2015 NFL Discussion, Predictions and Play Money Wagering Thread

The Draft is over, which means we have a good idea of who has what players at this point. Time to talk some football

I kind of want to turn this into a game where you can set odds on your predictions. A bold prediction can have no better than 2:1 odds, but if x amount of people take you up on that bet, then it can no longer be considered bold. Something like that. I'm sick of "bold" predictions that aren't surprising or just making a ton of off-the-cuff guesses and not seeming smart off of pure volume.

Or this can just be a place where you throw out your HAWT TAKES.

ViV's 10 Unconventional predictions about the NFC East, listed in increasing boldness:

8) A player who was not on the Cowboys roster in April will rush for more yards than Darren McFadden*
Why it's bold: The Cowboys didn't draft a running back, so the assumption is that DMC is their feature back. It's this low on the list because the Cowboys RB situation is such a hot debate, so it's kinda easy fodder for "bold" predictions.

*And the back won't be Adrian Peterson, because lol.

7) a) Betting the under on the Giants (8 wins) b) They will rank have the worst pass defense in the NFL*
Why it's bold: Everyone's taking the over on the Giants this year. Giants' pass defense being bad is no news to anyone, but while many think they've improved, I'm saying they'll be just way shittier than you're letting yourself imagine.

*Either literally ranked last, or you will be able to make the case using advanced metrics that they shoulda been last.

6) a) I take the over on the Eagles winning 9.5 games, however b) Murray will rush for less than the Cowboys' leading rusher.
Why it's bold: Even a lot of Eagles fans are saying they'll take 9-7 and a feeling that they're moving "in the right direction" as a moral victory. The sexy thing to do is to guess that Murray will rush for more back than any of the Cowboys' backs, but that the Cowboys rush game as a whole will outrush the Eagles'. I'll go against the grain on that one.

5) Gavin Escobar will shed his draft bust status; Morris Claiborne will not
Why it's bold: Gavin Escobar is CowboysNations' most head-scratching pick of the last half decade. He warms the bench for a future first ballot HoFer. Morris Claiborne has all the talent in the world, but has had bad luck with injuries.
I'll take this prediction a step further and say that Claiborne is the Bengals' starting CB from 2016-2019, lol.

4) The Redskins will get zero sacks against the Cowboys.
Why it's bold: The Redskins have combined for 20 sacks over the last 5 years against the Cowboys, and have never had less than 3 in a year over that span.

3) The Cowboys will feature some unorthodox backfield set (esp Wishbone or Wildcat)
Why it's bold: Garrett runs a Norv Turner-style, no frills offense, with the no frills, power offensive line to match it. I have heard of 0 talk whatsoever that the Cowboys have anything like this in mind.

2) The Eagles will miss Bradley Fletcher
Why this is bold: Because of this and this and this and this and this and, of course, this.

1) Greg Hardy will not play a single down for the Dallas Cowboys, and not because he'll misbehave between now and his release
Why it's bold: Well ... why the hell would the Cowboys sign him, pay him $1.3M to work out, only to release him before he plays a down, you might ask.


Honorable mentions (predictions that go against the grain, but don't pass my 2:1 odds rule):

9) The Cowboys will fall way behind the Jets in their game in December. Either the Jets will jump out to a 14+ lead and/or they will lead by 10+ in the second half. Not yet sure whether the Cowboys pull off second half heroics or if they suffer a huge disappointing loss in one of their easiest December games.

10) The Cowboys will either lose 2 of their first 3 in the division, or they will start 2-2 but both losses will be to the Eagles. But if I think of it in terms of the 2:1 odds thing, it's definitely not that bold of a prediction.

1:0 the Patriots are cheats.