So, who is the early favorite for SB?

[Podunkparte]

Poll is up. This should be good

 

[Doublejive]

As a Hawk fan i am shocked.

 

[Doublejive]

 

[WizardHawk]

Seattle fans base their whole perception of Green Bay off of the fail Mary game. You guys act as if Russell Wilson is elite or something. He's not. I love Wilson and root for the badgers but the only reason Seattle beat GB is the replacement refs. Seattle is a good team but when both teams are healthy, Green Bay is elite and Seattle is not.

Seattle is a far better team now than when they played that game. This is a fact based on results. GB? Around the same as they were at best if everyone is healthy.

I love that some GB fans just can't let that game go. There were bad calls both ways all game. You can keep trying to convince yourself that had they used the normal refs that GB definitely wins that game, but you can only say that looking through homer glasses. They were two fairly evenly matched teams at that point and a fairly called game would have had a very different looking 4th quarter.

I do love how Seattle blows out the so-called 'best offense in NFL history' and yet just because of a game you can't get over from more than a year ago they just cannot be called elite.

 

[gowazzu02]

Ok please lets ignore the gb homer (although im not mad at his avatar!)

Back on topic. I think AFC is NE's to lose. Denver has a real schedule this year. Just a little hint broncos. The rest of the NFC west actually has better pash Rushs then Seattle had last year! If Manning makes it out of all 4 nfc west games ill be shocked.

As for the nfc, crap shoot. Obvi im riding the hawks until proven otherwise, but SF, Arizona are both contendoers, But I actually think NO, CAR, Philly have a good shot at hfa since the nfc west is going to kill itself.

 

[Podunkparte]

Wonder how bad Dbacks hangover is today because he seemed pretty damn drunk last night

 

[cdumler7]

Ok please lets ignore the gb homer (although im not mad at his avatar!)

Back on topic. I think AFC is NE's to lose. Denver has a real schedule this year. Just a little hint broncos. The rest of the NFC west actually has better pash Rushs then Seattle had last year! If Manning makes it out of all 4 nfc west games ill be shocked.

As for the nfc, crap shoot. Obvi im riding the hawks until proven otherwise, but SF, Arizona are both contendoers, But I actually think NO, CAR, Philly have a good shot at hfa since the nfc west is going to kill itself.

One bad game doesn't equal that is how the Broncos will play all year round. They played plenty of good pass rushing teams throughout the year and held them at bay. The Broncos were having trouble with some of the calls at the line because of the crowd noise and hadn't practiced all week expecting that. They also get back an All-Pro Left Tackle in Ryan Clady this season meaning all protection can now shift back towards the right where most of the season it had to be focused towards the left. They also let go of their worst OL player in Beadles (at least he graded out that way). Every year since Manning has come to town all we hear as Bronco fans is "How is Manning going to survive this season?" The guy has taken plenty of hits in his career against even better defenses than what Seattle was this past year (he played against the 2000 Baltimore Ravens) and was the MVP of the league this last year breaking quite a few records along the way.

Now I will say NE has the better shot at HFA in the playoffs because of the schedule the Broncos have. Then again NE has to play the AFC West that saw 3 teams in the playoffs last year so their schedule is no cake walk either. I do think in the AFC 3 teams stand out above the rest in Indy, Denver, and NE. We shall see what happens with injuries and such as all 3 teams last year were destroyed by injuries yet were still top level teams. So now with all of those players coming back they should be fun to watch.

As for the actual topic at hand. My darkhorse team this year is Arizona. They look loaded on both offense and defense this year plus still have the draft to go. That left side of the OL is going to be a beast to deal with for any defense and I can see Arizona just pounding it down the throats of teams then going play action to their two big time receivers.

 

[WNY_FOOTBALL_DUDE]

I am not going to make a prediction just yet. I have to see how the draft unfolds. But I think it is silly for anyone to predict the Broncos or Seahawks at this point. Very rarely do teams go to back-to-back Super Bowls. The last time it happened was in 2004.

The Packers are very good pick to go to the Super Bowl. They are a loaded team, from on both sides of the ball, and if they can find a running game and stay healthy, they will be hard to beat. Other teams to look out for would be the Falcons, Saints, Giants, 49ers, and Bears.

On the AFC side, I think it breaks down to either the Patriots, Colts, or Ravens.

 

[NEhomer]

I heard a sportscaster give a stat that amazed me....assuming it's true 'cause I don't remember exactly.

for the past 8 years, the defending SB team has not one a single playoff game. '05 Pats were the last defending team to win a playoff game.

Isn't that stunning?

 

[NEhomer]

....my early picks would be San Fran/New England

 

[WizardHawk]

Right, so lets all just throw out the incumbents every year because they don't often make it then. Rarely doesn't make it impossible. I do think it's probably more likely Denver makes it back than Seattle, but both have enough pieces to do so.

 

[cdumler7]

Right, so lets all just throw out the incumbents every year because they don't often make it then. Rarely doesn't make it impossible. I do think it's probably more likely Denver makes it back than Seattle, but both have enough pieces to do so.

I think talent wise it would be hard to argue that Denver and Seattle in their conferences have the best talent up and down the roster. Obviously anything can happen from injuries to bad bounces that end a season prematurely but right now on paper those two teams are hard to argue with.

 

[NEhomer]

Meh

Seattle has lost some of their lineup and were one pass from not even being in the SB. I give SF the edge and call a tie between Broncs/Pats.

 

[gowazzu02]

Meh

Seattle has lost some of their lineup and were one pass from not even being in the SB. I give SF the edge and call a tie between Broncs/Pats.

Only starter they lost was Golden Tate. And thurmond if you count a nickle corner. Seattle is so ridiculously deep. People thought the LOB was in trouble when Browner got suspended last year, in steps Maxwell who will at some point sign a number 1 CB contract somewhere else......

 

[Uhsplit]

When Rodgers has a full cast of healthy receivers and he is healthy himself, no one can stop him. I'm sorry but i don't care who your defense is. (I'm talking to you Seattle) you guys know it too. When Rodgers is 100% it's almost impossible to beat him.

We know it? Bring it on.

Seattle just destroyed Denver. Last time The Hawks played GB, your team only scored 12 points. Our D has improved since 2012.
SF beat you at home in last years playoff game.
Sea>SF.
This will be a lousy way to start your year.

 

[cdumler7]

Only starter they lost was Golden Tate. And thurmond if you count a nickle corner. Seattle is so ridiculously deep. People thought the LOB was in trouble when Browner got suspended last year, in steps Maxwell who will at some point sign a number 1 CB contract somewhere else......

Wasn't Red Bryant also a starter in the Super Bowl?

 

[pumpkinhead33793]

I am not going to make a prediction just yet. I have to see how the draft unfolds. But I think it is silly for anyone to predict the Broncos or Seahawks at this point. Very rarely do teams go to back-to-back Super Bowls. The last time it happened was in 2004.

The Packers are very good pick to go to the Super Bowl. They are a loaded team, from on both sides of the ball, and if they can find a running game and stay healthy, they will be hard to beat. Other teams to look out for would be the Falcons, Saints, Giants, 49ers, and Bears.

On the AFC side, I think it breaks down to either the Patriots, Colts, or Ravens.

The Packers defense is horrible. They signed Peppers who is finished. Couldn't pressure the QB all year last year and he was never double teamed.

 

[Uhsplit]

Seattle fans can question Rodgers all they want. Keep talking. It's funny

I see not one Seahawk fan putting down AR. He is an awesome QB.
We will beat your team, not just AR.

 

[gowazzu02]

Wasn't Red Bryant also a starter in the Super Bowl?

He may have, i dont remember, he only played like 30-40% of snaps last year.

Seattles D line last year when it counted was , Avril, Mebane, McDaniel, Bennett....chris clemons rotated in, Red bryant played alot on run obvious downs.

 

[cdumler7]

He may have, i dont remember, he only played like 30-40% of snaps last year.

Seattles D line last year when it counted was , Avril, Mebane, McDaniel, Bennett....chris clemons rotated in, Red bryant played alot on run obvious downs.

Got yah...just saw on a list of Super Bowl starters his name was marked so thought maybe you had missed that another one of your starters was gone. Like you said though he was part of a rotation so his snaps can be replaced.