Your surprise teams

[Billy Bullocks]

Just put down a couple teams that weren't too great last year, but you feel will be good this year.

Dallas - We've discussed this one to death on this board, you know why or why not this team can come out of "nowhere"

Arizona - Warner is not great on his own, but he is playing in a very weak NFC West. Also, he has an excellent young WR corps w/ Fitzgerald, Boldin, and Bryant. The defense is young and aggressive, and I really like their rotation at RB. Shipp is good, except for his tendency to get injured, and living out here, I saw about 5 or 6 Cal games, Arrington is going to surprise alot of people.

Detroit - Besides Minnesota, the NFC North doesn't strike me as very good, so Detroit should benefit from this. Kevin Jones looked the part last year, and the WR, although young and unproven, have all the potential in the world. Harrington is out of excuses, and I have a feelin he won't need any this year. In fact, he didn't even have that bad a season last year, throwing for more than 3,000 yards and 19td's compared to only 12 int's. On the defensive side, they have one of the best DT's in Shaun Rogers, along with playmakers like Boss Bailey and Dre Bly.

Houston - Carr, just like Harrington is entering his 4th season and it's time to do something. The defense isn't too bad and neither are his weapons on offense. Johnson was looking down right scary last season. Carr and Johnson could be very good this year.

Jacksonville - They showed resilliance and grit last year. Leftwich showed he had leadership, and he is still very young. I liked the defense. Biggest question mark for me would be Fred Taylor. The Jags need him to be healthy in order to win. Also, for a team that is on the verge of breaking out, unless Matt Jones does pan out, and believe me, NFL scouts know more than I do, I still think this pick was too high, and too risky. We shall see. Jimmy Smith isn't getting any younger either, so the time for Jones to step up is sooner rather than later.

Add whomever you want.

 

[Vertigo_17]

I agree on Detroit...they've made some good acquisitions this year and should be much better - especially if Harrington starts living up to his potential

 

[jterrell]

Zona and Dallas.

 

[Qwickdraw]

I'm gonna have go with...

DALLAS (you know why)
ARIZONA (Warner and great draft)
DETROIT (killer youth on offense and bolstered lines)
OAKLAND (obviously Moss)
KANSAS CITY (although they were 7-9, they weren't that bad but I think they have improved)

 

[twa]

I'm gonna have go with...

DALLAS (you know why)
ARIZONA (Warner and great draft)
DETROIT (killer youth on offense and bolstered lines)
OAKLAND (obviously Moss)
KANSAS CITY (although they were 7-9, they weren't that bad but I think they have improved)

:stupid: :moon:

 

[TheSkaven]

I like Dallas, Arizona, and Oakland. You mentioned Moss, but what about LaMont Jordan? Kerry Collins is going to have a monster year, I really think Oakland can be scary good.

On the other side of the coin, Green Bay, San Diego, the Jets, and Pittsburgh will all take big steps back this season.

 

[Billy Bullocks]

Kansas City has made alot of good moves this offseason. I don't like their lack of playmaking at WR, but Larry Johnson proved he could be a capable runner as well, and as many touches as Priest should get, I think Johnson can help them grind the ball a little bit more. We are in an era where a good coach can make the difference between winning and losing, and Vermeil, despite being a bit emotional (boo hoo hoo Dick), he is one of the better coaches in the league. I think Bell will be good, although I don't see him being as good as he was in Pittsburgh(I personally feel that he rode that Rookie year a bit too hard). Surtain instantly makes that defense better. Derrick Johnson looks like a playmaker to me as well. My question for KC, who gets to the QB on that defense. You can be good, but not GOOD without a passrush. That's where I think they will fall short. Also the AFC West is a pretty good division.

Oakland doesn't strike me as a surprise team because of the hype they got, however I suppose any team that plays crappy last year and does good this year is considered surprise. I still have my suspicions about that defense, but that offense is very scary. To me, it comes down to Lamon Jordan. Is he worth the money. It's alot different carrying 5-10 times a game compared to 20. We've seen how good Moss makes a team with a mediocre defense and running game...8-8. They will be fun to watch though.

I'm going to the U of O next year, so I have a bit of bias towards Harrington.

 

[Billy Bullocks]

I like Dallas, Arizona, and Oakland. You mentioned Moss, but what about LaMont Jordan? Kerry Collins is going to have a monster year, I really think Oakland can be scary good.

On the other side of the coin, Green Bay, San Diego, the Jets, and Pittsburgh will all take big steps back this season.

Green Bay, it's quite obvious. 5 years ago, the loss of the Pro Bowl linemen, that had a huge part of Favre's streak of consecutive starts would seem less, simply because Favre was so great, but he is on the downside of his career(not saying I wouldnt be enthusiastic if he was one of the "old" timers we could bring in as our QB). I simply don't think that the team has fixed it's defense, and it's offense is not going to be as good. Minnesota is the class of the NFC North now.

San Diego had somewhat of a fluke season. Brees played very well, but he has done it for 1 season, I have my doubts about him doing it again. SD does play in a tough division. Tomlinson is the best back in the league, and Gates should overtake Gonzalez as the best pure receiving TE. It rests on Brees. Another question, is Merriman really that good at rushing the passer, because last I checked, that defense was good, but couldnt get to the QB.

The Jets, well, I love Curtis Martin, but like any RB getting up there in years, I think that you have to wonder how much longer he can perform at his current level( I don't think that 1600+ yards is going to happen again, but then again, no one thought he would do it last year either though). Jordan was a nice safety net and spell back for the Jets, he's gone. I think Coles is a better WR than Moss, and he had good chemistry with Pennington, so that is a positive for the Jets. Edwards finds a way to squeak out 9-10 wins every year.

Pittsburgh should have never even won 15 games last year. So in that regard they will take a step back. The games I did see, I saw Roethlisberger made some big throws. The defense is there. Bettis showed how good he can still be when Staley was out. As long as he only has to split carries this team will be able to play ball controll with a strong defense. Roethlisberger is going to be alot better too. This team might not win 15 games, but they will still make the playoffs. Only dillusional Pittsburgh fans really thought this team was a legit 15 win team. No Playoffs is a step back, but 10+ wins is not a failure in Pittsburgh. Most people probably know this

 

[Jimz31]

Dallas, AZ, Minnesota will surprise, and probably Jax.

 

[Idgit]

Washington (ducks). First off, it's not a surprise season if every publication or chat room yahoo in the country is picking a team for a surprise season. As for Wash, I like their defense, even with the position losses. They've made a ton of questionable moves this offseason, but I have too much respect for Gibbs to see him embarrassing himself again this year. They have upgraded their line in two positions, and with it, their running game. They were competitive late last year, peaking at the right time. I think they're in the wildcard hunt until very late in the season.

 

[KDWilliams85]

Haha, now you jump on Detroit's bandwagon. I mentioned them as a surprise candidate in a Super Bowl prediction thread a couple of months ago.

I'm still stickin' with them though. Harrington and that offense will be lethal.

 

[Jimz31]

Washington (ducks). First off, it's not a surprise season if every publication or chat room yahoo in the country is picking a team for a surprise season. As for Wash, I like their defense, even with the position losses. They've made a ton of questionable moves this offseason, but I have too much respect for Gibbs to see him embarrassing himself again this year. They have upgraded their line in two positions, and with it, their running game. They were competitive late last year, peaking at the right time. I think they're in the wildcard hunt until very late in the season.

Aren't they picked every year by the mediots to have a surprise season? Yet, it's the mediots who are surprised when they have a crappy season.

 

[Mash]

Zona in the NFC.....I think Green is a hell of a coach....not sold on Warner though.

The Titans....yes....I'm reaching here but here me out....NcNair is in the best shape in years....Brown is solid and their OL remains intack. Calico will replace Mason.....Chow is the wild card....I think he opens the offence up for McNair who I think is one of the best and most accurate QB in the league.

Their defence is young but promising.....

 

[Billy Bullocks]

Washington (ducks). First off, it's not a surprise season if every publication or chat room yahoo in the country is picking a team for a surprise season. As for Wash, I like their defense, even with the position losses. They've made a ton of questionable moves this offseason, but I have too much respect for Gibbs to see him embarrassing himself again this year. They have upgraded their line in two positions, and with it, their running game. They were competitive late last year, peaking at the right time. I think they're in the wildcard hunt until very late in the season.

I just don't see it. They have a good RB. A nice defense, but IMO, Smoot was alot better than people gave him credit for. Sorry, rookie CB don't usually fare to well in this league. Rogers will get picked on. Sean Taylor, well he's a head case. Their pass rush still isn't that scary to me. Gibbs may be great, but he just looked lost last year. Hey, they may be good this year, but I just don't see it. On top of it, they now have 3 guys on the roster at QB who at some point are/were counted on to be the starter.
Think about it this way, Campbell will probably end up costing them a top 10 pick, and the other picks they gave up to move up to get him. Is he really THAT good. Chances are, he doesn't even see the field this year.
On top of all that, who is going to catch the ball. Santana Moss? Come on, he's definately not an upgrade to Coles, and he's not a true #1 receiver, and that's how they payed him. Taylor Jacobs is looking more and more like the rest of the Gators WR in the pro's, worthless.



Also, I picked Detroit pre draft as a surprise team. I made a thread about it, I just wanted to see after FA and Draft how people thought about certain teams. So I'm not really on the bandwagon, plus how can it be a bandwagon when the team hasn't started winning, and I don't hear that many people even mentioning them. I also don't think they count on Garcia. He's been done for a while now. Persoanlly, I feel he was brought in as a back up, there to push Harrington, nothing more. Harrington was handed the reigns on draft day, and hasn't had to worry about his job since. Something had to be done to get him motivated

 

[lane]

dallas
cincy
detroit
arizona

 

[Hollywood Henderson]

I agree idget...I like the Skins and how they are coached on D, I LOVED watching the Vikings Skins game at the end of the year...

Great coaching by Gregg Williams, he was one or 2 steps ahead it seemed...
I also like Minny with Moss gone and D additions...

Sorry mash, I think Mcnair has too many hard miles on him...
Of course your great suprise for some anyway is the Cowboys...
We get on a roll and were going to be VERY tough!

If filthy doesn't play TO, they will tumble big time...bad chemistry there ether way...

 

[Qwickdraw]

:stupid: :moon:

Nice meeting you twa. Now please, stop pm-ing your pic to me...

Cincinatti is an intriging team, also. I think if they can screw Chris Henry's head on straight, he could develop into a real weapon. Rudi looks good and Chad Johnson is beast. Odell Thurman shoul add something as well.

 

[jobberone]

Just put down a couple teams that weren't too great last year, but you feel will be good this year.

Dallas - We've discussed this one to death on this board, you know why or why not this team can come out of "nowhere"

Arizona - Warner is not great on his own, but he is playing in a very weak NFC West. Also, he has an excellent young WR corps w/ Fitzgerald, Boldin, and Bryant. The defense is young and aggressive, and I really like their rotation at RB. Shipp is good, except for his tendency to get injured, and living out here, I saw about 5 or 6 Cal games, Arrington is going to surprise alot of people.

Detroit - Besides Minnesota, the NFC North doesn't strike me as very good, so Detroit should benefit from this. Kevin Jones looked the part last year, and the WR, although young and unproven, have all the potential in the world. Harrington is out of excuses, and I have a feelin he won't need any this year. In fact, he didn't even have that bad a season last year, throwing for more than 3,000 yards and 19td's compared to only 12 int's. On the defensive side, they have one of the best DT's in Shaun Rogers, along with playmakers like Boss Bailey and Dre Bly.

Houston - Carr, just like Harrington is entering his 4th season and it's time to do something. The defense isn't too bad and neither are his weapons on offense. Johnson was looking down right scary last season. Carr and Johnson could be very good this year.

Jacksonville - They showed resilliance and grit last year. Leftwich showed he had leadership, and he is still very young. I liked the defense. Biggest question mark for me would be Fred Taylor. The Jags need him to be healthy in order to win. Also, for a team that is on the verge of breaking out, unless Matt Jones does pan out, and believe me, NFL scouts know more than I do, I still think this pick was too high, and too risky. We shall see. Jimmy Smith isn't getting any younger either, so the time for Jones to step up is sooner rather than later.

Add whomever you want.

nice picks. Buffalo may surprise. Cincy is one of my picks.

 

[TobiasEagle77]

Chicago. I think they've been quietly building a very good team. They were hit hard with injuries last year. I like what I see in Grossman, if he can finally stay healthy. I like their approach on defense.

 

[SkinsandTerps]

Please anyone but Jacksonville. I cant stand that team, from top to bottom they are overrated.

The 2-3 of the other 4 I could definitely see as (somewhat) sleeper teams.

Arizona has a very solid D. The problem is/was that their offense just wasnt capable of producing (ala Commanders). That said I expect them to be better especially in that weak division.

Dallas has a good team, not great but good. Good teams have been successful lately. It wouldnt surprise me to see the Cowboys be a underrated team this season and surprise a few teams.

The Bengals are on the verge. We just need to see how much they have grown, over the off-season.

The Lions D is terrible. They have made improvement but still have issues. The Lions O is in the same boat as far as I am concerned. Although I do have Mike Williams on my early FF team.

This should be a very good football season.