San Francisco 49ers
2011 Recap: The 49ers got off to a quick start in 2011, wrapping up the division in week thirteen on their way to a 13-3 record, making it all the way to the NFC Championship game. Oft-maligned quarterback Alex Smith did a great job of game-managing for first year coach Jim Harbaugh, and Vernon Davis staked his claim as one of the better tight ends in the league. The engine that made San Francisco run was their defense, which was #1 against the run, #2 in scoring defense and #4 in total yards allowed. The pass rush was also very strong, as DE Justin Smith and OLB Aldon Smith combined for 21.5 of the teams' 42 sacks. Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman are one of the best linebacking corps in the league.
Key Additions
The front office was aggressive in trying to add play-makers to an offense that largely lacked explosiveness. With Frank Gore's injury history, the team added bruising back Brandon Jacobs through free agency, as well as burner LaMichael James in the second round to help in the passing and return game. A.J. Jenkins was a bit of a reach in the first round, but adds a big-play threat when the team spreads the field. Mario Manningham came over from the Giants and projects as a very solid third receiver. Randy Moss is not the long-term answer at receiver for the 49ers, but is a potential low-risk, high-reward player with a reasonable contract.
Key Losses
WR Josh Morgan (Redskins)
G Chilo Rachal (Bears)
G Adam Snyder (Cardinals)
2012 Outlook
San Francisco is returning just about every defensive player from last season's team, and added some potential weapons to the offense that will allow Jim Harbaugh to open up more of the playbook for quarterback Alex Smith. The team will have tough road games (Patriots, Packers, Saints), and could see some challenges from visiting teams (Lions, Bills, Giants, Bears). Ultimately, I don't think the 49ers will be able to replicate their 13-3 record from a season ago, but should be a better (and more well-balanced) team this season.
Predicted Record: 11-5
Showing posts with label St. Louis Rams. Show all posts
Showing posts with label St. Louis Rams. Show all posts
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
Grading the 2008 NFL Draft: NFC West
It often takes up to four seasons in order to gauge how well an NFL team drafted. With that in mind, I'll be grading each of the 32 NFL teams drafts in an eight part, divison-by-division series. For the first installment, we'll be discussing how the teams from the NFC West fared.
Arizona Cardinals
1(16) - CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Tennessee State
2(50) - DE Calais Campbell, Miami (FL)
3(81) - WR Early Doucet, LSU
4(116) - DE Kenny Iwebema, Iowa
5(149) - RB Tim Hightower, Richmond
6(185) - DE Chris Harrington, Texas A&M
7(225) - OT Brandon Keith, Northern Iowa
Thoughts: Calais Campbell has been one of the premiere 3-4 defensive ends in the league the last three years, and has averaged 60 tackles and 7.0 sacks per season in that span. Rodgers-Cromartie was part of the Kevin Kolb trade, and is a solid nickel cornerback for the Eagles. Doucet struggled in his first three years in the league, but had a solid season in 2011 (689 yards, 5 TD). Hightower was having a solid first year with Washington before tearing his ACL in week seven. Keith has started 20 of the 26 games he's played in, but is much better suited as a swing tackle than a starter. Iwebema played three nondescript years for the Cardinals, and was a preseason roster cut before this past season. Harrington was cut in training camp as a rookie, and last appeared in an NFL game for the Jaguars in 2009. Overall, the Cardinals found value in almost every pick, and Campbell in particular is bordering on elite.
Final Grade: B+
Arizona Cardinals
1(16) - CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Tennessee State
2(50) - DE Calais Campbell, Miami (FL)
3(81) - WR Early Doucet, LSU
4(116) - DE Kenny Iwebema, Iowa
5(149) - RB Tim Hightower, Richmond
6(185) - DE Chris Harrington, Texas A&M
7(225) - OT Brandon Keith, Northern Iowa
Thoughts: Calais Campbell has been one of the premiere 3-4 defensive ends in the league the last three years, and has averaged 60 tackles and 7.0 sacks per season in that span. Rodgers-Cromartie was part of the Kevin Kolb trade, and is a solid nickel cornerback for the Eagles. Doucet struggled in his first three years in the league, but had a solid season in 2011 (689 yards, 5 TD). Hightower was having a solid first year with Washington before tearing his ACL in week seven. Keith has started 20 of the 26 games he's played in, but is much better suited as a swing tackle than a starter. Iwebema played three nondescript years for the Cardinals, and was a preseason roster cut before this past season. Harrington was cut in training camp as a rookie, and last appeared in an NFL game for the Jaguars in 2009. Overall, the Cardinals found value in almost every pick, and Campbell in particular is bordering on elite.
Final Grade: B+
Friday, January 6, 2012
Five Questions: St. Louis Rams
In part two of my 32 part series, I'll be discussing five questions facing the St. Louis Rams entering this off-season. For my article on the Indianapolis Colts, click here.
Gone "Fish"-ing? With the firing of head coach Steve Spagnuolo after three seasons and a combined 10-38 record, the team is reportedly pursuing former Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher. Fisher is one of the hotter coaching commodities available, as he has a career regular season record of 142-120, and led the Titans to five playoff wins and one Super Bowl appearance in his 17+ years in charge of the team. Fisher is known for producing solid defensive teams, with offenses tending to air on the side of smash-mouth football, something this team needs. They'll have competition for his services, as the Miami Dolphins are also very interested in Fisher, and will likely need to pony up around $5 million per season to have a shot.
Can the offensive line block? Former first round Smith Jason Smith has struggled with injuries so far in his career, and has struggled playing left tackle. Smith has missed 19 of a possible 48 games due to injuries, and with a huge contract on a team that's rebuilding, there's at least a possibility he either moves inside to guard, or gets cut. Rodger Saffold missed nine games this year, but even though he's only been around the league for a couple of years, has proven himself the line's best pass blocker. Guard Harvey Dahl and center Jason Brown are both probably better suited to be backups, and struggled with consistency. As a team, they surrendered a league-high 55 sacks, and racked up 12.1 points (32nd in NFL) and 283.6 yards per game (31st), all numbers that indicate offensive line struggles.
Is receiving help on the way? The acquisition of Brandon Lloyd from the Broncos has given the Rams a #1 receiving option, but Sam Bradford only appeared in a few games with Lloyd before succumbing to injury for the year. Second round selection, tight end Lance Kendricks struggled catching the football this season despite seeing a lot of early playing time, and didn't reach the end zone once. Fellow rookie receivers Austin Pettis (27 catches, 256 yards) and Greg Salas (27 catches, 264 yards) also failed to reach the end zone, and the passing game as a whole threw for 9 touchdowns. Expect the Rams to make every effort to re-sign Lloyd, as well as add another solid receiver either through free agency or the draft to help Sam Bradford.
Can ANY Rams player stay healthy? Among the significant players placed on injured reserve this year included both opening day starters at tackle (Rodger Saffold, Jason Smith), guard Jacob Bell, tight end Michael Hoomanuwanui, cornerbacks Al Harris and Ronald Bartell; and wide receivers Austin Pettis, Mark Clayton, Greg Salas and Danny Amendola. That doesn't include the injuries that hampered starting quarterback Sam Bradford all year, as well as Steven Jackson. The amount of significant players that landed on injured reserve isn't common, which is part of the reason I believe the Rams are a much better team than their 2-14 record indicates. Lets not forget they did beat the New Orleans Saints this year.
How much longer does Steven Jackson have in St. Louis? Jackson has been one of the best running backs in the league over the last seven years, yet few outside St. Louis would realize it due to playing for a team that hasn't been relevant since Kurt Warner left. Jackson has run for over 1,000 yards the last seven seasons (9,093 career), and is a very good receiving threat out of the backfield as well (3,003 yards career). Jackson will turn 29 before the 2012 season starts, and with over 2,500 touches in his career, one has to wonder when his production will take a dip, as most running backs see fairly significant dips in production starting at age 30. Jackson currently sits 32nd on the all-time rushing list, and with two more 1,000 yard seasons, would find himself no worse than 20th on the list. The Rams would do well to look for a mid-round running back prospect that can ease the load on Jackson, so the team can still utilize his underrated talents for a few more years.
Gone "Fish"-ing? With the firing of head coach Steve Spagnuolo after three seasons and a combined 10-38 record, the team is reportedly pursuing former Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher. Fisher is one of the hotter coaching commodities available, as he has a career regular season record of 142-120, and led the Titans to five playoff wins and one Super Bowl appearance in his 17+ years in charge of the team. Fisher is known for producing solid defensive teams, with offenses tending to air on the side of smash-mouth football, something this team needs. They'll have competition for his services, as the Miami Dolphins are also very interested in Fisher, and will likely need to pony up around $5 million per season to have a shot.
Can the offensive line block? Former first round Smith Jason Smith has struggled with injuries so far in his career, and has struggled playing left tackle. Smith has missed 19 of a possible 48 games due to injuries, and with a huge contract on a team that's rebuilding, there's at least a possibility he either moves inside to guard, or gets cut. Rodger Saffold missed nine games this year, but even though he's only been around the league for a couple of years, has proven himself the line's best pass blocker. Guard Harvey Dahl and center Jason Brown are both probably better suited to be backups, and struggled with consistency. As a team, they surrendered a league-high 55 sacks, and racked up 12.1 points (32nd in NFL) and 283.6 yards per game (31st), all numbers that indicate offensive line struggles.
Is receiving help on the way? The acquisition of Brandon Lloyd from the Broncos has given the Rams a #1 receiving option, but Sam Bradford only appeared in a few games with Lloyd before succumbing to injury for the year. Second round selection, tight end Lance Kendricks struggled catching the football this season despite seeing a lot of early playing time, and didn't reach the end zone once. Fellow rookie receivers Austin Pettis (27 catches, 256 yards) and Greg Salas (27 catches, 264 yards) also failed to reach the end zone, and the passing game as a whole threw for 9 touchdowns. Expect the Rams to make every effort to re-sign Lloyd, as well as add another solid receiver either through free agency or the draft to help Sam Bradford.
Can ANY Rams player stay healthy? Among the significant players placed on injured reserve this year included both opening day starters at tackle (Rodger Saffold, Jason Smith), guard Jacob Bell, tight end Michael Hoomanuwanui, cornerbacks Al Harris and Ronald Bartell; and wide receivers Austin Pettis, Mark Clayton, Greg Salas and Danny Amendola. That doesn't include the injuries that hampered starting quarterback Sam Bradford all year, as well as Steven Jackson. The amount of significant players that landed on injured reserve isn't common, which is part of the reason I believe the Rams are a much better team than their 2-14 record indicates. Lets not forget they did beat the New Orleans Saints this year.
How much longer does Steven Jackson have in St. Louis? Jackson has been one of the best running backs in the league over the last seven years, yet few outside St. Louis would realize it due to playing for a team that hasn't been relevant since Kurt Warner left. Jackson has run for over 1,000 yards the last seven seasons (9,093 career), and is a very good receiving threat out of the backfield as well (3,003 yards career). Jackson will turn 29 before the 2012 season starts, and with over 2,500 touches in his career, one has to wonder when his production will take a dip, as most running backs see fairly significant dips in production starting at age 30. Jackson currently sits 32nd on the all-time rushing list, and with two more 1,000 yard seasons, would find himself no worse than 20th on the list. The Rams would do well to look for a mid-round running back prospect that can ease the load on Jackson, so the team can still utilize his underrated talents for a few more years.
Monday, November 14, 2011
NFL coaches on the hot seat
It seems as though this year has more coaches on the hot seat than any in recent memory. I've compiled a list of the head coaches that are potentially on the chopping block, as well as the likelihood of them no longer in their current position before the 2012 NFL season.
Tony Sparano, Miami Dolphins
I almost feel bad for the guy, in that the team he had back in his first season over-achieved by such a large margin (went from 1-15 in 2007 to 11-5) that it almost set unreal expectations. The team has largely lacked elite talent, especially at skill positions. As an example, here are the quarterbacks he's had under center since taking over in Miami: Chad Pennington, Chad Henne, Tyler Thigpen and Matt Moore. In a league that's become increasingly quarterback-driven, the Dolphins have had almost zero consistency over this time (outside of Pennington's 2008 season), putting extra pressure on the running game and forcing the defense to play almost-perfect football. Throw in the fact that they've had to play the Patriots and Jets twice a year, and that'd make life pretty difficult for ANY coach.
Odds for 2012: Miniscule
Tony Sparano, Miami Dolphins
I almost feel bad for the guy, in that the team he had back in his first season over-achieved by such a large margin (went from 1-15 in 2007 to 11-5) that it almost set unreal expectations. The team has largely lacked elite talent, especially at skill positions. As an example, here are the quarterbacks he's had under center since taking over in Miami: Chad Pennington, Chad Henne, Tyler Thigpen and Matt Moore. In a league that's become increasingly quarterback-driven, the Dolphins have had almost zero consistency over this time (outside of Pennington's 2008 season), putting extra pressure on the running game and forcing the defense to play almost-perfect football. Throw in the fact that they've had to play the Patriots and Jets twice a year, and that'd make life pretty difficult for ANY coach.
Odds for 2012: Miniscule
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