2012 NFL Recap: NFC West

My preseason predictions:
1.San Fransisco 49ers (11-5)
2.Arizona Cardinals (8-8)
3.Seattle Seahawks (7-9)
4.St.Louis Rams (4-12)

Actual Standings:
1.San Fransisco 49ers (11-4-1)
2.Seattle Seahawks (11-5)
3.St.Louis Rams (7-8-1)
4.Arizona Cardinals (5-11)

Arizona Cardinals: The 2012 Cardinals campaign started off with a bang. They started off 4-0 with Kevin Kolb playing solid at quarterback and picking up victories over the elite Seahawks and Patriots. Fast forward to game 5 against the Rams where Kolb goes down with an injury and they go 1-11 for the rest of the season. The quarterback play after Kolb went down was abysmal to say the least. Both John Skeleton and Ryan Lindley put up consistently pathetic showings. I mean it didn't help that their offensive line play was terrible and they couldn't run the ball, but their offense with Skeleton and Lindley under center was incredibly inefficient. This poor quarterback play led to their biggest weapon, wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, having the worst season of his career. The Cardinals offense is miles worse when Fitzgerald isn't contributing and the lack of a quarterback that could get him the ball killed their offense this year. On the positive side, their defense was excellent all year. Patrick Peterson is the next star corner in the league and lineback Daryl Washington continue to improve and is quietly becoming one of the best linebackers in the league. Andre Roberts also emerged as a legitimate number two receiving option behind Larry Fitzgerald. If their passing game actually gets going next season (aka Kevin Kolb stays healthy and plays at the level he did this year), The Cardinals could have a potent 1-2 receiver combo in Fitzgerald and Roberts. The 2012 Cardinals season was ultimately one to forget after a promising start with a horrible offense that shut down after Kevin Kolb went down an injury.

San Fransisco 49ers: The 49ers had a similarly successful season then they one they had in 2011. The story of the year for them was the late-season quarterback change from Alex Smith to Colin Kapernick. Smith's play was fine all season, but once they got a taste of Kapernick's dynamic play when Smith missed the Bears game with a concussion, He remained the starter the rest of the season. Kapernick's play is explosive and has elevated this offense to the next level. He's got a great arm and his ability to run the ball effectively gives the 49ers a whole aspect to their offense. This season also saw the emergence of wide receiver Michael Crabtree. Crabtree is finally playing at the level at he was expected to when the 49ers took him 10th overall in the 2009 draft. Besides Kapernick and the breakout season for Crabtree, This was pretty much the same old effective San Fransisco 49ers. The defense was menacing with Patrick Willis and Justin Smith being their typical superhuman selves and second-year linebacker Aldon Smith solidifying himself as an elite pass rusher with 17.5 sacks. Running back Frank Gore had another productive workhorse season that ended up being one of the best of his career and hasn't showed any signs of slowing down as he approaches 30. The 49ers had another excellent year and they look like they are going to be at the top of this division for quite some time.

Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks were one of the most surprising teams of 2012. This team was consistently good and at times, dominating. There are a few teams that are this well-rounded in the league and their success this season shows that. Russell Wilson had a phenomenal rookie season.  No one expected him to be the starting quarterback over free agent pickup Matt Flynn and he made the most of his opportunity leading all rookies in passing touchdowns and improving each time he took the field. Wilson is a special player and the Seahawks got an absolute steal taking him in the third round of the draft. The Seahawks defense also came on strong this season and proved to be a force to be reckoned with. Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner are becoming shutdown corners, Earl Thomas is a beast at safety, Chris Clemons is becoming a great pass rusher and rookies Bobby Wagner and Bruce Irvin had made instant contributions to this stout defensive unit. Of course the most dangerous element to the Seahawks is still running back Marshawn Lynch. Lynch gouged defenses for a career-best 1,590 yards this year. Lynch keeps getting better in Seattle and his production has been nothing short of exceptional over the past couple years. The Seahawks are a young them that is already thriving and can only get better from here.

St.Louis Rams: The Rams were the forgotten team in the NFC West this season. Their numbers weren't bad, but they weren't great either. Jeff Fisher seems to making an impact in his first year with the team. The defense was pretty effective with Robert Quinn and Chris Long establishing a solid pass rush, Linebacker James Laurinatis had another excellent season, and cornerback Cortland Finnegan bolstered the secondary with a Pro Bowl-worthy season in his first year with the team. Offensively, quarterback Sam Bradford was competent with solid receiver play from Danny Amendola (when healthy) and rookie Chris Givens showing show big-play capability. Steven Jackson had a bit of an off-year, but still ran for 1,000 yards and did has share to contribute to the offense. The Rams are an average team that seem to be headed in the right direction with Jeff Fisher at head coach.    

 

 

NFL Recap: NFC South

My preseason predictions:
1.Atlanta Falcons (10-6)
2.New Orleans Saints (9-7)
3.Carolina Panthers (6-10)
4.Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-10)


Actual Standings:
1.Atlanta Falcons (13-3)
2.Carolina Panthers (7-9)
3.New Orleans Saints (7-9)
4.Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-9)

Atlanta Falcons: Going into the season, most people (myself included) expected the Falcons to be good, but not this good. The Falcons had a breakout season and dominated most of the competition that was thrown in their path. Matt Ryan had the best year of his career and at times, was absolutely dominating. He has never looked more poised or confident in his play and it showed with his excellent performance this season. Much of Ryan's success can be attributed to his elite receiving combo of Roddy White, Julio Jones, and Tony Gonzalez. White had yet another outstanding year and he just might be the most underrated wide receiver in the league. Jones had a breakout year after an injury-plagued rookie season and he has proven to be well worth the amount of draft picks the Falcons gave up to get him. Gonzalez was alarmingly good in his alleged final season in the league. At 36 years old, he is still creating tough matchups for his opponents and his continued strong plays proves that he is arguably the best tight end to ever play the game. The Falcons defense was decent, but they are far from scary. Asante Samuel has definitely bolstered their secondary, but they still need a lot of work. Michael Turner also had an off-year and seems to be on the decline with only 800 yards on the year. On the plus side, Jaquizz Rodgers was a productive third-down back and could be in line to become the starter if Turner continues to underwhelm. The Falcons are a great football team with a great quarterback and receiving corps, but they have a lot of room to grow if they want to win a championship.

Carolina Panthers: The 2012 Panthers were pretty much a tale of two seasons. They stumbled out of the gate going 2-7 in their first nine games. Cam Newton was playing mediocre, their defense was allowing big plays, and they were choking in close games. Fast forward to the final seven games and they are a completely different team going 5-2 over that stretch. Cam Newton was elite, their defense stepped up big time, and they didn't waver at the end of games. The Panthers are a team on the rise. Rookie linebacker Luke Kuchely and the emergence of defensive end Greg Hardy has their defense looking the best it has since it's Super Bowl run in 2003. 2012 also saw tight end Greg Olsen having the best of his career and launching himself into the top half of tight ends in the league. The Panthers desperately needed someone to step up and help out Steve Smith and Olsen rose to the occasion.  If Cam Newton plays at a consistent level, the defense continues to grow, and they get a second wideout to help out Smith and Olsen, The Panthers could be in the playoffs as early as next season.

New Orleans Saints: Everyone knew this was going to be a tough season for the Saints and it absolutely was. This year proved how valuable suspended head coach Sean Payton is to this football team. They have essentially the same roster that made the playoffs the past few years, yet this season with Payton they finish with a losing record and miss the playoffs. Despite all the adversity they faced, The Saints didn't play completely terrible. Drew Brees still played at an elite level and really carried this team through this rough patch. He utilized all his receivers incredibly well and without much help from his arsenal of sub-par running backs, he had a truly amazing season. On the flip side, the Saints defense was outright terrible. They had the worst overall defense in the league and they could not stop anyone all season. As expected, the Saints disappointed this season amidst the turmoil of the bounty scandal and the absence of head coach Sean Payton. We'll have to wait and see how the Saints do next with Payton back at the helm and this scandal behind them, but I have a feeling they will return to form next season.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Buccaneers were the exact opposite of Panthers: They started strong and finished with a whimper. The whole team just underperformed down the stretch and it cost them any chance of sneaking into the playoffs. Besides the skid at the end of the year, The Buccaneers have a lot of positives to take away from this season. First and foremost, rookie running back Doug Martin and wide receiver Vincent Jackson were both excellent this year. Martin is an absolute beast that has the tools to be one of the best running backs in the league. He is a small guy, but he runs with a lot of power and is explosive with his cuts. He reminds a lot of guys like Ray Rice and Maurice Jones-Drew, which is a good sign for Martin going forward. Jackson was incredibly productive this year and gave the Bucs their first legit number one wideout in almost a decade. He averaged a staggering 19 yards per catch and opened up opportunities for guys like Mike Williams and Tiquan Underwood to thrive as well. Josh Freeman had arguably the best year of his career throwing for 4,065 yards and 27 TD's and appears to be growing more confident in his game. He's not a top-flight quarterback, but he is quite solid and you can definitely win with a guy like him. Their run defense was also incredible finishing best in the league. Gerald McCoy is an excellent, run-stuffing defensive tackle and linebacker Lavonte David had a great rookie year leading the team in tackles. The Buccaneers one major flaw is their pass defense, which is the worst in the league. Ronde Barber is just too damn old to be effective in pass coverage any more and the other young guys they have had poor years. The Buccaneers are a young team with some room to grow, but they have some promising pieces that could bring them success moving forward.

2012 NFL Recap: NFC North

My preseason predictions:
1.Green Bay Packers (14-2)
2.Chicago Bears (11-5)
3.Detroit Lions (10-6)
4.Minnesota Vikings (3-13)

Actual Standings
1.Green Bay Packers (11-5)
2.Minnesota Vikings (10-6)
3.Chicago Bears (10-6)
4.Detroit Lions (4-12)

Chicago Bears: 2012 was a year of progress for my beloved Chicago Bears, but it ended unfortunately with them just missing the playoffs and the unjustified firing of head coach Lovie Smith. The Bears six losses this year were all to playoff teams (Packers x2, Seahawks, 49ers, Texans, Vikings) and only two those of were in blowout fashion and the 49ers game backup quarterback Jason Campbell started. It's not like Bears were getting dominated by bad teams, they only lost to the cream of the crop. Lovie Smith is a great guy and coach and did not even remotely deserved to be fired. On the field things were good in Chicago for the most part. Brandon Marshall gave the Bears their first legitimate number receiver and he had a great first year with the team. The chemistry that Marshall and Jay Cutler had in Denver five years ago is still very much alive with Marshall recording 118 receptions for 1,508 yards and 11 TD's this season. This is the quarterback/receiver tandem Chicago has been looking for years now and unless something drastic happens, the damage should continue. Of course, The Bears defense were heavy contributors as well. They had the most takeaways in the league and had a top 10 rush and pass defense. This defense may be old, but they can still play and change the complexion of a game by putting points up on the board. What the Bears need to work on is consistency on offense. They have the tools to win a title on defense, but not enough talent on offense. The biggest need for them is offensive line and a second wide receiver to help take some of the pressure off of Brandon Marshall. Jay Cutler is one of the few quarterbacks in the league that can win games with this poor of an offensive line, but they really need to get a line that can better protect him so he can be more effective throwing the ball and not have to run all over the place like a madman just to make a play. The receiver depth issue is also huge. Earl Bennett is serviceable, but not as a number two wideout. The Devin Hester receiver experiment was a nice idea, but he doesn't really make too many plays. Alshon Jeffery missed a lot of time with injury and made a few plays in his rookie year, but he made a lot of boneheaded decisions with route-running and had a plethora of offensive pass interference problems. Somebody needs to step up from this group and help take some of the reciveing load off of Brandon Marshall.  Matt Forte also needs to remain healthy and they need to get more involved with the offense next season. Forte is a weapon and his downplayed involvement this year hurt them a bit as an offensive unit. The Bears are a good, but not great football team that needs to work on offensive consistency before reaching the next level.

Detroit Lions: The Lions followed up their first playoff season in an entirety returning to a place they know all too well: The basement of the NFL. The Lions 4-12 season is puzzling to say the least. Statistically, they were only in the bottom half of the NFL in rushing yards (23rd in the league). Hell, they were even 2nd in the league in passing yards and in the middle of the pack in both passing and rushing defense. There wasn't very many times this year where this team looked absolutely awful (Only 3 of their 12 losses were by 10 points or more) and with the amount of close games they lost, this might me the best 4-12 team in NFL history. Of course, they could be playing better football and making less mistakes, but luck was a big factor in the Lions failed season. It just came out that they had the hardest adjusted strength of schedule in the league this season. They were playing elite opponents and they just couldn't quite stack up. They proved a year ago they have the talent to make the playoffs and with the young talent on this team, I can all but guarantee they will make it back there at some point. It wasn't all doom and gloom for the Lions this season though. Calvin Johnson broke the all-time single-season receiving record with a mind-boggling 1,964 yards. With Johnson's continued excellence and now this record under his belt, we could be looking at a contender for the best wide receiver to ever play the game. The Lions gave the ball away lot and had a lot of unlucky breaks this season, but I fully believe they will recover and return to the playoffs in the near future.

Green Bay Packers: Another year, another playoff bid for the Packers. Their NFC North dominance was once again driven by the play of quarterback Aaron Rodgers and their seemingly endless amount of talented wide receivers. With normal starting wideouts Greg Jennings and Jordy Nelson missing a good amount of time with injury this season, James Jones and Randall Cobb shined. Jones and Cobb stepped in as starters gracefully and both went onto have breakout seasons leading the team in receiving. Most teams would be screwed if their starting receivers missed significant time, but the Packers ridiculous amount of depth and talent show that they undoubtedly have the best receiving corps in the league. The defense was solid all season as well even with Clay Matthews missing a portion of the season and Charles Woodson missing most of the year. As for flaws, they still can't run the ball. Cedric Benson went down early in the year and the Packers have no other quality running backs on the roster. The Packers really need to look for an answer at running back because they haven't had a legitimate running back for years now. The Packers were once again great behind the play of Aaron Rodgers, their receivers, and a scary pass rush anchored by Clay Matthews.

Minnesota Vikings: Is there really anything to say about the 2012 Vikings besides Adrian Peterson? Peterson miraculously returned from a torn ACL to have the best year of his career and came just 7 yards shy of Eric Dickerson's single season rushing record. Peterson carried the team on his back all season and destroyed just about every defense that came in his path. He is the sole reason this team won games and made it to the playoffs. If there was any question about who was the best running back in the league was, Peterson answered it this season. This is a a truly remarkable comeback and he should be a shoo-in for MVP. Outside of Peterson and an excellent season for rookie kicker Blair Walsh (who broke the record for most 50+ yard field goals in a single season), there was really no highlights for the Vikings. This is a team that can not pass the ball and has a decent defense with a few standpoint players (Jared Allen, Chad Greenway, Erin Henderson) that is solid against the run and pretty weak against the pass. Peterson is this football team and without him, they would be one of the worst in the league.

   

2012 NFL Recap: NFC East

My preseason predictions:
1.New York Giants (12-4)
2.Philadelphia Eagles (10-6)
3.Dallas Cowboys (7-9)
4.Washington Redskins (5-11)

Final Standings
1.Washington Redskins (10-6)
2.New York Giants (9-7)
3.Dallas Cowboys (8-8)
4.Philadelphia Eagles (4-12)

Dallas Cowboys: I honestly think the Dallas Cowboys are the football equivalent of Groundhog Day. Every year without fail they put themselves in a position to make the playoffs and choke in the final game. Tony Romo once again had a good statistical year: 6th in TD's, 5th in completion percentage, and 3rd in passing yards, but he also failed to deliver for his team when it counted most. Romo really is a good quarterback, he just continues to blow it in key games tarnishing his reputation and making him the butt of just about every joke in the NFL. It also didn't help that the Cowboys were depleted by injuries. The defense was completely decimated by the end of the year with injuries to key contributors like defensive tackle Jay Ratliff, linebacker Sean Lee, defensive end Kenyon Coleman, and cornerback Orlando Scandrick. This isn't even including the guys that were playing hurt like linebacker DeMarcus Ware and defensive Jason Hatcher. The offensive was banged-up as well with starting running back DeMarco Murray missing a number of games mid-year with a foot injury, and receiver Miles Austin playing hurt again. On the plus side, Dez Bryant had an amazing season and is finally coming around to be the big-play, dominant receiver he was touted to be when the Cowboys drafted him. Jason Witten also had a career year breaking the single-season reception record for a tight end. Defensively, rookie cornerback Morris Claiborne had a solid rookie year and was one of the few bright spots on an otherwise bleak season for the Cowboys D. The Cowboys had some upside with their offense this year, but were plagued with injury and didn't come through in the clutch once again.

New York Giants: The reigning Super Bowl champs really couldn't decide what team they were in 2012 and it cost them a shot at defending their title. Most of the time this season they were either blowing out their opponents or getting blown out by their opponents. It's hard to believe a team the beat the Packers, 49ers, and Saints in dominant fashion didn't make the playoffs, but that's just the Giants for you. It's not like there is one person to blame for this issue, it's a team-wide problem. In their victories, Eli Manning was sharp, they were running the ball well, the receiving corps was torching opposing defensive backs, and their talented defensive front was getting to the quarterback. In the losses, Eli Manning was sloppy, they couldn't run, the receivers were dropping passes left and right, and the defense front was stagnant and unable to establish a pass rush. The Giants really need to strive for consistency and pick up some defensive backs in free agency or the draft. They are an immensely talented team that can stay competitive for a number of years if they go out and play at a consistent level week in and week out.

Philadelphia Eagles: Ugh the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles put together arguably the most disappointing season out of any team in the league. This team looked like it finally had it together after finishing strong last year and after they started 3-0 this year, you expected more of the same. Not the case at all, The Eagles went on to lose 12 of their last 13 games. It was a nightmare that grew more painful to watch week after week. Michael Vick was a turnover machine before he got injured and looked nothing like the guy that lead this team to the playoffs a couple of years ago. Vick's poor play lead their talented receiving corps to be essentially DOA without anyone that was able to get the ball to them. Nick Foles was decent in relief once Vick went down, but by then the damage had been done. Their pass defense was also abysmal and got torched week after week. Nmandi Ashomuga shot himself in the foot when he made the now infamous "dream team" comments before the 2011 season. Before that, he was an elite shutdown corner. Now he can't stop a nosebleed. Probably the saddest element of their game though was the offensive line. I honestly don't think I've seen worse offensive line play in my life (As a Bears fan that's saying something considering how bad their line is.) I mean they made the Saints poor pass rush look elite with a seven sack performance in their Week 9 matchup. The Eagles can at least take pride in the fact they have a good two-back system with LeSean McCoy and the surprising effectiveness of rookie Bryce Brown (though he does fumble A LOT.) The Eagles need a lot of work on defense and offensive line, but their new coach (who ever it may be) is inheriting a roster with a fair amount of talent on it and I wouldn't be shocked to see them rebound within a couple years.

Washington Redskins: How many rookies does it take to reverse years of bad luck for a franchise? Two apparently. The Redskins were doomed for years. Mike Shanahan seemed like he was losing his marbles with a series of boneheaded coaching decisions and a plethora of previously talented veterans had the life sucked out of them when they came to the Redskins. That all changed this season thanks to rookie quarterback/running back duo of Robert Griffin III and Alfred Morris and they made it back to the playoffs for the first time in almost a decade. I really need to stop doubting dual-threat quarterbacks transitioning well into the NFL. I was wrong last year about Cam Newton and I was wrong this year about RG3. RG3 was dominant throughout the year and the read option offense he runs is a nightmare for opposing defenses. He is explosive in the run game and he is patient with his throws and shown great arm strength, making him dangerous in the passing game as well. Running back Alfred Morris also had an exceptional rookie season. Morris came out of nowhere as a sixth-round pick who wasn't even supposed to be the backup, let alone the starting running back this season. Morris got his shot to start once veteran Tim Hightower was released, Evan Royster failed to impress in the preseason, and last years starter Roy Helu got injured. Morris made the most of his opportunity and excelled finishing 2nd in the league with 1,613 rushing yards. His style isn't flashy, but he runs hard and is one of the best power backs to enter the league in a long time. The x-factor for the Redskins this season though was wide receiver Pierre Garcon. Garcon was excellent proving he could be the top wideout and was easily Griffin's favorite target this season. What's incredible is that the Redskins were 9-1 when Garcon was active and 1-5 when he wasn't. If Garcon can stay healthy next season, he could be in for a career year. The Redskins defense even played pretty well after losing top contributors linebacker Brian Orakpo and defensive tackle Adam Carriker for the year early in the season. Linebacker London Fletcher is the backbone of this defense. He anchored a rock solid run defense and he's proven he's still got a lot left in the tank after all these years. The pass defense was awful to start the season, but got a bit better towards the end of the year. Pass defense is definitely their weakness as a team right now, but if they continue to progress they should be fine. The Redskins made a hell of an impression on the NFL this season and this is a pretty young team that will only get better over time.

2012 NFL Season Recap: AFC West

My preseason predictions:
1.Kansas City Chiefs (9-7)
2.Denver Broncos (8-8)
3.Oakland Raiders (7-9)
4.San Diego Chargers (7-9)

Final Standings:
1.Denver Broncos (13-3)
2.San Diego Chargers (7-9)
3.Oakland Raiders (4-12)
4.Kansas City Chiefs (2-14)

Denver Broncos: Well Peyton Manning still has it. I was a naysayer because of his age and the severity of his neck injury, but his play this year proved that you shouldn't doubt a legend no matter how bad the circumstances look on paper. Manning has injected this Broncos team with life. His presence has made everyone around him better. Starting wide receivers Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker had breakout seasons, Free agent pickups Jacob Tamme and Joel Dressen are a highly effective tight end duo, and previously struggling running back Knowshon Moreno came on strong for the first time in his career after starter Willis McGahee (who was playing very well until he got hurt) went down with a season-ending knee injury. Manning has a special effect on a team and the current momentum they have (They haven't lost since Columbus Day weekend against the Patriots) has them in a prime position to contend for a Super Bowl this season. Manning wasn't the only great success for the Broncos this season, their defense emerged as one of the strongest in the league. Von Miller is an absolute beast at linebacker and just his second year in the league, he is already one of the best linebackers in all of football. Wesley Woodyard, Elvis Dumervil, and the great cornerback pair of Champ Bailey and Tracy Porter all had excellent seasons as well. Their defense can stop the run and the pass, which is very rare in the league these days and makes them a very dangerous unit. The Broncos surpassed all expectations and were one of the best teams in the NFL this season.

Kansas City Chiefs: That hunch I had about the Chiefs winning the division this year was wrong. Actually I couldn't have been more wrong. They went in 2-14 and have the number one pick in the draft this year. I will say this though, The Chiefs are no where near as bad as their record makes them out to be. Their downfall was at quarterback. Matt Casell and Brady Quinn were absolutely awful all season and are the main reason this team lost so many games. Dwayne Bowe, Tony Moeaki, and the rest of the receivers and tight ends greatly underachieved because of the quarterback play. Bowe, in particular, is a top-flight receiver who's talent was wasted and production suffered because no one could get him the ball. Their run defense was poor as well, but that doesn't surprise me since the talent they have on defense is in the secondary or linebackers who specialize in pass-rushing. The Chiefs did have some silver linings to their poor year though. Despite a few dud games, running back Jammal Charles is back to his elite status. All his explosiveness is back after missing most of the 2011 season with a torn ACL. The Chiefs young secondary also played at a pretty high level, especially after losing Brandon Carr. Eric Berry is emerging as a great young safety and Brandon Flowers and Javier Arena did a good job for the most part containing opposing receivers this year. The Chiefs aren't a lost cause with a decent amount of talent on the roster and I like new coach Andy Reid's chances of turning this team around. If they can find a quarterback in the offseason, The turnaround could be rapid.

Oakland Raiders:The Raiders proved once again why they are the stupidest franchise in the NFL. New coach Dennis Allen isn't half the coach Hue Jackson was yet Allen still has his job after a 4-12 season just a year after Jackson got fired after one season for posting an 8-8 record. Makes a lot of sense right? The Raiders defense save for defensive tackles Richard Seymour and Tommy Kelly was abysmal all season. They were getting trounced against the run and pass just about every week. I mean the only time anybody talked about the Raiders D (or the Raiders at all) this year was when Doug Martin ran for 250 yards and 4 TD's against them. Running back Darren McFadden had another underwhelming and injury-plagued year. You really have to wonder how much longer the Raiders are going to stick with him. He has upside, but he consistently gets hurt, which takes away from any value he has. About the only highlight for Oakland this year was the play of quarterback Carson Palmer and the emergence of tight end Brandon Myers. The Raiders are the only low-level team that doesn't have to worry about quarterback play as Palmer put up pretty good numbers in an otherwise really poor year for the Raiders. Myers was Palmer's favorite target and save for the last few weeks, was consistently effective and is a tight end to watch in the upcoming years. 2012 was another awful year for the Raiders and with their moronic front office, I don't see that changing any time soon.

San Diego Chargers:Well the Chargers played well in December again. Other than that, It was another rough year for the Chargers. They are a talented team, but they have a lot of issues. The biggest of their issues is the spotty play of quarterback Phillip Rivers. You never what your going to get with Rivers. One week he will look like a future hall-of-famer and the next week, he will look like a benchwarming bum who is playing because the starter is injured. Rivers needs to find some type of consistency if the Chargers want to be successful. Running back Ryan Matthews also struggled. Matthews, who is easily the most overrated running back in the league, just isn't very good and unless some drastic happens, I don't see him succeeding in the NFL. On the plus side for the Chargers, their defense looked great all year. Their run defense was especially effective ranking sixth in the league and they also had a solid pass rush that ranked in the top half of the league in sacks. Another bright spot was wide receiver Danario Alexander. He joined the team mid-year and went onto to have a hell of season. Alexander gives Rivers a legit second option next to Malcolm Floyd and adds some much-needed depth to their receiving corps. The Chargers are stuck in the depths of mediocrity due to the Philip Rivers's inconsistency and their inability to run the ball. We'll have to wait and see how their new coach handles things and if they can overcome these obstacles and make a return to the playoffs in the upcoming years.

  

2012 NFL Season Recap: AFC South

My preseason predictions:
1.Houston Texans (11-5)
2.Tennessee Titans (9-7)
3.Indianapolis Colts (5-11)
4.Jacksonville Jaguars (5-11)

Final Standings
1.Houston Texans (12-4)
2.Indianapolis Colts (11-5)
3.Tennessee Titans (6-10)
4.Jacksonville Jaguars (2-14) 

Houston Texans: 2012 was quite the year for the Texans. They emerged early on as early Super Bowl contender for the AFC and we're in control of the top seed for most of the season. Running back Arian Foster was his normal incredibly productive self, wide receiver Andre Johnson was playing his best football in years, Owen Daniels was coming along as one of the most underrated tight ends in the league with a quietly impressive season, and J.J Watt became one of the dangerous pass rushers in the league in his second season in the league. What could go wrong right? Ever since their blowout loss on the road against the Patriots in early December, Houston is an entirely different football team. Their confidence is gone, no one is playing as well as they were for the first three months of the season, and they are just giving away games to their opponents. Houston's tale of two football teams is one of the odder stories of the season. Much of the first 3/4 of the year they were a juggernaut on both sides of the ball and just about every aspect of their game (except for their poor secondary play) was oustanding. In December, they looked pitiful losing three of their last four games. They couldn't get anything going on offense, their defense looks sluggish, and they didn't even look like a playoff-bound team let alone a top seed. Houston's dominance for much of the year will be remembered, but unfortunately so will their late-season collapse that took them out of the top seed in the AFC.

Indianapolis Colts: No matter who you root for and what your opinion on the league in general is, There is no denying that there was no better story in the NFL this year than Colts head coach Chuck Pagano. Pagano was diagnosed with leukemia in late-September and made his triumphant return for their regular-season finale against the Texans last Sunday. The Colts rallied around Pagano and played inspired football to honor their coach and his battle with cancer. Offensive coordinator Bruce Arians deserves all the credit in the world for stepping in as interim coach and leading this team for most of the season. If Arians doesn't win coach of the year, I will be shocked. In terms of on-the-field play, the Colts firmly surpassed their expectations. 2012 was thought to be a rebuilding year for them by many (myself included), but the Colts didn't get that memo. Just a year after going 2-14 and releasing iconic quarterback Peyton Manning, The Colts go 11-5 and are back in the playoffs. Rookie quarterback Andrew Luck is at the forefront of this remarkable turnaround. He has shown maturity beyond his years and his play has been nothing short of outstanding. Peyton Manning wasn't even able to turn around the Colts in his rookie season. Luck is an immense talent and he will have the Colts contending for many years to come. Luck was also helped out by the resurgence of veteran wide receiver Reggie Wayne and the surprising production of his fellow rookies wide receiver T.Y Hilton and running back Vick Ballard. Wayne was considered to be past his prime at age 34, but he stunned his critics by having one of the best seasons of his career with 106 receptions for 1,355 yards and 5 TD's. Hilton has become one of Luck's favorite targets with his steady hands, great speed, and flare for running deep routes. Ballard started off slow, but once starting running back Donald Brown went down for the year in early December,  Ballard flourished. The last few games he played great and helped give the Colts a more balanced attacking making their offense more lethal than it was in the early stages of the season. I don't think there is a more surprising team in the NFL this season than the Colts. The scary part is they are only going to get better as time goes on with all the young talent they have on the roster.

Jacksonville Jaguars:The less said about the Jaguars 2012 season the better. This is a team that just could not get anything going all season. Quarterback Blaine Gabbert was awful when he was playing and is looking more and more like a monumental bust after his second season in the league. Things got a bit better for them when Gabbert went down with injury and Chad Henne stepped in at quarterback. Henne got a chemistry going with their top draft pick this year, wide receiver Justin Blackmon, and was able to show off the talent he had after his slow start to the year when Gabbert was playing. That being said, Henne still made a lot of mistakes and like Gabbert, he only one game as the starting quarterback. I would say go with Henne over Gabbert as the starter next season, but he's definitely not the answer to their starting quarterback woes either.The worst thing to happen to the Jaguars this season though was the season-ending foot injury that superstar running back Maurice Jones-Drew suffered in Week 7. Jones-Drew's absence made their already weak offense completely one-dimensional. About the only good thing to happen to the Jaguars this year was the breakout year for wide receiver Cecil Shorts. When Jones-Drew is healthy next year (assuming he returns to the Jaguars), the receiving tandem of Shorts, Blackmon, and veteran Laurent Robinson (who was also missed most of this season due to injury) could be lethal. The Jaguars need a lot of help if they want to get out of the NFL's basement any time soon.

Tennessee Titans: The Titans weren't absolutely awful this season, but they also weren't particularly great. They were below average in every single stat category and there wasn't really anyone that stood out on either side of the ball. Star running back Chris Johnson came limping out of the gate, but ended up finishing with over 1,000 yards because of a few very strong games. Johnson is easily the most frustrating star running back in the league because of his wild inconsistency. Jake Locker was mediocre in his first year with the starting quarterback job. He did miss some time with injury, but so far he isn't the godsend he was made out to be when he was drafted. He does have some upside though and I think he should be able to develop into a decent quarterback. One of the few bright spots for the Titans was the play of rookie wideout Kendall Wright. Wright is looking like a solid slot receiver already and if Locker can stay healthy, I'm sure he will continue to grow. The Titans are an all-around below average team that needs steady improvement in all aspects of the game if they want to progress as a squad.
  

2012 NFL Season Recap: AFC North

My preseason predictions:

1.Baltimore Ravens (12-4)
2.Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6)
3.Cincinnati Bengals (9-7)
4.Cleveland Browns (4-12)

Final Standings:

1.Baltimore Ravens (10-6)

2.Cincinnati Bengals (10-6)

3.Pittsburgh Steelers (8-8)

4.Cleveland Browns (5-11)

 

Baltimore Ravens: 2012 has been a strange year for the Baltimore Ravens. Early season they looked great blowing out the Bengals picking up in the season opener and a clutch victory over the Patriots. Recently, they had been playing very underwhelming football with three straight losses to the Charlie Batch-lead Steelers, Redskins, and Broncos before rallying in week 16 to blowout the Giants and break the negative direction they were headed in. This pretty sums up the 2012 season for the Ravens, You never know what your going to get with them. The offense, in particular, had some problems. Joe Flacco is one of the spottiest quarterbacks in the NFL. At times, he looks elite and seems like a guy that could lead them to a title. At other times, he looks like a flustered mess who shouldn't even be playing football on the professional level. Superstar running back Ray Rice looked good most of the year, but he even had a slightly off-year with his lowest overall yard total since he became the starter in 2009. The defense survived huge season-ending injuries to linebacker and emotional leader Ray Lewis and cornerback LeDarius Webb and manged to hang in there. This isn't the same dominant defense of just a few years ago, but the Ravens still have a pretty decent amount of talent and they can make stops when they need to. Baltimore wasn't quite as good this year was they were during their 2011 campaign that led them to the AFC Championship Game, but this is still a talented team who is amongst the best in the AFC.

Cincinnati Bengals: 2012 was almost a mirroring season to 2011 for the Bengals. They made a late surge and are once again headed to the playoffs. Second-year quarterback/wide receiver pair Andy Dalton and A.J Green continue to progress. Green was absolutely lights out all season and even with only two years under his belt, Green has already proven to be one of the most explosive, reliable, and just plain best wide receivers in the league. When an elite veteran talent like Brandon Marshall says he watches your game film to try and better himself, you know you are a special player. Dalton is showing a lot more confidence at quarterback and bested his impressive rookie season in almost ever stat category. As long as Dalton and Green continue to progress, The Bengals will be annual contenders. The Bengals also benefited from a solid year from new running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis. Green-Ellis proved to be than up to challenge at being the feature back in his first year with the Bengals. The X-factor for the Bengals was the play of their defense, especially in latter stages of the season. Geno Atkins was an absolute beast. I mean seriously what interior lineman gets 12.5 sacks in a season? That's unheard of. Carlos Dunlap and Michael Johnson were also effective pass rushers and Rey Malaluga and rookie Vontaze Burfict played very well at linebacker rounding out their dangerous front 7. The Bengals continue to get better and they should be a perennial playoff team if they keep up this level of play.

Cleveland Browns:Another year, another losing season for the Browns. This team just doesn't really have much going for it and they really did best they could with the roster they had. I completely agree with the firing of general manager Tom Heckert, but I think it's really unfair that head coach Pat Shurmer got fired. Shurmer gave it his all with a weak roster and he really is not accountable for their lack of success. As expected, Trent Richardson was pretty much the lone bright spot. Even with a slightly disappointing rookie season and failure to meet the lofty expectations set for him, the offense ran threw him and he is definitely a rising talent with the potential to be a future superstar. Josh Gordon has also given the Browns a legitimate top wideout and came out of nowhere to have a great rookie year. That was about there was all to cheer about in Cleveland this season. Brandon Weeden was passable at quarterback, but he never showcased any type of great talent and the fact that he is a 29-year old rookie means he is all but doomed for the rest of his career. The defense has a few skilled players, but is mostly below average. The Browns are pretty much a broken football team and they need to dump most of their roster if they want to have any type of success in the future.

Pittsburgh Steelers: 2012 was a year to forget for the Steelers. They had a ton of momentum in the middle of the year and looked poised to return to the playoffs yet again, then Ben Rothelisberger got injured against the Chiefs and it all went to hell. They only won once after that game and a bunch of stupid mistakes in close games cost them a playoff spot. Outside of a few stupid choices in the last few games, Rothelisberger had a solid year in 2012 and was one of the main reasons they were in the playoff picture. What killed them was the fact that everyone in the receiving corps besides tight end Heath Miller had a disappointing year. Mike Wallace was effective at times, but had a bunch of key drops and was a non-factor in the last month of the season. Wallace's performance at the end of the year definitely doesn't make a strong case for him being re-signed by the Steelers and they will probably let him hit test the free agency market before making him a big money offer (which he desperately wants.) Antonio Brown did miss some time with injury, but for the most part had a huge dropoff from his breakout 2011 season. Emmanuel Sanders was mediocre throughout the year after being a great third wideout last year. If the Steelers want to win, the receiving corps needs to step up. On the other side of the spectrum, the defense was absolutely outstanding. This team survived injuries to Troy Polamalu, Ike Taylor, James Harrison, and many others and finished as the best overall defense in the league (second against the run and first against the pass.) Finishing as the best defense in the league when you are that banged-up with that many key injuries to key players is nothing short of remarkable. The Steelers were without a doubt the biggest disappointment in the AFC and need to play much better offensively if they want to get back to the playoffs in the future.

2012 NFL Season Recap: AFC East

 My Preseason Predictions:
1.New England Patriots (14-2)
2.New York Jets (10-6)
3.Buffalo Bills (8-8)
4.Miami Dolphins (4-12)

Final Standings
1.New England Patriots (12-4)
2.Miami Dolphins (7-9)
3.Buffalo Bills (6-10)
4.New York Jets (6-10)

Buffalo Bills: The Bills had another year to forget. At least this year they didn't suffer from the epic collapse that derailed their 2011 season. The bad news is that they didn't really have anything to collapse from. Their defense that was supposed to be dominant after signing defensive ends Mario Williams and Mark Anderson in free agency and drafting coveted cornerback Stephon Gilmore in the first round has been wildly inconsistent. Williams got off to a horrible start, but started to come around in mid-October and finished the year with 10.5 sacks. Gilmore has been passable and shown flashes of top-level talent, but he definitely needs more time to grow. Meanwhile Anderson has been pretty much useless only playing in five games and registered only 1 sack. Adding to the inconsistency has been the play of quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick started the year off pretty well, but some severe duds in middle of the season led to some super conservative playcalling in order to try to limit his turnovers which has made their offense pretty stagnant. Fitzpatrick has talent, he just needs the right coaching to work on his turnover problems. One of the few bright spots for the Bills this season has been the emergence of running back C.J Spiller. Spiller has been dominant all season and made up for the absence of Fred Jackson (who was injury-plagued all season.). Next season when Jackson returns and can stay healthy , The Spiller/Jackson tandem could be the most lethal two-back system in the league. Star wideout Stevie Johnson also managed have another good year despite Fitzpatrick's inconsistent play. The Bills are definitely a work in progress. They have some talent to work with, They just need to play a consistent level and a head coach that can inspire confidence in his players.

Miami Dolphins:The Dolphins had a far better season than I expected this year. They were never dominant, but they quietly had a pretty decent season. Their secondary needs some improvement, but other than that they had a top 10 run defense and have a consistently effective pass rush. Cameron Wake had another Pro Bowl season and proved once again he is the most underrated defensive player in the NFL. Offensively they didn't make a lot of noise, but were still able to move the ball. Reggie Bush finished just shy of a 1,000 yard season and Daniel Thomas has emerged as a solid third down back that can score in the red zone. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill didn't put huge numbers in his rookie year, but he didn't make a whole lot of mistakes and he's been serviceable all year. He's established a nice chemistry with Brian Hartline and Anthony Fasano and he has some mobility that allows to him contribute with his feet from time to time in addition to his arm. Tannehill should continue to grow and he has the tools to be a solid, albeit not superstar quarterback in the league for a long time. Miami isn't flashy and there are only a few great players on the roster, but head coach Joe Phillbin has this team headed in the right direction.

New England Patriots: Not Surprising: The Patriots won the division easily and are once again in the hunt for a title. Surprising: The Patriots have more of an identity crisis than ever before. The Patriots certainly were dominant at times (their beatdowns against the Bills and Jets on the road and most impressively, their blowout victory against the AFC-leading Texans on Monday Night Football.) At other times, you didn't know if you were watching a team coached by Bill Belicheck with Tom Brady under center (their blunder-filled loss to the Cardinals in Week 2 and pathetic narrow victory over the Jaguars last week.) Even with the uncharacteristic poor play and coaching at times, The Patriots still had a great season. Their offense was overwhelmingly dominant as always. Rob Gronkowski was an unstoppable force before suffering a broken forearm against the Colts that sidelined for the rest of the regular season, Wes Welker started off a bit slow, but ended up anchoring the receiving corps as usual, and Aaron Hernandez has stepped up big time in Gronkowski's absence after return from an injury himself. Keep in mind that all this was happening while Tom Brady is having an underwhelming year (from Tom Brady's standpoint that is.) The surprise this year for the Patriots is the emergence of Stevan Ridley as a legitimate running back. The Patriots haven't been able to run the ball like this since Corey Dillon retired. He makes the Patriots more dangerous now that they can actually run the ball for the first time in years. The biggest improvement on this team though is clearly the defense. Their run defense has played pretty well all year and a lot of players have made a big impact. Rookie defensive end Chandler Jones has given them their first elite pass-rusher since Richard Seymour was traded to Oakland after the 2008 season. Making just as big of impact has been the position changes of Rob Ninkovich and Devin McCourty. Moving Ninkovich from outside linebacker to defensive end was a brilliant decision. Ninkovich explodes off the edge and has been far more effective as well become a big playmaker since moving to end. McCourty has actually found a bit of a groove since being moved from cornerback (where he was arguably the worst in the league) to safety. His speed is more important at safety than his extremely poor coverage skills which has payed dividends for his production and value to the team. Really the only downside to the Patriots this year is their secondary while improved a bit thanks to their mid-season trade for veteran cornerback Aqib Talib and the aformentioned McCourty move to safety can still be pretty easily beaten and the lack of involvement free agent pick-up wide receiver Brandon Lloyd has had in in the offense. With Tom Brady at quarterback you will always be contending for a championship and 2012 was no exception for the New England Patriots.

New York Jets: I don't know why I had so much confidence in this team. They had gotten over their internal problems that derailed their 2011 seasons, they were healthy, and Rex Ryan's confidence and poise coaching this team had me optimistic about their 2012 season. I was horribly wrong. Outside of dominant wins against the Bills in the season opener and the playoff-bound Colts in Week 6, The Jets were for the most part sloppy as all hell for the rest of the season. Pretty much everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. First off, They lost two of their best players, Santonio Holmes and Darrel Revis within the first five weeks of the season to year-ending injuries. Secondly, they completely failed to incorporate Tim Tebow into the offense. Tebow is clearly not a great quarterback, but he is an incredible athlete and could have been very dangerous in the wildcat if he had been properly utilized. Most importantly though, Mark Sanchez played absolutely awful. I was optimistic that Mark Sanchez would get back into his 2009/2010 form when then the Jets went to back-to-back AFC Championship Games, but that didn't even come close to happening. Sanchez did have the unfortunate task of dealing with a group of inexperienced and not particularly dynamic receivers once Santonio Holmes went down in Week 4, but that's still no excuse for how poorly he played. The Jets season was pretty much salvaged by their defense. They still had one of the best passing defenses in the league even without Darrel Revis, which I found to be very impressive. Antonio Cromartie is a shutdown corner and his play has been elevated all year to make for Revis's absence. Laron Landry has also proven to be a worthy pickup making the Jets secondary even better. Amidst their otherwise terrible offensive play, running back Shonn Greene has managed to have a pretty good season getting high volume due to their quarterback woes. Unfortunately for the Jets, the word is that Greene is going to leave in free agency leaving them with the decent, but still unproven Bilal Powell as their starting running back. The Jets are going to have to have a busy off-season if they want compete in the AFC again.