NFL Midseason Predictions: Super Bowl Update

While the final seeding for the playoffs is hazy, it becomes easier to predict the teams who will earn a spot in the postseason by the halfway point of the season. At this point in time, the Seahawks, 49ers, and Saints are all on track to miss the postseason, whereas the Bills, Cardinals, and Cowboys are all projected to finish the regular season with a spot in the playoffs. While this is certain to change, the NFL is not surprising in that there will always be surprises. At the beginning of the season, we predicted the New England Patriots to beat Colin Kaepernick and the San Francisco 49ers by a final score of 24-23. While we still believe that the Patriots will make an appearance in the Super Bowl (if, and only if, Rob Gronkowski is healthy throughout the playoffs), we are changing the NFC Champion after watching football for the past 8 weeks from San Fran to the Green Bay Packers. Now, let's go into further detail regarding this quarterback battle for the ages, as well as predicting the new champions of football.

Patriots Offense
Tom Brady experienced a statistically historic October. With Rob Gronkowski returning from injury at the start of the season, the Patriots offense has gradually improved over the course of the year. Julian Edelman remains Tom Brady’s favorite target, but Bill Belicheck is slowly increasing Gronk’s workload in the offense, which is directly proportional to the Patriots improving record overtime. Recently acquired targets Brandon LaFell and Tim Wright have both had their bright spots in 2014, and it will be interesting to see how the fare later in the season. While running back Steven Ridley may be out for the rest of the season, Jonas Gray and Shane Vereen have stepped up nicely to fill the void.

Packers Offense
While the Packers are not currently atop the NFC North standings right now, Green Bay is always a threat to win the division as long as Aaron Rodgers is leading this offense. Wide receivers Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb are both experiencing incredible seasons thus far, where Cobb is averaging one touchdown per game. Running back Eddie Lacy is experiencing a down year as of this point in time, but seeing how outstanding his season was in 2013, we at least understand that the potential to do well is present.

Patriots Defense

The New England Patriots secondary might just be the best we've seen from head coach Bill Belichick since he took over for the Patriots nearly 15 years ago. Darrelle Revis is beginning to look like his former self, and fellow cornerback Brandon Browner has already recorded 6 tackles and an interception. While Jerard Mayo's injury will be significant in the long run, the Patriots certainly managed to shut down the Denver Broncos offense last week. The win over Denver was even without their best pass rusher Chandler Jones, but luckily, he will be ready to go come playoff time.

Packers Defense
The Green Bay Packers run defense currently ranks dead last in the entire National Football League. There are currently several big names on this defensive roster, such as Clay Matthews, Julius Peppers, and AJ Hawk, who are all very talented defensive players, but clearly, they add little to the run defense.  Meanwhile, the secondary is incredibly youthful, where four out of the five members of the secondary are 25 years old or younger. Yet clearly, it has paid off, seeing how they rank eighth in passing yards allowed, as well as fourth in passing touchdowns allowed.

Quarterback Tom Brady is on a mission to win his fourth Super Bowl after losing in both 2007 and 2011. The New England Patriots showed they are capable of limiting great quarterbacks, as seen with the game against Denver, so count on Bill Belichick on creating a game plan meant to suppress Aaron Rodgers as much as possible. Meanwhile, Tom Brady will be able to pick away at this young Green Bay secondary, as New England manages to win their fourth Super Bowl in 14 years.
Patriots over Packers 30-27 

NFL Free Agency: Day 2 Recap

Darrelle Revis Signs with Patriots: After the Denver Broncos dominated the first day of free agency, Bill Belicheck retaliated by making a big signing of his own. Darrelle Revis is meant to serve as Aqib Talib's replacement, but they are not taking a huge risk because the contract is for just one season ($12 million). Revis' disappointing season in 2013 clearly drove down the price of his yearly salary, so a successful season in 2014 may allow Revis to earn a new contract for more money. With a rematch between Denver and New England seemingly unavoidable, it will be interesting to see how these new teams will match up against one another.

DeMarcus Ware Signs with Denver: Not only did Denver sign Pro-Bowlers Aqib Talib and TJ Ward in this year's free agency, but the addition of DeMarcus Ware today will clearly enhance a previously mediocre defense. Ware totaled 117 sacks over the course of his career, which is the most sacks by any player in a nine year span, only behind Hall-of-Famer Reggie White; however, Ware had the lowest sack total of his career last season with six, and also had no forced fumbles for the first time of his career.

Eric Decker Now A New York Jet: Close to midnight on day two of the NFL's free agency, it was announced that Eric Decker will play for the New York Jets next season, where he will make 36.25 million over the course of five years. It comes as no surprise that the Broncos were unable to re-sign Decker following their recent acquisitions (Talib, Ward, and Ware).

Golden Tate Strikes Deal with Lions: Throughout Calvin Johnson's career, he has never played alongside a game-changing wide-receiver, which obviously puts a lot of pressure on Megatron to succeed. Now that the Lions have signed Golden Tate to a five-year deal worth $31 million, Matthew Stafford will have another wide receiver to choose from, which may draw potential double teams away from Calvin.

Steve Smith No Longer a Carolina Panther: After spending thirteen years in Carolina, today, we were told that Steve Smith will no longer be a pat of the Panthers' organization. The date of his release has yet to be announced, but there will clearly be many teams looking to sign the future Hall-of-Famer.

Jared Allen May Leave the NFL: Jared Allen said today that he would be willing to leave the NFL if he is not offered the right amount of money. Earlier in the day, Denver supposedly offered Allen 3-years, $30 million, but instead, this offer was accepted by DeMarcus Ware. Now, Allen will have to wait for an equal amount of money, or else he will retire from the NFL.

Other notable story lines: Seattle Seahawks released defensive end Chris Clemens, Josh McCown signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Brandon Weeden was cut by the Cleveland Browns. 

In @Revis24's first and only season with the @TBBuccaneers, they improved from LAST in pass defense to 17th.
— Numbers Never Lie (@ESPN_Numbers) March 13, 2014

RT to welcome 7-time Pro Bowler DeMarcus Ware to the #Broncos! pic.twitter.com/O9ToHo65Vq
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) March 12, 2014

Darrelle Revis

      Since 2007, one defensive player has dominated the NFL. He has created a name for himself in the league, causing quarterbacks and wide receivers  to fear his presence on the field. The three time Pro-Bowler and two time All-Pro is known for shutting down great wide receivers thanks to his speed, instincts and quickness.  New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis is the most well rounded cornerback in the game today.This season, he is considered the top cornerback in the NFL, and it appears like he will remain at the top for many years to come.

Darrelle Revis

     Revis' career began at the Aliquippa High School in Pennsylvania. As a senior, Revis led the Aliquippa football team to the Class AA State Championship where they defeated Northern Lehigh 32-27. That same year, Revis was named the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 2003 Player of the Year. In 2004, Revis committed to the University of Pittsburgh. In his freshman year, he was named to the first-team Freshman All-American team. Revis was extremely dominate for the rest of his college career, especially his last season as a junior where he was nominated for Jim Thorpe Award. Instead of playing college football as a senior, he was eligible for the 2007 NFL draft. Going into the draft, Revis was one of the top three defensive backs of college football. That is why he was drafted 14th overall by the New York Jets.
     In just his first game as a starting cornerback, Revis held Patriots wide reciever Wes Welker to just 6 catches for 61 yards. Immediately, teams knew they had to take Revis seriously. The Jets' rookie sensation had exceptional speed and intellect, leaving offensive coordinators baffled. By the end of his rookie season, Revis only allowed three touchdowns to the receiver whom he was guarding (Lee Evans, Braylon Edwards and Terrell Owens). In 2008, Revis' second season in the NFL, he improved quite substantially. In Week 4 of the 2008 season, the Jets faced off against the Arizona Cardinals, and Revis had to cover the great Cardinals wide receiver duo consisting of Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. Amazingly, Revis intercepted Kurt Warner twice, returning one for a touchdown. Revis did extremely well that year, and many scouts noted he was better at reading plays. By the end of the year, not as many passes came his way; instead, quarterbacks would through towards Jets rookie Dwight Lowery, causing the Jets' pass defense to rank 29th overall. However, Revis still managed to make that season's Pro Bowl.
    Revis started off the 2009 season matched up against wide receiver Andre Johnson, one of the best in the league. Amazingly, he limited Johnson to just four receptions for 35 yards, proving to the fans and media once again that he is one of the top defensive players in the NFL. The next week, the Jets played Brady and the Patriots, where Revis had to defend another Pro-Bowler in Randy Moss.  For the second consecutive week, Revis shut-down his man, allowing Moss to four receptions and 24 receiving yards. Besides letting up two touchdowns, one to Ted Ginn Jr. and one to Randy Moss, Revis was almost perfect for the rest of the year. In Week 16, the Jets played against the 14-0 Indianapolis Colts. Thanks to Revis' great defensive performance (allowing Reggie Wayne to 3 receptions for 33 yards), the Jets handed Peyton Manning his first loss of the season. Revis finished the season strong against Chad Ochocinco by not allowing him to have a single reception. That win allowed Revis the oppurtunity to play in the playoffs once his Jets won the Wild Card with a 9-7 record. The Jets won their first two games in the playoffs, first against the Bengals, and then the Chargers. In the AFC Championship game though, Revis would have to guard Reggie Wayne once more as the Jets played the 14-2 Indianapolis Colts. For the second time, Revis overpowered Wayne, limiting him to just 3 receptions for 55 total yards (Wayne was the only starting wide receiver on the Colts who did not score a touchdown). However, Revis' great performance was not enough, for the Colts dismembered the Jets 30-17.
     The 2010 season did not start very well for Revis, for he missed all of training camp and preseason during a contract holdout (4 years, $32 million). Things only got worse for Revis once the season began. In Week 2,  after getting beat by Randy Moss for a touchdown, Revis strained his hamstring and left the game. He missed the next two games due to his injury. After being activated to play in Week 5 against the Vikings, he re-agravated his hamstring, and left the game early. Next week, against the Broncos, he was told he was ready to play, but, once again, Revis aggravated his hamstring and left the game. Luckily, Revis was able to play the last 8 games of the season, and did extremely well against Pro Bowl wide receivers. While playing the Detroit Lions, Revis limited Calvin Johnson to just 1 reception for 13 yards. Then, two weeks later, Revis overpowered wide receiver Andre Johnson, who caught 4 passes for 32 yards. After winning the Wild Card with a 11-5 record, the Jets beat the Colts in the AFC Wild Card Round thanks to a game winning field goal (Reggie Wayne only had 1 reception for 1 yard against Revis). The next week, Revis and the Jets faced off against the number 1 seeded New England Patriots, a new found rivalry. Revis did not have a spectacular game, but the Jets still managed to upset the Patriots 28-21. So for the second year in a row, the Jets were in the AFC Championship Game, this time against the 2 seeded Steelers. The Steelers dominated the game, especially in the first half, and they managed to win 24-19 over the Jets.
     Revis has done extremely well this season; in the first game of the season, he intercepted Tony Romo, and helped the Jets defeat the Cowboys 27-24. Also, while playing Miami in Week 6, he intercepted 2 passes, one of which he returned 100 yards for a touchdown. In the first 8 games, Revis has only allowed 12 receptions. Plus, when quarterbacks throw in the direction of Revis, they have a passer rating of 2.9. In just 10 games, Revis has intercepted 4 passes, 4 more than last year. Revis looks better than ever, and hopefully, he can resurrect his 5-5 Jets.
     Revis has the ability to shut down corners thanks to his speed, anticipation and intelligence. After making his impact on the league five years ago, quarterbacks know it is not wise to throw his way. Though he may not lead the league in interceptions, he is amazing at taking his man out of the game. Revis is the best cornerback in the league, and possibly this years Defensive Player of the Year. Many great things are in store for Revis, so make sure to keep an eye on the Pro Bowler while he's shutting down your favorite wide receiver.