Your surprise teams

[TheSkaven]

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.

Wasn't that the thread where you said Dallas won't make a playoff run because they're not proven, so you're going with Detroit?

 

[Established1971]

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.

Jordan should be interesting to watch. He could end up being the classic guy who has the high avg per run in junk back up time and flops when he gets his shot (like Hambrick). I didnt watch much Jets football but with C Martin's totals I have to assume Jordans runs came in junk time to some degree. We shall see.

 

[blindzebra]

I think it will be a very crazy year.

None of the good teams kept all the pieces or improved on their warts.

Several so-so teams made good moves on paper.

I think you could see 11-5 getting home field this year in both conferences, with a lot of teams in that 8-8/9-7 range.

The only truely hopeless teams are SF and CLE.

The biggest surprises will be playoff teams from last year that could tank this year with SD, ATL, and PIT dropping like rocks.

 

[dargonking999]

I dont think Det will do anything, in my opinion they have so much talent and i dont think they really havea grasp on what they wanna do,

they have 3 round 1 WR,

and round 1 RB,

and i think(not sure) round 1 QB,

there defense is inconstant, and i'm not sure there gonna be that much better this year, remember they were the only team last year that peyton throw for SIX td's on,

i say the surprise teams will come from the AFC

 

[Zaxor]

my take

Detroit Mooch can coach

Wash I think they will have better chemistry and I think Gibbs staff is
getting back into the swing of things

Bengals I say the bengals every year but I can see them even winning their
division

-----

now my do to fall teams

GB just don't see how they will be competitive

Pitt they played good D and ran alot last year this year teams will be ready

NE the lost of the two coordinators hurt more than the loss of any player

-----

Teams who will fail to meet expectations or those teams that are hyped

Seattle a team needing some influx of talent

SD they had a lot of breaks go there way last year I don't think they will
again this year

Dallas - sorry but implementing a new defensive scheme...an under achiever at QB and so very many new/different parts it will need time to come together....plus we have a very strong reliance on over 30 year old players
Key, Glenn, Glenn, Ferguson, Allen, Rivera, Glover, Bledsoe, Robinson, Adams, Reese, Singelton... there are others like ogbogu..but they are not starters and others on the border of 30 like Campbell...but not counting anything but starters thats 12 out of 26 starters LS,K,P, Nickle back being the 4 other starters outside of the def, off...so almost half of our starters are over 30 and these are very key players for our success...to think that we will be injury free is wishful thinking...the question becomes how much of a drop off in talent there will be when one or more of these guys get hurt...I think Bill has this thing headed in the right direction...I just don't think its gonna be this year though

 

[JackMagist]

I picked Detroit last year as the surprise team of the year and they disappointed but I am still sticking with them this year. Mooch is too good a coach not to get a winner out of the talent that he has on that team.

I also pick Dallas to step it up and make the playoffs but that won't really be a surprise unless they out beat Philthy and take the division. We have the best shot at it that we have had in the last 5 or 6 years. We appear to be much improved and the Iggles are in the midst of a lot of team turmoil plus they have lost some key people and have not replaced them adequately IMO.

 

[Phoenix-Talon]

I also pick Dallas to step it up and make the playoffs but that won't really be a surprise unless they out beat Philthy and take the division.

Good luck. There's always a wildcard birth. I wouldn't be surprised at that. but I've even heard a Commanders buzz that indicates a surprise performance.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

Dallas - Either them or the Giants. Great coaching, nice looking O-Line with 3 Pro Bowlers involved, Pro Bowl Tight End, very good running backs (especially if Julius stays healthy), great looking secondary. What scares me is their front seven, Bledsoe (I just don't trust him), and I've got this eerie feeling some player will get injured that will really stymie this team.

Giants - Improved O-Line and I'm thinking Manning has to be better. Like their receivers and running back. Corners stink, but they have a great pass rush.....which happens to be the greatest correlation between winning and losing in the NFL. Pitfalls I see are if Strahan doesn't comeback well from his injury, the corners, and if Coughlin's style just continues to rub guys the wrong way.

Arizona - Much better looking defense, although they have problems at linebacker (unless Blackstock becomes a legit starter) and they lack depth in their secondary. What works best for them is the AFC West is weak and Green is by far the best head coach of the bunch.

Tampa Bay - Never count out a team with a great gameplanning coach and a good defense that sacks the Quarterback.

Kansas City - Their secondary scares me a little bit, and so does their LB's in coverage. But, defense is improved and already can sack the QB. Great offense and should be much much better on special teams.

Cincinnati - I really like Marvin Lewis and they have such a nice offense with a really good O-Line, a talented quarterback, talented receivers, and a good running back. Their defense is shaky, but their secondary makes plays and they'll be improved at LB. Their LB's in coverage concern me a bit.


Rich...........

 

[InmanRoshi]

Cleveland - I really see this as a team that's been undercoached for the last 3-4 years, and hasn't been playing up to their talent level. Especially on offense. Crennel will get the defense playing to a high level. Dilfer will be solid at QB, and they have really nice offensive weapons. I could see a 9 win season for them.

Chicago - Lovie Smith is quietly building a very talented, young defense. If Cedric Benson can give them a ball control offense they could win with a low-scoring, ball control gameplan.

Detroit will win once Mooch benches Harrington and puts in Garcia. Probably around Week 4.

 

[InmanRoshi]

Forgot to add Kansas City. Its really rare that you see a team with a losing record that scores 50 more points than they allowed on the season. That usually signifies a team that dominated several games, which bad teams typically can't do, and then wound up losing a an inordinate amount of close ones. They along with Carolina were the only teams in the NFL with a losing record with a + margin on points forced - points allowed, and Carolina was only up by +5. Using the pythagorean winning percentage, Kansas City would have been a 9-7 ball club.

They've made some nice aquisitions in the offseason without really losing anyone of note. The only thing you have to be wary of is that its not a young team, and age is beginning to take hold.

Conversely, I'm staying off the Jacksonville bandwagon. They are one of the few teams with a winning record that allowed more points than they scored last year. They had the 29th ranked scoring offense in the NFL, and now it appears as though they might lose their most productive player off that unit to injuries. They really haven't added anyone on offense other than a rookie coverted college option quarterback, and they're implementing a new offensive system to boot. I'm skeptical.

 

[BillsFan]

I like the Giants this year. I can see them challenging Philly with a record of 11 - 5 or 10 - 6.

Lots of people picked the Bengals to do well also. I agree with that.

 

[Gill]

Giants,Eli is going to be a pain for many years

 

[Banned_n_austin]

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.

Mine are the same as yours except for Jacksonville. I don't see them being that good. I'm not a big Leftwich fan though ...

 

[CaptainComeback]

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

Minny should be good but everyone else in that division is questionable. There's room for upward mobility for the Lions

 

[CaptainComeback]

Mine are the same as yours except for Jacksonville. I don't see them being that good. I'm not a big Leftwich fan though ...

Most of the experts are big fans of Leftwich, but what do you know about quarterbacks? You don't like Henson either and he's played like 1/2 a game and you already know he's a bust. What's not to like about Byron Leftwich? If we had him under center this year with this team, we'd easily be a playoff team.

If Henson becomes a just a good quarterback I can't wait to watch you make a full about face on him."blah, blah, blah...I always knew he was gonna be good...blah, blah, blah."

 

[Billy Bullocks]

The thing is, and I said it, Jacksonville goes nowhere without Fred Taylor. He's easily the most underrated RB in the league, never seems to get mentioned with the best of em, but he is up there.

Dargon King, yes Harrington was a 1st rounder, in fact he went #3 overall.

 

[InmanRoshi]

Exactly, Fred Taylor averaged 4.7 yards per carry, and Jacksonville still finished 29th out of 32 NFL teams in scoring offense.

I'm not ready to drink the Leftwhich Kool-Aid just yet.

 

[dargonking999]

Dargon King, yes Harrington was a 1st rounder, in fact he went #3 overall.

Exactly and what have they really done with all these first round picks, losing season after losing season, Mooch is a great coach, but i dont see them in the playoffs, untill their defense becomes constant, and they figure what there gonna do on offense

Is Harrington the real deal

Are we done selecting WR's in the first round

ARe they gonna pass(#3 Overall QB), or run(First round RB)?

IMO they have to many questions on both sides of the ball to do anything, and unlike ours there's wont be solved by TC

 

[Trophy#6]

Dallas,..Arizona,...Cincy,...Oakland

 

[Banned_n_austin]

Most of the experts are big fans of Leftwich, but what do you know about quarterbacks? You don't like Henson either and he's played like 1/2 a game and you already know he's a bust. What's not to like about Byron Leftwich? If we had him under center this year with this team, we'd easily be a playoff team.

If Henson becomes a just a good quarterback I can't wait to watch you make a full about face on him."blah, blah, blah...I always knew he was gonna be good...blah, blah, blah."

Actually, If Henson turns out, then I'll say I was wrong. Like every other time I've been wrong.