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The future of the AFC is KC, Cleveland... and Buffalo!


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Yup. The Dynasty might be "Not Done!" but this was it for them. Hubris will bring Brady back next year (and hopefully more) which will serve was a nice catharsis for us as the Bills regularly beat them with Brady still on the field. Doesn't erase his titles, but it eases the pain a bit AND creates a few "passing of the torch moments" in the AFC overall and the AFC East. A nice ugly situation where the Patriots practically force Brady to retire OR end up benching him midseason to "protect him" would be fantastic but might be asking too much. Either way, he is nowhere near the same QB. They won this year by running the ball and Dee Ford lining up 6 inches Offside.  

 

So who takes over in the AFC going forward?

 

You need a great coach + a great QB. In my view, the AFC has ONE of these combos outside of Brady and Belichick. Reid and Mahomes.

 

One pair is #ALMOSTDONE! and the other is #JUSTGETTINGSTARTED!

 

My predictions: KC becomes the big dog, Cleveland and Indy become the perennial winners who can't close the deal most years but get a SB trip or two, and the Bills become that mean, nasty, tough team that you do NOT want to see in the playoffs and win 1-2 Super Bowls in between Mahomes and KC winning!

 

Here are my future outlooks for all AFC teams:

 

AFC East

 

NE: #DONE! or at least # ALMOSTDONE!

NJ: a possible threat but Gase is a nut who has authority issues

MIA: nowhere

BUF: the new 2000's Ravens... tough, good defense, nobody wants to see them in the playoffs but not flashy

 

AFC North

 

CIN: LOL... I predict misery... they will be the 2000's Bills

PIT: Still good, and might get another SB berth but falling apart due to locker room/off field issues. Plus, Ben is getting old.

BAL: Not sold on Jackson and fully expect them to be 6-10 or worse this year before imploding

CLE: I know it's Cleveland but NE was NE before they became NE (if that makes sense). Loaded roster, great young QB, good coaching, good GM. Wild card is an awful owner.

 

AFC South

 

Indy: Luck is decent and I love Reich. They are going to win games every year. But when it's cold Luck looks miserable. Division round fodder for KC, CLE and BUF!

Hou: the ultimate "meh" team with fading stars on defense. I like Watson, but I feel like the roster's window is closing. Could be a current Seattle like team that goes 10-6 and goes nowhere.

Jax: LOL.. implosion incoming

Ten: another "meh" team. Mariotta is mediocre, which is just good enough to get people fired for not replacing him.

 

AFC West

 

KC: On track to make people sick of them in 10 years. Reid could easily coach another decade if he stays healthy, and Mahomes is great. QB/HC combo of the AFC

LA: Rivers is on his last legs and always chokes in the playoffs anyway. They'll be another divisional round fodder team for a couple more seasons before the wheels fall off.

Oak/LV: A mess, but they have a ton of picks. No idea.

Den: Just another team... nothing jumps out about them as great, and the defensive players are not getting any younger.

 

When you look at the landscape of the AFC it is stark overall, which is part of how NE goes to the bowl every year, especially now that Manning is gone. But the torch will be passed, then what?

 

Luck

Mahomes

Watson

Allen

Darnold

Big Ben

Rivers

Mayfield

 

Those are your AFC QBs of note, with Big Ben and Rivers being on their way out as well. KC missed ring #1 this year, but they aren't going anywhere. One of these (Mahomes/Reid) is head and shoulders above all of the others.

 

 

 

 

 

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3 minutes ago, TheFunPolice said:

Yup. The Dynasty might be "Not Done!" but this was it for them. Hubris will bring Brady back next year (and hopefully more) which will serve was a nice catharsis for us as the Bills regularly beat them with Brady still on the field. Doesn't erase his titles, but it eases the pain a bit AND creates a few "passing of the torch moments" in the AFC overall and the AFC East. A nice ugly situation where the Patriots practically force Brady to retire OR end up benching him midseason to "protect him" would be fantastic but might be asking too much. Either way, he is nowhere near the same QB. They won this year by running the ball and Dee Ford lining up 6 inches Offside.  

 

So who takes over in the AFC going forward?

 

You need a great coach + a great QB. In my view, the AFC has ONE of these combos outside of Brady and Belichick. Reid and Mahomes.

 

One pair is #ALMOSTDONE! and the other is #JUSTGETTINGSTARTED!

 

My predictions: KC becomes the big dog, Cleveland and Indy become the perennial winners who can't close the deal most years but get a SB trip or two, and the Bills become that mean, nasty, tough team that you do NOT want to see in the playoffs and win 1-2 Super Bowls in between Mahomes and KC winning!

 

Here are my future outlooks for all AFC teams:

 

AFC East

 

NE: #DONE! or at least # ALMOSTDONE!

NJ: a possible threat but Gase is a nut who has authority issues

MIA: nowhere

BUF: the new 2000's Ravens... tough, good defense, nobody wants to see them in the playoffs but not flashy

 

AFC North

 

CIN: LOL... I predict misery... they will be the 2000's Bills

PIT: Still good, and might get another SB berth but falling apart due to locker room/off field issues. Plus, Ben is getting old.

BAL: Not sold on Jackson and fully expect them to be 6-10 or worse this year before imploding

CLE: I know it's Cleveland but NE was NE before they became NE (if that makes sense). Loaded roster, great young QB, good coaching, good GM. Wild card is an awful owner.

 

AFC South

 

Indy: Luck is decent and I love Reich. They are going to win games every year. But when it's cold Luck looks miserable. Division round fodder for KC, CLE and BUF!

Hou: the ultimate "meh" team with fading stars on defense. I like Watson, but I feel like the roster's window is closing. Could be a current Seattle like team that goes 10-6 and goes nowhere.

Jax: LOL.. implosion incoming

Ten: another "meh" team. Mariotta is mediocre, which is just good enough to get people fired for not replacing him.

 

AFC West

 

KC: On track to make people sick of them in 10 years. Reid could easily coach another decade if he stays healthy, and Mahomes is great. QB/HC combo of the AFC

LA: Rivers is on his last legs and always chokes in the playoffs anyway. They'll be another divisional round fodder team for a couple more seasons before the wheels fall off.

Oak/LV: A mess, but they have a ton of picks. No idea.

Den: Just another team... nothing jumps out about them as great, and the defensive players are not getting any younger.

 

When you look at the landscape of the AFC it is stark overall, which is part of how NE goes to the bowl every year, especially now that Manning is gone. But the torch will be passed, then what?

 

Luck

Mahomes

Watson

Allen

Darnold

Big Ben

Rivers

Mayfield

 

Those are your AFC QBs of note, with Big Ben and Rivers being on their way out as well. KC missed ring #1 this year, but they aren't going anywhere. One of these (Mahomes/Reid) is head and shoulders above all of the others.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

...nice work bud.....somebody has to step up from the "Lethargic Other Three" in the AFCE to challenge Brady 'n Belichick......waiting for retirement(s) is a woeful surrender cave......Bungles?...two words: MIKE BROWN......wallet is padlocked....Steelers? Tomlin is a "talk tough puff"......Big Bendover runs the show....Noll rolled over seven times...Colts?....keep Irsay outta the way and on his meds.....Jax: ....da Fuhrer Coughlin and Dougy are are on a collision course....Tom dried out his welcome with NYG...who goes first?....O'Brien?...meh....who knows?.....Cleveland?.....could get interesting.....Oakland?.....um, Chuckie....'nuff said........reminds me of the doofy North Korean dictator......who is watchin' the restaurant and nukes?.....KC & Andy?.....Hunt won;t go near that....Chargers?...nothing post Phillip who has been solid to no avail....something always hiccups in his way......Bills?....just gonna say "stay tuned"....could be uh oh, oh no or wow......

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KC is going to need a defense to win the big one or at least get there, but they are probably the best of the rest. Glory be if Buffalo and Cleveland become perennial playoff teams and I do like all 3 QB's for these teams.

The Bills need a lot of help on offense to get on track for 10 wins. IMHO Cleveland is a little closer if they get a good DC. I don't get the fuss about Greggo. He had a lot of talent on D, but they got ripped apart most games. I think losing Kendricks hurt a bit too. 

 

I think the Jets will improve too. Nothing would make me happier than seeing NE in 3rd in the AFC East, but Belichick is just too damn good of a coach. Even when Brady retires, they may keep winning if they get the right QB. Cue Foles? 

I think Indy, Houston, Baltimore (great D) LA, Denver (if they sort out QB) CLE, BUF, Pittsburgh and of course NE will all be fighting for playoff spots next year, although with the right moves we might position ourselves to dethrone the Pats. I hope so. 

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57 minutes ago, TheFunPolice said:

Yup. The Dynasty might be "Not Done!" but this was it for them. Hubris will bring Brady back next year (and hopefully more) which will serve was a nice catharsis for us as the Bills regularly beat them with Brady still on the field. Doesn't erase his titles, but it eases the pain a bit AND creates a few "passing of the torch moments" in the AFC overall and the AFC East. A nice ugly situation where the Patriots practically force Brady to retire OR end up benching him midseason to "protect him" would be fantastic but might be asking too much. Either way, he is nowhere near the same QB. They won this year by running the ball and Dee Ford lining up 6 inches Offside.  

 

So who takes over in the AFC going forward?

 

You need a great coach + a great QB. In my view, the AFC has ONE of these combos outside of Brady and Belichick. Reid and Mahomes.

 

One pair is #ALMOSTDONE! and the other is #JUSTGETTINGSTARTED!

 

My predictions: KC becomes the big dog, Cleveland and Indy become the perennial winners who can't close the deal most years but get a SB trip or two, and the Bills become that mean, nasty, tough team that you do NOT want to see in the playoffs and win 1-2 Super Bowls in between Mahomes and KC winning!

 

Here are my future outlooks for all AFC teams:

 

AFC East

 

NE: #DONE! or at least # ALMOSTDONE!

NJ: a possible threat but Gase is a nut who has authority issues

MIA: nowhere

BUF: the new 2000's Ravens... tough, good defense, nobody wants to see them in the playoffs but not flashy

 

AFC North

 

CIN: LOL... I predict misery... they will be the 2000's Bills

PIT: Still good, and might get another SB berth but falling apart due to locker room/off field issues. Plus, Ben is getting old.

BAL: Not sold on Jackson and fully expect them to be 6-10 or worse this year before imploding

CLE: I know it's Cleveland but NE was NE before they became NE (if that makes sense). Loaded roster, great young QB, good coaching, good GM. Wild card is an awful owner.

 

AFC South

 

Indy: Luck is decent and I love Reich. They are going to win games every year. But when it's cold Luck looks miserable. Division round fodder for KC, CLE and BUF!

Hou: the ultimate "meh" team with fading stars on defense. I like Watson, but I feel like the roster's window is closing. Could be a current Seattle like team that goes 10-6 and goes nowhere.

Jax: LOL.. implosion incoming

Ten: another "meh" team. Mariotta is mediocre, which is just good enough to get people fired for not replacing him.

 

AFC West

 

KC: On track to make people sick of them in 10 years. Reid could easily coach another decade if he stays healthy, and Mahomes is great. QB/HC combo of the AFC

LA: Rivers is on his last legs and always chokes in the playoffs anyway. They'll be another divisional round fodder team for a couple more seasons before the wheels fall off.

Oak/LV: A mess, but they have a ton of picks. No idea.

Den: Just another team... nothing jumps out about them as great, and the defensive players are not getting any younger.

 

When you look at the landscape of the AFC it is stark overall, which is part of how NE goes to the bowl every year, especially now that Manning is gone. But the torch will be passed, then what?

 

Luck

Mahomes

Watson

Allen

Darnold

Big Ben

Rivers

Mayfield

 

Those are your AFC QBs of note, with Big Ben and Rivers being on their way out as well. KC missed ring #1 this year, but they aren't going anywhere. One of these (Mahomes/Reid) is head and shoulders above all of the others.

 

 

 

 

 

I Dont think Belichick will be done even without Brady.  Also Parcells took NE to the SB with Bledsoe.

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I'll believe it when I see it.

 

The past 18 years how many times have heard about how many teams were the future of the AFC.

 

Fast forward from 2001 and he we are........... still looking at NE championships.

 

My only assumption is the hope that Josh Allen is FINALLY the Bills answer to the long search of a franchise QB.

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13 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

Pure speculation, but as good as any other wild-ass guess.  I think your take on he Bills has a good chance of being right on the money.   I think their defense is going to terrorize the league for years.  

 

I just don't see it yet, Shaw.  Not without a pass rush, and that doesn't exist.

 

We all draw comparisons to the rebuild in 1985-1986, in which the Bills would beat the opponent up, but still manage just barely lose.  That "beating up" was Bruce, but he's not here.  I get the argument, and I want to see it happen, but "it ain't soup yet".  Maybe that's where Beane goes in the draft.

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1 hour ago, OldTimeAFLGuy said:

 

 

...nice work bud.....somebody has to step up from the "Lethargic Other Three" in the AFCE to challenge Brady 'n Belichick......waiting for retirement(s) is a woeful surrender cave......Bungles?...two words: MIKE BROWN......wallet is padlocked....Steelers? Tomlin is a "talk tough puff"......Big Bendover runs the show....Noll rolled over seven times...Colts?....keep Irsay outta the way and on his meds.....Jax: ....da Fuhrer Coughlin and Dougy are are on a collision course....Tom dried out his welcome with NYG...who goes first?....O'Brien?...meh....who knows?.....Cleveland?.....could get interesting.....Oakland?.....um, Chuckie....'nuff said........reminds me of the doofy North Korean dictator......who is watchin' the restaurant and nukes?.....KC & Andy?.....Hunt won;t go near that....Chargers?...nothing post Phillip who has been solid to no avail....something always hiccups in his way......Bills?....just gonna say "stay tuned"....could be uh oh, oh no or wow......

comma, comma, comma, comma, comma chameleon 

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Unless Cleveland can trade their owner, I doubt they become a serious and consistent contender for anything more than cheap but amusing jokes. Would you take  every Brown draft choice for the next two years to swap owners? I wouldn’t. 

 

I get that they have some impetus under Dorsey, but they voted 4-1 for McD as HC, and Haslam insisted on Hue Jackson? That cripples a team’s chances. Why even vote. (Not that I was there, but it sounds about right.) 

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I hope your predictions for the AFC are correct.  However, as much as I hate them, until some team steps up and dethrones the Pats, they remain the champs.  IMO it is more Belichek than Brady that is responsible for the Pats success and even if Brady retires, it is not necessarily the end of the Pats.

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In terms of the young influx of QB talent, I see the AFC playing out as a set of divisional duels over the coming decade:

AFC East: Allen vs Darnold (some guy named Brady is still around for at least another year, too)
AFC North: Mayfield vs Jackson (some guy named Roethlisberger is still around for at least another year, too)
AFC South: Watson vs Luck
AFC West: Mahomes vs....nobody, really. Once Rivers retires, it's an ugly QB division outside of KC. I'd be willing to bet the Raiders draft a QB with one of their three 1sts, though.


 

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4 minutes ago, Logic said:

In terms of the young influx of QB talent, I see the AFC playing out as a set of divisional duels over the coming decade:

AFC East: Allen vs Darnold (some guy named Brady is still around for at least another year, too)
AFC North: Mayfield vs Jackson (some guy named Roethlisberger is still around for at least another year, too)
AFC South: Watson vs Luck
AFC West: Mahomes vs....nobody, really. Once Rivers retires, it's an ugly QB division outside of KC. I'd be willing to bet the Raiders draft a QB with one of their three 1sts, though.

 

I wouldn't overlook CLE or INDY.  BAL and HOU are tough too.

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33 minutes ago, JK Fan said:

I hope your predictions for the AFC are correct.  However, as much as I hate them, until some team steps up and dethrones the Pats, they remain the champs.  IMO it is more Belichek than Brady that is responsible for the Pats success and even if Brady retires, it is not necessarily the end of the Pats.

 

I think the dethroning of the Patriots happens in 2019. If Dee Ford lines up onside it happens in 2018.

 

That's why I'm glad both will be back. Someone has to beat them in order to fully turn the page. If they just retired now it would hamstring the next great AFC team. That next great team needs to have wins over Brady and Belichick on their resume and on their way to their own Super Bowl run. Then Brady and Belichick can retire. Otherwise they only won because the big boys went home and let the B teams play. Perception, but also reality IMO.

 

Will it matter that they are not the same as when they are in their prime? Well, as we just saw Belichick is as good as ever, maybe even better than ever. So beating NE is a big deal, regardless of Brady's age next season or the one after. The league needs an AFC team to get over on NE in 2019, and hopefully it's the Bills in this division!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Having a consistently great defense is really hard to do, but great defensive coaches can scheme up an awesome plan (see Wade and Bill in the Super Bowl) when the stage is biggest and the lights are brightest.

 

That's why I don't buy into the Texans, Broncos or Ravens long term. Lots of pieces needed on defense and coaches not on the same level as Wade and Bill.  Bill O'Brien and Vic Fangio are not in the same universe IMO. Harbaugh is great I think, but about to suffer from Andy Reid in Philly  syndrome: in one place too long and needing a change of scenery. Hopefully to the NFC.

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As a die hard Bill's fan, I can say that only Bill's fans feel this way.  When I mention something of this nature to people where I live, it is followed by a big laugh.  We have a lot to prove before anyone believes the Bill's will be a top competitor, and until we can win a normal regular season game against the Pat's instead if curling up in the corner and taking the beating it will not change.  It sounds great to us Bill's fans, but the reality is NE owns us more than any other team in history, and to think that will change next year (year after year) is the definition of insanity...repeating the same thing over and over with the same results.  Show me the baby and I will believe!

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Brady seems good enough to survive another season and add a 7th ring presuming Gronk & Edelman return. Also NE has the beginnings of a stud RB & elite defense. Their OLine improved & their coaching is superior. Expect a dominant NE until someone finds a way to hurt Brady.

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