Week 2: What have we learned

After two weeks I see defenses in the following tiers:

ELITE (blowout cover ability)
Jacksonville
Minnesota
LA Rams
Philly (waffling on them here, could be tier 3)

ARRIVING WITH POTENTIAL (will keep them in a lot of games)
Cleveland
Dallas
Houston
Chicago

CAN BE GOOD AGAINST THE RIGHT MATCHUP
Miami
NY Jets
Baltimore
Cincinnati
Tennessee
Indy
LA Chargers (possibly elite when Bosa plays)
Denver
Washington
Atlanta
Carolina

NOT NEARLY AS GOOD AS PAST REP
Green Bay
New Orleans
NY Giants
Pittsburgh
Seattle
Kansas City
New England
Oakland

SIEVES (over central)
Buffalo
Arizona
San Francisco
Detroit
Tampa Bay
 
Thanks for starting. I was leaving this for Dwoww but he might still be in morning after getting Fitzpatricked.
 
The blocking technique is entirely different than I was taught.
You put your hands under the pads of the defensive player, grab hold of whatever is available and move them around at will.
This practice is used with great results in most of the elite college teams , as well.
 
Eric Berry being brought along very slowly...might practice a bit this week but I don’t see him coming back for a few more weeks. He is a game changer for the D.
 
Gandolf....

Agree with a lot.

- Cleveland could/should be 2-0. Loved them last year even when they were 0-16. A LOT of talent and speed and Dorsey is going to continue to bring in talent to surround them

- Kansas City... "Not Nearly as Good as Past Rep"? ML Dogs on the road at the Chargers and at Heinz... Won and the games weren't in serious doubt... Wondering what more they could have done to elevate their tier. They have an all-time offense. If (big if) they get a healthy Berry, this team is top 5. If it were Oakland in this spot I would expect you to say similar

- Tampa and Cincy: Selling now

- Miami and Indy- I'm buying to challenge for the Wild Card

- New Orleans- Selling but there will be that game soon when they blow the doors off the place

- Arizona (who I was high on)- WTF

- Denver- Keenum has not looked good. Zimmer did an amazing job with him.

- NYG and Buff- Long season ahead.

-NE is in trouble long term.
 
It was defense evaluation only Cap. No doubt the offense is top of the list. Defense blew a 21 point lead in one quarter.
 
If you could read my tweets during the game, you'd see I am in complete agreement on the defense. I did not read the first line of your post truth be told. I didn't know it was defenses.

My apologies
 
I think it was a matter of Dallas‘ defensive strengths aligning perfectly with Giants‘ offensive weaknesses. Above all rush vs protection
 
After two weeks I see offenses in the following tiers:

ELITE (must watch TV)
Kansas City
LA Rams

SHOULD BE JUST FINE (happy to see in my over bet)
Pittsburgh
LA Chargers
New England
New Orleans
Jacksonville
Minnesota
Green Bay
Philly (another waffling on them here, could be tier 3 based on injuries and Wentz)
Atlanta

ON PAPER THEY COULD BE GOOD, WHY AM I DOUBTING?
Cincinnati - Ginger
Baltimore - Flacco
Houston - Watson return and Oline
Carolina - Oline and TE
Oakland - Carr
San Francisco - Injuries to Goodwin and McKinnon
Detroit - Still can't run
Tampa Bay - Fitzmagic/Winston controversy brewing
Indy - Luck looks OK, could move up a tier

HAVE A COUPLE OF PIECES BUT ARE FLAWED THIS YEAR
Miami - WR depth
Tennessee - QB
Dallas - WR
NY Giants - QB
Denver - QB
Washington - RB
Seattle - WR
Chicago - WR

NOT READY THIS YEAR (rookie QB pains)
Cleveland
NY Jets
Arizona
Buffalo
 
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and put that NYG offense in the bottom tier due to that OL. Holy hell. Sheila had zero time to throw which is why Barkley had about 15 receptions.
 
B.A.R. said:
Gandy,

Talk to me about this foreign thing -- a Cowboys D!
Click to expand...
Doomsday is making a comeback!

I look at this roster and this is as talented a D as I've seen for Dallas since the Jimmy days. Even in the 13-3 seasons it was the offense and a huge TOP edge that were the key to decent stats from their D.

DE - They can go five deep in rotation when Gregory and Irving return. Lawrence (pro-bowler), Taco (2nd year improvement) and Tyrone Crawford round out the crew.

DL - Holding up well so far with Collins playing very well, Ross and Woods are OK. They'll get former 1st rounder Datone Jones back soon for more depth.

LB- Legit playmaker in Lee, depth at MLB with Jaylon Smith now 100% and 1st rounder Vander Esch earning snaps. Wilson has been OK, and Joe Thomas adds some depth.

CB - They've invested picks at this spot and its paying off. Top four (Awuzie, Jones, Lewis and Brown) are all playing man coverage well. Awuzie has been stunningly good, Jones can play any position.

S - The weak link but Heath somehow makes a play every game. Woods and Frazier have been low round hard trying types. If they could've only figured out a way to get Earl Thomas......

Most of the optimism lies in the front 7 and up and coming CB talent, and with Marinelli being able to scheme these guys a number of different ways to stop varied attacks. They have traditionally been weak at defending RBs out of the backfield, and just played two of the best. 20 receptions allowed.....but for only 125 yards and no scores. I'll take 6 yards a catch on D (unless its against Theo Riddick).

This D has lost TOP both games yet have only allowed 29. If they can stay healthy they'll keep the Boys in every game.
 
Vikings snag Dan Bailey

Browns cut their kicker too, replacement is another cheap UDFA who convert on 69.5 percent at Florida Atlantic. Yikes.
 
Not sure if it's already been posted somewhere... 2 wild stats out of Pitt yesterday

Since 1940, NFL teams scoring 37+ points at home with 0 turnovers were 386-0.
Since 1940, NFL teams scoring 37+ points with 0 turnovers were 653-1. Cleveland lost 38-37 in 2009 to Detroit.
 
To me , Rams look like the best team in the NFL and I don’t think it’s that close through 2 games

Chargers offense will be a good test for them this weekend
 
braves said:
To me , Rams look like the best team in the NFL and I don’t think it’s that close through 2 games

Chargers offense will be a good test for them this weekend
Click to expand...

This will be the week for me.. I actually liked the Chargers at +7 before it moved. They played two currently terrible teams. And have played 3 good halves. If they come out and beat up LAC that will be very impressive. On paper though, their talent is difficult to match.
 
Shocking the most inept organization in the league looks to get rid of a "problem" to the best organization in the league. One organization has a HC 1-33 his last 34 and the other has 86 super bowl rings.

If Josh Gordon didn't have 2 dead hookers and a used bong in his trunk, them getting rid of him makes no sense. ZERO.

But now handing him to New England? JFC Just shoot me. Disgusting.
 
Capaholic said:
Eff the Patriots
Click to expand...

You know what Cap...I hate those sonsabitches more than anyone...but THEY ARE GETTING HANDED THIS GUY BY THE WORST ORGANIZATION IN THE LEAGUE!

How could anyone sensible turn this deal down? Fuck the Browns and that garbage owner and coaching staff. WTF is Dorsey thinking?
 
The cow playcalling is predictable.
RedJesus has his set plays that he just can't deviate from in certain situations.
Dak running was a pleasant surprise, but a screen on 3rd and long is always coming.

They still arm tackle in the defensive backfield.
 
scarf31 said:
You know what Cap...I hate those sonsabitches more than anyone...but THEY ARE GETTING HANDED THIS GUY BY THE WORST ORGANIZATION IN THE LEAGUE!

How could anyone sensible turn this deal down? Fuck the Browns and that garbage owner and coaching staff. WTF is Dorsey thinking?
Click to expand...

Yeah maybe it could be a steal , but looks like the guy has serious addiction issues . I guess he is worth a shot if you don’t have to give up much
 
as a Pats fan and STH, i like they are taking a chance (hell i'd take James Lofton at WR if he asked) but it takes ALOT of study to handle Brady playbook.
don't expect any help soon if he even gets on field. won't see any divs right away if at all...hell Dez wouldn't even help right now.

they just need Jules back week 5

see Dorsett...he just got a handle on plays after many many months
 
Ret, he's an IMMEDIATE red zone threat for one...and all you have to do is have him run go routes to stretch the field AT A MINIMUM!

His presence alone changes 1. the underneath room for all these short routes Hogan, Edelman and the RBs run

2. Make him and Gronk in the red zone impossible to double team

Look at how a smart coach like McVay used a guy like Sammy Watkins simply to run go routes and it opened up a TON for their other WR. This move has enormous implications for making every other player on that offense better. The O Line issues are their biggest problem... but if they can protect for him....all the Pats have to do is keep Brady alive and they win the division. Then they let Gordon have 3 months to get used to the offense and gel with his teammates before they win the AFC again and go back to the Super Bowl to try to outscore their NFC opponent.
 
i agree scarf, that for sure helps up close, play jump ball.

Hoodie only takes guys who eat/sleep love football so you know it is desperate times if thay are reaching here

Josh likes weed, drinking and chilling in that order. physical freak just doesn't have the drive to excel (but dillon, Moss etc have conformed to the hoodie mindset so who knows)

Appearing in studio with Dale & Keefe on Monday following Sunday's 31-20 loss to the Jaguars, Ninkovich sparred with co-host Rich Keefe over whether the Patriots should make a bid for the mercurial wideout, whom the NFL Network's Ian Rapoport is reporting could be headed to New England.
"I wouldn't, personally," Ninkovich said. "I think there's a certain amount of pressure and stress that come with playing with the Patriots, and expectations. He's in a place, really, where if they win one game, it's a celebration. There's no playoff hopes. There's no win your division. There's no failure if you don't win your division. The Patriots here, it's definitely a stressful environment. It's not easy to play here.
"The second he signs here, what is everyone saying? I think it just sends the wrong message."
Gordon has had multiple run-ins with the league's substance abuse policy, including a year-long suspension. He missed Sunday's loss in New Orleans after showing up on Saturday with a hamstring injury that was reportedly incurred during a promotional shoot. The Browns decided that was the last straw and announced he'd be released by 4 p.m. on Monday, though teams are reportedly trying to acquire him via trade first.
"I don't think he would be a great fit," Ninkovich said. "There's guys that fit and guys that don't. There's a certain personality that has to be considered when you're playing for the Patriots. I question his love for the game if you've been suspended so many times or you hurt your hamstring doing a video for some kind of endorsement, when you've practiced all week. Isn't that letting down your teammates?"
Keefe pushed back that the Patriots have signed a number of players with questionable backgrounds, from Michael Floyd to Kenny Britt to Albert Haynesworth to Corey Dillon. Ninkovich described Gordon's sheer volume of transgressions as in a different league.
He also noted the difficulty of integrating into the Patriots offense under exacting quarterback Tom Brady in the middle of the season.
"First of all, receiver isn't a plug-and-play position," he said. "It's not like, OK, here's the phone book of Tom's plays and you're ready to go on Sunday. It's going to take somebody at least a month to really understand the offense. So if you bring a guy in, you've got to take another guy off the roster. At what point does your talent hide everything else?
 
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CIN rode a huge Dalton 1H vs a good defense to improve to 2-0. Not sure they're good and no Mixon will be a problem for a couple weeks, but credit them for that. BAL expended some effort to make it a game, but were too far behind. Surprised Flacco did bring them back, but BAL is probably harder to handicap after playing the worst team in the league starting an incapable QB week 1 and then this

MIA smacked NYJ around early and then held on. It looks like Darnold is going to throw the ball away at least once per game, not sure if his team is strong enough to overcome it without three pick-6's like Stafford offered. MIA did not look pretty, but that win may get them a little respect thanks to the 2-0 start that looks even prettier after TEN somehow won with Gabbert

Speaking of Gabbert, TEN was wildcatting Derrick Henry and looked to be using some of the KC playbook. That was refreshing to see from TEN who has been in the dark ages for so long, but the fake punt TD is hard to quantify for future success. HOU is a different story and I think they deserve a lot of concern. Couldn't block NE whatsoever in week one and Watson made some bad decisions, then fast forward and HOU wasn't doing much of anything against a team QB-ed by Blaine Gabbert yesterday. 0-2 is a death knell for most teams and now that JAX is 2-0 with a NE victory they are waaaaaay ahead. Watson was incredible last year before the injury, but he has not been that guy this year

NE got waxed yesterday and made the score look better late. JAX should have gotten to through them to the SB and maybe they just have NE's number, but Bortles looked somewhat capable yesterday in the little i watched. If he can just be a game manager, that defense can win games. If he's good, they can become a SB favorite. NE got whatever it wanted on offense in the opener, doesn't appear that they were so lucky in game two and last year's defense had some troubles which don't seem to have been solved. It will probably improve over the year as it did last year, and the soft schedule will make it look better than it is, but part of me wonders if the luster is wearing off. NE still crushes bad teams, but Edelman returning doesn't cover the weakness on the other side of the ball

KC has been great so far, getting ridiculous lines on b2b road games, but that ends this week. Both games followed similar scripts where KC jumped out early and then let the game get interesting, probably thanks to its porous defense. Mahomes has been about as good as you can hope, Reid's playbook is deep and the pieces are in place. I hope they keep being dogged, but home game this week and i think it halts after they start 3-0. PIT has looked average for two weeks now, don't think that's because Bell is missing. Tomlin isn't great in-game, maybe not great elsewhere either, but his team has given away a 21-7 lead in a downpour to a bad team and then trailed at home throughout to a bad defense. Ben stabilized a bit, but it was against a bad defense who was playing at least a bit of prevent. Antonio Brown seemed to be open a fair amount, but Jesse James leading in receiving is concerning. Possibly a funnel technique to limit Brown, but the gameflow is the scariest thing. Still not sure the division is good enough to outscore them over a six-game schedule however...

CLE is about to have a new kicker, but i'm still touching my theory that the incapable coaching staff loses tight games. They've avoided winning two games that they easily could have, but deserve some credit for being in it until the very end against a team who has owned them for a decade and on the road in a tough environment at a team who should have been in the NFC title game last year. Tyrod doesn't turn it over, which was how CLE lost all its games last season, but he's not going to win games. It looks like the defense is improved so maybe not losing the turnover battle will get them some wins this year. The Josh Gordon stuff is weird, but almost seems to be par for the course with this franchise. I should adjust CLE higher in my non-existent PRs, but NO is falling like a rock. Not being able to stop Fitzmagic seems like a thing now because Philly's great front couldn't do it either. In this one, NO trailing CLE for as long as they did when CLE only got to 12 points is about as damning as anything. Kamara's regression may be overtold, but Brees to 13 is nearly automatic and not being able to harness it to score all game long in b2b home games is a bad sign for the remainder of the year.

Speaking of the NFC South, what a hit by Atlanta 27. The melee was great, Cam's reaction was great and i though it was fun to watch. Not great by CJ Anderson over the middle letting the ball go through his hands, hit his facemask and fall into a defender's arms. CAR made it tight late, but it was a close game that somehow went south very quickly. Julio was just okay, Matt Ryan somehow had two rushing TD and it looks like ATL cares about Devonta Freeman less and less each day that passes. I'm still not sold on Sark in the redzone, but Ryan scoring TDs with his legs saved him yesterday. McCaffery is the heart and soul of the CAR team and if he gets banged up i'm not sure how they will move the ball. They fought ATL to the end in a tough environment and i expect that hit on Cam will add some motivation to the next meeting. CAR defense is decent, but will struggle to keep up with good offenses

MIN made a triumphant comeback only for the rookie stud kicker to have an awful day. Rodgers was great and his team led the whole game, which you gotta feel bad for the guy risking his life against a talented, big-hitting MIN defense only to collapse at the end. Cousins made some bad choices, but still put his team in a position to win and i remember seeing Cook go down (hopefully nothing serious). GB defense is better thanks to a lot of offseason moves that seem to have worked, thought MIN would win easily even if Rodgers played and boy was i wrong

Also wrong about WAS, who i thought would win the easy games because Alex Smith doesn't turn the ball over. They trailed throughout and struggled to move the ball against a bad defense, not really sure how IND moved the ball so well but they seemed to build a lead and never get tested. IND has now played better than everyone expected, probably because of improved QB play. Jury is still more than out on WAS as they smacked the a bottom-2 team, IND is trending up

DEN somehow came back from the dead despite a crazily efficient day from Carr. Saw him 25/27 at one point, which is incredible even if he's a West Coast quick-launcher who panics at any sight of pressure. Keenum throwing picks seems like something we need to be used to, but he used his legs and the WRs were good even if Thomas is banged up. Sounds like Gruden forced Cooper to get the ball, which was smart and is maybe why they led the whole game until the game-winning FG. Not sold on either of these teams, but they seem to be part of an ever-expanding bubble of mediocrity

SF with so few weapons got Breida in space quite a bit and Pettis was involved despite only one catch. DET seems to have the WRs to score a ton of points, but not being able to threaten to run seems to be a problem in 2018. DET defense is fine, but not good enough to win on its own and the offense may start looking to be dead in the water if they don't move on from Jim Bob Cooter. So many WR options who seem to always be running free down the field, but it may be since they're always losing and are getting cushions vs prevent defense. SF is depleted and i look forward to going against them with teams who are decent as Garoppolo is still very new and i'm not sure Shanahan was anything more than a flash in the pan in ATL. Probably on my own cuz everyone loves him, but he's wasted draft capital and money on questionable moves. Trading up for Pettis this year seems okay, but he did it last year for a guy who didn't make the roster and then spent a ton on McKinnon and unluckily lost him to an ACL. Studs aren't there for Garoppolo and a Morris/Breida backfield scares nobody. If Goodwin returns this week that'll be a huge help, but Garcon-Pettis(R)-Breida-Morris is not a skill group i'd want to back

LAR smoked an awful team, LAR runs up the score and that's how you avoid choking in sports today. LAC did a similar thing on the road in a spot where things could have gone poorly, but led throughout and weren't really tested. The other two teams look to be testing that 0-16 record

DAL scored early and built a huge lead. NYG made a stupid decision to take (and pay) a RB #2 while the whole world can't stop complaining about Eli. I missed a lot of this game so if someone can tell me about how NYG trailed forever and then made the score look better late i'm all ears
 
Haven't read all the posts so might be repeating. Putrid oline list.
Bills
Saints
Giants
49ers Need to see more but Jimmy G looks uncertain suddenly.
New topic
Rams coaching staff has been remarkably good. They've raised the bar in how teams are going to need to prepare for them and also making 2nd half adjustment. McVay has every angle covered. Goff still needs to move more in the pocket to buy time. He's getting to stationary.
Backup kicker for Rams is a good replacement until Zeurline gets back.

As I type I see Patriots have signed Josh Gordon.
 
scarf31 said:
A 5th FUCKING ROUND PICK?!?

That’s it??

I’m gonna throw the fuck up
Click to expand...

gave up shit and if he no shows got a return...worth the risk

and you know hoodie will get him in 9 active and grab the late pick anyhow...lol

Full compensation trade update: Patriots send Browns a 2019 fifth-round pick for WR Josh Gordon and get back a 2019 seventh-round pick if he is not active for 10 games, source tells ESPN. Trade was supposed to be for a 6th-round pick, but Patriots don't have a 6th.


to make room...pats cut corey coleman...so he can go back to the team who drafted him.....THE BROWNS!!! lol


1537216592003.png
 
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ELITE:
RAMS
CHARGERS
PATS
VIKINGS
EAGLES

UNLUCKY:
TEXANS
BROWNS
LIONS


AWFUL:
CARDS
TITANS
BILLS



Everyone else middle of the road.


Giants O line is terrible, imagine barkley with a good line?

Arizona has a historically bad line
 
ELITE:
RAMS
CHARGERS
PATS
VIKINGS
EAGLES

UNLUCKY:
TEXANS
BROWNS
LIONS


AWFUL:
CARDS
TITANS
BILLS



Everyone else middle of the road.


Giants O line is terrible, imagine barkley with a good line?

Arizona has a historically bad line
 
ELITE:
RAMS
CHARGERS
PATS
VIKINGS
EAGLES

UNLUCKY:
TEXANS
BROWNS
LIONS


AWFUL:
CARDS
TITANS
BILLS



Everyone else middle of the road.


Giants O line is terrible, imagine barkley with a good line?

Arizona has a historically bad line
 
Corey Coleman shirts on sale!!!

all sets available...Browns, Bills and Pats....all must go.....singles or in triples!!!
 
Retburj13 said:
Corey Coleman shirts on sale!!!

all sets available...Browns, Bills and Pats....all must go.....singles or in triples!!!
Click to expand...
Poor Corey. How much different would his life be if he hadn't let that fourth down pass slip through his fingers last year.....
 
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