The St. Louis Rams finished fourth in the NFC West in 2013, but that’s not as bad as it might sound. Despite sharing the division with San Francisco, Seattle and Arizona, the Rams finished 7-9 – despite losing QB Sam Bradford early in the season to a torn ACL.
The Rams have shown steady potential since Jeff Fisher took over as head coach two seasons ago and, with two picks in the first round of the upcoming draft, the team has the chance to add two more top-notch pieces to a solid and growing core.
So how far are the Rams from making their own leap from scrap heap to contender? Blaine Grisak, co-editor of Ramblin’ Fan, says this team isn’t far from joining the rest of its division mates and making that very push.
Zoneblitz: The Rams finished 7-9 in probably the toughest division in football. How would you assess the season? (more…)
The 2013 New York Giants entered the season with high hopes and a division that was ripe for the taking. But then an 0-6 start effectively knocked them out of the running for the postseason before the campaign was halfway home.
So what went wrong? How did this proud organization miscalculate its standing so badly? And what do the Giants have to do to get back on track in a 2014 NFC East that most would likely still say has no obvious dominant team?
Ed Valentine, editor in chief of the Big Blue View, joined us to share some thoughts on what went wrong and what fixes are needed in the year ahead. Here’s what he had to say:
Zoneblitz: The Giants started 0-6, then rebounded to finish 7-9. How would you assess the 2013 season? (more…)
The Tennessee Titans missed the playoffs with a 7-9 record, but that result could easily have been flipped. The Titans lost six games by eight or fewer points with two of them coming in overtime.
The sub-.500 season cost Mike Munchak his job, however, and the Titans are a team in transition. Ken Whisenhunt has arrived in town and brought with him Ray Horton as his defensive coordinator. And the team already has been active on the free agent market. But one of the big questions remains whether or not Jake Locker is the QB of the future.
Can Locker and Whisenhunt take this team to the next level? Or will 2014 be Locker’s last in town before the new coach brings in his own guy? And just how far is this team from making a playoff push?
Joshua Huffman, editor of Titan Sized, shared his thoughts. Here’s what he had to say:
Zoneblitz: Tennessee went 7-9, but lost two overtime games and six by eight or fewer points. What’s your assessment of the season? (more…)
Aaron Rodgers was hurt, the Chicago Bears were hemorrhaging, the Vikings were a mess and Detroit was in first placein the NFC North at 6-3 with seven games left in the 2013 season. Then the wheels fell off. A team that looked like it had the chance to make a decent run in the playoffs lost six of seven to close the season, losing out on the division title and the post-season, and costing Jim Schwartz his job.
So what happened? And how can a team that has stockpiled as much talent as the Lions have finally break through and take the next step? Zac Snyder, editor of SideLion Report, shares his thoughts on where Detroit stands and where the team can go from here.
Zoneblitz: About midway through 2013 Detroit looked like it had the inside track on the NFC North. Then the Lions collapsed. What happened and how would you assess the season? (more…)
Three of the earliest free agent defections Tuesday afternoon were left tackles and they all could have ramifications on the fantasy prospects of several new teammates.
The big signing was in Arizona, where the Cardinals signed Jared Veldheer. Veldheer isn’t well known, having played for some of the more inept Oakland Raiders teams in recent years. But he was ranked among the top players at his position – this SB Nation list had him second, but personally I like him better than Branden Albert, the guy they ranked first.
Anyway, after years of struggling along the offensive line, Arizona is expected to pair Veldheer with Jonathan Cooper, the first-round rookie in 2013 who missed the season with a broken leg. If Cooper recovers, Arizona could suddenly have the makings of an average to above average line.
It’s hard to see the Cardinals turning the entirety of its run game over to Andre Ellington in 2014. But the rookie did surprise in 2013 with 1,023 total yards rushing and receiving and four TDs last year. His prospects go up with two-fifths of an offensive line coming together, even if he does share time with someone like Stepfan Taylor or a draft pick. (more…)
division with San Francisco, Seattle and Arizona, the Rams finished 7-9 – despite losing QB Sam Bradford early in the season to a torn ACL.
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@Brian - I don't think the Vikings lowballed Darnold as much as told him up front "We'd love you back,…
100% agreed Paul with what you said and BTW appreciate the clarification on plunkett
I don't think we bring up Plunkett that often but Raiders fans online certainly do! LOL Winning SBs is a…
Good Enough answer for me Brian i can see the logic behind your use of plunkett in certain cases, Your…
Haha ... messing with Paul. Because winners always get discussed for the HOF, Robert. It helped get Warner and eventually,…