Steelers’ gamble on Wallace likely pays off

by | Apr 20, 2012 | 2012 season, NFL Free Agency, NFL Random Thoughts

It’s the last day teams can sign restricted free agents to contracts and it appears as though tendering wide receiver Mike Wallace at just a first-round level is going to pay off for Pittsburgh.

I think the Steelers had even semi-resigned themselves to losing the wideout, who reportedly wants a new contract that pays him as a top five receiver.

Now, those contract demands likely hurt his cause. Wallace is a very good receiver with some dynamic numbers – 18.7 yards per catch and 24 touchdowns in his first three seasons. But he also disappears for stretches too. He’s on his way toward the top, but does not yet belong in the same category as a Larry Fitzgerald, a Calvin Johnson or an Andre Johnson, among others. (more…)

Five teams on the upswing in 2012

by | Mar 7, 2012 | 2012 season, NFL Draft, NFL Free Agency, NFL Random Thoughts

As the NFL closes in on free agency and then the draft, we’re closing in on the end of the “In Depth” series of reports we started publishing in mid-January on each of the league’s teams.

In getting a look at most of the franchises through the eyes of people who observe them more closely individually throughout the season than I do, I’ve learned a lot about what went right and wrong for them in 2011. A handful of them stand out as teams that could really make a jump, if they catch a few breaks, in 2012.

There’s a lot of player movement that will happen between now and late-July when training camps open, but here are my early picks for who could become the surprise teams of 2012.

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In depth: Cincinnati Bengals

by | Feb 24, 2012 | 2011 season, 2012 season, NFL Draft, NFL Free Agency, NFL Random Thoughts

When Carson Palmer and Chad Ochocinco Johnson both moved on from Cincinnati heading into 2011 it looked like the Bengals could be in for another long season. But then a strange thing happened: Andy Dalton started finding AJ Green on a regular basis, the defense occasionally stepped up and suddenly this once-moribund franchise was being competitive every week.

There are still holes on this roster. But the Dalton-to-Green combination has Bengals fans and observers as optimistic as they’ve been in years. So how do the Bengals keep moving forward and avoid taking another step back? Josh Kirkendall, senior editor for the Cincy Jungle, gave us his thoughts.

Zoneblitz: Will Andy Dalton and AJ Green repeat the success of their rookie years? (more…)

NFL schedule released

by | Apr 20, 2010 | NFL Random Thoughts

The day the NFL schedule is released isn’t quite as exciting as opening Sunday or as important as the NFL draft.

But for some reason I still get a kick out of finally getting a chance to see when the Vikings are going to be playing division rivals or who we get to watch at Thanksgiving.

Speaking of which, I think the NFL put together some really decent Turkey Day matchups this year.

The Lions still aren’t very good yet but they should be better. They’ll be the underdog to New England without any question, but they should be in better shape to at least give the Patriots a game this year.

I love the rematch between the Super Bowl Champ Saints and the team that knocked them from the ranks of the unbeatens after 13 straight victories, too. And closing the evening with a playoff rematch of the Bengals and Jets is good too.

One of the most anticipated games of the season will take place October 3 when Donovan McNabb goes back to Philadelphia as a member of the Redskins. Yet it’s the rematch in D.C. that gets Monday Night Football billing on November 15 … that one seems like a bit of a missed opportunity, though it will probably keep Philadelphia fans from throwing up on Redskins fans on national television.

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