NFC East
1.) New York = 10-6 (3)
Who's In: (RB) Shane Vereen, (T) Marshall Newhouse, (CB) Josh Gordy, (WR) Dwayne Harris
Who's Out: (C) JD Walton, (DE) Mathias Kiwanuka, (DT) Mike Patterson, (CB) Walter Thurmond, (CB) Terrell Thomas, (S) Antrel Rolle, (S) Stevie Brown
I know, I know, I'm crazy. This seems pretty idiotic, me once again falling for the Giants, the team I've picked to win this division all but one year since starting these things (2010 to now). Why not continue the theme. Here's my thinking. First, they were better than 6-10 last year. They also got into a groove in the 2nd half of the season on offense, with Manning getting the hang of that system - adding Victor Cruz back should make them better. Also, I like the defense, especially if Pierre-Paul can do anything. This may be wrong. They've only won the division one time that I picked them - of course they won the Super Bowl that year. Also, I can't just pick the same four division winners again, no matter how easy it looks.
2.) Dallas = 9-7
Who's In: (RB) Darren McFadden, (DE) Greg Hardy, (LB) Keith Rivers
Who's Out: (RB) Demarco Murray, (DE) Anthony Spencer, (DE) George Selvie, (DT) Henry Melton, (LB) Bruce Carter, (CB) Sterling Moore
The Cowboys are a very good team, and this pick is me more thinking that a few things may go wrong. First, they may not have the pristine health they had in 2014 (apart from Romo missing two games). Second, I think Demarco Murray gave them something as a two-way player that I don't think is so easily replaced. Finally, the defense likely won't lead the league in takeaways again; and while Greg Hardy is a good addition, he also hasn't played in a year and they lost of quality talent on the defensive side. I just think they'll be slightly worse than an over-achieving 12-4 team.
3.) Philadelphia = 8-8
Who's In: (QB) Sam Bradford, (RB) Demarco Murray, (RB) Ryan Mathews, (LB) Kiko Alonso, (LB) Brad Jones, (CB) Byron Maxwell
Who's Out: (QB) Nick Foles, (RB) LeSean McCoy, (WR) Jeremy Maclin, (G) Evan Mathis, (G) Todd Herremans, (DE) Trent Cole, (CB) Cary Williams, (CB) Brandon Boykin
That's a whole lot of turnover. They've switched our RBs, QBs, and top CBs, but they've also lost two o-lineman that started for them, and a productive Trent Cole, and decided to lose another corner in Boykin. I honestly have no idea what it all means as that is a little too much movement to really track. I do know that I think they downgraded at RB and CB in their moves; and while Alonso is a nice pick-up when healthy, I don't have too much confidence he'll stay healthy. It really comes down to Bradford being able to stay healthy and make up for some of other losses, which I don't think he'll fully do for a team that was not 10-6 good anyway in 2014.
4.) Washington = 3-13
Who's In: (DT) Stephen Paea, (DT) Terrance Knighton, (CB) Chris Culliver, (S) Dashon Goldson
Who's Out: (G) Chris Chester, (WR) Leonard Hankerson, (DT) Stephen Bowen, (DT) Barry Cofield, (OLB) Brian Orakpo, (S) Ryan Clark, (S) Brandon Meriwether
I had this at 5-11 when I still though RGIII was starting. I am not a Kirk Cousins fan at all and I firmly believe that decision will be what ruins the Jay Gruden era in Washington. The offseason moves were actually mostly sensible, low-cost, low-risk options and nice pickups like Knighton, but they're mostly lateral moves. I do think Cousins is a downgrade, no matter how much Jay Gruden may think of him, and that will hurt the team long-term. Also don't sleep on the losses of Bowen, Cofield and Orakpo hurting a defense.
NFC North
1.) Green Bay = 12-4 (1)
Who's In: Nobody, like usual
Who's Out: (LB) AJ Hawk, (LB) Brad Jones, (CB) Tramon Williams, (CB) Davon House, (WR) Jarrett Boykin
Obviously, losing Jordy Nelson will hurt. And to me, despite staying at 12-4, I think the Packers will be worse. I also think they're division is worse, and their schedule, which gets the NFC East and AFC West, isn't the worst combination. The Packers are still a good team, with the best QB in the NFL; and luckily it doesn't seem like Randall Cobb is hurt that bad. They also have a very underrated O-Line. The defense is still talented, with those young secondary players looking to take another step up. At the end of the day, a team with Aaron Rodgers and good defense should win 12 games most years.
2.) Minnesota = 9-7 (6)
Who's In: (WR) Mike Wallace, (CB) Terrence Newman, (S) Taylor Mays
Who's Out: (QB) Christian Ponder, (WR) Greg Jennings, (G) Vlad Ducasse, (DE) Corey Wootton, (LB) Jasper Brinkley
The losses aren't really all that important. What will make their season is if Bridgewater takes a natural step in his 2nd year, and if their young defense continues to improve. They need big years from Shariff Floyd and Xavier Rhodes, not to mention another step up from Anthony Barr. I like the pick of Newman and Mays, two guys who've played well under Mike Zimmer. I trust in Zimmer, I trust in Teddy B, and I trust this team to win enough games to just make the playoffs in a year that you may not need to win 10 games in such a competitive middle-class NFC. In reality, if Bridgewater really takes a step up, their best-case is challenging the Packers for the division - I don't expect that though.
3.) Detroit = 7-9
Who's In: (WR) Lance Moore, (G) Manny Ramirez, (DT) Haloti Ngata, (CB) Josh Wilson
Who's Out: (DT) Ndamukong Suh, (DT) Nick Fairley, (RB) Reggie Bush, (G) Rob Sims, (C) Dominic Raoila, (DT) CJ Mosley, (CB) Cassius Vaughan
The Lions cap-crunch led to a big exodus, and while I think they'll still be somewhat good, you don't just replace guys like Ndamukong Suh, and to a lesser extent Nick Fairley. The defense was the real reason that team won 11 games last year, and I can't imagine they'll have the league's best run defense this year. I still like Terryl Austin as a coordinator and he'll get the most out of that team but they lost a HOF-level talent. On offense, they really are about as good as they'll be. Matt Stafford isn't going to suddenly become a Drew Brees like player, so combine that with a falling defense and I think they're a .500-type team.
4.) Chicago = 5-11
Who's In: (WR) Eddie Royal, (G) Vlad Ducasse, (DE) Purnell McPhee, (LB) Mason Foster, (S) Antrel Rolle
Who's Out: (WR) Brandon Marshall, (C) Brian De La Puente, (DT) Ray McDonald, (DT) Stephen Paea, (LB) Lance Briggs, (CB) Charles Tillman, (S) Chris Conte
Who is playing defense for this team? They're secondary aside from Kyle Fuller looks to be a disaster. They're linebackers are inexperienced; and they're counting on Purnell McPhee to be the first Raven to have much success after leaving Baltimore - it just hasn't happened. I don't think they have the horses on offense to play the offense Adam Gase wants to, and I think this is the year that spells the end for Jay Cutler.
NFC South
1.) Carolina = 9-7 (4)
Who's In: (CB) Charles Tillman, (S) Kurt Coleman, (WR) Ted Ginn, (T) Michael Oher
Who's Out: (RB) DeAngelo Williams, (T) Byron Bell, (S) Thomas DeCoud
You can tell I have a thing for some teams, one of them being these Carolina Panthers, a defensive marvel that excels because of a brilliant defensive coach and two amazing linebackers. Losing Hardy hurts, but let's remember how good that defense was to end last season when Charles Johnson got healthy, and when they settled down that secondary. A relatively easier schedule, plus I assume more health from Newton and better play from their young guys on defense will keep this team good enough. The team that finished last season was 10-win good anyway.
2.) New Orleans = 8-8
Who's In: (C) Max Unger, (DT) Kevin Williams, (DE) Anthony Spencer, (CB) Brandon Browner
Who's Out: (TE) Jimmy Graham, (WR) Kenny Stills, (G) Ben Grubbs, (C) Jonathan Goodwin, (LB) Curtis Lofton, (CB) Patrick Robinson
That's a lot of change for a team doing a semi-rebuild and semi-tear down, which is needed due to their precarious cap situation. Switching Jimmy Graham for Max Unger will really be interesting. The rest of their o-line is declining, so Unger is a real help for them. Brees has made average weapons good throughout his time in New Orleans, but losing Graham and also Kenny Stills - who had a great rapport with Brees - is a lot. I think they were better than 7-9 last year and their defense should slightly improve, but I still don't see them as a natural playoff team.
3.) Atlanta = 8-8
Who's In: (TE) Jacob Tamme, (TE) Tony Moeaki, (G) Chris Chester, (DE) Adrian Clayborn, (DE) O'Brien Schofield, (LB) Brooks Reed, (LB) Justin Durant
Who's Out: (RB) Steven Jackson, (WR) Harry Douglas, (T) Sam Baker, (G) Justin Blalock, (DT) Corey Peters, (LB) Sean Weatherspoon, (CB) Robert McClain, (CB) Josh Wilson, (S) Dwight Lowery
Speaking of change, my word did Dan Quinn want to change things up with this team. He brought in some interesting pieces on the defense with four guys that are all on their 3rd or 4th team. Honestly, maybe he can do things with these guys that the others couldn't, but that is less likely than you would think. The offense gets Kyle Shanahan, which should be a good thing as he did quite well with lesser players in Washington and especially Cleveland. If Julio can stay healthy this should be a good offense, but they need a great one to make the playoffs and with that work-in-progress o-line I don't think they'll meet the 'great' requirement.
4.) Tampa Bay = 6-10
Who's In: (DE) George Johnson, (DT) Henry Melton, (LB) Bruce Carter, (CB) Sterlin Moore, (S) Chris Conte
Who's Out: (T) Anthony Collins, (DE) Michael Johnson, (DE) Adrian Clayborn, (DE) De'Quan Bowers, (LB) Mason Foster, (S) Dashon Goldson
When Lovie took over the Bears, they were 7-9 the year before, then dropped to 5-11, before jumping up to 11-5 in year 2. I obviously don't think the Buccaneers are in for that high a jump, mainly because they still need a few pieces on defense. Gerald McCoy and Lavonte David is a great start, but it is just a start. What they really need is some pass rushers. The offense will be exciting with Jameis, and if he's good they can easily exceed this number, but I think they're in to replace New Orleans as a Top-2 team in the division as early as next year.
NFC West
1.) Seattle = 11-5 (2)
Who's In: (TE) Jimmy Graham, (CB) Cary Williams, (DT) Ahtyuba Rubin
Who's Out: (C) Max Unger, (TE) Zach Miller, (G) James Carpenter, (LB) Malcolm Smith, (CB) Byron Maxwell
This is probably the last year where the 'Who's Out' column won't be really long or not that impactful as the Seahawks finish their transition into a stars and scrubs arrangement come 2016. Still, this team remains really talented. There are a few concerns though. First, will the already tenuous o-line drop off even more without Unger and Carpenter. Then will Jimmy Graham integrate well. And finally will depth become an issue if defensive guys get hurt. Overall, I think they're a slightly worse version of the team they were the past two years, and unless I see some progress for Russell Wilson the thrower (he honestly was no better in 2014 than he was in 2013), they may be in for some regression when those big contracts start kicking in.
2.) St. Louis = 10-6 (5)
Who's In: (QB) Nick Foles, (DT) Nick Fairley, (LB) Akeem Ayers
Who's Out: (QB) Sam Bradford, (T) Jake Long, (T) Joseph Barksdale, (C) Scott Wells, (DT) Kendall Langford
I have faith in the Rams. More so, I have faith that Nick Foles is actually a reasonably good QB, and that their defense may qualify for being good enough to win 10 games with a reasonably good QB. Let's put it this way, their front should be awesome - it already was, with prime Robert Quinn, that monster Aaron Donald, and adding a motivated Nick Fairley on another one-year deal. Their LBs are talented, if thin. The secondary should be able to play well behind a dominant front. Their defense could be special. If it is merely quite good, the offense has a capable QB, talented RBs, and an o-line that gelled late in the season. The long trip out of mediocrity (or worse) may end as soon as the Rams look ready to leave town.
3.) Arizona = 7-9
Who's In: (G) Mike Iupati, (DT) Corey Reddings, (LB) Sean Weatherspoon
Who's Out: (C) Lyle Sendlein, (DT) Darnell Dockett, (DT) Dan Williams, (LB) Sam Acho, (DE) John Abraham, (CB) Antonio Cromartie
That's a lot to lose for a team that thrived on their defense to be able to get pressure from their d-line, stop the run wth their d-line, and have tons of secondary players to mitigate their average-at-best LBs. The Cardinals were successful on defense, but played a very specific way which they may not be able to do. It also remains to be seen how they'll replace Todd Bowles. I do have enough confidence in Arians to take the talent still on the team and keep them competitive in most games - getting Carson Palmer back obviously a key. The Cardinals may have missed their window, but they'll still compete only this time with a less stocked war-chest on defense.
4.) San Francisco = 5-11
Who's In: (RB) Reggie Bush, (WR) Torrey Smith, (DT) Darnell Dockett, (LB) Phillip Wheeler, (CB) Shareece Wright
Who's Out: (LB) Patrick Willis, (DT) Justin Smith, (LB) Chris Borland, (DT) Ray McDonald, (CB) Chris Culliver, (CB) Perrish Cox, (WR) Michael Crabtree, (WR) Frank Gore, (T) Anthony Davis, (G) Mike Iupati, (P) Andy Lee
The worst part about that 'Who's Out' list is that it doesn't even contain Jim Harbaugh who left in a huff after being forced out in a power grab by Trent Baalke. Still, though, that is a shocking list of player's on the who's out list. All those guys were key contributors for the 2011-13 49ers that were the league's best team in that stretch (other than Borland). The 49ers are essentially left with three key players from their Super Bowl team: Kaepernick, Joe Staley and Vernon Davis. What they really need is for all those players they drafted that fell because of injuries or other reasons to all start contributing. The 49ers got a ton of media love for that draft strategy... it better work.
Playoff Picks:
Wild Card Weekend:
(N6) MIN 16 @ (N3) NYG 27
(N5) STL 13 @ (N4) CAR 20
Divisional Weekend:
(N4) CAR 20 @ (N1) GB 30
(N3) NYG 23 @ (N2) SEA 20
Championship Game:
(N3) NYG 17 @ (N1) GB 31
NFC Champion: Green Bay Packers
1.) New York = 10-6 (3)
Who's In: (RB) Shane Vereen, (T) Marshall Newhouse, (CB) Josh Gordy, (WR) Dwayne Harris
Who's Out: (C) JD Walton, (DE) Mathias Kiwanuka, (DT) Mike Patterson, (CB) Walter Thurmond, (CB) Terrell Thomas, (S) Antrel Rolle, (S) Stevie Brown
I know, I know, I'm crazy. This seems pretty idiotic, me once again falling for the Giants, the team I've picked to win this division all but one year since starting these things (2010 to now). Why not continue the theme. Here's my thinking. First, they were better than 6-10 last year. They also got into a groove in the 2nd half of the season on offense, with Manning getting the hang of that system - adding Victor Cruz back should make them better. Also, I like the defense, especially if Pierre-Paul can do anything. This may be wrong. They've only won the division one time that I picked them - of course they won the Super Bowl that year. Also, I can't just pick the same four division winners again, no matter how easy it looks.
2.) Dallas = 9-7
Who's In: (RB) Darren McFadden, (DE) Greg Hardy, (LB) Keith Rivers
Who's Out: (RB) Demarco Murray, (DE) Anthony Spencer, (DE) George Selvie, (DT) Henry Melton, (LB) Bruce Carter, (CB) Sterling Moore
The Cowboys are a very good team, and this pick is me more thinking that a few things may go wrong. First, they may not have the pristine health they had in 2014 (apart from Romo missing two games). Second, I think Demarco Murray gave them something as a two-way player that I don't think is so easily replaced. Finally, the defense likely won't lead the league in takeaways again; and while Greg Hardy is a good addition, he also hasn't played in a year and they lost of quality talent on the defensive side. I just think they'll be slightly worse than an over-achieving 12-4 team.
3.) Philadelphia = 8-8
Who's In: (QB) Sam Bradford, (RB) Demarco Murray, (RB) Ryan Mathews, (LB) Kiko Alonso, (LB) Brad Jones, (CB) Byron Maxwell
Who's Out: (QB) Nick Foles, (RB) LeSean McCoy, (WR) Jeremy Maclin, (G) Evan Mathis, (G) Todd Herremans, (DE) Trent Cole, (CB) Cary Williams, (CB) Brandon Boykin
That's a whole lot of turnover. They've switched our RBs, QBs, and top CBs, but they've also lost two o-lineman that started for them, and a productive Trent Cole, and decided to lose another corner in Boykin. I honestly have no idea what it all means as that is a little too much movement to really track. I do know that I think they downgraded at RB and CB in their moves; and while Alonso is a nice pick-up when healthy, I don't have too much confidence he'll stay healthy. It really comes down to Bradford being able to stay healthy and make up for some of other losses, which I don't think he'll fully do for a team that was not 10-6 good anyway in 2014.
4.) Washington = 3-13
Who's In: (DT) Stephen Paea, (DT) Terrance Knighton, (CB) Chris Culliver, (S) Dashon Goldson
Who's Out: (G) Chris Chester, (WR) Leonard Hankerson, (DT) Stephen Bowen, (DT) Barry Cofield, (OLB) Brian Orakpo, (S) Ryan Clark, (S) Brandon Meriwether
I had this at 5-11 when I still though RGIII was starting. I am not a Kirk Cousins fan at all and I firmly believe that decision will be what ruins the Jay Gruden era in Washington. The offseason moves were actually mostly sensible, low-cost, low-risk options and nice pickups like Knighton, but they're mostly lateral moves. I do think Cousins is a downgrade, no matter how much Jay Gruden may think of him, and that will hurt the team long-term. Also don't sleep on the losses of Bowen, Cofield and Orakpo hurting a defense.
NFC North
1.) Green Bay = 12-4 (1)
Who's In: Nobody, like usual
Who's Out: (LB) AJ Hawk, (LB) Brad Jones, (CB) Tramon Williams, (CB) Davon House, (WR) Jarrett Boykin
Obviously, losing Jordy Nelson will hurt. And to me, despite staying at 12-4, I think the Packers will be worse. I also think they're division is worse, and their schedule, which gets the NFC East and AFC West, isn't the worst combination. The Packers are still a good team, with the best QB in the NFL; and luckily it doesn't seem like Randall Cobb is hurt that bad. They also have a very underrated O-Line. The defense is still talented, with those young secondary players looking to take another step up. At the end of the day, a team with Aaron Rodgers and good defense should win 12 games most years.
2.) Minnesota = 9-7 (6)
Who's In: (WR) Mike Wallace, (CB) Terrence Newman, (S) Taylor Mays
Who's Out: (QB) Christian Ponder, (WR) Greg Jennings, (G) Vlad Ducasse, (DE) Corey Wootton, (LB) Jasper Brinkley
The losses aren't really all that important. What will make their season is if Bridgewater takes a natural step in his 2nd year, and if their young defense continues to improve. They need big years from Shariff Floyd and Xavier Rhodes, not to mention another step up from Anthony Barr. I like the pick of Newman and Mays, two guys who've played well under Mike Zimmer. I trust in Zimmer, I trust in Teddy B, and I trust this team to win enough games to just make the playoffs in a year that you may not need to win 10 games in such a competitive middle-class NFC. In reality, if Bridgewater really takes a step up, their best-case is challenging the Packers for the division - I don't expect that though.
3.) Detroit = 7-9
Who's In: (WR) Lance Moore, (G) Manny Ramirez, (DT) Haloti Ngata, (CB) Josh Wilson
Who's Out: (DT) Ndamukong Suh, (DT) Nick Fairley, (RB) Reggie Bush, (G) Rob Sims, (C) Dominic Raoila, (DT) CJ Mosley, (CB) Cassius Vaughan
The Lions cap-crunch led to a big exodus, and while I think they'll still be somewhat good, you don't just replace guys like Ndamukong Suh, and to a lesser extent Nick Fairley. The defense was the real reason that team won 11 games last year, and I can't imagine they'll have the league's best run defense this year. I still like Terryl Austin as a coordinator and he'll get the most out of that team but they lost a HOF-level talent. On offense, they really are about as good as they'll be. Matt Stafford isn't going to suddenly become a Drew Brees like player, so combine that with a falling defense and I think they're a .500-type team.
4.) Chicago = 5-11
Who's In: (WR) Eddie Royal, (G) Vlad Ducasse, (DE) Purnell McPhee, (LB) Mason Foster, (S) Antrel Rolle
Who's Out: (WR) Brandon Marshall, (C) Brian De La Puente, (DT) Ray McDonald, (DT) Stephen Paea, (LB) Lance Briggs, (CB) Charles Tillman, (S) Chris Conte
Who is playing defense for this team? They're secondary aside from Kyle Fuller looks to be a disaster. They're linebackers are inexperienced; and they're counting on Purnell McPhee to be the first Raven to have much success after leaving Baltimore - it just hasn't happened. I don't think they have the horses on offense to play the offense Adam Gase wants to, and I think this is the year that spells the end for Jay Cutler.
NFC South
1.) Carolina = 9-7 (4)
Who's In: (CB) Charles Tillman, (S) Kurt Coleman, (WR) Ted Ginn, (T) Michael Oher
Who's Out: (RB) DeAngelo Williams, (T) Byron Bell, (S) Thomas DeCoud
You can tell I have a thing for some teams, one of them being these Carolina Panthers, a defensive marvel that excels because of a brilliant defensive coach and two amazing linebackers. Losing Hardy hurts, but let's remember how good that defense was to end last season when Charles Johnson got healthy, and when they settled down that secondary. A relatively easier schedule, plus I assume more health from Newton and better play from their young guys on defense will keep this team good enough. The team that finished last season was 10-win good anyway.
2.) New Orleans = 8-8
Who's In: (C) Max Unger, (DT) Kevin Williams, (DE) Anthony Spencer, (CB) Brandon Browner
Who's Out: (TE) Jimmy Graham, (WR) Kenny Stills, (G) Ben Grubbs, (C) Jonathan Goodwin, (LB) Curtis Lofton, (CB) Patrick Robinson
That's a lot of change for a team doing a semi-rebuild and semi-tear down, which is needed due to their precarious cap situation. Switching Jimmy Graham for Max Unger will really be interesting. The rest of their o-line is declining, so Unger is a real help for them. Brees has made average weapons good throughout his time in New Orleans, but losing Graham and also Kenny Stills - who had a great rapport with Brees - is a lot. I think they were better than 7-9 last year and their defense should slightly improve, but I still don't see them as a natural playoff team.
3.) Atlanta = 8-8
Who's In: (TE) Jacob Tamme, (TE) Tony Moeaki, (G) Chris Chester, (DE) Adrian Clayborn, (DE) O'Brien Schofield, (LB) Brooks Reed, (LB) Justin Durant
Who's Out: (RB) Steven Jackson, (WR) Harry Douglas, (T) Sam Baker, (G) Justin Blalock, (DT) Corey Peters, (LB) Sean Weatherspoon, (CB) Robert McClain, (CB) Josh Wilson, (S) Dwight Lowery
Speaking of change, my word did Dan Quinn want to change things up with this team. He brought in some interesting pieces on the defense with four guys that are all on their 3rd or 4th team. Honestly, maybe he can do things with these guys that the others couldn't, but that is less likely than you would think. The offense gets Kyle Shanahan, which should be a good thing as he did quite well with lesser players in Washington and especially Cleveland. If Julio can stay healthy this should be a good offense, but they need a great one to make the playoffs and with that work-in-progress o-line I don't think they'll meet the 'great' requirement.
4.) Tampa Bay = 6-10
Who's In: (DE) George Johnson, (DT) Henry Melton, (LB) Bruce Carter, (CB) Sterlin Moore, (S) Chris Conte
Who's Out: (T) Anthony Collins, (DE) Michael Johnson, (DE) Adrian Clayborn, (DE) De'Quan Bowers, (LB) Mason Foster, (S) Dashon Goldson
When Lovie took over the Bears, they were 7-9 the year before, then dropped to 5-11, before jumping up to 11-5 in year 2. I obviously don't think the Buccaneers are in for that high a jump, mainly because they still need a few pieces on defense. Gerald McCoy and Lavonte David is a great start, but it is just a start. What they really need is some pass rushers. The offense will be exciting with Jameis, and if he's good they can easily exceed this number, but I think they're in to replace New Orleans as a Top-2 team in the division as early as next year.
NFC West
1.) Seattle = 11-5 (2)
Who's In: (TE) Jimmy Graham, (CB) Cary Williams, (DT) Ahtyuba Rubin
Who's Out: (C) Max Unger, (TE) Zach Miller, (G) James Carpenter, (LB) Malcolm Smith, (CB) Byron Maxwell
This is probably the last year where the 'Who's Out' column won't be really long or not that impactful as the Seahawks finish their transition into a stars and scrubs arrangement come 2016. Still, this team remains really talented. There are a few concerns though. First, will the already tenuous o-line drop off even more without Unger and Carpenter. Then will Jimmy Graham integrate well. And finally will depth become an issue if defensive guys get hurt. Overall, I think they're a slightly worse version of the team they were the past two years, and unless I see some progress for Russell Wilson the thrower (he honestly was no better in 2014 than he was in 2013), they may be in for some regression when those big contracts start kicking in.
2.) St. Louis = 10-6 (5)
Who's In: (QB) Nick Foles, (DT) Nick Fairley, (LB) Akeem Ayers
Who's Out: (QB) Sam Bradford, (T) Jake Long, (T) Joseph Barksdale, (C) Scott Wells, (DT) Kendall Langford
I have faith in the Rams. More so, I have faith that Nick Foles is actually a reasonably good QB, and that their defense may qualify for being good enough to win 10 games with a reasonably good QB. Let's put it this way, their front should be awesome - it already was, with prime Robert Quinn, that monster Aaron Donald, and adding a motivated Nick Fairley on another one-year deal. Their LBs are talented, if thin. The secondary should be able to play well behind a dominant front. Their defense could be special. If it is merely quite good, the offense has a capable QB, talented RBs, and an o-line that gelled late in the season. The long trip out of mediocrity (or worse) may end as soon as the Rams look ready to leave town.
3.) Arizona = 7-9
Who's In: (G) Mike Iupati, (DT) Corey Reddings, (LB) Sean Weatherspoon
Who's Out: (C) Lyle Sendlein, (DT) Darnell Dockett, (DT) Dan Williams, (LB) Sam Acho, (DE) John Abraham, (CB) Antonio Cromartie
That's a lot to lose for a team that thrived on their defense to be able to get pressure from their d-line, stop the run wth their d-line, and have tons of secondary players to mitigate their average-at-best LBs. The Cardinals were successful on defense, but played a very specific way which they may not be able to do. It also remains to be seen how they'll replace Todd Bowles. I do have enough confidence in Arians to take the talent still on the team and keep them competitive in most games - getting Carson Palmer back obviously a key. The Cardinals may have missed their window, but they'll still compete only this time with a less stocked war-chest on defense.
4.) San Francisco = 5-11
Who's In: (RB) Reggie Bush, (WR) Torrey Smith, (DT) Darnell Dockett, (LB) Phillip Wheeler, (CB) Shareece Wright
Who's Out: (LB) Patrick Willis, (DT) Justin Smith, (LB) Chris Borland, (DT) Ray McDonald, (CB) Chris Culliver, (CB) Perrish Cox, (WR) Michael Crabtree, (WR) Frank Gore, (T) Anthony Davis, (G) Mike Iupati, (P) Andy Lee
The worst part about that 'Who's Out' list is that it doesn't even contain Jim Harbaugh who left in a huff after being forced out in a power grab by Trent Baalke. Still, though, that is a shocking list of player's on the who's out list. All those guys were key contributors for the 2011-13 49ers that were the league's best team in that stretch (other than Borland). The 49ers are essentially left with three key players from their Super Bowl team: Kaepernick, Joe Staley and Vernon Davis. What they really need is for all those players they drafted that fell because of injuries or other reasons to all start contributing. The 49ers got a ton of media love for that draft strategy... it better work.
Playoff Picks:
Wild Card Weekend:
(N6) MIN 16 @ (N3) NYG 27
(N5) STL 13 @ (N4) CAR 20
Divisional Weekend:
(N4) CAR 20 @ (N1) GB 30
(N3) NYG 23 @ (N2) SEA 20
Championship Game:
(N3) NYG 17 @ (N1) GB 31
NFC Champion: Green Bay Packers
