NFL Football Thread 2015

[PokerFace]

With Bosa gone Ramsey should have been Dallas Pick. Jaguars did good. Jags will take Miles Jack early round 2

Browns did what I wanted for once, trade down and get a wide receiver. I'm just not sure that was best receiver

Maybe the baylor boys (RG3, Gordon, and now coleman) will work out well together...

fat chance gordon loves weed too much

[PJ.]

Didn't Gordon already fail a drug test this year and Goodell is basically refusing to meet with him for reinstatement?

Coleman is really really good and none of those WRs were head over heels better than the next. They were all just really different players that all were rated about the same.

[PokerFace]

yes gordan failed a drug test which is why i made that joke

none of those WRs were head over heels better than the next. They were all just really different players that all were rated about the same.

This is why I am unsure we got best one. Likely won't be able to tell who is best until season happens

[pickemgenius]

Treadwell best receiver.

Coleman prob 2nd best.

atleast you didnt get(imo) busto Fuller.

[Papa Zito]

gotta go fast

[PJ.]

Fuller is gonna be what they want. I'm just not sure that's where you draft a Torrey Smith-type. But maybe that could be a supply-demand issue with this crop of receivers being the slowest in the 11 years since data has been kept on that.

[PokerFace]

Browns draft better than it has been in years

[PJ.]

Maybe. That's the only bummer about the draft, who knows. It takes like 3-4 years to find out.

[PokerFace]

We may not be able to tell how good a prospect is at this point, still it feels like browns are making better decisions from a draft point of view

pre 2015 season browns have no real receivers but gordon who was about to be out for the season. Browns draft no wide receivers that year

pre 2016 season browns have no real receivers but gordon who may be out for the season again. Browns draft 4 receivers and a catch first tight end

Its hard not to notice this improvement

[PokerFace]

I personally think Jaguars had best draft this year and AFC south should be very interesting as HOU, IND, and JAX could all reasonably take that division.

[3dicerolling]

I think the Saints had a pretty decent draft. I don't think they'll be too great this year, but I'm hoping for some rebuilding.

[PJ.]

Idk man. People seem to be talking up Jacksonville but they also kinda include fowler as part of this draft and are assuming he's gonna be a productive player. I think there is too much speculation to really believe Jacksonville is a team at this point. Bortles tore it up in fantasy but he actually did not play very well. The receivers are productive but they get a lot of balls. If these rookies don't pan out, they are still at square 1. Jack and Fowler could be great players or they could be perennial IR guys.

[AGar]

I think the big thing with Bortles is that while he didn't play great, he showed positive progression. YPA went up to 7.3 vs 6.1 in 2014. His TD% went up to 5.7% from 2.3% in 2014 (That will probably come back down to earth this year but still, progress is good to see), and his INT% went down from 3.5% in 2014 to 2.9% in 2015. So it projects out as a solid offense with Robinson/Hurns/Thomas as pass catchers and the two headed monster of Ivory/Yeldon to lean on in the backfield. The defense can definitely use improvement, but they have 3 high upside guys coming in this year in Fowler, Ramsey and Jack, and the fact that they went almost entirely defense with this draft gives them some more long-odds chances to add impact pieces.

[PJ.]

I agree with everything you said. I just think there's a positive and a negative light it can be seen in. Bortles made progress. But he's not playing nearly as well as his contemporaries. The receivers are putting up numbers, because they couldn't really run the ball. The line isn't great and they didn't do enough to make it better. They have added 3 impact players to the defense, but those players might have less knees than required to play football.

[AGar]

I agree with everything you said. I just think there's a positive and a negative light it can be seen in. Bortles made progress. But he's not playing nearly as well as his contemporaries. The receivers are putting up numbers, because they couldn't really run the ball. The line isn't great and they didn't do enough to make it better. They have added 3 impact players to the defense, but those players might have less knees than required to play football.

Yeah, this is definitely a team that could suddenly catch fire and rattle off a 10-6 season (especially because lolAFCSouth), or we see everything goes wrong on their way to a 3-13 record.

Either way, them and Oakland are going to be my two favorite non-Dallas teams to follow this year.

[PJ.]

I think the other teams in the AFC South are more interesting. But that division seems wide open.

[Kmd4390]

Can someone enlighten me on why people are considering the Broncos favorites to win the AFC West again or is it really as simple as "well last year was good"?

I mean this is a team that limped into the playoffs. Sure, they had a nice playoff run. They got hot, and I mean hot, at the right time. But they went 2-2 in their last 4 regular season road games (the two wins being against the lowly Chargers and Bears) and 1-2 at home in divisional games (the win again being over the Chargers). They lost Jackson and Travathan on defense. They went from Manning/Osweiler to Sanchez/Lynch at QB (although adding Stephenson and Okung helps). I mean, Bleacher Report gives them a D+ on their offseason so far and it's hard to disagree.

How is this not a KC vs Oakland battle for the division. I expect Denver to finish ahead of San Diego and maybe even close to second place (hell they could take second if injuries happen or Oakland acquisitons don't pan out), but I don't consider them favorites by any means. As a Raiders fan, the Chiefs scare me so much more than the Broncos. No one seems to agree and I'd like to know why.

[3dicerolling]

Realistically, all this analysis about who got "the best draft" or which team "drafted poorly" is all speculation.

The "worst draft" could turn out to be the best draft. We'll just have to wait and see.

[Kmd4390]

I don't think anyone is denying that. Speculation is half the fun though.

[pickemgenius]

chiefs scarier to me as well.

[PokerFace]

I think its likely Raiders or Chiefs win the west. Given the JETS QB issues and CIN WR issues, I would not be surprised if the AFC playoff seeds shake out as follows:

1-PIT
2-NE
3-OAK
4-HIJ?
5-KC
6-DEN

[AF 5353]

The AFC West is not a battle between OAK and KC because the Broncos had terrible QB play last year as well and still won the Super Bowl. As a Jets fan I can attest to how bad Sanchez is, but he's not necessarily as bad as the combined putrid QB play DEN had last season. If they could overcome such poor play last last year and win it all, how could they, with largely the same roster, not be preseason favorites to win the West? They may not win it, but to count them out now doesn't make much sense to me.

IMO that division is wide open, except the Chargers have no chance if they get bit with the injury bug as bad as they did last year.

[Kmd4390]

Ok, but they lost key players. They aren't the same team. It's not "largely the same roster". And they weren't great all year. They started about the ugliest 7-0 I have ever seen and then limped into the playoffs. To think they repeat the weird season they had is nuts.

[AF 5353]

I don't think they'll repeat as SB champions. Just that writing them off now is very premature.

[Kmd4390]

Well we are in agreement then