The Los Angeles Rams found their new home in familiar digs in 2016, returning to the market they left after the 1994 season. The results were oddly similar to the last time they called California home.
The 2016 Rams matched the 1994 Rams with a 4-12 record, putting forth an anemic offense and a defense that backslid enough to eventually cost Jeff Fisher his job.
The team is not devoid of talent, however. Aaron Donald is one of the league’s best defensive linemen and the offense, with RB Todd Gurley and second-year QB Jared Goff, at least has some pieces.
So what will it take for new coach Sean McVay to bring this team and market success? We asked Andrew Hogan, who previously founded a website called Bring Back our Los Angeles Rams and now heads up FearsomeFootball.com, to share his thoughts.
Zoneblitz: You were heavily involved in lobbying for the return of the Rams – what was it like having football back in LA in 2016?
Hogan: At the beginning, it was completely and totally surreal … I had been to hundreds of college football/baseball/hockey games but only to two NFL games in my life and I had no real rooting interest in those games. To have a team to actually cheer for — and for it to be Los Angeles’ true NFL team—was, again, totally surreal. (more…)
While the playoffs have thus far been short on drama, the Super Bowl should at least be entertaining.
Two of the league’s top QBs and high firing offenses will meet in Houston this weekend to determine the landing place for the 2016-17 Lombardi Trophy.
So, who’s going to win? We’ll get there in a moment. First, we need to update the standings – Andy was the only one to miss a game in championship weekend. It was his first miss of the postseason.
Championship
Postseason
Andy
1-1
9-1
Tony
2-0
8-2
John Vomhof
2-0
7-3
Anthony Maggio
2-0
6-4
Will the game live up to the hype? Here’s what our crew of writers thinks: (more…)
After years of struggle, some experts thought the Jacksonville Jaguars could push .500 in 2016 and maybe even contend in a weak AFC South.
Those hopes were quickly dashed, as a brutal backslide by young QB Blake Bortles and an 0-3 start denigrated into a nine-game losing streak that eventually cost head coach Gus Bradley his job.
Still, through a disastrous 3-13 season, the Jaguars did play some pretty solid defense. And the offense still has some young, high-level talent. Can Doug Marrone rescue Bortles? Can Bortles recover and take this team on a long-awaited turnaround? Or will the next couple of years signal the need for yet another rebuild?
Luke Sims, editor of Black & Teal, shares his insights:
Zoneblitz: Heading into the season I don’t think I was alone in expecting the Jaguars to take a step forward this season. That didn’t happen. But there still seems to be some rising talent here. What was your assessment of the season?
Sims: 3-13 was definitely a disappointment, especially as the .500 goal was modest. Going from 5-11 in 2015 to 8-8 should have been achievable in the fourth year of a rebuild. Interestingly, the progress on the defensive side (the liability in 2015) did pay off. The Jags fielded a top defense in yards allowed and also managed to create some turnovers in the latter half of the season. There’s still room for growth, but the defense looks like it is in a position to be a strength going forward. The offense was the big letdown. Where there should have been progress, there was regression. With much of the same talent that brought an exciting 2015, it was easy to put blame on the coaches. Greg Olson was rightly canned and Gus Bradley’s long tenure as modern-era head coach with the worst record also deservedly led to his dismissal. If the Jags could combine 2016’s defense with 2015’s offense, they could be real contenders. There was just a disconnect there, even with 10 games being decided by seven points or less.
Zoneblitz: Was firing Gus Bradley the right move? (more…)
There was a Jekyll-and-Hyde nature to the 2016 Chicago Bears. They lost six games by one score – and then they lost six more by double-digit counts.
The end result was a 3-13 record – and the likely end of the Jay Cutler era in Chicago.
But Head Coach John Fox and GM Ryan Pace will get another year to start showing some progress. And there is talent on this team. Three players made the Pro Football Writers Association All-Rookie team. And several more players, such as WR Cameron Meredith, showed some promise. All this adds up to a team that may not be all that far away from being competitive.
How close? We asked Jake Perper, founder of Bears Backer and co-host of the Unnecessary Roughness Bears Podcast, to help sort that out.
Zoneblitz: How would you assess the 2016 season and was keeping John Fox the right move and how would you assess the work of Fox and GM Ryan Pace to this point? (more…)
Some people say this has been a disappointing post-season so far. And maybe they are right – most of the games to this point have been blowouts. The Green Bay/Dallas game saved divisional weekend. And the Chiefs/Steelers game at least had some drama.
But if it’s been disappointing so far, we should at least be set up for two great games this weekend. Should be plenty of scoring and plenty of excitement.
First, a recap of last week. Andy was brutal during the regular season, but he’s on fire right now. Can’t miss. Tony’s close behind. Here are the standings:
Divisional weekend
Playoff total
Andy
4-0
8-0
Tony
3-1
6-2
John
2-2
5-3
Anthony
2-2
4-4
And here are picks for championship weekend. Enjoy folks: (more…)
Much like in 2015, San Francisco started the 2016 season with a dominant win. The rest of the season quickly turned into a dumpster fire, however, and the once-proud 49ers are again drafting at the top of the first round.
And, with the firing of coach Chip Kelly and GM Trent Baalke, owner Jed York is, once again, searching for new leadership.
How did the 49ers fall apart so quickly? And what will it take – and how long – to get this franchise headed back in the right direction?
Al Sacco, writer for 49ers Webzone, joined us to take a few questions.
Zoneblitz: Do you agree with the decision to fire coach Chip Kelly, after one season, and GM Trent Baalke?
Sacco: I think in a lot of ways, Kelly got a raw deal. He was stuck with one of the worst rosters in the NFL, and it was almost like he was bringing a knife to a gun fight every week. Even still, the 49ers were right to let him go, as they needed to start fresh. Also, when you bring in a new coach when your GM is on the hot seat, you’re bound to back yourself in a corner, which is what happened here. Baalke had destroyed the 49ers and had to go, but how can you tell a new GM they have to work with Chip Kelly? It wouldn’t have worked. Now they can just hit the reset button and try to build this thing the right way.
Zoneblitz: News reports indicate Kyle Shanahan will be the 49ers’ next coach. Would you be in favor of this? (more…)
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