Oz NFL

Last year the whole of Australia went “insayne” as the arrival of the Hayne Plane landed on the NFL “tarmac”.  Jarryd Hayne left the NRL at the top of his game after the 2014 season to pursue his NFL dream and turn it into a reality.  Hayne appeared in eight games for the San Fransico 49ers, but only managed 17 carries at his desired running back position.  But it was on special teams returning punts where Hayne made his biggest impact on games.  American fans where impressed and excited to see more of the Hayne Plane and for the Australian fans, well that’s all you heard on news coverage’s around the country.

But former coach Jim Tomsula didn’t have Hayne in his season long plans delegating him to the full time practice squad mid season.  Injuries to key running backs Carlos Hyde and Reggie Bush paved the way for Hayne’s return to the first team late in the season.  And again Hayne impressed with the minimal amount of time on the field that he was given.  Now coming into the 2016-17 season, Bush looks like his time in San Francisco is coming to an end giving Hayne a genuine chance to become the second choice at running back.

Hayne showed glimpses of his potential last season with some great kick returns and some special power runs, and with a full season under his belt with the 49ers organisation, it’s Hayne’s time now or never if he wants to become a household name in San Francisco.  Hayne averaged 3.1 yards per carry third among running backs on the roster, just behind the departing Reggie Bush.  With the arrival of Chip Kelly in San Francisco and the way he rotates his running backs, Hayne is going to get his chance to really cement his spot on the roster.

It will be interesting to see if the 49ers draft a running back or return specialist, but from some of the mock drafts out there at the moment Hayne has nothing to worry about.  This coming training camp will be pivotal to Haynes success if he is less than impressive I’m sure Chip Kelly will have no problem releasing him, because we all seen he had no trouble doing that in Philadelphia.  For all the Australian fans, now we just sit back and wait it out for another 20 weeks before we get a chance to see the Hayne Plane in the number 38 jersey once again.

With one of the most lacklustre free agency periods coming to a dawdling halt teams are starting to gather a squad together and hopefully turn it into a successful winning team.  But not all off-season plans turn into success on the field. One team springs to mind straight away for all the wrong reasons, the good old Cleveland Browns. Yes the Dawg Pound has had its troubles over the years but I didn’t believe that it could get much worse, until now.  Cleveland have released on the rise players, Travis Benjamin, and Tashaun Gipson, then told veterans Alex Mack, Carlos Dansby and Donte Whitner they are no longer needed and finally of course said goodbye to the enigma Johnny Manziel.  So what do you do when one Heisman winning quarterback doesn’t work, you sign another, and that man is non other than Robert Griffin III.  And now it seems that this less than impressive organisation with minimal talent falls to the hands of a guy who didn’t even play a snap last season.  Don’t get me wrong I’m a huge RG3 fan but the poor guy has all the pressure to achieve success over a short period of time with a team that boasts Brian Hartline as their number one receiver.

And to add further pressure to RG3 there are talks the Browns might go after a quarterback in the draft.  Griffin is still young enough to build the organisation around without having to draft another QB and put pressure of Griffin who is just looking forward to getting first team reps again.  If the Browns want the Griffin plan to work they need to prove that he has no chance in losing his starting spot on the team.  Because last time Griffin was in that position of not having to worry about a backup taking over he won the 2012 Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

For the Browns to find any bit of success this coming season they have to add weapons to the RG3 run offense.  Josh Gordon will have finished his one-year suspension and if the Browns can manage to find the courage to trust and to sign him, he would be reuniting with his Baylor brother RG3. Griffin has spoken on potentially playing alongside Gordon again at the Browns.  “Josh is family,” Griffin told reporters during his introductory conference call in Cleveland. “We went to Baylor together. I love the guy. I don’t know what’s going to happen with him in the league or with the team, but he always knows that he has a brother in me. If the opportunity comes that he can get reinstated and play for the Browns, then I won’t be upset with that — let’s just put it that way. He is family. At Baylor, we believe in that no matter what happens. We always have your back.”

With a healthy Griffin at quarterback, Josh Gordon out wide and Gary Barnidge in the middle of the field, that gives some promising potential there for the Browns.  Then they just need to focus their draft around some key offensive linemen and some defensive backs.  But if they really want to make a splash in the draft a thought could be to draft down for some extra draft picks and then pick up probably the most exciting guy in the draft Ohio States Ezekiel Elliot in the mid to late first round.

With an offense built like that it is sure to get the fans excited, and it might not find playoff success in that first year but that’s a great group of players to continue to build a team around for the years to come.  But who knows what the movers and the shakers of the Browns organisation are thinking, if past seasons are anything to go buy they’ll draft a quarterback and destroy his and Griffins career leading to another depressing season for the Dawg Pound.

With the NFL Draft fast approaching on us, many teams are starting to make the moves on late free agents or trades for draft picks.  And one of the stories that continues to linger around is, will Colin Kaepernick stay with San Fransico or will he go?

NFL media insider Ian Rapoport reported that Kaepernick has met with Denver Broncos general manager John Elway twice over the past two weeks.  The quarterback has informed the Broncos that he will not accept a pay cut from his garunteed $11.9m salary for 2016, NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported.

It has amazed me that Chip Kelly and the 49ers have allowed Kaepernick to meet with Elway twice already, begs the question do the 49ers really want him this season?  Kelly has been impressed with previous starter Blaine Gabbert saying that he has the starting role and Kaepernick will have to beat Gabbert for the starting role come regular season.

Kaepernick’s style at the position is the perfect fit for a Chip Kelly run offense, with Kaepernick very much able to play the read options with his speed out of the pocket.  Last time Kelly had a quarterback with this much potential on the read option was his first year with the Philadelphia Eagles when Michael Vick was in command of that offense.

Kaepernick has a stronger arm than Gabbert and quicker legs, which I believe would be enough to beat out Gabbert for the starting role.  Gabbert did have a promising finish to last season, but Kaepernick has proven himself before leading the 49ers to Superbowl XLVII.  Both quaterbacks will battle it out during training camp drills and pre season games, but I just cant see the 49ers having an $11.9m man sitting back up.  Kaepernick will either be the starter for San Fransico or will become the Mile High Man in Denver.

The AFC South can be easily titled, “The Worst Division” of last year with only one team managing to surpass the .500 mark, the Indianapolis Colts.  Jacksonville and Houston couldn’t even manage 5 wins throughout the entire season.  And by the looks of things this year, this division could very much end up the worst in the league again.

Indianapolis Colts

They were the only shinning light from this dismal division, finishing with an 11-5 record and bailing out of the playoffs in the divisional round to a blow out by the New England Patriots.  But during their short tenure in last years playoffs, the Colts managed to record the second largest comeback in NFL history against the chiefs, outscoring them 35-13 in the second half.  Indianapolis gave up their 2014 1st round selection in the draft to Cleveland for the acquisition of running back, Trent Richardson.  This decision turned out to be more of a flop for the Colts as richardson struggled to adjust to the new offence.  But Indianapolis are showing faith in the running back and believe that he will return to the form that got him selected 3rd overall in the 2012 draft.  

Speaking of the draft, this years event wasn’t the best for the Colts as they only had five selections and two of them came from the seventh round.  With their first pick coming in round two the Colts went and drafted young OT Jack Mewhort to help strengthen the offensive line for Andrew Luck.  During the free agency period however, Indianapolis were able to make more of a splash signing receiving threat Hakeem Nicks and veteran ILB D’Qwell Jackson, to give both sides of the team an added boost.  I can see the Colts this year leading the division and heading into the playoffs just due to the lack of talent on the other three teams.  I can’t see Indianapolis going far into the playoffs and I’m predicting a wild card round exit this year.

Tennessee Titans

They were the only other team in the division that gave it a shake but ended up falling well short of the playoffs with a 7-9 record.  The Titans have struggled with QB problems ever since Vince Young went sour and Kerry Collins grew old, which he already was.  Their supposed answer, Jake Locker has struggled to adjust to the NFL, a sum of injuries has plagued the young QB but he never has really shone on the big stage yet.  With their selection in the 6th round of the draft, the Titans selected QB Zach Mettenberger throwing some speculation as to whether Locker is going to be around much longer.  Mettenberger comes out of a pro system under Cam Cameron at LSU and is a QB that has all the talent and can make all the throws.  So it will be interesting to see when Mettenberger will get his chance behind centre this year.  Another player drafted that is making a name for himself around the locker room is RB Bishop Sanky.  He set a school record for rushing yards, 1,870 as well as rushing touchdowns, 20.  He turned heads at mini camp and the rookie looks like he has the starting job in hand after the departure of Chris Johnson to the NY Jets.

This season could end up as one of the worst for Tennessee as they have such a young an inexperienced roster and no real stand out player.  The best thing for Tennessee I believe is to get Mettenberger out on the field as soon as possible, this guy could be a big sleeper for the rookie of the year award if he gets his chance.

Jacksonville Jaguars

When you’re covering sections of your stadiums seating with tarps to make it look like you have a packed stadium, you know you’re team is having a bad year.  And that’s exactly what is was like in Jacksonville last year, but when you’re at the bottom the only way is up.  Jacksonville are heading in the right direction, “up”, so far drafting Florida born Blake Bortles with the 3rd overall pick in the draft.  They also went and amended the Justin Blackmon mess by drafting two WR’s, Marqise Lee an Allen Robinson both in the second round.  Though Chad Henne has been told that he is the number one QB option on the team I wouldn’t be surprised if Bortle’s gets the role under centre sooner rather than later.

One thing that Jaguars fans must be questioning is if their defence, is it going to improve this year?  So far Jacksonville have made the right choices signing DE’s, Chris Clemons and Ziggy Hood to bolster their defensive line that leaked rushing yards all season.  Though the departure of Jason Babin just recently hurts the team, Clemons and Hood will fill that void.  On the offensive side they also went and signed former Vikings RB Toby Gerhart to fill the spot that veteran Maurice Jones Drew left on the team.  Gerhart has impressed the coaching staff at Jacksonville and they said they are looking forward to seeing the kid be the number one RB on their team this coming season. Though things are heading in the right direction for the Jaguars it’s still going to be a tough season and I can’t see them making the playoffs this year, give Bortles a bit of time with his receiving crew and newly acquainted Gerhart and this team could turn some heads in a few years.

Houston Texans

A rough year is an understatement when describing the year the Houston Texans had, they went from bad to horrible each week.  Matt Schaub was booed by his home fans and to no real surprise, the guy was throwing pick six’s like they were coming into fashion.  And for such a highly classed defence they were anything but that, leaking points all year and in clutch situations.  But it’s a new year and they are breathing new life in Houston with their number one overall pick in the draft just happening to be the defensive beast Jadeveon Clowney.  Some people suspected Houston to draft Johnny Manziel or even trade the pick away, but in the end the right decision was made and that was to create a two headed defensive monster in the likes of JJ Watt and Jadeveon Clowney.

Though things are still restless in the Houston camp with veteran WR Andre Johnson not happy with his current contract and sounds like he is demanding more money, don’t we all though.  He has came out and said that he wants out of the team if they aren’t willing to pay him but the Texans have said Johnson isn’t going anywhere.  The situation is starting to get a bit messy and Houston will want to try and resolve these problems before heading into the pre season.  Even though Houston could no pose the best defence in the AFC South, with no real threat at the QB position I can’t see Houston making it to the playoffs with Ryan Fitzpatrick or Case Keenum under centre.

So to summarise I can easily see the Colts winning this division as long as Andrew Luck stays healthy.  The three other team don’t pose no real threat just yet.  If Houston can improve at the QB position then they have a big chance over taking that top spot in the division but it looks as though they are sticking with Fitzpatrick.  Jacksonville will once again finish with the third spot in the division and Tennessee will end at the bottom of the AFC South.

1. Indianapolis Colts 10-6-0

2. Houston Texans 8-8-0

3. Jacksonville Jaguars 5-11-0

4. Tennessee Titans 4-12-0

The NFC South hasn’t seen one team in the past decade win the division back to back years, and the way Carolina’s off season has gone it’s shaping to stay the same way here.  Atlanta were backed to win the division last year but injuries destroyed their chances.  This year the division looks set to have a close ending between all 4 teams if they can stay healthy.  So let’s have a look at what’s happening in the NFC South.

 Carolina Panthers

The reining divisional champs, coming off a 12-4 season led by their defence had their best season since 2008 season.  This off season has been somewhat a nightmare for offensive coordinator Mike Shula, he lost his whole receiving core and had to start from the bottom.  Carolina went and drafted WR Kelvin Benjamin out of Florida with their first pick and acquired Jason Avant and Jerricho Cotchery from the free agency.  They franchise tagged their defensive anchor Greg Hardy to keep that defensive line as solid as it was last season.  Quarterback Cam Newton is going to have to carry this offense on his back this season if the Panthers are going to make some moves in the NFC South.  It’s going to be interesting to see if Carolina can make it back to the playoffs without any receiving threats for Newton to throw too.

New Orleans Saints

This team always seem to finish around the top of the division and make a final push at a playoff spot.  Last year was no different, they fell within one game of leaders Carolina with an 11-5 record and went undefeated at home in the Superdome.  The big talking point this off season for New Orleans is will Jimmy Graham get the contract that he wants.  Jimmy Graham wants to be paid like a WR because he lines up in that position more often than not, but by the sounds of things the Saints aren’t willing to pay him like a WR because he is listed as a TE. 

So apart from that little predicament the Saints off season has been very productive signing free agents Champ Bailey and Jairus Byrd to improve the pass defence where they struggled last season.  The coaching staff is very impressed with their round one draft pick Brandin Cooks, who they now have nicknamed lightning because of the amazing speed he has shown at OTA’s and mandatory minicamps.  This season is looking promising for the Saints and if Drew Brees can stay healthy the Saints should be back in playoff contention.

Atlanta Falcons

Although they ended the season with the same record as division cellar dwellers Tampa Bay with a 4-12 record, you could say Atlanta were the worst team in the division. The offensive line was woeful Matt Ryan didn’t get through a game all season without having to remove clumps of grass from his facemask.  Atlanta addressed their offensive line problems with the 6th overall pick in the draft selecting OT Jake Matthews.  They went and signed G Jon Asamoah out of the free agency to help bolster their offensive line.  Julio Jones returns from a season ending injury and Roddy White is also now 100% healthy and with Harry Douglas in the slot Atlanta boasts one of the best wide receiving groups in the NFL.  If the offensive line can protect Matty Ice the Falcons should be in for a big turnaround year, I can see this team taking out the NFC South title and heading back to the playoffs.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

A horrible 2013 campaign for the Buccaneers ending up on the bottom of the division with a 4-12 record managing only one road victory all season.  A big change was needed at the club and they started by firing head coach Greg Schiano and signing former Bears coach Lovie Smith.  Then they went signed QB Josh McCown out of the free agency to team up with his former coach Smith.  The departure of star CB Darrelle Revis left a whole at the position so Tampa went and signed CB’s Mike Jenkins and Alterraun Verner. 

Then when the draft came round the Buccaneers had the 7th overall pick and chose WR Mike Evans out of Texas A&M to accompany Vincent Jackson on the flanks.  A perfect choice to go along with QB Josh McCown who showed us all last season with the Bears that he loves to throw too tall receivers.  Tampa Bay have made all the right moves to improve this season but it’s going to be hard to make a big impact right away with such a young group and a completely new system.

This division is going to be a two horse race between the Flacons and the Saints and the two matchups during the season should be great games to watch.  Carolina are going to struggle on offence this season with no real wide receiver threat for Newton to throw too.  Tampa are going to surprise some teams but won’t make a run at the playoffs, Atlanta and New Orleans will be too strong.  I can see Matty Ice leading his Falcons back to the playoffs this season and taking out the NFC South division.

  1. Atlanta Falcons 12-4-0

2. New Orleans Saints 10-5-1

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 5-11-0

4. Carolina Panthers 4-12-0

The NFC East, you could almost call it America’s division with the likes of the New York Giants and America’s team, the Dallas Cowboys.  The teams in this division always seem to come under criticism at some point in the season.  Whether it’s in Dallas where Tony Romo is apparently “choking” or in Washington where head coach Mike Shanahan and young quarterback Robert Griffin III had trouble settling differences with one another last season.  This division is never short of drama.  The coming season should see no difference.  So lets have a look at what’s in store for these teams.

  Dallas Cowboys 

They fell just two games short of the division title with yet another 8-8 season, the Cowboys just seemed to be unable to keep Romo out of sack trouble.  They found encouragement through their running game with DeMarco Murray posting 1,121 yards rushing and 9 touchdowns career highs for Murray.  Come draft day Dallas had the option with the 16th pick to choose the money option with Johnny Manziel or the smarter football choice with OT Zach Martin.  Jerry Jones bit his lip and went with the OT Martin out of Notre Dame to provide protection for his veteran QB Romo.  They lost their number one pass rusher, DeMarcus Ware to Denver so with their second pick they made sure they filled that spot with in fact another DeMarcus, DE DeMarcus Lawrence out of Boise State.  Dallas look like they have made the best choices for the team to succeed in the coming season and if they can keep Romo protected they should see a return to the playoffs.  However a season ending ACL injury during OTA’s to their star linebacker, Sean Lee now puts a huge question mark on that run defence, it will be interesting to see if the young guys can step up in Lee’s place this season.

Philadelphia Eagles 

One year with former Oregon head coach Chip Kelly and the Eagles led the league in rushing yards with 2,566.  Nick Foles emerged as a great young quarterback tying the NFL record for most touchdown passes in a single game 7.  They finished the year with a 10-6 record and took out the division before bowing out in the wildcard round of the playoffs.  They recently released star wide receiver DeSean Jackson posing the question for Kelly’s offence, who is going to spread the field for them?  Well maybe the answer to that question was the signing of former New Orleans Saint, Darren Sproles.  Not to mention the returning of wide receiver Jeremy Maclin from a season ending ACL injury and they drafted another young wide receiver, Jordan Matthews out of Vanderbilt, who has impressed coaching staff during OTA’s and mandatory mini camps.  LeSean McCoy keeps proving to us that he could in fact be better than Adrian Peterson, though Vikings fans will easily disagree.  But this season has a lot of questions to be answered but who knows what Chip has in store for us this year, if it’s anything like last year opposing defences are in for a fast paced game.

New York Giants 

A horrible year it was for Eli Manning and his G-Men last year, finishing with bellow .500 7-9 record.  Manning had one of his worst seasons of his career leading the league in interceptions (27) and only managing to throw (18) touchdown passes.  Manning finished the season with the second worse passer rating 69.4, but surely he won’t repeat those efforts.  It was turnovers that killed the season for New York and Manning just didn’t seem to sync with his receivers especially Hakeem Nicks.  New York parted ways with the fifth year receiver and went and drafted some young talent to fill the void.  With their 12th pick in the draft New York selected WR Odell Beckham Jr. out of LSU, and so far the guy has impressed at OTA’s and now looks like he has the punt and kickoff returning roles.  The Giants went and signed CB’s Zack Bowman and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie to ignite their defence in the backfield after a lacklustre year at the position.  New York look set to have a good season as long as Manning doesn’t repeat last season’s efforts and if the young receiving group can step up to the task at hand.

Washington Redskins

  Well what a debacle last season was for the Redskins, RG3 was never fully fit but wanted to play at the expense of reinjuring himself.  Offensive Coordinator Kyle Shanahan couldn’t gel a perfect relationship with the QB either.  Coming off a 3-13 season Redskins made big changes at the club by firstly firing head coach Mike Shanahan and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan.  During free agency they added receiving weapons, DeSean Jackson and Andre Roberts to accompany Pierre Garcon on the flanks.  Their defence was well below par so new head coach Jay Gruden made sure the team improved on that side of the field with the inclusions of safety Ryan Clark, defensive tackle Jason Hatcher and cornerback Tracy Porter.  With their first pick in the draft, the Redskins drafted OLB Trent Murphy out of Stanford who led the NCAA in sacks (15) in 2013 to help clog up the running lanes this season.  Washington have made improvements on offense and defence now they just need it to click into gear come the regular season.  With RG3 back fully healthy and not wearing the knee brace this year, and with the talent his has on the field with him the sky is the limit for this team.  It’s going to be a huge turnaround from last season and I wouldn’t be surprised to see this team back in the playoffs once again.

It’s going to be a close race between the Cowboys, Eagles and Redskins vying for that top spot at the division.  I believe Dallas are going to take out the division but Washington will fall within one game of them and also head to the playoffs clinching a wildcard spot.  It’s going to be another tough year for the Giants especially with the three teams in their division leaps and bounds ahead of them this season.    

  1. Dallas Cowboys 13-3-0

2. Washington Redskins 12-4-0

3. Philadelphia Eagles 9-6-1

4. New York Giants 6-10-0

With the NFL growing rapidly in Australia, fans of the game start to make comparisons of NFL players to Australia’s beloved Rugby League players.  Recently on a promotional trip down under, Detroit Lions running back Reggie Bush was shown a highlight reel of rugby league fullback, Jarryd Hayne.  Astounded by the footage Bush claimed that Hayne could play in the NFL tomorrow.  As a fan of both the NFL and NRL it got myself wondering what players could in fact make the code switch and where would they line up on the NFL field.

Running Back RB – Jarryd Hayne 

Well this one is a no brainer especially when a Super Bowl winning running back claims that you would be able to play the game tomorrow.  Built almost identical to the running backs of today’s game, Hayne stands at 189cm (6’2”), weighs in at 100kg (220lb) and boast incredible acceleration and speed that only a select few RB’s possess.  Hayne is almost identical to the hall of fame to be, Adrian Peterson, so there is no surprise that Bush believes Hayne could make the move.

Wide Receiver WR – Greg Inglis 

This guy maybe two or three years ago, I believe could of been an absolute beast in the NFL.  Standing at 195cm (6’5”) and weighing 106kg (233lb) is built to play the wide receiver role.  The four times Pro Bowler and the league’s best receiver Calvin Johnson stands as tall as Inglis and weighs three pounds heavier, just imagine having to guard these two guys on the field.  Playing the fullback role for NRL team South Sydney Rabbitohs, Inglis is capable of jumping in the air to make a catch at the football.  This is why I believe the wide receiver role would best suit Greg Inglis.

Wide Receiver WR – Daniel Tupou 

This young 23 year old burst on to the NRL scene last year for the premiership winning Sydney Roosters.  When I look at Daniel Tupou and compare him to an NFL player the first guy that comes to mind is 24 year old Alshon Jefferey.  The similarities between these two are freaky, both having stand out years last year for their respective teams.  Tupou stands at 195cm (6’5”) and weighs 99kg (218lb), while Jeffery is 191cm (6’3”) and 98kg (216lb) just incredibly similar.  Just like Greg Inglis, Tupou has made a living of defusing bombs, (a high kick into the air toward the opposition, for those readers who don’t understand what a bomb is), by jumping above his opposing player and making the catch.  If there is any player from the NRL at the moment that I could see in the NFL it would be Daniel Tupou.

Line Backer LB – Dave Taylor

Hard to select a player for this position but if there is anyone that comes to mind for me it is “The Coal Train” Dave Taylor.  Nicknamed “The Coal Train” simply because of his ability to hit you that hard in a tackle it felt like being hit by a train.  This role would suit Taylor’s game as he can be interchanged regularly and when on the field he can make the big hits and impact plays that he produces for his NRL team the Gold Coast Titans.  Taylor weighs 122kg (268lb) slightly heavier than most LB’s but there is no denying his is quicker than a few LB’s in the game.  I would compare Taylor to former Baltimore Ravens line backer Ray Lewis.  Taylor’s explosiveness would give him great ability to beat the block and get to the quarterback on many occasions.

So there are four players I believe could make the code switch and be successful.  I could not select a quarterback just due to the fact that no NRL player in my mind could make the drastic change in throwing style.  And if they could get the over arm throw down pat, the ability to throw it with a tight spiral and with the accuracy that these quarterbacks of today possess, would just be too much for an NRL player to achieve.

Whether it’s a below par performing season or a serious injury ruling a player out for a lengthy period, we seem to forget about how great that particular player was before these unfortunate circumstances.  Here are five offensive threats from the NFC conference that I believe will return to form in a big way this season.

 1. Jeremy Maclin

Maclin tore his ACL last year during training camp and missed the entire first season fo the Chip Kelly run offense.  With the departure of DeSean Jackson, Maclin now becomes Philadelphia’s number one reciver.  Although he might not possess the speed of Jackson, Maclin can still give you 80 plus catches on the season, similar to what Jackson caught last year.  Will be interesting to see how confident Maclin is with his knee but if he can get over that hurdle I can see a big year coming for the receiver.

 2. Robert Griffin III

We all know what this guy is capable of and it was unfortunate that Griffin had succumbed to such an injury early in his career.  The 2012 offensive rookie of the year had to have surgery at the end of his rookie season to repair his LCL and ACL.  Griffin never fully recovered from the injury and his play suffered due to it only throwing 16 TD’s and 3,203 yards over the course of his sophomore season.  Head Coach Mike Shanahan put the superstar quarterback on the injured reserve for the final three games of the season.  Washington went and signed former Philadelphia Eagle’s receiver, DeSean Jackson to team up with Pierre Garcon, Jordan Reed and the rest of the Washington receiving co.  The Washington receiving corpes now stands as one of the strongest in the league so there is no reason that a fully healthy Grifffin can’t return to that great form of his rookie year.

3. Julio Jones

This guy was on pace for a ridiculous 130 receptions for the season until he caught some bad luck and a serious foot injury in week five brought an end to his season.  Jones has Matt Ryan throwing the ball so you know he is going to be targeted a fair amount.  Whether he can match those early numbers of last season with a now healthy Roddy White on the other side of the field is another question but I’m sure we are still going to see a big year for the fourth year receiver out of Alabama.

4. Eli Manning

It was a year to forget for the two time Super Bowl MVP as he lead his G Men to a 7-9 record.  Manning led the league in interceptions (27), and only managed to throw 18TD’s, finishing out the regular season with the second lowest passer rating of 69.4.  But when you’re on the bottom the only way is up and it’s hard to believe Manning can match his last season efforts.  The Giants strengthened their offensive line and drafted Odell Beckham Jr and the emergence of Rueben Bandle last year as a second string wide out provides Manning with a plethora of options to throw too. Simply put Manning had a horrible year but he will be back in 2014-15 looking to guide his G Men to his third Super Bowl.

5. Percy Harvin

This guy won the Super Bowl last year and you asked how he can be on this list?  Well he only managed to play one regular season game and tallied just the one catch.  Injuring his hip in the pre season caused Harvin to miss, well you could say the entire regular season.  Now the number one receiver in Seattle a lot of the offense is going to be run around him.  Now fully healthy, a full pre season under his belt and the swagger of a Super Bowl champ, Harvin will have a huge year.

Usually one of the most feared divisions in football, the AFC North has admittedly lost a little lustre in recent years. The trademark defensive prowess of this division was still evident throughout last season, with all 4 teams finishing in the top 10 defences in regards to yardage allowed. Unfortunately, this did not yield results as only the Cincinnati Bengals finished over .500 and in turn advanced to the playoffs. Expect a better showing this year. 

Baltimore Ravens

For all those Ravens fans, I’d imagine missing last season’s playoffs would be a hard pill to swallow considering they were hoisting the Lombardi and touring Disneyland the year before. In their defence, Baltimore lost a record 8 players from their starting line up, which is a NFL record for a team coming of a Super Bowl.

It goes without saying that the $120 million man, Joe Flacco must step up this year and justify his contract. He has a very solid receiving core in Torrey Smith, Dennis Pitta and free agent acquisition Steve Smith. With a decent O-Line in place with the likes of Eugene Monroe, Gino Gradkowski and Marshal Yanda, the Ravens signal caller has no excuses.

Cincinnati Bengals

Will the Cincinnati Bengals ever win a playoff game with Andy Dalton?? That is the question the Mike Brown and the rest of the Bengals front office are pondering with a possible contract extension in Dalton’s future. 

With that noted, I really think Cincinnati are a live chance of advancing past the regular season for the 4th straight season. They drafted a promising young corner in Darqueze Dennard which will solidify an already impressive secondary. Geno Atkins is one of the league’s most disruptive defensive tackles and AJ Green is clearly in the highest echelon of NFL wide receivers. There is no doubt they have the tools its now a matter of whether they can put it together where it counts.

Cleveland Browns

Other than finally being the centre of the NFL universe this offseason due to the arrival of one J. Manziel, the Browns have the team this year to give the competition a good shake. Even though it is only one player out of 53, the Browns need Josh Gordon to be in uniform this year for them to have any chance. Plain and simple. He is a once in a full moon talent, and will command attention from the opposition which will in turn give players such as Jordan Cameron and Andrew Hawkins a chance to make a big impact.

On the defensive side of the football I really loved the draft pick of Justin Gilbert, who will team up with Joe Haden and newly acquired Donte Whitner to challenge Cleveland as the best secondary in the conference. Love what the future holds for this team. 

Pittsburgh Steelers

Hoping to bounce back from a disappointing 2013/2014 campaign, the Black and Yellow will turn to the exuberance of youth on the defensive side. Their top two picks, Ryan Shazier and Stephon Tuitt will contribute right away and play well. Shazier will also win Defensive Rookie in my humble opinion.

One player I will be keeping my eye on is 2nd year receiver Markus Wheaton who I really liked coming out of Oregon State. He will step into the slot and fill the void left by Denver bound Emmanuel Sanders. Expect him to contribute heavily to the Steelers’ success this year. 

In a division which will come down to the last weeks of the regular season, I think Pittsburgh will finish on top and boast another division title when it is all said and done. Cincy will grab a wildcard spot and finsh runner up in the division. Baltimore and Cleveland will both be around the .500 mark but I can’t see them in this year’s playoffs. 

1. Pittsburgh Steelers 2. Cincinnati Bengals 3. Baltimore Ravens 4. Cleveland Browns

The NFC West division includes the likes of the Super Bowl champs, Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers, but with the St Louis Rams having an outstanding draft last month this division could go anyway this year.  A mix of great defences and explosive offenses are on display within this division and that’s why I believe the NFC West will be the strongest division in the conference this season.

Let’s start with the Arizona Cardinals.  Coming off a 10-6 season in the same division as the Super Bowl champs and the highly rated 49ers, the Cardinals did extremely well to hang around in that division.  When Carson Palmer was given time to hang in the pocket he showed his still possessed the ability to lead a team into the playoffs.  But that’s where Arizona struggled, their offensive line was poor and Carson Palmer was rushed into throwing too early or sacked.  They addressed their needs in free agency with the signing of LT Jared Veldheer, to hopefully strengthen that offensive line to give Palmer the time he needs.  The Cardinals also made sure that their defence would be able to hang with the like of Seattle’s and San Fran’s when they drafted SS Deone Bucannon and DE Kareem Martin in the first and third round respectively. With the emergence of Michael Floyd last year as a top wide receiver it gives Arizona an extra threat to go along with Larry Fitzgerald.  If the offensive line can stay healthy and give Palmer the time he needs I can see the Cardinals giving it a red hot run this season.

The San Francisco 49ers, one word describes this team, explosive.  Their offense,  lead by the explosive Colin Kaepernick, who is also now $61 million guaranteed richer, is regarded as one of the best attacks in the NFL and it comes as no real surprise when you have the likes of Michael Crabtree, Vernon Davis and Frank Gore on their side.  Their explosive defence lead by the best linebacker in the game, Patrick Willis also possesses Justin Smith, Aldon Smith and Willis’s right hand man NaVorro Bowman.  They went and drafted Jimmie Ward to fill the hole at the safety position left by Donte Whitner.  Everything is in order for the 49ers to have another shot at capturing that elusive sixth Lombardi and under the guidance of Jim Harbaugh the 49ers will be one of the favourites to win Super Bowl XLIX.

Now the St Louis Rams, this team does not know what the word luck is, because for them they have not had much luck over the past few seasons.  Sam Bradford has been plagued by injuries during his four years in the league which has affected the Rams offensive mentality, any team that losses their number one choice quarterback is going to have their struggles.  I think people forget Bradford is the guy that holds the NFL record for most consecutive passes without an interception (169).  The man did that without any stand out wide receiver on his side, which the Rams have lacked ever since Torrey Holt left them.  On a positive note for St Louis, they drafted speedster Tavon Austin last year, who I believe could become their number one receiver and finally provide Bradford with a threat offensively and the emergence of Zac Stacey at running back last year, gave the team a steady run game to compliment Bradford.  This year with the second overall pick they drafted Greg Robinson OT, to improve that offensive line to make sure opposing defences don’t get to the quarterback as often as they did last year.  They come into the 2014-15 season with what I believe to be the best defensive line with the likes of Chris Long, Robert Quinn and their second first round draft pick, Aaron Donald.  St Louis just need to pray that Bradford can stay healthy and play a full season and they should be able to be very much a contender for a playoff run this season.

Finally the Super Bowl champions, the Seattle Seahawks.  Can they overcome the Super Bowl hangover and can Richard Sherman shake the Madden Curse?  They are really the only questions to be asked about this team.  They may have lost Golden Tate to Detroit but a healthy Percy Harvin and Sydney Rice provide QB Russell Wilson with tremendous options on offense still.  Their defence should be ranked first in the NFL coming into this season, you can’t keep Peyton Manning to just eight points in the biggest game of the year and not be recognized as the best defence in the league.  They possess the best safety in the NFL, Earl Thomas an arguably the best corner in the league, Richard Sherman to provide their defence with the best backfield within the NFL.  It’s going to be another big season for this team and you can guarantee it is either playoffs or bust this season for the Seahawks. 

This division is going to be a close race with the St Louis Rams really proving themselves this season to make a run at the playoffs but I think Seattle are just going to be too strong again.  They say defence win games and when you have the best defence you sure are going to win your fair share of games. NFC West Rankings

Seattle Seahawks 13-3-0

San Francisco 49ers 11-5

St Louis Rams 9-7-0

Arizona Cardinals 5-11-0

Over the coming weeks I will be doing a short review on each division in the NFC.  It will include my prediction on how the division will pan out as well as a brief summary on the teams new acquisitions over the off season.  I will also give a prediction of each team’s record.  So let’s start with the NFC North.

The NFC pose I believe, the toughest divisions this year and the NFC North division is one of the toughest.  Starting with the Green Bay Packers, Super Bowl champs only 3 years ago, but injuries too star quarterback Aaron Rodgers has affected the Packers offense over the past two years.  And an aging defence has had some concern in the passing game.  But with the acquisition of Ha Ha Clinton-Dix in the 2014 NFL Draft, their defensive backfield will hope to get that swagger back like the days of Charles Woodson.  And with a healthy Aaron Rogers this year with his talented receiving corps lead by Jordy Nelson should see the cheese heads back into Super Bowl contention once again.

The Chicago Bears, they are a funny team, one year they are recognized as the best defensive team and the next year they rank in the bottom 5 of rushing yards allowed per game.  While their offensive game last year was second to none it was their defence that let the team down.  That’s why the Bears made sure on draft day they went out and recruited some young defensive talent in the likes of Kyle Fuller and the two big defensive tackles Ego Ferguson and Will Sutton.  And with the emergence of wide receiver Alshon Jeffery last year Chicago boast one of the best wide receiving tandems in the league.  This year it’s up to Jay Cutler to stay healthy and prove that he can take this team to the next level.

The Detroit Lions, well all I can say about this team is failures.  When you have the best wide receiver to probably ever play the game, (no disrespect to Jerry Rice), and a quarterback who possess the arm strength of a Roethlisberger and throw in a defensive line lead by Ndamukong Suh surely you are set to hoist the Lombardi right?  Well for the Lions it isn’t the right recipe.  The struggling Lions have won only 11 games over the past 2 seasons and Matthew Stafford is throwing more interceptions each year.  They went and drafted Eric Ebron with their 10th pick in the draft and signed Super Bowl champion Golden Tate to provide Stafford with a couple of weapons to go along with Megatron, so this year he has every chance of throwing 5,000 yards and 40+ TD’s.  Detroit just has to make sure they can keep it locked in on defence if they want to win games.

Finally the men in purple, the Minnesota Vikings, they have new coach, new quarterback and a new stadium (well that’s on its way), so things are looking up you could say.  But a dismal 5-10-1 season for the Vikings last year which saw the team go with three different quarterbacks throughout the season.  They went out and drafted the pro ready quarterback out of Louisville, Teddy Bridgewater and with the 9th overall pick got defensive monster, Anthony Barr.  Barr looks like he fits the scheme well in Minnesota and will help to buff up their defence in an already strong defensive division.  Offensive Coordinator, Norv Turner really likes quarterback, Matt Cassell so it will be interesting come week one who will start behind centre, I believe Bridgewater is the man for the job.  One man you can bank on with the starting job is no.28 Adrian Peterson.  The Hall of Fame to be running back always seems to find a way to keep the Vikings in the competition and this year will be no different for the 8 year veteran and with speedster Cordarrelle Patterson receiving catches from Bridgewater it could be an interesting season for the Vikings this year.

I believe it’s going to be a close division this year, especially between the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers vying for that top spot, and the difference will come down to their divisional matchups during the season .  So circle weeks 4 and 10 cause they are going to separate these two teams.

 NFC North Rankings 

Green Bay Packers 11-5-0

Chicago Bears 10-6-0

Minnesota Vikings 7- 9-0

Detroit Lions 5-11-0

With the NFL draft now in the books and the final week of OTA’s upon us, the upcoming NFL season seems to be sneaking up on us quicker than expected.  Which is good, right?  Of course it is.  The rookies are signing their contracts and the veterans are taking the select few under their mentoring wings.  But before we get into training camp and the pre season let us have a look back on the draft that took place in New York City just a month ago. 

The 2014 NFL Draft that included the likes of, Jadeveon Clowney, Sammy Watkins, Khalil Mack and of course the party boy Johnny “Football” Manziel, was one of the deepest drafts in the past few years for the NFL, and it’s not a wonder why when you see names like those player’s on the board.  A lot of talk leading up to the draft was not who was going to be drafted first, but rather, when will Johnny Manziel go and where.   Many scouts had the quarterback going with the 16th pick to the Jerry Jones owned Dallas Cowboys, but a select few had him going in the early picks to either Jacksonville or Cleveland. It seemed the way to go for the Jacksonville Jaguars, a team struggling with ticket sales, due to poor performances through the past 4 seasons and with the departure of Maurice Jones Drew, their roster wasn’t improving.  Was Manziel their man to change their fortune and sell the EverBank Field out with his flashy runs and incredible on the run passes?  Well he wasn’t the answer in the end, as Jacksonville went ahead and drafted Blake Bortles with the third overall pick.  While the Jags where drafting Bortles another contending team for Manziel, Cleveland, where trading their pick to the Buffallo Bills.  This trade had people wondering whether in fact Manziel was the man for Cleveland. When Cleveland’s pick finally came around you could hear the chants of Manziel all the way from Cleveland.  But once again the team went with another option drafting corner back Justin Gilbert with the ninth pick and with that selection followed a loud rumble of boos throughout the building.  As the draft continued Manziel continued to drop down the board, the Cowboys came around with the 16th pick and everyone was thinking the same thing, Jerry Jones is not going to pass up on the “Money Making Manziel.”  But Jones surprised everyone with the wiser choice of Zack Martin offensive tackle, to provide quarterback Tony Romo with greater protection.  Then it came to the early 20’s and everyone thought Manziel was going to slump to the second round, but just when you thought the night was running out of excitement Cleveland made a surprising trade to secure the 22nd pick.  This time owner Jimmy Haslem couldn’t say no to the Manziel chanting Browns fans and decided to go ahead and draft the most talked about prospect of the draft.  When Commissioner Roger Goodell read out “with the 22nd pick in the 2014 draft the Cleveland Browns select quarterback Johnny Manziel” the browns fans in the building went crazy the noise was roof lifting.  I have never witnessed a draft pick in the 20’s get a louder reception then the 1st overall pick it was quite the ovation for Manziel. Manziel has had quite the attention ever since that Heisman season for Texas A&M and now entering the NFL that attention looks to have increased.  Manziel is probably the most talked about rookie out of the draft so any wrong move on his behalf is heavily scrutinised by the media, whether that be hanging out with high profile friends Drake and Lebron James or going to parties in Las Vegas.  It is going to be interesting to see how Manziel handles the pressure forced upon him by the media and how Cleveland handle all the hype surrounding the young star.  Will Manziel have the outstanding year Cleveland fans are hoping for it will it be another quarterback bust for Cleveland.  Only time will tell, and that time is fast approaching with the NFL season kicking off on September the 4th.