What are your expectations for your team in 2015?

[cima]

This forum is DEAD and we need to get some discussion going as football season gets closer.

If you couldn't tell by the avatar, I'm a Bengals fan. Right now I'm feeling slightly on the optimistic side rather than the usual pessimistic side of things. Things can change a lot throughout the season as certain injuries begin to have negative effects. I'm not optimistic at all about Vontaze Burfict making it back to start the season and if he does make it back, I expect him to have a down year ala Geno Atkins last year. Here's my schedule predictions as of right now, before any injuries have accumulated.

@ Oakland W
vs San Diego W
@ Baltimore L (We swept them last year, not going to happen again this year)
vs Kansas City W
vs Seattle L
@ Buffalo W
Bye
@ Pittsburgh L
vs Cleveland W
vs Houston W
@ Arizona L (can't wait for this game as I'll be going to it)
vs St. Louis W
@ Cleveland W
vs Pittsburgh W
@ San Francisco L
@ Denver L
vs Baltimore W

Overall: 10-6, sneaking into the playoffs yet again. If we stay relatively healthy, maybe we'll actually win a game in the playoffs this year...lol jk who am I kidding? I don't pin any blame on Andy Dalton for the playoff Ls like lots of Bengals fans do. It's hard to win when you don't have your #1 WR, #2 WR, #1 TE, and #2 TE to throw to in a game, especially on the road against a guy like Andrew Luck.

[areobee401]

Re: What are your expectations for your team in 2015?

Anything less of another championship is a failure.

[redsox4evur]

Re: What are your expectations for your team in 2015?

Patriots:

Brady's suspension to cut in half missing games 1 & 2. The flying chicken starts those games over Journeyman Matt Flynn. And shows the country he is the heir apparent to Brady. Team goes 12-4 wins the division and have a bottom 5 defense in the league again. And Brady gets ring #5. Making him the greatest QB in NFL history.

[SPTO]

Re: What are your expectations for your team in 2015?

Playoffs or bust for the Bills. There will be NO excuses this year.

[Marino]

Re: What are your expectations for your team in 2015?

I think the Dolphins can make the playoffs. They just need to start strong because the end of the season is brutal.

[elgreazy1]

Re: What are your expectations for your team in 2015?

Really tough to say for the Cowboys.

The team is in a good place. The roster from top to bottom got more athletic and younger, and having the same coaching staff intact is going to be huge for development and continuity. There is no fear of losing one's job or earning the next contract. I'm really pleased with the direction Garrett and his staff has this roster going. I'm also really happy with a lot of the fiscal moves the team made this offseason, sticking to being smart with the cap - that is until they exercised the option on Romo's contract.

I feel they overachieved last season in terms of wins mainly because we played the dreadful AFC South. This year, we have the AFC East and each of those teams features dominate defenses (Jets, Bills, Dolphins) or a supremely coached team (Patriots). Additionally, NFC East rivals like the Giants & Redskins will rebound to an extent; both suffered through a lot of injuries. The Iggles will probably be the most realistic contender for the NFC East crown; I'm not sure of what to make of Kelly's moves other than they will make or break his team this season.

In terms of the roster, my biggest concerns are with the RBs and the backup QB. I understand the business side of letting Demarco Murray go, what I don't understand are the contingency plans. Joseph Randle may be able to carry the load, but he's shown some troubling signs: stealing, domestic violence charges (dropped), calling out teammates (Dez last year for his troubles with his Mom & talking down of Murray, a well respected player in the clubhouse), etc. That's immature, irresponsible and disrespectful, and it's not the kind of person I'm going to put all my stock into, nor is it the kind of player Garrett like to have on the roster. So our failsafe is Darren McFadden who's chronically injured and never evolved into the runner coming out of Arkansas, Lance Dunbar a small, specialty player, and Ryan Williams who couldn't make it off the practice squad last year. If the team is incapable of running or our RB simply just doesn't scare defenses, prepare for the focus to fall solely on the QB to sling us out of games.

That leeds to Romo. Tony Romo has not been able to stay healthy these last few years and it really worries me that we only have Weeden & a no-name 2nd year guy - I will say this Vaughn is no Romo, we will not get lucky again with a franchise UFA QB. Weeden was terrible in his sole start, and I expected more, especially from a guy who simply never had that kind of talent to surround him. He was overwhelmed and under-prepared which is inexcusable when you consider he took almost all snaps in training camp and all snaps on Wednesdays of that season so Romo could rest. If Romo goes down for an extended period of time, the season is potentially gone.

[Hooe]

Re: What are your expectations for your team in 2015?

Dallas Cowboys - my expectations are win the NFC East and get to the playoffs. No reason why we shouldn't be able to do that from where I sit, though it's going to be a slog getting there because it always is in the NFC East.

From there, anything can happen.

[TheMatrix31]

Re: What are your expectations for your team in 2015?

I expect another year of injuries and blown opportunities for the Houston Texans.

[thaima1shu]

Re: What are your expectations for your team in 2015?

Hopefully the Super Bowl. The team still has all the pieces and depth again to make a run at it.

Still can't believe it's kind of realistic to even expect the Seahawks to make a third straight Super Bowl. Seems unreal.

[cima]

Re: What are your expectations for your team in 2015?

Hopefully the Super Bowl. The team still has all the pieces and depth again to make a run at it.

Still can't believe it's kind of realistic to even expect the Seahawks to make a third straight Super Bowl. Seems unreal.

I'm looking forward to our matchup this year! My almost-wife is from Seattle and she's a big Hawks fan. I remember we won in Seattle during Dalton's rookie year in 2011 but you're a completely different animal now. AJ Green can struggle against great corners so I expect Sherman to have his way with him.

[Twenty Four]

Re: What are your expectations for your team in 2015?

I wont make a playoffs prediction, because well anything can happen in the post-season. I do expect nothing less than an NFC East championship from Dallas, however. I think we're by far the best team in the division. Losing Demarco is rough, but Randle should get more credit than he goes, hes a solid back with an Elite OL. The Defense as whole should make another big leap with tge additions Byron Jones, Randy Gregory, and unfortunately Greg Hardy when he gets back. It'll be great to see what Lawrence can do at DE. He played great when he came back from injury. Also getting Lee back. Should be a huge step up defensively .

I got 12-4 NFCE Champs, and we'll see what happens from there.

[LowerWolf]

Re: What are your expectations for your team in 2015?

Despite the offseason from hell, there's still a lot of talent in San Francisco. Torrey Smith is exactly what the offense needed. The key will be can the line hold up? Anthony Davis may be the biggest offseason loss of all. Kap takes all the heat, but the line did him no favors last year.

On defense, losing Willis hurts, but he missed 10 games last season and the defense carried on. Bowman is back (though how effective remains to be seen), Brock is back and we've got some pieces on the D-line.

I don't worry about Tomsula as much as I do Chryst/Mangini. I can see this team going 10-6 and competing for the division title in a brutal division. I can just as easily see them going 6-10 and finishing last.

[henry963]

Re: What are your expectations for your team in 2015?

Anything less of another championship is not a failure..

[AdamJones113]

Re: What are your expectations for your team in 2015?

The New York Football Giants will do one of two things:

1. Be bit by the injury bug and go 6-10
or
2. Squeak our way to 10-6 record (hopefully good for a WC spot or even better, Dallas will come down to earth and be worse and we'll get the division—doubtful)

Sadly, #1 is much more likely.

The New York Giants will spend another year as a non-entity of a baseball team living only in history books and nostalgic elders.


Both ways, there is no joy in Mudville.

[OSUFan_88]

Re: What are your expectations for your team in 2015?

Expectations?

Probably about 6ish wins. I'd like to say that challenging for the playoffs the whole year is an expectations, but I cannot say that with the Borwns QB situation the way it is.

If McCown does get hot or somehow finds that luck that he had in Chicago, then expectations are the playoffs, for sure. The Browns don't need much of an offense, just enough to allow the defense to take over the game and sit on a lead.