Welcome Back.
Today has to be one of the best days of the year. Football is back. Yes, I repeat, football is back. Tonight at 8:30 all eyes will turn to Philadelphia where the Eagles will take on the Atlanta Falcons to kick off the 2018-2019 NFL season. We wait all offseason for this day and god damn it feels good. One of my favorite parts about this weekend is that every team in the league still has hope. Nobody thought in the preseason last year that the Eagles would win the Super Bowl, but they did. Point being, unlike the NBA that is seemingly pre-decided, the NFL is almost impossible to predict from year to year. That makes these first few weeks even more fun to watch, every snap for every team still matter this weekend.
To start the NFL season we had a Patriots, Ravens, Browns and Eagles fan on our staff answer questions about their respective teams as well as the NFL and make some predictions.
First, let’s start with our resident Ravens fan(s):First, the Ravens have a unique QB situation, with Flacco as their #1, RGIII is going in as their #2 and rookie Lamar Jackson as their #3/developmental guy. Do you agree with starting the season like this and what would it take for you to want to see Lamar Jackson?
Yes, I totally agree with this setup. Flacco won us a Super Bowl 5 years ago, and since then has had a number of health issues and has dealt with a revolving door of offensive coordinators. But, he finally had a healthy offseason for the first time since 2014, and he’s pissed they drafted Jackson. It all sets up well for a Flacco rebound- and if it doesn’t, cut him next year, save the $10.5 on the cap and go with the kid. I’m also ok with RG3 as the backup. He looked sharp and healthy in pre-season. Yes it’s pre-season, but Jackson looked erratic and didn’t have a great feel for the offense. If the goal is to win this year, which clearly it is in Ozzie’s final hurrah, RG3 is the better backup. Don’t get me wrong, I’m pumped for Lamar Jackson. But, if we see him this season it is probably going very poorly.
What positional groups, outside of Quarterback, are the strongest and the weakest for Baltimore?
Strongest: Secondary. Even without Jimmy Smith for four weeks, the Ravens secondary is going to be fun to watch. Weddle and Tony Jefferson make for one of the best safety combos in the league, and behind Jimmy Smith is a great core of CBs that will include Marlon Humphrey coming off a great rookie season, the return of Tavon Young who missed all of last season after a great rookie campaign, with veteran Brandon Carr mixed in as well.
Strongest pt 2: OL. If Yanda and Stanley stay healthy, this unit should be strong and versatile with a few new young guys in the mix.
Strongest pt 3: Kickers. Justin Tucker and Sam Koch are two of the best in the business. Gotta love the Wolfpack.
Weakest: Pass Rush. I don’t want to say DL, because it’s a solid group against the run. But Suggs led the team in sacks with a solid 11 last year, but one of these years he won’t put up 10. After him, Matthew Judon had 8, but then it dropped all the way to Willie Henry at 3.5. With some recent draft misses getting cut this year, I’m not sure what to expect out of this unit, but I’m nervous about it.
Weakest pt 2: Running Backs. Alex Collins looked great last year, but he’s still relatively unproven. Behind him, Buck Allen and Kenneth Dixon have been “supposed to break out” since they came in the league, but we’re still waiting. I hope Collins can replicate his 2017 stretch for all of 2018, but I’m not sure the Ravens have a game-breaker/reliable 3rd down guy.
Weakest pt 3: WR. On paper Crabtree, Snead and John Brown sounds great. But all three guys are brand new, so it may take a while to get in rhythm.
What would be considered exceeding expectations for the Ravens this year?
Exceeding expectations for the Ravens this year would be a deep playoff run. I don’t think many fans in Baltimore have Super Bowl thoughts right now, or even the expectation to overtake the Steelers for the division title. But the expectation in Baltimore is always tied to a playoff berth, and if they don’t get there I expect the Harbaugh and Flacco era to come to an end.
Give me a player that you are excited to watch on the Ravens that not many people know about going into the season.
I mentioned him in the strength section, but I’m really excited to see if Tavon Young can comeback and replicate his play from his rookie year. He’s a smaller guy at 5’10” 180 lbs, but he was tremendous in the slot. In a division where the Ravens will have to deal with lots of good wide receivers (even from the Browns… what is happening) the Ravens will need as many playmakers in the secondary as possible. If the Ravens defense is Top 5 this year, he could quietly be the glue holding it all together.
Give me a non-Raven you are really excited to watch this year.
There’s a lot I’m excited for this year between what I think may be a juggernaut in the LA Rams, or the return of some great (or soon to be great) players in JJ Watt, Aaron Rodgers and Carson Wentz. But the player I’m most excited to see is DeShaun Watson. He made the Texans FUN last year. I’m hoping he’s fully recovered and ready to take the league by storm.
If I put a gun to your head and asked you to rank these movies, Step Brothers, Macgruber, Dodgeball and the Hangover, in order of funniest to least funniest what would your order be and why?
Dodgeball, followed by a steep drop to a virtual tie between Step Brothers and MacGruber followed by a cliff dive to get to the Hangover. I belive you know my consigliere Me’Shell, he can answer any further questions on this topic.
Bonus: Kevin Shields is our resident gambling expert and Ravens fan. The Ravens win/loss O/U is set at 8.5, are you going over or under?
Over. Looking at the Baltimore Ravens heading into this NFL season, there is one big factor that the Ravens did not have the luxury of having the past two seasons – a healthy quarterback. Having recovered from his knee and back injuries, Joe Flacco has had the benefit of a full off season and preseason to get healthy and even more prepared. This combined with a retooled WR group consisting of Michael Crabtree, Willie Snead IV, and John Brown as well as promising rookie TEs Hayden Hurst and Mark Andrews gives Flacco multiple weapons that he did not have in prior seasons. On the defensive side, the Baltimore Ravens return core members in all positions and with the addition of new defensive coordinator Don ‘Wink’ Martindale, I look for this group to be even more aggressive especially on the pass rush. Justin Tucker, Sam Koch, and Morgan Cox enter into their 7th year together as ‘the Wolfpack’, the Baltimore Ravens dominant special teams unit whose numbers speak for themselves. When the clock ticks down to 0.00 on December 30th at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, the Baltimore Ravens will pick up their 9th or 10th win of the season and much like Ray Lewis’ ‘last ride’, Ozzie Newsome will commence his ‘last ride’ going into his 11th and final NFL Playoffs as Baltimore Ravens GM.
Staying in the AFC North, let’s check out what the Browns have cooking:
Would you start with Tyrod Taylor or go with Baker Mayfield week 1 and why?
If I were Hue Jackson, I would definitely start Tyrod week 1. Just to be clear off the bat, my belief that Tyrod should start has nothing to do with my belief (or lack-thereof) in Baker. I believe Baker is equipped to be a week one starter if he HAD to. I think that all rookie QBs end up benefiting from at least one year of learning and studying the NFL game. Obviously, you learn best by playing, but far too often nowadays do we see first/second round QBs fall off the map after just a few seasons. If the Browns want Baker to flourish into a franchise QB, they’re better off not throwing him into the fire immediately. Especially given the fact that Tyrod has shown that he’s more than capable of leading a team to the playoffs.
You have mentioned to me how much you like Baker, as a quarterback, what sticks out to you about how he plays that makes him such a good prospect?
When I try to tell people what I like about Mayfield, I usually start with his intangibles. This guy is clearly cut from a different cloth, the cloth of winners. In this day and age, it’s easy to fall in love with guys like Josh Allen, Paxton Lynch, Blake Bortles, or Ryan Tannehill solely based on their size and potential arm talent at the NFL level. Year after year, NFL fans see that same story play out. I like how John Dorsey didn’t fall into that trap, and he actually selected the BEST player (Mayfield), not just the guy who projects well coming out of college. Simply put, if you were playing a game of pick-up football, Baker is a guy you want on your team. When I give that spiel to friends, they often fire back with “well that may be true, but Baker is far from the prototypical NFL QB.” When I hear that, I point people to his college statistics. In his career at Oklahoma, he completed 69.8% of his passes!! That is the most transferable statistic to the NFL, as opposed to yards or TDs which can often times just be a product of a college system (Baker also dominated 2018 QB prospects in those statistics too). In 2017, the Browns selected DeShone Kizer, a guy who barely completed 60% of his passes in college. Look how that turned out. Ultimately, if you are not fooled by size and stature it is crystal clear that Baker’s game will have longevity in the league.
Browns win total over under this year is 5.5, you going over or under?
OVER! With their defense, receiving corps, and a potential down year for AFC North teams like the Bengals and the Ravens, I could see the Browns winning 7-9 games this season.
The AFC North is usually a tough division with the Steelers, Ravens and Bengals, what are your thoughts on the other teams in the division this year, which team has the best shot to win it?
The answer here has to be the Steelers. Year in and year out, they consistently find themselves at the top of the division, and with Big Ben, Le’veon, and AB all back on the field there’s no reason why they shouldn’t win the AFC North. (watch out for the Brownies sneaking into the wild card race though!)
Who are your favorite non-Cleveland Quarterbacks/teams to watch in the league and why?
Teams: I really love watching the Eagles and the Rams. Both these teams are up and coming and run innovative schemes on offense and defense.
QBs: I’m a huge Drew Brees fan. I think Baker should really model his game after Brees’. The way he utilizes the pocket is a spectacle. As an undersized guy, you have to find alternative ways to get the job done from the pocket, whether that be movement or throwing angles/windows. I’ve also always been a big Andrew Luck fan. He’s had a slow start to his career because of injuries and abysmal offensive lines/ receiving corps, but I think he’s ready to take that next step this season. He’s as pure as they come at QB when you look at the position from a holistic perspective.
Favorite movie character of all-time?
MACGRUBER… “THE GUYS A F****** A GENIUS”
Alright, let’s move to New England and the dynasty:
You are at heart a Patriots fan, so first let’s start with a couple Patriot questions. First, who do you view as their main threat this season in the AFC East, and further, the AFC as a whole?
Realistically, I don’t see a threat in the AFC East. It has to be one of the worst divisions in all of sports. I think the number one competitor in the AFC remains Pittsburgh. They are tough to beat as long as Le’veon shows up during the year. I know the Jags made a jump last year, but I don’t see Bortles as a quarterback who can beat the Patriots in the playoffs.
If this team falls short of the Super Bowl, it will be seen as a disappointment, what could be a potential achilles heel of this team?
It is always a disappointment when they are not in the super bowl. In New England, the season starts the morning of the AFC Championship game. I think the Achilles heel is the lack of top end talent. After Brady and Gronk, a lot of the top returning contributors have major questions (suspensions, injuries etc.). Quite simply put, Brady and Bill can get them to the AFC Championship by themselves, so they have enough to get over the hump?
Teams that lose the Super Bowl the previous year don’t have a good record the next year, how far do you anticipate the Patriots going this season?
I think this team will lose in the AFC Title game this year.
Give me a player on the Patriots that not many people are talking about, but that you are excited to watch.
I’m excited to see Phillip Dorsett. It seemed like he made a jump during training camp, and they will be relying upon him heavily this year.
Give me a player on another team that you are excited to watch this season.
I’m excited to watch Danny Amendola. Mainly because I miss him on the Patriots already.
What NFC team would you least want to play?
The Vikings. Their D is scary good, and with the return of Dalvin Cook and addition of Kirk Cousins, they will make a large jump on offense.
Will your fantasy team, that has never made the playoffs in 7 years. Is this the year you make the big jump?
I GUARANTEE I make the playoffs.
Give me your boldest prediction for this NFL season.
The browns will win 4 games.
Finally, let’s the defending Super Bowl Champs:
What is the worst case scenario for this team and do you see a Super Bowl hangover?
I guess the worst case scenario would be 0-3. I say 0-3 for a very specific reason. Let’s start with game 1 tonight, they could easily lose to the Falcons, it’s a toss up in my mind, especially with Foles. Say they lose, then Wentz still is not ready for week 2 and they lose to the Bucs. I still think there is time to recover if Wentz plays week 3. But if Foles is in a funk and they start 0-3, with 2 losses to Tampa and Indy, that could be the end for the title defense.
I’m not sure on the Super Bowl hangover. On the one hand, this team did a lot of talking in the offseason and I’m sure that the players have been treated like royalty in Philly. On the other hand, Doug Pederson had them ready every step of the way last year and you have to take that into consideration. I also think Jason Peters, Carson Wentz, Darren Sproles, and Jordan Hicks are all leaders on this team who are potentially hungrier this season than last because none of them played in the Super Bowl. The hunger from team leaders is still there. Now having said that, I could see the Birds getting off to a slow start, but hitting the stride around late October-early November and fully expect them to make the playoffs. Where their early slip ups put them in the home field standings could determine their ultimate fate, as it did last year.
What don’t people know about this team?
People don’t know that this team, on paper, is better than the team that was on the field for the Super Bowl. First, the aforementioned injured guy (minus Wentz for the opener at least) are all back in the fold. Peters is a hall of famer, Sproles is dynamic and is a borderline hall of famer and Jordan Hicks is easily the teams best linebacker. Adding them alone is huge. In addition, Michael Bennett will help an already loaded defensive line. They got Sidney Jones back from injury who was ranked as last year’s drafts best corner before he got hurt in a workout. Mike Wallace is an upgrade over Torrey Smith. Across the board they have more depth and talent, but that doesn’t always translate to wins, it’ll be up to Pederson to put it all together.
Who is your biggest NFC East threat?
I think it’s the Giants. I don’t get scared of a team with Alex Smith under center, although the Chiefs were one of our two real losses last year, and I think the Cowboys lack too much across the board to compete. The Giants got their RB, got most of the receivers back from injury, kicked out Ben McAdoo, which is addition by subtraction. They added to their oline by adding Nate Solder and their defense was never that bad. I still think Philly should win the division but the Giants will put up a battle.
How do you rank the opposing stacked NFC teams?
This is so hard to answer. Go down every NFC team and look at their QB situation. I can’t think of 1 that doesn’t have a guy they think they can win with. Some old, some young, but all capable or hopeful. I think the Vikings, if they have recovered from an all-time ass whipping in the NFC Championship game, are the most talented in the NFC. That defense is legit. Offensively, look at how far they got with Case Keenum last year. Add Kirk Cousins and Dalvin Cook back from injury and this team is loaded. The Saints and Rams are both loaded also. I worry about all the personalities in the Rams locker room. How will they respond to adversity, especially with a coach who is younger than some of the players. I put the Saints slightly ahead of LA. Love how they built their team over the last few year, but can they win outside the dome? That’s 3 non-Eagles teams and we haven’t even hit Aaron Rodgers. Never count that man out if healthy for a full season. Diddo for Russell Wilson and the Seahawks, although I expect them to have a down year. The Falcons have more talent than both those teams and the Panthers are always a threat as well. The NFC is stacked and loaded. Homefield will be the most important decider in the NFC.
Will the repeat happen?
I don’t think so, but I never thought they’d win last year either so what the hell do I know. I think they slip up enough to not get homefield this year, which will eventually lead to their demise this year. If they get home field though, I think it’s a different story. You saw what happened to Minny last year in South Philly and I’m not confident New Orleans can go on the road in Philly and knock them off.
Bonus: Bold Prediction?
Saquan doesn’t live up to the hype.
Staff Predictions:
| Warren | Henkel | Raven Fan 1 | Gumas | |
| AFC East | Pats | Pats | Pats | Pats |
| AFC North | Steelers | Steelers | Steelers | Steelers |
| AFC South | Colts | Jags | Texans | Texans |
| AFC West | Chiefs | Chargers | Chiefs | Raiders |
| NFC East | Eagles | Cowboys | Eagles | Eagles |
| NFC North | Vikings | Packers | Packers | Vikings |
| NFC South | Falcons | Saints | Falcons | NOLA |
| NFC West | Rams | Seahawks | Rams | Rams |
| AFC Wildcards | Houston, LAC | Houston, Cleveland | Jags, Ravens | Baltimore, Jax |
| NFC Wildcards | Green Bay, Carolina | Vikings, Falcons | NOLA, Vikings | Atlanta, Green Bay |
| AFC Champ | Steelers over Pats | Jags over Texans | Pats over Chiefs | Pats over Texans |
| NFC Champ | Vikings over Pack | Saints over Cowboys | Rams over Falcons | NOLA over Minny |
| Super Bowl | Vikings over Pitt | Saints over Jags | Rams over Pats | NOLA over Pats |
| MVP | Rodgers | Rodgers | Rodgers | Rodgers |
| OPOW | Gurley | Zeke | Gurley | Gurley |
| DPOW | Mack | Jalen Ramsey | Mack | Donald |
| OROY | Michel | Mike McGlinchey | Barkley | Darnold |
| DROY | Bradley Chubb | Bradley Chubb | Roquan Smith | Roquan Smith |
| COY | Zimmer | Payton | McVay | Payton |
Well that’s all for today, enjoy the game tonight and the games this weekend.
By: Raven Fan 1, Kevin Shields, Nick Henkel and Peter Gumas
1204 Sports 