You’re doing a great job, Jonesie

by | Jan 11, 2012 | 2011 season, NFL Random Thoughts

Good news, Cowboys fans. Jerry Jones plans to look in the mirror and “make some changes,” according to a story on the WFAA-TV website.

Not sure what those changes are going to be, since he pretty much said after the season he wasn’t hiring a general manager.

It’s a poor comparison with regard to the importance of the issues at hand, of course, but I’ve always sort of envisioned Jones’ mirror talking to him similarly to how President George W. Bush spoke to Michael Brown during a press conference when the latter was getting criticized for FEMA’s questionable response to Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans: “You’re doing a great job, Jonesie.”

Jones’ self-assessment that he is providing the coaching and the player personnel as the team’s general manager rings as hollow considering the team’s performance over the years.

The Dallas Cowboys might be the most valuable team in sports and Fortune may have named Jones the National Football League’s fifth-best owner, but the team  with the billion dollar stadium is far from the top of the list when it comes to fielding competitive teams over the last 20-some years. (more…)

In depth: Indianapolis Colts

by | Jan 10, 2012 | 2011 season, 2012 season, NFL Draft, NFL Free Agency, NFL Random Thoughts

It’s hard to stay completely up to date on every detail of each of the NFL’s 32 teams. So we’ve decided to try and reach out to the blogger community to help provide some insight.

Over the next few weeks we’re going to get in touch with someone who covers each team to get their thoughts on how the 2011 season went, how they see the draft and free agency playing out and what they expect and hope for in 2012.

The plan is to do a post every couple of days in the same order as the draft. As such, we start with the Indianapolis Colts.

Few teams went from penthouse to outhouse as quickly as Indianapolis did, thanks in large part to the neck injuries that afflicted Peyton Manning all season. So was this a one year aberration? Or are there deeper problems the Colts must address before they can think of being competitive again?

We asked Brett Mock, managing editor and head writer at The Colts Authority, for his thoughts on that and much more. Here’s what he had to say:

Zoneblitz: Peyton Manning’s injuries were obviously a large reason for the Colts’ struggles in 2011, but I was stunned by the level to which the team fell apart. What else factored in?

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Hall of Famer Ward? Hines looking at retirement

by | Jan 9, 2012 | Hall of Fame, NFL Random Thoughts

This could be turning into a pretty good year for big-name retirements. There’s Jason Taylor for sure. Seems LaDainian Tomlinson is considering hanging it up. And if reports from around the Interwebs are true, Steelers wideout Hines Ward is about to say goodbye to the NFL, as well. (EDIT: Or perhaps not …)

Taylor and Tomlinson would seem to be sure thing inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame at this point. But Ward is an interesting case. He’s close — right on the borderline either way. His numbers were very, very good, but was he that good? Or did he benefit from playing in the NFL as the game — and the long-time run-heavy Steelers — transitioned more and more toward the pass? (more…)

Boser talks fantasy football: closing 2011, opening 2012

by | Jan 8, 2012 | Fantasy Football

Unless you’re in a playoff league your fantasy football season ended sometime in the last couple of weeks. Maybe you’re probably a little bit burned out and ready to set the competition aside for a couple weeks. But if you’re like me, you never really stop trying to glean that last piece of knowledge that will give you the edge you need to win your league(s).

So, to start your reading entertainment for the week, we’ve again contacted Ryan Boser, a sports blogger and staff writer for Bruno Boys, for his thoughts on the end of the 2011 fantasy season and on what might happen in the year ahead.

We’re jumping the gun here, without a doubt, since the real playoffs just got underway and the draft and free agency are still several months away. But it’s never too early to start thinking about next year.

Here’s what Ryan had to say:

Zoneblitz: Michael Vick in 2011 became the most recent poster child for chasing one really good season in fantasy drafts. Whose 2011 stat lines will you not be chasing in 2012? (more…)

NFL Best Bets 2011 season, Wild Card weekend

by | Jan 5, 2012 | 2011 season, NFL Gambling, NFL Random Thoughts

I opened last week’s betting post by saying week 17 was going to provide a difficult slate of games to predict, given the varying motivations teams had entering their games. That was the only guess I got right. After a sizzling hot six week stretch put me five games over .500, I ended the season with a 0-4 thud, dropping my record to 34-33-1. That isn’t going to satisfy bettors anywhere, though I can’t complain too much given how poorly I started out. I at least maintained enough of a bankroll to have something left for the playoffs.

My brother, on the other hand, needed a 3-1 week 17 to improve to 31-37 for the year, a mark so low he ran out of money for the rest of the season. So, while he participated in our straight-up picks on who would win the games, he’s sitting out the point spread segment for the playoffs. Here are my best guesses for what this week’s wild card weekend will have in store.
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