Blow It Up! Ten NFL Teams That Need To Rebuild and Start Fresh
While fans in Green Bay and Pittsburgh get ready to see their teams in an potentially epic match-up, every other fan is left to sit and ask "what if" with their football team. Whether you're in Chicago, or Carolina, every team faces a lot of questions if they are to have any hopes of making it to Super Bowl XLVI.
There are some teams that appear to be poised to make a run in 2011-12 like the New Orleans Saints or Kansas City Chiefs. You of course have other franchises that are models of consistency like the Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens.
However, for all the teams that look to be contenders, there are even more where the future is bleak. Whether it's overpriced veterans, young players that didn't pan out, bad coaching or a combination of all three, here are 10 teams that need to hit the reset button and start it all over again.
1. Tennessee Titans
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This shouldn't be much of a shock, given what has transpired in the past month. Former first-round pick Vince Young is on his way out of Tennessee, and long time coach Jeff Fisher is joining him. The first was by no means a surprise as Young, despite his impressive win-loss record, had put up sub-par statistics and had become a problem in the locker room.
The departure of Fisher though surprises some, though after 17 seasons, the air was growing stale in that same locker room.
For a team the started the season 5-2, the cupboard all of a sudden seems quite bare for the Titans. There are glaring needs at quarterback, defensive tackle and linebacker. The Titans still don't have a go to receiver and their best cornerback Cortland Finnegan embarrassed the franchise with his brawl against Houston's Andre Johnson, so there's no guarantee he'll even be back next year.
The Titans still have Chris Johnson, which is obviously a big help, but it's been made clear the past two years that he cannot carry this franchise. The Titans will need to take the next couple of years to rebuild this franchise and hopefully Johnson will still be in his prime when they've put the pieces in place.
2. Miami Dolphins
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The story of the Dolphins has been confusing the past several years. Bill Parcells came here to rebuild the franchise and hired Tony Sparano to coach the team. There were immediate results as the 1-15 2007 Dolphins went 11-5 in 2008 and won the AFC East.
However Parcells's role with the team by and large became non-existent this year when Stephen Ross became the owner. The once promising Dolphins have had two very mediocre seasons since, and there are uncertainties at many of the teams most important positions.
Tony Sparano was kept as Dolphins coach even though the team publicly inquired about Jim Harbaugh, something that quite frankly should have been against NFL rules. The fact is they should have fired Sparano, who was a Parcells' guy to begin with.
If the coaching soap opera were not bad enough, it's also clear Sparano lacks confidence in Chad Henne, whom he benched halfway through the year. His reward for benching him? Having Chad Pennington last all of one series before going down with a season, and possibly career ending, shoulder injury.
Wide receiver Brandon Marshall says the team needs more impact receivers, and running backs Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams appeared worn down by injuries.
The team has a decent defense and Cameron Wake was a big surprise in 2010, but with the Patriots and Jets contending for Super Bowls, and the Buffalo Bills appearing to put pieces together, the Dolphins need to right the ship quick before becoming irrelevant again.
3. San Francisco 49ers
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Speaking of Jim Harbaugh, he is inheriting a mess at San Francisco where he just signed on to coach. Everyone, including this writer, predicted big things from the 49ers in 2010 only to see the team fall flat on its face. Former coach Mike Singletary appeared to be a man with all the answers in 2008-09 but then had none last season.
He played quarterback roulette with Alex Smith and Troy Smith with both of them struggling in their own ways. Now neither of them will likely return.
When healthy, running back Frank Gore is arguably one of the five best men at his position in the NFL. The problem is, he's hardly healthy for a full year. With aging Brian Westbrook and unknown Anthony Davis as his backups, the team might need to seek a new full time runner.
Michael Crabtree will be a serviceable NFL receiver but the team has hardly any other threats except for Vernon Davis, who can look dominant one week, but disappear for the following three.
Patrick Willis is one of the best defensive players in football, but the team needs more standout defenders to join him.
In a mediocre NFC West, the 49ers have the good fortune to possibly turn around this struggling franchise quickly. But it will take an excellent draft, a strong quarterback (perhaps Kevin Kolb or Kyle Orton) and key free agents to make it possible.
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4. Carolina Panthers
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Again, this is no one's surprise, and the rebuild has already begun as John Fox was not retained as coach, signifying a new regime in Carolina. The next major change could be the departure of Steve Smith, the franchise's best wide receiver ever.
The loss of Julius Peppers absolutely crippled the defense, and the team sustaining a ton of injuries last year certainly didn't help their cause. To make matters worse, Andrew Luck, who would have been the Panthers selection in the draft, decided to stay at Stanford.
Currently, the team has a completely depleted roster, and some of those that are on it might need to go. In addition to Smith, the Panthers have a potentially dynamic duo in DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. However both have had various injury issues and one of them might have to seek employment elsewhere soon enough.
Jimmy Clausen is another big question mark, as he really showed nothing impressive in his starts last season. The problem is, the Panthers have no real option to compete with him at this point. Who might be around next year?
The Panthers are not a quick fix, just like it was when Fox took over nine years ago. With a coach in Ron Rivera getting his first gig at the position, he and the team will have to grow and build together if they want to return to the glory days of nearly a decade ago.
5. Denver Broncos
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John Fox left a mess in Carolina and is inheriting perhaps an even bigger one in Denver. In the history of the NFL, there has been perhaps no worse hire than when Josh McDaniels was hired to coach the Broncos in 2008.
There are few (and I emphasize few) that will claim that McDaniels didn't have potential given his 6-0 start in the 2009 season. However, one need only take a look at what happened to this team's roster during his tenure. Jay Cutler immediately wanted out of Denver, and Brandon Marshall followed suit just one year later.
He then traded Peyton Hillis—who went on to become one of the NFL's biggest surprises this season—for Brady Quinn, who went on to hold a clipboard all season. Speaking of quarterbacks, McDaniels traded draft picks for the right to draft Tim Tebow in the first round, despite nearly ever analyst believing the Florida quarterback was no better than a 2nd round selection.
Tebow was selected even though the team had a more than serviceable quarterback in Kyle Orton, who may very well now want out of Denver himself. Of all the teams that need to be blown up, McDaniels appeared to already do it for the arriving Fox.
There are some good pieces in Denver. They have good receivers in Brandon Lloyd and Eddie Royal. If the injured Elivs Dumerville can return to form, he will have one of the more dominant defenders in the NFL. But the Broncos need help at almost every other position.
Fox managed to take a struggling team and nearly win a Super Bowl, so Broncos fans have to hope he can do it again.
6. Arizona Cardinals
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It is widely believed that in order to succeed, a team has to have a good starting quarterback. No team in the NFL believes that more now than the Arizona Cardinals. The retirement of Kurt Warner, and to a lesser extent the departures of Karlos Dansby and Anquan Boldin, turned the Cardinals from a Super Bowl contender into an absolute mess.
The 2008-09 Cardinals managed to turn a franchise that was a laughing stock into a legitimate contender. But having lost three key pieces and nagging injuries to Larry Fitzgerald have left many uncertainties for this team.
The temptation for coach Ken Wisenhunt is that the NFC West is so mediocre, a few quick fixes could turn the Cardinals back into a division contender. However, with only the aforementioned Fitzgerald as the only true superstar remaining, the Cardinals might be smart to get a boat load of draft picks for him and start from scratch.
The team has dire needs at almost every position, especially at quarterback. There is no true starting running back, they need help on both lines and there linebackers and defensive backfield are nothing to write home about.
To return to the recent success they had, the team must realize they need to start a new era. The team did a more than decent job drafting and Kurt Warner as the final piece of the puzzle. Using this same philosophy could serve them well in the long term.
7. Cincinnati Bengals
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If the Bengals were a Broadway play, they would most definitely be Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Finishing under .500 in 2008, the Bengals went 11-5 the following season, going 6-0 in the AFC North and winning the division. Despite drafting more offensive weapons and signing Terrell Owens to a contract, the Bengals fell flat on their face this season going 4-12 leaving a whole legion of questions.
Though Marvin Lewis was kept on as coach, does the team believe in him anymore? Should Chad Johnson (or is it Ochocinco still!?) stay with the team as well as his reality show mate T.O.? Does Carson Palmer really mean it when he says he wants out of Cincy?
Overall, the franchise is a complete mess and if any team needs to be blown up, then perhaps it is this one. The 2011 Bengals could literally have a new quarterback, running back and go-to receivers. Well, rounded cornerback, Jonathan Joseph, is also a free agent and may very well sign elsewhere.
It looks as if it's time for the Bengals to get rid of their veterans, get young and start a new era of Bengals football.
8. Minnesota Vikings
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What a difference a year makes. In 2009, the Vikings had one of the teams in the league having Brett Favre fling the ball like it was 1997 while the defense was terrorizing opponents. In 2010 however, Favre looked every bit his age, the defense didn't get to the quarterback and their pass defense failed them.
Reflecting on this season, not only was it a disappointment this year, but it illustrated the point that the Vikings are an older team that might have seen its window of opportunity close on them. The heralded Williams duo of defensive tackles are on the latter end of their 30's as well as other members of their defense.
Their receiving core includes Percy Harvin with constant migraine issues, Sidney Rice who appears to be potentially injury prone and an inconsistent Bernard Berrian. Oh and they no longer have a quarterback!
Overall, there is a ton of uncertainty with this team, considering they enter the last year of a lease in a stadium that currently has no roof. While the team probably cannot do this, as they are trying to get funding for a new stadium, the best long term option for the Vikings is to blow up this current roster and start from square one.
The Vikings do have a host of core pieces that other teams on this list would envy, so they could potentially fix this team in a hurry. But if they continue down their current course, there could be a lot more years of mediocrity in Minnesota.
9. Jacksonville Jaguars
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Perhaps you will argue that a team that went 8-8 doesn't deserve to be on this type of list. However, when you look at the recent history of the team and what they have on their roster, you get the impression there isn't much upside. The Jaguars have toiled in mediocrity for the past several years and while they have one of the most dynamics running backs in the game in Maurice Jones Drew, they don't have much else in terms of star power. David Garrard and his receivers are nothing special, and there is no one star on an average defense.
For a franchise that is in danger of moving to another city, something needs to change in Jacksonville. While they would set themselves back several years if they broke up their roster, it could very sell serve them well long term. The fans might get themselves wrapped up with a youth movement and in the next two or three years, could return to the years in which they routinely competed for a playoff spot.
What the team needs for sure are a true franchise quarterback, wide receiver and a host of linebackers and cornerbacks.
10. Washington Redskins
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Is there a bigger mess in the NFL? When coach Mike Shanahan was hired, there was hope there would be some semblance of restored order for a franchise in chaos. The Redskins overpaid for free agents, had poor drafts and routinely let unnecessary drama permeate the franchise. Shanahan was supposed to fix this, but if anything, it has become even worse.
Instead of playing like an All-Pro, Albert Haynesworth has done his best impression of a grammar student, feuding with his coach and several teammates even though he has a contract that pays him over $100 million.
Donovan McNabb, who Shanahan acquired for a 2nd round draft pick in 2010 looked lost in the offensive system and was jerked around like a puppet by the coaching staff until he was unceremoniously benched.
With an offense completely deprived of talent and an aging defense, the Redskins have to start from square one. They must get rid of all their problems such as Haynesworth and McNabb and hire quality scouts to help draft a new era of 'Skins football.
If they don't, Mike Shanahan will further tarnish his reputation and Washington fans will have to suffer through more embarrassment.
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