I doubt I've ever seen fans in the Baltimore area so eager for preseason football as in the last several weeks. Perhaps Ravens Nation is still riding the wave of Super Bowl energy from February. Perhaps football is an ever-growing national obsession that continues to pick up steam every year from youth leagues all the way up through the NFL. Perhaps, however, the NFL is staring down a new era brought on by major changes in player personnel on playoff contending teams. Ray Lewis is gone, Peyton Manning is no longer a Colt, Tom Brady has almost an entirely new group of targets, Darrelle Revis is no longer a Jet, and the physical abilities of Troy Polamalu and Ed Reed have diminished to the point where both former defensive players of the year are essentially non-factors. At the same time, some teams that seldom saw the playoffs in the last 5 seasons, the Redskins and Seahawks for example, suddenly find themselves right in the middle of just about any conversation regarding power rankings or 2013-2014 playoff predictions. It is, thus, fair to assume that a shift in NFL power has occurred which may produce a different field of playoff teams than what we've become accustomed to seeing in the last half decade.
In light of all the major changes across the league, I'd like to invite my readers to pay careful attention to the preseason this year--and not just Ravens games. 2012 saw the rise of a new, young, athletic group of rookie quarterbacks that took the league by storm and led their respective teams to postseason victories. This year we'll see if defenses can adjust to the read-option, and we'll see if the bodies of such quarterbacks can hold up to the punishment that opposing teams have undoubtedly planned to unleash upon them. NFL fans should observe the NFC South as it may prove one of the toughest divisions in the league again with the return of Sean Payton as head coach of the Saints.
As we travel north, all eyes will undoubtedly be fixated upon Adrian Peterson to see if he can repeat his incredible success on the ground from 2012 and possibly eclipse that performance as he finds himself one more season removed from his horrendous knee injury of 2011. We must observe how the Bears defense fares without their long time leader, Brian Urlacher, and see whether or not Jay Cutler is truly the answer to the Bears' recent offensive inconsistencies.
One of the biggest questions on my mind has been about the Bears' biggest rival. The Green Bay Packers seem to find themselves in the top 10 of most power rankings each year, but Aaron Rodgers has only led his team to a single playoff win in the past two seasons. Is Rodgers truly the elite quarterback that he appears to be during each regular season? I would certainly like to believe so, but it appears as though his pass-heavy offense lacks the balance that a serious running game provides in cold playoff environments.
One team that used to dominate cold playoff games was the Pittsburgh Steelers. Now the once-mighty Steelers find themselves at a metaphorical crossroads. The Steelers organization COULD choose to cut ties to ailing veterans and simply rebuild, but it appears as though they prefer to cling to the likes of Ben Roethlisberger in hopes of rekindling the chemistry from a few years ago. There are two major problems with that strategy. The first is that Ben has only played one full regular season in his entire career, and the second is that the list of weapons to which Ben must distribute the football grows thinner with the departure of Mike Wallace. Beyond that, Roethlisberger doesn't appear to enjoy his new offensive coordinator's system, and the Steelers had their worst season in years with Todd Haley calling the plays. Big changes must take place and Big Ben's health must be maintained if the Steelers hope to return to their old dominant ways in 2013.
Another quarterback whose body appears to be a major issue is Peyton Manning. Manning is possibly the most dominant regular season quarterback in the history of the game. His command of an offense is something to behold regardless of whether or not you root for his team. Manning's come back win against the Chargers last season when down 24-0 at halftime is one of the most spectacular displays of leadership and execution I've ever witnessed in football or any sport for that matter. Peyton Manning's playoff record, however, is far from immaculate. During his 15 year NFL career, Manning has won only as many playoff games (9) as Joe Flacco has won in just 5 seasons. It's not that Manning suddenly loses his confidence or mental ability, but his body simply doesn't allow him to play well in the cold. Manning has never won a single postseason game in weather below 40 degrees, and that could once again prove catastrophic considering that the former Colt now plays at home in arguably the coldest environment in the NFL. Will one more year of playing and practicing in Denver get the future hall-of-famer ready for the playoffs? That's just one more thing we'll have to watch and find out.
Two of the teams dealing with serious injuries and changes in personnel are also the two teams that got further than everyone else last postseason. The 49ers lost Michael Crabtree to a torn Achilles tendon, and the Ravens only recently lost one of Joe Flacco's favorite targets, Dennis Pitta. The 49ers did receive Anquan Boldin from the Ravens in a trade for a draft pick, but the Super Bowl runners up are so thin at wide receiver right now that they appear ready play their star tight end at wideout. The Ravens are not thin at wide receiver, but they are thin at tight end. Ed Dickson has a mild hamstring pull and may return in the next two weeks, but the next two men up on the depth chart are an aging veteran and an undrafted rookie free agent. I still have high hopes for both teams, but at the moment it doesn't appear as though either team is confident in their receiving corps.
I must caution my readers not to place too much weight on the outcome of preseason games. These games, of course, count for absolutely nothing and starters only play a portion of each contest. Teams also tend not to tip their hand regarding the schemes they'll use during the regular season, so don't be upset if the Ravens or whatever your favorite team might be doesn't appear as explosive or creative in the next four weeks. Instead, observe the athleticism and skill of individual players, and see how well you can predict which players in your favorite team's initial 90 player roster will make the final 53 man cut. Don't be afraid to watch as much football as your schedule will allow as it doesn't hurt to be familiar with each team in the league--especially for fantasy football. Get ready for Thursday night!
AS ALWAYS
GO RAVENS!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment