2019-2020 NFL Season (1 Viewer)

[Winston T. Boogie]

So, let's look at some hot topics coming into the 2019 season...

1. How good will the Browns really be?

Obviously, this team will be the media darling coming into this season. The hype is off the charts. They have collected a lot of talent and word is will try to add some more before we reach the trade deadline. The biggest question mark is likely how their first time head coach will handle the talent on this team. He will have his hands full with a variety of head cases. If they come out of the gate winning that will help because if this team starts losing early, look out. The good news is they start with two very winnable games against the Titans and Jets before getting their first big test against the Rams at home in week three. They then face division rivals the Ravens at Baltimore in week 4. Then out to the west coast to play the 49ers, home for the Seahawks before getting a bye and coming back from that by traveling to play the Patriots. We'll know what they are by the halfway point of the season.

2. Can the Chargers stay healthy this season?

The Chargers finished with the same 12-4 record as the Chiefs last season. There is, however, a lot more hype about the Chiefs because of their young QB. This is a talent loaded team but one that seems snake bit by injuries. No question they now have one of the best rosters in football but that only counts if the guys play. They appear on the poll above because it will be something if the Chargers can repeat and build on their success last year. Success for this team though means getting to the Super Bowl. There is too much talent here for that not to be the goal.

3. Will the Bears be even better?

The Bears dominated the NFC North last season while the Vikings and Packers fell apart. These guys are also on the poll above but success for them this season does mean getting to the NFC championship game and having a shot at the Super Bowl. The Vikings and Packers both hope to be better this season. How the Bears young QB builds on last season may be the big question. The Lions, well, they look like the Lions and not sure they did much to improve the team since last season.

4. Who will take the AFC North?

Again, this involves the Browns, the team I think the media is rooting for. Last year the Ravens took it with the Steelers right on their heels. When the Ravens switched QBs and went with Jackson they recovered from a 3 game losing streak under Flacco and went 6-1 to finish the season and secure the division and a playoff spot. I think you have to give the edge here to the Steelers and Ravens to fight it out but the Browns will have a shot because both of these teams have flaws that could lose them games. Big Ben is obviously on the decline and the Steelers may look different with no Antonio Brown. The Ravens QB does not look NFL ready and will likely face a lot of opponents that stack up against the run and try to force him to throw to win games...that could be ugly. This division could go to any of these three teams but I see them all as having a major uphill climb to get there. The Bengals should be competing for a very high draft pick and a shot at one of the QBs in the 2020 draft. Andy Dalton is on his way out.

5. What will the Raiders do this season?

The AFC West looks like one of the best divisions in football. It is talent loaded. The Chargers and Chiefs are thought to be sure playoff teams. The Broncos are going with yet another QB, Flacco, and drafted a young arm to learn behind him, plus still have a solid defense. We'll see what Flacco has left and what he brings. The Raiders have added a lot of talent on offense but is it enough to compete in this division and if they struggle will Antonio Brown tear this team apart. Basically, I think if the Raiders can finish 3rd in their division, that's a good season for them. It looks like their defense will again be dismal. Gruden has got a collection of nutjobs on the roster, and this is a make or break year for Carr at QB. I have to think the Raiders could be a lot better, meaning 8-8 rather than 4-12, or they will totally collapse this season allowing Gruden a shot at drafting a top talent at QB in 2020. They have a good young RB, the best WR group Carr has played with, and a QB that despite the win total played pretty good last season. They should be interesting to watch.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

6. How 'bout them Cowboys?

The Cowboys won their division last year by one game. They basically were really good at home (7-1) and sort of bad on the road (3-5) and the Eagles despite a load of their own issues stayed on their heels. The Eagles should be better this season. Wentz has to stay healthy, of course, but really the Eagles should be the favorite...except their young QB has not finished a season yet. Elliott is once again being a headache for the team, he's holding out with 2 years left on his contract, and will always be one. They are apparently about to make Dak Prescott very rich. As is the norm in Dallas under the Jones family they overvalue the players they have. Odd to say it though but the Cowboys, due to looking good on defense, seem like the most stable team in their division entering the season. They probably get back to the playoffs this season and the Eagles and Wentz are all that can challenge them in the NFC East. The Giants should be awful this season, which should have given them a great shot at a top level talent to replace Eli but they already reached to draft a middling player as his replacement. The Redskins and the Giants big questions going into this season will probably be how long before they start their rookie QBs?

7. What will the Patriots look like without Gronk?

They are working on redesigning the offense a bit but the answer to this question we have already seen. The Patriots utilize their backs in the passing game when Gronk is not on the field. I expect this to continue as the Patriots don't have a lot going on either at the TE position or at WR. Once again the first 4 weeks of the regular season Belichick will be sorting out what his team is and what they do best. I kind of expect the Patriots offense to look pretty horrid in the first month. I also expect them to do some odd stuff as they figure out how this offense can best move the ball. Gronk finished his final season mostly being a blocker and missing his usual slate of games. The Patriots won without Gronk and so, there should not be a lot of concern about them winning without him now. Things will change for the offense though because whenever Gronk was on the field opposing defenders feared him and they always had to account for him. He was also a powerful blocker. They will start the season with what looks like a really weak group of receivers around Brady though so, my guess would be get ready to see a lot from the backs.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

It's a little early to be thinking about football, but here are my "pre" preseason picks. I reserve the right to change my mind before the start of the season.

AFC East: Patriots -- they win this crappy division again by default
AFC North: Steelers -- homer pick, but I think the league catches up with Lamar Jackson at QB (similar to Tebow in Denver), and I'll believe in the Browns when they actually prove something
AFC South: Colts
AFC West: Chiefs
AFC Wildcards: Chargers, Texans
Team to keep an eye on: Browns

NFC East: Eagles
NFC North: Bears
NFC South: Panthers
NFC West: Rams
NFC Wildcards: Saints, Cowboys
Team to keep an eye on: 49ers

Wake me up when the regular season is about to begin.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I have little interest in the upcoming NFL season as both my teams, the Giants and Raiders are currently dumpster fires until they prove me wrong with that assessment. I've said it before, but I really mean it this year, I won't be buying the Sunday Ticket from DirecTV. I've made the decision to watch more of my film library on Sundays this football season as I emphasize sports less and less in my daily routine.

 

[Jeffrey D]

The most interesting team to watch will be the Browns- the boom or bust factor. If Mayfield and Beckham Jr get along, and neither of them lets their ego get in the way, the Browns are likely to win the division (the other 3 teams aren’t great).
If they can’t get along, disaster.

 

[Robert Crawford]

The most interesting team to watch will be the Browns- the boom or bust factor. If Mayfield and Beckham Jr get along, and neither of them lets their ego get in the way, the Browns are likely to win the division (the other 3 teams aren’t great).
If they can’t get along, disaster.

Both players are really immature so I don't see that working out long-term.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

So, an interesting development going forward is that many teams may commit to not playing any of their star players during the preseason games at all. For many teams their starters would mainly only play in the third preseason game anyway but now teams are instead opting to sit all of the starters they can throughout the preseason. This basically means that, like the Patriots, teams will be using the first month of the regular season to gel and get down their game timing. Could mean a lot of ugly games in September.

 

[Jeffrey D]

If teams aren’t concerned about getting the key players on the field for any of the preseason games, it will be easier for Roger to shorten the preseason- he’s not a fan of 4 games anyway.

 

[Malcolm R]

If teams aren’t concerned about getting the key players on the field for any of the preseason games, it will be easier for Roger to shorten the preseason- he’s not a fan of 4 games anyway.

He's not a fan, but the only way the owners would shorten the pre-season is if the regular season is extended. They're not going to play fewer games, ever.

They still hang on to the Pro Bowl because it's a moneymaker, not because anyone cares about it.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

It seems like what coaches and players are interested in is having joint practices instead of games. Meaning having two teams spend a week practicing against each other. This is more controlled and the teams can work on specific things they have on their agendas. The preseason game seems too risky to them now and so the possibility of losing a player in a meaningless game is not worth it. I could see owners agreeing to dumping the 4 preseason games on the condition that two more regular season games were added.

To me though, I think extending the season by two games would probably lead to many more injuries. 16 games seems enough, however, the owners will be looking at some lost revenue if there are no preseason games. Two extra games in the regular season would probably mostly make up for the loss of 4 preseason games but I don't think the players would like that. You can see so many players start to look beat up and slowed down during a 16 game slate and many never make it through 16 games.

 

[Jeffrey D]

I hate the idea of an 18 game schedule, the dumb idea of sitting players for 2 regular season games, and possibly expanded playoffs. It’s fine the way it is- more doesn’t mean better in this case- more just means more money to the powers that be.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

So, Antonio Brown is reported to be suffering from frostbite on his feet from some sort of therapy he was doing.

Isn't it ironic that AB turned down a trade to Buffalo in favor of Oakland / Vegas, and then gets frostbite?

 

[Jeffrey D]

I feel sooooooo sorry for AB- NOT! I don’t like divas, and he will not be worth the trouble to have for Gruden’s squad. By the way- where are the Raiders playing this year?

 

[Robert Crawford]

Raiders playing in Oakland this year. Antonio Brown! Another reason why I'm not going to purchase the Sunday Ticket this season. I'm not being a sucker again.

 

[Jeffrey D]

The Raiders are playing at the Colosseum? I thought He’ll would freeze over before that happens due to the city’s lawsuit against the team and the league.

 

[Robert Crawford]

The Raiders are playing at the Colosseum? I thought He’ll would freeze over before that happens due to the city’s lawsuit against the team and the league.

They came to an agreement with an option for next year too, but I doubt that happens as I expect them in Vegas next season.

 

[Jeffrey D]

The new stadium in Vegas is supposed to be ready for the 2020 season, so this year will be the last for the Raiders at that toilet of a stadium.
Hopefully the A’s get their new stadium proposal passed by city and state government.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I have little interest in the upcoming NFL season as both my teams, the Giants and Raiders are currently dumpster fires until they prove me wrong with that assessment. I've said it before, but I really mean it this year, I won't be buying the Sunday Ticket from DirecTV. I've made the decision to watch more of my film library on Sundays this football season as I emphasize sports less and less in my daily routine.

Yesterday, I called up AT&T and cancelled my NFL Sunday Ticket. My NFL interest has been suppressed by the managerial incompetence of the two teams that I've followed for over 50 years. Two other negative factors is the increase in player injuries and the non-stop media coverage. I'm just sick of the media circus and get little joy in watching the game today. I'll continue to watch some games on TV, but I just don't have the same passion for football.

Also, the same with the NBA as I cancelled my subscription to the NBA League Pass too for basically the same reasons. Being a Knicks fan has been very difficult since 1973, the last NBA championship I celebrated as a Knicks fan.

 

[Jeffrey D]

Yesterday, I called up AT&T and cancelled my NFL Sunday Ticket. My NFL interest has been suppressed by the managerial incompetence of the two teams that I've followed for over 50 years. Two other negative factors is the increase in player injuries and the non-stop media coverage. I'm just sick of the media circus and get little joy in watching the game today. I'll continue to watch some games on TV, but I just don't have the same passion for football.

Also, the same with the NBA as I cancelled my subscription to the NBA League Pass too for basically the same reasons. Being a Knicks fan has been very difficult since 1973, the last NBA championship I celebrated as a Knicks fan.

Yes my interest in the NFL is fading too. I still have the Sunday Ticket, but I might cancel it in another year or two, especially if the league gets rid of the kickoff (that’s too big of a change to the game in my opinion).

It REALLY sucks being a Knicks fan- Dolan is arguably the worst owner in professional sports
(the Pirates owner is an ass, and the Bengals owner is a punch line too).

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Yesterday, I called up AT&T and cancelled my NFL Sunday Ticket. My NFL interest has been suppressed by the managerial incompetence of the two teams that I've followed for over 50 years. Two other negative factors is the increase in player injuries and the non-stop media coverage. I'm just sick of the media circus and get little joy in watching the game today. I'll continue to watch some games on TV, but I just don't have the same passion for football.

Also, the same with the NBA as I cancelled my subscription to the NBA League Pass too for basically the same reasons. Being a Knicks fan has been very difficult since 1973, the last NBA championship I celebrated as a Knicks fan.

I seem to watch less and less NFL football every year now, so I completely understand. I will watch the Steelers if they are on regular TV, and maybe some of the Sunday games if I am home and not doing anything else. I only watch the Lions, who are on all the time here, when I need a laugh. But I do not go out of my way to watch the games anymore.

I have not watched an NBA game in probably 15 years, but I was never a huge fan anyway -- more of a "fair weather" Pistons fan than anything. I do still plan on renewing my NHL.tv subscription, though, so I can watch my Montreal Canadiens. It's less expensive than the NFL or NBA packages, as I think it cost $120 last season. It goes on my wife's Discover Card as part of my Christmas present, since Discover is an NHL sponsor and offers a 10% discount if you pay with their card (I don't have a Discover Card in my name).