bubba9497 Posted July 27, 2005 Share Posted July 27, 2005 Bears, Cowboys have best offseasons By Mike Golic http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=golic_mike&id=2110533 ESPN's NFL analyst Mike Golic takes a look at the two teams that had the best offseasons and the two that had the worst offseasons. Best offseasons Chicago Bears The Bears realized they needed help on the offensive front and accomplished it with two big moves. The first was the signing of veteran wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad. He gives the Bears a viable downfield threat for young, unproven quarterback Rex Grossman and also could provide leadership to the relatively young Bears receiving corps. Muhammad is coming off a massive season in which he caught 93 passes for 1,405 yards and 16 touchdowns for the Carolina Panthers after being pressed into service as the No. 1 receiver because of injuries. The second big move was drafting running back Cedric Benson of Texas. Benson gives the Bears a back that can take the punishment of the NFL as well as handle the ball 20-25 times a game, which will take pressure off Grossman. This was an excellent pick, especially when coupled with the signing of Muhammad. Now the Bears have the offensive flexibility they need to contend in this division. Dallas Cowboys I'm very impressed with the Cowboys' moves because they are finally starting to resemble a Bill Parcells team. It's time to understand Parcells isn't going to be in Dallas for the long haul, so it's good to see they are attempting to get the pieces in place for him to win now. The Cowboys made moves this offseason to get the defensive line some beef up front, signing Jason Ferguson and drafting LSU big man Marcus Spears. Parcells likes big defenses that can play smashmouth football, and now his defense is starting to resemble what has made him successful in the past. It'll be interesting to see how it shapes up in the Big D this year as Parcells makes his push to win a championship. Worst offseasons Denver Broncos What is Mike Shanahan thinking this offseason?I'm still not sure what the Denver Broncos are doing. They took a bunch of castoffs from the Cleveland Browns' defensive line -- and that team was terrible last season. Most times, teams attempting to better themselves take players from the best teams in the league, not the cellar dwellers. These were guys who the Browns and new coach Romeo Crennel were more than glad to get rid of and were actually thankful to get something in return for them. Do the Broncos actually think Courtney Brown, Gerard Warren, Michael Myers and Ebenezer Ekuban will do a better job on their front line? The only reason I can think of why the Broncos would want these guys is because they were high draft picks when they were drafted. Maybe the Broncos, and Mike Shanahan in particular, believe a guy like Brown just needs a change of scenery to get his career off the ground. Regardless of what Shanahan was thinking, those signings combined with the selection of Maurice Clarett in the third round put Shanahan in a precarious position. Because he's stepped out there and taken some chances, he's going to have to come through with a playoff season, or the Broncos could be looking for another coach next season. New England Patriots The Patriots' offseason woes are through no fault of their own. The biggest are the losses of Crennel, their former defensive coordinator, and offensive coordinator Charlie Weis. I'm sure Eric Mangini and Bill Belichick will do a fine job replacing them, but it's hard to lose two guys who are so innovative and creative in their play calling on Sundays. Everyone knew that eventually both guys were going to leave, but it's a heckuva blow to an organization when both must be replaced in the same offseason. The other potentially big loss is that of Tedy Bruschi. There's no doubt in my mind that his health issues are the bigger issue here and we all hope that he makes a full recovery, but the Patriots may have lost the heart of their defense. There's no way to truly quantify how much Bruschi means to this defense. He's one of the linchpins to this team and truly will be missed if he chooses to skip this season and recover from his ailment. This Patriots have answered questions in the past on the way to their sterling place in the history books, and it'll be interesting to see if they are able to continue their winning ways this season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truant Posted July 27, 2005 Share Posted July 27, 2005 Awesome! Being on 'Best Offseason' lists like this are akin to the kiss of death. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drex Posted July 27, 2005 Share Posted July 27, 2005 I think it's interesting that the teams that in their mind, had the best offseasons, so happen to be the first two opponents on the schedule. We should see right away as to whether or not this article bears any validity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dg28daman Posted July 27, 2005 Share Posted July 27, 2005 Wait... there isn't any Skins bashing in this article? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky21 Posted July 27, 2005 Share Posted July 27, 2005 I don't often agree with Golic but I think he's right that New Englanders will be in for a surprise this year when their team struggles to find its way with new co-ordinators on both sides of the ball. Brady will miss Weiss BAD. Write this down. Suspected terrorist Mushim Muhammad will be a huge bust in Chicago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DB44 Posted July 27, 2005 Share Posted July 27, 2005 Originally posted by dg28daman Wait... there isn't any Skins bashing in this article? Nah, Golic loves everybody. Thats why he didn't include the skins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wskin44 Posted July 27, 2005 Share Posted July 27, 2005 Dallas and the Bears both improved. The Pats lost two key assistants. But to say that Shannahan might lose his job is b.s. "he's going to have to come through with a playoff season, or the Broncos could be looking for another coach next season." The Broncos won 10 games last year, made the playoffs and statistically were one of the strongest teams in the NFL. Since when is Shannahan's job on the line? Another mediot bozo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolemite2k Posted July 27, 2005 Share Posted July 27, 2005 Originally posted by Truant Awesome! Being on 'Best Offseason' lists like this are akin to the kiss of death. 2nd only to being on the Madden cover Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimFolk Posted July 27, 2005 Share Posted July 27, 2005 Originally posted by wskin44 Dallas and the Bears both improved. The Pats lost two key assistants. But to say that Shannahan might lose his job is b.s. "he's going to have to come through with a playoff season, or the Broncos could be looking for another coach next season." The Broncos won 10 games last year, made the playoffs and statistically were one of the strongest teams in the NFL. Since when is Shannahan's job on the line? Another mediot bozo. Yeah he acts like they got bums from the browns. Alot of those guys were top 5 picks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chachie Posted July 27, 2005 Share Posted July 27, 2005 The media (including ESPN) has been giving us high offseason marks for a decade. I think we all know how THOSE seasons turned out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkinsHokieFan Posted July 27, 2005 Share Posted July 27, 2005 Why does everything think all these new parts on the Boys D are gonna mesh right away and be some dominant force? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAVENS_SUCK_HUN Posted July 27, 2005 Share Posted July 27, 2005 As much as I hate to say it, the Ravens had a great off season. Check out their aquisisions. It was by far the quietest, best off season in the AFC. If there is such a catagory. :2cents: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubba9497 Posted July 27, 2005 Author Share Posted July 27, 2005 Originally posted by TimFolk Yeah he acts like they got bums from the browns. Alot of those guys were top 5 picks. well, they sure haven't lived up to the expectations of a top draft pick.... heck not even up to the expectations of a UDF :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinstzar Posted July 27, 2005 Share Posted July 27, 2005 Concider the source. He had Lovey Smith on his radio show this morning, what else was he going to say. The Bears did have a good offseason though. They got healthy for one and they got Muhammad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THEHEREAFTER Posted July 27, 2005 Share Posted July 27, 2005 Originally posted by SkinsHokieFan Why does everything think all these new parts on the Boys D are gonna mesh right away and be some dominant force? where in the article does it say this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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