1. The Jets will run mainly the single wing formation- In 2014, the Jets passed for 2946 yards. That might have been good in 1962, but those aren't exactly stellar numbers today. Geno Smith staked his claim for worst quarterback in the NFL, right behind Michael Vick (also of the Jets), and right above Ryan Leaf, formerly of the San Diego Chargers, and most recently a member of the Great Falls, Montana Prison Sand Lot football team. There is a bright spot, however. In 2014, the Jets ranked 3rd in rushing with 2280 yards. I predict that next year the Jets will abandon the concept of the quarterback and run the single wing formation.
2.The Seahawks will miss the Playoffs- Russell Wilson will get paid this offseason, and rightfully so. If Colin Kaepernick can get a QB megadeal, then so can Wilson. However, if Wilson does get paid the money he deserves, then the Seahawks will fall apart. Free agents like Kevin Williams and Marshawn Lynch will chase the money and take their talents elsewhere. The Patriots demonstrated in the Super Bowl that the "Legion of Boom" can be easily beaten given the right matchups. The Seahawks will go 10-6 and miss the playoffs in a tightly contested NFC. 3.The Bills will win the AFC East- With Kyle Orton retiring and EJ Manuel a questionable alternative, the Bills 2015 season seems in doubt. However, with the signing of Rex Ryan as head coach, the Bills could be an exceptional team. Ryan is going to stress the importance of defense, and the Bills have a suffocating one. With pieces like Mario Williams and Leodis McKelvin already in place, the Bills won't have to worry about that side of the ball. I believe that EJ Manuel will do a decent enough job of managing the game, and the one-two punch of CJ Spiller and Fred Jackson will give them just enough offense to go 11-5 and win the AFC East. 4.Jay Cutler will revive his career... in Cleveland- Nearly every sports fan in the Midwest feels like "quarterback" is a dirty word (that is, except for Colts fans). The Bears and the Browns are two of the most unfortunate teams when it comes to signal-callers. (Rex Grossman, Tim Couch, need I say more?). Johnny Manziel of the Browns turned out to be nothing more than Johnny Jersey Sales, and Jay Cutler has been a turnover machine since he joined the Bears in 2009. I predict that the Browns will sign Brian Hoyer and do a wholesale QB for QB trade with the Bears for Jay Cutler. Jay Cutler will be refreshed in his new role as the low expectations quarterback on a team that is synonymous with failure. Cutler will finally display mechanics on par with his arm strength and lead the Browns to a 10-6 record and a playoff spot. The Bears, on the other hand, they'll be as dissatisfied with Hoyer as they were with Cutler and finish in the bottom half of the NFC. 5.Four quarterbacks will throw for 5,000 yards... and none of them will be Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, or Peyton Manning- 2014 saw some amazing feats from the QB position. Big Ben threw for 6 touchdowns in two straight games, Aaron Rodgers threw 6 touchdowns in one half against the Bears, and Andrew Luck became the eight quarterback to throw for 40 touchdowns in a season. Oddly enough, however, no one threw for 5,000 yards. That won't be the case next year. I predict that Andrew Luck of the Colts, Matthew Stafford of the Lions, Ryan Tannehill of the Dolphins, and Eli Manning of the Giants will all throw for 5,000 yards. Andrew Luck had a breakout season last year, putting up 4,761 yards. With weapons like T.Y. Hilton and Dwayne Allen, Luck will only continue to improve. Matthew Stafford has already thrown for 5,00 yards (5,038 in 2011). He threw for 4,257 yards in 2014 despite what seemed to be a decline in the Lions offense. With Golden Tate emerging as a star and Calvin Johnson still as big and athletic as ever, Stafford will eclipse the 5,000 yard mark. Tannehill is the wildcard here. He took a big step forward in 2014, throwing for 4,045 yards. Mike Wallace will finally deliver on his huge free agent contract and Brian Hartline staying a consistent receiving threat, Tannehill will have a huge breakout season and throw for 5,000 yards. People don't realize that Eli Manning had a really good season in 2014. He threw for 4,410 yards, even though his team was awful. In a last ditch effort to save his career in New York, (and with a little help from Odell Beckham Jr.), Eli will eclipse the 5,000 yard mark for the first time in his career. 6.The Colts will face the Lions in the Super Bowl- Yes, you read that right. Colts and Lions. Here's why: Colts- Everyone can agree that Andrew Luck is outstanding. After just three years, he is already one of the best QB's in the league. What has held the Colts back has been their running game and their defense. They should be able to draft a quality running back outside of the first round (Jeremy Langford perhaps). They already have talent like Vontae Davis, D'Qwell Jackson, and Jerell Freeman on the defensive side, they just need to put it all together and consistently play like a solid defense, not up and down like last season. All in all, I think the Colts will go 12-4, finally beat the Patriots, and end up in Super Bowl 50. Lions- If we learned anything from the Lions last year, it's that they can still win without Matthew Stafford throwing for a ton of yards. Their defense was suffocating, but when their defense did lapse, they struggled to produce the offense they needed to win. That will change next year. Matthew Stafford will return to his 2011 form and lead an explosive pass offense that will be one of the four best in the league. If the Lions resign Ndamukong Suh, they will have a dominate front seven that will catapult the Lions to a 12-4 record and a Super Bowl 50 berth.
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We would like to apologize to all of the fans that have been looking forward to Mason's & my mock drafts. During our time off we decided that instead of posting both of our mock drafts together, we would post them separately to save time and make it more convenient for both of us. We have also put in numerous hours of study (Sports Center highlights) in order to formulate our mock drafts. So anyway, lets begin with mine:
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jameis Winston, QB- Despite the "off-field issues", I still believe that Winston will be drafted 1st overall. He is a very good athlete, and the Bucs are desperate for a QB. 2. Tennessee Titans: Dante Fowler Jr., DE- The Titans need a QB, but is there one that is really worthy of the 2nd overall pick? Fowler's is rising within NFL's circles. And his combine performance will probably help him out to. 3. Jacksonville Jaguars: Leonard Williams, DT- Williams is a beast. He's too quick for interior linemen, and too strong for offensive tackles. Gus Bradley could use a disruptive player like him on his defense. 4. Oakland Raiders: Kevin White, WR- I am not very high on White, but he's very athletic. And that also seems like the only thing the Raiders ever care about. 5. Washington Redskins: Randy Gregory, DE/OLB- If I were the Redskins, I would be looking to dump RG"ME" off to another team, but I highly doubt they do that. The quickest way to improve a defense is through adding a good pass rush. 6. New York Jets: Amari Cooper, WR- Eric Decker is an ok option for the Jets, but they need another option whether or not they get a QB outside of Geno Smith. 7. Chicago Bears: Shane Ray, DE- The Bears defense stinks. Shea McClellin has been a bust ever since being drafted a few years ago and Jared Allen is getting old. Adding a fresh pass-rusher would help the Bears in many ways. 8. Atlanta Falcons: Shaq Thompson, OLB- The Falcons offense is set for the most part, but a three-down linebacker with decent ball skills like Thompson could help this team a lot. 9. New York Giants: Landon Collins, SS- The Giants need a hammer on defense, and Colllins fits the bill. 10 St. Louis Rams: Marcus Mariota, QB- Mariota's fall stops here, as the Rams need another QB option outside of the injury-prone Sam Bradford. 11. Minnesota Vikings: Brandon Scherff, OG/OT- The Vikings LG Charlie Johnson stinks. And their LT Matt Kalil needs to improve a lot if he wants to keep his job. 12.Cleveland Browns: Vic Beasly, OLB- What are the Browns going to do? Might as will try and bolster the defensive line at this point. 13. New Orleans Saints: Gerod Holliman, FS- Jarius Byrd was a huge free agent bust, and the position needs to be addressed. 14. Miami Dolphins: DeVante Parker, WR- Mike Wallace hasn't done anything significant, and a WR opposite of Jarvis Landry is needed. 15. San Francisco 49ers: Rashad Greene, WR- I believe there will be another run on WR's this year, and some teams will end up over drafting some of them. 16. Houston Texans: Kevin Johnson, CB- Jonathan Joseph is on the decline, and a replacement will be needed for Kareem Jackson if the Texans are unable to sign him. 17. San Diego Chargers: Andrus Peat, OT- Phillip Rivers' window is beginning to close, and they need to protect him as well as they can if they want to make a serious run. 18.Kansas City Chiefs: Devin Funchess, WR- The Chiefs became the first team in NFL history to not have a WR score a receiving TD, and they almost made the playoffs. Alex Smith kinda stinks, and he needs all the help he can get. 19. Cleveland Browns (via Buffalo): Eddie Goldman, DT- If their isn't a QB Cleveland likes, they should just keep building the defense up. 20. Philadelphia Eagles: Trae Waynes, CB- The Eagles are pretty much set on offense, but Chip Kelly needs to at least attempt to play some sort of defense. 21. Cincinnati Bengals: Benardrick McKinney, MLB- If Rey Maulaga doesn't return, a replacement will be needed. 22.Pittsburgh Steelers: Danny Shelton, DT- The Steelers go back to their roots with this pick. Defense. 23. Detroit Lions: Marcus Peters, CB- Lions could use some secondary help, especially if the pass-rush flops because of the probable departure of Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley. 24. Arizona Cardinals: Brett Hundley, QB- Some team will overdraft a QB, and it's the Cards in this one. 25. Carolina Panthers: T.J. Clemmings, OT- Panthers make Cam Newton happy with this pick, as their tackle duo is the worst in the NFL. 26. Baltimore Ravens: Sammie Coates, WR- Ravens decide to replace Torrey Smith, as Coates is probably the best deep threat in this draft. 27.Dallas Cowboys: Melvin Gordon, HB- Jerruh Jones goes Jerruh Jones with this pick, its all bout the flash. 28. Denver Broncos: Arik Armstead, DE- At the end of the 1st, its all about potential. Armstead is full of it. 29. Indianapolis Colts: Michael Bennett, DT- The Colts decide to bolster their depleted defensive line with this pick. Bennett has been a quiet prospect as of late, and could end up being a huge steal. 30. Green Bay Packers: Jaelen Strong, WR- If the Packers don't resign Randall Cobb, a replacement will be needed as DeVante Adams is not a viable #2 WR option. 31. Seattle Seahawks: La'el Collins, OT- Why does Collins fall all the way down here? I don't know, but it always happens every year when teams over-draft other players. 32. New England Patriots: Alex Carter, CB- If Darrelle Revis isn't resigned, it would be a huge blow to the Patriots much improved defense. A replacement would be needed. The unwritten rule of the NFL goes something like this: If you're QB is bad , you'll end up with a top-10 pick. It's as simple as that. Unfortunately, great QB's like Tom Brady only come around once in a generation. Even good ones don't grow on trees. Teams with a need at QB will be thrilled when they find out what the free agent market looks like this year:
-Brian Hoyer -Ryan Mallett -Mark Sanchez -Michael Vick -Jake Locker And those are the notable options.Well, at least teams with top picks can look forward to drafting the next franchise QB, right? Wrong. While I believe Jamies Winston will have a better career than Marcus Mariota, both aren't too promising when it comes to having the "it" factor. Can they carry a stinky Buccaneers/Titans team on their back? They won't have the same supporting cast like they did at Florida State and Oregon. I have ranked the top 10 NFL teams in terms of their QB need (one being the worst). For example, the Colts probably won't be needing a QB anytime soon, so they're not ranked. But the Jets on the other hand... Well... 1. Tennessee Titans- Charlie Whitehurst? Yuck-o. The Titans have been plagued by bad QB play ever since Vince Young decided to change his attitude... For the worst. 2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Josh McCown is too old. His one good saeason with the Bears is looking a lot more fluke-ish. And there's a good chance Mike Glennon gets traded away. 3. Cleveland Browns- This is bad. Johnny Manziel was a "jersey sales" selection. The Browns needed to sell some tickets, but all they got in return was a huge need for a QB. If Brian Hoyer isn't resigned, the future looks bleak in Cleveland. 4. Houston Texans- Ryan Fitzpatrick is a solid -3.6 on the Dalton scale, and isn't going to improve any time soon. Case Keenum is what he is, and undrafted free agent QB. 5. New York Jets- The Jets have never had a good QB. If Joe Namath hadn't won Super Bowl III, he wouldn't be remembered. But fumbles don't help either. And how is Geno Smith still the presumed starter? 6. St. Louis Rams- Sam Bradford is very fragile and the Rams need to move on. Shaun Hill and Austin Davis don't exactly strike fear into the opposition either. 7. Buffalo Bills- Kyle Orton could have at least kept the Bills in contention... If he hadn't retired. E.J. Manuel looks like the "best option" at this point. 8. Jacksonville Jaguars- I am not as high on Blake Bortles as other people are. His mechanics are not suitable for the NFL, and is looking very much like Jay Cutler in that department. I would start looking elsewhere if I were the Jaguars. 9. Chicago Bears- Jay Cutler had all the talent a QB could ever want, but he was never able to put it all together. A lot of things factored into this; A new OC almost every season, a deteriorating defense and the overall lazy mechanics Cutler has displayed throughout his career. Unfortunately, with the lack of QB options, the Bears are probably stuck with him for another season. 10. Washington Redskins- What ever happened to RGIII? After a fantastic rookie campaign, he has now hit rock bottom and his future in Washington is very much in doubt. Hopefully he fixes his mechanical flaws, but even that is being overly enthusiastic. Honorable Mentions- Cardinals (Carson Palmer is old and injury prone) Broncos (Will Peyton Manning return?) Raiders (Can Derek Carr prove to be consistent?) ![]() It's week one the Seattle Seahawks are walking off the field victorious over the Green Bay Packers after running all over them 36-16. Aaron Rodgers finished with 189 a touchdown and a pick. While his counterpart Russell Wilson finished with 191 and two TD's both very similar statlines but it's the run game where Seattle really took over.Eddie Lacy finished with 37 yards and no touchdowns but Marshawn Lynch had 110 with two touchdowns. Fast forward to the NFC Championship game this week it may be a reversal of the script for the Green Bay Packers who are riding Aaron Rodgers and his strained right calf along with Eddie Lacy and his recent dominance stretch to the NFC Championship game to face the Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks are bound to put pressure on Aaron Rodgers flushing him out of the pocket, they should be able to force him to make quick decisions on the run where he is typically good but may not be as good as usual with the leg injury. Matchups to watch: Seahawks running game vs the Green Bay defense. Packers last two playoff defeats have come at the hands of a team with a mobile quarterback and solid running game. Enter the Seattle Seahawks. Russell Wilson averages about 50 rush yards per game along with 7.7 yards per read option play. While the Packers allow 6.2 yards per read option play. Expect the Seahawks to try and run the ball down the throats of these Packers. Eddie Lacy vs. the Seahawks front seven. The Seattle defense has played exceptionally well as of late beating the Carolina Panthers last week 31-17. They allow 3.4 yards per rush this season second best in the NFL. But when the only four times the Seahawks have lost they've been defeated by a team that continuously likes to run the ball. Their only four losses have been when the opponent rushes more than 27 times. Expect Eddie Lacy to play a large role if the Packers expect to win. Game Predicitons Mason: Packer 28 Seahawks24 Taj: Seahawks 28 Packers 24 Evan: Seahawks 21 Packers 17 Nathan: Seahawks 24 Packers 17 ![]() Andrew Luck is spectacular. In his young career he has set records for passing yards in a quarterback's first three years, records for touchdowns, yards in first five career playoff starts you name it. There's only one problem with the Colts' AFC Championship matchup: it's against the Patriots. Of all the teams Andrew Luck has played more than once, the only team he hasn't beaten in the New England Patriots. Not only has he never beat them, he's never even come close to beating them. Last year's Divisional Playoff game that featured the Colts and the Patriots ended in a 43-22 trouncing with Andrew Luck throwing four interceptions. There's no reason to think this year's matchup will be any different, right? I mean, the Colts turned the ball over a staggering 31 times this year, didn't they? That may be true, but this isn't the same Colts team as last year. Andrew Luck took a huge step forward by throwing 40 TD's on the season. Also, the Colts have been able to muster some semblance of a running game in recent weeks, having run for a touchdown against the Bengals and Broncos. Vontae Davis is a probowl cornerback and Arthur Jones, the Colt's biggest defensive tackle that didn't play against the Patriots earlier in the year when Jonas Gray ran for 201 yards and four touchdowns, will reinforce a Colt's run defense that has improved over the last few weeks. In the End, it will be Andrew Luck who will have to step up his game and beat the Patriots. If the neck beard can avoid turnovers, the Colts will have a legitimate shot at advancing to Super Bowl 49. Game Predictions Evan: Colts 31 Patriots 28 Taj: Patriots 35 Colts 31 Mason: Patriots 38 Colts 27 Nathan: Patriots 31 Colts 28 |
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