NFL Preseason Thread

[Nez477]

Denver Broncos

Last Season - B-

The Broncos went 7-2 to start the season last year on the back of a very strong defense (allowed 20 points over the span of 4 wins at one point) only to see Jake Plummer fail all over the place, resulting in bringing in Jay Cutler a year earlier than he was supposed to

Cutler shows promise: Cutler to Walker

Had 9 TD's and 5 INT's, but the Broncos couldn't close out games, ending with a heartbreaking OT loss to the 49ers to end the season who were out of playoff contention

All the Broncos needed was one more sustained drive in OT and they would secure themselves a playoff spot (a tie would've given them the 6 spot)

Instead we gave the game to the 49ers and finished out of the playoffs, a year after we pwned the league with a 13-3 regular season

Draft: C-

The Broncos made a pretty dumb move IMO moving up 4 picks to select Jarvis Moss, you probably would've been available at 21 anyway, but whatever. He's not a very big D-Lineman, but really fast and will generate pressure

And then they selected the same player in Tim Crowder with the 56th pick

I mean, we drafted Dumervil last year because he was fast, Crowder and Moss are like the 4th and 5th defensive ends on the team right now, meh

Ryan Harris (3rd round pick, OT) might be a steal and may start

But not the glitziest of drafts ever

Offseason: A-

The offseason started the day after the 49er loss when starting CB and emerging stud Darrent Williams was shot and killed, dying in the arms of teammate Javon Walker. The front office addressed this head on by banking on developing another RB (Tatum Bell) and sending him to Detroit with George Foster for Dre Bly.

This move was partly made because the Broncos had their eyes on Travis Henry, whom they signed to a 5-year deal

The release of veteran Al Wilson due to salary issues came as somewhat of a shock, but we still are very solid defensively with Ian Gold and DJ Williams in the LB core

Also signed in the offseason was Daniel Graham to enhance the TE position, Brandon Stokely to give Cutler a legit deep 3rd WR threat, and Patrick Ramsey to replace the [censored] who is Jake Plummer

Overall a very great offseason

For the first time in 4 years we aren't playing the Patriots in the regulars season but for the second straight year we get to play Indy again (this year in Indy)

@ Buf
Oak
Jax
@ Ind
SD
PIT
GB
@DET
@KC
TEN
@CHI
@OAK
KC
@HOU
@SD
MIN

It'll be interesting to see how they all gel together, the offense COULD be a whole lot of fun and QB's won't be able to pick on the corner opposite Champ Bailey anymore

I'm concerned about our run defense

But overall optimistic

[CarlSpackler]

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Assani, had you bothered to read the thread, you'd deduce that I am a Giants fan. My extended family is from Philadelphia and I hate the Eagles with every fiber of my being. I am not an Eagles homer.

Yes, I get 7-3 out of that stretch - I say they beat all three of the Jets, GB, and Minnesota - and I think the point spread for Minnesota won't be as close as you think.

Betts improves - hey great, but I thought Clinton Portis being hurt was a huge deal? Which is it? Are they going to use Betts or Portis?

They did pick up Laron Landry, but not much else in the way of depth. And you forget, of course as homers do, that while Washington's young players will improve, every team has young, improving players, and that the real key is improving relative to the rest of the league and division.

Also re Jacobs/Droughns - Reuben Droughns is terrible. He is not a 'capable back' - he should be a backup in the NFL. Plus he adds nothing to the team that Jacobs doesn't already - they needed a third down type guy. That's why I want Jacobs to have 320-350 carries.

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As far as the NFC East goes, every team has major questions.

Philly: If McNabb comes back 100% from his injury and doesn't miss a beat from the way he was playing last year, and Westbrook stays healthy, they are definitely the favorite to win the division. Those are big ifs though.

Giants: I think if one thing is certain in the NFC East, it's that the Giants are going to finish in the cellar. They nearly imploded last season, and they lost their best player, Tiki, who was one of the 3 most important non-QB's on the offensive side of the ball in the league. Jacobs is good, but no way he lasts 320+ carries this year. Unless Eli makes great strides this season and suddenly becomes an accurate passer, their offense is going to be significantly worse than last year. And they still have big questions on the defensive side of the ball, particularly at LB.

Redskins: The people dismissing Washington as having no chance to win the division have simply not been paying attention. Everything that could possibly go wrong for the Skins last year did.

Campbell is a huge upgrade over Brunell, who literally didn't throw between the hashmarks last season. JC looked good when he finally got to play last year, I haven't heard better offseason reviews of any other young qb in the league than Campbell, who has basically lived at Redskins Park this offseason. Joe Gibbs, who rarely has given any qb praise throughout his career, has said many good things about Campbell. And this will be the first time since high school that JC has run the the offense for 2 consecutive years! And Moss will actually have a qb who can get him the ball downfield.

It's funny how Portis was a consensus top 4 back in the league at this time last year, but now that he's healthy after recovering from his injury, most people are writing him off. I expect him to have a monster year. The only thing I'm seriously concerned about on the Redskins offense is the loss of Dockery, who is being replaced by Todd Wade who has never played G before.

I expect the Redskins defense to resemble the 2005 version rather than the 2006 version. London Fletcher is a huge upgrade at MLB, and Rocky McIntosh appears ready to make an impact at WLB. If Marcus Washington is fully recovered from hip surgery, then the LB unit will be very good. Marshall was a starter last year and adds depth.

The Skins did a good job of addressing their problems in the secondary. Now they've actually got a lot of depth. Pairing Landry with Taylor at S is just scary. And the coaching staff is putting Taylor back in a position to make more plays this year. They have Springs, Rogers, and Smoot at CB. The dline should be improved just by have DT Griffin healthy, and DE Carter was effective last year once Phillips got healthy and played at LDE. 2nd year DT's Golston and Montgomery have developed well this offseason, and should be effective.

I wouldn't be surprised at all to see Washington win the East.

Crackwagon: The only team with a new coaching staff. I'm not a big fan of Wade Phillips as a HC, but I do think the defense will be improved. I expect Roy and Ware to be utilized much better. Dallas signed Leonard Davis to a huge deal, but I still have concerns about their oline. They have weapons with TO, Glenn, Witten, and Barber/Jones. The big question is which Romo we'll see. The one that blew up his first several games, or the one that looked average the last part of the season. I have a sneaking suspicion that the league figured Romo out, and that's why his production declined. I expect Dallas to move the ball very well, but to also turn the ball over frequently.

Prediction:

1. Washington
2. Philly - wildcard
3. Dallas
4. Giants

[TheNoodleMan]

Way too many people think their teams had A offseasons.

[Richard Tanner]

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Way too many people think their teams had A offseasons.

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Hey I gave us a D [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]. But yeah, it's kinda fun to see how ratings shake out.

Cody

[Kneel B4 Zod]

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Way too many people think their teams had A offseasons.

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to be fair, I gave the Pats an A+

[Richard Tanner]

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Way too many people think their teams had A offseasons.

[/ QUOTE ]

to be fair, I gave the Pats an A+

[/ QUOTE ]

And that's only because there isn't anything higher than "A+"...you bastards [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

Cody

[PokerKing213]

Tanner, did San Francisco not have an A offseason? But i would agree with you that many are saying their teams had a great offseason without actually comparing it to other teams' offseasons and they have no idea how to take an objective approach to analyzing their team

[SL__72]

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Season Outlook: The Vikings are a tough team to make predictions about because they unexperienced at the offensive "skill" positions but talented everywhere else. Having to play the NFC east isn't good, but the AFC west isn't the toughest division in football, even though it has two very good teams.

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I've taken an interest in the Vikings within the last year, mostly because of Childress (Eagles fan) and the sick rushing defense they had last year.

I was surprised they didnt go with a QB in the draft (there were plenty in the 2nd) or make some sort of contingency plan for T. Jackson. Nothing I saw last year made me think that he could be a NFL QB. Thoughts on this?

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I'm not terribly excited about the QB situation obviously, but that is the one area where I always get the feeling Childress knows what he is talking about when he addresses it. I also get the feeling that Brooks Bollinger is a capable backup. I have also seen a lot of things I like in Tarvaris. He is a lot more athletic then I initially thought he would be and uses his athleticism well I think. He also has a gun and seems to be able to throw a great deep ball. I got the feeling that the reason we looked so hopeless in his one start last year is that they kept him on a short leash and at that point in the year, there was no one at all to throw to.

It wouldn't surprise me if this team ended up a lot like the 2004 Steelers. A great defense, a great run game and a successful but very limited passing game. Well obv. 15-1 would surprise me, but you see what I mean.

I also wouldn't be terribly surprised to see them be completely inept on offense and take a step backwards on defense.

[Richard Tanner]

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Tanner, did San Francisco not have an A offseason? But i would agree with you that many are saying their teams had a great offseason without actually comparing it to other teams' offseasons and they have no idea how to take an objective approach to analyzing their team

[/ QUOTE ]

I would put SF's offseason (remember the Draft and the Offseason are seperate catagories here) at B/B+/A-. I think it was very solid, few good signings, no great losses.

That said, I agree, some people are homers, but that's what makes sports fun. It's not like we don't know the Colts had a tough offseason. Myself or Noodle saying we didn't won't change anything.

Cody

[oe39]

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What are their weaknesses?

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Sep 9 @N.Y. Jets
Sep 16 San Diego
Sep 23 Buffalo
Oct 1 @Cincinnati
Oct 7 Cleveland
Oct 14 @Dallas
Oct 21 @Miami 1:00pm
Oct 28 Washington
Nov 4 @Indianapolis
Nov 18 @Buffalo
Nov 25 Philadelphia
Dec 3 @Baltimore
Dec 9 Pittsburgh
Dec 16 N.Y. Jets
Dec 23 Miami
Dec 29 @N.Y. Giants

the Pats schedule looks pretty brutal. they will be favored in almost every game, but not many as huge favorite

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also, they've had trouble beating miami in the past