Over the next few weeks, “Shutdown Corner” will pay homage to “Office Space” (TPS reports) as we take a quick look back at each team’s 2012 season and a look at what lies ahead for the 2013 offseason. We wrap up the NFC East with the Washington Redskins. 2012 record : 10-6 What went wrong : First-round quarterback Robert Griffin injured his right knee while scrambling during a 31-28 win over the Baltimore Ravens on Dec. 9. Griffin made a remarkable return a few weeks later, but aggravated the injury early in a wild-card playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks, requiring surgery that included his anterior cruciate ligament, putting his availability for the 2013 season-opener in doubt. In addition to Griffin’s injury, the Redskins lost their top pass-rusher, Brian Orakpo, to a torn pectoral muscle in Week 2 and wide receiver Pierre Garcon, who was signed to a five-year, $42.5 million contract early in the 2012 free agent signing period, missed most of the first two months of the season with a foot injury. Speaking of injuries, safety Brandon Meriweather earned $3.5 million in his first season with the Redskins, but a knee injury limited the veteran to 42 snaps on defense and special teams. The Redskins were one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL, but ranked 28th in total defense, were 30th when defending the pass, and ranked 32nd on third downs, allowing opponents to convert on 44.19 percent of third down opportunities. According to Football Outsiders’ advanced metrics, which adjust for opponent, the Redskins ranked 17th in defensive DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average) and were 14th against the pass. What went right : The Redskins traded a boatload of picks to move up to the No. 2 spot and select Griffin and the rookie from Baylor proved he was well worth it. Griffin passed for 3,200 yards with 20 touchdowns and just five interceptions for a passer rating of 102.4. According to Football Outsiders, Griffin ranked 11th in passing DYAR (Defense-adjusted Yards Above Replacement) and was fifth in rushing DYAR among quarterbacks, rushing for 815 yards and seven touchdowns and was named the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year. Another rookie in D.C. was Alfred Morris, a sixth-round running back from Florida Atlantic who finished second in the NFL with 1,613 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns. Morris was fifth among NFL running backs in Football Outsiders’ rushing DYAR and, along with Griffin, helped a Redskins offense that ranked fifth in total offense, but was first in yards per play, rushing yards per game, passing yards per play and was fourth in the red zone and scoring offense. Coaching/front office changes : The Redskins hired Keith Burns to replace Danny Smith as special teams coordinator. Estimated 2013 cap space : $5.118 million over their estimated adjusted cap number of $107.37 million.
Read more from the original source:
‘Shutdown Corner’ offseason TPS report: Washington Redskins (Shutdown Corner)
Over the next few weeks, “Shutdown Corner” will pay homage to “Office Space” (TPS reports) as we take a quick look back at each team’s 2012 season and a look at what lies ahead for the 2013 offseason. We continue in the NFC East with the New York Giants. 2012 record : 9-7 What went wrong : A 6-2 record at the midway point of the season had the defending Super Bowl champion Giants poised to walk away with the NFC East and defend the Lombardi Trophy in the playoffs. The Giants would lose three of their first four games to start the second half of the season, including a 17-16 loss to the eventual NFC East champion Washington Redskins on Dec. 3. After a blowout win of the New Orleans Saints the following week, the Giants were shut out 34-0 by the Atlanta Falcons and lost 33-14 to the Baltimore Ravens, putting them in a situation where they needed to beat the Philadelphia Eagles and have three teams lose and/or tie to make the playoffs. The Giants won, but two of the three teams they needed to lose in the regular season finale won their games, eliminating the Giants from the postseason. The Giants’ problems were largely on the defensive side of the ball. In terms of raw numbers, the Giants allowed 383.4 yards per game, which ranked 31st in the NFL, ahead of only the New Orleans Saints, who were historically bad last season. The Giants were 25th against the run, 28th against the pass and ranked 30th on third downs. A pass rush that posted 46 sacks in 2010 and 48 sacks in 2011 had just 33 in 2012, posting one or no sacks in seven of 16 games. Defensive ends Jason Pierre-Paul and Osi Umenyiora, who had 25.5 sacks combined in 2011, had 12.5 last season. The lack of a pass rush contributed to a pass defense that yielded 60 plays of 20+ yards and 13 plays of 40+ yards. What went right : Offensively, the Giants ranked seventh in Football Outsiders’ opponent-adjusted team DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average) metric, ranking fifth in rushing and 11th in passing. Ahmad Bradshaw played through chronic foot issues to lead the Giants with 1,015 yards , while Andre Brown had a team-high eight touchdowns before landed on injured reserve in late November. Brown landing on IR and Bradshaw’s injuries led to first-round pick David Wilson emerging from his fumble-caused exile to Tom Coughlin’s doghouse to carry the ball 43 times for 285 yards and three touchdowns in the final month of the regular season. Victor Cruz topped 80 receptions and 1,000 yards for a second consecutive season and set a career-high with 10 touchdown grabs. The Giants also got a productive season out of tight end Martellus Bennett, who had 55 receptions for 626 yards and five touchdowns to go along with some high-quality blocking in the run game. The Giants offensive line allowed a league-low 20 sacks in 2012, finishing third in the Football Outsiders’ “Adjusted Sack Rate” metric. The Giants ranked 10th in Football Outsiders’ special teams DVOA metric and were the best in kick returns, where rookie running back Wilson averaged 26.9 yards per return and had a 97-yard kick return for a touchdown in the shellacking of the Saints. Coaching/front office changes : No changes to Tom Coughlin’s coaching staff, but the front office did lose senior pro personnel analyst David Gettleman, who is now the general manager of the Carolina Panthers. Estimated 2013 cap space : $4.518 million
Link:
‘Shutdown Corner’ offseason TPS report: New York Giants (Shutdown Corner)
DENVER — As John Elway descends upon Indianapolis this week for the NFL scouting combine, he will listen carefully during his 15-minute interview sessions with cornerbacks.
Read the rest here:
QB won’t be among Broncos’ hired help