Predict the playoffs 2017

[bmurph128]

AFC North: Steelers
AFC East: Patriots
AFC South: Texans
AFC West: Raiders
AFC Wildcard 1: Chiefs
AFC Wildcard 2: Ravens

NFC North: Lions
NFC East: Giants
NFC South: Panthers
NFC West: Seahawks
NFC Wildcard 1: Packers
NFC Wildcard 2: Cowboys

Only two changes from last year? There's always more turnover than that..

I know. I would have given the nod to the Rams, but you know how that goes...

Haha, I do. If you notice in my predictions (which will probably change before the season) I couldn't even bring myself to put in a homer wildcard pick. Sad times indeed. I used to be so optimistic...but the hammer of futility has blunted my optimism.

[Cactus Jack]

Only two changes from last year? There's always more turnover than that..

I know. I would have given the nod to the Rams, but you know how that goes...

Haha, I do. If you notice in my predictions (which will probably change before the season) I couldn't even bring myself to put in a homer wildcard pick. Sad times indeed. I used to be so optimistic...but the hammer of futility has blunted my optimism.

What are your thoughts on the new coach? He's so young. Early 30's. Crazy.

[bmurph128]

I know. I would have given the nod to the Rams, but you know how that goes...

Haha, I do. If you notice in my predictions (which will probably change before the season) I couldn't even bring myself to put in a homer wildcard pick. Sad times indeed. I used to be so optimistic...but the hammer of futility has blunted my optimism.

What are your thoughts on the new coach? He's so young. 30?

Love him. For one thing, any offensive coach would have made me happy after suffering through these Fisher years. But McVay has been described as the next Jon Gruden, and has gotten rave reviews from many people close to him.

Him getting Wade Phillips was just pure genius...we have the talent to be a top 5 defense, but Fisher always held that back too. Under Phillips I expect a consistently good defense...plus with all his experience, he can help McVay as the head coach.

It's a tricky situation he's in though. Fisher gifted us with so many unknowns...we have 4 offensive linemen that were drafted two years - no clue how good they are. Have to hope that at least 2 pan out. If so, our offensive line should be middle of the pack/good this year.

WR is going to come down to Tavon Austin...who, IMO, is not a WR. Woods/Austin/Pharoah Cooper/Cooper Kupp/Josh Reynolds is obviously underwhelming. But Woods and Austin were stuck under run first coaches and borderline (Please Use More Appropriate Word) offensive systems. Cooper/Kupp/Reynolds (the latter two being rookies) give us 5 complete unknowns at WR. Everett and Higbee at TE add to the unknown, and just for good measure, Gurley was awful last year. All that uncertainty around an unknown at QB is scary.

Here's where I'm optimistic - we have a full complement of draft picks going forward. McVay may or may not believe in Goff (obviously he's saying that he does) - this season is about figuring out what we have on offense and what we need. If we're bad enough that we get a top 5 pick, then I would expect him to draft another QB if Goff doesn't show improvement. If Goff does show improvement, we're likely not picking that high. The only drawback is, how do you judge your QB with so much unknown around them? But I am optimistic that Gurley is closer to his rookie year than last year and that the offensive line will be MUCH better. From there, McVay can work his magic with the passing game...maybe we're onto something.

It's ridiculous to even think about, but here is the best case I can see for the Rams:

Defense is top 5 and dominates
Gurley and offensive line improve to where we have a good run game and Goff has protection
At least one WR breaks out (bet would be Cooper Kupp)
Goff has a year of 20 TDs and 10 INTs

If that were to happen, I could see 8-10 wins. But the odds of all that happening..? Not good. My hope is to just see improvement from the offense. I would rather lose more games that show good offensive improvement than win games the "Fisher" way...since we're not a contender anyway.

[Cactus Jack]

Haha, I do. If you notice in my predictions (which will probably change before the season) I couldn't even bring myself to put in a homer wildcard pick. Sad times indeed. I used to be so optimistic...but the hammer of futility has blunted my optimism.

What are your thoughts on the new coach? He's so young. 30?

Love him. For one thing, any offensive coach would have made me happy after suffering through these Fisher years. But McVay has been described as the next Jon Gruden, and has gotten rave reviews from many people close to him.

Him getting Wade Phillips was just pure genius...we have the talent to be a top 5 defense, but Fisher always held that back too. Under Phillips I expect a consistently good defense...plus with all his experience, he can help McVay as the head coach.

It's a tricky situation he's in though. Fisher gifted us with so many unknowns...we have 4 offensive linemen that were drafted two years - no clue how good they are. Have to hope that at least 2 pan out. If so, our offensive line should be middle of the pack/good this year.

WR is going to come down to Tavon Austin...who, IMO, is not a WR. Woods/Austin/Pharoah Cooper/Cooper Kupp/Josh Reynolds is obviously underwhelming. But Woods and Austin were stuck under run first coaches and borderline (Please Use More Appropriate Word) offensive systems. Cooper/Kupp/Reynolds (the latter two being rookies) give us 5 complete unknowns at WR. Everett and Higbee at TE add to the unknown, and just for good measure, Gurley was awful last year. All that uncertainty around an unknown at QB is scary.

Here's where I'm optimistic - we have a full complement of draft picks going forward. McVay may or may not believe in Goff (obviously he's saying that he does) - this season is about figuring out what we have on offense and what we need. If we're bad enough that we get a top 5 pick, then I would expect him to draft another QB if Goff doesn't show improvement. If Goff does show improvement, we're likely not picking that high. The only drawback is, how do you judge your QB with so much unknown around them? But I am optimistic that Gurley is closer to his rookie year than last year and that the offensive line will be MUCH better. From there, McVay can work his magic with the passing game...maybe we're onto something.

It's ridiculous to even think about, but here is the best case I can see for the Rams:

Defense is top 5 and dominates
Gurley and offensive line improve to where we have a good run game and Goff has protection
At least one WR breaks out (bet would be Cooper Kupp)
Goff has a year of 20 TDs and 10 INTs

If that were to happen, I could see 8-10 wins. But the odds of all that happening..? Not good. My hope is to just see improvement from the offense. I would rather lose more games that show good offensive improvement than win games the "Fisher" way...since we're not a contender anyway.

Watching Hard Knocks last year really did expose Fisher. He didn't come off very well. His fate was sealed at that point from my pov.

[bleu]

Haha, I do. If you notice in my predictions (which will probably change before the season) I couldn't even bring myself to put in a homer wildcard pick. Sad times indeed. I used to be so optimistic...but the hammer of futility has blunted my optimism.

What are your thoughts on the new coach? He's so young. 30?

Love him. For one thing, any offensive coach would have made me happy after suffering through these Fisher years. But McVay has been described as the next Jon Gruden, and has gotten rave reviews from many people close to him.

Him getting Wade Phillips was just pure genius...we have the talent to be a top 5 defense, but Fisher always held that back too. Under Phillips I expect a consistently good defense...plus with all his experience, he can help McVay as the head coach.

It's a tricky situation he's in though. Fisher gifted us with so many unknowns...we have 4 offensive linemen that were drafted two years - no clue how good they are. Have to hope that at least 2 pan out. If so, our offensive line should be middle of the pack/good this year.

WR is going to come down to Tavon Austin...who, IMO, is not a WR. Woods/Austin/Pharoah Cooper/Cooper Kupp/Josh Reynolds is obviously underwhelming. But Woods and Austin were stuck under run first coaches and borderline (Please Use More Appropriate Word) offensive systems. Cooper/Kupp/Reynolds (the latter two being rookies) give us 5 complete unknowns at WR. Everett and Higbee at TE add to the unknown, and just for good measure, Gurley was awful last year. All that uncertainty around an unknown at QB is scary.

Here's where I'm optimistic - we have a full complement of draft picks going forward. McVay may or may not believe in Goff (obviously he's saying that he does) - this season is about figuring out what we have on offense and what we need. If we're bad enough that we get a top 5 pick, then I would expect him to draft another QB if Goff doesn't show improvement. If Goff does show improvement, we're likely not picking that high. The only drawback is, how do you judge your QB with so much unknown around them? But I am optimistic that Gurley is closer to his rookie year than last year and that the offensive line will be MUCH better. From there, McVay can work his magic with the passing game...maybe we're onto something.

It's ridiculous to even think about, but here is the best case I can see for the Rams:

Defense is top 5 and dominates
Gurley and offensive line improve to where we have a good run game and Goff has protection
At least one WR breaks out (bet would be Cooper Kupp)
Goff has a year of 20 TDs and 10 INTs

If that were to happen, I could see 8-10 wins. But the odds of all that happening..? Not good. My hope is to just see improvement from the offense. I would rather lose more games that show good offensive improvement than win games the "Fisher" way...since we're not a contender anyway.

If you haven't, you should certainly watch the Amazon series All or Nothing. They featured the Cardinals last year, and the Rams this year. It was really cool to see inside the Rams organization through the whole moving process, and honestly, if I were a Rams fan I feel like it would give me hope for the upcoming season. That coaching staff should be VERY good this year, especially with the addition of Wade Phillips.

[Otis Driftwood]

If you haven't, you should certainly watch the Amazon series All or Nothing. They featured the Cardinals last year, and the Rams this year. It was really cool to see inside the Rams organization through the whole moving process, and honestly, if I were a Rams fan I feel like it would give me hope for the upcoming season. That coaching staff should be VERY good this year, especially with the addition of Wade Phillips.

I need to give that a try. I caught the Cardinals series and it was way better than "Hard Knocks". As far as the Rams... it's still going to come down to Goff though. That's a massive investment in one position they can't afford to miss on.

[bleu]

If you haven't, you should certainly watch the Amazon series All or Nothing. They featured the Cardinals last year, and the Rams this year. It was really cool to see inside the Rams organization through the whole moving process, and honestly, if I were a Rams fan I feel like it would give me hope for the upcoming season. That coaching staff should be VERY good this year, especially with the addition of Wade Phillips.

I need to give that a try. I caught the Cardinals series and it was way better than "Hard Knocks". As far as the Rams... it's still going to come down to Goff though. That's a massive investment in one position they can't afford to miss on.

Yeah, I've tried to watch Hard Knocks and I really don't care much for it. I think the only reason I would watch another season of that is if the Panthers were on it. But I really have enjoyed both seasons of All or Nothing. It's cool to see more than just training camp, and it helps you realize and appreciate how incredibly difficult it is to win the NFL.

As far as the Rams go...they have a ton of really great pieces. I love this year's coaching staff, and they have huge talents like Gurley, Donald, Ogletree, Austin. But you're right, if Goff is a bust, none of that will matter. I think he's actually going to have a decent season, but they're still a year or two from a winning season.

[bmurph128]

If you haven't, you should certainly watch the Amazon series All or Nothing. They featured the Cardinals last year, and the Rams this year. It was really cool to see inside the Rams organization through the whole moving process, and honestly, if I were a Rams fan I feel like it would give me hope for the upcoming season. That coaching staff should be VERY good this year, especially with the addition of Wade Phillips.

I need to give that a try. I caught the Cardinals series and it was way better than "Hard Knocks". As far as the Rams... it's still going to come down to Goff though. That's a massive investment in one position they can't afford to miss on.

Yeah, I've tried to watch Hard Knocks and I really don't care much for it. I think the only reason I would watch another season of that is if the Panthers were on it. But I really have enjoyed both seasons of All or Nothing. It's cool to see more than just training camp, and it helps you realize and appreciate how incredibly difficult it is to win the NFL.

As far as the Rams go...they have a ton of really great pieces. I love this year's coaching staff, and they have huge talents like Gurley, Donald, Ogletree, Austin. But you're right, if Goff is a bust, none of that will matter. I think he's actually going to have a decent season, but they're still a year or two from a winning season.

Yea haven't had time to watch it yet, but I'm definitely going to.

In this case though, the Rams can afford to miss on Goff. With the rookie salaries being so cheap, you can draft a QB #1 overall for 3 years in a row if you need to.

With all the questions at other offensive positions, and a new coaching staff, if Goff does indeed end up being a bust, we'll just draft another QB.

[Otis Driftwood]

I need to give that a try. I caught the Cardinals series and it was way better than "Hard Knocks". As far as the Rams... it's still going to come down to Goff though. That's a massive investment in one position they can't afford to miss on.

Yeah, I've tried to watch Hard Knocks and I really don't care much for it. I think the only reason I would watch another season of that is if the Panthers were on it. But I really have enjoyed both seasons of All or Nothing. It's cool to see more than just training camp, and it helps you realize and appreciate how incredibly difficult it is to win the NFL.

As far as the Rams go...they have a ton of really great pieces. I love this year's coaching staff, and they have huge talents like Gurley, Donald, Ogletree, Austin. But you're right, if Goff is a bust, none of that will matter. I think he's actually going to have a decent season, but they're still a year or two from a winning season.

Yea haven't had time to watch it yet, but I'm definitely going to.

In this case though, the Rams can afford to miss on Goff. With the rookie salaries being so cheap, you can draft a QB #1 overall for 3 years in a row if you need to.

With all the questions at other offensive positions, and a new coaching staff, if Goff does indeed end up being a bust, we'll just draft another QB.

It's not so much the pick (Goff)... it's what they gave up for the pick. That's my point about him succeeding. Giving up a 1 and a 3 in this years draft as well as the picks they gave up last year is an expensive proposition when it comes to a guy being a bust. He fails and you set your progress back a couple of years. Especially with the pieces mentioned earlier.

[bmurph128]

Yeah, I've tried to watch Hard Knocks and I really don't care much for it. I think the only reason I would watch another season of that is if the Panthers were on it. But I really have enjoyed both seasons of All or Nothing. It's cool to see more than just training camp, and it helps you realize and appreciate how incredibly difficult it is to win the NFL.

As far as the Rams go...they have a ton of really great pieces. I love this year's coaching staff, and they have huge talents like Gurley, Donald, Ogletree, Austin. But you're right, if Goff is a bust, none of that will matter. I think he's actually going to have a decent season, but they're still a year or two from a winning season.

Yea haven't had time to watch it yet, but I'm definitely going to.

In this case though, the Rams can afford to miss on Goff. With the rookie salaries being so cheap, you can draft a QB #1 overall for 3 years in a row if you need to.

With all the questions at other offensive positions, and a new coaching staff, if Goff does indeed end up being a bust, we'll just draft another QB.

It's not so much the pick (Goff)... it's what they gave up for the pick. That's my point about him succeeding. Giving up a 1 and a 3 in this years draft as well as the picks they gave up last year is an expensive proposition when it comes to a guy being a bust. He fails and you set your progress back a couple of years. Especially with the pieces mentioned earlier.

Any failed pick sets you back...we were already set back (to 4 wins) from giving up what we gave up in last years draft for Goff...but this year we ended up with 8 picks...it was always way overblown that we "mortgage the future" to take Goff.

[Mich3006]

AFC East: Patriots
AFC North: Steelers
AFC South: Titans
AFC West: Raiders
------------------------
AFC Wildcard #1: Broncos
AFC Wildcard #2: Ravens (honorable mention: Texans and Chiefs)

NFC East: Giants
NFC North: Packers
NFC South: Falcons
NFC West: Seahawks
-------------------------
NFC Wildcard #1: Lions
NFC Wildcard #2: Buccaneers (honorable mention: Eagles and Cardinals)

As far as the Rams go...they have a ton of really great pieces. I love this year's coaching staff, and they have huge talents like Gurley, Donald, Ogletree, Austin. But you're right, if Goff is a bust, none of that will matter. I think he's actually going to have a decent season, but they're still a year or two from a winning season.

All or nothing is great but Arizona was way better than the Rams this year, it´s really tough seeing those guys being that bad... and it solidified Jeff Fisher´s legacy as one of the worst NFL-coaches ever, this guy is ridiculous.

[bleu]

AFC East: Patriots
AFC North: Steelers
AFC South: Titans
AFC West: Raiders
------------------------
AFC Wildcard #1: Broncos
AFC Wildcard #2: Ravens (honorable mention: Texans and Chiefs)

NFC East: Giants
NFC North: Packers
NFC South: Falcons
NFC West: Seahawks
-------------------------
NFC Wildcard #1: Lions
NFC Wildcard #2: Buccaneers (honorable mention: Eagles and Cardinals)

Curious where all the Titans love is coming from. To me, this feels much like last season when everyone was hyping the Jags. Is it just because of Mariota? Do you think they're actually going to be a solid team or is this just a shoe-in since they play in such a weak division?

[Mich3006]

AFC East: Patriots
AFC North: Steelers
AFC South: Titans
AFC West: Raiders
------------------------
AFC Wildcard #1: Broncos
AFC Wildcard #2: Ravens (honorable mention: Texans and Chiefs)

NFC East: Giants
NFC North: Packers
NFC South: Falcons
NFC West: Seahawks
-------------------------
NFC Wildcard #1: Lions
NFC Wildcard #2: Buccaneers (honorable mention: Eagles and Cardinals)

Curious where all the Titans love is coming from. To me, this feels much like last season when everyone was hyping the Jags. Is it just because of Mariota? Do you think they're actually going to be a solid team or is this just a shoe-in since they play in such a weak division?

The Titans would´ve made the playoffs if Mariota wasn´t injured in that Jaguars game IMO + they add quality on crucial positions(Decker and Davis on the WR; Logan Ryan, Cyprien and Jackson on DB). They´re simply the best team in their division and I really think they can be a threat for most teams in the AFC, they don´t have any weak spots.

[WestbrookGOATed]

AFC East: Patriots
AFC South: Texans
AFC North: Steelers
AFC West: Chiefs
WC1: Raiders
WC2: Bengals

NFC East: Giants
NFC South: Falcons
NFC North: Packers
NFC West: Cardinals
WC1: Seahawks
WC2: Bucs or Cowboys

[bleu]

Lots of love for the Bucs as well. I like Winston a lot, and they have tons of tools. I'm just not quite sure I see them making the jump yet.

[bmurph128]

Lots of love for the Bucs as well. I like Winston a lot, and they have tons of tools. I'm just not quite sure I see them making the jump yet.

I think the difference between the Titans/Bucs and the Jags is that the Titans/Bucs are coming off of seasons where they made real progress (W/L). The Jags hype was always just talent and potential based. Also helps that the Titans play in the worst division in football and the Bucs play in the ever changing NFC South. I don't think I've ever successfully picked the winner of that division before the season..

[bluejerseyjinx]

AFC North - Pittsburgh
AFC East - Miami
AFC South - Tennessee
AFC West - Kansas City
AFC WC - Denver
AFC WC - New England

NFC East - Dallas
NFC North - Green Bay
NFC South - New Orleans
NFC West - Arizona
NFC WC - Atlanta
NFC WC - Detriot

You just lost all credibility! Ernie?

Actually, to me this is the hardest division to pick a winner. Anything can happen in this division and usually does.

[bleu]

AFC North - Pittsburgh
AFC East - Miami
AFC South - Tennessee
AFC West - Kansas City
AFC WC - Denver
AFC WC - New England

NFC East - Dallas
NFC North - Green Bay
NFC South - New Orleans
NFC West - Arizona
NFC WC - Atlanta
NFC WC - Detriot

You just lost all credibility! Ernie?

Actually, to me this is the hardest division to pick a winner. Anything can happen in this division and usually does.

If by "anything can happen in this division" you mean "the same team has won this division 13 out of the last 14 times" then yes, you are correct.

[kylefountain12]

NFC East: Giants
NFC North: Packers
NFC South: Falcons
NFC West: Seahawks
NFC WC1: Bucs
NFC WC2: Lions

AFC East: Patriots
AFC South: Titans
AFC West: Raiders
AFC North: Steelers
AFC WC1: Chiefs
AFC WC2: Ravens

[TheOnlyQuayH]

AFC North - Pittsburgh
AFC East - Miami
AFC South - Tennessee
AFC West - Kansas City
AFC WC - Denver
AFC WC - New England

NFC East - Dallas
NFC North - Green Bay
NFC South - New Orleans
NFC West - Arizona
NFC WC - Atlanta
NFC WC - Detriot

You just lost all credibility! Ernie?

Actually, to me this is the hardest division to pick a winner. Anything can happen in this division and usually does.

Is there a way to ban him?