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Alpe d'Huez

Alpe d'Huez

Mar 11, 2009
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Some QB predictions: I expect somewhat of a dud of a year for Dak Prescott. Rodgers will soon show he is finally, truly washed up. Geno Smith wills the Raiders to some wins but not the playoffs. Russell Wilson won't last long as the Giants starter due to him fading even more. Flacco will get hurt fairly early in the season, and Gabriel will look so-so, and Shedeur will eventually play and not look good. Spencer Rattler won't last long as the Saints starter, and Shough will be better, but the Saints will still struggle. JJ McCarthy will struggle. Sam Darnold will be just okay. Brock Purdy will show he's good, but lacks receivers. And Michael Penix will show us he is a true starting NFL QB.
 
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Nomad

Apr 20, 2016
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Alpe d'Huez said:
Some QB predictions: I expect somewhat of a dud of a year for Dak Prescott. Rodgers will soon show he is finally, truly washed up. Geno Smith wills the Raiders to some wins but not the playoffs. Russell Wilson won't last long as the Giants starter due to him fading even more. Flacco will get hurt fairly early in the season, and Gabriel will look so-so, and Shedeur will eventually play and not look good. Spencer Rattler won't last long as the Saints starter, and Shough will be better, but the Saints will still struggle. JJ McCarthy will struggle. Sam Darnold will be just okay. Brock Purdy will show he's good, but lacks receivers. And Michael Penix will show us he is a true starting NFL QB.
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Prescott will probably get hurt again - he seems to be getting fragile. And you have to wonder how well he can play on a surgically-repaired completely rupture hamstring that's usually career ending for a lot of athletes.

Rodgers is probably washed up as far as a starting QB goes. His lack of mobility & foot speed is killing him out there. On the plus side last year he played an entired 17 game season without getting injured & his passing stats were decent for a starting QB (sub-par by Rodgers' standards though). But he was sacked 40 times with 5 fumbles - so when the pocket collapses...he collapses. He doesn't have the ability anymore to extend plays & play effectively off-schedule like he could in his younger days. And he's one hard hit away from being carried off in a stretcher.

The wildcard with the Raiders is Jeanty. If he can explode out of the gate rushing for 100 plus yds every game, that'll open up the passing game for Smith. And he's got a top-5 TE in Bowers. So, IMO, if Jeanty shines, I think the Raiders can make some noise. And I like what Carroll brings to the team. He's a winner & he has said he expects success from the team & not just a rebuilding season.

Wilson has to play flawlessly & win in order to keep Dart on the bench. Flacco is a risk out there - he's also one hard hit away from being carried off in a stretcher. It's seems like his ceiling is about 5-6 games given his age now (he started 6 games last year for the Colts). I think we could eventually see rotating QBs out there with Gabriel & Sanders.

I have no idea of what's going on in NO. Is it going to be rotating QBs with Rattler & Shough? Lol. Neither seems ready to start. Moore has got a mess on his hands.

McCarthy can't afford to struggle. O'Connell has high expectations for him with Jefferson & Hockenson to throw to, and a playoff-caliber roster. Postseason for McCarthy & the Vikings or things are not looking good for him, IMO.

Darnold is also going to have to play flawlessly to keep his job. McDonald said he's incorporating Milroe into situational plays involving different formations, schemes, etc. This shows Darnold's lack of mobility & running ability vs the dual-threat capability of Milroe. Milroe undoubtedly is the future of the franchise.

Purdy is going to have win & win often now that he has the big contract. He can't hide behind the excuses of injuries anymore. He's got make things happen & find a way to win no matter what now that he's a top-8 salary franchise QB. He needs to become a playmaker & make things happen like the playmaking ability of Mahomes, LJ, Allen, etc. If the 9ers have a losing record by mid-season, fans will be booing him like crazy. Lol. If the 9ers have a losing record by the end of the season failing to make the postseason, heads will roll.
 
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movingtarget

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Nomad said:
Prescott will probably get hurt again - he seems to be getting fragile. And you have to wonder how well he can play on a surgically-repaired completely rupture hamstring that's usually career ending for a lot of athletes.

Rodgers is probably washed up as far as a starting QB goes. His lack of mobility & foot speed is killing him out there. On the plus side last year he played an entired 17 game season without getting injured & his passing stats were decent for a starting QB (sub-par by Rodgers' standards though). But he was sacked 40 times with 5 fumbles - so when the pocket collapses...he collapses. He doesn't have the ability anymore to extend plays & play effectively off-schedule like he could in his younger days. And he's one hard hit away from being carried off in a stretcher.

The wildcard with the Raiders is Jeanty. If he can explode out of the gate rushing for 100 plus yds every game, that'll open up the passing game for Smith. And he's got a top-5 TE in Bowers. So, IMO, if Jeanty shines, I think the Raiders can make some noise. And I like what Carroll brings to the team. He's a winner & he has said he expects success from the team & not just a rebuilding season.

Wilson has to play flawlessly & win in order to keep Dart on the bench. Flacco is a risk out there - he's also one hard hit away from being carried off in a stretcher. It's seems like his ceiling is about 5-6 games given his age now (he started 6 games last year for the Colts). I think we could eventually see rotating QBs out there with Gabriel & Sanders.

I have no idea of what's going on in NO. Is it going to be rotating QBs with Rattler & Shough? Lol. Neither seems ready to start. Moore has got a mess on his hands.

McCarthy can't afford to struggle. O'Connell has high expectations for him with Jefferson & Hockenson to throw to, and a playoff-caliber roster. Postseason for McCarthy & the Vikings or things are not looking good for him, IMO.

Darnold is also going to have to play flawlessly to keep his job. McDonald said he's incorporating Milroe into situational plays involving different formations, schemes, etc. This shows Darnold's lack of mobility & running ability vs the dual-threat capability of Milroe. Milroe undoubtedly is the future of the franchise.

Purdy is going to have win & win often now that he has the big contract. He can't hide behind the excuses of injuries anymore. He's got make things happen & find a way to win no matter what now that he's a top-8 salary franchise QB. He needs to become a playmaker & make things happen like the playmaking ability of Mahomes, LJ, Allen, etc. If the 9ers have a losing record by mid-season, fans will be booing him like crazy. Lol. If the 9ers have a losing record by the end of the season failing to make the postseason, heads will roll.
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I think the 49ers offense will be alright but the defense with a lot of new blood is probably going to take longer. Expect Kittle to get more of the ball while Aiyuk is out but the expectations for Pearsall are pretty high at WR. They have Jennings back but he's hardly practiced, They have Robinson suspended until week 4 due to his DUI. The RB room looks solid as long as injuries don't mount up but many agree that WR could be a potential problem. Aiyuk is due back mid season or thereabouts. Guerendo will probably do a bit of receiving and RB duties and maybe special teams but Brian Robinson will be the RB 2 now

Going to be very interesting to see what Darnold can do without his elite receivers but it seems that a lot of people think that Seattle might be getting underrated. Think the NFC West will be very competitive with Seattle and the Cardinals expected to improve, the Rams on a tough schedule and the 49ers with question marks.
 
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movingtarget

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SHAD0W93 said:
I think:
Bills vs Lions Super Bowl
Bills vs Ravens AFCGC
Lions vs Eagles NFCGC
AFCE Bills
AFCN Ravens
AFCS Texans
AFCW Chiefs
5th Bengals
6th Chargers
7th Broncos or a surprise Patriots
NFCE eagles
NFCN Lions
NFCS Bucs
NFCW Seahawks
5th Commanders
6th Packers
7th Vikings



I feel like only 3-4 are absolute locks though.
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Bills and Ravens have the usual problem. They have to get past the Chiefs. Eagles the obvious favourites in the NFC. I think the Lions run into problems in the playoffs with Campbell's decision making. Probably cost them a SB appearance in 23. Be interesting to see if the Buccs and Commanders can go further and the Packers and Vikings. The NFC is still pretty open while the AFC is looking to be more open but the Chiefs are still hard to get past in the playoffs and have a great record. Think the Chiefs coaching on both sides of the ball and obviously the QB carry them a long way. Interestingly both of the Chiefs losses in the SB were blowouts.Are they heading for an earlier loss this time ? No one talking about the Cowboys as a playoff team and it seems the 49ers expectations for the playoffs are not high either. The Rams could go either way.
 
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Alpe d'Huez

Alpe d'Huez

Mar 11, 2009
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I know a lot of people are on the Bills bandwagon, but I'm skeptical for some reason. Maybe because they keep looking great, then losing playoff games (usually to KC). I think the Lions D will be better, but not their offense. It will take a step back. They also have a tough schedule. I can see them going 11-6 or 10-7 even.

I don't see the Vikings being as good as Green Bay. But I could be flat out wrong. JJ will be the youngest starting QB in the league when he takes his first official snap in the NFL this week.

Raiders overturned almost half their roster. Even with the wisdom of ageless Pete Carroll, it's going to take them a bit to get going. I do see a heavy run-first attack, but Geno will often have to carry them. Raiders D may not be very good. No names in secondary, discarded players at LB. Lost their 2nd best D player in Spillane. Lots of work ahead.

Saints may be playing for Nussmeier in next year's draft. Agree completely on seeing the rotating QBs. Same with Cleveland, once Flacco gets hurt. I fully expect to see both Gabriel and Sanders start games.

49ers have the easiest schedule in league. Granted, they have gaps, but I can easily see why some people are predicting them to win that division and make a playoff run. It's not like their whole roster has been gutted, and they were in the SB just two years ago. And only lost that game because of poor coaching by Shanahan (and great coaching by Reid). If they have another bad season, Shanahan will be on a hot seat. So will Lynch at that point.

Seattle's defense may carry them. And I also agree Milroe, if he continues to develop, looks like the future starter there. I don't care what contract they gave Darnold. Milroe looked good in the preseason, and has huge potential. Also seems very dedicated, and like Riley Leonard, the kid has a very positive attitude.

Matthew Stafford s another guy "one hard hit from being carried off the field on a stretcher". o_O
 
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Nomad

Apr 20, 2016
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Alpe d'Huez said:
Some predictions for the season, which starts on Thursday.

MVP - Lamar Jackson
ROY - Cam Ward
DPOY - Will Anderson
Coach - Mike Vrabel
Come back - Aiden Hutchinson

Super Bowl - Ravens over Packers (I'm not fully counting out the Chiefs, Eagles or Bills, just making a wild guess).
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I couldn't agree with you more on LJ. That aerial display he put on plus his rushing yardage last year was mind-boggling (he probably should have gotten another MVP)....Now if he could only win more in the postseason (3-5)

On Ward winning the ROY; don't you think he not only would have to put up some big numbers but win enough games to make the postseason?

Last year Daniel's was a one-man wrecking crew turning the Commmders around from a 4-13 team to 12-5 & an NFCCG appearance. He was 11th in passer rating, 2nd in QB rushing yds & 4th in total QBR. The year before when Stroud won it, he threw for over 4100 yds with a 100 passer rating taking the Texans to the postseason & also winning a game in the WC round.

I don't know if Ward will be as good as Daniels or Stroud was & the Titans don't look to have a playoff-cailber roster. We'll get an early glimpse of how good he is against a top defense when Titans open up against the Broncos.

I like Travis Hunter as the ROY. He gives Lawrence a talented pass catcher & deep threat receiver. I can see Hunter catching maybe 80 or 90 passes plus double figures in TDs (he caught 96 passes with 15 TDs at CU). I think Hunter could be the key asset in the Jaguar offense that gets Lawrence back to those impressive numbers he had in 2023 when they went to the postseason & won a playoff game.

The SB prediction is always tough to do. Who have thought the Eagles would take down the mighty Chiefs. Lol. However, I'll take the Chiefs over the Commanders. I think Mahomes & Co are still hungry for another SB & he's unstoppable in the playoffs. I see Daniels & the Commanders as the up & coming dominate team n the NFC, though the Packers with Love & now Parsons are intriguing.
 
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Nomad

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They didn't draft much defensively - only two picks:Trey Amos (2nd) & Kain Medrano (6th). Amos is a top-5 corner & is already in the starting lineup (immediate impact?). Looks like development with Medrano - he's not even listed as a backup with the LBs. But I guess Quinn - a defensive-minded coach - knows best?
 
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Alpe d'Huez

Alpe d'Huez

Mar 11, 2009
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I don't see a slump, but I don't see Washington getting as far as last year. Daniels, yes, absolutely. Don't see them running the table though.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Chiefs win it all again. I think a year similar to 2023 is possible. 11-6, but knock off other teams in the playoffs. Also, if the referees (and league) still love them and Mahomes as much as they have in recent seasons, I can see it. If I wanted to be cynical, I could predict another KC-SF rematch. Probably the one game most of the country has no interest in watching (aside from KC and SF and their fans).

If Denver plays as good as they looked in the preseason they are going to be a real thorn in the Chiefs side. Preseason is never a true gauge (Jags were 4-0 two years ago, and finished 9-8 in the regular season. Raiders 4-0 a couple years ago, finished 6-11. Giants and Browns both 3-0 this year), but they looked very prepared, very organized, both sides of the ball. Much better than the Chargers, by comparison. Sean Payton may have an enormous ego, but he had them looking ready.

I have less faith in Trevor Lawrence than you perhaps.

I think the Titans will focus everything on offense, even if they only finish like 6-11. Voters love QBs when they vote, hence my picking him more than Hunter, or Jeanty for that matter.
 
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Nomad

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Preseason doesn't mean much for the starters. The Chiefs last year were 0-3 in preseason but went onto a 15-2 top seed & trip to the SB.

The Broncos need to prove a lot this year because last season was somewhat of an illusion. Yes, they finished 10-7 & Nix exceeded expectations, but they were 0-6 against the AFC's elite QBs including the playoff game against Buffalo (Mahomes, Allen, Burrow, Jackson, Herbert- twice). Also, 6 of their wins came against the bottom 10 teams in league.

So, aside from Mahomes & Herbert in the division, they play Hurts, Daniels, Burrow, Love & Stroud. I'll wait & see how they fare against these teams before jumping on the bandwagon.

On Lawrence, I'm given him the benefit of doubt & I'm oppimistic that good things will come with Coen at the helm. I was reading an article where Coen said one of the first things he did was change Lawrence's stance in the shotgun to allow better footwork on quick throws (hmmm...Peterson never thought of that? Lol).

Coen also said he's incorporating more roll-outs with some RPO schemes and wants Lawrence to run more. And I don't see why not. Lawrence is very athletic (he has a faster 40 & shuttle than Allen) rushing for over 500 yds one season at Clemson & over 300 yds two seasons ago. He just needs to be careful when sliding & avoid getting blasted by raging, madman LBs. Lol.

Furthermore, the Jags acquired two top offensive linemen from FA, both starters from Baltimore & TB. They also drafted a pretty good guard in the 3rd round. And they have Brian Thomas Jr - their 1st round pick from 2024 - who caught 87 passes for 1267 yds/10 TDs & was named to the All-Rookie team. He's a 4.3 burner & coupled with Hunter's speed, they have two serious deep threats.
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I'm not saying that the Jags are going to be world beaters dethroning the Chiefs & moving onto winning the SB. But barring injury to Lawrence, this team should be capable of winning 10 or 11 games, win the division, and win a playoff game like they did 2023. If this doesn't happen, then something is definitely wrong with Lawrence. Lol.
 
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Alpe d'Huez

Alpe d'Huez

Mar 11, 2009
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I'm just skeptical on Lawrence I guess. He, like Herbert, just seems like a decent starter who has underachieved, and forever will. With Herbert it's far too much praise, with Trevor it been too much hype. They remind me of talented QBs of the past that weren't bad, some excellent play at times to match their talent, but just didn't win much when it mattered: Sam Bradford, Carson Palmer, maybe even Drew Bledsoe, Randall Cunningham, Warren Moon, Philip Rivers.

I know the Raiders thought very highly of Coen and almost made him an offer before going with Pete, and Coen went to Jax. He's quirky, but that would have worked well with the Raiders I think. I also have a feeling the Raiders already liked a plan of Carroll + Chip Kelly = run the ball a lot = draft Jeanty. It's been said when the Raiders interviewed Pete he already had a detailed full plan in place what he intended to do starting on day 1. I can't imagine trading for Geno wasn't part of this plan. Same with getting Jamal Adams to play backup LB for that matter. According to Michael Lombardi, Pete also told the Raiders brass, "You worried about those other coaches in the division? Well, I've beat all of them." Presuming Pete did say that, he had to know anyone else the Raiders interviewed (Coen, Ben Johnson) couldn't make such a claim.
 
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SHAD0W93

SHAD0W93

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Alpe d'Huez

Alpe d'Huez

Mar 11, 2009
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Very good game at the half, but WTF was Carter thinking? He's going to have the most contrite apology or face a few game suspension is my guess. I can only imagine the tongue lashing he got when Sirinai got back to the locker room.

I wouldn't say Dak was "shoved" but most of the time you touch a QB when he's out of bounds more than just a finger and they are going to throw a flag, certainly Mahomes. He also would have got up complaining to the ref in order to get the flag. Hurts isn't like that, and is perceived as "tough" so he's not going to get similar calls.

As to Amari Cooper, I'm glad he retired now instead of sandbagging it for a few weeks collecting a check until it was obvious he had nothing left and was cut. He was only on the team for about a week, so very little time was lost for WR rookies Thornton and Bech.
 
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Nomad

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Good game even with the weather delay. Vintage Hurts performance; leading rusher with two scores, 152 yds passing (94 Rtg). Barkley some solid runs but held under 100. Turnover free football. Time of possession was a big factor for Philly (34-28).

Prescott played better than I thought. He looked sharp throwing the ball. What a choke job by CeeDee Lamb. Two picture-perfect passes right into his hands that he dropped in clutch time that killed potential scoring drives. Inexcusable...drop one maybe...but not two. That's not supposed to happen with elite receivers. Lol.
 
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Alpe d'Huez

Alpe d'Huez

Mar 11, 2009
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Lamb made $1.98m tonight to drop 3 balls. Two of them late when it really mattered. Total choke job indeed. They could have put Ryan Flournoy out there and he would have caught at least one of those throws, earning the $1.1m he makes for the entire year. ($65k per game.)

Hurts played great.
Potomac said:
Game delayed because of thunder storm.
It has turned into a nanny state.
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Takes a man to survive a lightning strike, right cowboy?! o_O
 
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