NFL 2019 Season Predictions + Andrew Luck

Hello readers! The 100th regular season of National Football League is soon upon us. The centennial season will start on Thursday night when the Green Bay Packers visit the Chicago Bears. In this column I'll talk about the retirement of Andrew Luck as well as my season predictions on how well teams will do this season as well as postseason predictions as well. Let's get to work!

Outta' Luck in Indy

When I wrote last Saturday's post, the news of Andrew Luck's retirement came hours after I wrote it. I had thought about doing an update to it but I felt that this news sort of went along with what I plan on talking about, how well the Colts will do without him, if they make they playoffs, etc.

Much like everyone, when I read the news while at a baseball game, I was in shock. After a few minutes of going through the emotions of the news, I realized that Andrew Luck made a pretty decent decision. The timing of it might've been a bit off but you can't really plan on this sort of thing.

Don't get me wrong, the fans deserved to voice their concern over the news of it. He made the announcement less than 11 days before the regular season starts. After hearing podcasts (like the Dan Patrick Show) on the subject, I learn that Luck had pretty much made his choice a week before the announcement. It's very interesting that people compare him to Barry Sanders or Calvin Johnson, when both players announced their retirement after the season, not before.

From Andrew Luck's perspective, its the right choice. He's gone through injuries and rehab that I wouldn't ask upon even the worst people on earth. If injuries and rehab kept me off from the thing that I enjoy, like playing the game, I'd retire as well. Especially when the organization is the ultimate buzzkill in not providing me the means to achieve success.

For the Colts, its another star quarterback that they let slip by. During much of Luck's career, he didn't have an O-line that could keep him upright, give him the time he needed to throw the ball to their pass catchers, and keep him off the Injured Reserve list. You can thank former Colts General Manager, Ryan Grigson for that. The franchise has been cursed since they moved from Baltimore to Indianapolis in 1983. Your owner is more concerned on getting something Rock 'N Roll related than his actual team. As long as the Irsay's control this team, they won't get out of that black hole. Hell I wouldn't be surprised if Andrew Luck goes the John Elway and Peyton Manning route and go from being a Colt to a Bronco and win a Super Bowl.

2019 Predictions

It should be noted that when I post this, Cardinal Viking, my roommate, will have his takes on who will win the divisions, get to the playoffs and then the Super Bowl. As far as predicting the records of all the teams, I won't do that as I can't do the math for it. I'll predict their position in the division though. The team's will be in alphabetical order A-Z for city name.

Arizona Cardinals: 4th in NFC West

The Cardinals have a new quarterback as well as a new head coach in Kliff Kingsbury. Out with Josh Rosen and in with Kyler Murray. They picked up Terrell Suggs in free agency and the defense might be pretty decent but its a lot of question marks on offensive line and limited weapons for Murray to work with. They might win a few more games in 2019 but a new system means another losing season for Larry Fitzgerald.

Atlanta Falcons: 3rd in NFC South

The NFC South is questionable this year. You have the Buccaneers and three other teams that are competing for the division title. The Falcons shored up their offensive line woes with two free agency signings. If they can stay healthy and Matt Ryan and Julio Jones stay do their thing they can definitely find themselves back in the playoffs. Kenjon Barner should help them out with the running game.

Baltimore Ravens: 3rd in AFC North

They added Earl Thomas to an already stacked defense and a good running back in Mark Ingram. The question is how far Lamar Jackson can take this team, and the sophomore jinx always looms for those who are unprepared for it.

Buffalo Bills: 3rd in AFC East

The Bills picked up Cole Beasley in free agency who's a decent weapon for Josh Allen to throw to. LeSean "Shady" McCoy was cut from the team but T.J. Yeldon was signed in his place. Team could be fine as the defense did well in 2018 and looks to be better in 2019. Offense is still questionable though.

Carolina Panthers: 2nd in NFC South

Another team to predict in a very difficult NFC South. The Panthers picked up Chris Hogan in free agency which adds to a pretty good receiving corp for Cam Newton to work with. Adding Bruce Irvin to pair with Luke Kuechly will add some versatility to this defense. If Newton stays healthy, I like this team's chances to make some noise.

Chicago Bears: 2nd in NFC North

The Bears added some secondary help in Ha-Ha Clinton Dix and added a weapon for Mitchell Trubisky in Cordarrelle Patterson. I think they'll take a step back this year with the loss of Jimmy Howard. The defense should stay decent though.

Cincinnati Bengals: 4th in AFC North

The Bengals re-signed Tyler Eifert who hasn't played more than 10 games since 2015. Other than that this team looks not that good and a division is stacked against them. Just trade AJ Green and let the tanking begin.

Cleveland Browns: 2nd in AFC North

The Browns were the darlings in Off-season acquisitions as they added Odell Beckham Jr and Olivier Vernon from the Giants. This team looks good on both sides of the ball. The history of this team in terms of expectations are keeping me from putting them at the top of the division. A lot of pressure is on Baker Mayfield to take this team to the promised land but I feel that a winning season in Cleveland is in order for this team.

Dallas Cowboys: 1st in NFC East

Eventually Jerry Jones is going to extend Ezekiel Elliot's contract and all the drama of the offseason will end for the Cowboys who are going to try to compete for a title. They signed Randall Cobb, Tavon Austin and Jason Witten returns to the playing field after a year in the TV booth. Defense is rock solid too. Just depends on if Dak Prescott can take it to the next level and be the quarterback that the Cowboys need him to be.

Denver Broncos: 4th in AFC West

Joe Flacco comes to Denver looking to turn his career around while the Broncos defense will do alright. Quarterback play will come into question this season as I feel that Flacco is out of his prime window. Broncos running game will be fine though.

Detroit Lions: 4th in NFC North

The Lions offense signed C.J. Anderson and Danny Amendola to give their offense some boost and the defense should stay relatively the same. Matt Patricia is under quite a bit of pressure to produce in Year 2 at the helm in Detroit. All depends on what Matthew Stafford has left in the tank.

Green Bay Packers: 3rd in NFC North

The Packers made it a point to better the defensive line and line backing corp to cause chaos for the opposing offense in the draft. Randall Cobb and Clay Matthews are gone and they didn't really add anyone in high value in return. All depends on how far Aaron Rodgers can go with this supporting cast in offense under new head coach Matt LeFleur.

Houston Texans: 2nd in AFC South

The loss of Lamar Miller to injury as well as Jadaveon Clowney via trade to Seattle means this team has pressure to put forth an effort to win the division now that Andrew Luck retired. I like the Watson to Hopkins pass combo. This team needs running back Duke Johnson to have a good start to the season while Miller is out and JJ Watt to stay healthy.

Indianapolis Colts: 1st in AFC South

Jacoby Brissett is now thrusted into a starting quarterback role in the wake of Andrew Luck retiring. Brissett has some starting experience in his belt and has an offensive line that can keep him upright and a defense that can do good things. Taking a huge risk in this, I agree.

Jacksonville Jaguars: 3rd in AFC South

Nick Foles is now a Jaguar and has some weapons to work with and the defense should stay to form as long as they stay healthy and Jalen Ramsey stays off the mic. The offense will be better but not as much as last year which is certainly a benchmark to achieve.

Kansas City Chiefs: 1st in AFC West

The Chiefs on defense last year was rough to watch. Fortunately they traded for Frank Clark to give their defensive line some legitimacy. Their offense was fun to watch and should stay the same for 2019 as they look to get back to the AFC Championship Game.

Los Angeles Chargers: 2nd AFC West

Melvin Gordon's holdout seems to be taking a toll on the team and they need to resolve that situation quickly if they want to get to a good start on the season. They signed Thomas Davis from Carolina to a deal and re-signed Denzel Perryman. Overall, I expect the team to get into a wild card round game and win but not that much farther.

Los Angeles Rams: 1st in NFC West

The team that went to the Super Bowl last season remains in key positions. They added Eric Weddle and Clay Matthews in free agency to a much needed defense. Their offense should continue to put points on the board. Depends on when Todd Gurley gets back into healthy form.

Miami Dolphins: 4th in AFC East

Ryan Tannehill is gone, Cameron Wake is gone, and the Dolphins brought in Ryan "Fitzmagic" Fitzpatrick and Josh Rosen. The team doesn't look good on both sides of the ball other than wide receivers. This team is looking like a 2-14 team.

Minnesota Vikings: 1st in NFC North

The Vikings added some offensive line help via the draft and free agency and re-signed Anthony Barr. No more excuses for Kirk Cousins as he enters Year 2 in the Vikings system and their offense remains the same as Adam Thielen and Stephon Diggs look to have another stellar season.

New England Patriots: 1st in AFC East

Rob Gronkowski and Danny Amendola are gone but they did reinforce themselves with Demaryius Thomas and Bruce Ellington in a deep receiving corp. The Patriots added Michael Bennett on the defensive line as the Pats look to repeat as Super Bowl Champs.

New Orleans Saints: 1st in NFC South

They lost Mark Ingram but they brought in Latavius Murray to tag team with Alvin Kamara. The Saints added Jared Cook to give Drew Brees another weapon. On defense they added Malcom Brown from the Patriots to give their defensive line some help. Expectations are high to get this team to the NFC Championship Game again.

New York Giants: 3rd in NFC East

They lost a lot of talent in the offseason. They picked up Golden Tate despite trading Odell Beckham Jr. Its hard to say who will finish last in the division, whether it be the Washington Redskins or the Giants but at this point, does it matter?

New York Jets: 2nd in AFC East

Le'Veon Bell is fresh after holding out in Pittsburgh in 2018. The defense looks to be improved as they added Quinnen Williams and CJ Mosley. This team could be a wild-card team and a team to challenge the division whenever Brady retires.

Oakland Raiders: 3rd in AFC West

Don't really see this team getting into the playoffs in the final year of them being in Oakland. They added Antonio Brown and quite a bit of defensive talent like Clelin Ferrell. How far this team can go with Derek Carr will be interesting.

Philadelphia Eagles: 2nd in NFC East

The Eagles defense remains the same in the past seasons. Nick Foles is gone and all the hopes of this team returning to the Super Bowl rests on the arm of Carson Wentz. If Wentz stays healthy they can give the Cowboys a run for their money and battle it out for the division. Jordan Howard is an Eagle apparently.

Pittsburgh Steelers: 1st in AFC North

The Steelers look to finally have some composure after last season's drama. They added Donte Montcrief and re-signed Eli Rodgers. I like their defense a lot and their wide receiving corp mostly remains intact as JuJu Smith-Schuster is going to be wide out #1. No more excuses, do what you do best.

San Francisco 49ers: 2nd in NFC West

The health of Jimmy Garappalo will be a factor on if this team can get to the next level. The 49ers drafted Nick Bosa to help on defense and picked up Jordan Matthews on offense. I like this team to do some things in 2019 but Jimmy G has to stay healthy to see that reality.

Seattle Seahawks: 3rd in NFC West

The Seahawks traded for Jadaveon Clowney to an already stacked defense but how well Seattle's offense can do will depend on their success. The NFC West has NFC South and AFC North team's this season and that alone is tough to deal with.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 4th in NFC South

Much of the depth chard is players that are new to the team as Bruce Arians takes over a team that hasn't seen much success throughout the decade. Jameis Winston is still at quarterback. They added Breshad Perriman to help on offense but I don't see this team getting past that 3rd place mark in the division.

Tennessee Titans: 4th in AFC South

The Titans are placing a lot of faith in Ryan Tannehill who hasn't stayed healthy for quite a few seasons. They did pick up Cameron Wake from the Dolphins. Derrick Henry looks to improve as well as one of the better running backs in the league. The Marcus Mariota era could be soon over.

Washington Redskins: 4th in NFC East

Much of the team's players from last year return like Adrian Peterson. Case Keenum enters into a starting role while Dwayne Haskins is waiting in the wing. The Redskins wide receiving corp is pretty bad and their defense might be alright. They did sign Landon Collins to a six-year deal but I don't see this team to make a lot of noise and that might put head coach Jay Gruden in the hot seat.

Award Predictions

MVP: Baker Mayfield, Browns

Offensive Player of the Year: Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs

Defensive Player of the Year: Aaron Donald, Rams

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Kyler Murray, Cardinals

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Rashan Gary, Packers

Comeback Player of the Year: Earl Thomas, Ravens

Coach of the Year: Frank Reich, Colts

Postseason Predictions:

NFC:

1st: New Orleans Saints
2nd: Dallas Cowboys
3rd: Los Angeles Rams
4th: Minnesota Vikings
5th: Chicago Bears
6th: Carolina Panthers

Wild card:

Los Angeles over Carolina
Chicago over Minnesota

Divisional:

New Orleans over Chicago
Dallas over Los Angeles

Conference Championship:

New Orleans over Dallas

AFC:

1st: Kansas City Chiefs
2nd: New England Patriots
3rd: Pittsburgh Steelers
4th: Indianapolis Colts
5th: Los Angeles Chargers
6th: Cleveland Browns

Wild card:

Pittsburgh over Cleveland
Los Angeles over Indianapolis

Divisional:

Kansas City over Los Angeles
New England over Pittsburgh

Conference Championship:

New England over Kansas City

SUPER BOWL LIV:

New England Patriots over New Orleans

With the Week 1 games starting on Thursday, expect the picks post to happen on Wednesday night or before the game begins. Hopefully these predictions will stand well heading into January. I don't want to have another "Raiders to The Super Bowl" nightmare like I had last year. See you guys on Wednesday!

-Tom

NFL Offseason Thoughts 2019

Hello readers! Long time, no blogs! The NFL regular season is coming upon us in 12 days when the Green Bay Packers visit their division rival Chicago Bears on Thursday night for Opening Night. This blog will give my take on the Antonio Brown situation, my take on the most intriguing division heading into the regular season, and my planned upload schedule for the upcoming season. Let's get to it!

Oh Woe In Oakland

Last season, the Oakland Raiders, got rid of superstars Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper via trades to the Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboys respectively. To make up for the losses, the Raiders traded to get star wide receiver Antonio Brown from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Brown, known for his antics during the start of training camp. Whether it be coming to camp in a limo, or this year coming to camp in a hot air balloon. As it turns out, the star wide receiver came with a bit more baggage than what the Raiders would expect.

The honeymoon of the Raiders and Antonio Brown didn't last long. The wideout went to France to go through some cryotherapy. What Brown forgot was to wear some protective socks and footwear in the cold. The result was some rather eye appealing visuals on his feet (or not). The drama would only get started.

In the endless quest to make the game safer to play, the NFL would impose rules on helmets to make them safer. Antonio Brown's helmet was deemed unsafe and he didn't like it. Brown would wage war with the league for the past few months on a helmet. Brown claimed that the "safer" helmet was harder to see the ball, and certainly the job of a wide receiver is to see the ball so that you can catch it.

The drama among Antonio Brown, Oakland Raiders, and the NFL will likely continue well into the regular season. It will be hard to see who will win in the end but one thing is for certain. Drama sells.

Remember the [AFC] North?

One of the more exciting divisions heading into the NFL regular season has to be the AFC North. At least in my opinion. You have the division winners Baltimore Ravens looking to build off of what they had the previous season, all the while the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Cleveland Browns, and the Cincinnati Bengals look to get back into relevancy.

The Baltimore Ravens won the AFC North for the first time since 2012 when the Ravens won their 2nd Super Bowl. The Ravens traded Joe Flacco to Denver for draft picks. The Ravens put their hope and future on Lamar Jackson who would throw 1200+ yards for six touchdowns and three interceptions. The Ravens bread and butter has to be their defense and they still have the best defense in the division. If the Ravens want to go to the next level in 2019, their offense has to get to that next level.

The division powerhouse, Pittsburgh Steelers, were off to a hot start going 7-2-1 at one point last season. Pittsburgh was under the radar all season due to the holdout of Le'Veon Bell that lasted the whole season. As if that drama wasn't enough, the rift between quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown grew and the team took sides. Eventually Roethlisberger won the battle as Brown was traded to Oakland in the offseason. The 2019 Steelers look to put all the drama the previous year behind them with such players like James Conner and JuJu Smith-Schuster. Those two players will greatly depend on how well the Steelers do this season.

The feel-good story of last year was the Cleveland Browns. Cleveland came into last year with zero wins in 2017, and would win seven games in 2018, matching the same total in 2014. The Browns success has to be given to rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield, a solid running game with Nick Chubb, and a stifling defense. The addition of Odell Beckham Jr from the Giants via trade will surely give the Browns more dimensions in the passing game and a weapon for Mayfield to go for. A lot of expectations are on this Browns team to go far into the season and well into January. This team hasn't had a winning season since 2007 and haven't even sniffed the playoffs since 2002. Anything but a winning season for this team would be a bad season for this team due to expectations. I feel that a winning season is achievable for this team and a playoff appearance would be a plus for them.

Then there's the Cincinnati Bengals. The divsion cellar dwellers last season got rid of their long-time head coach Marvin Lewis and brought in Zac Taylor. Much of the offensive starters remain like Andy Dalton and AJ Green but it has to be questioned on their defense. How well will their defense do in 2019? Much questions surround this team and if they can get a winning season in 2019.

Upload schedule

The coming season is coming up soon. The upload schedule essentially will remain the same. The picks column will be uploaded on Wednesday or prior to the week's games start. A recap column will come on Monday after the Monday night game or possibly Tuesday. I still plan on doing picks for the 2019 season, along with Cardinal Viking, my roommate, our 3rd season doing picks. Expect a preview column come next Friday (August 30th) or Saturday. Then the Week 1 picks column on Wednesday, September 4th. See you guys next week!

-Tom