It seems like just yesterday, millions of us football fans were watching the Super Bowl, when the New England Patriots beat the defending champions Seattle Seahawks. But that was almost six months ago and the offseason is coming to a close as mostly every teams training camp begins this week.
Many teams made big offseason signings to improve their roster, while some teams did not need to make big moves, as they already are satisfied with what they have. This article will discuss five teams who did not fair so well in 2014, but have the possibility to shock the world and succeed in 2015.
New York Jets: The Jets had an atrocious 2014 season, as they finished last in the AFC East with a 4-12 record. It was head coach Rex Ryan’s last season with the team, as he jumped ship to become the new coach of the Buffalo Bills. The Jets replaced Ryan with a longtime defensive coordinator, Todd Bowles. The former Cardinals coordinator seems to be enthusiastic about his new job and is looking to change things in The Big Apple.
The team still faces some offensive problems, as their quarterback Geno Smith was extremely inconsistent last season. Wide receiver Brandon Marshall is now on the team, so Smith may finally have a talented receiver to get the ball to. Defense has always been the Jets’ strong point; even over the past few seasons when they failed to make the playoffs. This offseason, the team drafted defensive tackle Leonard Williams from USC and both Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie returned. With a new coach and a talented defense, the Jets look to be trending in the right direction. Look for them to win about seven or eight games this season and for their defense to be one of the best in the league.
New York Giants: Sorry Eagles fans, but I’m picking both New York teams to be a surprise this season. The Giants went 6-10 last season, which was good for third place in the NFC East. The team was fueled by rookie wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. from LSU, who despite missing the first four games of the season, led all rookies in receptions, receiving yards and was tied for the lead in touchdowns.
Quarterback Eli Manning hasn’t been great the past few seasons, but with a receiving core like the one he has, it would be hard for him not to put up big numbers this year. Former Patriots running back Shane Vareen joined the Giants this offseason and their starting running back, Rashad Jennings, looks to improve off of a 2014 season in which he was injured for a good deal of the year. The defense still needs some work, but expect the Giants to score a lot of points this year, which could be enough to win more games than they did last season.
Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings’ 2014 season was mostly centered on the suspension of star running back Adrian Peterson, who was arrested for abusing his son. Even though Peterson only played in one game, the Vikings had a fairly good season, as they finished with a 7-9 record. Rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater also had a good season, as he surprised many fans and football analysts.
Peterson will be back for the 2015 season, and looks determined to make up for his absence last year. Minnesota made a nice offseason move when they traded for wide receiver Mike Wallace, who wanted out of Miami. He will surely help the Vikings, who haven’t had a good receiver in some time. Expect Peterson to have a bounce back year and for the Vikings to improve from their win total last season and perhaps even have a shot at making the playoffs.
Chicago Bears: The Bears were one of the biggest disappointments in the league last season. They finished with a lowly 5-11 record and were last in the NFC North. Quarterback Jay Cutler was good at times, but was also very bad at times. He threw 18 interceptions and actually got benched for one game in favor of backup Jimmy Clausen.
The Bears made some improvements to their team since then, however. They have a new head coach in John Fox and a new offensive coordinator in Adam Gase, who both held those same positions with the Denver Broncos prior to this season. Although Brandon Marshall left for the Jets, they have a great receiver in Alshon Jeffery and they drafted another talented receiver, Kevin White, from West Virginia University. Their running back, Matt Forte, is one of the best in the league and can change the momentum of a game on one play. With a new coaching staff, the Bears should definitely win more than five games in 2015; so keep a close eye on them this year.
St. Louis Rams: It seems like the Rams always have a talented team, but they never have a winning record at the end of the season. With a very young team and an experienced head coach in Jeff Fisher, it’s about time that the Rams break out and win more than six games every year.
The team made a big splash this offseason when they traded quarterback Sam Bradford to the Eagles for their quarterback Nick Foles. The Rams have a good group of young receivers for Foles to throw to, such as Tavon Austin, Stedman Bailey and Brian Quick. The team also might have the best defensive line in the league, with Robert Quinn, Chris Long, Aaron Donald and Nick Fairley all giving offensive linemen nightmares. The Rams also made a nice draft pick, as they took Georgia running back Todd Gurley in the first round. Look for this team to make some noise this year and for their defense to put up crazy numbers.
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