No need for Rice – let the Crow fly

by | Aug 12, 2015 | 2015 season, NFL Random Thoughts

Cleveland has reportedly emerged as a possible landing place for embattled RB Ray Rice. I don’t think they need him.

The answer to the Browns’ running woes is on the roster now just as he was last year. Will someone please tell Mike Pettine to free Isaiah Crowell?

I know Crowell comes with some baggage. I also know he had some fumbling issues that got him in hot water with the coaching staff.

But he’s got some burst – far more than Rice showed in 2013, his last year with Baltimore. That year, Rice put up 660 yards on 214 carries – a 3.1 yards per carry average. Maybe a year away has done him some good. But … for a young, growing team, Crowell remains a better fit.

Let’s look at the 2014 season, during which it was clear to most outsiders that he was the best runner on the team, despite being constantly rotated with Terrance West and Ben Tate.

Here are the stats for six games out of a seven game stretch toward the end of the season during which Crowell finally got to touch the ball at least 12 times: (more…)

Buy or Sell: Le’Veon Bell

by | Jul 31, 2015 | Fantasy Football

Le’Veon Bell
ADP: 4.2
RB: 3buying-selling

Le’Veon Bell was a monster in 2014, rushing for 1,361 yards and contributing another 854 through the air while totaling 11 scores.

He’ll miss the first two games of the season for conduct issues, though that was reduced this week from three. According to ESPN, however, the forced sideline time has not dramatically affected his average draft position.

He’s still the third-ranked RB coming off boards and is going at an average of 4.2 overall. Is he worth it?

Buy: Andy (more…)

In Depth 2015: New England Patriots

by | Jun 26, 2015 | 2014 season, 2015 season, NFL Draft, NFL Free Agency, NFL Random Thoughts

Tom Brady and the Patriots were just 2-2 after four games and the defense had given up 33 and 41 points in the two in-depthlosses. But after a 41-14 loss against Kansas City on a Monday night, during which Brady’s critics were ready to declare his career done, New England caught fire.

The Patriots plowed through the last 12 games, going 10-2 – with one of those losses being a meaningless finale against Buffalo. The season culminated in the team’s fourth Super Bowl championship, won in amazing fashion when New England’s defense intercepted a pass at the goal line with less than a minute left in the game.

But the offseason has been a bit tumultuous, with free agency losses and DeflateGate. Was this the end of the run for the Brady/Bill Belichick dynasty? Or will the Patriots again rally around an Us vs. The World philosophy, while pushing forward with yet another Super Bowl run? Richard Hill, managing editor of Pats Pulpit, shares his thoughts.

Zoneblitz: The Patriots took home another Lombardi Trophy last year – what went right and how would you assess the season? (more…)

In Depth 2015: Seattle Seahawks

by | Jun 24, 2015 | 2014 season, 2015 season, NFL Draft, NFL Free Agency, NFL Random Thoughts

Seattle looked to have it made. The defending champs were one yard away from taking the lead from New England in-depthwith less than a minute left in the Super Bowl and there was little doubt the Seahawks were about to have their repeat.

Then the interception happened, saving the Patriots and sending Seattle home disappointed.

The Seahawks have spent the offseason retooling at a few positions, particularly in the secondary, the offensive line and at tight end, where Jimmy Graham arrived in a trade for center Max Unger. So can the Seahawks put the disappointment behind them and make another run at the Lombardi Trophy? Or does the last-second letdown linger, creating an opportunity for someone else to jump in and take the NFC’s spot in the Super Bowl? Keith Myers, an editor with 12th Man Rising, shared some thoughts.

Zoneblitz: Seattle was one yard away from a second straight Lombardi Trophy, but lost in stunning fashion. Looking back now, how do you assess the season? (more…)

In Depth 2015: Green Bay Packers

by | Jun 15, 2015 | 2014 season, 2015 season, NFL Draft, NFL Free Agency, NFL Random Thoughts

The 2014 season came to a brutal end for Green Bay Packers fans, who watched in horror as the team was on the in-depthwrong end of one of the best comebacks in NFL postseason history. But the loss to Seattle couldn’t dampen the exciting run that got them to the NFC Championship.

An elite offense coupled with an improving defense to run roughshod over most of the league for the final three-quarters of the regular season. And much of the core is back. So can the Packers make another run into the deep postseason? Or will a hangover from 2014’s rough ending scuttle any chance of a repeat run? Ray Rivard, editor of Lambeau Ave., shares his thoughts.

Zoneblitz: Green Bay rolled through the regular season and into the NFC Championship game where everything was going right until the last minutes when the Super Bowl slipped away. How would you assess the season? (more…)