2011 NFL Predictions: A Player from Each Team Who Will Be a Major Disappointment
The great part about the NFL is that things can change so quickly from one year to the next, both from a team standpoint and an individual standpoint.
Players like Arian Foster can go from relative unknowns to stardom in just one season, but things can also go in the opposite direction if a player fails to meet expectations.
The 2011 season, whenever it takes place, will be no different.
Here is a look at one player from each NFL team who will have disappointing 2011 seasons.
Carolina Panthers: Cam Newton
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Panthers fans should temper their enthusiasm when it comes to their first-round pick, because I don't see Newton doing much of anything this year when it comes to completing passes or winning games.
Newton won't be running the ball 264 times for the Panthers like he did at Auburn, and now that he will have to throw the ball on a much more consistent basis and through much tighter windows, I expect him to struggle mightily in his rookie season.
Atlanta Falcons: Michael Turner
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The Falcons passing attack should be even better in 2011 with the addition of Julio Jones at receiver, which means Turner may get fewer carries than he did last year when he ran for 4.1 yards per carry.
Turner has been a very productive back for the Falcons, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him have a fairly big decline in 2011 given the fact that he will be nearly 30 years old when the season ends.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Ronde Barber
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Barber's play has already been on the decline and he is now 36 years old, so I don't expect him to experience a resurgence at this point.
Look for Ronde's "Dancing with the Stars" career to take off shortly.
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New Orleans Saints: Reggie Bush
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I think Reggie will ultimately be in New Orleans this season, and I believe it will be his last season with the Saints.
Mark Ingram is ready to carry the load for the Saints and Bush's services will not be needed when it comes to running the football. He is still effective in the return game and catching the ball, but not to the point that the Saints will want to keep him after this year.
Kansas City Chiefs: Brian Waters
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Waters has been an astounding player for the Chiefs since the team drafted him in 2000, but I think 2011 will be the beginning of the end for the five-time Pro Bowler's career.
Waters was selected to the Pro Bowl once again last season, but he struggled in a few of the Chiefs' games last season, and at 34 years old, the veteran guard's best days are clearly behind him.
Second-year player Jon Asamoah is waiting in the wings for the Chiefs, and I would expect him to step in and become the next great offensive lineman for Kansas City.
Oakland Raiders: Jason Campbell
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There are plenty of Raiders fans who will disagree with this selection, but the fact is that Campbell just isn't that good.
He has failed to meet expectations throughout his career, and even though he played better as last season came to a close, I think he will regress a bit in 2011 and the Raiders will once again be looking for a new signal-caller.
San Diego Chargers: Quentin Jammer
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Jammer has been a very good corner for the Chargers, but at 31 years of age, I see him taking a step back this season. Antoine Cason will continue to play well and the Chargers will look to find another corner after this season to eventually replace Jammer.
Jammer had just two interceptions last season and I would be surprised if he beats that number this season.
Denver Broncos: Champ Bailey
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Champ Bailey has been an elite corner in the NFL for many years, but he is another former star who is nearing the end of his career.
Chiefs receiver Dwayne Bowe absolutely terrorized Bailey in the team's first meeting, but Bailey made it his goal to not let that happen again in the second meeting, and he held Bowe without a single catch.
That game was proof that Bailey still has something left in the tank, but I think that tank is nearing empty as he approaches his 13th season in the league.
Green Bay Packers: Nick Barnett
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Just like I believe Reggie Bush will stay with the Saints, I think Barnett will ultimately be a Packer this season.
Barnett's play slipped a bit last season as he played in just four games and recorded just 24 tackles in 2010. Barnett will have a largely unproductive final season in Green Bay this year.
Minnesota Vikings: Percy Harvin
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I expect Sidney Rice to return to the Vikings and regain his spot as the team's top receiving threat, while I also believe the Vikings will hand the ball off to Adrian Peterson plenty this season.
I'm not sold on Christian Ponder as a NFL quarterback and I think Harvin will suffer from his signal-caller's play. All of this will cause Harvin's numbers to take a hit this season and he will be considered a disappointment based off what we are accustomed to from him.
Detroit Lions: Alphonso Smith
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Alphonso Smith turned out to be a steal after coming over in a trade from the Broncos last year as he picked off five passes.
Smith's play was quite surprising given his less-than-inspiring play as a member of the Broncos, and while he was a nice story last season I think he will pick off fewer passes this year. I also expect him to struggle plenty in coverage as the Lions' defensive line will not be able to single-handedly stop opposing offenses.
Chicago Bears: Devin Hester
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Hester's biggest contribution comes in the return game, but I expect teams to kick away from him even more often this year, and given the new rule change that moved kickoffs up five yards, I think his opportunities on kickoffs will go down as well.
New England Patriots: Danny Woodhead
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Woodhead was a great story last season for the Pats, but the problem facing him now is a crowded backfield in New England.
The Patriots already had multiple guys who can run the ball and now they added two more in the draft, so while I think Woodhead will still be productive, I think his overall numbers will take a hit based on his reduced workload.
Miami Dolphins: Chad Henne
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The Dolphins will regret not getting a quarterback this offseason, but if I were them I would just wait until next year's draft to get one at this point.
Henne has not been great for the Dolphins, and last year was no exception as he struggled even with Brandon Marshall joining the roster. I don't think Henne will be any better this year and he will be holding a clipboard for a NFL team next season.
New York Jets: Shonn Greene
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Greene ran for just over 50 yards per game last season, while rushing for only 4.1 yards per carry. Those numbers weren't exactly eye-popping, and neither was his two rushing touchdowns on the season.
I don't see Greene being much better this year and if he is not, the Jets could be in trouble as they are a team that likes to establish the run.
Buffalo Bills: Ryan Fitzpatrick
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I actually thought Fitzpatrick did an admirable job last season for the Bills, but that was last season and we are now discussing the 2011 season.
Fitzpatrick has the odds stacked against him, and although he does have some decent pieces around him on the Buffalo offense they still do not have a very good offensive line, so I think he will not do enough to continue starting past this year.
Arizona Cardinals: Patrick Peterson
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Is it too soon to put Kevin Kolb as the guy here?
Since he isn't an actual member of the Cards yet I'll go in another direction, but just know that he is not going to be the savior in Arizona.
I'm sure Arizona fans won't like my selection of Peterson anymore than they would Kolb, but this has more to do with the fact that he's a rookie, even if a very good one, and the fact that he will be playing opposite another very good corner.
Teams are going to have to throw at one of them and I think Peterson will be that guy for at least his first season. I think he is going to be a very good corner in the league, but he will struggle at first given how often I expect teams to go at him.
Seattle Seahawks: Marcus Trufant
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One guy who was a major letdown for the Seahawks last season was Golden Tate, and I still can't figure out why he didn't have more success (at catching footballs, not stealing donuts).
I think Tate will rebound this year, but I see Trufant continuing his downward spiral for the Hawks this season.
Trufant has already been a bit of a disappointment as of late, and I believe he will really near the end of his career this season. It's too bad because Trufant was an elite corner at one point in his career and I think Seattle will regret not getting secondary help earlier in the draft.
St. Louis Rams: James Hall
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Hall was very productive for the surprising Rams last season as he recorded 10.5 sacks in 2010. Last year was only the second time that Hall had a double-digit sack total during his career, and now that he is 23 I believe the odds are against him having a repeat performance in 2011.
San Francisco 49ers: Nate Clements
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Clements had three interceptions last season for the Niners but he was not that great in coverage, and he will be 32 by the time the 2011 season comes to a close.
This could be Clements' final season for San Francisco, as they may decide to go younger at corner in the future.
Pittsburgh Steelers: James Harrison
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Harrison is a very good linebacker, and while I think there is a strong possibility that he will play at a high level once again this year, I believe he could see a drop in production.
Harrison has been running his mouth too much as of late and he needs to worry more about playing the game of football than arguing with the NFL over fines for rough hits.
I think the new "Steelers rule" could get in Harrison's head this season and his play could suffer because of it.
Baltimore Ravens: Ray Lewis
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I know it seems like Ray Lewis will never slow down but the truth is that he eventually will, and I think a slide in his play could start as soon as this season. Lewis is now 36 years old, and while he played at a high level once again last season, his play will decline at some point.
Cleveland Browns: Peyton Hillis
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Will Hillis suffer from the Madden curse this year?
Who knows.
But I do know that Hillis is not as good as he is made out to be. Hillis is a solid NFL running back but he is not an elite runner, and I think people need to remember that when they are setting expectations for the Cleveland runner.
Cincinnati Bengals: Andy Dalton
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I hope Dalton does well, I really do, but I think he is going to struggle this year for the Bengals. I don't see him getting much help in the running game this season and the receiving corps in Cincy is a big wildcard at this point.
A.J. Green appears to have the tools to be a very good receiver, but Dalton will need more than just Green to be successful as a rookie.
Indianapolis Colts: Gary Brackett
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I think Peyton Manning will have a better season in 2011 after the Colts very wisely took two offensive lineman early in the draft.
Gary Brackett has been a great linebacker over the years for the Colts but he could be entering the down side of his career.
Last season Brackett missed four games and he recorded just 71 total tackles. Last season could be a sign of things to come for the once-great Indy linebacker.
Houston Texans: Amobi Okoye
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The Texans are transitioning to a 3-4 defense this season and while I think Okoye will be able to stay at defensive tackle in Houston's new defense, I don't believe he will see much success in the team's new defense.
Tennessee Titans: Chris Johnson
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Chris Johnson is one of the league top backs, so how can I put him on this list?
Johnson ran for 4.3 yards per carry last season, which is solid, but not spectacular, and I think he will struggle to even maintain that average this year. I liked the Titans' selection of Jake Locker in the draft but he will need time to develop, and with little threat of the pass this season, I see Johnson having a tough time getting going.
Jacksonville Jaguars: David Garrard
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I believe Garrard and the Jags will have a tough time winning many games this season as they have one of the league's toughest schedules.
Garrard will likely be looking over his shoulder, as fans will begin calling for rookie Blaine Gabbert to start by the middle of the season and the Jags veteran quarterback will find himself out of a starting job.
Dallas Cowboys: Felix Jones
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Jones was decent last season for the Cowboys, running for 4.3 yards per carry, but I don't see him doing any better this year as he will once again have to share the load in Big D.
I wouldn't be shocked to see rookie runner DeMarco Murray getting a large share of the carries by the end of 2011 as Jones and Tashard Choice struggle to churn out yards.
New York Giants: Marvin Austin
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Many Giants fans really liked the pick of Austin in the second round, but I was not a fan of the pick at all.
Austin has plenty of character issues, on top of the fact that he hasn't played football in over a year and I think both of those things will cause problems for him in the NFL.
Philadelphia Eagles: Mike Patterson
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The Eagles have a lot of options on their defensive line, particularly at defensive end, but I think defensive tackle Mike Patterson will have a down year in 2011.
Expect the Eagles to address the position through the draft in 2012 if Patterson does struggle this season.
Washington Redskins: DeAngelo Hall
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DeAngelo Hall had a great 2010 season as he picked off six passes last year and he was arguably one of the few bright spots for a struggling Redskins team.
I think Hall is a little bit overrated though as his coverage skills were lacking at times, and if not for Washington's most valuable player (Jay Cutler), Hall would have had just three interceptions on the season. Three seems like a more reasonable number for the 2011 season.
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