With that said, I've been wondering about some things. Let's get to work.
#9. Can anybody beat New England?
My early guess would be no. I haven't looked at each team thoroughly, but right now the Super bowl champions made the right off-season moves to continue the dominance that they've been accustomed to achieving. Stephon Gilmore may have been the best CB available in the open market. Dwayne Allen should step right in for Martellus Bennett. Rex Burkhead is underrated and perfect for this offense. Kony Ealy is one of my favorite pass rushers in the league. And we haven't even mentioned Brandin Cooks yet. The schedule is the trickiest part of their expectation of back-to-back, but when has it ever stopped them before?
#8. Was Lawrence Timmons the missing piece for the Miami Dolphins?
In a way, I think he was. While the only way the Dolphins get past both the Patriots and the wild card round of the playoffs depends on the dominance (or lack there of) from Ryan Tannehill, the defense was missing that quality veteran leadership that Ndamukong Suh couldn't provide. Enter Timmons. They can now attack offenses, and should relieve some of the pressure that the front 4 had to win every game. This team really should be back in the playoffs at the end of the season.
#7. Do the Atlanta Falcons have the weapons to bounce back and repeat out of the NFC?
This is interesting. The only player that they lost of any significance is G Chris Chester who helped pave the way for Tevin Coleman and Devonte Freeman to make big plays, but Andre Roberts and Brian Hill were added to make the offense even more dynamic. There are so many weapons for Matt Ryan to use and I think that Taylor Gabriel and Austin Hooper are just going to get even better. I know that repeating is hard to do, especially with hard charging rivals within the division, but I think a healthy Falcons team could certainly do it.
#6. Dak Prescott for an encore?
I imagine not, but crazier things have happened. They were primed for a run that could have concluded in a Super Bowl appearance (I won't be so bold to say they would've beaten New England), but he still had one of the best rookie seasons by a quarterback that I've ever seen. But how many times have we seen it before? Robert Griffin. Michael Vick (sort of). Andy Dalton. Mark Sanchez. With the exception of Mike Vick, all these quarterbacks made the NFL playoffs in their rookie season, and in the case of RG3, it was definitely his best season. It's very hard to do a Ben Roethlisberger or a Dan Marino, especially this day and age. The schedule gets harder no matter what, because you see no less than 4 1st placed teams. Defensive coordinators love a year's worth of film on you (Colin Kaepernick). So which category do I think Dak falls into? I love his awareness of the game, and he can already make some throws that Griffin could never do, and Vick had a hard time doing. He has the back shoulder throw, which I think is the toughest to establish in the repertoire of NFL passes. He has the first or second best offensive line in football (Raiders might have it, I think.) He has Zeke, who pretty much requires 8 defenders in the box, or at least a spy at all times. Dez can't be any worse than last year for him (He really relied on Jason Witten and Cole Beasley, more than he did on Dez). I think we get another 3,000 yards and possibly 25 TD passes, but I think they will be lucky to win 10 games this year. But it won't be his fault.
#5. Are the 49ers going to win the 2018 NFL Draft sweepstakes, and if so, which QB are they going to select?
Andrew Luck, Jameis Winston and Aaron Rodgers are what I guess you could consider to be my "Big 3". What I mean is, I've been on their sacs since the days they were tossing the ball around in college. I thought Luck was the complete player (Still do, but man, these injuries!), I thought Rodgers could make every throw (yup), and I thought Jameis was unflappable (jury is still out, but I think he jumps this year). Sam Darnold might make it 4. And he might be my favorite yet. I only got to see him once, (sickest Rose Bowl ever,) so this belief may be a little unfounded, but for me, he is everything I want in a quarterback. (YouTube him if you care, this is about the 49ers). So do they take Darnold #1 with Kyle Shanahan calling plays? If this all works itself out, I think we have the new Dan Marino. Problem is, Lamar Jackson, Josh Rosen and Josh Allen might have something to say about it. What I will say is this, in the last 2 seasons, I haven't gotten truly excited about any NFL quarterback prospect (semi-warm on Mitchell Trubisky, but Dave Ragone - yuck!) This coming up draft, I think I like 4, will probably end up liking 3, but could potentially end up liking 6! (Mason Rudolph, Luke Falk). So the 49ers could be potentially scouting 6 guys. Whatever happens, I'm all for it, I think Shanahan is one of the great offensive minds of the last 10 years. I hope it's Darnold.
#4. Why isn't anyone talking about the Seattle Seahawks?
Sure is quiet, isn't it? I've heard plenty about the New England Patriots, the Dallas Cowboys, the Atlanta Falcons, the Homeless Raiders, even the Baltimore Ravens (lots of off-season noise there). But after the Sherman rumors went away, all became quiet on the western front. Strange. They have a pro-bowl quality QB, They have every style of NFL running back you can dream of (but nothing elite, I will concede), Tyler Lockett back, Jimmy Graham looking for one final pay day, a defense that probably has 16 elite games left in them (Looking at you Cliff Avril, Michael Bennett, Ahtyba Rubin, KJ Wright, and the Legion of Boom). They have one of the best coaching staffs in football, and an owner that lets the GM do what he does best, without interference. (Watch out for Tedric Thompson) Yet, no one has mentioned the Seattle Seahawks as a super bowl contender this year. Oh right. Blair Walsh.
#3. Does the Cleveland Browns rebuild officially start now?
Part of this is unfair, because since the turn of the century, either the Baltimore Ravens or the Pittsburgh Steelers have been good enough to challenge for the Super Bowl trophy. With that said, I struggle to remember any draft in which the Cleveland Browns didn't have a top 10 pick. Might that recollection end this year? Gregg Williams is the best DC this team has had since they started over again. Myles Garrett looks like he has all the intangibles to be great, although I loved Courtney Brown too, so we'll see. Every free agency pickup served a purpose and they didn't overpay for anyone this time. They still have the man who I believe is the greatest LT in the history of the modern NFL, (passing football), and right there with Jackie Slater and Anthony Munoz in line to be the greatest ever. Joe Thomas just in case you've slept under a tree the last 10 years. The line looks good, the running back situation looks tidy, Kenny Britt is decent, and David Njoku is Kellen Winslow on steroids (I don't mean that, I think?). The draft on paper looks sharp, and the defensive line looks like it can win battles. It will start and end with the back 8, but I think the rebuild is almost over. All the Browns need now is a little something we NFL Fans like to call, a franchise quarterback!
#2. Can any team win the AFC South?
This could be distinguished in two ways. First, are any of them good enough to win it? Second, are things that close, that it could be any of the four? I would say yes to both. What I see are four 9-7 type football teams, but whoever goes that extra mile, keeps their team the healthiest, and maybe goes 5-1, 4-2 in the division, should get the 10 wins required to get a home playoff game. Houston went all in on a franchise type quarterback, but will hopefully get a full 16 games from their two most important players on defense. Indianapolis is hoping for a healthy Andrew Luck and spent boat loads of dollars on defense through free agency and the draft. The Jags turned to Tom Coughlin to help turn this young team into something similar that he had the last time he was in Florida (Leonard Fournette should break some Fred Taylor records if he avoids the injury table). Tennessee went from the NFL's most boring franchise to one of its most exciting in no less than 24 months. All 4 teams have players that can separate them from the pack, but also have glaring weaknesses that could take them out of playoff consideration. Should be the most exciting race to watch this season.
#1. If every NFL team suffered no major injuries, who are my early picks for the Super Bowl next February?
Going through the AFC, I think it's pretty easy. While I do believe that the 3 most complete teams come from the AFC, one stands out far above the rest. New England should realistically be everyone's choice to be heading to Minneapolis. Without injuries means Tom Brady throwing 15 touchdowns to Rob Gronkowski, and a boat load of new talent that will make them extremely difficult to beat. (Gilmore was my favorite off-season acquisition). My pick for the NFC is a little more complicated. I think 3 out of 4 NFC East teams could represent the NFC, all 4 of 4 NFC South teams could do it, 2 out of 4 NFC North teams have a shout and 2 NFC West teams could potentially be flying east. That's 11 of the 16 teams with a credible shot at making the Super Bowl this year (Apologies to the Eagles, Bears, Lions, 49ers and Rams). While I wouldn't say that the Saints, Panthers, Bucs, Vikings, Redskins and Cardinals are anyone's favorite, they all have strengths that could help them win enough games just to get to the post-season. Then anything can happen. Right now, I love the Buccaneers. The offensive depth on this team is ridiculous. Doug Martin, Charles Sims and Jacquizz Rodgers gives them a little bit of everything, although Martin is probably getting his last chance this season. Cameron Brate has surprised everyone, and has extremely soft hands for a TE. The job probably won't be his anyway, because the new Vernon Davis fell to them at #19 in the NFL Draft. O.J. Howard is the real deal, and I think he might be Winston's favorite redzone target. Oh, did I forget to mention Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson? My guy Donovan Smith has done a great job protecting Winston, and should finally get recognized this season for his contributions. I also think Gerald McCoy is the best DT in the game, and will make the guys around him better. Keith Tandy and Chris Conte are maybe the most underrated safety duo in the league. The schedule is tricky, and they could really use a 4-0 start, but if important players stay on the field, this pick could usurp my Carolina Panthers pick back in 2015.
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