top 10 super bowl contenders 2015-2016 (nfl.com)

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Nov 18, 2010
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#1
1. Seattle Seahawks: Russell Wilson's contract will soon transition from one of the game's biggest competitive advantages to a hindrance. As long as Pete Carroll has Wilson, Marshawn Lynch and a handful of All-Pro-caliber performers on defense, though, the road to the Super Bowl goes through Seattle.

2. Green Bay Packers: The NFC Championship Game was a gut-punch loss, but Mike McCarthy still oversees one of the deepest and most talented rosters in the NFL. With an offensive nucleus of Aaron Rodgers, Eddie Lacy and Jordy Nelson in Green Bay, the Packers remain a contender.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers: Once Martavis Bryant's presence ignited one of the league's most talented offenses, the Steelers won eight of their final 10 regular-season games. They have reason to believe they would have gone into New England in January if not for Le'Veon Bell's knee injury. Mike Tomlin's team is an impact pass rusher and a revamped secondary away from dethroning the Pats.


4. Denver Broncos: It all boils down to the Peyton Manning question. Was his late-season collapse merely a byproduct of two quadriceps injuries, as John Elway obviously believes? Or is his arm shot, as several NFL executives opined to NFL Media's Albert Breer?

5. Baltimore Ravens: Marc Trestman is a fine choice as offensive coordinator, but Gary Kubiak's success in overhauling a historically inept ground attack can't be overstated. This offense could slide with Torrey Smith due to hit free agency, Steve Smith another year closer to the end and the running game in transition.

6. Carolina Panthers: Deride the NFC South if you want, but the Panthers were playing like one of the top half-dozen teams in the league by the end of the regular season. After building back-to-back division winners on a shoestring budget, general manager Dave Gettleman will get his first opportunity to join in the free-agent frenzy next month.

7. Dallas Cowboys: America's Team isn't without question marks. Will Offensive Player of the Year DeMarco Murray be back? Can Tony Romo stay healthy for a full season at age 35? Will Jerry Jones improve a defense that ranked 22nd in Football Outsiders' metrics in 2014?


8. Philadelphia Eagles: Iggles fans can't be blamed for thinking they would have made the playoffs if not for Nick Foles' absence in the second half of the season. This is a team with few holes. If Chip Kelly re-signs Jeremy Maclin and fixes his problems in the secondary, he can recapture the NFC East title.

9. Detroit Lions: Team president Tom Lewand's confidence in his ability to re-sign Ndamukong Suh keeps the Lions in the top 10. Can this squad advance to Super Bowl contender status with three players absorbing nearly half of the salary cap?

10. Indianapolis Colts: The Colts have Andrew Luck to thank for their presence on this list. They will wrap up the AFC South by mid-December, only to turn the Patriots' next street free-agent running back into a household name a month later.
 
May 13, 2002
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#5
Gotcha, although the success rate of SB repeaters the next season is iffy. Pats will lose a chunk of players, and Brady aint getting any younger.
Brady isn't getting younger but the team is very young (youngest team ever to win a superbowl, beating the Seahawks average age from last year).
 
May 9, 2002
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Interesting...i did not know that. However, no Brady, and that team is a 8 win team, if that. He is the machine that runs that offense, and he is the best in the biz. I have drafted him EVERY year in FF for the last 5 years. I have won 4 of 5 of those years, he being one of the biggest reasons.
 
May 13, 2002
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#7
yeah but Brady doesn't rely on his arm strength so he should be fine a couple more years. Most of what they do is short dink & dunk stuff, slants, etc. They methodically march down the field. And they have a pretty decent run game when needed.
 
May 9, 2002
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#8
yeah but Brady doesn't rely on his arm strength so he should be fine a couple more years. Most of what they do is short dink & dunk stuff, slants, etc. They methodically march down the field. And they have a pretty decent run game when needed.
Seattle is going to need to figure out how to defend that better...SD did the exact same thing NE did early in the season, and we lost that as well. Clearly the gameplan to beat us is there..Carroll is going to need to patch that up. The last two scoring drives by NE pissed me off more than anything.

The arm may be fine, but the brain ages too...
 
May 13, 2002
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#9
Seattle is going to need to figure out how to defend that better...SD did the exact same thing NE did early in the season, and we lost that as well. Clearly the gameplan to beat us is there..Carroll is going to need to patch that up. The last two scoring drives by NE pissed me off more than anything.

The arm may be fine, but the brain ages too...
Pass rush. Pass rush. Pass rush. It's not even about sacks it's just getting a push on the line and backing them up into the QB's face, like they did to Manning in the superbowl.

There is no real team that can truly stop a dink & dunk, the trick is to obviously make tackles to limit YAC and the second thing is to get pressure. In the superbowl neither of those things happened (nor in the SD game).
 

Cut-Throat

Bob Pimp MOBBEN!!!
Apr 25, 2002
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#10
Interesting...i did not know that. However, no Brady, and that team is a 8 win team, if that. He is the machine that runs that offense, and he is the best in the biz. I have drafted him EVERY year in FF for the last 5 years. I have won 4 of 5 of those years, he being one of the biggest reasons.
Didnt Matt Cassell go 11-5?
 
Props: Defy and Defy

Rasan

Producer
May 17, 2002
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#11
Interesting...i did not know that. However, no Brady, and that team is a 8 win team, if that. He is the machine that runs that offense, and he is the best in the biz. I have drafted him EVERY year in FF for the last 5 years. I have won 4 of 5 of those years, he being one of the biggest reasons.
if there is no brady there will be no bellicheat and u can cut them 8 wins in half at that point lol
i see them walking off in the sunset together
 
May 9, 2002
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Pass rush. Pass rush. Pass rush. It's not even about sacks it's just getting a push on the line and backing them up into the QB's face, like they did to Manning in the superbowl.

There is no real team that can truly stop a dink & dunk, the trick is to obviously make tackles to limit YAC and the second thing is to get pressure. In the superbowl neither of those things happened (nor in the SD game).
I dont always like the zone plays we run...i feel like Bobby does good, but KJ struggles. Dont even mention Irvin.
 
May 13, 2002
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#13
I dont always like the zone plays we run...i feel like Bobby does good, but KJ struggles. Dont even mention Irvin.
Yeah they could be less vanilla and less predictable, especially when you have a team that has two weeks to prepare. Maybe our next defensive coordinator will mix it up a bit more.

But it's the same thing with any defense really. The "Tampa 2", when da bears went to the superbowl got carved up in the same kind of fashion (tons of short passes) against Payton Manning because they didn't have a pass rush once Tommie Harris (who was fucking phenomenal that year) got injured. That kind of defense can only be effective if the d-line gets pressure. Same goes for Seattle, doesn't matter if they have the best secondary in the NFL the top QB's like Brady, Manning, Rodgers will find holes if they have the time to sit back.

I know it's a different team, but why did the Giants always have success against the Patriots? They put pressure on Brady, excellent defensive lines.

We lost that over the off season. The rotation of quality guys we had last year was completely lost. Bennett and Avril are still good, but it just wasn't as effective, plus after Mebane went out that changes everything on the line and the depth we did have were injured as well (Jordan Hill, Cassius Marsh). Stretched out way too thin on the line by the time of the Superbowl.
 
May 9, 2002
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#14
Yeah they could be less vanilla and less predictable, especially when you have a team that has two weeks to prepare. Maybe our next defensive coordinator will mix it up a bit more.

But it's the same thing with any defense really. The "Tampa 2", when da bears went to the superbowl got carved up in the same kind of fashion (tons of short passes) against Payton Manning because they didn't have a pass rush once Tommie Harris (who was fucking phenomenal that year) got injured. That kind of defense can only be effective if the d-line gets pressure. Same goes for Seattle, doesn't matter if they have the best secondary in the NFL the top QB's like Brady, Manning, Rodgers will find holes if they have the time to sit back.

I know it's a different team, but why did the Giants always have success against the Patriots? They put pressure on Brady, excellent defensive lines.

We lost that over the off season. The rotation of quality guys we had last year was completely lost. Bennett and Avril are still good, but it just wasn't as effective, plus after Mebane went out that changes everything on the line and the depth we did have were injured as well (Jordan Hill, Cassius Marsh). Stretched out way too thin on the line by the time of the Superbowl.
Excellent points.

In the midst of everything, i completely forgot Quinn is gone. Wonder if they promote from withing (Norton maybe?) or look elsewhere?