NFC playoffs predictions /Mark Schlereth

[HaroldSeattle]

I picked the Panthers, as well. NFC South is historically a division that is in constant upheaval. If you look at the Panthers, Cam Newton is a top 5 player from his draft, Luke Kuechly is a top 5 player from his draft and Star Lotuleilei is almost undoubtedly going to be a top 5 player from his draft. These kind of things add up eventually. I know the Seahawks' relevance has come from drafting well. Its not hard to see the same things coming from Carolina.

I'm also in the 'there is no wrong answer in the NFC' camp.

Thanks for your post. I agree there is no wrong answer but be ready to explain your picks because there may be a difference in opinion, which this thread is all about. All in good fun.

 

[geneh_33]

If there is reason to be skeptical about Wilson, then there is plenty of reasons to be skeptical about Kaepernick and RG3 as well.

Heck, there are reasons to be skeptical of everybody before the season even starts. Michael Jordan doesn't play in this league.

We are just making guesses and having fun. For all we really know, the Jacksonville Jaguars could go 19-0. Not likely, but it aint impossible at this point.

 

[jerseyhawksfan79]

Exactly! Locker has got to show he's NFL worthy. I was soooooo disappointed with his senior year, but the dude has the tools, I'm pulling for him.

From the games on national tv that I saw, Locker has the tools but was making horrible decisions and drove me crazy. No more excuses though because the Titans put some talent around him and if Chris Johnson can return to his old self, then Locker should do well. If not, then the whispers him being a bust will start up next offseason.

 

[TBBishop]

Heck, there are reasons to be skeptical of everybody before the season even starts. Michael Jordan doesn't play in this league.

We are just making guesses and having fun. For all we really know, the Jacksonville Jaguars could go 19-0. Not likely, but it aint impossible at this point.

Michigan Product Chad Henne at Quarterback and Michigan Product Denard Robinson at Offensive Weapon and that certainly is a good start toward 19-0!!

 

[Rvnight18]

Michigan Product Chad Henne at Quarterback and Michigan Product Denard Robinson at Offensive Weapon and that certainly is a good start toward 19-0!!

unless they play a team with tOSU players. GO BUCKS

 

[JDM]

If there is reason to be skeptical about Wilson, then there is plenty of reasons to be skeptical about Kaepernick and RG3 as well.

There is one reason to be skeptical of RG3, and that is his knee. Talent-wise he was already pushing to be a top 5 QB, he showed his mental toughness by playing through the injury (and Shanahan showed why he's an idiot and severely overrated. That many read options on that knee is not intelligent decision making.) and playing effectively. I think with better playcalling to put slightly less pressure on his legs they win that game.

Injuries count as a decent question mark, sure, but there's no other way to fault the guy. He says all the right shit, makes the right throws, has one of the better arms in the league, and can outrun almost anyone on the field.

 

[geneh_33]

Michigan Product Chad Henne at Quarterback and Michigan Product Denard Robinson at Offensive Weapon and that certainly is a good start toward 19-0!!

Well, I don't see how they could be worse.

 

[Jikkle]

There is one reason to be skeptical of RG3, and that is his knee. Talent-wise he was already pushing to be a top 5 QB, he showed his mental toughness by playing through the injury (and Shanahan showed why he's an idiot and severely overrated. That many read options on that knee is not intelligent decision making.) and playing effectively. I think with better playcalling to put slightly less pressure on his legs they win that game.

Injuries count as a decent question mark, sure, but there's no other way to fault the guy. He says all the right shit, makes the right throws, has one of the better arms in the league, and can outrun almost anyone on the field.

On the flip side RGIII needs to run a lot smarter and he doesn't have the size like a Newton or Kaepernick to take the beating that he incurs running the way he does.

If you watch Kaepernick and even Wilson they are both very smart runners. They have good awareness and they know when to give up on a play before taking a big hit. Watching Kaepernick you'll see despite the amount of times he runs he rarely takes a big shot and in general doesn't take much of a beating since he's slides well in advance before getting hit or he gets himself out of bounds.

RGIII needs to realize it's not college anymore and defenders are bigger, stronger, and faster so you can't just completely torch them and when they hit they are going to lay the wood on you. And after you run enough for that first down don't get greedy and look to get out of bounds or slide.

 

[JDM]

You have a point but a lot of that is on the coaches. That's easily correctable and when they're treating you like a running back it's hard not to act like one.

 

[Jikkle]

You have a point but a lot of that is on the coaches. That's easily correctable and when they're treating you like a running back it's hard not to act like one.

I don't excuse the role coaches played in the whole RGIII saga I just think both sides are at fault.

Kaepernick had plenty of designed runs where he managed to take care of himself and avoid punishment so there isn't any reason RGIII can't do the same thing on his runs if he wants to.

I don't fault RGIII per-se because he's being a competitor and it's just instinct for a guy running the ball to want to fight for extra yards and not give up by going out of bounds or sliding. I just think it's a case of rookie inexperience and learning the vast difference between what he saw in college compared to what he sees in the NFL.

And coaching is to blame for this as well. It's up to the coaches to hammer home the point of getting down and just running smarter.

I have a feeling that both sides will be smarter this season and it won't be an issue going forward.

 

[Thruthefog]

Ok I'm going to give posters a chance to laugh at me. I'm going to change picking the Colts to making the playoffs to ....the Tennessee Titans! That's right, the Titans.

They beefed up their OL with signing of Andy Levite and drafting Chance Warmack, added Justin Hunter to Kenny Britt and Kendall Wright for a good WR corp signed Delanie Walker to replace Cook...I think that's a upgrade. They got Chris Johnson at RB and added Shonn Greene to help keep Johnson fresh,

You heard it here first!

 

[HaroldSeattle]

 

[dude82]

I picked the Panthers, as well. NFC South is historically a division that is in constant upheaval. If you look at the Panthers, Cam Newton is a top 5 player from his draft, Luke Kuechly is a top 5 player from his draft and Star Lotuleilei is almost undoubtedly going to be a top 5 player from his draft. These kind of things add up eventually. I know the Seahawks' relevance has come from drafting well. Its not hard to see the same things coming from Carolina.

I'm also in the 'there is no wrong answer in the NFC' camp.

Agreed about the NFC South. I don't think the same team has won that division two years in a row yet. Atlanta seems like the prohibitive favorite to win that division again depending on whom you ask, but history suggests they won't. The Falcons and Saints have been alternating back and forth as division champs the last four years and with Payton back in the fold in New Orleans, I wouldn't rule out that pattern continuing either. Eventually those patterns have to break, but I don't know if this year is the year for that to happen.

 

[Clayton]

I actually really don't like the Titans. They bolstered their Guard position and signed Bernard Pollard but that doesn't fix a lot of issues.

-Jake Locker has never been accurate. Issue #1
-WR/TE corps is nothing special give/take Justin Hunter as a wild card addition
-Their defense is bad against the run
-They lack a shutdown CB and teams can regularly throw to their #1 WR against the Titans

So basically, what the Titans want to do on offense is very erratic and their opponents will be able to do what they want on a consistent basis. This has led to the Titans being a very bad Time of Possession team that past couple of years and I don't think they did much to change that. They look like a 5-7 win team.

 

[augustisback003]

I'll bite

NFC:
1. San Francisco
2. Green Bay
3. Atlanta
4. Washington
5. Seattle
6. Saints

AFC:
1. Denver
2. Houston
3. Patriots
4. Baltimore
5. Pittsburgh
6. Kansas City

No way BAL makes it after losing 8 starters or KC gets in ahead of Cincy.

NFC:
1. San Francisco
2. Atlanta
3. Green Bay
4. Giants
5. Seattle
6. Saints

AFC:
1. Denver
2. Patriots
3. Cincinnati
4. Indianapolis
5. Houston
6. Miami

 

[TBBishop]

unless they play a team with tOSU players. GO BUCKS

In the NFL? Not likely!!!

 

[nk12thman]

I'm glad to see so much faith in Wilson. But I am still skeptical. We'll see. I think they make the playoffs just not ahead of SF.

It's not just about Wilson. We have lost no key players at any position. We have added to our pass rush(2nd biggest weakness from last season), we have solidified the nickel CB(biggest weakness from last season), added a true threat in Percy Harvin, added depth to our elite RB room. What has SF lost? Dashon Goldson, Delanie Walker, Michael Crabtree, 2/3 of their DL. Sure they added Boldin, but I don't see where they have come close to replacing what they have lost. I'm not trying to say Seattle has run away with it, but so far on paper, I can't see how anyone wouldn't think Seattle has passed SF.

 

[Jikkle]

No way BAL makes it after losing 8 starters or KC gets in ahead of Cincy.

NFC:
1. San Francisco
2. Atlanta
3. Green Bay
4. Giants
5. Seattle
6. Saints

AFC:
1. Denver
2. Patriots
3. Cincinnati
4. Indianapolis
5. Houston
6. Miami

Baltimore lost starters but they retooled quite well on defense.

In fact you could make an argument they might wind up being better on defense this season than last.

Offense is still a concern since they really didn't replace anything they lost and it remains to be seen if the offense is going to do well with Caldwell at the helm.

 

[JDM]

Yeah, Ray Lewis in particular was really bad last year.

 

[Jikkle]

It's not just about Wilson. We have lost no key players at any position. We have added to our pass rush(2nd biggest weakness from last season), we have solidified the nickel CB(biggest weakness from last season), added a true threat in Percy Harvin, added depth to our elite RB room. What has SF lost? Dashon Goldson, Delanie Walker, Michael Crabtree, 2/3 of their DL. Sure they added Boldin, but I don't see where they have come close to replacing what they have lost. I'm not trying to say Seattle has run away with it, but so far on paper, I can't see how anyone wouldn't think Seattle has passed SF.

Eric Reid replaces Goldson and I think he has a chance to be better than Goldson (probably not next season being a rookie) but I can see him being stronger in coverage than Goldson.

Walker is replaced by McDonald who so far making good impressions and camp and he's another one I think has a chance to be better because he seems to have better hands and he has better size than Walker. But he's another one that will likely take a year since Walker had a pretty complex job in terms of all the things he had to do on offense.

The DL is actually better (imo) this season than last. Dorsey I think will be an upgrade over Soap and Ricky Jean Francois was just a backup that's easily replaced especially when Tank Carradine gets healthy. I actually expect a pretty good year up front since we added talent and depth so I think their will be an actual rotation of guys to keep guys fresh.

Crabtree's loss hurts and I think that's the most critical blow of the losses. With the addition of Boldin who will be far more productive than Moss, young guys like Jenkins improving, and Williams and Mario coming back they can absorb the loss of Crabtree far better than they could last season.

I believe it's still close between the two and it's almost splitting hairs in saying who's better.