2012 Team Review: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

What Went Right: New Arrivals

        Bucs general manager Mark Domenik made some brilliant decisions this past offseason, bringing in big time free agents and landing on of the best draft classes in recent memory. Everyone is aware of his move to land top free agents Vincent Jackson and Carl Nicks, both of whom earned their big contracts with their play this year. Nicks helped open up big holes for another new arrival, Doug Martin, while Jackson led the team with over 1500 receiving yards. He also added Dallas Clark in a shrewd one-year contract and Clark quickly became Josh Freeman’s security blanket. Martin, one of three big time rookies on the Bucs this year, finished the season with over 1400 yards rushing, good for fifth in the NFL and established himself as one of the offensive keys for years to come. Defensively, Lavonte David and Mark Barron make a big impact in run defense, ranking first and third respectively on the tea in tackles. With this core of young players in place, the Bucs look like a team on the upswing in the coming years.

2012 Team Review: Miami Dolphins

What Went Right: Defense

        While the statistics might tell you different, you could see a marketed improvement in the Dolphins defense this year. They improved in the run game and in the red zone, ranking 13^th in rush defense and 7^th in scoring defense. Their secondary, while allowing a lot of yards, tightened up a lot in the red zone. Cameron Wake had an All-Pro season with 15 sacks while line-mates Oliver Vernon and Jared Odrick had solid seasons, combining for 10.5 sacks over the year. Sean Smith came into his own as a cornerback while Reshad Jones made some noise at the safety position. Karlos Dansby and Kevin Burnett each had over 100 tackles and young Nolan Carroll got a lot of playing time. They still need to improve their overall pass defense, but with another year of bringing in talent and solid coaching, they could become one of the better defenses in the NFL.

2012 Team Review: San Diego Chargers

What Went Right: Defensive Line

        The Chargers didn’t have a lot go right this season. The defense couldn’t hold a lead, especially because of their porous pass defense. That being said, they had the sixth best run defense in the NFL. While Donald Butler came into his own in that regard and Eric Weddle could come up in run support, the main reason for this great run defense was the excellent play of the defensive line. Kendall Reyes and Corey Liuget both had excellent seasons and both could become big time players down the line. They also found a good mix in their defensive line depth with Cam Thomas and Vaughn Martin mixing in at defensive end while Aubrayo Franklin and Antonio Garay split time at the nose tackle spot. This group combines for 14.5 sacks, with all but two being credited to Liuget (7) and Reyes (5.5). Garay and Franklin are getting up there in years so the Chargers will need to consider finding a young replacement.

2012 Team Review: Tennessee Titans

What Went Right: Chris Johnson

        I know I’m going to catch flak from statisticians about this, but a lot of times I find advanced statistics tend to just be justification for over-thinking the obvious. Yes, Johnson was very inconsistent this season, however, at the end of the day, he was productive. He rushed for 1243 yards and six touchdowns this past season and catching 36 passes, ranking fifth on the team. While he did have seven games where he averaged less than 3 yards a carry, those were clumped at the beginning and end of the season. Between weeks 6 and 13, He played much better, having less than 80-yards rushing only once. His speed is still a big time factor, breaking big plays every now and again. I think he will return to form if the Titans improve the interior of their offensive line this off-season.

2012 Team Reviews: New York Jets

What Went Right: Muhammad Wilkerson

        While many aspects of the Jets season were disappointments this year, there were many things that went right that got lost in the shuffle. One of those things was the emergence of Muhammad Wilkerson as a disruptive force along the defensive line. Wilkerson went from being a talented, but raw rookie to a dominating force through his sophomore season. He is big enough to be a solid run defender while being quick and athletic enough to be a penetrator and pass-rusher. He finished the season with five sacks and three forced fumbles, in spite of the lack of help from the rest of the defensive line and rush linebackers. He also finished fourth on the team with 70 tackles, showing that he was everywhere on the field trying to make plays. He’s going to be a big time asset going forward.

2012 Team Reviews: Buffalo Bills

What Went Right: Running Backs

        While Fred Jackson’s production was not a big surprise, C.J. Spiller went from potential bust to standout. Spiller had mixed results from week to week, but showed that he could be a big play threat. He also showed that he could be effective on limited carries. Nine times, he averaged over 5 yards per carry on 15 or fewer carries. If he is offset by a more powerful back, He could very easily average six yards per carry again. His speed is also a big time asset in the passing game, catching eight passes of 20 yards or more. More than a few times, they would flex him out of the backfield and use him either as a distraction or as a receiver, giving their offense a lot of options.

2012 Team Review: Arizona Cardinals

What Went Right: Defense

        While their rushing defense rated low, that had more to do with how often they were on the field than with their talent. The defense dominated the early parts of most games, but as the offense continued to stumble and fail, the defense became exhausted and starting letting big plays go. Linebacker Daryl Washington broke out as an interior linebacker, recording nine sacks and proving to be an athletic thumper in the middle of the Cardinals defense. Calais Campbell is the second best 3-4 defensive end, stuck behind an absolute beast in J.J. Watt and he played like it this year. He was as disruptive as any play in his position not named J.J. Watt. Patrick Peterson began gambling a bit more and came up with seven interceptions even though everyone knew he was the best corner they had on the field. Three other players racked up about

2012 Team Review: Cleveland Browns

What Went Right: Rookie Receivers

        While the offense was hardly dynamic this year, Travis Benjamin and Josh Gordon showed a lot of potential and could become big time playmakers in the offense going forward. Both averaged over 16 yards per reception and combine for eight total touchdowns. Gordon took a little bit of time to adjust to the NFL level, but once he did, he became a solid, if raw, receiver. Benjamin was used less, rightfully so, mostly as a third and fourth receiver. But when he got open he could take the ball the distance and also showed some solid punt returning abilities after Josh Cribbs got hurt. As both develop, they could become ig time weapons for the Browns passing attack, if the Browns address their quarterback issue.

Chip Kelly and the NFL Zone Read Myth

        With the news that Oregon coach Chip Kelly is very close to becoming the new head coach of the Cleveland Browns, there has been a lot of discussion about how his system would translate to the NFL and how the NFL has been incorporating aspects of the zone read offense in recent years. Well, the simple truth is that his system would flop horribly if brought to the NFL and the focus on the option read and pistol concepts that have been brought to the NFL have more to do with the coaches running them than they do the system themselves. Also, the recent success of college coaches in the NFL ranks, headlined by Pete Carroll, Jim Harbaugh and Greg Schiano has little to do with the trends of college football and more to do with those coaches specifically.

2012 Team Review: Detroit Lions

Detroit Lions 

What Went Right: Calvin Johnson

        I’m pretty sure everyone knows why Calvin got this honor. Breaking the single season record for receiving yards is a great accomplishment, especially when you’re playing on a 4-12 team with all other receiving options getting single coverage at best. With Titus Young doing his best to get cut, Ryan Broyles tearing up his knee and Nate Burleson missing most of the year, Johnson was the main offensive weapon, but he kept making plays. He’s put himself in the conversation as one of the greatest of all-time as long as he keeps playing.

What Went Wrong: Maturity

Ray Lewis' Retirement and the Top 10 Interior Linebackers of all Time

        Wednesday, the football world was treated to a rarity. We fans were informed that we have one last opportunity to watch one of the greatest to ever play the game. Ray Lewis announced to the world that he was going to retire following the end of the Ravens post-season. It’s rare that a fan base can really enjoy the final few games of a great players career because more often than not they don’t announce their intentions until after the season and the ones that do will do so on bad teams or too ineffective to really be enjoyed.  I plan on enjoying every second of Lewis’ play over these last few games (yes I think the Ravens win this week), and appreciating the legacy being left behind when he goes down that tunnel for the last time.

2012 Team Review: Philadelphia Eagles

What Went Right: Bryce Brown and Nick Foles

        Well a lot of things went wrong for the Eagles this year, two of their later rounds picks certainly didn’t. In the latter half of the season, the story of the Eagles was defined by the success of Bryce Brown and Nick Foles. Brown, who had bounced around in college football after being a top recruit from high school, was a revelation in the 7^th round. Expected to be a power back to compliment Lesean McCoy, Brown surprised a lot of people with his explosiveness through the hole and the ability to break a big run. He’ll be excellent paired with McCoy in the near future. Foles, a third-round pick, was expected to compete for the back-up

2012 Team Review: Oakland Raiders

What Went Right: The Receiving Corp.

        It seems odd to say, considering how few games the Raiders won this year, but when you break it down, the Raiders may have one of the deepest receiving corps. in the NFL right now. Brandon Meyers had a breakout season, leading the team in receptions and receiving yards (79 and 802 respectively). If the team can re-sign him, he could be a great security blanket for future Raiders quarterbacks for the foreseeable future. Darrius Heyward-Bey may not have justified his being drafted number seven overall yet, but he’s definitely improved. He became a more refined route runner and still has the breakaway speed to make an impact. Denarius Moore overcame early season injuries to lead the team in touchdown receptions with seven

2012 Team Review: Jacksonville Jaguars

What Went Right: Cecil Shorts and Justin Blackmon

        For once, the firs time since the days of Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell, the Jaguars had a dynamic receiving combination. While neither broke 1000 yards receiving, I blame that more on the quarterbacking than them. Both started relatively slow, but as the season went along, both came on as big time receivers and gave the Jaguars some hope going forward. Blackmon led the team in receptions, though he took about half the year to adjust to the pro game. With a full off-season and a better quarterback, I expect he’ll become the big-time playmaker he was expected to be coming out of college. Cecil Shorts proved to be much like another former Mount Union receiver, Pierre Garcon. He might not be incredibly consistent or the guy you expect to go over the middle, but whenever the ball is in his hands, he has a chance to score. Five of his seven touchdowns were over 30 yards, with three of those being over yards in length. He and Blackmon could make the transition for the next Jaguars quarterback much easier.

What Went Wrong: Everything Else

        While Cecil Shorts and Justin Blackmon were developing into a quality receiving tandem, the rest of the offense was stagnant and the defense was nowhere near as stout as it was in 2011. Perhaps it was because the offense spent so little time on the field, but the defense just allowed itself to get gashed. There are still

2012 Coaching and GM Carousel

 Eagles fire HC Andy Reid

                I can’t say this was unjustified. I want to. I want nothing more than to bash Eagles management for letting their best coach ever go. But this was an abysmal season and it is time for a change, on both sides. I’ll just let it stand at a sad time for the Eagles and wish them luck.

Bills fire HC Chan Gailey

                This was expected. The Bills splurged on free agents this year and failed to make the playoffs for a 13 consecutive year (longest playoff drought in the NFL).  While the general manager’s fate is still in doubt, the coach was most likely to go, especially seeing the progression (or rather lack thereof) of quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. The Bills need stability, and really should press for Andy Reid or Lovie Smith.