I say either the Panthers or the Vikings. ( Panthers more ) Eagles and Falcons behind them. The Panthers had a good chance to go last year. However, key injuries prevented that. Now, Colbert is even better ( great young receiver ). Steve Smith is healthy again. Smith was just player of the game for the Panthers today against the Giants. They also have Rod Gardner, who'll put points on the board when they're in the Red Zone. Another thing is the running backs. Last year they had to play goings and get a lot of free agent running backs to fill the roster ( not saying goings didn't do good ). Now they'll have the young and great Foster starting, they'll also have Stephen Davis back to add some strength. They even gained Eric Shelton in the draft to prevent being caught off guard if people get injured again. Jake Delhomme is still good, also. He may not be as good as 2003, but he can still get it done. Then theirs the offensive linemen, they have a pretty decent group. As long as they stay healthy, they're fine in that position. Last year, they lost many linemen to injuries. As far as their defense, it's still great. If I had to rate their defense right now, it'd be 5th in the NFL, which is very good. They have big Kris Jenkins back, the big push on their defensive line. The linebackers still look good. Dan Morgan is still one of the best linebackers in the league. Witherspoon is a speedy linebacker who can drop in coverage and run and get sacks when needed. They have lost Fields to cancer, but they have Thomas Davis to fill that spot. I don't think he'll make a big impact this early. Though, he's bound to grow into a star quickly. Looking at him in the preseason I see he's always around the ball. He hasn't gotten the chance to lay hits on players yet, but he's always there looking for it. He'll get the hang of it sooner or later. The coverage, is simply amazing. Ricky Manning, Ken Lucas ( NFC interception leader ), and Chris Gamble ( Tied Lucas for NFC interception leader ) is a dream Cornerback core. They each get 4 or more interceptions at the least. They also have Mike Minter back there helping them out. They have one of, if not, the best looking coverage players I see so far.The Vikings defense has improved tremendously. They gained a good rookie defensive end in Erasmus James. Who I haven't seen much of, but should make his way on the scene anytime. The best part of the defensive line is big Kevin Williams, who'll get the quarterback looking at him every play. He'll do wonders at getting into the quarterback's face and causing trouble. They also have big Pat Williams right next to Kevin. That team is going to have the quarterback seeing at least one Williams in his face every play. At right end they have Udeze, a great defensive end who is doing great at the beginning of his career. The linebacker core has also improved in skill. They gained Napoleon Harris, who they got in the Moss deal. They have big Sam Cowart at Middle Linebacker. And then they have EJ Henderson, opposite of Harris. Then to add depth, they have Kieth Newman and the young and talented Dontarrious Thomas. The coverage, like every other part of the defense, has also greatly improved. They added Fred Smoot, who is a great cover corner and is still young. They also have little Antoine Winfield at the other side. Antoine is small, but he can definetely hit. He is also another good corner, but his size prevents him from getting them jump balls against the big receivers. Don't put him on Moss... plain and simple. Brian Williams is also a decent corner. He'll be playing the nickel spot for the Vikes. Then they have all star safety's in the newly aquired Darren Sharper and the hard hitting Corey Chavous. Then they have Ohio State's former star Dustin Fox backing Darren Sharper up. I don't agree with him playing free safety because of his size. I'd rather him play dime back and in the future move up in the ranks as a corner. Wow, I only covered the defense. The offense pretty much hasn't changed. Who needs Moss? They have passing leader Daunte Culpepper throwin the ball. Nate Burleson as their new starting receiver. He's rising rapidly and is looking at a decent 1300+ yard season. He looks amazing in preseason so far. I can't wait until he plays for real. They also have Marcus Robinson, who is gonna be their big receiver. He has the height and the jumping ability. Then they have the new Travis Taylor at the slot. Who's a good receiver, but has been limited by the lackluster performances of Kyle Boller in Baltimore. Then next is Kelly Campbell, who has speed and will get a little better as time moves on. Then theirs the track star - rookie Troy Williamson. He may be 5th on the depth chart. But he'll rise into a better spot soon. Undoubtedly the fastest receiver there was in the draft. And is probably one of the fastest in the NFL. Then there's the tight end, Wiggins, who also gets his share of receptions. Next is the running backs. Hmm... there's Bennett, Williams, and Moore ( there would also be a Smith, but we all know what happened to him ). Michael Bennett is looking like he'll be the starting back. While, Williams and Moore will get carries... the Vikings are looking for Bennett to stay healthy so they can have 1 primary back. They want to have an improved running game this season. And they're going to get it with the speedy Bennett, who has the powerful Moe Williams and the future running back Mewelde Moore behind him incase he get's injured again. Don't look for them to pass the ball much less, though.The Eagles won't make it too the Super Bowl again. However, they'll still do their amount of damge in the playoffs. They have McNabb coming back off his best season ever. Hopefully he can get things settled with the problems in the receiving core. Speaking of receivers, the set isn't looking so good. If TO doesn't play, they'll have Greg Lewis and rookie Reggie Brown as starters. I'm not saying they both aren't good, but they are both young. They'll make mistakes, especially at leading roles. At the running back, Westbrook doesn't like his contract very much. Though, I don't think that'll effect him on the field. He really has passion for the Eagles and is a great back. I think he needs to do a little more on the ground. The Eagles don't have much of a running game. And that means a lot of defenses will expect the pass, which is not good for McNabb and the young receivers he has to deal with. Anyway, Westbrook is still one of or the best at being a receiving back. On the defensive side, the Eagles have AMAZING depth. They have more decent defensive lineman than they can count. They'll probably do just as good using the 2nd string d-line lineup. They have Jevon Kearse who will get many sacks and run many quarterbacks out of the pocket or force them to throw earlier than they want. Then Jevon has Jamaal Green backing him up, who's a great player and was injured a lot of last season. On the other end is Hugh Douglas. But he's not the only one on that side, there's Jerome McDougle and Kalu who both are great. Kalu missed all of last season, to note. Then there's the Defensive Tackles. Corey Simon is their star, but he's not happy right now. And things aren't looking to good with him, he might not be in Eagles uniform when this is resolved. However, they still have their 1st round pick, Mike Patterson, who'll do great early. Then there's Darwin Walker, Hollis Thomas, and Paul Grasmanis at the other DT spot. They're all good. Next is the linebackers. Where Jeremiah Trotter, Nate Wayne, Dhani Jones, and Mark Simoneau... all do their part. Jeremiah is coming off a good season. And the others remain consistent and ever helpful to that great Eagles defense. Last is coverage. The Eagles have, arguably, the best coverage lineup. They have the best safety in the league in Brian Dawkins. He hits, covers, everything. Then at strong-side safety is Michael Lewis, another star safety who is still young and had a tremendous rise of skill from 2003 to 2004. Then there's the corners. Lito Sheppard is a great cover corner and can step up for some run support. Sheldon Brown is great, too. Then the backups Matt Ware and Roderick Hood are both very young, and are both going to do better as time goes by. Lasty, the Falcons... runner up NFC Champs of 2004. They have a rising young offense. At quarter back, everyone knows, is Michael Vick. He has slowly but surely been getting better at his pocket presence and his passing in general. But even if he's not ready to be dominant in the passing game yet, he can still get you 1000 yards rushing for the season. The Falcons had the 2nd best rushing offense last season, behind the Steelers. The other half of Atlanta's rushing, the running backs. They have Warrick Dunn and TJ Duckett for the double threat. Warrick Dunn has amazing speed, Duckett has amazing power. Adds versatility to the running game. Two totally different backs, two seperate players who both get it done for the Falcons. Warrick Dunn is also a weapon in the passing game. Speaking of passing game, we have the receivers. Not the greatest core, not the most decent core either. This position really needs improvement if they want to make it over the hump. First off they have Crumpler, who's a great Tight end. But just a tight end can't do it. Right now, at receiver, they have Dez White and Michael Jenkins starting. Michael Jenkins is coming off his rookie season. He didn't do much, 7 catches, but he really didn't get a chance to do his thing. Now, looking at him in the preseason and training camp, the Falcons see his potential. He's very talented and will start as their star receiver soon. Dez is gifted in speed. And his catching isn't that bad either. But it does need to improve, especially if he wants to do good with Mike Vick at quarterback. They need to get open more. They got to help him get better. Without his improvement, they'll never get over the hump. BTW, Matt Schaub looks really good when he plays in preseason, he could be a great backup, or decent starter for another team one day. Now to the defense. Which is pretty much the same, with just a little changes. The defensive line holds two great players, Rod Coleman and Patrick Kearney. Patrick Kearney is great at pass rushing and has decent speed. Rod Coleman actually had an interception for a touchdown last season at Defensive Tackle. He's got great speed for his position. His speeds good, but he's still very big and strong... very versatile. The linebackers are next. There's the great Kieth Brooking. He gets interceptions, tackles, and fumbles. He's a star, no doubt. Then at the middle linebacker is Ed Hartwell. He's a star middle linebacker, he's just been overshadowed by Ray Lewis. With Ray Lewis getting all them tackles, he still managed to rack up almost 100. Then at left outside linebacker is Demorrio Williams. He's coming off his rookie season and is very fast. A future star linebacker. Lastly is the coverage. The safety's are pretty much average. Keion Carpenter didn't even play last season. However, you could say Scott is decent. He got about 100 tackles and hits pretty well. He also had a turnover or two. Then at corner is the very talented DeAngelo Hall. A future star cornerback. He's just coming off his rookie season and is only 21 years old. Then behind him is Jason Webster and Kevin Mathis. They both are decent and had 2 interceptions and more than 40 tackles last season. An overall great team. But, Mike Vick and the receivers need to shape up.Now the reason I have them in this order ( Panthers, Vikings, Eagles, Falcons ). The Panthers have a great offense and defense. And they are getting a lot of players back. The Vikings won't surpass them because they have a great, but new defense. They'll have to get things clicking, so they won't make it over the hump yet. The Eagles won't because they're having a lot of off field and on field issues. Injuries, contracts, and TO's can cause a lot of loss of focus on the field. I think they'll be, too, distracted to make it all the way this season. However, they'll still go very far. Then the Falcons, a great team. But with Mike Vick growing kind of slow in the passing game, the receiving core being average, and the whole passing game just not clicking... they can't go but so far.
Good post, too much for me to read at the moment but I also believe the Panthers will be in the Super Bowl, but the Eagles 2nd, and Vikings 3rd. I will read that big ass post tommorow don't worry.
haha. Took a while for me to write too. I think it's something you have to sitdown and read with a nice cup a coffee.
Question, how is Delhomme not as good as 2 years ago? It's not like he's old...he may even be better.
I'm not saying he's old, but 30 is getting there. He had his best year of 2004. But I think he can only go down from there. I mean, I don't see people improving at 30 (almost 31) Also, in 2004, they didn't have much runningbacks, due to injury. So he was forced to do more. Now they have all their runningbacks back. Including the Explosive Foster.
i think its gona take the vickings a season to get there team together so i sayign panthers then eagles than falcons then packers.
Very well written, very thought out post but you are missing several key things.1) The Panthers, while Smith and Colbert are both very talented recievers, its like playing 2 of the exact same player against teams since they are both rather Undersized and speedy players. The reason they were so good is because they had the Big Physical Mushin Muhammad to take the Big Cornerbacks off of them. When they lost Mushin Muhammad they lost that physical presence in the WR position so watch teams try to manhandle Smith and Colbert at the lines. If that offensive line doesnt stay healthy enough to keep Delhomme in the pocket for a long time, look for disasterous results.2) The Vikings, while there Defense looks good on paper, has one of the worst Defensive coaches and systems in the NFL. Teddy Cottrell and his "Bend but dont break too much Cover Who?" Defense will drive fans insane because it is an ultra-conservative system. This means that he will not be blitzing close to as much as he should with playmaking cornerbacks like Fred Smoot and Antoine Winfield and will expect them to play man-to-man against big tall physical Recievers which will not give very good results.PS: Pat Williams is a run-stuffer, not a pass rusher. He will not be in the QB's face too often.3) While the Eagles are the defending NFC Champs(and convincingly), Tthey have some problems off the field. T.O., Westbrook, and the recently released Corey Simon have been stealing the headlines all offseason with their contract disputes. The front office is clearly sending a message of no new deals(as shown by the release of Simon) and honoring the contract, but many of these contracts are unfair to the players inside them. All of these problems are probably causing a split in the Eagles Clubhouse and bringing up many questions? Will T.O. pull another San Francisco and not give 100%? Will Westbrook be playing to the best of his abilities without that new deal? Will Donovan McNabb be able to repeat the numbers he put up last season? Lets wait and see.4) How can you talk about the Falcons recieving core and not mention Peerless Price or Roddy White? I know both of them have been a little hurt this preseason but they are still going to make an impact on Michael Vick because they will be deadly matched up against nickle and dimebacks. While the Falcons recieving core isnt top heavy, it is a very deep group. And the most deadly factor in that offense is Warrick Dunn out of the backfield, I doubt there is a single player on the field that could keep up with Warrick Dunn when he is running his routes and he is very deadly.As you can probably tell, I believe it is the time for the Falcons to shine in the NFC.
I was reffering to Keven Williams being a pass rusher.The Panthers receivers look good so far. Steve Smith gaining player of the game and stuff.Peerless Price may be traded, so I didn't talk about him. And I did forget Roddy White, but I don't know how he's going to do.
Yea... things just wasn't going to workout with them. The Falcons have all young receivers right now. I think Jenkins can break out. Dez will do his decent job like he always does. Finnernan is getting old, but can catch solidly. Roddy is also good. They are good, but I think they still need someone else. Because you can't expect all young receivers to wind up good.
Well that's your opinion. And if you can't see them just losing one game (division playoffs) then that's you. The Eagles can't just keep going to the NFC championship, over and over. They're going to fall lower sooner or later. And the NFC has a lot of up and coming teams. The Lions might even make a surprise run. And their are other teams that can come from nowhere and make it far in the playoffs. It's always one surprise team for a season. And I'm not saying that the Eagles can't do it again, but they damn sure aren't unstoppable. They have a lot more competition this year.
Hey, I agree wholeheartedly about the NFC having up-and-comers.. but I still don't see anybody stopping them. I look at it this way - Which team is going to break down first? Persnally I don't see them breaking down with McNabb and T.O. - as, for lack of a better word, uneducated it may seem, those two guys can carry a team.
McNabb and TO can't carry a team. Did Culpepper (better than nabb) and Moss (better than TO) carry the vikings to the NFC Championship repeatedly. No, because the Eagles had other parts of their team helping out. And when them people start to leave, and things start to happen... you can't still do that over and over. A team can't stay good forever. They're going to fall down sooner or later. While the Eagles aren't going to fall, they aren't going to do AS good.
