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Leisher wrote: ↑Fri Aug 16, 2024 4:35 pm As of today, yes. Apologies. This year sucks.

TheCatt wrote: ↑Fri Aug 16, 2024 4:37 pm

Leisher wrote: ↑Fri Aug 16, 2024 4:35 pm As of today, yes. Apologies. This year sucks.

I can't even buy you a beer...

Leisher wrote: ↑Fri Aug 16, 2024 4:35 pm As of today, yes. Apologies. This year My life sucks.

31. Washington Commanders
Head coach: Dan Quinn
Offensive coordinator: Kliff Kingsbury
Defensive coordinator: Joe Whitt Jr.

Listen. This is not good.

Quinn is a players' coach, and he has a system he has run into the ground -- he knows the ins and the outs of it, and he can get it on the field quickly and cleanly. The problem is every good offensive coordinator in the league knows how this defense works -- four down, zone coverages, certain checks against certain formations -- and can find success accordingly. Quinn's "line up and play fast" approach can work with a souped-up roster like the one enjoyed in Dallas, where stars such as Micah Parsons, Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland could line up and beat the guy across from them. In Washington, where the defensive roster is really thin? The Quinn shtick won't work as easily.

Now, Kingsbury is a players' coach, and he has a system he's run into the ground -- he knows the ins and the outs of it, and he can get it on the field quickly and cleanly. Are you seeing the issue here? Kingsbury's Air Raid approach far too often leaves his quarterback checking into screens, running pre-snap RPOs or praying a wide receiver wins a one-on-one deep down the field. This offense floundered in Arizona because there wasn't enough multiplicity or deception, much as Quinn's defenses struggle for their simplicity.

I love the vibes in the room -- Quinn, Kliff and Whitt all get along well with the fellas. But schematically, this is as stale of a room as I can remember. Here's hoping they prove me wrong.

27. Carolina Panthers
Head coach: Dave Canales
Offensive coordinator: Brad Idzik
Defensive coordinator: Ejiro Evero

The Panthers get the bump over a few all-new staffs because of the retention of defensive coordinator Evero, who I firmly believe is a really solid coach. It was Evero who coordinated the 2022 Broncos defense -- you remember, the unit that was so good at keeping the doomed Russell Wilson offense in games that it started openly revolting against its quarterback? The unit ranked 13th in DVOA.

The 2023 Panthers didn't grade out nearly as well, but of the many Vic Fangio disciples who have crashed and burned on their own, Evero seems to successfully get that complicated defense taught, installed and executed. With Brian Burns and Frankie Luvu both gone in free agency, I don't think the 2024 Panthers are destined for a defensive leap, but Evero deserves a nod as a solid young coordinator.

Canales strikes me as a sharp guy, and I like the way he's talking about resuscitating Bryce Young's career with a 2.7-second offense. Canales and offensive coordinator Brad Idzik cannot bring with them the Baker Mayfield offense they installed in Tampa Bay, however, as Young's skill set (and Carolina's wide receivers room) both demand a different approach. This will largely be a learning year in Carolina, but I have high hopes for Canales as an offensive mind.

13. Cleveland Browns
Head coach: Kevin Stefanski
Offensive coordinator: Ken Dorsey
Defensive coordinator: Jim Schwartz

If I had to guess which fan base will be most upset with me because of these rankings, I'm going with Cleveland. Stefanski is a two-time Coach of the Year, Dorsey's offenses in Buffalo were extremely productive, and Schwartz's 2023 defense speaks for itself.

I'm not sold on the offensive changes Stefanski has deployed over the past couple of seasons, though. He got his first Coach of the Year award for resuscitating Baker Mayfield's career using heavy personnel, big rollouts and play-action passes. Since then, the Browns have increasingly become a spread, shotgun team. It just doesn't work as well. It makes life harder on Nick Chubb, who has been the engine of this offense for years. With longtime offensive line coach Bill Callahan departed for Tennessee, I'm doubly worried about a decline in the running game. That isn't even to mention a drop-off in pass protection -- something particularly concerning with Deshaun Watson at quarterback, as pressure has been hugely destructive to his game during his time in Cleveland.

Stefanski gets credit for working around bad quarterbacks to keep the offense afloat last season, but he hasn't yet found the secret sauce for overcoming Watson's poor play. Dorsey is meant to help the offense in the spread/gun/RPO world, as that's what he ran for Josh Allen in Buffalo, but he wasn't so much of a schematic magician as he was a "let Josh cook" point guard. I can't rank this offensive staff above those that have shown they can do more than buttress QB2s and 3s for a few games.


Schwartz? Very good. Terrifying defensive coordinator. Every defensive coach in the league wishes he had the constitution to line 'em up and dominate with speed and length at every position, but Schwartz laps them all.

7. Pittsburgh Steelers
Head coach: Mike Tomlin
Offensive coordinator: Arthur Smith
Defensive coordinator: Teryl Austin

Without question, this is the most difficult team to place. I am positive Tomlin is a good head coach. Nobody in the league squeezes more blood from tougher stones than Tomlin, who has somehow not had a losing season during the worst quarterback carousel I can ever remember: late-career chuck-and-duck Ben Roethlisberger, backups Mason Rudolph and Duck Hodges splitting time and resounding first-round bust Kenny Pickett spelled by Mitchell Trubisky. Much Tomlin criticism is just incognito praise. Yes, the Steelers have lost their past five playoff games (bad), but the fact they've made it to the playoffs with these preposterously bad offenses is a testament to Tomlin (good).

How much credit can you dole out to the head coach for enduring this nightmare when he is, in part, at fault for authoring it? Tomlin, who has a defensive background, has struggled to find a good offensive coordinator. His past few attempts: Matt Canada, Randy Fichtner, Todd Haley. No wonder they haven't developed a quarterback yet. And if you can't find a way to get a good offense onto the field -- whether with a big quarterback move, a big coaching move, or both -- your ceiling is capped as an NFL coach.


I don't love the quarterback room, but I do think Smith is a good offensive coordinator. His time as a head coach in Atlanta was marred with bad personnel management and horrible situational football, but as an offensive coach? Let's not forget the 2020 Titans' offense that produced the fifth-best season (by expected points added per play) since 2000. Smith's offenses excel in the running game, where Pittsburgh is already built for strength, and a heavy dose of play-action pass helps lift shaky quarterbacks. I like him and Austin, who has produced two over-performing defenses in two seasons as the defensive coordinator in Pittsburgh. This is a strong staff.

TheCatt wrote: ↑Thu Aug 22, 2024 1:45 pmSigh.

Stranger wrote: ↑Thu Aug 22, 2024 5:36 pm Not sure who wrote these

Leisher wrote: ↑Mon Aug 26, 2024 7:09 pm In one of my three leagues, they're debating if there should be an IR slot. What year is this?

TheCatt wrote: ↑Fri Jan 18, 2019 3:26 pm

Stranger wrote: You all may even hate us more than the Patriots.

!RmindMe 1/1/2024

Leisher wrote: ↑Wed Aug 28, 2024 9:24 am Did we ever make our record predictions? I'm old and forgetful.

Leisher wrote: ↑Wed Aug 28, 2024 11:23 am Browns 11-6 - Super easy schedule, but they will start falling apart in the stretch run.