https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/...uld-make-leap-into-the-playoff-field-in-2018/

Redskins, Ravens lead list of five teams that could make leap into the playoff field in 2018

Washington and Baltimore are two of the less obvious contenders to make the playoffs after missing out last year

Every year the NFL is slammed full of parity -- a couple of surprising teams jump up and make the playoffs, while several teams we never thought in our wildest dreams could regress manage to fall back and miss the postseason.

Oddly enough, four out of the last 10 Super Bowl winners have managed to miss the playoffs the following year, with the Eagles TBD. Philadelphia was one of the teams I mentioned as a fallback candidate earlier this week. Judging by my mentions, Eagles fans have abandoned the City of Brotherly Love moniker.

Nevertheless, we soldier bravely on to a group of teams who WILL make the playoffs in 2018. Last year this was my poorly performing segment -- after going 4-1 on my teams to miss, I went only 2-3 on teams to make. I firmly believe this year will be better, because there are a pair of very obvious candidates who should make the postseason.

Love the list, hate the list or just want to cuss at someone? Let me know on Twitter @WillBrinson.

And for a more detailed breakdown of possible playoff teams, check out the Pick Six Podcast, which features former Steelers cornerback and CBS Sports HQ star Bryant McFadden and I breaking down our choice of five teams who will make the leap. If you subscribe and listen to our daily NFL podcast, we will be best friends. Not even kidding. Your options to eternal friendship: via iTunes | via Stitcher | via TuneIn | via Google Play

LA Chargers

• 2017 Record: 9-7
• 2017 Expected Wins: 10.4
• 2018 Vegas Win Total: 9.5

Overview: Everyone knew this was coming, right? The Chargers aren't just favored to make the playoffs this year, they're also the favorite in their division for the first time in a while, and it makes some sense. The Chargers lost Hunter Henry already during OTAs, but largely had a very nice offseason. They added Maurkice Pouncey to what might be the best offensive line in front of Philip Rivers since LaDainian Tomlinson was there and stole Derwin James with their first-round pick of the draft. They're a year removed from moving and Anthony Lynn has some experience as a head coach now. Everyone should be more comfortable.

Why They Will Make The Playoffs: They shouldn't be on this list, because they should have made the playoffs last year. Los Angeles finished 9-7 after starting 0-4 and easily should have been 2-2 at worst. Their other three losses were an eight-point loss in New England to the Patriots, a three-point overtime loss in Jacksonville to the Jaguars and an ugly meltdown against the Chiefs late in December, with Rivers making an MVP push and the Chargers threatening to steal the division away. They are talented at every position -- Rivers is still a top-10 quarterback, Melvin Gordon's established himself as a consistent runner out of the backfield, Keenan Allen showed signs of a major breakthrough last year and they'll be getting Forrest Lamp back on the offensive line, which already features Dan Feeney, Russell Okung and Pouncey. Defensively, Melvin Ingramand Joey Bosa are the best edge-rushing duo in the league, and James on the back end will make this defense studly. If there were ever a year to take this division it's now, with the Chiefs in transition at quarterback, the Raiders in transition with their coach and the Broncos trying to figure things out. This should be the Chargers' year, especially with a soft schedule.

Why They Could Miss The Playoffs: Chargers-related things. This team has found a way to flub good situations before over the past 10-15 years. The Henry injury is certainly ominous -- Vegas dropped the Chargers from roughly 14-1 to win the Super Bowl to 22-1 after that injury, and it mainly felt like "because they're the Chargers" reasons. The defense is very good, but the linebackers can be issues, Corey Liuget will be missing for four games to start the year and Jason Verrett has to stay healthy for a full season. Rivers has shown he can mature physically as a quarterback but it's possible he just completely falls off a cliff and he's certainly at the age where it might happen. Patrick Mahomes could be great for Kansas City, the Broncos defense might be elite and Jon Gruden could fire up the Raiders into another 12-win season. It's all on the table but the Chargers have a nice path.

Green Bay Packers

• 2017 Record: 7-9
• 2017 Expected Wins: 6.3
• 2018 Vegas Win Total: 10

Overview: Another obvious option for a very obvious reason: Aaron Rodgers. The Most Physically Gifted Quarterback Ever lost another large chunk of a season in 2017 when he suffered a broken collarbone on his throwing shoulder. The disastrous season resulted in major turnover on all levels. Ted Thompson out as GM, Dom Capers out as defensive coordinator, Alex Van Pelt out as QB coach, Jordy Nelson out as Rodgers No. 1 weapon. Brian Guntekunst did a fine job this offseason, bringing in Mike Pettine as DC and picking up some weapons like Jimmy Graham. He also added Muhammad Wilkerson on the defense and picked up Jaire Alexander and Josh Jackson to beef up the defensive backfield. All in all, it's pretty clear the expectations are there for Green Bay to contend or win the division -- if Rodgers is healthy, missing the playoffs would be a massive disappointment.

Why They Will Make The Playoffs: Again, Rodgers. He's the most dangerous quarterback in football when he's healthy. No one has a higher ceiling. He'll be protected by a strong offensive line and has Davante Adams (a blossoming star wideout), Graham, Randall Cobb and some young talent to throw to. The running game needs to get sorted out, but there's plenty of bodies back there. Defensively, this is the best team the Packers have rolled out in the past few years. I'm obnoxiously high on how much of a difference Pettine can make for this team -- his defenses were outstanding when he coached under Rex Ryan, and his tenure with the Browns was much better than people thought, in hindsight.

Why They Could Miss The Playoffs: Just look at last year if you need evidence about the Packers not making it to the postseason. Rodgers has missed significant time in recent years, so while him losing a large chunk of the season would still be random and still be disappointing, it might actually conjure up "Is Aaron Rodgers Past His Prime and Injury Prone?" takes. Don't sell the media short on that one. The defense doesn't have to be good. I'm in on Pettine this offseason, but that could all turn quickly if the young secondary doesn't take a leap and the front seven can't pressure anyone. The running game is just kind of an assume thing at this point, but Aaron Jones is suspended, we don't know how the Packers want to use Ty Montgomery, so Jamaal Williams is sort of the guy by default but without great stats from last year. If Adams doesn't live up to the billing, Rodgers' receivers will have taken a major step back from peak Jordy Nelson.

Baltimore Ravens

• 2017 Record: 9-7
• 2017 Expected Wins: 10.4
• 2018 Vegas Win Total: 6.5

Overview: There's some commotion around this team because of incumbent quarterback/Super Bowl hero Joe Flacco sitting on an extremely hot seat. The selection of Lamar Jackson in the first round signified the Ravens' long-term plans and perhaps even their short-term plans: if Flacco is bad this year, Jackson can get on the field. He's electrified the city of Baltimore, he's electrified the Ravens fanbase and, frankly, thinking about Jackson running a fast-paced offense is electrifying. Even without Jackson under center, the Ravens have enough on hand to do some damage in the AFC North. Michael Crabtree, Willie Snead and John Brown might be the best trio of wideouts Flacco's had in a few years, which says something (bad about their previous receivers). All of those guys were added this offseason, which is the final offseason of Ozzie Newsome's tenure as Ravens GM. There could certainly be a "Win One For Ozzie" sentiment here, which sounds foolish, but the Ravens managed to make it work the last time they won a Super Bowl.

Why They Will Make The Playoffs: We spend so much time in 2018 focusing on skill-position guys, we often lose sight of the fact where football is played, and the Ravens are deep in the trenches. They have a mauling offensive line, and it shouldn't be surprising if Orlando Brown -- a good football player with terrible combine testing -- ends up producing right away. Alex Collins is an under-appreciated smashmouth running back. Dude plays with his hair on fire. Even if you don't believe Flacco steps up, there are enough dangerous guys on offense to stretch the field and give him a deep weapon. Personally I don't want to bet against Joe Flacco with his back up against the wall. I've seen it and he turns into Joe Montana. Defensively this is a top-three DVOA team that didn't do a lot to get better in the offseason, but they don't need to get better. Baltimore shut out three teams last year! It doesn't sound as great as it should, but shutting out three different NFL teams in a single season in this era of passing is pretty impressive. Four of their seven losses were by one score, and they were 0-4 in those games. John Harbaugh is a very good coach. They have a three-game stretch of road games early but win one of those and they're getting to nine wins.

Why They Could Miss The Playoffs: The whole Flacco-Lamar thing could completely unravel. Flacco's got pretty much carte blanche in Baltimore to do what he wants, but he knows the situation. He won't be on the Ravens in 2019, barring an injury to Jackson. His contract is unwieldy and Baltimore just invested in a big-name quarterback who got irrationally pushed down draft boards. The running game could struggle if Collins can't repeat last year's success and the offensive line isn't up to snuff. It's hard to see the defense being bad, per se, but the Ravens managed to the miss the playoffs with an elite defense last year. The difference now is they have a parachute for the offense if Flacco struggles.

Washington Redskins

• 2017 Record: 7-9
• 2017 Expected Wins: 6.8
• 2018 Vegas Win Total: 6.5

Overview: Last year's Redskins team is treated as a bad squad with a stats-padding quarterback and a questionable defense. But the narrative could have been much different: no one in the NFL lost more games to injuries than Washington last year, per Football Outsiders' Adjusted Games Lost metric, and no one will remember this was a top-five team against the run before Jonathan Allen went down after five weeks. Cue a double down on the defensive line, with Da'Ron Payne joining his old Crimson Tide mate in the middle of this defensive line. Washington also dipped into the draft for LSU running back Derrius Guice, who might end up being the steal of the draft if he plays to his potential as a bell cow. Oh yeah: they decided to bail on Kirk Cousins, trading for Alex Smithbefore letting Cousins know about his free agency freedom. The offense has a makeover, but it's not that different.

Why They Will Make The Playoffs: This is not a perfect division for a playoff run, but it's better than the NFC South or the AFC East. The Eagles are the reigning champs and could destroy everyone. Or they could struggle to get healthy! Anything is possible in the NFL. The Cowboys don't have to be good this year, and the Giants are banking on Eli Manning returning to form. Washington is a sleeper to steal the NFC East. The offense is better suited for what Jay Gruden wants now -- Smith gives them a higher floor than Cousins, and if the offensive line is healthy, I'd bet on Guice easily topping 1,200 yards rushing. Jamison Crowder was tailor-made to work with a QB like Smith. I've been a Josh Doctson fan for a few years; now is the time for a breakout. Jordan Reed healthy would be icing on the cake. It's just a very bizarre situation, because the roster is consistent despite a ton of turnover. Smith isn't the type of guy to shake stuff up; he has a limited window left and gives them a really good shot to be entertaining and a thief in this division.

Why They Could Miss The Playoffs: I could totally miss on Smith, who bears some similarity to Donovan McNabb (older veteran drafted with a top-five pick, traded by Andy Reid to Washington late in this career). Maybe Cousins going away reminds everyone how good he was. The pass-catchers don't have to stay healthy or be productive -- no one's done either on that front in the past few years. The offensive line injuries could be considered not a fluke, and it might just be a problem. If the defensive line doesn't stay healthy or generate pressure, the back end of the defense could struggle mightily to hold up. The Cowboys and Giants could be better and the Eagles could steamroll people. Gruden is -- unfairly, I think -- on the list of coaches who could be fired early per Vegas. If the wheels come off early, D.C. is always ripe for a football soap opera.

San Francisco 49’ers

• 2017 Record: 6-10
• 2017 Expected Wins: 6.6
• 2018 Vegas Win Total: 9

Overview: This is so preposterous, having the 49ers at nine wins to start the season. They were a single-win team (1-10) before adding Jimmy Garoppoloand inserting him into the starting lineup. They were TERRIBLE. I've been sort of anti-49ers this offseason and now I find myself sort of buying into them as a sneaky NFC team to make the postseason. Credit to John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan for not sitting on their laurels this offseason. They went out and got aggressive in free agency and the draft, snaring Jerick McKinnon for a high price. If anyone else does that we might question it, but McKinnon certainly fits what Shanahan wants to do with his running backs. Mike McGlinchey in the draft gives them a potential long-term replacement for Joe Staley at left tackle. Richard Sherman is the headliner addition for a defense that feels a year away but might be terrifying if everything clicks.

Why They Will Make The Playoffs: Jimmy G is the truth and what we saw last year -- a calm, cool, collected signal caller dealing under pressure and playing Baby Brady -- carries over into 2018. If that's the case, you better buy fantasy stock in guys like Marquise Goodwin and George Kittle, because they will be catching passes from Jimmy G and those are two potential studs. Arik Armstead, DeForest Buckner and Solomon Thomas could all potentially hit their stride next year and make this defensive line one of the best in the league. Reuben Foster is suspended but for only two games. Sherman, if healthy, will have something to prove. Put the over/under on his interceptions of Russell Wilson next year at 1.5 and take the over. Adrian Colbert is on Pete Prisco's breakout stars team, and watching him, you can see why. Too many people know about this team, and they might be a year away, but if everything clicks, they will arrive this year and challenge the Rams for division supremacy.

Why They Could Miss The Playoffs: Everything doesn't have to click. The league's now got an entire offseason of watching Jimmy G under its belt, and that could result in a worse performance next year. His sample size is impossible to replicate on a full-season scale. (Right?) There might be serious growing pains for this offense, even with Shanahan and all those weapons. It's not a full-blown elite unit like he had in Atlanta, by any means. All those wonderful defensive pieces we mentioned could take another year to click -- Thomas wasn't a major impact guy last year, Foster didn't stay healthy, Sherman is coming off a torn Achilles and going to a new scheme. The Seahawks and Cardinals could very well be much better than anyone expects. A top-half finish for the 49ers is not a free gift by any stretch.

Countdown to Camp: Offensive Line has Built Depth for 2018

Myles Simmons
RAMS INSIDER


We’re officially two weeks away from Los Angeles’ first training camp practice on July 26. Today, we’re taking a look at the Rams’ offensive line in this edition of Countdown to Camp.

OFFENSIVE LINE

Newcomers: OT Joseph Noteboom, C/G Brian Allen, OG Jamil Demby, OG Jeremiah Kolone

The Rams will return each of their five starters from 2017 in left tackle Andrew Whitworth, left guard Rodger Saffold, center John Sullivan, right guard Jamon Brown, and right tackle Rob Havenstiein.

Whitworth is heading into his 13th professional season and his second with Los Angeles. The left tackle was a Pro Bowler and a first-team All-Pro in 2017 after being a key contributor to the stabilization of the Rams’ offensive line.

Saffold — the longest-tenured Ram — is beginning his ninth season with the franchise. Saffold got through all of 2017 healthy, and excelled blocking for Todd Gurley in space as the running back won AP Offensive Player of the Year.

Sullivan re-signed with the Rams on a two-year deal in March. He started Los Angeles’ first 15 games last season as well, with quarterback Jared Goff crediting him for providing integral veteran calls at the line of scrimmage.

Havenstein will begin his fourth professional season, all with the Rams. He’s been a consistent presence at right tackle since the franchise drafted him in the second round back in 2015.

Also going into his fourth year, Brown will be suspended for the first two games of the 2018 season after violating the league’s substance abuse policy.

Brown’s suspension will present an opportunity for another offensive lineman — at least for the first two games. Austin Blythe may have a leg up for that position, given that he filled in as the reserve interior lineman for Los Angeles in 2017. On two occasions, Blythe filled in for Sullivan when the center had to exit the game with a temporary injury.

Of the returning players, Jake Eldrenkamp and Aaron Neary also may have a chance to start the first two games at right guard. Both are listed as centers, but offensive line coach/run game coordinator Aaron Kromer often cross-trains interior linemen to play both center and guard positions.

However, rookie draft picks Brian Allen out of Michigan State and Jamil Demby out of Maine, plus UDFA Jeremiah Kolone out of San Jose State, could also make some noise at right guard depending on how they perform in training camp.


Los Angeles’ first pick of the 2018 draft, Joseph Noteboom, figures to provide depth at offensive tackle barring any unforeseen injuries.

Darrell Williams, Cornelius Lucas, and Michael Dunn also appear slated to provide depth at tackle. All three are returning players.

[www.therams.com]

You will never sway my opinion on this.

Herd it on FoxSports here in LA this morning they will have Jeff Fisher as a guest commentator for at least one game in September.

Anyone have confirmation on this? If its true, what are the chances he does a Ram game? Sure will be worth a pile of posts here at ROD.

I want to hear more on this.

This was a few months back, but I forgot to post the lolz. I got so many emails from friends around the building asking how I got that past senior management.....

We are renewing the league again with a solid group of ordinary dudes.

Congrats once again to Firecap, last years Champion.

If anyone wishes to move on because you are a pussy and cannot stand losing to Firecap, please take the time to let us know so we can find real men to replace you.

That is all.


Mods please give me a couple days in the main forum before moving this topic to the appropriate place.

I know we normally do a bunch of free leagues but does anyone want to put there money were there mouth is this year and start a money league? I was hoping to get together a 10 or 12 person league with a 50-100 dollar buy in. There are a few fantasy football websites you can use to deposit money and collect the payouts. Anyone interested? I generally like to do half point ppr but if we get the league together we can figure out how everyone wants to do it.

American Flag Football League

$1MM to the winning team.

https://www.affl.com/

I watched some highlights in recent days. It’s pretty quality stuff, IMO. Solid former players in the league.

Login to view embedded media

Dexter McCleon joins Jake Ellenbogen for Throwback Thursday;

https://www.spreaker.com/user/downtownrams/dtrtbtpodcastep102

I excluded Kurt because he would be boringly picked by everyone. Maybe exclude Jeff Kemp as well, JUST BECAUSE!
1. Vince Ferragamo
2. Marc Bulger
3. Jim Everett
4. Jared Goff
5. Pat Haden

I picked Vince first overall, because he led us to our first Super Bowl and did a fine job as our QB. Marc Bulger is number 2 for me, because he was really good until Martz Bulgerized him with too little protection and 4 WR sets and no blocking. Placing Everett in front of Goff was hard, but Jared has to perform at a high level for a couple more years, after which I think he shoots to number 1 or 2. Haden? Freak me, someone has to be number 5:sneak:

*I would have picked Roman Gabriel at one or two, but although I was watching the Rams when he still was the QB, I just don't remember much with first hand memory. Of course I never saw Waterfield or Van Brocklin play so I couldn't pick either of them. The fabulous Dieter Brock is not in top 5 for me.

I have...

I named an old dog of mine (a fat pug) after Jim Everett. Named him "Blade"... Jim's nickname. I know that there's somebody else here who named their dog after a Ram QB too... but I'll let him tell us since that particular QB is no where near as good as Everett.

What about you guys? Maybe it isn't a pet... maybe it's your 1st born or something else that's almost as important as your pet.

Please tell us!

and all I could think about was Denis Leary and Bo Jackson.

I think you hear me knockin’

Login to view embedded media

So far - Sam Beal to the Giants in Round 3.

Adonis Alexander likely to be taken somewhere.

http://bleacherreport.com/post/los-angeles-rams/845d00dc-b844-4499-9649-0934532a89df

Guys are doing 315 pound deadlifts straight to 42" box jumps!

Watching both of them run at the end you can tell Gurley is a trained track star. He has great technique, especially with his upper body, that helps him generate speed. That's why the trainer was telling Saquon to run with "Big arms" like Todd.

I re-watched the Rams vs Falcons playoff game tonight. In the 3rd quarter the Rams obviously couldn't stop the run. What stood out was Ogletree looking athletic but hands on his hips wearing out/missing tackles, Barwin slow as a 2-legged dog when he was ever in and Quinn pushed around and totally ineffective against the run when he was ever in. In the 4th quarter it was short passes that put the nail in the coffin. While not on the LBs soley - I didn't see much help from them on those passing plays.

We need LBs that meet the run at the line of scrimmage and can stick a tackle when they get their hands on the runner. So even though I would like 1 vet edge player added to the mix for the early part of the season while the younger guys get acclimated - I think we will be ok with Edge pressure on passing plays due to our upgrades on the DL/DB levels - but will the LBs be able to help defend against the short passes?

My question to this forum is since Barron is the only starting LB holdover from 2017 - what do we think the Rams/Phillips have in mind to FIX this glaring problem from the 2017 season?

My direct link to stadium cam converts http://m.therams.com/s/30854/stadiumcam to www.therams.com and www.therams.com no longer has a link to the stadium cams. Hoping they are just moving the cams inside as there's not much to see outside anymore.

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/...s-who-could-take-step-back-miss-nfl-playoffs/

Bills and Eagles lead list of five teams that could take a step back, miss NFL playoffs
The reigning Super Bowl champions are a team to watch in terms of missing the playoffs next year, and the Bills won't make it

The NFL features far more parity than any other professional sports league. There will be roughly five new playoffs teams in the NFL, all with a shot at the Lombardi Trophy, whereas the NBA features maybe five teams total who can win the championship.

Last year was a perfect example, too. After seeing an average of five new teams in the postseason over the past three years, a whopping eight new teams jumped up and made the playoffs last season. The Bills, Jaguars, Titans, Eagles, Vikings, Saints, Panthers and Rams were all on the outside looking in after the 2016 season, but all had fairly viable championship hopes just a year later. Three of those four teams made conference championship games and Philly took home the title.

Conversely, the Dolphins, Texans, Raiders, Cowboys, Giants, Packers, Lions and Seahawks all tumbled out of the postseason. Three of those 2016 playoff teams fired their coach a season later.

Assuming anyone will make or miss the playoffs is a fool's errand -- last year I nailed four of my five predicted teams who would fall short, but I still only hit on half the teams! I went just 2-3 on teams who would jump up and make the playoffs, which is not terrible until you realize a quarter of the NFL went from being out of the postseason to being in and I got only a quarter of that group. So, yes, an eighth for you math majors.

Somehow, despite all that turnover, this year feels even more difficult than last season to predict teams who will fall short of the playoffs. At least one squad looks kind of obvious, but it's hard to nitpick with some of the teams from last year's field. Let's try anyway.

Send all questions, complaints and other suggestions to me on Twitter @WillBrinson. And if you want to hear a deeper dive on these, check out the Pick Six Podcast -- CBS Sports daily NFL show, in your podcast inbox by 6 a.m. every Monday through Friday -- by subscribing right here: via iTunes | via Stitcher | via TuneIn | via Google Play.

Buffalo Bills

• 2017 Record: 9-7
• 2017 Expected Wins: 6.4
• 2018 Vegas Win Total: 6.5

Overview: The Bills had no business being in the playoffs, a testament to an excellent job by Sean McDermott and his staff. Take away the inexplicable decision to plug Nathan Peterman in the starting lineup against the Chargers in the heat of a playoff race -- with Tyrod Taylor playing just fine, no less -- and he would have received more attention for COY. Buffalo leaned on a scrappy defense and an excellent season from LeSean McCoy to make a run in a watered-down AFC. The Bills got lucky with the Chargers losing their first four games and Andy Dalton stealing Baltimore's soul on the final play of the Bengalsregular season. The Bills had a pair of just confusing wins -- against the Falconsin Atlanta, against Kansas City in Buffalo -- and a wild overtime victory against the Colts in a blizzard. They then rebooted the quarterback position this offseason, adding the raw-but-talented Josh Allen in the draft and AJ McCarronin free agency. Those two guys and Peterman are going to start 16 games this year, barring a trade.

Why They Won't Make the Playoffs: The quarterback position does not inspire immediate confidence. Allen could totally shock the world and play at a high level as a rookie, but there is not a precedent for someone completing 56 percent of his passes in college and becoming an efficient quarterback at the pro level. McCarron is a career backup and Peterman was a fifth-round pick. The skill positions are a major problem as well, outside of McCoy. Kelvin Benjamin is the Bills WR1 and Zay Jones is next in line. After that it gets really thin. Charles Clay is an underrated tight end weapon but not the focal point of an offense. Three of the first four games are on the road, with the Ravens, Chargers, Vikings and Packers serving as a brutal opening stretch for Buffalo. The Bills might be averaging under 10 points a game a quarter into the season.

Why They Might Make the Playoffs: The defense has a chance to be much better than anyone expects. The key offseason additions for Buffalo -- Star Lotulelei, Tremaine Edmunds and Vontae Davis -- should make this unit better at every single level. McDermott showed last year he is a very capable coach in terms of immediately turning a group of hodgepodge players into a quality unit. Despite being left a bunch of different players from different systems, the Bills were an above average defensive team in 2017. If the AFC is as weak as it was last year and Buffalo gets some seriously surprising play from one of its quarterbacks, this team could make another stunning run to the postseason. But they certainly look like the top regression candidate in 2018.

Philadelphia Eagles

• 2017 Record: 13-3
• 2017 Expected Wins: 11.8
• 2018 Vegas Win Total: 10.5

Overview: HEY NOW, JUST A SECOND, PLEASE PUT THOSE BURNING PITCHFORKS DOWN. The Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles are listed here and it feels weird for me to do it, because they looked like the second coming of an NFL dynasty during their run to the title. They lost their franchise quarterback and still won the damn Super Bowl. That doesn't happen often. And there's nothing in this offseason, at least from a roster-movement perspective, that would indicate the Eagles won't be good again in 2018. Carson Wentz is coming back, Nick Foles is there as insurance, Haloti Ngata was added to shore up the defensive line and Mike Wallace is a nice upgrade over Torrey Smith at receiver. LeGarrette Blount is a sneaky loss in the running back department, but Jay Ajayi should be able to step up and be a feature back. I love what Howie Roseman has done and think the Eagles could easily win the Super Bowl a second year in a row. I firmly believe they are the favorites to win the division again, but that's what people said about the Cowboys before 2017 too.

Why They Won't Make the Playoffs: One of the biggest reasons involves the team's biggest strength: the quarterback position. Wentz is coming from an ACL injury and Foles is notoriously streaky. Wentz failing to recover, or dealing with a setback of some kind, doesn't automatically mean Foles comes in and wins MVP. This is a team that lost its offensive coordinator (Frank Reich) and quarterbacks coach (John DeFillipo). There are a slew of other injuries to monitor as well. Jason Peters is returning from an ACL injury at the age of 36. Darren Sproles is coming back from a broken arm and a torn ACL. Jordan Hicksis coming back from an Achilles tear. Alshon Jeffery is returning from shoulder surgery after battling through to play the entire year. Timmy Jernigan is suddenly dealing with back issues, no easy issue for a big man who battles in the middle. Philadelphia was 13th in adjusted games lost last year, so it's not like it dealt with tons of injury issues overall. And the NFC is going to be really tough this year. Every single division has at least one legitimate Super Bowl contender and most of them have two. Someone could win 10 games and miss the postseason in this conference.

Why They Might Make the Playoffs: Because Roseman's built a really deep and talented roster, one clearly capable of overcoming attrition to win a lot of games and make a deep playoff run. The Foles thing has been a hot-take topic this offseason, but the reason the Eagles don't want to trade him is a fear of Wentz not being healthy and the importance of the quarterback position. Doug Pederson is a good enough coach where the Eagles can keep right on cruising despite some injuries. He proved as much last year. It's difficult to find an area of weakness for the Eagles and it's fair to assume the secondary (don't forget about Sidney Jones) and receivers (Mack Hollins, ahem) could continue to only get better. Wentz will be going into his third season -- expectations will be huge and he has managed to meet them every step of the way. This is, by far, the weakest NFC division in my opinion. The Eagles could steamroll everyone again. We thought the Cowboys would do the same last year too.

Tennessee Titans

• 2017 Record: 9-7
• 2017 Expected Wins: 7.4
• 2018 Vegas Win Total: 8

Overview: The Titans were one of the teams we identified last year who could take a step and make the playoffs, but sometimes the results don't justify the process and that's the case with Tennessee. This offense regressed and couldn't run the ball as effectively, and the Titans were just flat lucky to make the playoffs. They profiled as a sub-.500 team. The offense was below average and the defense was worse. Hence the wholesale changes last year, pushing out Mike Mularkey even after he won a playoff game, and finding a coach in Mike Vrabel willing to try and develop Marcus Mariota. The addition of Matt LaFleur, who studied under Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay, as offensive coordinator could pay big dividends. GM Jon Robinson went full New England in the offseason, signing Malcolm Butler and Dion Lewis. The Titans have a really nice set of secondary now, with Butler, Logan Ryan, Adoree Jackson, Kevin Byard and Jonathan Cyprien.

Why They Won't Make the Playoffs: First off, the AFC South is a really difficult division. The Jaguars look like a loaded team -- even if the quarterback position is problem, they are not going to fall off a cliff on defense. The Texans should be getting Deshaun Watson back. Andrew Luck should be returning for the Colts. We're assuming everything will run smoothly in a new offensive system, but that's largely the McVay factor. Mariota might have hit his ceiling, and combining Derrick Henry and Lewis sounds great on paper, but it could certainly have some growing pains. The pass catchers on this offense -- Corey Davis, Rishard Matthews, Delanie Walker, Taywan Taylor -- also look OK on paper, but the Titans' passing game doesn't have to be explosive. Tennessee added Dean Peas as defensive coordinator and I see it as an upgrade, but the impressive secondary won't be worth much without a pass rush up front. The Titans have a lot of pieces in that regard, but we're not sure how the front seven fits with the addition of Rashaad Evans and Harold Landry from the draft. I'm a touch leery of Taylor Lewan holding out and how it might impact the offense.

Why They Might Make the Playoffs: To be clear, I am actually very high on the Titans this year. I like all of their offseason changes, I like Mariota a ton, I am completely all in on Henry and I think Davis has a breakout season. To me, their defense is a sleeper to be a top-10 or maybe even a top-five unit this year. I'm tempted to go on a half-cocked notion and pick the Titans to make the Super Bowl. I like them that much. But there are definitely underlying concerns when it comes to the possibility of them taking a step back this season, especially from a statistical standpoint. The point differential is a major red flag -- the Titans finished with a -22 point differential on the season. They finished 5-4 in the regular season in one-score games and picked up another win against the Chiefs in the playoffs. If the offensive line clicks and LaFleur turns them into a poor man's Rams, they're going to be dangerous. I see that as the likely outcome, but the reality of their situation makes them a potential non-playoff team.

Kansas City Chiefs

• 2017 Record: 10-6
• 2017 Expected Wins: 9.9
• 2018 Vegas Win Total: 8.5

Overview: Everything with the Chiefs revolves around the quarterback position and the massive change made there this offseason. When the Chiefs traded away Alex Smith to the Redskins, they essentially went down to the car dealership and swapped out a Honda Accord/Toyota Camry type of car for a Mustang/Corvette. Eschewing reliability for upside, Andy Reid cast his lot with a new young quarterback in Patrick Mahomes. The gamble is worthwhile, considering how much upside Mahomes possesses. But make no mistake, it's a gamble. The Chiefs had something good with Smith under center -- he basically averaged 65 percent completions, 3,500+ yards, 20 touchdowns and less than 10 interceptions a season. His floor was very, very high, even if his ceiling is lower than Mahomes. And ultimately that's why they land on this list: a higher ceiling makes them a Super Bowl contender, while a lower floor makes them a potential risk to miss the playoffs.

Why They Won't Make the Playoffs: The Chiefs added Sammy Watkins this offseason to a group of players that features Tyreek Hill, Kareem Hunt and Travis Kelce. It's hard not to get excited about what this offense can do when it's clicking. But the reality is Patrick Mahomes might struggle to acclimate to life as a starter. Making matters more difficult for that transition is the schedule: the Chiefs get the Chargers (road), Steelers (road), 49ers (home) and Broncos(road) to start off Mahomes' career as a starter. Woof. The next four games aren't much easier: Jaguars (home), Patriots (road), Bengals (home), Broncos (home). They're not going to go 1-7 in that stretch, but 4-4 isn't off the table. The division looks easier on paper, but the Chargers could be legit, the Raiders could surprise with Jon Gruden and the Broncos defense could be back to Super Bowl levels with the addition of Bradley Chubb and the health of Derek Wolfe. I'm a fan of what Kansas City did with the defense, at least in terms of getting faster up front -- the linebacking corps looks like it could really shut down the run this season. But the secondary has major question marks and they're going to be facing some tough passing offenses early. The Chiefs could win nine games with Mahomes, put up a couple 40 burgers and we might all be wondering how they missed the playoffs and picking them as a sleeper next year.

Why They Might Make the Playoffs: Andy Reid should not be counted out. He's criminally underrated because he doesn't have a Super Bowl ring, which makes people forget he has more first-place finishes with the Eagles and Chiefs than he has finishes below second place. That's absurd over a 19-year span. And Reid has a history of developing quarterbacks too, including Alex Smith, which is exactly why he's trustworthy on the Mahomes front. We did see the Eagles randomly drop off one season six years into his tenure in Philadelphia, though, so anything is possible. It just doesn't seem likely given what he's done on the offensive front -- Hunt is a second-year back and should be in for another large season, Watkins/Hill/Kelce is a loaded offensive weaponry. But they've got a nasty-looking schedule and a quarterback they're working into a new system, with a lot of new defensive personnel. It wouldn't be stunning if this team went 9-7 and missed the playoffs. I won't personally be betting on it, but I think they qualify here.

Carolina Panthers

• 2017 Record: 11-5
• 2017 Expected Wins: 9
• 2018 Vegas Win Total: 9

Overview: The Carolina Panthers finalized their sale from Jerry Richardson to David Tepper this week, excellent news for a franchise in a bit of flux this offseason. Moving past the Richardson era and focusing on 2018 is key. But there is still a lot to handle on the field. It starts with the offense, which is completely in flux, thanks to the firing of Mike Shula and the hiring of Norv Turner. All told, it's an upgrade. And it should pay off in the long haul for Cam Newton. But I'm concerned the learning curve for Cam with a fairly new offense -- it sounds like Norv wants to utilize a similar offense to what Rod Chudzinski had in place when he was Cam's first OC -- and playing behind a bad offensive line overcoming the loss of Andrew Norwell could cause some issues out of the gate. Adding D.J. Moore is a benefit and Devin Funchess remains underrated. Greg Olsen is a stalwart at the tight end position. Defensively, picking up Dontari Poe is a very notable addition, and part of Marty Hurney's strong offseason.

Why They Won't Make the Playoffs: Part of the problem here is the division and the conference. This could easily be the Falcons or the Saints -- and it might be two of them who miss the playoffs -- because the NFC South is loaded. The NFC in general is loaded. Carolina doesn't have a horrible schedule -- they get the Cowboys, Falcons and Bengals out of the gate -- but a Week 4 bye is brutal. They also close with three games against the Saints and Falcons. Thomas Davis is going to miss the first four games of the season with a suspension. Ryan Kalil and Olsen are critical pieces of the offense but have to stay healthy and that's been an issue for them. Will the running game be effective again this year? C.J. Anderson was a great signing, but it also indicates Christian McCaffrey probably can't be a heavy between-the-tackles runner. When the running game wasn't there last year, the Panthers struggled on offense. Luke Kuechly hasn't been on the field 100 percent of the time lately because of concussions and he's a Jenga Piece (copyright Dameshek) for this defense. The secondary is a major concern if Julius Peppers, Mario Addison, West Horton and Daeshon Hall can't get home. Vernon Butler has to help fill the void on the interior with Poe and Kawaan Short. There's just a lot of things that need to break right for the Panthers to repeat last year's success.

Why They Might Make the Playoffs: But, honestly, anything is on the table for this team. We've seen Cam take the Panthers to the Super Bowl with Olsen and Ted Ginn as his top weapons, winning MVP en route. He has a ceiling like no one else in football, and remember Cam got hurt the next season and was recovering last year. A full season from Kuechly and an impact year from James Bradberry plus rookie Donte Jackson stepping up immediately along with another dominant Peppers year would make this a top-tier defense again. I think Anderson is undervalued and McCaffrey might be a perfect fit for his role in Norv's offense. Ron Rivera doesn't get enough credit for the amount of wins he has as a head coach. Everyone on this squad is playing for their jobs -- David Tepper could completely clean house after this season if the Panthers struggle. It's possible that inspires everyone to another successful year.

What former Ram would you like on this years team to help us out immediately. Keep in mind when you bring him back, he is going to be playing like he was at the height of his career.

I am going to say London Fletcher. He would really help out our line backer corps.

read:http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...om&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial

Football Strategies so Zany They Just Might Work in the NFL

Pro sports teams usually have good reasons not to think too far outside the box.

Take the NBA champion/soon-to-be Planetary Overlord Golden State Warriors, for example. Reddit poster danmaker99 asked during the NBA Finals why four Warriors teammates don't simply join hands and create a personal barrier around Stephen Curry whenever he approaches the three-point line. Curry would get a clean look every time, unless opponents fouled themselves into free-throw Armageddon trying to get close to him.

There's certainly a sound basketball reason not to attempt this tactic. I don't know what that reason is, because I don't cover basketball and am too lazy to research it, but that reason surely exists.

In the NFL, there are plenty of wacky fan theories and thought experiments that work well on paper, on the playground or in Madden but have no place on a real football field. Or do they? Some "Ring Around the Curry" theories are worth exploring, if only to make sure coaches and execs aren't overlooking a potential game-winning tactic just because they are afraid the other coaches and execs will laugh at them.

Here are some NFL pet theories you have surely seen at the bottom of comment threads or heard in the bar around closing time. Are they foolproof? Absolutely not. Would they work? Sometimes. Would it be fun to see some teams try them a little more often? Absolutely.

Penalties on purpose

You may remember that Clemson upset Alabama in the 2017 National Championship Game with a goal-line touchdown pass in the final seconds. With Alabama up by three before that fateful play, Nick Saban should have ordered all of his defenders to commit blatant holding penalties. The fouls would have awarded Clemson half the distance to the goal line and a first down, two booby prizes for a team already in scoring position in the final seconds. But the blatant penalties would have burnt the final seconds of the game, forcing Clemson to choose between an overtime-forcing field goal or one final all-or-nothing shot at the end zone.

As Chris Brown and his readers later reported at SmartFootball.com, former Eagles head coach Buddy Ryan's playbook contained multiple "penalty on purpose" plays. He called his goal-line tactic "Polish Goalline," because Ryan was from the era when ethnic stereotypes were considered fun sitcom fare.

Ryan's scheme deployed three additional, and illegal, defenders, whose purpose was to stop the opponent from scoring, as well as to run the clock down to the point where the offense would have time for one more play at most. Ryan employed the strategy for a punt against the Vikings in 1989, again with the goal to burn a few seconds late in the game. Shockingly, the refs didn't throw the flag; they were probably investigating whether Ryan put a bounty on the opponent's kicker or something.

In the NCAA, refs can award a touchdown after multiple intentional fouls at the goal line, but they cannot do it for the first one. So Saban presumably didn't opt to take a page out of Ryan's problematic goal-line playbook because he felt it violated some football Man Law.

As we'll see, some useful/innovative/fun strategies are never used in big-time football, not because they don't work but because no one in the football fraternity wants to stray too far from the herd.

Sumo wrestlers and shot-blockers

The Eagles drafted 6'8", 346-pound Australian rugby star Jordan Mailata in April and are teaching him to play offensive tackle this year, even though Mailata never wore a helmet in his life before deciding to give the NFL a go.

So why hasn't any NFL team recruited a sumo wrestling yokozuna yet? Former sumo champion Yamamotoyama Ryuta is 6'3", weighed 584 pounds at his peak and was a master of using short-burst quickness and leverage to his advantage. Heck, Ryuta is currently retired from sumo and only 34 years old. Bring him to America and give him a Vince Wilfork role on short yardage plays! Even line him up at guard for 4th-and-1 quarterback sneaks!

After signing a sumo, some enterprising NFL team should also search the globe for the type of 7-plus-footers who wind up in the NBA as backup centers. Find a Manute Bol-sized beanpole, use him to block long field goals and stand him in the middle of the field with his hands up against Drew Brees or Russell Wilson on 3rd-and-long. Then, feed the 7-footer some end-zone fades on offense, or line him up on goal-line defense in whichever corner of the end zone Julio Jones is heading for.

Worried about some ornery center snapping that shot-blocking twig in half? Line the sumo wrestler up right in front of him!

NFL teams used to be more creative about drafting Olympic sprinters or trying out Andre the Giant types, if only as publicity stunts. But such players are rarely good at "real football," which means lining up for 60 snaps per game, which is something no one does anymore. A 500-pound goal-line specialist or a Dikembe Mutombo type who blocks two 3rd-and-long passes per game would be worth more than the eighth defensive back who plays on the kick coverage unit. But conventional wisdom is king in the NFL. And the top sumo champions probably aren't interested, anyway.

The all-QB draft

This is a favorite thought experiment among draft hipsters every March and April: If quarterbacks are so valuable, why not draft one in every single round, pit them against each other in a Hunger Games-style training camp competition and drastically increase your odds of discovering the next Tom Brady?

The draft speculators who argue this point seriously have never attended a real NFL practice or training camp. Young quarterbacks are like baby pandas, and there are only so many bamboo shoots to go around. There aren't enough meaningful reps to develop or evaluate the fourth quarterback on a depth chart—who typically only gets a series or two of seven-on-sevens per practice with the future gym teachers and Saskatchewan Roughriders he's playing with—let alone a sixth or seventh option.

OK, so drafting quarterbacks in Rounds 1-7 would be a bit much. But say a team has three seventh-round picks, which often happens. Why not draft three quarterbacks instead of the usual assortment of special-teams hopefuls? Send them to some corner of the practice facility with an assistant coach, or lock them in a film room throughout OTAs. Give them each a quarter in the first two preseason games. Make the winner of the competition the third-stringer, give the runner-up a set of steak knives and a spot on the practice squad, and cut the bronze medalist.

The main reason the NFL doesn't do this is because no team has ever created the infrastructure for an annual seventh-rounder quarterback clinic. In other words, no one has tried it because no one has tried it. The first team to dare to be different may not unearth a Tom Brady every year, but that would increase its odds of finding Case Keenum while becoming a steady source of AJ McCarron types to be used as trade barter. Like most of these pet strategies, it's at least worth trying once in a while.

The Cover-11 defense

No matter how many defenders rush the quarterback, the rulebook requires the five offensive linemen to stand around and wait for the ball to cross the line of scrimmage. So why rush any defenders at all on 3rd-and-long? Drop all 11 of them into coverage! Triple-team Antonio Brown! Flood every zone on the field! Clog every available passing lane!

If you are worried about the quarterback sneaking for 10-15 yards behind a barricade of linemen, leave one Aaron Donald/Fletcher Cox type to gum up the middle and dissuade Tom Brady or Drew Brees from showing off his wheels. But why risk a roughing-the-passer penalty against the likes of Brady and Brees (who are not rattled by the pass rush anyway) when you can take all of their options away with the ultimate four-deep, six-under zone defense?

A 10-man zone defense could also limit scramblers like Cam Newton to short gains, because lots of quick defenders end up loitering in underneath zones, ready to converge on anyone who tries to be sneaky. (The Rams used a similar tactic in the playoffs against Randall Cunningham 30 years ago.) And a 0-4-7 defense would blow the mind of a rookie quarterback or the Brock Osweiler-Mike Glennon types who keep getting jobs (and, again, won't run for any first downs).

According to the data compiled by Sports Info Solutions, teams rushed just one defender on 17 passing plays last year, many of them Hail Mary's or 4th-and-20 situations. A few teams, including the Patriots, tinkered with a two-man rush on non-desperate downs. All it takes is one daring defensive coordinator to shock the offense by rushing nobody. Then, we can all stare in awe and wonder as the Seahawks offensive line still somehow gives up a sack.

Madden punt-block pass rush

While we're giving playground and video game tactics their due, why not visit that classic Madden standby: using the "punt block" play as the ultimate blitz package? Cram 10 defenders onto the line of scrimmage with one deep safety, and then see if the quarterback dares to try anything!

This is not a tactic for use against Brady or Brees; they would cackle with laughter before throwing quick slants that go for 40-yard gains. But again, the NFL is full of Osweiler, Glennon, Trevor Siemian and Nathan Peterman types, plus rookies likely to react like dogs at a fireworks display if they see 10 defenders ready to blitz. Show them a punt-block unit on 3rd-and-10 now and then, and they will at least burn all their timeouts.

For added fun: Show 10 pass-rushers, and then drop all of them into coverage as soon as the quarterback uncorks a desperate wobbler.

More hooks, more laterals

Search YouTube for hook-and-lateral plays, and the first thing that pops up is a legendary Dolphins touchdown from 1981. Next, you get Boise State in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. After that, you get a mix of high school highlights, last-play-of-the-game silliness and feats of Randy Moss that aren't hook-and-laterals but are still pretty awesome. There are some hook-and-lateral heroics that are hard to find on the internet, like Tiki Barber's almost-touchdown against the Eagles in 2001, but not many—you can count NFL history's great hook-and-lateral moments on one hand.

The hook-and-lateral is a trick play teams should run three or four times per year. Instead, they run it about three or four times per century, at most. Coaches fear a fumble on the play, of course. Have you ever seen a fumbled hook and lateral? Of course not. You practically have to be over 40 or a college film junkie to have even seen a hook-and-lateral!

Imagine it's 3rd-and-10. The quarterback does what quarterbacks often do in that situation: He throws a limp, little eight-yard pass. But then Odell Beckham or Tyreek Hill sprints behind the receiver at full gallop, takes the lateral and keeps on going. If a team did that twice early in the season, opposing defenders would begin looking for Beckham, Hill (or Alvin Kamara, Tarik Cohen, etc.) after every short completion to another receiver. That would result in more yards after the catch for those other receivers. A win-win for the offense!

Like most of the tactics we've explored, the hook-and-lateral is a victim of inside-the-box football thinking. No coaches want to be the first in recorded history to lose a game on a hook-and-lateral gone wrong (or because 11-man coverage failed, or the sumo wrestler somehow ended up in man coverage against Antonio Brown), so they miss out on the opportunity to win lots of games by being unorthodox.

Activate the 12th man

Former Steelers coach Bill Cowher stepped onto the field and nearly clocked a Jaguars defender returning a blocked field goal for a touchdown in 1997. Cowher contained himself, making for a funny tough-guy moment with no impact on the play or game.

But what if he hadn't?

Imagine some Cowher or Buddy Ryan type assigning a third-string safety the role of coming off the sideline to make an emergency, game-saving tackle. Imagine if something like that happened in last year's Vikings-Saints playoff matchup: Stefon Diggs eludes the Saints secondary, only to get tackled by Scrubby McScrubbington, who wasn't even in the game, at the 2-yard line.

Such a play would be so illegal that fines and suspensions would surely result. But again, we're talking about a playoff game. Would the NFL dare overturn a result? What if the Patriots were involved? Could America withstand such a ruling?

Something like this actually happened in the AFL in 1961. A fan ran onto the field during a last-ditch goal-line play as the Dallas Texans tried to beat the Boston Patriots. This fan, wearing a trench coat, according to legend (it doesn't look like a trench coat on film), possessed the 1960s equivalent of a 99 awareness rating in Madden, so he flowed with the motion of the play and broke up the pass.

Was this "fan" really a fan? Urban legend claimed it was former Patriots owner Billy Sullivan, whose trench coats were the Bryan Colangelo collars of the era. But perhaps it was a costumed backup safety. Or a time-traveling Mark Wahlberg. Just don't blame Bill Belichick; he was only nine years old.

No matter who it was, 12th-man tactics, unlike some of the other strategies we've explored, are best left behind in the Leave It to Beaver era. There's a big difference between holding on purpose and letting randos scurry onto the field. Some tactics are so silly that they harm the integrity of the game. Even if they result in a win.

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/...t-cardinals-facing-nightmare-49ers-look-good/

2018 NFL schedule rankings, NFC West: Cardinals facing nightmare, 49ers look good

The 2018 season seems like a perfect time for the 49ers to end their four-year playoff drought with two big advantages over the other teams in their division: They have a quarterback who has never lost and they're going to play the easiest schedule in the NFC West.

With the regular season still more than two months away, you might be wondering how we already know that the 49ers have the easiest schedule in the division, and that's because we devised a formula to rank all 32 schedules in the NFL.

Back in February, we ranked each team's 2018 schedule using strength of schedule, but that's not exactly the most efficient way to rate schedule difficulty. To fix that, we've devised a formula that gives a more accurate look at what each team will be facing during the upcoming season.

To devise our formula, we started by going through each individual game on each team's schedule and ranked it based on difficulty. Here's a quick example of how that works: Although all four teams in the NFC West will play the Packers this year, not all the games are rated equally.

For instance, the Rams will get the Packers at home in October, while the Cardinalswill get them on the road in December. Although the strength of schedule formula counts both games the same, we don't. Under our formula, the Cardinals have it tougher because they're a dome-team that has to go to Lambeau Field in December, where it's almost impossible to win. Aaron Rodgers is 10-0 in his last 10 December home games.

On the other hand, the Rams get to skip out on a trip to Lambeau because they'll be hosting the Packers in Los Angeles.

For the second part of our formula, we looked at Super Bowl odds. Since the oddsmakers in Las Vegas seem to know what they're doing, we incorporated their odds. The six NFC teams with the best Super Bowl odds right now are the Eagles, Rams, Vikings, Packers, Falcons and Saints, and unfortunately for the Cardinals, they have to play four of those teams on the road. That's a big reason why the Cardinals have the toughest schedule in their division and second-toughest schedule in the NFC under our formula.

One final thing we used to tabulate this formula is the first three games of the season. We weighted those three games slightly more than the other 13 games because they tend to be a good indication of how a team will play throughout the season. Basically, teams that go winless in their first three games almost never make the playoffs.

Since 1990, only three teams have started 0-3 and made the playoffs (1992 Chargers, 1995 Lions, 1998 Bills).

On the flip side of that, 3-0 usually means good things in the NFL: From 1990 to 2010, 75.9 percent of the teams that started 3-0 made the playoffs. Those odds drop to 54.9 percent for 2-1 teams and 23.3 percent for 1-2 teams.

You can look at last year's playoff field as proof of how important the first few games are: Of the 12 teams that made the postseason, only the Saints (1-2) didn't have a winning record through the first three weeks of the season. The other 11 teams started the year either 2-1 or 3-0.

This basically means that if your favorite team has a murderer's row in the first three weeks of the season, you should probably just give up on 2018 and start paying attention to 2019.

By the way, the reason we're not giving the final three games of the season more weight is because the final games don't always mean the same for everybody, especially when a team is resting its starters. The Saints went 0-3 in their final three games in 2009 and still won the Super Bowl. The Ravens went 1-2 in their final three in 2012 and also won the Super Bowl.

Finally, one thing to keep in mind here is that we use the term "easy" very loosely when talking about the NFC West. Although the 49ers have the "easiest" schedule in the division using our formula, it's not that easy compared to teams in the NFL's other conference. If San Francisco was in the AFC, it would have the second-toughest schedule in the entire conference, behind only the Chiefs.

Alright, that's enough rambling, let's get to these rankings.

Wait, one more thing, if you're interested in checking out the schedule rankings for every other team in the NFL, you can do that right now. For the AFC, just click through on your favorite division here: AFC East, AFC South, AFC North and AFC West.

For the NFC, you can check out the schedule rankings by clicking on each division here: NFC East, NFC South and NFC North. The full schedule rankings of all 32 teams will be released later this month.

Ranking the NFC West schedules

4. San Francisco 49ers
Schedule difficulty rating: 96.25

Easiest stretch: Any time you get to play four straight games against teams that didn't have a winning record last season, that qualifies as your easiest stretch and that's exactly what the 49ers will be getting halfway through the season. Starting in Week 8, the 49ers will hit a very winnable stretch that includes a game at Arizona, followed by consecutive home games against the Raiders and Giants, before heading to Tampa for an away game in Week 12. The good news for the 49ers is that they get a bye before facing Tampa, which means they'll get an extra week to try and figure out how to win a game in the Eastern time zone. As you'll read about in our weird notes section, the 49ers have had some trouble playing in that time zone over the past few years.

Roughest stretch: The 49ers are the only team in the NFL that will open their season with four straight games against teams that finished with a winning record last year. Not only do the 49ers have to deal with that fact, but three of those four games will be played on the road (at Minnesota, Detroit, at Kansas City, at L.A. Chargers). Although that's a brutal gauntlet of games for the 49ers, they did catch one break: They'll get to face two quarterbacks who might not be fully adjusted to their new teams. The game in Minnesota will mark Kirk Cousins' first start with the Vikings and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him struggle a little bit. In Week 3, Patrick Mahomeswill be making the first home start of his career with the Chiefs, and it wouldn't be shocking at all if he had a few jitters going into that game.

Weird scheduling note: The 49ers only have one game in the Eastern time zone this year, which is good news for them, because they've been terrible over the past few years when they have to fly across the country. Since the beginning of the 2015 season, the 49ers are 0-11 in the Eastern time zone and the only shot they'll get to end that streak this year will come in Week 12 against Tampa Bay.

3. Seattle Seahawks
Schedule difficulty rating: 97.25

Easiest stretch: When you open your season with three of your first four games on the road, that's not usually considered an easy stretch, but with the Seahawks, that's exactly the case for 2018. Although Seattle will only get one home game during the first month of the season, there is some good news in there for the team: All three road games are very winnable. Starting in Week 1, the Seahawks travel to Denver, before moving on to Chicago for a Monday night Week 2 game against the Bears. After that, the Seahawks will finally get to have a home opener, when they host the Cowboys in Week 3 (The Seahawks are one of just three teams in the NFL -- along with the Chiefs and Texans -- that don't get to play their first home game until Week 3). After facing the Cowboys, the Seahawks will close out their season-opening road show in Week 4 with a game in Arizona. The upside of starting the season on the road is that the Seahawks will get to play four of their final five games of the season at home.

Roughest stretch: After watching Russell Wilson spend most of the 2017 season running for his life, the Seahawks better have this offensive line thing figured out by Week 10 this year or things could get ugly. Starting that week, the Seahawks will face a brutal five-game stretch — at L.A. Rams, Green Bay, at Carolina, San Francisco, Minnesota — where they'll see some of the top defenses in the NFL. Although the Panthers and Vikings fielded a top-10 defense last season, Wilson might want to worry more about the Panthers and Rams, the two teams that led the NFC in sacks last year.

Weird scheduling note: If you're looking for a team that might be able to make a late season playoff push, then make sure you keep the Seahawks in mind later this year. Of the five games that Seattle will be playing in December, four of them will be at home. The Seahawks are one of just two teams in the NFL -- along with the Titans -- that will get to close the season with four home games over the final five weeks.

2. Los Angeles Rams
Schedule difficulty rating: 98.50

Easiest stretch: If the NFL was smart, it would have settled the Los Angeles situation on the field and had the team play for the right to move to the city. Of course, I'm only mentioning that, because this year would have been the perfect year to do it. The Rams easiest stretch of the season is basically a "Loser leaves Los Angeles Round Robin" that will run from Week 1 thru 3. The Rams open with one team that originally wanted to move to L.A. (the Raiders), then play the Cardinals, before hosting their cohorts in L.A. (the Chargers). The advantage here for the Rams is that they'll be getting Jon Gruden, who just took 10 years off. If you've ever taken 10 years off of anything, then you probably already know that things can be a little dicey when you return. In Week 2, the Rams will get a Cardinals team that will have a new quarterback (Josh Rosen or Sam Bradford). In Week 3, we're going to get an all-out battle of Los Angeles and you can bet Rams owner Stan Kroenke will have Sean McVay utilize every trick in the playbook to beat the Chargers.

Roughest stretch: Facing Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Russell Wilson in the same season is tough enough, but facing them in consecutive weeks is even worse and that's exactly what the Rams are going to have to do midway through the season. Starting in Week 8, the Rams have a rough stretch where they'll play the Packers, Saints and Seahawks in a row. The only upside for the Rams is that two of those games will be played at home (Green Bay, Seattle). Making things rougher is that the Rams won't exactly get a breather after this stretch is over. After playing the Seahawks in Week 10, the Rams have to fly to Mexico City to face the Chiefs. The Rams will also go through an interesting stretch where they'll only play one game in Los Angeles over a month and a half period (Nov. 12 thru Dec. 29).

Weird scheduling note: The Rams will be joining the Saints and Ravens as the only teams in the NFL to play three straight road games this year. To give you an idea of why that's a bad thing for those three teams, consider this: Between 1990 and 2017, there have been 138 instances where a team had to play three straight road games and of those 138 road trips, the visiting team came away with a winning record (3-0 or 2-1) only 35.5 percent of the time (49 times).

That means that on 64.5 percent of those road trips (or 89 times), the visiting team either went 1-2 or 0-3. Teams have actually gone 0-3 (25 times) on three-game road trips more than twice as often as they've gone 3-0 (10). None of this is good news for the Rams, who will be hitting the road for a three-game trip starting in Week 5.

1. Arizona Cardinals
Schedule difficulty rating: 105.75

Easiest stretch: The Cardinals get their easiest stretch starting in Week 1, when they host the Redskins. After that, they get two of their next three games at home (at L.A. Rams, Chicago, Seattle). One important thing to keep in mind here is that we're only calling this an "easy" stretch because the Cards get to play three of the four games at home. The Cards don't really have an easy stretch, which is probably why their schedule was ranked the second most difficult in the NFL, behind only the Giants. This is definitely the kind of schedule you don't want when you have a first-year coach and a starting quarterback who's never taken a regular season snap in your team's uniform.

Roughest stretch: The Cardinals schedule is so stacked this year that more than one-third of it is part of the team's roughest stretch. Starting in Week 12, the Cardinals will play six straight games against teams that finished the 2017 season with a winning record and four of those six games will be on the road (at L.A. Chargers, at Green Bay, Detroit, at Atlanta, at L.A. Rams, Seattle). Oddsmakers in Vegas don't really like the Cards chances of winning any of these games. When the opening spreads were released in April, the Cards were an underdog of seven points or more in three of those games and only favored to win one (Lions).

Weird scheduling note: A big reason the Cardinals ended up with the second most difficult schedule in the NFL is because of their nightmarish road slate. Of the eight road games that Arizona will be playing this season, six of them will come against teams that finished 2017 with a winning record (Rams, Seahawks Vikings, Falcons, Chiefs, Chargers). To put that in perspective, the Rams and Seahawks only have three road games against teams that finished with a winning record in 2017, while the 49ers have five. Oh, and the Cards also have a road game against the Packers, who aren't even included on the above list since they finished 7-9 last season. This is all bad news for a team that's gone 3-5 on the road in each of the past two seasons.

Ok, it's natural to look at a team with affection in almost any sport which has either never won the ultimate prize, or hasn't won it in the living memory of most of its fans.

The lovable loser is someone you normally root for, until after they actually win a championship. Most have an internal love for the underdog. Our perception of them is assaulted when the bragging new Champs hoist the trophy. Suddenly those lovably losers are a bunch of bastids and you want them to shut up already, as they start talking about how great they are.

It happened against us after Super Bowl 34 at the beginning of the GSOT. I can't think of all of the NFC fans who told me "Yeah, I wanted the Rams to win, but they began to be @ssholes about it." Look at the Eagles last year, which made me forget ever feeling for their years of pathetic failures (Screw them). The same is true for the lovable loser Chicago Cubs, freak them. The Red Sox? GTFO!

I wonder, what is the psychological reason why we despise them after they metamorphise from lovable losers into bragging winners?

Let's skip the shocking change and just hate them now. Cardinals, Browns, Bills, freak you you losers! My foot is on your necks!:rockon:

Just curious.

I've been playing disc golf for about 10 years and have really started to get into playing the last 2 to 3 years. I was just wondering if any of you play at all. Where do you play? What discs you like to throw?

I have found to really enjoy playing it and have really started to try to focus on my technique and that's something I also really love to eat up when studying football and the Rams.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl...us-memes-gifs/ar-AAzNs5R?li=BBnbfcL&ocid=iehp


After all, what else would one name 7/9

This is what my pants smelt like when Donald threw me like a ragdoll. Take a whiff.