RZ70 Pre-Cycle Tier List
by adelfish | 4 years ago | 0 Comments
RED ZONE SEASON 70 - PRE-CYCLE TIER LIST
Welcome back.
It is finally time, for another cycle of Red Zone football.
Last we left off in Season 69, where Roc defeated yours truly in a captivating final game of the cycle, claiming his first ring. We had three users last cycle win their first rings (Pat, Ramesu, Roc), and veterans add more to their shelves and resume.
The Madden 21 cycle saw the most parity we have seen as a league. It saw an influx of new talented users, hungry to prove themselves on the field and in the front office.
The majority of our crew has been retained for another go around, sadly losing great members such as Eikim, Ernest, Metal, Malik, and Tiko. They will all be missed, and hopefully stick around (well, maybe not everyone).
What better way to kick it off with a brand new tier list, but this one is based on more than just coaching. We are going to look at the entire package that an owner brings to the table; GM work, coaching, and stability.
Let's get right into it.....
THE 'SIMPLY ABYSMAL' TIER
The first tier, is the last tier, and the last tier, has two teams.
My apologies to Longville for having to associate him with our dear friend Nick Caiello, but here we are.
Why these two in the last tier? In my opinion, we have enough evidence that these two are consistently at the bottom of the league in the two biggest catergories - GM work and coaching ability. Longville showcased last cycle that he was not capable of ascending in his division, despite shaky ownership from Baltimore. Nick is easily the least stable head coaching position, so who knows how long he will even be with Denver?
The huge upside for both of these owners is that the teams are talented, and young. The Browns are loaded with young stars, and the Broncos have an elite up-and-coming defense. Too many question marks for me though as I tried to rank these two; will Nick draft the right quarterback? Will Longville manage this roster correctly? Can either of them compete with the top dogs in their division?
When all the answers are a resounding 'No', I just don't see much success coming their way.
#CocoaMocha
THE 'DEMORALIZED FANBASES' TIER
Why put some of these users in the 'Demoralized Fanbase' tier, and not 'Simply, Abysmal'?
Well, I think each owner has an argument for being competent, or competitive, for at least one season.
Amazingly enough, we have a former RZ Bowl winner in this tier (Beech), but he is headed to one of the worst jobs in the league with Detroit. He has a ton of issues to fix there, including the quarterback position, although they are armed with plenty of draft capital. Beech is an above-average user on the field, but is he the guy you trust to use those assets correctly? If I was a Lions fan, I'd be concerned about Beech's tendency to dip in and out of his duties.
I think we know everything there is to know about Beat and Glenn. I think Glenn is among the most stable coaches in the league (all that losing and he has stuck around) and Beat is decent on the sticks. Both struggle in the front office at times, but we did see signs from both last cycle that they are improving. A commitment to learning and winning would help them both, as they have flirted with .500 seasons, and even winning records, but something always seems to go wrong. Both seem destined for mediocrity.
Prew is down there with Nick in terms of stability, who knows how long he will be around? Hopefully it is for the long haul, but those trucks aren't going to drive themselves.
Prew has some skills on the field, but he has made mistakes in the front office, and this Saints team needs a steady hand to navigate a murky cap situation. Is he the right man for the job? I don't think so, but time will tell.
Finally, we still don't know enough about Robo to put him anywhere but here. Tough draw with the Jets, one of the bottom five worst rosters in football, but with a boatload of cap space and picks. This would be an amazing story if he was able to turn this Jets club into a playoff team, and I don't think it is that crazy in a division that is on the weaker side. Can you talk yourself into him beating out Kad and Terry?
THE 'HOT TAKES' TIER
This is a fun tier!!!
All users who have yet to win a RZ Bowl, and if you do enough convincing, you can talk yourself into these guys taking a leap.
RFox, Theo, and Monty are three guys who showed flashes last cycle of taking a step, especially RFox. Fox made a playoff run towards the end of the year, and really showed that he was figuring it out in the front office. I think by cycle's end, he will be among the top 14 users in the league, especially with that loaded Bills squad.
Theo and Monty are slightly below him in my opinion, but both could really surprise. I expected more from Theo in a weaker NFC North, but he did a good job getting Aaron Rodgers' successor in the building, and doing well with some big free agency hits. His commitment really pushes him up in my book, I think he is going to dedicate time to improving. Monty is in the same ballpark, I think he cares a lot, and will really commit himself to getting better. I also like his chances in the NFC East over time, and playing against Jake will fuel the fire.
The Alabama boys slide in here as well, with Spencer and Andy. In my opinion, these two have the lowest ceilings of anyone here, we have seen enough from both on the field and in the front office to have big concerns, but I LOVE the teams they got. Can Andy make a run in the AFC South year one with the Titans? Can Spencer challenge Kelly just one year? I think it's very possible.
Silk has arguably the worst team in the game, and is about to lose Deshaun Watson. The question is, what will he get in return? If Silk has a boatload of assets, he could be in for a fun cycle. Will the rust of being away from Red Zone for a year rear it's ugly head? Can he stop making impulsive GM moves? If he can do that, he has always been a tough out.
Jim is now married to Trevor Lawrence for the cycle, and this REALLY intrigues me. Sure, people like to rip Jim for being vanilla on offense, but I would argue Jim is one of the 10 best team builders in the league. Armed with cap and draft picks, this Jaguars defense could become elite in the first half of the cycle. Pair that with the best quarterback propsect in years, and I am buying Jim stock.....
Finally, KFox. What an interesting fit. This Chargers roster is really talented, with the emergence of quarterback Justin Herbert, and a ton of great pieces on the defense. KFox showed last cycle that he was capable of competing and making smart GM decisions, despite the terrible hand he was dealt from Kad in Seattle. Starting with your own team and not inheriting a mess goes a long way...KFox is on my 'biggest surprises' list for sure.
THE 'WILD CARDS' TIER
When we talk about parity, this is the group I think does enough over the course of the cycle to have a run or two in them. All 11 of these users are very good at one of the qualities I value in an owner, and some of them very good at two of them. Despite the fact a couple of these guys aren't as stable of coaches as others, their other qualities push them here.
BM, Jake, Pat, and King John are my favorites of this group to at least reach a Conference Championship Game in their respective conferences. All four landed in ideal situations, either their favorite team, or an extremely talented one. King John showed he was for real after an incredibly dominant second half to last cycle, and ended up in Kansas City. Pat finally won his first championship, and now heads to a deep Dallas team. Jake & BM head home to their favorite teams, and are both very good team builders. I expect all four of these teams to be contenders throughout the cycle.
Terry, Tauph, and Blueprint are pretty similar to me as well. All three have warts, but all three also have shown they are capable of greatness recently. Blueprint had some great seasons in Baltimore, Terry shook off a horrible start to the cycle to be competitive last year, and Tauph came a game shy of a RZ Bowl. Blueprint poses the biggest threat to Kelly in the NFC West, and with his favorite team I think the fire has been relit. Terry has work to do in Miami, but has a loaded secondary, and he has a ton of assets to work with. Not to mention, the AFC East isn't exactly a murderer's row. Finally, Tauph has a ton of work to do in Philly. He has a complete rebuild ahead of him, and needs to be patient with the cap. Also, it is a complete wild card if he stays for an entire cycle.
White Greg is an interesting one. He showed that he improved dramatically on the sticks as the cycle went along last year, but still had plenty of headscratchers in terms of transactions. Don't forget, he was in a battle with Kelly to go to the NFC Championship Game. Now, he gets a fantastic Colts team, in a division with Andy, Silk, and Jim. There is no better opportunity for a few playoff runs than this cycle.
IJ and JP are in a similar category to me as well. I think JP will have success this year with Chicago, especially with his infatuation for Justin Fields. With really only Astin to compete with in the North, JP could be a consistent wild card team, and maybe even knock Astin off a time or two. When JP invests his time, he truly is a great team builder and an above-average coach, but we have seen times where laziness sets in, and he is content to ride the wave with the current roster. IJ has flirted with a RZ Bowl appearence back in Madden 20 in Cleveland, but didn't amount to much in Los Angeles last year. He is a good team builder, and does a great job at drafting and retaining homegrown talent. Is he able to take the next step on the field to compete with Ramesu and Roc?
Finally, Kad. If I had made a tier that was simply 'Guys I'm Worried About Quitting', he would be in there along with Prew, Nick, and maybe Beech. When Kad is in the league, the league is better - simple as that. He is actually in a really interesting situation with New England. I love his chances in the division against Spittah, and the Pats roster is very underrated. Can he develop Mac Jones and build around him? If so, we have seen Kad make noise in the postseason before.
THE 'SURE THINGS' TIER
I don't think we are breaking any news with this group. 5 of these 6 won a championship last cycle, and all 6 appeared in a Conference Championship game. 4 of these 6 have won multiple championships. Not to speak about myself, but I certainly consider Astin, Kelly, and Moji three of the best GMs in Red Zone history, and they all do it in their own way. I've been happy for the success of Roc and Ramesu, as their impressive GM skills and improving coach skills finally paid off last year.
I think it's safe to say all 6 of these owners will be competing for deep playoff runs each year. The lower rated teams in the group (Panthers and Bengals) both have great GMs who I trust to build into contenders. The highest rated teams (Buccaneers and Ravens) have coaches who consistently won last cycle. Kelly gets to guide a great rookie quarterback in Trey Lance, with his favorite team to boot. Astin gets a Minnesota team loaded with weapons on offense, and can build around that, with little anticipated threat coming from the NFC North.
I think the majority of the championships won this year will go to these 6.
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I hope you enjoyed the tier list, I can't wait for kickoff. Happy RZ 70 everyone!!