Top 5 questions facing NFC South teams

AT       5Can the run game become a force to balance the O?
4Can HC Quinn get AT to play more physical FB?
3Can Matt Ryan have another Super Bowl season?
2Can Quinn get the D cover anybody or was the SB game an indcation they are overmatched?
1Can AT mentally  overcome the Super Bowl Loss?
CR      5After a bad 16, can CR get back to the playoffs this year?
4Can the CR run game help balance the O with someone other than Newton carrying the load?
3Will the O line be able to protect Newton better than last year?
2Will the D get back to playoff level play? Pass D was at the bottom of the league last year.
1Can HC Ron Rivera get QB Cam Newton‘s head out of his posterior?
NO      5Did NO do enough to help the pass D by adding CB Marshon Lattimore & S Marcus Williams?
4Will Brees have anyone to throw to with Cook traded?  Michael Thomas, Willie Snead, Brandon Coleman,
3Is this the year that RB Peterson rolls over and plays dead?  MN thought so and let
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The Browns chose wisely for their OC.

John DeFilippo

Note: The NNR podcasts are on https://fryingpansports.com/radio-show/.

Yesterday the Browns introduced John DeFilippo as their new offensive coordinator. In my judgment, that was an excellent choice. He had been the QB coach of the Raiders. But what I like best about him is he brings a history of fixing broken QB mechanics. If the Browns are ever going to get anything out of their 1st round pick of Johnny Manziel, DeFilippo is going to have to do major surgery on Johnny’s mechanics and attitude.

As QB coach for the Jets in 2009, he faced a difficult problem. The team drafted rookie Mark Sanchez who had started just 1 year for USC. It was DeFilippo’s job to turn Sanchez into an NFL starter. He was able to help Sanchez lead the Jets to the playoffs with a 9-7 record.

As QB coach for San Jose State, he molded Jordan La Secla into a serviceable QB that threw for 2860 yards and a QB rating of 125.8 in 2010. The next season he helped Matt Faulkner throw for 3149 yards and a QBR of 131.6.

In 2012 he was named QB coach for the Raiders. He turned Terrelle Pryor from Read more at FryingPanSports

Browns get an UGLY win.

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Note: On NNR today Samantha Bunten of NBC Sports & I discussed the Browns Raiders game. The podcast is on https://fryingpansports.com/radio-show/.

A win is a win is a win. But this was as ugly a win as any team has had.

This was another VERY slow start by the offense. They had been one of the best running teams in the NFL but could not run against the old and injured Raider D line. The problem is that the new O line configuration can’t get to the 2nd level. As a result the LBS are there to make the tackle.

The choice of RBS is also an issue. Terrance West is doing WAY too much dancing looking for the big play. That gets him tackled for a loss. RB Ben Tate is missing holes and doesn’t look healthy. So rather than using Isaiah Crowell the Browns brain trust kept running Tate and West.

New C Nick McDonald looked OK on pass protection but the zone blocking system will require a lot of work to get the run going. It depends on 5 blockers moving as 1 and there were way too many holes in the run blocking to Read more at FryingPanSports

The Biggest Reaches of the 2014 NFL Draft

NFL Draft (2)

A reach is defined here as a pick well above the rated position of the player. These are some of the worst reaches.

Jets Dexter McDougle CB Maryland – They spent the 80th pick on a guy that was a 7th round value even when healthy.

Bucs Kevin Pamphile OT Purdue – He struggled all season but the Bucs took him with the 149th pick. I had him ranked in the 790s.

Seahawks Jimmy Staten DT Middle Tennessee – Staten was ranked in the 790s but despite a good draft the Hawks took him at 172.

49ers Kenneth Acker CB Southern Methodist – The Niners had a good draft but this one is a head scratcher. Acker was rated in the 550s but they took him with pick 180.

Rams Maurice Alexander SS Utah State – The Rams did well over all but took Alexander with pick 110 despite most analysts thinking he was undraftable. I had him in the 450s.

Jags Brandon Linder OG Miami (Fla.) – Linder was a 7th round value but the Jags took him with pick 93.

Redskins Spencer Long OG Nebraska – The Skins had only a few picks Read more at FryingPanSports

The Social Force Of The National Football League

Marine Corps Maj. (Ret) Mike Fonteno got a sur...

NFL Fans Among Most Social

American football as it is widely referred to in many quarters is one of the most celebrated sport in America and the National Football League (NFL)  is arguably the most profitable sports business on this planet. The American population is widely renowned  for the love of football, if it is not watching an NFL game on the television with a couple of friends or family then you will probably find them on the stadium cheering  on their favorite NFL team. That in itself goes a long way to show the social impact NFL has on the lives of many people.

Well, a number of factors come into play when you consider NFL fans among most social. Firstly, the NFL is usually associated with a lot of fun fare that goes a long way in attracting large audiences. Talk of the color and pomp usually seen on the game day inside and outside the stadiums, the cheering squads and the entertainment the fans get to enjoy inside the stadium during recess period. Those who opt to enjoy the game at the comfort of their living rooms are not left out as well, they get to  … Read more at FryingPanSports

Tonight on the radio version of News, Notes and Rumors

 

Tonight at 6:00 PM EDT join Andy Wheels and me on the substitute version of NNR.  The show will
be heard on . Join us for a discussion of the Browns
loss to the Raiders.  My thanks to Wheels, Dactar and TubbyDawg for providing a way to get NNR on while we experience technical difficulties with the normal broadcast.

Also join Mr. Moo at 5:00 PM EDT on .

Bill Smith is a former coach of several semi-pro teams, has officiated both football and basketball, done color on radio for college football and basketball and has scouted talent.
He is a senior writer for
and edits https://fryingpansports.com.  He has also published several novels on
and a non-fiction work at http://www.merriam-press.com/.

He edits .  

 

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