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Team Needs 2012…Jacksonville Jaguars
The good news is that the Jaguars have two major things going for them. They have a strong run game as well as a strong run defense. However, the NFL is a passing game, and with some injuries on both sides of the ball, the Jaguars weren’t going anywhere in the 2011 season.
Jacksonville still has a long way to go before they can be a competitive football team. While the improvement of Blaine Gabbart would help the team more than anything, there are a number of other positions that the Jaguars can address in free agency and get some instant upgrades. They have shown in the past that they aren’t afraid to make free agent additions. On defense alone they’ve added Matt Roth, Paul Posluszny, Clint Session, Dawan Landry and Dwight Lowery last year. We could see the makeover continue in the coming months. There are still improvements that can be made on the defensive side of the ball, as well as help in the passing game.
Team Needs 2012…Tennessee Titans
The Titans wasted no time getting back to winning ways under Mike Munchak in 2011. Tennessee is a franchise with high expectations for the new campaign as they had only experienced five losing seasons in 16 years under Jeff Fisher. This is a team used to winning, and with the AFC South blown wide open by the colossal fall from grace by the perennial Peyton Manning-led Colts team, the Titans will absolutely be eyeing a place for themselves in the playoffs.
This is a team with a good nucleus of players for the future. This team had a lot going for it in 2011, perhaps its most valuable asset being an offensive line which we ranked 6th in the NFL. However, with several key players about to become free agents, and underperforming players now under the microscope, there are certainly areas of the field they will need to concentrate their efforts in bringing in new talent. Let’s take a look at where they are and how the Titans can go forward.
Team Needs 2012…Kansas City Chiefs
In 2010, the Kansas City Chiefs seemingly came out of nowhere to win the division. Few predicted a repeat in 2011 thanks to the other talent in the division as well as their schedule. Early on, the Chiefs lost a number of their most talented young players (Tony Moeaki, Jammal Charles, Eric Berry) which made everyone else count them out. To their credit, though, they did make a run late in the season.
Now those players are back, and the Chiefs have a roster full of rising stars. In fact, they could be just a few pieces of the puzzle away from a Super Bowl run. While bringing back Dwayne Bowe is the next step, there are a few moves on offense that could make this team scary and fast.
The Chiefs have been aggressive under GM Scott Pioli in upgrading via free agency, bringing in Steve Breaston, LeRon McClain and Kelly Gregg last offseason. They have already added Stanford Routt this past month to bolster the secondary. Here are a few more players the Chiefs might consider via free agency to help them compete with the best in the league.
Team Needs 2012 … Oakland Raiders
This was the season that almost was for the Oakland Raiders with their customary ill-discipline and inconsistency preventing them from clinching their first in nearly a decade. A new regime and a new head coach are in place for, but will this be a bright new dawn building on the positives of 2011 or a reset on new values that extends the road back to past glories? The Raiders had positive performers in almost every area of their defense in 2011, but also had complete letdowns in the same areas, finding the right players to achieve better balance will be crucial to the Raiders taking the next step in 2012.
New leadership at the top brings the potential for scheme changes which could, in turn, lead to a vast overhaul in personnel for the Raiders. Their ability to build through the draft is limited by the king’s ransom that they have surrendered for three different quarterbacks, so shrewd signings in free agency will be pivotal for their short term development. Late round pickups have proven to be solid contributors in the past but they can’t be relied upon to move the Raiders forward, so they will be judged and defined by their offseason decisions. Read the rest of this entry »
Team Needs 2012 … San Diego Chargers
When you look at the San Diego Chargers, it’s frustrating that they still can’t seem to put it together and given the lack of overall quality in the AFC West the past few seasons, you have to wonder if they’ll look back on these years as missed opportunities. Many people, including PFF founder Neil Hornsby, predicted that Philip Rivers (+23.9) would have a season that would be up there with the best in the league. He finished the season as our fifth-highest graded QB, but was never close to the level of Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees.
So where do the Chargers go from here? They have a lot of the pieces in place to make the playoffs, but then we say that every year. They don’t have a lot of needs, but filling those they do have would turn them into a real contender, in my opinion. Let’s take a look at the biggest question marks on the San Diego roster, and who best to fill the roles. Read the rest of this entry »
Team Needs 2012…Denver Broncos
As we move into the AFC West we continue our look at Help Wanted pages of the NFL with the Denver Broncos. Denver was a playoff team last year, and yet strangely in a league where success is determined by the strength of one’s quarterback, they may not have a viable one for the long-term. Tim Tebow was able to get just enough done on the back of the Denver option offense to get them to the playoffs (with a very strong assist from the defense). They ultimately flamed out against a disciplined defense in the form of the Patriots.
So what else could the Broncos do with as we run headlong towards free agency and then the draft? Below are three suggestions.
Team Needs 2012 … Philadelphia Eagles
2011 was the season that offered so much but delivered so little for the Eagles. A predictably slow start, considering all the changes, proved too much to overcome for a team that was not lacking in talent. Still they ended up just a game back of the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants, a team they managed to beat with their backup QB.
Having invested significant resources in the two lines, is it finally time for Andy Reid to address those positions he typically ignores? Time to find out where the Eagles need help …
Team Needs 2012 … Dallas Cowboys
“America’s Team” once again spent the offseason watching the playoffs despite a star-studded roster. You’d be wrong to blame Tony Romo (+10.7 overall in 2011), who, despite failing to play in January, still put up impressive stats and played through some injuries. He didn’t always have stellar pass protection, either (-1.7 pass blocking grade as a unit).
Arguably, their defense–which underperformed in Rob Ryan’s first year at the helm–was the weak spot of the team. Despite generating pressure (43 sacks, 50 QB hits, 192 pressures) and generally shutting down the run (+61.8 as a unit in run defense), opposing QBs were able to pick them apart through the air (-36.6 pass coverage). Even with this fatal flaw, the Cowboys still had a chance to earn a home playoff game in the last week of the regular season, but fell to the eventual World Champion New York Giants. How can the Dallas Cowboys live up to their high expectations? Let’s take a look at a few areas the Cowboys need to upgrade if they want to reclaim their long-lost dominance in an increasingly competitive NFC.
Team Needs 2012 … Washington Redskins
Mike Shanahan will be feeling the pressure in 2012 after the Redskins went from 6-10 in his first season to 5-11 in 2011. Definitely not the kind of progress the former Super Bowl-winning coach would have been hoping for. However, beneath the surface there is a lot for Redskins fans to be optimistic about going forward.
Shanahan has the team going through a rebuilding phase as the days of overpaid veterans and busted trade deals appear to be over. The Redskins are a much younger team compared to two years ago. Some key positions were addressed last season through free agency and the draft as they continue to move forward. The Redskins venture into the 3-4 defensive scheme is now entering its third season and further results will be expected of Jim Haslett’s unit. The real pressure however, is no doubt lying with Kyle Shanahan and the mess of an offense Washington has been burdened with for the best part of a decade.
It comes as no surprise, therefore, that all three positions of need come on that side of the ball. Let’s take a look at what’s needed in the nation’s capital.
Team Needs 2012 … New York Giants
After winning the Super Bowl you’d forgive the New York Giants for putting their feet up and relaxing. After all they built a roster that won the big one, beating the incumbent Packers and AFC Champion Patriots on their way to a remarkable victory.
However, this is an NFL where if you’re not getting better you’re getting worse. The Giants do have a number of areas to improve on if they’re to repeat and not fall away as they did the last time they won a Super Bowl. Given what they were able to do this year, without a big free agency and limited contributions from their draft class, you wouldn’t bank on the Giants being big players. Moving forward it’s time to look at some of their problem positions, and some possible moves to rectify them.
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