5 Things You Should Expect In the 2015 NFL Season

  With the NFL free agency period coming and going, and leaving a big mark on what looks to be one of the most exciting off seasons in league history. The NFL draft is quickly approaching, and depending on how teams draft could lead to a team being in the playoffs or the no.1 pick next season.

Even though some teams have made very drastic changes and some players have signed really big contracts, that doesn't promise them a great 2015 season. We've seen big-time players take big contracts over promising situations in the past and watched their careers spiral down hill. We've also seen players go to new places and have career seasons. 2015 should have both.

Since this NFL off season is just beginning, I put together a list of 5 things that you SHOULD expect to see in 2015:

Tom Brady, Bill Belichick; Photo via ESPN

1. Patriots will win the AFC East: This off season has been rough for New England, thus far. After losing their all-pro defensive back, Darrelle Revis (NY Jets); defensive back, Brandon Browner (Saints) and veteran defensive tackle, Vince Wilfork (declined to pick up his contract), the Patriots have some question-mark's on defense. Big deal, right? Wrong. The combination of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady are the arguably the most consistent thing in sports outside of the San Antonio Spurs organization in the NBA. The Patriots have won the AFC East from 2009-2014. The last time the Patriots had under 10 wins in a season was 2003. Not to mention Belichick is notorious for taking average players and making them look better than average. I wouldn't bet against the Belichick-Brady duo in 2015, you shouldn't either.

2. The 49ers regression: Since Jim Harbaugh announced that he was leaving San Francisco, there's been a lot of changes on the team; all-pro linebacker, Patrick Willis and last years third-round draft pick Chris Borland have both announced retirement, they no longer have the franchise's leading rusher, Frank Gore. And the only player they've signed worth mentioning is receiver, Torrey Smith. I really like some of their young players. Colin Kaepernick is a very good quarterback but I'm not sure how he'll fair without the help of pro-bowl receiver Michael Crabtree, who is a free agent. Carlos Hyde is a very good player but Frank Gore has some big cleats to fill and what looks to be Hyde's job could be too much for him to take on. Let's face it, the NFC West has been arguably the most aggressive and competitive the past three years or so; The Rams will be better, the Cardinals are coming off a very impressive year, and the Seahawks are coming off of back-to-back Super Bowl appearances. It's safe to say that the 49ers may be in trouble in 2015.

3. Julius Thomas won't be the same player: With the amount of talent that tight end, Julius Thomas

Julius Thomas.

has shown the past two season with the Broncos has been unreal. With him being one of the best pass-catching tight ends in the league, and getting the opportunity to play with Peyton Manning, Thomas can at least be happy he got a big contract out of the deal. Taking the 5-year $46 Million was smart, financially. However, even though we don't know what Blake Bortles is, we can agree that he's not Peyton Manning. With the Jaguars being in the same division as the Andrew Luck led Indianapolis Colts, as well as the J.J. "Swat" Watts led Houston Texans, I don't see the Jaguars making a leap in the next year or two. Thomas had 12 touchdown receptions in both 2013 and '14. I would only expect to see him get six or seven in 2015.

Johnny Manziel

4. Johnny Manziel will show up ready: Johnny Manziel struggled in his two starts at the end of a disappointing 2014 season, and received a lot of criticism from the media and front office for his behavior and antics during the season. The Cleveland Browns' 2014 first-rounder checked into rehab  in late January in an attempt to clean up his "frat boy" image and make a change for the 2015 season. I think we'll see more of the Texas A&M Johnny Football and less Manziel on the football field in 2015. You can't judge a player going off of two bad games, so I feel it's only right we be optimistic. Manziel didn't have the impact people expected his rookie season, no. But, in his defense, the offensive unit overall was very mediocre. The Browns have to draft a true no.1 receiver come April 30. If this happens, I expect Manziel to be more Alex Smith and less Geno Smith. ...I would have said Russell Wilson but that may be taking it too far... I don't expect for him [Manziel] to throw for 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns. But, I do expect for him to lead this team to a 9-win season.

Andrew Luck & Andrew Luck's beard

5. Andrew Luck will be great, with his beard: Andrew Luck of the Indianapolis Colts has a beard, and his beard has a beard. Not really. But in 2014 that beard kind of became his trademark during the season. After having a career year in passing touchdowns and yards and taking his team to the AFC Championship, where they were defeated by the Tom Brady led Patriots, it's hard to not see Luck continue on what seems to be the start of an incredible career. Luck will be entering season number five for the Colts and every year he seems to improve. Luck who started the first half of the season as an MVP candidate, looks to do the same in 2015. The Colts got better at running back and receiver, adding veterans Andre Johnson and Frank Gore. Needless to say they were one of the best teams in the AFC last season, they'll be one of the best in the NFL in 2015. I wouldn't be surprised if Luck wins a Super Bowl in the next three years or so. Will Luck be great in 2015? Yes. Will he have the beard for the journey? If you're a Colts fan, you better hope so. 

AAC Tournament Preview

  Welcome to March! Now that the clocks have sprung forward that means three things: Spring is at our door step, the sun is out an hour longer each day, and it is tournament time in college basketball.
 
American Athletic Conference (AAC): Central Florida Knights, Cincinnati Bearcats, Connecticut (UCONN) Huskies, Eastern Carolina Pirates, Houston Cougars, Memphis Tigers, South Florida (USF) Bulls, Southern Methodist University (SMU) Mustangs, Temple Owls, Tulane Wave, Tulsa Golden Dragons.

Now that the regular season title has been claimed it's time to focus on the college basketball conference tournament for the AAC, which is sure to have a huge impact on the NCAA tournament seeding. The tournament action take place March 12-15, taking place at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut. 

The American Athletic Conference, better known as the AAC, crowned their 2014-15 regular-season champions, Southern Methodist University (SMU) on Sunday, March 8, after defeating the Tulsa 67-62. This is the Mustangs' first conference title in 22 years.

 In 2014, the road to the National Championship began in the AAC tournament for the reigning National Champion, Connecticut (UCONN) Huskies. After entering the conference tournament as the no.4 seed, the Huskies went on a run and beat Cincinnati and former-American Athletic Conference member, Louisville Cardinals, to claim the conference tournament. After winning the conference tournament UCONN was able to position themselves as 7-seed in the NCAA Tournament, where they continued their run and shocking the world as they defeated the no.1-overall-seed Florida Gators in the Final Four to claim a spot in the National Championship, where they would face-off against  an 8-seeded Kentucky Wildcats team. After defeating Kentucky 60-54 it showed the world that it's about getting hot at the right time and that your seed in the tournament can play a huge role in how far you go. Also, I believe that it opened some eyes on this young American Athletic Conference.

The 2015 AAC tournament looks to be nothing short of amazing. The top three seeds automatically receive a first-round bye: 1. SMU; 2. Tulsa; 3. Cincinnati; The no.4-seed Temple will play the 5-seed Memphis; 6-seed UCONN  plays the 11-seeded University of Southern Florida (USF) ; 7-seed Tulane will go head-to-head with 10-seeded Houston; and 8-seeded East Carolina will face-off against the 9-seed University of Central Florida (UCF).

The Favorites going into the tournament are the SMU Mustangs who finished the season with an overall record of 24-6, and conference record of 15-3. Two of their losses coming from Cincinnati, the other from UCONN. But this SMU team that is led by head coach, Larry Brown who is a tough, veteran coach. They're averaging the highest ponts per game (PPG) in the conference with 69.5, the highest shooting percetage (48%), and the highest Free throw percentage (70.6). Also, they have the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the conference, averaging 15.7 assist per game and just 13 turnovers per game. However, the location could play a determining factor in their success. 5 of their 6 losses have come on the road. 

The team that may be the scariest to face are the Cincinnati Bearcats. After having some struggles through the season- losing head coach, Mick Cronin due to illness, having offensive struggles, and going on a 3-game losing skid in February- they managed to end the season with a 5-game winning steak. three of which were road game. With a top-10 defense and their offense catching fire as of late, this Cincinnati team could make a run similar to the 2014 UCONN team. The major downfall to this Cincinnati team is that they are still extremely young, with only one senior, Jermaine Sanders, on the team. But what they're lacking in age they've seemed to make up for with heart and a great deal of basketball intelligence.This Cincinnati looks a lot different than it has in years' past, there's no dominant scorer, and that can be a defensive headache for opposing teams. Any player get hot on any given night. In the last two games, Guard, Farad Cobb has an average of 19 PPG, with a phenomenal field-goal-percentage of 62, including 54% in three-point field goals. Interim coach, Larry David has done a great job with this team, he's even receiving consideration for the Conference Coach of The Year, after finishing the season with a record of 22-9 (13-5 in conference play).

Other Teams To Watch:
Tulsa- They are extremely tough on the defensive side of the ball and finished second in the conference, behind SMU. Their biggest downfall, however, has been the lack of quality wins. This season they are 0-3 against ranked teams. I'm not really sold on this team to win in a tournament that's not on their home court.

Temple- This team struggled at times through the season, especially early on. One thing they have, however, is quality wins. They defeated the Kansas Jayhawks, who at the time were ranked the no.9 team in the country, by 25 points. Also, they had a 20-point victory over Cincinnati this season. When this team gets hot, they're blazing and this could be a dangerous 4-seed in the tournament. Remember, UCONN pulled it off last year. The biggest downfall of this team is they "live and die" by the three-pointer, at times.

UCONN- With senior guard, Ryan Boatright who is the leading scorer in the conference, averaging nearly 18 PPG.  And head coach, Kevin Ollie, this team will be tough to beat. Despite having a rough year, finishing the season 17-13 (10-8 in conference play), this team still has the experience and championship pedigree to make a run, like they did in 2014. They're the reigning national champions, you can't count them out just yet.

The AAC tournament looks to be one of the best in the country, there's a lot riding on this tournament for some of these teams ... For some, this tournament will mean nothing but the difference between a 6- or 7-seed in the NCAA men's national tournament. For others it could mean the difference between an invitation to play in the "field of 68" or playing in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT)

NFL Draft Predictions: 5-10

  5. Washington:
Dante Fowler Jr.,Defensive Lineman/ Linebacker

  With Brian Orakpo being a free agent, and the Washington Defense has been one of the worst over the past few years, Fowler Jr. should be the best available option on the board during this time. This team has a lot of talent on the offensive side of the ball, they need a player to build around on the defensive side, and Fowler Jr. is the type of player they need. He's a giant ball of energy and talent. If he can reach his full potential, this is a great pick for Washington.

  6. Jets:
Brandon Scherff, Offensive Lineman

The Jets should have Scherff available at the no.6 overall spot. Scherff would be a great anchor on this offensive line, and new head coach, Todd Bowels has to have a way to protect his quarterback, whoever it may be. He's your run-of-the-mill Iowa offensive lineman, big, powerful, has very good lateral movement, and he has a beard. He's the type of guy that can anchor the left side of the offensive line for the next decade or so.


  7. Chicago:
Randy Gregory, Linebacker

This team is a wreck, let's put that on the table. If you can think of a way to fix this Chicago team in a tough NFC North division, let's talk about getting them back to what made them great. Defense! The past couple of years under the offensive-minded head coach, Marc Trestman, the Bears' defense was getting worse every season. Trestman is now a thing of the past in Chicago, and hopefully so is that train of thought. Randy Gregory is a freak of nature. He can play outside linebacker or defensive end- depending on the defensive scheme- and can chase down any quarterback in the league. New head coach, John Fox had a similar player in a guy name Julius Peppers, which is why I believe Fox won't pass up Gregory with the no.7 draft selection.

  8. Atlanta:
Vic Beasley, Defensive Line/ Linebacker

He's an athletic freak! Standing 6-foot-3-inches tall, weighing 246 pounds, Beasley is nothing short of an all-pro in the making. The only hard part is to determine where you'll play him at, on the field. Very athletic, great size for outside linebacker (he may need to put on weight to play defensive end) but he has incredible speed and reaction time. At the Combine ran an impressive 40-yard-dash in 4.53 seconds- that's almost faster than every quarterback that ran. Atlanta has lacked a good defense for a long time, and with new head coach and former Seattle Seahawks' defensive coordinator, Dan Quinn, that should end. Beasley at the no.8 selection could be considered a steal four-to-five years from now.

  9. Giants:
Danny Shelton, Defensive Lineman

The New York Giants have a great talent in last years' first-round selection, Odell Beckham Jr., but they still didn't make the playoffs, even with his incredible rookie performance. What made the Giants great in those two Super Bowl appearances? ...hmm... I remember, defense. Tom Coughlin, hopefully you'll remember soon, too. Eli Manning is who he is at this point and the offense isn't terrible. However, the defense last season were pretty bad. The Giants' defense is getting old and they need some young bodies on the field to help and build around. Danny Shelton is a HUGE body to build around. No, seriously, he's huge. At 6-foot-2-inches tall, 339 pounds, he's pretty hard to move. In the NFC East, you have to be able to stop the run to win. Shelton mid-season was talked about as possibly being the no.1 overall pick. To get a player like him in this draft slot would be a great lift for the Giants' organization, and could bring the defensive culture back to the Giants.

  10. St. Louis:
Marcus Mariota, Quarterback

The Rams have given Quarterback, Sam Bradford the ability to seek a trade. With that being said, they're thinking about their future without him. In 2011, they've seemed to have "dodged a bullet" with trading out of the no.2 draft spot, when they could've taken Robert Griffin III. However, all they have now is Bradford, who can't seem to stay healthy; a non-consistent running game, and a very good defense (the one bright spot). However, This isn't 2011, this is now and they need a quarterback that can help them make a playoff run in a very tough NFC West. I honestly don't know what to make of Mariota, I don't know if you can trust Oregon quarterbacks in the NFL, but it seems like Mariota could be different from previous Oregon quarterbacks that have entered the NFL. St.Louis doesn't need to draft defense, the receivers aren't terrible, oh and Mariota is the 2014 Heisman-trophy winner- that has to count for something, right? He's talked about on the same level as Jameis WInston, as far as talent. I just know the Bradford project seems to be over. Come draft day, it could be the Mariota era in St. Louis.