oldschooler Posted February 8, 2016 Report Share Posted February 8, 2016 Dan GrazianoESPN Staff Writer Emailprintcomment Dan GrazianoESPN Staff WriterEmailprintcommentThe NFL season ended minutes ago, but you miss it already.Never fear! Here at ESPN.com, we’ve already looked into our crystal ball and have seen what will happen over the next year in the NFL.So here’s a handy guide to the season ahead that you can pull out and use to make you feel better when you’re missing football in the coming months -- 10 predictions for the 2016 NFL season. You don’t even have to thank us. We’re the worldwide leader in having your back.1. The Cowboys, Colts and Ravens all bounce back. Drafting a quarterback at No. 4 overall creates controversy in Dallas, but Tony Romo stays healthy all year, Kirk Cousins turns back into a pumpkin and the Cowboys win a still-pitiful NFC East. Andrew Luck returns from injury to resume his stellar career trajectory after the team drafts him yet another first-round wide receiver. And Baltimore drafts a rookie of the year with the No. 6 pick. Don’t even know who that’ll be or what position he’ll play, but Ozzie Newsome with the No. 6 pick feels like cash money in the bank.2. Mario Williams revives his career in New England. Just because Rex Ryan’s emotions are one of Bill Belichick’s favorite chew toys, the Patriots sign Williams after the Bills cut him and he collects 14.5 sacks. Being an equal-opportunity AFC East tormentor, Belichick also signs free agents Chris Ivory and Rishard Matthews and wins his eighth consecutive division title and 13th in 14 years while Williams, Ivory and Matthews go to the Pro Bowl.3. Odell Beckham Jr. leads the NFL in receiving yards and touchdowns. This in spite of being benched by new head coach Ben McAdoo in the second half of the Stealers game after incurring consecutive personal-foul penalties because Joey Porter made fun of his hair.4. The Raiders declare themselves a traveling team. As stadium discussions with Oakland continue to go nowhere and the Chargers ultimately come to grips with the necessity of joining the Rams in Los Angeles, Raiders owner Mark Davis gets fed up. He calls a news conference to announce that, beginning with the 2017 season and in the grand tradition of teams such as the 1927 Duluth Eskimos and the 1952 Dallas Texans, the Raiders officially will be a “road team,” playing every game at their opponent’s stadium until they can find a town that wants to build them a home.5. Peyton Manning becomes the face of the new Tennessee Titans ownership group. Desperate for some stability and direction for the franchise in Nashville, the NFL convinces the former University of Tennessee star to be the Titans’ Magic Johnson, buying into and fronting the group that will purchase and run the team. In related news, Duke’s David Cutcliffe is hired as the next coach of the Titans, whose efforts to trade Marcus Mariota to the Giants for Eli Manning prove unsuccessful.6. The Carolina Panthers start 0-2, sparking a rash of breathless “What’s wrong with Cam Newton?” headlines. They right the ship and win their fourth consecutive NFC South title, but the 2015 magic can’t repeat itself and they lose a tough playoff game in Arizona. A bizarre new pair of animal-print Versace jeans remains stuck in Newton’s closet with the tags still on as he watches Carson Palmer board a plane for the Super Bowl.7. The Los Angeles Rams use four different starting quarterbacks, including Robert Griffin III. But they finish 7-9, once again failing to deliver Jeff Fisher’s first winning season since 2008 and his seventh in 22 years as an NFL head coach. Stan Kroenke announces after the season that Fisher will return to try again for that elusive nine-win season, and would we all please leave him alone now so he can go meet with the Six Flags people about the new stadium.8. Chip Kelly coaches the San Francisco 49ers into the playoffs. Somehow, quarterback Blaine Gabbert throws 27 touchdowns and only two interceptions while the 49ers lead the league in rushing and finish 10-6 to earn a wild-card spot. Kelly’s success reminds everyone what a brilliant X's-and-O's coach he is and makes everyone forget about the personality and personnel issues that did him in in Philadelphia. SPOILER ALERT: The 2017 and 2018 predictions aren’t quite as rosy.9. Six teams change head coaches after the season. This isn’t the boldest prediction, because this basically happens every year. But just wait until we tell you which teams. It’s Buffalo, Tennessee, Detroit, New Orleans and two shockers -- Green Bay, where rumblings about the Mike McCarthy/Aaron Rodgers relationship will have been in the news all year, and Seattle, where Pete Carroll surprisingly announces his retirement to pursue a late-life career as a motivational speaker.10. The Cincinnati Bengals will beat the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl LI. I know what you’re thinking, but yes, they’re going back to Roman numerals next year. What? Oh, you mean the prediction itself? Yeah, well, eventually Charlie Brown’s going to kick that football before Lucy yanks it away from him, right? One of these years?http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/197615/our-2016-nfl-crystal-ball-super-mario-plays-for-patriots-rg-iii-to-the-rams-and-bengals-win-super-bowl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldschooler Posted February 8, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2016 The Road to Super Bowl 51: How the Bengals can get there The Cincinnati Bengals were so close. They were just a few kneel-downs away from beating the Pittsburgh Stealers and advancing to the Divisional Round. If they had beaten the AFC Champion Denver Broncos in Week 16, they would have been looking at a two game playoff run. The Bengals aren’t that far from returning to the Super Bowl. They can actually make it to Super Bowl 51, but with a few tweaks. There were tons of reasons for Bengals fans to be giddy with excitement. There’s no reason to think that the upcoming season will be worse. They have all the weapons necessary to be a force in the AFC North and shock the NFL. The Running Game Must Improve When Hue Jackson was offensive coordinator for the Bengals, he was adamant in saying the ground game was alright. Yet, when looking at the numbers put up by Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard, the numbers stand out. While Bernard seemed to get better and run stronger, Hill didn’t looked confused. The rookie sensation, that dazzled the NFL and Fantasy Football pundits, was mired in the throes of a sophomore slump. There could be more than just the mental aspect of Hills game that held him back. There could have been an injury that was kept secret. Whatever the cause, the end result is what’s noticeable. Looking at his numbers, per ESPN, Hill gained 330 fewer yards on the same amount of carries. That took his bruising average of 5.1 yards down to 3.6. That’s a respectable amount of yards for any running back, but it was a tease coming from Hill. Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Petersen likes what he sees in Hill. His advice was plain and simple. “Just let it go. I’ve seen him play and he’s a good back.” Getting him back to form will be a major factor in getting to the playoffs and beyond. A strong ground game will take the pressure off the passing game. [Photo by John Grieshop/Getty Images]The Return of Andy Dalton Bengals fans got a taste of what life would be like without Andy Dalton. When Dalton went down against the Stealers in Week 14, AJ McCarron filled in nicely. But the explosive Bengals offense wasn’t the same without Dalton. Offensive coordinator Ken Zampese thinks the Bengals had a chance to make it to Super Bowl 50 without Dalton. Now that he’ll be returning from his thumb injury, the odds are even better. If the other 45 guys played like they did under Dalton, the Bengals would be playing for the Lombardi Trophy. That speaks to his development as a leader and his ability to run the offense. The high-octane Bengals offense should remain the same under Zampese. Of course, there will be tweaks and additions. But, the core of what made Dalton the AFC Passing Champion will be the same. [Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images]Defensive Stability Bengals fans got a treat last year. They were able to watch a Bengals team that had one of the best defensive units in the league. The Bengals ended the season ranked as the No.2 scoring defense in the NFL. The departure of George Iloka, Reggie Nelson and Adam Jones could happen through free agency. Bengals brass will do all they can to retain the strength of the secondary. Bengals linebackers coach Jim Haslett is an addition that will give some needed experience and stability to Vontaze Burfict. The consensus is that coaches will not tolerate the unnecessary foolishness that cost the Bengals a shot at a longer playoff run. The core of defensive coordinator Paul Guenther’s unit should be ready for the campaign. When the Bengals offense was subpar, the defense was able to hold on for more than a few key wins. With a little luck and a few smiles from the football gods, the Bengals should be able to get back into the playoffs. ESPN‘s Bill Polian said the Bengals should be playing the Panthers. “It’s sad they didn’t get beyond where they did,” Polian explained, via the Cincinnati Bengals site. “They had the best team, I think. When Dalton got hurt, that was a terrible blow.” The Bengals will be back. Last year’s best team may be this year’s AFC representative in Super Bowl 51. Read more at http://www.inquisitr.com/2775341/the-road-to-super-bowl-51-how-the-bengals-can-get-there/#6gm2MdX8cZEieQZK.99 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Posted February 8, 2016 Report Share Posted February 8, 2016 Romo stays healthy all year Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldschooler Posted February 9, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2016 An early look at your Super Bowl LI winners ... the Cincinnati Bengals? Coley HarveyESPN Staff Writer EmailprintcommentCINCINNATI -- You know what they always say; the sixth straight time is always the charm.Or so ESPN's Dan Graziano believes.As part of his 10 (very early) predictions for the 2016 season that were posted Monday morning, Graziano has looked into his crystal ball and seen the future. That future has the Cincinnati Bengals -- owners of five straight postseason one-and-dones -- winning (yes, winning) Super Bowl LI.Twice in their franchise's 48 seasons the Bengals have made it to the big game. Who Dey Nation cringes whenever it's reminded of how close they came to beating the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowls XVI and XXIII. The games were decided by a combined nine points.Aside from those two seasons, the Bengals have been the definition of postseason mediocrity. Only once in its 12 other playoff trips has Cincinnati advanced a round. It came during the 1990 playoffs, when the Bengals went from the wild-card round to the divisional. The win over the Houston Oilers marked the final time the Bengals won a playoff game. In seven trips since, they have lost in the opening round. Marvin Lewis, the coach who has led them to all seven of those trips, last month became the first coach to go 0-7 in the postseason.This most recent playoff defeat was the most gutting and may have preceded a personnel exodus that will only make getting to Super Bowl LI all the more difficult.A costly fumble and a pair of penalties in the final minute and a half of this year's wild-card game against the Pittsburgh Stealers did in the Bengals. Had none of those miscues happened, Cincinnati likely would have held on win and could have even rumbled all the way to the Bay Area for Super Bowl 50.In the month since the loss, the Bengals have already lost several coaches, including offensive coordinator Hue Jackson, who became the Cleveland Browns' head coach. Although Lewis was able to replace the departed with an experienced group that includes former head coaches and coordinators Jim Haslett, Bill Lazor and Kevin Coyle, the area that provided the Bengals their most stability last offseason -- coaching -- has already been in flux.More changes appear to be on the horizon, with veteran free agents potentially commanding more than the organization is willing to pay. Players like Marvin Jones and George Iloka certainly will be worth significant bumps to their salaries, but the value they could receive on the open market might be too much for the Bengals to bring them and others back.When you consider all of these changes and reflect on the fact more of the Bengals' younger players will be relied on in 2016, you do have to wonder if a Super Bowl LI run really will be in the cards. Games against the lowly NFC East provide them with a significantly easier schedule than they had in 2015, so don't be surprised if they make the playoffs again. But will they have a Super Bowl team? On paper and in practice, the group the Bengals assembled this past year could turn out to be significantly better.And that group made it just as far as the four Bengals teams before them.People in Cincinnati hope Graziano is right, but they have good reason to be pessimistic. http://espn.go.com/blog/cincinnati-bengals/post/_/id/21452/bengals-super-bowl-li-espn-early-look-at-winners-cincinnati Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COB Posted February 10, 2016 Report Share Posted February 10, 2016 Dan GrazianoESPN Staff Writer Emailprintcomment 10. The Cincinnati Bengals will beat the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl LI. I know what you’re thinking, but yes, they’re going back to Roman numerals next year. What? Oh, you mean the prediction itself? Yeah, well, eventually Charlie Brown’s going to kick that football before Lucy yanks it away from him, right? One of these years?http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/197615/our-2016-nfl-crystal-ball-super-mario-plays-for-patriots-rg-iii-to-the-rams-and-bengals-win-super-bowlDid Graziano just compare us to Charlie Brown? Shit just got real. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldschooler Posted February 12, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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