I agree that this season is a lot like last season in many ways. Both teams could have been near .500. The main thing I take from this season, and it is vitally important, is that I firmly believe that the new management really knows how to evaluate talent. Debate about the first pick aside, they showed that they can have a good draft. They also showed that they can pick from the NFL castoffs and find servicable talent. That ability bodes very well for them in my opinion.

I also like the fact that they have stuck with a running game and built a servicable defense with little talent. Arguably, they have little talent to make the running game work, yet it has worked to a small degree. I expect that when they get a talented and healthy O-line, running back, and defensive depth, and they eventually will, they will be a solid team built around the time honored strategy of a good defense and a running game.