megatechpc Posted September 5, 2018 Share Posted September 5, 2018 Its interesting to me just how under the radar the Falcons are on this board for 2018. At least on paper I don't get it? This is basically the same team that went to the SB two years ago and nearly beat the Eagles in the divisional round last year. They've added even more pieces like Ridley, Fusco, and Oliver. They have two dynamic RB's that can both run and catch. They have a good if not great TE in Hooper. They have probably the best WR corps in the NFL. A former MVP in Matt Ryan, who will always have 4k yards and 25-35 TD's, a stud pass rusher in Beasley who had 15.5 sacks in 2016, a stud LB in Jones who is probably top 5 MLB, a shutdown corner in Tru with a very good Alford on the other side, and a young Kam Chancellor in Neal at S. They also have one of the best kickers in the game as well. Can anybody explain to me how this team shouldn't be a favorite in the NFC this year, at least on paper? Obviously the Falcons still have a horrendous reputation and hell, after Thursday I might be wondering how on earth I thought this team could be any good at all, but just looking at the roster I really don't understand how people seemingly expect the Falcons to just be a fringe playoff team this year "maybe" getting the 6th seed? I think they have a very good chance of getting the 1 or 2 seed this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TitanSlim Posted September 5, 2018 Share Posted September 5, 2018 1 hour ago, megatechpc said: Its interesting to me just how under the radar the Falcons are on this board for 2018. At least on paper I don't get it? This is basically the same team that went to the SB two years ago and nearly beat the Eagles in the divisional round last year. They've added even more pieces like Ridley, Fusco, and Oliver. They have two dynamic RB's that can both run and catch. They have a good if not great TE in Hooper. They have probably the best WR corps in the NFL. A former MVP in Matt Ryan, who will always have 4k yards and 25-35 TD's, a stud pass rusher in Beasley who had 15.5 sacks in 2016, a stud LB in Jones who is probably top 5 MLB, a shutdown corner in Tru with a very good Alford on the other side, and a young Kam Chancellor in Neal at S. They also have one of the best kickers in the game as well. Can anybody explain to me how this team shouldn't be a favorite in the NFC this year, at least on paper? Obviously the Falcons still have a horrendous reputation and hell, after Thursday I might be wondering how on earth I thought this team could be any good at all, but just looking at the roster I really don't understand how people seemingly expect the Falcons to just be a fringe playoff team this year "maybe" getting the 6th seed? I think they have a very good chance of getting the 1 or 2 seed this year. Because the NFC is going to be a dogfight this year and good teams are going to be 6th seed/just miss the playoffs. You have the "heavy hitters" in Eagles, Rams, Vikings, Saints, Packers, Falcons. Then you have potential sleeper teams in Bears, 49ers and Giants. And that's not even counting last year's playoff team in the Panthers, Russell Wilson in Seattle or Dallas who also was a playoff team just a couple of years ago. That's 12 pretty good teams right there. For example, I have you guys going 11-5 and that still was only good enough for a 6th seed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmittyBacall Posted September 5, 2018 Share Posted September 5, 2018 10 hours ago, megatechpc said: Its interesting to me just how under the radar the Falcons are on this board for 2018. At least on paper I don't get it? This is basically the same team that went to the SB two years ago and nearly beat the Eagles in the divisional round last year. They've added even more pieces like Ridley, Fusco, and Oliver. They have two dynamic RB's that can both run and catch. They have a good if not great TE in Hooper. They have probably the best WR corps in the NFL. A former MVP in Matt Ryan, who will always have 4k yards and 25-35 TD's, a stud pass rusher in Beasley who had 15.5 sacks in 2016, a stud LB in Jones who is probably top 5 MLB, a shutdown corner in Tru with a very good Alford on the other side, and a young Kam Chancellor in Neal at S. They also have one of the best kickers in the game as well. Can anybody explain to me how this team shouldn't be a favorite in the NFC this year, at least on paper? Obviously the Falcons still have a horrendous reputation and hell, after Thursday I might be wondering how on earth I thought this team could be any good at all, but just looking at the roster I really don't understand how people seemingly expect the Falcons to just be a fringe playoff team this year "maybe" getting the 6th seed? I think they have a very good chance of getting the 1 or 2 seed this year. I will let that all slide except for the bolded. That's absolutely nutty. I think it comes down to one glaring thing: People are wary of Sarkisian, and they have valid reasons to be that go beyond the minor acquisitions to the Falcons offence. There is a transition period between coordinators - yes. But this stacked offense which you always reference on paper only averaged 21.6ppg last season - good for 15th in the NFL and behind the likes of Flacco-led, receiver-less Baltimore (no offense Ravens fans). You must somehow understand given that not every member of this board will be quick to lock in the Falcons offense as a top 3 unit. Sark will likely improve going into his season year and find his footing as he transitions away from the shadow of Shanahan's historical offense of 2016. But it certainly isn't guaranteed. Paper means nothing on offense until you hit the field and produce. I personally - along with I assume the majority - see them as contenders along with another 10-11 teams. I don't know if I'd consider that under the radar. No one is ruling them out of winning the SB this season. We know what Ryan and this offense can accomplish under the right coaching. I just think most people are taking the wait and see approach given Sark's mediocrity last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
footbull3196 Posted September 5, 2018 Share Posted September 5, 2018 My final predictions for 2018 AFC East 1. New England 12-4 Miami 6-10 NY Jets 4-12 Buffalo 3-13 AFC North 4. Pittsburgh 10-6 6. Cincinnati 8-8 Baltimore 7-9 Cleveland 5-11 AFC South 2. Houston 11-5 Jacksonville 8-8 Tennessee 7-9 Indianapolis 7-9 AFC West 3. LA Chargers 11-5 5. Kansas City 10-6 Denver 6-10 Oakland 4-12 NFC East 1. Philly 13-3 NY Giants 8-8 Dallas 8-8 Washington 6-10 NFC North 3. Green Bay 11-5 6. Minnesota 10-6 Chicago 8-8 Detroit 6-10 NFC South 4. Carolina 11-5 5. New Orleans 10-6 Tampa Bay 8-8 Atlanta 7-9 NFC West 2. LA Rams 12-4 San Francisco 8-8 Seattle 7-9 Arizona 5-11 The best part is that these all the records add up to 256-256 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter2_1 Posted September 5, 2018 Share Posted September 5, 2018 AFC East: 1. New England Patriots 12-4 2. Buffalo Bills 7-9 3. New York Jets 6-10 4. Miami Dolphins 4 -12 AFC North: 1. Pittsburgh Steelers 13-3 2. Baltimore Ravens 9-7 3. Cinci Bengals 6-10 4. Cleveland Browns 2-14 AFC South: 1. Jacksonville Jaguars 12-4 2. Houston Texans 10-6 3. Tennessee Titans 8-8 4. Indianapolis Colts 4-12 AFC West: 1. LAC 11-5 2. Denver Broncos 8-8 3. Kansas City 6-10 4. Oakland Raiders 5-11 NFC East: 1. Philadelphia Eagles 12-4 2. Dallas Cowboys 8-8 3. New York Giants 6-10 4. Washington Redskins 5-11 NFC North: 1. Green Bay Packers 13-3 2. Minnesota Vikings 12-4 3. Chicago Bears 7-9 ( 4. Detroit Lions 6-10 NFC South: 1. New Orleans Saints 12-4 2. Carolina Panthers 9-7 3. Atlanta Falcons 8-8 4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 5-11(3-3) NFC West: 1. Los Angeles Rams 13-3 2. San Francisco 49ers 9-7 3. Seattle Seahawks 7-9 4. Arizona Cardinals 3-13 #1 Overall Draft Pick: Cleveland Browns Most Valuable Player: QB Aaron Rodgers Offensive Player of the Year: QB Aaron Rodgers Defensive Player of the Year: CB Aaron Donald Offensive Rookie of the Year: RB Saquon Barkley Defensive Rookie of the Year: LB Roquan Smith Comeback Player of the Year: QB Deshaun Watson Coach of the Year: HC Mike McCarthy AFC Championship Game: Pittsburgh Steelers vs New England Patriots NFC Championship Game: Philadelphia Eagles vs Green Bay Packers Super Bowl: Green Bay Packers vs Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl Champs: Green Bay Packers Super Bowl MVP: QB Aaron Rodgers Green Bay Packers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonnguy2015 Posted September 6, 2018 Share Posted September 6, 2018 AFC East: 1. Patriots(#1) 2. Dolphins 3. Jets 4. Bills AFC North: 1. Steelers(#3) 2. Ravens 3. Bengals 4. Browns AFC South: 1. Jaguars(#2) 2. Texans(#5) 3. Titans(#6) 4. Colts AFC West: 1. Chargers(#4) 2. Chiefs 3. Broncos 4. Raiders NFC East: 1. Eagles(#1) 2. Giants 3. Cowboys 4. Redskins NFC North: 1. Vikings(#4) 2. Packers(#6) 3. Bears 4. Lions NFC South: 1. Saints(#3) 2. Falcons(#5) 3. Panthers 4. Buccaneers NFC West: 1. Rams(#2) 2. 49ers 3. Cardinals 4. Seahawks #1 Overall Draft Pick: Colts Most Valuable Player: Tom Brady Offensive Player of the Year: Antonio Brown Defensive Player of the Year: Joey Bosa Offensive Rookie of the Year: Saquon Barkley Defensive Rookie of the Year: Roquan Smith Comeback Player of the Year: Aaron Rodgers Coach of the Year: Bill Belichick AFC Championship Game: Jaguars vs. Patriots NFC Championship Game: Rams vs. Eagles Super Bowl: Patriots vs. Eagles Super Bowl Champs: Eagles Super Bowl MVP: Carson Wentz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megatechpc Posted September 6, 2018 Share Posted September 6, 2018 21 hours ago, TitanSlim said: Because the NFC is going to be a dogfight this year and good teams are going to be 6th seed/just miss the playoffs. You have the "heavy hitters" in Eagles, Rams, Vikings, Saints, Packers, Falcons. Then you have potential sleeper teams in Bears, 49ers and Giants. And that's not even counting last year's playoff team in the Panthers, Russell Wilson in Seattle or Dallas who also was a playoff team just a couple of years ago. That's 12 pretty good teams right there. For example, I have you guys going 11-5 and that still was only good enough for a 6th seed. You are absolutely correct, but I wasn't referring people like you who are obviously giving the Falcons their due. I'm talking to the guys out there who are not even considering the Falcons as a playoff team with projected records of 7-9 or even less. I just don't get what it is about this team that they are looking at? Certainly not the roster or the results on the field just last year. This is a team that despite all the well documented issues they had scoring points last year, went into LA and beat the pants off of McVay and his "juggernaut" Rams team, then went on to play the eventual champion Eagles in Philly better than either the Vikings or the Patriots did, yet some around here are acting like they are going to finish at the bottom of their division this year for, reasons I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megatechpc Posted September 6, 2018 Share Posted September 6, 2018 11 hours ago, SmittyBacall said: I will let that all slide except for the bolded. That's absolutely nutty. I think it comes down to one glaring thing: People are wary of Sarkisian, and they have valid reasons to be that go beyond the minor acquisitions to the Falcons offence. There is a transition period between coordinators - yes. But this stacked offense which you always reference on paper only averaged 21.6ppg last season - good for 15th in the NFL and behind the likes of Flacco-led, receiver-less Baltimore (no offense Ravens fans). You must somehow understand given that not every member of this board will be quick to lock in the Falcons offense as a top 3 unit. Sark will likely improve going into his season year and find his footing as he transitions away from the shadow of Shanahan's historical offense of 2016. But it certainly isn't guaranteed. Paper means nothing on offense until you hit the field and produce. I personally - along with I assume the majority - see them as contenders along with another 10-11 teams. I don't know if I'd consider that under the radar. No one is ruling them out of winning the SB this season. We know what Ryan and this offense can accomplish under the right coaching. I just think most people are taking the wait and see approach given Sark's mediocrity last year. And that's fair. Even I am quite unhappy that DQ didn't immediately cut ties with Sark after the conclusion of the Falcons season last year, but don't forget that the offense actually played very well in most aspects last season. They just failed to score as many points as they should have. The Falcons offense finished 8th in yards, 9th in DVOA, they lead the NFL in 3rd down percentage, were 9th in first downs, and 9th in 3rd down conversions. When you consider that Atlanta was 5th in dropped passes (at least 5 of which were directly intercepted) its easy to see that despite all the issues they were still a top-10 offense last year, and most of the problems they had are easily correctable. Their defense played well as well, but they didn't force nearly enough TO's so that also lead to fewer opportunities for the offense to score than they will likely get this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bolts223 Posted September 6, 2018 Share Posted September 6, 2018 Before starting I will say that yes, I am completely biased with this. From my playoff predictor: AFC East: 1. New England Patriots (13-3-0) #1 2. Miami Dolphins (5-11-0) 3. Buffalo Bills (4-12-0) 4. New York Jets (3-13-0) AFC North: 1. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7-0) #4 2. Baltimore Ravens (8-8-0) #6 3. Cincinnati Bengals (8-8-0) 4. Cleveland Browns (7-9-0) AFC South: 1. Tennessee Titans (10-6-0) #3 2. Houston Texans (10-6-0) #5 3. Jacksonville Jaguars (8-8-0) 4. Indianapolis Colts (3-13-0) AFC West: 1. Los Angeles Chargers (12-4-0) 2. Kansas City Chiefs (8-8-0) 3. Denver Broncos (6-10-0) 4. Oakland Raiders (4-12-0) NFC East: 1. Philadelphia Eagles (13-3-0) #2 2. Dallas Cowboys (10-6-0) 3. Washington Redskins (5-11-0) 4. New York Giants (5-11-0) NFC North: 1. Green Bay Packers (13-3-0) #1 2. Minnesota Vikings (13-3-0) #5 3. Chicago Bears (10-6-0) 4. Detroit Lions (5-11-0) NFC South: 1. Atlanta Falcons (11-5-0) #4 2. New Orleans Saints (11-5-0) #6 3. Carolina Panthers (10-6-0) 4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-13-0) NFC West: 1. Los Angeles Rams (12-4-0) #3 2. San Francisco 49ers (8-8-0) 3. Arizona Cardinals (5-11-0) 4. Seattle Seahawks (4-12-0) Wild Card Round Vikings over Falcons Rams over Saints Titans over Ravens Steelers over Texans Divisional Round Packers over Vikings Eagles over Rams Patriots over Steelers Chargers over Titans NFC Championship Game Packers over Eagles AFC Championship Game Chargers over Patriots Super Bowl Chargers over Packers #1 Overall Draft Pick: Jets, Colts or Bucs depending on how the SOS shapes out. Most Valuable Player: Aaron Rodgers Offensive Player of the Year: Todd Gurley Defensive Player of the Year: Khalil Mack Offensive Rookie of the Year: Saquon Barkley Defensive Rookie of the Year: Derwin James Comeback Player of the Year: JJ Watt Coach of the Year: Mike Vrabel AFC Championship Game: Chargers @ Patriots NFC Championship Game: Eagles @ Packers Super Bowl: Chargers vs Packers Super Bowl Champs: Chargers Super Bowl MVP: Philip Rivers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notthatbluestuff Posted September 6, 2018 Share Posted September 6, 2018 15 hours ago, Hunter2_1 said: Defensive Player of the Year: CB Aaron Donald You realize that Aaron Donald isn't a CB right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stl4life07 Posted September 6, 2018 Share Posted September 6, 2018 Ill make my season prediction and Conference/Superbowl prediction. I wont include records but Ill include the 12 teams that I feel will make the playoffs. AFC Patriots AFCE Chargers AFCW Steelers AFCN Texans AFCS Jaguars WC Ravens WC AFCCG: Ravens vs Chargers The winner will be the Chargers. This is Rivers best chance in a long time to make a Superbowl run. No excuses for him or the Chargers. I think they have the best team on paper in the AFC and one of the best teams on paper in the NFL. They will show LA that its not all about the Rams, dont forget about them. Chargers are going to the Superbowl. NFC Rams NFCW Packers NFCN Falcons NFCS Eagles NFCE Saints WC Vikings WC NFCCG: Packers vs Rams The winner will be the Rams. Just like the Chargers, Ill say the Rams have the best team on paper in the AFC and I think the best team on paper in the NFL. People look at the Rams like the "dream team" 2011 Eagles. I look at the Rams like the 2011 Seahawks and the 2017 Eagles. Both teams took advantage of their talented QB on his rookie deal by loading the team with talent that helped them eventually win a Superbowl. The Rams are great in all phases (offense, defense, special teams) and they have a great coaching staff. The fight for LA is real because the Rams will also let the Chargers know that this is their city and their is nothing they can do about it. Rams are going to the Superbowl. Superbowl: Chargers vs Rams "The battle for LA" or "An all LA Superbowl", whatever you want to call it. This is going to be a great matchup. I have the Rams winning the Superbowl. The last time the Rams won a Superbowl it was in Atlanta in their old stadium. Now the Rams will win in Atlanta again but this time in their new stadium. Its going to be a very good game and we have some things to look for in this game that goes beyond the LA rivalry. For example, Gurley vs Gordon. Both guys were drafted in the 1st round of the 2015 NFL Draft. The debate is still on as who is the better back. Ingram and Bosa are a great 1-2 punch on the defense, but what about Suh and Donald? Did you know Ingram and Bosa was top 3 as tandem in total pressures last season? Well if you combined Suh and Donald total pressures together they wouldve been top 3 as well. Then you have Lynn vs McVay. Both guys was hired the same offseason to coach their respective teams. So its going to be interesting. Again I pick to Rams to win it all and not only stake firmly that they are the kings of LA but they are the kings of the NFL and will be force with Snead/McVay running the ship with Goff at QB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shylo3716 Posted September 6, 2018 Author Share Posted September 6, 2018 Final Call for today! 8:20PM EST Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DistantRam Posted September 6, 2018 Share Posted September 6, 2018 6 hours ago, notthatbluestuff said: You realize that Aaron Donald isn't a CB right? We’re paying him enough to play two positions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter2_1 Posted September 6, 2018 Share Posted September 6, 2018 7 hours ago, notthatbluestuff said: You realize that Aaron Donald isn't a CB right? Yes, I do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter2_1 Posted September 6, 2018 Share Posted September 6, 2018 @Shylo3716 Do you keep track of these then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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