Preseason Lowdown : Atlanta Falcons

football, preseason, teams, atlanta

What’s the story? 

A bunch of quarterbacks got paid this offseason. Falcons QB Matt Ryan was one of them. He will continue on in his role as the franchise quarterback for the next 5 years, and he’s not the only talented player the on the Falcons roster this season. Atlanta made a big splash in the offseason, moving up in the draft to get corner Desmond Trufant, signing former Rams running back Steven Jackson, resigning many of their most talented players, and perhaps most importantly, getting future Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez to come back for one more season. The Falcons have a dynamite roster in a division which is liable to explode from potential for greatness.

Leader and commander:

Mike Smith, brother-in-law of Brian Billick.

New kid on the block:

Steven Jackson is the one who is likely to make the most impact, but Brian Banks is by far the most inspirational new player on the Falcons roster. He spent 5 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit and is on his way to making the Falcons roster as a linebacker. Amazing.

Last year was…

…second verse, slightly different than the first. The all of the verses beforehand, too. The Falcons have been the same ever since Matt Ryan came into the league in 2008: they start really strong, look like the team to beat, and then can’t win a playoff game. That changed a little in 2012 when the Falcons won their first playoff game of the Ryan era.

Survey says:

One playoff win wasn’t good enough. The Falcons are going for it all with gusto this year, and it’s reflected in their current 4th place ranking.

Preseason Lowdown Roundup : NFC East and North

NFC East and North Text

Better late than never! Here’s this week’s roundup of Preseason Lowdown posts:

Preseason Lowdown : Dallas Cowboys

Preseason Lowdown : New York Giants

Preseason Lowdown : Philadelphia Eagles

Preseason Lowdown : Washington Redskins

Preseason Lowdown : Chicago Bears

Preseason Lowdown : Detroit Lions

Preseason Lowdown : Green Bay Packers

Preseason Lowdown : Minnesota Vikings

See you all tomorrow morning for our final week of Preseason Lowdowns AND the final week of preseason football! The regular season is almost here!!!

Preseason Lowdown : Minnesota Vikings

preseason, football, teams, vikings

What’s the story? 

Can we skip this post? I know as a Packers fan, I’m supposed to hate the Bears. It’s the rivalry to end all rivalries. But honestly, if I had to pick my least favorite team in all of football, the team that makes my blood boil, it would be the Vikings. If for no other reason than because they can never seem to find their own players.

However…I’ll put that aside for a few minutes to write this post, if for no other reason than a deep appreciation for Leslie Frazier and Adrian Peterson. Who, speaking of, is pretty much the story this season. AP came back from injury last season like no player we’ve ever seen before. He literally ran the Vikings into the playoffs and nearly beat Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record. His jaw-dropping post-injury performance earned him an onslaught of offseason awards, including league MVP, and it’s his goal to have an even better season this year with his sights set on breaking the Dickerson record. He is the key to the Vikings success in 2013.

Leader and commander:

Leslie Frazier. I can’t not like him just because he’s the Vikings coach because he seems like the greatest guy. Unfortunately, rumor has it that he might be coaching for his life this year. (Prediction that I don’t want to make but will make anyway because I keep thinking about it: If the Vikings have a bad year and Frazier is let go, I could see the Vikings hiring former Bears head coach Lovie Smith to take his place. Just something to ponder (or Ponder).)

New kid on the block:

Former Packer (wait…what? the Vikings hire former Packers???) Greg Jennings, who will have a lot of catching up to do on the field to match all the talking he’s done off the field. He was brought in to fill the hole at wide receiver left by Percy Harvin, who was traded to Seattle. To his credit, Jennings is a talented receiver. But he’ll have to get out of the bitter barn to make anything happen in purple this season.

Last year was…

…All About Adrian. 10-6 and a playoff appearance all thanks to #28.

Survey says:

Are the Vikings going to compete with the Packers for the top spot in the NFC North? Probably not. But are they talented enough to have a winning record that leads to another playoff appearance? Probably so, as long as AP stays on his otherworldly track and Christian Ponder holds down the fort at quarterback. The Vikes are currently hanging out in the middle of the NFL pack at 17th.

Preseason Lowdown : Green Bay Packers (!)

preseason, football, teams, packers

What’s the story? 

Welcome to the post I’ve been waiting to write all offseason long. You are all well-aware by now where my allegiance lies, and that I’m completely and unashamedly biased, so let’s dive into this Packers post with an over-the-top level of enthusiasm from this side of the computer screen.

The Packers have established themselves as the team to beat in the NFC North, but their prominence as the team to beat in the NFC period is dwindling. With the emergence of the 49ers, the Seahawks, and the Redskins, and the consistent trouble presented by perennial favorites like the Giants, the Packers aren’t the threat they once were to dominate the conference. The story this season? Can the Packers keep the best player in the NFL on his feet with consistent offensive line play; can they establish an effective running game; can the defense return to it’s dominant days of old? Basically: can the Packers be the team that won the Super Bowl in 2010 and return to being the best team in the NFC?

Leader and commander:

Mike McCarthy, whose blue collar mentality fits Green Bay like a glove. My love for this man knows no bounds, so we’re not even going to tread into anything that looks like a critical analysis. (Really.)

New kid on the block:

The kids in the backfield! The Packers have running backs!!! It was enough to have DuJuan Harris break out in an unexpected season last year, but drafting stand-out running backs Eddie Lacy (!!!) and Johnathan Franklin (!!!) sweetens the deal that much more. The Packers may actually have an equal division of labor on offense this year. As much as we all love to see Aaron throw the ball, knowing that the Packers can potentially get it done on the ground as well as through the air will do a lot for their game when the colder weather comes (which, in Green Bay, is anytime after September).

Last year was…

…eye-opening. The Packers defense could not stop the Niners offense, and that flaw bookended the Packers 2012 season with gut-wrenching losses. As fate would have it, 2013 will present an opportunity for redemption right from the get-go: the Packers will open the season against the 49ers in San Francisco…again. (Thanks for that, NFL.)

Survey says:

In my opinion, the Packers 2013 potential hangs on three factors: 1. The effectiveness of the offensive line. (Having the best player in the league and a new crop of talent at running back doesn’t carry nearly as much of an impact if the offensive line is weak. This is my biggest concern for 2013.) 2. The ability of the defense to adapt to new offensive schemes. (I’ll let the Niners tape speak for itself on this one.) 3. If anyone on the Packers roster can make a field goal from further than 30 yards. (The kicking situation is looking a little bleak, to put it nicely.) And yet, the biggest factor, the one that overrides all the rest, is Aaron Rodgers. He makes the all the difference, and is the biggest reason why the Packers are currently ranked 5th overall.

Preseason Lowdown : Detroit Lions

football, preseason, teams, lions

What’s the story? 

Remember when the Detroit Lions went 0-16 in 2008? And then made it to the playoffs with a 10-6 record in 2011? And then lost multiple games in the final minutes of their 4-12 season last year? The Lions don’t seem to know who they are. Are they the 2008 team who couldn’t win a game or the 2011 team who made it to the playoffs or the 2012 team who stumbled through a mediocre season? It’s hard to tell, honestly, since they clearly have the capacity to be each. And hard to know why they can’t consistently be that 2011 team who made it to the playoffs, since they have such a wealth of talent on both sides of the ball.

Leader and commander:

Jim Schwartz. Fun fact of the day: Schwartz’s first job in the NFL was doing research for none other than the Hoodie, Bill Belichick, when he was the head coach for the Cleveland Browns. Schwartz has been the Lions head coach since 2009.

New kid on the block:

Reggie Bush, who the Lions picked up in free agency from Miami and are hoping will make the biggest impact at running back since the Barry Sanders days.

Last year was…

…confusing. What is a team who made it to the playoffs the year prior doing hanging out in the bottom of the pack? From the outside looking in, it seems like a maturity and discipline problem, not a level of talent problem. With Calvin Johnson on one side and Ndamukong Suh on the other and a whole bunch of good pieces to the puzzle in between…it just doesn’t make sense.

Survey says:

If the Lions preseason is indicative of their regular season, it’ll be another 4th place finish for Detroit. They won their first game (against the Jets…so, take that as you will) and got manhandled in their second game (against the Browns…so, take that as you will). But thankfully for Lions fans, preseason games rarely reflect anything worthwhile as it pertains to regular season success. They might be ranked lowest in the NFC North right now at 24th overall, but you never can tell how the bipolar Lions are going to perform once the season starts.

Preseason Lowdown : Chicago Bears

football, preseason, teams, bears

What’s the story? 

All good things must come to an end. That was the case in Chicago this past offseason, with the release of winning head coach Lovie Smith and beloved linebacker Brian Urlacher, who played his entire 13-year career with the Bears. With lots of significant changes to account for, this season may be more of a learning curve than it is a shot straight to the top of the NFC North.

Leader and commander:

New head coach Marc Trestman spent the past four years as a very successful head coach in the Canadian Football League. And even though he hasn’t coached in the NFL for nearly a decade, he was a coach with eight different NFL teams over the course of 17 years. It’ll be interesting to see how all of that experience in both the NFL and CFL works itself into his first NFL head coaching job.

New kid on the block:

First round pick Kyle Long, who has a long history of NFL in his blood. His father, Howie Long, is a Hall of Fame defensive end who spent his entire career with the Raiders. His older brother Chris is a defensive end for the Rams. Kyle decided to go on the other side of the line. He’s an offensive guard, and the Bears are hoping that he’ll have the same type of illustrious career as the rest of his family has had. They need all of the help they can get along the offensive line.

Last year was…

…worse than it seemed. 10-6 is a good enough record to compete for first in most divisions. But in the NFC North, it was only good enough for third, and resulted in Lovie Smith’s firing.

Survey says:

There is reason for optimism in Chicago despite the sweeping changes. They are currently ranked 13th, which makes them second in the rankings of NFC North teams (behind the Packers and in front of the Vikings and Lions). Another 10-6 season under a new head coach with a new system might be a stretch for the Bears, but it also might be good enough for second in the NFC North and a potential wildcard spot in the playoffs.