Loading ...Each year, the focus of every team is primarily on winning their own division, then competing to seeding in the post season. Thinking about this process has me wondering: how tough will the road to the Superbowl be in The NFC?
Despite the fact that the defending champs reside in The NFC, I do believe it is the weaker of the two conferences. With The Colts in The AFC, that conference is always a tough road. Any team wishing to make it to the big game will likely have to beat Peyton Manning in his own building. Sure it has been done before, but its not easy. Factor in the ultra competitive AFC East and AFC North divisions, and grabbing a wild card spot will be very tough in The AFC. There are three teams in both the north and east who could be considered playoff teams this coming year (Jets, Ravens, Steelers, Dolphins, Bengals, and Patriots). In fact, each of those teams had an outside shot at the post-season in 2009 with two weeks to go.
Then of course there are The Houston Texans, another very strong team.
What will make this conference so tough is the gauntlet of talent- saturated teams (such as Houston, The Jets, and Miami) combined with teams loaded with post-season experience (like Baltimore and Pittsburgh), topped off with the reigning AFC Champion Colts, led by the tremendous Peyton Manning.
Each pose a threat to make a run in their own respect.
In The NFC, The Vikings (with Favre) and The Saints still represent the two top teams in the conference. The Cardinals are sure to take a fall after losing all- pro quarterback Kurt Warner along with Karlos Dansby, Antrel Rolle, and Anquan Boldin.
If Green Bay doesn’t knock off Minnesota as division champions, they will likely secure another wild- card birth. This leaves the NFC East winner and one other wild card spot open.
I do not feel as if any team in The NFC South other than The Saints are complete enough to make a run. The Falcons and Panther have tough teams with a great attitude, bu Matt Moore’s lack of experience and Atlanta’s lack of defensive talent will hurt both of those teams.
The NFC East will be its usual chaotic self, with Philadelphia taking a fall this year. The most important thing that Donovan McNabb brought to to the table for Philly was that he was the glue that held all of the young talent on that team together. Their immaturity will come out in 2010.
The key to this conference is Brett Favre, and New Orleans.
Why New Orleans?
Well, in 2007 and 2008 they were 8-8 and 7-9 respectively. They could prove to be a one hit wonder and have another down year this year (they did get some absolutely insane breaks late in the year in 2009).
If they struggle and Favre doesn’t come back, The Packers, Cowboys,and Giants look to have the best shot at getting to The Superbowl.
The Giants Perspective
Speaking for The Giants, I love the spot they are in. Right now, Dallas is penciled in as NFC champs, with The Giants flying very far under the radar. No one expects much from The Giants after a terrible 2009.
This is where The Giants thrive.
Quietly, The Giants have made what is maybe the upgrade of the entire offseason in getting defensive coordinator Perry Fewell combined with a healthy Kenny Phillips and Antrel Rolle.
Fewell led a talent- bereft Bills defense to a very solid year, sporting the 2nd best interception total in The NFL, the best red zone defense in The AFC (Giants were the leagues worst last year), and The Bills themselves had a better yards per play average than did The Minnesota Vikings, who ranked 4th in The NFL in total defense.
Those upgrades alone, combined with having a more experienced receiving core for Eli Manning to work with will help get The Giants back to form, even if little else goes right for them.
Lets hope it leads to another playoff run.
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Kyle, I think your overestimating the ability of the 2009 playoff teams to be contenders again this year. Every year, roughly half of the teams in the playoffs the season before sit and watch the playoffs from home. I wouldn’t expect this year to be any different. Although teams like the Vikings, Saints, Packers, Colts, Ravens, and Cowboys [gasp] look like they’re the best teams in the league, it’s highly unlikely that all of those teams will make the playoffs next season.
From the Giants perspective, I agree with your assessment. They’re flying under the radar right now– a lot of sports writers don’t know what to make of the team, and rightly so. This is a team that has a ton of talent and they beefed up the defense, which was already very strong in ’08. But, there’s a potential lame duck HC problem. If the Giants struggle early, there will be a ton of talk about how Coughlin has one foot out the door, and a tailspin could definitely follow.
The Giants 2010 season is smelling a lot like the ’07 season. The Giants flew under the radar then and Levito as you put it Coughlin was a lame duck HC then too. It’s a guarantee if this team doesn’t make it to the playoffs this year or beyond they will have a new HC next year.
As long as the injury bug stays far, far away (which Hixon has already proven we are still cursed with) the GMen should fair relatively well this year. Osi’s attitude will have a great deal to do with how well the D does. If he keeps his attitude in check and brings his anger onto the field. The Giants should be real contenders.
As far as other teams. Kyle is right Philly will fall apart with out McNabb and the Cowboys will choke in the playoffs. I would start being a little more concerned about the Redskins however. They could become a deadly team now that Shanahan is there.
So many contingencies that’s it almost impossible to predict much this early in the season.
Every team depends upon health and luck.
I see the Vikes heading down a bit, and don’t think the Saints can match last year because teams will start to defend those seam passes better. Dallas, the Giants and the Skins all got considerably better. The Packers are on their way up. The Niners have a chance to be a pretty good team.
Where I think the Giants have a real advantage is in depth. Reese has put together a very deep team where, particularly in the trenches, the drop-off if someone gets hurt should be less than it would be for most teams, and a lot less than what the Giants have experienced in past years. Except at a few positions I believe the Giants are capable of sustaining good play even when the inevitable injuries occur. I don’t know that’s the case for most teams.
The other advantage I see for the Giants is that, along with the Vikings, they appear to be the best-balanced team in the NFC. They need the Special Teams to play pretty well, a lot better than in 2009, but if they can do that they are going to be strong in all three phases of the game. The Saints, Packers and Cowboys have some questions on defense. The Niners have issues on offense. The Eagles have a lot of question marks in what looks like a transition year, although they’ll still be very dangerous because they’ve got playmakers.
But there’s no way of knowing much until each team is at least a few games into the season. There will be a lot of hints until then, but until you get into October not even the teams themselves know what they’ll turn out to be.
Very nice post NJm0m. I agree. This year has a VERY similar feel to the ’07 season. TC has somewhat backed himself into a must win situation. We’ve got a disgruntled veteran DE that’s been bothered with injuries that everyone’s been calling for their head with Osi (in 2007 it was #92). And yes – we’re flying under the radar. Everyone’s already putting Dallas, Minnesota or New Orleans in the Super Bowl this year..and writing the G-Men off. We’ve also got a new fiery DC that the team seems to rally behind how they did Spags in ’07.
The difference between this team and the 2007 team is the YOUNG talent across the board. We’ve actually got one of the best, if not THE best, safety duo in KP and Antrel Rolle. Even if KP can’t go right away, I think a combo of Rolle and Grant/Jones/Johnson is better than what we had in Gibril and Butler. Our DE rotation is as deep as it’s ever been…and we’ve got some YOUNG guys at the DT spot who could make a big impact given the chance (Alford and Joseph) Pair that with a healthy Ross, the emergence of TT and CWeb being able to play his strengths…and this defense is going to be scary. We’ve got the most athletic group of LB’s this team has seen in a while…AND we might even see a changing of the guard on the OL.
Osi is no Strahan. Injured or on his best day. I understand the point but come on!
you get where i was going – come on! NO ONE is strahan…was just trying to be optimistic.
BTW, I finally found footage of the hit Rolle put on Boss. I didn’t remember it.
http://www.intentionalfoul.com/nfl/kevin-boss-got-earholed/
fortunately for rolle, Boss doesn’t remember it!
Usually each ear it is a team from out of nowhere that shocks the Nfl and makes a run. Last year it was the Saints and the year before it was the Cards. In 07 it was both the Giants and Packers who shocked everyone. This season look for the San Francisco 49ers to be that team. Look for the 49ers and Giants to both go to the NFC Championship game..They are giddy out there in the Bay area about the talent they have acquired and I am Guaranteeing an 11 win Season or them..The Cowboys will take a step back as will the Eagles and the Cardinals wont finish 500. Those are the 3 NFC playoff teams from last year that wont return this year. Look for the Falcons, Skins and Bears to battle for the last Wildcard
Agreed. The 49ers have been a sleeper for the past couple of years and look to be building the right way. I believe they easily win the west this year.
Well said, demo.
Like I said in my post about what “Giants football” means, we never thrive as front-runners. We need the adversity. And we’re sure gonna get it.
Agree bigtime. These guys have steadily building a tough roster from top to bottom, with an old school, strong-in-the-trenches, physical approach. Singletary was a great hire for them. Hopes are high out here in the Bay, and I see why, all they need is consistent QB play.
whose QB’ing the 9ers? is it still Smith? Isn’t that stiil their achilles?
*each year
Wait, is njm0m a person of the female persuasion? If so, Hallelujah!!! We need some more feminine POVs around here. And whomever you are, that was a good comment. Make more.
thanks and yes I am a person of the female persuasion. Just wait until the season begins. I discovered this site way to late last season and have loved reading everyones post since then.
I wanted to touch on njm0m’s pleas for mercy from whichever football deity is in charge of selecting which teams to plague with injuries. Almost no team gets a full-on reprieve from the injury bug. The good teams–the ones that go on to win the Super Bowl–perceiver through the setbacks by building quality depth behind vital positions so as to minimize–not erase–any dropoffs that occur when the inevitable trip to IR occurs. JR has done that this offseason, or so we hope. I’d rather not get tested in the first place, but if we do, I am more confident today than I was at this time last season.
Anyway, welcome njm0m! Please stick around and excuse the latent homoeroticism and frequent outbursts of testosterone that occur around here.
Oh, and I wanna apologize for KD. He’s just…in need of an apology.
Hey demo!
How are you able to rewatch the games from last year? Did you TiVo them or something?
thanks for all the warm welcomes. i love you guys. i come from a long line of Giants fans. Point in fact my mother nearly dropped my new born baby brother twenty years ago when Buffalo missed the field goal in the final seconds she got so excited. There has been no turning back since then.
LOL!!! Ma’am, methinks you’ve just ingratiated yourself to the crew.