Which Team is This Year's Miami Dolphins?

[SpacemanSpiff]

Quote: Originally Posted by splff3000

I'm pretty sure Kellen Clemens will get the start, but even if Sanchez starts, have you ever heard of Joe Flacco or better yet, Matt Ryan? They have a no.1 WR.......Jerricho Cotchery. He was, at times, just as good as Laveranues. I'm pretty sure, if I had asked who is gonna win the AFC east last year, every person here would have New England, including myself. There was nothing on paper that would suggest that Miami is gonna win the division......nothing. That same nothing is right there with the Jets this year. If it is one thing I have learned about the NFL is expect the unexpected lol. Other than a rookie QB, is there some other reason why the Jets could not win it? Don't say the Patriots because everyone knows it takes 2 yrs to fully recover from an ACL injury, so I don't think the Patriots will be back just yet.

I wouldn't discount the Patriots so easily, they have much more depth this year with all the draft picks so I expect them to finish the year strong.

[afro_dogg20]

The Seahawks or the Chiefs IMO.

[shotgun styles]

Oakland.

They have very quietly (loudly) put together an impressive amount of talent on offense. If they ever get around to running a run-heavy play-action oriented offense they could be VERY dangerous in a division that is weak on defense.

[CW McGraw]

Quote: Originally Posted by splff3000

I'm pretty sure Kellen Clemens will get the start, but even if Sanchez starts, have you ever heard of Joe Flacco or better yet, Matt Ryan?

Joe Flacco had one of the best defenses out there as well as a top 5 running game. People forget that the season before they had a top 10 pick, the Ravens were one of the best teams in the league. The Falcons had a relatively complete offense for Matt Ryan to step into.

Furthermore, Sanchez left after his junior season. I don't have the numbers on me, but if I recall correctly only one junior QB in the past ten years hasn't been a horrific bust.

Quote: Originally Posted by splff3000

They have a no.1 WR.......Jerricho Cotchery. He was, at times, just as good as Laveranues.

Being as good as an aging sprinter isn't an accomplishment, especially if you aren't consistently better than him. The same experts that fell in love with your strapping young lad from the West Coast also claimed the Jets need a true #1 receiver.

Quote: Originally Posted by splff3000

I'm pretty sure, if I had asked who is gonna win the AFC east last year, every person here would have New England, including myself. There was nothing on paper that would suggest that Miami is gonna win the division......nothing. That same nothing is right there with the Jets this year. If it is one thing I have learned about the NFL is expect the unexpected lol.

True, there was no reason to think Miami would even get 8 wins, but no one banked on Pennington falling into our laps, Joey Porter having a career year, and the Patriots losing half of their starters to injury.

Banking on miracles happening two years in a row is idiotic and borderline insane. By your logic of expecting the unexpected, any frivolous and foolish prediction can be defended. Hell, if we're "expecting the unexpected" why not just say the Lions will win the NFC North or that the Raiders will return to their normal winning ways?

Quote: Originally Posted by splff3000

Other than a rookie QB, is there some other reason why the Jets could not win it?

The Jets running game will struggle without the threat of Favre's ol' Civil War cannon. They lack a capable pass rusher. I will say the Patriots. The Jets could only barely split the series when playing Matt Cassell. The Jets barely finished above .500 with one of the easiest schedules in the league.

Everyone forgets so quickly about the last Ravens defensive coordinator to get a head coaching job. Marvin Lewis has just now turned the Bengals defense into something semi-respectable, but still has one winning season, one playoff appearance, and no playoff victories to show for it. Rex Ryan doesn't have Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Haloti Ngata, and Terrell Suggs.

Quote: Originally Posted by splff3000

Don't say the Patriots because everyone knows it takes 2 yrs to fully recover from an ACL injury, so I don't think the Patriots will be back just yet.

Ronnie Brown made the Pro Bowl one year after tearing his ACL. If a RB, a position that tends to wear out the knees, can play well after tearing his ACL, I'm pretty sure Tom Brady, who I assure you was no Mike Vick when healthy, will do just fine.

[splff3000]

Oooh I like this. A spirited debate about football............in May. OK here we go.

Quote: Originally Posted by CW McGraw

Joe Flacco had one of the best defenses out there as well as a top 5 running game. People forget that the season before they had a top 10 pick, the Ravens were one of the best teams in the league. The Falcons had a relatively complete offense for Matt Ryan to step into.

Yes, Joe Flacco had a great defense, but guess what? That defensive coordinator and 3 key members of that defense now coach/play for the Jets. As for Matt Ryan, I'm pretty sure that the Jets offense last year was more complete than the Falcons offense the year before Matt Ryan got there. He did it. Why not Sanchez? If Clemens gets the start, it doesn't matter anyway. He was pretty decent in his limited time at QB.

Quote: Originally Posted by CW McGraw

Being as good as an aging sprinter isn't an accomplishment, especially if you aren't consistently better than him. The same experts that fell in love with your strapping young lad from the West Coast also claimed the Jets need a true #1 receiver.

I'm not quite sure what you're trying to say here. As for the aging sprinter part, it's an accomplishment if that aging sprinter is as productive as Laveranues Coles was. As far as consistency, Cotchery actually had a better year with 71 rec and 858 yds compared to Coles' 70 rec and 850 yds. If anything, you can say they didn't have a no.1 WR BEFORE, with half of the balls going to Coles and the other half going to Cotchery. With Coles gone, Cotchery is set to be the teams no.1 WR.

Quote: Originally Posted by CW McGraw

True, there was no reason to think Miami would even get 8 wins, but no one banked on Pennington falling into our laps, Joey Porter having a career year, and the Patriots losing half of their starters to injury.

Right, you can't predict what's gonna happen. Who knows? Thomas Jones could break the NFL single season rushing record for all we know.

Quote: Originally Posted by CW McGraw

Banking on miracles happening two years in a row is idiotic and borderline insane. By your logic of expecting the unexpected, any frivolous and foolish prediction can be defended. Hell, if we're "expecting the unexpected" why not just say the Lions will win the NFC North or that the Raiders will return to their normal winning ways?

Yes, you CAN bank on a miracle. EVERY year some team comes from nowhere to win there division or make the playoffs or something. Look at the NFC south for example: from 2003 -2007 the team that finished in last place the year before won the division the next year. That ended this year with Atlanta not winning the division, but they did make the playoffs. So you see "miracles" DO happen......EVERY year. As for the Raiders comment, I wouldn't be surprised if we turned it around and won the division. We are in a weak division. Anybody can win at anytime. In 1998, the St Louis Rams went 4-12..........the next year they won the Super Bowl. So you see, the previous year's record doesn't mean anything the next year.

Quote: Originally Posted by CW McGraw

The Jets running game will struggle without the threat of Favre's ol' Civil War cannon. They lack a capable pass rusher. I will say the Patriots. The Jets could only barely split the series when playing Matt Cassell. The Jets barely finished above .500 with one of the easiest schedules in the league.

Threat? If anything, people were disrespecting Favre's cannon. Jones yds came more from being in the system for a full year and having a better O-line. I'm pretty sure Favre's arm didn't have as much to do with the rushing as you think. You say the Jets barely split the series with the Patriots when playing Matt Cassell. Is this the same Matt Cassell that took them to an 11-5 record? The same Matt Cassel that beat the Superbowl runner up, AZ Cardinals, 47-7? The same Matt Cassell that defeated the division winning Miami Dolphins 48-28 one week after losing to the Jets? Yeah, I think you can leave the Matt Cassell part out of the equation. As I said before the Jets kinda came apart during some of their games last year and that lead to the 9-7 record. If they could be more consistent under the new coach, I see them way above .500 this year.

Quote: Originally Posted by CW McGraw

Everyone forgets so quickly about the last Ravens defensive coordinator to get a head coaching job. Marvin Lewis has just now turned the Bengals defense into something semi-respectable, but still has one winning season, one playoff appearance, and no playoff victories to show for it. Rex Ryan doesn't have Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Haloti Ngata, and Terrell Suggs.

Lewis was taking over a horrible Bengals team and had them in the playoffs just 3 yrs later. The Jets are nowhere near as bad as the Bengals were when Lewis took over so that comparison is not a fair one. As for the personnel, no one knew who played for the Ravens until Lewis got them playing that fire D. If that D plays good, people will learn the names of the players for the jets.

Quote: Originally Posted by CW McGraw

Ronnie Brown made the Pro Bowl one year after tearing his ACL. If a RB, a position that tends to wear out the knees, can play well after tearing his ACL, I'm pretty sure Tom Brady, who I assure you was no Mike Vick when healthy, will do just fine.

Ronnie Brown scored on a LOT of gimmick plays. You can ask everyone here and I'm pretty sure most will tell you that a player USUALLY takes about 2 yrs before they start looking like they did before the injury. Ronnie Brown is the exception, not the rule. Ask Carson Palmer how long it takes.

[CM Hooe]

I'll go with the Seahawks, they got absolutely hammered by the injury bug last year.

[splff3000]

Quote: Originally Posted by shotgun styles

Oakland. They have very quietly (loudly) put together an impressive amount of talent on offense. If they ever get around to running a run-heavy play-action oriented offense they could be VERY dangerous in a division that is weak on defense.

You wouldn't be saying that if you saw those Jamarcus Russell pictures that are floating around the internet.

[OSUFan_88]

Quote: Originally Posted by shotgun styles

Oakland. They have very quietly (loudly) put together an impressive amount of talent on offense. If they ever get around to running a run-heavy play-action oriented offense they could be VERY dangerous in a division that is weak on defense.

JaMarcus Russel has to prove he can be an NFL QB first...

Seahawks, all the way. They have probably the best LB'er core in the NFL.