NFL 2016-17 Regular Season Discussion (1 Viewer)

[Patrick_S]

The last of the throw away games is Thursday so we might as well start talking about the real games.

This might be the last season for the Raiders in Oakland so I hope they make it a good one.

 

[Johnny Angell]

The last of the throw away games is Thursday so we might as well start talking about the real games.

This might be the last season for the Raiders in Oakland so I hope they make it a good one.

This might be the least season for the chargers in San Diego so I hope they don't stink too bad.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

This might be the last season for the Raiders in Oakland so I hope they make it a good one.

I think the Raiders will be a solid team, Patrick, and have a good chance of winning the division. Denver will try to win again with defense and no QB, which is tough to do 2 straight years. Kansas City has Andy "Clock Management" Reid, and San Diego doesn't look like a threat at all. It should be a tight three team race.

I'm not sure what to make of the Steelers chances. They have a very young secondary, will be missing Leveon Bell for the first three games and Matavius Bryant for the entire season. Losing Bryant is more of a blow, as Deangelo Williams should be able to fill in for Bell, but I'm not sure Wheaton can fill in for Bryant. Once again, though, everything depends on Roethleisberger staying healthy, as there is no viable backup QB on the team.

The Lions will battle the Bears for last place in their division. I thought the NFC North would be a tight two-team race between the Packers and Vikings, but with Bridgewater out it looks like Green Bay has a big advantage now.

I will not even try to predict the NFC East. This could be the division which has a team around 8-8 win the division and make the playoffs, unless the Giants can break through and be decent.

 

[Robert Crawford]

The Eagles traded Bradford to the Vikings for a 2017 first round pick and 4th round pick in 2018.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

OK, just some general stuff...

The first month of this NFL season should be fairly awful. Lots of back-up QBs starting will likely lead to many teams leaning a bit harder on their running games...not a particularly good thing when today's NFL has become a passing league. Brady suspended, Romo made of glass and injured again, Teddy Bridgewater gone for the season makes a QB poor league even poorer. The back-ups starting for these guys are not promising. The best of the bunch looks to be Dak Prescott and mainly because he looks to have the best upside. That's not to say he will be wonderful the first month of his first NFL season as the starter but if I had to choose between Jimmy Garoppolo, Shaun Hill, and Prescott to QB my team for a while...I would go with Prescott. Hill is a lifetime back-up at the end of his career. At 36 years old he is not going to light any fires. Plus, with Hill you need to expect his back-up is likely to play. Garoppolo I would say is playing his last season for the Patriots. No matter how he plays in his 4 game audition...they plan to trade him. All these 4 games will determine is what the asking price will be. Why do I say this? Well, Garoppolo has been touted by NFL scouts as having Aaron Rodgers potential and possibly being that type of player. In his time with the Patriots they seem not to have found that to be the case. Other teams in the league are apparently still reading those old scouting reports on him because there is plenty of interest in him and a lot of teams are going to be looking at his 4 game audition very closely. Dak had a nice preseason. Preseason is absolutely meaningless. He looks to have a decent arm and can move around. When he has to play 4 quarters against the other teams starters...well...then we will see. There are many more chances to make mistakes in a full game against a starting defense.

The Broncos would like to trade Mark Sanchez...this is a guy that could not beat out Trevor Siemian. Seriously, Elway's asking price for this guy should be a box of doughnuts and a $50.00 Amazon gift card. Sanchez just used up his last chance to be a starting NFL QB and now has clearly established he is nothing more than a lousy back-up.

But wait...this is the NFL where good quarterbacks tend to be more rare than photographs of hanging out with Bigfoot...

So, they actually have a team interested in trading for Sanchez...the Vikings! Because somebody needs to back up the 36 year old Hill and the Vikings were a team with playoff potential before losing their starting QB. I suppose the Cowboys could take an interest in Sanchez but they could be waiting for Johnny Rehab...um, I mean Football...to finish his latest detox. Yes, I know Jerry's son Steve wrestled Jerry to the floor and stopped him from offering Mr. Rehab a contract...

...but you know Jerry still wants him and Johnny wants to play for Jerry.

So, listen...if you are rooting for an NFL team that actually has a quality starting QB rejoice! Your team has very good potential to make the playoffs! Also if you are Sam Bradford rejoice! When they throw you out of Philly next season you will walk right into another starting QB job! And you don't even have to be that good this year. Also if you are Colin Kaepernick rejoice! Because with a league this desperate for QBs you too will continue to find work starting in the NFL.

Here's an upset special for Week 1...

Green Bay goes to Jacksonville in what is actually one of the better match-ups on the week one slate. Jacksonville is up and coming. Green Bay is a favorite to win their division particularly with Minnesota losing their starting QB. I think the Jaguars make the playoffs this season...yes, I'll take them to win their division...which is not a great division I admit. Without looking at the stat sheet if you were asked who had a better season last year Aaron Rodgers or Blake Bortles I think a lot of people would be surprised to see Bortles completed more passes, threw for more yards, and more touchdowns than Rodgers. The Jaguars are improving and Bortles took that step he needed to take last year to prove he is an NFL caliber QB and now you have to consider him one of the better QBs in the NFL...he certainly looks like the best QB in his division right now and that includes Luck. He has a couple of very good young WRs that both had over 1000 yards and double digit TDs last season. This is a very good young team. They have sold out their home opener. The place will be rocking for the first time in ages for their home opener. They know they are a good team. They can go toe to toe with Green Bay on offense and they probably have the better defense. An excited Jaguars team kicks off their season in a big way with a win over the Packers to begin their march toward a division title.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

The Eagles traded Bradford to the Vikings for a 2017 first round pick and 4th round pick in 2018.

Wow, nice job by the Eagles. So, the Vikings said they were not going to leverage their future to add a veteran QB and then they go ahead and leverage their future and give up a first (and fourth) round draft pick for Bradford? A guy that they are probably only renting for a season and probably will take a good month or more before he is really integrated into their system. So, basically they can hope to get 12 good games out of him...and maybe playoffs if they make it...for a first round pick...that seems to be a desperation move by the Vikings.

The Eagles only gave up a 2015 4th round pick and a 2016 2nd round pick for Bradford...clearly they are making out here. Bradford got the trade he wanted but he is back in a situation where he is keeping a seat warm until the other guy is ready and then will be looking for another trade.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

The Eagles traded Bradford to the Vikings for a 2017 first round pick and 4th round pick in 2018.

The Eagles robbed Minnesota blind! Bradford was bad last year, and didn't fit into Philly's plans. To get that kind of a haul for a player you were going to dump at the end of the season is a terrific move. The Vikings appear to be desperate to win now, but I'm not sure Bradford does much to help with that.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

AFC North

Steelers - I'll take the Steelers to win this division even though they look shaky on defense and on offense with suspensions and some aging players that could be prone to injury they still look to be a team that will contend for the Super Bowl this season. I would have loved to see this Steeler offense at full strength for an entire season as that would have been a lot of fun but with what I think is a fairly weak AFC this offense still is likely to be one of the better ones in the conference all season. Hopefully Big Ben stays healthy.

Bengals - I think the Bengals make the playoffs again, particularly if Dalton stays healthy. This team has enough talent to make the playoffs and chase Pittsburgh all season for the division title.

AFC East

Patriots - Obviously they have to deal with starting the season with Brady suspended. Garoppolo has not looked so great during the preseason and the Patriots seem to have wanted him to play specifically so they could set up trading him. So, certainly I would take the Cardinals in game one on their schedule. I am leaning toward taking both the Dolphins and Texans as well in their next two games. So, yes, I think the Patriots are looking at an 0-3 start before getting their first win against what looks like an absolutely horrible Bills team. So, they start 1-3, get Brady back and likely run the table and make the playoffs and are serious Super Bowl contenders yet again. The Patriots defense looks improved, so that may help Jimmy out a bit but he looks shaky enough and the Patriots are traditionally slow starters for me to think they will start 1-3.

Jets - The Jets right now clearly look to be the second best team in this division and could contend for the playoffs. I like their head coach and now that they have settled their QB situation they should be able to easily come out ahead of the Dolphins and Bills. I only really saw one preseason game and it was the Bills vs, Lions contest. I have to say the Bills looked horrible in every aspect of the game and their defense looked like they thought they were playing touch football. I think this season is the end of Rex Ryan as a head coach.

AFC South

Jaguars - Already have stated I think this year's big surprise team will be the Jags. A young talented offense and a decent defense and playing in a fairly weak division means these guys should win the division title and make the playoffs. If they manage to upset Green Bay I think that is a huge jumping off point for their season. This team will actually be a lot of fun to watch.

Texans - The Texans probably have the best defense in this division and that will help them contend for the division crown. I am not entirely sold on Osweiler and he does not seem like the kind of player that has a huge impact on a team. That said Bill O'Brien did a heck of job coaching this team last season and won the division without a QB...or with a string of bad QBs, however you prefer to look at it. So, in many ways I think a lot of people think bringing in Brock solves their issues and makes them a lock to repeat as division champs and make the playoffs. I will say I do think they are better than the Colts and the Titans. Both of those teams I expect to struggle. The Colts are a dysfunctional organization that was absolutely horrible last season. I honestly have to say it looks like they did nothing to fix that and nothing to improve. The Colts I think could likely finish last, continue the destruction of Andrew Luck's career, and finally fire Pagano at the end of the season.

AFC West

Raiders - OK, I think the Raiders are ready to step up and win their division...and then likely be one and done in the playoffs. They seem to be a team that could go in either direction. They have a lot of talent and a truly horrible head coach. With the Broncos likely to stumble this season, this is the Raiders big chance. It will be a tough division to win but the pieces are in place...except for the coach.

Chiefs - The Chiefs also have a nice opportunity here. They tend to be a team that is "steady as she goes" during the regular season and can't win a playoff game. That would seem to probably be the case again this season.

Chargers - I would love for the Chargers to put it all together this season and contend for the division crown. Rivers is such a great QB and I think he may have the best array of targets to throw to in some time. This is an offense that should be able to keep you in games...except for the O-line which they did pretty much nothing to improve...which negated the fact that Rivers gets the ball out faster than pretty much everybody in the NFL. Sad. I hope Bosa is a player and that he makes everybody forget that horrible holdout with what he does on the field but he also looks like he has bust potential. Again this division seems to be up in the air because the Broncos look like they could falter and the other three teams all look like they could step up and win the division. It's funny, each team in this division has huge strengths and equally huge weaknesses that gives them potential to be worst or first. I would love to see the Chargers surprise everybody but I can't fully buy in with the O-line they will field.

Broncos - This is the mystery team to me. Last season they won the Super Bowl with a great defense and a QB that could not even throw the ball anymore. Manning was the worst QB in the NFL. Now they have two young QBs that both have far better arms than Peyton Manning did last season and they still have the best defense in the division...so technically I want to say they are actually better off starting this season than they were last season. Somehow though, I just think they will stumble and struggle to get back to the top of the division. Or Paxton Lynch could turn out to be the best rookie QB this season and step in at some point to replace Siemian and lead this team back to the playoffs. Basically, I think the Broncos look to be fast tracking Lynch to the starting job. I think they are starting with Siemian because he has a bit more experience but I think they will be working hard to prep Lynch to take over. Honestly, I thought Lynch looked like the real deal in the preseason. He just needs some polish and he looked far more ready than Goff out in LA...who sunk to number 3 on the depth chart. Honestly, I think the reason the Broncos were so eager to part with Sanchez was because Lynch looked way better than they expected he would much faster than they thought he would. So, hard to pick this division and I think all four teams in it have potential to make the playoffs.

 

[Stan]

The last of the throw away games is Thursday so we might as well start talking about the real games.

This might be the last season for the Raiders in Oakland so I hope they make it a good one.

Yes. Finally getting to the "real" games.

A bit biased, think my avatar gives it away, but 3-1 in the preseason stuff, let's hope they can keep it up.

Came across these in a news article:

"While the fourth week of the preseason is usually reserved for end-of-the-roster players trying to survive the last round of cuts, the Seahawks played their starters early with minimal success."

"Oakland kept most of its notable players on the sideline, preventing any major injuries before Week 1 of the regular season."

Seattle put forth a little more effort, but Oakland held back, holding their good players for the "real" games. Any injuries, it would be their lower tier players that they don't really seem to care about, just going through the motions of the preseason stuff.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Since Reggie made his predictions, here are mine:

AFC East - Patriots (the rest of the division still doesn't look good)
AFC North - Bengals
AFC West - Raiders
AFC South - Texans
Wildcards - Jaguars, Chiefs

NFC East - Giants
NFC North - Packers
NFC West - Seahawks
NFC South - Panthers
Wildcards - Cardinals, Saints

Notes:

I had a tough time picking a 2nd wildcard in the NFC. There is a big falloff there, so it will be quite a battle of mediocrity to get that last spot that I gave to New Orleans.

The Jags seem to be a lot of people's pick as the hot new team, but I think the Texans can hold their own. Jacksonville does seem to have the potential to have quite an offense, though, so this was a tough one to pick.

I think the Steelers have too many holes to win the division over Cincy. I wanted to pick them as a wildcard because they are my favorite team, but I see that 2nd wildcard more realistically coming from the AFC West.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Wow, Scott, the Steelers not even making the playoffs? I only see that happening if Big Ben goes down for several games. Otherwise I think the Steelers have excellent potential to be 12-4 with their schedule and be in the hunt for home field advantage throughout the playoffs. I think they will be in a lot of shootout games but with Ben and Antonio Brown I like their chances in those games.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

NFC North

Packers - OK, this should be a tough division and the Vikings adding Bradford probably allows them to hang around a while but Green Bay should win this division. Rodgers really wants to prove something and if his weapons stay healthy he should get them deep into the playoffs.

Lions - This is out of the blue but the Lions actually seem to be entering the season looking better than they did last year. I think they will make a run at a wild card spot this season.

NFC East

Giants - I think the Giants have the chance to own this division this season. They look to have the best shot with the Cowboys again without Romo for the first 6-10 games. I just don't believe Dak Prescott takes the Cowboys on an amazing winning streak and now if Dak goes down or gets benched for bad play...Mark Sanchez steps in. Ouch.

Redskins - They look like the only team that will present the Giants with a challenge and honestly with the way the Giants can be up and down and with Coughlin gone and no longer being there to pull Eli out of a ridiculous downwards spiral --you know he always has one every season-- the Redskins have to be considered contenders for the division crown. Everything seems up to how Cousins plays.

NFC South

Panthers - Probably everybody has these guys as a lock for this division and it is hard to go against that. They went 15-1 last season but I don't think they do that again. The other three teams in this division were pretty bad last year and I think they will still probably be bad but maybe not as bad. Panthers probably go 12-4 and again are in the hunt for home field throughout the playoffs.

NFC West

Cardinals - This division promises to be a fight right down to the last game as long as Carson Palmer stays healthy. The Cards and the Seahawks are a coin toss when it comes to who will win this one. The Cardinals should blast out of the gate with a 6-0 start before having back to back games against the Seahawks and Panthers which should give us a really good idea who is the class of the NFC. Looking at their schedule the Cardinals look like they could finish 13-3.

Seahawks - It also looks like the Seahawks will fly out of the gate to a 6-0 start so their week 7 showdown with the Cardinals should be a battle of undefeated teams. It will surely be the big game of week 7 barring major injuries. Big differences in the Seahawks and Cardinals schedule are that the Cardinals get the Patriots with no Tom Brady in week one but the Seahawks get the Patriots with Brady (barring injuries) and the Seahawks have to play the Packers as well. So, I think the Seahawks have a tougher schedule and so likely finish a game back from the Cardinals and enter the playoffs as a wild card.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

I had a tough time picking a 2nd wildcard in the NFC.

I think only one team from the NFC East gets in and only one team from the NFC South. We know both the Cardinals and Seahawks should make the playoffs so one of the wild cards should be one of those teams. That leaves, in my opinion, the second wild card team coming out of the NFC North. The Vikings could be that team but somehow I don't have a good feeling about them or about Bradford or Peterson...who they will lean heavily on and at 31 I think that is a dangerous guy to lean on. The Bears I don't expect much from and so the Lions I think could end up being the second wild card. Granted losing Calvin Johnson would mean this would be an odd time for that to happen...but I just have a feeling. A lot of it is probably due to seeing the Lions slap around the Bills in preseason...which I know I should not count for much but wow, they seemed to execute everything perfectly in that game...or the Bills are just horrible.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Wow, Scott, the Steelers not even making the playoffs? I only see that happening if Big Ben goes down for several games. Otherwise I think the Steelers have excellent potential to be 12-4 with their schedule and be in the hunt for home field advantage throughout the playoffs. I think they will be in a lot of shootout games but with Ben and Antonio Brown I like their chances in those games.

I hated doing that, Reggie, but I just do not have a good feeling about the team going into the season. Between the suspensions, Heath Miller retired and not really replaced (Ladarius Green may never play), the young secondary and no QB to fill in if/when Big Ben misses some games (it seems to happen every season), there are a lot of question marks. I hope you are right on this one and I'm wrong.

If your premise that the 2nd NFC wildcard will not come from the South or East, then I think it's the Vikings by default -- even with Bridgewater out. I just do not see the Lions being very good. They lost their best offensive player to retirement, struggle to run the ball, and have a weak defense except for the DL. They also have a terrible head coach. I think 6-7 wins is the most to expect out of this team. Don't read much into that preseason win vs. Buffalo -- it was the 4th preseason game, which is even more meaningless than games 1-3, as almost all the regulars do not play.

 

[Robert Crawford]

For the first time in over 20 years with DirecTV, I currently don't have the NFL Sunday Ticket package. Chances are I'll change my mind before the second NFL weekend since this weekend is a free preview for DirecTV customers. If Raiders and Giants win big this Sunday, I'll be on the phone with DirecTV on Monday. Anyhow, I'm hesitating spending the necessary $270 for this football package.

 

[Aaron Silverman]

$270?!?!?!?!?! Good lord! Even if I could somehow justify spending that much on watching football, I'd rather spend it on lunches at a sports bar.

I won't predict that the Steelers will miss the playoffs, but I will be very surprised if that defense manages to get them twelve wins.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Robert, $270 is a lot of money for 16 weeks. Luckily, I am not a DirecTV customer, so I'm not even tempted to pay that to watch all the Steelers games. It's amazing that the price has creeped up that much... I guess the NFL really can charge top dollar for their product. NHL Center Ice is only $160 for the season, and there are a lot more games over a longer period of time -- although not all of them are in high definition, which is one of the reasons I do not subscribe (I'm an out of market Montreal Canadiens fan). That shows you the difference in demand between the two sports.

 

[atfree]

I've had Sunday Ticket for years. $270 for 17 weeks of watching my Broncos and any other game is less than $16 a week..... essentially the cost of one Blu-ray or a couple of drinks at a sports bar. And all from the comfort of my couch without dealing with a noisy bar or restaurant. Money well spent for me and my wife's game day food is better than any restaurant.

I'm an NFL fanatic, start watching pre game at 11 am, and then wall to wall football until the SNF game ends at 11:30 or so.

 

[Malcolm R]

Up close and personal at the game of your choice from the comfort of your home. Seems like a heck of a deal to me (this is the time of year I wish I had Dish).

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Week 1 Picks

Panthers at Broncos - The Panthers head for the Rockies to start their season. To prepare they have been drinking a whole lot of Coors beer and eating nothing but prairie oysters. This game will be interesting to see how Denver handles the switch to sophomore QB Trevor Siemian in his first NFL start and he gets to do it against a decent Panthers defense that wants to help Siemian out by starting a pair of rookie CBs in this game. Pick : Panthers

Buccaneers at Falcons - A week one NFC South showdown! Two teams that were fairly lousy last year face off to prove who stinks less as they each rush to have an 8-8 season. Pick: Falcons

Bills at Ravens - John Harbaugh is angry! He doesn't need a reason because he is a Harbaugh. What would the NFL be like without a raging Harbaugh? John meet Rex. Rex likes women's feet and defense. Rex is not sure what NFL offense is or how it works but he knows he wants to stop it...even if it is his own teams offense. No offense allowed anywhere near Rex. Pick: Ravens

Bears at Texans - This game is a grudge match because the Bears feel like the Texans have sort of copied their uniforms. This has made the already sad Jay Cutler feel even sadder. He also lost one of his favorite targets The Black Unicorn who moved to Massachusetts. Pick: Texans

Packers at Jaguars - Nothing about Jacksonville Florida is exciting...until now! The Jaguars have one of the most exciting young offenses in the NFL. Everybody in Jacksonville will be at this game this will be like a Super Bowl for the Jags. Green Bay will be very confused thinking they got off the plane in the wrong city. They thought they were playing in Jacksonville in week one...there is never excitement in Jacksonville. Aaron Rodgers keeps asking Mike McCarthy where the hell they are. Pick: Jaguars.

Chargers at Chiefs - This turns out to be a brawl! Prior to the game Philip Rivers punches Chargers GM Tom Telesco in the mouth for not getting him any offensive line help. The Chargers are so inspired by Rivers they go out and beat the Chiefs despite their noisy fans. Pick: Chargers

Raiders at Saints - Jack Del Rio decides to inspire his team by covering the locker room floor with Muffaletta sandwiches and jumping up and down on them during his pregame speech screaming "Stomp these Muffalettas!" at his players. Despite the fact that his team has no idea what the hell this is all about they still go out and win the game. Pick: Raiders

Bengals at Jets - The Jets forfeit this game because they decide that the nickname "Fitz" just is nowhere near as cool as "The Red Rifle." Pick: Bengals

Browns at Eagles - The Eagles annoy the Browns by continually calling Robert Griffin "Robby Football" and the Browns attempt to retaliate by calling Carson Wentz "Carsony Football" which just sounds stupid and makes the Eagles laugh even harder. Pick: Eagles

Vikings at Titans - While this game is not very exciting HBO likes the Vikings at Titans name so much they decide to name a new Game of Thrones style series after it. Pick: Vikings

Dolphins at Seahawks - They have decided to play this game at the beach instead of CenturyLink field. Sea World has offered the winners of this game a trip to the park of their choice. Pick: Seahawks

Giants at Cowboys - Jerry Jones invites Johnny Manziel to watch the game with him in the owners box. They both are wearing Cowboys jerseys with Manziel on the back. Tony Romo watches the game from the sideline wrapped in bubble wrap...before halftime he is carted off the field with another back injury when Dez Bryant accidentally breathes on him. Pick: Giants

Lions at Colts - Chuck Pagano and Jim Caldwell wander off the field together at half time and watch the rest of the game from a local bar discussing who has the worst owner and whether the Detroit or Indy coaching job is the bottom of the barrel of NFL jobs. They decide they both would like to go back to being coordinators or maybe open an ice cream stand in Alaska together. Pick: Lions


Patriots at Cardinals - Jimmy Garoppolo refuses to get on the team plane after the game because he is afraid to have to face Tom Brady after the Patriots open the season with a loss. During the game Brady has the number for the sideline phones and continually calls to threaten Jimmy if the Patriots lose. Pick: Cardinals

Steelers at Redskins - During the game Native Americans protesting the Redskins name throw real tomahawks at the Redskins players. The Steelers win the game because Redskins players suffer more blood loss than all the victims of 1980s slasher films combined. Pick: Steelers

Rams at 49ers - This game is being played so late at night that the Rams have put Jared Goff on the inactive list because it takes place after his bedtime. Pick: 49ers