Big Ben struck out, Bengals still unbeaten

Article by Gordon Dedman

The big news coming out of week three is the injury to Ben Roethlisberger that appears to put him out of action for four weeks. The impact on the team will be immense as there is no one who can replace him.

The headline man of the weekend is a close affair with both wide receivers A.J Green and Steve Smith each producing two touchdowns and a combined 400 receiving yards in the top clash, with Smith edging it for me it because he is 36 years young.

Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens

The AFC North division is a fortress of tough football and this game highlighted why. The Ravens are the only team that have never gone 0-3 so were desperate to prevent that curse dampening their playoff aspirations.

 

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco was determined to lead Baltimore to a good start in the opening phases, knowing the Bengals had never fallen behind this season. That plan fell apart as the Bengals took a 14-0 lead. Playing with authority, Andy Dalton ran in for a touchdown before adding a 16-yard touchdown pass to Marvin Jones.

The Bengals should have added to that score before the half expired with a fourth and 2 and goal to go. Instead of kicking a field goal, Marvin Lewis chose to go for it, but Andy Dalton’s pass was incomplete.

The Ravens played two quarters with Flacco looking heavy, but after his defense handed him a turnover on the Bengals first possession of the second half he began to shine like the veteran quarterback he is.

After Dalton gave up his first interception of the season, Flacco’s completed a pass to Steve Smith on the half way line and Smith weaved his way around his tacklers to go fifty yards for the touchdown and spark Baltimore into life.

As the game entered the final period, it erupted into a scoring frenzy. The Ravens took their first lead of the day after Dalton’s fumble was returned for a touchdown. One down later Dalton hit back with an 80-yard touchdown pass to A.J. Green.

Flacco isn’t a quarterback to concede easily and his subsequent 9-play drive of 79 yards was capped by a 16-yard touchdown completion from Smith that tied the team’s single game record of 13 receptions.

The flip-flop scoring continued on the Bengals next series when Dalton completed the scoring for a 28-24 victory after finding Green with a 7-yard touchdown catch, ending a tense battle worthy of the division and keeping Cincinnati on top.

Pittsburgh Steelers at St. Louis Rams

The loss of Roethlisberger will be the reason this game is remembered, but it should also be recalled for a Steelers defense that did not allow a touchdown. Pittsburgh’s defense has been fragile for so long that it shouldn’t go unnoticed that they are an improved unit and with Roethlisberger expected absence of four weeks, they will need to be strong.

This game was in the balance as the Steelers held onto a slender lead before Will Allen’s interception with three minutes remaining. The turnover enabled Josh Scobee to kick the field goal that gave the Steelers the 12-6 victory before Steeler nation’s thoughts turned to the extent of Roethlisberger’s absence.

Oakland Raiders at Cleveland Browns

In Cleveland, Josh McCown is in a no win situation. The fans want to see Johnny Manziel as their quarterback, while the coach prefers McCown. When Oakland took a 17-3 lead in the second quarter, the fans let the coach know how they felt with the boo boys finding their voice.

In the fourth quarter, those vocal chords vibrated to a different pitch after McCown found his form and brought his team back into the game and the stadium echoed with cheers. The attempted Browns comeback ended with an interception and that may be how the fans relive the game, not for McCown’s 341 yards and two touchdown throws.

The Raiders took a 27-20 victory back to Oakland and their quarterback Derek Carr enjoyed the triumph after going 0-8 as a rookie on the road.

AFC North Week 3 preview

Article by Gordon Dedman

Entering the third week of the 2015 season, the division is developing nicely. A winless Ravens play host to the division leaders while the quarterback controversy in Cleveland will surely be revived if they lose to Oakland with Josh McCown at the helm.

Cincinnati Bengals (2-0) at Baltimore Ravens (0-2)

Since 1990, only 12 percent of teams with a 0-2 record have made the playoffs. The Ravens are on the edge and will be desperate to stop the rot.

During the week, the Ravens traded a seventh-round pick to Miami for cornerback Will Davis who never shown on the field what he has in practice. Perhaps the new coaching staff can bring the best out of him and Baltimore will be hopeful of doing that.

They will need to as they will anxious to get their season up and running with a win over the division leaders. Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco has had an unsteady start and if this continues, the commanding Andy Dalton will take the win for the Bengals.

Running back Giovani Bernard could be the key for the Bengals. If he continues the impressive work of last week, he could open up the field for Dalton.

Oakland Raiders (1-1) at Cleveland Browns (1-1)

Josh McCown was named the Browns starter after passing the NFL concussion tests and that appears a mite hasty after Johnny Manziel had provided his team with their first win of the season.

Manziel leads the NFL in yards per completion at 16.86, ahead of Roethlisberger, who is second with 15.32.

Although not a perfect performance, for Manziel it would have boosted his confidence and he obviously felt disappointed being dropped to the bench. "Obviously I'm not going to sit here and say that I love the decision," he observed. "But I respect coach Pettine, and that's the guy that makes the calls for this team."

After their win against Baltimore, the Raiders will be full of confidence and their offense has improved from the ineffective unit of last year. This will be a fascinating contest and maybe McCown’s mission to prove himself in front of the Dawg Pound will tilt the game in Cleveland’s favour.

Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1) at St. Louis Rams (1-1)

For a team that is not short of offense, the return of Le’Veon Bell from suspension for the Steelers could spell real trouble for the Rams. DeAngelo Williams is the leading rusher in the AFC, so the addition of Bell would add another dimension for the offense. Bell is effective at coming out of the backfield to catch passes so that may ensure the Steelers keep the Rams defense off balance.

 

The last time these two teams met in 2007, Roethlisberger gained a 158.3 QB rating. He’s unlikely to enjoy the same success this Sunday, even with the additional weapon at his disposal

He will be facing a Rams defensive line that is cemented by four former number one draft picks and a defense that already has six sacks to its credit this season. It will be an intriguing battle with a Steelers offensive line that has looked rock solid in front of Roethlisberger who has thrown for 699 yards.

The Rams quarterback Nick Foles hasn’t thrown an interception and the Steelers defense hasn’t gained one. If that changes, it will swing the game the Steelers way.

AFC North review - Manziel gets his win, Ravens still looking for their first

Review by Gordon Dedman

Johnny Manziel won his first game and put in a good effort to be the headline star of the weekend, but Ben Roethlisberger is definitely that man with his 369 yards and three touchdowns as the Steelers offense dominated their opponents.

Pittsburgh Steelers vs San Francisco 49ers

The Steelers kept the 49ers running game quiet, but it was Pittsburgh’s offense that overwhelmed San Francisco. The Steelers appeared to score at will while their defense augmented the offense by keeping the 49ers dormant until the final quarter when the game was over.

 

The offense was so powerful they were confident enough to go for two points after twice, both succeeding.

Antonio Brown benefitted from Roethlisberger’s explosive passing, hauling in 9 completions for 195 yards and a touchdown while DeAngelo Williams rushed for 77 yards and 3 touchdowns as the Steelers took the 43-18 win.

Cleveland Browns vs Tennessee Titans

Johnny Manziel came out on top in the duel with Marcus Mariota. On just the second play of the game, Manziel threw a touchdown pass of 60 yards to Travis Benjamin to send the Dawg Pound into euphoria and inspire Manziel to turn in a veteran performance.

Naturally, Cleveland fans are enjoying this and I’ve seen a post that says, “Johnny Manziel has a win this year. Andrew Luck, Drew Brees, Russell Wilson, Joe Flacco and Eli Manning do not.”

Manziel was ably assisted in the win by Benjamin who caught 3 passes for 115 yards and 2 touchdowns and also returned a punt 78 yards for a score. Isaiah Crowell was the Browns leading rusher with 77 yards and a touchdown.

The Titans didn’t enjoy the rub of the green while Mariota was sacked seven times and never given a chance to repeat his perfect rating of week one as the Browns won 28-14.

San Diego Chargers at Cincinnati Bengals

Chargers quarterback Phil Rivers was on a hot streak bringing 20 straight completions into the game and attempting to break Peyton Manning’s NFL record of 23. Rivers fell one short and also failed to match Andy Dalton’s three touchdown passes, also failing one short.

The difference gave Cincinnati a 24-19 win and kept them on top of the division. Giovani Bernard rushed for 123 yards on 20 carries to cast aside the memory of his fumble in the playoff game when the Chargers beat the Bengals the last time the two teams met.

Andy Dalton contributed the Bengals 2-0 start to the team’s offense. An offense that hasn’t given up a sack or an interception in its first two games.

Baltimore Ravens at Oakland Raiders

The only team in the division to lose, the Ravens gave up the touchdown that lost them the game with just 26 seconds remaining.

Second season quarterback Derek Carr led the Raiders to their first win of the season with a career high 351 yards and three touchdowns that Joe Flacco matched in yardage, but not in scores.

The lead flip flopped through three quarters until with just three minutes remaining in the fourth it appeared the Ravens had the win when they kicked a 31-yard field goal that gave them a 33-30 lead.

The Raiders were not finished though as Carr led his team on an eighty-yard drive that he completed with a 12-yard touchdown to rookie Seth Roberts. That completion was Roberts only catch on the day and gave Oakland the 37-33 win while planting Baltimore bottom of the division with their worst start in ten years.

Bengals win again, and Raiders get a big W

Review by Mark Brown

San Diego Chargers 19 – 24 Cincinnati Bengals

Chargers are made to pay for mistakes as Bengals move to 2-0

Bengals QB Andy Dalton had a good week last week and this week turned out to be no different.  Dalton, unlike some of his more famous counterparts has really hit the ground running this season.  He finished the game on 16 of 26 for 214 yards and whilst these stats are particularly remarkable he did throw for three scores to three different receivers, the best of which was a 45 yarder to Wide Receiver Marvin Jones.

The Chargers only managed to score their first touchdown in the third quarter and had to rely on field goals for the first half.  This game also signaled the end of Chargers QB Philip Rivers perfect passing stats from week one.  Rivers had a half decent game, almost matching Dalton's with 21 of 27 for 214 yards.  However it was the Bengals offense that really made the difference in this mistake filled game.

Last week the Chargers looked a complete outfit with both offense and defense performing but this week both offense and defense looked to be going through the motion, neither underperforming but neither stepping up either.

Cincinnati benched receiver Jeremy Hill after two fumbles and unfortunately for him, his replacement, Giovani Bernard went on to run for 123 yards.  Dalton was quick to heap praise on his offense and after the game said "We had a good mix of everything"   Ironically though the best praise was saved for Giovani Bernard and came from an unlikely source in the man he replaced, Jeremy Hill.  He told reporters "He ran past guys, he ran through guys.  He had a strong game"
The Chargers weren't bad yesterday, they just came across as indifferent and unfortunately for them the Bengals were strong and ready to win.  

Next game for the Chargers is Sunday 27th with a road trip to Minnesota.



Baltimore Ravens 33 – 37 Oakland Raiders

Derek Carr Shakes off heartbreak and injury to lead Oakland to victory

If Raiders fans were worried that QB Derek Carr wasn't going to recover from last weeks heartbreak of his intercepted throw in a tied game or his match ending wrist injury they needn't have been.  He threw for a career best of 351 yards and three touchdowns.  What a difference a week makes, as Oakland really looked up for this challenge.  The silver and black fans really must wonder sometimes what is needed for the Raiders to become more consistent.

Up against an unusually lack lustre Ravens defense Carr was able to move the ball around with ease, taking advantage of the fact there was very little pressure and he made them pay with some really big plays.

Baltimore QB Joe Flacco managed an even better 384 yards but with only two touchdown throws, however the finger of blame can't really be pointed at the offense – it was the unusually quiet defense that were the instigators of this defeat.

Flacco had to heavily rely on old campaigner Steve Smith who at 36 years old is not a long term answer.  Smith had 10 catches for 150 yards by the time the game ended.  Ultimately it was the third quarter that cost the Ravens as they just couldn't come up with a response to the 10 point Oakland put on the board.

Let's just hope that the Raiders haven't pulled us up only to knock us down again next week.  Next up is a trip to Cleveland and the Browns on Sunday 27th.

AFC North Week 2 preview

Preview by Gordon Dedman

Tennessee Titans (1-0) at Cleveland Browns (0-1)

Here’s Johnny again! After Josh McCown was examined Friday for concussion symptoms, Johnny Manziel was announced as the starter for the Browns against the Titans.

With Manziel starting, it sets up a game where two former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks will battle it out in front of the Dawg Pound and surely will provide an interesting spectacle for the neutrals.

 

Last week, the Titans rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota threw four touchdown passes from just 16 pass attempts with no interceptions for a perfect rating of 158.3.

Viewing that performance analytically, you could say it was against the Buccaneers and to produce a debut performance as good as that isn’t that remarkable. Against the Browns stern defense, he will be provided with a bigger test, but should produce the goods again.

Manziel’s teammates appear to favour McCown over Johnny Football and that tells a story in itself and makes me believe Mariota will continue his dream start to his pro career.

San Diego Chargers (1-0) at Cincinnati Bengals (1-0)

San Diego posted the most yards on offense in week one against the Lions, but in achieving the win quarterback Phillip Rivers had to overcome two interceptions and come from 21-3 behind to edge the contest 33-28.

The Bengals won’t allow Rivers the same opportunity as Cincinnati will want to ensure they continue their winning way after using Tyler Eifert to great effect in week one.

Bengals cornerback Adam Jones was fined $35,000 by the NFL for slamming a Raiders player’s head into his helmet. "I play with a passion," Jones observed. "There's no way I'd still be playing if I didn't play that way.” That desire will be required against the Chargers, but not the penalties.

San Francisco 49ers (1-0) at Pittsburgh Steelers (0-1)

San Francisco rushed for 239 yards against Minnesota in Week One while Pittsburgh gave up 134 yards on the ground against Tom Brady’s pass happy Patriots. It will be a stern test for the Steelers and if the 49ers new star Carlos Hyde gets anywhere near the 168 yards he amassed in week one, the Steelers will be in trouble.

Due to playing the previous Thursday, the Steelers had additional time to recover from their season opener, while the 49ers played late Sunday and have to travel from the west coast. This suggests the Steelers should have an advantage.

Although DeAngelo Williams put in a sterling performance last week, he doesn’t offer the passing options that Le’Veon Bell does and without Bell playing, the Steelers are 0-5.

The Steelers will find their home opener tough going, but should edge it if they can stop the run. Last season, the Steelers allowed a NFL sixth-best 97.1 rushing yards per game.

Baltimore Ravens (0-1) at Oakland Raiders (0-1)

The Ravens defense will need to step up to fill the void left by the injury to Terrell Suggs, but they won’t mind travelling to Oakland to test their revamped linebacker corp. The Ravens have signed journeyman Jason Babin, who has seen time with seven different NFL teams, to take the spot on the roster vacated by Suggs.

If they are to be considered serious contenders the Ravens need to overcome the Raiders and there are not many reasons why they should not. 2010 was the last time they met in Oakland with the Ravens taking a 21-13 victory.

Denver stun Chiefs, leave it late to go 2-0

Game review by Mark Brown

Who was it that said Dick Turpin wore a mask?

 

Another grind out in Kansas for the Broncos, however unlike the first game, things seem to be looking up for Manning and co and WOW what a finish.  It seems no one on the Broncos touchline heard the fat lady sing. 

 

The Chiefs raced in to and early 14-0 lead doing their best to whip a voracious home crowd in to a frenzy and with the Chiefs defense looking so strong, Denver were going to have to work hard if they wanted to break the NFL record of 13 straight divisional road games.

 

Manning still has some way to go to get back to the Manning of last term but his display last night will certainly make some of the doubters think twice.  Manning threw for 256 yards and three scores the last of which was to Emmanuel Sanders with 36 seconds remaining to tie the game. With overtime looming, Kansas lined up for the scrimmage and on the play that followed, watched in horror as Jamaal Charles was stripped by Denver CB Bradley Roby and he raced in to the end zone for a 21 yard game winning touchdown.

 

It was a bit unfair to be honest as the Chiefs defense had been resolute all night and QB Alex Smith threw for a respectable 191 yards and from the moment they went 14 points up a Denver win looked extremely unlikely and we will only know in the next game if Kansas are going to suffer a hangover from the manner of this defeat. 

 

During the game Manning joined legend Brett Favre on 70,000 passing yards but was quick to pay homage to his new offense by telling reporters “I’m really proud of our young offense – no poise or communication issues” He was also very quick to point out how well the Chiefs defense played.  “Their defense is so much better than last year.  They are so stout against the run and made it hard for us all night.  We just had to keep plugging away”

 

Chiefs running back Knile Davies, clearly devastated in defeat said later “We thought we had it won but unfortunately they made the touchdown and we couldn’t finish”

 

Personally, I felt this was a nip and tuck kind of game, littered with mistakes, great runs, clever plays and lots of tactical nouse and either team was going to be unlucky to get the loss.  However to lose it in such dramatic circumstances is a killer but as the saying goes “that’s football.”

 

Next game for the Broncos is a trip to the Detroit Lions on the 28^th and for the Chiefs it’s a visit to the Green Bay Packers on the 29^th.

AFC West off to a decent start, but same old Raiders woe

Article by Mark Brown

Defense carry Broncos to a lackluster win over Ravens

Baltimore Ravens 13 – 19 Denver Broncos

Rarely does a conversation veer too far from Peyton Manning when discussing the Denver Broncos and this game was no exception but worryingly this time for the wrong reasons.  I suppose, after Manning's trail blazing season last term when he broke that many records that the late Roy Castle would have been on his friends and family list, it was always going to be difficult for him to carry on where he left off.  It's far too early to start making predictions but there is one thing for sure, Manning, for whatever reason is out of sorts.  If you include preseason the stats are slightly more alarming as he has yet to find the goal line in 21 drives.

 

Fortunate then, that for how spurious the old gunslinger is at the moment, Denver's defense looks so solid and after this first showing are going to make a real difference this year.  Manning managed just 150 yards in his first regular outing but even that was 50 yards more than Ravens QB Joe Flacco.  In fact neither team ran a play in their opposition's 20 until the last 4 minutes of the game.

Baltimore's Jimmy Smith scored the only touchdown of the game as the Ravens only gained 73 yards which was 4 more than Denver.  If ever the description of a game being "ground and pound" was apt this was it.  Manning's take on it was "The Broncos beat the Ravens - that’s your summary right there"

It really is too early to say whether Manning is the one that is struggling or whether it's the new look offense he is playing behind but grinding out games is something the Broncos have struggled to do in recent years but if the defense can play like this regularly, having that ability in their armory is going to be a real get out of jail card this season.

This time last year, based on what they saw in preseason I remember the naysayers gathering to write a certain Tom Brady off and "deflategate" aside look what happened there.  Baltimore's Joe Flacco described the game as "an ugly one and not fun to be part of".  Trust me Joe, it wasn't much fun to watch either. 

The Chiefs make Houston pay for early mistakes as Hoyer benched

Kansas City Chiefs 27 – 20 Houston Texans

Another defense that worked hard Sunday was that of the Chiefs.  They hassled Houston in to several early mistakes and Chiefs QB Alex Smith was able to make them pay.  Smith threw for 243 yards and 3 touchdowns in the first half as Kansas built a big lead that was, ultimately, to prove unassailable.

Tight End Travis Kelce caught two touchdown passes in the first quarter, one of which was after Kansas City intercepted Texans QB Brian Hoyer’s first ever pass as a Texan.  Hoyer will want to put his Houston debut behind him as quickly as possible given that he was swapped him for Ryan Mallet, amid a cacophony of boos and jeers from the Texan fans six minutes from the end of the game.  To make matters worse Mallet then led the Texans on two scoring drives.

Hoyer said after the game “I feel terrible – I feel I have let the organization down.  Things just went from bad to worse"  Personally I think he might be being a bit too harsh on himself as more established QB's have had worse games and still go on to prove themselves but only time will tell if he will start the game next week.

Houston's warrior JJ Watt had two sacks and nine tackles, six of which were for losses.  The Chiefs, though had five of their own, two of which were courtesy of Defensive End Allen Bailey.

A shining light for the Chiefs was the return of Safety Eric Berry who had two takes in his first regular season game back, Berry was given the green light to resume playing after being declared clear of cancer in June just before training camp started.

Chargers electrifying as they tame the Lions

Detroit Lions 28 – 33 San Diego Chargers

Who was it that said big money doesn't mean you get big players?  On the back of a massive $84m contract Chargers QB Philip Rivers looks worth every cent after this showing.  Down by 18 points in the second half, Rivers helped San Diego to 30 straight points and ultimately the victory that at that point seemed quite unlikely.

He completed 35 of 42 passes, overcame a 31 yard return interception for a touchdown and made 404 yards and two touchdowns of his own.  If the Chargers future in San Diego looks uncertain with a move to the LA area on the cards for 2016, Rivers' future looks anything but.  Yesterday he got in to his stride and looked composed, agile and fired up for the challenge ahead.

Detroit Lions Matt Stafford had a decent game himself and threw an 18 yard touchdown pass to Eric Ebron midway through the second half but by then the game was all about San Diego.  Detroit coach Jim Caldwell summed it up when he told reporters "We didn't pressure him (Rivers) enough in the second half" and he couldn't have been more right.  In the first half they were able to hassle Rivers as he threw two interceptions but in the second half, inexplicably, they were content to let him off the hook and let him get his game going and did they pay the price.

 

Oakland crumble as the Bengals roar

Cincinnati Bengals 33 – 13 Oakland Raiders

While Philip Rivers was taming the Lions over in San Diego, Andy Dalton was writing his own season opening script in Oakland throwing two touchdown passes to Tight End Tyler Eifet.  If the NFL is the league of dreams this was most definitely a nightmare, if not all too familiar start for the Raiders who were never in the game to be honest.  The writing was on the wall for them from the start as they went three and out on their first possession.  A freak – no.  Alarmingly this was the 8^th straight season they've started with a three and out or a turnover.

It was all too much for the hapless Raiders as Dalton took a stranglehold on the game, moving the ball around far too easily.  Much to his delight the middle of the field was left open time after time by the Raiders defense and that’s exactly where he made them pay.

After 12 straight years without a playoff berth the Oakland fans really do deserve so much more but after losing Derek Carr to a hand injury in the second quarter and such an ineffective overall display they can only fear the worst yet again.

After just one game it is far too early to tell whether they will be there at the end of the season or not but ominously this game just felt oh so familiar.

Not a pretty start for the AFC North teams, unless you follow the Bengals

Article by Gordon Dedman

You can’t keep a good man out of the news and it was Johnny Manziel who made the headline for me. To come off the bench and throw his first NFL touchdown is good enough to rate as the number one story in the division.

Cleveland Browns at New York Jets

On Cleveland’s first possession, Josh McCown led the Browns on a 91-yard drive that finished as he flew through the air in an attempt to put the ball into the end zone. Instead of crossing the goal line with the ball, a forced fumble turned the ball over and McCown missed the rest of the game as a precautionary measure for concussion.

With the game scoreless, the Jets failed on a 4^th and one at the beginning of the second quarter giving Johnny Manziel good field position as he came in for Cleveland’s next series. Four plays later he threw his first NFL touchdown pass, a 54-yard perfectly placed completion to Travis Benjamin.

A story book ending wasn’t in the script as the Jets came from behind to comfortably win 31-10 as the Browns turned the ball over five times. Manziel was Cleveland’s leading rusher with 35 yards while McCown, who only saw one series, was second with 23. A sad reflection on the Browns ground game.

Some things never change and the defeat for Cleveland was their eleventh straight opening day loss.

Baltimore Ravens at Denver Broncos

The Ravens came very close to pulling off a victory, but Joe Flacco’s second interception in the closing minute saw the Broncos claim the 19-13 win.

The Ravens Jimmy Smith’s interception return for a touchdown gave Baltimore a 10-9 lead in the third quarter, but Flacco repaid the opportunity with his first interception that Aqib Talib returned 51 yards for a score.

Baltimore’s defense gave Peyton Manning a torrid time sacking him four times. The Ravens defense was solid, but they lost outside linebacker Terrell Suggs for the year with a torn Achilles. Suggs was the heart of an effective unit, so his loss could disturb their unity.

Cincinnati Bengals at Oakland Raiders

Returning from an injury that saw him miss most of last season, Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert caught a career high 9 passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns as Andy Dalton had a trouble free training session in the Oakland sunshine.

Cincinnati took the lead on their first possession and cruised comfortably to a 33-0 lead before giving up 13 points in the last quarter.

The Bengals had lost their previous ten games in Oakland, so as the only team in the division to have a positive win column, the season ahead holds potential for them.  

FINAL WORD

“We need to coach better,” coach Mike Pettine on the Browns loss.

 

New York Jets 2015 - What can we expect?

Article by Nikki Charlesworth

The 2014 Jets finished the season with a dismal 4-12 record quickly followed by an overhaul of the entire front office and coaching staff. With Rex Ryan gone, hopes were high for an offseason without the media circus and quarterback controversy of recent years. Unexpected events have ensured this hasn’t entirely gone to plan but the team has also seen many positive changes which should lead to a better 2015.

Regime Change

New head coach Todd Bowles and general manager Mike Maccagnan have given Jets fans reasons to feel more positive about the year ahead. A very fruitful (and fortuitous) free agency and draft brought in a raft of new blood. Bringing back Darelle Revis returned memories of the previous successes he facilitated in green and white and fans had to pinch themselves to believe that Leonard Williams was still available at six in the draft. Todd Bowles has brought a level of calm in direct contrast to Rex Ryan’s approach both with the media and the players. He has been sometimes harshly realistic in his analysis but his evaluation has shown impact each time the team has taken the field with improvements in many areas from tackling to penalties. The Jets are definitely in the rebuilding phase but continued steps forward can be expected as the ethos and systems are further embedded.

 

Preseason drama

Once again certain elements of the Jets organisation have done little to change reputation of the team as a circus and have partly undermined the attempts Todd Bowles has made to prove there is a new, more accountable ethos in the locker room. Both the suspension of Sheldon Richardson and the ‘JawGate’ incident have also caused roster issues which have upset the development process. There also have been a number of injuries including talented second round rookie receiver Devin Smith and tight end Jace Amaro, who was tipped for a breakout year. The impact of the quarterback change was evident in the first two preseason games; with the New York Daily News describing their performances as ‘vintage 2014’ despite a victory against the Falcons, but better performances in subsequent wins against the Eagles and Giants planted positive seeds to end what has been a tumultuous preseason.  

 

Better Offense

For the last few years the Jets have been a team with a quarterback ‘issue’. Although there was never consensus regarding Geno Smith’s potential to improve upon his poor 2014 performance and show consistency, having to switch to Ryan Fitzpatrick was a forced choice. The quarterback issue the Jets now face has therefore changed but at least Fitzpatrick has been successful under offensive coordinator Chan Gailey’s system in the past, albeit not for longer than six games. Geno has not been guaranteed the starter’s role on his return if Fitzpatrick is performing to standard. The Jets only hold one more quarterback on the roster; rookie Bryce Petty who, coming from the Baylor spread offense, is not ready to start in the NFL. If Fitzpatrick gets injured or falls short, the season could fall apart quickly. 

One change from the last two years which may aid the quarterback situation is that new weapons have been added including elite level receiver Brandon Marshall. Now that Eric Decker can sit in his more comfortable position as a number two receiver, there are certainly more options, especially when deep threat Devin Smith returns. Running back Chris Ivory has improved each year he has played and the backfield is full of options. The tight end position however, is of great concern especially following Amaro’s injury as he was the best of a mediocre bunch last year and no further additions have been made. The offense could still be the biggest barrier to success, but there is certainly more potential in this group than in recent years, as long as no-one else gets injured.

Strong defense

In 2014 the defensive line were the only rays of sunshine on the roster. This year, the whole defense should be much stronger with wide improvements made in the secondary; both at corner back and safety. Obviously Revis is a huge part of this but Antonio Cromartie, Buster Skrine and Marcus Gilchrist add further depth and should be able to generate turnovers. Drafting Leonard Williams boosted the already monstrous line alongside Mo Wilkerson, Sheldon Richardson and Damon Harrison and is even more important following Richardson’s four game suspension. With depth of talent throughout the entire defense, this group will play a vital role in ensuring the offense get as much time on the field as possible. It’s not perfect, but it’s a big plus.

Realistic predictions

Taking all this into account, as the Jets prepare to face the Cleveland Browns in Week One what are the prospects for the class of 2015? Every team’s ultimate goal is a Lombardi Trophy but realistically this is unlikely this year. A more realistic but still acceptable outcome is that the improvements made in personnel and programme are reflected in improvements in performances and record. A winning record is a possibility as the Jets schedule includes some of the other poorer teams from 2014 who have not managed to made similar upgrades such as the Redskins and Cleveland. They also face the Jaguars, Raiders, Titans and Falcons. Unfortunately for the Jets, despite all the improvements, the rest of AFC East have been simultaneously upgrading. Getting out of the division will be hard; the Patriots have Tom Brady back and a point to prove, the Dolphins and Bills have great defenses as well as key upgrades elsewhere. Divisional wins, including at Wembley in October will be vital to giving the Jets at least a fighting chance at that elusive winning record, or the outside chance of a playoff place. For a team without a winning record since the 2010-11 season, what Jets fans can expect are steps forward; the only way has to be up.

AFC North Week 1 Preview

Preview by Gordon Dedman

I don’t believe that preseason tells the real story about the progress a team has made from the previous year so the opening week in the AFC North will be a Sunday of discovery as the teams begin their season. All of them have hope as the first opportunity to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses is laid out before the fans.

Pittsburgh will still have division title aspirations despite their 21-28 loss to New England. Ben Roethlisberger threw for 351 yards, Antonio Brown had 9 receptions for 133 yards and a touchdown while new boy DeAngelo Williams averaged 6 yards a carry in his total of 127 yards.

Baltimore Ravens at Denver Broncos Sky Sports 1; Sunday 21.25

Former Steelers safety now an ESPN analyst, Ryan Clark, believes the Ravens will win the division. He thinks that all the offseason troubles with injuries and suspensions in Pittsburgh will inhibit the Steelers progress this season, making Baltimore the favourites.

The rarefied atmosphere in Denver will be the first test for the Baltimore youngsters that Raven fans are enthusing about. The Broncos present a stern test for the Ravens as they still have their own ambitions to continue the Peyton Manning story.

Cleveland Browns at New York Jets

The Browns travel to New York with a new quarterback. That’s nothing new, but before a ball has been passed there has a wave of support for drafting Ohio State’s quarterback Cardale Jones. A “Fail for Cardale” campaign has been launched to promote the Browns losing all their games to get the number one draft pick next year.

The Browns have done some crazy things, but not to give Josh McCown a chance to show them how good he might be or even sticking with the potential of backup Johnny Manziel. Football at its craziness, but it is the Browns we are talking about.

The Browns signed another quarterback, Austin Davis from the Rams as Manziel is still suffering with a sore elbow while they traded their third string running back Terrance West to the Titans.

Maybe McCown will prove them all wrong and leave New York with a victory. Both teams held up their respective divisions in last place so both teams have something to prove.

Cincinnati Bengals at Oakland Raiders

Oakland has brought in a new offensive coordinator in Bill Musgrave and a new defensive coordinator in Ken Norton Jr. as they attempt to improve on their 3-13 record from last year.

The steady hand of Andy Dalton and the stability that brings should give the Bengals an early opportunity to top the division. Cincinnati should take advantage of a win against a Raiders team still trying to find their feet.

Steelers at Patriots kicks off the new NFL season

Game preview by Gordon Dedman

 

The Road to Super Bowl 50 opens this week, and the opening kickoff features the Super Bowl Champions New England Patriots hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

As a Steeler fan I look at the matchup with apprehension and then think, “On any given Sunday.”  I realise it’s a Thursday Night game, but the premise is the same. It’s a tough first game for the Steelers to play in front of a world-wide audience, but there are no easy games in the NFL.

With the Tom Brady escapade behind us, fans can begin to focus on the football. The Patriots are favoured by seven points and the bookies have probably got it right.

With a win, either quarterback will make history. 

 

Brady has 160 regular-seasons wins with the Patriots, tied with Brett Favre for the most wins by a quarterback with one team, and needs one more for the most wins by a quarterback with one team.

 

Ben Roethlisberger is currently tied at 158 with Terry Bradshaw for the most starts as a quarterback for the Steelers.

 

The Steelers will be missing one of Roethlisberger’s potent weapons with the absence of Le’Veon Bell. The addition of ex-Panthers DeAngelo Williams and Jordan Todman to the roster won’t fully compensate for the loss of Bell, but they will provide Roethlisberger with an alternate to throwing to Antonio Brown.

New England will be missing LeGarrette Blount, but his loss doesn’t compare with the nonappearance of Bell for the Steelers.

Pittsburgh’s only chance of leaving New England with a win will be if Roethlisberger produces an extraordinary performance. He is capable of this as he showed twice last season, but he will be facing an equally productive quarterback in Brady.

Potentially a shootout, it may be the fragile Steelers defense that tips the balance in the Patriots favour.

The NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell apparently is not going to attend the game. I can’t understand why?

Vick in Pittsburgh, and a brawl in Baltimore - its the AFC North update

Article by Gordon Dedman

 

Pittsburgh Steelers

Quarterback moves dominated the AFC North this past week, and the Steelers signing of Michael Vick drew vitriolic comments from some fans. Presumably those burning their jerseys and Terrible Towels were dog lovers that had never done anything wrong in their lives.

Michael Vick told the Pittsburgh media that he can’t change what happened, but he’s glad to be in Pittsburgh. Apparently he had looked at signing with other teams, but decided that with the Steelers he had the best chance of success.

That was before the news broke about the Steelers probably losing another player because of drugs challenges. Martavis Bryant is facing a four-game suspension, but is in the process of appealing the suspension.

Second year wide receiver Bryant was perceived as being an alternate potent weapon for Ben Roethlisberger, especially in the first two games when they will be missing Le’Veon Bell. Bryant contributed an outstanding 3 for 138 yards and a touchdown in the loss against Buffalo.

The Steelers signed their second kicker Josh Scobee (from Jaguars) in three weeks.

 

Cleveland Browns

Of course, Johnny Manziel is a continuing news story in Cleveland. The newspapers there don’t have to scratch around in the summer for news items as they can always fall back on Manziel.

Manziel is suffering from a sore right elbow that kept him out of their exhibition game in Tampa and possibly the final one in Chicago.  The Browns played well against the Buccaneers in their 31-7 win, but time will tell if that was because Tampa were bad.

The Browns have lost Josh Gordon for the year for repeated violations of the NFL drug policy.

 

Cincinnati Bengals

While on quarterbacks, Bengals Andy Dalton suffered a sore neck after running in a 1-yard touchdown sneak in their win 21-10 over Chicago.

After releasing Josh Johnson, who was the Bengals backup, it appears second year veteran AJ McCarron has taken over that responsibility. For the second consecutive preseason game McCarron relieved Dalton and put in performances that cemented his status as the number two.

 

Baltimore Ravens

Like a lot of teams around the league this exhibition season, the Ravens are suffering injury challenges.

The latest round of defensive injuries in their loss to Washington found defensive lineman Chris Canty admitting, “It was tough seeing guys go down, but we don’t make excuses. It’s next man up. We have confidence in the guys that are in the game, that they will get the job done, and that’s how we approach everything.”

The frustration boiled over in the first quarter of the Washington game when the Ravens did not take kindly to the hit on receiver Kamar Aiken. Ravens Steve Smith was ejected along with Redskins Chris Culliver after a fracas that saw an incensed Ravens coach John Harbaugh run across the field to make his feelings felt to his opposite number.