NFL Nation: state of despair 2010 nfc
Jenny Dell and Tim Hasselbeck take a look at the most disappointing teams in the NFC and discuss how to fix them.
A quick look at a team that has not met expectations and is struggling.
What's gone wrong: Where do you start? Oh, how 'bout losing your star quarterback for at least two months to a broken left clavicle? But that's just what finished this 1-5 team off for good this season. The Dallas Cowboys were already in a world of hurt before Romo was decked by Giants linebacker Michael Boley on Monday. The offensive line is showing its age, which we should've seen coming. Right tackle Marc Colombo's battling through injuries and left guard Kyle Kosier's missing time on the field with right a Achilles strain and a right ankle sprain. The Cowboys can't protect the passer, they can't run the ball and they're not able to stop anyone on defense. Other than that, things are going pretty well.
How to fix them: As this point, it's time to start daydreaming about April's draft. You can't fix this current team on the fly and suddenly turn the season around. The Cowboys will be fortunate to finish 5-11 with Jon Kitna and perhaps Stephen McGee at the helm. You could start "fixing" things by getting rookie wide receiver Dez Bryant as many touches as possible. But in reality, this season's already beyond repair.
Panic rating: Code red: The only reason North Texans haven't overreacted to the Cowboys' awful start is because they have the Rangers in the World Series.
Coach on hot seat? Owner Jerry Jones has made it clear that Wade Phillips will not get fired during the season. The Cowboys coach might be saved by a combination of the looming labor battle and Romo's injury. Those factors could provide Jones with cover if he wants to retain Phillips (and further alienate his fanbase).
What's gone wrong: Where do you start? Oh, how 'bout losing your star quarterback for at least two months to a broken left clavicle? But that's just what finished this 1-5 team off for good this season. The Dallas Cowboys were already in a world of hurt before Romo was decked by Giants linebacker Michael Boley on Monday. The offensive line is showing its age, which we should've seen coming. Right tackle Marc Colombo's battling through injuries and left guard Kyle Kosier's missing time on the field with right a Achilles strain and a right ankle sprain. The Cowboys can't protect the passer, they can't run the ball and they're not able to stop anyone on defense. Other than that, things are going pretty well.
How to fix them: As this point, it's time to start daydreaming about April's draft. You can't fix this current team on the fly and suddenly turn the season around. The Cowboys will be fortunate to finish 5-11 with Jon Kitna and perhaps Stephen McGee at the helm. You could start "fixing" things by getting rookie wide receiver Dez Bryant as many touches as possible. But in reality, this season's already beyond repair.
Panic rating: Code red: The only reason North Texans haven't overreacted to the Cowboys' awful start is because they have the Rangers in the World Series.
Coach on hot seat? Owner Jerry Jones has made it clear that Wade Phillips will not get fired during the season. The Cowboys coach might be saved by a combination of the looming labor battle and Romo's injury. Those factors could provide Jones with cover if he wants to retain Phillips (and further alienate his fanbase).
A quick look at a team that has not met expectations and is struggling:
What's gone wrong: Pull up a chair. This could take a minute. As I was saying, "The 49ers have dumped unhappy 2008 first-round draft choice Kentwan Balmer, watched their backup running back retire at age 23, negotiated a truce between offensive starters Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree, called an emergency late-night meeting following the first game, fired their offensive coordinator, lost their starting quarterback, demoted their second-team quarterback and even pushed back plans for a long-awaited new stadium."
How to fix them: Teams tend to take on their head coach's personalities. That might explain why the 49ers seem wound so tight. They can't get out of their own way. They self-destruct at critical moments. They've beaten themselves week after week. It's a long shot, but the 49ers (1-6) have to hope new quarterback Troy Smith can become a transcendent figure. They have to hope Smith's personality frees them to begin realizing their potential. There's no magic solution, particularly with starting quarterback Alex Smith sidelined by injury.
Panic rating: Mayday! Mayday! You know it's bad when the head coach has gotten the dreaded vote of confidence from ownership.
Coach on hot seat? Absolutely. Mike Singletary has yet to show he has answers for the problems ailing this team.
What's gone wrong: Pull up a chair. This could take a minute. As I was saying, "The 49ers have dumped unhappy 2008 first-round draft choice Kentwan Balmer, watched their backup running back retire at age 23, negotiated a truce between offensive starters Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree, called an emergency late-night meeting following the first game, fired their offensive coordinator, lost their starting quarterback, demoted their second-team quarterback and even pushed back plans for a long-awaited new stadium."
How to fix them: Teams tend to take on their head coach's personalities. That might explain why the 49ers seem wound so tight. They can't get out of their own way. They self-destruct at critical moments. They've beaten themselves week after week. It's a long shot, but the 49ers (1-6) have to hope new quarterback Troy Smith can become a transcendent figure. They have to hope Smith's personality frees them to begin realizing their potential. There's no magic solution, particularly with starting quarterback Alex Smith sidelined by injury.
Panic rating: Mayday! Mayday! You know it's bad when the head coach has gotten the dreaded vote of confidence from ownership.
Coach on hot seat? Absolutely. Mike Singletary has yet to show he has answers for the problems ailing this team.
A quick look at a team that has not met expectations and is struggling.
What’s gone wrong: The old cliché about a “Super Bowl hangover’’ probably explains some of what’s happened to the Saints (4-3). It’s not that they spent too much time celebrating their win. It’s just that following up a dream season like last year – and doing it in the same spectacular fashion – is almost impossible.
The Saints were playing a month longer than most teams last season and that disrupted the rhythm of the offseason. They’ve also had a series of injuries at key positions, namely cornerback (Randall Gay, Tracy Porter and Jabari Greer each have missed time) and running back (Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas have missed significant time).
The Saints are a walking target for every opponent who wants to make their season by knocking off the champions. They returned pretty much the whole Super Bowl roster, but the Saints haven’t looked much like last year’s team.
How to fix them: Getting healthy would be a great way to start. Bush appears to be close to returning, and the bye week is coming up Nov. 14. If the Saints can stay above water in the short term, the second half of their schedule doesn’t look all that difficult.
Quarterback Drew Brees has struggled and the defense hasn’t been as opportunistic as it was a year ago. But those might not be permanent conditions. Brees and the defense each have the talent to start clicking at any moment, and that could make the Saints dangerous again.
Panic meter: About three degrees shy of the boiling point. Sunday night’s game with the Steelers should tell us everything about the Saints. If they win, they’re right in the thick of things. If they lose, they’ll be trying to play catch up in the second half of the season.
Coach on the hot seat? Sean Payton might not be looking quite like the “genius’’ he was a year ago. But this guy still has silver polish from the Lombardi Trophy on his fingers. He’s not going anywhere anytime soon.
What’s gone wrong: The old cliché about a “Super Bowl hangover’’ probably explains some of what’s happened to the Saints (4-3). It’s not that they spent too much time celebrating their win. It’s just that following up a dream season like last year – and doing it in the same spectacular fashion – is almost impossible.
The Saints were playing a month longer than most teams last season and that disrupted the rhythm of the offseason. They’ve also had a series of injuries at key positions, namely cornerback (Randall Gay, Tracy Porter and Jabari Greer each have missed time) and running back (Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas have missed significant time).
The Saints are a walking target for every opponent who wants to make their season by knocking off the champions. They returned pretty much the whole Super Bowl roster, but the Saints haven’t looked much like last year’s team.
How to fix them: Getting healthy would be a great way to start. Bush appears to be close to returning, and the bye week is coming up Nov. 14. If the Saints can stay above water in the short term, the second half of their schedule doesn’t look all that difficult.
Quarterback Drew Brees has struggled and the defense hasn’t been as opportunistic as it was a year ago. But those might not be permanent conditions. Brees and the defense each have the talent to start clicking at any moment, and that could make the Saints dangerous again.
Panic meter: About three degrees shy of the boiling point. Sunday night’s game with the Steelers should tell us everything about the Saints. If they win, they’re right in the thick of things. If they lose, they’ll be trying to play catch up in the second half of the season.
Coach on the hot seat? Sean Payton might not be looking quite like the “genius’’ he was a year ago. But this guy still has silver polish from the Lombardi Trophy on his fingers. He’s not going anywhere anytime soon.
A quick look at a team that has not met expectations and is struggling:
What's gone wrong: A series of injuries and absences left the offense without half of its starters during most of training camp. Receiver Sidney Rice hasn't played because of a hip injury, and subsequent trades for Greg Camarillo and Randy Moss have left the offense in constant flux.
Most importantly, quarterback Brett Favre has followed up the best season of his career with what could be his worst, throwing 10 interceptions and losing four fumbles in six starts. Favre has dealt with elbow tendinitis and now two fractures in his left foot, but neither excuses his poor decision-making.
The defense and special teams have played winning football for the most part, but the Vikings' offense has held this team back from the start. Through six games, they are tied for No. 24 in the NFL with an average of 18.4 points per game.
How to fix them: The presumption has been that tailback Adrian Peterson would take on a greater role in the offense, but how much more can he do? Peterson ranks second in the NFL with 684 yards despite having played in only six games. Obviously, that hasn't been enough to get the Vikings more than two victories.
Ultimately, two things have to happen. Favre has to settle down and cut back on the turnovers, and the Vikings' defense needs to help compensate for a less explosive offensive by stepping up its playmaking. For as well as its played, the defense has managed only six sacks and forced only nine turnovers. Those marks rank No. 31 and No. 26, respectively, in the NFL.
Panic meter: Mild. The weakened NFC North remains up for grabs.
Coach on the hot seat?: A team with the Vikings' talent level shouldn't be 2-4, and by definition that's an indictment of the coaching staff. But it's hard to imagine Brad Childress' job in jeopardy less than a year after signing a contract extension that guarantees him at least $12 million through the end of the 2013 season.
What's gone wrong: A series of injuries and absences left the offense without half of its starters during most of training camp. Receiver Sidney Rice hasn't played because of a hip injury, and subsequent trades for Greg Camarillo and Randy Moss have left the offense in constant flux.
Most importantly, quarterback Brett Favre has followed up the best season of his career with what could be his worst, throwing 10 interceptions and losing four fumbles in six starts. Favre has dealt with elbow tendinitis and now two fractures in his left foot, but neither excuses his poor decision-making.
The defense and special teams have played winning football for the most part, but the Vikings' offense has held this team back from the start. Through six games, they are tied for No. 24 in the NFL with an average of 18.4 points per game.
How to fix them: The presumption has been that tailback Adrian Peterson would take on a greater role in the offense, but how much more can he do? Peterson ranks second in the NFL with 684 yards despite having played in only six games. Obviously, that hasn't been enough to get the Vikings more than two victories.
Ultimately, two things have to happen. Favre has to settle down and cut back on the turnovers, and the Vikings' defense needs to help compensate for a less explosive offensive by stepping up its playmaking. For as well as its played, the defense has managed only six sacks and forced only nine turnovers. Those marks rank No. 31 and No. 26, respectively, in the NFL.
Panic meter: Mild. The weakened NFC North remains up for grabs.
Coach on the hot seat?: A team with the Vikings' talent level shouldn't be 2-4, and by definition that's an indictment of the coaching staff. But it's hard to imagine Brad Childress' job in jeopardy less than a year after signing a contract extension that guarantees him at least $12 million through the end of the 2013 season.
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