Super Bowl XLVIII lived up to few of the expectations surrounding it and, while it’s a bit sad to see one football season end, it’s never too early to start digging into what could be around the corner.
We will try to touch upon some of the key offseason items that could play a pivotal role in the 2014-2015 season and cover the likely changes you could see to some of your favorite teams.
1. The Overall Shape of the AFC
Denver got to the Super Bowl by putting up video game like numbers in a league that has far less parity than people actually realize. You could also argue that Denver’s presence in the Super Bowl was aided tremendously by the fact that New England, Pittsburgh and Baltimore have all dropped off a bit in the last year or so.
For the Patriots, they made it to the AFC title game thanks to their leadership at the top. But anyone who thinks that roster was legitimate at season’s end is lying to themselves. This team needs another weapon on the outside for Tom Brady to work with and they could use some defensive depth particularly in the secondary. Injuries plagued them heavily, so getting guys healthy will be a big help.
Baltimore is not too far away from where they once were. The ridiculous amount of turnover that took place on their roster doomed them from the get go, and it’s also possible that the Joe Flacco contract could continue to cause headaches down the road.
But Baltimore has a lot of intriguing youth on the defensive side of the ball. They also spent most of the season without the services of Jacoby Jones and Dennis Pitta. They need to ascertain as to how they will move forward considering Bernard Pierce could miss 4-5 months due to shoulder surgery. That would likely keep him out for much of Gary Kubiak’s OTA process, and bringing on another young back given Ray Rice’s advanced age might not be a terrible idea.
Pittsburgh has a long way to go to get back to the playoffs. The offensive line and secondary are critical areas they must address this offseason. Marcus Gilbert could be a casualty, and releasing him would allow them to move Mike Adams over to RT, his more natural position.
They would still need to find a long term left tackle, but they looked okay down the stretch run this past season as they went with more of a short passing game, something we could see more of given Big Ben’s age.
2. The Cincinnati Bengals
To be up front, I don’t want to blame the entire playoff debacle that was their wild card game with San Diego on Andy Dalton. The Giovanni Bernard fumble toward the end of the first half doomed them in that game, but Dalton’s second half was downright awful.
When looking at the AFC, this team has a veteran coach and a ridiculously deep roster. Their defense and offensive line are great, and the additions of Bernard and right end Tyler Eifert are only going to continue to pay dividends.
But if this group ever wants to make a run a a Super Bowl, I just can’t see Dalton being the guy. He has been superb in the regular season, which makes the idea of change a difficult one to grasp for fans and ownership alike. But I’d be intrigued to see if they’d be willing to go out and add a quarterback to push Dalton.
Josh Johnson is an intriguing prospect, but he has been in the league for five years. If they do not expect him to be a starter at this time, it likely will never happen. Adding a third quarterback could be a great idea given the strength of this draft class and the fact this group is stacked at so many other positions.
Three names stand out for me: A.J. McCarron, Zach Mettenberger and Jimmy Garoppolo. McCaarron has to prove he can be a standout player now that he is no longer surrounded by a stacked Alabama team. Mettenberger is an extremely intriguing prospect given that he was a big time recruit when he headed to Georgia, only to be thrown out over some earlier maturity issues.
Garoppolo is a name you might not have heard much about, but he was very impressive at the D1-AA level and he continued that success at the Senior Bowl a few weeks back. He doesn’t have great size, but given what we saw from Russell Wilson and some other young quarterbacks, taking a second round flier on either him or one of these other two candidates could be a great idea for a Cincinnati team that needs to figure out what it is doing long term at Q.B.
3. The Cleveland Browns and Houston Texans
Of all the teams i am interested in following this offseason, none are more intriguing than two clubs who possessed a combined 6-26 record.
Starting with Cleveland, their offseason coaching changes have led many to believe that this club will make a push for Kirk Cousins. Having two first round draft picks will aide in that potentiality, but I have another idea as to what they might do at quarterback.
Cleveland has the number four overall pick and, should they truly be as interested in Johnny Manziel as some believe they are, he could be theirs depending on what Houston does.
Houston just hired Bill O’Brien to come in. Given how good this Texans team was just a few short years ago, a quarterback change as they move into the future could be an incredible boost for this organization.
The way Brian Hoyer and Case Keenum played at times for these two clubs a year ago and the fact they each have rookie coaches handpicked by the current managerially regime in place leads me think that drafting some combination of Manziel/Blake Bortles/Teddy Bridgewater would make a ton of sense.
The young quarterbacks could sit and watch for the better part of a year, and they would not be thrown into the fire right away. Given the strength both organizations possess on the defensive side of the ball, it doesn’t seem like either is too far off from success.
4. Can RGIII Reinvent Himself and Come Back a Better Player?
Griffin was chastised by many in the media this year. This came only months after he was lauded and praised as a savior for the Washington organization.
Jay Gruden is likely going to install an offense in Washington which serves to protect his quarterbacks’ health. A full season of training and conditioning will also likely aide Griffin’s ability to come back a better player as well.
For as bad as he looked at times this past year, Griffin plays in what is by far the NFL’s weakest division. Washington needs to add some pieces around him, particularly at the wide receiver positioning.
But, all in all, i look for improvement from Griffin as we head toward the 2014 season. Gruden’s offense in Cincinnati did an excellent job of getting the ball to the tight ends very quickly. Jordan Reed is a very exciting young player and, should they choose to keep Fred Davis around for another year, it could really aide in Griffin’s continued development.
Griffin is a heady player with great footwork and arm motion. A short passing game combined with more emphasis on power as opposed to stretch run players could benefit him and this entire offense a great deal.
5. Can the NFC West Possibly Continue to Get Better?
Seattle shouldn’t have a ton of roster turnover given the way many of their salaries and contracts shape up currently. While St. Louis still has a ways to go and needs to get healthy at the quarterback position, this question likely comes down to the other two teams in the division.
San Francisco is probably just as good as the Seahawks on paper even if they don’t have a recent Super Bowl trophy to prove it. But the loss of NaVorro Bowman in the NFC title game cannot be understated. Bowman was a defensive MVP candidate and the top player at his position in the league.
Bowman’s versatility and leadership were crucial for this club over the last 3-4 years. His knee injury was quite extensive, and there is no telling how healthy he will be when he returns. Clearly, a major key to San Francisco getting itself back into position to challenge for the NFC crown will come down to his health.
Arizona was another team that made great headway in 2013 and, if not for the exploits of Ron Rivera in Carolina, Bruce Arians may well have been coach of the year in the league.
But Arizona’s defense was aided tremendously by the play of rookie Tyrann Mathieu. The man formerly known as the “Honey Badger,” was an All-Pro caliber talent in only his rookie season. He made a ton of plays at the safety position for this team, but also lined up at various spots along this defense.
At one point early on in the season when Darryl Washington was still making his way back from suspension, Mathieu was lining up and playing some linebacker. He played both safety spots and also defended the slot position in man to man coverage, a testimony to his football knowledge and athletic skill set.
But, like Bowman, Mathieu suffered a serious knee injury toward the end of his year. While we have seen players like Adrian Peterson and Darrelle Revis come back from such injuries with relative ease, you never truly know how a guy can respond.
Peterson is an athletic freak of nature and Revis really only players one position. Mathieu and Bowman are versatile athletes who do a ton of things both at the line of scrimmage and in coverage for their respective teams. Both Arizona and San Francisco’s ability to build on such momentum heading into next year will rely heavily on the health of these to guys.
6. How do the Eagles and Panthers Build off Their 2013 Success
Both clubs got consistent play at the quarterback position for once. That, above all else, as paramount in both units arriving at the postseason.
Chip Kelly and “Riverboat” Ron Rivera deserve a lot of credit for what they were able to accomplish this past season, butt he answers to them further advancing in a stacked NFC lie in different areas.
Carolina needs to do something to make its offense better. They have a lot of money tied up in the running back position, but they got decent seasons from Ted Ginn and Brandon LaFell. More importantly, however, was the fact that this group ranked only 22nd in the entire league in yards per play.
Given how good their defense was at times, it makes you wonder what they have to do to get better. Their defense can match up fine with the likes of Seattle and S.F., but both of their losses to those teams came as a direct result of insufficient offensive output.
DeAngelo Williams restructured his contract prior to last season, allowing the team to save roughly $3.2M in cap space thanks to the move. Jonathan Stewart also restructured his deal to save less money, but its clear that the current regime isn’t too happy about their lack of flexibility thanks to the former management group overpaying for two running backs who are now likely on the downswing of their careers given what we know about shelf life at the position.
As for Philly, many will point to their defense needing some upgrades. It’s fair to say that their secondary needs work. The Cary Williams signing looks like a really solid deal right now, and if they can possibly find safety help in this draft (see HaHa Clinton-Dix, Calvin Pryor and Ed Reynolds) they could well become a decent secondary unit in 2014.
For as good as Nick Foles was at times, however, they didn’t look great in the playoffs against New Orleans. Their offense sputtered at times and we got a realistic glimpse at how pedestrian their offense can be when the run game is contained.
Getting Jeremy Maclin back and healthy will undoubtedly help. It’s also possible that they could move Riley Cooper and try to get some kind of return for him based on the fact he had a good 2013 season, although that could be more difficult given his off-field issues a season ago.
DeSean Jackson is an explosive playmaker, but you just have to wonder how needed he is around their. They would be much better off having a big, physical target for Foles to throw to. That sort of body could enable them to be more effective in the red zone against elite secondaries.
For as much ape as their is over the “speed and tempo” of Kelly’s offense, you still have to move the chains ten yards at a time. Mike Evans and Kelvim Benjamin are two big bodies who could well fill that role for this club. I don’t know if that is who they will choose to target with the 22nd overall pick in the draft, but its definitely worth noting.
