Every year in the NFL there are a few select players that have breakout seasons where everything seemingly comes together for them. Some of these breakout players are completely unexpected (ie: Brandon Lloyd), but there are others that can be predicted when evaluating a player's talent, his situation, and the reasons why they haven't already broken out (injuries in the cases below). With that criteria considered, here are three offensive players with strong odds to have breakout seasons in 2011.
1. Matthew Stafford, QB, Detroit Lions -- Stafford was the first overall pick in 2009, but has since missed the majority of his games with recurring shoulder sprains. In the games Stafford did play, he showed flashes of the enormous potential with his signature cannon arm and aggressiveness. Stafford opted to undergo surgery to get his throwing shoulder cleaned up and is said to be 100% healthy now. He has also reportedly spent much of this off-season focusing on ways to improve the durability of his upper body. In addition to his own talent, Stafford will certainly have plenty around him to work with. Since 2009, not including Stafford himself, the Lions have spent two first and two second round picks on strong offensive weapons. Oh, and there's some guy known as Megatron there. If Stafford can finally stay healthy, he could put up some truly monstrous numbers for the Lions in 2011.
2. Jermichael Finley, TE, Green Bay Packers -- Finley came into the league in 2008 and hardly played as a rookie. Finley then followed up with a solid 2009 season that capped off with a dominant playoff performance against the Cardinals that showed everyone what kind of receiving nightmare he can be with his athletic 6'5" body. Many expected Finley to have that true elite breakout year in 2010, and for the first few games it looked like it was going to happen. Finley had two 100+ yard games in just the first three of the season, but then tore cartilage in his knee in the fourth game and missed the rest of the year. Including the game he exited early with the injury, Finley was on pace for over 1,200 yards. Finley is supposed to enter the 2011 season fully healthy, and Aaron Rodgers has made it known he will be ecstatic to have his big target back, proclaiming Finley to be the best tight end in the NFL. It's up to the health of Finley's knee and his ability to overcome the setback, but it's possible Finley could prove Rodgers' statement correct in 2011.
3. Ryan Mathews, RB, San Diego Chargers -- Mathews was a highly regarded rookie in 2010 but ended up with a disappointing season given his high draft position and the expectations that go along with it. Unfortunately Mathews battled various injuries throughout the season, missing four games, leaving others early, and playing at less than full effectiveness for much of the rest. Despite all this, Mathews still had a respectable 678 yards, 7 touchdowns and a 4.3 average, showing signs of being the player the Chargers hope he can be. Although Mike Tolbert was somewhat reliable when replacing Mathews, San Diego still figures to give Mathews the workload needed to have a big year. He may concede some short-yardage touchdowns to Tolbert, but health allowing Mathews could double his 2010 numbers in 2011.
Author Resource:
Myles is an NFL junkie and self-proclaimed guru in the world of sports. When Myles isn't writing about what you need to know on the real turf, he can be found writing Madden Tips for his popular Madden football video game news blog.
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