Friday, February 25, 2011

2011 Offseason: NFC West

Today’s posts are for the teams in the NFC West.

Arizona Cardinals

2011 Offseason: Arizona Cardinals

San Francisco 49ers

2011 Offseason: San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

2011 Offseason: Seattle Seahawks

St. Louis Rams

2011 Offseason: St. Louis Rams

Thanks for reading my 2011 Offseason series. Check back periodically for more NFL related posts.

2011 Offseason: St. Louis Rams

Former Broncos coach Josh McDaniels is the new offensive coordinator in St. Louis. He is a pass first coach, which might be good for Bradford. Sam Bradford threw a lot this season, but with a coach who is used to a pass first offense, he could help Bradford make better decisions on all those passes.

The one issue is that this could leave Steven Jackson out to dry. Jackson has been the heart and soul of the Rams for several years now and McDaniels will need to keep him an integral part of the offensive scheme if the Rams want their improvement to continue.

This is especially important considering who they are playing. They have to play the AFC North and the NFC East, in addition to the past two Super Bowl champions. Not an easy schedule by any means. Because of this, it will be all the more important to keep the offensive attack fairly balanced.

The main upgrading the Rams need to do this offseason will be on the defensive side, especially at linebacker. Steve Spagnuolo took the worst team in football and crafted a very good defense out of it. But they still have some weak spots and that linebacker position hasn’t seemed to generate a lot of pressure in the pass rush. It would be worth looking at that position with their first round draft pick.

The only other issue I saw was at wide receiver. They have some talented players, and they were often getting past opposing cornerbacks. Bradford was consistently getting the ball to them in places only they could catch it. But they didn’t always catch those passes. What’s worse, the absolute worst time for them to not catch those passes was against the Seahawks, and that was exactly when it happened. If the work stoppage lasts for too long, they may have to replace some of these players. Hopefully a new CBA will be reached soon and the team can get some good workouts in with these receivers before the end of the offseason.

2011 Offseason: Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks need to find a way to hold on to Matt Hasselbeck, that’s the biggest key to Seattle’s hopes of success in 2011. Hasselbeck was injured during a few stretches of the season, but when he was in the lineup, he was good. His passes were spot-on against the Saints in the Wild-Card game. His passes were also good against the Bears, but his receivers weren’t hanging on to them until late in the game.

Marshawn Lynch should also remain in Seattle. He may not have had the best regular season, but the Seahawks offensive line wasn’t that impressive in run blocking either. The fact that Lynch had such good games against the Rams and Saints can be looked at from multiple perspectives, but clearly he is talented and if they can get him running like that for 16 games (or 18) they would be in a great position.

The defensive line and pass rush from the linebackers could use some help, and the line may be the direction the Seahawks go in the draft. The secondary cannot be ignored either, but a lot of that upgrading may have to be done through free agency depending on who is on the board in the mid-late rounds of the draft. Remember that despite their losing record the Seahawks have the 25th pick in each round, and they don’t have 3rd, 4th, or 6th round picks, which also puts them at a disadvantage.

2011 Offseason: San Francisco 49ers

Jim Harbaugh could take a page from his brother’s notebook in this year’s draft by picking a quarterback with that 7th pick. Joe Flacco was John Harbaugh’s first draft pick in Baltimore and the Ravens have now made and won a playoff game in three straight seasons.

The defense needs to be next on the 49ers’ agenda. They could use someone like Oakland’s Asomugha. If they can’t get him they may have to wait until the middle rounds of the draft and get a quality corner, but that would take away picks that could help them in other areas.

One of those areas is wide receiver, where Michael Crabtree is the only legitimate weapon San Francisco has. Running back is another position that needs attention. Frank Gore is very talented but can only do so much on his own, and no one else currently with the team seems capable of offering him that help. They should address these positions with their 2nd and 3rd round picks in the draft.

The 49ers run a 3-4 defense, which needs talented, pass rushing outside linebackers, of which San Francisco really doesn’t have any. They have Patrick Willis at the ILB position, but if he gets picked off by a lineman they need their free OLB to be able to find his way to the quarterback. I’m not sure if they should look for an OLB in the draft, simply because by the time their mid-round picks come up, most of the top OLBs will have been taken. This may be a position they need to address in free agency.

2011 Offseason: Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals were 5-11 this season, but only 2 games behind the division winner. Don’t expect the same next season. The Rams will be much better and there’s no doubt Pete Carroll’s Seahawks know that and will be making changes in order to defend their NFC West crown.

If the Cardinals want to have a shot at throwing their name in with those two teams, they need a new quarterback. Derek Anderson had plenty of shots in Cleveland and blew them all. Then Arizona gave him an opportunity at redemption, and again Anderson blew it. Arizona may want to use their early draft pick on a quarterback, but they should look for other options first. They may not have a choice if the new CBA isn’t reached soon, but if it is a trade might come in handy. The Redskins no longer trust Donovan McNabb, so they would likely be open to a trade. He might be a good fit in Arizona, and he’d certainly be better than anyone they have right now.

They also need to improve the other end of their passing game, the receivers. I’m not talking about the wide receivers, though. They actually look pretty solid at that position. But there is no compliment to Fitzgerald and Breaston. They need to get some better receiving tight ends. It is important for the TE position to be able to block, but these days it’s actually more important that he be able to catch. Arizona’s three tight ends combined for just 25 receptions this season, none of which were touchdowns. This is particularly disturbing. With the size of a tight end, he should be targeted more when the team is in the red zone.

Arizona will have to improve that offensive line, especially if they want to trade for someone. No veteran quarterback will want to come anywhere near the team with the offensive line they currently have. Everyone knows the Cardinals’ quarterbacks held on to the ball too long, but an offensive line has to adjust to that and these guys couldn’t. Perhaps a better route to take in the draft than picking a quarterback would be to take an offensive lineman with that first round pick in hopes that they can then get a veteran quarterback to come in.

The defense was also troubling. The secondary could use one or two extra guys, but a lot of pressure would be taken off the weaker defensive backs if the Cardinals could top the run, a statistic in which Arizona finished 30th in the league this season. The defensive line needs a serious tune-up but the linebacker corps is most troubling and will need a lot of attention this offseason.

2011 Offseason: NFC South

Today’s posts are for the teams in the NFC South.

Atlanta Falcons

2011 Offseason: Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

2011 Offseason: Carolina Panthers

New Orleans Saints

2011 Offseason: New Orleans Saints

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

2011 Offseason: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Thanks for reading and check back tomorrow for posts on the NFC West teams.

2011 Offseason: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

I realized that Josh Freeman had an incredible year in his second season out of Kansas State. But when I saw that he had only thrown six interceptions all season, my eyes bugged out a little. When you play 16 games and you’re throwing INT numbers similar to those of Brady and Cassel, there at the top of the NFL, that’s saying something. When it’s just you’re second year, it’s a wonder his name wasn’t considered with Brady and Vick as possible MVP candidates.

Freeman will continue to improve, though it shouldn’t be surprising if he throws a handful more picks next year (6 is a hard number to back up). Carnell Williams will hopefully be back, which would help the Bucs big time in terms of stability in the backfield. The main concern on offense will be the front line. They aren’t in any dire need of talent on the offensive line, but if they can get a really good lineman in the draft it would help.

Here’s the thing with Tampa Bay. The team is very young. In some ways, it’s better for the players to be younger when you have a young coach like Raheem Morris. But at the same time, for a young coach to have to enforce the level of structure needed for a young team to be successful is very difficult and sometimes proves to be too much to ask. They Buccaneers had a lot of success this season, but their schedule wasn’t of a particularly high difficulty outside of the Saints and Falcons. Their wins will come much less easily next year so the players will have to help Morris out by being motivated without his constant attention.

Because of this, I think that their needs on defense should be addressed through free agency. It isn’t bad to have older, veteran players. It is only bad when that’s all you have and there is no youth available to supplement it. The draft will be key for the Buccaneers, no doubt. But Tampa Bay is in a fantastic position to start using the draft as a tool to add depth. They don’t need to be getting guys who can start as rookies at this point.

I like the Buccaneers in 2011. They just have to get a group of guys in who can compete as well with the playoff caliber teams as with the teams lower on the food chain. I’m not convinced that they will be a playoff team next season, but I have little doubt that they will be competitive in all of their games next year. It won’t be an easy task to keep them out of the postseason.

2011 Offseason: New Orleans Saints


The Saints are not a young team, but they need to become more of one. They have a lot of older guys on the roster and many of them did not play particularly well this season. The defense played pretty well, as defenses generally do for Gregg Williams. But they weren’t the unit they were in 2009, and with age creeping up on many of them it is time to look for some young talent at several of those positions, including the secondary.

Brees is not getting any younger, meaning that the more hits he sustains the more prone to injury he is. That offensive line needs work, and fast. They also need to clear up their running back situation. Brees is forced to pass a lot more than he should because none of the running backs on the Saints’ roster were consistently available. They had five backs shuffling on and off the field during the season. This creates a lot of problems because the offensive line can’t keep track of the tendencies of all five backs. They need to find a way to have all the carries be taken by at most two people. Whether those backs are on the roster already remains to be seen. But I think they should go to either the draft or free agency to find at least one of them.

The defense is going to be the main thing to work on this offseason. Gregg Williams has a knack for getting the most out of his squad, but he has to have the right pieces. That needs to be at the top of the agenda for Mickey Loomis, the Saints GM.

Outside of the players, I did see an issue with the coaching. Sean Payton is a terrific coach, but his players weren’t playing very disciplined early in the season. They got better as the season progressed but there were times when it looked like they were on the verge of a major collapse that could have left out of the postseason all-together. Payton will have to find a way to instill that focus his team had in 2009. If he can do that, the Saints should be in a good position on the field next year.

2011 Offseason: Carolina Panthers

The Panthers were pretty sorry in 2010, but with Ron Rivera in house as the new head coach, things shouldn’t be as dismal in 2011.

Unfortunately, just a month after hiring Rivera, Jerry Richardson, Carolina’s owner, made himself seem less fit as an owner by bad-mouthing both Peyton Manning and Drew Brees when they were talking about player safety.

All that aside, the Panthers have some serious concerns to face this offseason. Right now it appears the Panthers are prepared to stick with Jimmy Clausen since Stanford’s Andrew Luck opted not to declare for the 2011 NFL Draft. However, I won’t be too surprised if the Panthers choose to take a QB with that first pick anyway. I like Clausen but don’t think he’s the kind of player who can be expected to do much early in his career. Brady Quinn comes to mind as a good comparison to Clausen.

A huge problem for the Panthers was turnovers; they had a (-8) T.O. ratio. In addition, their defense was atrocious. While their offense scored seven rushing touchdowns and nine passing touchdown, their defense gave up 20 on the ground and 19 through the air.

Despite the high number of rushing touchdowns allowed, their run defense wasn’t too terrible during the season. They gave up fewer than 2000 rushing yards, which is a pretty decent mark to aim for. But they gave up a lot of passing yards. Their secondary needs a serious overhaul.

Nearly every mock draft I’ve seen has Carolina picking a defensive lineman. I think they need to go cornerback with that top pick. It’s a dangerous position to go after in the draft, especially in the first round because cornerbacks are perhaps the commonest position to become a draft bust, especially if they are placed in a scheme that doesn’t fit them. But they have plenty of time, and a luxury no one else has, they can have any player they want. They don’t have to worry about another team picking the guy at the top of their board. Take advantage of that, and next year could be much better than 2010. An unwise pick, on the other hand, could put the Panthers in a deeper hole than they are already in.

2011 Offseason: Atlanta Falcons

Anyone who knows me knows that I love Matt Ryan and consider him something of a young Peyton Manning. While he is not there yet, remember that Manning was far from phenomenal early in his career, so I argue that the time has not yet come to question Ryan’s abilities in the pocket.

Ryan works very hard and will continue to improve; few people doubt that. But he could use a fast wide receiver who can beat the defense down field. Roddy White has that ability, but not against every cornerback. Matt Ryan’s arm is not exceptionally strong, but it is accurate and he puts the ball right on the money more often than not. Most of his interceptions come on passes where he just can’t zip the ball to his receiver quickly enough, like the one going into halftime against the Packers in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.

Atlanta needs to figure out where their defense is. They have some very good players, but they also have some players who are unknowns because they haven’t been healthy for enough games. The Falcons’ coaches have to find away to judge which players are keepers and which need to go. As hard as their schedule was at times this season, it will be harder next year and they can’t afford to have a lackluster defense if they hope to have a fourth consecutive winning season.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

2011 Offseason: NFC North

Today’s posts are for the teams in the NFC North.

Chicago Bears

2011 Offseason: Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

2011 Offseason: Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

2011 Offseason: Green Bay Packers

Minnesota Vikings

2011 Offseason: Minnesota Vikings

Thanks for reading and check back tomorrow for posts on the NFC South teams.

2011 Offseason: Minnesota Vikings

Brett Favre is finally done. There has been no talk about ‘Favre Watch: 2011,’ and it’s a relief. However, the Vikings do need to get on their feet and figure out what to do at quarterback. Rookie Joe Webb looked pretty good to me, especially in that late-season game against the Eagles that the Vikings won 24-14. I think it would be a very reasonable idea to start him next season, but it seems many experts disagree. It will be interesting to see in what direction Minnesota chooses to go. There will certainly be plenty of good quarterbacks to look at through free agency and trading.

Minnesota will likely be losing several players that could be considered ‘keys to success.’ But of the names listed in the ‘Exit Interview” on NFL.com, no one really struck me as being even moderately irreplaceable. Leslie Frazier took a really bad-looking team and turned them around fairly well in the final part of the season. Obviously he knows this team and its needs well enough that he will be able to make good decisions during the offseason.

Until that quarterback situation is resolved, there is no way of knowing how well, or poorly, the Vikings will perform in 2011, but I don’t think they will be any worse than the 6-10 mark they hit this year.

2011 Offseason: Green Bay Packers

I don’t like picking postseason teams or Super Bowl teams before the start of preseason, but the Packers have to be the favorites on just about everyone’s lists to play for the Lombardi again in 2011.

They have so much depth at nearly every position. They won the Super Bowl with 16 players on injured reserve, several of whom were starters at the beginning of the season. Many of those players and their replacements will be back next season, which puts the Packers in an amazing position if the Super Bowl hype doesn’t stick with them through August and into September.

The biggest issue the Packers will have to deal with has not come up yet. I think if they can keep as many players as they can, they will be fine. They don’t really have any areas particularly lacking. Aaron Rodgers has more than enough weapons, they have two talented running backs who will compete for the starting job but should share the backfield, and an incredible amount of talent on the defensive side.

The only issue that could arise will be if they lose too many players at a given position to free agency. Obviously the Packers need to make wise draft decisions, but don’t expect next year’s rookie of the year on either side of the ball to come out of Green Bay. The Packers will be looking for players to come in and learn and then step in a few years down the road as their current players either get too old or leave for other reasons. This is a team that has a foundation of young players to keep the older guys trying hard and they need to keep it that way.

2011 Offseason: Detroit Lions

The Lions are an interesting story. They went 6-10 this season, but of those ten losses, six were by less than a touchdown. Not only that, they did it without Matthew Stafford for most of the season. Is that a call for Stafford to be let go? In a word, no. The Lions will be better off with him in the line-up, if all parties involved can keep him healthy.

Shaun Hill, a Maryland grad (sorry, had to bring that up), did very well in Stafford’s absence. But it was tough for him at times because their running back was playing with two turf toes throughout the season (both of Jahvid Best’s big toes were affected). The Lions need to make improvements on the offensive line before they look at any of their other problems. They have to protect their running back. They also need to protect their quarterback. Stafford has never started more than six consecutive games in his young career, but he looked really good early in the 2010 season. He still has a little way to go, but he’ll never get there if every hit he takes is uncontested by his linemen.

Once they get that situation squared away, the defense will need some attention. They have a very young secondary that is prone to mistakes. What’s worse, they might be losing their more talented coverage players to free agency. Even with the Defensive Player of the Year and one of the most talented defensive lines in the league, Detroit’s defense will be doomed if they can’t find a good route to take in fixing up that defense before next season starts.

2011 Offseason: Chicago Bears

Jay Cutler is at the center of everything in Chicago. He has some improving to do, especially in terms of his holding on to the ball too long. He was sacked nearly 60 times this season, and it wasn’t all because of poor offensive line play.

However, the Bears do need to bring in one or two offensive linemen to help out. The line will be especially important moving forward with a few very talented defensive linemen in their division, especially the Defensive Rookie of the Year, Ndamukong Suh.

The Bears’ secondary on the defensive side could also use a tune-up. It wasn’t terrible, but there were some very poor performances, including that shootout against the Jets, that need to be addressed, whether it’s with new players or just fixing their schemes.

Another issue is Lovie Smith’s contract. There is no doubt he deserves an extension (his contract ends after the 2011 season). But fans don’t seem to love and respect him the way his players do. Right now it seems Chicago is close to an extension with Smith, but it isn’t finalized. Even if he does get it, the Bears will be keeping an eye on him. Remember that after that Super Bowl appearance against the Colts he failed to bring Chicago back to the playoffs for three seasons. Chicago has the potential to drop off the map in the NFC North again, even after winning the division this year.

One other word of advice, keep Caleb Hanie. He could provide Cutler some competition and help him develop. More importantly, you don’t want another team getting a hold of one of the better backups in the league, which could happen with the way his name just appeared out of thin air during their loss to the Packers.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

2011 Offseason: NFC East

Today’s posts are for the teams in the NFC East.

Dallas Cowboys

2011 Offseason: Dallas Cowboys

New York Giants

2011 Offseason: New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

2011 Offseason: Philadelphia Eagles

Washington Redskins

2011 Offseason: Washington Redskins

Thanks for reading and check back tomorrow for posts on the NFC North teams.

2011 Offseason: Washington Redskins

I wrote something for the Redskins a couple of days ago, but I realized that my attempt at humor also made it rather obvious of my biases concerning Washington. I will say, however, that my idea in that other write-up, one about the Skins needing to switch their uniforms back to the early 70’s one full-time, was a good idea.

The Redskins have a lot to do and nearly nothing to work with. In the past they spent too much time trying to get big-name players and, in doing so, lost many of their draft picks. That hit will still be felt for the next few years. They finally got away from that, for the most part, this past offseason. But because Washington still didn’t have much success in 2010, the concern is that they will go right back to their old ways.

Rest assured that will not happen. If it does, it won’t be because of Dan Snyder (first time I’ve been able to say that). He’s kept true to his word that Allen and Shanahan are running the show, at least so far. The Redskins are already looking to get a start on free agency, hosting Oshiomogho (O.J.) Atogwe, a former safety for the Rams. Having him in that free safety position could be the piece the Redskins’ secondary has been missing for several years now.

Clearly the biggest concern for Washington right now is at quarterback. I think they are in a good place at wide receiver and at running back (assuming they start Ryan Torain next season). But clearly Donovan McNabb doesn’t have the full trust of the coaches, and if Rex Grossman does then there are bigger problems in D.C. than I can begin to address.

I’ve seen a few mock drafts so far, and I like some of the guys experts are putting with the Redskins. In the most recent one I saw it was Prince Amukamara, a cornerback from Nebraska. I saw one of his workouts today on SportsCenter; very impressive I have to say. Another guy I liked seeing next to the Redskins logo is Blaine Gabbert, a quarterback from Missouri.

I don’t want to like the idea of the Redskins drafting a quarterback. They pick up and drop off quarterbacks like it’s their job. But Gabbert’s was another workout I’ve seen and he’s sharp. He is very accurate, he has a very crisp, fluid motion when he throws, and he can make some nice throws on the run, something the Redskins will need if they can’t address another issue that’s been hung out to dry for several years now: the offensive line.

The Redskins have a lot of issues, unfortunately, but those are the most pressing in my opinion. If they can clear all those problems up, they actually might not be half bad next year.

2011 Offseason: Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles gave up 49 sacks this season. Even when you have a guy who likes to run around behind the line of scrimmage, that is a very high number, especially when ‘that guy running around’ is as athletic as Michael Vick.

The Eagles should not be particularly worried about their offense, even with the possible departure of Marty Mornhinweg. Brad Childress could likely step right in if Mornhinweg does leave, and the Eagles have a lot of solid pieces in place for 2011. The offensive line, however, is a concern, as seen by those 49 sacks they allowed this season, so a tune-up is in store for Philly’s O-line.

Philadelphia’s defense looked pretty bad for much of the season, especially in the latter stages of it. However, the poor defensive play can be partially attributed to injuries on that side of the ball. Once the Eagles have their whole defense back to square one, there should just be a few little things to take care of and they should be set to defend their NFC East crown next year.

2011 Offseason: New York Giants

The Giants were one of two teams, both from the NFC, to win 10 games but miss the postseason. Everyone is pointing fingers at their late-game meltdown against the Eagles as the reason they missed the playoffs. But they had a shot to make punch their ticket in any week following and continually made it more and more difficult on themselves. The leading cause of their unfortunate season result was their inability to protect the ball.

Eli Manning led the league in interceptions, despite his big brother’s mid-season slide. Ahmad Bradshaw couldn’t protect the ball much better, losing six of his seven fumbles during the season. After counting up all of the Giants’ turnovers this season, the grand total is 42, the most by any team in the NFL this season.

Their secondary, like that of Dallas, needs some work. Though the did not give up as many big plays as the Cowboys did, they looked pretty pitiful in the final quarter of the season, including against the Redskins who had Rex Grossman starting.

Tom Coughlin is the oldest coach in the NFL and some players don’t seem to think he’s the right man to get them motivated properly anymore. But Coughlin is a very smart coach. He led the Giants to a Super Bowl victory against the undefeated New England Patriots just a few years ago. The only thing that has changed has been the players’ attitudes. Whether the Giants will get to the postseason next year remains to be seen, but I have little doubt that as long as Coughlin stays in New York, the Giants will continue to have plenty of success on the field.

2011 Offseason: Dallas Cowboys

I really liked what Jon Kitna did in his role this season, but Tony Romo will be back in 2011. I say this as if it’s a bad thing, but it really isn’t. Kitna was tremendous, but Romo is a very good quarterback, no doubt the guy Dallas wants under center. But Elliot Harrison hit the ball on the nose in his exit interview of the Cowboys on NFL.com. I hadn’t been able to place just what I liked so much about Kitna in that role until I read Mr. Harrison’s words. “[Kitna’s] complete lack of fear in telling receivers where they needed to be, or when they ran the wrong route, was…refreshing.” It may not be Romo’s style, but Kitna got a lot more out of some of the younger players than I would have expected Romo to.

Kris Brown appears to be the new kicker in Dallas, which is a huge move for the Cowboys to make. When your kicker misses eight field goals and two extra points (26 points in a season), there’s a serious issue. Kickers are extremely important players on the team. Brown isn’t a fantastic kicker, but hopefully with him and David Buehler competing against each other, one of them will come out better for it.

The secondary is a major concern in Dallas. The Cowboys gave up the fourth most 20-yard pass plays this season, many coming on 3rd & long situations. Despite Gerald Sensabaugh’s five interceptions, he may have to go, along with Alan Ball. In other words, I think Dallas needs to start from scratch at the safety position.

Their offensive line could also use some work, but I think Dallas can make do with what they have if it comes down to it. Certainly if they can get one or two of the older guys off of the line and get some fresh legs and arms in the equation they would be better off, but that can be said for any team. The main point is that even if they can’t upgrade the line, they should be fine for next season. The Cowboys should be in a good position to run down the Eagles for the NFC East crown in 2011.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

2011 Offseason: AFC West

Today’s posts are for the teams in the AFC West.

Denver Broncos

2011 Offseason: Denver Broncos

Kansas City Chiefs

2011 Offseason: Kansas City Chiefs

Oakland Raiders

2011 Offseason: Oakland Raiders

San Diego Chargers

2011 Offseason: San Diego Chargers

Thanks for reading and check back tomorrow for posts on the NFC East teams.

2011 Offseason: San Diego Chargers

The Chargers went 9-7 in 2010. They started off very poorly and then made a run that came up short. Yet, down the stretch, experts and analysts were calling San Diego the best team in the AFC West. Why? They led the league in offense and defense. They gained the most offensive yards, 395.6/game, and gave up the fewest yards on defense, 271.6/game.

The offense should be fine for next season. Philip Rivers is still a terrific quarterback and no one is blaming him for the Chargers’ disappointing record, nor should they.

The biggest problem was the special teams. They gave up too many big plays, and as a result their special teams coordinator has been fired. Now they have a new one, Rich Bisaccia, who will need to figure out which players should not be on his unit and which ones he needs to pull in.

Defense will also be an issue since they lost their defensive coordinator, too. With Ron Rivera taking John Fox’s job in Carolina, Greg Manusky will step in and try to keep that unit successful. But rarely does a coordinator step in and do as well as a successful predecessor, especially on defense.

San Diego will, as always, be competitive in the AFC North. They have not had a losing season under Norv Turner and they were even giving Kansas City a run for its money down the stretch. But to get to the postseason next year they will need their defense to be in the top 10 in the league again.

2011 Offseason: Oakland Raiders

The Raiders took a step in the right direction with the firing of Tom Cable. Hiring Hugh Jackson should end up being a good move as well, so I fully expect the Raiders to, at least, be hovering around the 8-8 mark they hit this season.

Their passing attack looked pretty good this year. Jason Campbell is still probably one of the ‘worst’ starting quarterbacks in the NFL, but there really aren’t any particularly bad starters in the league. Not only that, but he also showed quite a bit of improvement in Oakland from where he was in Washington. The Raiders have some very talented wide receivers, so I don’t think having a top rated quarterback is a necessity. Whatever Oakland’s heights are, Campbell will be able to take them there as well as just about anyone else.

One thing that helped Campbell was Oakland’s success running the ball. Darren McFadden had a great year with only a couple really bad performances. We should be able to expect similar success from him next year, assuming he stays healthy.

Nnamdi Asomugha is a key player in the Raiders’ defensive scheme, and losing him could really hurt them down the road next season. He didn’t have a terrific year in 2010, but he still has plenty to offer any team. If they have the money to do so, keeping Asomugha is definitely in Oakland’s best interest.

2011 Offseason: Kansas City Chiefs

Elliot Harrison wrote the ‘Exit Interview’ for the Kansas City Chiefs on NFL.com just a few days after their Wild Card loss to the Baltimore Ravens (for the reference I make to him later).

The issue I believe is most important is the situation at running back. Jamaal Charles had a fantastic season, but it really helped having Thomas Jones sharing the backfield with him. I hate to take another person’s words, but Mr. Harrison made a terrific point relating Charles to Chris Johnson of the Titans. Johnson was essentially shut down this season, and a similar outcome can be expected for Jamaal Charles if they don’t have Jones or another quality back sharing the backfield for Kansas City.

Matt Cassel will be back next year, and Kansas City should be able to expect another good season out of him. There was a lot of talk going into the Wild Card game about “which Matt Cassel we would see.” But during the regular season Cassel threw 27 touchdown passes and only seven interceptions, a far cry from his 16-16 mark in 2009. He played very poorly in week 17 and against the Ravens in the playoffs, but those games should not be cause for concern going into next season.

The one other, pretty obvious, issue that needs to be addressed is their lack of an offensive coordinator. Charlie Weis is filling Urban Meyer’s shoes at the University of Florida. Todd Haley has his own work cut out for him finding a replacement, someone who will work as well with Cassel and the rest of the offense as Weis did.

There are a few other things that could use addressing, but if they make wise decisions with their draft picks they will be strong candidates for the AFC West crown once again in 2011.

2011 Offseason: Denver Broncos

NFL.com still hadn’t put up the Exit Interview for the Broncos so I’m working entirely on my own with this one, as I may be for Carolina and Arizona.

John Fox was the most successful coach in Carolina Panthers history. Not only that, he was just the third coach in the franchise’s young life. He inherited a team that had gone 1-15 the year prior to his arrival and turned them around quickly. His first season resulted in a 7-9 record. Then, in 2003, his second season as the Panther’s head coach, he took Carolina to the Super Bowl where they lost to the Patriots on a late Adam Vinatieri field goal.

Now he is being trusted with the job of turning the Broncos around after a 4-12 season. Kyle Orton no longer looks like the man for the job. He led the Broncos to an 8-8 record in 2009 (they were 6-0 going into the bye week, after which they dropped four straight on the way to finishing 2-8). This year, Orton was injured late in the season and Tim Tebow took over. He wasn’t anything particularly special, but he didn’t look too bad.

Despite not having a quarterback in house who should be considered a reasonable candidate for the job in 2011, there is hope for Denver. Remember that John Fox’s first year in Carolina was also Jake Delhomme’s first year there. Delhomme came from New Orleans, where he had only played in six games over his five-year career up to that point. No doubt Fox will be able to find someone capable of starting in Denver, even if that someone is a ‘nobody’ to start the season.

Tebow isn’t the answer, but he’s a good guy to have on the roster as a backup quarterback and to run the wildcat formation. He’s got a long way to go before he can be considered a reasonable starting candidate for any team. I do think Orton needs to go. But don’t use that early draft pick on a quarterback. Instead, get one through free agency, the way Fox got Delhomme before.

Their offense could use a lot of help in other areas, too, especially the rushing department. Tebow was their most effective runner, enough said.

In addition, their run defense needs a big overhaul. They gave up twice as many rushing touchdowns as their offense scored, in addition to 22 runs of 20+ yards. The defensive line is probably where Denver should start in terms of the 2011 NFL Draft.

2011 Offseason: AFC South

Today’s posts are for the teams in the AFC South.

Houston Texans

2011 Offseason: Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

2011 Offseason: Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

2011 Offseason: Jacksonville Jaguars

Tennessee Titans

2011 Offseason: Tennessee Titans

Thanks for reading and check back tomorrow for posts on the AFC West teams.

Monday, February 21, 2011

2011 Offseason: Tennessee Titans

It was funny reading the ‘Exit Interview’ for Tennessee on NFL.com because at the time it was written, Jeff Fisher was still the head coach. That, of course, has changed. But the things the Titans and new coach Mike Munchak will need to address this offseason remain pretty much the same.

Bud Adams will likely ‘give’ Munchak a rebuilding year (i.e. some leniency on getting this team back on track). But I don’t think the Titans will definitely need it. They might, but I don’t think they are doomed to another dismal year at the bottom of the AFC South.

The Titans need a quarterback. Young is gone, Collins is not the answer, so who is? I think this is the team that most needs to look at getting Kevin Kolb. The Titans need a veteran quarterback. Kolb may not be the prototypical ‘veteran,’ but he has the skill set an AFC South quarterback needs, and the desire to start for an NFL team. Where there is desire, there is work ethic, and I think Kolb would insert himself nicely into this new Titans team.

Tennessee will also need to find a way to get Chris Johnson running effectively again. After an incredible second season, gaining over 2000 yards on the ground, Johnson gained only 4 yards/game more than he did his rookie season during the 2010 campaign. In the final game of the season, against the Colts, he gained only 39 yards, and the Colts rush defense wasn’t particularly impressive this year.

I think the Titans do need to part ways with Cortland Finnegan. Yes, I’m a little biased on the subject and really don’t care for Finnegan much, but even bias aside I think Tennessee needs to part ways with the cornerback. A new coach should bring with him a new atmosphere, one of more discipline. Unless Finnegan can clean his act up he should not be on the squad next season. He is a talented player, but not a player the Titans should be holding on to with a new coach in town.

2011 Offseason: Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars are in a slightly unique situation. They have a very good running back, exceptional actually, in Maurice Jones-Drew. They have a team that always plays well against their division opponents, including the Colts. And they also have a Coach who will be in a real ‘must-win’ situation in every game next season.

Jack Del Rio has done a pretty good job in Jacksonville, but for the past three seasons they just haven’t seemed to get the right pieces to the puzzle of winning the AFC South, a puzzle they nearly solved this year before melting down during the final three games of the season.

They do need to address the quarterback position. Trent Edwards is not the answer to any team’s problems yet. He showed promise in his first season in the league up in Buffalo, but has failed to show any considerable level of improvement since. David Garrard, the current starter, has shown weaknesses down the stretch. The best decision may in fact be to stick with Garrard under center next season, but that doesn’t mean the Jaguars don’t need to look very carefully at that position and explore their options.

With the kind of talent they have to play against, both Peyton Manning and Matt Schaub twice each season, Jacksonville had better be very confident in their defensive schemes, especially their secondary going into next season. But the Colts have shown that they may want to start running the ball more, and the Texans already have a successful rushing attack, so they can’t focus only on the pass defense. The good news is that their run defense wasn’t that bad this season, so they shouldn’t be too concerned about that. They can focus their time on the secondary for the time being.

The Jaguars have some other key players on both sides of the ball that they need to retain for next year’s campaign. However, free agency will be important for the Jaguars and Del Rio. I’ve always been a believe in using free agency to get players who will help you win now, something a coach in Del Rio’s position needs. Though Jacksonville should not ignore the draft and can certainly get some quality players in that manner, the free agent market will be filled with players that can help them immediately.

2011 Offseason: Indianapolis Colts

The Colts’ offseason goals should be very simple: keep what you have. This isn’t necessarily a rule that should go across the board, but this should be what they are thinking as they go through most of their offseason tasks.

Manning is an obvious must-have for the Colts in 2011, and Jim Irsay has already shown that his intention is to have Manning back, and make him the highest paid player in the league once the new CBA is complete. Joseph Addai will also likely be back after a season marred by a neck injury.

Reggie Wayne and Robert Mathis both want a lot of money, but I have no doubt that at least one, if not both, will be retained by the Colts. If it does come down to one of the other, Mathis should be the higher priority. Manning’s ability to find even the least experienced receiver and throw passes he can catch makes Wayne more replaceable than Mathis. Manning will also have Dallas Clark and Austin Collie back to go alongside Pierre Garçon, Anthony Gonzalez, and Jacob Tamme. Long story short, Wayne would be welcomed back, but he may not be quite as important to the Colts’ offensive success as many people think.

Indy’s defense has a little work to be done, but keeping Mathis would be one less thing to worry about, and it would be a big task to replace him. The secondary is probably the most notable thing that needs fixing, but their defensive line could use a little improvement as well, especially at the tackle position.

Indianapolis may also want to start looking at the draft as a way to get some new offensive linemen. Their current linemen are beginning to age a bit so getting some youth in to replace them within the next couple years would be a good idea. The biggest thing is to get the right guys for the job. The most important aspect of blocking for the Colts over the next 5-6 years (based on the planned proposed contract length for Manning by Irsay) will be pass blocking. But the linemen they have during that time need to be better able to block for the run, at least often enough that the pass attack can be better set up.

As long as the Colts can stay healthy next season, the race for the AFC South should not be as close as it was this year.

2011 Offseason: Houston Texans

I hesitate to say the Texans will be contending for the AFC South next year because I said it before this past season began. Then they fell apart. But the Texans will look really good on paper next season; the question is whether they can execute.

With Wade Phillips in house, Houston should have a much better defense next season, not that it could be much worse. In terms of offense, however, there were only a handful of times when I really wasn’t impressed this season. Unfortunately, those few times the offense wasn’t looking particularly sharp seemed to be the times when the defense suffered its worst collapses.

Arian Foster made me eat my early-season words by having an outstanding year and proving that he is past his issues of fumbling in key situations. Matt Schaub didn’t look as sharp as he did in 2009, but he had a very good season anyway. Andre Johnson still looks like a great receiver, minus his little meltdown against the Titans, something I don’t expect to ever see again from him.

Long story short, this team has a lot to be excited about. The only issue I have is on the defense. As I said, adding Wade Phillips to the coaching staff should help the defense, but they will be moving from a 4-3 set to a 3-4. Teams have done it before and had success with it, but rarely right away. The Redskins had a consistently good defense for several years before becoming one of the worst this past season after switching to a 3-4 defensive scheme.

If the Texans want to make the switch and not suffer any early setbacks from it, they need to get some new players for their front seven. They have some good players for the set in house, but not enough depth at linebacker. They could also use a bigger guy to put right on the line who can really push around some offensive linemen and let the linebackers through.

The Texans secondary is also a concern but you can only do so much in one offseason, especially when there isn’t a CBA in place yet. The Texans may need to ‘settle’ for slightly sub-par in 2011 and then fix a couple other places for a real run in 2012. The key thing is to make sure that what they do get done this offseason is truly effective. If they can do that, a postseason berth is well within reach for Houston.

2011 Offseason: AFC North

Today’s posts are for the teams in the AFC North.

Baltimore Ravens

2011 Offseason: Baltimore Ravens

Cincinnati Bengals

2011 Offseason: Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

2011 Offseason: Cleveland Browns

Pittsburgh Steelers

2011 Offseason: Pittsburgh Steelers

Thanks for reading and check back tomorrow for posts on the AFC South teams.

2011 Offseason: Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers will, as always, be very competitive in 2011. But there are always improvements that need to be made if a team wants to return to the Super Bowl for a second consecutive season.

For starters, the defense needs to start getting younger. Troy Polamalu and James Harrison are the cornerstones of this defense and both have been in the league for less than 10 years. Pittsburgh could use some youth in other areas of their defense, especially on the line of scrimmage, a place where more and more young players throughout the league have been making their presence felt over the past couple years.

A new wide receiver could be useful as well, specifically a taller one since all their current options are less than 6’ tall, other than Heath Miller at the tight end position.

Other than that, the only real concern is that the Steelers keep their front five healthy on the offensive end. They had to shift around players a lot during the season and rarely had a true sense of togetherness. Though they still did well, as shown by their Super Bowl appearance, a more consistent front line could really aid in getting this team back to the top.

2011 Offseason: Cleveland Browns

Unlike Pat Kirwan of NFL.com, I actually like the Browns going into next season. I don’t know that they’ll be in the postseason, and I definitely don’t think they can beat out both Baltimore and Pittsburgh (or even one of them) for the division crown. But I like what they have right now, as far as players are concerned that is.

Cleveland is currently without a head coach. Marty Mornhinweg’s name has been thrown around as a possible candidate, and he would be a good man for the job. I actually think Mornhinweg could be ready to move on from Philly at this point, if he has ambitions of moving up the coaching ladder. He could also be perfectly content where he is.

Colt McCoy needs to stay, in my opinion. He just finished his rookie season and it was pretty good from what I could tell. He still has some maturing to do, and he made some pretty bad decisions at times, but he learned from them and I think he could really develop into the type of player a teams needs to have for a postseason appearance.

What the Browns need is some better defense, especially in the secondary, and some better offensive weapons to surround McCoy with. One or two new offensive linemen could also help in terms of avoiding McCoy being constantly flushed out of the pocket and forced to make so many of his throws on the run.

I like what they have in the backfield with a couple young guys to back up Peyton Hillis. But Cleveland could definitely use a little more quality depth at other positions. If Mike Holmgren can continue what he has been doing, the Browns could be looking at a wild-card birth within the next 2-3 seasons, a pretty good outlook for any 5-11 team.

2011 Offseason: Cincinnati Bengals

There are so few answers to give concerning Cincinnati. Marvin Lewis is back but seem to want to get rid of some of his best players, including Chad Ochocinco. Carson Palmer wants a trade, which could mean the Bengals are yet another team that will need to find someone who can start at that position. Their defense, once one that helped make the AFC North seem like the defensive division of the NFL, was terrible last season.

I have no idea what the Bengals need to do this offseason. I think they should keep Ochocinco. Owens had a good year but it may not be a good idea to keep both players together next season. They need to find a way to either keep Carson Palmer, or trade him for a couple good defenders and use their early draft pick to lock up a quarterback for the future.

Because I have so few ideas as to what to expect, I don’t expect much. I think the Bengals will again be at the bottom of the AFC North. The Ravens and Steelers will again be good next year and the Browns seem to be on their way up. Cincinnati has a lot of questions it needs to answer for itself before they can get things going again. The worst part is, many of those questions may need to start with the coaches.

2011 Offseason: Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens definitely have a few issues to address, but no more than any other team this offseason. A lot of people are beginning to question Joe Flacco and whether he is the right man to be starting at QB in Baltimore. To me, it just seems like he’s the new ‘Peyton Manning.’ But once Manning got his one Super Bowl ring, all the talk about his postseason failures just seemed to end, despite the Colts having plenty of postseason problems since then.

I think it will be similar for Flacco. The Ravens have a talented team, a talented coach, and a talented quarterback who, this season, tied Dan Marino’s record for most wins by an NFL quarterback in his first three seasons. Clearly he has what it takes to play at this level. But he struggles when he is put up against the best players in the league.

Another concern is time. I think Flacco is still a few years away from being at the level a pro quarterback needs to be at to win a Super Bowl. Who knows if Baltimore will still have the defense to back up their offense at that point? Reed should still be in the league and hopefully with the Ravens, but Ray Lewis might be gone by that time, as could some of their other defensive weapons.

So my biggest ‘suggestion’ for the Ravens’ 2011 offseason is that they look to get younger. Drafting a quality inside linebacker, who can learn from Lewis over the next three or four years, could really help down the road.

Baltimore needs to jump on resigning Haloti Ngata as soon as a new CBA is completed. They could also use a better cornerback to defend their opponents’ #1 receivers, and maybe even a better #1 receiver themselves, one who can get downfield a little quicker.

I don’t think it is realistic to be putting any money on Baltimore as a Super Bowl champion next season. They could surprise me, and I do fully expect another playoff appearance, but I just don’t think Flacco will be ready to take his team to that level so soon.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

2011 Offseason: AFC East

Thank you for reading my 2011 Offseason series. Over the next eight days I will be publishing five posts per day, one directory post such as this, and four other posts, one for each team within a given division, with the links to those posts in the directory post.

This series will focus on what each team needs to accomplish during the offseason and what we can expect from each team next season given that they accomplish most or all of these tasks.

Today’s posts are for the teams in the AFC East.

Buffalo Bills

2011 Offseason: Buffalo Bills

Miami Dolphins

2011 Offseason: Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

2011 Offseason: New England Patriots

New York Jets

2011 Offseason: New York Jets

Thanks for reading and check back tomorrow for posts on the AFC North teams.

2011 Offseason: New York Jets

I actually don’t have too much to say about the Jets as far as improvements are concerned. They have a very confident, if not cocky, head coach who clearly thinks his team is among the best in the league, as it was this year when they made their second straight AFC Championship Game appearance. There is a lot of negativity surrounding Mark Sanchez, and it is well placed, to a point. I would argue that keeping Sanchez is in the best interest of the organization. He had a better 2010 than his 2009 season and he led his team to the Super Bowl qualifier both seasons. He should continue to improve. If he does, Rex Ryan’s prediction of a Super Bowl win won’t seem as far-fetched as it does right now.

What New York needs to do is find a way to keep their players. It may be essential that they keep both Santonio Holmes and Braylon Edwards if they want those Super Bowl dreams to become reality. Several of the Jets’ wins this season came on luck, but that is from the Mark Sanchez viewpoint. It took the skills of these two players to pull off those last-second heroics.

They also need to retain their secondary. Their pass rush is not particularly strong, but they still got 40 sacks this season because of exceptional coverage downfield by their corners and safeties.

New York also needs to address Brian Schottenheimer. I think there are better offensive coordinators out there, but I also don’t think it is necessary that they get rid of Schottenheimer. They just need to make a decision and get their players and fans to buy into it, the sooner the better.

As for the draft, it all depends on what players they lose, and they won’t know that until the new CBA is completed. If they lose Holmes and/or Edwards, their first round pick might need to be a receiver. Otherwise a defensive lineman would be the best choice. They could use a better pass rusher, but they may also need someone who can pick up the slack in containing the run.

The most important thing for the Jets to succeed next year will be for the players not to get too caught up in proving their coach right. It can work in the postseason when you’re only thinking about those guarantees for a week at a time. But can they keep from a collapse when they are thinking about a Super Bowl guarantee during the entire season?

2011 Offseason: New England Patriots

What the Patriots need to do is fairly simple in my mind. They need an offensive coordinator and they need a new defense.

The Patriots have not won a postseason game since Bill Belichick took over offensive coordinator duties (they are 0-2 in that span). What’s worse, the team that knocked them out this year was the same team they had thrashed 45-3 six weeks earlier. Clearly their offense wasn’t clicking in their divisional round game as it had been during their 8-0 run to end the season.

Their defense didn’t look much better, though. They gave Mark Sanchez way too much time to find open receivers. Even an average quarterback like him will shine when faced with little to no pressure.

But the defense struggled during the regular season, too. Their defensive line never looked worse than in the divisional playoff game, but they also never looked particularly good. More concerning was the secondary. New England ranked 30th against the pass during the regular season. Devin McCourty is a good, young player for the Patriots, but they need another good corner and should replace at least one of their safeties.

That said, no one should be too concerned about this team going into next season. Anything they need to work on can be done through the draft so any delay in the start of free agency shouldn’t impact their team too badly. The fact that they went 14-2 without a good pass defense should give any New England fan confidence that the team will still be good next year. They just need to find a way to get over that postseason hurdle they’ve failed to clear for the past two years.

2011 Offseason: Miami Dolphins

Miami, or more specifically Tony Sparano, is in an interesting situation. The Dolphins’ owner spent a few weeks after the season trying to persuade Jim Harbaugh to take over for Tony Sparano. When Harbaugh went to San Francisco, Sparano was given a two-year contract extension. But that doesn’t mean the Dolphins won’t look again to replace him if he fails to get above .500 next season.

I don’t think Miami belongs on the list of teams with QB concerns. The still have Chad Pennington and he can step in and play well at any time if the Dolphins call on him. But Chad Henne, who will be entering just his fourth season, showed a fair amount of improvement from the 2009 season to 2010 and should, again, be the starter in 2011.

Miami needs to first figure out their running back situation. Ricky Williams is effectively gone at this point, and that leaves Ronnie Brown, who will be a free agent and so may not return either. There should be a fair number of good free agents available, but drafting a running back may be a better route.

The Dolphins also need to be very careful about picking a replacement for Dan Henning at the offensive coordinator position. Josh McDaniels’s name has been floating around, but reuniting him and Brandon Marshall may not be a good move.

They have a mid-round draft pick at 15th in the first round. But they may want to try and trade that for some more mid-round draft picks, especially if they are looking to pick a running back. Another option would be to get an offensive lineman. Their line isn’t bad but could use a tune-up to avoid giving up another 30-sack season.

The thing that concerned me most this past season about Miami was their inability to win at home. They were 1-7 at home and 6-2 on the road. That isn’t supposed to happen in the NFL. If you can win that many games in front of hostile crowds, you should be able to do the same in front of your own fans. This is clearly a good team; they just need to figure out how to have the same motivation when the crowd is on their side as when it isn’t.

2011 Offseason: Buffalo Bills

I keep forgetting that the Bills finished 4-12 and have the third pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. They started off very poorly but then looked, dare I say it, sharp during the final few weeks.

Ryan Fitzpatrick had a pretty solid season after the team released Trent Edwards. He may not be a long-term solution at QB, but I don’t think the Bills should waste that number three pick on a quarterback. They have a talented one in house who still has plenty of potential to mature and settle into his current role.

The Bills also should not be looking to draft a running back with that early pick. They still have Fred Jackson, who had a very good season. And they also don’t yet know what they can get out of C.J. Spiller, who they picked in last year’s draft.

The Bills also have a fair amount of talent at the wide receiver position. If they want to work on that position, they should do so either through free agency or with a mid- to late-round draft pick.

Where Buffalo needs a lot of help is on defense. They couldn’t stop the run to save their lives this season. Their pass defense was okay, but could use some patchwork. The primary focus should be on the front seven, especially the men right on the line of scrimmage. If they have time left in the offseason afterwards, that would be the time to fix up the secondary.

It has been a while since the Buffalo area has seen success from its football team, but there are some sunny days to be had by the Bills, and I think they’ll have their fair share of them in 2011. I am not, by any means, predicting a postseason appearance, but I don’t think it will be too long before they are contending with New England and New York for the AFC East and a playoff birth, something they haven’t had in 11 years now.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

State of the NFL

February 15, 2011

Right now the NFL is a mess as league owners and the NFLPA are struggling to come to an agreement on the new CBA, which is set to expire two weeks from today. I don’t want to go into too great of detail on what is going on with labor talks, especially since I only have a limited knowledge of the subject as it is.

However, if you would like to see why it is so understandable that the two sides are having trouble fixing the issues between them, the entire 361-page CBA, the current one which was finished in 2006, can be seen from the link at the end of this post.

Because there has been so little to write about, I am getting ready to start some previews on next season. Some of the stuff in them will come from the ‘Exit Interviews’ on NFL.com, and some will come from other resources. I will be focusing on one division at a time. I will post one each day for eight days beginning this week, likely Sunday. So keep an eye out for that.

Thanks for reading!

2006 NFL CBA: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/20343876/NFL-Collective-Bargaining-Agreement-2006-2012

Monday, February 7, 2011

Super Bowl XLV: Analysis

February 7, 2011

After the game ended last night several thoughts were running through my mind. One was a feeling of…emptiness, perhaps. The Super Bowl is over and there won’t be any more football until August, assuming the new CBA is drawn up in time. Sure, baseball is right around the corner, but football is the more exciting of the two, and it’s much easier to write about.

The other feeling was excitement. I had just watched the most exciting Super Bowl played during my lifetime. Of course, right now, as I write this post, that feeling has slipped away and I can think of a couple Super Bowls that I would rank higher on the excitement scale. But hey, last night’s game was very exciting, everything you expect of a sport’s championship game.

But how exciting was it really? When you compare it other recent Super Bowls like the Steelers/Cardinals game or the Patriots/Rams one early last decade, this one doesn’t seem all that exciting, despite the outcome not being determined until there was less than a minute to play.

Trying to figure out the answer to that question, I looked at the stats from last night. The Packers had a +3 turnover differential. They never turned the ball over and they scored touchdowns after every Pittsburgh turnover. That didn’t help me answer my question, though. On one hand, the fact that the Steelers played such a sloppy game in terms of ball security would imply a very unexciting game. Yet the Steelers only lost by six points and had the ball with a chance to win the game as it drew to a close.

If I were to call this game the most exciting Super Bowl of my lifetime, I would have to say that last year’s game sits right there with XLV. Last year the Colts lost by 14 points to the Saints. But Indianapolis was in a very similar position as Pittsburgh was last night, down by seven late in the game with a chance to tie it and force overtime. I don’t think last year’s game ranks that high on the excitement scale, so I have to say the same for last night’s game.

But that is not to say Super Bowl XLV was not exciting, because it was. The Packers looked like they were going to run away with the game for a while and they had a 21-3 lead late in the first half. Only a late touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger to Hines Ward gave Steelers fans any sense of hope heading in the second half.

This game turned into one of momentum. Green Bay had the momentum early and built up a big lead, one that barely stayed intact. But going into the second half, momentum was on the Steelers side and they took advantage of it while they had it. But when Pittsburgh drew close, Green Bay responded and their offense finally came back to life.

I was a little worried about how Aaron Rodgers would perform after the Bears game two weeks ago. He played well in that game, but was forced out of his rhythm as the game moved into its latter stages and he was never able to get it back. When the Steelers started making him feel uncomfortable last night, I thought, “Here we go again.” But he stepped up, returned to form, and delivered when it was most critical that he do so. In terms of stats, I think Greg Jennings deserved to be named MVP. But because he responded at the times he had to, I agree with the decision to give Rodgers the MVP award.

I’ll conclude this post here since there isn’t much else I can analyze about the game. The Packers played well throughout. Their only poor play came on a few stalled drives in the third quarter, and when that defines your poor play, you are in an excellent position. Pittsburgh played poorly, turning the ball over about three times more than you can if you are expecting to win a game. They made a run and had about a quarter and a half of really solid play. It wasn’t enough to net them a win, however, and Green Bay won their 4th Lombardi Trophy and Aaron Rodgers became the third Packer to win Super Bowl MVP.

Final Score:
Pittsburgh Steelers – 25
Green Bay Packers – 31

Super Bowl XLV: Recap

Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, TX

Pittsburgh Steelers
Green Bay Packers

This game was probably the most anticipated Super Bowl since the New England Patriots attempt at perfection in Super Bowl XLII.

The Steelers entered the game with more Lombardi’s than any other NFL franchise with six. This appearance tied the Cowboys’ record for most in the Super Bowl with eight. This was also the third Super Bowl appearance for Ben Roethlisberger and the second for Mike Tomlin.

The Packers hadn’t been in the Super Bowl since 1998 when they lost to the Denver Broncos, 31-24. At that time, Brett Favre was the Packers starter under center. Today his successor, Aaron Rodgers, started in the first Super Bowl to be played after Favre’s, likely, final retirement.

The Packers won the coin toss and differed to receive in the second half. Pittsburgh wasn’t able to get anything going on their opening possession and had to punt. The game got exciting, and nerve-wracking, very quickly. Green Bay CB Tramon William muffed the punt when his own man interfered with his fair catch. The Pack dodged a bullet by recovering the ball.

On their possession, Green Bay got a free play on an offside call, but completed a pass near midfield anyway. They stalled on that set of downs, however, and it was the Packer’s turn to punt the ball away.

The Steelers had no more success on their second possession as on their first, but when they failed to pin Green Bay inside their 20, the Packers took advantage. It was a well-executed drive with Rodgers stretching the defense and finding his outlets when under pressure. The drive resulted in a 29-yard touchdown pass to Jordy Nelson that gave the Packers an early 7-0 lead. Rodgers was 5/6 on the drive with his one incompletion coming on a deep pass on the first play of the drive.

An illegal block in the back put the ball on the 7-yard line for the Steelers to start their ensuing drive. On the first play, a Packers defender applying pressure caught Ben Roethlisberger’s arm and his pass floated in the general direction of Mike Wallace. With no one else around, Nick Collins had an easy pick before running it back for a touchdown.

A 12-play drive for the Steelers finally put them on the board early in the second quarter when Shaun Suisham capped off the drive with a field goal. The Packers still led 14-3 and they got the ball back with the Steelers not putting up much resistance against Rodgers & Co.

That momentum didn’t carry over, however. The Packers were quickly forced to punt. With the ball back in his hands, Roethlisberger, who had been under constant duress up to that point, needed to find a way to get the ball into the end zone. Earlier in the game he had sustained shoulder and knee injuries but was confident he could still throw and run. An early penalty set the Steelers back to 1st & 20 inside the 20-yard line. The drive looked good for a while as Pittsburgh converted that first down and another, driving to near midfield. They would progress no further on that drive, however. Jarrett Bush picked off a pass Roethlisberger attempted to thread between two Packers defenders.

With another chance to extend their already comfortable lead, the Packers made quick work of the Steelers defense. They converted two first downs on their way to a 21-yard touchdown strike from Aaron Rodgers to Greg Jennings.

With just over two minutes left in the first half, the Steelers needed a break, or at least a quick, long drive. They started at the 23-yard line. On the first play they got a big break. Roethlisberger throw a bullet that had just enough lift to get over the outstretched arms of a Packer defender and into the hands of Antwaan Randle El for a 37-yard completion. Three plays later Roethlisberger found Hines Ward for a first down on 3rd & 10. Another big completion to Ward gave the Steelers 1st & Goal from the 8. With the kind of success he was having, Roethlisberger figured to go in the same direction once more and found Ward for a touchdown deep in the end zone.

When the Packers got the ball they called a run play that ran down the clock to half time with Green Bay leading 21-10.

After Pittsburgh shifted some of the momentum their way at the end of the first half, the Packers had a chance to take it back when they got the ball to start the second half. Green Bay hurt their cause by committing two penalties for a combined 15-yard loss. Pittsburgh then caught a bit of a lucky break when a 3rd & 5 pass from Rodgers was dropped and the Packers were forced to punt.

There was a questionable call on the punt return when a facemask was called on Green Bay. There was, however, no question about the Steelers running ability as they did nothing but run all over the Packers defense on their way to another touchdown.

Scoring another big defensive stop, the Steelers got the ball back with pretty good field position. They did a good job running the ball when they tried the ground game, but Roethlisberger passed a little more on this drive and did a decent job for a while. After the Packers defense finally locked down and forced a 3rd & 13, Roethlisberger was forced to wait for a play to develop downfield. Packers linebacker Frank Zambo had more than enough time to get to him and made the sack. Shaun Suisham was forced to kick a 52-yard field goal, which he missed badly.

With excellent field position and an 18-point lead that had dwindled down to four, the Packers needed a spark to take advantage of the opportunity. They never got one, but they did move the ball down the field a little bit and were able to score a small victory by pinning the Steelers at their own 13-yard line with a punt.

The Packers defense didn’t let Pittsburgh’s offense get past their 20-yard line and the Steelers had to punt.

After a 15-yard penalty and a three-and-out by Green Bay, the Steelers got another chance with great field position. Their drive started at Green Bay’s 41-yard line. On 2nd & 2, two Packers defenders hit Rashard Mendenhall hard. One of them was Clay Matthews, who dislodged the ball. Desmond Bishop was there to pick it up.

Green Bay took advantage of this possession as they converted a few third downs and ended the drive with a 2nd & Goal touchdown pass from Rodgers to Jennings, the second touchdown hookup for the two in the game, and the Packers took a 28-17 lead early in the 4th quarter.

With that score, the Packers had notched 21 points off Pittsburgh turnovers. This ended up being the story of the game. The Packers took care of the ball, fumbling just once on the early muffed punt, but they never turned the ball over. Meanwhile, Roethlisberger threw two interceptions and Pittsburgh lost their only fumble on the Mendenhall run and Green Bay took advantage by scoring a touchdown after each of these turnovers.

At this point the Steelers were down by 11 again. Roethlisberger led his team on a fantastic drive down field. They committed a penalty that could have really hurt them, but they got past it and capped the drive off with a 25-yard touchdown to Mike Wallace. They opted to try for two, having gone 2/2 during the regular season. The play looked dead when Roethlisberger was met by a wall of green, but he found Randle El, pitched it to him, and watched his wide receiver convert the two-point try to pull to within a field goal with about 7:30 left in regulation.

Just when it looked like the Packers next drive was about to die and the Steelers would have a chance to tie or take the lead, a huge pass to Jennings over the middle on 3rd & 10 gave the Packers just the spark they were looking for. James Starks took the handoff on the next play and picked up another first down and the Packers found themselves in field goal range. Another big pass to the back shoulder of James Jones gave the Packers 1st & goal at the 8-yard line. A couple short passes later and it was third down at the 5. Good defense by the Steelers forced the Packers to send Mason Crosby out to kick the 23-yard field goal.

Down by six with 2:07 left in the 4th quarter, the Steelers would get the ball back with only one timeout and the 2-minute warning at their disposal. The Steelers weren’t going to make it easy on themselves though. Not only did Redman not go down until after the 2:00 mark had passed, but Pittsburgh was also penalized on the play. The Steelers went into a hurry-up offense and quickly went to work on advancing the ball down field. Roethlisberger’s first two passes on the drive gave the Steelers a first down and a 5-yard gain. After throwing the ball away on 2nd & 5, Roethlisberger threw another incompletion, overthrowing Mike Wallace for the second time in the game. With only 56-seconds left, the Steelers needed to convert on 4th & 5. The pass was nearly picked off, but ruled incomplete. Regardless of the call, it was clear that the drive was over and the Packers were just a few long moments from taking home the Lombardi Trophy.

Green Bay called on Aaron Rodgers to sit on the ball two times while the rest of the players began to enjoy the moment. This is the city’s 4th Super Bowl win and 13th NFL Championship.

Early on, this game looked like it would be a blowout like so many Super Bowls have been in the past. But Pittsburgh battled back as their defense played well throughout the third quarter and Roethlisberger settled into a rhythm. The Packers offense finally got things back together in the 4th quarter and did not let the Steelers ever take the lead in the game. Though close, the Packers had this game from the beginning to the end and earned a very exciting victory. It was, as many of the championships this decade have been, a very close, exciting game.

Final Score: Green Bay – 31, Pittsburgh – 25
MVP: QB Aaron Rodger, Green Bay

Hopefully, after his performance, Aaron Rodgers will no longer be considered as being in Brett Favre’s shadow. Rodgers is a household name now, and it should now because of what he has done and not because of who’s act he followed.

In other Super Bowl related news, it is quite likely that Cowboys Stadium will not be hosting another championship game any time soon. When many fans were displaced from their seating, around 400 were left with no seating to be relocated to. Most of them were forced to use the standing room only platforms where there wasn’t nearly enough room. The NFL will be refunding them triple (each person will receive $1800-$3600 for what were tickets ranging from $600-$1200), but the fans are still unhappy that they traveled all the way to North Texas to watch the game in a bar setting, something they could have done back home.

One more note: my predictions for this game were pretty accurate. I predicted Green Bay to win 31-30 and for Rodgers to be named MVP. You can see those predictions in my “Super Bowl XLV: Predictions” post.

I hope you enjoyed the Super Bowl and, as always, thanks for reading!

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Super Bowl XLV: Prediction

Sunday, February 6, 2011
Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, TX

Pittsburgh Steelers
Green Bay Packers

It is finally here, the day sports fans have been awaiting for two weeks now, and anticipating for much longer than that.

As I have for now 11 years, I played a Super Bowl prediction game this morning on Madden. For the past four years, I have played as the team I will be rooting for (this year the Packers) in the first half and the other team in the second. Prior to that I only played as my preferred victor. I am 8-2 all-time using Madden and 2-1 when switching teams at half time.

All week I have been saying that I think the Steelers are the stronger team and so the team I think will win. Though I may still feel that way, the prediction you all will have to hold me to is my official one, which comes from this game.

It was close throughout, but I won’t go into detail since the highlights and stats, I can say with confidence, will not be anything like the real thing. But this should, in reality as in the video game, be a very good game to watch.

We are going through a really nice era in the NFL where the Super Bowl is generally a close matchup. Last year the Saints won by 14, but I consider it a close game because the Colts had a chance to tie it up late. The only reason New Orleans won by so much is because of a late pick-6. The last time a Super Bowl was decided by more than two scores was in 2003 when the Bucs smashed the Raiders, 48-21. Two years before that the Ravens crushed the Giants.

But before that, it was common for the championship game to be decided by double digits. In fact, from the 1982 Super Bowl (XVI, 49ers vs. Bengals) and the 2000 Super Bowl (XXXIV, Rams vs. Titans), only 5 ended with the losing team within 10-points on the winner.

Even if my prediction is wrong, I am hoping that the implication of a close game will hold true. That said, I will wrap up this post with my predicted score and my MVP, based on the player stats from my game.

My official prediction:

Final Score: Green Bay wins, 31-30
MVP: QB Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay

Friday, February 4, 2011

Super Bowl Week: The Weekend is Upon Us

Friday, February 4, 2010

It is officially Super Bowl Weekend and everyone is getting pumped for 6:30pm Sunday evening. For some, the Super Bowl activities will start even earlier.

I will be playing my official prediction game on Madden 11 Sunday morning and then posting my final preview early in the afternoon so keep an eye out for it. In the mean time, this will be the final preview until then. I won’t be posting tomorrow.

Steelers Center Maurkice Pouncey is officially out for the Super Bowl, as he did not practice today. Though a hit to their offensive line, the loss of Pouncey shouldn’t be too detrimental to their hopes of winning. Head Coach Mike Tomlin said it will not affect Pittsburgh’s game plan and Doug Legursky will make his first start at center and his fifth career start on the offensive line overall. He has previously started at the guard position and should be prepared to protect QB Ben Roethlisberger.

On the Packers side, Donald Driver missed practice for the second consecutive day. He sat out yesterday due to a quadriceps injury and did not practice due to the same issue again today. Head Coach Mike McCarthy says Driver sat out as a precautionary measure and that he will be shocked if Driver doesn’t play on Sunday.

The only other news out of North Texas was ice falling from the roof of Cowboys Stadium. It began falling this afternoon and six or seven people were apparently injured, six transported to a hospital. According to NFL.com, the two most seriously injured were listed as ‘stable.’ There was one possible concussion and a shoulder injury among other minor injuries. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell took time away from his CBA talks to address the issue. He said that within the next 24 hours there should be workers on the roof clearing the snow and ice so that there will be no such issues on Sunday.

Finally, 156,464 people have submitted votes on NFL.com concerning who they think will win Super Bowl XLV. The vote still stands at 53% in favor of the Packers and 47% in favor of the Steelers.

Look for my post early in the afternoon of Super Bowl Sunday. Thanks for reading and enjoy the game!

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Super Bowl Week: Just out of Reach

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

We’re so close to the Super Bowl I can hardly contain my excitement. This is without a doubt my favorite sporting even of each year, and now that we are just less than four days until the opening kickoff of Super Bowl XLV I just want it to start now. The two teams playing on Sunday, meanwhile, are in the middle of their final week of preparation for the final game of the 2010-11 NFL season.

Not much happened today, so I wasn’t sure if I would write anything. But I did say yesterday that I would so I didn’t want to just not write. Instead, I will write on the two or three updates to come out of Arlington today and then say that whether I write tomorrow will depend on what happens from now until then.

One of the biggest storylines this week in North Texas is the weather. There have been some power outages all week, though none have, or are expected to affect Cowboys Stadium. Because of the weather both teams were forced to go indoors for practice. Pittsburgh used the indoor facility at TCU while the Packers held practice at Highland Park High School’s indoor football facility. Highland Park is the alma mater of Detroit Lions QB Matthew Stafford.

Steelers Center Maurkice Pouncey took his boot off today. He has a sprained right ankle and has been in a boot for some time. Though he did take it off today and did not use crutches to get around, he did not practice. He isn’t quite ready to get on the field yet but it still holding some hope of returning. He did say, however, that if he wants to play in Sunday’s game he will need to practice by Friday but feel confident that it will happen. He set his chances of playing at about 75%.

The only other notable Super Bowl news today is a poll on NFL.com. So far 122,711 have voted on who they think will win the Super Bowl. Currently, the Packers are considered the slight favorite by fans with a 53% vote to Pittsburgh’s 47%.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Super Bowl Week: Media Day

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

I took off writing yesterday for my birthday since I couldn’t take off school or anything else, but there was no way I was going to miss the opportunity to make a few comments about Media Day down in Arlington. Unfortunately, my being in class all morning and having track obligations all afternoon kept me from seeing more than one or two guys live so you’ll see that my comments are on stuff that ended up on NFL.com.

The first video on NFL.com is of the Steelers players putting on a Troy Polamalu wig, including DE Brett Keisel who first used the wig to accentuate his beard. He was then asked how to spell “Polamalu,” and after messing up went on to say “T-R-O-Y.”

Ben Roethlisberger plans to just enjoy his time leading up the game because “you never know when it’ll be your last.” One thing that struck me during Big Ben’s time in front of the cameras is that he didn’t back down from any questions and he also didn’t take a lot of time trying to formulate a good answer. He’s been through a lot over the past year but, as he said, now isn’t the time to reflect because “it’s about this game.”

Unfortunately, the video on NFL.com for Roethlisberger’s counterpart, Packers QB Aaron Rodgers, only showed the two questions by NFLNetwork’s Deion Sanders. Despite the brevity of the video, it was long enough to tell me that Rodgers is looking forward first and foremost to the game and that he and Brett Favre have not been in communication about the game, that fact coming from a single “no” given by Rodgers to Sanders’s question.

Troy Polamalu, who was chosen as this year’s Defensive POY by the Associated Press, also had his time in front of the camera. He’s always appeared very quiet in front of the cameras when it’s not one of his Head & Shoulders ads. He was still quiet today, but he did give a little insight into his mind, specifically when he’s going in to make a hit on an opposing player. He said that there are a lot of factors but that the first thing that he thinks of is that it’ll hurt but that he’s doing it to support his family and he doesn’t “want to let his brothers down.”

Another player I had hoped to get something interesting from was James Harrison, the Steelers linebacker who has constantly been in the news around the league for being so heavily fined throughout the season. Unfortunately, as with many other players, there wasn’t a whole lot to comment on, other than his look at the end of the video after saying, “we are not trying to hit anyone hard. We don’t want to get fined.”

Though most of the players didn’t have a lot to say that I found to be so interesting that I had to comment on it, I was sure to check out the Coaches interviews.

Steelers HC Mike Tomlin:

This is the second time in four years that the Steelers, under Mike Tomlin, are in the Super Bowl. They won in their previous appearance against the Arizona Cardinals. Tomlin credited a lot of his team’s success this year to the players’ ability to make plays and not care who gets the credit. He also responded to a question from Deion Sanders about Center Maurkice Pouncey, saying that he “is not going to rule that young man out.” He said that everything Pouncey has done this year leads him to believe that Maurkice will be on that field if at all possible.

Packers HC Mike McCarthy:

In his first appearance in the Super Bowl as a head coach, McCarthy has a lot to be excited about. This is a Packers team that has had to deal with a lot of key players being listed on IR over the course of the season. No matter what happen this Sunday, they have a great shot at getting back to this point in the near future.

In the mean time, his focus is on this weekend. He said, about midway through his video, that in his previous five years the team has lacked a certain level of leadership. He mentioned not only QB Aaron Rodgers, but also CB Charles Woodson, as leaders that he feels have been cornerstones of the team’s success up to this point.

Most of the other players’ videos on NFL.com were full of clichés or just weren’t all that interesting and so aren’t worth my dragging on this already fairly long post.

For anything else, as always just check NFL.com, they have a lot more than I have time to post without losing interest from you. One thing that you may or may not be interested in was a video with Chad Ochocinco, which doesn’t really belong in this post but gives some insight into the Cincinnati Bengals organization. If you are interested, here is the link:

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-super-bowl/09000d5d81e0b1d1/Ochocinco-at-XLV?module=HP_video

I’ll be back tomorrow with some more Super Bowl week updates.