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Feb 23 '19
A version of this story appears in ESPN The Magazines September 19 NFL Preview II Issue. Jordan Zimmermann Jersey . Subscribe today!Not every team has Super Bowl aspirations to start the season. The Browns just want to develop their young talent and get something out of Robert Griffin III. The Cowboys, meanwhile, need rookie signal-caller Dak Prescott to hold his own and steady the team until Tony Romo returns, and maybe -- just maybe -- they can get into the playoffs in a seemingly weak NFC East. And anything less than a deep playoff run for the talent-rich Cardinals would be a failure.Those are the things I had in mind when I tried to figure out what constitutes a realistic success and failure for every team in 2016. Here are my best- and worst-case scenarios by division. AFC East | AFC North| AFC South | AFC West NFC East | NFC North | NFC South | NFC WestAFC EASTBuffalo BillsBest case: Ryan brothers Rex and Rob nudge the defense into the top 10, and QB Tyrod Taylor continues to evolve. The D, which disappointed in 15 (22.4 points per game allowed) after the team spent heavily in free agency and with trades, figures out how to play together. Rookie DT Adolphus Washington fills in for the suspended Marcell Dareus, and the Bills survive against three top-10 offenses in the first four weeks.Worst case: After cutting troubled big back Karlos Williams, Buffalo cant match 2015s ground attack (NFL-best 2,432 yards). Taylor (104 carries, second most among QBs) doesnt hold up and cedes the reins to EJ Manuel as the Bills miss the playoffs. Rex rides his hot seat.Miami DolphinsBest case: Coach Adam Gase makes good on giving Ryan Tannehill more authority at the line of scrimmage, and the QB returns to completing 66 percent of his passes and throws 30 TDs for the first time. Second-year RB Jay Ajayi makes the most of his chance, 30-year-old Arian Foster proves resurgent and the Fins compete for a postseason spot.Worst case: DT Ndamukong Suh still doesnt earn his QB money, and new LB Kiko Alonsos twice-injured left ACL prevents him from returning to his stellar rookie form of 2013. The Dolphins are sunk by a defense that cant improve on last season (376.2 yards and 24.3 points allowed per game). Omar Infante Jersey . 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. Dixon Machado Jersey . -- Catcher Brett Hayes has agreed to a $630,000, one-year contract with the Kansas City Royals, avoiding salary arbitration. http://www.tigersgearshop.com/Tigers-Willie-Horton-Kids-Jersey/ . -- Washington Redskins tight end Fred Davis was charged Thursday with driving while intoxicated, a day after he was suspended for an NFL substance-abuse policy violation.TORONTO - Masai Ujiri could not hide his emotion when he was introduced as the incoming president of basketball operations and general manager of the Toronto Raptors Tuesday morning. Ujiri, 42, met with local media at the Air Canada Centre for the first time since accepting the job four days prior. The NBAs reigning Executive of the Year, formerly with the Denver Nuggets, was at a loss for words facing the realization that hell be returning to Toronto, where he spent time as director of global scouting and assistant GM from 2007-10. "Im overwhelmed," said Ujiri. "I dont even know where to start. I dont have anything written guys, Im going to speak straight from the heart." "Im home. I came home." Sitting to the left of Tim Leiweke, new president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, Ujiri expressed humility and gratitude to be given the opportunity to head up basketball operations in a city he is passionate for but didnt hide from the challenge that is now in front of him. Mired in a five-year playoff drought, the longest in franchise history, the Raptors have failed to live up to recent expectations while struggling to achieve a consistent level of respectability throughout their existence. "Why cant I change it," asked Ujiri, the fifth GM in the franchises embattled 18-year history. "Its our job. Its our job to make it better, its our job to make it good, its our job to create a winning environment and thats why Im here." Leiweke has pursued Ujiri aggressively since the Nuggets granted Toronto permission to meet with their top executive late last month. Terms have not been disclosed but the deal is reported to be in the neighbourhood of $15 million over five years. "This is not an organization that wants to make the playoffs, this is an organization that would like to win championships," Leiweke said. "We understood that we needed fresh new thinking, dynamic thinking and leadership in order to get us to where we want to go to and we clearly understood that wwe have not had the success that the owners, the fans or this team deserves and so we set our sights on bringing in a new leader, a new chemistry and culture for the organization. Ryan Carpenter Jersey. " "When we set our sights, we decided to set our sights high." Ujiri remained tight-lipped in regards to philosophy and player personnel, speaking generally about the organizations goal to build the right way and choosing not to discuss specifics until he has a staff in place. Ed Stefanski, former executive vice president, was relieved of his duties on Saturday along with a number of scouts and several others will be evaluated by Ujiri in the coming days. Head coach Dwane Casey is under contract for one more season and is expected to be kept on, pending further conversation with Ujiri to get on the same page. The elephant in the room was the team president, who was not in the room. According to Leiweke, Bryan Colangelo -- who was stripped of the GM title but kept on in the role of president last month -- was present in Toronto and met with Ujiri this morning, but was not asked to join the two executives on stage. "This was not meant to send a message," Leiweke insisted. "I know theres a lot of controversy and a lot of opinions out there about our reporting structure but theres no confusion from within, this is simple. [Colangelos] going to be there to advise and give input when Masai asks for it." Ujiri thanked Colangelo, one of his mentors, for bringing him to Toronto and giving him an opportunity back in 2007 but firmly denied the prospect of a power struggle with his former boss. "Theres no issue with Bryan Colangelo [and I]," Ujiri said. "Theres no issue. None whatsoever." "Im on the [hot] seat now and Ill take Bryans input when I feel its necessary," he continued. "At the end of the day, Im going to put my staff together and were going to figure this all out collectively but my decisions, like Tim said, basketball decisions are going to be my decisions." ' ' '
