In 1992, the Green Bay Packers finished 9-7, completing a 20-year stretch in which they made the playoffs one time (strike shortened 1982, when they finished 5-3-1) and only finished above .500 three times. But in a surprise move the next offseason, they landed the top free agent on the market in the first year of true free agency, defensive end Reggie White, signing him to a then-record 4-year, $17 million deal.
The next season the Packers still finished just 9-7. But thy made the playoffs for the first time in a non-strike year since 1972, starting a string of six consecutive seasons (White’s entire run with the team) and 15 of 19 years in which they would make playoff appearances — a stretch capped by two Super Bowl wins and a third appearance in the big game.
White wasn’t the only catalyst for the run (a certain guy named Favre began his long consecutive games started streak during the third game of the 1992 season). But his signing has generally been credited with being a reason that other free agents would be willing to consider moving to a team that has the smallest media market in the NFL. And the infusion of talent led to success, which has led to more free agents along the way.
Fast forward 20 years, and the Buffalo Bills may be trying to make the same kind of splash with free agent defensive end Mario Williams. The Bills are coming off a 6-10 season where they started strong at 5-2, before losing eight of their last nine games, the seventh straight sub-.500 record and 12th straight season with no playoff appearances. (more…)
In 2010, under Mike Singletary, the San Francisco 49ers entered the season with high expectations, but those hopes quickly dissolved as the internal strife took the team down to the tune of a 6-10 record.
So expectations were much lower when Jim Harbaugh took over in 2011. But San Francisco rebounded, using a rock-solid, fundamentally-sound defense, a great running game and solid-to-sometimes spectacular play from quarterback Alex Smith to take control of the NFC West early.
The 49ers went 13-3, earning a first round playoff bye, on route to the NFC Championship game where only a couple untimely turnovers kept the team from advancing to the Super Bowl.
So how does San Francisco keep the momentum going? Steve Spooner, team editor at the website 49ersgab.com, shared his thoughts with Zoneblitz. Here’s what he had to say:
Zoneblitz: With expectations low heading into 2011, San Francisco came seconds short of a Super Bowl berth. What changed between 2010 and 2011 that allowed for the run? (more…)
Had Lee Evans hung on to a late toss from Joe Flacco in the end zone, the Baltimore Ravens may have been the team taking on the New York Giants on Super Bowl Sunday rather than New England.
He didn’t and they weren’t. So it’s on to 2012, when an offense full of up-and-coming stars like Joe Flacco, Ray Rice and Torrey Smith will partner with a better-than-solid but also aging defense, whose stars Ray Lewis and Ed Reed are getting close to the end of future Hall of Fame careers.
So do they have enough to make a run in a division that also includes Pittsburgh and fast-improving Cincinnati? Tony Lombardi is the founder of 24×7.com blogs and the lead writer on the site’s blog dedicated to the Ravens. He thinks if the team catches some breaks they can pick up where they left off. Lombardi shared some thoughts with Zoneblitz. Here’s what he had to say:
Zoneblitz: What are your thoughts on the development of Joe Flacco and his future as quarterback of the Ravens? – What kind of impact will adding former Colts head coach Jim Caldwell have on Flacco and the Ravens’ offense? (more…)
When Green Bay annihilated Oakland 46-16 to finish off a 13-0 start in 2011, talk turned to whether or not the Packers could complete a perfect season. But then they lost two of their last four games, including a whitewashing in the playoffs at the hands of the New York Giants.
Still, the Packers finished with a 15-1 regular season record and they remain one of the league’s most talented teams. So what happened at the end of the season? And how do the Packers stay on track toward making another deep run in the playoffs in 2012? Brandon Benson, lead writer and founding editor of the Acme Packing Company blog shared his thoughts with Zoneblitz.
Zoneblitz: Aaron Rodgers had a great season and is one of the top couple quarterbacks in the league. With Matt Flynn likely moving on, how are the Packers set for depth at the position?
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?
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?
Good luck with as with the new rules it’s clear Porter has sold out to the small hall folks in…
On this day 5 year ago in 2020 the Centennial Class was unveiled and some snubs were corrected while others…
sticking with mine.. and so far we have 6 submissions (me,Brian,Marie,Jeff,Justin,AndyP) with 5 unique outcomes-should be interesting, reminder for anyone…
Paul, based on everything you know, and you know about about the HOF and how it works, do you have…
Its always possible Brian, but during last 4 years of election on this timeline (3 week gap between vote and…
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Good luck with as with the new rules it’s clear Porter has sold out to the small hall folks in…
On this day 5 year ago in 2020 the Centennial Class was unveiled and some snubs were corrected while others…
sticking with mine.. and so far we have 6 submissions (me,Brian,Marie,Jeff,Justin,AndyP) with 5 unique outcomes-should be interesting, reminder for anyone…
Paul, based on everything you know, and you know about about the HOF and how it works, do you have…
Its always possible Brian, but during last 4 years of election on this timeline (3 week gap between vote and…