Your Team: High Expecations, Low Expectations

[cddolphin]

Who are some players you have high/low expectations for, and why? They can be rookies, players returning from injury, free agents, anybody on the team really.

[cddolphin]

For Miami:

 

High Expectations

QB Ryan Tannehill - Thoughts on our QB seem to be really split. Some think he's a replacement level QB, others consider him vastly underrated. The fact is, Tannehill was hitting his stride with Gase before his unfortunate injury, winning 7 of his last 8 games while posting a 100+ QBR, completing 69% of his passes and throwing twice as many TDs as INTs... behind a line of including the likes of Kraig Urbik, Anthony Steen, and Jermon Bushrod. For all of 2016, he threw 11 TDs in the redzone, to go along with 0 INTs (one of six QBs in the league to not throw a redzone INT). With an improved interior OL, a more balanced WR room, and a backfield with young talent and proven veterans both included, my expectations for Tannehill are high. Anybody worried about the ACL needs to look at the past decade or two of QB ACL injuries and the fact that the majority of the time, they bounce back just fine and stay healthy.

 

WR Jakeem Grant - Despite modest stats last season, it seemed like every other time Grant touched the ball, an explosive play resulted. The WR room is crowded this year, and targets will be spread out, but Grant had an eye-popping 18 yards per catch when he was lined up as a boundary WR. I like him to return punts as well. While I don't expect huge numbers, I do think he'll make a leap in his third year, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him lead the Dolphins in yards per catch and explosive play %

 

Low Expectations

TE Mike Gesicki - Rookie TEs in recent years simply don't put up big numbers in the NFL. They just don't, especially ones drafted outside the 1st round. NFL playbooks are complex, and in Gase's offense Gesicki will be asked to line up in-line, in the slot, on the boundary; he'll be put into motion and ask to make post-snap reads based on coverage, not to mention needing to occasionally block effectively. The learning curve for TEs is steep, and my expectations for year 1 will be tempered. I'll not at all be surprised if/when both AJ Derby & Marqueis Gray play more overall snaps this season. However, I can see Gesicki's early action mostly coming in the redzone passing offense, where he can maximize his current strengths: winning 1-on-1s against mismatched safeties and linebackers, and attacking and high-pointing the ball; something even our big WRs can't seem to do consistently (cough cough DeVante Parker).

LB Kiko Alonso - A flashy 2016 was followed by a massively disappointing 2017. Kiko often looked completely out-matched in pass defense and missed too many tackles. With McMillan set to take over the middle, and younger, faster talent on the roster (Jerome Baker, Stephone Anthony), I expect Kiko to be relegated to the SAM role and coming off on passing downs most of the time. If his 2017 play bleeds into this season, he can be cut for savings in 2019.

[Hunter2_1]

Can only say that I have high expectations of everyone, because of who the coach is and what he expects from everyone. Down to the long snapper. Anyone who doesn't reach their expectations get yanked.

Obviously expectations remain high of Brady - we expect him to be the best in the league again. Same for Gronk. Anything below that is not meeting expectations.

Perhaps a harsh high expectation I have is of Rookie Isaih Wynn. I expect, under Scarnecchia, that he should be able to plug straight into LT and be safe. His tape is excellent, and he'll only improve under one of the best positional coaches in league. But to expect a rookie LT to safeguard a 40 year old franchise QB is probably a bit too hard.

[Shady Slim]

very high on antonio brown who was arguably an MVP candidate before the injury last year and still played his back off in the ploffs

[stl4life07]

I have high expectations on Cooks. I know some people will think Cooks will have similar production as Watkins last season because that’s who he is replacing. I say no. Cooks fit McVay system way better than Watkins did. The situation is totally different because Cooks is in OTA’s and minicamp. He will have a full training camp and he already has some familiarity with Goff even before the Rams traded for him. Not to mention the Rams wanted Cooks last offseason but didn’t have a 1st round pick to give to the Saints. Cooks will possibly have his best season in his career up to this point. Cooks with McVay is going to be scary.

Low expectations will be the linebacking group. I don’t expect much from them. They just need to make the plays given to them by the DL, the secondary, and Wade scheme. Outside of that, I don’t expect stellar production.

[RaidersAreOne]

Low:

• Donald Penn. I think his play declines rapidly and rookie Tackles Miller or Parker step in by mid-season.
• Jordy Nelson. I think he will be a solid possession guy, but I don't expect him to be anything close to the WR he once was. He will end up being our #3 guy by the end of the year I predict. 
• Marshawn Lynch. Another year older for a bruiser RB. He should be spelled more this season with the addition of Doug Martin, but I don't see Lynch being a RB 1 for the majority of the season.
• Karl Joseph. He has simply been ok to this point in time. This will be a big season for him to see if he can be more than a good tackler and transform into a playmaking S like he was at WV. 

High:

• Derek Carr. When he is on, he is in the top tier of QB's. However major injuries, terrible coaching, inconsistent WR play and overall poor performances led to him looking very pedestrian last season. I think Gruden is going to light a major fire under his *** and elevate his play to the borderline MVP play he had a couple seasons ago.
• Amari Cooper. I think we see Cooper in the slot a lot more and getting him in space. I am weary if he will ever live up to the high pick, but similarly with Carr, Gruden will put him in a position to succeed and get on track. 
• Maurice Hurst. I think he is going to really elevate our D and finally provide an interior presence. Maybe not DROY play, but I predict solid sack and TFL production as he is going to have a MAJOR chip on his shoulder.
• Gareon Conley. I think Conley is going to establish himself as a legit #1 CB shortly into the season. He was a sensational prospect who should have gone top 15. He is healthy and lighting up camp thus far. Expect big things from him barring no set backs.

[JaguarCrazy2832]

Low Expectations: Our rookies. I loved alot about our draft but these guys will likely not be given the opportunity to make major waves early on because of better vets in front of them

 

High Expectations: 

Leonard Fournette/Andrew Norwell: I think the addition of Norwell spells major things for Fournette this year. He looked every bit the part last year and we add an All-Pro guard to the OL. That cant be a bad thing even if you think its an overpay.

Myles Jack: He is still healthy and has been improving and becoming a leader on defense. I think he takes a big leap forward and makes our defense even more of a force

Blake Bortles: Whether or not i think he reaches these high expectations is irrelevant but he has plenty of weapons now, a running game/defense to lean on and some shiny new toys to throw to. He made plays vs Pittsburgh and kept us close vs New England but ultimately fell short. Bortles is still just 26 and i think we all have high expectations for him because if he doesnt reach them, then we got some stuff to figure out

[DoleINGout]

Troy Niklas I hope can turn his career around and stay healthy with the Patriots. I think he has the talrnt to live up to his second round draft selection by the Cardinals. If all goes well, my highest expectation for Niklas is that he can be counted on no matter if Rob Gronkowski re-signs or retires or whatever.

 

Edit: Misunderstood the thread.

 

High: Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Dont'a Hightower, Trent Brown

Low: Malcolm Mitchell, Joe Thuney, Jason McCourty, Cyrus Jones

 

High:

Brady and Gronkowski for obvious reasons; both are arguably the best at their position in NFL history but neither are attending voluntary OTA's because of contract disputes and personal reasons. Hightower is considered the best player on the Patriots defense and a huge addition by some because he missed much of last season. Trent Brown was acquired for a third round pick to take over he starting left tackle spot. If Brown cannot hold down left tackle then it may force a combinaiton of players including rookie Isaiah Wynn to move over to that position.

 

Low:

Malcolm Mitchell missed the entire 2017 season and so far isn't participating in OTA's because of a lingering knee problem. Joe Thuney has started at left guard for the past two seasons with varying degrees of success but is being replaced by Isaiah Wynn. Thuney also is recovering from a recent shoulder surgery. Jason McCourty has not been participating in the OTA's and souces close to the team expect the young players to challenge McCourty for his roster spot. Cyrus Jones is a high effort player that just seems to be chronically ailed by some type of injury on top of being limited to the slot where the Patriots have a ton of people competing. Jones will likely not make the roster.

[MWil23]

High:

Josh Gordon: Let's see if he can return to form, especially with Tyrod throwing him the ball

Landry: High priced acquired WR with solid production entering his prime.

Myles Garrett: Showed flashes last year. Here's hoping he's healthy

Tyrod Taylor: If he puts up the same numbers he did in Buffalo Cleveland may throw him a legitimate parade

Low:

Baker Mayfield: I expect him to Redshirt this entire year

Crap or get off the pot:

Corey Coleman: It's now or never for this guy in his 3rd year

[AFlaccoSeagulls]

High Expectations:

Alex Collins (better OL this year means he should continue his impressive streak from last year), Matthew Judon (Should become a top edge rusher/defender this year), CJ Mosley (Needs to shed weight and get his range back), Justin Tucker (Is the GOAT)

Low Expectations:

Joe Flacco (because he sucks), Jimmy Smith (coming back from injury sooner than he should), Tony Jefferson (I think he'll end up being another failed FA signing)

[ET80]

Texans:

High expectations for Will Fuller. In a four game span with Deshaun Watson, Fuller scored seven times, with an average of 28.7 yards per TD. The questionable hands that plagued him while at Notre Dame were now an afterthought, as Fuller showed off his sub 4.3 speed routinely in that small window. With DeAndre Hopkins drawing immense attention, Fuller is bound to be an impact player early.

High expectations for Aaron Colvin. His bread and butter seems to be playing in the slot, and the Texans play nickel about 60% of the time, so he's going to be very good in this role. He's also getting a shot at a boundary CB in base sets (~20% of snaps) so he gets to show whether or not he's got the chops for it. He's going to get plenty of support with Tyrann Mathieu playing FS and Romeo Crennel calling the shots. 

High expectations for Zach Cunningham. He had a very solid rookie season, and he's put on about 10 lbs of muscle this off-season. He's going to be the coverage LB while Bernardrick McKinney is the run thumper, and might show up on inside blitzes from time to time. I expect him to take a massive steps forward in Y2 and establish himself as the brains in the front seven. 

Low expectations for Ryan Griffin, Jordan Akins, Stephen Anderson and Jordan Thomas. The entire TE group is relatively underwhelming. Griffin is an OK blocker, but really lacks any sort of hands and isn't really dependable in the passing game. Akins was a reach in the 3rd round, as he doesn't seem to have any sort of special talent, and is a 26 year old rookie so you really can't expect much improvement. Anderson has flashes as a move TE, but isn't anything more than a regular guy at the spot. (He's younger than Akins, who is his primary competition). Thomas is a lottery ticket; Has some nice measurements, but isn't that experienced at TE (played WR for Mississippi State last season). I doubt any of these guys are on the roster in 2-3 years.

Low expectations for Lamar Miller. This was supposed to be the year where D'Onta Foreman took over as the lead back for the Texans, but Foreman tore his Achilles on a run last season, so he's up in the air. We're in the "diminishing returns" phase of Miller's career, so I'm not expecting him to even get to the 800 rushing yards he reached last season. He might be a small contributor in the passing game, but as a safety outlet at most. The Texans really need to give Adrian Peterson a call to see if he might plug in and provide some sort of option as a RB - Miller and Alfred Blue won't be that guy, and Foreman/Tyler Ervin are both coming back from serious injuries.

Low expectations for Seantrell Henderson/Martinas Rankins. Rankins is already on the shelf with an ankle injury (I think) so that leaves Henderson with an open path to the starting RT spot. Neither was anything worthwhile, so I'm expecting both to flounder. It might be best suited to let Jeff Allen compete here as well, as his starting gig at RG is pretty much given to Senio Kelemete...

Low expectations for Braxton Miller. Keke Coutee was drafted out of Texas Tech, which is basically a slot WR factory. He's being coached by the best slot WR ever in Wes Welker. He's already drawing rave reviews with plus hands, unworldly quickness and acceleration. Established slot CBs such as Colvin, Mathieu? Grasping at air (while in shorts and t-shirts, admittedly). Braxton Miller has a nice set of tools and a storied career out at THE Ohio State University, but he's simply not a WR (and apparently has a major entitlement complex). He better learn how to contribute on ST if he plans on doing anything in his final year. 

Low expectations for JJ Watt. 16 games this season. That's all I want to see. Don't care about stats or disruption or anything like that. Give me 16 games.

[bucsfan333]

Jameis Winston :: He really turned a corner the last quarter of last season. I think that carries over into this season and we finally see all that potential we've talked about since he was drafted.

Gerald McCoy :: He's never had anyone else on the dline who was really worth a **** until now. He's been consistently getting pressures, even if his sack numbers have been on the decline the last few years. I think he gets home more now that he can't be the focus of offenses.

Brent Grimes :: I think this is the year age finally catches up with him. He lost a step last year. But he was able to make up for it with his instincts and elite athleticism. He debated retirement before he signed his last one year deal. I think father time finally gets him.

Vita Vea :: Dude's massive. And he's gonna be one of the strongest guys on the field every snap. But that doesn't mean much if guards/centers are hitting him before he hits them. His first step is so slow. And that really worries me.

[Forge]

49ers

High Expectations:

• George Kittle- He looked pretty good last year, and I do think that there is a legit, pretty good starting tight end in there. 2 things he needs to work on are his health (he was constantly nicked up last year), and his drops. He dropped a ton of passes last year, and while it isn't Vance McDonald bad, it was way higher than any of the upper echelon tight ends. But the talent is there, and his ability to line up pretty much anywhere you can put a tight end is a boon. He has some great athleticism and if he can put it all together, I see no reason why he can't have the upside of someone like Ertz. But he's got to put it together. While I don't know if he gets everything together this year, I do suspect he's going to have a really nice season if he stays healthy.
• Deforest Buckner- So this is a little bit of cheating because he's already a stud for those who know, but I think that there is a good chance he could take another step forward. While the defense hasn't made leaps and bounds with regards to the talent that has been added, it is much better defensively than it has been the last couple of years. Buckner is a guy that has created a ton of pressure from his position, but simply hasn't been able to quite get to the finish line and get the sacks (only 3 last year, but 6 the year before, which is fairly solid from the interior). With what should hopefully be improved secondary play between an improving Witherspoon, the addition of Sherman, Ward moving back to corner, Tartt coming along at safety, maybe the coverages don't break down quite as quickly. While Buckner has struggled against double teams up front, I'm hopeful that the emergence of Solomon Thomas, who will be moved inside on passing downs to rush the passer (his best spot) along with Buckner, will help alleviate those double teams. 

Low Expectations: 

• Joshua Garnett- I'm notorious for being ready to move on from players / draft picks that I didn't like at the time they were made. If I wasn't a fan, they get a much shorter leash. Garnett was pretty awful his rookie season, missed his entire second season to "reshape his body", and is an overall poor fit for ZBS. Right now, Garnett isn't seen as a starter for the team with both Tomlinson and the newly signed, injury plagued Johnathan Cooper expected to get the starting nods at guard. Through OTAs, Garnett has split a lot of reps with something called a "Mike Person", which I don't view as a good sign, though admittedly the staff has said nothing but nice things about Garnett and this could be more conditioning related than anything. But I'm not expecting much of anything from him. The 49ers lack a 5th round pick in this upcoming draft from the Tomlinson trade, and I wouldn't be at all shocked it Garnett is moved at some point prior to the season to try and recoup that. 
• Arik Armstead- I almost put him in the "crap or get off the pot" field, however the fact of that matter is that for some reason, we already picked up his fifth year option and he's got absolutely no value through trade, so there's really no reason to get rid of him at this point. Armstead was quietly a very efficient pass rusher from this 3-4 end spot the first two years, but has been injury plagued throughout his career, and I don't view him as a natural fit in our current defensive scheme. He's now moving from 3-4 end, to pass rushing LEO, to the "big end" in our defensive scheme, and I think any time you are start carelessly playing with positions (not to mention a players weight), it's never a great sign and a lack of consistency has really killed some growth potential. 
• Richard Sherman- This is basically just injury related. At his age, with that injury, I find it highly unlikely that he's a stud on the outside, though that doesn't mean he won't be a solid corner for us. I just don't expect nearly all pro like play from him. I

Crap or get off the Pot: 

• Malcolm Smith - We gave Smith a pretty insane contract last year for what he was, then he promptly missed the entire season with a torn pec. It made no sense to cut him this year as his dead money was higher than the cap hit, and though there are limited savings next year, he could be a guy that ends up gone if he doesn't show up. We drafted Fred Warner in the third round this year, and he's looked very good through OTAs so far. While it would probably take a lot for him to pass up Smith on the depth chart, if Smith struggles or Warner really does shine, it is possible that would happen and Smith could easily be gone after the year is over, despite a minimal cap savings. 
• Joe Williams- Williams was a bit of a surprise 4th round pick last year, then was clearly outplayed by Matt Breida all throughout the off season. While Williams appears to be a natural running the football, ball security issues reared their ugly head, and he has offered little outside of being able to run the football - pass catching and blocking are not strong points to his game. The team only kept 3 natural running backs on the roster last year. We just gave McKinnon a bajillion dollars for some reason, so he's safe, and I don't think it's likely that Williams can catch up with Breida, who looked very good at points last year. Williams will battle with Mostert for that RB 3 spot, and while Williams is obviously the more talented running back, he doesn't play special teams, while Mostert is a special teams stud for us. I suppose it's possible that we keep 5 running backs on the roster (including Juice Check at FB), but I'm not sure. So this could easily be a make or break season for Joe Williams already. 

[The Gnat]

For the Vikings:

High Expectations-

Kirk Cousins

Obvious reason of new QB and a QB that should be a step-up for Keenum

Dalvin Cook

What looked like a promising rookie campaign cut short, see how the offense looks with him in there.

 

Low Expectations-

Mike Hughes and Brian O'Niell

Both for the same reason, Zimmer doesn't tend to play rookies a ton, so I think there's a chance that coming out of this season both will be considered by some of the Vikings fans or possibly around the NFL in general as wasted picks. The low expectations are just for this year though.

Kyle Rudolph

He'll get some numbers, but he's getting to the point where he's basically a red zone threat. I'd like to see the Vikings in the next year or so get a TE who can take over as the pass catching threat, especially down the middle.

[Forge]

1 hour ago, EliteTexan80 said:

Low expectations for Seantrell Henderson/Martinas Rankins. Rankins is already on the shelf with an ankle injury (I think) so that leaves Henderson with an open path to the starting RT spot. Neither was anything worthwhile, so I'm expecting both to flounder. It might be best suited to let Jeff Allen compete here as well, as his starting gig at RG is pretty much given to Senio Kelemete...

Where are you going to play Rankins? I kind of had him pegged as a center at the NFL level to be quite honest.