In Depth 2017: New York Jets

by Andy | Feb 17, 2017 | 2016 Season, 2017 Season, NFL Draft, NFL Free Agency, NFL Random Thoughts

Expectations were high in New York, following a 10-6 2015 season. But pretty much right out of the gate, the 2016 season ended up being as bad as the previous season was good.

Injuries, age, poor QB play and suspensions, among other problems, decimated the Jets, dooming them to a 5-11 season.

Do Todd Bowles and his team have what they need to turn things around? What happens at the QB position? Can the Jets show that 2016 was the outlier instead of 2015?

Joe Caporoso, owner of Turn on the Jets, joined us to share his thoughts.

Zoneblitz: The 2016 season was as bad as 2015 was promising – what went wrong?

Caporoso: The quarterback play was the worst in the NFL and that started a domino effect of incompetence throughout the team. Todd Bowles regressed as a coach, young players like Calvin Pryor and Lorenzo Mauldin took a step back, the team’s red zone efficiency plummeted and they stopped being able to force turnovers. Throw in a few key injuries (Eric Decker, Nick Mangold) and you have the perfect recipe for 5-11.

Zoneblitz: Was retaining Todd Bowles the right move?

Caporoso: I think so. This team can’t keep flipping everything over every 2 years. At this time last year Bowles was coming off a solid 10-6 rookie year, one year after being the AP Assistant Coach of the Year, it is hard to think he has transformed into Rich Kotite and can’t coach anymore. He must improve his game management and ability to make quicker decisions on ineffective players but I am not surprised he got a third year.  (more…)

In Depth 2017: Los Angeles Rams

by Andy | Feb 14, 2017 | 2016 Season, 2017 Season, NFL Draft, NFL Free Agency, NFL Random Thoughts

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…)

In Depth 2017: Jacksonville Jaguars

by Andy | Jan 30, 2017 | 2016 Season, 2017 Season, NFL Draft, NFL Free Agency, NFL Random Thoughts

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…)

In Depth 2017: Chicago Bears

by Andy | Jan 26, 2017 | 2016 Season, 2017 Season, NFL Draft, NFL Free Agency, NFL Random Thoughts

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…)

In Depth 2017: San Francisco 49ers

by Andy | Jan 18, 2017 | 2016 Season, 2017 Season, NFL Draft, NFL Free Agency, NFL Random Thoughts

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…)

In Depth 2017: Cleveland Browns

by Andy | Jan 16, 2017 | 2016 Season, 2017 Season, NFL Draft, NFL Free Agency, NFL Random Thoughts

The 2016 Cleveland Browns, again, did not win a lot of games. But unlike some recent seasons, it appeared at times that this iteration might at least have a plan.

This team lacked talent and lost a lot of leads throughout the season, but under new coach Hue Jackson – the team’s fourth in five seasons – the team never stopped fighting. And when many had written off its chances of getting a win, the team came through in week 16 with a victory over San Diego.

So just where does this team stand? Thomas Moore, co-editor of Dawg Pound Daily, stopped by to share some thoughts:

Zoneblitz: It didn’t result in a lot of wins, but there was at least periodically some fight from this Browns team. What was your assessment of Hue Jackson’s first season?

Moore: Overall things went well in the first season under Hue Jackson.

This past year was never about wins and losses for the Browns, but rather it was about creating an opportunity for a full evaluation of the roster. The Browns are in the midst of the opening stages of a true, and much overdue, rebuild and a large part of the 2016 roster was made up of first- and second-year players. Getting those players on the field took precedence over winning.

Having said that, there were still enough moments that left Browns fans scratching their heads about Jackson. His offensive play calling was spotty at times as he went pass happy far too often, and made some strange roster decisions, but for now we’ll chalk it up to evaluation mode.

Zoneblitz: What do you think of the Paul DePodesta-led analytics group tasked with turning the team around? Have you gotten enough from a year of observation to get a sense for whether you think they’re headed in the right direction? (more…)