by Mario Granata, Paul Wanecski and Ryan Lasal
For much of the past 16 years, the Buffalo Bills were hammered for letting talent get away and move onto to greener pastures across the NFL landscape. Well, in 2015 they opened up their checkbooks and bought some new toys. They re-signed Marcell Dareus and Jerry Hughes to keep their (at the time) 4th ranked defense in tact, trading for and extending LeSean McCoy from Philadelphia, stole Charles Clay from Miami, and took a gamble on two others with Richie Incognito and Percy Harvin. All of those moves were a direct result of not having a 1st round pick in 2015 (which was part of the cost in acquiring WR Sammy Watkins in the 2014 NFL draft). The aggressive offseason last year places the Bills in a less-than-ideal salary cap situation now, which will require additional focus on acquiring talent in the draft and in reworking contracts of current players that will either need to be extended, restructured or released. It is about to be very interesting at One Bills Drive.

by Mario Granata
Jekyll and Hyde could be used to describe a lot of teams in the NFL, however that moniker couldn’t be truer than for the Detroit Lions.  One week they would perform well, and the next it is like they are an expansion team.  Newly anointed GM Bob Quinn has a tall task heading into the 2016 free agency period, as he will have to answer some questions as to the state of his team.  Calvin Johnson’s impending retirement, resigning Haloti Ngata or not, and will Jim Bob Cooter be the shot caller for Matt Stafford in the long run are all on the table for him, but with his resume of being a scout and executive for the New England Patriots from 2000-2015, he might just be the man that the Lions need.

by Mario Granata
As the Rams pack up the trucks and make the move from the midwest to Los Angeles, they do so with some uncertainty.  The hot button topic happens to be the fact that RGIII needs a team, and the Rams, who orchestrated the most forgettable swap of picks for player might be his landing spot is just to funny to write about.  So, I promise to only mention it about 10 times in this article.  In all seriousness, the Rams who were in the toughest division in football for the past few years are in a position to make a run if they can cross their T’s and dot their I’s.  

by Mario Granata
Now, I will admit there are some articles or stories that I just don’t ‘feel’ when I start to write.  Ray Rice, Johnny Manziel, and Tom Brady are just players that I don’t want to even approach for various reasons, but when it comes to the current article that you are about to read, I circled the date on the calendar.  Why, you ask?  Because the Raiders are on the verge of being a potential powerhouse, yes, powerhouse in the NFL and I am pushing all my chips to the center of the table on that.  Am I foolish for such a prediction?  Maybe.  However, Mel Kiper Jr. is wrong all the time, and he still manages to hold down a steady paying job, so I am not too worried if the Raiders fail me, but I have a feeling that they won’t.  Here is why:

by Mario Granata
Now that the Chip Kelly experiment is over in Philadelphia, the Eagles are primed to start anew, with a completely revamped coaching staff and a new direction as they head into 2016.  The one thing that is working in the Eagles favor is that new coach Doug Pederson doesn’t have a resume large enough for the rest of the league to calculate his tendencies, although he should have the pulse of Philly having coached there under Andy Reid from 2009-2012.  As for the fans of Philadelphia, there might not be any ‘Brotherly Love’ if the Eagles stumble out of the starting blocks in a questionable NFC East. 

By Paul Wanecski
New Orleans Saints general manger Mickey Loomis might be my favorite general manager in the NFL, but not for the reasons that you might think. He has negotiated some of the worst contracts in recent memory while living in the fantasyland that his team is still competitive. Honestly, if it was not for Tom Benson and his family internally (and legally) struggling for control of the franchise, I doubt Loomis would still be employed. The Saints are, and have been, in serious trouble.

By Mario Granata
The Monsters of the Midway haven’t been a team to reckon with since 2010, and with an aging quarterback at the helm, and a switch at coordinator, it’s no surprise that the Bears are picking outside of the Top 10 in this year’s NFL Draft.  Can the Bears turn it around for the 2016 season?  They have a lot of new faces not just on the coaching staff, but also on the field that could make an impression going into another year.  They have cap space, they have talent, but will they make it all come together to take on the division?