tiers – Syndication Server

NFL analyst on Saints’ Super Bowl chances: ‘Need a prayer’

NFL analyst Jason McIntyre on the New Orleans Saints’ Super Bowl chances: ‘Need a prayer’ after underachieving 2023 season

NFL analyst Jason McIntyre hosted “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” recently and shared his list of NFL teams organized by Super Bowl tiers. And he has the New Orleans Saints ranked inside the second-to-lowest tier, characterizing their title chances as needing a prayer to succeed. That’s going to be the case when you haven’t even made the playoffs three years in a row.

“Folks, the Saints are a team that irked me last season,” McIntyre said. “I was all in on them. Schedule, everything. I just looked at the offseason ranking for offensive lines, the Saints are 32nd, according to one report. 32nd. And we know Derek Carr stinks under pressure. Saints, they’re not gonna be good.”

He wasn’t the only one irked by Dennis Allen’s team. The Saints were massive underachievers in 2023, having been dealt one of the NFL’s easiest schedules and multiple games against teams starting backup quarterbacks, only to barely finish the season with a winning record at 9-8. Pete Carmichael’s offense was a disaster and Allen’s defense didn’t live up to its reputation

They can’t repeat that performance in 2024. Derek Carr must play at a higher level with Klint Kubiak calling plays, and the offensive line can’t be a weakness like it was last year. Allen’s defense needs to better hold up in run defense and more effectively get after the quarterback, having underwhelmed in both phases. The good news is the Saints have another favorable schedule, and Kubiak’s system should relieve some of the pressure on the offensive line (and Carr). But that’s all theory right now. We need to see it to believe it’s real.

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Pre-spring College Football Playoff tiers for the 2024 season

What are the chances Wisconsin makes the College Football Playoff in 2024?

The Wisconsin Badgers and head coach Luke Fickell enter the 2024 college football season needing to improve upon their disappointing 7-6 2023 campaign.

There is good news and bad news.

The good news: year two is often the time for improvement for new head coaches in college football. It means one more year to cater the roster to the specific systems on offense and defense, and another year of continuity on the coaching staff and the field. Also, the College Football Playoff now contains 12 teams.

The bad news: Wisconsin has one of college football’s toughest schedules in 2024. That, and the new era of the Big Ten sees those schedules get even tougher as the years continue.

Wisconsin’s chances at making the 2024 CFP are interesting. A stellar season is required, though a 10-2 or 9-3 record may get the job done.

Looking ahead to the season, we’ve already ranked all 18 programs in the Big Ten, ranked the 18 starting quarterbacks, ranked all 18 head coaches, predicted each Big Ten team’s 2024 record and checked in on the Las Vegas win totals for each team in the conference.

Now, here are our pre-spring College Football Playoff tiers:

CBS Sports lists Derek Carr as a ‘Tier 4’ quarterback in NFL’s middle class

CBS Sports lists Derek Carr as a ‘Tier 4’ quarterback in the NFL’s middle class, identifying him as a QB the Saints can win with | @DillySanders

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The New Orleans Saints brought in veteran quarterback Derek Carr, the move has had mixed reactions from across the league. Will Brinson of CBS Sports gave a nod to Carr towards the league’s middle class.

Brinson created tiers for the NFL quarterbacks and placed every projected starter in one. Those categories were:

Tier 1: The Big Three
Tier 2: Could Join Them Next Year
Tier 3: Intrigue with Question Marks
Tier 4: You Can Win With Them
Tier 5: Future Potential ‘Can Win With Them’ Guys
Tier 6: No Clue, Man
Tier 7: The Rookies

Carr was placed into Tier 4, “You Can Win With Them.” His peers in that list are Jared Goff, Dak Prescott, Geno Smith, Kirk Cousins, Ryan Tannehill and Jimmy Garoppolo. Here’s how CBS Sports explained this tier, including Carr:

The best way to describe these guys? They can get you to the playoffs if everything about them breaks in their favor but you cannot envision a scenario where they take you on a deep playoff run or win you a Super Bowl without a really stout defense/run game combo or the stars simply aligning.

This makes sense for what Carr has been for his entire career, but there’s a reason he wanted to start something new and head to New Orleans. There’s a chance for him to raise his stock and maybe enter a new tier next season with a better group of players around him.

He’s the highest-rated quarterback in the NFC South with Baker Mayfield and Desmond Ridder in Tier 6 (“No Clue, Man”) and Bryce Young obviously in the Tier 7 “The Rookies” group. We’ll soon learn whether this was an accurate assessment of Carr’s abilities in the fall.

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USA Today puts New Orleans Saints fans among the best in the NFL

USA Today’s Mike Freeman puts New Orleans Saints fans among the best in the NFL, saying they’re by far the best fanbase within the NFC South:

This is fun: USA Today’s Mike Freeman puts New Orleans Saints fans among the best in the NFL, saying they’re by far the best fanbase within the NFC South. The Who Dat Nation was the only fanbase in their division to rank inside Freeman’s top 10. Freeman broke the NFL into 10 tiers and ordered each team’s fans from best to worst; a leaguewide assessment that Freeman cautions everyone reading with “Prepare to be outraged.”

But we’re not complaining. Here’s where Freeman put the Saints and each of their divisional rivals — the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers — plus the upstart Tampa Bay Buccaneers:

Categorizing Packers’ roster needs entering 2022 NFL draft

Separating the Packers’ roster needs into four different tiers based on the team’s roster construction entering the 2022 NFL draft.

The Green Bay Packers will enter the 2022 NFL draft with a strong roster overall but also clear needs. Armed with 11 picks, general manager Brian Gutekunst has a chance to fill in the gaps, improve his team’s chances at a Super Bowl this year and build on the foundation of the roster for years to come.

This post from Joe Goodberry represents a smart way of looking at roster needs. There are immediate needs, long-term needs and depth needs, and teams use the draft to address all three to varying degrees.

Instead of rankings roster needs, let’s categorize the individual needs into the four tiers: rookie contributors, long-term developmental players, positional depth and no clear need.