Since I failed to do any kind of season preview, this will remain mostly speculative. 20/20 hindsight is always clearest.
Injuries:
What stands out most to me in the 2017 season are the injuries to the most key players in the game. Injuries always effect the season as it's played out but this year just seemed, to me, to be particularly brutal. Among quarterbacks, the best rookie QB in DeSean Watson went down in a non-game (or contact) injury. The best second year QB leading his team to a tie for the best record in the NFL, Carson Wentz, went down to IR. One of the very best QBs in the game broke his collar bone, Aaron Rodgers. There was no sighting of Andrew Luck, and last year's best QB completion rated passer, Sam Bradford, played no part in the season. The league's most dynamic receiver, OBJ, spent most of the season in rehab along with another certain pro-bowler in Brandon Marshall. Among Tight Ends, Greg Olson spent much of the season hobbled along with Zach Ertz. On the other side of the ball, Houston's season was completely shattered by the IR status of Mercilus and 3 time Defensive Player of the Year, J.J. Watt. The Steeler's Ryan Shazier may be done with football entirely. We all know that injuries affect a season's outcome. This year just seemed more brutal than most.
Black Monday:
This was kind of anti-climatic, really. I never celebrate Black Monday, because I hate seeing people lose their jobs. I look for the surprises. But this year was ... obvious? Caldwell being fired was only a slight surprise if that. Arians retiring was not much news at all. The only surprise concerning Pegano was that he wasn't fired last year. Okay, for a bit of positivity, there were two 'surprises'. The first is that Marvin Lewis was signed to an additional 2 years in Cincy. All the rumors pointed to his ouster. Regardless of his inability to win playoff games, Marvin Lewis may be the best coach the Bengals have ever had, including Wyche and Gregg. If he can clean up his team's felonious leanings, he might have a winner, but that's as much on the head office as it is the coach. In Oakland, Del Rio was fired in favor of a HUGE contract for Jon Gruden. This was well known before the Raiders played in week 17. Here's the thing: I think Gruden is overrated. Yes, I said it. He is a good coach, probably a very good coach. He built the Raiders up from an above average team to a Super Bowl contender, and then left them only to defeat them with the team that Dungy Built. Let's be clear, if Gruden had stayed with the Raiders and Dungy with the Buccaneers, Super Bowl 37 would have had the very same outcome. 10 mil/year for 10 years? Gruden better put up Belichick like playoff numbers or he isn't worth a quarter of that. My prediction? He isn't worth a quarter of that.
As of when I began this post, certain things were unknown. I was correct in a prediction I made last year, that hasn't born fruit until now. Last year I wrote:
Recap: But was that enough for Pagano to keep his job? Here's my first NFL conspiracy theory of the new year. Colt's owner Irsay has made rumblings about coach Pagano and his staff, but hasn't made a move yet, as of this writing. I don't think he will, because he's already chatting up Patriots owner Robert Kraft about a certain OC named McDaniels. If Irsay can get a back-room stylee deal done to bring Josh McDaniels to Indianapolis then Pagano is out. Hey, this is all just theory, because it's not like the Patriots have done the least thing dishonorable ever ...
And now it has become real. McDaniels will take over the edjumacation of a luckless Colts team. I expect more of the same he brought to Denver. Early success, and then teams will begin to notice the failings on defense, and that T.Y. Hilton lines up in the slot only to run borderline legal pick plays for dirty tightends. Frank Gore, a certain Hall of Famer, will displease 'His Nibs' and likely won't be on the Indy roster come 8 months from now. McDaniels will have some success, just like in Denver. After all, if you ain't cheatin' you ain't tryin'.
Biggest disappointments:
The No-Fly Zone. Denver's defensive back field is one of, if not the most, talented in all of football. This year, they gave up too many big plays at the very worst of times. Roby, Talib, and Harris are still premier, but they got little help from coaching or from the offense keeping them resting. Next year is another year.
The New York Football Giants. Injuries hamstrung them. Coaching hamstrung them more. McAdoo's firing was about 6 weeks too late. Eli Manning is still one of the elite in the NFL, and benching him made no sense whatsoever. Now the Giants face a 'quarterback issue' that is completely manufactured. Of course they need to find Eli's replacement. But the urgency of such has left them scrambling to fix what shouldn't be broken.
League Officiating, yet again:
The catch rule is a nightmare of complete suck, and the league seems incapable of doing thing one about it. There is not one single person outside of the Atlantic northwest that doesn't believe that the Hatriots stole home field advantage from the Steelers..
The Cleveland Browns:
That team is loaded with young talent, from top to bottom. They went 0-16. This pains everyone who loves the NFL. Yes, they are young. Yes, they are rebuilding. But seriously? Winless? I never thought or expected that it would or could happen. I am not the only one who expected better. Still, it is a testament to the team's resolve that Hue Jackson will return for another year.
Biggest Surprises:
The L.A. Teams. The Rams were freed from the mediocrity that was Jeff Fisher, and they responded. Goff was sensational and Gurley has a HOF career ahead of him if he wants it. With no fans to speak of, the Chargers still made a powerful run at the playoffs. Rivers doesn't look nearly as worn out as his contemporary Eli Manning. I will not be at all surprised if next year (2018) the AFC West goes to the Chargers.
Jacksonville. The Jags took history into their own hands and delivered. As of the time I write this, they will play for the AFC Championship. With Bortles, I thought they would finish no better than second in the AFC South. Kudos to Tom Coughlin, and the entire Jacksonville organization.
My picks for this season were not stellar, but still better than most professionals. Somehow or another, given the wacky playout of the NFL n 2017, I don't feel so good about this.
The Last Week's Picks: 8 - 8, 50%. Overall: 169 - 87, 66%
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