RDFL RedZone: 2014 End of Season Review

Contents:

Pg 3: The League Report

Pg 4: RDFL All Rookie Roster

Pg 5: 2014 Season: Team by Team Review

Pg 70: World Champions – GM Interview

Author Credits:

( Dthompson / Greg / ukpatfan )

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THE LEAGUE REPORTEnd of 2014 Season Review

HOLD THE BACK PAGETexans win…and lose.

Houston won the RDFL title and lost their GM in the same day. The RDFL bowl was a classic decided in the dying seconds by a kick-off return and then an interception to give the Texans the title. Moments after the win however the Houston GM stood down to move to Seattle. Fans and players were too busy partying to notice but in the cold light of the next few days this change could have a major impact on the Texans franchise.

The offseason is here, so look out for ‘The Mel Ike Kipper Mock Draft’ as we get closer to the draft.Hopefully this year we will see a return of Mel Kipper and Toddy McShave draft talk throughout the draft after they were AWOL last year.

As we get closer to the regular season (so during preseason) there will be chance to get involved with the 2015 previews!

Don’t forget to get involved in the nominations for the Hall of Fame and even more importantly the voting, without your votes these players will not get the recognition they deserve.

Hope you enjoy this season review, and until we come back with the 2015 previews, see ya.

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’AROUND THE REAL DEAL’ ALL ROOKIE TEAM

The 2014: 5th Annual All Rookie Team.

QB Richard Sutter (NYJ)RB Britt Pride (KCY)

FB Daryl Burks (CAR)TE Chester Cogswell (IND)

SE Amos Chung (SDC)FL Jorge Wilkerson (CAR)

LT Brenden Marshall (DEN)LG Dwight Wayne (DEN)

C Mo Cochrane (MIN)RG Charlie Custer (LAS)

RT Glenn Vann (CHI)

P Toby Battle (WAS)K Danny Sanders (DEN)

LDE Burt Vilma (DET)LDT Oscar baker (DEN)

RDT Harris Griffith (DET)RDE Bryce Glenn (KCY)

SLB Mitchell Duggan (DAL)MLB Grady Rhodes (NJY)MLB Morris Flick (DEN)

WLB Lamont Grier (DEN)LCB Reuben Preston (ARI)LCB Lamont Carvin (DAL)

FS Kelvin Shelton (PHI)SS Eric Moyad (CHI)

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RDFL Season Review – Team by Team

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NFC Season Review

NFC East:

Seattle Seahawks 15-1

Scored 484 (3) Against 278 (1)Total Offence 397.4 (4) Pass 283.3 (4) Rush 124.7 (9)Total Defence 294.4 (1) Pass 224.1 (5) Rush 81.0 (1)

Comment: Even without star QB Vance, who was traded to the Texans after a foot injury looked like impacting his skill set the Seahawks continued to roll losing one game in week 10 to the Giants as the offense was rated 3rd with Quinn and Joseph sharing time at QB. In fact as a team the Seahawks were 1st in pass completion percentage (73.5%) and yards per attempt (8.98), 2nd in 3rd down conversions (51.7%) and 4th ranked in passing yards, total yardage and yards per catch (12.22). Quinn passed for 2494 yards, 19 TD and 6 INT’s, while Joseph after coming over in the trade that sent Vance to Houston passed for 1842 yards and also 19 TD’s and 6 picks. It was the usual suspects catching the passes with Humble (107 for 1380, 9 TD’s) and Dauber (98 for 1247, 13 TD’s) the key wideouts. TE Stargell added 43 for 559 and 6 TD’s while rookie WR Gaunt looks like the real deal catching 39 for 520 and 4 TD’s. The running game was not as successful despite leading the league in rushing attempts per game (32.1) the team only averaged 3.88 per carry (28th). Despite this Hitchcock gained 1080 yards and found the end zone 6 times, in a backup role Mickey Jackson gained 469 yards (2 TD’s) and Hodges gained 306 (3 TD’s) after being picked up in free agency. C Bradley was the teams leading run blocker with 30 KRB’s while the guard pairing of Upshaw (26) and Andrews (23) ensured the middle was a successful place to run the ball. RT Walsh did contribute 21

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KRB’s but also allowed 7 sacks, while on the left Petitti contributed 19 KRB’s. The run defense was outstanding limiting the opposition to 81 yards per game (1st) and only 3.54 yards per carry (2nd). MLB Durden had a lot to do with that as he led the team with 82 solo tackles, SS Lofton was also on the case making 80 himself as he played in the box as often as possible. Its not that the pass defense was awful limiting the opposition to 58.6% of passes completed (2nd) and 6.42 yards per attempt (4th). FS Schoonover with 3 picks, 9 defensed passes and a PDPct of 82.4 was a major contributor. Three quality CB’s vanOelhoffen (3 INT’s, 6 defensed passed), Carvin (2 picks and 14 defensed passes) and Boone (2 INT’s, 7 defensed passes) ensured there was little room for WR’s to operate in. Add in the monster that is DE Bennie Banks who led the league with 14.5 sacks, 38 hurries and 39 QBkd’s, the opposing QB’s had little time to find an open receiver. Cote on the opposite side registered 4 sacks and 20 hurries while DT’s Monroe (4 sacks, 8 hurries) and Lyon (2 sacks, 11 hurries) added further pressure up the middle. It didn’t help when you did finally score against Seattle as back-up FS Harrison brought two kick-offs back for TD’s. However in the playoffs it was one and done as the Redskins shocked the Seattle fans with a 34-31 win. Further surprises after this defeat included the announcement that the GM Nick was standing down so the team with a .825 winning percentage needed to look for a new man to lead them back to the Promised Land. This was done straight after the bowl game finished as the RDFL champion Texans saw there GM resign and take up the Seattle job in a shock post bowl announcement.

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Arizona Cardinals 8-8

Scored 300 (26) Against 327 (8th)Total Offence 329.8 (19) Pass 241.8 (17) Rush 104.3 (24)Total Defence 339.32 (13) Pass 236.6 (14) Rush 112.8 (14)

Comment: If the Cardinals had not lost 5 straight between weeks 4 and 8 where they failed to score double digits in four of the games (0, 3, 9, 6) then we may have been looking at a playoff spot for the team in Arizona. Week one saw a huge confidence-boosting win over the 49ers as the Cards started out 3-0. After the bye and standing 3-5 Arizona went 4-1, including a sweep of the Niners, before losing to Seattle and St Louis in weeks 15 and 17. Offensively when you consider the awful play weeks 4 to 7 the Cardinals weren’t too bad as Ballard passed for 3697 yards, 25 TD’s (career bests) and 11 INT’s for a more than solid 95 QB rating (again a career best). The key receiver was Warhurst who exploded to 76 catches for 1258 and 12 TD’s while at SE Marsh grabbed 45 for 593 yards and 3 TD’s. Duncan was the only other wideout to make a significant contribution (33 for 424, 1 TD). RB Stevely was actually 2nd on the team in receptions as he caught 51 (out of 59 targets) for 299 yards and 3 TD’s while TE Ause with 30 for 396 and one score was a decent medium distance target. Talking about Stevely he rushed for 1137 yards (3 TD’s, which was a drop in production, carries, average and yards from 2013. In a back-up role 2nd year man Pond struggled gaining 222 yards at 3.58 per carry, contributing to a team 3.99 avg (26th).LT Everett is the heart and soul of the OL as he was 2nd in the league with 41 KRB’s (13 pancakes). C Collins was good adding another 24 while RT Domis was 3rd on the team with 15. LG Cote as a 7th round pick in 2013 looks like he is ready to break out as a quality guard, despite allowing 8 sacks this season, one to keep an eye on next season. Arizona’s defense created turnovers (28) to be tied for 5th in the league in fact they were more than solid everywhere, allowing 4.09 yards per rush (9th), 62.8% of passes to be completed (8th), 6.57 yards

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per attempted pass (5th) and 10.46 per completion (4th). Leading the way was FS Hartman who played at SS all season. He recorded 111 solo tackles while defending 10 passes and picking off another 3. The Cardinals had two really good safeties as Charron intercepted 5 passes and defended 9 himself, that’s not to undersell the CB’s as Page also had 5 picks bringing one back for 6 and Preston intercepted 4 while leading the team with 13 defensed passes. Carpenter played as the nickel corner and defended 10 passes with one INT. The DE’s applied pressure though didn’t get too many sacks, Frieder leading the way with 7, while forcing 21 hurries and recording 20 QBKd’s. On the other side Gomez with 4.5 sacks and 24 hurries certainly helped. In the middle Mahoney with 4 sacks and 8 hurries ensured opposing QB’s didn’t step up without risk. LB’s Terry (WILB) and Martin (SLB) were both heavily involved making 95 and 90 solo tackles each while contributing 5 sacks between them as the Cardinals look like breaking out and challenging for postseason play in the neat future.

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St Louis Rams 8-8


Comment: The Rams finished the season on a 5 game winning streak this following a run of 5 losses as an up and down season saw improvements overall for the team in St Louis. Offensively the running game was extremely productive as the Rams gained 4.54 yards per carry (5th), this despite the opposition knowing they were going to run as they ran 28.8 times per game (Tied 8th). Pritchett ‘The Reach’ certainly doesn’t look like his nicknames as he ran for 1438 yards (6 TD’s) to end the season 2nd in the individual rushing title race. In a backup role Kelly added 432 yards which isn’t bad for a 2nd year man who went un-drafted. Blocking upfront saw yards Daniel and Shannon do good jobs recording 30 and 23 KRB’s respectively. RT O’Donnell was pretty good with 25 KRB’s while C Shea and rookie LT Hayakawa both added 17. The passing game was decent averaging 7.71 yards per attempt (7th) and 11.74 per completion (9th) but it there is a QB controversy brewing. R J Palmer started 8 games passing for 2237 yards, 18 TD’s and only 1 pick for a 109.3 rating, however it was Stokes at the helm for the end of the season as he passed for 1742 yards, 12 TD’s and 5 picks (96.8 rating). Catching the passes out wide were Delvalle (59 for 1068, 7 TD’s), Beeler (47 for 670, 4 TD’s and Foster (46 for 483, 8 TD’s). TE Evans added 48 for 607 and 4 TD’s while out of the backfield Pritchett added 54 for 396 and 2 scores. One thing to note was that LT Hayakawa allowed 10 sacks in his first season while G Shannon was worse allowing 11. The defense was not great in a number of categories, but points allowed ranked 11th is more than acceptable. There were strong performances with SILB Borders making 111 solo tackles, NT Jefferson recording 13.5 sacks and 13 hurries (24 QBKd’s). WLB Stokes added 7.5 sacks, 26 hurries and 20

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QBKd’s after being signed as a free agent. DE Cody recorded 7.5 sacks and 14 hurries while rookie Bridges the number one overall pick in the draft contributed 2.5 sacks and 12 hurries. The secondary had no outstanding performance with CB’s Miller and Fox both recording 2 interceptions, Miller led the team with 11 defended passes while CB Flynn had 10. FS Emanuel brought one interception back for a TD as did Beeler with one kick-off return. Mason in the kickers role hit on 28 FG’s out of 33 attempts after not being given any opportunities in his rookie season.

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San Francisco 49ers 5-11

Scored 302 (24T) Against 370 (20) Total Offence 342.4 (16) Pass 235.7 (20) Rush 117.9 (14)Total Defence 331.4 (9) Pass 224.7 (6) Rush 117.6 (20)

Comment: A 3-1 start made all appear rosy in the 49ers garden despite the week one drubbing in Arizona. Tough losses to Washington, Dallas and Seattle set the alarm bells ringing and a 5 game losing streak to end the season confirmed the fans worse fears the king is dead, long live the king. Brady did play and start 12 games but passed for only 2617 yards and 16 TD’s (career lows) while being picked off 9 times. Wilcox actually got to start 4 games after being a 2nd round pick in 2011. He passed for 1154 yards, 9 TD’s and 2 picks. Murphy and Morgan continue to be the key target men with Murphy grabbing 81 passes for 1028 yards and 8 TD’s. Morgan with 79 for 774 and 6 scores being used for much shorter pass routes. TE Miller (54 for 632, 3 TD’s) was the third target with Battistone and McIntyre caught 55 passes for 659 yards and 2 TD’s between them. The running game continued to struggle, though bringing in Stephens from Miami worked out well as he rushed for 924 yards (4.71 per carry) and 4 TD’s. Backup’s Richardson added 437 (3 TD’s) at only at 3.61 yards per carry while Torres rushed for 503 and 2 TD’s at a healthy 4.49 yards per carry. RT Brelsford led the team with 25 KRB’s (though allowed a team worst 8 sacks) while C Pears and LG Walsh both added 22. Rookie LT DeBoer had a decent season recording 17 KRB’s (54.8%) while allowing 6 sacks. San Francisco had a good season defensively against the pass allowing only 63.1% of passes to be completed (9th) and only 19.6 passes per game to be completed (1st) though this may have been because the opposing QB’s only attempted 31.1 passes per game (2nd lowest in the league). CB Roberson led the team with 3 picks and SS Wilson with 8 defensed passes, the secondary were not helped out by a great pass rush as DE Daniels led the team with only 6.5 sacks,

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though he did add 29 hurries and 18 QBKd’s. On the other side Grant added 3.5 sacks and 14 hurries. DT’s Dockett (5 sacks and 15 hurries) and Dollar (3.5 sacks and 7 hurries) did apply pressure up the middle but got little help from the rest of the LB’s. MLB Tatupu was too busy making tackles to help as he recorded 103 solo tackles (42 assists) while the safety pairing of Wilson (88 solo tackles) and Kiel (65 solo tackles) were also kept busy. Punter Moorman was worse in gross and net averages though he did see 31 end inside the 20, which may help him keep his job for one more season.

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NFC South:

Atlanta Falcons 13-3

Scored 468 (4) Against 354 (15) Total Offence 372.3 (9) Pass 253.3 (11) Rush 127.3 (7)Total Defence 345.6 (19) Pass 247.9 (20) Rush 107.8 (7T)

Comment: back to back losses to Dallas and Tampa Bay in weeks 3 and 4, where the Falcons scored only 10 points in each game, left the Falcons at 2-2. Atlanta needed to respond and they did as they won 7 straight scoring 238 points (34 points per game). A big loss to Seattle in week 13 was followed by 4 wins where the Falcons scored 31 points in 3 of the games and 41 in the other as the Atlanta fans were treated to fireworks. Having beaten the Packers in week 7 (41-17) the Falcons were confident in the divisional round at home however a surprise 30-27 loss ended the season too abruptly. Reed was the QB for most of the season as he passed for 3116 yards, 28 TD’s, 7 INT’s completing 74.8 % of his passes (helping the team to 70.1 and 3rd in the league). Finley who started 3 games only completed 56.7% of his passes while passing for 936 yards, 7 Td’s and 6 picks, but he did win all 3 games. Walters (89 for 1224, 15 TD’s) and Nakamura (62 for 838, 6 TD’s) make a dangerous young pair of receivers. TE Marquardt took advantage of the coverage to grab 47 for 616, 2 TD’s as did the RB’s Jackson and Sommerville who bough caught 37 passes (251 yard, 5 TD’s for Jackson and 309 yards and one score for Sommerville). The passing game was efficient gaining 7.87 yards per attempt (5th). The running game was great as LT Hopper (33 KRB’s), C Brown (30 KRB’s) and RT Olivea (28 KRB’s) all record over 40% success in KRB opportunities while allowing only6 sacks between them. LG Smiley added 24 KRB's at 31.6% and Lucas only 12 (27.3%) while allowing 12 sacks between the two. Sommerville ended the season with 942 yards and 11 TD’s, it is worth noting he did this at 5.06 yards per carry and without fumbling the ball once. Steven Jackson added 695 yards and 7

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TD’s after being released from Seattle in what may be a last season hurrah. As a team Atlanta converted 52.5% of 3rd downs, which was the top conversion rate in the league. Defensively it wasn’t quite as good, the 7th ranked run defense is a statistical anomaly as opposing teams had to pass so attempted to run the ball only 23.7 times per game (2nd lowest). They actually allowed 4.55 yards per carry (30th) but again this can be viewed as the Falcons were always in pass defense so were likely to allow more yards per rush. La Fountain led the team with 109 solo tackles while SS Cooper was 2nd on the team with 93. Add in Cooper’s 17 defended passes (team high) then it shows how busy he was. Four out of the next five in the tackling table were all CB’s though this may be because the opposition had to throw and when they did run they reached the secondary players anyway. CB’s Terrell and Harvey along with FS Fulcher led the team with 2 interceptions. SS Apple used in dime coverage was the only player to record a pick six as he brought his one interception back 63 yards. DE’s Naslund (8.5 sacks, 15 hurries and 19 QBKd’s) and Brown (4.5 sacks, 15 hurries and 15 QBKd’s) along with DT Bluske (4.5 sacks) did what they could to apply pressure but the stats were never going to be great against the pass when the opposition know they need to score a hatful of points to have a chance. Kicker Reed in his 15th season only missed 3 out of his 26 FG opportunities in what may well have been his last season in the RDFL.

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New Orleans Saints 8-8

Scored 306 (23) Against 306 (4)Total Offence 301.2 (28th) Pass 211.2 (28th) Rush 98.5 (30)Total Defence 324.6 (5) Pass 227.5 (8th) Rush 111.1 (11T)

Comment: An 1-4 start was not going to help but the Saints but a run of 3 wins weeks 6 to 8 helped the team to a .500 record. The Saints continue to try and be a passing team attempting 36.8 passes per game (6th) however when you complete only 58.9% (29th), gain only 9.74 yards per catch (29th) and 5.74 per attempt (32nd) then there are issues with the offense. Culpepper ended the season passing for 3379 yards, however only 16 TD’s in 589 attempts, 11 picks. Vincent Jackson was the top receiver in catches with 72 for 721 yards and 3 TD’s, while Clayton with 53 grabs led the team in receiving yardage and TD’s with 732 yards and 6 TD’s. TE Morton contributed 65 for 581 and 1 TD while Valdez as the 3rd WR added 44 for 482 (1 TD). The running game was not used as often as it could have been to provide offensive balance as New Orleans average 24.4 rushes per game (Tied 31st). Burns a rookie (2nd round) led the team rushing for 693 yards and 8 TD’s, while Wilson (343 yards, 3 TD’s) and Jacobs (340 yards, 1 TD) contributed when they had an opportunity. RG Terry led the team with 27 KRB’s as the inside of the line was strong when the Saints actually ran the ball, Stepanovich and Hangartner recording 19 and 16 KRB’s respectively. The reason for the decent season was the New Orleans defense with the secondary allowing only 59.7% of passes to be completed (3rd), 6.61 yards per pass attempt (6th). A lot of this was down to CB Leicester who led the league with 10 interceptions and was 3rd with 18 passes defensed (88 PDPct). On the other corner Webster was above average as well picking off 4 passes and defending 8 for an 8.6 PDPct, meanwhile FS Mathis grabbed 3 picks while Roever (SILB) added 2 and 8 defended passes to his team leading 102 solo tackles. The defense was strong against the run allowing only 4 yards per

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carry (7th) with FS Toro (playing at SS) 2nd on the team with 100 solo tackles. Toro was also a special weapon on kick-off returns as he brought 3 back for TD’s tying the best regular season record. Rookie Gerdes a 1st round pick played well in 8 starts making 38 solo tackles, adding 4 sacks and picking off 2 passes so look for much more playing time in 2015.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers 5-11

Scored 246 (29) Against 363 (18T)Total Offence 288.5 (30) Pass 198.4 (29) Rush 101.6 (28th)Total Defence 352.0 (21) Pass 233.2 (10) Rush 130.0 (30)

Comment: A surprise win over the Falcons in week 4 was preceded and followed by 3 straight losses so the Buccs were 1-6 going into their bye. They did go 2-1 after the bye and finished the season 2-1 but did see 3 losses weeks 12 through 14 in what was a disappointing 2014 campaign. With Peyton Manning retiring after one season as a Buccaneer the Tampa franchise has been looking to establish who the future QB will be. Feeley is an old pro who was essentially a stop gap, starting the first two games of the season and then a further 4 throughout the year as he passed for 1084 yards, 3 TD’s and 4 INT’s. Plumtree is probably the best of the 3 QB’s at the moment however he went 1-2 in his 3 starts passing for 780 yards, 2 TD’s and 3 picks. May is a young work in progress who could turn out to be as good as the others, however he went 2-5 in his starts while passing for 1310 yards, 5 TD’s and 8 INT’s. As a team the Buccs only completed 56.4% of its passes (31st) though Beyer with 13 drops and Herek with another 11 wouldn’t have helped. Despite the drops Beyer was the key receiver catching 56 passes for 686 yards and 1 TD. TE Osborne with 41 for 329 yards and 3 TDs actually caught more passes than Herek (38 for 580, 1 TD) and Hughes (35 for 388, 1 TD). Boyd out of the backfield caught the same number of TD’s as the top 3 receivers combined as he grabbed 34 for 295 and 3 TD’s. Looking at the running game 2nd year man Plummier led the team but with only 648 yards (4 TD’s) while Boyd added 642 yards, 7 TD at an avg carry of 4.76 despite not starting one game. There was considerable success running up the middle with C Ramsey leading all players on the team with 30 KRB’s, while guards Willis and Lee added 21 and 20 respectively. On the defensive

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side the Buccs though allowing 66.7% of passes to be completed (22nd) were allowing only short passes as shown by the 6.76 yards per attempt (8th) and 10.14 per catch (2nd). FS Sellers led the team with 12 defended passes though CB’s Garrod and Chrisman weren’t far behind with 10. In fact the two CB’s along with Schroeder (also CB) shared the lead with 2 interceptions each, Garrod bringing one of his back for six. It wasn’t that there was lots of pressure forcing short passes with DT Bronson leading the team with 7 sacks (12 hurries). WLB Carlson added 6 sacks and a team best 15 hurries. DE Harding (4.5 sacks) and SLB McNeil (3.5 sacks) were the only others to really contribute to the pressure. SS Flowers led the team with 97 solo tackles while Carlson was 2nd with 75 as Tampa allowed 4.53 yards per rush (29th). On special teams punter May was 2nd in the league with a 47.3 gross average.

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Carolina Panthers 4-12

Scored 230 (32) Against 400 (27T)Total Offence 289.2 (29) Pass 185.1 (31) Rush 122.9 (12)Total Defence 359.2 (25) Pass 254.0 (26) Rush 114.4 (17)

Comment: A week one win in Tampa was followed by 7 straight losses, a 3-4 run with wins over the Ravens and Browns was followed by 3 defeats to end the season in another disappointing season. The offense was poor and in fact failed to score double figures in 6 games during 2014 including the final two weeks. The passing game was in chaos as Shields started the season while Farr ended the year as the starter. Shields passed for 1843 yards, 12 TD’s (9 INT’s) while Farr passed for 756 yards, 3 TD’s and 4 picks in his 4 starts. Bulger started one game but played in a few passing for 362 yards (1 TD, 1 INT). The main target man was rookie WR Wilkerson who caught 65 passes for 889 yards and 4 TD’s while SE Goss only grabbed for 31 for 344 and 2 TD’s. Seward (28 for 335, 2 TD’s) and Williams (26 for 300, 2 TD’s) played well when given an opportunity, however RB Benson (54 for 391, 5 TD’s) and TE Winters (34 for 315, 1 TD) were heavily involved in the passing game was well. The running game was decent as the team average 4.64 yards per rush (4th) as Benson ran for 1131 yards and 2 TD’s after signing as a free agent from the Raiders. Osieja with 731 yards and 3 TD’s will be looking to get more playing time in 2015 as he has averaged 5.04 yards over his 2 seasons. RG Sciullo led the team with 21 KRB’s, however he also allowed 17 sacks, which was 1 short of the worst number in the league. C Coston with 20 KRB’s was the only other player to record 20 or more, Mitchell (19), Zeller (16) and Schroeder (10) were the other starters, The defense was good against the run allowing only 3.97 yards per rush (6th) with MLB Crawford leading the team as the recorded 124 solo tackles. Safeties Sensabaugh (86) and Harris (76) were also heavily involved. SLB Caldwell only

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played in 11 games making 66 solo tackles, 1 sack and a pick, if he could stay healthy he could be one of the best in the league. The problem for the Panthers was getting off the field as they allowed 48.6% of 3rd downs to be converted (32nd). CB’s Ramsey and Nelson with 4 and 3 interceptions respectively played ok in the secondary but did allow 79 catches between them. Sensabaugh and Cordero both picked off two passes however the LB brought one of his back for six points. DE Miller (6 sacks, 16 hurries) and Guthrie (5 sacks, 13 hurries) did provide some pass rush but this was not a defense that worried too many offensive co-ordinators. CB Ramsey had real success on kick-off returns as he took two back to the house while punter Knapp was 3rd with a 47.2 gross avg.

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NFC East:

Washington Redskins 10-6 Scored 453 (7) Against 373 (21T)Total Offence 401.2 (3) Pass 284.5 (3) Rush 129.8 (4)Total Defence 342.3 (16) Pass 239.6 (15) Rush 111.1 (11T)

Comment: Washington started the season 3-3 before going 7-1 to position themselves in pole position. Two losses to end the season worried the Redskins faithful including a week 17 loss in Dallas. Revenge was sweet as the Cowboys were man handled in the wildcard round. Washington then shocked the Seahawks in Seattle before winning in Green Bay to reach the RDFL bowl for the 3rd time. There were hopes it would be 3rd time lucky but despite having a lead at halftime a kick-off return by Texans Ritschel for a TD and then a Rivers pick handed the championship to the Texans. Washington continues to have a great offense leading the league with 4.92 yards per rush, Williams leading the way(and winning the rushing title) with 1460 yards and 11 TD’s, the problem for defensive co-ordinators was that the Redskins have a great passing attack as Rivers passed for 4552 yards, 35 TD’s (11 INT’s) as both Edwards and White broke the 1000 yard barrier. Edwards ended the season with 100 for 1460 yards and19 TD’s (a single season record) while White grabbed 91 for 1172 and 9 TD’s. Williams caught 44 for 339 out of the backfield while TE Davis with 31 for 394 and 2 TD’s did his bit. LT Miller with 28 KRB’s and LG Liakos (20 KRB’s) ensured the left side of the OL was the place to run. C’s Darrow with 19 KRB’s and Corbett with 17 ensured that the middle was also a good place to run. Washington weren’t outstanding in any category though only allowed 39% of 3rd downs to be converted (7th). MLB Joyner led the team with 78 solo tackles while also picking off 3 passes. SS Wooden with 73 solo tackles and SLB Babin with 66, 3 sacks and a pick was busy. DE Sagapolutele came over from Denver

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to lead the Redskins with 7.5 sacks, 25 hurries and a massive 34 QBKd’s. DT Rogers with 4 sacks, 12 hurries and 16 QBKd’s their was no room to step up in the middle. CB Forland was key to the secondary as he intercepted 6 passes (defended 9) to record an 84.1 PDPct. On the other side Rogers picked off 3 passes while Emmons defended 16 passes without an interception. Special teams saw Edwards return two kick-offs for 2 TD’s while Buckley brought another one back for a score as well. Those returns were kind of ironic as it was allowing one to the Texans that cost the Redskins the RDFL bowl game.

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Dallas Cowboys 10-6

Scored 459 (6) Against 305 (3)Total Offence 378.3 (6) Pass 275.1 (6) Rush 111.3 (17)Total Defence 334.0 (11) Pass 252.3 (23T) Rush 97.3 (3)

Comment: Dallas started out 0-2 and after week 9 and 10 losses were stood at 4-5. They then won 5 games in a row and despite a loss to the Texans in week 16 finished the season with a home win over the Redskins to ensure the 5th seed spot in the postseason. The reward was a trip to Washington in the wildcard round as the season ended with a one and done in the playoffs. QB Palmer led a quality offense passing for 4402 yards and 41 TD’s (8 INT’s) to record a 116.1 rating. A 70.9 completion percentage (2nd), 8.43 yards per attempt (4th) and 11.9 yards per catch (7th) showed how well the passing game worked. Fitzgerald (102 for 1378, 9 TD’s) and Estep (92 for 1194, 12 TD’s) ensured any opposing secondary was always busy. FB Cline with 39 for 324 (2 TD’s) and RB Pieters with 22 for 167, 5 TD’s contributed to the passing game while TE’s McMichael (28 for 353, 4 TD’s) and Dressen (21 for 213, 5 TD’s) were also more than useful contributors. However Dallas did struggle running the ball as they gained only 3.81 yards per rush (29th), Pieters in his 2nd season saw a huge drop in production as he gained 565 yards at 3.42 per carry (4 TD’s). Rookie Walton also struggled gaining 3.9 yards per carry for his 527 yards and 4 TD’s. In fact it is worth noting that QB Palmer with 407 yards (3 TD’s) wasn’t that far behind either of the top two backs. C Bouse led the team with 23 KRB’s, while tackle Roos and G Duncan both registered 18. The other tackle Gardner added 16 while between the four of them they only allowed 8 sacks. The Cowboys defense stepped up to the mark against the run allowing 3.82 yards per rush (3rd) and less than a 100 per game (3rd), add in only 34.5% of 3rd downs were being converted (3rd) and the points allowed (3rd) it is clear this side of the ball was

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doing all it could to contribute towards wins. SS Brister led the team with 99 solo tackles, while SLB Duggan (81), MLB Thurman (62) and DT Herrlich (59) all protected the secondary. Herrlich also helped against the pass by recording 7.5 sacks, joint best for the Cowboys with DE Whitfield, though Percy added 26 hurries and 22 QBKd’s in comparison to Christian’s 9 and 20. Cruz on the other end added 6.5 sacks and 10 hurries, while LB’s Thurman and Duggan recorded 5 and 4.5 sacks respectively. Rookie nickel CB Carvin was one of the best against the pass as he picked off 2 passes bringing one back for a score while defending a team best 13 passes. Wells (CB) and safety Collins also picked off two passes each, while Watkins (CB) brought his one pick back 44 yards for a score and defended another 10 passes despite allowing 50 catches on the season. Special teams saw FL Potts brought one of his 5 punt returns back for a score, perhaps he should have been given more opportunities.

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Philadelphia Eagles 9-7

Scored 365 (15) Against 382 (24)Total Offence 327.9 (22T) Pass 222.3 (25) Rush 113.9 (15)Total Defence 344.8 (18th) Pass 241.4 (17) Rush 115.5 (18th)

Comment: The Eagles after defeating the Redskins at the end of last season built on that success to become the 3rd NFC East team in the playoffs with a week 17 win over the Giants securing the spot and knocking the New York team out in one blow. The week before had been even more impressive as a road win in Indianapolis had kept the dream alive. However in the wildcard game a trip to Green Bay was to prove to be one step too far in what was an exciting season for Philadelphia fans and players alike. The Eagles offense was effective completing 68% of its passes (7th) leading this was Markovich at QB who passed for 3489 yards, 25 TD’s and 8 INT’s. No receiver was standout as TE Drake with 63 for 572 (1 TD) led the team in receptions and RB Foster (56 for 515, 4 TD’s) was 2nd. WR Marshak led the team in yardage, 812 and TD’s 8 from his 50 catches, while Tripplehorn (48 for 535, 4 TD’s) was solid as well. Maloney (35 for 490, 1 TD) and Ohle (34 for 366, 4 TD’s) also contributed to a balanced offense, 28.1 runs (12th) to 30.1 passes (30th). Foster led the team rushing for 1272 yards and 14 TD’s (3.95 yards per carry) while Lane added 436 and 6 TD’s. The strength of the running game was to the right as RT Garner (32) and RG Kawai (31) spent lots of time creating holes for the RB’s. The middle of the line wasn’t bad with G Chrysler and C Stuart adding 25 and 23 as well. The Eagles defense was middle of the road in many categories though that didn’t stop MLB Jones being 2nd in the league with 131 solo tackles. SS Lane was 2nd on the team with 88 while SLB Johnson added 76 along with 5 sacks. DE Shepherd added 5 sacks of his own to be tied 2nd on the team though he did add 15 hurries. In the middle of the DL Warren was the top sack man as he recorded 6.5, to go with 13 hurries and 12 QBKd’s. Alongside Warren, Mackie added 4.5 sacks and

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on the other end Strand got to the QB 3 times while forcing 17 hurries. MLB Jones added 3 sacks, 10 hurries and a pick to his tackle numbers so was involved in helping the secondary as well. FS Shelton led the team with 4 picks while also making 11 defended passes and recording a PDPct of 81.2. Nickel CB Harmon and OLB Johnson both recorded 2, while Freeman the starting CB didn’t pick off any though led the team with 13 defended passes (PDPct 79.8). SS Lane also didn’t get any picks but helped out with 10 defended passes as he was in run support as often as possible.

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New York Giants 8-8

Scored 321 (19T) Against 337 (10)Total Offence 327.9 (22T) Pass 246.1 (15) Rush 96.9 (32)Total Defence 331.1 (8th) Pass 257.4 (27) Rush 83.6 (2)

Comment: The Giants are the nearly men of the East as they miss out on the playoffs in the final week of the season again. Going 1-3 in the final 4 weeks costing New York a playoff spot. The one highlight was the victory over Seattle in week 10 as this was the Seahawks only regular season loss. The defense also saw signs of slipping as they struggled against the pass all year though this may be a reflection of teams not wanting to run where the Giants allowed only 3.35 yards per rush (1st). The pass defense allowed 62.7% of passes to be completed (7th) but when they were completed they were for good yardage (11.77 per catch which was 29th in the league).FS Reed was a beast in the secondary as he picked off 5 passes and defended another 14 to record an 84.2 PDPct. CB Sacco was busy defending 11, picking 3 while allowing 57 catches, however the problem was on the other side as Green allowed 53 catches to be made while defending only 9. Its worth noting that LB’s Fillon and Baglien both defended 5 passes and picked off 2 passes, while recording 5 and 2 sacks respectively. DE Dougherty actually led the team with 6 sacks (7 hurries) while rookie DT Willis led the team with 17 hurries. DT Riley was 2nd with 16 hurries and added 2.5 sacks for good measure, while the other 2 on the roster Bustamante and Stiegler both recorded 2.5 sacks and 5 hurries. Reed with 99 solo tackles led the Giants while MLB Fillon was 2nd with 96, Sacco added 75 and Baglien 74 as the DL were there mostly to apply pass rush letting the LB’s and secondary make the tackles. Backup CB Ware did bring one kick-off back for a TD while not seeing much action on defense. Offensively the Giants still struggled gaining only 3.57 yards per rush (32nd) with Kelley (668 yards, 5 TD’s) and Jenkins (598, 2 TD’s) leading the way. RG Montgomery was the man to run behind as

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he recorded 23 KRB’s while C Gillespie wasn’t too bad with 22. LT Terry made 18 KRB’s, but did allow 10 sacks while tackle McKnight added 16 and LG Whitley 15 (9 sacks allowed). Alonso when he could pass had a good season throwing for 3929 yards and 25 TD’s, unfortunately he did get picked off 17 times. Mastin was the key receiver as he caught 94 for 1326 and 9 TD’s, while on the other side Williams added 56 for 737 and 5 TD’s. Evans continues to move towards the end of his career as he grabbed 24 for 398 (4 TD’s) while rookie McWilliams (17 for 198, 2 TD’s) will be looking to improve in his 2nd season. The RB’s may have struggled on the ground but they certainly helped out the passing game with Jenkins catching 42 for 364 and 2 TD’s and Kelley 37 for 280 yards.

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NFC North:

Green Bay Packers 11-5

Scored 401 (11T) Against 351 (13)Total Offence 365.3 (14) Pass 248.3 (14) Rush 126.2 (8th)Total Defence 337.3 (12) Pass 234.5 (11) Rush 112.9 (15)

Comment: The Packers started out 1-2 and going into week 10 were only 4-4, however e week 9 loss in Tampa was the turning point of the season as Green Bay won 7 out of 8 to win the North. The wildcard round saw the Eagles in Green Bay and the Packers won it comfortably to gain a trip to Atlanta. Here the Packers shocked the Georgia fans with a 30-27 score to set-up a championship game in Green Bay against the Redskins. However this was one game too many as the Redskins won and ended the Packers Cinderella season. England continued to make improvements at QB as he passed for 3574 yards and 27 TD’s (16 INT’s) in 14 games. Snyder as backup played well passing for 399 yards and 3 TD’s in regular season play and was pretty good in the wildcard game. England was awesome in the playoffs passing for 568 yards and 4 TD’s (no picks). Whoever was at QB the man they looked for was Hayes who grabbed 86 for 1371 yards and 8 TD’s. Tripodi caught 62 for 639 and 4 TD’s while Prescott a former number 5 overall pick saw his numbers drop to 41 for 611 and 4 TD’s. In fact FB Minton caught more passes (49 for 340, 3 TD’s) and RB Vega also caught 4 TD passes in his 23 catches and WR Pacheco did the same from 22 grabs. Germaine was the main RB (started 15) as he rushed for 798 yards and 6 TD’s, but Vega who didn’t start a game out rushed him gaining 1012 yards and 6 TD’s at a 5.3 yards per carry. The reason that Vega was not starting is obvious when you see that he fumbled 12 times. The left hand side of the OL was the place to run as both LG Steinbach and LT Brown both recorded 37 KRB’s (9 and 8 pancakes), C Wright added 30 KRB’s (7 pancakes) so there were plenty of holes to run through. The Green Bay defense was still more than decent

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allowing 4.07 yards per rush (8th), only 57.4% pass completion (1st), 5.95 yards per attempt (1st) and10.36 yards per catch (3rd). SS Harris led the team with 117 solo tackles while SILB Castillo added 100 of his own. The pass rush was led by the OLB’s in the 3-4 defense as Gretzky recorded 5 sacks and 9 hurries and Henry 5 sacks and 8 hurries. That’s not to say the DE’s didn’t do their bit as Vandeginste with 4 sacks (23 hurries) and Pollack 3.5 sacks and 22 hurries ensured opposing QB’s had to account for at least 4 players whenever they stepped back to pass. CB Rasmussen defended 19 passes while picking off 2 for an 80.5 PDPct, Safety Boulware also had 2 picks, though both trailed LB’s Rose and Castillo who grabbed 3 interceptions each, Giles struggled at times recording a 76.7 PDPct in his 12 games but he did bring one of his 2 picks back for a TD. Kicker Holliman was 2nd in the league with 29 FG’s as he converted 78.4% of his opportunities.

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Detroit Lions 8-8

Scored 411 (9) Against 401 (27T)Total Offence 383.0 (5) Pass 266.5 (10) Rush 127.8 (6)Total Defence 365.0 (26) Pass 265.8 (29) Rush 107.8 (7T)

Comment: At 3-6 it looked like another disappointing season for the Lions however after this the Lions played well with wins in Buffalo and Miami and a big home game over the Bears, if it hadn’t been for a home loss to the Rams and a final week loss in Green Bay the Lions would have had a winning record. The Lions ran the ball well gaining 4.32 yards per rush (8th) with Newman gaining 1322 yards (4 TD’s) after the big trade from the Bears. Horn added 589 yards and 4 TD’s in relief. One of the keys to the running game was that Detroit could go left, right or up the middle, LT Flannery led the team with 32 KRB’s, RT Gallery was 2nd with 23 and C Reed also recorded 23, its worth noting that the guard pairing of Graham and Rhett combined for 30 KRB’s between them. The passing game was more than good as the Lions completed 67.4% of the passes (8th), converted 50.2% of 3rd downs (4th) and led the league in avoiding turnovers with 11. QB Jaeger only threw 5 interceptions while passing for 4158 yards and 40 TD’s. Blake proved to be an excellent acquisition coming over from Tampa in a trade as he caught 108 for 1471 and 6 TD’s. Hicks (58 for 754 and 9 TD’s) and Hayes (42 for 411, 8 TD’s) ensured that there was always an open receiver. Newman caught 58 for 442 and 10 TD’s out of the backfield, while TE’s Cleevely (28 for 296, 1 TD) and Jells (22 for 338, 1 TD) also contributed in the middle of the field. The defense wasn’t at the same level allowing 4.47 yards per rush (27th), 7.95 yards per pass attempt (30th) and 12.32 yards per catch (31st). SS Rhodes led the team with 76 solo tackles while SLB Medlin was busy with 74 solo tackles. FS Pool was 3rd with 71 solo tackles while leading the defense with 5 interceptions, one of which was taken back fro six points. CB’s West (3 picks, 10 defended passes) and Wright (2 INT’s) were both solid in

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pass coverage while the main starters Rivers and Peters struggled. DE Vilma helped with 7 sacks and 19 hurries, Nutile did force 15 hurries but only recorded 1.5 sacks and in fact DT Griffith was 2nd on the team with 3 sacks.

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Minnesota Vikings 7-9

Scored 413 (8th) Against 430 (30)Total Offence 368.1 (11) Pass 271.2 (8th) Rush 104.4 (25)Total Defence 382.7 (31) Pass 282.7 (32) Rush 114.2 (16)

Comment It was an up and down season for the Vikings with a big win over Miami in week 12 being one of the outstanding results of the season. A 1-3 start and then going 1-4 between weeks 11 and 15 were not going to help the Vikings get back to the playoffs as the Vikings relied heavily on their pass offense. Ayodele attempted 603 passes (3rd most by any team in the season) as he passed for 4339 yards and 40 TD’s (9 INT’s). Williams caught 92 of them for 1290 yards and 9 TD’s while Hanks accounted for 10 TD’s in the 62 passes he grabbed (639 yards). The Vikings used their WR’s as often as possible with Parrish catching 51 for 642 (2 TD’s) and Vogel 46 for 621 yards (7 TD’s). TE Troupe (41 for 393, 4 TD’s) was an excellent midrange option while RB Money grabbed 23 for 150 and 3 TD’s. Running the ball Money was the key man as he gained 923 yards for 3 TD’s while Grewal added 611 yards and 5 TD’s in his rookie season. Both backs went to their right when possible as RG Shapiro and RT Gross led the team with 29 and 27 KRB’s. LG Hudson ensured the inside left had to be watched as he added 19 and C Hardwick contributed another 15. The Minnesota defense struggled especially against the pass allowing 8.36 yards per attempt (tied 31st) and 12.29 per catch (30th). CB MacClelland was the only player to intercept more than one pass and he only managed two (one was taken back for a TD) as he also defended 10 passes, Whiting on the other side did defend 19 passes while picking off a single pass but both players allowed 62 catches as opposing QB’s didn’t worry about turnovers. The one worry when passing against the Vikings was the pass rush with WLB Lester recording 13.5 sacks, 22 hurries and 25 QBKd’s. On the other side SLB Lindros added 7.5 sacks

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while DE Wynn managed to get to the QB 5.5 times (11 hurries and 17 QBKd’s). SILB Fink led the Vikings with 103 solo tackles while Lindros added 88 and SS Lindsay with 78 as the Vikings allowed 4.3 yards per rush (18th). CB’s Whiting and MacClelland both made too many solo tackles (72 and 62) though this may have been after the catch.

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Chicago Bears 6-10

Scored 398 (13) Against 473(32)Total Offence 374.8 (8th) Pass 280.3 (5) Rush 106.3 (23)Total Defence 367.8 (28th) Pass 252.3 (23T) Rush 123.9 (26)

Comment: Chicago fans must wonder what they have done to deserve the instability of this franchise as they see the team trade away RB Newman but the GM who then at the end of the season resigns. Even here we have lost count of the number of GM’s this franchise has had over the last few years. The 5 game losing streak at the end of the season does not give anyone confidence that this team is headed the right way though there are rumours of an old GM returning to take this franchise back towards the top. The passing game was reasonable as Brees passed for 4425 yards and 32 TD’s, however he was picked off 19 times which helped the Bears to rank 28th with 31 turnovers. Bradley with 112 catches for 1519 yards and 19 TD’s helped the team to lead the league with 12.74 yards per catch. Stuber added 59 for 769 and 4 TD;s while TE Dixon with 52 receptions for 690 and 9 Td’s ensured Brees had medium range options as well. Hill (48 for 642, 2 TD’s) and Kariger (40 for 425, 3 TD’s) contributed as the Bears passed on average 37.8 times per game (2nd). Montgomery a 5th round draft pick replaced Newman as the starter as he ran for 884 yards and 8 TD’s, while 2nd year man Stone with 574 yards and 3 TD’s provided able support. LG Crummey was the man to rush behind as he recorded 33 KRB’s (9 pancakes) while C Van Pelt added 20 (though allowed 7 sacks). Tackles Britt (16), Johnson (11) and guard Starks (15) may not have had great KRB numbers but they did convert over 40% of their opportunities. The defense was simply poor during 2014 the only good stat was the 10.54 yards allowed per catch (8th). CB Sinclair and Safety Moyad led the team with 3 interceptions, while CB Westbrook and Safety Lake added 2 each. Ross brought his one pick back 15 yards for a score. DE Turner led the team with 8 sacks and 26 hurries while Sterling

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added 4.5 sacks and 8 hurries on the other side, other than that there was little help for the secondary. MLB Wayne led the team with 103 solo tackles while SLB Poppinga contributed 89 himself. This is one season the Bears need to forget and the hope is that a new GM is put into place sooner rather than later to get this team onto its feet.

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AFC Season Review

AFC West:

San Diego Chargers 11-5

Scored 460 (5) Against 358 (16T)Total Offence 368.0 (12) Pass 271.6 (7) Rush 103.9 (26)Total Defence 375.7 (29) Pass 253.0 (25) Rush 138.5 (32)

Comment: There appeared to be trouble in San Diego after starting out 1-3, after that a surprise loss in week 10 to the Raider and a week 16 loss to the Cardinals with back-up QB Kramer playing were the only losses as the Chargers stormed to the division title. Garrison was awesome again passing for 3537 yards, 34 TD’s and only 5 picks before breaking his arm in week 14. Kramer played well passing for 808 yards, 6 TD’s and 2 picks. He led the team in the wild card game and played well passing for 203 yards and 2 TD’s but it was not enough as the Bills were too strong. The passing attack was very good, gaining 7.8 yards per attempt (6th) and 12.02 per catch (6th) as Green (105 for 1472 and 13 TD’s) proved to be the main target man. Shea wasn’t bad grabbing 72 for 911 and 7 TD’s, that was a major drop on previous seasons production but he only started 6 games as Cox came over from Denver in a trade. Cox caught 59 for 766 and 6 TD’s ensuring that rookie 1st round pick Chung (25 for 263, 2 TD’s) only saw limited playing time while 2nd year TE Brayshaw saw less of the ball as well though he did catch 32 for 380 and 6 TD’s. The Chargers didn’t run the ball that often, only 24.4 times per game (tied 31st) however when they did they gained 4.25 yards per attempt (14th). LT McCollom led the running game with 38 KRB’s (11 pancakes) though C Fisk (26) and LG Sherman (20) more than did their bit. RT Schumacher with 15 was good when run blocking but did allow 9 sacks. Mills was the leading rusher with 856 yards

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and 8 TD’s while Monroe added another 689 yards (6 TD’s). San Diego struggled against the run allowing 4.82 yards per attempt (32nd), The front 3 didn’t slow the running game down as WILB Lehman had to make 103 solo tackles and SS Tatum 101, while the next 4 tacklers in the list were an OLB, 2 CB’s and a safety. DE Flannery did get involved in helping the secondary as he recorded 11.5 sacks, 18 hurries and 17 QBKd’s. Lake on the other side added 7 sacks and 28 hurries while WLB Krakowski had 7.5 sacks, 12 hurries and 20 QBKd’s. SLB McCoy (5 sacks) and NT Tanner (4 sacks) also applied pressure at times. This pressure didn’t stop opposing QB’s passing as they completed 67% of passes (tied 23rd). CB Hastings led the Chargers with 3 picks and was 2nd with 9 defended passes. FS Farley led in the 2nd category with 12 as no starting secondary player recorded a PDPct higher than Farley’s 78.3. Hinsley who is the high rated CB did pick off 2 passes, defended 6 but he missed 6 games due to injury, while Newman struggled allowing 45 catches when he played.

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Kansas City Chiefs 8-8

Scored 310 (21T) Against 331 (9)Total Offence 329.5 (20) Pass 218.9 (26) Rush 119.9 (13)Total Defence 314.6 (2) Pass 213.5 (2) Rush 112.0 (13)

Comment: A 3 game winning streak at the end of the season ensured the Chiefs had a respectable season however the 2-6 record after the bye (between weeks 7 and 14) was not a record that the Chiefs could overcome to make the playoffs. Kansas liked to run the ball, especially with rookie Pride in the backfield as they rushed 28.9 times per game (6th), Pride ran 268 times for 1146 yards and 5 TD’s, while Glover rushed for 414 yards in a backup role, however he did fumble 7 times. Most of the yardage was gained down the middle or to the left, as LT Rinehart and LG Pollack recorded 31 and 30 KRB’s respectively, RG Pollock helped up the middle with 24 KRB’s as well. Brewer and Aarhus shared the load at QB with Brewer coming over in a trade from the Rams. He passed for 2132 yards, 17 TD’s and 5 picks in his 10 starts. The key may be he was the QB at the end of the season when the Chiefs looked much better. Aarhus only led the team to two victories as he passed for 1348 yards, 8 TD’s and 6 INT’s. Hopkins and Beyer were the top receivers, Hopkins catching 67 for 663 and 5 TD’s and Beyer contributing 45 for 708 and 3 TD’s. Rookie RB Pride was heavily involved as well grabbing 53 for 300 and finding the endzone 4 times, while TE Martinez in his 9th season saw a drop in production catching only 34 passes for 339 yards and 4 TD’s. The Chiefs defense was excellent ranking 2nd in yardage allowed, 1st in 3rd down conversions (32.7%). The secondary allowed 63.8% of passes to be completed (10th) while allowing only 6.68 yards per attempt (7th) and 10.48 per catch (6th). CB Patton led the team with MLB Henderson with 2 interceptions while CB Biakabutuka with 1 pick led the team with 8 defended passes. Helping the secondary was the pass rush up the middle with DT’s Castillo (7 sacks, 15 hurries) and Murray (5 sacks, 11

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hurries) ensured opposing QB’s could not step up to make a play. DE’s Oskolkoff 4 sacks, 14 hurries and Glenn 4 sacks and 13 hurries ensured the LB’s could drop back into coverage ensuring passing lanes were limited. MLB Henderson with 99 solo tackles along with safeties Branch (80) and Bullocks (67) made lots of plays all over the field, though they didn’t create too many turnovers (16 all season) tied 30th in the league.

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Los Angeles Raiders 3-13

Scored 353 (18th) Against 434 (31)Total Offence 332.1 (17) Pass 236.7 (19) Rush 106.5 (21)Total Defence 390.8 (32) Pass 270.7 (30) Rush 129.6 (29)

Comment: The week one victory over the Broncos was to prove to be a false dawn as it was followed by 7 straight defeats. A shock win over the Chargers in week 10 and a road win in Cincinnati in week 13 were to be the only other wins in their first season in Los Angeles. As the defense was so awful the Raiders needed to pass the ball more often than they would have liked, they were successful completing passes 67.1% (9th) and in 3rd down conversions 46.2% (7th). Smith started 13 games after playing in all 16 for two seasons in a row; he did pass for 3271 yards, 28 TD’s and 6 picks for a career best 103.6 rating. Rookie Rob Wolf was given a look as he started 3 games, completing 58.7% of his passes for 516 yards, 1 TD and 3 INT’s, this performance may mean the Raiders will be looking for a new QB in the draft. Chapin and Harding were the key receivers with the 3rd year man leading the way as he grabbed 82 passes for 872 yards and 5 TD’s after being moved to SE. Harding in his 2nd season saw a drop in production as he caught 60 for 770 yards and 6 TD’s. Langdon was the 3rd option at WR (started one game) as he caught 45 for 445 and a team leading 7 TD’s, while TE Blake had a career season grabbing 48 got 452 and 2 TD’s. The running game wasn’t given as many opportunities as rookie RB Faber would have liked, 25.1 attempts per game (27th) however Faber did rush for 1029 yards and 8 TD’s (add in 29 catches for 197 yards 1 TD) in a successful 1st season. Grier in a backup role after being moved over from FB ran for 501 yards and 3 TD’s, as well as catching 31 passes for 179 yards 3 TD’s. Running behind RG Collett (34 KRB’s, 11 pancakes) while playing at LG or C Baas (29 KRB’s, 10 pancakes) was a good idea. RT Money and rookie RG Custer both added 19 KRB’s ensuring a balanced running attack. Defensively it was a

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disastrous year allowing 4.4 yards per rush (22nd), 67.4% of passes to be completed (26th), 8.36 yards per attempt (31st Tied), 12.41 yards per catch (32nd) and 47% of 3rd downs to be converted (29th). Three players led the team with 78 solo tackles with SS Talley, SILB Hinchliffe and SLB Walljasper all making plenty of tackles, helping the secondary by applying pressure to opposing QB’s were Walljasper (6.5 sacks) and DE Hill, 6.5 sacks and 13 hurries. DT Horton (3.5 sacks) and DE Marais (3 sacks, 11 hurries) did help but this was not a unit that kept opposing co-ordinators awake at night. Only FS Sargent could be happy with his play this season as he picked off 4 passes, defended another 10 and recorded a 80.8 PDPct. Talley (8 defended passes) and Hinchliffe both intercepted one pass but that was all the team managed. Rolle is the only decent CB on the roster and with him missing 8 games it was always going to be difficult for the Raiders as the very high draft pick proves.

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Denver Broncos 3-13


Comment: Highlights were few and far between for the Broncos who are going through a rebuilding process. There was one road win in Cleveland in week 3 and two home games against divisional rivals as Kansas and Los Angeles both lost in Denver. The Broncos knew their offense was not going to blow anyone away so they team looked to control the clock by running the ball; they averaged 31.7 carries per game (2nd) to lead the league in yards per game. Lecuona led the team with 1084 yards and 4 TD’s as he became the starter in his 3rd season. The fact that he gained the yardage at nearly 5 per carry was impressive as backups McCarthy (646 yards, 3 TD’s) and Schwartz (314 yards 1 TD) both averaged less than 4 per rush. Denver did have more success running to the left behind LT Marshall (25 KRB’s), LG Wayne and C Osburn who both recorded 20 KRB’s. It is interesting that the tackle Pat Browning was 4th on the team with 16 KRB’s despite not starting one game. Wolf was the starting QB for most of the season until a week 12 injury resulted on him being placed on IR. In the 11 games he played he was under par completing only 57.6% of his passes for 1425 yards and 7 TD’s (8 INT’s), Wilkins in his 4 starts was better (66.3% completion percentage) for 656 yards though he only threw 1 TD pass (1 INT). Only two player caught over 30 passes as 2nd year man Czurylo grabbed 55 for 570, 3 TD’s and Autry who added 40 for 520 and 2 TD’s. Bopp and Greer both caught 29 passes for 345 yards and 378 respectively, with Bopp catching the 1 TD between them, he also brought one kick-off return back for a TD. TE Lucas was joint top with 3 TD receptions out of his 27 for 275 yards. Defensively most teams decided to run on the Broncos as they attempted more runs (30.5) than passes (29.3) per game. Rookie DT Baker was challenged often as he

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responded to lead the team with 73 solo tackles, the middle of the defense was busy as SS Numbers was 2nd with 67 solo tackles and MLB Flick 3rd with 60. Against the pass the Broncos allowed a league worst 72.7% of passes to be completed, though the yards per catch, 10.47 were 5th best in the league. Rookie LCB Bernard looks like being a man to build on as he grabbed 3 picks and 7 defensed passes to lead Denver in both categories. Baggett the secondary leader only started 6 games making 6 defensed passes, recorded 1 pick to record an 80.2 PDPct while FS Logan who started only 7 games was 2nd on the team with 2 INT’s. Rookie kicker Sanders led the league with 31 FG’s, though he did miss 10 attempts, 7 of them from over 50 yards out.

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AFC South:

Houston Texans 12-4

Scored 400 (11T) Against 349 (12)Total Offence 370.4 (10) Pass 248.6 (13) Rush 133.2 (2)Total Defence 355.6 (23) Pass 261.4 (28th) Rush 107.2 (5)

Comment: Those steps of improvement continued as the Texans reached the RDFL bowl for the first time in its history and when Ritschel brought a kick-off back for a TD late in the game the Texans had a lead. Rivers was intercepted by Petruzziello the Texans had won the RDFL bowl. Houston had a great regular season starting out 4-0 then after losing 3 out of 4 between weeks 10 and 13. The Texans needed to win in week 17 against the Colts to give them the division title otherwise it would have been the wildcard route for the Texans, a long FG won it at the end and using home field advantage the Texans destroyed the Bills and beat the Dolphins comfortably before the RDFL bowl late win gave them the title. Joseph started at QB week one before he was sent to Seattle in a trade that brought Vance over from the Seahawks. Vance passed for 2186 yards, 18 TD’s and 7 INT’s in the 9 games he played. Tatum who played weeks 8 to 13 due to injury and played ok passing for 1594 yards, 12 TD’s and 8 picks. Vance was back for the playoffs and he showed his moxie as he won a 3rd championship. There was no clear number one receiver as the Texans gained 12.05 yards per catch (5th) with Ritschel grabbing 64 for 845, 6 TD’s. Sadowski caught 57 for 834 and 9 TD’s while Horn added 44 for 716 yards and 6 scores. Out of the backfield FB Brandon (34 for 256, 4 TD’s) and RB Wolf (33 for 239) made their contributions. TE Ligon30 for 346 and 2 TD’s was a solid option along with Hiles (20 for 218, 2 TD’s) in the middle of the field, Hannegraf led the rushing game with 1074 yards (6 TD’s) in 12 games while Wolf with 718 yards and 5 TD’s was excellent when called upon. C Nedney was outstanding as he recorded an amazing 50 KRB’s

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(13 pancakes), Guards Harper with 19 and Hastings with 17 ensured the middle of the OL was the place to run. Tackles Stegeman (16) and Tanner (10) were out blocked by FB Brandon, who added 17 KRB’S (including 4 pancakes) as he led the way for any ball carrier. Defensively it wasn’t quite as good though the run defense was decent allowing 4.13 yards per rush (13th) as FS Dansby played at SS making 109 solo tackles, Peters at SILB added 95 playing all 16 games after missing most of the last two seasons due to serious injuries. SLB Okuyama was 4th with 64 solo tackles while adding 4.5 sacks (2 INT’s). In fact he was 3rd on the team in sacks behind DE’s Udeze (9 sacks, 12 hurries, 22 QBKd’s) and Armstrong (6 sacks, 17 hurries, 18 QBKd’s). DT’s Moore (3 sacks) and Verba (2.5 sacks, 15 hurries) ensured the middle was not available for the opposing QB’s to step up the middle. McGregor led the team with 3 picks and 12 defended passes, while Petruzziello with 2 in the regular season left his biggest play for the key moment in the RDFL bowl game. Ritschel’s return for the winning score was not the first of the season as he returned two kick-offs for scores during the regular season while Lofton brought a punt back for a TD as well. Straight after the bowl win their GM announced he was standing down to take over the Seahawks so despite being defending champions the Texans are looking for someone to keep them on top.

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Indianapolis Colts 11-5


Comment: After losing in the championship game most teams struggle the following season, however after a week one loss to the Titans the Colts won 9 in a row. Two close losses to Washington and the Chargers were followed by road wins however a surprise home loss to the Eagles was followed by a big divisional loss in week 17 that meant the Colts only qualified as a wildcard team. A road win in Pittsburgh lead to the road to Miami where the Dolphins ended what up to the final few weeks had been an outstanding season. Indianapolis may have had one of the best offenses in the league, ever. QB Roethlisberger passed for 4636 yards and a single season record 56 TD passes. He did throw 11 picks but ended the season with an 118.5 QB rating. Willis and Carlisle both caught passes for over 1000 yards, Willis 105 for 1597 and 16 TD’s and Carlisle 82 for 1164 and 13 TD’s. Rookie TE Cogswell added 52 receptions for 540 yards and 8 TD’s, while the 2nd TE Bonk grabbed 33 for 443 and 2 TD’s. The 3rd WR Roberts only caught 31 passes for 336 yards but did find the endzone 8 times as the Colts finished the season with the top scoring offense, 2nd in yardage, 2nd in yards per catch (12.7), 3rd in yards per attempt (8.46) and 3rd in 3rd down conversion (51.4%). The running game was also good as the Colts gained 4.89 yards per carry (2nd) with Wayne breaking the 1000-yard barrier again ending the season with 1133 yards and 4 TD’s. Russell added 619 yards and 5 TD’s despite only starting 2 games. The OL was consistent throughout the season with only C Dunlap missing a start (3 games). Running to the left was successful with LG Hantschel leading the team with 28 KRB’s, LT Colaianne was 2nd with 25 and Dunlap added 23. That’s not to say it was bad

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running to the right as RT Cascini and RG Draper both recorded 19 KRB’s. It looks like the Colts pass defense was poor allowing 278.2 yards per game (31st) however it should be noted that opposing offense had to pass against the Colts as they attempted 40.5 pass per game, the most in the league. The secondary as a team allowed 64.2% of passes to be completed (13th) and only 6.87 yards per attempt (10th). CB Svensk led the team with6 picks while defending 10 passes while on the other corner Adams defensed 14 passes and grabbed 3 interceptions. Safeties Kirkland (3 INT’s, 6 defn) and Gomez (14 defn) were busy as well. Helping the secondary was an excellent pass rush as DE’s Bailey (11 sacks, 18 hurries) and Wynn (7 sacks, 16 hurries) along with OLB’s Simoneau (6.5 sacks, 25 hurries) and Kinzie (4 sacks) ensured opposing QB’s could not stand in the pocket all day. Because the Colts were in pass defenses all the time they did allow 4.74 yards per rush (31st) with LB’s Terry (89) and Kinzie (84) leading the solo tackle count. Three CB’s and Safety Kirkland all recorded over 60 solo tackles but this may also be a reflection of tackles made in the passing game as well. In a shock announcement after the divisional round loss to the Dolphins GM Attyla announced his plan to resign, however this was rejected by the owners and he has committed himself to get the Colts back to the RDFL bowl and win a championship.

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Jacksonville Jaguars 7-9

Scored 354 (16T) Against 362 (18T)Total Offence 344.7 (15) Pass 245.0 (16) Rush 108.3 (20)Total Defence 342.0 (15) Pass 242.4 (19) Rush 110.9 (10)

Comment: A 2-4 start and 1-5 finish sandwiched a 4-0 run in the middle of the season that included a win over the Texans, however Rodgers and co couldn’t find a way to get back to the postseason despite finding much more offensive balance. Rodgers was still quality passing for 3828 yards, 26 TD’s and 10 INT’s helping the receiver to gain 11.77 yards per catch (8th). Parten (66 for 1181 and 11 TD’s was the key target while Erickson (61 for 742, 3 TD’s), Griffith (46 for 549, 5 TD’s) and Tucker (35 for 525, 3 TD’s) all played well when given the opportunity. The running game was given more opportunities this season, 26.6 rushes per game (16th) with McKnight the lead man rushing for 973 yards and 6 TD’s. Hastings in the back-up role played well gaining 483 yards on a 100 carries while finding the endzone 8 times. Leading the way upfront C Woodard (29), LT McKinnie (23) and LG Coffey (20) ensure that key blocks were made when running left. RT Lester only started 9 game while recording 19 KRB’s while RG Koppen only started 7 games due to injury. Jacksonville were good against the run allowing only 3.88 yards per carry (5th), SS Rozanski played inside the box as often as possible, which may account for his team leading 98 solo tackles. MLB Gouveia was more than solid in the middle as he made 90 tackles and WLB Conley chipped in with 82. The Pass defense was also more than decent allowing only 64.1% of passes to be completed (11th) and 6.9 yards per attempt (11th). The key to the secondary was FS Karamanos who led the team with 17 passes defensed while grabbing one pick to record a PDPct of 83.6. CB Ogden led the team with 3 interceptions but he allowed 55 catches while only defending another 6. Conley was involved all over the field as

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he also intercepted a couple of passes and was 2nd on the team with 10 defensed passes as well. One other note was that Kicker Hoying was accurate missing only one FG however he only attempted 14 all season.

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Tennessee Titans 6-10

Scored 302 (24T) Against 425 (29)Total Offence 317.4 (26) Pass 224.3 (23) Rush 108.6 (19)Total Defence 365.6 (27) Pass 251.2 (22) Rush 127.6 (28th)

Comment: A 3-2 start was a surprise for the Titans as they included wins over the Colts and Ravens, however this was followed by a 6 game losing streak as they went 1-8 in the next 9 games before wins in the final two weeks of the season, including a huge win in Washington. There were little highlights for Tennessee as QB Cavoretto regressed in his 2nd full season as the starter. He did pass for 3410 yards and 21 TD’s, however he was picked off 23 times and ended the season with a rating below 75. Perhaps the coaching staff need to look at where the passes are being thrown as the top 3 targets were all WR’s, Stratton ended the season with 83 catches for 910 yards and 5 TD’s, rookie Hickman (52 for 616) and Springer (49 for 672) also caught 5 TD’s each as no other player caught more than 27 passes. If RB’s Sampson (27 for 229) and Turner (26 for 138) along with TE Gibson (26 for 250, 2 TD’s) could be more involved it would help move the safeties around and give the offense more balance. Passing 37.3 times per game (5th) and only 25.8 rushes (22nd) allowed the opposing defenses to tee off on Cavoretto and secondary to sit back in coverage waiting for a mistake. When the Titans did run the ball Sampson and co were successful, Sampson led the way with 1001 yards and 5 TD’s, his first 1000 yard season after 8 seasons in New York failing to reach that mark. Turner (391) and rookie Schneider (312) contributed but could have been used more often. The OL was fairly set all season with the main 5 missing only 1 game, however this unit allowed 30 sacks with G Stargell the worst culprit allowing 11 sacks. When blocking for the running game they were a much more successful unit as 4 of them had 20 or more KRB’s, RT Ogden missed out by one as he recorded 19. G

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Douglas led the team with 26 this despite missing one game. Defensively it wasn’t much better for the fans as the highest ranking was in 3rd down conversions where they allowed 43.3% to be converted (16th). MLB Scott led the team with 102 solo tackles (his 2 sacks and an interceptions also helped), however SS Wilson was 2nd on the team with 90 and CB Williams 4th with 61, all helping to explain the 4.42 yards per rush allowed (24th). FS Schumer was the star in the secondary as he picked off 4 passes, defended 9 and ended the season with a 81.6 PDPct. Wilson (SS) actually did get back into coverage at times, as he led the team with 10 passes defensed. The secondary did get help from the pass rush with DE Freeman (9 hurries) leading the team with DT Welch (6 hurries) recording 6 sacks each. On the other end Garner added 4.5 and led the way with 15 hurries. The other DT McCollum was decent as well, 3.5 sacks and 6 hurries. Godfrey had a decent season punting as he had a 39.7 net on his 83 punts with 36 ending up in the oppositions 20, both number ranking 4th in the league, talking about special teams SE Stratton did average 26.3 yards per kick-off return and brought one back for a TD.

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AFC East:

Miami Dolphins 11-5


Comment: After losses in Indianapolis and Buffalo moved the Dolphins record to 2-2 it was crucial that Miami could put a run of games together to stay involved in the race to the playoffs. The offense went off helping lead the team to 6 wins before ending the season 3-3 to win the East. A huge win over the Colts in the divisional round set-up a road trip to Houston, this was to prove one game too many as the Dolphins fell just short of a return to the RDFL bowl. Palmer led the Fins to most of the wins, leading the offense to lead the league in passing yards and total yards gained, 2nd in yards per attempt and points per game and 3rd in yards per catch and turnovers. Palmer passed for 4672 yards and 44 TD’s (9 INT’s) combining with Kornbluth (116 for 1607, 16 TD’s) and Jones (94 for 1473, 14 TD’s) on a regular basis. The TE’s DeFelice (40 for 540, 2 TD’s) and Collins (31 for 321, 2 TD’s) ensured that the middle of the field had to be covered when the receivers went deep. As the passing attack was so effective it meant that defenses dropped their LB’s into coverage and the safeties played deep, this allowed the Dolphins to gain 4.51 yards per rush (6th) with Bradford coming over from the 49ers in a trade to gain 1429 yards and 9 TD’s. The pro bowl guard pairing continued to play well as Shepard (33 KRB’s) and Thomas (30 KRB’s) combined with the C’s Burnett (16 KRB’s) and Spencer (13) to ensure the running game up the middle could not be stopped. Miami were solid on defense, ranked 5th in points allowed and 9th in 3rd down conversions. They did allow 4.34 yards per rush (20th) as the safeties Doss with 84 and Sanford (75) were 1st and 3rd on the team in solo tackles while

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SILB McConnell was 2nd with 82. The safety pairing were crucial in the pass defense as well as both picked off 5 passes, Doss bringing one back for a TD. Sanford led the team with 9 passes defended and Doss was 2nd with 8. CB’s Volk and Crawford struggled allowing 101 passes to be caught between them. WLB Hatcher helped create pressure recording 8.5 sacks, 16 hurries and 14 QBKd’s. DE’s Edwards (6 sacks and 9 hurries) and Buckner (4.5 sacks and 11 hurries) along with DT Askew (3 sacks and 14 hurries) did help out as well. Matt Jones added a TD on a kick-off return to ensure special teams had to work out on coverage before meeting the Dolphins.

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Buffalo Bills 10-6

Scored 354 (16T) Against 357 (16T)Total Offence 377.4 (7) Pass 270.6 (9) Rush 112.9 (16)Total Defence 320.9 (4) Pass 225.6 (7) Rush 107.7 (6)

Comment: Buffalo surprised a few teams as they continued to find ways to win, a 1-2 start was forgotten as they went 4-1 in their next five games including a win against the Dolphins. However a week 15 loss in Miami meant the Bills had to settle for a wildcard spot in the playoffs. The Bills won their road trip to San Diego however in the divisional round were under the gun all day in a heavy loss to the Texans. The Bills were very much a pass first offense as they led the league in attempts and completions, Campbell missed one game as he passed for 4048 yards (a career high), 21 TD’s and only 7 INT’s the main target man was Brown who grabbed 68 passes for 1049 yards and 6 TD’s. Huffman (39 for 424, 3 TD’s), Nelson (37 for 570, 2 TD’s) and Bradford (36 for 536, 1 TD) all played their part. However Campbell spread the ball around with 8 players catching 36 or more passes. RB Bradley was 2nd on the team with 66 for 402 (2 TD’s), backup Tong caught 39 for 300, 2 TD’s while FB Dorsch also grabbed 39 for 204 (1 TD). With TE Money receiving 40 passes for 464 yards and 3 TD’s it proved to be difficult to shut down the Bills passing attack. The OL did its job allowing only 18 sacks on the season while 7 players recorded double digit KRB’s. The guard pairing of Biakabutuka (24) and Kuykendall (21) led the team in this area helping Bradley to almost reach the 1000 yard mark, however he ended the season with 954 yards and 7 TD’s while Tong had a career best year with 618 yards and 4 TD’s. As a team the Bills gained 4.48 yards per rush (7th) and avoided turnovers losing only 5 fumbles to rank 2nd in turnovers with 12 on the season and joint first in margin with a +14 mark. Defensively it was another good season ending 4th in total yardage, helping to slow

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opposing passing games down was a decent pass rush with Clements leading the team with 8 sacks and 20 hurries, on the other end Miller recorded 7 sacks and 7 hurries while making 54 solo tackles. DT Harris up the middle continues to play solid football, making 50 solo tackles, getting 2.5 sacks and forcing 10 hurries. Leading the defense in tackles was OLB Jeffries with 97 and MLB Finch with 90 as the team allowed 4.22 yards per rush (15th) keeping opposing RB’s from reaching the secondary. Jeffries assisted the pass defense, as he picked off 3 passes to tie CB Newman for the team lead in this category. Safety Coleman took one of his two back for a pick six however injuries meant he only played in 8 games. Buffalo will be looking to improve their secondary in the offseason, as Christofi who started 14 games is not a top draw CB despite his 2 interceptions and the 6 passes defensed. Janikowski continued to make kicking the football look like child’s play converting 27 of 35 (7 of the misses were from 40+) as he played in his 15th season of professional football.

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New England Patriots 7-9


Comment: The Patriots started the season strongly going 5-2 however a 5 game losing streak between weeks 9 and 13 ensured there would be no playoffs for New England this season. Leskanic was the QB most of the season though he didn’t start every game, when he played he threw for 2693 yards, 12 TD’s 9 INT’s. Moye passed for 828 yards and 3 TD’s, 3 INT’s in his 4 starts while rookie Hanson was given one start completing 54.5% of his passes for 200 yards 1 TD one pick. Garica and rookie first pick O’Neill were targeted most but it was the veteran Garica with 74 catches for 1022 yards and 4 TD’s that led the team. O’Neill had a good rookie season with 66 catches for 699 yards and 2 TD’s, but he was only 3rd on the team in receptions as out of the backfield Duran grabbed 73 for 475 and a score. Carnes was the 3rd option at WR grabbing 30 for 298 and 2 score though this was less than RB McGahee (34 for 187, 2 TD’s) who played at FB most of the season and TE Winslow (32 for 304 and 1 TD). Upfront was a fairly consistent OL with 3 players starting all 16 games and the other two missing 3 starts between them. C Hudson led the way with 24 KRB’s while the left hand side of the line was strong with LG Scanga recording 22 and LT Hallerstedt 21. Rookie Price started 14 games though mostly at RG, he did record 14 KRB’s but allowed 12 sacks. It is worth noting the OL allowed 46 sacks on the season so improvement here is still needed. Duran was the beneficiary of the run blocking as he recorded over 100 yards for the 2nd season in a row, ending the year with 1117 yards and 8 TD’s, though he did only gain 3.84 yards per carry. 2nd year man Westbrook continue to impress when he is given a chance gaining 5.54 yards per carry on his way to 310 yards and 3

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TD’s. Defensively the Patriots were better against the pass than the run as they allowed 4.44 yards per rush (25th) this meant that SILB Fitzgerald was called on to make lots of tackles, racking up 103 solo ones to lead the team. The worry was that SS Barton was 2nd on the team with 76 and OLB’s Watson (61) and Johnstone (60) cam next on the list as opposing RB’s regularly found the 2nd and 3rd layers of the defense. Styles playing at NT was solid recording 59 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 12 hurries and 18 QBKd’s. The DE’s in the 3-4 both applied solid pressure with Clayton getting 4.5 sacks and 17 hurries, Chapman on the other side did record 3 sacks and 15 hurries but it was WLB Johnstone who led the team with 7.5 sacks and another 15 hurries in only his 2nd season. The secondary played well allowing only 6.78 yards per pass attempt (9th) and were 2nd in 3rd down conversions allowed (34.2%) however as a team they only picked off 6 passes, Fitzgerald claiming two of them. Frankhouse led the team with 8 passes defended but there were no outstanding performances. It is worth noting that CB Strait was the highest rated player in the secondary with an 82.2 PDPct. Kicker Schwartz converted 27 of 34 FG attempts 5 of the 7 misses were from the 50+ range.

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New Jersey Jets 4-12


Comment: The season started off with injuries across the board as the Jets started out 0-4, after a mini revival (3-2) they finished the season 1-6. Offensively there was little to cheer about as the franchise tried to give rookie Sutter plenty of on the job learning at QB. He did pass for 2039 yards and 11 TD’s (9INT’s) and actually played better than Hasselbeck (1035 yards, 5 TD’s 4 INT’s) but the passing game was ranked 30th or 31st in lots of categories. Givens led the team with 52 receptions for 618 yards and 2 TD’s while 3 other WR’s grabbed between 38 and 33 receptions each. Johnson (38 for 532, 2 TD’s), Galindo (34 for 366, 1 TD) and Harrison (33 for 434, 2 TD’s) all caught less passes than TE Gates (41 for 345 and a TD) however it was Grandt out of the backfield who caught the most TD passes as he ended the season with 5 from his 28 catches. The Jets weren’t that great running the ball either averaging 4.07 yards per rush (22nd) Grandt led the team on the ground as well with 891 yards and 4 TD’s. Pettine was an excellent undrafted free agent acquisition as he ended the season with 605 yards and 2 TD’s on the ground. RG Hickman led the OL with 25 KRB’s while C Howery managed 23. RT Zeller (14 KRB’s and 8 sacks allowed) had an injury-hit season as he played only 11 games suffering chest and shoulder injuries throughout the year. Opposing offense decided to run at the Jets as they attempted 30.4 per game (31st) this resulted in rookie MLB Rhodes leading the team with 121 solo tackles (he also recorded 3.5 sacks) while SS Wicker was 2nd on the team with 110 solo tackles as he had to stay inside the box as often as possible. QB’s didn’t pass that often against the defense 31.3 attempts per game (3rd) but this was due to the run defense and the fact that when they did pass they were successful completing 69.1% of attempts (30th).

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CB Kennedy who started 1 game of the 10 he played in led the team with 3 INT’s however it is worth noting that only SS Wicker in the secondary started all 16 games during the season. CB Greer who started 11 picked off 2 passes, defended 4 and led the secondary with a 78.8 PDPct. Jackson who started 3 of the 16 games led the team with 5 defensed passes, which was the same number of sacks that DE Odegard recorded to lead the pass rush, add in his 15 hurries and 14 QBKd’s and that amounted to the majority of the pressure this defense could apply in what was a season to forget in New Jersey.

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AFC North:

Pittsburgh Steelers 11-5

Scored 381 (14) Against 282 (2)Total Offence 325.9 (24) Pass 223.3 (24) Rush 109.8 (18th)Total Defence 330.4 (7) Pass 242.3 (18th) Rush 98.7 (4)

Comment: The Steelers defense ensured that the North title headed to Pittsburgh, unfortunately the reward was a home game in the wild card round against the offensive explosion that is the Colts, the Steel curtain could not secure the win as the postseason run ended quickly. The regular season saw a 3-0 start followed by 4 straight losses between weeks 4 and 7, however an 8-1 finish was rewarded with the playoffs and divisional title. Dedds started the season as the starting QB but injuries (week 4 knee, week 8 shoulder and week 13 leg) ensured that Losman was the main man as he started 11 games throwing for 2700 yards, 21 TD’s and 11 INT’s. Dedds did look good in his 5 starts passing for 872 yards, 5 TD’s and 2 picks but will need to work on staying healthy in the offseason. What both QB’s did do well was throw accurately as the team ended the season tied 4th in completion percentage with 69.7%. Wright was the main target as he caught 85 for 985 yards and 10 TD’s, all career best numbers. On the other side Williamson grabbed 47 for 496 and 2 scores, while Boyd who started10 games grabbed 39 for 402 and 5 Td’s as the Steelers used lots of 3 WR sets. TE Crane (45 for 507 and 3 TD’s) was solid again the OL kept the QB’s on their feet allowing 18 sacks all season and while C Grove (30), RG Christakes (29), LG Mankins (28) and LT Ellison (22) all recorded a good number of KRB’s, the team only averaged 3.75 yards per rush (30th) with Parrish (775 yards, 8TD’s) leading the team on the ground. Jamison (417 yards) and Terrell (369) played well in back-up roles. The key to the Steelers however was the defense where they ranked 2nd in points allowed, 3rd in

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yards per pass attempt (6.40), 4th in yards per carry (3.83) and 1st

in turnovers with 32. MLB Williams led the team with 116 tackles while also getting 2 sacks and picking off 1 pass. The DL applied good pressure with DT Valcarcel led the way with 6.5 sacks (17 hurries and a team leading 22 QBKd’s), DE Ferguson recorded 6 sacks but led the way with 18 hurries while DT Sanford added 5 sacks and 15 hurries. CB Copeland continued to lead the secondary as he picked off 6 passes and defended another 6. FS Hamlin had a quality season, as two of his four interceptions were pick six plays. SS Abner recorded 2 INT’s while leading the team with 14 defensed passes, add in 99 solo tackles and a sack ensuring he was in the right place at the right time more often than not. Farmer was the kicker was extremely accurate all season hitting on 22 of 24 attempts including 7 out of 7 over 40 yards.

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Cincinnati Bengals 7-9

Scored 320 (19T) Against 321 (6)Total Offence 330.1 (18th) Pass 215.9 (27) Rush 123.1 (11)Total Defence 349.8 (20) Pass 240.0 (16) Rush 122.3 (24)

Comment: Ending the season 1-4 was enough to ensure the Bengals missed out on post season action, the week 13 loss to the Raiders being a real blow to the Cincinnati fans. Leftwich continued to throw the ball as he attempted 582 passes (8th in the league as a team for pass attempts). However only 55.5% of passes were completed (32nd) for 5.93 yards per attempt (30th). Leftwich did pass for 3454 yards and 21 TD’s with 13 picks. Craig led the team with 68 catches for 942 yards (6 TD’s) while on the other side Strzelczyk contributed 45 for 553 and 5 TD’s. Oren having come over in a trade from Denver was again involved all over the field catching 44 passes for 309 yards, a massive drop from the 111 receptions last season. However he did rush for 1255 yards and 9 TD’s, getting those yards at 4.72 per carry. Cincinnati when they did run the ball was successful as they average 4.76 per carry, which was 3rd in the league. The OL was solid with 4 players recording 20 or more KRB’s and the other starter C Michl recording 17. LT Ramczyk led the way with 32, while RG Cote added 25. McMahon and Shea both contributed 20 each. Defensively the Bengals struggled in most categories except the one that counts, in points conceded they ranked 6th in the league. MLB Hetrick was a monster as he recorded an amazing 154 solo tackles add in 4 sacks, 4 hurries, 5 interceptions and 2 defended passes (Defensive player of the year award should be on the cards). The secondary saw CB Routt (83.7 PDPct, 5 INT’s and 15 Defensed passes) and FS McDuffee (84.0 PDPct, 7 INT’s) have excellent seasons contributing to a 13th ranking in yards per attempt (7.03) and catch (10.76). What the defense did really well was create turnovers as they were tied 2nd in the league with 30 if

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Cincinnati can avoid a poor end of the season in 2015 they may well make a splash in the postseason.

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Cleveland Browns 7-9

Scored 309 (21T) Against 326 (7)Total Offence 328.8 (21) Pass 239.1 (18th) Rush 99.9 (29)Total Defence 316.6 (3) Pass 205.4 (1) Rush 121.9 (21)

Comment: A 5-2 start was wasted as the Browns lost 7 out of their next 8 to drop out of contention for the division or a wildcard spot. The key to the early season success was the Browns defense as they led the league in pass defense giving up 9.93 yards per catch (1st), 6.08 per pass (2nd) and only 61.2% of passes to be completed (5th). CB Mughelli was awesome when he played, however he did miss 6 games to injury, as he led the team with 3 picks and an 82.2 PDPct. SLB Sterne led the team in passes defended with 14 and in fact MLB Seigler was 2nd with 11 as the LB’s dropped back into pass coverage in a more than effective manner. It wasn’t that Seigler couldn’t play the run as he led the team with 114 solo tackles and recorded 1.5 sacks, not a bad return from an ACL injury. Jared Allen led the pass rush with 8 sacks (17 hurries), however he was the only one to record over 5 sacks as Sterne and DT Coleman both recorded 4.5 sacks. If you realise that Sterne was 2nd on the team with 81 solo tackles and you can see he was involved everywhere for the Cleveland team. Hamilton became the man behind centre as he led the team with 2657 yards 15 TD’s and 14 INT’s, Hanshew was the man that passes were thrown to as he grabbed 92 passes for 1067 yards and 4 TD’s. Wilcox who was the teams 3rd WR actually was 2nd on the team with 52 catches (477 yards, 5 TD’s) while 2nd year WR Garnes grabbed 48 for 675 yards and 2 TD’s in 13 games. The passing game had success with two TE’s, Vajda (33 for 318 yards and 4 TD’s) and Euhus (30 for 240 yards, 4 TD’s) combined to ensure the medium range passes were successful. Gougeon led the team with 1009 yards on the ground (His 2nd season over 1000) and 6 TD’s, however as a team the Browns were only gaining 3.73 yards per rush (31st).

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Any success on the ground came when running to the right as RT Parker (25) and RG Stevenson (24) led the way in KRB’s. LG Lindsay was the only other player to record double figures (12), though he only started 8 games

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Baltimore Ravens 3-13

Scored 270 (28th) Against 373 (21T)Total Offence 324.6 (25) Pass 234.8 (25) Rush 106.4 (22)Total Defence 341.8 (14) Pass 230.1 (9) Rush 123.4 (25)

Comment: A 3-2 start preceded a fall from grace for the Ravens as they lost 11 in a row. Baltimore could not be accused of tanking as they lost 3 of those in overtime, including games against playoff bound Houston and Miami. One of the benefits of falling out of contention was that 2nd year QB Travis Greenham was given plenty of playing time, mind you the 4 interceptions in week 17 might take sometime to slip from our memories. The Ravens will need to make a decision whether to go with Greenham (1682 yards, 8 TD’s, 13 INT’s) or Karp (1632 yards, 9 TD’s, 3 INT’s) next season. With Smith hanging up his cleats Downs became the key WR as he led the team with 78 catches for 847 yards and 7 TD’s. Spencer (54 for 668 yards, 2 TD’s), Cote (53 for 482, 1 TD) and Clayton (50 for 482, 1 TD) provided decent 2nd, 3rd and 4th options though none were outstanding. The issue with the passing game was that TE McCree who caught 27 for 359 yards led the team with 13.3 yards per catch. The other problem with the offense was that the running game was below par as Wolfe led the way with 910 yards (5 TD’s) but these were gained at only 3.84 per rush. In relief Brown was better as he rushed for 477 yards on a 100 carries. One of the reasons for the struggles was that LT Farley only played in 7 games due to injury, in fact RT McNeil was the only OL player to record more than 16 KRB’s as he managed 27. However he did allow a massive 18 sacks a league worst. The Ravens pass defense was solid, allowing 62.5% of passes to be completed (6th) and 38.3% of 3rd downs to be converted (6th). FS Riley led the team with 9 defensed passes while Lewis (7) and MLB Finley also with 7 kept the middle of the field under some control. The one thing lacking from the pass defense was interceptions as the team recorded only 5, a league worst, CB

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Stevens leading the way with two. Finley at MLB led the team with 105 solo tackles and was actually 3rd with 6 sacks, Wiggins getting 8.5 (18 hurries) and Smith 7.5 (15 hurries). With no 2nd round pick the Ravens will need to make the most of their high 1st and 3 round picks if they are to turn this one around in short order.

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Interview with the World Champion GM - Greg

Q: Well what a cracking game Real Bowl X turned out to be. How does it feel to have won a game like that?

G: Getting to the bowl was beyond my expectations at the season’s start, so to get there and win it felt amazing. It felt like there were a few teams with better talent and GMs who knew what they were doing better than me, so I feel very fortunate to have enjoyed the season and the bowl game.

Q: Was there a point when you thought the Texans had blown it?

G: I wasn’t feeling too clever 24-10 down at the half. When we finally saw the Redskins punter for the first time towards

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the end of the first half and we then fumbled away the return – didn’t think it was going to happen then. Having a TD called back for holding in the 4th was also a nervous moment.

Q: Who was your personal Game MVP and why?

G: Vance probably shades it, with honourable mentions to Ritschel for the return and Hannegraf for an amazing drive to start the second half. My sentimental side would give it to Lance Peters, so that he could get a movie made about him.

Q: If you feel able to can you discuss your gameplan and did things go according to plan?

G: I wanted to stop the Redskins from running the ball and wanted to rush Rivers. In the first half, neither of these happened and we were clearly second best. But then we stepped up a gear, started running the ball better ourselves and clawed our way back in, even before THAT return. Actually, to be honest there was no gameplan, the team was sent out on autopilot

Q: What was the toughest part of playing the Redskins?

G: Stopping the Rivers to Braylon Edwards connection. For me, they are the best QB and WR pairing in the league.

Q: Do you see Washington bouncing back next season?

G: I hope so, Ace is clearly a popular coach and he deserves more than he’s got from 3 bowl visits. I think the talent is still there, but he’s in a tough division – I can’t predict how any of the 4 teams there will do next season.

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Q: How happy were you for Lance Peters winning a Championship ring?

G: You don’t know how close he was to being cut last season. I really wasn’t expecting him to come back from missing most of two seasons. I franchised him purely so I could see if his ratings took a dive after taking the field again and then I could have cut him without losing any bonus. To get him back at full strength was like getting a new top draft pick – you have to remember he went down in the 3rd game of my rookie season, so I hadn’t had too much time to see him on the field.

Q: Is there one play that has been burned into your memory as the play of the game - the blown up photo you might hang on your office wall as it were?

G: Avoiding the obvious miracle that was the Ritschel return, Hannegraf running it in from the 4 to pull me back to within 7 at the start of the second half after a drive of 7 straight runs was my favourite play.

Q: After the game, you made the shock announcement that you would be leaving Houston to become the new GM in Seattle. Can you explain why you made that choice and was it a difficult decision?

G: It was made easier after the bowl win, as I now feel I’ve done all I can with the Texans that I could – their first trips to the playoffs, their first AFC North title, number 1 seed, 2 trips to the AFC Championship game. But in real life, I’m a Hawks fan and I always thought I’d jump across if I could if they ever became vacant. It also helps that Al of the Rams is a mate in real life, so I now get to play him twice a year rather than once every 4 (because they’ll never make the playoffs!). I’ll miss the Texans though, and hope someone

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can take them on and keep them successful.

Q: Will you be looking to take some players with you over to the Seahawks and will Justin Vance be making the return trip?

G: Lol, better ask the new GM of Houston, whoever that is. Would I swap Joseph and Houston’s 3rd back to return Vance to Seattle? I’m sure you could all guess that answer. Will also miss the rest of Hannegraf’s career, and would love to have FB Brandon with me still.

Q: Obviously Seattle have had a period of sustained success under their previous GM, what do you see as the priorities for the Seahawks roster?

G: There’s not a lot of cap room and a lot of aging players. I’m really on a hiding to nothing here, if I keep them successful it will be because of the job that Nick did, but they’ve never been worse than 9-7 and I don’t want to be the GM that takes away the fear factor of playing them. I think there is still a QB controversy here, so first job is to sort that. Then have to decide if Hitchcock can run like the Don.

Q: Where does this leave Houston and how have the Texans fans responded?

G: Well the fans responded by reaching for their Smith and Wessons so I skedaddled west as fast as I could. I think a new GM is coming into a good situation with this franchise, and has a great shot at postseason play again.

Q: Give me an early tip for next years Real Bowl winners.

G: Seattle. Okay, I had to say that; if it has to be someone else then the Dolphins (as long as Stuart doesn’t trade it all away yet).

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Thank you Greg for talking to RedZone and good luck with your new challenge.

That’s all folks….Look out for the Draft Preview edition out in the new year.

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RDFL RedZone: 2014 End of Season Review

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Transcript of RDFL RedZone: 2014 End of Season Review