The Blog of Northern Aggression: Surprise Playoff Team
By David Wipperman (a.k.a. Ragnarok) – @Wipperman
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David Wipperman, also known as Ragnarok (or Rags) on the forum, has been in charge of setting up the Wednesday fantasy football mock drafts for a few years. Ragnarok had his own section in the fantasy mocks this summer where he broke down the best and worst teams. Ragnarok will be writing his own weekly column on this Web site. It will contain a different topic each week as well as some of his gut bets, which should be used for entertainment purposes only. You can follow Ragnarok @Wipperman or leave a comment below. |
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As we move into the regular season, I will be giving thoughts and opinions on various topics that I come up with, or are suggested by readers. I will also be giving my top-three �gut bets’ of the week and starting in Week 2, my favorite fantasy players for a given week. Normally these will be on Tuesday, but with Labor Day and the long drive to Philadelphia, it’s a couple days late this week.
Surprise Playoff Team
Every year, we see one or two teams that just picked very early in the previous NFL Draft turn around and make the playoffs. Last year, both Indianapolis and Washington made that leap. So, which franchise could make that same jump this year? One team that I think could do this – and I can’t believe I’m about to write this … is the Cleveland Browns. I know they’ve been one of the most dysfunctional clubs for the past decade, but let me explain.
First of all, I love the changes Cleveland has made to its coaching staff. Rob Chudzinski did some fantastic things in his two years with Cam Newton, and I think he will prove to be a very capable head coach. Even more so than Chudzinski, I think the Browns have the best offensive and defensive coordinator tandem in the league. Say what you will about him as a head coach, but Norv Turner is a fantastic offensive mind who will get the most out of his players. He knows how to adapt his system and I believe we will see an offense capable of scoring on a regular basis – a rarity in Cleveland. Like Turner, Ray Horton is an excellent defensive mind who will be able to scheme his players into a position of success. Even though he didn’t always have the best talent to work with in Arizona, Horton always had his players ready and put a competitive squad onto the field.
That said, both of Turner and Horton have quite a bit of talent to work with. The centerpiece for the Brown’s offense is obviously Trent Richardson. Fully healthy this season, he will be the workhorse, and I believe he is talented enough to carry a team into the playoffs. Helping him do this is a very underrated, but very good offensive line. Joe Thomas and Alex Mack are two of the best at their respective positions, while John Greco and Mitchell Schwartz both came into their own last season as above-average players.
Turner prefers a downfield passing attack with fits Weeden’s skill set much better than the West Coast offense the team tried last year. Weeden isn’t the best quarterback in the world, but the system fits him well and his line will keep him upright. He also has a couple of very talented targets to throw to. Jordan Cameron and Josh Gordon both have the ability to become excellent players if they continue to develop, and I see no reason that they will not. I did like the addition of Davone Bess, as he is an upgrade in the slot and a nice underneath option.
Horton also has some very talented players to work with. I’m a big fan of Cleveland’s defensive line especially Ahtyba Rubin and Phil Taylor. They should be able to clog up the middle and occupy blockers. Sheard is a very good pass-rusher who has made the change to outside linebacker pretty seamlessly. The Browns also brought in Kruger and Mingo, which gives them a nice trio of guys to get after the quarterback.
I’m not a huge fan of Cleveland’s inside linebackers, but D’Qwell Jackson is, at least, an average player who won’t hurt the team. The best player on the Browns’ defense is, without question, Joe Haden, who will take away one side of the field allowing Horton to focus the scheme elsewhere. T.J. Ward is like Jackson in being at least average, but he is excellent safety in run support.
As I have explained, the Browns actually have a number of talented pieces that their extremely qualified coaches will be able to use to make the franchise competitive for the first time in years. If a few games break Cleveland’s way, I don’t believe it is out of the question for the team to get a wild-card spot in the weaker AFC. Of course, as Gong would say, that’s exactly when the Browns would go 1-15.
Gut Bets
I have a somewhat unique process when it comes to betting. I look through the lines on Monday night and immediately place units on the three that jump out at me the most. I do this because sometimes I can overcomplicate the process and talk myself out of a winner. Later in the week, I go through a process more similar to Walt’s to place the rest of my bets for the week. Here are my three gut bets for the week.
Patriots (-9) – I think that Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are mad. All offseason people have been talking about how Brady lost all his weapons and has no one to throw to, and that the Patriots could have a down year. Bellichick and Brady want to make a statement, and what better way than to absolutely dominate a divisional opponent by three scores? Add in the fact that Buffalo will be starting a rookie quarterback, Gilmore is out and Byrd may not play … I don’t see how New England doesn’t cover this easily.
Colts (-9.5) – This is one Walt and I agree on. Pryor and the Raiders are a complete trainwreck; they’re going on the road, and I think Luck has a field day. Not much more explanation is needed, in my opinion.
Titans (+7) – Living in Nashville, I see and hear plenty about the Titans, so I like to think I have a decent read on the team. As with Cleveland, I think Tennessee will be a much more competitive team this year. I think the offense will be able to put points on the board and that the front four will be able to get pressure on Big Ben. I just think the spread is a touch too high.
Let me know if you have any suggestions on what you would like for me to write about each week. Thanks!
The Blog of Northern Agression Menu:
NFL Power Rankings - 10/31
Surprises and Disappointments - 10/19
Hard Knocks - 10/10
Mock Draft - 10/4
NFL Power Rankings - 9/27
Football Team Bias - 9/11
Surprise Super Bowl Team - 9/6
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NFL Picks - Nov. 20
2025 NFL Mock Draft - Nov. 20
NFL Power Rankings - Nov. 19
Fantasy Football Rankings - Sept. 4
