Dallas Cowboys 2016 Season Preview

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The Dallas Cowboys are heading into the 2016 season coming off their worst season since 1989 when they went 1-15 with a rookie quarterback named Troy Aikman. Last year's quarterback, Tony Romo, only played in two games, while only managing to play in less than three quarters of two other games. As in 2010, Romo broke his left collarbone. Romo wasn't the only causality of last year's 4-12 team. Star wide receiver Dez Bryant and Orlando Scandrick also missed games. Between Romo, Bryant and Scandrick, they missed a combined 35 games.

For the Cowboys to have any chance in 2016, they need their 36-year-old quarterback to stay on the field. Even though Romo enters the season fully recovered from his injury, the Cowboys would prefer not to have Romo shoulder the load. Dallas can ill afford to have their franchise quarterback go down yet again. With only Kellen Moore and rookie Dak Prescott behind Romo, they would find themselves in the same boat as last year if he goes down. Even though Romo isn't quite the quarterback he once was, he can still produce at an elite level, but this year he should have more help.

The Cowboys drafted running back Ezekiel Elliott out of Ohio State with the fourth overall pick, and Dallas hopes he can be the difference maker. The Cowboys have arguably the best offensive line in the NFL which helped enable Darren McFadden to rush for over a 1,000 yards last season. So the Cowboys expect the former Buckeye, McFadden and their off-season signing of Alfred Morris to lead this offense.

Having Dez Bryant back completely healthy is just as important as having a healthy Tony Romo back. Bryant is one of the elite receivers in the league who requires double-coverage the majority of the time, which opens up other receivers for Romo to find. Those other targets include receivers Terrance Williams and Cole Beasley who can be extremely effective when Romo has a healthy Bryant to dictate coverages. Even though tight end Jason Witten isn't as effective as he used to be, he's still only a season removed from being the NFL's second-highest graded tight end, and will be an integral part of the offense.

Dallas' defense will be handicapped to begin the season due to suspensions. Middle linebacker Rolando McClain will miss the first ten games of the season, as will both of their starting defensive ends who are out for the first four games. Expect the Cowboys front-seven to struggle if their defense spends a lot of time on the field.

The Cowboys secondary was one of the worst units in the league last season, allowing a combined 14 touchdowns, while failing to intercept a single pass. Having Orlando Scandrick back should provide a huge lift for a suspect secondary. Last year's rookie, Byron Jones, will have to step up his game if he is to have an impact. Both Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne were suppose to lock down the secondary, but have failed to live up to the hype to this point. But both will have a significant role in the Cowboys secondary yet again, and this season they need to make their presence felt.

Luckily for the Cowboys they play in a relatively weak NFC East division. If they're able to successfully run the football and keep their defense off the field, than there's no reason why shouldn't compete for a division title.

Miami Dolphins 2016 Season Preview

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The Miami Dolphins have a huge season ahead of them that will determine the future of many key pieces within their organization.

Front and center of course is quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Tannehill is entering his fifth NFL season with the Dolphins, and is entering a make or break season after signing a $96 million contract last season.

Tannehill has been up and down throughout his NFL career. After progressing in each of his first three seasons, Tannehill took a step backward last season. However, with the addition of new head coach Adam Gase, Tannehill needs to show significant growth.

Gase was formerly the Offensive Coordinator in Chicago, and in Denver before that, putting together the best seasons of both Jay Cutler and Peyton Manning’s careers. Known as a quarterback whisperer, Gase looks to give Tannehill free reign over the offense for the first time in his career.

One of the Dolphins biggest struggles last season was the offensive line, allowing 45 sacks, which tied for the third-highest in the league. The Dolphins used their first round pick on Ole Miss left tackle Laremy Tunsil, and also added Jermon Bushrod in free agency to help sure up the line. With Brandon Albert, Ja’Wuan James and Mike Pouncey all returning from injury, Miami has high hopes to keep Tannehill upright more than they have in the first four season of his career.

In addition to Tunsil and Bushrod, the Dolphins also added Mario Williams and Andre Branch to aid their defensive line, Kiko Alonso to lead the linebacking corps, and Byron Maxwell, Xavien Howard, Isa Abdul-Quddus and Chris Culliver to revamp the secondary.

Miami’s season will be largely predicted through the first four weeks. Opening the season in Seattle and New England, coming home for a game against Cleveland, and then a Thursday night matchup in Cincinnati will be a true test as to where this new team stands on both sides of the ball. If the Dolphins can come out of that stretch at 2-2, they have a favorable schedule the rest of the season.

There are a lot of question marks heading into the first pre-season game against the Giants. Will the defensive line, led by Williams, Ndammukong Suh and Cameron Wake, be the dominant force Miami expects them to be? Will Tannehill take a step forward this year under Gase? Will the offensive line be able to keep Tannehill upright after Miami has continued to invest draft picks and money? A season in transition for Miami, with a lot riding on the line for many key figures in the organization.

Bills Rookie Linebacker Reggie Ragland Out For Season With Torn ACL

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Buffalo Bills rookie linebacker Reggie Ragland will require season-ending surgery to repair a torn ACL, the team announced on Wednesday. Buffalo has lost their second-round pick, and they will also not have first-round pick Shaq Lawson for the first six weeks of the regular season, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Ragland was injured on a non-contact play at the end of practice on Friday, but the team waited for Ragland’s knee to stop swelling before they had a clear idea about his injury. 

The team prepared for the worst on Saturday, when they signed veteran linebackers Brandon Spikes and Brandon Hawthorne to provide depth for a Bills defense that finished 19^th in total defense last year. Bills Head Coach Rex Ryan is still confident in the team that he has. “Well, it would be a blow, but hopefully, you know, everything will be fine,” Ryan said on Saturday. “If that’s the hand that’s dealt, then we’ll adjust to it. We’re fortunate, we picked up Zach Brown in the offseason, you know, so we’re fortunate there. Randell Johnson’s done a nice job for us also. And we’ll see, we’ll evaluate things as it goes.” 

Ragland was expected to start right away, but now that Ragland is expected to be out for the season, it is expected that Brown will fill the void left by Ragland. The team believes that Ragland suffered more damage in his knee, but they will wait until the surgery is completed before they make any further statements about Ragland’s injury. Miami Dolphins linebacker Kiko Alonso, who was with the Philadelphia Eagles last year, had a similar surgery that Ragland is having, and Alonso was able to return to play later in the season. 

Ragland is expected to be out a minimum of 6-8 weeks, but that’s if everything goes way ahead of schedule. The 6’1” 247-pound linebacker was selected by the Bills with the 41^st pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Ragland played collegiately at Alabama, where he won two national titles, and he took home SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2015. Ragland racked up 220 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, and 4.0 sacks in four seasons with the Crimson Tide.

Fans to Sue NFL Over Hall Of Fame Game Cancellation

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The absolute disaster that resulted from the cancellation of the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Sunday continued on Tuesday, as a number of fans that attended the game in Canton, OH are looking to sue the NFL and the Hall of Fame after the game was called off due to poor field conditions. The game was canceled after the paint at midfield and in the end zone congealed, which would’ve put the players safety at risk. 

The players did meet with the fans to sign autographs, but they couldn’t play the game, which angered many fans. Attorney Michael Avenatti told the Associated Press that at least 20 fans who attended the game approached him about filing a class-action lawsuit against the NFL. This isn’t the first time that Avenatti has represented fans in a case against the NFL, as he represented a Dallas Cowboys ticket holder who didn’t get his tickets for the Super Bowl in 2011, which was held at AT&T Stadium in Dallas. 

Avenatti says that his clients are from many states, including Indiana and Wisconsin, which are the home states of the two teams that were supposed to play (Colts and Packers). Hall of Fame President David Baker said that fans tickets would be refunded, but he didn’t comment on if there would be additional reimbursement. “We have been approached by no fewer than 20 individuals who traveled to the game to participate and be ready to enjoy the game,” Avenatti said. “And unfortunately they did not have the opportunity to enjoy the game, and as a result lost a significant amount of money." 

When approached by the Associated Press, the NFL and the Hall of Fame declined to comment about the planned lawsuit. “They could have offered what these fans paid for the tickets and to reimburse them for any expenses incurred, Avenatti added. “The league has a history of being cheap with its fans.” NFL executive Troy Vincent took responsibility for the canceled game, but until the NFL and the Hall of Fame agree to cover the costs of travel for those who were going to attend the game, they will have to deal with a lawsuit.    

Buffalo Bills 2016 Season Preview

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The Buffalo Bills seem to have built a talented team around quarterback Tyrod Taylor. Head Coach Rex Ryan just hopes that all these pieces will fall in place for the Bills to make a playoff run.  The team from Western New York hasn't seen a playoff game since 1999. They hope to build off the 2015 season where the Bills placed 3rd in the AFC East and 8-8 record.  Buffalo beat the Jets in the final game of the season to keep the Jets out of the playoffs.

Taylor has some solid weapons around him to help the Bills make a push to possibly making the playoffs.  Sammy Watkins will be hoping to build off of his 2015 season.  Watkins had 1,047 yards receiving and nine touchdowns.  LeSean McCoy hopes to have a better season than he did in 2015 as well.  McCoy only rushed for 895 yards for just three touchdowns.  They will need more out of him this year, however, the Bills also signed Reggie Bush to help carry the ball as well.

Rex Ryan has always been a very defensive minded coach and the Bills defense haven't proven that. In 2015 they were 19th on defense against the pass will not help Buffalo out when it comes to winning a game in today's NFL. The Bills are also 16th against the run and that's just not going to help the Bills become a team worth watching out for.  These are things that will need to be fixed if they want to make a solid playoff push in 2016.

Detroit Lions 2016 Season Preview

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The Detroit Lions will have a big piece missing in their offense in 2016 in wide receiver Calvin Johnson, aka Megatron. Even though he is retired, that doesn't mean the Lions are doomed.

They still have a great quarterback in Matthew Stafford, who has thrown for 4,000 yards each of the last five seasons. The Lions also signed former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Marvin Jones to attempt to replace Megatron. 

This may not be a .500 season for a Detroit Lions. A 6-10 record seems reasonable for them as they attempt to rebuild their team after losing their franchise wide reciever. 2016 will prove if Stafford can still be the elite quarterback that he has been with Megatron. 

Washington Redskins 2016 Season Preview

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Washington took the league by storm last season. After #2 overall pick Robert Griffin III struggled to regain the magic he captured his rookie year he was benched. Head coach Jay Gruden turned to Michigan State product Kirk Cousins. After being inconsistent over the first three seasons Cousins took the league by storm, leading the league completion percentage. That along with a defense which became league average after finishing near the bottom of the league helped Washington finish first in the NFC East.

Washington is on track to repeat as the champions of the NFC East. Even though last season's leading tackler Dashon Goldson is no longer on the team the defense shouldn't take step back. Washington ranked in the bottom third in most major pass defense categories last season and made that a priority in the offseason. Three of their free agent signings and one of their draft picks were in the secondary highlighted by Josh Norman. Norman solidified himself as a shutdown corner with Carolina finishing seventh in the NFL in plays on passes. Third round draft pick Kendall Fuller from Virginia Tech should add some athleticism to the back of the defense.

At the end of the day Washington's success hinges on how Cousins preforms now that the NFL has film on him. Fully aware of the Washington used their first round draft pick to bring along TCU wide receiver Josh Doctson. While his route runner will need to be developed along by the coaching staff Doctson along with a healthy DeSean Jackson should provide targets to help Cousins strech the field. And when Gruden decides to work the intermediate passing game he has Tight Ends Jordan Reed and Vernon Davis along with Pierre Garcon. As long as Cousins does not regress from last year's performance Washington should win 10 games along with the division again.