Often at this time of the year, fans and media of teams that are out or eliminated from the NFL playoffs spent a lot of time analyzing and over obsessing about their teams needs or wants going forward. Whether it be coaches, front office personnel or players, so much time is dedicated to speculation on situations where there are still a ton of moving parts to be decided, such as players retiring, kids deciding whether or not to stay in school or enter the draft, and free agency situations. Knowing that, I'm gonna take a stab at, what to me, appears to be each eliminated team's biggest issue going forward will be. The proverbial elephant in the room; so to speak, is something that every organization will deal with going forward. I'll go in order of the first round of the draft.
1. Cleveland Browns - Culture change
As anyone who follows the sport knows, there isn't just one main issue plaguing the Browns. They have arguably the worst drafting track record of any organization, they recycle coaches, and most recently, fed-up fans threw a parade to "celebrate" their 0-16 season. Many viewed it as being in poor taste, but I get what the fans real motive was. To draw attention to the fact that their beloved football team is being held hostage by a delusional owner and baseball bean counters running their football operations. They're tired. They're annoyed. They had every right to embarrass the team's management like that.
As far as their biggest issue going forward, before they even begin to address the QB situation, they need to address the overall stench of the organization. So many players took offense to the 0-16 parade, they seem to look past the reason it happened in the first place. Just the 2nd win-less 16 game season should get everyone's attention. There's no quick fix, maybe one of these elite QB's in the draft will help the culture shift. But a change in the day-to-day mindset is first on the agenda.
2. New York Giants - QB of the future
The Giants long-term plan had a wrench thrown in it by Gary Myers article this week saying Belichick would have interest in returning to the Meadowlands if his situation in Foxboro falls apart. That being said, I don't know that NY can afford to wait out the coaching search in hopes of the hoodie deciding to come aboard. They, like a number of teams, need a total rebuild. There are only about 8 spots (13 when fully healthy) of the 22 starters where they have legitimate NFL players. Their roster just flat out isn't good enough.
And as loved as Eli is by so many, it's time to move along and get a young franchise QB in there, and with the #2 pick, they have a shot to do just that. As long as you have the QB, you can put together the rest of a roster pretty quickly. It doesn't have to be a 5-year rebuild for New York, provided they get their guy at QB, and have a coach who can bring the best out in him.
3. Indianapolis Colts - get Luck healthy
I'm not sure I can think of an organization as frustrating as the Colts. They've had 2 legitimate hall-of-fame level QB's on their roster for 18 of the last 20 seasons. Yet here we are, staring down the barrel of having to rebuild and re-tool once again. They seem to make a habit of allowing the overall talent level of the roster around the QB falter and fail. Peyton Manning's playoff failures are well documented, but if we're honest, most of those losses were with teams that just straight up weren't as good as the teams they lost to.
That statement rang true for Andrew Luck as well, up until these past two seasons. Sure, he's known to turn the ball over way more than Colts fans would like, but when he's healthy, he's no doubt a top 8 QB in the league. And as is the case for NY ahead of them, if you have the QB, the rest falls in a lot easier. The Colts have failed to execute that part of things very well, but without Luck they have nothing. Their only focus (other than finding a coach the players will listen to) should be getting Andrew Luck healthy and ready to go for OTA's. If they can, their bounce-back won't be far away either.
4. Houston Texans (traded to CLE) - Get a real coach.
This may come off as a 5-alarm hot take to some, but Bill O'Brien sucks. I'm sorry if that is harsh, but I just cannot see how people value him as quality NFL head coach. Maybe it's the leader-of-men factor? From the outside it does seem like his players respect and play hard for him, and that matters. But when you look at the x & o side of things, his scheme, and teaching, do not measure up. The big talking point about O'Brien coming to Houston was his great work with QB's, specifically Tom Brady, and that he could relay that on to other QB's he would deal with in Houston. The problem with that, as is the case with many "QB whisperers" (Arians, McDaniels, Jackson, McAdoo), is that Brady (and all of the other guys) was already good. How can you credit a coach with making a hall-of-fame level QB (Roethlisberger, Brady, Rodgers) better than they already are? Where is the differentiating line between the player's brilliance, and good coaching?
O'Brien's resume in Houston, albeit with lesser QB talent until this season, is three 9-win campaigns in a mostly sub-par division, and a 4-win injury filled clunker this season. But where me saying he sucks comes into play, is his attitude toward the media and public in general. He had a post-game press conference after a terrible loss to Indy, in which he was questioned about holding a timeout for a 4th down play in the red-zone. "That's what you're saving the timeout for, so I really don't want to hear any bullshit about clock management. I really don't want to hear it this week."... Hey coach, if you use the timeout on a previous down to save-time and get your team together, maybe you don't have to worry about Tom Savage taking a sack on fourth down in the red zone at all? Just a thought... And being that you're the head coach, you're going to catch all the noise when you make a bone-headed decision with your timeouts and clock, and you lose. This guy doesn't want the blame or attention when things are going badly, and frankly to me that disqualifies him from getting any of the glory when they do well, or when they luck into Deshaun Watson and he sets the league on fire. Kick O'Brien to the curb.
5. Denver Broncos - the same issue they've had since Peyton left
A dash of young talent all throughout their roster can't hurt, but John Elway's failure to stabilize the position he played so well over his time in Mile High is raging fire he can't seem to put out. As we've talked about with other teams, the biggest issue for this team is QB play. Osweiler, Semien & Lynch, combined all together, aren't starting caliber in the NFL. While the rest of the roster is definitely showing signs of age, getting the QB of the future has to be priority #1 this off-season. If he can't solve that puzzle soon, Elway may be the on the hotseat himself.
6. New York Jets - playmakers & depth.
Since I've been talking for almost a decade about the Jets needing to find a franchise QB, and they don't seem to have any interest in accommodating this idea, I'm going to try a different route this time. Keep the mediocre, game-managing QBs, and build such a monster around him to find success. This was the method that Rex Ryan tried, in getting the Jets to the AFC title game in back-to-back years, but lesser quality drafts, personality conflicts, and Mark Sanchez's imminent regression caused this run to fail. If the 6th pick can net them Barkley (not likely) or another stud playmaker elsewhere, that would be somewhat of a success. Mostly, I'm just tired of the same old storyline with this team.
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - stabilizing the defense
I for one, am still a believer in Jameis Winston. Yes he regressed this past season, but I'm willing to cast that blame on the line in front of him and scheme of the offense itself. Koetter was praised for his ability to reach Jameis and make him into a high caliber QB, but a lot of that praise went out the window this past season and many are starting to question his ability to sustain success as a head coach. But since he and Winston will both definitely be back on the sidelines next year, I'm gonna jump on a limb and say they figure out the offense.
For Tampa, their defense was a big issue all year. Maybe it was the injuries, maybe it was their matchups, maybe it was inserting known cancer Chris Baker into their front four. But forcing your young QB to play from behind most weeks is not a recipe for success. Tampa needs to find a pass-rush like they need air. Spend the money, find the right fit, and give your team a chance.
8. Chicago Bears - giving Trubisky a chance
Chicago invested a TON in Trubisky, moving up one spot in last year's draft to make sure they got their guy. In 12 starts, Trubisky mostly looked like a rookie, but he did not look totally lost. Considering the tools he was given to work with, not looking lost is in fact an accomplishment. Their three leading wide receivers, were all roster bubble casualties for other teams. Even the best QB's would suffer a bit under those circumstances. When you add in that his most experienced NFL player, tight end Zach Miller, suffered a season, possibly career ending, and somewhat life-threatening leg injury against New Orleans, Trubisky's weapons did not help to aid his progress. The Bears believe that Trubisky can make the same jump that Goff & Wentz made from years 1 to 2. They've got the coach they feel can elevate him, now they have to surround him with weapons and a line to enable him to do his thing.
9. San Francisco 49ers - Jimmy franchise
I'll tip my hat to these guys. I was in the camp that said John Lynch was going to be a disaster as a GM, and that Kyle Shanahan was the product of Matt Ryan's brilliance. Turns out I was flat wrong on both. I think this duo are tremendous together. They've taken San Fran for a ride in year one, mostly in positive ways. The biggest move, was the trade deadline shot heard round the league. The Niners pulled the trigger on a deal to acquire, what looks like their QB of the future, Jimmy Garoppolo from New England. But Garoppolo is a free agent in March. The first, and only priority for San Fran, needs to be suring up the centerpiece. They've jumped to the head of the line as far as rebuilding teams, don't let the main reason for that get away.
10. Oakland Raiders - Grudenmania
Before the Raiders announced they'd pried Jon Gruden out of the Monday Night Football booth, their biggest issue going forward was going to be rebuilding the defense. But now that Chuckie is back into the equation, the biggest issue for Oakland is going to be managing the circus and hype that surrounds the famous coach. Internally, it will probably not be an issue. The adjustment period will move pretty quickly the first full-team practice, Gruden will be yelling at people, guys will be working hard to earn jobs and the natural order of an NFL offseason will take place. It's going to be among the fans, most of whom are already angry with the organization for initiating the move to Las Vegas, and how they can try to heal the divide among fans who loved the hire, and the fraction that sees it for what it is; A publicity stunt. The Raiders may feel that Gruden still has a magic touch that can get their roster to the next level, but if he didn't come with the swagger and aura that Gruden comes with, he wouldn't have been their guy. Oakland is looking to distract the fans from the real issues surrounding the franchise. Another unjust, greedy relocation.
11. Miami Dolphins - washing the Cutler off of them
Look Miami, you did what you had to do. We get it, you thought you had a playoff caliber roster, your QB went down early, you took a shot. It just didn't work out. Now that it looks like Tannehill is going to be back and ready to go, it's time to go get some lighter fluid, some matches and a pressure washer, and burn and soak the 2017 until there's nothing left. Jay Cutler is a cancer. No, I don't want to hear any half-hearted support statements by teammates with everything to lose. The guy has shown, time and again, he's just not interested in elevating the guys around him or in the overall success of the team he's on. He forever stained his legacy by quitting on his team in the NFC title game in 2010, and that can't be repaired. Now this year with Miami, instead of trying to keep it together for the long-term sake of the franchise, his addition caused rifts throughout the team, causing coaches and executives to question the effort and attitude of many players, including pro-bowl RB Jay Ajayi, who's disagreements with management ultimately resulted in his departure. I believe, that if Cutler had never been brought in there, the Ajayi situation would not have come to a head, and he'd still be a Dolphin. Now that Miami is past that, it's time to get back on track with the culture that saw Adam Gase praised as one of the game's best young coaches in year one. The talent is there, it's time to regain the focus.
12. Cincinnati Bengals - Marvin Lewis
There's nothing more need be said. His coaching, his culture, his ability to elevate talent, his ability to get guys to play hard. All of it. It's all a failure. As long as he is in charge, he will continue to be the biggest issue plaguing this organization. His mere presence at this point, infuriates fans, draws apathy from sponsors, and doesn't allow any semi-intelligent football person to take them seriously. What's the definition of insanity? Fire this clown.
13. Washington Redskins - Kirk Cousins' contract
It's taken me quite some time, but I'm finally fully in the camp that feels D.C can't afford to lose Cousins. As a rival fan, I hope they do. As an impartial evaluator, they absolutely cannot afford to let him get out of their grasp. Is Cousins a top 5 QB in the league? No. Top 10? Ehh, maybe? Is he of enough quality where you cannot reasonably think you'll replace his production for less money? Absolutely. I look at Cousins much the same way I look at Philip Rivers. He's going to throw for a ton of yards, he's going to make head-scratching turnovers, but at the end of the day, he's going to give you a chance to win, every week. By no means do I feel he is capable of putting a team on his back for an entire year, but if Joe Flacco can put a team on his back for 4 playoff games, Cousins can absolutely do the same. Washington's priority other than retaining Cousins, has to be building a roster around him capable of getting into the post-season consistently. But the more time they spend wondering if the grass is greener in other QB fields, the more likely the grass beneath their feet starts to turn grey.
14. Green Bay Packers - Answers to injuries
Every team in the NFL deals with injuries. Some years are worse than others, but it's rare that a team doesn't suffer at least one notable injury throughout the season. But truthfully, I've never seen a team get bit by the injury bug as badly as Green Bay has over the last number of years. This year, it was the best player in football, Aaron Rodgers, who went down and missed 8 games. This exposed the rest of Green Bay's roster, and showed that it really was not very good. Some national pundits went as far as to say GB without Rodgers, are basically the Browns. I won't go that far, as they were decimated with injuries once again. While any team that loses their QB for a long period of time is in trouble, the Packers have missed out on a number of opportunities even with Rodgers (2016 v. ATL, 2015 v. ARZ), because his line, his receivers, their linebackers, their secondary, spend more time on IR than they do on the field. At some point, the other key contributors have to stay healthy, and it might be worth looking into why exactly these guys always seem to go down. Players change, but the injuries seem to stay the same for the Packers.
15. Arizona Cardinals - Offensive line
No team went through quite the transition that the Cardinals went through in the last 4 months. They opened the year as a popular pick to make the postseason yet again, and possibly challenge Seattle for the NFC West title once again. They ended the year, with retirements of both their head coach and quarterback, and no imminent replacements for either. They, like many teams ahead of them, are going to need to start things over with a new young QB. They are more fortunate than most, to already have a solid defense and playmakers in place. The biggest issue facing Arizona beyond the obvious holes, is putting a capable and formidable offensive line in front of the new young QB. This team hit a speed bump with injuries and underachieving players this year, but if they get the transition right, they will not be down for long.
16. Baltimore Ravens - ballin' on a budget
Ever since they inked Flacco to that massive contract, the main issue plaguing Baltimore has been trying to retain stars and put quality talent elsewhere on the roster. Whatever you think of their roster makeup this year, they should've been in the playoffs, and to allow such an absurd play to end your season as they did (Bengals score on 4th & 12 from mid-field in final minute) is absolutely unacceptable. But for Baltimore, it allows them to take a much needed hard look in the mirror. They were in that spot to begin with, because they just aren't good enough. Mostly on offense. Their line is average, their receivers are that at best, and their best running back is a former 5th round pick of Seattle's who they plucked off waivers. Combine questionable talent with an abysmal play-caller in long time retread Marty Mornhinweg (insert eye-roll emoji), that's a recipe for disappointment. The Ravens should prioritize elevating the bottom half of the roster.
17. Los Angeles Chargers - the move from good to great
For the Chargers, the first half of their season was spent adjusting. Part of that adjusting included taking ridicule, over their stadium, over the roster, over the move from San Diego itself. But the Chargers picked themselves off the mat, and finished 9-3 in their last 12, losing a tiebreaker to miss out on the postseason. The job Anthony Lynn did here should not go unnoticed. The top half of the roster has young talent, good talent. While Philip Rivers is most certainly closer to the end than the beginning, he is still capable of leading a quality team in the playoffs. The biggest issue for LA moving forward, might just be depth. Their starters are as good as anyone in their division, but when a guy goes down, that spot has become a hole. This has been an issue for the Bolts since the days of Brees & LT. Adding NFL level depth should be priority #1.
18. Seattle Seahawks - father time
I hate to say this, due to my love for Coach Carroll, but it might just be time to scrap this thing and start over. Russell Wilson is still plenty young enough to build around him for another run, and while you'd hate to waste valuable time of his career, the path they've gone on the last 3 years is not a quality one. Out of Wilson's 6 seasons, he's had an NFL quality line in front of him, for maybe 2 of them? No matter how good an athlete he is, that is not sustainable. It's time to dump the older, expensive guys on the defense, no matter how badly it hurts. Those guys are legends in that town, and for good reason. The fans will not like it, there will be a ton of backlash initially, but you simply cannot waste Russell Wilson's career, trying to plug band-aids on holes as they continue to open year after year. And the longer you go, the bigger and more frequent those holes become. Tear it down around Wilson, and build it back up around him. It's time
19. Dallas Cowboys - identity crisis
This one is always difficult, the idea of trying to pin down the Cowboys' "biggest" issue. They just have so many.
Is it the owner, who after buying his way into the league and building a dynasty, has decided to meddle in the football ops for the last 20 years, to little or no success?
Is it the coach, who by most accounts couldn't motivate a starving man to eat, and mostly serves as a cheerleader?
Is it the number of immature, selfish grown men who wear the uniform? Every off-season seems to serve better as a combination of episodes of Cops and the Young & the Restless
Honestly, there's probably some truth to all three. So what the Cowboys need most, is to identify themselves. Who are they? There is such little discipline throughout the organization, one could almost blur the lines of whether their goal is to win football games, or provide as the rallying entertainment of uneducated sports fans everywhere (i.e "We Dem Boyz, #DezCaughtIt, etc.). Until they figure out their own identity, and get some semblance of consistency in the management of the team, their circus will continue.
20. Detroit Lions - get a 100-yard rusher for God's sake
This one is fairly simple. The Lions have done pretty much everything right personnel & football wise, except for maybe the most important thing. Gain the ability to run the god damned football. I'm not even a Lions fan, and I find it infuriating that the last time they had a guy run for 100-yards in a ballgame, I was a senior in college (70 games). Yes, 70 football games, without a single guy breaking a long run sprinkled in among a dozen or so poor carries to squeak his way to triple digits. The overall tone of this feat, bears the feeling of stubbornness. Why? Doesn't that embarrass you Detroit? Because the deeper side to that failure, is the overall failure to run the ball. They've been outran by their opponents for no less than 389 yards, each of the last 3 seasons. They've got a good QB, solid receiving options, a solid defense. But the one thing that sets the tone to win games, a running game, they've totally ignored. Detroit, please, figure it out.
21. Buffalo Bills - get a real QB
Okay, this one seems fairly simple also. First, congrats #BillsMafia, on finally breaking the streak. Other than the Peterman game disaster, your coach has shown he's got the ability to elevate his talent, and there is certainly enough of that on the roster to scare the AFC going forward, except at one spot in particular. The QB. I know the Jags defense is great, I know road playoff games are tough. There is no excuse for Tyrod Taylor's performance on Sunday, other than he's just plain not good enough to win playoff games. He's not, I'm sorry, I honestly like the guy. I think he's very athletic, very intelligent, but his whole game put together, just simply is not enough for this franchise to move forward with, thinking they will be able to advance in the postseason in years to come. They've acquired a number of resources from KC in the Mahomes trade, there has to be some consideration in packaging some of those assets to try and either move up in the draft to get the guy, or make a move for an established vet (free agency also an option possibly). The Bills are a QB away from being a legit AFC contender moving forward, it has to be addressed.
22. Kansas City Chiefs - overcoming Andy
This one hurts a little as well. Andy Reid is the first coach I remember that I actually had some respect for. A lot of respect for. Yes, he drove me bananas, along with every other Eagles fan, over the course of 14 seasons. For the Eagles, he is our finest hours, and he is our greatest failures. But one of the things that has brought him a ton of success, seems to be the thing that continues to leave him outside the ultimate prize. His unwavering ability to do things his way, gives consistency and solidarity to his teams, which is great to get through a long regular season. But with that, comes an inability to adjust on the fly, something so crucial for post-season success. His failure to get the ball to Kareem Hunt in the 2nd half last Saturday, is just the latest in a large number of post-season blunders Andy Reid has endured in his 19 seasons under the headset. This one might just be one too many. His team is talented, his fan-base is loyal. There just doesn't seem a way to get over the hump.
23. Los Angeles Rams - continuing growth
Listen, for those of you who got to witness my feeding frenzy on twitter with a certain national writer, I will clarify once again. Sean McVay is an excellent young coach, and his turn around with the Rams this year should not be considered anything less than magnificent. He got caught with his pants around his ankles in the playoffs, and you know what, that's okay. It's happened to the best. Hell, it's happened to the coach mentioned above for almost 2 decades and he's still looked at by some as one of the game's best. But now comes the greater challenge. The ability to continue the upward trajectory. Do not let this franchise, and most importantly this phenomenal young QB, regress. Add talent where you can, cut dead weight where applies, but most importantly, continue to adapt, because the rest of the league certainly will adapt to you.
24. Carolina Panthers - aging stars / closing window
When I started writing this, Mike Shula still had a job. Now, the Panthers are looking for a new offensive coordinator. This post was going to be about the aging roster, who without a major shake-up, may be looking at a rapidly closing window on the longest run of success (4 playoff berths in 5 seasons) in franchise history. They seem to understand this. That I feel, is the reason for the move at coordinator. It's time to get Cam Newton someone he's comfortable with, and who can tailor the offense to his strengths, before the sun really begins to set on his accomplished career. He is still an elite QB in this league, and with talent like Olsen & McCaffery around him, this team should be doing more than they have the last couple of years.
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