In Depth 2015: Washington Redskins

by | Mar 6, 2015 | 2014 season, 2015 season, NFL Draft, NFL Free Agency, NFL Random Thoughts

In 2012, Robert Griffin III took the league by storm, leading Washington to the NFC East crown and giving fans hopein-depth that a long drought was over. But at the end of that season he shredded his knee and his performance has not yet recovered.

The Redskins are 7-25 in the last two seasons and there’s been little to cheer about in the nation’s Capitol.

So what will it take to turn things around? Mike Harar, editor of Hogs Haven, shares his thoughts.

Zoneblitz: The team improved from 3-13 to 4-12 last year under Jay Gruden, but still showed a lot of question marks on both sides of the ball. What was your assessment of the 2014 season? (more…)

In Depth 2015: Oakland Raiders

by | Mar 4, 2015 | 2014 season, 2015 season, NFL Draft, NFL Free Agency, NFL Random Thoughts

Oakland got off to a terrible start in 2014 … again. The Raiders fired their coach … in-depthagain. And the season ended like all the other ones have since 2002 – with this team’s players watching the playoffs from their living rooms.

But 2014 may have brought a couple hints of hope. Derek Carr was far from flawless as the team’s rookie second round pick from Fresno State, but he showed enough promise to indicate he could be a step up over what Oakland has been running out there for more than a decade. And Kahlil Mack, the first round linebacker, took the defense by storm.

There’s a long road ahead. But could the Raiders be righting the ship? Levi Damien, editor of Silver & Black Pride, shared his thoughts on what’s ahead in Oakland.

Zoneblitz: The Raiders started 0-10, went through two coaches and again finished well out of the playoffs, but also finished 3-3 and fought in many games. How would you assess the 2014 season? (more…)

In Depth 2015: Jacksonville Jaguars

by | Mar 2, 2015 | 2014 season, 2015 season, NFL Draft, NFL Free Agency, NFL Random Thoughts

The Jacksonville Jaguars have lost double-digit games the last four seasons and five of the last seven. They’ve won just nine games in three seasons and have not made the playoffs since after the 2007 season.

That said, the 3-13 campaign in 2014 may at least provide some hope for the future. This team is still quite a ways in-depthfrom a complete turnaround, but the coach/QB tandem of Gus Bradley and Blake Bortles, coupled with some young, hustling defenders and intriguing talents like Denard Robinson mean this squad may at least finally be pointed in the right direction.

How far off are they? Luke Sims, an editor with the Black & Teal, shared his thoughts.

Zoneblitz: The Jaguars followed a 4-12 season with a 3-13 campaign in 2014. In 2013 there were signs, at times, of a positive direction – how would you assess the 2014 season? (more…)

In Depth 2015: Tennessee Titans

by | Feb 27, 2015 | 2014 season, 2015 season, NFL Draft, NFL Free Agency, NFL Random Thoughts

Ken Whisenhunt inherited a bit of a mess when he took over the Tennessee Titans in 2014, so maybe a rough seasonin-depth was not a surprise. But QB injuries, subpar offensive line play and almost everything else went off the rails for Tennessee last season.

The result was a 2-14 record and the second pick in the draft.

So how does this team start picking up the pieces in an effort to again become relevant?

Jimmy Morris, editor in chief of the Music City Miracles blog, shares his thoughts on what went wrong and what needs to happen to spur a turnaround.

Zoneblitz: The Titans went from seven wins to two, albeit with a new coach. What’s your assessment of the 2014 season? (more…)

In Depth 2015: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

by | Feb 25, 2015 | 2014 season, 2015 season, NFL Draft, NFL Free Agency, NFL Random Thoughts

Tampa Bay started the 2014 season seen as a sleeper playoff team by some, including Tony on this site. But things in-depthunraveled quickly – and more brutally in Lovie Smith’s first season as head coach than even the most pessimistic could have expected.

So what went wrong? And what does it take to get the ship heading in the right direction again? Nick Houllis, a Bucs historian and editor of the fan blog BucStop.com, joined us to share some thoughts. Here’s what he had to say.

Zoneblitz: This is a team some saw as a sleeper playoff contender in 2014 – while those expectations may have been too high, what happened that led to a 2-14 season?

Houllis: You can wrap up everything in a nutshell with two words. JEFF TEDFORD. (more…)