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Ryan Fitzpatrick got off to a hot start in 2011 and, in following his lead, so did the Buffalo Bills. Seven games in, the Bills sat at 5-2 and looked to be a real playoff contender. Then Fitzpatrick cooled and the team ran off seven losses in a row.
So who are the real Bills? Does Chan Gailey have this team on the right track? Or will Buffalo and the team’s fans struggle to climb from the basement of the AFC East once again in 2012? Brian Galliford, editor-in-chief of BuffaloRumblings.com, shared his thoughts with Zoneblitz.
Zoneblitz: Bills got off to a hot start and then fizzled as the season wore on, resulting in a 6-10 finish and a two game improvement from last season. Is the season a success, a failure or somewhere in between and why? Continue reading
We’re getting close to learning who the 2012 inductees will be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame this August. Much of the discussion on one of our other Hall of Fame posts revolves around which of the three wide receiver finalists — or whether any of them — will get chosen for the honor this season.
Four-time finalist Andre Reed seems to have gained the most momentum, based on his near miss last season. Three-time finalist Cris Carter and one-time finalist Tim Brown are the other two wideouts in the mix for this year’s honor.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame Website did a comparison of these three players and how they fared up against the other 21 wideouts already enshrined in Canton, Ohio. But I wanted to do some analysis of my own.
Let me start with this. All three of these guys had great careers and they definitely are strong candidates, at least in the eyes of Zoneblitz. They all would be in the top five in receiving yards, touchdowns and receptions among receivers already in the Hall. Even as we move into a heavy passing era, Reed, Carter and Brown all continue to match up strongly with the other candidates they’ll be compared with in the near future.
But as the competition gets stronger in the years ahead, as guys like Marvin Harrison, Randy Moss, Torry Holt, Terrell Owens and a host of others retire, it’s going to be more and more challenging for the current group of finalists to get in. That makes the voting over the next couple years that much more important. And frankly, after doing some analysis, I think the current wide receiver finalists might be gaining momentum in the wrong order.
The Miami Dolphins got off to a dreadful start in 2011. Seven losses to start the campaign sparked a 6-10 season. The results cost Coach Tony Sparano his job.
But there was reason for optimism. Of the 10 losses, three were by a field goal and two were by a single point. And despite the early-season struggles, Miami had the best defense in terms of points allowed in the AFC East.
So, can the Dolphins, with a new coach and a resurgent Reggie Bush, capitalize on a strong second half in 2011 by turning it into a playoff run in 2012? Brian Miller, editor and lead writer for Phin Phanatic, shares his thoughts below:
Zoneblitz: What do you think of the Joe Philbin hire? Continue reading
Few 6-10 teams will finish a season with as much enthusiasm and excitement for the future as the Carolina Panthers. That’s because few teams have Cam Newton. The consensus 2011 Rookie of the Year threw for 4,000 yards and ran for 14 touchdowns during a season where he silenced doubters and burst upon the scene.
The six win season is a four game improvement over 2010. And the Panthers’ offense performed like a unit headed in the right direction.
The defense is still a work in progress. But Jaxon, who manages the blog Cat Scratch Reader, says the unit will get some key contributors back from injuries. With a few solid moves, he says Carolina could find itself in the wild card mix as soon as next season. Here’s what he had to say:
Zoneblitz: Will Cam Newton duplicate his success from 2011? Continue reading
Interesting post from ProFootballTalk this morning regarding NFL apparel — apparently Nike is taking over production of NFL jerseys & apparel starting in April 2012. As such, they reportedly have promised they “plan on changing the NFL jersey dramatically just like we’ve done with the college programs, using new thinking and the greatest technology available,” according to Nike Brand President Charlie Denson. “The NFL program hasn’t had the same type of advancement in recent years.”
This is an area that the NFL needs to make sure to police tightly, if you ask us — or risk some backlash from some of the longtime fans that they’ve built up years of support from.
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