A new idea I had in order to help me go through the NFL team’s rosters and examine all the personnel and coaching changes, etc., one-by-one. I’m going to look at two teams head-to-head in seven key categories (my bias on what is ‘key’). The team that gets my vote in each category gets a ‘win’…the first team to 4 wins moves on to the next round. Just a quick, hopefully fun, way to take the temperature of each team heading into the 2023 preseason.
The seven categories…it’s actually six because one category is so important that it’s worth double:
1-2) The quarterbacks comparison…the winner of this gets 2 wins, or if too close to call it could be a 1-1 split.
3) O-Line -- Judging which team has the better O-Line…the most critical aspect of a team after the QB.
4) Cornerbacks -- After O-Line, I think the most critical position is shutdown corners (or not having any).
5) Head Coach/Organization -- A battle of which coaches will get in the way less, to some degree but also an edge given to teams that will attract free agents or be a desired destination in trades…and what teams are filling the stadium for home games, etc. Everything rolled into one judgment call.
6) Offensive Weapons -- Which team has the better, scarier RB-WR-TE group.
7) Kicker -- If it comes down to #7, of course the kicker should make the determination...as the kicker often determines the winner of a 59+ minute war prior with a last second make/miss.
As we lead into each category and tap a winner -- I’m also listing the major add/loss for each team in the offseason so far, just to eyeball it as a list.
Is this a brilliant way to judge teams over another? Who knows! But it struck me as something fun to do while studying each team this preseason, after the majority of offseason moves have been made.
CAR major adds: QB Young, WR Mingo, OG Zavala, OG Corbett, WR Thielen, RB Sanders, SAF V. Bell, TE Hurst, DT Tuttle, QB Dalton, WR Chark
CAR major losses: WR D.J. Moore, RB Foreman
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NO major adds: QB Carr, DE Shepherd, DT K Sanders, TE Moreau, RB J. Williams, WR Harty, DT Breese, DE Foskey, OG Saldiveri, WR A.T. Perry
NO major losses: LB Elliss, DT Onyemata, DT Tuttle, DE Davenport, TE Trautman,
QB (2x): Chalk up a win for Derek Carr…easily, and I don’t like Carr but vs. Bryce? Not even close.
Saints lead (2-0) to start.
O-Line: The Saints, when fully healthy, have a really good O-Line. Carolina does not, no matter what the health factor is.
Saints jump to a (3-0) lead.
CBs: One of the Saints strengths is their secondary -- Marshon Lattimore is good/really good…P. Adebo is good, but 2nd-year CB Alontae Taylor is trying to be the best of the group (a great rookie debut 2022), and that’s saying a lot. For Carolina, Jaycee Horn can never stay healthy and it’s downhill from there.
Saints lock it up (4-0).
HC/Organization: I think Dennis Allen is a terrible NFL head coach and the Saints organization is fading away as a whole of late, with coaches and scouts and admin leaving…BUT Frank Reich is arguably the worst head coach in the NFL and Bryce Young was one of the worst #1 picks in recent history (considering what they passed up), and that’s all authored by doesn’t-know-what-he’s-doing owner David Tepper. As bad as the Saints organization is -- Carolina is fighting for rock bottom.
Saints still shutting the Panthers out (5-0).
Weapons: The Saints have better RBs…better WRs with depth…and are better at TE. A clean sweep with the weapons.
Saints up (6-0)
Kicker: Fading Wil Lutz vs. decent-2022 Eddy Pineiro. Lutz has more history as a top 10 kicker in the league.
New Orleans with a (7-0) stomping of Carolina…which is more about Carolina’s sad state than the Saints. TB v. NO for the NFC South crown ahead.
Upcoming Matchups (next round):
MIA v. BUF for AFC East
LAC v. KC for the AFC West
BAL v. CIN for AFC North
IND v. JAX for the AFC South
DAL v. PHI for the NFC East
MIN v. DET for the NFC North
TB v. NO for the NFC South
??? v. ??? for the NFC West
