Modell’s death renews debate on his Hall of Fame cred

by | Sep 7, 2012 | Hall of Fame, NFL Random Thoughts

Tributes and recollections of former Baltimore Ravens owner Art Modell have been pouring in since word of his death broke Thursday.

For decades, Modell was one of the most visible of the NFL owners, having taken a lead role in negotiating the league’s first major television contract and in establishing Monday Night Football.

Not one to shy away from controversy, Modell bought the Cleveland Browns in 1961 and fired the team’s namesake coach Paul Brown two years later.

Later on, Modell moved the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore, leaving the football-intense Ohio city without a team for several years.

It was reportedly a move Modell felt he had to make, but it’s also the move he is most closely associated with and it has left him with many detractors.

Eric Edholm, senior editor with Pro Football Weekly, told ESPN-1500 in Minneapolis Thursday that the story of the NFL’s history could not be told without mentioning Modell’s name and that he thinks the owner should be in the Hall of Fame.

“The fact that he is not in the Hall of Fame does not make sense to me,” Edholm told listeners.

The move to Baltimore left an entire region bitter and bought Modell a number of enemies, however. And that issue alone, according to Edholm, is keeping him from being enshrined.

I think he probably should be in the Hall, though the backlog of players we’ve discussed time and again makes it unlikely he’s selected anytime real soon. It lends some credence to the argument made a few years back by Sports Illustrated reporter Peter King that “contributors” should be considered separately from players and coaches.

I’m sure his death will revive discussion of his merits as a candidate. It may already be doing so. His contributions to the game were more great than bad. What are your thoughts? Will he get his day?

AFC West prediction 2012

by | Sep 6, 2012 | 2012 season

AFC West

Newcomers to the division and several players who return from injuries make the AFC West one of the more difficult divisions to prognosticate heading into the season. The division has long been tight and with three teams coming off 8-8 seasons and the fourth a close 7-9, this is no different. I think two teams get noticeably better this year and two stay the same or get worse.

Kansas City Chiefs: Two years ago the Chiefs came from nowhere to win the West. A slip last year wasn’t surprising, particularly with the loss of Sean Berry, Tony Moeaki and Jamaal Charles early on. This year Kansas City looks to rebound, with those three returning and the addition of battering ram Peyton Hillis, whom I expect to have a big season. This will be a tight one but I think the Chiefs prevail.

Denver Broncos: The higher profile Peyton joining the AFC West this year is Manning, who will lead the Broncos to the playoffs. But I think it’s going to take him a short bit to shake off some rust. I like the Broncos to keep it close and they’ll be right there in the mix at the end.

Oakland Raiders: The Raiders were one of three teams to tie for the AFC West crown last season at 8-8. I like what I’ve seen from the Raiders’ new brass in the wake of the passing of Al Davis last year. But after trading for Carson Palmer, Oakland was a bit hamstrung when it came to improving the team in the short-term. I think the Raiders will be back before too long, and they’ll surprise a few teams this year, but it’s going to take a couple before they can challenge this year’s versions of the Broncos and Chiefs.

San Diego Chargers: Disappointing last year, the Chargers lost Vincent Jackson to free agency and Vincent Brown for the early part of the season to a broken ankle. The offensive line is in some disarray. Ryan Mathews is great when he can play but he’s anything but durable. This team is playing for Norv Turner’s job. I think they fail.

Cowboys-Giants reaction

by | Sep 5, 2012 | 2012 season, NFL Random Thoughts

I always get excited and overreact to what I see during the first game of the season. Tonight was no different.

My first reactions to the Dallas-New York opener:

1) Mostly boring. Neither team really seemed to have it going on tonight. There were very few big, downfield plays, long run plays, etc. Both defenses were good. Both offenses need work.

2) Dallas might be better than expected: The defensive backfield, powered by rookie corner draftee Morris Claiborne and free agent cornerback signee Brandon Carr, is much improved. Last year Eli Manning threw for something like 1500 yards in two games against Dallas. Tonight he was well under 300, in part because his two key receivers — Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz — could not get open. The offensive line is still abysmal. Tony Romo was getting crushed all over the place. But overall I was much more impressed with Dallas than I expected.

3) Giants might be less than expected: Last year was a tale of two seasons. Through 14 games New York was 7-7. That unspectacular stretch was followed by a spectacular run to the Super Bowl. That’s the last thing people remember. So expectations may have been inflated by that. Tonight’s team looked nothing like the Super Bowl winner. Granted, it’s one game. But it was a key divisional game on national television opening the season. And the results were underwhelming. I’m not judging an entire season by it, but I am muting my opinion on the Giants. They are still in the mix as a favorite, but they’ve allowed a division rival to get a leg up on them in a game they should have won at home.

4) Replacement refs played minor role: Sure, there may have been a missed call here and an overblown call there, but tonight I saw little difference between the replacements and the “real” refs. The flow of the game was never interrupted. The missed calls were not of any major variety. And I don’t believe any team can claim they were cost a victory from what went on tonight. As stated in my notebook earlier today, both teams have to live with them and in most cases bad calls even out. Tonight the replacements acquitted themselves well.

Rip away in the comments section if you’d like. But welcome to the 2012 football season.

ZB Notebook 09-05-12

by | Sep 5, 2012 | American Football League, NFL Random Thoughts

We’re putting in something new this year. We’ve generally got a bunch of ideas for little things that would make for borderline stand-alone posts. Now on a (hopefully) weekly basis, we plan to empty our brains and paper scraps of those items in a “Zoneblitz Notebook.”

This will give us an opportunity to feature not only a few more of our own blurbs, but also a chance to feature other works from around the Internet that we find interesting. We’re still tinkering with the format, but in general we’ll pick two or three main topics and several other items with links to supporting source materials. If you run across something that might be an interesting addition to the notebook, please feel free to drop us a line or a link in the comments section below. In the meantime, here’s the first installment of the Zoneblitz Notebook.

Replacement refs overblown: It’s not all that often that I agree with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, whose team has been more or less irrelevant since he ran out Jimmy Johnson. But he’s right in his observations regarding the league’s referees, who will be locked out through at least the first week of the regular season.

He noted last week on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas (which was picked up by ProFootballTalk.com) that he isn’t terribly concerned about winning or losing games because of referees in part because the mistakes generally even out and that the permanent refs make mistakes too.

“As long as it’s consistent, then how it affects the games may not be as much,” Jones told the radio station, according to PFT.
I think the rancor surrounding replacement referees is a little blown out of proportion. Yes, the replacements looked goofy several times during the preseason. Sure, during the preseason, they made some embarrassing and obvious gaffes, particularly with respect to spotting the ball, calling pass interference penalties and other mess-ups.

But I think this is just an issue on which the NFL teams are going to have to suck it up. Both teams have to deal with them. In all likelihood, they won’t be around for long. And if they are, their performance is likely going to improve as they get accustomed to the game.

It’s not like the officiating from week to week with the permanent refs is spotless. And I also find it unlikely that the replacement refs are going to miss something so blatant that it is going to cause a major injury, as has been speculated in some places.

Don’t get me wrong, I hope permanent referees do ultimately get a deal done soon. The game is definitely smoother when they are in there. But if the lockout results in at least some of the permanent officials becoming full-time refs, then I think it’s a stance worth taking for the league.
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AFC South prediction 2012

by | Sep 5, 2012 | 2012 season

AFC South

I think this will be one of the earlier decided divisions, as the South consists of Houston and everyone else. The biggest question I see is how far the Texans can go in the playoffs. With a little luck on the health front, this could be as good a team as anyone else in the league.

Houston Texans: As long as the big three offensive playmakers stay healthy the Texans are as big a challenger for the Super Bowl as any team in the AFC. Matt Schaub, Arian Foster and Andre Johnson are fantastic but injury prone. The defense is top-notch as well, even with the loss of oft-injured Mario Williams. Again, the health issue is key, but this team could force a changing of the guard this season.

Tennessee Titans: This team was a quiet 9-7 in 2011 and four of those losses were by a touchdown or less. Chris Johnson is back and will have a much better year. Jake Locker is the question mark. If he plays well, the Titans could compete for a wild card berth in the playoffs.

Indianapolis Colts: Third place is a tossup. I like Andrew Luck, but there is a dearth of talent on this team with the exodus of Peyton Manning and much of the nucleus of the team that was so competitive throughout the 2000s. I think they’ll be fun to watch, but they’re not going to challenge for many wins until 2013.

Jacksonville Jaguars: If Blaine Gabbert performs up to his draft status, it’ll help the Jaguars immensely. This is a team that to me just seems stuck. It wouldn’t surprise me if they are able to jump up to third place but I don’t see them doing much more.