Here are my picks for the 2019 season.

AFC East - Patriots. They're great but they tend to get at least 5 wins every year in their own division. The Dolphins are going to be worse. They just traded away their last three good, experienced players. We'll have to see what Brian Flores can do with what he has. Ex-Patriots assistants haven't done much so far. The Jets hired Adam Gase which is a good move. They have a shot at a wild card spot.

AFC West - Chiefs. They're great but couldn't beat the Patriots in the playoffs last year. They got better on defense and just added a running back. I'm not sure the Chargers can even get a wild card.

AFC North - Steelers. They've gotten rid of the drama of last year and upgraded. The Browns seem to be better but I think they'll still lose to the Steelers in both games.

AFC South - Houston. The Colts will still be good without Luck but will have a tough time getting a better record than Houston. Those two and Tennessee will beat up on each other and Jacksonville might be better than many are saying. The winner of this division might be 9-7 or 10-6.

NFC East - Philadephia. The Eagles still appear to be the best. If Wentz gets injured again, though, they no longer have Foles to get the team into the playoffs. The Cowboys managed to sign Elliot but they still don't have the total offense to outshoot another playoff team.

NFC West - Rams. They're still the best in the division. The 49ers have a shot at a wild card even if Garopollo gets hurt again.

NFC North - Green Bay. The Packers have upgraded but they might win the division at 10-6. I don't think they can make it to the Super Bowl. They'll be beat up after fighting Chicago, Minnesota, and Detroit.

NFC South. Atlanta. The Falcons will rebound in a big way but New Orleans is still good. Tampa Bay and Carolina will be better.

I think the Chargers and the Ravens will be the AFC wild cards with the Cowboys and Saints being the NFC wild cards. I see KC beating Pittsburgh in the AFC Championship and the Falcons over the Rams in the NFC Championship. The Chiefs beat the Falcons in the Super Bowl 34-30.

Jess

Just saw your season picks. I can't even look at these teams until after November. I don't get why they have pre-season games anymore, only rookies and practice squads play. They are afraid of injuries, but the regular season begins and the starters have barely played with each other under game conditions. The Bears offense was awful and the Packers had just one good drive for a minute and a half that won it. You could say great defenses, but it just looked like offenses that couldn't get together because they haven't practiced enough. Some of these teams may go 4 games before they get in sync.

I would like to see the Packers and the Steelers have a good year and maybe one of them can go deep into it. They have to do something about the divisions. The Patriots have their way in the AFC East for too long and the AFC South is just weak.

And then there is the stupid scheduling for some teams that makes it really easy or really hard. The Packers are at Home for something like 4 of the next 5 games, but then will be on the Road for the important later games.

I'm just watching for fun and waiting to see who makes the playoffs before even considering picks.

What the hell just happened in Miami.

I can't help feeling the season is all over for my Dolphins already.

quote:

Originally posted by wolfie:
What the hell just happened in Miami.

I can't help feeling the season is all over for my Dolphins already.

It most likely is sorry to say. They're not a good team this year. And they haven't had a decent QB since Dan Marino over 20 years ago which doesn't help.

Why not just let the Patriots win all their games by default and let them pick it up again in the Playoffs. The Steelers should have stayed home. Pathetic.

Both New York teams continue to be non-contenders. Jets blew it, Giants just blow. I predict Eli Manning is going to be replaced in the next game if they are losing early. I don't see how he finishes the season as QB.

The kid Mahomes is starting right where he left off. I don't think he's a fluck.

Odell's making his mark in Cleveland already. The team got slaughtered and he's running around showing off his $350,000 watch. One thing the Giants did right was throw him the heck off the team. Odell being Odell will wear out his welcome fast.

The 49ers-Buccaneers game was sloppy too. Penalties nullified at least three touchdowns.

I don't like all the Thursday night games. You're getting teams that haven't recovered from Sunday yet. The NFL doesn't want to step on high school football on Fridays nor college games on Saturdays but they could move a few of the those Thursday games to those nights especially late in the season.

Where's the fun in picking winners after the playoff teams have emerged?

Jess

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:
Just saw your season picks. I can't even look at these teams until after November. I don't get why they have pre-season games anymore, only rookies and practice squads play. They are afraid of injuries, but the regular season begins and the starters have barely played with each other under game conditions. The Bears offense was awful and the Packers had just one good drive for a minute and a half that won it. You could say great defenses, but it just looked like offenses that couldn't get together because they haven't practiced enough. Some of these teams may go 4 games before they get in sync.

I would like to see the Packers and the Steelers have a good year and maybe one of them can go deep into it. They have to do something about the divisions. The Patriots have their way in the AFC East for too long and the AFC South is just weak.

And then there is the stupid scheduling for some teams that makes it really easy or really hard. The Packers are at Home for something like 4 of the next 5 games, but then will be on the Road for the important later games.

I'm just watching for fun and waiting to see who makes the playoffs before even considering picks.

I knew the season was over when they traded away Tunsil and Stills (they played well for Houston) and then Alonso. NFL insiders are saying they're "tanking" (letting go of good players to get draft picks next year and the team with the worst record gets the first pick of the draft). I thought they had a shot against the Ravens but they weren't rusty at all. We got the Patriots next week.

If the Dolphins were truly rebuilding, they should have kept Tunsil, the left tackle, because you need to start with the offensive line and find a pass rusher on defense. You go from there upgrading at positions over a couple of years. An average QB can do well with a great offensive line and then you start looking for a better one. The team has been flopping around since 2008 when they went to the playoffs with the "wildcat" offense. Gimmicks can work for a regular season but someone has an answer by the post-season.

I thought they could go somewhere with Adam Gase. They beat the Titans, Bears, and Patriots last year. But no, they started over again. I don't think management is interested in winning a Super Bowl. It seems like they're playing "money ball" and that's not how you get even to a wild card in the NFL.

Jess

quote:

Originally posted by wolfie:
What the hell just happened in Miami.

I can't help feeling the season is all over for my Dolphins already.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: catskilleagle,

[QUOTE]Originally posted by catskilleagle:
Where's the fun in picking winners after the playoff teams have emerged?

Jess

What's the fun of doing a lot of research before the very first game to pick position winners right through the Super Bowl and then have half your teams picked off during the season and your whole predicted schedule is down the drain? Or I might just be too lazy.

quote:

Originally posted by wolfie:
What the hell just happened in Miami.

I can't help feeling the season is all over for my Dolphins already.

And if you haven't checked the scores yet today wolfie, don't.

Big Ben sat down and lost. Brees just got hurt, but I like Bridgewater for what it's worth. Manning has one foot out the door. Darnold's got Mono. Miami is a mess. How many teams are 0 - 2 already and look like they will phone it in the rest of the year? And this isn't even the end of the second week.

I think we will have a mediocre season with a handful of obvious winners beating up on teams that won't or can't even try to make it a game.

Well Eli Manning has been dying a slow death as the Giant's QB for the last 2 seasons and now they are finally putting him out of his misery and switching to Daniel Jones, which was always the intention since they drafted Jones. Manning was always two consecutive losses away from being pulled and they have started 0 - 2.

And it's not his fault. Manning is the same player who won 2 Super Bowls, just a bit older and slower, but the Giants are not the same. I could be wrong, but I don't see Jones having any better success with this team this year. If he loses the next two, the fans will be screaming Eli's name again. They weren't crazy about drafting Jones either, but now they forget.

I've watched the Giants most weeks and the problem is that Manning is not exciting and can't do anything unexpected. Never was, never did. He is a pocket QB who needs an offensive line to hold up and runners and receivers willing to block sometimes also. When he throws on the numbers passes, he needs people that don't drop them. Handing off to a runner won't work if that's the whole game plan.

So he's looked bad and kept going 3 and out and should just retire now or find some team that has no better QB and ask for a trade if he must play. Get away from NY and let Jones sink or swim without every camera trained on you standing on the sidelines.

Eli did a lot for the Giants and they have treated him very badly. He should have taken the hint after 2016 - 2017 and at least gotten out with his dignity intact.

Eddie Piniero was the hero for the Bears on Sunday. They had lousy kicking last season and they tried at least 6 kickers in camp, but this guy looks good so far. It helps when the offense is barely there.

COLT POWER!

Who does a lot of research picking teams? The more you know, the harder it is to pick. I watch some preseason games. I watch a few shows (Colin Cowherd, Jim Rome, some NFLN, local SF/Oak coverage, etc.) and go with what feels right at the time.

You can only guess at who gets injured and who comes out of nowhere to give a team some hope. Your season may be wrecked if you picked the Steelers but then Rudolph wasn't bad. The Saints might salvage something with Bridgewater and Tacen Hill once they get some time in together. We'll have to see what the Ravens do against a good team.

Yeah, it looks like the Chiefs and the Patriots and the Cowboys and the Packers now but somebody important is going to get injured on at least one of those teams. The Rams might be splitting with the Seahawks and the 49ers this season with the Cardinals giving them trouble as well.

Jess

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by catskilleagle:
Where's the fun in picking winners after the playoff teams have emerged?

Jess

What's the fun of doing a lot of research before the very first game to pick position winners right through the Super Bowl and then have half your teams picked off during the season and your whole predicted schedule is down the drain? Or I might just be too lazy.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: catskilleagle,

quote:

Originally posted by Batman:
COLT POWER!

The Dolphins are starting to put points on the board. I hope they are not stupid enough to start winning.

The Jets/Patriots game last night was memorizing. I watched the whole 33 - 0 slaughter and couldn't walk away for fear of missing another sack, interception, fumble or safety. At one point Darnold threw 3 consecutive passes darn near into the stands. It was as though the Patriots were playing a high school football team, and a bad one at that.

These two QBs, Jones and Darnold, were not going to turn the Giants and Jets around by themselves, yet the media reported them like the second coming. Now the same media has turned on them because they are not great right now. I'm not sure either one is even adequate as a QB, but Darnold could really be effected by this beating if he doesn't show up next week.

If I were a pro player I would never come to a NY baseball, football or basketball team, despite the big money. The fans and press will worship you as a God when you sign up and curse you to the Heavens when you don't come through every time. With the Yankees failure, the horrible Jets and Giants, and the lost cause Mets and Knicks, it's ugly around here. I don't mention Hockey, because that gets pushed back on the sports page until it gets near the playoffs, lucky them.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Raven,

Can't believe how disappointing my Bears have been this year. The running back David Montogmery is a beast who they absolutely refused to give the ball to, until today. Khalil Mack is one of the best defensive players in the league - when he wants to be. And the QB Trubisky was talked about pre-season as an MVP candidate. How's that working out?

Look on the bright side, the Bears are still 15th out of 32 teams. You could be a Bengals or Dolphins fan, sorry wolfie.

Rodgers looks great, but they are catching whatever he throws, so I hope they aren't using up all the luck. And Brees is back, but I liked Bridgewater and hope he has his own spot sometime. KC looked like a force, now Mahomes seems fragile and I'm wondering if they even get there. Giants and Jets don't have to see ghosts, they are dead themselves.