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NFL Offseason Thread |OT4| Fingers Crossed for a Homicide-Free July

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Breakout star: Bryce Brown

Sleeper: not sure if Maclin counts as a sleeper but this is the year he takes a big step forward and has a great year.
 

Colasante

Member
For the Patriots,

Breakout Star: FS Devin McCourty. With his first full offseason at safety instead of cornerback, McCourty should take his first step toward becoming an elite free safety. He has good hands, is a great tackler, and is cerebral enough to become the leader of the defensive backfield.

Sleeper Star: RG Marcus Cannon. Cannon was a disaster at right tackle in the preseason last year, but looked fine when he started in place of Sebastian Vollmer against the Jets in week 12. Now finally allowed to practice at guard, his more natural position, Cannon's size and athleticism should give him an excellent chance to supplant RG Dan Connolly, the weakest link on last year's offensive line and a potential cap casualty. With Brady's targets a huge question mark this year, Cannon's potential in the run game could be paramount.
 

Hitokage

Setec Astronomer
Breakout star: Marshawn Lynch, as he overcomes his crippling social anxiety and allows himself to be seen and heard on camera.

Sleeper: One of the TEs. People are hyped over Harvin and the rest, but somebody's gotta be there for the hot route when defenses try to crowd the box.
 
So PFT is releasing their preseason power rankings. 7-32 have been named so far. And The Bengals have not been listed yet. This happens pretty much never so I'm a little excited. I really hope they can live up to these expectations.

As a Bungles fan you should know better then to have hope.
The only thing keeping the Bungles down could be Andy Dalton, but then again I'm also not afraid of their run game. Who knows though Bernard could give them that spark.
 

msdstc

Incredibly Naive
Breakout for the pats- Chandler Jones if he can stay healthy should be a force at the end.

Under the Radar- I'll 2nd the look at Marcus Cannon, who when clicking and at the guard position has been damn good.

If Dennard doesn't wind up in jail I'll throw him up there too.

edit- all this prediction stuff I'm gonna throw out some general ones.

- I will gladly eat crow if I'm wrong, but I see the pats missing the playoffs this year and struggling to stay above .500. Their floor is 7-9, ceiling is 10-6 (maybe 11 and 5 given the disaster of a division they are in) The dolphins will take the 4th seed this year.

- Broncos will be a force. D. Thomas will take another step forward and be talked about as elite, and Welker will fit in nice with Peyton who should have that early season rust knocked off.

- Texans will fade, I see Arian struggling in a big way this year to stay on the field, he's been run into the ground, A. Johnson is just about done, and Schaub may see his last year as a starter there, which is best case for the fans.

- Jamaal Charles will benefit from A. Smith, while mediocre a massive upgrade over cassel, and have a ridiculous year.

- Jets will be better than the hype, maybe finish better than last year.

- Seahawks will be the force of the NFC, Steven jackson will thrive, Kaep won't quite live to the hype (who could?).
 

squicken

Member
I was going to complain about people not writing up a reason for their choices, but then I didn't really do it either.

Breakout star: Michael Brockers. A physical freak that people at Rams Park say is the most unique athlete there since Orlando Pace. Really had to learn to play last year coming out of LSU very raw. Flashed a lot last year, especially in the home game versus SF. It was no coincidence that the defense got better when he was on the field

Under the radar: I'm going to go with Chris Givens. I don't think he will ever a top WR, but I think he could end up being the kind of guy is part of a collection talented players like New Orleans has. He's TY Hilton with a little more straight line speed, but not as much wiggle. He was able to get deep against AZ and SEA, despite being a one trick pony last year. In a perfect world Cook, Austin, and Givens put safeties in a pick your poison type bind
 

Godslay

Banned
Breakout Star: I had a write up with Montee Ball or Ronnie Hillman as a breakout star. I think either guy could do it. Realistically, though I think we will see the emergence of Demaryius Thomas this year. He's skirted on the edge of being a game breaker, and I think this is the year he puts it all together. With Welker requiring respect I think it is going to make DT that much more dangerous.

Under the Radar: Wesley Woodyard. Silently had an excellent season last year, and I think he will do the same this year. If he can repeat the 6.5 sack, 4 FF, and 4 Int year, he makes for a solid under the radar pick.
 

ChanHuk

Banned
What the fuck, I just got back from the Apple Store, rather than replacing my phone they replaced the front display/speaker. FUCK YOU APPLE!!11

I do have a working phone now and there were no hot hipster chicks at the Apple Store and I have low standards. Crappy day so far. Going out for some sushi in a bit.

Breakout player: Jared Veldheer OT, well he's already a mother fuckin hulk. He's in his contract year and will be looking for top 10 OT money (He probably deserves it, the guy is a 3rd round pick from a small DII school). This guy is everything you want in a player, hard working and will do what needs to be done (Mother fucker had spot duty center in his rookie season, he's fuckin 6'8")

Under the radar: Lamar Houston DE/DT, lets face it the Raiders' D sucks. But he's a bright point on a crappy defense. I think he's the top rated DE against the run and generates a decent pass rush. He's a big DE or a small DT, I consider him to be on the level of Richard Seymour (when he wasn't a thief) if he were on a high profile team. He's been under the radar since his rookie season (contract year for him as well).
 

squicken

Member
Mickelson was amazing today. One of the best final rounds in a major I've ever seen. For all his "chokes" he killed it in brutal conditions
 
Breakout for the pats- Chandler Jones if he can stay healthy should be a force at the end.

Under the Radar- I'll 2nd the look at Marcus Cannon, who when clicking and at the guard position has been damn good.

If Dennard doesn't wind up in jail I'll throw him up there too.

edit- all this prediction stuff I'm gonna throw out some general ones.

- I will gladly eat crow if I'm wrong, but I see the pats missing the playoffs this year and struggling to stay above .500. Their floor is 7-9, ceiling is 10-6 (maybe 11 and 5 given the disaster of a division they are in) The dolphins will take the 4th seed this year.

- Broncos will be a force. D. Thomas will take another step forward and be talked about as elite, and Welker will fit in nice with Peyton who should have that early season rust knocked off.

- Texans will fade, I see Arian struggling in a big way this year to stay on the field, he's been run into the ground, A. Johnson is just about done, and Schaub may see his last year as a starter there, which is best case for the fans.

- Jamaal Charles will benefit from A. Smith, while mediocre a massive upgrade over cassel, and have a ridiculous year.

- Jets will be better than the hype, maybe finish better than last year.

- Seahawks will be the force of the NFC, Steven jackson will thrive, Kaep won't quite live to the hype (who could?).

I dont think they will be miss the playoffs bad. If they dont win the division then who does?
 
Breakout Star: I think Star Lotulelei has a chance to step in and have an immediate impact at DT. He's powerful and agile enough on the inside to be dominant against the run. Reports from Panthers camp say he's improving at shedding pass blocks and getting pressure on the QB. He'll be starting from day 1 and paired with two good rush ends and playing in front of Luke Kuechly I expect him to have a good year. He has the talent to be the best interior lineman we've has since Kris Jenkins.

Sleeper: Robert Lester, UDFA at safety from Alabama. By all reports, he's done well for himself in the offseason and with SS wide open, he's definitely going to get an opportunity to show what he's worth in the preseason. He's got great size at the position and good instincts to make the play on the ball. Two biggest knocks on him are he has average athleticism, and he's decent but not elite at man coverage (although to be fair, he would be an improvement over Nakamura in coverage at that position)
 

bionic77

Member
The only thing keeping the Bungles down could be Andy Dalton, but then again I'm also not afraid of their run game. Who knows though Bernard could give them that spark.
They are the Bungles. They will always suck. They are always talented but always find a way to lose.
 

Colasante

Member
Jets

Oh my god I'm hilarious, fuck you Gata

Even after the construction of Dream Team 2.0 and the 'end of the Patriot way' this season, I think the Jets having a better record than the Dolphins is more likely than the Dolphins having a better record than the Patriots.
 

bionic77

Member
Who has more; Raiders with 6 wins, Patriots with 10.

Winner gets to have the other be his slave.
I know you don't love people of color what with you being a Pats fan and a Floridian, but slavery was abolished in the US a long time ago. I know the schools in Florida are bad but I figured they taught you about the Civil War!
 
Giants:

Breakout Star: Prince Amukamara, CB. He had his finest season last year but he wasn't truly tested. He was opposite Corey Webster who I would imagine offensive coordinators game planned around: "Where ever he is, throw at him". Regardless, Prince showed some an ability to play both man and zone well and was physical in the run game not being afraid to mix it up when he had to. If he stays healthy, I think this is the year where really stands out and not just because he's surrounded with a less than great group of corners.

(David Wilson is another contender I thought about putting here)

Sleeper: Adrian Tracy, DE. This guy got limited reps at the end of last season and has seen much of his work in the pre-season but he's getting a lot of attention from the coaches and the players are talking him up as a young Osi from a pass rush perspective. His development was stunted early on with injury and the Giants trying to move him to OLB, but he's now a pure hand in the ground DE and if JPP is not able to make it back day 1, we'll see a great deal of Tracy/Kiwi combo opposite Justin Tuck.
 

mr2xxx

Banned
Redskins

Breakout star: WR- Pierre Garcon: A up and coming player with Indy, Pierre managed a 70 catch and 900+ yard season in his final year with CFL caliber QBs, helping him earn a big contract with the Redskins. Garcon flashed his athleticism in the first game with a quick slant he took to the house but was injured and struggled with injuries throughout the year. He still managed to lead the the team with a measly 633 yards. Redskins were 9-1 with Garcon in the lineup. As long as he heals, Pierre should be able to get over 1200 yards and become a top 15 talent.

Sleeper: FS- Bacarri Rambo- As a 6th rd selection out of Georgia, Rambo made a name for himself as a ballhawk in the SEC. His stock dropped due to character issues stemming from drug use. Normally 6th rounders struggle to even make a team but with little competition in the way on a bottom 5 secondary, he should be starting halfway in the season.
 
Packers breakout star is Jonathan Franklin, sleeper is Andrew Quarless.

Terrell Manning might be interesting since both Hawk and Jones are godawful but it's too early to tell.
 

cashman

Banned
Breakout Star: Since I'm assuming Sean Lee is already a star I'll go with another injury prone linebacker who plays great while healthy in Sam Carter.

Under the Radar: Terrance Williams. He should get a lot of targets as the 3 receiver behind Dez and Miles.
 
Browns
Breakout players
Tj ward: new defensive scheme under Horton. Hortan will let Ward Roam and play in the box more, utilizing him in the Blitz like he did with Rhodes and Wilson.

Trent "TrentTruck" Richardson: played with various injuries all last season, but still managed over 1000 all purpose yards under shurmurs predictable offense. Now new offensive scheme under Chud/Norv, Norvs had alot of great runningbacks and he isn't afraid to ride them. I think Trents receiving skills will be more utilized now too, last year he caught 50 balls and we seemed to neglect his receiving skills late in the season. He'll he the real focal point of the offense.
TrentTruck!

I'm expecting the Browns Pass Rush to be overly improved also

Sleeper
Gary Barnidge (TE): every one is talking about Jordan Cameron having a breakout year/ him being a sleeper. He very well could, he has all the tools and he even played BASKETBALL! I'm just not positive he can stay healthy all year. Chud brought Barnidge over from Carolina, and it sounded like he was doing great in offseason workouts. He was catching everything, and if Cameron really does go down someones gonna pick up the slack. Chud and Norv love utilizing the TEs, he could have a sneaky good year.

Disappointments:
Brandon Weeden
 

Slo

Member
Jarius Wright for the Vikings. If not him, Harrison Smith but his name is already out there.

Nailed it! Those were my two choices.

Jarius is best described as a poor man's Percy Harvin, but he'll have a big year this year with Greg Jennings and Cordarrelle Patterson spreading the field for him. Look for him to have 55+ catches.

Harrison Smith is going to be a Pro Bowler some day.
 
Breakout star: Scott Tolzien - once kap is sent back down to the minors, tolzien will finish the job that kap couldn't. AND he will only wear 49ers gear (or wisconsin badgers maybe)

Sleeper: Also Scott Tolzien
 

Godslay

Banned
Rogue Legacy is damn good. If Konami had the balls they would take Castlevania in this direction. It's too bad they are continuing down the LOS path.
 

squicken

Member
Les Bowen ‏@LesBowen
Dallas DE RT @calexmendez: Tyrone Crawford is down. He's in pain. Telling the trainers it's the Achilles. He's pounding the ground in anger.
 
Rogue Legacy is damn good. If Konami had the balls they would take Castlevania in this direction. It's too bad they are continuing down the LOS path.
I was with you up to the point where you disparaged the wonderful LOS. Ideally I'd like to see LOS continue on the consoles and a Rogue Legacy style 'vania on the handhelds.

Those DS Castlevanias are so awesome, it's sad to see them abandoning that winning formula.
 

Colasante

Member
Les Bowen ‏@LesBowen
Dallas DE RT @calexmendez: Tyrone Crawford is down. He's in pain. Telling the trainers it's the Achilles. He's pounding the ground in anger.

As has been said by others on Twitter, this makes the Cowboys look especially silly for passing on Shariff Floyd (the #5 player on their draft board) and instead drafting 2nd/3rd round talent center Travis Frederick with the 31st pick. Absolutely sucks for Crawford. Achilles' on the first day of training camp is terrible.
 

Godslay

Banned
I was with you up to the point where you disparaged the wonderful LOS. Ideally I'd like to see LOS continue on the consoles and a Rogue Legacy style 'vania on the handhelds.

Those DS Castlevanias are so awesome, it's sad to see them abandoning that winning formula.

I can't agree brother. With the beauty of Dragon's Crown, I dream of a day were console Castlevanias go to HD 2D character art. If the only choice was the scenario you outlaid then I would take it.

As far as the LOS stuff itself, it just doesn't feel like Castlevania to me. Feels generic.
 

RBH

Member
Disappointments:
Brandon Weeden

WEEDEN-FLAG.gif
 
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