For much of 2012, Washington Redskins fans probably figured things were finally headed in the right direction, after rookie QB Robert Griffin III had a tremendous season in leading the team to a playoff berth for the first time since 2007. But a torn up knee suffered in Washington’s wild card loss meant rehab took up an offseason that otherwise could have been spent building further wrinkles into the team’s offense.
As the 2013 season got underway, several things became clear. Griffin was not the same player he was as a rookie. And his relationship with coach Mike Shanahan was not progressing either. The team got off to a rough start and never fully recovered, ending the season dead last in a weak NFC East.
After the season, Shanahan was fired, replaced by Jay Gruden. Griffin is clearly “the guy,” but the team needs to put some pieces in place around him – and must do so without its first round pick, having sent it to St. Louis as part of the trade that allowed Washington to acquire its franchise QB.
So where does Washington go from here? Kevin Ewoldt, managing editor of Hogs Haven, shared his reflections on 2013 and hopes for the year ahead.
Zoneblitz: After a positive 2012 season that ended with a playoff berth, 2013 went in the other direction. What happened? (more…)
The Houston Texans entered the 2013 season riding high hopes off of two postseason appearances. Some called them one of the top contenders to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. They looked the part for two weeks, with wins over San Diego and Tennessee. Then QB play went south and the wheels fell off, resulting in a 14 game losing streak to end the season.
So, change is rampant. Gary Kubiak is out, Gary O’Brien heads south from Penn State to replace him. The QB position is in flux and aging superstars Arian Foster and Andre Johnson are enduring more upheaval as they head into the twilights of their respective careers.
So what do the Texans have to do to get back on track? Patrick Starr, owner and editor of the blog State of the Texans, joined us and shared his thoughts.
Zoneblitz: Houston went from 12-4 to 2-14. What happened? (more…)
NFL Network is spending all week breaking down last weekend’s draft. Analysts and experts have given out preliminary grades. But how will the picks each team made affect the fantasy football season?
Anthony Maggio, co-host of ESPN 1500‘s Fantasy Football Sunday, gave us his initial thoughts on who they should look for and who they should avoid heading into offseason training activities. Here’s what he had to say.
Zoneblitz: Last year Doug Martin, Trent Richardson and Alfred Morris were among rookie contributors at running back. Which rookie running backs will be fantasy contributors in 2013? (more…)
I have written on this site many times that if I were the general manager of an NFL team, I would take a quarterback in almost every draft whether I needed one or not.The position is too valuable to ignore, even If you have an established starter. I’m not saying it has to be a top pick. But with a third day selection, guys like Matt Barkley and Ryan Nassib become too valuable to pass up.
Think about it. Teams like Jacksonville, Arizona and Minnesota have guys they plan to start, but nobody who has played so well that they are entrenched at the spot.
Teams like Green Bay and New Orleans have elite starters but have less than settled backup situations.
And New England, whose quarterback is the poster child advertisement for why you shouldn’t discount an underwhelming college signal caller with tools, has Ryan Mallet, who they reportedly were talking just the other day about flipping for draft picks. Barkley or Nassib would immediately become the next potential young replacement for Tom Brady when he decides to call it a career.
Barkley and Nassib may never have been the first round prospects they were projected as by so many socalled experts. But in the fourth round they are tremendous values who should not last for more than a few more picks on Saturday.
Some team out there has to see these guys as what they now are: quarterbacks with tremendous upside who are available deep enough in the draft where the risk associated with taking them has already been virtually erased.
That pick was mocked by a couple people who commented on the blog. And I’m pretty sure Patrick Allen, the senior editor at Arrowhead Addict, knew his pick wasn’t the correct one when he made it. But I think I understand at least in part why he did it.
The Chiefs have the top pick in the draft this year on the coattails of a terrible 2-14 season. The top pick in the draft is an opportunity to reinvigorate the franchise and the fan base – to give them a reason to believe this season might be different.
But with the draft a mere 10 or so hours away, I am already prepared to hate the Chiefs’ draft. Because in all likelihood, if the media reports that have been coming out over the last couple weeks are true, Kansas City will barely be any better after their first pick than they were after trading for Alex Smith shortly after the offseason started. (more…)
As we get ready to wrap up our own mock draft and as the hours count down until the *actual* NFL draft begins, I thought it would be interesting to collect a few of the mock drafts that some of the NFL’s beat reporters have put together. So a handful of them are posted below, with links to the pages where you can read about their rationale.
The one thing that stands out to me after reading these – and after conducting our own – is that this year there is little consensus anywhere about what is going to happen, even at the top of the first round.
I’ve seen people predict as many as 10 trades in the first round alone. So the likelihood is that most of these will end up being even more useless than normal. But mock drafts seem to fascinate football fans and so, for your entertainment, here they are.
the right direction, after rookie QB Robert Griffin III had a tremendous season in leading the team to a playoff berth for the first time since 2007. But a torn up knee suffered in Washington’s wild card loss meant rehab took up an offseason that otherwise could have been spent building further wrinkles into the team’s offense.
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