NFL Offseason Report Card

Grading Each Team by Their Offseason Moves and Acquisitions

Well, it's officially the dog days of summer and I don't know about you but I am already starting to tire of the SportCenter highlights consisting of monotonous double plays, one-hit shutout games, and the world class athletes of the likes of CC Sabathia and Prince Fielder. Baseball is America's Pastime but in this generation eveyone knows that the NFL is king. Luckily for football fans, training camp is right around the corner and that means general managers, coaches, scouts and co. have been working diligently around the clock all spring.

The offseason is where franchises can evaluate their players, coaches and staff, and address the organization's needs. Some team general managers and co. will choose to address their shortcoming(s) by going out and acquiring a free agent or by trading draft picks for an instant production type of player, while some teams will choose to find solutions by looking within the organization or through their own draft picks.

Texans' General Manager Rick Smith
and Head Coach Gary Kubiak

Ask any general manager or anyone familiar with the game about how to build the foundation for a great NFL franchise and they will tell you that the draft is the best and possibly only way. There are many examples of this theory (Packers, Patriots, Giants, etc.) but it's always interesting to see where the big name free agents sign. The amount of money that these free agents sign for are also of great significance because these contracts usually set the standard for how all players around the league will negotiate when it is their turn to get paid on their next contract. Free agent acquisitions and draft picks can also give the everyday person a truthful inside look of what coaches and staff are trying to do in the future and what they really think of their current personnel.


Although this might not be the most exciting time to talk about football, I feel like this is a crucial period for teams to set themselves up for success or failure in the upcoming season. Listed below are my offseason grades for each team. The grade is based upon a combination of the teams' coaching/staff changes, incoming draft class and free agent acquisitions.




AFC East

New England Patriots

Super Bowl 2012: Tom Brady

After a devastating end to a fantastic 2011 season campaign, the Patriots have immediately gotten back on the horse and have revamped their ball club on both sides of the ball. Tom Brady is now 35 years old if you can believe it and the Patriots window with the future hall of fame, franchise quarterback is closing as each year passes.

The Patriots are infamous for trading down in drafts and stockpiling picks for the upcoming years but this year was a different story.  They selected 2 players in the first round and 3 players in the top 48 picks. The defensive front seven was their main focus in the draft and they may have struck gold with their first round selections: Defensive End, Chandler Jones and Linebacker, Dont’a Hightower. These players should help the 31st ranked defense last season by adding some speed and versatility to the front seven that can rush the quarterback, which they struggled to do last year.

First Round Pick Chandler Jones

In free agency, the Patriots also made some splashes on the offensive side of the ball by signing former All-Pro wide receiver Brandon Lloyd, veteran running back Joseph Addai, veteran wide receivers Donte’ Stallworth and Jabar Gaffney, and last but not least, tight end Jake Ballard. These free agent signings should help keep the Patriots offense one the best in 2012 and perhaps make it even better than last year.

Additionally, the Patriots re-signed and extended most of their key contributors on both sides of the ball and are clearly intact for another run at a super bowl title.


Patriots Offseason Grade: A



 

New York Jets

Tim Tebow and Mark Sanchez

The New York Jets’ last several months can be summarized as a boom or bust type of offseason. If you have turned on your television or have surfed the internet since March then you probably know they acquired the ever-popular quarterback Tim Tebow in a highly questionable, controversial trade. This trade was a shock to everyone but probably most shocking to current quarterback, Mark Sanchez who was given a 5 year, $58 million dollar contract just days before the Tebow trade was finalized. Tebow will provide Sanchez with some much needed competition for the starting job and will put a “short leash” on the inconsistent Sanchez. The Jets also signed the big-hitting safety, Laron Landry to help sure up the back end of the defense. This signing is another big risk for the Jets’ organization. Landry is coming off an injury-plagued career and is not known for being good in pass coverage. He is capable of turning these flaws around though and could become a bruising centerpiece, safety for this ball club.

The boom or bust trend continues with the Jets’ 2012 draft in which they selected some players with a lot of upside but also a lot of dud possibility. Their picks are highlighted by defensive end Quinton Coples in the first round and wide receiver Stephen Hill in the early second round. Coples is a physical freak who Rex Ryan hopes can get to the quarterback and get to him often. He has a lot of potential but fell in the draft after a less than stellar senior year that led to rumors of taking plays off and laziness. Stephen Hill is also a physical specimen. The 6’5, 220 pound wide receiver from Georgia Tech skyrocketed up draft boards after running a sub 4.4 forty and showcasing his enormous frame and catching ability at the NFL Combine. Hill is still very raw though and needs a lot of work on his route running but he definitely has something you can’t teach, and that is size and speed.

Second Round Pick Stephen Hill

Jets Offseason Grade: C+



 

Buffalo Bills

After showing a lot of promise early in the year last season, the Bills struggled mightily down the stretch and ultimately finished last in the AFC East. The Bills are ready to put last year behind them though and this offseason could be a major turning point by showing that the organization is not afraid to go out and spend money to find the players necessary to compete and win in this tough division. The Buffalo Bills seem to be thinking that the time to win is now.

Mario Williams signs with Bills

Their offseason starts with the free agent signing of former Texan defensive end, Mario Williams. Williams didn’t come cheap by agreeing to a $100 million dollar contract with $50 million of that money guaranteed. This signing is a statement though and shows the city and the rest of the league that this organization is serious about winning now. Williams will be brought in to be the leader of the Bills’ defense, to rush the quarterback (especially the New England one) and to demand double teams which will open up doors for new playmakers to emerge in their front seven.

The Bills 2012 draft selections should also keep this organization flowing in the right direction. Their first round pick, Stephon Gilmore from South Carolina is a big-framed, solid cornerback that has been put through the test of the best conference in college football and has always seemed to respond well to challenges in the bigger games. The Bills are looking for him to help the back end of their defense immediately and to be a big contributor in Buffalo for a long time. Their second round pick, offensive tackle Cordy Glenn from Georgia looks like another very solid selection and may even be an answer for them at the starting left tackle position.

First Round Pick Stephon Gilmore

Bills Offseason Grade: B+

Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins had a very forgettable 2011. They finished the season going 6-10 and firing head coach, Tony Sparano before the last game of the year. This team is looking to go in a different direction from the stingy, hard-nosed philosophy of Sparano to a more offensive, flashy mindset in the head coach hire of Joe Philbin, the former Packers offensive coordinator. That being said, this team is clearly in a state of transition and in a mega-rebuilding mode at this time.

In March, the Dolphins traded away the stud pro bowl wide receiver, Brandon Marshall to the Bears for 2 third round picks. This trade basically sent away the only weapon the Dolphins had on the outside and will give opponents one less playmaker to worry about on this already feeble offense. Miami hopes that the free agent signing of veteran wide receiver, Chad Ochocinco might help this weak wide receiving group by adding some experience but I wouldn't count on an Ochocinco revival anytime soon. 

First Round Pick Ryan Tannehill

The defense was not the cause of the disappointing 2011 season, so this gave focus to the offensive side of the ball in this year's draft. The Dolphins 2012 draft basically starts and ends with their first round draft pick, quarterback Ryan Tannehill from Texas A&M. Tannehill was selected to be the quarterback of the future and will work closely with his old coach, Mike Sherman, who is now the Dolphins’ offensive coordinator. This should provide Tannehill with a sense of comfort and a head start on learning the playbook. Tannehill has a lot of athleticism, good size, and a rocket arm but tends to struggle in decision making at times. Tannehill will definitely be given every opportunity to compete for the starting job but with quarterbacks Matt Moore and veteran David Garrard still in the mix, I wouldn’t plan on Tannehill seeing the field right away. The Dolphins also selected some intriguing talents for their offense in the later rounds including Missouri tight end, Michael Egnew and Miami Hurricane running back, Lamar Miller.

 

Dolphins Offseason Grade: C+