We're a quarter of the way through the year, and already, some very interesting things have happened. I'll give my take on each one, as well as a surprising prediction for each development.
1: The Browns Are Not The Browns
Baker Mayfield seems to have brought new life to a team that hasn't been any good since the Belichick era. But this is a completely different team. They are 1-2-1 and would be 2-1-1 if not for some erroneous officiating. I've been saying for a long time that the Browns have great potential. It appears to be finally taking place. Yes, I still think they'll win the division.
Prediction: The Browns will win a Super Bowl during the Baker Mayfield era.
2: The Patriots Are Not The Patriots
Or maybe they are. They did give the Dolphins, a very capable team, a good shellacking on Sunday. But they have shown signs of aging. Brady has looked more like a journeyman than a Hall Of Famer all season, and his supporting cast is noticeably weaker than in years past. I'll know more after the next game, but at this point in the season, the most predictably good team in football is a 2-2 enigma.
Prediction: At some point during this season, Belichick benches Tom Brady. He trades him next offseason.
3: Is Mahomes The Next Manning?
Well, they do have the same initials-and they post similar numbers. Honestly, I rather doubted the Chiefs' decision to trade up and draft him. I'm always a trade-down guy, and Mahomes looked pretty spotty in his college tape to me. But it worked out pretty well for them.
Prediction: This season, Mahomes will break Manning's record for the most passing touchdowns in a rookie season (26). At some point in his career, he will throw an unprecedented 8 TDs in one game.
4: The Broncos Could Be Way Better
Unpopular opinion: this is the best Broncos roster since Elway retired. Keenum and Kelly are very capable quarterbacks; the rookie running back duo of Freeman and Lindsay gives us the best ground game since Terrell Davis; Peko and Chubb make Miller impossible to double-team, leading to more sacks; Justin Simmons and Bradley Roby are even better than Ward and Talib in my humble opinion; and to top it all off, both our punter and our kicker are among the top five league-wide. Our coaching staff, however, is a different story-between laughably old-school play-calling, costly penalties, and poor time management, VJ and Company repeatedly shoot themselves in the foot. It's not as ugly as last year's circus, but it's frustrating to think of what this team could be.
Prediction: By this time next season, Vance Joseph is long gone and Chad Kelly is starting.
1: The Browns Are Not The Browns
Baker Mayfield seems to have brought new life to a team that hasn't been any good since the Belichick era. But this is a completely different team. They are 1-2-1 and would be 2-1-1 if not for some erroneous officiating. I've been saying for a long time that the Browns have great potential. It appears to be finally taking place. Yes, I still think they'll win the division.
Prediction: The Browns will win a Super Bowl during the Baker Mayfield era.
2: The Patriots Are Not The Patriots
Or maybe they are. They did give the Dolphins, a very capable team, a good shellacking on Sunday. But they have shown signs of aging. Brady has looked more like a journeyman than a Hall Of Famer all season, and his supporting cast is noticeably weaker than in years past. I'll know more after the next game, but at this point in the season, the most predictably good team in football is a 2-2 enigma.
Prediction: At some point during this season, Belichick benches Tom Brady. He trades him next offseason.
3: Is Mahomes The Next Manning?
Well, they do have the same initials-and they post similar numbers. Honestly, I rather doubted the Chiefs' decision to trade up and draft him. I'm always a trade-down guy, and Mahomes looked pretty spotty in his college tape to me. But it worked out pretty well for them.
Prediction: This season, Mahomes will break Manning's record for the most passing touchdowns in a rookie season (26). At some point in his career, he will throw an unprecedented 8 TDs in one game.
4: The Broncos Could Be Way Better
Unpopular opinion: this is the best Broncos roster since Elway retired. Keenum and Kelly are very capable quarterbacks; the rookie running back duo of Freeman and Lindsay gives us the best ground game since Terrell Davis; Peko and Chubb make Miller impossible to double-team, leading to more sacks; Justin Simmons and Bradley Roby are even better than Ward and Talib in my humble opinion; and to top it all off, both our punter and our kicker are among the top five league-wide. Our coaching staff, however, is a different story-between laughably old-school play-calling, costly penalties, and poor time management, VJ and Company repeatedly shoot themselves in the foot. It's not as ugly as last year's circus, but it's frustrating to think of what this team could be.
Prediction: By this time next season, Vance Joseph is long gone and Chad Kelly is starting.
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