by Andy | Mar 9, 2012 | 2011 season, 2012 season, NFL Draft, NFL Free Agency, NFL Random Thoughts
New Orleans is just a couple years removed from its first Super Bowl championship and despite a disappointing loss to San Francisco in the 2011 playoffs, the Saints and their fans enjoyed a record-setting season.
But there are many questions going forward. The team has been unable to sign Drew Brees to a long-term extension, which meant using its franchise tag to retain him. That leaves Carl Nicks, Marques Colston and several other players eligible to leave as free agents.
Couple that with penalties the Saints are expected to receive due to the bounty system uncovered recently and this proud organization is facing some uncertainty. So where do they go from here? Travis Dauro, a writer for the Canal Street Chronicles, says the door is still open for New Orleans to be a strong threat in 2012. He joined Zoneblitz to share some thoughts and here is what he had to say:
Zoneblitz: What is your sense of Bountygate and how it will affect the Saints heading into 2012?
(more…)
by Andy | Mar 7, 2012 | 2011 season, 2012 season, NFL Draft, NFL Free Agency, NFL Random Thoughts
It took a few years for the Houston Texans to build a playoff roster. But now that they’ve made that first appearance in the postseason, it looks like this is a team that could stay there for awhile.
This team has talent up and down the roster, enough so that team officials and observers are prepared to lose star defensive end Mario Williams with nary a blink of concern.
Williams, quarterback Matt Schaub, running back Arian Foster and wide receiver Andre Johnson are just a few of the stars who felt the injury bug throughout the 2011 season and Houston still advanced to the second round of the playoffs. With better luck on the injury front and a couple of complementary players at a couple positions in the offseason, the Texans will be a legitimate contender for the Super Bowl in 2012, according to Barrett Walton, managing editor of the Texans Bull Blog.
Zoneblitz: The Texans are coming off a franchise-best 2011. How well is this team set up to compete in 2012 and beyond?
(more…)
by Andy | Mar 7, 2012 | 2012 season, NFL Draft, NFL Free Agency, NFL Random Thoughts
As the NFL closes in on free agency and then the draft, we’re closing in on the end of the “In Depth” series of reports we started publishing in mid-January on each of the league’s teams.
In getting a look at most of the franchises through the eyes of people who observe them more closely individually throughout the season than I do, I’ve learned a lot about what went right and wrong for them in 2011. A handful of them stand out as teams that could really make a jump, if they catch a few breaks, in 2012.
There’s a lot of player movement that will happen between now and late-July when training camps open, but here are my early picks for who could become the surprise teams of 2012.
(more…)
by Andy | Mar 6, 2012 | 2011 season, 2012 season, NFL Draft, NFL Free Agency, NFL Random Thoughts
The Denver Broncos got off to a 1-4 start before Tim Tebow replaced Kyle Orton in a move that kick-started the team. All of a sudden the defense improved, the run game became more of a threat and the Broncos won seven of eight, including six in a row at one point.
The team slumped again at the end of the season but still made the playoffs, knocking off Pittsburgh before falling to New England. So just how good are the Broncos? How responsible was Tebow for the team’s success? And can he and a vastly improved defense take this 8-8 division champion to the next level in 2012 and beyond? Ian Henson from Broncotalk.net shared his thoughts with Zoneblitz.
Zoneblitz: Tim Tebow was good at times, bad at times but amazingly polarizing. What is your assessment of his season and is he the quarterback of the future? (more…)
by Andy | Mar 4, 2012 | 2011 season, 2012 season, NFL Draft, NFL Free Agency, NFL Random Thoughts
The Pittsburgh Steelers certainly did better in 2011 than many previous teams coming off of Super Bowl losses. They finished 12-4 and got into the playoffs. But they were far from a dominant team, losing twice to division rival Baltimore and succumbing early in the playoffs to a plucky Denver team.
Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert will have their hands full in 2012 trying to match the success of the last two seasons. There remain questions along the offensive and defensive lines. Age is becoming a factor in several key areas, which means younger guys with promising skills but little experience will have to step up and play key roles. And salary cap issues mean Pittsburgh could lose other key contributors from past seasons, most notably deep threat wide receiver Mike Wallace.
But the Steelers are run as well as any team in the league. So where does this team go from here? Neal Coolong, assistant editor of Behind the Steel Curtain, joined us to share some thoughts. Here’s what he had to say:
Zoneblitz: Coming off of a Super Bowl loss, Pittsburgh had a pretty good season but didn’t win the division and lost to an inferior Denver team. What happened in the playoff game and how do you grade the 2011 season? (more…)
by Andy | Feb 27, 2012 | 2011 season, 2012 season, NFL Draft, NFL Free Agency, NFL Random Thoughts
Not that long ago the Detroit Lions were a laughingstock, finishing the 2008 season without a single win. Those days are long gone now. With a stud receiver in Calvin Johnson and a quarterback in Matthew Stafford approaching elite levels, Detroit has a pair of stars on offense who are still getting better.
They’re complemented by talented skill players like Brandon Pettigrew, Titus Young and, if he can overcome his injuries, the exciting Jahvid Best. And on defense, Cliff Avril, Kyle Vanden Bosch and Ndamukong Suh star on a defensive line that anchors a fast-improving unit that helped the Lions finish 10-6 while earning their first playoff berth since 1999.
There are still improvements to be made, but this is a team built for sustained success. So how do they get to the next level? Zac Snyder, editor of the SideLion Report, shared some of his thoughts. Here’s what he had to say:
Zoneblitz: With Mikel Leshoure missing the season and Jahvid Best’s future uncertain, what does the future of Detroit’s run game look like?
(more…)
Loading ...
First let’s start with how the cutdown might go Cut from 15 to 10 Eric Allen Eli Manning Steve Smith…
yea hence my cautious note about potential first ballot eligible for class of 2030 as we really don't know about…
The Class Of 2030 will be interesting Paul but other than maybe, Miller, I see all those players coming back…
From a source and I don’t know the exact date (suspect Hall and voters prefer not to disclose) - might…
Paul where did you find this out and what’s the date