Board 8 > Board 8 National Football League League (B8NFLL) Season 12: The Offseason Pt. II

(+) Yeah! (+)

Okay, I have noticed that these writeups are significantly longer than what I've done in seasons past, so I will cut down on what I say with the remaining six divisions.

AFC North

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

There is one sure thing in this division, and it's that the Ravens defense will be great or even elite. Year in and year out they are near or at the top of fewest yards and points allowed per game. Stifling doesn't begin to describe how formidable they are. It's even scarier that only three starters are over the age of 30. The Ravens' problems have always been on offense, and as my dumb and lame Madden Tiers suggest, there's reason to believe that the offense will improve. Yes QB Ben Roethlisberger has been a disappointment, and their best receiving weapon is their TE Eric Ebron, but this team has always been about running the ball. HB Doug Martin has recorded YPC of at least 4.3 in every season. They have transformed an elite run-blocking FB David Romaka into an elite dual-threat FB. Where the improvements may come from are their entirely new interior OL. Gone are the dreadful G Jonathan Martin (he's prof's problem now), oft-injured C Casey Rabach, and fading G Stephen Neal. In are the #10 run-blocking G, 1st round pick C Ryan Kelly, and 2nd round pick G Jeff Allen. Even a slight improvement over what they had last season and this team should see consecutive AFC North crowns.

The Steelers have the evenly spread talent to be in the thick of the playoff race, but they have a few things going against them. First and foremost is the brutal schedule. There's no stretch where they will seemingly have a bit of a reprieve, putting the onus on them staying healthy, which they already aren't after the preseason. The second is that they are shifting to a 4-3 D. They had a successful four game or so stretch as 4-3 D a few seasons ago, but the fact is that this defense has developed under a 3-4, and it is far from a guarantee that they will catch lightning in a bottle twice and make a seamless adjustment yet again. The third is that history suggests that Reggie McNeal will not replicate what he did in his half-season tryout for the Steelers. Scrambling QBs are by nature inconsistent and personal stats aside, while they tend to result in the offense being more dynamic, the Steelers do not have the offensive firepower to take advantage of that, especially with Jamario Thomas now lost for a quarter of the season. If the offense and defense regress a little like I expect them to and find themselves in the ranks of the average or above average on both sides, it will be very hard to see them as a playoff team.
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There is absolutely no way that Browns QB Ryan Perrilloux will have another abysmal season like he did last season. His 53.0 passer rating was even worse than the infamous Ryan Fitzpatrick S2 debacle (54.3). I don't have records of all the passer ratings we've ever had, but I'm going out on a limb and saying it is the worst single-season passer rating we've gotten out of a full-time QB. A modest improvement to simply bad will do wonders to this offense. They had a solid draft, and many of their high picks from recent drafts have been progressing nicely (more so with production than rating development). The secondary is a major concern as FS Lovon Ponder is the only stable presence (though CB Avery Atkins has been quite the ballhawk). I considered putting the Browns 2nd and also right in the heart of the playoff race, but getting rid of an elite DT in Vince Wilfork might turn out to be the biggest unforced error from this offseason. If they really wanted to give Phil Taylor a starting job, they should have just taken the $790k cap hit and be done with the humdrum Darryl Richard. Now who is going to stop the run in a run-centric division?

The Bengals have a lower ceiling than the rest of the division, but they had themselves a nice draft and spent in free agency to shore up their secondary. They could be a surprise team, which they probably find a little insulting as they are coming off of one of the more clandestine 8-8 seasons we've had. If 1st round QB Jake Locker takes off and injury replacement HB Knowshon Moreno is more like the S10 version, we might be seeing them in the playoffs.
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AFC South

1. Columbus Pioneers
2. Indianapolis Colts
3. Jacksonville Jaguars
4. Tennessee Titans

The Pioneers of late have been a better version of the Cardinals/Wildcats of old in that they've had fantastic offenses and porous defenses. I think that's finally about to change. The offense should by all means still be elite. QB Russell Wilson might have a claim to be the league's fourth-best QB. Reigning MVP WR Mark Clayton is the best at his position, and even after getting pilfered during RFA, this OL is still very good. After getting tepid seasons to end his career, HB Willis McGahee was supposed to hand the baton to Le'Veon Bell, but true to his character, he's going to be missing some games. We will instead see for the first quarter of the season former Colts 1st rounder Chris Johnson, who is coming off of a promising season where he averaged 4.5 YPC and didn't fumble on 100+ touches with the Falcons. I guess what I am trying to say is that they have a complete offense. The defense I think has a chance to make a substantial rise from where they were last season. With the pair of first round picks in MLB Kyle Emanuel and OLB Kyler Fackrell, they might be the final ingredients to an effective and stable defense. I think they are legit SB contenders this season, and they are the team I am most excited about this season. I swear that playing in my city has nothing to do with it!

The Colts lost quite a few mainstays to retirement and struck out on their main targets in free agency, but they scored their LG of the present and future in RFA and added a ton of depth through the draft and free agency. This was one of the league's best teams last season and if not for a meltdown by co-Comeback Player of the Year QB Charlie Whitehurst in the playoffs, we might have seen them in the Super Bowl. Defense was their bread-and-butter, and they return 10 of 11 starters, but Whitehurst took where David Carr left off and added another dynamic to their offense that while elite, was very effective and had one of the lowest turnover rates. He should be defined by his disastrous playoff game. What could be problematic is the short and long-term at HB. Steven Jackson is the epitome of a volume runner as he hasn't had a YPC above 4.4 in his career, and he is coming off seasons where it was 4.0 and 3.9. Backup LeSean McCoy isn't much better, so it could be chalked up to OL problems. With two new starters, perhaps the Colts will field a truly complete team and make a deep playoff run.
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The Jags have never had a losing season under Sultan (S3-present), and while anything is possible, they are too good for me to see that streak ending this season. HB Adrian Peterson is one of the league's best HBs, they have a deep receiving corps, and they have one of the best interior OLs in the league. However, that offense continuously has serious health concerns to where it will likely be their Achilles heel this season if they fail to make the playoffs again. On defense, that DL is fucking filthy. I'm sure that has played a role in the efficiency issues the rest of the division has had with their running games. Due to turnover from retirements and aging, LBs and the secondary are a work in progress. They are projected to have four new starters within those seven spots, and next season will likely see another new starter, so this will likely be a multi-season rebuild in those areas. I expect them to still play admirably, but it might be too much to ask of them to get them back into the playoffs.

I have little understanding of the world of gambling, but I think that a $100 bet on the Titans finishing last in the AFC South would result in a net winnings of 25 cents. It's pretty much a given. This offense is going to be bad, and the defense has a checkered history outside of their outstanding LB corps. I think the chances of them being our first repeat #1 overall picker are relatively high. By virtue of playing the NFC North and having the conference schedule of a last-place team, it isn't as if the schedule is tough, but the Titans just don't match up well with most teams as they are one of the few true rebuilding teams in the league. Management probably understands that this is going to be a rough season and is more focused on seeing what rookie QB Paxton Lynch can do with less and if Melvin Gordon or Dion Lewis will demonstrate they can be a franchise HB.
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AFC Seeding

Playoff Teams
1. Denver Broncos
2. Columbus Pioneers
3. Miami Dolphins
4. Baltimore Ravens
5. Oakland Raiders
6. Indianapolis Colts

Playoff Contenders
7. New York Jets
8. Pittsburgh Steelers
9. Jacksonville Jaguars
10. Washington Hawks
11. Mexico City Browns
12. Cincinnati Bengals

Better Luck Next Season
13. Kansas City Chiefs
14. Buffalo Bills
15. New England Patriots
16. Tennessee Titans

I wrestled with who to take for the wild card spots, but I figured the tougher schedules and relatively worse present injury situations of the Jets and Steelers were just enough to go with the #2 teams in the West and South. Other than that, seeding wasn't all that difficult for me.

As you probably noticed, I am predicting two new division winners but ultimately only one new playoff team from last year's squad (Broncos in for Steelers).

I really only consider teams with losing records the season before to be dark horse playoff contenders. Shockingly, we only had five teams in the conference end up with losing records last season (Patriots, Titans, Chiefs, Browns, and Hawks), and I feel better about the Hawks than the others.
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NFC West

1. St. Louis Rams
2. Seattle Seahawks
3. San Francisco 49ers
4. Toronto Wildcats

The Rams followed a 15-1 season with an 8-8 one and a quick playoff exit. What went wrong? Actually, not too much. They were actually one of the best NFC teams. Based on their rankings and Pythagorean expectation, they probably should have been 11-5. Their defense and special teams (led by otherworldly returner Roy Helu Jr.) were in line with their 15-win team. The offense was probably the chief reason why they were even subject to their poor luck in the first place. QB Ryan Tannehill had a high completion % and YPA, but he actually threw more INTs (18) than TDs (17). Also, letting HB Ronnie Brown walk and replace him with former 34th overall pick Lamar Miller did not pay off dividends. After seeing a few retirements on offense and letting another starter walk, the Rams spent their first rounder on offense (TE Austin Hooper) and heavy in free agency to beef things up. A closer return to form is in order.

The Seahawks unexpectedly surged to what was by far their best season in the league. They return all but one starter and won't expect much from their draft class (1st round OT Taylor Decker is now expected to start due to injuries) or minuscule free agent class this season barring a horrific turn of events (aka piling injuries). I don't think that will be quite good enough to win back-to-back division crowns. Their defense was actually just above-average and predicated on a very high turnover rate. The nature of the game makes it hard to expect something like that happening in consecutive seasons. QB Kirk Cousins and HB Lynell Hamilton both have an injury history that will make it tough to expect the high-flying offense from a year ago. Regression seems to be on the horizon, but given the relative weakness of the conference, I very much see this team as a prime playoff contender.

The 49ers are a weird team. I suppose inconsistent is probably a more accurate description. When this team gets going, they are among the conference's best. They can pound you to oblivion with their punishing OL and the HB said OL makes into a star. They can also keep defenses honest with one of the best WRs in the game in Andre Johnson. On defense, they have a great LB corps where all four starters pull their weight and then some. Ratings aside, I've always been impressed with their stable of CBs. The other areas are a little iffy, but they have more than enough pieces to field a league-average defense. Unfortunately, things haven't being "going" these past few seasons, and it seems like the biggest culprit is that they tend to beat themselves to an obscene amount of dumb losses. Like last season, they have a favorable schedule this season, and with this being a team with so many veterans in their final season or so in the league period or as a starter, the 49ers really need to make this season count. I don't think they are among the six favorites for playoff spots, but they can easily find themselves in the discussion. A mostly clean preseason should help in their quest.
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Is this the year that the Wildcats' D ranking eclipses their O ranking? That's more of an indictment on my outlook of their offense, but let's stick to being positive for now! Their D finally finished in the late-teens for the first time at least when they moved to Toronto, and despite having one of the lowest average starting ratings on that side, the development and production over the years lead me to believe they can keep it going. The offense is another story. It hasn't been the same since Michael Vick left town despite WR Gonzie Massey and TE Dane Guthrie personally benefiting from it. HB Laurence Maroney is probably the most underrated HBs in the league, but his criminal usage rate in his career effectively killed his Hall of Fame chances. All of their OL have been posting higher block and lower sack rates these past few years too. So why am I down on the offense?

Nobody has capably filled Vick's shoes. He was a pretty underrated passer. Sure he had some really bad passing outings as any QB, not just a scrambling one, will have, but his effect on the offense was real and eye-popping. That offense was always in the Top 5 at the season's conclusion. Those torrid offenses help them defy all the odds when historically, poor defensive teams rarely make the playoffs (I can count all playoff teams who have made the playoffs with a defensive ranking 20th or worse on two hands). Now, they don't have that sort of edge, and that makes it tough to differentiate themselves enough, especially with one of the more talent-deficient teams, to reach the playoffs. Had they made fewer ill-advised decisions during UFA and the draft, they could have shored up a few areas in FA and be a dark horse playoff contender. As it stands now, I think they need another year to enter the playoff discussion.
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Good analysis as always. Fear the Pioneers.
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Long story short: I lost my remaining writeups, so in the essence of time, I am going to (attempt to) have more succinct writeups.

NFC East

1. Dallas Cowboys
2. Las Vegas Pumpkins
3. Washington Redskins
4. New York Giants

The Cowboys are winning the division, probably the conference, and maybe the Super Bowl. (This was actually the original writeup).

I throw around the Curse of Stan around, but his Titans teams had poor luck and played like bad teams. The Pumpkins have have poor luck and played like a playoff team. It is mind-boggling they still don't have a playoff appearance to their name. Outside of maybe wishing for more consistency out of their OL, they have to be satisfied how players have played everywhere else. Losing star WR Ted Ginn for half the season doesn't appear to help end their playoff-less streak, and it makes the decision to move on from Greg Lee a little tougher to swallow, but there's enough promise and potential among what they have left at the position to still expect great things from QB Chris Leak and his targets. While the schedule isn't exactly a walk in the park, I am going to keep believing in the Pumpkins until they make the playoffs. It worked for the Seahawks right?

The Redskins have the potential to be scary good. This defense is great even as it gets younger, and when healthy, this offense almost matches the defense. When healthy is the key as their offensive was decimated by injuries last season, and their season went up in flames as a result. They won't have co-Defensive RotY OLB Shaq Thompson for half the season, and with LB being their weakest link on defense, things haven't started off on the right foot, but their first half schedule isn't too bad. They play their toughest games at home, and their away games aren't exactly against a murderer's row of offenses.

The Giants are coming off a season where they not only finished in the bottom half of the defensive rankings for the first time in franchise history, but they finished dead last in the league. There will certainly be some regression to the mean, but how much is the question? They have one new starter in DE Khalil Mack, so they might be asking a lot from the #3 overall pick. The offense is unspectacular but reliable in its own way, though I am curious how things will change, if at all, with three new starters on the OL to begin the season. Based on past performance, overall talent, and the schedule, the Giants should be a fringe playoff contender at the very least, but I believe they have the worst upside in the division.
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NFC North

1. Minnesota Vikings
2. Green Bay Packers
3. Detroit Lions
4. Chicago Bears

Man, the Vikings have seen sooooo many retirements over the past several offseasons, and the rest of the division has absolutely wasted the opportunity to bridge the gap, even accounting for S10 when the Packers won the division and Vikings finished last. The Vikings could become the first team to wrap up their division this year. I say that fully aware that they have a tough schedule. They might be always underachieving in the playoffs (never appeared in NFC Championship), but they are one of the best regular season teams. They have quite the balanced team. They are no slouches at throwing the ball, and they get efficient results out of their running game. The defense is effective at stopping both the run and pass. The special teams have never been especially good, especially at kicker where they probably have among the lowest career FG% in the league. Perhaps that is why they don't make it far in the playoffs, but they spent a 3rd round pick on a kicker in Cairo Santos, so maybe they can get over the hump and make a run at the SB.

The Packers made quite a few mistakes last season but were in the playoff hunt until Week 17. They spent this offseason fortifying their strengths and rectifying some past decisions (most notably getting a genuine FB). They still have a fatally flawed offense, but as long as it can be respectable, whatever that entails with a team like this, their stout defense should be able to carry the team. They need to start out strong to keep their playoff hopes alive as Weeks 13-16 are pretty rough.

Yes I know the law is that the Lions must finished second, but it's very hard for me to do so. To begin with the positives, I am cautiously optimistic about their defense this season. The Lions have invested heavily in trades, free agency, RFA, and the draft to fix the leaky D. They definitely get an A for effort, but they would much rather see some results, and I think they can, but I would ultimately need to see it to believe it. Unfortunately, I am pessimistic about their offense. QB E.J. Manuel seems like he's going to be a league-average QB at best. HB DeAngelo Williams is injured...again. The OL is always injured and with them moving on from stalwart LT Kevin Shaffer (they had little choice but to let him walk), there's nobody truly fearsome there. The Lions are perennial overachievers in the win column, but I think that their luck runs. The overachieving makes it hard for me to fully dismiss them though.

Along with the Pats and Titans, we might be seeing three teams vying to have the worst offense in B8NFLL history. It is going to be ugly in Chicago with its extreme lack of talent. It's a shame too since their OL has a case to be named the league's best. I imagine them manhandling defenders, giving QB Zach Mettenberger 10 seconds to throw a pass only for him to air mail it and the OL looking at each other shrugging and thinking, "What more can we do?" This defense though has a chance to be great with the signing of DT Vince Wilfork among my favorite offseason acquisitions. The Bears aren't making the playoffs this season. Let's get that out of the way. What they can hope for is for a rookie or second year player or two on the offense emerge as a someone who truly has a future and place on the team, and the defense to keep them competitive enough to ensure more development than regression.
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NFC South

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2. Anaheim Lightning
3. Carolina Panthers
4. Atlanta Falcons

The Bucs have some glaring holes on their team as they are losing more players to retirement and UFA than they are taking in. Yet, it doesn't seem to hold them back too much as they have enough star power to give them a winning team. Those players are quickly retiring though, so they need to see players develop quickly. That is why it was so head-scratching why they would trade for WR Matt Caddell. In 8 seasons across four franchises, Caddell has appeared in 117 games, started 43 games, and recorded 1892 rec yards with 7 TDs to his name. The Bucs have a young QB in Teddy Brigewater, and with the roster having high turnover every season, continuity is critical. WR Nate Burleson is the elite and reliable #1, Marqise Lee had a promising rookie season starting opposite of Nate to further cement himself as the #2 in the present and possibly #1 in the future, and Willie Sullivan is one of the league's best slot receivers.

The trade was on a collision course to screw up everything. Caddell would take a starting job away from Lee whose development would stall posthaste, Sullivan would then have a decent chance of being demoted to the #4 spot all the while Nate Burleson's successor would be a 32-year old Caddell. That is unacceptable. When Landry fell onto my lap at 21, I knew what had to be done and prayed he would win the #2 job out of the preseason knowing Chris would just roll with what the AI laid out for him. Lee did just that. Disaster has been averted, and this might be one of the key reasons if the Bucs win the division.

The Lightning's main issues these past few seasons have been an underwhelming OL. They started 4-0 start just two seasons ago and missed the playoffs when their OL just couldn't perform. Now they aren't solely to blame for the team's woes, but when it is always the offense that holds them back, you have to begin with the trenches. Oh boy did they fix things in a huge way. They went out and signed one of the best LTs in the game in RFA in Lane Johnson. Then in free agency, they signed G Quinton Harris. Now he's had issues in pass protection, but when you factor in the player he is replacing, Claude Terrell, it is automatically a win for the team. The defense is holding steady, even if the development is almost exclusively coming at the LB spots, so if the offense takes a sizable leap forward thanks to the revamped OL, we could see the Lightning compete for the division or at least the wild card.

The Panthers have a low ceiling, but they might have the highest floor in the division. They are perennially one of the healthiest teams in the league, and there aren't many teams that have a fearsome trio up in the middle like they do in MLB Jonathan Vilma, DT Callahan Bright, and DT Claude Wroten. They have helped make sure the defense stays around league average at worst. However, you typically need other areas to do better than average if you want to see the playoffs. The offense and special teams are not going to help. They were a playoff team last season, but their rankings and Pythagorean expectation placed them as being more of a 7-9 team and out of the playoffs They shook things up a little this season personnel-wise, but I don't think it is close to being enough.
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The Falcons had a topsy-turvy offseason. They were able to acquire a great, long-term MLB in James Laurinaitis, and they made a pair of free agent moves that help out problematic areas. LT Demetrius Morgan doesn't have a great track record, but there's nothing inherently wrong with paying for potential, and CB Kareem Jackson wasn't a necessary hire, but it doesn't hurt to have a deeper pool at CB. Just ask the Cowboys and Dolphins. They also re-signed several players during UFA that I would have moved on from. They had one of my least favorite drafts though where I am not sure that I would have made a single common pick if I was in management's shoes, Even though they were flush in cap space and had no roster space issues, they released OT Sean Locklear despite him providing 64 blocks against 0 sacks with the Falcons. They went from being a division winner to being one of the worst teams in the league, so you can expect some regression to the mean. I just don't think they had the kind of offseason necessary to make them a playoff team.
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Woo predicted dead last in the NFC East again
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NFC Seeding

Playoff Teams
1. Dallas Cowboys
2. St. Louis Rams
3. Minnesota Vikings
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
5. Las Vegas Pumpkins
6. Washington Redskins

Playoff Contenders
7. Seattle Seahawks
8. Green Bay Packers
9. Anaheim Lightning
10. Carolina Panthers
11. San Francisco 49ers
12. New York Giants
13. Atlanta Falcons
14. Detroit Lions

Better Luck Next Season
15. Chicago Bears
16. Toronto WIldcats

I know how difficult it is to get three teams from the same division in the playoffs, but if history repeats itself with how things turned out last season, the NFC is going to be very top-heavy, and you don't have to get to double digit wins to make the playoffs like the AFC. Even with tougher paths, I think the talent the Pumpkins and Redskins possess will be enough to propel them into the playoffs.

Compared to the AFC, I am predicting a slightly greater amount of turnover for the NFC. Only the Cowboys, Rams, Vikings, and Buccaneers return to the playoffs, with the Rams and Bucs upgrading from Wild Card spots to division crowns. The Pumpkins and Redskins replace division champs from a season ago in the Seahawks and Panthers.

I guess this technically makes the Pumpkins and Redskins co-dark horse contenders this season.
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Laugh it up now Pumpkins the Giants are coming for ya
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Offensive Rookie of the Year Predictions
1. Bengals QB Jake Locker
2. Dolphins WR Odell Beckham Jr.
3. Titans HB Melvin Gordon
4. Buccaneers WR Jarvis Landry
5. Titans QB Paxton Lynch

Defensive Rookie of the Year Predictions
1. Pioneers OLB Kyler Fackrell
2. Chiefs DT Dontari Poe
3. Raiders MLB Vontaze Burfict
4. Hawks SS Keanu Neal
5. Jets DE Malik Jackson
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To Do:
- Create new topic for regular season
- Determine what days I will sim this season, including the specific date for Week 1.
- Start to embark on my huge project (like I did in seasons past with ranking 1st round picks at each spot and how every team was constructed)
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The Falcons will remember this
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MegamanX posted...

The Packers will remember this

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Hurricane prep distracted me a bit from this.

I think I pretty much agree with all your predictions including my own. I think I'll be lucky to get 8 wins. I think I'd take 8 wins and some decent development from my last 2 draft classes (which seems unlikely but whatever!)

I think the plus point is that we have a lot of divisions where things should be fairly even. AFC North should be competitive. AFC South should be competitive amongst those top 3 spots. I think all the NFC divisions have the potential to be competitive and even in the East with the Cowboys, the rest of the 4 pack are good enough that there's at least the potential for someone to spring forward. Vikings are probably the bigest favorite to take their division I guess.

Let's see I'll do predictions in a new post

AFC Seeding

Playoff Teams
1. Miami Dolphins
2. Denver Broncos
3. Columbus Pioneers
4. Baltimore Ravens
5. Jacksonville Jaguars
6. Indianapolis Colts

Wildcard Contenders
7. Washington Hawks
8. Oakland Raiders
9. New York Jets
10. Pittsburgh Steelers
11. Mexico City Browns

I think I'm higher on the Jags than KCF mainly for one reason. They seem to have a pretty favorable schedule. They get they Raiders, Hawks, Vikings at home. They avoid the Dolphins + Ravens. Broncos on the road is their only out of division game against a projected playoff team on the road.

Compare it against the other wildcard contenders.

Colts - Ravens on the road, Broncos on the road, do not avoid the Dolphins. They do get the Raiders, Hawks and Vikings at home at least.

Hawks - Jags on the road, Colts on the road, Bucs on the road. They do avoid some big name in conference out of division games though (No Ravens/Steelers, no Dolphins/Jets)

Raiders - Dolphins on the road, Colts on the road, Jags on the road, Bucs on the road. They also get the Ravens and Pioneers on their schedule

Steelers - Broncos on the road, Cowboys on the road, Dolphins on the road. Also get Pioneers, Pumpkins, Jets, Redskins on their schedule. Did not remain healthy.

Jets - Steelers on the road, Pioneers on the road, Seahawks on the road. Also get the Rams, Broncos and Ravens on their schedule and have to play the Dolphins twice. Didn't remain healthy. Basically as tough a schedule as the Steelers.

NFC Seeding

Playoff Teams
1. Dallas Cowboys
2. St. Louis Rams
3. Minnesota Vikings
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
5. Washington Redskins
6. San Francisco 49ers

Wildcard Contenders
7. Las Vegas Pumpkins
8. Anaheim Lightning
9. Seattle Seahawks
10. Carolina Panthers
11. Green Bay Packers
12. New York Giants

The 49ers situation is similar to the Jags situation to me. I think they have a slightly more favorable schedule than the other teams. Redskins and Pumpkins are likely better teams but I think at the end of the day, the grind of the NFC East plus matching up against the AFC North means that 3 teams from that division will struggle to make the playoffs, one of them has to miss out. I went with the Pumpkins missing out based on the schedule (They get the Rams and Bucs compared to the Redskins getting the Falcons and Wildcats.

The 49ers meanwhile avoid Cowboys/Redskins/Pumpkins (not saying Giants are a pushover by any means!), they avoid the Vikings and they get the Bucs at home. They do get the hellish AFC East but if you write off the Dolphins game as a loss regardless of home/road (it's on the road), they get Jets during their injury situation at home, they get Pats at home and they get Bills on the road. So they could still go 2-2 or 3-1 from that.

Not locking this in, but I am thinking about simming on Wed and Fri this year and beginning on the 18th.
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FYI, I will not have access to the game until around the tentative Week 1 sim date.

Feel free to continue doing stuff of course (like depth chart and coaching changes or FA signings). They will just not be reflected in the game until later.
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I will probably put up the new topic sometime next week.
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Bump

Only like 1 week out or so

New topic:
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/78009170
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We keeping this alive for a while?

You can if you want, but it is not necessary
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May as well keep alive for a while