Showing posts with label AFC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label AFC. Show all posts

Monday, September 21, 2009

Sunday Wrap-up: AFC Turned Upside Down

Yesterday was an interesting day around the NFL. The AFC in particular had an interesting day. The four teams that were expected to win their divisions (New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans, and the San Diego Chargers) all lost yesterday. The Patriots and Chargers, who barely escaped upsets last Monday night, weren't so lucky in week 2 with the short week of rest. Both teams entered this season as division favorites and contenders for the Super Bowl, but through two games they have had to play catch up against "inferior" opponents. The Steelers also fell to 1-1 after losing to the Chicago Bears on a last minute field goal, one week after winning with a field goal in overtime. The vaunted Steelers defense was ineffective against the Bears, and couldn't make the big stops when needed. The Titans fell to 0-2 after losing to their division rival Houston Texans 34-31. The Titans were up 21-7 early in the 2nd quarter, and got over 280 yards of total offense from running back Chris Johnson, bu the Texans passing attack was too much for them to handle. Now a team that started this season with their eyes on the Super Bowl, now are just looking for a win.


What's even more surprising than who lost was who actually won yesterday. After two weeks only three AFC teams will start off the season 2-0 (the Colts will be the fourth if they win tonight). This is a bit surprising considering the AFC is considered the stronger overall conference (the NFC has five teams that are 2-0). What's even more surprising is who the three teams are with a spotless record in the AFC, the New York Jets, Denver Broncos and the Baltimore Ravens. Now the Ravens aren't too surprising, they were a playoff team last year, and while they had some losses on defense their offense looked pretty strong entering the year. The Jets and the Broncos on the other hand are a bit more shocking. Both teams experienced a lot of turnover in the offseason. Each team bringing in among others, a new head coach and starting quarterback. The Broncos early success should be taken with a bit of a grain of salt. They have faced the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cleveland Browns, two teams that aren't exactly expected to be in the playoff hunt this season. The Broncos also would have lost to the Bengals if not for a fluke last second 87 yard touchdown. While its easy to question the staying power of the Broncos they are the division leader, and two wins are more than most teams have right now. The Jets on the other hand seem a bit more for real, and what's scary for the rest of the AFC East is they should only get better. The Jets decisively beat the Texans in Houston in week 1, a team that figured to be a playoff contender. New York followed that up knocking off the New England Patriots in week 2, and holding the Patriots high-powered offense to just 9 points. The Jets defense which hasn't allowed a touchdown in two weeks, should get better with a fully healthy DE Shaun Ellis, and the return of LB Calvin Pace after his four week suspension. On offense the Jets dual running attack has moved the ball effectively in both weeks. Rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez has made major strides, and has put the Jets in a position to win both games. He hasn't dominated the competition by any means, but he has shown plenty of poise and the ability to make plays when needed. If he continues to mature throughout the season, the Jets could make a deep run into the playoffs.


While nothing can really be determined after two weeks, the AFC balance for power is not shaping up how anyone expected. Some of the conference's top contenders, are looking more and more like pretenders. While some of the teams that were overlooked going into the season, are looking like teams that need to be taken seriously for the remaining 14 weeks.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

AFC Draft Grades

AFC EAST:

Buffalo Bills:
Best Pick: Eric Wood C-1st round
Worst Pick: Jarius Byrd DB-2nd round
One to watch: Shawn Nelson TE-4th round
Grade: B-

Miami Dolphins:
Best Pick: Sean Smith DB-2nd round
Worst Pick: Patrick Turner WR-3rd round
One to watch: Pat White WR/QB-2nd round
Grade: C+

New England Patriots:
Best Pick: Darius Butler CB-2nd round
Worst Pick: George Bussey G-5th round
One to watch: Brandon Tate WR-3rd round
Grade: A

New York Jets:
Best Pick: Shonn Greene RB-3rd round
Worst Pick: N/A (Jets only had 3 picks)
One to watch: Mark Sanchez QB-1st round
Grade: C+

AFC NORTH:

Baltimore Ravens:
Best Pick: Michael Oher OT-1st round
Worst Pick: Lardarius Webb CB-3rd round
One to watch: Jason Phillips LB-5th round
Grade: B-

Cincinnati Bengals:
Best Pick: Michael Johnson DE-3rd round
Worst Pick: Freddie Brown WR-7th round
One to watch: Chase Coffman TE-3rd round
Grade: A

Cleveland Browns:
Best Pick: Alex Mack C-1st round
Worst Pick: Mohamed Massaquoi WR-2nd round
One to watch: Brian Robiskie WR-2nd round
Grade: B-

Pittsburgh Steelers:
Best Pick: Kraig Urbik G-3rd round
Worst Pick: Evander Hood DL-1st round
One to watch: Mike Wallace WR-3rd round
Grade: B-

AFC SOUTH:

Houston Texans:
Best Pick: Connor Barwin DE-2nd round
Worst Pick: Glover Quin DB-4th round
One to watch: James Casey TE-5th round
Grade: B

Indianapolis Colts:
Best Pick: Donald Brown RB-1st round
Worst Pick: Jerraud Powers CB-3rd round
One to watch: Austin Collie WR-4th round
Grade: B+

Jacksonville Jaguars:
Best Pick: Eugene Monroe OT-1st round
Worst Pick: Derek Cox CB-3rd round
One to watch: Rashard Jennings-7th round
Grade: B+

Tennessee Titans:
Best Pick: Jared Cook TE-3rd round
Worst Pick: Ryan Mouton CB-3rd round
One to watch: Kenny Britt WR-1st round
Grade: B-

AFC WEST:

Denver Broncos:
Best Pick: Knowshon Moreno RB-1st round
Worst Pick: Richard Quinn TE-2nd round
One to watch: Robert Ayers DE-1st round
Grade: D+

Kansas City Chiefs:
Best Pick: Tyson Jackson DE-1st round
Worst Pick: Colin Brown OT-5th round
One to watch: Alex McGee DL-3rd round
Grade: D

Oakland Raiders:
Best Pick: Louis Murphy WR-4th round
Worst Pick: Michael Mitchell S-2nd round
One to watch: Darrius Heyward-Bey WR-1st round
Grade: F

San Diego Chargers:
Best Pick: Larry English DE/LB-1st round
Worst Pick: Gartrell Johnson RB-4th round
One to watch: Louis Vasquez G-3rd round
Grade: C+

Thursday, April 23, 2009

NFL Draft: Team needs: AFC

Buffalo Bills: 11th and 28th picks in the first round

1. Left tackle: The Bills traded away Jason Peters and will need to replace their blind-side protector.
2. Defensive end: Buffalo needs a someone to help Schobel with getting to the QB.
3. Tight end: The Bills could use a third receiving option behind T.O. and Evans.
4. Outside linebacker: Crowell left a hole on the outside that still needs to be filled.
5. Defensive tackle: The Bills could use some depth to keep their tackles fresh.

Miami Dolphins: 25th pick in the 1st round

1. Wide receiver: The Dolphins lack a big receiver to go along with Ginn and Bess.
2. Cornerback: Will Allen is a top flight starter but the rest of the corners are average at best.
3. Outside linebacker: Miami could use another pass rusher to go along with Joey Porter.
4. Guard: Guard is the one weak spot on the line and should be addressed.
5. Defensive tackle: Ferguson is getting up there in age so a solid back-up is needed here.

New England Patriots: 23rd pick in the first round

1. Inside linebacker: Teddy Bruschi is in his 30's now and the Pats need a capable replacement.
2. Outside linebacker: New England needs to add a pass rusher to go along with Thomas.
3. Guard: Neal is on the wrong side of 30 and will be a FA next year.
4. Safety: Meriweather is locked into one starting spot but the other one is up for grabs.
5. Running back: Even after adding Taylor, running back is a position of need for the Pats.

New York Jets: 17th pick in the first round

1. Wide Receiver: With the loss of Coles the Jets need a big time play maker.
2. Defensive end: Shaun Ellis is still getting the job done at one spot but the Jets need to give him help on the line.
3. Quarterback: Clemens isn't the answer and Brett Ratliff has potential but is unproven.
4. Cornerback: Even after adding Sheppard the Jets could use more depth here.
5. Offensive line: The Jets have a good group of starters but don't have much behind them.

Baltimore Ravens: 26th pick in the first round

1. Offensive tackle: The Ravens one weakness on the line is RT and should be addressed early.
2. Wide Receiver: The Ravens need a wideout who Flacco can throw the long ball too.
3. Inside linebacker: The Ravens will need to replace Scott to keep their defense at the top of its game.
4. Defensive end: A play maker at end could help open things up for their talented linebackers.
5. Guard: The Ravens need some depth for the interior of their line.

Cincinnati Bengals: 6th pick in the first round

1. Left tackle: Levi Jones is on his last legs and Palmer needs a new body guard.
2. Center: When you play in a division against three 3-4 teams you need an elite center, the Bengals don't even have an average one.
3. Running back: Cincy needs an RB to take the pressure off the passing game.
4. Defensive end: When you only have 17 sacks last season and improvement needs to be made.
5. Middle linebacker: The Bengals could use some depth here with Jones' age starting to show.

Cleveland Browns: 5th pick in the first round

1. Outside linebacker: The Browns pass rush was non-existent last year and needs a boost.
2. Wide Receiver: Stallworth could be facing jail and Edwards may be traded a new receiver is a big need.
3. Running back: Jamal Lewis is on his last legs a speed back should be a nice compliment.
4. Cornerback: The Browns need to add a starter opposite Eric Wright.
5. Offensive line: The Browns have solid starters but could use depth across the line.

Pittsburgh Steelers: 32nd pick in the first round

1. Offensive tackle: Starks and Colon are returning but neither is a great starter.
2. Center: The Steelers need a dominate center to match up against the top DT's in the North.
3. Wide Receiver: Pittsburgh needs to replace Washington and I'm not sold on Sweed as the answer.
4. Defensive end: The Steelers could use some depth here with their starters getting up in age.
5. Cornerback: The loss of McFadden left this position a little thin.

Houston Texans: 15th pick in the first round

1. Outside linebacker: The Texans could use a play maker outside to go along with Ryans inside.
2. Defensive tackle: A power tackle that can occupy blockers is key for Houston.
3. Safety: An upgrade at SS could be a big help to the secondary.
4. Running back: Houston needs a power back to compliment Steve Slaton.
5. Guard: Their interior line is a bit thin with Pitts the only solid guard.

Indianapolis Colts: 27th pick in the first round

1. Defensive tackle: The Colts got almost no production from their tackles last year and need to address this early.
2. Wide Receiver: The Harrison era is over and the Colts will likely add another weapon for Manning.
3. Inside linebacker: Brackett is coming off a major injury and may not be the same player he once was.
4. Offensive tackle: Ugoh struggled last season so a back-up plan is needed.
5. Outside linebacker: The Colts need more play makers on defense especially at OLB.

Jacksonville Jaguars: 8th pick in the first round

1. Offensive tackle: even with the addition of Thomas the Jags need to get more talent at tackle.
2. Wide Receiver: Adding Holt was a great first step but Garrard needs another weapon on the outside.
3. Guard: The Jags lost three guards last season to major injuries, depth is a priority here.
4. Defensive tackle: A force in the middle to go along with John Henderson would be a major boost to the defense.
5. Cornerback: The Jags are pretty thin here quality depth is needed.

Tennessee Titans: 30 pick in the first round

1. Cornerback: The Titans need another cornerback to pair with Finnegan, especially since they play the Colts twice a year.
2. Wide Receiver: Adding Washington was nice but the receiving corps is still an area of concern.
3. Defensive tackle: They brought in Haye but he won't fill Haynesworth's shoes alone.
4. Outside linebacker: The starters are top notch but there isn't anything behind them.
5. Offensive line: The Titans need some much needed depth across the entire line.

Denver Broncos: 12th and 18th picks in the first round

1. Nose tackle: Denver is moving to a 3-4 alignment but lacks the personnel in the middle.
2. Inside linebacker: Another position the Broncos need to upgrade for the move to the 3-4.
3. Defensive end: The Broncos have below average starters at DE and need an influx of talent.
4. Quarterback: With Cutler out and Orton in the Broncos could look for a young QB to groom.
5. Outside linebacker: Jarvis Moss has been a disappointment and might not be able to make the transition to OLB.

Kansas City Chiefs: 3rd pick in the first round

1. Nose tackle: Moving Dorsey outside will hopefully jump start his career but an inside guy is needed.
2. Guard: The Chiefs need a big upgrade inside to help keep Cassel off his back.
3. Linebacker: The Chiefs need to add a lot of talent at linebacker with the move to the 3-4.
4. Center: Niswanger isn't a good starter in the middle and KC should look for a replacement.
5. Offensive tackle: The Chiefs could use an upgrade over McIntosh to pair with Albert.

Oakland Raiders: 7th pick in the first round

1. Wide receiver: The Raiders have three quality running backs and zero receivers, they will need to improve that ratio to start winning some games.
2. Outside linebacker: OLB was a revolving door for the Raiders last season, the need a true starter.
3. Safety: Michael Huff has been a bust and Wilson is now in Miami adding some talent is key here.
4. Offensive tackle: The Raiders need to keep Russell upright for their offense to improve.
5. Defensive end: Burgess is on the down side of his career and the Raiders need depth.

San Diego Chargers: 16th pick in the first round

1. Right tackle: Clary was a major disappointment last season and should be replaced.
2. Inside linebacker: The Chargers need another ILB to play next to Cooper.
3. Guard: Dielman is great but RG has been a major issue. Depth is also a concern here.
4. Safety: Weddle is solid at one spot but the other spot is up in the air.
5. Defensive end: The Chargers could use another stout lineman opposite Castillo