Well, It's that time a year again when all of the prognosticators bring out their Crystal Balls including yours truly. Last year including the playoffs I had a 157-99 record with regards to my picks, however, my predictions for the Division winners as well as the Super Bowl was off just a tad. I did pick the Packers to be in the NFC Title game but instead of the Packers going to the Super Bowl I picked the Saints. On the AFC side I believe I finally have learned a powerful lesson....DON'T PICK THE CHARGERS! to win anything. San Diego continues to baffle everyone. Anyway, This is the NFC picks today. I'll talk about the Chargers when I do my AFC picks.
First up......The NFC South......By far the best all around Division in the NFC if not the entire league. Only the rebuilding Panthers will not be good enough to challenge for the Title but they will win some games. The Panthers along with their new Head Coach Ron Rivera and number one draft choice Cam Newton will make some waves this year but will have trouble, in a very solid division, getting a division win. Look for the Panthers to finish no better than .500 and that would be a great accomplishment for a first year coach. Next up the upstart Tampa Bay Buccaneers who will show improvement but unfortunately so will the two other contenders in the South. If the Buccaneers were in another Division they might have a better opportunity. Unfortunately for Tampa Bay they have to face Atlanta and New Orleans twice a year. Reminds me of the days when The Jim Mora led Saints had to face the 49ers and Rams twice a year...not an easy task. Bucs will finish above .500 for the second consecutive year but will need a little luck to make it into the post season. Atlanta will be a force to be reckoned with again this year. It should be another neck and neck race with the Saints to the finish line. Only this year the Saints will win the race and the Division with an 11-5 record Atlanta will fall to 10-6 and a playoff wild card. New Orleans will position itself for another Super Bowl run with home field advantage.
Next up the NFC North......The big question will be is it Green Bay's turn for a Super Bowl hangover or will they be the next New England Patriots and repeat? The Packers are loaded on offense and defense and I expect them to win the Division easily. My surprise team of the year will be the Lions who have quietly under Jim Schwartz built a very solid and FAST team on both sides of the ball. If Detroit QB Matthew Stafford can stay healthy for an entire season look for the Lions to challenge for that last wild card spot. The Bears under Lovie Smith have been consistent but have not been able to get back to the big game since 2006. There is a lot of off the field things going on in Chicago. A lot of players whining about their contracts. It seems to be more about the individuals than the team. The question here is can Lovie Smith bring the Bears together when the real bullets start to fly. If not it could be a long season in the Windy City. The Vikings once again have brought in yesterday's star QB. Can Donovan McNabb resurrect his career once again? Two things have always plagued McNabb.....Injuries and Inconsistency. If he can't get away from either then the Vikings will finish last in the Division and He won't and they will...finish last. One final word on last year's QB Farve......don't count on him fully retired just yet. Should a team say around mid-season or later with a good chance to make the playoffs lose their starting QB, I would say it's better than 50-50 that Favre would come back for that kind of opportunity. He's definitely not coming back for a full season, that I am certain of.
Now to the NFC East where everyone is talking about the Dream Team in Philly. Talent wise the Eagles really have everyone out matched in their Division. I would probably give the nod to Andy Reid for the best Coach as well. But Andy Reid's coaching abilities will truly be tested this year. Can he corral all of those egos in one locker room? It should be an interesting season to say the least for Philadelphia Fans. The Eagles will win the NFC East. Dallas will follow up in second place but will not be strong enough to get to the playoffs and will give Jerry Jones fits because it will be the second consecutive "home for the holidays" for the Cowboys. The Giants are so beat up with injuries this could be Tom Coughlin's swansong considering the short leash on Big Apple coaches. Giants will finish last. The real "unknown" in this division is the Redskins and only because of the coach do I say this. He is a proven winner and could turn things around. But Really Mike is Rex Grossman the best you can do at QB? Maybe Grossman has matured. Only time will tell. If so then the Skins may challenge Dallas for the number two spot.
Finally, the NFC West.........I saved the worst for last. Let's hope that another 7-9 team doesn't win the Division and make the playoffs. That shouldn't be the case with the resurging Rams. This should be a breakout year for Sam Bradford. The Rams organization is another one that has quietly been building a real good football team and should be extremely competitive this year. Rams will win the Division. Finishing a close second will be the Seahawks. I lean in their direction because I believe Pete Carroll has finally found a place he can coach in the big leagues. The Seahawks even though with a new QB will be better than last year and will challenge for the Division. The Cardinals are most people's pick to either win or place 2nd. Unfortunately, you can't win with Larry Fitzgerald alone. Kevin Kolb still looks like he's adjusting to Ken Whisenhunt's version of the West Coast offense. The 49ers...what can you say??? Re-building time. When Jim Harbaugh brought in washed up quarterback Daunte Culpepper for a tryout you know things are bad at the QB position. You've heard it over and over...this is a quarterback driven league and without a quality QB you just can't win that many games. Harbaugh has resigned himself to the fact that the best QB in his stable this year is Alex Smith. If that doesn't say to the 49er faithful "don't get your hopes up" nothing will.
Look for my AFC picks coming soon......
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