Pro Football Weekly 2012 Preview

[1960Pats]

Those are valid points. They have added some good pieces but they just don't worry me in a potential SB match up. They remind of the Ravens. Great defense, good offensive weapons but a QB who probably won't make the big plays when the game is on the line.

What is the over/under on when Moss goes off on Alex Smith after he doesn't see him standing wide open in the end zone?

In the last part of the NFCCG last year, Alex Smith couldn't throw a swing pass without bouncing it to the receiver, let alone a pass down field. I think Flacco is much better.

 

[mgteich]

Personally, I think that PHI, BALT, PITT and HOU are as strong as DET and CHI (and perhaps even New Orleans).

The balance of power really looks as if the shift is complete. If I were to list the top 7 teams in the league based upon current makeup and health, I'd guess that the NFC has

Green Bay
Detroit
Chicago
New Orleans
San Francisco

and the champion Giants.

The AFC has the Patriots.

 

[Fixit]

Did I miss a meeting? What has Detroit done to put them above Baltimore and Pittsburgh?

 

[Rob0729]

Did I miss a meeting? What has Detroit done to put them above Baltimore and Pittsburgh?

You can make an argument that both the Steelers and Ravens have taken a step back this year. The Steelers' defense was old and showed it in the playoffs. The Ravens without Suggs and an old Ray Lewis and Ed Reed could significantly decline on defense. It could be more about them taking a step back than Detriot making huge strides.

 

[Keyser Söze]

If we get to the Super Bowl again, we are not losing.

I don't care what it takes. I will fly to New Orleans and sabotage the other team all week if I have to.

I can't take another SB loss. I barely made it through this last one without being sent to a mental hospital.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

You can make an argument that both the Steelers and Ravens have taken a step back this year. The Steelers' defense was old and showed it in the playoffs. The Ravens without Suggs and an old Ray Lewis and Ed Reed could significantly decline on defense. It could be more about them taking a step back than Detriot making huge strides.

The Steelers especially had their typical excellent draft which has the potential to fill their aged holes on D. If we Patsfans can be bullish on our rooks and 2nd year players, why not teams like Pittsburgh? They have always restocked better than most NFL franchises.

 

[thenepatsrule]

If we get to the Super Bowl again, we are not losing.

I don't care what it takes. I will fly to New Orleans and sabotage the other team all week if I have to.

Please streak onto the field just before one of ELIs WR makes another miraculous catch and we lose the SB on a fluke play

 

[PatsFanSince74]

Take it to the bank.

Tom Brady and Bill Belichick will bookend their era together by winning SB XLVII on the same field where it began in SB XXXVI.

 

[BradyManny]

I can't take another SB loss. I barely made it through this last one without being sent to a mental hospital.

Tell me about it. I'm fundamentally bothered by the fact that we got back again and let it slip. It goes against everything I believe in. (Hey, at least now I know how religious folk feel when a tenant of their religion is questioned...)

That said - if we do get back, we're winning. Seriously. I don't care how. We're winning.

 

[Gronkandez]

The balance of power really looks as if the shift is complete. If I were to list the top 7 teams in the league based upon current makeup and health, I'd guess that the NFC has

Green Bay
Detroit
Chicago
New Orleans
San Francisco

and the champion Giants.

The AFC has the Patriots.

As others have said, Detroit doesn't belong on this list....and N.O. lost players and coaches for the upcoming year. Not sure about Chicago either.

Houston and Pittsburgh both are better than Detroit and Chicago IMO.

 

[Deus Irae]

As others have said, Detroit doesn't belong on this list....and N.O. lost players and coaches for the upcoming year. Not sure about Chicago either.

Houston and Pittsburgh both are better than Detroit and Chicago IMO.

It's opinion, and there's still a lot of offseason to go, and there's a group of teams that I'd say are in the mix for the bottom end of that group of 7. However, the Lions have loaded up on offense (Stafford threw for 5000+ yards last season), and they have that defensive line going for them. While they haven't beaten the elite teams, I think they've got the talent to do that, so I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt there. If they can't get over the hump to start beating the tougher teams on the schedule, they could certainly come up short.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Please streak onto the field just before one of ELIs WR makes another miraculous catch and we lose the SB on a fluke play

I would personally post bond were that to happen

 

[patfanken]

I look on the AFC race as having 3 tiers.

On top you have the Pats, Ravens, and Texans - Then comes the Steelers, KC, and Cinci - After that you have the Bills, Jets, Titans and SD. The first tier teams have all been discussed. KC and Cinci have a lot of very good young talent, and while the Steelers have dropped out of the elite tier, they are still very dangerous. The Bills could also have been in the 2nd tier, but lack any recent success. The Jets have a top notch defense, and SD a top notch QB Both can make the playoffs because of that. I think the Titans are going to surprise some people this year. I just hope that one of them isn't the Pats.

All 10 teams can make cases to reach the superbowl, though some better than others

You can draw similar conclusions for the NFC, though I think they have a larger number of really good teams - The Eagles, Niners, and Packers, are the elite. The Bears, Giants, and Dallas, are just a step below, and the Saints, Falcons, and Lions, are 3 good teams that are better than the bottom tier teams in the AFC.

 

[Kontradiction]

Is that a serious question? Gore is aging and has shown definite signs of wear and tear. I think we all know about the short shelf life of RB's.

I guess you're not nearly as opptimistic as me about Ridley and Vereen.

I'm hoping for the best from Vereen, but he hasn't given anybody here reason to be optimistic OR pessimistic. From where I'm sitting, it would seem that San Fran has the better all around RB situation than we do right now. Hopefully, that changes.

 

[Rob0729]

The Steelers especially had their typical excellent draft which has the potential to fill their aged holes on D. If we Patsfans can be bullish on our rooks and 2nd year players, why not teams like Pittsburgh? They have always restocked better than most NFL franchises.

At this point, we don't know if they or anyone had an excellent draft. People may think they did, but no one knows for sure. They do usually draft well.

But they only drafted two defensive players in this draft and recent history has shown that defensive players drafted by the Steelers don't always make an immediate impact (and they may need to). Neither of their last two first round defensive draft picks made a big impact in their rookie season (Cameron Heyward and Ziggy Hood).

They have drafted a lot of defensive players the last few years who haven't really hit yet. Maybe this is the year they step up. But looking at their recent drafts, they have been far more successful drafting offensive players than defensive ones. Granted with their defense, there hasn't been as many opportunities on the defense to prove themselves with some of the players they back up.

 

[BradyManny]

But they only drafted two defensive players in this draft and recent history has shown that defensive players drafted by the Steelers don't always make an immediate impact (and they may need to). Neither of their last two first round defensive draft picks made a big impact in their rookie season (Cameron Heyward and Ziggy Hood).

Good point re: Heyward and Hood - the Steelers haven't gotten much out of their picks of late.

DeCastro is a steal, no doubt, but I don't know about Adams. And besides, how much does DeCastro really improve their team? Ben's been the same QB with or without a line in front of him.

Whereas the Patriots top two picks aggressively address our biggest flaw.

 

[PATSNUTme]

I can't take another SB loss. I barely made it through this last one without being sent to a mental hospital.

You could consider converting to a Jets fan. They never have to go through the hurt of a SB loss.

 

[lillloyd]

The Steelers especially had their typical excellent draft which has the potential to fill their aged holes on D. If we Patsfans can be bullish on our rooks and 2nd year players, why not teams like Pittsburgh? They have always restocked better than most NFL franchises.

I've never understood why prognosticators consistently overstate the importance of rookies (who rarely make a huge impact) while glossing over 2nd and 3rd year players, who are typically making the biggest jumps skill-wise that they will make in their careers. It is much more likely for a 2nd or 3rd year player to go from modest production to major production, than a rookie.

Pitt gets a lot of flak for their age, but they've had a couple of very solid drafts of late, and have a good stockpile of young, improving 2nd and 3rd year players. Pouncey, Gilbert, Redman, Antonio Brown fit this description on offense...and while we "redshirt" our defensive draft picks, Pitt is extremely high on Heyward and the young CBs (Allen, Brown, Lewis). None of this includes this year's draft, so I don't think the cupboard is bare by any stretch.

Personally, I think if Pitt takes a step back, it won't be due to the "age" factor that the national pundits are fond of citing. (The reality is, of the older players who were let go this year, only James Farrior was a regular contributor last season...and he was often a liability). Rather, it will be due to a new offensive system, a tough early schedule, a tough division and maybe more than anything the adjustment that will have to take place with the leadership on this team internally. I think they will be a very good and dangerous team by the end of the season, but whether they make postseason noise will depend largely on whether their offensive and leadership adjustments translate to too many losses early on.

 

[lillloyd]

At this point, we don't know if they or anyone had an excellent draft. People may think they did, but no one knows for sure. They do usually draft well.

But they only drafted two defensive players in this draft and recent history has shown that defensive players drafted by the Steelers don't always make an immediate impact (and they may need to). Neither of their last two first round defensive draft picks made a big impact in their rookie season (Cameron Heyward and Ziggy Hood).

They have drafted a lot of defensive players the last few years who haven't really hit yet. Maybe this is the year they step up. But looking at their recent drafts, they have been far more successful drafting offensive players than defensive ones. Granted with their defense, there hasn't been as many opportunities on the defense to prove themselves with some of the players they back up.

Certainly it's true, no one knows about the rookies until the pads are on, "expert" draft grades aside.

Lebeau basically redshirts his rookie defenders because the system is too complex. Even Troy P was lost his rookie year. They are very high on Heyward and the young CBs however. You really need to look at Steelers defenders in years 2 and 3 to see if they'll hit it or not.

I will say this: the one position where rookies *do* start consistently on Steelers are offensive lineman. Pouncey and Gilbert were rookie starters, and it's likely that DeCastro will be this year. The hope is that with Willie Colon returning (remember, we lost both of our 2010 starting tackles before the season began last year!), along with the addition of DeCastro (and who knows, maybe Adams?), we'll actually field a professional OL unit. But we'll see...

 

[lillloyd]

I look on the AFC race as having 3 tiers.

On top you have the Pats, Ravens, and Texans - Then comes the Steelers, KC, and Cinci - After that you have the Bills, Jets, Titans and SD. The first tier teams have all been discussed. KC and Cinci have a lot of very good young talent, and while the Steelers have dropped out of the elite tier, they are still very dangerous. The Bills could also have been in the 2nd tier, but lack any recent success. The Jets have a top notch defense, and SD a top notch QB Both can make the playoffs because of that. I think the Titans are going to surprise some people this year. I just hope that one of them isn't the Pats.

All 10 teams can make cases to reach the superbowl, though some better than others

You can draw similar conclusions for the NFC, though I think they have a larger number of really good teams - The Eagles, Niners, and Packers, are the elite. The Bears, Giants, and Dallas, are just a step below, and the Saints, Falcons, and Lions, are 3 good teams that are better than the bottom tier teams in the AFC.

It may just be the homer in me, but I don't understand why so many (and not just you mind you, but many national pundits as well) are dropping Pitt. This is the same team that actually beat NE in what was arguably their worst loss (outside of the SB of course). They subsequently went through a bunch of injuries, and obviously didn't play well in Denver...but ultimately this is the same team, minus one major contributor (James Farrior) that had the #1 defense in the league last year, and might have made a lot more postseason noise with better luck on the health front.

More generally, at the risk of being "master of the obvious", good organizations with proven postseason QBs are almost always going to be at the head of the class when the SB comes around. NE, GB, NO, the NYG...and yes even Pitt fall into this category. I wouldn't bet against any of them.