The season is finally here after a long wait since the Falcons blew a 28-3 lead. Week 1 is always a little difficult to predict due to the uncertainty of changes in the different organizations, the play of rookies, and the rust factor. We’re going to take our best shot at providing the most accurate picks all year. We won’t be covering Thursday games but all Sunday and Monday games will be picked. Let’s take a look:
CONSENSUS PICKS: BUF, ATL, HOU, LAR, CAR, NYG
The Patriots and Chiefs opened up the 2017 NFL season last night at Gillette Stadium. After a mediocre trophy ceremony hosted by Mark Wahlberg and an equally terrible rendition of the National Anthem, the Patriots were ready to defend their crown. The crowd was “louder than they’ve ever been” before the game, according to Tony Dungy. The Patriots came out hot firing on all cylinders after a missed connection between Dwayne Allen and Tom Brady. The drive finished with Mike Gillislee punching in his first TD in a Patriots uniform.
Everything was looking perfect for the Patriots, who came out exactly as we expected them. Though question marks were surrounding the defense and the newfound secondary, the first play from the line of scrimmage was a fumble from the Chiefs rookie RB Kareem Hunt, who never lost a fumble in his four years at Toledo.
The Pats managed to drive down the field yet again but this time were stopped short on fourth down & inches. This sparked life into the Chiefs who were able to finish up their next drive with a touchdown. The rest of the half was back and forth with really the only highlight being James White with an early candidate for stiff arm of the year.
The Patriots managed to take a 17-14 lead into halftime, so there wasn’t too much panic in the air in Foxborough. After all, the Chiefs were a 12–4 team last year — so nothing to be ashamed off. Brady looked a little off at times but as the rest of the NFL knows, nobody is better than the Patriots at halftime adjustments.
The Patriots and Chiefs traded empty possessions before this absolute bomb to a wide-open Tyreek Hill — which was the best indication of what was to come from a porous defense.
Gillislee punched in his third TD of the night and a Gostkowski FG wrapped up the third quarter scoring, and the Patriots scoring for the night. It took no time in the fourth quarter for the Chiefs to punch the Patriots right back in the mouth when Kareem Hunt got free for a 78 yard pass from Alex Smith.
From there, the Patriots never really got anything going. Tom Brady looked like Alex Smith — and Alex Smith looked like Tom Brady.
The Chiefs were able to drive down the field to put the Patriots down by 8. To which the Patriots responded … by not responding. The Chiefs then stomped on the Patriots with an embarrassing 2 play drive for 79 yards and a touchdown.
FINAL SCORE: Chiefs 42, Patriots 27
Quick Hits
In the long run, this loss may be a humbling lesson for the defending Super Bowl champions. The Patriots are no doubt going to make some adjustments and have a tough week of practice because they have a top 5 QB coming into town with Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints on the schedule. The Saints will smell blood in the water and the Patriots will need to respond as they always do. We’re on to the Saints.
For the past decade and a half, the New England Patriots have been in the business of winning. Led by the greatest coach/QB combination of all time, the Patriots have followed three simple words, “Do your job.” Doing your job is exactly how it sounds. When faced with adversity, you must step up and take ownership of what you are able to control.
In the Pats’ third preseason game against the Lions, Julian Edelman, who many consider the heart and soul of the organization, went down with a torn ACL and will miss the entire season. Edelman was Mr. Reliable, always there when Brady was under duress, ready to make another big catch and get the first down. Now that Edelman is gone, what does this mean for the rest of the roster moving forward?
Many people going into this season figured that with the addition of Brandin Cooks from New Orleans, a healthy Gronk, and Edelman, this offense would be even more unstoppable compared to previous years. With a strong backfield made up of Gillislee, Burkhead, and White, along with other receiving weapons like Hogan, Amendola, Mitchell, and Allen, this roster had some serious depth and could very well have averaged thirty points per game. Does losing Edelman actually change anything? I don’t think it does.
Looking at those names above, I can taste a breakout year coming from someone. Yes, Bellichick is still the coach, and we all know he runs the team by committee rather than a superstar, but a couple of names really stick out to me.
Chris Hogan- After Edelman went down, and even before, Hogan was out there running with the first team offense. 5 catches for 70 yards and two TD’s in the first half aint bad, albeit a preseason game. Hogan, who joined the team last year from the Bills, really broke onto the scene in the AFC Championship game, and I expect for that trend to continue throughout this season.
Malcolm Mitchell- This will be Mitchell’s third season on the Patriots. He has missed some time with injuries, but he is a big target that if healthy, can really hurt defenses under Brady’s guidance. Mitchell had one of the biggest catches (besides Edelman’s, of course) during their comeback in the superbowl. Mitchell needs to get and stay healthy, but if that happens, I could see a 50 catch, 700-yard season from him.
Even with Edelman going down, many reporters believe that this is the best offense Brady has had throughout his whole career. Looking at the offense without all of the other names, Gronk and Cooks alone will be hard to stop. With so much talent and depth at receiver, running back, and even tight end, this will still be an explosive offense that won’t miss Edelman.
Hurricane Irma, recently classified as a Level 5 category storm, is fast approaching the state of Florida — leaving it predicted to hit Miami right as the Dolphins and Bucs game was scheduled to kick off. This put the NFL in quite a predicament as the game would not be safe to play during that time as most of South Florida is already being evacuated. Rather than moving the game to Tuesday or another day this week — similar to the Eagles-Vikings game in 2010 that was moved due to a blizzard, the lovely NFL decided the smartest outcome was to move this game to both teams’ Week 11 bye week.
For a league that preaches player safety, this is a ridiculous outcome. Rather than pushing the game back two days, the NFL is more concerned that they will not generate the same audience on a Tuesday night than a regular Sunday. The ripple effect for both of these teams is huge, as they go from having a coveted late-season bye week to an unheard of Week 1 bye. No doubt the players will struggle from having to compete 16 weeks in a row, with an added risk to even more players being prone to injury.
Players are starting to speak out as well with the NFL under scrutiny from their decision:
https://twitter.com/JOEL9ONE/status/905174766453174272
Not surprisingly, the NFL has dropped the ball once again. Fans of the Bucs and Dolphins who were looking forward to watching their team play this week will have to wait another week and will be forced to watch their teams gassed out by the end of the year.
The final part of our division picks bring us to the NFC South, home of last year’s NFC champion Atlanta Falcons. The NFC South is often regarded as one of the most even divisions but was recently dominated by the Panthers (3 of the last 4 crowns) until the Falcons took the torch last year. This division has managed to provide 2 of the last Super Bowl runner-ups so it will be interesting to see where it falls this year. Let’s take a look at the picks:
Quick Hits
That wraps up the division breakdowns — we’ll move onto awards and playoffs next.
The NFL’s deadline for cutting rosters to the final 53 was Saturday by 4 pm EST. Throughout the day, there were many moves made throughout the league. This year was a bit different than normal as instead of breaking up the cuts throughout camp, there was one massive cut on the final day. It actually made for many interesting trades, cuts, signings, etc.
The Browns were quite active the past week when it came to roster transactions. Earlier in the week, they cut 2-time Pro-Bowl CB Joe Haden. It was a move that surprised many outside the Browns. Haden’s play had severely declined over the past two seasons with injuries hampering his ability to be a lockdown corner. Gone are the days of him putting A.J. Green in a blender. Throughout the preseason, Haden was getting roasted on a regular basis. The Browns tried to trade him, but his contract made it impossible. Haden signed a three year deal with the Steelers less than 24 hours later.
The very same day the Browns traded former first round pick Cameron Erving to the Kansas City Chiefs. In return, the Browns received a 5th round draft pick in 2018. Getting anything in return for Erving is a miracle — he may be one of the worst Offensive Lineman I have ever seen. He was terrible at center and worse at the guard position. It didn’t work out here, and the Browns finally moved on. Take a look below.
Now to the roster cuts — The most notable cut on the team was QB Brock Osweiler. The team parted ways with the $16 million dollar man after showcasing off in camp for trades. They gave him a shot in camp to A) Possibly win the starting job or B) showcase himself for a potential trade. Shockingly, he failed at both. His $16 million dollar cap hit, coupled with miserable play made a trade impossible. They cut his sorry ass and in a “you can’t make this shit up” move he re-signed back in Denver for $900 K. So long Brock, we hardly knew ye.
On Saturday, the Browns were not done making moves. Before the final cut they traded a 6th round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers for WR Sammie Coates. Not a flashy move by any means, but the Browns biggest hole at this point is at the wide receiver position. Coates brings experience, size, youth, and potential to the Browns receiving corps. Will he be a number 1 receiver? Probably not. Coates will be given more of an opportunity to produce at more consistent basis than if he was with the Steelers. Coates finished last year with 21 receptions, 435 yards, and 2 touchdowns. Coates started the season red hot before breaking multiple fingers mid-season his production fell off.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehmK-iZ0DGc
With these trades in place, the Browns cut down their roster to 53. Lets take a brief look at the players that got the axe:
Offense:
Defense:
Specialists:
*denotes Practice Squad
Nothing of note in the list of cuts, other than Osweiler. Jordan Leslie flashed potential in this years final preseason game but ultimately Sashi Brown felt better with acquiring receivers through trade and the waiver wire. One of the few positives of finishing dead last in the NFL is first waiver priority. The Browns had their pick of all of the players waived around the league. Sunday brought in the first crop of waiver claims. The Browns immediately claimed Seahawks camp standout Kasen Williams. He had stuck out throughout camp making highlight reel catch after highlight reel catch. He presents a vertical deep threat for Kizer. However, he is a bit slower than most receivers and not as polished a route-runner. It looks like with Britt, Coleman, Coates, Williams, and Louis — the Browns will be able to stretch the field. It is a patch-work receiving group, but there is potential for production.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWrQ59mF9V0
In less than one weeks time, the Browns 2017 campaign will kick off against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Based on the improvements seen on the field during the preseason, 2017 should bring a more competitive season. The head says the Browns will win 6 games max, the heart says this is the year they’ll be 8-8/9-7. Either way, in time I believe this team will be a playoff contender and I am more excited than ever to watch the Browns lose.
Go Browns!!
2017 will bring yet ANOTHER starting QB for the Cleveland Browns. DeShone Kizer, the Browns’ second round pick, will be the teams 27th starting QB since re-joining the league in 1999. It has been continued futility for the Brownies as a whole, but the quarterback position has been an absolute mess.
On Wednesday, Hue Jackson named the rookie as the starter for preseason game number 3 against this year’s “you heard it here first” team in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Jackson left the window open to fall back on his decision by not really tabbing him as the game 1 starter, and said “we are very excited about seeing DeShone in the role of starter for this week, as he is certainly positioning himself well to earn the starting job heading into the regular season.” Leaving that fall back option just in case he really blew chunks against the Bucs.
Saturday brought a glimmer of hope for the Cleveland Browns that they haven’t seen since coming back in ’99. Kizer showed actual legitimate potential at the quarterback position. His numbers are not spectacular by any means, but they reflect positive steps at the game’s most important position. Kizer finished 6 of 18 for 93 yards — no touchdowns and 1 interception. Not glamorous numbers by any means, but in the monsoon, Kizer was 5 of 7 on third down and had numerous drops throughout the game. Most notability by veteran stiff Kenny Britt on third down and Rannell Hall as well. Hall caught a TD, but could not keep his feet in bounds to complete the catch. Kizer demonstrated budding chemistry with second year wideout Corey Coleman, completing multiple third down conversions.
The play that stood out the most was one he didn’t make. On first down from their own 1 yard line, Hue Jackson gave Kizer a test. Kizer dropped back to air it out from his own endzone — seeing the pocket collapsing, Kizer used his athleticism to roll out the pocket and throw the ball away all with a defender in his face.
Kizer showed incredible poise and pocket awareness in his first start, and third game played overall. He has an uncanny ability to move throughout the pocket, while keeping his eyes downfield. In his first preseason game against the Saints, he put this trait on display.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skRblThgVQY.
On this third and fifteen from his own 47, Kizer felt the pressure from the interior d line, threw a pump fake, and stepped in the pocket to hit Richard Mullaney 52 yards down field.
Later in the same game facing a 4th and 2 with under 2 minutes to play and down by a score, Kizer stood in the pocket and threw a bomb to Jordan Payton. Payton caught the pass in perfect stride for the game winning score. Kizer took a shot as he threw but was still able to throw a missile about 45 yards hitting Payton in stride.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skRblThgVQY
Early Monday morning it was announced via conference call that Hue Jackson named Kizer his starting quarterback for the regular season. There is excitement about this football team — the defense hasn’t given up a touchdown since the 1st quarter of the opening preseason game and it finally looks like their may be hope at the Quarterback position.
Every DeShone Kizer play from Week 3 vs. Buccaneers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lm7uABtQQk
Lets take a quick look at the 2017 Cleveland Browns schedule:
A few things stand out when taking a quick peak at their upcoming schedule. Depending on how the offense looks in competitive games, I can see the Ravens and Colts games being potential wins. Joe Flacco still has not practiced and injuries are piling up on the Ravens. The Colts may still be sans Andrew Luck, and even with Luck I do not foresee the Colts being a contender in 2017. Week 5 against the Jets looks to be a sure win as the Jets will likely field the worst group of 22 football players since the 2016 Cleveland Browns. A mid-season meeting with the Jags seems promising, and week 16 against the Chicago Bears could be a win as well.
Godspeed DeShone.
The seventh installment of this series brings us to the division which will most likely contain two of the bottom five NFL teams in the league, the NFC West. Although the NFC West has provided us a few Super Bowl participants in the last five years, it is starting to look a bit dismal from the outside. The Seahawks look to capture their fourth division title in the last five years without too much opposition. The Cardinals will mount a challenge with their stud running back David Johnson, but don’t seem deep enough to snatch the division crown from Seattle. Let’s take a look at the picks:
Quick Hits:
Celebrating the first of the preseason games (other than the Hall of Fame game), we will move onto to our next division — the NFC North. The Packers have owned this division recently, winning 5 of the last 6 seasons. The Vikings took 2015 and opened a scorching 6-0 last year with new QB Sam Bradford but fizzled down the stretch. The Packers added Martellus Bennett at the TE spot and look primed to repeat as champions. The Lions have not been able to capture the division crown since 1993. Let’s take a look at how the staff thinks the action will unfold this year.
NFC North
Quick Hits:
Our season preview has concluded with the AFC, which leads us to its counterpart — the NFC. We start with the highly contested NFC East. The Cowboys re-captured the division championship last year amidst a 13-3 finish led by their tandem rookies Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliot. Although falling short in the playoffs in typical Cowboy fashion, their season was nothing short of an amazing turnaround. With Romo out of the picture, the Cowboys seem ready to defend their division crown. The Giants, who fell short in the wildcard game against the Packers, added a few pieces including Brandon Marshall to bolster their attempt to take the division back. Let’s take a look at the picks:
NFC East
Quick Hits:
Office Chatter 