The 2023 Season... A look back and a look forward!

[Stymietee]

Here’s my annual summary of the off-season and why this will be a great time to take advantage of a pretty good roster now by getting a star-quality QB as quickly as possible.

Ron Rivera enters year 4 in primarily the same situation that he found himself in three seasons ago. He’s done little to elevate the player quality on a team in desperate need of upgrades especially on the offensive side of the ball. To his credit, there were two signings that piqued my interest and I believe will make it easier to transition from a middle-of-the-pack team to an annual contender.

The first signing… Eric Bieniemy. I am fully confident in our new OC and what he brings to the team. I see him as a future HC and possible replacement for Rivera when that dismissal finally takes place.

The second signing… Jacoby Brissett, who is arguably the best QB Ron has signed since being named HC. (More on him in my predictions post)

In the meantime, almost every job along the offensive front will be up for grabs and bears watching. I believe that the team believes that it is set in their receivers’ room and interestingly enough at TE. This unit finished near the bottom in rushing yards last year and the moves/upgrades for the 2023 season are questionable at best.

On the defensive side of the ball, there are major questions too. Will Chase Young bounce back and become the player that he was drafted to be? How will the transition from utilizing linebacker to more DBs work out and speaking of our defensive backfield will this infusion of youth take time, fail altogether, or become the reliable, ball-hawking strength that Rivera envisions and will rely on to win football games? In a league designed to exhibit offense, winning games 20-17 may be okay if you want to stay average, but I believe that it's a sign that the game has passed old-style coaches like Rivera by because of the way the game is now played.



Here are my annual predictions:

• I won’t make the annual W/L prediction unless asked because, over the last 3 years, it has upset a few folks on this site despite being highly accurate. The ONLY thing that I will predict is a top 5 pick in next year’s draft.
• Sam Howell will start the season despite not being the better choice at this point in his career. This will be another blunder for Rivera in his now-infamous bend toward proving himself right about his starting QB choices. Howell himself will perform adequately, but on a team nearly primed to announce itself as a serious contender, adequate simply won’t do. BTW; For those of you who insist that improved QB play will garner better results, your logic is flawed in that it assumes zero changes from the competition. A statement like that essentially says… “If all things remain the same and we get better QB play then the results blah, blah, blah!” Besides that, improved QB play when the previous QBs were Wentz and Heinicke sets an extremely low bar.
• The over/under on Howell starts is somewhere between 4-5 games and if he somehow survives the season as a starter still won’t be the needed type of player at the position to take them deep into playoff runs annually.
• Washington will draft a QB in 2024 but who I predict that will be is related to my W/L prediction, so unless you guys want to know, I’ll end this right here.
• Josh Dotson will supplant T-Mac as the team’s #1WR.
• Ron Rivera’s tenure is also related to my W/L predictions, but right now I have his over/under at week 15 (The bye week)
• Chase Young finally arrives as Predator and talks about him turning toward an LTD.
• Pass defense continues to be a problem.
• Rookie to watch this year WR Mitchell Tinsley.
• Ron Rivera will not return in 2024. If by some miracle he stays, they lose EB and if this seems familiar, think about current head coaches who are doing well that were formerly working for this franchise. (EB will win at least one SB as a head coach)
• Jacoby Brissett will replace Howell after either game four or five, giving them a more steady reliable veteran presence but by the time Rivera decides to replace Howell with him their opportunity to make this season meaningful will be lost.
• While most favor the Eagles to win the division and become the first team to do so since Andy Reid was an NFC East HC (20 years ago) should they falter, I predict the NY Giants to be the 2023 NFC East Champions! (But ONLY if the Eagles don’t repeat)
• Deshaun Watson will return to top form putting him in the 1-1A ranking once again.
• Speaking of QBs, the other two targets that I wanted this team to go after (Justin Fields and Jordan Love) will also prove to be too late wishful thinking, ala “wish they had ole’ Sty’s insight” players.

The team will perform well during the season and will mimic the 2022 Minnesota Vikings in close games, unfortunately, without the same results. Well, that's it, until Friday when both "Predictions" and "Game threads" are posted. (@dad, I promised to do them and I'll keep them coming for as long as I can)

 

[skinz2winz]

Here’s my annual summary of the off-season and why this will be a great time to take advantage of a pretty good roster now by getting a star-quality QB as quickly as possible.

Ron Rivera enters year 4 in primarily the same situation that he found himself in three seasons ago. He’s done little to elevate the player quality on a team in desperate need of upgrades especially on the offensive side of the ball. To his credit, there were two signings that piqued my interest and I believe will make it easier to transition from a middle-of-the-pack team to an annual contender.

The first signing… Eric Bieniemy. I am fully confident in our new OC and what he brings to the team. I see him as a future HC and possible replacement for Rivera when that dismissal finally takes place.

The second signing… Jacoby Brissett, who is arguably the best QB Ron has signed since being named HC. (More on him in my predictions post)

In the meantime, almost every job along the offensive front will be up for grabs and bears watching. I believe that the team believes that it is set in their receivers’ room and interestingly enough at TE. This unit finished near the bottom in rushing yards last year and the moves/upgrades for the 2023 season are questionable at best.

On the defensive side of the ball, there are major questions too. Will Chase Young bounce back and become the player that he was drafted to be? How will the transition from utilizing linebacker to more DBs work out and speaking of our defensive backfield will this infusion of youth take time, fail altogether, or become the reliable, ball-hawking strength that Rivera envisions and will rely on to win football games? In a league designed to exhibit offense, winning games 20-17 may be okay if you want to stay average, but I believe that it's a sign that the game has passed old-style coaches like Rivera by because of the way the game is now played.



Here are my annual predictions:

• I won’t make the annual W/L prediction unless asked because, over the last 3 years, it has upset a few folks on this site despite being highly accurate. The ONLY thing that I will predict is a top 5 pick in next year’s draft.
• Sam Howell will start the season despite not being the better choice at this point in his career. This will be another blunder for Rivera in his now-infamous bend toward proving himself right about his starting QB choices. Howell himself will perform adequately, but on a team nearly primed to announce itself as a serious contender, adequate simply won’t do. BTW; For those of you who insist that improved QB play will garner better results, your logic is flawed in that it assumes zero changes from the competition. A statement like that essentially says… “If all things remain the same and we get better QB play then the results blah, blah, blah!” Besides that, improved QB play when the previous QBs were Wentz and Heinicke sets an extremely low bar.
• The over/under on Howell starts is somewhere between 4-5 games and if he somehow survives the season as a starter still won’t be the needed type of player at the position to take them deep into playoff runs annually.
• Washington will draft a QB in 2024 but who I predict that will be is related to my W/L prediction, so unless you guys want to know, I’ll end this right here.
• Josh Dotson will supplant T-Mac as the team’s #1WR.
• Ron Rivera’s tenure is also related to my W/L predictions, but right now I have his over/under at week 15 (The bye week)
• Chase Young finally arrives as Predator and talks about him turning toward an LTD.
• Pass defense continues to be a problem.
• Rookie to watch this year WR Mitchell Tinsley.
• Ron Rivera will not return in 2024. If by some miracle he stays, they lose EB and if this seems familiar, think about current head coaches who are doing well that were formerly working for this franchise. (EB will win at least one SB as a head coach)
• Jacoby Brissett will replace Howell after either game four or five, giving them a more steady reliable veteran presence but by the time Rivera decides to replace Howell with him their opportunity to make this season meaningful will be lost.
• While most favor the Eagles to win the division and become the first team to do so since Andy Reid was an NFC East HC (20 years ago) should they falter, I predict the NY Giants to be the 2023 NFC East Champions! (But ONLY if the Eagles don’t repeat)
• Deshaun Watson will return to top form putting him in the 1-1A ranking once again.
• Speaking of QBs, the other two targets that I wanted this team to go after (Justin Fields and Jordan Love) will also prove to be too late wishful thinking, ala “wish they had ole’ Sty’s insight” players.

The team will perform well during the season and will mimic the 2022 Minnesota Vikings in close games, unfortunately, without the same results. Well, that's it, until Friday when both "Predictions" and "Game threads" are posted. (@dad, I promised to do them and I'll keep them coming for as long as I can)

Hey Sty, nice write up, ear marked. As bad as you have always wanted a competent QB, you could very well be wrong here. We'll see.

 

[skinsdad62]

Here’s my annual summary of the off-season and why this will be a great time to take advantage of a pretty good roster now by getting a star-quality QB as quickly as possible.

Ron Rivera enters year 4 in primarily the same situation that he found himself in three seasons ago. He’s done little to elevate the player quality on a team in desperate need of upgrades especially on the offensive side of the ball. To his credit, there were two signings that piqued my interest and I believe will make it easier to transition from a middle-of-the-pack team to an annual contender.

The first signing… Eric Bieniemy. I am fully confident in our new OC and what he brings to the team. I see him as a future HC and possible replacement for Rivera when that dismissal finally takes place.

The second signing… Jacoby Brissett, who is arguably the best QB Ron has signed since being named HC. (More on him in my predictions post)

In the meantime, almost every job along the offensive front will be up for grabs and bears watching. I believe that the team believes that it is set in their receivers’ room and interestingly enough at TE. This unit finished near the bottom in rushing yards last year and the moves/upgrades for the 2023 season are questionable at best.

On the defensive side of the ball, there are major questions too. Will Chase Young bounce back and become the player that he was drafted to be? How will the transition from utilizing linebacker to more DBs work out and speaking of our defensive backfield will this infusion of youth take time, fail altogether, or become the reliable, ball-hawking strength that Rivera envisions and will rely on to win football games? In a league designed to exhibit offense, winning games 20-17 may be okay if you want to stay average, but I believe that it's a sign that the game has passed old-style coaches like Rivera by because of the way the game is now played.



Here are my annual predictions:

• I won’t make the annual W/L prediction unless asked because, over the last 3 years, it has upset a few folks on this site despite being highly accurate. The ONLY thing that I will predict is a top 5 pick in next year’s draft.
• Sam Howell will start the season despite not being the better choice at this point in his career. This will be another blunder for Rivera in his now-infamous bend toward proving himself right about his starting QB choices. Howell himself will perform adequately, but on a team nearly primed to announce itself as a serious contender, adequate simply won’t do. BTW; For those of you who insist that improved QB play will garner better results, your logic is flawed in that it assumes zero changes from the competition. A statement like that essentially says… “If all things remain the same and we get better QB play then the results blah, blah, blah!” Besides that, improved QB play when the previous QBs were Wentz and Heinicke sets an extremely low bar.
• The over/under on Howell starts is somewhere between 4-5 games and if he somehow survives the season as a starter still won’t be the needed type of player at the position to take them deep into playoff runs annually.
• Washington will draft a QB in 2024 but who I predict that will be is related to my W/L prediction, so unless you guys want to know, I’ll end this right here.
• Josh Dotson will supplant T-Mac as the team’s #1WR.
• Ron Rivera’s tenure is also related to my W/L predictions, but right now I have his over/under at week 15 (The bye week)
• Chase Young finally arrives as Predator and talks about him turning toward an LTD.
• Pass defense continues to be a problem.
• Rookie to watch this year WR Mitchell Tinsley.
• Ron Rivera will not return in 2024. If by some miracle he stays, they lose EB and if this seems familiar, think about current head coaches who are doing well that were formerly working for this franchise. (EB will win at least one SB as a head coach)
• Jacoby Brissett will replace Howell after either game four or five, giving them a more steady reliable veteran presence but by the time Rivera decides to replace Howell with him their opportunity to make this season meaningful will be lost.
• While most favor the Eagles to win the division and become the first team to do so since Andy Reid was an NFC East HC (20 years ago) should they falter, I predict the NY Giants to be the 2023 NFC East Champions! (But ONLY if the Eagles don’t repeat)
• Deshaun Watson will return to top form putting him in the 1-1A ranking once again.
• Speaking of QBs, the other two targets that I wanted this team to go after (Justin Fields and Jordan Love) will also prove to be too late wishful thinking, ala “wish they had ole’ Sty’s insight” players.

The team will perform well during the season and will mimic the 2022 Minnesota Vikings in close games, unfortunately, without the same results. Well, that's it, until Friday when both "Predictions" and "Game threads" are posted. (@dad, I promised to do them and I'll keep them coming for as long as I can)

First off , welcome back ! I think a lot of what you say will come true . It is a lot to ask SH to be a franchise guy when we will be at the disadvantage at qb virtually every game ( even with JB )

 

[skinsdad62]

Oh by the way Sty I appreciate your help on the threads, but don’t let it be a burden, make it fun for you is all I ask

 

[deanpet21]

Hogs Haven 2023 Season Predictions

Past and present Hogs Haven writers predict division winners, individual award honors, the Super Bowl champion and more for the 2023 NFL season

www.hogshaven.com

 

[Stymietee]

Hey Sty, nice write up, ear marked. As bad as you have always wanted a competent QB, you could very well be wrong here. We'll see.

Actually, I want more than a competent QB. This organization has to become the standard by which all others aspire to be and that requires it to have one of the best QBs in the game. We've had competent QBs dating back to Kirk Cousins and the results have been ...well... you know! The cycle must be broken and that unfortunately means ridding itself of mediocre participants at every level.
Right now, I know that there's a bit of euphoria surrounding the team primarily because of the sale and that Sam Howell is the flavor of the season thus far but I don't operate on "feel-good" moments. That said, I'm not from Missouri but "show me" something before I'm ready to call them anything other than what they've already proven to be. Now, that's not to say that Howell will fail, (I don't believe that he will) but to get to competent requires some growing pains. Even the best who's ever played the game had them and to believe that Howell will be that one exception in the history of the game doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Oh well, as you've pointed out...we'll see!

 

[Stymietee]

Oh by the way Sty I appreciate your help on the threads, but don’t let it be a burden, make it fun for you is all I ask

No burden at all, I kind of enjoy putting it all together as the games approach.

 

[Stymietee]

First off , welcome back ! I think a lot of what you say will come true . It is a lot to ask SH to be a franchise guy when we will be at the disadvantage at qb virtually every game ( even with JB )

The very best at the position in history, ALL went through growing pains and setbacks. To expect that Howell won't put him in the unenviable position to either disappoint or fail while giving no respect to his relative inexperience.

 

[skinsdad62]

The very best at the position in history, ALL went through growing pains and setbacks. To expect that Howell won't put him in the unenviable position to either disappoint or fail while giving no respect to his relative inexperience.

you are right , all we can hope for is his growing pains are early in games and he overcomes them late . but realistically unless he is mahomes he will make gut wrenching mistakes

 

[Stymietee]

you are right , all we can hope for is his growing pains are early in games and he overcomes them late . but realistically unless he is mahomes he will make gut wrenching mistakes

I think that this is as good a point as any for me to stop posting a realistic POV. I understand from reading all of these posts that there is an air of excitement surrounding this team. A new owner and a QB who showed promise are both better than what preceded them. (Snyder, Wentz, Heinicke, Fitzpatrick etc. ) Enjoy it fellow posters, it an extremely rare high to have so don't allow me to put a damper on it... you've earned it!

 

[skinsdad62]

I think that this is as good a point as any for me to stop posting a realistic POV. I understand from reading all of these posts that there is an air of excitement surrounding this team. A new owner and a QB who showed promise are both better than what preceded them. (Snyder, Wentz, Heinicke, Fitzpatrick etc. ) Enjoy it fellow posters, it an extremely rare high to have so don't allow me to put a damper on it... you've earned it!

dont worry Duke and I are the resident kiljoys

 

[kbso83432]

Here’s my annual summary of the off-season and why this will be a great time to take advantage of a pretty good roster now by getting a star-quality QB as quickly as possible.

Ron Rivera enters year 4 in primarily the same situation that he found himself in three seasons ago. He’s done little to elevate the player quality on a team in desperate need of upgrades especially on the offensive side of the ball. To his credit, there were two signings that piqued my interest and I believe will make it easier to transition from a middle-of-the-pack team to an annual contender.

The first signing… Eric Bieniemy. I am fully confident in our new OC and what he brings to the team. I see him as a future HC and possible replacement for Rivera when that dismissal finally takes place.

The second signing… Jacoby Brissett, who is arguably the best QB Ron has signed since being named HC. (More on him in my predictions post)

In the meantime, almost every job along the offensive front will be up for grabs and bears watching. I believe that the team believes that it is set in their receivers’ room and interestingly enough at TE. This unit finished near the bottom in rushing yards last year and the moves/upgrades for the 2023 season are questionable at best.

On the defensive side of the ball, there are major questions too. Will Chase Young bounce back and become the player that he was drafted to be? How will the transition from utilizing linebacker to more DBs work out and speaking of our defensive backfield will this infusion of youth take time, fail altogether, or become the reliable, ball-hawking strength that Rivera envisions and will rely on to win football games? In a league designed to exhibit offense, winning games 20-17 may be okay if you want to stay average, but I believe that it's a sign that the game has passed old-style coaches like Rivera by because of the way the game is now played.



Here are my annual predictions:

• I won’t make the annual W/L prediction unless asked because, over the last 3 years, it has upset a few folks on this site despite being highly accurate. The ONLY thing that I will predict is a top 5 pick in next year’s draft.
• Sam Howell will start the season despite not being the better choice at this point in his career. This will be another blunder for Rivera in his now-infamous bend toward proving himself right about his starting QB choices. Howell himself will perform adequately, but on a team nearly primed to announce itself as a serious contender, adequate simply won’t do. BTW; For those of you who insist that improved QB play will garner better results, your logic is flawed in that it assumes zero changes from the competition. A statement like that essentially says… “If all things remain the same and we get better QB play then the results blah, blah, blah!” Besides that, improved QB play when the previous QBs were Wentz and Heinicke sets an extremely low bar.
• The over/under on Howell starts is somewhere between 4-5 games and if he somehow survives the season as a starter still won’t be the needed type of player at the position to take them deep into playoff runs annually.
• Washington will draft a QB in 2024 but who I predict that will be is related to my W/L prediction, so unless you guys want to know, I’ll end this right here.
• Josh Dotson will supplant T-Mac as the team’s #1WR.
• Ron Rivera’s tenure is also related to my W/L predictions, but right now I have his over/under at week 15 (The bye week)
• Chase Young finally arrives as Predator and talks about him turning toward an LTD.
• Pass defense continues to be a problem.
• Rookie to watch this year WR Mitchell Tinsley.
• Ron Rivera will not return in 2024. If by some miracle he stays, they lose EB and if this seems familiar, think about current head coaches who are doing well that were formerly working for this franchise. (EB will win at least one SB as a head coach)
• Jacoby Brissett will replace Howell after either game four or five, giving them a more steady reliable veteran presence but by the time Rivera decides to replace Howell with him their opportunity to make this season meaningful will be lost.
• While most favor the Eagles to win the division and become the first team to do so since Andy Reid was an NFC East HC (20 years ago) should they falter, I predict the NY Giants to be the 2023 NFC East Champions! (But ONLY if the Eagles don’t repeat)
• Deshaun Watson will return to top form putting him in the 1-1A ranking once again.
• Speaking of QBs, the other two targets that I wanted this team to go after (Justin Fields and Jordan Love) will also prove to be too late wishful thinking, ala “wish they had ole’ Sty’s insight” players.

The team will perform well during the season and will mimic the 2022 Minnesota Vikings in close games, unfortunately, without the same results. Well, that's it, until Friday when both "Predictions" and "Game threads" are posted. (@dad, I promised to do them and I'll keep them coming for as long as I can)

Good read. Agreed with some if it and disagreed with some of it. My favorite line was think everything stays the same outside of us. I'm with you on that. I think we will be a much better team than last year but because of the schedule it probably won't show.

I'm still basement 7-10 ceiling 10-7.

 

[dcrising]

I'm taking the vegas line for w/l total

 

[Sportster 72]

There is a lot of joy with Snyder gone ... thank god. However as I have said since that became a possibility this is bit of a dysfunctional year. None of us know what this does for RR, what does the addition of EB do, how does Howell work out etc.

I don't like season predictions because as we all know what a team is like before we play them or what our status is unknown.

I will say I am extremely happy Snyder is gone. I have been very happy with Harris, Rales and Magic so far. It feels like a weight lifted off our shoulders but I don't think it guarantees winning this year.

 

[skinz2winz]

Actually, I want more than a competent QB. This organization has to become the standard by which all others aspire to be and that requires it to have one of the best QBs in the game. We've had competent QBs dating back to Kirk Cousins and the results have been ...well... you know! The cycle must be broken and that unfortunately means ridding itself of mediocre participants at every level.
Right now, I know that there's a bit of euphoria surrounding the team primarily because of the sale and that Sam Howell is the flavor of the season thus far but I don't operate on "feel-good" moments. That said, I'm not from Missouri but "show me" something before I'm ready to call them anything other than what they've already proven to be. Now, that's not to say that Howell will fail, (I don't believe that he will) but to get to competent requires some growing pains. Even the best who's ever played the game had them and to believe that Howell will be that one exception in the history of the game doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Oh well, as you've pointed out...we'll see!

I wish you were the GM!

 

[deanpet21]

MSN

 

[Rowdy]

Howell will be the most waiver wired qb in FF after this week. My bold prediction. Lol

 

[deanpet21]

Howell will be the most waiver wired qb in FF after this week. My bold prediction. Lol

i drafted him in my league. im thinking about playing him Sunday. Would you start him over Watson?

 

[kbso83432]

There is a lot of joy with Snyder gone ... thank god. However as I have said since that became a possibility this is bit of a dysfunctional year. None of us know what this does for RR, what does the addition of EB do, how does Howell work out etc.

I don't like season predictions because as we all know what a team is like before we play them or what our status is unknown.

I will say I am extremely happy Snyder is gone. I have been very happy with Harris, Rales and Magic so far. It feels like a weight lifted off our shoulders but I don't think it guarantees winning this year.

Weight has definitely been lifted. My son is driving up from Austin to Houston to watch the game with me and my brother. Hasn't been this much excitement around the Skins in my family since 2012.

 

[PDay8810]

i drafted him in my league. im thinking about playing him Sunday. Would you start him over Watson?

championship