a good roster, struggle in a tough division.

• If the Cardinals don’t make the playoffs, is this a roster that you blow up?
• Will Patrick Peterson overcome his diabetic concern and go back to status quo?
• Will the defense be as dominant with the losses of Darnell Dockett, Dan Williams and Antonio Cromartie?

Saint Louis Rams: Best case – Well, I want to say they could win the division if the defense reaches its pinnacle, but I won’t. 2^nd to Seattle at 11-5. Worst case – 5-11 and Todd Gurley is never the same, which could mean they missed out on a bona-fide superstar (Davante Parker, Melvin Gordon, etc.) and stay irrelevant on offense.

• What is the offensive dynamic going to be? (Pass first, run first, PA pass)
• Does this team move to Los Angeles?
• Does the defense take that next step and approach league dominance? (It’s my favorite in the entire league)

San Francisco 49ers: Best case – 11-5, led by their enigmatic QB and a playoff spot. Worst case – Their window is completely gone, the QB self-implodes and time to start over.

• Why did they bring in a ton of veterans for a relatively small shot at a Super Bowl championship?
• Will anyone step into Pat Willis’s shoes?
• Why did they draft for potential instead of instant starters in the first 2 rounds?

Seattle Seahawks: Best case – Another trophy, Wilson gets paid. Worst case – Russell Wilson tests free agency, and the morale of the entire city gets crushed.

• Why is Russell Wilson this close to free agency?
• Did they mess up a great offensive line to bring in a luxury piece? (Jimmy)
• Are they co-favorites for the trophy, (Indianapolis, Green Bay, Denver & New England) or will they run through the gauntlet unmatched?

Looking forward to a great season. A lot of questions to be answered. But per usual, they always are.