Dallas Cowboys

Dallas are already in trouble for the 2016 season, already missing 2 starters in Gregory and McClain with suspension. The positives thou are Bryant and Romo are healthy but for how long. Romo went down twice with a collarbone injury last season and they had no real answer going through a few backups.

The big pick up from the draft was 4th selection overall Ezekiel Elliott, every NFL supporter is looking forward to seeing this guy run behind the Cowboys offensive line that allowed Murray so many yards in 2014. The last two seasons in College had Elliott run for over 1800 yards each season with 18 and 23 TD's respectively. The kids a jet!

Dez Bryant, when on is one of the best Wide Receivers in the league. Ability wise he is pretty unstoppable but unfortunately he has pretty poor attitude when things aren't going his way. In 2015 he suffered through some injury worries and was only able to play 9 games with a foot injury keeping him out. The 3 prior seasons he had over 1000 yards each season. He was a catch away from putting the Cowboys through to the NFC Championship game in 2014..we all know he caught the thing!!

With Tony Romo being so injury prone over the last year the Cowboys went to the draft with the selection of Dak Prescott. Dak threw for 3500 roughly in both 2014 and 2015 at Mississippi State and will be a real asset for the team moving forward, but as we know there is a massive jump from NCAA to NFL. The depth chart has him 3rd in line behind Kellen Moore.

The Cowboys have a pretty solid line of Tight Ends in Witten the veteran and Escobar. Escobar showed he is a solid back up to witten with 4 TD's in 2014 and just the one last season. Witten now into his 14th NFL season doesnt show signs of slowing down. He went for 713 yards on 77 receptions last season which is pretty solid for a Tight End.

Another rookie to keep an eye on is Notre Dame recruit Jaylon Smith. Smith will be out for sometime recovering from a knee but showed last year at Notre Dame that he is a star in the making. The Cowboys selected him with pick 34 and it seems from some news reports they are worried if he will ever play again. Time will tell.

They have a pretty good start to the season with some soft games but knowing the Cowboys they could go 0-4 or 4-0 its really so unpredictable. If Romo stays on the field with Bryant and Elliott lives up to promise I can see the team scoring enough to compete even with the suspensions on the D. I have them going 8-8. This will mean they win their Division due to it being full of under performing teams.

Hard Knocks - Training Camp with the Los Angeles Rams

Great viewing coming this August, it will be great to see how Goff goes and the team works back in LA

Cleveland Browns

Lets just say this team is lucky it had the Cavs win a Ring because it kind of takes a bit of pressure off them to perform. Even the Indians are going ok. The Browns went out and got some Rookies who I hope will be big for them this season. Corey Coleman will be the main man. Well thats until Josh Gordon comes back week 5. The team is also still recovering from using a first round pick on Johnny Manziel who was a complete bust.

RG3 is going to be the starter for this team this season if he is able to stay healthy, he had a monster Rookie year but hasnt been able to find the same form due to long term injuries and a year on the bench at Washington due to Cousin's form. If he can stay healthy he may do some damage. Some people have McCown as started but I just dont see it happening...well I hope it doesn't.

Josh Gordon is a big bonus, if this guy can repeat his form from 2013 it will go a long way to helping the team win some games. He wont be back til week 5 due to a suspension. One thing that is unknown about Josh is can he keep from getting in trouble. Lets hope so cause he great to watch!

Corey Coleman is a first round selection from this years draft im keen to see go well, he is fast and has shown great hands in his College days. At Baylor in 2015 Coleman 1364 yards at an average of 18.4. He also was able to score 20 touchdowns. This was over 12 games. Marlon Moore is the other guy most people have at the top of the Depth chart, he hasnt really show much so they will be really putting a lot of hope that Coleman shines.

Joe Haden will be starting training camp on the PUP list which is not a good sign, he wasnt able to finish the season last year due to Concussion and also had ankle surgery in March. Haden was a pro bowl corner last year so they will be hoping he can be ready by week 1.

The Browns have a tough road in 2016 and I dont see them getting off the bottom of the division, they may win a few games catching teams off guard but I dont see them doing any damage in January. I have them at 3 - 13 and thats if things go right for them.

Cincinnati Bengals

Andy Dalton has taken his team to the Playoffs on a few occasions now but is yet to pass the first round. This is the major issue for the team, they continue to perform week in week out but cant get it done when it is needed. I think this year they will be the same team. The big test comes week 2 vs the Steelers, this match is always one to watch for sure.

A.J Green is a superstar, he is fast, tall and can catch. For the last 5 seasons he had gone for more than 1000 yards in each season, one more year and he equals Randy Moss. He now has Brandon Lafell next to him to help him out. LaFell comes over from New England, he had a terrible season in 2015 after coming back from injury. He simply couldnt catch a cold on return and he quickly lost the belief of Tom Brady. I still think he is a quality second WR and a solid pick up.

Tyler Eifert is coming off a huge year, the big Tight End had 52 receptions and 600 plus yards but the main thing was he was able to score 13 touchdowns the most for any TE for 2015. He has become a real threat and I hope to see this continue in 2016.

Giovanni Bernard and Jeremy Hill are a great 1, 2 Running back crew. Hill the main man had a pretty good year last year without being outstanding. His big year was 2014 where he ran for over 1000 yards. Last year he still managed 11 TD's which is a bad effort at all.

Carlos Dunlap was solid at Defensive end last season racking up 13.5 sacks which is well above average for that position. He has plenty of help from Geno Atkins who came up with 11 sacks himself. I think the Bengals have a great D and if they hold up their end of the bargain I can see it helping them passed first round of playoffs.

The schedule is not an easy one for them, they have a real tough start to the year with the Jets and then the big one against the Steelers. Having Le'Veon Bell out will help them there. I still think they are good enough for Postseason play, its just getting over that hurdle of first round. I have them winning 11-5. We will no more after the Pats game thats for sure.

A Season with Notre Dame Football

Another great insight to the workings of a football team but this time at College level. This ones from 2015 but its still a great watch. 14 episodes released through Showtime

"A Season with Notre Dame Football follows the Notre Dame Fighting Irish as they play through the 2015 College Football Season. It looks at players and coaches as they prepare for the pressures of football week in and week out throughout the season."

Chicago Bears

I have a soft spot for Chicago due to my love of The League. Jay Cutler has been the face of the franchise now for 6 years but has nothing to really show for it other than a really large contract. The team just let go one of their best performers of the last 10 years in Matt Forte but have a back up plan in new comer Langford. They also traded out the big TE Bennett to New England so a lot is now resting on the shoulders of young TE Miller.

Jay Cutler must stay fit, he has been able to the last two seasons. I say this as the back up in Brian Hoyer who I just dont rate. Jay has now got back Kevin White at WR to go alongside star player Alshon Jeffrey. Eddie Royal is another guy they will be asking for more from after his first year coming across from the Chargers.  They have a pretty solid Offense with these guys all firing.

One player im not to happy about seeing at Chicago is Akiem Hicks. Akiem came across from New England in the off season. He was huge for us last year and I had hoped we would keep him but it was not to be. Hicks will be a massive part of their D this year playing at defensive end.

Danny Trevathan is another guy who comes across this season but this time from the Superbowl champs the Denver Broncos. This guy will be another big part of the D this season. Overall the defense has added a few pieces of the puzzle that should help keep the offense on the field longer.

I actually would love to see Chicago be a force again this season, they have added really good talent and are now more familiar with John Fox's play book. They have a pretty good schedule of teams that they should beat easily with the Lions, 49ers and Jags amongst them. Im hopeful they can win 9 - 7 and push for a wildcard spot.

Carolina Panthers

Here is a team that absolutely destroyed everyone in their path last year with the exception of the Broncos at Superbowl 50. The team seemed overawed by the big stage (Von Miller helped out a bit there thou I guess) Cam Newton established himself as one of the best players in the league winning the MVP, he was also just named no.1 on the top 100 players list!

Cam Newton is almost a complete player at QB, he has a great arm, he is tall helping with vision down the field and he runs like a big TE when needed. Newton threw for 35 touchdowns in 2015, had 600 plus yards rushing and 3800 plus yards passing the ball. Compare that to Tom Brady who rushed for 53 yards. Cam is up there with the best! I can see him coming out and continuing the same form again in 2016.

Kelvin Benjamin is back this year after suffering an ACL last pre-season, this is a massive bonus for this team. His rookie year was outstanding, he went for 1000 plus yards and 9 TD's. Hopefully the ACL does not hold him back from his 2014 form. Doing it so early in pre-season gives him the best chance to make an impact this season.

Greg Olsen is coming off another dominant year where he went back to the Pro Bowl. He and Cam have now become a great pairing with Olsen able to put up big numbers. He is one of the top TE's going around today and he will be a big part of their success this season.

Luke Kuechly, probably don't really need to say much more about this guy. The linebacker will have another Pro Bowl year where he will be selected in the top 50 best players in the league.

The Panthers have a pretty easy schedule which I think provides them a clear run to home field advantage. I see them going 14-2 this year. Can they take out the Superbowl? Im not sure but I think they will be one of 4 teams that can.

Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills are stuck in a Division that has been dominated by the New England Patriots since the turn of the Century and that dominance is unlikely to change. Rex Ryan has brought in his twin brother Rob to help on the defensive side of the ball. Both the Ryan's are extremely defensive minded. Tyrod Taylor stepped it up last year after taking over from Orton who has retired and Manuel. If Taylor can stay fit he will be a lock at the QB position moving forward.

LeSean McCoy is the number 1 player on this team, but lets be honest his best years were had a Philly where he was able to reach 1600 yards in 2013. He was replaced by DeMarco Murray at Philly and we all know how that turned out. McCoy is still a quality back and I see him having a big year at Buffalo this year, his second on the team as long as the knee injury that kept him out late last season doesn't re-occur.

Sammy Watkins is the next big time player for this team, he is the number 1 receiver and has shown glimpses of what he can do at times. Last season he had 60 receptions and 9 TD's with over 1000 yards. I can only see this getting better this year. I would put him down for 10+ TD's this year and possibly over 1500 yards. He has the talent, but I believe it all depends on Tyrod Taylors output this year. Having a consistent starter will always help.

With the D the Bills went to the draft and selected Shaq Lawson at 19th pick, he may not be ready by the start of the season with a shoulder injury reported to keep him out of action from May for 6 months. This is a huge loss. Another is Reggie Ragland, the big guy was selected 41st in the draft after sliding due to a report enlarged aorta. Teams had concerns but no one really knows if this will effect his play moving forward.

One guy I will be keeping a close eye on is the youngest Gronkowski. Glenn joined the team this year at the Full Back position. There is pretty significant size difference between he and Rob and a major talent difference but I'm definitely keen to see if he can make it!

The Bills as said suffer from being under the Patriots, they also have to put up with Jets who I still believe are a 2 game better team than the Bills. I have them 6 - 10 and that's if they get lucky. I just don't rate them that highly. In my eyes they just don't have enough stars to get the job done on offense.

Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens are coming off a hell of year with Injury after Injury to some of their star starters. When up and going this team can beat anyone but its hard to say how they will fair this year. Flacco has just announced he will be right to go next week at training camp which is a massive bonus for them as they wont have to use Ryan Mallett.

 

One of the big bonuses as well is the return of veteran Steve Smith Snr, all thou he did retire last season. Smth Snr went down with an achillies injury week 8 and this made him change his mind, Smith will be the number 1 go to man for Flacco again this year but at 37 and with the injury will he be any good? There is no doubting the guys ability with 8 seasons of over 1000 yards and 5 pro bowl appearances.

 

Mike Wallace comes across from the Vikings and will add to the Wideout position taking some of the pressure off Smith Snr. Wallace was good when playing at Miami but didn't live up to it at Minnesota. His two biggest years of 1000 yards or more where at Pittsburgh in 2010 and 2011, the Ravens will be hoping he gets back to that form this season.

 

Another guy that came across this off season is veteran Ben Watson, Watson had been down at New Orleans the last season where he had a pretty good year. The former Patriot had 74 receptions, the most since 2010 when he was in Cleveland. His off field work gained him a nod for Walter Payton Man of the Year. At 36 the Ravens will be hoping he stays healthy and provides some of what he did for the Saints.

 

On the defensive side the Ravens get back Terrell Suggs from injury, Suggs went down early last season with an Achilles and he left a massive hole for the Ravens to fill. He will take a lot out of the fact Vince Wilfork came back from a similar injury only 12 months earlier to play in the Championship. Suggs isn't carrying as much as Wilfork so should be right to go hopefully by week 1.

 

Lets not forget they have probably the leagues best kicker in Justin Tucker. This bloke is amazing at field goal with a percentage 87.8% which is well above the league average. In 4 seasons the guy is yet to miss an extra point! With the game on the line the Ravens know they can trust this guy to kick the winner.

 

I do not believe the Ravens will be back to their best this season. They have a few tough games so I have them at 8 - 8. As said it all depends on the health of their list.

Atlanta Falcons

Next up are the Atlanta Falcons, this is a team that always promises so much but over the last few years has been a massive disappointment. Matt Ryan is always talked up as one of the best QB's in the league but he is yet to show me he can carry a team into the post season.

One guy who I think will help them this season is Mohamed Sanu coming in from the Cincinati Bengals. Sanu will step in and become the second go to man for Ryan behind the star Julio Jones. Sanu had a pretty big year in 2014 but didn't follow it up in 2015 with only 33 receptions last year compared to 56 in 2014.

Devonta Freeman stepped it up in 2015 and is a real threat out of the back field. With his first start at RB he ran for 141 yards and scored 3 touchdowns. He was named as one of the Captains of the Pro Bowl teams. If he can repeat his work from 2015 he will be a bonafide star if he already is not.

On the defensive side of the ball there are still a few unknowns. Defensive End Vic Beasley has reportedly been moved to the Linebacker position. Beasley was chosen pick 8 in the 2015 draft but did not really live up to the hype with one strip sack on Cam Newton the real highlight.

Matt Ryan will be Matt Ryan, he will stay healthy and throw at a good rate without being spectacular. He will thou have Sanu and Jones healthy and ready to go. If they can get some help from Weems, Hardy and new comer Fuller at the WR position they might pass their output last season.

I have the Atlanta Falcons probably finishing 2nd in the NFC South along way behind the Panthers at 6 - 10 thats if they can pick up a win against the Chiefs late in the season. They will only beat fellow NFC South teams and maybe the Eagles and Chargers.

NFL Films - All or Nothing (A Season with the Arizona Cardinals)

If you are a fan of documentaries on sport look no further than All or Nothing. This doco takes your through a season with the Arizona Cardinals from week 1 to the NFC Championship game from 2015. The doco shows very good insight into the day to day workings of both players and coaching staff aswell as giving great vision on game day.

If you liked Hard Knocks this is the show for you. It can be viewed through Amazon online.

Arizona Cardinals

First team off the list for season predictions is the Arizona Cardinals. This team is one to watch for the coming year. They have been strong over the past two seasons with 2014 going south after Carson Palmer was injured and Drew Stanton had to step in. If they stay healthy they can fight for the NFC team in the Superbowl.

They traded for Chandler Jones from the Patriots who I believe will no doubt have an immediate impact on the defense. Chandler was outstanding last year for the Patriots and will no doubt continue to be the sack leader at Arizona if he keeps his personal life in order.

Another one of the most important players on this D is Tyrann Mathieu who is coming back from an ACL which he got late in the season. The Safety is one of the teams leaders on the field and will be important to them moving forward. Will his output be as good as early 2015?

On the otherside of the ball we look at Larry Fitzgerald. Larry is coming of a vintage season where he went back to the Pro Bowl. He isn't getting any younger but that doesn't seem to stop him dominating the game. Lets hope he can keep that form (He is my starting WR in fantasy).

David Johnson the revelation from last season is now moving into his second year. He will move to Number 1 RB and I believe he is up to it. He showed last year that he can run and that he has no problem catching out of the back field.

Again, the team relies heavily on Carson Palmer. If Carson is to get injured again this team will struggle. Carson is now 36 years of age and has shown to have problems staying out on the field, Drew Stanton is not a starting QB in the NFL and has shown his inability to handle the pressure in the 2014 season. A lot rides on the back of Palmer staying fit!

My prediction is that this team will win 10 - 6 if all goes right for them. They have shown to drop when the pressure of big games is off. They really need to work that out.

With the NFC West being pretty much just 2 teams vying for a spot at the top I believe it will be a struggle for Arizona to pass the Seattle Seahawks.

The Fifth Ring begins - Bring on 2016/2017

Welcome to the first post on The Fifth Ring blogspot.

This page has been set up to discuss all things Football. With the regular season only roughly 50 days away what better time to start discussion on the team moves and predictions for the upcoming season. Will the Brady suspension see a slide from the Patriots? Will the big moves at Denver see them slide aswell? Who will be their starting QB? Will Goff step straight in at QB for the Rams? All these questions will be answered soon enough. Bring on season 2016/17!

I am no professional writer. I am just a passionate fan of the game and express my opinions only.