 |
| Search |
|
|
|
|
AFC East
Coaching: Wade Phillips inherited a loaded team and made it better. While some feel that he was the beneficiary of Bill Parcells’ work in prior years (he was), he improved on Bill’s teams and took them farther than Bill had. He was also the beneficiary of two (or more) exemplary assistants, in the forms of Tony Sparano and Jason Garrett. Both of these individuals have been prominently mentioned in head coaching discussions relative to ATL, MIA, BAL and other locales, so neither may be around next year. If Wade continues his good work and the Boyz do reasonably well in 2008, he’s likely to be around for awhile. If the team drops off precipitously… well, Wade may have a short tenure.
Offense: Tony Romo was inconsistent, but trended toward pretty damn good and broke several team records. Marion Barber was a monster at RB and made the Pro Bowl, even though he started only one game – the last one – for his team. He’s a restricted free agent this year, so expect a major contract with him over the offseason. Goodbye Julius Jones – inconsistency personified. Blame that one on Parcells, who took a quality runner and made him indecisive. Terrell Owens was the consummate team player at WR and did a fantastic job, even playing through injury. Look for a strong return. Terry Glenn was out until the end of the year, but seems to be returning to form; the Boyz should get another year or two out of him. Patrick Crayton, rewarded during the season with a nice contract, was inconsistent but a reasonable third option at WR. Several of the youngsters, including Miles Austin and Sam Hurd showed flashes, and Isaiah Stanback is waiting in the wings. At TE, all 3 players showed talent with Jason Witten in Pro Bowl form. In the OL, Flozell Adams had a good year and is up for contract renewal. Look for him to get signed away and for one of the young OT’s (probably McQuistan) to take his place. Kozier, Gurode, and Columbo were solid, but not spectacular at LG, OC, and RT. Leonard Davis was spectacular at times at RG. He was a surprise. Hoyt and Deon Anderson covered the FB role quite effectively.
Defense: NT Jason Ferguson was lost early in the year to injury, but Jay Ratliff and Tank Williams made up for the loss. This should be a solid position next year. Canty and Spears were solid, but not spectacular at DE – a position in the 3-4 that gets about as much glory as NT. At the LB’s – Ayodele and James were solid, with James having a banner year. Kevin Burnett backed them up and played well on special teams. On the outside, Demarcus Ware was All-World, Greg Ellis had a spectacular comeback, and Anthony Spencer played well until Ellis was ready to go. At CB’s, Terrence Newman and Anthony Henry battled injuries all year, and Jacques Reeves was pressed into service. He either has to get better or the Boyz need some serious help at CB. Henry ain’t getting any younger and there’s little help behind Reeves. At S, Roy Williams was exploited in the passing game. Every pass-catching TE in the league burned him. This made him tentative in the running game, too. Even though he made the Pro Bowl, he was a defensive liability. Something has to happen there: either an attitude and skills upgrade, or a trade. At the other safety, Ken Hamlin has been quite effective. Pat Watkins also improved, and Keith Davis was a solid backup to both positions.
Special Teams: Mat McBriar and Nick Folk were solid at the lead roles of XK and XP. The returners were fair, at best. The coverage units… stunk. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a coaching change in this area.
Offseason Priorities: Resign RB Marion Barber. Deal RB Julius Jones. Deal OT Flozell Adams or let him go. Look at dealing SS Roy Williams. Draft improvements at WR and CB, possibly SS. Do something with OB Bobby Carpenter or let him go. Have OC Andre Gurode work more on shotgun snaps. Settle the coaching staff after the sure-to-come raids. Find someone else who can apply some pressure from the DE slot AND withstand the run.
EFSports Fantasy Football
© Copyright 2003 by EFSNews.com
Top of Page
|
|
|
AFC East
Latest Headlines
|
|