News: Fox: Projecting the six best offenses in the NFL in 2015

[big dog cowboy]

I dont know about Denver. O Line is a mess.

QB might be also.

 

[Idgit]

Yeah they looked dominant against Dallas' 2014 Doomsday defense.

Quick, who's the Mickey Spagnola of the Indianapolis Colts?

We're judging them off of zero games and the best-case interpretation of their re-vamp, only. This new offense won't drop balls, because, you know, it's revamped.

 

[Idgit]

V. Cruz isn't coming back anytime soon..

Is he not? I hate to sympathize with Giants fans, but it stinks to lose a really good youngish player in his prime like that. I thought he was expected to be back to form this year.

 

[JBS]

Is he not? I hate to sympathize with Giants fans, but it stinks to lose a really good youngish player in his prime like that. I thought he was expected to be back to form this year.

I haven't heard anything on him..but he had a the same injury as Mo..which is a terrible injury to overcome...I'd be surprised if he was ready for the start of the year

 

[Risen Star]

Don't forget about the Eagles. Chip Kelly calls plays fast.

 

[chris1995]

We will be the #1 offense and #2 defense this year. I had green herbal tea and I stayed at a Holiday Inn last nite.

Then winning the Super Bowl this year will happen too, since you stayed at a Holiday Inn last nite.

 

[guag]

Because Odell Beckham, Jr. is the most explosive football player in this universe and all possible parallel universes. Combined. Because the northeast media says so. And because he made a circus catch against the hated Evil Empire™ (Dallas Cowboys).

This man alone has the power to turn a terrible Giants offensive line into a team strength and the wizardry to turn Eli Manning into a QB with charisma and moxy.

Shane Vereen joins a loaded backfield that already includes Rashad Jennings and Andre Williams, who combined for over 1,700 yards and 12 scores last season

Dear Lord, I mean that backfield ALREADY included studs such as Rashad Jennings (600-something yards last season, below average 3.8 YPC) and unproven 4th round pick Andre Williams (an abysmal 3.3 YPC)! Now they added another stud back coming from a known powerhouse RB team??!! We might as well forfeit this season. Our RBs have absolutely nothing on these guys. Because as long as you're not the Cowboys, you can easily get by with a RB by committee and be the projected #4 offense. But if Dallas attempts it, no dice.

I'm sorry guys. I just can't right now. LOL someone slap me.

I really need some sleep.

 

[guag]

V. Cruz isn't coming back anytime soon..

Don't you know? When above average players from other teams are just coming back from season-ending injuries, it makes the team better than last season and a sudden offensive powerhouse. Wish it worked that way for us too.

 

[theogt]

With Murray I would have ranked the Cowboys #2-3 right there with GB. Without Murray, it's a bit of a mystery. Still very good but hard to tell <how> good.

If we still had Murray, I would rank us lower. He played terrible at the end of the year. His play in 2015 will be more similar to that than his first 8 games of 2014. Also, I'm not sure we would have signed Greg Hardy if we had re-signed Murray, which means both our offense and defense would have been worse.

 

[ActualCowboysFan]

That was one game and they revamped the offense since.

Swing and a miss.

Yeah you'll get em next time.

 

[AtlCB]

The interesting thing to me is who they left off the list. No mention of the Eagles, although they were third in scoring last year.

The Eagles lost their top receiver (Maclin) and a guard (Herremans). They also are starting a new quarterback.

 

[JDSmith]

The Eagles lost their top receiver (Maclin) and a guard (Herremans). They also are starting a new quarterback.

I know, but... Chip Kelly. He's the man with the plan, and I keep reading how Bradford was awesome before he got hurt. Plus, they stole Murray from us.

 

[triplets92]

Projecting the six best offenses in the NFL in 2015
http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/projecting-the-six-best-offenses-in-the-nfl-in-2015-060815


1. Green Bay Packers

There is little doubt that Green Bay boasts the most dynamic set of skill-position players in the NFL. Coming off a season that saw the team score an average of 30 points per game, Aaron Rodgers and company are primed for a historical 2015 campaign.

After re-signing Randall Cobb to a team-friendly four-year, $40 million contract back in March, all the key components are back. Eddie Lacy returns after putting up over 1,500 total yards and 13 touchdowns a season ago. Meanwhile, Cobb will continue to form a ridiculous one-two punch with Jordy Nelson at wide receiver. The two combined for over 2,800 receiving yards and 25 touchdowns last year. To put that into perspective, only 12 quarterbacks threw more than 25 touchdowns a season ago. One of the biggest factors for sustained success in Green Bay has to be second-year receiver Davante Adams, who impressed a great deal as a rookie. If he continues to progress, Green Bay’s passing offense could be historically good.

Let’s not finish this blurb without mentioning the best quarterback in the NFL today, Aaron Rodgers. The Super Bowl-winning signal caller is coming off yet another ridiculous season that saw him throw 38 touchdowns compared to five interceptions for a 112.2 rating. There’s no question that he’s going to perform up to his status as one of the best signal callers of his generation.

2. Indianapolis Colts

The additions of Frank Gore and Andre Johnson are going to be huge here. If both prove they still have something left in the tank, this offense could be historically good in 2015.

Consider this: Luck accounted for 80 percent of the Colts offensive yards and 88 percent of their total touchdowns last season. If Gore can put up even an average (by his standards) season, those numbers are going to decrease dramatically. Now take into account the future Hall of Fame running back playing against defenses that won’t be stacking the box, and it wouldn’t be too much of a surprise to see Gore put up some huge numbers.

Insight here: Defenses loaded boxes more for Frank Gore than any other RB last season (30%), his final with #49ershttps://t.co/kgLmal4La9

As it relates to Johnson, everything is there for him to put up 100-plus receptions and double-digit scores. This is a receiver that tallied 85 receptions with the likes of Ryan Fitzpatrick and Ryan Mallett tossing him the rock last season. Imagine what he can do with Luck under center.

These two veterans join an offense that already includes a breakout performer at nearly every position. Outside of Luck’s ridiculous 40 touchdown 2014 campaign, there are others who took that next step. Fourth-year wide receiver T.Y. Hilton put up over 1,300 yards and seven scores. Meanwhile, tight end Coby Fleener tallied 774 yards and eight scores. Heck, Donte Moncrief put up 32 receptions in limited action as a rookie. If Dwayne Allen can ever up his game, the possibilities are endless here.

With an improved offensive line and major talent at every skill position, the Colts offense is primed to be even better than a near record-breaking 2014 season.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh’s offense finished the 2014 campaign seventh in the NFL in scoring, second in total offense and second in passing yards. It had a 4,900-yard passer, 1,300-yard rusher and 1,600-yard receiver. For all intents and purposes, this offense was playing on Madden rookie mode last season.

While there hasn’t been many additions to this unit, there’s no reason to believe Ben Roethlisberger and company won’t be among the best offenses again in 2015. Le’Veon Bell is suspended for the first three games, but Pittsburgh signed veteran DeAngelo Williams to fill in for him early in the season.

The one thing to look at here is the progression of young receivers behind Antonio Brown, who led the league in both receptions (129) and receiving yards (1,698) last season. Markus Wheaton and Martavis Bryant combined for 79 receptions, 1,200-plus yards and 10 scores last season. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh added former Auburn standout Sammie Coates in the third round of the 2015 NFL draft. This gives the Steelers one of the most-talented receiver groups in the entire NFL.

4. New York Giants

Don’t look now, but the Giants have an opportunity to have one of the most-dynamic offenses in the NFL this year. Coming off a career season that saw him throw for 4,410 yards and 30 touchdowns, Eli Manning has the best supporing cast of his career. Shane Vereen joins a loaded backfield that already includes Rashad Jennings and Andre Williams, who combined for over 1,700 yards and 12 scores last season. He does so as one of the elite receiving running backs in the NFL—an area of the game that has been missing in New York since Ahmad Bradshaw’s departure.

In terms of the passing game, this unit promises to be special. Odell Beckham Jr. is coming off one of the best rookie seasons for a receiver in the history of the league—a rookie season that saw him put up 91 receptions for 1,305 yards in just 12 games. He will be joined by a former breakout star in Victor Cruz, who missed the final 10 games of the 2014 campaign with a serious knee injury. If Cruz returns to full health, it’s going to make the Giants’ passing game nearly unstoppable. His presence will also push Rueben Randle down on a notch on the depth chart, which has to be seen as a good thing for the Giants.

Overall, there is no real reason to believe the Giants’ offense won’t be among the best in the business in 2015. It’s all about utilizing the vast amount of talent to the best of its ability. If that happens in the second year of offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo’s system, watch out.

5. Denver Broncos

Should we expect the Broncos’ offense to take a step back in 2015? There is a real possibility that this happens. Denver is missing its two best offensive linemen from a year ago. Orlando Franklin signed with the San Diego Chargers in free agency, and starting left tackle Ryan Clady tore his ACL in practice last month. If it were anyone other than Manning under center in Denver, I would be worried. However, this future Hall of Fame quarterback is the best in the game at getting rid of the ball and finding receivers on timing routes. He’s best equipped to handle more pressure.

Denver also lost tight end Julius Thomas in free agency. More a product of Manning and the team’s offensive scheme, that’s unlikely going to be a major loss.

With new head coach Gary Kubiak prepared to implement more of a run-based attack, Manning will have the most balance on offense he’s seen in his career. C.J. Anderson is coming off a breakout 2014 campaign that saw him put up 1,173 total yards and 10 scores. He will be joined in the backfield by former second-round pick Montee Ball, who is coming off an injury-plagued sophomore campaign. If Ball is able to revert back to form, the Broncos’ running game might be one of the biggest surprises in the NFL.

As is always the case with Manning, he has the necessary talent at wide receiver to succeed. Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders combined for 212 receptions over 3,000 yards and 20 touchdowns last season. We also have to expect that 2014 second-round pick Cody Latimer will find himself playing a larger role in his second year.

Some may think Manning is regressing at this late stage of his career. And while that may very well be the case, the watered-down version of Manning we saw in the second half of last year is still a top-10 quarterback in the NFL.

6. Dallas Cowboys

DeMarco Murray’s absence from this offense won’t have anywhere near the impact that most people anticipate. One of the primary reasons for his success was the Cowboys offensive line, which was one of the most dominating in the recent history of the NFL last season. Now factor into the equation rookie La’el Collins, and this unit could, if at all possible, be even more dominating in 2015.

In terms of the Cowboys running game, the likes of Joseph Randle, Ryan Williams and Darren McFadden should be able to hold down the fort. The expectation here has to be that one will pick his game up and stand above the rest. In this, watch out for Williams, who has been mighty impressive behind-the-scenes in Dallas.

With Tony Romo, Jason Witten and Dez Bryant entrenched in as the face of this offense, there really is no reason to expect any sort of regression. If the likes of Terrance Williams, Devin Street and Gavin Escobar pick their games up, there is even a chance the Cowboys offense could be more dynamic than its No. 7 overall ranking last year.

Everyone always talks about the O-line as being the reason why Murray had so much success last year but in all honesty the Eagles are just as good and some may argue better at run blocking. The line was a huge factor of course but I think the treat of Romo and Dez also contributed to Murray's success. You wanna stack the box and stop the run? no problem. Romo and Dez will eat up that single coverage all day. Ok so now you wanna drop back and play the pass because you've been getting beat through the air all day? Here you go Murray expose that nickle defense. That's why I personally think Demarco isn't going to have anywhere near the production he had last year. No one fears that passing attack enough to back off and give Murray the lanes he had here.

 

[Sydla]

I know, but... Chip Kelly. He's the man with the plan, and I keep reading how Bradford was awesome before he got hurt. Plus, they stole Murray from us.

They really weren't third in scoring either. They had like 10 special teams/defensive TDs. If you adjust for that, their offense wasn't even top 6 in scoring I believe.

 

[Sydla]

Everyone always talks about the O-line as being the reason why Murray had so much success last year but in all honesty the Eagles are just as good and some may argue better at run blocking. The line was a huge factor of course but I think the treat of Romo and Dez also contributed to Murray's success. You wanna stack the box and stop the run? no problem. Romo and Dez will eat up that single coverage all day. Ok so now you wanna drop back and play the pass because you've been getting beat through the air all day? Here you go Murray expose that nickle defense. That's why I personally think Demarco isn't going to have anywhere near the production he had last year. No one fears that passing attack enough to back off and give Murray the lanes he had here.

PFF ranked their OL the best run blocking OL but PFF tends to suck up the Eagles for some odd reason. Football Outsiders had them the 16th best run blocking unit in the league last year.

And their OL has some issues. One, they went into this offseason needing to replace one OG and are replacing him with Allen Barbre (LOL). But now, they appear to be in a hold out situation with their other OG, Evan Mathis. If Mathis stays out or they cut or trade him, the Eagles are replacing two OGs with no real replacements in place. The next line of OGs are guys like Tobin, Gardner, etc. They'd be laughing at us if we were thinking about starting those guys at OG.

 

[erod]

Not understanding the Giants and Steelers on that list.

How are they any better than Detroit, New England, Seattle, New Orleans, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Baltimore......?

 

[DFWJC]

Not understanding the Giants and Steelers on that list.

How are they any better than Detroit, New England, Seattle, New Orleans, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Baltimore......?

I can't vouch for the Giants, but that Steelers offense is strong.
They were 2nd in total offense last year and way up there in scoring too.

 

[ShiningStar]

Eli's second year in the system, Cruz coming back, they drafted Flowers to help their OL, and their offense wasn't half bad last year. If Beckham stays healthy they could have a very good offense this year.

so Giants do taht, we lose Murray and all of a sudden they are better than us? WHAT?

 

[percyhoward]

There is even a chance the Cowboys offense could be more dynamic than its No. 7 overall ranking last year.

Total yardage rears its ugly, empty head again.

We were actually the league's #2 offense, behind only the Packers in points per drive.

 

[Wheeltax]

The media clamoring to say the Cowboys are regressing that far this year is starting to just get kind of hilarious