2013 Offseason Update, Week 19

Leach has moved quickly since being cut by the Ravens, visiting the
Miami Dolphins early in the week. He has also been linked to
Kansas City and Denver. Photo credit to ESPN.

We’re now seven weeks from Preseason. Also, Tebow-mania picked up a bit this week when he signed a two-year deal with New England, one that includes no guaranteed money.

Ravens Lose Major Piece

I’ve written about a possible opening for the Dolphins in the AFC East with the Patriots lack of experience at receiver, and about the important year Jake Locker and the Titans have in the AFC South.

Meanwhile, in the AFC North, the release of Vonta Leach could give the Bengals an even better chance to win the division than I already thought. These days, we rarely see impact players at fullback who have the ability to influence the outcome of games.

Leach is the exception to the rule. He can run the ball in more than just short-yardage situations, the can catch it out of the backfield, and he’s a solid blocker on both run and pass plays. With an offensive lines that already can be suspect at times, letting go of Leach is going to come back to bite Baltimore. I can it costing the Ravens up to two games this season, which should allow Cincinnati to win the division comfortably.

Austin Collie Working Out

After more concussions than even I can remember, Austin Collie, the former Indianapolis Colt, is trying to keep his NFL career afloat. He worked out for the Patriots on Wednesday and the 49ers on Thursday. Both teams are in dire need of experienced receivers. The Patriots only have a couple active receivers with solid NFL experience and the 49ers are looking someone to offset the loss of Michael Crabtree. San Francisco signed another receiver recently, Brandon Carswell, but he suffered a torn ACL.

Lombardi Turns 100

Vince Lombardi, one of the greatest coaches in NFL history and also one of the most quoted sports figures, would have turned 100 last Tuesday. To honor him, I’d like to share my Top 10 favorite Lombardi quotes.

10. “Some of us will do our jobs well and some will not, but we will all be judged on one thing: the result.”

9. “Success is like anything worthwhile. It has a price. You have to pay the price to win and you have to pay the price to get to the point where success is possible. Most important, you must pay the price to stay there.”

8. “If it doesn’t matter who wins or loses, then why do they keep score?”

7. “The difference between a successful person an others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.”

6. “Winning is not everything – but making the effort to win is.”

5a. “The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender.”

5b. “Once your learn to quit, it becomes a habit.”

4. “The good Lord gave you a body that can stand most anything. It’s your mind you have to convince.”

3. “Winning is not a sometime thing, it is an all the time thing. You don’t do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time.”

2. “Perfection is not attainable. But if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.”

1. “Watch your thoughts, they become your beliefs. Watch your beliefs, they become your words. Watch your words, they become your actions. What your actions, they become your habits. Watch your habits, they become your character.”

If I am missing anything important, or if you just want to hear my thoughts on any other offseason news from the past week, feel free to contact me via my Twitter account, @cpuffnfl.

2013 Offseason Needs: AFC North

This week and next, between Tuesday and Friday, I am going through the NFL division-by-division, writing about what each team needs to address this offseason. Yesterday I covered the bases in the AFC East, today I move on to the AFC North. I will talk about the Alex Smith trade on Friday when I cover the AFC West.

I won’t pretend to know every detail of what each team needs, but am open to comments from those who may know better what their teams need.

Baltimore Ravens

Jim Caldwell will stay on as offensive coordinator in 2013, so we will get a chance to analyze whether it really was the combination of him and Joe Flacco that led to so much offensive success in the playoffs. I still think it was just the fates of Ray Lewis, but that’s just my theory.

Joe Flacco is demanding big money, and no matter what his agent says, Tom Brady taking less than half of what Flacco is asking in his new deal affects what the Ravens will be willing to pay Joe Cool.

Not to mention, if Flacco gets the money he wants, they will lose some key pieces. With the fire of their defense gone, they need as many of their guys back as possible, but among the guys they could lose, Ed Reed, Paul Kruger, Dannell Ellerbe and Cary Williams stand out.

Anquan Boldin has already said he won’t play for another team, but that doesn’t mean he’ll play next year if the Ravens can’t afford him.

Ravens fans can hound me all they want for saying this, but what the Ravens need this offseason is consistency from what they had this past season. They need to keep as many of their players as possible, they need to add a talented young linebacker and one more wide receivers and add a little depth elsewhere. But the only way they can do that is if Flacco backs off and takes a little less money than what he’s asking.

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals should be pretty content right? They are coming off consecutive winning seasons for the first time in three decades, right? So let’s move on.

Of course I’m kidding. I’m just sick of people always having to bring this kind of stuff up whenever they write about the team’s previous season. Seriously, as I researched what the Bengals need this offseason, every single article I read included some mention of that milestone. This is not the same team that it was 30 years ago, so stop being so impressed!

On to the Bengals, their defense really came along during the latter part of the season. Depth is what they really need on that side of the ball.

On offense, the Bengals have a very good running back in BenJarvus Green-Ellis but they don’t really have a good second guy to go to. Green-Ellis is used to being the workhorse, but with how short the average running back’s NFL career is, how many more years can that be the case?

Cincinnati also has one of the best receivers in the NFL in A.J. Green. Dalton was able to get it done this year with very little depth at the position but the Bengals will never get over the hump if they don’t get Green a right-hand man.

Cleveland Browns

The Browns have a new coaching staff and it is unlikely that Brandon Weeden will be the only quarterback they go through training camp expecting with who is expecting to start. I really like what they have with Greg Little, Josh Gordon, and Trent Richardson on offense.

On defense, there really isn’t much of anything that I like. The Browns have a lot of cap space, about $40 million. They haven’t been using that space the past couple years; maybe this is the year they try to get some actual talent.

Beyond that, the only thing I like about the Browns is Phil Dawson. They better make a serious splash in free agency and in the draft. I don’t see anything good coming out of Cleveland in 2013 if they don’t make some serious moves this offseason.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Mike Wallace is unlikely to return, and with Jonathan Dwyer turning heads this season, Rashard Mendenhall may not be back either.

The Steelers have a talented team. I never really understood why they weren’t able to win games. Yes, Ben Roethlisberger spent several weeks injured, but they’ve found ways to win when he’s hurt before. The only thing I’ve come up with is that they are lacking in depth across the board.

I’m not saying they don’t have good backups, but they have a lot of backups who aren’t really worth having who are eating up roster space that would be much better occupied by other guys. I’m not really sure what Pittsburgh needs, but they don’t have much cap space so expect them to part ways with a lot of players to make room for better depth.

Tomorrow I will go through the AFC South, looking at each team’s offseason outlook just like I did for the AFC North today. Keep up with new posts as I publish them by ‘liking’ my Facebook page and by following me on Twitter, @cpuffnfl.

Also, tune in to WMUC Sports Radio at 7pm today as I co-host The All-Sports Crew. We'll cover hockey, basketball, baseball and some offseason NFL news, as well.

2012 Season in Review, Last 8 Weeks

The tandem of rookies RG3 (10) and Alfred Morris (46) is the
basis of everything the Redskins do on offense.
Photo credit to NY Daily News.

Yesterday, I reviewed the first nine weeks of the regular season. So today, naturally, I am looking back at the second half of the regular season, which was very different for many teams and all too similar for others. My predictions for this weekend will come tonight on The All-Sports Crew’s blog and in each of my Wild-Card previews, which will start coming out tomorrow.

These are the NFL standings for the final 8 weeks of the regular season:

AFC East	AFC North	AFC South	AFC West
1. NE (7-1)	1. CIN (5-3)	1. IND (6-2)	1. DEN (8-0)
T-2. MIA (3-5)	2. BAL (4-4)	2. HOU (5-3)	2. SD (3-5)
T-2. NYJ (3-5)	3. CLE (3-4)	3. TEN (3-4)	T-3. OAK (1-7)
T-2. BUF (3-5)	4. PIT (3-5)	4. JAC (1-7)	T-3. KC (1-7)
NFC East	NFC North	NFC South	NFC West
1. WAS (7-0)	T-1. GB (5-2)	T-1. ATL (5-3)	1. SEA (6-1)
2. DAL (5-3)	T-1. MIN (5-2)	T-1. CAR (5-3)	2. SF (5-2-1)
3. NYG (3-4)	3. CHI (3-5)	3. NO (4-4)	3. StL (4-3-1)
4. PHI (1-7)	4. DET (0-8)	4. TB (3-5)	4. ARI (1-6)

Of course the talk of the NFL in the second half of the season was the Redskins entering their bye week 3-6, voting Robert Griffin III a captain when they returned, and then going on to win their final 7 games to clinch the NFC East for the first time since 1999. Hidden in the shadow was the Colts’ run to nearly take back the AFC South and Cincinnati doing the same in the AFC North.

AFC East

The Bills had a decent offense, but their defense was atrocious. Ryan Tannehill did not carry his momentum into the second half of the season and the Jets were at the mercy of Mark Sanchez. The Patriots didn’t need to win 7 of their last 8 to run away with this division, but they did and now hold the AFC’s #2 seed.

AFC North

Baltimore seemed hot in the second half of the season, winning their first three games. They’ve dropped 4 of 5 now and only a win against the reeling Giants kept the Bengals from claiming the division. An injury to Ben Roethlisberger hurt Pittsburgh more than some people want to admit.

AFC South

Houston struggled late and Indy didn’t, allowing the Colts to come within a Week 15 loss in Houston of winning the AFC South. Jacksonville repeated their first-half record and the Titans struggled despite Chris Johnson getting into a groove and Jake Locker putting up big numbers in several games.

AFC West

The Broncos had an easy schedule but never let an opponent give them a serious scare as they rolled through the competition. The question for them is whether the lack of competition will hurt them in the postseason. San Diego only had the second best record during the second half because their competition was Oakland and Kansas City.

NFC East

The Giants suffered their typical late-season collapse and for once there was a team there to take advantage. In fact, there were two teams. The Redskins, as I mentioned, never lost in the second half of the season. The Cowboys made a late run at a division title but came up short in Week 17 against Washington. Philly has won just one game since the Phillies last victory and Andy Reid was fired the day after the regular season ended.

NFC North

Green Bay and Minnesota went neck-and-neck for the NFC North title and Green Bay held off the Vikings, despite losing to them in Week 17. Chicago, as I said early, was a product of an easy schedule. They lost to the good teams they faced in the second half.

NFC South

Carolina, as they did last year, picked it up in the second half. The hole was too deep for them, but they had the same record as the Falcons. If they can put things together for a full season, 2013 could be a scary year in the NFC South.

NFC West

Seattle scored over 170 points in their final four games – 150 points between Weeks 14, 15 and 16. They make fans of every other team nervous. The only thing that gives other teams’ fans a little relief is that they won’t be able to host a playoff game unless they play the Vikings in the NFC Championship. San Francisco held them off the division championship by virtue of a tie against the Rams.

2012 Season in Review, First 9 Weeks

The 'Monday Night Fiasco' finally put an end to the NFL's
replacement officials. Photo credit to CBS Chicago.

Happy New Year, everyone! To kick off 2013, I am reviewing the 2012 regular season. Today I will cover the first nine weeks and tomorrow I will review the last eight weeks of the season. My predictions for this weekend will come Wednesday on The All-Sports Crew’s blog and in each of my Wild-Card previews, which will start coming out Thursday.

Heading into Week 10, these were the standings in the NFL:

AFC East	AFC North	AFC South	AFC West
1. NE (5-3)	1. BAL (6-2)	1. HOU (7-1)	1. DEN (5-3)
2. MIA (4-4)	2. PIT (5-3)	2. IND (5-3)	2. SD (4-4)
T-3. NYJ (3-5)	3. CIN (3-5)	3. TEN (3-6)	3. OAK (3-5)
T-3. BUF (3-5)	4. CLE (2-7)	4. JAC (1-7)	4. KC (1-7)
NFC East	NFC North	NFC South	NFC West
1. NYG (6-3)	1. CHI (7-1)	1. ATL (8-0)	1. SF (6-2)
T-2. DAL (3-5)	2. GB (6-3)	2. TB (4-4)	2. SEA (5-4)
T-2. PHI (3-5)	3. MIN (5-4)	3. NO (3-5)	3. ARI (4-5)
4. WAS (3-6)	4. DET (4-4)	4. CAR (2-6)	4. StL (3-5)

It seemed clear at the time that Atlanta and Houston were a close one-two in the NFL. Houston had picked up right where they left off when Matt Schaub got hurt in 2011 and the Falcons were flat-out winning, even if some games were closer than they should have been.

AFC East

The Patriots had suffered a few tough losses, and they didn’t have a feel of consistency to them. They seemed to be in line to win the division, but mostly on the merit of everyone else in the division being bad. Down in Miami, Ryan Tannehill was turning heads with pretty rapid improvement through the first several weeks.

AFC North

Baltimore kicked off the season with a big win over Cincinnati in which they showcased a very efficient hurry-up offense. Things settled down for them after that game but they kept control of the division early. Cincinnati started the season slow but Andy Dalton and A.J. Green were starting to make their offense look like a serious contender.

AFC South

Houston, as I mentioned, was considered one of the league’s best teams. Losing Brian Cushing seemed not to hurt as much as we thought it would, thanks mostly to J.J. Watt’s phenomenal play. Indianapolis, meanwhile, was in the middle of a CHUCKSTRONG campaign to win games for Coach Pagano, who was away from the team receiving treatment for leukemia.

AFC West

San Diego controlled the division early on, but a memorable second-half collapse handed the division on a silver platter to Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos, allowing Denver to lead the division with the hard part of their schedule completely out of the way.

NFC East

The Giants struggled in their season opener against Dallas, becoming the first defending Super Bowl champs to lose the NFL Kickoff Game. Dallas cooled off after that game and New York caught fire, winning six of their next eight.

NFC North

Chicago was rolling through the first half of their schedule, mostly due to a weak schedule. Their only loss was to Green Bay and they hadn’t played another good opponent otherwise. The Packers, meanwhile, were hot and cold early one but seemed to be on the rise. The Vikings were the surprise of the NFL. Adrian Peterson hadn’t been noticed as much as Christian Ponder as the second-year quarterback was playing excellent ball in the early part of the season.

NFC South

Atlanta was running away with the division and was the only undefeated team left after Week 9. Tampa Bay seemed to be picking things up and a young man named Doug Martin seemed to be inserting his name in Rookie of the Year discussions while Josh Freeman was throwing for 300+ yards seemingly every game. New Orleans was suffering the effects of having their head coach, and their interim head coach, on top of a few players, suspended.

NFC West

The 49ers had suffered a few letdowns but still seemed to be a close second to the Falcons in the conference. Seattle seemed more of a pretender than anything with a home win over New England in a game when Tom Brady played awful and of course the infamous ‘Monday Night Fiasco’ against Green Bay.

Replacement Refs

The first three weeks were dominated by talk of how poor a job the replacement officials were doing. We may have been a little too hard on them and not hard enough on the league for not getting a deal done with the officials’ union, but it was pretty bad and it all culminated on that Monday Night game between Seattle and Green Bay. Thankfully the madness ended within a couple days of that game and we the real refs were back from Week 4 on.

Bounty Scandal

The New Orleans Saints had to deal with a lot with the NFL’s crackdown on their bounty system, which we still don’t really seem to have concrete evidence of. They lost the first several games of the season, including an overtime loss to Kansas City, who never led during regulation of any game in the first half of the season.

Rookie Quarterbacks

With five rookies starting under center in Week 1, an NFL record was set. Never had so many rookies been named the starter of their team to kick off a season. Robert Griffin III, the 2011 Heisman Trophy Winner, was starting in Washington and quickly made the Redskins into one of the best rushing teams and one of the highest scoring offenses in the league. Andrew Luck was not very efficient, but always seemed to come through in the clutch in Indy. Russell Wilson pissed a lot of people off against Green Bay on Monday Night when he threw the winning interception for Seattle. Ryan Tannehill showed improvement early in the season for Miami and Brandon Weeden was doing the same in Cleveland.

2012 Week 17 Preview: Bengals vs Ravens

The Bengals look to avenge their Week 1 loss while
the Ravens hope to move up in the AFC playoff seeding.
Photo credit to WhoDeyFans.

The AFC playoffs are set as far as who is in and who is out. The Bengals are in. The Ravens are in. The Bengals are locked into the 6^th seed and the Ravens are very unlikely to move up from their #4 seed.

After a four-game win streak after their bye week, Baltimore lost three straight – to Pittsburgh, Washington and Denver – and then handily beat the New York Giants at home last Sunday, 34-17.

Looking at the teams they’ve played this season, a big thing stands out to me. They have struggled against teams with solid rushing attacks. They’ve beaten a few of them, but not without trouble. Though Ray Lewis has been taken off IR, he will not play this week and so they’ll be another week before I trust them to stop a back like BenJarvus Green-Ellis.

Cincinnati has come a long way since that Week 1 Monday night loss to Baltimore in which I jumped the gun and said Joe Flacco was a top-tier quarterback with the way he ran the hurry-up offense. The 44-13 final score is no doubt something that will drive the Bengals through practices this week.

Even though they aren’t playing for playoff positioning, they are playing for pride, and Marvin Lewis made it clear this week that he wants Cincinnati to be mentioned in the same breath with Baltimore and Pittsburgh when we look at AFC North teams. He knows the way to do that is to back up last week’s win over the Steelers with a win this week against the Ravens.

If you listened to The All-Sports Crew on WMUC Sports last night, or if you checked my predictions post I put up yesterday evening, you know I picked the Bengals to win this game. I think Cincinnati is a more complete team right now.

Andy Dalton has struggled at times, but he has really stepped up in crunch time this season. He has a running back in BenJarvus Green-Ellis who only had one particularly good year in four with New England but has found a home, and his mojo, in Cincinnati. Perhaps only slightly more importantly, Dalton has a terrific receiver in A.J. Green who is young, incredibly athletic and talented, and is already drawing comparisons to Calvin Johnson, which I tend to have trouble arguing against.

On defense, Cincinnati is 8^th in points allowed per game (slightly better than Baltimore) and 6^th in yards allowed per game (much better than Baltimore’s ranking of 20^th). Additionally, Cincinnati is one of the least penalized teams on defense in the NFL. Geno Atkins has been terrific all year, and his efforts have been rewarded with a Pro Bowl bid. Leon Hall and Terrence Newman have been great on the corners, and they have a great linebacker corps.

To top that all off, Cincinnati is at home. If Baltimore is going to win this game, Joe Flacco is going to need to kill his ego and let them center the game plan on Ray Rice.

Puff’s Pick: Cincinnati Bengals over Baltimore Ravens