Fair to say the latest inflate gate by the New England Patriots
caps off what likely can be looked at as the worst year image wise in NFL
recent history. From the several player scandals, to the questionable
officiating especially in the playoffs to now the cheaters being cheaters again
in New England. Makes me scared for the combine and NFL
Draft. I bet Roger Goodell wishes he could find Doc Brown’s
time machine and fast forward to Labor Day 2015.
Around the League
Atlanta Falcons: Dan Quinn coming to town as the new sheriff. Adding
Quinn and the younger Shanahan gives the Falcons a new voice and direction for
both sides of the ball. With Scott Pioli taking over draft and free
agency decisions, Atlanta may finally put it all together and win the
division. Granted 9-7 might be all it takes if things go the same
way again.
Arizona Cardinals: With miss Todd Bowles and his aggressive defensive
style but Bruce Arians is one of the smartest coaches in the NFL and he’ll
promote the right replacement. Can’t help but think had Arizona had
a little luck with the health of their quarterbacks they might be representing
the NFC in the Super Bowl. Cardinals need to stay the course and
draft wisely and add the correct free agents. Good things
ahead in Arizona as they now look to be the biggest divisional rival for the
Seahawks.
Baltimore Ravens: I thought the addition of Marc Trestman to the staff was
a great move and should help the Ravens offense even more. Trestman
was in charge of the circus in Chicago and while not fair to judge abilities
strictly off that if you review his resume one thing he can do is coach offense
and especially quarterbacks. Personally, I expect the
Ravens offense to be noticeable improved.
Buffalo Bills: Oh I had such high hopes for this team until they
brought in the Rex Ryan carnival. It is truly unfair for a
franchise and fan base that deserve much better than a Ryan circus.
Bills fans are loyal and deserve to be the story when they win and not have a
coach who makes it all about him. The powers that be in
Buffalo frighten me as you have no quarterback so you go and higher a guy who
only knows defense and couldn’t develop a QB to save his life. Only
thing I can hope for Bills fans is when Rex crashes and burns that the Pegula
family cleans house from top to bottom.
Carolina Panthers: They will cut ties with Greg Hardy and look to find some
balance to this team as week in and week out in 2014 you weren’t sure what team
was showing up. Ken Dorsey has done wonders with Cam and
should continue at least until another team catches on and hires him to be an
offensive coordinator.
Chicago Bears: Great hire with John Fox but real question is will
anyone ever get to Jay Cutler? I doubt it. Bears would be
wise to add a quality back up and add QB to draft needs in coming
years.
Cincinnati Bengals: Andy Dalton is the new Tony Romo…by that I mean will be
blamed for everything until he wins big games. Dalton has not
played his best but if Cincinnati is ready to move on they should place him on
the market. I can things of ten teams that would be on the phone
fairly quick. Coach Lewis we have Coach O’Brien on line
one.
Cleveland Browns: Another new offensive coordinator for the owner who
mentions continuity a lot. Similar to Buffalo the fans in Cleveland
deserve to field a winner so hopefully they can cash in with the two picks in
round one they have this year and continue to move forward.
It’s Johnny Football time now and by the end of 2015 we will know if the Browns
will be in the market in the 2016 for another franchise QB or not.
I am betting they will be but I’m wrong once in a while.
Dallas Cowboys: Keep the coaching brain trust together but will they be
able to keep the players. I expect Murray to leave but the other
key guys will likely resign with the loss of some depth. Remember
the year the Cowboys drafted DeMarco Murray the Cowboys tried to move back and
get Mark Ingram (a 2015 free agent).
Denver Broncos: I am not sold that Gary Kubiak is an upgrade over John Fox but
I think it’s more of “it just fits better” type of hire. Similar to
Garrett in Dallas, Kubiak knows the culture in Denver can handle the powers
that be (Elway) and wants to be there. Interesting to see if
Chicago quietly makes inquires on Brock Osweiler because while Kubiak will
adjust for Peyton it is certain Osweiler is not the text book Gary Kubiak
QB.
Detroit Lions: Will Suh return? I would not bet on it. The Lions brass
will say the right things but similar to Raiola, Caldwell wants to win with
class and is trying very hard to eliminate the dirty play
stuff. They can let Suh walks and likely get a 3rd compensatory
pick in 2016 and use all that money to add a few quality players to
improve the overall talent base of the Lions.
Green Bay Packers: The epic collapse will be what the season is remembered for but
that’s unfair. Green Bay had a terrific season and with
some additions to the defense can be right back in
the mix again next
season. Green Bay season ended like the saying goes sometimes it’s
better to be lucky than good.
Houston Texans: This team needs a quarterback but where they will be
drafting won’t have a shot at a top draft pick so what to do? There are
no real free agent quarterbacks available either so they may have to just roll
with the guys from this past season. I think the sample was too
small to rule Ryan Mallett a wash and would resign him and go into camp in a battle
with fourth round pick of 2014, Tom Savage, and see what that looks
like.
Indianapolis Colts: They need weapons for Andrew Luck to move this team
forward. First move should be to sign a proven running back such as
DeMarco Murray and give the Colts something of a balanced attack in 2015.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Media is killing Doug Marrone and it is deserved but
credit to Jacksonville for adding a talented coach to their staff.
They’ll need another quality draft to keep moving ahead as the team in one of
the smallest markets tries to compete with the big boys.
Kansas City Chiefs: I know Philly wants Jeremy Maclin back but now that Chip
is in charge of all personnel his loyalty to a Jeremy Maclin is nowhere near
the loyalty and connection between Andy Reid and Jeremy Maclin. Has to be
a reason Chip drafted so many wide receivers last year, was he planning for
Maclin’s departure.
Miami Dolphins: If you don’t want Mike Wallace trade him and move
on. Interesting to see what happens as Head Coach, Joe Philbin as
he continues to survive but if I were him I’d be renting in Miami as it feels
like any day, week or year they can move on. All respect to
Coach Philbin as I think he’s a very bright offensive mind but he looks more
like a guy who might retire to Florida then coach it’s most famous
franchise. If Urban Meyer wins another title at Ohio State sure
seems like the perfect place for him to land and test his luck at the NFL
level.
Minnesota Vikings: What to do with AP? That’s the million dollar
question. I think they part ways but how they do it will be
interesting to follow this offseason.
New England Patriots: What will they do next to have the country hate
them? Funny some in media want to talk that Belichick and Brady best ever
but it’s things like this that keep them from replacing the Bill Walsh,
Joe Montana, Chuck Knoll, Terry Bradshaw, Tom Landry or Vince
Lombardi. Just win fair!!! Patriots likely lose draft picks
and get a big fine and then figure out another way to bend the rules
again.
New Orleans Saints: Really you bring Rob Ryan back. SMH.
Regardless the Saints might want to get rid of the running back and wide
receivers by committee and lock more into a feature back and try to develop a
number one wide receiver. You wonder another playoff miss and
will the team start preparing for Post Brees? Regardless this team only
goes as far as Rob Ryan’s defense takes you and if 2015 is like 2014 it is not
that far.
New York Giants: Quiet so far but have to say I think they might have added Tom
Coughlin’s successor to the team. New/old defensive coordinator,
Steve Spagnuolo, is back home with the Giants and now they need to add the
pieces to the defense he requires to duplicate his prior
success. I can see the Giants hitting the trenches very hard
in free agency and the draft.
New York Jets: Looks to be a great hire with Todd
Bowles. Chan Gailey is an interesting addition as OC and
while some in media have crushed the hire Geno is a Chan type of QB so let’s
wait and see what happens.
Oakland Raiders: After so many train wreck hires in Oakland, I was glad
to see Jack Del Rio resurfaces in Oakland. A head coach with prior
experience who was just in the Super Bowl a year ago is certainly a step in the
right direction. Remember he was able to steer the Jaguars into the
playoffs!!! How his staff fills out, how free agency shakes out and the
draft will go a long way in seeing if Del Rio is the HC to lead the Raiders
back to respectability or just another HC who doesn’t receive support from the
front office. If I were a Raiders fan I would be happy with this
move and feel it is one step in the right direction.
Philadelphia Eagles: Well Chip is in total charge of the team now so no one
to blame if his system does not work. If I’m an Eagles fan I really
hope they don’t sell the farm for Marcus Mariota. He has talent but if
you add him and open four other holes are you a better team.
Personally, I think Philadelphia would do themselves a favor by
studying Brett Hundley closely and selecting him in round one if he looks
good. With Nick Foles in the last year of his deal you would have
the luxury of letting Brett sit a year behind Foles before placing him under
center.
Pittsburgh Steelers---Turning the page on the LeBeau years is probably the right
move as the team needs some fresh ideas and fresh faces. Franchise
that seems to find gems in every draft will have to retool and rebuild its
defense in the image of new coordinator, Keith Butler.
San Diego Chargers: So far the biggest news is the departure of LB coach,
Joe Barry and that really doesn’t register as a significant loss. Big
decision for San Diego is do they bring Ryan Matthews back which appears not
likely so what direction do they go for a running game. Draft
someone again or sign a higher priced proven commodity.
San Francisco 49’ers: Changing of the guard with the departure of Jim
Harbaugh and both coordinators. I have a feeling San Francisco take
a significant step back and drop from the national scene as they try to retool
their image and direction. This will be a make or break year for
Kaepernick and with the changes on staff I can’t say I expect him to improve
his game.
St. Louis Rams: Besides checking out the L.A. area things have been
quiet with this team. Next big question is what they do for an offensive
coordinator and who will be long term under center. Sam Bradford’s make
or break season is certainly on the horizon.
Seattle Seahawks: Biggest off-season will be replacing Dan Quinn and any
other coaches he takes with him. With Pete Carroll’s connection I
don’t see this as an issue. Replacing Gus Bradley went fairly
smooth.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers---A team that needs help everywhere must first get their signal
caller to lead this group and the million dollar question is will it be Marcus
Mariota or Jameis Winston. Winston appears more NFL
game ready but his lack of maturity certainly raises a boat load of questions.
An interesting nugget is Oregon HC, Mark Helfrich, worked for new Tampa Bay
Buccaneers, OC Dirk Koetter. I’m not sure if they pass on
Mariota it’s an indictment on him but one would believe Helfrich would give his
old boss a little more insight than the other teams.
Regardless of what teams say you can’t beat the prior relationship for some
extra insight.
Tennessee Titans---The decision will be a little easier as they likely will have
to pick between one quarterback and the top defensive player in the
draft. I have to assume at this moment if they are leaning towards
not taking a quarterback they have to quietly field offers for a trade as the
feeling in the league is the top picks will be quarterbacks just which teams
will be there. The decision will come down to the faith the Wiz has
in Zach Mettenberger and maybe if they want to bring Bobby Hoyer in to push
him. Remember in his last season with the Cardinals, Ken Whisenhunt
signed Bobby Hoyer so a reunion may not be far fetch.
Washington: They appear always to be chasing the other teams in the
division and wanting what the others have. Saw the Cowboys have a great
offensive line so they make the move to get Bill Callahan (I know the whole Jay
and Jon Gruden and Bruce Allen connection) but Callahan won’t be bringing the
three Pro Bowl players with him from the Cowboys line. The real
head scratcher was the hiring of Joe Barry (that’s Dallas Cowboys, Rod
Marinelli’s son-in-law) as the new defensive coordinator when there is a large
amount of more seasoned and accomplished men available. Adding
former Giants coordinator, Perry Farwell, is another example of staying in the
division. I hope Bruce Allen realizes there are 28 other teams in the
league. The one move they did do that I thought was significant and
it makes watching how they draft and who they sign worthwhile is the adding of
Scott McCloughan. Great reputation and proven results something not
often said in Washington.
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