Goldfish's Slightly Too Early 2019 Season Predictions - All 32 up

[ninjapirate]

5 hours ago, Bearerofnews said:

Insanity to me that you have Eagles as top 2. Sheeer insanity. I have them as my surprise worst team in the league.  I get people think that is insanity. But i dont think it will be. Guess we'll see who is closer to being right on the 2 different spectrums. 

how is that insanity a lot of national pundits have the eagles as their pre season favorite. 

Edited July 11, 2019 by ninjapirate

[Buckweath]

By any chance, do you know that the Chiefs are 2nd only to the Patriots in odds to win 2020 SB and heavy favorites to win the AFC West. Just to be sure, this is taking into account the Hill situation and the really hard schedule.

And I love how people dismiss those Vegas odds when the reality is that the Vegas odds would probably beat 95% of the fans posting here over a long term horizon, including myself.

Anything is possible really but I just wish I could make money off betting against anyone who thinks the Chiefs will go 8-8. This is just a really bad take.

Daniel Jeremiah posted his top 5 OL/DL talent today on Twitter and put the Chiefs at 4. A lot of fans seemed to agree the Chiefs were top 5. Indeed, this is a really strong Chiefs DL.

And then you add Mahomes. Andy Reid. The receiving group, regardless of Hill. The safety duo. Yeah let's just say 8-8 is not happening. I guess unless Mahomes gets injured.

 

 

 

[ninjapirate]

2 minutes ago, Buckweath said:

By any chance, do you know that the Chiefs are 2nd only to the Patriots in odds to win 2020 SB and heavy favorites to win the AFC West. Just to be sure, this is taking into account the Hill situation and the really hard schedule.

And I love how people dismiss those Vegas odds when the reality is that the Vegas odds would probably beat 95% of the fans posting here over a long term horizon, including myself.

Anything is possible really but I just wish I could make money off betting against anyone who thinks the Chiefs will go 8-8. This is just a really bad take.

Daniel Jeremiah posted his top 5 OL/DL talent today on Twitter and put the Chiefs at 4. A lot of fans seemed to agree the Chiefs were top 5. Indeed, this is a really strong Chiefs DL.

And then you add Mahomes. Andy Reid. The receiving group, regardless of Hill. The safety duo. Yeah let's just say 8-8 is not happening. I guess unless Mahomes gets injured.

 

 

 

vegas posts odds on how they think bettors will make wages in a way that they wont lose money if said team ends up winning. 

[TheKillerNacho]

I can't help but feel you ranked Miami too high

[ninjapirate]

2 minutes ago, TheKillerNacho said:

I can't help but feel you ranked Miami too high

should be behind alabama probably 

[TheKillerNacho]

1 minute ago, ninjapirate said:

should be behind alabama probably 

no probably about it

[Dr LBC]

On 7/8/2019 at 11:35 PM, goldfishwars said:

5. Los Angeles Chargers

What’s New in 2019:

It’s more of the same from the coaching side, which is good news for what has been a successful team on an upward trend. On the personnel side, we saw a pretty good draft from TT again with Jerry Tillery and Nassir Adderley looking like excellent value at the spots they were taken. It was quiet on the free agent front, with long-term leader of the Panthers defense Thomas Davis coming in to help at linebacker and Tyrod Taylor joining to back up at quarterback after a spell as a league starter.

Roster Strengths:

Quarterback – Phillip Rivers was his reliable best last season, outside what seemed a notable drop in arm strength in the playoffs. I hope that isn’t a sign of things to come.

Edge – Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram are primed to torment the league again in 2019 if both can stay healthy. That’s the premier pass-rushing duo in the league.

Secondary – There’s a luxury of talent with Casey Heyward continuing to be one of the best free agent pick-ups in recent memory and Desmond King and Trevor Williams both having played at a high level at corner. At safety, Derwin James was every bit as advertised in rookie season and should be even better in year two. Adrian Phillips is a decent run filling third safety, but they will be hoping 2^nd rounder Nasir Adderley can come in and be ready to play deep.

Running Back – Melvin Gordon has missed 9 regular season games over his four seasons, including four last year which was heading for his best yet. If that continues into 2019, the Chargers continue to have one of the best 1-2 punches with Austin Ekeler who clocked up over a 1,000 yards for the first time last year.

Elsewhere – Henry Hunter returns from an ACL which put him out of 2018 after a very promising rookie season, that could be huge. Keenan Allen is quietly and consistently one of the game’s hardest receivers to guard.

Roster Weaknesses:

Offensive Line – They had a problem on their right side all year in 2018 and that situation doesn’t look greatly improved, with only a 3^rd round pick on a tiny school tackle prospect coming in via the off-season. Russell Okung has solidified the left tackle spot, but he’s dealing with an injury situation again right now and that could keep him out for training camp and beyond. Inside, Feeney and Schofield have been poor at guard and only a sudden flourish from the strangely absent Forrest Lamp seems likely to help turn this around.

Breakout Player:

Mike Williams – A 7^th overall pick two seasons ago, a back injury pretty much wiped out his rookie season before he his red zone cameos last year where he caught a crazy ten touchdowns from just 43 catches (664 yards). He should have a much expanded role in year 3 with no Tyrell Williams in town, even if the number of touchdowns is unlikely to increase. 

How they can win in 2019:

There are most things in place for them to succeed on offense, a future HOF caliber quarterback, a dynamic running back duo, a tight end who is a stud in the making and a pair (a third would be nice) of wide receivers capable of outwitting and out muscling their opponents. What they don’t have is an offensive line that looks ready to pump out a league average return. That’s all they need to be, whether they get there with their returning five from last year, or Lamp and/or Pipkins and/or Trent Scott come up to shore things up. The Chargers were a top ten offense with the 31^st pass blocking grade and the 30^th run blocking grade according to PFF. Imagine if they were league average there. 

On defense, the Chargers have Brandon Mebane turning 34 years old and rookie Jerry Tillery coming off shoulder surgery. That’s a pairing to watch with only role players behind them. Similarly, Bosa and Ingram need to stay healthy, because that unit will go as they do. They ran out of players at linebacker last year and anything they can get from an ageing Thomas Davis is huge. Jatavis Brown was poor in his second season and needs to bounce back from that and there are a few hybrid guys on the roster who might emerge there. Anything they can get from Denzel Perryman will be a bonus, a sustained run of health from him turns this around quickly. In the secondary, they should be looking to dominate from snap to snap. 

Predicted record 2019:

12-4 – The Chargers have sought stability throughout an unstable period off the field and should be rewarded with an AFC West title if they can avoid the injury bug this year. This is a talented team who could absolutely make a Super Bowl push.

Talk coming out of the draft was that they actually viewed Lamp as their "safety valve" to not have to reach on one of the higher-ranked OT's if the board didn't fall to them (and it didn't).  Granted, this will actually require Lamp to actually play, which he's yet to do, but so far as I'm aware (and I'm still relatively well connected, able to DM a good amount of Chargers beat writers and folks with legit sources in the organization) the plan is to start him at RT, unless Tevi makes leaps and bounds in camp.  That said, Scott Quessenberry has had a season in a pro-level strength and conditioning program to bulk up and heal up, so he could be a surprise show-out at one of the guard spots to get him reps.

That said, the ranking for them is absolutely fair because, no matter how good their defense might be, no team with question marks at the OL should be ranked higher; that's where I actually fully support your Eagles and Pats rankings - I would err on the side of strong as hell OL's, too.

[Bearerofnews]

7 hours ago, RBreezy said:

What makes you think that? Just curious. Obviously a lot hinges on Wentz’s health, but the Eagles have one of the strongest rosters in the league top to bottom.

I believe 2019 is gonna come down to 2 units. DBs and WRs and im not crazy about the eagles on either. I dont know if Wentz will be any good coming back from back to back injuries. NFCE will be much much improved and i think Eagles biggest strenght, dline is going to struggle this year. It's just a Jags circa 2018 vibe for me.

[Bearerofnews]

3 hours ago, ninjapirate said:

how is that insanity a lot of national pundits have the eagles as their pre season favorite. 

Real? I havent seen many in the national media high on them. I might be wrong, but from what i recall, most had them in the low teens.  Not top 2.

 

[goldfishwars]

2. New Orleans Saints

What’s New in 2019:

There’s a really settled outlook on the coaching side with DC Dennis Allen going into his 5^th season and Pete Carmichael going into his 11^th season as OC. That’s the kind of stability you dream of as a successful franchise, as they have been of late. On the personnel side, things have been pretty quiet. They brought in Malcom Brown from the Patriots in FA who was solid and unspectacular there, Latavius Murray likely assumes the Mark Ingram role, and the underrated Rishard Matthews signed recently at receiver. The draft was extremely brief, but they could have landed two potential bargains in Erik McCoy and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson.

Roster Strengths:

Quarterback – Brees came extremely close to landing the MVP for the first time in a season where he turned 40 years old. His arm strength notably dropped once the playoffs came around, so let’s hope that isn’t a sign of things to come because he was impeccable before that.

Running Back – Alvin Kamara further established himself as one of game’s great offensive weapons in only his second season

Offensive Tackle – When Terron Armstead is fit and healthy, he is one of the best left tackles in the game and forms one of the best partnerships with Ryan Ramcyk locking the right side down since he was drafted

Safety – Vonn Bell and Marcus Williams have been a rock solid pairing at the back-end and there’s reason to be excited about their 4^th round pick Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, who could come in as the team’s 3^rd safety

Elsewhere – There is elite level talent at other roster positions in Michael Thomas, who consistently outwits and outmuscles defensive backs. Cameron Jordan, who has been money every single year since he was drafted in 2011. Marshon Lattimore was incredible in his rookie season and came close to matching that level down the stretch last season. Many teams don't even have one player with the talent of those three. 

 Roster Weaknesses:

Receiver Depth - I couldn’t really find a glaring hole on this roster, but it's a little no-name after Michael Thomas even if they always seem to find their guys there

Breakout Player:

Marcus Davenport – Feels like the only choice for this spot after the Saints spent two 1sts on him in 2018 and didn’t get an immediate return on that investment as he battled through injuries. He feels like a key player to their success in only year two and has some serious physical tools to lean on to get deliver on that and can give the Saints the edge presence they've craved. 

How they can win in 2019:

On offense, a cleaner bill of health on the offensive line feels like an important ask. They’ve got by through shuffling players around and invested in versatility to help with that. Max Unger’s center spot is available and they’ll be hoping their 2^nd round investment in Erik McCoy can take it and hit the ground running. Elsewhere the Saints don’t feel quite as dependent on Michael Thomas as last year, but he still has to stay healthy and manage a heavy workload as that dream connection with Brees fuels this passing offense. The addition of Jared Cook could be a big help, he’s had an enigmatic career but you get the feeling the Saints will know exactly what to do with him. Short of Drew Brees falling completely off, it’s hard to see the offense having less than another excellent year with the likes of Alvin Kamara and Thomas emerging as league superstars. 

On defense, the Sheldon Rankins injury is a blow because it happened just as he was starting to flourish. They’ve still got David Onyemata and Malcom Brown to hold down the fort and a little depth behind them, but that’s a net loss to the disruption they could cause up front. A second year jump from Marcus Davenport can certainly help with that, he’s got the physical tools to be dominant if he can develop over his second year. The Klein-Anzalone-Davis trio have solidified a previous problem unit at linebacker and the returning Patrick Robinson, who was absent for 2018, should come in and help in the slot where PJ Williams just about got by in his absence. They’ll be hoping Eli Apple can continue to be at least solid after solidifying the spot opposite Lattimore and he seemed to enjoy being around his old college teammates. Safety should continue to be a strong point with their young players growing into those roles further. 

Predicted record 2019:

13-3 – They were a dominant team despite a really bad run of luck with injury last season. It’s difficult to see anything other than another dominant year providing Brees's arm strength issues at the end of 2018 aren't a sign of things to come

[HTTRDynasty]

I guess you’re assuming a full 16 games from Wentz?  Bold. 

[Nabbs4u]

Let the Fun begin. Not sure if I should be grateful or scared to death here Fish? Always enjoyed you're write ups and yearly rankings over the years, but damn. Talk about 🎯🤫🍺

[SBLIII]

1 minute ago, Nabbs4u said:

Let the Fun begin. Not sure if I should be grateful or scared to death here Fish? Always enjoyed you're write ups and yearly rankings over the years, but damn. Talk about 🎯🤫🍺

The thread will probably get bumped either way.^^

[Pugger]

On 7/9/2019 at 3:12 PM, goldfishwars said:

Nah, 13-3 is pretty bold for a team missing their biggest offensive chess piece. The other three teams look a little better on paper and have similarly great coaching setups. 

It will be interesting to see how you'll do without Gronk.  He was almost impossible to stop.

[SBLIII]

3 minutes ago, Pugger said:

It will be interesting to see how you'll do without Gronk.  He was almost impossible to stop.

Not last year.