Who is your surprise team for 2015
 

There are a lot of contenders for teams that will improve for 2015 and compete for a playoff spot. Miami, KC, Minnesota, New York Jets, St. Louis and Detroit are a few teams that have been talked about. I am going to go off in a different direction and talk about a team that has been written off by just about every (including myself until a couple days ago), the San Francisco 49ers.

[B]Coach:[/B] Jim Tomsula

Who the heck is Jim Tomsula? Where did he come from? Why is he special? First off Jim is a guy that has been with SF since 2007 and has been in charge of the DL. This is a DL that has played above their talent level for quite some time. And when paired with DC Vic Fangio, they put together some of the best run/pass DL's in the NFL recently.

The reason the hire was looked down upon was because he didn't have a lot of experience, and well I think that is a poor reason to say it was a bad hire. John Harbaugh was only a ST coordinator before being hired as a HC by the Ravens, and people thought that was a crazy hire, worked out well. You can't base solely off of experience. You have to look at the intangibles as well. You need a HC that can work with the GM and clearly lay out your long term plan. You need a coach that can relate to players and have a solid rapport.

Overall it was an odd hire, but I want more time to see what he can do.

[B]Roster Turnover[/B]

Loosing Willis, Smith, Crabtree and Gore hurt, no doubt. But lets not pretend that the 49ers are devoid of talent. They brought in speedster Torrey Smith to replace the loss of Crabtree. I could argue that Smith has a skillset that matches Kaepernick's abilities better than Crabtree. Crabtree is a WR that is dominant in short routes, and that is great but Kaepernick doesn't need a WR1 like that. He needs a WR that can blow by coverage and become open over the top. Kaep has a cannon of an arm that has not been fully used as of yet. A WR corp of Smith, Boldin, Patton, and Ellington is pretty underrated, and a decent group of players that have skillsets that mesh together pretty well.

Frank Gore is gone, but is being replaced by Carlos Hyde. Gore has been a consistent contributor for the 49ers since 2005, however his loss isn't that great on the field (in the locker room is another question). Hyde can catch and run at an efficient level, the pass catching will really benefit CK on 3rd and 5 type situations. They also added Reggie Bush. Bush is entering into a great role where he will not be the #1 back and will be used only in certain packages. He showed that he was still explosive with Miami and Detroit, and still has another year or two to be worth something.

Defensively they still have Aldon Smith, Bowman, Bethea, Reid, Dorsey, Wilhoite. Also they drafted a very interesting prospect in Arik Armstead. They are not in a situation where they are hurting on defense. With this talent, I still see them as a top 10 defense.\

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Overall the 49ers are in a situation where they could be a team that makes a push for a playoff spot. I can see wins against any team on their schedule (excluding division away games). I don't see them any worse than 8-8, but could be as high as a 10/11 win team. I have no idea why they are being slept on.

How about the Falcons?

[QUOTE=broadway6;9607152]How about the Falcons?[/QUOTE]

They are actually up next on teams to watch. I think they are in a rebuild year based on my initial look at roster turnover and coaching. DQ needs some time to bring in personnel on the defense. The D is thin at this point in almost every area, and there is next to no depth. So even if the starters play above their talent level, an injury or two will cripple them.

As for the offense. Matt Ryan is still a hot/cold QB. Julio is a monster, and I hope he stays healthy so we can see what he can do in 16 games. The OL is still rough, and I don't expect them to be top 20. And as for RB, who knows. I want to like Freeman, but he hasn't really given anyone a reason to like him. Coleman could be the starter by week 3.

I see them as a 5 win team as of now, at most 7.

Detroit made playoffs last year OP,

[QUOTE=the mesiah;9607176]Detroit made playoffs last year OP,[/QUOTE]

Yes they did, they can win the NFC North. Should have been more specific with them.

[QUOTE=chitownbears22;9607178]Yes they did, they can win the NFC North. Should have been more specific with them.[/QUOTE]
Ok , just Making sure..that's a tall task to outdo GB to take that North, GB too strong..

[QUOTE=the mesiah;9607202]Ok , just Making sure..that's a tall task to outdo GB to take that North, GB too strong..[/QUOTE]

I think you could argue the offenses are close in potential, it comes down to defense and GB is better. THat is why Detroit would be a surprise.

My sleeper team is the St. Louis Rams. I know OP said they've been talked about, but I'm going to go out on a limb here...they will win their division.

The Cleveland Browns will be a sleeper this year.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will make it as a wild card team.

[QUOTE=Greenfuzz;9607473]The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will make it as a wild card team.[/QUOTE]

How do you see this happening? That is not a hostile question, I just don't see it. They have Evans, Jackson, Jamesis on offense. But they have no OL, and a coach who loved to ignore the OL in Chicago (which in turn got his QB killed every year). On D there is not a lot of depth, but 3 pretty good players. They are lucky enough to be in the NFCS, so they have that going for them, but I do not see how the Bucs make it into the playoffs.

Green Bay, Seattle, Arizona, St. Louis, Philly, Dallas, NYG, and Detroit are all better than TB. Carolina is better than TB. That is 8 teams right there that are better than Tampa at this time. Tampa was a hot name last year to do something, and Lovie coached them to 2-14. Outside JW what did they really do to deserve to be mentioned with the 8 above teams?

....... New Orleans?

Or is losing Jimmy Graham considered "You are getting a top 5 pick next year" on this site?


Guess I'll make a case. The Saints went out and got themselves an amazing defense over the offseason and got a great center in Max Unger who will definitely help the Saints transition into a Run-First Team with the new addition of CJ Spiller along with Khiry Robinson and Mark Ingram. They will also be getting Kenny Vaccaro, Jarius Byrd and Brandin Cooks back from season ending injuries that 2 of the 3 had received at the very start of the season. The secondary is looking great with Brandon Browner, Keenan Lewis manning the Cornerback Positions.

[QUOTE=Brando19;9607327]My sleeper team is the St. Louis Rams. I know OP said they've been talked about, but I'm going to go out on a limb here...they will win their division.[/QUOTE]

I think the Rams will be a solid team this year. But NOT top of their division.

Im going bias and smart with the Falcons. Offense is still top-notch and they haven't had a run game. If they have one it'll be even better. Devonta/Tevin can't be worse than Steven Jackson last year. Tamme and Moeaki > Levine by a mile. Our o-line picked up Christ Chester who is familiar with Shanahan and Jake Matthews has another year under his belt. Our younger o-line guys showed some promise. Our defense has picked up a lot more depth, we grabbed Reed, Schofield, Vic, Justin Durant and more. Not to mention Quinn is familiar with running a good defense, so that alone should make us better. On top of that, we have the easiest schedule in the league based on last year. All signs point to a potential wild card spot. Last year if Mike Smith wasn't an idiot we would've made playoffs and been like 10-6 or 11-5 and that was still with a horrible defense. I doubt Quinn makes those same mistakes.

If everything goes right for the Rams, they could win it all. Top defense coupled with an efficient, low-turnover offense, headed by the best rookie RB since AP.

[QUOTE=GoHawks25;9607700]I think the Rams will be a solid team this year. But NOT top of their division.[/QUOTE]

I believe they will. The Cardinals and 49ers won't have a winning record and the Seahawks will begin their decline. Just my opinion. Rams 11-5 record.

I think the Colts win the Super Bowl if their defense comes together and can hold opponents under 50 per game.

[QUOTE=coltsnsox07;9608490]I think the Colts win the Super Bowl if their defense comes together and can hold opponents under 50 per game.[/QUOTE]

Colts are a good pick to win the Super Bowl, but don't really fit the context of this post. They have been in the playoff the past couple years, have one of the best young QBs in the league, and were in the AFCCG last year.

Chargers 45/1
Rams 45/1......Superbowl!

The NFL has to have one if not both future LA teams represented.

I honestly think that the Titans will do better than expected, which doesn't necessarily guarantee much, but I see a few w's because of luck and not talent.

Sorry I went off in the wrong direction.

My choice is the Miami Dolpins.

With Ryan Tannehill improving each year and with the acquisition of Suh I think they will be a good contender. They also got in the draft DeVante Parker and Jay Jay Ajayi which hopefully Parker can get well soon and start to pratice. I also like Jay Ajayi but with potential knee problems that can and I hope it won't affect him later in the season. And they also got Kenny Stills from NO. My favorite person on the roster is Jarvis Landry I really like this guy and now with Mike Wallace gone Landry is the #1 receiver.
I can honestly say that I don't know much about the coaching staff and those types of things and I am going just based on what I think and how Tannehill gets better each year.
I forget where I saw this but a site said that the Dolpins and Seahawks will be in this years SB. I think it was the Seahawks.
Have a good Sunday you guys!

[B][SIZE="6"]THE MIGHTY OAKLAND RAIDERS...in 2016[/SIZE][/B]

I think the Chargers and the Dolphins are going to shock some people. I could see one of them competing to be atop the AFC.

Chargers. I know I know, I am a bit biased. Jason Verrett is going to be turning into an elite corner this year. Put him with Brandon Flowers and Eric Weddle and that is an awesome secondary. I am hoping the Chargers can have a top Defense, as long as there are not as many injuries as last year. On offense, we have Melvin Gordon who has a very good shot at being the OROY. Then the wide Reciever group is great, and the Chargers made some moves to help improve their offensive line. The O-Line is HUGE!

I don't know, it might be just me, but if Rivers can get his act together; I see the Chargers being one of the top teams in the league for years to come.

I live in the SF Bay Area. I'd be stunned if the Niners finished better than 6-10 based on everything I'm seeing and hearing.