Last year, the (r)EvoLUtion managed to win their final game of the season to squeak into the playoffs at 6-7, where they went on to rudely defeat the division champion Colliders. Franssen has no manners. I can personally attest to the fact that he wasn’t, in fact, raised in a barn. Shaking my damn head.
Aaron Rodgers was and is their quarterback, which puts them in contention for years to come. Their RB corps was led by PFT Commenter’s favorite player, Danny Woodhead, who priced himself out of Fransburg with a solid campaign. The wide receivers were a strong group, led by the unlikely hero Allen Robinson, a brilliant pick up for Fransburg. They also have AJ Green and Mike Evans. Solid.
Fransburg may have finished 6-7 last season, but they actually edged out the Colliders in scoring, so a bit of schedule luck could have these guys in the Gentleman Scholars Driver’s Seat.
QB: Aaron Rodgers. Great move to trade for him after an injury marred season. The Colliders couldn’t restructure him a second time, but the (r)EvoLUtion could. He’s a great player and Franssen has him at a great price. Alex Smith is a decent backup if a catastrophe strikes.
RB: Ezekiel Elliot was a consensus number one pick. What did Franssen even have to give up to get him? Randall Cobb? Is there anyone outside of Fransburg or Holley who thinks that was a good deal for the Hawks? Anyone? I’ll wait. Anyway, the last time there was such an obvious pick at #1 was when Purple Jesus was drafted, but even he didn’t get unanimously selected thanks to Megatron being in the same draft. Things are lining up nicely for Elliot. They have a great offensive line, and Romo being hurt will only compel the Cowboys to run the ball more. The (r)EvoLUtion desperately needed to make that play since they don’t have any other decent backs outside of Gio Bernard. Should either of their starters get hurt, however, Fransburg could find themselves in the same RB purgatory that the Colliders have enjoyed for about four years now.
WR: This is a good and deep bunch, which only got better when Fransburg traded for Tajae Sharpe. Franssen can easily expect an 80-point performance from his 4-WR sets on any given Sunday. You think I’m joking? Burr, check who he’s got: AJ Green. Brandon Marshall. Allen Robinson. Mike Evans. Shit, Keenan Allen can’t even crack this starting 4. You think I’m joking now? I didn’t think so. Oh, and they’ll have Josh Gordon available to him after he serves his suspension.
TE: Coby Fleener and Austin Seferian-Jenkins. Fleener never panned out in Indy, but he’s getting another shot in NOLA. It remains to be seen whether or not he’ll earn that $13 paycheck, given how many targets Drew Brees has to choose from. ASJ and Dirk Koetter just need to fuck and get it over with.
They also have Clive Walford, who is yet another starting tight end.
PK: Chris Boswell. For some reason that guy makes me think of hair restoration. Is there a Boswell Hair Restoration company? I’m too lazy to look it up.
DT: Franssen wisely doesn’t pay much at this position. Malcom Brown at $1.10? Good enough, that’s what I say. Though I would respect him more if he had another L in his first name.
DE: Ziggy Ansah was a beast last year. He was a little too good, and he’s holding out. DE holdouts are tricky because JJ Watt skews the salary demands. Adam wisely acquired Robert Quinn and restructured the hell out of him. He’ll likely be just as good as Ansah should Franssen decide not to pay Ziggy for the first 7 weeks.
LB: Drafting Myles Jack in the second round was a great move. They also picked up Levy and Marshall in free agency, and “Stop Looking at Me Kwon” Alexander is pretty decent.
CB: Trumaine Johnson isn’t bad. He gets two games against the Niners, so that will help.
S: Franssen’s got four $1 guys, hoping that one will be decent. It’s the right approach to safeties.
Even though I’m 10-5 all-time against Franssen, last year still stings. He beat me in week 13 to knock me out of the bye, and then beat me in the playoffs. And the trouble is, his team is better this season. Looks like the rebuild is complete. He’s applied the Collider blueprint to the (r)EvoLUtion, because he’s always copying me.
I think they might go 9-4. This rivalry is about to pop off.
© 2016 – 2019, Josh Hammond. All rights reserved.
It pains me to say it, but this is probably the team to beat this season. His roster is full of brilliant moves (Rodgers, Quinn) and savvy trades (too many to name).
Nice article and pic!
Yeah, I’m not excited about sharing a division with him. I feel like he wins all of the trades he makes. When will people learn and stop getting Franssened?