AFC West Preview

by Zoneblitz Staff | Sep 7, 2015 | 2015 season, I Said, He Said, NFL Random Thoughts

Andy: Denver has been dominant in the AFC West the last couple seasons, due largely to all-world performances by Peyton Manning. I think it’s legit to question whether he’s got enough left in him to carry the Broncos on another playoff run, but I also think it’s fair to question whether the rest of the division has what it needs to overtake them.

Kansas City’s defense is solid, but Alex Smith is a caretaker who fails miserably in any kind of downfield passing game. Philip Rivers is a better QB than Smith, but there are questions on the offensive line and the defense in San Diego. And Oakland, well, they may be a little better than the Raiders of the past decade-and-a-half, but there are still too many holes for them to start seriously talking playoffs.

Tony: Given your recent history, I’m shocked you blame anything in Kansas City on anything other than Andy Reid’s incompetence as a coach—and I’ll grant you, seemingly forgetting that you have Jamaal Charles on the team isn’t a great way to endear yourselves to Chiefs fans.

The concern on Peyton Manning in Denver is valid—there was something definitely “off” with him the second half of last season. And while fantasy pundits everywhere seem to love CJ Anderson (being one of the few supposed “Bellcow” backs), I just don’t know if I buy him producing for a full season the way he did at the end of last year. (more…)

NFC East Preview

by Zoneblitz Staff | Sep 6, 2015 | 2015 season, I Said, He Said, NFL Random Thoughts

Andy: There’s no more New York Post back-of-the-sports-page worthy division in football this year than the NFC East. The Giants lost DE Jason Pierre Paul to a July 4th fireworks mishap. Robert Griffin III thinks he’s the best QB in the NFL, while the Redskins don’t seem to think he’s the best QB on their roster. Chip Kelly is on his 22nd QB in three seasons, putting his faith this season in Sam Bradford, who has missed approximately 77 games in the last two seasons – and now he’s sparring with the media over whether DeMarco Murray was held out of the preseason opener against Indianapolis. And then there’s Dallas – what fantasyland are we living in where Jerry Jones and Co. are the least newsworthy team in the division?

Tony: Let’s not forget about the claims of racism in Philadelphia (which would seem to be completely off base—Kelly appears to just have a disdain for any players that didn’t come through Oregon). And the Redskins’ biggest news of the offseason before deciding to bench RGKnee, was either their desire to hold the folks in the D.C. area hostage for a new stadium to replace the one they built less than 20 year ago or their refusal to consider a name change.

And we’ve left out what ESPN and the other joke media seemed to still want to make the biggest story of the preseason in the NFC East: Tim Tebow and his efforts to make the Eagles as, yes, a third-string QB. I was on the New York Times website this week reading an NFL story, and TWO of the “Related” articles were about him. Newsflash, ESPN – Tebow hasn’t made an NFL roster since 2012.

And, appropriately for this division, we’re on our fourth paragraph, and we really haven’t even mentioned much of anything related to the games on the field. This is still one of the divisions that will matter the least, and of course, will be forced upon the viewing public the most. (more…)

NFC South Preview

by Zoneblitz Staff | Sep 5, 2015 | 2015 season, I Said, He Said, NFL Random Thoughts

Andy: I largely yawn at the prospects of writing much up on this division. Carolina won it last year at 7-8-1 and I don’t see enough improvement from any team to truly make a dent in the playoffs. I think it’s possible that the Panthers, minus Kevin Benjamin, and the Saints, minus Jimmy Graham, Kenny Stills, Junior Gallette and others might be worse than they were in 2014. The Bucs are probably better than they were, but that’s hard not to do coming off a 2-14 season and the number one overall pick. Atlanta … who the hell knows.

Tony: Let’s try to look at the positive for once—this was one of the most competitive divisions in football in 2015, with three of the four teams fighting for that coveted playoff spot heading into the final weeks of the season. What more could you ask for?

Oh, you want at least one of them to finish above .500? Well, aren’t you asking a lot. (more…)

NFC North Preview

by Zoneblitz Staff | Sep 4, 2015 | 2015 season, I Said, He Said, NFL Random Thoughts

Andy: I was thinking the drama in the NFC North was primarily going to be for second place and a possible wild card berth this season – and then Jordy Nelson tore his ACL.

I still think Green Bay has to be considered the team to beat. They’ve still got Aaron Rodgers and a lot of additional offensive weapons, but Detroit’s offense looks great and the Vikings appear to have a lot of upside this year too.

Tony: What, no love for the Bears? I mean, any team that is led by Jay Cutler has a chance…to be very, very bad. I mean, when Martellus Bennett starts spouting off about whether or not you’re a leader—and it’s not even the regular season—well, that’s a team that’s got some problems. As a fantasy owner that inexplicably invested heavily in Cutler last season…well, I’m almost over it. However, as a Vikings fan, that’s a beautiful thing to see.

The only thing that would be nicer to see? If it were the Packers. I mean, you never wish injuries on someone—not even your biggest rival. Well, maybe when you’re playing them, and you want to see your All-Pro Defensive Tackle snap their All-Pro Quarterback with a record game streak in half … but other than that, never. But when it happens…it’d be nice if it didn’t feel like they already had one or two guys waiting in the wings to take their place. I mean, if all the pundits are right about Davante Adams, and Ty Montgomery can slide into the #3 spot…well, next year we might be asking “Jordy who?”

Andy: I’m not sure those guys are going to make fans forget Jordy, but it does speak to the skills Ted Thompson has in assembling teams. I think the Packers are still a notch better than any other team in the division. (more…)

NFC West Preview

by Zoneblitz Staff | Sep 3, 2015 | 2015 season, I Said, He Said, NFL Random Thoughts

Andy: I’ve thought the last couple years that the NFC’s two strongest teams came from the NFC West. I still feel that way, though one of the participants has changed.

I still think the Seahawks are the class of the division. The offensive line took a hit in trading Max Unger to New Orleans, but the offense overall should get a boost from the presence of Jimmy Graham. The defense should still be top notch.

After that, I think the Cardinals – if Carson Palmer stays healthy – have jumped San Francisco and they look to me like a real contender.

Tony: I’m not disagreeing that the Seahawks are still the class of the division—or that the offense might get a boost from Graham—but overall, I think Graham’s numbers suffer in Seattle, more than he brings up their offense. Experts targeting Russell Wilson as the #2 or #3 QB just baffle me—3,500 yards and 20 TDs last year do not suddenly jump to 4,500 and 30 TD just because Graham is in town. Their leading TE last year saw 44 targets and 22 catches for 3 TDs, and the team had 525 rushing attempts. Unless they reduce Beast Mode’s workload, I would expect Graham to see about 90 targets, 65 catches, 750 yards and 7 touchdowns this year—not bad for a TE, but not up to his standards.

The Cardinals, meanwhile, did jump the 49ers last season and remain second in the division—more by default, though, than by anything they’ve done. Yes, signing Mike Iupati was a solid move, and they are getting Carson Palmer back. But can he stay healthy? Can Andre Ellington stay healthy? Can David or Chris Johnson do anything if/when Ellington misses some time? Does the loss of Todd Bowles hurt the defense significantly? (more…)