Biggest NFL Disappointment This Season?

When it comes to every NFL team going into a new season, there’s always going to be expectations about where this team is going to be and where it’s headed. For some, the expectations are very low and therefore people don’t expect much out of them. Then, for other teams, there are these expectations that are very high and they fail miserably.

NFL Network analyst Kurt Warner capitalized on three teams that he believes are the most disappointing in this season, and he’s gone through a lot of tape to figure this out. He believes that the three most disappointing teams are the New York Giants, the Denver Broncos, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. You can vote on his poll on his Twitter feed and figure out what the general consensus but let’s go through these three teams and figure out who is the biggest disappointment this season?

Watching film & disappointed in QB play & O performances this season! Which team is most disappointing based on expectations?

— Kurt Warner (@kurt13warner) December 5, 2017

 

New York Giants

Kurt Warner, like most of us, understands why the Giants are high on the list of the biggest disappointments of the NFL this season. Sloppy offensive play, no Odell Beckham Jr., and Eli Manning is perhaps having one of his worst seasons of his career. They also have dysfunction at the top, as they just released their head coach and their GM.

Many were expected for the Giants to compete for the Super Bowl after last season, when they made the playoffs and got to the second round before being bounced by the Packers. But there was one thing that may have crushed most players on this team: Going to South Beach before the Packers game. There was a lot of questions about that after that loss, and based on what’s going on this season, they may feel like they’re still here.

The Giants are tied for second-worst in the conference, and that’s just because of sloppy offensive play. Eli Manning isn’t his same old self and he doesn’t have his biggest receiver in Odell to throw to. The defense can only help you so much, but when your offense isn’t producing and you have a coach who’s not a leader in the locker room, you can expect a season like this, and it’s definitely not going over well in New York.

Denver Broncos

Many expected the Denver Broncos to either compete for the AFC West or at least slide their way into the playoffs. But nobody expected them to have a season like this. Most of the season, the Broncos’ biggest issue has been quarterback. They’ve been recycling through Paxton Lynch, Trevor Siemian, and Brock Osweiler, with no real success from any of them, and that may have first-year head coach Vance Joseph on the hot seat.

Now I understand Joseph is a defensive guy and the defense didn’t do all that well on Sunday, but a head coach is going to be the fall guy and in this case, he may very well be.

They’re a disappointment just because they don’t have a reliable quarterback they can count on. They’ve lost eight in a row and there’s going to be many questions surrounding this team, including whether or not John Elway has lost control of the team, from management on down.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

I was actually amazed to find that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 4-8 on the season, which many have considered a disappointment, just based on the idea that quarterback Jameis Winston was supposed to take the next step in his career. But this season seems to have been filled with bad decisions.

Take Sunday’s game against the Packers. Now, despite doing well for most of that game, including a dominant third quarter, they were trailing the Packers with a chance to tie the game. Winston, instead of handing it off, faked it and rolled to his right. No one was open and he was forced to make a throw to Chris Godwin that the Packers knocked down. They had to settle for three points after that.

Winston’s decision making has been a big part for Tampa Bay, which is why they have not done well for a lot of the season. Head coach Dirk Koetter tried to take blame off of Winston by saying that the fumble was blamed on the Packers’ pass rush and his quarterback’s inexperience with that rush.

Winston is still young, which means he still has time to develop and become a star quarterback. But Tampa Bay’s struggles have fallen squarely on him, whether he deserves it or not, but that could serve as a catalyst for him improving next season, if he is able to do that.

Who’s The Biggest Disappointment?

Now Kurt Warner’s poll question may come as no surprise, considering those teams are considered the most disappointing teams in the NFL, although you could throw a couple other teams in there, like the Bears and the 49ers. Who deserves the title of ‘Biggest Disappointment’ this season?

It’s got to be the New York Giants. No question about it. Everybody expected them to be a Super Bowl contender again, not fall completely out of it and have a head coach that doesn’t take accountability or have a leadership role. He took the Phil Jackson approach on this, calling everybody out and not holding accountability himself. Eli Manning is not the same player he was and most of the offense is either inept or out on injured reserve. It can’t all be Eli’s fault, but McAdoo has put in on there.

The Giants are just dysfunctional this season, and I was not expecting this. Not everybody deserves the criticism, but as many people would say, it’s a team effort. There’s already been some changes on that team, but I would not be surprised if we see some more changes coming to this team in the offseason.

So, Kurt Warner, I will answer your question: The biggest disappointment is the New York Giants.