The 2014 NFL thread

[OEP]

AFC West -

A strong division with two definite contenders in the Broncos and the Chiefs, an improved Raiders outfit, and a Chargers team that's punching above their weight.

1. Broncos - got found out last year in the big one, if you rely solely on your offense and your playing a top flight defense that can stifle said offense then you better have a good enough dense to stifle theirs....oops Houston we have a problem. Thankfully the Broncos did something about it grabbing DeMarcus Ware and Aqib Talib during free agency and have Von Miller returning from injury. There's still holes in the dense but not a big as last year. Turning to the offensive side and the NFL decided that offenses didn't have it easy enough and brought in a new rule to curb contact between CB's and WR's, it's crazy, fans want to see a contest not just a high scoring game (AFL please take note ). Anyway Mannings not getting any younger and I believe he's one big hit away from retirement so the Broncos are in Superbowl or bust mode, problem is I still don't think their good enough to beat the Chop Blockers or the 49ers.

2. Chiefs - Alex Smith got his contract now he has to deliver and from the stand point of being a solid reliable QB who'll make minimal errors they got their man, and that's no shot at Smith because reliable QBs are hard to find. The rest of the team is stacked with Dwayne Bowe, Jamaal Charles and Anthony Fasano all returning. Added to this a top three, and some would argue no.1, LB combo of Derrick Johnson and Justin Houston feasting in the middle of the field surrounded by a damn good defense. In all honesty I believe the Chiefs are a much better team than the Broncos but the difference in the QBs (and the new rules) is the reason I've got the Broncos ahead of the Chiefs. Time will tell.

3. Raiders - personally if the Raiders had Derek Carr starting ahead of Matt Schaub I would put the Raiders ahead of the Chargers. This is a team that has drafted really well and made some excellent acquisitions over the offseason. Darren McFadden has the talent but not the durable body needed to succeed within the NFL so I wouldn't be surprised if next draft the Raiders target a top RB plus a top TE and a couple of high ceiling WRs. They have a solid defense with the additions of Carlos Rogers and, more importantly, Terrell Brown in the offseason and grabbing a massive talent in Khalil Mack in the draft. A team on the rise and given another offseason like last years and they will become a better than 8 and 8 team.

# The change was made so up go the Raiders and down go the Chargers.

4. Chargers - this is a hard team to read, they should be an average team at best (as they were for the first half of last year) but they just know how to win. Philip Rivers is a good QB, Ryan Matthews is a talented RB and the rest of the offense is dependable. The coupe over the offseason was prying Brandon Flowers from a division rival in the Chiefs but apart from that no real strides were made in either the trade, free agency or draft period.

[Pies4shaw]

Thanks for the previews, OEP. Your insights are interesting, as always. Looking forward to you selecting the Vikes to come 4th (or, better, still 5th) in the NFC Nth.

[Pies4shaw]

[OEP]

Yeah read that at 5am this morning when my son woke me up .

Officially placing the Raiders above the Chargers now.

[OEP]

NFC East -

This will a competitive division within itself though I don't see any genuine contenders in this group.

1. Eagles - now before I go any further the only reason I'm putting the Eagles above the Redskins is because of RGIII's struggles and inability to stay healthy....that now being said I'll continue.

The Eagles have Nick Foles under centre who I think is a good, but still little inconsistent, QB unfortunately for him the Eagles released his biggest and best weapon and didn't bring in anyone capable of replacing his production or ability to stretch the field, which in this high octane offense in necessary to open the field and tire the opposition defense. Aside from that the OL has been upgraded and will open plenty of hole for LeSean McCoy which they'll need to take the pressure off the passing game and make the opposition defense cautious about calling a blitz package.

The defense still looks strong and will keep the games, generally tight.

They definitely need to target some WR talent in the offseason unless someone unexpectantly stands up during this season if they want to start knocking over the big teams.

2. Redskins (can we still call them that?) - if they had Andrew Luck instead of RGIII they'd be a definite contender but they don't, and that's not a shot at RGIII just an observation of where these two QBs are at in their development.

The fact the Eagles let DeSean Jackson go and the fact the Redskins acquired his services is a major coupe for this team and a serious problem for the other teams in this division. That give RGIII Jackson, Andre Roberts, Pierre Garçon, and the venerable Santana Moss to throw to plus Alfred Morris coming out of the backfield making yards on the ground and receptions on short routes.

Their defense hasn't really improved from last year but they still have Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan who are both A+ pass rushers and will both need to have a big year to help this defense against the best offenses.

RGIII is their franchise QB, he has to be they spent to much getting him in the draft to bench him, so it's RGIII or bust for this offense. Though in my opinion I think either Colt McVoy or Kirk Cousins could fill in if necessary.

3. Cowboys - this is one frustrating team I would hate to support them they have talent and every year it's the same tease their fans and make them think this is the year and then pull a disappearing act towards the end of the year.

For me Jerry Jones looses the plot to often either paying way overs for players or not valuing the quality players they have and losing them. Tony Romo hass the talent but, seemingly, not the temperament to take this team into the finals, the defense is on the slide which wasn't helped by the release of DeMarcus Murray (see my comment about J.Jones) or the fact their best player Sean Lee did his ACL during non-contact drills . This defense will struggle this year.

Offensively they still have talent with Dez Bryant looking to become elite, DeMarco Muray is an elite RB and Jason Witten is still a reliable target for Romo when under pressure in the pocket. Added to this the reports are good on Gavin Escobar which will help with mismatches if he can see time on the field in two TE sets.

All-in-all a team treading water when it should be making a concerted effort to improve and contend.

4. Giants - first the positives....right now onto the negatives, just kidding , the WR corps is talented and has depth and is their CB group.

The negatives....Eli Manning seems to have not just fallen off the side of a cliff but taken a running leap off the side of Mount Everest, hopefully he can find his confidence and form because otherwise this may be his last season in NY. David Wilson is seeing a specialist for a neck injury which for a RB is bad news, Jason Pierre-Paul desperately needs to turnto his pass rushing best because outside of him they really don't have a dangerous pass rusher and this defense will struggle.

A team going backwards rapidly but shouldn't be.

[OEP]

NFC North -

Two contenders in this division in the Packers and Bears with the Vikings making the right moves to get back into contention, without being there yet, and the Lions not going anywhere fast.

1. Packers - as I said last year finally they got Aaron Rodgers a play friend in Eddie Lacy last years offensive rookie of the year and by all accounts both playes are looking very good heading into the regular season. On the minus for the Packers is their WR corps which has Jordy Nelson and then a step down to Randall Cobb and not much else to get excited about. Basically, like the Patriots, their banking on the talent of their QB to make an average WR lineup look a lot better than it is and in all likelihood that will be the case.

On the defensive side they picked up a very talented safety in Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (awesome name) and Clay Matthews returns from injury all of which helps improve their defense.

Same old, same old for the Packers.

2. Bears - it's all about Jay Cutler for this team, if he fires the Bears are a chance, if he flounders or gets injured again the Bears are in trouble. They have the talent in the WRs headed by Brandon Marshall and Matt Forte in the backfield, plus a talented OL. Unfortunately their defense is the weak point which is ironic because in years past it was their defense that was the strength of this team and now they've fixed the offensive side the defense is in decline.

3. Vikings - at the moment Bridgewater is on the bench but I expect him to be the no.1 QB in the near future which will be a positive for this team. Cordarrelle Patterson needs to take the next step and become a more reliable receiver or it's all going to be on Adrian Peterson's shoulders again. Don't get me wrong AP can shoulder the load but if he gets injured the Vikings will likely fight it out with the Lions for 4th place. On the bright side their defense is talented and young with Sharrif Floyd hopefully going to have a coming out year.

4. Lions - for a team that has two defensive stars in Nick Foley and Ndamukong Soh this defense should be a top 10 defense, instead it's closer to a bottom 10 defense. The offense has plenty of weapons obviously starting with Megatron (Calvin Johnson) a player on the decline but still a force to be reckoned with, then you have Matt Stafford a talented passer, and Golden Tate (a savvy edition from free agency). Add to that their first round pick in Eric Ebron who is touted as a talented pass catcher and you have the makings of a decent offense, only problem is the OL isn't good enough and Stafford has lost his touch. If their offense can get its mojo back the Lions will be dangerous but their defensive woes will ultimately be their achillies heal.

[OEP]

NFC South -

The Saints are a contender, the Panthers are falling behind the top teams, while the Falcons may get it together and leap frog the Panthers into second place if they get it together. The Buccs are average.

1. Saints - Drew Brees will be as prolific as always, they secured a talented WR in Brandon Cooks in the 1st round with Kenny Stills and Marques Colston rounding out a pretty good group. Jimmy Graham finally got signed and with Brees throwing him the ball will be the top TE in the league again. The RBs aren't anything special but are reliable enough to make the opposition defense take notice.

It's on the defensive side the Saints have made great strides over the last couple of seasons getting Kenny Vaccaro last year in the draft and picking up Jarius Byrd in free agency this year. Champ Bailey was meant to further improve their secondary but injuries resulted in him being cut.

End result is the offense is better this year and so is their defense, this could very well be the best Saints team fielded for a long, long time.

2. Panthers - Panthers had a great run towards the end of last season and were ultimately beaten by my 49ers in a very good finals game. So how do they follow this up, get rid of their WR talent.

I don't understand what the GM is thinking, their defense is strong with Greg Hardy and Luke Kuechly headlining this talented group so why further weaken your already weakest link. I would've thought they would be strengthening the offensive side of the ball. Cam Newton will have to have a hell of a season or this team could fall below the Falcons.

3. Falcons - the OL has been improved which will obviously help Matt Ryan greatly, on top of that Julio Jones and Roddy White turn from injury, though this is slightly offset by the retirement of future Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez. Steven Jackson returns from injury though there's a lot of doubt he can be anything other than serviceable.

The defence has taken a big hit with the loss of Sean Weathespoon and will again be unde pressure to perform.

4. Buccs - an average team. If they come close to an 8 and 8 season they'll be thrilled.

[OEP]

NFC West -

Still the strongest division in the NFL with two favorites for the SuperBowl in the reigning champs the Chop Blockers and the 49ers, another team that is good enough to be considered a contender but isn't because of the division it's playing in, and the final team is good enough to finish top two in most other divisions.

1. Chop Blockers - super talented defense and above average offense make this a every good team.

Firstly the offense. Russell Wilson is a very talented and very intelligent QB who makes this offense what it is, yes Marshawn Lynch is a beast but take Wilson out of this team and the offense will struggle to put up points. Their WR corp is headlined Percy Harvin but his long injury history makes him unreliable for a whole season, after that their fairly vanilla. Lynch is the no.1 RB but they have another talented runner in Christine Michael waiting in the wings who'll help keep Lynch fresh for the business end of the season. Their OL still has significant problems which resulted in Russell being pressured and sacked more than any other QB last year, which isn't ideal considering his importance to this team.

On the defense they have stars everywhere, Earl Thomas, Cliff Avril, Michael Bennett and Richard Sherman just to name a few. They lost some real talent in the offseason but this is still a powerful unit and will ultimately be what takes this team to another possible title.

2. 49ers - the outs....Kendall Hunter (season), Glen Dorsey (most of the season), Aldon Smith (9 game suspension), NaVarro Bowman (at least half the season), Marcus Lattimore (unknown if he will ever make the field), and possibly Ray McDonald if the domestic violence charges are upheld (and if they are nothing less than his delisting would be appropriate).

Given this list the 49ers really shouldn't be considered a title favorite, yet they are which just shows the depth and improvement that has been made in the offseason.

The offensive side has had the most change. I'll start with the RBs and firstly the drafting of the 49ers near future starter in Carlos Hyde who looks pretty damn good, then the loss of the incumbent no.2 RB Kendall Hunter for the season which is offset by the rapid development of Hyde. The WR corps has been completely revamped and now consist of Michael Crabtree, Anquan Boldin, Stevie Johnson, Quinton Patton, Brandon Lloyd and Bruce Ellington. This could be the deepest and best WR group in the NFL and then add Vernon Davis and the much, much improved Vance McDonald (which isn't hard because he was pretty crap last year) and you have the making of a pretty good receiving group. Then you look at Frank Gore and Hyde in the backfield and the return of FB Bruce Miller, who is an extremely important part of this team, and you have another damagng group to contend and plan for.

The OL gets a boost with Alex Boone returning to the group after an extended contract holdout and some starters returning from injury, and while it's struggled during the preseason I expect them to be back to their dominant best by early to mid season. All-in-all not to many chinks in the armour.

What's that you say....I haven't mentioned the QB , it's not so much I don't have faith in Colin Kaepernick but more his replacements if he gets injured. Kaepernick will have a breakout season but if he gets injured I don't have any confidence in the current backups.

The defence has taken a betting losing Bowman, Dorsey, Aldon Smith and possibly McDonald but have enough talent to replace Dorsey and McDonald and cover, in the short term, Bowman and Smith. The secondary is improved with the introduction of Jimmy Ward and the further development of Eric Reid and the defensive line may improve with the return of Ian Williams who I thought may have had a Pro Bowl year last year prior to his injury.

The 49ers have some issues but this is still a extremely talented team and will push hard for the top spot in the West.

3. Cardinals - this is a team good enough to contend but is in a division with the Chop Blockers and 49ers so barring something going their way will likely finish 3rd and miss the finals again.

Carson Palmer is the QB and his best is good enough but his worst is pretty bad and this is their biggest problem and one they need to solve to compete is this division. Their loaded at WR with Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd leading the way, have a elite returner in Ted Gin Jr, and an up and coming RB in Andre Ellington. The OL is improved and pretty good and will give Palmer time and open holes for Ellington.

The defense took two big hits with the loss of Karlos Darby to the Browns and Daryl Washington to a year long drug suspension. Darby will be replaced by young but talented Kevin Minter whereas Washington will be by committee. The secondary looks strong with Tyrann Mathieu hopefully returning from injury and Antonio Cromartie and Patrick Peterson the CBs. This defense is weakened but still very good.

They'll finish with a positive win record but still miss the finals.

4. Rams - I don't know if the loss of Sam Bradford will really hurt the Rams based on his past performances he never really reached any consistently great heights so any likely replacement should be equally serviceable. The top two WRs are Tavon Austin, who must improve on his first year, and Kenny Britt neither of which are elite. Zac Stacy is a very good young RB and will provide the Rams with positive yardage on most running downs and the OL is serviceable.

The real talent in this team is on the defensive side with Chris Long, a extremely good pass rusher on one side of the D line, and Robert Quinn, last years pass rushing leader, on the other. In the middle they have James Laurinaitis and Alec Ogletree who are tackling machines shoring up the centre field.

This is a very good team that could be even better with some improvement on the offensive side, ie a better QB, TE, and more WR talent.

[Pies4shaw]

Just a small reminder. The new season starts tomorrow morning at 10.30am, EAST. Should be a good game - this year's Superbowl champs hosting next year's! Go Pack!!!

[Yarra Falls End]

Thanks for the summaries OEP.

Don't underestimate Randall Cobb, he is on par with Jordy Nelson. Remember Cobb missed half of last season with a broken leg.

Here's a well put together little clip to get you into the mood for the new season

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpGFZ-yKX6g

[ANNODAM]

Giants in Michigan on Tuesday morning (MEL time)!


GO BIG BLUE!

[Pies4shaw]

Pack trailing 29:16, 3.30 to go. Too many penalties and Lynch and Harvin are killing them.

[Woods Of Ypres]

Packers D-Line like a soup-strainer!

[Pies4shaw]

Fair summary there, Woods. Reminded me of 2012, unfortunately. The offseason media talk had me expecting better. Not a win against the Seahawks at home but a more competitive defensive effort.

[Yarra Falls End]

OK, I'll admit that wasn't one of No 12's better games. Some ordinary throws that missed targets by a long way.I also blame him, not Jordy,for the interception. They fluffed the 4th down attempt and he spat the dummy at the rookie centre when he missed the snap count.I know this wasn't his fault, but 13 on the field for Seattle's first field goal!
So in summary, poor execution and bad decision making. Now where have I seen that in the last 6mths!

Some same old GB, in that the Defense gave up crucial 3rd down plays. Ha-Ha-Ha missed a few tackles but it was his first game. Raji literally leaves a big hole for the season. I think the defense will be ok, if we can Matthews and Peppers healthy. Our safety's and corners are pretty good on pass defense.

Bryan Bulaga is GB's Nathan Brown.Early reports are it is not a serious knee injury.No word on Lacy yet which would be a huge concern.

We should beat the Jets at home next week and the season looks like it could hang on Detroit and Da bears away in weeks 3 and 4.