Mparas1432's Blog
With the preseason officially starting up again, the regular season is finally in plain sight just down the line. Teams, as always, spent most of their offseason figuring out how to improve themselves and preparing for the long season ahead.
For the NFC, the league has gradually become much more competitive overall. As a conference, the NFC has won three Superbowls in a row. However the last two league champions (Saints and Packers) failed to win a playoff game the following year. Heading into 2012, the Giants hope to avoid that same trend.
This year, the NFC looks to be as strong as always. Here are my general thoughts on the conference this season:
Toughest Division: The NFC North
What more could you want? Two teams, the Lions and Packers, have explosive offenses with a third trying to catch up. Each team made great strides in the offseason to get better as well. The Bears added Marshall to go with Cutler. The Packers added pass rushers to improve their defense. The Lions added cuffs DBs to stop the pass. While the Vikings are the low point of the division, the NFC North could very well have three teams in the playoffs.
Most Underrated Division: The NFC South
If there’s a division that improved the most in the NFC, it’s the NFC South. Normally this is just a two team race between the Saints and the Falcons, but this year, all four teams could be in the hunt. The Panthers and the Bucs both made big strides in the offseason to give the other two teams problems. Don’t be surprised if this division race goes down to the last week.
The Favorite: San Francisco 49ers
I’ll buy into how the 49ers improved in the receiving department. The additions of Randy Moss, Mario Mannignham, and even rookie AJ Jenkins will give Alex Smith more targets to throw to. Combine that with all 11 starters returning on defense, it makes it very plausible that the 49ers could make it to the superbowl.
The Dark Horse: Chicago Bears
Before the injuries to Jay Cutler and Matt Forte last season, the Bears went 7-3. They were already a solid team, but the moves they made this summer could put them in contention for the conference. Besides adding Brandon Marshall, the bears locked up Forte to a long term deal, had a great draft, and added much needed depth across the board.
The Most Surprising: Carolina Panthers
With Cam Newton entering his second year, the Panthers have a chance to be explosive. Rookie LB Luke Kuechly will most likely have an immediate impact on defense as well. The Panthers are in good hands under coach Ron Rivera and could surprise a lot of teams this year.
The Most Underrated: New York Giants
It might seem weird that the reigning champs could be regarded as underrated, but the Giants have flown under the radar since Tebowmania hit New York. While they do have the league’s toughest schedule, many are forgetting the upgrade to the running game that was made in the draft. The Giants might not repeat, but they are still a very dangerous team.
The Most Disappointing: New Orleans Saints
The Saints still have one of the best offenses in the NFL. Although after Roger Goddel’s sanctions, the Saints could very well have a setback year. Where the suspensions will hurt the most is in the coaching department. Joe Vitt seems like a solid replacement for Sean Payton, but Vitt is also suspended for the first six games. Much like the Patriots following Spy Gate, the Saints are trying to redeem themselves. In this case at least, don’t expect a 16-0 season.
Predicted Playoff Teams:
Green Bay Packers, San Francisco 49ers, Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants, Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears
What do you think of the NFC? Let us know in the comments.
Questions and comments can be sent to Matt at [email protected] or reply in the comments section. You can follow him at www.twitter.com/Mparas1432
# 2
Mparas1432 @ Aug 10
The reason I didn't put the NFC East as the toughest division is because a lot of their teams are up and down. Yes the Redskins are 3-0 against the Giants, but all the teams in the division are so inconsistent at times.
The Eagles finished strong, sure, but they got off to a terrible start. Dallas always seems to have talent, but they never make the push.
I wouldn't be surprised if Dallas makes the playoffs, but to me it feels like the NFC North has more consistency and are a tougher out for teams playing them (minus the Vikings).
The Eagles finished strong, sure, but they got off to a terrible start. Dallas always seems to have talent, but they never make the push.
I wouldn't be surprised if Dallas makes the playoffs, but to me it feels like the NFC North has more consistency and are a tougher out for teams playing them (minus the Vikings).
# 5
Stafford2Johnson @ Aug 11
@N51_rob
The NFC East has teams stacked with talent but never live up to their potential. Normally, one team flops, the other two do solid until one team eventually pushes for the division win with a 10-6 record. This is obviously excluding the Redskins.
The NFC East has teams stacked with talent but never live up to their potential. Normally, one team flops, the other two do solid until one team eventually pushes for the division win with a 10-6 record. This is obviously excluding the Redskins.
# 6
PackerBacker123 @ Aug 11
since this is turning into a fan boy write fest, I'll just go ahead and add that the packers should be the favorite...
# 7
eburne @ Aug 13
I agree with your first 3 picks for the playoffs - but the Eagles will bring it for Andy Reid this year. As a Cowboy fan, this will be very disappointing. I don't think the Lions or Bears are any better than any of the 4 NFC East teams.
# 8
Chrisksaint @ Aug 14
I just don't see the Saints taking a serious step back out of the playoffs, yes Sean Payton being out hurts but Pete Carmichael called plays a majority of last season and they set records(little known fact is that Brees has worked with Carmichael since '02 in SD).
The defense I feel will be improved as Curtis Lofton is significantly better then Vilma if we base it off last season. With Spags at Coordinator I see an improved pass rush from the front 4(not great, but going from terrible to middle of the pack) as there is a lot of young talent there. New zone D with some man will finally allow a guy like Malcolm Jenkins to make plays on the ball instead of bailing out terrible coverage schemes(Patrick Robinson is also a name to watch).
I don't think it'll be another 13-3 season, but I just think this team has too much talent to not make the playoffs regardless of the HC.
The defense I feel will be improved as Curtis Lofton is significantly better then Vilma if we base it off last season. With Spags at Coordinator I see an improved pass rush from the front 4(not great, but going from terrible to middle of the pack) as there is a lot of young talent there. New zone D with some man will finally allow a guy like Malcolm Jenkins to make plays on the ball instead of bailing out terrible coverage schemes(Patrick Robinson is also a name to watch).
I don't think it'll be another 13-3 season, but I just think this team has too much talent to not make the playoffs regardless of the HC.
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Your play-off prediction bucks the recent NFL trend if 5 new teams making the play-offs every year. Would not be shocked if Dallas or Philly got in over Detroit, (or both).
Yes, I am a fan of a team in the NFC East...