by Patrick
NFC West
St. Louis Rams
I refuse to believe that the NFC West will be won
by another sub .500 team, although the bookmakers, and if you look at the
schedule, kind of make it look like a 7-9 or 8-8 team will do it again this
year. This is Steve Spagnuolo’s 3rd year and it seems he is making
strides with the defense. St Louis has made a big effort to give more
weapons and depth to Sam Bradford and the offense. They brought in Josh
McDaniels, who despite being a horrible head coach, is a good coordinator and
should work well with Bradford. Jerrious Norwood and Cadillac Williams
are expected to relieve Steven Jackson of some of carries. If the
receiving corps and offensive line can stay healthy I can seen them winning
some games.
Arizona Cardinals
Arizona struggled through last season after Kurt
Warner’s retirement and did not want to go through another season with the
revolving door at the QB position. Max Hall & John Skelton are still
on the roster fighting for the backup spot, but the bold move was made after
the lockout to trade a 2nd round pick and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie for Kevin
Kolb. I expect a few bumps in the road this season for Kolb, but he
should be at least able to get the ball to the playmakers. Also, Larry
Fitzgerald just signed a huge extension which eliminates the doubt that he
might be gone after this season so the Cardinals should at least be able to
build around that. Defensively, I like their line. Darnell Dockett is a beast. Their
linebacking core has a lot of retreads, but they have some youth coming up in
O’Brien Schofield and Sam Acho. If I were a Cardinals fan I would be
concerned about the defensive backfield, especially with the loss of Cromartie,
however they did draft Patrick Peterson.
San Francisco 49ers
They’ve made some changes in San Francisco too,
bringing in Jim Harbaugh and drafting Colin Kaepernick. They’ve brought
in Braylon Edwards and Ted Ginn at WR and signed Madieu Williams and Carlos
Rodgers in the defensive backfield. But the one thing that has stayed the
same, which has most Niner fans expecting another sub-par season, is that Alex
Smith is still expected to be the starting QB. Most observers believe
that in 6 seasons he has done nothing to show that he has what it takes to be a
starter in the NFL. He is inaccurate, doesn’t make quick decisions, and
always seems to make one or two terrible plays that kill drives. The
organizational line is that he has been working with Harbaugh (who, because he
had Andrew Luck last year at Stanford is all of the sudden a QB genius[1])
and will be in a system that suits him. 49er fans have heard that before.
Unless Kaepernick turns out to be the next Josh Freeman, the Niners will
struggle this season, and until they figure out the QB position.
Seattle Seahawks
As predicted, Matt Hasselbeck is gone, off to
Tennessee to try to continue his career as a starter. Charlie Whitehurst[2]
and former Vikings QB Tarvaris Jackson are fighting for the starting job.
They also signed Sidney Rice to bolster the receiving corps. On
paper Rice, Mike Williams, Obomanu, and Golden Tate look like a decent group,
with John Carlson at TE and Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett at RB rounding
out the skill positions. They need Russell Okung to stay healthy on the O
line, and they signed Robert Gallery from Oakland to shore up the guard
position. Brandon Mebane is a beast on defense, but besides him I don’t
see a lot of difference makers on the depth chart. This is another team
where quarterback uncertainty and poor play will keep them from being a
legitimate winner in the NFL.
NFC East
Philadelphia Eagles
I don’t know what to think about this team. I
have never been completely sold on Vick, but he definitely stepped up last
year. He is a weapon. DeSean Jackson is probably the most explosive
playmaker in the league. But the big story was all the acquisitions they
made in the condensed FA signing period.
Asomugha was the shocker, and they grabbed Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie
in the Kevin Kolb trade. Heck, even their backup QB signing of Vince
Young was of interest. They should be able to get a couple good years out
of Jason Babin and Cullen Jenkins on the defensive line to along with an
already solid bunch. There are a
lot of comparisons to the Miami Heat and throwing around the term “dream team.”
I wonder if they might have a similar fate in the end though. There has never been a team in the NFL
that threw so many players together and was really successful. Maybe a
piece here, a piece there, but this seems like a lot of change for a sport in
which cohesion and camaraderie mean so much. Still, they are the best
team in the division, and probably will end up with a top 2 seed and a first
round bye. And the nation will be captivated no matter what.
New York Giants[3]
Eli Manning has declared himself an elite
quarterback. I don’t know that I put him up there with Manning, Brady,
Brees, Rodgers and Rivers, but he is probably top 10. He throws more
interceptions than I’d like, but he is in command of his offense, and has playmakers
at his disposal in the passing game. Hakeem Nicks is a stud.
Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw are a nice combination in the
background. There’s been a lot of unrest surrounding Osi Umenyiora’s
contract, and top pick Prince Amukamara looks to be out for a couple months,
but otherwise they are pretty solid on defense. As long as they can avoid
a big overblown New York meltdown and the calls for Coughlin to be fired
subside, they should put together a solid season.
Dallas Cowboys
Last year was a rocky season in Dallas, losing Tony
Romo to injury and going through a midseason coaching change. Now, Tony
Romo is healthy, and even if he isn’t Jon Kitna can hold down the fort for a
few games. They have released a lot of players, especially on the offensive
line, so that would be my first concern if I were a Cowboy fan.
Defensively, I like their front 7; Jay Ratliff and DeMarcus Ware are
among the best at their positions. Their secondary is a weakness but they
have brought in Rob Ryan to replace Wade Phillips, which could reenergize the
team. Overall I see them having their ups and downs, but falling behind
New York and Philadelphia in the division.
Washington Redskins (6-10)
Mike Shanahan is in his second year as head coach
and has not been afraid to make big moves. Albert Haynesworth, Donovan
McNabb, Carlos Rogers, and Clinton Portis are gone. Rex Grossman and John
Beck are competing for the starting job, so that should tell you something.
I don’t feel that they have the difference makers on either side of the
ball to compete in this division.
[1] Pete
Says: Well, he was a QB in the NFL. Even if he did audible in the Metrodome
and cost the Bears a game in the 90s.
[2] Pete
Says: Clipboard Jesus!
[3] Full
Disclosure: Patrick submitted this to me before the entire Giants defense got
hurt. I wouldn’t have had them 2nd
in the division before or after, because I believe in Dallas.
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