Fix the franchise: St. Louis Rams edition

The Rams need new owners, since that is going to happen we can leave that one alone. However, the new regime will need a direction, and at the moment there is no direction for this entire franchise. I would fire teh entire coaching staff and start anew. This group has already proved they are incapable of this job, and I am not sold on any of them long term. It is a bad mix, bad players, with over matched coaches. Since they are not the answer long term, they should be shown to the door sooner rather than later.

Fix the franchise: Detroit Lions edition

There is one simple universal truth about the Detroit Lions. They need a new owner, because William Clay Ford Sr. is a buffoon. I can back that argument with one simple fact, over the years all the pieces of the Lions have been changed; new head coaches, new QB’s, new General Mangers, the only thing that is consistent is the losing. The only piece that has not been changed is the owner. Ford Sr. is a clown and this franchise has little hope until he sells the team, or nature takes its course and the team is willed to someone else.

 Fix the franchise: Tampa Bay Buccaneers edition

I really want to say that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are on the right track, but that might be a hard argument to make considering they just finished the 2009 season with a 3-13 record. During last off season they fired their head coach, Jon Gruden, who just happened to be their all time wins leader, and who led them to a Super Bowl not that long ago. Apparently the ownership felt that Gruden had the team on the wrong path and Raheem Morris is the guy to lead them to glory in the future.

 Fix the Franchise: Washington Redskins edition

There seems to be a theme developing in these, bad teams with really bad owners. I want to say that Redskins owner Daniel Snyder learned his lesson and when out and got the strong football types that will be able to turn his team into a success. However on the cusp of an uncapped year, I cannot see Snyder controlling himself for very long. This is the only owner out there that will not set a budget and 2010 might just be the one year where he really can go out ad buy some success for his team.

 Fix the franchise: Kansas City Chiefs edition

The Kansas City Chiefs got it pretty easy, they don't need to redo their front office, or find a new coaching staff. They just need to find some better players. That sounds a little crass but this is a team that has won just six games over the last two years, and ten over the last three. By ways of comparison that is just one more win in the last three years than the Detroit Lions who went winless in 2008. The challenge for the Chiefs is finding players that they can build around, and it sounds easy but is actually quite hard.

 Fix the Franchise: Seattle Seahawks edition

The bad news is there is a ton or work to do, the good news is they have two first round draft picks to get some of that work done. First and foremost it doesn’t seem that the Seahawks got the right head coach. Pete Carroll was a great College head man, but his record in the NFL is questionable at best. We have seen this before in Washington for example, a great College coach gets a NFL gig and does a very poor job running the team. My first action item in fixing the Seahawks would be firing Pete Carroll.

 Fix the Franchise: Cleveland Browns edition

While it seems owner Randy Learner has hired some front office types to give his team some credibility, and who are able to build a winning franchise, I have to say there is a lot of work to do. In my mind The Browns have got to figure out who their QB is. It could be Brady Quinn, or Derek Anderson, or a player not yet on the Browns roster, but a decision has to be made, and one someone has to step out front and be the face of this franchise.
 

 Fix the Franchise: Oakland Raiders edition

The Silver and Black, the commitment to excellence, and one of the finest NFL Franchises ever, all that is true but the NFL game has passed Al Davis by. To fix this franchise Al Davis has to give up some control, and hire a General Manger that understands today’s game. There are many Raider fans out there that seem to agree since they spent big bucks last season to buy a bill board to plead with Mr. Davis to hire a General Manager already.

 Fix the Franchise: Buffalo Bills edition

I hate to have to bag on the teams I rooted for in my youth, or on owners who happen to be members of the Pro football Hall of Fame, but the simple fact here is the Buffalo Bills are a total mess. Owner Ralph Wilson is to blame for that mess, and as much as it sucks to say it is that time for him to give control of this team to someone else. Wilson is from my hometown, he once owned my Detroit Lions, and since my Uncle lived in Buffalo during the Jim Kelley years I was a big fan, but the facts remain the same. This team will not recover until there are some new generation football guys in charge of it.

 Fix the Franchise : Chicago Bears edition

The problem with the Chicago Bears seem to lie with the people making the decisions. Since making the Super Bowl, it seems that this team has been in free fall, the offense and defense have been turned over to a couple of Detroit Lion rejects, and for the second straight year this team has no first or second round draft picks. They would love to sign WR Brandon Marshall, but since he was signed to a First Round tender, they don’t have the pick to give up to get him. The Bears are in a very sad state.

 Fix the Franchise: Jacksonville Jaguars edition

As a one time resident of this fair city, and knowing I am going to have to explain myself to my Aunt who lives there currently I think the fix for the Jaguars is to move to a bigger market. I don’t like relocating teams anymore than anyone else, and as a Jaguars fan from afar I hate to say it, but it really seems like the market for this team is tapped out. That means even if they could build a winning team, the likelihood of making more money is poor. The Jaguars need to expand their brand but with the Falcons and Panthers to the North, Dolphins to the south,  Buccaneers to the west, and ocean to the east, it doesn’t seem like they will be able to do that.

 Fix the Franchise: Miami Dolphins edition

With a 7-9 record the Miami Dolphins do not have as much work to do as some of the other teams we have covered so far. It seems like the got the right front office guy in Bill Parcells, their Head Coach Tony Sparano seems to be doing a pretty good job, and much of the work that has to be done now lies on the defensive side of the ball. They may have a bit of a QB controversy to squash, but by and large this is a pretty solid team that needs some big time playmakers on defense.

 Fix the Franchise: San Francisco 49ers edition

At 8-8 we could argue that the 49ers do not need all that much, of course with just the 18th best offense in 2009 we could argue that there is a lot of work to do. Really this team needs to continue making wise decisions, and allow Head Coach Mike Singletary to do his thing. This may be the easiest fix of the 20 teams not to make the 2009 NFL playoffs. Then again one bad move sets this team way back, so they have to be careful, but bold at the same time. Never an easy thing to accomplish.

 Fix the Franchise: Denver Broncos edition

The Denver Broncos may be on the right path, but there is a lot of work to do. First and foremost they must get the Brandon Marshall situation taken care of, that probably means trading him on draft day for as many draft picks as they can get. Since Anquan Boldin got a third and a fourth round pick for the Arizona Cardinals, Marshall should get that or a little bit more. This team must also do what they do in free agency, but on draft day. Last year’s draft was pretty awful. Only the first round selection of Knowshon Moreno saved it from being graded as a F.

 Fix the Franchise: New York Giants edition

The New York Giants used last year’s draft to fix their WR crops, and they may be the biggest strengths on this team, as I have previously argued the problem for this team is not on the offense. Sure they could use some O line depth, but that can be addressed in late rounds of the 2010 NFL draft. The team needs defense, big defensive playmakers that can clog up the middle of the field. While the secondary was a concern that seems to have been taken care of.

 Fix the Franchise: Carolina Panthers edition

This is kind of a tough one to ferret out. I would have said their QB situation needs to be fixed, but they released Jake Delhomme and have handed over the offense to Matt Moore. That looks like solid move, but with an 8-8 record this team needs something. I would normally say, they could get that something in the NFL draft, but for the second year in a row they do not have a first round draft pick. They haven’t been active in Free Agency, so maybe the problem lies with management.

 Fix the Franchise: Tennessee Titans edition

It would be really easy to sit back, and let Head Coach Jeff Fisher do his thing and let one of the best Head Coaches in the game today diagnose the problems and then fix them. Since that won't make for good copy let us say this, the Titans must fix their defense. In 2009 it was the 28th best defense, and they are old, and suitable replacements must now be found. The offense is fine, and in good hands with the once benched Vince Young. Their last two first round draft picks have been offensive players and now it is that time to address the defense.

 Fix the Franchise: Pittsburgh Steelers edition

If I were in charge of the Pittsburgh Steelers I would have had enough of QB Ben Rothlisberger and his antics. For me no mater of quilt or innocence will take away the fact that he is totally immature, reportedly rude to Steelers fans, and unaware that prima donna NFL players are rapidly falling out of style. At this point, with Big Ben facing a suspension and no real backup behind him I would consider doing something drastic. That might sound harsh, but how many off seasons will Ben’s behavior be an issue in?

 Fix the Franchise: Atlanta Falcons edition

The Falcons have been around since the 1960’s and 2009 marked the first time they had consecutive winning seasons. They have been an inconsistent franchise, in 2009 that inconsistency led to two three game losing streaks, and that kept them from the NFL playoffs. It would be easy to say that the status quo on this tam is sufficient, but standing still does nothing, they have to get better, and get getter quickly.

 Fix the Franchise: Houston Texans edition

The Houston Texans, the last team to not make the 2009 NFL playoffs. They are also probably the easiest to fix, because the team feels like a team that is one great player away from contending for their division title, and making the playoffs. That great player likely will take the form of a running back.  I think the Texans are one great running back away from being a playoff team. While they have other needs I would start at the RB spot.