There was a common theme as people were handing in preseason
polls and that was the Channel 4 News Team is good.
Really good.
One owner said: “I don’t know if he’ll lose a game this
year.”
Another said: “This could be the best team in the JFL.”
Another said: “That team may be unstoppable.”
The New York Times called him "A team worthy of getting a quote like this from The New York Times."
This all came after I looked at News Team’s roster and
thought, “Damn, this is a crazy good team.”
Eight owners pegged News Team as the best team in the NFC
West and those eight first-place votes helped him score 42 points, 11 more than
second-place Graybill. The Spacklers placed third with 29 points and the Jersey
Bombers earned 19 points.
I personally had the Spacklers in second — solely because of
QB depth and the potential to make a deal — followed by Graybill, but that order
may not matter much. News Team is winning this division and he’ll be in line to
get that NFC nod to the Super Bowl.
1. Channel 4 News
Team (4-9, 4th in NFC West)
Last year was a throwaway year for the News Team. He knew it
the moment he dealt for Aaron Rodgers. Strangely, little did he know, Cam
Newton was going to be his savior for 2016, not Rodgers.
With the high first-round pick, he couldn’t waste it on
Rodgers when he had Newton, and that led to a strong draft.
Whereas I disagree with the “unbeatable” and “may not lose a
game” commentary, I do agree that he has the best team in the NFC West.
QUARTERBACKS
Cam Newton’s 45 total TDs with 3,827 yards passing and 636
yards rushing were phenomenal last year. If it weren’t for the fact he was
pretty much all the offense the News Team had, there might have been a few more
wins last year.
But, last year is just that. News Team is looking forward,
and the only thing he has to worry about at this point is a post-Super Bowl
loss letdown by Mr. Newton.
That, or he just has to worry about Newton’s law. With 45
TDs last year, that’s 22 more than he had the year before; so what goes up,
must come down. Can Cam defy gravity and stay at 45?
News Team does have Ryan Fitzpatrick to back him up (3,905
yards and 31 TDs last year), but we all know he’s rather have Cam in.
RUNNING BACKS
Sitting at pick No. 3, I don’t think News Team thought Todd
Gurley would make it down to him. But Parker took Ezekiel Elliott and Aaron
Rodgers went No. 2, giving Gurley to the News Team.
Gurley had 1,106 yards and 10 TDs in his rookie year, and
that should only go up this year. Add in the unstoppable Frank Gore, who is now
33 after posting more than 1,000 all-purpose yards and 7 total TDs last year,
and the News Team figures to be just fine at RB — especially considering the
fact that he’ll likely use just one each week.
He also has Devante Booker as a decent sleeper back.
RECEIVERS
Here is where the News Team did the most damage in the
draft, grabbing Brandin Cooks (1,138 yards and 9 TDs), Brandon Marshall (1,502
yards and 14 TDs) and Randall Cobb (829 yards and 6 TDs). To me, that is quite
the trio. And if any of them falter, he does have Phillip Dorsett and Jared
Cook, and I think both could have really good seasons this year.
DEFENSE
You may notice that no one else has a defense capsule.
Because really, who cares? But it’s worth noting that Channel 4 News Team got
No. 1 safety in Reshad Jones (50 points last year), the No. 2 linebacker in
Khalil Mack (46.4 points) and the No. 3 defensive tackle in Kawann Short (36.5
points).
Together, that’s the best trio of defensive player selected
in the JFL draft. No one else has anything close when it comes to rankings from
last year.
This could be a difference maker some weeks.
2. Graybill’s
Generals (7-6, 1st in NFC West, lost in Super Bowl)
Last year, after 10 weeks, the Generals must have thought it
was just another lost season. With just four wins, Graybill was surely headed
for his seventh straight losing season.
But three big wins in the final three weeks propelled him to
the division title and a spot in the NFC Playoffs. He added two more wins to
get to the Super Bowl where he eventually lost to the Choo.
I hope he enjoyed that trip because I’m afraid it will be at
least another year before he gets back.
QUARTERBACKS
Jameis Winston was hit or miss last year. He wound up
finishing ranked No. 14 in the JFL, but he had six games with 20 points or
fewer, and he cracked 30 points only twice. With 4,042 yards passing and 22
TDs, added with 6 TDs on the ground, it was a decent rookie season overall, but
I’d still hesitate to put him in the top 10.
But for the Generals, he’s got to be the starter because
Teddy Bridgewater is out for the year and Mark Sanchez was beat out by a
seventh-round draft pick for the starting gig in Denver. The Generals replaced
Bridgewater with L.A. Rams starter Case Keenum, but I cannot see that factoring
into a successful Generals season.
Winston it is.
… Or not. After I wrote this, he added Robert Griffin III via trade and
dropped Keenum.
RGIII? Come on! I liked him on the Cheese Steaks. I was about to
write the NFC East preview next. I was going to name him RG Threesesteaks. Now,
that’s gone. Just doesn’t work with Graybill’s Generals. So, let’s talk
Griffin. He’s in Cleveland with Josh Gordon who is suspended and not
trustworthy enough to somehow stay on the roster, and even when he is on the roster, that won't help RGIII not make mistakes.
So, Winston it is.
RUNNING BACKS
Jamaal Charles is still questionable after a slow recovery
from injury and it’s possible he won’t be ready to go. At 29 years old, one has
to wonder if he’ll ever come back to the level he once was.
So if he doesn’t come back, that means the Generals are
hoping for a breakout year from last year’s rookie man-crush of most every
draft expert, Ameer Abdullah. He had just 597 yards and 2 TDs last year, and he
has competition for that job this year, especially if he falters early.
Isaiah Crowell and Tevin Coleman also sit on the Generals
roster, but I put them behind Abdullah.
Clearly, one thing is for sure: The Generals need a healthy
Charles ASAP.
RECEIVERS
Allen Robinson had 1,400 yards and 14 TDs last year. I have
to be honest, when the name went off the draft board so early, I scratched my head, but
I didn’t know the stats. That’s impressive and with Blake Bortles getting
better with every snap, I can’t deny that Robinson should be a lock to put up
similar numbers this year.
Kevin White is a highly touted rookie, but he is just that.
Donte Moncrief had a strong start to last season, but he
seemed to fall off when Andrew Luck got hurt. That’s understandable, and in
total, he amassed 733 yards and 6 TDs. With Luck back, it’s conceivable that
the third-year WR does what many third-year wideouts do, and that’s break out
big time.
Devin Funchess had three double-digit games all year and not
much more is expected from him. Kenny Britt falls into the same category.
In fact, I’d put Zach Ertz above both of those guys. I could
see Carson Wentz having to rely on his tight end a lot this season.
… And again, I wrote this all before the trade. Ertz is
gone, so I guess that statement is out the door.
3. Team Boyer (5-8,
3rd in NFC West)
Heading into last year, the worry for Boyer was what would he do during Tom Brady’s four-game suspension?
Well, Brady, as we all know, got it overturned and he helped
Boyer jump out to a 5-2 start in the JFL. Then, as quickly as Brady’s
suspension came back for 2016, Boyer's season fell apart. He went 0-6 down the stretch to lose the
division and the playoff spot.
This year, he has Eli Manning to fill in during those four
games and I think he’ll be just fine. He’s shaky at receiver and certainly
lacks depth at RB, but if he can maybe flip Eli for a key player when Brady
comes back, he could make a run.
If not, it will be another long season.
QUARTERBACKS
Tom Brady and Eli Manning each had stellar fantasy seasons
last year. Brady threw for 4,770 yards and 36 TDs, while Manning threw for
4,436 yards and 35 TDs.
Suspension aside, similar numbers should be expected this
year and that’s why I think the Spacklers are in great shape at QB. The only
issue he may have is the “who to start” problem that many JFLers wish they had.
Boyer could go crazy if he continually makes the wrong decision when Brady
returns to the field.
RUNNING BACKS
LeSean McCoy is it. Well, not really, but essentially, he’s
it.
Boyer has backups, but they are far from the backups you want. Danny
Woodhead and Shane Vereen will only have a few good weeks here or there if
Boyer is lucky.
That means McCoy has to have a huge season for Boyer.
RECEIVERS
Fortunately for Boyer, he has a bunch of receivers who can
start in that RB/WR slot. They aren’t the best, but he should be able to get
some good weeks out of them.
Eric Decker (1,027 yards, 12 TDs) was the leader of this
squad. The rest had mediocre seasons, but Pierre Garçon (777 yards, 6 TDs),
Tyler Lockett (664 yards, 6 TDs), Torrey Smith (663 yards, 4 TDs) and Jason
Witten (713 yards, 3 TDs) should be able to make some noise.
As I said, not the best, but they’ll do.
4. Jersey Bombers (7-6, 2nd NFC West)
The Jersey Bombers’ first run in the JFL started out as well
as he could hope for.
He started 5-2 and he looked to be in a heated race with
Boyer for the division title. Now, he didn’t fall apart like Boyer did going
0-6 the rest of the way, but the 2-4 mark down the stretch was just enough to
have him miss the playoffs due to a tiebreaker.
This year might be a bit tougher for the Bombers the QB
situation is far from ideal. He does have some upside in other positions. In
fact, I would put his RB and WR/TE situation above both Team Boyer and the
Graybill’s Generals.
I just had to drop him below them because of QBs, but who
knows, maybe I’m totally wrong about them.
QUARTERBACKS
Blaine Gabbert and Trevor Siemian. They sound like two QBs
who should have been battling for backup jobs on an NFL team in training camp.
But alas, Gabbert is the current starter for the 49ers — for
now — and Siemian takes over for retired Peyton Manning. No big deal. Shouldn’t
be hard for a QB who has not thrown a single NFL pass. Gabbert was a failure in
Jacksonville, and last year in San Fran, he threw for just 2,031 yards and 10
TDs.
It’s going to take a lot for this to work out, but if it is
going to work for the Bombers, I have to believe it’s Siemian who gets it done.
He has the receivers to support him and the defense to help set him up in good
positions.
RUNNING BACKS
Lamar Miller and C.J. Anderson. That’s all folks. The
Bombers kept one, drafted the other and said that’s all I need. Which means,
he’ll roll with those two weekly, pray for no injuries, and only replace them
on bye weeks with receivers.
Miller had the stronger season a year ago, totaling 1,269
all-purpose yards and 10 TDs in Miami. Now, he’s switched places with Arian
Foster, and Miller will get to run in the Houston offense, which I really like
this year.
So does the Bombers, apparently, but I’ll get to that a
little bit later.
Anderson had a tougher season, posting only four
double-digit days, all coming in the latter part of the season. With Siemian at
QB, the Broncos might need to run a bit more and that would the hope for the
Bombers.
RECEIVERS
The Bombers loaded up on receivers, maxing out at WR and TE.
Andre Hopkins was his first pick, and that’s a good one of course, and he added
Jaelen Strong to keep the Houston theme going.
Hopkins had 1,521 yards and 11 TDs a year ago, which makes him a
guaranteed starter each week.
So is one of his tight ends, although, I’m sure he’d like to
start both. The Bombers snagged both the No. 2 and No. 3 TEs in the draft with
Jordan Reed and Delanie Walker. Reed had 952 yards and 11 TDs, while Walker had
1,088 yards and 6 TDs.
Add in Steve Smith, Josh Doctson and Chris Hogan and the
Bombers have plenty of options, especially if he runs into a scenario where
only one of his two RBs can start.
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