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.
MIA major adds: CB Ramsey, LB Long, QB M. White, CB Cam Smith, RB Achane
MIA major losses: LB Roberts, TE Gesicki
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CIN major adds: LT O. Brown, TE I. Smith, DE Murphy, CB Turner, SAF Battle, RB C. Brown
CIN major losses: SAF Bates, TE Hurst, SAF V. Bell, RB Perine
QB (2x): Tua is not a match in a contest with Joe Burrow. I'm not sure anyone is. Easy call here.
Cincy takes a quick (2-0) lead.
O-Line: Cincy is rebuilding their O-Line, and they had a much better year than given credit for…but they started out so poorly that no one could shake that image. Their key guys got hurt in the playoffs and another high visibility spot they looked bad again.
Miami has a nice O-Line group…if they can stay healthy, which they couldn't last year either.
The Dolphins had a better yards per carry average last season and gave up fewer sacks per pass attempt, so I have to lean this to Miami.
The Bengals hold on to a (2-1) lead.
CBs: I like what Cincy is doing all over their defense, but they cannot hang with the new Dolphins CB duo of Howard-Ramsey.
Miami ties it up (2-2).
HC/Organization: You don't hear a lot of scuttlebutt about players wanting to go to Cincinnati to go win/play. You hear it about KC or Buffalo, but not Cincy…from that same 'upper tier' AFC group. But you definitely hear/see all players wanting to go to Miami -- the state/locale is such an advantage.
If I had to choose a head coach between the two teams, I'd take Mike McDaniel, even though I respect Zac Taylor OK and love his D-C, but Miami just hired a 'boss' H-C too.
Miami takes the (3-2) lead.
Weapons: I'm not impressed with either backfield, so call it a draw…fading Mixon vs. the Miami trio of solid workers. Neither team has any great TE options…lean Cincy for Irv Smith, but that's not all that exciting. It's going to come down to the WRs…
If Chase and Tyreek are similar…then where do I fall with Higgins v. Waddle? They're so differently good. Tyler Boyd is hand's down better than any of Miami's #3 WR hopes. Cincy also has some nice rookie WR hopefuls coming that Miami doesn't answer back with. It's really close at WR…and RB, and TE between these two teams, but I give the slight edge to the Bengals overall.
It's tied going to item #7…it comes down to the kicker (3-3).
Kicker: Evan McPherson didn't have a great follow up season to his excellent rookie campaign, but he has kicked a team into the Super Bowl…literally…and is overall more talented than solid Jason Sanders.
The Bengals comeback to win it (4-3)…and thus move on to the AFC Finals.
Upcoming Matchups (next round):
MIA is off to the AFC Finals
JAX v. KC in the AFC Final Four
PHI v. MIN in the NFC Final Four
NO v. SF in the NFC Final Four
