The 2018 NFL season has been a dream come true
for several teams this year and been an utter nightmare for many others. That’s
how it goes.
Not everybody gets a happy ending
in the NFL. The question left to everybody involved is where did the crucial
moment come this year that helped define their success or failure. Usually, it
can be traced back to one decision that started the ball rolling in either
direction.
Maybe it was a big trade a team
made or a key hiring or firing of a coach. Then again even more subtle moves
can have a surprisingly far-reaching impact.
So let’s pose that question
across the board. What was that one move that defined this year for every team
in the league, for better or worse? As always I start with the team I covered
for over 30 years the Pittsburgh Steelers
PITTSBURGH
STEELERS: SIGNING JONATHAN BOSTIC
The Steelers are known as one of
those few organizations in the NFL that view free agency like a casino. It’s
nothing but straight gambling and most of the time the house has the edge.
However, if a person occasionally pours a calculated amount of money into it,
they sometimes might get lucky. This is how Pittsburgh has approached the
market for years and it appears that moment of good fortune finally came
around.
Nobody thought much of anything
when the team signed veteran linebacker Jonathan Bostic. He’d been a journeyman
of sorts, playing in Chicago, New England, and then Indianapolis as a former
2nd round pick who hadn’t quite panned out. The Steelers brought him in mostly as
competition and depth for their inside linebacker spot with Ryan Shazier still out with his spinal
issues. They never expected to get what they’ve gotten from him.
Bostic has 66 tackles, 2.5 sacks,
and three passes defended on the year. He’s a big part of the Steelers having
the 6th best run defense in the league.
ARIZONA CARDINALS:
DRAFTING JOSH ROSEN
For better or worse, when the
Cardinals signed Sam Bradford and drafted Josh Rosen in
the first round, they effectively tied their hopes this season to the rookie
quarterback.
That didn’t seem like too bad of
an idea on the surface, at least to begin with.
Rosen, in my estimation, was one
of the most pro-ready quarterbacks coming out of this year’s crop. He showed
excellent mechanics in his years at UCLA and did a great job of running a
pro-style offensive attack while he was there as well.
It made sense that Rosen would
have success at the NFL level until it turned out to be a bit tougher than he
or anyone else really imagined. Rosen has shown flashes throughout the year but
has 10 touchdowns compared to 12 interceptions in his 10 games this season.
He’s taken 29 sacks in those 10
games and has proven he has a long way to go in his development. As a result,
the Cardinals are one of the worst teams in the entire league.
ATLANTA FALCONS:
KEEPING STEVE SARKISIAN
The Atlanta Falcons came into the
2018 season with high hopes and high expectations, as any team with a
quarterback of Matt Ryan’s caliber should.
Unfortunately, injuries on
defense have really limited this team’s ability to win close games and they
have struggled badly on their way to a potential top five pick in the 2019 NFL
Draft.
Their decision to retain Steve
Sarkisian as offensive coordinator has not yielded balanced results on that
side of the ball, causing the Falcons to almost be an easy out for teams this
year with an average of 28 points allowed and 24 points scored per game this
season.
In four of the Falcons’ last five
games (all losses) they have been outscored by 10 or more points. The offense
has not exceeded 20 points in that stretch of time, and Atlanta ranks 32nd in
the NFL this season in rushing offense.
It appears the decision to keep
Sarkisian has hindered Atlanta enough offensively to the point that they may
need to make a big change this offseason.
BALTIMORE RAVENS:
PASSING ON CALVIN RIDLEY
I don’t think anyone in Baltimore
is going to be upset that the team eventually ended up with Lamar Jackson at the end of the first
round, but with this team’s affliction for Alabama players and a desperate need
for playmakers at receiver, how did they not end up with
Calvin Ridley?
The Ravens used their first pick
in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft on South Carolina tight end Hayden Hurst.
In nine games this season, Hurst
has a total of seven receptions. Ridley had eight touchdown catches.
Even though the Falcons’ offense
has not been very good, Ridley has proven himself to be much better than his
draft position and the Ravens’ passing attack could use a dynamic player like
him.
Unfortunately, they got in their
own way during the draft, and got a better pass-catching option later in Mark Andrews. They could have had both
Andrews and Ridley, but here we are.
BUFFALO BILLS:
DRAFTING JOSH ALLEN
Even dating back to the weeks and
months before the 2017 season, the Buffalo Bills appeared to
be priming themselves for a run at a young quarterback in the 2018 NFL Draft.
They were trading away players
left and right, and continued to do so all the way into the 2018 offseason even
after they made the playoffs unexpectedly.
The Bills’ playoff appearance
didn’t hinder them from being one of the top three teams to take a quarterback
in the 2018 NFL Draft, as they accumulated enough capital to move up and select
the big-armed Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen.
Allen has come to the Bills and done
a much better job than I think most expected him to considering his struggles
in college.
Allen has shown some of the same
boom-or-bust potential in the NFL he had in college, but he’s morphed into a
much better runner than I think anyone ever imagined. He looks like a
young Cam Newton running around out there,
and that’s not just hyperbole. He looks like one of the best running
quarterbacks in the league.
Still, tying your fate to a
rookie quarterback often means you are in for a losing season, and the Bills
have struggled with players behind Allen on the depth chart as he’s missed some
time due to injury.
CAROLINA PANTHERS:
PROMOTING ERIC WASHINGTON
The Panthers’ promotion of Eric
Washington has not gone as the team had hoped, let’s put it that way.
They rank 24th in the NFL in
points allowed per game, and specifically have struggled against the pass.
It’s important to note that while
Washington has been a highly respected assistant for years in the NFL, this was
his first year calling plays in the league. That’s not as easy of a job
as some make it sound.
Ron Rivera also deserves some blame
for the Panthers’ defensive woes, but this is a group effort and Carolina’s
recent five-game losing streak included a 52-point embarrassment at the hands
of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
CHICAGO BEARS:
TRADING FOR KHALIL MACK
There were SO many moves by the
Bears this year that could’ve qualified for this list including the hiring of
head coach Matt Nagy or the retention of defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. Yet
it’s impossible to argue the fact that this team didn’t truly become a force
until the arrival of Khalil Mack on September 1st via one of the biggest
landmark trades in franchise history.
Nobody saw the move coming. There
was no way in the world the Oakland Raiders would be dumb enough to trade one
of the best pass rushers in football. Never mind the unrealistic belief that GM
Ryan Pace has the willingness to sacrifice the draft picks and money necessary
to get him. Those people were quickly proven wrong.
Chicago sacrificed two 1st round
picks and two others to get Mack from Oakland and quickly made him the
highest-paid defensive player in NFL history. How did he reward them? He has 10
sacks this season with three games still to play and his presence has turned
the Bears defense from a pretty good unit into the best in the NFL, paving the
way for a 9-4 record.
CINCINNATI
BENGALS: KEEPING MARVIN LEWIS
I would consider myself (at
times) a pretty stubborn individual. I feel like the way I do things is often
the right way of doing things, so I can empathize a bit with the management in
Cincinnati, who seems to think the combination they have with Marvin
Lewis, Andy Dalton, and the rest of their cast of
characters is the right one.
The Bengals are hell-bent on
believing that Lewis is the coach that will lead them to the Super Bowl,
apparently. He’s certainly done a good job for the standards that have perhaps
preceded his time with the team. The Bengals don’t have a bunch of Lombardi’s
hanging around the team facility and they don’t really know what it’s like to
win championships, so perhaps the ‘good enough’ mantra applies here.
But eventually, a change of
scenery would be good for both the Bengals and Lewis, right?
Cincinnati has once again fallen
short of expectations and injuries have killed their 2018 season. Will it be
Lewis’ last with the team? Time will tell.
CLEVELAND BROWNS:
DRAFTING BAKER MAYFIELD
Even before the Browns drafted
Baker Mayfield, they hired John Dorsey and I think that move
reset the course of the franchise.
Dorsey is a very good talent
evaluator as evidenced by just his last two quarterback picks (likely league
MVP Patrick Mahomes and Mayfield).
Dorsey’s last two quarterback picks have reset the course for both of the
franchises he worked for, but the decision to pick Mayfield was anything but an
easy one.
There was no consensus number one
grade on Mayfield by NFL Draft analysts. In fact, I personally had Darnold
rated 1a. to Mayfield’s 1b. I thought both players were great, but it takes
personal evaluation and up-close relationship development to make a call like
this in a draft class that included five first-round quarterbacks.
Mayfield has proven to be the
best one by far in the early portion of their respective
careers, and in his first action in the 2018 regular season, he led the Browns
to a comeback win in front of a national audience (against Darnold, no less).
There was nothing fortuitous
about this selection. Dorsey made a call directly from his gut and it’s paying
off.
DALLAS COWBOYS: TRADING
FOR AMARI COOPER
Jerry Jones‘ trade for Amari Cooper was
like a quarterback throwing the ball into heavy traffic, only to have his
receiver come up with a huge reception and take it for a touchdown. You’ve been
there, right?
When the ball is in the air, and
you’re yelling at the TV, “No, no, no…” and then the receiver catches is, and
you explode with joy.
That’s what this trade has been
like for the Cowboys. Giving up a first-round pick for Cooper seemed like Jon
Gruden had finally pulled one over on somebody, and he did it to a desperate
Jerry Jones.
Even in less than half of a
season, though, Cooper has proven to be an incredible difference-maker for the
Cowboys, who have combined great defensive play with a balanced offensive
attack. Cooper is the reason teams have to respect the Cowboys’ passing game
now, whereas they did not have that player on the roster before.
The first-round pick now appears
poised to be late in round one, and if the Cowboys were going to potentially
draft a receiver anyway, why not trade for Cooper? It’s working extremely well.
DENVER BRONCOS: SIGNING
PHILLIP LINDSAY
Sometimes it’s better to be lucky
than good, but it doesn’t hurt to be both lucky and good when
it comes to the NFL Draft.
The Denver Broncos had one of the
best draft classes in recent memory, bringing in Bradley Chubb, Courtland Sutton, Royce Freeman, Isaac Yiadom, Josey Jewell, and DaeSean Hamilton among others.
But it was after the
draft when they brought in a local feel-good story in Phillip Lindsay, a small
running back who wasn’t even invited to the Scouting Combine. Lindsay competed
in offseason activities and even before training camp was earning some work
with the number one offense.
By the start of the season, the
hype surrounding Lindsay was pretty wild and then he scored the team’s first
touchdown of the season. Since then, he’s scored nine more touchdowns and has
over 1,000 all-purpose offensive yards. He’s become the Broncos’ featured
offensive player and looks like a superstar in the making.
Lindsay’s emergence has helped
the Broncos improve throughout the season, which included a three-game winning
streak recently to get the team to a 6-6 record before their disappointing loss
to the 49ers.
DETROIT LIONS: TRADING
GOLDEN TATE
The Detroit Lions continue to
confuse themselves, I think.
After hiring Patriots defensive
coordinator Matt Patricia to be their new head coach, the Lions probably
thought they were going to compete in the NFC North this season, but that
hasn’t been further from reality.
Instead of competing for their
division, the Lions are competing (yet again) for a high draft choice and they
became a seller at the NFL trade deadline, helping out a fellow NFC team in
Philadelphia by sending them wide receiver Golden Tate.
It was hard to fault the Lions
for maximizing value on Tate, who is in the final year of his contract with the
team and seems to be declining in his per-play effectiveness, but trading such
a high profile player was indicative of how this season was going/has gone for
Detroit.
They will once again need to
re-tool their offensive weaponry this offseason.
GREEN BAY PACKERS:
FIRING ALEX VAN PELT
Former NFL quarterback Alex Van
Pelt has been coaching for almost 15 years, and had been with the Green Bay
Packers since 2012 (running backs coach).
In 2014, Van Pelt took over
coaching the quarterback position where he had a star pupil in Aaron Rodgers.
After four years in that role,
the Packers opted to let go of Van Pelt, and he signed on to coach the
quarterbacks of the Cincinnati Bengals.
Van Pelt wasn’t a scapegoat,
necessarily, but the entirety of what the Packers are right now is just not
working. Head coach Mike McCarthy was fired in-season, and Green Bay appears
headed for a major shift in the way they operate with Ted Thompson also not running things
in the front office anymore.
Van Pelt’s firing was one of the
first dominos to fall in what has proven to be an avalanche of bad news for
Green Bay.
HOUSTON TEXANS:
DRAFTING JUSTIN REID
The Texans came into 2018 having
been put in a bad spot of their own making. Thanks to previous trades in order
to clear up the blunder that was the Brock Osweiler signing, the team had
no 1st or 2nd round picks coming in this years’ draft. That presented a big
challenge. They needed to find impact players for a roster that was ready to
win now. Especially with some of their key veterans starting to approach the
downslope of their careers.
In the end, they decided to go
after some help for their secondary by using their first pick of the draft on
Stanford safety Justin Reid in the 3rd round. It was a minor surprise he’d
actually fallen that far according to experts. Many felt he had the sort of
skill set to be a top 50 pick. Maybe even a 1st rounder. Time has quickly
proven those experts were quite correct.
Not only does Reid have 69
tackles this season as a key member of the Texans secondary, but he also has
three interceptions including one for a touchdown. He’s been a huge key to that
unit ranking 5th in the NFL in points allowed.
INDIANAPOLIS
COLTS: HIRING FRANK REICH
It looked like the Colts had
their next head coach locked up after dismissing Chuck Pagano. New England
Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was fixing to come in and
hopefully revive the offense around the returning Andrew Luck. Then at the last second,
things changed. McDaniels balked and informed the team he was reneging on his
agreement, deciding to return to the Patriots.
It was a low point for the Colts,
who’d already missed out on getting their primary target Matt Nagy who went to
Chicago. Things have a funny way of working out though. GM Chris Ballard acted
quickly. He brought in Frank Reich, offensive coordinator of the reigning
champion Philadelphia Eagles for an interview shortly after the announcement.
Not long after he was hired as the new head coach in Indianapolis.
Under his direction, the Colts
have experienced a major rebound. They’re 7-6 and in the thick of the playoff
chase. Luck is having one of the best seasons of his career and the defense is
also playing better than it has in years.
JACKSONVILLE
JAGUARS: STICKING WITH BLAKE BORTLES
Reaching the AFC championship
last year had dire consequences for the Jaguars. As can so often happen, they
were lured into a false sense of security by that success. Blake Bortles had
played well down the stretch and made some big plays to get them to one game
away from the Super Bowl. However, amidst the fun, they forgot that his play
may have been spurred on by the fact he was in a contract year.
League history is sprinkled with
many examples of mediocre players turning in strong runs like that in order to
secure their big payday. Sure enough, Bortles got what he wanted in a
three-year extension worth over $26 million in guaranteed money. He rewarded
that faith of the front office by turning in his worst season as a pro and
getting benched in favor of Cody Kessler.
This team missed a big
opportunity to move on from him and now they’re likely to pay for it for the
next couple of years unless they somehow snag a quarterback in 2019 who can
help them win right away.
KANSAS CITY
CHIEFS: PROMOTING PATRICK MAHOMES
This was going to happen
regardless but it’s still a decision that wasn’t easy to make. The Kansas City
Chiefs had consistency and stability with Alex Smith. He had led them to the playoffs
after his best season ever as a pro. It would’ve been easy to understand if
they decided to postpone a shift at quarterback for one more year. Andy Reid didn’t blink though. Smith
was traded to Washington to avoid any controversies and the team moved ahead
with Mahomes.
The results speak for themselves.
The second-year quarterback is having the best breakout season one has ever had
at that position with 4,300 yards passing and 43 touchdown passes in just 13
games. He’s the runaway favorite for MVP and the reason the Chiefs are 11-2 and
on the cusp of claiming homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. Logical or
not, the decision to go with him was a bold one that is paying off handsomely.
LOS ANGELES
CHARGERS: DRAFTING DERWIN JAMES
It looks like the Chargers are a
different team in 2018. They’re beating teams they normally haven’t beaten in
the past and doing it convincingly. Philip Rivers remains a stud for them
at age 37, but the bigger surprise is how improved their defense has been. It
went from okay unit with a great pass rush to a top 10 group in the space of a
year. This despite star Joey Bosa missing a lengthy period of time
with injury. So how does that happen?
Look no further than the arrival
of Derwin James to their secondary. The rookie 1st round pick has been a
revelation at safety this year with three interceptions and 3.5 sacks. He has
made the back end of that defense far more treacherous to attack for
quarterbacks and his ability to blitz has made it almost impossible to avoid
him. That stability and playmaking skill he brings has helped to win a number
of close games this year, something they couldn’t do in the past.
LOS ANGELES RAMS:
TRADING FOR BRANDIN COOKS
The Rams were the #1 offense in
scoring last year but it was felt there were still ways they needed to try and
open things up for the passing game. Somebody who could threaten defenses deep
and ease the stacked boxes Todd Gurley had to run against. That’s
why GM Les Snead made the bold decision to trade the teams’ 1st round pick to
the New England Patriots in exchange for wide receiver Brandin Cooks.
The 24-year old speedster had had
two good seasons in New Orleans and then New England but hadn’t been able to
lock down a long-term job. He wanted to find a more permanent home. It seems
he’s done that. The Rams went from the #10 passing offense last year to #5 this
year. Cooks is a huge reason for that as he’s already over 1,000 yards for the
season and averaging over 15 yards per catch.
Gurley is just 102 yards away from
topping his career high in rush, so that panned out as well. It was a highly
productive move for the franchise and one people tend to overlook.
MIAMI DOLPHINS:
RELEASING MIKE POUNCEY
Mike Pouncey hasn’t always been
healthy but the center remained a quality blocker on the Dolphins offensive
line for years. He played the entirety of the 2017 season and was still just
29-years old. Most expected him to continue on as their fixture at center. So
when Miami made the momentous decision to release the former Pro Bowler, it
came as a genuine shock.
It’s hard to figure out the exact
reasoning for the move. The general belief is the Dolphins got tired of his
somewhat lazy workout habits mixed with the health concerns and slightly
declined play. They felt Daniel Kilgore would be able to handle
the job. In hindsight, it’s fair to question that decision. Miami allowed just
33 sacks in 2017. This year they’re already at 36 with three games left to
play.
Meanwhile, Pouncey landed in L.A.
where Philip Rivers is in the midst of arguably the best season of his career.
The center may not be elite anymore, but very good is still worth a lot at that
position.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS:
HIRING JOHN DEFILIPPO
After losing Pat Shurmur to the
New York Giants head coaching job this offseason, the Vikings were set to
change offensive coordinator against for the third time in three years. This time
they went with a man with a growing reputation for his quarterback acumen in
John DeFilippo. He’d just got done turning Carson Wentz into a Pro Bowler
and Nick Foles into a Super Bowl MVP as
the Philadelphia Eagles quarterbacks coach.
He seemed like the logical choice
to take over a passing game that was ready to take flight with Kirk Cousins arriving from Washington.
Things started out great. Cousins was putting up big numbers and are still on
pace to set his career-high in touchdown passes. The problems became clear
later on as DeFilippo simply couldn’t find a way to get the running game going.
Naturally, this caused increasing
frustration for the defensive-minded head coach Mike Zimmer until things
finally reached their breaking point in Seattle and DeFilippo was fired. Now
6-6-1, it may be too little, too later to overcome that misfire.
NEW ENGLAND
PATRIOTS: TRADING FOR CORDARRELLE PATTERSON
The Patriots have always had that
knack of scooping underrated players from teams who simply lack the wherewithal
to use them correctly. It happened back in 2007 when they got Randy Moss from the Raiders. This
isn’t on that same scale, but it’s another example of Oakland not knowing what
they had. Cordarrelle Patterson may not be freak wide receiver people had
hoped, but he’s proving to be an effective weapon all the same.
New England has gotten some huge
plays out of him this year. Plays that proved crucial in some close games. His
kick return touchdown in Chicago proved the difference in a win. He’s also
scored touchdowns as a running back and a wide receiver. He’s a threat in two
different phases and teams have had a hard time keeping him in check. Given how
hot-cold the Patriots offense has been at times, it makes the trade look even
better.
NEW ORLEANS
SAINTS: SIGNING DEMARIO DAVIS
The Saints were a good defense in
2017 but they had a relatively weak area that haunted them much of the season.
It was their ability to stop the run. They ranked a distant 16th against it and
one can say the two rushing touchdowns they allowed in Minnesota last season
was a big factor in their eventual loss. That’s why they moved quickly to sign
inside linebacker Demario Davis, feeling he had the skill set to upgrade their
linebacking corps.
It’s proven to be exactly what
they’d hoped. Davis has solidified their front seven, paving the way for the #1
run defense in the NFL. The Saints are allowing just 77.61 yards per game on
the ground and it’s a big reason they’re 11-2 and cruising towards the #1 seed
in the NFC. Davis leads the team with 95 tackles. He also has three sacks and
two forced fumbles. The man deserves to have his name mentioned in Pro Bowl
discussions.
NEW YORK GIANTS:
TRADING JASON PIERRE-PAUL
This remains a puzzling decision
even now. The Giants used the excuse that they traded Jason Pierre-Paul to the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers because the team was switching to a 3-4 defense.
Pierre-Paul had spent his career as a 4-3 defensive end. It was a difficult
fit. Then again, good defensive coordinators should be able to find a place for
good pass rushers. New York refused to accept that and simply gave away a man
who has 11.5 sacks this season.
Why is that such a thing? Namely,
because the Giants defense has a minimal pass rush. Their leading rusher to
date has five sacks this season. Less than half of what Pierre-Paul has
managed. The team seems so optimistic they can still make the playoffs this
year after back-to-back wins. It’s fair to offer questions and criticism and
how much better their odds might be had they kept the former Pro Bowler around
for another year.
NEW YORK JETS:
DRAFTING SAM DARNOLD
This decision was going to have a
ripple effect the moment it happened. It became clear the Jets were aiming to
build the future of their franchise around Sam Darnold when he became the #3
overall pick in the draft. That was not the question. It was who would be the
men to undertake that job? Would it be GM Mike Maccagnan and even more
interestingly, would it be head coach Todd Bowles, a man with a defensive
background.
Time has shown that Darnold’s
presence is likely to bring about significant changes in 2019. Though he’s had
plenty of flash moments showcasing his impressive talent, the scheming didn’t
do him a lot of favors. That falls at the feet of the coaches. It’s obvious the
Jets will likely follow the Rams and Bears blueprint of the past two years by
firing their defensive head coach in favor of a top offensive mind who can mold
their young quarterback into the player he should be.
That may not be entirely fair to
Bowles who doesn’t have the greatest offensive personnel around Darnold, but
that’s how it is.
OAKLAND RAIDERS:
HIRING JON GRUDEN
No doubt the PR department is
spinning things in such a way that makes Gruden look good after beating the
favored Pittsburgh Steelers last Sunday. They’ve won two of their last four
games and things must be getting better, right? Well, both wins were by two and
three points respectively, both were at home and one of them was against the
struggling Arizona Cardinals. The bottom line is the Raiders are still a
three-win team and not going anywhere in 2018.
It doesn’t erase the fact that
Gruden’s season as a whole has been a complete failure. He took over a team
that made the playoffs two years ago and won seven games last year. They had a
strong core of talent in place with Derek Carr, Amari Cooper, and Khalil Mack.
All he had to do was build the roster up around them and this team had a chance
to win. What did he do?
He signed off on trading both
Mack and Cooper who are starring in Chicago and Dallas as both teams surge
towards the playoffs. There is no question that the plummet of that team to the
bottom of the AFC started with his arrival.
PHILADELPHIA
EAGLES: LETTING PATRICK ROBINSON WALK
Hindsight is always 20-20. The
Eagles got a great year out of veteran corner Patrick Robinson in 2017. He
brought needed stability to the back end of their defense. One would think that
would’ve been enough to convince them to work out some sort of extension.
Instead the Eagles decided to protect their limited cap space and let Robinson
walk in free agency, signing with his former team the New Orleans Saints.
It seemed like a safe move at the
time, but playing it safe doesn’t usually win championships. The Eagles defense
has sorely missed Robinson since he left. Their secondary has been beset by
loads of injury issues at cornerback and its cost them in some critical games
down the stretch. Games that probably would’ve ended differently had he been
there to help. Sometimes it isn’t the big moves that determine the course of a
season.
Even the lesser ones can end up
having a huge impact.
SAN FRANCISCO
49ERS: SIGNING NICK MULLENS
It was nothing more than a blip
on the radar screen. Nick Mullen was signed by the 49ers as an undrafted free
agent to provide depth behind Jimmy Garoppolo and C.J. Beathard. Nothing more. Not a single
person expected there was even a remote possibility that the rookie would see a
single snap in 2018. As has been proven many times, the NFL can often lay waste
to teams’ prior plans. That was the case for the 49ers.
Both Garoppolo and Beathard went
down with injuries over the course of the season, forcing the team to turn to
Mullens. All things considered, they’ve gotten way more than they have any
right to expect from an undrafted rookie. He’s helped them win two games
against the Raiders and Broncos while throwing nine touchdowns to six interceptions.
It hasn’t always been pretty, but under normal circumstances, this would be a
one-win football team.
Every cloud has a silver lining
and that’s Mullens.
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS:
HIRING KEN NORTON JR.
Pete Caroll stunned a lot of
people when he made wholesale changes to his coaching staff this year. None was
more perplexing than replacing proven defensive coordinator Kris Richard with Ken Norton Jr. The
same man who’d badly flamed out in Oakland. How could he be expected to carry
on the Legion of Boom tradition? Carroll didn’t listen, sticking to his guns.
Turns out that time was his best friend as the results have really come around.
The defense isn’t elite by any
stretch but it’s become a quality unit that is able to play strong against most
opponents. They can still rush the passer and still force turnovers. Much of
the credit must go to Norton who’s done a good job coaching up a roster full of
young players forced to follow in the footsteps of legends like Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor. All things considered with
the team on the doorstep of the playoffs? It’s been a surprisingly productive decision.
TAMPA BAY
BUCCANEERS: KEEPING MIKE SMITH
Problems with former defensive
coordinator Mike Smith were starting to creep up last season. The Buccaneers
defense failed to allow less than 20 points in any of their final seven games
that season. Then, despite their rampant spending in free agency and the draft
to upgrade their talent, the unit was even worse when the 2018 season began. In
four of the five games he coached, the defense gave up at least 30 points.
The team finished 2-3 in that
stretch. The problems persisted for another three weeks before his replacement
Mark Duffner finally got things a little more under control. Yet it was too
little, too late. The team was 3-6 and far out of the playoff picture. Not to
mention their ongoing issues at quarterback. One has to wonder what might’ve
happened had they made the switch before the season. Maybe a full year of a
Duffner defense might’ve changed their fortunes.
TENNESSEE TITANS:
HIRING MIKE VRABEL
The Titans felt they needed to go
in a different direction at head coach this year. Mostly because despite Mike Mularkey making the playoffs in
2017, the direction of quarterback Marcus Mariota was going the wrong
way. That’s why Mike Vrabel was hired. Not only could he help improve the
defense given his background, but his Patriots connection meant he understood
the steps he needed to take in order to get the young QB back on track.
All things considered, he’s done
that. The Titans defense is one of the better units in the NFL, playing with an
edge and toughness they didn’t use to have. Mariota still isn’t in the form he
had early in his career, but he’s at least not throwing more interceptions than
touchdowns as he did last year. One can call that progress. There is still work
to be done in order to make the playoffs but one can say the change has been a
positive one.
WASHINGTON
REDSKINS: TRADING FOR ALEX SMITH
The move itself wasn’t overly
panned at the time. It made some sense. It was clear the Washington Redskins
were ready to move on from Kirk Cousins this offseason. Either that or he had
basically navigated his way out of town. Regardless, they made the bold move to
trade for veteran quarterback Alex Smith from Kansas City who’d made him
available with the plan to switch to Patrick Mahomes this season.
Smith was coming off his best
season as a pro, a four-time Pro Bowler known for his leadership and ability to
manage a game. His numbers aren’t always pretty, but he tends to win more games
than he loses.
This became true at the start of
the season. Playing ball control offense, the Redskins churned out a 6-4 record
with Smith and were atop the NFC East. Then he broke his leg badly against
Houston, ending his year. His loss has completely deflated the team, who’s lost
four-straight since he went down.
