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.