McNabb to Redskins … interesting

by | Apr 4, 2010 | 2010 Trades, NFL Random Thoughts

The trade that sends Donovan McNabb to Washington will certainly be an interesting addition to the transactions sections of newspapers Monday morning. But does the move make Washington substantially better?

McNabb is probably a top 10 or so quarterback in the NFL, sure. But Washington went 4-12 last year not because Jason Campbell played poorly … well, maybe in part because Campbell played poorly.

But there was much more to it. First, Clinton Portis got hurt and missed half the season – and when he was healthy he appeared to be showing his age anyway.

Second, the Redskins offensive line was terrible – and that was before decade-long mainstay Chris Samuels suffered a career-ending neck injury.

Finally, the defense was no top-notch unit for the most part and head coach Jim Zorn was a lame duck from day two or three.

The Redskins did address the coaching situation by bringing in Mike Shanahan. The Portis situation … well, the Redskins have brought in Larry Johnson and Willie Parker, two veterans older than Portis who also looked to be declining in skills over the last season or two. So to say it has been addressed could be arguably accurate but to say it’s been addressed well is a question that won’t be answered for several months.

And to date the Redskins have done nothing of note to address the offensive line situation. So whether the Redskins roll with McNabb, Campbell, Joe Theismann or Sonny Jurgensen, the quarterback at this point will most likely be running for his life. And they’ve traded their second round pick this year in the deal to get McNabb.

I do think Washington will be better in 2010 just due to the better coaching staff. And McNabb likely is an upgrade over Campbell.

But I think it’s going to take more than what has gone on so far during this offseason to put the Redskins in a position to challenge for a playoff spot anytime in the near future.

Why shouldn’t Kelly recommend quarterbacks?

by | Apr 4, 2010 | NFL Random Thoughts

ProFootballTalk.com was at it again yesterday, this time castigating Jim Kelly for saying he would recommend Florida quarterback Tim Tebow to the Buffalo Bills.

Sure, Kelly isn’t a scout. And that’s Mike Florio’s point. “The fact that he was a quarterback doesn’t make him qualified to determine in which round another quarterback should be drafted,” Florio writes, then adding that Kelly also isn’t qualified to assess overall team needs.

I’ve said on this site before that I respect where Florio has taken his blog. He’s what every blogger shoots for. But since hitting the big time with a partnership with NBC, the success seems to have gone to his head.

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Browns QB situation different but is it better?

by | Mar 15, 2010 | NFL Random Thoughts

Last year Cleveland went to battle with Brady Quinn, Derek Anderson and Brett Ratliff at quarterback. Anderson, in his fifth year with the Browns, had the most experience of the three. He played pretty well for most of 2007, finishing his “breakout” season with nearly 3800 yards and 29 touchdowns.

It’s largely been downhill for him ever since. And in 2008 he was overtaken by Quinn, who started nine of the 10 games in 2009, giving him 14 games played since being drafted in 2007.

Coach Eric Mangini traded for Ratliff from the Jets. Ratliff hadn’t played a game in the NFL entering 2009. He didn’t get off the bench last year either.

This trio was uninspiring throughout the 2009 season as the Browns sucked for most of the season. The team started 1-11 before winning its last four games – which basically cost it several spots in the draft.

So, it was probably understandable and predictable that Mike Holmgren and crew decided to make some changes heading into 2010. In the span of a few hours the team released Anderson and traded Quinn to Denver for Peyton Hillis and a couple draft picks.

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Steelers 2010 season hinging largely on Roethlisberger legal situation

by | Mar 12, 2010 | 2010 NFL Free Agency, NFL Random Thoughts

The Pittsburgh Steelers won the Super Bowl following the 2008 season and entered 2009 with high expectations. The Black and Gold didn’t have the season they anticipated, however, finishing 9-7 and a game out of the playoffs.

A close analysis of the season, however, shows that while the Steelers lost several games they were expected to win, there still wasn’t a single game they lost by more than one score. Couple that with the return of several players who were affected by injuries in 2009 and expectations in the Steel City have to be high for the 2010 season.

That has to make it all the more frustrating for fans, coaches and teammates of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who continues to put himself in the middle of controversial situations. Roethlisberger certainly deserves his day in court and nobody at Zoneblitz.com is convicting trying to convict him prematurely.

But there are rumblings that whether he’s guilty or not the team and its fans are tiring of how frequently he seems to be appearing in the news sections rather than the sports sections of local and national newspapers.

Zoneblitz.com got in touch with Michael Bean, founder of the blog Behind the Steel Curtain, to discuss the 2009 season, the Roethlisberger situation and what the Steelers need to do to get back into contention in 2010.

Thank you, Mr. Bean, for taking the time to speak with us.

Zoneblitz: Coming off the Super Bowl season the Steelers missed the playoffs in 2009. What caused the team to struggle?

Michael Bean: Where to start. Obviously losing one of the league’s premiere playmakers in Troy Polamalu hurt. When he plays, the Steelers win. When he’s shelved with injuries, the defense – and the secondary in particular – goes from outstanding to susceptible.
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Jones signs with Chiefs … why?

by | Mar 10, 2010 | 2010 NFL Free Agency, NFL Random Thoughts

Free agent running back Thomas Jones signed with the Kansas City Chiefs Tuesday in a move I don’t completely understand.

Jones, who played 2009 at 31 years old, is coming off of the two most productive seasons of his career during which he’s run for a total of 2,714 yards and 27 touchdowns while adding two more scores through the air in 2008.

Despite the fact that he appears to be getting stronger with age, he was clearly being usurped by Shonn Greene during the New York Jets’ playoff run last season. And the Jets cut Jones in early March, though by some accounts they wanted to sign him back after avoiding paying him a $3 million roster bonus.

His teammates reportedly wanted him back, though in the end Greene showed a speed-power combo last year that as the season wore on Jones wasn’t able to match.
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Dropping Tomlinson and Sproles: Are the Bolts Dolts?

by | Mar 1, 2010 | 2010 NFL Free Agency, NFL Draft, NFL Random Thoughts

In the weeks following their shocking exit from the AFC playoffs the San Diego Chargers have announced plans to release LaDainian Tomlinson and not to tender Darren Sproles.

The first announcement didn’t surprise me. After seven fantastic seasons Tomlinson has struggled with injuries and performance the last two years, finishing 2009 with the lowest number of carries and yards-per-carry averages of his career.

The Sproles announcement, on the other hand, I found just short of stunning. First off, the guy has been a fireplug when he’s had the opportunity to play regularly, including the January 2009 playoff game where he had more than 300 all-purpose yards in the Chargers’ overtime win over Indianapolis.
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