I know I said one a day, but I feel that takes up too much space on here so I'd rather go a set of 4 every 4 or so days. This is Group 1 featuring the Detroit Lions, St.Louis Rams, Kansas City Chiefs, and Seattle Seahawks. Lets begin.
Detroit Lions:
Overview:Its been a miserable decade for Lions fans. It all began with the retirement of Barry Sanders prior to the 1999 season and has continued throughout the decade. Lets take a look at some numbers.
40-104-The Lions record since 2000, worst in the NFL
0-16-The Lions record in the 2008 season, they're the first winless team since the 1976 Bucs.
1957-The last time the Lions won an NFL Title.
1-The amount of playoff wins since their last NFL Title
1991-The last time the Lions won a playoff game
1999-The last time the Lions went to the playoffs
1-23-The Lions record since their 6-2 start in 2007
The 2008 Season:Entering the 2008 season, Detroit was sought by a few as a contender to win a weakened NFC North but faltered immediately and fired its whole front office after Week 4. They continued faltering but came close a few times only to finish 0-16 after a 31-21 lost to the Packers.
Overview:
QB:Dan Orlovsky should never start again, Drew Stanton is awful, Daunte Culpepper could've been good had he probably been to Training Camp instead of coming in mid-November.
RB:Kevin Smith is a good back who needs some help. The team always played from behind this year so he didn't quite get much of a chance but still nearly reached 1000 yards rushing.
WR/TE:Calvin Johnson is a star, perhaps they should add another receiver in the second round or even pick up a Tight End.
Offensive Line:Gosder Cherilius is the most illogical draft pick in history barring a miracle. I feel that they're better suited as a run blocking line. But they need some work.
Defensive Line:No pressure on the QB, time for a rehaul
Linebackers:Nothing to say here either, the worst rush defense
Secondary:Not much better for Detroit was the 5th worse passing defense.
What we will see:Jim Schwartz is a product of Jeff Fisher meaning we'll be seeing a team modeled like the Tennessee Titans and like Mike Ditka's Bears in the '80's. They will run the ball heavily with Kevin Smith and occasionally throw with whoever will be the QB. They will go to a 46 defense. With a new unis and new culture in Detroit, I feel that they can be the Tennessee Titans in 3-4 years.
St.Louis Rams:
Overview:The last two seasons have been rough for Rams fans(tell me about it) as they're a league worst 5-27 since 2007. The Rams have gone through 5 coaches since 2005(including interims Joe Vitt and Jim Haslett). The Scott Linehan era has proven to be a flop along with signings of Drew Bennett and Dante Hall and the hiring of Al Saunders. The Rams finished with the 27th best offense and the 28th best defense.
Numbers:
5-27-The Rams record since 2007
2004-The last time the Rams went to the playoffs
8-The number of consecutive losses to the Seattle Seahawks. The Rams last win was in the 2004 NFL Playoffs over the Hawks.
1999-The last time the Rams won the Super Bowl
5-Number of head coaches since the 2004 season(Martz, Vitt, Linehan, Haslett, and Spagnuolo)
2-14-The Rams record in the 2008 season.
The 2008 Season:The first 7 games were as I called, Murderers Row as the Rams faced Philadelphia, New York Giants, Seattle, Buffalo, Washington, Dallas, and New England in the first 7 weeks. Things did not start well for they were blown out by Philadelphia, New York and Seattle and a 31-14 loss to the Bills ended the Linehan tenure. Jim Haslett stepped in and led them to wins over Washington and Dallas before the team lost their remaining games to finish 2-14.
Overview:
QB:Marc Bulger has been a successful QB in St.Louis since his arrival in 2002, however, the last two seasons have been a nightmare for Bulger has been unable to do what he used to be able to do. Was the contract for Bulger a mistake? Its too early to judge but Year 3 is crucial.
RB:Steven Jackson got going during games against Buffalo, Washington, and Dallas but in the last suffered a quad injury and was not in full form until Week 17 against Atlanta where he rushed for 173 rushing yards. He is their guy but I feel a Number 2 back is in need.
WR/TE:Torry Holt is gone and suddenly Donnie Avery is the starter with Keenan Burton and Dane Looker. Tight End has been a problem for a while but Randy McMichael showed potential until his injury.
Offensive Line:Orlando Pace is gone and suddenly one of the worst lines in the NFL has lost its leader. Now the Rams must rebuild in order to keep Bulger protected and give Jackson space.
Defensive Line:Chris Long had a good rookie season with 4 sacks but the rest of the line needs to be more aggressive in order to pressure the QB.
Linebackers:Will Witherspoon's conversion to Middle Linebacker has not worked and as a result, St.Louis has the 4th worse rush defense in the NFL allowing even T.J. Duckett to get over 100 yards rushing.
Secondary:Ron Bartell and Jason Craft came on after a rough start while O.J. Atogwe played to his usual season and the addition of James Butler improves a weak secondary from last season.
What we will see:With Steve Spagnuolo's hire, the Rams are no longer the pass happy offensive team as they were previous. Now with Spags, they're going to be modeled offensively somewhat like the Philadelphia Eagles in a West Coast system with a New York Giants type run game. As for defensive they will be a 4-3 and they will be modeled defensively like the Giants. Expect to see something completely different than the Martz/Linehan era.
Kansas City Chiefs:
Overview:Since 1990, the Kansas City Chiefs fans have been wondering "When?". They were one of the most successful teams of the 90's and had some great teams under Dick Vermeil. Some felt that Herm Edwards was going to get them there but so far no Super Bowl for KC.
Numbers:
2-14-The Chiefs record in the 2008 season.
440-The number of points allowed by their defense.
1969-The last time to the Chiefs won the Super Bowl
2006-The last time the Chiefs appeared in the playoffs. They lost 23-8 to the Colts.
1993-The last time the Chiefs won a playoff game. They beat the Oilers 28-20.
The 2008 Season:The Chiefs looked like a competitive team as they barely lost to the Patriots 17-10 but fell to Oakland and Atlanta afterwards. Their win over Denver in Week 4 was their first of the year, but the team would only win once more as they knocked off Oakland in Week 13 ending the season falling to Cincinnati 16-6.
Overview:
QB:Tyler Thigpen did a good job for what he had to work with. But it appears Matt Cassell will be the starting QB for the Chiefs. This could be Heath Shuler/Gus Freorotte all over again.
RB:Larry Johnson looks done. Kolby Smith and Jamaal Charles could be a one-two punch but that remains to be seen.
WR/TE:I can't say much about Dwayne Bowe, but the rest of the core isn't much. I guess Tony Gonzalez is staying, but they could use another receiver in there to upgrade it.
Offensive Line:Nothing much to say, except they were ok at times but alas they're young. We'll wait and see.
Defensive Line:Again Jared Allen leaving affected it heavily. Maybe Glenn Dorsey will improve, maybe.
Linebackers:The Chiefs linebackers were a reason for their lackluster rush defense. Mike Vrabel though could boost them.
Secondary:Brandon Flowers has potential, as does Bernard Pollard, but the rest is mediocre at best. They're close tho.
What we will see:Todd Haley coming over from the Cardinals means we will see a high-powered passing offense and maybe a good running game(something Haley never established in Arizona). Clancy Pendergast also comes over from Arizona but his defenses have been shaky at best. Mike Vrabel is a good pickup for leadership and experience, but I feel he's past his time. Chan Gailey is back so we may see that Spread Offense from last year in K.C. again or perhaps something like New England's offense or Arizona's, I'm not really sure. Maybe some weird cross. Keep an eye on this team.
Seattle Seahawks
Overview:The 2008 season for Seahawks fans was something different for the first in a while they did not win their division, nor did they make the playoffs as the Mike Holmgren era ended in tragic form. Now the Jim Mora era begins.
Numbers:
4-12-The Seahawks record in 2008.
2002-The last time Seattle had a losing season before this decade
2005-The last time Seattle went to the Super Bowl.
28-The ranking of Seattle's offense
30-The ranking of Seattle's defense
Overview:
QB:Matt Hasselback is getting old and each year his production has decreased due to injury and age. Seneca Wallace is a good back-up but nothing else. I feel they need to draft a QB in order to replace Hasselback either this year or next year.
RB:Shaun Alexander's departure has caused a hole as Seattle's rush offense has completely dropped from the way it used to be. Maurice Morris, T.J. Duckett, and Julius Jones just couldn't replace the former Rushing champion. Losing Leonard Weaver doesn't help either.
WR/TE:Seattle's receiving core isn't much but Jon Carlson was fantastic in his rookie year at Tight End. I feel they need a big play receiver in order to get their offense going again in the air.
Offensive Line:The Seahawks line can be considered a reason for the injury to Matt Hasselback and lack of offensive production. Overall I feel they need to upgrade in order to regain strength.
Defensive Line:The Seattle front four didn't quite get the pressure they need to as they allowed the most passing yards in the NFL and 18th in rushing.
Linebackers:Again not the unit they used to be as they finished 18th in rushing defense.
Secondary:They just got killed, probably the worst under Holmgren.
What we will see:Jim Mora comes in replacing perhaps the best coach in Seattle history. Can he live up to what Homgren did? Mora did revive the Atlanta Falcons from their pseudo grave they were in after the 2001 season and led them to the 2004 NFC Title Game. However, his last two seasons were mediocre. We will see pretty much the same offense. Casey Bradley has come in from Tampa Bay so we'll see a Cover 2 in Seattle.
That wraps up round 1, stay tuned for round 2.
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