Dutch 874 Posted June 21, 2013 (edited) If you could create the toughest division (pros) in the NFC and AFC, would what it look like? What would your weakest division (blows) in the NFC and AFC look like? PROS NFC Winner: Falcons (may choke in play offs) This division would be a brutal make up. This division would make for some awesome games. It has everything. High octane explosive offenses mixed with a team that is dynamic offensively with a good defense. The Saints didn't make the play offs last year but their offense was still exceptional. Brees carried his squad to 7-9 with the worst defense in NFL history. I assume Payton coming back will get this team back in shape. The Falcons team is stacked and are studs in the regular season. They have bad luck in the play offs but is a team that is capable of going all the way. The Packers are self explanatory. As long as they have the best QB in football, they'll be a contender. It was tough between the 49ers and Seahawks but I went with the 49ers. Ironically, I think the Seahawks will take the division next year but want to see it on the field first. AFC :Patriots: Winner: Broncos In a weak AFC conference, the Patriots and Broncos are easy picks. I would love to see Brady vs Manning matchups twice a year. The Superbowl Champs belong in there as well. As for the Steelers, I think they will still be a tough match up. As for the Bengals, I need to see Dalton take that next step. The reason why I left out the Texans is because they would lose to every elite team in the division but win games against teams outside the division that they are suppose to beat. BLOWS NFC Winner: Cardinals My Eagles are self explanatory. Our record speaks for itself but our turnover ratio speaks in volumes. The Cardinals were bad last year as well. I expect them to do better next year but until they put it on the field, they are here. The Lions are always a dangerous team but still only managed to win 4 games. The Rams is the one team that I didn't feel right putting here because I actually think they are somewhat of a tough team. I considered putting the Cowboys here just because... AFC Winner: Browns Do I really have to say much lol? Not going to shed much light here but I do like the Browns. I like their defense and the weapons they have on offense such as Trent Richardson and Josh Gordon; all they need is a QB (that's a big all). I also expect the Chiefs to do better as well. Edited June 21, 2013 by dutchff7 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RazorStar 4,025 Posted June 21, 2013 Pros , :Patriots:, , I think you hit the nail on the head, Dutch. Put the top 3 QB's of the conference in the same division, and add a team that completely dominates in the playoffs and you've got a sick division. Going over .500 in divisional games would be lucky in this division. The Secondbests , , , While I think the Texans are a couple steps ahead of the other teams here, the other teams could be competitive in this division. Luck v. Dalton twice a year would be an exciting matchup. The Not There Yets , , , I do think the Dolphins don't quite fit in here, but there is talent on these teams, marred by bad QB play. The Jokes. , , , LOL. Pros , , , Two great offenses, two great defenses, 4 insane QBs. Would be a hell of a division to watch. Secondbests , , , Not much of a step down here, some really strong teams fill the second tier in the NFC. Not There Yets , , , Lots of stars on these teams, and some of the most phenomenal players in the league. However that youth at QB, or idiocy by the rest of the team holds them back against the NFC elite. They'd completely destroy the AFC third tier team though. Jokes , , , Eagles are the stupidest team in football. The Bucs are frustratingly inconsistent, the Lions are in that same boat. And the Cardinals offense was so abhorrent that they make their defense look bad. 4 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dutch 874 Posted June 21, 2013 (edited) Pros , :Patriots:, , I think you hit the nail on the head, Dutch. Put the top 3 QB's of the conference in the same division, and add a team that completely dominates in the playoffs and you've got a sick division. Going over .500 in divisional games would be lucky in this division. The Secondbests , , , While I think the Texans are a couple steps ahead of the other teams here, the other teams could be competitive in this division. Luck v. Dalton twice a year would be an exciting matchup. The Not There Yets , , , I do think the Dolphins don't quite fit in here, but there is talent on these teams, marred by bad QB play. The Jokes. , , , LOL. Pros , , , Two great offenses, two great defenses, 4 insane QBs. Would be a hell of a division to watch. Secondbests , , , Not much of a step down here, some really strong teams fill the second tier in the NFC. Not There Yets , , , Lots of stars on these teams, and some of the most phenomenal players in the league. However that youth at QB, or idiocy by the rest of the team holds them back against the NFC elite. They'd completely destroy the AFC third tier team though. Jokes , , , Eagles are the stupidest team in football. The Bucs are frustratingly inconsistent, the Lions are in that same boat. And the Cardinals offense was so abhorrent that they make their defense look bad. Awesome break down. I feel wrong for leaving the Seahawks out of the NFC 1st tier as well. They should replace Saints. I think you hit that tier right even thought he Saints would still make for some awesome games anyway. Edited June 21, 2013 by dutchff7 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AllYouNeedIsLovie 377 Posted June 21, 2013 Pros , :Patriots: , , Secondbests , , , Not There Yet , , , Jokes , , , Pros , , , Secondbest , , , Not there yet , , , Jokes , , , Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KempBolt 498 Posted June 21, 2013 (edited) NFC PROS The Seahawks and 49ers are just too loaded for me to leave either one of them out. And even though there isn't necessarily a guarantee that either of their QB's play like all-pros this next season, the overall rosters are good enough that they don't have to. The Falcons and Packers, while not without their issues, are just too explosive on offense to leave off. And both should be good enough on defense to win some games even when they aren't scoring at a record pace. The entire NFC East gets snubbed and the Saints get left out because that defense is just too suspect right now (and I have my doubts about Rob Ryan). Winner: It's close between SEA and SF. I guess my tie breakers here are that I prefer Wilson to Kaepernick, and while the Seahawks added a dangerous receiver, the 49ers lost one. Their matchups should be barn burners this season. NFC BLOWS This was really difficult for me. There just really aren't many (any?) true cellar dwellers in the NFC right now. So I'm sorry if your team is on here because there isn't really any team in the NFC that I think truly "blows." The Cardinals should be in better shape on offense, but the loss of Ray Horton could sting and I have no faith in Arians' scheme to mesh at all with the personnel in Arizona. The Eagles are an obvious choice as they're going through a huge re-tooling and it's impossible to say how well it will work. The Rams have a lot of talent on defense, but until Bradford shows more I don't like their chances in football's toughest division. And lastly the Lions- huge underachievers given the talent on their roster. Winner: It felt wrong putting them on this list, but their 2012 performance merited it. With their defensive front and offensive weapons, I think they could be much improved in 2013. They also have the best QB of the bunch here. I don't only think they could be the "best of the worst" this season, but also a team that could push for the PO's. AFC PROS :Patriots: The Broncos should be at least as good overall in 2013 as they were last year. They lost Dumervil, but added some nice pieces on offense. The Ravens, despite all the doom/gloom after losing Kruger, Lewis, and Reed, ought to be better than in 2012. They added better players than what they lost. The Pats are in a cloud of bad luck right now, but I wouldn't bet against them. Even if they take a step back offensively, they were so far ahead of the rest of the league that that would still leave them pretty well off. And the defense is on the rise. The Texans I have the least faith in due to their QB. But they still have elite talent in Watt, Cushing, Joseph, Brown, and Johnson. Until they prove otherwise, they deserve to be in this division. Winner: They won the Superbowl and then got better. How can I go another direction? Ray Lewis and Ed Reed were not great players in 2012- Daryl Smith and Michael Huff will almost certainly be better. Kruger and Dumervil are basically a wash, while Canty is a sneaky-good addition on the DL. Furthermore, getting Suggs, Ngata, and Webb all back in the fold and healthy is going to provide a big boost. Offensively I expect them to improve with a full season under Caldwell. Yes, they lost Boldin and will have to rely more on Pitta, Dickson, and Rice. But I don't think that's going to hold them back as much as Cam Cameron did. AFC BLOWS The Raiders, as long as Mark doesn't turn into his dad, should get better under Mackenzie. But they're not close yet because of how bad of shape they were in when he showed up. The Jags, meanwhile, don't seem to have enough talent anywhere to compete. And unless Blaine Gabbert has an unprecedented turnaround, they have no future franchise QB on the roster right now. The Jets, OTOH, might have their future in-house but there's a lot left to prove. Lastly, the Browns got much better coaching wise, but who can say if Brandon Weeden will prove to be the answer? Winner: I want to go Jets here because I think they're actually being underrated, but the Browns have too much talent for me to do that. They have a solid offensive line with good, young skill position players. They also figure to have a dangerous front seven, while not without talent on the backend. If Weeden clicks under Norv, we could see a much better team in 2013. But it generally takes QB's more than one offseason to get comfortable in a Norv Turner offense. Edited June 21, 2013 by KempBolt 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dutch 874 Posted June 21, 2013 Nice post Kemp. I agree with you on the NFC Pros squad. Like I said, I shouldn't have left the Seahawks out for the Saints. Also with the NFC Blows squad, I also realized that there aren't many cellar teams in the NFC. The NFC is pretty stacked with talent all around for the most part. Even if you take a look at the teams that had a 4-12 record, they have some pretty good talent on their squads and all have the potential to improve next year. The NFC is pretty dope. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KempBolt 498 Posted June 21, 2013 Nice post Kemp. I agree with you on the NFC Pros squad. Like I said, I shouldn't have left the Seahawks out for the Saints. Also with the NFC Blows squad, I also realized that there aren't many cellar teams in the NFC. The NFC is pretty stacked with talent all around for the most part. Even if you take a look at the teams that had a 4-12 record, they have some pretty good talent on their squads and all have the potential to improve next year. The NFC is pretty dope. Top to bottom, the NFC is a lot stronger. But I still think the AFC is better at the top with the Broncos, Pats, and Ravens. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GA_Eagle 595 Posted June 21, 2013 It seems with every breakdown I see its just a re hash of how teams finished last year. There are going to be teams that fall off and teams that step up. I think only half of play off teams make it back there on the next season on average. The same goes for the bottom of the heap. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Glanvilles Grits 142 Posted June 21, 2013 Pros , :Patriots:, , I think you hit the nail on the head, Dutch. Put the top 3 QB's of the conference in the same division, and add a team that completely dominates in the playoffs and you've got a sick division. Going over .500 in divisional games would be lucky in this division. The Secondbests , , , While I think the Texans are a couple steps ahead of the other teams here, the other teams could be competitive in this division. Luck v. Dalton twice a year would be an exciting matchup. The Not There Yets , , , I do think the Dolphins don't quite fit in here, but there is talent on these teams, marred by bad QB play. The Jokes. , , , LOL. Pros , , , Two great offenses, two great defenses, 4 insane QBs. Would be a hell of a division to watch. Secondbests , , , Not much of a step down here, some really strong teams fill the second tier in the NFC. Not There Yets , , , Lots of stars on these teams, and some of the most phenomenal players in the league. However that youth at QB, or idiocy by the rest of the team holds them back against the NFC elite. They'd completely destroy the AFC third tier team though. Jokes , , , Eagles are the stupidest team in football. The Bucs are frustratingly inconsistent, the Lions are in that same boat. And the Cardinals offense was so abhorrent that they make their defense look bad. This is probably near exact to mine. The only difference would be that I would swap the Redskins and the Bears. Not sure why, that's just how I think I see it at this point. The Bears lost their defensive anchor and I have a tough time thinking that they keep their defensive swagger. Couple that in with Jay Cutlers constant inconsistency and it's a tough call. It would certainly be close but I think that the NFC victors would be the 49ers. To me they are the most complete team right now out of the group. They've got a playmaking QB who had shown he can throw the ball with solid accuracy when needed, a solid WR corps even with the injury to Crabtree (Boldin is a stud), and a great running game. Group that with the fact that their defense is nearly lights out week in and week out - they're tough to beat. I really wanted to go with Atlanta (Homerism or not, your call) but I just couldn't. I feel like while they may have an elite offense put together, there are way too many question marks on that defense going forward this year. In the AFC, believe it or not, I have the Steelers taking it over the other 3. I know this may sound like hogwash to some, but I really think that they are going to surprise people. I think that Bell could end up being a stud in the hard nosed offense they like to run, and despite their aging defense I think they will still be one of the better defenses in the AFC. I really wanted to go Broncos here, but I just don't feel like they would be able to put any string of great runs together in the division. The Steelers offense with Big Ben can beat you through the air, or eat the clock up on the ground if needed. It's tough, I'm just not a believer in Denver too much. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
East495 55 Posted June 24, 2013 PROS :Patriots: PROS BLOWS and of course>> BLOWS Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
