Oakland got off to a terrible start in 2014 … again. The Raiders fired their coach … again. And the season ended like all the other ones have since 2002 – with this team’s players watching the playoffs from their living rooms.
But 2014 may have brought a couple hints of hope. Derek Carr was far from flawless as the team’s rookie second round pick from Fresno State, but he showed enough promise to indicate he could be a step up over what Oakland has been running out there for more than a decade. And Kahlil Mack, the first round linebacker, took the defense by storm.
There’s a long road ahead. But could the Raiders be righting the ship? Levi Damien, editor of Silver & Black Pride, shared his thoughts on what’s ahead in Oakland.
Zoneblitz: The Raiders started 0-10, went through two coaches and again finished well out of the playoffs, but also finished 3-3 and fought in many games. How would you assess the 2014 season? (more…)
The Jacksonville Jaguars have lost double-digit games the last four seasons and five of the last seven. They’ve won just nine games in three seasons and have not made the playoffs since after the 2007 season.
That said, the 3-13 campaign in 2014 may at least provide some hope for the future. This team is still quite a ways from a complete turnaround, but the coach/QB tandem of Gus Bradley and Blake Bortles, coupled with some young, hustling defenders and intriguing talents like Denard Robinson mean this squad may at least finally be pointed in the right direction.
How far off are they? Luke Sims, an editor with the Black & Teal, shared his thoughts.
Zoneblitz: The Jaguars followed a 4-12 season with a 3-13 campaign in 2014. In 2013 there were signs, at times, of a positive direction – how would you assess the 2014 season? (more…)
Ken Whisenhunt inherited a bit of a mess when he took over the Tennessee Titans in 2014, so maybe a rough season was not a surprise. But QB injuries, subpar offensive line play and almost everything else went off the rails for Tennessee last season.
The result was a 2-14 record and the second pick in the draft.
So how does this team start picking up the pieces in an effort to again become relevant?
Jimmy Morris, editor in chief of the Music City Miracles blog, shares his thoughts on what went wrong and what needs to happen to spur a turnaround.
Zoneblitz: The Titans went from seven wins to two, albeit with a new coach. What’s your assessment of the 2014 season? (more…)
Tampa Bay started the 2014 season seen as a sleeper playoff team by some, including Tony on this site. But things unraveled quickly – and more brutally in Lovie Smith’s first season as head coach than even the most pessimistic could have expected.
So what went wrong? And what does it take to get the ship heading in the right direction again? Nick Houllis, a Bucs historian and editor of the fan blog BucStop.com, joined us to share some thoughts. Here’s what he had to say.
Zoneblitz: This is a team some saw as a sleeper playoff contender in 2014 – while those expectations may have been too high, what happened that led to a 2-14 season?
Houllis: You can wrap up everything in a nutshell with two words. JEFF TEDFORD. (more…)
I feel like an ass falling for it again, but yep, I picked Cincinnati over New England Sunday night only to realize just a few minutes into the game that I got that one wrong (I didn’t see much of the game, but followed the feed fairly closely via my phone).
It was an obvious oversight. Sure, the Patriots got crushed by Kansas City Monday night with Tom Brady looking like hell. But one should have been able to tell that Bill Belichick was right in his wheelhouse with his postgame press conference – during which all he did was repeat over and over that the Patriots were moving on to the Cincinnati game.
With his us-against-the-world mentality and a return to emphasizing the run and shorter, tight end-based passing game, the Patriots easily dismantled the Bengals – a team that continues to look like a contender at home and early on, only to drop trow when it has a chance to win a big game on television in prime time.
Make no mistake, this is a flawed Patriots team. But don’t count out Brady and Belichick just yet. They’ve still got a few weapons on board.
So, I’ll take the rap for this one. But there are a lot of other things that happened in week five that were dumb – things that I had nothing to do with. Here are a few observations: (more…)
The NFL got back to keeping its news on the field as opposed to off, at least for the most part, last week. The schedule wasn’t filled with barnburners, but there were a handful of decent games and, as always, some observations.
What’s wrong with the Packers?: The Lions tried hard to give the game away, but the Packers still managed to come away with the loss. I expected the defense to struggle this year, but the offense has been pathetic, too. If Aaron Rodgers & Co. struggle again against the Bears, it might be time to hit the panic button. (more…)
again. And the season ended like all the other ones have since 2002 – with this team’s players watching the playoffs from their living rooms.
Loading ...
Jackson as first team AP likely gets his third NFL MVP - doesn’t need SB to eventually get into PFHOF…
I goofed ... Humphrey at center for KC doesnt have two 1st team nominations. Roquan Smith now has three designations…
AP 1st Team All-Pro Team Offence QB -- Jackson RB -- Barkley FB -- Ricard WR -- Chase Jefferson St.…
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…