AFC East: Each Team’s Greatest Weakness

Manuel may not even be the starter for the Bills, but it’s not the quarterback position that is the real problem in Buffalo.

Seemingly every season there is an upstart member of the AFC East that is set to dethrone the New England Patriots as division champion. Yet, seemingly every season since Bill Belichick took over the role of head coach, that threat has quickly been pushed to the side as the Patriots march into the playoffs once again.

Last year the Buffalo Bills filled that role, but their weaknesses through their defense and at the quarterback position overshadowed any acquired areas of strength. This year, it appears that the Miami Dolphins are looking to jump back into contention. At the very least, the Dolphins are the last team to take the division away from the Patriots, during the 2008 season when Tom Brady tore his ACL.

AFC North Edition
NFC North Edition

Richard Seymour: A Valuable Free Agent Addition in Today’s NFL

Richard Seymour should have the pick of many teams after June 1st.

It is often noted that today’s NFL is a passing league. With eight of the top 10 seasons for individual passing yards coming in the last five years, it’s impossible to argue against that claim. However, even though it is a passing league and offenses need to have a good quarterback to win games, balance on both sides of the ball is as important as ever.

When you look at the final four teams who competed for this year’s Super Bowl, each were able to run and pass the ball with different approaches. The New England Patriots unbalanced defenses with their plethora of weapons, the Baltimore Ravens have a pair of excellent running-backs and a strong offensive line, the San Francisco 49ers had the best offensive line in the league and a stable of runners in various forms and the Atlanta Falcons used their passing threat to set up the running game.

Yet, ultimately the two teams who made the Super Bowl are considered defense-first units. Led by Justin Smith and Haloti Ngata, the Ravens and 49ers ranked 12th and second in the league in points allowed during the regular season respectively. Smith and Ngata are singled out for very important reasons. Ngata wasn’t fully healthy during the regular season, which was a big reason that the Ravens fell to 12th overall in points allowed per game, while Smith wasn’t healthy in the post-season, when the 49ers’ defensive output dropped notably compared to when he was 100 percent.

NFL Draft 2013: Best Landing Spots For Each Style of Prospect

Where would strong-armed quarterback Tyler Wilson prefer to be?

At this stage of the draft process, every single prospect is starting to let his mind wonder about where this portion of his life is going to project his career. Who will take him in the draft and allow him to wear their jersey?

Undoubtedly each prospect will have their personal preferences, but since it’s impossible to ask every single one and get an honest answer, I instead decided to look through the different styles of players available and where they would likely be best fit for their careers.

Unbalancing NFL Defenses: A Conceptual Analysis of the New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints

Mark Ingram may not be the star he was expected to be coming out of Alabama, but his presence on the roster alone points to what the Saints want to do.

In today’s offensively inclined National Football League, ever minor advantage is explored by coachings and even those tiny details can become massive in the grand scheme of unlocking the opposition. Because of the variety of schemes and differing skill-sets of players, the complexity of today’s game is always expanding while approaches are variable and evolutionary rather than predetermined and acquired.

Two of the most dynamic offenses in the NFL have been the leading charges in the race towards greater offensive efficiency, the New Orleans Saints and New England Patriots.

Since the 2006 season, both teams have combined for nine top five finishes in scoring offense and five first overall finishes. Neither team has dropped lower than 11th in total scoring and never once during that time did both teams finish outside of the top five.

In today’s league that is a phenomenal achievement. It is the combination of high quality coaching, quarterbacks who wear capes and magicians at the skill-positions. What really separates these two offenses however, is their ability to keep defenses off balance and dictate the game to them.

NFL Draft 2013: DeAndre Hopkins Scouting Report

Is DeAndre Hopkins just a benefactor from the Sammy Watkins effect? Probably not.

Name: DeAndre Hopkins
Age: 20
Date of Birth: June 6, 1992
College: Clemson
Height: 6’1 Weight: 214
Position:Wide Receiver

Emmanuel Sanders Stays for One Last Shot at his Potential with Pittsburgh Steelers

Both Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown need big seasons in 2013

After taking as much of the five days afforded to them as they possibly could, the Pittsburgh Steelers decided to match the $2.5 million restricted free agent tender that Emmanuel Sanders signed with the New England Patriots this week. Sanders will remain with the Steelers and immediately returns to his starting spot on offense.

Sanders’ career with the Steelers so far has been full of inconsistency. At times he has flashed the talent to be a true game-changing receiver, but he has also dealt with inconsistencies on the field, repeated injuries and a family bereavement that have all hurt his development on the field.

During his three-year career so far, the former SMU prospect has totaled just 94 receptions for 1,290 yards and five touchdowns with five fumbles. However, statistics tell you little about Sanders’ potential.

As a rookie, Sanders finished with just 28 receptions for 376 yards and two touchdowns. However, for much of the year he was inactive as both he and Antonio Brown battled for the final active roster spot. Mike Tomlin used that competition to try and better both players, while both contributed sporadically in the regular season. As the regular season developed however, it became more clear that Sanders was becoming a more important part of the offense than Brown.