preseason Archives | Football for Normal Girls

Preseason Lowdown : Complete Roundup

We’ve spent the past four weeks breaking down every team in the NFL. Just in case you missed anything or want to reference a specific post in the future ~~when the preseason predictions come apart at the seams~~, here’s one last look at every Preseason Lowdown:

AFC EAST

Preseason Lowdown : Buffalo Bills

Preseason Lowdown : Miami Dolphins

Preseason Lowdown : New England Patriots

Preseason Lowdown : New York Jets

AFC NORTH

Preseason Lowdown : Baltimore Ravens

Preseason Lowdown : Cincinnati Bengals

Preseason Lowdown : Cleveland Browns

Preseason Lowdown : Pittsburgh Steelers

AFC SOUTH

Preseason Lowdown : Houston Texans

Preseason Lowdown : Indianapolis Colts

Preseason Lowdown : Jacksonville Jaguars

Preseason Lowdown : Tennessee Titans

AFC WEST

Preseason Lowdown : Denver Broncos

Preseason Lowdown : Kansas City Chiefs

Preseason Lowdown : Oakland Raiders

Preseason Lowdown : San Diego Chargers

NFC EAST

Preseason Lowdown : Dallas Cowboys

Preseason Lowdown : New York Giants

Preseason Lowdown : Philadelphia Eagles

Preseason Lowdown : Washington Redskins

NFC NORTH

Preseason Lowdown : Chicago Bears

Preseason Lowdown : Detroit Lions

Preseason Lowdown : Green Bay Packers

Preseason Lowdown : Minnesota Vikings

NFC SOUTH

Preseason Lowdown : Atlanta Falcons

Preseason Lowdown : Carolina Panthers

Preseason Lowdown : New Orleans Saints

Preseason Lowdown : Tampa Bay Buccaneers

NFC WEST

Preseason Lowdown : Arizona Cardinals

Preseason Lowdown : St. Louis Rams

Preseason Lowdown : San Francisco 49ers

Preseason Lowdown : Seattle Seahawks

Preseason Lowdown Roundup : NFC South and West

Miss anything from the the NFC South or West? Here’s this week’s roundup!

Preseason Lowdown : Atlanta Falcons

Preseason Lowdown : Carolina Panthers

Preseason Lowdown : New Orleans Saints

Preseason Lowdown : Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Preseason Lowdown : Arizona Cardinals

Preseason Lowdown : St. Louis Rams

Preseason Lowdown : San Francisco 49ers

Preseason Lowdown : Seattle Seahawks

See you all next week for the start of the regular season (!!!) and a very special surprise coming midweek! I can’t wait!!!

Preseason Lowdown : Seattle Seahawks

What’s the story?

Some of us might still be a little bitter about what transpired between the Seahawks and the Packers on September 24th, 2012. Some of us will try to let that go for 30 minutes to write this post. But no guarantees.

That being said…the story with the Seahawks? It looks pretty dang good. The land of the 12th man has prospered under the direction of head coach Pete Carroll. They’ve found an unlikely franchise QB who took the NFL by storm last year and have some of the best players in the league on their roster – 6 of whom were elected to the Pro Bowl last year. They also have the greatest home field advantage in the league; it’s incredibly tough to win on the road in Seattle.

Leader and commander:

The aforementioned Pete Carroll, who would probably be best friends with rival NFC West head coach and former rival college coach Jim Harbaugh if they weren’t arch enemies due to their similarly over-the-top competitive natures. But it’s probably good that they aren’t best buds. All of that intensity in one space may cause the world to spontaneously implode.

New kid on the block:

Percy Harvin, who was traded by the Vikings to Seattle early in the offseason. The good news: the Seahawks need a talented wide receiver, and Harvin could potentially meet that need. The bad news: Harvin needed hip surgery late in the offseason, and there is no timetable for his return to the field. He may or may not see significant playing time this season; it all depends on how his recovery goes.

Last year was…

…a stunning success. The Seahawks improved on their 7-9 2011 record by going 11-5 (cough…10-6…) in 2012. They won their wildcard playoff game on the road against the Redskins and nearly won the divisional game against the Falcons the following week. Not too shabby for a team that hadn’t won a playoff game on the road in nearly 30 years.

Survey says:

How high is the ceiling for this unexpectedly successful bunch? How does #1 sound? That’s where ESPN has the Seahawks ranked in their preseason power rankings, and it’s hard to disagree with their assessment. Good offense + good defense + good coaching + unbeatable home field advantage, literally good enough for all 8 (cough…7…) home wins last season = huge opportunity to win it all.

Preseason Lowdown : San Francisco 49ers

What’s the story?

The 49ers were good in the first half of 2012. Then starting quarterback Alex Smith sat out for several weeks with a concussion, and the wonder that is current starting QB Colin Kaepernick hit the field with gusto, leading to an appearance in Super Bowl 47. Kaepernick would be the first to tell you not to count your chickens before they hatch – he still hasn’t even played a full season in the NFL yet – but with 9 Pro Bowlers on the roster and no slowing down in sight, it’s hard to imagine the Niners having anything but another competitive season.

Leader and commander:

Jim Harbaugh. He does things like this.

New kid on the block:

Wide receiver Anquan Boldin, who was acquired by the Niners in a fast and strange trade from the Ravens, and who didn’t deserve to be shipped out on a midnight trade to San Francisco. Boldin is an all-around class act as well as being a big-play making machine. He will undoubtedly make a huge impact in the passing game for San Francisco this year, especially with Michael Crabtree being out with a torn achilles.

Last year was…

…the year of (slightly) unexpected surprises: the breakout season of Colin Kaepernick and a trip to the Harbowl, Super Bowl 47. It’s not the same level of surprise if, say, the Jaguars shocked the world and made a Super Bowl run – the Niners were slated to be pretty good at the start of the season – but I don’t know that anyone saw Kaepernick and a near-win at Super Bowl 47 coming.

Survey says:

If the Niners can overcome the competition within their own division, they have a good chance to land right back where they ended last season, hopefully this time with a different outcome. (I would contest that the Packers present a challenge for the Niners to win the NFC title…but we all know how that transpired last season.) The bevy of talent and momentum in San Fran is good enough for the 2nd spot in ESPN’s preseason power rankings.

Preseason Lowdown : St. Louis Rams

What’s the story?

When it comes down to it, the regular season record is what determines a team’s fate. But those numbers rarely tell the whole story, and that’s certainly the case with the St. Louis Rams. They ended the season 7-8-1 in 2012 – but that 1 at the end? A tie with the 49ers, who would go on to play in the Super Bowl, who they would go on to beat in their second match up. But the Rams didn’t just beat the 49ers once. They also beat the Seahawks once and the Cardinals twice. Those in-division games are worth more than any others, and the fact that the Rams are competitive with the highly talented NFC West speaks volumes.

Leader and commander:

Jeff Fisher, former long-time Titans head coach, who will lead this team to the playoffs and potentially beyond one day. Mark it down. This guy’s a winner.

New kid on the block:

The Rams kill it in the draft every year, and this year was no different. They moved up in the first round to take Tavon Austin, wide receiver out of West Virginia, who has the potential to be the next great Rams receiver in a long line of all-time great Rams receivers.

Last year was…

…a great first year under a new head coach. To be that successful in the division was a huge accomplishment for Jeff Fisher and the Rams.

Survey says:

The Rams have so many pieces of the puzzle – a franchise QB, a lot of offensive and defensive talent, potentially the best kicker in the league, and a legendary head coach. Now they just need to get all of those pieces to work together cohesively. If they can, there’s no reason why they can’t be a major threat to the rest of the teams in the NFC West. They are currently ranked 15th.

Preseason Lowdown : Arizona Cardinals

What’s the story?

The Cardinals are starting to show some signs of life again. They hired Bruce Arians on the cusp of his Coach of the Year performance as an interim head coach with the Colts and brought in Carson Palmer to resolve their woes at quarterback. Cardinals fans may want to get more excited about the former than they do the latter, but either way, it’s good to see the Cardinals making their way back into contention again.

Leader and commander:

Bruce Arians, who, as mentioned above, earned Coach of the Year status with his outstanding job of coaching the Indianapolis Colts while Chuck Pagano underwent treatment for cancer. This isn’t BA’s first trip to the rodeo – he’s been coaching in the NFL, off and on, since 1989 – but it is his first head coaching job. Many believe he should have been hired as a head coach years ago, so it’ll be great to see what he does with this Cardinals team now that he is leading the charge.

New kid on the block:

Carson Palmer, of Bengals fame and Raiders semi-bust. Having Palmer behind center is a definite step up from the Cardinals other quarterback options, but he will need to return the Carson Palmer of days gone by to lead this team to a winning record.

Last year was…

…a fast start and a painfully slow finish. After winning their first 4 games, the Cardinals lost 11 of their next 12 to finish the season at 5-11. The only thing I remember from their 2012 season was that gauge-your-eyes-out-in-self-preservation Week 13 game against the Jets, which they lost, but really, both teams should have lost due to Crimes Against Football.

Survey says:

Any improvement would be a gain over the train wreck that was 2012, and the Cardinals look like they could make several. However, no matter how many advances are made, it might not be enough to contend with the NFC West, which has literally gone from worst to first as a division over the past few years. The Rams, Seahawks, and Niners have all had semi-recent head coaching changes and are all over the adjustment stage and moving onto the prospering stage. The Cardinals have the potential to emulate the same story as their fellow NFC West rivals. But for now they are still back at the start line, adjusting to new leadership, which is why they are currently ranked 26th in the preseason power rankings.