- Dec 14, 2004
- 60,034
- 50,948
Damn, Peyton put up numbers and didn't play in the second half.
NFL Discussion Thread - Hall of Fame Game: August 3rd
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by 651akathepaul,
- Start date
- Status
- Jan 3, 2004
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Rodgers has 4 career RZ INT's.
- Jan 12, 2003
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- Jul 29, 2007
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Leslie Frazier |I
- Mar 31, 2011
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jets need to sign a big time reciever.I dont want them to draft anther bust inthe draft like hill.
- Oct 1, 2011
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At least his team didn't quit on him....they had pretty mediocre qb play and they still won games w/o AP (who is basically that entire team aside from Patterson recently)...thought he'd get one final shot but not totally surprising
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- Dec 14, 2004
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What a block by Kuhn. AR made a great throw too but that block by Kuhn was HUGE.
- Apr 30, 2006
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Shanahan is gone!
Let's see where the skins go from here.
Let's see where the skins go from here.
- Dec 14, 2004
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I would love to know how much Cari Champion makes. This ***** gets paid to do not a damn thing. Makes a couple bad jokes and smiles.
- Oct 1, 2011
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Man **** both you Texans fans too
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- Aug 1, 2009
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Ol Michael just got the boot.
- Jan 30, 2007
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This was a perfect reply
I remember that, and was thinking to myself "wait, did he. really say that?"
P proshares I knew there was a minimum of 1 more Cowboys fan I didn't mention, but didn't feel like backtracking to figure out who
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- Jan 3, 2004
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I still can't believe the Lions are thinking about keeping Schwartz
- Dec 30, 2012
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Horrible idea by Det. As bad as Cleveland firing Chud
- Dec 29, 2008
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Stafford needs a couch like Bill O'Brien who can fix him and play to his strengths
- Oct 1, 2011
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Indeed
team had no business finishing .500 get some offensive weapons on that squad and with that defense and makred improvements from the qb, they will be in contention for a wild card next year. Great to see those guys love their coach like that though, he seems like someone you'd wanna go to battle for every game for sure.NFL's 10 best-positioned teams for 2014.
Imagine your disbelief if an NFL clairvoyant had told you back in August that Rex Ryan would salvage his job, Gary Kubiak would lose his and the Cleveland Browns would dump Rob Chudzinski less than one calendar year into his tenure.
Imagine if someone had told you the Arizona Cardinals, 1-11 to close 2012, would finish this season 10-6. Or that defending division champions Washington and Atlanta would combine for a mere five victories. Or that the AFC West would send three teams to the playoffs. Or that a Dallas Cowboys quarterback other than Tony Romo would throw a killer interception in a Week 17 elimination game.
Imagine if someone had told you that Bill Leavy, the referee who apologized for errors that helped Pittsburgh defeat Seattle in Super Bowl XL, would be on the scene in Week 17 this season when an officiating gaffe helped knock the Steelers out of the postseason.
The steady flow of surprise storylines makes projecting the future seem futile in the NFL. There simply aren’t many sure bets beyond the New England Patriots winning 10-plus games as long as Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are part of the equation. We're left to set reasonable expectations based on what we know and think. So, with yet another unpredictable regular season ending Sunday, I set out to identify the 10 teams I consider best positioned for success in 2014. It was tough finding 10 -- even though a dozen teams are marching into the playoffs with at least a shot of Super Bowl glory.
1. Seattle Seahawks
Ownership, front office, head coach, quarterback and overall roster are the areas I singled out initially when putting together this list. Seattle is in great shape for 2014 across all those areas, with youth on its side. The Seahawks took the NFL's seventh-youngest roster into December. While four of the six younger teams had losing records this season, Seattle went 13-3 and trailed only Denver in scoring margin.
Seahawks Defense
Season 2012 2013
PPG Allowed 15.3 14.4
Yards/game 306.2 273.6
TDs allowed 23 20
INTs 18 28
Passer rating 71.8 63.4
Total QBR 46.9 29.0
Source: ESPN Stats & Information
Still, this was a tough call at the top because the San Francisco 49ers are strong in these areas as well. They are better along the offensive line and are taking a league-best six-game winning streak into the playoffs. Recent shaky play from the Seattle offense in general and Russell Wilson in particular raises some concerns. I think those concerns are short-term ones related to available weaponry. The 49ers went through their own struggles along those lines earlier in the season. Seattle has proved better at developing receivers.
General manager John Schneider has arguably done the best job of any GM in the league since taking over in 2010. Draft choices Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor, Richard Sherman, Russell Okung and Wilson have already become Pro Bowlers at high-impact positions. The Seahawks famously made 284 transactions in Schneider's first season, churning the bottom of the roster to improve the personnel. Schneider acquired Marshawn Lynch for two midround picks. He was also the driving force behind the team’s decision to select Wilson in the third round of the 2012 draft.
Thanks to those and other moves, including the bargain signings of free-agent defensive linemen Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett this past offseason, the Seahawks matched Denver for the best record in the NFL. They should return next season largely intact. One key variable will be whether Percy Harvin can return and contribute at a high level. The Seahawks didn't need him to secure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs this season, but their personnel issues at receiver caught up to them late in the year. Teams equipped to take away Golden Tate put Wilson in a bind.
2. San Francisco 49ers
Most in the league seem to think Wilson has outplayed the 49ers' Colin Kaepernick this season, but the quarterbacks' overall numbers are similar, and Kaepernick has been the hotter quarterback of late. He leads the NFL in Total QBR (82.2) and ranks fourth in passer rating (109.7) over the final three games of the season. Wilson is 29th in QBR (25.9) and 23rd in passer rating (78.2) over the same span. What does it mean for the future? The upcoming playoffs could shed more light. There's much to like about both quarterbacks, but neither will produce consistently well against top defenses without sufficient weaponry.
The quarterback comparison is relevant from a salary-cap standpoint as well. Kaepernick becomes eligible for a new contract this offseason. Wilson is not eligible for a new deal for another year. Cap-related pressures have already led the 49ers to part with key contributors such as Dashon Goldson and Delanie Walker. Upping the price for Kaepernick could create additional challenges, but not so much if San Francisco can find capable replacements in the draft.
I'll be watching the 49ers closely in this area. They followed a stellar 2011 class featuring Kaepernick and Aldon Smith with a brutal 2012 draft from which backups Joe Looney and LaMichael James were the only contributors this season. That 2012 draft was the No. 1 reason Seattle overtook San Francisco in the NFC West. The Seahawks got Wilson, Bobby Wagner, Bruce Irvin, Robert Turbin, Jeremy Lane and J.R. Sweezy from their 2012 class. The 49ers cannot afford to run such draft-day deficits with their division rivals from the north.
The 49ers' 2013 class featured Tank Carradine and Marcus Lattimore, two injured prospects expected to help the team down the line. San Francisco heads into the 2014 draft with an additional second-round choice acquired from Kansas City in the Alex Smith trade. The 49ers are set up well. Now they must take advantage.
3. New England Patriots
The Patriots are another team set at owner, in the front office, at head coach and quarterback. Their roster lacks the depth of some others, but that is understandable to some degree. Teams paying top dollar for their starting quarterbacks generally must cut some corners elsewhere. New England has remained disciplined and arguably too much so, at least when it came to letting Wes Welker get away. But that move wouldn't have hurt so much if Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski had factored as anticipated.
Going 12-4 this season was a minor miracle for the Patriots under the circumstances. They approached the season with an offense built around their tight ends, only to lose Hernandez forever and Gronkowski for nine games. New England should be much better prepared for the 2014 season after having a full offseason to get its personnel in place.
In the meantime, the Patriots have gone 6-1 this season in games decided by three or fewer points, the most victories by such a narrow margin for any team in one season over the past decade. Winning so many of the close ones generally isn't sustainable, but if the Patriots can reload this coming offseason, they should have an easier time putting away opponents more convincingly.
Getting Vince Wilfork and Jerod Mayo back on defense also will help, but Brady's continued presence matters most. He ranked 18th in Total QBR with nine touchdown passes and six picks through eight games. His numbers lined up with those for Alex Smith to that point in the season. Was Brady declining or were personnel issues more to blame? The second half of the season provided answers. Brady improved, ranking fourth in QBR with 16 touchdowns and five picks over his final eight games. The strong finish affirmed Brady's status among the game's best at age 36.
4. Cincinnati Bengals
I’ve made the case that Cincinnati should draft a quarterback in 2014 even if Andy Dalton finishes the season strong. Dalton, though very steady in his demeanor, simply hasn’t been consistent from a production standpoint. The last month of the season illustrates the problem. Dalton had thrown nine touchdown passes without an interception over a three-game period entering Week 17. He then tossed four picks Sunday. It was not the way Dalton was looking to go into the playoffs, where Cincy has not won since 1990. That said, Dalton set a career high with 33 touchdown passes this season. The Bengals have shown they can win with him, but can they do so in the playoffs?
[+] Enlarge
AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast
Marvin Lewis has an enviable roster in Cincinnati.
The Bengals benefit from stability and continuity, but for a long time, Mike Brown’s name would have resided at or near the top of any list featuring the NFL’s worst team owners. Brown still might be up there, depending upon whom you asked. But if you consider which owners are coming under the harshest scrutiny these days, that list would begin with Daniel Snyder and Jerry Jones, the two owners least similar to the low-key, old-fashioned Brown. And in an era when the smart teams are focusing increasingly on the draft, Brown's aversion for spending in free agency shouldn't be used against him. Especially since the Bengals now own a roster to envy.
The Bengals do continue to employ a lightly staffed front office. They have been known over the years for leaning heavily on their assistant coaches for personnel evaluation, although coach Marvin Lewis has said that has changed. Cincinnati lists three scouts and three scouting consultants under director of player personnel Duke Tobin, with Brown listed as the GM in title. The AFC North-rival Baltimore Ravens list 19 personnel people under general manager Ozzie Newsome. Tobin has nonetheless taken a lead role in building a team that has reached the playoffs three years in a row and now claims an AFC North title.
Lewis has endured long enough for the Bengals to rise just as the division-rival Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers are taking a step backward. Lewis also has put together a stellar staff featuring coordinators Jay Gruden and Mike Zimmer, who both could draw interest as head-coaching candidates. That reflects well on Lewis.
Like the Seahawks and 49ers, the Bengals can win on defense. Getting Geno Atkins back from ACL surgery will help keep it that way.
5. Denver Broncos
The top of my list has favored teams with quarterbacks still playing under cap-friendly rookie contracts. Denver is not such a team, but there is no denying the Broncos' relevance as long as Peyton Manning remains productive. I never expected Manning to produce at such a high level coming back from four neck surgeries. He has gotten stronger this season.
Broncos Defense
Season 2012 2013
PPG Allowed 18.1 24.9
Yards/game 290.8 356.0
TDs allowed 30 44
INTs 16 17
Passer rating 79.4 84.5
Total QBR 25.0 49.0
Source: ESPN Stats & Information
Another postseason flameout would further enable Manning's detractors, but where would the Broncos be without him? Not anywhere near the postseason. Denver allowed an additional 110 points this season over last season. Chicago, Atlanta and Minnesota were the only teams to suffer from larger year-over-year slides in points allowed. Those teams also lost a combined 16 victories in the standings.
The Broncos posted a second consecutive 13-3 record because they set an NFL record with 606 points, up from 481 the previous season. They did it mostly without left tackle Ryan Clady, who is recovering from ACL surgery. With top pass-rusher Von Miller also facing ACL rehab and with Champ Bailey set to turn 36 this offseason after missing 11 games, this Denver team is beginning to feel like some of the teams Manning led in Indianapolis: potent but overly reliant on a high-priced quarterback.
Most teams would love to be in the Broncos' position, but at some point, age and injuries will catch up to Manning. It just hasn't happened yet.
6. New Orleans Saints
The Saints are 24-8 in their past two seasons with Sean Payton on the sideline. They outscored their opponents by 318 points in those games, by far the largest point differential for any team over those seasons (2011, 2013). That track record explains why I've listed the Saints over Carolina even though the Panthers won the NFC South this season. We know we can count on Payton and Drew Brees.
Re-signing tight end Jimmy Graham will be a priority. The Saints do not enjoy great flexibility from a cap standpoint, but that shouldn't stop them from getting something done. The franchise tag gives them options if Graham seeks wide receiver money, as some expect he might. Graham has 3,507 yards and 36 touchdowns over the past three seasons. No other tight end has more than 2,832 yards or 32 touchdowns.
7. Carolina Panthers
I went into the 2013 season thinking Carolina needed to add weapons for quarterback Cam Newton. That is still the feeling even after the Panthers won the NFC South and clinched a first-round playoff bye with a 12-4 record. Top receiver Steve Smith turns 35 in May. Carolina's roster has featured the NFL's oldest offensive players by average age, a concern for the longer term.
[+] Enlarge
AP Photo/Dave Martin
Cam Newton could cash in this offseason -- but how will that impact the Panthers?
The Panthers are on this list because they've developed a formula for winning with defense, taking pressure off Newton to carry the team. Newton posted a slightly above average 56.2 Total QBR score for the second season in a row, but with Carolina's defense allowing 7.6 fewer points per game, the Panthers improved from 7-9 to 12-4.
The defense should improve as the secondary stabilizes. Re-signing defensive end Greg Hardy is another variable. Hardy collected seven sacks over the final two regular-season games, giving him 26 over the past two seasons. Only J.J. Watt, Robert Quinn, Aldon Smith and Robert Mathis have more over that span. How much will he command?
A personnel analyst I spoke with over the weekend also noted that Newton becomes eligible for a new contract this offseason. The analyst said teams and agents aren't excited about being first out of the gate in reworking deals for 2011 draft choices, and that people around the league will be watching to see what happens with Newton, the first player selected under the current labor agreement.
8. Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles won the NFC East and set a franchise record for scoring in Chip Kelly's first season as coach. The backup quarterback Kelly inherited tossed 27 touchdown passes with two interceptions along the way. So, when I asked an NFL personnel analyst whether any of the current coaching candidates from the college ranks measured up to Kelly, the answer was no. "Chip Kelly can adjust anything and is really, really, really smart," the analyst said. "Once every five years in college you see one like him."
Not everyone is convinced Foles will turn out to be as good as he has appeared to this point. But when I asked a GM who had studied Foles whether the quarterback was "for real" or not, the answer was mostly positive.
"I don't want to say completely for real, but I was impressed with what I saw," the GM said a few weeks back. "The thing I thought he did a fantastic job of for a young quarterback is he played with great patience. He didn't try to play outside the system. He did a great job not forcing things, and making decisions. He has been very, very good so far, and I would say if you had to go in one direction, you'd lean more toward 'for real' than the other. Impressive. Good touch, accuracy, good decisions."
9. Green Bay Packers
The ground below is getting shakier at this point, but the combination of Aaron Rodgers and a newly established power running game will be a winning one for the Packers even though their defense bleeds points. Green Bay has won with varied offensive styles since Mike McCarthy became coach, but never in the McCarthy era have the Packers fielded a defense as bad as this one.
10. Your favorite team here
The Indianapolis Colts head a list of teams I considered ranking in the 10th spot, but when I asked football people for their top 10s, they ran into the same difficulties I encountered. The absence of complete teams made it tough finding six or seven, let alone 10. The league is volatile from week to week and year to year.
San Diego has a shot with Philip Rivers revitalized. Kansas City is back with Andy Reid. Arizona won 10 games and could take another step forward if the offense improves. Imagine what the New York Jets could do with even an average quarterback. The Detroit Lions could shoot up the list if they make the right coaching change. St. Louis has to like its chances with two of the top 13 picks in the upcoming draft. There's a case to be made for plenty of teams.
So, go ahead and pencil in your favorite team. This is the NFL, and just about everyone has a shot.
Imagine if someone had told you the Arizona Cardinals, 1-11 to close 2012, would finish this season 10-6. Or that defending division champions Washington and Atlanta would combine for a mere five victories. Or that the AFC West would send three teams to the playoffs. Or that a Dallas Cowboys quarterback other than Tony Romo would throw a killer interception in a Week 17 elimination game.
Imagine if someone had told you that Bill Leavy, the referee who apologized for errors that helped Pittsburgh defeat Seattle in Super Bowl XL, would be on the scene in Week 17 this season when an officiating gaffe helped knock the Steelers out of the postseason.
The steady flow of surprise storylines makes projecting the future seem futile in the NFL. There simply aren’t many sure bets beyond the New England Patriots winning 10-plus games as long as Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are part of the equation. We're left to set reasonable expectations based on what we know and think. So, with yet another unpredictable regular season ending Sunday, I set out to identify the 10 teams I consider best positioned for success in 2014. It was tough finding 10 -- even though a dozen teams are marching into the playoffs with at least a shot of Super Bowl glory.
1. Seattle Seahawks
Ownership, front office, head coach, quarterback and overall roster are the areas I singled out initially when putting together this list. Seattle is in great shape for 2014 across all those areas, with youth on its side. The Seahawks took the NFL's seventh-youngest roster into December. While four of the six younger teams had losing records this season, Seattle went 13-3 and trailed only Denver in scoring margin.
Seahawks Defense
Season 2012 2013
PPG Allowed 15.3 14.4
Yards/game 306.2 273.6
TDs allowed 23 20
INTs 18 28
Passer rating 71.8 63.4
Total QBR 46.9 29.0
Source: ESPN Stats & Information
Still, this was a tough call at the top because the San Francisco 49ers are strong in these areas as well. They are better along the offensive line and are taking a league-best six-game winning streak into the playoffs. Recent shaky play from the Seattle offense in general and Russell Wilson in particular raises some concerns. I think those concerns are short-term ones related to available weaponry. The 49ers went through their own struggles along those lines earlier in the season. Seattle has proved better at developing receivers.
General manager John Schneider has arguably done the best job of any GM in the league since taking over in 2010. Draft choices Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor, Richard Sherman, Russell Okung and Wilson have already become Pro Bowlers at high-impact positions. The Seahawks famously made 284 transactions in Schneider's first season, churning the bottom of the roster to improve the personnel. Schneider acquired Marshawn Lynch for two midround picks. He was also the driving force behind the team’s decision to select Wilson in the third round of the 2012 draft.
Thanks to those and other moves, including the bargain signings of free-agent defensive linemen Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett this past offseason, the Seahawks matched Denver for the best record in the NFL. They should return next season largely intact. One key variable will be whether Percy Harvin can return and contribute at a high level. The Seahawks didn't need him to secure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs this season, but their personnel issues at receiver caught up to them late in the year. Teams equipped to take away Golden Tate put Wilson in a bind.
2. San Francisco 49ers
Most in the league seem to think Wilson has outplayed the 49ers' Colin Kaepernick this season, but the quarterbacks' overall numbers are similar, and Kaepernick has been the hotter quarterback of late. He leads the NFL in Total QBR (82.2) and ranks fourth in passer rating (109.7) over the final three games of the season. Wilson is 29th in QBR (25.9) and 23rd in passer rating (78.2) over the same span. What does it mean for the future? The upcoming playoffs could shed more light. There's much to like about both quarterbacks, but neither will produce consistently well against top defenses without sufficient weaponry.
The quarterback comparison is relevant from a salary-cap standpoint as well. Kaepernick becomes eligible for a new contract this offseason. Wilson is not eligible for a new deal for another year. Cap-related pressures have already led the 49ers to part with key contributors such as Dashon Goldson and Delanie Walker. Upping the price for Kaepernick could create additional challenges, but not so much if San Francisco can find capable replacements in the draft.
I'll be watching the 49ers closely in this area. They followed a stellar 2011 class featuring Kaepernick and Aldon Smith with a brutal 2012 draft from which backups Joe Looney and LaMichael James were the only contributors this season. That 2012 draft was the No. 1 reason Seattle overtook San Francisco in the NFC West. The Seahawks got Wilson, Bobby Wagner, Bruce Irvin, Robert Turbin, Jeremy Lane and J.R. Sweezy from their 2012 class. The 49ers cannot afford to run such draft-day deficits with their division rivals from the north.
The 49ers' 2013 class featured Tank Carradine and Marcus Lattimore, two injured prospects expected to help the team down the line. San Francisco heads into the 2014 draft with an additional second-round choice acquired from Kansas City in the Alex Smith trade. The 49ers are set up well. Now they must take advantage.
3. New England Patriots
The Patriots are another team set at owner, in the front office, at head coach and quarterback. Their roster lacks the depth of some others, but that is understandable to some degree. Teams paying top dollar for their starting quarterbacks generally must cut some corners elsewhere. New England has remained disciplined and arguably too much so, at least when it came to letting Wes Welker get away. But that move wouldn't have hurt so much if Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski had factored as anticipated.
Going 12-4 this season was a minor miracle for the Patriots under the circumstances. They approached the season with an offense built around their tight ends, only to lose Hernandez forever and Gronkowski for nine games. New England should be much better prepared for the 2014 season after having a full offseason to get its personnel in place.
In the meantime, the Patriots have gone 6-1 this season in games decided by three or fewer points, the most victories by such a narrow margin for any team in one season over the past decade. Winning so many of the close ones generally isn't sustainable, but if the Patriots can reload this coming offseason, they should have an easier time putting away opponents more convincingly.
Getting Vince Wilfork and Jerod Mayo back on defense also will help, but Brady's continued presence matters most. He ranked 18th in Total QBR with nine touchdown passes and six picks through eight games. His numbers lined up with those for Alex Smith to that point in the season. Was Brady declining or were personnel issues more to blame? The second half of the season provided answers. Brady improved, ranking fourth in QBR with 16 touchdowns and five picks over his final eight games. The strong finish affirmed Brady's status among the game's best at age 36.
4. Cincinnati Bengals
I’ve made the case that Cincinnati should draft a quarterback in 2014 even if Andy Dalton finishes the season strong. Dalton, though very steady in his demeanor, simply hasn’t been consistent from a production standpoint. The last month of the season illustrates the problem. Dalton had thrown nine touchdown passes without an interception over a three-game period entering Week 17. He then tossed four picks Sunday. It was not the way Dalton was looking to go into the playoffs, where Cincy has not won since 1990. That said, Dalton set a career high with 33 touchdown passes this season. The Bengals have shown they can win with him, but can they do so in the playoffs?
[+] Enlarge
AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast
Marvin Lewis has an enviable roster in Cincinnati.
The Bengals benefit from stability and continuity, but for a long time, Mike Brown’s name would have resided at or near the top of any list featuring the NFL’s worst team owners. Brown still might be up there, depending upon whom you asked. But if you consider which owners are coming under the harshest scrutiny these days, that list would begin with Daniel Snyder and Jerry Jones, the two owners least similar to the low-key, old-fashioned Brown. And in an era when the smart teams are focusing increasingly on the draft, Brown's aversion for spending in free agency shouldn't be used against him. Especially since the Bengals now own a roster to envy.
The Bengals do continue to employ a lightly staffed front office. They have been known over the years for leaning heavily on their assistant coaches for personnel evaluation, although coach Marvin Lewis has said that has changed. Cincinnati lists three scouts and three scouting consultants under director of player personnel Duke Tobin, with Brown listed as the GM in title. The AFC North-rival Baltimore Ravens list 19 personnel people under general manager Ozzie Newsome. Tobin has nonetheless taken a lead role in building a team that has reached the playoffs three years in a row and now claims an AFC North title.
Lewis has endured long enough for the Bengals to rise just as the division-rival Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers are taking a step backward. Lewis also has put together a stellar staff featuring coordinators Jay Gruden and Mike Zimmer, who both could draw interest as head-coaching candidates. That reflects well on Lewis.
Like the Seahawks and 49ers, the Bengals can win on defense. Getting Geno Atkins back from ACL surgery will help keep it that way.
5. Denver Broncos
The top of my list has favored teams with quarterbacks still playing under cap-friendly rookie contracts. Denver is not such a team, but there is no denying the Broncos' relevance as long as Peyton Manning remains productive. I never expected Manning to produce at such a high level coming back from four neck surgeries. He has gotten stronger this season.
Broncos Defense
Season 2012 2013
PPG Allowed 18.1 24.9
Yards/game 290.8 356.0
TDs allowed 30 44
INTs 16 17
Passer rating 79.4 84.5
Total QBR 25.0 49.0
Source: ESPN Stats & Information
Another postseason flameout would further enable Manning's detractors, but where would the Broncos be without him? Not anywhere near the postseason. Denver allowed an additional 110 points this season over last season. Chicago, Atlanta and Minnesota were the only teams to suffer from larger year-over-year slides in points allowed. Those teams also lost a combined 16 victories in the standings.
The Broncos posted a second consecutive 13-3 record because they set an NFL record with 606 points, up from 481 the previous season. They did it mostly without left tackle Ryan Clady, who is recovering from ACL surgery. With top pass-rusher Von Miller also facing ACL rehab and with Champ Bailey set to turn 36 this offseason after missing 11 games, this Denver team is beginning to feel like some of the teams Manning led in Indianapolis: potent but overly reliant on a high-priced quarterback.
Most teams would love to be in the Broncos' position, but at some point, age and injuries will catch up to Manning. It just hasn't happened yet.
6. New Orleans Saints
The Saints are 24-8 in their past two seasons with Sean Payton on the sideline. They outscored their opponents by 318 points in those games, by far the largest point differential for any team over those seasons (2011, 2013). That track record explains why I've listed the Saints over Carolina even though the Panthers won the NFC South this season. We know we can count on Payton and Drew Brees.
Re-signing tight end Jimmy Graham will be a priority. The Saints do not enjoy great flexibility from a cap standpoint, but that shouldn't stop them from getting something done. The franchise tag gives them options if Graham seeks wide receiver money, as some expect he might. Graham has 3,507 yards and 36 touchdowns over the past three seasons. No other tight end has more than 2,832 yards or 32 touchdowns.
7. Carolina Panthers
I went into the 2013 season thinking Carolina needed to add weapons for quarterback Cam Newton. That is still the feeling even after the Panthers won the NFC South and clinched a first-round playoff bye with a 12-4 record. Top receiver Steve Smith turns 35 in May. Carolina's roster has featured the NFL's oldest offensive players by average age, a concern for the longer term.
[+] Enlarge
AP Photo/Dave Martin
Cam Newton could cash in this offseason -- but how will that impact the Panthers?
The Panthers are on this list because they've developed a formula for winning with defense, taking pressure off Newton to carry the team. Newton posted a slightly above average 56.2 Total QBR score for the second season in a row, but with Carolina's defense allowing 7.6 fewer points per game, the Panthers improved from 7-9 to 12-4.
The defense should improve as the secondary stabilizes. Re-signing defensive end Greg Hardy is another variable. Hardy collected seven sacks over the final two regular-season games, giving him 26 over the past two seasons. Only J.J. Watt, Robert Quinn, Aldon Smith and Robert Mathis have more over that span. How much will he command?
A personnel analyst I spoke with over the weekend also noted that Newton becomes eligible for a new contract this offseason. The analyst said teams and agents aren't excited about being first out of the gate in reworking deals for 2011 draft choices, and that people around the league will be watching to see what happens with Newton, the first player selected under the current labor agreement.
8. Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles won the NFC East and set a franchise record for scoring in Chip Kelly's first season as coach. The backup quarterback Kelly inherited tossed 27 touchdown passes with two interceptions along the way. So, when I asked an NFL personnel analyst whether any of the current coaching candidates from the college ranks measured up to Kelly, the answer was no. "Chip Kelly can adjust anything and is really, really, really smart," the analyst said. "Once every five years in college you see one like him."
Not everyone is convinced Foles will turn out to be as good as he has appeared to this point. But when I asked a GM who had studied Foles whether the quarterback was "for real" or not, the answer was mostly positive.
"I don't want to say completely for real, but I was impressed with what I saw," the GM said a few weeks back. "The thing I thought he did a fantastic job of for a young quarterback is he played with great patience. He didn't try to play outside the system. He did a great job not forcing things, and making decisions. He has been very, very good so far, and I would say if you had to go in one direction, you'd lean more toward 'for real' than the other. Impressive. Good touch, accuracy, good decisions."
9. Green Bay Packers
The ground below is getting shakier at this point, but the combination of Aaron Rodgers and a newly established power running game will be a winning one for the Packers even though their defense bleeds points. Green Bay has won with varied offensive styles since Mike McCarthy became coach, but never in the McCarthy era have the Packers fielded a defense as bad as this one.
10. Your favorite team here
The Indianapolis Colts head a list of teams I considered ranking in the 10th spot, but when I asked football people for their top 10s, they ran into the same difficulties I encountered. The absence of complete teams made it tough finding six or seven, let alone 10. The league is volatile from week to week and year to year.
San Diego has a shot with Philip Rivers revitalized. Kansas City is back with Andy Reid. Arizona won 10 games and could take another step forward if the offense improves. Imagine what the New York Jets could do with even an average quarterback. The Detroit Lions could shoot up the list if they make the right coaching change. St. Louis has to like its chances with two of the top 13 picks in the upcoming draft. There's a case to be made for plenty of teams.
So, go ahead and pencil in your favorite team. This is the NFL, and just about everyone has a shot.
- Dec 14, 2004
- 60,034
- 50,948
Still don't know how Philbman and Schwartz haven't been fired yet All the BS that happened with that Miami team and then not finishing in the last two games. He's gotta go. Schwartz doesn't have control of that team.
SF vs Den in the SB. My pick before the year started and I'm sticking with it. AR is scary though. So is Seattle.
All the BS that happened with that Miami team and then not finishing in the last two games. He's gotta go. Schwartz doesn't have control of that team.SF vs Den in the SB. My pick before the year started and I'm sticking with it. AR is scary though. So is Seattle.
- Dec 5, 2008
- 6,463
- 1,844
And the last 3 winners have lost to the ******** during the regular season, which the Chargers have done this year.
T0INE
formerly toine2983
- Dec 21, 2005
- 67,322
- 73,829
Good stuff.
Damn Rex skinny as hell now. I know he got the lap band surgery but damn.
I see last night why Prime said Rex gonna be rocking skinny jeans soon.
- Jul 18, 2012
- 32,800
- 19,699
his team liked him, but not sure rex deserved another year
i guess a lot of teams would be happy to have him, but he's been avg (50/50) over the last three years
i guess a lot of teams would be happy to have him, but he's been avg (50/50) over the last three years
- Status
