4 Topics to Bring Up to Make People Believe you know football
- Zack Anderson
- Sep 10, 2018
- 6 min read
"This Thursday, on a television near you, NFL football is back.."
Well, we have made it. Yes, that is right, football is finally back.
For some of you, summer was great.
For others, not so much. Maybe you worked a summer job that was less than desirable, or you happened to be born in Maryland and cheer for the Orioles.
Regardless of how your summer went, summer is now over, school is back in session and this Thursday on a television near you, NFL football is back.
Now, I know most of you reading this article are like me and are very excited about the NFL season. You love sports, you get way too excited about your fantasy football draft, and you constantly sit and debate with your friends about whether or not Joe Buck is an essential part of this time of year. (that is an article for a different day, but I am telling you now, I am on the “Joe Buck is good” island).
However, I know some of you, don’t really care about the NFL. You may view the NFL season as that time of year where pumpkin spice latte is back at Starbucks. Or that time of year where Target starts to put out Halloween decorations.
Listen, I don’t judge, but sometimes you get put into situations where people want to talk football. Maybe you are at work, and a group of people are talking about Tom Brady and you don’t know to say because you went apple picking instead.
Or maybe you’re at a Bar and a guy puts you on the spot and wants to know your sleeper this year in the NFL.
I don’t bring up these scenarios to make you feel bad but instead, I want you to feel prepared.
With all that being said, allow me to give you some headlines, and along the way, provide some detail for the sports junkies out there. Feel free to jot some notes down, text a friend or even send me an email thanking me.
Now with great excitement, I present with you, 4 topics to bring up as we start the NFL season…
1. The Minnesota Vikings are the team to beat in the NFC:
Although the Vikings did not appear in the headlines much this offseason, they have to be considered the team to beat in the NFC. With a loaded defense, upgrading at quarterback with the addition of Kirk Cousins, it is hard not to pick them to win the NFC.
Hm. Zack really that simple?
Not Quite…
I do have some worries about the Minnesota Vikings. They are starting the season with a pretty below average offensive line. According to Pro-Football Focus, the Vikings were ranked 22nd in the NFL as far as a total offensive line in 2017.
Now, they have tried to improve their offensive line with a recent trade from the Giants to acquire Brett Jones. He may not be a great high-level talent, but he could provide some depth for the Vikings. If this unit is average at worst, they will be in Atlanta in February.
The only other worry that I have about this team is the position that they never can figure out, the kicker. The Vikings are going with Rookie kicker Daniel Carlson out of Auburn over veteran Kai Forbath. We have seen this spot on the roster really come back to haunt the Vikings. Perhaps this rookie can provide some stability to a spot that been inconsistent over the past few years.
2. The Houston Texans will make the playoffs:
Listen, I feel really good about this prediction for a few reasons.
1. They play the easiest schedule in the NFL.
The Texans were gifted a schedule that suits them well to make a playoff push. Their opponents have a combined 2017 record of 116-140.
2. The Texans play in the much weaker AFC.
Unless the league changes the rules overnight, the AFC has to have 6 playoff teams. The Houston Texans have a really good chance to be amongst those teams. The AFC East is awful outside of New England, the West has a lot of question marks, and I am not buying any stock in the Browns this year. So that leaves us with only a couple of teams to choose from.
Why not the Texans?
3. They bring back real star power.
The Texans were set back last year mainly due to injuries. With an offseason to get healthy, they are bringing back a lot of good players. On the defensive side of the ball, they will return Former Defensive player of the Year JJ. Watt, which if healthy, has proven to be one of the best defensive players in the league.
On the other side of the ball, they get back Deshaun Watson. Before his injury, Watson threw for 19 touchdowns and had a quarterback rating of 103. Since the injury, there seems to be this misremembrance of how effective he was. If the knee is healthy, and all indications show that it is, he will be a dominant quarterback in the NFL and will lead this team to a playoff berth.
3. Andrew Luck is finally back:
It has been a while since Andrew Luck has suited up for a game.
The last time Andrew Luck played a football game was January 1st, 2016 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Since then, we have had two different presidents, Jay Cutler has retired twice and the Browns… Well the Browns, haven’t won a game on a Sunday during that time period.
I know, I know Brown jokes are cheap but hey, everyone is telling me how good they are supposed to be this year. I’ll get them in while I can.
All jokes aside, Luck comes back at a time where the Colts have tried to address issues that caused him to get hurt in the first place. The Indianapolis Colts really went out and tried to establish a better offensive line. With the additions of Quenton Nelson and Braden Smith through the draft, the Colts look to provide better protection for their franchise quarterback. If Luck comes back healthy, the Colts could surprise some people.
4. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are destined to be the worst team in the league:
I don’t think I am providing breaking news here, but, the Buccaneers are going to be awful this year.
First, Tampa Bay starts off the season without their starting quarterback Jamesis Winston. Winston will be serving a 3-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. This does not come at a great time as the Bucs open up the season against the Saints on the road. As if this wasn’t bad enough, the Bucs follow up the reminder of Winston’s suspension with home games against the Pittsburgh Steelers and defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
Even with Jameis coming back by Week 4, the season does not get any easier. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers play the 4th hardest schedule in the NFL with their opponents having a combined record of 136-120 in 2017. With the Buccaneers playing in a loaded NFC South, it is a safe bet to assume that strength of schedule will remain difficult as we head into this season.
As far as the Talent on the roster, how do the Buccaneers look? The Buccaneers actually have players to be excited about. On the offensive side of the ball, they return big names such as Tight End OJ Howard, and wide receivers DeSean Jackson and Mike Evans.
So that is a good sign, right?
Don’t get me wrong, I like some of the personnel that the Buccaneers have, I just have a tough time believing in Jamesis Winston. He has been extremely inconsistent during his time in the league, and with his suspension, and his lack of maturity off the field, I don’t see him having a great season this year.
With a tough schedule, a below average quarterback and a coach likely to be the first fired, it is safe to say the Buccaneers will be making the first overall selection in the 2019 NFL Draft.
"Enjoy the first week of the NFL season and share this piece with a friend who could use these talking points."
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