Five Most Improved Teams for 2010
National League Football teams off-season priorities can be boiled down relatively simply. Good teams must do everything they can to stay good. Bad teams must change anything possible to avoid being bad again.
Of all the NFL franchises, here are the five that have appeared to perform those “simple” tasks the best:
Washington Redskins: After a painful 2009 season, the Redskins have done everything they can to revamp their beloved franchise. Owner Daniel Snyder hired renowned coach Mike Shanahan and General Manager Bruce Allen, and seems to actually be content not interfering with their jobs.
The Redskins also traded for quarterback Donovan McNabb from their division rival Philadelphia Eagles. Defensively, they have converted from 4-3 to the 3-4 and have also signed some strong offensive tackles in Trent Williams and Jammal Brow.
The Redskins may not have what it takes to win their conference, though they should compete, but can easily make the play-offs as a wildcard. Not a bad prognosis for a team that finished 4-12 last season.
Detroit Lions: Their franchise quarterback Matt Stafford wasn’t grievously injured, which is all that the Lions could have hoped for with their offensive line last season. They have also significantly upgraded their defence by using the second overall pick on Ndamukong Suh, a powerhouse defender from Nebraska. Suh should be an impact player immediately and looked like a man amongst boys in the NCAA.
They also drafted former Cal running back Jahvid Best who will take some pressure off Matt Stafford by giving the Lions a running game. Additionally, when Stafford does throw he now has former Denver Bronco Tony Scheffler at tight end.
While this is going to be a subtle step forward for the Lions, it’s a step. They won’t be able to contend in their division just yet, as Minnesota and Green Bay are too powerful, but with one more season of similar building, the Lions could be roaring strong in 2011.
Oakland Raiders: It’s sad to say the Raiders’ best move was getting rid of their struggling franchise quarterback JaMarcus Russell. They also drafted smartly for the first time in years and got Alabama inside linebacker Rolando McClain and Texas defensive lineman Lamarr Houston. With the retention of defensive end Richard Seymour and signing of quarterback Jason Campbell, the Raiders have an actually talented core rather than the bizarre amalgamation of one-skill players they have relied on for years.
The Raiders are in a rather soft division, the AFC West, so if Campbell can mesh into the offence the team can become an instant contender. If not, he can’t possibly be worse than JaMarcus Russell, so improvement of some sort seems imminent.
Cleveland Browns: The Browns have wisely given all franchise control to new president Mike Holmgren, a proven winner. They have also retained Eric Mangini even after his slow start last season.
Player-wise, they have finally dumped the useless duo of quarterbacks they had in Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn. Instead, they picked up solid passers in Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace to tide the team over until the newly-drafted Colt McCoy is ready to take over as their franchise quarterback.
Though the Browns won’t be doing much next season, this is some serious growth with post season implications for perhaps 2011 or 2012 which is nice for a team that last participated in the playoffs in 2002.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Bucs exhibited some solid drafting which will make them a formidable opponent in due time. With the third overall pick they took Oklahoma star defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, who should be able to immediately play an important role for the team. They also bolstered their defence with the second round selection of UCLA standout Brian Price.
Tampa Bay now has a defence to be reckoned with and can perhaps cover up their lack of offensive production through extremely defensive football.
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