Top 2? Steelers, New England.
The Steelers can make a case that they have the best running back and the best wide receiver in the league. It's tough to count on Le'Veon Bell to play 16 games, but Bell stayed healthy through his 12-game season in 2016 and averaged 157 yards from scrimmage per game. The only players in league history to top that (minimum 10 games) are Priest Holmes in 2002 and O.J. Simpson in 1975, and neither of those guys had a receiver as target-intensive as Antonio Brown with whom to split touches.
Brown also sat out Week 17 and had his worst season since his breakout 2013 campaign, but does anybody really think the five-time Pro Bowler is significantly worse than he was over the previous three seasons? The only thing that might keep his numbers down is the return of Martavis Bryant, whose prorated 2015 performance (playoffs included) translates to 79 catches for 1,166 yards and nine touchdowns.
One concern with the Steelers is injury, a real concern for Bell specifically. DeAngelo Williams is gone, and he wasn't very effective last season; after a 143-yard game against Washington in the opener, Williams subsequently ran the ball 72 times and gained just 200 yards, averaging 3.5 yards per rush. Rookie third-rounder James Conner has an inspiring story and should be a good contrast back next to Bell, but he's not the receiver Bell is. I suspect Bell is about to have a monster contract season, but his history raises an alarm. That, and the absence of a useful tight end opens up the door for the ...
Brandin Cooks is a painfully perfect addition for the Patriots because of his agility and ability to get in and out of breaks. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is going to have a field day isolating Cooks, Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski(remember him?) for easy completions and yards after their receptions. New England will be a little worse at tight end as it replaces Martellus Bennett with Dwayne Allen, but the Patriots still have the best No. 1 tight end and the best No. 2 tight end in the league. About the only thing they lack at receiver is a second deep threat to stretch teams behind Chris Hogan, but Malcolm Mitchell could fill that role in a pinch.
The Pats are also better at running back and deeper than they've ever been, with a pair of options for both their power back (hyper-efficient newcomers Mike Gillislee and Rex Burkhead) and receiving back (holdovers James White and Dion Lewis) spots. It's remarkable that the Pats are 17-0 with Lewis in the lineup and he still might not make the roster anyway. This isn't going to be an offense that terrifies teams with brute downfield force like Randy Moss and the 2007 New England team, but it's going to convert second-and-short and third-and-short over and over again until opposing defenses collapse.
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/2...017-nfl-season
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Dwinsgames
