Bleacher Report - Articles by Mike Meadows

Searching for Next Year's Arizona Cardinals

Mike Meadows — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 15:28:38 -0500

The 2008 season is over already, it seems like just yesterday I was watching the Bears beat the Colts.

This season was full of highs and lows for many teams and tons of surprises. Tom Brady goes down for the season in Week One, the Broncos lose a playoff spot by losing a three game lead with only three games left, the Detroit Lions lose all 16 games for the first time in NFL history and maybe the most unexpected the Arizona Cardinals played in the Super Bowl.

The Card's were not the favorite to win the NFC at the beginning of the season, to say the least. After a hot start the Card's were at 7-3 and in the drivers seat in the horrid NFC West.

Then they backed into the playoffs while finishing 2-4 and were expected by everyone to be bounced from the tourney on wild card weekend. They would get hot and go on to beat the Falcons, Panthers, and Eagles on their way to the teams first ever Super Bowl appearance only to lose a close game to the heavily favored Steelers. (Congratulations to the Steelers and their fans on No. 6.)

While the Card's run was completely unexpected it has to give other teams around the league a new sense of hope and wondering what if that was us. The top contenders for "next year's Arizona Cardinals" start with...

10. Cleveland Browns

The Browns finished the 2008 season with a 4-12 record and finished last in the AFC North. They failed to score an offensive touchdown in the final 6 games of the season.

The Browns play in a very competitive division with the Steelers and the Ravens, however the Ravens are not getting any younger on defense and could possibly lose Ray Lewis to free agency. Next years schedule they play the NFC North and the AFC West, if they can split with those two divisions and go 3-3 within the NFC North that would give them a 7-7 record with games against the Jags and Bills remaining. They could easily be 9-7 and make the tourney as a Wild Card.

9. San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers had a 7-9 record last year but seemed to click under new head coach Mike Singletary by winning 5 of the last 7 and could have very possibly stole the NFC West from Arizona had Michael Robinson punched it in on from the one yard line against the Cards in week 10. That would've put Arizona at 8-8 and S.F. at 8-8. The bottom line is someone gets into the playoffs from the worst division in every sport and someones gotta do it in this one.

The Niners could possibly go 5-1 in the division but are also capable of going 1-5 so i'll give em 4-2, they also face off against another week division with the NFC North say 2-2. If they go 0-4 against the AFC South which is very possible that leaves games against the Falcons, and Eagles. If they split those two that makes them 7-9 again but the Card's play a very similar schedule, we could possibly be looking at a 7-9 playoff team next year.

8. Jacksonville Jaguars

The offensive line was an achilles heal for the dissapointing Jags team last year as they finished 5-11. Look for Jack Del Rio to fix those problems and possibly find another HB to replace the aging Fred Taylor.

This team could easily get back to the form of the 2007 team. I can 100% see them sweeping the NFC West and taking up to three games from the AFC East. Even if they lose 4 games within the division that would put them at 9-5 with games against Cleveland and Kansas City which should both be wins making them 11-5. Look for the AFC South to be the most competitive division in the league next year.

7. New Orleans Saints

With Drew Brees at the helm anything is possible. The Saints finished 8-8 this season but lost A LOT of close games. In 6 of the teams 8 losses they were defeated by 5 points or less.

The NFC South has an extremely tough schedule next season they play the NFC East (Giants, Eagles, Cowboys, Redskins), and the AFC East (Dolphins, Patriots, Jets, Bills) not to mention their own division is one of the toughest in the league. But games against the Lions and Rams next year should give them a slight edge over the rest of the division. Look for the winner of this division to have maybe 9 wins and that could possibly be the Saints.

6. Houston Texans

Andre Johnson and the Texans had a great season in '08 but it was still a disappointing one. The Texans blew two games to the Colts this year that would've put them at 10-6 and ousted the Colts out of the playoffs for the first time in what seems like an eternity.

Andre Johnson showed the world why he is arguably the best WR in the game today and had Matt Schaub not gone down this season things might have been different. If they split within the division and split against the AFC East they are looking at 5-5 with games against the Cards, 49ers, Seahawks, Rams, Raiders, and Bengals. This could very well be the year we see the Houston Texans in the playoffs for the first time.

5. Washington Redskins

The 'Skins started the 2008 year out at 6-2 and one of those 2 was at the hands of the Rams. This team absolutely fell apart down the stretch losing 6 of the last 8 games to finish 8-8. While it seems like a long shot for the 'Skins to win the NFC East don't be surprised to see them challenging the G-Men, Eagles, and Boys for the crown.

They finished last in the division this season but were only a game and a half away from second place and a playoff berth. The last place finish means they get games this year against the Lions and the Rams while the other three have much tougher teams. The NFC East faces off with the NFC South this year, if they can split there and split in the division while taking 3 of 4 in the AFC West your looking at a great possibility of a 10-6 season for the 'Skins and maybe even a division title.

4. Denver Broncos

Jay Cutler and the Bronco offense carried this team to an 8-5 start but the burden known as the Broncos defense became to much for the offense to carry down the stretch. With 3 games left all the Broncos had to do is win one game to make the playoffs and could'nt.

They became the first team to lose a 3 game lead with only 3remaining ever. But with Jay Cutler at the helm and the division they play in they could very well be legit playoff contenders. While offense is not a major consern having a running back stay healthy will improve this great offense even more.

Mike Nolan should improve the defense as-well and they will probably look to the draft for some defensive talent. The only question to me is why will Josh McDaniel's be able to perform when every other Bill Belichick understudy has failed miserably. The Broncos play K.C. and Oakland twice each which should be 4 wins and if they split with San Diego your looking at 5 wins in the division alone.

They face a very tough AFC North but should be able to get 2 wins there and an extremely tough NFC East so winning the division games are a must for Denver they also have games against Indy and New England this year. A 9-7 record might be enough for the AFC West but i can see 10-6 for Denver next season.

3. Green Bay Packers

The Brett Favre-less Packers Finished 6-10 with Aaron Rodgers taking snaps. This is the same team that went 13-3 two years ago with the exception of one player. Some would say that Rodgers is to blame, his numbers indicate other-wise but while watching quite a few Packer games this year he tends to make mistakes in crucial times of the game. I fully expect some of those crucial mistakes to be gone in his second year as a starter.

Seven of the teams ten losses came by 4 points or less i expect the ball to bounce the Packers way a few times this season. The Pack should easily take 4 games within the division and split with the AFC North making them 6-4. They play the NFC West which is great for them, look for them to get 3 games there making them 9-5 with the Cowboys and Bucs left on the schedule. If they can get to 10 wins and make the playoffs they will definitely be a team that no powerhouse team wants to play.

2. San Diego Chargers

The Bolts had high expectations heading in-to the 2008 season and finished at 8-8. This team sat at 5-8 though and managed to scrap a run together and make the playoffs and it made many people forget how this season is really still a disappointing season for them. With probably the worst luck in the league this team lost 8 games by a total of 34 points and never lost a game by more then 10 points.

With 'Lights Out' coming back next year look for the Charger defense to be much improved and with Rivers as the QB the offense isn't going anywhere. People continue to say the window is closing for the Chargers but is it really the teams average age is 26 years old. Look for the Chargers to continue their dominating ways in the AFC West they should win at least 5 within the division.

If they can split against the AFC North and the NFC East they would be at 9-5. With the Titans and Dolphins winning the East and South the Chargers get a break from Indy and New England for the first time since the '06 season when they were 14-2. Look for the Chargers to win at least 10 games next season.

1. Arizona Cardinals

Who deserves to be the 2008 Arizona Cardinals of 2009 more than the '09 Arizona Cardinals? Like I said earlier the Card's started hot and backed in to the playoffs. They went on a run and beat three good teams but failed to win the 'Big Game' against the Steelers. The Card's play in the worst division in football and should easily take 5 games.

If the defense continues to play like they did in the '08 playoffs they should do well against the NFC North and could possibly win three games putting them at 8-1 through those games. Its hard to give them more then 1 game against the AFC South so they go to 9-5 with the Panthers and Giants remaining they should split and finish with 10 wins and a great shot at making another run.

If I left someone out feel free to change my mind.

The 10 Worst Quarterbacks To Win a Super Bowl

Mike Meadows — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 14:12:36 -0500

The Lombardi trophy has been held high by twenty-eight different starting quarterbacks, some better than others. Some quarterbacks are considered great because they have a ring or multiple rings but to me that is not the case. Some of the super bowl winning teams had such amazing defenses that the quarterback was asked to simply "Manage the game" rather then lead the team to the promise land and a great quarterback to me means a leader who is consistent during the regular season and the postseason. Can you imagin if a quarterback like Brett Favre had the "Steel Curtian" on the other side how many super bowls who he have won or if Peyton Manning had the defense of the 2000 Ravens playin with him. Every quarterback who has won the big game deserves it this is just a list of the ten worst. If I missed someone or you disagree with a player feel free to explain why and help me find a replacement.

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The AFC's Final Four

Mike Meadows — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 13:28:24 -0500

In the crazy AFC who is most suitable to advance to the Super Bowl and represent well. Of the four teams three of them are very similar and the fourth may not be the best of the four by may be playing the best of all of them at the right time.

Tennessee Titans: The Titans are maybe the least talented team of the four ON PAPER. However they run the ball very good and they play excellent defense especially up front. They rank 21st in total offense with just over 313 yds/gm, that is mostly due to theirgame manager style passing game that ranks 27 with only 176.2 yds/gm.

On the flip side theirover achieving rush offense ranks seventh with over 137 yds/gm. LenDale White has just under 800 yds and 15 tds spelling rookie sensation Chris Johnson who has 1228 yds and nine tds averaging just under five yds/car. The biggest asset to this team on the field is their defense mostly their defensive line. Albert Haynsworth is the biggest reason for this teams success if you have to pick one reason.

This defense ranks seventh in the league with under 300 yds per game. A big reason they rank so high is the play of theird-line, more times than not the Titans only pressure with four guys leaving seven guys to drop back and defend the pass. Haynesworth is the biggest reason because every time hesout there the opposing team is forced to use at least two guys sometimes three guys to block him and do the math if it takes two guys to block him everyone else gets one on one.

Finally, the biggest reason for this teams success on or off the field is simple consistency at the head coach position. Jeff Fisher is the longest tenured head coach in the league at 14 years plus. He will always have his team ready to go and they can and will compete with any team in the NFL. Key Victories: Ten def Balt 13-10, Ten def Indy 31-21, Ten def Pitt 31- 14. However they have not played any of the remaining NFC teams.

Pittsburgh Steelers: The Steelers might have fielded the best defense in NFL history this season. This defense only allowed one team this year to surpass 300 total yards in a game this season and they they played arguably the toughest schedule in the league this year. They rank first in points, total yards and passing yds/gm and second in rush yds/gm.

They only allow 13.9 pts/gm and 237 yds/gm that is nothing short of amazing. On the other hand this Steeler offense does nothing more than keep teamsin games that they should have dominated. They are only 22nd in total yards on offense just barely breaking the 300 yd mark themselves. The offensive line cant block ANYBODY and they finishe 23 in the league with only 105.6 yds/gm and a 3.7 yds/car average, that does not sound like steeler football to me.

The passing game is not much better considering they are not considered to be a game manager style and they are expected to win games for the team. They average just over 200 yds/gm. Big Ben Roethlisberger is considered to be an elite quarterback by many people in the football world but he has yet to really prove them right. I know he has a ring but his numbers prove that he is more average than elite.

This season he has 3300 yds 17 tds and 15 ints not all that elite if you ask me. So if this offense can manage to not hurt this team they should be able to beat anybody with that amazing defense. Key Victories: Pitt def Balt 23-20, Pitt def SD 11-10, Pitt def NE 33-10, Pitt def Dal 20-13, Pitt def Balt 13-9. Pittsburgh has lost to two of the four NFC teams N.Y.G and Phil and have not defeated any remaining teams in the NFC.

Baltimore Ravens: The Ravens are a lot like the other two teams in that they play very good defense and like the Titans they run extremely well. They are in the top 3 in all four major defensive catagories. Third in points allowed at 15.2, second in yards at 261.1, second against the pass 179.7 and third against the run with 81.4 yards allowed per game.

The biggest number for the Ravens is the 34 turnovers six of which turned into points before the offense even took the field. They led the league in turnovers and a huge reason is Ed Reed he had nine ints and two tds alone which is simply amazing. In his last seven games including the playoff game Ed Reed has 10 ints.

The biggest thing going for the Ravens compared to the other three teams is thier consistency in the running game they rank fourth in rushing yards per game at just under 150 yds/gm. The downfall however is Joe Flacco and the pass game he has played solid and helped this team go 11-5 but everyone just has to wonder when will a team load up the box and make Flacco beat them much like the Cardinals did to Matt Ryan.

If and when that happens how will he respond that is the one HUGE question for the Ravens if he plays well then they could be unbeatable. Key Victories: Balt def Philly 36-7, Balt def Wash 24-10, Batl def Dal 33-24. Baltimore has defeated one remaining NFC team in Philly and also lost to one N.Y.G 30-10. They are 2-5 vs all playoff teams.

San Diego Chargers: This is a team that has possibly had the worst luck of any team in the league. Unlike the other teams this team has shown all year that thier defese is not very good. It ranks 31st in the league against the pass allowing 247 yds per game. The run defense has been barely above average coming in at 11th with 102.6 yds/gm and they allow 21 pts/gm.

The Chargers have played more close games this year than any team in the league and they have only lost one game by more than one score and it was a nine point loss to the Bills. In thier eight losses they have only lost by 34 total points thats 4.25 points per game but a loss is a loss. The main reason for the chargers defensive woes is the absence of Shawne Merriman and a consistant pass rush.

The offense is also unlike the other three teams the Chargers actually have a passing game. Philip Rivers Threw for over 4,000 yds and a league leading 34 tds and he also led the league in passer rating 105.5. They have four guys that have over five td receptions (Gates, Jackson, Chambers and Sproles) and Malcolm Floyd has four.

They spread the ball around on offense really well. Tomlinson also had 1110 rush yds and 11 Tds but he should not be a factor with his groin injury. The Chargers are a team that finished 8-8 but could have finished way better had refs made good calls and they they get a few good bounces your lookin at 10-6 maybe even better. Now with LT down they have to depend on a 5-6 180 lbs running back to carry the load.

This is the hottest team in the league and owners of the longest active win streak with five in a row. If Sproles can carry the load this team will continue to be VERY scary for anyone. Key Victories: SD def N.Y.J 48-29, SD def NE 30-10, SD def TB 41-24, SD def Indy 23-17. The Chargers have more key losses than they do victories with a one point loss to the Steelers, a three point loss to the Colts, a two point loss to the Panthers, and a one point loss to the Broncos. They did not defeat any playoff team on either side during the regular season.

I dont really know who will represent the best out of the four but with the three excellent defenses and the way the Chargers defense has played during the five game win streak any one of these teams could have a great shot at a super bowl.

Peyton Manning: A True Class Act

Mike Meadows — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 19:28:20 -0500

Peyton Manning is the face of the NFL and for good reason. In a league that has so many troublemakers and finger-pointers, Manning always does the right thing.

We all know Peyton has his playoff troubles, but that aside, this guy is amazing. It's so nice to see a guy win and lose with so much class. When you see guys like Terrell Owens lose, it's always the blame game.

When you see a guy like Jay Cutler last week in his loss to the Chargers he was asked if the team they just lost to was the real deal he says, "Who, them? No, the Colts will handle them."

When the Colts win, Manning is always the first to say that it was a great game plan and the defense played well. Sometimes he even gives credit to his running game when they don't deserve it. They will have 70 yards on the ground and he will say they moved the chains on short yardage and did what was asked of them by giving the Colts balance.

When he loses, it's never a blame game. It's always, "I missed a couple open receivers, but you gotta give it up to (winning team who ever it was). They played great and executed well."

This guy knows how to win with class and lose with class.

In a time when players are shooting themselves in the leg and beating up strippers, you get none of this from ANY Colt players. Peyton sets an example for young football fans and his whole team. His off-the-field activities are amazing and his leadership is untouched by any athlete in almost any sport.

He also puts up the numbers and wins a lot of games. When all is said and done, and Peyton is retired, he will go down as the best QB ever to play the game, even if he doesn't win another Super Bowl. And he will be well deserving

Just so everyone knows, I am not a Colts fan or a Peyton Manning fan, so this is not a bias piece. I am actually a Chargers fan and spent all night hoping for Manning to make a mistake, and I always root against the Colts unless they are playing the Steelers or the cheating, video-taping Patriots, who always seem to get EVERY call.