Super Bowl

My take on this Super Bowl is that no matter who wins, our 24 hour non stop media crazy, social network society will make the following ridiculous, short-sighted generalizations.

1. New England Wins

Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback of all time.  Bill Belicheck is the greatest coach of all time.  Now, NFL Network/ESPN "analysts" will declare you don't need a defense or running game to win in the NFL, go ahead and start a wide receiver at nickel back, because if you have a top 5 QB, and a bunch of white guys, you're set.

Tom Coughlin's job will be on the line again.  Osi Umenyora is disgruntled, Brandon Jacobs is disgruntled, Victor Cruz and JPP hold out.  The "is Eli Manning elite?" question will be again over New York radio and Twitter.  All the questions about how horrible New York's secondary is come up.

2. New York Wins

Tom Brady is the most overrated quarterback of all time.  He only won Super Bowls when he was more of a game manager and had guys like David Patten and Mike Vrabel to throw to.  Bill Belicheck can't win without Romeo Crennel coordinating and Tedi Bruschi, the heart of the early 00s defense.  Gronkowski's ankle was a problem.  Cutting a 6th string WR (Tiquan Underwood) the day before the game was a distraction.

Eli Manning is better than Peyton Manning now.  In fact, he is better than Tom Brady, who he has beaten twice in Super Bowls.  Tom Coughlin is like the Phil Jackson of the NFL.  He takes a group of start athletes who all don't give any effort the entire year, and molds them into a team that cares for about 6 weeks and goes on a crazy run to win championships.  

Some of these statements may or may not be true, depending on who wins.  But it is getting annoying how after ever game, season, etc. people get on tv, radio, twitter and analyze it like it is the most important, greatest game ever.  One way or the other, after the game tonight, and throughout the whole offseason, be prepared for some overreactions, and moronic statements made by NFL "experts."  And probably more talk about Tim Tebow.

NFC East and West previews

(Yes, we're two weeks into the season.  Late posting is entirely Pete's fault and Patrick manned up and left his picks as-is instead of altering them to make himself look smarter.  Kudos to him.)

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.

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[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 2^nd in the division before or after, because I believe in Dallas.