CBS Sports Rankings

[Sgt Schultz]

Not that I take what CBS Sports says to be any better than anybody else, but they have us ranked in Tier 3 (Wild Card Wanderers) of the NFC with what seems to be a reasonable quick-take.  That tier includes the Saints, Falcons, Vikings, and Packers.  

I think they are being optimistic about the Packers, but if their quick-take proves correct who knows?

Beyond Tier 3, they like the Lions more than anybody else in the NFCN, which I get because of their run in the second half of last year.  If you read the Cowboys quick-take (Tier 1), they acknowledge the ranking is "on paper" and the problems in their way of moving that to reality, as well as their futility in doing so in the past.

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/ranking-2023-nfl-contenders-by-tiers-nfc-headlined-by-eagles-cowboys-49ers-entering-new-season/

The Panthers figure to endure the hiccups of a reset, lacking elite weapons, but with a growing "D" and the poised pairing of Bryce Young and Frank Reich at QB and head coach, they may have the moxie to make noise in the NFC South.

Offered as something to help pass the time until we can start talking about actual game results.

[Jon Snow]

3 minutes ago, Sgt Schultz said:

Not that I take what CBS Sports says to be any better than anybody else, but they have us ranked in Tier 3 (Wild Card Wanderers) of the NFC with what seems to be a reasonable quick-take.  That tier includes the Saints, Falcons, Vikings, and Packers.  

I think they are being optimistic about the Packers, but if their quick-take proves correct who knows?

Beyond Tier 3, they like the Lions more than anybody else in the NFCN, which I get because of their run in the second half of last year.  If you read the Cowboys quick-take (Tier 1), they acknowledge the ranking is "on paper" and the problems in their way of moving that to reality, as well as their futility in doing so in the past.

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/ranking-2023-nfl-contenders-by-tiers-nfc-headlined-by-eagles-cowboys-49ers-entering-new-season/

The Panthers figure to endure the hiccups of a reset, lacking elite weapons, but with a growing "D" and the poised pairing of Bryce Young and Frank Reich at QB and head coach, they may have the moxie to make noise in the NFC South.

Offered as something to help pass the time until we can start talking about actual game results.

Everyone is always on the Cowboys bandwagon.  What they always ignore is the wagon has no wheels and nothing to pull it with. 

[KSpan]

10 minutes ago, Jon Snow said:

Everyone is always on the Cowboys bandwagon.  What they always ignore is the wagon has no wheels and nothing to pull it with. 

[Sgt Schultz]

8 minutes ago, Jon Snow said:

Everyone is always on the Cowboys bandwagon.  What they always ignore is the wagon has no wheels and nothing to pull it with. 

No joke.  They are among the paper champions every year.

I saw some ranking of NFL GMs the other day that had Jerrah Jones ranked in the top 5 (maybe 2nd, I don't remember).  If the benchmark was assembling a group of players that look great on paper but can't function as a cohesive unit when the chips are down, he is great.  But 27 years of teams that look good on paper and then fizzle out well shy of the goal is not the trademark of a good GM.

[CLG]

20 hours ago, Sgt Schultz said:

The Panthers figure to endure the hiccups of a reset, lacking elite weapons, but with a growing "D" and the poised pairing of Bryce Young and Frank Reich at QB and head coach, they may have the moxie to make noise in the NFC South.

If the secondary can stay healthy, Our growing D might be tough to beat. 

[1989]

I love having a growing D.

[UnluckyforSome]

I'm not sold on the Lions. Isn't half their team now on gambling watch? Beyond that, SOL--Same Old Lions. They are a trendy/darkhorse pick to do something though. NFC will be much the same as last year. Niners, Eagles, Vikings. Bucs will not be in the mix.

[LinvilleGorge]

I'm just fine with not being one of the medias preseason darlings as an emerging contender. Seems like they flop more often than not. Or maybe that's just because it always seems like it's the Cowboys.

[1of10Charnatives]

On 7/15/2023 at 12:00 PM, Jon Snow said:

Everyone is always on the Cowboys bandwagon.  What they always ignore is the wagon has no wheels and nothing to pull it with. 

Post of the week.

[45catfan]

I'm not worried about the Falcons this year and I disagree the are going to be hunting for a wildcard.  The problem I have is I think this is Ridder's lone shot to prove he's a legit NFL QB (which he's not).  So Atlanta without a legit QB, with all these supporting weapons, is going to do poorly enough to land a legit QB in the draft next year. If the Falcons indeed land a franchise QB in next year's draft, that team will be something to contend with.

Tampa is treading water is desperately trying to avoid the inevitable rebuild.  Rebuild inbound.

The Saints are the Saints and every year try to keep that championship hope alive while trying to avoid the the cap/talent purge.  They will be good enough to vie for a playoff spot, but will not make any noise even if they manage to make the postseason.

[UnluckyforSome]

41 minutes ago, 45catfan said:

I'm not worried about the Falcons this year and I disagree the are going to be hunting for a wildcard.  The problem I have is I think this is Ridder's lone shot to prove he's a legit NFL QB (which he's not).  So Atlanta without a legit QB, with all these supporting weapons, is going to do poorly enough to land a legit QB in the draft next year. If the Falcons indeed land a franchise QB in next year's draft, that team will be something to contend with.

Tampa is treading water is desperately trying to avoid the inevitable rebuild.  Rebuild inbound.

The Saints are the Saints and every year try to keep that championship hope alive while trying to avoid the the cap/talent purge.  They will be good enough to vie for a playoff spot, but will not make any noise even if they manage to make the postseason.

I don't think the Falcons have enough to make any sort of challenge to the top. They will be very dependent on grinding it out with the run and looking to hit on the big play. Teams can and have won like that, but I hope they aren't there yet.

Bucs still have 2 good wrs, and a decent defense. They do not have a qb though, nor a running game, and might be scoring challenged.

The wheels haven't completely fallen off the Saints, but it's getting shaky. Carr is better than anything they've had at qb since Brees, but it's a low bar to clear. There are some nice things on offense still, if not suspended or on ir. The defense is starting to show it's age. Coaching, formerly a strength there, is now a deficit.

[Sgt Schultz]

21 hours ago, UnluckyforSome said:

I'm not sold on the Lions. Isn't half their team now on gambling watch? Beyond that, SOL--Same Old Lions. They are a trendy/darkhorse pick to do something though. NFC will be much the same as last year. Niners, Eagles, Vikings. Bucs will not be in the mix.

I think the Lions love is just as much due to the NFCN being rather slim, unless Love is the next Packers franchise leading QB.  The Bears will probably be better, but otherwise the division is in a holding pattern.

I've been watching the NFL since 1969, and every time the Lions were supposed to break out, they found a way to eff it up.  It is a rare constant in a continually changing universe.

[Gerry Green]

8 minutes ago, Sgt Schultz said:

I think the Lions love is just as much due to the NFCN being rather slim, unless Love is the next Packers franchise leading QB.  The Bears will probably be better, but otherwise the division is in a holding pattern.

I've been watching the NFL since 1969, and every time the Lions were supposed to break out, they found a way to eff it up.  It is a rare constant in a continually changing universe.

 

As a life-long Lions fan I can tell you that you basically nailed it. However, that Offense is potent. All they need is for that Defense to play as well or better than they did to finish last year. If that D can hold teams to low 20s they can win a lot of games with that Offense.

[Sgt Schultz]

17 minutes ago, Gerry Green said:

 

As a life-long Lions fan I can tell you that you basically nailed it. However, that Offense is potent. All they need is for that Defense to play as well or better than they did to finish last year. If that D can hold teams to low 20s they can win a lot of games with that Offense.

One of my best friends is a Lions fan.  It is very tempting to settle on "this year is different."  And this Lions team does look different than the ones in the past who entered the year to "this year is different."

Unfortunately, I have over 50 years of experience telling me I need to actually see it first.  But, if my Blues can win a Stanley Cup, and the Red Sox and Cubs win the World Series, the Lions can go on a run and make some noise in the NFC.

I do not expect to live long enough to think that about the Browns.