Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Love - Lovie Returns!
It was no secret on this blog that I didn’t like Lovie Smith’s parting from the Chicago Bears after a 10 - 6 season marred by injuries and a historic year for rival Adrian Peterson. But judging by the quality of Tampa’s defensive roster these days compared to that of Chicago, Smith has to like where he’s sitting right now, especially since he’s got the kind of instant credibility with players that Greg Schiano couldn’t buy with a Vanderbilt trust fund. The Buccaneers have the makings of an elite, physical defensive line and plenty of motivation to atone for two squandered seasons under Schiano. That’ll come in handy for Lovie Smith & co. when they square off against Drew Brees, Matt Ryan and Aaron Rodgers among others this season.
Hate - A Limited Track Record at QB
If the Bucs did one thing right during their 4 - 12 campaign in 2013, it was moving on from QB Josh Freeman after he reached the point of no return in the locker room and in his game. Mike Glennon proved a decent fill-in last season, all tumultuous things in Tampa considered, but now the ultimate fill-in Josh McCown will try his hand at starter after a surprising half-season in Chicago. It’s a logical business move given that Tampa opted for high-potential receivers in the draft over passers, but haven’t we seen this one before a la Matt Flynn and Kevin Kolb? One small sample of great games in a different system with a little-known backup (and limited film for defenses) leads to a big starting gig in a totally different system that is rarely set up for success. We can only speculate on how McCown will transition in Tampa, but one clue is just how different the Bears offense looks under Marc Trestman today than say, ex-Bears/new-Bucs coach Lovie Smith with most of the same personnel in place.
Atlanta Falcons
Love - A Healthy Julio
Before Julio Jones went down with a season-ending foot injury five weeks into 2013, he was on pace for an 1,800 yard, 130 reception season. There’s no way to know how much his health impacted the Falcons’ miserable 4 - 12 slide given their many other challenges last year, but Atlanta has nowhere to go but up with one of the very best returning healthier and rested in 2014. Similar to Calvin Johnson up north, Jones is without a doubt a game changer for the whole franchise, especially since Matt Ryan’s other favorite target Tony Gonzalez hung up his cleats for good in the offseason. A little more help on the offensive line could pay dividends this year for Jones downfield - bet your fantasy draft on it.
It was only two years ago that the Falcons had a top five defense in terms of turnovers and points allowed. The front office rolled the dice in letting Pro Bowlers John Abraham and Brent Grimes go the following offseason, and the results were disastrous, especially against the run. Atlanta has already released Thomas DeCoud and Asante Samuel this offseason, presumably to start the overhaul in the secondary, but now they will also be without Sean Weatherspoon for the season due to injury and scrambling for free agency scraps. They should be much better than a 4-win team this time around, but it's hard to fathom the Falcons getting back to the postseason if one step forward on offense is negated by two steps back on the other side of the ball.
Carolina Panthers
Love - Kraken and Kuechly
They may have been eclipsed by the Legion of Boom in 2013, but the Panthers’ defense is downright terrifying and looks to continue as such with Greg “Kraken” Hardy tagged to stay in Carolina for another year. Hardy gives the Panthers a mean style of pass rush that’s been missing since Julius Peppers’ heyday while recent Defensive Player of the Year Luke Kuechly is a run-stuffing, pass- deflecting hurricane that just cannot be stopped. After watching the Seahawks totally dismantle the high-flying Broncos in February, there's no telling what the Panthers can do with their talent level and track record as a merciless defensive unit this year. For the record, Hardy still completely sucks as a human being though - good thing he's not smoking the drugs, he might get suspended.
Hate - Kiddie Pool Depth at Receiver
I may be indulging in a little hyperbole for my division rival here, but it would not surprise me to see the Panthers’ Super Bowl window slam shut as quickly as it opened because of this offseason. Sure, Cam Newton and Luke Kuechly are still the very young faces of the franchise, but the Panthers front office completely dismantled Newton’s receiving corps this offseason, leaving him with just one of his top five targets from 2013, TE Greg Olsen. If that were Carolina’s only issue, they could arguably squeeze by with rookie Kelvin Benjamin and some so-so free agent acquisitions. But the Panthers still have a gaping hole where tackle Jordan Gross retired and a very expensive, aging RB duo that prevents them from solving a whole lot of other problems. With few guaranteed bright spots on offense to help Cam Newton out, he may be in for rough year of excessive hits and desperation decision-making all while recovering from a bad ankle injury.
New Orleans Saints
Love - A Real Defense
It’s hard to believe, but just one year ago the Saints were coming off the worst defensive season of all time and a yearlong suspension for Sean Payton. New Orleans improved beyond most fans’ wildest expectations last year with new DC Rob Ryan, rookie safety Kenny Vaccaro, and first-time Pro Bowler Cam Jordan, and they’ve only added fuel to the fire in the offseason with the acquisitions of Jairus Byrd, Champ Bailey and Stanley Jean-Baptiste. This is a versatile, physical group that will allow Ryan to get creative in the game plan and give the Saints more big-play ability on defense. And for once on Payton’s watch, we might be talking more about the Saints’ defense than their offense this season. Unless Brandin Cooks is the real deal, anyway.
I guess this is sort of a moot point now that Graham has signed on to a $40 million deal with the Saints, but given that the front office reportedly offered him just about that same amount months ago before mounds of arbitration and missed OTAs, it seems like it was quite a waste of time for everyone not getting legal fees. On the one hand, what team wouldn’t want to spend gobs of money on Jimmy Graham after the spectacular season he just had? On the other hand, Saints fans are feeling a little Drew Brees-inspired deja vu in an era where pretty much every top 10 player by position demands to be the highest paid to the eye-rolls of the masses. Don't get me wrong, we're all thrilled No. 80 will be in New Orleans' end zone for seasons to come, but it's not a good look for rich people's problems. And if he's going to remain a tight end, it certainly wouldn't hurt for him to block once in a while. Just sayin'.
No comments:
Post a Comment