7 Most Disappointing NFL Teams in 2011

For many teams and their fans, this is the time of year we dream about: The NFL playoffs are right around the corner. For others, however, this is the time of year where all the disappointments of a failed season begin to creep into their souls and drag them down.

Looking back on this fantastic 2011 NFL season and remembering all the high hopes most teams started out with at the beginning, I see that there are seven teams who had the most disappointing seasons. 

Minnesota Vikings

Remember when Donovan McNabb was supposed to be a good stop-gap until Christian Ponder was ready? The Minnesota Vikings failed to learn from Mike Shanahan's experience with the washed-up McNabb, and the team suffered a miserable fate.

Then, to cap it all off, Adrian Peterson is learning about the high cost of being an elite running back on a team without a passing game. 

Nobody expected the Vikings to be major players in the postseason, but nobody thought they would have fallen this far.

The Vikings need to get some help on the offensive line. They need to get younger and endure the inevitable two-year rebuilding period. 

Dallas Cowboys

Barring a major upset (from my perspective) in New York in Week 17 against the Giants, the Dallas Cowboys will cap off another season of epic disappointment under Jerry Jones. Even if they did get into the playoffs, injuries will be too much for this team to overcome.

This is a trend that is grinding on the nerves of all Cowboys fans. There have been too many costly decisions made using terrible logic for me to conclude that this will ever change until there is a change at the top.

Jerry Jones must relinquish some control and bring in some savvy football minds to figure out how to build a championship team to Dallas.

New York Jets

Rex Ryan is still trying to sell a product that nobody is buying anymore. The New York Jets are a dog that is all bark and no bite. Nobody is impressed.

All year long, I watched Brian Schottenheimer use Mark Sanchez as if he were Tom Brady. There is just one problem with that: Sanchez is more like Alex Smith than Brady. 

I know for a fact that Joe Namath isn't the only loyal Jets fan that is furious with the organization right now.

In my humble opinion, the Jets need to tear out the guts and start from scratch next year. It's not out of the question for them to dump Sanchez and start over again in the draft or through free agency.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

This was supposed to be the year that Josh Freeman led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the playoffs. This was supposed to be the year that they challenged the New Orleans Saints, making the NFC South one of the most dominant divisions in the NFL.

None of that happened. 

2011 was unkind to the Buccaneers and their young coach. Raheem Morris might survive this year, but if he does, it'll be by the skin of his teeth.

The Buccaneers front office needs to be more aggressive in free agency next year and bring in some playmakers on both sides of the ball.

Chicago Bears

After the Chicago Bears' Week 5 loss to the Detroit Lions, the team went on a tear, winning their next five games in a row. They looked to be a true threat to the NFC's elite to make it to the Super Bowl.

Then, the injuries. First Jay Cutler went down, then Matt Forte. That is the equivalent of taking the engine out of your car. It just won't run.

This season has been a bitter disappointment for the Bears and their fans, and all we can say to them is this: There is always next year.

Philadelphia Eagles

If not for Peyton Manning, the Philadelphia Eagles would be the most disappointing team in the 2011 NFL season. 

I'm probably in the minority with this view, but I think the Eagles need to draft another quarterback this year. Michael Vick won't play another full season. He's too injury-prone. 

The Eagles also need to address all three levels of the middle of their defense. A soft squishy middle isn't something that necessarily works in the NFL.

Indianapolis Colts

We all saw what happened to the Indianapolis Colts when Peyton Manning went down. This is something that needs no re-hashing. 

The real question I have for the Colts isn't whether they will draft Andrew Luck; rather, I want to know if they will stick with Jim Caldwell. Yes, the team rallied the last couple of weeks and won, but is he really the answer going forward?

Jon Gruden wants to coach again...RG3...just think about it.