The NFC is up first because everyone seems so convinced that it’s the weakest conference. On paper, it may be, but the gap is much smaller than say the NBA divide — and don’t even try to say the Celtics are saving the East, they didn’t grab Udoka like I told them to and that’s gonna bite them in the rear.
We’re going to do a back and forth on this, I do one ranking, SJ does the next, and so on until we’re at the worst of the worst. Oh, and we are starting at the bottom.
16. Minnesota Vikings
SJ- They’ll be good, just not in 2008. Rookie running backs hardly go off and Tavaris Jackson can hopefully give Minnesota sports fans something to cheer for? Agreed?
Coup – Whoa, already we don’t agree. I’m not jumping on the party boat or anything, but there’s no way I can put a team that does two things so well, run block and defend the run, as the worst team in the conference. Not when there’s at least two teams that are an absolute mess right now. One of them being…
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
I feel bad for Jon Gruden. I think the man is a really good coach stuck in a bad situation — a team that hasn’t really started rebuilding so it has a wierd mix of really good but really old and could-be-good but really young players. I do think Gaines Adams will be very good, but with a different defense around him sometime in the future.
SJ – I for one don’t feel bad for Jon Gruden. He has his ring, he has kissed the Lombardi trophy and has been to the mountain top. Plus, he could get any coaching job he wants. Tampa Bay is a team that you can’t really say is really bad (because they aren’t) but you can’t say they are good (because they aren’t). They have 4 quarterbacks which is never good for a cohesive unit. I don’t see much promise in the Bucs, maybe they should change their unis again that worked last time.
14. Washington Redskins
SJ – So you’ve got a shoddy quarterback who had a 76.5 passer rating with 6 INT’s in 7 games, an injury to Clinton Portis and their top offensive lineman…and the worst defensive team in the NFL. Plus they play in the toughest division in the NFC. At least Joe Gibbs has NASCAR.
Coup – Couldn’t agree more, actually. Getting London-Fletcher Baker should boost that horrid D, but there just isn’t a whole lot of room for optimism. This team underperformed for Gibbs when they were decent, and now they’ll be awful for Gibbs now that things are swirling down the drain. They desperately needed to join the “We hired a young and brilliant coordinator” club.
13. Green Bay Packers
I want them to be good, I really do. I want them to be the 2008 Saints, with a gunslinging Brett Favre taking them to the playoffs and saving us from the summer sports meltdown. But I can’t talk myself into that possibility as hard as I try. I’ve talked myself into it too many times with Favre before, and no matter how many times he says “I’m in the best shape of my life,” I’m just not buying it. If they had a running back and Favre cut down on his INT’s, in turn giving the solid defense better field position, they could run off a few unsuspecting foes. It’s just not going to happen.
SJ – Brett Favre leading the Packers to the playoffs would be the dream story. It would was this bitter sports cocktail we’ve been drinking all summer. And as much as I’d like to see it or as easy as it is to con myself into thinking it could happen…it ain’t happening. They are rebuilding around a Hall of Fame quarterback, which is an awesome way to rebuild but they won’t be making any noise. Favre is too erratic, only because it is on him to get the job done. If they had a better running back and a stronger WR core there we some hope. Alas, none. T-minus 1 year until Lambeau becomes Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.
12. Atlanta Falcons
SJ – It is amazing that nine years ago I was disgusted that the Falcons were in the Super Bowl (along with the Dirty Bird). Then three years ago I was captivated by Michael Vick. And now this Falcons team is headed down the drain. They have a first-year head coach coming from the college ranks in Petrino. They have lost their playmaker Michael Vick. I don’t care what anyone says about his lack of accuracy, Vick is a constant weapon that is irreplacable. Their defense looks as if it will remain poor. As much as I love Joey Harrington, statistics and the archives are going against putting any sort of faith in him. Joe Horn finally gives them a legit reciever, but remember when Peerless Price went to Atlanta and everyone got excited? Exactly. They’ve been .500 the last two years and they’re going in the wrong direction. But the Ewing Theory is always a possibility here.
Coup – I just can’t believe they traded Schaub away the same summer they would need him the most. I liked Joey Harrington at Oregon but I don’t see him leading this team anywhere. That said, the Falcons can still run the crap out of the ball, especially with Jerious Norwood getting his legs. Would I put them above the next two (guessing) offensive potent teams? Nope. But they’ve got a few proven commodities.
11. Arizona Cardinals
Cardinals fans have got to be tired of being led to believe that every year is the year. It’s ridiculous how much talent they have on the offensive side of the ball and how inconsistent the team is in realizing the potential. Reports are that, even though they lost man-giant Leonard Davis, the O-Line is shaping up. If this turns out to be true, and Edge gets his, well, edge back, then they could be a darkhorse. And I’ll root for any defense that has Adrian Wilson running around the secondary.
SJ – I actually think this year is the year and I’m definitely not a Cardinals fan. They don’t have Denny Green holding them back this year. I feel like the Cardinals could do what the Jets did last year, i.e. have a first year coach breath life into the franchise and take them to the playoffs. I mean the evidence is right in front of you…Fitzgerald and Boldin. Edgerrin James is firmly out of the ‘Man I can’t believe I’m this paid’ phase of his life and will start running the ball again. Leinart will be ready to go. Wilson and Antrel Rolle in the secondary. I think the most important move was the new coach. He’s hungry just like the players, watch out for the Cardinals this year.
10. New York Giants
SJ – I myself would have put these G-Men below the Cardinals but to each his own. This team has been a mess for the past couple years. Now they no longer have their rock, Tiki Barber and one of their emotional leaders in Michael Strahan. Is Eli Manning really the leader of this team? This team is in need of someone who can grab them by the horns and carry them. As good as Eli is, that simply is not his cup of tea. I just don’t think they’ll be able to put it together, as good as Brandon Jacobs is….Tiki Barber ain’t walking back through that door.
Coup – The Giants are like the never were really good version of the Detroit Pistons. Once they finally get a new coaching staff, they should put a decent regular season run together. Unfortunately, everything stayed the same, and they lost their Chauncey Billups in Tiki. It’ll be a mess of a season, but somehow they will win 6-8. The Giants just do that, and it makes me throw things, like the Eli-Plax OT play last year.
9. Detroit Lions
I thought they’d show up earlier than this, but apparently we both agree they’ll be decent. I fully expect Mike Martz to put together a full blooded offensive machine that will
suffer from horrible inconsistency thanks to a defense that will leave them gunning, a lackluster run game, and Jon Kitna. Kitna is decent, but he throws far too many bad picks for such an aerial game plan. Roy Williams is my favorite wideout in the league and should vault into the Harrison-Johnson-TO-Smith stratosphere this season before he leaps over to the Cowboys once his rookie contract is up. You know you want to Jerry Jones.
SJ – I was definitely going to cuss you out had you low-balled the Lions. Call it preseason hype or my pure idiocy but I could even justify bumping them up a notch or two. I think the Lions will be be the turnaround team of this season. Kitna doesn’t have to be amazing, all he has to do is execute. Martz will show him the way, all he has to do is walk it. He’s got Roy Williams, Mike Furrey and Calvin Johnson in his arsenal. Tatum Bell and T.J. Duckett are upgrades over Kevin “I killed 823192 Fantasy Football Teams over the past 2 years’ Jones. They have the potential to really put some points on the boards. Who needs defense?
8. San Francisco 49ers
SJ – Just for a note, the whole NFC West is throwing me for a loop. All of the teams are solid with defencies but when you think about them at their best its scary. Thus I decided to throw the 49ers here. Everyone is talking about how good they should be this year. Recipe for disaster in my eyes. Is Frank Gore for real or will he regress to his old form? Will that broken bone cause problems? Can Alex Smith make the next step towards becoming an elite QB? I’m on the fence with the 49ers…it wouldn’t surprise me if they went either way.
Coup – Perfect place for the Niners. Right in the middle of everything, as I think they will be all season. Gore and D-Jax stay healthy, this team will win games. It’s going to be the year of Smith-to-Davis.
7. Carolina Panthers
The team everyone forgets about. Sure, the years we all remember them are the years they dissapoint everybody. But they were without Dan Morgan last season, and their defense suffered greatly because of it. Plus their season got off to a bad start with that stupid kick-return play. I don’t know if it will end up being Delhomme or Carr, but someone has got to throw the damn ball to Steve Smith. Like the Niners, I see these guys going one way or another, and a good start is going to be key, and fortunately they’ve got a few cupcakes in Houston, ATL and Tampa after opening at St. Louis.
SJ – The Panthers didn’t win the Super Bowl last year? What? You’re kidding. The defense that had been their staple took a hit last year. Add in the fact that they have a new offensive coordinator and I’m thinking the Panthers may be a little overrated. The defense should be back..but then again it might not be. Steve Smith still doesn’t have a buddy to take some pressure off of him and who knows what Deshaun Foster is going to give them. Carolina is another either way team.
6. St. Louis Rams
SJ – This one took some thought and between the Seahawks and the Rams I had to put the Rams here for now. The Seahawks had a sub-par season and still almost got to the Super Bowl. The Rams are looking to jump back into the elite teams in the NFC and they very well may do it. I know people will talk about their lack of defense, but when have the Rams ever been about defense? Exactly. Their offense will carry them. Marc Bulger is paid which I’m thinking should actually make him better. They’ve got Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce and now Drew Bennett to throw to. Add the danger of Steven Jackson and a legit tight end in Randy McMichael and you have a dangerous team. The Rams are always going to be dangerous, this year they just have to prove they can actually get TDs instead of FGs if they want to move up. They certainly have the weapons to do it.
Coup – You put the Rams one spot too low for me. Your right though, they might not have the D, but they won’t need the D with that O. The O though, has all the questions answered that the next team is still asking themselves.
5. Seattle Seahawks
Ok so they almost made the Superbowl, but they got really lucky to get as far as they did. I’m not saying that as a bitter Cowboys fan, but Dallas had them flat out beat. Seattle just enjoyed a beautiful series of events. As for all those questions, nobody can answer them until the real games get played. Is their secondary going to stay healthy? Is Branch going to be a No. 1? Are Shaun and Matt going to play like it’s 2005? There is still alot of outstanding talent on this team, only I wonder if the window that was wide open two years ago is already shut.
SJ – I can tell you right now that the Seahawks window is shut. Their luck has run out. The fact that in my eyes the NFC West is wide open says a lot about how the Seahawks have fallen. I expect Shaun Alexander to bounce back which will give them a big lift, but they just feel like a team whose time has passed them by. Yes they could easily be better than last year but at the same time it would not be shocking if they are worse. Lack of depth at WR, can Hasslebeck and Alexander return to form. They have the weapons to get the job done, the question is can they do it.
4. Dallas Cowboys
SJ – I have concerns about Romo and their aging WRs. T.O and Terry Glenn are both adding a year on their injury-prone bodies. Roy Williams will lead the D…but which Tony Romo will we get? The one who was anointed the next Troy or the guy who dumped Carrie Underwood.
Coup – Top thing people forget about the 2006 Cowboys: They were the 4th ranked defense in the entire NFL before Greg Ellis went down, taking the pass-rush with him. Now they’ve got Ellis back and rookie Anthony Spencer, plus defensive guru Wade Phillips stretching the limits. Not to mention they’ve one of my yuppie coaches and offensive coordinator, Jason Garrett. Call me biased, but I really think this is a true Superbowl contender, health provided. And Romo? From what I’ve seen and heard during camp/pre-season games, he’s a legitimate franchise quarterback.
3. Philadelphia Eagles
Personally, I would have put Eagles 4 and Boys 3, but we can’t all have our toilet seats made of gold now can we? The Eagles are the biggest upside/downside team in the league when it comes to medical issues. McNabb healthy and playing well? Playoffs easy. Injury-prone guys start to drop, you’ve got issues. I like that they are working on establishing the run more and Takeo Spikes adds another dimension to that fearsome pass-rush. Teams 4-2 are equal in my book. All of them have ?’s coupled with tremendous upside potential (copyright Chad Ford). The No. 1 is clear.
SJ – The Eagles are going to the postseason unless they get bit by the injury bug. Takeo Spikes is in the building and Jevon Kearse is back to lead a disgusting D. This is McNabb’s chance to redeem himself. He’s got to lead this team to the playoffs after they were led to the playoffs without him last year. If this Eagles team chokes, McNabb will firmly enter Mitch Richmond territory.
2. New Orleans Saints
SJ – Come on now, you can’t put the runners up 1st. If the Saints start proving they can stop the run then there is not much the rest of the conference will be able to do to stop them. Human nature for there to be a letdown after the emotional rollercoaster known as last year? Possible. But I doubt Sean Payton would allow something like that. Look for Reggie Bush to jump into his own stratusphere this year.
Coup – You just knew I wanted to put the Saints first. Everything about this team screams improvement. Yeah the D might have overacheived a bit last season,
but I don’t think they realize that so it doesn’t matter. They get a good enough pass-rush and with all the strong D’s at the top of the NFC this season, the Saints are the one team with no questions about their ability to score.
1. Chicago Bears
It pains me to put them here, representing the NFC again, because for the most part their offseason was just not good at all. The D is gonna do it’s thing and Devin Hester will return a few kicks, but I’m worried about their ability to score. If you keep going with Rex freaking Grossman enough times, eventually he’s going to ruin your entire season with a five-week stretch and a QB rating of 12.3. TE Greg Olsen should give him a little more of a safety net but they lost Thomas Jones and not enough people are asking questions about Cedric Benson’s ability to take on the full workload.
SJ – You gotta go with the defending champions. Why? The Bears will always have the D that is not even a question. As a matter of fact it is that same D that got them to the damn Super Bowl last year to begin with. Why I’m liking the Bears at #1 right now is because of their improved offense. Last year was Rex Grossman’s first full year at QB, he took his lumps and will end up being better because of it. You really think he is going to go out there and suck it up again? He played like a two year old and they still managed to win. Devin Hester is a freak of nature who will now be playing WR. Maybe he’ll pull a Donte Hall, maybe he won’t. But either way if the Bears O improves they are dangerous.