In depth: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

by | Jan 17, 2012 | 2011 season, 2012 season, NFL Draft, NFL Free Agency, NFL Random Thoughts

It was an ugly and disappointing season in Tampa Bay, where the Buccaneers got off to a slow start and then completely collapsed, largely throwing in the towels late in the year.

But the cupboard is not completely bare. With Josh Freeman and several skill position players to build around on offense, this team could rebound in 2012 with the right new coach and some defensive pieces.

Patrik Nohe, lead writer and editor for The Pewter Plank blog, joined us to share his thoughts on how Tampa can return to competitiveness next season.

Zoneblitz: Was firing Raheem Morris the right move one season after nearly making the playoffs and earning consideration for being coach of the year? (more…)

In depth: Minnesota Vikings

by | Jan 14, 2012 | 2011 season, 2012 season, NFL Draft, NFL Free Agency, NFL Random Thoughts

Many people thought the Minnesota Vikings were in for a tough 2011 season long before it kicked off in September against San Diego. But not quite so many saw the bottom completely falling out from underneath a team that was seconds away from going to the Super Bowl just two years ago.

The challenges get bigger in 2012, as well, with Adrian Peterson recuperating from an ACL tear and gaping holes on the offensive line and in the secondary. Dan Zinski, lead writer at TheVikingAge.com, took some time to share his insights on what went wrong in 2011 and where the team should go from here.

Zoneblitz: I think most people went into the season expecting the Vikings to have their issues in 2011, but I don’t know that many saw 3-13 coming. What made this whole thing fall apart? (more…)

In depth: St. Louis Rams

by | Jan 12, 2012 | 2011 season, 2012 season, NFL Draft, NFL Free Agency, NFL Random Thoughts

After several tough seasons, the St. Louis Rams went 7-9, finishing one game from the playoffs in 2010. They had a new quarterback in rookie Sam Bradford and, seemingly, all the momentum in the world. I thought they had the best chance in the division of winning the NFC West.

I was way, way wrong. For our second post-season, in-depth segment, Ryan Van Bibber, editor of Turf Show Times, joined Zoneblitz this week to share his thoughts on what went wrong in 2011 and what has to happen for the Rams to turn things around again in 2012.

Zoneblitz: After 2010 I believed St. Louis would be in the mix for the NFC West championship. What happened that derailed that so dramatically? (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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Buyer Beware: Polian tenures come with ups and downs

by | Jan 3, 2012 | 2011 season, Business of Football, NFL Draft, NFL Random Thoughts

I was shocked when I heard news yesterday about Bill Polian—not that he had been fired, but that apparently Twitter was blowing up with Vikings fans & local sports media wanting to quickly make a move to bring him in as the voice of authority for the team.  Digging deeper showed that many other media & fan bases, including Chicago, Oakland, and even Dallas were clamoring over the opportunity to hire a “proven commodity” in Polian.

But they all seem to be overlooking one significant factor – Bill Polian’s track record is generally one of building teams that are great in the regular season, then failing in the playoffs, or ultimately in the big game itself. Essentially he is to football exactly what the local media uses in Minnesota ridicule the Minnesota Twins – regular season success followed by postseason failure.

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Suck-for-Luck candidates start to separate

by | Oct 10, 2011 | NFL Draft, NFL Random Thoughts

The Seattle Seahawks and particularly the San Francisco 49ers have proven to be more competitive than I expected they would, already virtually eliminating themselves from competing for the number one pick in the April 2012 NFL Draft, from which Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck is the biggest prize and by a wide margin.

Kansas City is bad enough to warrant earning the Luck pick but they’ve foolishly gone and found balance on offense the last two weeks, which has allowed them to at least temporarily remove themselves from the discussions.

But several teams are starting to separate from the pack, some sucking well worse than expected. Here are my latest thoughts on who the top contenders are for the Luck pick: (more…)