NFL 2015: The X-factor for all 32 teams
Julius Peppers – Green Bay Packers
One day, Julius Peppers will be fitted for a gold jacket. He will be getting a bust in bronze to be placed in Canton, Ohio at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. For the sake of the Green Bay Packers, they must hope that 2015 is a year helping that cause, instead of showing that the clock for induction should have already started.
Peppers, 35, brings his 125.5 career sacks into the season along with a wealth of knowledge and experience. On the second year of a three-year pact, Peppers is hoping to build off a terrific 2014 campaign which saw him amass seven sacks and a pair on interceptions. With Clay Matthews Jr., across from him, Peppers doesn’t need to be dominant. He simply has to win some one-on-one battles and force the opposing offensive coordinator to account for him. If Peppers can do that, the Packers might be Super Bowl bound.
Kyle Rudolph – Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are going to be an improved team in 2015. In fact, the could make the playoffs if a few things go right for Mike Zimmer’s group. One of those things is an improved passing attack. While Adrian Peterson will fix the run game and Zimmer’s expertise will fortify the defense, the passing game is still in flux. Enter tight end Kyle Rudolph.
Rudolph is working on the first year of his five-year, $35 million deal. Over his first four season, Rudolph has shown flashes of potential but generally has underwhelmed with a combined 1,286 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns. The receivers in Minnesota leave something to be desired, so Rudolph must come of age and provide second-year quarterback Teddy Bridgewater with something to work with. If he can, the offense will dramatically improve.
Haloti Ngata – Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are in flux. Detroit, after making the playoffs in the first year of the Jim Caldwell era, watched as the strength of its defense walked out the door. Both defensive tackles, Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley, left in free agency for the Miami Dolphins and St. Louis Rams, respectively. With a massive void on the interior, general manager Martin Mayhew traded for long-time Baltimore Ravens defensive lineman Haloti Ngata.
With Ngata, you are getting a bit of a question mark. While the 31-year-old has been terrific over his nine seasons, he is getting up there in age. Also, Ngata was suspended the last four games of the regular season for performance-enhancing drugs. Ngata will provide the anchor of Detroit’s defense, so a sub-par year from him would be devastating. The 12th-overall pick in 2006, Ngata has been a terrific player throughout his career, something the Lions need to see continue.
Mason Foster – Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears have been rancid defensively for some time now. Over the past few years, it has been comical watching Chicago try to stop anything, especially runs up the middle. Last year, the Bears allowed 4.3 yards per rush (22nd in the league), which was actually a massive improvement from the 5.3 yards per rush (dead last) they allowed in 2013.
This offseason, new general manager Ryan Pace signed inside linebacker Mason Foster with the hope he could jumpstart this group. With Lance Briggs gone, Foster will line up alongside either Christian Jones or Jonathan Bostic in Vic Fangio’s 3-4 scheme. Foster has been very productive in four NFL seasons, all with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Last year, Foster played in 10 games and totaled 62 tackles after posting 92 the year prior. In 2013, Foster had a career-best 105 tackles and two sacks.
Next: NFC South X-factors