Sam had a really strong first half of the season. After that, I think several things happened. First, I think defenses figured Bienemy out and knew what Sam was good at. Neither adjusted to the defenses adjustment, but the bigger problem was that the coaching staff and most of the team flat out quit. They just threw the towel in on the season. You saw it in the sloppy tackling, the endless dropped balls, and the lack of effort. It was so bad that when Peters came aboard he tried to fire the entire team. I've never witnessed a turnover in one year like Adams did, but I think it might have been his smartest move. There were several moves where Peters let players go and signed inferior players. In every case, the inferior player produced as good or better.
I do think that Howell could succeed under the right circumstances. I think he could be a solid, Andy Dalton-level starter. He probably would never be a star, but he could become a middle of the league QB.
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