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I've making a mini type series on certain teams and the way they are heading: more to the playoffs or the #1 pick? Post comments here because it's evident I need to improve and constructive criticism always helps. I've made Atlanta and Miami's so far.
Note: Article is a little player and position oriented. Enjoy!
Team Stock Report: On the rise or fall?
Atlanta Falcons: Rise
The Atlanta Falcons organization took a huge hit last year when Michael Vick got indicted on dog fighting charges and was sentenced to prison for two years. On top of that, their head coach left after thirteen games. Things began to look up this offseason as the team started over by bringing in a new head coach, drafting a franchise quarterback, and cutting long time veterans to usher in a youth movement.
The Falcons offense looks to be stellar at the skill positions but in shambles at offensive line and tight end. Their quarterback situation looks a lot better now that they have drafted Matt Ryan #3 overall. He will probably start by week three but if not, the Falcons have veterans Chris Redman and Joey Harrington to keep the seat warm until he is ready. At running back, the Falcons made a huge splash in the free agent market by signing long time backup Michael turner to a huge 6 yr. deal. He will be the feature back while the ultra fast Jerious Norwood backs him up. The wide receiver is five players deep in Roddy White, Michael Jenkins, Laurent Robinson, Harry Douglas, and Brian Finnernan. The bad part is the offensive line. Sam Baker was drafted 21st overall to shore up this woeful unit, but most thought of this pick to be a reach. The only other player who is a legit bright spot is last years second round pick Justin Blaylock, who can play both guard spots and right tackle. The rest of the offensive line outlook is murky. Kyle Forney is slated to start at one guard spot and their right tackle spot, or left depending on Baker, belongs to Quinn Qjinnaka. Overall, the skill positions will need time to develop and when they do they’ll be lethal… As long as the offensive line get sorted out.
Defensively they are in a difficult situation. Defensive end, linebacker, one defensive tackle spot, and one corner back spot are locked down. Other than that, I don’t think even the Falcons know who is going to start. Defensive ends Jamaal Anderson and John Abraham are solid starters on the outside but other than Jonathan Babineaux, they don’t really have a starting caliber defensive tackle. Keith Brooking and Michael Boley are solid starters on the outside while Curtis Lofton will man the middle. At corner the Falcons have Chris Houston but traded Pro Bowler DeAngelo Hall. Hall is an exceptional talent but he is a player that could poison a young nucleus like the Falcons. Davis Irons looks to be the other starter along with Chevis Jackson at nickel. Safety is a big question mark there as Lawyer Milloy is well past his prime and Chris Crocker is a backup. Thomas DeCoud could surprise some come mid season. The defense as a whole has some major work to do as well as the offensive line but one more good draft and they could be pushing for the playoffs, as long as Ryan pans out.
Miami Dolphins: Fall
You may ask how the Dolphins can get worse then the 1-15 season they had last year, but I’ll tell you why. The organization is in a mess. They made a mistake by hiring Nick Saban in 2005 and it led to the constant coach carrousel they have now. They tried to replace him with Cam Cameron, but the team only gave him one year to turn around a team that was in bad shape to begin with. Now they hire another first time head coach in the NFL in Tony Sparano. Bill Parcels may be the V.P. of the Dolphins, but I don’t think even he can help out this out of scene franchise.
The team has many weak spots on their roster, starting with the quarterback spot. Josh McCown is nothing but a journeyman. John Beck is a second year player that I thought was a bad pick in the second round last year. The Dolphins are trying to bank on Chad Henne as the savior of the team now but he has much to prove and I think he’ll end up being an average quarterback at BEST. At running back, though, they are set. Ronnie Brown is a solid runner in this league and Ricky Williams is rededicating himself to football this offseason. The wide receiver spot is also an iffy spot on this team. Ted Ginn jr. is their only locked in starter as of now, with Derek Hagan, Ernest Wilford, and Greg Camirillo battling it out for the #2 spot. The team has newly acquired Anthony Fasano at tight end, but he is more of a #2 guy in the end. Offensive line was the big story of the offseason for the Miami Dolphins as they selected Jake Long with the #1 pick. Overall I believe he will be solid in his career but never worthy of the lofty status of the #1 pick. The team also has Veron Carey at right tackle, Justin Smiley at guard, Samson Setele at center, and a couple of rookies, including Shawn Murphey, the son of former baseball great Dave Murphy.
On defense, it gets even worse. Obviously the Dolphins strategy in the draft was to select the core players of the football team: the trenches and a quarterback. They did just that, as they selected Phillip Merling in the second round and Kendall Langford in the third to solidify a horrid defensive line. Matt Roth is penciled in as a starter at one of the end spots, but don’t be surprised to see both of these guys starting at the end of the year. Defensive tackle will be manned by veteran Jason Ferguson, who they acquired from the Dolphins. The linebacking core seems to be set, as long as Jason Taylor comes back to play for one more season. If he does, then they are set at outside linebacker with Joey Porter and Taylor. On the inside they have Channing Crowder and Reggie Torber, as longtime great Zach Thomas was cut this offseason. The Dolphins secondary is one of the worst in the NFL, if not THE worst. They don’t have any quality starters in the back four and Jason Allen looks like a bust from all indications.
Overall bad management, poor drafting, and poor free agent acquisitions led to what today we call the Miami Dolphins. With no real end in sight, this team won’t be able to contend for the playoffs from anywhere ranging three years to a decade.
Suggestions?
Note: Article is a little player and position oriented. Enjoy!
Team Stock Report: On the rise or fall?
Atlanta Falcons: Rise
The Atlanta Falcons organization took a huge hit last year when Michael Vick got indicted on dog fighting charges and was sentenced to prison for two years. On top of that, their head coach left after thirteen games. Things began to look up this offseason as the team started over by bringing in a new head coach, drafting a franchise quarterback, and cutting long time veterans to usher in a youth movement.
The Falcons offense looks to be stellar at the skill positions but in shambles at offensive line and tight end. Their quarterback situation looks a lot better now that they have drafted Matt Ryan #3 overall. He will probably start by week three but if not, the Falcons have veterans Chris Redman and Joey Harrington to keep the seat warm until he is ready. At running back, the Falcons made a huge splash in the free agent market by signing long time backup Michael turner to a huge 6 yr. deal. He will be the feature back while the ultra fast Jerious Norwood backs him up. The wide receiver is five players deep in Roddy White, Michael Jenkins, Laurent Robinson, Harry Douglas, and Brian Finnernan. The bad part is the offensive line. Sam Baker was drafted 21st overall to shore up this woeful unit, but most thought of this pick to be a reach. The only other player who is a legit bright spot is last years second round pick Justin Blaylock, who can play both guard spots and right tackle. The rest of the offensive line outlook is murky. Kyle Forney is slated to start at one guard spot and their right tackle spot, or left depending on Baker, belongs to Quinn Qjinnaka. Overall, the skill positions will need time to develop and when they do they’ll be lethal… As long as the offensive line get sorted out.
Defensively they are in a difficult situation. Defensive end, linebacker, one defensive tackle spot, and one corner back spot are locked down. Other than that, I don’t think even the Falcons know who is going to start. Defensive ends Jamaal Anderson and John Abraham are solid starters on the outside but other than Jonathan Babineaux, they don’t really have a starting caliber defensive tackle. Keith Brooking and Michael Boley are solid starters on the outside while Curtis Lofton will man the middle. At corner the Falcons have Chris Houston but traded Pro Bowler DeAngelo Hall. Hall is an exceptional talent but he is a player that could poison a young nucleus like the Falcons. Davis Irons looks to be the other starter along with Chevis Jackson at nickel. Safety is a big question mark there as Lawyer Milloy is well past his prime and Chris Crocker is a backup. Thomas DeCoud could surprise some come mid season. The defense as a whole has some major work to do as well as the offensive line but one more good draft and they could be pushing for the playoffs, as long as Ryan pans out.
Miami Dolphins: Fall
You may ask how the Dolphins can get worse then the 1-15 season they had last year, but I’ll tell you why. The organization is in a mess. They made a mistake by hiring Nick Saban in 2005 and it led to the constant coach carrousel they have now. They tried to replace him with Cam Cameron, but the team only gave him one year to turn around a team that was in bad shape to begin with. Now they hire another first time head coach in the NFL in Tony Sparano. Bill Parcels may be the V.P. of the Dolphins, but I don’t think even he can help out this out of scene franchise.
The team has many weak spots on their roster, starting with the quarterback spot. Josh McCown is nothing but a journeyman. John Beck is a second year player that I thought was a bad pick in the second round last year. The Dolphins are trying to bank on Chad Henne as the savior of the team now but he has much to prove and I think he’ll end up being an average quarterback at BEST. At running back, though, they are set. Ronnie Brown is a solid runner in this league and Ricky Williams is rededicating himself to football this offseason. The wide receiver spot is also an iffy spot on this team. Ted Ginn jr. is their only locked in starter as of now, with Derek Hagan, Ernest Wilford, and Greg Camirillo battling it out for the #2 spot. The team has newly acquired Anthony Fasano at tight end, but he is more of a #2 guy in the end. Offensive line was the big story of the offseason for the Miami Dolphins as they selected Jake Long with the #1 pick. Overall I believe he will be solid in his career but never worthy of the lofty status of the #1 pick. The team also has Veron Carey at right tackle, Justin Smiley at guard, Samson Setele at center, and a couple of rookies, including Shawn Murphey, the son of former baseball great Dave Murphy.
On defense, it gets even worse. Obviously the Dolphins strategy in the draft was to select the core players of the football team: the trenches and a quarterback. They did just that, as they selected Phillip Merling in the second round and Kendall Langford in the third to solidify a horrid defensive line. Matt Roth is penciled in as a starter at one of the end spots, but don’t be surprised to see both of these guys starting at the end of the year. Defensive tackle will be manned by veteran Jason Ferguson, who they acquired from the Dolphins. The linebacking core seems to be set, as long as Jason Taylor comes back to play for one more season. If he does, then they are set at outside linebacker with Joey Porter and Taylor. On the inside they have Channing Crowder and Reggie Torber, as longtime great Zach Thomas was cut this offseason. The Dolphins secondary is one of the worst in the NFL, if not THE worst. They don’t have any quality starters in the back four and Jason Allen looks like a bust from all indications.
Overall bad management, poor drafting, and poor free agent acquisitions led to what today we call the Miami Dolphins. With no real end in sight, this team won’t be able to contend for the playoffs from anywhere ranging three years to a decade.
Suggestions?
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