Dave Betancourt | Sports Section Manager

So your favorite team didn’t make the Super Bowl? Maybe they didn’t even make the playoffs. Here’s a in depth look at what your team needs to do to improve for the 2001 NFL season. The order of the teams is based on the order of the upcoming NFL draft in April.

San Diego Chargers(1-15)
The Chargers finished the 2000 NFL season with the worst record in the NFL going 1-15 for the year. It was a long tough year for the Chargers. You would think with a 1-15 record that the Chargers need help everywhere. That however isn’t the case. The Chargers could very well be the best 1-15 team in NFL history. Ok that’s pushing it but they aren’t as bad as they seem. The Chargers have a very solid defense lead by All-Pro linebacker Junior Seau and hard hitting safety Rodney Harrison, but their offense this past year was pathetic. Besides the fact the Chargers have no running back, not that great of an offensive line(although they play well in spurts), and no wide receivers, the position where they really have a problem is quarterback. The Chargers played all three of their QB’s this past season, and neither of them had any success. Ryan Leaf who was the number two overall pick after Payton Manning in 1998, has become a complete bust, Jim Harbaugh is old and Moses Moreno couldn’t get anything going either. Help is on the way though. The Chargers hold the number one pick in the draft, and with that they should either draft Michael Vick out of Virginia Tech(which would be the smart thing to do), or they could trade the number one pick and maybe try and get Trent Green from the Rams. If the Chargers have any common sense they will draft Michael Vick. But even if they do, look for them to pick up a veteran quarterback so Vick isn’t thrown into the wolves right off the bat.

Arizona Cardinals(3-13)
The Arizona Cardinals finished the year at 3-13. New head coach Dave McGinnis will definitely have his hands full this upcoming year. The Cardinals offense was very morbid this past season. Jake Plummer(who is a great quarterback) needs another big target to throw to. After David Boston his receiving core is nothing to brag about. Receiver Rob Moore was injured last year and his return will definitely be a positive. Even though the Cardinals need help in their defensive front seven, they would benefit the most by taking a wide receiver. The Cardinals have talent on defense, but they are always hounded by injuries. If defensive end Andre Wadsworth can actually stay healthy he would revive the Cardinals pass rush and help a defense that already has a decent secondary. If the Chargers take Michael Vick, that means that Michigan All-Big Ten receiver (and Richmond native) David Terrell would be available for the picking. Terrell is the prototype wide receiver with great size, good hands and speed. He would upgrade the Cardinals offense immediately. The Cardinals must also hope that last years first round pick, running back Thomas Jones(of UVA) can step up and be the player they think he can be in both the running and passing game.

Cleveland Browns(3-13)
Quarterback Tim Couch and defensive end Courtney Brown are basically all the Browns have. They were both the number one overall picks in the 1999 and 2000 NFL Draft’s. After those two guys the Browns basically need help everywhere. The Browns are going through the expansion team blues. Cleveland’s main problem was scoring points, so they need to concentrate on bringing in some offensive talent. They have the third pick in the draft and should use it on either a big time running back or wide receiver. Since it seems that there are always a plethora of wide receivers in every draft the Browns should focus on a big time running back like Duce McAllister of Ole Miss.

Cincinnati Bengals
The first thing the Bengals need to do is resign Corey Dillon. If they don’t get that done then they might as well move the team to Canada and call them the Ontario Cheap-o’s. Dillon is the heart and soul of the Bengals offense. When Darnay Scott went out for the year in the preseason, Dillon picked up the slack. The Bengals didn’t win a lot of game, but he still played his heart out. He has at least one record breaking game a year and should be paid his asking price. With the return of Darnay Scott and assuming they re-sign Dillon, the Bengals actually have an impressive offense. Their offensive line is very suspect but all of their skill position players are great athletes. Akili Smith will probably still see his share of growing pains, but his upside is tremendous. He is a natural athlete with a rocket arm and the speed to get out of the pocket. Dillon as mentioned is the man, Scott will provide veteran leadership and Peter Warrick is the teams big playmaker. The Bengals would benefit from drafting a stud offensive lineman, but they really need help on defense and will probably draft a defensive player with the fourth overall pick in the draft.

Atlanta Falcons(4-12)
The first thing I think about when I think of the Falcons is that they really need a quarterback for the future. Chris Chandler is still a decent quarterback but his lack of mobility has really gotten him knocked around the past two seasons. However that problem won’t be solved this year. The Falcons have the fifth pick in the draft but Michael Vick will surely be gone by then and Drew Brees still has to prove he has the arm strength to be a first round pick. After those two there aren’t any quarterbacks worth thinking about spending the number 5 pick in the entire draft on. The Falcons could use a young offensive lineman but Jamal Anderson is good enough to still get his yards without having the best offensive line. That being said they can look at improving other positions. While Tim Dwight is faster than lightning, and Terrence Mathis is a solid receiver, the Falcons could really use a big playmaking receiver. NC State’s Koren Robinson could be available and would be a great pick up for the Falcons. He could be even better than David Terrell and would be a steal if the Falcons were able to pick him up. Some think he is a will be just as good or better than St. Louis Rams and former N.C. State star Torry Holt. Now that’s saying something about the kid. New defensive coordinator Don Blackmon will have to revitalize the Falcons defense, which hasn’t played well the past two years, if they are to compete with division rivals St. Louis and New Orleans.

New England Patriots(5-11)
The Patriots need a running back bad. Period. That’s the bottom line. But even though they have a high draft pick(6th overall), there might not be a running back available worthy of that pick. If Duce McAllister is available then I think the Patriots should take him. However McAllister probably won’t drop to # 6. The Patriots have a good defense so look for them to draft an offensive player. Ever since tight end Ben Coates left for Baltimore, Drew Bledsoe’s production has dropped off. Bledsoe grew comfortable being able to have a dependable tight end to throw to and he doesn’t have that now. The Patriots could draft a tight end. Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN seems to think tight end Todd Heap of Arizona State would be a good pick. However, I don’t think you should use a high first round pick on a tight end. If the Patriots front office isn’t sold on running backs Kevin Faulk or J.R. Redmon to handle the starting tailback duties then I think they should draft Michael Bennett of Wisconsin. He hits holes quick and has incredible speed once he’s broken the line of scrimmage.

Dallas Cowboys(5-11)
The Cowboys horrible record earned them the 8th pick in the draft but they won’t be able to use it because they traded the rights to it to Seattle for Joey Galloway. The Cowboys really could have used that pick to help either their run defense, which was lousy this year, or their secondary which needs a solid cornerback. The Cowboys will have to try and find a diamond in the rough in the later rounds of the draft to help their defense. However, if Troy Aikman returns next season, and the Cowboys stay healthy, they could be ok. People seem to forget that the Cowboys lost starting receivers Joey Galloway and Rocket Ismail to season ending injuries. Galloway is the fastest man in the league and Rocket should benefit greatly from Galloway’s presence. Emmitt seems to still have a little gas left in him so the Cowboys might(and that’s a big might) be able to do some things next season.

Chicago Bears(5-11)
The Bears have to make some major decisions about quarterback Cade McNown and running back Curtis Enis. I think McNown should be given another shot with new offensive coordinator John Shoop. McNown is a great playmaker and has to much ability not to be used. Whether the Chicago fans are as forgiving as I am remains to be seen. Curtis Enis is a different story. Enis is in the dog house with fans and probably with management as well. The Bears have to have a solid running back to make it easier on McNown. If management doesn’t have faith in Enis, look for the Bears to go after a running back in the draft. Maybe someone like Michael Bennett if he’s available. They need a big season from wide receiver Marcus Robinson. Robinson needs to return to the form of 1999 when he was a constant deep threat. On defense look for linebacker and defensive rookie of the year Brian Urlacher to reek havoc all over the field. The Bears could use some help in the secondary however.

San Francisco 49ers(6-10)
If the 49ers can’t re-sign their running back Charlie Garner, then they could be heading for a downward spiral. The 49ers poor record is mainly from a young an inexperienced defense. The offense played very well. Quarterback Jeff Garcia had a great season statistically and proved he is the quarterback of the future in San Francisco. The 49er’s have a big play receiver in Terrell Owens, but like I said earlier, re-signing Charlie Garner is crucial. Some say the 49er’s won’t be able to afford him because of salary cap problems, but they have to find a way if they want to be competitive next season. I think San Francisco feels confident that their young defensive players will greatly improve so look for the 49er’s to try to pick up an offensive lineman in the draft.

Seattle Seahawks(6-10)
The Seahawks didn’t get the production they wanted out of Jon Kitna and because of that they will probably be looking for a new quarterback. Since they own the Cowboys first round pick as well as their own they could do a number of things. They could use their two first round picks and trade up to the #1 overall and draft Michael Vick, but that’s unlikely because the Chargers would be fools to take the bait and I don’t think Mike Holmgren has the patience for rebuilding with a rookie quarterback. They could use one of their first round picks and throw in a second and third round pick and try to trade for Trent Green, or they could just keep both picks and get two good young rookies. They might even throw running back Ricky Watters in the trade mix because Shaun Alexander is more than ready to handle the starting running back job. If the Seahawks don’t trade away their picks or keep at least one of them, they should draft a defensive lineman to help out with their run defense which was anything but spectacular last year.

Carolina Panthers(7-9)
It’s really hard to figure Carolina out. Quarterback Steve Beuerlein might have a couple more good years left in him. Their receivers are decent. One problem they seem to fight every year is injuries. They need running back Tim Biakabutuka to stay healthy for the entire season. Biakabutuka is a solid running back but is very injury prone. The Panthers need some youth on their offensive line and will probably use the 11th pick in the draft on an offensive lineman unless they are overly impressed with the many talented wide receivers in this draft. If their defense can stay healthy upfront they might be able to make a push for a wild card spot. That would be pushing it though.

Kansas City Chiefs(7-9)
The Chiefs really need to get a running back. They did running back by committee last season and it didn’t work. The Chiefs would really help themselves by drafting a big fast running back that would be an every down back. I know they could use help on defense and might want to draft a big defensive lineman, but the Chiefs haven’t had a running back in ions. I’m thinking they should draft someone like LaDainian Tomlinson or even Anthony Thomas of Michigan. Just do something about that running game man. On the plus side though, the Chiefs have the best tight end in all of football in Tony Gonzalez. If the Chiefs don’t get a running back then look for Gonzalez to get even more balls thrown his way and maybe have a 100 catch season.

Jacksonville Jaguars(7-9)
The Jags have some serious salary cap problems to deal with. Quarterback Mark Brunell is going to count $13 million against the cap. If they can’t renegotiate with their start quarterback then it could be an ugly situation. The Jags had way to many injuries on the their offensive line. That really hurt them and attributed to their slow start. However running back Fred Taylor finished strong and should come out of the gates at full blast with a healthy offensive line. The Jags still have two of the best receivers in football with Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell. But they’ll need to stay healthy with Tennessee and Baltimore in their division. The Jags weren’t happy with last years first round pick R.J. Soward and could draft another receiver in a receiver rich draft this year.

Buffalo Bills(8-8)
The first thing the Bills need to do is sign their free agent wide receiver Eric Moulds to a long time contract. After that they need to decide who their quarterback is going to be. Rob Johnson or Doug Flutie. My guess is that they’ll go with Johnson because he’s younger, bigger, and they invested a lot of money in him. The Bills still need to find a head coach. John Fox and Marvin Lewis, the defensive coordinators for the Giants and Ravens, are prime candidates for the job. The Bills have a good defense and a nice receiving core. They could go after offensive lineman in the draft.

Washington Redskins(8-8)
Don’t even get me started on the Redskins. They should be ashamed for not making it to the Super Bowl. Especially considering that both teams in the Super Bowl they beat. They Redskins beat all of the teams people thought they couldn’t beat and lost pathetic teams like the Cardinals and Eagles(ok they Eagles aren’t pathetic put the Skins should have swept them). The Norv Turner era is over and now it’s Marty Schottenheimer team. The entire coaching staff has basically been trashed and Marty is bringing in his own crew. The Redskins need a guy like Schottenheimer to bring some much needed discipline to the table. As always there is a quarterback controversy. I’m sure Brad Johnson wants out and the Skins don’t have the cap room to make him their franchise player. That leaves Jeff George running things(insert your opinion of that here) at quarterback. But no matter who is running things, the Skins need another wide receiver bad. When Michael Westbrook went down early in the season the Skins passing game was non-existent. Albert Connell will more than likely not be re-signed. Look for the Skins to go after University of Miami wide out Santana Moss with the 15th pick in the draft. Chris Samuels will lead an offensive line that will be very impressive if they are at full strength with guys like Jon Jansen and Tre Johnson. Stephen Davis should be the solid back he has been the past two seasons. The defense should stay solid. The Skins might move LaVar Arrington to middle linebacker and hope he has a Ray Lewis type impact there, and in Champ Bailey they have the best up and coming corner in the game. But the Skins have to return to their offensive form of 1999 and hope their defense plays like it did last year if they want to return to the playoffs.

Pittsburgh Steelers(9-7)
The Steelers need to get a franchise quarterback. I don’t think Kent Graham is the answer and no one knows if Kordell Stewart will be in Pittsburgh much longer. The Steelers passed on Chad Pennington for wide receiver Plaxico Burress, and I think that was a mistake. The Steelers should take a gamble on Purdue quarterback Drew Brees. He seems like the right kind of quarterback for the Steelers. He’s got a lot of guts and puts it on the line every week. The Steelers also need to decide if they want to invest long term in running back Jerome Bettis. If not they need to look for a new running back. The Steelers also need to get better production out of their receivers Troy Edwards and the aforementioned Plaxico Burress, both of whom were first round picks.

Green Bay Packers(9-7)
The Packers didn’t get the production they wanted out of their first round pick, tight end Bubba Franks out of Miami, so I’m sure the pressure will be on him to produce a lot more this upcoming season. Brett Favre looks like he might be back to his MVP form of a few years back. I expect him to have a good season next year. The Packers have the luxury of having two great running backs. Dorsey Levens was hurt for most of the year but Ahman Green more than picked up the slack. Green did such a good job that the Packers might think about trading off Levens and clearing some salary cap room. Green has great explosiveness when he breaks the line of scrimmage and he has nice speed once he bust loose. I can’t see the Packers just letting him sit on the bench so that could be an interesting situation. The Packers should take advantage of this years rich crop of receivers in this years draft and take a wide out with their first round pick.

Detroit Lions(9-7)
The Lions made a very impressive move by bringing in former FOX football analyst Matt Millen as the teams new general manager. Millen will definitely get the Lions going in the right direction. He has an incredible knowledge of the game and should make great management decisions. The Lions have a reliable running back in James Stewart and Charlie Batch is a solid quarterback. Whether they will keep Herman Moore at wide receiver I do not know. The Lions need help on defense and should probably go after a defensive lineman to help their pass rush.

New York Jets(9-7)
The Jets made a great move by hiring Tampa Bay defensive assistant Herman Edwards to be their head coach. Any disciple of Tony Dungy is a good pick in my book. Edwards made his first big move by naming former Bills defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell his defensive coordinator. The Jets are solid at almost every position. The could afford to get a little younger on the offensive line, but they have talent spread throughout. Quarterback Vinny Testaverde is getting old and I’m sure the Jets are thinking of starting to groom last years first round pick Chad Pennington(who in case you don’t remember was Randy Moss’s QB at Marshall). Although I hate to see QB Ray Lucas get ignored like that, but hey that’s the business. Curtis Martin is one of the best running backs in the league and the Jets have a decent receiving core with Wayne Chrebet, Dedric Ward and Laveranues Coles. They should take a either an offensive or defensive lineman in the draft, and should make a strong push for the playoffs.

St. Louis Rams(10-7)
If you can’t figure out what the Rams need to do to improve this year then you obviously didn’t watch much football this year. The Rams need a defense bad. There defense is so bad they almost didn’t make the playoffs. There defense is so bad they lost to the Panthers twice. There defense is so bad they let the Saints win their division. In case you haven’t figured it out their defense was pretty bad this year. They Rams came out the gates quick. The got off to a 6-0 start and people were starting to say they might go undefeated and there was no one that could beat them. But people weren’t noticing that while the Rams were scoring 40 + points a game....they were giving up 30 + points per game. And I don’t care how good your offense is.....you give up over 30 points a game every week, you’re not going to the Super Bowl. The Rams don’t need any help on offense. Their offense is stacked with Warner, Faulk, Holt and Co. But as earlier stated, the D is horrible. The Rams need to hope that with all of the talented wide receivers in the draft that a solid cornerback will fall in their grasp with the 20th pick.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers(10-6)
The Bucs are the exact opposite of the Rams. They’ve got the defense, they just need some offense. You would think that trading for Keyshawn Johnson would have solved there offensive woes but it didn’t. The Bucs suffered from horrible offensive coordinating. Their offense was system was so bland it almost put you to sleep. The Bucs rarely went deep, which is almost a crime considering they’ve got Keyshawn lining up at receiver. Number 19 didn’t even break a 1,000 yards receiving this year. That in itself should tell you there’s a problem. The Bucs fired their offensive coordinator for the second year in a row, and are hoping new coordinator and former quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen can help revive their offense. The Bucs don’t need any help on defense and their pretty solid at the skill positions with Keyshawn, Warrick Dunn and Mike Alsott, so look for them to maybe draft an offensive lineman in the draft. I’ve heard the Bucs might go after Doug Flutie so Shaun King can sit and learn for a couple of seasons. If it can help out the offense, more power to them. If the Bucs can’t get at least 17 points a game, they’ll be wasting their time next season.

Indianapolis Colts(10-6)
The Colts are the AFC version of the Rams. Explosive offense.....no defense. With Peyton Manning, Edgerrin James and Marvin Harrison leading the offense the Colts will always be a threat to make the playoffs. But winning a playoff game is a completely different matter and until they improve on defense they won’t win any playoff games. The Colts let the Dolphins Lamar Smith rush for 206 yards in their playoff loss to Miami. That right there tells me they need help in their defensive front seven. However, you have to remember the Colts lost their first round draft pick, linebacker Rob Morris for the year. They expected a lot out of him and weren’t able to get anything because of a season ending injury. The Colts should look for a good cornerback in the first round of a draft. Anything that can help out their defense will be a step in the right direction.

New Orleans Saints(10-6)
The Saints shocked the world by winning the NFC west and dethroning the Rams. All the Saints have to do to improve next year is stay healthy. The fact that they made the playoffs while losing their starting QB, running back and wide receiver says things about their team. However, the Saints have a great coach in Jim Hasslet, and a great defense led by a defensive front seven that lead the league in sacks. They could maybe use a little help in the secondary but other than that they are an extremely complete team. If Ricky Williams can stay healthy for the whole season they could do some big things. Back up QB Aaron Brooks(whose Michael Vicks cousin in case you didn’t know) proved he can more than handle the load if starting QB Jeff Blake gets hurt.

Denver Broncos(11-5)
The Broncos need help on the defensive side of the ball. Mainly in their front seven. They’ll probably address that in the draft. They made a great move by hiring Ray Rhoades as their defensive coordinator. Rhoades will have an immediate impact on the Broncos just like he did with the Redskins, last season. The offense is good to go. The Broncos have three, that’s right, not one, not two but three great running backs in Terrell Davis, Orlandis Gary and Mike Anderson But the reason the Broncos running backs have such success is because they have the best offensive line in football. But as stated earlier, defensive improvement is needed most for the Broncos to make a push at the Super Bowl.

Philadelphia Eagles(11-5)
The Eagles have a great defense, a great quarterback in Donovan McNabb, and if Duce Staley can come back healthy, they’ll have a great running back as well. But what the Eagles really need is a wide receiver. The Eagles wide receivers are nothing to shout about, and if you have halfway decent corners you can shut them down. The Eagles top priority in the draft should be getting a wide receiver. However because of Staley’s injury last year they might try to get a solid running back as insurance incase Staley gets hurt again.

Miami Dolphins
(11-5) The Dolphins have always had a solid defense with players like Jason Taylor, Zack Thomas and Sam Madison, and for the first time they have a solid running back in Lamar Smith. However, quarterback Jay Fiedler played horrible in the playoffs making some very questionable throws. The Dolphins might want to start looking for a quarterback to groom but they will probably try to add a wide receiver in the draft. The Dolphins don’t have any game breaking wide receivers and will probably be looking for a playmaker in the draft.

Minnesota Vikings(11-5)
I’m sure I’ll get no arguments here. The Vikes need help on D like you wouldn’t believe. The have without a doubt the worst secondary in all of football. Their undersized defensive line gets no help because their linebackers are constantly having to help out the secondary. The Vikings have to be thinking defense in the draft this year. They need help everywhere but there biggest need is a stud cornerback. Whether one will be available remains to be seen. The Vikes D is so bad you almost forget they have the best receiver in football in Randy Moss. Moss is a free agent after next season and if the Vikes don’t improve on D he might take his services elsewhere. Only time will tell.

Oakland Raiders(12-4)
The Raiders are one of the few NFL teams that successfully use the running back by committee. Tyrone Wheatley, Napoleon Kaufman and Randy Jordan played extremely well for the Raiders this year. The one place that the Raiders need improvement is their safeties. Since safeties normally aren’t a hot commodity in the draft the Raiders shouldn’t have a problem picking one up this April. I really think the Raiders need to start looking for a quarterback for the future. Rich Gannon isn’t getting any younger and if he gets hurt the Raiders back ups of Bobby Hoying and Rodney Peete are nothing to write home about. I’m not trying to knock Gannon at all. Without him the Raiders don’t make the playoffs, but he’s not going to be around much longer and he needs an apprentice. The Raiders should also think of getting All-Pro corner back Charles Woodson involved on the offensive side of the ball. And for the love of Pete, they’ve gotta beat the Broncos at least once next year.

Tennessee Titans(13-3)
I really thought that the Titans would win it all this year. They had the best record in football and home field throughout the playoffs. But like all of the NFL, they fell victim to the defense of the Baltimore Ravens. The Titans have to feel confident in the fact that they match up well with the World Champion Ravens. The Titans have talent everywhere. They play excellent football in all three aspects of the game, offense, defense and special teams. Since they have such great personnel on both sides of the ball they will probably just take the best player available in the draft. The Titans will have a tough task of defending their division championship with the world champs sitting in their division, but they will be more than up to the task.

New York Giants
So what do the defending NFC champs need to do to get back to the Super Bowl? The first thing they need to do is re-sign running back Tiki Barber who is a free agent. Once they get that done they need to start looking at the draft. The Giants may not have a lot of super stars but they have a lot of talented players. The one place I think they need help in is at cornerback. Even though the Giants pick second to last in the first round, they should be able to pick up a decent cornerback because most teams will be drafting at other positions. The Giants need someone to complement Jason Sehorn. On offense they will have the same players from last year(Collins, Barber, Dayne, Hilliard, Toomer) and should be able to put up some points, although I think they need to re-evaluate their offensive play calling since they seem to struggle against teams with good defenses.

Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens are world Champs!! They have the best defense in the universe. So they don’t need to change anything, right? Wrong. The Ravens need a big time quarterback to run their offense. I know Trent Dilfer surprised the world by making some big throws in the Super Bowl, but the Ravens know he’s not the long term answer. Look for the Ravens to go after Washington Redskins free agent Brad Johnson. Johnson played under head coach Brian Billick’s offense when he played for the Vikings and Billick was the offensive coordinator. Adding Johnson to the team would make the Ravens ten times more dangerous than they already are. Whether they can do that or not remains to be seen. The Ravens will pick last in the first round. We all know they don’t need any help on defense so they should use this pick on a wide receiver who will add depth to a receiving core that was really banged up this year. Rookie wide out Travis Taylor played well until being injured. His return next season should upgrade the passing game. All in all, the Ravens are a big time quarterback away from possibly defending their Super Bowl championship.