In Depth 2014: Atlanta Falcons

by | Feb 28, 2014 | 2013 season, 2014 season, NFL Draft, NFL Free Agency, NFL Random Thoughts

Just a year after nearly going to the Super Bowl, the Atlanta Falcons were one of the favorites to again make a deep run in-depthin the playoffs. Instead, Atlanta is picking sixth in the NFL draft after one of the most disappointing seasons in recent memory.

Was it injuries that set the Falcons astray? Or is this an aging team with salary cap issues on a downward slide? Two bloggers shared their thoughts on what went wrong in 2013 and what the team has to do to fix things in 2014. Here’s what Ben Sullivan, editor of Blogging Dirty, and Aaron Freeman, founder of FalcFans.com have to say.

Zoneblitz: A year off the NFC Championship game the Falcons took a huge step back in 2013. How would you assess the season and where it went wrong?

Sullivan: In one word, awful. The Falcons struggled on all three phases of the game, including special teams. The team is built around the offense, but injuries and poor offensive line play left them with a stagnant offense. I think the success they had recently left them with some blinders on when it came to the holes in the team. Sometimes you need a kick in the teeth to really take a harsh look at your own house, and last year was just that for them.

Freeman: It was a combination of injuries and other factors. Simply put three of the team’s top 5 players: Julio Jones, Roddy White and Sean Weatherspoon missed a lot of time. And the Falcons did not respond well to it. Backups and newcomers like Steven Jackson and Osi Umenyiora didn’t step up or contribute to the levels expected. (more…)

In Depth 2014: Oakland Raiders

by | Feb 26, 2014 | 2013 season, 2014 season, NFL Draft, NFL Free Agency, NFL Random Thoughts

As the 11th consecutive non-playoff season ended in Oakland, rumors floated indicating that the jobs of General in-depthManager Reggie McKenzie and Head Coach Dennis Allen’s may be in jeopardy. Cooler heads prevailed, however, as ownership decided to acknowledge the salary cap hell Oakland has been recovering from since the duo arrived.

The training wheels likely come off in 2014 though. The Raiders are back in the ball game with significant cap space and the ability to begin adding talent. So how far is this Oakland team that is coming off of consecutive 4-12 finishes from being relevant again?

Depends on how the offseason goes, says Chase Ruttig, editor of Just Blog Baby. If all goes well, he thinks it’s not out of the question the long-struggling Raiders might be a factor in 2015. Here’s what Ruttig has to say.

Zoneblitz: The Raiders were competitive in a number of games early before slumping over the last month or so. What happened and how would you characterize this season? (more…)

In Depth 2014: Cleveland Browns

by | Feb 19, 2014 | 2013 season, 2014 season, NFL Draft, NFL Free Agency, NFL Random Thoughts

Nobody has had a weirder offseason so far than the Cleveland Browns. The drama started just hours after the seasonin-depth 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…)

In Depth 2014: Jacksonville Jaguars

by | Feb 17, 2014 | 2013 season, 2014 season, NFL Draft, NFL Free Agency, NFL Random Thoughts

The Jacksonville Jaguars have not won more than five games in a season since 2010, nor have they made the playoffs in-depthsince 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…)

Predicting the 2015 Hall of Fame class

by | Feb 16, 2014 | Hall of Fame

The last two classes of modern era players inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame have been, from top to bottom, as

Courtesy of the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Courtesy of the Pro Football Hall of Fame

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…)