Andy: So in the NFC, I’ve got Seattle regaining the top seed. Carolina will have the other bye. Green Bay will take the three seed and the New York Giants, because someone has to come out of the NFC East, will host a wild card game as the four.
I see four teams most strongly contending for the wild card. I think Arizona slides a bit, but they’re still strong enough where I can’t see anyone knocking them out. I’ll give them the five seed.
That leaves, in my eyes, Tampa, Washington and Minnesota as potential six seeds. The Vikings, I think, have the best chance of advancing from that spot if they do get there. But with the Sam Bradford
acquisition, it could take a few extra weeks for this team to hit stride. So far, four of the five teams I have selected were in the playoffs in 2015. Someone always surprises. Let’s leave the Vikings out and
put the Bucs in the postseason.
Tony: I don’t think Carolina reclaims the top spot–they might get a bye, though more by default, as the Packers have a difficult division and the East just isn’t that good. The Cardinals are just as good of a
team, and have an easier schedule with the Rams and 49ers. (more…)
QUARTERBACKS
1 – Eli Manning vs. New Orleans
3 – Cam Newton vs. San Francisco
3 – Matthew Stafford vs. Tennessee
4 – Drew Brees @ New York Giants
5 – Philip Rivers vs. Jacksonville
6 – Carson Palmer vs. Tampa Bay
7 – Blake Bortles @ San Diego
8 – Ryan Fitzpatrick @ Buffalo
9 – Kirk Cousins vs. Dallas
10 – Aaron Rodgers @ Minnesota
11 – Jimmy Garoppolo vs. Miami
12 – Russell Wilson @ Los Angeles
13 – Ben Roethlisberger vs. Cincinnati
14 – Andrew Luck @ Denver
15 – Derek Carr vs. Atlanta
16 – Tyrod Taylor vs. New York Jets
17 – Andy Dalton @ Pittsburgh
18 – Marcus Mariota @ Detroit
19 – Jameis Winston @ Arizona
20 – Matt Ryan @ Oakland
21 – Josh McCown vs. Baltimore
22 – Ryan Tannehill @ New England
23 – Brock Osweiler vs. Kansas City
24 – Jay Cutler vs. Philadelphia
25 – Joe Flacco @ Cleveland
26 – Carson Wentz @ Chicago
27 – Trevor Siemian vs. Indianapolis
28 – Alex Smith @ Houston
29 – Dak Prescott @ Washington
30 – Sam Bradford vs. Green Bay
31 – Blaine Gabbert @ Carolina
32 – Case Keenum vs. Seattle
RUNNING BACKS
1 – David Johnson vs. Tampa Bay
2 – CJ Anderson vs. Indianapolis
3 – Ezekiel Elliott @ Washington
4 – Lamar Miller vs. Kansas City
5 – Latavius Murray vs. Atlanta
6 – LeSean McCoy vs. New York Jets
7 – Adrian Peterson vs. Green Bay
8 – Matt Forte @ Buffalo
9 – Mark Ingram @ New York Giants
10 – Danny Woodhead vs. Jacksonville
11 – Doug Martin @ Arizona
12 – Jonathan Stewart vs. San Francisco
13 – DeAngelo Williams vs. Cincinnati
14 – Ryan Mathews @ Chicago
15 – Jeremy Langford vs. Philadelphia
16 – Rashad Jennings vs. New Orleans
17 – Eddie Lacy @ Minnesota
18 – Devonta Freeman @ Oakland
19 – Spencer Ware @ Houston
20 – DeMarco Murray @ Detroit
21 – Theo Riddick vs. Tennessee
22 – TJ Yeldon @ San Diego
23 – LeGarrette Blount vs. Miami
24 – Melvin Gordon vs. Jacksonville
25 – Todd Gurley vs. Seattle
26 – Arian Foster @ New England
27 – Terrance West @ Cleveland
28 – Giovani Bernard @ Pittsburgh
29 – Justin Forsett @ Cleveland
30 – Tevin Coleman @ Oakland
31 – Darren Sproles @ Chicago
32 – James White vs. Miami
33 – Carlos Hyde @ Carolina
34 – Thomas Rawls @ Los Angeles
35 – Shane Vereen vs. New Orleans
36 – Charles Sims @ Arizona
37 – Frank Gore @ Denver
38 – Christine Michael @ Los Angeles
39 – Jeremy Hill @ Pittsburgh
40 – Chris Thompson vs. Dallas
41 – Isaiah Crowell vs. Baltimore
42 – Ameer Abdullah vs. Tennessee
43 – Derrick Henry @ Detroit
44 – Travaris Cadet @ New York Giants
45 – Duke Johnson vs. Baltimore
46 – Matt Jones vs. Dallas
47 – Devontae Booker vs. Indianapolis
48 – Bilal Powell @ Buffalo
49 – Jerick McKinnon vs. Green Bay
50 – Jamaal Charles @ Houston
WIDE RECEIVERS
1 – Odell Beckham Jr vs. New Orleans
2 – AJ Green @ Pittsburgh
3 – Antonio Brown vs. Cincinnati
4 – Julio Jones @ Oakland
5 – DeAndre Hopkins vs. Kansas City
6 – Alshon Jeffery vs. Philadelphia
7 – Brandin Cooks @ New York Giants
8 – Allen Robinson @ San Diego
9 – Larry Fitzgerald vs. Tampa Bay
10 – Jordan Matthews @ Chicago
11 – Eric Decker @ Buffalo
12 – Brandon Marshall @ Buffalo
13 – Demaryius Thomas vs. Indianapolis
14 – Emmanuel Sanders vs. Indianapolis
15 – Amari Cooper vs. Atlanta
16 – Julian Edelman vs. Miami
17 – Kelvin Benjamin vs. San Francisco
18 – Travis Benjamin vs. Jacksonville
19 – Allen Hurns @ San Diego
20 – Willie Snead @ New York Giants
21 – Jordy Nelson @ Minnesota
22 – Jarvis Landry @ New England
23 – Jeremy Maclin @ Houston
24 – DeSean Jackson vs. Dallas
25 – Marvin Jones vs. Tennessee
26 – Doug Baldwin @ Los Angeles
27 – Dez Bryant @ Washington
28 – Mike Evans @ Arizona
29 – Michael Floyd vs. Tampa Bay
30 – Will Fuller vs. Kansas City
31 – Tajae Sharpe @ Detroit
32 – TY Hilton @ Denver
33 – Victor Cruz vs. New Orleans
34 – Stefon Diggs vs. Green Bay
35 – Randall Cobb @ Minnesota
36 – Sammy Watkins vs. New York Jets
37 – Steve Smith Sr @ Cleveland
38 – Michael Crabtree vs. Atlanta
39 – Golden Tate vs. Tennessee
40 – Tyrell Williams vs. Jacksonville
41 – Quincy Enuwza @ Buffalo
42 – Eddie Royal vs. Philadelphia
43 – Corey Coleman vs. Baltimore
44 – Kenny Stills @ New England
45 – Michael Thomas @ New York Giants
46 – Mohamed Sanu @ Oakland
47 – Anquan Boldin vs. Tennessee
48 – Jeremy Kerley @ Carolina
49 – Donte Moncrief @ Denver
50 – Vincent Jackson @ Arizona
51 – Jermaine Kearse @ Los Angeles
52 – Davante Adams @ Minnesota
53 – Kevin White vs. Philadelphia
54 – Tyler Lockett @ Los Angeles
55 – Sterling Shepard vs. New Orleans
56 – Robert Woods vs. New York Jets
57 – Pierre Garçon vs. Dallas
58 – Tavon Austin vs. Seattle
59 – Eli Rogers vs. Cincinnati
60 – Phillip Dorsett @ Denver
61 – Kenny Britt vs. Seattle
62 – Nelson Agholor @ Chicago
63 – Tyler Boyd @ Pittsburgh
64 – John Brown vs. Tampa Bay
65 – Chris Hogan vs. Miami
66 – Terrelle Pryor vs. Baltimore
67 – Kamar Aiken @ Cleveland
68 – Jamison Crowder vs. Dallas
69 – Malcolm Mitchell vs. Miami
70 – Adam Humphries @ Arizona
71 – Charles Johnson vs. Green Bay
72 – Mike Wallace @ Cleveland
73 – Cole Beasley @ Washington
74 – Torrey Smith @ Carolina
75 – Terrance Williams @ Washington
TIGHT ENDS
1 – Rob Gronkowski vs. Miami
2 – Greg Olsen vs. San Francisco
3 – Delanie Walker @ Detroit
4 – Jordan Reed vs. Dallas
5 – Gary Barnidge vs. Baltimore
6 – Julius Thomas @ San Diego
7 – Antonio Gates vs. Jacksonville
8 – Brent Celek @ Chicago
9 – Travis Kelce @ Houston
10 – Eric Ebron vs. Tennessee
11 – Jason Witten @ Washington
12 – Coby Fleener @ New York Giants
13 – Tyler Kroft @ Pittsburgh
14 – Zach Miller vs. Philadelphia
15 – Jacob Tamme @ Oakland
16 – Virgil Green vs. Indianapolis
17 – Kyle Rudolph vs. Green Bay
18 – Charles Clay vs. New York Jets
19 – Jimmy Graham @ Los Angeles
20 – Dennis Pitta @ Cleveland
21 – Austin Seferian-Jenkins @ Arizona
22 – Vance McDonald @ Carolina
23 – Jesse James vs. Cincinnati
24 – Will Tye vs. New Orleans
25 – Lance Kendricks vs. Seattle
26 – Dwayne Allen @ Denver
27 – Clive Walford vs. Atlanta
28 – Jared Cook @ Minnesota
29 – Larry Donnell vs. New Orleans
30 – Jordan Cameron @ New England
31 – Richard Rodgers @ Minnesota
32 – Jermaine Gresham vs. Tampa Bay
33 – Jack Doyle @ Denver
34 – Garrett Celek @ Carolina
35 – Martellus Bennett vs. Miami
36 – Cameron Brate @ Arizona
37 – Vernon Davis vs. Dallas
38 – Crockett Gillmore @ Cleveland
39 – Josh Hill @ New York Giants
40 – Tyler Higbee vs. Seattle
TEAM DEFENSE
1 – Carolina Panthers vs. San Francisco
2 – Denver Broncos vs. Indianapolis
3 – Seattle Seahawks @ Los Angeles
4 – New England Patriots vs. Miami
5 – Kansas City Chiefs @ Houston
6 – Arizona Cardinals vs. Tampa Bay
7 – Baltimore Ravens @ Cleveland
8 – Washington Redskins vs. Dallas
9 – Detroit Lions vs. Tennessee
10 – Philadelphia Eagles @ Chicago
11 – New York Jets @ Buffalo
12 – Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay
13 – Houston Texans vs. Kansas City
14 – Green Bay Packers @ Minnesota
15 – Chicago Bears vs. Philadelphia
16 – Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cincinnati
17 – San Diego Chargers vs. Jacksonville
18 – Oakland Raiders vs. Atlanta
19 – Buffalo Bills vs. New York Jets
20 – Indianapolis Colts @ Denver
21 – Jacksonville Jaguars @ San Diego
22 – New York Giants vs. New Orleans
23 – Los Angeles Rams vs. Seattle
24 – Miami Dolphins @ New England
25 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Arizona
26 – Cincinnati Bengals @ Pittsburgh
27 – San Francisco 49ers @ Carolina
28 – Atlanta Falcons @ Oakland
29 – Cleveland Browns vs. Baltimore
30 – Tennessee Titans @ Detroit
31 – Dallas Cowboys @ Washington
32 – New Orleans Saints @ New York Giants
KICKERS
1 – Graham Gano vs. San Francisco
2 – Chandler Catanzaro vs. Tampa Bay
3 – Stephen Gostkowski vs. Miami
4 – Justin Tucker @ Cleveland
5 – Steven Hauschka @ Los Angeles
6 – Chris Boswell vs. Cincinnati
7 – Randy Bullock/Josh Brown vs. New Orleans
8 – Connor Barth vs. Philadelphia
9 – Brandon McManus vs. Indianapolis
10 – Josh Lambo vs. Jacksonville
11 – Dustin Hopkins vs. Dallas
12 – Matt Bryant @ Oakland
13 – Matt Prater vs. Tennessee
14 – Wil Lutz @ New York Giants
15 – Blair Walsh vs. Green Bay
16 – Mike Nugent @ Pittsburgh
17 – Sebastian Janikowski vs. Atlanta
18 – Mason Crosby @ Minnesota
19 – Roberto Aguayo @ Arizona
20 – Jason Myers @ San Diego
21 – Cairo Santos @ Houston
22 – Nick Novak vs. Kansas City
23 – Dan Bailey @ Washington
24 – Nick Folk @ Buffalo
25 – Dan Carpenter vs. New York Jets
26 – Patrick Murray vs. Baltimore
27 – Caleb Sturgis @ Chicago
28 – Adam Vinatieri @ Denver
29 – Ryan Succop @ Detroit
30 – Andrew Franks @ New England
31 – Phil Dawson @ Carolina
32 – Greg Zuerlein vs. Seattle
Quarterbacks
Eli Manning vs. New Orleans
Cam Newton vs. San Francisco
Drew Brees at NY Giants
Aaron Rodgers at Minnesota
Matthew Stafford vs. Tennessee
Carson Palmer vs. Tampa Bay
Russell Wilson at Los Angeles
Ben Roethlisberger vs. Cincinnati
Blake Bortles at San Diego
Matt Ryan at Oakland
Andrew Luck at Denver
Derek Carr vs. Atlanta
Jameis Winston at Arizona
Joe Flacco at Cleveland
Kirk Cousins vs. Dallas
Ryan Tannehill at New England
Ryan Fitzpatrick at Buffalo
Andy Dalton at Pittsburgh
Marcus Mariota at Detroit
Philip Rivers vs. Jacksonville
Tyrod Taylor vs. NY Jets
Jimmy Garoppolo vs. Miami
Dak Prescott at Washington
Carson Wentz at Chicago
Alex Smith at Houston
Brock Osweiler vs. Kansas City
Trevor Siemian vs. Indianapolis
Jay Cutler vs. Philadelphia
Josh McCown vs. Baltimore
Blaine Gabbert at Carolina
Shaun Hill vs. Green Bay
Sam Bradford vs. Green Bay
Case Keenum vs. Seattle
Running Backs
David Johnson vs. Tampa Bay
DeAngelo Williams vs. Cincinnati
Lamar Miller vs. Kansas City
CJ Anderson vs. Indianapolis
Adrian Peterson vs. Green Bay
Ezekiel Elliot at Washington
Spencer Ware at Houston
DeMarco Murray at Detroit
Todd Gurley vs. Seattle
Eddie Lacy at Minnesota
Carlos Hyde at Carolina
Mark Ingram at NY Giants
LeSean McCoy vs. NY Jets
Matt Forte at Buffalo
Latavius Murray vs. Atlanta
Rashad Jennings vs. New Orleans
Arian Foster at New England
Doug Martin at Arizona
Devonta Freeman at Oakland
Jonathan Stewart vs. San Francisco
LeGarrette Blount vs. Miami
Ryan Mathews at Chicago
Danny Woodhead vs. Jacksonville
Thomas Rawls at Los Angeles
Melvin Gordon vs. Jacksonville
Giovani Bernard at Pittsburgh
Frank Gore at Denver
James White vs. Miami
Jeremy Hill at Pittsburgh
Jeremy Langford vs. Philadelphia
Theo Riddick vs. Tennessee
Isaiah Crowell vs. Baltimore
Christine Michael at Los Angeles
Matt Jones vs. Dallas
Derrick Henry at Detroit
Ameer Abdullah vs. Tennessee
Justin Forsett at Cleveland
Bilal Powell at Buffalo
Tevin Coleman at Oakland
Chris Thompson vs. Dallas
TJ Yeldon at San Diego
Charles Sims at Arizona
Terrance West at Cleveland
Duke Johnson vs. Baltimore
Darren Sproles at Chicago
Jerick McKinnon vs. Green Bay
Charcandrick West at Houston
DeAndre Washington vs. Atlanta
Shane Vereen vs. New Orleans
James Starks at Minnesota
Wide Receivers
Odell Beckham Jr. vs. New Orleans
Antonio Brown vs. Cincinnati
Julio Jones at Oakland
A.J. Green at Pittsburgh
DeAndre Hopkins vs. Kansas City
Brandin Cooks at NY Giants
Allen Robinson at San Diego
Brandon Marshall at Buffalo
Amari Cooper vs. Atlanta
Alshon Jeffery vs. Philadelphia
Mike Evans at Arizona
Jordy Nelson at Minnesota
Dez Bryant at Washington
Doug Baldwin at Los Angeles
Demaryius Thomas vs. Indianapolis
Julian Edelman vs. Miami
Larry Fitzgerald vs. Tampa Bay
Randall Cobb at Minnesota
Eric Decker at Buffalo
Kelvin Benjamin vs. San Francisco
Jarvis Landry at New England
Marvin Jones vs. Tennessee
Michael Floyd vs. Tampa Bay
TY Hilton at Denver
Emmanuel Sanders vs. Indianapolis
Jordan Matthews at Chicago
Golden Tate vs. Tennessee
Jeremy Maclin at Houston
Donte Moncrief at Denver
Willie Snead at NY Giants
Michael Crabtree vs. Atlanta
Sammy Watkins vs. NY Jets
Sterling Shepard vs. New Orleans
Stefon Diggs vs. Green Bay
Tajae Sharpe at Detroit
Allen Hurns at San Diego
DeSean Jackson vs. Dallas
Mohamed Sanu at Oakland
Will Fuller vs. Kansas City
Eli Rogers vs. Cincinnati
Tyler Lockett at Los Angeles
Travis Benjamin vs. Jacksonville
John Brown vs. Tampa Bay
Kamar Aiken at Cleveland
Jermaine Kearse at Los Angeles
Mike Wallace at Cleveland
Philip Dorsett at Denver
Michael Thomas at NY Giants
Vincent Jackson at Arizona
Pierre Garcon vs. Dallas
Victor Cruz vs. New Orleans
Rishard Matthews at Detroit
Jeremy Kerley at Carolina
Tavon Austin vs. San Francisco
Chris Hogan vs. Miami
Kenny Stills at New England
Tyrell Williams vs. Jacksonville
Terrelle Pryor vs. Baltimore
Josh Doctson vs. Dallas
Tyler Boyd at Pittsburgh
Markus Wheaton vs. Cincinnati
Kevin White vs. Philadelphia
Torrey Smith at Carolina
Davante Adams at Minnesota
Adam Thielen vs. Green Bay
Corey Coleman vs. Baltimore
DeVante Parker at New England
Ted Ginn Jr. vs. San Francisco
Brandon LaFell at Pittsburgh
Chris Conley at Houston
Steve Smith Sr. at Cleveland
Devin Funchess vs. San Francisco
Breshad Perriman at Cleveland
Robert Woods vs. NY Jets
Quinton Patton at Carolina
Tight Ends
Rob Gronkowski vs. Miami
Delanie Walker at Detroit
Greg Olsen vs. San Francisco
Gary Barnidge vs. Baltimore
Jordan Reed vs. Dallas
Travis Kelce at Houston
Antonio Gates vs. Jacksonville
Julius Thomas at San Diego
Eric Ebron vs. Tennessee
Jared Cook at Minnesota
Dwayne Allen at Denver
Coby Fleener at NY Giants
Martellus Bennett vs. Miami
Jimmy Graham at Los Angeles
Vance McDonald at Carolina
Jesse James vs. Cincinnati
Virgil Green vs. Indianapolis
Jason Witten at Washington
Zach Miller vs. Philadelphia
Kyle Rudolph vs. Green Bay
Jacob Tamme at Oakland
Dennis Pitta at Cleveland
Clive Walford vs. Atlanta
Charles Clay vs. NY Jets
Jordan Cameron at New England
Will Tye vs. New Orleans
Austin Seferian-Jenkins at Arizona
Brent Celek at Chicago
Kickers
Stephen Gostkowski vs. Miami
Justin Tucker at Cleveland
Graham Gano vs. San Francisco
Chandler Catanzaro vs. Tampa Bay
Mason Crosby at Minnesota
Adam Vinatieri at Denver
Matt Prater vs. Tennessee
Blair Walsh vs. Green Bay
Steven Hauschka at Los Angeles
Cairo Santos at Houston
Brandon McManus vs. Indianapolis
Dan Bailey at Washington
Jason Myers at San Diego
Josh Brown vs. New Orleans
Chris Boswell vs. Cincinnati
Mike Nugent at Pittsburgh
Wil Lutz at NY Giants
Dan Carpenter vs. NY Jets
Sebastian Janikowski vs. Atlanta
Nick Novak vs. Kansas City
Connor Barth vs. Philadelphia
Ryan Succop at Detroit
Phil Dawson at Carolina
Matt Bryant at Oakland
Caleb Sturgis at Chicago
Josh Lambo vs. Jacksonville
Dustin Hopkins vs. Dallas
Roberto Aguayo at Arizona
Andrew Franks at New England
Nick Folk at Buffalo
Travis Coons vs. Baltimore
Greg Zuerlein vs. Seattle
Defenses
Seahawks at Los Angeles
Panthers vs. San Francisco
Broncos vs. Indianapolis
Cardinals vs. Tampa Bay
Vikings vs. Green Bay
Packers at Minnesota
Lions vs. Tennessee
Patriots vs. Miami
Eagles at Chicago
Jaguars at San Diego
Colts at Denver
Texans vs. Kansas City
Bears vs. Philadelphia
Titans at Detroit
Bengals at Pittsburgh
Bills vs. NY Jets
Ravens at Cleveland
Jets at Buffalo
Rams vs. Seattle
Chargers vs. Jacksonville
Raiders vs. Atlanta
Steelers vs. Cincinnati
Chiefs at Houston
Washington vs. Dallas
Falcons at Oakland
Buccaneers at Arizona
Cowboys at Washington
Browns vs. Baltimore
Giants vs. New Orleans
Dolphins at New England
Saints at NY Giants
49ers at Carolina
Contributing writer John Vomhof led the pack by picking 11 games correctly in week one. Nobody else got more than nine. Fantasy Editor Maggio missed 10.
All in all, it was a rough start to the season for our pickers. Better things to come?
Here are the standings:
Record
Vomhof
11-5
Tony
9-7
Andy
8-8
Maggio
6-10
It’s difficult to get a read on the NFL for the first few weeks of the season. And week two presents another collection of unpredictable match-ups. Here are our picks: (more…)
The bets last year were mostly brutal. I hit a couple good weeks at the end to make a small profit, but finished below .500 in actual bets. Tony … well, he’s still in hiding. He lost the entirety of his mythical bankroll and then another ¾ of that figure that he’d managed to find some mythical bank to stake.
He’s making contact with us when he feels it’s safe, and he plans to participate in the pool again this year.
Here are the rules: We each start with $10,000. We pick either against the spread or the over/under for three games each week and then finish with one upset against the money line. So here are the standings so far:
Andy
$10,000
Tony
$10,000
And here are our, for entertainment only, wagers on this week’s opening weekend. (more…)
Andy: I bet against the mighty Bengals last year and it bit me when Andy Dalton actually looked like a seasoned NFL starting QB all year – or at least up until he broke his hand late in the season. It took all the way into the postseason – late in the game against Pittsburgh – for the lack of team discipline to cost Cincinnati in 2015. But when it hit, it hit big time. I was wrong last year, but I’m going to the well again – the Bengals will disappoint in 2016 and Marvin Lewis will finally be replaced at season’s end.
Tony: You’re ignoring the biggest story of the AFC North, which is obviously Kamar Aiken’s emergence as the Ravens top receiving threat in 2015, and ascension to top 10 WR status in 2016 with a healthy Joe Flacco.
All right, even I won’t believe that one, but I still think holding onto him in our dynasty league was the right move, as with the injury issues the Ravens have had even in the 2016 preseason, Aiken might be the most consistent offensive threat the Ravens have. Which is why the Ravens may challenge the Cleveland Browns for the cellar in the North, as the Browns had the first offseason in a long time in which you can say that the Browns actually seemed to make mostly all the right moves—cutting ties with Johnny Trainwreck, bringing in Hue Jackson as the head coach, signing Robert Griffin as a low-risk, high reward QB rather than overdrafting, and maneuvering in the draft. Some key free agent defections may hurt them too much to climb out of the basement this year, but they’ve set themselves up for some bigger strides in 2017, if ownership and the fan base can take a deep breath and revel in the Cavaliers championship for a season.
Andy: So, you’re starting at the bottom. Okay. Yeah, the Ravens are bad. The Browns are too. But Baltimore has some proven leadership in Ozzie Newsome and John Harbaugh, whose ability to rebuild is proven. The Browns … Well, they’re on like their 12th coach in five years or something like that.
I actually like some of the things Cleveland has done this offseason. The RGIII move carries little risk. They added some skill position players. They’ve cut ties with a bunch of guys tied to the losing years. One they kept, Josh Gordon, is clearly on his last chance.
There may be hope for the future here, but it’s going to take awhile to get there.
All this being said, the North this year belongs to highly volatile offense in Pittsburgh.
Tony: The Steelers still have to go through Cincinnati to win the North, and they’re a key injury away from being closer to Cleveland in more ways than looking at a map. If Big Ben goes down—again—for any period of time, the Steelers still don’t have an answer. It’s bad enough that they brought in Zach Mettenberger off of waivers…who couldn’t even make the Chargers final roster. That’s not good.
Meanwhile, Cincinnati just keeps on trucking along, with the core of their offense back in 2016 after somewhat of a breakout year from Andy Dalton, and a defense that hopefully learned something from their playoff meltdown against the Steelers. In fact, the biggest thing that the Bengals may have to overcome isn’t the Steelers—it’s their own mindset, after yet another year of Marvin Lewis failing to have the team ready.
Andy: I can’t actually disagree with that logic. The Bengals may have equal or even better talent than the Steelers, especially on defense. But there is a head-case-ness to this Bengals team that just won’t go away. And it can’t be sucking the entire decade of the 1990s that’s causing this anymore. This team has been competitive for the last half-decade.
Pittsburgh, even when they’re not that talented, still has a Steelers-ness to them that makes them dangerous anyway.
Loading ...
Guys I think we got our first clue this is going to be a small class I looked at the…
I like all the Senior Nominees but if I were to guess I'd say Sharpe,Holmgren Tyrer.
as per Tanier, he' active on social media with Hall stuff, especially with Talk of Fame and his own website…
Where you at, Robert The Greatest?
Paul: thank you for mentioning Mike Tanier. Didn’t know about his work previously. Good access and insight.