As I mentioned around the start of last year’s playoffs, I would start picking some outlandish predictions for each sports season. Perhaps I would just approach each in some different fashion. It seems it went over well with MLB and the World Cup, so here we are at the big one, the 100th season of the NFL. What a day to discuss it, eh? Let’s imagine:
1) Cleveland Browns continue their playoff drought.
Everyone’s predicting proudly that the Cleveland Browns finally have all the pieces to play meaningful football. This isn’t to say they won’t be incredible to watch all season. Odell Beckham is shucking the notion that his best days are behind him in New York. Nick Chubb has his best chance to prove his potential elite status as lead running back. Baker Mayfield is do or die to make it to the top of the list of the best quarterbacks in the league in only his second season. That should make sense on paper, but I’ve seen too many teams have such high expectations only to stumble at the worst possible moments. What if Chubb ain’t it? Kareem Hunt returns in the second half of the season and is expected to be the jolt in the arm that Chubb hasn’t been, yet can’t return to form himself. We all realize that Odell was only as good as Eli was, while Baker Mayfield gets the sophomore jitters. That’s not even getting into the fact that most pundits have written off the rest of the division. Ben Roethlisberger is still alive, and despite losing most of his “weapons” he has plenty of replacements in Donte Moncrief, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Vance Macdonald, and the run game is solid under James Conner. While the Bengals might get written off, and that makes total sense – they’re a complete mess – they could steal a few games in direct competition with the Browns. Meanwhile, everyone thinks the Ravens are in a bit of flux as they get used to their own second-year stud, Lamar Jackson. He’s potentially the second coming of Cam Newton, a run-first dynamo that also happens to be able to throw the ball well. Mark Ingram’s days may be behind him in New Orleans, but he’s suddenly very under-rated. I think he can still turn in an opposite field run possibility that defies expectations. Willie Snead is nothing to sniff at and Marquise Brown is perfectly apt at the wideout position. I just think everyone’s getting ahead of themselves to give the Browns the division, while I think their best chance is slipping into a 5 or 6 seed….or what I really expect, to go 9-7 and miss yet again.
Interjections 