The offfseason "Is it football season yet?" thread

In My Humble Opinion
1

Lotsa happenings so far this offseason. I figured would could keep all the offseason changes in one thread for easy reference. Also this thread can be updated with draft results. Or smack talk. Or anything else football related. (Is it September yet??) I’ll start with a few changes off the top of my head, please add anything that you know.

Trades that will likely make large impact:

Ricky Williams is now a Dolphin. I think he is going to really shine here and become an elite NFL back and quiet his critics.

Terry Glenn is a Packer. This drama queen is a tossup in my opinion – He might really shake some of his problems and become a big name payer again. Or he might continue being a jackass and do nothing. As far as the NFC goes, I kinda have a soft spot for the Pack so I hope he does well.

London Fletcher is now a Buffalo Bill, and Sam Cowert is gone from Buffalo. An equal trade, if not an udgrade, for the Bills.

The New York Jets lost their entire Defense. The Jax Jags lost a lot of players, both in the expansion draft. Are they going to call the Houston Texans the Jacksonville Jets?

Warrack Dunn is an Atlanta Falcon. With Vick and Dunn in the backfield, the Falcons will have all the speed they need. But can Vick throw the ball at an NFL level?

Michael Pittman is a Buccaneer. I think he may do very well here, depending on how much of the load he can carry, and depending on what happens with Alstott.

And due to that last note, Thomas Jones is now the starter in Arizona. A lot of people are high on this kid but I just am not convinced (although my mind isn’t shut yet, either)

Quady Ismael is now a Colt. I gotta think he is an upgrade over Wayne or Pathon. Manning now can drop bombs all day long. And since we’re on the colts, hows about Edge’s injury? When will he be back to 100%? How big a role will Rhodes play this year, especially early on?

Lamar Smith goes to Carolina. Yawn. Now he and Richard Huntey can battle to see who is the worst starting RB in the league.
A few potential changes that are still unknowns:

What is up with Drew Bledsoe? I’ve heard rumblings again about him in Cincinnati (this after he said he didn’t want to play there.) If the Bengals got a QB they could make some waves with Warrick and Dillion.

Where will Ricky Watters suit up? I can think of several cities that would benefit with him (Cleveland, Detroit, Houston). I think he still has a couple good years left in him.

Will Michael Bennett reach his potential this year? He showed some flashes towards the end of last year. Again, I have no real opinion, but it will be fun to watch. Speaking of the Vikes, where will eyebrows crybaby Carter be next year? Football or announcing? And still speaking of the Vikes, will their new Offensive coordinator whip Randy Moss’s ass until he is the # 1 WR in the NFL, like he should be?

Will Eddie George regain his elite status? Or are his spectacular days behind him? If he is back, do they keep Skip Hicks? I was impressed with this kid in what little I saw of him last year.

What will happen to the geriatric (but still dangerous as hell) offense in Oakland now that Chucky is gone? Gannon, Brown and Rice – will they all be back? Will the new coach allow them to stick to what worked for them last year? And will it be Wheatley or Charlie Garner running?

Where is Keenan McCardell going? He is defiantly a solid WR who many teams would be happy to have.

Where will Johnie Morton land? I think the that Lions made a big mistake letting him go. HE will be a key # 2 receiver for a great team or a good # 1 receiver for a not so great team.
And a couple of the “will it be the old veteran or young buck” questions:

Hearst, or Barlow in SF?
GreenBalls or Pennington in NYJ?
Rookies next year:

What big name draftees do you expect to make noise in the NFL this year? QBs – David Carr and Joey Harrington. RBs include William Green, TJ Duckett, DeShaun Foster, and Clinton Portis to name a few. WRs include Ashlie Lelie, Donte Stallworth, Josh Reed, and Antonio Bryant.

**And a very special “up yours”: **
to the Ravens who got decimated this offseason because of the salary cap. What do they have, maybe half the starters they had last year? They will be lucky to win 5 games this year. :slight_smile:
Anywho, a few items for discussion. Throw your own out there, too. I’m sure I forgot a lot of things.
[sub]Goddam, on preview, this is much longer than I expected it would be.[/sub]

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I like the new realignment scheme. It’s about time.

LA still needs a team.

As a Dallas fan… that’s right, I said DALLAS (five-time NFL Champs, eight-time NFC Champs)… I look forward to the season opener at Houston. Dallas will win at least one game next season. :smiley:

3

So, Mouthbreather, you gonna cheer for the Falcons and Steelers this year? Although he was a Seminole once, Warrick Dunn is really a class act; I hope he does well in Atlanta.

I’m still trying to figure out how my Bucs are going to shake out. I am frightened by the prospect of Rob Johnson there. Maybe Shaun King will rise to the occasion. Of course I haven’t even checked out the schedule yet. It came out on Thursday in case anyone missed the news.

Nice synopsis you’ve put together, a very good teaser until August!

4

Bledsoe may well turn out to be the man without a team come next season. He’s been pretty well burning a lot of bridges here in New England and so far no other team seems to be showing a lot of interest.

5

He will really shine IMHO. Turner will pound the ball with Ricky to give Fielder a chance. Of course the O-line is a bit questionable right now. Of course he has to stay healthy :slight_smile:

I have always been a Pittman fan (on field anyway) He shined in his first season of starting and then the Cards Drafted Jones instead of B. Urlacher. I was needless to say pissed. Alexander was the RB I had high on my draft list Jones was much further down (#4) I am a cards fan but root for their departed players when they do not play Arizona. (Bucks: Rice DE and now Pittman RB) Rams (A. Williams CB) I hope Pittman does as well as I think he can. He is a better fit for the G mans offensive system than Dunn.

Me either hope I am wrong

[quote]

Quady Ismael is now a Colt. I gotta think he is an upgrade over Wayne or Pathon. Manning now can drop bombs all day long. And since we’re on the colts, hows about Edge’s injury? When will he be back to 100%? How big a role will Rhodes play this year, especially early on?
[/quote}
I agree Quandry is an upgrade. Edge is recovering well from the reports I have seen. Rhodes is under investigation for Domestic abuse so may get a game or two suspension this year. He is a very good backup to have for Edge either way. (highest rushing yards by an undrafted rookie 1194 yards from scrimmage)[quote]

A few potential changes that are still unknowns:

What is up with Drew Bledsoe? I’ve heard rumblings again about him in Cincinnati (this after he said he didn’t want to play there.) If the Bengals got a QB they could make some waves with Warrick and Dillion.

[quote]
Cinncinnati needs a QB and a CB to be a play off team. They have a history of not trains QBs worth a crap. Or if they do they only shine when they are out of Cinncinatti (V. Testeverte and Blake come to mind)

I think Cleveland is the best fit. He would be huge piece in a playoff hunt.

Yes he was a model of consistancy excluding his injury plauged season last year.

he is now in Kansas City if I remember correctly

Ok so lets talk football and use multiple posts for multiple question Mkay?

Osip

6

As a Giants fan, my view of the league is blatantly Giant-centric. My thoughts

Will Jim Fassel finally get axed. After last year’s guarantee I (and I think The Sports Guy) was reminded of that line from Dazed and Confused: don’t let your mouth write a check your ass can’t cash.

We’ve got Armstead leaving, incompetent CBs and a DL that, IMHO, is overrated and won’t do as well with Strahan pissed. On offense we have a lead-footed QB, RBs who can’t R, an old O-line and mediocre receivers. Unless Ernie Accorsi makes some brilliant moves combined with a great draft, I predict we’ll be 6-10.

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Maybe I should prefive next time?

Anyway Mouthbreather. WHat teams do you think will be better than their season record? why?

Who is your sleeper pick(s) of the upcoming season? Why?

**The team which will be better than their numbers will be my **Beloved Arizona Cards.

They are much improved from two years ago. Plummer finally grew into some of his potential. It helps he had a good offensive line and the return of his QB coach of his '98 season. The Offensive line is back for a second year together. Coach Mac is a defensive Guru. He has the youngest Defense last year and still did rather well.

They finally found a TE (Jones fromer Charger)in free agency and a second CB (Starks former Raven)

Why am I pessimestic of their WL record?
Their new division has;
Rams: Looking to be as big a threat as last year
49ers: up and coming off of a brilliant few rebuilding years
Seahawks: Holgrem will have them in the play off this year.
** Sleeper picks**
AFC Cleveland Browns Playoffs bound this year
NFC Washington Redskins Much better than they played last year. I have a hunch Spurrier and Lewis will have the team no worse than middle of the pack if not in the top ten teams.

:slight_smile:
Osip

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…and Deuce McAllister will be expected to execute the bulk of the Saints’ running game. Is he a one-hit wonder? Will New Orleans regret dumping Williams? How will the running game be effected by the loss of Willie Roaf? Stay tuned.

…but do they have a front line to block for Dunn and Vick? Is the engine cherry but the tires flat?

I like both the Saints and the Falcs, but I seriously worry about their chances.

Of course, as a Bears’ fan, I’m really worried about how Chicago will fare now that they can’t sneak up on anyone and have used up their quota of miracles for the decade. They didn’t fortify the QB position and the jury is still out whether or not Miller can take them anywhere. The WR’s at this point are iffy at best with injuries and possible defections. A-Train is coming off a phenomenal rookie season, but sophomore slumps are common.

I’m keeping everything crossed.

By the way, I officially voted for the new blue Seahawk helmet.

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I’m looking forward to the first Monday Night game of the year, where we not only get to see New England get revenged upon by da Stillers, we get to hear Madden say “BOOM” and his other trademark stutters during the game!

It seems that the salary cap restrictions cause at least one team to be gutted every year. The olden days of player/team loyalty have been fading into misty memories for some time now. The Steelers had their time; the Ravens are getting it now (hehe). I’m glad that Cowher and co. have persuaded the Rooneys to finally loosen the purse strings and pay the players to stay, but I hope it doesn’t bite them in the ass (what they’ve been afraid of all this time.)

I’ll have more comments after the draft- that’s the big question for Pittsburgh this year.

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HELL no. Steelers all the way, my man.

I heard rumors that he was talking to them, didn’t know that it was official.

I think that Tennesee can make some noise. They have a pretty easy division (will be cake-easy to moderate, depending on how Dungy’s presence effects the Colts). McNair seemed to get his act together, and they finally have a good recieving core with Dyson, Mason and (obviously) Wycheck. Now, if they can get Eddie George back to 100%, they should make the playoffs.

The Dolphins. Not really a sleeper, since they had a decent year last year, but now with Ricky Williams in town and Chambers having a year under his belt they have a respectable offense. I think they’ll be in the playoffs.

I don’t know about the playoffs, but the Browns will be ready to play this year. If they can get a good RB – and I’m hard pressed to believe that they can’t with Watters still available and WGreen and TJDuckett (maybe) lasting til their spot in the draft, then they are set. I think Couch is ready to have the year that people have been expecting for a few years. Kevin Johnson is a player, we saw that last year. I predict a wildcard spot for them assuming they grab a good rb and get rid of the 46 mediocre running backs they currently have.

The Broncos will be interesting to watch with Easy Ed coming back from the broken leg, and a ahem healthy Terrell Davis. They could squeek into the playoffs. Of course, Griese might stink it up too, but I dont think he will.

I just noticed that all those teams are AFC, I’m looking at all the NFC teams and I don’t see a lot of changes in power. Eagles, Bears, Pack, Rams and 49ers should all be back in the playoffs. Borderline Teams – Bucs and Seahawks. An exception may be the Redskins, but Christ on a pogo stick, they need a QB. Spurrier should make them a beter team, although I question some of the decisions he has made so far.

What have you heard about Crystal Chandalier coming to Chi? He’s a good QB when he isn’t injured (which isn’t very often). Are you really concerned about the WRs? I’ve heard that Robinson is leaving, but Booker sure had a good year and I think that Dez White will come into his own this season.

Loving that first MNF matchup, but not looking forward to Madden. He is WAY past his prime and needs to retire IMO.

Why is it a big question? I think they did a fantastic job signing everyone, with one exception. I would have signed Holmes before Gildon, but it looks like Holmes may be back anyway. If not, James Farrior (sp?) is rumored to be a replacement for him, and that is at minimum an even transaction. They need to beef up the secondary in the draft and maybe pick a kicker to battle Pederson for the starting spot, but other than that the Steelers we saw last year are going to be nearly identical to the Steelers who take the field in September. :cool:

11

Maybe not a big question, but since they did so well in keeping free agents- just maybe there will be an exceptional draft pick that can help them get over the last hurdle.

I agree with the rest of what you said, just wondering if there is another jewel in the draft?

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A couple of quick comments before the work day gets crankin’:

Osip, your Cardinals were a major pain in my butt last season. Seems like every time they should have lost they won and vice versa. They really screwed up my Pick’em season, especially if money was on the line. I recall the Raiders game late in the season for instance. Please ask them to be a bit more reliable this season, m’kay?

Colts are the team to watch in the AL East. Are they still in the East?

Expect things to get worse before they get better in Washington. Spurrier is a genius but I can’t believe he’s going with Wuerffel, Green, Anthony and any ex-Gator he can get his hands on. Why not just transfer Rex Grossman and let him redshirt a year? I am a Gator fan and love these guys, but this just seems like folly. Of course I don’t (quite) make $5,000,000 a year, so I could be wrong.

The Steelers have to be favored to at least make the AFC title bout.

Finally, to borrow from CCR:

And I wonder, still I wonder, who’ll stop the Rams?

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My thoghts on the redskins:

Spurrier is pulling all his old players to washington. I think this is a good short term idea. They know his system and it in effect gives the redskins additional “coaches”. Learning a new system is not easy for many NFL players and having people who already know it helps a great deal in training camp. It may take half a season for the rest of the Offense to catch on to how Spurrier wants to play the game.
The fact Spurrier admits he is not a defensive coach and Snyder hired Lewis away from Baltimore for Defensive Co. Bodes well for the redskins. I suspect by mid-season the Skins will be making noise. Might even sneak in the playoffs if only by great play on the defense.

Of course I want them to lose their first game as they host the Cards:D