Ty Ranks the 2018 NFL Teams: McDonald's has a Pretty Decent Cup of Coffee Edition

The weekend is over, and I am back to my preseason NFL countdown. The rest of this week will be all football. I have three more days of my countdown, then I will do all my NFL predictions, and I will finish everything up on Friday with my full college football preview. The rest of my NFL countdown has all teams that could, and probably should, be in the playoffs. They all should end up with winning records as well.

Let's get to it.

At number 12 I have the Tennessee Titans. I actually like the Titans. I actually believe that Marcus Mariota is going to make the leap this year. I feel like Derrick Henry can become a solid number one running back. I believe in Corey Davis. I think their defense is solid. I just do not like the coaching. The coaching staff doesn't feel great. They are trying their best, but I just think other guys could do so much better with the talent they have on their roster. They were boring last year and they kind of limped into the playoffs, but they made it there. They also won a game, which was astonishing to me. As I said, I like Mariota. I think he will finally put it all together. I feel like they have a solid O line. I like Derrick Henry becoming the feature back. I know Davis hasn't been great in preseason, but I don't care about preseason. I love Delani Walker. He is one of the better tight ends in the league. I like their defense overall. They are solid in all three phases. But, as I said, I just do not like the staff. They seem to find a way to hold this team back. They finished last year at 9-7, and while that seems like it could happen again, if Mariota makes that leap, they could be a 10-12 win team. They are a fringe playoff team, but being in the AFC will get them there.

At number 11 I have the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs have some questions. They finally rid themselves of Alex Smith, and I think that will benefit them. He always collapsed in the playoffs. He always fell flat when they needed him most. I know that Patrick Mahomes is a first year starter, and he has looked a little shaky in preseason, but this team has faith in him, and that throw he made the other night was astounding. He looks like he could be good. I like Kareem Hunt. He will take on more of a heavy load this year, and that should benefit him, the Chiefs and Mahomes. The Chiefs don't really have great wide outs. That could be a problem. They do have Travis Kelce, and while he is a poor mans Gronk, he, at least, can stay healthy. He also makes things happen, both good and bad. The Chiefs defense should be better. That being said, they are average. Guys like Derrick Johnson and Tamba Hali should be much better. I love Eric Berry, but he is only one guy, and he can only do so much. The Chiefs will need their defense to step up, especially since this is Mahomes first time starting. He needs the help. A lot of their success depends on Mahomes, but Andy Reid is a good regular season coach, and 10 wins doesn't seem out of the question. I also think they have a very good shot at getting back to the playoffs, and probably blowing their first round game, as they do. I just do not want to count an Andy Reid coached team out of the playoffs.

At number 10 I have the Carolina Panthers. This team's success fully depends on one guy, Cam Newton. I lived through this being a Packers fan with Brett Favre. Come to think of it, I am still living through it with Aaron Rodgers. It is painful, but can also be great. Remember 2 years ago when the Panther were 15-1 and in the Super Bowl? That was all Newton. Then, last year when the refs decided to not call anything against Newton, the Panthers regressed and missed the playoffs. I feel like Newton is out for blood this year. He wants to show that one season wasn't a flash in the pan. I personally think he is great. He definitely needs help on the outside. Devin Funchess is okay, but not great. I have no idea who else they have at receiver, which is a problem. I like Greg Olsen, so does Cam Newton, but he is old, and oft injured. Christian McCaffery is okay, but I do not know if he is the guy they traded up to draft last year. Maybe a year of being a pro will make him better, but I don't know. The Panthers defense is a lot like the Chiefs. They should be better. Their star linebacker is always concussed. He never seems to not get injured. I do not believe he has played a full year yet in his career. They have an okay D line, but they need to get more pressure. Their secondary is fine. The coach, Ron Rivera, this should be a make or break year for him. This team should be so much better, and I think Rivera knows it. I feel like a return to the playoffs is almost a sure thing, especially if Newton plays how I think he will this year. The Panthers should win, at least, 10 games this year. It all depends on Cam, but there could be worse things.

My final team for today, at number 9, is the Los Angeles Rams. I'm not even a Rams fan, never have been, but I'm still a little pissed off at Stan Kroenke for moving them away from Saint Louis. That hatred soared last year when the Rams surprised everyone, and had a great year. Sean McVay proved he can run an offense. He made Jared Goff an okay starting NFL QB. He helped Cooper Kuup make a name for himself. Todd Gurley was finally used as he should be, and I still think he should have been the MVP last year. The O line stepped up. Sammy Watkins, even though he is gone, was solid. All of this was due to McVay and Gurley. Todd Gurley is awesome. Everyone needs to watch him, even if you don't like the Rams. This kid is a real talent. The Rams defense is even better than their offense. They have the best defensive player in the game, assuming they sign him, in Aaron Donald. That dude is amazing. They added Ndamokong Suh next to him. My god that is a deadly D line duo. They have very solid linebackers. They can cover in the secondary. And Wade Phillips, while he wasn't a great head coach, that dude can coach defense. That was McVay's best decision last offseason. As long as they sign Donald, which they definitely should, this defense is going to be tough. The Rams can score and they can stop people. They also have a solid coaching staff. This is a team on the rise for sure. They should easily win their division, and maybe, after last season's playoff debacle, they have learned and will win a game or 2. I do not see anything less than 11 wins for this team.

That's it for today. Come back tomorrow for the next 4 teams.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He knows that players play and coaches talk, but a bad talking coach can make great players play bad. Just look at the Mike Martz era in St. Louis.

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Ty Ranks the 2017 NFL Teams: The "Phantom Menance" Edition

Continuing my 2017 NFL countdown I have my next 4 teams. These teams still are pretty awful, but not as bad as the teams I did yesterday. Lets get to it.

Coming in at number 28 I have the Los Angeles Rams. I accidentally almost wrote Saint Louis. I am still a little annoyed that Kroenke moved the team. Regardless, this team is still pretty awful. What they do have is a great defense, especially if they can get Aaron Donald to end his holdout.(they need to pay the man) They have a very good pass rush and D-Line. Their secondary, while young, can make plays here and there. And their linebackers, they are just fine. The defense is good enough to keep this team in, if they are stout enough, 6 games. They will most definitely play Seattle tough, they always do. What holds this team back is their atrocious offense. They have a great, otherworldly running back in Todd Gurley. But, he has no O-Line to open holes for him. The receiving corps, even with the addition of Sammy Watkins, is truly bad. Maybe second only to the Jets as the worst in the league. And their QB, Jared Goff, is a bust. I am already saying it. I know they have said that he has been "lights out" in camp, but everyone has, with the exception of Christian Hackenberg. Goff is not a good QB. He isn't even a starting QB in my opinion. The Rams have a new head coach too. He is younger than me. He is supposed to be some QB guru, but I don't think anyone can work with Goff. Unfortunately, at least for the Rams defense, this team will continue to be a 4 or 5 win team. Todd Gurley deserves better than this.

At number 27 I have the Jacksonville Jaguars. Again, this team has a something that looks like a real NFL defense. They have made some big free agent signings, and I really like Jalen Ramsey as their top corner, but they need a better D-Line and some accountable linebackers. They can be great, but right now, they are average. This is another team where the problem lies with the offense. They have good receivers. Allen Robinson is good. Allen Hurns is good. Hell, Dede Westbrook may even be able to contribute right away. They took my favorite player in the draft, Leonard Fournette, but he is already injured. Hopefully they play it safe with him. But, they do have Chris Ivory, who stunk last year, but I think that has to do with a mediocre line. He could have a bounce back year. They also still have TJ Yeldon too. They have some backs. The problem here is with Blake Bortles. He is bad. I mean, real bad. He is the worst garbage time QB I have ever watched. He doesn't win games for this team, but he sure as hell loses them. Bortles is done, toast, finito. They need to get rid of him. I know their backup is Chad Henne, but at least he has been on decent teams before. Blake Bortles is the second worst starter in the entire NFL, behind only Hackenberg, and he will continue to hold this team back from winning anything of importance.

At number 26 I have the Miami Dolphins. Some may see that and think that is way too far down for this team. They were in the playoffs last year. They have a good run game, good D-Line and some good receivers. Why are they so low on your list? Well, one name, Jay Cutler. The Dolphins would have been in the early teens on my list if Ryan Tannehill didn't get hurt. He did, and instead of reaching out to Tony Romo or giving Colin Kaepernick his much due contract, they went out and signed Jay god damn Cutler. I hope Miami fans like to watch a guy that will throw crushing pick sixes, then walk to the sideline like he did nothing wrong. I hope they like watching a guy that will quit on them the moment he gets one knick or bruise or hit. I hope they enjoy watching a guy that doesn't even want to be there. He is going to be a nightmare. He is going to waste a year of Jarvis Landry, Kenny Stills and DeVante Parker. He is going to waste a year of Jay Ajayi and Kenyan Drake. He is going to yell at, and waste a year of a pretty decent O-Line. And Jay god damn Cutler is going to waste a defense with guys like Ndamukong Suh, Cameron Wake, Kiko Alonso and Michael Thomas because he just doesn't give a damn. The Dolphins should have stuck with Matt Moore, as I wrote awhile back, but no, they signed Jay Cutler. What a waste. That is the best word I can use to describe this upcoming year for the Dolphins, waste.

My final team for today, coming in at number 25, I have the Buffalo Bills. This is the same team that just traded their best receiver, and I know that Watkins gets hurt a lot, but he was their best outside threat. This team is also over using LeSean McCoy. They make him carry and catch the ball way too much, and it is catching up with him. As much as I might like Tyrod Taylor, he just isn't a viable starter in the NFL. He tucks and runs too much. He is a tremendous athlete, but he needs to throw more. Their O-Line is good, but I actively root against them because they signed Richie Incognito, and that guy is the worst. I despise him and everything he stands for. And now that they traded Watkins, they do not have any wide receiver threats. Do guys like Charles Clay, Andre Holmes, Zay Jones(he's a rookie) and Rashard Ross really strike fear into any opposing secondary? No way. Besides McCoy, none of the backup running backs are any good. But, the Bills do have a pretty stout defense. Marcell Dareus as been as good as advertised. Shaq Lawson is coming along fine. Reggie Ragland is a good linebacker. They did lose Stephon Gilmore, and while Micah Hyde may not be as good as Gilmore is, it helps cushion the blow a bit. The Bills do have a defense that will not only keep them in games, but could even win them a game or 2. Still, the Bills will lucky to win 6 games this year. Their offense is so far behind. As I said with Gurley, I will say with McCoy, he deserves better.

That is it for today. Come back tomorrow for my next 4 teams.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He will be happy once we get past the teams that are only watchable on the Red Zone channel. Just  few more days.

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