Post by Pittsburgh Steelers (Malachi) on Sept 12, 2021 14:42:53 GMT -5
Lawrence Taylor Division Preview: The Lawrence Taylor division was basically feast or famine for the teams as 2 teams made the playoffs, New Orleans and Tampa Bay, and 2 teams finished in the bottom 4 of the league, New York and Atlanta. Both NO and TB had short lived playoff experiences, getting knocked out in round 1. Both teams immediately went to work trying to improve their rosters to make sure a round 1 exit doesn't happen again. Both the Giants and Falcons appear to be building to the future as well, so this division will be a two horse race again.
Atlanta Falcons (Andrew): 2020 Record: 3-9
Looking back to last season, I whiffed mightily on this Falcons team and what it would look like. Thanks to Brees missing time, RBs not being what they appeared to be, and WRs not producing enough, the offense struggled all season to score points. It was also a rough season for the defense as well with only a few guys producing enough to be useful guys. All that said it was a 3-9 season and netted the team the 4th overall rookie pick. Over the off-season, a new owner joins the league and it is one that a number of us are familiar with. Andrew took over this Falcons team and immediately went to work overhauling the team, adding a QB, RB, WR, 2 LBs, and a DB during the rookie draft. Whether they are competitive here in 2021 or not, this Falcons team will certainly be an interesting one to watch and it starts at the QB position. With Jameis Winston and Zach Wilson both on the team, Andrew will have a choice to make each week on which guy to play, and could have an interesting decision to make next off-season if Jameis plays well. While I did expect more from RB last season, the group this season does look like one that is actually building towards success thanks to Javonte Williams being selected 4th overall. Behind him is a stable of young RBs that Andrew can choose from moving forward to build around with AJ Dillon, Ke’Shawn Vaugh, and Benny Snell. Phillip Lindsay is also here, but is in a messy backfield in Houston and likely isn’t a long term option for Andrew. Like RB, WR looks like it is on the upswing now as well, mostly just from guys growing into the league and Andrew adding a couple young guys that could pop as well. Chase Claypool, Hollywood Brown, and Russell Gage will be the most prominent guys in the group, while Marquez Callaway, Van Jefferson, and Cornell Powell will all look to pop in 2021 to help Andrew build this WR group out. Foster Moreau is currently the lone TE on the roster and at 24, could be around for the Falcons past this season, but would need to break out this season. Flipping to the defensive side of the ball, Andrew did a good amount of work here to get things fixed and it started at LB where he added rookies Pete Werner and Nick Bolton and veteran Avery Williamson to the group to try and help Nicholas Morrow and Bud Dupree. Jabrill Peppers and Carlton Davis have the starting DB spots in a good spot this season with Isaiah Oliver and rookie Divine Deablo as depth. The defensive line won’t be a top unit in the league, but it also appears that it won’t hurt the team this season. Bradley Chubb, Derek Wolfe, and Larry Ogunjobi aren’t superstars at the position, but will also produce well enough here in 2021. A 3rd place finish in the division last season, will mean the Falcons face off with all the 3rd place teams across the league, and that might be something that helps Andrew get a nice draft pick, if that is his plan this season with how young his team is.
Predicted Division Finish: 3rd
New Orleans Saints (Mike): 2020 Record: 9-3
Mike maneuvered his Saints team into an impressive 9-3 record in 2020 and the division win by 2 games over the Bucs. During the 2020 season, Mike brought in DeAndre Hopkins, Austin Hooper, and Andy Dalton(more so to replace an injured Burrow than anything). While those were, in my opinion, excellent additions to the team, it did not keep the Saints from suffering a 1st round exit in the playoffs. It was a very disappointing end to a very successful first LHL season for the Saints and a feeling Mike will really want to avoid in 2021. With no rookie picks thanks to trades made during the season, Mike made all his roster moves in RFA and FA and most were on the defensive side of the ball as he added a DL, a DB, and 3 LBs. That side of the ball was already a stout one and Mike just added a bunch of depth to it. Despite missing a lot of time in 2020, Mike has decided to hand the keys to the franchise over to Joe Burrow at QB as he is now the only QB on the roster, so how will that move pay off? The RBs in 2021 are the same trio that the Saints rolled with in 2020 with Aaron Jones, Kareem Hunt, and Tevin Coleman all back in the fold. Tevin Coleman traded in the RBBC of San Francisco for one in New York with the Jets. The Saints will be in the discussion for the top WR group in the league thanks to the elite duo of DeAndre Hopkins and Julio Jones, but also because of the depth of Emmanuel Sanders, Tim Patrick, and Will Fuller (when he comes back from suspensions). On offense, the one question mark I have is at TE with the Saints rolling with a couple Ohio TEs of Austin Hooper and Drew Sample. My only concern is because Hooper has a lot of other weapons to fight for touches with and 2 guys at his own position, so will Hooper be the clear best TE in Cleveland or will his production get zapped from NJoku and Bryant? As mentioned, Mike went to work on this defense and there is a ton of depth on this team now and it starts at LB with 8 players at the position. Danny Trevathan, Troy Reeder, and Kwon Alexander look set to be the 3 constant presences in the lineup with Za’Darius Smith, Denzel Perryman, Alex Anzalone, and Von Miller being rotated in for matchups/bye weeks. Jacob Phillips is also on the roster, but is on the IR and was buried on the Browns depth chart before that. Akiem Hicks, Michael Brockers, and Emmanuel Ogbah make up a solid trio at DL and will likely put Mike at ease every week with their production. The position that might need work on defense will be DB. The starters of Harrison Smith and Malcolm Jenkins will be productive as always, but Daniel Sorenson, Donovan Wilson, and Grant Delpit all will be question marks for Mike and might leave him needing to find depth to cover the top 2 guys. With the top end talent and depth on this roster the Saints will once again be a contender in the NFC. Mike will have a tough run of matchups from week 4 to week 8 thanks to winning the division last season and now having to face off with the other division winners from last season.
Predicted Division Finish: 2nd
New York Giants (Jeremy): 2020 Record: 1-11
The 2020 Giants were very not good and it showed as they stumbled and tripped and crawled to a 1-11 record and last place in the league. The offense had guys who played bit part roles, didn’t play at all, or missed time due to injuries. The defense went a few weeks without even having 8 playable players because of guys just not being used by their NFL teams or being hurt, so this Giants team was never gonna put up many points any given week and it was a little surprising the team even won the 1 game they did. Despite ending the season with the worst record in the league, the Giants did not have the #1 pick thanks to a trade during the season. A trade during the draft netted the Giants Brandin Cooks to boost their WR room. This team will once again be in the running for a top 3 pick, just through sheer lack of playable players currently on the roster. A position that Jeremy will not have to worry about this year or quite possibly the foreseeable future is QB with two NFC East QBs on the roster in Daniel Jones and Jalen Hurts. With the duo of Adam Thielen and Brandin Cooks, I would say WR is in a fairly good spot, but the depth behind them is gonna be tough. Tre’Quan Smith, Darius Slayton, Keelan Doss, Antonio Gandy-Golden, and Willie Snead don’t inspire confidence if Thielen or Cooks go down. With Alvin Kamara on the roster, the RB spot will be in good shape more times than not and if Bell can get some meaningful carries in Baltimore, Jeremy might have a serviceable backup. Ryquell Armstead and Dion Lewis will not make any sort of impact this season unless something crazy happens. With Gerald Everett at TE, Jeremy will hope the change of scenery to Seattle will help him be an above average TE, while Thad Moss in Cincinnati will actually need to see the field if he wants to score points. Like offense, the defense will struggle to put up points on a weekly basis and currently doesn’t even have the bodies to fill a lineup. I am not sure who the lead player on this unit will be. At DL there is Chris Jones, Leonard Williams, and Marcus Davenport. Moving to LB there is FA Vic Beasley, rookie Jarbil Cox, Preston Smith, Anthony Barr, and FA Reuben Foster. For DBs, they have Terrell Edmunds, maybe the leader here Tyrann Mathieu, and Marshon Lattimore. Even with the Giants getting all 5 other last place teams across the league, this team will likely still walk away with the top pick next off-season.
Predicted Division Finish: 4th
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Eric): 2020 Record: 7-5
Like a couple other teams in 2020, the Buccaneers were built by multiple owners and the current owner, Eric, was the one to finish the building process off and lead the team through the season. The Bucs played the season to a 7-5 record and with that, only scored 5 more points than they had scored against them over the course of the season (wasn’t even the smallest margin of difference in the league). With the record they had, the Bucs did make the playoffs, but made a swift exit there as they had to square off with a very tough Packers team. With a short playoff appearance, Eric went to work over the off-season trying to improve his Tampa team. The biggest move he made was trading DJ Moore for what turned out to be Trey Lance, Jayson Oweh, and Krys Barnes, so if Lance becomes his franchise QB, the trade will be a win for Tampa thanks to the WR depth he has. Eric also traded back into the 1st to get Rashod Bateman. It was Rhamondre Stevenson and Brevin Jordan to round out the Bucs rookie class. Eric drafted Trey Lance to be his QB, but Lance won’t be the starter to open the season, so Teddy Bridgewater was brought in to hold down the position for now. The Bucs are set up nicely at RB with the duo of CEH and Chris Carson returning in 2021, and Eric will hope his rookie Stevenson works his way into a useful role in the NE backfield at some point this season to provide some depth. Easily the best unit on offense and one of the top WR units in the league, Eric boasts a rotation of AJ Brown, DJ Chark, Jakobi Meyers, Nelson Agholor, Quintez Cephus, and rookie Rashod Batemen. As in 2020, the TE spot will be the biggest question mark for Eric. Despite drafting Brevin Jordan, it will be Jordan Akins playing most weeks with Kyle Rudolph behind him. The Bucs will likely have a high end defense in 2021 and it starts upfront on the DLine with Grady Jarrett, Chandler Jones, Christian Wilkins, Lawrence Guy, and rookie Jayson Oweh. Eric will have plenty of production from that group. The guys at DB will be one of the better units in the league, and it is thanks to the starting trio of Marlon Humphrey, Adrian Phillips, and DJ Reed. Kyle Fuller and Jalen Ramsey will be solid options to rotate in when needed as well. The 3 LBs on the roster for the Bucs are all very good options, but only having 3, leaves the unit in need of some depth. Jerome Baker leads the way, Barnes looks set to be a very solid pickup, and Micah Parsons has the potential to be a top 3-5 LB in the future. As the Bucs look to get past New Orleans for the division this season to claim their first division title in LHL and having the slightly more favorable schedule could be a nice advantage for the team.
Predicted Division Finish: 1st
Atlanta Falcons (Andrew): 2020 Record: 3-9
Looking back to last season, I whiffed mightily on this Falcons team and what it would look like. Thanks to Brees missing time, RBs not being what they appeared to be, and WRs not producing enough, the offense struggled all season to score points. It was also a rough season for the defense as well with only a few guys producing enough to be useful guys. All that said it was a 3-9 season and netted the team the 4th overall rookie pick. Over the off-season, a new owner joins the league and it is one that a number of us are familiar with. Andrew took over this Falcons team and immediately went to work overhauling the team, adding a QB, RB, WR, 2 LBs, and a DB during the rookie draft. Whether they are competitive here in 2021 or not, this Falcons team will certainly be an interesting one to watch and it starts at the QB position. With Jameis Winston and Zach Wilson both on the team, Andrew will have a choice to make each week on which guy to play, and could have an interesting decision to make next off-season if Jameis plays well. While I did expect more from RB last season, the group this season does look like one that is actually building towards success thanks to Javonte Williams being selected 4th overall. Behind him is a stable of young RBs that Andrew can choose from moving forward to build around with AJ Dillon, Ke’Shawn Vaugh, and Benny Snell. Phillip Lindsay is also here, but is in a messy backfield in Houston and likely isn’t a long term option for Andrew. Like RB, WR looks like it is on the upswing now as well, mostly just from guys growing into the league and Andrew adding a couple young guys that could pop as well. Chase Claypool, Hollywood Brown, and Russell Gage will be the most prominent guys in the group, while Marquez Callaway, Van Jefferson, and Cornell Powell will all look to pop in 2021 to help Andrew build this WR group out. Foster Moreau is currently the lone TE on the roster and at 24, could be around for the Falcons past this season, but would need to break out this season. Flipping to the defensive side of the ball, Andrew did a good amount of work here to get things fixed and it started at LB where he added rookies Pete Werner and Nick Bolton and veteran Avery Williamson to the group to try and help Nicholas Morrow and Bud Dupree. Jabrill Peppers and Carlton Davis have the starting DB spots in a good spot this season with Isaiah Oliver and rookie Divine Deablo as depth. The defensive line won’t be a top unit in the league, but it also appears that it won’t hurt the team this season. Bradley Chubb, Derek Wolfe, and Larry Ogunjobi aren’t superstars at the position, but will also produce well enough here in 2021. A 3rd place finish in the division last season, will mean the Falcons face off with all the 3rd place teams across the league, and that might be something that helps Andrew get a nice draft pick, if that is his plan this season with how young his team is.
Predicted Division Finish: 3rd
New Orleans Saints (Mike): 2020 Record: 9-3
Mike maneuvered his Saints team into an impressive 9-3 record in 2020 and the division win by 2 games over the Bucs. During the 2020 season, Mike brought in DeAndre Hopkins, Austin Hooper, and Andy Dalton(more so to replace an injured Burrow than anything). While those were, in my opinion, excellent additions to the team, it did not keep the Saints from suffering a 1st round exit in the playoffs. It was a very disappointing end to a very successful first LHL season for the Saints and a feeling Mike will really want to avoid in 2021. With no rookie picks thanks to trades made during the season, Mike made all his roster moves in RFA and FA and most were on the defensive side of the ball as he added a DL, a DB, and 3 LBs. That side of the ball was already a stout one and Mike just added a bunch of depth to it. Despite missing a lot of time in 2020, Mike has decided to hand the keys to the franchise over to Joe Burrow at QB as he is now the only QB on the roster, so how will that move pay off? The RBs in 2021 are the same trio that the Saints rolled with in 2020 with Aaron Jones, Kareem Hunt, and Tevin Coleman all back in the fold. Tevin Coleman traded in the RBBC of San Francisco for one in New York with the Jets. The Saints will be in the discussion for the top WR group in the league thanks to the elite duo of DeAndre Hopkins and Julio Jones, but also because of the depth of Emmanuel Sanders, Tim Patrick, and Will Fuller (when he comes back from suspensions). On offense, the one question mark I have is at TE with the Saints rolling with a couple Ohio TEs of Austin Hooper and Drew Sample. My only concern is because Hooper has a lot of other weapons to fight for touches with and 2 guys at his own position, so will Hooper be the clear best TE in Cleveland or will his production get zapped from NJoku and Bryant? As mentioned, Mike went to work on this defense and there is a ton of depth on this team now and it starts at LB with 8 players at the position. Danny Trevathan, Troy Reeder, and Kwon Alexander look set to be the 3 constant presences in the lineup with Za’Darius Smith, Denzel Perryman, Alex Anzalone, and Von Miller being rotated in for matchups/bye weeks. Jacob Phillips is also on the roster, but is on the IR and was buried on the Browns depth chart before that. Akiem Hicks, Michael Brockers, and Emmanuel Ogbah make up a solid trio at DL and will likely put Mike at ease every week with their production. The position that might need work on defense will be DB. The starters of Harrison Smith and Malcolm Jenkins will be productive as always, but Daniel Sorenson, Donovan Wilson, and Grant Delpit all will be question marks for Mike and might leave him needing to find depth to cover the top 2 guys. With the top end talent and depth on this roster the Saints will once again be a contender in the NFC. Mike will have a tough run of matchups from week 4 to week 8 thanks to winning the division last season and now having to face off with the other division winners from last season.
Predicted Division Finish: 2nd
New York Giants (Jeremy): 2020 Record: 1-11
The 2020 Giants were very not good and it showed as they stumbled and tripped and crawled to a 1-11 record and last place in the league. The offense had guys who played bit part roles, didn’t play at all, or missed time due to injuries. The defense went a few weeks without even having 8 playable players because of guys just not being used by their NFL teams or being hurt, so this Giants team was never gonna put up many points any given week and it was a little surprising the team even won the 1 game they did. Despite ending the season with the worst record in the league, the Giants did not have the #1 pick thanks to a trade during the season. A trade during the draft netted the Giants Brandin Cooks to boost their WR room. This team will once again be in the running for a top 3 pick, just through sheer lack of playable players currently on the roster. A position that Jeremy will not have to worry about this year or quite possibly the foreseeable future is QB with two NFC East QBs on the roster in Daniel Jones and Jalen Hurts. With the duo of Adam Thielen and Brandin Cooks, I would say WR is in a fairly good spot, but the depth behind them is gonna be tough. Tre’Quan Smith, Darius Slayton, Keelan Doss, Antonio Gandy-Golden, and Willie Snead don’t inspire confidence if Thielen or Cooks go down. With Alvin Kamara on the roster, the RB spot will be in good shape more times than not and if Bell can get some meaningful carries in Baltimore, Jeremy might have a serviceable backup. Ryquell Armstead and Dion Lewis will not make any sort of impact this season unless something crazy happens. With Gerald Everett at TE, Jeremy will hope the change of scenery to Seattle will help him be an above average TE, while Thad Moss in Cincinnati will actually need to see the field if he wants to score points. Like offense, the defense will struggle to put up points on a weekly basis and currently doesn’t even have the bodies to fill a lineup. I am not sure who the lead player on this unit will be. At DL there is Chris Jones, Leonard Williams, and Marcus Davenport. Moving to LB there is FA Vic Beasley, rookie Jarbil Cox, Preston Smith, Anthony Barr, and FA Reuben Foster. For DBs, they have Terrell Edmunds, maybe the leader here Tyrann Mathieu, and Marshon Lattimore. Even with the Giants getting all 5 other last place teams across the league, this team will likely still walk away with the top pick next off-season.
Predicted Division Finish: 4th
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Eric): 2020 Record: 7-5
Like a couple other teams in 2020, the Buccaneers were built by multiple owners and the current owner, Eric, was the one to finish the building process off and lead the team through the season. The Bucs played the season to a 7-5 record and with that, only scored 5 more points than they had scored against them over the course of the season (wasn’t even the smallest margin of difference in the league). With the record they had, the Bucs did make the playoffs, but made a swift exit there as they had to square off with a very tough Packers team. With a short playoff appearance, Eric went to work over the off-season trying to improve his Tampa team. The biggest move he made was trading DJ Moore for what turned out to be Trey Lance, Jayson Oweh, and Krys Barnes, so if Lance becomes his franchise QB, the trade will be a win for Tampa thanks to the WR depth he has. Eric also traded back into the 1st to get Rashod Bateman. It was Rhamondre Stevenson and Brevin Jordan to round out the Bucs rookie class. Eric drafted Trey Lance to be his QB, but Lance won’t be the starter to open the season, so Teddy Bridgewater was brought in to hold down the position for now. The Bucs are set up nicely at RB with the duo of CEH and Chris Carson returning in 2021, and Eric will hope his rookie Stevenson works his way into a useful role in the NE backfield at some point this season to provide some depth. Easily the best unit on offense and one of the top WR units in the league, Eric boasts a rotation of AJ Brown, DJ Chark, Jakobi Meyers, Nelson Agholor, Quintez Cephus, and rookie Rashod Batemen. As in 2020, the TE spot will be the biggest question mark for Eric. Despite drafting Brevin Jordan, it will be Jordan Akins playing most weeks with Kyle Rudolph behind him. The Bucs will likely have a high end defense in 2021 and it starts upfront on the DLine with Grady Jarrett, Chandler Jones, Christian Wilkins, Lawrence Guy, and rookie Jayson Oweh. Eric will have plenty of production from that group. The guys at DB will be one of the better units in the league, and it is thanks to the starting trio of Marlon Humphrey, Adrian Phillips, and DJ Reed. Kyle Fuller and Jalen Ramsey will be solid options to rotate in when needed as well. The 3 LBs on the roster for the Bucs are all very good options, but only having 3, leaves the unit in need of some depth. Jerome Baker leads the way, Barnes looks set to be a very solid pickup, and Micah Parsons has the potential to be a top 3-5 LB in the future. As the Bucs look to get past New Orleans for the division this season to claim their first division title in LHL and having the slightly more favorable schedule could be a nice advantage for the team.
Predicted Division Finish: 1st
