Which team improved the most over the offseason? *On Paper

[stl4life07]

Rams

[jvmillion83]

Chicago & Cleveland seem like the obvious ones

Cleveland has upgraded significantly on its offense everywhere with the exception of its offensive line.  With more pieces on their defense too, this team has got to be cursed if they fall below 7 wins again.  Their roster has too much talent at this point to fail.  

Chicago for overhauling their offensive philosophy and improving almost everywhere.  Offensively they're mirroring what the Rams went through last year.  They have better receivers, more depth at TE and better coaching to make that offensive line work with this new offense.  Their defense also made some improvements and looks very good.  Roquan Smith could be that final piece in place to move forward.  From a fantasy football perspective, I can see Trubisky, Howard, Burton and Chicago D outperforming their values.   

 

I think people saying the Rams could be somewhat disappointed.  They're a good team but they've made a number of moves this season that resemble fantasy football instead.  Cooks should be an upgrade over Watkins but will it be that much significant?  Also Gurley had a ton of usage last season and the Rams don't really have that two back set to spell him throughout that season.  The offense should be fine but I'm questioning the defense.  Suh, Peters and Talib are nice but I worry about the continuity of this defense and everyone gelling together even after they lost some key guys who have been part of their defense for awhile now like Trumaine Johnson, Robert Quinn and Alec Ogletree.  Not to mention, the three additions are pro-bowl talents but checkered behavioral pasts and on the field this usually spells penalties and potential locker room issues (Wasn't that how Wade Phillips ended in Denver?).  I'm also worried about the linebacking unit has Ogletree was their best guy and they didn't do much to improve it.  This could especially hurt them if they make the playoffs and have to face off with some of these top NFC teams with good TE players (Eagles-Ertz), (Panthers-Olsen), (Packers-Graham), (Vikings-Rudolph), (Niners-Kittle) just to throw out a few hypothetical examples.  There's really no pushovers in the NFC right now.  This is truly a conference of parody so I wouldn't be shocked by any of this. 

[stl4life07]

@jvmillion83 Cooks will be a significant upgrade over Watkins. He fits McVay system better than Watkins did. McVay system is similar to Payton system in New Orleans and we know Cooks thrived in that system. Plus McVay originally wanted Cooks last offseason but didn’t have a 1st round pick to give to the Saints.

As for the defense, I think Wade have things under control. I don’t see the narrative of the Rams having a fantasy football team. They put guys in place to fit what they are trying to do. If so happens that those guys are elite. The Rams needed a NT in the middle to help stop the run. The Rams was actually bringing in Vea and Settle for visits before they signed Suh. We know Suh is one of the best run stopping DL in the league. He fits a need. In Wade scheme, he focuses more on the secondary, particularly guys who can cover man to man. Talib and Peters are excellent man to man corners. Wade isn’t big on linebackers. The Rams were top 5 in sacks in 2017 and 48% of their sacks came from the DL. Quinn and Tree were liabilities in the scheme. They are overall talented but in the right scheme. Wade has the linebackers who will fit his scheme even though they aren’t household names. The DL and the secondary will help make the linebackers job easier.

The Rams will be just fine. I just feel people take the easy way out and say Rams getting stars so they are going to be like the Eagles “dream team” and suck. Instead of actually trying to focus on X’s and O’s and understand these players are great fit for the Rams on offense and defense. For example, looking back at that Eagles “dream team”, if I can recall one of their stars was Nnamdi Asomugha. He was in the wrong scheme when he went to the Eagles. So obviously he didn’t play well because they asked him to do something he didn’t do well. I promise you none of the players the Rams got will be asked to do things they aren’t good at doing. Not Cooks, not Suh, not Talib, not Peters. The only thing you can go back to is talk about character concerns. Well Cooks isn’t a character concern. Suh wanted to come to LA to play next to Donald. Talib already worked with Wade so it’s not like Wade is inheriting someone he isn’t familiar with. As for Peters, his immature is on the field which gets way overblown. He doesn’t do anything in the locker room or off the field that’s a distraction. He has great coaches in Wade and McVay with guys like Joyner, Talib (who mentored Harris Jr. in Denver) to help him be more mature and not let his passion become a negative on the field. So like I just don’t see how adding these players will hurt the Rams. Barring injuries the Rams are an 11 or 12 win team with Superbowl aspirations and not just winning the division and making the playoffs. They fixed their defense overall because Tru was a good corner not a great corner. They didn’t have a guy like Suh in the middle. On offense it’s going to be better with the addition of Cooks and the growth of Everett and Kupp being in their 2nd year along with the rest of the offense being in another year with McVay. 

[BleedTheClock]

On 5/28/2018 at 7:28 PM, Humble_Beast said:

People are sleeping but are the Raiders the most improve team over the offseason?

• Keep the core: Carr, Cooper, Mack, and the interior of the offensive line
• This is true.

 

• Added a legendary coach, replaced a lousy coach in Del Rio
• I love Jon Gruden, but he's not a legendary coach. He's a legendary personality maybe, but he isn't some slam-dunk coaching hire.

 

• Team weakness: DT and  CB adressed. Added maybe the best DT in the draft Maurice Hurst, and a small school freak in PJ Hall. Added Darryl Worley and Rashan Melvin who have thrive as starters on Carolina and Colts. Nick Nelson could have been a day 2 pick without injury. Plus former high picks will play this year in Conely and Obi in their secondary
• You are better at both spots, but I still don't think those are now strengths of the team. Hurst was never the best DT in the draft. He wasn't even the Raiders top DT, as evidenced by their selection of PJ Hall 2 rounds earlier. I'm starting to think you're a Raiders fan. And Nick Nelson could have gone undrafted and nobody would have batted an eye. Darryl Worley and Rashaan Melvin are great? Worley is a below average starter and Melvin is a good #2.  

 

• Added the best LT in the draft in Kolton Miller and added another potential starting RT in Brandon Parker
• Very few people would tell you Kolton Miller was the best LT in the draft. That selection was almost universally hated, my man.

 

• Rid of all the divas and bad characters: Crabtree, King, Aldon
• Must have forgot that they traded for Martavis Bryant, who is both a drughead and a poor locker room guy. Must have forgot about Arden Key, who is an alleged drughead and lazy.

 

• Wideouts dropped too many passes, brought in Bryant (Steelers), Jordy Nelson, and Ryan Switzer
• Nevermind. Apparently he didn't forget about Martavis Bryant. Bryant is facing a very lengthy suspension, Jordy Nelson is washed up, and Ryan Switzer, a guy I liked coming out of the draft, has done less than nothing in his NFL career. A team with a need at WR traded him away.

 

• Arden Key is a boom or bust but if he booms, Mack and Key will be lethal
• ...and you didn't forget Arden Key either. He has some potential, but he's not some superstar prospect with unreal freakish gifts that will be impossible to block if he "wants it." He has a much better chance of washing out of the league in a year's time than he does of becoming a "lethal" player.

 

• Derrik Johnson provides stability as the new defensive leader
• True. This is a solid pickup. I think he's kind of done too, but their ILB group was putrid. He'll at least provide leadership.

 

• Tahir Whitehead improves the talent level at LB, Michael Gilchrist does same for Safety spot
• Barely. Whitehead is a fringe starter and Gilchrist shouldn't really be on the field unless he's a reserve. I'd assume Obi would beat him out at FS.

 

• Picked up the best kicker in the draft, and a top punter
• Maybe. Even if they nailed it with the kicker and punter, I'm not giving them the "most improved team" award because they replaced a decent kicker and a good punter with two rookies.

People laugh at the Hackenberg, Wright, and Leon Hall moves but Gruden made a lot of moves. Those guys are unlikely to make the team

 

 

This post was brutal. If you really think the Raiders are the most improved team in the NFL, you don't watch much NFL football. It's blatantly obvious you're an Oakland honk. They didn't have a bad off-season, but it was at best, par for the course when stacking it up against other NFL teams.

[BleedTheClock]

It's the Browns by a landslide. I am a Browns fan, but our team was HORRENDOUS last year. The team won 0 games. I think most people are predicting 5-7 wins at least this season. No other team improved their win total by 5-7 games this season other than the Browns IMO. At least on paper. I'm sure some team nobody expects to be good will make a run, but right now on paper, it has to be the Browns. They've upgraded at literally every position other than OL and that's just because Joe Thomas retired. They drafted Corbett to play there, but the jury is out on that one. Aside from that, this team does not have any glaring holes. To look at an 0-16 team from the previous year and not be able to poke major holes in their roster is kind of remarkable.

I'm not on the Browns playoff bandwagon or even on team Tyrod yet, but we legitimately earned those 0 wins last year. It wasn't some flukey bad season--the team was that terrible. The Browns are the most improved.

 

 

The Rams were already a really good team. They went from an A- to an A or A+. That's not that big of a jump IMO.

The Bears had a great off-season, but I don't see anyone arguing that they improved more than Cleveland did. They might win more games than the Browns, but their differential from the 18 to 19 season won't be nearly as significant.

[stl4life07]

22 minutes ago, BleedTheClock said:

It's the Browns by a landslide. I am a Browns fan, but our team was HORRENDOUS last year. The team won 0 games. I think most people are predicting 5-7 wins at least this season. No other team improved their win total by 5-7 games this season other than the Browns IMO. At least on paper. I'm sure some team nobody expects to be good will make a run, but right now on paper, it has to be the Browns. They've upgraded at literally every position other than OL and that's just because Joe Thomas retired. They drafted Corbett to play there, but the jury is out on that one. Aside from that, this team does not have any glaring holes. To look at an 0-16 team from the previous year and not be able to poke major holes in their roster is kind of remarkable.

I'm not on the Browns playoff bandwagon or even on team Tyrod yet, but we legitimately earned those 0 wins last year. It wasn't some flukey bad season--the team was that terrible. The Browns are the most improved.

 

 

The Rams were already a really good team. They went from an A- to an A or A+. That's not that big of a jump IMO.

The Bears had a great off-season, but I don't see anyone arguing that they improved more than Cleveland did. They might win more games than the Browns, but their differential from the 18 to 19 season won't be nearly as significant.

You make sense about the Browns. They aren’t going to be the same team that only won 1 game in the past two seasons. They revamped their team. 

[43M]

20 minutes ago, BleedTheClock said:

It's the Browns by a landslide. I am a Browns fan, but our team was HORRENDOUS last year. The team won 0 games. I think most people are predicting 5-7 wins at least this season. No other team improved their win total by 5-7 games this season other than the Browns IMO. At least on paper. I'm sure some team nobody expects to be good will make a run, but right now on paper, it has to be the Browns. They've upgraded at literally every position other than OL and that's just because Joe Thomas retired. They drafted Corbett to play there, but the jury is out on that one. Aside from that, this team does not have any glaring holes. To look at an 0-16 team from the previous year and not be able to poke major holes in their roster is kind of remarkable.

I'm not on the Browns playoff bandwagon or even on team Tyrod yet, but we legitimately earned those 0 wins last year. It wasn't some flukey bad season--the team was that terrible. The Browns are the most improved.

 

 

The Rams were already a really good team. They went from an A- to an A or A+. That's not that big of a jump IMO.

The Bears had a great off-season, but I don't see anyone arguing that they improved more than Cleveland did. They might win more games than the Browns, but their differential from the 18 to 19 season won't be nearly as significant.

Just the addition of Tyrod Taylor wouldve been good enough for at least 4 wins.    Even if Taylor isnt anything special, he would be a huge upgrade from anything the Browns had last year.

I agree the Browns are the answer ON PAPER.     Beyond the new additions, they have several players, most notably Myles Garrett, who should develop even more into upper tier players.

My only issue with the Browns offseason comes down to coaching.    Retained Hue Jackson and hired Todd Haley.     I never thought Hue was a good coach, even before the Browns hired him.   Now, while I do hate Haley and trust Browns fans will grow to eventually hate him too....there should at least be a honeymoon period where you guys think he is a good OC, if only because of the addition of talent and improvement from 2017....but within 3 years, I suspect you guys will be calling for a change.

Still, based on pure talent.....the Browns are definitely the most improved. 

[Thomas5737]

14 minutes ago, FourThreeMafia said:

Just the addition of Tyrod Taylor wouldve been good enough for at least 4 wins.    Even if Taylor isnt anything special, he would be a huge upgrade from anything the Browns had last year.

I agree the Browns are the answer ON PAPER.     Beyond the new additions, they have several players, most notably Myles Garrett, who should develop even more into upper tier players.

My only issue with the Browns offseason comes down to coaching.    Retained Hue Jackson and hired Todd Haley.     I never thought Hue was a good coach, even before the Browns hired him.   Now, while I do hate Haley and trust Browns fans will grow to eventually hate him too....there should at least be a honeymoon period where you guys think he is a good OC, if only because of the addition of talent and improvement from 2017....but within 3 years, I suspect you guys will be calling for a change.

Still, based on pure talent.....the Browns are definitely the most improved. 

I agree for the most part. Hue has a lot to prove and I don't know if he can do it. Many Browns fans give Haley too much credit but many Steelers fans give him too much hate. Pretty much the same with every fan base though. Bell had the most carries in the NFL and was 3rd in rushing TDs. Roethlisberger was 5th in passing attempts and TD. I do think he played Bell too much but that shouldn't be a problem with the Browns since they don't have a Bell(cow), but have pretty good depth at the position. Haley will probably have a better relationship with his QB in Cleveland because they aren't Ben and don't have the accolades to question him like Ben. As far as Haley's in game playcalling, it is going to be better than Hue's so if nothing else it's an improvement, or should be, even if it isn't great.

On paper, the Browns should have the greatest win differential from last season even if they only win 5 games. 5 wins isn't going to impress anyone though so unless they get to 7 wins no one will care if they were the most improved because they will just be a 10 second clip at the end of sportscenter once everyone has already caught the big stories of the day and moved on to The Walking dead or something more entertaining.

[JaguarCrazy2832]

5 hours ago, BleedTheClock said:

It's the Browns by a landslide. I am a Browns fan, but our team was HORRENDOUS last year. The team won 0 games. I think most people are predicting 5-7 wins at least this season. No other team improved their win total by 5-7 games this season other than the Browns IMO. At least on paper. I'm sure some team nobody expects to be good will make a run, but right now on paper, it has to be the Browns. They've upgraded at literally every position other than OL and that's just because Joe Thomas retired. They drafted Corbett to play there, but the jury is out on that one. Aside from that, this team does not have any glaring holes. To look at an 0-16 team from the previous year and not be able to poke major holes in their roster is kind of remarkable.

I'm not on the Browns playoff bandwagon or even on team Tyrod yet, but we legitimately earned those 0 wins last year. It wasn't some flukey bad season--the team was that terrible. The Browns are the most improved.

 

 

The Rams were already a really good team. They went from an A- to an A or A+. That's not that big of a jump IMO.

The Bears had a great off-season, but I don't see anyone arguing that they improved more than Cleveland did. They might win more games than the Browns, but their differential from the 18 to 19 season won't be nearly as significant.

The Browns are usually towards the top in these lists because they finish with high picks and therefore draft high caliber draft prospects. When you start from the bottom you have no where to go but up. The predicting 5-7 wins is probably the best argument as most if not all teams cant come close to that kind of improvement.

[pigsooie5]

Allen Robinson II

Trey Burton

Taylor Gabriel

Roquan Smith

James Daniels

Anthony Miller

Matt Nagy

Hard to argue against the Bears.

[Soko]

6 hours ago, JaguarCrazy2832 said:

The Browns are usually towards the top in these lists because they finish with high picks and therefore draft high caliber draft prospects. When you start from the bottom you have no where to go but up. The predicting 5-7 wins is probably the best argument as most if not all teams cant come close to that kind of improvement.

Eh, there’s conceivably 8-10 other teams that could see a 5 game improvement without stretching reality too thin.

7, you’re right. Hardly any, but there are a few (Giants).

[Broncofan]

9 hours ago, JaguarCrazy2832 said:

The Browns are usually towards the top in these lists because they finish with high picks and therefore draft high caliber draft prospects. When you start from the bottom you have no where to go but up. The predicting 5-7 wins is probably the best argument as most if not all teams cant come close to that kind of improvement.

 

3 hours ago, Yin-Yang said:

Eh, there’s conceivably 8-10 other teams that could see a 5 game improvement without stretching reality too thin.

7, you’re right. Hardly any, but there are a few (Giants).

I think the Browns have to be one of the top 2-3 teams at worst in this category - but one point I'd allude to - 2016's team was awful, truly 1-win worthy talent-wise.   Last year's team should have won 3-4 games IMO.   Hue Jackson's decisions were at least a 2-game loser on his own (keeping Kizer out there for TEN turnovers inside the opponent's 5-yard line, yes 10, horrible clock management like calling for a QB sneak with less than 20 secs left in the half and no TO's...and not scoring, putting Duke Johnson on the bench for 4th down plays, thinking Peppers should play anywhere but SS with his skill set, etc.).   

I still think they improved roster-wise by 4+ wins, but I'm not basing a 5-7W team as talent-wise being 5-7 W's better from last year - while I'm not a huge Todd Haley fan, I think having him call plays is probably a 2-W upgrade on Hue alone.

[ET80]

7 hours ago, pigsooie5 said:

Allen Robinson II

Trey Burton

Taylor Gabriel

Roquan Smith

James Daniels

Anthony Miller

Matt Nagy

Hard to argue against the Bears.

I really do like what Chicago did this off-season. They'll be due a big turnaround in a competitive division.

[JaguarCrazy2832]

2 minutes ago, EliteTexan80 said:

I really do like what Chicago did this off-season. They'll be due a big turnaround in a competitive division.

Offensively they gave Mitch everything he could need. Plenty of targets to throw to and a running game to lean on. I'd expect major improvement from him if i liked him coming out of UNC

[ET80]

Just now, JaguarCrazy2832 said:

Offensively they gave Mitch everything he could need. Plenty of targets to throw to and a running game to lean on. I'd expect major improvement from him if i liked him coming out of UNC

Only issue is they're in a tough division. Packers with a healthy Rodgers, A Kirk Cousins led Vikings squad, a Lions unit that always plays much better than people give them credit for... even with the improvements, still might be a tough division to win.

From a competitive standpoint, this is going to come down to the final week of the season - nobody here is going to be in a spot to rest starters or compete for a bye, IMO.