Nobody has had a weirder offseason so far than the Cleveland Browns. The drama started just hours after the season ended, when head coach Rob Chudzinski, having just finished his first season at the helm, received his walking papers.
Then, following a highly ridiculed search that ended up netting Mike Pettine as Chudzinski’s replacement, the duo that ran the search got axed by owner Jimmy Haslam.
But maybe things aren’t as bad as they seem? Peter Smith, editor of Dawg Pound Daily says in Cleveland the removal of Joe Banner and Mike Lombardi was met positively by the fan base. Smith joined Zoneblitz to talk about the front office upheaval and how the Browns look heading into the 2014 season. Here’s what he had to say.
Zoneblitz: Cleveland finished 4-12, but there were signs of life on both offense and defense in 2013. What is your overall assessment of the 2013 season? (more…)
The Jacksonville Jaguars have not won more than five games in a season since 2010, nor have they made the playoffs since 2007. The 2013 season, the team’s first under new coach Gus Bradley, snowballed early, as the team got off to an 0-8 start.
But what the Jaguars lacked in talent, the team made up for in persistence. The Jags won four of five to start the second half of 2013 before losing the last three. This team still has some gaping holes, most notably the absence of a long-term answer at quarterback. But the 4-4 finish lends hope that the team has the right leadership in place to start heading in a positive direction.
Shane Clemons, head writer for The Jaggernaut, stopped in to offer his thoughts on the season just finished and the work that needs to be done for a 2014 turnaround.
Zoneblitz: Jacksonville got off to a brutal 0-8 start but improved to 4-4 in the second half of the season. What’s your assessment of 2013? (more…)
solid as they come. Not everyone I would have picked myself got in, but none of the people who did were borderline cases, at least in my eyes.
Voters knocked several of the most deserving players off the list, meaning predicting the finalists and then the class of 2015 might be slightly tougher this year.
As we did last year (when we actually hit 14 of 15 finalists), we’ll start by picking a final 15.
The first 10 players should be fairly easy. Look at who made last year’s list who were not ultimately enshrined in the Hall. They were Morten Andersen, Jerome Bettis, Tim Brown, Edward DeBartolo Jr., Tony Dungy, Kevin Greene, Charles Haley, Marvin Harrison, John Lynch and Will Shields.
That’s 10 of 15 spots. Those guys are really pretty easy. They won’t likely all make the Hall, but there are legitimate cases for all of them and there aren’t any legitimate reasons for them to fall out of favor.
Then you’ve got first-year candidates. The eight biggest names, as I see it, whose clocks start in 2014 are QB Kurt Warner, RB Edgerrin James, WRs Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce, T Orlando Pace, C Kevin Mawae, CB Ty Law and LB Junior Seau.
There will be discussion, I believe, on three as potential first-ballot HOFers: Warner, Pace and Seau. I think Holt and his seven Pro Bowls could legitimately find his way into the semifinalist list of 25, but I think he ranks a distant third behind the holdover receivers Tim Brown and Marvin Harrison among the crop of those eligible at the position. (more…)
For much of 2012, Washington Redskins fans probably figured things were finally headed in the right direction, after rookie QB Robert Griffin III had a tremendous season in leading the team to a playoff berth for the first time since 2007. But a torn up knee suffered in Washington’s wild card loss meant rehab took up an offseason that otherwise could have been spent building further wrinkles into the team’s offense.
As the 2013 season got underway, several things became clear. Griffin was not the same player he was as a rookie. And his relationship with coach Mike Shanahan was not progressing either. The team got off to a rough start and never fully recovered, ending the season dead last in a weak NFC East.
After the season, Shanahan was fired, replaced by Jay Gruden. Griffin is clearly “the guy,” but the team needs to put some pieces in place around him – and must do so without its first round pick, having sent it to St. Louis as part of the trade that allowed Washington to acquire its franchise QB.
So where does Washington go from here? Kevin Ewoldt, managing editor of Hogs Haven, shared his reflections on 2013 and hopes for the year ahead.
Zoneblitz: After a positive 2012 season that ended with a playoff berth, 2013 went in the other direction. What happened? (more…)
The Houston Texans entered the 2013 season riding high hopes off of two postseason appearances. Some called them one of the top contenders to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. They looked the part for two weeks, with wins over San Diego and Tennessee. Then QB play went south and the wheels fell off, resulting in a 14 game losing streak to end the season.
So, change is rampant. Gary Kubiak is out, Gary O’Brien heads south from Penn State to replace him. The QB position is in flux and aging superstars Arian Foster and Andre Johnson are enduring more upheaval as they head into the twilights of their respective careers.
So what do the Texans have to do to get back on track? Patrick Starr, owner and editor of the blog State of the Texans, joined us and shared his thoughts.
Zoneblitz: Houston went from 12-4 to 2-14. What happened? (more…)
ended, when head coach Rob Chudzinski, having just finished his first season at the helm, received his walking papers.
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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,…