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Off-season Narratives: Which Ones are True? (And other narratives you feel are relevant?) (1 Viewer)

Which off-season narrative is the most likely?

  • Matt Ryan is the answer for the Colts ascension.

    Votes: 14 18.2%

  • Kirk Cousins & the high-flying offense become the greatest show on turf II

    Votes: 6 7.8%

  • Da Raidahs offense takes off with Adams in the fold

    Votes: 17 22.1%

  • The Miami Dolphins become a contender with new coaching + Tyreek Hill

    Votes: 6 7.8%

  • Tom Brady & the Bucs run it back & repeat their success.

    Votes: 9 11.7%

  • The Rams run it back and repeat

    Votes: 9 11.7%

  • Buffalo is the team to beat in the AFC

    Votes: 57 74.0%

  • KC can get it done without Hill

    Votes: 14 18.2%

  • Jacksonville/TLaw take the next step under Pederson

    Votes: 13 16.9%
  • Total voters
    77
First to vote, and I went with BUF is the team to beat in the AFC. Some of those could possibly be true. But Buffalo put together a really, really solid team. Great Defense and solid skill players. Rolled the dice on Josh Allen and hit 7. That dude is going to be a HOFer.

 
Assuming Buffalo wins the poll in a landslide, change the poll to "pick 2".  My second pick is Matty Ice.

 
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Buffalo: They're most definitely the team to beat.  And in a division that looks winnable by game 13-14, if they got to host an AFCCG, that could be the secret to getting past a loaded conference.

Raiders: Adams/Renfrow/Waller...just such a diverse group of significant targets.  Along with McDaniels, I think this team could put up 30+/game.

Jags: I'm bullish here.  Urban was a disaster.  We kind of know what Pederson had to deal with in PHI which is why he's gone from there.  Christian Kirk may not be worth $21M/year, but they're going to be a tough out.  I think people forget that Lawrence was in the QB prospect category of Luck/Peyton.

Dolphins: Just a strange franchise.  I fade strange franchises.

Colts: Ryan is an upgrade over Wentz, but I'm not sure Frank Reich isn't the issue.  

Vikes: Definitely some 'sneak up and surprise you' vibes here.  Funny how they developed the some of the best skill position talent in the league which Zimmer despised.

Chiefs: I think one of the reasons they jettisoned Hill was to reign in Mahomes thinking a bit.  I think he'll figure it out.

Bucs/Rams: If I'm betting on which team does...I like the Rams chances better.

Other team one-liners:

Eagles/Ravens: Doesn't feel like they're getting talked about enough.

Broncos: Think they're getting talked about too much.

Jets: My fun surprise team in the AFC, but they could stand to be a bit more name diverse.  Two Michael Carter's along with a Bryce Hall and a Breece Hall.  C'mon guys.

Cards: My 2022 implode candidate.

 
I think it may end up being kinda tough to tell with Ryan in Indy, as the Titans have the look of a team that missed their window and are on the decline phase, though they won't fall apart because they share a division with Jax/Hou. If Indy wins the AFC South, I'm not sure it'll be because of Ryan. They probably would be the favorites even if Wentz was still there.

Vikings don't have OL to become the greatest show on turf, or even to be among the league leaders in pass attempts. All but 1 of their starting OL are better run blockers than pass blockers. I do think Justin Jefferson could see a 2021 Cooper Kupp like target share though. 

Raiders have a similar OL problem, and Adams is nice, but I think Vegas is the last place team in the AFC West. I think that defense could be among the worst in the NFL, and the offense even with Adams is more, good than great. 

I see Miami continuing to hover around .500, they likely won't be blown out as much as they were a year ago, 4 of their 8 losses were by 15+ points, but while like Hill and Waddle as a combo, I don't think Tua is up for the task. I'd say there is a 33% chance he gets benched for Teddy at some point, and that's if he can stay healthy.

If Tampa can avoid the awful injury luck they had down the stretch last year, I think they are likely a top-5 team in the NFL. I do think they were the best team in the NFC last season, they just limped into the Rams game, which they still almost pulled out. 

I'd be surprised if the Rams repeated, they lost arguably their 3rd best player on each side of the ball in Whitworth and Miller, and didn't really do anything to replace either. Wagner might be a nice pickup, but could also be toward the end, and its so hard to repeat. I think they still win the West, but I don't see them as a top-5 team in the NFL right now. 

Buffalo is the team to beat in my eyes. I really wonder what would have happened if Buffalo had played the Bengals in the AFC Championship last year. Part of me thinks the Bengals still win, they just had the magic it seemed, but part of me thinks Buffalo could have gotten the same lead KC did, without the awful 2nd half. Adding Miller and getting White back will be huge for what was arguably already the NFL's best defense. 

Depends on the definition of, "get it done" without Hill. I think they'll still be a top-5 offense without Hill, but it will be less explosive and maybe leave Mahomes less margin for error. I still view KC as a top-5 NFL team, and the defense could be quite a bit better as they have some really promising young talent. That said, its gonna be a tough road in maybe one of the toughest divisions of all time. 

I think the Jags can take a small step forward. At the very least from picking #1, though probably still in the top-10. Offense could be decent, though the defense still looks among the NFL's worst. 

Two I'll add to the list, I think Denver is a playoff team, and a major threat with Russell Wilson at QB. I think he could have a similar impact to what Brady did in Tampa Bay. Not saying they'll win the Super Bowl, but I think they are a top-5 AFC team in my opinion. 

I love what the Jets have done this offseason, and what they are building, but they are still a year away, and I'd be very surprised if they weren't picking in the top-10 again in 2023.

 
ProstheticRGK said:
First to vote, and I went with BUF is the team to beat in the AFC. Some of those could possibly be true. But Buffalo put together a really, really solid team. Great Defense and solid skill players. Rolled the dice on Josh Allen and hit 7. That dude is going to be a HOFer.
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Agreed.  My only vote.

 
I went Matty.  Yes, he was under 4K for the first time in over a decade, but he is much better than Wentz.

 
TheWinz said:
I went Matty.  Yes, he was under 4K for the first time in over a decade, but he is much better than Wentz.
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I’m so torn on that one. 

I watched way too many Falcons games last year, and Matty Ice’s arm looked a little shot. I’ll be interested to see how much of that was disinterest at playing in that train wreck, Vs his actual skills and decline thereof.

i also wonder how much he’ll be asked to air it out in Indy. Much of the orgs criticism of Wentz was that he refused to dump off to the RB or take the bunny 3-5 yard check-down and was always trying for the deep shot.

it makes me wonder what the Colts will be asking Ryan to do - “caretaker” is a phrase that comes to mind. He’s a smart QB who can hit the short and intermediate routes effectively & move the chains. I expect them to be a run 1st and 2nd offense.

That wouldn’t necessarily make the question in the poll untrue - just wouldn’t mean Ryan is a FF stud. 

 
Hot Sauce Guy said:
I’m so torn on that one. 

I watched way too many Falcons games last year, and Matty Ice’s arm looked a little shot. I’ll be interested to see how much of that was disinterest at playing in that train wreck, Vs his actual skills and decline thereof.

i also wonder how much he’ll be asked to air it out in Indy. Much of the orgs criticism of Wentz was that he refused to dump off to the RB or take the bunny 3-5 yard check-down and was always trying for the deep shot.

it makes me wonder what the Colts will be asking Ryan to do - “caretaker” is a phrase that comes to mind. He’s a smart QB who can hit the short and intermediate routes effectively & move the chains. I expect them to be a run 1st and 2nd offense.

That wouldn’t necessarily make the question in the poll untrue - just wouldn’t mean Ryan is a FF stud. 
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This was a pretty good breakdown Kurt Warner did of Ryan last year...

I soured on Ryan his last few years with the Falcons.  They positioned him as a Brady/Brees/Rodgers type guy (and paid him as such), and ultimately save for 2016, his last 9 years with the Falcons really didn't produce much success.

He's probably in a better situation for where he is at this stage of his career, but he's got some pretty bad bonehead plays on his resume too and if you need a TD, he'll get you a FG.

 
TheDirtyWord said:
This was a pretty good breakdown Kurt Warner did of Ryan last year...

I soured on Ryan his last few years with the Falcons.  They positioned him as a Brady/Brees/Rodgers type guy (and paid him as such), and ultimately save for 2016, his last 9 years with the Falcons really didn't produce much success.

He's probably in a better situation for where he is at this stage of his career, but he's got some pretty bad bonehead plays on his resume too and if you need a TD, he'll get you a FG.
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That’s an outstanding video - Warner echoed some of the things I saw last year & some of the things you’d mentioned. 

it’s a combination of his arm strength, and his twitch reaction time. He seems hesitant to take the shot, looking for something else - that hesitation costs him. I don’t know if he’s shell shocked from making poor decisions or if he just doesn’t trust his arm to get it into the tight spots any more, but whatever it is, he’s not the same dude he once was.

Its going to be interesting to see how the Indy experiment works out. As a Pittman shareholder I have my concerns. 

 
Hot Sauce Guy said:
That’s an outstanding video - Warner echoed some of the things I saw last year & some of the things you’d mentioned. 

it’s a combination of his arm strength, and his twitch reaction time. He seems hesitant to take the shot, looking for something else - that hesitation costs him. I don’t know if he’s shell shocked from making poor decisions or if he just doesn’t trust his arm to get it into the tight spots any more, but whatever it is, he’s not the same dude he once was.

Its going to be interesting to see how the Indy experiment works out. As a Pittman shareholder I have my concerns. 
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I'm worried about him too. I really wish they'd have added something besides Pierce at WR. If I'm a DC, I'm putting 8 in the box and shadowing/doubling Pittman, and making anyone else beat me. If its Pierce, Campbell, Mo, Hines, then so be it.

 
Hot Sauce Guy said:
That’s an outstanding video - Warner echoed some of the things I saw last year & some of the things you’d mentioned. 

it’s a combination of his arm strength, and his twitch reaction time. He seems hesitant to take the shot, looking for something else - that hesitation costs him. I don’t know if he’s shell shocked from making poor decisions or if he just doesn’t trust his arm to get it into the tight spots any more, but whatever it is, he’s not the same dude he once was.

Its going to be interesting to see how the Indy experiment works out. As a Pittman shareholder I have my concerns. 
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I think Ryan is more likely to get them to the playoffs than Wentz, but I'm not sure he's more likely to win a playoff game(let alone get deep into the playoffs) against a playoff caliber defense. Both Ryan/Wentz are underrated in my book but they are good in different ways. Rivers nearly beat BUF in the playoffs.... Wentz wasn't able to do that and I'm not convinced Ryan will be able to do that either.

 
travdogg said:
I'm worried about him too. I really wish they'd have added something besides Pierce at WR. If I'm a DC, I'm putting 8 in the box and shadowing/doubling Pittman, and making anyone else beat me. If its Pierce, Campbell, Mo, Hines, then so be it.
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I'm kind of shocked that IND isn't usually mentioned as the most logical landing sport for Julio Jones given the Ryan connection. If for nothing else just depth in that WR corp. The story of Julio trying to win a division over a TEN division rival where everything went south would also be an interesting angle.

Odell Beckham also makes sense on paper, but I'm not sure he fits the culture of the Colts. But maybe that culture could use something new anyway. I guess in a round about way he fits the worst part of the IND culture in that when things go wrong they both point at the QB as the entire reason for anything going wrong. 

Speaking of ex-CLE WR's I really thought this would have been a good landing spot for Jarvis Landry as well, but I've been a Saints doubter for years.

Maybe Emmanuel Sanders?

 
TheDirtyWord said:
This was a pretty good breakdown Kurt Warner did of Ryan last year...

I soured on Ryan his last few years with the Falcons.  They positioned him as a Brady/Brees/Rodgers type guy (and paid him as such), and ultimately save for 2016, his last 9 years with the Falcons really didn't produce much success.

He's probably in a better situation for where he is at this stage of his career, but he's got some pretty bad bonehead plays on his resume too and if you need a TD, he'll get you a FG.
Click to expand...


I don't disagree with you, I just wanted to lodge the observation that Ryan may be paying the price for 28-3 that Kyle Shanahan should be paying.

 
Voted Buffalo but heart wanted to pick Raiders. 
voted before I realized I could vote on more than one. 
like the Indy/Matt Ryan odds and the KC odds as well. 
 

hoping the Rams (especially Kroenke) fall on their face. 

 
BoltBacker said:
I'm kind of shocked that IND isn't usually mentioned as the most logical landing sport for Julio Jones given the Ryan connection. If for nothing else just depth in that WR corp. The story of Julio trying to win a division over a TEN division rival where everything went south would also be an interesting angle.

Odell Beckham also makes sense on paper, but I'm not sure he fits the culture of the Colts. But maybe that culture could use something new anyway. I guess in a round about way he fits the worst part of the IND culture in that when things go wrong they both point at the QB as the entire reason for anything going wrong. 

Speaking of ex-CLE WR's I really thought this would have been a good landing spot for Jarvis Landry as well, but I've been a Saints doubter for years.

Maybe Emmanuel Sanders?
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Julio would make all the sense in the world. Frankly, I'm shocked how little interest the guy has been getting. He must be wanting to be paid like its 2015 or something? As recently as 2020 he was still pretty unstoppable whenever he was on the field. He certainly makes more sense than Beckham, who likely isn't playing until after Halloween anyway. 

 
travdogg said:
Julio would make all the sense in the world. Frankly, I'm shocked how little interest the guy has been getting. He must be wanting to be paid like its 2015 or something? As recently as 2020 he was still pretty unstoppable whenever he was on the field. 
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Another place that most people may not think he fits but I think he would be a great addition is WAS. Wentz loves to throw to big targets and they have a bunch of smurf speed guys that the defense would have to account for. Logan Thomas will likely open the season on IR so they don't really have a big possession receiver to move the chains.

Maybe Julio is just avoiding the full contact drills and wants to workout on his own to get into top physical shape with a lower risk of entering the season with an injury. Most of these guys think in terms of their next three years no matter how old they are so he might think of this season as a "comeback" if he can just get healthy rather than a "swan song" with one last contender.

 
BoltBacker said:
Another place that most people may not think he fits but I think he would be a great addition is WAS. Wentz loves to throw to big targets and they have a bunch of smurf speed guys that the defense would have to account for. Logan Thomas will likely open the season on IR so they don't really have a big possession receiver to move the chains.

Maybe Julio is just avoiding the full contact drills and wants to workout on his own to get into top physical shape with a lower risk of entering the season with an injury. Most of these guys think in terms of their next three years no matter how old they are so he might think of this season as a "comeback" if he can just get healthy rather than a "swan song" with one last contender.
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Raiders would be interesting too. Adams/Julio/Renfrow? Add Waller to the mix & good luck stopping that. 

 
Bills as team to beat. Also KC can get it done. Anyone they thinks Reid cannot get it done with Mahomes hasn't seen enough Mahomes, or doesn't know Andy Reid.

The storyline I'm really looking forward to following is the AFC West this season. As it relates to the Bills, I think it's very fair for Bills/Bengals fans to be thinking about home field advantage, because the West beats itself up, leaving the division winner with only 10 wins. 

I'm just hoping they all stay healthy, and that the division is decided by good team play, not a QB injury or some such crap. 

 
massraider said:
Bills as team to beat. Also KC can get it done. Anyone they thinks Reid cannot get it done with Mahomes hasn't seen enough Mahomes, or doesn't know Andy Reid.

The storyline I'm really looking forward to following is the AFC West this season. As it relates to the Bills, I think it's very fair for Bills/Bengals fans to be thinking about home field advantage, because the West beats itself up, leaving the division winner with only 10 wins. 

I'm just hoping they all stay healthy, and that the division is decided by good team play, not a QB injury or some such crap. 
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I tried to think of an off-season narrative for LAC, but all I could come up with was “is still good?” - that team is stacked. Not sure it translates to a deep playoff run since as you say, the AFCW is going to be a bloodbath. 

 
TheDirtyWord said:
Ryan has probably done a better job of this by simply avoiding big games all together.
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:lmao:

Ryan is an improvement on Wentz, I'm not sure what that's worth. The Colts passing game weapons are below average, as is the pass rush. You can win a lesser division with that combo, but you aren't doing anything else. 

 
With that said, you don’t see a scenario where Miami makes the playoffs as a wildcard? Or that the Jags offense rebounds a bit? Seems fairly plausible to me. 

 
candian fantasy guy said:
With that said, you don’t see a scenario where Miami makes the playoffs as a wildcard? Or that the Jags offense rebounds a bit? Seems fairly plausible to me. 
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I think the Jags offense “rebounds a bit” is certainly likely since that’s not too high of a bar. 
Miami…? Man, the AFC is stacked. And Tua is going to have to take a major leap to make it to the playoffs. 
 

but mostly, I’m just here to make a stupid joke and provide no insights at all. ;)  

 
I like the bottom three of Buffalo, KC and Jax.

Buffalo is going to be fired up/motivated all year about losing the AFC championship game without having been  able to touch the ball in OT.

KC lost Hill but IMO they still have some decent receiving options outside Kelce and can still have an explosive offense. Plus they will probably have some shootouts in the AFC West.

In Jax, Pederson is a very good coach and I can see him help Trevor take a big step forward like he did with Wentz in his second year.

 
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The Ice has melted

Just cause the Vikings won't run every 1st down doesn't mean that Kirk with become Kurt

Adams won't make Carr a Lamborghini

Hill won't be enough to get over the Buffalo/NE hill

NFC championship game is Rams v Bucs again.

Too many afc teams beating on each other to call any of them a favorite.

Peterson is a terrible coach but at least he's an NFL coach.  Jax can't be worse.

 
Hot Sauce Guy said:
I tried to think of an off-season narrative for LAC, but all I could come up with was “is still good?” - that team is stacked. Not sure it translates to a deep playoff run since as you say, the AFCW is going to be a bloodbath. 
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Justin Herbert becomes only the 2nd QB in Chargers history to lead the team to the SB?

 
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