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Thursday Jul, 2015 8:31 PM | by | NO COMMENTS

Football Gameplan’s 2015 NFL Season Preview: Detroit Lions

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Reason for Optimism

Detroit made the playoffs last year in spite of an ‘iffy’ offensive line.  Their OL is vastly improved and they’ve added weapons in the backfield to help make the offense more dangerous.  The 2nd and 3rd levels defensively are also very strong.

Cause for Concern

Losing both Ndamukong Suh, Nick Fairley, and CJ Mosely will hurt any defense.  Yes they bring in future hall of famer, Haloti Ngata but how much can one do by himself?  If the younger players around him don’t step up, their run defense — which was 2nd in the league last year — could be a detriment to team success.

The Road to the Super Bowl for the Detroit Lions

1. Running Game Comes Alive – There’s excitement in the backfield this year with Ameer Abdullah.  He’s a game breaker and with the revamped OL, the Lions ground game could be excellent.

2. Defensive Line Doesn’t Miss a Beat – The defensive line did an excellent job helping out the backers and secondary last season.  If it can be addition by subtraction with that unit, then their defense will once again be very strong.

3. Play Well From Start to Finish – This means from the start of the season to the end; from the start of a game to the end; it also means from the start of a quarter to the end of the quarter; If the Lions are going anywhere far this season, they’ll need to shake off the stinky smell of inconsistency.

Tuesday Jul, 2015 2:41 PM | by | NO COMMENTS

FBGP’s 2015 NFL Season Preview: Chicago Bears

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Reason for Optimism

There’s still a ton of talent offensively for the Bears which leads you to believe that they’ll be able to once again put up points.  New Head Coach John Fox comes over and he’s a great defensive mind who’ll be tasked with improving the Bears defense that has a good bit of talent to work with.

Cause for Concern

You wonder if the move to the 3-4 will take some getting used to.  Now whether it’s 2 weeks or 2 months is the question.  In the NFC North, the Bears can’t afford a slow start.

The Road to the Super Bowl for the Chicago Bears

1. Jay Cutler Protects the Ball – Cutler has the ability to rack up a ton of yards and touchdowns, but also turnovers.  If he cuts those in half and play better situationally, Chicago will be tough to stop on offense.

2. Defense Makes Smooth 3-4 Transition – There’s definitely pieces there to be successful.  More than enough actually.  How quickly guys not just grasp, but embrace new roles and responsibilities will be key.

3. Matt Forte – Forte is an elite running back that’s a foundation piece.  As long as Forte is on the field, healthy and doing Forte-like things for a full season, they’ll win a lot of games.

Thursday Jul, 2015 3:37 PM | by | NO COMMENTS

FBGP’s 2015 NFL Season Preview – Pittsburgh Steelers

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Reason for Optimism

Pittsburgh has a really strong offense that’s able to attack every quadrant of the field.  Defensively they’ll be better as some young guys started to play well toward season’s end and they get some players back healthy.  There’s a lot to be optimistic about in the Steel City.

Cause for Concern

If the main problem that stopped them last year, not a lot of sacks/pressure and not creating turnovers, rears it’s ugly head again, it’ll be shootout city each week.  They have to get better in those areas, otherwise it’s an early playoff exit.

The Road to the Super Bowl for the Pittsburgh Steelers

1. Blitzburgh Returns – The front seven will be key in order for the Steelers to have any chance of getting to the big game.  The talent is in place, but will they get back to their effective pressuring ways is the question.

2. Offense Continues to Grow – This was a dynamic offense last season and I believe there’s still room for it to get better.  If they get a 3rd receiver involved or 2nd tight end, that way they won’t have to use Bell as much in the passing game OR utilize him the same and have that extra option still become very effective.  The offense is in good shape moving forward.

3. Every Game is Important – The Steelers have to be able to finish ball games.  With the division being the way it is, they can’t afford any “bad” losses because you can find yourself with 10 victories and still miss the playoffs.

Thursday Jul, 2015 12:09 AM | by | NO COMMENTS

FBGP’s 2015 NFL Season Preview: Cleveland Browns

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Reason for Optimism

The Browns went 7-9 last year with a very good defense, sound running game and mediocre (putting it lightly) passing game.  This year their defense is better, running game is stronger and offensive line is deeper.  So if they can just get stable play from the QB position, they’ll be staring a playoff berth in the face.

Cause for Concern

If the QB play of 2014 returns this season, then they’ll find themselves in the exact spot they were a year ago.  They also lack a true ‘threat’ at wide receiver without Josh Gordon this year and that’s a big time blow.

The Road to the Super Bowl for the Cleveland Browns

1. QB Play is Efficient – You don’t need your QB to be Otto Graham, you just can’t have them be what they were last year in Cleveland.  In my honest opinion, going with Josh McCown is similar to going with Brian Hoyer.  McCown didn’t have success with Tampa Bay last season (who finished with the 1st overall pick), so why would you expect the 35 year old QB to magically change?

2. Kicking Game Steps Up – This could be a potential albatross for the Browns if they’re not settle on a dependable guy.  Points add up and they need to be stellar in 2/3 facets of a ball game.

3. Run Defense Improves – The Browns aggressively went out to fix a bad run defense and they’ve added a ton of talent within the front seven, and they need those additions to pay dividends this year.

Tuesday Jul, 2015 9:27 PM | by | NO COMMENTS

FBGP’s 2015 NFL Season Preview: Cincinnati Bengals

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Reason for Optimism

The Bengals have been a model of consistency over the last 4 years in the AFC; really the entire time under Head Coach Marvin Lewis.  The are armed with a strong running game and are getting some key players back healthy on the defensive side which should once again make them a factor in the AFC North.

Cause for Concern

The biggest area of concern would be if the Bengals aren’t able to apply pressure and if they decide to continue to average 32 pass attempts per game.  Those two go hand-in-hand into what could potentially keep the Bengals out of the playoffs this year.

The Road to the Super Bowl for the Cincinnati Bengals

1. Balance Out the Offense – Like I mentioned in the video, if they follow the Dallas Cowboys blueprint of running more, throwing less and in more manageable situations, then the Bengals will tough to get off the field offensively.

2. Second Level Defense Stays Healthy – Cincinnati has some good linebackers.  Vontaze Burfict being the leader of that group.  If they don’t miss time, they will be a much better defense without question.

3. Everyone Does Their Job – This is mainly for the offense, on the flanks and at tight end in particular.  Everyone has to do their part to attract attention away from each other.  Basically, force a defense to tip their hands coverage-wise and make the plays that are their to be made when you’re number is called.  The potential is there, it’s time to realize it.

Tuesday Jul, 2015 1:33 AM | by | NO COMMENTS

FBGP’s 2015 NFL Season Preview: Baltimore Ravens

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Reason for Optimism

The Ravens have the ability to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.  They have a proven quarterback that has performed great in the playoffs and they’ve added talent at wide receiver, tight end and in the secondary; so this is a team that is built to make a run this year in the AFC.

Cause for Concern

In my honest opinion, I still view the Ravens running game as ‘ordinary’.  There isn’t a true ‘threat’ in the backfield and I feel like that could be a potential pitfall for this team.  You also have to worry about guys like Webb and Elam in the secondary.  They need both to play up to par.

The Road to the Super Bowl for the Baltimore Ravens

1. Young Wide Receivers Play Like Vets – They need to be able to take the pressure off of Steve Smith Sr.  They can accomplish this a variety of ways, but it’ll still be depending on the youth at both wide receiver and tight end.

2. Justin Forsett Does It Again – How well can you sustain success is always the key.  But whether it’s Forsett or a combination of Rookie Buck Allen and Lorenzo Taliaferro, the Ravens can’t be one-dimensional and win.

3. Defense Stays Dominant Without Ngata – Lets be honest, that’s the big elephant in the room.  Yes Haloti Ngata wasn’t “Haloti Ngata” last season, but he’s still Haloti Ngata.  If Timmy Jernigan and Carl Davis can make that type of impact up front, then the Ravens will be just fine.

Monday Jul, 2015 3:57 AM | by | NO COMMENTS

FBGP’s 2015 NFL Season Preview: Washington Redskins

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Reason for Optimism

The Redskins have quietly beefed up on both sides of the line of scrimmage. And in my honest opinion, they have a pretty talented roster with some good depth.  RG3 enters this season healthy with a newfound purpose; so you can understand the optimism in the nation’s capital.

Cause for Concern

The biggest concern would be if Griffin III can’t stay healthy.  Period.  That puts a lot of pressure everywhere else on the football team.  Washington needs consistency at that position because it has curtailed success over the last 2 seasons.

The Road to the Super Bowl for the Washington Redskins

1. ’12 Robert Griffin III Shows Up – RG3 was his best during his rookie season from a passing perspective.  If that element of his game returns — the precision, accurate and decisive passing, this team will go far.

2. Defense Elevates Their Game – Washington made a ton of moves defensively at every level.  If those guys, both rookies and free agents, gel with those that were already on the roster, the defense will be tough to move the ball against.

3. Offensive Line Flourishes – This was another point of emphasis for the front office.  Like I’ve mentioned in the video, they did a great job addressing this issue.  The only thing that’s left is to see if it plays out how they expect it to be on the field.

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