Highlighting the Most Under the Radar Storylines of the 2013 NFL Season

Every NFL season, a multitude of great stories get buried by the high-profile players, coaches and teams that receive widespread media coverage. 

This year, Peyton Manning's assault on the record books, Chip Kelly's emergence in Philadelphia with the Eagles, the bullying fiasco in the Miami Dolphins locker room, the Kansas City Chiefs' rebound and the Houston Texans' collapse were just some of the stories that took center stage. 

Here's a look at the under-the-radar stories and developments from a compelling 2013 season. 

Tennessee Titans Ready for Blowup?

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The Tennessee Titans were the biggest spenders in this past year's free-agency period, adding guard Andy Levitre, running back Shonn Greene, tight end Delanie Walker, defensive linemen Sammie Hill and Ropati Pitoitua, offensive lineman Rob Turner, safety Bernard Pollard and quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. 

(Safety George Wilson was signed before the official free-agency period.)

In Round 1 of the draft, mauling Alabama guard Chance Warmack was selected No. 10 overall. Lanky wide receiver Justin Hunter was grabbed in Round 2.

With quarterback Jake Locker entering his third NFL season, the Titans were ready to compete in 2013. 

But, again, Locker was seriously injured and the team stumbled to a disappointing 7-9 record. 

While head coach Mike Munchak has yet to be fired, he could be on his way out after compiling a mark of 21-26 in his three seasons with the Titans. 

Will GM Ruston Webster give Locker another shot to become the franchise quarterback in 2014? Running back Chris Johnson, who averaged only 3.9 yards per carry this year, is set to be a $10 million cap hit with only $4 million in dead money, so there's a good chance he'll be gone. 

Although there's a nice collection of talent on both sides of the ball in Tennessee, the organization could be moving in a new direction at head coach and the quarterback position in the near future. 

Jacksonville Jaguars a Quarterback Away from Competing?

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The Jacksonville Jaguars began the Gus Bradley Era with an 0-8 record and an average score of 33-10.75. During that dreadful stretch, the defense allowed 23.37 first downs and 392.25 yards per game. 

But after the bye week, the Jags won three of four, and their defense—albeit against some sub-par offenses—improved. 

It surrendered 19.2 first downs, 314 yards and 21.6 points per game. 

Although Jacksonville ended the year on a three-game losing streak, it showed signs of life during the second half of the 2013 season, another season in which the quarterback situational was downright abysmal. 

With the No. 3 selection in the upcoming draft, GM David Caldwell and Bradley will likely have their sights squarely set on a signal-caller. 

According to Pro Football Talk, the Jaguars have only $58 million in cap commitments for 2014, and the salary cap is expected to be around $125 million. While it's unlikely that Caldwell will spend frivolously in free agency on one or two "splashes", the large amount of cap space will give him plenty of flexibility in March.

Jacksonville probably won't compete for the No. 1 seed in the AFC next season, but with Caldwell and Bradley at the helm, they very well could be battling for a playoff spot come December.  

The Rex Ryan Coaching Tree Makes Its Mark

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Rex Ryan is, arguably, the best defensive coaching mind in the NFL. 

He rose to fame as the Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator during the primes of Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. 

Ryan parlayed perennially elite defenses in Baltimore to a head coaching job in New York with the Jets. While Gang Green's offense has had its fair share of struggles with Ryan calling the shots, the multiple-alignment, blitz-happy philosophy has worked wonders every season. 

The entire NFL's taken notice. 

When Andy Reid was hired as the Kansas City Chiefs head coach, he snagged Bob Sutton, one of Ryan's defensive assists in New York, to be his defensive coordinator. 

The Chiefs finished fifth in points allowed per drive, according to Football Outsiders, and forced the most turnovers in the AFC (36). 

Also, despite missing time due to injury, Tamba Hali and Justin Houston both ended the season with 11 sacks.

Meanwhile, in Buffalo, new defensive coordinator Mike Pettine, who held the same position with the Jets from 2009 to 2012, proved a marvelous addition. 

No team allowed fewer yards per drive than the Bills, and they finished second in the NFL with 56 sacks. Also, only two AFC teams created more turnovers. Mario Williams amassed 13 sacks and former first-round bust Jerry Hughes racked up 10 sacks of his own. He had the best Pass Rushing Productivity among 3-4 outside linebackers, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). 

(*Pass Rushing Productivity "is a formula that combines sacks, hits and hurries—with hits and hurries being three-quarters the worth—relative to how many times a defender rushes the passer.")

Safe to say, the Rex Ryan coaching tree has blossomed. 

Ken Whisenhunt's Coaching Reemergence

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After an atrocious 2012 season with the Arizona Cardinals, one that featured the worst quarterback situation in the NFL, Ken Whisenhunt was fired, and, frankly, most fanbases weren't enamored with the idea of him as their team's next head coach. 

Though he interviewed with a few teams, Whisenhunt landed in San Diego as the Chargers offensive coordinator under first-time head coach Mike McCoy. 

Under Whisenhunt's watchful eye, quarterback Philip Rivers had a career revitalization. 

He led the NFL with a completion percentage of 69.5 and posted a 32-11 touchdown-to-interception ratio. 

Rivers' 5.9 touchdown percentage was his highest since 2008. 

Less than a full year removed from being known as the retread not many wanted, Whisenhunt's remarkable 2013 season has made him a hot commodity once again. 

Jordy Nelson Posts Career Highs Despite the Absence of Aaron Rodgers

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No Aaron Rodgers, no problem for Green Bay Packers wideout Jordy Nelson. 

With the former NFL MVP out for essentially eight full games, the veteran wideout finished the 2013 season with the most catches (85) and yards (1,314 yards) of his career. 

Although he caught only one of his eight touchdowns from a quarterback other than Rodgers, Nelson was a steadying influence for Scott Tolzien and especially Matt Flynn. 

In the season finale against the Chicago Bears, with Rodgers back in the lineup, Nelson caught 10 passes for a 161 yards. 

Outside of Rodgers' absence, Nelson didn't have the luxury of Greg Jennings to take coverage away from him this year, either. 

While he didn't outperform his 15-touchdown, 18.6 yards-per-catch campaign of 2011, based on the circumstances, Nelson was tremendous in 2013, but many didn't notice. 

Matt Ryan Has Fine Season Despite Atlanta Falcons' Woes

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The Atlanta Falcons will be quick to forget 2013 altogether. 

Julio Jones broke his foot, and Mike Smith's team lost six games by seven points or fewer en route to a 4-12 record during a season in which many believed it was a Super Bowl contender. 

However, Matt Ryan had a fine statistical year. 

Although his touchdown percentage was down and his interception percentage was up from 2012, his Pro Football Focus (subscription required) Accuracy Percentage of 78.6 was the second-highest in football. 

(*Accuracy Percentage accounts for dropped passes, throwaways, spiked balls, batted passes and passes where the quarterback was hit while they threw the ball—factors that hurt the quarterback's completion percentage but don't help show how accurate they are.)

PFF tracked Ryan's average depth of target to be a pedestrian 7.0—the second-lowest in the league among qualifying quarterbacks—but his accuracy numbers were impressive. 

After signing a contract extension that included $59 million guaranteed in July, despite the significantly disappointing season from a win-loss perspective, Ryan didn't make the Falcons second-guess their decision to heavily invest in him. 

New York Giants Facing a Rebuild

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The New York Giants were another team that underwhelmed in 2013. 

Eli Manning led the league and set a career high with 27 interceptions, the running back position was decimated with injuries and although the defense played relatively well, it mustered only 34 sacks—the sixth-fewest in the NFL. 

Though the G-Men showed some life after an 0-6 start, they finished 7-9. 

Hakeem Nicks and Justin Tuck are impending free agents, Manning's 32 in early January and Tom Coughlin will celebrate his 68th birthday before the start of the 2014 regular season. 

Does all that equate to the Giants entering a mini rebuilding process in 2014? 

They very well could. 

Philadelphia Eagles Offensive Line Returns from Injury-Plagued 2012, Dominates

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In 2012, Philadelphia Eagles left tackle Jason Peterson, center Jason Kelce, right guard Todd Herremans all suffered serious injuries. 

Unsurprisingly, with an assortment of offensive line shuffling, the Eagles offense struggled. 

Springy running back LeSean McCoy averaged a career-low 4.2 yards per carry and Philadelphia's offense finished with the 24th-worst points-per-drive average, per Football Outsiders. 

With that trio fully healthy in 2013, in Chip Kelly's scheme, the Eagles took flight once again. 

McCoy's yards-per-carry average jumped to 5.1 and he led the league in rushing yards and yards from scrimmage. 

Philadelphia averaged the eighth-most points per drive and scored 27.6 points per drive. 

Don't be surprised if Jason Peters and/or Evan Mathis receive some All-Pro consideration, too. 

The Eagles ended their NFC East-winning campaign with the No. 1 run-blocking offensive line, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). 

Robert Mathis Wins the Sack Title at 32

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Hey, look...a 32-year-old led the NFL in sacks.. 

His name? 

Robert Mathis of the Indianapolis Colts. 

ESPN credited the 3-4 outside linebacker with 19.5 quarterback takedowns in 2013, which made him one of only 13 players to amass more than 19 sacks in one season in NFL history. 

Without Dwight Freeney opposite him, the perennially underrated Mathis was arguably the most disruptive 3-4 edge-rusher in football. 

His Pass Rush Productivity Rating of 10.9 placed him seventh among all 3-4 outside linebackers, according to Pro Football Focus. 

The sack leader usually gets much more publicity, doesn't he?

LeGarrette Blount Averages 5.0 Yards Per Carry

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What do LeSean McCoy, Jamaal Charles, DeMarco Murray and LeGarrette Blount have in common? 

Well, they're the only running backs who averaged at least 5.0 yards per carry on more than 150 rushing attempts in 2013. 

You're reading correctly. 

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers castoff, who averaged 4.2 yards per carry in 2011 and 3.7 yards per carry in 2012, was, to some, the New England Patriots' most reliable runner this season. 

He toted the rock 153 times for 772 yards with seven scores on the ground. 

In the season finale win over the Buffalo Bills, Blount scored twice and totaled 189 yards on 24 carries. 

Oh, and the 6'1'', 245-pounder returned 17 kickoffs for 494 yards. 

Then again, we all expected Blount to have this type of contribution.

Yeah, right.