B.A.R.F. » division. The Falcons other poor showing

Just six more weeks until the start of the NFL season. Six weeks until the transition from speculation to proof. Teams have been tinkering for six months now, and at some point soon, we will start to find out which moves worked and which didnt.Some offseason moves are made with the long-term future in mind. Some are quick fixes. Today, we lean in the latter direction. In no particular order, here are 20 offseason NFL moves likely to have an impact on the 2016 season -- for better or for worse.The New York Jets finally get it together with Ryan Fitzpatrick. Hot off the press! As training camp got underway, the Jets reunited Chan Gailey, Brandon Marshall & Co. with their signal-calling BFF. This is obviously a 2016-focused move, as the Jets got within a game of the playoffs last year and want to clear that hurdle this time around. As well as Fitz knows the offense, hell slide right in. The move to sign him erases all the moves they made to alienate him in the months before.Tom Brady ends his Deflategate legal fight. Bradys move to stop fighting his suspension lends certainty to the New England Patriots training camp. Theyre certain they wont have their Hall of Fame quarterback for the first four games. Jimmy Garoppolo is certain his preseason prep work will matter this time. Pats fans remain certain their team got hosed. Certainty abounds, and Week 5 looks like a must-watch.The Denver Broncos let Brock Osweiler walk.?This move is more likely to have a 2016 impact in Denver, Osweilers former home, than in Houston. The Texans started four different quarterbacks last year and made the playoffs. Theyll be fine if they put enough pieces around Osweiler. But the move leaves the champs with Eagles/Jets leftovers at quarterback while they wait for the thermometer to pop on Paxton Lynch.Adam Gase leaves the Chicago Bears for the Miami Dolphins. Now the youngest head coach in the league, Gase, 38, is the man Miami is counting on to get Ryan Tannehill to bloom. But this may have more impact in Chicago, where Jay Cutler really liked Gase as offensive coordinator and may not get along as well with successor Dowell Loggains. It doesnt help that Matt Forte and Martellus Bennett left too. Lesser issues have sent Cutler into funks.The New York Giants blow out the budget. Only two teams had fewer sacks than the Giants last year. No team gave up more yards. Its a long way back from there to respectable, and the big-money deals for Olivier Vernon, Damon Harrison and Janoris Jenkins dont answer all of the Giants problems. But theres little doubt that they should be better on defense this year. It would be tough not to be.The Carolina Panthers rescind Josh Normans franchise tag. Letting your best cornerback leave a team that went 15-1 and made it to the Super Bowl is a bold move, and in Carolina it means some young corners really need to step up their trash-talk game. But the real impact here is on the other end. Norman landed in Washington, where hell tangle with Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. twice a year now. The first matchup is in Week 3. As a wise man once said, Get your popcorn ready.The Oakland Raiders sign Kelechi Osemele. At almost $12 million per year with more than $25 million guaranteed in the first two, this wasnt a cheap move. But the Raiders ranked 28th in the league last year in rushing yards, and if theyre going to cash in on their high preseason expectations, they cant ask young Derek Carr to throw it 40 times a game. Having Osemele on the line makes the run game legit, whether its Latavius Murray or DeAndre Washington getting the carries.The Tennessee Titans hire Russ Grimm. What? An offensive line coach among the top offseason moves?!? Well, it sure was last year, when Bill Callahan jumped from 2014 division champ Dallas to 2015 division champ Washington. The Titans 2016 is about the development and protection of quarterback Marcus Mariota, and of all the additions they made with that in mind, Grimm could matter the most.The Bears sign Danny Trevathan. It takes two years and a bunch of new players to really transition from a 4-3 defense into a 3-4. The linebackers John Fox inherited last year werent suited for it. Trevathan is. He and fellow newcomer Jerrell Freeman should make a difference in handling the signals and in coverage. And Trevathan can flash that brand-new Super Bowl ring, which is always helpful.The Dallas Cowboys make no moves at all at defensive end. No ones saying they should have brought back unmitigated disaster Greg Hardy. But the Cowboys replaced him with no one at all, then watched as Randy Gregory and DeMarcus Lawrence got hit with drug suspensions. This looks like a team that should ring Dwight Freeneys phone, but ... it kind of always did, didnt it?The Atlanta Falcons sign Alex Mack. Matt Ryans biggest problem last year was red zone turnovers. But his second-biggest problem may have been actually getting the ball into his hands. Atlanta used three different starting centers in 2015, and two of them had trouble snapping the ball. Mack solidifies the position which the quarterback is uncomfortably closest to, and the Falcons offense should benefit.Eddie Lacy decides to move more. The Green Bay Packers made no secret of their belief that their star running back was out of shape last year. And Lacy took it to heart, spending his offseason working out with P90X founder Tony Horton. The Packers need a bounce-back from Lacy if theyre to reclaim the NFC North title from the Vikings. His reduced waistline offers late-July hope.The Panthers draft Vernon Butler. Already stacked on the interior of their defensive line, the defending NFC champs went big in the first round and expect Butler to contribute to the rotation right away. But the pick also impacts their current contract discussions with Kawann Short, who wants?Fletcher Cox-type money?but isnt likely to get it now that the Panthers can hold the franchise tag and his potential replacement over his head in negotiations.NFL hits?Pittsburgh Steelers?and?Cincinnati Bengals hard with suspensions. The league has banned Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict for the first three games, Steelers receiver Martavis Bryant for the year and is likely to suspend Steelers running back LeVeon Bell for the first four games. All of this has obvious impact on one of the seasons most-anticipated division races as well as a Week 2 matchup in Pittsburgh that a lot of important players seem likely to miss.Justin Houston has knee surgery. The AFC West is so gettable, and the Kansas City Chiefs could so get it. But you saw in their playoff loss to the Patriots that theyre not the same team without their star pass-rusher. The number of games Houston has to miss while he recovers from his February ACL surgery could go a long way toward helping decide this division.The Philadelphia Eagles sign all the quarterbacks. They brought back Sam Bradford, signed backup Chase Daniel and traded their way up from No. 13 to No. 2 in the draft to take Carson Wentz. The result is a 2016 muddle, and a ton of outside pressure to make a move if Bradford struggles and/or gets hurt. Theres always chaos in Philly, and the Eagles have invited plenty more with their QB-heavy offseason plan.Laremy Tunsil smokes his way down the first round. The gas-mask video that sprayed its way into the collective NFL consciousness minutes before the draft dropped Tunsil from potentially being the No. 3 overall pick down to the Dolphins at No. 13. The 2016 impact will be felt in Miami, where Tannehills protection gets a boost, and in places like Baltimore and East Rutherford, where the whole thing really messed with draft boards. The flustered Giants ended up taking a guy at No. 10, Eli Apple, for whom they dont even have a starting job.Josh Gordon gets unsuspended. Sort of. Maybe. The NFL announced earlier this week that the Cleveland Browns star receiver is reinstated, but has to miss the first four games. This all rests on Gordons ability to not run afoul of the leagues drug program between now and October, so its no sure thing. But if he can answer the Week 5 bell, Gordon is a huge boost to a team thats woefully short on good players.The Arizona Cardinals trade for Chandler Jones. If Bill Belichick wanted to trade me a 26-year-old pass-rusher who had 12.5 sacks last year, Id be suspicious. But Arizona is going for it and couldnt care less about what Belichick knows about the potential long-range consequences. Jones is a free agent at the end of the season, but for 2016, he boosts the Cardinals pass rush and didnt cost very much. Theyll worry about whether they have to franchise him next year when the time comes. Right now, its all about knocking down quarterbacks, which this guy can do.The Rams move from St. Louis to Los Angeles. The average distance the Rams division rivals have to fly to play them drops from 2,531 miles to 1,039 miles. If you dont think that has an impact, you havent been flying lately. Discount Air Max 90 . A lawyer for MLB, Matthew Menchel, confirmed Wednesday the league dropped its case against Biogenesis of America, its owner Anthony Bosch and several other individuals. The lawsuit had accused Biogenesis and Bosch of conspiring with players to violate their contracts by providing them with banned performance-enhancing substances. Air Max 90 Ireland Cheap . Both players have lower body injuries that will keep them out of the lineup until at least January 31, which is the first game they can be activated from IR. http://www.cheapairmax90ireland.com/ . Numbers Game examines the deal that sees Michael Del Zotto and Kevin Klein switch places. The Predators Get: D Michael Del Zotto. Wholesale Air Max 90 Ireland .ca. Hey Kerry, big fan of yours, just finished reading your book. I think that we all saw the Canucks/Flames line brawl just after puck drop. It was obvious that something was about to happen, even to the referees because the fourth lines were on to start. Air Max 90 Ireland Sale . If ever they start actually putting pictures beside words in the dictionary, the Blue Jays left-handers mug will appear beside “Consistency. This story is part of ESPN The Magazines Oct. 31 NBA Preview Issue. Subscribe today!Atlanta FalconsOverall: 54 Title track: 78 Ownership: 45 Coaching: 47 Players: 64 Fan relations: 46 Affordability: 49 Stadium experience: 73 Bang for the buck: 62 Change from last year: +6The Falcons are in the middle of the pack, and understandably so. They were riding a high just a few years ago when they made it to the NFC Championship Game, losing to the San Francisco 49ers. But now, theyve gone three consecutive seasons without making the playoffs, leaving the fan base scratching its head. Theres still hope -- this team boasts one of the leagues most dominant receivers in Julio Jones, talented running backs in Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman, and a capable quarterback in Matt Ryan. But until the Falcons return to the playoffs, theyll be mired in mediocrity.Whats goodThe Falcons highest ranking came in ownership (45), and credit Arthur Blank for at least putting forth the effort to not only satisfy the fan base, but also to help the community. Blank made a strong appeal to the fans by making concession prices at the new stadium the lowest of any sports franchise. And through his foundation, he continues to contribute to building up the lower-income areas in the direct vicinity of the stadium via Westside Works. And from a team perspective, Blank has been willing to invest in hefty contracts for his top players, with $59 million guaranteed for Ryan and $47 million guaranteed for Jones.Whats badThe Falcons have nevver won a Super Bowl, so no surprise: A disappointing title track ranking (78) is their worst showing.dddddddddddd Atlanta last made it to a Super Bowl during the 1998 season, when the Falcons lost to the Denver Broncos 34-19. And their trek back to the Super Bowl wont be easy -- the Carolina Panthers and upstart Tampa Bay Buccaneers are contenders within their own division. The Falcons other poor showing -- a 73rd-place ranking in stadium experience -- should be solved next year, when Blank has the Falcons moving from the Georgia Dome to the $1.5 billion Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the 2017 season -- a state-of-the-art facility which will be among the leagues best.Whats newThe jury is still out on head coach Dan Quinn, now in his second season with the franchise, but he did jump eight spots in these standings, from 53rd to 47th. The former Seahawks defensive coordinator brought energy and passion to the job after taking over for the fired Mike Smith, and his 5-0 start as a rookie coach raised expectations. That just meant his teams collapse and 8-8, playoff-less finish dampened the enthusiasm. Quinn has passion, knows how to relate to players, and has a special way of motivating. If the Falcons remain the top offense in 2016 (479 YPG through Week 4) the defensive-minded Quinn may prove beyond a reasonable doubt his skills a head coach.Next: Cincinnati Bengals?| Full rankings ' ' '

Notwithstanding this, their opportunities to win the division this year are.The Atlanta Hawks have a more promising time to come than some other NFC South group.