Who gets a
gold star and who might be seeing me after class? It’s all relative, so this is
partly about how expectation matched reality, and partly based on the end
product. First up the AFC...
AFC EAST
New England Patriots (12-4)
Another
year, another divisional win for New England. Let’s be clear if they did
anything but win this division there would be serious questions asked, and it
hasn’t been the flawless season we’ve come to expect. Upset losses to Arizona
and at Seattle could have rattled a lesser team’s cage, so well done for taking
it one game at a time to secure a play-off bye. Another saving grace was their spirited
fight back in the SF game despite the loss. B+
Miami Dolphins (7-9)
Miami had a
far better season than I was anticipating, and Tannehill whilst well in the
shadow of his more successful fellow rookies definitely avoided being a bust.
To come one game short of 0.500 with the talent they had at the start of the
year is decent feat, and this young team will be optimistic for next season. B-
New York Jets (6-10)
Crippling
injuries, offensive woes and a veritable circus of media distractions (mainly
revolving around you-know-who) made this a dire season for Jets fans. 6-10 is
poor in this division, but what’s worse is the contractual bind they’ve found
themselves in with Sanchez and the decision to repeatedly pass over giving
Tebow a shot despite trading for him. D
Buffalo Bills (6-10)
Buffalo had
a bad season, but what made it worse was the neglect of their most electric offensive
player CJ Spiller, who ties AP with the most yards/carry at 6.0 in the league (discounting
RG3). The season ends with them still stuck with poor QB play from Fitzpatrick
and Chan Gailey on his way out the door. For the second most talented team in
the division to finish bottom is damning. D-
AFC NORTH
Baltimore Ravens (10-6)
The Ravens
started hot but finished the season stuck in the doldrums. They’ll take managing
to hang on to the division on a tie-breaker, and injuries throughout the year
have hurt them, but it’s still a slightly disappointing season despite the
lull. However, this is a hard division and they started without Suggs so we’ll
let them off the hook a little. B
Cincinnati Bengals (10-6)
Back to
back play-off trips is nothing to be sniffed at for this much maligned franchise.
Boasting a formidable defence and one of the best young WRs in the league they
will be optimistic for the future, but even so they let to many ‘easy’ games go
mid-season for this to be labelled an outstanding year. B+
Pittsburgh Steelers (8-8)
The loss of
Big Ben hurt, but even on his return they weren’t the same team. Add to that
early season slip ups versus lowly Oakland and a failure to get it done with
the post-season on the line and there could be dark times ahead for this aging
and once great squad. Had their QB stayed healthy they could well be preparing
for a wild card game. D+
Cleveland Browns (5-11)
This was
actually a fairly successful year for Cleveland despite their record and a HC
on his way out the door. Richardson proved his worth as a high 1st
rounder, and Weeden wasn’t as terrible as you might think. It’s just a shame
they’ve lost out on 6 years of development by taking him. Their defence has been
very solid all season so with fresh coaching blood and another high draft pick
to secure some more offensive weapons things could be finally looking up (a
bit). C+
AFC SOUTH
Houston Texans (12-4)
The Texans
were the best team in the league for the majority of the season, but key losses
to Green Bay and San Francisco and a near miss from Henne and the Jags were
worrying signs. Add to that a 2 game slide to close out and missing out on a
play-off bye, plus losing Cushing for the year all temper their great year. No
team was more hyped going into this season, but hats off for doing what we all
knew they were capable of. B+
Indianapolis Colts (11-5)
What a
season for the Colts. Luck proved more than worthy of being the #1 pick, making
history by taking his team to an incredible 11-5 and the playoffs. Pagano’s
illness may have been the catalyst, but they couldn’t have done it without a
mostly anonymous squad (plus a few key stars) far surpassing the expectations
everyone had of them – even standouts like Reggie Wayne were being disregarded
prior to the season. Everyone loves an underdog, and no team has relished that
role more than Indy this year. A+
Tennessee Titans (6-10)
Nobody
really expected much more the Titans this year, but it would have been nice to
see more development from Locker, who struggling to hold down his starting job
throughout the season. Chris Johnson was disappointing yet again, despite a
mid-season flourish and their defence was mostly porous. A few good games don’t
make a season, and consistency is crucial building for 2013. C-
Jacksonville Jaguars (2-14) D-
Tied for
the worst record in the league, but that’s more or less where they were
supposed to finished. MoJo holding out then falling to injury set the tone for
this year, and going ‘all-in’ on Gabbert proved unsuccessful. Henne led a late
season revival, but it was too little too late (and too short lived) to be
anything more than false hope. As their new owner clears house who know what’s
in store for the Jags… uprooting to London isn’t off the table in the near
future, nor is going after Tebow. Despite our low expectations it would have
been nice to see more than 2 wins. D-
AFC WEST
Denver Broncos (13-3) A
It’s rare
to see a free agency move be so wildly successful as the Broncos successful pursuit
of Manning, so hats off for pulling the trigger on the part of the Denver front
office. Whilst he might only have a few years left, they are all going to be
ones in which you’d expect them to contend for the Super Bowl. 8-8 into 13-3 is
enough for a high grade (and let’s not forget the impressive impact the defence
has had), but they needed to beat the best teams more often to secure full
marks, and losses to the Pats and Falcons in particular mean they fall just
short. A
San Diego Chargers (7-9)
Another
bitterly disappointing season for the Chargers, who’s fan-base will be frantically
relieved to finally be rid of the hated AJ Smith and Norv Turner combo. To go
sub 0.500 in this division is not acceptable with a QB like Rivers, who can
still play at a high level with the right protection and play-calling. Their
defence is dangerous but not consistent enough (4th and 29…) and a
pathetic rushing attack compounds their problems (where are Sproles and Tolbert
when you want them?). Whoever takes over in SoCal will need to focus heavily on
O-line to get this team back into play-off contention. D
Oakland Raiders (4-12)
The Raiders
whilst not boasting a particularly talent-stacked roster had every reason to be
optimistic going into the year, with QB Palmer throwing to some promising
weapons combined with the ever-dangerous D-Mac running the ball. However Dennis
Allen’s new look Raiders will need more time to gel before their metamorphosis is
complete. Tyvon Branch is one of the few bright spots on a shakey defence and
the princely sum they gave up for their QB is looking more and more like a
chronic waste, with Terrelle Pryor impressing in his debut. D
Kansas City Chiefs (2-14)
Maybe the
most disappointing team of 2012, the Chiefs came into the year talked up as
potential divisional winners, but finished flat out worst in the whole league.
Offensive woes bear the brunt of the blame, mostly revolving around turnovers
and poor QB play, but the entire team has been one mired in sub-par
performances, a fact Romeo Crennel paid for with his job. F
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