Rooting Interests

The NFL is the best reality show on TV. 

I know. Hardly a hot take. Still, it got me to thinking that while it's impossible at this point in the season to really know the Top 10 best teams in the league (though I'm sure there are plenty of preseason power rankings from various pigskin pundits and bobbleheads out there in the vast expanse of the Interwebs), I do have a pretty good idea already of the 10 Most Interesting Teams of 2019.

Another offseason list? Another offseason list…

10 Most Interesting Teams of 2019

#1 - New England Patriots

There are two teams every NFL fan west of the Connecticut River roots for: Their local pigskin heroes, and whoever is playing the Patriots.

Beyond that, there's plenty of storylines here. On top of the usual "priced themselves out of Foxborough" departures in free agency and Gronk's retirement, New England has suffered the greatest loss of coaching talent since 2005. Belichick has restocked the pigskin pantry but it remains to be seen how the retooled front seven on defense (adding Michael Bennett, Chase Winovich, and re-adding Jamie Collins) will play out on the field, whether N'Keal Harry can break the gypsy curse on Belichick's wide receiver draft picks (fingers crossed), or when we'll stop talking about Gronk's will he/won't he return from retirement. Also, and I don't know if you've heard this before, their quarterback is really old. 

Can the Patriots make it to a 4th consecutive Super Bowl?

#2 - Cleveland Browns

Young and talented. And that was before they added Odell Beckham, Jr. 

I'm going to miss being able to ask, "Do you know who was the last Browns' head coach to win a playoff game?" (Still Bill Belichick. For now.)

Long-suffering fan base? Check. Young, brash QB surrounded by playmakers? Check. Athletic, talented defense? Check. This team was built for SC Top 10 Plays. 

Can they keep the hype train on the rails?

#3 - Los Angeles Rams

The last time we saw the Rams and Sean McVay, they were getting pantsed on national television. That had to leave a mark. 

Will they succumb to Super Bowl Loser Syndrome?

#4 - Kansas City Chiefs

We can ask if the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes will regress to the mean but the fact is, we have no idea what the mean is for Mahomes. 50 TD passes? 

The defense is still suspect and the availability of Tyreek Hill is to be determined but who hasn't penciled in the Chiefs and the Patriots for an AFCCG rematch?

Can Patrick Mahomes throw 50+ TD in back-to-back seasons?

#5 - Pittsburgh Steelers

No Le'Veon Bell. No Antonio Brown. No problems?

Ben Roethlisberger may be a diva (he is), or a bit of a drama queen (if you prefer), with a history of troubling life choices but he is a quarterback so the Steelers had little choice but to place their fate in his hands and hope by removing some dysfunctional members of the cast of "As the Terrible Towel Twirls" from the locker room. Better football through team chemistry? 

Has the window closed in Pittsburgh?

 #6 - New York Giants

The Giants have engineered the most awkward quarterback controversy in NFL history, one that can best be described as lose-lose.

Eli Manning is clearly not the QB of the Future and he's only the Win Now option by default. And that's only if your idea of winning now is 5-11-0. 

Daniel Jones looks more likely to wind up on a list of the "NFL's Top 10 1st Round Busts" a few years from now than the man who leads Big Blue back to Super Bowl glory. This will only get worse if the G-Men find themselves looking up at the Washington FC with rookie Dwayne Haskins making a run at Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Is there a reasonable answer to the question "What are the Giants doing?"

#7 - Green Bay Packers

Drama, thy name is Aaron Rodgers. From his inexplicable drop on draft day, through the Brett Favre tragi-comedy, from the halcyon days of a Super Bowl win to the ugly, public divorce with Mike McCarthy, it's been nothing but drama, drama, drama.

Rodgers had the look of Dan Marino with a Ring at the end of the 2018 season. The consensus among pigskin pundits and bobbleheads has been that Rodgers is the most talented quarterback to ever play the game with some calling him the greatest QB of all time (he isn't).

His talent is indisputable and his stats back that up but despite the Super Bowl win and his inevitable bust in Canton, I'm reminded of what my 3rd grade teacher wrote on my grade report; Fails to work to his abilities (and that was with 4 A's and a B - I still hate you Miss Johnson). Without a second ring, it will be hard not to think of Rodgers career as a disappointment. 

Enter new head coach Matt LaFleur, who most recently was coordinator for the Tennessee Titans and their 25th ranked offense. What could go wrong?

Was it all Mike McCarthy's fault?

#8 - San Francisco 49ers

I'm a Patriots fan, and believe it or not, I'm rooting for Jimmy Garoppolo. 

It isn't going to be easy for Jimmy G, coming back from an ACL, playing in the NFC West with the Rams, and the Seahawks - and who knows what will happen in Arizona with Kyler Murray and Kliff Kingsbury and the Cardinals reboot?

Count me as one who scoffed at the scenario where Garoppolo would return to the Patriots and ultimately succeed Brady but now I'm not so sure. Regardless of Jimmy GQ's performance on the field, if the 49ers struggle to win games in 2019 - and Kyler Murray kills it in AZ - then everyone from GM John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan to the equipment staff could be looking for new jobs in 2020. If the Patriots win SB54 and Brady decides to retire earlier than age 45 (won't happen, but play along with me here), new head coach Josh McDaniels could offer a 1st and a 3rd to the new GM/HC in San Fran to reunite with Garoppolo. 

In which alternate future is Jimmy Garoppolo a franchise QB?

#9 - Dallas Cowboys

I have long yearned for a chance to see the Patriots beat the Cowboys in the Super Bowl. Alas, I don't believe this will be the year. Too bad. Roger Goodell handing the Lombardi Trophy to either Jerry Jones or Robert Kraft would continue to make the Super Bowl post-game ceremony must-see TV.

Or could this be the year? The answer to that question may have more to do with Carson "Mr. Glass" Wentz than the Cowboys but Dallas scored an early win with Ezekial Elliot avoiding any down time as a result of his most recent poor off-field decision. 

If we accept the premise that Dallas has too much talent to pay everyone, this has to be considered a Win Now year for the Cowboys.

Can Prescott/Elliot/Cooper be the new Aikman/Smith/Irvin?

#10 - Baltimore Ravens/Arizona Cardinals (tie)

Yes, a tie at #10 is cheating. Make your own list!

Both of these teams feature compelling storylines at quarterback.

For the Ravens: Can you win in the NFL with a run-first quarterback?

The consensus answer to this question has to be that other definition of what NFL stands for: Not For Long. 

Lamar Jackson is a much better passer than he's given credit for but I would be shocked if Jackson doesn't run for 1,000+ yards in 2019. As for the injury concerns, quarterbacks get hurt in the pocket, too. RPO's? With Jackson and new running backs Mark Ingram and rookie Justice Hill joining last year's lead back Gus Edwards, the Ravens can play the run-pass-run option. 

Will the Ravens line up in the wishbone in 2019?

For the Cardinals: How short is too short for an NFL quarterback?

Fran Tarkenton is in the Hall of Fame. Drew Brees and Russell Wilson will join him in Canton some day. Sonny Jurgensen was not only short, he refused to wear a chin strap. If height were the defining trait correlating to success in the NFL, Brock Osweiler wouldn't have earned the nickname "Lobster Boy" from my son. (Because he throws a football as if his hands were lobster claws.) He'd be counting his Super Bowl rings and he wouldn't be stopping at zero. 

Okay. Setting the bar rather low there.

The hiring of Kliff Kingsbury seemed like a reach but following that up with taking Kyler Murray makes it look like the Cardinals might actually have a plan.

Will Cardinals fans see 6-10-0 as progress?

Keep it 100, NFL.