With the lockout over and the season approaching, it’s time…oh yes, it’s time…
The picks for the other conference will come at a later date, when I will also pick my Super Bowl winner.
NFC East
1. Dallas Cowboys (10-6) – Yep, Dallas. Romo’s healthy, and while there are questions on their offensive line, they aren’t any worse off than every other team in the division. The defense is mostly intact. They aren’t a powerhouse team, but they don’t have as many flaws as their rivals. What puts them over Philly for me is that they aren’t trying to add 65,000 new pieces in one big shot…they improved in a few spots, but didn’t make one massive signing after another.
2. Philadelphia Eagles (10-6) Wild Card – A good team, not a great team. They already had bad pass protection from left tackle, then Winston Justice goes on the PUP list to make the right side a question as well. And massive question marks at safety and linebacker will probably equal horrendous coverage of tight ends and running backs. Who knows what the fitness status is for either Jeremy Maclin or Mike Patterson? Mysterious viruses causing 25 pounds of weight loss and a possible brain issue leading to seizures do not tend to aid one’s football skills. And we’ve seen other teams try to buy up one free agent after another to make a title run. It almost never works.
3. New York Giants (9-7) – I actually thought they might have a shot, but that was before so many cornerbacks went down with injuries that a guy they tried to make in to a safety was pushed in to the starting line up. The o-line is in flux, they’ve already lost a defensive tackle, and they added nothing to a linebacking corps that’s still looking to make their first play of any meaning.
4. Washington Redskins (6-10) – I actually really liked their draft. Ryan Kerrigan pairs with Brian Orakpo to give them tandem edge rushers. The re-tooled defensive line should be decent. They might have the best o-line in the division, and they’ve got some solid targets. The biggest problem is that the guys trying to throw to those targets are John Beck and Rex Grossman. That’s like choosing your starting quarterback from between Justin Bieber and a corpse.
NFC North
1. Green Bay Packers (12-4) – I really don’t see a lot of challengers in the division, and that should give the Packers the edge when it comes to overall wins. This is a team that won the Super Bowl last year, and they’re adding a starting running back, starting tight end, and a starting strong safety to the lineup…and that’s just counting guys returning from injury. Mix in a strong draft class, and they’re loaded again (assuming they find someone to play left guard).
2. Detroit Lions (8-8) – I don’t think they’re ready for a playoff spot just yet, but they’re certainly no longer the bumbling jackasses of the Matt Millen era. That defensive line is scary. The linebackers look solid. And Calvin Johnson is a game breaker. An improved running game could be in the offing, but that and the health of Matt Stafford are both in the hands of an historically awful offensive line. I also don’t see many guys in the secondary who I would trust in coverage against a potted plant.
3. Chicago Bears (8-8) – What a baffling offseason. You need a #1 receiver and locker room presence…so you sign overhyped whiner and ball dropper extraordinaire Roy Williams? The running game struggled because of weak line play, so you sign ANOTHER running back rather than really push to improve the run blocking? You sign a center to a deal with a $4 million bonus to be a backup? You add virtually nothing to a defense that really isn’t all that great? You keep in place a Mike Martz offense that doesn’t fit your personnel whatsoever? Um…okay then.
4. Minnesota Vikings (5-11) – Say Hello to an absolute mess. At the same time as they’re trying to rebuild, they’re still extremely reliant on several past their prime veterans with enormous paycheques (Steve Hutchinson, Antoine Winfield, Jared Allen, Kevin Williams). The initial plan was to release overpaid Bernard Berrian…now they’re so thin at receiver that he probably starts. Bryant McKinnie wasn’t worth his deal, but left tackle now looks like a gaping hole. And that defense…ugh.
NFC South
1. New Orleans Saints (11-5) – Need some muscle in the middle of the defensive line to provide a push? Add Shaun Rogers and Aubrayo Franklin to an actually healthy Sedrick Ellis. Need a pass rusher off the edge? Draft Cam Jordan. Need to replace the pass receiving abilities of Reggie Bush in order to export his all-hype ass? Draft Mark Ingram. I don’t really get the Darren Sproles signing (apparently they really want to go 4 deep at running back?), but aside from that they’ve done a great job…with the exception of outside linebacker. A lot of familiar faces who didn’t get the job done last year. And right tackle is a roll of the dice.
2. Atlanta Falcons (10-6) Wild Card – The Julio Jones draft pick got a lot of hype, and he should have room to make plays lining up opposite Roddy White. I would have room to make plays lining up opposite Roddy White. They’ll probably also get more out of their recent high picks on defense : Peria Jerry is finally a full year removed from a major knee injury, and Sean Weatherspoon should have a better idea of what he’s doing. But I hate their pass coverage. Brent Grimes is terrific and the safeties can hit, but I don’t see a lot of cover ability. And I don’t know that signing Ray Edwards boosts the pass rush enough to make up for it.
3. Tampa Bay (8-8) – I think they played a bit above their heads last year. They just have too many key guys coming off of injuries. 4 of their top 6 defensive linemen, including both of their high pick ends this year, are recovering from surgery. They don’t have a middle linebacker. Their strong safety is trying to heal. Their top corner is about as smart with his life choices as the cast of Jersey Shore. And they’re just so young. Give them another year and they might be ready to explode, though.
4. Carolina (2-14) – Say Hello to the franchise that apparently doesn’t understand how free agency works. Signing Derek Anderson as your towel boy might work, but adding him to any spot on the quarterback depth chart at this point is just pathetic. They drafted Jonathan Stewart a few years back so that they could let DeAngelo Williams leave when his contract was up, and Stewart and Mike Goodson ran well last year. So what do they do? Re-sign Williams, a 29 year old with a lengthy injury history, to a 5 year deal with over $20 million guaranteed. They then sign FOUR linebackers to starting contracts while only having room for THREE of them on the field. And one, Thomas Davis, is a guy totally reliant on athleticism who has missed the past two years with torn knee ligaments. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
NFC West
Honestly, do I even need to bother? This division continues to be a putrid mess from top to bottom. Nobody is all that good. Nobody is going very far. Unwatchable garbage from beginning to end. I’m not even going to take the time to do team capsule reviews because…well, they’re all just crap, basically. I have better things to do with my time, like sit still and do nothing for 5 minutes.
1. St. Louis Rams (8-8)
2. Seattle Seahawks (7-9)
3. San Francisco 49’ers (7-9)
4. Arizona Cardinals (5-11)
Playoffs – Wild Card Round : Dallas over Philadelphia, Atlanta over St. Louis
Divisional Round : Green Bay over Dallas, New Orleans over Atlanta
Conference Round : New Orleans over Green Bay
Oh hey, I’ve forgotten to list the other blogs participating in the Blog Challenge for…oh…a couple goddamn weeks?! Sorry, folks.
Other Blog Challenge Participants
Liam – http://www.bisonweb.ca/blog/
Chad – http://grindingpixels.blogspot.com/
Tammy – http://tam–i–am.blogspot.com/
Erron – http://erron.wordpress.com/
Vlad – http://www.analogcoast.com/
Kim – http://www.mynaturebaby.ca/blog/
Shaun – http://expeditionoftruths.com/
Peter – http://crazywookiecookies.blogspot.com/
Earl – http://earljwoods.blogspot.com/
Zita – http://ignitestrategicsolutions.com/
Brad – http://kickmeoutsoon.blogspot.com/
Natasha – http://blog.naturalurbanmamas.com/
