In depth 2013: Minnesota Vikings

by | Apr 5, 2013 | 2012 season, 2013 season, NFL Draft, NFL Free Agency, NFL Random Thoughts

Heading into the 2012 season, most experts thought six or seven wins would be a good season for the Minnesota Vikings. But the purple shocked the world, moving from three to 10 wins in the blink of one offseason. The team’s still present shortcomings were exposed in the first round of the playoffs with a loss to rival Green Bay, but the seven-game improvement has observers excited about the future.

But the Vikings also play in a tough division, with Chicago and Green Bay highly competitive and Detroit making moves to get better. So can Minnesota keep moving forward? And what does the 2013 version of the Vikings have to do to make another playoff appearance?

Jon Merckle, senior blogger for The Viking Age, tells Zoneblitz he thinks if quarterback Christian Ponder continues developing, the team could stack up well with any of its rivals in the NFC North.

Zoneblitz: The Vikings were one of the league’s surprise turnaround teams in 2012. Were you surprised by the 10-6 result and to what do you attribute the quick improvement? (more…)

One year later: Analyzing the RGIII trade – Rams doing alright with their haul

by | Apr 4, 2013 | 2012 season, 2013 season, NFL Draft, NFL Random Thoughts

 

When the St. Louis Rams traded the number two overall pick in the 2012 draft, they put their faith in Sam Bradford as their quarterback of the future and in General Manager Les Snead and Coach Jeff Fisher to put the collection of draft picks received in the deal to good use.

And the duo, at least to this point, appears to have done just that.

St. Louis received first and second round picks from Washington in 2012 and then additional first round picks in 2013 and 2014 in exchange for the pick the Redskins used on Robert Griffin III. Griffin was arguably the league’s most compelling story last season, as he took the league by storm in returning Washington to the top of the NFC East for the first time in the 2000s. Enough said. Assuming a return to health – and so far the medical reports are positive – this trade definitely worked out for them.

But it was a high price to pay. And Snead and Fisher immediately went to work, parlaying their newly-found collection of assets in the 2012 draft to continue laying a less flashy, but no-less solid foundation for improvement in St. Louis. (more…)

In depth 2013: Washington Redskins

by | Apr 3, 2013 | 2012 season, 2013 season, NFL Draft, NFL Free Agency, NFL Random Thoughts

On the first drive of the 2012 season for Washington, Robert Griffin III faced pressure in the pocket, stayed calm, took a hit and completed an 88-yard touchdown to Pierre Garcon en route to a 40-32 upset of New Orleans.

The Redskins paid a huge price in draft picks when they moved up to select Griffin, but the 2011 Heisman Trophy winner paid immediate dividends, taking the Redskins to the NFC East division championship for the first time since 1999 and leading them to the playoffs for the first time in five years.

Then, toward the end of playoff loss to Seattle, disaster struck and Griffin shredded his knee. If Griffin comes back to full speed, the sky could be the limit for this team. But the risk the team took to get him only pays off if the injuries don’t start to add up, says Kevin Ewoldt, managing editor for Hogs Haven.

Ewoldt shared some thoughts with Zoneblitz.

Zoneblitz: How would you assess the 2012 season? (more…)

In depth 2013: Cincinnati Bengals

by | Apr 1, 2013 | 2012 season, 2013 season, NFL Draft, NFL Free Agency, NFL Random Thoughts

Two seasons in a row the Cincinnati Bengals have made the AFC playoffs as a wild card team only to be on the wrong end of a first-round loss to the Houston Texans.

With Baltimore and Pittsburgh potentially entering some level of rebuilding, the door may be open for the Bengals to take the next step, chasing the AFC North championship and a possible first-round bye. But Cincinnati isn’t a flawless team either. Andy Dalton has to continue improving and the Bengals’ brass must give him some more weapons with which he can work.

Jason Garrison, editor with CincyJungle.com, tells us where he thinks the Bengals are and what he figures they need to do in order to dethrone Baltimore and make a deeper run in the postseason.

Zoneblitz: How do you feel about Andy Dalton’s development? (more…)

In depth 2013: Chicago Bears

by | Mar 29, 2013 | 2012 season, 2013 season, NFL Draft, NFL Free Agency, NFL Random Thoughts

 

After an up-and-down season led to a 10-6 finish that did not include the playoffs, the Chicago Bears surprised many observers by firing head coach Lovie Smith, despite his becoming the second coach in the Super Bowl era to take the team to the big game.

So the Bears enter a new era in 2013. Marc Trestman will try to join Bud Grant and Marv Levy as coaches who have had success as NFL head coaches following successful tenures in the Canadian Football League. He’ll do so with a heavily re-tooled offensive line and a defense that will be without Brian Urlacher for the first time since he was drafted in 2000.

Jake Perper, owner and head writer of Bears Backer, so far likes the direction the Bears are headed. Here are the thoughts he shared:

Zoneblitz: Chicago finished 10-6 in 2012, but missed the playoffs. How would you characterize the season? (more…)