NFC Off-Season Grades (Mid-Semester)

NFC Off-Season Grades

Ok, so we are well into the NFL off-season and a lot has happened. Coaches are in place and many of the players have found homes. There is still a long way to go before the season starts but we're basically at the mid-semester point of the NFL off-season.

How has each teams' off-season gone? Below are my thoughts. How do you feel your team (or others) have done thus far?

Washington Redskins—The $36 million hit to their salary cap is a huge kick in the nuts. The coaching staff remains intact, which may or may not be a good thing. They’ve lost some players but have been active picking up FA’s, as usual. Peyton didn’t want to go there so the skins gave up a lot to get into position to draft RG3. We really won’t know the true grade of this off-season for a few years until we find out what kind of pro RG3 is going to be. Grade: D

Philadelphia Eagles—They have spent most of their time just trying to re-sign some of their key players and beefing up their LB corps. I can’t say I agree with Reid’s decision to keep Castillo in his current position. Other than that, it’s been a rather uneventful off-season. Grade: C

Dallas Cowboys—The hiring of an OC is a good thing but will lose some of its’ impact if Garrett refuses to hand over play-calling duties. The Cowboys have lost some players but have been fairly active in replacing them with FA veterans. Their salary cap hit was not as big as the Redskins but is still an issue. Grade: C

New York Giants—They are almost the forgotten team in the NFCE, yet they are the reigning champs. Their coaching staff remains intact, which is very good news. They’ve lost some players but this organization is pretty good at replacing them through the draft so it’s not a major issue. Grade: B

Green Bay Packers—They lose Philbin but I would imagine Clements will keep things rolling along with this offense. They have lost a few pieces but, as usual with this organization, they aren’t real active in FA and choose to mainly build through the draft. Grade: C

Minnesota Vikings—Personally, I think Frazier should have been let go and this team blown up. They finally have resolution to their stadium issue. They should be re-building to be peaking when the new stadium opens. They have cut ties with some of their underperforming veterans but this should resemble what’s happening in Indianapolis in my opinion. Promoting Spielman to GM just means more of the same. They need big changes. Grade: F

Detroit Lions—The Lions had way too many contracts expire at the same time. I’m actually surprised they’re getting as many of their players re-signed as they are. They got MegaTron extended, which is good. I’m surprised Cunningham wasn’t fired. Not a good decision. Grade: C

Chicago Bears—Angelo finally got fired, which is good, but I’m not sure his replacement is much better. Traded for Marshall. Not sure if this is a good thing or not. Tice hiring is decent I suppose. The Forte thing is a mess but I like the re-signings they’ve made plus adding Bush and Campbell. Grade: B

New Orleans Saints—Where to begin? They’ve had to let a few good players walk and have pissed off their franchise QB. Their coach is suspended for the season. They’ve lost draft picks. They did get Colston re-signed and brought in Bunkley and Grubbs, so that’s positive. Still not enough for a passing grade though. Grade: F

Tampa Bay Buccaneers—One of the strangest head coaching hires in a while. I don’t like it. I actually like his OC choice but his DC choice sucked. They have made a big splash in FA, spending a lot of money to bring in some big names, which is the only thing that saved them with their grade. Grade: C

Carolina Panthers—I’m actually a little surprised they held onto all of their coaches. This is a good thing for them. Their FA period hasn’t been very eventful but I really don’t understand signing Tolbert when that was possibly their deepest position. Grade: C

Atlanta Falcons—The loss of Mularkey is going to affect this team more than people realize. I really don’t understand the Koetter hiring. The guy is not a good coach but I like the Nolan hiring. They will finally have a decent defense. They have been able to re-sign some of their guys but that’s about it. Grade: C

San Francisco 49ers—The coaches stay intact, which is good. I don’t like the Moss signing and the Peyton chase obviously blew up in their face. They were able to hang onto some key guys and bring in a couple of depth players. Grade: C

St. Louis Rams—Very strange off-season. They got Snead and then they won the Fisher sweepstakes but then it went to hell when he hired Brian Schottenheimer as his OC (wtf?) and his DC got indefinitely suspended from the league. They’ve signed some key FA’s but they had a lot of contracts expiring. This team was already in major overhaul mode and things are very much up in the air. Grade: D

Seattle Seahawks – Things are pretty much holding firm during the off-season other than a change at QB. The Seahawks weren’t a player in the Peyton game but ended up getting Flynn. Grade: B

Arizona Cardinals—The Cardinals blew it with Peyton and now seem intent on sticking with either Kolb or Skelton. The coaching staff and front office stay in place. They have been able to re-sign some of their own guys but haven’t done much else. Grade: C

 

The Eagles kept a DC who showed improvement at the end of the season, re-signed a SUPER important piece of their offense, got a potential defensive leader and sured up the middle of their defense and upgraded their back up QB(although not very much) and they get a C. The Giants lost their bruiser running back and one of their more dependable WR's and they get a B? Okie Dokie.

 

For me, i adjust their grades based upon how they're building they're team. i'm not going to knock down the giants when they lose a rotational RB, a back-up WR, and an average CB, because they lose players like that every year and have no problems replacing them. The Eagles have ..............

And if you love Castillo and back-up QB's that much, then give your own grade to the Eagles ............... i welcomed people to give their own grades. They're just opinions. Everyone's got one.

 

I'd give them at least the same grade. I didn't say that I love Castillo. I'm just saying that towards the end of the year the defense played A LOT better and adding Bowles to the coaching staff is worth an upgrade as well. Add Demaco Ryans to that and the signing of Jackson I'd say that it's a pretty decent off season. But to say that the Giants losing the RB on their team that converts the most short yardage situations and short yardage TD's and a "back up" WR who's made some big catches this year isn't as bad as what the Eagles added is dumb. But you're right. We are all entitled to our opinions.

 

Bucs get a "C"? You need to revisit that one.

 

let me try and explain it a different way .............. for a super bowl winning team to ONLY lose a rotational RB, back-up WR, and #2 CB in the off-season after winning it all, and keep all the rest of their key players and coaching staff ................ THAT is a huge success ............... in fact, a 'B' may not be sufficient. It actually could be an 'A'.

If you look throughout history, teams' rosters and coaching staffs are usually raped and pillaged the off-season after winning it all. The Giants remain intact, which should receive high marks.

 

what would you give them? I don't like the HC and DC hirings at all.

 

Saints don't deserve an F. The issues with Brees suck and losing their HC sucks but they are at least passing.

 

It's impossible to even assign grades to any team at this point and take them seriously...IMO.

 

Updated Post-Draft

Now that the draft is done, we have a more complete picture of each teams' off-season.

How has each teams' off-season gone? Below are my thoughts. How do you feel your team (or others) have done thus far?

Washington Redskins—Prior to 3/24: The $36 million hit to their salary cap is a huge kick in the nuts. The coaching staff remains intact, which may or may not be a good thing. They’ve lost some players but have been active picking up FA’s, as usual. Peyton didn’t want to go there so the skins gave up a lot to get into position to draft RG3. We really won’t know the true grade of this off-season for a few years until we find out what kind of pro RG3 is going to be. Grade: D

3/24-4/29: The Redskins were very active signing/re-signing veterans during this period and they got their guy in RG3 in the draft. Obviously their grade won't be known for a few years until we know how RG3 is going to do at the next level but I would say right now it looks like they're taking a good risk. Grade: B

Overall Grade: C

Philadelphia Eagles—Prior to 3/24: They have spent most of their time just trying to re-sign some of their key players and beefing up their LB corps. I can’t say I agree with Reid’s decision to keep Castillo in his current position. Other than that, it’s been a rather uneventful off-season. Grade: C

3/24-4/29: Getting Bell was huge, they didn't get much for Samuel, but I like their draft a lot. They got a lot of value with their first 5 picks. Grade: A

Overall Grade: B

Dallas Cowboys—Prior to 3/24: The hiring of an OC is a good thing but will lose some of its’ impact if Garrett refuses to hand over play-calling duties. The Cowboys have lost some players but have been fairly active in replacing them with FA veterans. Their salary cap hit was not as big as the Redskins but is still an issue. Grade: C

3/24-4/29: Not much in the way of signings and their draft will be a success/failure based upon how good Claiborne can be because they didn't get much else. Grade: C

Overall Grade: C

New York Giants—Prior to 3/24: They are almost the forgotten team in the NFCE, yet they are the reigning champs. Their coaching staff remains intact, which is very good news. They’ve lost some players but this organization is pretty good at replacing them through the draft so it’s not a major issue. Grade: B

3/24-4/29: The Giants were pretty active and i like their signings/re-signings. And, even though they were picking at the end of every round, I feel like they got a lot of value with their picks. Grade: B

Overall Grade: B

Green Bay Packers—Prior to 3/24: They lose Philbin but I would imagine Clements will keep things rolling along with this offense. They have lost a few pieces but, as usual with this organization, they aren’t real active in FA and choose to mainly build through the draft. Grade: C

3/24-4/29: The Packers actually signed a couple of free agents, which is unusual. And, like the Giants, even though they were picking late, the Packers somehow seemed to get good value with their picks in the draft. Grade: B-

Overall Grade: C+

Minnesota Vikings—Prior to 3/24: Personally, I think Frazier should have been let go and this team blown up. They finally have resolution to their stadium issue. They should be re-building to be peaking when the new stadium opens. They have cut ties with some of their underperforming veterans but this should resemble what’s happening in Indianapolis in my opinion. Promoting Spielman to GM just means more of the same. They need big changes. Grade: F

3/24-4/29: The Vikings got some signings/re-signings done and their draft was pretty good. Grade: C

Overall Grade: D

Detroit Lions—Prior to 3/24: The Lions had way too many contracts expire at the same time. I’m actually surprised they’re getting as many of their players re-signed as they are. They got MegaTron extended, which is good. I’m surprised Cunningham wasn’t fired. Not a good decision. Grade: C

3/24-4/29: The Lions continued to get some of their guys re-signed because they had so many contracts expire at the same time. I didn't like their draft. I think they passed over defense value picks that they desperately needed. Grade: D+

Overall Grade: C-

Chicago Bears—Prior to 3/24: Angelo finally got fired, which is good, but I’m not sure his replacement is much better. Traded for Marshall. Not sure if this is a good thing or not. Tice hiring is decent I suppose. The Forte thing is a mess but I like the re-signings they’ve made plus adding Bush and Campbell. Grade: B

3/24-4/29: The Bears were very active signing UFA's during this period and I for one actually kind of liked their draft. Grade: B

Overall Grade: B

New Orleans Saints—Prior to 3/24: Where to begin? They’ve had to let a few good players walk and have pissed off their franchise QB. Their coach is suspended for the season. They’ve lost draft picks. They did get Colston re-signed and brought in Bunkley and Grubbs, so that’s positive. Still not enough for a passing grade though. Grade: F

3/24-4/29: The Saints somehow managed to continue re-sign players and sign UFA's but still can't get their franchise QB locked up. Strange situation. Their draft can't be considered a success since they barely had one. Grade: F

Overall Grade: F

Tampa Bay Buccaneers—Prior to 3/24: One of the strangest head coaching hires in a while. I don’t like it. I actually like his OC choice but his DC choice sucked. They have made a big splash in FA, spending a lot of money to bring in some big names, which is the only thing that saved them with their grade. Grade: C

3/24-4/29: The Bucs stayed active in signings/re-signings. I may be in the minority on this one but I really don't think the Bucs got a lot of value in the draft for what they could have gotten, using their 2 first round picks on a safety and running back, 2 of the least impactful positions on the field. Grade: D+

Overall Grade: C-

Carolina Panthers—Prior to 3/24: I’m actually a little surprised they held onto all of their coaches. This is a good thing for them. Their FA period hasn’t been very eventful but I really don’t understand signing Tolbert when that was possibly their deepest position. Grade: C

3/24-4/29: The Panthers got a few things done with some veterans during this period and their draft was rather uneventful. Grade: C

Overall Grade: C

Atlanta Falcons—Prior to 3/24: The loss of Mularkey is going to affect this team more than people realize. I really don’t understand the Koetter hiring. The guy is not a good coach but I like the Nolan hiring. They will finally have a decent defense. They have been able to re-sign some of their guys but that’s about it. Grade: C

3/24-4/29: They stole Samuel. I think they're finally going to have a good defense with everything they've done this off-season. Their draft wasn't great because they had traded their #1 away. Grade: C

Overall Grade: C

San Francisco 49ers—Prior to 3/24: The coaches stay intact, which is good. I don’t like the Moss signing and the Peyton chase obviously blew up in their face. They were able to hang onto some key guys and bring in a couple of depth players. Grade: C

3/24-4/29: Normally teams aren't this aggressive after a lot of success but the 49ers continued to make big splashes in FA during the last month. I really didn't like their draft. I don't get what they're trying to do with those picks. Grade: D+

Overall Grade: C-

St. Louis Rams—Prior to 3/24: Very strange off-season. They got Snead and then they won the Fisher sweepstakes but then it went to hell when he hired Brian Schottenheimer as his OC (wtf?) and his DC got indefinitely suspended from the league. They’ve signed some key FA’s but they had a lot of contracts expiring. This team was already in major overhaul mode and things are very much up in the air. Grade: D

3/24-4/29: The Rams remained very aggressive in the FA market, signing several more guys as they attempt to revamp this roster. Then, in the draft, they were able to trade down and acquire more picks, which is great for this team. They ended up with 6 of the first 96 picks in the draft and I like the value they got with them. Grade: A+

Overall Grade: B-

Seattle Seahawks – Prior to 3/24: Things are pretty much holding firm during the off-season other than a change at QB. The Seahawks weren’t a player in the Peyton game but ended up getting Flynn. Grade: B

3/24-4/29: The Hawks got a few guys signed and re-signed but their draft was not good. Their 1st rd pick is an abortion and Carroll seems to be following in the footsteps of Jon Gruden in just stockpiling random QB's. Wasted picks can keep an organization from progressing. Grade: D

Overall Grade: C

Arizona Cardinals—Prior to 3/24: The Cardinals blew it with Peyton and now seem intent on sticking with either Kolb or Skelton. The coaching staff and front office stay in place. They have been able to re-sign some of their own guys but haven’t done much else. Grade: C

3/24-4/29: The Cardinals were one of the busiest teams in signings/re-signings during this period and their draft was 'ok'. Grade: C

Overall Grade: C

 

i love how people are writing off the saints......i can't wait to hear people crying after they roll into town a run up the score

 

well, who said they aren't a good team anymore?

one bad off-season doesn't instantly destroy a franchise and one great off-season doesn't instantly win a super bowl.

however, the saints have had a horrid off-season THIS off-season. i don't think anyone would really argue that.

 

true, our off-season was pretty bad...guess i was more or less just venting because of the medias view of things....i REALLY need to stop watching ESPN

 

I'm guessing your a Seahawks fan.

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Lol at Manningham being dependable

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I don't see the loss of Coach Payton having too much of an affect of the Saints. They did pretty well when he went down last season. Pete called the plays for the rest of the season and they did pretty well. Even if on the off chance that the offense does regress some the new scheme on defense should help. The draft, though small, was decent. I give the draft a B for what they could actually do. The off season was kinda bad but not that bad. Over all I will give it a B. We got decent players to take the place of the ones being suspended so the drop off in talent is not that drastic. In Vilma's case I could argue that it is an upgrade. .Will Smith is not a barn burner in the sacking dept. The addition of Bunkley should help with the gashing runs up the middle and the new linebackers should also help. Saints and Ravens in the Super Bowl with it being a Black and Gold Super Bowl.

 

I think for what the Saints had going on, they had a decent off season. I mean, they lost some players. Nicks possibly being a huge name, and Porter. But we upgraded LB position. Added depth. Our offense is still in tact. I think Saints play with a chip on their shoulder this season and that could spell danger for many teams.

 

a lot of people are over looking the fact that Carmichael was with Brees in the San Diego from 2002-05

 

Or that without Peyton on the sideline..they hung 60 on the Colts last season? New DC who was a HC last season ( who beat the Saints ). Carhmichael capable of running the offense, as is Brees. I don't see the big issue, to be honest.

 

I agree with your premise about Nicks but I think Grubbs makes that a wash. Porter, on the other hand, was always banged up. Maybe if we had gotten more pressure with the front 4 he may have made more of an impact.