July is an awkward month for football fans. The offseason is almost over, but preseason is not quite here yet. It doesn't feel like football season yet, but you know it's coming. In this lull before the excitement begins to build, I thought I would offer a quick rundown of some of the expectations I have of coaches and teams this year.
On the Hot Seat?
Let me start with my favorite team, the Pittsburgh Steelers. I am not sure if Bill Cowher is in danger of losing his job, as his relationship with the Rooney family seems solid, but he is certainly under some pressure to win. Last season was a major disappointment and not just because they had a losing record and missed the playoffs. Instead, what seemed most disappointing was their lack of success on practically any level.
Although the special teams units did seem to improve, neither offense nor defense seemed to come up with the big play when they needed to. Fans can often stomach tough loses when a team has an exciting offense or a dominating defense; they can often handle shootouts or even heartbreakers (although that gets old quickly). But a sort of bland mediocrity is infuriating and that is what the Steelers resembled all too often last year.
With the addition of Duce Staley, and hopes that the offensive line will stay healthy, Steelers fans are looking for an improved running game. Plus, having drafted Ben Roethlisberger, fans will have little patience with Tommy Maddox. It is aggravating to watch Plaxico Burress angle for a bigger contract when he hasn't even lived up to his expectations on the field.
Put all this together and new offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt will be under some pressure to get this unit to perform and to score points. It may not be fair, but Steelers fans expect more out of the offense these days.
The defensive side of the ball is, if anything, more worrisome. For salary cap reasons, the Steelers had to release Jason Gildon, a crucial part of their success in recent years. The result of the poor secondary play for the last couple of years is them having mostly role players and young draft picks to rely on. If the defensive line and linebackers don't step up and create some pressure, something sorely lacking the last few years, this secondary may panic.
On paper, the Steelers don't have a great deal of standout talent. This team will need to gel and minimize mistakes in order to win. But given their weak division, Cowher will be expected to win 9 or 10 games and make the playoffs. It will take all of his coaching skills to do that. If he fails, don't be surprised if ownership starts thinking about a "new direction."
Another coach in the division who should be on the hot seat, if he isn't already, is Cleveland Browns coach Butch Davis. This team is simply not getting any better. They have failed to find a running game despite a regular rotation of different running backs. The offense simply doesn't click. And the defense seems to get rebuilt every year. In a weak division, the Browns have gone nowhere.
The Brownies brought in Jeff Garcia and drafted Kellen Winslow II to try and jump-start things, but I am not convinced that these two can make a big difference. If the offensive line can't protect the injury-prone Garcia, the offense is likely to struggle. Davis has to hope that Lee Suggs can create a running game that can take some heat off of Garcia and that Winslow will avoid attitude problems and contribute on the field right away.
The defense will have to play tough as a unit as they lack a star player who can impact a game. They must put pressure on opposing QBs and create some turnovers because it is unlikely the offense will be scoring a lot of points out of the box. Losing punter Chris Gardowki to the Steelers didn't help, either.
If Butch Davis can't get to .500 playing the Bengals, Ravens, and Steelers twice, the Dog Pound is going to get mighty restless. You have to wonder how long before the owners do the same?
Take it to The Next Level
Nothing burns quite like a late-season swoon. No recent team has suffered this problem as regularly as the Miami Dolphins (except perhaps the New Orleans Saints), a perennial playoff contender who nevertheless regularly fails to live up to expectations.
With a, at times, dominant defense and a solid running game, one wonders how this team fails to make a Super Bowl run. Playing in a very tough division doesn't help. Neither does a streaky, injury-prone QB. But heck, the Steelers once made it to the Super Bowl with Neal O'Donnell. Okay? (I know he chocked when he got there, but still...)
It seems to me that Dolphins coach Dave Wannstedt needs to take it to the next level, or hit the road. Every year, there is a couple of crucial games that the 'Fins manage to lose and thus miss the playoffs. A better coach would get his team to win some of these important games.
Are the Dolphins ready to break through? Tough call. They still don't have a true star at QB (A.J. Freely? Pah-leese!) and they are counting on David Boston to help the offense. Boston has a lot of potentia, but he is unstable, to put it mildly.
In general, they have had a horrible offseason filled with controversy and holdouts (see here), but they still have the talent to win.
The Patriots, Bills, and Jets will play a large roll in how things unfold, but I have a feeling that Wannstedt's job is not so secure, contract extension not withstanding.
Put Up or Shut Up
There are a number of teams who have been playing well, but who nevertheless will enter the season with some pressure.
* The Indianapolis Colts and the Kansas City Chiefs better find some defense to go with their explosive offenses or their fans are going to get restless. After awhile, all that close, but no cigar stuff gets old. Oddly enough, I am not sure either team did much to help their defense during the offseason. Kansas City brought in former head coach Gunther Cunningham to toughen things up, but was the problem really motivation?
* Speaking of close, but no cigar, the Philadelphia Eagles fans are getting tired of losing in the championship game. I don't know if Terrell Owens can take Donovan McNabb to the nest level, but it cant hurt. Their receiving corps stunk last year. I would be worried about the defense, though. That defense is getting old and I am not sure Jevon Kearse can sustain an injury-free season.
* Mike Martz better find a way to get some more hardware with the talent he has because age and the salary cap is going to hit that team sooner than later. Now that the Kurt Warner debacle is behind him, Martz needs to find away to get Marc Bulger, Marshall Faulk, and Isaac Bruce to revive the Greatest Show on Turf. Maybe then the pain of last year's playoff loss to the Panthers (and the Super Bowl loss to New England) will begin to recede.
* The Vikings started out 6-0, only to be knocked out of the playoffs by the Arizona Cardinals! Coach Mike Tice is praying for healthy left feet for Randy Moss and Michael Bennett and he's looking to motivate his team to play a whole season this year. They may have to win a number of shootouts, but I think the Vikes could be dangerous, baring major injuries.
Teams to Watch
Keep your eye on these teams:
* Can a healthy Mike Vick plus Peerless Price mean a winning team in Atlanta? Do they need a running game besides Vick? Heck, I don't know, but it should be fun to watch!
* Can the hapless Detroit Lions find enough success to take the heat off their GM, Matt Millen? Hard to say, but with a growing list of young offensive talent coming off a solid draft, I think the Motor City might have another successful professional sports team in the near future. Even if they don't win double-digit games this season, I expect serious improvement. Mooch, plus young talent, equals wins in my book.
Let's face it. Every NFL coach is under enormous pressure. From teams that stink to Super Bowl champions, football owners and fans always expect improvement. When asked what wealthy people wanted, John D. Rockefeller once responded, "more." In many ways, that's life in the NFL. But then again, that is what makes the game so exciting.
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