July 01, 2015
According to Marc Sessler of NFL.com, Byron Maxwell, Jeremy Maclin, and Nick Foles are among six players who are likely to disappoint with their new teams in 2015.
Marc's analysis of each:
After setting career highs with 85 catches and 1,318 receiving yards last season, Maclin shifts from Chip Kelly's high-flying attack to Kansas City. He'll struggle to repeat that production against a steady diet of top corners and double teams in 2015. Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce will generate attention, but opponents aren't going to move off Maclin for the rest of that wideout group. While he's a massive upgrade at the position, K.C.'s conservative, run-heavy playbook makes the former Eagle a fantasy risk.
#JimmySays: Agree. Maclin had a breakout year in 2014, but he's not touching the numbers that the Eagles' spread offense helped him generate, especially with Alex Smith throwing him the ball.
Maxwell was outstanding in Seattle, but he won't have the luxury of playing with Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor in Philly. Being paid like a bona fide No. 1 corner, Maxwell is under pressure to prove that he can thrive away from the Legion of Boom. I love his size and technique -- and he's an upgrade over Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher -- but it's fair to wonder how he'll handle Odell Beckham, DeSean Jackson and Dez Bryant in the NFC East.
#JimmySays: I liked what I saw of Maxwell in OTAs and minicamp, and think he'll be an upgrade over Cary Williams, and obviously, Bradley Fletcher. The argument that he won't be surrounded by players like Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor and Richard Sherman is something I asked Danny Kelly of the great Seahawks blog FieldGulls.com about way back in February.
"It’s always hard to really isolate a player’s talent level in a vacuum — with nearly every position in football, a team’s scheme and philosophy play a big part in performance, so projecting how well Byron Maxwell would play in a different system is tough. What I can tell you is that Maxwell does very, very well in Seattle’s system, which emphases physicality at the line, bump-and-run coverage, and throws in a little bail cover-3. He’s strong against the run, has excellent ball skills, and is known for his deadly punch-out, which has forced some key fumbles and broken up passes many times over the past couple years.
The main tenet for Pete Carroll’s system is to not get beat over the top, and Maxwell is fundamentally sound in that area. In fact, the only time off the top of my head that I can remember him getting beat deep was in last year’s Arizona matchup in Week 16, where Michael Floyd made a miraculous catch in the back corner of the end zone even after Maxwell had gotten a hand on the pass and deflected it. So, he does his job well, and that’s evidenced by Seattle’s second straight season giving up the fewest passing yards in the NFL. Obviously, Kam Chancellor, Earl Thomas, and Richard Sherman had a big part in that, but at the same time, because those three players are so dominant, Maxwell does get a lot of action coming his way, and it doesn’t seem to faze him. He only gave up one touchdown this season, is generally very good at closing and tackling quickly (the Seahawks play everything deep, so underneath routes are often conceded), and is fast, and tough.
He adds value to a team too because he’s able to play both inside and out. Eagles fans will remember when Maxwell lined up on Jordan Matthews in the Seahawks’ matchup in Philly this year and more or less shut him down, especially on third downs. Maxy can flip his hips, has good feet in coverage, has good makeup speed, and like the rest of the Legion of Boom, appears to put in the time to study route concepts and combinations, giving him a huge advantage in predicting where a receiver may go within a given formation.
I may be biased because I’ve watched Maxwell develop over the years, but I believe he’s a very good player that would excel in a number of schemes."
I do think the Eagles overpaid for Maxwell, but they did so out of necessity.
I'm tempted to put Sam Bradford on this list, but I agree with Chris Wesseling: He's a better fit for Comeback Player of the Year in Chip Kelly's offense. Foles is here because of what we haven't seen in St. Louis under Jeff Fisher: A competent offense. The Rams will run the ball plenty with Todd Gurley and Tre Mason, but Foles will be asked to make his share of plays through the air to one of the league's most uninspiring group of wideouts. He was a statistical revelation two years ago, but Foles no longer operates inside a quarterback-proof offense.
#JimmySays: Ooooh, Foles #1? Here are the Rams' team QB Ratings since 2007:
| Year | QB Rating |
| 2014 | 84.9 |
| 2013 | 84.8 |
| 2012 | 82.7 |
| 2011 | 69.0 |
| 2010 | 76.5 |
| 2009 | 64.0 |
| 2008 | 66.9 |
| 2007 | 67.0 |
Yikes. God speed, Nicholas.
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