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National Football League

Page 198 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
Dec 7, 2010
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Went back and read some of the thread after Saints were GOODell slapped them around like his biach's. Remember the "ignorance is not an excuse" used on Sean P. Hell he single-handedly decided that the Saints would not have a season that year and damaged them for the next years.

There are still signs up in Uptown / Magazine street with respect to the commissioner and where he can go etc.

Patriots welcome to the party.
 
Jun 15, 2009
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I guess it goes deeper than "dives"... Just read a german article about Venzke, how he was treated by coaches in the all-or-nothing business. Coach like: "You wasn´t injured in 2 years, can you practise?". Ya all know the answer, how he made it to be up there on the field, no matter of strains, pulls, ligaments, whatever...
And U.S.A. believes that approach brings the best out of humans. No, WTF, no, it´s not. It brings the most reckless out on top, but not the best. PM and Favre are perfect examples...
Walter Camp made a beautiful game for young men. And then it got spoiled. Sad story.
 
Good article. Much of what comes out of ESPN is claptrap these days, but I think that was on point.

Meanwhile, there actually is other news in the NFL these days!

The Dolphins have signed Ryan Tannehill through 2020, for "$77m". Is it a good deal? Always hard to read the numbers in the NFL, but the key seems to be time, versus fully guaranteed, and that number seems to be $25m. He's the first QB from the 2012 class to sign a second deal (Luck, RG3, Russell Wilson, etc.)

EJ Manuel has apparently fallen so far there are rumors he'll be cut in Buffalo. Keep in mind, this is after Kyle Orton took a somewhat early retirement. Bill Roman says they aren't cutting EJ though. But this is still quite the fall.

Justin Smith of SF also retired, leaving yet another gap in that once high powered defense to fill.

Did anyone quietly notice that after the Steelers put Djck LeBeau out to pasture, the old dude would have none of it, and he landed in Tennessee? Might be interesting. It looks like the Titans have a lot of cap room coming up in the future. I sure hope they don't toss Mariota to the wolves though. We'll see.

Jadeveon Clowny (remember him?) is apparently on track and will be ready for camp. IF, and I still think it's a pretty big if, as microfracture surgery does a lot of people in, especially in football, but if he can perform, the Texans defense could be extremely tough. Having both Gary Kubiak and especially Wade Phillips long gone, I see hope.

Speaking of, did anyone notice that they both ended up in Denver? John Elway fired John Fox to hire Kubiak and Phillips? Anyone bother checking out their past histories? Favoritism and nepotism are alive and well in the NFL. It's not what you know...

Finally, the owners meeting may determine what to do with the PAT. Latest talk is to move it back to the 20 for a kick. I'm okay with that.
 
I'm glad, but I would have preferred it from the 20 or 25. As is, kickers still made 93% of all kicks from the 15.

I still think the solution is what they tried in the Pro Bowl, bring the uprights in. And Bronco kicker Connor Barth agrees: "Narrowing the uprights would make it a lot more challenging than moving the extra point...Most guys can hit 33-yarders in their sleep."

I'd also like to get rid of the flags on the posts. The goal here is that kicks are relatively boring, and fairly automatic, and fans aren't that interested in seeing games decided by kickers. So this new rule doesn't change a lot. But at least it's a step in the right direction.

The 2019 Superbowl will be played in Miami, Tampa, New Orleans or Atlanta. There's a chance Los Angeles will host 2020, but only if they get a team (is it that obvious?) I was hoping Chicago would make the list, since last year's game in New York, the cold and weather was hardly a factor at all.

Speaking of LA...The Chargers and Raiders have hired Carmen Policy to help push through the $1.7b stadium to perhaps be built in Carson that would host both teams. Personally, I think if the Raiders move back to LA it would be a travesty. The Raiders just belong in Oakland to me. The cities are so diametrically opposite, and the Raiders completely fit the city of Oakland and their fans. One bit of good news is that Marc Davis spoke to fans recently saying he wanted the team to stay. He has $500m of his own to put up, and is willing to sell a minority stake in the team to keep them in Oakland. The NFL will kick in some as well, but the poor city of Oakland is still going to have to pony something up, and find some way to deal with real estate, ticket and parking surcharges, etc. and that may be the toughest part for that town and it's many working poor citizens.

The Chargers, I'm neither here nor there where they go. However, they aren't ready to move just yet. A new $1.2b stadium was proposed there, one that avoids the biggest hurdle without having to clear it: No taxpayer vote is needed.

Not to be outdone, the latest proposal for a St. Louis stadium is topping $1b as well. Off to a rough start in that it's being potentially built on Native American ground, and a historic area. But Missouri requires no archeological study, like many other states do, so the team would have to pony up the cash up front.

All of this gets interesting as this week team owners will be discussing all of this. Davis is in the most intriguing situation as what's he going to say to the league? I want the team in both Oakland, and LA?

I've said what I did before, once one deal closes in one of these cities, the city that blinks next loses a team. Put another way, if San Diego approves it's stadium in SD, very soon after either StL or Oak will strike a deal, let's pretend it's Oakland. That all but dooms the Rams chances of staying in St. Louis. Switch the teams around and you'll get the same results. The greatest pressure is if St. Louis however deals first. That puts tremendous pressure on the California teams.
 
Jul 4, 2009
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....so here is the latest in the biggest like NFL scandal of all time, well, at least since last week....apparently the Pats are going to accept their punishment which would lead one to believe that they realized they were in fact in an untenable position ( or as some comments have pointed out Kraft may simply not relish confrontation )....which is too really bad because this issue had months of good solid arguing potential left in it ( and we hadn't even got to the building of conspiracies yet....which would have months more of even more forum fun...)

http://espn.go.com/boston/nfl/story/_/id/12913741/robert-kraft-says-new-england-patriots-appeal-deflategate-punishment

Cheers
 
I hope LA gets a team. SD not in SD is just NOT right. So stay in SD SD. Same for the Raiders... with all that history, like SD in SD, they belong in Oakland. So, by process of elimination.... that's my hope.

Time to pick a bone with USA Today Chris Chase, who wrote this article "The secret reason Tim Tebow was signed by the Eagles" (http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/the-secret-reason-tim-tebow-was-signed-by-the-eagles/ar-BBknOSf). He says the only reason Tebow was signed by Chip, with all the focus going on over Chip's off season moves, is to be a human shield for Chip. The theory is the media will turn Tebow's signing into a circus, diverting attention away from Chip. Chrissy boy, I don't give a rats behind what Chip's reason was, or what Tebow does for that matter. I do know Tebow will give it his best shot. And if anyone likes an underdog, Tebow is definately that. So, go Tebow. We will see come September how it all pans out. THAT's all I really care about.

If Chris C was an attorney he'd be an ambulance chaser.
 
I actually think he has a point, somewhat. Well, it's certainly a talking point, and he's dead on about some, if not all, of Kelly's decisions.

I think the issue here is picking on Tebow, as if he really has zero chance to make it in the NFL even as a third string QB, and the only value is as a distraction. I suppose we will see about that, but I k ow I'll be pulling for Tim. I hope what the article says about Tim working a great deal to improve his play is true. It's hard not to like the guy. Well, maybe easy for an ambulance chasing attorney.

The entire team to LA issue could get messy. USA today wrote an article on it, I'm not going to repeat or link (I'm on a iPad at a hotel). It's worth a look though, and says what I did before, the team who loses out of the three, could get stuck in a dumpy stadium for some years. And all three cities have old, crappy stadiums. It's easy to,see why Marc Davis is pushing so hard, and even offered up minority ownership of the Raiders, to keep them in Oakland. You would think with all the Silicon Valley billionaires and multi-millionaires, at least one of them would like the idea of owning a piece of the team. We shall see though.
 
Good points. Sometimes I wear my emotions on my sleeves and I blurt out stuff. Right or wrong.

I agree the author has a point. Although I still think bringing Tebow in simply to deflect attention is a bit out there. But if he's accurate, and I can see where it could happen, then the signing is chicken S:. It is just as likely they brought Tebow in just to have another arm for camps with or without intentions or evaluating if he can help the team next season, which is standard practice in the business. So what is the difference between that as opposed to bringing him in to deflect attention? To Tebow, probably not much. He's still going to go about it the same way, by making the most of his opportunity and see what happens. To me, I see an author looking to make something out of someone's misfortune (that is the ambulance chaser analogy). And it has become tiresome.
 
Peter King (another in a long line of "experts" Foxxy would remind us guess no better than you or me) has listed his off-season NFL Power Rankings. I won't list them all, but the top, bottom, and some thoughts.

1. Baltimore - I like them too, but top overall?
2. Seattle - Don't disagree. Will losing Dan Quinn hurt?
3. Green Bay - Agree. I like their overall chances.
4. Kansas City - Say what?
5. New England - Soft division helps, but defensive holes need filling.
6. Minnesota - AP is back, and they could make a wildcard run, but 6??
7. Philadelphia - Hahaha! Yes, on Sam Bradford's legs and arm. Right!
8. Pittsburgh - Young and old, but stability helps.
9. Denver - I see them starting to swoon, and not this high.
10. Arizona - Seems about right. Can Carson stay healthy? Stanton?!
11. Indy - I'm surprised they are this low. I like them about 5th. D a ? though.
12. Cincy - Still a solid team. Tough division. Dalton average.
13. Dallas - Only 13? Would think higher, but they historically are up/down.

22. NY Giants - They added some offensive weapons, and I see them doing better. Like 8-8, and an attempt at the SB.
26. San Francisco - What a free fall. He might be right though.
28. Houston - Too low? Their defense is just stacked. Is Clowny healthy?

http://mmqb.si.com/2015/06/01/nfl-power-rankings-peter-king-daughter-wedding/
 
I would agree with your thoughts on King's rankings.
BAL & GB - I might swap them
SEA - Richard is a smart defensive coach who would have learned a lot from Quin, and Richard says 'if it ain't broke don't fix it'. Then Tatupu replaces Norton as the LB coach. Coaching won't hurt SEA. The OLine might. Big question marks there primarily at Center. And then how quickly can the new young faces be brought along by Cable and be serviceable backups when a starter goes down? I DO like some of the OL prospects though. They play mean style ball.
KC - too high
PHI - a bit of a crap shoot. Kelly's experiment could go either way.
ARI & DAL - both too low
STL @ 19 - King was really down about Foles ability to help Rams. But Foles will not need to lead the team. They just need him to be a game manager as they pound the ball with the run game, which is why they draft the RB - forget his name - in round 1. I think they should be higher. And their defense just got better in the draft.
OAK - feel they should be higher.
 
I suspect King is just trying to think outside the box or something in order to garner attention. And he dropped my Lions down to 17. :eek:

IMHO KC and Minny are way too high, while the Ravens are a bit high. The media discourse has been very high on Minny recently, so he is jumping on that. KC is his out of the box pick, and Baltimore are always good though rarely number one AFAIK.

Still power rankings are very hard to confirm even if you get them right, since the divisions have different opponents each year.

For example in 2013 the division that took a nosedive was the NFC Least. They played the AFC North and NFC North that year. Last year the division that took a nosedive was the NFC South. They played the AFC North and the NFC North.

So is this just a coincidence or is this a pattern. If it's a pattern then the NFC West is gonna stink. :p

Personally I suspect that the two Norths are really good but underrated while NFC East and South where average and overrated.

Still put a bad team in a good division against a bad division, and their record(and power ranking) should be better than they really are.

Profootballfocus has a series on the different depth chart with how they rank the players:
https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2015/06/01/2015-depth-chart-updates/

It's based on their judgment, so not only their pff grades.
 
Re:

Alpe d'Huez said:
Peter King (another in a long line of "experts" Foxxy would remind us guess no better than you or me) has listed his off-season NFL Power Rankings. I won't list them all, but the top, bottom, and some thoughts.

1. Baltimore - I like them too, but top overall?
2. Seattle - Don't disagree. Will losing Dan Quinn hurt?
3. Green Bay - Agree. I like their overall chances.
4. Kansas City - Say what?
5. New England - Soft division helps, but defensive holes need filling.
6. Minnesota - AP is back, and they could make a wildcard run, but 6??
7. Philadelphia - Hahaha! Yes, on Sam Bradford's legs and arm. Right!
8. Pittsburgh - Young and old, but stability helps.
9. Denver - I see them starting to swoon, and not this high.
10. Arizona - Seems about right. Can Carson stay healthy? Stanton?!
11. Indy - I'm surprised they are this low. I like them about 5th. D a ? though.
12. Cincy - Still a solid team. Tough division. Dalton average.
13. Dallas - Only 13? Would think higher, but they historically are up/down.

22. NY Giants - They added some offensive weapons, and I see them doing better. Like 8-8, and an attempt at the SB.
26. San Francisco - What a free fall. He might be right though.
28. Houston - Too low? Their defense is just stacked. Is Clowny healthy?

http://mmqb.si.com/2015/06/01/nfl-power-rankings-peter-king-daughter-wedding/
I give him points for doing something different than the usual Seattle- New England -Green Bay- Indy etc.

Is he right? Probably not, but he is right in so far as things change drastically from season to season and teams surprise
 
Profootball Focus rankings:

Profootball Focus rankings:
Top ten:
1 Seattle Seahawks

2014 Ranking: 1

Top five players: Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Marshawn Lynch, Jimmy Graham, Russell Wilson

Starters who should be upgraded: Lemuel Jeanpierre, J.R. Sweezy, Justin Britt, Tony McDaniel

Analysis: The best roster in football belongs to the Seahawks. The team, which was littered with injuries at the time, came up one play short of winning back-to-back Super Bowls, and that had more to do with a questionable play call and a fantastic defensive play than any sort of roster weakness.

The offensive line remains below average at best, but Wilson, Lynch and now Graham give the Seahawks weapons perfectly suited to make up for any blocking issues, especially when their read-option plays are added into the equation. Lynch broke 130 total tackles last season, including the playoffs, while no other back got near 100.

The Legion of Boom was very banged up by the end of that Super Bowl, but Sherman and Thomas remain elite talents, and there are quality players all over the defense. Even free-agent pickup Cary Williams, much maligned in Philadelphia, could have a pretty good year in a defense that puts better talent around him and supports his aggressive play. With the roster in this kind of shape, the Seahawks aren't going anywhere for a while.

2 Green Bay Packers

​2014 Ranking: 8

Top five players: Aaron Rodgers, Randall Cobb, Josh Sitton, Jordy Nelson, Clay Matthews

Starters who should be upgraded: Letroy Guion, B.J. Raji, Sam Barrington, Davante Adams

Analysis: Top to bottom there are several teams with more talent than the Packers, but the boost they receive for having Rodgers -- the league's best quarterback -- is substantial. Top passers can cover up a lot of cracks, and quarterbacks as good as Rodgers can elevate a roster from good to excellent.

If there is a worry for this team, it remains up the middle, where the retention of both Guion and Raji is a concern given their play last season. On offense, Rodgers is helped by having a pair of elite targets -- Nelson and Cobb -- while Eddie Lacy is capable of raising himself to the top tier of running backs with a little more consistency.

3 Baltimore Ravens

2014 Ranking: 16

Top five players: Marshal Yanda, Ricky Wagner, Kelechi Osemele, Terrell Suggs, Brandon Williams

Starters who should be upgraded: Courtney Upshaw

Analysis: There's a lot to like about the Baltimore roster. No, Joe Flacco isn't elite, but the offensive line became one of the league's best a year ago and that paved the way for an excellent season from running back Justin Forsett, who returns for 2015. Rookies have the potential to make a big impact on this team: Wide receiver Breshad Perriman and tight end Maxx Williams could become two of the Ravens' top three targets on offense by season's end.

The defense is not quite what it once was, but it's still full of good players. Cornerbacks Jimmy Smith and Lardarius Webb should be better if they can just stay healthy. Defensive tackle Haloti Ngata has departed, but Brandon Williams and Timmy Jernigan played very well last season and should fill that void.

4 New England Patriots

2014 Ranking: 6

Top five players: Devin McCourty, Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Dont'a Hightower, Jamie Collins

Starters who should be upgraded: Alan Branch, Bryan Stork, Ryan Wendell

Analysis: If nothing else, the Patriots made some of the most interesting roster moves in the game. This offseason they began by dismantling the secondary that was the backbone of their Super Bowl-winning defense. Gone are Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner, two players who played a big role in New England's success last year. Instead of investing heavily at the position in free agency or the draft, the Patriots didn't select a cornerback until Darryl Roberts in the seventh round -- two rounds after selecting a long-snapper from Navy.

Elsewhere, the team has talent in key places, with the Brady-Gronkowski connection enough to create a high-powered offense on its own.

5 Denver Broncos

2014 Ranking: 3

Top five players: Von Miller, Chris Harris Jr., Malik Jackson, Demaryius Thomas, C.J. Anderson

Starters who should be upgraded: Gino Gradkowski, Derek Wolfe, Sylvester Williams

Analysis: Denver is still able to maintain a quality roster around high-priced quarterback Peyton Manning thanks to some smart drafting and having a few key players on very cheap contracts (such as running back Anderson). Outside linebacker Miller and cornerback Harris are elite players at key positions, and the Broncos have found quality players across other important spots like defensive end Jackson.

The concern for this roster is the offensive line, which has become even more acute a problem since Ryan Clady went down this offseason with a season-ending injury. Clady hadn't been playing to his previous level in some time, but rookie Ty Sambrailo out of Colorado State represents a major downgrade as he adjusts to a much higher level of competition. Louis Vasquez now remains the only quality player on what used to be one of the league's better lines.

6 Philadelphia Eagles

2014 Ranking: 5

Top five players: Jason Peters, Evan Mathis, DeMarco Murray, Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham

Starters who should be upgraded: DeMeco Ryans

Analysis: Head coach Chip Kelly's offseason overhaul still has the Eagles in good shape, particularly along the offensive line, which is one of the NFL's best units when healthy. Adding Sam Bradford at quarterback probably doesn't provide much of a change in production from what Kelly has gotten out of Nick Foles and Mark Sanchez the past two years, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. At running back, Murray and Ryan Mathews combine with the versatile Darren Sproles to give the offense multiple options.

Defensively, the Eagles are led by defensive end Cox up front, while outside linebacker Graham will get his first extended look as a starter after five productive seasons in a part-time role. The addition of Kiko Alonso will help the middle-of-the-field coverage, while Mychal Kendricks continues to improve every year. The position to watch is cornerback, where Byron Maxwell comes over from Seattle, and Nolan Carroll will battle rookies Eric Rowe and JaCorey Shepherd for the starting role vacated by the departing Bradley Fletcher, who was coming off a disastrous 2014.

7 Detroit Lions

2014 Ranking: 11

Top five players: Calvin Johnson, Golden Tate, Glover Quin, Ezekiel Ansah, Larry Warford

Starters who should be upgraded: Brandon Pettigrew, Travis Swanson, Bill Bentley, Jason Jones

Analysis: The Lions have done a really good job of upgrading their roster the past few seasons. Elite talents like Johnson remain, but they have been augmented by a steady influx of talent on both sides of the ball: Wide receiver Tate, free safety Quin, defensive end Ansah and guard Warford.

As a result, the Lions have a roster with few holes, even after the departure of Ndamukong Suh in free agency. They nearly won a close, controversial playoff game last season, and it won't take much of an improvement for Detroit to be a real contender in 2015.

8 Minnesota Vikings

2014 Ranking: 29

Top five players: Adrian Peterson, Harrison Smith, Sharrif Floyd, Everson Griffen, John Sullivan

Starters who should be upgraded: Brian Robison, Chad Greenway, Matt Kalil

Analysis: Getting Peterson back in the fold will do wonders for this team, but the Vikings' biggest reason for optimism is how Teddy Bridgewater finished the 2014 season at quarterback. Over the final five weeks, he was PFF's highest-graded passer, one spot better than Rodgers. Over the final six games, he was second only to Drew Brees. If he plays in 2015 the way he ended 2014, the Vikings are a legitimate threat to make the playoffs (particularly if Kalil rebounds from a poor 2014 campaign).

Under Mike Zimmer, the defense has taken significant steps forward and could get even better with another step from guys like Xavier Rhodes, who flashed elite talent last season.

9 Cincinnati Bengals

2014 Ranking: 7

Top five players: Carlos Dunlap, Geno Atkins, Vontaze Burfict, Andrew Whitworth, A.J. Green

Starters who should be upgraded: Domata Peko, A.J. Hawk, Rey Maualuga, Russell Bodine, Mohamed Sanu

Analysis: The Bengals are a team with a lot of talent that is being weighed down by their quarterback. Andy Dalton can be awful one week and fantastic the next, and while the Bengals have done well to surround him with good weaponry and blocking, he hasn't proven he can be a consistently effective NFL quarterback.

Cincinnati's defense has a lot of talent, especially if Atkins gets back to his best after a down 2014. The linebacker corps is a concern, with Burfict coming off a knee injury.

10 New Orleans Saints

2014 Ranking: 4

Top five players: Drew Brees, Junior Galette, Jairus Byrd, Zach Strief, Max Unger

Starters who should be upgraded: Nick Toon, Erik Lorig, Dannell Ellerbe

Analysis: The Saints have a rebuilt offensive line that has the potential to be excellent. Unger, acquired in a trade with Seattle, gives New Orleans one of the league's best run-blocking centers, and rookie tackle Andrus Peat allowed just nine total pressures in his final season at Stanford. That overhaul came at the cost of Jimmy Graham, of course, but the Saints still have Brees and a loaded backfield to help make up for it.

Galette's offseason pectoral injury bears monitoring, as he is the only proven pass-rusher they have at the moment. If he misses significant time, rookie outside linebacker Hau'Oli Kikaha might have to play a major role.
The Rest are also in the link:
https://www.reddit.com/r/nfl/comments/39bo5y/espn_insider_pffespn_ranking_the_rosters_of_all/

2015 Ranking Team 2014 Ranking
1 Seahawks 1
2 Packers 8
3 Ravens 16
4 Patriots 6
5 Broncos 3
6 Eagles 5
7 Lions 11
8 Vikings 29
9 Bengals 7
10 Saints 4
11 Cowboys 18
12 Steelers 27
13 Colts 12
14 Browns 24
15 Bills 20
16 Panthers 22
17 49ers 2
18 Chargers 14
19 Chiefs 10
20 Giants 19
21 Jets 23
22 Rams 31
23 Dolphins 13
24 Cardinals 9
25 Bears 15
26 Texans 25
27 Redskins 26
28 Raiders 28
29 Buccaneers 17
30 Titans 21
31 Falcons 30
32 Jaguars 32

I would argue that the release of Evan Mathis by the eagles, moves them down at least one spot, meaning my Lions move up to 6th. :p
 
Seahawks littered with injuries?

Littered with injuries is when your #1 quarterback is out. Its what Arizona had last year when both their quarterbacks were out. What GReen bay had when their quarterback and number 1 defender was out. What Rams had, what plenty of teams had.

Seahawaks had their number 1 player healthy, number 2 player healthy, number 3 player healthy, number 4 player healthy and number 5 player healthy. Basically better off than 90% of the league.
 
I would agree with you completely Hitch. That's the exact thought that came into mind. As someone was once quoted on here, for the most part injuries in the NFL are a wash, and the Seahawks were exactly in that wash. Arizona on the other hand were missing both QB's, plus some top defensive players, and more.

As to that list, I'm still really surprised "experts" are thinking so highly of the Eagles. They are all just assuming as well that Sam Bradford will be 100% healthy the entire season? And when has he really played that well? No one has answered that. Even if he's hurt, somehow Mark Sanchez will lead them to some sort of 11-5 season. Really?

I still think Denver will not be as good as these experts think. They may start the season okay, but I have little faith in Kubiak or Wade Phillips, who have track records of coaching talented teams to poor records, and big losses in key games. I also think Manning is a few nagging injuries from being almost unable to play. This may not show up in September or October, but late in the season?

I'm also surprised about the Vikings, as I didn't really see anything from Teddy Bridgewater that lead me to see a playoff run from the team, though I didn't watch them that closely. Also, the Cowboys are getting such low credit from these experts as well, and I'm not sure why.

Finally, they have the Colts way down the list as well as Peter King did, which puzzles me. They've been very good the last few seasons, Andrew Luck is coming right into his prime with all the talent in the world, plus, almost everyone agrees they had a very good off-season, including adding some players on defense. So, what gives?
 
About the injuries I kind of agree about the Seahawks. They lost Avril and Lane during the game while Thomas and Sherman were playing with injuries. I think in this case the littered with injuries seems to be a justification for their ranking that might not be warranted. To me that oline does not look good.

But I don't agree that injuries are a wash. Some teams are hurt more than others during the season. I kind of think of loosing your QB as a catastrophic injury, so I put that in a totally different category. That the Cards were still going strong with their QB2 was very impressive. But the dropoff to QB3 was just too much, especially when they had no run game.

About the rankings, this is based off of their assessment of the individual players on the rosters based on their PFF grade and their view of the level of the player. It not a prediction or projection of how their seasons will go.
Here is a link to all their roster assessments:
https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2015/06/01/2015-depth-chart-updates/

Their color coding is based on Blue(elite), Dark Green(Very Good), Green(good), yellow(average) etc.
So for the eagles:
https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2015/06/01/2015-depth-charts-update-philadelphia-eagles/

You can see they had two elite players on the oline with one player with not enough information on(this is from before Mathis release). Otherwise all the positions on offense and defense contain average or better players in all positions except for one WR spot containing their 1st round pick(Aghalor).

Thats pretty good if you look through and compare to the other rosters. Bradford is considered an average QB while Sanchez is considered below average.

As for the Broncos, their roster looks good but with a questionable oline:
https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2015/06/04/2015-depth-charts-update-denver-broncos/

My feeling about the Broncos in the media is that many suffer from a recency bias. It's difficult to let go of the image of the most recent Peyton version we saw. Which Manning we get during the season is a big part of how good they will be, but their roster is still pretty good either way.

On the Vikings, PFF ranked Bridgewater very highly in his first season and they don't have a lot of holes on the roster.
https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2015/06/02/2015-depth-charts-update-minnesota-vikings/

Remember these are based on the PFF grades from last year and before if available. And good grades doesn't necessarily mean good play/wins. It's just that the grading system and graders viewed their performance that way in the games.

The Cowboys have below average players at RWR, FB, HB, RCB and FS. So I'm fine with their ranking that low.
https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2015/06/01/2015-depth-charts-update-dallas-cowboys/

The Colts have below average players at C, RG, RT, LCB, RE and LE.
https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2015/06/03/2015-depth-charts-update-indianapolis-colts/

The have a poor Oline, and Dline. The media loves Luck, but I think he is overrated since he has played in the weakest division in the NFL since he was drafted. The media and most of the experts are like a flock of sheep following the bell. Last year Cutler was the future MVP, and the Bucs were sure to be great. This year not so much. Luck has the benefit of being a media darling, with myhs about how bad of a team the Colts were when he got there. He has played well but he can't do it on his own. The great off season they had is just media spin. We won't know if it was good until the players have performed. Both the Bucs and the Bears had great off seasons last year. Gore is coming from a great Oline to a ? Johnson is getting a better QB, but how much has age caught up to him? On defense they look thin almost everywhere. Mathis is coming off a major injury.
 
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Injuries indeed are a wash. Ofc, sometimes teams get on a luck streak. But over a longer period of time, things even out...
Bad teams seem to have more injuries. But that is b/c players are put on IR en masse to get roster space to test unproven players. Winning teams otoh try to get their players up no matter what. Thus putting players on IR only, if it´s obvious the player in question can not return latest come playoffs time.

The most unreal story I heard of, was that of speedster Barksdale. He had to fake a leg injury, was put on cruches, and filmed with it (as "evidence") in Raiders camp... Yet he was completely healthy, hidden for a year on IR because the Raiders needed his roster spot (see Dr Huizengas book)...
 
@Alpe
Yep. One example is the Packers. Their defensive interior on the dline and linebackers look really weak. But they are forgiven because of Arod.

On coaches, I think evaluating them is futile. For example is Mike McCarthy a great coach with a great QB, or is Mike McCarthy riding Rodgers coattails? We have no idea what the coach ads to the equation. We can just guess.

@Foxy
By longer I'm thinking years, not a season. Then I would agree injuries are a wash. I'm more thinking about the missing players contribution to the team. If I want to evaluate how hard a team was hit during a season I would look at how many of their presumed starters were out and when it happened. How bad this affects the team depends on the the quality of the player missing, his replacements quality, scheeme etc. Counting players is not really that interesting.

I think some teams also draft injured players to have them sit out a year. Let's say you get a 2nd round talent in the 4th round etc.
 
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ToreBear said:
@Alpe
Yep. One example is the Packers. Their defensive interior on the dline and linebackers look really weak. But they are forgiven because of Arod.

On coaches, I think evaluating them is futile. For example is Mike McCarthy a great coach with a great QB, or is Mike McCarthy riding Rodgers coattails? We have no idea what the coach ads to the equation. We can just guess.

@Foxy
By longer I'm thinking years, not a season. Then I would agree injuries are a wash. I'm more thinking about the missing players contribution to the team. If I want to evaluate how hard a team was hit during a season I would look at how many of their presumed starters were out and when it happened. How bad this affects the team depends on the the quality of the player missing, his replacements quality, scheeme etc. Counting players is not really that interesting.

I think some teams also draft injured players to have them sit out a year. Let's say you get a 2nd round talent in the 4th round etc.

I guess you agree the Vegas opening line oddsmakers are experts? One guy of the sportsbooks explained at length how a opening line is evaluated. The only time they change lines because of injuries is when the starting QB is out*, or injuries come in clusters. The latter happens less than one would expect in the brutal NFL (please read the Moldea book, a strong recommendation)...
So even in a single season, injuries even out to a good portion.

* And that is mostly because the betting public gives too much credit to QB-play influence. But the oddsmakers have to take care of that too when setting the op line. A "wrong" one costs millions...

About coaches: They don´t win you games, but they can lose them. Lots and lots of them... Have a look at Norv the smurf, McCartney wasting two Packers seasons (one he saved in the end by just sneaking into the playoffs with a high quality team), the guy that coached the NYJ last year, Butter-Ball in the late 80s-early 90s... (and many more ofc: Also need to mention Wade Phillips. Benching Flutie before the playoffs in a high quality winning season. Ouch. The biggest blunder ever. Let´s see if Kelly can top him this year with his off-season antics)

And then there is Beli-Cheat. That guy is so much above the rest he actually seems to win games without being on the field. Having 10+ win seasons each year, no matter how hard hit by FA loses, QB injuries, bad WR play one year, bad D play the other... He just wins, no matter what. And he certainly isn´t the only one cheating/using obscure tactics (see the guy with tits that coached the Saints D)...
 
My exact thoughts on coaches. You can indeed evaluate them. Norv Turner was handed the keys to the kingdom in SD. A team Shottenheimer took to 14-2, heading right into Rivers prime, with many other big players in tact. And he repeatedly botched big games. The team is now so down and out, I'm all but certain they are the one team that will move to LA, unless two teams do as well.

As to Belicheck, if the Patriots fired him tomorrow, nearly every other team in the league would fire their coach ASAP to get him. I think what Bum Phillips said about Don Shula truly plays to Belicheck. He could beat you with his players, or you could switch teams, and he'd beat you with your players.

Meanwhile, the 49ers have come up with an unheard of idea. During practices, every 27 minutes the practice will stop so that players can be active on social media. I kid you not. This is not an Onion article. It's rooted in a Stanford study that after 27 minutes, the millennial generation on average can no longer keep their attention. Could you imagine Belichek, Jeff Fisher or Tom Coughlin doing this? Somewhere Tom Landry, Chuck Noll and Vince Lombardi are rolling over in their graves.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2498072-san-francisco-49ers-changing-team-meeting-structure-to-cater-to-millenials
 
Re:

Alpe d'Huez said:
Meanwhile, the 49ers have come up with an unheard of idea. During practices, every 27 minutes the practice will stop so that players can be active on social media. I kid you not. This is not an Onion article. It's rooted in a Stanford study that after 27 minutes, the millennial generation on average can no longer keep their attention. Could you imagine Belichek, Jeff Fisher or Tom Coughlin doing this? Somewhere Tom Landry, Chuck Noll and Vince Lombardi are rolling over in their graves.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2498072-san-francisco-49ers-changing-team-meeting-structure-to-cater-to-millenials

:eek:

talk about lowering the bar. ridiculous.

there will be plenty of time for social media once they finish their regular season and are watching the playoffs on TV.
 

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