Is the NFL really in a down year or is it a changing of the guard?

[Rob0729]

All you hear from the media is how this is a down year for the NFL and that anyone (at least on the AFC side) could make the Super Bowl if they get into the playoffs. Is that really the case or is it just the traditionally great teams are stumbling and other teams are stepping up?

Yes, teams like the Chiefs, Ravens, and Eagles look like shells of their former selves, but teams like the Patriots, Rams, and Seahawks are dominating games. Are the top teams in the league this year really worse than previous years or do people dismiss them because they aren't the traditional powerhouses of the previous five years or so?

I think this year's Patriots based on how they have been playing would have a shot against any of the Chiefs teams that went to and won the Super Bowls. I would say the same thing about Denver. Hell, the way the Titans and Jags have been playing lately, I wouldn't be shocked if they won a game against them.

I think a lot of this being a down year in the NFL is more perception with the teams people expecting to dominate looking like crap and it is a new batch of teams that are the best teams in the NFL. If the Chiefs had the Patriots schedule and every game played out exactly how it played out for the Patriots this season (same scores, same production, same win-loss record), a lot of narrative in the media would be asking if this is the best Chiefs team under Mahomes yet. But since it is the unproven Patriots, their achievements are dismissed or discounted because they played a weak schedule.

 

[mayoclinic]

There is a LOT of bad football being played this year. Just some really bad games, with each team trying hard to lose. I attribute it to:

(1) The short preseason with limited contact

(2) Bad coaching.

(3) Bad officiating.

(4) A really long season, with lots of attrition.

The NFL doesn't care. More games = more money, ratings are up, the public is too addicted to care.

The system is designed to be cyclical, it is really on incompetence that prevents major shifts. Pats, Bears and Broncos taking advantage. All 3 have good coaches. Liam Coen doing his best to make Jacksonville look like a good team, though I'm not sold yet.

 

[Brotherblues]

There is a LOT of bad football being played this year. Just some really bad games, with each team trying hard to lise. I attribute itvto:

(1) The short preseason with limited contact

(2) Bad coaching.

(3) Bad officiating.

(4) A really long season, with lots of attrition.

5) Bad QB play. Don't be fooled by bloated passer ratings. That's just QBs combining their mobility with bad rules that favor them. There are a lot of bad passers rocking a passer rating around 100.

 

[Wozzy]

It only seems “down” to major market teams and teams that have held a grip on the top the last few years. Time changes everything.

 

[Rob0729]

There is a LOT of bad football being played this year. Just some really bad games, with each team trying hard to lise. I attribute itvto:

(1) The short preseason with limited contact

(2) Bad coaching.

(3) Bad officiating.

(4) A really long season, with lots of attrition.

The NFL doesn't care. More games = more money, ratings are up, the public is too addicted to care.

The system is designed to be cyclical, it is really on incompetence that prevents major shifts. Pats, Bears and Broncos taking advantage. All 3 have good coaches. Liam Coen doing his best to make Jacksonville look like a good team, though I'm not sold yet.

I think we say this every year. Every year people complain about all those things. At least in recent years. The preseason has been shortened for like four years. Every year, we see about 5-7 coaches get fired. Officiating has been awful for as long as I can remember.

 

[StockingAnarchyNumber12]

“Being a down year” is how teams who want to be in the Super Bowl will justify the Patriots being in it if they get there. They’ll be like we aren’t that good it was just a down year.

We’re probably nearing a transition of the guard. I think Kansas City will be back tho in the playoffs sooner than later even if not favourites

 

[ViperGTS]

“Being a down year” is how teams who want to be in the Super Bowl will justify the Patriots being in it if they get there. They’ll be like we aren’t that good it was just a down year.

We’re probably nearing a transition of the guard. I think Kansas City will be back tho in the playoffs sooner than later even if not favourites

Kansas City is so far from "making the playoffs" consistently it's not even funny. Their roster is decimated.

 

[mike_usagisan]

I think it's a changing of the guard. New England and Houston aren't going away. Denver probably is going to be good for a while. I expect a reloading of KC, but that may take a year or two. The Bills could turn it back around if they turn into a running team.

All that said, the AFCN will continue to suck for the foreseeable future.

 

[StockingAnarchyNumber12]

Kansas City is so far from "making the playoffs" consistently it's not even funny. Their roster is decimated.

I get it. The team is definitely decimated. Mahomes hasn’t been good this year but he’s still elite and they have Reid. I think with a retool they could get in again but I’m not saying as favourites. I don’t think they’re winning a championship next year but with a good draft they might be better

 

[Huckleberry1]

This is related to quarterback salaries. Once your quarterback gets his big deal, and you sign your other key players, the money left isn't enough to have a team that is strong in all 3 phases of the game. So you end up with teams that are strong on offense but weak on defense, or vice versa. The best teams can stay on top for 2-3 years after the big deal, but then attrition sets in and they start to decline. So I think what we are seeing is a changing of the guard overall.

 

[SacPete1]

I actually think its great that there are several teams that could emerge from each conference. Now more than ever, it comes down to how you play that Sunday (or Monday) and what you did the previous week/year or what you might do next week really doesn't matter.

A down year? Hardly.

A team's window for a championship run is a media narrative. Rosters turn over significantly from year to year; injuries can change your team potential and dynamics instantly (Colts).

Enjoy the ride.

 

[Gumby]

I think we say this every year. Every year people complain about all those things. At least in recent years. The preseason has been shortened for like four years. Every year, we see about 5-7 coaches get fired. Officiating has been awful for as long as I can remember.

I can remember better officiating….

IMO, Anything prior to the 2005-06 post season was better.

That was the post season GotoHell first put his thumb on the scale. Since then he has promoted the lackeys that do his bidding, selected for postseason based on bias and not performance; and issued ‘points of emphasis’ to target teams, advantage others, & change rules mid-season or mid-playoffs OR just promote the media darlings that he thinks drive NFL ratings, over the lunch pail guys who just play good football.

 

[maust]

I'm going to need some definition/clarification on 'down' cause from where we sit things just keep getting better.
It's all in how you look at it and who's doing the looking

 

[neckroll#14]

People tend to ascribe lofty significance to football/NFL... this is just theater, no different from the circus or a concert. A performer is paid to entertain an audience, and that's it... Saying things like "the NFL is all about profit" is silly - because of course it is. They can and will add games, flex the TV schedule, charge exorbitant prices for their content, screw with the officiating, and do whatever they want up to the point where the audience stops paying...

I am not sure why this is not completely obvious to everyone... Losing your sh*t over what the league does is nuts. When the point is reached where the 3 hours (or more) of entertainment is not worth the price paid (in money, time, emotional energy), then hit the OFF switch and go do something else...

 

[mike_usagisan]

This is related to quarterback salaries. Once your quarterback gets his big deal, and you sign your other key players, the money left isn't enough to have a team that is strong in all 3 phases of the game. So you end up with teams that are strong on offense but weak on defense, or vice versa. The best teams can stay on top for 2-3 years after the big deal, but then attrition sets in and they start to decline. So I think what we are seeing is a changing of the guard overall.

With big QB contracts it really comes down to how well a team drafts and gets the last bits out of older and cheaper FAs. We saw that in the Brady era. We had to reload with Gronk and Edelman on offense, neither of whom had huge contracts, and Hightower and McCourty on defense. But, like the Brady era, your expensive QB better elevate a lot of the less talented pieces around them.

 

[Triumph]

 

[maust]

All that said, the AFCN will continue to suck for the foreseeable future.

It's probably a good thing that what AFCN fans seem to care about most is beating each other 'cause the rest of us look at that division and most every year it looks like...

 

[StockingAnarchyNumber12]

Why do we care so much if they make the playoffs or not? Even if by some miracle they slip in at 10-7, they are not winning the superbowl this season. We seem to focus on their chances of getting in but they are a non issue this year. They will not represent the AFC in the big game this year

 

[Huckleberry1]

With big QB contracts it really comes down to how well a team drafts and gets the last bits out of older and cheaper FAs. We saw that in the Brady era. We had to reload with Gronk and Edelman on offense, neither of whom had huge contracts, and Hightower and McCourty on defense. But, like the Brady era, your expensive QB better elevate a lot of the less talented pieces around them.

Vrabel's biggest challenge is going to come from losing Cowden and Streicher, unless Streicher doesn't have ambition and is fine being Vrabel's Ernie Adams. After the turn around the Patriots have pulled off teams are going to come hard after Cowden, and he has GM aspirations. The Patriots could deflect this by elevating Cowden to GM, which would be the best way to keep their frony office intact for the long term. And thats what they are going to need to construct a roster that can win championshiips and maintain a contender status long term.

 

[DarrylS]

All you hear from the media is how this is a down year for the NFL and that anyone (at least on the AFC side) could make the Super Bowl if they get into the playoffs. Is that really the case or is it just the traditionally great teams are stumbling and other teams are stepping up?

Another reason why I don't listen to the media.. sportstalk fills the airwaves daily with nontroversies to bait the listeners into neverending inane arguments....
There are also many unqualified sports scribes from questionable outlets who think they will get rich off off their social media posts...
I trust my eyes which tells me there is a changing of the guard...